Warning: TW//Torture, Blood! — You can hide marked sensitive content or with the toggle in the formatting menu. If provided, alternative content will be displayed instead.
Chapter 4 – Illusory Impressions
by turkeyuwuAlan awoke back in the dimly lit ritual chamber the moment the sleep seed wore off. He could feel something heavy placed atop his head, keeping it pinned to the ground. Looking around, he noticed the contents within the room were much different compared to last time. The pole he was attached to was ripped out from the rock, cast aside on the ground outside the outermost ritual circle. Instead, Alan’s legs were each individually chained down to four steel rings sprouting out of the rock along the edge of the innermost ritual circle, leaving his body sprawled in the center of the ritual room, completely immobile.
An Aggron sat awkwardly in a corner of the room, just outside of Alan’s field of view, impatiently fidgeting with a tiny piece of steel. It occasionally flicked its sky-blue eyes up from its hands, ensuring that the Vulpix stayed chained down.
The items scattered about the room were drastically different from the first ritual. Where berries and apples used to lay were now various orbs, sunglasses, gems, and rainbow-colored seeds. A mirror was propped up on the left wall, allowing Alan to see himself.
His fur and hair had been completely cleaned, and all evidence of the torture that had occurred in the last few hours cleared away. The heavy object on his head turned out to be an oversized crown, three cherry red rubies were slotted into the headpiece, weakly gleaming in the dim candlelight.
A velvet robe was draped over his back and around his neck, completing his regal look. His mood quickly turned sullen. The royal clothes reminded him of his purpose in the ritual. He was to be a sacrifice to bring the king back, a vessel for someone he wasn’t.
He would lose himself, his memories and personality forever wiped from existence. I’m going to be replaced.
Alan despaired. He wouldn’t start tearing up anymore, he had done enough of that in the past day already. He focused on the ground in front of him instead, keeping his vision on the long flickering shadows of the ritual items placed in front of him, ears and tail drooping down until they lay flat on his head and ground respectively.
Time passed at a snail’s pace. Occasionally, the Aggron would fumble the piece of metal it was playing with before softly grunting in frustration and shuffling quietly to pick up the steel gadget. Small snow clouds would also randomly rise from Alan’s tail, before being willed by the Vulpix to float over his head, hailing and snowing onto his head fur, dampening it as the ice melted away.
Eventually, the doors shifted apart as a figure walked in. Alan was too downtrodden to perk his head up and identify the pokemon. He didn’t need to, they’re all heartless brutes anyways . It slowly stepped around the outer edge of the ritual, stopping next to the Aggron still fully engrossed in its toy.
“Lorenzo!” The figure barked. “Will you stop playing with that thing like a child and help me prepare for the ritual for once?”
Alan recognized the voice of the pokemon, it was the same grassy reptile that had knocked Alan out, the same green lizard that slammed that Quilava into the wall, the one that was probably responsible for Morgan’s condition as well.
Lorenzo grunted, looking at the piece of steel currently molded into a dull screw of sorts, before opening his mouth and swallowing the whole object whole. “Geez Celeste, gimme a break. Y’know how much effort pulling the pole out took?” The Aggron yawned, before tiredly standing up to face the Sceptile, tail slowly twitching left
“For you? Like half a moment at most.”
“Ok fine. Then how about the chains?” Lorenzo said as he cracked his neck, the metal armor plates creaking and groaning of age.
“ I was the one who did the chains, all you did was play with that damn piece of steel again”
Lorenzo raised his voice. “Look it’s not my fault this whole dumbass ritual takes like 7 cycles to prepare ok? I could’ve gone back to do some actual work instead of having to sit here and babysit some depressed feral ”
This conversation feels weirdly unprofessional , Alan internally grumbled, especially in front of who they think is their king and all…
“Whatever. Prepare yourself, the rest are arriving shortly,” warned Celeste, separating an ancient-looking scroll from the jumbled mess of items sitting in her tail, its wooden edges chipped and crumbling to the touch.
She carefully unfurled the scroll, making sure not to cause any more rips than were already present on the parchment. Stains and burn marks covered the surface of the paper, making the already faded writing nearly illegible.
She moved around the edge of the room to face Alan, eyes locked on the script in front of her. Lorenzo rolled his eyes and lifted his arms over and around his armored head, covering his ears
“Oh supreme lord Arceus, We beg of your assistance” the Sceptile’s voice boomed out, startling the Vulpix.
“Bless this ritual with all your glorious light, Bestow your heavenly power upon this fractured soul”
“Return this feral to whence he came, return us the rightful soul of this vessel”
Great. Alan thought, This truly is a fucking cult sacrifice.
“Grant us this lowly wish, and accept our grand offerings, your godliness”
“We beg of you for your wisdom, we beg of you for your generosity, all shall revere in your great blessing”
The wooden casing of the scroll was torn apart, its remains clattering on the ground as a knife appeared in Celeste’s left palm. Its razor-sharp edge stayed fully void-dark as it arced through the air, diving into the Sceptile’s right palm before digging through her hardened scales and calluses to draw blood.
