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Welcome to The Cave of Dragonflies forums, where the smallest bugs live alongside the strongest dragons.
Guests are not able to post messages or even read certain areas of the forums. Now, that's boring, don't you think? Registration, on the other hand, is simple, completely free of charge, and does not require you to give out any personal information at all. As soon as you register, you can take part in some of the happy fun things at the forums such as posting messages, voting in polls, sending private messages to people and being told that this is where we drink tea and eat cod.
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Farin weathered the hail of attacks that came her way and retaliated in kind, with a flurry of wind and fire and ghostly energy. Valere observed, taking note of how the party moved—their coordination was surprising. But he was more interested in seeing how they’d endure, Dishing out damage was one thing. Protecting their own—even one who’d denounced the others—was another thing.
Farin's Boss Action - Stats Boost - +2 Spd
Farin focused.
Farin's STRONG CRITICAL Air Cutter hit Corey, Ridley, and Gladion - 14, 13, 13
Farin's Flamethrower dealt 14 to Ridley - Ridley was burned!
Farin's Shadow Ball dealt 20 to Corey!
Farin used a Healthy Orb.
Valere Teleported to Central Tower. Valere's Boss Action - Multi-Enemy targeting
Valere's STRONG Sacred Sword hit Gladion, Isidora, and Corey - 15, Protect!, 5
Valere's Icy Wind hit Mhynt, Ridley, and Isidora - 5, 4, 4, -1 Spd
Valere focused.
Valere used an Escape Orb. He retreated to NW Tower.
After his last strike, Valere drew a glass orb from his cloak and shattered it. He vanished instantly, reappearing on top of one of the castle’s perimeter towers
"If you concern yourself with proclaiming your own virtues over respecting the feelings of the mon around you, then you're more similar to the enemy than you know!" Valere exclaimed from across the tower. He held his arms out, inviting them to strike him.
Farin was circling above the central tower, a low humming building in the air. Something big was coming…
Pain... lots of pain... cutting pain, and ghastly pain alike. Were they targeting him in particular? He should've just kept his mouth shut... why didn't he realize it by now that every time he spoke with any degree of confidence, those words would be thrown right back into his face? Why couldn't he learn a damn thing?
No, can't fall back into remorse or self-pity yet... no time for it... The fight had just begun.
Flinging himself off the building, Corey hit the ground with a clumsy roll, weakly shoving an oran berry into his mouth, feeling its rejuvinating power hit him immediately, but he nonetheless remained where he was, pulling out an invisify orb. Ideally it would give him some time to recuperate before taking another shot at the targets. He only hoped he was making the right choice, using the orb now instead of trying to teleport a distance away. He just couldn't see the worth in wasting so much energy to stay away when the others would need his support... or maybe they didn't... but either way, he couldn't just run... What would that say about humans? That they were cowards as well? He couldn't be so cruel as to prove that point...
Not again...
Corey (48 STM, 15 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC)
- Walk to SE Court
- **Bonus Action:** Item (Oran Berry)
- **Bonus Action:** Item (Invisify Orb)
Net change: +0 STM, +0 TMP
Net totals: 48 STM (60 after regen), 15 TMP
(BREATHER)
That didn't seem good. She'd have to get out of the tower quickly.
Still, she could send a few potshots their way and hope for the best. She just needed a good, strong attack for it... and the others might also close in. She sensed them focusing on Farin, but would it be enough? More importantly, would they be able to keep Farin from getting back up? Was there a Reviver in this bout? One way to find out...
She blipped through the air and tried to get to Farin in her "old fashioned way." A series of quick strikes and a single, strong chop to the square of her back was her plan--and then she'd slide down the tower and onto the fields below to avoid the retaliation.
Mhynt (38 STM, 4 TMP, -1 SPD, +0 ACC)
- Receive Helping Hand
- **Bonus Action:** Item (Leppa Berry) (+40 STM)
- Assurance @ Farin (-15 STM, +2 TMP)
- STRONG Acrobatics @ Farin (-19.5 STM, Sure Hit, +4 TMP)
- **Bonus Action:** Focus (+5 TMP)
- Spotter: Items on Farin!
