While the pony paid her respects, Alex explained Rick and Drake's mission to them. He could tell they were internalizing their hype about helping a Champion as legendary as Cynthia. As Llamrei finished paying her respects, an ethereal shriek split the air. Out of the fairy wood came a Pokémon straight from a legend, one he'd only read of in his granduncle's ramblings. He hadn't been sure which was real, Glastrier, or Spectrier, but had concluded based on the evidence he discovered that Galar was home to at least one super powerful equine Pokémon that nobody had ever caught.
As Spectrier came crashing through the underbrush, a pair of large-gnoggined rabbit Pokémon, one white and one whitish gold, came charging behind it atop Glastrier. Alex just nodded. Both. Of course it was both. He recognized the pair of psychic rabbits as Calyrex, another vague Galar legend that even his granduncle had thought was bunk. Arthur's description from his time spent previously in the region confirmed their identities though. The white one was holding the reins of the Glastrier and Alex heard the gold sheened creature shout in Pokéspeech, "Onwards, lads! We've almost got'er!" The main difference between the two, was that the one holding the reins was adorned in what looked like some kind of posh Galarian cape, while the other Calyrex was not.
Three very tired looking Gallade came dashing behind the double mounted large-gnoggined brothers and Arthur, who had been consoling the psychic filly, chuckled as he recognized them. Percival, Bedivere, and Gawain. He'd last seen them assisting Finvarra. It seemed that their 'fetch quest' had lasted up to the present.
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The three Gallade pushed themselves, using what looked like Extremespeed to zip in front of Spectrier. The ghostly horse reared up and shrieked at them as they extended their arm blades, not for the first time, and like the last time they'd cornered her, the ghostly mare readied an attack that would likely once again scatter them. As the shriek echoed, it summoned Spectrier's allies from the Spirit World, and sent them hurtling at the Gallade.
Just then, a female voice with a heavy southern Galarian accent rang out from the woods beside Alex's bewildered group. "Alrecht ye wee jimmies! Noight Slash!" A female Trainer came stomping out of the forest then through the gap left by the others. She was wholly focused on the Calyrex, in that moment.
Each of the Gallades powered up their arm swords with dark typed energy and sliced through the ghost horse's attack in perfect coordination. Sensing this, Spectrier backed up slightly, as the white Calyrex urged his icy mount towards her. "Now, brother!"
The goldish-white Calyrex leapt, a pair of what looked like twin blue ribbons in his hands, and landed on Spectrier's back. The ribbons automagically moved to the ghost horse's mouth, and she shrieked, bucking the big goggined rabbit king hard, as she resisted being tamed. The giant green noggin resting in the ears of the Calyrex pulsed with power, as he restored their ancient bond. Spectrier began glowing as well, as she remembered her master, and everything else the pair had experienced in the olden times.
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The golden white rabbit's taming efforts had led Spectrier back towards Alex and his group. Arthur stepped forward, as Finvarra affectionately patted his mount, and then turned his giant glowing noggin eastward. There was a hard gleam in his eyes. "I'm glad you found your mount again, King in the North. You wouldn't happen to know the way to Albion, would you?"
"Ah! Prince Arthur. Nay, the way to Albion remains shut. Twas I who shut it. A barrier separates Albion from the rest of the world, now. It's better this way, believe me." Finvarra turned his mount, so he could address the group he just seemed to notice.
Rick and Drake stepped forward then, and it was Rick who said, "But we've been to Albion. We ended up surfing there. It was a whole…thing."
This made the Calyrex pause, as he sensed the honesty in the dulcet tones of Rick's voice. "It has been millennia…perhaps the barrier has weakened, at sea. At any rate, Albion is not a place that fine folk like you should be going. What lies buried there is best left forgotten. Now if you'll excuse me…I have things to attend to."
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"Hold a moment, if you would, good King." Alex said, stepping forward. He explained the situation, the reason for their journey, name dropped Scythe, and finished with, "...and the Successor's tomb may already be breached. We need to reach Albion as quickly as possible. Moreover, there are still people in that region. It's long past time they rejoined the rest of Galar, and the world, in the modern age. Along with their Pokémon."
Finvarra paused and then stared at Alex as he finished speaking. Alex narrowed his eyebrows as he felt a psychic attack forming, its source being the massive noggin of the freshly awakened King in the North. "You…you have his scent on you…your very essence…the Fairy King played with your head, didn't he, little dragon. Where. Is. He."
The attack struck, manifesting in reality as a field of psychic plasma, not all that different in essence to what Mewtwo used for Psystrike. Whitish gold thunderbolts hammered down on Alex and his hastily formed Barrier, who found himself suddenly overpowered by a mind much older than his. Finvarra struck mentally as well and Alex held him there, too. As their manifested aura abilities clashed and sparked into a test of endurance, Alex knew he'd fade long before this Calyrex did.
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It was as he realized that Finvarra's massive power was being aided by Spectrier, that Arthur struck, dissipating the attack on his Trainer's barrier with a pair of angry Night Slashes. He whirled on Finvarra then. "How dare you…that's my partner!"
Finvarra glared at the interruption to his interrogation, only to pause as he realized who had ended his attack. "Arthur. Perhaps you can explain why Fairy King Oberon's magic is all over your precious partner. He is one of the greatest threats to the world! And someone has let him out of his cage!" Finvarra was panting as he shouted down at the Gallade but his Hyper Voice was having no effect. Galarians had wielded it differently to their eastern neighbors, but this Gallade was completely immune to his regal tone, for some reason.
"Things have changed…" Alex said, still smoldering from where the intense heat of the awakened king's attack had almost broken through to his clothes. "Yggdrassil has been reunited with her Tamer. The World Eater is dead. Norstad is free, again. Confirm our words with her. I don't. Have. Time." Finvarra blinked, as he felt the human's Voice. Very quickly, his mighty noggin figured out his likely identity, for now that he looked closer, he saw the Original Dragon's essence as well. He had only ever granted a portion of his 'eternal balance' to rulers he saw as worthy of becoming what Arceus wanted, and needed, humans to become.
"Very well, Dragon Emperor." Finvarra said, smirking as he saw the human's face react to his clever guess. "Speak with the Stonjourner. Have them teach you about Gravity. That is how you enter Albion. It should be no trouble for one like you. I have business in Norstad, tonight."
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"Hauld on thaur Mucker, wot abit oir tryst?" The female Trainer from before, who Alex recognized as Leader Gloria, since he had long followed the Galar circuit, had come back now, as had the other Calyrex, atop his icy steed. "Ye said ye woods teach me, loike Victor!"
Finvarra grimaced. "Oh. Right. You."
The white Calyrex glared at his kin. "You gave her your word, brother. Are you going to make me kin to a liar?"
Finvarra sighed. "Fine. She can come too. Let us away!" The three of them vanished then in a Teleport, and Percival, Bedivere, and Gawain all shared a look as they were left behind without so much as a 'thank you' from Finvarra.
"I uhh…guess we're done then." One said, and the other two nodded, almost sad. But in truth, they had only agreed to help until Finvarra had his steed.
