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Frontier Town Main Street

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Grace felt a little conflicted by that sometimes as well. There'd been times when she'd doubted if she was doing enough for this world, and her teammates. But... she couldn't be everywhere at once, right? She could trust the others to cover what she couldn't, right...?

The togetic sighed.

"Well... there's a lot of us here," Grace tried to reason, as her eyes glanced around for anyone that might be trying to listen in. Maybe they should have gone somewhere quieter. "If we were all doing the same thing, wouldn't it be weird if, like twenty of us walked into the Coven just to say hi? Wouldn't it be risky if we all walked into the Quarry and a a bunch of us get Shadowed, or something?"

She tapped her paws together as she slowly rose from the ground. "Besides... saving Owen-- or any Wayfarer or person under control of someone like Alexander should be rescued, right? Wouldn't you rather personally make sure he's safe, or would you leave it to us, if you could?"
 
"...I... suppose that's true," Mhynt conceded. "I just can't shake the feeling that it's... distracted me from being at my best. I'd obsessed so much over this..." Not to mention how much Alexander's presence had gotten in her head. Why did it have to be him...

"I should just focus. If we're lucky, maybe it can all be over in two days..."
 
"There's a lot going on, and sometimes I feel overwhelmed," Grace admitted, looking a little guilty. "I've never seen hughmons, much less ones that have turned into Pokemon. We... don't have Shadows or Radiance, o-or void shadows or someone like Alexander. And... Alexander and Owen are both people you personally know, right? Like... of course you're obsessed with rescuing Owen. You know what Alexander can do, and it seems like you recognise Owen, too."

She paused for a moment, reaching out to gently place a paw on Mhynt's arm. The togetic gave her a gentle smile, and it betrayed a little of her own tiredness.

"I reckon you'll be at peace once you've seen for yourself that Owen is safe and himself again. Once you can both relax... I bet you'll be able to focus on something else after. I know I will."
 
"Thank you," Mhynt said, rubbing her cheek in thought. The words registered as words, but it was hard for Mhynt to internalize the feelings after just one conversation.

"...Your... healing. It's very strong, isn't it? I saw it defy even Alexander's blight. Do you have that kind of talent where you're from, too?"
 
Grace chuckled and shifted her arm, using her paw to channel some of that familiar life dew. The little blue sphere shimmered as she watched it for a moment, then quickly dispelled it. "In my home village, my family worked as healers. Helping the sick and injured, and so I trained hard to be as good as I am with it! I'm also the one that takes care of everyone in my exploration team after battles-- sometimes they'll forget to pack some berries, or they push themselves a little too hard, and I'm always happy to make them healthy again!" she explained, smiling wider as she talked about something she was happy to share.

"I've also been training here and practicing my techniques with Radiance, especially after I found that it seemed to help calm down anyone that was lightly corrupted by Shadows. But... um, it didn't quite work on Owen last time... and I don't know how well it'll go now that he's..." she trailed off, her smile suddenly fading. "I just hope my training pays off."
 
"It might be the environment, or that we couldn't take him down last time," Mhynt said. "Maybe we need to weak him more... or find a way to break Alexander's control. Get him out of there for longer..." She sighed. "I just don't know if... we would have to kill him to free him. I'm not ruling it out. But... I don't like what that would mean for us. That we can't overcome that darkness..."
 
"Overcoming that darkness... I really think its something we have to do," she replied, looking thoughtful. "What if... someone worse than Alexander comes along? The team needs to know how to combat that stuff... um... hopefully without killing each other. I don't really want it to come to that if possible..."
 
"It's hard to imagine someone worse than him. Perhaps simply. him with more power." Mhynt grunted at that, then stood straighter. "I hope you're right. I hope Nova and the others have found a key to getting Owen free of that blight. Otherwise..." She sighed. "Otherwise, if he is too far gone... I will shoulder the burden of the final blow. I've been ready for it, if it means freeing him from Alexander."
 
It was grim.

Grace didn't really want to consider putting anyone out of their misery, but as a healer, she knew not everything could be cured... yet it wasn't something she liked thinking about. "You won't be shouldering it alone," Grace said softly. "It'll be something we'll all decide on. Even if you deal the final blow, we'll all be making the decision to take out Owen if it comes to it. I'll be right there with you if that's the call we have to make."

But she had to believe. "But... let's work to purify him before we resort to that. I don't want anyone to die if we can help it."
 
She nodded, still holding her arm as if she'd draw her blade at any moment.

"...I'm going to get some rest. Then I'll make preparations for everyone's supplies for the Quarry. Hopefully we have a good team mobilized for what's to come. I'll want you there, too. Your healing has been... strong against that Radiance. But try not to draw their attention too much."
 
"I'll do my best Mhynt," Grace nodded firmly. She looked determined, and her will was strong. She wasn't going to let some spooky, shadowy charizard get the best of her!

...Right?

"I want to save everyone that's corrupted and fighting the Shadows," she vowed. "I'm struggling with curing Radiance, though... but that's for later. Let's save Owen, and get you to relax as well. You're too tense, and I think you'd look better with a genuine smile on your face. I'm gonna do some last bits of training, now that everything else is ready. We've got this!"

Grace wished Mhynt well, and set off for her own final preparations. She had extra motivation, now, and she hoped things would go perfectly.

