♔

Initially apprehensive after Hilda's disappearance, The Flower of Unova proved to her people that she was capable of decision-making and taking care of them. Likewise, Sir Hue was proving to be the Head Knight that complemented her rule. Although his youth still bothered some of the old knights, he showed his value at Sir Liam's side throughout the previous events - not limited to his service in battle, but also his service to his lord when he lost his arm in the war. Liam stepped down from his position when Hue was knighted, but recommended to the new Queen to have Hue succeed him. Although he suffered - and continued to suffer - from depression, psychological trauma, and physical pain, Liam eventually overcame some of his perceived worthlessness by learning how to do things again with his left hand, especially battle. Although he has considered becoming a scholar, his family's legacy and his loyalty to serving his kingdom keeps him going as a knight.

However, the peace and prosperity of Unova only lasts for so long. As if out of nowhere, a horrible drought befalls the land, leaving it in famine. The people grow hungry and outraged, wanting answers - or better, solutions - but Rosa and her council are unable to provide them. After consulting help from the best wizards and witches of the land, from Ingo and Emmet, to Head Witch Shauntal, nothing seems to work. When all hope seems to be lost, a foreign wizard finds his way to the castle: Colress. 

Mysterious but suspicious, it is difficult to trust this stranger upon first impression. However, when he manages to make it rain, the people's faith is placed on him, moving the Queen to welcome him to their land and resources. More misfortunes befall the land over time, and in each instance, Colress solves it. The people continue to trust him - even Rosa - but something just does not sit right with The Order of Truth. Count Nate becomes intrigued by the new wizard, especially after witnessing him cast the first spell firsthand. During the last few years, he has found that an affinity for magic has awakened in him. This has been something he has been keeping away from his family, who seem to be wary of the practice. He came to the kingdom in hopes of having one of the wizards take him up as an apprentice, when he crossed paths with Colress. From that moment, he felt that he had to learn from him.

Colress seemed to know that a young nobel had been watching him, and is quick to acknowledge him. One night, Nate finds Colress' quarters, and makes a deal to work as master and apprentice. Colress seems far too accepting of this arrangement, but Nate does not seem to expect anything of his intentions. It doesn't take too long for Rosa and Hue to recognize a familiar face around the castle. Nate doesn't take long in realizing his potential and honing his magic skills, but Hue does not trust Colress at all. Eventually, he confronts Nate about what he is doing, telling him about his suspicions of the foreign wizard.

Meanwhile, Liam shares with Hilbert his anxiety over Hilda's whereabouts. They are both concerned about her safety, and whether she is still alive. After some time, they begin patrolling the lands in hopes of finding her, and instead come across signs that the Black Kingdom is up to something. Fighting off some rebellious knights on their own, they capture one of them to have them explain themselves. They only taunt them, telling them that they are too late, leaving them with a riddle:

"That which was one in the beginning shall be reunited once more. And from ice, the land will be reborn."

Upon returning to the kingdom to warn the queen, they find that she is not there.

Where has she gone? With Nate. 

Upon learning from Colress about the legend and reading more about the lore in the kingdom's library, Nate has convinced Rosa that they must reawaken Kyurem. Colress has expressed intrigue for the pokemon, and Nate believes that by reawakening the pokemon, that the dragons of truth and ideals will return and bring back the lost Queen and King of the respective kingdoms. But legend says that the pokemon waits for a hero to fill in the missing parts of its body with truth or ideals. Nate thinks that this must mean a descendant of the the white royal family. With that in mind, Rosa leads Nate to the Giant Chasm, as he insists on coming along to see this through. Considering that Hue has expressed his disdain for Colress' ideals and Nate's blind belief in him, they keep this a secret from the Head Knight.

It becomes a race: Liam and Hilbert are pressed to discover the meaning of the riddle, and come across the room of royal possessions - and that the gene wedge (known in the present as the DNA splicers) is missing from a broken-into chest. Having witnessed the perpetrator leave, they chase after him. Hue has been following close on their heels with the intention of stopping them. But in both cases, the knights are too late.

Upon catching the perpetrator, Sage Zinzolin, they find out that he has already passed the gene wedge onto someone else to take it to their lord. Liam takes this as N has returned.

Just as Hue reaches the Giant Chasm, Rosa has approached an icy figure. Upon touching its chilly surface, it gleams, and bursts, in a flash of light, into Kyurem. Before Rosa can further interact with it, however, a spell is cast, entrapping the royal and his apprentice in place as he makes off with the legendary. It is by no means happy, as the moment it steps outside of the Giant Chasm, its surroundings are frozen in ice.

Part II, Act II: Smothered Mate

It is an understatement to say that Nate feels betrayed by his Master. He does not have time to dwell on his anger; and it is through concentration and will that he casts a spell to cancel out the one Colress placed on them. Hue allows himself swept up in his emotions, and fights with Nate over his rash decisions. It is not until Rosa stops them and reminds them of who the true enemy is. They finally go after the rogue wizard.

The rest of The Order of Truth are having none of Zinzolin's smugness, and persuade him (with threats and force) to take them to his leader. It is no other than Ghetsis, still bent on making his original plans come into fruition. And of course, the Shadow Triad are the ones who have helped in delivering the gene wedge in his hands. After taunting them with his plans, he orders the Shadow Triad to finish them off. The battle of two against three is unfair, but the two knights hold their own and manage to follow after Ghetsis.

To their surprise, N and Zekrom have been apprehended. Ghetsis has trapped them, berating N again for his failures now that he has a new audience. Just as he mentions that he only needs one more piece of the puzzle, the Black Kingdom castle freezes over with the arrival of Colress and Kyurem. 

