Melaine Diancie's Story

Seeing the sudden beam of light shot skyward made him curious at first but it was the castle and hearing the speech that got him worried. He took Asuka out of her pokeball and told Shirona to get on as well.

"I really think it would be wise to put you in a pokeball right now..."

"If it comes to it, I'll accept. Until then I'm staying outside of one"

"Alright... Asuka! Takes us back to Castelia!"

A confirmation screech was heard as the Staraptor took to the skies and shot forwards on a course for Castelia. As they neared Castelia, Shirona gasped a bit and told Asuka to fly low due to the pressure. Asuka sensed nothing but listened anyway, lowering her altitude to just 15 feet above the water.

"Pressure? I don't feel anything right now, though."

"It's coming from that direction, closer to the beam."

"Alright, you have better senses than us both so keep us informed. Asuka, towards that beam!"

Another screech and a trajectory change went on. Asuka quickly covered ground, or air in this case, and was soon close enough to sense the pressure building and decided to slow down. Even James could sense it. James soon sees a woman, an unknown Pokemon holding a sword, and a body without its head.

"What is that? Some sort of floating rock?"

"A Diance. A rare mythical Pokemon from which Carbink, Sandra's pet, can sometimes evolve into."

"Carbink can turn into that.... but only sometimes?"

"Think of it as a random mutation. I know nothing of that sword though. Wait, that woman down there!"

"That's the one from the TV Burgh was watching, Emiko. Wasn't she in Nimbassa? Asuka, take us down there."

With that, the bird flew over Emiko and lowered her altitude again to 5 feet. James and Shirona both jumped off and landed next to the girl. Shirona gently landing while James had a tougher one.

"Ok...Maybe should have said go lower. Not fair that you get to use your power to land softly. Asuka, come back."

Asuka reentered her pokeball but Shirona didn't respond with banter like she normally would, instead she studied the area and tried to grasp what was going on. She did connect the dots and figured out that this Diance was the cause of the man's death, and knowing what she does about the Pokemon, she figured the castle was made by her as well.

"This is not good, James, not at all..."

"Tell me something I don't know. Hey, Emiko! You alright? What happened here?"

James turned to Emiko and questioned her about the situation.

So. Here she was. Broken and defeated in front of this villain. Touko was having the worst day of her life. It wouldn't be the first time she saw a castle erupt out of the ground, but watching this Diancie straight up kill her Trainer was just too much. At being suggested to kneel, she did...but then pitched forward onto all fours and threw up. Once that was, um, dealt with, she wiped her mouth and looked up to face the new ruler.

"Heh. It's funny, really. Us humans have rules. And one of them is that you can't threaten someone into entering a binding agreement. If you do, it doesn't count. So if I say yes, I would have done so under duress. And if I say no, you'll probably kill me on the spot. So either way, I will not be by your side as you rule this land in the grip of fear...plus if you killed me now that you've announced the start of your rule, that's not a good look."

She pitched her head down. More coughing to clear out the last bits of vomit. Oh Arceus, the blood was starting to move towards her...at least looking away from the new tyrant's terrifying beauty allowed her to focus her thoughts, even if it felt like the air itself was trying to crush her. "Plus my pal Zekrom would never forgive me. I made a promise to him. That I would fight for a world where Pokémon and humans had nothing to fear from one another. As long as you rule by fear like this, I can't stand by and let it happen. Even if that earthquake means I can no longer stand."

Then, some flashing lights. Some asshole paparazzi had caught her in her darkest hour. That was small compared to the world of shit everyone was about to be thrust into. "Oh, and one final thing. I happen to know that we're not alone. There are others that come from beyond the stars that are watching with great interest at what's happening here. Don't assume that you can just scare them into doing what you say. I don't know what Nendal told you as he made you what you are now, but if you strike me down then you'll never learn what you need to know to be an effective ruler."

Her palms were sweaty. Knees weak, arms were heavy. There was vomit on her sweater already, Mom's spaghetti. "I will not dispute the legitimacy of your rule. But politically, I will oppose you at every turn. Now that you speak for humans and Pokémon alike as our Grand Champion, I hope that you do not lead us to ruin. I have nothing more to say to you...Queen Melaine."

Then she turned and faced James, struggling to get to her feet at the sound of someone calling her name. "Um...could you, uh, not right now? Kinda having a bad day here. Right now all I want to do is fly home to Nuvema Town and just cry into my pillow."

James heard what Emiko had to say, and being the nice guy he is, he responded with an offer.

"Alright. If you'd like, I can take you home with Asuka."

"James, we cannot stay here! We need to move!"

"I know, Shirona. I can sense that staying is bad for the health...But I need to know if she is ok to leave on her own or if she needs help! I'm not just going to walk away, I didn't for you, and I won't for her or anybody!"

"1 minute and then we go"

"Fine."

James' attitude might get him seriously injured one of these days but that does not seem to bother him as he continues to stick his neck out for other people. He awaits a response while clutching Asuka's pokeball.

---

Melaine's Castle : Throne Room

---

O~hoho-hoho~!

Melaine turned to face a Trainer standing before her, in front of several Pokemon of various species. The young girl adjusted her glasses using both hands, keeping a neutral look on her face.

Um, Crown-Princess! We have reports that a Trainer has actually made it inside. He flew in on a Tropius that only took neutral hits from the Zzap! Crystal towers and he seems ready to fight you. I place his odds of victory over you at less than 0.001%, however. His team is strong and well balanced, but he lacks a dedicated strategy and lost one of his Pokemon to one of the Golurk in the Inner Wall Expanse.

Melaine held back more laughter.

Intruders who make it past my defenses need to solve my castle's many puzzles! There is little the common fodder can do to truly understand the complex nature of my challenges. He'll never reach me if the Golurk are giving him trouble already!

The girl nodded and adjusted her glasses again.

Of course! It is as you say, Crown-Princess.

