"Why is it that every single time there's trouble on the scale of a national catastrophic level, it's always you?"
"Hi Wallace, thank you for being here. To answer your question, I have been told that I have a talent for being at the wrong place at the wrong time," I greeted our former Champion with sass that not many would dare to before we both laughed. Wallace's swift arrival was reassuring and I managed to relax somewhat with him around. He was the first to arrive on the scene shortly after I called Phoebe.
Lin had gone to check on Roland's seal with Ren and the ghosts under his leadership. It turned out that my deduction was right. The seal holding the disaster had suddenly drastically weakened in the span of a single day. How and why that happened is no longer important, what's important was that we had to do something to prepare and stop his inevitable reemergence and prepare for the worst.
In light of this development, Lin had opened access to the secret areas of Mt Pyre to allow the league forces to enter. Many top trainers were brought in and I also saw many familiar faces. My father and brother also arrived as soon as they could after I told them what happened. Within three hours after my call to Phoebe a large gathering of Hoenn's elite forces had already gathered at Mt Pyre and an emergency evacuation order was broadcasted to both Lilycove and Fortree City. Code Black alert has been issued and now the entire region suddenly found itself in preparation of a war against a single man.
One man had thrown the region into wartime mode. That's how dangerous Roland is and I only felt it in person today.
"Elder Lin, Elder Ren, as promised, we shall take full control and responsibility in this operation to subjugate Roland Kray," Wallace respectfully informed the two ancient pokemon who looked ready to take on Roland Kray at any time despite knowing that they wouldn't be his match. Roland and his pokemon were already Champion level threats during the warring era five hundred years ago; threats that were able to stand as an equal to our founding Champion and also his right-hand man. No matter how long-lived Lin and Ren were, there's still a gap of at least two to three centuries between them and Roland's unknown ghost.
The reason why such a huge mobilisation was conducted to deal with this threat was because of the fact that Roland's pokemon was a ghost type. To the uninformed public, this might seem like an overreaction, but it's imperative to understand that one of the most unique and overpowered characteristics of ghosts was their ability to naturally grow stronger as they aged, which is very different from how most other pokemon species in the world will gradually weaken as they age past their prime until they eventually reach the end of their mortal lifespan. The only reason why ghosts had not conquered the world by abusing their natural in-built immortality to obtain cheat-like power was because very often, in the wild, their overreliance on their immortality made them highly arrogant, which led most ghosts to their deaths even before they could reach a level of power where they could accumulate enough power to be a powerful threat. In fact, it's not common to spot a ghost who had achieved its final evolutionary form in the wild, because most would have perished even before they could live long enough to do so.
As for wild ghosts who somehow managed to live long enough to obtain Pillar level strength, they tend to eventually abuse that power to terrorise everything and everyone in their vicinity, which would then lead to them being caught on the radar of the regional league which governs over the region which the ghosts made their homes in. Again, arrogance is the cause of such behaviours. Sadly, more often than not, the ghosts' destructive behaviours would eventually force the regional league to take action and put it down for good. Ghosts who could co-exist relatively peacefully– like Ren, for example– were often left untouched and these ghosts tend to actively avoid human contact as well, so very few actually knew centuries-old ghosts actually existed since it's so hard to even catch a glimpse of them in the first place.
It's not to say that it's impossible for non-ghost types to somehow surpass their own natural limits and reach the realms of mythicals or legends and perhaps, attain their own unique variants of longevity or even immortality too. The volcarona at the Relic Castle is such an outlier in my opinion, the aggron at Granite Cave that used to belong to Frederick Havel could also very possibly be one such pokemon too, but such cases really are extremely rare, at least as far as I'm aware.
In short, for ghosts to naturally accumulate strength through immortality is a natural process that will happen as long as the ghost continues to live. A ghost over five centuries old could, in theory, already possess power that could possibly rival mythical pokemon or even legendary pokemon. Yes, the ghost type that Roland commanded was sealed five hundred years ago, but sealing it wouldn't hinder the ghost from naturally accumulating power over the years while stuck in its confinement.
Given that Roland's ghost was already minimally Champion level before its sealing, everyone arrived here with the worst assumption that the ghost would have already reached power that could rival even legends.
