Chapter 22 – Heading North

“Is that everything?” Arian asked. He and Elvira had been shopping for supplies in Kitesh, with the help of Lex and Isaac.

“I think so.” Elvira checked their bag once again. “Oran berries, pecha berries, rawst berries, blast seeds, stun seeds, petrify orb, violent seeds, vile seeds…and a few iron thorns and gravelerocks. I’d say we’re pretty good.”

“Remember to conserve water,” Isaac advised. “That, I can’t emphasise enough. You can survive much longer without food, but you can only survive for two or three days at best without water. No matter how hot Alba gets, never forget this.”

“Gotcha. Thanks for that, Isaac,” Arian said.

“It’s all a comrade can do. Anything for greater efficiency,” the Espeon returned. “And a lesson for two that probably have never been to Alba before.”

“Have you been to Alba, Isaac?” Elvira replied.

“…I have, a few times. We live near Alba, after all, and some of their Dungeons have sizable yields of money and items.” Isaac’s expression then soured. “But I never liked Alban attitudes. ‘Strength is everything’, and electing their leaders based on that very premise?” He let out a scoff. “How delusional. A good fighter is just that: a good fighter. Not a strategician, and most definitely not someone who can lead a clan. With that attitude, it’s no wonder Ceredigonia remains out of their grasp…”

“Yeah…” Lex said. “I mean, I’m not smart. But…I’m smart enough to know that I’m not smart. I’d be a terrible leader.”

“You don’t need to knock yourself down like that, Lex…” Arian said to him.

“Yes, he does,” Isaac immediately refuted. “Never delude yourself into thinking you’re a perfect fighter. If Lex acknowledges his weakness, he’s a step above those who think they are perfect. There’s nothing worse than an idiot in a position of power. And the Alban system lets the door right open to that exact scenario.”

“…Couldn’t you say the exact same thing about inheritance, though?” the Riolu refuted. “Every once in a while, you get a leader who gets too big for his boots and the whole nation suffers as a result. I don’t really see the difference.”

“…I won’t deny that,” the Espeon replied. “But with inheritance, one prince or princess is the heir apparent, and that is that. It keeps the incapable halfwits from thinking they have a chance.”

“But is that really fair?” questioned Arian. “Keeping honest people who would make good leaders out of leadership just because of some bad apples?”

“…You ask for fairness? In leadership?” Isaac shook his head. “In a utopia, maybe. But in the real world, structures and precedent take priority. Hard decisions come into leadership, and leaders have to decide with their head, not their heart. Idiots guided by emotion wouldn’t understand this basic rule.”

“They aren’t all idiots, though!” Arian argued.

“I’m aware. But history has shown that fools with power have always led their country to disaster. Case in point: Mitrofan,” the Espeon cited. “He could’ve proven this country could’ve done without a tsar. He failed, and the end result? His realm is in stagnation. So…back to tsarship we go. Back to a proper system.” With a flick of his tail, he walked away from the group.

“…Sorry about Ise,” apologised Lex. “He gets like that…”

“It’s okay, Lex. You did nothing wrong,” Elvira assured. “It’s Isaac who’s at fault here.”

“Yeah…Why does he have to be so cold?” whined Arian. “…He’s wrong. We can have fair leaders.”

“Yes. Here’s hoping Prince Leonid will be just that,” the Treecko wished.

“I hope so.” Arian sounded less confident. Not that he didn’t have the same hope as Elvira, but rather…the conversation with Isaac was still revolving itself around in his head.

We don’t have to have an inherited system. …But maybe I just don’t understand Alba’s problems. He looked at a signpost in town, one of which pointed north.

↑ Teamhair, Mumhain, ALBA

Just what awaits us up there?

 

 

---

 

 

“Right…I think we’re ready to go,” Arian said, after Elvira had double-checked their items again.

“Yes. Now would be optimal.” Isaac looked up at the sun. It was around mid to late afternoon. “You’ll still have daylight left in Alba if you leave now. But it will be evening, when the heat won’t be quite as stifling.”

“That’s a good idea,” Elvira agreed. “We don’t want to be burned by the desert sun not long after we enter the country.”

The two teams started off down the road. Lex had suggested he and Isaac accompany Team Elpis to the Alban border, since they would be able to get there and back to Kitesh with relative ease. Arian and Elvira accepted the offer, grateful for the help (even if the human was still stewing over the argument he had with Isaac).

Just as they started, though, they were interrupted by a voice. A familiar voice.

“Wait! Wait! Team Elpis! Please wait for me!”

“Hm? That voice…” Arian and Elvira turned around. There, running from the south entrance of town…was Yuliya.

“Yuliya!” Arian said, surprised to see the Furret. “What are you doing here?”

