Sorry it took a while, everyone. Things got a bit hectic at work. A bit of a system issue, per say. Speaking of, I have been noticing that some chapters are not appearing or being accessible on Fanfiction, and I hope that issue will come to pass soon. It will be saddening otherwise if readers can't read any new chapters that gets posted here.
Other than that, do enjoy yourselves~
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Fire Emblem of any kind. I own only my OC. The Opening used in this song is Halo, Pokemon Horizons 2nd Opening.
"Human talking"
'Thoughts'
"Dex Entry"
(Pokemon talking)
"Dragon-type Pokemon talking" (Only understandable through Alear)
Last time, after visiting Koraidon in the dungeon where he was being held, Alear was about to retire to her room, when an enemy group suddenly attacked Lythos Castle, seemingly wanting to raid the Ring Vault for the Emblem Rings. With her mother already there to protect the remaining rings, Alear and her stewards rushed in to give their assistance, but were getting held up by the enemies guarding the entrance. Outnumbered, just as all hope seemed lost, allies from the kingdom of Firene arrived and lent their aid. Hopefully, it will not take them much longer to reach the Ring Vault.
While they were engaging in combat, elsewhere, Kris ran down the halls. Worried, after hearing the explosion earlier. "What the heck was that sound?!" she questioned out loud. She soon saw some familiar figures up ahead and called out to them. "Nemona! Arven! Penny!"
The three figures turned to her at her call, a bit shaken from whatever that rumbling was.
"Kris! Thank Arceus you're okay," Penny said in relief.
"Yeah, I'm okay. But what was that sound we all heard?" Kris asked again.
"That's what we came here to find out," Nemona answered.
"At first I thought it was you two battling, only to realize that it couldn't be that, since I have all of Kris's Pokemon," Arven explained for himself.
"I thought it was Koraidon breaking out," Penny explained for herself.
"I thought it was either two of you having a fruitful battle, or some really strong wild Pokemon passing by and wanted to go battle it," Nemona said, not surprising anyone with her reason.
"That last one sounds more worrying, considering this is a world where no one is accustomed to Pokemon," Kris told her. "In any case, we need to get to the source right now. Especially if there is a Pokemon involved over there."
The Paldeans all nodded in agreement to the idea, and continued on to the source of the sound. With Arven returning the girls their Pokemon.
Come on, break through the clouds ahead
(Opening begins in a black background with a gold ring floating down, the blue gem glowing in the darkness.)
(Marth and the other Emblems suddenly got summoned out and engulfing the screen in bright blue light. Title then appears on screen.)
When I remember the words I couldn't say
I dove down to hide myself
(Alear with red hair and eyes is dying in Lumera's arms. As Lumera cried for her to live, scene changed to Present Alear crying, as Present Lumera peacefully died in her arms, her arm limped down to the floor)
Swimming my way through in uncertainty
I cut through the clouds and head for the blue sky
(Scene changed to Alear standing in the plains on Somniel with a saddened expression until Koraidon bumped his head into her back. She turns and saw Alfred, Diamant, Ivy, and Timerra looking at her happily, in which she returned as she and Koraidon approached them.)
One day, I'll look back
At that fiery red sunset
(Young Kris was with her father-figure in a meadow at night, as he gave her his ring. As she raised it up to the moon, scene transitioned to the ring on Present Kris's ring finger during the day, as she looked at it while blocking out the sun, sitting on the edge of a cliff.)
And burn it all into memory
(One by one, Penny, Arven and Nemona tackled her from behind, as she tried to not fall from the cliff with them. Miraidon happily joined in the hug, though rammed into them, knocking them all off, and saved them by going its Glide Form, with Arven angrily scolding it while in its mouth.)
Even if I can't reach the truth of the world
(With each beat, brief transitions of each of the Four Kingdom's Young Royals occurred, from Alfred and Celine, to Diamant and Alcryst, to Ivy and Hortensia, to Timerra and Fogado, with the ring entrusted is their kingdom floating between each sibling pair.)
Or the feelings of that girl
(Also in each beat, brief transitions of Nemona, Arven, Penny, and two Shadows. Each with their Pokemon team.)
It's okay to not understand
(Sommie jumps up, covering the screen briefly before jumping in Alear's arms to be petted.)
Just shine like a rainbow
(Sombron glared at the screen before roaring, causing the scene to zoom out and reveal a hooded girl, the Four Hounds, and their Corrupted army in front of him.)
Come on, break through the clouds ahead
(Alear ordered an attack, prompting her friends to charge towards the army. Alfred is cutting down Corrupted on his horse. Diamant swung his sword and knocked back some more Corrupted)
Even if we stumble and stagger
(Ivy burned some Corrupted from above on her wyvern. Timerra emerged out the flames and took out some Corrupted with her lance in a surprise attack.)
Just hold on and go farther
(Nemona, Arven, and Penny raised their Tera Orbs up and Terastallized their Partner Pokemon in a burst of light.)
Come on, run on to my future
(Alear in Engage State, Kris and Terastallize Meowscarada emerged from the light, charging at Sombron while avoiding the Four Hounds' attacks.)
