Paldean Knights - Chapter 3

“We very much do not believe it was any sort of assassination.”

Yeah, I knew that tone of voice. Very big, 'we have dismissed those claims' energy with this guy. I took another calming breath, keeping myself in the zen-like state I needed to maintain. Once it fell apart, I was going to crash pretty hard.

My mother, Lani, tightened her grip around me, practically pulling myself and Lehonor into her. “Caballero Augustine, with all do respect... someone released an adult, male Garchomp into a gathering of the wealthiest and most influential people of Paldea. How can you believe they did not intend for someone to die?”

Caballero Augustine was a man with a significant dark brown mustache that had been oiled to within an inch of its life and shaped into a long crescent that ended pointing upwards on either side of his cheeks. Other than that, though, the man himself was fairly unremarkable. The classic Paldean skin-tone, a face that was neither handsome nor ugly, and a build that was largely average. I'd met the man on a few occasions and wondered if he was secretly some kind of retired spy who'd grown a noticeable style of facial hair simply so that he'd be less forgettable.

The man in question cleared his throat and gave my mother a deferential tilt of his head. “Your Highness, that is the very reason we do not believe it was an attempt on someone's life. Such things are, as distasteful as it is to discuss, targeted affairs. Releasing a wild pokemon into a crowd may kill someone, but it would not be anyone in particular. It would defeat the entire purpose of the affair.”

I frowned, noticing the hole in his logic.

“Not if the target was, as you put it Caballero, 'anyone in particular,'” I spoke up.

The fullness of the knight's chest turned towards me as he looked down to meet my eyes-

Being short has its advantages, but I'm looking forward to my growth spurt in a few years...

-and frowned. “My Prince, I understand that you have been through a traumatic affair here, today, but that isn't any reason to-”

I held up a hand and shook my head. “The Exceed-Cosmos partnership. It didn't necessarily have to be anyone in particular who perished – or was even merely critically wounded – a damaging enough incident would have derailed the talks completely, wouldn't it?”

Caballero Augustine's eyes narrowed and he reached up past his mostly ceremonial bronze cuirass to stroke his chin. “That... forgive me, My Prince, you may be onto something in truth.”

“I know my son may seem young, but he's got an old soul,” mother stated, defending me. “You'd do well to listen when he speaks, more than just paying lip service to your sovereign.”

“I'll... keep that in mind, Your Highness,” the caballero nodded, his countenance more serious. “If you'll excuse me, it seems I have more work to do.”

“Big brother's really smart,” Lehonor murmured, and I could already see her flagging despite all the excitement of the day.

“Your brother is very smart, yes,” Lani nodded, smiling as she lifted the smaller girl into her arms, Lehonor's arms automatically wrapping around her neck. “And very brave. Braver than he should be, sometimes.”

I hummed, looking away and pretending that comment wasn't entirely relevant. “My sister was in danger.”

Despite the calm, I didn't have an awesome argument for my actions and defended myself with that simple claim as if it should be enough to explain everything.

Thankfully, judging by the way my mother huffed exasperatedly without voicing a counterargument, that really did seem to explain everything. “I'm proud of you, Azi. But for the good of my heart, please don't do that again.”

“I'll try to be as safe as possible, Mother,” I replied with an affirmative nod of my head, not really handing her the promise that she wanted.

But, given everything, that seemed to slip her attention.

My eyes trailed over towards the group of men wearing the abbreviated armor. Caballeros, or more generically 'knights.' They were something of an intersection between military police, federal marshals, pokemon rangers, and criminal investigators.

...who were also somewhat oathbound to the nobility, unfortunately.

Given the underdeveloped nature of the digital infrastructure in this world, or at least in Paldea, I wasn't sure what the average person thought of their position, but they were supposed to be very broadly empowered law enforcement officers with powerful pokemon at their disposal to deal with exceptional criminals.

They were usually credited, in fact, as being the reason no criminal team such as the Rockets, Aqua, Magma, Galactic, Plasma, or Flare had managed to set up shop in Paldea.

And they had tried, apparently.

“Lani,” my father called, approaching us at a brisk pace. “I think you and Lehonor should head up to bed-”

“M'not tired,” Lehonor whined, already half-asleep as she sagged in my mother's arms.

“-I'll take care of Azarno,” he nodded to her as she grimaced. “He needs to give a few statements before we wind things down and letting people see he's alright should quell any rumors.”

Mother took a deep breath, releasing it slowly, then nodded. “Very well. Please watch him carefully Enrique. Watching my son face down an adult garchomp was more than enough excitement for... a good long while, if not the rest of my life.”

My father looked down at me and nodded back to her with a smile. “I'll make sure he gets through the night in one piece, honey.”