“Don’t tell me…” A fear came over Elvira. “Has something happened in Kamengrad?”

“No, nothing,” the ex-marshal replied. “But…I came to you to request something.”

“And what would that be?”

“…Please take me with you.” Yuliya’s eyes looked pleading. “Please let me go to Alba with you. Guildmaster Melchior’s approved of it, but he said I should let you know first.”

“…We have no problem with that,” Elvira replied. “But why exactly?”

“Yeah…You look like you really want in on this,” Arian observed.

“I do,” came Yuliya’s reply. “I need to see them. I need to see Prince Leonid. And…Svetlana too.”

“Oh yes…Svetlana. Princess Svetlana, I think?” the Riolu recalled. “Married to Leonid, or…engaged to him?” It occurred to him at that moment that he didn’t know much about the lady betrothed to Leonid.

“Yes. The firstborn daughter of Lord Gerasim of the Lysagora oblast. The princess-to-be of Selenia, engaged previously to Prince Kasimir, then to Prince Leonid,” Yuliya listed, before revealing something else. “She’s also…my sister.”

“Your sister?!” That, Arian wasn’t aware of.

“Gerasimovna Lysagora…You have that same patronym and surname, don’t you?” Elvira noted. “I was thinking that name sounded familiar…”

“Yes. We’re both daughters of House Lysagora,” Yuliya confirmed. “We loved each other very much. We were practically joined at the hip growing up. It’s been five long years since I last saw her. I…want to see her again.”

“Well, of course. Come along,” Elvira accepted.

“Yeah. We could always use more help,” Arian concurred. “Especially against the Albans, who are tough as nails, apparently.”

“Hmph. What were we discussing before, Arian?” Isaac reminded, as the group of five started down the road. “All Albans have strength, but no thought. Outthink them and you’ll be doing well.”

“That’s an easy trap to fall into,” Yuliya argued. “There are plenty of Alban strategists. To pretend they’re all knuckle-headed warriors will land you in trouble with them.”

“I’m not saying they’re all like that,” Isaac imparted. “They – “

“Actually, you just did,” Arian cut in, inwardly smug at that counter. “You said ‘all’ Albans. You never said ‘some’ Albans.”

“You did,” Elvira said in support, and Yuliya even nodded in agreement.

“…Tch.” Isaac silently chose to end the argument there, in annoyance at his mistake.

Arian felt pretty good about that for a while. Soon, though, his attention turned to the road – or rather, what it had become. The terrain began to rise at this point, and a range of hills suddenly stood right in front of them. He also noticed quite an abundance of trees.

“We’re getting close to Alba,” Yuliya noted. “The Forested Upland divides Selenia and Alba.”

“Forests?” That confused Arian. “But I thought we were heading to a desert?”

“The forest was a Selenian initiative dating back four hundred years,” Isaac explained. “It was to keep the desert of Alba from expanding into Selenia. So a wall of trees were planted along this mountain range to keep the desertification at bay. Owing to the fact that the soil begins to get dry here, the roots of these trees expand deep into the earth to extract water from the ground.”

“Oh…interesting.”

“We’ve had fires, though,” Lex said. “Some trees caught fire a few months ago because it was so hot. They were put out before it could get too bad, but…”

“…It’s a bad sign,” Isaac murmured. “If this great treescape is threatened…then the desert risks spilling over into Selenia. And that would spell disaster for our nation.”

“…Why has this happened?” Yuliya questioned, to no one in particular. “What is with this heatwave we’ve had this summer?”

“You’re telling me,” Elvira replied. “I’ve had to live through it too. We’ve all had to.”

“And the worst thing of all…it’s not Mitrofan’s doing,” Arian added. “Even if we defeat him, that won’t stop these unnatural weather events from happening.”

“…Hey, Ise, do you know?” Lex asked. “Do you know why we’re getting this hot weather?”

“…If I knew, I would no doubt have told you,” Isaac curtly answered. “No, I do not. I am as in the dark as you all are about this. …I will say one thing, though.”

“And that is…?” Elvira queried.

“If the summer heat is much hotter and warmer than normal…then we can expect the autumn storms to be much more fierce and harsh,” the Espeon theorised. “When heat rises, it cools, condenses and creates clouds. Rain then comes back to the ground in thunderstorms. We call it convectional rainfall. If this amount of heat rises to the air…we can expect the rain to come down in much, much higher levels than normal.”

“…You know your stuff,” complimented Yuliya.

“It pays to know it,” was the Espeon’s response, holding his head up loftily. “Now come. Let us climb.”

The quintet made their way up the hill ahead of them. While it wasn’t the easiest of climbs, it wasn’t so difficult that they would need to rest. The hills were rocky as well, and some strata were visible in exposed areas of bedrock. If the dry weather was of any consolation, at least it meant the terrain wasn’t muddy at all, and thus their progress was not impeded by muddy, slippery terrain.

