← Contents Page / Day 1 →
Zeraora Fanfic – The Lone King (Collab with ZDX36)
【 Day 0: Arrival 】
“Once upon a time long, long ago, stood a large and prosperous Pokémon kingdom ruled by a mighty lion king. The kingdom’s Pokémon citizens dress in lovely robes, fighting valiantly with swords and shields. But lost to the echoes of time is its golden splendour, cloaked in the mist. Its forlorn stones and forgotten cliffs lie in solitary slumber, waiting to be seen, waiting to be found… The kingdom of Euhitras.”
It was a cold, starry January night. Zephyr the Zeraora flew across the skies of Paldea using his electricity, accompanied by a band of colourful Squawkabilly. He had freshly arrived in Paldea after leaving Aeos Island with his Trainer friend, Rhyme, so he was greatly curious about their new home. Having Rhyme’s permission, Zephyr had been flying around for the day to take a good look at the mountainous lands below. Luckily, the local Squawkabily band he met was nice enough to show him around.
“That’s Mesagoza where we started.” Azul, a blue Squawkabilly flying next to Zephyr, pointed out the large city in the distance. “And that’s the Great Crater of Paldea, and the South Province.”
“Wooooow! ” Zephyr’s eyes were wide with wonder. “Paldea’s so much bigger than Aeos Island! It’s so cool! Wonder what adventure I’ll have here.”
Pleased, Azul replied proudly.
“Wahaw! Happy that you like our homeland, Señor Zephyr. Squawk! We’re honored to have your visit, so we want you to experience the best of Paldea.”
“Aww, stop that.” Zephyr laughed. “What’s with the sudden praise? I’m nothing special.”
“Lies, squawk!” Azul laughed back. “I heard that you were a ranker on Aeos Island. It’s not the first time we’ve heard of Team Rhyme either, so you can’t fool me. Wahahaaw!”
Zephyr blushed, smiling and looking away. “It’s… nothing big. Thanks, though. But our team’s planning to take a break from battles for awhile since we’ve been battling a lot on Aeos.”
“……?” Azul tilted his head curiously. “A fighter not fighting?! Squawk! What’ll you do then?”
“Haha, even without battling, Team Rhyme and I intend to keep fulfilling our team’s goal–‘making people smile’! Maybe we can perform or something. Do something nice and entertaining to brighten people’s day.”
Azul grinned at him. “How noble of you, señor. I wish you the best, squawk! Anyway, I used to work with Paldea’s Flying Taxi service, so ask me if you want to know the location of any place!”
“Oh!” Zephyr thought for awhile. “…Actually, there might be one I’m curious about.”
Azul watched him, waiting for him to go on. The Zeraora scanned the horizon as if looking for something, continuing.
“Rhyme and I stopped at Montenevera awhile ago. There, a fortune-telling Mismagius told me a legend about a lost Pokémon kingdom shrouded in the mist. I think the kingdom’s name was ‘Euhitras’, or something like that. Ever heard of it?”
“……?” Azul looked up to the skies, digging his mind for any clue or memory about such a tale.
“Not in all my years with the Flying Taxi. That’s a strange story, squawk!”
“Really? Mismagius said that the Pokémon there dress up and rule the kingdom. Sounds like a magical place!” Zephyr daydreamed. “She… also said that it was fate that I heard about it from her that day. How mysterious.”
“Haw-haw!” Azul laughed, humoring his companion, “The world has many mysteries, so who knows? Maybe it does exist! …One small warning, though.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t know about a lost kingdom in the mist,” Azul started, “But I’ve certainly heard stories of Pokémon disappearing on misty days and never coming back. Maybe it’s best not to go looking for it. Be careful out there, señor Zephyr, squawk!”
“Oh, you’re scaring me, now!” Zephyr laughed nervously. “Don’t worry. I’m a strong fighter, so I can take care of myself. Thanks, though.”
As it was getting late, Zephyr said his farewells to Azul and his Squawkabilly band. He turned around, starting to make his way back to Mesagoza where Rhyme’s dorm was, satisfied with his little expedition. Now down from the heights of excitement, the Zeraora began to reflect on his own future.
Although Team Rhyme’s goal was clear cut, their arrival at Paldea was the entrance to a new phase in his life, where he’d be doing something other than battling in a stadium. Having done nothing but battle all this time, it felt as though he was pulled out of his comfort zone. The shadow of insecurity flitted across his heart as he looked at the wide lands below, wondering if he’d be able to settle well into this new life. He closed his eyes as he flew in a straight line, trying to calm himself and banish his doubts.