She flicked her bloody palm in Alan’s direction, her blood splattering over his snout and hair, tainting the recently cleaned white fur an ugly shade of crimson red. Alan shook his head, trying to shake off the blood before it sunk deeper into his fur. A metallic scent filled the room as excess blood splattered on the surrounding rock.
“What’s the point of cleaning me up if you were just gonna turn my fur bloody again anyways?” Alan growled. He didn’t know why he cared so much for his fur, it wasn’t like he was going to be able to survive this ritual anyways.
“ Silence disgusting feral!” the lizard hissed back. Whatever respect she had for King Edward did not carry over to the fox in front of her. “You shall not have the right to speak until your memories have been restored!”
Multiple bloody vines shot out of the wound on Celeste’s palm toward Alan. He barely even reacted before the vines reached him, each individual stalk wrapping itself around his snout, thorns digging deep into his skin and muscle.
“Mmmmph!” Alan tried to scream, but the vines wrapped tightly around his mouth, keeping them firmly shut. He tried to destroy his gag by dragging it against the ground, causing the thorns to dig deeper into his maw. The Sceptile’s and Vulpix’s blood mixed, dripping onto the floor in one long messy stream of blood and tears.
Celeste watched for a moment as Alan continued to struggle, filling her golden eyes with a twinge of regret and disappointment. That was her king, the Everlasting Monarch of the prosperous kingdom of Krux. The same king that had ruthlessly conquered the entire continent of Krux just 400 years ago, the same king that had single-handedly pushed Krux into a thriving industrial nation, reduced down to a crying newborn fox, memories scrambled to a near unrecognizable state. That was what was left of her king.
“Just… Just shut up, please,” she whispered, brandishing her knife with one hand and rolling up the ancient scroll with the other. She stepped around the circle, repeating the mantra a further 3 times, one for each cardinal direction around the ritual.
Alan had given up by this point, head returning to its original position and eyes left to absentmindedly stare at the blood pooling around where the vines muzzled him.
It’s over. Alan repeated. It’s over. It’s over. It’s over. It’s OVER.
The rest of the royal cabinet appeared individually or in pairs during the chanting, stepping around the circle and into marked positions around the chained-up Vulpix. Each silently stole a quick, sad glance at Alan, before shutting their eyes or staring at the ground.
All the pokemon from the first ritual were back in the room, including a few new faces. Well, all pokemon except two. Celeste swiveled her head around, unable to locate the Lurantis and Breloom.
“Astar, where is her Majesty?” she asked. The Quilava, covered in fresh bandages, flinched at the mention of their name. “I thought I had tasked you to escort her?”
“A-ah you did… m-madam Celeste…” Astar was visibly shaking, their eyes rapidly darting around the room as they tried to be as careful with their words as possible. “She… uh… S-she kindly… r-rejected the offer… told me to she w-wanted no part in the ritual…”
The Sceptile snorted, rolling her eyes over to Hikaru silently standing to her left. “ And let me guess, she asked for Chai to stay behind in her room didn’t she?” she mocked.
Externally, Hikaru only smiled at Celeste’s jabs, but in reality, he felt much guilt for Chai. Every time Chai was pulled away from his company he would feel a creeping pit of loneliness grow inside him. He did not know what happened between that Lurantis and Chai, but whatever it was left him in tears, traumatized, seeking comfort from Hikaru every time. He was frustrated, and tired, with no way of ending the cycle of distress and trauma. He had no say in this, all he could do was keep his head down and pray for change.
He sighed, pushing away his complaints, outwardly projecting a more professional attitude. “There is no issue. Chai’s presence is not required, we have enough witnesses. Proceed whenever you are ready.”
“Wait! Let me check his condition first! I was his physician after all.” interrupted the Shaymin. Sky-blue rings encircled his feet as he streaked across the room and into the center of the ritual circle.
“Tsch! And look at where that got him, Sharron.” the Sceptile jeered, tone much lighter yet with a twinge of impatience and annoyance.
Sharron glanced back at Celeste. “ Oh shut it Cel. Besides, it wasn’t even my fault he ended up like… this…” giving Astar and Kirlia a disgruntled side-eye as he stood over Alan. He placed a paw on the Vulpix, sky-blue rings flickering a neon green instead.
“Hmmm… a-ah… oh no …” Sharron sighed deeply. “He is doing fine physically, at least according to my limited knowledge of Korian Vulpixes, but his mental health… I seriously do not recommend continuing with this ritual.”
“So what? Are we just gonna have some feral ruling the kingdom? Are you implying that King Edward is gone?”
“I haven’t said shit Cel!” Sharron retorted, before pressing his glasses up against his snout. “You see how he’s barely reacting? That’s trauma . This ritual is going to break him. There’s a chance he retains some memory of this, then there won’t be a king Edward to rule anymore!”
Celeste cringed, taken aback by Sharron’s sudden shift in mood. “…then… What’s the probability of him breaking down?”
“It’s low, but not low enough . We shouldn’t risk it,” he growled.
The Sceptile looked away from Sharron in annoyance. “Doesn’t matter. We’ve faced much worse odds before, Edward can handle it. We’re proceeding with the ritual! Executive order!”
“Your Majesty, I know you’re in there somewhere…” she whispered to herself. “Arceus bless him.”
