ITT: We are all Pokémon Trainers

Perhaps you have noticed that I have recently had a rather sudden change of heart from my prior mode of rule. I can't really explain the reasons for why this happened, but your recent experiences in Archimedia should confirm that it's for the better. For the same reasons, I must abdicate. I will not be returning to the empire following my summit with the Remnant Emperor, I intend to spend my days afterwards living away from this power I once wielded, and to seek redemption from any abuses I may have committed because of this.

Perhaps, had I not let myself become hemmed in and isolated from my subjects, I could have had a better grasp of who to entrust the matter of succession to. But from what I have been exposed to...

It is you that I find most worthy of succeeding me as Emperor, Csiki.

If you truly desire an explanation for this matter, I will attempt to seek you out in your dreams in a few weeks. When things are hopefully clearer for myself. Perhaps you have heard of this art before, though if you haven't, I can assure you, it is most efficacious.

When you take my position as Emperor... There are a number of matters that I implore you to address during your reign.

Entertain ideas that seem counter-intuitive or otherwise foreign to you. And don't be hasty to brush off matters that your prior experience may suggest to be trivial or not worth pursuing further. Prior to my departure, I was able to but plant a seed for things to improve for those that we refer to as 'serfs', and as such, it is still fragile and without care, can easily be smothered. I ask that you allow for the subjects of your realm to be freer in where their station in life is allowed to take them. Allow 'serfs' to be able to assume roles beyond peonage if they set their hearts to it: merchants, soldiers, scholars. Allow Ancients to assume honorable roles that are presently said to be 'beneath' them. If an Ancient is incompetent, cowardly, or simply is not the best suited mon for their task, allow them to stumble according to their demerits. It is said that a mon's blood influences his station in our empire, I would venture that training and motivation, if allowed to, can outstrip such influences.

I also ask you to distance the realm from its dependence upon raiding and conquest for wealth. Though I may have dressed it up as for the glory of the Empire, it is but banditry, a tool with which I and my predecessors used to keep the more odious parasites in court sated and allegiances firm. From a strictly pragmatic perspective, it is also ineffective, claiming wealth by dashing apart that of others accumulated in an instant. Rather, it is the path of the merchant that presents the hope of this realm to maintain both its glory and its honor. Allow for solutions to be sold to you rather than stolen, but at the same time, keep a keen eye over their activities. A thief and a merchant that fears not what is just will have many likes alike, and similarly bring suffering upon others.

Be equitable, but firm. Do not let the court sway you from defending the weak when they cry out for help. Indeed, it is generally not the strong that the gods are said to have risen up in defense of, but rather those trodden upon by the strong. Their actions currently lie dormant, and mercifully so! I tremble at the thought of what would become of us were the gods to descend upon our Empire. Scrutinize the court houses closely, rein in their actions and respond strongly to their abuses. (Especially the assassins. Seriously, why do they even have those?) At the same time, leave avenues with which to give them investment in your actions, reward them for not only loyalty, but their benefice to even the lowliest subjects of our realm. You will draw more Venonat to you with honey than with vinegar, after all.

Lastly, I ask you to limit your power, and to maintain an open mind for disagreements. I realize that this may seem incomprehensible to you, but I can assure you that it is for your own benefit. Even a mon of purest heart can find himself a tyrant with unrestrained power. Indeed, even after my change of heart, I still found myself yearning for the ways of the past at times. That is not to say that you should allow yourself to become a doormat! Rather, seek counsel when making your actions, use your position as Emperor to unilaterally drive forth law as a last resort. And allow for mons to speak their mind without fear of reprisal, even the lowliest serf. Enabling the expression of sentiment can not only slow the burn of insurrection, but can reveal areas meriting genuine need of correction. (Furthermore, I believe that allowing mons to speak their minds and bring forth petitions freely will be easier on the janitorial staff as well.)

I cannot ensure that you will follow my preceding pleas... Indeed, I cannot ensure that you will even take the throne and not crumple up this letter. The task I have left you is a truly formidable one, and I don't expect you to realize it in full within a moon, let alone a single year. Though I pray that my judgement of your character has not strayed far from the mark... And...

I trust you.

Thank you for your loyal service and your care for me all this time, Csiki. I pray that the gods may bless you with similarly loyal and dutiful companionship after your ascension to the throne.

Yours, [Illegible Scrawl]

P.S.: Don't forget to get a good cape. They're essential for the regal look!