The Redwood Saga Chapter 62 - 47: Ancient Shadow Unbound

Millfields - Albion Region

Morgana, as Queen of the region and a universally despised ruler, tended to draw a crowd wherever she went. Despite this, nobody, not even the shambles of a half-hearted rebellion festering in the under-parts of Arborstone City, dared to ss with her new Arcean guard. Her procession this ti caused even more of a stir, naly, because of the macabre skull flying just above her. The mummified wings of a Zubat had been unceremoniously grafted onto all that remained of Caleb Pravus, and if he'd still had a stomach, the pattern of flight would've nauseated him. He could at least get along on his own now, so that was sothing.

Mordred, for his part, was in his new Luxury Ball, enjoying the fine treatnt Morgana was giving him. As a tool of Pravus, he'd only ever been treated as a weapon, and a hated one at that. No matter how well he'd perford, he'd always been a 'suppressive Psychic Type' to the Arceans, just one step away from worshiping Giratina. Under Morgana, she'd begun to show him what a true bond with a human being was like, as well as the power of his psychic abilities. She promised that said psychic abilities would eventually help him overpower his hated rival, Arthur, abilities he had already long since mastered, according to her.

The Queen's procession eventually left the city and its depressingly poor outskirts, where the dregs of Albion scraped out an existence on what berries they could grow. The closer they were to Arborstone however, the less the earth brought forth. The very earth itself was black, though as they made their march to Millfields, the land seed less corrupted. It was here that Morgana's nobility resided, the few souls in Albion who actually derived joy, fake though it was, from seeing the Queen's procession approaching. They had money, and enough sense to not openly oppose her. Many had funded the last rebellion, and after that ended in the mirage of success, every single noble house had found itself needing to find a new leader, in the wake of Morgana's string of beheadings and hangings.

The ssage had been clear though, and none who remained dared to even subtly support what few rebels had the fighting spirit to resist her. Of all the well-made but still decaying houses in Millfields, there was only one family that truly supported the Queen, and as such, had beco her favorites. Not only because of their support, but because one of their noble sons, a man called Arlo, had perfected the art of infusing Pokémon with Shadow energy to a degree not even Doctor Ein had achieved. The result, was Shadow Pokémon that could get stronger, and gain experience. Though the Arceans had lost most of their scientists, the dark work of the deceased Doctor lived on in his notes, notes that Arlo had made very good use of, at the Queen's behest.

She left her guards outside the house, which was suffering the sa advanced entropy as every other dwelling in Albion, but Pravus stayed near her. Several tis he'd tried flying away, but the witch's foul magic had ford a leash, and dragged him back to her. As she knocked, the widow of the house answered the door. Her husband hadn't been beheaded by the Queen but had instead suffered poisoning of his food not long after the other noble families lost their patriarchs and matriarchs. Arlo and his mother still blad the rebels, and the other nobles, for that, as she had intended for them to do. That too had been a lesson to the other families though, who had in no way been a part of his murder. She was not above killing anyone, even the most loyal supporters she had.

"Alanna, dear. I'm here for Arlo. He said he had sothing for ." Morgana said, sweetly as she took in the woman's appearance. Even the nobility's clothes were starting to beco ragged, as being a seamstress wasn't sothing many people could do, anymore. With no education, and a shambles of an economy, nobody had the skill or currency to produce or buy such clothing. Alanna's fake wig, a platinum blonde atrocity sitting atop her head, had been hurriedly adorned, likely as soon as she'd heard the procession's arrival. Makeup was yet another luxury item that Morgana's rule had seen erased early on, but no amount of it would've hidden the bags under the woman's eyes.

The noblewoman stared at the macabre sight that was Pravus, and then focused back on her Queen. "Of course, your Majesty. He's down in his lab, with your…item."

Morgana knew the way, and left the bereaved woman to her refreshnts, as she entered Arlo's lair. It was what one might expect a 'mad' scientist's lair in such a low-tech region to look like. Dimly lit by near-sputtering candles, cobblestones comprising the floor, walls, and a dark wood that made up the ceiling. Then there was the man himself, in the middle of the various dark wood tables topped with nurous potions and notes. He turned, as Morgana descended the steps into his abode, that oddly enough had a rather pleasing scent to it thanks to the Eucalyptus incense sticks burning in all corners of the lab. Arlo's hair was black, and tied back in a ponytail, a common style among Albion's n, for those who still had hair, anyway. A streak of dyed crimson ran up the middle of his hair, and into said ponytail as well. His clothes befit a servant of the realm, and the nobility, naly dark colors like black and purple, and were in better condition than his mother's. The pin she'd given him to show off his favor with her was still placed prominently on his lapel.

"My Queen." He said, bowing low and formally. "The device you asked for is complete, as my letter stated. It should be able to track down a large source of Shadow Energy to within a mile of its location. I've just been tinkering with the tools for closer detection, as your reply requested. It should point you as a compass does, to the center of the nearest source of Shadow. Excluding your own, of course."

"Once again you impress , Arlo. Very fine work indeed. Let's see it, then." Morgana said, smiling as she approached him. He unveiled his device then, gesturing to the table. It was circular, like a compass, but with two nodes of a repurposed Itemfinder sticking out from it. "Not the most aesthetically pleasing design, but it will do, provided it works." Morgana said with a smile.

"Feel free to return it to if it proves unfit to the task, my Queen. I shall endeavor to fix it and upgrade it for your needs." He bowed again, and the Queen nodded.

"If this works, Arlo, you shall have the lab and position at the Castle that I promised to you, as well as your pick of my ladies-in-waiting. Though…truthfully, they are a bit sorry. The people of Arborstone have only beco sicklier of late, but I do still have the prettiest among them. You can choose whover you desire, for your bed." She tapped his chest lightly three tis, as she spoke her next words. "Provided this works."

Her words seed to make the man genuinely excited, as he stood up straighter. "I have no doubt it shall prove useful to your search, my Queen. Might I start moving my things to the Castle?"

Morgana tapped her chin with her free hand, and then spoke. "Mordred. Attend ." A few seconds later, his ball opened, and the Shadow Gallade materialized, with a bow. Arlo stared in undisguised awe at a Pokémon that had clearly been infused as an egg, and artificially made to receive experience. What Arlo had accomplished through mystic herbs and the manipulation of energy from his collection of newly awakened Plate shards, was what Ein had achieved through science. Such specins were rare after the amount of Purging that Alex and Red's forces had done, but just seeing Arthur gave the scientist inspiration. He'd initially dismissed the idea of tampering with eggs, but clearly, the n in Fornia had understood what they were doing. He had questions, but he held his tongue. Morgana thumbed the Shadow detector on, and imdiately, it began beeping, and pointing in his direction. She walked around him, and the compass needle followed him. Satisfied, she powered the device off. "That will be all for now, Mordred. Return." Wordlessly, the Gallade returned to his ball, and Morgana turned to Arlo. "It seems to work here, at least. Very well, Arlo. You may take your things to Arborstone Castle. I am departing for Aurora at once. Set up your lab in whatever unoccupied chamber you desire."

The man bowed again, and Morgana strode from the house, and back to her entourage. "Back to the city. We're going to need one of my ships."

So Ti Later, Aurora - Albion Region

There was a perverse satisfaction in using one of the ships, the largest naturally, that the rebels of Albion had used to assault her Spire. Just recalling that entire scenario made Morgana fu with cold rage. The dulcet voice of Rick Astley, randomly calling out and wishing for 'all Shadow on the planet to be Purged' rang in her head once more. The sheer naiveté of such a wish. The arrogance of thinking he was worthy enough to make one. The waste of all that power she'd been building up. Just to cleanse a few Pokémon, and herself, only for them to go right back to being infused with Shadow a re few weeks later. She buried the rage, saving it for the day she ca upon the man once more.

She genuinely hoped her efforts would draw those two wayward Unovans back to her region. Along with their leader. Light users could never resist such things, and sohow, they always managed to show up, sotis on purpose, sotis by sheer random acts of fate. As they ca within sight of Aurora's distant shore, Morgana grinned. Caleb Pravus's severed head grumbled from where she was holding him. "Any tighter, and you're going to break my skull apart, Witch."

"Well now, we can't have that…" Morgana teased in her nauseatingly sweet voice. "I need you intact, dear Caleb. At least for now." One of her hands moved suddenly then, and Caleb snarled in pain, as what was left of his nerve endings on the back of his skull protested in response to sothing digging into his head. Morgana had affixed Arlo's device there, and as she turned him to admire her handiwork, she started to cackle. "It's…like you've evolved into a Golbat, now!" The two Itemfinder prongs stuck up from behind his skull, not unlike a Golbat's ears.

Morgana's laughter echoed across the water, and even her Arcean guards chuckled. Like Mordred, they too were enjoying life out from under Arcean doctrine. No threat of beatings or being tossed into a pit for disobedience. No threats to their families. Morgana gave her Crusaders whatever they'd dared to ask for, and all their requests had been well within her power to grant. They were the usual requests of n, for she'd removed what few female Crusaders had survived to this point. Alcohol, won, status. It mattered little to Morgana, and it made her guards so very loyal. To the point that now, they joined her in mocking their forr leader with their laughter. The novelty and shock of his return had already worn off. Pravus looked down at the deck of the ship, fully realizing his place in the world now, and hating Redwood all the more for putting him here.

As they made landfall in Aurora the vast desert of the Albion region that sat just north of the mountains separating Albion and Galar stretched out as far as their eyes could see. Morgana activated the device, and it began pulling Pravus in a certain direction. She followed eagerly, taking only two guards, and leaving the rest to guard the ship from pirates and bandits that plagued this region from their seaside capital of New Bloodstone, the only 'city' in the region that she did not control, simply because it was too expensive to do so. They were quite a bit more skilled than the bandits one might encounter around, say, Brightwall, but no amount of tricky footwork could stop the condensed energy of fire, ice, and electricity.

Morgana inhaled deeply, grinning ear to ear as she could feel the Shadow in the air. It was everywhere in this desert, but as promised, Arlo's device was heading straight for the source. The further into the desert they went though, the more naturally infused Shadow Pokémon began stalking their footsteps. "Mordred, dear. Join us."

Once more, the Gallade popped free of his ball, and bowed. "My Queen."

Morgana gestured around them. "Shadow Pokémon respect strength…so you're going to walk with us and teach anything that cos for us, a lesson."

Mordred bowed again, and then flared out his arm swords in readiness. He too could sense the malice of the Shadow Pokémon around them. Poor creatures that, for whatever reason, had naturally experienced enough rage to absorb and activate the natural Shadow energy perating the desert to beco sothing more. The smarter ones, upon seeing Mordred walking with the intent to kill, right behind the three humans and the floating skull, decided to eventually find other prey. Trying to leap at them had triggered their survival instincts, as they sensed what Mordred would do to them once they got in range. The Shadow Gallade could usually dissuade them with a glare, and his eyes were on a constant swivel.

Others, were less wise. Instinct driven, a Nidoking stomped out into their path, radiating Shadow as it roared at them as its spikes started to drip Shadow-infused poison, and charged. "Weaken it for capture." Morgana said, as Mordred readied to attack. It was freshly turned, but already quite strong. Mordred nodded. With a flash of movent, he was suddenly under the Nidoking, and the Sky Uppercut that hamred its chin sent it flying onto its back. One of the Crusaders threw a Dark Ball then, and it dinged shut, tolling like a bell as it did.

Morgana smiled at the pair of Crusaders. "I daresay you both will have full belts by the ti we're through here. I'll leave distributing any extra catches to the other Crusaders to you two."

The two Crusaders saluted. "Yes, my Queen!" They said in unison. With that, they continued into the desert of Aurora moving ever closer to the ancient tomb where she expected the Successor to be buried. She had no doubt the Shadow perverting the region belonged to his corpse, and even without life, it was so very potent.

The closer they ca, the more Shadow Pokémon they found. Most, were what one would expect from a desert. Flygon. Hippowdon. Sandaconda. But as the landscape changed from desert to a spacious sand-filled cave carved into one of the first mountains separating Albion from Galar, they began encountering Noivern in great numbers. The two Crusaders, much like the foreign rebels who'd upended Albion not so long ago, had brought many Dark Balls with them, and because they were Shadow Noivern, they had zero qualms about attacking the party en masse. Mordred didn't let a single one near them. His combination of Ice Punch and Teleport made them fall to the ground, either fainted or wounded, one after another. He didn't even levitate himself, but rather used the montum from Teleporting to aim his next strikes.

