From Trainer to Beast Tamer Pokémon Trainer! Reader x Twisted Wonderland

Lost in Briar Valley AU Pt 8

Last part till we finish Book 7.
Lost In Briar Valley Pt 8

Reuniting with the rest of the group, they and the rescued Pokémon raced back to Meleanor's castle. Unfortunately, by then, the castle had been surrounded by Iron Ones and Silver Owls likely from different camps given their numbers, all shouting demands that the princess duel with the Dawn Knight or surrender the castle. With little room to maneuver, Lilia teleported everyone inside the castle, him carrying a dizzy little (Y/N) as older (Y/N) was taken care of by Silver.
"Princess Meleanor!" Lilia said as they all entered. "We've returned. The castle is surrounded on all sides."
"Oh, is that what that pesky noise is?" Meleanor asked calmly, Chansey at her side. "I thought for certain only boars could make such noise."
"We freed the Pokémon." Little (Y/N) managed reported. "But they were already marching on the castle. I tried to slow them down with the Drampa, but they can't hold out forever."
"You aren't to blame, (Y/N)." Sebek insisted as Chansey raced over to start healing the bruises on her face. "You did more than anyone could have."
Meleanor got a curious look on her face, standing up and waving to Chansey to stand aside. The child didn't look the princess in the eye as she approached.
"I see your own kind treated you just as harshly as us. To think they'd stoop as low as to injure a child." A green aura suddenly surrounded little (Y/N) and in an instant, all of her injuries sealed, even Lairon's bite wound.
Meleanor simply turned to Lilia.
"The Silver Owls will swarm the castle and their numbers will only grow." The General reported. "With our numbers, even with the support of the Pokémon, we won't be able to fend off the swarm. I say this with deepest regrets: we must retreat. The treasures of the castle and the castle itself are the pride of our people, but they are not worth the life of our heir."
"It's not just the castle." Sebek reported. "Henric is also after the Princess Glow. The Dawn Knight believes it can heal someone important to them."
"The Princess Glow is the gem in your staff, correct, your highness?" Older (Y/N) asked as she nodded.
"Indeed. I'm not surprised. Henric practically drooled over it when he first laid eyes on it."
Little (Y/N) then flinched.
"There was something else. One moment please." She pushed the teens and Grim under Swampert and pulled Marshtomp on top of her. "He's also after the egg."
"What...?" Meleanor seethed as thunder could be heard.
"The idiot doesn't know it's your egg, princess! He thinks it's an actual dragon! I tried to tell him the truth, but he wouldn't listen!"
"That's all the more reason to retreat." Lilia said. "Princess, you must make a decision!"
Meleanor smiled and began to laugh in a concerning way. "Did you ask me to retreat? Are you saying I would lose? If it were anyone but you, I would turn you to ash in a single breath, Lilia."
Meleanor decided to switch it up, breathing green flames that had Baul snatch the kids away from as the teens and Pokémon scattered.
"Nya!" Grim screamed, clutching Absol's fur as he ran. "She's crazy!"
"Princess!" Lilia shouted as the flames disappeared.
Meleanor turned to her egg. "They want the Princess Glow, the gem of my staff, and my egg. If those humans dare challenge me, they have some nerve. If they want to be destroyed so badly, I'll happily oblige."
"Wait." Lilia insisted. "It's a trap.
"I don't care." Meleanor shot back. "I'll destroy their pitiful plan."
Lilia seemed to scream to whatever god that was willing to pity him. "Aah! That's enough! You spoiled princess! You should listen to advice when asked for it! Remember that time when we were kids and you escaped the castle and sent the whole kingdom into a panic!? Or when you messed with the Queen's staff and broke it!? Or that marriage proposal with a foreign dignitary you ruined!? Have I ever been wrong when I told you to stop!? Every single time, I was the one who got into trouble with the Queen and those old senators. This time, I will make you listen to me!"
Meleanor looked pleasantly shocked. "It's been some time since you've spoken to me like that. But even when you said stop, there was never a time you didn't lend me a hand."
"This isn't the time to be laughing! You're not a mischievous little girl anymore! You're strong, stronger than anyone in this country, but there are always risks. With Levern gone, who will take care of the child?"
"It is because I am the mother that I am going. If I respond to the duel, the humans' attention will be on me. In that moment, you will escape with the beasts and the egg."