At the end of this long, long journey
I'll remember you
(As the hooded girl charged up an attack, they stopped, with Alear looking horrified. Camera zooms in her blue eye, showing moments she had with Lumera in the short time she awakened. The hooded girl fired her attack at them, which landed in an explosion.)
One day, we'll shake hands
And laugh
(Alear looked up to see Koraidon and Miraidon blocked the blast in their Battle Forms. Both who let out a roar and charged at Sombron, colliding in a flash of light.)
A light appeared
(Scene changed to Alear sleeping against a tree and waking up.)
At the end of the rainbow
(She looked up to Kris holding a hand out to her with Koraidon and Mirardon behind her.)
And I found my dream
(She accepted the hand and got up. A breeze blew by, as they looked up at the blue sky.)
As the Paldeans ran down the halls, sounds of battle reached their ears. And from what they were hearing, it was not a Pokemon battle that was taking place. The four soon arrived at a door, where they saw a battle taking place on the other side.
"What the heck?!" Arven gasped, speechless at the sight. At seeing Alear and the others fight against other people in the area. With a trio of new faces joining them in battle.
Alear widened her eyes when she saw them standing there. "Guys, get away from here!" she cried out.
Her cry got her allies and some of the enemies' attention, as they glanced the Paldeans' way.
"Kris! Nemona!"
"Arven! Penny! Get away from here!" Clanne and Framme told them.
"Kids?!" Alfred gasped, not expecting to see children in the castle. Nor any reckless enough to head to battle.
"Pegasus knights! Seize those kids!" one of the enemy soldiers- a young woman with swampy green hair in black armor, a great shield and spear in hand- ordered. "We'll take them as hostage, and keep these guys away from the Ring Vault!"
"Yes, Captain Abyme!" a pair of pegasus knights answered. Their mounts soaring towards the four Trainers.
"Look out!" Alear shouted. "Alfred, Vander, please! Help them!"
"Yes, Divine One!" Vander agreed, leading his mount to the Paldeans with Alfred.
Time slowed as they charged towards them, with the Trainers moving as far back as they could. In an attempt to get away from their pursuers, who were closing in on them faster than the two horse riders.
Or so some had assumed, when a brief flash of light came, followed by a pair of shouts.
"Fire Spin/Stone Edge!"
At those calls, a spiraling stream of fire struck one of the pegasus knights, while a large glowing rock emerged out of the ground and hit another, sending them and their mounts falling to the ground. Not only that, but the flames entrapped the one pegasus knight and their mount in a fiery tornado.
The sight left everyone speechless. Even more so when they saw the source of the attacks.
"What?!" Abyme gasped.
Standing between the knights and the Trainers were two Pokemon. One reddish orange with a yellow bushy tail and a yellow mane around its chest and neck, as well as a fluffy yellow tuft on its head. The other was a brown and white wolf-like creature with what seemed to be rocks poking out its white mane.
(If you want our Trainers...)
(You have to go through us!) the wolf-like creature finished for her companion, letting out a howl in challenge.
"Are those Mysterious Creatures?!"
"They just appeared out of nowhere!"
"And they seem to be protecting those kids, too!"
Another flash of light was shown, as Miraidon was also released from his Pokeball.
"Let's go, Arven!" Kris said, mounting on the Paradox Pokemon.
"Guess we're really doing this?" Arven asked, getting on Miraidon all the same.
"From what Kris and Nemona experienced earlier, we clearly can't abide to the rules of our world. And even if we run and hide, it's not like that will do much to help," Penny pointed out. "Still, these are real people. Not like those zombies they faced earlier. Try not to go too hard."
As much as she understood Penny's concern, Nemona was more bothered by something else. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, noticing Penny most especially glancing at her at the last part.
"Doesn't matter right now. Let's just take them down!" Kris declared. "Let's ride, Miraidon!"
"You got it, Kris!" With his shout, Miraidon charged into the fray at full speed in his Drive Mode, with Kris and Arven holding onto him.
"Stop them!" Abyme ordered, pointing her weapon at them, as several other of her soldiers rushed back at the pair.
"Arven!" Kris called.
"Leave it to me, bud!" Arven exclaimed, standing from his spot with a firm grip on Kris's shoulders and took out a Pokeball. "Let's go, Garganacl!" He tossed the ball, prompting it to open and unleash a rocky Pokemon that rested within. The appearance surprising many for different reasons, as Kris had Miraidon skid to a stop.
"Another one of them?!" an enemy soldier gasped, stopping in their tracks in stupor.
"Can it even be called a 'creature'?" another soldier questioned.
"Let us know what you think after this! Garganacl! Stealth Rock!" Arven shouted.
(Yes, Arven,) Garganacl answered, his orange eyes glowing on command, as were the rock salt portions of his body. He swung his arms forward, shooting multiple white projectiles at the group of enemies rushing at them. All that did not reach a single soldier, and instead hit the ground before them, sinking into the surface.
"Oh no. A miss!" Framme gasped.
"Why even bother using that move?!" Etie questioned, a little disappointed with the misplay for the strong-looking Pokemon.
"Guys, get out of there!" Alear exclaimed.
