Episode 14: Jyararanga's scheme

Rune awoke with an unusual level of awareness. He couldn't remember even a hint of what dreams he'd had, nor could he hear anyone around him until his eyes were fully open. He was still in the main room of the airship, but the background was brighter than the space backdrop he was used to.

"Huh? Wait what, where are we?" He sprung awake. Clouds surrounded the ship on all sides, while the shop rumbled unpleasantly as it descended.

"Big brother, you're awake! Just in time. I was getting worried we'd have to carry ya or something," Diantha giggled. He stood up and grumbled, surprised to see everyone on the trip gathered in the same room. Ptero was addressing them all.

"What's going on? I fell asleep, but…" Rune rubbed his head.

"Uh yeah, that thing Cacturne did before put us in a pretty bad position, right? Things got real cold and you sorta fainted. But we're also outta fuel now too, so we're figuring out a way to land safely," she said. Rune folded his arms and joined everyone else.

"We're just making an emergency landing, right? Isn't anyone flying the ship right now?" he asked. The others gave him worrisome looks, to which he raised an eyebrow until he noticed that even Shota was there. "Wait a minute- if Shota's here then that means—"

"Yep. We're gonna crash. The guys seem pretty calm, though," Diantha said. Rune's eyes widened.

"Are you nuts? If this thing crashes, it'll—"

"Your highness, please calm down. We've talked this through already and can assure you that not much bad will happen," Ptero promised.

"Not much bad is still bad. Can we really afford for something to happen?" Rune gasped.

"Trust your friends already, big bro! We're gonna be okay," Diantha groaned.

"Yes. Many of us here know the move Protect, as well as defensive moves like Reflect and such. The ship will suffer little damage and we won't land exactly where we want to, but that's all," Ptero nodded.

"One minute 'till impact, captain!" Galen announced.

"One minute?" Rune shouted.

"Places everyone. Do your best," Ptero announced.

"Wait wait wait, what am I supposed to—"

"Just sit back, relax, and trust us, okay?" Diantha said as she joined everyone at the front.

She raised her hands along with a few others and released a translucent green barrier from around her, giving a cry to show her effort. Despite performing the same actions, the others released a perfectly transparent barrier, but theirs not go as far out as Diantha's. All of their barriers at least surrounded the ship, though.

"Wait, Diantha! That's—" Rune gasped, cut off as the floor suddenly began to tilt. The ship leaned forwards with their descent, which forced him to pay attention and focus.

"I know what I'm doin' okay? You don't need to worry about me usin' my powers," she growled in effort.

I just want you to be safe, darn it, he sighed, and coughed when the ship shook again. He felt sick staring at the window now, seeing it scroll from clouds to a distant land to a detailed field in just a few seconds.

They were falling fast, and he could only imagine how fast. The ships that he had seen Jyararanga destroy didn't fall nearly as quickly as they were now, yet they exploded upon impact with the ground. If the Pokémon here were serious about saving themselves, he knew their protection would need to be stronger than this.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but sis, go all out. That's the only way we're going to survive this." He put one foot forward.

"I've got permission?" She glanced back at him.

"Gods, just do it!" he cried.

She thrust her arms with another cry of effort. Dark electricity crackled around her briefly before exploding into an enormous aura, one that outgrew the protect barrier she currently had. It enhanced the barrier in the process, somehow causing the airship to float at a level angle as well.

"What the?" Ptero gasped, surprised by Diantha outdoing everyone.

She didn't seem to be putting much effort into her Protect now, and kept one arm held forward while making no sound at all. Her body remained surrounded by black, smoky gases and crackling electricity, however. Before Ptero could question her witchcraft, the airship crashed against the ground and threw everyone off balance. It wildly skided and grinded against whatever was below it as it forcefully came to a stop. Diantha let up her barrier right away, thrown into a huge clump with everyone else at the front of the ship.

"Ow… that still hurt anyway," she moaned once they came to a complete stop. At first glance the shield had protected their fall, but when she pushed herself to stand up, she found Ptero cradled beneath her in between her arms. "O-oh. Why hello there, cutie."

"Re-really? Get off of me," groaned the Emolga.

"I kinda like it here. You're soft," she giggled.

"Da-darn it, stop messing around!" he cried, fidgeting enough to get her to stand up. He brushed himself off, but couldn't to hide a light blush. "What kind of move was that? I didn't know you were capable of such an arte."

