Magna City Shining Congress – Main Lobby

[Butterfree]

Dave scarfed down a Sitrus Berry, panting. Protection. Right. Isidora was exposed and still trying to hammer away at Aster even after he'd retreated to the balcony like some kind of fucking coward.

"Mhynt!" he barked, throat raw. "Help me get up there!"

Spoiler: Dave turn 3

Dave (186 STM, 14 TMP, -1 SPD, +5 ACC, 58 SHD, 0 RAD)
- **Act:** Item (Sitrus Berry)
- Hone Claws (-18 STM, +2 TMP)
- Interact @ Aster (-3 TMP) [Drop on top of her after Mhynt's Teleport]
- Activate ability (Pickpocket) @ Aster's Def
- AGILE Rock Smash @ Aster (ACTIVATE: effect, Hex Adept) (-16.5 STM, -1 TMP, +6 TMP) [Tempo cost reduced by Mhynt's rainbow]
- Rock Smash @ Aster (ACTIVATE: effect) (-11 STM, -3 TMP, +6 TMP) [Tempo cost reduced by Mhynt's rainbow]
- Shining Selflessness @ Isidora (-40 STM, +2 TMP, +32 RAD)
Net change: -92 STM, +9 TMP, +0 SHD, +32 RAD
Net totals: 94 STM (166 after regen), 23 TMP, 58 SHD, 32 RAD
(TAKE COVER)

 

[Namohysip]

"Of course," Mhynt said, nodding. She was starting to get good at her Teleportation surprise attacks. Maybe this time... "Get ready for a rough landing! Follow through!"

She hopped onto the Balcony and grabbed Dave. In a blip, they suddenly vanished and appeared above Aster instead. Mhynt tried to find an advantageous spot, Zena and Owen catching up as their combined Pledge gave the courtyard a wonderful, prismatic sheen.

"Articuno!" Mhynt called through the misty light. "We WILL work together! But your powers must be quelled first so you may think straight! Arthur is already gone! We are tracking him!"

"Is Articuno even listening?"

"We'll have to make Articuno listen," Zena growled. "How annoying. Why is it always the gods being so full of themselves?"

Spoiler: Zena Aux 3

Zena (Aux)
- Support Action @ Gladion (+1 Atk)

Spoiler: Mhynt Turn 3

Mhynt (221 STM, 29 TMP, +2 SPD, +2 ACC, 16 SHD, 0 RAD)
- Walk to Balcony
- Teleport (-20 STM, -10 TMP, +2 TMP) [Send Dave to the Courtyard!]
- **Act:** Item (Sitrus Berry)
- Shining Partners (ACTIVATE: effect) (-40 STM, -10 TMP, +2 TMP, +32 RAD) [Create Rainbow; gain Protect and +1 Evade]
- Interact @ Drop Dave onto Aster for Contact! (-3 TMP)
- **Act:** Call @ Articuno ["We WILL work together! But your powers must be quelled first so you may think straight! Arthur is already gone! We are tracking him!"]
Net change: -53 STM, -19 TMP, +0 SHD, +32 RAD
Net totals: 168 STM (230 after regen), 10 TMP, 16 SHD, 32 RAD

 

[Shiny Phantump]

"Sorry, pal. I'm not going anywhere. If I'm not loyal, what am I? I'd be just like my gramps."

Gladion's shadows seethed beneath his skin when he heard that word.

"A good person. A better person, if you weren't. Loyalty's just ripping out your own brain and replacing it with subservience. People like Arthur and some like your Gramps have loyal folks, too. It's not a virtue." (One of those people had tried to name him after the concept. He made it a point of pride not to live up to it.)

He crushed a luminous orb in one of his talons as his shadows reached their zenith. Their other foes seemed focused on the other Wayfarers. If he wanted to pull their attention, he'd just have to put on a show for them. Make sure they didn't miss the fireworks.

"Even before you became loyal to the Coven, you chose not be like him. A real shame you forgot how to make your own decisions, soldier."

