PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [30]
Chapter 39 : Eye of the Storm
----------------------------------------
Land of Rota - Southeast of Cameran Palace
Ash’s chest burned as he ran through the forest beside Pikachu and Annihilape, and he exhaled loudly as he stuffed his hand in his pocket. Trying not to slow down, he pulled out his ringing phone and answered it, pressing it against his sweaty face.
“Ash,” Sylvester said sternly on the other end.
“Sylvester! Sorry…I didn’t have time to call you” Ash panted.
“No matter. I saw the news that Rota is under attack. I presume you haven’t found AZ yet since you were able to answer this call?”
“Not…yet. He’s close to the Palace now and I’m on my way there.”
“Well, then I’ll make it quick. I’m on my way to Rota now, but expect to see Cynthia there shortly.”
Ash frowned in surprise, and his pokémon glanced over at him. “Cynthia?”
“Yes. Immediately after I told her about the attack, I passed out and woke up several minutes later, and she was gone from the island. Darkrai’s work, I assume, blasted thing. With Spiritomb’s help, she may already be there.”
“Why would she come here if she wanted us out in the first place?”
“I couldn’t tell you. She’s said nothing this past month, but I’m certain she wouldn’t return to Rota just to try and pull Paragon out again. It’s too late for that. I assume she teleported to Sabrina or Anabel if you haven’t seen her, Anabel if I had to guess. In any case, I was just on the phone with N, but he cut out before we could finish our conversation. He and Zinnia were ambushed by AZ’s forces in Kalos as well, but he was able to break through and was heading underground when he cut off. I tried calling Zinnia, but no response, so I can only hope she’s also underground en route to AZ’s hideout.”
“Anything else you can tell me?” Ash asked. “Is the International Police on their way?”
“No, they’re not. I confess I don’t really know who wears the pants in the relationship between Cynthia and Interpol, but at the very least, it seems they’re following through with her hands-off directive. Why, what’s the situation looking like over there?”
“I don’t really know. The town south of the Palace was already overrun with AZ’s men when we joined the battle, and Sabrina split off to take care of the psychic portal we told you about. My Guardian friend Riley went to go protect Anabel, and I just took out a whole group of AZ’s men along with his Aegislash.”
“His Aegislash?”
“Yeah. I’m not sure how many pokémon AZ has personally, but if they’re all about the same level, then we could be in trouble. And that’s not even the worst of it. I’m pretty sure Sabrina, Anabel, and Riley could handle AZ’s pokémon if they came across them, but it’s AZ’s men that are the real problem. They’re veterans of battle, way stronger than the grunts of any other evil organization I encountered in the past. I handled them just fine, but I think even the Guardians may struggle against them if they don’t have much experience in battle. Plus, they somehow have the numbers advantage. I can’t believe AZ was able to amass such a powerful army so quickly.”
“Hmm, we’d assumed the Guardians could easily handle whatever the basic unit of AZ’s force ended up being, but if they’re matching the Guardians man to man, or beating them outright in some cases, that will greatly shift the tide of the attack. It seems Paragon and the World Champion both underestimated the speed at which AZ would be ready for war.”
“Yeah. I wish I could help them, but AZ has done a good job keeping us all tied up. Oh yeah, Albrecht is actually Sir Aaron, but he’s…I mean, it’s a long story, but he hasn’t joined the battle yet.”
There was a pause on the other end. “Sir Aaron…I’m sorry, I don’t know who that is.”
“He was one of the greatest heroes in Guardian history. I met him once, kind of, when I was still on my journey,” Ash said awkwardly.
“I see. Well, I’m sure he has a good reason for not showing himself just yet. I’d ask but I don’t want to keep you any longer. Since Cynthia has taken to the field, I’ll remain the nexus between us all. For you guys at Rota, use Sabrina to communicate with each other. Against an enemy like AZ, we must be as unified as possible.”
“Got it.”
“Best of luck, Ash. And please, don’t be too reckless.”
