Magna City Shining Congress – Main Lobby

[Namohysip]

"We're here to investigate. There was a sudden alarm from one of your companions," Mhynt said. "Let us through--there's nothing to secure for us! You're facing the 'wrong way' here!"

"Something tells me he's under some kind of spell," Owen said. "But we can't waste our time against someone like this...!"

Thoughts to the others, Mhynt said, I wouldn't mind directly interfering with whatever is inside. Can we make some kind of diversion and some of us get inside?

Zena coiled and uncoiled, trying to get a feel for this person's temperament.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

"Articuno!" Gladion shouted out over Sam's head, "You said you had this under control!"

But there was no point arguing, was there? At least, not by bemoaning that they weren't supposed to be acting like this. From his experience with corruption, Articuno probably felt like they were in control. It was manipulative like that, shaping your thoughts and feelings in ways that still felt like you and how you really wanted to act.

...Did Articuno really want to rip into the Shining Congress when their inhibitions were down? That was honestly not terribly objectionable to him, but these thoughts were probably counterproductive when corruption was eating away at people he cared about. It'd be best to knock some sense into them either way.

He locked eyes with Sam. Smaller problems first. "You're not securing shit." (In times like these, he really wished he still had knuckles to crack.) "So let's get on with the show. I won't do you the disrespect of asking you to stand down."

 

[canisaries]

The explosion nearly made Andre jump out of his skin. Damn cervine instincts. He sighed and centered himself.

"We'd better go," he said to Ben, then galloped towards the building. He kept looking back to make sure Ben was following, which he could tell from the teddi's expression was annoying to him.

The group of Wayfarers hurried towards the Congress building – the nearest wing was the part of the building where the explosion had originated, and as they drew closer, they could see a winged figure looming there...

"...Oh," said Andre.

"What?" said Ben, who'd just caught up.

"I think that's Articuno."

"What? D-do we have to fight them, now?"

"Probably."

"But you all said they were super powerful!"

"So are we," Andre said. "And don't worry. We already fought against them once and won." Though Andre didn't want to go into how that fight had gone for him...

"Sam?" called Laura. "That you? What's going on?"

"I'm... I'm securing this area," muttered the Chesnaught, as if unsure. A dull sort of determination glimmered in her expression. "Stay back."

"Who is this now?" Ben asked.

"A friend," said Andre, "I think. Though maybe not right now. We've got to get to Articuno. But if we have to fight Sam for it, too, that's no good..."

Ben hesitated, then cupped his paws in front of his muzzle. "Ms Chesnaught, ma'am! Please be nice and let us through! We are strong, I'm told!"

Andre cringed. "Well, the bear's got more initiative than me," he mumbled to himself.

 

[Tetra]

Blacklight. Here. That couldn't be good. His heart sank further seeing the winged shape above. No... Articuno? Was Odette right? Had they been wrong to trust the Saint? Or did the Saint lack control?

The Chesnaught barring their path brought his run to a halt, his gaze shifting between the looming winged figure and her. Who...? Gladion's shout answered his unasked question, to his relief. Sam. Right, the Covenant member the others had met.

"Stand down!" Anubis barked. "We are here to help!"

Koa thought Anubis was wasting his words. He instead found himself sizing her up, looking to see if they could get around her or stop her quickly.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Sam shook her head, wincing visibly at whatever was addling her mind.

"No. If you wanna help... You'd better get inside. There's people in there..."

The Chesnaught gestured urgently to the nearest entryway to the Congress proper, pointing with a shaking paw.

"You gotta..."

Here she frowned, caught between impulses.

"Get everyone to... Get out. Away. N-no, help defeat... fend off Lord Articuno...? No, no, that's not right—"

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura glanced towards the Congress, then back to Sam, and past her massive shoulders to the site of the explosion behind her.

"What's going on, Sam?" she asked, sounding plaintive without really meaning to. "Did Articuno bring you here...?"

Sam nodded, still in that defensive stance.

"We have to save the Covenant," she growled. "Even if it means its destruction."

 

[Jackie Cat]

The figure in the rubble became clear as the smoke and glittering energies cleared from the air. Articuno, the talons of one foot sunken into the mahogany desk of Arthur's office.

"Let them go, Arthur!" they demanded, their voice crackling with power. "Your time is over; your work is finished! Release them!"
The bird's gaze radiated forward from their mask in the form of a hazy, shimmering beam of force. Beneath Articuno's raised wings, withering under their blistering glare, Arthur was lying on the floor, one tiny arm pitifully raised to ward off this strange force.

"Wayfarers! I can sense you're there! Help, please, please help me! Lord Articuno has lost their mind!"

"Liar!" screeched the Saint, beating their wings in fury. "Whisperer and manipulator! I will not let you take more puppets!"

This looks bad...! There are many 'mon inside whom the Blacklight energy is spreading to. If they aren't snapped out of it and escorted to safety, the situation could escalate sharply!

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Noooooooooo!!!"

A haunting whinny echoed through the air as Spectrier charged through the wall of Arthur's office, already charging up a massive ball of ghostly energy. The Shadow Ball fired, striking Articuno's breast and knocking the Saint backward, crashing against a bookshelf as tall as the ceiling.

As Articuno regained themselves and psychically rose from the floor, Spectrier took on a defensive stance, standing protectively in front of Arthur with his mane and tail rippling furiously.

 

[canisaries]

"Fuck," Andre said. He glanced between Sam, Articuno and the building before deciding to dash for the nearest entrance.

"I'll help evacuate the others," he shouted over his shoulder. "Take care of Articuno!"

