The Legend of the Champions

1200 years ago Ainsleigh was a bunch of warring city-states instead of a united country. An oracle foretold the return of Yveltal and his evil army after 800 years of slumber. In order to save the region, a group of plucky young heroes traveled from city to city to gather an army capable of facing Yveltal.

To gain each city's allegiance, they impressed the city's legendary patron by doing some task. Each patron gave at least one member of the group a blessing and instructed their city to swear fealty to the heroes. Using their blessings and the might of the united region, the Heroes were able to fight off the threat and were pronounced Champions.

## Heroes

**Duncan Griffin**

* The youngest Hero and a scholar, he is the one who saw Yveltal coming and started the quest to stop it. Later went on to found a college in Caerwys.
* **Blessings**: Conviction, Sacrifice, and Fortitude.
* **Signature Pokemon**: Magikarp in most stories, though a recent theory is that it actually was a Relicanth

**Roselyn Pryce**

* The Princess of Argylle. and Duncan's friend. When her father refused to help Duncan, she ran away to help unite the kingdom. She later went on to rule the united country.
* **Blessings**: Conviction, Harmony, Sacrifice
* **Signature Pokemon**: A cleffa that never evolved

**Arthur Lindström**

* A young knight in the service to the King of Caerwys, who stumbled into the quest early on. Said to be the mightiest of the four heroes in battle. Later granted lands outside of Caerwys and founded the town of Lindstad. His direct line died out, but plenty of people from the area can trace their ancestry back to him.
* **Blessings**: Sacrifice, Purity
* **Signature Pokemon**: His Ditto mount

**Lance Taylor (later Pryce)**

* A two-bit thief who helped the party in Newport. Said to be clever and good-hearted (like all protagonist ruffians in these sort of stories). Later went on marry the princess and become King.
* **Blessings**: Ingenuity, Sacrifice
* **Signature Pokemon**:Murkrow

## Longer version

### **Argylle**

* Argylle is the largest and most hated of the six major states.
* Teenage scholar **Duncan Griffin** discovers prophecy about Yveltal's return once every 800 years. Does math, they only have one year to prepare and they need the six major cities united to have a chance.
	+ Modern scholars think this was actually just some sort of invading force that Duncan had foreknowledge of.
* He petitions the King of Argylle, who believes him but thinks Argylle can do it alone. However, **Roselyn Pryce**, the king's daughter and Duncan's childhood friend, believes him entirely.
* They meet in secret in the palace square and agree to join forces. Reshiram and Zekrom are impressed and give them the Blessing of Conviction. This makes Duncan an Oracle (because Truth!) and Roselyn a Channeler (because Ideals?)
	+ Modern scholars who study the matter believe that they already have supernatural powers and legend angle is bullshit. They aren't invited to many parties.
* The two sneak out of the city and head for Newport.

### **Newport**

* The pair are lost and run into petty thief **Lance Taylor**, who promptly pickpockets them of their evidence of the prophecy. Cue chase scene.
* Chase ends when Lance runs straight into **Arthur Lindström**, a knight who is escorting an envoy from the king of Caerwys. He grabs the thief and offers to guide Duncan and Roselyn to the castle.
* Duncan and Roselyn present case to King, who says "yeah, (A) that's ridiculous and (B) I'm using the princess as a hostage because (C) fuck Argylle, the dirty warmongers." They're tossed in the dungeons.
	+ Lance also tossed in dungeons, because thief. Also the king was sort of angry because he'd robbed the castle at one point.
* However, while they rot in the dungeons, they hear fighting. It's Arthur, who looked at their evidence and believes them. He knocks out the guards and frees Duncan and Roselyn.
	+ Lance also uses chance to escape, thanks them, heads off on his merry way
* The three cool people hide out with the envoy from Caerwys. There they plan to go above the king's head and petition the Patron of Newport directly.
	+ They sneak into the temple disguised as beggars. There they meet with Uxie, who agrees to help them out if they retrieve a book that the king had borrowed but refused to return.
* The trio realizes they can't break into the castle on their own. However, since they know Lance has done it in the past, they hunt him down. Seeing as how he owes them, he agrees to help them steal the book.
* They steal the book and return to the Temple. Since Lance masterminded the plan to get the book, Uxie grants him the Blessing of Ingenuity (supposedly a cloak of invisibility) and agrees to force the city to support them.
	+ However, that would take time, and currently the king has the entire city searching for them. The four of them stowaway on a trading ship to Swansea.

