Episode 33: In the Depths of my Heart

Episode 33: In the Depths of my Heart…

It didn’t take long for everything to fall into chaos. Rune, Ariala, and their combined armies had their hearts heavy at their situation, but once the public of the outside world saw Zygarde take to the skies, everything fell into true panic. This was on top of the issue that hundreds of dead Pokémon were walking the planets as ghosts, spectres that attacked any living Pokémon they came across.

King Jyararanga sent Altaria messengers to warn everyone to stay in their homes. The castle was opened up as a temporary refuge for nearby Pokémon to stay in so that they wouldn’t have to travel, too.

“Despite the efforts of the soldiers, casualties are being reported in increasing numbers in several regions across Eris. The spectres are attacking in great numbers, and entire villages are falling,” a Druddigon said, skimming through a stone slab with writing etched into it. “Damage is being extended to Pokémon homes and feral habitats, while the breeding grounds are being completely ravaged. They seem to be targeting anything that isn’t a part of the natural landscape.”

“Faernia is no better. Queen Magearna and Azu have been evacuating entire cities of Pokémon in a bid to escape the rampaging spectres,” an Audino said, reading as well. “Our scouts say they’re mostly gathering around areas with Tapu technology, but none have gone near Stardust Treasury.”

And then, silence fell. The throne room was filled with Rune and Ariala’s army, and a few other soldiers from both planets. But none of them said a word of reply, not even a groan of thought.

“Your Highness. This is a worldwide crisis,” Audino said.

“I can tell that,” Jyararanga said in a gruff tone. He grumbled something under his breath as he hung his head, then slowly looked back up at the two armies. “All of this was to be expected, though. We will start with any new information we can learn.”

“Give us some good news,” Nier said. Vincent pinched her.

“You there. You were Master Lin’s right hand Pokémon. Can you shed some light on his plan or our current predicament?” Jyararanga said, drawing all eyes to Rosie, the Mimikyu. She was sat by Prem, and yelped when everyone stared.

“There’s nothing to tell you, though. Master did what he did, and now we’re here,” she said.

Rune drew his sword with a loud sigh. “Then you’re useless. I might as well go ahead with the execution now.”

“Eek! But I- I just got back with my little Prem. You can’t—” she said, sliding back.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t stall for time. He really will kill you right here and now,” Blossom said, arms folded. Rosie made a scared noise. “I can read your mind. If it doesn’t come from your mouth, we have no use for you.”

“Okay okay, I’ll talk, I’ll talk! Spectres can only be stopped by defeating the one who summoned them. That would be Lord Marshadow, of course,” she said. Beads of sweat leaked through her rag. “But there is another way to stall them. The one power Master Lin always feared was for that reason. Aura bypasses Constellar magic.”

“Aura?” Rune replied.

“You know, like the golden energy that surrounds Leos when he uses his Z-Move thing. When that energy is around, spectres can’t move or anything. Even the weakest attack with an aura will destroy a spectre. It’s like, the light from the aura makes them disappear,” Rosie said. “I can give Pokémon the aura, if they want to fight. But if I do, will you let me have my little darling Prem back?”

“I’m not your darling,” Prem groaned.

“Wait, you can give aura? Like, just give any Pokémon a Z-Move?” Leos said.

“No. Only high level Constellars can use those. But any Pokémon can provide the energy to use that kind of move if their thoughts are in sync and their wishes are the same. Many say a bond is needed, and it is, but simply having earnest belief in another Pokémon is all the bond that’s needed.”

“So it’s not as exclusive as only me and Prem needing to use it,” Leos said. The duo exchanged glances.

“If two Pokémon that earnestly love each other use it, the aura is bigger and stronger, strong enough to use an actual Z-Move. Like, I don’t know, let’s say two Pokémon strongly in love would be able to really dent a legendary. If the Pokémon isn’t a Constellar, then they simply get an aura boosted attack,” Rosie said. “Because Marshadow is a spectre, it’ll bypass his defences entirely. Those same defences are what protected Master Lin from damage, so he chose to hide that knowledge from Pokémon. He only told me because he could tell I desperately wanted Prem to come back. He wanted me to help him.”

