The Teleportal dropped the group off on the edge of tall hill, but the edge was so sharp it resembled a cliff. From here, they had full view of the disturbing scenery of the world around them, and were amazed at it being nothing like they had ever seen or imagined.
That was at first glance, anyway. Lute could draw parallels between this place and Pokétopia in that skyscrapers and lively streets defined the place. Complete with neon signs and warm, colourful lights that gleamed like stars in the nightlife, this place even had wind.
The major difference was that this entire world was drowned beneath an ocean that seemed to have no end. All the lights from the buildings glistened from beneath the surface of the water, as if the sun was setting behind it – but there was no sun, just the crumbling ceiling of the Earth above. A few skyscrapers poked above the water, and strangely, every last one of them was intact.
"What is this place? There's nowhere but underwater," Esther said as she slowly spun around. They were on a small island, and that was all that stood out of the water.
"This is the sixth continent. Cistern Citadel. A city once cultivated by Carbink, and their ruler, a mythical Pokémon called Diancie," Azu said. She hopped down the cliff and stumbled, and then continued to the edge. "I believe it was something to do with a second royalty being born when they shouldn't have been, causing a civil war. The continent expanded into two more lands: Moand Dia, and Balunercc."
"So Balunercc's an island?" Infia tilted her head. "But that doesn't make any sense. Isn't Moand Dia that world inside the planet? Normal Pokémon can't go there."
"Normal Pokémon can't go there now. Those are practically two worlds now, and they're protected by their respective mythical Pokémon. Moand Dia is protected by Diancie, and Balunercc, a royal called Artemis," Azu explained. "I honestly never considered it at first, but it seems that Naivie is Artemis' champion. She's trying to bring Artemis and Balunercc back to the world."
"Oh, I get it. So something happened that turned Balunercc into a planet. Now that the weather is back to normal, Naivie's trying to get to Balunercc because Artemis is there, right?" Esther said.
"Something like that. I couldn't tell you the full details, to be honest. All I know is that this is what remains of the Carbink's continent. Somewhere here is a way leading directly to Diancie, and that your Sylveon friend is way ahead of you in finding it," Azu informed. "You'll want to find Diancie and talk to them yourself if you want to know how to stop Balunercc from crashing into Aseria."
"Sophitia went here? How, the whole thing's underwater!" Kuri said.
"Somehow I don't see that being much of an issue for her," Lute said, staring at it. He said that, but the idea of her diving deep into this underwater city made him nervous. She may have been excellent at swimming, but she was no Vaporeon, and he had certainly seen her drown before.
"Well it's a good thing I came then, isn't it? I had better get to work," Marina said, and stretched her legs. "I'll find the Teleportal and head back here. Hopefully it's in a place where I can lead you all to it."
"I hate underwater travel," Infia slumped
"We could always go as Esthia," Esther suggested.
"Thanks, but that's not going to solve the clothes problem," she said with a groan.
"Hahaha, you kids really are adventurous. I love it! You think you'll last exploring a place like this? Where the portal is, the pressure would probably kill you," Azu remarked. She inhaled deeply and puffed up her chest and belly to nearly twice her size, and then gradually exhaled to form a large bubble. She made several of them and each one was bigger than her. "Okay, get in."
"Did Sophitia take one of these?" Lute asked. He blankly pressed his paw into the bubble. He slipped into it with a bit of effort, and was surprised at how sturdy it felt from inside.
"Nope, ran off the moment we landed from the Teleportal. The bubbles will shrink as they run out of air, so I'd get a move on if I were you. I might think twice about resupplying those," Azu said with a half lidded smirk. Between awkward glances, shrugs, and sighs, the group collectively agreed and got in their own bubbles.
Walking felt like being inside a giant ball of sponge, but once he was below the surface, all the nervousness hit. Most of the pressures of underwater exploration took hold right away. The water was cold, movement became difficult, and all he could hear around him was the muffled bubbling of the water. Despite being in the bubble, he still had to paddle and swim, too. He was sweating, and breathed carefully as he descended. He half expected the bubble to suddenly pop.
"Spread out, but stay together. And check the windows," Marina ordered, as she took the lead. It was no surprise to see her speed through the water with a majestic slither. Lute held onto his fears and followed her closely, gazing at the world around him in search of anything suspicious.
This place was clearly not supposed to be underwater. The buildings had stairs with large steps, and many of the roads were lit up by glowing poles made of gemstones. The stones changed colour every now and then with a bleep and a bloop, like the traffic lights for the gondolas he knew.
Not a soul could be heard and seen besides him and his friends, yet these traffic systems functioned ceaselessly alongside the lights and machinery inside the buildings. None of it was in any sort of pattern, with random rooms lit up and others not. The deeper down and closer he got to it all, the more he sweated.
"This place was abandoned, but I cannot fathom why. A lot of it is in good condition," Phoenix commented. Lute was surprised to hear him so clearly. His voice echoed vividly.
"And check it out. Everything's made of stone. Like, pure, hard, stone," Esther added, admiring one of the streetlamps. "It's stone, but it's glowing like a jewel. I could take some of these, if they don't mind."