- Walk to SE Court
Net change: +3 STM, +11 TMP
Net totals: 41 STM (56 after regen), 15 TMP
"Thanks for pointing that out," Gladion said, trying to give a deadpan delivery, but wasn't able to hold his voice steady enough while also bailing from Farin's ominous-stuff-radius. Clearly he needed to go to the same anime school Valere had to improve at shouting one-liners about how you see the world at the person you're fighting. "I hadn't realized that prioritizing appearances over actually caring about people was bad."
Even if Rin had been a shit person, at least she was enjoyable to take down. He couldn't even be that much of a dick towards Valere without being morally compromized by it. Watching Valere prepare for a third chance to jump dramatically off a tower while shouting Intro to Philosophy exerpts was not what Gladion was hoping for a chance to prove himself to Farin and Valere would look like. Gladion didn't even disagree with the guy, and he understood why they felt the need to scrutinize any humans showing up, but it was exhausting.
Gladion (23 STM, 13 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC)
- Life Dew (-30 STM, +2 TMP)
- **Bonus Action:** Item (Leppa Berry) (+40 STM)
- Walk to NE Court
Net change: +10 STM, +2 TMP
Net totals: 33 STM (48 after regen), 15 TMP
Farin's flamethrower left the fabric of Ridley's disguise smouldering slightly. He remembered the shadow charmeleon, the awful pain - but no, it was just fire, just a burn. It hurt, but not like that had. Despite the ominous humming filling the air, Ridley still took a moment to pat out as many of the flames as he could.
Farin was circling the tower; Ridley braced himself, picked his moment, then hurled himself at her.
He didn't expect to actually hit her with his move, but if he could distract her or force her to fly lower for long enough for one of his companions to get a few blows in -
Ridley's pounce carried him over the edge of the central tower. He rolled as he landed, coming to a graceless stop in the courtyard below.
Ridley (38 STM, 6 TMP, -1 SPD, +0 ACC)
- **Bonus Action:** Focus (+5 TMP) Recovery Scarf! -1 to burn timer
- Pounce @ Farin (-15 STM, +2 TMP)
- Walk to NE Court
Net change: -16 STM, +7 TMP
Net totals: 22 STM (38 after regen), 13 TMP
Valere was somewhat more defensive in his hit-and-run strategy, but the gallade could still pack a punch. He was able to hit several of them at once, and somehow even conjured a cold wind that had no right to bite as hard as it did.
But despite being weak to the surprise attack, it was Valere's words that stung the worst.
"If you concern yourself with proclaiming your own virtues over respecting the feelings of the mon around you, then you're more similar to the enemy than you know!"
In the chaos of battle, standing still was just asking to get wrecked. Yet Kimiko found herself caught off guard by Valere's declaration, and paused to stare at him. She hadn't been dismissing Isidora's feelings, or at least... she hadn't intended to.
She turned to look at Isidora when she responded, her stunned expression already turned battle-ready again, but her words were still directed at the gallade. Or maybe at them both.
"I certainly wasn't denying that humans like those exist. Just trying to show that we're all fighting for the same cause in the here and now, regardless of where we've all come from."
And what better way to prove it than have her back in battle? Kimiko waited until Isidora attacked, then immediately followed-up, not only adding to the offense, but doing what she could to cover the sneasel's retreat.
[ Putting on the I'm the Team Captain Now hat at to also post a provisional Isidora turn (This turn was discussed and agreed upon in discord, so I don't know if this was forgotten or they were intentionally waiting for some reason, but I also don't know JFought's time zone so, just to be safe, because it's kinda important to our plan for the turn).
As usual, please disregard if JFought gets a post in before deadline. ]
Isidora deftly dodged Valere’s Sacred Sword. She growled to herself. I don’t need your help!