“So you know the poses and all?” Ariala said. Rosie nodded using the head of her disguise.

“That means Marshadow can make use of the aura by himself. He did it right before killing Master Lin,” Rune said, coming out of a thought pose. “That solves the issue with the wild spectres, but—”

“What? No, it doesn’t. I can’t go around and clear out every single spectre. They’re on both planets!” Leos said. “And besides, that’s the least of our worries. How do we defeat Marshadow? He has Tapu Lele, Zygarde, and Princess Diantha under his control. Even if I could gather the aura to kill him with Heavenly Execution, how would I even get the chance?”

“Our airships can reach outer space. But we’d have to be able to fight him somehow. That’s a whole other problem we haven’t considered,” Ariala said.

“Then we’ll have to delegate ourselves to this cause. Leos, you’ve got a way with technology. Perhaps we can pair you up with the scientists of Faernia to come up with something in time,” Rune said, unfurling his arms. “Me and Ariala are the only ones who can attack through Zygarde and Tapu Lele’s defences, so we’ll focus on them. The others will have to do what they can against the spectres here.”

“Stop being optimistic. Outer space travel? I’ve never even considered the idea!” Leos raised his voice.

“We have three days. We have to start somewhere, and it’s now or never,” Rune said.

“If we don’t do something, the whole of Etheria is done for. We just can’t have any doubts. It’s our duty,” Ariala said. Leos looked down and tensed up.

“I know that look, Rune. You have an idea, don’t you?” Jyararanga asked. The Dewott smiled at him. “Go on. Don’t withhold information, here.”

“The idea that anyone can give aura is a huge revelation. If we rally the Pokémon from both planets and have everyone give their hopes to Leos, the power we could generate would be unthinkable. Far above Marshadow, for sure,” he said, raising a fist. A lot of Pokémon gawked at him with widened eyes. “… What?”

“It’s just, wow. I never expected an idea like that to come out of you. You’re always so stern and realistic,” Shouta said, snickering at them all. “So everyone’s hopes and dreams and powers of trust and friendship makes your boy into a little god, and then he saves the day, right?”

“As ludicrous as it sounds, we have already seen him kill Tapu Bulu with just one Pokémon aiding him. There is no limit to your potential,” Rune said with a smile.

“Stop- just stop. Rallying everyone? We’re in the middle of war. Tapu Bulu killed thousands, and we killed god knows how many when we went to stop Tapu Koko,” Leos said.

“And now, everyone is under threat from Marshadow and the spectres. Once the Pokémon learn the magnitude of this crisis, they will work with us,” Rune said, and stepped forward.

“You just don’t get it, do you? This isn’t just going fall into place because you want it to. I can’t just magically come up with a way to fight in space, and there’s no way I can fight Marshadow!” Leos said. He grit his teeth and stared at the floor. “It’s a miracle I even beat Tapu Bulu. My body’s not strong enough to fight. And I can’t even stand war. I can’t do anything useful!”

“Where has this come from?” Rune said.

“It’s come from everything I’ve done since I got to see the outside world. Nothing’s gone right. I’ve done nothing useful at all. And when it really counts, someone else is always having to dig me out,” he said, sounding as if he was about to burst into tears.

“You’re the legendary hero of Etheria, Leos. Have some faith in yourself.” Rune folded his arms.

“This isn’t about legends or heroes or anything. Y-you saw me in that battle! You’ve seen me fight, as well. I can’t do it. I can’t do these things you want me to do,” he cried.

“Then what do you suppose we do?” Rune said.

Leos kept shuddering and looked back at the ground. “I- I don’t know.”

In a flash, Rune stepped forward and smacked Leos’ head hard enough to make him spin around. “I did not raise my son to be a quitter. Steel yourself and think about what you’re saying!”