Behind Wallace is an entire army of ACE elites, led by their respective commanders and also by numerous Pillars of the league. Steven, Wallace, Sidney, Phoebe, Roxanne, Norman, Wattson, Tate and Liza; more than half of our Pillars were being mobilised at a moment's notice to deal with this ancient threat. The remainder were assigned to various areas outside of Mt Pyre as a secondary plan. In the event we failed to contain Roland at Mt Pyre and he made his escape, they will be responsible for locating and stopping him in his tracks as soon as they can.
'Roland cannot be killed. He can only be sealed and suppressed,' Lin stressed. 'My family has gone extinct, so how do you plan to seal him even if we could capture him?'
"Historical records left behind by Champion Shozo indicated that Roland was susceptible and could be hurt by ghost and dark type attacks, much like a ghost type itself. The league had invented a capture device that would trap him in huge amounts of dark type energy once he's been captured and as long as dark type energy is being constantly supplied, he wouldn't be able to break free," Wallace patiently explained and waited for Lin's reply.
'It'd better work,' Lin replied after a period of silence, obviously doubtful of any other suppression methods that were not of the Geist's creations. She turned back to face an entrance that she had created with Secret Power, which will be where our forces will be heading later in our inevitable confrontation with Roland.
'The seal won't break immediately. Even if it did, it will give us a short amount of time to do what we have to. Currently, Ren and I estimate that it would take anywhere from now to two days for that to happen, but considering how the seal had suddenly deteriorated to this extent within a single day, I wouldn't be surprised if that freak of nature would be out within half a day.'
"Then we shall work with the worst assumptions in mind," Wallace decided and Lin voiced her agreement on this matter as well. More discussions took place and I simply stood aside and watched since this is not a matter that I can contribute in any way, at least for now.
"We left you here alone for a few hours and you brought us back to deal with a problem that even Champion Shozo cannot get rid of," Zades poked fun at me and I turned my head his way. Jason's here too, along with my father, Vance, Lawrence, Mila, Mika and Anna. Dad had immediately brought the best trainers in our family over the moment I told him what Lin and I detected at Mt Pyre.
"I'd thought you might be too bored educating your competitors at the Coronation Series, so I decided that you might like a bigger challenge. Do you like the present?"
"Too big a present…" Jason mumbled, already dressed in his combat gear just like how everyone here was. Under ordinary circumstances I shouldn't be involved in an operation of such a scale and my family only came here because of me. The reason why Wallace and Steven wanted me to stick around was because of the deductions I told them based on what I gleaned from the dream.
I wasn't sitting there doing nothing while waiting for Wallace to arrive. I tried to recall as much as I could from the dream and something stood out to me.
That ghost pokemon who I dreamed the memory of referred to its relationship to Roland as one of enslavement. I don't think Roland could possibly control such an unknown powerful creature via a pokeball alone, so that form of enslavement had to be something else, something that Roland could do and is unique to him.
And then I recalled:
Its claws stopped barely an inch away from the man's face. Tried as it might, as hard as it tried to push further, its body just wouldn't move.
"A good tool shouldn't point themselves at their master."
Roland was able to control the pokemon such that it could never harm him and it was why that pokemon despised him with every fibre of its being. That is a power unheard of because if humans had such a power, we wouldn't need to have invented pokeballs in the first place. If this is a power unique to Roland, then I have a hypothesis.
Roland is an ability holder, just like me. Very likely, he is also a ghost-inclined ability holder like I am. If my guess is right, his ability allows him to control ghost types against their will. How many ghosts he can control at a single time remains to be seen because he was only seen using a single pokemon. Maybe he can only control one, maybe he only needed to control one because that pokemon alone could make him Champion Shozo's equal, it will be something that we will have to find out when things finally start.
And if Roland is indeed an ability holder, I know where to get hold of the world's leading expert on them.
"He is but one man and times have also changed. I think we are prepared," grandpa smiled upon us and Zades' eyebrows rose ever so slightly at his remark in doubt. Wallace and Steven were also glad to have the doctor over because if Roland really is an ability holder, then the doctor's expertise will be needed to analyse the depths of his ability. They both think that my conjecture that Roland is an ability holder holds some water and there is one way to test that out while waiting for Roland to break free before we commence this operation.
One of the many abilities I devoured back in Unova was the ability to sense fellow ghost-inclined ability holders. It was how Emil located me when we fought to the death at Opelucid. I just have to get close to where Roland was sealed and see if that ability of mine was activated, then we shall know. While I won't be involved in the fighting that will take place later, I have a very unique place and responsibility in this operation because there are things that only I could do.
