Faernia and Eris: two great civilizations ruled by fairies and dragons respectively. Rune, the Oshawott crown prince of Eris, is tasked with revitalising a peace treaty to prevent war between the two planets. He is thrust from a comfortable life of...
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"There are spectres everywhere. And they're all from the Pokémon that fell during the recent battle." Ida huffed from fatigue. She had to fight her way back through the city to meet the others outside the temple, where the absence of the spectres gave her a respite. "What's going on? What did all of you do?"
"I apologise," Ariala said.
"Why are you apologising? This isn't your fault. We need to do something," Rune replied. Ariala didn't move.
"No. Please, allow me to explain. It's a long story," she said, walking back into the temple. Everyone exchanged glances and followed.
"Does this have something to do with Charle? He ran away from me during that last fight, and I haven't seen him since. He's been acting so weird since he came back." Ida put a paw to her chin.
"It might. But this roots back to when I first met Rune. That was twenty-six years ago, back on Eris," Ariala began. Leos shuddered but paid attention, not expecting to hear about something from so long ago. "As many of you may know, I was kidnapped by King Jyararanga. Many thought it to be a strange act of war, but it actually wasn't. It was Tapu Koko's doing."
"Tapu Koko?" Rune repeated. Ariala opened her eyes and kept walking, but she was slow.
"He conferred with the king at some point, and I was delivered. They said they needed my body and my powers. But I was just a child, so I was frightened and didn't understand anything. That was until that showed up: that shadow. Those dark powers you saw me expel when I tried to fight Master Lin," she said. She stretched an arm out, but no power came. "King Jyararanga sealed a shadow partition within me. He said it gave me powers, but that I wasn't to use those powers unless I absolutely needed to. It was the partition of a greater Pokémon, one that possessed god-like powers. Even with just a fraction of it sealed within me, it had some control over my actions and sometimes came out beyond my will. I did training to supress it and learn to use it, but it was never fully under my control. Only now do I fully understand that."
"Those powers that Diantha had. Why didn't Father ever tell me?" Rune said.
"Yes. You and Diantha's obstruction to the sealing caused her to take some of the power as well. From there on, the Tapu had planned to destroy any remaining hint of it. They knew they couldn't afford to let any of the partitions get out. So when Diantha released her powers during that battle, sixteen years ago..." she said. She turned to Rune.
"It attracted Tapu Koko, and he destroyed the source of the partition," Rune finished her sentence, and she nodded.
"I never knew why, though. I never fully understood. I thought it a curse they merely deemed too powerful for Pokémon to use. But to think they would kill the princess – it was the first time my faith in the Tapu wavered. I had to test their reason, and provoked them myself. But when I released the power in the same way as Diantha, no one came. Thus, me and you were left to quickly plan our method of stalling the war."