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"You lads are with us!" Arthur said, suddenly appearing before them and seeing the disheartened look from being left behind. "You're going to help me take back Albion. Percival." The younger Gallade stood straighter. "Go summon the others. It's time."
Percival peered at Arthur. "Even Lancelus?"
Arthur nodded, confidently. "Of course! We will need his arm in Albion. In fact…you're all going to try tapping into the Light, before I'm done with you. We will need that, too." The confidence faded into determination, as he was under no illusion as to how infested with Shadow his home might be. Fornia had been like that too, but he knew his Trainer wouldn't leave his home to rot.
They mounted their flying Pokémon after recalling everyone. It turned out that Gallahad's Trainer was, in fact, Rick Astley, which raised their number further. Lancelus checked in first, as he was the closest, and one by one, the other Gallade Arthur had met at Superior Lake psychically agreed to help as well. It was time to retake Albion.
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The sun had fully set by the time they reached the barrier that Finvarra had mentioned. As Rick and Drake also had psychic abilities, they'd sensed it before flying into it. Once the group landed, the forest was too dark to see the stars through and Alex decided they would camp out. Barely any humans lived this far north of Wyndon. The Pokémon around them were also largely more interested in avoiding humanity. If one wanted a Trainer, one went to the Wild Area.
Alex was reluctant to break out the Leaf, since Rick and Drake were younger than him, but then they reminded him that they were well past twenty by now. They'd been teens back when he'd first met them properly outside the Chargestone caves. Thus, he broke out the bong and El Fuego and good times were had throughout the night. Leo stayed on watch with Noir while the humans were all conked out on the potency of Alex's dank herb.
The morning arrived with no surprises, at least, until the group moved beyond the trees and up to the actual barrier. Then they saw what had arrived in the night: an entire herd of Stonjourner, who were now standing, laying, and stomping around wherever they pleased. Alex wondered how they'd all gotten past his Luxray's vision. He couldn't ask the cats, as they had fallen asleep upon entering their balls.
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Seeing Rick, Drake, and even Jess were all stunned by the sight of the giant rock Pokémon, Alex stepped forward and approached the closest one. "Hello there."
The lumbering rock giant turned slowly, eyed the human with its derpy face, and then said, "Hi there, hello!" The exact same words were uttered by a nearby Stonjourner, who also waddled over. In seconds, the rest of the herd joined them, shaking the ground with their stampede of four hundred pound feet. "Hi there, hello! Hi there, hello! Hi there, hello!" Repeated over and over again until finally, mercifully, they stopped.
"Yes, hi there, hello." Alex said, not understanding why, but going with what seemed to be a customary greeting of their group. "We're trying to get past this barrier, you see. We need to get to Albion." He tapped on the barrier, and made it buzz with energy. "The King in the North, Finvarra, suggested I ask you fine Pokémon for help. He implied this would be difficult to get through."
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The living rocks all turned to face each other, communicating with some kind of language beyond Pokéspeech. It was interesting to Alex though, as he sensed subtle vibrations from their feet moving through the earth, though he couldn't translate whatever they said. Then, the first Stonjourner he'd approached turned to him. "Albion is a dangerous place for Humans. Why do you journey there?"
Again, Alex reiterated the events that had led them on this path, going into detail as Drake and Rick hadn't heard them either, and finished with, "So that's why we're going, and why I need to learn Gravity from you. Ideally, I'd tear down this barrier altogether."
The derpy face of the Stonjourner didn't change once through the account. "The barrier will fall, when the Shadow does. Until then, you must use Gravity. We will show you." The Stonjourner turned back to its herd then, and as one, they formed some sort of psychic-enhancing pattern with their bodies and began to hum a single word. Though Alex understood it, it was not in the Common tongue.
"Gooooolllllteeeeefeeeeeennnnnnd!"
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As one, the Stonjourner increased the gravity around them with each syllable, and Alex understood how they were doing it. He hadn't expected them to use the dragon tongue though. Drake and Rick fell to their knees as the gravity threatened to crush them, and even Jess started to wobble. Alex endured it, though he knew he couldn't have moved unless he'd been quite motivated. Their combined power almost reminded him of Giratina, but that one's mastery of gravity had kept everything in place. Until it had lost focus.
The Stonjourner turned back to Alex then, as the barrier encasing this part of the region was literally pulled down by the psychic power of the sojourning stone giants. "The way is open. See? Crossing is super easy. Barely an inconvenience. You may pass." It gave him a derpy smile.
"Goltefend!" Alex said, using his own Voice. The others sighed in relief as the Gravity normalized for them. They crossed, and Alex turned to the Stonjourner once they did so. "Thank you for this, new friends. We won't forget your kindness."
"It would have been kinder to keep you out. Good luck, Humans!" The Stonjourner said. It started waving its tiny arm, and the rest of the herd started waving as well as they walked past them, repeating 'Hi there, hello!' again, despite the fact that they were parting.
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With their refreshed flying Pokémon, it didn't take long at all to find the tomb on the edge of the large desert. To Alex's senses, it was as if a massive torrent of Shadow energy had suddenly gathered at that spot, and then vanished. What was left were only traces of evil, traces that he, Arthur, and the other Gallades all began Purging. Very quickly, Galahad picked up how to wield Purge, but the other three, who were also much lower level, did not.
Alex, Lux, and Nox, hiding in his shadow, moved through the ancient tomb, but all they found at its depths was sand and a broken pile of what looked like one of the other statues left in the tomb. "We're too late." He said as he held his humming Sword Rotom over the empty tomb. He examined the chains that had evidently held whoever had been inside, and his eyes widened as he recognized the pattern of the cut. Only one Pokémon species cut this precisely, and as he heard a pitiful noise to his right, he figured out who had been responsible for it. Mordred.
Alex slowly lifted up the jawless skull of Caleb Pravus, grimacing as what remained of his skin sloughed off into dust. What was left of his eyes widened, as they saw the face of the next person who'd come to the tomb, not an ally, but his very killer. "Well well. Caleb Pravus. I cut your head off for a reason, you know. You should've stayed dead."
Pravus made another noise then, his eyes sad and pleading, but Alex was having none of it. He shut down Lux, putting him away, as he knew his Rotom was tired of killing. As his emotions turned dark though, Nox rose in his shadow, smirking at the skull from behind his Trainer. He'd listened well to his brother's tales of this Caleb Pravus, and was fascinated to see how his normally restrained human reacted to seeing the man who'd essentially ruined his childhood.
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"Y'know…" Alex said quietly to himself in the pitch dark space, as Jess had stayed with the others, well away from the 'creepy, sandy Shadow hole', "Killing you in Alola…that was war time. I had no grudge. Nor regrets, or guilt. You started a war, and I ended it. But this…" His large hand tightened on the skull, and Pravus' eyes went wide. "This is personal. For my Granduncle's good name." Cracks ran up the bone of the rounded skull. "For my entire childhood…" A crack appeared across Pravus's Maxilla. "Die."
