Episode 12: To Faernia!

"We're here, finally," Rune sighed.

"I don't normally complain about a trip, but even I must admit that it felt as though we were walking on that mountain forever. And all without it getting any cooler!" Galen sighed as well, and threw himself back first onto the rock. He immediately cringed and rubbed his backside, and then cursed his seat for being so hard.

Rune ignored him even though the others broke into giggles. They were overlooking the Fantasia Port; he was sure of it. At the bottom of the rocky hill was a large clearing by the sea filled with docked ships. They looked like fantastical contraptions he had only seen once before, giant sailing ships with oars poking out of their sides. Those oars were shaped like bird wings, right down to their flexible feathers that swayed in the wind.

Rune's eyes narrowed as he recalled that painful memory. These ships were different to the ships he had seen back then. These ones had see-through roofs instead of sails, as well as enormous cannons on their backs. Despite being this different, just the sight of them reminded him of the horrific scenario his Father had shown him, where he destroyed the fairies' airships and killed them in the process. He stared at them intently, having that very memory envision itself before him. Flames surrounded the ships as they lay in ruins, burning everything within. The Pokémon inside screamed for their lives, evaporating in the merciless fires as he stood and watched, helpless.

"Rune?" Diantha snapped him back to reality. "You okay? You were daydreaming."

"I," he wiped his forehead. He was sweating, a lot. There was no reason to, though. The airships sat on a green field by the sea. There were no flames, nor were there Pokémon dying. "Let's not waste time."

"Yeah, right! Oh I actually can't believe we're going to Faernia. I never thought about it at first, but now that I am, it's so cool!" she said, rushing off first. Rune grumbled as she stumbled down the hill, looking like she was going to trip and face plant at any moment.

"After you, your highness," Galen said. Ptero was waiting as well, arms folded and face flat as per usual. Rune didn't show them any hints and walked off.

There were a lot more Pokémon than he could see from the top of the hill, and all of them looked like they worked here. A whole crowd of Pokémon scampered back and forth to take care of various tasks, from carrying boxes to working on the airships. It all looked complicated and busy, but thankfully Diantha had stopped to watch them all rather than ask questions.

"I hate to do this, but wait here your highness. I'll sort out the trip," Ptero said.

"And we should trust you with this task, because?" Rune challenged. Ptero raised an eyebrow. "Your little 'detour' almost got my sister killed. I'd hate to think what other nasty surprise you'll plan on an airship."

"Whoa what? You don't trust him?" Diantha cried.

"No, I don't," Rune folded his arms.

"Bro, that's whack! He didn't do anything but take us the quick way to the port. It was Mirror that attacked us," she pouted and leaned towards him.

"It doesn't matter who attacked you. You almost died and if we didn't go that way, we wouldn't have run into Mirror. You wouldn't have gotten hurt and—" Rune raised his voice, leaning towards her as well.

"Who cares? I fought 'im off, you know!"

"Yes, with the powers that you shouldn't be using. Heck, you shouldn't even be in danger! Hell, you shouldn't even be here!"

"What's with you? I can take care of myself."

"I don't care if you can or you can't. The point is you need to be in as little danger as possible. And this guy dragged us into a trap."

"The only one that thinks that is you. And why doesn't it matter? You're treating me like I'm a kid. I'm sixteen, remember?"

"Gods, I shouldn't be surprised that you're this hot-headed. If you don't trust me that much, then just follow me. You can watch me set this all up," Ptero said. "I would have thought you would want to do something more useful like buy provisions and prepare for the trip."

"See? We can trust him!" Diantha pouted. "Trust your friends, Rune. We all wanna see you get to Faernia."

"Friends? Argh, I—" Rune grabbed his head. He took a deep breath and calmed down, hanging his arms by his side. "Look, sis. This isn't about trust or friendship or anything. I can't help worrying about you because you're here, okay? Just let me protect you."

"I don't need protecting, Rune. I'm an adult now. And this is about friends and trust, you're not treating Ptero like a friend and you're not trusting him!" she said.

"Seventeen is an adult in Oshawott years, sis," Rune said.

"Oh who the heck cares?"

"Diantha, stop this, please. I have to not take any chances because I can't afford to lose you again!" Rune cried. "You might not see it, but back then, when I saw what happened to you… I can't bear to let that happen again. But I know I can't keep you locked up in the castle, that's why I let you come with me. But if you get hurt again, it'll… it'll…"

"Wait wha? Rune?" she quietened down, surprised by his change of tone.

