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Blaguarro Town Blaguarro Outskirts

Jade clutched her head, vision swimming in the aftermath of the Hurricane. She was having trouble focusing, and the haunting birdsong of that phantom Moltres wasn't helping things. Just what was that thing she'd seen when the others had been destroyed? Some kind of dream? Moltres's dream?

(She'd looked so small. She hadn't been born a legend. She'd been chosen.)

Jade shook her head, still reeling. Focus. Had to land another strike on the last phantom, before it could sing that awful song again and sap everyone's strength. She fired another shimmering wave of Fairy-type energy and struggled to keep her paws steady.

And yet, she found her gaze drifting back to Moltres, mind still echoing with what she'd seen.

"What are you meant to represent?" Jade called out. If she was going to have any shot at smoothing any of this over, she needed to understand.

Jade’s Fairy Caster Wave @ Geist
 
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What was even going on? Why was she like this? What did the railway even do to her?

"Why do you even want to break this?" Grace asked, sounding confused. "What did the railway or the civilians even do to deserve this treatment from you?"

Her cautious eyes looked for those who needed help. She saw Dave's planned path, and the wreckage of a tower nearby. With a determined nod, she knew her next action.

She focused on that chaotic energy, searching for the best way to clear the path. Her paws glowed blue, and so did the debris. Carefully, she picked up what she could and then safely flung it elsewhere. Then she pointed at Dave, and sent some of her energy his way. "Keep going!" she called. "We  have to stop her here!"

Interact: Metronome (Psychic) to move Tower Wreckage!
Grace's Support Aux: Dave gets a Speed Up [2]!
 
Odette shook off the image with a violent shake of her head, stopping to drag her hands over her eyes and fully rub the projected memory away. Guilt struck her core, as she found she couldn't shake off the image of Moltres, smiling like the world hadn't chewed her up and spit her out again. Guilt morphed into a brief bout of empathy, because gods almighty, she knew all too well what that was like.

However, her anger fired again, like a cylinder in a high-speed car engine, and she grit her teeth.

"You think that's supposed to mean anything to me?" she said. "Assflash newshole, you're not the only poor bitch here who was happy and hopeful once. You're not the only one here who very likely got a nasty spoonful of reality shoved down their throat."

She focused her energy on the rocks near the tower, and charged her next attack, leaving behind the fallen geist. "I know all too fucking well what that's like. The difference is, once I stopped crying about it, I nutted the fuck up, pulled up my big girl panties, and didn't make it anybody else's problem. Something YOU don't seem to understand!

“I don’t care what you were meant to represent. What matters now is what you’re choosing to do with your hand. And by the looks of it, you’re choosing to be a fucking problem.”

Odette (83 STM, 13 TMP, -2 SPD, +0 ACC, 0 SHD, 0 RAD)
- **Act:** Item (Escape Orb) to Tower Wreckage
- STRONG Ancient Power @ [Moltres] (-21 STM, effect, -7 TMP, +4 TMP)
- Ice Fang @ Moltres (-16 STM, Sure Hit, effect, -9 TMP, +2 TMP) [Freeze Moltres]
- **Act:** Dash to Town Entrance (-2 TMP)
Net change: -43 STM, -12 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 40 STM (67 after regen), 1 TMP, 0 SHD, 0 RAD
 
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Player Phase, Turn 3

Moltres hissed at the words being flung her way though Odette's words gave her brief pause. It was certainly enough to humour the Wayfarers with an answer. "Because I want to see you fight and stand up for what your believe in against all odds." She wobbled on her feet but she still held up against the onslaught of attacks she was about to endure...

Grace's Support Aux! Dave gained +1 Spd!

With some effort, Grace was able to clear the debris further which made the area even easier to traverse although it would now be far harder to hide amongst the rubble now.

Grace's Interact—
Tower Wreckage's MC has been lowered to 2! Cover has been removed!

Dave's Hone Claws raised his Atk and Acc by 1!
Dave dashed to Westward Rail!
Dave's AGILE Rock Smash dealt 13 damage to Geist 1! It's super effective!
Dave's Rock Smash dealt 18 damage to Geist 1! It's super effective!
Dave's Sitrus Berry healed him for 76 HP to full!
Dave Focused...

Odette used an Escape Orb! Odette arrived at Tower Wreckage
Odette's STRONG Ancient Power dealt 19 damage to Moltres! It's super effective! +1 Offences, Defences and Spd!
Odette's Ice Fang dealt 17 damage to Moltres! It's super effective! Frostbite!
Odette dashed to Town Entrance!
Odette's Spotter Feat! Moltres' Gear—

King's Rock

Mhynt's Sitrus Berry healed her for 85 HP to full!
Mhynt's Toxic Badly Poisoned Moltres!
Mhynt's Leaf Blade dealt a CRITICAL 10 damage to Moltres! It's not very effective...
Mhynt's Soul Enervation raised her Atk by 2 and lowered Moltres' Acc and Spd by 2!
Mhynt walked to Rocky Clearing!