When Ghetsis goes onto explain where Colress' alliance lies, but is interrupted by the wizard himself, who is only interested in the deal that they made. The Shadow Triad present him with what looks like the Light Stone. When Liam recognizes the item, he blindly makes a rush for it, only to be stopped by another spell by Colress. He attempts to take his leave, but before he can, he is struck with a spell that sends him flying back.

Nate confronts Colress, beginning a wizard battle between apprentice and master, allowing Hue and Rosa to enter the fray. While Liam releases N and shakes him down for answers about Hilda's whereabouts, Hilbert tries to stop Ghetsis and the Shadow Triad. In all the crossfire, their efforts are wasted as they activate the gene wedge. Black Kyurem is born.

Ghetsis thinks that he has won, taunting the queen and the knights with his new weapon. But when he tries to command it, Black Kyurem cries out in agony and begins to destroy the castle, knocking him out of the way for a moment. It appears that the fusion is unstable, and the situation is not making it any better. As The Order of Truth fight off and eventually defeat the Shadow Triad, Rosa begins talking to the upset pokemon. N joins her, and together, they calm the pokemon down, causing the fusion to separate into two entities again. The ice freezing the kingdom begins to melt away.

He cannot accept this. Ghetsis cannot accept his plans failing one last time, and in a desperate move, attempts to kill them all off in battle. The scene is chaos as he commands his pokemon to do just that. Kyurem and Zekrom take the side of the young heroes, ensuring their win. Right when Ghetsis makes an attempt at Rosa's life - declaring he should've just done it himself - He gets caught in the final blow between Nate and Colress, turning him into stone. Colress shows no remorse for the man, but concedes at the realization that Nate would've bested him if Ghetsis didn't get in the way. He hands over the Light Stone, showing disinterest of pursuing what he was originally after. He does make a cryptic note, however. "It feels like the power residing in the stone is stronger than I imagined."

As the group leaves the castle, they become aware that it isn't only the castle that has defrosted: the rest of the kingdoms seem to be returning to normal. N stays back, determined to right the wrong his "father" has caused and takes responsibility. When he touches the Light Stone, he insists that they return to their kingdom as fast as they can. Whatever is inside has to find its way out. The group escorts Kyurem back to the Giant Chasm, where it can return to its peaceful slumber. As final parting words, Rosa apologizes for the trouble they have caused the pokemon. She explains to Kyurem the struggle that has happened two years ago, and the aftermath they are currently facing. She then shares with it the weight she has had to carry since: the loss of her family, the suddenness of becoming ruler of a kingdom, and the pressures of doing what is right for her people. In spite of all of this, she comes to terms with these emotions she has veiled with a reassuring confidence, and something about her words causes Kyurem to "engulf" the Light Stone.

The gene wedge, which she stowed away in her parcel, activates, and Kyurem becomes White Kyurem...

One of those "idealists" happens to be the king of Kanto. Granted, the king really only cares about gaining more land to rule over, but he is easily being duped by Giovanni. Giovanni is the richest of all of the nobles (outside of the crown) due to his business ventures, so it's necessary to have him on board if Kanto is to make a move against Johto—his money can buy the soldiers and weapons needed.

Meanwhile, the executives are in Johto, mostly spreading word against Kanto to hopefully increase the likelihood of war. Lyra, who has recently been announced as the official heir to the throne, has been traveling the region with her personal knight, Hibiki. She hears of the rumors and general low moral and sets out to the return to the castle, hoping to find a way to fix the situation. By this point, Jeanne has disappeared while finding a cure to her unknown illness—it is assumed she is dead, but no one knows of her status at during this time.

Lyra begins writing to Freddie about it, and he tries his best to quell her fears. He asks his father about it, but his father just dismisses him, which makes Freddie a bit suspicious. He begins to investigate on his own, but by the time he really gets to learn anything, his father has already announced his plans, months later. 

The announcement rings loud and clear throughout all of the kingdoms, and all of the royals know as soon as possible. Unfortunately for Johto, every other kingdom is dealing with their own internal struggles. On top of recovering from the loss of a generation of royals, Unova is engaged in a new battle despite the efforts of their young, new queen. Meanwhile, Pond is still readjusting to life outside of the distortion world and learning how to be a proper queen. Hoenn is naturally neutral. 

The invasion of Johto begins with Giovanni at the front lines as the general. Green is reluctantly participating (he doesn't have a choice as head knight), but is writing Freddie the whole time, begging him to convince his father to stop this war. Other recruits for the army include Surge, the Kanto Rocket executives, and Leaf, who enlists as a dame that quickly climbs the ranks due to her natural talent. The first large battle takes place in Violet City.

Johto is initially short-handed, due to the element of surprise and just because it has a smaller army than the one that Giovanni was able to buy. Additionally, the king is much older than Kanto's and has less of a handle on his army. However, Lyra's grandparents know that if Kanto wishes to reunite the kingdoms, they'll have to get rid of the royal family. Because of this, they plan to send Lyra (with Hearst as protection) to another region for safety. Despite Johto's passion for waging war against Kanto then, the king and queen ultimately know that their army won't be able to hold out without reinforcements.

Silver is kept out of the fighting by Giovanni and instead sent to bring rations and supplies to cities and soldiers to garner public favor (as Giovanni is still plotting to overthrow the royal family). In a particularly daring move, Giovanni sends Silver to Johto. Silver builds up an image of high nobility and hope since he always leaves places better than they were when he first arrived -- Giovanni is hoping that his presence will give the Kanto soldier the extra push needed to get a surrender from Johto.

