The Tournament of Champions, Part 9
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Wild Area North of Hammerlocke - Galar Region
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Zabrina hated mountains, or more specifically, caves. Camping on top of a mountain wasn't so bad, but caves brought up bad memories for her. Many times had Romani's people had to hide in their mountains from invading forces. Since Europa at large couldn't give a single Muk about their region, the rest of the world took that as free reign to send unmarked military forces into their region to claim their resources. Unova, Galar, Kalos, Germania, and Italia all had done this in the modern era, at least once. Only Paldea had not bothered, mostly because they were busy harnessing the full potential of Terapagos, and the fact that El Primero was so accessible helped with that.
She'd spent much of her life in a cave. It was where she'd met her Mismagius, her first Pokémon. Then she'd found an abandoned Sprigatito hiding near one of the entrances, half dead. Once recognized as a Trainer, her people gave her a ferocious male Houndour. It was where she'd found a young, naturally adamant Bagon which had helped her claim her status as Champion, once he finally evolved. Despite the fond memories, the bad ones stuck clearer in her mind. The cold stone that hurt when she had to sleep on it. The constant dank dampness that spoiled food and ruined cloth. The limited air circulation that kept the ever present stink of Leaf around, as it was the adult's only method of getting remotely close to a state that could be called relaxed.
Galar's caves were no different, though they thankfully did not reek of potent Leaf smoke. Shortly into her efforts to train, Zabrina had been asked by some locals to deal with a gang of particularly violent Perrserker and Meowth who'd been attacking innocents. Given that she now had a new Ceruledge to train, with the goal of being a hard counter to Kandra, taking down a nest of steel types would strengthen her attack power nicely.
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The nest was not hard to find. Like the Norstad Vikings who'd brought them here, the 'Galarian' line of Meowth were obnoxiously loud, and messy. "Pyra." She murmured, as she approached the 'camp'. With a loud pop and a white blue sparkle of light, the Ceruledge appeared as requested, and glanced at her Trainer after taking in the twenty or so Meowth and three Perrserker occupying the area. Zabrina nodded at her unvocalized question. "Wipe them out, and take their strength as your own."
Pyra looked a little different from most Ceruledge, mostly because the Romani had their own methods of crafting with Sinistea shards, and had a very different concept of what a knight should look like than, say, Paldea, Kalos, or Galar, all of which had populations of Charcadet, Bronzong, and Sinistea. Her swords were curved, though they were still made of fire, and acted as her arms. Her 'armor' such as it was, was mostly Houndoom leather, from revered elders of their community who had passed on. The natural darkness, and toughness after a life of battle and hellfire, was enough to bind a Ceruledge together. That didn't mean there was no armor though, it was simply more like 'half plate' as opposed to the full plate armor donned by most Charcadet in Europa.
A feather made of flame stretched out from her helmet, which had a narrow visor, and rounded edges. Around her neck was a scarf, as well, and it flared in undulating patterns of purple and blue, waving in a nonexistent breeze as she strode into the steel type's nest with murder in her burning eyes. While other Ceruledge gained speed from their weak armor, Pyra already had it naturally, and her speed boost would only increase the longer she spent fighting.
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She was a twirling purple blur, a cyclone of fire and death that drained anything it touched. In seconds, most of the Meowth and two of the Perrserker had gone down before her curved Bitter Blades. In another spiraling flash, the rest joined them, and their essence converged on Pyra. Zabrina checked her stats, nodded, and then pointed forward. "Good. More." Pyra didn't have to be told twice, as dining on the energy of the fainted and reflexively shrinking Meowth line was making her flames surge.
That first camp, as it turned out, was merely the first. It led to another almost identical one behind it, with even more Meowth and Perrserker, and then from that cave, they came into a larger one, with two camps. After a quick Ether to rejuvenate her maxed power Bitter Blade, Pyra ended them, too. Not one of the Perrserker managed to hit her, as by this point, she was the embodiment of speed and flame. As they came into yet another large cavern, Zabrina nodded to herself. This was the center of the nest. It was also where all the treasure was, and it was not just berries, either. Trinkets, necklaces, pocket watches, dispossessed Rotom Phone cases, anything shiny that the people of Galar had, the Meowth and Perrserker had stolen, all at the direction of the being that could only be their leader.
He sat on a massive steel throne, shaped from the shed (or broken) claws of at least a thousand Perrserker. His posture was terrible, slouched down, leaning back, one burly furry arm curled up by his chin. The other was absently clawing at the steel arm of his throne, making massive gouges in the metal there with ease. His actual claws, or nails, were actually small, compared to a Perrserker. Like them, he too had a 'helmet', but his was adorned with multiple steel talismans, and several golden ones, as well. His grin was akin to a Gengar's as he saw Zabrina and her Ceruledge.
"Snjarl…"
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The growl echoed through the cavern, and every single one of its minions turned as one, claws bared at the pair. Zabrina just nodded, but she was also quite glad. There were enough here to max out the attack values of all her new partners. Devora, her Midnight Lycanroc, might have been tiny, but as she appeared, her paws flexed and cracked, and a grin covered her muzzle. Balaur, her Kommo-o, looked around, and grinned at their situation, and their opponents. His clanging scales started ringing off the walls, and a few Meowth shifted nervously. He was eager to redeem his failure in the previous battle, and he knew he had to shine here, or he would be replaced by someone more useful. Zabrina had told him as much. Last to join them, but by no means the least, was her living shield of rock and flame. Cuptor, her Coalossal, blocked the exit of the cave with a Rock Tomb caused by a single movement of his heavy stone foot. None would escape, and none would come anywhere near his Trainer.
Cuptor roared, and the team leapt into action, as the area around Zabrina became coated in burning tar. A small, square rock bunker formed around her, with a thin viewing slot. Her eyes, however, were on the king of the steel cat vikings. He seemed unperturbed, but she could tell he was nervous. His calculating eyes watched as his forces were decimated. Pyra resumed her burning dance to the clanging of Balaur's scales, her Lycanroc was Drill Running through any Meowth or Perrserker that tried to reach her, her Kommo-o was sending every single opponent he faced hurtling into the cave walls with simple but very effective Brick Breaks, and her Coalossal simply Rock Tombed any that came close enough to get stuck in the tar. His rocks were so dense, that they were capable of fainting the steel types, though their natural heat probably helped with that.
Seeing this, their leader rose. The claws of defeated, and probably worthy rivals, decorated his body like armor, forming both his breastplate and his lamellar style battle skirt. His fur was 'shaggy', in the same way an Alolan Golem's facial hair was, and she had no doubt he was hard as steel. His tail was a prehensile mace, with the length of a Kantonian Persian and tipped with the same spiky black fur in a rounded clump, and instead of claws from his hands, he opened his palms. Zabrina spied steel circles on his palms, and from them, he drew a pair of black metal rods into his three fingers, and thumb. His grip was solid, and she saw the steel meld to his hands, after which, the rods sprouted sharp, honed axe blades that gleamed like a katana and had an edge to match. "SNARJLHERJAAAR!"
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His roar, an attempt to draw her team's attention, was ignored, and moments later, the rest of his soldiers were fainted on the ground. His massive, equally burly clawed feet gripped the cave's stone, as he readied to face her team as well. Pyra came first, and to his credit, despite her bitter, burning blades, he blocked her strike, and sent her hurtling away across the cave, into a pile of loot. Her Lycanroc and Kommo-o shared a look, and nodded. Devora punched the ground with her stone wolf paw, having long since figured out how to elevate her Bulldoze to an Earthquake.