"Maybe next time, Esther," Infia said, admiring the same jewels.
"Maybe the island sunk? It's not really that important, is it?" Kuri said.
"The island sunk and the Carbink abandoned it, separating into what we know as two different worlds, Moand Dia and Balunercc. Does that idea not concern you in the slightest?" Phoenix said.
The Chespin looked back him. "It does concern me. But we're not gonna figure something like this out right now. We don't know enough information."
"This is unbelievable. It's even more advanced than Pokétopia in some places," Lute said quietly as he stopped to look around more. All the facilities he expected to find were here. A shopping mall, a city hall, a children's park, and more. Street signs directed to a gemstone mine, public habitats, and other general areas.
Even after what must have been about twenty minutes, his bubble didn't look like it had shrunk an inch. With convenience like this, his thoughts shifted to Sophitia again, and how much she would have loved to explore a place like this. More specifically, he would have loved to explore this place with her. She probably wouldn't mind him sharing a bubble with her, enabling him to take part in all those fancy moves she pulled on Reis Island. Well, that was if she could do them within the bubble.
"Please be okay," he whispered. He shook himself back to focus.
"She'll be okay. We believe in her, too," Infia said. She gestured holding his hand, and he smiled a little. "So chin up, Lute! We'll find her."
"I know. Thanks, Infia," he replied.
"You guys, I found it. The Teleportal is right here in the city hall," Marina called out. "But it looks different to the Teleportals I've seen."
"Different?" He raised an eyebrow. The group gathered together and followed her lead, confused that she swam in through a window rather than the front door. Esther lagged behind a bit, realising that the city hall, and all the other big buildings for that matter, had no main doors.
"Wait, is this really a city for Carbink? The stone and gemstone stuff matches up, but none of the buildings have doors," Esther said as she caught up. She nearly bumped into Infia's bubble.
"It has to. That's the same one," Lute said, staring at the Teleportal. It was the same kind as the one below the Spirle Base. The fancier Teleportal in the crystal room with a curtain. Just like everything else, it was perfectly intact. "Kuri, we're counting on you."
"Me?" he groaned.
"Well yeah, you're the only Ancient here, now. Deep breaths, everyone," Lute said.
The Chespin grumbled a curse but went along with it, checking out the room for a moment. Once he signalled the okay, they all took deep breaths and broke their air bubbles. Lute was surprised by the hefty feeling of all the water around him, which almost paralysed him in place. He almost caved right in and breathed too, but with all his will, held back. Marina had to grab and pull him into the room with everyone else, while Kuri warped them away.
When they landed, he did his patented hop forward to scout around. The instant he did so, all the water they had warped with splashed around and swamped him out of place. It was surprising enough to distract him so he choked on it. He was left drenched and confused in a cold, dark cavern.
"Really?" He coughed and spat out the awful, salty taste. He looked up to find the rainbow colours of a Hyper Beam attack speeding toward him, to which he screamed and threw himself to the side so roughly he fell awkwardly on his side. The enormous blast grazed him and filled the air with smoke and embers.
"Guys!" he called out, trying to brush it all aside. No wait, look where the attack came from!
He was right to do so as the instant he turned in that direction, his attacker was high in the air and heading straight towards him. It was at a blurry speed, so the best he could do was flinch and throw a paw forward to punch. He was tackled down by his four-legged attacker, and cried out as his back scraped across the hard ground. When his momentum stopped, he growled and blinked away tears to look up.
"Evoli?" he gasped. The enemy Eevee raised its head and brought up another Hyper Beam, and he flew into a panic. He couldn't get out of Evoli's grip, and started screaming.
"Get off of him!" Sophitia screamed and barged him over. Evoli looked as though he choked on the Hyper Beam, causing it to explode and envelop the area in smoke once again.
It took Lute a moment to register what he had just seen and heard, to which he did a double take as he rolled to his feet. He stared in angst, desperate for the smoke to clear. As it did, his emotions bubbled up within his chest. All sorts of unknown feelings welled up and swirled a million unfamiliar thoughts in his mind, with only one thing in common: relief.
He was relieved to see her. She was battered and paid him no mind to concentrate on Evoli, who slowly stood back up from his damage. But there she was, in the flesh. Looking at her now had him shudder in affection and adoration, but that was cut off by Evoli letting out a war screech.
"You can keep fighting all you want; I'm not giving up. I've come too far to stop here," Sophitia said, and raised a feeler briefly. Her shield appeared on the end of it, which she held forward.
"Glad to hear it, but you can kick back for a bit." Kuri slid in front of her with Esther and Infia. "Wouldn't do to have you faint on us now, would it?"
"What's this guy doing here, anyway? If the going gets rough, let's Esthia," Esther said. Infia nodded.
"Oh, right," Lute gasped, and shook into focus He slid between his friends, now with a cocky smile on his face.
"You guys," Sophitia whispered. "B-be careful. This is Evoli we're dealing with here!"
"You don't need to tell us," Lute said, half looking back at her. "We beat Lassic for a reason. We can handle this, now."
