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Welcome to The Cave of Dragonflies forums, where the smallest bugs live alongside the strongest dragons.
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Of course I'm not forcing you to do anything if you don't want to, but seriously, what have you got to lose? Five seconds of your life?
With two of the geists downed, the final one had no choice but to chase after the distant Wayfarers and attempt to perform its trump card, singing its distorted song. Thankfully, it did not seem that Moltres had it in her to create more of the specters, in fact, it seemed that Moltres did not have much more fight in her at all.
Geist 3 moved to Westward Rail
Geist 3 dashed to Town Entrance
Geist 3 is preparing Memento...
Moltres moved to Town Entrance! Legendary Action: Stats Boost! Moltres shed her Acc debuff! Legendary Action: Sure Crit!
Moltres Focused...
Moltres's SHADOW Fiery Wrath dealt a CRITICAL 45 damage to Dave and a fully dodged 0 to Silver! It's super effective on Dave! KO!!!
Moltres' Fiery Soul dealt 18 damage to Silver! Burn!
Moltres' Spite sealed Silver's Rock Smash!
Moltres' prior grudge against Mhynt was seemingly forgotten as she turned her attention to where the most Wayfarers had gathered. She spoke no words as she strained against the Shadow corruption and rained down more shadow-tinged flames. When they petered out, only the sneasel remained standing, to which Moltres responded with a flap of her wings, sending a suppressive aura upon him, sealing his most recently used technique moments before the golden light of the Wayfarers' revivers restored more of their strength.
This wasn't going to go well for Moltres. But what had once been a simple matter of clipping the wings of a petulant Saint had transformed into taking care of yet another Shadow incident. At least they were proving themselves, albeit without much of an audience...
Killing her wasn't much of an option. They needed answers first. But Mhynt did not shelve the idea entirely: If they had no means of keeping someone like Moltres locked up if she held no remorse, then... they simply had no other choice.
Those were her grave thoughts as the Grovyle marched forward, starting from a slow, analyzing walk into a full sprint.
"If you won't calm yourself," Mhynt said, "then we'll have to talk later."
Mhynt stood in front of Moltres after her final barrage, dispelling her blade. She had to be close, despite the risk, to see what the Shadows did, and how it all behaved. How it reacted. Was it familiar? Was it like the others? Cipher's? Alexander's?
"Is everyone holding up okay?" Grace asked as she shielded her eyes from the bright flames. She'd taken some minor hits so far, and had done her best to stay healthy. She had to be ready to heal everyone afterwards.
Her paws glowed once more, and she aimed it at Odette once again. "Just a little more, guys! I'll heal you all once the fighting stops!"
Since she wasn't actively fighting herself, Grace was unaware of the visions anyone else was getting.
Dave watched the visions warily with growing disbelief. His heart pounded, his blood buzzing with cold light.
"What the fuck?" he muttered. "Look, if some idiots refused to evacuate when warned, that's on them and their supposed 'nobility'. They should've just fucking listened. It's not on you when you were trying to tell them and they just chose to cover their ears and try to manipulate you. Fuck them."
He charged for another Rock Smash, veins singing. "And what exactly did they want with the relic? That sounds shady as fuck. Were these people the fucking Covenant of Light by any chance? Bunch of former humans and their descendants prancing around thinking they're better, super interested in Saints? Because we want to bring those fuckers down, too. It's not going to solve every problem in the world but at least it can be a little fucking fairer."
Not caused by her, but she'd failed to stop it. That was the same thing, right?
Jade shook her head, trying to force the echoes of what she'd seen out of her head. She took a deep breath as the embers rained down all around. Her fur was soaked from using Chilling Water to avoid the burns. Not again, not again, she wouldn't get burned again. She reached for the light and found it there, at the edge of her thoughts, telling her that she had to get ahold of herself, she had to help, she couldn't just do nothing, come on--
So she held her paw forward and let the light burst from it once more.