Then, the skull shattered into dust and fragments, and where his brain should have been, only a sphere of corrupted darkness floated. The last ember of the being known as Pravus. "Nox."
The Gengar flowed out of his shadow, looking quite pleased. "Yes?"
"Take this Trash to the deepest pit in the Spirit World, please. I'll have a hefty reward for when you return, whatever Berry you like. Just make sure that he does not reincarnate. Ever." Alex said grimly, sighing, and letting the tension in his body fade.
"I know exactly where to take this one…" Nox said, grinning darkly with his razor sharp grin. He swallowed the orb of darkness that was all that remained of Pravus's essence and sank into the floor as he vanished. Alex glanced at his hand then, feeling something that was not skull. He found Morgana's device, though he had no idea what it did, it seemed like the kind of thing one might put in a pocket for Key Items, so he did so, intending it for the Brain Trust later.
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He returned to the top then, floating out of the pit with his psychic power. He relayed what he'd found to the others, finishing with, "...and I turned Pravus's skull into dust. That's not all though. Arthur." He fixed his Gallade, and the four others around him with a look. "Mordred lives, and it's very likely that Morgana has him on her side now. The tomb's chains were sliced by a Gallade."
Arthur swore. "I knew I should've beheaded him, too! I should've dove down and made sure nothing survived. Damn it all!" He whirled, punching straight through an ancient pillar that had long since eroded to the point of not sustaining the weight of anything important. Both he and Alex knew the legend he'd taken his name from. They'd both been concerned, when Pravus used a Gallade with the name of the knight who, classically, was either responsible for Arthur Pendragon's death, or the direct cause of it. They'd both assumed they were free and clear once he and Pravus fell to the depths of an ocean, but apparently, not even tonnes of pressure were enough to kill his destiny. It seemed he and Mordred would cross swords once again.
"I know you have a dungeon to explore now." Arthur said, coming back to his human, and once more as calm as ever. "And I know you're still sore after losing Eremus…but the time has come. I need to lead these Gallade, and their Trainers, and take back my home. Nimue and Merlin are also helping. Focus on finding who or what ever escaped this tomb, and know that when you do, I will be there, fighting next to you. Like always."
Alex still winced inwardly, as he knew, just by the feeling, that this was the moment. The moment his little amnesia-curing Ralts left him to embrace his greater destiny. Their paths would converge again, but hereafter, he knew, they had diverged permanently. He had to blink, as he felt his eyes respond to that realization with tears.
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"I know…" He finally said, before he made Arthur feel worse. "I've known for a while. That you would leave, eventually. Take Llamrei with you. You two are bonded now, and…well, you saw Finvarra's attack. Maybe she can help empower you as Spectrier did for her rider. Go. I'll see you again at Arborstone Castle, once we do…whatever we need to in Norstad."
They clasped hands, and Arthur parted from that holding Llamrei's ball. Arthur bid Canis and Espeo to take care of him, and then, the five Gallade were off, stoically marching north into the desert as they slowly shifted to running speed. Alex, Jess, Drake, and Rick followed him quietly into the air, and while his Pokémon were trying to support him, both those on his cape and those at the farm, he gently shrugged off their consoling, as he was in no mood for it. It was a heady mix of both pride and sorrow that kept him silent as he rode towards Brightwall, and its academy. There, Rick and Drake would meet Cynthia, while he and Jess explored whatever was underneath the academy.
He closed his eyes, letting Shruikan fly as they headed north. The dust cloud behind the psychically sped up Gallades was still visible and as they reached the ocean between the desert and mainland Albion, water didn't slow them down. All nine of his main team watched their brother and his allies break off in multiple directions, to multiple towns. "Canis." Alex finally spoke through their mental link.
"You're up, now. He wanted you in his spot, when he's not here. Can you handle that?"
The Lucario's ball shuddered. "I will not be the weak link." He answered.
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Dovah Graad - Somewhere in the Northwest Mountains of Norstad
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"Oh, Al Du In…what have they done to you…" The titanic skeleton of the World Eater lay sprawled in one of the larger parts of the Dragon Grave. Unceremoniously, he'd been dropped on his back, legs and wings sprawled in the air, and then burned with dragonfire. To Proditor's disgust, only about half had been ruined with dragonflame, the other half of Alduin's skeleton had been mined, by human hands. What little remained of the bones could cover quite a few humans, such was their size. It was also a testament to how much bone the humans had taken from this sacred place. The burned bone was already ash, it simply hadn't fallen apart yet. Dragon bones could take years to decay to that point, even when ruined.
Proditor shot out over the ancient titan's skeleton, to what remained of his ribs. Even his facial bones had been mined. Both horns were missing. He raised a hand over the direct center of the World Eater's frame. "I choose…You." The Shadow answered his desire, and sloughed off his floating form, down onto Alduin's remains. The decaying bones began to burn again, as they were engulfed in Shadow. Then, the wind picked up, howling in fury at being used by such foul power, this rage was exactly what Proditor and his Shadows desired.
The ash rose in spiraling torrents, forming the vague shape of the World Eater, somewhat smaller than his full glory, more akin to the size Shruikan had been, before he'd condensed his stolen power. Pupilless red eyes burned to life where his eye sockets were. His Words were hissed on the air. "Faal Vax…the Traitor…"
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"Yes, 'tis I. I did say we would meet again, Alduin. You serve me, now. Do as I order you, and vengeance on those who ended your life will be yours." Proditor smirked as the ash dragon surged, violently. He became as a cloud of ash for a moment, radiating malice and surging upwards and around, before reforming his vaguely Salamence shape.
"Nahkriin…? Yesssss…"
Atop Alduin's semi-corporeal back, Proditor pointed him at Kalos, specifically, the border it shared with Germania. In barely half of an hour, the ash Salamence was in the skies of the border. The sky was almost black from the depth of the night's darkness, making Alduin's form hard to see to those who defended the region.
Those defenders who drew Proditor's focus, as the most powerful psychics by far in the region, were the Scales stationed between Kalos and the Imperium's Germania. Despite not seeing Alduin, the sudden surge of incredible evil announced his arrival with a cold chill up the spine of every Scale, that every psychically sensitive human in the region felt.
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The Scale's leader was called Hikoki. He was tall, had brown hair whose style belonged in an anime, and by his ears it was styled into horns the same shape as Latios had. His clothes, under the black and white armor of the Dragon Empire, also matched his partner. He was a Legendary Tamer, appointed by the Dragon Emperor personally to guard against an attack from Germania. He had partnered with a Latios and together the pair had defended many regions, until Unova and Japan came under attack. Very quickly upon getting swept into the Fornian and Unovan conflict, Alex had taken him into his elite squad. Hikoki had quickly gathered his Scales together in the largest bunker their Pokémon had constructed for them. To all appearances, it was just a standard cave, like one might find on any mountain. The difference was that the Scales had turned its labyrinthine structure into a hidden fortress.
As was becoming more common for the Scales, their number was supplemented by less skilled, newer Scales learning the ropes firsthand. These newer members of their order had become quite common after the war ended and many had yet to see real combat. Or face the Shadow. Unprepared as they were, the building terror accompanying Proditor's arrival caused one to panic, as he hovered over their hideout's entrance. "Wait! Get back here, now!"