"It's just something sis can do. Don't mind it, we've got bigger concerns." Rune drew their attention to outside the window. To their surprise, no damage was visible on the ship whatsoever, not even as much as a crack on the window. There were quite a few Pokémon gathered around, and all of them were fretting about the crash landing.

"Allow me, your highness. I'll take responsibility for this predicament," Ptero said with a bow.

"So gentlemanly," Diantha giggled.

He warily opened the emergency exit and examined the area, and then nodded to everyone else before hopping out. Rune copied even though Ptero had just confirmed it was safe, surprised to find the small group of Pokémon around. He couldn't identify any of them by species, but there were quite a few cat pokemon dressed in uniform wielding lances and swords. They were definitely on Faernia.

"Are you all alright? Here, let me help you down!" their potential leader called out in her slightly gritty voice. It was a tall, pink, soft, fairy-like Pokémon that resembled a Clefairy, only taller and less round. Rune ignored her and jumped to ground without her help. He was too concerned by her vastly different appearance to the other formal looking soldiers. She wore a bright red ribbon around her waist with the bow tied at her front, where she kept a fancy fan tucked away. With that much flash drawing eyes to her lower body, he didn't have the best first impression.

"Ari—" one of the cats hissed and yanked her back.

Is she even a soldier? Rune asked himself, unable to take his eyes off her attractive attire. "We're fine. I apologise greatly for the intrusion. We have business on Faernia, but we ran into some trouble during our flight and ran out of fuel. Might I ask where we are, first?"

"Here," Ptero showed them his badge. Shota and the others were made to do the same, to which the leader nodded.

"Oh, mailmon. You're in the southern Coral Fields. I imagine you intended to land at the Fantasia Port to the west." A Ponyta trotted over. She was pulling a large carriage just fit for the soldiers.

"If you would like, we can escort you all there. The feral Pokémon in this area are rattled due to the ship you just crashed." The fairy smiled.

"Ari—" Ponyta hissed and nudged her.

"We can take care of that airship as well. I'm impressed you managed to crash land without damaging it at all," she ignored her bothered companions. "Cat's Brigade, if you will?"

"Look- no, we're not doing this. You promised you would stick to your duties, and not only are we side-tracking again, but you're ignoring your safety. These are Pokémon from Eris. The threat they potentially pose requires utmost care and consideration," Ponyta warned. She stood right in front of Rune and flared her back, failing to intimidate him at all. "You stand in the presence her Royal Highness Princess Ariala. For your illegal crossing and trespassing, we're going to have to place you under arrest until we can ascertain the truth of your story."

"Naomi, we ourselves saw them falling through the sky. We don't need any more proof to their story," Ariala objected.

"It is for your safety, your highness. You shan't go near them!" the Ponyta stomped a hoof.

"Wait, which of you is the princess?" Rune gasped. The others exchanged glances, taken by surprise.

"That would be me. We just happened to see your airship falling, so we've come to help. Please pardon my retainer, Naomi. She is rightfully protective, but she means no harm, deep down." Ariala bowed.

"Wow Rune, you scored lucky! She's pretty and thick, don't you think?" Diantha giggled, half lidded.

"S-sis!" he cried. He turned back to the confused Clefable and went stiff "Are you serious? What kind of attire is that for a princess?"

"Who're you to ask that? Besides, it's none of your business," a hooded Pokémon stepped up.

"No no, you don't understand." Rune shook his head. He drew his sword to show it off, causing a wave of shock to cross over Ariala's group. "I am Rune, crown prince of planet Eris. The Pokémon behind me are an army of sorts, all to aid my escort to planet Faernia to meet the princess."

"The sword of Earthly Elements- Rune, it's you," Ariala whispered.

Rune went silent with her and stared back. The two of them looked one another in the eyes with open mouths. Words longed to escape them both, but all they could manage were near silent breaths and nervous sounds. They barely even moved or blinked, inciting the others to say something. No one made a move however, half expecting the duo to say something every few seconds.

"Oh come on, we didn't cross through space just for you to get Beautifly in your tummy!" Diantha finally complained and shoved her brother forward. "Say something!"

"Gah, s-sis, wait, I—" he said. Ariala breathed out and clutched her chest.

"Rune. I- do you remember me?" she asked slowly.

"Huh? Remember you?" Diantha replied, confused now.

Rune raised an eyebrow, to which Ariala slowly approached him. She was wary and looked at the palms of her hands, and then leaned forward to plant her hands on Rune's ears. He let her, still confused about what she was doing until a spike of nostalgia hit and his face flushed with relief. To him, Ariala's resemblance to that Clefairy finally became clear, and being this close to her face, he saw the lack of difference between now and back then.

