“The True Soul Link. A fusion of two into one in every way. It’s only a theory, but I think it could be possible with just the right… something.”
“That’s what you say all the time, but have you figured out that something yet?”
“I know it requires the ability to link souls in general. At least we have that.”
“So you say, Mario. Have you considered the question of how this true soul link would affect the two parties?”
“I have, but I cannot answer. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. That is the how Mario Reginald rolls.”--- (Co-written with NeverEndingFlip)
Hoenn WIlderness, Hoenn Region
Late at night, in the wilderness of Hoenn, Radegast and Elder moved quietly through grasses taller than the average human. On the relatively tall horizon, off to the side, the two of them could see the lights adorning a large weather station. Elder's ghostly vision allowed him to see in the dark. Radegast learned a similar thing from Chrome, a psychic vision of sorts.
“Oh!” Elder’s eyes lit up in a sudden realization. He had seen this place before- although it has changed drastically through the passage of time. The two of them changed course and headed into a thick forest.
The trees were too thick for Radegast- who opted to simply climb up and squeeze through the less dense brush. Elder, on the other hand, had no issues at all- although he kept pace with the Gallade.
“It must be here. I remember it!” Elder began to dart ahead as Radegast continued clambering through the forest. On occasion, he had to snap some dead branches with his bladed elbows. “Here!” The Gengar called. With a burst of excited adrenaline, Radegast picked up the pace, and slid down a fallen stump towards his friend’s voice.
Squeezing past a few shrubs, Radegast came across a tiny clearing- barely the size of a small cabin. The Gengar was up ahead, seated on a small stone.
A simple marker sat near the base of an interestingly gnarled tree. Time and water had rotted away most of the wood used for it, but a single flower left at its base looked fresh.
“It’s been here a day at-most,” Radegast noted.
“She still cares,” Elder sniffled, “But who is she?”
Radegast then realised there were a couple of husks. Each one appeared to be little more than tiny dried sticks, but the overall structure told him that they were the same flower. “Once a year,” the Gallade realised. By that logic, there should have been at least six flowers. Radegast figured previous ones must have been taken away by natural causes.
Elder stood once more and melted into the ground. Radegast picked out his own spot, and sat down cross-legged, as he waited for Elder to complete whatever he planned to do. Soon enough, Elder returned. “The bone structure,” he muttered.
“You examined your own skeleton?” Radegast thought the idea somewhat absurd.
Elder smirked for the first time in a while, “By the shape of the skull, I think I was previously a Toxicroak. Whoa!” He clutched at his head.
Radegast raised a hand, but realised there was nothing he could do. Even if he could do anything in his new form, ghost-types were not affected by Psychic types.
“I remember,” Elder said, “It was a clan.”
Radegast scratched his head. Clans were no surprise given everything he had dealt and learned about throughout their travels. Rage had a clan, Crystal had a clan, Weyloran and Suros too. This wasn’t exactly news to him at this point.
“A clan far north, in a jungle across the channel.”
Now there was something they could work with. Radegast smirked. “So we’re leaving Hoenn already… Although… there must be some way for us to cross from Hoenn to the wilderness mainlan-“
“Young Master,” The blade emerged from its pokeball. Its robotic voice seemed suddenly shakey. “Something is wrong.”
“Huh?” Radegast asked. The blade appeared uncharacteristically on-edge, no pun intended.
“By this distance… I could make it back in 15 minutes…”
“What’s happening?” Radegast grew more concerned.
“I feel Tarma’s mind. The Estate… is being attacked.” The blade tapped on the wood-finish Pokeball set in Radegast's belt. “Do not lose this- it is the only way to bring me back to your side.” The Aegislash then rocketed away at incredible speeds. It soared into the sky and then sped down the horizon back to Kanto.
Elder and Radegast exchanged concerned looks. “They’ll be fine- they’re my parents and uncle,” Radegast didn’t agree with their principles, but not even he could doubt that they were incredibly powerful trainers. That said, he couldn’t help but worry. No one attacked the Reginald Estate unless they had great confidence in their abilities or their plan. “They have to be…” Was Margriet there? The Gallade clenched his jar as anxiety began to well up.