Hikoki's words fell on deaf ears as the frightened noob ran outside of the cave and activated his plasma sword. Before Hikoki could so much as summon Latios, Proditor descended, and the fresh Scale became a red smear on the ground as he landed with intense, focused, psychic force. Enough to shatter the newbie and the ground under him. In that instant, an amused Proditor pulled the plasma blade from the rookie's separated hand and examined the craftsmanship. It was relatively simple in design, mass-produced, but durable enough to last far longer than his previous weapon, one that, in concept, had not been all that different from what he now held in his hand.
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The man before them was garbed in black robes with unnaturally undulating edges. A hood covered his features from sight. His very presence, or perhaps the presence of what he'd rode in on, made the immediate area hard to breathe in as the concentration of so much Shadow energy began to affect gravity. He turned his cloaked head towards the cave, and all Hikoki made out was his smirk on unnaturally pale but ominously familiar skin.
As the shock of the death of one of their own swept over the Scales, the cave's interior was lit up with about twenty similar blue beams of plasma. Ignoring them, Proditor psychically dismantled his new plasma sword, and its power cut out, to avoid exploding. "Chargestones…now that…is Inspired." He guided the stolen stone to his palm and then grinned darkly. Shadow energy surged into it. The humans of the modern era understood very little, compared to their ancestors, about the various crystals that now appeared across their world after Arceus tampered with it. They'd only just begun to once more wield Infinity Energy. Proditor had no such issue, as the humans of his time had understood these crystals and their potential quite well.
Thus, was he able to shift the stone's very nature, infusing it not with plasma, but with hatred, anger, and rage made manifest, altering it on a level his primitive enemies had not yet even discovered. The blue coloration shifted to a dark purple, and he reassembled the nature of the crystal and guided it back into the blade. The emitter struggled to keep up with the power output as it hummed rapidly, and the corrosive nature of the Shadow guaranteed it wouldn't last long, but Proditor could get fresh parts. According to his pawn, there were thousands of these 'Scales of Balance'.
"Luster Purge!" Hikoki shouted, as he hurled a Pokéball at the man who'd killed one of their own. He knew that the fact they could see the Shadow visibly in his aura was a bad sign, but there was a reason he'd been with the Emperor's Scales.
"Shadow Wing." Proditor answered him. The Latios's eyes went wide as the Light of his attack was swallowed by the sudden arrival of Alduin's ashy wings sweeping into the cave. Then, Proditor noticed. The more experienced looking Scales were wearing Alduin's bones, fashioned as armor. Enough for an entire order, it seemed. Uniform in design, but easily altered to show some individuality, he understood why they'd chosen to make it white on black. Fitting, for the Original Dragon's pawns.
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"Alduin…Devour them. Reclaim what is yours." He ordered. Before the Scales could so much as swing their plasma swords, the cloud of Shadow and ash surged over them once more, and they knew no more. He couldn't kill them outright, not yet, but the revived dragon was able to take some of their life essence for his own, as well as the bone armor from their bodies. The technology used to make the armor appear and fold away so rapidly melded with his undead essence, and from what he reclaimed from the cave, the other half of his skull, in his currently smaller form at least, reappeared beside the burned half.
Proditor chuckled and retrieved their plasma blades. "Well done indeed. They won't need these anymore…and they'll be alive to warn more of their kind. We'll restore you yet, World Eater.
"Hi pruz…you had better…" Alduin hissed, before fading away from sight once more.
Hikoki's Latios was the first to rise after Alduin's attack. His Heal Pulse brought the Scales, with the exception of the one Proditor had landed on, back to consciousness. They found their blades were gone, as well as their assailant. Hikoki turned to his Latios, once those who'd been drained more thoroughly by Alduin were back on their feet. "Get word to Unova. Tell Tao that we need reinforcements, and Redwood himself. The border has been disarmed by a new Shadow user."
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
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Just then, the scout he'd sent to spy down on Germania below, on the other side of the first mountains in the Mediterra range, returned to them, sliding to a stop atop his Gogoat as he hopped off. "Commander! The Astartes are mobilizing! They already started the armoring process! The Imperator's Children are forming ranks at our door."
Hikoki sighed, heavily. They were a relatively new legion, not because they were freshly created, but because a genetic defect had wiped out the first intake of Astartes in the third legion that their numbers had never recovered from. Instead, they'd supplemented themselves with regular soldiers of the Imperium, which meant they'd be hungry for glory, eager to show to the other legions that they were still formidable. "And their leader, Fulgrim?"
The scout nodded, a grimace on the only part of their face covered by armor. It was then, they noticed, that all the others were essentially nude, or had at most one layer of underclothes separating them from full nudity. "The Prime Archon is with them…uh…sir…what happened here, exactly?"
It was then that everyone noticed their armor was gone, too. Some of the Scales, mostly women, started curling in embarrassment. Then, suddenly, large blankets appeared over each of those who were visibly concerned with their bodily privacy and fell on top of them. Hikoki smirked, as he was just proud of his Latios for thinking of teleporting the spare blankets up. Despite how overwhelmed he'd been against whatever had surged over them, next time, they would not fall so easily.
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Hikoki stood up, ignoring his own state of undress, as he issued commands. "Get down to the armory! Re-equip yourselves and take your posts. Bring out all of your Pokémon. We may be at war."
While most of their peers were currently enjoying the holiday, those posted on the border had no real obligation or desire to participate, which meant they were understaffed. They had just enough Pokémon and Scales to cover the border, in case of emergency, and Hikoki had a feeling this current emergency happening now was no coincidence.
Tao reached out mentally to Hikoki and his Scales as they rushed to the armory and explained the battle plan. As most of the Scales were either occupied or away on vacation and not answering, those he was able to send were comparatively new. Within a few hours, the Scales were back on the border, armored and standing ready as they watched the purple figures of the distant Astartes below in Germania form ranks.
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Brightwall Academy - Albion Region
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Alex and Jess found the academy of Brightwall abandoned after parting from Drake, Rick, and Cynthia. Geralt also arrived, late, so Alex had him rallying the locals he'd befriended in some place called 'Knothole' to reinforce Arthur and whoever else he got to help liberate Albion.
Searching the remains of the academy, Jess found a spectacular door in some kind of display room. It was dusty, but otherwise seemingly immune to the entropic decay that the rest of the region was dealing with. Its gears weren't rusted, and much like his granduncle's secret door, it didn't budge with psychic power.
"Someday, I want one of my many teachers to teach me how to reliably bust down evil doors." Alex growled, as their combined psychic efforts failed, again.
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It was then that Jess noticed a circular socket in the door's composition of gears and levers. "Why don't you try putting your Seal thingy in here?"
Alex was skeptical it would fit, but it turned out that it did in fact fit after all. The ancient door swung open, and Alex retrieved the Guild Seal before heading deeper into what turned out to be a proper labyrinth. He lit the long burnt out torches lining the walls as they quietly moved deeper inside.
