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Obstinea Mountains Obstine Abbey

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Silver stared hard at Master Gandu, doing all he could to maintain his carefully held grimace and not flinch under his wrathful glare, almost as if in an unspoken staring contest. But despite his composure and sheer determination, he couldn’t stop some tiny drops of sweat from rolling on the back of his head. Thankfully, his silver mantle was so clear that they couldn’t be seen under his thick fur.

Wow. If looks could kill, he’d probably be the most successful serial killer in all of Forlas…

“…Oh. Thanks for the info, sir. It’s very much appreciated,” he murmured after spending far too many careful seconds thinking of ways to not accidentally unleash hell on earth. “I… know I’m gonna get some little food and a long rest, so I’ll head for the guest hall as well.”

He glanced at the others, internally sighing in relief at finding an excuse to not keep staring at the ghastly Primeape. “Anyone else?”
 
Gandu nodded again. "Okay. Have a good time, kids."

He lumbered away, each footstep a blow against the earth, eyes smouldering with ancient fury.

Shira grinned as she watched for the party's reactions. "Master Gandu's an Annihilape. He can't help looking mad. He's a really good guy, and he's always looked after me." She glanced at the Wayfarers who'd asked about her parents or 'people'. "Since my mother left me with the monks."

Her eyes narrowed, as if she was ready to challenge anyone who said something disparaging.

"I'm glad you had someone like him to raise you," tried Laura, her heart still thumping from meeting the ghostly monk's eyes.

"Yeah! Yeah, me too. Anyway, make yourselves comfortable and everything. I'll let Master Akela know you're here if I see her."

"Master Akela?" asked Laura, too late. The young Charmeleon was already dashing off. Maybe the girl didn't feel fatigue the way everyone else did. With that golden sheen in her eyes, it might literally be the case...
 
Dave looked after the Annihilape, eyebrow raised. Was he trying to sound like that? And the way Shira talked about 'one of the strongest philosophers' sure said some interesting things about what philosophers did around here.

She was gone before he could question her about the getting left with the monks thing. But either way, his legs were about to fall off his body. "We can find out who the fuck Master Akela is tomorrow. He said there's free food and beds that way." He inclined his head towards the tall building. "Who's up for some dinner and sleep?"

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Ch06: Light Sparring [Shira & Koa]
  • Threadmarks
    • Not too long after defeating Zapdos...

    A rush of awe and wonder filled Koa as he approached the Abbey and took in the view. The sight of the Gyrados in particular caught his eye. So this was Obstine Abbey. Between what the team had said and the rumors, and it certainly lived up to the descriptions. He almost regretted not coming sooner, but he felt glad to have come at all.

    It would have been nice to be visiting under better circumstances. Still, he figured he could spare a few days here. Cipher was mostly dealt with for now and Alex was hiding. It seemed like as good a time as any to learn more about Radiance. And research more about Saints,considering his recent and rather unpleasant encounter. The memory of the power he'd managed to channel still lingered in his mind.

    As he gazed around, studying the area, he started up the path. Maybe he could find one of the monks to show him around...
     
  • Threadmarks
    • As Koa drew near to the Abbey grounds proper, a slender young Charmeleon descended on him from higher ground, falling to the earth with the claws of one hand scraping down the sheer mountainside. Many deep marks indicated this was the girl's normal MO...

    "Ah, ho there!" she cried. "You are a stranger to the Abbey! Who are you, stranger, and what are your intentions to my home?"

    A deep, granite-gravel voice boomed from further up the way, some place in the monastery's inhabited space.

    "Don't give the poor boy a hard time, Shira!" commanded a distant Annihilape.

    Shira looked chagrined.

    "Um. Sorry. I'm Shira, and I'm the protector of the Abbey. So, uh. Friend or foe?"
     
    That was one way to make an entrance. He glanced at the cliffs Shira had descended from, impressed. Man, he kind of missed having arms... Would have been nice to turn into a Riolu or something.

    "Friend," Koa answered amicably. "Koamaru. I'm part of the group that visited here before, the Wayfarers. Are you the guard here?" he asked curiously.
     
    Shira's eyes widened. "Oh, one of them? Well... Alright then. I can let you in!"

    The Charmeleon bowed lightly, and beckoned for Koa to follow her into the grounds.

    "I'm not really a guard, but someone has to watch the trails for strangers who might do us harm, and protect us from ill," explained Shira, with a determined expression. "So I make sure to stop everyone who gets near and see for myself if they're any danger."

    Across a gulf and past some cliffside paths, a gyarados gave a lift to an elderly monk in white robes. Elsewhere, that Annihilape from earlier casually hefted a boulder and launched it a good thirty or forty yards over the precipice. Between residents like this, and Master Akela's ability to wield Radiance, it was unclear that the monastery needed Shira's protection all that badly...
     