While Alear, her stewards, and their new allies were worried after that dud attack, the enemy soldiers were more than happy with the result, not ceasing in their charge at all. Unbeknownst to them, had they paid extra attention to their enemies, they would have noticed the confident expressions. As one soldier stepped on an area the Stealth Rock hit, the spot glowed, and a rock shot out of the ground and struck them right in the gut, knocking them back. By the time several soldiers noticed what happened, it was too late for those in the front line, as they also stepped into the range of Stealth Rock, and succumbed to the same fate. Getting struck by rocks of various sizes, and knocked back by the force.
"What's this?!" Abyme gasped, surprised by what occurred, as was everyone else.
"Did rocks just emerge out of the ground?!" Boucheron inquired, avoiding a soldier's lance, before knocking them back with his weapon.
"That's Stealth Rock for you," Kris briefly explained, as Miraidon got to Alear's side. "We don't know what's going on, but clearly you guys need help, right?"
Alear was a bit baffled with the question. "Y-Yes. But-"
"'But' nothing! Like before, my friends and I will be careful on the battlefield. Besides, we still owe you for saving us earlier."
"She's not wrong there," Arven agreed. "Besides, no matter how you look at it, I doubt running away is a good option for us."
Alear wanted to argue, worried about their safety since they were dealing with people as enemies. Foes who hold more intellect than the Corrupteds. Still, she also could not deny the fact Arven pointed out. Even if they were to escape, if the captain was that adamant to capture even one of the Trainers as hostage, it would do more harm than good.
"Try to stay close to at least one of us," she opted to say instead.
Kris nodded in understanding to her request and took out another Pokeball. "And now you. Ceruledge!" She tossed it, and called out the Pokemon within. One that looked like a black knight of sort with blades as its arms, kneeling with her eyes closed and a blade resting across its chest, with brief sparkles emitting from its form.
(Here, mistress,) Ceruledge responded.
"Another one? Who the heck are these guys?" Alfred questioned, in disbelief with the number of Mysterious Creatures popping out of those balls the kids have.
"Indeed. Believe it or not, those four children all come from the same world as the Mysterious Creatures, in which they call 'Pokemon'," Vander explained to him, surprising the prince further.
"Counting on you, Ceruledge. Use Shadow Claw!" Kris called out.
(At once, mistress,) Ceruledge responded, lifting her head and snapped her eyes open, revealing them to be fiery red. She kicked herself off the ground, rushing at the enemy group at full speed, getting to their faces in a blink of an eye, much to their fright. Shadow aura then formed and coated her blades, and she slashed at the soldiers, sending them flying further back, to the increasing shock of everyone else.
"Whoa... They're good," Alfred said in awe. He felt something get on his horse, who let out a surprised 'neigh' from the added weight. Looking behind him, he was surprised to see Nemona suddenly behind him. "Huh?! What are you-?!"
"Come on! Take us closer to the battlefield!" Nemona exclaimed, pointing at the ongoing fight.
"We can't give further commands to our Pokemon unless if we are close enough to see what's going on. And we can't really get close without risking our lives," Penny said, sticking close to Vander and his mount, to the old steward's surprise.
"Wha-?! When did you-?!" he gasped, before catching himself. "No, but more than that, you kids shouldn't be here. As you saw, it's far too dangerous for you four to be in this area, even with your magical creatures."
"But don't you need help?" Nemona asked, looking down the corridor. "I see a large group of enemies down over there, and considering how we have some airborne opponents coming in from outside the walls, we can't say for certain how many of those we are dealing with. Besides, I don't know how strong you guys are, but you will definitely need the extra help against this many."
When she puts it that way, Vander could not say anything to argue against the point made, though also could not help shaking off his concern for them. From what was told earlier, they have very little to no experience in life-or-death combat.
"Well, it should be fine, so long as you're with us," Alfred said, to the old steward's surprise. "I don't know who you guys are, but clearly you're also allies of the Divine One. We'll need all the help we can get!"
"See? He gets it," Nemona told Vander.
The way her eyes sparkled, however, made the old knight feel uneasy, as he glanced to the Eevee Trainer. "Tell me. Is this her really wanting to help, or her actually just wanting to do battle?" he asked.
"That's definitely her battle-mania face," Penny indirectly answered with a deadpanned expression. "And I thought she realized from firsthand experience that this is all life-and-death here."
Vander pinched the bridge of his nose with a light sigh, before offering a hand to Penny. "Well, I can't protect you like this. Get on."
Penny nodded in gratitude and accepted the hand, getting herself pulled up to sit behind the rider.
"Alright! Time to get in on the fun!" Nemona cheered. "Lycanroc, Accelerock!"
"Flareon, Flare Blitz!"
At their call, their respective Pokemon used their selected moves to charge at the enemy line. Lycanroc became surrounded by a white aura and rammed into one of the soldiers at high speed. pushing them away as small rocks bursted out upon impact. As for Flareon, he was covered in flames as he ran towards the group. Upon ramming into one soldier, a fiery explosion occurred, sending his group of foes flying back as well. With a little gift.
"Ouch! What the heck was that? It's hot..."
"More like it burns. Badly."