----

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Castelia City : Oceanfront Road

---

Allen would arrive in a city that was a borderline hellscape.

As the lower hanging purple clouds and dark sky sent an ominous message, the searing lights that rained from the sky amid a murky purple rain stung whatever living beings they struck directly, leaving burning scratches on those unprotected for too long. What was once one of the most lively and active cities in Unova was now almost a shell, a husk of what it once was. Standing tall in the city's horizon, dwarfing even the larger skyscrapers, was a castle made of crystals and jewels mixed with solid stonework.

---

Castelia City : Mode Street

---

As Allen ran through the streets, some areas of the city had crystals growing out of the ground, scattered around extremely large and tall crystals that pulsed a dark and shadowy purple color, with a sort of black central energy. Some of these crystals had even damaged or destroyed some smaller buildings, and some of the Wild Pokemon around them, such as Rattata and Zubat, seemed unusually irritated. Few Trainers were outside still, with the few that were mostly either seeking shelter or trying to have their Pokemon attack the crystals.

---

Castelia City : Central Plaza

---

When Allen finally reached the area where the beam originated, he'd find a new pathway leading to a large castle that lay before him, to the side of the town, near where the villa that belonged to the Grand Champion was. It was a winding road that nonetheless was lined with smaller crystals and jewels the entire way.

---

Castelia City : Melaine's Castle

---

At last, he'd reach the area where the beam originated. Standing before him, a large castle of multiple floors and expansive size that even destroyed some buildings in the area around the larger plot of land that the Grand Champion's villa used to occupy. A large gate at the front of the castle was closed, with the drawbridge lifted shut. A symbol on the drawbridge showed that several slots needed to be filled with some kind of items before it activated.

Furthermore, the walls showed little sign of allowing a way inside otherwise. The moat of sharp crystals leaking shadowy energy was a deterrent to other forms of ground approach, and perched upon sections of the crystal walls, towers were shaped, providing windows and vantage points for floating crystalline structures that reacted to the lightning strikes positively, showcasing an ability to potentially launch energy bolts at anything flying nearby. Their glow was also accompanied by dark red hues, besides the purple and black, perhaps indicative of something more.

Some wild Pokemon were roaming about the area, mostly Sigilyph that seemed to be following set patrol routes at a variety of altitudes. Claydol statues were arranged also at specific points around the perimeter. Watchog were carefully keeping observation posts atop the walls and on the ground level around the castle; their alert gazes and glowing eyes and bodies proving a rather unsettling reminder that if there was specific movement outside the castle, it was likely going to be recorded in some fashion. Occasionally, a faint rumble of the earth was felt, though it was almost unnoticeable to most, striking in time to large footsteps being taken. The heads and shoulders of Golurk behind the castle walls could be seen occasionally accompanying such tremors, giving a source to their occurrence.

Surprisingly, actual Trainers were present, some already in combat with groups of Watchog and Patrat, others tackling the Sigilyph. No one seemed to have had any progress made in their groups at finding a way past the walls. The most alarming observation was that there seemed to be some Trainers who were fighting against the Trainers who seemed to be seeking a way inside as if some Trainers were honestly siding with whatever caused the beam that now occupied this unnatural crystal cathedral of a castle.

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Melaine's Castle : Outer Wall Outskirts

---

Allen's request was met with silence initially, especially as other fighting Trainers retreated, having been whited out by the Trainers in armor, armed with weapons alongside Pokemon, that seemed to be on the side of whoever owned the castle. Then, a break after several minutes. Emerging from her castle, a Pokemon descended to greet Allen.

She was a dark-purple, sylph-like Pokemon that had a black chest and arms that resembled a dress. She also had a headdress, which consisted of purple crystals; the four short ones cresting along the top pointing upwards, and two long ones on each side of her head, pointing downwards, with an additional diamond-cut centerpiece framed by her slim dark-purple ears. A smaller purple crystal was also embedded in the back of her head, and a red nugget was embedded in her forehead. Her eyes were black with pale-purple irises, and a red crescent circled her neck, with each end joined by a rhomboid gem. Her lower body resembled a large oblong chunk of stone, with a large purple crystal protruding from it.

Are you the rabble that disrespects the very ground they stand upon with their incessant yelling? You are standing in the presence of Melaine—1st Crown-Princess of Ruula. You may kneel if you wish. Your choice in the matter may determine the direction of our following interaction.

The other Trainers who had sided with the Pokemon seemed to step forward, as if ready to follow her on her words. They all shared unanimous features; their armor and weapons made mostly of diamonds and crystals that were styled in a medieval bent and faintly glowing shadowy purple eyes lighting through their helmet shaded or mask covered faces. Most of the males wore shorts and pants, while most of the females wore miniskirts and pants. The attire seemed to be based on what sort of weapon they carried, and all of them seemed to be unaffected by, if not outright immune to, the flashes of light that stung and burned at exposed Trainers and Pokemon.

----

---

Nuvema Town : Professor Juniper's Lab

---

The Professors across the board were a wealth of useful knowledge. Juniper was able to to get ahold of Krane, Sycamore, and Rowan, thus getting Touko and Radegast some critical info about their foe.

What was revealed was this: She is a Diancie, which are rare, but powerful, mutations of a normally Kalosian and Alolan native species called Carbink. Sycamore also confirmed it's typing as a Rock/Fairy dual-type, and a number of other details that more or less created a solid, if still work in progress, Pokedex Entry for the pair to use.

Professor Krane could also shed light on what he had on Shadow Pokemon.

He revealed that Shadow Pokemon are created through a still somewhat unknown process that all but removes a Pokemon's emotions entirely, turning them into a soulless fighting machine. A man named Ein, who was the creator of the process and Team Cipher's head scientist at some time not too long ago, referred to the process as "shutting the door to their hearts". Team Cipher's science division later refined and upgraded the process to allow many Shadow Pokemon to be produced simultaneously. The head of their science division, before they were defeated recently, was a scientist named Lovrina, who also worked on stabilizing the process to increase their resistance to the best purification methods at the time. The goal was to create a Shadow Pokemon that could not be purified.