"It's you, from ten years ago. That fairy I found in Father's room," he said blankly. She smiled and withdrew, starting to blush lightly. "I had no idea that all this time…"

"That honestly makes me happy. You remembered," she said.

Father definitely planned this. This whole trip up until now, he planned it all. There's no way he didn't know that that Clefairy was the princess – but then, why? And what happened after all of that? I might actually finally find out what really went down that day, Rune told himself, and shook his head to hide his concerned looks. "You evolved."

"Oh. Yes, I did. That was recent, actually. I've not been a Clefable for more than a year," she smiled.

"Evolution is hard to do on Eris since our Evolution Springs are drying up. Father wouldn't even gift me a Master Seal despite doing so well in training," Rune replied. "Makes me wonder if I'm not a good enough fighter or something."

"We are losing our springs as well. We will need to sort out your evolution soon, lest our procedures become uncomfortable," she said.

"Uncomfortable?" Rune replied.

"Well who would've thought it? You two somehow already know each other? And you met here of all places." Nier clapped as she walked between them. "Can you imagine what would've happened if Ariala wasn't so kind and we ignored the falling airship?"

"Yes, I wonder what could have happened." Naomi looked away.

"This isn't really the place to mingle, though. We should head to that Fantasia Port. Not that any ferals would dare attack an army as big as ours," Vincent said.

"Right. Will your group lead the way?" Rune nodded.

"Naturally," Vincent nodded, doing just that.

…

After a small bit of preparation and recovery, the large group began their trek across Faernia's Coral Fields, leaving a few soldiers behind to deal with the crashed airship. Rune and Diantha couldn't help but fall behind while walking, amazed at the otherworldly feel compared to Eris.

As the name suggested, actual fields of colourful coral made up most of the ground in this area. It was hilly and rocky in appearance, yet a pleasant wind blew and the air was clear enough to view a far distance. The sun was warm, the various coral reefs were softer than they looked, and it didn't take long for the party to reach a public road that appeared so safe a child could walk through it. In fact, it was more populated than any areas of wilderness Rune had ever seen. Herds of feral Pokémon hid and scouted amongst the mountainous, underwater-like reefs.

"Keep up, now," Vincent called out, snapping Rune back into focus. He tapped his sister and they jogged to catch up with Ariala, but he kept silent. That was until he noticed that Vincent kept staring at him, and he had to hide his nervousness.

"Is something wrong?" Rune wondered.

"No, honestly. I'm just surprised. If your group is an example of anything to go by, then my perceptions of Pokémon from Eris are all wrong," Vincent smiled. "I should know not to believe in stereotype, and yet I'm surprised. I especially didn't know that there were any fairies on Eris."

"Er yeah, funny story that one, isn't it?" Kelsith laughed awkwardly.

"The same could be said for your group. You still haven't told me why Ariala's wearing… that," Rune replied.

"Still won't admit I won?" Nier said, half lidded.

"It was a stupid idea and you know it! In fact it's so stupid that no one realises it's an idea we're actually going with," Vincent cried.

"Is it some sorta disguise? I think she looks pretty good in it. If I were into girls, I'd be drooling! Rune's a lucky guy!" Diantha giggled.

"Sis, can you stop, please? This is a princess we're talking about," Rune groaned.

"It's true though, ain't it? Rating outta ten. You can tell me, I won't tell," she said.

"It certainly has been a talking point. I like it, as well. Unlike most clothing I've seen, it's not restrictive in movement," Ariala admitted. "Your cape and furstyle look impressive, too. Nothing like what I remember you as. I can tell you have grown as a man."

"Would you believe me if I said that you're the first Pokémon to ever tell me that?" Rune smiled.

"Most girls normally just fawn over him and he gets all nervous," Diantha said.

"Sis!" Rune cried. Ariala giggled.

"Do they, now? I imagine most men to you as well. Your appearance is unique," Ariala replied.

"It is, isn't it? Pardon me for askin', but are those paintbrushes, your highness?" Nier asked.

"Just call me Diantha! And yeah, they are. I'm a painter, and I needed someplace to carry 'em," she answered.

"You used to be a painter. You haven't painted anything in years," Rune groaned.

"Actually I've been painting up until we set off for this. I needed something to do while you were in Knight School, and some places outside of the castle were just too good to pass up," she replied.

"Oh yeah? Then let's see some," he said.

"Don't have any on me now. Canvasses are big you know!"

"Of course you don't."

