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It was mere months until the end of the world. A colossal meteoroid was on course to collide with the planet. For that reason, Zinnia had spent much of her recent past training; so that she could be the one to protect the world and save as many people as possible. Starting out, things hadn’t been looking so great. She began her training with under a year remaining until the world was doomed, and she was accompanied by a Whismur she didn’t even own and as a result didn’t battle. Currently this Whismur was holding down the Sky Pillar, Zinnia’s base of operations, as she was journeying outside of Hoenn. Zinnia’s only Pokémon was a Bagon, a small Dragon Pokémon that has a species-wide desire for flight ingrained in them from the moment they’re born. As Zinnia worked towards her goal of saving the world, her Bagon was able to work towards its goal of flight. By now, it had fully Evolved into a Salamence, a much larger and very powerful Dragon Pokémon that can fly very proficiently and at high speeds in spite of its oddly shaped wings.
In the time between the onset of her journey and now, Zinnia had compiled an impressive team entirely of Dragon-Type Pokémon. In addition to her Salamence, she had a Kommo-o, a Dragon/Fighting type resembling a large, bipedal lizard with numerous decorative, almost metallic scales useful for defense and intimidation, as they make quite the racket when clanged together. Zinnia had first been drawn to it by its valiant fighting style and desire to protect the innocent. She had also obtained a Baxcalibur, an Dragon/Ice type resembling a scaled down but still quite large Godzilla with a sharp dorsal blade. It reminded Zinnia of the fear and despair that the imminent disaster brought upon her people. In addition to these, she had acquired a Tyrantrum, a Rock/Dragon type that strongly resembles a tyrannosaurus, and which had drawn Zinnia’s fancy through its willingness to do whatever it took to achieve its way. Zinnia also owned a Goodra, a pure Dragon type that inspired tales of a slug-dragon in Kalos, formerly known as France. Zinnia didn’t have too much of a reason for using Goodra other than it being strong and her liking how it looked, though she came to admire its capability in terms of defending itself. Her 6th and final Pokémon that she owned was a Noivern, a Flying/Dragon type that looks like a mix of a bat and a wyvern. This particular Noivern was once owned by Zinnia’s mentor, but she had since taken ownership of it.
With this team all gathered, Zinnia began to head toward China in search of a fabled “Dragon Warrior.” This individual was said to be the strongest Pokémon Trainer in all of China. And he was said to reside in a place called the Jade Palace. Admittedly, Zinnia knew basically nothing about the actual person chosen as the Dragon Warrior, only that his name was Po, the selection happened a few years back, and that his fighting style was apparently rather unconventional. She was, however, aware of his feats: that he had defeated a violent, proud Trainer raised by Master Shifu himself named Tai Lung, a naive, disgraced heir to an empire named Shen who created fireworks cannons that he would turn on his opponents and their Pokémon rather than battling himself, and a Trainer who had returned from the distortion world in search of vengeance and power, and who was apparently very close with the legendary Master Oogway in the distant past, though Zinnia couldn’t quite recall his name.
Aster had told her of these accomplishments, and about what sorts of awesome feats the Dragon Warrior would be able to achieve as foretold in legends. According to those legends, he would be able to hear a butterfly’s wingbeat and to see light in the deepest cave, to smash through the shell of a Golem and to soothe a rampaging Hydreigon. He would be able to feel the universe in motion around him. Even if only for a day, learning from someone like that was an opportunity Zinnia would never pass up. Aster had visited the Jade Palace on a couple of occasions. She was there when the Dragon Warrior was first chosen, she’d visited after Shen’s defeat to offer congratulations and to help the resident Masters train, and she had helped with the Palace’s restoration after it was destroyed by that former friend of Oogway’s.
Once the Great Wall came into view, Zinnia sent out her Salamence and atop its back she flew off in search of the Valley of Peace, where the Jade Palace was said to exist atop a nearby mountain. Because she had no idea where to look, it took a solid 4 hours of searching until the Valley was spotted, even with Salamence’s incredible speed. Zinnia proceeded to have her Salamence land on top of the Jade Palace’s roof, and recalled it as she slid off of it. She then took a moment to appreciate the splendor of the building and its grounds.
“Nice. Real nice place, this is,” Zinnia found herself saying to no one in particular.
“Who goes there?” Came a stern voice, interrupting her admiration.
Whirling around to face the speaker, Zinnia found herself face to face with a rather short yet intimidating old man. He had a commanding aura about him, and it was clear that in spite of his age, he was still quite nimble. This powerful presence and features such as his well-maintained grey hair with some hints of red led Zinnia to recognize him as one of the resident Masters of the palace.