"You tyrant," Moltres spat at Mhynt. "No wonder you care for it so much." Magenta flames coalesced around her beak, her gaze fully trained on the grovyle. She would not give up until she saw her as a crumpled pile on the ground.

As she ran past, Moltres would see an old, stone bracelet with a crown-like shape around the bird's ankle bearing some kind of insignia of two flaming birds circling each other in a flaming loop; one surrounded with spring blossoms, the other with autumn leaves.

Silver Sitrus Berry healed him for 97 HP to full!
Silver's Hone Claws raised his Atk and Acc by 1!
Silver SHADOW Focused...
Silver's SHADOW Dire Claw dealt 16 damage to Moltres! It's super effective! Paralysed!
Silver walked to Town Entrance!

Jade's Caster Aux dealt 48 damage to Geist 1!
KO!!!

Moltres shook the dull feeling from her wings but Jade's question left the meowth with a passing glance. Was there a brief flash of sadness in those eyes dulled by time? The moment didn't last for long for as soon as Jade's attack struck the geist, it began to spit and crumple. Thankfully, by striking from a distance, Jade was able to avoid the last searing embers falling upon her, avoiding a great deal of pain. Yet they still snaked over the around her moments before dying out, producing another vision.

There was silence at last in the Temple of Dawn. No more manic fits of laughter coming from the lord's sickbed. Reviver tea spilled from his final cup all across the fine wooden floors, and tears from the young Twilight's face, and yet, when the courtly physicians who had tended to the Dawn came to see the fallen Saint and gather his Relic, they shed none of their own. Perhaps death a planned-for inevitability to them, if they could only do so much for their patient's ailing mind and body...

Moltres – for now she alone was called Moltres – dutifully helped the physicians recover their implements, even as she choked back her grief. Their small library of anatomical textbooks, their thermoscopes and pestles, their stocks of rare medicinal plants... Oren Berries and Reviser Seeds. Foreign spellings, perhaps? How odd.

Yet there was still a strong sensation that there was so much more to the story, that it was only the beginning.

Not that there was much time to consider it as with a shrill shriek, Moltres sent a jet of burning magenta flames from her beak, the exact same ones the Geists were composed of right towards Mhynt...

Boss Attack: Moltres's Fiery Soul was redirected to Rocky Clearing! It struck everyone in the zone! 25 damage to Mhynt! It's super effective!
 
Enemy Phase, Turn 3

Moltres' flames burned even brighter as she tried to burn away the slowing effect that Mhynt had imparted on the bird. Defiantly, she took flight after her, trying to show that she would not be grounded no matter how much they tried to slash at her wings.

Legendary Action: Stats Boost! Moltres removed her Spd Debuff!
Moltres Focused...
Moltres dashed to Rocky Clearing!
Moltres's AGILE Hex dealt 0 damage to Mhynt! Fully dodged!
Legendary Action: Sure Crit!
Moltres's CRITICAL Hex dealt 43 damage to Mhynt!
Moltres called out to Mhynt!

Moltres is paralysed and couldn't do more...

"And do you think that this hunk of wood and metal is going to protect anyone and their livelihoods?" Moltres asked. "Not just bring in workers who will be exploited?" Although at this point, it starting to become clear that she was trying to get a rise out of Mhynt. If Moltres truly wanted to destroy the railway... why hadn't she done so by now? Even beyond the battle she had several days to do so when accounting for first sightings in the Blaguarro area...

Boss Attack: Moltres is preparing Fiery Soul. Target: Town Entrance

Moltres' attention is fully on Mhynt...
 
"Do you need a lesson in economics, too, child?!" Mhynt shouted, but then flinched. "I'm sorry, I don't know where that line came fro--"

She shrieked when the Hex took her. Mhynt skidded back, using her blade to strike the ground and halt her pinwheel. All that and Moltres was still shrugging off her hexes bit by bit. But she'd gotten most of the damage she wanted to get, done. Now they had to sustain it and wear her down. It was a careful balancing act...

She noticed she'd relocated to near the others. Odette seemed bogged down by the terrain. That would do. "You. Let's go." She reached out and vanished with Odette.

"Tyrant," she echoed as she reappeared a distance from Moltres. "It's impossible. I cannot persist here. The Wayfarers are merely tools for the greater purpose of saving this world from Shadows and those... Covenant people." She decided not to divulge specifics. "We can't be tyrants. Even if we wanted to. We'll be gone within the year!" Ideally. "If you want a real tyrant, consider the Shadow Dragon just out of town!"

