Chapter 55: Trouble in Newleaf Village

  Ayra sat on the low stone fence near the outskirts of Newleaf Village, legs pulled up, chin resting on her knees. Tama sat beside her, tail curled neatly around her paws, white fur glowing like fresh frost in the sun. She kept glancing toward the remains of the village gate like something might suddenly materialize there, but said nothing. Ayra appreciated that. Tama always knew when not to push.

  Vira and Durro stood near the gate, trying their best to look calm, but their eyes betrayed even them, the restlesness in their gaze obvious. Everyone had been on edge these last two weeks. First Auri and Yuki vanishing, then the Storm Menace awakening, Auri fleeing after everyone thought he was the one behind all of that, and then Yuki vanishing again as well, probably to follow Auri, who most people thought was dead. Ayra knew from uncle Kaen that both Auri and Yuki at least safely reached Velari's territory to the north, but overall that was still a secret.

  Ayra clenched her fists. She could still feel the weight of the decision she and the others had made, not just pushing her to follow Auri and leave the crater, but also how they had then continued to cover for her as long as possible, to make sure she actually got away with the guards having no shot at catching up. And it had seemingly worked out.

  Sure, helping Yuki escape had been reckless and incredibly dangerous. It had also made everyone involved much more suspicious to the remaining village, for how could they not have noticed something that important? They were family and close friends to Yuki after all. But there was no proof whatoever that they helped Yuki. So while her uncle, without a doubt suspecting what had happened, gave them disapproving stares, there wasn't much more he could do. And Ayra didn't regret her role in Yuki's escape for a second.

  "She’ll find him," Tama murmured quietly beside her, not looking away from the gate. "Auri. She’ll find him and bring him back."

  Ayra felt a painful sting in her chest. Not even her best friend she could tell the truth. Tama firmly believed that Yuki was only trying to find Auri and convince him to return. She didn't suspect the truth that it would without a doubt be a long time until any of them saw her sister or Auri again. The two of them were off to their own adventures now.

  And she... well she had to live the knowledge that she had been too weak. Too weak to stop all of that from ever happening in the first place. She'd never hated her past self more for giving up on training and dungeon crawling than these last few weeks. Her joining Yuki hadn't even been an option anyone had considered, for her past mistakes had shown that she would only slow these two down. Their sparks burned brighter than hers. And while she would give it her very best to rectify that oversight it would take time.

  "...I don't know Tama. Something tells me we won't see them again all that soon," she answered softly, before rubbing her face. She hadn’t slept properly in days. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw moments of these last two weeks, things she could've done or changed so that this nightmare never had to happen in the first place. The guilt simmered hot in her stomach.

  With a sigh she stood up. "Let's get a move on Tama. I'll get back into training again. Will you join me or do you have other things to do?

  Tama huffed once before standing up as well. "You're so much more motivated to train now, day in and day out with barely any breaks. I swear you've become worse than Yuki and Auri! But I would be a bad friend and sparring partner if I start to fall behind even more because I'm too lazy to train. So yes, I'll join you."

  Ayra nodded with a greatful smile. "Thanks, Tama. Then let's..." she started saying only to trail off as a murmur swept through the broken remains of the village gate.

  Tama stepped down from the stone fence, ears perked. "Something’s happening."

  Ayra followed her gaze. Durro, had lifted his head sharply. The Donphan’s expression wavered with sudden alarm. His trunk curled tight.

  "What’s wrong?" Ayra whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

  Durro lowered his body slightly, scanning the treeline. Ayra’s heartbeat quickened. She quickly moved closer to the remain of the gate with Tama sticking right beside her.

  At first she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. The late-afternoon light slanted in from behind the forest, making the shadows stretch long and deep. Something seemingly moved inside them, slow and uneven, like someone dragging their legs through mud. Then two shapes stepped out and Ayra froze.

  Two silhouettes, standing tall and proud, but still looking visibly shaken, stumbled into the clearing. The first one’s fur shimmered purple-black even under daylight, but it hung limp, dull, lifeless. Her eyes, normally a bright ghostly glow, were dimmed to faint violet embers. The second shape flowed with watery blue light that flickered unevenly. She limped heavily, supported only by sheer stubbornness.

  Ayra’s voice barely left her throat. "Tama is that!?"

  Tama’s breath hitched. "Nayru!?" she replied, just as shocked as Ayra was.

