Paragon

Remnants of the Great War [19]

PARAGON

Remnants of the Great War Arc [19]

Chapter 28 : Storm Before The Storm

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It was a bright day out in Rota again. Ash had gotten an early start, beginning with his usual jog around the World Champion's property. He returned to find breakfast ready for him in the dining hall, but again, there was no one to join him, and he ate alone. As expected, Cynthia slept nearly till noon. Taking advantage of the lull in her busy schedule, Ash supposed. And as he'd learned at dinner last night, Sabrina had crashed earlier yesterday afternoon after watching over Anabel for so long, and Ash still hadn't seen her at all today.

All and all, it meant a quiet morning for Ash and Albrecht to dedicate to their Platebearer training. With the threat of AZ on the horizon, Ash had once again switched around his roster. Although type matchups had largely become irrelevant at his level of trainer, since he could comfortably engage with any pokémon with any of his own regardless of type, he still thought it'd be wise to use a different flyer than Dragonite for now. He'd gotten one-shot by AZ, even through his Multiscale, so clearly types still mattered. In place of Dragonite's powerhouse offense, Charizard was on his way. Venusaur and Lucario were still onboard as checks, and they were both training their poison and steel moves respectively in a different part of the valley. Though thinking about them made Ash remember a certain request from his Lucario.

"Hey, Albrecht, if it's not too much trouble, d'you think I can head over to Cameran Palace later today?" Ash asked. "My Lucario is actually the younger brother of a Guardian friend of mine and he wanted to say hi while we were in the area."

The World Champion crossed his arms. "Hmmm, I'm not sure that's wise."

"What do you mean?"

"I spoke with Queen Ilene yesterday and told her everything I told you. As you can imagine, she was quite shell-shocked to learn who I truly am, and she demanded a royal banquet be organized immediately. I talked her out of that, but she did insist I stay for dinner with her at the Palace, which is why I was absent last night, and I apologize for that. But ultimately we decided it would be the wisest course of action if my presence and identity remain hidden from the rest of the Guardians, for the time being. As I understand, she's actually calling a meeting of all her top advisors and captains later today to discuss AZ's imminent attack, and she plans to summon all the Guardians from around the world back here to defend their home. The time will eventually come for all to be revealed, but there's no sense in causing a panic before we're ready. For the time being, I'd prefer you and your friends to remain here, so as not to cause undue excitement."

Ash nodded. "I guess that makes sense. But couldn't AZ attack any time? He could attack today, or tomorrow for all we know, before the Guardians even get here."

"That is true, but I don't think he will. Like us, he still needs time to gather his forces. Taking into account the secrecy of his journey here, and how quickly he left, I suspect it'll be at least two or three months until he'd even consider launching a full-scale attack on Rota."

"Which means I have two months to get ready to face him again," Ash said, clenching his fist.

Albrecht turned to Ash. "Your gusto is admirable, and appreciated. But Rota is my home. And the home of the Guardians. It is our duty to defend it."

"But didn't you say you thought I was the one who'd use the Plates to end the conflicts of the world?" Ash asked.

"That I did," Albrecht smiled. "But this quarrel with AZ is a fight that should have ended three thousand years ago. AZ is a sad old man coming back to haunt the present. If I can help it, you won't need to concern yourself with him." He rubbed his fingers. "Allow me to finish what I started long ago."