Further, while normal Pokemon are generally friendly and trusting creatures as a whole, Shadow Pokemon are not hesitant to attack with no mercy, and they do not attack only other Pokemon, even extending their victims to Trainers. Shadow Pokemon were occasionally overwhelmed by their emotions, and sometimes entered a state called "Hyper Mode," or, "Reverse Mode." The state was connected to how purified they were prior to full purification. Calling out to the Pokemon usually snapped them out of the effect, though other remedies exist.

However, Shadow Pokemon cannot be differentiated from normal Pokemon without certain abilities or tools. Shadow Pokemon emit a dark aura that normal Pokemon do not, though the aura is typically invisible. The Professor has built a device that can detect auras, but it'd take time to get two of them over to Unova; though Juniper and Rowan theorize that anyone sensitive to Aura could also detect it. In some cases, the Pokemon's physical appearance can change if it is sufficiently corrupted.

This information thus presented a couple of avenues to further explore, mostly in actual field research. While the Professors would continue their own research in lab, field data would be invaluable, as would any data from Nendal's vast archives that surely existed somewhere. Thus, Touko and Radegast would find themselves once more in Castelia City, though this time, together and with information and a good recharge.

---

Castelia City : Bridge Gate

---

However, in their short absence, the Bridge Gate had turned into a small warzone's aftermath. The usual guards on duty were both noticeably absent, and in their place were three girls who were more or less silent, though smiling as they seemed to quietly small talk with each other and clean up the place. Two of the girls wore a cuirass made of faintly glowing purple and shadowy diamonds over a black blouse with bell sleeves. Their miniskirts were black as well, with strategically cuts to not hinder movement, though short modesty shorts were present as well in a dark purple color. Their dark purple thigh boots had a small heel that suggested they could ride a Pokemon suited for it, and their dark purple gloves were cuffed for added flair and protection, likely because they had weaponry.

On their backs were what looked liked shortbows, and they had a belt and strap that allowed them to keep a quiver full of arrows. These weapons seemed to be made of the same faintly glowing purple and shadowy diamonds as the cuirass was. Lastly, they each had a kettle helmet with diamond motifs that shaded their face from the nose up, though their faintly glowing purple and shadowy eyes were visible and not normal looking. Both had shorter hair, with one doing a bob cut while the other did a wavy/curly look, though both had grey hair, darker in tone with a heavy charcoal-esque tint.

Both looked young, and between the two of them, they had four Pokemon it seemed. The one with the bob cut had three gym badges, while the one with the wavy/curly look had two of her own. Perhaps they were novice Trainers whose journeys were cut short?

The third Trainer was a younger woman with a ponytail and a maid outfit that had a diamond brooch that radiated the sense of energy. With purple eyes as well, though hers lacked the faint glow, and only a frilled head decoration with flower accessory that didn't shade her face, she somehow seemed more important than the other two, despite her appearances. Her hair was blonde, and she kept her arms behind her back as she supervised the cleanup, though it seemed by the rag she held that she was doing her own fair share. She had three Poke Balls, but otherwise seemed unarmed and unarmored.

Upon hearing the doors open, all three turned to look at Touko and Radegast as the two archers drew their shortbows and reached for Poke Balls.

Marksman 1:

Hey! You two there! Identify yourselves!

Marksman 2:

Yeah, you can't pass until we know you're not here to cause trouble!

Maid:

Well, aren't you two ready to go? Stand down. We should at least talk with these two Trainers first.

Dusting herself off, the maid gave a bow, not letting Touko or Radegast have a word edgewise before she continued.

Maid:

Apologies. My name is Belinda, and I'm in proud service to the new Crown-Princess. If either of you harbors ill intentions toward her, then I will have to ask you to leave unless you can present proof of a presence request by her decree. If you mean to stay without, then I will have to get the room dirty again. Such a problem that would be, no? We shouldn't need to undo my work.

Belinda's demeanor was quite Brazen, all facts considered. She also seemed unusually confident despite her expected position by appearances.

Allen listened and looked around at the trainers. He then began laughing, finding the situation quite funny.

"Oh man, expecting me to kneel...Oh that's a good one, Mel. However, I do like what's going on here. And seeing you got such a following... You must be pretty strong, right? I like to consider myself a power enthusiast, so normally I'd ask of a demonstration, but seeing these suckers and this castle.... I think that's good enough. I quite like the idea of the strongest ruling this damned place instead of some prepubescent kid. You have my respect, and my power. If this is what the future looks like, I am all for it. Chaos and power to spread across the lands just leaves a lovely picture in the mind. While I won't be kneeling in this accursed rain, I'm sure a bow will suffice."

Allen bows respectfully, but keeps his smirk.

"Even if you dislike me, know I'm here to help. I just prefer to go about things in my own way. I'm not like these mindless suckers behind me who follow every order like the good little dogs they appear to be. There's nothing I want more than a world ruled by someone deserving, like you," Allen mentally struggles to say it but outwardly it was seamless, "Your Highness."

While Allen didn't like admitting somebody was stronger than him, even he could tell he was outclassed here. Those suckers wouldn't be too hard, but this presence... I could never take this chick down...I don't like to admit it, but she's far stronger than I could ever be. If she's ruling this place, fine by me. Allen thought to himself. Allen knew when to fold 'em, and this was definitely time to do so, but he wasn't becoming a part of the crystal cronies like the others.

Unannounced to most of the individuals present in the city, several members of the Crimson Guild were slinking around the city, remaining unseen while remaining underneath cover so as to avoid as much damage from the weather as they could. However, completely avoiding injury was impossible, so every now and then they'd have to pop an Oran Berry to keep going. Thankfully, as individuals, they didn't have to cover much ground. Castelia City was a huge place, but the Crimson Guild knew how to spread their numbers to make up as much ground as possible. There were at least two Crimson Guild Members in every section of the city, paired up with one another of course, covering each other's backs and helping the other out when they needed it.

