Episode 30: The Rite of Awakening
The temple was unguarded. It was dark inside, and a very shallow layer of murky, coloured water flowed out from within. The surrounding area was devoid of life besides the soldiers that had been hurt in the battle. It felt like Tapu Fini's lack of care for the temple in her absence led to the area's decay. Nothing had been cleaned in a while, so most it was caked in a layer of dirt.
"Weapons out. We need to be prepared for anything and everything," Rune warned. Ariala took a deep breath and tiptoed silently behind him, but kept glancing back to make sure that she hid Leos from view.
It was very dark and quiet inside, and an eerie chill wafted through the air. Leos could see and hear everyone's breath, and the only sound he had to break that chill was the light splashes him and Rune made as they walked. The black walls were barely illuminated by his Razor Shell and Rune's sword, but it did the job until they reached the centre of the temple, where lit candles lined the walls. Tapu Fini's stone body was still there with the sword in her head, and Tapu Lele was right at the back wall. Diantha's body was hung up beside Tapu Lele like a decoration.
"Wait. Master Lin?" Leos gasped, coming to a stop the moment he saw him. The dark monster had his back turned until he heard his name, where he smiled and waved at his audience.
"Greetings, your highnesses. It is quite the honour to be in the presence of Etheria's proud royalty," he began.
"Who or what are you?" Rune asked with widened eyes.
"Has your wife or son never once told you about me? That's a shame to learn. We're both important figures, so it's also a shame that this should be our first meeting," he replied. A Mimikyu beside him slid forwards.
"Wait, where's Prem? You guys didn't let him get hurt, did you?" she cried.
"Rosie, it is fine. Tapu Lele requested only them, as they are the only ones we have business with," Lin informed.
She moaned and slid back. "I really wanted to see my darling, though. It pains me to be parted from him."
"Don't fret, my dear. You'll be with him very soon." Lin patted her on the head.
"Look, we don't have business with you. I ask that you leave this place," Rune said. Leos' heart began to race.
"Oh but I do I'm afraid, your highness. For pledging my loyalty to Tapu Lele and becoming the new high priest of the Tapu, I was granted a meeting with the three of you. And she has kept her promise, as you can see," Lin explained with a sinister grin.
"You see, I always get what I want. With my power, no one can stop me from getting what I want. That's how it's been for years, and yet now you want to take that away from me? That's not what I want," Tapu Lele snickered.
That tone. Why does she sound like Charle all of a sudden? Leos thought, and gawked.
"You have something that I desire, and now is the time that I will have it. Give it to me," Lin ordered, and lowered his tone. The trio shifted back and tightened their poses. "To be more specific: Ariala, give it to me."
"I don't know what you're talking—" she began.
"The shadow partition! Give it to me!" Lin raised his voice.
"Shadow partition?" Rune said. Ariala shuddered, but didn't reply.
"I won't waste time for this. I've waited too long to get my hands on it. Tapu Lele, if you will." Lin clasped his fingers together.
Tapu Lele let out a grunt and a cry, and then everything of their dark surroundings turned into a glowing mess of pink patterns. The walls vanished, replaced by an endless backdrop of these patterns and irritating sounds, as if they had all been warped to an entirely different world. The next thing they knew, the trio had lost control of their bodies and began to float in the air.
"Wha-what? Damn it, I can't move? The hell is this?" Rune growled. He struggled anyway, but could only manage to twitch.
"Ps-Psychic Terrain," Leos struggled as well. His body being held against his will like this hurt, like his whole body was aching at once. His head especially, which felt like it was splitting in two. It hurt so much he had lost his voice and could barely let out a sound.
"If I were you, I'd just comply. Master Lin and Tapu Lele always get what they want, and they mean it," Rosie said with a giggle.
"Damn it, the sword should be protecting me. Why can't I—" Rune growled. He silenced when Master Lin unveiled a barbed wire whip. He stretched it out and snapped it at the ground, having the sound echo throughout the void of Psychic Terrain.
"The Psychic Terrain prevents any strange powers that would grant you priority movement. And then, her Psychic is unstoppable. In this weird space of hers, nobody can hear or reach you. It's just us," Lin said, approaching Ariala. Leos' heart picked up even more, and his anxiousness to move multiplied. "Now then. You know what I'm going to do with this. So if you value your life, you will release the shadow partition."