“O-ow. Th-think about what I’m saying? Think about what you’re saying. You didn’t raise me at all!” Leos said, raising his voice to a new high. He sounded like he was going to cry, but no tears formed, only rigid, grinding teeth and veins of frustration. “You didn’t teach me anything. You didn’t do anything. You were never even there. You’re barely my Father! You just did whatever you wanted while I was kept in seclusion, like I was some kind of backup weapon!”

“Leos,” Ariala gasped.

“You don’t know anything! And just when I’m finally going out to try and fix where you messed up, you decide to come out and tell me that I’m just in the way? And now you want me to just work with you like everything’s all roses?” Leos shouted. “That’s not how it works. I can’t fight Marshadow or the spectres. I can’t just magically build this ship to fight in space. That’s just not me. If you’d actually chosen to be a real father rather than just caring about yourself, then maybe you’d actually know that!”

The room fell to silence again, minus Leos’ sniffles and growls of frustration. Rune didn’t reply at all, and stared at him with the same stern look he had since the meeting had started. Seeing that he wasn’t getting a response, Leos let out a roar and stormed off towards his room.

“Le-Leos,” Prem said.

“Leave him be. He needs time to think,” Rune said, stopping the Pikachu from following. Prem played with his hands.

“But he’s right, ain’t he? You beat him up that one time, and you’ve not been around anywhere else. You can’t just like, start talkin’ like you own him,” Griselle cried, leaning forward.

“We don’t have time for this, Rune. You, Leos and Ariala are the only ones who can damage Marshadow. If your son is unable to fight, it puts us at an extreme disadvantage, especially with this new discovery of what we can do with aura,” Jyararanga said. He looked unbothered by what had just happened, which made Prem close his fists.

“What’s more important? Leos’ feelings, or the fact that he’s Etheria’s hero?” Prem said, raising his voice as well. “The way you guys are talking, it’s as if he’s not even a Pokémon!”

“There is a time and a place for this argument, and it isn’t now. I understand your feelings, but as things stand, we need to act as soon as possible. Harden your emotions,” Rune replied.

Prem squinted. “Why should I listen to you?”

“Prem?” Ariala whispered.

“Have you decided that you don’t want to help us?” Rune asked. There was a pause.

“I just- I want to be with him right now,” he said, running off on all fours. Rune sighed and shook his head.

“Consider the battle dependant on us. We don’t have long, so we should get started on the development of that airship that can take us to Marshadow’s location,” Rune said, turning back to the crowd of Pokémon. “Speaking of which, you all said that he’s in space. Where exactly is he?”

“On top of Fairy Hill on Faernia, a palace has appeared high in the sky. Our telescopes tell us that it is beyond the distance of our atmosphere. Marshadow’s palace is in outer space,” Audino said as she flicked through the notes she had. “They also speak of an ‘unsettling darkness’ that seems to be spreading from the palace, covering the sky.”

“Giving the Pokémon something to fear. I have no idea what Marshadow really wants from all this,” Rune said. He shook his head. “I can’t speak to Leos like this. And he’s the only one of us that can use aura.”

“Got a backup besides that aura plan you thought up?” Shouta asked. Rune glanced at him, then turned his back.

“Me and Ariala put up a fight against Marshadow. I’ll just have to try again while the rest of you take on his cronies,” he said with a growl.

“Pardon? Hold on a second. I know fairies have an easy time against dragons, but in case you didn’t notice, Zygarde is an invincible weapon of destruction that threatens to destroy Etheria altogether. You want us to fight that on top of Tapu Lele?” Kelsith said, stepping forward.

“We’d be lucky if we could buy you even a few seconds,” Tundra added, arms folded and leaning against a wall. “You’re gonna have to do better than that.”

Rune shut his eyes and let out a deep sigh, letting silence fall on the scene again. When he opened them, Ariala spotted them glisten a bit, and he unfurled his arms. “Leos really is our only hope, huh? But we can’t decide to make him fight. It’s up to him.”

“Are you really going to try and fight if he says no?” she asked.

“I’ll have to. And I know you’ll object to this, but you’ll stay here,” he said.

“I refuse to stand by idly when my world is in danger. Whether I’m crown princess or not, I will fight,” she said, getting cross.

