BlackHairedPsycho
Aura Knight
21. Royal Rumble
This looks important.
Pana stood in front of a large, pink crystalline door, studded with more gems. Like every other door in this place. Seriously, the amount of precious rocks in here was ridiculous. It didn't stop the Pancham from taking as many as she pleased, but still.
The only reason she thought this one was important was because it had an actual lock.
Seriously, the security on this place was a shit show. Easiest looting ever. No guards patrolling, the Pokemon that were around seemed to be cowering in random corners, and Pana had been walking around unopposed, keeping out of sight less for necessity and more out of habit. And again, most of these doors didn't even have locks on them! Who does that?
Pana got a better look at the metal padlock. It was the first thing in here besides the floor not made of crystal. A little rusty, and it seemed to be glowing pink, but it looked normal despite that.
The Pancham held out one finger, sticking out the thin short claw on the end. She stuck it inside the lock, testing if she could reach the mechanism. She could, unlike that box. With some jiggling the lock came off and fell to the ground. Too easy. Way too easy.
Pana quickly opened the door and darted inside, hiding behind what looked like a statue in the well lit room. The door slammed closed on her and Pana bit back a curse. Well, most of the place was empty maybe no one-
"Hello?" A sleepy, soft voice rang out. "Rhodes?"
...Or she could have chosen the one room with someone inside. Great. Just… great.
"What did you… oh you little-!" the feminine voice shouted. "Put me to sleep to move the palace… he cares too much."
Pana poked her head out to see who exactly was talking. She floated in the air, kinda like a Carbink, but pink. And taller. Was she wearing a dress? And that massive pink diamond on her forehead! That had to be worth a fortune! Pana hid before the strange Pokemon saw her. The description was familiar now. Mom and dad may have told her about something similar?
The door burst open before she could remember, and a Carbink floated in. The floating rocks eyes were wide, panicked as he called out.
"My lady!" he said in a musical voice. "You have awoken!"
"Yes, good morning Geode," she huffed. "I trust you haven't been overworking yourself?"
"Well I-"
"Haven't taken my warnings, I take it."
"My lady, I-"
"You and Rhodes both work too hard and worry too much!" she exclaimed. "I told you to rest!"
"But the Labyrinth is approaching my lady! We need to flee!"
"It has been getting faster, hasn't it?"
"Much faster! It's encroaching on the city above as well!"
"...and you didn't tell me because?"
"Um…. well…"
"And has Team Disaster arrived yet?"
Pana's grip on the pillar tightened at that. Was this the proctor? The one behind this convoluted test? She glanced at her own empty Z-Ring before returning her attention to the conversation.
"Yes, my lady. The Knight is fighting them as we speak."
"He didn't wait?"
Pana had to hold in her sigh of disappointment. Of course they didn't wait. Why would they? How hard was it to stay in one place?
"He planned to after moving the palace, but they arrived before he could do so."
"Of course he did. Wait, did you wake me then?"
"I would not dare to interrupt your beauty sleep my lady! Also I do not relish being trapped inside one of the Knight's crystals afterwards."
"Then who did?"
The room went quiet, and that's when Pana decided to take her leave. The door was still open, thank Arceus. All she had to to was-
"Pana, correct?"
She punched the Carbink out of reflex. The poor mon was sent flying across the room and into one of the crystal walls.
"Well that was rude," the other voice said as she floated into view. Now the Pancham could recognize her. Mom and dad's stories about the Jewel Maiden fell short. Her eyes, made of pink tinted rubies, bore into Pana's soul. The diamond crown-veil that sat on her head sparkled in the light coming from every surface of the room. The large diamond on her chest seemed to pulse, like a heartbeat.
"Good to meet you," Diancie said, smiling. "Now, how about we see if your team is ready for what's coming?"
…
Rio sidestepped the crystal barrage, shooting a Bone Rush right back. The large crystal shield stopped the extension dead in its tracks. The Riolu barely acknowledged Scales's groans of pain, a bad sign considering he'd seen a house fall on the dragon and shake it off, as he detonated the long staff.