“Ah, Shifu,” Zinnia said as a greeting of sorts. “So I did find the right palace.”
“You are trespassing upon these grounds,” Shifu commanded, albeit with a hint of confusion considering Zinnia’s attitude. “You must leave at once.”
To emphasize his point, Shifu sent out a Mienshao, a humanoid Pokémon with stoat-like characteristics and long, flowing fur on its arms. Smiling, Zinnia sent out her Goodra, excited at the opportunity to battle such a renowned opponent as Master Shifu. Mienshao struck first with Ice Spinner, freezing its fur and spinning with its arms outstretched, which caught Zinnia and her Goodra off guard. Goodra tried counterattacking with Power Whip, swinging its horns at Mienshao with immense force, but the Martial Arts Pokémon wrapped its fur around the horns and used Goodra’s momentum to pull it headfirst into the ground. It then attempted a follow-up with Jump Kick, but its movements were a bit more sluggish than they had been previously, which allowed Goodra to anticipate the attack and intercept the kick with a slap from its thick tail as it got up from the ground. When Mienshao then tried to use Double Slap it became clear why it was starting to move slower: the sludge that coats Goodra’s skin had been getting stuck to Mienshao’s fur, weighing it down and keeping it from moving fluidly. The Double Slap was largely ineffective at damaging Goodra, though it did send goo flying all over the place. During the Double Slap attack, Goodra had been using Acid Armor, where it thickened the coating of the viscous liquid covering its body. Shifu then had his Mienshao use Ice Spinner again in an attempt to freeze the goo and aid in his Mienshao’s offense. This backfired when Zinnia had her Goodra use Sludge Wave, which sent a large stream of sludge barreling towards its adversary. This did not interrupt the Ice Spinner thanks to Mienshao’s Inner Focus Ability, so Goodra still took a Super Effective hit, but now Mienshao’s entire body was coated with sludge, some of which was frozen on.
Shifu recalled his Mienshao and sent out an Urshifu. This Pokémon, considered Legendary by some, resembles an anthropomorphic bear that has mastered a particular style of combat. Shifu’s Urshifu took a firm stance and had a piercing glare, indicating that it had mastered the Single Strike Style. Zinnia went for an attack, calling for Dragon Pulse. This sent a wave of energy in the shape of a dragon into the air, which then crashed down upon Urshifu. The attack landed, but by the time it did, Urshifu had prepared a Wicked Blow. For this attack, the Wushu Pokémon lunged forwards, focusing all of its might into a single punch, and Goodra was sent careening sideways from the force of the blow.
Zinnia took this chance to send out her Noivern as she recalled her Goodra. Upon seeing this Noivern, Shifu seemed perplexed, then shook it off, calling for an Acrobatics attack. Urshifu moved with deft agility, leaping off of the palace itself, launching a kick at its aerial opponent. At the same time, Noivern used Aerial Ace, performing an aerial frontflip to strike Urshifu with its tail. Both Pokémon rebounded as the moves collided. Urshifu then went for Focus Punch, tightening its focus before bursting into an incredibly powerful and accurate attack. This time Noivern went for a Boomburst attack, sending sound waves from its ears directly at Urshifu. The force of the Sound Wave Pokémon’s attack stopped Urshifu’s Focus Punch mid-leap, sending it hurtling into the ground with a huge burst of energy once it made contact. To Zinnia’s surprise, Noivern also took damage, almost as if it had been hit by an invisible strike, which left it wide open for a potential attack from Urshifu. Adding to the unexpected turn of events, Shifu called off his Pokémon.
“I recognize this Noivern,” Shifu said, clearly surprised. “Its Chi seemed familiar, but after such a controlled Boomburst I could no longer deny it. This is the Noivern of Lorekeeper Aster. Why could it possibly be in your possession now?”
Zinnia didn’t know how to feel about this. She didn’t like talking about Aster, as doing so inevitably filled her with rage due to the unjust death of the former Lorekeeper. And yet, even as she searched for the Valley of Peace, she knew that she would have to if she had any hope of even meeting the Dragon Warrior. Besides, wasn’t she supposed to be trying to honor Aster’s memory by finishing what she started?
“Who are you?”
The question snapped Zinnia out of her mental haze. “Oh, me?” She slipped her confident smirk back on. “The name’s Zinnia. Current Lorekeeper of the Draconid people.”
Shifu lowered his head. “…So it’s true, then.”
Zinnia’s brow furrowed slightly. “You knew?”
“I had a vision, months ago,” Shifu explained. “I had hoped it was some cryptic message from the universe, but it seems she really is gone.”
He eyed the damaged cloak that Zinnia wore as he finished.
