Magna City Shining Congress – Side Halls

[Chibi Pika]

She caught her breath and straightened up, then launched another zen headbutt at Vesta's chest to return the favor. At least they could speed this up now that Blue was safely out of the way. "Don't hold back," she called to Jade. "Keep her grounded for me if you can!"

Vesta staggered backward, growling in frustration. She let out a spray of small fireballs right in front of her chest to put some space between her and Leaf, then spread her wings for takeoff--

That's what Jade had been waiting for. With a loud crack! she fired the Thunderbolt she'd been holding for the past few seconds. The Charizard tried to swerve, but didn't have the maneuverability while mid-takeoff. The lightning clipped her wingtip, and she fell to the ground, only barely managing to catch herself on all fours.

Thick, hazy smoke billowed from her mouth. Her eyes flashed with fiery anger, a low, guttural hiss escaping her throat.

"not real, none of this is real, you should all burn."

With a roar, Vesta slammed her claws into the polished hardwood floor, channeling a wave of heat which erupted into a blazing ring of fire all around her.

"Charizard get you, too?" he muttered.

Ralsen was tense, eyes fixed on the battle, following Vesta's movements while keeping his Leaf Blades at the ready, in case she took a turn for their position.

His eyes flickered toward Blue for just a moment. “She’s my first partner,” he said, without knowing why.

 

[Phoenixsong]

Jade was right on target, sending Vesta crashing back to the floor. Hadn't taken all the steam out of her yet, though. In a narrow hallway there wasn't much room to get away from a full-on heat wave. Leaf gritted her teeth and did her best to weather the blast anyway. She couldn't let herself get pushed back, had to keep the pressure on, but even after the initial wave burned off there was still so much fire...

"I need an opening!" she called out. If Jade just could cut through the ring with some more water, Leaf could dash in and land another strike.

---

It took Blue a second to register what the guy was talking about through the dissociation. (Why would he expect to hear that in a context that actually made sense, after all?) 'First partner.' So he was a trainer, huh. 'Obviously not a very good one,' half of him wanted to say, hanging back while his partner flipped her shit and other people dealt with it, but fine, he could have a pass for the grass-type thing.

"Lucky you," he said instead. "'Least somebody has their charizard partner here with them." Maybe for the best that Charizard wasn't here right now, actually, if there was a chance it'd just mean him freaking out. But at least Blue would've been able to help calm him down. He knew that much. Didn't know jack about... whatever the hell this was.

Blue winced as he finally picked himself up, then allowed the wince to shift into a glare that only looked a little bit shaken, probably. "So you seriously got no answers for why your partner's having a meltdown?" Or using him as a scratching post.

 

[Chibi Pika]

"I need an opening!" she called out. If Jade just could cut through the ring with some more water, Leaf could dash in and land another strike.

Jade winced as Leaf weathered the Overheat, then broke into a run on all fours, already feeling her gem go cold. She traced a wide arc around Vesta, or as wide as she could get within the hall, letting rapid-fire streams of water wash over a good chunk of the flames surrounding her.

Jade used AGILE Chilling Water!

Blue winced as he finally picked himself up, then allowed the wince to shift into a glare that only looked a little bit shaken, probably. "So you seriously got no answers for why your partner's having a meltdown?" Or using him as a scratching post.

Ralsen didn't take his eyes off the battle, but he could feel the bite in Blue's words.

"It's all around us," the Grovyle said quietly, his voice flickering with the embers of corruption. "I couldn't pull her back from the brink when I was struggling to hold myself back." Not when the darkest corners of his mind agreed with her. She was right she was right he had to get back he had to wake up—

 

[Phoenixsong]

Cold water cut through the flames and Leaf was right behind it, surging over the smoldering remains of the ring to crash into the charizard. Surely she had to be slowing down a little after a big attack like that, right?

She glanced up and down the hallway, past Vesta, then past Ralsen and Blue (shaken but standing, thank god), then back again. Had everyone else cleared out of this hall by now? Maybe one last good throw would do it, long as it didn't mean tossing her right into someone else. Knock some sense into her or knock her out, whichever game first.

