Episode 2: The Weight of Duty

 

“It’s so dark up here,” Clefairy said, scanning the area. At the peak of the lengthy staircase was a structure that was so old it was drowning in moss. They were at the top of the mountain that the castle was built into so the rockery around them was charcoal coloured, yet the ruined temple standing before them was slathered in green and dead plant life. The nearby cloudy sky was still very dark and blocked out any sunlight, rendering the area in a grey, colourless hue.

“It’s some sorta ancient temple,” Rune joined in, curiously exploring the area. He walked straight in without a second of thought, leading the two girls to follow him.

Clefairy slowed down once she stepped foot inside, her attention captured by the faded drawings and writing all over the walls. The temple was a single, enormous room with these drawings on every side, even what was left of the crumbled ceiling. However, all of the text was in the same language as that of the warning sign she couldn’t read before, so it failed to make any sense to her.

“Rune, what does all this say?” she said, blindly bumping into him in the centre of the room.

“I dunno. It’s too old and groggy, and most of the words look really grown up,” he said, half ignoring her. “I’m more interested in this thingy.”

Clefairy spun around and joined him to stare at the unusual object. A hexagon a little taller than them floated in the centre of the room, marked up with an asymmetrical pattern of black and green hexagons across its surface. The whole object gave off a soft green glow without a sound.
“Is it some kinda Pokémon?” Diantha asked, skipping right up to it. She sniffed it briefly before attempting to grab it, where she squealed and leapt backwards, blowing her hands. “It’s hot it’s hot it’s hot!”

“Whatever this thing is, it’s what Dad was trying to keep from everyone by stopping us from going up here. I’ll call it the ‘green crystal’!” Rune announced, taking his scalchop off his belly. “So let’s figure out what the green crystal does and take it with us.”

Clefairy chose to return her focus to the drawings on the walls. None of it seemed to make any sort of pattern or glyph or anything. Whatever it all said, the fact that the area was off limits, had this burning green crystal in it, and had been untouched for possibly hundreds of years, filled her with uncertainty. As if answering that summary of her thoughts, she caught sight of a Pokémon spying on them from above. Although there was hardly a ceiling to the temple, a Pokémon was stood up on what little roof there was, staring down at them. She met its fierce red eye and flinched, starting to breathe heavily.

“What’s-” she said, getting cut off by a cry from Rune. The Oshawott had struck the green crystal with Razor Shell, causing it to glow brighter and brighter. The sound of flames released from it in growing volume as well, becoming loud enough to take the trio into discomfort.

“Is it… it’s gonna explode?” Diantha warned. The three of them flinched and shielded their faces as the crystal seemed to do just that, bursting into a blinding, green blast of light that engulfed the room. The light faded away just as quickly as it had appeared, although it faded along with the glow that the crystal originally had, leaving the room even dimmer than before.

“Eeek! Rune, why did you do that?” Diantha squealed once she got a hold of herself.

“Do what? I didn’t do anything! I just hit it,” he said.

“Look it’s all dark and creepy now. I think you broke it. This is why boys shouldn’t touch important stuff.”

“I said I didn’t do anything!”

“But it’s all cold and dark now. If you didn’t break it, fix it.”

“But it’s not broken! How can I fix what isn’t broken?”

Clefairy moaned to herself as she watched the two Oshawott bicker and snap at each other, flicking their hands in some kind of attempt to slap each other. She gave up waiting for them and tried to find out what had just happened, spotting the Pokémon that was spying on them before. It was in a different spot but still on top of the temple and staring down at them, its red eye and scruffy white fur coat standing out in the dim conditions. She didn’t need to be told that it wasn’t happy, and them being here was probably why.

“Um, excuse me…” Clefairy tried to ask, trailing off at the interruption of another sound. Propellers. Lots of propellers. And all of them were close by. “… What’s that?”

Another explosion occurred, this one being far realer than the one caused by the green crystal. Part of the temple was blasted away, damaging a ridiculous portion of the structure around where the blast hit. It hit the top right corner of the room, where the ceiling and walls in that section completely fell apart, revealing the dark sky and what had caused the attack.