Evoli screeched at them again, making everyone face forward. He began to charge Hyper Beam once more, and everyone responded with the preparation to dodge. They glared each other down, and their bodies tensed.
To their surprise, there was hesitation. Lute knew better than to let his guard down here, but the hesitation to fire the attack did worry him. That was until Marina stepped beside him, wary and jaw-dropped.
"Mum! Be care—" he began to say, only to become just as shocked. Evoli's attack fizzled out into thin air.
Complete silence fell. The Eevee may not have had any details in his eyes other than veins, but nobody needed to see those details to tell that he was staring at her and nothing else. Marina was the same, completely fixated on him. The duo shuddered from their stiffness.
Marina eventually took a single step forward, and he didn't move. She blinked once, twice, a third, and he was still there in the same spot. She held both her forepaws forward, and he slowly did the same. He had stopped gawking, but she was on the verge of tears, and uttered the faintest of sounds of disbelief.
"Is it really you?" Marina whispered. Evoli didn't reply, nor did he move as she came closer. "Please. Anything. Just a sign. Is it really you?"
Kuri shifted ahead in expectation of a sly move, but he didn't need to. Marina kept her wary approach until she could wrap her paws around Evoli. He took a few seconds to do the same, and once they were hugging, his ears and fur relaxed.
"I... I can't believe it. The guy really has a chill mode," Esther whispered. Infia hushed her.
"I don't know why you're here. When everyone said it was you, I didn't know what to believe. But now that I'm here, I know for sure," Marina said, her voice softer than ever. She sniffled and nuzzled into her partner while tears ran down her face. He accepted that affection without a sound, doing the same. "It's over now, Evoli. You don't have to suffer anymore."
There was another round of silence, and the two stepped back and forth, side to side a little, never leaving one another's embrace. It was as if they were dancing, the kind of dance a royal couple would do on the ballroom floor on the night of their marriage. Even with Evoli's empty eyes, it felt just as romantic to watch here as it would have in a place like that.
"Lassic is gone. Silver is gone. They're both resting in peace. The weather is back, and Pokémon aren't relying on V-Wave technology anymore," Marina whispered with a sniffle. "So it's over, now. You can rest. You don't have to fight anymore. And that's Lute, you know? Our son. He's grown up strong, don't you think?"
Evoli slowly slipped out of her grip and sat down. He had to look up at her, but his eyes squinted as if he was holding back tears. A moment later, bright particles of light appeared all over his body. He began to vanish, but as he did so, the faintest of smiles appeared. Marina wiped her eyes and smiled the same way.
"I'm so happy, and so blessed to be able to see you one last time," she whimpered.
Evoli bowed, and then shut his eyes. His body faded into light which disappeared into nothing, but as it did, he had the most peaceful serenity the group had ever seen. He kept those peaceful eyes and light smile right up until he was gone completely, and left nothing behind. Not a fur, not a sound, not a touch, even moments afterwards.
"I didn't believe it was really him, you know," Marina said, without turning around. "I don't understand it, either. Why he was here and why he was fighting you. Maybe he knew I was suffering and didn't want to go."
"He was your husband, right? It's not the first time I've seen or heard of something like that," Kuri said. "Vengeful or suffering spirits that refuse to lay to rest. They become mutated ghost Pokémon who won't leave the world until they find their one last solace. If you hadn't come here, he might've been that overpowered monster for the rest of time."
"It's exactly that. He was getting taken advantage of by Artemis," Sophitia stated and drew all eyes to her. "When he died, Artemis gave him the chance to stay alive as a physical spirit under the condition that he would guard the way to the Diamond Domain. Thus, he attacked everyone who came down to Moand Dia. His whole purpose was to stop Pokémon from ever reaching Diancie."
"Oh wow. You really did get your memory back," Kuri said, and put a hand on his hip.
"Sophitia!" Infia and Esther cheered and threw themselves at her.
"W-whoa, um, hi there," gasped the Sylveon. She leaned away from them as they cuddled up to her. Even Phoenix huddled close and bumped her with a paw and a smile.
"You've got some real explaining to do, little miss. The kids really missed ya," Kuri jokedd. "Wish they'd wait until Marina's had her time, though."
"Are you kidding? I'm so through with crying, I've cried all there is to cry. You, you're like a daughter to me. So my first question is: where have you been, young lady?" Marina raised her voice and jumped over. "Do you have any idea how worried sick I've been?"
"Urk I- guys, c'mon, this is just," Sophitia mumbled, smiling awkwardly. She blushed and scratched the back of her head with a feeler. "Geez, I've never felt so important. And I was the leader on the damn team."
One look up brought her attention to Lute, who was still stood away from the group. He was shaking and muttering to himself. He almost looked worried, which confused her. The others took note of her quiet and stepped away from her, letting her stand up to address him properly.
He didn't know what to say, though. For the first time in his life, he was stuck at a loss when it came to her. He knew what he wanted and what to say when he was on his way here, and yet now that he was here, all those feelings of relief were going absolutely wild inside of him. At some point they exploded and came out as an enigma actions he didn't have control of. He sniffled, failed to blink away a tear, and trembled, yet he also laughed lightly, smiled, and his eyes glazed over with happiness.