As her guards filled their bags with captured, volatile dragon types, Morgana examined the scenery as she continued to nonchalantly walk into the dragon bat's cave in particular. Eventually, Pravus led her to a ruin within the cave. An ancient stone structure, undoubtedly once inhabited by the Archons of Albion, now long since abandoned. The most intriguing feature of the space, however, was a giant circular shield of Will manipulated energy, covering what appeared to be stairs leading further below the earth, presumably, to the tomb of the Successor.

All around the circular barrier were the desiccated skeletons of long dead Heroes, one of which was clutching a journal. Morgana smirked as she picked it up and read what was left of the last entry. 'The Shadow is speaking to us now…we know we can never escape it. Our only recourse is to lock the evil perating the corpse away and pray to Arceus no one ever finds it.'

Morgana tossed the journal, and chuckled. "So much for prayer." She stepped up to the barrier then, and raised her staff, the staff that had started her on her long, perilous journey to this mont. The Successor's staff. "Ancient Judges of Albion, I call upon thee! Dispel this pathetic barrier…and set your Champion free…"

Morgana had only t the Shadow Judges of Ghostmarsh a few tis in her life, but in that mont, she sensed their incredible satisfaction with her, and ca to her call, finally, after millennia, fulfilling their dark purpose. One, two, then three stones in the circular stone framing lit up with Shadow energy, and trails of dark power, fed and sustained over the eons by sacrifices both from Morgana and others, surged across the barrier in a trio of dark lines.

The barrier dissipated as they converged and vanished into the blissful release of nonexistence, and Morgana grinned, as she began descending into the bowels of the tomb, only too comfortable in the all-encompassing pitch-black darkness. Mordred was right behind her.

Redwood Pokémon Lab - Northern Unova Region

Though Alex had intended to rest after his long day spent reading what had turned out to be almost all of his granduncle's work, both published and not, Tao had other plans. As his eyes closed beside Jess, he opened them to find himself in another dinsional mindspace, not at all unlike the one wtwo had created, at least in terms of what he could sense of its composition. In appearance, it was wildly different.

True to his character, what little furniture there was, was arranged perfectly in the center of the white void. The floor was, of course, a tiled semblance of the symbol of Eternal Balance, much like the one in the Dragonspiral Tower, and on Oranguru's island. Tao himself was in his true size, coiled around the radius of the space, and forming a circle, acting as the 'wall' of this realm. The way he'd laid to reach the center of the space, which was also the center of the symbol of balance, saw him making half an S shape through said circle.

His pupilless golden eyes were as unreadable as ever, as he regarded his latest Dragon Emperor. "So. You have learned the secrets of Infinity Energy and Spiral Power. You have learned how to harness the elental energies of this world and bend them to your Will. You are very nearly ready, Alex. Though I do wonder…how are you faring?"

Alex didn't need to ask the context of his question. He'd gone from several long months of war, straight into an enemy-occupied region with a very fresh team of Pokémon. In a way, training them and learning to bend as the Korians had did give him chances to recoup, but he'd still been on a mission, and traversing the Spirit World was no easy task either. "I'm fine. I've gotten quite a lot of sleep lately…and that's helped."

Tao nodded his massive head. "Good. You will be busy over the Festivus period. There are…certain tasks that I myself am unable to administer. In addition…I want you to look over and be aware of the changes and production choices I've made for the cities across the Empire. The Dragon Emperors of old did this alongside …you are the first to fully trust my judgent on such matters with no Human oversight…and Humanity has changed much since last I…ordered them around."

The dragon waved a claw then, and a map of their continent appeared. Alex linked his mind with Tao's and found the relevant information on the nurous cities now under their rule just by looking at them. How much money, production power, scientific research, and culture each one was producing represented by a nuric figure. Silently, one by one, he examined what Tao had been setting into motion. "Wow. You've already built up the production districts in most of them…but so of these district layouts for Fornia's cities are…erm…"

"Created by the Church." Tao said, sighing. "And changing them around has proven…irritating. Many were damaged in the war, and I've refused to rebuild those with…let's call it 'sub-optimal placent'. The Scales assigned to these cities have also had trouble, but we'll get to that tomorrow."

Alex nodded, and then began setting his own choices into motion. They had plenty of money, but after essentially annexing Pravus's holdings, the Empire's overall happiness, again represented by a nurical figure. was below what he considered acceptable. "There are a few questionable choices…but I think we should rebuild what we brought down. Giving the people entertainnt options will also help."

"They have broadcast towers now and are connected to the Pokénet." Tao answered, watching his 'moves' on the map before them. From what Alex understood, he'd be enacting them through his Empire-spanning psychic network as soon as he was done.

"Then we shall give them stadiums." Alex answered. "Has the League approved our application for Fornia yet?"

Tao nodded. "They have…though they're leaving the appointnt of Gym Leaders up to you and Jessica. Bradley Pineus is, by their records, the reigning Champion. Supposedly the second strongest Trainer under Pravus, and therefore all of Fornia."

Alex smirked. "Sohow I doubt that. In that case…we're going to need to have a tournant. The World Tournant starts soon after Festivus Eve…so we'll have to set this one up quickly. I want Fornia's Trainers to also be able to compete. Not much of a 'world' tournant with only one half of the Empire."

Tao nodded. The other additions Alex made were mostly in adding financial districts to many of the center States. It would hit their store of currency hard, but once they got going, said stores would quickly be replenished, and then so. As things stood, they were profitable, overall, according to Tao's numbers but the maintenance costs would pile up quickly. Then, finally, he turned his gaze to see what New Tork City, which encompassed the entirety of Unova on his 'map', was working on, and the smirk widened.

"Interesting. I see the Enterprise is almost ready. I'm glad the other eastern cities were able to craft the parts we need." The progress of such things was, again, represented by a number denoting how much ti, usually days, until it was likely to be completed. Barring any unforeseen disasters, of course.

Tao's scaly lips also shifted to a smirk. "Almost. Pegasus will undoubtedly take notice once we launch."

Alex nodded. "Then I'll save eting them for when we're ready to visit." He sat back and yawned. "I think…three more days should be enough, before we set off for Albion." He t Tao's gaze evenly, then. "How is our…other plan going?"

Tao inhaled and exhaled slowly. "As well as we expected it would. You Humans are addicted to currency like a potent drug. But the Replication Machines are coming along nicely. Your brother has almost finished them, though he's hit a wall of sorts. With an abundance of Infinity Energy and a lack of resource scarcity, we will be able to, slowly, ween them off their reliance on currency. Rio, Galar, and several prominent mbers in Japan's governnt are all very much on board with our idea, but we're still keeping it quiet for…obvious reasons. The wealthy classes of our regions will act against us if they learn what we're planning to do."

"And that's exactly why we have to do it. People who would damn our society just so they can continue to view themselves as superior should not and will not have power." Alex answered.

Tao sighed. "You should be prepared all the sa. Even the first Dragon Emperor had to put down smaller scale rebellions. Remnants of Old Earth's governnts, and their ideologies, that refused to be snuffed out with anything other than violence. You can safely assu the rich will fight just as hard to keep their grip on Power."

Alex shook his head. "I don't think it will co to that. I t quite a few modern wealthy people at the Gladstone's party. Those in the east will probably not give us much trouble."

Tao blinked his large golden eyes. "With fortunes at this scale, all it takes is one. A single rich imbecile can tip the Balance. Be wary."

Alex nodded and began musing to himself as he finished going over the various construction projects for his cities. So long as the Imperium and their 'Throne Gelt' existed, the Dragon Empire would need to be able to trade with them with their own currency, Pokédollars, but the plan was to make that a governnt-controlled process, rather than having individual mbers of society hoarding most of it and forcing the masses to rely upon it for food, shelter, and items. The advent of Plate shards being used for battles had also led to more and more companies developing technology powered by Infinity Energy, and since said energy was infinite, the possibilities were as well. Already, Tao had worked with their building and production corporations to upgrade their machines, a large part of why the buildings they wanted constructed were going up so quickly. With resources being managed by the governnt, and the invention of machines that could theoretically convert Infinity Energy into things like basic materials, components, or food, the need for currency as a system would disappear. According to Tao, that had been the plan once, but the technology of the first Dragon Emperor's era had been quite a bit further behind, compared to the current ti.

Finally, Alex finished his efforts. Tao nodded, agreeing with the choices he'd made. The weirdly positioned districts in Fornia's cities had been modified only slightly, and then expanded on, usually with the addition of scientific facilities. College campuses, research institutes, grade schools, it was actually appalling how little scientific research or public education Fornia had been doing, openly at least. "I think that will do, for now. I need to rest my brain."

Tao nodded. "I will send the plans to our people. Rest well, Alex." And with that, the dragon let him return to sleep.

Far too quickly by Alex's sense of ti, he woke up as Jess did. His physical fatigue was lessened, if not so much his ntal stress, but just being near her certainly helped with alleviating both. By the ti they ascended to the lab, dressed and showered, they found Eric and his Brain Trust already hard at work. Jess went on ahead of him to see their Pokémon, while Alex approached his brother. "I hear you've hit a wall of so sort."

Eric sighed. As usual, having the dragon god of his holand literally hovering over his ntal shoulder all hours of the day did not aid with his stress. "Sothing like that. Do you need sothing, brother?"

"Not particularly. What's the issue you've run into?"

Eric sighed again, and then decided it couldn't hurt to let the leader of the nation know what was going on. "Creating objects. We can convert energy into sources of power for our machines and appliances, but it's actually replicating physical objects that's…an issue. It's like we're missing sothing. A focus for the infinite amounts of energy we have, to create sothing physical, and ideally edible."

Alex glanced at the data on his brother's screen, and while most of it might as well have been Japanese for all he could understand, he did have a thought. "TMs."

Eric squinted at him. "What?"

"TM machines make TMs with Pokémon materials. What if you could use Infinity Energy to change those materials into whatever we need. Theoretically we'd just need the right kind of materials, and a…chemical blueprint of what we're making."

The rest of the Brain Trust had stopped working at this point and were staring at him. Frankie just shook his head as he chuckled. "Good thing we have our BBA grads to help us. It's not like they already have a machine that can convert materials." Frankie said sarcastically to Eric. "All it needs is power, which we theoretically could give it."

Eric thought it over, though. "That…might just be simple enough to work. All we'd really need at that point is the chemical makeup of what we're creating…that should remove the randomness of what's being made. We can make the blueprints call for certain amounts of materials."

He walked over to one of the girls then and started science-murmuring. Alex just smirked. "I'll leave your brains to it, then. We're counting on you." Eric waved him away, now fully engrossed in the science talk.

Alex strolled outside then, and blinked, as he saw the usual Pokémon he expected to see, as well as the titanic form of the Original Dragon, just sprawled out lengthwise along the ranch. "Where the Muk is he!? Alex!" He rolled his eyes, as he recognized his dad's tone, and slowly felt whatever progress had been made at the party begin to evaporate. He'd expected it to last longer, but he really should've known better.

As the old man started bitching and gesturing at Tao, Alex breezed right past him, long since having developed the sa skill as his granduncle; tuning the man out completely, especially when he threw a temper tantrum. He looked up at Tao as he reached his head. "You didn't ntion you'd be joining today."

Tao let out a potent, but not unwelco cloud of Leaf smoke through his nose as he folded his bong away safely into a pocket plane that existed solely to keep his thundercloud gray piece intact and undamaged. "I did not. But I felt it was long past ti that we governed together, as Zigma and Nelinha do. As the first Dragon Emperor and I did."

Alex nodded. He was, again much like his granduncle, of the opinion that a human being trying to order a Legendary Pokémon around at all hours of the day was, in every way, an absurd expectation, regardless of which legend it happened to be. Tao was free to co and go on his travels as he pleased, but then, a continent spanning war had broken out and their ti had been co-opted. "Where are we off to first?" Alex said, raising his hand. He fully expected Tao had an itinerary for him.

Tao's form shrank as his eyes pulsed with gold, and he once more beca a black and white bo staff. This ti however, it possessed a draconic head with those sa intense golden eyes at its top, looming over his shoulder. It actually seed quite a bit like the head of the statues in Opelucid Gym, in terms of aesthetic. Alex brought out most of his armor, for good asure, and the staff shed nicely with the Norstad aesthetic. "nefer. They're opening a broadcasting tower there that will unite the east and west for the first ti in centuries, and have requested we be there, both for the ceremonial importance, and in case any Arcean insurgents try to take it down. They've also requested their city be called 'mphis' once more, as their current moniker was an unwanted gift from an Arcean controlled Governor."