“Airships!” Clefairy cried. There were three of them, giant sailboats that floated in the sky with the use of several propellers and fabric wings. Cannons jutted out from the sides of them, one of which was smoking as if it had just fired.

“Airships? Are those Pokémon as well?” Rune said, stepping closer to the two girls. Pokémon jumped off of those airships, a small collection of Mawile and Granbull that each carried a weapon. It wasn’t until they landed that Rune swiped his scalchop aside and readied his Razor Shell again. “I’ve never seen these Pokémon before, but don’t worry. If they’re bad guys, I’ll protect you.”

“They’re not bad guys!” Clefairy squeaked, glancing to and from the two parties. The fairy types weren’t even trying to hide their aggression from the looks of things, aiming their spears and fists at the children.

“Are you sure? They look pretty angry,” Rune replied, keeping his eyes locked on them.

“R-Rune… these guys might be fairy Pokémon. Remember what Dad said?” Diantha said. “The fairy Pokémon are supposed to be at war with us.”

“Oh, right!” Rune gasped, glancing back at Clefairy. “Is that why Dad kidnapped you? If we let ’em get to the castle, we’ll be in more trouble than this.”

“But you’re the only one that can fight. Can you really take them?” Diantha said.

“O-of course I can. I’m a knight, aren’t I?” he said with a boastful pose.

“B-but guys—” Clefairy tried to respond, but was once again cut off by Rune running off before she could even start. Diantha stayed put with a worried posture, keeping her hands pressed together.

“Hey you evil fairies! I’m not gonna let you get any further, alright? If you want us, you’re gonna have to go through me!” he said, showing off a few slashes to make himself appear skilled. Three Mawile stood at the front of the enemy group, and all they did in response was exchange glances with each other. “Alright fine, have it your way!”

Roaring at the top of his voice with his Razor Shell raised high, Rune charged at them and leapt into the air, targeting the Mawile in the centre. Two of the Mawile scattered whilst the one he aimed for prepared to defend itself, holding its lance firmly with both hands. Rune’s attack collided with it hard enough to make his foe grunt, but with a push of the lance, he was forced back into the air to land a few paces away.

“How was that? I’m strong you know!” he said, swiping the air again.

“Little punk!” the Mawile growled, revealing its masculine voice. Rune lunged and attempted to slash him with Razor Shell again, finding all three of his attempts blocked by the Mawile’s steady skill. After blocking three slashes, the Mawile retaliated with a swipe of his own, his lengthy weapon striking Rune’s head so hard that it sent him to the ground with a winded cry of pain.

“A-ah… ow, that really hurt!” the Oshawott coughed, struggling to his feet. A bruised mark had already formed where he had been hit, which hurt him enough to flinch when he tried to rub it. Mawile ignored his complaint and pointed a palm at him, giving a battle cry as it charged up a Flash Cannon. Rune only had the time to gasp before the special attack was fired, getting struck head on.

“Rune!” Diantha cried, turning in disbelief as Rune’s body was sent flying back into them. His front now showed signs of harsh burns and several marks of damage, but he was still able to struggle to his feet. He needed her help to stay standing, however.

“Argh… th-they’re really strong,” he admitted, huffing in pain.

“Y-you don’t need to fight them though,” Clefairy said.

“Dad kidnapped you for a reason, so I’m gonna look after you. Besides… I’m the prince. I-I can’t let them beat me!” he said, gritting his teeth.

“Pah. Is this some kind of joke? Is the Dragon Kingdom Eris truly so deplorable that they rely on children to defend themselves?” Mawile said, making his comrades smile and snicker. “Your attitude is as messy as your kingdom.”

“Rune!” a familiar voice roared from behind Rune and the others. The trio spun around in fright, calming down as a Kommo-o stormed up the staircase towards them. He wore heavy armour on top of his metallic coat of scales, whilst a large sword was strapped to his back.

“Dad?” Rune and Diantha gasped in surprise. The Kommo-o took only a second to assess the situation, where he calmed right down and started to walk. He slowly drew his sword as he passed the three children, revealing its unique, multi-coloured decoration. In between the handle and the blade was a pattern of petal shaped appendages, each one a different colour that flowed as if filled with a variety of liquids. The blade itself glowed a bright white, visible only when the sword was fully drawn.