“I never am,” he smiled, and peeled the phone off his face, stuffing it back in his pocket. Annihilape grunted at his side and Ash nudged him. “Sarcasm, buddy. Loosen up. The real fight is still ahead of us...”
As Annihilape pumped his fists and Pikachu squeaked with determination, Ash focused back on the path ahead, taking in deep breaths and trying to stretch his muscles and much as he could as he ran. His body was still a bit sore from the fight with Aegislash, and he wanted to be in the best condition possible before they made it to the Palace. Because unfortunately, it seemed like that’s where they’d be reuniting.
Please hurry, Sir Aaron!
----------------------------------------
Land of Rota - Tree of Beginning
Cynthia stood up slowly, and gently handed Anabel off to her Lucario, who stood resolutely at her side.
“Cynthia…? How did you…? I thought…” the girl sputtered.
“Don’t speak,” Cynthia said. “It’ll only make your injury worse. I’ll explain everything when this is over. Lucario, take her to the Palace, please.”
Lucario grunted, and before Anabel could get out another word, he lifted her carefully into his arms, and began sprinting south. Lord Vandrick made no move to intercept them as they ran past, and they soon disappeared into the forest.
Darkrai and Cresselia both had their gazes trained on Vandrick, as did Cynthia, but the man seemed to have recovered from his initial surprise, and now stood before them, seemingly unbothered. “Six pokéballs, minus one, makes five. Three more beyond the two in front of me,” he murmured, eyeing Cresselia and Darkrai as he drummed the many pokéballs on his own belt. “Compared to my ten, the odds are still in my favor.” He looked up and smiled. “Champion Cynthia. You’re a long way from Sinnoh.”
“Not as far as you. What could possibly bring a Kalosian business mogul like you to the foot of the Tree of Beginning in northern Kanto?”
Vandrick smirked and rubbed his hands. “I could ask the same of Sinnoh’s Champion. This place falls well outside your jurisdiction. Then again, our World Champion is a tad peculiar, isn’t he? This wouldn’t be the first time the Champions have been shuffled into foreign territory.”
“I am here of my own volition, not at the behest of Aaron Albrecht.”
“Then the plot thickens.” Vandrick raised an amused eyebrow.
“No need to stand on ceremony, Lord Vandrick, we’ve known each other for quite some time, haven’t we?”
“I suppose,” Vandrick drawled. “When was the last time we saw each other? One of World Champion Leon’s get-togethers?”
“Get-togethers you started to attend less and less in recent years, I noticed.”
“What can I say? I’m a busy man.”
“Busy building an army for a three thousand year old sovereign whose domain doesn’t even exist anymore? I’m honestly surprised a man like you was able to find the time to amass and train so many of the League’s failures.”
“Oh, dear, I’ve been found out. I thought I’d covered my tracks fairly well. Well, to be fair, that wasn’t all I was doing. I was also locating and consolidating the former wealth of his Grace’s late empire, and it was far more imperative that those activities remained untraceable. But I suppose the International Police is more competent than I gave them credit for.” He glanced over at Cynthia to gauge her reaction, but the Champion smirked.
“You really don’t know why I’m here, do you? Well, that’s good. At the very least, it seems I’ve been playing my cards right. For the most part.”
“Cards, hm? Is that what you call the girl just now, and the others before her?” Vandrick scratched his head. “You are right that I don’t know what your game is, but even if you somehow manage to best me, your chances of victory are still zero percent. The power of his Grace cannot be stopped, or even comprehended, by the likes of you. Not even Sir Aaron could stop him now.”
Sir Aaron… So it’s true…he was a king of the Guardians, Cynthia thought. Surely, together, he and Ash should be able to… No, I’d rather assume the worst and prepare accordingly. “It’s a shame I never dug into your background a little more,” Cynthia said, earmarking her thoughts for later. “Maybe I could’ve uncovered your little conspiracy.”
“It wouldn’t have made a difference. You could never defeat me in Kalos, and you won’t defeat me here.”