"I'm sorry, I just—" he said, finally taking a step forward.
"Lute?" Sophitia said, still confused. His steps turned into a full force sprint, giving her a moment of surprise before she was tackled down. He dove right through her, sending the duo rolling all the way to the other side of the area. "Whoa, easy there, Litleo! I'm not in the best shape, I admit."
She felt uncomfortable from the suddenness of it, but realised that he was actually crying into her chest. He hugged her tightly, but not with the evasive and awkward feelings he showed when she usually got affectionate with him. His grip with desperate and delicate at the same time, as if he was no longer ashamed to show his feelings to her. His head was just below hers, nuzzling into her bow a, where she could detect every last hint of emotion behind his tears and sniffles.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I couldn't help you. I'm so sorry I ignored you for so long," he rambled. He kept saying similar apologies even after she wrapped her paws around him and cradled his body closer. It wasn't until she gave him a teensy lick on his cheek that he froze up and leaned back, locking eyes with her. She had the sweetest smile on her face, and her own magenta eyes were glazed over, too.
"I'm so glad you're okay. I just- I dunno, I couldn't—"
"Just stop already," she replied softly, and giggled a little.
"Sophitia," he whispered. Right here and now, her few words relaxed and focused his feelings. He adored cradling her like this, and having those feelings reciprocated. Right now, nothing else mattered other than proving to her how much she meant to him, and the idea that those feelings were mutual to her was clear as day. His paws slowly rubbed to her sides as she did the same, and a heavy shyness filled his chest.
He wasn't going to let that shyness stop him, though. For some reason, he felt like everything he wanted to do now was right, and so he leaned in and slid one paw behind her head to guide her face to his. She allowed him to, and closed her eyes as her smile pursed instinctively. But an instant before their lips connected, he was yanked from his position with a painful pinch. She was surprised by the sudden detachment as well, enough so that she let him leave her grip without contest.
He blinked several times in a complete daze, left hanging by his tail and rotating. Once he met eyes with Marina, he flinched at the exceptionally loud clearing of her throat, and his face went bright red. "M-Mum?"
"I warned you, mister. I said I would only embarrass you if you did something you weren't supposed to do," Marina said. "And what's up with the rest of you? Let go of me!"
The Vaporeon was stood tall on her hind legs, but Esther, Infia, and Phoenix were all trying hopelessly to pull her back by her tail. The trio let go and hopped away to pretend they weren't paying attention. Once Sophitia saw them, she flipped back to her feet and cleared her own throat. She couldn't stop blushing.
"You're mistaken, it was just a little affection. Nothing more, nothing less," Sophitia squeaked.
"Y-yeah, m-me and Sophitia definitely weren't going to kiss or anything!" Lute cried, shaking himself. "I'd never do anything like that, and we definitely don't have anything going on. Love is gross!"
Every word brought Sophitia to growl, so she raised a feeler and slapped his face so hard he dropped out of Marina's grip. "You stupid kid. How many times do I have to tell you to watch your words?"
"Maybe next time you'll think twice about getting a room," Marina said, brushing off her paws. "We have far more important things to be dealing with right now, young Eevee. As long as you're in my presence and in my household, you are not doing anything close."
"We-we're not a-at home though," he said, twitching on the floor beside her. Without even looking at him, she rose a paw, and that made him shriek. "Okay okay, yes Mum!"
"Aww, really?" Sophitia said. She palmed her face with a sigh.
...
"I didn't fully regain my memory, but some things came back to me when we fought Naivie," Sophitia began as she directed the group through the cave. Wherever they were now, the area was vast, quiet, and decorated with various gemstones jutting from the walls and floor. Each one was tiny and a different colour, shape, and size, and were gathered together like plants.
The same humidity as Cistern City was present, though. Lute sweated hard and breathed roughly, as if breathing through his mouth didn't give him the oxygen it should have. The hard floor didn't feel like he was underwater or in a volcano or anything. The way this place was laid out, it felt more like he was walking in the open fields between towns. Instead of vast green fields and clear skies, there were massive rooms of slopes and arches miles above him.
"This place is called the Diamond Domain. I'm sure Diancie lives here, and she's the one who raised me. Who gave me those memories you guys all saw when we awakened the Ancient Flowers," Sophitia said. "I knew that if I came here, I could learn everything. But that's when I remembered stuff about Artemis, too. About how I knew he had Evoli under his control, or that Naivie's attack could be blocked."
"So Naivie wasn't really lying about all that stuff she was talking about, was she?" Kuri asked.
"I dunno who I used to be, but I don't care about that. I'm who I am now, and who I am now is you guys' friends. That Naivie has nothing to do with me," she assured, and slowed down a bit. She looked side to side at all the park apparatus around them. "It was right here. I'm sure of it. I grew up right here."
"That's so strange to look at. It's just like a children's park, but everything's made of stone," Infia said, while Phoenix gave the seesaw a tap. It functioned, surprisingly. There was a spring horse, a slide, seesaws, a roundabout, and even a climbing frame. The latter stood out the most due to being made entirely of clear pink gemstones.
