PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [24]
Chapter 33 : The Second Battle of Cameran Palace
Ash, Sabrina, and Riley raced across the stone viaduct, the lake below still and calm— a mirror, in more ways than one, for the chaos unfolding above. Not much time had passed between their arrival at the palace and now, their departure, yet already, it seemed like the war had begun in earnest. Smoke billowed up from multiple spots amidst the forest, and Ash could smell the pungent stench of violence permeating the air.
Upon stepping off the bridge, Ash saw a perimeter of Guardians surrounding the palace, their pokémon deployed and ready to fight at a moment’s notice. There were Guardians in the air as well on the backs of their pokémon, keeping a lookout for any approaching enemies, either from land or sky. Riley nodded a thanks to them quickly as they rushed past, pushing into the forest toward the town of Rota.
Within the forest, they enjoyed a brief respite from the roar of battle, shielded by the battalions of trees that stood tall between the town and the palace.
Ash’s heart hammered in his chest as he ran. Just like before, he could sense AZ nearby. Somehow, he could pinpoint his exact location as a fellow Platebearer, and each step along the shaded path brought them closer. He closed his eyes, dispelling his anxiety, then opened them again. AZ would not best him this time. He and his pokémon had worked themselves nearly to the bone this past month, and finally, it was time to put that effort to the test.
“So, Ash. I know you were once the World Champion and all, but is there a reason King Aaron believes you’d stand a chance against AZ?” Riley asked as they ran. “I don’t mean to doubt you, but this AZ is supposed to be like a force of nature. Even King Aaron didn’t sound like he wanted to face him.”
Right, he doesn’t know about the Plate. “I guess he didn’t tell you,” Ash said.
“Tell me what?”
Ash tried organizing a cohesive explanation in his head, but gave up after only a second. “Uh, basically I have these powers now, kind of like a Guardian, actually. I’ve been working with Albr—er, Sir Aaron this past month, so theoretically, I should at least be able to hold AZ off until he arrives. I can explain the rest when this is all over.”
Riley stared at him for a moment, then faced forward again. “Right. I’ll hold you to that. So don’t go dying on me!”
“Same to you!”
After another minute, Sabrina’s gauntlets glowed, and she floated into the air just above the ground. Her stamina left much to be desired and clearly she’d run out of it. As they ran over the shallow rivers and gentle hills of the forest, she cruised along beside them all the way to the town.
As they broke out of the forest and the town came into view, Ash’s eyes widened. The whole town had already become a warzone, and even from above, he could make out civilians among the Guardian fighters and AZ’s hooded acolytes, hiding behind smoking buildings or other similarly damaged architecture.
“Arceus above,” Riley breathed. He glared at the decimation below, then swiftly turned to Sabrina. “Sabrina, if you please.”
“Right.” Her gauntlets glowed, and suddenly, all three of them were in the town.
The sound of angered shouts and savage roars filled the air as the two sides clashed against each other. The Guardians down the street ahead hurled azure Aura Spheres at their enemies, but their enemies had come prepared, knowing full well who they were assaulting, and they reacted calmly, ordering their pokémon with quiet precision.
They’d teleported down into a plaza, with a burning tree in the center spewing embers and soot across the cobbled ground. Immediately, Riley approached a family of three, huddling behind a cracked fountain, the two parents wrapping their arms protectively around their child.
“Get up, you must get away from this place!” Riley urged, tugging on the father’s arm.
He unburied his face from his child’s head and stared at Riley, eyes wide with fear. Dirt and tears smeared across his face, but he smiled ever so slightly upon recognizing his family’s savior. “S-Sir Riley…”
“My comrades will lead you to a safe place,” Riley said, and he stood, peering down another street. This street was lined with black ash, the scars of a battle, but after a few seconds, a pair of Guardians appeared at the next intersection, leading a middle-aged couple away from the battle. “Hey!” Riley shouted, catching their attention. They both looked over, and one jogged over, his Mightyena running beside him. “Boris!” Riley said, recognizing the Guardian. “I have three more over here!” He pointed over at the family.
“Shit, I’m sorry!” He ran over to the family, coaxing them out of their huddle. “Come, you’re safe now.”
As he led them down the street to join his comrade, Riley grabbed his shoulder. “Don’t be sorry, you’re doing well. Just make sure to keep your wits about you! You can only keep others safe if you keep yourself safe!”
“Right, thank you, sir!” Boris nodded, before racing off back down the burned street.
Ash and Sabrina joined Riley, ready to move on. Riley pulled out a pokéball and released his Lucario. “I wish I could stay here and help, but we have our jobs to do. You two know where you’re going?”