  Nayru the Mirror Queen. One of the many Mythicals living in the crater. Ayra had no idea who the other Pokemon was, though that didn't matter right now. Both of them looked like they were close to collapsing, having truly pushed themselves to reach the village. Nayru was supposed to fight the Storm Menace alongside the other Mythicals. So the shadowy Pokemon was most likely a Mythical of the Umbral Abyss as well. With both of them clearly having been pushed to the breaking point...

  The battle against the Storm Menace must've taken a drastic shift! And not one in their favor either. At that moment, Ayra felt true dread creeping down her throat. At least until Durro shook her out of it.

  "Ayra go get Captain Kaen right this instant!" he shouted having no doubt known she was close by all along. "There's no time to loose!"

  His words shook Ayra out of her trance and her legs started moving on instint alone, knowing exactly where she had to go. She sprinted toward the village path, dodging between carts and startled villagers.

  "Kaen! Kaen!" she shouted as she ran. "Uncle Kaen, at the gate!" Her voice cracked, but she didn’t stop. Her uncle appeared almost immediately from where she knew his old friend Irren lived, Risa right beside him as well as Elder Gorun. She had no idea what she'd just interrupted, but right now she frankly couldn't care less.

  "What happened?" he demanded to know the moment his eyes fell on her, mane already bristling with fire.

  Ayra gasped for air. "You- you need to come to the village gate. Now. No- no time to explain."

  Instantly she took off again, running back the way she came, and her unlce also didn't waste another second. He quickly sprinted after her, catching up near instantly before he unceremoniously grabbed her. Then he threw her on his back before acelerating even more. Only moments later her uncle skidded to a halt at the remains of the village gate and she jumped off his back again. His eyes locked onto the two approaching Mythicals. Every flame in his fur rose, then steadied in a disciplined, controlled burn

  "Stand. Down." The simply command saw every guard at the scene freeze before stepping back. Her uncle meanwhile stepped forward, voice full of authority. "That’s Sia the Umbral Princess and Nayru the Mirror Queen. They are to be given everything they might need."

  The silence that followed was suffocating. Sia didn’t react to Kaen at all. Her gaze slid past everyone as though she didn't even look at the them, searching for someone else in the crowd. Nayru tried to say something but instead stumbled, and nearly collapsed.

  Ayra gasped and took a step forward before she stopped herself. Tama grabbed her arm, shaking her head frantically. Kids didn’t rush toward Mythicals. Even Ayra knew that.

  Uncle Kaen didn’t hesitate. He called for Juno and made sure sufficient space was cleared. He tried to force calm onto a village that was about to boil over, with more and more of the villagers arriving by the second.

  Nothing should force a Mythical to stumble, let alone leave them injured and completely depleted. Something terrible must've happened. Everyone was sure of that.

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  Half the village had gathered at the entrance by the time Juno arrived. The Gardevoir sprinted faster than Ayra had ever seen her move, cloak rippling behind her, eyes locked entirely on the two collapsed Mythicals.

  Ayra stood with Tama near the back of the crowd, heart pounding hard enough to ache. She’d known Sia and Nayru were badly hurt, but seeing Juno drop to her knees like she’d been punched confirmed it. Juno wasn’t easily rattled.

  "Oh, Arceus…" she muttered, her voice cracking as her hands hovered over both Mythicals, not daring to touch yet. Then Juno just grabbed her type energy with both hands metaphorically speaking, and pushed it into the two Mythicals in front of her. Her breath hitched and her entire body trembled with the effort.

  Nayru’s water aura steadied first, a faint ripple returning to her edges. Sia’s shadows thickened slightly around her form, like her body was slowly remembering what solidity felt like. But the strain was nearly visible on Juno’s face. Sweat rolled off her temples. Her fingers wavered.

  Ayra clutched Tama’s paw who squeezed back instantly, face pale. Was today the day they would see Juno fail a patient the first time in years? Mythicals at that?

  Suddenly Juno gasped sharply, then slumped forward onto her hands, completely drained, but Sia and Nayru’s eyes opened, thin slivers of awareness returning. The villagers erupted into short cheers. The Mythicals were alive. Barely.

  Uncle Kaen stepped forward immediately. "Everyone, quiet. Give them space."

  No one argued and silence fell overeveryone while Nayru slowly looked around before her eyes settled on uncle Kaen. Then she began to speak.