There was one exception to that rule, of course. The stout little Turtwig was bounding across Castelia by himself, searching for the castle. It didn't take him long to cover ground, oddly enough. He zipped from overhang to overhang in the blink of an eye, covering ground so fast, he may as well have been half the scouting team. He used less resources than his teammates, too, since less of his time was spent exposed to the harsh conditions.

It didn't take him that long to spot the castle in the distance, a creepy, contorted purple structure that seemed to spread across it's own zip code and tower over even some of the skyscrapers. It also didn't take him that long to reach that point, given his absurdly impressive speed. Within a few minutes, he had traversed through most of Castelia City, stopping just at the outskirts of the castle's domain. Taking cover underneath a dumpster, he popped an Oran Berry and started examining the surroundings.

Eerie...Tag thought as he got a decent look of the place, now that he was close up.

It looked like one of those castles he'd seen while in the Kalos Region, only this one was nearly triple it's size. It's immense measure could be enough to enshroud the whole region in it's shadow should the non-existent sun be hanging low enough. The tallest of spires in the center stood taller than all of the buildings. What was more, it seemed to be made entirely out of purple crystal, glistening with the flashing lights of the powerfully nasty aura around them. From his vantage point, he could see that it had two walls that covered this area: An outer and an inner wall. Within these two walls stood the castle.

But his attention wasn't drawn to that. What he saw was the Diancie in full scale. To his credit, he was expecting something a little bigger, but she only appeared to be three times his size. Unlike the Diancie's he'd come across in his days as TeaM PerSisTenCe, this one seemed to be coated in a strange, purple aura that made all her crystals look deep purple and menacing. It was scary in it's own elegant way.

Not as scary as Neeko, but still...

Standing by her was a human bowing before her, sporting black hair, a black jacket, and a greasy smile. Tag remained hidden, watching to see what the Diancie would do.

---

Melaine's Castle : Outer Wall Outskirts

---

Very well. You are amusing enough that I shall let your impasse slide by. Let it be known, however, your own decree as it is, is binding. Now, begone from my sight!

It was clear Allen was being let off, luckily enough for him. However, one of the Trainers there stepped forward to tell Melaine something, something that caught her interest.

An interesting development, my loyal servant! Remain to guard the castle. Also, escort this young and foolish man off of my castle grounds. If he does not comply, his life is forfeit.

Melaine turned and had one of the Trainers go and assemble a group to travel with her to meet the newcomers. It seemed Tag would not see anything special right away about the Diancie as Allen was quickly surrounded by several Sigilyph and Starmie that arrived to escort him out of the area and back into the city.

...

At least not until a Sigilyph flew past Tag in evasive maneuvers as it dueled with an Unfezant being commanded by a man dressed in usual Ace Trainer gear. Tag would be able to witness the battle first hand, with blows being traded and dodged until the Sigilyph, in a display that granted it a purple shadowy aura, whipped up a vicious tornado with the shadowy energy, the tornado itself spawning atop the Unfezant, KOing it outright as what seemed to be sharp blades of wind swiped at it. Furthermore, the tornado continued past the Unfezant, being directed at the Trainer in full.

As the young man shielded himself, his body was whipped mercilessly by the blades of wind, leaving several gashes across his body as he grunted in pain with every further hit. At some point, after what seemed like several excruciating seconds, the man collapsed to the ground, unconscious, completely shredded and torn up. His Poke Balls fell from their belt, showing he only had two with him, one of which presumably belonged to the now KO'd Unfezant.

The Sigilyph had yet to notice Tag but didn't seem to show any remorse or feelings over what it just did. If anything, it seemed to use some form of communication to send out some sort of message, as if contacting someone or something over the Trainer it just badly wounded. It seemed so heartless and cold, in fact, that it casually prepared to resume its usual patrol route, assuming it wasn't approached in any interrupting fashion.

----

---

Castelia City : Prime Pier

---

As the Taiyou soldiers emerged onto the dock, they were met with a grim sight. A mostly empty dock area, abandoned with haste in the middle of business hours judging by remaining equipment and the now scuffed and rocking ships that were anchored there. Several Wingull flew around the area but kept their distance from the soldiers for now. However, it was not long before the soldiers would spot a sizable group approaching the dock.

The group was an impressive group, mostly comprising of what seemed to be the native creatures and some humanoids as well. The standouts were the several flying violet sea-stars with gold centerpieces that housed gemstones, the several spherical flying ornaments of abstract design, the guarded swirl-armored insects with sharp stingers for arms, and the single blue-green floating bell with "arms" at its sides hovering before the main attraction.

Said attraction was a standout figure, smaller in stature, but regal and royal in appearance. She was a dark-purple, sylph-like Pokemon that had a black chest and arms that resembled a dress. She also possessed a headdress, which consisted of purple crystals; the four short ones cresting along the top pointed upwards, and two longer ones on each side of her head, pointed downwards, with an additional heart-cut centerpiece framed by her slim dark-purple ears. A smaller purple crystal was also embedded in the back of her head, from it, two smaller gems grew at the bottom. A red nugget was embedded in her forehead, and she also had two ribbon-like structures that were growing from the two small gems on the back of her head, each tipped by two small floating rhomboid gems for each ribbon. Her eyes were black with pale-purple irises, and a red crescent circled her neck, with the ends of each being joined together by a rhomboid gem. A larger red crescent also circled her torso. Her lower body resembled a dress-like structure made of purple gems and a larger gem with red pieces supporting it.

A dark and beautiful creature whose aesthetic radiated an aura of nobility and stature. Accompanying her as well were several humans as well, similar in size and shape to the Taiyou, though they were all relatively similar dressed; effective and functional diamond based armor and possession of crystalline weapons that used similar crystals as were present on the regal sylph creature that approached them.