### **Swansea**

* Swansea was in chaos, as the ruler was battling a rebellion that threatened to unseat him. Given that Newport had gone so badly and Swansea was practically run by pirates anyways, the four opt not to risk meeting the ruler and go directly to the temple to petition Rayquaza.
* Unfortunately, Rayquaza was annoyed by his followers bickering and demands the foursome get them to stop.
* The party splits up to approach both sides of the rebellion, who it turns out are in a Romeo/Juliet type situation and both have their heads up their asses. Shenanigans ensue.
* Roselyn gives a stirring speech about Love, Friendship, and the duty of a Ruler to their people above all else. Moved, the two sides reconcile, and the lovers are able to marry.
	+ Modern scholars think this is a bunch of romantic fluff built up around what was actually just a straightforward marriage pact. They still aren't popular at parties.
* Rayquaza is pleased and Roselyn is granted the blessing of Harmony (which turns out to be a pendant that can calm the weather). The party sets sail for the mainland.

### **Caerwys**

* However, on the way the way to the mainland, they're waylaid by pirates and forced to land in the Broughton Swamp. Then they run into a patrol from Argylle, who have orders to return the runaway princess.
* They're taken back towards Argylle, but manage to escape before reaching the city. They flee into the forest, and are able to escape thank to Arthur's familiarity with the woods.
* They make it to Caerwys and find the envoy Arthur had been escorting in Newport. They learn Newport's king was forced to bow to pressure from the church and agreed to help.
* They meet with Xerneas, expecting to have no trouble since he's Yveltal's rival. However, Xerneas points out that fighting Yveltal will mean killing people, which goes against everything it stands for.
	+ If they'd ask it for help, it demands that they had 24-hours for one of them to give up what they held most dear.
	+ The four bicker over who gets to make the sacrifice, then all four secretly and seperately approach Xerneas and agree to be the one to do it.
	+ Turns out it was a test, none of them have to give up anything (mordern scholars call this a pussy move on the part of whoever came up with the tale). All four gain the blessing of Sacrifice, which grants them extreme vitality.
* The ruler of Caerwys is willing to work with Argylle, but demands that the alliances made will be permanent, thus ensuring lasting peace in the region.

### **Glasbury**

* The king of Caerwys sends petitions to Glasbury and Pembroke, but neither city is keen on an alliance. The group sets out again to see if they can petition the legends directly.
* Solgaleo demands that they prove themselves by descending deep into the mines and finding a boy that had disappeared earlier in the week.
* The group succeeds, but during the process Duncan was forced to withstand great pain to protect the boy. Solgaleo is impressed and grants his the blessing of Fortitude. This is said to be a flute that when played, grants the listeners immense strength.

### **Pembroke**

* The group arrives in Pembroke, but find that the first agents of Yveltal have already arrived and begun to work against them. They go to the temple of Jirachi, but the legend is missing.
* They hunt for the missing legend and find it has been taken to the ruins of an ancient city destroyed by Yveltal 800 years ago. He's being held in the old Temple of Arceus.
* While scouting, Arthur is captured. The agents of Yveltal brainwash him into working for them, forcing him to lead the others into a trap.
* However, when it comes time to spring the trap, his honor won't allow him to betray the party and he throws off the brainwashing. They're able to escape with Jirachi, who grants Arthur the Blessing of Purity, which was a magical sword.
	+ Modern scholars question why they couldn't just use Jirachi to wish Yveltal away. No adequate explanation has ever been offered.

### **Yveltal**

* The group returned to Argylle, which the king was displeased. However, he also had five city states swearing eternal fealty to him, so he couldn't exactly complain too much.
* As the chosen time approached, they gathered their army. Duncan's abilities let them know they'd strike Glasbury first. There was a great battle in the Evergreen Forest, which too this day is infested with hostile ghosts. Yveltal was killed, his army routed, and neither would threaten the kingdom again.
	+ Modern scholars question how the manifestation of death can die. The most common explanation is "Shut up, you pedantic loser."
* Having saved the region, the group were honored as the new country's Champions

### **Epilogue**

* Duncan Griffin went on to study at Caerwys, eventually founding the University of Galloway
* After her father died in the battle, Roselyn Pryce went on to rule the united kingdom. She married Lance Taylor not long after.
* Arthur Lindström returned to his wife and family in Caerwys. For his service in the war, he was granted his own lands outside the city, where he founded the town of Lindstad.