“King Jyararanga himself…” Mawile gawked, mouthing off to something. The enemy fairies sided with each other with uncertain looks on their faces, as if overwhelmed by the dragon’s appearance. Jyararanga alone outsized all of them put together.

“Rune, you’re supposed to be in knight school right now,” Jyararanga said, turning his head back. The Oshawott flinched, scratching his back with a cheeky laugh.

“I er—”

“This is not a joke,” Jyararanga said. “You should know better than to follow your foolish brother as well, Diantha. But we don’t have time for this right now- this right now is a dire battle. Keep hold of that Clefairy for me and fend for yourselves if necessary.”

“Wait, what’re you going to do to them?” Clefairy gasped, trying to step forward. She locked eyes with the king and froze completely, quickly getting pulled back a little by Rune and Diantha.

“No… the princess is right there! If we all storm him at once, not even the mighty dragon king can stand up to us!” Mawile rallied, raising his lance. “Come on men! Strike with me, and let us bring the princess home today!”

The enemy fairies all gave a war cry and came charging at once, making Rune and the children gasp. Having never seen his father fight, let alone be dressed for battle the way he was, Rune had no idea what to expect from a situation that had his father looking this tense.

Any worry he could have had was unfounded, however. Jyararanga dealt with the first five charging fairies with ease, stomping one foot into the ground so hard that the floor broke apart; creating huge stalagmites that flipped them into the air or blocked the way. The few Granbull that made it through the attack went with Play Rough attacks, their fists and jaws glowing white with fairy energy. They were backhanded away with ease, getting knocked flying through the air to the other side of the area.

“We don’t have time for this. Ariala! You have to wear this!” Jyararanga ordered, tossing a bundle of fabric at the children. Rune struggled to catch it due to the suddenness of the command and stared at it in confusion.

“What’s this?” Diantha asked as Rune hung the fabric in front of him. It was a women’s cape with a curious design of dark flames on it.

“Don’t question it, just wear it!” Jyararanga shouted, getting jumped on by a few more Play Rough users. He cried out and shook them off into the air, finally using his sword to slash one of the Pokémon in half on its way down.

At that moment, time began to slow down. The little Oshawott couldn’t believe his eyes – his father defending himself was one thing, but mercilessly killing another Pokémon was something he never imagined ever seeing. But it was happening, and it was so fast and sudden that he had lost all focus and thoughts as to what to respond with. He just stared at the gruesome appearance of a Granbull getting sliced in half, its innards raining down the Kommo-o’s side.

And it didn’t stop there, either. The more those fairies threw themselves at him, the more ruthless Jyararanga became, not hesitating to slash them to bits, stab them, or simply crush them with his overwhelming size. It didn’t take long before the fairies were retreating and screaming orders to escape at each other, climbing back onto their airships using ropes. Some of the Mawile stayed behind to fire more Flash Cannon, but they dealt no visible damage to the Kommo-o’s armour at all.

It wasn’t until the sound of tears and whimpering caught his attention that Rune fell back into focus, and he spun around to the Clefairy behind him. She was crying her eyes out and covered her face with her hands, only reinforcing what was actually happening. Seeing her crying like this amongst the needless death, his body fell cold. He didn’t know what to say or do, he just stared.

“Moonblast cannon ready! Fire, we can at least wound him!” one of the Mawile ordered, signalling to the airships. He was the only fairy not on an airship right now, and two out of the three of the ships were flying away. The last one had a cannon aimed directly at Jyararanga, and it was gleaming with white energy as if charging up.

“Get behind me!” The Kommo-o ordered, glancing back briefly.

He swiped his sword aside and then held it in a defensive pose, planting his feet into the ground. The cannon fired a second later, releasing exactly what the commander had hinted at: an enormous Moonblast the size of a cannonball. With a mighty roar at the top of his voice, Jyararanga sliced the attack in two as it approached him, causing it to explode early and shower him in glittering energy. He cried out in pain at the effort, but remained standing, bringing everyone’s jaws to the floor.

