PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [8]
Chapter 17 : Ancient Weapon
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Kanto Region - Saffron City
Ash stood motionless, not even registering the few thin bolts of electricity zapping between different parts of his body. Pikachu was glaring at Corviknight and seemed to be using every ounce of willpower in his tiny body to keep himself from attacking. Only the sight of his trainer alive and well despite such a monstrous attack kept him at bay.
Platebearer. The word whistled through Ash’s mind like the wind. The Plate didn’t disappear in the cave in… I have it…within me. He clutched at his shirt, but his body felt perfectly normal.
“Based on your reaction, it seems clear you had no idea you were a Platebearer,” Albrecht continued after giving Ash a minute to process what had happened. “I apologize for using such an uncouth method, but seeing is believing. But before we continue, if you would please call off your Pikachu, he looks like he wants to fry Corviknight.”
Ash glanced over at his partner, then at the Corviknight that’d done the damage. “Stand down, Pikachu,” he muttered.
Albrecht walked up to Ash until he was right in front of him. He was a little less than a head taller.
“Come with me, Ash,” he said, and Ash could hear the pleading in his voice. “I have extensive knowledge of the Plates and resources to help you learn about your power. There is still more I have to tell you, but I cannot do it here. Not unless you accept my offer.” He held out his hand.
Despite the whirlwind in his brain, Ash somehow put his thoughts to the side to focus on what Albrecht was saying. His breathing was slow and deliberate, and he barely noticed Pikachu climb back onto his head, putting himself between Ash and Albrecht in his own sort of way.
“How did you know I was a Platebearer?” Ash asked in a low voice.
Albrecht raised his hand slowly. The air beside Albrecht warbled, and a blue sheen flashed over a formerly concealed form. Lucario’s eyes swiveled in their sockets before landing on Ash.
“Lucario sensed your power the moment you landed in Saffron. I almost ended the party there and then, unsure of who had just descended upon the city, until I realized it was you.”
The jackal crossed its arms, and the appendages on its head wafted behind it. Power radiated off its skin like heat, and Ash sized it up as its oppressive warmth passed over his body.
“He’s been with us the whole time?” Ash asked.
“I am the World Champion. I can’t walk around defenselessly. Unlike you, I don’t have any pokémon like Pikachu who are small enough to remain on my person at all times.” He smiled, but that only seemed to make Pikachu even more wary of him.
Ash remained deep in thought, glancing over at the others in the room, the decimation at his feet, and his own hands periodically.
“My clothes…are fine?”
“The Plate rests within you, and it protects all that you consider, well, you. I suppose Arceus’ pride wouldn’t allow the bearers of his soul to be stripped naked in the course of battle so easily.” He smirked, his silver hair casting an amused shadow over his face.
With the tension slightly eased, Ash gave his response.
“Thank you for the offer, Albrecht, but I have somewhere else to be. Thank you for everything, truly. I’m not sure when I would have discovered this power within me if not for you, and I know you took a risk telling me all of this. I promise I’ll keep this information to myself.”
Albrecht nodded slowly and crossed his arms behind his back. “Even from Cynthia?” he asked, glancing away.
Ash grit his teeth and clenched his fist. It was as Albrecht said. Knowledge of the Plates’ true power needed to be carefully protected. Though he didn’t like keeping secrets, this one he would, for now. He decided he wouldn’t tell anyone about this power until he learned to control it. “Even from Cynthia,” he affirmed.
If Albrecht didn’t believe him, he didn’t say. Instead, he simply smiled and shrugged, as Ash had become accustomed for him to do. “Ah, rejected again. Very well, I expected this outcome to begin with. I’m sure this is all very strange to you, so perhaps it was too much to ask for you to so easily abandon the life you’ve made for yourself after giving up your World Champion title. And I commend your caution. Like it or not, you’re a part of this grand game now. Distrusting me is the wisest course of action.” He held out his hand. “I do hope you won’t be a stranger, though. You have an invitation to my next party, and any others. And my contact details are in the letter I gave you.”
Ash patted his pocket where the invitation rested, then took Albrecht’s hand and shook it. “It was nice to catch up with you again, Albrecht. I’ll consider your offer, I promise. I just need time to think things through.”
Albrecht nodded. “And I understand completely. Though one last thing before you go, if I may.”
He fixed Ash with an icy gaze, and Ash nearly shivered. The mirth seemed to have evaporated from his silver eyes.
“Be wary of your friend Cynthia. She’s a reticent woman, even as Champions go. If you feel like doing yourself a favor, get to know her a little better, like you did for me. Just some advice.”