    "Sick!" Koa said eagerly as he followed her. He watched as a strange looking Primape-like pokemon effortlessly tossed a boulder. Was that more Radiance at work? Could he learn to do that? His gaze lingered on the pokemon for a few moments before he turned his attention back to Shira.

    "You must be a good fighter then." There was light friendly challenge to his tone as he met Shira's eyes. "How long have you been training at the monastery?" He'd heard enough to know the monastery had some skilled fighters. If he stayed here a few days maybe he could learn a lot.
     
    Shira's reptile snout quivered between embarrassment and pride.

    "Well, uh, I've kinda been training here my whole life? I came to the Abbey as an infant. So... about three-score seasons?"

    In other words, about fifteen years. Assuming she didn't start training as a literal baby, she was in her mid-late teens, then.

    "I am a good fighter," she added, with an insistent, defensive tone. "A lot of the monks here perform martial arts, but not many are real fighters. That's why I have to take it so seriously. Barely anyone can really fight, and barely anyone can use Radiance much, and only me and Master Akela can do both."

    She paused, looking chagrined.

    "Well, apart from the Saints, of course. But that's different."
     
    Koa's eyes lit up and he grinned. "Oh yeah? You know us Wayfarers picked up Radiance too. So maybe you can show me the ropes." Radiance felt good to use. Right. If he could learn more then people like Alex wouldn't be a problem.Although the mention of Saints soured his excitement ever so slightly as he remembered Zapdos.

    Maybe the monks could show him a thing or two about martial arts. The thought brought a pang of homesickness as he remembered training with Kitto and Scrapper. He loved the times he could spar with the other wayfarers but that was different.

    "I couldn't do as much back home but I've been training a lot while I've been here." He held up a paw and flexed it. The whole idea of being able to learn Mach Punch here still fascinated him. "Do you practice martial arts too?"
     
    Shira perked up and looked back at Koa with intense interest at the reveal that the Wayfarers had access to Radiance. Then she grinned, and punched the air a couple times. Her form looked good, and her arms strong.

    "Yeah! We all study the martial arts to some extent, but I'm really dedicated. I can pull off a pretty good Focus Blast, even! I could totally show you, or I can teach you stuff about Radiance if you want!"

    So, the lizard girl had gone from theatrical distrust to overly-enthusiastic friendship-making within the span of a minute. One might think her naive, or eccentric, or both... Still, her earnestness could hardly be more genuine.

    She glanced over from the courtyard they stood in over to a building further up the slopes.

    "The dojo ought to be free this time of day. We could go now!"

    She caught herself, and bowed lightly, one fist held in her other palm.

    "Unless you would prefer to eat and rest from your travels, Koamaru? Or to, uh, meet the masters of the Abbey. Usually people want to talk to Master Akela..."
     
    Koa bounced on his paws a little, a rush of excitement and determination flowing through him. Any of his tiredness slipped away at her offer and a smirk tugged at his jaws. Akela and the others in the abbey could wait. "Let's go now," he declared, without hesitation.

    His interest surged as he considered her words. Focus Blast... "You know, I can use Mach Punch. And Thunder Punch," he added as he paused to punch at the air, remembering the form Kitto had taught him so long ago. It'd taken a little while to get it to feel right in this body, but now it felt natural, and easy as ever.

    "Moves seem to work different than my world, and we don't really have anything like Radiance though, so this is all new. Is Focus Blast a usual technique for Charmeleon here?" He asked curiously. Maybe he could pick up some new techniques here...
     
    Shira shrugged. "I don't know! I think a lot of pokémon can learn Focus Blast? I'm usually better at energy-projection than physical forms, so I like it more than, uh, Brick Break. You are more of a physical fighter, then?"

    The Charmeleon half-jogged, half-bounded to the Abbey's dojo, Koa in tow. There was a skip in her step. Excited about a sparring match, or excited to have someone to befriend? It could have been either one.

    The dojo was minimalist in design, with pillars to support it on either side, and a floor of wood that gleamed subtly in the way that elementally-proofed surfaces did when dutifully polished.

    "I mopped the dojo floors this morning," said Shira, with no small amount of pride.

    She skipped and spun to stand on the far side of the floorspace, facing Koa.

    "Show me how you use Radiance!" she shouted, in a firmer tone than before. Not the puffed-up voice she used on her first appearance, but a more natural, confident instructor's bark. "I want to see what you know!"

    Her eyes were already sparkling with golden light.
     
    "Yeah! My friend back home taught me a little bit of martial arts. Guess it rubbed off on me." Though there was a few times he felt oddly compelled to switch to distance attacks... maybe it was a species thing. Pushing aside the stray thought, he hurriedly followed her to the training grounds.

    Koa's heart began to race as he faced Shira, falling into a battle stance like second nature. It'd been a little since he'd had to draw on Radiance for a proper match. Zapdos had been all electricity... Drawing a breath, he let his thoughts travel back to right befoe the Cipher raid, when Luz had first passed on that wonderful light.