Silver is not a fan of anything happening here. He's had a certain distaste from his father after his father moved them out of Johto at a young age, and he doesn't really trust Giovanni's intentions with the war. While in Johto, he bumps into Lyra and Hearst. Instead of fleeing the region, Lyra had other plans. She's searching for a way to end the war and hopes that if she can get to Kanto, she'll be able to talk to Freddie or his father and help facilitate peace. Heart is not a fan of this idea, but he also knows he has to protect her no matter what, so they're undercover. Silver and Hearst remember each other from childhood, although Hearst is initially distrustful of Silver (Giovanni's son and a symbol of hope for the invading kingdom) Lyra is less hostile and instead sees an opportunity. She pleads her case to him, hoping that he could speak with his father. Silver gives in and tells her about his upbringing and distaste for the war, so he agrees to help them try to find a way to end it. 

The trio travel together for a little while when Lyra remembers a story she'd heard from Crystal, the royal scholar’s apprentice, on one of the few occasions they'd met. It was some of the history of the legendary Pokemon that used to occupy the Johto Kingdom before the first war: Ho-oh and Lugia. Lyra remembered the legend that Ho-oh had left in search of someone with a pure heart, and while Hearst and Silver were skeptical about the whole thing, they agree that if anyone in Johto has a pure heart, it has to be Lyra.

As they travel, they encounter the executives one by one, who sense they are up to something. Each time, they’ve managed to either defeat them or escape, but not without bloodshed: in a heated battle, Hearst almost kills Proton, but decides to show mercy. However, Proton still meets his demise when he tries to kill Hearst instead, who by sheer reflex exhibits self-defense.

They search the region for any hints or signs of Ho-oh (the Bell Tower is a little too dangerous to visit at the time) and eventually run into an area occupied by the Kanto army (by this point, Kanto has gained enough ground to almost warrant a surrender by Johto). The army completely does not recognize Lyra or Hearst but are under orders to capture and return Silver on sight. They're almost taken away when a loud roar is heard behind them and Entei (Silver's fated meeting) appears. Entei rescues the trio and brings them to safety. 

Soon, Entei leads them safely to the Bell Tower, where Ho-oh is waiting. Lyra immediately approaches it, but it turns her away. Instead, Ho-oh nods to Hearst and it's revealed that Hearst and Ho-oh have a fated meeting. The trio, who has since heard rumors of a new battle likely to take place in Ecruteak (likely for the Bell Tower to symbolically be destroyed) decide to split up to stop the war. Silver and Entei leave with Hearst to try and head off some of the Kanto soldiers, and Ho-oh takes Lyra alone to the Whirl Islands to find Lugia (who is still too fearful of humans from the first Kanto/Johto war -- Lyra needs to be alone). 

While all of this is happening, the relationships in Kanto are falling apart. News that Lyra was never heard from after leaving Johto finally reaches everyone in Kanto, and Freddie turns on his father in anger, threatening to leave to find her himself. Green refuses to help him, still angry at Freddie for not taking a stance until now. Freddie eventually meets Blue (a young swindling traveling merchant) and Yellow (a sweet farm girl in the city to deliver some food to patrons of her parents). Blue recognizes him as the prince and knows she'd be able to make a handsome sum by helping smuggle him into Johto, and Yellow sticks around because she can't in good conscience let all of this happen. 

The tension grows between the king and Giovanni as they're both reaching the end of their plans and need to find a way to get rid of the other. The king fears Giovanni's influence over the people as a "war hero" with a son who went missing in the line of duty. It would be easy to overthrow him that way, so the king decides that with things going so well for the kingdom, he'll go to Johto himself for the end of the war, that way he'll be there to accept Johto's surrender. 

Jaime was planning on finally fleeing Johto, but hears of Lyra's disappearance and can't bring himself to leave without knowing she's okay. While searching for her, he eventually runs into Green, who recognizes him immediately. Jaime divulges the very gist of the reason for his disappearance, but before they can talk more, the other knights appear and Jaime flees. Leaf asks who that was, but Green doesn't give her a real answer. Eventually. Freddie runs into Green's troop and their reunion is tense to say the least. The boys fight until the king shows up and reprimands Freddie for leaving the kingdom. He's about to send him back when Freddie asks him about Jaime. Instead, the king sends Freddie to Ecruteak in his place with Green and decides to find Jaime on his own.

The Battle of Ecruteak begins (the deciding battle of the war), with Silver and Hearst at the forefront of the Johto army. It certainly raises moral for Johto to see Hearst well and alive (although he can't divulge much about Lyra) and to see a new face with a legendary Pokemon. With a renewed sense of purpose, the war goes on. As the two head knights, Green and Hearst go toe-to-toe while Entei defends the Bell Tower.

Jaime and the king show up in succession of each other, in their own personal battle. The king is trying to use his Pokemon to kill him, Jaime is hoping to use the chaos of the battle to escape. Green sees Jaime, but is too occupied with Hearst to help him. At some point in their fight, Jaime ends up with the king's sword and kills him first. Just as this is happening, Lyra nearly there with Ho-oh and Lugia. 

Eerily, the battle seems to stop around them. Green yells for Jaime, catching Freddie's attention. He sees the aftermath of the scene and is rendered paralyzed on the spot. Lyra approaches, but just as she catches sight of Jaime, Mew appears, to the shock of everyone (it's a legendary free for all by that point) and teleports Jaime to the first safe place that comes to his mind: Sinnoh.