She smashed a ball on the ground. In the cloud of mist that followed, Mhynt seemed to disappear.

Mhynt (51 STM, 11 TMP, +2 SPD, +2 ACC, 0 SHD, 20 RAD)
- Walk to Town Entrance
- Teleport (-20 STM, -10 TMP, +2 TMP) [Take Odette with her to Rocky Clearing]
- **Act:** Item (Invisify Orb)
- Toxic @ Moltres (-20 STM, +2 TMP) [Should resolve to Toxic[3]]
- **Act:** Dash to Construction Pile (-2 TMP)
Net change: -35 STM, -8 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 16 STM (51 after regen), 3 TMP, 0 SHD, 20 RAD

Grace
Mhynt
Silver
Dave
Odette
Jade

While still on the offensive, she called, "These visions... Are they intentional, or subconsciously being given to us? Because I'm sure you know that reality does not care about sad stories of the past. The world only cares about sad stories you're making today. The world will not care about my thousand years in the Void. The world will only care if I am someone who will help or hurt them in the present. If I'm a boon or a bane to their future!

"And so, what are you?!"

She distanced herself. She was tired. It showed in her breathy words, and she kept quiet after her quick shots were done. Needed a moment to get the heat off her.
 
"Okay. So if you're worried about people getting exploited, then how about doing something about that, instead of whatever this bullshit is?"

He growled, stepping between the rocks towards Moltres, gathering frost between his teeth. What he was gathering from the visions was that her mentor was the other type of Moltres, that there was some sort of cycle between the two of them, and then he'd died. Like he'd looked like he was close to in the vision where she'd been anointed, anyway. So what? Old, sick guy dies, so you become obsessed with making other people fight back against the unfairness of the world by just making things worse, for people who were already fucking struggling enough?

He tore into Moltres's body. His soul was metal again, cold and heavy and focused in a single deadly point. He could already feel the sting of fire in retaliation, but he didn't care. "If all you want is a fucking fight, then fine."

Dave (102 STM, 20 TMP, +0 SPD, +2 ACC, 7 SHD, 0 RAD)
- Walk (+1 MC) to Rocky Clearing (-3 TMP)
- Hone Claws (-18 STM, +2 TMP)
- Ice Fang @ Moltres (-16 STM, effect, Hex Adept, -7 TMP, +4 TMP) [Flinch]
- **Act:** SHADOW Focus (+5 TMP)
- STRONG CRITICAL SHADOW Relentless Soul @ Moltres (-45 STM, -4 TMP, +7 TMP, +27 SHD)
Net change: -79 STM, +4 TMP, +27 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 23 STM (58 after regen), 24 TMP, 34 SHD, 0 RAD
 
“Hmph. Well, if you focus only on the bad stuff, of course things will look bleak and you’ll only see the worst scenario outta everything!” he grumbled loudly at Moltres, even if in his eyes flickered a spark of sympathy. Bitterness, loneliness, betrayal from people he trusted… those weren’t unknown feelings to him.

However, he also knew from experience that an overly cynical viewpoint only made an already difficult life much harder and painful to deal with. Moltres didn’t seem to have learned that lesson yet, but if she loved to use pain as a teaching tool, then so be it! Perhaps she would’ve learned if someone used her method against her!

“…But dumping your problems onto others just to justify your petty act of vendetta? That makes you an immature jerk at best and an unsympathetic scumbag at worst, and a problem that people who’re already struggling with life and shadows and crap don’t need to deal with! And y’know what people do with folks who become problems?”

His eyes flashed with red, tranquil rage and contempt.

“…They stop them!” Just like they stopped me

With a hearty battle cry, Silver rushed through the uneven field, cracking and shattering rocky pillars with powerful strikes fueled with spite and shadows. Feathers, flames, rocks, whatever — nothing, except from his teammates, was safe from his furious rush!

Silver (41 STM, 24 TMP, +0 SPD, +5 ACC, 30 SHD, 30 RAD)
- **Act:** Item (Leppa Berry) (+40 STM)
- Dash to Rocky Clearing (-2 TMP)
- AGILE Rock Smash @ Moltres (-16.5 STM, effect, -5 TMP, +10 TMP)
- Interact @ Rock Smash the Rocky Clearing to turn it into Plain Clearing! (-3 TMP)
- **Act:** SHADOW Focus (+5 TMP)
- SHADOW Hone Claws (-18 STM, +2 TMP, +18 SHD)
- CRITICAL Rock Smash @ Moltres (-11 STM, effect, Hex Adept, -23 TMP, +11 TMP)
- Walk to Westward Rail
Net change: -6 STM, -6 TMP, +18 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 35 STM (67 after regen), 18 TMP, 48 SHD, 30 RAD
 
"Why does everything have to have a pessimistic outcome?" Grace asked, frowning. "Did you bait us out here just to try and tell us we're doing everything wrong? Why are we fighting?!"

