Magna City Shining Congress – Main Lobby

[Namohysip]

"We're here to investigate. There was a sudden alarm from one of your companions," Mhynt said. "Let us through--there's nothing to secure for us! You're facing the 'wrong way' here!"

"Something tells me he's under some kind of spell," Owen said. "But we can't waste our time against someone like this...!"

Thoughts to the others, Mhynt said, I wouldn't mind directly interfering with whatever is inside. Can we make some kind of diversion and some of us get inside?

Zena coiled and uncoiled, trying to get a feel for this person's temperament.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

"Articuno!" Gladion shouted out over Sam's head, "You said you had this under control!"

But there was no point arguing, was there? At least, not by bemoaning that they weren't supposed to be acting like this. From his experience with corruption, Articuno probably felt like they were in control. It was manipulative like that, shaping your thoughts and feelings in ways that still felt like you and how you really wanted to act.

...Did Articuno really want to rip into the Shining Congress when their inhibitions were down? That was honestly not terribly objectionable to him, but these thoughts were probably counterproductive when corruption was eating away at people he cared about. It'd be best to knock some sense into them either way.

He locked eyes with Sam. Smaller problems first. "You're not securing shit." (In times like these, he really wished he still had knuckles to crack.) "So let's get on with the show. I won't do you the disrespect of asking you to stand down."

 

[canisaries]

The explosion nearly made Andre jump out of his skin. Damn cervine instincts. He sighed and centered himself.

"We'd better go," he said to Ben, then galloped towards the building. He kept looking back to make sure Ben was following, which he could tell from the teddi's expression was annoying to him.

The group of Wayfarers hurried towards the Congress building – the nearest wing was the part of the building where the explosion had originated, and as they drew closer, they could see a winged figure looming there...

"...Oh," said Andre.

"What?" said Ben, who'd just caught up.

"I think that's Articuno."

"What? D-do we have to fight them, now?"

"Probably."

"But you all said they were super powerful!"

"So are we," Andre said. "And don't worry. We already fought against them once and won." Though Andre didn't want to go into how that fight had gone for him...

"Sam?" called Laura. "That you? What's going on?"

"I'm... I'm securing this area," muttered the Chesnaught, as if unsure. A dull sort of determination glimmered in her expression. "Stay back."

"Who is this now?" Ben asked.

"A friend," said Andre, "I think. Though maybe not right now. We've got to get to Articuno. But if we have to fight Sam for it, too, that's no good..."

Ben hesitated, then cupped his paws in front of his muzzle. "Ms Chesnaught, ma'am! Please be nice and let us through! We are strong, I'm told!"

Andre cringed. "Well, the bear's got more initiative than me," he mumbled to himself.

 

[Tetra]

Blacklight. Here. That couldn't be good. His heart sank further seeing the winged shape above. No... Articuno? Was Odette right? Had they been wrong to trust the Saint? Or did the Saint lack control?

The Chesnaught barring their path brought his run to a halt, his gaze shifting between the looming winged figure and her. Who...? Gladion's shout answered his unasked question, to his relief. Sam. Right, the Covenant member the others had met.

"Stand down!" Anubis barked. "We are here to help!"

Koa thought Anubis was wasting his words. He instead found himself sizing her up, looking to see if they could get around her or stop her quickly.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Sam shook her head, wincing visibly at whatever was addling her mind.

"No. If you wanna help... You'd better get inside. There's people in there..."

The Chesnaught gestured urgently to the nearest entryway to the Congress proper, pointing with a shaking paw.

"You gotta..."

Here she frowned, caught between impulses.

"Get everyone to... Get out. Away. N-no, help defeat... fend off Lord Articuno...? No, no, that's not right—"

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura glanced towards the Congress, then back to Sam, and past her massive shoulders to the site of the explosion behind her.

"What's going on, Sam?" she asked, sounding plaintive without really meaning to. "Did Articuno bring you here...?"

Sam nodded, still in that defensive stance.

"We have to save the Covenant," she growled. "Even if it means its destruction."