“Still, that does not excuse your showing up here unannounced like some lowly bandit,” he continued. “What is your reason for being here?”
“Did you also have a vision about the great meteor?”
“Great meteor? …No, but I have been sensing a great danger that has been growing by the day. Which is why I am still rather apprehensive about you.”
“I have no intention of damaging anything,” Zinnia started, then looked around. “Anything further, that is. My goal is to save as many people as possible, and I’d hoped to be able to train here, even if only for a day.”
Shifu nodded slowly. “I see. You seem to be trusted by Aster’s Noivern, so I do not doubt your intentions. All I can do is advise you to consider your methods wisely. But for now, you may train at the palace.”
The two of them walked to the battle court, where six Trainers were sparring. Upon Shifu’s entrance, they all stopped their battles.
“Attention, everyone,” Shifu announced. “I have with me one of the Draconid people. She is training as the current Lorekeeper and wishes to learn from all of you. Especially you, Po.”
“Awesome!” Someone, presumably Po, the Dragon Warrior, exclaimed as he approached Shifu and Zinnia. He was a very large young man, and was clearly full of enthusiasm. “Nice to meet you, miss Draconid.”
Zinnia chuckled, partially out of nervousness, partially out of surprise at how easygoing this legendary figure was turning out to be. “Nice to meet you, Dragon Warrior. Though I suppose you could just call me Zinnia.”
“Alright, and I guess you can just call me Po,” He responded with a smile. “So then! How about that training?”
Zinnia spent much of the rest of that day sparring in two-on-two battles with Po and his fellow Master Trainers, known as the Furious Five. Each of the Five went by aliases based on the style of Kung Fu they had mastered and which had inspired their choice in Pokémon. First she battled Mantis, a short, feisty fellow who used a Lurantis and a Scyther. Zinnia’s Tyrantrum and Baxcalibur fought well, but were ultimately overwhelmed by Mantis’s mantis-like Pokémon’s speed in spite of their type and size advantage. Next was Monkey, a lanky and rather cheerful man who commanded a Passimian and an Annihilape. Zinnia managed to win using the combination of her Noivern and her Salamence, to some surprise from the Five. Then Zinnia battled Viper, a thin, graceful, and polite young lady who battled with a Seviper and Serperior. While the battle was very close, Zinnia’s Kommo-o and Salamence were able to win, but only with the use of Salamence’s Mega Evolution.
The Pokémon were then given time to rest and recover while the Trainers did some training of their own. Zinnia was no expert in Kung Fu, nor did she really understand the basics, but she did exercise using some of the climbing equipment. Living in a ravine village near Meteor Falls and the nearby mountains meant Zinnia had quite a bit of experience climbing, and while she wasn’t quite as acrobatic as Monkey, she was still rather nimble. Eventually Po brought her to a nearby cliff to see how she’d do climbing that. When she looked more comfortable on the rocky surface than the climbing equipment, Po noted that she climbed in a lizard-like fashion. This made sense to Zinnia, considering that she grew up around Dragon-Type Pokémon and would climb rocky surfaces more often than trees.
Then there was a lunch break, where Po cooked for everyone. The Five had mentioned that Po was a really good cook, and after trying his noodle soup, Zinnia couldn’t help but concur. During lunch, Crane, a tall, thin fellow who could almost always be seen wearing a straw hat, complimented Zinnia on her skill as a Trainer and asked where she learned how to use Mega Evolution. None of the Five, Po, or even Shifu used it, though Oogway used to. Monkey mentioned that Oogway had lost to a Trainer who used a Noivern and a Mega Salamence just a short time before his passing. This stunned Zinnia. Aster had defeated Oogway? And she’d never heard about this?
“Uh, yeah, I was very close with that Trainer,” Zinnia said, slightly dazed. “I learned about Mega Evolution from her, along with, well, a lot. I certainly wouldn’t be here now if not for her. I’m… even using the same Salamencite that she did in order to Mega Evolve her Salamence.”
“Well, it sure seems like she was a great teacher,” Viper said after a pause.
