Keldeo was bored.
Despite the state of his mood basically written on his face, he dared not say it out loud less karma strike via Cobalion giving him something else to do such as several laps around the castle.
He was currently in a large room that was once the magical workshop for the castle of the Royal Sisters. It was large, spacious, and with plenty of area for experimenting and practicing magic.
But the most significant reason why the 4 members of the Swords of Justice were in this very room was due to it being built on top of a Ley Line. While the Everfree was a large mysterious forest with many secrets, there were two Ley Line that were known to a select few. The one where the Tree of Harmony was located, and the second one being in the castle. Indeed Celestia and Luna had built the castle on top of the other Ley Line in order to make use of its power.
But now, the Pokemon “Knights” of Arceus had to guard it in anticipation of possible servants being summoned through it.
Which meant they had to wait until something happened. This left the 4 Legendary Pokemon with nothing to do but stand guard at all times. But inevitably, boredom started to settle in, at least for Keldeo and Terrakion. Cobalion and Virizion however remained steadfast and unwavering in their watch.
Eventually, Terrakion had enough and decided to make small talk to pass the time.
“So, what kind of servant do you think is gonna show up?”
“I don’t know Terrakion,” Cobalion responded. “We have no way of knowing who is coming through or what that person may be capable of, so we should expect anything.”
“Anything? You mean it’s possible the Counter Force could send a small little girl to fight us.”
“.....Like I said, expect anything.”
“You don’t really think this Counter Force would do that right?” Keldeo said. “Sending a small child to fight four legendary Pokemon?”
Virizion spoke up. “Well, if we are going by what little knowledge we know of the Throne of Heroes, if a child made a significant mark on human history, its entirely possible a child could be a servant. Although whether or not it would be helpless against us is another thing.”
“So you’re saying it could happen? Wow, this Throne of Heroes would have to be pretty cruel sending a little kid to fight a war. Either that or it’s standards for heroes are low.”
“Never underestimate your opponent just because they appear weak or young Keldeo,” Cobalion said. “Even newly hatched Pokemon are capable of fighting and holding their own upon birth.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“Regardless, it is our duty to fight and subdue any servant that is summoned. So long as they make it clear that they are a threat to this world and its people, we must do what we must in order to stop them. Now stop slouching and stand straight.”
Kledeo got off the table he was leaning on and stood up straight.
Ponyville, Golden Oaks Library
“So this guy was able to fight Princess Celestia to a standstill?” Spike said surprised.
“Yes,” Twilight responded. Listing to her along with Spike was her friends and Professor Juniper.
“This Karna person whoever he was, Celestia told me that he was the son of a god, a Sun god to be exact.”
“A Sun god...” Professor Juniper said. “If that’s true, then it would make sense that he would be able to match the Princess in a fight.”
“Woah hang on! Are you saying this guy has the same powers as Celestia!?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “That he can move the sun and whatnot?”
That line gave everyone pause and concern. While he had not demonstrated the ability, it scared them that this servant may possibly have the power to move and control the sun.
“I don’t know Rainbow Dash, he might be able to or he might not. Either way, we have no way of knowing that now.”
“I must say this is quite the news you got last night Twilight,” Rarity said. “To think that a fight between Celestia and a servant could cause so much ruckus last night from so far away.”
“Yeah, Harmony was not kiddin,” Applejack stated. “These servants are something else. I just hope was can have a fighting chance against them.”
“Yeah, hopefully,” Twilight was deeply concerned about the power gap between the average pony and the average servant. While it may be possible that this Karna figure was one of the more powerful servants being a demigod and whatnot, it still made her nervous about her and her friends just having to confront a single one. When the Pokemon came, Twilight was more concerned about what they were then about how dangerous and powerful they are. Despite the fact she didn’t like Golden Horn, the Minoutour did have a point about how strong the average Pokemon was to a native of Equus.
Ironically now, it is that strength that the people of this world will need in order to win this conflict. Unlike the previous villains she and her friends fought in order to keep Equestria safe, the Magic of Friendship was not going to be enough in order to win. In hindsight, the arrival of the Pokemon was a blessing in disguise, for she had to admit that Equus’s new inhabitants are their best chance against the equally powerful servants.
“Anyway, Mewtwo said that he was going to talk to Arceus about who Karna was. To see if he can get any information from him.”
“Really?” Juniper said. “How?”
“Mewtwo said it has something to do with Arceus still being able to view parallel worlds. That he can look for a counterpart that closely matches who Karna is or something. Although I am curious how that works.”
“Then allow me to explain.”
“Gahh!” Twilight jumped as she heard a new voice beside her. She then turned to see a spatial window in the middle of her library. And on the other side was Mewtwo and Arceus.
“Can you guys not do that!”
