The guard led Draconis through the city gates, and the moment he stepped into Cyllage Castle, a scent mixed with gunpowder, dust, and a faint floral fragrance washed over him.
Damaged wooden houses and collapsed walls were visible everywhere on the streets, with bloodstains that had not yet dried still remaining in the corners.
Many Commoners huddled under the eaves holding their children, their faces filled with fear and exhaustion, with only the occasional flower by the roadside blooming stubbornly amidst the flames of war.
Serperior followed quietly by Draconis's side, its emerald-green body slightly straightened, carrying an inherent aura of majesty that gradually calmed the originally restless streets.
When the passing Commoners saw this extraordinary Pokémon, their eyes showed a hint of awe, and they instinctively made way.
"pokémon master, this way please; our Lord is waiting for you at the Lord's Manor." The guard led the way respectfully, his tone carrying a hint of urgency, "The Lord is in need of a powerful helper like you."
Cyllage Castle—it should be the future Cyllage City.
Draconis nodded slightly, his gaze calmly sweeping over his surroundings.
He could clearly feel the dense battle intent and sorrow permeating the city, with the residual energy of Pokémon battles still lingering in the air; it wasn't hard to imagine how tragic yesterday's battle of offense and defense had been.
Before long, the group arrived at the Lord's Manor located in the center of the city.
Compared to the dilapidated state of the city, although the Lord's Manor had a few bullet marks and scorch marks, it still maintained its solemn layout.
A resolute middle-aged man clad in silver armor was already standing at the door waiting; he wore a longsword at his waist, his eyes were sharp, and he exuded an aura of someone long-hardened on the battlefield.
"I heard that a Beast Tamer from afar has come to visit; I am the Lord of Cyllage Castle, Garret." The Lord stepped forward proactively, pausing noticeably when his gaze fell upon Serperior, and his tone became a bit more polite, "Thank you for coming to Cyllage Castle at a time like this. May I ask what business brings you here from so far away?"
"My name is Draconis, and I come from the Unova region. I am merely a Beast Tamer traveling around and have no intention of getting involved in the war." Draconis spoke in a peaceful tone, deliberately downplaying his identity, "I am just passing through and saw that the fires of war have not yet been extinguished in the city, so I wanted to learn about the current situation of the Kalos Kingdom."
Upon hearing this, Lord Garret's face showed a hint of bitterness, and he raised his hand to invite Draconis into the hall: "Lord Draconis, please come in! Since you are a guest from afar, I naturally will not hide anything—the current Kalos has been turned upside down by Galar's invading army!"
The two took their seats in the hall, and the guard served warm berry tea. Serperior stood quietly by Draconis's side, eyes lowered in rest, yet maintaining constant vigilance.
"Galar's army, relying on their powerful Beast Legions, has come all the way south from the western coast, capturing several of our cities in succession and leaving countless Commoners displaced."
Garret clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "Our power to command beasts in Kalos is not proficient, and in the end, we are no match for Galar—but fortunately, our soldiers were brave enough to risk their lives to repel the enemy, but it only went that far."
Draconis took a light sip of tea, understanding it in his heart.
The trajectory of history had indeed not deviated; Galar's invasion was exactly the beginning of all the tragedies.
He asked calmly: "Did the King of Kalos—His Majesty AZ—not lead the army in a counterattack?"
At the mention of AZ, Garret's eyes dimmed a bit, and he sighed: "His Majesty has been preparing troops in the Royal Capital, but Galar's offensive was too swift. The beasts they command are as hard as steel all over and fly in the sky; ordinary weapons simply cannot harm them."
"Under such an offensive, the garrison forces everywhere retreated steadily. A few days ago, a Beast Legion even had the audacity to fly toward the Royal City to execute a Decapitation Strike. In that battle, His Majesty's Pokémon lost its life protecting him."
"His Majesty was overwhelmed with grief, and I heard he has been staying behind closed doors recently—there has been no news since."
Floette is already dead?
Draconis couldn't help but frown.
It wasn't hard to guess what AZ was doing now; he must be researching the ultimate weapon in the Royal City!
Draconis's heart sank, but his face remained calm: "Rest assured, Lord, although I have no intention of joining the war, I will not sit by and watch Galar's army arbitrarily bully Commoners. If Cyllage Castle is in danger again, I will lend a hand."
Garret suddenly stood up, a light of surprise bursting from his eyes, and he gave Draconis a deep bow: "If we can have Lord Draconis's help, the people of Cyllage Castle will be eternally grateful! On behalf of the city's military and civilians, I thank you!"
Just then, a sharp alarm suddenly sounded from outside the city, followed by the panicked shouts of soldiers: "Enemy attack! Galar's army is here again! They are attacking with their Beast Legion!"
Garret's face changed drastically, and he suddenly drew the longsword at his waist: "Damn it! They actually came so fast!"
Draconis slowly stood up, his black eyes showing no hint of panic. He looked at the Serperior beside him and said softly: "It seems we don't have to wait anymore."
"Serperior, prepare for battle."