“You get it more than anyone, right? I can’t afford to lose anyone again,” he said, putting his hands at her sides. She didn’t react. “You have to stay safe. If you or Leos get hurt, I’m lost.”

“You have to let us fight beside you again, Rune. You’ve done it before; you can do it—”

“This isn’t the same damn it!” he said, shutting his eyes. “You saw what he did to Master Lin. I couldn’t bear to see that happen to someone I love again. That’s why I’m who I am. I blamed Tapu Koko, but I gave up my chance at being a decent father just so I could give it my all to protecting you both. Please, even in the face of this hopelessness, let me keep doing that. It’s the only way I can keep giving this my all.”

“And how I feel doesn’t matter to that? Rune, I spent all those years exchanging letters with you, just praying that one day you’ll be able to be with us, to be the father Leos wants so badly.” she clenched her hands. “If you got hurt doing something that reckless, then where does that leave us? What about me?”

“You being safe is what’s most important. I love you too much to risk it.”

“Then why did you spend all these years away from us? If you really wanted to protect me, then you would have done it fighting by my side!” she cried, swiping an arm aside. “This is not up for debate, Rune. If we fight, we fight together.”

“Ngrk. Fi-fine. But please, for the love of the gods, stay safe,” he said, hanging his head with a loud sigh. He turned to the crowd. “We will still need to be very careful with this. Set off immediately, and begin to rally what Pokémon you can. Those that can fight, they will keep the spectres at bay. Those who can support, we will have them stand by just in case Leos does arrive to fight.”

“We’re really going through with this suicidal plan?” Tundra asked.

“And we’re going to put all our heart and strength into it. If we can’t stop Marshadow and his twisted delusions of power, then the whole of Etheria is lost. We have no choice,” Ariala replied. “This is all the same as when we went to try and save Princess Diantha. Prepare yourselves for the toughest battle you have ever fought.”

“Speaking of that battle, where did that Absol go? The one that had the last partition?” Rosie asked.

“I had him escorted to a room in the castle. He was far too panicked to properly engage with us. And to be personally honest, I don’t think he has anything worthwhile to contribute. He’s blind,” Jyararanga said.

…

“You’re fine. You’re on a bed,” Leos said, arms folded. Mirror was in his room, but he was trembling and restlessly searching for something. The Absol’s eyes were shut tightly, and his nails were curled. “It’s just me, Leos.”

“O-okay, if you say so. I-I’m fine,” Mirror said, searching for him. Leos couldn’t believe how girly he sounded, almost like a little boy that was barely double digits of age.

“Tell me what happened with you. Why you were who you were,” he asked.

“I’ve been blind since birth. I can’t see, so I always had to have Pokémon help me get around and stuff. But we Absol, we’re like, attracted to disasters and stuff. You know, like if there’s an earthquake or a Pokémon goes berserk or something,” Mirror said, still searching. Leos put his hand on him to settle him down. “I think I lost my family to one while they were travelling with me. But I still went to look for disasters so that I could help save Pokémon in need. One of them gave me that awful spirit.”

“Marshadow. Or in your case, the Shadow Partition,” Leos said.

“I think. But the spirit was something my Dad warned me about years ago. He said that if I ever felt possessed, to wear that mask. It’s supposed to contain ghost Pokémon that try to possess their enemies,” Mirror said. “But it didn’t work. The king said I’ve done terrible things. I’m so sorry! I only wanted to save Pokémon, I swear! Not hurt anyone. But that partition made me do so many bad things.”

“It’s fine. It isn’t me you should be apologising to. We have bigger things to be worrying about. I just wanted to see if anything you had to tell me could help,” Leos said, folding his arms. “Ugh. It’s time to study, but I can’t work with Father. I barely know what we can do. I don’t even know where to start.”

“O-oh, yes! I’m sorry, I forgot, please don’t punish me for forgetting!” Mirror said, becoming restless again.

“You don’t need to panic. I’m right here. You’re okay.” Leos put his hand on him again.