Ariala only struggled, and shut her eyes when he was right in front of her.
"You stay away from her!" Rune shouted.
That only made Lin snicker, and he whipped Ariala's chest so hard that the others could feel it. The Clefable cried out, and her breathing became rapid. Red marks landed on her body where the barbs of the whip hit, and more appeared when he struck her again. Her cries got louder.
"Ariala!" Rune screamed at the top of his voice.
Leos could only whimper, forced to watch the Clefable get shredded by the continued strikes. Her cries and screams pierced his heart to bring him to tears. Lin eventually stopped, but by the time he did, her body was covered in red cuts and scratches, and she was breathing hoarsely.
"Give it to me. Or do you want to know the meaning of death? Because this is barely the beginning of your suffering," he threatened, and cracked the whip on the floor again.
"I'll- never give you- what you want," she shuddered between weak breaths. "You'll have to take it from me in death."
"Hmpf. Play heroine all you want. There is no way out of this, princess," he grumbled. He wrapped the whip around her and then pulled on it, causing it to tighten right into Ariala's skin. Her cries turned to screams at a tone and volume that made it out as though she was dying, her volume gradually weakened as her body stopped tensing against the whip and fell limp.
"Ariala!" Rune shouted repeatedly, managing to thrash about. He was crying like a man-child, eyes shut and tone shaky, but no tears came. Rosie watched him intently, and hung the head of her rag to hide her eyes.
Why is this happening? Gods, please, Leos whimpered.
He had to blink continuously to stop his tears. Even as he could force himself to look away from it, he could mentally feel Ariala's pain, hear her flesh getting ripped with Lin's merciless pull on the whip. The worst of the sight was Tapu Lele's jovial look however, as she sat back and watched like it was a theatre scene. Her eyes showed no concern to what she was advocating whatsoever, even when Ariala's cries fell to nothing but lifeless breaths.
"Don't you dare faint on me. Torture's no fun if you're passed out!" Lin hissed, as he thrust a palm at her. A weak Swift attack came out, which hit her in different areas to the wounds and threw her back into consciousness. She jolted and her back arched, sending the tightened whip to a different position, where it tore into her more.
"You will only die, your highness. Would you truly have it that way?" Lin said as he pulled the whip free. She didn't reply. He whipped her again, and she let out a scream. "Knowing that I have to keep you alive will not keep me from attacking you. Nothing will come of this unless you give me what I want, the shadow partition. Give it to me!"
"No! Stop, that's enough, please!" Leos cried at the top of his voice. Tears were raining from his eyes uncontrollably, as well as wails amongst his words. He was even louder than Rune was earlier. "Stop it. You'll kill her!"
"Silence! The two of you are so noisy," Lin finally snapped. He hatched a plan in the moment, and approached Leos with a snarky smile. "You know, this whole ordeal was your fault."
"What?" Leos whispered.
"You're the one that told me how all of this was going to happen. Your premonition as a Constellar. How you thought you could stop that from happening. Because of you, I was able to prepare for this," he stated.
"Hey, this ain't all, is it? I was enjoying seeing her look so pathetic," Tapu Lele called out.
"Damn it. You bastards! The lot of you are devils!" Rune shouted.
"Oh, my lord Tapu Lele, the show is only just beginning. Let's see how you handle the whip, shall we?" Lin said, stretching it out again. He faced Leos as he did so, and showed his rotten fangs in a vile snicker.
"Leave him," Ariala huffed on a gritty breath. There was a pause.
"Come again?" Lin replied, half turning back.
"Leave Leos out of this," she shuddered.
"So that's what it is. You don't care about yourself, but your pathetic excuse for a son," he muttered, and Ariala's eyes opened. She could barely breathe right, but everyone could see that she had regretted what she had just said. There was a slight tremble as well, as if she was trying to move. "Then I suppose you won't mind if I perform my own Heavenly Execution."
With that, he swung the whip so that it wrapped around Leos' neck, and instantly, he felt himself at his limit. Several of the barbs pierced into his neck while the whip strangled him, causing him to let out a pained choke. He cringed and arched back as the wind was strained from him. His eyesight swerved with dizziness as pain and deprived oxygen took over all of his senses. He couldn't even beg for mercy, and his mind did nothing but yell at him in desperation for relief.