"Ser~"
Serperior raised its head and let out a clear hiss, its body instantly enveloped in faint green energy as the leaves on its body slightly unfurled.
An aura of majesty belonging to a king instantly swept through the entire hall of the Lord's Manor.
Draconis stepped outside the city, the sunlight spilling over him and casting a long shadow.
In the sky above, dark clouds gradually gathered, and the battle cries of the Galar army drew closer, instantly dyeing the sky black.
High in the sky, countless soldiers in armor were riding Pokémon that were pitch black all over and looked as if they were wrapped in a suit of armor.
That was none other than an extremely terrifying Corviknight legion!
Rumor has it that the Pokémon Corviknight is invincible in the skies of the Galar region.
He just hadn't expected that the Galar royal family would already possess the power to control Corviknight at this time.
At this moment, Draconis deeply felt that the degree of control over Pokémon differed between each region!
However, he was not afraid.
As the enemy army attacked, Garret, the Lord of Cyllage Castle, took the lead in mounting the city walls, using weapons like bows and ballistae along with the soldiers to attack the Corviknight legion above.
Within the city, countless elderly, weak, women, and children looked up at the sky with faces full of despair and terror.
Having just experienced a war, they knew well that the current Cyllage Castle had absolutely no power to fight back against that beast army that turned the sky black—
The Corviknight legion had already reached the city gates, and an extremely piercing metal sound erupted from their mouths, forcing the soldiers on the walls below to cover their ears.
The spears held by the Galar soldiers riding the Corviknight swept past, and the spear blades flashing with cold light instantly pierced through a soldier's chest.
The surrounding soldiers of Cyllage Castle showed looks of terror.
Just then, two "whooshing" sounds of breaking air rang out.
Serperior's Leaf Blade cut through the air, precisely striking the wing root joints of the front-row Corviknight—the only weak point of the armor-clad Corviknight.
Crisp cracking sounds rang out, and those Corviknight let out shrill screams, spiraling down from the high sky and crashing heavily onto the ground below the city walls.
This one strike instantly stabilized the collapsing morale of the Cyllage Castle defenders.
But in the next second, the Corviknight across the entire sky flapped their wings simultaneously, their pitch-black iron wings whipping up a gale, as countless arrow attacks pressed down toward Serperior like a rainstorm!
"Serperior, come back!"
Draconis shouted low, and Serperior nimbly flipped and landed, its emerald-green body panting slightly.
Lord Garret on the city wall turned pale, his hand gripping the longsword trembling slightly: "Lord Draconis—there are too many of them, we can't stop them at all!"
The Commoners below the city were already huddled together in fear, and desperate whispers spread through the crowd.
Draconis looked up at the Corviknight legion that blotted out the sun, his eyes still calm and rippleless.
He raised his hand to grip the second Poké Ball at his waist and, with a forceful flick of his fingertips, threw the ball high into the sky.
"Come out, Dragonite!"
The moment the white light burst, a massive and majestic orange body suddenly spread its wings, and a gale swept out wildly with it as the center!
The thick Dragon Tail swept through the air, making a deafening sound of breaking air, and those clear eyes were now cold as torches; merely by appearing, it released a terrifying pressure that towered over all the Corviknight!
This was the Dragon and Flying dual-type Pokémon inhabiting the Unova region, hailed as the true overlord of the sky—Dragonite!
"Roar—!!!"
A roar resounded through the clouds, and the originally arrogant Corviknight legion instantly became restless, instinctively retreating.
Seeing this, the Galar officer riding a Corviknight roared: "What's the panic! It's just one Dragon-type beast!
All forces attack, use Steel Wing to tear it apart!"
Hundreds and thousands of Corviknight charged once more, their pitch-black armor glinting coldly in the sunlight, their dense iron wings like a tide of death, crushing toward Dragonite!
Draconis stood on the ground, his voice clearly reaching across the entire battlefield: "Dragonite, no need to hold back."
"First use Hurricane to clear the path."
"Roar!"
Dragonite's wings flapped hard, and a violent air current instantly erupted, the weather changing abruptly!
A terrifying Twister formed by its side, the wind blades carrying rubble and air currents like invisible giant axes, smashing hard into the Corviknight legion!
Crack—!!!
The formation of the Corviknight army was directly torn apart by the storm, their bodies swept into the high sky by the gale and then slammed down hard.
The originally neat legion formation was instantly torn with a huge gap, and screams rose one after another.
The Galar officer's face changed drastically: "Impossible! How can there be such a strong Dragon-type beast!"
The rest of the Corviknight knights already showed looks of terror.
They couldn't help but look at that figure below who was so out of place with everyone else.
Who was that?!
"No retreating, all forces charge together!" the Galar legion roared, using it to stabilize the army's morale.
The remaining Corviknight adjusted their positions, their pitch-black bodies converging into a black rain of death, pouring down toward Dragonite!
"Dragonite, Draco Meteor!"
Draconis's command was crisp and direct.
Dragonite's body took flight with spread wings.