“Dear Tapu- this king is a monster! Go! Retreat now!” Mawile cried, abandoning his position to get away. He only managed to grab a rope dangling from the remaining airship before it started to fly away however, leaving him hanging off of it.

But even their retreat wasn’t enough. Growling with increasing volume, Jyararanga cupped his claws together and gathered fiery energy in between them, releasing it into the air with a roar of effort. A sputtering orb of fire was launched up high, which soon burst into a rain of meteors that showered the world around them. Despite the meteors being rather small, the damage they caused was loud and devastating. It took only one meteor to bring the airship to the ground, where it crashed somewhere in the nearby mountains with a loud, deafening explosion.

“He… he-he killed all of them,” Rune whispered, still holding onto the cape. Now that the conflict was over, the area had fallen back to the ancient silence it had when they arrived, only now it was a lot more colourful. The bloody remains of the fairy type Pokémon were scattered around the ruins of the temple in puddles of mushy, pink innards, staining the black mountain and green moss with the stench of conflict.

Another roar took his attention away from the scene, this one coming from behind them. He had shifted forward to keep up with his father during the battle, not realising that he was now far in front of the green crystal. But that crystal was being swallowed up by what looked like a living shadow, a dark, murky, transparent figure that slathered the ground all around the crystal. It slowly seeped its way up through the artefact, releasing distorted roars as it covered the crystal in whatever substance it was made of.

“No! Ariala!” Jyararanga shouted so loudly it made the Rune’s ears ring. The next thing he knew, Jyararanga’s sword was thrown straight through the air at the green crystal. The shadow sunk into the ground to avoid the stab, now appearing as a completely flat splotch of fiery darkness. If it wasn’t for the fact that it zipped across the ground at such high speed, it would barely be visible.

“Wha-what is that?” Rune cried, stumbling backwards.

Before he could do anything beyond flustered movements, he was knocked to the ground by a heavy force, presumably the shadow tripping him up on its way past. He quickly rolled over and sat up, where time slowed down for him once again.

He almost screamed, but some natural instinct stopped him. Seeing the dead bodies of the fairy Pokémon gave him an uncomfortable chill, but now that it was someone he knew and loved, that chill had intensified so much that he was frozen to the spot.

Diantha was being hung up in the air right before his eyes, her face unreadable. Her eyes were wide and static but her mouth was agape. A second passed, and a thin trail of blood dribbled from her mouth, pooling onto the floor in front of Rune in a thick mass. The shadowy monster had an arm directly through his sister’s stomach, the tips of its claw painted the same red that stained the rest of the battlefield. Barely a sound escaped her besides weak, dazed, gurgled breaths.

Then she suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, splattering it all over Rune’s head. He flinched and went completely white, his breaths just as empty as he realised how much blood had splashed onto him. He couldn’t think straight or restore his thoughts at all; he just kept glancing at his body until his eyes locked with Diantha’s again. Her eyes were rolling back, physically darkening by the second.

“B-big brother… i-it hurts…” she breathed out.

That was it. He couldn’t take it anymore and let his body act on its own. All he could tell was that he screamed at the top of his voice before blacking out.

…

Many hours later, or at least what felt like many hours later, some thoughts started to clear up in Rune’s mind. The thoughts were clear enough for him to be able to tell that he was in a bed, likely meant to be sleeping. Then they cleared up even more, and he shot awake in a flash, no longer wanting to keep his eyes closed.

He stared at the ceiling for a moment and then gasped, jolting into a sitting up position. He grabbed his head in pain the moment he did so, feeling his chest and head ache in complaint.

“Wha-what? Where am I?” he growled to himself, trying to ignore the pain to examine his surroundings. Once the tears in his eyes cleared up, he was able to make out a doctor watching over him, a Goodra with a worried look on its face.

“You’re awake. Please, your highness, wait right here,” he said, stumbling out of the room. This room had no door at all, so Rune could hear everything going on outside. His father stomped in a moment later, stopping at a distance to stare down at him.