"Granted." Alex answered, as Jess ca over. His father was still red faced and fuming behind her.

"Alex."

"Yes, future wife?"

She gestured behind him, and he finally saw what had his dad in such a state. The land beside the fence had been upended and ruined by Tao's titanic bulk. In the old days, it would've taken a solid week for him to repair. Alone. "Ahh. Well, actually…" He cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck. "I've got this. It'll be a good first lesson for going over what I learned from Koria. Watch closely."

She just shook her head, but the smile on her face was worth his antics. It wasn't the first ti she'd played peacekeeper between himself and his father. Being the daughter of his rich friend also shielded her from his father's wrath quite effectively. He breathed deep, let his body attune to the ground, and then stomped an oversized foot on the ground. Like a Drilbur digging a tunnel, the shuddering earth from his foot shot forward, and in its wake, left the land as it had been. The fence would need patching, but that was much easier to do than fixing the landscape.

Jess just stared; eyes widened slightly as she saw just what he'd been learning. "Of course you've learned Earthquake."

Alex smirked at her. "Earthbending. But yes, I can basically make an Earthquake attack with enough build up. Among other things." He took in the heat of the morning sun as he inhaled deep, and then snorted literal flas. He chuckled at the look on her face.

"Fire too, huh? You did ntion there were other elents. Fire seems like sothing I could learn, I think." Jess said, seemingly intrigued.

Alex nodded sagely. "You've always been absurdly hot. You'll master fire easily. It's lightning that can get…tricky."

She just stared at him. "You can use Electric attacks too!?"

He shook his head. "Not…quite yet. It's different for than it is for Firebenders. Their Fire Typing, and direct connection with the elental energy allows them to separate it within their body into positive and negative charges. I have Dragon energy, I just bend the elental types to my will once I attune with them. I'm sure there's a way to achieve lightning…but nobody in Koria could teach that. Anyway, are you coming with to ne-, er, mphis?"

She shook her head. "The Sippi Region is all yours. I'll be in Fornia, giving the potential Gym Leaders their Battle examinations. You'll be in charge of the Elite Four and selecting the Champion. I'll see you there…and then you can show how to Firebend."

Alex almost snorted flas again, by accident this ti. He intended to show her many things. It had been far too long since they'd sparred together. He always had ideas after ti apart from her. "Count on it." He said, staring her down. She didn't need a psychic connection to recognize the look in his eye.

She composed herself, forced the slight flush in her cheeks away, and then Teleported. Alex gathered his team and did the sa. He'd only been to nefer once, and just long enough to make an anchor at the local Pokémon Center, since they rarely changed in design and made great anchors. As he appeared, the local Nurse Joy greeted him. "Welco to the Pokémon Ce-" She paused, blinked, and took in his face. "O-oh! Emperor Redwood! We…we weren't expecting you here again!"

He gave her a winning smile. "No need to get flustered or formal. This just happens to be the only place in the Sippi Region I can Teleport to. I suppose they're waiting at the broadcast tower already?"

The nurse snapped her fingers. "Ah! Right! Of course, you're here for the tower. You're early, actually. I have ti to give your team a checkup if you like. We can also get you so food."

Alex was about to decline, when his stomach, which hadn't had breakfast, answered for him. He could sense Tao's amusent. "That…would be greatly appreciated, thank you Nurse Joy." His al was out rather quickly, and the checkup, including a al for his team, had also gone with no abnormalities. As he retrieved the twenty balls and psychically slid them onto his dragon leather cape, more and more of the local Trainers were starting to murmur around him. The Sippi region wasn't exactly a bastion of eastern values, but most of their population had been rather harshly treated by Doctor Manchineel and his macabre experints. To say opinions on their new Emperor were mixed was a bit of an understatent. Psychics in general however, were still regarded as a plague.

"I have a question, if you don't mind." He said to the nurse.

"Ask away! I've been a Nurse for a long ti, if I know the answer I'll give it freely."

He tossed Blaze's ball in his hand idly, as he spoke. He could sense his Charizard was due for a good battle, and such gestures were a universal sign among Trainers that one wished to throw down. "Most of my team has been getting a lot larger lately. It's like so of my oldest partners have…hit so kind of new level, but as far as the Pokédex goes, they're at the peak. The recorded numbers don't go higher than one hundred."

Nurse Joy nodded. "I noticed that. While Pokémon that strong tend to be extrely rare, we have been seeing more and more of them in the past few years, usually from Champions. In fact, as I recall, Champion Nate from Unova has the record for the most at that level. They've been appearing more and more ever since you set off that trend with Plate shards and ga Evolving. The Nurses Association has a theory that this more common infusion of Infinity Energy is what's leading to Pokémon growing to such large sizes. After that Battle of yours in Indius, and your efforts in the war, it's not surprising they've begun to grow in size. Theoretically, they should reach a max size eventually…but in so cases, like your Torterra's, they may continue growing their entire life, but that's the norm for many Grass Types." Joy smiled. "In any case, it's nothing to be too worried about. You're a good Trainer, and it shows in your team. They're all quite healthy."

Alex gave her a smile. "Thank you, for that. I'm proud of them. Washing them off is really the least I can do."

A shout ca then, as Alex turned, and he was grateful its source had waited until he'd asked his question. "Oi! You there, with the cape!" Alex looked up, and locked eyes with the speaker. He was a younger man, dressed in black leather in the form of pants and a jacket, with fiery red and orange flas covering the bottom and sleeves of his jacket. His hair was blonde and spiky, his eyes were blue, and an Arcean cult pin was displayed proudly on his chest. "I knew that was you…Alexander Redwood…the man who beheaded our Prophet."

Alex's face shifted from a smirk to a neutral expression. "Your Prophet beca a Champion of the Shadow. He needed to be stopped before he drained the life from Alola and beca even more monstrous. I'd stop him again, if I had to."

"Nobody can deny that." The kid said, drawing his own Pokéball. "We're not idiots out here, contrary to what you easterners say. We've seen the evidence, the abuse, the Shadow Infusing on Pokémon Eggs…nobody can deny the Church lost its way at this point. But you've gone too far in dismantling it!"

Alex's eyes shifted to his pin, and then back to the man's blue stare. "Apparently, I haven't dismantled it enough. Are we going to do this, or not? I have places to be."

The kid gritted his teeth, but then gave him a shit-eating grin. "Oh, we're doing this. Our eyes have t, and you're still a Trainer!"

Alex strode past him then, Blaze's ball still in hand. "Outside, then. Nurse Joy works hard enough without having to clean up the lesson you're about to learn."

There was an 'oooo' from a few onlookers, and like most battles between famous Trainers and rising stars, word spread like wildfire. The fact that he was the nation's leader probably also helped. "This way." The kid said, shouldering past Alex once they were outside, or rather, trying to. He bounced off the six-foot five fra, and dragonbone armor as he tried a walking shove, and failed.

There was a stadium near the Pokémon Center, though calling it a stadium was generous. It was open air with a few seats, and right on the Sippi River, for which the State was nad. "Since you're busy, we'll go one on one." The kid said, raising his Pokéball at Alex. "But if I win, you stop persecuting what Arceans are left! Believe it or not they've done good things for Sippi too!"

Alex snorted derisively. "Not nearly enough to counterbalance the pure, undeniable evil. ddling with Pokémon Eggs is as low as Humans can get. But I'll consider your demands. If you win. And if I win-"

"When I win, you'll leave us the Hell alone!" The kid interrupted, as he threw his ball, giving up the elent of surprise. A rather powerful looking Charizard appeared then, smaller, younger than Blaze, but still full of fight and fla. Blaze popped free on his own, before Shruikan could. The younger male beat his wings and roared out a torrent of fla, but Blaze just stared him down, raised his claws and flared out his wings, as he prepared silently for the coming clash. The only sign of his eagerness was the twin plus of fla leaking from his maw. "A Charizard. How original." Alex said, as he started to understand the young man. He'd probably been training to beco a Crusader, and his Charizard had probably been recently cleansed of its Shadow corruption. The resulting power boost had likely led them to believe they were unbeatable. It happened quite a lot with Charizard Trainers.

"Let's go, Ancient Power!" The kid shouted, leading with a quadruple effective strike.

"Dragon Claw." Alex countered, not bothering to ga evolve, as his opponent hadn't either. Alex might as well have said 'go', with how fast Blaze launched at his opponent. The younger fire lizard barely had ti to blink as Blaze spun through the fired rocks, tearing them apart, and then landing a dual Dragon Claw right on his chest. "Scary Face." Alex said, following their strike.

While the younger Charizard was reeling, it opened its eyes again to see a truly nacing glare from Blaze, and on nothing but instinct, his wings drooped slightly, and he stepped back, before rembering his fighting spirit. "Dammit! Flare Blitz!" The kid shouted, and his Charizard responded, leaping forward as flas surrounded him.

Blaze caught the attack with his own head, and his opponent's all-important montum for the fiery blitz faltered as the larger fire lizard dug into the ground, and flapped his wings to maintain balance as the clash of skulls yielded no clear winner. Then ca Alex's counter. "Thunder Punch!" Electricity bood as Blaze brought his fist up under the upstart's jaw, knocking it on its back.

It was slow to rise, and Alex had no intention of letting it. Blaze waited, as his Trainer set up the field. The number of onlookers had risen to a considerable crowd by now with more Trainers flying in by the second. Being near a Pokémon Center had made finding the bout pretty easy. He didn't want anyone getting burned. A square blue cube of psychic energy sprung into existence in a square around the field, and Alex gave the command. "Blast Burn."

Blaze punched the ground and roared, and despite the barrier, the resulting heat exploding from the strike fainted the younger Charizard and almost cooked the crowd with how much heat it gave off. Smoke roiled within the light blue barrier, and then, it vanished as quick as it had appeared. A few monts later, after flapping his wings, Blaze stood victorious, and roared at the sky. His eyes fell on the youth then, as he seed to dare him to bring out another battler. It wouldn't have been the first ti soone took losing to him badly, and Blaze was always willing to continue expanding his perfect win streak. When he and Alex battled, he rarely lost, and hadn't for quite so ti now. His Trainer didn't care much about things like win streaks, but Blaze did, and didn't like being switched out as a result.

Alex recalled Blaze, or rather tried to, but the Charizard refused the ball's pull, and growled, raising his arms for a battle stance once more. Shadow aura was sliding off the younger Charizard, but Alex could tell it wasn't a full infusion. Sohow, it was using its past ti as a Shadow Pokémon to forcibly induce Reverse Mode.

"As you can see…" His Trainer said, eting Alex's eyes. "We're not done yet! Shadow Fire!"

Alex just took a deep breath and focused on taking in energy from Arceus's plane. "Flathrower." This wasn't the first ti Blaze had needed to infuse his flas with Light against Shadow Moves. Once more the psychic barrier went up, and so in the crowd fled, hopefully, he assud, to get the local authorities. "You don't need to use this power, you know." He said calmly, contrasting his opponent's rage. The Trainer, like his Pokémon, had hardened his heart. Thus, the Shadow had crept back in.

"Spare !" The kid shouted, "The last thing any of us need is you asking us why we fight! After all you people have done to our way of life…how could we not!"

Alex shook his head, as the two Charizard strove to overpower the other's flas. "Why? The why is obvious. You might as well ask why leaves fall. 'Why' is just your excuse. Dragon Claw."

His opponent flinched, and then shouted, "Shadow Claw!" The two fire lizards started their test of brute force, as their flas burned out and their claw moves locked, renewing the struggle for dominance.

Alex continued. "You need to understand what is worth fighting for…that should be the reason behind why you want to get so strong. Once you understand that, you'll be able to ga Evolve too. Last chance, kid. Calm down."

The as yet unnad youth paused, as the Words entered his ears. He'd heard what Alex said, understood what he ant, but his ears had heard other words. Words that escaped his mory. He might've listened, had it been anyone but the man who'd all but single-handedly, in the eyes of many, dismantled the Arcean Church. The reality was that communities across the western States had, with so help from the Scales, adjusted to not having the Church controlling their every decision. Their dismantling was a group effort, but there were many like this kid, still clinging to the vestiges of the power they'd been promised.