What the- said:
And then, poof! A small red-haired human doll appeared in his grasp, its chest glowing with a peculiar aura. He held it over his head, and after quickly deciding who he believed was the most vulnerable teammate, he flung the doll in the direction of the other Sneasel.
...Was that why the fur on that sneasel’s head was so weird? The hell?!
She barely had the time to use it to block Valere’s next Sacred Sword, where the substitute immediately shattered into energy. Need to focus on the noivern... As Farin swooped close to the ground, Isidora leaped at her and managed to land one punch and graze with a slash as her opponent ascended.
Multiple things went through her head just then. I need more range. I need to get off this field slowing me down. I need to avoid that attack being prepared. And so her mind went to the simplest option: she ran for the tower’s edge, jumped off, and as soon as she could feel the terrain’s effects disappear she twisted around midair and threw one, two, three Ice Shards at Farin. Her body righted itself as she fell and she stuck the landing. She ignored the pain in her legs and moved to put her back to the tower so she could observe the situation from there.
Laura clenched her jaw and swung herself off the side of the tower to hang there a moment. She needed a second to think. She had to consider the team's battle tactics, whether to answer Valere – and how to answer – who she should support, and whether Isidora's furious expression was directed at her, and if she should just... stay separate.
But the team would win or lose as a team, and she didn't think there were any other born-'mon in the party who could help the Sneasel out. And she was angling for an all-out attack – they needed that to strike true. What were they supposed to do, ditch their ally?
...You shouldn't stop supporting a teammate just because they might be mad at you.
Fuck it.
Laura dropped back down, grateful for her feline agility in this body, and growled with effort as she tried to siphon off her own energy for Isidora to make use of. It wasn't like she had any attacks that'd work right now.
She watched the Noivern's shadow against the courtyard stone, and thought back to how Malachai moved, how flight meant momentum, which required awareness, which relied on vision...
She took up a piece of loose stone from where Valere had struck the masonry, and smashed the nearest window in the courtyard wall. She took a shard of glass, not caring about its edge against her paws, and tried to angle it to reflect the near-full moon.
Interact: Attempt to blind Farin to the incoming attack.
Gladion's Life Dew healed the party.
Ridley's Pounce was dodged by Farin.
Laura is boosting Isadora
Silver is protecting Isadora
Isidora's Power-Up Punch dealt 10 to Farin! +1 Atk
Isidora's Feint was dodged by Farin.
Isidora's TRIPLE Ice shard dealt 19 + 25 + 25 to Farin!
Kimiko's Dragon Wave dealt 14 to Farin!
Mhynt's Assurance dealt 15 to Farin!
Mhynt's STRONG Acrobatics dealt 14 to Farin!
The low thrumming around the tower slowly intensified until the air felt thick with energy, ready to snap. Everyone jumped from the central tower, several of them grabbing the banners that Laura had unfurled to control their descent. In the wake of everyone's evacuation, a flurry of ice shards shot from the courtyard, no longer slowed by the psychic distortion. But Farin's senses were honed; she caught sight of the strikes and moved to dodge--
--when a sudden stray moonbeam flickered off the edge of a glass shard, blinding her for a second. Just the smallest pause, and one, two, three shards of ice crashed against her chest, burying themselves in her fur. The Noivern let out a winded gasp and collapsed atop the tower.
Valere dipped his head slightly. Then, without a word, he teleported to her side. A golden light washed over the dragon...
Valere teleported to Central Tower.
Farin's Reviver Seed revived her with 43 HP.
Valere ate a Violent Seed.
Farin's AGILE Air Cutter hit Corey and Isidora - 7, Protect!
Farin's CRITICAL Air Cutter hit Mhynt and Isidora - 16, Dodged! Boss Action - Sure Crit
Farin's CRITICAL Flamethrower dealt 38 to Isidora! Burned!
Farin & Valere dashed to NE Court
Valere's CRITICAL Sacred Sword dealt 45 to Gladion!