 

[Jackie Cat]

The figure in the rubble became clear as the smoke and glittering energies cleared from the air. Articuno, the talons of one foot sunken into the mahogany desk of Arthur's office.

"Let them go, Arthur!" they demanded, their voice crackling with power. "Your time is over; your work is finished! Release them!"
The bird's gaze radiated forward from their mask in the form of a hazy, shimmering beam of force. Beneath Articuno's raised wings, withering under their blistering glare, Arthur was lying on the floor, one tiny arm pitifully raised to ward off this strange force.

"Wayfarers! I can sense you're there! Help, please, please help me! Lord Articuno has lost their mind!"

"Liar!" screeched the Saint, beating their wings in fury. "Whisperer and manipulator! I will not let you take more puppets!"

This looks bad...! There are many 'mon inside whom the Blacklight energy is spreading to. If they aren't snapped out of it and escorted to safety, the situation could escalate sharply!

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Noooooooooo!!!"

A haunting whinny echoed through the air as Spectrier charged through the wall of Arthur's office, already charging up a massive ball of ghostly energy. The Shadow Ball fired, striking Articuno's breast and knocking the Saint backward, crashing against a bookshelf as tall as the ceiling.

As Articuno regained themselves and psychically rose from the floor, Spectrier took on a defensive stance, standing protectively in front of Arthur with his mane and tail rippling furiously.

 

[canisaries]

"Fuck," Andre said. He glanced between Sam, Articuno and the building before deciding to dash for the nearest entrance.

"I'll help evacuate the others," he shouted over his shoulder. "Take care of Articuno!"

"H-hey! Don't run off like that!" shouted Ben, then looked to the others. "I'll... I'll make sure he behaves." With that, he ran after the deerling.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade's fur stood on end as she watched the battle unfolding inside the destroyed office. Betel's voice echoed in her head. Many 'mon inside... energy is spreading... Andre had already taken off running for the Congress, Ben trailing after him. Had to do something.

She made eye contact with Laura. "We'll make sure the others are safe!" she called out before making a break for the double doors.

"Where are you going!" Virga called out, taking wing and flying after her.

 

[Namohysip]

Mhynt grunted to herself and glanced back at the others. They couldn't speak much to one another in this situation without giving away their full cards...

"This is too messy," she said. "It's out in the open, and we've already publicly associated with Articuno before. If Arthur dies here, I don't know what that will do for the rest of our standing."

"If Arthur dies here," Zena said in their communications, "that might make studying him difficult, and any plans he might have left behind..."

Mhynt brandished her Leaf Blade.

"But at the same time," Owen chimed in for the others to hear telepathically, "it would be really convenient if we could extract Arthur and fake his death so we can question him freely on our turf. If we can subdue Articuno but also make it seem like it wasn't their fault, but a mishap of the Blacklight...!"

"Then we can get everything we want all at once: Arthur in our custody, the horrible experiments exposed, Articuno exonerated, and us taking all the good credit."

"How can we do that?" Owen asked.

"We need to make it hard for witnesses to see Arthur being taken away, and Arthur needs to be hurt to not fight back," Zena surmised.

"Simple. We fight Articuno. We try to sneak Arthur away at the height of the chaos--use big, showy moves, maybe even collapse the building some. Then someone good with transport can spirit Arthur away once he's beat up enough. We'll need someone with Psychic resistance to hang onto him after that. Maybe Gerome. And maybe we can get that equine Pokemon to cooperate with these circumstances, too... They have a link. I don't think we can break that."

Meanwhile, Mhynt shouted, a bit dramatically for effect, "Articuno! What's gotten into you, what corruption is this?! Who did this to you?!"

 

[Jackie Cat]

Articuno's eyes flashed and they gestured wqith their wings as they reinforced their psychic defenses against further attack. That last Shadow Ball from Spectrier had been tremendously powerful, depsite the horse's frail and timid demeanor...