"Leos!" Rune shouted.
"Leave him, stop, leave him out of this, please!" Ariala begged and shut her eyes.
Lin didn't reply, he only yanked at the whip even harder, causing Leos' chokes to get louder. Without a doubt, in a few moments he would be done for, and both parents knew it. Fearing that, Ariala finally snapped, and tensed her whole body. Before Lin realised what was happening, a powerful shockwave of dark hued energy burst from Ariala and knocked him to the ground.
"What the—" he choked as he scrambled to his feet.
Ariala had freed herself from the Psychic hold, and was now gathering energy around herself. Dark energy that resembled flames and electricity. It surrounded her like a powerful aura and grew larger the more she tensed herself. She faced him and swirled her fan around to create a Moonblast about twice the size of her usual attack, and shouted as she thrust her arm to shoot it at Master Lin.
"No!" he shouted and crossed his arms over his face. A wicked blast of energy erupted from the hit and the heavy force pushed everyone in the room to the ground.
Tapu Lele quickly righted herself and went back to holding Leos and Rune with Psychic, while Ariala was left out of breath, barely standing with both arms still pointed forward. Smoke lingered from the Moonblast, but Lin's figure couldn't be seen within.
"Rosie, quickly!" Lin shouted after a few moments. The Mimikyu was on the move before he even ordered her, and latched herself to Ariala from behind. Ariala cried out and struggled to break free of the ghostly grip. She released more of the black aura to try and blow Rosie away.
"What's going on?" Leos cried.
"I've won, that's what," Master Lin announced, drawing a rune with his hands. He cast his right arm as if to command his magic, and then a bright light shone over Ariala. She took in a sharp breath the moment it appeared, and then was brought to the floor in agony once again as the light sucked the dark energy out of her, draining it all into a single spot in the air. It went on for a while, causing the spot of darkness to grow bigger than a Snorlax.
"Okay, I'm with the kid on this one. What is happening?" Tapu Lele asked, finally looking like she was paying attention.
"I've done it. I've finally done it. After generations, I've finally done it! My lord, the true god of this world can come to be!" Master Lin rushed back over to Tapu Lele's side. He performed the same magic as before, but this time, the magic drained dark energy from Diantha's dead body. Once he was done there, he rose both his arms and offered up his own energy, gathering up all of the fiery darkness into that same spot. "The Rite of Awakening is complete. The time has come, my lord! Come forth, and do unto this world as it has done unto you!"
"Now hold on a second." Tapu Lele let her Psychic go. Rune and Leos dropped to the ground in a squirming heap. Ariala was out cold on the ground. "I'm your goddess, here. There is no other god. I'm the one who gets to judge this world, now that my brothers and sisters are gone. You bow down to me, and no one else!"
"How charmingly petty. You gods truly did go mad, childishly mad," Lin said. "Come now. Did you honestly believe that I had changed my heart? To go from high priest of the Constellars to high priest of the Tapu just like that?"
Tapu Lele's eyes widened, and she shook with irritation. "Anyone who doesn't bow to me feels my wrath!"
In the centre of the room, the dark energy brewed and swirled into some sort of form while they argued. Rune and Leos didn't dare move out of fear of what would come out of it.
"I just needed your influence. Your power. And like the fools your royalty is made up of, they allowed me to join your ranks. But my pledge has always been to the great god of the stars: Marshadow!" Lin announced. He had a smile of pure excitement the whole time. "Had you not been an aged, mad goddess, this might not have been possible. But that is all the more reason to overthrow you – to right this world with the power of its true god!"
"How dare you! I'll just punish you all for this!" Tapu Lele screamed. She was stopped by the sound of thunder, and all eyes turned to the swirling darkness in the centre of the room.
Master Lin's 'god' was emerging from within. A long, sturdy, wood textured appendage grew from the bottom of the orb, stretching out to the side in a long claw shape. Another one appeared on the opposite side, and they both curled up. Several smaller claws appeared in the bottom centre to make a mouth of some sort. The upper half of the monster took on a jellyfish-like appearance, just about transparent and squishy as it took on an ovoid shape. Within the 'jelly', a cellular fabric of dark coloured nuclei and veins filled the space, all of it beating and pumping whatever fluid ran through its body.