What they found were a series of relatively simple puzzles that the average Albion rube might've had trouble solving, if they were very drunk. Upon finishing said puzzles, ghostly images of Pokémon appeared in masses of about six. The species was always different, but Alex and Jess gave their newbies a thorough work out by battling them. For those Noir and Kalagon couldn't handle, he brought out Canis, who always instantly shifted the tide of the battle. In terms of level, he'd significantly outpaced most of the B Team thanks to Arthur's training and his wide pool of useful moves.
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As they came to what seemed to be the end of their trek through the 'path' Alex had divined, a pair of two larger circular energy orbs fell from the stone ceiling and into the ground in front of them. This presaged every other encounter they'd had in here, so Alex brought out Noir again, mostly for his Shadow Claw. The clever cat had found his stash of TMs and his claws had proven effective against the largely ghost typed enemies in this place.
Jess brought out her Dreepy, who was also benefiting from the experience, though her road to evolving remained very long. From the ground came a pair of Lycanroc that Alex assumed were regional to Albion. The Night Form had five-digit claws and longer nails, in addition to the stones jutting out of its mane. It also hunched over far more than other Night Lycanrocs. The Day Form looked similarly feral and had similar digits but remained awkwardly crouched on all four of its gangly limbs.
The night inclined ghost wolf went for Noir, who had instead of mastering his yoyo, opted to tangle his opponents with the vine before making it sprout thorns. Thankfully, the vine did in fact grow back when cut, but Alex was fairly sure this was not how most Floragato battled.
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The vines didn't do much against ghosts, thus Noir had relied on his claws throughout the dungeon. Without a command, he used his Quick Attack in conjunction with Shadow Claw to block the Shadow Punches their Lycanroc was using. Draga's opponent, by contrast, couldn't keep up with her as it kept snapping at empty air with its uneven toothy maw.
Noir ended his frenzied opponent with a Seed Bomb, as Draga turned herself into a Draco Meteor in her suicidal pursuit of dakka. The tough little dragon ghost managed to hold onto consciousness, despite the massive damage becoming a meteor caused her. Despite being a special move from a more physical attacking species, Draga made use of the absurdly high damage Draco Meteor had. She had also gotten into her Trainer's TMs. Her version made her the central meteor and added some physicality to the attack, at the price of heavy recoil damage.
Jess healed her up, again, admonishing her. Alex just smirked. The Dreepy had long since realized Jess would heal her with her nearly limitless items every time she got hurt. Apparently neither Jess nor her brother had ever run out of items.
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The pair of humans approached their final quest objective, a stone circular object engraved with a rune they recognized thanks to Percy's shared knowledge. It was sitting atop a rather plain pedestal, as all the others had been. "And that makes four." Alex said, shoving it in his bag. "Let's get back up there."
The trip back was far quieter and aside from a few Zubat, they didn't encounter anything else to slow them down. Once above ground, they both received an explosion of notifications, both psychic and virtual. Jess groaned as she read the situation report of what was happening on the border. "Looks like Festivus is over."
Alex's sigh turned into something more like a growl. "Not yet it isn't…" He showed her his screen, and the call trying to get through. He answered it. "Yes? Hi Professor. I can barely hear you. Albion. Sure, might as well give it to me."
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Across the line, Professor Aristole began his debriefing on who exactly was readying to storm the mountains between Kalos and Germania in a heightened tone. "The Third Legion. The Imperator's Children. Mostly nobility from Germania and other affluent families around the Imperium. Most were taken as children into the Astartes program specifically for this Legion, hence the name."
Alex nodded. Of course, the Astartes on his border were genetically enhanced nobles. In the Imperium, that meant they all probably had their own personal armies, which could be called up by their families to support their endeavors. "And their…Prime Archon…?" He wondered if there was a connection to Albion there and decided to ask Aristole later.
"Fulgrim." Aristole continued, "Also called the Phoenician. He prides himself on his perfection and the obvious superiority of the Imperium's elite. I do mean superiority in the Eugenic sense. He tends to see certain sub-categories of Humans based on skin tone and genetic origin as superior to others. It has caused quite an issue with his brothers. The Imperator seems to tolerate it though, so long as they get results."
Alex nodded, grimly. Dividing humanity by things as trivial as skin tone was a remnant of the Old Earth's societies. The Imperium was the largest civilization that still operated on such bigoted principles, and it sounded like Fulgrim was essentially the source of it. Apparently, the Prime Archons were rather popular on Olympius and could dictate how the masses acted. They had a similar influence over their lands, and Germania essentially belonged to Fulgrim.
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"Tell Hikoki to stall as long as possible. I'll be there soon." He turned to Jess then. "I don't like just leaving Arthur here. Would you back him up?"
She pouted. "I'd like to see what these weird dragon letters unlock…but you're right, I don't like leaving him either, if Mordred is around. I'll meet you on the border later." She said, mounting her Charizard.
Alex hopped on Shruikan at the same time. "Not if I finish up before you. Stay alive."
To the surprise of the people of Brightwall, two draconic forms with riders shot into the sky over their homes before leaving entirely in two separate directions.
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Arborstone City Market - Capital of Albion
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With their psychic speed and ability to Teleport, Arthur's allies had managed to rally quickly. Lancelus arrived first, though Leon had suggested his own involvement in Albion as essentially Galar's leading authority would be frowned upon, he didn't forbid Lancelus from choosing to help his friend reclaim his home. Ector arrived with Nimue herself, looking stronger than he had previously. It also seemed like his missing sword-arm had regrown, and with the pain of his burns healed by Arthur, if not the actual scars, he'd been able to train himself to fight again. Agravain never bothered to even respond, and both Bors and Tristan were too far away to help. Arthur had no time to wait on them, as Tao had informed him of the situation in Kalos too.
The first 'city' they'd found was actually as close to a slice of old Albion as one could find these days, in the entire region. Driftwood City had started as a series of caravans of wandering eco-friendly humans and over time evolved into a city that spread across multiple islands, some of which apparently had ore. The locals had been so chill, that Arthur and his companions had been welcomed with a proper Leaf circle, with primitive smoking methods, but dank Leaf. Thus had the island paradise become the unofficial base for his Gallade to gather at.
Nimue was visibly vibing on their emotions as she floated through the hazy air, and Arthur asked them to guard her, until her lake was safe to inhabit again. The islanders enthusiastically agreed, as they found her 'like, super adorable, man'. While Driftwood welcomed anyone, from washed up pirates to guards fleeing Morgana's service, they did not fight or even have battles between Pokémon. Those who had been Trainers, had gone with a pair of foreigners to attack Morgana's Spire. They hadn't come back. Only one had managed to return to the islands, and that was weeks after the supposed victory at the Spire. They claimed that Morgana had rounded up and killed every celebrating rebel in Arborstone once the foreigners left, which had been all of them.
