Episode 17: Final trigger

"The fact that the battle disbanded after Tapu Koko departed is a miracle of the gods," an Azumarill stated, tapping her staff on the smooth floor. Azumarill's staff was as tall as she was, completely pink, and had a golden star on the tip. She looked displeased with Ariala and her party's appearance before her, yet unbothered by their beaten up states.

Behind Azumarill was an enormous throne with a silver, robotic maiden sat in it. Queen Magearna. After Rune's declaration towards Tapu Koko, he hadn't been allowed to even set foot into the castle, so he and his army, what remained of it, were waiting outside for Ariala to finish a meeting she had been called for.

"Your story connects with ours quite well," Azumarill glanced at Magearna. The Queen made no sound as she exchanged a glance with her. "You're aware of what happened here whilst you were away on that unauthorised battle, yes?"

"No, your highness. We haven't been back here for a day yet," Ariala said, stood straight and tall. Azumarill's face flattened.

"Possibly before your battle took place, Charle came here with his sword raised. He stated that the things he had learnt about Vincent changed the way he viewed this kingdom, and then the entire army, the Cat's Brigade, marched out with him," Azumarill informed. "Tapu Koko has publicly executed the princess of Eris. The Cat's Brigade have vanished after committing treason, and attempted to kill you during that battle. Prince Rune declared that he would kill Tapu Koko, essentially declaring war on Faernia – right after marrying you. On top of that, you disobeyed the direct orders of Queen Magearna and had your wedding in secret, away from the public."

Ariala didn't reply. She couldn't. Clearly knowing she had nothing to say, Azumarill continued to talk, staring right into her eyes. "Princess Ariala. This is a national crisis."

"Hey c'mon, pilin' on the pressure like that isn't gonna help anyone here," Nier cried, paws on her hips. "We gotta get some pointers, here. Time isn't gonna wait for us to figure out what to do!"

"If you mean consulting Tapu Fini for guidance, she has sealed herself away for the time being. We won't see her again for a least a week," Azumarill replied. Nier went quiet. "Princess, do you see what your disobedience has done? We are now on the verge of the world war that we wished to prevent. We have no army to defend us. The public are confused, spreading rumours of ill fate while they watch Rune's army in fear of when they will strike."

"Azu, what exactly did Charle say he learnt about me?" Vincent asked. There was a length of silence until Magearna glanced at Azumarill. Azumarill's left ear lifted up as if listening intently to what the Queen was saying, but no actual words came out.

"Are you sure that's wise, your highness?" Azumarill replied. Magearna seemed to ignore that question, static in appearance. "Very well. He told us of your personal agenda. Your incentive to stop the Constellars above all else. That as a Pokémon originating from Eris itself, your opposition to methods of true peace aren't surprising."

Vincent grit his teeth.

"Should I be surprised, as well? As a hybrid, you are only still alive due to the princess's pity of you, after all," Azu added

"You take that back, Azu!" Nier shouted.

"Nier, please," Ariala stopped her. "Now is not the time for underhanded comments or mistrust. What has occurred today cannot simply be overlooked. We must find a civil way to resolve all of this, or this world risks unnecessary damage. We need to find a way to stop this potential war."

"There is a point to these comments, your highness. To put it in a way that even an ignorant child like you would understand: we no longer need your idealistic judgement," Azu stated. Ariala's face turned white. "You are to return to your quarters for good at once, and do not leave unless ordered. We will handle the rest."

"Wha… what?" she whispered.

"You heard me. Return to your quarters at once, and you are not to leave unless ordered. You've caused enough trouble," Azu raised her voice. "We will deliver your meals and necessities as per our usual routine. You will have no reason to leave your quarters."

Ariala's eyes were watering and her breath became unsettled. She wanted to argue, but her throat and chest twisted to the point that it hurt to keep breathing. Not a sound other than a struggled, near silent whimper escaped her. She couldn't just leave things as they were and return to living in solitude, not after seeing so much. Not after having so many unfinished promises. Not when she had a child on the way.

Despite her obvious paralysis to the idea, Nier and Vincent grabbed her hands to walk her to her room. She allowed them to without so much as a comment or a look. Azu and Magearna waited until they were long out of sight before moving again, where Azu sighed and kicked the floor with violent intent.