Bolts of shadow tore themselves off him, allowing him to calm down enough for a some self-consciousness and awkwardness to seep in.

"Uhh, hopefully you'll figure it out again, I guess."

And with that, he left to face Articuno.

Spoiler: Gladion Turn 3

Gladion (190 STM, 16 TMP, +1 SPD, +1 ACC, 20 SHD, 0 RAD)
- **Act:** Item (Luminous Orb)
- Soul's Volition (-30 STM, +2 TMP) [Ice]
- Activate feat (Spotter Feat) @ AI
- Umbral Resentment @ Sam (+0 STM, +4 TMP)
- Dash to Balcony (-2 TMP)
- AGILE Protect (-30 STM, +2 TMP)
- Walk to Rooftop E
Net change: -57 STM, +6 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 133 STM (201 after regen), 22 TMP, 20 SHD, 0 RAD

 

[JFought]

"Think you can show me up on my home turf? Take out my partner? Motherfucker, I'm gonna take you apart!"

Isidora recovered from having braced against Aster's attack, and grinned. The Haze was unideal but it wasn't going to be enough to stop her from clipping this flygon's wings. Her shadow cowered from her sheer confidence in that moment. "Of course I do! You won't even get the chance!"

She scraped her claws against each other, and when Dave landed on the flygon's back she didn't waste a single movement.

Spoiler: Isidora Turn 3

Isidora (234 STM, 30 TMP, +0 SPD, +3 ACC, 32 SHD, 0 RAD)
- **Act:** Item (Root Beer)
- Swords Dance (-18 STM, +2 TMP)
- CRITICAL Triple Axel @ Aster (ACTIVATE: Sure Hit) (-34 STM, -18 TMP, +5 TMP) [Ice moves are boosted by Icy Terrain]
- AGILE Ice Shard @ Aster (-7.5 STM, +5 TMP)
- CRITICAL Ice Shard @ Aster (-7.5 STM, -18 TMP, +5 TMP)
- Ice Shard @ Aster (-5 STM, +5 TMP)
- Activate feat (Spotter Feat) @ Current Aggro Standings(?)
- Walk to Rooftop W
Net change: -72 STM, -16 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 162 STM (234 after regen), 14 TMP, 32 SHD, 0 RAD

(Isidora also gets +1 innate Eva from Icy Terrain!)

Spoiler: Phantom Turn 3

Phantom (Aux)
- SHADOW Defender Aux (Barrier) @ Isidora & Mhynt

Spoiler: Turn Order

-Zena
-Phantom
-Koa
-Laura
-Malachai
- Gladion
- Mhynt
- Dave
- Isidora

 

[Tetra]

[Flavor later]

Spoiler: Koa Turn 3

Koa (Aux)
- Brawler Strike (Electric) @ Sam

 

[Jackie Cat]

"Articuno!" Mhynt called through the misty light. "We WILL work together! But your powers must be quelled first so you may think straight! Arthur is already gone! We are tracking him!"

Dark whispers floated back to Mhynt like the steady wash of waves, pushing and sucking

– what if time runs out? ​

– we cannot squander this –

– there is no guarantee that there will ever be a better opportunity...!​

The Saint gazed at her, eyes flashing.

"Then quell my powers, warrior," they declared. "If your temperance is strong enough, it will win out. Even now."

---

Laura, still with the strange lack of adrenaline in her, looked straight at Articuno, holding Malachai at a hover in front of them.

"Why are you really fighting us?" she demanded, her voice steady despite the creeping corruption in her throat. "When you fought us before, it was a test. Is this a real fight – to prove you're right and we're wrong?"

The reply didn't come at first, and when it did, it was choked out, clearer in the telepathic link than in spoken words.

"This is an unpleasant necessity," managed Articuno. "I never wished to fight you, truly. But I cannot stand down; I cannot be a bystander once again. My Covenant is rotting, the boy-king rides to his ascension... I have weighed a lesser harm against existential risk. It is a consequentialist, utilitarian calculus."