“We’ll see about that.”
“You think a peasant from a backwater in Sinnoh could ever hope to threaten me?” he said, withdrawing two pokéballs from his belt. “I was raised from birth to destroy all of my king’s enemies.”
He hurled his pokéballs to the ground, and they spun, before snapping open and expelling their contents. Two Diancie materialized over the grass, one, its crystals a shining amethyst, and the other, a cool turquoise. They smiled mischievously upon seeing Cresselia and Darkrai.
“You tried to harm one of my precious subordinates,” Cynthia said. “And that will not be forgiven. Shadow Moon, Cresselia. Darkrai, Dark Void.”
Vandrick relayed a string of orders, and a storm of multicolored diamonds clashed against waves of dark and psychic energy, the clearing once again became engulfed in the fury of battle.
Towering above them all, the Tree of Beginning groaned silently. With the war reaching a fevered frenzy, the legions within were starting to take action. Throughout the veins and caverns within the Tree, its many pokémon inhabitants began to receive a single directive, and they acted on it immediately, compelled by pure instinct.
Flee.
----------------------------------------
Land of Rota - Cameran Palace
The well-furnished hospital wing of Cameran Palace was a veritable sanctum of health, offering the most advanced of medicines, and manned by the most skilled doctors and nurses. On top of their peerless infrastructure, they also employed ancient and powerful techniques known and practiced only by Guardians of Rota, for they made use of Aura in their treatments. A slice of this royal institution existed in only one other place in the entire world: Albrecht Manor, and it was thanks to the perfect union of manmade prowess and the power of pokémon which had allowed Anabel Lila to heal her severed arm in a fraction of the normal time.
Unfortunately, Rota was a land of peace. As such, the hospital wing was quite small, built mainly to treat Guardians who hurt themselves during the course of their training, especially those who ventured into the great Tree of Beginning.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
In other words, it was wholly unequipped to handle a constant stream of patients with various levels of injury caused by a war within Rota’s own borders.
The throne room of Cameran Palace burned bright with the shouts and screams of men and pokémon alike, orders and directives firing across the room in unrelenting bombards as the wounds of the injured were treated with the power of raw Aura. A Guardian limped across the stony floor, nearly tripping on the dirt-stained, once-grandiose carpet atop it, but the ones helping him hauled him up and continued forward as he whimpered in pain. A throng of nurses huddled over a group of wounded Guardians, wrapping bandages around their injuries and calling for this medicine or that salve. A middle-aged Guardian cried out as her master tied a tourniquet around her broken leg. The stench of blood and battle filled the air, and their pokémon scratched at themselves restlessly, with concern for their partners, and in pain.
A bath of blinding Aura shimmered over the bloodied face of a young Guardian no older than twelve. The gash on his face, crusted black, tightened together, until little more than an angry scratch remained. His eyes were watery, but his tears didn’t fall, and he smiled weakly. “Thank you so much, Queen Ilene.”
The Queen of the Guardians knelt over him, and as the Aura below her hands faded, she crossed them back in her lap. “Thank you, young Liam. But how many times have I told you just to call me Ilene?”
“Sorry.”
Ilene smiled. “Get some rest now. I hope you’ll forgive me for leaving you so quickly, but I must attend to the others.”
Liam gave a thumbs up as Ilene stood, and she brushed her legs off, before scanning the room to see who else needed her help.
“Any word from King Aaron yet, my Queen?” Sir Magnus asked, stepping back next to her. Unlike the other Guardians, he wore a dark set of shiny mail, and the cape that tumbled down his back was white instead of blue. His armored hand gripped the pommel of his sword impatiently.
“No,” Ilene responded, moving to another downed Guardian. The nurse treating him bowed and thanked Ilene as she lowered herself once more. The light of her Aura shone on her face as she spoke. “Even when he does return, he will be engaging AZ. He won’t have the time to spare any attention to the rest of the war. And the current state of things is a result of AZ’s army, not even the man himself, if our reports are to be believed.”
