Sojaveña Wilds Brisa's Cabin

[Chibi Pika]

Sage blinked at Nova, processing what he’d said.

“The shadows distress other Pokémon, I know this. But, for me, they are familiar. ‘I want to be rid of them,’ is something I should think, but…”

The chimera glanced at Gladion, then lowered their head slightly. “An outlet, maybe…?”

 

[Ambyssin]

But what would happen if they just... removed all those shadows. What had Lovrina done to set this system up?

What if it hurts?

"Maybe... maybe a good first step is finding a way to stop you from constantly producing shadow?" Nova offered. "Maybe an outlet would actually help with that. And then you can keep the shadows you have, but this way it'd be safer for others to be around you for longer stretches of time?"

He leaned over to offer the tip of his crest. "Something like this... even with shadows, I'd trust your instincts on this. It may not be wise to... try and purge them in one fell swoop."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

He shifted, trying and failing to find some stance that would make him feel comfortable.

“There’s no blueprint for how someone in your situation is supposed to feel. You don’t have to be hungering to get rid of them if you don’t want to.”

Truthfully, he hadn’t been expecting to hear Sage say anything like that. He’d been operating off the assumption Sage would want them gone, without even noticing he’d done it. Now it felt like he was trying to course-correct. What was he even supposed to do, just keep coming up with some generic platitudes on the spot? Sage deserved something better than that.

“Of the two, I guess I find shadows more comfortable, too. I’m familiar with what they do to me. Radiance is something I still haven’t figured out. At least as far as what it’ll make me behave like goes… But that’s probably just because I haven’t used it enough. I’ll figure it out.” So will you.

Actually, he shouldn’t leave that to implication. Sage wasn’t used to talking to people. It would be best to speak plainly. “And so will you, I’m certain.”

 

[Jackie Cat]

While the others talked, Laura thought to herself. This stuff was hard at the best of times, given how difficult Deep Meaningful Conversations were in the first place, which the exotic types seemingly only made harder. The communication barrier with Sage was rough, too – the poor 'mon probably hadn't had an avenue for proper self-expression ever...

They'd said 'familiar'...

"You don't have to give up your Shadow," she added, at last. "It's part of who you are, right? I think a lot of us are kinda scared of Shadow because we're uncomfortable with our own, and because it makes so many 'mon lash out, but for you... Shadow helped you cope with the situation you were in, I guess. So, maybe try feeling out your Radiance without it having anything to do with your Shadow...?"

She hugged herself, and wondered if she should experiment with her own in the same way...

This isn't about you. You're not important here. Not necessary. Not the one with all the answers like you want to be.


She flinched, and shook her head clear.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Sage listened as the others spoke. "Feeling out my Radiance, that is..."

It was easy to see the conflict simmering behind the chimera's mask--the conflict between suppressing feelings and sensation, retreating into a comforting void, versus feeling a rush of heightened emotion in a deluge of sensation. Almost like Sage's experience with holding steady, restrained emotions via Shadow was exactly what made the Radiance difficult to understand.

"For me, Radiance is... wanting," Sage said after a long while, their words louder now, almost as if they were in the process of deciphering the answer as they spoke.

"Wanting to feel things. To feel freely. And to have control."

Beads of light drifted from the holes in their helmet, brightening with each word. The chimera glanced between Nova, Gladion, and Laura, the movement unusually quick, unusually firm.

"And wanting to help. You all, who have helped me, I want to help."

Their eyes glowed golden, brighter still, until Sage suddenly screwed their eyes shut and took a step back, shaking their head as their talons clawed at the dirt.

"'Hold the flame steady,' is what the Wandering Light said, but I think..." The Graydian jerked their head upward, making eye contact with the others as thin spiderwebs of light crept across the surface of the ceramic mask. "It wants to be free."

A thrumming energy was building. The message in Sage's eyes was clear: get to safety.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura's tail bristled with alarm, but only for a moment. This could be a breakthrough. A really, really good thing. Okay.

"Then let it free, Sage!" she shouted, breathlessly.

She backed away, feeling a shiver of anticipation down her neck, and the familiar buzz of Radiance beneath her skin.

 

[Ambyssin]

Oh sh—

Instincts took hold, with Nova shuffling back. A brilliant King's Shield materialized in front of him, just in case this was going to be an Explosion.