Laura shook her head. "You're not calculating shit, Articuno," she said, in a low voice. "This isn't rational, it's rash! You're fighting because it's killing you that you didn't fight him ages ago! That doesn't mean you should fight us now! This is just your fucking guilt making you stupid!"

The Saint's beak parted in shock, and for once, there was no coolly intellectual riposte ready to counter. They drew themselves up, wings outstretched as they readied more exotic energy to press their line of attack.

"You think I do this as expiation for my failure," they summarised, in a quieter voice. "Perhaps that is true. Only preventing catastrophe now can serve as an adequate reparations... At least let me be damned for attempting to help matters—!"

Laura pulled back her lip, baring feline teeth. "Then do it right! Not this... this bloody chessmaster bullshit! Put the game away and stop trying to control everything yourself!"

" 'Chessmaster'?" Articuno sounded genuinely offended. Hurt, even. "I am not doing this to take control—"

A boomburst from Malachai's wings scattered Articuno's words, and momentarily blew a gap in the whiteout surrounding them.

"Then let go!" commanded the dragon-bat. "Enough of this prevaricating sophistry. You are right, my lord. You have been right..."

Malachai hung in the air, punctuating his pause with two great wingbeats.

"...but you are not the instrument to do this. Not alone. Can you not see the ego in making these decisions from atop an ivory tower? Come down and speak with us, lord. Let us talk."

The Saint had no reply – the Blacklight roiling in their soul was bleak and intense as a polar storm – but there was no fire in their eyes. No determination to overcome. No will left to impose.

Mhynt Called out to Articuno!
Laura and Malachai Called out to Articuno!
Articuno no longer has the will to fight! Their stats fell harshly! But the Blacklight corruption persisted.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Turn 3
Player Phase​

Sam grunted with effort to stay standing as Gladion's attacks pushed her to her limit. Then she sank to her knees, fists unclenched, as poison sapped the last of her bodily endurance.

"It's gonna be alright," she muttered to herself, as the corruption left her shattered aura. She collapsed in a heap on the nearest planter, one arm outstretched.

---

Aster barely had a defense for the shower of ice shards – her wings crumpled and her scales chipped, and she keeled over with one last whipping lash of her tail and a spat curse. She writhed defiantly for a little longer, before the cold seeped in, and she went still.

"Fucking damnit," she seethed to herself, pushing her battered body up against a wall to catch her breath, and come to her senses.

Koa's Brawler Strike dealt 33 damage to Sam! It's not very effective...
Zena boosted Gladion's attack!
Malachai called out to Articuno!
Laura called out to Articuno!

Gladion used a Luminous Orb! He became the center of attention.
Gladion used Soul's Volition!
Gladion's Umbral Resentment dealt a catastrophic 400 damage to Sam!
Gladion used AGILE Protect!

Mhynt Teleported Dave to Courtyard!
Mhynt's Shining Partners created a rainbow in Courtyard!
Mhynt called out to Articuno!

Dave's AGILE Rock Smash dealt 14 damage to Aster! -1 Def
Dave's Rock Smash dealt 20 damage to Aster! -1 Def
Dave's Shining Selflessness is protecting Isidora!

Isidora's Triple Axel! - Miss, 88, a CRITICAL 168! It's ultra effective!
Isidora's AGILE Ice Shard dealt 68 damage to Aster! It's ultra effective!
Isidora's Ice Shards dealt 88 + a CRITICAL 112 damage to Aster! It's ultra effective!
Isidora's Spotter Feat @ Current Aggro Standings

Gladion > Isidora > Dave & Mhynt​

Sam fainted from poison...
Aster fainted from frostbite...

 

[Jackie Cat]

Turn 3
Enemy Phase​

Articuno's Shadow-fuelled power flowed out of them, darkening the battlefield – their all-consuming horror did not discriminate between targets as it traveled outwards in diffuse charcoal wisps that seeped into the tiles, the ground, the skin. To feel its touch was to feel the Saint's creeping dread, whispers in the dark that said there is only a fool's hope now, that said no-one is incorruptible, that said we must do this no matter the cost. Even through warding shields, the Shadow sapped at the Wayfarers' fighting spirit, with a chill that would surely be worse otherwise.