The surging earth damaged the Snarjlherjar, and then Balaur followed that with a clanging leap into a masterful brick break strike that shattered several of the claws acting as his breastplate, and a few that had been apparently bent into circles around his metallic 'beard'. Before Balaur could finish the job, a loud snapping of fingers echoed through the cave, and Zabrina approached, walking across the burning tar and fainted Meowth and Perrserker on a line of stone that her Coalossal set down for her. "Hold off, everyone."
He was, in terms of attack value, worth four of his kin, but Zabrina needed a steel type, and with a little training, and Exp candy, he could be a savage addition to her roster. And, since he was technically Galarian, Leon couldn't make a stink about it. Zabrina held up a ball, and the Snarjlherjar looked at her with disbelief. "You can spend your days stealing trash with a bunch of weaklings, or, you can come with me." She let her eyes light with her power, and the stalwart jarl cat took a step back, despite himself. "I can give you real power. Power to rival Ragnar, or Ivar, or any of your other predecessors." Seeing his greedy eyes widen, she knew she had him, and was glad she'd read up on the more infamous ancient invaders of Galar who had made their legends stick in history.
"Herjar." The metal axes returned to his palms and his furry armor with a manipulation of steel that impressed her. "Snjarler." He said then, nodding at her, and offering a hand. She took it, wincing slightly as the sharp metal of his bracer cut into her hand and wrist, but the trickle of blood, and iron, only seemed to make the Snjarlherjar grin. They were bonded now, by blood and by the bond of her word. As fun as brutalizing his kin had been, he was smart enough to know a powerful human when he saw one, and what humans like those could do for the Pokémon they trained. Her team was proof enough of her skill.
Zabrina put him in a Luxury Ball then, and she grimaced as her Pokédex reacted. "Entry updated." She said in her fake, but pleasing feminine tone. She had a faint Galar accent, but otherwise had perfect grammar. "Snjarlherjar. The Jarl Pokémon. This Pokémon is thought to be extinct. Their evolution method is unknown. All modern sightings of this species have been male. When Galarian Meowth and Perrserker gather in a large enough horde, eventually, a Snjarlherjar will appear, to rule over them. They are considered a menace to civilized society and they enjoy brutalizing their own kin as much as any Human. They will wear the claws of their victims as armor, and have been known to create furniture, drinking cups, and even weapons from the steel of the Perrserker they defeat. Legends speak of burial mounds in the Dragonspine Mountains of Norstad that serve as the final resting places for legendary Snjarlherjar. The wealth of one of these mounds is incalculable."
"Speaking of wealth." Zabrina said, before her ghostly exposition device could continue, "Go gather anything of actual worth, and put it in my backpack." She said to her team. "Now then…let's see…stats are…physical attacker, big surprise, decent speed and defense, height of six feet, that tracks…and…oh wow. He's already maxed his attack. Makes sense." She said, looking around at the Meowth and Perrserker, who were starting to reflexively shrink down to near microscopic sizes. He'd likely beaten many of them, multiple times, which would have naturally maximized his attack power. "Hmm…Moves are…expected…mating habits…huh." According to the Pokédex, they'd take mates from other lines of Meowth as well, and the eggs from such unions always resulted in a steel typed Meowth. This applied to both genders.
"Now all you need is a name…hmm." She thought for a moment. "Hakon (Haw-con) will do." She clipped him to her belt, the final member of her team. Now, all she needed was a little boost from her 'friends' in the Imperium.
Zabrina exited the cave promptly, laden with a decent amount of treasure, and with a new ball on his belt. She promised the League Trainers who'd asked for her assistance that the Perrserker would be less of a nuisance for a while, probably, and then returned to her room in the Budew Drop Inn in Motostoke with a brief Teleport. After she washed off the sweat and cave grime, she found her Phone Rotom waiting for her.
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"Mistress. Your employers left instructions for you. The list has been expanded."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "We already agreed on the targets."
Her phone continued, ignoring her protests. "Sikandar Jiyoshi has been added. Leader Bede has been added. Your next objective is to determine if Isabella Fondacaro is a Psyker, and if she is, you are to eliminate her as well."
"What, I'm supposed to just kill half the tournament!?"
"Other agents will be assigned to the targets you cannot reach in a timely manner. The Sigillite desires this to be carried out in tandem."
Zabrina sighed, heavily. "Get him on the bloody line." Her phone acquiesced, and after masking their IP, disconnecting from Galar's network, and integrating back into the communication network the Imperium used that, after thousands of years of existing, now spanned the entire globe. She was redirected at least sixteen times, as her call ping ponged its way to the Sigillite's own device.
His lips, or what was left of them on his mostly mechanical face, pulled upwards in an attempt at a smile as he came on the screen. "Our newest Romani Champion. I've been told you and the Polska boy are having trouble with your assignment."
Zabrina sneered at the composed, half metallic visage of the man on the floating screen. "That didn't stop you from adding to my work load. Mikolaj will never agree to-"
"Mikolaj is no longer your concern, Champion Zabrina." Malcador cut in, his low droning baritone echoing in her room. Her Mismagius had already spelled it to be soundproof. "Which targets can you realistically reach?"
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"Leader Bede." She said, not particularly worried about that. Fairies, while tricky, could be broken or poisoned, and she had a brand new steel fairy breaker, in addition to the Salazzle on her main team. "We're simply not going to be able to reach Leon simultaneously, but assassinating a Gym Leader and two Champions will draw him out. If my peers and I strike together, we should be able to take him out as well…though it will probably be very public. You can't throw a Pokéball here without hitting someone on their Mukking phone."
"If it cannot be helped, so be it. The plan will be irrelevant once the operation begins, either way. Adapt to the situation as it unfolds, and be wary. Leader Bede is apparently alone for this challenge, but I do not doubt there's another strong Fairy Type Master nearby, training him. If you had not noticed, the foreign Trainers with the Gym Leaders are all strong and skilled Battlers who are improving the Gym Leader's skills as well, when they're not Battling you and the other Champions."
Zabrina nodded. "I'll expect to face two, then. It won't be a problem. I have plenty of steel and poison."
"That just leaves the final gift." Malcador intoned. "Our Experience Candy has been altered mechanically to contain even more condensed energy. We have learned to harness Infinite, Zenith, Max, Terastal, and even Nature Energy to give it more potential. We call this pinnacle of science, Max Candy."
Zabrina smirked. "Definitely not confusing at all, since Dynamax Candy exists."
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Malcador's 'smile' shifted to a 'smirk'. "It also functions like Dynamax Candy. It maximizes a Max Form's potential. Significantly raises their level, no matter how high, and as you train them, they will grow even stronger. Each of the Prime Archons tested this on their partners first, and you know their results."
Zabrina nodded, quietly. Between their absurdly advanced training items, dietary supplements, and light physical modifications, the Prime Archons each only had a single Pokémon, but one was all they needed. Some had caught and trained a few more, but most had a singular ace that could keep up with them on a battlefield. "You're just…giving me power on par with a son of the Imperator?"
Malcador let out a mechanical huff. "Hardly. The Prime Archons trained their partners themselves, brought out their potential in a manner none of you…Trainers…even know about. These will boost your team…it will be up to you, to make them able to go toe to toe with the likes of a Prime Archon." Her phone pointed at the ground then and manifested the same transfer beam used for Pokémon trades to materialize a nondescript but mechanically locked box. The lid retracted in a show of mechanical precision, and Zabrina balked. The entire four-foot crate was packed with large sparkling blue cubes, and being what she was, she could feel the nearly limitless potential in each one. "That should be enough to turn you into a one-woman army. Complete your assignment, Zabrina." With that final statement, Malcador signed off.
