In the courtyard behind the castle, even in late autumn, the flowers and plants remained lush and vibrant. Clusters of blossoms decorated the ground, and the trees were full of life. A swing hung from the branches of a large tree.
It was the same swing that Dragonite had broken in the courtyard, repaired by the carpenter and moved here. This entire space existed because of Dragonite's "Dragon Aura." Just like the Dragon Sanctuary in Johto, a place where concentrated Dragon-type energy enriches the environment so much that flowers bloom year-round and nature thrives regardless of season.
At this moment, Oshawott was staring at the lake with bright, sparkling eyes.
"Osha!"
It leapt forward and plunged into the water, sending up a huge splash.
A moment later, Oshawott surfaced again, looking excitedly at the Pokémon on the shore.
Audino, Breloom, Lilligant, Gothita and the others appeared just as delighted.
"These Pokémon seem to really like this place," Elif thought as he watched them.
However, he immediately hesitated.
This garden had been created specifically by His Highness Lucien for his own Pokémon. Would it be inappropriate to let these newcomers live here?
After thinking it over, Elif allowed the Pokémon to rest there for now, then hurried to the top floor to report the situation to Lucien.
"Those magical beast really like my ecological garden?" Lucien asked, a little surprised.
Elif nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."
"Then let them stay there," Lucien said. He had not yet had the time to gather the Pokémon he personally wanted to raise. Rather than leave the garden empty, it was better to let these displaced Pokémon live there.
"Yes, Your Highness. I will arrange everything for them right away," Elif said.
Pokémon need homes too, so Lucien instructed the carpenter to build several small wooden cabins in the garden so the Pokémon could sleep comfortably in their own shelters at night.
Lucien nodded slightly, then looked at the three exhausted Swords of Justice who had fallen asleep. After a moment of thought, he said,
"The war has begun. We need to be prepared. Later, have Geralt and Christina meet me in the Throne Room."
"Yes, Your Highness," Elif replied before withdrawing quietly.
Lucien sat alone at his desk, contemplating the current situation facing his territory.
As the old king had once said, war is never something a single person can control. If Lucien intervened recklessly, even if he managed to defeat both the First Prince and the Second Prince, he would not be able to take command of all the surrounding territories immediately. The entire Unova region would likely fall into even deeper chaos.
The northern and southern armies had only just begun their conflict. They could not act prematurely.
Moreover, winter was approaching. Soon the land would be buried under snowdrifts and blizzards, forming a natural barrier that would temporarily isolate Lucien City from the outside world, making it easier to defend and harder to attack.
The First Prince and Second Prince were still locked in their own struggle. Lucien had time to continue strengthening his foundation.
"The most important thing right now is preparing for winter, storing enough food, and preparing to accept refugees who may arrive at any moment."
"Next, we must focus on taking in refugees and rescuing Magical beasts driven from their homes by the war."
"At the same time, the school must continue running normally, and the Knights' training must not stop."
"Once all the Lairon evolve into Aggron, and the Altaria master Draco Meteor, that will be the time for us to enter the war."
Lucien made this decision silently.
That afternoon, the three Swords of Justice, led by Cobalion, arrived in the Throne Room along with Geralt, Christina, Ryan, and several others.
Lucien sat on his throne and let his gaze sweep over everyone before speaking slowly.
"I believe all of you have heard the news. The war has begun."
Geralt's expression instantly grew serious. The moment they all feared had finally arrived.
Ryan felt his heartbeat quicken in anxiety.
Christina frowned, worry evident in her eyes.
The Swords of Justice turned their full attention to Lucien, waiting for his next command.
"Geralt," Lucien said, "we must begin preparations immediately. The Knights' special training must continue. In addition, we need to expand our forces further, recruiting more soldiers from the city and accepting suitable refugees."
Pokémon would be their greatest advantage. If they built a strong enough Pokémon army, even one Pokémon could turn the tide against a thousand foes.
With the proper training and strategy, they could close the massive gap in numbers between themselves and the First and Second Princes.