"YOU don't tell what to do! Shadow-"

"End it. Yol!"

As Alex uttered the true na of Blaze's elent, the Fire Blast he unleashed point blank on his opponent expanded in size and power rapidly. The younger Charizard struggled against it as the sheer force of the flas pushed him back, and finally knocked him out as yet another fiery explosion rocked the public arena. Before the dust settled, Alex blinked inside, Purged the younger Charizard, and then bamfed right back out. Once more the barrier fell, and Blaze stared at the opposing Trainer. The bravado and fun he'd been having had vanished, once his opponents fell back on that power. To Pokémon, those who embraced the Shadow so easily were viewed a certain way. Indeed, Shadow Infusion in general was understood by them to a degree the human race was only just starting to fully comprehend.

Police cars pulled up suddenly then, around the stadium. A rather stern-looking Jenny walked up to the scene, and then blinked, as she recognized Alex. He gestured. "This Trainer and his Charizard accidentally activated their Reverse Mode…likely a leftover of their ti with the Arceans. I've Purged them of Shadow, so they should be no threat."

The Jenny had her boys recall the Charizard, and then spoke in low tones to Alex. "Dragon Emperor. I'm glad you're here…your Scales don't believe , but this is the fourth ti such a thing has happened lately. It's…it's as if the Shadow is becoming more active, but we can't find any major sources of infusion in a three State search area, in all directions." Her eyes glanced at his staff, still looming over his shoulder. "Your Dragon was very thorough about Purging anything that could make more Shadow Infusions…and the Scales refuse to believe these events, as a result. But you've seen it with your own eyes, now."

He nodded, deeply concerned. "You're right. There are no sources for Infusion around here…or anywhere in the Empire, for that matter. This is a…global scale event. Shadow Energy as a whole is becoming more active… Do what you can, Officer. I'll handle it soon, and there should be no more Reversions after that..."

He didn't know if he'd inspired confidence in her, but the Jenny saluted, and then offered to give him a ride to the broadcast tower. He accepted, mostly so he could think in peace as they rode, not for a second considering what the situation might look like if he arrived in the back of a squad car. He realized how it looked, when the surge of flashing caras surrounding the entrance to the broadcasting tower almost blinded him. His driver, who'd opened the door as well, seed surprised, and to change the narrative, Alex shook his hand, and thanked him genuinely for the ride. The officer nodded at him, and then the squad cars returned to the streets, and their jobs.

"Save your questions until after we get this up and running." He said to the crowd as he strolled past and let his cape flare behind him as he did, His Voice cut through the incoherent babble of questions that surged as he approached the entrance. He strode in then, pushing the door wide. In short order, he was on a small stage, though with half a hundred Rotom Drones filling the room, he knew the audience he was addressing was much, much larger. Activation of the tower went off without an issue, and no bombs or attempts had been made yet to sabotage its function.

"For the first ti in ages, a Dragon Emperor is able to address the entirety of the continent." He started, once everyone was ready. "But make no mistake, this achievent belongs to mphis, and the hundreds of other towers all now working together to unify us in ways I never could." He sighed slightly then. "I did promise to answer so questions. PNN. You're up." It wasn't John Crimson, and he didn't particularly care for their network in particular, but they were the largest, and in his experience, the most professional.

That didn't an their accuracy was infallible, every journalist and news organization made errors, or had agendas, but so far, PNN had stuck to the facts, at least where he was concerned. Sothing he appreciated, in the post-war chaos. Many 'news' outlets in the west had begun just outright spewing Arcean Church propaganda, throwing all impartiality to the wind as they sared him, his Scales, and anything to do with the 'eastern occupation'. Their term for the very small number of Scales he'd left behind in each conquered city. Their portrayal of the situation in the west was in no way related to reality, but being told what to think was sothing the now mostly aimless Arceans were all too eager to do again, especially if it ant making their new Emperor and his underlings their target for lies and slander.

"Thank you, Dragon Emperor." The PNN reporter said, stepping forward. He hadn't really seen them in the bright haze that was the drone-filled audience. She was young, and had simple features, brown hair and eyes, but attractive enough to be on TV. "You ntioned recently that you intended for your governnt to provide basic necessities to all people in the Empire. Housing, food, water, electricity, etcetera. In the days since, many are wondering how exactly you intend to do this. There's been quite a bit of skepticism."

Alex glanced up at the dragon head looming over his shoulder and got the go-ahead from Tao. There wasn't really a better way to announce such a thing. "Our scientists are working as I speak on a device capable of producing food from Infinity Energy, as well as other materials. As you probably know already, many of our construction crews are already using Plate shard powered machinery to rebuild the damages from the war. I, that is to say, Tao and I, intend to take this limitless energy and the forthcoming lack of scarce resources to its logical conclusion. The end result will be enough power and infrastructure to make sure all of my citizens can have sowhere to call ho and live there comfortably. Those of you in Texico West may already be familiar with the kind of hos I'm describing. With a little extra plumbing and wiring from our crews, they can make the stone buildings I can create quite comfortable."

The PNN reporter blinked at him. "You an…you are going to build them? Personally?"

Alex nodded and continued on smoothly. "As many of you are aware, I've been away from the Empire since the war ended." He earthbent a piece of rock up beside him then, a Hard Stone he'd found on his travels that he now changed the shape of in demonstration, just by shifting his fingers. "I learned a lot from traveling Koria, and there are several of my Scales who will be able to help with this task. The housing we make personally won't be the grandest architecture on the planet…but it will give those without shelter from the elents a place to retreat to. Whether our holess population wants them or uses them will be for them to decide. Let's be very clear, I am Not forcing anyone to live anywhere. I'm offering shelter for those who desire it. With this industry boom, will co more Pokémon Centers as well. I think two questions is enough. Anyone else?"

"Careful…" Tao said, but Alex knew it was too late already. He'd left the floor open, and naturally, the loudest ape took the stage, eager for a chance to hurl its verbal feces. After the accusations they'd been launching at his Scales, he welcod them to try.

A man stepped up then, dressed in a navy-blue suit he recognized as having once been Arcean in design. It had since been modified though. "Dick Dooshey, your Imperial Majesty." The man said, oozing sleaze onto the microphone as he bowed slightly, and spoke. "I'm with Arc News. I can't tell you how glad we are to have access to eastern audiences now. My question is…who do you think you are? Our States have laws for executions, both public and not, and you ignored the laws of Port: Land when you beheaded our Prophet. There's video evidence of this murder. Will your governnt be holding you accountable for killing a political adversary? And if not, should they?"

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Alex might not have been so calm if Tao wasn't on his back. Arc News had a habit of 'just asking questions' designed by their very nature to guide their low information audience into making certain assumptions about what they were being told. It was, by every asure, propaganda for simple minded people. They'd been slandering Jess and the others for months now, and since he'd been in Koria, he hadn't been able to do anything to stop them, despite her pretending it didn't bother her. Needless to say, he'd been waiting quite a while to verbally eviscerate them.

"Well Dick, as you'll recall from the footage that wasn't edited and censored by your sponsor, the Arcean Cult, your Prophet had gone, quite literally, mad with power. With the help of Doctor Ein, soone I also saw executed for his cris of infusing Eggs with Shadow by Ho Oh herself, we believe Caleb Pravus ascended as the Champion of Shadow using a piece of the entity known to Alolans as Necrozma. Specifically, its head. Using this in conjunction with the pair of Darkrai he'd already lded his essence with, turned him into what you and I would call a 'Monster'. His intention was to drain all Light and life from Alola to beco an unstoppable being of Shadow, and I didn't have to be psychic to figure that out."

Alex leaned forward then and glared directly in Arc News's cara. "Yes. I killed Caleb Pravus. This was an act committed in war ti in a conflict the East did not start, and in actuality, it occurred over the neutral waters of Oceana Pacifica. But let's be absolutely clear: if Caleb Pravus sohow ca back to us and threatened the lives of another Region in my Empire, I would do the exact sa thing again." He shifted his gaze to Dooshey then and sensed the fear in him rise slightly. "Who am I? I am your Dragon Emperor. I am the shield that keeps this nation, and our allied nations, safe. Even if that ans my own hands must be bloodied in the process. Ideally…things won't escalate to that point again. Most of my fellow rulers are more than capable of conversing and negotiating like civilized Sentients. Pravus was not, hence the bloody invasion he launched on Orre and across the East with almost no warning."

Dick seed to recover quickly, but before more sli oozed from his face hole, Alex cut him off. "I think that's enough from the Arcean Propaganda Cultists. How about soone from a real news network, maybe a local?" He pointed, as he saw one reporter's face light up and put her hand up. She was larger of body, had short curly brown hair, but ca off as a genuinely kind person.

"I think we've had enough serious questions for one night! Heheh." She giggled, sowhat nervous. "Do you mind if I change the tone completely?"

Alex chuckled as well and nodded. "Ask whatever you like, the bar for decorum has been set so low by Arc News, you could step over it." He could tell Dick Dooshey was fuming after the verbal pumling he'd just gotten, and in his peripheral vision, he saw the man and his team leave the event in indignation.

"First I just want to thank you for letting us be mphis again." Alex nodded, and ntioned he was more than happy to let States call themselves, and their cities, whatever they wanted. Within reason. mphis was not the only one to have changed its monicker. Pravia was now Cascadia, Los Commotus was now Los Togetus, the Oasis of Paradise was going by New Vega, and Port: Land had chosen Rose City as their monicker. "My question…is whether or not you've heard so of the new songs we've recovered from the Old Net. Our city here has a long history of making so of the nation's best music and bringing back older tunes from bygone eras."

Alex blinked. She hadn't been joking about the tone shift. "I can't say I have…"

The reporter pounced, then. "I hear you're a Classic Rock fan. I know we'd all be proud here if the Dragon Emperor himself listened to so of the music we've been bringing into the current day. We'll be playing so of the top songs we've managed to revive at the party following this."

Alex stroked his chin as he pondered, and then realized he had his out, of this dia hell. He took it. "Well, on that note, let's start the party, and the music!" He looked up at where Tere had asked to be let out and nodded. The caras kept rolling as the song started and the press began to disperse. They caught the leader of the nation bopping his head along to the admittedly hard opening to whatever this song was called. A guitar riff he wholeheartedly approved of combined with a drum beat he could only describe as 'epic' followed by the first words he could hear. 'It's now it's never - and I've got to - make my decision, this could be my Moeent!'

"Lux." He muttered, as he wandered off the stage. He began searching up the na for the song floating through his ear holes, with the speed only a ghost connected to his mind and the Pokénet could utilize. It also took very little effort on Lux's part. He read the song title, just as the words were uttered in the song. 'Rivers in the Desert'. He pocketed the Rotom again once he'd loaded it up for later. It was then that he realized he'd wandered straight out of the tower's property, and onto the next. He'd forgotten how cramped cities were, and one block made all the difference.

"Well, well well lads, what have we 'ere." Ca a voice from further down the street. To the other side of him, blocking him off, ca another. "Mister Shoulderpads here looks lost, boss."

Alex smirked. "Actually…it seems I've gone and wandered off…sowhere else. Sowhere I perhaps should not be? I don't an to intrude on anything."

The first voice's owner ca into view then, and to call him the personification of 'rugged street thug' was not an understatent. Oddly enough though, Alex didn't sense any hostility. Not from him, anyway. The goons he had waiting around them were giving off so darker thoughts. Still, their leader seed cool headed, and Alex offered the truth. As their eyes t, the man's widened in shock, and Alex sighed. He'd liked not being recognized in Koria, too.

"Hold up lads." The man rumbled in a thick Galarian accent. "It seems the leader of our new Empire has strolled right onto our turf." There was an awkward pause that Alex sensed he was adding for flair, and then a smirk cracked his rough visage, classically handso features covered in a surprisingly even layer of face fuzz, most of which was salt and pepper. "You hear tha' lads? He's bad with directions, an' has a Charizard!" He and his goons burst out laughing then, and Alex just nodded in quiet acceptance. He'd walked right into that one. Literally.

"We saw your Battle, mate. Yer one to talk about originality." The smirk widened into a grin.

Alex nodded again, as he had a fair point, but then said. "I admit, I did like Leon growing up. Even if Ketchum eventually replaced him. Of course I had other reasons for wanting a Charizard." The gruff man grimaced, and Alex chuckled inwardly. The easiest way to get a Galarian 'on side' as they said, was to call out the current World Champion.