If ever there was a time to maintain a poker face, it was now, and to his own credit, Ash thought he did a pretty good job. He simply nodded, determined to keep Cynthia’s secret from him.
Albrecht pulled out a pokéball and recalled Corviknight from across the grass. Lucario nodded and disappeared in a haze of Aura as well. Pikachu hissed, and Albrecht waved a cheeky goodbye at him.
Ash left the building feeling like his brain had just been put through a car wash. He found Cynthia leaning on a pillar outside the lobby, carefully placed to avoid any potential attention from passersby.
“So, mission success?” she asked after he walked up to her.
“…Yeah, something like that.”
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Kalos Region - Geosenge Town
The cavern was dark and smelled of mildew and moss, and it reminded AZ of the time he spent in that forsaken dungeon. Luckily, his men soon found sconces on the wall still drenched in grease and got to work lighting them.
The torchlight illuminated the chamber and their shadows danced over the walls as they scurried about the room.
“I’ve left some of the men at the entrance, but it seems we’ve arrived undetected,” Vandrick said as he walked up beside AZ. “I’ve been to Geosenge countless times but I never suspected something like this rested beneath it.”
AZ grunted as his eyes traveled up the structure at the center of the room. It was jagged and crystalline, and it towered over them, disappearing into the unlit gloom above. Like the petals of a flower, stalks of crystal stood folded against a central pillar
“What is it, your Grace?” Vandrick asked, but AZ ignored him and slowly lumbered over to it.
He placed his hand on its surface and closed his eyes. “There is a pokémon you may have heard of called Diancie. Its crystals contain a powerful energy which made the construction of this weapon possible.”
“Diancie…yes, I’ve heard of it. I believe it’s a rare form of Carbink that can create pure diamonds from nothing but air. It’s been sought after by many who hope to make an easy fortune.”
AZ was continually impressed at how far humanity had come with their knowledge of pokémon. In his age, he could’ve counted on one hand the number of people who knew about Diancie’s existence in the entire world. Even the existence of Carbink, rare as it was, was known only to the most skilled of trainers in his royal army. “It was a Diancie that created the sundial in the place called Anistar City. It was from that arcane structure that we learned of the crystal’s true power.”
“Forgive any impudence, your Grace, but if you possessed a weapon such as this, how in the world were you ever imprisoned?”
AZ’s hand fell off the crystal. “I was betrayed. By a man I thought was my closest friend.” He turned back towards Vandrick, and a haunted visage of rage and grief shadowed his face. “He spat upon my sacrifices, slaughtered my men, and when that wasn’t enough, he stabbed me in the back and handed what was left to my enemies.” His fist closed around a stalagmite and he tore it from the ground. “And if all those transgressions weren’t enough, he has the gall to shamelessly continue on the same path to this day!” He roared and slammed the rock into the ground. “His death will sate only the shallowest depths of my rage! I will have everything that was stolen from me and more! My retribution has been paid! It’s his turn, now!”
Every deep breath and exhale caused a stream of mist to waft from his mouth. In his outburst, he hadn’t even realized that every single person in the room had knelt.
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“We shall serve you until your revenge is complete,” Vandrick said solemnly. “And then, we will rebuild your empire and usher in an age even greater than before.” He looked up. “And of course, your Grace shall be king of it all.”
AZ nodded. Yes. The Great War was just the beginning. It was naught more than a setback on my path. This era still belongs to me!
Vandrick stood and joined AZ once again. “The engineers will begin work on the weapon immediately, at your instruction.”
AZ raised his hand, and trails of pink mist began to snake through the air. They cast an unseen light throughout the cavern, illuminating it even more, and Vandrick’s eyes widened at the sight of them.
“Your Grace…? What is…?”
“A great power was bestowed on me long ago, and it was through its magic that I was able to design this weapon. My power will guide you, and grant you the knowledge to complete the weapon.”
He lowered his arm, but the mist remained, and began solidifying, tracing through the air and flickering across the surface of the weapon. They illuminated certain components and carved their mystical instructions onto the floor and wall. The technically minded thralls seemed confused at first, but the ancient wisdom was soon communicated to them through the runes in a syntax they could understand, and their mouths dropped open in sheer awe.
“Even once completed, the weapon will not be ready to use. There is a reason it has not been used in all this time. It requires a key that was confiscated from my person long ago. Even a child would know that the wisest course of action would be to destroy the key to a weapon like this. But I’m certain it’s been protected instead. They would rather see the world burned by the weapon just for the smallest hint at where it was hiding all this time,” he sneered. “Their hubris will be their undoing.”
Vandrick bowed. “I will scramble a strike force immediately.”