"Wha-!?" Everyone yelled.
"What the hell are you saying!?" Lilia demanded. "Fighting is the job of the Kingsguard!"
Baul nodded in agreement. "The General is correct! What is a Kingsguard if we cannot protect the princess?"
"You lot have been marching endlessly for days and you're covered in scratches. Are you going to protect me with those frail bodies? Don't make me laugh. I'm telling you to get out of my way."
Both human girls were about to say something when they heard the egg cry again, as if Malleus knew what was to come. Both looked over at the egg, little (Y/N) with worry and older (Y/N) with pity. Meleanor, seeing this, walked over to the egg.
"Tiny one, come here." Hesitantly, little (Y/N) joined her by the podium. "What do you see?"
"The egg?" She answered, confused.
"Is that all?"
Little (Y/N) looked again as both saw a green light pulse through the egg, revealing the shadow of the hatchling inside. Meleanor nodded, as if she had seen it reflected in their eyes.
"You are an odd one, child of man, both of you, in fact, but I believe you were brought to us for a reason. I will entrust you with a task. Do not fail me." To everyone's shock, Meleanor placed the egg in little (Y/N)'s arms. "Swear to me, upon your true name, you will protect this egg."
She only hesitated for a moment, looking up with a determined look. "I promise, I'll protect Malleus."
Sebek fell to his knees, his envy almost palpable. "You were give the honor of carrying the young master's egg?"
"Honestly, I'm shocked I managed it at that age." Older (Y/N) said. "Maybe that's why I'm good with Pokémon eggs.
"Lilia." The General was shocked as Meleanor picked (Y/N) up by the scruff and threw her at him.
Lilia gasped, catching poor (Y/N), who was in shock over the whole. "Don't just throw children!"
She ignored him. "Lilia, Baul, I will give you my orders: escape from Wild Rose Castle with the creatures and deliver the egg and the child of man to Black Scale Castle. I will not allow for defiance. Now, go!"
"There's no way we'd listen to that order!" Lilia shouted, still holding onto little (Y/N) and the egg. "I'll stay behind-,"
"Do not disobey me!" Meleanor struck out with lightning again. "I told you to go. Did you not hear me?"
"There's no way I'd listen to that order!"
"You fool!"
Once more, lightning came down, but this time, Marshtomp ran in front of Lilia, taking the blows without hesitation. The water/ground type growled at the princess.
"Insolent creature." Meleanor hissed. "You dare stand against me?"
This time, she threw fire, but Swampert backed up his younger self, the Waterfall he used managing to to neutralize the flames.
"Princess Meleanor, stop!" Older (Y/N) yelled. "I know you're trying to protect you egg and Lilia, but don't chase him away! Talk to him!"
Baul nodded in agreement. "Princess, I hope you will heed the General's advice."
"Please, Meleanor!" Lilia begged. "Don't accept the duel! Give up the castle and escape! If I were to lose you and Levern both...what would I do?"
"Hush." The princess ordered. "I won't lose to them. No matter their numbers, I'll squash every last one of them. But, in case I don't return, my child will be here."
"If you're not here, the egg won't hatch!" Lilia argued.
"Then you will hatch it."
"Don't be absurd! A dragon can only hatch with a parent's magic and love, true love! I don't know anything about a parent's love! I've never loved anyone!"
Meleanor smirked. "The way you hold and protect that child of man says differently. Besides, don't you love me, or was that marriage proposal when we were young fake?"
"That was 200 years ago!" Lilia yelled back. "We were kids! Why are you bringing that up now!?"
"You loved Levern too. You and him spent more time together than we did. There is no way you can't love a child from the two of us, especially when you've already let another child into your heart."
"What kind of nonsense is-Gah!"
Lilia tightened his grip around (Y/N) and jumped back as thorny vines began to grow around them. Marshtomp darted away too as Baul comedically picked up Chansey.
"Mrah!?" Grim shrieked as Swampert's front legs were tied up. "When did all these vibe say get here!?"
Lilia looked at the princess desperately as only Noivern and Crobat seemed to be able to avoid the vines, though even they were being herded. "Meleanor, please! Don't do something stupid!"
The princess turned her back to them. "Malleus will eventually become a blessed star that shines brightly on the fae of Briar Valley, and for humans, a deadly star to fear."