Again with the fire. Again with a burn licking away at her skin, searing it raw until she could no longer take it anymore. It seemed like every bitch and their fucking mothers brought fire to the battle, and as consciousness left her, she realized she'd met her fucking limit. She couldn't take it anymore.
She couldn't take the burns, and she couldn't take these idiots that they kept fighting. How long was Moltres going to go on and on and on and on and fucking on about how fucking hard her life was? Everyone's life was hard, and she didn't get a fucking pass to be a whining little bitch about it just because it was "too much" for her to deal with. it was always going to be hard if she responded to all of her misfortune by raining hell on others.
This bird. This other fucking shitbird. Odette had long come to terms with her own Wrathful disposition, but Moltres...she was starting to taste the shame all over again. In the moment before her Reviver Seed did its job, she wish Odile were here to show this feathered fuck what for.
As that thought occurred to her, she suddenly felt hot.
It wasn't like the burns that had kissed her skin, and it wasn't like the pain of Jawile's fangs sinking into her arm. The heat wrapped around her like a tender embrace, filling her chest with a sensation of ecstasy, and power.
Unlike the unwelcome feeling of fire, this sensation was far more desirable.
She sat up with a new, revitalized fervor. Her wide eyes fell to her hands, which now pulsed with a feeling she hadn't had the pleasure of experiencing until now. It was like a fog had lifted, and she suddenly knew exactly what she needed to do.
Climbing to her feet, she wordlessly sprinted toward Moltres, her body glowing, and Jawile snapping, with the charge of her oncoming attacks.
Odette (49 STM, 16 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC, 0 SHD, 0 RAD)
- **Act:** Item (Oran Berry)
- STRONG Play Rough @ Moltres (-24 STM, Sure Hit, +4 TMP)
- **Act:** RADIANT Focus (+5 TMP)
- RADIANT Ice Fang @ Moltres (-16 STM, effect, -10 TMP, +2 TMP, +16 RAD)
- Activate feat (Spotter Feat) @ Surprise Me Daddy
- Walk to Town Entrance
Net change: -40 STM, +1 TMP, +0 SHD, +16 RAD
Net totals: 9 STM (36 after regen), 17 TMP, 0 SHD, 16 RAD
By the time her assault came to a halt, she was shrouded in a dark essence that Moltres would find all too familiar. Most of the emotion had left her face, save for the remnants of a violent twinkle in her eye.
"Well, look at that. You spent so much time crying over your own nonsense that you let the tables flip on you," she said. "What the hell did you think was going to get done here? Are you projecting your anger about your past failures onto us? Or are you somehow just looking for something else to blame?"
The essence only grew, and she sucked in a deep, concentrated breath. "I understand you're pissed off about the relic, and what subsequently happened, but I'd expect a Wrath-laced Saint to figure out a way to do something about it. Not just sit here and beat on some stupid mortals. Stupid fucking me for expecting more.
"Although, I do need to give credit where it's due...what's it like having one of those stupid mortals learn your signature?"
She leapt up, arms outstretched, like a phoenix reborn from its ashes. The fire of her Wrath overtook her, and a scathing grin played on her lips, as she spoke in sync with the jaws on her head.
Ignoring the burn chipping away at his fur, Silver channeled Radiance into his claws and charged at Moltres to disrupt the Shadows infesting the phoenix’s soul. The others mirrored his own thoughts and he nodded as he listened to their arguments. However, it’s not like vexing Moltres further was going to help much with her troubled mind, wasn’t it? So what else could he do?
Silver stared at the specter in disbelief. Was he really… but how…? “S-Spectrum?!”
The specter didn’t react to Silver’s voice. It kept its solemn gaze firmly locked on the dark phoenix, standing elegantly amidst the wrathful flames of the battlefield like a divine mirage (which, perhaps, it was). Fire never bothered the rainbow phoenix, anyway.
Unfortunately, the apparition didn’t have access to the mind of the real Ho-Oh; only fragments of memories and unpolished instincts were left in its incomplete form. That would have had to suffice.