"Stand back, miss Mhynt," called the Saint, in a hard-edged, steely voice. "I implore you to let this play out. This energy... It is the only chance I have to subdue him. He is stronger... stronger than you know—!"

Arthur's reply was tremulous, thin, almost ghostly. "You must stop them, please, please! They'll kill me, like this—! I'm not ready to die...!"

For a moment, Articuno hesitated. Trepidation registered in their expression, only for a moment.

Another furious Shadow Ball careened into their shimmering barriers, with a keening wail like that of a whistling firework. Another cloud of dust and energy obscured the battle, then brightened, silver light and the hum of Infinity Energy emanating from within. Then, Spectrier stepped forward, Arthur riding atop him, a cloak of white and green billowing from his shoulders.

"Lord Articuno, I am sorry it has come to this!" he cried, a lance of energy shooting from his outstretched paw, "but my destiny awaits, and I will not let you stop me now!"

Spectrier reared up with a haunting bellow, then charged – the lance shattered Articuno's psychic barriers, and the steed's hooves knocked them down.

"A better world is at hand," declared Arthur, boldly. "Will you join with me, Wayfarers? Heroes?"

"No," gasped Articuno, pushing themself back to their feet. "No, this is madness. Do not trust him—! I won't let him take you!"

 

[Namohysip]

Mhynt muttered a curse. She'd completely underestimated how helpess Arthur was. Did Owen know? Something isn't right here.

Zena seemed confused. Articuno was an ally, right? Why were they being told to fend Articuno off? She quietly thought to the others, puppet...

Owen was more resolute, broadcasting through the Wayfarers' communications. Now's not the time to hesitate. Arthur's stronger than he's letting on... But something isn't right. Those guards weren't behaving like themselves. And that's not how Blacklight makes people act, either... Why would Articuno's allies be like this? What's Articuno mean about puppets, anyway?

Mhynt squeezed her eyes shut. Then, she swiftly took action. "Arthur, noble king!" she declared. She pointed her blade at Articuno and ran toward the Saint, about to make a swing.

And then she Teleported behind Arthur, keeping her momentum that had been toward Articuno, and went for a plunging strike. Barriers, deflections, psychics be damned--at the very least, she would give Arthur something to think about.

"We have some questions for you."

 

[JFought]

Owen's words sounded in Isidora's head. "Could he be exerting some form of psychic control?" Phantom responded. "That would be the implication, assuming he's truly that strong."

Isidora had been tense with uncertainty since they happened upon the scene, but with those words, a situation that had seemed complex suddenly began to simplify itself in her head. If he really was mind-controlling the Coven, and with Articuno on their side at the moment -- "Then, we just fight him right now then, don't we?!" Isidora replied. She definitely wasn't going to help Arthur. Whatever anyone else thought about that, if he expected her to join him, then he could get bent!

When Mhynt called out, Isidora could feel her intent through the network. She drew her claws down her arms and bared them at her sides. He got confident when he jumped on his steed. Sorry Spectrier, but I barely know you. And as the sceptile appeared behind Arthur, Isidora dashed forward in an instant aiming to score a slash across Spectrier's flank.

She skidded to a stop and turned to face the duo in a battle stance. "How about that for an answer?!"

 

[Jackie Cat]

Mhynt's blade and Isidora's claws found their marks – Spectrier whinnied in pain and surprise, and Arthur gasped almost soundlessly as the light pierced his body.

"O-oh... Then this is your answer... I am sorry to hear it."

Arthur's face grew stern and resolute, while Spectrier looked merely sad, in the manner of a kicked puppy.

"Then I shall go alone," continued Arthur, the bulbous crown atop his head glowing with an eerie light, "and you shall not bear arms against me again."

Despite themselves, Mhynt and Isidora would both find themselves in a state of horror, as their bodies withdrew and their arms fell limply to their sides. Their every bodypart felt leaden, and the will to fight froze still, arrested by a titanic psychic force. It would seem as if invisible strings were affixed to their every joint and tendon, jerking them around wholly unbidden by their own minds.

