[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Dragonstrike]

Heart think for a few seconds about Nathan request. He take out his necklace and give to Nathan. "Here."

"Thanks."

Nathan pulls out his journal again.  Makes a few notes...and then he starts drawing a picture of the necklace.

"Well, while I'm drawing this, how about another story?  I find this one quite interesting."

Spoiler

A History of Conquest: Main Theme - Pokemon Conquest

"Maybe you're already familiar with Arceus and the Sinnohese and Creshirean lore associated with it, the Creation Trio, and the Lake Trio.  But what you probably haven't heard is the legend that it created a region in its own image.  Yes, a region shaped like Arceus itself.  It's strange to think about, but some theorize that if such a place does exist, it might be one of Arceus's most secret refuges."

"But what I find more interesting is the people and pokemon said to inhabit that place.  A long time ago, in this region far, far away, the region was divided into seventeen territories, each one primarily inhabited by pokemon of a certain type.  The people that lived in the region needed no pokeballs, no apricorns...they would simply walk up to a pokemon...and bond with them.  Not everyone could do it, though, and so those who could ended up being the military force for the region, known as Warriors.  The most powerful and dedicated Warriors would rise through the ranks and become Warlords."

"...and such titles were granted with good reason.  The region was constantly in a state of conflict.  Warlords would lead small armies into neighboring territories to attempt to claim the capitals for their own and expand their area of influence.  Why would you do that, you might ask?  Well..."

"There was a legend.  A legend that if any one Warlord could conquer all seventeen territories and unite the region, then Arceus itself would appear, and help create the world that warlord desired.  A chance to bond with the legendary Arceus...it was something that captured the hearts and minds of the people throughout the entire region."

"Eventually, one warlord did start making some significant headway in this quest.  His name...was Nobunaga.  A dragon specialist, and one who had befriended dragons as black as night, dragons that struck fear into the hearts of all that stood before him.  His conquest looked to be unstoppable, and by the time he actually ran into warlords that were proving to be obstacles to his conquest, he'd already conquered half of the region."

"On the opposite side of the region was another Warlord, one newly appointed, their name, appearance, and how they rose to that rank lost to time.  All that's known is they started with a humble Eevee, and their main adviser used a Jigglypuff.  It was not conquest they sought, but when neighboring territories came knocking on their door, they had to fight back.  Once it was finally clear to the young warlord that the conflict wouldn't stop, they resolved to end the fighting, and went on the offensive.  One by one, the territories in their half of the region fell, they gained new allies through their conquest just as Nobunaga had, though their methods were markedly more friendly than the Black Dragon's."

"It was when they managed to defeat the warlords that Nobunaga had been struggling with that the tide turned...and when they finally met the Black Dragon in person.  They would be facing Nobunaga's armies from that point on.  No new allies would be found, so they would have to make do with what they had.  And again, one by one, the territories fell, and the empire that Nobunaga had been building slowly succumbed to the young warlord's, until the Black Dragon found himself cornered...and defeated."

"A bright light shone in the dragon territory, and the top of the tallest tower in the region shone for all to see.  And at the top, as the legend has said...Arceus waited for the young warlord who had united the seventeen territories.  It seemed like the region would finally know peace...until the Black Dragon reappeared with his strongest subordinates and pokemon in one last attempt to wrest that power away from the hero."

"A battle he ultimately lost, as Arceus's power was too great to oppose without strenuous circumstances.  Nobunaga had failed in his goal to bring peace to the region and cease all conflict through force.  It was only when the hero understood that Nobunaga was thinking of the region's wellbeing when he attempted to rule with an iron fist that peace truly reigned."

"The region united in peace and the prophecy fulfilled, Arceus then left...but not before promising the hero that they would meet again one day, when they were truly ready for its Omnipotent power..."

"The myths and legends I read say this region is known as Ransei, and it is the only place in the world where people don't need pokeballs and apricorns to bond with pokemon, the only one that knows true peace.  The tale is an old one, one that probably occurred hundreds of years before...or maybe it's recent, and it resides in a universe with a timeline different from our own.  It's always struck me as a curious story, and I find the idea that people and pokemon can bond with pokemon so easily there fascinating..."

Nathan's finished his drawing at this point.  He hands the necklace back to Heart.  "Again, thank you."

He then makes sure to look carefully and see how Furret, Heart, Princess, and the surprise audience react to the tale.  It's quite the odd one, that's for sure...