The war is effectively over, as Freddie announces that he doesn't intend to follow through on his father's plans. Seeing Lyra makes him softer, and he has a new target in mind. Giovanni, in a fit of blind rage, tries to kill Freddie, but is stopped by Leaf. Freddie sends the armies home, save for Leaf, and stays with Lyra and company in Johto for a little bit to make arrangements for his father's burial, as well as confiding in her for comfort. While Green was able to confirm that it was actually Jaime, he was sent away before being able to explain more. Even if he hadn't been, Freddie wouldn't have heard it. He tells Lyra, and while she's hesitant about it, she believes him, as she never truly believed Jaime to be dead. Freddie asks for her help in avenging his father's death, but leaves without getting a solid answer from her. Silver is granted diplomatic immunity and stays in the castle as Lyra's guest.

Jaime appears not too far away from the castle. Pond is mostly recovered from her time in the Distortion World and has since resumed her queenly duties. While greeting her people, she ends up running into Jaime, whom she vaguely recognizes from childhood. He confides the whole truth of his situation in her, and her morals immediately kick in when she promises to protect him. He is invited to stay in the castle with her, and she eventually offers to help him take back the throne if it's something he desires. If not, he is welcome to stay at the castle for as long as he'd like–he always has a home there.

News of Jaime being alive quickly travels throughout all of the kingdoms, and it is eventually revealed that he's staying in Sinnoh with the queen. Freddie demands custody of him, but Pond declines, instead telling him that Jaime's life should be spared as retribution for what Freddie's father did to Jaime's parents. 

Ghetsis finds out that N has met the princess, and takes advantage of this. He begins to devise a plan and makes sure someone is keeping track of where Hilda is.

During the two months when Liam and Hugh are in Sinnoh finding Pond, Ghetsis has persuaded N into not only creating an alliance with the White Kingdom, but uniting as one by arranging a marriage between Hilda and N. Despite her parents' initial suspicions, Hilda agrees to it because after meeting N so many times, she has come to trust him (though, finding out he's the King of the Black Kingdom was more than a surprise). By the time Liam and Hue come back, they find out the wedding will take place two weeks after their arrival.

To add more salt to the wound, the King has called for Liam. He gets scolded for leaving Unova and only telling the princess about it, and questions his loyalty. He then states that he is no longer allowed to leave Unova unless he travels with the royal family. The King also reveals that he is unsettled by Hilda's decision to marry the Black King, and asks that at the wedding he stays close to her--not him, as he will ask Sir Hilbert to be at his side--in case something should occur at the wedding.

And something does occur at the wedding. The King was supposed to die just as the two were pronounced man and wife, but Hilbert caught a shadowed figure who was going to assassinate the King. A struggle to capture the assassin breaks out, but it all goes to hell when the assassin beheads the King. 

In the midst of it all, Liam tries to help Hilda escape, but she refuses to leave. Hilda is protecting N, as she demands answers from him, but he's too stunned by the blood and hysteria, as everyone tries to evacuate. When she isn't looking, N flees the scene, unable to take the chaos any longer. Hilda runs after him, only to have no idea of which way he went. When Liam and Hilbert catch up with her, they find her standing over a cryptic message left by the killer.

Part I, Act II: Battery

The assassin’s cryptic messages foreshadow not only their directive to kill off the royal family one by one, but to also serve as a tease about where and when the assassinations will take place. Liam puts all his effort into solving these messages, but even when he does figure them out, the knights are either too late or unable to keep the assassin from killing the royal.

It continues with the Queen. It is assumed that Hilda is next, as the first in line, but the next member is her uncle, the Grand Duke, then the Grand Duchess. Hilda and Rosa are the only royals left, but despite their survival, the bitter taste of multiple failures taxes out the head knight.

Hilda manages to stay strong throughout the ordeal, taking on her role as queen despite, for fear of a repeat of the failed wedding, the lack of a coronation. Knowing that they are growing weary, she helps Liam and Hue regain their confidence just as the next cryptic message is found. Rosa is targeted, but the knights are able to save her from her fate.

Liam and Hilbert pursue the assassin—which they find out over time is actually a team of assassins—while Hue takes care of Rosa before catching up with them later. In a final confrontation, having supposedly cornered them, the assassins give one last cryptic puzzle before slipping through their hands.

Liam deciphers that they are known as the Shadow Triad and that they work for Ghetsis.

The knights return and tell Hilda what they’ve discovered. Terrified of the royals’ systematic assassination, ill rumors of the Black Kingdom and the corrupt Ghetsis spread across the land. The people insist on war, putting pressure on Hilda to make the decision.

She hesitates.

Hilda, influenced by N’s pacifist nature and idealistic words, as well as her own concern against unnecessary bloodshed, fails to incite immediate action. She considers her people’s lives, but the longer she waits, the more they question how much she cares for them.

There’s no way around it: The White Kingdom will go to war.

Part I, Act III: Gambit

Upon telling her Head Knight of the declaration, she also tells him that she must go on a journey of her own. She knows they have barely learned the truth. As a descendant of the twin heroes of legend, she knows that she inherits the Light Stone and must call upon Reshiram. She heads for Dragonspiral Tower, not only to summon the legendary pokemon, but to find the Dark Stone.