This, then, was the power of the High King. This was Arthur's resort when backed into a corner. The power to act as puppetmaster...

"NO! Not while I yet have strength in me!"

Articuno surged forwards in a storm of chill air, psionic energy, and Blacklight emanations. The psychic strings fell severed from Isidora's aura, then Mhynt's, and even the Shadow Rider was forced to shield his eyes with one slender paw.

He did not linger to fight any longer, and instead shook Spectrier's reins, whipping them into a full-pelt gallop. The two of them raced from the battlefield and fled into the distance, their speed unmatched by any Wayfarer. There would be no successful pursuit of Arthur and Spectrier.

Articuno breathed heavily, as if winded, slowly drawing themself up to their full height.

"Articuno?" asked Laura, hesitantly. "Are you alright? Is it over?"

The bird turned their eyes upon her, at once cold, despairing, and full of conviction. It was strangely uncanny, seeing the normally impassive Saint displaying such raw emotion on their masked face.

"It will not be over until Forlas is safe. Until you are all safe. And you are not safe, not while he can seize you. I cannot let him. Let me... protect you. Please. Please..."

Articuno stepped forward, reaching out a wing, as a lightless dread congealed in Laura's stomach.

"It's okay. It's okay... I can see the way to make everything right."

Articuno used Blacklight Coup.

 

[Tetra]

No... This was all going wrong. Too fast to stop or intercept. What did Articuno mean? What puppets? What was going on? Whether or not Articuno was in their right mind was up for debate, but he was well certain Arthur was not.

"A better world is at hand," declared Arthur, boldly. "Will you join with me, Wayfarers? Heroes?"

Hate flared within Koa, directed at Arthur. Isidora's act cemented, and he followed up her strike with a full charged electric lash of his own. To no avail, he may as well have tried to strike a stone wall for all it did. Far more disturbing was the apparent after-effect against the others.

Full understanding dawned then. Just how many was Arthur puppeting? Arthur's frantic departure lit a rage within Koa and he was about to take off, fully certain that with ehanced speed he could catch up.

"Articuno!"

Koa paused and looked to Anubis, who was gazing up at the bird with concern, fur bristling. Only then did Koa fully take in the Saint's distressed state. On pure instinct, he fell into a battle stance.

Anubis faced the Saint unflinchingly. "I know how it feels to want to protect something more than anything. To keep everyone safe. But you can't do it in this way! This power is affecting you. If you want to protect us then we need to work together."

Koa felt briefly surprised. It was an unexpectedly heartfelt plea from the Houndoom. Maybe more than he would have done.

 

[JFought]

The weavile lay in a crumpled heap, her mind whirling from total shock and the overwhelming pin-and-needle sensation of her body twitching back into her control. Shaking, panting, struggling to form a coherent thought, she wasn't sure how she managed to push herself onto her paws and knees.

What... Was that... the Sovereign Magic? The scene tried to play itself back in her head and she shuddered and winced as she desperately attempted to block it out. No... couldn't be, but... She had no other reference to understand what he had done to her. A pit opened in her stomach as the comparison synthesized with the experience. Her confidence had died the moment he took control of her.

How... How are we supposed to beat him...?

She felt a paw prod at her side. "Isidora? Are you well? Can you stand?"

It was Phantom. Isidora ignored him: she was in no state to dignify that with a response. She heard Articuno's voice, desperate in a way she'd never heard from them, and looked up as just as Articuno raised their wing. As if preparing something. "What... are they doing...?"

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven stared on in horror at the chaos unfolding before them. What was happening? Was Arthur putting his plan into motion already? Why so soon? Just yesterday he'd made it sound like there was still time... Or maybe Articuno arriving forced his hand. Either way, instead of asking, they'd struck out and forced Arthur into another brash decision.

"Arthur, wait!" he called out, but there was no stopping his retreat. Steven lowered his outstretched leg and ground his claws into the earth in frustration.

Surely there was another way to do this, one that didn't mean coming to blows, ostracizing someone with the power to rewrite the world, and apparently stop any being in their tracks without raising a paw.