"Please, just let me protect you. I love you too much to let you get hurt again. I want you to be as safe as possible through all of this," he put his hands on her shoulders. Her cheeks reddened slightly and she looked away.

"Alright alright, you don't have to get all like that on me," she said quietly. "But you've gotta trust the others, 'kay? They wanna protect us, too."

"It's true. Safe Pokémon are happy Pokémon, right?" Galen as he wrapped his leaves around both Oshawott. Rune groaned and rolled his eyes while Diantha started giggling. "And we're a team working towards the happiest world. No reason not to trust each other. Diantha is safe as long as we're around, your highness. I would gamble my life on it!"

"Besides, I can vouch for Ptero in telling you that he's trustworthy. We've been in contact for way too long for him to pull something dangerous around me," Kelsith assured.

"If I recall correctly, Pokémon that can travel between the two planets are very far and few in between. Ptero might be our only hope to fly to Faernia," Emerson added.

"That's correct. You need a special badge of right to freely travel between the planets. You can only get those badges by having the approval of royalty from both planets as well, so it's extremely difficult to get, if I must say," Ptero confirmed, showing them the badge from his bag. It was a simple pin badge with pink and navy blue. "I didn't want to unveil this, but I'm actually required to help you. I'd be hard pressed for my freedom if I were to refuse to help royalty of either planet."

Hmm? Wait, it's his duty to help the royalty? Did Jyararanga plan this as well? Is Ptero only helping me because he was asked to? Rune gasped in his head. No, it's too early to make an assumption like that. I'll have to see what Ptero does from here. If he's our only ticket to travel to Faernia, then I have to put that much trust in him.

"You kids, you're making a ruckus and you're in the way!" A child shouted, rushing towards them. It was a Togedemaru, but much taller and bigger than he sounded. "You don't work here, so I'm letting you off. But please leave!"

"Seriously, Shota? I'm right here," Ptero groaned. The Togedemaru went quiet and glanced over at everyone, looking dumbfounded.

"Oh, hi there Ptero. What's going on here, then? Are you with these kids?" he asked.

"We're not kids. I am Prince Rune of Caste Eris," Rune bowed. Togedemaru's eyes widened.

"Whoa, he's so chubby! But why does his tail stick up like that?" Diantha giggled. Rune slapped her head, to which she cursed and tried to hit him back.

"His and her royal highness and an entourage of Pokémon. Wait, there's a fairy with you, too?" Togedemaru cried. "Wait wait wait, I'm sorry. Call me Shota. I-I'm the captain of these parts. We-welcome to Port Fantasia number one, where we handle communications between planet Eris and Faernia."

"We know. Your mailmon Ptero told us everything. We need a flight to Faernia," Rune replied with a nod.

"Yes, I received the letter about that a while ago. We're to take you to the meeting point for your marriage with Princess Ariala, yes?" Shota recalled.

"You already know?" Rune tilted his head.

"Yes. An operation li-like this would have been set up months in advance, you know! The-that said, we've run into some difficulty and well," Shota said, looking side to side. "We don't have a private airship yet. A recent rock slide dealt us a lot of damage, followed by the rotting of the sea leading to a bit of famine and… urf, the problems piled up. Most of the staff fled."

"That rock slide damaged here, too," Emerson said.

"That would have to have happened before our encounter with Mirror, though. That means the rock slides here have been a common occurrence," Rune folded his arms. "The sooner this trip is done, the better. Can you still take us in one of those airships?"

Shota glanced back at the three docked ships, and then back at Rune's party, and became even more nervous than before. "In one of those shoddy old things? Sure we can, but for you as a prince?"

"Don't concern yourself with making a fancy vessel or something. We just need to get to Faernia safely," Rune stated.

"Yeah it can do that, but there'll be many other Pokémon on board, you know. Those ships were already planned for mailmon and stuff," he said, still sweating.

"That's fine. Make some space for Emerson and we'll be alright," Rune said, smiling.

"Hey, whatever I have isn't contagious!" the Umbreon cried.

"Honey, he's just taking safe measures," Kelsith giggled.

"If that's really alright, then go ahead and make yourselves comfy on board the ship in the middle, there. Let the staff know who you are and they'll show you what to do," Shota instructed.

"Thank you very much. See, that wasn't so hard, was it? We didn't need you, after all," Rune said, giving Ptero a smug look.

"Big bro," Diantha growled.

"Hey, I'm joking this time. But that was a lot easier to do than he made it out to be," he said, leading the way.