"Pagh. 'Es only unbeaten 'cause nobody can ever find'im. Leon woz in the spotlight for decades, Battlin' constantly in Galar, an' nobody ca Close to beatin' 'im. You got good taste, mate." He paused then and raised an eyebrow. "Wot 'other reasons'?"

Less than five minutes passed before Alex found himself in another back alley, but this one had a space for a bonfire, one his Charizard occupied as he offered his tail. After seeing he wasn't here to start anything, as his story wasn't all that hard to believe given that the broadcasting tower lood over them nearby, the rest of the man's gang ca out of the woodwork, and many requested autographs. It was a nice change to the stereotype he had going in his head about street gangs.

Leaf was passed, good tis were had, and eventually, Lux dinged, and inford him he'd reached his ti limit. If he wanted to be early. His alarm clock tended to be about twenty minutes too early. The street gang's leader, who turned out to actually be a legally appointed mber of his neighborhood's watch by the Imperial Legions, brought him back out to the street they'd t on, and pointed. "The river's tha' way. But before you go…" The man smirked at him, with bloodshot eyes. "Wer havin' a Battle, mate."

Alex grinned at him. They were on the sa level. In more ways than one. During their smoke sesh, the man had revealed his na, Jakob, and a few of those of his grunts. "Gene! Yer up!"

Alex grinned as he saw his opponent. He'd always wanted to battle an Obstagoon, but more recently, he'd been quite curious as to what one would say. His eyes went wide as the Obstagoon appeared from his Dusk Ball, made 'Giratina horns' with his clawed fingers, and said, "Dude…I rock."

Alex had always liked Obstagoon. The colors, the vibes. This one was clearly an alpha of his species, and well-trained to boot. Jakob only had two other balls on his belt, so Alex assud this was his ace, and likely the first Pokémon he'd gotten. "Canis." He said, smirking. His Lucario appeared on the field, and slowly raised his head to look up at the much taller Obstagoon.

Jakob slid his thumb across his nose, and smirked. "I thought fer sure I'd get yer Gallade. Yer call, lad."

Alex just shook his head. Arthur would've ended this too quickly, and he was still training Canis up. In many ways, he had just as much potential as Arthur. "Canis." He said again. The Lucario's ears twitched. "Physical moves only, for this one."

The Lucario's aspect changed, into an unsettling grin, and his paws flexed. "Finally…" He fell into a low crouch and snarled at the towering wall of badger before him.

"Gene! Obstruct his pup!" The Obstagoon readied his block and let his absurdly long tongue lash free from his toothy maw, daring Canis to co get a piece.

"Go!" Alex ordered, and much like Blaze earlier, as soon as the word was given, Canis was off, almost moving as fast as Arthur. With a blur of speed, he was suddenly over the Obstagoon. "Feint." Alex said, as the Lucario went to strike, Gene went to block, and suddenly found his block useless. Canis was behind him then, and delivered a spinning roundhouse kick into his back, knocking the air from the obstructing badger. "Close Combat." Alex followed, and with speed too fast for Jakob or Gene to follow, Canis delivered his beatdown to the Obstagoon, and then appeared with a flash by his Trainer again, turning in the sa motion, already back in his stance.

Gene fell to his knees, tongue lolling as the damage from the Close Combat took effect. Jakob smirked then. "Gene." The Obstagoon snapped back into focus, his expression mirroring his Trainer's. "Take yer Revenge." With surprising speed, the Obstagoon was in Canis's face, and the aura hound barely had ti to blink, before the curled badger fist slamd into his midsection with the sa amount of collective power his beating had given Gene. The difference was their defense. Lucario wasn't the sturdiest of species, and even less so after a Close Combat.

As Gene saw the pup's eyes start to roll, he turned to his Trainer, and made the Giratina horns again. "Righteoussss."

"Brick Break." Alex said, and his voice snapped Canis back to reality. He was hanging by the skin of his teeth, but the counter was his. His paw hardened into a chopping attack aid at Gene's back, and the Obstagoon half gasped, half roared as he went down, fainted. Canis fell back onto his butt, or he would have, if Alex didn't catch him. Two at buns fell into the Lucario's paws, and Alex nodded at him. "Well done. You understand now why I tell you never to assu victory, yes? Arthur would've Detected the Revenge strike. His guard is never down."

Canis nodded back. "I understand. Always Detect, while on the field." He nodded again, to himself, and then unwrapped his delicious, aty prize. Alex recalled him to his ball so he could enjoy them in comfort. He walked up to Gene then, turned the big boy over, and tossed a Max Revive into his maw. By instinct, the Pokémon chewed, and then sat up, once more making Giratina horns with his fingers as he shouted, "I Liiiiive!"

Blinking, as he got his bearings, the giant badger stood, and lumbered over to his Trainer. Jakob just shook his head. "I thought we had ya there fer sure. Yer pup's guard was wide open." He offered a hand then. "Maybe next ti, eh?"

Alex nodded. "Next ti. He'll be even stronger by then though, fair warning."

Alex wandered back to the party at the broadcasting tower then, and with his psychic abilities, tracked down the man he wanted to speak to. "Mister guro." Alex said, as he approached the man, and inclined his head.

He was a thinner man, of Japanese descent, with wide features, a kind face, and just the right amount of face hair scruff. "Ahh, Redwood-Sama. You have beco even more famous." He gestured to his navy blue Rotom phone then, which was playing a video titled 'The Emperor's New Groove' which showed him bopping along to the opening lyrics of 'Rivers in the Desert'.

Alex just chuckled as he watched. "Yea, that one is definitely a jam. And actually why I wanted to speak with you. Is that one of the songs from the Old Earth ga cache?" guro nodded. "Good. Very good. I want all the others; from whatever ga you pulled it from. Consider the red tape nonexistent, we need more of this. Imdiately."

His words seed to surprise the man, in a good way and guro bowed, too formally for Alex's tastes, but then, he did not begrudge the Japanese their politeness. "It will be done post haste. I am glad you enjoyed them. Your Toxtricity did as well."

Alex bid the man farewell then, recalled Tere and hopped on Shruikan, circling him up the broadcasting tower as he bid the other guests a farewell too. As they headed for Fornia the scenic way, he could sense his team's ntal excitent. In went his earphones, and Lux loaded the tunes. He praised Arceus as he found a several hour-long version of what he was looking for, and then began the rock session.

They were further into the video than he would ever admit by the ti they ca over the Great Mohave Desert right in ti for him and the boys to finish the final line of the song, again. He paused the video then, and stared out over the vast expanse of desert, getting an idea. "Lux. How are we on ti?"

The Rotom, reading his thoughts, smirked at him from within his Pokédex as he floated out of his pocket. "You don't have nearly enough ti for sothing like that."

Alex nodded. "Later, then. They say this desert used to be half the size…I say we could make that a reality again. I can think of a few more places that could use so…rivers through their desert." He chuckled to himself. "Eremus." His Flygon appeared beside Shruikan, and the two dragons nodded in mutual respect. "I need you to let the locals know where to avoid, in a few hours. I can catch those who don't get out of the way, and fall, but only so many. Not an entire habitat's worth, either. The more you can relocate southwards, the better." He showed the dragon on his map of Fornia projected by Lux where he could guide those who wanted to enjoy a cool drop of water, after he made his first attempt at terraforming. His mission clear, the Flygon sped off then, to go do what he could.

Soon after that, they were over Sacreus again, and he had to check the map to make sure they were on course. In only a few months, the crater looked completely different. The hundreds of Crusader training compounds had been repurposed, mostly, it seed, for rehabilitating Shadow Pokémon that had spent the majority of their existence in a state of constant rage. The loss of that tainting corruption had brought the plant life back, with abundance, and he saw several Pokémon helping with that as they flew over, towards the city at the bottom of the crater.

He hadn't gotten much of an aerial view of the city last ti, and he could sense so minds below panicking slightly, as they saw a black scaled Salance. So felt relief that he was small now, but if they thought that ant Shruikan was any less ferocious, they were simply ignorant about Salance in general. After a few large circles around Sacreus's skyline, he found what he was looking for, and guided Shruikan down.

Sacreus Stadium had, according to his Scales, been a lot more evil-looking before the war ended. Spikes, black paint everywhere, accented with red. Far more spikes. Now, it seed like a regular stadium, more in line with the League's rules, regulations, and color sche. He saw his fiery redhead in front of a line of what he assud were Gym Leader hopefuls and landed a short distance from them.

Jess smiled when she saw him, and then gestured to four figures on the other side of the field. "Those are the Elite Four candidates. Once you're done with them, I'll go get the Champion candidate."

Alex glanced around the stadium and adjusted his cloak and hat. There were no other minds in the stadium. That ant the Champion was already with them. As he felt Tao's weight on his back, it all suddenly clicked. "Lux." He said, making a call to Ben, the senior Scale who dealt with Sacreus and its affairs as the Pokédex/phone leapt into his hand.

"That's fine. Just make sure they're here, and that the word gets out. Thanks, Ben." Alex sent Lux back to his pocket of choice. Where the rest of his team had ball holder clips, Lux had a pocket for his new favorite container inside the cloak. Alex didn't bla him, he wouldn't want to be a sword all the ti either, plasma or otherwise. His crystal was safely stored in the hilt still, and it still functioned, albeit with less power than when Lux was possessing it.

Alex stopped before the seated Elite Four hopefuls then and looked them over. A smirk broke the impassive facade he usually wore. "Now this is a line up. I believe I've more or less t everyone but you, big guy." Alex said, addressing the living mountain of muscle sitting on the far edge of the bench.

The man stood then, towering over even Alex at a height of seven feet tall. His blonde hair was slicked back and smooth in the front and top but flared out into spikes in the back. He wore a tunic with the League's symbol, but it was ten sizes too small, and that seed to be on purpose as it barely covered his shoulders and neck. Most of his unapologetically shredded torso was exposed to the air. The gloves he wore were not unlike a superhero's, with a Pokéball on top of his hands. He didn't skip leg day, but his lower body, covered in spandex also not unlike a superhero, was red and blue, and white boots covered the giant feet. "I am Battlus, of Mount Battle!" He said, flexing unnecessarily. "And I am Here…to take my place among the Elite!"

Alex nodded in approval. "That's a good mindset to have." He looked at the other hopefuls then. Wes, also from Orre, Cilan, who he'd battled once a few years back and seed eager to be considered, and the final mber was a larger frad man not unlike Alex, save that he was blonde. Alex recognized him as Sophocles, forr Alolan Trial Captain, and astronaut hopeful. His na had been on the short list for potential engineering crew for the Enterprise. Since Elite Four mbers actually tended to have more free ti than one might think, he was still eligible for both jobs, as long as they stayed in the Sol system anyway.

"I've already seen most of you in action." Alex said, addressing them. "So, we'll forgo four ten on ten matches. Instead, I want you to pick your Ace, and duke it out. This will determine the 'order' Trainers are recomnded to face you in. Pair off when you're ready."

In short order, Wes and Battlus had, to no one's surprise, taken the field first. Apparently, they had actually faced off before, and Battlus was eager to redeem his loss.

"Let's go! Aim for Victory, tagross!" Battlus said, throwing first.

Wes smirked and answered him with a well-used Pokéball. "Typho. Eruption."

The angry blazing honey badger roared, and wasted no ti in launching fiery balls of death towards tagross from the ring of fla that encircled his neck.

"Dodge, tagross!" Battlus shouted confidently. The supercomputer-like brain of four combined Beldum calculated where the teors would fall and moved accordingly. Both Wes and Typho noticed this, with the latter snarling as his opponent dodged. "Most Excellent! Now hit them with an Earthquake!"

"Defense Curl!" Wes ordered. Typho rolled into a ball, leapt, and landed amidst the Earthquake. Battlus crowed about victory, flexing his shredded physique as his tagross copied him. Alex smirked. Being familiar with Earthquake as he was, he could tell when it was dodged. "Fla Charge into the air! Then use Flathrower!" Wes ordered, and both Battlus and his tagross turned in ti to see the bruised ball of burning badger leap from the rubble like a vengeful fire spirit and unleash a potent torrent of fla at the tagross.

"teor Mash!" Battlus hastily countered, but it was already too late. His tagross had also been burned by the attack.

"Dodge, and end this with Fla Charge." Wes said cooly, and as Typho rolled around tagross's punches as a fiery ball, he then struck it in the face, fainting it, and roaring in victory. Alex felt his flas from the sidelines, and he felt Blaze's ball twitch. Soday, his Charizard aid to battle that Typhlosion in particular.