    How strong it made him feel, how determined. No doubt or fear, just the knowledge of how much he could help. He felt a faint spark flicker to life, and seized it. Then he focused it, letting that energy gather around his paws.

    "How's this!" He darted in close to Shira, paws shining. A feint then strike with a series of swift jabs in a simple but well practiced opening combo.
    Koa used Radiant Mach Punch!
    Click to expand...
    Test your opponent. Gauge their strengths and weaknesses. That had been what Kitto said, and this seemed the perfect time to practice that. How fast was her reaction, and how good was she?
     
    Shira pumped a fist. "That's good. Martial arts aren't just for Fighting 'mon. Anyone can do it, even quadrupeds! Like you!"

    The Charmeleon clearly meant no offense. It didn't even occur to her that she might have said something awkward. In Koa, she simply saw a fellow punching enthusiast with an elemental handicap.

    Koa dashed towards her with Radiant paws, and landed a few firm blows on Shira's torso. Light coruscaded off her scales, her own Radiance softening the force of it. Her eyes shone with delight, and no small amount of elemental gold.

    "That's pristine," she said, with the hushed awe of an eager adolescent. "You're some shining, Koamaru! I like that you don't land soft. Everyone always lands so soft and then looks mopey when I beat them."

    Shira grinned, her mouth parting as she drew breath. Her stance was odd – her balled fists suggested physical strikes, but her tall posture and composure all said 'magic'. She seemed to draw in light as well as air for a moment, and then...

    Radiant Flamethrower!

    Flames the colour of the sun erupted from her jaws.
     
    "The only good way to fight is to give it everything you got, right until the end," he countered, the fire of combat shining in his eyes. Her enthusiam for good martial arts was contagious and refreshing. Kitto probably would have loved to spar with her. Scrapper too.

    He tensed as he saw her preparing an attack. He'd half expected something like Fire Punch or Focus Punch, but instead she opted for a ranged attack. More balanced fighter then, perhaps? Or at least skilled enough not to only have one specialty. Drawing electricity into his body, he let it surge through his legs, lending him a brief burst of speed.

    Heat singed his pelt as he sidestepped. She definitely had the strength to back up her talk. He retaliated with a rapid combo - Flash then a powerful, Radiant Thunder Wave to stun. A combo he could easily follow with another strike if it gave him an opening.
     
    Shira blinked and yelped, then stepped back, her arms shielding her eyes and a translucent barrier shielding her body. As Koa went in for another strike, the Charmeleon went low, and spun in place – a defensive martial arts technique, punctuated by gouts of flame from her kicking legs and swinging tail.

    An impressive display, but Koa had caught her off guard nonetheless...

    Shira flipped back onto her feet with a shout that came straight from her lungs.

    "I like that!" she cried, her claws poised for an exchange of blows. "What's the joy in fighting with half your heart? Show me your all, Koamaru!"
     
    Koa brought up a paw just in time as her flame coated limbs struck, leaving his fur toasted and arms stinging. The blow sent him skidding back and he grinned as he caught himself. Definitely a cut above.

    No more testing then. He had a decent feel for Shira's capabilities, and this wasn't life or death. He could have some fun, for once. Enjoy the fight. He took a steady breath, letting himself feel the rythym of the battle.

    He let electricity fold around his body, strengthening him. Gathered the light inside him, letting it suffuse his legs and pool in his paws. This time, he wanted to meet her head on. Blow for blow, paw for claw. Heart for heart.

    "I'll show you everything I've got!"

    Koa used RADIANT Ganbatte Soul!
     
    Shira's eyes widened with shock and delight as her hands went up, palms deflecting, blocking, feinting. But this was her on the back foot – she won her fights through magic, not fists. And she couldn't keep it up forever...

    "Yes! This is what I want to see! What I want to do!"

    The Charmeleon's eyes were a brilliant gold, and she moved without thinking, her reflexes as fast as a desert anole scurrying from rock to rock.

    But Koa was fast, too.

    One attack got through, then another – and when Shira tried her defensive fiery twirl another time, Koa would be ready for it.

    Shira's eyes narrowed, and she drew breath for one last plume of golden, solar flame.

    Time seemed to slow...
     
    Everything else fell away as Koa let the light guide him and his instincts take over. Shira was fast, and her claws sang through the air, every move practiced and efficient. For every blow he gave, she met with a block or counter. And for every feint he tried, he'd get caught by one of hers.

    Sparring like this far surpassed anything he could do back home. Back home he would have been thinking about aching muscles and sore fists. Here he felt only the joy of testing himself against a skilled opponent. Of understanding them. A fighter, a magic user, a burning soul filled with relentless determination.

    Little by little, the rhythym shifted. Sped up. He pressed himself harder and his body responded in turn. His shining eyes caught hers. She dropped low again. And he reacted. Dodged around, then darted in close, lightning in his steps, and threw an uppercut right at her jaw.
     
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