Boss Attack: Articuno's Void Sanction targeted everyone! The -2 offenses debuff was halved by Protect. Embargo was nullified by Protect.

The rime-spirits that drifted in Articuno's orbit continued to levy brief, ghostly attacks. When one turned on Gladion with a mesmeric stare, he turned his gaze away and shook his head clear – only to hear a thwip of some high-velocity projectile and the krak of impact against the ice-construct. The snow shade's form flickered and failed as the frost that comprised it struggled to stay intact.

S Snow Shade moved to Rooftop W.
S Snow Shade used Hypnosis on Isidora! Dodged!
W Snow Shade used Icy Wind on Dave and Mhynt! Dodged!
E Snow Shade used Hypnosis on Gladion! Dodged!
E Snow Shade took 138 damage from ???

Even in the whiteout, Articuno seemed to know exactly where the Wayfarers were, and how to aim for them in the skin-scouring icestorm. Perhaps it was their keen and Radiance-enhanced eyesight, perhaps it was their calculating mind and psychic power. In any case, the missiles of comet-like like that fired from over their head continued to rain down accurately even at range...

Once the bird was in proximity of enough foes at once, they beat their wings abruptly, and a wave of Shadowy force thumped into Dave and Mhynt with a sensation like the blast of heat from an oven opened too hastily. Only, rather than warmth, the sensation was of a pitiless and arid coldness, as much the chill of despair as that of snow. No confrontation seemed possible, no hope of victory could be imagined. Those hit would tumble like scraps of paper caught in a gale...

But the feeling was temporary, and the fight was not over. Get up, heroic spirits! There is still hope for victory.

Blacklight Lord's Shadow Ball dealt a CRITICAL 52 damage to Gladion! Covert Cloak blocked the debuff.
Legendary Action: Sure Crit!
Blacklight Lord's Freezing Glare dealt a CRITICAL 68 damage to Gladion! Couldn't freeze.
Blacklight Lord agile dashed to Courtyard!
Blacklight Lord's AGILE Shining Intervention dealt a grazing 35 + 77 damage to Isidora! It's ultra effective! -1 Spd
Blacklight Lord's Shining Intervention dealt 90 + a CRITICAL 123 damage to Isidora! It's ultra effective! Isidora endured at 1 HP!
Blacklight Lord's Umbral Mandate forced Dave and Mhynt into Rooftop West!
Dave: 90
Mhynt: 48
Blacklight Lord moved to Rooftop E!

Just as Gladion shook off another bone-chilling attack from Articuno, he might get the sense that there was another enemy nearby... watching him. Preparing.

Interact: ??? tackled Gladion off the roof and into the Courtyard!

The body that impacted his flank was smaller than his, and lighter, but no less powerful. There was Blacklight behind the force of the charge, and Blacklight had concealed its presence and movement. But no longer; he would know who it was in an instant.

The Zoroark stood up slowly, limbs dragging, like some kind of creature from a horror-thriller B-movie. The smile on its face was joyless, mirthless, and deeply bitter. There were no other entities in the courtyard. There would be none. This was their place now – snow settled on the flagstones as if on headstones and tombs. There had never been anyone else. Only him.

"Hey there, buddy," growled Gladius Mohn. "Will you tell me how you did it? How you made it here, like me, but without making so many fucking mistakes?"

Gladius's Isolated Soul trapped Gladion in Courtyard! The MC to enter or exit the zone was raised by 4.

Boss Attack: Blacklight Lord is preparing Shining Intervention!
Target: Rooftop W

Gladion and Isidora's Rhythm activated!
Dave and Mhynt were hurt by the hail!
The Blacklight Veto expired! Focusing was reenabled.
Articuno's Blacklight Veto! Calling out was disabled.
Sam and Aster were freed from Blacklight Coup.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

The Zoroark stood up slowly, limbs dragging, like some kind of creature from a horror-thriller B-movie. The smile on its face was joyless, mirthless, and deeply bitter. There were no other entities in the courtyard. There would be none. This was their place now – snow settled on the flagstones as if on headstones and tombs. There had never been anyone else. Only him.