“So he really does have more firepower than us, huh?” Magnus said gruffly. “If this continues, there may not be a Rota left to save even if King Aaron does manage to defeat AZ.”
“Please don’t speak like that, Captain. You’re forgetting one important thing.” She gently let go of the Guardian’s hand that she’d just treated, turned to face Magnus. “Ash and his friends.”
“You really think they alone can swing things back in our favor?”
Ilene giggled softly. “You forget Ash was the World Champion at one time. And you’ve seen the Aura of the others. They burn as bright as the most powerful of our Guardians.”
Magnus nodded, but trepidation still etched their lines on his grizzled face. “As you say, my Queen.”
Ilene’s brows were furrowed, and she hesitated on moving to help another Guardian. Instead, her eyes simply washed over the terrible scene around them. “But, this number of casualties is too much,” she admitted quietly, before moving toward the door.
Magnus briskly caught up to her, surprised that she was actually leaving.
“I’ve done all I can here. King Aaron’s decree was absolute that you not leave my side, but you must return to the entrance hall and coordinate with the royal guard. If the worst should happen, then we must be ready to evacuate Cameran Palace…no, all of Rota. And since I have no intention of making you disobey our King, I’ll return with you.”
“Are you sure?” Magnus asked, stepping back to her side. “If Rota falls, where would we go? Where could we go?”
“A worry for another day. For now, we must devote our full focus to repelling this evil.
A few minutes later, they crossed the threshold into the cavernous entrance hall of Cameran Palace. Unlike before, the chamber was now empty, save for a pair of royal guards flanking the massive doors.
“My Queen, Captain Magnus,” one of the guards addressed, joining their liege and her knight in the center of the room. “We have a new report from our scouts. The parties on either side of the battle in front of the Tree of Beginning are none other than Ash Ketchum’s friend, the wounded Anabel, and Lord Brian Vandrick from the Kalos Region.”
“Lord Brian Vandrick?” Ilene said. “I’m afraid I’m not familiar with the name.”
“That’s no surprise, given how we stay out of international affairs. But after a bit of digging, we learned that he’s a high profile investor in Kalos and beyond. He owns a significant stake in many of the world’s largest companies, and he’s also a board member of multiple banks. He’s listed in many business magazines and publications as one of the most influential men in the world.”
“What in the world is someone like that doing here?” Magnus asked. “Personally taking to the battlefield, no less.”
“Still unclear, but his loyalties certainly lie with AZ. It seems he was trying to breach the Tree of Beginning and gain access to King Aaron’s body!”
Magnus sneered and his fist clenched around his sword. “How dare he.”
“And what of Anabel?” Ilene asked. “Surely she’s in no condition to battle.”
Magnus buried his head in his hand. “Shit. I went and sent Riley to Albrecht Manor,” he cursed. “Who can we spare to send to Anabel’s aid? Of course I’m worried about the girl herself, but if this Vandrick intends to defile King Aaron’s body in any way, then that is all the more reason that we must send a force to the Tree!”
“Not to worry Captain Magnus, help has already arrived.”
The towering doors of Cameran Palace creaked open slowly, allowing a strip of light to slide across the shadowed floor. The blackened silhouette of a man three meters tall stood before the break, his arms still outstretched in front of him from pushing them open. As the doors opened further, sunlight spilled across his form, revealing a velvet cloak spilling over his mountainous shoulders, and a jeweled crown circling his head of long, braided white hair.
Ilene and Magnus’ eyes both widened.
“You bastard!” the royal guards roared. Aura blazed to life on their arms, and they charged him.
“Wait!” Ilene shouted.
AZ grinned and flicked his wrists. Before they could even touch him, light flashed through the hall, and both guards flew backward, shattering through the stained glass windows at the opposite end of the room.
AZ breathed in through his nose slowly, then took a step inside the Palace. “Ah,” he rumbled. “After three thousand years, I have finally returned to this place.”