Valere's Valorous Soul Charmed Gladion and Ridley!
Farin's Elusive Soul hit Gladion and Ridley for 12 and 11. -2 Acc!
Farin Focused...
Mhynt sighed, figuring of course it wasn't going to be that easy. No matter. She could cause some trouble for a little while longer and their team was, so far, in a good state. They just had to keep pace. It seemed, meanwhile, that their opponents were on a last stand. Perhaps two... maybe three more volleys, if she had to guess.
Mhynt hopped to Isadora and placed a Lum Berry in her claws. At the same time, they blipped across the battlefield, and Mhynt kicked into the air and sent another innervating wave into her opponent--this time, Valere. As a final touch, she also made sure to drop her small Blast Seed at his legs.
No more waiting around. He had his energy back, and he was damn-well going to use it... Would it almost guarantee a lights-out retaliation? Oh, most likely, but Corey said he was here to fight alongside both Pokemon and humanity alike, and if that meant putting his own neck on the line to prove that point, then so be it... Just a few more cuts and bruises to patch up, he'd be okay eventually... Right now the group had to take precedent.
"Alright, you want it? Come and get it! I'm right here!" he shouted at the opposing duo as he gave it his all, generating as much of a dazzling gleam as he could muster before using his last bit of stamina to launch an accompanying shadow ball.
Ridley felt an effervescent rush of achievement as Farin went down. For the first time, he almost felt like he understood what people meant when they talked about the thrill of battle.
...and then the golden light of a reviver seed crackled across her form, and Ridley's mood fell flat. Of course it wouldn't be that easy.
Despite everything, however, Valere's challenge struck at something inside him. Shit, was he actually falling for this guy's showboating nonsense? But -
- that was what this whole thing was about, right? That was the point of this fight. Suddenly the whole situation seemed a lot less stupid. If their ragtag group of offworlders could work together well enough to win this battle, then maybe that actually meant something beyond just their ability to punch other people until they fell over.
Ridley's heart filled with a new resolve. He dashed forwards and scrambled up to the parapet, eyes fixed on Valere.
He might not have been much of a fighter, but one thing he could do was make himself as annoying as possible.
Isidora was trying to lick and spread ice over her burns, feeling prickles of annoyance from how Farin revived herself — Cheater — and the way Laura kept trying to assist her. You think I can’t-?
That’s when the treecko came hopping silently over to her. She looked down at the lum berry placed in her claws with some confusion. “Um, than-”
And then they were on the parapet.
Isidora jolted, and watched somewhat stunned as Mhynt ran to engage their opponents. R-right... Now’s not the time. She scarfed down her berry and let it relieve her before following to do the same.
Laura exhaled with satisfaction as her gambit paid off. She wasn't even too hurt, between the gouts of flames and slicing gusts. Brilliant. They were in a new phase of the fight, now – best to assess who needed help the most...
Isidora vanished in a flash with Mhynt, that other Sneasel seemed nimble enough on his own, the cleffa-mimic Mimikyu – she was pretty sure that guy was fucking Galarish too – was clearly doing just fine, whatever the fuck he was doing. But Gladion – deadpan mutterings, sluggish movements, practically spacing the fuck out mid-battle...? It didn't happen often in the kind of battles Laura was used to, but she could tell when motivation fatigue was setting in. It didn't look and sound so different between 'mon and their trainers. She rushed to his side, bracing herself against the shockwaves from more attacks.
"Hey," she gasped, tagging his flank with a boost of energy. "You never told me what your fucking deal was, did you? But Farin came to you, and you got this mismatched team together. You answered the call to come here. And you're a bloody chimera – you know Aether and all their corporate bullshit. We might not know the 'enemy' are right now, but I'm starting to get a pretty good idea what Valere's talking about."
She finished transfering energy, and pulled away with a gasp of effort. She didn't have time to give a whole pep talk. She didn't know the guy's issues or what buttons to press. She'd keep it dead simple.
"You have to give a shit about this. Right?"