“...Ah yes, I forgot my manners,” Arceus said. “Then again, Celestia gave a similar reaction to this last year, you’d think I learned from that.
Everybody in the library just gave the god a deadpan stare.
“Anyway, I already linked up at the castle with Celestia, Luna, and Seth. I’ll patch them in now.”
A second window opened and beyond it were the two alicorn sisters as well as Seth and Grissom.
“Good morning Princess Celestia.”
“Good morning Twilight, and all of you.”
“Now that we’re all here, let’s get to the point.” Arceus manifested a large decorative book, its cover was a picture of Earth and all the continents and countries that have existed upon it from the beginning of time until the modern-day. Literally. As the cover was constantly moving and changing, as if it was showing the actual history of Earth as it went through its many different eras.
“Now this, is the Earth conceptual compendium. A book detailing the history and individuals about a “Standard constant” Earth and what may be normally found on it.”
“Now you may be wondering what a “Standard Constant” is right?” Mewtwo said. “Well, a standard constant is something that almost always appears in every single variation of a universe no matter how different it may be. For example, for our home universe, the Pokemon would be considered a constant. And here, the nation known as Equestria could be considered a constant.”
This news was intriguing to some of the individuals present, especially Twilight who had some experience in this matter.
“Well, that does explain that when I went through that portal, that universe had its own version of my friends. I wonder if the “me” in that universe is any similar to what I am.”
“And so, since it appears that this “Proper Human History” is a standard constant Earth. It was easy to find a historical figure named Karna who was the son of a sun god.”
Arceus then opened a book to a page with an old illustration. It depicted a bearded man on a chariot pulled by horses and surrounded by an army of soldiers.
“So, Karna is the man on the chariot?” Princess Luna asked.
“Yes.”
“But he looks nothing like what we saw last night.”
“Well, people from history and even myths tend to be distorted and forgotten over time, most people can only guess what ancient figures looked like from that time. Either that or the Karna of this world just looks that different from his counterparts.”
“I see then, very well, what can you tell us about him?”
“Well, Karna was indeed the son of a god like he said. He was the demigod son of the Hindu God of the Sun, Surya. His legend is chronicled in the Indian epic known as the Mahabharata, where he earned the title: The Hero of Generosity.”
A few eyes glanced over to Rarity, the unicorn herself raising an eyebrow at the title of this warrior.
“Karna’s story is a long one, so I’m just going to simplify it by saying that he mainly and famously fought in a war that was the main conflict of the story. His most famous rivalry was against his younger half brother Arjuna, who was also a demigod.”
“His younger half brother? Was he also a demigod?” Luna asked.
“Yes, but not by the same deity. Karna’s father was the Sun god, while Arjuna’s father was Indra, the Hindu god-king of Thunder. It can be also said that his son Arjuna can be placed as the “Protagonist” of the Mahabharata. Anyway, the central war in that epic was between the Kaurava and the Pāṇḍava princes, with Arjuna leading the Pandavas and Karna fighting for the Kauravas. Karna was a powerful warrior on the battlefield, wielding his bow against Arjuna whenever they fought.”
“A bow?” Celestia said. “But he only fought me with a spear.”
“A spear? Hmm, lemme see.” Arceus flipped a few pages. “Ah yes, that spear might be Vasavi Shakti. A weapon given to Karna by Indra, that had the power to kill any target.”
“Woah woah hold up,” Rainbow interjected. “The dad of his rival just gave him a super-powerful spear that could kill anything!? Who does that!?”
“I must agree with miss Dash. Was he not concerned about Karna using it to kill his son?” Seth said.
“Well, the reason why he did that was that he tried to trick Karna into giving him his impenetrable armor so his son could win easier in their next fight. I say tried because Karna saw through the trick immediately but gave him the armor anyway.”
“Wait, he just gave the armor even though he knew that it was a trick? Why?”
“Because Karna swore that he would never turn away anyone who came to him for help, he gave up his armor without question. Even though he was fully aware of what he was doing and what it meant for him, Karna was or rather is a man of his word. It was also because he knew that Indra was doing it out of love for his son, a fact that Karna greatly admired. And so, Indra was ashamed by Karna’s generosity and in compensation gave Karna his prized spear.”
“So, he cared more about his honor than reason? I don’t know whether that’s stupid or admirable.” Captain Grissom said.
“Karna didn’t even try to keep the spear at first until his friends convinced him. That was the extent of how far his generosity went.”
Celestia was almost lost for words. After her encounter with Karna, she guessed that he wasn’t a malicious or evil person. But to know that his honor and generosity went this far? At this point, she was starting to respect him. And while it was unlikely that she would ever go as far as he did just to make a point, she couldn’t deny that he exemplified a kindness that very few people had.
“Because Karna gave up his armor, he was ultimately slain by Arjuna during their final battle. Although some would point out that it was a one-sided battle since Karna was weighed down by various curses, with Arjuna taking the opportunity to shoot him in the back.”