"Don't worry about me," he said. "Let 'er rip!"

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion staggered back, pulling up a protect. Had they seen a Wayfarer go past their limits yet? He was pretty sure they hadn’t, so this would probably be a first. That was bad. That was probably bad, at least. (They just had to trust Luz. Trust Luz hadn’t made an obvious mistake.)

“Uhh, okay,” he said, trying not to sound panicked. “We can work with this.”

How long did they have, a second? A split second? He glanced between the two Meowth to make a snap judgement on if they looked like they were on top of this, on if he had to pull either of them into his protection.

 

[Chibi Pika]

The low hum grew steadily louder, as light spilled out across the surface of the mask, bit by bit, as if it were shining through the ceramic. Sage caught sight of Nova's shimmering shield, and their stance relaxed noticeably, tail wagging ever so slightly in that way that Nova's sometimes did. Nothing to worry about. Their body language had shifted, no longer so tightly restrained. Talons stamped the earth, and Sage held their head high as the light consumed them.

"I want to feel!"

And with that, the mask shattered, pieces clinking off Nova's shield and streams of light spilling out around the chimera's head. almost like liquid. Liquid gold dripping down their plumage and pooling around their legs, beading up like oil on the dusty earth.

The chimera stood there, violet plumage flecked with gold, rustling in the breeze. Their crest fanned out tall for the first time in what had to be forever—long, iridescent plumes, glowing gold.

 

[Ambyssin]

The result was much more... impactful than what Nova recalled happening. Bits of stone — or ceramic or whatever the fuck these things were made of — plinking off his King's Shield. It withered away in time for bits of golden light to reflect off Nova's rusted beak. He stared at the mixture of golden light and violet feathers, blinking curiously. It was almost like...

Nah. He shook his head. This wasn't the time for that.

"Congratulations!" Nova chirped, fish tail wagging. "You look great!"

 

[Shiny Phantump]

In his heart of hearts, Gladion was doubting Luz’s judgement no matter how he tried not to right up until they saw the glow pierce through Sage’s helmet. Once he realized what was happening, well, even if Sage did explode him a bit it’d still be worth it. And he did have a protect, he’d be fine.

He was not entirely unconcerned by the gold oil dripping from Sage’s face. It reminded him of the shadow fluid in the lab or Powehi’s void sea, but for radiance instead. But it wasn’t the time for that, it was a petty concern next to what had just happened.

An easy smile crossed his face. “Its nice, isn’t it? Feeling the wind through your feathers for the first time?”

 

[Chibi Pika]

Sage glanced from Nova to Gladion to Laura, their face fully visible for the first time. The chimera's expression was fairly neutral--they probably hadn't had much experience with visibly emoting at all, not when their face had been hidden for so long--but their eyes told a different story, glimmering with a rush of emotions. Excitement, pride, gratitude... and yet, a flicker of trepidation as they caught sight of the molten gold pooling around them,.

"Mask was... holding it in," Sage said, lowering their head and pawing at the machinery embedded into their face.

Nova, Gladion, and Laura gained 5 Rad.

"Need to... control it. Want that, want that."

Sage focused.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Okay. Gold oil was gonna be a problem right now, then! Great. What was causing this other than just being an ARK Unit? This had never happened to Nova or himself.

Maybe this wasn’t a Silvally evolution. Maybe the helmet just… broke. If so, then that could be bad. Stabilizing Sage at that point would be like trying to stitch a parachute on the way down. (They’d all done harder, in Forlas. They just had to stick the landing. Couldn’t afford to mess this up.)

“Hey, it’s alright,” he said, speaking in the same soft tone he’d used for Hazel when she was worried. “If you can focus, that helps control it. What’re five things you can see, right now.”

It felt odd to say that here. He associated that truck with, well, kid problems. But it’s not like that was all it was for. Lillie probably still used it.

 

[Ambyssin]

Ah. Well then. There was a small spark of radiant energy heading into Nova. It seemed that, perhaps, whatever Lovrina had done to Sage was mixing with the radiance that Luz gave them.

Nova was the "perfect" unit. One who hadn't had problems as a type: full. This kind of stuff was new to him, wasn't it? And besides, Gladion was giving directions... and too many directions could be conflicting anyway.