So, the specter squawked a silent plea, its wings outstretched and its gaze forlorn. If anyone paid attention to the flames, they would have noticed how some embers bent into a burning tower and a panicked bird, trying desperately to save the tower from collapsing even as countless attacks from hostile Pokémon struck them both over and over. Spectrum only wanted to save the creatures trapped inside, so why…?
Silver observed quietly the dancing flames, trying to make a sense out of the entire situation. He had no freaking clue how the heck Spectrum — or whatever that was — had appeared, but he could tell it was trying to help and connect with Moltres. Which, well, was fitting for a phoenix rumored to read others’ hearts.
“…It’s not your fault,” Silver said at last as he glanced again at Moltres, paraphrasing what he believed the specter was trying to communicate. “Don’t give yourself blame for the idiocy of greedy and selfish people. If there’s someone or something to blame, it would be their own hubris.” He frowned. “Yeah, innocent people have paid a huge price and believed their lies, but you did what you believed was right, even if you failed. That’s what matters the most: you tried, unlike those bastards who only cared about saving themselves and their arses!”
Moltres tried to shake herself of her fatigue, tried to stand strong against the oncoming attacks but it was more than clear that victory for the Wayfarers was just within reach. All they needed was one final push...
Grace's Support Aux! Odette gained +1 Atk!
Dave called out to Moltres! Moltres' Shd was reduced by 10!
Dave's Rock Smash dealt 8 damage to Moltres! -1 Def!
Dave RADIANT Focused...
Dave's STRONG RADIANT Relentless Soul dealt a CRITICAL 98 damage to Moltres! It's ultra effective!
There was a moment of clarity within the Saint's eyes as Dave's words reached her but before she had a chance to answer or reply, another strike knocked her to her side.
Mhynt walked to Town Entrance!
Mhynt's Leaf Blade dealt a CRITICAL 24 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 RADIANT Focused...
Mhynt's STRONG RADIANT Acrobatics dealt a CRITICAL 69 damage to Moltres! It's ultra effective! Nice!
As Mhynt looked closer, she would realise with her experience, that these Shadows were far from severe and most likely Moltres' own - as indicated by the ease of snapping her out of it. A natural product of loneliness and teetering on the edges of despair for centuries as opposed to any external interference.
Odette's Oran Berry healed her for 50 HP!
Odette's STRONG Play Rough dealt 46 damage to Moltres! It's super effective! KO!!!
Odette RADIANT Focused...
Odette's RADIANT Ice Fang dealt 25 damage to Moltres! It's ultra effective! Frostbite!
Odette's Spotter Feat! Moltres' items!
Jade's RADIANT Caster Aux dealt 33 damage to Moltres! It's ultra effective!
Silver used a Lum Berry!
Silver's AGILE Drain Punch dealt 26 damage to Moltres!
Silver RADIANT Focused...
Silver's RADIANT Drain Punch dealt a CRITICAL 71 damage to Moltres! It's ultra effective!
Silver called out to Moltres! Moltres' Shd was reduced by 10!
Silver walked to Rocky Clearing!
The final onslaught of attacks was too much for Moltres to handle. All stamina lost, her flames flickered, then dimmed before she fell forward onto her front, wings splayed wide. Still lucid, the bird breathed heavily and struggled to get back onto her feet as she was left to the Wayfarer's mercy although her efforts paused as she listened to Silver's words.
Yet as Moltres attempted to stand, the remaining geist shrieked and went on the offensive...
Geist 3 unleashed Memento!
Geist 3 used Memento on Odette! Odette's Twist Band prevented her offences from being lowered...
The geist flew straight through Odette's chest, perhaps attracted by the same power that Moltres had possessed, destabilising and splitting into a shower of dying embers with a crescendo once it had fully passed through the mawile's form. Yet, when the spectacle had faded, Odette would feel... nothing beyond a small warmth in her garment. Her Twist Band must have protected her from whatever hex the geist attempted to impart. Although it did not prevent her from seeing another vision.