The familiar purple glow awoke Alan from his stupor. The chains binding his legs tugged, nearly dislocating both his front and rear legs. He braced himself for the pain that is sure to follow, but…
No sensation came forth. There was only numbness. He felt disconnected from his body, unable to react to his surroundings. His eyes were unfocused, but he wasn’t able to restore vision. Vague, blurry images appeared in his mind. Unfamiliar pokemon, their figures hazy and undefined, their collective presence and pressure building up in his head.
As suddenly as they had appeared, the compounding images shattered. The pressure released, and his vision darkened. He felt his consciousness pulling away from where he lay, gray mist obscuring what little vision he still retained. A singular voice repeated a message from afar.
You have a purpose to serve for me, Alan. Take my gift, take on the form of King Edward, Everlasting King of Krux, and free me from my eternal damnation.
At some point, Alan relinquished the rest of his control, and his mind slipped away from his body once more.
The mist gradually cleared, vision being the first of his senses to return. A small layer of fog stubbornly clung onto Alan, giving him ghost-like wisps along his paws and tail. His body dimly glowed in the darkness, being the only source of illumination in the unfamiliar yet familiar darkness he found himself in yet again.
His sense of touch returned next. He could tell he was standing on solid ground, the floor was smooth and frictionless yet hard to trudge through. A rounded corner poked into his left torso, leaving a dull gray mark as he shifted his body around off the edge of what seemed to be a huge slab of something.
The ethereal haze dissipated, and Alan was able to use the light coming off his fur to just barely peer into the darkness surrounding him. As his eyes adjusted, an outline of a building became apparent against the backdrop. Three spires poked up into the endless void sky, each lightly glimmering in the eternal darkness. Huge marble arches erupted from the ground to meet the spires and kept them standing, contrasting against the flat dullness of the surrounding void.
His hearing returned, and the tingling in his ears was replaced by the distant howl of wind blowing against the roof of the temple. It enticed Alan to get closer, to approach the massive roofed building, to get closer to the wind, flowing into a swirl around his body, seemingly attracted to his glow like moths on a moonless night.
The chains around his legs were gone, but the soreness in his muscles remained. Alan attempted to stand up, only to crumple back onto the smooth, featureless ground, fatigue preventing him from moving any more than a couple of steps forward with each attempt.
It didn’t matter. If he wasn’t going to approach the temple, it would approach him instead. The opulent arches and doorway grew larger with each passing moment, eventually rushing over his head and sealing itself shut, trapping the Vulpix inside.
Moments after, a small figure suddenly flickered into existence, glowing much more brightly than Alan, strongly illuminating the walls that encased the two ghostly figures. It was bipedal, nonchalantly leaning against the golden walls, gently stroking an illusory beard and whistling a familiar tune. A human… Father??
“Dad… Dad!! Is that you?” Alan screamed at the figure. Overjoyed, he ignored the searing pain in his joints and muscles and bolted towards to figure. He needed to get closer, he needed to see his father again.
The translucent figure stopped humming as Alan entered its peripheral vision. Turning to face the fox, his eyes lit up in surprise and elation. “Oh? Hey kiddo, what are you doing here?”
“Dad! Dad!” Alan replied, still screaming at the top of his lungs even if they were only a few feet apart now. “I just had the weirdest dream. Like I got turned into a pokemon all of a sudden, a-and a bunch of other pokemon kidnapped me and called me their king and-” he suddenly stopped recounting his experiences and looked down at his paws.
Pausing for a little longer than a moment, he took a long look at the human in front of him. “You’re not my dad, are you…?”
It couldn’t be his father, Father’s been gone for years. Alan’s legs gave out, his body dejectedly flopping onto the ground, defeated. “Who are you?”
“It’s me, Alan… Your dad. Can’t you remember?”
“N-no… B-but… but…” Something snapped.
“BUT HE’S DEAD!! HE DIED YEARS AGO!! HE’S GONE! YOU’RE NOT HIM!” Alan yelled, ignoring his burning lungs as he continued to scream at the spectral being. “Please… please stop messing with me, I can’t take it anymore…”
The ghost-like being floated over to the Vulpix now curled up tightly into a ball, small wisps of the fog still hanging around his tail. It settled down next to Alan, hand reaching down and pretending to pat his head.
The illusory hand passed right through Alan, it only felt like wind blowing around the hair and fur between his ears. It had the intended effect, however, soothing the crying Vulpix until only the occasional sniffle could be heard.
Satisfied, the figure’s form slowly shifted, arms squeezing and stretching and torso widening and shortening. The fog covered the shifting mass like a curtain in a changing room, only parting for a short moment to reveal the being’s completed form before a frustrated sigh and click would signal the fog to descend back around the ghost as its form shifted once more. A Mew, then an Entei, a Kyogre, Dialga, Reshiram. The being refused to settle on a legendary form it preferred. Yveltal, Solgaleo, Eternatus, Koraidon.
“Ah, this will do.”
The misty curtains shuffled and parted one last time, dissipating back into the darkness. The monster stared at Alan, each of its 7 prismatic eyes darting back and forth, individually scanning a separate part of the fox, slowly uncurling itself to face down the translucent beast. A pearly white glow outlined its entire body, giving the pokemon a god-like presence. Even Alan couldn’t help but stare in shock and awe. A Necrozma, perfect.