In the back of his mind, though, he envisioned a similar gold to what was flowing from Sage. Small and twinkling. Eight points. A star.

"Breathe," a soft voice told him. "The shadows want to seize on your panic. You have to stay calm and breathe."

Nova still imagined extra verbal instructions would just confuse Sage. So he squared up his stance, held up his head, and shut his turquoise eyes. Slowly, Nova drew in a breath through his beak. He held it, then let it out.

His eyes were closed, so he had no idea what, if anything, this would do for Sage. But it was worth a shot, right?

 

[Jackie Cat]

"I want to feel!"

And with that, the mask shattered, pieces clinking off Nova's shield and streams of light spilling out around the chimera's head. almost like liquid. Liquid gold dripping down their plumage and pooling around their legs, beading up like oil on the dusty earth.

The chimera stood there, violet plumage flecked with gold, rustling in the breeze. Their crest fanned out tall for the first time in what had to be forever—long, iridescent plumes, glowing gold.

"Need to... control it. Want that, want that."

Laura marvelled at the evolution of the third Silvally on Forlas. Beautiful. And she was witness to it. Part of it, in her small way.

Her breathing kept steady, her heart thumped her sternum in a constant rhythm. No panic. Just conviction.

"You can," she whispered. Then, louder, "You can control it, you can feel! How does it feel, Sage?"

Something clicked inside her, and for a moment her lungs seemed to hold the sky inside them.

Soul's Conviction! +Mag/Res for Laura & Sage!

 

[Chibi Pika]

Slowly, Nova drew in a breath through his beak. He held it, then let it out. His eyes were closed, so he had no idea what, if anything, this would do for Sage. But it was worth a shot, right?

“Hey, it’s alright. If you can focus, that helps control it. What’re five things you can see, right now.”

"You can," she whispered. Then, louder, "You can control it, you can feel! How does it feel, Sage?"

Sage's hurried breaths slowed until they were breathing in unison with Nova. In... out. In... out.

An ear flicked toward Gladion. Sage lifted their head to look around slowly, considering. The rivers of gold trailing down their plumage had lessened, just a slow trickle.

"The lavender plants. The cabin." A long pause, a slow inhale, and then: "Three friends." That was five.

The golden pools on the ground, no longer fed by anything, slowly evaporated into a fine mist. In the absence of the overflowing Radiance, a deep blackish-violet haze bubbled out from the chimera's machinery instead, but then--

"No. Not now. Not--"

Sage shook their head roughly, eyes screwed shut. Their crest flickered erratically between violet and gold, as if each energy's dampening was the other one rising to the forefront.

"Control..."

Until finally, the crest faded to white, and stayed.

 

[Ambyssin]

Nova watched for those tense moments until the flecks of shadow and radiance gave way to white.

Right. Gladion's glowing feathers naturally had that color, too. Nova's base turquoise was... odd. Perhaps Betel had sensed the difference and replicated it with his Forlas body?

Not that any of it really mattered. Nova approached the other chimera, leaning over to offer the golden tip of his crest.

"Knew you had it in you," he whispered.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Relief washed over Gladion as Sage stabilized. Three friends, they’d said. That was really sweet. Maybe he’d just been silly to worry about Sage breaking the helmet early. They’d just made friends more quickly than he or Nova had. (Really, Sage was his third friend in concrete terms.)

“You got it! How’re you feeling now?”

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura's paw went to her chest, and she pursed her mouth. Three friends. They were, really, weren't they? This was how kids made friends in their early days, right? Elementary school shit. Sage was a young, new mind, with no frame of reference for anything. They all needed to be their friends.

"Well done," she said, softly. "Looks like you can handle it. So, that's what your voice sounds like without any extra bass or reverb, huh?"

 

[Chibi Pika]

Sage blinked a few times, as if processing that they'd managed to hold both shadows and light at bay for now. The chimera's posture was still tightly focused, and it would probably take a while for them to keep hold of the energies without a tight focus... but for now, all was calm as they reached out to tap their crest against Nova's.

"Feeling... relief," Sage said, reaching an arm up to run their talons through the flattened feathers around their neck, where the mask had been. "'I might remove this,' was not something I had thought before..." They glanced between Nova and Gladion, and the implication was clear. Before meeting you.

The Graydian's voice, no longer filtered through mask or shadow or light, was soft, like a breeze through desert flowers.