“…I can do this…” He said softly, taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself.
But then, the air around him suddenly felt cold, biting into his skin through his golden fur. Zephyr opened his eyes again, only to be surprised by the sudden mist that had surrounded him.
“What the–?!” He stopped in his tracks, hovering and looking around quickly. The lack of visibility was startling. The moon still shone in the skies above him, but he was flying over the ocean now.
‘I’ve heard stories of Pokémon disappearing on misty days and never coming back.＇
Azul’s words rang in Zephyr’s mind. He began to panic, but then shook his head. No, no, it was just a scary story. He tried to reason with himself logically. As a high-speed Zeraora, he must’ve flown too fast while he closed his eyes, shooting past Mesagoza and on towards the ocean. Calming down a little, he looked around. The mainland wasn’t visible through the mist, but there was a large island with jagged cliffs among the crashing black waves. At a closer look, there was an entire city on the island, probably twice or thrice the size of Mesagoza.
Look! Civilization! The situation wasn’t so bad, after all. Zephyr’d just fly down there, ask for directions, and be on his way back home in no time. Having decided, the Zeraora propelled himself towards the island like a shooting star, his blue electricity trailing behind him.
Down on the island, pacing back and forth impatiently on the edge of a cliff, was a lone Grafaiai. “Not this, not that…” He mumbled as he continued moving, a perplexed expression on his little face. Unlike the average wild Pokémon, Grafaiai was clothed. He twiddled with the hem of his paint-covered shirt, running his fingers through the paintbrushes in his apron pocket in frustration. He then formed a rectangular frame with both hands’ thumbs and index fingers, seeing the ocean through it.
“No… Not what I want to paint. This angle won’t look pretty,” he said, raising his ‘frame’ upward towards the moon.
“The moon’s pretty, but this composition’s ugly, so nope.” He was about to move on to frame the next object, but he spotted a large, bright blue light shooting down straight at him from the moon.
“AAAAAAH!!!” Grafaiai screamed, crouching with his hands over his head. This was it–he’d die from a meteorite. A strong gust of wind and dust exploded in his face. But then, he didn’t feel any impact or explosion, so he peeked with one large green eye.
Before him, a young Zeraora landed gracefully, his shining paw pads and the moon making his beautiful silhouette stand out in the dark. The way he stood exuded a friendly but confident air, creating a majestic atmosphere. Grafaiai was awe-struck, lifting his fingers to frame the cat, shifting from his child-like face, to his elegant curves, to the little scar across his stomach.
“Beautiful! Beautiful! Beautiful!” Grafaiai exclaimed, suddenly struck with overflowing inspiration. He hurriedly rushed to the Zeraora. “D-Do you have a name? Can I paint you?”
The Zeraora looked at him curiously.
“Zephyr,” he answered, “Thanks for the offer, but sorry, I’ve gotten lost and I need to go home quickly.”
“Aww…” Grafaiai’s shoulders drooped, sad that Zephyr couldn’t model for him. He looked up at the Zeraora again and realized that he wasn’t wearing anything, so he squeaked in surprise.
“EEK! You’re an Unclothed! An outsider!!”
“Huh??” Zephyr tilted his head, not really understanding Grafaiai. He himself found it strange that the monkey Pokémon was wearing some sophisticated clothes and carrying human tools like paintbrushes. “I don’t know about being an outsider, but I mean no harm. Could you tell me how to get to Mesagoza from here, kind sir? I’ll be on my way.”
Calming down, Grafaiai pulled himself together to answer the question.
“I can’t, unfortunately. I myself drifted here during a shipwreck as a wee Shroodle, but I stayed because I like this place. This island’s kind of special, so only the king knows how to get in and out of here.
“King??” Zephyr asked. There was no kingdom around Paldea, as much as he knew. Getting more questions than answers, he was starting to wonder if Grafaiai was making things up, so he moved away nervously.
“Well, thanks, sir. I’ll go to that city there and ask around, just to be sure.”
“N-NO!” Grafaiai stopped him. “You’re an Unclothed. Don’t let anyone see you!!”
But his warning was too late.
“Intruder! You’re under arrest!”
A pair of Ceruledge guards appeared, grabbing Zephyr by the arms. They wore surcoats over their armor, a sort of royal insignia embroidered into them. Zephyr winced from the tight grip on his arms.