With that, and a few more admonishments to be careful, Mom dragged a knuckle carefully under her eyes to try and wipe away a few stray tears without further scarring her makeup. Her makeup which was, unfortunately, a lost cause at this point. Her initial embrace after the rangers had applied both of their capture stylers-

Which I maintain are actually beyblades!

-on the still-sleeping garchomp, had been... messy. She hadn't wanted to let either myself or my sister go, my jacket was still stained with mascara-infused tears, and I was pretty sure the first time the caballero had approached she'd almost torn the man's throat out. Perhaps literally.

A hand clamped down on my shoulder as my father dropped to kneel beside me. He gave me the warmest smile I'd seen from the normally-restrained man in a long time and pulled me into a tight hug. “That was incredibly dangerous, never do it again.”

The sound of air being drawn up through his nose and the tight grip he had on my back told me exactly how close he was to openly crying at the moment... as if the way the words were choked and thick hadn't. I worked my mouth, trying to come up with something to say though the calm...

The moment passed, and Dad pulled away.

“I'm proud of you, Azi. No matter what, remember that, son.” He smiled at me, grinning a bit as I felt my cheeks heat and I looked away.

Like walking across too-thin winter ice, I could feel the calm crack.

“Thanks, Dad,” I replied, giving him a quick hug back and smiling as I pulled away. “I, um... I didn't really think? Lehonor was... well, it all happened so fast.”

“It did,” Enrique sighed heavily, the rims of his eyes just barely reddened as he took a moment to close them. “But you had everything well in hand before the caballero and the rangers showed up. That's something to be proud of, especially when you don't even have a pokemon yet.”

“Perhaps we should remedy that?”

Both my father and I turned to see a man in a crisp suit approaching looking none the worse for all of the commotion. “Ah,” my father spoke up, rising from his crouch to shake the offered hand. “Director Harrington of Uva Academy, wasn't it?”

Short-cropped black hair combed straight up in spikes, thick-framed glasses that made his expression look a little pinched with the way his eyebrows seemed constantly furrowed. On top of the pencil mustache hanging on his upper lip, it all gave off the appearance of someone who-

-prince, he'd make a great addition to the student body even as young as he is. Another feather in my cap, teaching a prodigy, maybe even better than his brother! Damn Clavell for stealing all the glory-

-or, maybe that was my own insight coloring my interpretation of his character.

“Indeed,” Harrington smiled. “My deepest apologies if I'm interrupting, Your Highness, but I couldn't help but overhear. If your son would like to start at Uva a year early, the Academy can be accommodating. He obviously has talent aplenty and skill with handling powerful pokemon.”

My father and I exchanged a glance... before I shrugged a careful approval and turned back to the bespectacled man. “I would prefer Uva to Naranja, father.”

“Oh?” Another new voice spoke up, making me privately bemoan more interpersonal interaction. Still, as the girl with the eevee backpack and her uncle approached, I supposed I could tolerate it. “Is that enough of a push for you to finally decide, Penny? My apologies, Your Highness, but I had hoped to speak with either Harrington or Clavell tonight to finalize my niece's registration. After seeing her hit it off with your son... well, I hope I'm not being too presumptuous.”

Standing to his side, Penny had reddened significantly as she approached, giving me a deferential bow. “Y-your H-highness, please forgive me! I didn't recognize you or I wouldn't have dreamed of speaking to you so informally! I'm so sorry!”

I sighed, feeling the calm ebb away a bit further and the coming crash draw nearer. “It's fine, Penny. You were perfectly well-mannered and polite during dinner. I usually only play the prince card when someone decides to be rude.”

“B-but I-” Penny began, bobbing back up and clutching one arm with the other nervously.

“You had good reaction time with that glaceon, too,” I commented, drawing her attention away from her previous faux-pas. If one was even inclined to call it that.

“Ah, but y-you-” Penny began, shaking her head. “I knew dragon types were weak to ice and there wasn't anyone else doing anything, so...”

“You've got good instincts,” I complimented. “If we do end up going to the Academy together, I'll be sure to look for you in class.”

Penny's eyes widened behind her glasses even as her smile did too, then she nodded apparently to herself. “You said Uva Academy?”

I could practically feel Harrington's building glee, though he kept his face clear of emotions past a polite expectation. “Either this year or next, yes. I have a bit of a sleeping condition that will need accommodation, but since my cousins all went to Naranja I'd hoped to chart my own course a bit.”

“I had thought something like that,” Father nodded minutely, tacitly admitting that he understood the real reason I didn't want to follow Ximen and Sabastian to Uva's sister school. “Hmm... well, I can't make any decisions without your mother's input, but if you really feel you're ready... especially after tonight.”

The Chairman of Macro Cosmos and my father exchanged a small nod.

This close, the feeling I got from the tanned businessman was...

-Peony would never forgive me if I pushed them together, but if it happens naturally? Though maybe there are some things I can do to speed the process-

...depressingly normal. Though the fact that he wanted his niece to be happy with the arrangement was a very small point in his favor.