“There are a number of quarries along this range,” Isaac stated, at one point during the climb. “A number of Selenian cities have been built using the sandstone rock that is present along the Alban border. The port city of Varana to the west, as well many important buildings in Iria, like the arena and Iria Castle – all were built with northern Selenian sandstone.”

“…Dunno if that’s true,” Lex said to Elvira, who was near him. He reached out and helped her up a small ledge. “But if it’s Ise talking, he’s probably right.”

“…You two know each other well,” the Treecko remarked. “Are you childhood friends?”

“No, we’re not,” the Cranidos replied. “We’ve only known each other for…two years? I would talk about it, but…” He looked over at Isaac. “Maybe I should keep my mouth shut.”

“Why? Did something bad happen?”

“…Yeah, pretty much. Me and Ise were saved by the Guild, though, and so we work for ’em. Plus – ” Lex was about to go on, but he was cut off by his partner.

“Don’t dawdle, Lex,” Isaac called to him. “We can’t keep Team Elpis and Yuliya waiting.” He then turned to Elvira, and to her surprise…she heard his voice, despite his mouth not moving.

“That includes you, Elvira. Selenia is depending on you to fetch our tsesarevich. Don’t get sidetracked with stories that won’t help our cause.”

Telepathy…the Treecko realised. “Sorry,” she apologised, before catching up to her partner.

Before long, they had reached the top of another hill. Before them lay a dense treescape.

“Through there we go,” Arian said. “And on the other side…that’s where Alba and Prince Leonid are.”

 

 

---

 

 

Forested Upland

S1F

 

The five materialised in another forested Dungeon – a common sight in Selenia. However, Arian noticed one key difference between this one and most of the other forest Dungeons.

“…The trees looked a lot more withered,” he noted. This was true – the tall trees did look terribly parched, a sign rain had been in short supply up here.

“Because it’s been so dry…” Elvira noted sadly, looking at the trees.

“A sorry state of affairs, indeed,” murmured Isaac. “…But we are not Kyogre. So onward we march.”

“…Indeed…” Yuliya, though just as sad as Team Elpis, agreed with the Espeon, and went to one of the exits of the room. Team Elpis despondently followed after them.

The five of them soon arrived at a much more open room. By the looks of it, there were a fair amount of items on the floor.

“I’ll pick off the enemies,” Isaac volunteered. He aimed his gaze at a Dartrix that was getting closer to them, and fired a Psybeam at it.

“I’ll get in on that, if you don’t mind!” Arian called, stepping in. “I’m not missing out on beating up some ferals!” His claws gave off a metallic sheen, and he slashed with Metal Claw.

“…If you insist,” the Espeon sighed.

“Hey, don’t forget about me!” Lex eagerly seconded, and stamped his foot to use Rock Tomb. Rocks then shot out of the ground around the Dartrix. The owl let out a cry before collapsing to the ground.

“Thanks for that, Lex,” Arian said gratefully.

“No prob, Arian,” the dinosaur returned. “Hey, let’s team up! We’d make a good fighting pair!”

“That would be a sound strategy, in fact,” Isaac opined. “Going forward, you two shall be our vanguard. Yuliya, meanwhile, would be good for our rearguard. Elvira and I will provide support from the middle with items and longer-ranged attacks. …The most optimal strategy, in my opinion, would be to make use of our strongest attackers at the front and rear to keep our enemies at bay.”

“I agree,” Yuliya said.

“So do I,” Lex seconded, faithful to his partner’s decisions.

“Well, if you’re all okay with it, then sure, I guess,” Arian shrugged.

The five made their new formation, with Arian and Lex at the front. The former was given the item bag by Elvira to pick up items he came across along the way. This, Arian did, while occasionally handing an item back to Lex to make sure he didn’t hog all the rewards.

He and the Rock-type made easy work of any ferals that came their way. Lex’s brute strength made for a vital asset in combat, as did Isaac’s Psybeams from the middle, whose long range ensured reliable backup from him. Arian was at least glad to see that the Espeon’s coldness didn’t extend to apathy. He would help him out like any comrade would, despite his attitude.

They eventually found the stairs, guarded by a Dustox. A Rock Tomb and Psybeam combo from Team Mindfist easily felled the moth, and the group of five ascended the stone stairs.

 

Forested Upland

S2F

 

“This floor’s ferals consist of Dartrix, Dustox, Noctowl, Phantump, Lurantis, Linoone, Tropius, Tangela and Sudowoodo on the Selenian side of the Forested Upland,” Isaac listed, not long into the second floor. “Not too different from your average forest-dwelling Pokémon. As we get deeper into the Dungeon, we can expect to see more Ground and Rock-type Pokémon, more typical of Alban habitats.”