“So he just killed him when he was down and couldn’t fight. How deplorable.” Luna shook her head. Internally though, the fact that the conflict between Karna and Arjuna was one of siblings stuck a chord within her. Even if she didn’t know the whole story, the fact that Karna was “an older sibling who was associated with the sun”. And the fact that he fought against his younger sibling, she couldn’t help but see the similarities between them and her and her sister.
“Well, maybe the similarities stopped there.”
“Ironically though, while Karna was known as the Hero of Giving, Arjuna was called the Awarded Hero. Someone who was loved by his family and his people. And yet, it says here that Arjuna had a dark side to him that he refused to acknowledge. Not to mention the fact that this made him feel envy and inferior towards Karna who he saw as a better person than him.”
“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.”
“But anyway, that is the story of Karna. A good-hearted hero who was cut down unceremoniously.” *Hmph* “If he wasn’t trying to destroy our world I’d almost feel sorry for him,” Arceus said dryly.
“Okay,” Twilight said. “But as interesting as a story that was, what does it tell us about Karna? What can he do that we haven't seen? What weapons can he use other than that spear? Does he have any weaknesses that we can exploit?”
“Well, unless we can somehow replicate the curses that lead to his death in life. It seems that Karna can only be beaten from sheer power and skill alone,” Mewtwo said.
“Oh, that's just great.”
“Alright then, I have given you all a basic summary of Karna. While this information may not seem as useful at first, never underestimate any knowledge you can gain upon your enemy. Also with that being said.”
Arceus’s eyes glowed for a second and then two more copies of the Earth Compendium appeared in Twilight’s house and the throne room.
“I am giving you each a copy of this book so that way if you learn the name of a heroic spirit, you will not need to come to me in order to learn what they are. Just say their name and have a good description, and the book should turn the page that gives you their story.”
“Wow, thanks Arceus.”
“My pleasure Twilight. Now, if theirs is nothing else to discuss, I shall see you all later.”
The windows closed and one again Twilight was alone with her friends. She examined the book as she was holding a treasure trove of knowledge. Which to Twilight was practically an early birthday gift. The alicorn grinning with glee.
“Just think of all the history and knowledge stored in this book! It would probably take me a week just to read it through once!”
“Well knowing you Twilight, you’d probably be able to do it in half the time,” Applejack said.
“Should we leave you alone so you can read it Twilight?” Fluttershy suggested.
“Oh, you girls don’t have to. You could always stay here and read it with me. After all, just think of all the fascinating stories and history that's in this book.”
“Actually, I have to go move some clouds, so see ya!” Rainbow Dash quickly went out a window before anyone could respond.
“Well, I didn’t see that coming,” Twilight said sarcastically. “Anyone else?”
“I can stay and read with you Twilight,” Juniper said. “While history is not my major, it wouldn’t hurt to learn about it.”
“Thanks Juniper.”
“I’m just going to go hang out with Gible, Bagon, and the others,” Spike said. “See ya Twilight.”
And with that, everyone else left the house. Leaving one alicorn and Beheeyem to look through the pages of human history.
“So tell me about yourself Enkidu,” N said. “Do you have any friends or hobbies? I can tell that you’re good with animals. But beyond that what do you do for a living?”
“Well, first of all, I’m not human. While this is somewhat true for all Heroic Spirits upon death, I was never a human in life. I was simply clay molded by the gods for a purpose.”
“Oh, and what was the purpose?”
“I was to be the lynchpin that would keep the world of mortals tied back to the realm of the gods. A chain of heaven if you will. I was sent to reign in a certain king who had broken away from the gods and wanted to end their reign.”
“I see, so from the moment of your birth, you were someone who was made to do one thing, without any will of your own?”
“No, I had a will. Although you could say I finally acted upon it when I decided to rebel against my role and instead helped that very king.”
“Really?”
“Yes, that King became my best friend and he came to regard me as his one and only equal companion. We had many adventures together and shared many laughs.”
Enkidu closed their eyes as they thought back to the furthest reaches of known human history. Where he replayed a scene of a golden monarch laughing to himself, his smile and contentedness at the time being a vivid recollection.
“Unfortunately my time came to an end when a series of events brought forth by a greedy arrogant goddess caused my death and left poor Gilgamesh alone.”
“I see, you must have been sad at the time.”
“...I might have been. But I told him not to grieve. For me, a weapon of the gods would just eventually become one of his many weapons upon death. That surely, he, a king that collected many treasures would surely find something more than a worthless lump of clay like me. I was just a creation who could never truly defy their creator. While Gilgamesh was someone who had true free will and a real soul.”
“Huh, how sad.” At this point, a crowd of Pokemon had gathered around N. While the animals on Enkidu’s side all sat beside him.