Necrozma’s image flickered and lagged for a moment, bringing Alan’s focus back toward the situation at hand. The being moved its claws around, shifting its entire body to face a marble statue that had randomly appeared nearby. The statue featured a Serperior, two marble vines curved around the pokemon, the end of each vine featuring a rosebud, perfectly chiseled with meticulous detail. It seemed to be in an offensive stance, ready to pounce on whatever attacker was to face it, yet permanently locked into the stony prison it was carved into.
“What a beautiful statue, you could have looked like that as well had everything gone to plan”
Alan recoiled in shocked fear at the sound coming from the figure. “W-what? What are you trying to say? Who are you?”
“It was a lot more violent of a reincarnation than expected, I apologize for your troubles”
Realization crashed down onto Alan like a wave. He was talking to the thing that sent him here, the thing that…
“…so it was you who brought me here…”
“Indeed it was little Alan ” The Vulpix stared back at the beast in confusion and disgust. “ That was not all though. I also repurposed your soul, combined it with another to allow for your continued existence, suppressed it for your convenience.”
“Look uh… “ Alan struggled to find a way to properly address the Necrozma in front of him. “…you…”
“I do not care what you call me. I have too many names to care. Call me god, call me Necrozma, do not refer to me at all. Your choice.”
“Alright… Necrozma. Look, I don’t want to be here. I have a life to live back home. Please, send me back, I don’t want to be a part of this.”
“Tsk tsk tsk ” Necrozma clicked. ” I pity you. I truly do, but I cannot send you back. Not until your purpose has been fulfilled”
“But why me? Out of everyone you could have chosen, you chose the most ordinary, run-of-the-mill guy out there!” Alan looked down at the wisps coming off his fur self-deprecatingly.
“It was out of desperation, you were my first choice only for the fact that you were my only choice. I truly do apologize. ” Necrozma sat down, inspecting its claws and sighing. “ However, I did make completing my task much easier for you.”
“How? All you did was stick me in some newborn’s body and left me to get captured by some lunatics who think I’m their king or something?!” Alan was starting to get frustrated now.
“Your body Alan, it is extremely powerful. Even if you are not the perfect subject and your reincarnation did not go exactly to plan, you are still set to be one of the most powerful beings in this world. ” It paused for a moment, struggling to keep the illusion stable. “ The energy brimming inside you Alan, use it. It is my repayment for you.”
Energy? What fucking energy? I can’t even defend myself properly. Alan’s brows furrowed. He didn’t have much else to lose anyways. I need it to teach me how to survive in this world as well…
“Urk… Fine…” Alan relented. He just wanted to leave this place, and if that meant working with this god or whatever, then so be it. He would do as he was told.
“I appreciate your cooperation Alan, and do not worry, you will be repaid royally for this job”
Ugh… Royally. That was a word Alan really didn’t want to hear, given his current situation. He rolled his eyes, staring at the deity in front of him, all the fear in his body melted away along with the rest of the fog on his fur. I just have to help him right? Follow instructions. Simple.
“Alright bossman, hit me up, give me my first job”
Each of its seven eyes individually lit up in delight. Necrozma took a moment to calm down before answering. “The Jangmo-o, the one you named Morgan. Save him. Break him out of prison. Protect him. ” Necrozma clutched a horn with his left claw as the hologram blinked in and out of existence. “ Use any method you deem fit. The dragon must not die.”
“And payment?”
“This.” Some of the fog surrounding Necrozma clumped into a simple rock. It looked like any other ordinary pebble to Alan, an unappealing dull gray piece of stone lay down on the ground, mocking him.
“That’s… a rock. You want me to break someone out of jail for a FUCKING ROCK??” Alan was seething now. What god pays their servants in stones??
“You are jumping to conclusions too quickly my dear. Rectify that. ” Necrozma exerted a new pressure, one so strong it nearly flattened Alan in an instant. Fortunately for Alan, the pressure let up quickly. “ What lies in front of you is a fragment of my former strength. It will allow you to regain parts of your past, memories thought to have been forever lost. A gone pebble.”
Memories?? Was he also responsible for that??
“It is too difficult to maintain this connection any longer, I shall reappear once your mission has been completed. Best of luck Alan, I will be watching” The image shattered like a window shot by a bullet, quickly disintegrating back into a fine mist.
“Wait! I still have more questions for you! Come back! Necrozma!! ”
There was no reply. Everything was completely silent, the constant ringing from Alan’s ear left as the only noise around. Alan lay down to think for a while.
That Jangmo-o was important to Necrozma, but it left before it could explain why. Oh, what am I doing… risking my life for some random dragon a god tasked me to save. All to regain memories that it probably took from me in the first place. This isn’t payment?!?!
A low rattling sound came from the direction of the statue. Alan quickly turned his head, only to find a blank stone pedestal in front of him, the marble Serperior nowhere in sight. Small flecks of snow began to fall out of Alan’s tail.
A grand deep voice rang out of the shadows behind the Vulpix.
“Greetings, Alan.”