  "Captain Kaen. Newleaf Village. All of you… I am sorry we arrived in this state." She paused, steadying herself with a shaking breath. "But it could not be helped. The battle against Zuko, known to you as the Storm Menace, has escalated beyond measure. Velari, our own lesser Legendary and the only one somewhat capable of standing up to Zuko, made the decision to confront Zuko directly.”

  A ripple of shock moved through the crowd. Even Ayra felt her stomach twist. Uncle Kaen’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing. Nayru simply continued, unwavering.

  "I have to admit that we were loosing. Even with the full strength of the Umbral Abyss behind us, Miu and Lord Noctem included, Zuko proved to be stronger. We were loosing."

  Sia scoffed, a low, broken sound. "Loosing is putting it lightly.” She pushed herself upright, shadows sliding along her fur in uneven pulses. Her eyes were burning now, faint but alive. "He was dismantling our stamine piece by piece. When Velari realized Zuko was going to break through us anyway she made the call to escalate the fight to another level. She mega evolved and Zuko followed moments later."

  The gasp that tore through the village felt like a physical thing. Even Tama stumbled a step back. Ayra’s mind reeled. Two Lesser Legendaries had mega evolved in a single battle. How was there even an Umvral Abyss left!?

  Nayru’s voice softened, heavy with something close to grief. "Their duel shattered the battlefield. Reality warped. Their Domains grew to incredible levels and their power swallowed everything. Anything caught between them would have been obliterated." She closed her eyes. "Even we could not remain. We were forced to leave, for we are too weak to stand against such power."

  Sia cut in sharply. "We have not yet lost. But this is not our fight anymore." Her voice, though hoarse, carried a terrifying clarity. "As you all well know by now, my father, Lord Noctem, is waking up. What you may not know is that it could happen anywhere between a few days and a few months. If he awakens in time he can put a stop to Zuko. I'm sure of that."

  Ayra felt Tama’s paw slip from her grip. This was worse than anything they had imagined. No one had truly believed that the combined powers of the Umbral Abyss could still fail. But now even Mythicals, beings commonly seen as the pinnacle of strength and respect, had been forced to flee in a battle many magnitudes more brutal.

  Nayru exhaled slowly. "For now… we require information. What has happened in Newleaf Village since our absence?"

  Uncle Kaen stepped forward. "A great deal has happened. First of all-"

  Sia’s head snapped toward him. "Auri and Yuki. Where are they? I haven't seen them and I cannot detect their type energy either." Her voice wasn’t loud. It didn’t need to be. Ayra felt her stomach drop at the Mythicals words.

  Uncle Kaen hesitated for a moment, and Sia's type energy instantly flared up. "Where. Are. They? Nothing is more important. Tell me."

  Before anyone could answer, the other three Elders finally arrived, Elder Seori in the lead, followed by Elder Brenno and Elder Ilyra. Elder Seori was mid-sentence already, something about 'protocol' and 'unannounced arrivals of rivaling Mythicals'. Ayra wanted to scream at her to simply shut up.

  Sia’s eyes turned on them, cold and focused. She looked almost predatory.

  Uncle Kaen tried to get her atention back. "Sia, please-"

  "What happened to them!?" Sia demanded. "Tell me or I swear to Arceus I will become much less peaceful very quickly!"

  Nayru placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, but Sia instantly shrugged it off. "Do not even try to hold me back Nayru! I will get my answers now!"

  The Mythical Phione made the wise decision to take a step back while uncle Kaen exhaled once and forced himself to speak clearly. "He was put on trial for freeing the Storm Menace and for the criminal actions taken by the human known as Noah."

  Sia froze. Ayra didn’t think Mythicals could go still like that. Like every muscle, every thought had stopped mid-breath.

  Elder Seori stepped forward stiffly, taking over the conversation. "It happened on the orders of us Elders. We followed proper procedure upon suspecting a threat-"

  Sia’s voice dropped to a whisper. "Auri. A friend of mine, someone I specifically told that Talonflame to protect at all costs! And you though it best to put him on trial… because you thought he was Noah!?"

  Seori bristled. "He is a human! We acted for the safety of-!"

  "And the Elders decided," uncle Kaen continued, vioce forcefully neutral, "to shatter his type energy reserve for his crimes."