"Doesn't look very comfortable to use. And there's nothing here for quadruped Pokémon," Marina commented. "We've been seeing a lot of unusual things since we came here. How is any of this suitable for Carbink?"
"That's what I was saying! The buildings back in the city had no doors, only windows. With no glass!" Esther cried.
"You!" a girly voice squeaked, making the group jump. A Floette and a Flabébé came out of hiding, and the Flabébé flailed her flower in anger. "I was wondering what all that racket was earlier. Can't you stupid kids take your battles outside? Why do you have to have 'em on historical grounds? Can't any of you have respect for stuff that doesn't belong to you for one minute?"
"Whoa hey, pardon you. Who hurt you?" Kuri spat.
"Easy, Florrie. These Pokémon managed to make it here, even as they were beset by the demon Eevee," the Floette said as she floated between them.
"Demon Eevee?" Lute raised an eyebrow. "You mean Evoli, right?"
"Whatever. You're here now, and you nearly made a mess of things. Get outta here if you're looking for treasure or whatever. You're not gonna find it here!" Flabébé shouted.
"Oh great, you're the fiery one," Kuri groaned and rolled his eyes.
"Why do I feel like...?" Sophitia muttered, staring at them.
"You must forgive my sister. She is understandably protective of this area as it is truly important to us. But if you are Pokémon that have gotten here, then you must be here for a good reason," Floette said. Sophitia started crying out continuously, and pointed at the duo.
"It's you two! The guardian fairies from that relic!" she shouted.
"Guardian fairies?" Lute said.
"You know them! We saved them from the Risen," she gasped and bounced up and down. Lute had a lightbulb moment then, and looked up to recall it.
"Geez sis, you're a fool's fool, you know that? Or fate's fool, anyway," Florrie said.
"We fairies are important to Planet Aseria. We only awaken when the planet is in danger, where it is our duty to pass on knowledge and guidance to heroes that can resolve the planet's crisis," Floette said as she floated toward some markings on an old wall. It looked like groups of Pokémon worshipping the sun, though that sun was very rigid and octagonal. "Look closely. The Pokémon of Aseria worship the Shaymin, and through their blessings, the Shaymin control the weather around the planet."
"The weather? The Shaymin must've been some really cool and powerful Pokémon," Lute said, his eyes gleaming.
"You were the ones who told us about the heroes and the legend of Aseria. You recognised Sophitia and told us all about everything that was going on long before we ended up setting off," Lute said. "Florrie and Floette. What're you two doing here?"
"When did this happen? And why didn't you ever tell me about it?" Marina said.
"It ended up not really being that important. But I guess, you girls are here now, so it has to be important," he said, and turned back to the fairies.
"And you are all here as well. It can't not be fate. By any chance, did you ever remember who you were?" Floette said.
"Seriously? You dolts are one's we've gotta- oh alright, whatever. I guess the gods will choose anyone when they're strapped for heroes," Florrie pouted and turned away.
"Is she always like this?" Kuri mumbled to Lute.
"Er kinda. I'm sure she doesn't mean it," he replied with a snicker.
"Actually, don't answer that. It doesn't matter at this point. I'm sure you're here to find a way to stop Balunercc, right? Everything will become clear if we wake Diancie up. And I'm certain that she will recognise you," Floette said, turning to the climbing frame. "With me please, Florrie. And make it quick."
"Yeah yeah, keep your petals on," The Flabébé said.
The two fairies positioned themselves on either side of the web of gemstones and raised their arms as they started to glow. Now that he was staring at it, Lute realised that there was in fact a Pokémon frozen inside of the gemstones.
He didn't have to wait long to meet them though, as all it took was a magical gleam from the duo for the climbing frame to react with its own warm glow. It looked like the light burnt away the gemstones in a smooth fade that left embers in the air. Half a minute later and everything within was set free, and a shining Pokémon slowly descended to the ground.
The Pokémon was quite tall and was clearly royalty. Her body was smooth, coloured a stony grey, and was clothed in a thin white dress that went down below her waist. She wore a huge pink diamond on her head, with a headdress of smaller diamonds behind it. Her lower half resembled a Carbink's lower half, with its general pyramid shape but rocky appearance. Many pink gemstones poked out here and there.
She came out of her prayer pose as she landed, and let out a light breath of surprise. She balanced without anyone's help, and slowly revealed her bright purple eyes. "Oh. I'm so glad you all made it here."
The group didn't respond, overwhelmed by her presence. Her voice was serene, her body was clean and glowing, and in general, her form was attractive. She lowered her tiny, mitten-like hands to press one to the gemstone on her chest and smiled. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Diancie, the queen and founder of all of Aseria."
"The queen and founder?" Marina said.
"From my sealing of trapped crystal, I was able to see much of the world through the eyes of my champions, Floette and Florrie. Likewise, my connection to the planet enabled me to sense any and all changes. I am very aware of much that is going on, and all you have been through, heroes," Diancie explained. She put her hands together. "Will you please listen to my story? This will lead to my last request to you as heroes."