If we have confirmation that Roland is indeed an ability holder, then another option to remove him for good will be available to us: grandpa's invention that was initially intended to aid me with my Devouring problem, the ability suppressor.
Grandpa initially perfected it such that it can be consumed orally, but the process could also be adjusted such that the end product could be injected directly into the target using a syringe. If we could inject the ability suppressor into Roland's body somehow it might be the deciding factor that would turn the battle into our victory.
The problem is that it's already known that Roland was invulnerable to all physical harm. Thus, whether the syringe method would work or not is up for debate. We will have to figure something out. Maybe the incense method? When grandpa first came to help me with my insomnia problem the incense he burnt was what allowed me to fall asleep.
"Vel, Vance, we need to go," Steven called out for us and I realised that the commanders in this operation were finally done with their discussions. I stepped forward to walk towards the group but Vance lightly held me back.
"Vance?"
I could see the frown on his face. I knew he did not like the idea of me being suddenly involved in this catastrophic mess, not the slightest bit. Our family has a duty to protect Hoenn so he would probably still be involved in this operation with or without me detecting in advance that Roland was about to break free, but if he had the choice, he would have pulled me out of this operation if he could.
But he also understood that the things that I could contribute as a ghost-inclined ability holder is also equally vital to the success of this operation. As a Vera, he should agree to everyone's consensus to have me participate but as a brother, he wanted nothing but for me to get out of here immediately.
"If things… If things really get to the point of no return, just run. I… I cannot imagine what I would do if I lost you."
My eyes watered slightly but I quickly blinked the dampness away. I put up a forced smile on my face because I want to be strong for my brother as well.
"What's that look for, brother dear? I'm not even taking part in the fighting. I still want to celebrate my fifteenth birthday and you and dad still owe me a ghost type zorua. I'm not going to die to a stupid fossil before that."
Vance suddenly pulled me into a wordless hug, and I could tell just how much he's trying to be in control of himself with how his body was trembling. I hugged him tightly in return too, because Roland is a threat of immeasurable power and nobody knows for certain what is going to happen later. The fact that half of our Pillars were mobilised to Mt Pyre and the other half were assigned to the surrounding areas of this mountain already spoke volumes about what we were about to face.
"We will be okay," I whispered to him. "We will be okay."
"Yeah, we will be okay," he repeated back to me with a slightly hoarse voice before letting me go. "Let's go."
We turned to look at dad, who simply saw us off with a wordless nod but I could tell that he's anxious too given how he had crossed his arms and how deep his fingers had dug into the skin of his biceps. I saw grandpa giving us a smile when my gaze swept past him and I saw how his fingers lightly brushed across the surface of the Ultra Ball that was attached to his belt, reminding me that he had a very powerful unknown pokemon at the ready too, the overly friendly and very furry Slither Wing.
We don't know what Roland is truly capable of because it's been so long since he last broke free, but Roland also won't know what would hit him either. He had been asleep for centuries and the best of Hoenn's military will be giving him a very warm reception the moment he's out.
We grouped up with Steven and together with Sidney, Phoebe, Tate and Liza, we set out to where Roland was being sealed with Lin and Ren leading the way.
Fear of the unknown will get us nowhere. In that case, we might as well face it head-on instead.
"They will be fine."
Griff was broken out of his thoughts when the doctor spoke and placed a hand on his shoulder in a show of support. Griff managed to squeeze out a shaky smile and nodded, still worried about his children's safety when the battle inevitably broke out later.
As Veras, they have a duty to protect the region, but he wished that they wouldn't be involved in such an event as their father. That man which they would be about to try subjugating was the reason why the Geists had gone extinct, and the Geist family was arguably the most powerful family among the six when all six founding families were still around. Even after the Kaiho and Tsuchida families had disappeared into the annals of history and the six great founding families were reduced to four, the Geist family had retained their position of power as the strongest among the four for a very long time before their extinction.
Such is the power of the Geist family that he now knew his wife was a lost descendent of, which was exactly why the disaster scares him so when now even his children were somehow dragged into this mess.
"If Roland really is an ability holder, how will we stop him? The ability suppressor could only work if we could inject it into his body. If we use the incense method we would run the risk of it affecting all our pokemon's abilities as well and the burning of incense would take too long as well, it wouldn't be effective."
"Ah, about that, you can leave it to me," Dr Lott pushed the frame of his glasses up with a finger. He could easily tell that his son-in-law is worried. He is too, that's his grandchildren that he watched entering where Roland was sealed, but he didn't become who he is today without a reason. He believed in one simple philosophy in the long years that he had wandered the underworld.