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It was a similar story in the other towns the Gallade psychically sprinted to. Percival, Bedivere, and Gawain all proved to be excellent messengers, since they knew Extremespeed. In the end, Arthur had arrived at the gates of Arborstone City with a few bright-eyed teenage humans, their Pokémon, his fellow Gallade, and most of their Trainers. Surprisingly, there was apparently a source of Pokéball distribution in Albion, or there had been, at least while Rick and Drake had been recruiting. Apparently the two had brought enough spare balls between them to give one to almost every citizen in the region. They'd become rarer since Morgana banned them but hiding them while minimized wasn't too hard and the local guards were usually too busy drinking or debauching themselves to search anyone.
The people of Arborstone were withered examples of humanity, who hid as they saw the group of gallant Gallade strolling across the cobblestone bridge that led into the market square of the city. Even the water running through the city was gray. Where once the city had been respectable, even modern in some areas, the region-wide entropic decay had taken a toll on everything, from roofs and structurally critical beams to the very cobblestones of the road itself. A pair of humans in black armor that looked almost like a bug carapace at first glance pointed at them from where they stood sentry in the square. Other guards, around but out of sight, appeared as they called out.
Arthur peered closer at them as he broke into a charge with the other Gallade. The humans, as planned, scurried off into the sewers in the confusion, with the Gallade's Trainers being led by region locals. "Arceans!" Arthur shouted, as he recognized their armor. It seemed many had replaced their Crusader armor with local parts in a blend of medieval and modern that inspired fear.
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Suddenly, the market square became a battlefield Arthur was all too familiar with, as the Arceans had kept their weapons as functional as possible. Arthur could tell they weren't optimally charged, but the destruction they wrought was still impressive.
Arthur bisected a fire beam with Sacred Sword the same way the Scales did, before shouting to the others, "They're on low charge! You can strike through them!" He demonstrated again, as he sensed hesitation, by running straight into the hastily formed line of guards, perfectly bisecting a beam of electricity with Leaf Blade as he did.
Lancelus was right beside him, his spear arm every bit as steady as Arthur's swords. Lancelus turned to his left as they rose from their landing, and with a single lance strike, knocked three guards in the head at once. Arthur, for his part, was a blur as he moved through the three to his right with the grace of a dancer, and spiraling movements.
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The brief reprieve in firing allowed the other Gallade to move up, only to then take cover again as more elemental energy beams came from the direction of the castle, and the twin lines of soldiers fast-marching from it. Just as Arthur was wishing he had Shruikan for a strafing run or two, his Trainer answered him with a different gift: a very pissed off Jessica who was less than pleased to see surviving Arcean Crusaders in a region that had been abused enough. She had no doubt they'd been up to their tricks here in Albion too and as she was the one who was still cleaning their mess in Fornia and its satellite States, she was all too familiar with what Albion's peasantry had likely been subjected to.
Folokraan froze the lines of soldiers on one pass, and with the next, scattered the frozen humans to the ground, smashing most of them. Arthur was there moments later, breaking apart those she'd missed. His Gallade were hesitant about killing these humans, but Lancelus understood who they were, as Arthur did, and knew that ending them here would ultimately save more lives. He saw what they had done to Japan, what the locals now referred to as 'Yakedo' stretched from Mt. Silver all the way to Sinnoh. These Arceans were all that remained of the forces who'd burned and raped their way down the island.
By this point, bells were chiming all over Arborstone, and more Arceans, as well as regular Albion guards, were pouring into the market. Ball by ball, Jess found herself calling on more of her partners. The reluctance of the other Gallade to kill faded in the face of the need for survival, and Arthur did what he could to keep them alive. After about an hour of pushing haphazard lines back and forth across the square, turning it into a bloody warzone in the process, the humans they'd brought with them came through with what remained of the rebels, and their Pokémon, as timely reinforcements.
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Despite the reinforcements, the Arceans and their far more numerous regular guard forces armed with simple firearms held their own as the fighting began dragging on for well over two hours. About halfway through the fighting, Cynthia, Drake, and Rick Astley arrived to even the odds. Rick and Drake had twenty fresh Pokémon almost on the level of Alex's between them, but the most notable of them was by far Cynthia. She'd only brought one partner with her, one that had a battle to finish with these worshippers of Shadow.
Even in Albion they had legends of prominent dragons, like Unova's, and the Creation Trio. Rayquaza was less known, but the black Mega Rayquaza Cynthia rode in on promised to leave a memorable impression on Arborstone's cultural psyche. The massive dragon was very visible from all across the city.
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Their arrival ultimately turned the tide against the Arceans, and after two more long hours of a war Arthur had thought he was done fighting, the last Crusader was finally dispatched. Jess began psychically stacking the bodies, not for the first time, while the Pokémon rested. Slowly, as the bell ringers ran for safety and the guard's number ran out, the citizens of Arborstone poked their heads out of their homes. The Gallade had done what they could alongside Jess and her team to keep the houses from being damaged, but the Arceans hadn't bothered to check their fire. Most of the houses and businesses lining the main square had been reduced to rubble in the fighting.
Jess and Delphi used their powers to save a small girl from the rubble she was trapped in, when Jess finally ran out of energy. It was at that point that she downed an Elixir and began passing others out to the other Pokémon. "Search for trapped citizens! Call out any injuries." Jess said, as a few of her Pokémon and some of the Gallade got back on their feet. Some were simply spent move-wise, but still had plenty of stamina. Others had found that bisecting energy beams was not as simple as Arthur made it look.
As the citizens saw the victors were not their oppressors, but strangers who were treating the wounded for free with Gallade among them, they began leaving their homes. Their skin was uniformly gray, their bones were often visible on their faces and bodies and their clothes were ragged, which was a generous adjective, given how many holes the average garment had from wear and entropy.
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Arthur found their group surrounded before long, as he'd entered his Mega Form, and his arms were still burning with Light. "Please stay back, there may be more of them coming-" He paused, as a little girl human came up to him. She was dirtier than other smol humans he'd seen, but still cute with her wide eyes and pigtails, or as cute as a dirty, starving child could be, anyway.
"Mister Gallade, are you da old King?"
Arthur shook his head. "Why do you ask, little one?"
A man stepped up then, looking far more fed than the other citizens, as he put a muscled arm on the child's shoulder. The reason why became clear as he spoke. "Because your father Uther's picture is still hangin' in our room. I'd recognize those looks anywhere. There were rumors that Uther had an egg…I never believed'em."
Arthur was quiet for a moment, and in that moment, the crowd grew more and more excited, as they processed the man's words. They may have been dirt poor and corroded by Shadow, but they were still Galarian people at heart. Everyone in the city drank, though their currency had long since lost any value or governmental legitimacy, people were always willing to trade or work or craft for booze. Finally, the Mega Gallade answered the tavernkeep. "Get as many citizens to the castle as you can…the sick and injured, too. The closer they are, the better."
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As the bell tower was seemingly a central landmark in the market square of the city, despite being war-torn, it would make an ideal staging point for a move on the castle. Given how high the body pile had become Arthur hoped they had few guards remaining and would see the sense in surrendering. The tavernkeep, and the other citizens around Arthur dispersed into the city. Like a river composed of humans, they came. The still-living citizens of his region.
