Chapter 18 – Knights of Cydonia

Stay strong, my wings. Don’t fail me now.

We can make it, we’ll do it somehow.

Keep flying on through the day.

On my love!

---

For Terry, it was another regular day in his life. Or rather, new life. He woke up inside the team’s headquarters, said good morning to Liz, and then left.

Perfect time to buy more comics. Or books! Terry wagged his tail. Although… I could always buy both.

Terry checked the coins in his hand. There was more than enough for buying them. One of the few things about being royalty that he actually liked; and in the future, he could buy his friends gifts.

Taking a look at the sky, he saw little to no clouds. “Another hot day, huh?”

Oh well, nothing he could do about it. Terry climbed down the hill, taking his time to sniff the air and appreciate every corner of the town. As simple as it was, he still found it exciting to be living there.

At least the weather here seems fine, and it isn’t going crazy like that town we visited before…

Not long after, Terry stopped, back at ground level. His scales felt the heat of the sun in them. “…I could use some ice cream. There has to be a place selling it around here. Hm…”

He knew about the bakery Shiron always visited, but wasn’t sure if they sold ice cream.

“Only one way to find out!”

As he sprinted through the town, a wide grin adorned Terry’s face. However, before he reached his destination, he was pleasantly surprised by a familiar sight.

Strolling side by side were Shiron and Magnus, both holding an ice cream cone in their hands. Shiron’s was yellow, with a few gummies splattered atop. Magnus’, on the other hand, looked like it was chocolate-flavored.

“Good morning!” Terry waved at them with his free hand. He noticed Shiron wasn’t wearing his trademark scarf. Maybe it was the weather.

“Huh?” Shiron was a little busy looking at the way Magnus ate his dessert to notice the prince nearby. At least, before Terry made himself known. “Oh! Hi, Terry!”

“Morning? It’s already past noon!”

“…It is?” Terry blinked. How long did he sleep?

“Yeah, I got hungry after lunch, so I went to Magnus’ place,” Shiron pointed at his round friend. “He got me an ice cream, on the house.”

“W-Well, you’re a good friend, so…” Magnus replied with a stutter, smiling at the Marshtomp.

“Uh…” Shiron quickly turned to face Terry again. “So! Seems you’re enjoying all the liberties now. Goin’ out to buy more comics, I take it?”

“I want to, yes.” Terry showed them the coins in his hand. “I wanted to eat some ice cream beforehand, though. It’s way too hot!”

“Mhm, you’re so right. I miss rain.” Shiron muttered, biting on his ice cream. “You should totally check out the ones Magnus’ dad is selling, they’re great!”

Magnus’ face turned red, and he only smiled in response.

“Maybe I will!” Terry said. “I was heading there, actually. Now I know I have to—”

A deafening noise interrupted them. It sounded like trumpets. Loud trumpets, coming from the beach. Terry froze after hearing it, a chill running up his spine, while his eyes widened.

The trumpet’s sound was familiar, and its rhythm was definitely regal, stopping every few seconds before picking up again.

“Oh no… n-no, no, no!” Terry clutched the coins harder, looking around. “They can’t be here!”

Shiron blinked, turning to where the sound was coming from. He had no idea what that was all about, but Terry didn’t seem to like it.

“A-Are you okay, buddy?”

“…” Terry didn’t put it into words, and his reaction was to look down at the ground. The sound kept echoing in his head, deafening every other sound.

Them. It was them. They were coming, and coming for him. Only him, the runaway prince.

“Terry, we’re worried about you!” Magnus called out to him, hearing the trumpets getting louder. “What’s going on?”

He could count on them. Count on all of them, they were his friends, after all. “That’s my brother’s trumpet. I’d recognize the sound anywhere. We all have one, and this means he’s here…”

“Your brother?” Shiron didn’t have any siblings, but judging from how Terry reacted, that guy had to be bad news.

Terry continued to look down, the trumpets echoing in his head. “They’re likely here to take me back home. I can’t go back…”

Someone wanting to escape from home, from somewhere that never treated them right. Shiron could relate to that, more than they knew

“We won’t let them take you,” he said, as firm as he could possibly be. “You’re my friend, and my teammate. You belong with us, right?”

“R-Right.” Terry raised his head. “I don’t want to see them, but… m-maybe I can convince them to leave me alone.”

The trumpets got louder—how close were they? Terry’s legs almost gave up, trembling like they never had before. And Shiron saw that, knowing what his friend was going through.

“Terry… I think you should go. We don’t know where they are, but they’ll get here eventually.” Shiron told him, pointing up the hill. “We won’t tell them where our base is, so go!”

Magnus looked around for a moment, and turned to Terry. “I’ll bring you ice cream! We’ll handle it, don’t worry!”

“I… I won’t! I promise!” Terry immediately turned back and started to run, not looking back, not even once.

Finally, he had friends, and they cared for him. For his dreams, accepting his decision to be free from all that bound him. Something not even his family did.

I… I can count on them, can’t I? More than my brother. I have friends! I finally… finally have friends!