“Yup, I can sense AZ now,” Ash said. “He’s slowly moving toward Cameran Palace, through the forest.”
Sabrina nodded. “The psychic dyad is at Rota’s southern edge. I can teleport nearby.”
“Good. Be careful,” Riley said, meeting both of their gazes. “As for me, King Aaron’s manor lies to the west of town.” He chuckled grimly. “All those years I’d been told to stay away, I never would’ve guessed that house belonged to the World Champion, much less King Aaron himself.” He clapped both of them on the shoulder. “Good luck to both of you. I promise you I’ll keep Anabel safe.”
Ash and Sabrina nodded, and without another word, they disappeared, Ash down a street to the southeast, and Sabrina, into thin air. Riley gave one last look at the scenery around him, before sprinting off toward Albrecht’s manor, Lucario running beside him.
Arcane jumped back as Golurk’s massive fist came crashing down on the ground where she’d been standing a moment ago. Dirt and grass erupted around it in chunks, spraying outward.
“Confuse Ray!” Anabel commanded.
Two wisps of blue flame wafted off of Ceruledge’s blades, and floated up toward Golurk’s face. However, despite the fact that one of its fists were lodged in the ground, Golurk raised its other fist, a purple Shadow Ball roiling in its palm. The massive golem pushed the Shadow Ball against the wisps, snuffing them out, before casting it down at Arcane.
Ceruledge raised its arm, then sliced them down in a screaming arc, bisecting the Shadow Ball perfectly. The two halves fell past her, and collapsed in on themselves, exploding behind Anabel. The explosion sent a gale of wind buffeting around her, blowing her hair around her.
“Did you think a trick like that would work against me?” Vandrick drawled.
“Made you look.”
Ten blue wisps suddenly spun into existence around Golurk’s head, and it barely had time to raise its head in surprise before all ten wisps plunged into its body. Immediately, the lights on its ancient body began to flicker spastically, and it jerked awkwardly, ripping its arm free from the ground and sending a spray of dirt in its master’s direction.
Vandrick frowned and shook his head, brushing the dirt from his pants. He pulled out a pokéball and recalled Golurk before it could do any further damage. “No matter. I’ll simply crush you with another. He switched pokéballs and tossed out another one. A Talonflame, as tall as the man himself, landed deftly on the ground before him, before spreading its brilliant wings menacingly. “I’m afraid Talonflame is unmatched in the sky. I doubt you’ll be able to stop what happens next.” He thrust his arm forward. “Brave Bird.”
Talonflame vanished, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust where it’d only just been standing. Anabel squinted up at the sky, and was chilled at what she saw. Talonflame had flown so far it was nothing more than a black speck. So fast! I need to—
Right in front of her, right where Arcane was standing, a massive crash exploded outward, sending dirt, grass, and dust into the air. Talonflame flew back and landed next to its trainer again, and Anabel looked down in horror at the crater that had suddenly appeared before her. Arcane staggered back on her feet, her swords dragging against the ground. She was clearly massively injured. Anabel wouldn’t have been surprised if she had a concussion from that blow.
Vandrick flicked his hand lazily. “Finish it.”
Again, Talonflame slammed into Arcane, though because it was so close, Anabel could just make out Arcane’s crossed swords blocking the blow before Talonflame disengaged and pelted her from the side. Each time, Arcane blocked it at the last second, twisting her body and sliding on her feet to get the best footing she could. But Talonflame was relentless, and its attacks started to come faster and faster.
That was when Anabel realized Talonflame was targeting her. But every time Talonflame tried to come at her at an open angle, Arcane leapt in between them. Anabel could see Arcane’s shadow oozing behind her as she moved. She was using Shadow Sneak to keep up. But every attack was landing, and she wouldn’t last much longer on the defensive.
“I’m going to move to the left, Arcane! Take the next hit and use Night Slash, then Shadow Claw!”
Arcane made no acknowledgement that she’d heard, but as Anabel moved herself to lure Talonflame into an opening, she saw Arcane lower its swords, and one ignited in rippling black darkness, while the other became soaked in ghostly purple energy. Talonflame tore toward Anabel, but just before it could slice her in two, Arcane tackled it out of the air, then slammed her Night Slash into the bird’s exposed back.
Talonflame squawked in surprise and tried to put some distance between the two, but the darkness sizzled within the slash on its back, and it shuddered in pain. Arcane’s Shadow Claw caught it in the neck, and she swung so hard she launched the bird all the way back over to its master’s side. With the relentless assault finally over, Arcane exhaled with a metallic groan, and she panted in place.