"Just to let you know, it's an eight hour trip between the two planets. If you need to do your business, do it before you get on. There aren't any restrooms on board," Ptero informed.

"Rest… rooms?" Rune raised an eyebrow.

"You know, the litterboxes. Eris might not have them, but on Faernia, you can't just plop down anywhere and do that stuff. You have to develop a sense of hygiene," Ptero explained.

"You guys have designated areas to litter?" Rune asked. Ptero sighed.

"I have a lot to teach you," he groaned. Shota stood and watched them until they were on the other side of the field, where he was finally joined by another Pokémon, a Cacturne.

"Oh gods, I'm so nervous. We can really do this, right? We've only got one shot," he said, shivering and gasping hard. "Alright. Let's gather everyone and get going. No time to go over the plan."

Cacturne didn't say anything, nor did it move at all. It wasn't even clear how it came to stand beside Shota, but it disappeared just as suddenly, causing the Togedemaru to groan in bother. "I know you're eager, but we've gotta get this right, okay? No jumping the gun."

…

Contrary to Shota's worries, the interior of the airship was far fancier than anyone expected it to be. It felt more like a home than it did a ship – it was spacious, furnished with wooden materials, decorated with paintings and posters, and even had a fireplace with an open fire burning in it. Tasty smells came from a room that was presumably the kitchen, whilst the only two rooms with doors had 'staff only' signs on them.

There were no seats, only cushions, so Rune and the others made themselves comfortable at the head of the ship, an upper floor that was just below the glass roof. The glass curled right around until it reached the floor, so the group had a clear view of the surrounding world. From here they had an emergency exit that led right out of the airship and easy access to the other rooms.

A lecture from Ptero about the standards of the public on Faernia failed to distract Rune from his nervousness, however. Once they had taken off, the unusual feeling of the floor tilting and the background shifting took away every sense of comfort he could have had. He couldn't shake how fragile these airships were; knowing that any bad attacks that went off in here would cause the whole thing to explode with him in it. Even worse, with the clear view of the outside world around them as they flew, he had all the sickening sights of Eris and its landmarks getting smaller and smaller.

"S-sis, don't stand so close to the window!" he called out, realising that she was leaning against it obsessively. She ignored him however, even when that scenery started to darken. It took very little time, but they had ascended to space and were going beyond. Everything around them outside was pitch black, minus the stars that glistened in the distance. An indecisive temperature came with it, one that had Rune shivering from cold even though he was sat so close to the fire.

"I understand your discomfort, but I assure you, we're safe. These airships use jets and oars to 'sail' through space. We'll avoid any stars or debris with ease," Ptero promised as walked over to Rune with the others.

"Honestly, it beats my first trip across the planets. I was locked in a box," Kelsith shrugged.

"I actually remember you being too stiff to move for a while. All the more reason I felt so sorry for you," Emerson laughed.

"How can you guys laugh?" Rune groaned. His head hurt from the mixed temperature, so much that he felt like he was going to throw up.

"I do this for a living you know, going between the planets," Ptero tapped his glasses.

"Oh, right. Sis, please come back over here. You keep pressing into that window and your face is gonna flatten," Rune groaned.

"But it's so pretty out there. We're in space, big bro! That's so cool. I mean, imagine going to another planet in this thing?" she remarked.

"It's a wondrous feeling, isn't it? I could have only dreamt that travel like this was possible. And all to visit Pokémon on the opposite planet," Galen said.

"It's also dangerous. One wrong move and we're all dust," Rune said. Diantha puffed up her cheeks.

"Really? You're that scared, huh? I'm gonna be fine Rune, you don't need to fret over every little thing," she said. "Maybe you could take it easy if you ate somethin' for once."

"You know what, that's a good call. It's been a while since any of us have eaten anything, hasn't it?" he said, realising that fact. He was running on fumes for sure, yet his stomach was ready to heave up more than the Butterfree that filled it. As he stood up to tend to that hunger, a group of Pokémon came through one of the doors in the back, casually walking around him and his party.

"You have a knack for reading others minds. I wonder if they do special dishes for this trip, though? Space themed food is on my mind, now!" Galen said.

"I usually bring my own meals since I'm not into Eris' dishes. Who do we ask to prepare food?" Ptero wondered.

Rune wondered just that, but his face flattened as he watched the way the Pokémon gathered into the room. It was almost as if they were surrounding him in a formation. None of them replied to the obvious questions he had, and it soon clicked in his mind what he should have been doing. He drew his Razor Shell and swiped it aside to show his threat, forcing the surrounding Pokémon to stop and prepare for an attack.