Word of the disaster spread across Tsainan, reaching each town and village before Moltres reached them. Fearful faces asked, how had such a tragedy happened on her watch? What was her role? What did she want? Why would a Saint need anything from commonfolk?
She had no one to turn to, no place to settle. Her wings took her still further, beyond the kingdom's borders and across foreign steppes, trading hip-and-gable roofs for bamboo huts, the huts for tents of skin and felt, and the tents for straw-thatched cottages of wood and stone. This unfamiliar land – "Akkairos" was its name – had a Saint of its own! At last she folded back her wings and rested. Finally! Someone who could understand her plight, who would give her answers!
The other Saintly bird – ribbon-tailed, lavender-feathered – regarded her from behind a mask, spared no sympathy in their cold eyes. They only reprimanded her for her shortcomings. Moltres was a Saint herself, and should have assumed the authority of her title. Why did she allow herself to be used in the way she described? Her every mistake listed as if a textbook case study; her every failure analysed and corrected according to pristine philosophical theory. These were important lessons to learn before taking responsibility for whichever civilisation would become her next wards.
Moltres left Akkairos more miserable than ever. Not even the Saints themselves wished to tolerate her presence without berating her. So she flew to a place where she could be truly alone, making her nest on a cliff bordered by impassable mountains and valleys. Those who managed to find the Saint's resting place would be treated to a harsh lesson.
And when it had finished, nothing more followed. All that remained was nothing more than a few scattered embers, a group of exhausted Wayfarers and a thoroughly defeated Saint. Moltres' head hung low as she clung onto Dave and Silver's words and were those her eyes growing wet with tears?
"I don't know about any 'Covenant'," Moltres finally said, in reply to Dave, the shadowy-twinge in her voice mostly faded. "Maybe that other Saint mentioned something about that," she added with a mutter. "They just wanted power. Power to earn the Emperor's favour to form a new dynasty to have influence over.
"But how did you know? I-I neversaid anything about it."
The others seemed tired. Exhausted. Beaten thoroughly, but standing. Mhynt, too, felt that fatigue, but she'd been lucky enough to get her second wind right when the battle had reached its conclusion, or seemed to.
The Shadows were entirely organic. And that, in itself, was... more than enough information for them to consider going forward. Enough power, combined with enough turmoil, and a Shadow Pokemon could arise naturally.
That was something she'd have to ask Powehi later, at the next opportunity.
But for now...
Shnk!
Perhaps startling Moltres out of her stupor, or at least getting her attention, was a blade suddenly cutting the ground just in front of her. It was a precise, deliberate aim, not at Moltres... but at the shadow she cast from the sunlight. Perhaps Mhynt intended for it to be symbolic.
The Grovyle paced closer, arms behind her to indicate that her time fighting was done. Her Leaf Blade remained, glowing with Radiance acquired secondhand by Luz, another Saint.
"Those familiars you were summoning," Mhynt explained. "Each one delivered to us a vision of your past, whether you wanted to tell us your story or not. Now, breathe. Rid yourself of that darkness for now." Mhynt held up one hand, revealing the Shadowy power she controlled. "Most, not even Saints," she explained, intentionally flaring it, before she breathed it out in a gentle fog, "can't think straight when it plagues them."
Dave charged for a final blow at Moltres, Radiance coursing through him, his aura forming a shining blade of pure, spiteful determination that erupted into bright, golden light.
Moltres wasn't even the right target, really. Confused fucking mortal made into a god and then jerked around by a bunch of fucked-up elites who wanted to control her until she went nuts, decided everyone else should also be pointlessly jerked around by the more powerful. He imagined striking down the reprobates who'd convinced a town not to leave an erupting volcano instead. Team fucking Cipher. Nolan.
The light burned bright as the blade struck and then spread, enveloping his body.
Wait. What the fuck?
His form melted into a curious warmth, suddenly malleable. His vision had blanked out to white, but he felt his muscles growing, reinforcing with additional fibers, bones lengthening, claws flexing, thick fur sprouting down either side of his head and neck. Indistinctly, he heard Moltres had just responded to him, Mhynt explaining the visions.