"What… what is that thing? It's huge!" Rune gasped, gawking up at it.
"Is that the god of the stars that the Constellars look up to?" Leos asked, frightened to the bone.
"What? What is this? You're not the god of the stars!" Lin coughed. "Marshadow? Where is Lord Marshadow?"
"Sounds like your plan backfired. Whatever that monstrosity is, I'll just destroy it along with all of you. You'll regret the day you thought you could play me!" Tapu Lele shouted as she confronted the monster.
She began the battle by thrusting both arms to release a heavy wave of Psychic that struck everyone and knocked them all back, but the monster didn't even budge. It screeched at her and widened its claws instead. Seeing her lack of damage, Tapu Lele conjured a Moonblast with one hand and threw it, engulfing the monster in a blast of glittery energy.
What followed after that was a blur of indescribable attacks and strikes at high speed. The monster had sped out of the smoke of the Moonblast and tackled Tapu Lele, to which she teleported in the blink of an eye. But the monster seemed to know where she would reappear and tackled that spot, and soon enough, the two were darting around the room as trails of pink and black energy, crashing into each other with mighty blasts of force. The others had to shield themselves and take cover from how ruthless the both gods were.
And then, just as suddenly as the fight had started, the battle came to an end. Gasps rang out as Tapu Lele was pinned to the ground with overwhelming force. She was smashed straight downwards so hard that her Psychic Terrain shattered completely. She squirmed helplessly beneath the weight of the monster, letting out a scream as she stretched her hand out towards Rune and Leos in a desperate plea for help. The latter turned away as she was getting crushed alive, so hard that cracks appeared all across her pink shell, and one even across her eyes and face.
"What? They're—" Rune growled as he stumbled backwards. Leos forced himself to look back at the gruesome spectacle, only to find that the monster hadn't crushed her, but had half consumed her instead. It spat out her lifeless body after a few moments, revealing its new state where it seemed to be infected by the dark energy.
"No," Leos whispered as he stared up at her new form. It was familiar. It was just as Master Lin had warned. It was a Tapu Lele he had seen before, one obscured by dark colours and soulless eyes.
"A part of me still doesn't know what's going on, but things keep getting worse and worse, that's for sure," Rune said. He held his sword tightly, and didn't waver in the slightest. "Steel yourself, Leos! Get your Razor Shell out."
"Leos!" Prem cried from behind them. Leos spun around at his call, overly relieved to have the others finally run in to join him.
"Wh-whoa, okay. I was not expectin' an evil Tapu Lele and… whatever that thing is," Griselle was the first to say.
"I should've guessed you'd have a part in this!" Vincent shouted as he rushed straight to the front.
"Nier, Ariala's down there. She needs you, now!" Rune said, keeping his eyes on Master Lin.
Tapu Lele examined herself, and then faced forward with folded arms. "And then the heroes arrive just in the nick of time. Makes me wish I'd just killed her, instead."
"That voice," Leos said with a hard shudder. Tapu Lele's corrupted voice was exactly like that of a spoilt, young, rich boy, but with an overwhelming level of echo and distortion applied. It was like the voice came from many different places at once, and all around Leos rather than the direction he was facing.
"But alas, this is a vessel that will allow me to talk with you for the time being. You are not far off the mark, Lin," Marshadow said, staring down at all of the Pokémon stood before her. All of them except for Blossom and Nier stared up at her, trying their best not to look intimidated. The two girls used Heal Pulse on Ariala, and so were occupied. "There were four shadow partitions. If you should find the fourth one, my real form can return."
"Four. But where is the last one? We must find it at once!" Lin replied.
"We will find it. Even in this form, I have a great amount of power. That's all thanks to you. To be honest, I don't mind this all this much. It's the closest I've ever been to my true form since… oh I don't remember when," Marshadow said. Her eyes twitched at the sight of everyone. "You've seen me take down a Pokémon considered a god. Why do you still stand before me, as if you have a chance?"
No one answered, but Rune glanced at his sword. It was still glowing.
"You need showing. That you can't entertain me, that you can't give me what I want. You can't even provide me with a little bit of sustenance! You're just mere practice fodder for my moves. But if you insist," Marshadow warned. She pointed a palm forward.