"We will be a while, you know. We have to start setting up the wedding party. If you'd like, we can arrange for you to paint the bride and groom!" Nier suggested. Vincent beamed up.

"That's a surprisingly good idea for you," Vincent said. She growled at him.

"That is actually a wonderful idea. If you haven't lost your ability, I bet the painting would be fantastic," Rune said.

"Of course! But not for free, though. If there's gonna be a party, I demand dibs on cake. That'll make up the cost." Diantha posed and gave a half-lidded look.

"Is there… really going to be a party?" Ariala asked.

"Of course, your highness. One fitting of royalty, attended by the biggest figures from both planets. Well, I believed it would be so, but King Jyararanga hasn't come with you, so," Naomi said, closing her eyes. "I believe Queen Magearna has already sorted out things like formal invitations, timing, dates and such."

Their group was too big to dare to fight, that was obvious at first glance. Despite that, Rune kept up his guard all the way to the Fantasia Port. Even here was far different to the one he knew briefly on Eris – it was more of a town than it was a hidden port. The Tapu's domain covered here, so it was another city with pipes of terrain energy running through them. Advanced, silvery buildings of metallic material and a myriad of sophisticated Pokémon operated all throughout. Rune couldn't help but slow down as they entered, gazing around at everything like a confused child in a park.

"Please keep up, your highness. We're here," Naomi said, snapping him into focus. They were led to a structure that looked to be even bigger than Castle Eris. "I must admit, you've all been well behaved, despite what I hear about Pokémon from Eris."

"I have to agree. We had a few squabbles on the way here, but our journey back has been smooth enough. That's probably only because of these two, though." Vincent glanced nervously at Diantha and Nier. The duo were chatting, giggling, and laughing like they were childhood friends. Nier got everyone's attention by whispering something that made Diantha's eyes widen. The two broke into laughter when they noticed Vincent and Rune staring at them.

"S-sis, what're you up to?" Rune groaned.

"Oh never mind. Nothing," she sung and skipped off. Nier didn't follow, and joined Rune and Ariala in the centre of the main room, a hallway lined with enormous columns. She was half-lidded, though.

"Right. Now that we have united, we shouldn't waste any time in the planning of the wedding. Vincent, Nier, I will leave the contact of Queen Magearna to you two," Naomi began. The couple saluted her. "Prince Rune, where are your retainers? I believe the task of contacting the king of Eris should fall to them."

"I don't have retainers. I'll write Father a letter," Rune replied.

"What? How can you not have retainers?" she replied.

"I do everything I need myself. I had servants growing up, but I dismissed them when I joined Knight School," he folded his arms. "You just need me to let him know we've met up, right?"

"Unacceptable. The two of you are preparing for the biggest day of your lives. I won't have you overworking yourselves," Naomi shook herself.

"It's just writing a letter. That's hardly overwork—"

"You misunderstand me, your highness. You and your army are honoured guests on our planet. We would not have you labouring away on mundane tasks unfitting of your rank. If you do not have servants you can instruct, then please, leave the work to us," she bowed to him. She nodded to Nier and Vincent, and the trio got to work.

"Naomi," Ariala groaned quietly.

And so, the duo was made to stand aside whilst Naomi and the other soldiers took on chores around the building. Neither of them were clear on exactly what was going on, but all the Pokémon wound up crossing back and forth across the hall, shouting orders, carrying and rearranging goods, and more. Rune's army were taken away but were soon here and there, mingling where possible and asking questions. Some left to explore the port town; others offered their help, whilst the remainder went to their accommodation, and reported to Rune where they would be. Diantha and Galen were the ones seen the most, the loudest, and most obstructive.

"At least sis is having fun," Rune said at last, bored as he watched her bombard a few Cat's Brigade soldiers with questions. Galen seemed to be watching over and keeping her out of trouble. Ariala didn't respond to Rune at all, and sighed heavily. "Er, that was quite a sigh. What's up?"

"I am like you in that it bothers me to be doing nothing like this. The purpose of our marriage is not to have a fancy party. Why should we stand aside whilst our retainers fret over something that is excessive to us?" she looked at her hand. Rune raised an eyebrow. "I apologise. That was worded wrong."

"You don't like parties, do you?" Rune asked.

"From what I have experienced of royal parties, no. That is between you and me, though. It is duty to attend them, so I have no choice," she said.

"Neither do I, to be honest. Not like we have much for parties, though. They're mostly bonfires or feasts, and those weren't too bad." Rune smiled. Ariala went quiet and stared back at the crowd of Pokémon. Diantha was trying to figure out what was in a few boxes now. She sniffed and searched them for a lock or something.