Unfortunately, the Dark Stone was found by people of the Black Kingdom long before N became king. Having found out that the Shadow Triad gave themselves away, Ghetsis tries to accelerate his plans to overtake the White Kingdom and create his ideal world. Knowing by legend that he is not pure-hearted, he has raised N as his own for the purpose of summoning Zekrom. The time has come for Ghetsis to reveal the Dark Stone, and insists that in order to win, they must unleash the dragon. N is upset by this, hating to believe they must turn to violence, and goes to find Hilda, taking the Dark Stone with him.

Meanwhile, both sides are preparing for war. The absences of their leaders breeds more uncertainty; the likelihood that Hilda and N are conspiring worry the common people. Liam trusts her, though, and keeps quiet about her whereabouts.

N finds Hilda at the Dragonspiral Tower. Almost surprisingly, she isn't angry with him nor does she try to attack him. She is mostly just disappointed. Once N establishes that he wants to right what Ghetsis has done, Hilda begins to listen and cooperate with him. They attempt to summon the dragons, but without any luck. Instead, they come up with another plan in order to protect their people from violence.

Hilda nad N both return to their kingdoms before the war begins, and lead their troops to battle. However, N proposes (as planned) that only he and Hilda will fight. They speak of Ideals and Truth, and somehow, speaking of what they believe is best for Unova summons the dragons. N says that it must be Fate, that they are the ones meant to bring to an end what the twin heroes once started.

The troops fall back to let the White Queen and Black King battle, and N and Zekrom lose. As consequence, N offers himself as a marytr and declaring that the Black Kingdom will be no more with his death, which enrages Ghetsis.

N's proposal was not a part of their shared plan, though, and Hilda rallies for her people to recognize that none of this is N's fault; he is an ally. Their true enemy is Ghetsis himself. Refusing to back down after the truth about him is revealed, he attempts to kill N until Zekrom sweeps him off and flies away. When the attempt is for naught, Ghetsis leads the Plasma knights who are loyal to him to charge.

The war begins. Reshiram isolates the kingdoms with rings of fire, but some still charge ahead. Mindful of what Hilda and N have said, the White Kingdom's knights are mericiful, making sure not to kill any of their opponents if at all possible. Causalities still happen.

Hilda goes after Ghetsis herself despite the chaos and fights him. Unfortunately, he manages to flee with the help of the Shadow Triad.

Thankful and in good faith, the Royal Family graced Cyrus with the title of Head Magician and invited him to stay in the castle. He lasted roughly a year, during which time he was the primary subject of Kari’s fascination. She often followed him around the castle and disturbed his studies. He was fond of her to a degree, sometimes reading aloud to her or telling her stories of the region’s history. 

She caught him one day in the section of the library forbidden to anyone but the king and queen. He dismissed her when she asked what he was researching. Later, she offhandedly mentioned it to her father and showed him the particular book Cyrus had been interested in — one about opening the Distortion World and previous encounters with the legendary dragon, Giratina. 

Furious, the king relieved Cyrus of his title and banished him from the kingdom, instead instating Volkner as the new Head Magician. The subject of Cyrus became taboo in the castle, and even Kari was forbidden from asking about him. As she got older, she had faint memories of him, but mostly had a difficult time recalling anything about him. 

It was roughly around this time that Platina was ushered back to Jubilife and Barry began his training as a squire, leaving her with no real companionship in the castle until Nathan arrived for his apprenticeship a year or two later. 

Still, something about what had happened with Cyrus still nagged at her, and she felt desperate to learn anything about the man whose name she forgot, but left such an impression on her. It was always difficult for her to find anything about him until she eventually wore Cynthia, her tutor, down enough to just tell her his name at the age of thirteen.

When the Unovan monarchs visited only a month later, she met Liam. She immediately took a liking to him, but she also used giving him a tour of the castle as an excuse to sneak her way into the forbidden archives of the library. While Palmer eventually found them before she could do any real snooping, she developed a habit of sneaking in an out, trying to find anything about Cyrus she could, as well as the book she remembered costing him his title. Unfortunately for her, the king had moved it from the library after Cyrus’ departure to the family vault, the most heavily protected place in the kingdom. 

Part I

Cyrus never actually leaves the kingdom, instead choosing to reside in Veilstone with his most loyal followers: Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter. Cyrus continues lowkey preaching, as he knows there are guards everywhere in the kingdom. Galactic primarily lives at Charon’s tavern. Meanwhile, Charon divides his time between Veilstone and the castle, where is he welcome as a scholar to use the royal family’s library. 

As Kari approaches her eighteenth birthday, her ascent to adulthood, her studies are rapidly increased. While Cynthia doesn’t agree with it, she is forced to be more strict about their lessons, leaving Kari with less time to good off with Nathan in the wizard quarters. Her downtime is mostly spent in the library, where she begins to encounter Charon. He subtly encourages her rule breaking and every now and then drops hints of his own knowledge of Cyrus. He mentions that the last he heard, Cyrus was still traveling from town to town, preaching his philosophy, which Kari had already read about in some of the books she found, as well as heard from Charon himself.

It’s at that point that she decides that she needs to find him. Angry at her parents for the entire situation, she chooses only to confide in Nathan and Sir Palmer, her most trusted friend and most trusted knight. She promises to return within two months, and if she’s gone longer without correspondence, to go looking for her. The castle falls into chaos when her disappearance is discovered, and everything from kidnapping to murder to being held for ransom. Nathan and Palmer keep quiet, as per her request. 

She’s gone for about three weeks by the time word of her absence reaches the other kingdoms and Liam and Hue leave Unova to find her. During this time, Cyrus had begun his correspondence with Lord Flint. Under the guise of despising the royal family and seeking revenge, Cyrus begins goading Flint into usurping the crown, going as far as to even suggest the entire assassination plan. As he explains, the laws against a queen taking the throne without first being married have not been changed yet, so Kari will be unable to become queen without a regent should she ever return home. Johanna will become the sole monarch, but there will not be much faith in her. Even Platina, second in line after Kari, is unmarried, and therefor unfit for the throne. 