---

Blue watched the guy warily, finally catching the weird flickers in his voice. He didn't sound like he'd gone full darkwhited or whatever (yet), not like Gladius, but the way his tone wavered back and forth didn't seem like a great sign.

...He was gonna have to play therapy dog with no context again, wasn't he. Oh, hell. But he couldn't fight; there was nowhere else to go. What else could he even do to get out of this any faster, or at least pretend he was anything other than useless?

"What 'brink'?" he asked, cautious, like maybe sticking his nose in things that were resolutely Not His Business wouldn't be horrible and traumatic this time, maybe. "Far as I can tell this... stuff only amps up whatever's already bothering you, not anything new." Hopefully.

 

[Jackie Cat]

“…I suppose you can’t always get something outta nothing, y’know. But I’d say what truly matters is the amount, value, and perspective you put behind a cost. As in, is it enough or too much? Is it worth it or not? Is that a sacrifice or an investment?”

The girl glanced again at the chessboard, paying particular attention to the black pieces. “But most importantly, if a cost is truly inevitable…”

She reached for the other Lopunny’s paws and gently pulled them by the board, drawing the lone pawn close to the other black pawns.

“…then you don’t have to take the entire burden all by yourself. A weight becomes more bearable when you share the burden with multiple people who wish for the same thing. Dontcha think?”

Julius' mouth trembled a little. "Yes, it... it is so hard to do it all alone."

He drew himself up, with a bracing intake of breath.

"It is not only one 'mon's decision to make. Not Arthur's, nor my Lord's, nor mine. We must all step forwards together. Perhaps... a game of chess is a wrong metaphor."

Julius pushed the game aside, and it evaporated into mist.

"I was never one for team sports," he said, with a light cough to clear his throat. "But perhaps we all need a 'huddle', at this juncture...?"

 

[Chibi Pika]

Cold water cut through the flames and Leaf was right behind it, surging over the smoldering remains of the ring to crash into the charizard. Surely she had to be slowing down a little after a big attack like that, right?

The full-force Rapidash charge left Vesta reeling. She tried to retaliate with more flames, but her firepower had greatly diminished from that last explosive technique. Her wings twitched with paralysis, keeping her grounded.

Jade gave an inward sigh of relief. They had the upper hand now; time to weaken her firepower even more. She reached for a swirling multitype energy and shifted it cold at the last second before letting it fly.

Jade's STRONG Tri Attack! Frostbite!

Vesta shielded herself with her wings, but the frost settled into her scales. Her tail flame diminished, no longer blazing as furiously. Her snarling had lost its fervor.

"you shouldn't... be able to stop me... if you're not real..." the Charizard hissed, her voice heavy.

"What 'brink'?" he asked, cautious, like maybe sticking his nose in things that were resolutely Not His Business wouldn't be horrible and traumatic this time, maybe. "Far as I can tell this... stuff only amps up whatever's already bothering you, not anything new."

Ralsen watched the battle closely, his claws barely twitching with each blow that struck Vesta. "That's true. It's not new. I've known for a long time that my being here is nothing more than an accident. We have to find our way home. But... this isn't the way to do it."

The Grovyle's eyes widened slightly as the pair managed to keep his partner grounded. "Vesta!" he called out, taking several steps forward.

 

[Phoenixsong]

Something in Vesta was wavering, something in her wild desperation starting to crack as the ice and paralysis weighed her down. Then Ralsen called out, finally seeming to come out of his daze. Leaf sprang at the distraction, forcing Vesta back further, trying to hold her in place.

"Whatever it is you want, this isn't gonna help!" she shouted. "Listen to Ralsen! Aren't you guys supposed to be in this together?" She still wasn't sure if the charizard could tell what she was saying, but at least there were other ways a pokémon could get their message across.

Leaf used Tenacious Soul! -1 Eva!