And he continued to run, run like nothing else mattered. Like his life depended on it. As far as Terry was concerned, it did. Losing all of them was causing his stomach to twist into a nasty knot. But he had to keep going.

“Okay… Magnus?” Shiron watched the prince run away, and then glanced at his friend. “We’ll be lying. If Terry’s brother sees us, we’re lying.”

“I know! I don’t like lying, but… I know it’s for the best.” Magnus finished his ice cream and gulped, waiting for the worst.

Once more, they heard the trumpets. However, this time they actually were accompanied by something. Or someone.

A Fraxure skillfully played the instrument, accompanied by a Druddigon standing beside him, playing another trumpet. In front of them, a Tyrunt took center stage, donning an oversized green cape that almost touched the ground.

Not once did the song stop, only increasing in volume as the prince made his way throughout the town. Wherever he went, some of the Pokémon inside stopped their activities to look at him, some for longer than the others.

Do they not see who is visiting this wretched place? How pathetic… Edgar eyed the place. He winced. And this is where my brother resides? Disgusting.

Finally, a crowd started to gather around him, coming from all sides of the town. Edgar smiled, finally seeing the praise he required. Of course, he didn’t look at any of them. Nobody in the town deserved it.

Shiron was on the back of the crowd, along with Magnus, and the two exchanged a look.

“We’re willing to lie for his sake, but what about the others here?”

“You have a point…” Magnus started thinking of what he could do to help, and snapped a finger. “I have a plan! Follow me!”

Thankfully, the crowd was chattering so loud that their voices got muffled, so Edgar had no idea what was happening. In fact, he was more interested in shutting them all up.

Without saying a word, he glanced at his bodyguards.

The Druddigon stepped forward, clearing his throat. Damian had a straight posture. “Rejoice!”

Next, it was the Fraxure’s turn. Vulcan also cleared his throat. “For once in your lives, you are graced with his presence.”

“Indeed! Rejoice, for Prince Edgar has traveled far and wide, all for a glorious purpose!”

Vulcan nodded, holding the trumpet with his two hands. “He is here to rescue someone, someone very important and dear to him.”

A Machop nearby raised their hand. “Oh, is that the—”

“Excuse me!” Magnus walked through the crowd, holding Shiron’s hand as tight as he could to not lose the Marshtomp, and eventually was face to face with the prince. “Ah, hello, your Highness! I’m a baker in this town, and I’d love to help you with your search! But before that, how about you visit my establishment?”

“Y-Yeah!” Shiron was focused on the conversation ahead, but still felt the handholding was nice. “He’s the greatest baker ever!”

“And who would you two be?” Edgar finally looked at them, but only at a glance. “A baker and his boyfriend are hardly worth my time.”

“I’m not—we’re not—” Shiron looked at his hand, and then at Magnus. It seemed his friend did the same, and the two backed off from each other. “Ah, it’s fine! Look, your Highness, you must be tired from the journey!”

Magnus clapped his hands together. “Yup! Come on now, I can bake whatever you want, on the house!”

One day he’d need to stop giving so many discounts, but it wasn’t that day.

“I… I am a tad hungry…” Vulcan muttered. “Your Highness, perhaps we should consider it.”

“…Hmph. Very well.” Edgar glanced at the two again. “Lead me to this bakery of yours. I will try something there, but do not waste my time. It better be good.”

Magnus, somehow, did it. Now to find a way to keep that up…

---

Running up that hill was getting easier, as Terry told himself. During that particular moment, it was like running away again. Except this time, he wasn’t that far from the ones he was running from.

Terry stopped near the door, catching his breath. “Right… I’ll need to explain what’s happening to the others.”

He opened the door, getting back inside and taking deep breaths. Right after closing the door, he was met with Liz waving a vine.

“Ah, hello, Terry. You returned.”

Before he could reply, Terry felt the door opening again, but it was only Nick coming out of it.

“Yo!” Nick waved at the two. “I kinda overslept, but man, I’m ready for the day! What’re we doing today?”

“Ah, yes, hello to both of you.” Terry took a deep breath. Might as well tell them right away. “…My brother is here.”

Liz’s smile was shattered immediately. “What?! Prince Edgar is here?!”

“Unfortunately, he is…”

“Huh? Wait, who’s Prince Edgar?” Nick looked at each of his friends for a few seconds. “…No, wait. Your brother, Terry?”

It was so hard to even talk about his sibling. Younger than him, but they were practically opposites. Terry had an open mouth, but no words came out. To think Terry had the courage to run away… and now his brother had come to take him.

“Part of me hoped they would let things stay the way they were. That they’d just forget about me and move on.”

“Terrence…” Liz was the one to approach him first, raising his head with a vine. “Listen to me. I will follow you to the depths of the world if it is for your happiness. That includes facing them.”

Meanwhile, Nick was unsure of what to say. Terry was his teammate, his friend. What could he do to help? When faced with such an overwhelming force—a royal from far away—what were his options?

Heroes help. I may be weak, but… I can do my best to help him. Like all of us on the team. Nick thought, and that helped him calm down a bit. “Terry! Have you seen him?”