Her Mismagius floated over to the open box, eyes alight with greed. "As always, my love, you are first. Zabrina said, carefully levitating a piece to Suvahri's mouth. The greedy ghost mage chomped into the candy, breaking the surface, and her eyes lit with her aura as the cube became pure energy and simply entered her mouth, and then suffused her body. She'd been close to hitting the highest recorded level, but she had stalled, and that had made gaining the experience required arduously slow. The temperature in the room dropped so fast that the windows of her suite immediately turned frosty. Then, the power receded, and Suvahri grinned darkly at her Trainer. One by one, she fed her team, even Hakon, and all of them grew significantly in size, and power. By the end, not one was recorded as being under a rating of ninety levels.
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Ballonlea - Galar Region
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There were only really two cities that Sikandar and Isabella would appear at next, and their fans knew by now that if they wanted to interact with their Champions of choice, they'd need to catch them as they entered the gym. This was also the pattern that had held in Turffield and Motostoke. Before entering, the pair commonly known now and probably forever as 'Sikabelle' had to wade through a sea of fans to reach the gym stadiums. This was the ideal and only time to speak with them, since Sikandar had apparently learned how to Teleport. It wasn't an unheard-of skill for a Champion of Indius, and this far into his reign, many people assumed he just couldn't do it. Until he did.
Upon learning this, the Kuleen Chaar of Indius had summoned their Champion home, to speak on regional matters, and that had taken most of the morning. Isabella had slowly grown more irritated with waiting and claimed she could've beaten Bede and met him in Circhester several times since he'd returned. Those who wouldn't be battling today, or at least right now, had done some intense training, and Sikandar had only brought Raajapani with him to Indius. He trusted Bandar to make sure the team got their training in. Another mark against him came as the pair entered Ballonlea's air space and landed, before a literal sea of people.
There was no avoiding them, not without angering their fans, and as Isabella began wading into the crowd, Sikandar put a hand in front of her. "Wait…something is…" Bandar, Fakir, and Bianca appeared in a flash, and the front rows of the crowd suddenly went from cheers and confusion about the suddenly released Pokémon, to groaning on their knees, holding their skulls, as they were irradiated by a power derived from dark typed energy. While using it to hide structures was an ancient war tactic, it tended to negatively impact people and Pokémon in concentrated amounts. The Imperium had, naturally, taken that discovery and ran with it to the most brutal extreme, a device that, when it was activated, allowed their clade of Culexus Assassins to take on psychic enemies. In a society as large and autocratic as theirs, having any kind of unsanctioned power was a threat to the Imperium's stability, and the Culexus Clade was the Imperator's answer to the would-be psychic warriors that rose from his own territories thinking to challenge him.
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The Infernape barked at the Medicham and Gothitelle, who returned to their balls. Sikandar and Isabella felt their aura shields vanish, and immediately, he pulled them behind a sparkling tree at the edge of Ballonlea. A hail of sharp orange needles filled the space they'd been standing, and then exploded. Sikandar grimaced, as he knew that explosion had likely caught some fans. Bandar was already dodging, and the tree kept the unshielded humans from the worst of things. A truly massive Rhyperior, Gainda, joined Arjun as he and the Copperajah provided cover for their humans with their bodies, and shields of Iron Defense infused Rock Tombs.
The rest of their teams, except for the psychics, popped out onto the field, and despite being behind a shield, Sikandar put himself in front of Isabella anyway. "This…this feels…so wrong…in my head…" She managed to whimper, but Sikandar shook his head.
"Don't try to use your power. Shut it all down. Pack it away and leave what is Normal Typed. It hurts less."
He held her hand and kept his smirk on his face. They couldn't direct their teams like this, or understand them completely, but Sikandar trusted them. Then, he heard Bandar shriek, at him, and despite not being in his mind, Sikandar knew what they needed. He threw most of his new team out to join the others, and after a Kuranku led them into battle with a rising beat that she and Carey were building rapidly, Isabella sent her Milotic, her Salazzle, her Tyranitar, her Noivern, and her Froslass to help out too.
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Beyond their shield, the area was fast-paced chaos of no-holds barred battling that the few civilians who stayed to watch, while moving away, could barely follow. The genetically enhanced assassins had full technologically superior black bodysuits that made them as agile as any Infernape, and they were good. Their exploding ammo and disorienting grenades worked even on non-psychics, but their hard counter was Aura, and Bandar had that in spades. His Aura Sphere was one he used in melee, in combination with his speed enhancing moves like Flame Charge. The other Pokémon mostly made openings for the blindingly fast fire ape to swirl past the assassin's guard, and nail them with condensed Aura.
Against almost forty Pokémon, even Culexus Assassins had difficulty, and one by one, they started to fall. Ursarti literally blew one away from the head to the pelvis, disintegrating him with a single wicked punch that even their advanced bionics couldn't see coming from an Urshifu. Khaang, Sikandar's Krookodile caught one in his powerful jaws as Bandar sent him spinning through the air in his direction. Raajapani gained a kill every time his Hydro Pump landed. And Jalahastee demonstrated why humans still died, in depressingly high numbers, to wild Hippowdon that weren't kept satiated with berries by Rangers each year. Most modern regions with populations could manage them and had taught the herds not to attack humans as a food source. Those in Old Africa however, had no such restrictions, and even with 'training' from a Ranger, they were one of the species listed as highly likely to attack human intruders. There was a difference in seeking out a human meal and having it stumble into their territory. His jaws ended a total of four, though he didn't try eating them.
In about five minutes, it was over, but those who survived the attack would recount it as feeling longer. To Sikandar, it was the same, but eventually, Bandar's victory whoop made him peak out of cover. As Khaang stomped their focused darkness emitters, since they did nothing to him, Sikandar's aura shield reformed, and after a moment Isabella brought hers back too. Then, in the distance, they heard a boom. They shared a look. "The Gym…" They ran with their teams through the now cleared pathway to the city, the fans having since run into nearby houses or to the edges of the forest, anywhere that wasn't in the fighting area. Sikandar threw his pale white birch Trevenant towards the crowd. "Bhutya! Try to keep them alive!" The master of life energy of both flora and fauna gave him a rumbling nod, and Sikandar hoped his trick with transferring life essence from plants to others would save the people that had been caught in the initial blast. Kandra and Raphael were now acting as their shields while Fakir and Bianca led the horde of Pokémon through the lobby, and onto the pitch. The stadium didn't look much better than outside.
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Zabrina was there, opposing Bede, but instead of one Pokémon, she had twenty raring to go. Sikandar and Isabella frowned though, as having just recently battled some of them, they could tell they had…changed. They were bigger, meaner, and much higher in level than their last encounter. Sikandar glanced at his Phone Rotom, and grimaced. They were just under Bandar's level of strength. "SNJARL!" Their eyes were drawn to a brute that emerged from the shadows, holding a pair of human made weapons. Swords, that had been combined with chainsaws. Using steel energy, the massive Perrserker-like Pokémon made the blades grow, and buzz to life, as he charged straight at Sikandar.