The fox screamed, falling over, and frantically scrambling forwards, onto the base of the statue before turning to face the source of the sound.
The Serperior statue now lay coiled in the darkness, staring at Alan with its dull, lifeless eyes. Unlike Alan or Necrozma, it did not glow, making it extremely difficult to spot among the fog that had settled down around the temple grounds.
Paralyzed in fear, Alan could only watch as the snake slithered into view and towards him, before gently wrapping its body around him, snuffing out the only island of light in the sea of darkness surrounding them.
To his surprise, the marble was soft like flesh, melding around his legs and torso. It was warm as well. Alan hadn’t even noticed the freezing cold of the dark void until the Serperior warmed him up again. He looked up into the eyes of the snake that wrapped itself around his body.
“Y-you’re the other soul Necrozma mentioned, aren’t you?”
“Correct dear. You may call me Edward, the former Everlasting King.”
Wait… former?
“But then why aren’t you taking over? Why don’t you just kill me now and take over my body again? So many people want you back… Not some random human who doesn’t even remember most of his life…” Alan rested his chin on Edward’s body, the stone uncharacteristically sagging underneath to support his head.
“I cannot, and even if I could, I will not. During our merger, Necrozma suppressed my strength. It sucked away most of my powers, leaving my soul but a mere shell compared to its past state. I only can talk to you now due to the energy inside you formerly being mine.”
“But… Why me? I never wanted any of this. I don’t want to be a king for the rest of eternity. I don’t want to be a slave to some god. I just want to go home… To see my family again.” A deep pit grew in Alan’s stomach as he recalled blurry, fragmented memories of people from his former life. Mom… Dad… Caleb…
“Sweet child, I’m sorry for what has happened to you, but it is your destiny to pick up where I left off.” Edward relaxed his grip on Alan, his furry body sinking deep into the pit of stony scales. “I am just too tired, too weak from Necrozma’s suppression.”
Alan’s annoyance boiled over into screaming. “No! I don’t care about your kingdom! They’re all just freaks who want to keep torturing me until you show up anyways!” He violently rubbed his head using his paws, wiping away the rest of the tears still in his eyes.
“I saw, Alan. I am ashamed to have let it fall this far. It was never my intention for your treatment to be this bad.”
“But that’s your problem!” Alan sneered, flicking his hair up and away from his eyes, more snow and fur flaking off his tail simultaneously. “I don’t care! Why should I be responsible for your mistakes?”
“It’s because you do care, Alan.” Edward slid away from Alan, leaving him sitting in the cold. He settled back down a few feet away from the Vulpix, vestigial arms crossed and eyes shut. “We are one being now, you have my strength and I feel your emotions. I know you care deeply for Morgan, it reminds you of your father. I can see parts of your memories, you miss your father deeply. You want him back, even if that means projecting his memory onto another pokemon.”
I’m being psychoanalyzed by a snake… and he’s right too…
The Serperior, noticing Alan’s lack of a reply, continued. “Even in your situation, you feel pity for him. You want to help him find his family. You want to ensure he gets his revenge. You want change.” He pointed a vine at Alan, and the other at himself. “ I want change, and-”
“and you need my help since Necrozma made you too weak to do it yourself.” Alan interrupted.
“I cannot say I care much for your quest to regain your memories or your deal with Necrozma, but I also have requests for you. As for payment, I am unable to give you much, but I can supply you with knowledge. Knowledge of the world, history, and whatever else you desire. Please.” Edward lowered his head to the ground, vines put together like two hands praying for an answer.
Alan paused to think for a moment. Could he really manage all this responsibility? He needed to know more. He composed himself. “Fine… I’ll hear you out. Tell me more… your Majesty.”
Cringing a little at Alan’s word choice, Edward replied. “Do not call me that, I no longer deserve that title.” His collar drooped down onto the ground in shame. “I’ve failed, Alan. I’ve known about my cabinet’s corruption for multiple lives, but I was too stubborn to confront them. I didn’t dare to believe my cabinet… my comrades … would collude against me like that. They took advantage of my generosity, making deals without my knowledge, accepting bribes, ruining my kingdom .”
The Vulpix didn’t know how to react. He faintly remembered something of the exact sort happening in his human life, but details were unclear to him. However, the anger, disappointment, and resentment attached to the memory were as clear as day to him. “That’s horrible to hear, but-”
Edward ignored Alan’s consolation. Dark, murky tears streaked down his eyes, staining his marble cheeks a dull, void-black color. He continued in a monotone voice despite the evident pain in his eyes. “By the time I decided to take action, it was too late. They had warped the rules so much that I no longer had authority in my court. I was a puppet in the system I had built, essentially tied down to the throne for entire lives at a time, just to reincarnate and live the same life for all eternity.”
“…”
“You are my saving grace, Alan. Please, save my kingdom, save Melissa. Please” The river of rocky tears widened as the gray liquid continued to flood down his cheeks, sizzling away as soon as it touched the ground.
“I…” The Vulpix was appalled, the kingdom was in such dire straits that he didn’t even know where to start tackling its issues, but he felt responsible anyways. Even though it wasn’t his fault both their lives had progressed to this point, it was still his duty to fix whatever mess Edward has gotten himself into. They were a single combined soul now, if Edward wanted change, it would only be natural for Alan to want change as well.