"That's what we came here for. You know about my past, right? And how we can stop that planet from crashing into Aseria," Sophitia said.
Diancie nodded slowly. "Please listen well to the story of Aseria."
...
Aseria was originally a barren rock inhabited only by feral species who survived purely on instinct and nothing else. Its most dominant species, flying fairies known as the Carbink, spent their time constructing the rock into a civilization. Eventually, there came to be born a special Carbink, a taller, more beautiful, majestic fairy christened as Diancie.
I am the very same Diancie as the one I speak of. Back then, I was worshipped as a legendary queen, blessed with great power and intelligence. I shared my power with the world, and thanks to my rule, Aseria advanced into a flourishing world rife with species and life. I created a stone that was to be Aseria's core, the Mega Stone. The Mega Stone was the source of Aseria's power and nature, which would be expelled through gigantic flowers on the world's five continents. Civilization grew, and Aseria became a paradise.
But any form of peace was not to last. As our planet grew and its species became more intelligent, other kingdoms sprouted out and declared their independence. Pokémon became separated by their species, values, and more. We of the Carbink were forced below the surface by their advancing civilizations, avoiding all conflict by hiding ourselves inside the planet. The citadel you travelled through to reach here.
But as desperate as the world's leaders were for dominance of Aseria and the limitless energy of the Mega Stone, one feeling was unanimous: that the flowers be respected, and the Mega Stone left unharmed. Thus, no war ever involved the harming of the flowers. It was a known culture to respect the flowers and the energy they gave.
As the Carbink adjusted to a new life in hiding beneath the plates of earth, we lost much of our power and wonderful glow. Our bodies, which were once adorned with fluff, feathers, and gemstones more beautiful than diamond, had regressed into armless, heavy suits of rock. Our eyes attuned to the dark and our powers leaned towards defence. As I ordered my Pokémon never to engage in conflict, we became weaker and weaker, until one day a new mutation of our species was born: Artemis.
Artemis was a new me, a new ruler of the Carbink. He matched me in power, intelligence, majesty. But as he was born into our time of darkness, the time where we Carbink were being threatened to complete extinction, his views were different. He lamented the Pokémon who had split the continents, who worshipped and used the flowers and the Mega Stone. All he cared about was reclaiming the world above and returning the Carbink to their original glory.
And thus, we Carbink entered our own civil war. I refused to strike against the Pokémon of the world above, but there were Carbink who believed in him, who could not take our suffering in the darkness. They sided with Artemis and split our country into two, Moand Dia and Balunercc. Our battles created the cistern you see today.
I foresaw the complete destruction of the Carbink and the world as we knew it. And thus began a plan of unheard actions. I enlisted the help of one being who could stand up to me and Artemis, someone with an unwavering passion for survival, life, and prosperity; someone who would set aside everything and challenge a god. My prayers presented me with an infant girl, a human baby christened as Sophitia.
Artemis was astonished that a human could exist here in our world of Aseria. But it was his realisation of how grave his actions were. And so, we gifted Sophitia our powers, and raised her together. My stout resilience manifested as a shield that could guard against the world's mightiest powers. Meanwhile Artemis' passionate resolve for glory manifested as a sword that could slay the world's most dangerous monsters. And with an aura of both our blessings, Sophitia could take an army of her own to anywhere in the world, even our sacred realms protected by our influence.
To put an end to the Carbink's battles, I sealed myself into the planet and locked the powers of the Mega Stone. Moand Dia would remain sealed to all but those at Sophitia's side. Artemis took his Carbink into outer space along with his continent of Balunercc, where he planned to cultivate an unstoppable army.
This was our final decree to settle our generations long battle. When the world of Aseria was in need of our power once more, the two of us would awaken, our ideals clashing one final time. The human would be the decider of Aseria's fate.
...
"No way... I-I mean it makes perfect sense when I think about it, but it's still surprising. I'm a human?" Sophitia said, looking down at her feelers.
"A human turning into a Pokémon to stop a war from times of history," Lute said. His eyes gleamed brightly. "I always knew you were an amazing Pokémon, but this is way cooler than I imagined. Sophitia, you're phenomenal!"
She looked at him in surprise, and then suddenly burst out laughing. "Oh gods, Marina, you totally made us dodge a bullet back there then huh? That could've gotten real awkward if we'd gone through with it!"
"Huh? But... it did get awkward. Because of everyone there," Lute said, going quiet.
"I mean 'cos I'm human you silly fox. A human and a Pokémon can't get together. That's just, wrong," Sophitia said, and shrugged her feelers. He seemed totally confused by the idea. "Never mind. We won't have this conversation now."
"Let me get this straight. Sophie's a human who has some of yours and Artemis' powers and is strong enough to defeat both of you. You guys made her this way so that she could save the world when you sealed off the Mega Stone and cut off the seasons?" Esther said.
"I'm really impressed you actually got all that," Infia said.
"Hey I'm really into legends and stuff too y'know. Remember, it was me that dragged you lot off on this in the first place," she said, raising a fist. "Now I know I've got a real knack for it. I picked like, the world's greatest legendary on a whim! A frickin' human!"