The explosion blew the Sableye back, but not far. The shield took the brunt of the attack, not even cracking. An even worse sign.
A stream of water shot right by Rio's head and splattered against the Sableye's shield. Their enemy glared at the source, Blue, and turned the shield towards the Bidoof. The sound of cracking stone came from behind, along with his teammate's yelp.
Rio took a quick glance, and saw Blue behind a wall of crystal. Rio didn't wait to see the cage complete itself, swinging another newly created long staff at the Sableye. He couldn't turn his crystal in time, so it cracked him across the face.
The bone snapped on impact.
Rio didn't waste any time, detonating what was left of the stick in his opponents face. He was only pushed back a little.
How heavy was he?
The Sableye rubbed his cheek, where Rio has struck, seemingly more annoyed than anything, and turned the crystal shield to face him. The Riolu jumped in the air, just missing the crystal spikes that shot out of the ground where he was just standing. Rio shot another Bone Rush at him, still in midair, but the shield blocked it this time.
He watched as Scales, finally ripping the crystals from his forearms, took a swing at the Sableye, his claws burning purple with Dragon Claw.
It faded on contact, and his claws just bounced off the jewel imp's neck.
"He's a fairy-type!" Blue shouted, just a little late. The Sableye spun his crystal shield and smashed it into Scales's snout, sending the large dragon flying back. He crashed into a pink wall and laid unmoving.
Rio's vision went red, and his body pulsed with his light-blue Aura. As soon as he landed the Riolu charged at his brother's attacker. His footsteps cracked the ground in his wake. The Sableye couldn't swing his shield around in time to block him.
"BURST," he shouted, and his Aura exploded off his body. The Sableye's eyes widened as the Riolu-bomb went off in his face, shattering the ground below them, cracking the walls around them, and sending the Sableye flying into the throne at the back, the shield going in the opposite direction. The crystals shattered as the Sableye crashed into the fancy chair, shards and gems coming loose.
The Sableye was already picking himself up, but a still seething Rio didn't wait. He charged forward, slamming a fist burning black into the Sableye's face. A Sucker Punch. He didn't even budge.
Rio ignored the sudden sharp pain in his wrist and focused some Aura into his throbbing fist. It blew up in the Sableye's face, causing him to stumble. Rio drew more Aura into all four of his paws and slammed another exploding punch home, followed by an explosive axe kick, then a rupturing chop. He just kept going after that, each strike exploding on contact. The fluid combo would have made his Masters proud.
The Sableye was less than impressed as Rio went for yet another punch, a large, thick crystal sprouted in between the two. A snap followed the explosion this time, and Rio fell to his knees, clutching his broken wrist. The pain screamed up his arm.
"Done yet?" the Sableye asked. Rio growled in response, standing and kicking shards of broken crystal into the Sableye's face. They simply bounced off the cracked wall. The Sableye grinned, even his teeth were a reddish-pink.
"Defiant, are you? Good. You will do well. Now if you'll excuse me…"
"RHODES!"
The Sableye turned to the new voice, and Rio could see unease cross his face. Still couldn't read his Aura though. Still too much to process, now it was coming from two different places, both equally overwhelming. His rage was swallowed by the sensation, and he turned to the new overwhelming Aura.
The floating pink jewel Pokemon floated in the room, glowering. A Carbink, a normal floating rock, flew in behind her. It was the one he met in the Dungeon a few weeks ago!
"My lady!" he said, sputtering. "You cannot-"
"You started without me!" the queen said, now pointing her rocky finger at the Sableye, Rhodes. "You put me to sleep!"
"I-I cannot risk your safety, lady Diancie!" Rhodes rationalized. Rio might have chuckled if not for the burning in his wrist and his unmoving brother. "The Labyrinth approaches!"
"I know, Geode told me."