"Chase after it! If this beast is not destroyed, we cannot capture Cyllage Castle!" the Galar legion shouted out.
That Corviknight army followed closely behind Dragonite.
Dragonite tilted its head back and let out a heaven-shaking roar, and the originally clear sky was instantly dyed a deep purple, as if the world were ending.
In the sky above, countless meteorites burning with fire crashed down, precisely striking the Corviknight legion!
The sounds of explosions merged together, and the firelight dyed the entire horizon red.
The Corviknight army completely shattered under the bombardment of the meteorites. One by one, Corviknight that had lost their ability to fight fell from the high sky. The remaining soldiers were scared out of their wits, no longer possessing any will to fight, and they turned their Corviknight around, wanting to flee.
"Want to run?"
Draconis's gaze turned cold.
"Dragonite, Extreme Speed, finish this!"
Dragonite's figure flashed, disappearing directly from where it was.
In the next second, an orange afterimage wove through the retreating Corviknight, and every impact was accompanied by a wail.
In just a few short seconds, the originally aggressive Corviknight legion was completely routed, leaving only a few scattered, heavily injured Corviknight to flee toward the distance without looking back.
The sky became clear again, and sunlight pierced through the clouds, spilling over the battle-scarred Cyllage Castle.
The entire battlefield was in dead silence.
The soldiers on the walls, the Commoners under the eaves, Lord Garret—everyone stared blankly at that Dragonite in the sky that was slowly folding its wings and standing like a god of war, their minds completely blank.
One.
Just one beast.
It had routed the Corviknight legion that had terrified the entire Kalos.
Dragonite landed beside Draconis, standing on his left and right along with Serperior.
Only then did Cyllage Castle erupt into cheers like a mountain wave and a sea roar!
"We won! We won!"
"Thank you, pokémon master! Thank you for saving us!"
"Lord, you are the savior of Cyllage Castle!"
Lord Garret ran down from the city wall stumbling, came before Draconis, and knelt deeply on one knee before him, his voice choking: "Lord Draconis—you saved Cyllage Castle, saved the entire city's people! I, Garret, will remember your kindness for all eternity!"
Draconis gently helped the Lord up, and just as he was about to say something, a majestic voice suddenly echoed in his heart.
"Some kind of existence is watching you."
It was Kyurem's voice.
Draconis was slightly taken aback, and he turned to look as if he felt something.
Then, in an inconspicuous patch of grass, he saw a cell-like creature.
It was Zygarde.
This guardian of order in Kalos had just finished watching the entire battle.
It did not appear, but simply recorded that dragon aura sufficient to calm the fires of war and Draconis's figure unhesitatingly protecting the weak into its mind. Draconis did not pay it any mind, because that was just one of the most ordinary cells used by Zygarde to monitor the Kalos region.
He withdrew his gaze and looked at Lord Garret, who was still kneeling on one knee with a face full of reverence, and reached out to steadily help him up: "The Lord need not be so formal. I only did what should be done. Galar's army will not stop here; in the coming days, Cyllage Castle needs to reinforce its defenses."
Lord Garret stood up, his eyes still red, and nodded heavily: "Everything shall be as Lord Draconis commands! As long as the Lord speaks, every soldier and civilian in the city will obey!"
The surrounding people flocked around, holding their remaining bread, berries, and fresh water, competing to hand them to Draconis, their eyes full of gratitude and reliance.
Children hid behind the adults, curiously watching Serperior and peeking at Draconis, their eyes filled with admiration for the savior.
Serperior retracted its aura and gently nudged Draconis's hand, its battlefield sharpness fading, leaving only loyalty to its master.
Draconis politely declined the food brought by these Commoners and merely said softly: "Everyone, settle down first, treat the wounded, and repair the city walls. I will stay in the city for a few days to ensure Cyllage Castle is temporarily safe."
As his words fell, enthusiastic cheers erupted from the crowd once again.
For the next half day, Draconis assisted Lord Garret in commanding the military and civilians to clear the battlefield, treat the wounded, and repair the damaged city walls.
Serperior used Vine Whip to nimbly carry rubble and timber, and Dragonite occasionally flew out of the city to patrol the surroundings for dozens of miles, eliminating the possibility of sneak attacks by Galar remnants.
Busy until dusk, the setting sun dyed the walls of Cyllage Castle a warm gold, the smoke gradually dissipated, and the air finally gained a bit more of a peaceful scent.
Draconis climbed the city wall alone, looking at the distant horizon as it gradually darkened.
He knew very well that routing one Corviknight legion was but a drop in the bucket.
Galar's invading army was still heading south, AZ was frantically building the ultimate weapon deep in the Royal City, and the grief brought by Floette's death was bit by bit pushing Kalos toward the abyss of eternal damnation.
The moment the ultimate weapon is activated, Galar's army and the Commoners and Pokémon around the Galar Royal City will be instantly annihilated.
Only, there was one thing that made him feel puzzled.
Where is the legendary King of Galar, Calyrex, now?
Could it be that He has already fallen into a deep slumber?
....
Power Stones PLZZZZZ
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