Flint goes to Volkner, his longtime friend who is by that point in love with him, and requests ingredients. He never tells Volkner what they are for and requests that Volkner never asks. Against his better judgment, Volkner obliges and gives Flint the ingredients for the poison that will eventually be used to kill the king. When it is declared that the king has died, his death is kept a secret for sometime to keep from appearing vulnerable. The only people who know of the cause of death, officially, are Johanna, Palmer, and the royal council. 

Flint is never officially declared king, but he essentially assumes all royal responsibilities. He keeps his position for about two months, during which Kari is on her way back with Liam and Hue, allowing time for misadventure and the like. By the time she returns, he has just begun pushing for a declaration, but the rest of the council is reluctant, as no one knows for sure what happened to Kari. Behind the scenes, the Bertlitz family begins looking for a suitor for Platina so she can take the throne instead. Because of the council dead end, he decides to garner support from the people. With even just a small amount of more time, he likely could have achieved his goals.

Meanwhile, Nathan and Palmer begin panicking, as Kari hasn’t sent correspondence to either of them. They agree that she must been found, but believing it unwise for Palmer to leave the castle while in this amount of turmoil, they decide to inform Barry of the situation. He’s furious that the secret has been kept from him, but agrees nonetheless. Just as he’s preparing for the journey, Kari returns with Liam and Hue.

By this point, news of the king’s death has begun spreading throughout the kingdom. Kari learns of it while the group is in Solaceon. She doesn’t believe it at first, until she runs into Lady Argenta, the first time she makes contact with a noble since leaving the castle. Argenta offers to escort her back to the castle, but Kari insists she’s fine with Liam and Hue. Unwilling to grieve in front of the boys, she insists that they continue pushing onwards until the reach the castle. Her immediate suspect is Flint, whom she’s never trusted.

When they arrive at the castle, her suspicions are essentially confirmed. Everyone rushes to greet her, but she storms past them until the barges through the throne room, demanding the Flint vacate immediately. Words are exchanged, and it gets heated until Barry eventually has to escort her back to her room after her anger and grief begin mixing and she starts crying.

Part II

I imagine that Liam and Hue only spend a few days at the castle before returning home, but that’s more up to Claude and Pom if the Gays want to see her coronation or not. Either way, Kari is immediately crowned as queen first thing next day, with her mother as acting regent, despite the laws against it never actually having been stricken. 

She immediately throws herself into the investigation of her father’s assassination with Flint being her primary suspect. However, her duties interfere, and she delegates the investigation to Palmer once more. A while goes by without any new evidence or breakthroughs, and tension only continues to build between Kari and Flint. It reaches its breaking point during one confrontation where Flint begins belittling her title and pointing out her lack of knowledge. He implies his knowledge of Cyrus and his whereabouts before leaving.

Around that time, Nathan comes across an ingredient list while cleaning up Volkner’s quarters. Having researched various poisons since the king’s death, he knows exactly what the list is and becomes overwhelmed with grief. He waits to tell anyone what he’s found until Volkner returns later and a confrontation ensues. It’s only then that Volkner puts together the pieces of the puzzle, perhaps having been living in denial of what he knew deep down since the king’s death was announced. Lucas leaves in a fit of anger and sadness, and Volkner immediately seeks out Flint. They argue, and Flint begins to collect his belongings, intending to flee. He asks Volkner to come with him, to which he reluctantly agrees.

Meanwhile, Nathan informs Kari, Barry, and Palmer of what he’s discovered. The group arrives to arrest Flint too late — he and Volkner are already gone. They’re both declared wanted throughout the kingdom, and Palmer sends Riley and Crasher Wake after them. 

Flint’s words are still running through Kari’s mind, and she decides that she needs to put an end to her fascination with Cyrus once and for all. She informs Palmer of her intentions, to truly find Cyrus this time. She requests that he stay at the castle to protect her mother and Platina, who has since left Jubilife for the castle. He agrees under the compromise that she bring Nathan and Barry with her this time. Pushing thoughts of Flint and Volkner out of her mind, the leaves with the boys, intending to seek out Charon in Veilstone. 

They jump from tavern to tavern for information, getting into trouble nearly everywhere until they eventually find Charon’s tavern. He immediately brings the group back to the living quarters, where Cyrus is waiting with Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter. Nathan and Barry are immediately suspicious about the entire situation, but Kari is overwhelmed with relief at finally being reunited with Cyrus. They spend a few nights at the tavern, during which Cyrus recants the complete and whole truth about what happened to result in his banishment. She forgives him, believing that he’s changed and wishes to atone for his wrongdoings. In turn, she brings him up to date on her life, all the way to Flint’s assassination of her father. She agrees to lift his banishment and return him to the castle and his old post as Head Magician. 

When they arrive at the castle, everyone is shocked to see Cyrus. Anyone who approaches Kari about it is immediately dismissed. Cyrus is one of the few people she still believes she can trust, as everyone else has hidden the truth from her throughout her entire life. Palmer reports that Riley and Wake have returned with Flint and Volkner’s bodies, as they were found together after committing suicide. Cyrus encourages Kari to burn their bodies, but Nathan convinces her to spare Volkner, whom they both assume was manipulated into the situation. 