Bede also had his entire team out, and judging by the sparkling pink goo leaking from his Alcremie, things were not going well. "Help Leader Bede!" Sikandar said to Isabella, and the rest of his team. There was only one counter for a dark steel type, and Bandar shrieked loudly, beating his chest with powerful thumps as he stepped in front of his Trainer. The ambient temperature rose rapidly, as he sensed the evil within his latest opponent. "Ferrrnape…"
"You're right." Sikandar said. "They are Imperium weapons. Flame Charge and Fire Punch, go!" Bandar was a blur, as he became fire, and smashed into the Snjarlherjar. One punch followed another, before he backflipped away from a pair of chainswords attempting to bisect his torso. Agile as he was though, he reversed his inertia from the dodge into a Brick Break with his foot, followed by three more Fire Punches from his arms, and other leg. The steel type thought he was done, but then the powerful, toned tail smashed his face and was also on fire.
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Sikandar frowned, as each hit seemed to raise his stats, and as he speed read his opponent's Dex entry and ability, he frowned. "Acrobatics! Do not get hit! Every attack he takes raises his own!" Sure enough, his weapons somehow grew even larger, but Bandar was channeling the power of the air now, and the steel cat jarl couldn't even come close to an Infernape's speed. Bandar taunted him, as well, mocking him, making faces, even jiggling his ape posterior when he had the chance.
The last was done right near the wall of the tunnel that led to the pitch, and Bandar yelped, nearly losing his tail, as the Snjarlherjar's blades swung again, missed again, and sank into the concrete with a choked screech of metal on stone. Where they became stuck. "Flare Blitz!" Sikandar ordered, and from behind his opponent, Bandar burst into flames and hammered him into the wall, until he finally fainted. Sikandar deactivated the chainswords, and then tossed them away, so the weakened Pokémon couldn't reach them again.
As he came onto the field again, Bandar had already joined his brothers and Isabella's team. Bede's team, now that they had help, tended to Alcremie, and then rejoined the fight. Somehow, Zabrina had gotten a Ceruledge, and Bandar was the only one currently fast enough to keep up with her. Then, her Weavile caught up to them, and Sikandar didn't see what happened next, as the light from Kandra's Moonblast lit up the field alongside Bede's Sylveon, and once more knocked out Zabrina's Kommo-o in a single combined hit. Snarling, Sikandar saw the Romani Champion look for her new steel type, and as she took in his fainted form, her eyes met Sikandar's.
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The melee around them was too chaotic to follow, so instead, Sikandar went after her mind. He found it shielded by her Mismagius and her Galarian Slowking, but Sikandar could deal with them. Her Mismagius was by her side, but the Slowking was firing off powerful poison bombs wrapped in psychic energy, though few of them were managing to hit anyone. "Khaang! Arjun!" Seamlessly, the Krookodile and Copperajah passed their own opponents off to other members of the team and turned in the same motion. Focused, intensely powerful Earthquakes rolled towards the Galarian Slowking, and the Shellder in charge panicked, as her barriers broke under the onslaught of earth, and knocked her out as well. Khaang leapt over and finished her off with a Crunch, while Arjun took on his opponent, Zabrina's Salamence, who looked to be the most powerful Pokémon she had, in terms of attack strength and endurance. He'd taken at least a hundred attacks, many of them ice based from Raajapani, and Elsa, but the ferocious dragon was high on the energy of whatever his Trainer had fed or otherwise imbued into his body, and he was living up to his species' legendary ferocity.
After a hard Smack Down, Arjun began brutally Playing Rough with his draconic skull with his massive metal trunk, and even that managed to, finally, make the Salamence somewhat dizzy. More ice attacks hammered him as he was dazed, and Sikandar noted Zabrina recall her Slowking. Facing the equivalent of five teams of ten Pokémon, four trained by Champions, and one belonging to a fairy and psychic type specialist was more than Zabrina's squad could handle, even when enhanced. Sikandar was now quite glad they'd hit the other gyms, and the Max Dens between them. As time went on, as their teams freed up their partners from their opponents and knocked them out, the momentum shifted, and soon, the Mismagius was struggling under the combined psychic attacks of Sikandar, Isabella, and even Leader Bede, as they sought to control her mind and force her surrender.
Zabrina, for her part, could only watch, as her mighty Drakovur, her Salamence, succumbed to his quadruple weakness, finally. Once he fell, the others began falling too, like a chain reaction. The Krookodile buried her Houndoom in an Earthquake and a shiny colored Day Form Lycanroc helped, before they turned on her Salazzle and Volcarona. Her Volcarona was brought down by a Smack Down from the Copperajah. An Ice Beam from that damned Kingdra hit her starter, her Meowscarada, slowing her enough to be finished by Bede's Mawile and several other attacks. Then, her Mismagius was hammered with a sixfold firing of yeet-seeking missiles in the form of Dreepy, that ate through her Reflect Screen. The Gardevoir was there for the follow-up, firing multiple dense Shadow Balls in a line that overwhelmed the ghostly mage. She looked to her Trainer for help, but Zabrina's mind was in the process of being broken.
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Bandar had managed to knock out her Weavile, and was now dueling the Ceruledge at speeds that the others couldn't hit, but eventually, she took a Hydro Pump from the sniper that was Raajapani, and after that, joined the rest of her team in unconsciousness. Fakir had the grass gorrilas gather Zabrina's balls and started recalling fainted Pokémon before they could rise again and catch a second wind. They were most suited to this, thanks to their human-like hands.
The inside of Zabrina's mind was, at this base layer, a simple campsite, surrounded by old style wooden wagons attached to Mudsdale. The fake, featureless people around the edges of the space all had Houndour or Houndoom beside them, but Sikandar was focused on Zabrina, who was in the center, and still fighting. She'd let them in, ultimately, unable to stop three psychics at once. The plan had been to keep Sikandar and Isabella from being able to help Bede, but apparently not even Imperium assassins were on par with Champions. In her mindscape however, she was a Goddess, and they were hard pressed to stop her. A good strategy in theory, but in practice, Sikandar knew how to counter it.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
"Raph. Thunder Punch." He made himself murmur in reality. Sure enough, a moment later, Raphael's electricity caused the mental image of Zabrina to spasm, and then they had her at their mercy. The scene shifted once they suppressed her, and Zabrina was now on a cross shaped piece of wood, surrounded by a wood pile that smelled like oil. Sikandar frowned, and Isabella just scoffed in disbelief. "Who hired you, Zabrina?" Sikandar asked, ignoring her attempt to play the victim.
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"Hired…Ha! Hahaha!" She devolved into a cackle worthy of a villain then, and when it ended said, "I was not hired, Indius Champion. I was coerced. Threatened. And now that I have failed…Romani will suffer."
Isabella looked very much done with her BS, but Sikandar held up a hand and shared a look with her. She sighed, but nodded, silently agreeing his calm demeanor would probably work better here than shots at Zabrina's region. Italia and Romani also had a history as bad as Galar and Indius, so as a foreign entity, he could avoid getting bogged down in her scorn. "Nobody needs to suffer, Zabrina. You will have to answer for attempting to kill a Gym Leader, but…your Region will not pay the price."
She cackled like a lunatic again, and Sikandar shared another look with Isabella and Bede, before she finished. "The Roma always pay the damned price! No matter where we go, no matter what we do…if it's not Europa, it's the Imperium. We can never win, and just…live in peace."
Finally, Isabella rolled her eyes and spoke up, having about all she could take. "Oh please. You're the ones who decided to live as nomads in your own Region. Not setting down roots has consequences. Europa has also compensated your people for their suffering multiple times, and that's just in the modern era. We've done so before, too."