“No! I’m not even sure how he found me…” Terry stuttered, trembling, and forcing himself to look down again. “And… and now he’ll take me back to that place…”

Was it all coming back? The pressure, the expectations, the schedule? Doing the same thing over and over, all so he could ascend to the throne, despite how repulsive the thought was?

“…We will not let that happen.” Liz said, firm. “Where is Shiron? He needs to hear about this.”

“A-Actually, they said I should hide here, that they wouldn’t let my brother find out where I am…” Terry muttered, almost in a whisper. “M-Magnus was there too. They’re both helping me.”

“I get it, I do…” Nick closed a fist. So the others were already doing something, but he wasn’t. “…Terry, what do you want me to do? I’m not… very strong, but I want to help.”

“I-I suppose… if I manage to stay hidden, my brother and his guards can think I’m not here and leave.” Terry said. But it sounded wrong to do that. “I don’t know… I don’t want to see them…”

As much as he wanted to get away, Terry also missed his sibling. They weren’t much alike, but they were family. A family that caused him to try and escape it. So, was it a real one?

“I see.” Nick adjusted the goggles on his head. “Alright then, team! Here’s the mission for today: stop them from taking Terry!”

Though Nick wasn’t the official leader, Shiron wasn’t there to give them an inspiring speech.

“Understood.” Liz closed her eyes. When she was obsessed with herself, and with strength, Terry was there. She couldn’t deny it—they were friends. And friends helped each other. “I must stay hidden as well. They will recognize me. That leaves Nick, Shiron and Magnus as the ones to act.”

Nick crossed his arms. “Hm, I can figure something out. Maybe send ’em on a pointless chase. What’d you say, Terry?”

“A-As long as they don’t get hurt…”

“I’ll meet up with Shiron and see what we can do.” Nick put his goggles on. “For now, Terry, Liz, stay here! I’ll come back with information as soon as I can!”

“Right—wait!” Terry blurted out, louder. “He has two guards with him. One is a Fraxure, his name is Vulcan. The other is a Druddigon, named Damian.”

“Gotcha. Like I said, I’ll be back as soon as I can!” Nick ran out of the place.

Liz sighed, glancing at Terry. “I suppose… even a fool can be a king if fate aligns.”

The bakery was closed that day. However, the inside was still clean, and every table was set. Magnus got inside first, then he was followed by the prince and his guards. Finally, Shiron entered last, closing the door behind him.

“One moment, I’ll open the windows!” Magnus bowed, moving around the place to do just that.

“Hm, in terms of presentation, this place leaves much to be desired.” Edgar tapped a foot on the ground. “Marshtomp! Where will I sit? I am already doing you a favor by staying in this place! Do not test me!”

“I-I have a name—” Shiron gulped. He looked for the closest table and walked towards it, getting the chairs ready for the three. “H-Here, your Highness!”

How can someone so mean be related to Terry? Shiron wondered, keeping it to himself.

“Hmph.” Edgar sat, but didn’t let his guards do it. He glanced around the place. Checking the walls—pink, with a few paintings of the various food items sold in the bakery.

“They’re not eating?”

“Only after I.” Edgar raised his head, in the most regal way he could. Shiron thought it was overreacting.

“Speaking of which, what will I eat? I have very particular tastes.”

Of course you do… Shiron tried to smile, but even he knew it was fake. “Well, there’s a lot of sweets. Cakes, tarts, muffins, pies…”

“So many things to try…” Edgar pouted.

Vulcan raised an arm to speak, and only started doing it after Edgar nodded in response. “Your Highness? Perhaps it would be wise to ask the Marshtomp. He clearly enjoys the food here.”

“Ah, you do have a point.” Edgar glanced at Shiron. “Marshtomp! What do you recommend? You are clearly close to the Quilladin.”

“Me…?” Shiron gulped. Oh well, it was up to him. Gods, he hated making decisions. “Well, I love the berry pie he makes. Kinda reminds me of him, really! Sweet, but not too much. I can tell he puts a lot of effort into it, and—”

“Spare me of your romantic, buttered words. I will eat this pie.” Edgar glared, and even finished his sentence with a snarl. “Quilladin! Make me the pie!”

“Huh…?” Magnus blinked. It felt… nice to be complimented like that.

T-They weren’t romantic, were they? Shiron stepped back. “Well, I’m glad you chose that. It’s pretty good.”

“Oh, uh, right! One berry pie, coming right up!” Magnus saluted, walking into the kitchen. One day he’d have to teach Shiron how to bake as well. They could even bake together…

“I assume this will not take long.” Edgar tapped a finger on his table. “I still need to search for my brother.”

“Your Highness, do we know if that… Zeraora’s information was correct?” Vulcan said, receiving a glare from the prince. “A-Apologies.”

Zeraora—Zero told them about Terry? What else did he say?

It was as good of an opportunity as ever to find out more about it. Shiron forced himself to smile again. “Excuse me, what is a Zeraora?”

“I am not sure myself…” Edgar closed his eyes. “Father believed him. He mentioned my brother had companions of some kind, but did not say much else. Do you know about it, Marshtomp? Have you seen another Tyrunt here?”