Picking up on the overall tone, the Five decided not to ask any further questions. They continued their sparring after lunch. Zinnia battled Crane next, whose Fearow and Bombirdier lost to Zinnia’s Noivern and Baxcalibur. The last of the Five to battle Zinnia was Tigress, a burly, stoic, redheaded woman who used an Arcanine and Incineroar. Zinnia’s Tyrantrum and Goodra put up an excellent fight, but it was clear why Tigress seemed so confident in her abilities and why she was seen as the strongest of the Furious Five. After going through all of the Furious Five, it was finally time for Zinnia to battle Po. After she sent out her Kommo-o and Salamence, she was met with a very odd pair: a Bewear and a Spinda. It was indeed true what was said about Po; his battle style was exceedingly odd. Almost immediately he had his Spinda use Skill Swap on his Bewear, temporarily switching their Abilities around. His Bewear then went on the offensive with Superpower, getting stronger with each attack. He would also have his Bewear throw his Spinda at Salamence while it was in midair to make attacking it easier. And, perhaps oddest of all, when Zinnia’s Kommo-o used Aura Sphere, Po’s Spinda deflected the attack in the direction of Po, who caught the attack and sent it up to knock out Zinnia’s Salamence. And Kommo-o was eventually knocked out by Bewear using a move it doesn’t normally learn: Dragon Hammer.
After thanking each other for the battle, the two of them talked about how it went. According to Po, his Bewear had learned Dragon Hammer when he had defeated Oogway’s former comrade, who was apparently named Kai, while in the distortion world. And he had been able to deflect the Aura Sphere without taking damage because of his having achieved inner peace.
That last bit intrigued Zinnia. “Inner peace?” She asked.
“Yeah. Master Shifu says you can only achieve inner peace from decades of meditation and soul-searching or through intense pain and suffering. But once you do find inner peace, you will be able to harness the flow of the universe, or something like that,” Po explained.
“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you find it?”
“For me it happened once I made peace with my past. My home village was destroyed when I was too young to remember and almost everyone I knew was killed. Until I confronted Lord Shen I thought that made me a totally different person than I thought I was. But, as a wise old goat once told me, it’s the rest of my story, who I choose to be, that makes me who I am.”
Zinnia nodded. The battles and conversations she’d had that day had given her a lot to think about. At dinner she talked with the Five and Po, and she seemed to be getting along well with everyone. Tigress was notably less talkative than the others, however, and as much as she’d like to pretend otherwise, the fact that it almost came off as judgmental made Zinnia very self-conscious. At sundown, Zinnia was preparing to head off on the back of her Noivern, until it hesitated and nudged Zinnia with its head. She was confused until she saw Tigress coming her way. Zinnia hopped off and headed towards her.
“Hey, are you doing okay?” Tigress asked.
Zinnia paused, then looked up at the sky. “That’s quite the question.”
Tigress nodded slowly. “I heard you talking with Po about inner peace.”
“Yeah,” Zinnia said. “I’d heard he was a little odd, but still. He’s really not who I’d imagined the Dragon Warrior would be.”
Tigress nodded again. “I really thought it would be me, you know?”
“The Dragon Warrior?”
Another nod. “I worked the hardest. I was the strongest. I felt like I deserved it more than anyone. And then Po showed up out of nowhere and he was chosen instead. I resented him for it at first. I said some things I wish I could take back. But over the years I’ve really come to respect him. Not just because of his skill as a Trainer, or because he learned Kung Fu so quickly, but because of who he is as a person. I’ve never met anyone as genuine as he is.”
Now Zinnia nodded. “I can tell.”
“I’ve thought a lot about what it really means to be the Dragon Warrior. At first I thought Po was chosen by accident. I think we all did, even Po. And for all I know, maybe he was. But I’ve been starting to think that Master Oogway meant for the Dragon Warrior to be someone who didn’t know Kung Fu. And Po’s enthusiasm and optimism are what led him to be chosen. Maybe it was never his destiny to be the Dragon Warrior until he made it his destiny.”
A long pause. “I’ve been thinking about something sort of like that, too,” Zinnia finally said. “I was never properly chosen as Lorekeeper, not like Aster was. I’ve been acknowledged by the village Elder, but that was after I already declared myself as Lorekeeper. So I’ve been worrying that I’m trying to fulfill someone else’s destiny, and that I’m going to fail. But maybe I’m making it my own destiny because Aster was denied hers.”
This seemed to resonate with Tigress, who replied, “I did something not too different from what you’re doing now, back when Tai Lung escaped prison. I set out on my own to stop him. The rest of the Five even came with. But we couldn’t stop him. So maybe, as Oogway used to say, I met my destiny on the road I took to avoid it. That could be what you’re doing, too.”
“That’s what I’m worried about.”
“And yet, the Dragon Scroll was blank. The way Po put it, there is no secret ingredient. It’s just you. So really, we have no way of knowing what our destinies are. If there’s anything you and I have learned so far and probably will continue to learn, it’s that.”
Zinnia smiled the faintest of smiles. “I appreciate you talking to me. You were so quiet all day, but you really have quite the imagination.”
“If you’re going to leave now, please be careful.”
“I’ll be as careful as I can,” Zinnia answered, knowing all too well that meant she was taking every risk she could. “I’ll stop by again if everything goes well.”