The Sableye shot the Carbink a look before turning back to the apparent Mythical Pokemon. The Masters really undersold the sheer amount of gems growing out of her. If Pana was here she'd probably be all over her. Where the hell was she?
"Please, my lady, you can't get caught!"
"It's your job to get me out when it comes to that, remember?"
"Yes, but-"
Then Rio felt it. A flash of familiar anger rocketing down from the ceiling. He watched as Pana's dark kick knocked his face into the stone floor, denting the ground. She landed softly next to Rio.
"That's for my brothers," she said, now turning to the Riolu. "You couldn't wait?"
"Excuse me, little miss thief," Rio shot back. "Scales-"
She pointed back at where their brother fell. Blue was next to him, forcing an oran berry down his throat. The dragon stirred. Rio looked back to where his cage was. Cracks ran across a front side, and a Bidoof-sized hole laid at the center.
"I checked on him first, then got Blue out." she explained. "Then I got the drop on this asshole!" She kicked still floored Sableye on the side of the head.
"He deserved that," Diancie said, staring at her groaning knight. "Didn't you?"
The Sableye picked himself up, groaning. There wasn't even a mark on his body, after all of that. "I did not-"
A glare from his queen shut him up.
"You even evoked our power."
"I needed to end things quickly! We must get-"
"And what about the town above?"
He didn't answer. He couldn't. The sudden shaking of the palace wouldn't let him. The now loose crystals clattered against each other and the stone floor. The rumbling didn't help the break in Rio's wrist, which sent a fresh wave of agony down his arm.
Of course, even that was drowned out by the sudden emptiness that had just grown under their feet.
The Riolu looked down, feeling the void rising towards them. What was this sudden lack of Aura? A wave of death? No. It almost felt like a Dungeon…
The ground beneath Diancie split open, like the jaws of a Mawlies hair. She glanced down at the pit of doom below her, and shrugged.
"Well, that simplifies things. Please don't leave me for too long Rhodes."
With that, a purple void tendril shot out of the hole, wrapped itself around the Jewel Maiden, and pulled her into the depths.
"LADY DIANCIE!"
This looks important.
Pana stood in front of a large, pink crystalline door, studded with more gems. Like every other door in this place. Seriously, the amount of precious rocks in here was ridiculous. It didn't stop the Pancham from taking as many as she pleased, but still.
The only reason she thought this one was important was because it had an actual lock.
Seriously, the security on this place was a shit show. Easiest looting ever. No guards patrolling, the Pokemon that were around seemed to be cowering in random corners, and Pana had been walking around unopposed, keeping out of sight less for necessity and more out of habit. And again, most of these doors didn't even have locks on them! Who does that?
Pana got a better look at the metal padlock. It was the first thing in here besides the floor not made of crystal. A little rusty, and it seemed to be glowing pink, but it looked normal despite that.
The Pancham held out one finger, sticking out the thin short claw on the end. She stuck it inside the lock, testing if she could reach the mechanism. She could, unlike that box. With some jiggling the lock came off and fell to the ground. Too easy. Way too easy.
Pana quickly opened the door and darted inside, hiding behind what looked like a statue in the well lit room. The door slammed closed on her and Pana bit back a curse. Well, most of the place was empty maybe no one-
"Hello?" A sleepy, soft voice rang out. "Rhodes?"
...Or she could have chosen the one room with someone inside. Great. Just… great.
"What did you… oh you little-!" the feminine voice shouted. "Put me to sleep to move the palace… he cares too much."
Pana poked her head out to see who exactly was talking. She floated in the air, kinda like a Carbink, but pink. And taller. Was she wearing a dress? And that massive pink diamond on her forehead! That had to be worth a fortune! Pana hid before the strange Pokemon saw her. The description was familiar now. Mom and dad may have told her about something similar?
The door burst open before she could remember, and a Carbink floated in. The floating rocks eyes were wide, panicked as he called out.
"My lady!" he said in a musical voice. "You have awoken!"
"Yes, good morning Geode," she huffed. "I trust you haven't been overworking yourself?"
