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Zeraora Fanfic – The Lone King (Collab with ZDX36)
【 Day 3: Battles 】
The third day. It was a pleasant day that morning, so Z and Zephyr had gone out to sit and chat in the garden. They talked about the castle walls and how they were defended if there was a war. Z thought back about his past.
“In our time, fighting was the easiest way to prove one’s strength. Only with enough strength, we could protect the ones we loved…” Z said, then he fell silent for a moment, as if thinking of something. “Forget it, such a long time has passed, modern Pokémon are not as strong and focused on fighting as ancient Pokémon. Look at how weak you are. Do you even have any strength in those thin arms?”
“Hey, I’m not that weak!” Zephyr laughed, “But I’ve certainly heard of powerful specimens from the past like Koraidon, and Alpha Pokémon… I guess you can indeed say that modern Pokémon turned a little more… tame.”
“Hm, what do you say about a spar?” Z suggested, “I’d love to see how much has changed.”
“My pleasure, Your Majesty.”
“It’s decided, then. Put on your battle gear. I’ll see you on the castle grounds.”
“………”
Zephyr stared perplexed at the leather vests, gambesons, armors and various weapons that had been brought to his room. He was free to choose from the selection, but he didn’t feel drawn to any of them. Used to fighting with nothing on until now, all the clothes before him looked heavy and clunky. He looked through them, over and over again, in conflict since he still wanted to please Z. Sighing, he eventually made his final decision.
Arriving first on the castle grounds, Z waited for Zephyr. Instead of his casual mantle, this time, he wore a black leather vest and a simpler black mantle–something protective and practical rather than decorative. He had giant handheld blades in each hand, fastened to his wrists by large black chains–a proud and mighty king ready for war.
Z patiently waited for Zephyr, until the latter finally arrived.
“Took you long enough, Zephyr. Thought you ran awa–… Huh?!!” He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the other Zeraora walk towards him…with nothing on.
“You! How dare you fight me as an Unclothed?!” Z blushed in panic at the sight of Zephyr’s naked form, before pointing his blade angrily at him. “Are… Are you making fun of me?! You think you can win without any armor or weapon?!”
“On the contrary, Your Majesty,” Zephyr said, stopping in front of Z gracefully. Sparks of electricity ran through his fur as he got ready for battle.
“I wanted to give it my all for you. I fight better like this than with any weapon or armor. If you’d accept this, then I’ll do my best in our spar.”
Zephyr’s eyes shone a mesmerizing electric blue, his horn standing up and his claws drawn out. A powerful blast of electricity came out of him as he released his power.
Z felt the static electricity tingle in his fur–a true fight between two Zeraora. For the first time, Z thought that an Unclothed’s form looked powerful. Feeling Zephyr’s seriousness, he smirked, releasing his own electricity and readying his blades as well.
“Heh, if you insist. Show me what you’ve got, Zephyr!”
With that, the two charged at each other. They both moved gracefully as though it was a dance. Z certainly had the upper hand as the more experienced cat, but Zephyr wasn’t easy to beat either. As Zeraora, they were both extremely powerful, and the castle grounds could barely contain them. Their punches and slashes cracked the earth and scared away all nearby servants. Dark clouds gathered over them from the large amount of electricity generated between their blows. Eventually, Z managed to overpower Zephyr, knocking him off balance with the flat of his blade and sending him crashing to the ground with a powerful kick.
“……!!” Zephyr landed with a loud crash, Z landing perfectly next to him. The latter panted, trying to catch his breath as he walked over to look at his sparring partner.
“Not bad, Zephyr. Didn’t know someone could hold up for that long with no armor and no weapon. You showed me.” He stuck a hand out to help Zephyr back to his feet.
“Thanks… Happy if it was at least satisfying,” Zephyr replied, taking his hand and struggling to get back up, but stumbling miserably.
“What’s wrong?!” Z asked, kneeling down worriedly.
“I… I don’t feel so good…” Zephyr managed, before feeling the world spin. He fell to the ground then, knocked unconscious.
When Zephyr woke up much later, he was back in his room, nicely tucked in his bed.
“Ugh…” He put a hand to his face, trying to escape his grogginess as he stirred.
“Mister Zephyr! You’re awake!” He heard Froslass’ voice, so he turned to look.
“Thank goodness!!” She exclaimed, suddenly hugging him. “You fainted for quite awhile after your battle. I was so worried!”
“Whoa! I’m okay,” Zephyr said, blushing as he wasn’t used to being hugged by a girl. “Must have overexerted myself. His Majesty was so strong! You’ve been taking care of me while I was out?”
Froslass pulled back to give him space, nodding.
“Of course. His Majesty assigned me as your attendant since the first day, remember? I… want you to have a good time here. Please don’t hurt yourself,” she said, blushing and looking away.
Zephyr’s eyes sparkled with happiness. “Y-You’re really kind, aren’t you?! I’m so lucky to have you here!”
“A-Ah, it’s nothing. Just doing my job,” Froslass said hurriedly as her blush deepened, before continuing.
“The others don’t usually praise me. Doing a good job is just common sense,” she said quietly, her gaze on the frills of her maid apron as she played with them, “But you didn’t take it for granted and always thanked me, even if I didn’t do anything special. You… really have a way of making everyone around you smile, don’t you, Mister Zephyr?”
Zephyr paused for a moment, understanding her. He smiled at her warmly.
“It’s the little things we do everyday that counts. You can’t run a castle this big alone, so even if His Majesty doesn’t say it, I’m sure he’s thankful to all his servants for everything they do.”
“Y-You think so?”
“Of course! If he doesn’t praise you, then let me praise you a lot while I’m here.”
“Mister Zephyr…!” Froslass looked happy. “Thank you…”
She reached into the pocket of her apron then, showing Zephyr an empty piece of paper and an envelope.
“His Majesty was thankful for your company,” she began, “So he said that you’re allowed to send a letter to your Trainer friend to tell him that you’re okay. You can’t write, so I’ll write and send it for you if you can dictate it.”
Zephyr’s eyes widened with surprise and happiness. With this letter, at least he could be sure that Rhyme and the others won’t be worried for him.
“Froslass, that’s so awesome! Thank you so much!!”
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