“You have my sympathy Enkidu. And if it means anything, I too was someone who was raised to do one thing by someone with selfish wishes.”
“Oh, do tell.”
“From birth, I lived in the wilderness among Pokemon. It was that upbringing that made me understand them more than humans. I was then taken in by a man who said he was my father. While he did raise me, he also showed me a one-sided view of the world that was very biased. He only brought to me Pokemon that were abused and hurt by humans. These many acts lead me to believe that humans and Pokemon were incompatible beings. This became the basis of my only known truth. That humans and Pokemon should live in separate worlds.”
“Interesting, and how would you have created this world?”
“My father told me of a legendary dragon Pokemon that would help me realize my truth. Reshiram, with her help, my dream of a world where Pokemon were no longer captured in Pokeballs, where humans no longer hurt them and vice versa could be reality. I was made King of a group of followers who believed in my dream, my truth. And with their help, I eventually found Reshiram who wholeheartedly agreed with my truth. My dream of a perfect world would soon begin.”
N chuckled.
“But then I met him...”
“Him?”
“A novice Pokemon trainer. One who had just started on his journey like many before him. From the moment I met him, my beliefs began to be questioned. I was shocked because his Pokémon said it liked him. They said they wanted to be with him."
N smiled.
"I couldn't understand it. I couldn't believe there were Pokémon that liked people. Understand that, up until that moment, I'd never known a Pokémon like that. The more I traveled, the more unsure I became. All I kept meeting were Pokémon and people who communicated with one another and helped one another. I tried to affirm my beliefs by battling with that person. As we were both people who had experienced the world around us, I needed to confront that person who was in many ways similar to me, yet very different at the same time. It was the only way I could be sure of myself. Eventually, that person gained the support of the dragon of ideals Zekrom, the opposite of Reshiram. That person defeated me in the end, me who only understood Pokemon but never the hearts of humans.”
N paused for a moment.
“He was right you know, my father.”
“About what?”
“He called me a freak without a human heart. And he was right. If my truth was that Pokemon and Humans could never understand each other, then me who had the heart of a Pokemon could never understand humans. And now, here we are.”
The Zoroark gestured to the forest around them.
“I am now a Pokemon, which is both exciting and sad at the same time. While I don’t hate this. I cannot help but lament humanity's fate. The ideal world that trainer sought will never be realized. Humanity will now eventually fade away into the annals of history and eventually myth.”
N then leaned forward.
“That is unless you and these other Heroic Spirits have anything to say about it.”
Enkidu picked up on the former human’s tone and understood what he was getting at.
“Ah, so is that really why you’re here?”
“...I’ll be honest Enkidu, every bone in my body says that I should be 100% backing Arceus and the people of this new world that I find myself in. Because there are friends and people in this world and the old one that I have come to care about. I would be absolutely devastated if Pokemon were to go extinct simply because it's what fate wants…”
“But?”
“But, I cannot be completely biased and ignore the other side's plight. For all intents and purposes, we have invaded this planet without warning or consent. While I don’t completely understand these Lostbelts and alternate histories, I do know that there are people in this world fighting just so they can live. And honestly, that is the purest reason why anyone should fight. Your world from what I have heard is one where only humans live. But aside from that I know next to nothing about it to pass judgment, and even if I did, the people of your world still have a right to live regardless. So tell me Enkidu, why should your world be the one to live, why should its humanity be the one to inherit the future?”
“Hmmm, you do make a good point. Ideally one should want an outcome where everyone will get to live and have a future. But it’s as you say, humans have a hard time understanding inhuman things. And because our humanity has lived by themselves for so long, it's unlikely that they would be able to live side by side with the people of this world. To be honest, any reason I could list about why my world should live would be similar to yours. This is not a situation where debating the value of our worlds determines which one should get to inherit the chronicle. This entire situation is like a big Holy Grail War, where there can only be one winner. And where the only way to solve this is by displaying our strength and will on the field of battle.”
“...I see. So words will not resolve this conflict. Just like whenever I encountered that trainer, only action will decide who is the right one.”
“Yes, only action will.”
There was an intense moment, where even the Pokemon and animals were staring in anticipation.
“But that being said. I have very little experience fighting in this body whatsoever, which means I would certainly lose to someone like you, a self-proclaimed weapon.”
“Aahaha! Indeed, I would hate to cut you down after such a nice talk.”
And with that N got up from his spot and held out his hand.
“It was nice talking with you Enkidu, and while it may seem counterproductive of me to say. I wish you well.”
Enkidu returned the gesture and shook his hand with theirs.
“It was nice talking with you too N. I hope that you will find the answer you are looking for.”
And with that, the two inhumans nodded and talked away in opposite directions. One still searching for a truth he believed in, the other continuing his mission in the name of the world that he belonged to.
