Pokémon Chronicles 零 (ZERO)

Episode 7: The legend of the shining warrior

When we finally got back to RBY Academy, we were greeted by the last thing I was expecting to see: a string of beautiful females showcasing a red carpet walk for us, complete with show lights casted by Magnemite, explosions of confetti, and a crowd of excited Pokémon being held off by barricades and security. The security was made up of imperial knights, whilst our guides along the carpet were the pretty females, from richly dressed Blissey in fashion suits to Lopunny in provocative costumes. None of them said anything to us; they just directed us along the carpet.

"Su-seriously... what in the world?" I staggered, blankly following our guide.

"You kids didn't tell me that you were celebrities," Angel teased.

"I may as well count out dinner now..." Lucca moaned, rubbing his belly. We giggled at him and carried on, becoming concerned about the fact that the carpet was heading to the direct centre of the academy. Headmaster Panzer's offices were there, and unsurprisingly, the very Flygon was waiting outside, still tangled crazily by her mystical sash.

"Crystal! Megan! Shelly! Lucca! Mimia!" she cheered, opening out her claws as if to scramble us all together in one painful hug. "Ahahahahaha! Words cannot describe how happy I am to see you. Happy and proud!"

"Mi-Miss Panzer..." I coughed.

"Please, come right in! Follow me. You must all be tired. Do come now, its super important!" she suggested, turning tail and barging down the door. We all exchanged looks and shrugged, deciding to follow after her.

Lucca was the first to react to the welcoming layout we found inside. A long party table lined the centre of the room; said table overloaded with freshly prepared foods and sweets, most of which I couldn't recognise. The smells coming from it all did bring my attention to my hunger however, and Lucca was uncontrollably drooling at it all.

"Is this for us? The heck?" Megan wondered, the only one sceptical about it all.

"Yes yes, please, go right ahead!" Panzer assured happily, unveiling herself from a room behind it all. "You're special guests after all, and special guests need to be fortified with good food."

"Alright!" Lucca cheered.

"You guys really are celebrities, aren't you?" Angel laughed.

"We're... seriously not..." I muttered dumbly. "Miss Panzer, why?"

"... Oh dear, none of you but Lucca looks relaxed. I suppose it's just right for the traits of the heroes," Panzer sighed. "We saw the activation of the bestia fountain on Fossil Hill. That means you five are the ones, the saviours."

For some reason, Angel flinched and switched mood completely, staring at Panzer with a horrified look on her face. She didn't say anything, so we could only take notice.

"The saviours?" I repeated, settling down with a few berries anyway. They didn't seem to have a problem with me pecking them directly off the plate, despite them being laid out in a posh fashion.

"Bestia fountain?" Megan added. "Come on, it's obvious that we're clueless here!"

"Yes. You awakened the bestia fountain. That must mean that the shining warriors are you lot! By default, the whole world is indebted to you, so the academy is practically yours. Feel free to eat to your heart's content and take any items you'll need for your quest," Panzer stated.

"Miss Panzer, you do get a bit ahead of yourself sometimes, you know that?" a new voice joked, joining the scene with a smart tone. It came from a Clefairy that wasn't dressed as ridiculously as everyone else at this odd celebration, although, she looked and sounded as old as Panzer was, possibly older. "These young ones might be the warriors, but the question they're asking is clearly who or what the shining warriors are, not what you're giving them."