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Sikandar cringed internally, and then frowned, as the wood pile Zabrina was on began to burn with Isabella's words supposedly being the spark, it seemed. He stamped the sparks down, while Zabrina said, "This coming from the spoiled Rocket Princess of Italia." She sneered as she saw Isabella's face. "Yes, I know who you are. We are kept as nomads, not by choice, but because our Region has been claimed by foreign powers. Your businesses. Your private militaries. Even your Leagues, at one point. Romani's bounty has been plundered, and the Roma people receive scraps for digging it up, if they receive anything. Now the Imperium desires a piece of our land, and we simply cannot fight them. So, we joined them."
Sikandar looked up, with a similar reaction to Isabella, one of shock. Another piece of Europa falling to the supercontinent spanning empire was big news. "That's right." Zabrina continued. "They may indoctrinate our children, and forcibly gather and train our so-called Psykers, but they have provided stability, as well. Sturdy homes, resistant to attacks from foreign powers. Defensive turrets that can rival a Pokémon's power. Education. Training for our warriors. It should not surprise any of you, that the Imperium wants you gone. You are psychic threats, none more so than Leon, and you are in their way." She looked at Sikandar then, hopelessness in her dull eyes. "What can we do, but bend to them? One nation cannot stop the tide…and Europa will not stand with us. They'd sooner stab us in the back."
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"These are not the Dark Times!" Sikandar snapped back. "We have moved forward from the brutality of the past. Do not speak to me of the futility of fighting the Imperium! We have fought them, in Indius, in every corner of Eous, since they first became a world power! And we are still here and still fighting, because we will never become slaves to their amoral machine. We reject their philosophy, their technology, and their God Imperator. We would rather die than become Imperium puppets. And we have. For so long we have died to their Thunder Warriors. And yet every time our war becomes truly desperate, there is always a Hero who shows up to save Eous, we stand together, and we drive them back. Every single time. If you wish to defy the Imperium, Zabrina, you must fight them. You cannot roll over and be their brainless puppet, like Germania has. You've seen what they've turned Germania's sons into. Abominations of war. Genetically altered freaks. They may live for centuries, but the cost is great." His eyes narrowed at her. "What was your price, hmm? Power, perhaps? Whatever drug or chemical you infused into your team, to make them stronger, larger, and more eager to fight. Go on. Tell us the cost for your loyalty to your Region!"
Zabrina glared at him as he spoke, but her face fell when he shifted to her price. "I took their power to do as you have said…to one day fight them…but I cannot do it alone. And we are alone. Even Miko has abandoned me." The flames around her self-made pyre, upon which many so called Roma 'witches' had been burned alive, flared higher, threatening to engulf her mental avatar, but Sikandar ignored them.
"I do not recall Romani asking for help against the Imperium. Isabella? Bede?" Sikandar said, looking to his peers.
"Not for centuries have they tried asking Italia for anything…although, the government would probably deny them and take pleasure in doing so." Isabella answered. "Many are old, racist, and very much entrenched in their power."
"Galar has not heard a word of this Imperium encroachment. And I believe the Chairman would give a response, were we asked to aid you. Paldea too, I wager. Even Unova's Champion would have, I think. I'm not sure about their new one, but the Original Dragon has a long history of getting involved in other Regions and making them flourish. Perhaps you ought to ask, instead of letting yourself be turned into a weapon for murder." His expression darkened, from personal experience. "Weapons are often discarded when they fail at their task or finish it." Attacking a historical monument might've been Bede's idea, and a step too far, but Chairman Rose had no reservations about greenlighting whatever would get him more Wishing Stars for his Eternatus project. Only in hindsight had Bede seen he'd been used and tossed aside.
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The group was quiet for a moment, but Sikandar noticed the flames die down, slightly. "You tell us to ask for your aid…to beg for your help…the people who have ravaged our Region for centuries, you would have us go to you for our salvation!?" The flames rose again, with her anger. "Never!"
Sikandar was quick to jump in before the mental fire consumed her. "You have a right to be skeptical! To hold a grudge! Believe me, as a native of Eous, whose Kingdoms have fought each other in many wars, I understand…but when it comes to the Imperium of Man, the rules are different. Survival means not allowing your pride to rule your actions! It means bargaining with what resources you do have, so that you can continue to live free. Every Kingdom in Eous has had to do this, to pay that price, and the results speak for themselves. We remain free of Imperium rule, and the current rulers have all signed a nonaggression pact. It is possible, Zabrina."
The flames faltered again, and Zabrina shook her head. "Who would even speak for us? We do not govern ourselves like the rest of the world. The idea of one person speaking for all is…abhorrent, without a forum of some kind."
"I can think of no one better to speak for the Roma, than their Champion." Sikandar answered calmly. He kept an eye on the flames as he approached Zabrina. They had started to lessen again. "If they do not have a unified voice yet, you must be their voice. You have to be the one to ask for help, wherever or whoever you can seek it from. Your people may not all agree with your methods, but I promise you, they'll be glad to have the ability to even voice their disagreement. Because the Imperium does not tolerate it. Those who dissent get sent to their mines, or worse, become their Servitors."
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"They said…they promised no Roma would endure such a fate…" Zabrina started, but Isabella was on her, her tone sharp.
"Oh yea, trust the word of the authoritarian Eugenicists that see you, at best, as Eurotrash. I promise you, they hold the same prejudices, if not worse ones, as the rest of Europa when it comes to the Roma. They're lying to you, Zabrina. They will lobotomize any who resist them, as they have done in literally every other Region they've ever had power over, across their entire history. They always need more Servitors."
She hung her head, defeated. Isabella noticed then, at some point, tears had started falling from her eyes. "It's already too late…they are already taking over Romani in large swathes. The only ones opposing them are the foreign interests that were already robbing our people."
By this point, the flames had died, and Sikandar had leapt onto the pyre to untie her bindings to the cross shaped piece of wood. It was a remnant of a long-forgotten religion, but some symbols were thoroughly, and literally, burned into the cultural memory of her people, by this point, even if their original meaning and source had long since been forgotten. "We can help you, Zabrina." He said quietly. "Indius is always willing to oppose the Imperium. Between us, a bit of aid from Galar, and Isabella, we should be able to drive them out of Romani before they get a proper foothold. But your people will have to fight alongside us. Do you think you could convince them to do so?"
Zabrina rubbed her wrists, blinking as she realized she had been freed of the pyre she'd mentally bound herself to. "It would take time…but I believe they would. The only people we hate more than Europans are Imperium slaves."
Bede stepped forward now, authority in his voice. "Then when we leave this space, I will…overlook…your assassination attempt, for now, and you and I will be flying straight to Wyndon to speak with Chairman Leon. On my honor as a Gym Leader, I will plead the case for your people to the best of my abilities." He turned to Sikandar and Isabella then. "I won't make you two go through the tedium of waiting for my return and having two Battles I think we all know the result of. I've seen your teams, and I know what my chances of winning would be. You will have the Fairy Badge, then you can fly to Circhester, and be on your way to Wyndon as well. While the Semifinals and Finals of the tournament are set up, we can contact our combined forces and send them to Romani. The Imperium won't appreciate having a new front, with Polska cutting them off."
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They nodded in agreement, and then left Zabrina's mindspace. Once more in their own mindspace, Isabella spoke to Sikandar privately. "Do you really intend to help her?"
He nodded. "Her people have suffered enough, and though their ancestry spans many Regions by this point, they share a heritage with me. This is the least Indius can do for its long-forgotten scions. And it will hamper the Imperium's spread."