With nary a hesitation, the group stopped a distance away from the Taiyou soldiers. It was a safe and formal distance, suitable for an establishment of greetings without combat. The blue-green hovering bell creature floated forward before it let out a resounding gong, the gong itself precluding a temporary halt to the flashing lights in the immediate area, providing a safe arena for the encounter on the pier. It then floated aside as the sylph-like creature floated forward before her group, facing the soldiers.

She was floating in the air as well, hovering high enough for her 3'07" body to hold eye contact with any of them. Then, she waited. It seemed she was aware, somehow, that the soldiers before her were not the ones in charge of their own assembly. The invisible shadow aura she radiated around her exerted a strong Pressure that could be felt to a small degree by the soldiers closest to her.

"Heh. If that's all you got, I'm out of here. I have business to attend to anyway. See ya, chumps. Had no intention on sticking around here anyway. No need for an escort, boys. I can handle myself."

Allen puts his hands behind his head and walks off, not giving a shit about the rain. He walked in the direction of Nimbasa City, knowing the grand arena there and expecting James to be there. After a bit of travelling he began talking to himself.

"Big shots head there so he's probably lounging around there while I waste my time here. Heh... I'll wipe that smile off his face... 'Good fight' my ass... The real winner should have been me, and it will be me this time around."

Fortunately for Tag, the Diancie spoke in such a proper and pronounced tone that even he could hear her clearly from his vantage point/hiding spot. Unfortunately however, she didn't say anything telling other than her position of authority was absolute to her subordinates...including their newest one, who was acting nonchalant about the affair and trying to play off the threatening words with his own gusto.

He'll find his comeuppance somewhere...the Turtwig thought.

He didn't have much time to think about him as the sudden appearance of the Ace Trainer and the Sigilyph turned into a fight right before his very eyes. He watched the back and forth continue until the struggle ended swiftly and suddenly with the shadowy tornado that he wouldn't even register as any move he knew about, not to mention the shadowy aura it gave off, matching the color of the scenery around them. It told him that they were not only packing some new moves, but some serious power as well.

And then there was the fact that they were merciless. Tag could only stare in horror as the shadowy whirlwind knocked out the Unfezant and proceeded to severely injure the trainer himself. He had to fight all of his instincts not to run into the fray and stop the Sigilyph from winning this fight. He wanted to save the Trainer and his Pokemon so badly.

But he knew what would happen if he did. They were just outside of the queen's castle. If he jumped in, he would be alerting them to his presence and, by extension, exposing the guild members investigating the streets of Castelia City. He might win the battle for all he knew. But he'd be losing the war by giving away their positioning and their general existence to Queen Melaine.

He could even hear Crimson's voice in his head. Not yet. There's no need for a hero right now.

So he stayed put and watched. Even though the fight was over, he could still learn a thing or two by staying put and seeing what they did. Maybe they would take him somewhere.

---

Meanwhile, over at the pier, there was a hidden audience present to the preceding of an interaction between the Taiyou and the proclaimed Grand Champion of Ruula. Several of the Crimson Guild members had witnessed the massive ship rolling into the harbor, defying the battering ram that was the sea as it went. Curious and for the sake of the mission, they stuck around to see what this ship was going to do...and whether they would become allies or enemies.

Presently, they were gathered around the area, all well hidden. Some were outside the protective bubble the Diancie had conjured, but were in safe, covered spots to save themselves from the weather. A few lucky ones managed to find hiding spots in the bubble. A particularly clever Wingull named Lorraine was hiding amongst her own kind, having taken off her identifying equipment and flying among the main pack in order to blending in. All the while, she was keeping an ear down low to the happenings of this meeting of forces. All would not dare to interject or give away their positions, but would rather watch and wait to see what unfolded.

Outwardly, the Taiyou continued to move along the pier, taking up positions behind crates, outdoor furniture, and concrete barriers to quickly establish overlapping fields of fire, and cover. Each Taiyou soldier was dressed for the elements, their faces obscured by metallic hermetically sealed gas masks, with two glowing eyes and a dark green helmet. Their armor was black, worn over some kind of synthetic fabric jumpsuit that too was hermetically sealed.

"Unidentified native creatures approaching... advise." The Sergeant radioed through cybercomm "Engage only if attacked."

"Acknowledged, taking up defensive positions now!"

The group of Pokemon, and their accompanying trainers would come across roughly two dozen men, positioned behind all manner of cover, cold, emotionless, with their gear obscuring their faces, and their glowing red eyes fixated on the approaching party.

The only outward motion that could be gleaned from the pointed weapons were the fingers flicking along the bodies of their weapons, and the click of disengaging safeties.



A sniper perched on the deck of the battleship, behind metal plates near the aft airlock, his weapon, a Seburo C30 with attatched scope would provide effective intermediate range.

The men didn't seem to flinch at the sound of the gong, but their internal communications noted the change in the anomalous weather patterns, the waters seemed to calm in the immediate area, which meant the anchor lines didn't seem to protest against the weight of the battleship much more.

There was a mechanical clunk, followed by a hiss, the sniper briefly looked away from his scope to see the captain, give him a reassuring nod, and then move back to focusing his rifle on the lead sylph like creature before them.

Clasping his hands behind his back, Nuurumi surveyed the pier for a moment, he didn't exit the ship until it was safe, and even then, a pair of soldiers in similar gear to the ones on the pier, these two men wore attire that was similar, but different than the soldiers on the pier, simple round eye goggles, a round filter where the mouth was supposed to be, and an expressionless, featureless mask.

The Captain started first down the ramp to the pier, and the two men followed, it was clear this creatures intentions were to parlay in some way, first changing the weather, and then waiting for the captain.

Kei continued to walk, keeping his pace slow, while he weaved through the entrenched soldiers, stopping just behind the front lines, his great coat whipping in the wind, but his officer's cap was firmly in place.

"We come in peace." The Captain called out.