If you want someone dead but is unable to kill them, find somebody else that could.
Roland was a problem left behind by the Geists and it so happened that he knew of one person who was as equally ancient and had also played a part in sealing Roland Kray alongside Champion Shozo Oshin. That person held a grudge against Roland and similar to how his son-in-law and grandchildren have a duty to protect Hoenn, that man saw it as his responsibility to defend Hoenn in its times of crisis even if he hadn't returned home for a long time. The doctor never once doubted that the man would head to Mt Pyre once he informed him of this development.
That man was also rumoured to have very close ties to the Geist family back during the warring era, a trusted comrade of Barnett Geist and Champion Shozo. The doctor had already contacted that man before he arrived at Mt Pyre and he should arrive very soon.
The Uncrowned Hero of Ever Grande, Aoki Yasuhira.
We descended deep down into the bowels of Mt Pyre. We went deeper and deeper until light barely shone in the large cavern that we eventually found ourselves in. Our pokemon helped lit the place up for us and I could see the endless number of sealing tags plastered against the walls. There were four thick chains that were each wrapped with numerous tags, extended from the walls and converged at the centre of the cavern where a wooden coffin lay. The chains were wrapped around the coffin and dark ominous energy that were generally associated with ghost types could be seen slowly leaking out from it. I could feel the unnatural chill brushing against my skin simply by standing here.
Steven and his team stood at the forefront as our vanguard while Sidney and Phoebe flanked our sides. Tate and Liza brought up our rear. Vance and I were at the centre of the group because I am to be protected since I am the crucial piece to the current plan. Vance did not trust anyone else to protect me so he came down too.
"So how's it?" Steven turned his head back to ask me.
"He is an ability holder," I stated without hesitation. This is the first time I ever felt this ability activated but yet that feeling was unmistakable. I just knew the moment I laid my eyes on that coffin. No, even before that, shortly before we reached the depths I could already feel another presence unique yet familiar to mine resting here. I thought I was imagining things but it was only after seeing the coffin did I realise that it was my ability's way of telling me that it detected another ghost-inclined ability holder.
"We will have to adjust our plans accordingly, so I guess Plan B it is," Sidney said very softly, almost as if he's afraid of rousing Roland from his forced slumber within that coffin.
"C-Can we go up? The energy the coffin is giving off is very disgusting, I don't want to stay here more than necessary," Liza shuddered while rubbing her arms with her hands and hugging herself. Tate didn't look like he was feeling too good either seeing how his face had paled a little but he looked like he could endure this better than Liza was doing. I turned to look at Rena and I saw that she wasn't faring any much better. She was trembling on her feet, her body tensed defensively in a fight or flight response and it looked like she was trying her best just to even stand in the presence of the coffin.
I quickly took out her pokeball and recalled her. I should have noticed sooner that she wasn't doing well, this is my fault as her trainer.
"To be able to negatively affect and deter psychics simply by being in their presence… That's a very powerful ghost type that's hiding in there," Phoebe commented after observing the reactions exhibited by the twins and the psychic pokemon around us.
"It's at least five centuries old, of course it has to be powerful. None of us were expecting this to be a walk in the park when we were called in," Steven's lips were pressed into a grim line after he said that. "Alright, we completed what we came here for, let's head back up and prepare for our Plan B. We would also need to inform everyone above that we should expect psychics to be affected by the miasma exuding from the ghost type pokemon, we probably should expect minimal psychic assistance in the coming operation."
"Wait," I called out before everyone turned on their heels. "That pokemon hated Roland more than anything in the world and it reached out to me to warn us of this. Hear me out first before freaking out. I want to try reaching out to that pokemon, right here."
Everyone looked at me as if I'm crazy.
"There's too many things that we don't know about Roland so the more we could figure out about his power and what he's good or bad at, the better, right? We had reasons to suspect Roland was an ability holder only because of the things I saw in its memory that I dreamt of. That is one thing that we only just managed to learn about him after 500 years. If I could reach out to that pokemon again in a dream somehow, and it should be easier to reach out to it right here, if it's willing to divulge to me Roland's weaknesses and how to deal with him…"
Looks were exchanged when everyone realised what I'm trying to say. Eventually, everyone looked toward Steven, the de facto leader of our little group for obvious reasons.