Anabel’s eyes narrowed. That was way too much damage. Arcane will go down with the next attack. She clutched her injured stump, and grit her teeth in pain. Damn it! She took deep breaths, trying to stave off and ignore the pain. We still have our trump card. She pulled out Arcane’s pokéball and recalled her.
Vandrick raised an eyebrow. “You actually stopped Talonflame’s Brave Bird. Color me impressed. I can understand why you’d save your Ceruledge for later. One as tenacious as that is surely destined to punch a hole in my team before it falls for good. But, very well. Release your next pokémon.”
What is this? Some kind of honor? Anabel thought, grabbing a different pokéball. From what he said before, he probably doesn’t want to bring shame on AZ by attacking me without one of my pokémon out. She released Snorlax, and she saw Vandrick’s eyes narrow in confusion at the sight of his wiry body. “What are you doing here at the Tree of Beginnings anyway?” Anabel asked. “Aren’t you here to destroy the Guardians?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Vandrick said. “We’re here to destroy the Guardians. But there is one Guardian who stands head and shoulders above the rest. And his body rests within the Tree.”
Anabel frowned. Even she had heard of that man. “Sir Aaron?”
“The very same. Though I believe he’s been gallivanting around under the name‘Albrecht.’ Facing down the World Champion in battle is a tall enough order as is, but add to that his tremendous power as a Guardian, and he lands in an entirely different tier of strength.” Vandrick’s gaze darkened and he rubbed his knuckles. “Much better to discard a man like that off the board as soon as humanly possible, however underhanded the method.”
Anabel’s eyes widened. Albrecht is Sir Aaron! Sir Aaron was the king of the Guardians? I always thought he was just a hero! Then she remembered what he’d told Ash and Sabrina about his departure from the Guardians. Did he purge the history of his rule along with his association with the Guardians? Why would he do such a thing to begin with?
“It seems you weren’t aware of this fact, but while I understand your shock, you’re still in my way. Heat Wave, Talonflame.”
Talonflame streamed up into the sky, trailing embers, and Anabel dashed thoughts of Albrecht from her mind, once again focused on the foe in front of her. Talonflame was taking full advantage of its flight, and while it was up there, Juggernaut would be forced on the defensive just like Arcane. However, after Arcane’s unexpected resilience, and because of Juggernaut’s peculiar appearance, Vandrick seemed to be taking a more defensive posture now, opting to attack from a distance. Likely, he intended to whittle Snorlax down from afar, then close in more aggressively once he’d chipped away at him enough.
Unfortunately for him, Juggernaut was no ordinary Snorlax.
“Hammer Arm!” Anabel commanded.
Juggernaut crouched down, bunching up the muscles in his legs, then rocketed into the sky. A storm of scorching embers rained down on and around him. The grass around Anabel caught fire, and though she tried to angle herself behind Juggernaut, a flurry of embers caught her in the side, and she winced in pain.
“Arghhh!” she cried, falling to her knees and clutching her severed arm. Just a few hot embers had touched down on her right shoulder, but with how sensitive her arm still was, it sent a searing agony across her entire injury. She squeezed the stump, trying to stifle the pain, but when she withdrew her hand, it was sticky with blood. Her shirt was also now soaked in bright red blood and she cursed silently, feeling her body begin to sweat.
Up above, Juggernaut sailed above the Heat Wave and brought his two fists together, before raising them over his head. Talonflame barely had time to register the fact that its target was now above it before Juggernaut brought the hammer down right on top of its head. Talonflame shot downward, but just before it impacted the ground, its wings spread outward, and it caught itself, flying upside down parallel to the ground, before righting itself again.
“Brave Bird!” Vandrick snarled. “Get the girl, now!”
Anabel grit her teeth and looked skyward. Juggernaut’s silhouette looked black against the sun, but he seemed close enough. “Giga Impact!” she screamed.
A blaze of purple and white energy filtered into existence around Juggernaut, and the air shimmered around him, as if he’d suddenly gotten too heavy for reality to contain him. As Talonflame streaked across the burned grass toward Anabel, Juggernaut bulleted downward like a living comet. The two intercepted each other just in front of Anabel, and they smashed into each other, raw energy booming outward and knocking Anabel to the ground once again. Snorlax and Talonflame both spun off in opposite directions, rolling over in heaps on the ground, their bodies smoking. After several seconds, neither of them moved.
Anabel watched the aftermath from the ground, her sense of pain dulled by the shock of the outcome. Admittedly, Juggernaut wasn’t as tanky as he probably could’ve been if he’d kept the fat, but that he’d gone down so easily was like a slap to the face. Anabel could’ve run through a list of excuses for why things had happened the way they did, but ultimately, none of that mattered now. This man was on his way to kill the Sir Aaron, if his words were to be trusted. Anabel needed to stop him at any cost.