Whether she got a reply or not, Grace turned her attention to Odette next, being sure to get herself to safety first. If Grace could stay up, then she could heal everyone after.

"Odette, you've got this!" she called. "Don't lose yourself to your anger, focus on tiring Moltres out!"

Grace aux: Call Odette!
 
Odette hustled after the bird, but the feeling of her self-inflicted wound and the steep incline of the terrain was starting to catch up with her. Nonetheless, she persevered. She could make it, if she—

Mhynt’s voice reached her ears, and she turned her head in time to catch the grovyle reaching out to her. Next thing she knew, they were in the clearing.

Well. She wasn’t in any position to not accept help. Fine, then.

As she took another leveling breath, she heard her name being called and cut her gaze over to the togetic. Cheering her on. A grin flickered across her lips, but it was gone as quick as it tried to break through. Jawile was there to interrupt any attempts for her anger to be curbed.

T̷h̸e̶n̶ ̸h̸e̴r̸e̷’̷s̷ ̷w̷h̵a̶t̴ ̴I̸ ̸b̷e̶l̵i̴e̴v̶e̶ ̸i̸n̷,̷ ̷y̶o̴u̵ ̷s̵o̴r̶r̸y̶ ̸e̴x̸c̸u̴s̷e̴ ̸f̸o̴r̷ ̶a̷ ̶p̵r̵o̷s̴t̸i̸t̸u̸t̵e̶’̵s̵ ̶h̶e̴a̸d̷ ̵f̴e̷a̷t̸h̴e̸r̶,̸”̷ ̶ they seethed, drool pooling between metal teeth. “O̶n̸e̴,̷ ̶I̶ ̵t̸h̴i̷n̶k̷ ̵W̷r̴a̵t̷h̸ ̴i̷s̵ ̸b̵e̶s̸t̵ ̶a̴i̷m̵e̶d̸ ̸t̶o̶w̵a̷r̸d̸ ̶m̶a̶k̸i̵n̶g̸ ̵a̷ ̷c̴h̷a̴n̸g̷e̷—̸a̸n̴ ̶h̸o̷n̸e̶s̵t̵ ̷c̴h̴a̶n̴g̶e̸ ̵t̶h̴a̴t̸ ̷d̸o̵e̶s̷n̵’̴t̷ ̷i̷n̸v̸o̴l̷v̴e̴ ̷t̷h̴e̴ ̶p̵o̸o̸r̴ ̵s̴a̵p̴s̴ ̸w̷h̶o̵ ̴h̷a̷d̸ ̵n̸o̷t̶h̴i̴n̵g̸ ̷t̶o̸ ̸d̵o̴ ̷w̶i̵t̴h̵ ̵y̵o̸u̸r̵ ̷m̷i̵s̵e̴r̶y̴.̶ ̵A̷n̶d̵ ̷t̶w̶o̵,̴ ̴I̵ ̷b̸e̸l̶i̸e̷v̶e̴ ̷y̵o̷u̴’̴d̴ ̵b̵e̶ ̴b̸e̴t̵t̶e̸r̷ ̸o̵f̸f̵ ̶i̴f̷ ̷s̷o̸m̸e̵o̶n̸e̸ ̸s̷h̵o̷v̷e̴d̶ ̶y̵o̸u̵r̷ ̴s̵n̵a̵p̶p̶y̷ ̴a̵s̷s̷ ̸b̴e̵a̵k̵ ̸i̷n̸t̵o̸ ̷t̷h̷e̴ ̷b̵u̵s̴i̸n̵e̴s̷s̸ ̶e̶n̵d̴ ̶o̴f̶ ̵a̴n̸ ̴e̸m̸b̸o̵a̴r̸.̸ ̷D̴i̴s̴r̶e̴s̸p̵e̵c̸t̶f̶u̵l̶l̶y̸,̷ ̴o̷f̷ ̷c̷o̶u̷r̷s̵e̶.̷”̵

Odette (67 STM, 1 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC, 0 SHD, 0 RAD)
- Receive (Call) (+3 TMP, -10 SHD, -10 RAD)
- **Act:** Focus (+5 TMP, -20 SHD, -20 RAD)
- STRONG Play Rough @ Moltres (-24 STM, Sure Hit, +4 TMP)
- Ice Fang @ Moltres (-16 STM, effect, -10 TMP, +2 TMP) [Freeze Moltres]
- Draining Kiss @ Moltres (-9 STM, +2 TMP)
- Activate feat (Spotter Feat) @ Moltres ATK + MAG
Net change: -49 STM, +6 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 18 STM (45 after regen), 7 TMP, 0 SHD, 0 RAD
 
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Embers rained down all around Jade, and she curled into a ball to avoid them while her mind echoed with more images from times long past. There'd been... another Moltres, one who looked like the Moltres she'd known back home. But that one was gone now. Legends could die here, and not be reborn. Just like the Stormbringer.