Lie, lie for his sake. Shiron shook his head. He wasn’t a good liar, but for Terry, Shiron tried. “I didn’t, your Highness. You’re the first one I’ve seen.”

“Tch. Perhaps he left this town already.” Edgar groaned. “I hope Terrence is alright… I need him back where he belongs.”

Damian nodded. “We will find him, your Highness. I know we will.”

“W-Well, if I can help in any way, just let me know.” Shiron said. His heart was beating faster. As much as it helped to stall them, he didn’t have a proper plan. Maybe talking with the others would help.

“Oh, I would rather be dead than need a peasant’s help.” Edgar rolled his eyes.

“Y-Your Highness, technically speaking, you have no authority here.” Damian said, feeling his body start to tremble.

Edgar raised a brow, snarling before sighing. “As much as it pains me, you are correct.”

No authority… Shiron repeated it in his head. If only that could be useful to them. But so far, he had no idea how it’d help Terry.

Shiron heard a faint noise coming from the door, and glanced around. On the other side, he saw Nick knocking four times. When their eyes met, the Riolu waved repeatedly, and then motioned for him to come out.

I wonder what that is. Shiron turned to the prince. “Errr, apologies, your Highness, but a friend is calling me, and I gotta go.”

Edgar took a long and deep breath. He had no jurisdiction there, so ordering that Marshtomp around was out of the question. “Hmph, I still need to ask you more questions. Return soon.”

“G-Got it.”

Shiron quickly made his way out of the building.

---

And met with Nick again. The two locked eyes with each other once more, waiting for the other to speak up.

Nick was the one to talk first. “I know what’s going on. Terry told me and Liz.”

“Oh, that makes things easier!” Shiron breathed a sigh of relief. “We were trying to stall those three. I had to lie, which… I’m not particularly good at.”

“Noted for the future,” he crossed his arms. “Alright, Shiron. We gotta find a way to make ’em leave this town.”

“That’s easier said than done…” Shiron rubbed his arm with a hand. “Any plans? I’m not that big of a strategist.”

Nick kept his arms crossed, and one of his ears twitched. For a moment, he swore there was someone nearby. But after Nick checked, he found nothing.

“Good question. If we could somehow prevent them from taking him, that’d be nice. But… I know we’re up against a prince. We don’t have that much influence.”

“Yeah.” Shiron looked down. He had to come up with some form of plan. “I… I wanna ask who runs this town, Nick.”

“Here? That’d be Ivan, that Houndoom from the bank,” he replied with a shrug. “Dunno how that’d be helpful, though.”

“…He’s the mayor?”

Did that world even have mayors? It had princes, so surely somewhere there had to be a mayor or too.

“You could say that.” Nick raised a brow. Once more, he heard something. It was rustling? Either way, Nick didn’t see what it was. “Why are you asking? Do you have any plan or something like that?”

“I’m working on it.” Shiron muttered. “Also, the prince told me I shouldn’t take too long talking to you. He needs me to answer some questions.”

“Ah, that’s always cool.” Nick had to roll his eyes at that. He took a peek through the window, and managed to see the prince sitting, accompanied by the two guards Terry had mentioned before.

After that, he looked back at Shiron. “If they’re anything like Liz, I doubt we can fight them.”

“We don’t have any reason to fight them.” Shiron sounded a bit more serious. “I don’t like it. I mean, I think I’m better at it, but even I know brute strength doesn’t solve everything.”

“You’re right.” Nick leaned against the bakery’s wall. “So, what are we going to do?”

“For now… I have an idea, I might need to talk to mister Ivan. If he’s not too busy.”

“Hah! That’s as likely as snow in this town.”

Unbeknownst to them, there was someone watching. Just like Nick did a few seconds ago, Damian was peeking through the window, listening to their conversation.

Bloody hell… I had to duck repeatedly, and that Riolu almost caught me. But hey, I still heard a lot of their conversation. So they know the prince…

“I would appreciate it if you stopped spying on them, Damian.” Edgar only glanced at his bodyguard, and the Druddigon quickly backed off from the window. “With that being said… what is happening?”

“Your Highness… I believe that Marshtomp knows your brother. He and the Riolu outside both do.”

Edgar grit his teeth. “Do they, now? Well, well… I did not expect it.”

“What do you want us to do, your Highness?” Vulcan asked.

“I assumed it was obvious. Get information out of them, through whatever means you judge necessary. Fight them, if you wish to. I will wait for my pie, and this Quilladin will answer me as well.”

Vulcan cracked his knuckles, while Damian flashed a wicked grin. The two bust the door to the bakery open, stepping outside. Meanwhile, Edgar relaxed on his table, simply waiting.

“Wha—” Shiron was barely able to react before a particularly strong punch hit his face, sending him back.

“Shiron!” Nick turned to his friend, and his fur poofed up. He stepped back just in time to dodge a clawed attack from Vulcan.

“I heard everything you said.” Damian faced the two with a piercing glare. “We want answers! Where is Prince Terrence?!”

“You two will face our justice!” Vulcan said, snarling afterwards.

