Zygardian Empire

Phillippe

Village in Salsa's Continent

Kyogre's Temple

The Zygardian Empire (Most commonly referred to as just the Zygardians) is a faction mentioned by Joseph, Salsa, Byron Mondelez, and other characters.

The nation is often viewed almost entirely in a negative light, being responsible for world-threatening events that took place 5 years before the current arc.

## History

### A Dream

Early Zygardian history is very limited and quite unknown. Nobody knows really how the empire was formed in the first place. The most popular theory is that one Zygarde was disgruntled for keeping the ecosystem in balance, so he created his own faction to make a perfect world.

### The Hundred Years War and the First Invasion

Zygardian records do actually trace all the way back to the days of Etoilia when it was a much larger kingdom. Etoilia used to be a major place that the Zygardians would try to take over. In one of these instances about a 2000 years ago, Zygarde would launch an invasion of Etoilia that lasted for around 100 years. The Kingdom and The Empire would meet at the Battle of Sun Kissed Plains where Zygarde was defeated by a brilliant general. This would put off Zygarde's attacks for another couple thousand years.

### The Solitan War

It's implied the nation the Kingdom of Solita fought was the Zygardian Empire.

### Etoilian Intel

Thanks to Espionage tactics, a small force of Zygardians invaded The Kingdom of Etoilia, though not as big as the one all those thousands of years ago. Mainly led by one Captain Cinder Vashnipov, the force had supplanted itself in hidden bases around the Etoilian Frontier, but they were incredibly hard to spot. Cinder's force invaded the Sky Temple on Mount Heaven where they'd retrieve a special rainbow orb called the Orb of Indemnity, which would potentially help them in their war efforts. Sensei Yin, Joseph, Salsa, and Aila would attempt to fight them off, but their technology was too powerful for them, so they were unable to make much of a difference. Leading the charge was a lowly Galarian Slowking corporal named Nikolai Anastasios. Nikolai would retrieve the orb, and upon doing this was promoted to the rank of Captain. Little did anyone know of the impact of this corporal.

### The Battle of Auraklion

After the newly formed Team Crystal disrupted Zygardian operations in Etoilia, they decided to invoke on a plan for a campaign to take out two nations at once: Etoilia and the Marolossian Sultanate on the nearby Marble Continent. Almost out of nowhere, the Zygardians raided and sacked the Marlossian captial of Auraklion. The Marlossians stood almost no chance against them, but sensing danger, Team Crystal decided to step over international borders to Auraklion and save the city. When they got there, they were somewhat surprised to find Jakob Tannehill there! Jakob had actually been hired by Cinder himself to cause harm! Thus, Team Crystal had a long and hard-fought battle with the cyborg dragonite, but they ended up making him flee back to Etoilia. The Marlossian Royal Family had ended up fleeing, but the Sultan was killed, leaving his 29 year old daughter to become the next Sultana. She is still Sultana to this day.

### The Battle of Rockport

It turns out Auraklion was only a distraction. Cinder and Nikolai's forces would attack the ever-building city of Rockport, and some of the nearby Hendrickstown. At Rockport, Team Crystal would hold off the attackers, but before Nikolai would steal the Orb of Indemnity and used it to transform himself into a higher being. In this battle though, Joseph would unlock his powers of bending air, and together with Cinder, defeated Nikolai and killed him. Cinder would shake Joseph's hand, before sailing back off to the Smoke Continent, where they come from.

### Espionage in the Gallant Continent

Miles away from Etoilia and Marble lied the Gallant Continent, a longtime target of the Zygardians. Sometime before Team Crystal arrived, the Zygardians put a puppet in the Royal Family of the Duchy of Strasbourg, specifically bribing off the the older brother of Jean-Francois Montblanc, Phillippe. Blinded by greed and power, Phillippe shot and killed his grandfather, Louis, the leader of the family. Phillippe framed Jean-Francois for the action, forcing his father, Emmanuel to banish him to Etoilia. Phillippe's actions were meant to cause turmoil within the continent, making things ripe for invasion for their prize: the awakening of Kyogre to use as a weapon. Emmanuel would become the new leader of the family.