'Because I want to see you fight and stand up for what your believe in against all odds,' the firebird had said.

For so long, Jade's fight had been... well, not easy, but straightforward. Save the legends, stop the people trying to exploit them. And then...

"I don't know what I believe in anymore," Jade said in a low voice paws crackling with sparks, "but I'll keep fighting until I figure it out."

Jade’s Electric Caster Wave @ Moltres
 
Player Phase, Turn 4

"Is deciding who should and who should not be a Saint the behaviour of someone who thinks themselves better than the gods!?" Moltres asked in response. "They always tend to be people who think that they themselves would be better than anyone else," she added bitterly.

Mhynt walked to Town Entrance!
Mhynt Teleported to Rocky Clearing with Odette!
Mhynt used an Invisify Orb! Her aggro was greatly reduced!
Mhynt's Toxic badly poisoned Moltres!
Mhynt dashed to Construction Pile!

Moltres looked like she was about to fly into another tirade before Mhynt's question left her looking genuinely confused for a moment "What visions?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly. "I haven't been doing anything!" Unintentional then. However, she didn't get much chance to say more to Mhynt in response as the Invisify Orb took effect, Moltres immediately losing track of her. With a frustrated shout, the Saint had no choice but to turn her attention to the other Wayfarers.

Silver's Leppa Berry restored his STM by 40!
Silver dashed to Rocky Clearing!
Silver's AGILE Rock Smash dealt 5 damage to Moltres! -1 Def!
Silver's Interact—

Rocky Clearing's MC has been reduced to 1!
Silver SHADOW Focused...
Silver's SHADOW Hone Claws raised his Atk by 1!
Silver's Rock Smash dealt a CRITICAL 12 damage to Moltres! -1 Def!
Silver walked to Westward Rail!

Dave walked to Rocky Clearing!
Dave's Hone Claws raised his Atk and Acc by 1!
Dave's Ice Fang dealt 19 damage to Moltres! It's super effective! Flinch!
Dave SHADOW Focused...
Dave's STRONG SHADOW Relentless Soul dealt a CRITICAL 79 damage to Moltres! It's super effective!

Odette Focused...
Odette's STRONG Play Rough dealt 39 damage to Moltres! It's super effective!
Odette's Ice Fang dealt 19 damage to Moltres! It's super effective! Frostbite!
Odette's Draining Kiss dealt 14 damage to Moltres! It's super effective! Odette healed for 5 HP!
Odette's Spotter Feat! Moltres Atk + Mag—

121 Atk
151 Mag

Jade's Caster Aux dealt 25 damage to Moltres! It's super effective!

With another onslaught of attacks, Moltres' stance once again began to waver. A combination of clever disruption and precise attacks were wearing her down quick. She desperately flapped her wings and spat flames at the pair of Wayfarers in her immediate vicinity now that she had lost sight of Mhynt.

Boss Attack: Moltres's Fiery Soul was redirected to Rocky Clearing! It struck everyone in the zone! 16 damage to Dave! 14 damage to Odette! It's super effective on Odette! Burn!
 
Enemy Phase, Turn 4

Moltres reeled back, her eyes widening. She flailed her head for a moment, as if she were trying to fight off an invisible force before she snapped back to attention, this time focusing on the poochyena before her.

Legendary Action: Sure Hit!
Moltres's Hurricane dealt 41 damage to Dave!
Legendary Action: Multi-Enemy Targeting!
Moltres's Hex dealt 18 damage to Dave and 14 damage to Odette! It's not very effective on Dave...
Moltres's Fiery Wrath dealt 16 damage to Dave and 11 damage to Odette! It's not very effective...

Moltres is Flinching and couldn't do more...

Boss Attack: Moltres is preparing Burning Jealousy. Target: Rocky Clearing

She then stumbled and lost more of her footing before she hastily tried to regain it. She was then once again beset by that invisible force, now clearly having a much harder time with it, her eyes wide - almost panicked - and breathing heavily. "Why?" she rasped out. "Why is it so hard for everyone to understand?" Was... was that her voice distorting with Shadow? Just how long had she been on the brink?