Once he’d gotten over the shock of being sent flying off the roof and hauled himself up off the ground, Gladion grinned back at the Zoroark, the man who’d replicated the Null experiment on Forlas, the director of the CDE, the left atrium of the Coven’s rotten heart. This was a fight he'd been craving since Terminal Fucking Two. His feathers puffed out automatically as if Gladius might need a threat display to know what they were gonna do to one another, as if there had ever been any option other than this.

Betelnet buzzed in the back of his head. He gave a quick 'Good luck with Articuno, leave this one to me,' before cutting himself off from all the noise to focus on Gladius alone.

"Hey there, buddy," growled Gladius Mohn. "Will you tell me how you did it? How you made it here, like me, but without making so many fucking mistakes?"

“What do you wanna hear?”

He could say that the other Wayfarers kept him grounded, or before then that Plumeria had shaped him from whatever he’d been before into a real person, or that it was Wicke who made it possible for him to leave at all. But that wasn’t the point. Gladius didn’t want to hear about how his fwiends saved him, and he didn’t want to say it either. Because that wasn’t what this was about. It wasn’t about other people. It was about them.

“I could frame it however, but it wouldn't matter.”

He threw himself at Gladius, radiance sizzling. Gladius already had them more or less stuck there, and neither of them even wanted to leave, but he had was a petty impulse to match one trap with another. If this was going to be a mirror match, it should feel like one.

"You already know the real answer. I just left. I ran away from Aether, from my past, from my sister, and I hid in a motel for years, and then I ended up here and just stuck with the rest of the Wayfarers."

His shadows flared up to attack automatically, compulsively, as he let his and Gladius' twin ouroboros complex take the reigns of the fight for him. This is what he had wanted all along, there was no breaking from the rails, and therefore no point thinking about it any more than was required to absorb the catharsis of going through the correct motions.

"Which do you want, a stakeholder-friendly keynote on running away from your problems, or a motivational speech on how not to recreate all our parents worst mistakes? You're the one we should be talking about. You're the one who's helping poke holes in this dimension, creating people for your own purposes in your basement lab, doing your own indefinite containment. Me not doing that is the fucking default."

Spoiler: Gladion Turn 4

Gladion (201 STM, 22 TMP, +1 SPD, +2 ACC, 20 SHD, 0 RAD)
- Shining Vigilance @ Gladius (-40 STM, +2 TMP, +40 RAD)
- Activate feat (Spotter Feat) @ Gladius AI
- Umbral Resentment @ Gladius (ACTIVATE: Sure Hit) (-40 STM, -15 TMP, +4 TMP, +40 SHD)
- AGILE Tri Attack @ Gladius (ACTIVATE: effect, Hex Adept) (-43.5 STM, -6 TMP, +2 TMP) [Burn]
- **Act:** RADIANT Focus (+5 TMP)
- RADIANT Tri Attack @ Gladius (ACTIVATE: effect) (-29 STM, -8 TMP, +2 TMP, +29 RAD) [Frostbite]
Net change: -143 STM, -14 TMP, +40 SHD, +69 RAD
Net totals: 58 STM (126 after regen), 8 TMP, 60 SHD, 69 RAD
(TAKE COVER)

 

[Butterfree]

The Blacklight sang in Dave's ears, a creeping cold buzz crawling under his skin that made everything oddly clear as his heart thumped wildly in stinging, biting wounds. What the fuck was the point of this battle? Articuno so determined they couldn't delay that they chose to waste time on this shit?

He didn't want to be here, doing any of this. None of this was helping. Let Forlas sort out its own shit.

There Gladion was getting tackled down by his doppelganger. There they all were, still going. Out of sheer fucking stubbornness, Dave rose again, too.