“Dad,” Rune mumbled, scanning him carefully. The Kommo-o was covered from head to toe in scratches and bruises. “Your body- wa-wait, what happened? My head hurts, my belly is… Sis? Where is sis?”

“Rune,” Jyararanga said.

“Diantha, where’s Diantha and the fairy? That was all just a nightmare, right?” he cried, throwing himself out of the bed. He dashed out of the room, took a moment to examine the medical ward around him, and then made for a room at random. He happened to choose the right one, finding himself staring at his sister. The little Oshawott was sat up under the covers, completely zoned out to Rune’s presence. “Diantha… oh thank goodness, it was just a—”

She turned to face him, revealing a startling change in her appearance. Besides her empty, distant expression, her eyes had completely changed colour. What was once a deep, navy blue was now a dark, smoky texture with a piercing white pupil in the centre. Those white pupils lacked all detail that eyes should have had, unmoving even as her head turned to follow Rune and Jyararanga.

“Sis,” Rune breathed out again, approaching her.

“Stay away!” she shrieked, hiding herself behind her hands and looking away. A heavy gush of wind magically burst from her as she did so, blowing Rune right back into Jyararanga’s hard scales. He fell to the floor weakly and barely looked back at her. She was whimpering and hugging herself, no longer covered by a blanket. A nearby bookshelf and candlelight had fallen over as well.

“What just—”

“Do you see what you have done, Rune?” Jyararanga said. Rune stood up and gawked at him. “Because of your foolish, disobedient actions, some serious casualties have occurred today.”

“Because of my foolish actions? How is it my fault? You’re the one that brought a fairy to the dragon kingdom, how was I supposed to know that would make us get attacked?” he said. “Besides, you didn’t have to kill those fairies! They were just soldiers looking for the princess!”

“My actions were none of your business. Had you been in knight school as you should have, you would not have alerted the fairies of our kingdom’s location. You revealed to them the location of the Dragon Weapon as well. And you forced a conflict upon us that we were not fully prepared for!” Jyararanga raised his voice.

“Wait- the Dragon Weapon? You don’t mean… that green crystal?” Rune asked, thinking about it. The Kommo-o’s face tightened. “Seriously? That green crystal was the Dragon Weapon? The weapon from the legend that almost destroyed the whole world?”

“The very same. I brought the fairy here to use her powers to drive away the darkness that threatened to steal it. The act was supposed to be undercover, but you drew their forces to us, and the shadow took your sister. The fact that she lives is a miracle that you should count yourself lucky for,” he explained. Rune glanced back at the bedridden Oshawott behind him, who wasn’t whimpering anymore but was still looking down and hugging herself.

“Don’t you understand the weight of your actions? You are this kingdom’s crown prince. It is your duty to protect the Pokémon of our planet, and yet, you continue to shirk your training and education,” he continued.

“That’s because I’m bored! You don’t let me leave the castle, you don’t tell me what’s going on outside, the teachers don’t even teach me anything interesting. And knight school is dumb. I can use Razor Shell just fine, why have I gotta keep practicing?” Rune said. Jyararanga slapped him with the back of his arm so hard he fell to the floor with a cry, left clutching his head. “O-ow! What the hell was that for?”

“If I hadn’t shown up when I did, those soldiers would have killed you and your sister. Would your training have been wasteful then? Don’t you think you could have protected her if you could fight?” Jyararanga said. Rune didn’t reply. “You are pathetic. You are looking for excuses to blame your own errors on someone else. Someone like you will never even make it to adulthood.”

“What?” Rune gasped, standing up. Jyararanga’s face tightened again.

“Perhaps it was a mistake to have even adopted you. As you are now, you will be useless to everyone. You couldn’t protect your sister if you tried,” he said, turning and walking off.

“I-I could’ve! I just underestimated them!” Rune tried to argue, but his words fell on death ears as Jyararanga continued walking until he was out of sight. He glanced back at Diantha again, shuddering at her sorrowful look. “I… I just… If I had…”

He started glancing back and forth at her and the empty doorway, fighting the tears forming in his eyes. “If I had just listened to everyone… if I just knew how to fight…”