"Artemis took you with him when he left Aseria, Sophitia. He made you his champion, and manipulated you into believing that no Pokémon could pay respect to the flowers. When Aseria finally began to lose its nature, you came to the planet to stop anyone from paying respects to the flowers. He wanted to let the planet die thanks to me. I had no choice but to intervene soon after you landed, and wiped your memories," Diancie explained. She frowned and held her chest. "But Artemis wouldn't stand for it. He took advantage of a lost spirit, the one you call Evoli, and used them to guard the way to my domain. He used these underhanded methods to shift our battle into his favour, hoping that we could never meet and that you could never learn the truth!"
"But now, she does know the truth. So we are going to go to Balunercc and confront him to settle this for good," Phoenix said. "Your aura truly enabled us to go anywhere in the world. To the core, to the deepest reaches of the ocean, and even here. I'm sure outer space will be no problem."
"It won't be the wildest battle we've ever had to do. Having to go to the core to fight Lassic still kinda blows my mind," Kuri said. "So, how do we get to Balunercc?"
"You guys are surprisingly okay with this. This won't even be like fighting Lassic, you know. We're talking about somebody with the power to both destroy and create an entire world," Sophitia warned.
"Well of course we're okay with it. We've been through way too much together to stop here," Lute said with a cheerful smile. "And this is the goalpost. We finish this, we all live in peace forever. But I'm sure we can help Artemis, too."
"Hold on. Help him?" Kuri said.
"Yes. He grew up doing nothing but hating the world he saw at war, and seeing his Pokémon suffer. But the world isn't like that anymore. It hasn't been like that for a long time. I'm sure if he saw it for himself, he might feel differently," Lute explained as he walked between everyone. "And I'm sure that everyone here would be okay if the Carbink came back to live on the surface. The time of kings, queens, and conquest is long over. Now we're all just trying to rebuild Aseria into a place where we can all live. The Carbink can be part of that."
"You are one seriously dumb sack of innocence," Kuri groaned and rolled his eyes.
"And you are one big sack of dickweeds," Esther did the same.
"Do not be mean if you agree with him, Kuri," Phoenix said.
"Artemis is trying to crash his own planet into Aseria. If you really believe you can convince a guy like that not to do that by talking to him with your little heart to heart stuff, then be my guest." Kuri folded his arms. "But this poses more of a threat than Lassic did. I won't hesitate to kill him when I feel it's best to."
"You know what? That's fair. I won't try to stop you, either," Lute said, straight faced.
"And Diancie! You should know better than anyone in the world how dangerous it is to keep secrets. You've still got stuff to tell us, so spill it before it's too late," Kuri added. The legendary tilted her head, a light smile on her face.
"How dare you talk to Diancie that way! You're speaking to royalty, you know," Florrie shouted.
"I know. And there's nothing I hate more than leaders who keep secrets from their subjects for their own gain," he said, closing his hands into fists. The others were confused too, until Diancie's smile slowly faded.
"What are you insinuating? You mortals are the ones who betray each other for personal gain. Diancie would never do that!" Florrie shouted even louder.
"Diancie?" Floette said, bringing everyone's attention to her troubled pose. Diancie was playing with her hands, and sighed a deep sigh.
"I had hoped to hide it not for my own gain, but for the sake of all of you," Diancie said. "The power Sophitia must use to defeat Artemis would expel her Pokémon form. With her role finished, our blessing that is keeping her here would expire, and she would return to her own world."
"Thought so," Kuri said, and kicked the floor.
"Wait, you mean—" Lute said. Diancie nodded.
"Sophitia will return to being human. She'll disappear from you forever after you defeat Artemis," she said.
"Oh," Lute said quietly. Everyone else fell dead silent. Sophitia didn't even look at them.
"That's why you came here on your own. And that's what Naivie meant about you hesitating, too," Kuri said, keeping his back to everyone. "You always had the power to stab Project Dragonlord and Lassic, and probably Naivie, too. But you were afraid that if you did, you might throw your form away. Don't you think that makes sense?"
"Kuri, this is the first time I'm gonna tell you the shut up," Sophitia said, her tone stale and quiet.
"Won't be the last, I'm sure," he said, doing just that. There was another lengthy silence.
"B-b-but that's fine, right? That just means the rest of us will just have to try extra hard to convince Artemis. And if we have to beat him, we'll give it our all so that Sophitia doesn't have to use all her power. Then she won't have to leave," Lute said, starting to bounce. No one replied.
"I'm afraid that if that were possible, then we wouldn't have brought Sophitia here in the first place, as any other Pokémon would be able to handle it. And besides, even if you were to convince Artemis, Sophitia cannot keep our powers. They are a part of us," Diancie said. Lute cringed and he blinked away tears, but forced himself to keep smiling. "Sophitia would have to return to her world eventually."
"Then we can just... we should... but that's... that's not fair," he said, gradually getting quieter. "That's not fair at all."
"Lute," Sophitia said. She slowly walked in front of him. He couldn't look at her, so she knelt down and pulled his face to hers with two feelers. "It is fair."