"They only pretend or don't care. And it's not fair! It's not fair! It's not fair!"

Moltres' Berserk raised her Mag by 1!

Moltres SHADOW Focused... Moltres gained +30 Shd!

Moltres' Storm! Moltres gained +1 Acc and Eva. Three geists formed!

Moltres seems to be focused on Dave...
 
Fuck. The burn was searing, but the unyielding metal gave a cold clarity, a path where the pain was abstract and distant. Dave dug a Heal Seed out of his bag as Moltres's voice distorted with Shadow. They needed to take advantage of that with Radiance. Radiance. How did you even use the fucking thing again?

She then stumbled and lost more of her footing before she hastily tried to regain it. She was then once again beset by that invisible force, now clearly having a much harder time with it, her eyes wide - almost panicked - and breathing heavily. "Why?" she rasped out. "Why is it so hard for everyone to understand?" Was... was that her voice distorting with Shadow? Just how long had she been on the brink?

"They only pretend or don't care. And it's not fair! It's not fair! It's not fair!"
"None of this is fucking fair," Dave said through gritted teeth, lunging for a Rock Smash. "If you ask me, nobody should be a Saint. It just means you've got a class of people who can't be held accountable for their bullshit, and if they choose to be dicks, nobody can do a thing about it except other people who can't be held accountable for their bullshit."

He struck, tore away at Moltres's flaring aura, wearing it down. She looked like she was straining against the creeping fucking Shadow, on the precipice of falling into whatever metal trap it had for her. Not that she didn't sound like she'd already been halfway down that mental trap for half her life.

"None of it's fair, but since we've been put here we can at least try to use our power to make the world better and not worse, and maybe counteract some of the dickheads who are making it worse." There it was, the Radiance, somewhere within the cold metal. He charged again, sharp clear gleaming focus. "If you know all about the corruption and exploitation going on, then for fuck's sake let's talk about what to do about it."

Dave (58 STM, 24 TMP, +0 SPD, +4 ACC, 34 SHD, 0 RAD)
- **Act:** Item (Heal Seed) @ Burn
- CRITICAL Rock Smash @ Moltres (-11 STM, effect, Hex Adept, -19 TMP, +5 TMP)
- Activate ability (Pickpocket) @ Moltres’s Mag
- **Act:** RADIANT Focus (+5 TMP)
- STRONG CRITICAL RADIANT Relentless Soul @ Moltres (-45 STM, -4 TMP, +7 TMP, +27 RAD)
- Walk to Town Entrance
Net change: -56 STM, -6 TMP, +0 SHD, +27 RAD
Net totals: 2 STM (37 after regen), 18 TMP, 34 SHD, 27 RAD
 
Silver tensed when he heard the reverberation of Shadow in Moltres’s voice, his heart squeezing in discomfort when she echoed the hurt in her soul…

"They only pretend or don't care. And it's not fair! It's not fair! It's not fair!"

“Then keep looking for folks who actually care!” cried out Silver, desperately searching for some way to make the Saint enter reason. “This and many worlds are filled with arseholes of all shades and brands — and everyone can vouch for that — but there’re also genuine people who only wish a good, simple life for themselves and for others. A life worth living and fighting for!”

When he said that, vivid memories of his friends back home danced in his mind.

Ordile, who was always there to offer comfort whenever he felt lonely or homesick…

Crobat, who held the team together with his gentle and loving nature…

Gengar, who never ceased to look for new tricks to make his friends smile and laugh…

Rarecoil, who always had good suggestions and advices to offer with their three heads…

Nyula, who kept life from being too boring with his mischiefs and stunts…

Foodin, who became a wise Pokémon after surviving the horrors of the Team Rocket Game Corner…


After a deep breath to steady himself and his own Shadows, Silver aimed his claws toward the closest phantom, bracing himself for what was to come, especially the vision that the specter treasured within itself. It was time to dig out the root behind the Saint’s cynicism.

“If you’ve got the opportunity to bring a positive change, even if only to yourself… Why stick around toxic people who only bring you misery and turmoil?”

And then, he struck the phantom bird with a bone-shattering punch — unflinching, ready to embrace the searing pain again.

Silver (67 STM, 18 TMP, +0 SPD, +5 ACC, 48 SHD, 30 RAD)
- **Act:** Focus (+5 TMP, -20 SHD, -20 RAD)
- STRONG CRITICAL Drain Punch @ Geist 1 (-25.5 STM, -18 TMP, +10 TMP)
- **Act:** Dash to Rocky Clearing (-2 TMP)
- Rock Smash @ Moltres (-11 STM, effect, Hex Adept, -3 TMP, +10 TMP)
- Walk to Town Entrance
Net change: -37 STM, +2 TMP, -20 SHD, -20 RAD
Net totals: 30 STM (62 after regen), 20 TMP, 28 SHD, 10 RAD
 
Now with the opportunity to breathe, Mhynt gathered herself and dusted herself off. The last of her invisibility faded, but with it, she had a clear view of what was happening.