There is still unrest in the castle. Politicians and nobles no longer trust one another since Flint and Volkner’s betrayal, and absolutely no one except Kari trusts Cyrus. He continues to hold influence over her until she asks her mother to step down as regent and instead gives Cyrus the position. At that point, people begin fearing him too much to oppose him, and Charon’s regular visits to the castle help persuade others that he can be trusted. Meanwhile, Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter are traveling throughout the kingdom and preaching his philosophies to the subjects. At this point, Cynthia decides to take a stand but finds herself outnumbered. Those close to Kari (Johanna, Nathan, Barry, Palmer, Cynthia, and Platina) try to warn her about Cyrus, but their efforts only push her further away from them. The more they try to convince her, the most of her trust they lose. 

Cyrus is essentially ruling the kingdom by this point, keeping Kari happy with personal company and his own lessons for her. She’s completely isolated from her friends and family, even having stopped her irregular correspondence with Liam, Hue, and Remy. Word of what’s happening in Unova reaches Sinnoh, but Cyrus forbids anyone to inform her of the situation, knowing she’ll want to find a way to help. 

Compared to the original Sinnoh plotline in the games, Cyrus doesn’t want to rid the world of emotions. Instead, he thinks of this world as too broken and corrupt — instead, he wants to start over in a new world. To create a clean slate for everyone. He spends his time at the castle looking for a way to open the Distortion World with magic, eventually discovering something that would work. The commanders have built Cyrus’ own army of followers, and just as Cyrus’ on Kari reaches its climax, his followers advance upon the castle. 

Once the castle is under attack, Cyrus goes missing. He’s left to begin the ritual of opening the Distortion World, leaving Kari a dependent mess. He eventually succeeds as the fight is directly outside of the castle, and Kari is forced to admit the truth to herself and the mess that she’s created. Her knights keep Cyrus’ forces outside of the castle, but she has a breakdown when Cynthia tells her that she has to fix everything. Ashamed of her own weakness, she hides in the castle until Nathan finds her and forces her to do something. 

When she finds her way to the castle’s entrance, she nearly gets hit by an arrow that phases through Gengar, only to be pulled aside by Barry. He escorts her to the portal that Cyrus has opened, only for all of Cyrus’ followers to immediately cease fighting, dropping their arms as she walks by. Barry tries to follow her inside, but she tells him to stay out here and guard the entrance, instead choosing to bring her Piplup and Gengar with her for protection. 

She arrives in the Distortion World, in awe of everything. She eventually finds Cyrus, unsure of how much time has passed or how much she’s traveled. He reveals his entire plan to her, finally. Giratina arrives and eats Cyrus after Cyrus attempts to control it. Kari watches in fear, only for Giratina to lunge at her afterwards. Piplup drops its everstone and gets in between them, fending Giratina off. It takes another lunge at her, only to discover it can’t harm her (due to their fated meeting connection) and instead leaves the Distortion World for hers, the portal closing behind it.

Part III

A week passes before the portal to the Distortion World closes, Barry barely budging from his post until Giratina emerges. He catches a glimpse of Kari before the portal closes behind Giratina, and she’s gone. Absol, in anger, tries to attack Giratina, only to be swallowed as quickly as Cyrus was. The queen is declared lost, and her mother remains the regent until Platina is married. The Berlitz family immediately begins looking for another suitor for her, and Giratina flies around the region, not really causing any harm except terrifying subjects and nearly killing anyone who tries to battle it. 

Barry and Nathan refuse to give up on retrieving Kari from the Distortion World. Cyrus’ forces are still looking for ways to reopen the Distortion World and finish his plans. 

Platina awakens from a dream one night in which Uxie appeared to her with a warning of Cyrus’ followers. It called out for her help, believing that the Lake Guardians were in danger. She walks around in a daze for the next few days, eventually bumping into two court jesters, Diamond and Pearl. Unsure of why she feels she can trust them, she reveals her dream to him, and they inform her that they had the same dreams about Mesprit and Azelf respectively. 

Platina decides that the three of them must leave to find and save the Lake Guardians, so they depart during the night. By the time they arrive at each lake, Galactic has already come and gone with the intentions of creating the red chains. On their way back to the castle, they come across Barry and Nathan, who mistake Platina for Kari at first. It is revealed that the pair has found the Adamant and Lustruous Orbs since they left on their own. The group realizes that if they can arrive to Spear Pillar first, perhaps they can summon Paklia and Dialga before Galactic. 

Both groups race to Spear Pillar, and meanwhile Kari is still in the Distortion World, unsure of how much time has past. She chooses to travel with Gengar and Empoleon, eventually coming across the Griseous Orb. 

Platina, Diamond, Pearl, Nathan, and Barry manage to reach Spear Pillar first to summon Palkia and Dialga, but Galactic arrives nearly immediately after with the red chains, trying to control the Pokemon. Giratina hears their cries and arrives, opening the portal to the Distortion World once more, intending to throw Galactic inside. Instead, Galactic attempts to battle Giratina all at once, and Barry and Nathan move to enter the Distortion World, only to be stopped by Cynthia, who has since arrived after receiving Platina’s letter of explanation. She tells them that she’ll enter the Distortion World and promises not the return without Kari, asking them only to keep the portal open until then. The boys promise, and she departs.