I've known for a long time that my being here is nothing more than an accident. We have to find our way home. But... this isn't the way to do it.

You and me both, pal, Blue thought, but something in the back of his head told him the guy didn't mean exactly the same thing.

"Probably not gonna make an exit magically appear, no," he muttered, half to himself. He watched Grovyle Guy inch closer to where Leaf and Jade had the charizard mostly hemmed in by now, thank god. "Maybe Magic Space Porygon can figure somethin' out for you after whatever reason I'm not allowed to leave gets fixed."

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade was breathing hard, her gem going numb from casting Chilling Water over and over again, but she'd finally managed to put out the last of the fires and... and there weren't any new ones. Okay, good, that was good.

"Whatever it is you want, this isn't gonna help!" she shouted. "Listen to Ralsen! Aren't you guys supposed to be in this together?" She still wasn't sure if the charizard could tell what she was saying, but at least there were other ways a pokémon could get their message across.

Vesta covered her body with her wings as a shield, softening the blow, but she wasn't lashing out in retaliation anymore.

"he wasn't listening before. didn't want me to burn it all..." the Charizard muttered, brow furrowed. "I don't. know why I..."

"Probably not gonna make an exit magically appear, no. Maybe Magic Space Porygon can figure somethin' out for you after whatever reason I'm not allowed to leave gets fixed."

Ralsen chuckled. "You all have your patron. I'll have to find my own way. But I have some ideas..." His words trailed off, and he held a claw to his chin as he glanced about the hall, scorched head-leaf swaying as he did. "Can you feel it? The energy is fading..."

Without wasting a moment, the Grovyle suddenly dashed forward to where Leaf had subdued Vesta. When he'd reached her side, he paused suddenly, considering. She didn't need him right now, what she needed was—

In one smooth motion, Ralsen retrieved a Pokéball from the inner pocket of his coat and opened it. In a flash, a Dragonite materialized.

"It's over, Kaida," he said, nodding to her. Kaida's eyes swept over his burned leaves before settling on the trembling Charizard behind him. She immediately crouched down, pressing her side against the smaller dragon with one wing swept over her back. Vesta inhaled deeply, eyes still screwed shut but the tension slowly melting from her face as she rested her chin on the Dragonite's shoulder.

Ralsen turned to face Leaf and Jade. "You have my thanks."

Jade blinked at him before glancing away. "We didn't want everything to burn, so..." (Had he ever thanked her for anything before? Her brain kept insisting no, even though she wasn't quite sure that was right.)

 

[Butterfree]

Jean gave Garnet an encouraging smile and looked around. All around them, the Covenant members seemed to be calming down, the strange black and white energy fading. Now that she was listening, she realized it was strangely quiet. It wasn't just that the noises from the Covenant people's shouts and raves were gone. The storm raging outside had subsided as well, and with it the enveloping chill.

"Look, it's getting warmer!" she said to Garnet in wonder. "I think everyone's okay!"

 

[Cresselia92]

Julius' mouth trembled a little. "Yes, it... it is so hard to do it all alone."

He drew himself up, with a bracing intake of breath.

"It is not only one 'mon's decision to make. Not Arthur's, nor my Lord's, nor mine. We must all step forwards together. Perhaps... a game of chess is a wrong metaphor."

At the Lopunny’s words, Lyra simply kept smiling and nodded encouragingly, letting him sort through and untangle his turbulent thoughts. Relief seeped out from her body as an eye-reaching grin and a faint twitch of her nose, all too happy that the other bunny was in brighter spirits.

"I was never one for team sports," he said, with a light cough to clear his throat. "But perhaps we all need a 'huddle', at this juncture...?"

Lyra tilted her head, intrigued. “Huddle, huh?” she murmured, a wistful glint shining in her eyes as faint memories of racing Pokémon flashed in her mind. However, she let them fade back into the background of her brain and leaned forward to hug the other rabbit, her tail wagging again. “Hmm, maybe so, but I’m personally more of a ‘huddle up’ gal, hehe~!”