Baltimare Guard Police headquarters.
Jonathan and the rest of this team sat in a room along with many other police officers as they waited for the Captain to start the briefing.
Many aside from a very few knew why they were here. It was obvious given the current situation in Equestria.
-
Sleight Hoof and Quick Storm's Mansion.
“Why are we here again?”
Alice just stared at Rascal as the rest of the Fox gang including Sleight Hoof, Quick Storm, and Toichi all sat in the library room to listen to what Alice had to say.
“Did you not listen the first time Rascal?”
“Honestly I was just daydreaming. But I figure it has something to do with our next heist?”
Alice facepalmed. “No, it has something to do with these Servants and how to deal with them.”
-
The Captain got behind the podium and began the briefing.
"Alright ladies and gentlecolts, you all know why we are here. Thanks to high command from Canterlot, we have more information about these Servant terrorists and how we might deal with them.”
-
“Thanks to our connections in Canterlot, we got some useful information about Servants that tells us what they are and their power.”
“Oh, Ok then.”
“Now if there are no more questions. Let us begin.”
-
“So a little overview. As some of you may know, Servants are magical beings who are the dead spirits of warriors and heroes from an alternate history, resurrected to fight for their world. Do not think of them as ghosts or zombies, but more akin to super-powerful beings like the Pokemon. Do not try to reason with them, while these things may have personalities and minds of their own, they are compelled by something beyond our understanding in order to destroy our kingdom, our world, and our way of life.”
-
“I don’t think talking things out with these guys is gonna do anything. Which means that fighting them is our only option. Although given our style that might be a hard thing to do. After all, at the end of the day, we’re thieves. Our methods have always involved misleading and outwitting both the police and criminals. With the exception of Scep of course.”
The PLA general beamed with pride at that comment.
-
“Now, aside from their power, another thing Servants have in common with Pokemon are categories. Just like the Pokemon are divided into 18 elemental types, Servants are separated into 7 distinct classes of warriors.”
-
“The 3 Knight classes are Sabers, who use swords. Archers, who use bows and ranged weapons. And Lancers, who use spears and lances.”
-
“The 4 Calvery classes are Riders, who use mounts and anything that would be considered transportation. Casters, who use magic and spells. Assassins who can conceal their presence and deal in sneak attacks and silent kills. And finally, Berserkers who as the name implies are mad beings who use rage and power to overwhelm their opponents.”
-
“The Assassin servants are ones we’ll want to avoid the most,” Alice said worryingly. “None of us have any way of detecting them if they manage to sneak up one use. Even if we used a detection spell, it may be void depending on how much of a Ninja they are.”
“So, you're saying one of them could cut walk right in here and slit our throats?” Rascal said with a spooked look on his face.
“Yes, so I won’t be surprised if you end up bleeding on the floor Rascal.”
A shiver went up the Weavil’s spine, while Tochi let out a scared yelp.
Seeing her son frightened, Quick Storm held the little unicorn colt to calm him down.
“Alice stop it! You’re scaring Toichi.”
“Oh, sorry. But that reminds me. One thing you should know about Casters is the kind of magic they use.”
Toichi’s fear was then replaced by curiosity. “Magic, what kind of magic?”
-
“From what we can understand, human magic is much different than the kind of magic we use. Unlike unicorns, humans don’t need horns or a certain appendage or body part in order to cast spells. And while talking with incantations does help them along, it's not necessary in order to use their powers.”
Johnathan raised his paw. “Captain I have a question.”
“Yes Officer Trace?”
“Are you saying that certain spells or methods that nullify magic, such as inhibitor rings won’t work on servants?”
“No Officer Trace, not as far as we know. Human magic in their world, from what our intel says is called Magecraft. And it can apparently do things that even unicorns can’t do such as curses.”
Almost every pony in the room shuddered or was shocked. Curses as far as most Equestrians knew were just myths. Nothing but cruel spells told in old mares tales to scare foals into behaving. The fact that these servants were capable of doing them spelled trouble.
“I recommend that our best spell casters and Pokemon be sent in to deal with Caster class servants. In fact, I want a dependable strong Pokemon on call each time there is a sighting of a servant. Their powers and abilities are the closest things we have on par with these guys aside from our best guards.”
-
“I don’t know how well I would do in battle with a caster, but if worse comes to worse, we can just retreat. Remember all of us as a group may be able to take on one servant depending on who they are, but if they appear to be too powerful, there's no shame in running.”
-
“Also, this information is priority one if you find yourselves in this case. Aside from servants, be on the lookout for a group of living breathing humans known as Chaldea. The capture and detainment of them are of the utmost importance to the Royal Sisters. Do not try to kill them if you can, they harbor valuable information that must be extracted from them.”
-
“I also want to make this clear. Fighting servants isn’t our M.O. It's finding and capturing members of the Chaldea Security Organization.”