It took a few seconds for those words to register in the affected soldiers' heads, as they glanced at the source of the burning sensation... And saw they were actually on fire. One sight of this realization, and they jumped, either trying to put out the flames that refused to go out, or run around like a chicken without a head.
"Hey! All of you! Get a hold of yourself and just put out the fire!" Abyme ordered.
"We're trying but..."
"They won't go out!" two soldiers informed, already trying to put out the flames on them, only to fail miserably. Just hearing that they were not able to put out the fire was surprising enough, but also seeing the struggles in getting rid of the flames left the many watching speechless.
"Yeah, you won't be able to put those flames out any time soon," Penny bluntly said, pushing her glasses up. "Likewise, you also won't be able to get out of this one. Fire Spin!"
(Time you guys get nice and roasty!) With Flareon up close to the foes, he breathed out more of his spiraling stream of flames at several other soldiers, trapping more of them in a fiery tornado.
"Whoa! That's some Fire Magic that creature has!" Alfred gasped in awe.
"That's just the beginning. Lycanroc! Drill Run!" Nemona called out.
(I'll clear the ground enemies!) Lycanroc exclaimed, as she rotated her body at full speed like a drill, and rammed on through another group of enemies, knocking them all away.
Alfred and Vander's awe continued to grow from the sight of the power. "Whoa!" the crown prince breathed out.
"Come on! We have to get closer!" Nemona urged, in which Alfred obliged, as he nudged his mount to battle where Lycanroc was.
"Us, too," Penny told Vander, who nodded in agreement and followed suite to where Flareon was.
Up ahead, after getting over their initial shocks, the rest of Alear's group resumed their portion of the battle as well. As they fought, Arven took notice of a long buff guy getting ganged up on by two swordsmen, with one of them disarming his weapon.
"Not good!" he breathed out, getting off Miraidon, to Kris's surprise.
"Arven?!" she gasped, watching him run towards Boucheron, with Garganacl following as quickly as he could.
"Garganacl, that area! Stealth Rock!" he ordered, pointing at the spot between them and the axe-wielder.
(I hope it works,) Garganacl said, once again shooting white projectiles from his arms. All that sank into the ground.
With the attack set, Arven shouted at the top of his lungs. "Hey! You buff and orange! Over here! This way!"
Boucheron heard his call and, deciding now was not the time to be hesitant or indecisive, rushed to the boy's side, much to the two swordsmen's confusion.
"Huh? Where does he think he's going?" one questioned.
"Like it matters. Let's stop him!" the other said, chasing after him with his peer.
As they ran, the trio unknowingly approached the Stealth Rock trap Garganacl had set up. While Boucheron made it through without an issue, the same could not be said for the two swordsmen, for as soon as they came into range, the trap was set off, as rocks emerged out of the ground and struck the pair hard, forcing them back again.
Boucheron was shocked by what happened as he looked behind him. "Huh?! Wait, but... I just walked past that," he said, completely confused.
"Stealth Rock only sets off when an enemy passes by. And you're no enemy," Arven explained, getting his attention. "I'd introduce myself and my Pokemon, but we're on a tight schedule, don't you think?"
Boucheron knew what he meant and looked back at the two weakened enemies. "I believe so," he agreed. "Can your friend cover for me while I retrieve my weapon?"
"We'll do our best."
(Leave it to me!) Garganacl assured.
Boucheron was not the only one who needed the extra help. Etie, though had the advantage against pegasus knights, was having some difficulty in close combat. Being an archer, who needed a bit of time prepping an arrow and aiming, getting up close was a huge disadvantage for her. As such, when facing against a number of airborne opponents, regardless of the weapon advantage she has against them...
"Darn. There's just too many of them," she grumbled, moving however she could to get distance from the enemy group, or avoid their attacks. Unbeknownst to her, a pegasus knight took advantage of her distraction and flew to her blind spot, lance at ready.
"No hard feelings... But die for us!" she shouted.
"Drill Run!"
Upon hearing that shout, the knight turned to the source, where she saw Lycanrock rushing at full speed towards her, growling, as she rotated her body in a drill-like manner once more. Not wanting to get hit by the attack, the knight pulled her pegasus back, prompting them to avoid the move in time, as Lycanroc stopped by Etie's side.
(Not on my watch!) Lycanroc growled at the escaping knight.
Etie took notice of the help, staring at her with wide eyes. "You're-!"
"Etie! We're coming!" Alfred shouted, grabbing the archer's attention as she saw her prince rushing over on his mount, with one of the four children riding with him.
"In the mean time, Lycanroc! Stealth Rock!" Nemona called out.
(Not all of the field is set, after all,) Lycanroc agreed, the rocks in her mane glowing white as she let out a howl. Rocky projectiles shot out of her mane, rising upwards in the sky, before raining back down to the ground around Etie. The archer jumped in worry when she saw the stones rain back down, only to be both relieved and confused when they hit the surface and seemingly disappeared.
"Again?" she muttered.
"They're open! Charge!" At that shout, Etie looked up and saw the pegasus knights charging at her again. Just as she was about to prepare an arrow, though, the rocks that were embedded in the ground suddenly shot up and struck each winged mounts, Injuring them greatly, and forced them all to fall out of the sky.