Then, just as the discussion got going, someone else ran up and interrupted us.

This time, though, it was a ranger.

“The garchomp is back!” She gasped, resting her hands on her knees as she breathed heavily. “It's outside and it won't leave!”

I rubbed at my eyes and mentally hoped I would be wrong about what she would say next.

“It... ah, seems to want to see your son again, Your Highness,” she continued sheepishly.

My father's eyes widened and looked to me as I took calming breaths. “My son is not going to-”

I sighed deeply and began cataloging my arguments.

Sweet Arceus, this is the night that won't end!

Eventually, after a long and protracted argument that ended with an enlarged security detail, six caballeros, and an equal number of rangers ready to deploy a truly staggering amount of pokemon firepower should it become necessary...

I was escorted to the rear gardens where we'd released the dragon just a few hours earlier to find the monster himself looking particularly unimpressed at a quaquaval, a crabominable, and an azumarill... all of whom were looking admirably committed to a fight they would almost certainly lose despite the type advantage threat they posed.

If this was a video game battle, I know who I'd bet on.

But hard factors like type advantage, strength ratings, a given pokemon's speed...

They were lies.

Lies that amateur trainers believed meant that they should be able to beat another pokemon.

Here's some expert advice when you see a small group of pokemon going up against a fully-evolved dragon: bet on the dragon.

The Garchomp's head twisted to stare at the entourage guarding me, its eyes dilating as it readied itself for an attack. Even if the three 'mon arrayed before it wouldn't pose a significant challenge, it was old enough and smart enough to know that even if every human here only carried one additional battle-ready pokemon...

Well, there were challenges even dragons were smart enough to turn down.

“Gar! Garchomp!” It growled and snapped, muscles under its scales tightening.

I sighed and pushed past my father, “Hey! I know this wasn't the deal, but I'm a hatchling. The pack wouldn't let me wander out to meet someone as big and strong as you.”

My father's hand on my shoulder told me that I wouldn't be getting one more step towards the walking natural disaster, either.

But the garchomp seemed to take both the compliment and the explanation in stride, giving me a jerking nod. “Chomp-Gar-Gar!”

I blinked, my headache building as I felt the calm slipping away faster now. “Debt? There's no debt. No one was hurt-”

Except that guy who got tail-slapped by a dragon, but healing technology in this world is bullshit.

“-so no debt,” I waved the pokemon off.

But it shook its head, grunting again. “Garchomp! Gar-Gar!”

“For the food?!” I exclaimed, reaching up to scratch my head. “Are you fu-hreaking serious?”

Arceus I miss being able to curse freely as an adult.

“Gar!” It barked, dipping its head and reaching back into a natural fold of its scales where its arm-wings met the large fin on its back and producing-

My mind blanked as shocked inhalation sounded around me, my father's grip loosening momentarily. “Please tell me that's not one of your mate's eggs?”

Dragons are awesome, yes. But awesome in the abstract!

I did not want to be responsible for one of this world's most maltempered lines of difficult to handle monsters that were on record as eating rocks to sustain themselves if they got hungry enough. Which mean that, yes, they could and would count the earth itself as prey if they couldn't find something else to eat. How did that actually work? Fuck if I knew, probably poke-magic.

I swear the dragon fucking rolled its eyes at me before snorting. “Chomp!”

Oh, good. Evidently feeding you wasn't enough to give me the honor of raising one of your kids. Remind me to never do you any big favors!

But, thinking about it... this garchomp was a big one. Maybe a soon-to-be alpha, even. He wasn't lean, though. Thick, corded muscle lay under those scales with a healthy layer of fat. This wasn't a pokemon who had known hunger for longer than it took to hunt something down.

Which begged the question of why it had been so hungry when it'd stormed through the party's doors.

I wasn't sure if I liked the answer my mind came up with, but...

If he was being starved to be extra violent, like a tiger or lion in the Roman Colosseum...

The way his eyes wouldn't meet my own told me more than anything he could have said. The simple meal I'd given him and the restful sleep I'd put him under... well, they hadn't saved his life or anything so dramatic, but he'd woken up more sensible and, while still angry at the indignity, he'd understood we weren't the humans he should blame for it.

“Ga-chom-gar!” He spoke further, snorting as he shifted, and I felt my train of thought derail.

“So it's a pokemon egg you were going to eat?” I asked, my voice deadpan, getting a jerk of acknowledgment and a low rumble. Around me, tensions eased among the humans as I shrugged and spread my arms slightly. “Is that what you expect me to do? Eat it?”

The garchomp had the gall to shrug at me. “Gar-gar-chomp.”

Then it turned to leave, apparently satisfied that we were even now and he didn't need to owe a human a favor. Taking a few steps away from the egg it had set down, he leaped into the air and soared off into the starlit sky.