The grass and foliage around him began to ripple, and Elder called it out. Remembering Vorpal’s training, the Gallade ran through some calming exercises. He couldn’t afford to lose control. Such were the terrible risks of being a psychic-type.
Fuchsia City, Kanto Region
All was quiet around the Reginald Estate, initially. The midnight moon hung in the sky at waning crescent, low in the east, but high enough to where it was recognizable above the treetops in the crystal clear sky. There was a small biting wind, one that rustled the leaves around them softly and with serenity. It was a perfect night to walk about.
However. no one within the estate was doing something as leisurely as walking out. Many guards with full teams patrolled the interior gardens with tired, yet focused eyes. High above the estate, Logan led a small team of flyers on a sky patrol. Marcus and Celadon stood by the front door, arm in arm, with Percy and Gregory Fletcher on either side. They seemed to be sensing the very air itself, tasting the cold for some sort of sign- some form of omen. Margriet was inside, alongside her uncle. Tarma, with his failing body, used Soundwave and a cane as his supports while the rest of his team stood on-guard throughout the house.
Despite the pleasures of the night, things couldn't be more tense.
Marcus' Golurk sat in a meditative position directly outside of the front gate. Unmoving, the massive stone creature was like a sentinel that guarded the front gate to its dying breath.
Marcus suddenly felt a shiver. Within a few seconds, Tarma opened the door. "You felt it too, brother?"
"An omen?" Tarma asked.
"I felt it too," Margriet spoke up, with a hand on her belt. "What does it mean?"
Celadon said nothing. She merely disengaged from Marcus and reached for two Pokeballs. Marcus did the same.
The wind picked up slightly, causing the trees to sway. The guards kept careful watch for anything that seemed out of the ordinary, a tough job given the conditions of the surrounding forest and how much movement there was. But they were trained specialists. They knew what to watch for and how to watch for it. Even then, they also had an enormous network of Nincada spread throughout the surrounding forest, with hidden webbing strewn throughout. If anything so much as breathed in the surrounding property, they were going to know about it.
The wind whistled. And then...
The Golurk's head moved. It detected movement. Around the same time, Marcus caught something high above. With a flick of his wrist, a Swampert emerged. Celadon tossed the two balls she had in her hands, and summoned her Flygon and Shedinja. Tarma eyed the skies with a youthful, serious energy, but slipped back inside regardless. Margriet summoned her Poliwrath.
"Rotom," Marcus spoke simply. Marcus' Rotom had free reign throughout the electrical system of the entire Estate. A series of spotlights flared to life, filling the immediate area with an almost day-like level of light. Yet, nothing seemed too out of the ordinary. Everything was in place, the garden looking exactly how it looked throughout the day.
In front of the Golurk, however, there was a single figure approaching. The Golurk got to its feet and stood its full height. A young girl in a long, flowing dress, stepped forward without a sound. Her left eye was covered by flowing brown hair.
"It is not safe at the moment," The Golurk called to the woman, "Please return to your home."
"I am," the girl replied. The Golurk then noticed that the woman wore a pair of gauntlets- which she rose to point at the Golurk.
At that moment, a glass shattered nearby. Common sense told any active listeners that a window had been breached with something. Careful onlookers would've seen a blur of green fly through said window and cause the sound.
Margriet heard the glass shatter, and prepared the other pokeballs, summoning her full party, save for Raikou- who would've been too large for even the spacious estate. Tarma positioned himself in between his own team of friends.
"Crobat, Poison Gas!" Margriet's four-winged bat began belching and flooding the upstairs with the titular gas, aiming to flush out whoever or whatever had broken in upstairs. Margriet's Weavile poised itself to strike first against any who attempted to escape down the stairs.
Most would fail to look at the breaking glass, however, as the sound of splintering timber and smashed stone would flood the skies with sound, as the Golurk was launched through the gates, rolling through the front gardens. With a quick wordless bark, the Swampert braced himself and caught the Golurk before it could crash into the mansion.
Marcus peered around to see what had launched his bouncer with such immense force. Another crash soon followed...another window breaking. Now across the front lawn, random blurs were landing from the skies, cratering the ground around the Estate.