"Yes, Your Highness," Geralt answered firmly.
"Christina," Lucien continued, "the war will destroy many innocent towns and villages. From today onward, Lucien City will do everything it can to shelter refugees, as well as homeless Pokémon and soldiers who do not wish to fight."
"I need you to publish this in the newspaper and have Zack and the others deliver copies to the surrounding territories."
"I'll start immediately," Christina replied without hesitation.
Lucien nodded, then turned his gaze toward the three Swords of Justice.
"Terrakion, Cobalion, Virizion… don't worry. The war won't reach Lucien City for now."
"From now on, I'll continue relying on you to rescue the Pokémon who have lost their homes. We will give them food and shelter."
"This is our duty," Cobalion replied with a calm nod.
Lucien's eyes swept across the room. His voice grew heavy.
"Our enemies are not only humans. They are also Pokémon."
The First Prince had used violence to force Pokémon into battle. Those unwilling Pokémon were dragged to the battlefield as tools. That extreme ideology of domination, rejecting a Pokémon's will and treating them as expendable, had actually been acknowledged by Zekrom, who was a Pokémon himself.
Against that kind of army, Lucien could use a defection strategy. He could turn the conscripted Pokémon, those who were fighting unwillingly, back to his side, weakening the First Prince's strength in one move.
But against the Second Prince, Lance… this approach would not work.
Lucien understood far too well: Lance's core belief was to liberate Pokémon from human control. The Pokémon fighting for Lance did so of their own free will. They shared his ideology. They chose this war.
No psychological tactic could make them defect.
"In any case, all of you must be prepared," Lucien said.
"Yes, Your Highness," everyone answered firmly.
...
A total of eleven Pokémon had arrived with the Swords of Justice: Audino, Oshawott, Gothita, Pachirisu, Amoonguss, Petilil, Sewaddle, Budew, Emolga, and Vulpix.
That afternoon, Lucien walked to the ecological garden behind the castle and quietly watched the newcomers.
Oshawott splashed happily in the lake. Pachirisu sprawled out in a sunny patch of grass.
Audino gently patted Gothita's back. Emolga spun around a tree trunk, gliding in circles.
Vulpix dozed peacefully among the flowers.
Each one was lively and adorable. Just watching them eased the weight in Lucien's chest.
Footsteps approached from behind.
Lucien turned to see the three Swords of Justice walking toward him.
Cobalion came to stand at his side. Together, they looked out at the Pokémon below.
"Their home was destroyed by the war," Cobalion said quietly.
"It used to be a dense forest. But when the armies arrived, they trampled everything. Flames swept through the trees, and countless Pokémon were caught in it.
"We tried to stop it. But before two hundred thousand soldiers… and before Zekrom and Reshiram… we were too small."
Lucien clenched his fists silently.
He knew the original history of this war.
There would be no winner.
The princes would destroy each other.
The dragons would burn their own life force.
Reshiram and Zekrom would collapse, their bodies turning to stone.
The land would fracture. The kingdom would break apart.
If not for the old king and Victini, everything would have been lost.
Lucien closed his eyes, inhaling deeply.
Countless civilians and Pokémon would suffer during this war. Lucien knew it all too clearly.
The old king had taught him many things, how to govern a territory, how to protect the people, how to read the tides of war. And most importantly:
War was never something a single person could stop.
"You must lie low," the old king once said.
"Wait for the kingdom to bleed. Wait until war exhausts the people. When despair reaches its peak, that is when you step forward to end it. When that moment comes, the kingdom will choose you."
It was the logical path.
The safe path.
The one designed for guaranteed success.
But standing here now, looking at Virizion, Cobalion, and Terrakion, loyal, exhausted, and still pushing themselves to protect innocent Pokémon, Lucien felt something twist in his heart.
He could not watch this continue.
Not when civilians were fleeing their homes.
Not when forests burned. Not when Pokémon cried out in fear.