Alan stood up and approached the Serperior. His front paw wiped away the tears on Edward’s cheeks, before resting it upon his snout.
“Alright. I will solve your problems, I will bring peace and prosperity back to your kingdom… on one condition.”
The Serperior’s head perked up. “Yes?”
“After everything is done, I want out. I don’t want to rule your kingdom, I’ll find someone to replace you, to rule afterward.”
“That’s… fine. I understand, we shall discuss more on that topic when the time comes.”
“What will you do now though, now that I’ve taken over the reins?”
“Same as Necrozma, I will be watching. You are currently too weak for me to exist within your mind while you are conscious, so we will have to confer whenever you are unconscious for the time being.”
Cracks began to appear along the wall of the temple, a low rumbling could also be heard from afar. Both Alan and Edward knew their time was dwindling.
“Okay let us finish up quickly” Edward rushed. “When you awaken, they will have assumed the ritual was successful. Use this to your advantage. Pretend to be me. From the memories I can access, we act and think in similar ways, so as long as you speak with grace, you will most likely fool them all.”
Huge chunks of the golden roof tumbled onto the ground around the stony pedestal as the temple began to crumble, kicking up dust and fog, obscuring Alan’s vision. At the same time, the marble Serperior began to crumble as well, gradually returning to the fog of the void.
“One last request Alan… please… tell Melissa I love her.”
Alan’s vision turned back into gray nothingness, as he felt his mind and body descend back into the world of consciousness.
Warmth. He finally felt some heat coat his body after what felt like an eternity in the frigid void of unconsciousness. His eyes flicked open, initially unfocused but quickly reorienting themselves. Everything was a different shade of gold or velvet, but it was too blurry for Alan to locate himself.
Unable to see properly, he relied on his sense of touch to familiarize himself with his surroundings instead. There were no longer any chains wrapped around his ankles, he was able to barely move his legs around. His body was still recovering, fatigue still held a firm grip on all his muscles. He could tell he was sitting on a cushion of some kind, the same robe from before the ritual remained draped over his icy body like a blanket. The same golden crown rested on his head, slightly tilting to the left, threatening to fall off with any sudden movement.
He was seated on a huge throne, designed for a pokemon much larger than he was. The frame made from gold and wood was well worn, from generations of the same soul sitting upon it. Alan felt a small part in the back of his mind jump up in excitement. Most likely Edward’s influence, he reasoned.
It was snug and extremely comfortable, but Alan knew he had to fight the urge to drift back off to sleep. He had a purpose now, a mission he needed to fulfill.
As his vision repaired itself, 3 figures stood out from the rest of the blur. A Sceptile, Lurantis, and Lucario stood half asleep, waiting for Alan to awaken. They had been waiting for hours, tired from the preparations they rushed to complete the moment the ritual concluded.
Celeste was the first to notice the Vulpix’s stirring. “His Majesty has finally awoken!” she bellowed, jolting the other two from their half-awake stupor.
Melissa’s form melted into a blur as she sped towards the fox. “Edward!!” Her image stabilized again, now roughly squeezing the Vulpix, locking her giant flowery claws around Alan.
“Oh I’m sooooooo happy you’re back! NEVER scare me like that again!! It’s so weird seeing you as a Korian Vulpix now…” She fought back tears as she leaned in to snuggle Alan, nuzzling the fox and twirling his hair with her claws.
Alan was too shocked to react properly. This was the same Lurantis that essentially screamed bloody murder at their first meeting. She’s not mentally stable, that’s for sure… He struggled uncomfortably in Melissa’s grip for a moment, before the Lucario spoke up.
“Ehem” Hikaru interrupted. “Your grace, we have many matters for you to examine and a multitude of papers to sign today, could the canoodling be saved for later?”
Melissa, blushing and lightly sobbing, released her grip on Alan before slowly making her way out of the throne room. As soon as she was out of sight Alan could hear her pace pick up, turning from a slow, reluctant shuffle to a hurried sprint.
“I’ll be waiting for you in our room Eddie~” Her voice echoed down the corridor alongside increasingly faint footsteps.
The rest of the cabinet quietly sighed in relief. Chai entered the chamber next, lightly jogging while carrying a stack of papers that towered high above his head. He laid the heap of documents in front of the throne, the top of the stack in reach of Alan’s paws. The Breloom also procured a jar of ink from his satchel, placing it on the seat of the throne itself. Bowing deeply, he quickly exited the chamber, not a single word being said throughout the entire exchange.
“Before we begin your Majesty, I would like to ask quickly, how are you feeling? The memories we were able to procure were… shall we say, incomplete…” Celeste’s eyes darted to the ground, avoiding Alan’s confused look.
Oh. Right. I need to fool them, don’t I?
“I feel…” Alan paused for a moment to consider his word choice. “…incomplete, but it’s manageable. I can function, I just… need some reminders.”
Yeah, that’s it. I just need to play into those incomplete memories. He straightened his posture, trying to maintain his royal image.