"Rune. I am afraid I cannot resist asking you much longer, for we may not get another time alone where I might ask," Ariala began. Her tone got his concern. "I was set on ignoring the crash of your airship until I saw the power that surrounded it and saved it from crash landing."

"Yes. Everyone's combined Protect barrier," Rune replied.

Ariala shook her head and gave him a stern look. "I know exactly what that dark power is. I was not expecting someone in your army to be capable of it. Please, you must tell me who it is."

He blinked at her. "What exactly do you know, and why does it matter?"

"Please. I would like to get this out of the way as I do not want there to be any mistrust between us," she begged.

"If that's the case, then why don't you tell me what happened when Father kidnapped you? Why did he kidnap you, only to have us marry each other a decade later?" he challenged.

Ariala breathed out and shut her eyes, and then slowly clenched her hands. "I'm afraid I cannot share that information with you. It is information simply best left unknown to as many Pokémon as possible. Your Father made me promise that one."

"Then don't expect any answers from me." Rune folded his arms. The plot thickens. Father conspired with her. But to what end? If she's telling the truth about knowing all about Diantha's powers, then why does she know about them?

"So you know who used the powers," she replied. Rune gave her a plain look, but his breathing became tenser. "I don't wish to interrogate you. I'll respect your decision to keep this a secret from me. But please, I can only give you a dire warning: that Pokémon absolutely cannot openly use those powers here. One of our Gods, Tapu Koko, has sworn destruction of those dark powers. If a Pokémon provokes him with those powers, it may be disastrous."

"You two, apologies for the wait! We've got your rooms sorted out at last," Nier called out and waved them over. Rune and Ariala exchanged glances. "Come on up! I'll show you two to your private quarters here."

"At your earliest convenience, please warn them," Ariala said.

"You're going to have to tell me all about the gods of Faernia, you knowl." Rune followed after her.

"Oh? That one I can tell," she smiled. "Listen well to the legend of Faernia and why our religion is so integrated into our society."

…

"So… is it normal for royals to not wear full clothing on Faernia?" Diantha asked.

"No, it's pretty normal. Lots of Pokémon wear clothes to make themselves look prettier, because they like the clothing, or whatever," Vincent replied. Her was leaned against the wall while Diantha bounced up to get his attention.

"If you're wondering about us, we're not to wear obstructive clothing for what we might need to help Ariala with." Nier joined them. "And then Vincent has to wear his cloak because he's Vincent."

"Huh, okay. I'm sure you guys can still dress pretty and be useful. If we ever get to go to Eris together, I'll take you to my retainers! They can make you something personal like my skirt, tailored just for you!" Diantha said.

Vincent grumbled. "You know, that just might be a lifesaver. This old cloak of mine has seen better days."

"Not gonna lie, if you get clothes made for you, you might wanna get someone who knows what they're doing. Your look has problems," Nier pointed out.

"Problems? Is your style different? Don't I look cute?" Diantha looked at herself.

"You're er… kinda revealing. Behind. Your skirt is way too short and it doesn't even have a tailhole!" Nier giggled.

Diantha was surprised. "Yeah, and? Don't you think it's meant to be like that?"

Vincent beamed up. "It… wait, what?"

"It's like Ariala's clothing, right? It draws eyes to certain areas. Then Pokémon can see the true beauty of your body. That's how it works, and if that's been bothering you, then it works!" Diantha cheered.

"Huh. Faernians don't exactly have a dress code, but we're to be more sophisticated than that, you know?" Nier put her hands on her hips. "If a Pokémon wanted to show off their body, they'd do it by not wearing clothing at all and letting their fur do that work. Like me right now."

"Yes. Skirts need room for tails, hats have holes for ears… it's basic stuff," Vincent cocked his head. "Please don't tell me Eris has inconvenient but provocative clothing as commonplace?"

Diantha started blushing. "N-no, that's only for me because this was made for me! I don't have any problem with it, but if I need to wear something else, I'm fine with that, too."

"Then let us return the proposition. If we get the time, let us go shopping. You can pick something you like." Vincent smiled.

"Oh hell yeah, yes please! And you can show me a great place to eat, too! There's someone I wanna take there." Diantha went half-lidded.

"It's a date! We'll teach you all about Faernia's beauty," Nier cheered.

Damn it, my retainers are definitely gonna pay for this one, Diantha thought, and smiled evilly. When I get back, you guys are gonna get more than a punishment…