“Be gentle,” one Ceruledge warned the other, “He might be an outsider, but he’s still a Zeraora. Noble blood!”
Zephyr wondered what they meant. The Ceruledge turned to him then, speaking with authority.
“You shall be brought before the king. He shall be the one to decide your punishment for this intrusion. Come quietly and do not resist.”
“N-No! He’s not a bad guy!” Grafaiai shouted, trying to save Zephyr. The two guards ignored him though, whisking the Zeraora away.
Confused by the sudden turn of events, Zephyr was unsure about how to react. But at least he can be sure that Grafaiai wasn’t making things up. He could fight back against these guards, but he didn’t think it was wise. Remembering Grafaiai’s words that only the king knew the way back to Mesagoza, perhaps meeting him was actually a good thing. Zephyr calmed down, allowing the guards to escort him. Still, he wondered where he had landed. This place was so strange, so he dared himself to ask.
“Excuse me, but this island, this city… Where am I?”
The two Ceruledge looked at him for a moment, before answering.
“The kingdom of Euhitras.”
It was just like in the legend he heard from the fortune-teller.
Zephyr stared in wonder at the ancient buildings around him as the two Ceruledge took him through the cobbled streets of the lost kingdom. The city’s beautiful carvings, sculptures and pillars told stories of its prosperity long back when it was still alive and bustling. It was a quiet and cold ghost town now though, populated only by howling winds and lonely shadows, and an occasional Ghost-type Pokémon flitting through the buildings here and there.
When Mismagius told him the legend, Zephyr never expected that there would even be any Pokémon living here, even though they were Ghost-types. Even the king and the guards were still there! Was the king a Ghost-type too to have survived for this long? He tried to guess the answers to the mysteries in his head.
A grand castle came into view then, towering over the city at the highest point of the island. Zephyr’s escorts stopped at the castle gates. Other Ceruledge who stood guard at the castle greeted them, looking at Zephyr with distrust and disdain. Must be because he was an outsider.
“You shall not grace the king with your lowly and indecent appearance, Unclothed. Put this on!” The Ceruledge to his right ordered, handing Zephyr a plain cloak.
“………” Zephyr stared at the cloak with a frown and a nervous grin, as if refusing it with his eyes. As a wild Pokémon at heart, he never liked wearing clothes. Aside from looking stuffy and making it hot, they restricted his movements. He felt awkward even with Aeos Island’s Holowear system, where the clothes were just 3D holographic images, not liking the stuffy look.
Ceruledge seemed to feel his reluctance, so he just put the cloak on Zephyr for him. The Zeraora grimaced and resisted the urge to rip it off him immediately, knowing that he had to play along if he wanted to go home, so he did. With that, he entered the castle, his two guards herding him to the throne room.
Like the rest of the island, Euhitras Castle was dark and cold. Even so, it was a large and grand castle, having a thick wall, many towers, and several beautiful gardens. The castle complex was surprisingly well-managed, somehow kept clean and tidy despite its abandoned look. There were probably some servants who did that, Zephyr thought. When they finally arrived at the throne room, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
A majestic white Zeraora sat there on the throne, dressed in a black leather vest with a mantle draped over his shoulders. He was much bigger than an average Zeraora, standing at 180 cm instead of 150. His golden crown was tilted to cover his right eye as an eyepatch. In his paw, he held a golden sword. The proud way he sat on the stone throne expressed his high social status and gave him an air of authority.
‘The lion king of Euhitras!’
Zephyr thought. He never expected the king to be a Zeraora like himself. Was that why the Ceruledge guards were gentle with him earlier? Either way, as a Mythical Pokémon, it made sense that the king had a long lifespan. Several other Ghost-type Pokémon were also present in the room, possibly court attendants, seeing from their flamboyant clothes. Zephyr’s eyes widened in surprise when he spotted Mismagius among them. The witch nodded at him, acknowledging him with a mysterious smile.
“Your Majesty the King! We’ve brought you the reported intruder, to be judged by the royal court,” one of the two Ceruledge said, stepping forward and kneeling. “Pray tell what shall be his punishment.”
Zephyr was about to say something, but the other Ceruledge beside him gripped his arm painfully, putting a blade to his throat. “You’ll speak only when spoken to, outsider.”
Zephyr glared at him, and then at the king, awaiting his fate.