“What is Chaldea?” Shade asked.
“According to our intel, they are a group of humans whose job is to maintain the continued existence of humanity for as long as possible. Whatever that entails.”
Scep raised an eyebrow. “That’s it? They’re just some group that is meant to ensure mankind's prosperity?”
“Yes, but unlike Team Magma, they don’t seem to be interested in human supremacy from what our intel suggests. Either way, they are pretty much the only ones who could gather all of the servants and lead them as a group. Just like Pokemon Trainers raised and commanded Pokemon into battle back on Earth, these Chaldeans have what are called Masters who can summon and command a servant.”
“So you really think that going after these guys is the best idea Alice?” Sleight Hoof said.
“I do, all evidence and statements made by Arceus and the Princesses say that Chaldea is the bigger threat in this scenario. Which is why when we do come across them, we must do what we can to keep them from getting away. And while I’m sure that they have servants with them, I have a plan for how to deal with them.”
Scep rubbed his chin before smiling. “Hmmm, alright I’m with ya Alice. After all, if these guys are the type of humans who are trying to uphold the human race, it's my job as a General of the Pokemon Liberation Army to knock them down a peg. Besides, if the Commander knows and understands who these Chaldeans are, I think he will thank me for dealing with them.”
“I’m sure he will.”
-
“I’ll be honest with you officers, we know next to nothing about this Chaldea or what they’re capable of beyond being able to command servants. If you encounter what appears to be a member of Chaldea, be on your guard and expect anything. While I have heard that a human is nothing special on their own, never underestimate your opponent.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, especially Johnathan. As a former Police officer back on Earth, he knew how to deal with humans better than anyone in the Baltimare Guard.
“Hey John,” Heat said. Does this mean they’ll start making human-size handcuffs? I don’t think the ones they use for ponies will fit them.”
“Hmmm, I’ll talk with the Captain about that after this.”
-
“Alright, I believe that's everything I have to say now. Next time we will be discussing strategies about how to deal with servants, but only after more information comes out about them.”
-
“That's all for now Officers, dismissed!”
As everyone got up and walked out, Jonathan and his team went to the side to discuss some things.
“This isn’t going to be like chasing or capturing Fox that's for sure,” Howl said.
“Yeah, I know we all have our fair share of fighting bad guys, but these servants sound like something different altogether,” Echo stated.
“It feels like we’re at war, and that the four of us have just been drafted.”
“Guys I know this seems unprecedented. But we still have a job to do. This is our home, and soldiers or not we still have a duty to protect and defend it. These servants are going to be a challenge, no one is denying that, but Officers like us don’t give up just because something is difficult. It just means we have to try harder in order to win. That's what we do.”
“Yeah, Johns right,” Heat exclaimed. “This is just another day on the job for us. Besides, part of me wants to see just how strong these servants are.”
Johnathan smiled and held out his paw.
“We’re all in this together right guys?”
Heat and Howl joined hands while Echo landed on top of them. The four friends reaffirming their determination.
“But does this mean we won’t be chasing Fox for a while?” Echo asked.
“...Unfortunately yes. But between her and the fate of the world, Fox can wait. Although who knows, maybe she's also seeing this as a more bigger issue than stealing.”
Virizion sighed as at this point, she was also becoming bored.
It was only their first day in the castle after they had relieved the Legendary Beasts with whom they shared the rotation of watching this Ley Line with. But it was still another 6 hours until the next shift change.
From what she heard, a few other summonings had happened elsewhere and around the world. Celestia fought a powerful servant named Karna, while some other servants manifested in Las Pegasus, Rainbow Falls, and Neighagra Falls. While outside of Equestria several of the senior Legendary Pokemon had encountered and defeated some other servants in countries like Saddle Arabia, the Griffin Empire, and the Changeling Empire. Some had proven difficult but were ultimately defeated by the sheer power and skill of the older more experienced Pokemon.
At this point, Celestia had lowered the sun so it was now dark outside. Deciding to pass the time, her thoughts wandered to other topics, such as Mewtwo and humans.
The Grassland Sword of Justice bore the Genetic Pokemon no ill will. She was sympathetic to his backstory and the reasons he was brought into the world. No doubt he was someone with a past that he didn’t like to talk about and wished to now just use his powers for the benefit of Pokemon. At that end of the day, Mewtwo was someone who had really embraced his role as a Legendary Pokemon.
That being said, he wasn’t perfect.
While Pokedex entries were incorrect about Mewtwo being a savage Pokemon, the guy still had a temper when it came to certain subjects. Just because Mewtwo did not care about where life came from, it did not mean that he wasn’t very judgemental about what people did with life. As such he was unforgiving when it came to individuals with whom he perceived as a threat to the happiness of his fellow Pokemon. This also played into the careless use of his powers whenever something ticked him off or got his attention.