She recalled Juggernaut and Vandrick did the same for his Talonflame, then released Arcane again. She was slouching where she stood, still unrecovered from the Talonflame’s assault, but her eyes burned with resolve.
Talonflame took far more punishment than I expected it would have, especially for such a frail species,” Anabel thought. If his other pokémon are anything like it, then I need raw power to cut them down…
Across the field, Vandrick released an imposing Goodra, dripping with rancid slime. The tails on its head curled, acquainting themselves with their surroundings. Upon seeing Arcane before it, its eyes narrowed, and Anabel could sense the threat exuding from it, and she shivered.
She rolled her shoulder, trying to ignore the burning pain that was rapidly getting worse on her right side, and pulled out her Tera Orb. She clutched it in her hand for a moment, savoring its weight, and the power that came with it, before recalling Arcane into it. She pressed the center button, and it thrummed in her hand, before releasing Arcane once again.
Vandrick’s eyes narrowed at the sight of Ceruledge’s Terastallized form. “What is this now?” he murmured.
Arcane’s armor was now pitch black, as was the ghastly flame on her head. However, as the sunlight moved across her body, there were faint glints of refracted light, evidence of the Terastallization, though her body was far too dark now for their color to be made out. As she raised her swords, her crystalline body clinked softly.
“It wasn’t easy to weld an Auspicious Armor piece and a Malicious Armor piece together,” Anabel said. “But the end result ended up even greater than I expected. Turns out when you combine the two, you get more the sum of its two parts.” She pointed at Arcane’s jet black armor. “It takes Tera Crystals to keep this armor together, which means its true form only manifests during Terastallization.”
“How fascinating,” Vandrick said. “In another life, you would have been worthy to serve my master. It’s a shame such talent must be culled.”
Anabel smirked slightly. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?” she muttered. “Whatever. Seraphim Saber.”
“Power Whip to restrain it, then Hydro Cannon,” Vandrick commanded. Arcane’s power was obvious to see, and he clearly wanted to end it as quickly as possible, knowing she only needed one more attack to fall for good.
Goodra’s head-tails stretched out in an instant, closing across the battered field and wrapping around Arcane’s arms. Arcane made no move to defend herself, and a moment later, the dragon moaned in pain and let go, its appendages smoking as they shrunk back to size.
Vandrick frowned. “How hot is its body?! No matter, use Hydro Cannon!”
Goodra sucked in a gigantic breath, flooding its bowels with water, then bellowed it out in a pressurized, white column of fury.
Arcane’s arms both elongated, and the tips of her swords began to glow white. The glow traveled down the length of her swords to the hilt, until both were brimming with a harsh light. She swung one, slashing the Hydro Cannon apart, sending the water sizzling upward in a billow of steam, then blitzed toward Goodra. Goodra glared at its opponent and crossed its arms and head-tails both in front of its body protectively. Arcane did the same, crossing her swords before her, before cleaving them across Goodra’s chest. A blinding light seared outward from the impact, and Arcane came to a stop behind the dragon, the glow on her swords fading.
Goodra pitched to the side, then collapsed. A gleaming white X remained carved into its body, and Vandrick looked upon his pokémon in shock, before shifting his gaze to the hateful Ceruledge.
I’m sure he thought I went with an offensive Terastallization to maximize Arcane’s damage before she fell,” Anabel thought. That made him think Hydro Cannon was a safe bet. But unbeknownst to him, because of Arcane’s special armor, she can only Tera into one type— typeless. She has no advantages, but also no weaknesses, perfect for either a hyper-offensive or defensive role, whichever we need.
Anabel wasn’t clear on the specifics, but based on their work together, melding the auspice and malice in Arcane’s armor had produced a sort of void, an emotion so strong it killed itself, leaving something else in its wake. Practically speaking, they’d grafted plates from the Auspicious Armor onto the Malicious Armor, which is why Charcadet ultimately evolved into Ceruledge, but their trump card turned her into something that could hardly still be called Ceruledge. The heat within her also grew stronger, despite losing her typing. Anabel surmised it was similar to the move Burn Up, except Ceruledge’s fire redirected inward instead of exploding outward, causing her body temperature to skyrocket.
All and all, she was quite proud of her final team member.
As Arcane stepped back to Anabel’s side protectively, her swords shrunk back down to size. Vandrick recalled Goodra and pondered for a moment before selecting his next pokémon. Ultimately, he decided on Sigilyph, and the massive bird fluttered into the air, its multicolored stone pieces tinkling against each other.