“Did you memorise all this or what?” Yuliya wondered. “I’m fascinated by what you know. In our barracks, we have documents on Mystery Dungeons and the Pokémon within them. But you’re like a walking encyclopaedia with that kind of information.”

“It’s nothing. It’s merely experience from being in this place before,” the Espeon explained.

“Yeah, we’ve been here a lot,” Lex added. “And I’ve been here a lot as a kid. Mom and Dad would sometimes come here to hunt for food and I always wanted to see how far I could get in here. I always hoped that one day I would get to Alba. …But Mom and Dad never wanted me to do that. They thought I would get hurt by all the Grass-types.”

“I don’t blame them,” Elvira replied. “I once wandered into Verdant Woods with Flora and Tamara when I was five years old. Mom practically had a heart attack when she found I had gone missing. She always says that took years off her life.”

“…That’s quite a story,” noted Arian. “Is that when you decided you wanted to become a mercenary?”

“Not really. I just wanted to be like Dad,” Elvira answered. “We weren’t really very good. So we had to call for help, and Dad happened to be in the area and ended up being the one to save us.”

“Oh…” the Riolu murmured, interested in this new anecdote from his partner.

“An adventurous spirit, were you?” Yuliya queried. “…I was like that, too. I didn’t like the traditions of the lady at all, like embroidery and baking. That was never my forte. I loved exploring the great outdoors a lot more. I did get in trouble a few times, but…eventually Father and Mother understood, and along with Svetlana, decided to gear me away from the life of a lady and more towards what I enjoyed. And so…I ended up in the knights and rose through the ranks to become a marshal.”

“Wow,” Arian remarked.

“Good thing your family was understanding,” Elvira observed. “If you were with another family, they would no doubt try and suppress what you really wanted to do.”

“That’s true. …Thank the Creator I was born to parents who understood me,” the Furret replied. “I wouldn’t want to be born to parents who have one set vision for me and nothing else. I would never want to hate my parents.”

Arian and Elvira listened intently to Yuliya’s story. This did mean they missed the reaction of their companions in Team Mindfist. Particularly Isaac, who seemed to flinch at what the ex-marshal was saying. He looked to the ground solemnly.

“…Ise? You okay?” Lex wondered.

“…It’s nothing.” Isaac shook his head, trying to get rid of the bad feelings. “Ghosts of the past, nothing more. Fickle memories, just fickle…” Noticing a small gap had developed between them and the other three, he ran to close it. Thankfully, they didn’t seem to notice, and the group fell back into formation pretty quickly.

Soon, they happened upon a Dartrix. The bird swooped in and attacked Arian with Pluck. The Riolu, alas, didn’t react quickly enough to dodge.

“Ow!” he cried, feeling the pain of the feral’s pecks at him.

“Arian! I’ll get him!” Lex assured, and stamped his foot to attack the Dartrix with Rock Tomb. The bird let off a shrill cry at the wound.

“I’ll help too!” Elvira called. She threw a blast seed at the grass owl, and that was enough to do it in. It fell to the ground in a heap of feathers.

“…Thanks, guys,” Arian thanked, glad for the backup of his comrades.

“No problem.” Elvira handed him an oran berry, and he ate it up.

“A pity you don’t have Ice Punch, Arian,” noted Isaac. “Your kind are capable of learning it, after all.”

“Ice Punch…” Arian wondered. He’d seen that move in some of his training sessions with Galen, and admittedly rather liked the look of it. I can learn that too?

“It would be beneficial for Arian,” Elvira agreed. As she spoke, the five got back to finding the stairs. “But the TM for it’s been hard to come by. Not to mention, it’s quite an investment. TMs aren’t exactly cheap.”

“…Fair enough,” Isaac accepted. “But it would give you a better edge in combat. You would fare more effectively against a wider range of types than the moveset you have now.”

“…I guess. …Who knows? If we find a TM for it, I’ll be sure to try it out,” Arian promised.

“Guess money’s a problem for everyone who wants new moves,” grumbled Lex. “There’s a lot of cool moves I wanna learn! But we never have the money for them…”

“Patience, Lex,” his partner assured. “Enough saving and we’ll get enough to afford them. We may even find a TM on the floor of a Mystery Dungeon at the cost of nothing.”

“I hope so!” The Cranidos smiled at the thought. “That’d be nice.”

“It would be. You’re not alone in wanting better moves,” Isaac murmured. “Dazzling Gleam and Shadow Ball…I would love to have those moves one day. Powerful attacks that would counter weaknesses of mine.”

“Oh, so you’re not perfect, after all, eh?” Arian pointed out, with a hint of smugness. He paused to double team a Lurantis with Lex.