Among the most recent incidents began the moment they got here to Equss. During a meeting with Equestria’s council, Mewtwo used his powers to mentally freeze everyone in the room with the exception of a stubborn pony just so he could have a “talk” with him( she of course knew about this when Celestia mentioned it to her at the World Summit, while the Princess didn’t know exactly what he did, Virizion put two and two together from the short description). After the World Summit, Mewtwo did something that would be considered a major crime back on Earth and invaded the mind of a traumatized Gallade just because he was curious about the poor Pokemon’s strong mental walls(this she learned from Mew who appeared there after the fact). There was also that time during the Pokemon Contest held by Seth Crescent when a disgruntled former human turned Chatot, sung a song that had lines that made some subtle jabs about the whole rapture thing. Mewtwo looked as if he was about to get up from his seat if Arceus had just said the word.
But despite those incidents, they were nothing compared to what was happening now.
Mewtwo made it no secret he had very little love for mankind as a whole. The only humans he respected were Ash Ketchum and Seth Crescent. And the only human he ever showed any open affection for was the human clone of the deceased daughter of the Professor who made him(this was something Arceus helped him remember after those scientists had his memory wiped during the early stages of his development).
As such, with Mewtwo’s protective nature about the happiness and the future of Pokemon, combined with his underlying contempt for humanity, this entire situation was bad for him in a number of ways.
Virizion feared that this “war” against humanity was bringing out the worst in him. Now that he basically had the justification and green light to fight against humans, she feared that he would show little to no mercy against the humans and servants if and when he would encounter them. It was one thing to fight a war, but if one threw away their sensibility in conflict just to fight what they hate, they were no better if not worse than their opponents.
Aside from Mewtwo, there was also the little group that he was now a part of and leading with Giratina. The Distortion Pokemon had his own understandable problems with humanity. After they had portrayed him as a traitorous member of the Creation trio in myths and legends, the dragon had grown resentful of humanity and the lie they made up about him. So it wasn’t much of a surprise that the two were working together to gather other Legendaries who had their own problems with humanity.
While Virizion couldn’t speak for all the Legendary Pokemon that had been seen exiting Giratina’s room that night, she knew that most of them had some beef with mankind. As for the rest, she couldn’t say.
“Perhaps they may think those two might have some kind of plan to end this conflict quickly and just think it’s the best option now.”
Moving her thoughts away from that, Virizion turned her attention to the species that was at the center of this conflict, as well as the whole reason why they moved here in the first place.
The Human race. A curious species indeed, capable of great good and evil. But honestly, if one had a wider scope of the universe and its inhabitants, Virizion could bet that one could find a species with the same moral track record as humanity. If not worse.
Humans were just not a black and white species when it came down to it. They are just following the path that keeps them on the road of progress and building towards the future. Just like any other race with free will. Sure they may have hurt a lot of other individuals in the process, but that was inevitable. A species will always have members who are evil and do evil things. It's just that people tend to focus more on the evil than the good. The humanity from their former homeworld was not really as bad as Arceus had made it out to be. Yes, the evil members of their race did do a lot of things that endangered the world and hurt a lot more people and Pokemon. But the majority of humans had the common sense and wisdom to not do those things and instead sometimes fight against that injustice. And it was partially thanks to their Pokemon and friends that they had something to fight for.
Arceus would have one believed that Pokemon the victims in their long history under humanity’s rule, as well as the morally better sentient race.
The first part was mostly true. The second? Well…
One could wonder why the Pokemon being as powerful as they are, not to mention sentient, did not just come together and overthrow humanity? Sure groups like the PLA existed. But if one thought about it, Pokemon outnumbered and outpowered mankind. So why were they not in charge?
The answer was because most Pokemon were content to just let things stay the way they were. But not for the reasons one might think.
Despite being just as smart and in some cases even smarter than humans. Most Pokemon lack the inherent wisdom and understanding that humanity possessed. What Arceus saw as cold and calculating minds was really just human reason and ego. Their desire to be something more than what they are, to be better, both morally and physically. Pokemon, on the other hand, were more animalistic and in tune with nature, content to just be the same as they were every day for the rest of their lives. The fact that Pokemon had more animalistic traits such as estrous cycles, territoriality, and preying on other creatures made them in some ways inferior to humans.
Pokemon from a certain point of view were not morally superior to humans, how could they when they were inhuman themselves and lacked the human desire to be better?
Of course, no one was ever going to bring this up. After all popular opinion was against it. At the end of the day, everyone saw humans as the perpetrators, the ones to be condemned and unworthy of having a future.
But who really gets to decide that?
“Uh, guys?”
Virizion snapped out of her deep thought and turned to the voice who said that.
“Yes Keldeo?”