“Ouch, ouch, that kinda hurt…” Shiron stood up, a bit dizzy, and tapped his face, right where the punch hit. It stung. “Ow… that thing hurt!”

“We’re having a bigger problem here, Shiron!” Nick adjusted his goggles. “These guys are trying to fight us!”

“Like I said… I only want information!” Damian stepped on the ground, readying himself, and unleashing a mighty roar.

Does it really need to end in a fight?! Shiron looked over at himself. It had been so long since he fought, and those two were more trained than him. Could he win?

Probably not, but it was for Terry—for his friend. Before anything, though, Shiron saw the Fraxure jumping in his direction, gathering a strange and purple energy around his mouth.

One second later, and it was released; a powerful pulse was sent towards Shiron. He only had enough time to cross his arms in the shape of an “x”, trying to contain the attack.

“T-This is nothing!”

It took Shiron all he had just to remain standing while the attack connected. At the same time, he noticed that Vulcan didn’t move while sending the pulse.

“Nick, go!”

“Gotcha!”

The Riolu rushed, dust picking up behind him as he ran. Then, with a jump, he aimed at Vulcan, both sets of claws in his hands shimmering with metal as he slashed.

Vulcan was taken aback by it, but only for a few seconds. In response, he roared, charging ahead as the wind picked up around his body, cloaking the dragon with a powerful gust. Aiming his tusks, he advanced through Nick, cutting a bit of his fur and causing the Riolu to scream in pain.

“Don’t hurt him!” Shiron cried out for his friend.

“You should worry about yourself!” Damian was already closing in, fist crackling with electricity.

But that—it doesn’t affect me, what is he doing?!

Shiron let the attack hit, and like expected, it did nothing, other than the physical contact with the dragon’s spikes, which caused a bit of pain.

“I don’t want to fight you! Can’t we talk this out?!”

“Tch, it was over the moment you held our prince hostage!” Damian said, moving the claw that was already on Shiron’s body. It was coated in the blackest of materials, like no light shone on it. And then, Damian slashed his claw upwards.

This time it was Shiron that screamed from the attack, falling to the ground. However, he didn’t wake up, instead remaining there, coughing. There was no smell of blood, but instead, a massive ache on his stomach.

Nick stood up, rubbing a bit of sweat off his head. “Hah. Alright, you got me good! And—Shiron, get up! We need to win this one!”

“Just tell us about the prince! Where is he?!” Damian coated both of his fists in electricity. Shiron might not be affected, but that Riolu was. He roared once more, readying himself to punch.

“Not today!” Nick barked, and in an instant, multiple afterimages of him started to appear, surrounding the area.

Damian stopped on his tracks, checking every Riolu. “He is using Double Team! Vulcan!”

But Nick was already faster, using quick thinking to land a kick on Vulcan’s face, sending him back before he could do any harm.

That left him vulnerable. Damian grabbed Nick with an arm and raised the Riolu as high in the air as he could. “Got him! Vulcan, finish the fight!”

Nick screamed and kicked around, but Vulcan was coming back. “S-Shiron, if you’re gonna do something, do it now!”

I-I don’t want to fight, but they’re hurting Nick… and… and they’ll hurt Terry.

With a clenched fist, Shiron focused as hard as he could. Fighting wasn’t in his blood, not at all, but desperate times called for desperate manners. He had to do it.

He’ll never be free if they take him back… I can’t… I can’t let his dream… I can’t let his dream end like that! I need to protect it! With all I have!

Slowly, water began to coat the fist, moving around in a circular motion, like a drill, but without the sharp head. Shiron didn’t even see his body moving, it did that all on its own. Before he realized, there was a rotating water coat surrounding his arm, and he was standing again.

“Huh? You still have it in you—”

“LEAVE MY FRIEND ALONE!” Shiron said nothing further, simply punching the Druddigon on the back with all he had. The spikes hit his body once more, and it caused a bit of blood to enter the water, but he kept going, roaring until Damian was forced to drop Nick and stumble back.

“T-Thanks!” Nick panted, sighing in relief, but Vulcan was still there. No, Damian was as well, they just managed to land a hit. Still, seeing Shiron like that, so… willing to fight, it was strange. To say the least.

“N-Nick… I’ll handle him.” Shiron pointed at Damian. Now the dragon was baring his fangs at him, dropping to all fours.

“Give us the prince!”

“H-He’s… Terry is our friend. And you all are clearly not what he needs…” Shiron took a deep breath again. There was only a little bit of water in his hand. Just enough. He exhaled, letting out a cold wind onto his arm. Immediately, the water froze into chunks of ice.

“Nicely said!” Nick turned around and aimed at Vulcan. “We’re… we’ll be heroes! And heroes save their friends!”

More clones were created, aiming their claws to slash at Vulcan. He dodged a few of the attacks, but most of them phased through him—since they were just illusions.

But one hit his face, slashing through his scales and making a few of them fall to the ground. Vulcan stepped back.

Shiron charged ahead, along with Damian. The dragon was moving his tail, getting ready for a slap.