Those from the industrial part of the city were especially sick. Their skin was covered in ash and soot to the point that not even water and scrubbing removed it. Their eyes were sunken into their emaciated faces and Arthur found himself wincing at the state of them. He wished Alex had come instead of Jess, as he could use the Light and the closeness of his human right now. They'd healed crowds before with pulses of light, but it was more of a special move, in nature. Arthur had been trained to hone his attack power; at the cost of any special attack power he might've had. Seeing just how many humans were affected by the natural entropy of so much ambient Shadow, he doubted he could heal them all alone.
Lancelus put a hand on his shoulder then and gave him an affirming nod. They were standing in front of the tower's bell above the crowd, but as humans flowed in from all directions, Arthur floated himself up to the very point of the tower, balancing perfectly on the pointy spire. He hadn't mastered Hyper Voice like Shruikan and Alex had, but he had picked up how to reach a crowd with it.
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He felt the thousands of eyes upon him as he took his spot, and then partly for dramatic flair and partly for the battle to come, he touched a blazing golden sword arm to his heart piece. The crowd murmured as he flashed with light, and armored himself in the expanding red-pink metal of his Mind Plate. His cape billowed as one solid piece, his helmet gained a face guard not entirely unlike those used on helmets in Albion, his body was covered in flexible sheets of metal and his arms began to hum, low and ominous, as the Light energy became focused enough to match a plasma sword, a feat that he and Lux had, very carefully, tested.
"People of Arborstone! Raise your eyes to the sky and rejoice! Today, our city has been set free, in defiance of the False Queen!" He gestured a humming arm to the corpse pile which, surprising no one, had a large area of unoccupied standing space immediately around it. "I am the Prince of Albion! I've trained for years since I hatched, for this day! The day I change the fate of this Region, and her people. The day Albion rejoins the world as a free Region!" Some people clapped, others murmured excitedly, but still glanced around for the guards, and still more, the majority, stared at him. Dead-eyed and slack jawed as they processed his psychically projected words echoing in both their ears and their brain.
Arthur continued, despite the growing, awkward silence. "I understand many of you are skeptical. Logic dictates the smart choice is to wait and see who actually holds power before celebrating your freedom. You almost had that once, and it was ripped away from you. Your lives matter to me…and I will not risk them. Approach the castle in two hours! If you have friends or family working there, tell them to run now. You will know when things have finally changed, for good this time."
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He signaled to the Gallade below and they began charging up the main market road to the castle. The livelier citizens cheered as they took off, though they were few in number. The majority of the peasants just wandered aimlessly, occasionally groaning when they bumped into an object, or another person.
The castle itself was less impressive than Arthur hoped. The five or so guards remaining in the structure surrendered to the Gallade at the head of a sizable force of angry, dirty peasants and Trainers. The rest of the inhabitants were serving staff or nobles, with one exception. A man with a unique hairstyle by the name of Arlo.
"I'm told you worked to enhance natural infusions of Shadow Energy in the name of the False Queen." Arthur said, as he paced before his father's throne. Like everything else, it too had decayed, but oddly enough the stone beneath it seemed pristine, if simply carved. The rest of the castle was also a wreck and even now his Gallade were still securing parts of it.
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"I did…" Arlo said, looking down. "I used my talents to survive, merciful Prince. She very likely murdered my father, her most loyal supporter, just to make a point. We've all done what we could to survive, since she drove your family out. I was just a child when she took power. This corrupt Albion is the only one I've ever known."
"You have…no idea what the Shadow is to us, Arlo. What it forces us to do. How long-term infusions can warp our brains. Are you asking for my mercy, for your crimes?"
Arlo nodded. "I admit and accept that they are crimes! I admit to doing them and throw myself on the mercy of your noble family. Please…brand me criminal but let me make amends. I studied the Shadow to learn more about it. Believe me, I would rather study…anything else. But this is the only field of science left, in this Region. And I'm a Scientist, not a warrior."
Arthur exhaled, letting his anger go as he found his center. "Fine. We've destroyed your equipment. You'll confirm that we got all of your laboratories and so help me if you hide one or start another Shadow experiment, I will behead you myself. You're assigned to the sicker people the citizens will be bringing up to the castle. You'll use your knowledge to heal."
Arlo raised his hands, palms open. "I'm not interested in hiding the truth from the kind Pokémon willing to spare my life so I can atone. You won't regret giving me this chance, I swear it."
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Arthur dismissed him and found himself sitting the throne by instinct once he left. He sighed, sinking into it and wondering about the last time a Gallade had sat here. He tried to picture the throne room whole, without rotting floorboards, carpets, and completely eroded wallpaper.
As he sat, he reached out to his citizens, and prepared a proper city-wide Light pulse. It would take time, but since Morgana seemingly wasn't home, he suddenly had some time to spare, as the search of the castle's lower and upper floors continued. One by one he gently touched their abused minds and shared his inner calm as only a Gallade could. Eventually, after an indeterminate amount of time, he finally had all of them.
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Arthur closed his eyes and focused then, not just his energy, but his mind as well. He'd paid attention when Alex explained the concept of energy pools in one's body. After confirming with the Sage of the Swamp, Arthur learned Pokémon also had such bodily energy pools, though obviously some species had less energy pools, or smaller ones, compared to humanity. His species had the same amount as humans, located in the same places, and blocked by the same things.
When he called on Excalibur, he felt the Light, but distantly. It deemed him worthy to wield it, so wield it he did, as a very physical enforcer against Shadow amalgamations. He had yet to try summoning that power with his mind, however. As he made the final connection to the universal energy and let his emotions, his ties, his being flow into the natural current of energy, he started shining like a beacon and the stone below his throne lit up with light blue runes.
In his head, he saw what Alex had started labeling as a 'mindscape', one constructed by a being of awesome power very close to Arceus's level, by Arthur's measurement. If not beyond it. Said being made no effort to hide themself, as Arthur manifested below them. Despite the abundance of light and their massive size, they cast no shadow. Indeed, most of his mental surroundings were obscured by bright light.
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Arthur's brow furrowed as he peered up and leaned back to properly take in the giant. His body was an almost balanced mix of red and silver, almost reminiscent of a full-body jumpsuit, except Arthur was fairly sure it was just his skin. In time he would come to learn the markings of this giant were unique to him and that his race had different variations of, usually, red or blue and silver, but two things struck the Gallade as more important. A blue sphere on his chest, and the strange almond shaped massive eyes bulging out of its weird, vaguely humanoid face that burned with Light energy as intensely as his own arms did.
"So. One has finally come." The giant humanoid slowly moved his arms, his right curled up against his body, with his hand flat and straight as it pointed upwards. His left arm curved around his torso, crossing the right, and making some sort of symbol or gesture as he held his hand perfectly horizontal. Arthur's brow furrowed as he watched the display. All he'd wanted was the power to heal his people. He had no idea where this giant had come from, but the giant apparently had plans, and given Alex's very similar encounter with Scythe, Arthur paid attention. "Watch closely…and Learn…"
The crossed forearms of the nameless giant began to glow with intense energy, but Arthur did as instructed. He saw the energy being drawn from the giant's sizable body, into his right and left forearms, but there was more to it. A distinction between the nature of said energy not in its typing, but it's very essence. It took Arthur longer than it should have to realize the giant was drawing on positive and negative energy from within his very cells simultaneously and in perfectly balanced amounts. As his vision turned white from the sheer brilliance of the giant's technique, he took in the knowledge of how to wield this power.