"Ghosts are part of the Mind Arts Trio, and we are basing this on the assumption that the ghost is a friendly that had been forced under Roland's control through his mysterious ability. What if it turns out that it is not an ally? Or what if Roland is able to force that pokemon to harm your mind instead?"
"Dolly had experience in protecting my mind from foreign influences. She was the one who woke me up from that nightmare that warned us of Roland when she sensed something wasn't right with me," I explained. "And I also have Lin and Ren, we have two Elite Fours who also specialise in two different aspects of the Mind Arts Trio, and we have two psychic experts here. This is why I think I will be fine, I'm not suggesting this in a moment of impulse. I really have thought this through."
"Could have fooled me…OW!" Vance muttered under his breath and it earned him a step on his toes from yours truly.
"What do you guys think?" Steven turned to ask the twins and the Elite Four.
"It's doable, at least in theory," Sidney offered his opinion with a shrug of his shoulders.
"If I couldn't protect a child's mind from ghost influence I might as well discard my Elite Four title and throw myself down Mt Chimney," Phoebe stated. "Don't worry, we will be up for the task. If that pokemon is willing to cooperate this is worth a shot."
'I don't like how you are purposefully subjecting your mind to danger, but at the same time I could understand the impact this will have on the upcoming fight if it succeeds,' Lin lightly nuzzled her snout against me. 'Ren and I will protect your mind with our lives but still, be careful.'
Ren voiced his agreement with a low howl.
"Then let's do this." Steven immediately decided on the next course of action without delay. "Vel, will this spot do?"
"It's just sleeping on the cold hard ground."
"I'd thought you might say that," Steven replied with mild amusement. "Alright, Vance and I will secure the physical perimeter. Sidney, Phoebe, Lin, Ren, Tate and Liza, focus on protecting Velda's mind and nothing else. If anything happens halfway through Vance and I will deal with it on our own. Liza, send one of your psychic pokemon capable of telepathic communication back to the main group to relay what we had just learnt and what we are about to do. Also, tell them that if we aren't back within the hour, assume the worst has happened to us."
"Got it."
I was about to lie down to prepare myself to have my forced sleep, only to be picked up by Hulk before I could do so and I soon found myself lying in his arms.
"You don't need to carry me like a baby. People are watching and this is embarrassing."
Hulk snorted at my words but he was firm that I shouldn't sleep on the cold hard ground. Admittedly, it's much more comfortable lying in his arms, so I didn't really put up a fuss.
"Ready?" Tate asked.
"One sec," I told him before closing my eyes and broadcasting my thoughts out loud in the direction of the coffin. I have the ability to relay my intentions to all nearby ghosts, it should be able to hear me.
If you can hear me, let's meet again in a dream. Tell me all about Roland and how to stop him.
I opened my eyes once more and I looked at Dolly who gave me an affirmative nod. Even without saying anything she knew what I wanted to ask. She had heard my thoughts so it means that the unknown ghost should have heard me too.
"I'm ready," I told everyone and Wacky appeared above me, hovering in midair. He gave me an "ok" sign with his pudgy paws once I gave him the go ahead with a nod and my vision soon blurred and quickly darkened under the influence of his Hypnosis, my mind falling into a slumber.
Let's meet again in a dream.
The world looked very different outside of the land which they hailed from. Even the language spoken here is different.
The land which they arrived at is named the Hoenn region as it would later learn. That man joined a human faction that called themselves the Otomo Shogunate and through its power, swiftly climbed up their ranks to become one of their best and cruellest fighters.
The hate it felt for that man did not lessen as they remained within the Otomo Shogunate and continued their conquest, but its heart soon grew numb and eventually apathetic to the violence that it was forced to inflict upon countless innocents upon that man's will. Nobody could defeat it because nobody knew what it was– even it doesn't know what it truly is– so it meant that nobody could stop Roland.
That didn't mean that Roland was truly unstoppable. It had learnt many of Roland's secrets over the long course of its enslavement. Roland may have the power to force it into submission, but that was all he could do. Ultimately, Roland's strength as the immortal warrior was derived from its power. If it could finally die, Roland's immortality will be broken and it will remain that way until he finds another ghost to enslave.
There is also a limit to how many and how powerful the ghost he could control. This was why it was the only ghost Roland ever enslaved and it was an unexplainable mystery that it initially puzzled over until Roland once tried to enslave another ghost only for it to fail very horribly. That day was one of its closest moments to breaking free from the shackles that bound it to Roland and he nearly killed that vile man. It's regrettable that Roland forced it under his will faster than it could rip him apart, but it gave him the opportunity to finally learn the truth of his power.