"Here it comes!" Vincent said. "Get back. We can't damage it!"
"What?" Leos gasped. A dark sphere of energy formed in Marshadow's palm, which exploded into several beams of purple light that spread off in many directions. Everyone had to shield themselves as the beams exploded against whatever they hit, filling the room with smoke and a painful temperature. Even Rosie had to squeal and jump to avoid some.
"I don't know what it is because I've never figured it out. But that monster and Master Lin are protected by the god of the stars' power. It's sort of like a divine protection barrier," Vincent explained.
"Fools. I am the god of the stars, Marshadow! It is my own might that renders me and my devout subjects totally invulnerable," Marshadow bragged. "Are you still going to waste my time trying to stand up to me?"
"Nonsense. I refuse to believe that!" Rune said, and threw himself forwards. He jumped high into the air and swung down hard on Marshadow's head. To everyone's surprise, Marshadow recoiled sharply and cursed, grabbing the spot where he hit. The slash hadn't cut her at all, but a red mark appeared on her body.
"Blast, what?" Marshadow shivered from pain. She scanned the party, breathing heavily. "Wait, that's it- that sword, where did you get that damn sword?"
Rune glanced at it again, then back at his enemy. "My Father gifted this to me. He gave it to me so that I could protect the Pokémon I love."
"It's the Sword of Earthly Elements," Ariala said, surprising everyone. She was still weak, but she was standing. Most of her bad wounds had been covered over thanks to Blossom and Nier's healing. "It can damage you gods, can't it? Whether you have a protective barrier or not."
"Ariala," Rune whispered.
"Mother," Leos did the same.
"You are to wait until I gain my full form. Until then, you are fighting me at my imperfect state! Me at reduced power. Wouldn't you like it if the fight was fair? Me at my perfect form and strength. Wouldn't that be an epic clash? You know you want it!" Marshadow replied.
Ariala didn't reply with words. Instead she stepped back, keeping her gaze fixed on Marshadow. Once she was at Tapu Fini's side, she reached out and grabbed the sword jutting from the legendary's head, and pulled with a grunt. Bright light sprung from the blade as it was drawn from Tapu Fini.
The light blinded everyone until it was fully drawn, where it dulled down and was replaced by a spire of pink water. Ariala pointed the weapon at Marshadow, to which Tapu Fini gave a mighty cry and stretched her arms out wide. Pink mist took over the room in similar fashion to the Psychic Terrain, causing Marshadow and Master Lin to choke and cry out.
"No! No one should be able to draw that sword!" Master Lin cried.
The Sword of Divine Elements wasn't much of a sword, despite its name. It had a hilt that was wrapped around with feathers of varying colours, while the 'blade' was a streak of light that flowed like flames with a steady shower of glitter coming from it. It was short and small enough for Ariala's stubby fingers to hold it, but a little longer than a dagger.
"You. You baited me! You had me believe you were slain so that I could be thrown off. You and your blasted powers of premonition!" Marshadow shouted. Both her vessel and monstrous form shook around the air in anger. "But the day is mine. The world is mine! Because I always get what I want. And an old fish like you isn't going to stop me. Master Lin! We are retreating. Find that last partition!"
"No you don't!" Rune cried and lunged forward. Marshadow darted back to where Master Lin was, smothered him, and then the duo disappeared in flash of spiralling darkness. They teleported away, leaving just Rosie.
"Wa-wait! Master Lin, Lord Marshadow!" the Mimikyu cried, glancing left and right. She tried to make a break for it, but Rune reacted and stood in her way, and she began to panic.
"Are they really gone? They could still be here!" Leos gasped. The group all stood back-to-back and wary, but after a long moment, quiet fell. "They… really left."
"I should've guessed that they were capable of teleportation," Ariala sighed. She turned back to Tapu Fini. "But to think that you predicted this event this far in advance."
"What happened? The Sword of Divine Elements couldn't be drawn until now, right?" Leos asked.
"She spoke to me whilst I was unconscious. She told me to draw the blade. She used it to stall her death so that I could have it when Marshadow was summoned here," Ariala explained. She turned to Rune. "She told me that she foresaw your death against Marshadow just there."