"You know, I wish I knew what was on your mind with this. The fact that you aren't freaking out is almost unsettling. If the public saw you now or could hear what you were saying, then I'm certain some would suspect you of treason as well," Azu ranted, giving Magearna a sceptical look. There was another lengthy moment of silence until Azu sighed again and turned to walk off.

"Do you still trust me?" Magearna asked, surprising her. The Queen's voice was hollow, feminine and robotic, yet iconic and unlike any other voice Azu had ever heard before. "If so, then wait and see what is going to happen."

Ariala and her retainers remained in silence until they got back to her room, where she immediately moaned out loud to herself and slumped against the door. Her room had been so well looked after that it was exactly as it was when she left it. Pink enough for her to camouflage in, clean and clear, and well furnished.

She couldn't bring herself to stand up and appreciate it all right now, though. She trembled in a pathetic effort to even look up. What was there she could possibly do now to change anything that was going to happen? Hopeless thoughts drowned her mind, making her gradually sag closer and closer to the floor.

"Ariala," Nier said. She didn't even move. "We're not gonna do this. I'm not gonna sit here and watch this unfold."

"But what can we do? I have no doubt that if I'm considered a danger to the kingdom's operations, then there will be more guards preventing me from leaving the room. And if we waste even a few days, my egg will prevent me from acting," Ariala said. Vincent got her attention, walking towards the balcony windows of the room before pacing back to the centre. "Vincent?"

"There are a few things that are bothering me about everything that has happened so far," he mumbled.

"Only a few things? The whole shabang's got the princess in tears, honey!" Nier cried. Vincent shook his head.

"There are things that just don't connect, even though they said that they do," Vincent said. "Namely, Charle. It's obvious to me that Master Lin must have told him all about me. But what did he really learn that enabled him to disband the entire Cat's Brigade?"

"Well they all follow him, don't they?" Nier replied. Ariala's mouth dropped as she had a small revelation and realised what Vincent was getting at.

"Think about it. These are royal knights. It's an honour to protect the royalty. Pokémon of that status couldn't ask for more. Yet still, something he said or did caused the entire army to rebel and march out of this castle. On top of that, there was little effort to actually come and find you. During our journey, I was prepared to have to deal with knights that wanted to take you back here or resume our escort. Yet still, even with that whole ordeal with the protesters in the capital, the most we had to supervise us was Naomi."

"And knowing her, that was probably her taking it upon herself to come and find you due to being worried sick," Nier pointed out.

"Exactly. Why isn't anything being done?" Vincent asked. Ariala finally stood back up and stuck a hand out as if she wanted to answer. She quickly retracted and didn't say anything. "Your highness, pardon me for my attitude here, but please speak your mind. You keeping quiet about some secrets is definitely part of the problem here."

"Urf. This is actually normal practice for Faernia," she said. The two Meowstic's eyes widened. "We rely on the guidance of the Tapu. We do as they say and allow them to build our future."

"Even to this extent? Did they not care that you ran away from the castle for your own deeds?" Vincent gasped.

"You've got it wrong. They likely consulted the Tapu for guidance on what to do about my running away. If the Tapu told them not to follow, then they didn't follow."

"That's messed up! Who in their right mind wouldn't try to help just because the Tapu said so? Are you trying to say that the Tapu told the Cat's Brigade to listen to Charle?" Nier said, paws on her hips.

"Faernia is very closely intertwined with the ideals of the Tapu. It is following that guidance that has allowed us to get this far," Ariala said as she started to pace. "Even I consult them through prayer from time to time. But the worst cases would ask the Tapu for what to have for dinner. Since their guidance has taken our world so far, it is very difficult to say no to them. If they answer us with guidance we don't understand, we follow it anyway under the impression that it will lead us to greater good – because every time we do, it has."

"Then… geez, that's a rough spot. Tapu Fini isn't seeing anyone right now, so can we even ask?" Nier replied. Ariala shook her head.

"My leaving of home, my decisions up until now, they have all been my own judgement. I studied the Tapu's guidance, the infrastructure of our kingdom and our world, our laws – I studied it all intensively and came to the decision to leave home and marry on my own terms. In doing so, I attempted to help Pokémon, and wound up causing our planet's greatest crisis. I did it all without ever asking the Tapu for guidance," Ariala explained, and turned away. "My intervention to their projected future is the sole cause of this crisis. And yet, this very topic makes me think deeply of Rune."