And not when he had Kyurem, the only being capable of ending the Three Dragons' cycle of destruction.
The old king's route would work.
But Lucien was no longer someone who merely followed another's plan.
He was someone forging a new future.
Even if his current army was far weaker than his brothers', he and Kyurem alone could stand against ten thousand.
The thought made his eyes sharpen with determination.
Lucien straightened, looking at the three Swords of Justice.
"Believe me, Cobalion. Virizion. Terrakion… I will stop this war."
Virizion gave a gentle, warm smile. "We will stand with you, Lucien."
Lucien nodded deeply. "I know."
Cobalion stepped forward, expression grave.
"We must go. The war continues elsewhere. More Pokémon have lost their homes, they will be waiting for us."
Virizion added softly, "We will guide them. And bring them here."
Terrakion gave a hearty grin.
"These kids are in your care now, Lucien!"
Lucien placed a hand over his chest.
"Go. When the time comes, we will meet again, and by then, everything will be different."
The three Swords of Justice nodded firmly. They believed in Kyurem's choice, and therefore, they believed in Lucien.
After a short rest, they departed once more.
Lucien City – Ecological Garden
When Lucien returned to the garden, the rescued Pokémon immediately looked up at him.
"Oshawott…?"
"Vul…pix?"
"Emolga!"
"Gothita…"
Their gazes were full of worry and lingering fear, but also hope.
"Cobalion and the others have left," Lucien said gently, kneeling down. "But don't worry, I'll take care of you now."
Oshawott's ears drooped slightly at that. Its big eyes glimmered with sadness.
But even it knew, the Swords of Justice had more Pokémon to save.
Lucien extended his hand, smiling warmly.
"Audino, Oshawott, Vulpix, Emolga, Sewaddle… welcome to Lucien City. A city where humans and Pokémon live together, without war, without fear."
Oshawott's eyes lit up.
"Osha!" it squeaked, nodding rapidly.
It remembered Terrakion's words from the journey:
'Lucien City is the best place in the world. A place where all Pokémon can live happily.'
Looking at the little Water-type bouncing with excitement, Lucien couldn't help but laugh softly.
Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokémon.
A Water-type starter of Unova.
Oshawott, Tepig, Snivy… with these three, Lucien now held all the Unova starters.
If they could eventually be bred and raised in a peaceful environment, Lucien could one day provide professionally trained starters to the Trainer Association he planned to establish. Children over ten years old who wished to become trainers would receive these little ones, just like in the Unova League of the world he once knew.
But Oshawott was only one of many new lives now depending on him.
Lucien shifted his gaze to the others in the garden.
Audino, the Hearing Pokémon, gentle, empathetic, and with extraordinary auditory senses. A single touch of its feeler-like antennae could sense physical conditions, emotions, even detect when a Pokémon egg was about to hatch.
In the modern era, this Pokémon was always seen assisting Nurse Joy.
Here… Audino could help him build Lucien City's medical system for both humans and Pokémon.
Joltik, whose silk was famously strong. Some people even wove scarves with it. Lucien imagined: 'Maybe specialized protective clothing… or tools…?'
Then Gothita, the little Psychic-type with unfathomably deep eyes. When it fully evolved into Gothitelle, it would become the perfect butler Pokémon, comparable to Indeedee.
"Maybe one day," Lucien thought, "Gothita can be trained to help manage the castle."
Then there were Ledyba, Breloom, Sunkern, Skitty, Budew, Emolga, and Vulpix.
A small, fluffy, absolutely adorable Vulpix was curled among the grass, staring up at him with big ruby eyes.
"Vulpix…" Lucien crouched down, unable to resist reaching out to stroke its warm, silky fur. "From now on, you'll stay here and live well… alright?"
"Vuu~"
The little fox tilted its head, then happily licked the palm of his hand with its tiny pink tongue.
Lucien couldn't help but scoop it into his arms. Its fur was soft and warm, like holding a ball of living, gentle flame.
The feel was… heavenly.
...
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