“AZ,” Magnus spat, placing himself protectively between the giant and Queen Ilene. How is he here?! I never even sensed him! And I doubt the Queen did either! What happened to Ash?!
“As I said, you needn’t worry about young Anabel. Cynthia Shirona has returned and has already engaged Lord Vandrick. Anabel is on her way here at Cynthia’s behest, but I’m afraid Sir Riley is still heading to the World Champion’s residence.”
Magnus glared at the ancient king. How does he know all that?
“The Platebearer is on his way. He has grown strong in the past month, but my pokémon held him up long enough that I could make my way here unimpeded.” As he took a step forward, Magnus and Ilene both took a step back. It was only then that he seemed to notice the Queen. “You must be Queen Ilene,” he said softly. “I must say I’m a bit speechless at your appearance. You are the spitting image of your ancestor, Queen Rin.”
“Do not sully her name with your foul mouth, monster,” Ilene said sternly.
“I must say, her tongue was far smoother than yours,” AZ shrugged. “No matter. I’ll be sending you both to see her soon enough. But first…” The amusement vanished from his face and he glared down at the both of them. “Where is Aaron?” he growled.
“Gone from this place. Where you could never reach him,” Ilene responded, her voice unwavering.
“What a disloyal lie, your Majesty. Aaron would never abandon this place. But pitiful attempts to protect him aside, deception won’t work. I know he’s here, but for some reason, I cannot pinpoint exactly where.” He raised his head and glanced around the hall. “Shall I begin with the injured, then?”
“Get down, my Queen! Magnus roared, hurling a pokéball forward. It burst open, and an imposing, scarred Lucario emptied out, landing deftly on its knee, with its arms splayed out. “Jackaline Avatar!”
A nova of Aura burst up around Lucario, and AZ only had time to frown before he was buried beneath an avalanche of azure energy. The ground ruptured as a giant fist of Aura smashed down on where AZ had been standing, splinters of wood and pellets of shattered stone flying in all directions. Magnus stood resolute against the gales of wind, his cape billowing behind him. Blue light shined on his face, as the avatar shifted its weight, pressing down even harder on top of AZ. It howled, the sound reverberating throughout the chamber.
“Quiet, mutt.”
The avatar flinched. Then, astoundingly, its arm began to rise. As the dust cleared, AZ came back into view, but he hadn’t been pulverized at all. He held his arm above his head, and he trembled as he bore the full impact of Lucario’s fist on his body. He pushed its fist up slowly, exerting himself against its tremendous weight.
“I’m here for Aaron. The rest of you brats don’t matter at all!” he bellowed, flinging Lucario’s fist aside. Before it could react, he jumped up and sunk his arm into the avatar’s chest. With a herculean pull, he yanked Lucario’s body straight out of the avatar in a blinding burst, gripping the jackal by its throat. As the avatar flickered in front of him, he spun in the air and launched Lucario back out the front doors.
“Captain Magnus!” Ilene yelled in warning, standing a distance away from the combatants.
But the grizzled captain was speechless at the violent display of AZ’s power, and he barely had time to conjure a thin shield of Aura around himself before AZ lunged through the dissipating mass of Aura that comprised Lucario’s avatar with a snarl, and grabbed him. Gripping a part of his armor that jutted out, AZ flung him into the wall with an inhuman roar, and Magnus’ body smashed through the wood, staying embedded there. But the captain of the royal guards made no further movements as a trickle of blood dripped from his nostrils.
Ilene watched the scene of carnage play out in horror, but when it was clear her captain would not be getting up, she turned back toward AZ, a bead of sweat on her forehead.
“Now, Queen Ilene, if you please,” AZ panted, licking his lips. “Where is Aaron?”
“You should not have set foot here, old king,” Ilene said, raising her arms. “It will be the last mistake you ever make!”
A shaft of pure white Aura burst forth from Ilene’s outstretched hands and engulfed AZ, completely obscuring him from view.