He was too slow. Shiron landed a powerful punch right on the top of Damian’s face, screaming at the top of his lungs. The impact was nothing short of impressive, as Damian ended up falling down on the ground, coughing and panting. In particular, the ice was hurting his skin like acid, causing him to hiss.

Vulcan was still standing. But now he was outnumbered, and worse, one of them had ice moves.

…I do not get paid enough for this. Vulcan sighed, stepping back further. “J-Just what is the prince to you?!”

“He’s… my friend.” Shiron panted, aiming his ice-coated fist. “And that’s all he ever needs to be.”

“Yeah.” Nick cracked his neck, readying the claws again. “We’re not giving up on him!”

The brawl was about to continue. Vulcan knew that, to win, he’d have to give his all. And during the calm before the storm, he heard a few footsteps, quickly approaching them.

“Drop it! All of you!”

At once, the three Pokémon looked over where the sound came from, only to find a panting Terry walking over to them.

“S-Stop… I want you to stop fighting…”

“What’re you doing over here?!” Shiron blurted out, but didn’t move from his spot.

“I had a lot of time to think, and… I made a decision.” Terry glanced at them with a glare.

He remembered it, his line of thought before deciding to check in on his friends. It happened half an hour before…

---

Terry walked in circles around the office, muttering something to himself. Time was going so slow it might as well be a Slowpoke. And all that without any information, not from Nick, not from Shiron, not from anyone.

His brother was still out there, searching for him. The thought made his heart race again.

“Please, try to relax. I know it must be hard, but…” Liz was holding a glass of water with her vines, offering it to Terry. He drank it in a matter of seconds. “…But it will do you no good to keep worrying.”

“I know, I know, but I can’t help myself, Liz! What if this doesn’t work?! We don’t even have a plan here!” Terry grabbed the glass a little bit tighter, causing a small crack to appear on it. Before he broke the thing, Terry put it on the table. “And what’s worse, I… I want to see him. I want to see Edgar.”

“…You wish to see him.” Liz repeated it, walking towards Terry. It had been a while since she acted as the voice of reason, and now was better than never. “I… I recognize that you are happier here. Your family puts so many expectations on you, and here, you have none of that. Seeing them will only bring that back, and is that what you truly want?”

What he wanted. So many members of his family never asked that question, thinking they already knew what it was before Terry said anything. And most of the time, they were wrong. But there was Liz, surpassing his own expectations.

“I… I want to tackle this with a clear head. I need to see it for myself, what changed, and what remained the same. Then, I can make a decision. Does that make sense to you?”

Liz nodded in response. “Sometimes, you have to face your fears. And then, you become stronger through it.”

“It’s always about strength when it comes to you…” Terry deadpanned. But then, he stifled a laugh. “Hah… I can’t deny it, I like that about you, Liz. I knew I wasn’t wrong by choosing you. Not just as my bodyguard, but as my friend.”

“W-Well, Terry, I am flattered you think like that,” she looked away, covering her mouth with a rose. “I never had friends, and as such… you are important to me as well.”

Terry clutched his cape. “I… I’m not naive. I know it’s likely my brother hasn’t changed one bit, but I still need to see for myself. At the same time… I don’t want to leave this place. I hope we can reach a common ground.”

“It might be hard. Would you like me to accompany you?”

He took a while to respond, but eventually, Terry shook his head. “No. It’s something I need to see for myself. But thank you, Liz. I’ll return soon.”

At the very least, he hoped that was the case.

---

“What is all that ruckus about? I told them to get information…” Edgar hopped out of the chair, grumbling. His food hadn’t arrived yet, which was annoying enough, but now his own subordinates were taking too long to finish the job.

Now he had to check what was happening. Edgar opened the door and left, just in time. Finally, after so long searching, he saw it, the one he was looking for; his brother was right in front of him.

Silence fell on the area as the two princes looked over at each other, words unable to leave their mouths. For Edgar, it marked the end of his search. His brother could return home, to where he belonged, to live the life he deserved and that was his birthright.

For Terry, the sight was nauseating. Remembering every lesson, every time his own feelings were suppressed for the greater good of the kingdom. Every time hurt more than before. Despite his attempts to face this with a clear mind, inside Terry was under a powerful storm.

“I’m sorry, but—Shiron, this is the opposite of what we were trying to do!” Nick blurted over to his friend, who shrugged in response.

“We were handling it! Terry just showed up—”

“His name is Terrence.” Edgar broke the silence between him and his brother. He quickly glanced over at Shiron with a piercing glare. “And I believe you said I was the only Tyrunt you saw before. I suppose that was a lie. Was the pie another lie?”

“No! Magnus would never lie about food!” Shiron protested with a pout.

“Hmph.” Next, Edgar looked at the unconscious Druddigon, and at Vulcan. “I see. Both of you have failed me. But it hardly matters, considering my brother is finally here. Now, we can leave this charade behind.”

Shiron was about to protest, when his nostrils caught a really sweet smell, helped by the fact that the door was still open. It probably came from the kitchen.

“Charade? You are… you’re mistaken.” Terry frowned, taking a few steps towards his sibling. “Leave them alone. They’re my friends!”