"Well I-"
"Haven't taken my warnings, I take it."
"My lady, I-"
"You and Rhodes both work too hard and worry too much!" she exclaimed. "I told you to rest!"
"But the Labyrinth is approaching my lady! We need to flee!"
"It has been getting faster, hasn't it?"
"Much faster! It's encroaching on the city above as well!"
"...and you didn't tell me because?"
"Um…. well…"
"And has Team Disaster arrived yet?"
Pana's grip on the pillar tightened at that. Was this the proctor? The one behind this convoluted test? She glanced at her own empty Z-Ring before returning her attention to the conversation.
"Yes, my lady. The Knight is fighting them as we speak."
"He didn't wait?"
Pana had to hold in her sigh of disappointment. Of course they didn't wait. Why would they? How hard was it to stay in one place?
"He planned to after moving the palace, but they arrived before he could do so."
"Of course he did. Wait, did you wake me then?"
"I would not dare to interrupt your beauty sleep my lady! Also I do not relish being trapped inside one of the Knight's crystals afterwards."
"Then who did?"
The room went quiet, and that's when Pana decided to take her leave. The door was still open, thank Arceus. All she had to to was-
"Pana, correct?"
She punched the Carbink out of reflex. The poor mon was sent flying across the room and into one of the crystal walls.
"Well that was rude," the other voice said as she floated into view. Now the Pancham could recognize her. Mom and dad's stories about the Jewel Maiden fell short. Her eyes, made of pink tinted rubies, bore into Pana's soul. The diamond crown-veil that sat on her head sparkled in the light coming from every surface of the room. The large diamond on her chest seemed to pulse, like a heartbeat.
"Good to meet you," Diancie said, smiling. "Now, how about we see if your team is ready for what's coming?"
…
Rio sidestepped the crystal barrage, shooting a Bone Rush right back. The large crystal shield stopped the extension dead in its tracks. The Riolu barely acknowledged Scales's groans of pain, a bad sign considering he'd seen a house fall on the dragon and shake it off, as he detonated the long staff.
The explosion blew the Sableye back, but not far. The shield took the brunt of the attack, not even cracking. An even worse sign.
A stream of water shot right by Rio's head and splattered against the Sableye's shield. Their enemy glared at the source, Blue, and turned the shield towards the Bidoof. The sound of cracking stone came from behind, along with his teammate's yelp.
Rio took a quick glance, and saw Blue behind a wall of crystal. Rio didn't wait to see the cage complete itself, swinging another newly created long staff at the Sableye. He couldn't turn his crystal in time, so it cracked him across the face.
The bone snapped on impact.
Rio didn't waste any time, detonating what was left of the stick in his opponents face. He was only pushed back a little.
How heavy was he?
The Sableye rubbed his cheek, where Rio has struck, seemingly more annoyed than anything, and turned the crystal shield to face him. The Riolu jumped in the air, just missing the crystal spikes that shot out of the ground where he was just standing. Rio shot another Bone Rush at him, still in midair, but the shield blocked it this time.
He watched as Scales, finally ripping the crystals from his forearms, took a swing at the Sableye, his claws burning purple with Dragon Claw.
It faded on contact, and his claws just bounced off the jewel imp's neck.
"He's a fairy-type!" Blue shouted, just a little late. The Sableye spun his crystal shield and smashed it into Scales's snout, sending the large dragon flying back. He crashed into a pink wall and laid unmoving.
Rio's vision went red, and his body pulsed with his light-blue Aura. As soon as he landed the Riolu charged at his brother's attacker. His footsteps cracked the ground in his wake. The Sableye couldn't swing his shield around in time to block him.
"BURST," he shouted, and his Aura exploded off his body. The Sableye's eyes widened as the Riolu-bomb went off in his face, shattering the ground below them, cracking the walls around them, and sending the Sableye flying into the throne at the back, the shield going in the opposite direction. The crystals shattered as the Sableye crashed into the fancy chair, shards and gems coming loose.