Etie widened her eyes at the sight. "Again?"
"Etie! Now's your chance!" Alfred shouted.
Etie snapped out of her stupor and notched another arrow, shooting it at a pegasus knight, and took them down. With the knights in a disarray, unable to get close to attack her, she was having an easier time taking them all down.
Also getting overwhelmed by the number of foes were Clanne and Framme, getting the small sense of dejavu, as they looked around to see enemy soldiers and pegasus knights surrounding them.
"Oh, this isn't good. We can't keep up with this number," Clanne said.
"Don't say that! Not when everyone else is fighting so hard!" Framme told her twin.
"But-!"
In the middle of their worries, a soldier charged towards the pair, sword ready to jab through one of the twins. Framme took notice of the assailant and moved in front of her brother. "Look out!" With her martial arts, she managed to parry the attack in time to avoid a fatal blow and counter attack. However, she still got injured in the process upon doing so.
"Framme!" Clanne gasped in worry, searching himself for a particular potion. "Here, Framme, take this! A vulnerary!"
Framme turned to him to accept the item, when she saw another swordsman heading their way. Her older twin unaware of the danger approaching. "Clanne, behind you!"
Clanne turned at his twin's shout, noticing the swordsman behind him with his sword raised, but was too slow to cast a spell to counter. Before the blade could touch him, though, a familiar red and yellow figure came and rammed into the swordsman, knocking him away from twins.
(You leave them alone!) Flareon growled, having tackled the enemy away with a swift Quick Attack.
"Clanne! Framme!" Vander called, getting the pair's attention, as his mount sped to their aid.
"Vander! Penny!" Clanne returned, noticing the Paldean with his and his twin's mentor.
"You guys okay?" Penny asked.
"I'm okay. Framme, though..." Clanne trailed off, looking at his younger twin in worry.
"I'm fine," she assured, taking the vulnerary.
Vander looked around their surroundings, taking note of the many enemies around them. "These cretins..." he grumbled, prepping his axe, as Flareon glared and growled at the opposing force.
"There's too many of them!" Framme cried out.
"Oh, man... What do we do?" Clanne asked.
"Watch out for the old guy, all of you! Once we get that guy down, the kids will be easy!" a pegasus knight claimed.
Vander grimaced at the situation they were in, trying to figure out a way to bypass the number of enemies around us.
"How pathetic..." Penny muttered. Her voice low, but still loud enough to be heard by the stewards and their enemies, confusing the former group, while the latter group all smirked at her.
"Indeed, it is quite pathetic, isn't it? For such an old warrior like him to be stuck babysitting even on the battlefield," a swordsman insulted, angering Vander, Framme, and Clanne.
"That's not what I mean in the slightest," Penny corrected, this time leaving them all at a loss, as she pushed one hand in her hoodie pocket, and used the other hand to push her glasses up. "What I find pathetic, is how you think just surrounding us is enough to stop us."
"Huh? And just who do you think you're kidding here, kid? Even with your creature, there's no way you can take on the lot of us at once," another swordsman said.
"That's why you guys are all pathetic," Penny affirmed, to the foes' ire. "In fact, this raid of yours, too. If you are going to raid this castle, you should've done it right and take on the soldiers of this castle. Make us lose some motivation or drive to even think about standing up to you. Instead, you just went and broke into this castle, and expect to be feared just because of that."
"What's that supposed to mean, you brat? Depending on your response, we may choose to not to cut you up," the first swordsman questioned.
"To dumb it all down... You're a thousand years too early to do any raids," Penny only returned, raising more confusion. "Flareon, Baby-Doll Eyes!"
Confused as many were with the attack declaration, as soon as they saw Flareon move her paws up to her face, they were on guard... Only to soon be caught off guard when the Flame Pokemon started looking at them so cutely. Eyes wide and somewhat watery, with his ears drooping down and the background turning pink as he let out a coo. (You wouldn't hurt me... Right?)
The sight of Flareon as he was now shocked everyone, as they found him to be irresistibly adorable. Some even thinking that it was a crime to even think of pointing a weapon at it. Not only that, but a blue aura briefly surrounded them all, in which very few noticed.
"Whoa. How cute~" Framme verbally cooed.
"B-But... This isn't the right time to be thinking about that, right?" Clanne said, though couldn't really deny the cuteness.
"True. The second you think that, you better be ready for the consequence," Penny confirmed, grabbing some attention. "Quick Attack!"
(Yes, ma'am~) Smirking behind his paws, Flareon slammed them down and kicked himself off the ground, ramming into a few swordsmen in front of him and knocked them down. He then shot upwards to a pegasus knight and knocked the rider off of her aerial mount. And repeated to the next, and then to the next.
"Whoa! What the-?!" a swordsman gasped, only to be tackled back down by the Flame Pokemon.
"That little-! All of you, get a hold of yourself!" a pegasus knight exclaimed, snapping the rest out of their daze.