The sky patrols began hearing the sounds of battle, and they all swooped down to join the fighting. They launched ranged attacks as they descended. All of them found their mark. In fact, the Pokemon didn't even seem to be moving, nor did they look like they were standing.
Marcus' eyes widened as he realised what was happening. "Decoys! Decoys!" he called, only to feel an unseen grip around his throat. Celadon's own eyes widened, albeit in fury, as she unleashed the remainder of her team and barked orders to take down the culprit who was choking her husband.
The woman in the long dress stepped across the threshold. With a flick of her wrist, Lucy Reginald launched Marcus through the front doors. Even the tough oak wood cracked as the door came off its hinges and Marcus was sent sprawling into the expansive living room.
Tarma beheld the sight of his brother flying through the door with an air of confusion. "Bro..." he said.
"It's her!" Marcus groaned as he struggled to push himself onto his feet. "Damn it all! Why is she..." The anger and pain in his eyes betrayed an emotion he had never displayed openly: fear.
Tarma's eyes widened, but he stumbled anyway to his brother's side. He summoned the remainder of Marcus' team and barked in the Reginald voice, "Support your comrades outside!"
Celadon, on the other hand, was barking commands at an incredibly rapid pace, sending an enormous variety of attacks at the approaching Lucy Reginald.
"Ma'am," the Shedinja spoke robotically, "Movement detected. The Old Wearer's brood are detecting breaches in all directions."
"I'll handle her!" she called, referring to the woman in the flowing dress and the cybernetic gauntlets that connected to her back via coiling cables, "Everyone stay focused on the Rebellion!"
Lucy smirked. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Celadon."
The wind was starting to howl, growing stronger and stronger by the minute. At the same time, the treeline leading to the wall was growing more and more restless, looking like a moving entity in itself. And then the first set of Pokemon attacked. A couple of Zubat swooped out of the forest first, tackling the first two guards. A few Psybeams shot out into the wall, causing a few chunks of concrete to break away, revealing a layer of ice within. The number of attacks slowly grew, however, with more random Pokemon striking at the guards and multiple ranged strikes putting more holes in the wall.
Soon, the entire perimeter became a pandemonium, with attacks of all kinds darting back and forth, exchanged between combatants. Commands were drowned by the immeasurable volume of noise caused by blasts of psychic energy, undead auras, and everything in between. Many guards were knocked down, but others used their respective Pokemon combatants to cover their fallen comrades, allowing them time to summon their own fighters.
Then it was Celadon's turn to be sent through the door. After several minutes of blocking and returning attacks, Lucy swept Celadon's whole team off to one side. "Oh, it's great to be home," Lucy smiled widely as she continued stepping toward the home of her childhood- of her mother's childhood- of her grandfather's childhood. "But nostalgia gets in the way..." she rose both hands, palms facing the mansion, "... Of progress." The walls around the open doorframe began to split and crack as she tugged on the architecture with unseen hands.
"Mom!" Margriet called as her mother was launched through the doorframe as well. Marcus, having recovered enough, managed to catch her.
"Margriet!" Tarma called, "The Coat should be here soon! We need more time!"
The young girl gulped nervously, but she took one look at the woman stepping slowly outside, and then she nodded. With the rest of her team covering the interior defense, Margriet summoned her Raikou, and moved to press the attack on Lucy.
"Oooh!" Lucy's visible eye lit up, "I think this will suffice." She finally stopped her approach and widened her stance. "What do you think, Zane?"
"I think..." the sinister sneer in the Common Tongue spoke from behind Margriet, "That's perfect. Sonya?"
A small giggle was heard directly to her right, "That'll work."
"In that case," Lucy thrust a hand forward, which launched Margriet away. The young girl could only watch as she was flung away from her companion. There, she saw the figures of a Zoroark and a Meowstic. They both oozed satisfied expressions. This time, her Poliwrath leaped in to catch her.