Roland could enslave ghosts to do his bidding, but he had to balance that power between quality and quantity. Roland had chosen quality over quantity. Controlling a ghost as powerful as it already took all he could so he wasn't able to enslave another. Roland could release him and enslave a larger number of ghosts, but that would mean that the ghosts he chose to enslave had to be individually weaker or he would risk his ability backfiring on him if he bit more than he could chew and they broke free just like how it almost did.
The larger number of ghosts he tried to control, the weaker they had to individually be. The stronger the ghost enslaved, the lesser number he could control. That was the price that Roland had to pay for his power. It's a secret that Roland revealed to no one and it is a secret that it planned to divulge to his enemies as long as the chance presented itself.
However, that chance never came. Nobody could stop it, nobody could stop Roland, and it soon learnt to give up on the faint hope that it had been clinging onto, its hope for freedom and peace.
Until one day, the Otomo Shogunate finally met the Shozo Shogunate on the battlefield.
It was aware that Roland's infamy had spread across the areas where the Otomo Shogunate was active from the snippets of conversation it overheard while he was forced to reside in Roland's shadow. It knew how people described that vile man: the man who never aged even after decades had passed, the man who could never be killed, the man who derives sick pleasure from hurting others and especially so against women and children. It was why it wasn't surprised why they were recognised on sight despite facing the Shozo Shogunate for the very first time.
And for the very first time, it felt hope, because it nearly died under the hands of the Shozo Shogunate that day.
"That damned stupid hero! Fucking Geists!"
It remembered watching Roland throwing a bad tantrum after he escaped from the battlefield with his tail tucked between his legs. It was a particularly humiliating defeat that they suffered. The Geists were experts in both using and suppressing ghosts and the hero, the one that everyone referred to as the Uncrowned Hero, was a warrior specialising in normal types, the one type of pokemon where its best moves had no effect due to the conflicting natures of their typings.
The Uncrowned Hero was often seen in the company of a lady hailing from the Geist family. The couple were a fearsome duo on the battlefield that fought for the Shozo Shogunate. They were Roland's natural and also worst nemesis because they had every means to stop it.
Roland could only ever use one pokemon if he didn't want it to turn on him the moment the enslavement was broken. That pokemon is itself. It is his greatest strength and limitation. The Uncrowned Hero and his companion did not face such limitations; the bond that they shared with their pokemon wasn't one of enslavement but of trust. They both commanded several pokemon that were of similar or equal strength to it and so it wasn't surprising that Roland was no match for them.
For once in a long while it found itself in a happy mood. It was nice knowing that it could be stopped and it looked forward to the day it could finally rest when the Uncrowned Hero's pokemon finally exorcised its soul from this plane of existence. It's been too long, it's tired.
They met the Uncrowned Hero and his partner on several other occasions thereafter. Every meeting between them took place on the battlefield. It soon learnt that the lady's name was Amber Geist. She was a very gentle soul who also specialised in training both chaotic creatures like itself and also creatures who could control fire. She was the first person to cry for it when she pieced out the truth of its bond to Roland, something that she had accidentally stumbled upon in the midst of their battle. It was the first time someone cried for it.
It was also the last time someone cried for it.
"AMBER!"
It wasn't its intention. It didn't want to drive its claws through Amber's chest. Amber was determined to release it from Roland's control and she fought tooth and nail to do so using the mystic arts that she learnt from her family.
But it's simply too powerful for her and its enslavement to Roland was absolute. It couldn't defy Roland's order to kill her when the chance presented itself.
It howled. It howled in grief and misery as it held Amber's lifeless body in its large hands. The grief fueled its power and it never felt more powerful at that moment. The sudden surge of power was great enough to temporarily sever its connection to Roland and it was how Roland was finally subjugated and sealed under the combined might of Yasuhira, Barnett, and Oshin.
It requested to be sealed alongside Roland as well. It could feel that even with the influence from the seals of the Geists its severance to Roland was only temporary. The power that allowed it to temporarily break free was great enough to return clarity to its mind but it wasn't enough to totally cut it free. This was why the Shozo Shogunate's only option was to seal Roland rather than killing him. It couldn't be allowed to roam free and give Roland the opportunity to remotely control it and taint the world with evil once more.