I sighed, walking tiredly to the egg and looking it over before reaching down and laying a hand on it. A faint and unready pulse of life resonated within. “I hope you take a while to hatch, because I am done with this shit.”

If my father didn't hear it, it didn't count.

Yawning deeply, I swayed slightly as I walked back to my father, the crash imminent. Strong arms caught me before I could be in danger of toppling.

“Are you alright, Azi? Is everything okay?” Dad asked, crouching down to my level.

“Stupid prideful dragons,” I muttered, leaning against him as I cradled the egg. “Tired, Dad. Gonna' nap, kay?”

“You do that son,” he murmured softly, his voice a low rumble in his chest as he laughed lightly with relief. “I suppose we don't need to worry about getting you a starter, at least.”

…

“Well, guess I didn't need to show up after all.”

Prince Enrique Braganza turned to regard the yellow-clad young woman with oversized sleeves, picking up his sleeping son and the pokemon egg he was holding in a single smooth motion.

“Regardless, Gym Leader Iono, you have our thanks for appearing so promptly,” he grunted under the added weight, positioning Aznaro more securely against himself.

The teenager grinned a set of shark-like teeth and waved a hand that was still swamped in yellow fabric. “Don't worry 'bout it, Highness. I'm Levincia's Gym Leader, after all. Shame I wasn't here for the big ruckus, but all you fuddy-duddies talk about boring stuff at these parties. Ugh... Hasse is going to be on my back about attending them even more now.”

Enrique chuckled, beginning to move towards the building as the security entourage parted and regrouped around him, the gym leader stepping up to follow him. “You have my sincere condolences. Though now that I've experienced the alternative, I think I prefer the boring ones.”

Iono hummed and nodded, her two-tone pigtails shifting against the oversized magnemite hair ornaments she wore. “So...” her eyes tracked to the man's cargo, “that's a heck of a kid you've got there. More of a Dragon Prince than a Ghost Prince, by my count.”

Enrique snorted. “Tell that to my wife. You've never tried to find Aznaro when he doesn't wish to be found. As distasteful as that nickname is, I do feel it's more accurate than I'd like sometimes.”

“Are you sure it shouldn't be Psychic Prince?” Iono asked, her tone intentionally casual.

Enrique grimaced and shot her a severe look.

The gym leader grinned again and raised her cloth-covered hands. “Not to cast aspersions or anything, Higher-ness. Just saying what it looked like to me, hehe!”

The elder prince kept the look trained on her for a moment longer, then sighed. “Neither Lani nor I have any family history of that kind of trait. Alignment to ghost-type energy, even if it makes certain interactions with the Disciples of Arceus... difficult, there would at least be precedence for.”

“Ah, the Ninnies of the Ultimate One,” Iono rolled her eyes, Enrique smothering a smile at the disrespect to the clergy. “Want me to reach out to Tulip? See if she can drop by your digs to give Lani and Her Majesty a makeover?”

Enrique pondered the proposal for a moment, then nodded. “Be discreet, of course, but it would be a great help if you could. Duchess Briceida is...”

“A bitch,” Iono filled in, throwing her arms up and behind her head, her elbows high in the air. “I hear about her all the time from Tulip, no worries. I'll keep it on the DL, Highness. Been meaning to do a face-to-face with Tulip for a bit, anyway. My little electric waverider needs some move-tutoring.”

“I only ask you please don't instigate another international incident with Alola,” Enrique muttered. “They very much do not like reminders that a number of their 'unique' pokemon breeds have been poached by Avropans over the centuries.”

“Ah-hehe, sorry about that!” Iono blushed, looking deeply unapologetic about it. “Anywho... let's see...”

Her hand reached out and caressed the egg resting on Aznaro's stomach for a moment. “Hmm, not an electric type. Even in the egg, you can usually feel a bit of voltage if you know what you're looking for. Ah well, I'll have Hasse send a trainer over with a new-model incubator for this little one, okay?”

“We'd be much obliged,” Enrique nodded at her, ignoring the impoliteness once again. Certain people were simply too useful to get angry at for their lack of airs. Iono, for all her irreverence and outright silliness at times, was one of those people.

Moreover, they both knew where her loyalties lay, without question.

And that, more than anything else, was worth quite a bit.

~~~

Alright, so the general polls are in and the result is... unsurprising? Well, slightly surprising, at least.

With how hard Mind Games won, at least. This month it took well over half the vote across both Patreon & Subscribe Star when everything was said and done.

Industrious took a solid quarter of the remaining half, and the last quarter was divided up between The New Ron, Nexus Event, and Paldean Knights.

My goal is to let everything have at least one chapter this month, let's see if I can manage it.

Next up, of course, is Mind Games.

I'll have the Awesome Tier vote momentarily.