Then with both hands out, Lucy began to grip at the Raikou psionically. The Raikou roared in annoyance, and readied an enormous discharge of electricity. "Not quite," Lucy smirked as she swung both arms outward. In-sync, the Raikou's legs were flung outward, sending it sprawling on its stomach with an impactful thud. "All yours," Lucy said as the unseen force began to press down on the Raikou, forcing it to leave an impression of itself in the ground. The woman in the gauntlets then continued stepping toward the house.
The Meowstic giggled again as she brought forth a machine. It looked fairly plain in design, a small gray gun that resembled nothing as big or as menacing as the Master Blaster's cannon. However, there was a small circular opening built into the side that would be visible from Margriet's perspective...a circular slot that was filled with the presence of a Master Ball.
"No!" Margriet called as she regained her breath. All of the guards were preoccupied. Logan's team were engaged in a battle that quickly became a losing one, now that all of the heavy hitters were brought to their knees in the Reginald living room.
She could only watch as Sonya pulled the trigger, unleashing a controlled beam of red light that enveloped the Raikou. The beam then retracted, pulling the legendary Pokemon with it akin to a Pokemon being recalled into it's PokeBall. When the beam dissipated, there was a whir and a click. The Master Ball uncharacteristically stood still during this exchange, unable to shake like PokeBalls did. Finally, there was a second click, a more recognizable one...the click of a Pokemon successfully being captured.
"Aaaaand done!" Sonya turned to Zane, the look of pure giddiness on her face, "Ya ready to head out?"
"Indeed," Zane nodded as he turned to Lucy, "You may do what you wish. Give us the signal when you've cleared the area so we can perform our little test."
Lucy smiled sweetly. "You got it!" she spoke in a bubbly voice.
Sonya and Zane bolted, running out the front door and into the fray going on outside.
She lowered her stance, slowly took in a deep breath, and bellowed a battle shout as she thrust both arms forward. An immense wave of psychic energy emerged and slammed into the Estate. Walls cracked and buckled as the force slammed like the world's greatest wrecking ball.
Just when it seemed like the entire estate would come crashing down, the psychic wave was suddenly dissipated. The gleaming silver blade and the faded green shield hovered. The air around it rippled with power, as the Reginald Coat of Arms blocked the attack launched by Lucy.
"Her..." the Aegislash muttered. "I should have known there was a reason why you were having trouble with the Rebellion."
“Reggie, there's no time to chat.” Tarma tossed one cane, and extended a shaky, boney hand. “Everyone…” he added to the members of his party, “The Family comes first.”
With grim, yet determined expressions, the sound-type Pokemon all nodded.
“Tarma!” Marcus called, wincing at the pain of his injuries.
“Marcus!” The elder brother returned, as the Aegislash’s paper-like arms snaked all around his frail body, “The Family… is yours.”
“No!” Margriet shrieked.
The team of five dissolved with a flash of white and purple, siphoning into the one figure that combined souls with the mighty Aegislash. The old frail body was betrayed by a sudden liveliness, as if a healthy monster took its place that very instant. Tarma’s eyes opened, glowing pure-white, and emitting rippling purple flames without heat.
Lucy’s eye widened in excitement. “The key!” She laughed as she adjusted a few dials on her gauntlets, staring unblinking at the immense power that was unleashed.
“Sir!” The Palkia slashed open a portal. “We must go.”
Marcus could only grit his teeth. “Everyone, to the portal. Tarma will… hold them off.”
The Rebellion forces charged, rearing to pursue and finish off the rest. However, one swing of the blade, and Tarma unleashed a wave of kinetic energy, a wall that shoved all away from the evacuees. Everyone except for Lucy, who had lifted both gauntlet-clad fists and nullified a section of the wave with a projected field. “The key!” She repeated, giddy with anticipation, she then charged to meet Tarma in combat.
“Fool!” Tarma’s voice sounded like the shrill cries of thousands of the damned, combined with the powerful bass of the Aegislash itself. He braced his stance, and took a great counter-swing. The blow was caught between both gauntlet-clad hands. “Wha-“ Tarma’s blazing eyes widened.
Lucy’s teeth grit with strain as her implants whirred within. “So much power, I can almost keep up!” Her hair flew back, revealing her false eye. The patch was open, revealing a strange black eyeball wth a glowing purple iris.