"It's your own fault for letting your guard down. Fire Spin!" Penny said. Flareon happily obliged to the command, as he breathed out flames at several other foes closest to his Trainer. The aerial knights noticed the fiery stream and hastily got their mounts to fly away from it, distancing themselves from Penny and the stewards. Penny clicked her tongue to see the attack miss and turned to the stewards right then. "Hey, you right there. You can use fire magic, right?"
They were confused with the question asked, especially Clanne. "Yeah, I can. Why?"
"Use it on Flareon." When those words left her mouth, the trio were baffled with the command.
"Wait, what?! But why?!"
"Just do it. Trust me."
Clanne was still hesitant with the command, unsure if he should use his magic on an ally. In fact, he was confused as to why Penny was telling him to do that to her own Pokemon. Don't Trainers care about their Pokemon? Framme was just as confused about the command. After witnessing how Kris and Nemona treated their Pokemon, she had thought Penny and Arven would do the same for them. Was she wrong?
Unlike the young stewards, though, Vander could see the determination in Penny's eyes. Confused as he was with the command as well, he could tell that she was serious in giving it. Serious, about trusting her.
"Do it, Clanne. NOW!" Vander told him.
Though still reluctant, with the command coming from his mentor and senior steward, Clanne knew now was now the time to be hesitant. "R-Right! Hah!" Clanne opened his tome and shot out a fireball on Flareon, who had tackled away another swordsman with a Quick Attack. He soon took notice of the fireball heading his way and stood still, allowing the ball of flames to hit him, to many's astonishment.
"Hah! And what was that supposed to do?" a pegasus night questioned.
Rather than answer, Penny called out, "Flareon, another Fire Spin!"
(I'm on fire!) Flareon cried out, releasing another dose of his Fire-type move. Only this time, the stream was far more powerful than before, as it instantly caught all the aerial foes in its grasp, causing them all to let out pained screams, as they got caught in the vortex.
The sight of the power-up blaze left the stewards and remaining enemies speechless, trying to wrap their heads around what happened.
"Like I said, you guys are a thousand years too early for raids," Penny repeated, pushing her glasses up again, causing her lens to gleam briefly.
As this went on, Abyme looked on in sheer bafflement with the turnaround of the battlefield. She and her people were at the advantage, holding the Divine Dragon and her stewards back from the Ring Vault. Now, thanks to these new faces and their Mysterious Creatures- creatures that no one in Elyos knew about nor dared interact with- they were suddenly on the losing end?! Moreover, the ones controlling these creatures... They're just children!
She soon broke out of her shock, when she saw something white closing in on her. Turning to the source, she noticed it was Alear who was charging at her, and raised her great shield up just in time to block her sword strike, and pushed her back.
"Who are you?! Why are you attacking our castle?!" Alear demanded the invader, wanting answers before resuming the battle. Hoping to avoid needless conflict.
"I have my orders. No one reaches the vault," Abyme simply answered, reading her axe.
"Alear, duck!" came Kris's shout.
On instinct, Alear ducked down at the call, just in time for Miraidon to jump over her. Abyme's eyes widened at the appearance of the Iron Serpent, and hastily brought her shield back up to defend herself. Just in time for Miraidon's chest piece/front wheel to crash into her defensive weapon, as she managed to push him away.
"Ceruledge, Flame Charge!" Kris exclaimed upon Miraidon's landing, right next to Alear.
Her command caught Abyme off guard, as Ceruledge came from behind her Trainer and comrade. The Fire Blades Pokemon suddenly set himself ablaze and rushed at the captain, prompting her to try and block her attack as well. Unlike before with Miraidon, as Ceruledge's attack struck, she felt greater force behind it and stumbled back some.
"What strength!" Abyme gasped, trying to regain her footing. "However-!"
"Phantom Force!" At Kris's shout, Ceruledge crossed her arm blades across her chest in an 'x' formation and sank into a dark portal that formed under her feet… revealing Alear right behind her as she did, her sword raised for a strike.
Taken aback, Abyme tried to block the ongoing chain attack, as Alear's sword met her great shield once more. This time, due to the lack of gap between the chained strikes, Abyme lost her footing and was pushed further back. Before she could recover, she felt something hit her from behind. Something that felt like a blade, only hot, and it didn't feel like she was cut much.
Looking behind her, she was quite baffled to see Ceruledge right behind her, arm blades positioned in a way showing that she had attacked her.
'When did she-?!'
Before she could finish the thought, Ceruledge's arm blades glowed in purple aura, and she slashed at Abyme with them, leaving behind a trail of purple flames in the process. Ceruledge then stood tall, giving her blades a strong swipe, as they retracted back into its arms.
"You're all... not just any normal soldiers, are you?" Abyme could only ask, as her weapon and armor got cut in two, and she fell to the floor in defeat.
(Hmph. You're just too weak,) Ceruledge simply returned with a scoff.
"Ceruledge!" Kris called, as Miraidon brought her over to the Fire Blades Pokemon. The Trainer kept her eyes on the downed Abyme, feeling some dread in her stomach at one possibility that may have occurred. "Please tell me you just knocked her out and not... You know."
Ceruledge looked baffled by the statement, before turning to Abyme as well. Finding the crack she made in her armor, she poked her fiery blade in a gap between, getting a flinch and a grunt out of her, and turned to her Trainer. (She's still alive, mistress.)