"Self-fulfilling prophecy much?" Older (Y/N) thought.
The vines eventually grabbed hold of everyone, muzzling a few Pokémon who tried to blast them, and began dragging them away.
"Princess!" Baul shouted. "Please stop this! Princess!"
"Er!" Silver grunted, trying to at least free Absol who could cut them loose. "It's no use! They just keep pulling us back!"
Meleanor just smiled. "Malleus, my precious child. I trust him to you both, Lilia and child of man. May the blessings of the night be with you."
The princess then vanished in a flash as the vines dragged them off. Lilia attempted to go after her, but he refused to loosen his grip on little (Y/N). When the chaos finally calmed down, they were all in darkness, the sound of water rushing around her.
"Is everyone all right?" Older (Y/N) asked.
"We're fine." Her younger self answered for her and Lilia. "Marshtomp, are you and Chansey okay?"
"Mar mar!"
"Chansey!"
"Us as well." Silver stated for him and Sebek as the Pokémon sounded off.
"Sol!"
"Cro!"
Vern!"
"Dre!"
"Good." Older (Y/N) sighed in relief. "Where are we?"
"If I had to guess, the underground waterways of the castle." Baul stated.
Lilia tensed. "Damn this. Baul, take (Y/N) and the egg, I'm going back up!"
"Hey!" Little (Y/N) protested, clearly not wanting to be handed off.
"General." Baul stated firmly. "To us, the Kingsguard, the orders of the Draconia family are absolute. Your body will only be pierced by the princess's lightning of judgment."
"Then I quit the Kingsguard! I'm used to being hit by lightning anyways!"
"You need to stay calm!" Baul shouted. "The egg you and the human are holding will be the future king of Briar Valley. We must protect the egg and reach Black Scale Castle. Let's trust Princess Meleanor. She will defeat the Dawn Knight and return."
Older (Y/N) felt bile in throat as she chose her next words, knowing the inevitable outcome of the battle. "General, Princess Meleanor's stronger than the lot of us put together. We'd just get in her way."
Lilia growled under his breath, but he stopped arguing, managing to get his mask back on. "Let's move. We've got an egg to deliver. We'll carry out Princess Meleanor's command."
"Yes, sir!" Everyone shouted in agreement as the Pokémon cried out.
Still holding little (Y/N) and the egg in his arms, Lilia led the way through the tunnels. After a time, a very troubling rumble came from above.
"Hm? What's happening?" Sebek asked.
Lilia scowled. "Princess Meleanor's happening. Let's hurry before we get caught in a cave in!"
Just then, older (Y/N) felt something in air, recognizing the signs. "Get down!"
Lilia pulled little (Y/N) and Marshtomp in close as Swampert put up a Protect as Hydreigon and Noivern blasted away anything else. Debris came crumbling down around them, along with something crashing through the roof like meteorite.
"You okay, Marshtomp?" Little (Y/N) asked.
"Tomp!"
"Wait, something else fell!" Baul shouted, pulling Chansey out of the rubble.
A groan filled the air as a man emerged from the rubble.
Silver and Absol pushed forward. "White armor and golden hair..."
Lilia pulled the child in close. "The Dawn Knight!"
"Did Princess Meleanor seriously launch him all the way here?" Little (Y/N) shouted. "And he survived!?"
Th Dawn Knight shook his head and looked at the people and Pokémon who surrounded him. "General Vanrouge. So that egg the child is carrying must be-,"
Lilia hissed like a feral animal, completely blocking little (Y/N) from the Dawn Knight's view.
"Stand back, General." Baul insisted. "I'll handle this."
"Wait, Lord Baul-," Sebek shockingly tried to interject.
Another quake stopped the fae in his tracks and before anyone could react, save for Noivern, Lilia had thrown her out of the way as large chunks of the ceiling crashed down on him. Noivern in turn rushed in to wrap his wings around the General. Silver quickly caught the child who stared at the debris in distress.
"Lilia!"
Older (Y/N), Swampert, and Marshtomp began trying to dig Lilia out, only to hear the sound of paws as Kangaskhan, Lairon, and Manectric came charging into the hole. With their combined strength, they made quick work of the rubble, as Noivern managed to pull himself and Lilia to safety.
Little (Y/N) finally managed to wriggle free of Silver's grasp and race to Lilia. "Lilia, are you okay!?"
