For Her Hand

Chapter Fifty-Five

Adélaïde breathed a deep sigh and rubbed her temples as she looked over the old manuscripts that the library had tucked away. The history of the palace along with the king—AZ—who once ruled from it, were inscribed into the pages before her, written in Kalosian. Stopping at a certain passage, she frowned at her discovery. It described what was known as the Ultimate Weapon, along with how it was activated. Life force was a requirement, but there was one other prerequisite that needed to be met, and that was a key. A key that had a royal insignia on it. A key, that belonged to the palace three thousand years ago. 

Her mind slid back to Allie's birthday, remembering that Harbin had told her that he believed that Allie might have been targeted. But why? Adélaïde couldn't find any reason for her daughter to be in someone's cross-hairs. She thought of how her daughter had tumbled over the balcony. None of it made any sense. Glancing down at the passage once more, she shook her head and rolled up the parchments and stood up to put them away and lock them up. As she finished her studies, she could hear the sounds of battle just outside the palace grounds. 

A smile crept onto her face, knowing that it was Allie who was making all the racket while battling her instructor. Departing from the library, she made her way to the training grounds where she found Allie squaring off with the palace instructor. Standing on Allie's side of the field was a tall—pink—bipedal Pokémon with with a white belly and conical ears that had black stripes on them. A blue orb was in the center of its forehead, matching the one on the tip of its black striped tail. Across from Allie's Ampharos, a Glalie floated, his icy blue eyes trained on his opposition. 

Agnès, her instructor, reached over and tapped the tip of her ring, the keystone inside lighting up upon contact. Following suit, Allie gripped her necklace and both contending Pokémon underwent startling transformations, their powers rising to new heights. 

"Alright princess, it's time to see if you still remember your training while you were out gallivanting around with your marriage prospects," Agnès said sternly, her eyes trained on her student to see if she was focused. 

"Gallivanting? I assume that you're insinuating that I've been slacking off. I guess I'll just have to prove to you that I'm still as sharp as I ever have been!" Allie fired back confidently. 

"Then how about you show me!? Glalie, use Headbutt!" 

"Agility now!" Allie commanded sharply.

Glalie shot forward, his body outlined in an icy blue aura as he shot through the air, particles of ice trailing from his form as he flew. No fool, Ampharos jinked to the left of the deadly rock sphere and began hopping from one spot to the next as she backpedaled away from the spears of ice launched at her. Darting to her right, she ignited her flippers with fire and raced back toward Glalie, dodging and leaping as Ice Beams were fired at her. Closing the distance, she leaped. 

"Fire Punch!" Allie shouted fiercely. 

Ampharos's flipper connected harshly with Glalie's icy frame, knocking it away like a beach ball. Glalie crashed into the ground, leaving a deep groove as he slid before taking back to the air to avoid a followup Iron Tail that punched through the arena floor. 

"Blizzard!" Agnès retaliated hastily.

"Light Screen quick!" Allie countered.

Spewing forth from Glalie's jaw was a harsh, blustering gale intermingled with snow and ice that battered Ampharos where she stood, forcing her to dig her feet in and put one arm up to shield her eyes. A glittering barrier formed in front of her, further protecting her from the devastating assault.  Allie grimaced as she watched Glalie charge in, his entire body brimming with far more power than usual as he aimed to ram straight into Ampharos.