She flinched at another blast of sonic energy from Farin – what she'd give to have Malachai with her now – and didn't wait for an answer.
So Valere had nothing to say. Other than Gladion, who's answer had been snarky sarcasm, only Kimiko had outwardly responded to Valere's accusation. So either it had been enough for him when Kimiko corrected her miscommunication and needed no further words, or he was too distracted by watching his partner fail to strike any of her foes as they fled the tower, and then fall to their combined unified onslaught.
True to his theme, it seemed ganging up Farin was enough to draw Valere back out into the open. Good. Now they could start beating him down, too.
As she watched her allies once again spring into action, Kimiko couldn't help but wonder if there was a way to separate Valere and Farin again. No, she reminded herself. We have deal with them together, or Valere's just going to cower in the tower, out of reach again.
She had to admit, the fight had at least done what Kimiko wanted it to do - spark that fighting spirit that had taken a hit during the skorupi encounter. She sprinted after her team; if Farin was still focused by the time Kimiko reached them, she wouldn't be for long after. And if she were incapacitated, then Kimiko would get to show Valere her heart up close and personsal.
Kimiko: dragon aux @ Farin (if still standing/above 0 HP)
OR
flying aux @ Valere (if Farin is KO'd/below 0 HP)
-Mhynt/Isidora walk into Gladion's zone to recieve Gladion's Dew + HH
Valere getting on Farin's back and declaring it meant they were now fighting as one all of a sudden as if it had been some kind of dramatic phase two and not just him getting on Farin's back was objectively pretty silly, but at least if he set that part that aside it was actually cool, in contrast to before.
"Hey," she gasped, tagging his flank with a boost of energy. "You never told me what your fucking deal was, did you? But Farin came to you, and you got this mismatched team together. You answered the call to come here. And you're a bloody chimera – you know Aether and all their corporate bullshit. We might not know the 'enemy' are right now, but I'm starting to get a pretty good idea what Valere's talking about."
Gladion pooled Laura’s strength with his own, and spread it out into a surge of greater strength across the team.
He sneered, though it was far too lighthearted to have any real malice behind it. “This guy wants his ass kicked, guess we’ll have to give him what he wants.”
He couldn’t really meaningfully fight the two of them— he was pretty sure his icy wind was taking more out of him than it had even Farin, which all things considered was a little embarrassing. But he made his way up the parapet to see if he could at least block an attack on his helmet. With how hard people were hitting, he didn’t expect it to go as well as it did for Hazel back home, but he could still take the brunt of an attack on it, maybe still shrug off a status move.
He just had to keep the helmet between his body and any incoming Sacred Swords. As long as he kept his body loose enough to react to an attack, and make sure he kept himself focused on Valere, he’d be fine.
There was just one downside: He had to keep his eyes trained on Valere. Unfortunately, Valere was currently riding a dragon as the moonlight cast an ethereal glow on him, painting a beautiful portrait against the colours of the horizon.
This was tragic because it was objectively really cool, and Valere was not supposed to actually be cool. The guy was, while morally upstanding and genuinely strong, also kind of an adult theatre kid which should have been incompatible with this.
Gladion set aside the way that whole train of thought made him feel. Because while Valere looked effortless and comfortable while Gladion… While he…
Amidst the chaos of volleys of attacks and space-warping fighters, a well-thrown Silver Doll exploded upon impact with the sharp wind blades, once more acting as a decoy and taking damage for the team. Silver breathed heavily, his feathers drooped and his muscles twitching.
Gods, creating Substitutes was exhausting, somewhat painful, and—ah! No time to rest!
With a strained yelp, Silver fully engaged his mustelid instincts and twisted and weaved between attacks with his borderline liquid body, only getting a few stray cuts and burned patches. Nothing he couldn’t handle, however. He was strong; he knew it!