The world faded slowly back into view. He was taller. God, he'd almost forgotten what it was like to not have to crane his fucking neck up at everything.
The simmering battle hormones were rapidly fading into a content victorious satisfaction, the fog beginning to retreat out of his brain.
"...Wait," he said as something clicked, a sudden connection to some of Greenbough's experiments with the stranger dungeon flora. "The old Moltres died laughing?" That memory from his deathbed had had a faint impression of surprise about foreign spellings, hadn't it, when packing up medicinal supplies. "Were the fuckersfeeding him Reviser Seeds?"
The buzzing light faded from Jade's paws, faded from her head. She took a few deep breaths to center herself, gripping the shoulder strap of her bag just to have something else to feel. And then she turned her gaze to the fallen firebird, chest tightening.
"Sorry..." she muttered. "I don't really know how we saw any of that stuff. I get why it'd be disturbing to have a bunch of strangers suddenly knowing all that about you." Being exposed to Moltres's history, without Moltres even realizing what was happening... it left Jade with an awkward feeling of having committed some invasion of privacy. And at the same time, part of her was glad to know, because how else was she supposed to understand? There was no way Moltres would've explained all that willingly.
"Reviser Seeds..." Mhynt nodded. "Yes. I suspected that from the visions as well. In my world, they are cursed Reviver Seeds tainted by the Voidlands' distortion. Here, I doubt it's the same... but they do anything but revive. They only give the false impression of healing."
But Mhynt's expression was still stern. What she'd said earlier remained in her mind: No matter how sad Moltres' story was, it would not lessen what had to change in the present with her behavior. If this Saint continued down this path, Mhynt found they would have no choice but to take her out.
Moltres certainly was not in a state to contest Mhynt's directions, taking a few more deep breaths to calm the shadows further. When she next spoke, the distortion had faded from her voice. "So you all have it in you to stand up against immeasurable odds after all," she began, a hint of amusement in her voice, though her expression remained melancholic. "Especially you," she added, turning to Odette. "I don't know how you did it but a mortal taking a Saint's power to use for herself against that very Saint. If that isn't the greatest defiance of power, then nothing is."
Her tone immediately sobered at the now-mightyena's following question and Mhynt's explanation. "There's a difference?" she asked. After all this time, she still hadn't realised why the Dawn passed in the way he did, why his health only kept deteriorating despite all treatments (in all likelihood, this was where the oren berries factored in). She looked like she wanted to say more but she held her tongue out of the past fears that the Wayfarers saw within the visions.
What visions? Grace didn't remember seeing anything. Did she have to attack to see something? Oops. Hopefully they could fill her in later.
But she did know something she could do.
Grace sidled over to Mhynt, remembering that she'd taken a few blows. She formed a life dew in her paws, this time lacking any of the Radiance Mhynt saw her use previously. A soothing aura washed over the grovyle, and Grace smiled.
"Well... now that the fighting is over, maybe I can help give Moltres a taste of what real healing feels like?" suggested the togetic, looking to her teammates for permission.
Though, she did grin at Dave and eagerly clap for him. Back home, evolutions were usually something to celebrate among her team!
Mhynt frowned at Grace's suggestion, but didn't comment on it for now. She instead turned her attention to Moltres. "From what we've seen in your vision, your old Saint was assassinated. Poisoning, slowly, to be specific. If there is anyone to exact your vengeance on, they're all long dead."
Her arms crossed.
"But in some ways, they got quite the victory over you that carries across the generations. You became the very monster they wanted to paint you as."
But she knew what that stance would be like for Moltres. She had to face that reality. However...
"But that doesn't mean it's impossible to change. In fact, for your survival, you must change."
Was Grace clapping? Dave raised an eyebrow. Hadn't half the team already fucking evolved?
He glanced at Odette. Yeah, she'd somehow duplicated Moltres's fire, hadn't she. As a Mawile. Those weren't supposed to be able to use fire, were they? But then again, Grovyle weren't supposed to fucking teleport. Forlas was goddamn weird. Hadn't she also said something about knowing Wrathful legendaries? What the fuck was her story?