But it was too late now. The blade had been drawn, and Arthur saw the writing on the wall.

There was no telling what he'd do now. They didn't know how he had the power to enter the Astral Planes, or where he was planning to do so.

That, and the suffering Arthur had left in his wake here at the Congress. But was it entirely Arthur's doing? There hadn't been any signs of this Blacklight energy on him; that was pouring out of Articuno alone.

He scowled at the Saint. All this talk of saving Forlas from the both of them, and neither could see the people suffering right in front of their very noses from the very actions meant to save them.

"I don't know what Articuno intends to do, but we can't let him take everyone down with him."

He caught sight of some of their group breaking off and heading for the halls of the Congress. He turned to follow.

"I fear Arthur has already gotten what he needs from this place if he was so willing to abandon it. Articuno destroying what's left isn't going to change that. I'll do what I can."

 

[Namohysip]

Wonderful. Another tyrant who thought others' bodies were objects to toy with. To think one could achieve that kind of control without the use of Shadows...

We're killing him, Mhynt told the others with the malice of old traumas bubbling through. You know that, right? No person should so openly control others' autonomy. He has made his right to rule forfeit... and if he wishes to undermine the lives of others, then perhaps his life is forfeit, too. Mhynt's Leaf Blade flickered back into existence.

Mhynt cursed. The aftershock was leaving her wobbly.

A dark body wrapped around her arms and helped her up. Behind her, Zena used her tail to keep Mhynt standing.

"You okay?" Owen said. "I think Arthur didn't bother with me. I only feel a little numb."

By the time Mhynt had gotten to her feet, Articuno was midway through their brief monologue, and Arthur was still within view. Still something to Teleport to. Unfortunately, nobody else seemed to be ready, and he would likely just try to control them again. So effortlessly...

No. A power like that in the hands of someone so willing to use it callously... One half had to be removed. The power, or the person.

But right now, they had other problems.

"It wasn't that he ignored you," Mhynt said, facing Articuno. "Articuno disrupted it with power of some kind... You might be related to that power. We can talk later. For now..."

"It's okay. It's okay... I can see the way to make everything right."

"We have this to deal with again."

She brandished her blade. "Articuno! You're blighted! Breathe, or you'll force us to clean up ANOTHER Saintly mess!"

 

[Jackie Cat]

"I know how it feels to want to protect something more than anything. To keep everyone safe. But you can't do it in this way! This power is affecting you. If you want to protect us then we need to work together."

Articuno gazed after Anubis, their beak falling open.

"Yes... Together. We must come together..."

Anubis called out to Articuno! But did the meaning truly reach them..?

How... How are we supposed to beat him...?

Betel's voice sounded softly in Isidora's head.

We will find a way, Isidora. He cannot be invincible – or he would have fought us all off already. Take heart, there is another fight to be won here.

"I don't know what Articuno intends to do, but we can't let them take everyone down with them.

"I fear Arthur has already gotten what he needs from this place if he was so willing to abandon it. Articuno destroying what's left isn't going to change that. I'll do what I can."

Laura turned to Steven, her eyes silvered-over with a strange sheen.

"Arthur was never loyal to the Covenant, or their ideals... only to himself, and his vision for the world."

The sheen faded for a moment, and she looked momentarily stricken.

"Go, Steven, get inside! There are other in there who need help!"

She brandished her blade. "Articuno! You're blighted! Breathe, or you'll force us to clean up ANOTHER Saintly mess!"

Articuno breathed; they closed their eyes.

Articuno... focused?

"There is so little time. So much danger. You see it too, don't you? He is too dangerous to be allowed to walk free. If he cannot be restrained... we must cut him down, you and I."

Their eyes shot open, narrowing in raw determination.

"I do not wish to coerce you, warrior. You should hardly need persuading, but... if not... then you must defeat me. If you cannot triumph against my power, then you have no hope of defeating him. Let whichever of us is right prevail, and whomever wins, their path shall then be taken."

Articuno wants to battle!