Melaine kept a wary eye on the soldiers. Here were foreign forces whose names she had heard before, uttered often by the scientists whom she watched from within her so-called 'cage' as they experimented on her to her supposed benefit. The Taiyou. They looked similar to Ruulans by their mere humanoid design, but in fact, they were entirely different. Nonetheless, the apparent leader of the group seemed to announce a peaceful intent, but that did not assure her that they were friendly. Their weapons were active, and she could tell that they were ready to fire.

Peace proclamations with weaponry on display. Is that really a noble avenue of greetings?

Following this remark, she spread her hands to the side as her own gems lit up vibrantly. Almost in unison, the several flying violet sea-stars took to charging orbs of dark purple water before their gems, while the several spherical flying ornaments of abstract design began glowing a dark purple as their singular eye did. The guarded swirl-armored insects with sharp stingers for arms readied the stingers as they began glowing dark purple before growing in size and hovering off the ground, and lastly, the single blue-green floating bell prepared to do something as its arms and body began glowing dark purple as well.

Melaine herself seemed confident as she floated forward a short distance more, almost as if daring the Taiyou soldiers to fire on her.

Oh, foreign commander. Step before your men and engage me in the civil speaking we both know you are interested in. Surely you are not so foolish as to demand conflict with she you stand before; Melaine, the new Grand Champion of the UPL, and the 1st Crown-Princess of the soon to be forged New Ruulan Empire. Your place now should be obvious as I assume leadership of this territory; your next actions will determine the directions our two sides take in this discourse.

Melaine never made a move to create a weapon of her own, but she didn't seem particularly fazed or concerned. Her gems still gave a faint glow, despite their brightness from earlier having dimmed a bit.

Kei looked up at the Diancie quietly, carefully watching the strange creature before them.

"Peace proclamations with weaponry on display. Is that really a noble avenue of greetings?"

The other creatures began to prepare themselves for attack, which only served to increase the tension among the assembled soldiers, and looking around, Kei could see the tension build through subtle gestures. One soldier squeezed the grip on his assault rifle, another made a subtle shift from one leg to the other, and moved to get a better aim on the strange gem encrusted creature. Kei's eyes cast to his left, a Taiyou soldier had ejected his magazine, checking the ammunition inside, tapping the magazine on the concrete bench he was covering behind, and then he slammed the magazine back into his rifle.

Quickly, the Captain extended his hand, reaching for the two-way radio fastened securely to his belt, clasping the device he pulled it free with an audible click, and then brought the radio to his mouth, clicking the button, which caused the radio to chirp.

"Kantai ni aizu shite kudasai, mondai ga aru kamo shiremasen." He called out in his native language. "Signal the fleet, we may have a problem."

Bringing the radio away from his mouth, it crackled it's apply in the affirmative. "Ryōkai!" The male sounding voice called out audibly, as the Captain slowly brought his radio towards his belt, fastening it securely.

Aboard the ship, the Commander Nishima, the Kamidake II's executive officer had just finished acknowledging the orders that Captain Nuurumi had issued, and was watching the events on the pier as they unfolded intently through the viewport of the ship's bridge.

Picking up the ship's intercom, he cleared his throat, and called out across the ship's internal PA System.

"General Quarters, General Quarters, all hands man your battle stations!"

Alarms began to sound, and lights began to dim as the ship's crew sprang into action. Bells sounded, and men worked quickly to find weapons, don their flak gear, and report to their assigned post.

The Infirmary was prepped and readied to accept wounded, damage control teams donned their fire control gear, armed themselves with axes, fire extinguishers, and scba gear before moving swiftly through the narrow cooridors of the battleship to man their posts, ready to put out any fires that could erupt.

The crews of each gun turret began their own preparations, as automated racks slid up from the ship's magazine system, mechanical actuators guided 40cm in diameter shells into special slots to be loaded manually into each of the ship's nine 40cm (15 inch) guns, while the ship's main guns were being prepped to fire, they neither took aim at the city, or made any other movement that could be observed by the greeting party.

The only outwardly observable action the ship was making at this point in time, was a series of small dishes mounted atop the masts directly above the bridge of the ship, energizing, and then moving up, adjusting their aim so that communications could be beamed out to the Taiyou fleet.

---

Back on the pier, the Captain kept his eyes fixated on Melaine, as he formulated his next response.

"We carry these weapons to defend ourselves from attack, until we ascertain the nature of this contact." He replied, his accent lilting his words slightly. "We have come here seeking peace, but we are prepared for war, if that is an action you wish to take here, understand that there will be bloodshed, and this world, and any notion of a New Ruulan Empire may not survive the kind of war you would invite by attacking us here. Order your creatures to stand down, and I will order my men to do the same. Otherwise, we have nothing to discuss here."

Captain Nuurumi wasn't about to let some alien creatures threaten him, and his men, and a decision would have to be made fairly quickly. So he turned to the nearest soldier next to him, a sergeant in charge of the forward platoon.

The Captain made no further movements, to either step forward from behind his line of soldiers, or to order an attack. Rather he would wait, and let Melaine invite the next move. All diplomacy had to be based on trust, and humility, if neither side could acquiesce to the other, trust wouldn't form and talks would surely break down. This was the path that Kei expected, it was the primitive mentality of worlds such as this, though he found this creature's arrogance somewhat amusing, he didn't let it show.

Melaine observed Kei go to his radio. So they intended to play that way? She could oblige.

My orders to stand down only arrive after your soldiers away put their own weapons! You dare approach an unarmed royal party with prepared attacks, and then chastise said royal party for responding in kind? Only foolish peasants reason with such logic and standards!

Melaine extended her arms before her.

Foreign commander... You are not fit to bear that title; your own actions betray the authority you claim to possess, and you do ill to each soldier who looks up to you. To think that I may have had civility with your kind, mayhaps even consider a proposal you presented. Your own loss, foreign commander, unless you become reasonable in the next few moments.

Melaine was quite adamant now it seemed, her far more Serious nature starting to show itself.