Silver quirked an eyebrow, unimpressed. ‘Tch! Sounds like a tall order, considering that the one confirmed ‘mon around here openly despises humans and barely tolerates working with ‘em.’ He eyed the other Sneasel, his eyes narrowing in thought, and sighed. How could they prove the union of humans and Pokémon if there were glaring fractures between them?
‘If only my team was here to help…’ he mused, a sad, lonely sensation washing over him and his heart starting to ache in longing. ‘My friends…’
‘No! Focus, Silver! This is just a challenge like any other! And if we can get through all of this despite our divergences and setbacks…’ The spark of defiant determination burned into his eyes. ‘Then nothing will be able to stop us!’
“Hmph! You asked for it!” he spat back at Valere, holding an arm forward and smirking haughtily. “D’you wanna know what we can really do together? Heh! You’ll soon find out!”
Feeling empowered by unwavering will and a smidge of spite, Silver bolted toward the tower, making sure to drop a small Substitute by Corey’s side. “You’re gonna need it, buddy,” he said quickly, still running.
Defender Skill:Silver used Substitute! The Silver Doll is drawing attacks to itself and shielding Corey! (Protect +1)
Then, he climbed the tower as fast as he could — wow, mountain Sneasel really rocked! — and once he was high enough, he began throwing punches at the building, aiming to detach some debris.
Noivern had big ears, which meant enhanced hearing. Big falling chunks of broken tower should create a lot of noise. ‘And a Noivern can’t cover their ears while airborne,’ he mused, his smirk widening.
Interact: Silver used Rock Smash against the tower! Noise pollution to disrupt Farin!
Valere's Gear - Covert Cloak and Earth Talisman Valere's Behavior - Looks like he goes for Sacred Sword every turn, Strong Style when possible. He doesn't appear to have as much stamina as Farin and seems unlikely to use Agile Style because it would take away from how many moves he can perform. He has more moves mastered than he has shown thus far, but Icy Wind probably isn't one of them, judging from his relative inexpertise at it.
Yet again, Farin's wings faltered, the barrage of ice too much for her to endure... and yet she kept on flying, pushing herself to keep going so long as the pair were fighting as one. The deep, low-frequency humming ramped up once more until it finally exploded into a concussive auditory blast, not from her mouth but from her ears, shattering courtyard's tile floor. But it was just the castle itself taking damage--everyone had evacuated.
Chunks of falling debris clattered to the courtyard floor from the tower and Farin's ears swiveled toward them, throwing off her precise aiming for just a second before the real counterattack began.
Farin's Air Cutter hit Mhynt and Corey - 10, Protect! It wasn't a Critical Hit...
Farin's STRONG Shadow Ball dealt 34 to Corey!
Farin Focused... Boss Action - Sure Hit
Farin's CRITICAL Flamethrower dealt 38 to Isidora! Burned!
Farin's Tailwind let her keep going!
Farin's Dragon Pulse destroyed Gladion's Substitute!
The blast of ghostly force launched Corey back, knocking him against the hard stone floor of the castle parapet. Though he hadn't lost consciousness yet, the ensuing freezing cold wind that subsequently covered him was enough to drain his last remaining strength. Again his frail body was failing him...
As he fell into growingly familiar darkness, he awaited whatever fate would come, evidently forgetting that he'd once again brought along a contingency for this very scenario... The tiny reviver seed in his possession glowed against him for a time before vanishing... leaving the ralts with a bit more strength left to spare...
To paraphrase an old boxing film he'd watched with his father long ago, he didn't hear no bell.
Warping to the western parapet where Valere and Farin had flown, he popped his last leppa berry into his mouth before taking aim at the duo once more, a spherical orb of shadow forming in one stubby hand, and a growing light forming in the other.
"You didn't think we'd go down so easy, did ya? Newsflash, you're not the only fellas who can fight as one!" He'd sensed through the network what the others had in mind, and through it all, even as this fight came down to the wire, he couldn't help but give a slightly premature smile of triumph. Perhaps it was just the fatigue getting to him, or maybe he'd just come to trust his fellow outsiders would pull through in the end, no matter what.