He spat out rocks.
"It'll take more than that to kill me." His expression then softened as he saw just how concerned the little one was, patting her head. "I'm fine. I promise."
"Are you both safe?" The Dawn Knight asked.
The Pokémon growled at him lowly and untrustingly as Lilia glared at him.
"Why would you care?"
The Dawn Knight stepped forward, but Manectric had had enough, blasting a Thunderbolt at him. The man jumped back, but his mask, already loosened by his launch, fell off. Older (Y/N) then recalled a troubling revelation.
"Silver, close your eyes!"
It was too late, however, as the second year student seemed to come face-to-face with his own reflection.
"That face!" Sebek gasped as Grim's fur stood on end.
"What in the world!? Is it just me, or are Silver and the Dawn Knight total lookalikes!?"
Just to prove the point, the ring Silver had around his neck began to glow as an identical one on the Dawn Knight did the same."
The Dawn Knight stared at Silver. "The guardian fairies gifted me this ring when I was a young boy. It should be one of a kind. Who ARE you?"
Silver was frozen. "I'm... I'm..."
Another roar came from above as the Dawn Knight seemed to abandon the question.
"...Looks like we've no time to speak at length. Lord Henric is after that egg. Go, before anyone else spots you! Hurry!"
As he turned to leave, little (Y/N) spoke up.
"Don't think this fixes anything. Everything that happens today is still a result of your choices."
"I know." He said.
"Then you also know that as long as you guys keep choosing violence against anything you don't understand, it's never going to end. You're eventually going to have to learn to share this world."
He stopped before smiling sadly at her. "You're a wise young lady. Perhaps in another life or in your world, things may have been better."
The Dawn Knight departed, leaving Baul cross armed.
"Rgh... To think we would receive mercy from a foe. What could possibly be going through the Dawn Knight's head?!"
"Who cares what he's thinking?" Lilia snapped, pick up little (Y/N) once more. "Onward! Into the woods, before we're spotted!"
With that, everyone climbed out of the tunnels and began running into the woods, though Silver, Crobat, Absol, and older (Y/N) lingered by the hole.
"Silver, listen to me, I know what's going through your head right now, but you need to keep calm." She pleaded.
Absol nudged his head into the boy's leg, but he remained frozen. "W-why did he look like me?"
Older (Y/N) sighed, having a very sinking suspicion where this was all going. "Come on, we need to catch up."
Silver flinched back, having a wild look about him. "That face... That ring...No... Is my... Could my biological father be...The Dawn Knight...of the Silver Owls?! It can't be true... NOOO!!!"
All four of them jumped back as the darkness began to surround Silver. Fortunately, the rest of their group went back for them.
"What is all this?!" Baul shouted.
"It looks like ink!" Little (Y/N) said as Marshtomp growled, only for Lilia to pull them both back.
"Worse than that. It's blot!"
Grim hissed. "Mrah?! It's darkness, and way more of it than I've ever seen at once!"
"Rgh... Silver's emotional turmoil must have drawn it here!" Sebek shouted. "Steel your nerves, Silver! SILVER!"
The boy didn't hear him, sinking into the ink. Hydreigon and Noivern tried to fly in to grab him, but the blot pushed them back in a wave.
"They've absorbed Silver!" The General shouted as little (Y/N) pushed herself closer to him in fear. "What are these things?!"
Sebek didn't answer, pulling out his magic pen. "Baul! Lilia! We'll handle this! Please, get to the forest! We'll catch up once we've got Silver!"
"But...!"
Older (Y/N) cut the older Zigvolt off. "GO! HURRY!"
Lilia growled, but seeing the ink approach, he and Baul decided to trust the older kids, leaving them square up against the blot alone.
"Aw, crud! We're totally surrounded by all this darkness goop!" Grim hissed as Swampert used Earthquake to jut up stones to give the some sort of protection.
Sebek launched a fireball at the ink, but it didn't do much. "Confound it, it just keeps welling up no matter how much of it I slay!"
"I can't go on! MRAAAH!"
Grim was snatched by an inky arm, but Noivern sliced through it with an Air Slash as Crobat pulled him back.
(Y/N) felt something call out to her, drawing her towards the dark puddle. Without hesitation, she and Absol began running, and despite the calls of their comrades, they both plunged headfirst into the ink.