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III Legion Training Bunker - Germania
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The armoring protocols had been done already well over a hundred times for his Astartes, though the mechanical limbs struggled as they now tried to lift his own power armor onto his perfectly proportioned male frame. Hand crafted as a gift from his father, the armor he and his brothers wore was generations superior to even the freshly forged and vacuum sealed Crusader pattern armor his Legion was currently wearing.
Fulgrim was slender, compared to some of his more brawn-inclined brethren, but by no means was he weaker. What he lacked in brawn he made up for with gene-enhancements and bionic organs. Even unarmored, a Prime Archon was fully capable of lifting, for example, a Rhino pattern troop carrier. Such was the gift of all the Imperator's sons.
His features were, by design, like his father's. High cheekbones, strong jaw line, all the aesthetic attributes that humanity tended to consider in male attractiveness, Fulgrim and his brothers possessed. It was not a stretch to call them beautiful, but Fulgrim more than any other embraced that beauty even when in war. Where he differed from his father was in hair color, as his had come out of his gestation capsule naturally silver.
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His left shoulder had a massive golden wing extending from it, and like his Legion, he bore the symbol of his father proudly on his chest, the Imperium of Man's twin headed, lightning clutching eagle. His armor was that same shade of royal purple and had the same golden accents. Once he was ready, he strode gracefully to greet his Legion, but found himself stopped in the ceracrete tunnel leading out to their staging area.
The Phoenician gave his two guests a wry smile as he looked down at them. "The Traitor and the Witch. Well? Is the border clear?"
Proditor mirrored his wry smile. "Alduin and I left them on the ground, stripped of their armor and weapons."
"Very good." Fulgrim said, waving a hand to one of his servitors. Where Horus's armor was bulky, Fulgrim's was crafted specifically to allow him a free range of motion with his ever-burning sword. A servitor wheeled over to the trio and Proditor eyed the amalgamation of man and machine, then lost interest when it was clear it no longer had a mind.
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One of four mechanical limbs implanted into the unfortunate corpse handed Proditor another of his long-lost partners. One he had not expected to retrieve so easily. "Our business is concluded." The Phoenician said, striding forward again, to be met by cheers from his warriors as he left the tunnel. Proditor Teleported them away, to a remote area that had a good view of Germania as a whole but was generally unreachable by even the most intrepid Trainers.
He stared at the ball while Morgana waited quietly, for once. At the same moment the Phoenician gazed upon the border, and found it lined with fully armored and now fully forewarned Scales, Proditor opened the golden crystalline ball, which he was sure was the same he'd used in ages past, to a disappointingly empty puff of nothing as it popped open. Even from their perch, Proditor could see the gigantic form of the purple Prime Archon at the head of his Legion. His eyes and body weren't facing the border though, they were turned in his general direction. It seemed both parties had decided to not completely hold up their side of the agreement they'd reached. Proditor hadn't lied, but it seemed Fulgrim never had any intention of returning his precious partner.
Proditor knew he was here, though. He could sense his friend's slumbering, absurdly powerful mind. "Witch. Where would they be keeping a Pokémon of immense power?"
Morgana straightened her posture as Proditor spoke. "It depends, my Lord. If I knew which Pokémon you sought, or its powers, I could make a more accurate guess. The Imperium is a large place. I did warn you I'm not exactly an expert on them, though."
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Proditor waved a hand nonchalantly. "Your guesses have been good. So far. Very well." He turned his back on the Prime Archon, knowing the man's eyes could see that, even from so far away. Proditor was done indulging Imperium arrogance. "I seek Hoopa. Not just any Hoopa, mind you. Shahir. My Hoopa. Unbound and unbottled by Arceus. Golden as the sun."
Morgana's eyes lit up. With a Hoopa, they would be unstoppable. Especially a Hoopa untainted and weakened by the modern concepts of human kindness, donuts, and harmony. "It just so happens that I know of a project here the Imperium's Germania Studorium has been working on for quite a number of centuries now. The stabilization and removal of rifts in reality. At first, I wondered what rifts they were worried about, and where said rifts were, but now it makes more sense. If you sense Shahir in this region, he will be under their precious barracks, in the Black Cells. They lead under the Mediterra Mountains, but your Hoopa shouldn't be too far if you sense him."
Proditor nodded. "To the cells we go, then. Tell your…moth man to kick things off."
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Morgana chuckled. The two forces on the Kalos-Germania border likely wouldn't start things as they currently stood without a little push. "Monarch." She said, using the new name that Dark Moth had chosen, after meeting and being empowered by the Successor. "It's your turn. And remember…if you fail, you get Nothing."
"I will have what I am owed." He answered, before shutting Morgana out entirely. Monarch looked down on Germania and Kalos from a similarly high perch in the Mediterra Mountains, though his was west of Morgana and Proditor. "Venu. Dark Burst." Gone was the skin-tight dark purple super-villain suit he'd worn in the past. Proditor's upgrade had given him a special suit, one more akin to a man of business, almost. He could wear it in elite Kalosian society and not be out of place, though it retained the same coloration, especially when he and his Venomoth unified.
He raised the crystalline purple ball Proditor had given him then, apparently only the second of his ten ancient Pokémon he'd once almost conquered the planet with. "Malum." The Malamar appeared at the intonation of his name, with a devious smirk. "Polymerize." Dark Moth pushed his Burst Heart and the crystalline capture ball together and the essence of the dark psychic squid fused with Venu and his Trainer. Together, they became Monarch. Malum's addition to the fusion gave the human a head of tentacles for hair, and a mind enhanced with millennia of devious plans that were sure to work.
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From his position, he could affect both Kalos and Germania, perhaps even parts of Italia. Proditor wanted chaos in Europa as he retrieved his partners, and that was what Monarch intended to give him. He raised his hand above him and shouted, "Shadow Wave!"
The more streamlined Venomoth wings flared, and a pulse of downright evil energy surged into the mountain below Monarch, then spread out in all directions, in a circle. Nature reacted almost immediately. Pokémon who called the mountain home, as they did pretty much every mountain on the planet, doubled over as Monarch's power brought their minds into the same hyper-aggressive state Shadow Infusion caused, but without actually infusing their bodies with the substance.
Monarch laughed, as he felt the wave's effect hit the human population centers of each region. To his surprise, he'd even reached Paldea. This meant he essentially had his choice pick of who to infuse with a shard of his power. Black orbs of energy began flying towards these emotionally unstable humans from Monarch's position, causing an effect Kalos's new generation of defenders were all too familiar with, as they were given supernatural and sometimes downright nonsensical abilities.