“Do as you will. But I will be the one to claim what is rightfully mine. I will lead the host personally.” He closed his eyes, and the location of the key became known to him instantly. “Our next target is…”
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Sinnoh Region - Paragon Island
“So do you recognize it?” Sylvester asked.
“I feel like I’ve seen it before…but no,” Anabel murmured.
They were both crouched down within Sylvester’s daycare, hunched over a small black creature hanging from a thin branch. Its skin was wrinkled and nearly translucent, almost like some sort of frostbitten fetus. It could’ve easily fit in Anabel’s palm, and it swayed gently from the branch, staring at them with glassy yellow eyes.
Sylvester smiled. “This is a cloakless Burmy.”
Anabel’s lips puckered. “I knew it looked familiar.” She moved her finger to poke at it, but Sylvester gently stopped her with his palm.
“Burmy create their cloaks shortly after they’re born, and little can stop them from doing so. Were you to hatch a Burmy in an empty room, Burmy would tear up the floorboards to cloak itself. Burmy are one of the weakest species around without a cloak, but ironically, they’re at their most powerful for the few minutes it takes to create their cloak.”
Anabel withdrew her hand. “But this one…?”
“An experiment of mine,” Sylvester said, a hint of pride leaking into his voice. “Some may say it was cruel, but luckily for me, Burmy seems to enjoy her nudist life quite a bit. I had Togekiss suspend her egg in midair while she hatched, and kept her there until the standard cloaking period passed. Normally, a cloakless Burmy would shrivel up and die very quickly, but I’ve gone to great lengths to keep her alive.”
“So that’s why she’s in this special room?”
“Yes, but I let the others in quite often. She’s quite social,” he smiled. “Charmeleon especially, surprisingly. He’s extremely careful around her. He spends quite a bit of time lowering his body temperature and diminishing his tail flame before even entering. Anomalous behavior for such a proud species, to say the least.”
I want her, Anabel thought, but instinctively dashed the thought from her mind. One of the bad habits she’d picked up after spending so long at the Battle Frontier was coveting the rarest and most unique-looking pokémon. Those were what sold at the Frontier, after all, and despite the fact that she’d left the Frontier years ago, she still had a bit of a Brain’s brain.
“So what’s the plan for her?” Anabel asked.
“Up to her,” Sylvester said, lifting a handful of ground-up pokémon kibble up to her to allow her to feed. “Though having my other pokémon interact with her isn’t just an exercise of socialization. I’m curious about other cloaks besides the usual plant, sand, and steel ones. ”
“Didn’t you say the cloaking period already passed?”
“Yes, but who knows? Perhaps she’ll take a liking to something she sees.” He stood up and stretched his legs. “Thanks for coming by, as always.”
“Of course! I always learn something new here,” Anabel grinned.
“So, any progress on your assignment?” Sylvester asked, picking up his bucket and heading out of the small forest-themed room they were in.
Anabel followed, and as they passed back into the main room, the temperature dropped slightly, and the wind from the exposed outside caressed her face. She hadn’t realized it before, but now it was clear by comparison just how regulated the climate of Burmy’s little room was. A glass door hissed shut behind them.
“Unfortunately, nothing concrete yet,” Anabel sighed. “A lot of the newspaper was burned in the escape, so there’s soot all over the remnants we were able to recover. It’s been slow work removing it all without taking off the ink that’s left with it.”
“It doesn’t sound like an enviable task. Do let me know if there's anything I can help with.”
“Thanks for the offer. But for now it’s just a matter of patience.”
They headed to the front of the daycare, and Sylvester unlaced his apron and tossed it on a shelf beside the door before walking outside.
“Well, I think I’m going to get started on lunch now.”
“Sandwiches with that aioli again?” Anabel asked, clapping her hands together.
Sylvester smiled. “If that’s what you want. I suppose there’s nothing wrong with eating the same thing three times a day, for a whole week.”
“Thanks, Syllvy!”
“Please don’t call me that.”
“It’s either that or Sylly!”
He sighed. “Whatever you say, madam.”
After they got back to base, Anabel split off to one of the padded holding cells that had yet to ever be used to hold a prisoner, where her pokémon were hard at work on the mission assigned to them. It was the most sterile environment on the island and made a excellent workspace for the task at hand.
She walked downstairs to the basement floor and passed several training rooms and battle arenas before arriving at the row of cells. Her pokémon perked up at her arrival, but did not let her appearance disrupt their work.
In the corner of the room stood Sophia the Decidueye, keeping a watchful eye on the other two. Sophia was Anabel’s newest partner, captured a few years ago in Alola. As her only pokémon who had never known the Battle Frontier life, Sophia was calm and reserved, as she’d never needed to develop a taste for the theatrics. But she did get fidgety when she wanted attention.