“Queen’s Order!” Ilene said in a shrill voice. Her pupils were the same color as her Aura, shining a brilliant white, and her blonde hair whipped behind her in a grand display of power.
Within the column of Aura, AZ hunkered down, trying to force himself forward. But shockingly, his torso was pushed back by the rushing current, and he grunted in surprise. After several more seconds, he was blown back, but he flipped over and landed back on the ground, still within the attack. But there was nothing to grab onto on the floor, and before long, he was blown back again. His eyes swiveled in their sockets, before finding the front doors, and as he sailed past, one of his arms shot out and grabbed it. The door creaked and whined from strain, flapping wildly despite its size. AZ growled, trying to haul himself back inside, but Queen Ilene was relentless. Her eyes shined even brighter, and with another burst of power, he was thrown from the door, back outside the Palace.
Ilene extinguished her attack and sank to the ground, breathing heavily. The glow faded from her eyes, and sweat matted her skin.
A minute later, AZ paced back up the stairs and reentered Cameran Palace. His crown was gone, but he wore a look of neutral satisfaction on his face. “Most impressive, your Majesty. You certainly live up to your royal station. But I don’t know what you hoped to accomplish with that. Surely you know that you could never breach my defenses.” He raised his hand, and his whole body seemed to sparkle for a moment, as if his entire body was a mirror.
“I’ll repulse you as many times as I must,” Ilene breathed. “You will never defeat the Guardians.” He raised her arms into a combat stance, and Aura glimmered to life between her fingers.
“A noble proclamation. But one not founded in reality, I’m afraid. I wanted to wait until Aaron arrived so I could tear his world down right in front of him, but if he wants to cower away and hide, then I suppose I’ll begin a bit early. Starting with you.” His entire body began to flicker and shine, white light dancing off his skin and clothes in spasmodic convulsions, as if they could barely contain themselves within his vessel. “Good bye, Queen Ilene.”
A blue comet streaked through the chamber, past Ilene, and slammed into AZ, before continuing on its trajectory straight out the doors of Cameran Palace. The two supernovas crashed through the granite walls of the bridge and shot over the crystalline lake. They smashed into the forest beyond, barreling through countless trees, crushing them into splinters.
Upon reaching a clearing, AZ dislodged himself, hitting the ground and sending a plume of soil rushing past him in a wave as he rolled to a stop. He coughed, then grunted. With a labored breath, he clambered onto his hands and knees, before rising to his full height shakily.
“You wanted me. Here I am.”
At the sound of that voice, liquid rage flooded AZ involuntarily, but he tempered his emotions and kept it at bay, albeit barely. Blood seemed to seep into his eyes, tinging his whole field of vision red, and his bones actually hurt from restraining himself.
Standing across the field from him, the Aura fading from around his form, was Sir Aaron, looking none too amused beneath his spiky black hair.
“Finally,” AZ sneered. “You show your true face. It’s time for you to face justice.”
Sir Aaron looked at him sadly, yet anger, and righteousness also colored his face. “Let’s end this once and for all, old friend.”
Wordlessly, both men withdrew a pokéball.
Next — Chapter 40 : Sir Aaron vs AZ
----------------------------------------
Oh… did I say 5/26… I meant 5/27… Was a lot busier than I thought I’d be this week. Also, I was straight up procrastinating, but I’d never let a good excuse go to waste so we’ll just say it was the former. It’s surprisingly difficult to get back in the swing of things after taking almost a week off from writing, something I’ve haven’t done since I first started this fic about eight months ago.
Unfortunately, there also won’t be a chapter next weekend since I’ll be busy with something else. Next chapter should be published on 6/9 at the latest, though possibly/probably sooner, whenever I finish it.
Finally, I’m going to add a list of all the custom moves in this fic to my profile on FFN and AO3, which I’ll update as they appear in the story. Not sure how others feel about custom moves but I really like them so I tend to add a lot of them. And in case you couldn’t already tell, I like lists. They’re very satisfying.
----------------------------------------