“There is a way to stop Marshadow! Now that I know what we’re dealing with, I’m sure we can do it,” Mirror said. Leos could tell how enthusiastic and happy he looked, even though his eyes were still shut.

“There is? H-how do we do it?” Prem gasped, revealing that he was in the doorway. He jogged in after that. “S-sorry, I wasn’t eavesdropping. I was way too worried about you, so I came.”

“Never mind that. Mirror, what’ve you got to tell us?” Leos said.

“It’s a legendary item that’s sealed in a hidden place. It’s hidden in Planet Etheria’s core. It’s a ball that can turn stuff into energy,” Mirror said.

Leos stood back, and his eyes widened. “He couldn’t possibly be talking about…?”

“It’s called the Lock Ball. I don’t know if we can get there in time, but if we can get it, we can turn you into energy. Then you can fight Marshadow,” Mirror said.

“Wait a minute, slow down. Etheria’s core? Turning me into energy? Explain, please,” Leos said, sweating slightly.

“Oh er, I’m sorry. Maybe I’m just talking all excitedly and stuff but, I foresaw it, I’m sure of it! Etheria’s destruction and Marshadow’s coming. We can stop him by proving ourselves to him in battle. But because he’s in space, we have to use the Lock Ball from Etheria’s core to turn you into energy, so that you can fight without worrying about your body,” Mirror said. Leos and Prem exchanged glances.

“But where is Etheria’s core? It’s—”

“Shh, let him talk!” Leos hissed, putting a hand over Prem.

“Etheria’s core is where all the natural energy of the planet comes from. It’s like, er, imagine the planet has veins in it that send planetary energy all around it. That energy lets Etheria’s nature work, and that’s the energy that we Absol can feel in our horns,” Mirror happily explained. “But sometimes, that energy overflows or something, and that can cause problems. We can feel these vibrations of energy, and they make earthquakes or tsunamis and stuff. That’s why we Absol travel far and wide to make sure we protect Pokémon all over.”

“But Etheria is split into two, now. What happens then?” Leos asked.

“I guess there isn’t much planetary energy. Since it can’t get it from the core, but… wait, the planet is split?” Mirror replied. Leos’ mouth hit the floor.

“To think that you of all Pokémon held this knowledge, that not even the gods knew of,” he whispered, shaking himself off. “Yes! Yes, it all makes sense, now! The legend, the history, the second country, the aim of the gods, the Tapu, Marshadow’s words- it’s a punishment!”

“Leos, I er, I take it you’ve figured something out?” Prem said, leaning away. Leos squealed, hugged him tightly, and spun around him while laughing.

“This is it, Prem! Eris and Faernia’s energy crisis, the Tapu’s deaths, I understand it all now!” he cried. He broke off and went into a battle pose, ignoring the Pikachu’s blushing face. “The Tapu split Etheria in order to prevent Marshadow from destroying the planet. This was at the same time as splitting Marshadow himself. You could say that something happened during their original battle that caused Marshadow to split into partitions along with the planet.”

“Uh huh.” Prem nodded blankly.

“You’re losing me a bit. Etheria is split? Since when was there another planet?” Mirror asked.

“When the two planets were born, Etheria’s core became the Second Country – the source of Etheria’s planetary energy. With only the Tapu feeding Faernia, Eris fell into decline. Nature stopped working there,” Leos said, pacing. “Fast forward to now, the Tapu are old and needed to die due to their aging madness. But when a god or goddess dies, it becomes part of the nature from whence it came. The Tapu became Eris’ new, temporary source of energy. That’s why you can’t tell that Eris is any different.”

“It does feel the same as it used to. The only danger I can feel right now is Marshadow,” Mirror said, still cocking his head.

“Then that proves my theory. Marshadow is back now, but so are you. So we just have to stop him, then we can work on saving Etheria. If we could somehow return the two planets to the core, everything should go back to normal!” Leos said, raising his arms. “Ah, but the Lock Ball, it broke…”

“Wait, seriously?” Prem gasped. “How did it break?

“Mirror… one of your attacks destroyed it while you were under Marshadow’s control.” Leos hung his head. “We’ll have to come up with another way.”