At Anabel’s feet sat Magic, the red gem on her forehead shining with a light that bathed the whole room in scarlet. At her trainer’s arrival, Espeon’s power died down, and she turned and purred happily, nuzzling against Anabel’s leg. Anabel leaned down and scratched behind her ears, and Magic purred in bliss.
In the center of the cell, barely able to fit, hovered the hard worker of the group, which wasn’t saying much considering how little the other two were doing. Sakura’s eyes glowed, and she didn’t look up at all even as Anabel stepped carefully around the newspaper fragments to stroke her wing. Psychic power poured from her eyes, painstakingly pulling individual atoms of ash from between the fragile fibers of the newspaper and placing them in a small pile beside it. Once Sakura the Latias had a goal within her sights, there was little that could stop her from achieving it, besides her own sloth.
Anabel watched her work silently for several minutes. She couldn’t even see the soot coming off the fragments, but it certainly looked a bit cleaner than it had before they started. All of a sudden, Espeon yipped, and Latias’ eyes flickered to correct the mistake.
Anabel smiled. They made a great team. Sakura had the power to perform such meticulous work, but Magic’s perception was unparalleled. As a master of the elements, she could tell what was soot and what was paper, and was preventing them from accidentally destroying what little evidence they had by verifying every single atom Latias touched before she moved it.
“Lunch time, Sakura,” Anabel said softly. “C’mon, you deserve a break, babe.”
Another minute passed before the glow in her eyes faded and she turned to face her trainer. She beamed and flew closer, and Anabel brushed her nose against Sakura’s.
Anabel had had apprehensions about nicknaming a legendary pokémon, but in the end, it didn’t feel right to treat her differently just because she was considered “legendary” by human standards. Plus, she didn’t want to create any sort of artificial isolation from the rest of her team. And, at the end of the day, she loved her nicknames. She was the only one in Paragon, somehow, who named her pokémon, but she wore her affection for them on her sleeve.
Sophia gurgled as she stalked out of the cell behind them. She had a habit of making sounds like that, lest anyone forget she was a scary ghost-type. Anabel turned around and smiled, ruffling the feathers on her head, and Decidueye fixed her with a satisfied glare.
Latias ambled through the halls excitedly, while Espeon and Decidueye followed at a slower pace. When they arrived back at the dining hall, Sylvester was just finishing putting the finishing touches on their sandwiches, and before long, he brought them over, along with a couple bowls of pokémon kibble.
Anabel may not have made a distinction between legendary and not, but Sakura’s appetite certainly did. She refused to eat pokémon kibble, and instead, placed herself at the head of the table where Sylvester had prepared a third sandwich for her. She picked it up gently and bit into it.
Surprisingly, Sylvester wasn’t all that impressed with Latias when he’d first met her. Anabel’s reputation as Hoenn’s Salon Maiden had preceded her, even to a man like Sylvester who lived in Sinnoh and wasn’t interested in competitive battling, and he’d already seen her in numerous battle clips posted online. Though he did marvel at her initially, he seemed to decide that he wasn't missing much beyond what he’d already seen of her in her many recorded matches at the Frontier.
He seemed to only be interested in pokémon that could breed.
Although Anabel was never the glamorous type, the fervor of the Frontier was a difficult feeling to forget so soon, and she’d grown accustomed to being showered with praise because of her teammates. It’d taken a few long years for her to deflate her ego and adjust back to a normal life. Or whatever this was, at least.
When they finished lunch, Anabel sent her pokémon back to their work, but as they were heading back, Latias caught sight of Cresselia and flew off to her. Best friends, they’d become, after meeting, and no less than an hour had passed before Sakura left the moon pokémon and finally got back to work.
Meanwhile, Anabel headed to her room to update the others on her progress, but after arriving there, she found updates from the others instead. Sabrina had learned some more about Zagreus, and N and Zinnia were still sweeping through rural Kalos. But it was Cynthia’s message that caught Anabel’s eye.
“The World Champion met with Ash alone? Why?” Anabel murmured as she read the message. She frowned, and as her mind started working, she left her room to inform her companions of the new developments. It wouldn’t be long until all of AZ’s secrets were in the light.
Anabel smiled. Things were going well.
Next — Chapter 18 : Warpath
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Anabel’s Nicknames
Sophia - Decidueye
Magic - Espeon
Sakura - Latias
I hope you don’t mind a few nicknames. It’ll be an interesting challenge for me as well, but I’ll be sure to repeat the names alongside the species often so we don’t forget. And as stated in the chapter, Anabel will be the only character nicknaming her pokémon.
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