Spoiler: Dave turn 3

Dave (166 STM, 23 TMP, -1 SPD, +5 ACC, 58 SHD, 32 RAD)
- Hone Claws (-18 STM, +2 TMP)
- CRITICAL Thunder Fang @ S Snow Shade (-16 STM, -18 TMP, +7 TMP)
- Dash to Rooftop E (-2 TMP)
- AGILE Rock Smash @ Blacklight Lord (ACTIVATE: effect, Hex Adept) (-16.5 STM, -3 TMP, +8 TMP)
- Activate ability (Pickpocket) @ Blacklight Lord's Acc
- Rock Smash @ Blacklight Lord (ACTIVATE: effect) (-11 STM, -5 TMP, +8 TMP)
- CRITICAL RADIANT Relentless Soul @ Blacklight Lord (ACTIVATE: Shining Aura) (-30 STM, -8 TMP, +8 TMP, +24 RAD)
Net change: -98 STM, -3 TMP, +0 SHD, +24 RAD
Net totals: 68 STM (68 after regen), 20 TMP, 58 SHD, 56 RAD

 

[Namohysip]

"We're running low," Owen warned.

"I know. We just have to snap Articuno out of it...!" She glanced at Gladion. He'd have to be fine for now; hopefully he could get out of there, but...

With a kick, Mhynt dashed for a Snow Shade before vanishing in a Teleport, instead striking at Articuno, setting up her deadly touch for later, assuming she would have the wherewithal to follow through. This wasn't going to be easy for her... or the others, also on their last legs, save for their Reviver Seeds to give them one last burst of strength.

This is ridiculous. We nearly had Arthur, and then all this...!

Spoiler: Mhynt Turn 4

Mhynt (230 STM, 10 TMP, +2 SPD, +2 ACC, 16 SHD, 32 RAD)
- Teleport (-20 STM, +2 TMP)
- **Act:** Item (Lum Berry) @ [TARGET]
- Toxic @ [TARGET] (-20 STM, +3 TMP)
- STRONG Screech @ [TARGET] (-22.5 STM, +4 TMP)
- Walk to Rooftop W
Net change: -55 STM, +9 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 175 STM (237 after regen), 19 TMP, 16 SHD, 32 RAD

Spoiler: Zena Aux 4

Zena (Aux)
- Support Action @ Mhynt (+1 Res)

 

[JFought]

(flavor tbd)

Spoiler: Isidora Turn 4

Isidora (234 STM, 9 TMP, -1 SPD, +3 ACC, 32 SHD, 0 RAD)
- Walk (+2 MC) to E Rooftop (-6 TMP)
- Ice Shard @ W Snow Shade (-5 STM, +5 TMP)
- **Act:** Item (Cacnea Spike) @ Blacklight Lord
- AGILE Feint Attack @ Blacklight Lord (ACTIVATE: Sure Hit) (-12 STM, +5 TMP)
- Feint Attack @ [TARGET] (ACTIVATE: Sure Hit) (-8 STM, +5 TMP)
- Ice Shard @ Blacklight Lord (ACTIVATE: Sure Hit) (-7.5 STM, +5 TMP)
- Activate feat (Spotter Feat) @ Blacklight Lord's Mag and Def OR AI, GM's choice
- CRITICAL Triple Axel @ Blacklight Lord (-34 STM, -18 TMP, +4 TMP)
Net change: -71 STM, +0 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 163 STM (235 after regen), 9 TMP, 32 SHD, 0 RAD

(Icy Terrain boost and +Eva are in effect!)

Spoiler: Phantom Turn 4

Phantom (Aux)
- Rogue Hex (-Acc) @ Blacklight Lord

Spoiler: Turn Order

- Laura, Zena, Malachai, Phantom
- Mhynt
- Dave
- Koa
- Isidora
- Gladion

 

[Tetra]

Shivers crawled down Koa's spine.You're no different. Corruptible, imperfect.... Shaking himself, Koa pushed the dark thoughts down. Grasped for his anger, which came easily.