Edgar could only stare back. “What is this nonsense, brother? Has the time you spent with them altered the way you speak?!”

“Heh. Guess we’re a great influence, aren’t we?!” Nick crossed his arms. He wanted to stick out his tongue, but they were still dealing with a prince, albeit a grumpy one.

“Like I said… I’m friends with them.” Terry kept walking, past Vulcan, past Nick, and past Shiron. “They’re the ones that took me in and helped me when I needed them the most.”

“Friends? You call these peasants… friends?” Edgar winced in disgust. “I expected better from you, brother.”

“You expected nothing other than following everything that Father told us, no matter what I wanted.”

The more Terry talked, the less sense he made to Edgar. “Wanted?! You and I are royals! What more could you want?!”

“…You’ll never understand.” Terry sighed, defeated. Or maybe not. Maybe all they needed was to talk it out for a little longer. “You must have many questions, brother.”

“More than I can ask here. We should go back to the boat—”

“No. Here, you have no authority, no rule. I’ll handle you my own way,” he pointed at the bakery. “Come with me. I’ll answer all your questions.”

Again with the no authority thing. Shiron repeated it in his head. They had nothing, but Ivan did. And… and he had an idea. A way to figure this all out.

“T-Terry! Stay here! I have someone I need to talk to! Nick, can you handle them?!” Shiron glanced at the guards, and Vulcan snarled at him.

“Neither of them will attack Nick.” Terry replied, walking inside the door. “But they will all come with me. Isn’t that right, brother?”

“…Right.” Edgar snarled again, but made no further attempts to stop his brother. He followed Terry instead. Vulcan grabbed Damian on his back and followed suit. The Druddigon would wake up shortly.

Nick trusted his friend to do… whatever he was planning on doing. “Good luck, Shiron! We’ll get through this!”

At the end of the day, he didn’t help much, not even with the fight. Nick was fine with it. He had to be. After waving Shiron another goodbye, Nick watched his friend run off into the distance.

Once the group entered the bakery again, they found Magnus with a large plate, full of cupcakes. They all had white frosting, and sprinkles on top.

“Hello! The pie is cooking, so I brought these as an appetizer, and—” he noticed the unconscious Druddigon. “I-Is he okay?!”

“He will be fine.” Edgar sat on his table again. “So, brother… what is it? What is your problem?”

“Seriously, that’s what you ask me?” Terry glared, picking the cupcake to eat it. “Thank you, Magnus, it’s really good.”

“Don’t worry about it! I’ll, err, go back to the kitchen now…” Magnus slowly walked away, not wanting to bother them any further.

Nick kept his distance from them, mostly watching Terry. To be honest, he wanted to know what would come of this. If things went south, he was there to help, even if it meant facing a prince.

“You talk to them like they are on your level.” Edgar raised a brow. Biting on the cupcake made him stop to enjoy the sweet flavor, but he didn’t show how much he liked it. “…A-Ahem, they are not. They will never be on our level. So why? Why treat them like that?”

And there it was, that attitude. Terry didn’t miss it at all. Always arrogant, always judging them as being inherently superior to others, Edgar was like that all the time, and it was exhausting to hear it.

“Because we’re the same, all of us.” Terry said, already seeing his brother struggling to hold his laughter. “We are born, we live our lives, and we die. Royal or not, nothing changes that.”

“…I beg your pardon?” Edgar no longer wanted to laugh. Instead, he was repeating his brother’s words, trying to find any meaning behind them. “You are telling me that I, a prince, am worth just as much as a peasant like my guards?”

“Of course you are. We’re all important.”

Edgar slammed a fist against the table. “But our lives are superior! They have always been that way! It spans generations! Our grandfather’s grandfather did this, and so did his grandfather!”

Nick moved a little, raising a fist, but Terry looked at him with pleading eyes, stopping the Riolu from doing anything brash.

“W-What happened…” Damian muttered, close to Vulcan. He was shushed, and the Druddigon looked over to where the table was. The princes! “They are back—”

“Shhh.”

“You were right about one thing, brother,” Terry inhaled and let it out. “…I was living a charade. But not here. When I was still living in the kingdom, I lived a facade, masking my true feelings, because I knew nobody would be able to understand them.”

“Understand them? I always understood you! What in the world are you talking about?!” Edgar shook his head. Denying everything was helpful. Or, no, he didn’t deny, because he did understand his brother. He had to!

“…I never wanted to be king. Never. My dream is to see the world, to… find out myself. Find what my place is.”

“T-There is no way! You are lying to me!” Edgar stuttered, picturing every conversation he ever had with Terry. Every sentence, every time they went to a party, to a feast, everything. How much had his brother hidden from him? “Why would you not want to be king?! The power, the leadership it entails! Why choose this instead?!”

And Terry didn’t really have an answer for that. He followed his heart, and it led him to that town, along with Liz. For the last two months, he could picture no better place to live in. The thought of leaving tugged on his heart, pulling it apart.

The more he thought about it, the more Terry’s eyes started to get teary. He didn’t bother holding back the tears. “Because… I have a dream. I don’t know what I want to do with my life, but I’ll find it.”

