Heroes of Darkness

V

CHRIS

It felt good to stretch his legs after spending the last week and a half on that ship. He walked through the streets of Mauville waving and smiling at the people. His people. Azumarill paced proudly by his side, its round chest puffed out. The people were there, watching as their lord returned at last.

Chris Marsh II relished every smooth step along the streets of Mauville. It had been so long since there was solid ground beneath his feet. As he began walking up the hill to approach the wooden manse that was his childhood home, he smiled.

He was now the Lord over Mauville and Slateport, just a few weeks shy of his eighteenth birthday. Empress Glamour had declared it herself before the First Generation set sail from the capitol back to their respective homes. Chris had decided he wanted to stop in his mothers' ancestral city to see her one last time before he set up his own residence in the town of his late father.

"Look around," he told his Spirit Pokémon proudly when they got to the top of the hill. "All of this land the Empress has given to us, in her name." Both he and his Spirit Pokémon swelled with pride. They had known that would be the case, since he was a child.

The wooden gates creaked open, and behind them a small party waited for him. The first to greet him was his mother, Sarah Spark, in her mid-thirties. She wore the traditional gold-plated armor of the Spark family. His mother sat on top of a similarly armored Manectric. Guards and servants accompanied her.

Thunder rolled in the grey sky above. It's going to rain again, Chris thought. He stared up at the palace he had grown up in. Something was wrong. "Mother," he said calmly.

"Welcome home, my son," she responded with a smile as she rode up to stand beside him. They looked at each other for a second. "Is something wrong?"

Chris pointed at the flags flying above the palace. "Her Majesty's flag should be flying above your family' flag, mother. They're not to be flown at the same height." Chris was proud of himself. That was one of the first lessons he had learned during his teachings in Sootopolis: Empress Myranda Glamour was to come first and foremost in everyone's thought. She had unified Hoenn after centuries of conflict and disorganized rule. The citizens and great Spirit Families of her Empire needed to pay her homage.

Lady Spark looked back down at him with a smile. "Yes, I suppose you're right. I'll have the banner-man fix it at once."

Chris scoffed at her. It wasn't enough that the problem was fixed this time. He remembered Ahab's words: "If there's a problem," his mentor had told him, "it's best to pull it out by its roots, and see to it that it never happens again."

"Yes, have a new banner-man fix it," he told his mother. "Then, I want him in a cell, so he can think about how he has shamed his Empress."

Lady Sarah's Manectric growled unsurely as Chris began to walk back up to the palace. He heard his mother following behind him, trying to catch up.

"Chris, might I speak for the old man," he heard her pant behind him. "He's served our family for many years, since your grandfather still ruled. It was a mistake in his old age."

Chris felt annoyed. He looked down and saw Azumarill frown beside him. Why did she have to question him? He was lord of Mauville now, not her. "You're lucky I'm the only one who heard your back talk," he said. "If one of the Empress's men had heard your talk, they would have you punished as well, mother. How many other times, how many weeks has her majesty's flag of glory been too low? Put the man in prison and I'll forget this mistake."