“Mother’s little trick,” she said, “Grandpa took fifteen minutes to murder her. How many do you have, when I’m even stronger?”
Tarma’s memories paired with Reggie’s, recalling the terrible battle of attrition. The immense power of Giratina in its own element proved to be equal to the Aegislash even with a fully unleashed fusion. This girl was doing the same thing… but on her own.
“What have you done?” Tarma’s voice crackled with more energy than any living thing could handle. He pressed the assault regardless- his priority was allowing the family to escape.
“History is written by the victor, dear uncle- whatever is left of you in there.” Lucy ducked and weaved past more slashes. “The Vandal was always a true Reginald!”
The exchange of blows continued. Blasts of deflected energy inadvertently kept up the cover Tarma initially wanted, in order to buy time for the Family to escape.
“You’re not even going to kill me?” Lucy taunted.
“Reggie… cmon,” Tarma’s voice began to waver as his time drew closer and closer to its limit. “This is like last time. She’s no longer family, don’t hesitate! I am trying, but… Lucy… She’s gone Primal!” Reggie realised, though his voice was shared with Tarma’s, “I should’ve known! Primal?? What is Primal?”
Lucy’s mouth curled into a grin. “You never told them the truth?”
Reggie did not respond, but Tarma continued the attack with a desperate vigour. More clangs and whiffs that sent mighty gusts slamming against the surrounding walls and trees as the two of them duelled with incredible power.
All of a sudden, Lucy cringed as the blade met her shoulder- sinking down to her collarbone as it passed. She emitted a sudden cry. “C’mon,” Tarma repeated, more to himself than anything. He made a good hit, but he almost hit the artery. It’s not over yet. Lucy’s excitement gave way to an adrenaline-fuelled anger, but the pain had stunned Lucy enough for a follow-up. The blade came down in an overhead slash.
But the blade never struck. An inch before a killing blow, the momentum ceased, and Tarma’s body dissolved within the embrace of the paper-like arms. The blade and shield were flung away from the sudden release of energy. Almost as soon as it had appeared, the great blaze of fusion vanished without a trace.
After a moment of hesitation, Lucy stepped forward. She had planned to outlast the fusion, but she was still in shock at how close she had cut it. She dropped to her knees, and brought a gauntlet-clad hand to her shoulder. It came back red, but not light red. Her smile returned. “Farewell, Uncle,” she spat blood. The exchange of blows had shaken her right to her core, causing immense internal bleeding. and microfractures. However, her implants whirred with life as fractures were mended and burst blood vessels were patched together. The source of this healing might was, in fact, a Full Restore.
Lucy Reginald was laughing. "Now then," she grinned widely as she stood up once more. As she began to head around the remnants of the mansion, she saw the blade and shield of the Aegislash stir with recovering might. All of a sudden, it washed in red light, and shot away, through a wall, in a general south-east direction.
"Damn," she muttered, "But that must mean..." It wasn't something she could pursue now. The Psychic Rebellion had their little test with their toy. Lucy had bigger plans, and she had to move quickly or else try to test her mettle at handling a shot from the superweapon.
The pink petals of the giant ancient tree loomed over her with an almost nostalgic shade. For a moment, the memory of reading with her mother flashed across her eyes. "Mother..." she muttered as her smile faded. "This is for you, and for me."
With no gestures, the twin stone doors of the Catacombs swung open. Lucy headed down with silent steps. For a few minutes, she left the outside world, on her personal mission.
She didn't take long, later emerging with an ancient coffin hovering over her shoulder. Unlike the others, this one seemed like one solid slab, with no visible crease to separate a lid.
The Vandal was a true Reginald, the words echoed as she stared into the direction the Aegislash vanished into. After taking a deep breath, the false eye glowed once more, and she shot into the sky, leaving behind a streak of crackling purple energy.
"There's the signal," Zane pointed towards the purple streak in the sky. "She's gone."
"Perfect," Sonya's smile was much more sinister this time around, "Let's see how much firepower it's packing now."