The Sableye was already picking himself up, but a still seething Rio didn't wait. He charged forward, slamming a fist burning black into the Sableye's face. A Sucker Punch. He didn't even budge.
Rio ignored the sudden sharp pain in his wrist and focused some Aura into his throbbing fist. It blew up in the Sableye's face, causing him to stumble. Rio drew more Aura into all four of his paws and slammed another exploding punch home, followed by an explosive axe kick, then a rupturing chop. He just kept going after that, each strike exploding on contact. The fluid combo would have made his Masters proud.
The Sableye was less than impressed as Rio went for yet another punch, a large, thick crystal sprouted in between the two. A snap followed the explosion this time, and Rio fell to his knees, clutching his broken wrist. The pain screamed up his arm.
"Done yet?" the Sableye asked. Rio growled in response, standing and kicking shards of broken crystal into the Sableye's face. They simply bounced off the cracked wall. The Sableye grinned, even his teeth were a reddish-pink.
"Defiant, are you? Good. You will do well. Now if you'll excuse me…"
"RHODES!"
The Sableye turned to the new voice, and Rio could see unease cross his face. Still couldn't read his Aura though. Still too much to process, now it was coming from two different places, both equally overwhelming. His rage was swallowed by the sensation, and he turned to the new overwhelming Aura.
The floating pink jewel Pokemon floated in the room, glowering. A Carbink, a normal floating rock, flew in behind her. It was the one he met in the Dungeon a few weeks ago!
"My lady!" he said, sputtering. "You cannot-"
"You started without me!" the queen said, now pointing her rocky finger at the Sableye, Rhodes. "You put me to sleep!"
"I-I cannot risk your safety, lady Diancie!" Rhodes rationalized. Rio might have chuckled if not for the burning in his wrist and his unmoving brother. "The Labyrinth approaches!"
"I know, Geode told me."
The Sableye shot the Carbink a look before turning back to the apparent Mythical Pokemon. The Masters really undersold the sheer amount of gems growing out of her. If Pana was here she'd probably be all over her. Where the hell was she?
"Please, my lady, you can't get caught!"
"It's your job to get me out when it comes to that, remember?"
"Yes, but-"
Then Rio felt it. A flash of familiar anger rocketing down from the ceiling. He watched as Pana's dark kick knocked his face into the stone floor, denting the ground. She landed softly next to Rio.
"That's for my brothers," she said, now turning to the Riolu. "You couldn't wait?"
"Excuse me, little miss thief," Rio shot back. "Scales-"
She pointed back at where their brother fell. Blue was next to him, forcing an oran berry down his throat. The dragon stirred. Rio looked back to where his cage was. Cracks ran across a front side, and a Bidoof-sized hole laid at the center.
"I checked on him first, then got Blue out." she explained. "Then I got the drop on this asshole!" She kicked still floored Sableye on the side of the head.
"He deserved that," Diancie said, staring at her groaning knight. "Didn't you?"
The Sableye picked himself up, groaning. There wasn't even a mark on his body, after all of that. "I did not-"
A glare from his queen shut him up.
"You even evoked our power."
"I needed to end things quickly! We must get-"
"And what about the town above?"
He didn't answer. He couldn't. The sudden shaking of the palace wouldn't let him. The now loose crystals clattered against each other and the stone floor. The rumbling didn't help the break in Rio's wrist, which sent a fresh wave of agony down his arm.
Of course, even that was drowned out by the sudden emptiness that had just grown under their feet.
The Riolu looked down, feeling the void rising towards them. What was this sudden lack of Aura? A wave of death? No. It almost felt like a Dungeon…
The ground beneath Diancie split open, like the jaws of a Mawlies hair. She glanced down at the pit of doom below her, and shrugged.
"Well, that simplifies things. Please don't leave me for too long Rhodes."
With that, a purple void tendril shot out of the hole, wrapped itself around the Jewel Maiden, and pulled her into the depths.
"LADY DIANCIE!"