"I… lost?" Rune whispered. "You mean if I had fought on my own there, I would have died?"
"You do not have much time," Tapu Fini spoke up. "There is much to explain, and very little time for me to do so."
"Yeah, everyone's got a lotta stuff to explain, 'cos I'm more confused than ever. What was all that?" Griselle cried. Everyone ignored her and gathered around Tapu Fini, although they were clearly anxious to move.
"That monster is exactly as he calls himself: Marshadow, the god of the stars, and the Pokémon that the Constellars worship. He is powerful, but those powers are split into four partitions. When those partitions gather, his power grows stronger, and the lives of others become his to manipulate," she explained. She laid a hand on her chest. "We Tapu did what we could to supress him for many countless centuries. But your time has come, mortals. Your time to take care of this world in our stead."
"You mean… the deaths of the Tapu," Ariala gawked.
"I have foreseen it all. Our madness in old age, our exploitation of your devoutness, and our fall from grace. All until now, where we pass the torch onto you, prince and princess of Etheria," Tapu Fini said. Her body began to glow a heavenly gold. Her Misty Terrain faded with her. "For the sake of your own survival, you must stop Tapu Lele and Marshadow. This world cannot see peace until you do. Our powers will protect you, but only those who follow the swords and believe in their wielders. When the swords glow, they have the power to strike down the gods."
"A-and, I'm guessing my Z-Move can still kill, too," Leos added. Tapu Fini nodded slowly, and then shut her eyes as she faded into glitter. Leos' eyes watered a bit, and Ariala gasped and hopped after her as she disappeared, left with an arm hung where the legendary just was.
"This is as far as my premonitions have shown me. Do not let Marshadow have his way. The future is in your hands," Tapu Fini's final whispers echoed.
"Rest in peace, Tapu Fini. I'll never forget what you did for us," Rune said, raising his left arm. A ring of light appeared around it, and the same appeared around Ariala's right arm.
And then silence fell. No one knew what to say. They exchanged glances with each other and Ariala's saddened face. Rune took notice of their swords, which had stopped glowing and darkened the area. A few moments later, their situation kicked everyone back into focus, as the sudden shaking of the ground almost threw everyone off-balance.
"An earthquake? Now?" Prem cried as he hugged Leos. The Oshawott hugged back to keep his balance.
"No, these are shockwaves. I can hear them. Something is happening outside!" Ariala cried.
"Be careful, Ariala," Rune said.
"You don't need to worry about me. We have bigger problems. Everyone outside!" she raised her voice. The others did their best to stumble out of the temple, but Rune grabbed her arm and gave her a stern look.
"I mean it. Please. I almost lost you back there, and I couldn't go on living if I did," he said. She stared back and blinked, but took in a breath. "Just take care of yourself from here on. Please."
…
Back on Eris, a situation had begun. Upon hearing the guards and soldiers around the castle shout panicked commands at each other, King Jyararanga rushed out to see for himself what was happening. He got to the castle's front entrance and was confronted with a giant spectre, another Kommo-o that had almost the same size and shape as he did. Surrounding that spectre was an army of Erinian soldiers, but all of them were spectres of dark and dragon types.
"I recognise that face," he muttered as he prepared for battle.
"How did an army this big get this far so quickly? And without us noticing?" one of the soldiers cried. That was when it clicked in Jyararanga's head.
"The old king, and an army of fallen soldiers. Their spirits rise and walk the planet as enemies. There's only one Pokémon capable of this heinous feat," Jyararanga tightened his gaze. "All units prepare for battle! Maximum aggression!"
Meanwhile, Faernia castle was facing the same crisis. The Pokémon that had lost their lives in the battle against Tapu Koko were coming back to life right before the eyes of those who survived, standing back up with the texture of spectres. Their bodies were transparent, white, and ghostly, while their eyes were red and lifeless.
At the castle, Azu gathered behind a group of guards to protect Queen Magearna, but the group of them were confronted by a Gardevoir spectre that towered over them in its mega-evolved form.
"Reports of the dead rising and fighting against us, and the ancient queen of generations old. Why?" Azu whispered, glaring furiously at their new foe.
Outside, sitting on the edge of a tall building to watch down on it all, Charle casually kicked his feet and snickered at the aggressive sounds echoing up to him. "So, it's begun."