### With Eyes on the Prize

After Team Crystal arrived and proved Jean-Francois was innocent, Phillippe revealed himself and announced that the Zygardians would launch a large invasion very soon. Thus, Team Crystal was quick on their feet to head to the Maggadah Sultanate, where Kyogre's Temple was housed. The Sultana, Shravya Maggadah, was reluctant to help Team Crystal, but she agreed, but then the city was decimated under the army. A huge battle ensued at the temple, with some of Team Crystal fighting off Philippe who'd awakened Kyogre, and others who were fighting a mysterious hooded and masked pokemon known only as Zoro. Salsa would eventually bring down Zoro, before it was revealed Zoro was actually Salsa's father! Zoro didn't want his daughter to be involved in all of this, so he gave her a locket to remember him by. Zoro would then collapse in Salsa's hands. Salsa would use her fire whip to entangle Kyogre, making Philippe lose control, causing tides around the world to go back to normal levels, and killing Philippe.

### Backed into a Corner

Zygarde eventually recognized the thorn that Team Crystal had been in their side, and was beginning to develop an ever-growing hatred of Etoilia. A second invasion was coming, and very soon. In the meanwhile though, Joseph would find his long lost father, Adonis. Adonis Was working as an agent of the Global Union of Nations, so he told Team Crystal that they would be traveling to the Zygardian homeland. Fleeing Zygardian refugees would also arrive in Etoilia at this time.

### The Invaders become the Invaded

Team Crystal, with now the help of Jakob (they found he snuck onboard the boat going to the continent, and he determined that Zygardian work wasn't cut out for him), sneakily arrived in the dystopian Zygardian capital city of Darossban. Zygarde was contemplating heavily, sensing a disruptive presence within his borders.

Team Crystal would link up with the Darossban resistance led by Basil Vetrenoyedrevo, and conducted some espionage of their own throughout the city to weaken it. Eventually, Team Crystal would raid Zygarde's Imperial Palace where they'd face the leader face to face in a battle. Before this though, they faced Zygarde's top scientist, Anton Vasiliyovich who unfortunately was forced to bring his own daughter into this mess. After some deliberation, Joseph reached through to Anton's moral compass, making him switch sides and forcing him to flee the city with his daughter, Farola. Now Team Crystal would face Zygarde, where Salsa would awaken her stand. During the battle, Zygarde would activate his stash of Sion Crystals he'd collected throughout his campaigns, powering him up and making virtually everyone in the city flee in a fit of rage. With nothing to lose at this point, Zygarde prepared the largest invasion force he'd ever known for his second attack on Etoilia. In the crossfire, Darossban was completely leveled as a result of the Sion Crystals exploding. During the rage as well, Zygarde decided he was done with Cinder, and literally throwing him in the trash.

### The Second Invasion and the Battle of Mount Kronos

Team Crystal would arrive just a couple hours later, but the Zygardian Army was chugging fast. In collaboration with the Prime Minister and the king, the armies of Etoilia were rallied to stand up against the might of Zygarde once again.

While the armies of Zygarde were coming down on Etoilia from all sides, Zygarde rushed in and in just a few punches, leveled the nearby Mount Kronos, turning it into a mere crater. Joseph and Adonis would face Zygarde personally. In the midst of the fighting, Zygarde had killed Adonis, leaving him to die in Joseph's arms. Zygarde then would reach a new form to fight Joseph, but so did he. This was the first time Joseph would activate his Spirit form, finishing off Zygarde in the process and banishing him to... somewhere.

With Zygarde defeated, the day was won and his armies either surrendered or retreated. Those that retreated would become The Zygardian Remnants.

### Collapse of the Empire

News spread fast about Zygarde's defeat. Not knowing what to do, all the hidden bases were decommissioned, destroyed, or just left abandoned.

Those soldiers who didn't return from the nation's they were stationed in became the remnants. Those who did return to Darossban became citizens of the new nation birthed from the rubble of the empire: The Smoke Republic. With Basil Vetrenoyedrevo as its first president, he would ensure that a new constitution would be written with a bill of pokemon and human rights enshrined within. This constitution would be an example for other nations to follow in the future.

## Military

Perhaps the most infamous aspect of the Zygardians was their impressive military. Let's take an analysis. It's important to note that at around the time Joseph began to get involved with the Zygardians, their technology was far more advanced than the nations they were conquering.