Nobody was going to die.

<><><>​
 
[Ch07] Nova & Dayle ~ Crazy Begets Crazy
  • Threadmarks
    • Nova hadn't actually expected to convince Dayle to drop out. But Forlas had already shown him stranger, so he wasn't exactly phased with the outcome. And strange was precisely what Nova would have to tap into if he was going to figure out just how the heck Dayle actually resisted Alexander's creepy shadow control stuff.

    If Dayle could buy the psychic war spreading beyond the frontier, then maybe he'd buy Alexander being one of the secret psychic generals. After all, a dark-type controlling a bunch of psychics made perfect sense!

    ... Okay, it made less-than-perfect sense. But it was the perfect sort of newspaper clipping board logic to go with.

    So, Nova headed down main street. He'd slipped his Fighting Memory in. As if being a fighting-type could, maybe, somehow let him resonate with Dayle.

    He had no idea, but since he'd slotted in the disk he'd had a constant urge to go work out. Today was leg day, after all.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • The Machoke in question was just down the road, packing up what appeared to be canvas signs and other banners for his run. Though there was a determined look in his eyes regardless, suggesting anything but defeat in his countenance...

    He spotted Nova and gave him a dutiful nod.
     
    "Hey. Glad I found you," Nova said, before blinking a few times. "Again."

    He had to properly get into crazy character. Nova looked around the street wearily. "Anyone been around you? Watching you packing things up? Cuz the stuff I've got is... big."
     
    "Big?" Dayle looked left and right with keen eyes. "Don't think I've been watched, nope. Been keepin' a reeeal keen eye on things." He did several karate chops in the air. "Nobody's gonna sneak up on me! It's safe for now..."
     
    "Good." Nova sighed in relief. "That's good." He kept looking around before he hunched over and continued speaking in a low voice.

    "Some other Wayfarers and I have figured out one of the psychics' leaders." Nova had to choose his next words carefully. "A hydreigon named Alexander." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I know he's not psychic-type, but he's controlling minds. He even got a couple of Wayfarers before we freed them from his control."

    He shook his head. "But Alexander's risen up the psychic ranks... and now he's poised to try and control the whole world and turn it into his kingdom of obedient slaves." Nova got a bit of a frenzied look in his eyes to try and sell it further.

    "That's where you come in." Nova hunched a bit lower. "I heard you've met this guy before. When he was a zweilous. He tried to go after your mind, but you resisted it." He gave the machoke an earnest look. "How'd you do it?"
     
    Dayle shuddered at first. "Alexander. The Zweilous. It's always the ones ya least expect..."

    He bought it easily. Nova's deception was perfect--or Dayle was simply gullible toward any friends.

    "Yeah. I remember it, remember tellin' the story to yer minty-fresh friend. But she couldn't understand, no, it was too complicated. Can't blame 'er. Only the top percent o' the top percent can understand something this deep..." Dayle rubbed his chin, humming. "I remember it easily. The shadows crept over me like dark tendrils in my vision. He was crawling over my brain, I felt it, his dark mind invadin' mine, tryin' to find a weak spot. He used my paranoia against me! So I punched my paranoia back. I said, no! My fear's my own, and it ain't yours!"

    He punched the air only a foot away from Nova. He felt the shockwave--suddenly, Nova was keenly aware that Dayle was alarmingly strong.

    "Punched 'im in the face, I did. Well, two faces. Two-faced Zweilous. Makes sense, not to discriminate." He held his hands up like he'd been warned of this before. "But that Zweilous really fit the bill. He clawed me real good after that, but I refuuused. Every bit of darkness, I balled it up and focused it down into the corner o' my mind, kept it that way all the way to the bar. Gerome would know how to get rid of it, I knew he would! 'nstead, saw some weird yellow cat with electricity all over. I told her, you in the Psychics' grasp, too? Who are you?! I warned her the world was in danger, that she should be careful. Then she punched me in the face!"

    He pointed at what appeared to be a still-fading bruise on his cheek. There were faint hints of electric crackle scars on the edges... and telltale signs of linear Radiant splash marks as well.

    "While I was recoverin' myself, I thought about Gerome, makin' real sure the darkness wouldn't get 'im from my thoughts. An' y'know what, that was all I needed. Poof! Gone! All I needed was to lay down and think, even if that electric cat forced me down..."
     
    "Cat with electricity, huh?" Nova nodded in understanding. "Sounds like the Wandering Light. Gerome's bar's practically named after her, I reckon."

    He tapped a claw on the ground. "Sounds like your mind's really fortified. How did you get it so tough? And... why was Gerome the thought that anchored you?"
     
    "Cuz he's one of my rocks in this strange, strange world," Dayle replied plainly, staring at Nova with utmost seriousness. "Ever since I met him, my trainin's gotten easier, my body's gotten tougher... Clear as day, that Tyranitar's a good omen."
     
    "I see, I see." Nova nodded while his mental gears turned. He was not about to out Gerome's true nature to Dayle.

    But wait... then why was Alexander able to get to Koa and Archie? They were both humans. Wouldn't they have had the same innate resistance? Obviously not. Was Nova missing something.

    "D'ya think Gerome might be lucky?" Nova whispered. "I've heard tales of... people who can wield luck. Like it's an element or a type or something."
     
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