Kris sweatdropped at the Fire Blades Pokemon's action. "Did you really need to do that? I mean, I'm glad you confirmed it, but still."
While she was a little dumbfounded by Ceruledge's action, Alear was even more so. It was one thing to suspect that Kris and her friends will be able to help turn the tide of this battle like Alfred and his retainers were. It was another to see they would do it so easily. While it may be the Pokemon that did the damage, it was all under their Trainers' commands. Their 'leadership', if she would dare think it.
Why, even the chain attack she did with Kris's Pokemon earlier. She only did it because Kris instructed her to, immediately after passing a command to her knight-like Pokemon. Initially, she wasn't entirely certain about going along with the attack pattern- about if she could match Ceruledge's movements. And yet, after Kris encouraged Alear to believe in her and her Pokemon, she for some reason felt it easy to trust her, and went along with the command. That said, she didn't think the team attack would really go that well.
"Kris! Alear!" Nemona called, getting their attention, as they turned to see her, Alfred, and the rest of their friends and allies regrouping with them. "You guys all good?"
Alear looked past the team and saw that the rest of Abyme's forces were defeated as well. It would be an understatement to say that she was impressed with the quick work.
"Yeah..." she answered Nemona at last. "Looks like we cleared the way. Let's get to the Ring Vault!" Everyone nodded in agreement to Alear's command and rushed on forward. Or so they hoped to do, when the bodies of the defeated soldiers suddenly glowed.
"What the-?!" Clanne gasped out.
"It's not over yet?!" Framme followed.
As though to answer, the glowing bodies all changed shape. Transforming into beings quite familiar to majority of them.
"They've turned into Corrupted!" Vander gasped.
"So these things are Corrupted? You're not kidding about these guys looking like zombies," Arven stated in shock.
"Like it matters?! We're wasting too much time out here!" Penny exclaimed. "At this rate, we won't get to Queen Lumera in time!"
Her claim made Alear worry, as she tried to figure at a different way out of this situation. Even if they were to get to the Ring Vault now- as no Corrupted were blocking the way- that would not stop the ones behind them from catching up and try to kill them. It was better to stop them where they stand rather than avoid them, even though deep down, she very much rather do the latter.
Kris turned to the Ring Vault, and gasped at what she was seeing at the entrance. "There's more over there!"
At her warning, everyone turned to see, much to their shock, more Corrupted being summoned. While they were thankful none were entering the Ring Vault, they were still on edge, for the newly summoned undead group was making their way towards them.
"They clearly don't want us anywhere near the Ring Vault," Alfred grimaced.
While they were worried of their circumstance, Abyme recovered somewhat from her defeat, and noticed the 'reinforcements'. A smirk formed on her face, as she forced herself off the floor and distanced herself from Alear's group. "Hah! Don't think you have won just yet," she exclaimed. "It seems our leader has been made aware of your strengths. With these Corrupted, you-" Before she could finish her sentence, one of the Corrupted jabbed a sword straight through her, much to everyone's horror. The Trainers, especially. "W-Why...? Lady-" Again, Abyme wasn't able to finish her sentence, as another Corrupted grabbed her and pulled her to the group, prompting it and several others- including the one that jabbed her- to relentlessly kill her. Her screams echoing in the corridor.
"They... They're killing her?!" Framme gasped out. "I-I thought she was their ally!"
"And yet a reminder of how much of a monster these Corrupteds are..." Vander grimaced, readying his weapon, as did most of everyone else.
For Alear, though, watching these zombie soldiers easily kill someone who supposedly was on their side? She couldn't stop a queasy feeling rising in her stomach. More than when she first met these monstrosities the first time. As she glanced at her allies, she noticed how pale the Trainers were, as they watched Abyme's fate. Her screams especially making them even more uneasy.
It was then Alear was reminded of two things. One was that the Paldeans had insinuated that in the world they came from, no one fights with weapons, and that any battles done was usually in form of Pokemon battles. And from what she had witnessed, such battles were never done to the death. As for the other thing, these people were just children. They may have powerful allies of their own that they can summon upon and easily command, but they still were only kids. She couldn't let anything happen to them. Not to these monsters.
Though she thought so, as the Divine Dragon looked back at the Corrupteds, she couldn't help shivering at the sight of them, as they continued to advance towards them. She knew she had to fight, but more than that, she just couldn't stop getting this terrible feeling from them.
'What do I do...?' she began to wonder. 'How do we get out of this?'
Suddenly, a roar was heard behind them, causing them all to jump.
"Whoa! What was that just now?!" Alfred asked with a jump. For he and his retainers were the only ones who know next to nothing of the sound. Whereas for Alear, her stewards, and the Trainers? They all turned to the source in worry. The latter group especially, as they paled at the sound they heard.
"Please tell me that roar's not what I think it is," Penny prayed.
"Kris. Ready Miraidon," Arven told her.
"Way ahead of you," Kris agreed, dismounting her Ride Pokemon, much to the confusion of the stewards and their new arrivals.
"What does he mean 'ready'?" Clanne asked.