### Army

The Zygardian foot soldiers always brought fear into the hearts of civilians. They commonly would wear bright green army fatigues, but officers would get the chance to wear any attire they wanted. Most wore fatigues though. All foot soldiers would wear a green military helmet. Usually they'd be equipped with guns that would be ergonomically tailored to the species of which they belonged.

It's worth noting research had been invested into a Zygardian super soldiers division, reserved for only the most devoted of the empire's soldiers. They were planned to be used in future invasions, but Team Crystal and the Resistance put a stop to it before any concrete fieldwork had been conducted.

### Navy

The Zygardian Navy was often responsible for largescale troop movements, patrols, and combat on the waters. These ships were not just mere wooden sailboats, rather metallic smoking war machines equipped with large moveable howitzers used for bombing enemies and ports.

Research was invested into submarines too, but they were seldom used.

### Artillery and Vehicles

Zygardian ground mortars were actually fairly uncommon in battle, but they were able to pack quite the chance if one was unfortunate enough to spot them.

Under this category also lies the infamous Zygardian Tanks. These tanks come in many varieties, with some being equipped with cannons and others being able to use hooks on its tractor wheels to scale mountains. Many officers had personal tanks too, which they could modify to their liking.

### Airforce

In addition to the soldiers that could fly, Zygardians also developed biplanes to use in their conquests. These biplanes would come equipped with machine guns to fire at enemy targets. One soldier would often steer the plane and the other would fire the machine gun. This would also apply to bomber biplanes, except with the machine guns being replaced with bombs.

Planes weren't only used though. Zygardians seemed to pioneer the use of the Zeppelin, large airships which would often be used for troop transport and mobile command centers.

### Espionage

All officers would be chosen to become part of the Zygardian covert-ops and espionage division. They were responsible for hiding in plain sight, gathering intel on nations and determining weaknesses for the Zygardians to exploit and attack. It was very uncommon for a Zygardian to be caught whilst on espionage. They could range from being government employees, teachers, or chiropractors!

### Propaganda

Less as part of the military and more part of the state government was the intense propaganda used. From a young age, Zygardians were taught to have unwavering loyalty to their ruler, and it was widely believed that the best way to serve their country was to join their surprisingly volunteer military. It's how the military was so large without even having to conscript anyone. Those who didn't join the military were forced to work with often minimal pay, leading them to join the Resistance.

Propaganda machines came in many different forms, such as using early forms of cameras and rolling videos to portray the military as a great place to be, to constant loudspeakers playing proclaiming Zygarde's leadership and the desire to join the military.

### Logistics

The Zygardian logistics network was once incredibly vast. Using the telegraph to communicate, orders would be sent to sneakily bring supplies to the forward bases they operated in. It was an often overlooked part of the Zygardian military that played a huge role in their tragic success.

The logistics department was also responsible for building their famous underground bunkers, all of which were commanded by an officer of at least the rank of captain. These were seen as bases of operations for military, and entrances were often hidden in plain sight, such as next to a rock or next to a bush, or even hidden in tree stumps.

## Other Fun Facts and Anecdotes

### Side Anecdotes

* Joseph and his friends once met a Zygardian sergeant who transported them into the world of his favorite video game. In the game world, they defeated the sergeant for their freedom.
* Whilst flying in a flying ship to the Marlossian Sultanate, Team Crystal encountered a contingent of Zygardians in the air. Thanks to the efforts of one Team Crystal member named Rachel, they defeated the air squadron.
* On the way to the Gallant Continent by boat, Team Crystal encountered a small fleet of Zygardians on the sea. They were swiftly defeated by Joseph's water powers and his team.
* Sergeant and Doctor Enzio Cappelli was an Alakazam that hypnotized Salsa's home village on the Gallant Continent. He was found out eventually, and defeated by Salsa.
* There was once a teacher at Joseph's friend's Miles' school who was a Zygardian. She posed as a biology teacher and was seen heavily favoring a bully of his. Working with his friend Squirt, Miles captured the Zygardian teacher.

### Fun Facts

* The Zygardian language is a dialect of Russian.
* They used WWI-era technology during fights with Joseph.
* A lot of Emera doesn't look to kindly at Zygardians these days...