It tenderly returned Amber's lifeless body to Yasuhira before the sealing began and apologised for everything it's done. The Uncrowned Hero did not look like a hero that day, he was just a grieving man who had just lost his lover.
"It's not your fault. I don't blame you."
Yasuhira's face was the last thing he remembered before it was sealed together with Roland. When the seals keeping them in started to break it tried to warn someone, anyone, outside of the coffin of the impending danger but it failed. Thankfully, the Geists were somehow made aware of the awakening calamity and made moves to stop them, but without the Uncrowned Hero around casualties were high.
Of course the hero wouldn't be around. Barnett, Yasuhira, Oshin; they would have passed away by now. So long has passed and these heroes, the people that once gave it hope, were no longer around.
Now, the third breaking of the seals is near. This time, a new hope had appeared, a young girl with a similar sinister power to Roland but had yet used it very differently. It could sense that her power wasn't one of forceful submission, but of understanding and empathy.
An abnormality. A "chaotic element". Even the Banished Ruler seemed to have left its mark on her for reasons that are beyond its understanding or comprehension.
And she had heard its voice. She came prepared. She had called upon others that understood the threat that Roland would pose to the world should he break free.
For the second time in its life, it felt hope again, hope that it never felt after it first met Amber and Yasuhira.
What's your name, young girl?
The dream began to fracture and crack piece by piece. All dreams will come to an end but it wants to talk to the girl in peace before it will be forced to fight her as a foe that must be vanquished.
"My… name…?"
Open your eyes, you are in my dream. Your soul has been temporarily detached from your mortal body but worry not, you are safe, you will be fine. This is a domain where even Roland cannot enter.
The fractured pieces fell and vanished into shimmers of light. The spiritual form of the girl's soul took on the shape of her mortal body and she slowly opened her eyes. The look in her eyes was one of confusion until she spotted it, a large dark inky orb of blackness.
Your name, young child.
"I am Velda. You are…"
The one that had been reaching out to you in this dream. I apologise that I cannot show you my true form; my body is afflicted with curses and marred with ancient spells, your mind would be harmed if you saw it. This is why I cover my body with ghostly fog and dark shadows, I have the power to inflict horrific visions to whoever dares to gaze upon my true form. I also have the power to steal abilities with my touch. Do keep that in mind and warn your allies of it.
"Is there any way to save you?"
I already showed everything to you. You know what you have to do.
"You don't deserve to die."
Neither did Amber. Do not pity me, do not weep for me, I deserve none of that. All I wish for is a peaceful rest so if you truly want to save me, when the time comes, do not show mercy to me. Mercy is nothing but a painful curse.
"May I at least know your name?"
I do not have one, for I do not know what I am and neither did Roland ever enlighten me what he did to me that caused my evolution. Despite my long life my understanding of the world is limited because all I ever knew were carnage and death, I can only see what Roland wanted me to see.
"Can I give you one? A name?"
Thank you, your well intentions are duly noted but I do not wish for a name. Doing that will soften your heart and make your determination waver when you have to fight me with the intention to kill.
"Then is there anything else I can help you with, any last wish that you want me to help you complete?"
A last wish… I know a long time must have passed since Amber's death. I do not know how long exactly it has been since I was first sealed, but if you are able to find her grave, tell her that I'm sorry. If it's also possible, do the same for Barnett, Yasuhira, and Oshin. I have owed and hurt them too much.
"It's been over five hundred years, but I will do my best."
Thank you. Now, you have to go, you have to wake up. You still have time to prepare, I will also do my best to delay the inevitable for as long as I can.
"Wait-!"
Farewell, Velda.
May the gaze of the Banished Ruler bless your safe passage through the chaos.
Character and pokemon list:
Velda Vera, Age: 14, Female, Pokemon Trainer
Pokemon on hand:
1) Rapidash (Flamel), male
2) Swampert (Bigblue), male
3) Banette (Dolly), female
4) Flygon (Snap), male
5) Absol (Kelsa), female
6) Charizard (Toothless), male
7) Cradily (Lily), female
8) Espeon (Rena), female
9) Pachirisu (Fuzzy), male
10) Tyranitar (Kratos), male
11) Clefable (Joy), female
12) Nidoqueen (Ness), female
13) Pangoro (Hulk), male
14) Porygon-Z (Jarvis), genderless
15) Scizor (Archer), male
16) Lapras (Chill), female
17) Gengar (Wacky), male