The Taiyou Commander was prepared to commit to his next set of actions, to hold his position with his weapons drawn, to turn around, and return to the ship without so much as giving these creatures a moment's dialogue. He grit his teeth at the insults, the Taiyou Captain was certain he should remind them of their place.

He stared at Melaine, and her assembled entourage as his radio chirped, and a voice crackled from the radio fastened at his belt.

"Teikoku tōkatsu honbu kara no henji." "We've received a response from the Imperial General Headquarters..."

The radio chirped twice, and another response came through.

"Watashitachiha tachidomaru yō ni shiji sa re, watashitachi wa anata no shimei o ayauku shinai kagiri neitibu no yōkyū ni shitagau yō ni shiji sa remashita, soshite watashitachiha neitibu no daihyō-sha to heiwana taiwa o hiraku yō ni shiji sa remashita"

"We've been instructed to stand down, we have been instructed to comply with native demands so long as they do not jeopardize your mission, and we have been instructed to open peaceful dialogue with native representatives."

Kei grit his teeth a bit harder, before he turned to the Soldiers next to him. "Yameru!" He called aloud, the men slowly one by one began to relax, moving to point their weapons elsewhere, taking them off from the tops of crates, or letting them point slightly to the ground.

The sniper looked up from his zeroed in scope, letting the rifle point slightly upwards.

The soldiers didn't surrender their weapons, or outright lower them, but there was a visible relaxation to a sort of half-readiness, where they could spring back into action should violence erupt.

Kei turned back to the commanding sergeant. "Sore wa kōgeki shita baai, hadō-hō o hassha." He ordered quietly, and the sergeant offered an affirmative nod, before stepping aside, and back.

Kei took a few steps forward, around several upturned shipping crates, where Taiyou soldiers were resting behind.

"My... sincere apologies." The captain replied in Common this time; emphasizing the word 'sincere'. "Perhaps I was quick to anticipate hostilities, given the nature of your rise to power... and all this." He said, gesturing around them.

"I am Captain Kei Nuurumi, commander of the Kamidake II, the vessel you see before you. I come from a star empire spanning this galaxy, the Taiyou Empire of Greater Niihama."

Melaine stood her ground as she thought for a moment.

Foreign indeed. He is as a Deoxys, coming from another place beyond our world...

Very well, foreign Captain. I'll accept your apologies for now. Circumstances do not invite hostility when I specially request they be cleared for your own benefits per meeting. Despite this, it is quite a trouble to meet you. Your own paranoia has hurt your chances of peaceful camaraderie; a state of decreased readiness does not equal standing down, after all. Try again! We will not have discussions until you are ready to comply to the most basic standards of decency in interacting with foreign leadership, especially leadership that is making a rare exception to entertain the notion of interacting with one ranked low as you.

Melaine withdrew her arms back to her sides as she glanced over at the ship, observing it intently.

Is this type of thing what Dr. Nendal had among his small models? It looks like them, only bigger and able to freely travel beyond the sky. I'll investigate this later if it survives this encounter...

The Pokemon with her slowly began to stop their attack charging, though energy was still swirling before them in some cases, and some of their glowing forms remained. Their own imitation of what they witnessed the soldiers doing. It seemed they wouldn't fully back down until the shore party did so in full.

This Empire of yours. I have heard of it. Though I understand the scope is large, you do realize that under current actions signed by prior rulership of this planet, and including other Empires as well as your own, your group is in direct violation of its own Empire's establishments? If you stand down fully, we can have a civil discourse and arrange something to our benefits. If you do not wish to stand down in full and meet my demands, you will be requested to leave; choosing not to leave then in that happenstance may result in the loss of your impressive flying vessel. Though, I doubt a lower-ranking leader as yourself would have the fortitude and will to risk such a thing. Surely you'll meet the demands of one who far exceeds whatever standings you may possess on whatever ranking system your Empire believes in.

Melaine somehow seemed a bit more calm at the moment, but nonetheless did not seem fully satisfied with Kei's stance so far.

The Captain briefly looked around at his men, their weapons were slung across their bodies, held loosely and across their torsos. Though the men still had their hands grasping the stocks of their weapons. their index fingers rested on the receiver, parallel to the trigger rather than on it. The muzzles of their weapons were pointed at the ground as opposed to the creatures in front of them.

In the captain's mind, the men were at ease, standing down but observing intently, but it didn't matter, as the creature's insults had begun to upset the captain, and the look of annoyance was somewhat clear albeit fleeting across his face.

"We're aborting the mission." He spoke in Taiyou to the sergeant besides him, deliberately so that the Diancie could not comprehend his words. "I'll report this new regime as hostile, and let the Imperial General Headquarters handle that however they may." Kei added, crossing his arms in front of his chest, while not outwardly hostile of a gesture, it further clarified his annoyance.

"I have stood down as far as we possibly can, I will not have my men disarm, and I will not tolerate your threats, and your insults." The Captain retorted plainly. "The attitude behind this meeting has been made abundantly clear, therefore I will leave this world in peace, and report this exchange, as well as your new nation as hostile to my government. The Consequences of whatever actions they choose to take based upon that information will be yours and your people's to bear." Kei explained.

"I will not be insulted by some creature, warm up the engines, we're leaving." Kei called into his radio, which chirped in the affirmative.

"Your arrogance has caused you to squander an opportunity for your world to prosper beyond your wildest dreams." Kei remarked, before he turned his back to the Diancie, taking the first steps to return to his ship, which began to audibly shudder, it's rear engines starting to hum to life.

Melaine contemplated complete destruction of the ship but cast the thought aside in favor of other actions. Turning to her group, she spoke with authority.

Return to the castle. I am relocating it at this time. I am prepared to carry out the next steps in unification. Once I am settled in the new location, I will begin the process. We are almost ready to usher in a new age for Ruula!