Isabella nodded slowly. "I'll go find Mikolaj after we face Gordie tomorrow. Polska needs to rebuff the Imperium as well, or our efforts in Romani will be short lived."
Sikandar frowned slightly. "Let's hope he'll see reason, like Zabrina seemingly has…" He was still suspicious of her, and likely would be from now on, but having a conversation like that, that deep in one's mind, tended to leave an impact, and he knew this from personal experience. His master had needed to use that trick on him several times, to convey important concepts at a deeper level to his young, arrogant self.
Isabella snorted confidently. "Don't worry about Miko. He'll listen to me."
As they exited the gym, Bede got their story straight. Zabrina was not being cast as a villain, but as a victim, and he claimed the same assassins that had struck at Sikandar and Isabella at the edge of the city had also been in the gym. Conveniently, their Pokémon had left no remnants of their attackers, and given how much was left of those outside, that wasn't too unbelievable. The Champions projected confidence to the media, and despite the attacks, Chairman Leon promised, via a Rotom Phone, that security would be increased for the remainder of the circuit. Spent from all the adrenaline and emotion, Isabella fell asleep on the train ride to Circhester, but Sikandar had too much adrenaline in his system to rest, and he knew his lover was in no state to help him.
He had Raphael and Kandra out for protection, as they rode across the width of the Galarian continent, and he had to wonder about the Imperium's true goals, in this region. Galar was, by all records, the oldest civilization on the planet, or at least, the one that had come together the quickest after the fall of Old Earth, and the rise of Pokémon. Their people had excelled, once more sailing and conquering the world, until that fell apart almost exactly as it had the last time their isles had reached for world domination. Killing off Champions, or Leon and Bede would weaken Galar, but it wasn't worth this much negative press. The story had quickly taken over the media in every region but Unova, who was in the midst of a tense hostage like situation with the Original Dragon and the Church of Arceus. No, Sikandar mused as the train chugged on, he was quite sure the Imperium had other plans for Galar. A public assassination attempt was exactly the kind of distraction they liked to use. He just didn't know what their true goal would be. With a sigh, he opened his Rotom Phone, and began scrolling through Galarian history, though that was about as intact as their fossil record, and just as mismatched.
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The Slumbering Weald - Galar Region
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The mist was overpowering, at least to mere mortals. The ever-present fog of the sleeping forest, the final resting place of the Fighting Master's Shield and the Fairy King's Sword, served to hide the high-level Pokémon that guarded the Guardians, who thanks to their ancient duel with the Successor of Arceus, now existed in a state between life and death, unable to move on, and unwilling to leave Galar without their power.
To the Ultramarines, the fog might as well have not existed. Their brand-new prototype power armor, what the scientists were calling the 'Crusader Pattern' had been gifted to them by the Imperator himself, to be tested on this mission, the first to see this new technological marvel's use in the field. Despite still very much being a prototype, their armor was airtight, and had much better power supplies thanks to the large, square, and far more durable backpacks. Their full helmets were reminiscent of Old Europe's medieval age knights, and each faceplate was unique to the warrior wearing it. Their armor was also a uniformly colored ultramarine blue. "How much further, Witch?" Came the metallic baritone of their leader, a hulking ten-foot-tall abomination of Imperium genetics that called itself Uriel, and led the ultramarine blue clad warriors. Each of them had an upside-down Omega symbol on any part of their armor that could fit it, shoulders, knee pads, fists, the exception being their breastplate, where the Imperium's twin headed eagle sat with pride clutching a pair of lightning bolts.
The Sigillite's contact for this mission, a 'local' with foreknowledge of what they sought, Morgana, grinned up at Uriel through the heavy mist. "Not far now, brave Ultramarine. Once we have what we need…we will depart for the Emerald Isle." The warrior grunted an acknowledgement and gestured for her to keep moving with his large bolter gun. Though the local Pokémon of the weald were strong, they had grown less so over the long centuries of not being disturbed, except by the occasional ten-year-old. Children were considered harmless enough, but adult humans were always immediately turned away with Sleep Powder or Hypnosis from one of the powerful local Pokémon leaders.
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Hypnosis would have no chance against the hulking humanoid shaped heavily armored monsters that now freely roamed the woods, and though the humans of Galar had long since prohibited the creation and use of firearms, mostly because Pokémon were far better as weapons, these human shaped figures were using firearms. Rather large ones. Though they were no longer used, the destruction and death the early humans had caused to the more violent Pokémon in their midst was still very much remembered by those in the modern era who wanted nothing to do with humanity.
Thus, without meeting a single spark of resistance, they reached the ancient shrine to Zacian and Zamazenta. Not long after Chairman Leon's first proper tournament under Champion Victor's reign, the heroes of many battles had left Victor and Gloria to return to their slumber. Professor Sonia had, to the canine Legendary's delight, repaired and improved their sword and shield, and their Tamers had made a pact, to wake them again when Galar was in danger.
As the squad of six Thunder Warriors and their guide stomped up to the shrine, their inhabitants appeared. Zacian snarled, but Morgana was faster. "Morgause." Morgana's Mismagius rose from her shadow, snickered, and started chanting. The royal wolves' eyes widened as they sensed the Shadow in her very aura. Six bolters clicked into place, taking aim at the Legendary pair, who now snarled in response, but hesitated to attack or defend, as they were well aware of what bolters could do. "Don't try going for your weapons, boys. Be good dogs…and take us to your brother." Zamazenta looked ready to tear her throat out as it processed her words, but Morgause finished her Shadow Chant, and the unholy power fell upon both of them.
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Suddenly, Zacian flashed with fairy energy, breaking the curse and the container holding its sword, and as the Ultramarines opened fire on the sword wolf they turned, grabbed their sword, and then leapt impossibly far away at speeds not even an automatic spray could match. The forest around them was catching fire, as the explosive bullets missed their mark and blew up elsewhere. "It doesn't matter." The witch declared to her comrades, whose gun barrels were still smoking. "One wolf is all we need to find the other…and his weapon. Come, Ultramarines. Let us away…"
A portal of Shadow opened before Morgana as she strode back down the path, and after sharing a look, the heavily armored giants followed her, as did Zamazenta, whose eyes were glowing purple as they were controlled by Morgause's power. They reappeared by a dilapidated but still seaworthy vessel that had once been the pride of Albion's naval fleet. Now, it brought Morgana wherever she desired as she terrorized the isles.
"Bran, dear." She said as she willed the ship to depart once the others had boarded. Her Corviknight appeared on the top deck beside her, and she fed him a berry. "Be a dear and cover our departure. Once we reach Eiluaine…follow the wolf to the sight of his brother's corpse."
"Cor." Was his response, and he flapped into the night, covering their departure from Galar's shores. Though Zacian would undoubtedly warn Victor and Leon, they would be gone by the time the leaders of Galar organized a search. Strong as he was, Bran's combination of a reverse Defog and Rain Dance created his Mist, which spread for miles and on the isles, such weather patterns were not uncommon.