It was a nice thought that Anubis was trying to call out to Articuno. After all it had worked on Starr, mostly. So it made sense that Anubis wanted to try it again. But Koa found himself caring much less. Right now Articuno felt like an obstacle. If not for the blacklight... They shouldn't be fighting some meaningless battle to prove something when the enemy, the problem was right there.

His conviction chilled against the whispering doubts. 'Anubis, get me up there.'

From the shadows of a nearby pillar, Anubis slid out. His gaze was scrutinizing but he didn't hesitate, pulling Koa with him back into the shadows. It was a strange sensation. The world went completely dark for a few seconds, a chill pricking his fur and a sound like wind in his ears yet his fur staying still.

Then it was over, Koa was up close to Articuno.

"Articuno, listen-" Anubis started, his bark commanding.

No, Koa thought. Listen to this! Radiance and lightning gave him unnatural speed as he exploded toward the saint with fisted paws. Time to make Articuno see the light.

Spoiler: Koa Turn 4

Koa (Aux)
- Radiant Paladin Feat (-Acc) @ Articuno
(Shining Blindside)

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura tried to speak, but her throat was stopped, the wrods wouldn't come. Some oppressive Blacklight veil had fallen over everyone's mind, inhibited communication, locking them out of a dialogue. It was as if Articuno's Blacklight was acting in self-preservation, preventing the bird from hearing them...

She bit her lip, and focused her energy on buffing Gladion instead. If they couldn't talk, they'd just have to fight.

Weaken them, she mentally ordered Malachai, without graces.

At once, he replied, fully in the flow of battle and equally unconcerned with niceties. He darted at Articuno, distracting them, putting them off their balance, interrupting the cold gale – anything to make them an easier target for the team. They would win this yet.

Laura strengthened Gladion's Magic!
Malachai weakened Articuno's Evasion!

 

[Jackie Cat]

Turn 4
Player Phase​

Not long now. Already, the Wayfarers' attacks were proving strong enough to bloody Articuno's beak.

The cold gale continued to howl...

Laura's Support Skill buffed Gladion! +1 Mag
Malachai's Mage Skill debuffed Articuno! -1 Eva
Zena's Support Skill buffed Mhynt! +1 Res
Phantom's Rogue Skill debuffed Blacklight Lord! -1 Acc
Koa's RADIANT Paladin Strike dealt 186 damage to Blacklight Lord! It's Super Effective!

Mhynt Teleported to Rooftop E!
Mhynt's Toxic badly poisoned Blacklight Lord!
Mhynt's STRONG Screech! Blacklight Lord's Def harshly fell.

Dave's Thunder Fang dealt a CRITICAL 92 damage to Snow Shade! Destroyed!
Dave Agile dashed to Rooftop E... but the Icy Terrain was very slippery! -8 Tmp
Dave's AGILE Rock Smash dealt 7 damage to Blacklight Lord! It's hardly effective... -1 Def
Dave's Rock Smash dealt 12 damage to Blacklight Lord! It's hardly effective... -1 Def
Dave's RADIANT Relentless Soul dealt a CRITICAL 214 damage to Blacklight Lord! It's super effective!

Isidora's Ice Shard dealt 92 damage to Snow Shade! Destroyed!
Isidora's Cacnea Spike dealt 28 damage to Blacklight Lord!
Isidora's AGILE Feint Attacks dealt 77+108 damage to Blacklight Lord! It's super effective!
Isidora's Ice Shard dealt 77 damage to Blacklight Lord! It's super effective!
Isidora's Triple Axel dealt 40+83+ a CRITICAL 153 damage to Blacklight Lord! It's super effective!
Isidora's Spotter Feat @ Blacklight Lord's behaviour:

Articuno has already figured out that they don't want to being doing this right now. You aren't fighting the Saint, you're fighting their terror. Fortunately you won't need to for long – either you break their aura and knock them out now, or they take themself out with that Dissolution move they're preparing. One way or the other, this ends now.