Lyra heard some shuffling from behind her and she was 89.6% sure that Silver was either crossing his arms or rolling his eyes, if not both actions at the same time. She quickly let go of the other Lopunny, not wishing to make things too awkward.

“Whatever you wanna do in the future, well, I want you to know that you’ve got a fellow huddle partner in Lyra, aka me!” She glanced back at Silver, then again at the Lopunny. “And in Silver, too, even if he won’t ever admit it.”

“Hey…” grumbled the Sneasler with a pointed stare aimed at Lyra, even if his tone wasn’t nearly as exasperated as he wanted to pretend.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

"I just miss her so, so badly," he murmured. "My... my Chestnut."

Chestnut? That had to be a proper noun of some kind, so she would be asking who Chestnut was and not what his chestnut was.

Lillian’s sighed as she realized that the answer was obvious. He’d already told her:

“You said wore a disguise of his old Null partner. That what you’re doing now, right?” It would explain why it was his Null persona that was haunted by her, too.

She didn’t know what to do. Usually she’d think the right way to help was just to listen. That’s what she’d done when Father had died. But she didn’t know if Gladius would want to, or even if…

“Do you… How much do you remember about her?”

 

[Jackie Cat]

“And in Silver, too, even if he won’t ever admit it.”

“Hey…”

Julius chuckled weakly, and staggered properly upright.

"Come, then. Help me outside. We need to find Lord Articuno, and... and convene. All of us."

“Do you… How much do you remember about her?”

Gladius nodded miserably. "As much as I can. The way she'd paw at the ground when she was agitated. The sound of her battlecry, of her begging for food, of her crooning to me when I held her. How she smelled kinda like... mixed nuts. Many of the clearest details I came into Forlas with... were about her."

There was a pause, as a terrible grief roiled in his sunken eyes.

"It took a while before I remembered that she was dead. Suddenly all the work I'd done to find a way home seemed pointless. All that mattered... was getting her back. Even if it wasn't really her, some part of me... I told myself the species deserved to exist in some form. I just wanted to justify replacing her. As if I ever could."

 

[Phoenixsong]

Leaf tensed a little when the dragonite came out, but for nothing, apparently. She remained calm, and Vesta, at last, calmed down, too. It really did feel like the weird energy in the air was easing away.

"Yeah, well. Nobody needs to go through that, whoever they are." She backed away, left the dragons to their reunion, and gave Ralsen a tired look. (Tired, but not entirely unappreciative of what seemed like genuine gratitude from someone who might've struggled to recognize 'genuine' if it bit him.) "I dunno, but it feels like there's something you two weren't on the same page about. Might wanna sort that out before hanging around... anything else that's gonna happen from here on."

Because no way this was the last of it. The vibes coming over Beetle's network made it seem like Articuno'd finally been stopped, but if that Arthur guy was trying to harness this stuff on purpose, it probably wasn't gonna get any better when they finally found him again.

Leaf lifted Blue onto her back again, then nodded gratefully at Jade. "Thanks for helping me rescue him." He'd be fine, of course, but she knew it'd be an uphill climb to convince him of that, and anyway she couldn't really blame him for panicking under the circumstances. Maybe she should've taken a moment to leave him at the Haus after all.

Then again... this wasn't the last of it. The odds didn't seem great for him being able to stay out of things for very long.

---

It was probably better for Blue's sanity if he didn't question the sudden appearance of a poké ball in the pokémon-only cowboy theme park, or obnoxious yacht club theme park, or whatever sideshow attraction it had decided to be today. He didn't resist when the telekinesis scooped him up off the ground and onto Leaf's back. Didn't really move much at all, really, other than to chance a tentative prod at his side and immediately regret doing so. Did they have pokémon centers in Yeehaw Junction or Posh Manor or wherever? It'd sure be cool if they had pokémon centers in wherever the hell this was.

Grovyle Guy's voice was still a little wobbly. Fading, yeah, but not completely normal. "You sure you're gonna be all right?" Maybe this was normal for this weirdo, who knew.