Muttering a curse, she said, "And suddenly, it starts to fall into place..."

But what Mhynt didn't know was whose Shadows these were. Alexander's? Cipher's? Or did this somehow form another way... organically?

Those wraith-like spawns would be trouble.

Mhynt (51 STM, 3 TMP, +2 SPD, +2 ACC, 0 SHD, 20 RAD)
- **Act:** Item (Ether) (+60 STM)
- Dash to Rocky Clearing (-2 TMP)
- AGILE Acrobatics @ Geist 2 (-21 STM, +4 TMP)
- Acrobatics @ Geist 2 (-14 STM, +4 TMP)
- **Act:** SHADOW Focus (+5 TMP)
- SHADOW Toxic @ Moltres (-20 STM, +2 TMP, +20 SHD)
- Walk to Tower Wreckage
Net change: +11 STM, +13 TMP, +20 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 62 STM (97 after regen), 16 TMP, 20 SHD, 20 RAD

Grace
Dave
Mhynt
Odette
Silver
Jade

"Everyone!" Mhynt said. "Don't let Moltres Shadow too badly! It looks like this is in the early stages... Moltres! Wake up! You're Shadowing!"

She didn't seem to be listening. Tentatively, she aimed for the wings again for another weakening touch, though her focus for now was on the Geists.
 
"Everyone!" Mhynt said. "Don't let Moltres Shadow too badly! It looks like this is in the early stages... Moltres! Wake up! You're Shadowing!"

She was Shadowing? How did she miss that?

She pointed at Odette again, this time helping the mawile's strikes feel true.

Now she had to channel her Radiance. This wasn't Owen. This was a Legend. A Saint. Sure, Grace was getting better at her life dew curing, but she had no idea if this would work on someone so powerful! She had to wait for her chance.

If  Saints could Shadow on a whim... she had to get stronger. She'd have to train harder.

"Moltres! You need to fight it!" the togetic called, "Don't let the demons win!"
Grace Support Aux: Odette gains Accuracy+1
 
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"Why?" she rasped out. "Why is it so hard for everyone to understand? They only pretend or don't care. And it's not fair! It's not fair! It's not fair!"

Jade clenched her paws. "It's true that I don't understand, but... I want to. Maybe you could help us understand, after..." After they finished this. Because there was no way Moltres would be in any kind of state to talk about it until the battle was done.

Paws unclenched, crackling with golden light. "I know it's not fair, but we keep trying, right? Because--because we don't have any other choice, we've got to!"

Jade’s RADIANT Mage Skill! -1 Eva, Caster Wave @ Moltres
 
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"Why?" Odette said between breaths. "Because you're still not the only one who's been fucked by reality. You're just the only one fighting a bunch of mortals over it! You fucking idiot! OF COURSE, it's not fair, and you have to fucking deal with it!"

Odette (45 STM, 7 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC, 0 SHD, 0 RAD)
- **Act:** Item (Leppa Berry) (+40 STM)
- Soul's Wrath (-30 STM, -2 TMP, +2 TMP) [+2 Offenses, -25% HP]
- Draining Kiss @ Geist 2 (-9 STM, +2 TMP)
- STRONG Play Rough @ Moltres (-24 STM, Sure Hit, +4 TMP)
- Activate ability (Intimidate) @ Moltres
- Activate feat (Spotter Feat) @ Surprise Me, Daddy
- Walk to Westward Rail
Net change: -23 STM, +6 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 22 STM (49 after regen), 13 TMP, 0 SHD, 0 RAD
 
Player Phase, Turn 5

Grace's Support Aux! Odette gained +1 Acc!

Dave's Heal Seed cured him of his Burn!
Dave's Rock Smash dealt a CRITICAL 10 damage to Moltres! -1 Def!
Dave's Pickpocket stole Moltres' +1 Mag!
Dave RADIANT Focused...
Dave's STRONG RADIANT Relentless Soul dealt a CRITICAL 105 damage to Moltres! It's ultra effective!
Dave walked to Town Entrance!

Mhynt's Ether restored her STM by 60!
Mhynt dashed to Rocky Clearing!
Mhynt's AGILE Acrobatics dealt 30 damage to Geist 2!
Mhynt's Acrobatics dealt 40 damage to Geist 2!
Mhynt SHADOW Focused...
Mhynt's SHADOW Toxic Badly Poisoned Moltres!
Mhynt walked to Tower Wreckage!