---

Castelia City : Castellia Street

---

The man before Diamond had a cold aura. It seemed unfeeling and strict. Authoritative and unconcerned with distractions. He responded to the question.

I am Lewis DeAntique; one of Crown-Princess Melaine's new councilors. I know you for your actions thus far in Castellia City. Without your friends around, you are nothing in the face of Melaine's powers. However, she will not be needed here.

The man prepared for a fight, telling the other Trainers to back off, making it a proper battle between two Trainers.

Allow me to show you the futility of your efforts.

The large eight foot tall Twin Tusk Pokemon landed with a thud, quickly eyeing the Torterra as if already sizing up the competition. Diamond would immediately be able to see the shadowy aura emitting from the Mamoswine, which was barely keeping itself from outright charging the Torterra with great ferocity.

Mamoswine, Stealth Rock.

Handily faster than Torterra, and with cold and unfeeling words spoken toward it, the Mamoswine quickly let out an angry cry as it set traps of floating stones around Diamond's side of the battle arena. Each stone was jagged and sharp, hovering as they circled the Torterra's position. No doubt they'd do damage to whatever Pokemon Diamond sent in.

In the background, the large crystals of the castle that overlooked the region from Castelia began sinking into the ground once more, continuing until they were descended in full and no longer in view. As this happened, the rain slowly began letting up, and the clouds retracted. The storm seemed to retreat to some location off the coast of Unova, a small island chain few paid much attention to prior. Across Unova, the fields of corrupted terrain and the shadow crystals and obelisks remained standing, a sign of what evil was still large and in charge.

---

Unova Wilderness : New Eve Island

---

As the storm intensified over an island off the shore of Castelia, a large castle was erected. Built collectively to Melaine's specific standards by several Durant, Excadril, and Timburr out of crystals and stonework, it looked large and imposing in its majesty, and managed to dwarf the one formerly standing in Castelia. It was also designed to meet her own needs.

The walls were tall and sturdy, designed to be stout castle walls capable of withstanding any attack. Reinforced with Melaine's crystals and linked to the power she possessed, she was ensuring that should enemies manage to break parts of the wall, the crystals would react and rebuild the broken sections. With ample walking room atop them, defenders could also travel their length easily.

In addition to fortifying the walls, Melaine had the walls erected into layers, including the Inner Walls, the Auxiliary Walls, and the Outer Walls, with a focus on clearing the fields in between each, allowing her to carefully place well-supplied defensive siege arrangements built and maintained by loyal Scientists, Workers, and Engineers. Any attackers would face an endless hail of covering fire from the weapons.

Then Melaine focused on the towers placed at key locations around the walls. The shooting towers were built with the help of Claydol; the best of their powers used to help the Workers build the castle's defenses. This allowed the towers to have larger platforms, good visibility angles, and unique firing lines. She would place the finishing touches by erecting crystal-based weapons that would attack opponents who drew within their range, firing bolts of shadowy energy at them.

Observing the finished result, she seemed satisfied.

This new abode is appropriate. From here, I shall conduct my rule. No doubt we shall have to combat with the elements that still resist me, however. I shall make a speech to all! For that, I shall be returning to Castelia City.

As she began to take her leave, she left orders to a supervisor she assigned in her absence, and, alongside two Starmie, began flying back to Castelia City. The island itself would be bathed under the harsh weather, despite the rest of Unova experiencing less of it.

With the Volcarona fainting, knocked out by the powerful blow, Antique merely closed his eyes. His expression never changed otherwise. He moved to fetch his third Poke Ball but stopped in his tracks suddenly. With nary an explanation, he knelt to the ground on one knee and lowered his head.

...Crown-Princess.

At this time, Charizard, Diamond, and Lucy would all find themselves encased within dark purple and blue diamonds that were materialized into existence around them. Each was within one of the shadowy diamonds, thus separating them from each other. As this occurred, a regal and cruel voice spoke out.

Well, now! Seems a time out is in order!

Following the comment, a dark-purple, sylph-like Pokemon hovered forward, approaching the group. She had a black chest and arms that resembled a dress. She also possessed a headdress, which consisted of purple crystals; the four short ones crested along the top pointing upwards, and two longer ones on each side of her head, pointing downwards, with an additional heart-cut centerpiece framed by her slim dark-purple ears. A smaller purple crystal was also embedded in the back of her head, from it, two smaller gems grew at the bottom. A red nugget was embedded in her forehead, and she also had two ribbon-like structures that were growing from the two small gems on the back of her head, each tipped by two small floating rhomboid gems for each ribbon. Her eyes were black with pale-purple irises, and a red crescent circled her neck, with the ends of each being joined together by a rhomboid gem. A larger red crescent also circled her torso. Her lower body resembled a dress-like structure made of purple gems and a larger gem with red pieces supporting it. She was a beauty to behold, noble in design, but dark and with malicious intent.

She was about three-and-a-half feet tall but was hovering high enough to hold eye level with Diamond. At her side, two Starmie hovered at guard, carefully keeping watch of the area. Turning to the Charizard's crystal he was inside, she would motion with her hands in a compressing motion, clasping them together.

First things first! Shadow Collapse!

In doing so, the Charizard's crystal began shrinking with the Flame Pokemon still inside of it, crushing him further and further past any humane and reasonable point, until the crystal finally could not compress any further around the Charizard. As the crystal tried to compress further anyway, the crystal imploded with the Charizard inside, creating a large explosion that would deal calamitous damage to the Charizard, intending to knock it out immediately.

Melaine then laughed at the display.

O~hoho-hoho~! It's a one-hit KO! O~hoho-hoho-hoho~! O~hoho!

She then turned to look at Antique.

Now, Antique. Your orders are as follows: Return to the castle. I have had Miella forward the new details and orders to your special device. You will be receiving a new command. That is all.

With a nod, the man turned and released his Volcarona, quickly patching it up as he took to the skies to fly where he needed to go. This left Melaine with Diamond and Lucy as she then turned to face them.