“Yes, of course, your grace. We are already overjoyed at your return, we will happily accommodate any issues with memory.” Celeste bowed, tail silently brushing back and forth in suppressed excitement. “As of current, your body is weak and unstable, so I believe it’s best if you stick to administrative tasks for the current time being, your Majesty”
“Ah, that would explain the stack of papers…” Alan tried to keep calm. However internally, he was panicking. How was he supposed to save Morgan if all he could do was read papers all day? I need to think of an excuse to meet Morgan again.
Lightly huffing, Alan picked up the first piece of paper with both of his paws with ease. Considering I have no thumbs, this is surprisingly easy to do… The writing on the document was complete gibberish, with random symbols and footprints strewn into lines and lines of illegible text. As Alan racked his brain, trying to come up with an excuse for his illiteracy, he noticed something bizarre occurring on the paper in front of him.
The symbols were moving . He stared at the parchment, the symbols stretching and squeezing, morphing into a multitude of different shapes before settling on perfectly legible English text. Alan blinked incredulously. What….? Why couldn’t I read before? Why did the letters move around? Whatever, probably Necrozma or Edward helping me out again. He concluded, now able to read the paper in full.
SOUTH-KRUX ROYAL TAX REVENUE SUMMARY
DATED: 44G45 11WA 14
THIS DOCUMENT IS TO BE READ BY ONLY THOSE WITH SECURITY CLEARANCE LEVEL 4 OR HIGHER, STORE THIS DOCUMENT AT ROYAL VAULT #4, FLOOR 4 ROW 3 ONLY
ROYAL TAX LEVEL INCREASE – 34%
TOTAL TAX REVENUE INCREASE – 27%
TOTAL TAX REVENUE – 12,473,027G
REVENUE BREAKDOWN
GOLD TAX – 6,300,000G
COMMON BERRY TAX – 1,245,433G
EXOTIC BERRY TAX – 1,343,786G
…
…
MISC. TAX REVENUE – 24,393G
It was incredibly boring.
Alan looked at the piece of parchment in confusion, unsure of what to do with this information. He put the paper back down onto the pile and looked back up, face scrunching up to give himself a fake concerned look.
Hikaru, picking up on Alan’s signal, replied. “I understand your grace, everything is going to be fine. We just need your official approval on these documents. Once you are happy with the contents of each document, just dip your paw in the ink next to you and press it onto the bottom of the document, we will take care of the rest.”
So far so good, I just got to do that a thousand more times… Alan jeered mentally. It was fascinating watching the letters on each piece of paper he picked up shuffling around and shifting into perfect English, however boring the contents of each document was.
Immigration request summaries, Guild funding requests, Building project progress updates, and random citizen income audits. Hundreds upon hundreds of documents passed under the approving paws of the Vulpix, each painstakingly skimmed through, contents of each read and instantly forgotten.
He tried multiple times to get up and leave, only to be stopped and returned to his throne by the three pokemon standing guard. “Your Majesty, your work here isn’t done!” They would say, Alan’s words going through one ear and right out the other.
Edward was right, he really was tied to the throne… a puppet to the system he himself built…
Alan kept his mind busy by recapping and analyzing what little information Necrozma had given him. He was brought here against his will, to be a servant to some powerful unknown being, all to get his memories back. It was a horrible deal, he was gaining what had been taken from him, almost like repaying a debt he didn’t remember owing.
Furthermore, his very first mission , one he was expected to do without guidance or prior knowledge, was to essentially break someone out of a prison cell, stuck somewhere deep inside whatever labyrinth the Krux mystery dungeon was. A truly impossible mission.
Something interesting appeared during his mindless skimming, familiar details popped out of the monotone blur of the surrounding text. Alan reread the contents of the document, this time paying attention to every tiny detail he could make out.
ROYAL DUNGEON PRISONER LOG
DATED: 45G0 1WX 13
THIS DOCUMENT IS TO BE READ BY ONLY THOSE WITH SECURITY CLEARANCE LEVEL 2 OR HIGHER, STORE THIS DOCUMENT AT PRISON VAULTS #1, FLOOR 1 ROW 2 ONLY
PRISONER SPECIES: JANGMO-O (DISCOLORED)
PRISONER ID: A-119
SECURITY GRADE: MAXIMUM
CELL TYPE: DOUBLE CHAIN
DATE OF ARREST: 44G45 12WA 2
ARREST REASON: MURDER OF 1 (ONE) ROYAL TAX COLLECTOR, INJURY OF 3 (THREE) ROYAL GUARDS, RESISTING ARREST, DISTURBING THE PEACE, INCITING VIOLENCE, LOW-LEVEL TAX EVASION
VERDICT: UNSENTENCED – AWAITING TRIAL
NOTES: DANGEROUS AND UNCOOPERATIVE, DECLAWING THERAPY HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR IMMEDIATE PROCEDURE, TAKE SPECIAL CARE DURING MEAL PREP: DO NOT FEED ORAN BERRIES, SITRUS BERRIES, FULL HEAL SEEDS, REVIVER SEEDS, OR GUMMIS OF ANY SORT
Alan went wide-eyed, just who had Necrozma asked him to save? Just what did this Pokemon do to get into this much trouble? Never mind that, how the hell was he supposed to break Morgan out of there?