  Ayra felt Tama flinch violently beside her. Sia… didn’t move. She didn't react to the message at all for a moment. Then her type energy flared up at full force.

  Ayra cried out as a pressure wave burst across the clearing, kicking up dirt and throwing villagers backward. Even her uncle staggered. But the opressive type energy was moments later pushed back by Nayru, the other Mythical having taken a stop forward to ensure no one came to harm.

  Elder Seori stepped forward as if she carried the weight of authority itself, her own type energy flaring with the cold confidence of an Ancient.

  "Your power is spent, Umbral Princess," she said, chin high. "Stand down. You are in no position to question my-"

  Sia moved. It wasn't a blur or even a visibly strike, she was simply gone from where she'd been and suddenly appeared before Elder Seori, so abruptly that even the Ancient flinched. The Ninetales snarled and threw up a shield of flames, ready to meet Sia head-on and for a heartbeat Ayra even thought Elder Seori might stand a chance.

  Then Sia raised one trembling hand and touched Seori’s chest with a single finger, shadows swallowing the flames. Elder Seori gasped, her type energy flaring in panic as she pushed back with the full strength of an Ancient. The ground cracked under her paws, her breath coming in harsh, ragged bursts. She fought back with everything she had but in the end none of it mattered.

  A [Spectral Thief] hit the Ninetales in the chest, directly where her type energy reserve was. The air buckled with a sickening twist, type energy folding where it was never meant to bend. Seori’s scream was brief, choked, her type energy winking out like a star smothered mid-flare. Her legs gave out. She crashed onto her side, gasping, convulsing, her type energy reserve cracking in multiple places at once but holding together, if barely.

  Sia leaned over her, voice raw and shaking with fury. "Do you have any idea what you did!? You hunted him because you feared a human? Because you thought Noah of all people deserved to die!?" Her voice rose slightly, tremoring with fury she could barely contain. "The one person lest deserving of what you did... I swear if anything happened to him because of you I will finish you off myself, the Divine Laws be damned!"

  With a single wave shadows concealed around Elder Seori's type energy reserve. "Do not use type energy for a few days. This experience together with my intervention will not just heal, but strengthen it in the future. I did you a favor that you now learned how incredibly valuable it is. The Divine Laws are satisfied. Be lucky they exist you disgrace!"

  Sia’s stood up again, her gaze locking onto the other three Elders. "Now what to do with you? You aren't Ancient's. The compensation needs to be bigger or the damage lesser. So many options..."

  Uncle Kaen threw himself between Sia and the remaining Elders. "Sia. That's enough."

  Ayra froze. Even Sia blinked. Her uncle didn’t flinch. He didn't back down. "We were wrong and did wrong. All of us. And we know that now." His voice softened, but with iron beneath it. "But hurting them will not bring them back. Think. That the Divine Laws were that easily satisfied after what you just did is already incredible, most likely because a strengthened tye energy reserve holds an incredible value to Elder Seori personally. You won't get that lucky twice."

  Sia trembled, not from weakness, but because she was holding herself back with everything she had left. For a moment, Ayra thought she might collapse again. Or unleash everything and tear the Elders apart anyways, no matter the consequences.

  But then she finally looked away. Her breathing was sharp and ragged. Nayru stepped closer. "Sia. Your injuries-"

  "I’m going after them."

  Nayru frowned. "Sia… we are severely weakened. We had a mission and-"

  "I don’t care." Sia pushed herself upright, though her legs wobbled dangerously. "That's not up to discussion. I need to talk to them. I'm going."

  Nayru’s voice grew firmer. "You should not. We need more intel. We need to-"

  Sia made her shut up with a single glare. Uncle Kaen didn’t even try to argue, probably secretly happy to have at least one Mythical out of his fur soon. "We tracked their movement as far as possible. We know they entered Velari's territory and probably seeked out shelter with the Pokemon there. They protected even just their information and wouldn't let us follow."

  Sia let out a shuddering breath. Her gaze drifted once more to Elder Seori’s prone form. One last line cut through the air like ice. "Pray that your actions did not kill him. For both of our sake, Elder." And then, without any warning, she vanished into shadows with [Phantom Force].

  Nayru slowly straightened, exhaustion weighing on every movement, but her voice carried authority as she addressed Kaen and the village. "For now… I will take charge. We will organize everything and I'll answer what questions I can."

  Important characters in the chapter:

  To Be Added Later