"Rune? What's he got to do with this?" Nier asked.

"He opposed the idea of our marriage once he learnt that it was actually the Tapu's idea. He was uncertain, but accepted my proposal and intentions. But then Tapu Fini showed herself before us, giving us a premonition, ordering us to marry. Despite the circumstances, he was honest and told me that it turned him right off the idea. He then told me how it was that the Pokémon of Eris truly live; free of guidance, learning from their mistakes and attempting to build a better world based on those mistakes. Even his army broke all stereotypes, made up of innocent Pokémon with great problems that they wished to resolve on their own."

"Rune," Vincent muttered, going into a thought pose. Nier copied and matched his pose perfectly.

"Based on what's happened, both sides of the coin are justified. My intervention may no longer be necessary," Ariala sighed again.

"No. I think it's completely necessary," Vincent said. "In fact, you and Rune's intervention is mandatory. Right now, you hold the key."

"Hmm?" Ariala replied, and stood back up.

"Your child," he said. Ariala's eyes widened, and she laid a hand on her belly. "If you had followed orders directly, the marriage wouldn't have happened yet, you might not have learnt about Eris the way you have, and you definitely would not have had a child yet."

"Our child… how could an unborn be the key to this horrible situation?"

"Just tell the world the truth. No one knows that you're already a mother to be with the crown prince of Eris. You did what Pokémon were protesting about so much – proved that our two planets can come together," Nier explained. "And when the child is born, they'll be the living embodiment of our planet's coexistence!"

"What she's saying is that we need to point the public in the right direction. We need to prove to them that despite the disbanding of the Cat's Brigade, our planets can come together," Vincent said.

Yes, that's true. I wouldn't have had my child, yet, Ariala thought to herself and closed her eyes. But that also means we would have constantly been under the protection of the army. Charle wouldn't have met Master Lin, I wouldn't be married, and Mirror wouldn't have even kidnapped Princess Diantha.

She stood up and walked over to her balcony, ignoring the concerned noises of her retainers. Looking out from this window, the weather looked like a storm was approaching. Deep, grey clouds blanketed the sky, an uncomfortable wind howled, and the world below was quiet.

If I went out of my way to publicly announce that I was having a child with Rune, how would Pokémon react? Would they be disgusted? Would those opposing it wish for an abortion, or worse, attempt to murder me? she thought hard. She stared directly at the dark clouds. No matter what way I look at it, acting now does nothing but feed into this dark foreboding I have. These clouds match those of my nightmare.

…

Rune and Tapu Koko stared each other down with as much anger that their gazes alone could kill. Knowing of their unavoidable bout, Tapu Koko gave a bird-like screech, stretching out its masked arms to release a large field of electric terrain.

In the direct centre of the two Pokémon, Ariala sat, waking up to witness the oncoming battle. She stood up in panic and gasped at them both.

"Damn you Tapu Koko. Damn you!" Rune pointed the Sword of Earthly Elements forward. "You took everything from me! My sister, my father, even my wife! I'll kill you!"

"Then come. Attack me if you dare," Tapu Koko replied in his aged, manly voice.

…

If things carry on the way they are, that premonition will indefinitely come true. That I can tell, she stared intently. These clouds match those of that horrible nightmare. If I run out to meet him now, I will undoubtedly witness it. The only way to avoid this outcome is to ensure that my child is born, and to find out this story from everyone's point of view. If I can find out exactly what Charle did, what he learnt…

"Princess?" Vincent brought her back to focus. She gave him a stern look, and he didn't speak further.

"Nier, can I get you to go into the city for me, please? Right now, right this instant," Ariala ordered.

"Can do, but how co—"

"Don't question it. Please, just go. I need to know if the Tapu are here right now," she raised her voice.

"They are. I saw them patrolling above the clouds when we arrived. I was going to mention how unusual it was for all four Tapu to congregate in one place, but then Azu went and ran her mouth," Nier said, paws on her hips again.

"We don't have much time, then. Nier, Vincent, this is going to sound horribly unlike me," she glanced at them both. "Please, we need to get to the Stardust Treasury at all costs."