"Victory goes to Wes, Hero of the Orre Region!" Alex said, before gesturing to the next contestants.

Next up, Cilan and Sophocles took the field, and by this point, a crowd was starting to fill the stands. Sacreus didn't have the most battle enthusiasts, but the rumor of an upcoming Champion battle was enough to entice Trainers from all over, provided they could fly. "I'm honored to Battle with you, Sophocles." Cilan said bowing low and formal. "I'm a fan of your work. You're a true Space Connoisseur."

Sophocles tilted his round head. "I uhh…can't eat space, Mr. Cilan. It's a vacuum."

That got a chuckle from the green haired man as he summoned a Rillaboom he hadn't had when Alex battled him, to the field. "A Connoisseur is soone who appreciates a certain art, in all its aspects. I, for example, am a Connoisseur of Pokémon!"

Sophocles nodded. "I think I understand. Show what a Pokémon Connoisseur can do! Let's go Vikavolt!"

Cilan made short work of the electric bug, as they clashed with sound moves, naly Bug Buzz and Boomburst, and then followed that with blocking Vikavolt's Fly attack with Acrobatics. Ultimately, the Rillaboom ended the match with a tily Stone Edge, and Alex then claid he'd seen enough of their battling styles to rank them effectively. Sophocles, Cilan, Battlus, and then Wes would precede the Champion. He knew there was always exceptions though and given that they didn't have a proper League building on a plateau, yet, there was always the chance they would copy Unova, Kalos, and other modern regions in letting the challenger choose the order.

Alex walked onto his spot on the field as Cilan and Sophocles took their seats. The crowd murmured in anticipation, as the match they'd been promised between Alex Redwood and the woman who'd beaten Brad Pineus finally started.

Alex just smirked as Jess took the field opposite him, looking all kinds of fine in her classy but still revealing Fornian attire. He turned his hat backwards as he t her gaze. He'd often wondered what their first battle would be like, and he found himself more eager for this battle than any other he'd had that day. "When did you figure out it was ?" She said, drawing a Pokéball. One he didn't recognize.

"When you said you'd go get the Champion and I couldn't sense anyone else nearby. Though when Tao joined , I really should've suspected sothing was up."

She smirked back at him and threw the ball. He blinked, and the crowd murmured in disbelief as Ho Oh took the field in all her rainbow glory. Her shriek shook the air, and Alex nodded to himself, seemingly nonplussed by facing down the strongest of the Legendary Birds.

Each flap brought incandescent rainbow sparkles to life in the air around her, and after a mont of stunned silence, the crowd roared to life. Ho Oh gave her Tar a side eye. "You said there would be no crowd."

Jess shrugged. "You know Dragon Types. They love an audience." Ho Oh snorted sacred flas and ash from her beak. It was too late to back down now. As the crowd began chanting for her, Alex drew the dragon headed staff, and then threw it like a javelin into the air above his side of the field. Tao appeared with a thunderous boom then, his majestic, snake-like body spreading out as he unfurled across the field. He roared back at Ho Oh, but both the phoenix and her Tar also seed unfazed.

The crowd had a mixed reaction to Tao. This was after all the sa dragon that had not so long ago laid siege to Sacreus, and had been their hated enemy. Still, there were more cheers than Alex expected from a mostly Sacreus based crowd. New spectators were arriving all the ti though.

"There is an etiquette to Battling other Tars." Tao said, as his majestic baritone rang in the minds of both Alex and Jess. "Alex, you know sothing of this from the few Battles we've already had, but this will be new for you, Jessica. Watch closely."

The dragon and the phoenix reared up then, as high as their heads could go. Tao had a height advantage in this, as he was mostly neck. The two legends nodded in unison, their eyes pulsed with power, and a barrier of their combined energy surrounded the site of their clash. Alex nodded again in understanding, as Tao had done this only once before. Probably to keep a high-powered clash between superpowered Pokémon from obliterating everything for miles around. Human energy shields were strong, but they had limits. As one they shouted, "Begin!" and the crowd roared, as they heard their telepathy.

Alex and Jess shared a look, before she shouted, "Sacred Fire!"

"Frost Flare."

Ho Oh spread her wings and a torrent of holy blue fire roared towards Tao, only to then be bisected by his move. The ice within it made it through, and struck Ho Oh, albeit not for much damage.

"Dovah Envok!" Alex Shouted then, and Tao roared as he struck forward with Dragon Ascent but refrained from ga Evolving.

"Hold him with Psychic!" Jess countered, and just before Tao's attack landed, he was halted in the air by the phoenix's latent psychic power.

Alex just smirked. She'd set them up too perfectly for his next move. "Imperial Rage!"

Tao opened his toothy maw, and a concentrated beam of dragon energy lanced forward, to strike Ho Oh in the chest. The Psychic hold was broken as Ho Oh went reeling from the hit and recovered herself. Alex saw Jess checking her Rotom Phone, and then she seed to nod to herself. "Ancient Power!"

Alex grimaced, as he realized she'd probably been calculating Tao's weaknesses, a harder thing to do since he had mastery of three typings. Now that the Imperial Rage had started however, all he could do was watch. Tao launched the second beam of dragon energy, and it disintegrated the rocks Ho Oh sent sailing towards him. Then, he fired a third, and final beam. Ho Oh dodged but was caught as Tao adjusted his attack's trajectory in just the right way to again land a hit.

He was panting slightly after exerting that much power that quickly, and a haze of confusion overca his eyes. Suddenly, he found himself on the ground, despite aning to float higher. Seeing this, Jess struck. "Now, Earthquake!" Ho Oh landed on the field, and the entire stadium shook as she unleashed the attack.

Alex chuckled. "Using my own Move against …Tao!"

The dragon's eyes widened, as his Tar's Voice snapped him out of confusion just by shouting his na. "Fly above it! Get high in the air!"

Jess grimaced, and then changed her order. "Use the rocks from the Earthquake! Ancient Power!"

Alex leveled an arm at Ho Oh then. "Activate Overdrive!" The dragon's whiskers extended back from his snout to the black and white circles on opposing sides of his body, just under his wings, where they fused to his flesh. Tao's body lit up then as his tail expanded, becoming a fusion of Reshiram's and Zekrom's. It was, in essence, a fusion reactor, and the base design for what would power the Enterprise once it was ready. The tips of his claws glowed red with fire, through the ice that encased them. His icy horns and underbelly glowed blue, as the roiling plasma within was awakened. "Frost Bolt!"

From above Ho Oh, the super effective attack struck like lightning, too fast to be dodged. Tao's body twisted in the air, as her Ancient Power soared past him, and smashed into their barrier. "We're not done yet!" Jess shouted. "Recover!" Ho Oh's body glowed with a rainbow light, restoring her health. As she opened her eyes though, briefly blinded and deafened by the act of healing, Tao's form was gone from her sight. "He Teleported!" Jess warned. "Use-" But it was too late.

"Ancient Power." Alex said calmly from across the field. Both Ho Oh and Jess heard him perfectly though. Tao's Overdriven form appeared then, and this ti a condensed beam of rock energy shot forward from his maw, hamring the rainbow phoenix, and sending her sailing into the barrier. The crowd winced, as they saw her take the quadruple effective strike. "It might be ti to give up, Jess." Alex said, as Tao readied another Imperial Rage. "I don't want to injure Ho Oh."

Her Trainer hat lowered, hiding her face under it, and her hair. "You should know better than that…to think I'd ever give up! It's ti, Ho Oh!" The ancient bird nodded in understanding. Though she'd been slow to warm to Jessica, they had grown close over these last few months together. Ho Oh admired her strength, the depths of her emotions, but beating Alex Redwood had always been sothing she'd known the young human would have to do eventually. Or at the very least, give everything in the attempt. Tao did not choose weak Tars after all. Ho Oh had not expected to win and so far, Redwood's battle prowess with the dragon was akin to his first predecessor. She'd never understood why the Original Dragon took such an interest in humankind. Indeed, most Legendary Pokémon shared her opinion, when it ca to him. Now though, she had a better understanding of the lengths a Guardian would go, for their Tar. No matter how foolish or incompetent said Tars turned out to be. Even if maintaining balance ant splitting oneself in three parts for millennia.

Thankfully, Redwood was unlike the last Princes of the Harmonia line. Jessica too, was different, and for her, Ho Oh was willing to go beyond her limits. "Sunny Day!" Jess shouted. A ball of intensely bright fla appeared between her raised and battle worn wings, blinding everyone. Alex wasn't fazed though, and Tao could rely on other senses to attack.

"End it! Imperial Rage!"

"Now Ho Oh! Burn Up!"

Both Alex and Tao hesitated from the shock, and the known repercussions, of that particular move. They also both realized then just how serious Jess was about winning.

Through the rising ball of sunlight, Ho Oh ca burning forward, very much on fire. The flas were gold, and she shrieked as she charged into Tao's glowing form and sent him smashing into the opposite side of the field's barrier as the attack connected. His Overdrive was knocked free, and while the most powerful move Ho Oh could learn had been strengthened by Sunny Day and the sa typing, it hadn't been enough to OHKO the Original Dragon.

For her part, Ho Oh seed smaller, most of her feathers having burnt off with the attack, along with her fire typing. Both the dragon and the phoenix were on the ground now, panting hard, as their Tars waited for the dust to clear. Jess struck first. "Ancient-"

"Enough!" Alex Shouted, as he bamfed onto the field, an imdiate disqualification, and ca between the two Legends, hands raised. "Enough." He stared at Jess for a long mont, then smiled at her. He, like Tao, knew who would've won the battle. Losing Overdrive left the dragon lethargic for too long to counter, and one Ancient Power would be enough to finish him now. There was no point in making him suffer that though. "People of Fornia. I give you…your newest Champion!"

Both Tao and Ho Oh relaxed, as Alex stopped them, and the two shared a nod of respect, and also understanding. Tao could sense his western counterpart had, finally, regained so asure of hope in humanity. Indeed, out of all four of them, only Jess seed upset about the outco. Alex floated over to her, as the crowd cheered.

"I…I just wanted to know, once and for all, who is stronger." Jess said, looking up at him. The expression on her face confused him. Her eyes were tearing up, but she had a small smile.

"You won; you know." He said quietly, and she blinked a few tis, then wiped her eyes. "Tao becos incapacitated when his Overdrive gets interrupted. At least for a ti. You would've won with the next move…but then his secret would be out." In truth, he felt he and Tao could've maybe blocked the next Ancient Power, or at least made it a draw, but he didn't want to rob the win from her like that. She'd gotten them good, and he didn't want to cheapen their first battle with each other with a desperate draw. "Flying through Sunny Day to boost fire power…I'll rember that. For when we have a proper ten v. ten." She shook her head, but he got the smile at least.

Alex looked at Tao, who'd recovered by this point, and with a flash he returned to his staff form and zipped into Alex's hand. He looked back at Jess then, and winked.

"I'll see you later, for your lesson."

And then, he bamfed away to a place he hadn't exactly set an anchor but rembered well enough. Seeing the eastern side of Fornia's wilderness for the first ti left an impression. As he appeared on the slightly weathered rocky outcropping they'd left in their wake, he realized he didn't really care for scenic views. A landscape was a landscape, but when you were with the right person, it beca sothing more impactful.

He turned towards the Stoney Mountains then, looking up, he started jumping with a slight psychic boost. He heard a growl as he landed in a sizable clearing around the mountain's top. Looking around he spotted a Rockruff. Compared to the ones he usually saw, this one's fur was wild, unkempt and full of rocks. "Ahh. Hello there, little friend."

The Rockruff's ears twitched, as he understood the human perfectly, but he didn't back off. Alex continued. "I'm actually looking for your parents…or, perhaps, their leaders. I ah…have important things to discuss with them. Could you take to your pack? I have Berries for you all, if you do." He pulled out a Sitrus Berry then, and tossed it towards the Rockruff, who sniffed it warily.

It glared at Alex then. "We don't like Humans. Humans are evil. You do evil things to Pokémon. Leave."

Alex nodded along with his words. "You…are unfortunately right, little one. Humans, especially around here, have been evil for a long, long ti. But those tis have now passed. I am the Human in charge of these lands, now." Still holding Tao, he let the bottom of the staff thump the rocky ground with authority. "I am the newest Dragon Emperor. Please. Take to your pack."