“I never said I was,” defended Isaac, after the Grass-type had been dealt with. “Ignoring what I’m weak to is a foolish endeavour. I’m not perfect, no matter how some people try to delude me into thinking. Like I said back in town, acknowledging your weaknesses is a good step to take. An even better step, though, is working to overcome them. That’s why I want those attacks. They would give me a better edge in battle. Just like what I was saying to you.”

“…Right, I got it,” Arian replied.

“Let yourself know one thing from what I’m saying to you, Arian,” Isaac mentioned. The Riolu turned to him, and was rather surprised to see a rather serious look on his face. “No one’s perfect. Not me, not you, no one here. Nor our allies or our enemies. Nor a ruler or his people. No one is perfect in this world. None.”

“…Okay, I understand,” Arian said slowly, not fully getting what he was feeling in that moment. He understood fully what the Espeon was saying. But…that look he had in that moment. That serious look, almost imploring him to understand that simple axiom.

What was that all about?

 

Forested Upland

S6F

 

“Say, Yuliya. I have a question for you,” Isaac prompted, amid the Dungeon crawling.

“And that would be…?” the Furret asked.

The quintet had made good progress through the Dungeon. It hadn’t been too arduous apart from two knockouts on their end: both Arian and Lex were knocked out by a threefold attack from a Noctowl, a Linoone, and a Phantump. Luckily, it was nothing two reviver seeds and retaliation from the other three couldn’t resolve.

They were on the sixth floor now. Isaac informed them that they would be at the top after the ninth floor, meaning they were getting close to the end.

The Espeon, meanwhile, was curious about the presence of Yuliya, who had been helpful in their journey through the Dungeon. It was, however, only her. Thus, Isaac wondered about the presence of two others.

“Why exactly isn’t Marshal Branislav accompanying you?” he queried. “I would think one of Tsar Kliment’s most loyal marshals would be all too eager to meet up with his son.”

“…Branislav said he was more useful in Selenia,” the Furret replied.

“Oh? And why’s that?” Isaac pushed.

“…He and Maciej claim to have hidden forces that they need to rally in the case that His Highness returns to Selenia,” Yuliya elaborated. “They both claimed they would be better off staying in Selenia to collect supporters for Prince Leonid. As well as that…I wanted to go to Breifne to see my sister as well. Branislav dictated I could afford to do this. …Granted, he did say I would make a better impression on him than Team Elpis, given our shared bond as in-laws,” she added.

…Typical Branislav. Arian felt partly offended by the bird knight’s claim. He really doesn’t have much faith in us, does he?

“Branislav…” Lex muttered, a frown coming across his face. Isaac looked over at him knowingly.

“…I see,” murmured the psychic cat. “Then I have another question. Who exactly is Maciej, the Swoobat that accompanies Branislav?”

“Maciej? …I don’t know myself, to be honest,” Yuliya admitted. “After what happened five years ago, I went into hiding, and lost contact with Branislav. It was only around a year and a half ago that I found him again. By then, he seemed to have Maciej by his side already. I wouldn’t know. That’s a question you’d have to ask him.”

“Hmm…” Isaac hummed thoughtfully. Arian, who happened to be near him, heard him mutter something under his breath. “Probably won’t get a straight answer…”

The Riolu didn’t know how to feel about this. He found himself disliking Branislav, but Maciej was different. He seemed to be more supportive of them in the Guild. And as well as that, he did save him, Elvira and Team Sandstream in Rusalka from drowning in the Evor against Metody’s Whirlpools.

Even if we don’t know his origins…that doesn’t mean he’s not an ally. I mean, I’m a nobody in this world…but that doesn’t mean I’m an enemy. …Well, then again, it’s not as if most people know where I truly come from…

Not wanting to dwell on this point for much longer, Arian returned his focus to the Dungeon. Luckily, his stray thoughts hadn’t distracted him from anything major. However, it was good timing to snap out of his thoughts, as he saw a Phantump approaching them.

Time to whet my fangs and send this ghost back to the afterlife, he thought, readying a Bite. Beside him, Lex readied his own Bite.

Biting ghosts…Arian couldn’t help but inwardly chuckle at that. This world’s logic is weird sometimes. But hey…I’m glad to be a part of it.

 

 

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Forested Upland

Crest

 

After three more floors of searching, fighting, picking up items, as well as throwing them, Teams Elpis and Mindfist, along with Yuliya, made it to the top of the Forested Upland. And once there…a sight awaited them.

Below them, on the other side of the hills, lay a valley surrounded by hills. Before them was dry, with a number of bushes and trees scattered across it. And those trees were far from thick conifers or broad oaks, but smaller, thinner acacias. It was certainly a far cry from the emerald grasslands of Selenia.