An idea popped into his head.
He needed more information, whatever he could find, to better form a plan of action. He needed directions to where Morgan was held. He didn’t have much in terms of influence it seemed, but what little leverage he did have should be enough to at least arrange a prisoner meeting, and he would figure it out from there.
“So Hikaru… What do I do if something is incorrect?” Alan asked, putting his clueless facade on once more.
“ Wha- but there shouldn’t be any-… I-I mean…Yes, your grace, we can re-verify this information if you so desire.”
“That’s alright, I can personally verify this information, it would be a nice change of scenery as well. Please arrange a meeting with prisoner A-119 at the earliest possible moment.” The Vulpix replied without hesitation, an aura of confidence and nobility floating above the monarch.
“B-but your Majesty!” Celeste stammered. “You are still recovering! You should not be moving about at all! Even worse, that prisoner is dangerous , your highness.”
Alan had already prepared an excuse. “That is exactly what I’d like to verify. I may not remember much, but I do still retain memories of being in a prison cell with that Jangmo-o. I’m certain they were neither dangerous nor uncooperative as claimed.”
Hikaru and Celeste exchanged nervous glances, while Lorenzo had already gone back to fiddling with his piece of steel. After a few moments of tense silence, they finally relented.
“W-well, your grace… We can arrange for your visitation now if you would like. We shall escort you to the prisoner immediately.”
“That would be most excellent,” replied Alan, in a cordial yet royal tone. He jumped off the throne, flicking his hair backward as he walked up in between the two pokemon. “Now please, show me the way.”
Hikaru and Celeste led the way down Krux castle and into the royal dungeons, Alan following closely behind. He, however, made sure to sneak a few Oran berries from a table into his robe during his descent down into the dungeons.
The descent down into the dungeons was long and physically draining, their path diverging and converging with others often. Alan could barely manage to remember the path down to the castle grounds, let alone locate himself in the Krux mystery dungeon.
The group encountered a few pokemon during their journey to the prison cell, all guards or pokemon working inside the castle. The combined oppressive pressure their group emitted stifled conversation, paused work, and demanded the attention of each individual. They all deeply bowed, some prostrating themselves before the three royals, inaudibly mumbling under their breath and disappearing into the maze of corridors in Krux Castle.
Multiple times Alan was unable to continue, his undeveloped muscles overexerting themselves and shutting down. Unable to carry on, Celeste opted to carry the Vulpix instead, tucking Alan under her shoulder, her robe and scales rubbing against his icy body.
This… this feeling… why does it feel so familiar… Alan purred softly in stifled satisfaction. He quickly snapped back into reality. No… She would kill me if she knew who I truly was. Or worse, she would torture me in that room again…
As the three neared their destination, the mood suddenly shifted. The once impressive, opulent halls that towered far above Alan turned into the cramped, rocky corridors that made up the Krux mystery dungeons.
Alan peeked into one of the countless prison cells they passed. An Archen hung from the ceiling, unmoving. Blood steadily dripped from the bird’s battered body. It looked more like a dead animal laid out to dry in a butcher’s shop than a prisoner in their alleged ‘care’.
What the fuck. Barbaric…
A few more quick glances at other prison cells only served to further disgust Alan. A Sandslash, claws ground down into dust. A Honedge violently wedged into a rock, its edges chipped and dulled. A Golisopod, wrapped in chains, frothy liquid dribbling down a singular massive crack right down the center of its carapace.
It’s always when I think I’ve seen everything… Your mess just continues to surprise me, Edward.
A few moments passed in tense silence. The group turned a familiar corner, Alan immediately recognized his surroundings.
At the end of the hall, a heavy metal door stood tall over the dimly lit corridor. Celeste peered into the cell, confirming that the dragon was properly secured, before producing a key from a satchel on her tail to unlock the door. The cell door creaked open, revealing the pink and yellow dragon resting inside.
Alan silently gasped upon the sight of Morgan. He lay chained up on the hay bed, and his condition significantly worsened. Rose pink scales chipped and bent all over, claws dented and barely hanging on. His eyes were wide open in fear and anger, fangs bared but trembling.
Alan entered the cell, internally seething from anger but barely able to keep his casual demeanor. Hikaru’s voice rang out from behind, reminding him to keep his royal act up.
“A reminder, your grace. This is not an officially sanctioned visitation, the prisoner has not been informed of your presence. Please be careful.” Hikaru cautioned.
“That’s ok, I trust he will be fine,” Alan replied in his casual tone. He was hitting his limit on how long he could pretend, he had to get Celeste and Hikaru away from the cell. “Now, I’m sure you two have many duties to attend to, I can have a guard escort me back when I am done, you are uh… dismissed.”
Celeste nodded in agreement, silently motioning for the Lucario to stay silent. Hikaru’s mouth opened, only to shut itself following Celeste’s assertion, a reluctant nod followed instead. The two bowed deeply before slowly trudging down the corridor, occasionally looking back to ensure Alan’s safety.
Only a little bit more! Just need to keep this act up for a second! He approached the dragon, head held high. With the deepest, grandest voice he could muster, he spoke.
“We meet again, Morgan.”
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