“A weird looking drawing just sketched itself into the floor, and now it's glowing.”
Virizion, as well as Cobalion and Terrakion, looked to see that there was indeed a glowing detailed circle in the middle of the room. That fact that it was pulsing with power could only mean one thing.
“Everyone into positions and get ready!” Cobalion said.
The Swords of Justice surrounded the circle from four spots and got into a battle-ready stance. The summoning circle continued to glow with mana until there was an explosion of light.
When the dust finally settled a person stood in the middle of the circle.
The person in question was clad in head to toe in thick armor, a distinguishable helmet covered their face. They had a sword in their hands that was touching the ground in a traditional human knight stance. The armor and sword were adorned with red coloring while their helmet had two horns coming out the sides of it.
“Hmm, judging by the sword, this servant must be of the Saber class. Also, the armor that they wear is unmistakenly that of a knight.” A smile began to form on Virizion’s face. “How fitting that the Counter Force sends someone like them to face us here.”
Cobalion spoke before anyone else.
“Servant, before you say or make a move answer us this. If you are here to ultimately destroy this world and doom its people, stand down and turn yourself in. If you are not here to do anything along those lines then explain your presence here. If you fail to comply with us, then you will face the might of our swords.”
The servant turned their head to just glance at the leader of the Swords of Justice. Despite their helmet concealing their expressions, Virizion could tell that they barely regarded Cobalion due to not fully looking at him. They then turned their head until they got a look at all four of them.
Finally, after a moment of silence, the servant spoke.
“What swords? You’re all either horses or deer or some shat. How could you all possibly hold one of these things?” The Knight raised their own saber as if to make a point.
The Swords of Justice however, all just smiled.
“If you think that having a hand with 5 fingers is all it takes to wield a sword, then you are mistaken. That kind of thinking must lead you to underestimate your opponents in battle,” Virizion stated.
“Yeah,” Keldeo said. “And if you think that just because we walk on four legs that we can’t hold a candle to humans in terms of swordsmanship, you got another thing coming.”
The Knight turned their head and tilted it at the younger colt.
“Oh yeah?” They said in a haughty voice. “And who's gonna show it to me, you little horsey. You’re the kind of pony we let the rookie knights ride back in Camelot.”
Virizion saw Keldeo get mad at the blatant insult. And while she would normally be upset too, her mind was focused on a word the knight had said.
“Camelot. Where have I heard that name before?”
“I will ask you once again to stand down servant. Failure to comply will be met with force as well as your defeat.”
The knight simply swung their sword to rest on their shoulder.
“How about this. I walk out of here, you guys don’t follow, and I won’t have to stain the walls with your bodily fluids.”
The entire group tensed up, but kept their composure.
“So that's it then, you won’t come quietly? Very well.”
All four of them manifested 4 glowing blades that grew out of their heads. Their shining light showing the proof of their legend and might.
“In the name of Lord Arceus, and the Princesses of Equestria, you will now be subdued by the Swords of Justice. Prepare yourself.”
The knight responded with the following.
“Heh, whatever.”
Immediately and unexpectedly the helmet retracted itself to reveal the knight’s face. No one had time to get a good look at it before the knight held their sword up and unleashed a blast of crimson lighting.
The roof of the room exploded, the blast visible to all creatures surrounding the nearby castle.
Location: A certain space that shouldn’t exist.
...
Initiating high speed calculations. Paper Moon activated.
Initiating planet navigational chart plus/minus convergence. Commencing Shadow Border’s docking sequence into reality boundary.
Disengaging mirror world plane voyage. Though the stratum may dissolve, I continue to exist. Reapplying timeflow attraction from Reality Space.
0.38-second difference between target coordinates and current recognition, confirmed! Tolerance levels are acceptable.
Emerging from Void Space. Thirty seconds until arrival at Reality Space.
29...
20...
10...
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
Zero Sail, complete. Emerging into Reality Space!
-
Somewhere in Equestria, time and space parted and for a few seconds, like wind parting the ocean. A pathway leading to an unknowable imaginary sea opened, and from it emerged a large metal craft.
The vehicle could be compared to a tank, although visually it reassembled a large M1127 armored personnel carrier. But without any visible weapons, it also had 12 wheels instead of 8.
It had docked in a part of the country that thankfully was not near anyone who would notice it. This gave it time to camouflage itself before that could change. With the journey from its base to Equestria completed, the tank powered down the device that it used to get here and recharge its systems.
Reality Space anchor attached. Reality verification complete
Proper Human History Resemblance: A
Lostbelt Depth: EX?
Establishing Imaginary Numbers Submersible Shadow Border’s existence within Lostbelt. Zero Sail return successful.
“Alright everyone, be sure to mind the gap when exiting the vehicle. When you go outside don’t touch or bring back anything unless it's a cute girl like me!”