Arian was the first to speak.

“…Is that Alba?”

“…Indeed it is,” Isaac confirmed. “The tanistry of Alba. And specifically what you’re looking at right now is Mumhain, the land of the Mac Mánais clan. They control this southeast jurisdiction of Alba.”

“…I see,” Arian murmured. I’m going to have to get used to these names…the names of a different country.

“I haven’t been to Alba in some time,” Yuliya said. “No doubt it’s changed since then. …Hopefully they’ll listen to us. And hopefully, Lord Leonid is here somewhere…”

“…Dad and Melchior went to Alba on many missions,” Elvira mentioned. “Dad even got a Parabolic Torc for Mom for her hatchday once, which he got after trading with Alban merchants. She was very happy with that.”

“…Maybe we should get a souvenir for her,” suggested Arian. “Something valuable from a Dungeon, maybe.”

“Maybe. She does like souvenirs.”

“…Well, I think that’ll be it for us,” Isaac announced. “As much as I hate to say it, this is where we turn back.”

“Ah.” Elvira nodded in understanding.

“Yeah. It’s getting late, and I don’t wanna worry Mom and Dad,” Lex replied.

“Besides, your journey is all the way to Breifne,” Isaac went on. “We can’t go all the way there.”

“…I guess this would be a good turning back point for you, then,” Arian said. “Thanks a bunch for helping us, guys.”

“No problem!” Lex returned. “It’s always good to help friends.”

“And beneficial to do so in this case,” Isaac added. “…I wish you the best of luck in meeting Prince Leonid. Hopefully once you do, we’ll be one step closer to getting Selenia back on the road to being a proper country again.”

“Thanks, Isaac,” Arian replied. Even if he disagreed with the Espeon on some things, he did at least care for the cause.

“Farewell. I hope to see you back in Selenia with our tsesarevich.” Isaac turned to leave, before turning back. “…Ah. One more word of warning.”

“And that is…?”

“…When in a foreign country, it might be easy to be swayed by the culture. But never forget that the one you’re seeking out is Selenian, and our crown prince at that. Remember Selenian standards when speaking to him.”

“…Right. Understood,” Arian nodded.

“That won’t be a problem,” Yuliya added. “We have three Selenians among us. And we’re not ones to forget our heritage easily. Right, you two?”

“Yes.” Elvira nodded.

“Y-Yeah.” Arian nodded as well, though perhaps a bit too vigorously. He knew the truth, and he wasn’t being truthful right now. But it would be too difficult to explain the peculiarities of his situation to Yuliya.

Isaac caught the expression on Arian’s face, and a slight frown crossed his face. However, he dismissed it as he addressed them again.

“Very well, then. I think now this is the real farewell. Arian, Elvira, Yuliya – I wish all three of you the best of luck. May Victini watch over you.” And with that, Isaac left in the direction of Kitesh, followed by Lex.

“Off they go…” murmured Arian.

“You’re lucky to have reliable allies, you two,” Yuliya praised. “A knowledgeable Espeon and a hard-hitting Cranidos…”

“Yeah…I guess we are,” the Riolu replied. “We probably shouldn’t take them for granted.”

“No, we shouldn’t,” Elvira said. “Dependable allies are always in short supply with rebel movements. They never usually have the discipline of actual armies, and therefore they have a tendency to fall apart at the seams.”

“Gamaliel’s didn’t, though,” Arian pointed out.

“That’s because nearly all of Selenia was united under his banner,” the Treecko explained. “He had a strong cause, and a great amount of charisma, too. He was one of the most successful rebels in Ardalion’s history.”

“If only we could rally a similar cause ourselves…” Yuliya murmured. “Perhaps when Prince Leonid returns to Selenia, we might well do that.”

“…Maybe. Though I can’t imagine the people of Selenia now hold as much resentment towards Mitrofan as they did to Tsar Rihard and the East back then,” Elvira replied. Arian, hearing this, was reminded of what she said earlier in the day about comparing their efforts to Gamaliel’s.

“You have a point. …Even so, he must be overthrown,” the Furret uttered with determination. “And so…onward we go, to find His Highness.” She proceeded to head down the path ahead of them that led downwards towards the valley they were overlooking.

Arian and Elvira, alike in the same goal, followed her down.

 

 

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Forested Upland

A1F

 

The three went into the Alban side of the Forested Upland. This was a notable change from its Selenian counterpart; the ground here was a lot drier, and the trees’ foliage was much thinner. The trees were spaced a bit further apart than their Selenian counterparts.

“Well…” Arian remarked, observing the change in treescape characteristics. “I’ve only just stepped into Alba and I can already tell the difference.”