"Stardust Treasury?" they said in sync.

"I want to find out Charle's side of the story. But better still, it is the only place where we'll be safe," she answered, stretching out both arms. She began to strain and growl with increasing effort, and both her arms became surrounded in dark smoke and energy.

"A-Ariala? What're—" Vincent gasped.

"I'm sorry, you two. But please, bear with this!" she shouted, surrounding herself in dark energy.

…

Outside, Rune and his small army were stood in the direct centre of the city, a park at the end of a long road leading to Faernia Castle. Rune stood while the others sat, nervous about the many foreign eyes on them. Kelsith and Emerson were off in their own corner, trying not to lock with eyes with anyone. Shota and his small group of protesters gave anyone that stopped to stare a dirty look, which thankfully got them to leave.

Rune ignored them all, however. His face was rigid and his form stunk of fury. If they were alive, he knew that Diantha would be having a go at him for his unapproachable look right now. Galen would be getting on his nerves and singing for everyone with his jolly obliviousness. Ptero would probably be telling him off for stuff that wasn't his fault, while advising him on things about the Tower of the Tapu.

But they weren't here. All Rune had was the bitter, traumatised faces of Shota and the others. And so, he remained stiff and unwelcoming. Having waited in this spot for upwards of an hour now, he took a step forward and looked to the clouds, where four coloured lights swirled around in an uncoordinated pattern.

"They've taken her away from me," he said. The others moved in response. "It's obvious. My declaration has scared them into keeping Princess Ariala 'safe' from me."

"Is that what you think?" Shota replied after a while. Rune's didn't face move and folded his arms. "Hey, if you wanna fight, who am I to stop ya? This place looks like quite the dream. If I lived here, why would I ever complain?"

Rune gave him a glare, to which the Togedemaru snickered. "That's what you're getting at, right your highness? You did say you would kill the God the Faernians look up to. We'll choose where we want to live as a reward for our hard work in battle."

"Don't beat around the bush, smartass. What do you want?" Rune asked. Shota sighed.

"If you were gonna fight Faernia anyway, what was the point of all that big deal with our battle? This is what I wanted in the first place, huh?" he said. "But despite what I did, the stuff my sister stood for sticks to me. It's why I didn't kill you when I had the chance. And then I saw my dearest friend Ptero helping you out."

"I never did ask about your connection to Ptero. I just knew you two knew each other, that's why I spared you," Rune said.

Shota sighed and his face went plain. "Your highness, he's just a mailmon. A mailmon gave his all to your cause, and died for you and your sister. That's some peace he stands for, you know? Peace that'll haunt me for the rest of my years. That guy's smart and had his life set out for him. Now I'm left never having an answer as to why he actually accepted your suicidal proposal, or why he didn't run away from that unwinnable fight. I'll never know what he actually saw in your cause to help you."

Rune fell quiet again, so Shota looked up at him. "Look, you're the crown prince and all that. I know how these things are; letting Tapu Koko get away with his midday murder isn't something you can just do. Hell, he's the one that declared war on Eris, not you. Yet here we are, smack bang in the middle of the public, being labelled as the war hungry monsters. If it were me, I'd probably do something stupid like trigger the war right now, and then regret it years later when I start questioning Ptero again."

"I suppose I'm supposed to magically have a more intelligent response just because I'm the prince," Rune folded his arms.

Before he could say anything else, a large explosion occurred in the castle in the distance. It was somewhere high up, like a powerful Pokémon attack had gone off. However, rather than it being a harmless, grey burst of smoke, it was a murky, shadowy burst of fire that crackled with dark electricity.

"What?" Rune whispered, keeping his arms folded whilst the public lost their cool around him.

The darkness continued to expand until it smothered most of the upper half of the castle. There was no denying it; Rune knew this dark power all too well. His mouth hung open but he remained stiff, entranced at the way it lingered around the castle. The four lights parading above the clouds had stopped the moment the blast had appeared, and then headed towards the situation all at once.

The others were asking questions around him, wondering why Rune didn't react. He ignored them all however, deep in thought.

"The darkness came from Ariala, who came from—" Rune muttered. He unfurled his arms and closed them into fists at his side. "This changes everything."