"Huh?" Diantha said.

Before she could say another word, A Cacnea came at her swinging, getting hit back by the prepared Rune. A Ninetales flared up its mouth and blew a Fire Blast at them straight afterwards, which Rune sliced in half, but not without recoil damage. Embers scorched him and Diantha, garnering a growl of pain from them both.

Thankfully, Ptero and Kelsith had realised and jumped into the battle, protecting Rune and Diantha from further attacks with a Thunderbolt and a Fairy Wind. The attacks stopped from there, leaving Rune and the party back to back with each other, surrounded by their potential enemies.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?" Ptero shouted, revealing his daggers.

"Don't bother asking. Just fight back!" Rune ordered.

He knew he had to be, here. Whatever reason these Pokémon were attacking him, he needed to ensure none of them damaged the surrounding ship too much. As such, his eyes darted between the three most threatening Pokémon present, an Arcanine, a Raticate, and a Wartortle.

"Ah, we're sorry, Ptero. But this is our only chance to stop them," Wartortle replied, looking down.

"We almost died because of rock slides, earthquakes, and famine, and all the royal family cares about is a pointless little royal wedding? I won't stand or a king that cares nothing about his Pokémon," Arcanine said. Rune's face tightened.

"Wait, what? You guys aren't sayin' you don't want Rune to marry, are you?" Diantha gasped.

"The only way King Jyararanga is gonna get up off his ass and do something about these earthquakes and stuff is if something happens to him. The death of his son ought to be a working switch for that," Arcanine said.

"You're just supposed to be mailmon. Our job is to help these Pokémon. What makes you think treason will help?" Ptero shouted, his mouth agape.

"Is the happiness of the royal family that much to ask? I admit that times are hard, but taking it out on someone of high standing is not the answer. I don't see how that could possibly make you happy," Galen said. Before Arcanine could continue arguing with them, Rune sprinted forward and swung his Razor Shell at full force, sending him flying with a mighty roar.

"Rune!" Ptero gasped, but it was too late. The other Pokémon immediately turned on him after that pre-emptive attack, turning the once homely room into an all-out brawl.

About three Pokémon attempted to dive on top of Rune, but he avoided them all by using an Aqua Jet which he aimed at the Ninetales from earlier. The quick strike sent it to the ground a good distance away, but there was no time to breathe as a Scizor took him on next, slamming its claws onto Rune's head. Rune was ready and clashed against them with Razor Shell, quickly breaking away before attempting more attacks. The two of them smashed their attacks against each other hard enough to make one another grunt, but thanks to Rune's size and his faster movements, he was soon slashing at Scizor's chest to knock it to the ground.

"You selfish jerks! That's not why Rune's going to Faernia!" Diantha cried, getting ignored.

She stood by the others and protected herself from stray attacks with Water Gun, not having to do much as the enemies aimed almost solely after Rune. The others helped out from a distance, but to their surprise, Rune seemed to be able to handle the entire battle on his own.

"This is a joke. None of you even know how to fight. Strength in numbers means nothing when you're weak!" he shouted. He was already surrounded by a bundle of knocked out Pokémon.

"It doesn't matter, either way. You're too late!" Arcanine snickered weakly as he struggled to his feet. "We win this either way. We're all going to die, and it'll show your king that he needs to get to work."

"Instead of attempting to do something about your predicaments yourselves, you're dealing with your losses by bringing suffering onto your leaders. If you're planning on crashing this ship, I'll never let you!" Rune said tightened his pose. Arcanine started laughing to himself, making Rune go quiet. Wait a minute, if these are the mailmon, then where's that Togedemaru?

At that, his eyes slightly shifted to scan the room. Wartortle, Arcanine, a Dodrio and a few other species were still standing, whilst those knocked out were forcing themselves back to their feet. He's not here because he's the one driving the ship. Shit, I have to find him!

He stepped backwards and coughed another curse under his breath as he realised that fact, gritting his teeth on top of his other attempts at intimidation. Arcanine seemed to have realised Rune's thoughts however, and smiled in smug triumph.

I can't leave this room without sis, though. But I have to hurry, or we'll all be killed! he thought, beginning to shudder, glancing back at her. "Damn it- screw it! Galen, Emerson, take care of Diantha for me. Ptero, Kelsith, you're with me!"

"Huh, what?" Ptero gasped.

"Don't question it, just follow me!" Rune said as charged off.