Her tone immediately sobered at the now-mightyena's following question and Mhynt's explanation. "There's a difference?" she asked. After all this time, she still hadn't realised why the Dawn passed in the way he did, why his health only kept deteriorating despite all treatments (in all likelihood, this was where the oren berries factored in). She looked like she wanted to say more but she held her tongue out of the past fears that the Wayfarers saw within the visions.
He turned back to Moltres. "Yeah. Yeah, I work at Greenbough's Empirical Orchards. There are these weird, obscure dungeon plants with berries and seeds that look like some of the useful ones people have cultivated, probably evolutionary relatives with some key mutations, but are actually toxic. I guess someone thought it was funny to make their names similar." He rolled his eyes. "Reviser Seeds look like Revivers, and sort of revive you, but then cause uncontrollable laughter that just makes you faint again. Oren Berries look like Oran Berries but are mildy poisonous. Shit like that. Greenbough's been cultivating some of these for research on possible uses."
Moltres looked down towards the ground for a moment, "I see," she replied. She stood herself up and folded her wings to her sides. The Saint's attention then turned to Mhynt, regarding the grovyle carefully, the implication that she was still chained by the actions of the nobles from so very long ago seemed to strike a sensitive chord.
"I just wanted people to know," she mumbled like an accosted teenager. "So they wouldn't end up like me. It's just hard to make people listen."
"Civilizations don't listen to monsters, Moltres," Mhynt chided, though now that Moltres herself seemed to be more vulnerable, Mhynt, too, eased up on her tone. Instead, she crossed her arms in thought.
"I understand the fantasy of being strong enough to change societies with a single bellow. I dreamed of that sort of thing for a very long time. But as much as you think it's easy to lay waste to their creations..." She gestured to the ruined tower. "It's not so easy to change their spirits. Especially when civilizations have already spent eons, even before you were born, hardening themselves to nature's wrath.
"You are nothing to that history. And you, as a single-bodied, fallible entity, defeated by a bunch of offworlders who hardly know about this world beyond the desert... You cannot emulate that kind of wrath. If you want people to listen... you'd have a better chance working with them than against them. And I know they betrayed you before... but as hard as it is to change them by force, time changes spirits readily. That old generation is long gone. A new one is in its place. Society has advanced against all odds.
"Have you ever thought to see, from the lens not based in antagonizing them, what that new world is like? Or is the past so embedded in your shadow"--She looked at where her blade remained--"that you are the one who can't move on?"
"I mean, yeah, it's going to be hard to get people to listen to you if you're communicating exclusively by tearing down their stuff." Dave raised an eyebrow. "If you want to warn people against letting others waltz all over them, then fucking tell them that and explain why, don't just do the waltzing yourself and then cross your fingers that they get the picture."
He exhaled through his nose. Moltres looked way fucking smaller now that he wasn't stuck in a body the size of her goddamn talon.
"So these shithead nobles still have the relic of the old guy? The other Moltres? Where are they now?"
Moltres tapped her foot thoughtfully though she had to frown at Mhynt's words slightly. "It's not the society I care about, it's the people. Those hardened spirits are what I want to see because that means they can face down whatever hardship is thrown at them." Still, it was clear that she had conceded to the core of what they were saying.
"I guess," she huffed, "but it's hard to talk to them," she then admitted with a murmur. "It's not in a Saint's business to, not without making a show, at least."
"Suppose that's why you found yerself taking a liking this place," boomed a voice, Anite's voice, from behind the group. The old aggron lumbered towards the Saint and Wayfarers, though her gaze remained firmly on Moltres. "Not many folks spare us more than a passing glance least of all a Saint, so tell me girl, what did you find?"
Moltres paused, finding the ability to answer difficult, before a small, "What I was looking for." She raised her head to acknowledge Dave's question. "Buried under ash," she answered. "The Dawn's Relic has been lost and no one has been able to find it."