"But it's not. You didn't even get to live," he said
"I did get to live, thanks to you. You took me in, promised me you would help me get my memory back, and brought me on this adventure. I have lived, I've lived treasured memories I know I'm never going to forget. And you know what? You succeeded your promise after all," she said. He mouthed a reply. "You helped me get my memory back, just like you said you would. You literally went to the ends of the world to do that for me. So thank you."
"Sophitia..."
"So now, let me pay you back properly, and make it so that you guys can live in your world. And all I ask is that you don't forget me," she said. "Consider that an order from me as team leader."
"But I... I-I don't want to live in a world without you. I just... I only just realised I love you," he said, looking up at her. "Now you have to go forever? That's not fair."
"It wouldn't be right, Lute. Oh," she said, taking her feelers off him. "And besides, life moves on. Even after I'm gone, you're probably gonna meet some other girl. Or guy, if you prefer. And they're gonna see this golden side of you, and wanna go on adventures with you to the ends of the world. And you two are gonna make each other the happiest Pokémon in the world. That's how it works, right Marina?"
"I agree. Think of it this way, Lute: we're all being given a chance to live our lives properly from here on. You saw me do it just today with Evoli. Does it look like I don't care about him anymore?" Marina said. He seemed surprised by the question, and shook his head to say no. "It's not like Sophitia's dying, either. She's just going back to her world to live her life anew."
But her friends are here, he cried in his head, trying not to tear up.
"You don't have to be so strong about it, you know," Infia cried, half hiding her face.
"Chins up, wipe those tears away. We're on the crux of our last battle! Let's see it through, and see it through with our best. No one gets hurt and nobody has any regrets!" Sophitia raised her voice and stood tall. Nobody could stop, and she slumped to her side. "Diancie. I know they're crying and all, but I dunno how much time we have left. How do we get up to Balunercc?"
"Are you certain about this?" she replied.
Sophitia cleared her throat and spoke aloud. "I was prepared to do this on my own in the first place. If it hurts them too much, then I'll spare them the pain and just do it myself. It's the same for me either way."
"Don't say something so mean!" Lute shouted.
"I'm not being mean. You know I'm like this. I don't sit around thinking twice when someone's in trouble," she glanced back at him. He growled and turned away.
"I know. I-I know, but still," he whimpered.
"You will fly there using our method of transport. My personal chaperone, our giant Togekiss called Angel. Girls, would you do the honours, please?" Diancie said.
Florrie and Floette nodded and held their flowers by their mouths. When all was silent, they began to blow, and their voices came out as a flute-like whistle instead. Together they played a jingle, one note at a time, alternating between each other. The serene tune was soothing and angelic, if not a little familiar. The group huddled together on instinct, confused when the song stopped.
No one asked the obvious. They exchanged a few glances to get shrugs and raised eyebrows. Diancie wasn't bothered though, and they would soon know why. Off in the distance from goodness knows where, the cheer of a Togekiss echoed toward them, and their attentions were brought to its direction. All they could see coming at them was a giant wake of dust and sand, as if a sandstorm was ripping through the stone.
"Wait a minute, what is?" Kuri said, wary.
"Hold on tight now, all of you," Diancie said cheerfully.
The group flinched as the thing headed toward them faster than it appeared. In an instant, all of them were scooped up and placed of the soft, feathery back of a giant Togekiss. This Togekiss was colossal – the six of them put together were smaller than one of the tufts on the fairy type's head. As such, it flew at a remarkable speed, and with a flap of its wings, doubled that speed to soar through the gem-fields of Moand Dia.
"It's... it's really a giant Togekiss!" Lute gasped, his eyes gleaming again. Angel had more than enough room to twist and turn throughout the area too. It gracefully soared and dove to maintain an impressive pace. Without thinking about it, Lute and the others held onto her fur as well as each other to keep balanced.
"Guys, the water!" Infia cried.
"Huh?" Lute said.
He had just a moment to gasp before Angel ascended into an oceans worth of water that was magically part of the ceiling, where she swam through the water the same way as she flew. He barely adjusted to it, clenching her back and Sophitia's paw, but he was able to open his eyes after a moment. Angel ascended so quickly that a current had formed around them, meaning that the distant surface didn't seem too far away. The familiar sea life of their world soon took over the backdrop, and moments later, they breached the surface straight into Aseria's sky.
Angel stopped to pose and let out a triumphant but angelic cry. Lute and the group felt that level of grandeur themselves, and smiled in awe at the world around them. This was nothing like being in the gondolas, or maybe it was because the sun was out, the clouds were natural, and the world around them was so colourful and blue. It was uplifting, a relaxing mixture of chilly wind and fair warmth from the sun.
From here, the lands of the continents below could hardly be recognised. They looked as if they were toy worlds made of plastic. Likewise, Balunercc was a believable distance away, and its gargantuan size brought its otherworldly surface close to them. They could land on there in minutes if Angel headed towards it.
"Angel, do you mind dropping me off back in Everend? I'm not technically part of their team, I wouldn't last!" Marina said, having to shout out. She got a peppy noise as a response, and the Togekiss wiggled her wings.