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Páirc an Áir - Ulster Region, Eiluaine
image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/107dc055-197f-4c79-a8d4-bf5e3018e03b/di2ho1n-6c2a7ee3-7529-414d-a423-dd1583674afc.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzEwN2RjMDU1LTE5N2YtNGM3OS1hOGQ0LWJmNWUzMDE4ZTAzYlwvZGkyaG8xbi02YzJhN2VlMy03NTI5LTQxNGQtYTQyMy1kZDE1ODM2NzRhZmMuanBnIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.bzwj9_1OPzPb1Mp1s2M_mTB27DoV-mKw2jQ3I6fY9nQ]
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The island of Eiluaine was about as large as Galar, and wider as well, but it was generally divided into two halves, the north being called the Ulster Region, and the south being called the Munster Region, by the locals. Though there were Gyms in both halves, neither one had a League, and all attempts to make one had devolved into a pissing contest of which side was stronger, north or south. Leon had tried forming them together once, but the only thing the locals disliked more than each other was Galarian interference, and he had since left the island to figure things out on its own, as requested. Naturally, this meant things stayed fractured and disorganized, at best. Aspiring Trainers usually just took a Corviknight Taxi to Galar, at least for the start of their journey, but Eiluaine had yet to have a Trainer like Red or Leon rise from their verdant lands to unite them with their skill as a Trainer.
During Galar's Darkest Day, the first one, the Emerald Isle had also undergone a disaster. Dynamaxed Pokémon appeared in large numbers, as Power Spots were quite common on the island, and intimately connected with those in Galar. In the past, this army of giants was famously beaten back by a Hero who wielded a spear. Some tales claimed he was the older brother of the Hero of Galar, with his iconic sword and shield, but much like Galar, the modern Darkest Day had revealed the truth of things: Eiluaine had a canine defender as well. An as yet unknown wolf warrior who, according to witnesses, had taken down the Dynamaxed Pokémon in a brutal but efficient manner. According to them, it had to charge its Giantslaying Spear's attack, but when it hit, the tip fractured and split into several long randomly extended metal spines that jaggedly curved in whatever direction the wielder desired. The wounds left by the spear were quite hard to tend to, even with modern Pokémon medicine, and a number of Pokémon had lost their lives as a result.
In the past, all who had Dynamaxed ended up slain by the brutal spear, yet despite that, the horde of giants had, according to legend, been drawn into these wide open verdant plains where the final battle of the Darkest Day had taken place. Even after tanking Max Move after Max Move, the spear wielding Hero had not faltered, and though he saved the isle, the price was his life. This was the same in every legend, the Hero dying in the end, but with Eiluaine in one piece. After the second Darkest Day incident, he had simply disappeared while the local nurses tried to limit the carnage his weapon caused.
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All this and more, Morgana divulged to the helmeted Ultramarines traveling with her on her ancient style of ship. They were too massive to sit, so they stood at attention, bolters at the ready, heads on an eternal swivel as they crossed the small ocean between Galar and their target destination.
"They say the Hero was found standing upright still, spear in hand even in death, bound to a large standing stone by his own intestines. Even when mortally wounded, he'd kept fighting. The legends say he was buried right there, and the rock was engraved with his legend, so that none would ever forget it. Though, naturally, many people have." It was at that point that Zamazenta snarled, but it turned into a whine at the end. Morgana scratched his underjaw, completely unafraid of her hold on the Legendary wolf breaking.
"But you have not forgotten." Came the metallic deadpan voice of Uriel, the Ultramarine's assigned Captain for this mission. What set him apart from his hulking ultramarine blue brothers were the highlights and trim in gold around the shoulderpads, chest, and knee plates of his armor. It seemed ornate, as it was freshly forged, and Morgana couldn't fathom how something with such obvious artistry was destined to eventually be ruined by war. But that was how the Imperium preferred their armor, as ostentatious as possible, right up until the moment war truly began.
"Aye! I remember all of these legends!" Morgana chimed with her obnoxiously happy tone that had the slightest waver of madness to it. "Lucky for us, the grave is very far out of the way. Barely anyone visits it, and there are no special Pokémon around to entice youngsters to go there. Just the occasional ghost. We can retrieve the relic and be on our way before anyone wonders what Imperium Thunder Warriors are doing on the Emerald Isle."
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Uriel seemed to sigh, or at least, breathe heavier through his helmet. "You said you would be able to hide us, Witch."
Morgana chuckled. "No need to worry, Uriel. I have my tricks." Just then, her Corviknight cawed, and she ran awkwardly up to the wheel of the ship. The Mist that had been hiding them faded, as it wasn't something that Bran could create constantly like a Honchkrow could. Her Pokémon helped her bring the ship in slowly to a cove on the edge of the isle, well hidden below rather massive sheer cliffs. Aside from a few Slowpoke, the area seemed empty, as Morgana parked the ship, and disembarked with her mind controlled Legend. Her Mismagius still wasn't showing signs of strain, so that was promising. "Oh Tomuraaa!" She called out into the cove. "Our friends here need your…skills." She cackled to herself.
The squad's bolters rose in near perfect unison as a new person appeared, though none of them opened fire. The person in question was a teenager with white hair that hung down over his eyes, and a rather disturbing grin on his face. His face was in no way attractive, covered with nail marks and flakes of dead skin that fell off as he scratched at them every few seconds. "There's my boy!" Morgana beamed, and Uriel lowered his massive gun, the other Ultramarines soon followed his lead. The pair engaged in an awkward hug, and then Morgana spoke over whatever the mumbling youth had said. "I'm going to need you for this one, my dear. Your Illusion trick is just what we need to get our friends here through town without causing chaos."
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"I told you, it's called Seeming, mother…" The teen grumbled. He looked at the Thunder Warriors then, and while he was trying to stare at them nonchalantly, it was kind of hard not to be drawn in by the massive armored forms covered in so much detail. The teen, Tomura, apparently, addressed Uriel then, as he was at the head of the squad. "You'll all need to stay close to me, or it won't work. I should be able to make it big enough…but I'll need to be in the center of your squad."
Uriel nodded, and without more than a click, indicating a sub-vocal command they couldn't hear that was for the Ultramarine's ears only, the massive warriors took up their positions around the teen in a circle. "Don't forget their footsteps, dear." Morgana counseled. "Can't have a bunch of farmers clomping around like armored titans."
"Right…" Tomura muttered. "Stay close, don't stomp too hard, and avoid being touched. This is an auditory and visual illusion only." Uriel nodded again, and seeing they were ready, Tomura concentrated, and started muttering to himself. Slowly, the visual of six armored warriors of the Imperium became six scraggly looking farmers in patchwork clothes. They had varying shades of red hair, pale skin, and three of them seemed to just permanently have their mouths hanging open while they 'breathed'. "Stay silent…" Tomura said quietly, now looking like a shaggy Boltund traveling in the middle of the group. "Words won't sound right, with your helmets."
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Their trip through the town of Corvidale, once Morgana portaled them up to the outskirts, was tense but uneventful. Their group got a few strange looks, but they passed through quickly enough to avoid being noticed by any agents of the local government. What little talking had been done, was handled by Morgana, and then, they were south of the small town, and onto Páirc an Áir, more commonly known as the Field of Slaughter. Once there, Morgana portaled back to retrieve Zamazenta, who had no chance of being subtle. Even in Eiluaine, the story about the heroic Galarian wolf Legends had spread far. They traveled south and then eastwards following Zamazenta, towards the edge of the isle, where they could see a solitary stone pillar rising into the sky. Something thin and white was beside it, buried in the ground at an angle.
Their sailing and trekking had taken most of the day. By the time they reached the menhir, or standing stone, known as Cloch an Ar Buile roughly translated to Common as the Stone of the Berserker, a crescent moon had risen into the sky. Uriel stomped forward towards the protruding spear made of bone wrapped in leather and bound by frayed twine, but Morgana held out a hand. Tomura let the Seeming fade, since no one was around for miles, not even many Pokémon.