“Anyone would be able to tell the difference,” Elvira replied. “Selenia and Alba are starkly different countries, both in culture and in landscape.” She looked away as a realisation came to her. “No wonder our relationship’s been shaky over the years…”

“…It’s always been that way,” Yuliya replied. “An alliance like Dresilia and Miletos have only existed in our wildest dreams. They are alike in culture and landscape, and that is why they are able to form as deep a bond as they have. No matter how many overtures we can make about ‘unity’ and ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’, we can never hope to have that. Besides…our ancestors have made too many mistakes and betrayed too much trust. No wonder animosity remains…”

“…Yuliya?” Arian said, worried.

“Oh, pardon me,” apologised the Furret. “I didn’t mean to get cynical. Now’s not the time for that, to dampen our hopes before we’ve even spoken to any Albans.”

“It’s fine, Yuliya,” the Riolu assured. “Let’s get to the bottom of these hills so we can meet them!” he added, trying to sound optimistic to counter the ex-marshal’s pessimism.

The three got to their routine of hunting for the stairs. Yuliya proposed she be the rearguard once again while Arian led the charge, and Elvira would be in the middle. Team Elpis agreed, and so the arrangement was made.

In the Dungeon, it was as Isaac had said; the Alban side of the hills had a lot more Ground and Rock-types in them. Now Lileep, Minior, Rhyhorn and Phanpy joined the mix of feral Pokémon. For Yuliya, this was something of a setback; her moveset wasn;t the best equipped to deal with Rock-types. For Arian and Elvira, though…this was good news. It would make getting through the Dungeon a lot easier.

“Hi-yah!” Arian yelled out, dealing a Force Palm to a Lileep in a wider open room. The Pokémon, wounded by the attack, stuck its roots into the ground, hoping to regenerate with Ingrain.

“I don’t think so!” Elvira, however, was having none of it, and cast a Giga Drain towards the feral. It, however, still didn’t go down.

“Allow me!” Yuliya then stepped in, dark energy coating her claws. She leapt forward and slashed at the Lileep with Shadow Claw. Luckily, that did it, and the Pokémon fell to its side in defeat.

“Thanks, Yuliya,” Arian said gratefully.

“Always glad to help,” the Furret replied. “I was worried that would take longer – Lileep are known to be tedious to fight. But anyway. Onward we head.”

After picking up a set of gravelerocks dropped by the Lileep, the three continued their hunt for the stairs. They found it at the end of a long corridor, and went down the stairs.

 

Forested Upland

A4F

 

The fourth floor was fairly quiet for them, with surprisingly few enemies. It was at that point that Arian became curious about something else that had been on his mind.

“So, Yuliya…” Arian queried. “I wanna know something.”

“Speak your mind, Arian,” she permitted.

“…It’s about Svetlana,” he wondered. “What’s she like?”

“Svetlana…my sister.” Yuliya paused, thinking of an answer. “We got on very well. There was very little arguing between us in our family. It was just the two of us born to our father, Lord Gerasim of Lysagora, with me as the eldest and her as the youngest.”

“Two daughters? …Did other houses try and court the two of you?” Elvira wondered.

“Indeed, they did. But Father made one thing quite plain to any potential suitors: that we would always have the final say to agreeing to any courtship,” Yuliya answered. “And he held a lot of power as the lord of Lysagora, so people didn’t say no to him. There was, however, one suitor he couldn’t turn down.”

“And that was…?” Arian asked.

“…Prince Kasimir. He met Svetlana a number of times, and the two grew fond of each other. Eventually, he proposed to her, she accepted it, and so it was arranged. My little sister would become a princess, and in time, she would become the Tsarina of Selenia. Our family was ecstatic. We could not be happier.”

“…But then…how did she become Leonid’s wife?” the Riolu wondered. Once again, he knew the general answer. But it was the specifics he wanted to know.

“…Because Kasimir died unexpectedly, six years ago.” Yuliya’s face fell, a sharp difference to the happy times she spoke of only seconds before. “Svetlana was heartbroken. She really loved Kasimir, and was in floods of tears when he passed away. As well as that, it left her without her husband. …And Father didn’t want that. With me going the route of the knight, she would have to be the one to provide an heir for our house. Thus, it was arranged with His Majesty that she would be betrothed to Prince Leonid instead.”

“…That can’t have been easy,” Elvira remarked. “Was that not too soon after Prince Kasimir’s death?”

“…I suppose if I am to be honest…it was,” Yuliya admitted. “But I was a loyal marshal to His Majesty. I couldn’t very well object to this arrangement. So I held my tongue and supported my sister. At least she wasn’t unhappy with him. Svetlana said she would be content with Leonid as her husband.”

“But the marriage officially never happened,” Elvira pointed out. “Because of what happened with Mitrofan.”