"They need to know!" Moltres yelled in response. Flames, now noticeably tinged with Shadow sparked at the edges of her beak. She cried out when struck with Radiant light, clearly taken off-guard at its potency. With a frustrated screech, she yelled, "Show me that you do!"

Odette's Leppa Berry restored her STM by 40!
Odette's Soul's Wrath boosted her Atk and Mag by 2! -38 HP!
Odette's Draining Kiss dealt 33 damage to Geist 2! KO!!!
Odette took 38 damage from Aftermath...
Odette's STRONG Play Rough dealt 31 damage to Moltres! It's super effective!
Odette's Intimidate lowered Moltres Atk by 1!
Odette's Spotter Feat! Moltres' AI—

The Shadow affliction has made Moltres' behaviour more erratic! When afflicted, she can corrupt one move per turn before striking with it. However, she's not far gone and her Shd can be lowered if the Wayfarers call out to her!
Odette walked to Westward Rail!

The geists sparked more erratically, reflecting Moltres' state, their song notably deteriorating the longer they persisted. Once more, when their forms destabilised through enough attacks, a horrible sear of pain was inflicted to anyone unfortunate enough to touch them and then, not one, but two visions ensued...

Moltres hung her head low in defeat as she, reluctantly, allowed the nobility to take away the Blazing Dawn's Relic. It had been a long and tiring conversation, one where Moltres had no chance of convincing the nobility. Eventually, she conceded just to hear the end of it and she was rewarded with a forced smile, they knew she would make the correct choice eventually.

For safekeeping they had said, until she was able to find an apprentice of her own. Though of course, the nobility could always "help" her with the decision. A terrible feeling twisted within her as she thought about their words. The late Saint's dying laughter and Moltres' own rushed apprenticeship was more than enough to prove to them that he had not been sound of mind during his final years and that was enough for Moltres to earn their distrust. A mere product of a manic episode, a mistake.

The scene then shifted. Again, Moltres stood before the court but this time she was demanding an immediate evacuation of the town. The mountainside it had been built upon was beginning to show signs of volcanic activity and at any rate...

"But why?" they would ask. Where would they go? What of their wealth? Surely it would be in her power to stop it. Perhaps, this was a sign that she was not worthy of being the Blazing Twilight, that once she gave up the power and title to someone more worthy, these ill omens would fade away. Or maybe, this was her own doing to force them to return the Dawn's Relic to her, a threat they would refuse to be intimidated by.

So they stayed, time marching forward to that ever so fateful day.

Silver Focused...
Silver's STRONG Drain Punch dealt a CRITICAL 105 damage to Geist 1! It's super effective! KO!!!
Silver took 38 damage from Aftermath...
Silver dashed to Rocky Clearing!
Silver's Rock Smash dealt 16 damage to Moltres!
Silver walked to Town Entrance!

Another felling of a geist produced another pair of visions though initially it was difficult to tell if it was a vision or the geist's flames overtaking Silver's vision.

In the days following, some were convinced by Moltres to travel as far as their legs could take them but others, despite her insistence, had listened to the court, either as a show of belief in the phoenix to stop the disaster or a show of defiance against her clearly childish tantrums after being told off time and time again by people who know better. So she had no choice but to try and stop it.

Though there were old tales of the Dawn stopping such disasters, Moltres herself had no idea how to do it or even if it was an ability of the Twilight but she had to try.

And she had failed.

Ash fell from the sky in the aftermath and very few survived. Those who had changed their minds in the final hours to tread to safe ground, travellers and merchants who had just arrived and of course, Moltres herself. She had tried to explain but they looked upon her with horror and hate. Was she not flying towards the mountain before it exploded? Did she not already have an uneasy relationship with the nobility? The reasoning varied greatly but that did not matter when it was clearly Moltres' own fault. Her fault for being unable to stop it, her fault for causing it, her fault for being unworthy.

And so, the only thing she could do was fly away.

Jade's RADIANT Mage Aux lowered her Eva by 1 then dealt 33 damage to Moltres! It's ultra effective!

The visions faded at the light of Jade's strike but Odette would find herself succumbing to the flames yet moments before she fell, she would feel something unlocking within her aura.

Odette was KO'd from her Burn...

Perhaps it was the sensation of the geist's dark flames sinking into her metallic flesh, or perhaps it was Moltres' own flames that triggered it - an indirect blessing. Whatever the reason, Odette would feel that she had found something that would allow her to harness and use those dark flames for herself.

But then...

Odette learned Fiery Wrath!

Boss Attack: Moltres's Burning Jealousy was redirected to Town Entrance! It hit everyone in the zone! 19 damage to Dave! Burn! 18 damage to Silver!
 
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