“Hm…” The white Zeraora on the throne studied Zephyr with interest. “It’s been a while since we had any visitors. Having a Zeraora here’s not something I expect, either. Fascinating.”
He stood up, leaping into the air and landing perfectly in front of Zephyr. The latter gasped in surprise.
“I’m Zavier,” the king introduced himself, “Keynes Zavier. But you can call me Z.”
“King… Z?” Zephyr said. He decided to introduce himself too out of politeness, “I’m Zephyr.”
“Zephyr…” Z repeated, leaning in to study the other’s face closely. Zephyr shrunk back a little, his ears drooping and his heartbeat quickening, nervous under the intense gaze of the much bigger Zeraora.
“Charming Zeraora, but what brought you here, I wonder,” Z said with a stern expression, before suddenly grinding the hilt of his sword roughly into Zephyr’s chin. He tilted the smaller cat’s head up and forcing their eyes to meet.
“…?!”
“This kingdom’s long been a ghost town, but its treasures still laid undisturbed. I hope you haven’t come to stick your dirty paws into them, Unclothed. Or are you after the crown?”
There was killing intent ready in Z’s amethyst eye, should Zephyr give him the wrong answer. Zephyr pulled away, glaring at him as he protested.
“No! I’m just lost. If you tell me how to get out of here, I’ll be on my way.”
“Lies,” Z replied, “We’ve set up a protective barrier. You can’t enter Euhitras unless you knew it and you’re looking for it.”
“Well, thank Mismagius there for telling me about this place!” Zephyr retorted. Z turned to the witch in disbelief.
“Mismagius!!”
Mismagius simply chuckled at them mysteriously, answering her king.
“I chanced upon this jolly sunflower during my short trip to the city of souls. A good addition he’ll make to dark and dreary Euhitras. Pray you like my gift, my great King. Ufufu~”
“……” Z didn’t know what to say. He looked at Zephyr again, lowering his sword.
“What’ll happen to me?!” Zephyr asked, suddenly rather afraid for his fate.
“You walked in here due to your own foolishness, and I don’t have any obligations to let you go,” Z said.
“I suppose you’re one of my new citizens now. Welcome to Euhitras, dear Zephyr.”
“That’s–NO WAY!!” Zephyr protested. The Ceruledge guards crossed their swords in front of him, preventing him from doing anything violent. Zephyr grit his teeth, beginning to panic a little. Will he be another Pokémon that got swallowed by the mist like Azul’s warning? He shook his head, trying to calm down and think of a way out of this situation. He glared at Z with determination.
“I can’t believe this!” Zephyr started, “When Mismagius told me Euhitras’ legend, I was captivated, thinking that it must be a wonderful kingdom that I’d love to visit. But is this how you treat your guests?! The true Euhitras is such an evil kingdom!!”
At that, the blade of Z’s sword pressed against Zephyr’s throat at lightning speed, biting into his skin and drawing out a small trickle of blood. Z glared at him, speaking with a burning fury in his low voice.
“Say that again. And I’ll see if you transform into a Ghost-type Pokémon or not at the guillotine.”
Zephyr simply smirked back at him. He was treading on dangerous waters, but he knew what offended Z now. Maybe there was some hope of getting out of here, so he continued.
“Yeah? If you kill me, you’ll just prove that what I said was true. Show me that you can be hospitable if you want me to like this place.”
“……” Z thought for awhile, glaring. He eventually lowered his sword, but was still rather distrustful of Zephyr.
“Fine, we’ll treat you as a proper guest,” he finally said, “But that doesn’t change the fact that you won’t be leaving.”
“That’s not a guest–that’s a prisoner!” Zephyr replied, trying to push his luck. “I should be allowed to come and go freely!”
“Do you understand your position, commoner?” Z barked, “You don’t get to choose. I’ve already shown you enough mercy by not beheading you for talking back to the king.”
“……” Zephyr thought for awhile. Seemed that he wouldn’t get out of this easily, so he tried some other way.
“You know, I’m not just any random commoner,” he pointed out. “I’m a ranker at this place called Aeos Island. And my master, another Zeraora who’s almost a father to me, is a legend who ruled over the great mountains of Kalos. In your terms, I’m the equivalent of a prince and an athlete, so I won’t tolerate this sort of treatment!”
Zephyr felt his skin crawl as he said the words. He hated putting forward his credentials to make himself sound big like that, but he needed to convince Z.