Edgar punched the table again, causing his guards to stand closer to him. “That is nonsense! You already have an end to your story! It was determined from the moment you were born!”

“I see.” Terry looked at the sky, closing his eyes. So, it was just like he thought. Talking with his brother was going nowhere, and it never would, because they were simply too different from each other.

“…I’m sorry, Edgar.” Terry stood up from the chair. “But I’m the one that decides how my story ends. Not you, not Father, not anyone. And I choose to stay here.”

And to make that clearer, Terry started to walk away, towards the door. Just like long ago, Edgar watched it, but unlike last time, he didn’t cry out his brother’s name.

Instead, he ran after him, grabbing Terry’s arm when they were both out of the bakery.

“You are being ridiculous! How can you abandon your family like that?!”

“I’m not abandoning you! I’m living my own life!” Terry snarled. He was getting so done with all that… it would be so easy to just shut up and explode.

“Your life is with us! Stop daydreaming and come back!” Edgar tugged on him harder.

…Terry had enough of that. He turned around, charging towards his brother and giving him a headbutt, right on the stomach. Edgar, who had never once fought in his life, took the brunt of the attack with a loud scream as he fell on the ground.

“Y-You hit me! You hit your own brother!” Edgar groaned, struggling to even stand after the attack. He winced in pain, only able to look at Terry.

Terry’s heart was beating faster. Anxiety? Exhilaration? Both? He wasn’t sure. “I did. Because… I’m done with this. Leave me alone, Edgar. I’m living here, with my friends, whether you like it or not.”

“Oi!” Nick ran out of the bakery to meet his friend, and the two dragons were behind him. “What happened?!”

Only for a moment. Once they noticed Edgar on the ground, both went to his side to help out however they could.

“I… I got tired of listening to him.” Terry panted, looking over at the sky. “Let’s go to the headquarters.”

Edgar was willing to protest, to explain why his brother should return, when a loud growl caught his attention. It came from deeper into the city, and no more than five seconds passed until he realized where it came from.

“T-That Marshtomp from before…”

“Huh?” Terry turned around, and just like his brother said, Shiron was coming, with a piece of paper in hand, and a Houndoom by his side.

“H-Hello, everyone! Uh, I mean, Nick and Terry. I’m back, mister Ivan actually talked to me… and I think we have a solution.”

“Ah, hello.” Ivan eyed Edgar, keeping quiet for a little while. “…You must be the prince I’ve heard so much about.”

“Prince Edgar of the kingdom of Cydonia! And who are you supposed to be?!”

“The mayor of this town.” Ivan glanced at Shiron. “And I was told you were trying to kidnap one of my citizens.”

Edgar snarled in response. “Your citizen? What are you talking about?!”

“Since Terry is part of our team… he’s a citizen here as well, with rights. Just like me.” Shiron showed the paper. There was a long text, certainly full of technical jargon, but at the end, there was his signature. “And he can’t leave, not unless this is discussed with the mayor. You hold no authority here!”

“I-I… I am a citizen?” Terry’s jaw almost dropped when he heard those words. Though he hadn’t realized yet, they were all he wanted to hear. This was his home! It was, it really was!

Terry started to tremble, his legs failing him until he fell on his knees, tears rolling down his face. This was really happening…

“You cannot be serious! This means nothing! It is just a piece of paper!” Edgar struggled to stand again, but he did, and began to run towards Shiron.

Ivan snarled at him, stopping the prince before anything happened. “A piece of paper that happened to be approved by me. So, Prince Edgar, it means a lot. Now, if you wish to complain about it, I would suggest going home and talking to your father. I will be more than happy to discuss this with him.”

“I… I… I will let Father know about this!” Edgar began to cry, running off towards the beach. As expected, his guards went alongside him.

Terry cried too, but his tears were of joy. He could hardly move his body, trembling too much to do it. “S-Shiron… I can’t thank you enough…”

“Hahah! You did a great job, buddy!” Nick patted the Marshtomp on his back, grinning. “We solved this! I’d say without violence, but we did fight those dragons…”

Ivan had a smile of his own. “It was not an issue at all. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must go back. Please stop by if you need more help.”

“Will do, mister Ivan!” Shiron saluted the Houndoom, waving as he left. “And Terry? No need to thank me! I’m just helping out a friend…”

“It’s fine, I just… I feel so much lighter, I told him everything I wanted to. And… I’m also a bit sad. I wonder if he’ll be okay.”

Nick sat on the ground next to the prince. “This is a new beginning for you. We’re here for you, for whatever you need. ‘Cause that’s what friends do.”

“I know that, I know we’re friends…” Terry sighed in relief. His breath was a lot lighter this time. “Well, Magnus was preparing some pie for us, and it might be ready now. How about we go grab some?”

“We can bring it to the HQ! Liz is waiting, and, uh, she doesn’t eat, does she?”

“Not like us,” Terry shrugged. “But it’s the thought that counts. Let’s go!”

Finally, a new life for him. During that moment, Terry felt it was more than enough.