On her shoulder was another device, this one resembling a large cannon crafted with smooth metal plates and a lot of menace. This was the Master Blaster. Sonya pushed a button, and a small whining noise began to emanate from the cannon. A smal light began to appear within the barrel, growing more and more intense with each passing second. The whirring grew louder and the Meowstic's eyes began to light up, both out of the intensity of the light and the enjoyment she was feeling.
3...2...1...The noise that erupted was deafening. The current of energy seemed to explode from the cannon, illuminating the area around them with a hot white glow. It felt like the very air was being sucked out from their surroundings. As for the beam, it burst through and eviscerated any trees in it's path...which was five times bigger than the previous time it had been fired. The humongous beam traveled uninhibited and unstoppable where it finally found a stopping point...
Directly into the Reginald Estate.
The entire length of the grounds, building and all, was washed in the intensity of the Master Blaster, completely eviscerated by the stored energy of the four legendaries that powered it. It lasted for about a second or two before it was gone, plunging the world around it into the darkness of night once more. Sonya had to rub her eyes to let them adjust to the sudden light changes as she surveyed the collateral. What was left behind was a massive crater at the point of impact, charred black and smoldering with heat. The smoke began to billow as she realized nothing remained. The house, the garden, the catacombs...they were all gone.
The Reginald Estate was no more.
"Oho ho ho hooooooah!" even Zane's jaw was dropped at the spectacle, "That's insane!"
Sonya let a smile escape, "Well, that's what you get when four legendaries combine their might for a common goal. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to report this in and tell Zane the good news."
Zane slowly began to morph, his body starting to melt, but Sonya stopped him short, "No. You keep your disguise, Commander Dot. It's better that way."
The bulbous mass of color reshaped into the Zoroark, nodding when complete, "Of course, Master Sonya."
"Take command and lead your armies back to where they came," Sonya ordered, "And tell them to be ready. We will begin the uprising soon."
"Yes ma'am," the Commander answered back before taking off into the forest to do what she had asked.
Sonya, in turn, began making her own way towards her transportation: a boat parked outside of the city limits. She held the greatly strengthened Master Blaster on her shoulder and the Capture Gun on her left hand. Her eyes were brimming with victory.
"Ready or not, Crimson. Here we come," she said, solely to herself.
---
Hoenn WIlderness, Hoenn Region
Radegast held up the ball with the wooden finish. He felt a pit form in his stomach all of a sudden, and he pressed the button. Nothing happened for a good few minutes, but suddenly a blast of red energy darted from the sky and into the ball.
“Reggie!” Radegast called as the Aegislash emerged, unscathed, but still rippling with residual purple flame. “You fused! I could… I could feel it from here!”
“Tarma is gone,” Reggie said.
“Wh-“
“The Estate is lost.”
“No…”
“Marcus, Celadon, Margriet, and all surviving guards were successfully evacuated- Tarma sacrificed himself to ensure it.”
Radegast’s legs gave out, only to be caught by Rage.
"Where are they?" Radegast asked, "Who else was lost?"
"I do not know," the Aegislash admitted, "Palkia evacuated everyone via portal."
"That's good, at least..." Radegast muttered.
"But not before the Rebellion captured Margriet's Raikou."
"To add to that weapon..." Radegast grit his teeth. "We're running out of time."
"There is one more piece of bad news: your cousin spearheaded the attack."
"Who?"
"... You don't remember your aunt and cousin?"
Radegast shook his head. He was a mere infant when Gregorovich left for the last time, the last time he had seen that great lion's mane. "Why didn't I know?"
"They were disowned from the Family. It's a long story, but... we do have a lot of ground to cover..." Reggie dipped back into the wood-finish pokeball, emitting an aura of sadness. Radegast felt it, and returned it in kind.
First Grandpa Greg, now Uncle Tarma. Radegast clenched the Limiter gauntlet into a fist. "All I wanted was friends..." the words seemed empty to him now. Between the Rebellion, the Regicide Crew, and now this unknown cousin...
Cousin... Working with the Rebellion? Just what the hell is up with this family?Despite the overwhelming odds, Radegast knew that it didn't change anything. He still had his goal.