“Indeed. And so they fled to Dresilia…” The Furret wiped her right eye. “I’m so glad to know that. My sister is alive…” She looked into the room they entered, and saw the stairs. She looked over at them as they got ready to descend.

Hold on, Sister. I’m coming for you.

 

Forested Upland

A5F

 

Arian, Elvira and Yuliya went up to the next floor, expecting another typical floor of fighting ferals and finding items. And for the most part, that was what they got.

Not long after they started on the floor, they came to a room with a number of items strewn about it. But accompanying that were a fair share of ferals. Two Rhyhorn and a Linoone came their way, while a Tropius slept in the corner.

“You handle the Linoone, Yuliya,” Arian suggested. “Elvira and I can take these two lugs.” He pointed to the pair of Rhyhorn.

“That’s fine by me,” the Furret accepted, and bared her claws against the Linoone, who gazed at her with a fierce look typical of ferals.

Arian started off by tossing a violent seed in his partner’s direction, before charging at one of the Rhyhorn with a Force Palm at the ready. He struck it directly on the nose, which dazed the Rock-type in a manner that suggested it had been paralysed. Its partner roared at him and was about to charge into him with a Take Down.

But at that moment, Elvira used Giga Drain on it. The amplified power of the move thanks to the violent seed was enough to take it down in the one hit, much to her surprise. The other Rhyhorn, meanwhile, tried to launch a Horn Attack at Arian, but the paralysis stopped it in its tracks. The Riolu took advantage of this and slammed another Force Palm at it. Elvira then moved in and used Giga Drain, just as a measure to ensure it stayed down.

“…Wow, we did pretty good in that,” Arian remarked. Looking over at Yuliya, he saw that she had wrapped up her side of the fight, having used Fury Swipes to slash at the raccoon.

He looked over at the corner of the room, and the items there caught his eye.

There were two of them. One was a max elixir – always good to have as it topped up their move usage. However, the other caught more intriguing, and he went over to get a better look at it.

It looked to be a torc of some kind. It was made of a golden coloured metal – brass, by the looks of it. But it was engraved with intricate markings that didn’t look normal.

What’s this? “Hold on a minute,” Arian called out. “Guys, come look at this.” Elvira and Yuliya both went over to see what the human was pointing to.

“What is it?” Elvira peered at them. “A torc?”

“Hmm…this looks handcrafted,” Yuliya noted. “As if it belongs to someone with a bit of money on their hands.”

“I was thinking…it looks almost like the sort of item some clients would ask us to look for in Dungeons,” Arian brought up.

“That is true,” Elvira agreed. “Maybe it’s that? Is there a mission out there looking for these?”

Arian picked up the torc, and looked at it. At each end, he noticed what looked to be an insignia. It was a diamond shape, with the letters T, Ó, M, c, and M inscribed within it. The latter three letters were all bunched next to each other.

“What does this mean?” he wondered.

“…If I had to guess, it’s implying the name of the smith who made it,” Yuliya presumed. “But I wouldn’t know the name. They probably live nearby, in Alba.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Elvira went to pick up the torc, and put it into the bag. “Let’s keep going.”

They headed down the nearest path. Luckily, they didn’t have to look far for the next set of stairs, which they climbed down.

…However…it never occurred to them that they weren’t the only ones on the floor.

As it so happened…another team was on the same floor, looking for a certain item.

And after a while, one of them was getting annoyed

“Come on…where the hell is it?” a female Gabite growled. “That Chief’s bitch better not have duped us. Otherwise we came here for nothing!”

“Good thing Chief Mac Mánais can’t hear you here, En,” a male Hakamo-o remarked. “He’d beat you to a pulp if he heard you talking about his daughter like that.”

“Shut up, Yann,” the land shark fired back. “Where the fuck’s that torc? That request said it was on this gods-damned floor…It better be here!”

 

 

---

 

 

Forested Upland

Alban Foothills

 

The rest of the Dungeon went smoothly for Team Elpis and Yuliya. It went well enough that all three were feeling optimistic as they went down the stairs and found themselves in a savanna-like setting.

They would cross this land, get to Leonid and Svetlana, bring them back to Selenia and take down Mitrofan. Maybe even with the help of Alban muscle. They would need all the help they could get.

However, the optimism vanished within two minutes of exiting the Mystery Dungeon.

Right as they came to flatter ground next to an acacia tree, two Pokémon suddenly stepped out in front of them.

They were a Gabite and a Hakamo-o. Both wore orange scarves and had challenging looks in their eyes.

“Going somewhere, you lot?” the Gabite said. “You Sels don’t get Alba at all, do you?”

“In our country, if you wanna take a reward from a team…” The Hakamo-o brandished his fists. “Then you gotta fight us for it!”