She finds Kari near the waterfall, alone with her Pokemon. The two reconcile, Kari apologizing profusely for everything that happened with Cyrus. Cynthia forgives her and offers to take her back home. On their way back, they are confronted by Giratina, who has found its way back in. Cynthia moves to battle it, but Kari steps forward instead, knowing that it can’t harm her. She presents it with the Griseous Orb, proving to it that she’s the trainer it’s been waiting for. She reasons with it on an emotional level, offering it a home with her at the castle. Giratina gives indication of agreement, allowing them to leave the Distortion World, following behind them and closing the portal between the worlds. Giratina accompanies them back to the castle, then choosing to continue exploring the world it was barred from for all of time. 

Johto: [STRAINED] "well we know how johto feels about kanto so... SITS HERE AND STARES AT YOU ALL"

Hoenn: [NEUTRAL] "er..... so as long as they dont touch us e_e i dont think the hoenn people care about anything other than like fish poo, maybe"

Sinnoh: [NEUTRAL/GOOD] "i think theyre like...pretty okay towards them?  but i dont think theo really trusts fires dad on a personal level" "But since sinnoh is p cold all the time and kanto is a farming kingdom i set trade things between them!"

Unova:  [STRAINED] "i'm gonna say is america which means they're just UP IN EVERYONE'S BIZNAZ policing the world sighs they probably are strained with kanto and back up johto"

Johto

Kanto: [STRAINED] "bark bark that's my idea" "it's not really my place to comment on current relations but!! i know red's parents put a lot of effort into trying to build friendly relations with johto but i don't know if that's really still intact now haha,,"

Hoenn: [GOOD] "i think...... norman was from johto.............. i think. if they ever got in a Pickle they would reach out if need be"

Sinnoh: "[GOOD] ANYWAY!!!!! i think they have an interesting relationship??? like the hold upperclassman/underclasman thing and they try to look out for johto and make sure everything's alright"

Unova: [GOOD] Unova is on good terms with Johto? Hmm since they are skeptical with something going on with kanto, they support Johto in its peaceful efforts, but... in a way that... seems more like a big brother trying to get the bully to confess he took lunch money from his little sister thing idefk but if johto wants to make peace with kanto, i don't think they'll go with that without the truth coming out about red's disappearance

Hoenn

Kanto: [GOOD?]"UH from when red's family still had the throne i think they would have been neutral at least... the last king made a lot of effort to maintain peace with people but!! it should probably be left to fire to decide current ones ;;"

Johto: [GOOD] "so if norman is from or w/e. they'd be p cool with hoenn. it's like well if you need anything from us just say the word. honestly, i think they're really chill with each other. (and i feel like they're really good trading partners and they also share alto mare sooooooooozzz)"

Sinnoh: [NEUTRAL] "okay so i think that they have a really good trade relationship with hoenn (i think everyone likes to trade with hoenn) and other than that theyre....neutral?"

Unova: [GOOD] "Trading definitely seems to be the big thing so I think they'd be on good terms with Hoenn. Their relations are the newest, though, so I'm sure the White Kingdom King and perhaps the Emperor are trying to strengthen it more?"

Sinnoh

Kanto: [GOOD] ah okay i think!! sinnoh is where red would go first if he was going to seek help from other nations haha,,, i imagine hes heard things he'd interpret as good about the princess... im not sure what their relations would have been like ah i'm boring all i have to say is "probably pretty good" but!

Johto: [GOOD] "well considering that sinnoh is a bit further out there, its kind of tough trying to communicate with them on a regular basis. buuuuuut, i'm sure recently their relationship has been improved when they first came in contact with one another. u wu they're probably in good terms with each other and would be a valued ally in the future"

Hoenn: [GOOD] "i think!theyd like them. i think norman would like their family!!they have a respect for them. like if they are eh ok business relations with other kingdoms they are in Likes with sinnoh its p tsundere i think also because they are good trade. Partners"

Unova: [HELLA GOOD] "Moirails. The end. BOWS I mean they have so much good going on between them? Touko's mother is from Sinnoh, Heatran vacations in Sinnoh, some other stuff that I posted before but I forgot.......... Essentially they're close"

Unova

Kanto: [NEUTRAL/GOOD?] "oh on unova right!! hmm well i think the previous king was. really intrigued with unova it was just so INTERESTING so he would have at least wanted to visit them often although idk if he actually would have... but yeah he looked at it like the cool new transfer student in the animes \m/"

Johto: [GOOD] "so anyways... if kanto always invited unova over. i'm sure johto has run into the royals during those events back then. so they were like 'HEY YA YA'LL P COOL le shakes hands' I'm not actually sure... they're far away and seem.. a bit intimidating. but no i think they're all cool with unova."

Hoenn: [GOOD] "hmmm...... idk i think because theyre so far away they would be kinda wary. curious but careful. also because they seem p militant and hoenn is also pretty militant???so a conflict with them would not be good, i think they know their best move is to try to be Good with them and make them an Open Ally, friendpals in the other ocean yo"

Professions include, in this case: teachers, scholars, lawyers, merchants, and physicians. Should a child with a basic education wish to go into a profession, they must inquire about an apprenticeship. How much money acquire depends on their business; for example, scholars are funded depending on their research and its importance, in which the funds are mainly used towards getting the work done. What is left over is for living expenses.

Wizards also count as a "profession" of sorts, but not everyone can be a wizard. If one shows possession of magical abilities, he or she may seek out a wizard to control and refine their abilities.

Tradespeople include carpenters, blacksmiths, fishermen, bakers, etc.--essentially, people who provide a specialty in goods or services. A basic education may not be applicable, or even afforded, but an apprenticeship is important. These tend to stay in the family.

Clergy people take care of the monastery and are dedicated to worship, reading, and manual labor. (The importance of religion depends on the region, as well as which legendaries are worshipped).