The ground before the pair rippled and a massive wolf rose from it. Zamazenta struggled against the witch's hold once again, but he was simply overpowered by whatever foul magic her Mismagius had bound him with. The bound wolf's brother was slightly transparent, with green fur and a white underbody, scarred like his brothers in Galar, even in death. The embedded bone spear rattled where it sat embedded in the earth, but before it could answer its wielder's summons, ghostly purple tendrils of energy sprouted rapidly from the wolf's stomach, and wrapped around the stone. The ancient runes carved into it were aglow, and they roughly depicted a four legged figure facing a horde of slightly recognizable giant shapes that blocked out the sun.
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The purple energy wrapped around the wolf, forcibly binding him in an awkward, painful looking upright position to the stone. The spear stopped shaking. The unholy glowing red eyes fell on them, and a single…noise, less than it was a word, snarled through their heads, though its meaning was clear.
"Leave…"
Morgana made the universal sign for 'wait' to Uriel, who nodded, slowly. She had told them only she would have a chance of taking the Berserker's Spear, one of the few weapons in existence, and not under Imperium control, that could slay the Imperator of Mankind, if used properly. The Ultramarine's task was to find and retrieve or destroy the spear. Either way, just leaving it here in an open field for any random Trainer to come and take was an unacceptable outcome to their God Imperator.
Morgana ignored the struggling, snarling wolf pulling at the bonds of energy uselessly as his mad glowing gaze took in the sight of his brother. He undoubtedly could snap them, he was a Legendary Pokémon after all, even dead and bound, but they quickly reformed from the black gaping void that was his stomach. Up close, she noted the red marks around his eyes, runes of some kind probably signifying his status as a warrior, and his mane was actually braided, though it was thick, and wild, and some had evidently come free in his final battle. Then, she looked at the stone, and the images depicting his costly victory, that ran all the way down to the bottom of the stone, vertically. Apparently, some of the giant's energy had infected the warrior after his victory, probably thanks to the waterfalls of blood infused with Max energy, and his resulting frenzy had made the human figures in the carvings end his suffering, and then bind his spirit here, where he'd apparently bound himself to stay upright and conscious through the end of the battle. Then, she read the runes in Unown script next to the series of images.
"Zaradhuin (Za-rahd-hwin). The Berserker's Spear." She said, adding his title.
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The undead wolf snarled, and tried to lunge at her with his probably still quite deadly fangs. His toothy maw gnashed, as a tendril of energy swirled and snapped around it, binding it closed. "Our ancestors were…not very bright. They could have saved you. Burnt off the Max Energy in your system, and healed your wounds, even with their medicine. It is time all that…malice…inside of you served a purpose."
Uriel's head turned rapidly as she drew a long black wood staff that looked charred, and evil. Caught in its gnarled grip at the tip was a stone that looked anything but evil, though it was pale. The Ultramarine's visor blinked at him, as it detected the aura of energy belonging to a Guardian of Eous, a foe they were long acquainted with fighting. He quietly wondered if it could be one of their Kingdom's holy stones, but dismissed the idea out of hand. It was too unlikely, even for a witch with portal powers.
She leveled the staff at Zaradhuin and the wolf snarled, roaring in pain that turned into a howl as the polluted Max energy, tainted by centuries of dormant rage, infused the staff. Morgana's eyes flared with Shadow, and this too, Uriel noted, though he and his Ultramarines stayed perfectly still. "Ohh…that's the good stuff…" Morgana hissed, before folding the staff away. If she infused it into one of her more violent guard Pokémon, a species known to be naturally ruthless perhaps, it would turn them into a slavering Shadow beast. Exactly the kind she wanted guarding her Scrying implement.
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Zaradhuin seemed thinner now, deflated, and lethargic, though still very tightly bound to the stone. Morgana spoke, then. "When I remove the Gae Bolg, Zaradhuin will likely be freed as well. The last person who did this was…torn apart. But then the wolf put the spear back, and returned to dormancy." There was a reason few living things dared to live near the undead Legend. "We must drive him off. Your bullets will barely affect his ghostly essence, but they will have an effect. If he's stuck wandering the isle adrift and aimless, he's no longer a threat, and his unbound essence will, eventually, fade into nothingness. Get ready. Once we have it, we will return to the ship and hide, then, our transaction will finally take place…and your mission will be complete."
Uriel simply nodded, and the other five Ultramarine's bolters raised in perfect unison, trained on Zaradhuin. "Begin."
At the metallic sounding word, Morgana focused her psychic power into wrenching the spear free of the earth, and after slight resistance, it rose, but was then also bound with purple strands of energy. As if wanting to be free, the spear's blade broke into multiple sharp extensions of metal that grew from the spear tip at multiple angles, and sliced through its bindings. It flew into Morgana's hands with a loud noise, and then, the weakened but still furious wolf was leaping at her.
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Five single shot bolter rounds hammered it, followed immediately by six more, as Uriel joined in. The spray wasn't automatic, but it might as well have been, with how fast and accurately the Ultramarines shot their target. The explosions tested the limits of Morgana's psychic shield, but it held, as she was not the focus. The concussive explosions from the high tech bullets hammered the scarred green wolf back, and after twenty pinpoint rounds to the face, heart, and limbs, Zaradhuin decided to run. His massive form sprinted over the green hills, out of the plains, and into the populated idyllic countryside of Ulster. The regional capital, Atha Cliath, was in that direction, and she assumed the unbound frenzied Legend would keep the Trainers of Ulster busy while they made their escape.
Despite the spell, Zamazenta let out a genuinely sad howl in the wake of his brother, whose head seemed to turn, before he continued running. Wordlessly, Morgana opened a portal as Zamaenta, the Ultramarines, and Tomura hurried through. Morgana was right behind them. It took several portals to get back to their ship, an exercise which had drained Morgana, but they finally arrived on the deck, intact, undetected, and uninjured.
"It is time, Witch. Our deal concludes here." Uriel said, once she appeared. Morgana twirled the staff vertically and nodded.
"I want to know the location of a tomb. Specifically, the tomb of the Successor to the man who Tamed Arceus."
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Uriel wordlessly handed her a datapad, transcribed by, if the data was to be believed, Malcador the Sigillite himself. Her grip on the bone spear, Gae Bulg, tightened as, infuriatingly, all it really told her was that it was somewhere in Aurora, a mostly inhospitable desert region south of her Albion, but north of Galar's northernmost mountain chain. She sighed, but looked at the Ultramarine, and handed him the weapon. She knew she was outmatched against warriors like these, but she actually trusted them to keep to their word. Their Prime Archon was famously regarded as an outspoken moral figure in Imperium politics, though his efforts had not stopped their slavery practices. The most Roboute Guilliman had achieved, was convincing his father not to anger Arceus by genetically altering his creations on a global scale. With the spear in Uriel's hand, Morgana said, "Our deal is concluded."
Uriel just nodded, took two perfect steps backward to fall back in line with his squad, and then they vanished in six flashes of blue light, like they'd never been there in the first place. To Tomura, she said, "I'm dropping you in Kalos, before heading home. You know who to find, and what your mission is. Do not fail me, Tomura."
The creepy teen just grinned, his mouth the only thing really visible beneath his untrimmed white bangs. All he had to do was find some eccentric moth man billionaire, douse a few celebrities with Shadow, and then he could focus on his real motivation for going to Kalos. "Yes, mother."