The Rockruff was silent for a long ti, staring at the human, then at the staff. Finally, he took a bite of the berry, and waited. Seeing it wasn't tainted, he nodded, picked it up, and began walking. "This way." He growled with his mouth full. "Give food. Then talk."

He paused about half of an hour after their climb further up the rocky terrain and looked at Alex. "Wait." Before them was a cluster of pine trees that seed to be concealing a large space beyond.

The Rockruff trotted on then, presumably to the Lycanroc's den. The barks and growls that followed weren't language that Alex could grok completely. Much like dragon types, Lycanroc and other canines had a thod of speech that went beyond the 'words' Pokémon could use. He could still understand the nature of their tone, though. As expected, they were wary, but agreed the food was not tainted, at least. Apparently, it had been a long ti since they'd t a human who wasn't trying to catch them.

Alex brought out more Sitrus Berries, and despite having stocked up, he knew how much a Lycanroc could eat. An entire pack would put a sizable dent in his stash. That was fine though, berries were absurdly easy to grow in massive quantities. Two Day Form Lycanroc ca through the snow-covered bushes hiding their den, as he levitated the food into the air. Alex smiled genuinely at them, and while they didn't let down their guard, they could actually read facial expressions. There was no lie in this human's eye. "Hello there. I promised my young friend I'd have food for all of you." He gestured at the floating berries around them limned in blue aura. The two stone wolves shared a look. "All I ask in exchange is to speak with your Alpha, if possible."

Like their junior, their manes were wild and proud, their stoney ruffs were more chipped and rugged than trained Lycanroc, probably from regular battles of dominance over food or females. One stepped forward then. "It has been…many moons since a Human ca to us as you have, speaking our tongue. Only the tan-skin-black-hair Humans rember the old ways. The pale ones…they have turned evil." Her eyes shifted to his staff, then. "But you…do not sll evil. Your terms are agreed upon. Follow, and give food first."

He nodded. Professor Aristole had ntioned that the first Dragon Emperor had once spoken with the Lycanroc of the Stoney Mountains and befriended them. The people had all but revered them after that, and in turn, they beca partners with humans, or guided those lost on the mountains to safety. All that had changed with the Arceans in power, though Aristole didn't have specifics, it was obvious Pravus and his goons had likely done unspeakable evil to them, but Alex had hoped that so of them might still rember the human who had spoken their language and been their ally in ages past.

Walking into a den of wolves was an unnerving experience as he felt the intensity of their eyes but coming with a floating shield of food helped. One by one, he distributed a berry to each pack mber he saw, and as the puppies ca out of the woodwork, he gave additional berries. Finally, they reached the back of the heavily wooded area, and ducked into what was the largest cave there. In the back of said cave, surrounded by females of both the Midday and Midnight variety, was a Lycanroc that Alex hadn't been expecting to see. Had he not befriended Ghost, to a degree, he wouldn't have known it was a Dawn Form Lycanroc.

He was old, leaner than Ghost, and likely very ancient. He was also larger, at least in terms of pure size, and while his gaze had a hint of ferocity to it, he was like a Teddiursa cub compared to the look in Ghost's eyes. Alex set the staff to one side, where it stayed standing straight up on its own, and he bowed low, closed fist to open palm. "Greetings, Alpha of the Lycanroc. I bring food, first."

He gestured slowly, and the remaining Sitrus Berries floated towards him and his harem. Tiny, adorable fluffy heads popped up from their mom's fur and manes, and Alex just directed the rest of the pile before the alpha's perch. The old wolf grabbed one, scarfed it down, and nodded. A smile pulled at his old lips. "To think I would be the one to see the Dragon's Tar return to us. What a life." He inclined his head towards the staff then, and Alex had no doubt he understood what Tao was. The dragon's presence was probably the reason the pack had been so accepting of him, though the food helped. "You are both welco in Lupercal. We have not forgotten the old pact, as the pale Humans have."

"The Humans of these lands were tricked, subverted by an enemy most foul. You know of what I speak. They have since been freed." Alex said, confidently. "They will no longer bother you, except perhaps to try to ta one of you. The right way. With a Battle, and a ball, to make you a partner and not a tool. Not by force. You no longer need to hide from Humans, and if they do mistreat you…I will handle them. Personally. You have my promise, on that."

The old wolf seed to chuckle, and then glanced at the staff. "You are wise indeed, Dragon. To find so many worthy Humans." He looked back at Alex then. "Very well. We will no longer be hostile to Humans who follow the Way. To those you call Trainers. Provided they respect these mountains, they will be free to travel them again, as in ages past."

Alex nodded. "I have one other proposal…" The old wolf grabbed another berry from the dwindling pile and nodded for him to continue. Alex psychically sent more berries atop it, to the delight of the hungry puppies. It was hard ignoring their cuteness, but he persevered. "The lands to the west have been tainted by an ancient atrocity. I intend to…bring new life back to them." He had to resist smirking.

In his head, he heard Tere sing the last verses to Rivers in the Desert, and the rest of the boys joined in for the final line. Alex relented and promised them another jam session soon. He continued speaking. "This will upend the land quite a bit. But with enough water and lted snow, among other things, I believe I can restore the desert to what it once was. I just wanted to give you, and the other mountain Pokémon, a heads up first. I don't want anyone who is weak to water caught in the rivers I'll be making."

The wolf tilted his head, pausing his noms. "You can…create a whole river? How?"

Alex explained then, in simple terms, how earthbending worked then, and the old wolf seed impressed. "Hopefully, with ti, the land will be able to return to normal. I also intend to remove any lingering corruption in the old ruins in the desert. With water and a lack of Shadow, I believe the land will recover."

The wolf seed to think for a long ti. "There are many Pokémon in the desert. There will be less space for them. They will not listen to us, either. We can move those who live in the mountains, and show you where to avoid any nesting Larvitar, but those to the west do not know us, and have not for many winters."

"The Larvitar here were my main concern. I don't want to hurt them or upset their mothers. I will speak to those in the west, once I'm finished here."

The old wolf smiled then. "We will show you a place to start this river. It gets a lot of snow, and as it falls, it will lt quickly. We can also have the Ice Types here guide any excess snowfalls to this place. We wish for the lands in the west to prosper as well."

Alex thanked the old wolf, and then blinked, as he felt a tiny nose prodding at his leg. Looking down, he t the gaze of a more adamant Rockruff. He offered a berry, but the little one simply looked back at his father, and yipped. The alpha seed to chuckle. "He wishes to go with you. He likes your scent. Will you make him strong, for us?"

Alex nodded, and knelt down to the pupper's level, giving him all the scritches. His tail swished as he enjoyed the under-chin scritches. "Battling is quite hard. It's a long, long road to the top. If at any point you wish to co back ho, you can. Either permanently, or just to visit, whatever you want. Does this sound good to you?" The rock pupper yipped, and then leapt towards Alex. He caught him under the arms with both hands, examined him for any bruises, mange, or injuries, and then nodded seeing he was healthy. He brought out a Luxury Ball then. "In you go…young Romulus." The Rockruff's ears perked up at his new na, and he booped his snoot on the ball's button, before being transferred inside. As it dinged shut, Alex smirked, and then put his miniaturized ball onto his cape.

He bowed again to the elder, and as he made to leave, grabbing Tao again, the old wolf spoke once more. "I am not the first Dawn Form you've seen, am I."

Alex turned, facing him properly. "No. You are not. My cousin's Rockruff gained a form very similar to yours."

The old wolf nodded, mostly to himself. Then, he looked back at Redwood. "If you could send them our way, when you are able, I would appreciate it."

Alex stared at the old wolf for a mont, before nodding. He had an idea as to why. "I will not forget."

The alpha Lycanroc nodded. "Good. Lupus, guide him to where he needs to go." One of the younger Day Form males looked at his father, snort-huffed, grabbed another berry, and munched it down as he trotted out of the cave.

"This way, Human."

It was another lengthy hike through snow and rock before Lupus stopped and pointed with his nose. "Here. From here to the west, no Pokémon reside."

Alex nodded, ntally checking the area anyway. The wolf was correct. "For your trouble." Alex said, tossing him a Figy Berry. Eyes alight at his favorite noms, Lupus caught it easily, and munched.

"I will watch. Just to be sure."

"Then stand back, my friend. Things are going to get…loud." Alex turned to face the west then, and he heard the wolf trot away into the foliage to eat his noms and watch the strange human. Alex crouched, Tao still in hand, and attuned himself to the rock and ground. Then, he leaped. He was a good sixty feet in the air before he let gravity take him. Both hands on Tao now, he slamd the staff into the ground as he ca back down, and with his help, guided the massive fissure he made in the mountainside and the land below in a straight line. As the ground fell inward, so did the snow. Luckily, he sensed no Pokémon that had fallen into the fissure.

He flew into the air then and called out Shruikan. "We need to outpace the snow! Think you're up to it?" The Salance nodded, and then zood forward, as Alex hung on for dear life to his scaly neck. When they reached the end of his first earthbending strike, Shruikan did a barrel roll, and Alex went sailing downwards again, this ti making two outlines in the land for the oncoming water as he landed with an earthshaking boom. One went further west, the other headed south. He leveled the land so that most of the initial water would head west first, and further to the west, at the end point of his second strike, he had Shruikan land.

"You're up, Tao. Terra, Arbor, you too." The Original Dragon once more assud his titanic form, and together, they began bending an oasis into being in the desert. Eremus had moved quite a few of the Pokémon southward, and those he had missed or those who remained had enough sense to run when they felt the massive shifts in the earth. Terra and Arbor Seed Bombed the area, and the titanic earth tortoise made said seeds sprout rapidly.

Once they were done, Alex and Arbor nodded in agreent when Tao remarked at how lush it seed. "Yes, well done Terra. We've created a proper river, in a dry land." At his words, the rest of the team began, again, ntally belting the lyrics to their newest jam.

Tao chuckled at their antics, and addressed Alex once he recalled his grass types. "You must guide your river past a specific mountain between here and the coast." The dragon told him. "When Lab Ein was destroyed, it ruined several bios in the wake of Groudon's attacks. Purge the land, and guide the water. I will await you in Unova, where we will do more terraforming."

Alex's brows furrowed. "But that desert is much smaller. Won't the Pokémon be displaced?"

"That desert was created by a fire that should not have raged so out of control…it is an ancient mistake I have long since ant to correct. I will move them to Orre or Fornia. They will not mind having more space." Tao flew off then, and Alex heard him humming the tune as well. He chuckled for a good minute, before he continued on.

From what Eremus had found, number wise, there would indeed be room in the Mohave Desert, and Orre's desert was already mostly barren when it ca to fauna. Hopefully the Pokémon hiding there would co out now that the danger of being corrupted with Shadow had mostly passed. Alex sent Blaze, Arthur, and Shruikan ahead to clear anyone around the coast, and by the ti he'd flattened the mountain that had once held Lab Ein and purged the surrounding landscape of the lingering Shadow from the battle there, he was winded, and found a growing crowd of humans, so beach goers, most Trainers who doubled as reporters, and had flying types.

"They won't move." Blaze told him through their ntal link. "No matter how we roar at them."

Alex sighed. Bending an entire river into existence, without Tao's aid, was exhausting. He wanted to finish this, take a break, and then continue carving rivers into the southern part of the desert. Those likely wouldn't last, but even desert dwellers needed so water to survive, and the area around Vega was completely devoid of it. As he reached the end of his latest earthbending strike, he inhaled slowly, and Shouted at the crowd in the distance. A single Word roared like thunder through the area. "MOVE!"

Most of the humans scurried away, for reasons they didn't quite understand, and those who hesitated joined them when the earth began to shake and shatter. As he had with the other sections, he used a combination of earth and waterbending to make sure the river would work on its own. As ltwater ca rushing down, he chuckled, as he saw so eager Magikarp in the ocean already leaping upstream. He welcod them. Pokémon had a habit of keeping bios alive, and Magikarp were no exception.

He sat by the edge of the river in the sand of the golden coast, panting hard. His partners kept the reporters at bay, at least until he'd caught his breath and wiped his sweaty face. He recalled them after giving each a berry for their efforts and turned to the crowd of news-hungry humans. "Go on, then, ask your questions."

"What exactly are you doing?" "Do you know who this land is owned by?" "Who approved your terraforming thods?" "Do you realize how close you were to hitting us!?" On and on the deluge ca, devolving into babble, until Alex raised a hand eventually.