But some part of them is still resisting the corruption... Maybe if you telegraph your attacks hard enough, they'll let their guard down on purpose?

Gladion's Shining Vigilance trapped Gladius!
Gladion is preparing Umbral Resentment...
Gladion's AGILE Tri Attack dealt 6 damage to Gladius! Burned!
Gladius' Cursed Counter! -1 Atk/Mag
Gladion's RADIANT Tri Attack dealt 10 damage to Gladius! It's super effective! Frostbite!
Gladion's Spotter Feat @ Gladius AI:

He doesn't really believe he can beat you; he doesn't even want to beat you. He's here for a different reason... Don't expect him to defend himself.

Dave fainted from the snowstorm... KO!!

Turn 4
Enemy Phase​

Articuno didn't speak, but whispers from within their mind could still be heard in the back of one's mind, clawing at the cerebellum...

without protection they'll all be his puppets

cannot hold this power forever, it must be now or never​

if this fails what was it all for​

Boss Attack: Blacklight Lord's Shining Intervention dealt a CRITICAL 39+42 damage to Mhynt! Her Second Chance was used up! It's not very effective... KO!!

Blacklight Lord's Ancient Power dealt 98 damage to Isidora! It's super effective!
Isidora hung on at 1 HP with her Second Chance!
Articuno bore down on Isidora with their talons! KO!!

Gladius stared down Gladion with a Blacklight flicker in his eyes, as his counterpart made his reply.

“What do you wanna hear? I could frame it however, but it wouldn't matter.”

"You already know the real answer. I just left. I ran away from Aether, from my past, from my sister, and I hid in a motel for years, and then I ended up here and just stuck with the rest of the Wayfarers."

"Which do you want, a stakeholder-friendly keynote on running away from your problems, or a motivational speech on how not to recreate all our parents worst mistakes? You're the one we should be talking about. You're the one who's helping poke holes in this dimension, creating people for your own purposes in your basement lab, doing your own indefinite containment. Me not doing that is the fucking default."

Instead of flinching, Gladius looked almost hungry for the recrimination. As if by receiving it, the burning in his mind would be salved, the pain of the words bringing a kind of relief, like claws scratching at an itching scab.

"Yeah, you've got me figured out," he snarled, with a kind of sickened enthusiasm. Glee, even. Like it wasn't gonna hurt for much longer...

Gladius made a tortured sound in his throat and threw out a paw, reaching for Gladius like he was staring at the sun and didn't care if it blinded him. Bleak feelings tumbled out of him in a burning haze, a Dark Pulse that burned like the rim of an eclipse.

"We both know it's too late to fix things, there is no saving me, I've only ever made everything around me worse!"

The word came out like it had serrated edges that caught on Gladius' throat. Shadow seeped out of him, further separating the two of them from the rest of the battlefield.

Gladius Focused...
Gladius's STRONG RADIANT Dark Pulse dealt a CRITICAL 141 damage to Gladion! KO!!
Gladius's SHADOW Isolated Soul refreshed the trap! You are trapped together, with no escape.
You can't run away. You can't run away. You can't run away.
Nobody is coming to help you.

As the battle reached its peak, Articuno's eyes seemed to melt into nothing but light and shadow, pooling in their mask. The whispers scratching in the Wayfarers' minds pitched upwards, high and desperate, as they reached a critical mass. The entire Congress was seeped in Blacklight, mania and despair in the form of energy that had nowhere to go, but could not be still... This had to end, now.

this has to end, now​

We are out of time! Heroic spirits, you must finish them off, immediately!

Around the battlefield, Articuno's soldiers groaned as they came to, and began to stagger upright. Their eyes were clear now, and soon filled with grim concern as they realised the state of the situation at hand...

Boss Attack: Blacklight Lord is preparing Blacklight Dissolution.
Target: The Congress

Gladius was hurt by burn, frostbite, and bound by Shining Vigilance.
Dave, Gladion, Mhynt, and Isidora were revived!