"Let's just say 'prepare yourself for what you'll see'," Penny indirectly answered, only serving to confuse the Elyosians even more.
"Miraidon. You ready?" Kris asked.
"Always, Kris," Miraidon nodded, preparing for the worst.
Soon enough, a familiar red draconic figure came running, letting out a ferocious roar that shook the Corrupted's souls.
"Shoot! That thing is back at full strength!" Penny cried out, for appearing before them was none other than Koraidon... in his battle form.
"Koraidon HERE!" Alear heard him shout. "Now Koraidon bring pain!"
All of a sudden, raising more shock from the non-Trainers, sunlight shined down on them. Straight from within the corridor.
"Is this… sunlight?!" Boucheron spoke.
"But how?! We're not even outside!" Etie exclaimed.
"That's because it's Koraidon's ability," Nemona explained. "Once that guy enters battle, it summons a harsh sunlight."
That one piece of information baffled the group to no end. "Are you truly saying there are Pokemon that controls the weather?!" Vander inquired.
"That's just the start," Penny added. "For Koraidon, when he's battling in this weather condition, he becomes even more powerful."
That worried them even move. This dragon-like creature already looks strong enough. Now they're hearing it can get even stronger?!
"Miraidon and I will handle him. You guys focus on those Corrupted!" Kris told them.
"Wait, are you sure?!" Clanne asked.
Kris didn't have time to respond, for Koraidon let out another roar. "Koraidon... BURN!"
Alear- the only one to understand what he was saying- shouted out, "Get down!"
Almost as soon as she shouted that, embers could be seen emitting out of its mouth. The Trainers and their Pokemon took notice of the sparks, as Arven shouted, "You heard the lady! Get down!"
As those words left his mouth, he and his friends, as well as their Pokemon all grabbed a buddy and pushed them down, with the Pokemon using their body to protect the humans from what was to come.
Next those knocked down knew, Koraidon breathed out powerful flames from his mouth. Flames that went past them, spreading out its blazing heat to them, and struck a good portion of Corrupted, burning them to ash.
Once the attack was over, the Trainers and their Pokemon slowly got back up.
"Everyone okay?" Kris asked, she who was shielding Alear from the flames with Ceruledge.
"Yeah. Somehow," Nemona assured, protected by Lycanroc with Alfred and Etie.
"Us, too," came Arven's voice, for he, Boucheron, and Vander were also protected from the flames, thanks to Garganacl.
"And so I repeat. This is not what I signed up for when I wanted to be a Pokemon Trainer," Penny groaned, picking herself up with Flareon's assistance, after the pair saved Clanne and Framme from getting burned.
"Are you sure you're okay?!" Clanne asked.
"I-I can heal you guys up if you got burned in any way," Framme offered.
"We're fine. More importantly…" Kris trained off there as she looked back up and saw Miraidon standing back up on his feet. The latter who managed to duck and avoid the flames in time as well, as he glared at his opposition.
"What is the meaning of this, Koraidon?" Alear heard Miraidon question.
Koraidon only huffed before growling out his response. "Koraidon, pay back."
The answer made Miraidon narrow his eyes, his body generating sparks of electricity. "If you wish for a round three, you have quite the timing."
"Not with Weakraidon." That correction made Miraidon freeze, confused what his ancient counterpart meant. "Koraidon owe. Feel weak. Want pay back."
Alear was a bit confused what Koraidon meant by those words, until she saw him glancing at her. Miraidon noticed the gesture and turned to the girl as well.
"You mean to say you have a debt to repay, don't you?" he asked in understanding.
"Koraidon pay back. Funny-smelling human not human. Want out. Right?" Koraidon asked, glancing at the Corrupted.
Miraidon sighed, before standing down. "You're right about those people not being people. As for the other thing…" Miraidon looked to Kris then, who along with everyone else had been confused with the exchange between the two Paradox Pokemon.
"What is it? Does he want to help us?" she asked.
Miraidon nodded in response to the question, bringing relief and confusion to his Trainer. The latter more than the former.
Before she could question the reason for helping them, Koraidon let out another roar and rushed in. Everyone tensed up at the action, watching as the ancient Paradox Pokemon ran past them, to their confusion. They then watched as Koraidon went on a rampage against the Corrupted, taking one out after another in a relentless fashion, much to the fright of the non-Trainers, and confusion of the otherworldly teens.
"What's… happening?" Penny carefully asked.
"I don't know why, but it looks like Koraidon is fighting on our side this time," Kris explained, baffling her three friends and peers.
"Helping us?! How come? Doesn't that Pokemon hate us?" Arven asked.
Kris was conflicted by the question. "Even if you ask me 'why'…"
"Who cares?" Nemona spoke. "If he's on our side now, then he's no enemy. We don't have to worry about getting in another tussle with it. Plus, this helps us get to Lumera sooner. I'll take that as a blessing!"
Her optimism left many dumbfounded. Even her own Pokemon was baffled by how carefree his Trainer was in this situation. Likewise, no one could argue about it.
"Well, she's not wrong," Penny agreed. "While Koraidon has those Corrupted's attention, we can get to Queen Lumera now."
"Right," Alear nodded, also in agreement. "Let's hurry!"