"H-hey! Don't run off like that!" shouted Ben, then looked to the others. "I'll... I'll make sure he behaves." With that, he ran after the deerling.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade's fur stood on end as she watched the battle unfolding inside the destroyed office. Betel's voice echoed in her head. Many 'mon inside... energy is spreading... Andre had already taken off running for the Congress, Ben trailing after him. Had to do something.

She made eye contact with Laura. "We'll make sure the others are safe!" she called out before making a break for the double doors.

"Where are you going!" Virga called out, taking wing and flying after her.

 

[Namohysip]

Mhynt grunted to herself and glanced back at the others. They couldn't speak much to one another in this situation without giving away their full cards...

"This is too messy," she said. "It's out in the open, and we've already publicly associated with Articuno before. If Arthur dies here, I don't know what that will do for the rest of our standing."

"If Arthur dies here," Zena said in their communications, "that might make studying him difficult, and any plans he might have left behind..."

Mhynt brandished her Leaf Blade.

"But at the same time," Owen chimed in for the others to hear telepathically, "it would be really convenient if we could extract Arthur and fake his death so we can question him freely on our turf. If we can subdue Articuno but also make it seem like it wasn't their fault, but a mishap of the Blacklight...!"

"Then we can get everything we want all at once: Arthur in our custody, the horrible experiments exposed, Articuno exonerated, and us taking all the good credit."

"How can we do that?" Owen asked.

"We need to make it hard for witnesses to see Arthur being taken away, and Arthur needs to be hurt to not fight back," Zena surmised.

"Simple. We fight Articuno. We try to sneak Arthur away at the height of the chaos--use big, showy moves, maybe even collapse the building some. Then someone good with transport can spirit Arthur away once he's beat up enough. We'll need someone with Psychic resistance to hang onto him after that. Maybe Gerome. And maybe we can get that equine Pokemon to cooperate with these circumstances, too... They have a link. I don't think we can break that."

Meanwhile, Mhynt shouted, a bit dramatically for effect, "Articuno! What's gotten into you, what corruption is this?! Who did this to you?!"

 

[Jackie Cat]

Articuno's eyes flashed and they gestured wqith their wings as they reinforced their psychic defenses against further attack. That last Shadow Ball from Spectrier had been tremendously powerful, depsite the horse's frail and timid demeanor...

"Stand back, miss Mhynt," called the Saint, in a hard-edged, steely voice. "I implore you to let this play out. This energy... It is the only chance I have to subdue him. He is stronger... stronger than you know—!"

Arthur's reply was tremulous, thin, almost ghostly. "You must stop them, please, please! They'll kill me, like this—! I'm not ready to die...!"

For a moment, Articuno hesitated. Trepidation registered in their expression, only for a moment.

Another furious Shadow Ball careened into their shimmering barriers, with a keening wail like that of a whistling firework. Another cloud of dust and energy obscured the battle, then brightened, silver light and the hum of Infinity Energy emanating from within. Then, Spectrier stepped forward, Arthur riding atop him, a cloak of white and green billowing from his shoulders.

"Lord Articuno, I am sorry it has come to this!" he cried, a lance of energy shooting from his outstretched paw, "but my destiny awaits, and I will not let you stop me now!"

Spectrier reared up with a haunting bellow, then charged – the lance shattered Articuno's psychic barriers, and the steed's hooves knocked them down.

"A better world is at hand," declared Arthur, boldly. "Will you join with me, Wayfarers? Heroes?"

"No," gasped Articuno, pushing themself back to their feet. "No, this is madness. Do not trust him—! I won't let him take you!"

 

[Namohysip]

Mhynt muttered a curse. She'd completely underestimated how helpess Arthur was. Did Owen know? Something isn't right here.

Zena seemed confused. Articuno was an ally, right? Why were they being told to fend Articuno off? She quietly thought to the others, puppet...

Owen was more resolute, broadcasting through the Wayfarers' communications. Now's not the time to hesitate. Arthur's stronger than he's letting on... But something isn't right. Those guards weren't behaving like themselves. And that's not how Blacklight makes people act, either... Why would Articuno's allies be like this? What's Articuno mean about puppets, anyway?

Mhynt squeezed her eyes shut. Then, she swiftly took action. "Arthur, noble king!" she declared. She pointed her blade at Articuno and ran toward the Saint, about to make a swing.

And then she Teleported behind Arthur, keeping her momentum that had been toward Articuno, and went for a plunging strike. Barriers, deflections, psychics be damned--at the very least, she would give Arthur something to think about.

"We have some questions for you."

 

[JFought]

Owen's words sounded in Isidora's head. "Could he be exerting some form of psychic control?" Phantom responded. "That would be the implication, assuming he's truly that strong."

Isidora had been tense with uncertainty since they happened upon the scene, but with those words, a situation that had seemed complex suddenly began to simplify itself in her head. If he really was mind-controlling the Coven, and with Articuno on their side at the moment -- "Then, we just fight him right now then, don't we?!" Isidora replied. She definitely wasn't going to help Arthur. Whatever anyone else thought about that, if he expected her to join him, then he could get bent!

When Mhynt called out, Isidora could feel her intent through the network. She drew her claws down her arms and bared them at her sides. He got confident when he jumped on his steed. Sorry Spectrier, but I barely know you. And as the sceptile appeared behind Arthur, Isidora dashed forward in an instant aiming to score a slash across Spectrier's flank.

She skidded to a stop and turned to face the duo in a battle stance. "How about that for an answer?!"