“You know what, if you want me to stay that badly, let’s strike a deal,” Zephyr suggested, “I’ll be your butler for a week and do everything I can for you and Euhitras. If you’re satisfied with me, you let me go. Otherwise, you can keep me here or do whatever you want with me. How about that?”
“A week? That’s such a small price in exchange for your freedom,” Z protested.
“I’m a busy cat,” Zephyr said, folding his arms proudly, “Not many get to spend even half a day with me. Having me as a personal butler? Even more impossible! Take it or leave it. Warning that I’m a good fighter and there aren’t too many guards here, so if you take my freedom, I’ll trash your castle.”
Z watched Zephyr quietly, seemingly remembering a lot of memories from long ago. The room was tense, everyone waiting for his answer. The shiny Zeraora looked to Mismagius, expecting an answer from her since she was the one who caused this whole mess. The witch smiled her mysterious smile and nodded. After some consideration, the white king finally answered.
“You’re a tough one, aren’t you? As expected of a Zeraora.” Z sighed in exasperation. “Fine, I’ll take the deal. But I hate traitors, so I want you to keep your word–Give your all for Euhitras, and be at your best behavior.”
“Of course, my king,” Zephyr replied with a bow, happy to have secured a way out. Z nodded at him.
“It’s late, so we’ll count the week starting tomorrow. You should have some rest,” he said, “Froslass, show him to the guest room. Good night, Zephyr.”
It had started raining outside. A dim candlelight moved along the dark corridors.
Froslass, one of Euhitras Castle’s maidservants, led Zephyr to his room. She was a quiet girl, not really sure how to converse with Zephyr after what happened in the throne room. She floated along awkwardly, fiddling with her maid uniform’s skirt as though she wanted to finish the job quickly. The Zeraora noticed her distress, so he spoke up first.
“Hey… Sorry for earlier. I was… I was a bit loud, wasn’t I? Did I scare you?” He looked away nervously, speaking in a low voice. Froslass flinched.
“N-No!” She stuttered, “I-I mean, that’s okay. We’ve had thieves coming here before looking for Euhitras’ gold, but not many normal guests. So the king wasn’t used to receiving one…”
“Oh…” Zephyr said, “That’s okay.”
“…Many of the Ghost-type Pokémon living here are lost souls with nowhere to go, washing up here when we wished for a home with all our hearts,” Froslass explained, “The king lets us live here and protects us if we’ll serve him. He just wanted to make sure that Euhitras and its citizens are safe from intruders and thieves, so I hope you don’t hate him…”
Zephyr stayed quiet for a moment as he listened to her. Maybe Z was much nicer than he imagined, so he replied to her gently.
“Of course. I was raised as the guardian of my mountain in Kalos. So I know that protecting others come with a lot of responsibility. You and the others seem to look up to him, so I guess he must be a good king.”
Froslass smiled at the Zeraora, relaxing a little after seeing that he was understanding. The two finally arrived in front of the guestroom. Froslass took a key and opened the door for him. It was quite a spacious and decorative room used for noble guests.
“Here we are, sir Zephyr,” Froslass said, “The other servants did a quick clean-up just now, but it might still be a little dusty. We’ll clean it up more tomorrow, while you’re away in the morning.”
“Much appreciated. Thank you so much, miss Froslass! My first day here wasn’t so bad thanks to your hospitality!” Zephyr said with a wide, sunny grin that she hadn’t seen for a long time.
“O-Oh!” Froslass blushed, deep red blooming on her white cheeks like red flowers in the snow. “J-Just Froslass is fine. I’m a maid here, so it’s my job to make your stay comfortable. Um… Ring that bell on the wall if you need anything. I’ll come to you.”
“How convenient. Thanks! Good night, Froslass. Have a nice sleep!”
“…Good night, sir Zephyr,” she replied. She lingered there for awhile after he closed the door and sighed, before floating quietly into the darkness towards the servants’ quarters.
In the room, Zephyr let his entire weight drop onto his bed. He stared at the ceiling quietly, listening to the rain outside. Euhitras was a strange place, completely different from anything he knew–a place where wild Pokémon created their own civilization and lived in a manner similar to humans.
One week.
Rhyme and his friends would certainly be worried if he disappeared for that long. Zephyr wondered what would happen to himself, and if he’d be alright–the deal said that he’ll be staying here forever if Z wasn’t satisfied with him, so this could still end badly. Exhausted after everything, he decided to forget it and think about it tomorrow, letting the calm of sleep take him.
← Contents Page / Day 1 →