“Yes, truly it is a shame you transgressed against my master as you did,” Vandrick lamented. “I would’ve liked for us to work together.”
“Why do you think I would ever work with you?” Anabel said in disgust.
Vandrick shrugged, like he really hadn’t given it much thought. “I’ve met many young trainers in my time, all pursuing power for various reasons. Within you, I sense a lust for glory. On another timeline, I think you would work for me, if only to get closer to my legendary master.” His eyes flicked up to meet hers, and they mocked her, as if daring her to deny it.
“Shut your mouth!” Anabel roared. “Seraphim Saber, again!”
Vandrick raised his arm. “Psychic Ruin!”
As Arcane’s blades extended once more, Sigilyph floated into the air, and shards of psychic energy began to curl into existence around its wings, shimmering like snowflakes around it. As more and more flecks filtered into being, the air seemed to get heavy around the cursed bird, and its whole body began to leak a noxious power that twisted reality and forced Anabel to look away.
It won’t take the entire attack to defeat Arcane, which means the rest of it will turn on me, Anabel realized. The way that spectral sheen seemed to engulf Sigilyph made Anabel think it had a mind of its own, and she shuddered. She plucked another pokéball off her belt in preparation for the worst.
Arcane leapt straight into the blizzard, her swords gleaming against the spectral silica, steeped in evil. Sigilyph trembled, and suddenly, all its gathered power shrunk down and absorbed itself back into its body. Then, a moment of silence later, it blasted outward in a hellish nova, releasing a scream of death that filled the air with violet malice. Rays of light sliced through the explosion in sporadic cuts, leaking through the shadowy discharge.
In front of Anabel, the newly deployed Royal batted away stray bits of psychic energy that snaked their way toward her master with her ribbons. Her eyes were narrowed, studying the pungent violet hue across the sky.
After almost a minute, the light finally began to fade, and daylight once again cut through the darkness, revealing the outcome. Arcane and Sigilyph both lay unmoving on the ground, and Arcane’s armor was back to its usual indigo. Anabel closed her eyes and recalled her fallen partner, thanking her silently.
Vandrick hesitated a moment before doing the same, and he replaced Sigilyph’s pokéball on his belt seemingly still in disbelief that it was already defeated. However, he soon shrugged and eyed his new opponent across the field.
“A Suicune. Most impressive,” he said, nodding. “As if it wasn’t already clear that you’re no ordinary trainer. No ordinary Interpol asset either, I imagine.” He looked past Royal to meet Anabel’s gaze. “The other two my master encountered are like you, aren’t they?” He scowled. “This may throw a wrench in our plan.”
As he reached around to grab another pokéball, he brushed his suit coat aside, and Anabel saw at least twenty pokéballs attached to his belt, and her blood ran cold. She wouldn’t last if they continued to exchange evenly like this. Her mind began to race, thinking desperately of what she could do to stop him.
“It is absolutely imperative that you fall here,” Vandrick said, and he released his next pokémon.
A towering Trevenant materialized onto the grass and immediately sunk its ghostly roots into the ground.
“Stay on guard,” Anabel said to Royal, though maybe she’d meant it more to herself. The pain in her arm was beginning to blossom into full-blown agony, but she took deep breaths to keep herself focused forward. It was getting so bad her eyes started to water, but she grit her teeth and clenched her fist.
“Sheer Cold!”
Atop a tall hill that overlooked all of Rota, one man watched the unfolding chaos below. He sat on the edge of the cliff, his leg swinging lazily over the open air. From such a height, the Guardians and AZ’s force both looked like little more than ants, crawling about in a depraved scrum. Dark clouds crawled across the sky above him, slowly closing in on Rota. Yet for now, the sun still shined through.
“Good thing we got here in time, eh Kingambit?” Zagreus said. “The storm arrived quicker than expected. Perhaps even we underestimated him as well.”
Beside him, a Kingambit stood still, its arms crossed, observing the war with as much interest as its master.
“Fate is such a cruel jester. To think we’d find the Plate here of all places. Though I suppose that is by Sir Aaron’s design.” He sighed. “As much as I’d like to kill the boy, I suppose that will have to wait. We have a far more important role to play here.”
As they watched the war play out, after some time, the mountain beneath them started to rumble, shaking the sea of trees below.
A demonic grin split Zagreus’ face, a horrific scar nearly bisecting it from brow to jaw. “They’re here. And with that, what little hope the Guardians had will now be unceremoniously snuffed out,” he snickered.
Next — Chapter 34 : AZ’s Titans