"I'll answer what I was able to hear. I'm making a river in the desert, to create new life and bring back Pokémon to the lands tainted by the fall of Old Vega. The desert will shrink in size over ti, but the Pokémon will adapt, and the Humans here now have a new source of freshwater, all the way from the Stoney Mountains. I don't care who claims to own the land, I don't need approval, and not one of you was in any danger of being hit. That's why my Pokémon were out here. Telling you to move." The reporters started in with more questions, but he held up a hand. "I have more water to redirect, to Sacreus, and further south of it. I also have to remove the Shadow taint Pravus left in Old Vega, so excuse my rudeness…but I have rivers to be creating."

He crouched then, and shot into the air again, as the caras followed him. He had no illusions about what Arc News would be saying in just a few short hours, but by then, he intended to be done. And to pay them a little visit. It was hard to spew BS when the object of their ire was able to bamf into their studio and counter it, live on the air.

He found the initial split in the river he'd made, and as expected, it was nearly full. He split it again, sending so towards Sacreus, and further expanding the river southwards. As they approached the ruins of Vega, he sent the water underground, and then landed in the ancient city. It was a strange, unnatural sight, and as he channeled the Light into it, Nox rose from his shadow to Shadow Punch through a Shadow Ball another Gengar had aid his way.

Alex turned towards the large specin of poisonous ghost. "That wasn't very nice."

The Gengar frowned, and then grinned as he understood the human. "Neither is your bright Light. Stop it. We like this place as it is."

"This place is tainted with evil. With Shadow energy. Once it is gone, you and the other ghosts are more than free to stay here. But I will be Purging the Shadow from the land. It's ruining the lives of other Pokémon far from here."

The Gengar seed to ponder this, for a while. "Fine. We will hide until the Light stops. But the city is ours."

Thankfully, any Shadow Pokémon that had been here had long since been acquired by the Arceans, and likely Purged of their taint. All that remained here was the lingering darkness of Pravus's sacrificial ritual. As Light flowed into the land, the lingering malicious souls of both humans and Pokémon were released from their lingering. So stayed, and would beco Pokémon, while others finally moved on, to the Spirit World, or wherever else their fate would take them.

He continued his terraforming, all the way to the Majestic Canyon. He let Blaze fly off to visit the other Charizard, as he very carefully guided fresh water into the existing river system. "That's so impressive bending." Ca a female voice from behind him. It sounded familiar, but Alex couldn't imdiately place it.

As he turned and saw the speaker though, he recognized her. He was in a cave at this point, covered in dirt, mud, and with more than a few wet spots on his clothes. "Professor Dracaena. I didn't think anyone would be down here, let alone soone like you. You don't need to hide anymore, you know. Fornia is free."

The Professor smiled at him. "It is. Both you and Jessica have done quite well in freeing us, but this…" She gestured at the river. "This will ensure that this canyon survives. This is a perfect example of using one's power for good, and apparently, you've been bringing life all over the Mohave Desert."

Alex nodded, tiredly. "It was more draining than I thought…but I know having water will an the difference between life and death for many Humans and Pokémon. Tao wants to do the sa thing, back in Unova."

The Professor chuckled. "Well, in that case, here." She tossed him a ball, and he glanced at her with a raised eyebrow once he saw its contents. "Horsea's line doesn't do well in this canyon, and this is the last one I was planning to relocate. Sothing tells he'd rather be Trained, though. Why don't you find out, with that gift of yours."

And so, entirely for the Professor's curiosity, Alex did. He was a fierce little water type, but both Hydrus and Pruina agreed he'd be a powerful addition to his rapidly and unintentionally forming C Team. Alex nad him Kral, and then added him to his cloak. He turned back to the Professor, then. "I must be off. Thank you. I'll see that he becos a strong Dragon Type."

The Professor bid him farewell, and with that, Alex summoned Blaze back to him, and bamfed to Unova to begin the process of making literal rivers in the desert all over again. He flew on Shruikan from mphis though, both to recover, and to let his partners, new and old, ntally jam out together as they flew.

(Fornia, after Redwood's shenanigans)

Shadelight, Aurora - Albion region

Morgana cared not for the whispers in the shadows. They taunted her, warned her of the darkness encroaching on her world. How everything, and everyone would succumb to the Shadow. Beings of pure Shadow had even tried attacking her, and while Mordred had moved to stop them, Morgana had simply raised the staff, and absorbed their Shadow energy. All the while, her grin grew in the pure, utter blackness of the tomb. If the Successor had this much power, enough to spawn semi-sentient lifeforms, she could only imagine what he would do once he returned.

Over broken stone bridges and past several barriers that she nullified with simple incantations, inch by inch she 'cleansed' the tomb. Realistically, she was gathering the Shadow in and around it to her, using the staff as a focal point. Sensing this, eventually, the Shadow energy began converging on her on its own, from all across the desert and then all but dragged her further down, to a sarcophagus that was bolted with heavy, rune inscribed chains. The Shadow around her surged towards it, but the chains shone bright blue, and repelled the darkness. Dark purple energy roiled around it, seeming almost impatient.

"Tsk tsk." Morgana muttered. "The Archon King's seal still holds…that won't do. Mordred. Shatter it."

Without hesitation, the Shadow Gallade marched forward, though he winced, and backed away as the chains repelled him, as well. He saw the focal point though, a round, circular object with a shape on it that resembled a Herlemin, a double-ended axe. There was an S like line splitting the circular object as well, and Mordred narrowed his eyes, as the pattern of the glow reminded him far too much of the symbol of Balance that had co to represent his most hated enemies.

Steeling himself with that hatred, he strode forward again, and Morgana watched, fascinated, as the Gallade's unusual red and deep blurple coloring gave way to the usual green and white of his species' line. Then, Mordred struck the seal with a double Brick Break, and the power of the move shattered both crisscrossing chains in one stroke. The Shadow energy around them surged towards the sarcophagus, and through Mordred as well. His Shadow coloring returned, and darkness seeped from under the stone lid of the Successor's grave.

Morgana unceremoniously shoved the top off and sighed. More chains bound pieces of his perfectly preserved and muscular fra in place, as the Shadow struggled to knit them back together. She removed them herself this ti, one piece at a ti, with the head being last. She could tell though; he was not fully rejoined. The Shadow rely knitted the flesh, but everything else had still remained severed.

So, from his forehead, Morgana ran a long-nailed finger down his pale flesh, and chanted, "Sinews nd and muscles heal, let your dead nerves feel. Broken bones and spine severed, join once more from nape to nether…hrm." She paused at his nether region, sensing he still wasn't ready. The Shadows in her mind whispered that there needed to be sothing more.

"You have a knack for rhy. Do you do this all the ti?" Pravus said from above her. He smirked, and Morgana didn't like how smug he was at that all important mont. Then, she realized what was missing.

She raised a hand towards him suddenly, and his mummified wings stopped mid-flight, as Pravus found them, and his mouth, indeed his entire skull, frozen by the witch's magic. "Spark of darkness, undead dread…fill our Champion's rotten head…wings of Shadow give you flight…until you achieve the Death of Light!"

Pravus felt his wings evaporate, and his skin turned brittle. His tongue turned to ash, and his jaw fell away from his skull as his skin and sinew beca dust. He was completely useless now. A skull with unnatural, tortured eyeballs inhabiting the skinless sockets. He couldn't even move, he could only watch from the floor, as the dark powers he'd bargained with abandoned him for a superior vessel…or perhaps, the vessel they had intended to one day inhabit the entire ti. Long had the Shadows whispered to him to visit Albion. Doing so on his victorious return from Norstad had led him to et the witch in the first place. He should have perhaps been more wary about a second Shadow enthusiast in the world, and one so clearly favored by the dark powers.

Morgana had completely forgotten about Caleb Pravus, as his usefulness ended. Even the Shadow tracker still affixed to his skull was forgotten, as she took in the sight before her, and felt the Shadow draw upon the staff's power. She gave it willingly, quietly wondering if the Shadow would turn her into a skinless husk as well.

Given the pitch blackness of the tomb, the only light ca from the eerie purple glow that surrounded and levitated the body of the Successor. Dark wings ford from his back, and purple sigils shone bright on what seed like black epheral feathers. The wings faded from sight, as his eyes opened, and he breathed for the first ti in millennia. He coughed, as he unceremoniously fell to the ground before his tomb. His skin now resembled Pravus's, and his Hand's, in the unsettling white tone of it. His rotted hair slowly regained its forr volu, and as he hacked up millennia worth of dust from his lungs and stomach, his body began to function again, piece by piece.

A large, clawed hand instinctively moved to his neck, as the last image of his mortal life flashed before his eyes. His brain too, was recovering and with that ca most of his mories. A ridiculously burly man in golden plate armor and a similarly bright helt surrounded by a full body shield of light blue aura, coming for his head with a massive crimson greatsword whose blade was curved like a crimson S, and yet sturdy enough to, if he recalled correctly, slay dragons. The Hero of Albion. Of course. He rembered now. He looked around and as he did, purple flas lit the long dead torches of his tomb, giving him light, of a kind, as soon as he desired it.

Then, he noticed her. Kneeling before him more out of exhaustion than reverence was a woman in tattered attire he recognized as being of Albion. And she was clinging to his staff. He let her. He had no more need for it. Not now. "I…take it…you…are the one who…revived ." His hoarse vocal cords hissed, as they adjusted to being used again.

Morgana nodded. "I am a humble servant of the Shadow. The whispers…they bid raise you back to unlife, in this modern era."

"How long…has passed?" He asked, as he walked past her, down the steps leading to his sarcophagus.

"Thousands of years, my…erm…my Lord…" Morgana answered.

"Proditor." He said in a stronger baritone, answering her unasked question as he sensed it in her mind. His psychic powers were coming back as well, and he expanded his consciousness for miles, searching for any bastions of might and Light, like perhaps, an Archon long in hiding. There was nothing. He grinned and turned to her in all his nude glory. His body was the peak of male physicality. "I am Lord Proditor. Champion of the Shadow." He stared at the woman expectantly.

"Morgana." She said, standing now, and leaning heavily on the staff. "Current Queen of Albion."

Proditor narrowed his eyes at her. "Have the Archons fallen to Shadow then? Only they truly rule in Albion."

Morgana gave a little cackle. "My Lord…the Archons are dust. The Aura Guardians are broken. The Light's Champions are potent…but untempered compared to you. There is only one power in this era that might stand against you, and last more than a few monts."

Having sensed sothing when he expanded his mind, Proditor ignored Morgana for the mont, and approached an alcove in the wall of the tomb. Two sigil-covered suits of armor flanked what he recognized as one of his capture spheres, and within, was one of his oldest friends. The only one older than this one was his Abomasnow. A small smile cracked his impassive handso visage, and he reached out for the black crystalline sphere, taking it in his hand, as he walked back to the center of the room. Predictably, at least to him, the two suits of armor burned to life with psychic power. They were Sigilyphs of the Albion region, heavy armored humanoid cyclopian guards wielding dual-bladed glaives that had been set to guard this place. They shared a similar pattern and color sche to the psychic and flying variants, but these psychic and steel types had been painted blue and gold, in the Hero of Albion's colors.

Proditor raised the sphere to his mouth as he sensed Morgana scurry out of sight. "Shellraiser…"

Before him, his loyal Shadow Blastoise appeared on all fours. He rose then with a low growl, looking as formidable as his Trainer rembered. His shell was like obsidian, shiny, black, and jagged with sharp edges. His underbelly was bone white, while his skin was an unsettling blurple. His red eyes focused on the Sigilyph as they advanced on him, and his shell cracked open after millennia of disuse, revealing a pair of cannons not unlike a regular Blastoise, save that the top part of the barrels curved into a sharp point.

"Shadow Cannon."

With a grin that matched his master's, the Shadow Blastoise aid and fired. Two black jets of water infused with Shadow launched towards the Sigilyph, taking them both out in a single shot. They fell to the ground with disappointing ease, and Shellraiser stomped on their pieces, before turning and grinning at his Tar. "Well done…old friend." "Blaaaast." "Let's go get the rest of the party back together."

Shellraiser returned to his sphere with a flash of blurple light, and Proditor looked over at the Queen, who'd since co out of hiding as she spoke. "I will accompany you, Lord Proditor. There is much you do not know about this ti period."

Proditor fixed her with a stare. "You said there is one who could stand against . Who."