Sojaveña Wilds Silver Ravine Mystery Dungeon

[Ambyssin]

"Sounds like a 'real strength comes from adversity' kind of guy. Must've been a hit at parties." Nova clicked his tongue. "Any other Saints you're familiar with?"

 

[Tetra]

"And do you agree with that?" Koa asked carefully, studying the Zapdos. He wondered what the relationship between this Zapdos and the Stormbringer was like. Maybe he knew something of what happened to him.

 

[Phoenixsong]

"Hm," Leaf said. "Guess that sounds right." She wasn't quite looking at the Cyclone at the moment, instead watching the storm thrash the sky overhead. Did the zapdos she'd seen think like that? Wasn't exactly like they'd talked about it, or been in any state to, or been able to. It hadn't been very interested in talking, anyway.

"Bet he was strong," she said, finally turning back to the saint. "You ever fight him?"

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Any other Saints you're familiar with?"

The Cyclone glanced at Nova dispassionately. "I've crossed paths with the Eons, same as anyone who wanders this landmass long enough," he replied with a shrug of his pointed wings. "But the word on the winds is that your lot's crossed paths with the Blazing Twilight and the Winter Arbiter," Zapdos went on, his words dripping with disdain. "I've had the misfortune of knowing them."

"And do you agree with that?"

Zapdos paced along the edge of the trail. "He wasn't wrong in that regard. Nature is change; stagnancy is rot. Storms disrupt the land, and the land changes and grows in turn."

"But, he was an idealist. He would not have dealt well with the changing times himself. When the Stormbringer flew the skies, heralding the oncoming storms, the clans would take heed and migrate their camps out of harm's way. They had an understanding. These days, the 'mon live in unmoving settlements, with endless fields of identical crop." Zapdos narrowed his eyes. "They would have despised him for the destruction he brought to their homes and their fields."

"Bet he was strong," she said, finally turning back to the saint. "You ever fight him?"

The edge of Zapdos's beak curled up slightly. "Many times. My ascent was forged through combat with the Stormbringer."

 

[Tetra]

Change. Growth. Destruction. Koa considered Zapdos words. "An idealist? What about you, what do you consider yourself?"

After a moment more he added, "How did you ascend?" It was impossible to hide the genuine curiosity in his voice. Whatever Saints were like here, it was still fascinating to him to be able to talk to one like this, and learn more about them here.

 

[Ambyssin]

"Ascent?" Nova tilted his head. "To where? With those drumsticks and your tiny wings, you seem like more of a runner than a flier."

 

[Hap]

"When the Stormbringer flew the skies, heralding the oncoming storms, the clans would take heed and migrate their camps out of harm's way. They had an understanding. These days, the 'mon live in unmoving settlements, with endless fields of identical crop." Zapdos narrowed his eyes. "They would have despised him for the destruction he brought to their homes and their fields."

"If someone keeps breaking your shit, whether intentionally or because they just don't care enough to avoid it, I think it's fair to dislike them," Ridley pointed out. "If that's what the Stormbringer would have done, then it sounds less like he had an understanding with the clans and more like he did whatever he wanted and they had to deal with that."

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Ascent?" Nova tilted his head. "To where? With those drumsticks and your tiny wings, you seem like more of a runner than a flier."

The Cyclone barked out a laugh. "Are you sure? There's tales of my scaling whole mountains in a single leap, you know--"

"How did you ascend?" It was impossible to hide the genuine curiosity in his voice. Whatever Saints were like here, it was still fascinating to him to be able to talk to one like this, and learn more about them here.

"--but, the boy has the right idea. Ascension--attaining Sainthood. I was the greatest fighter of my clan. Strong enough to beat any challengers, but it wasn't enough. So I sought to find a true challenge, and my search brought me to the Stormbringer himself." He paused for a moment, shaking off a few stray feathers. "I was soundly beaten, of course, but that only fueled my drive. Eventually, he took me under his wing."

There was no doubt much more to the story that he could give. But that would likely take a certain level of trust.

"If someone keeps breaking your shit, whether intentionally or because they just don't care enough to avoid it, I think it's fair to dislike them," Ridley pointed out. "If that's what the Stormbringer would have done, then it sounds less like he had an understanding with the clans and more like he did whatever he wanted and they had to deal with that."

Zapdos smirked. "You think so? Well, you can't ask him, so you'd have to ask the clans themselves, as they honor his passing all these years later. I can say this much--the clans do not think of themselves as owning this land. We'll never know if he might have found balance with the settlers. The old fool might have found a way."

The Cyclone gazed upward at the strings of lightning arcing over the ravine for a long moment. "Or he maybe he thought there was no longer any place for him in this changing world, and that's why he's gone," he said, a faint bitter edge to his voice.

 

[Phoenixsong]

Even knowing how legendaries apparently worked on Forlas, it was still weird to imagine the Cyclone having been a normal pokémon once, just another member of a clan roughhousing like the Escarpa liked to. (Had he been Escarpa? ...nah. They'd probably have stories about him like they did the Wandering Light, still get excited when he came around, instead of being all grim whenever someone went looking for him. That or he was one hell of a black sheep. Some other nation out here in the wilds, then.)

"He..." Leaf tried to remember what the others had told her about the old shrine. "He died of old age or something, right? D'you know why he didn't pick a new Stormbringer? Or leave a relic?"

 

[Ambyssin]

"Was he that old he couldn't change with the world?" Nova wondered. "Why not start to apprentice someone once he realized it?"

 

[Tetra]

Or he maybe he thought there was no longer any place for him in this changing world, and that's why he's gone

"So nature is change, but you don't think he could have changed..." Koa wasn't entirely sure if he was really asking or it was rhetorical. He still wasn't sure how he felt. The idea of a legends death made his chest ache, but then it seemed a normal part of the cycle for Saints here... Zapdos still seemed bothered by it, that much was clear. Yet the memory of Zapdos's behaviour still irked him.

He was grateful Leaf asked the question he wondered as well. Early on he'd poked at the idea of finding a legends relic, after visiting the Stormbringers shrine, but had hit a dead end. But if anyone did know, it had to be Zapdos.

"Who does your power come from then?" And what had happened between this Zapdos and the Stormbringer? If he'd worked under him, why hadn't he received Stormbringers relic?

 

[Hap]

"That sounds contradictory," Ridley said, before he could stop himself. Well, whatever; it was out in the world now, so he might as well roll with it. "You say modern people would have despised him, but then you say he might have managed to find a real compromise with them. You say he believed - and you agree - in the nature of things to grow and change, but that perhaps the reason he's gone is because he didn't believe in his own capacity to grow to match the changing world. What do you believe?"

He said, "Or is the idea that the only path to change is through destruction, and that anything once grown is stagnant? Because I can't agree with that."

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Was he that old he couldn't change with the world?" Nova wondered. "Why not start to apprentice someone once he realized it?"

"He died of old age or something, right? D'you know why he didn't pick a new Stormbringer? Or leave a relic?"

"Who does your power come from then?"

Zapdos took a flying leap up to a higher ledge along the ravine, seemingly just because he could. His orange plumage could have even blended in with the stone, if his jagged silhouette hadn't kept moving, catching the light from the storm overhead.

"Tradition," Zapdos replied simply. "It wasn't the way of things, for his role. For the same reason, I never met my predecessor." He inclined his beak toward Koa, addressing the Electrike next. "My power is the same as the previous Cyclone's. Her time had passed before I ever crossed paths with the Stormbringer." His tone was dismissive, incurious, as if he'd never learned much of the previous Cyclone, and was unbothered by this.

Still, there was a definite pause in both his words and his pacing, and a long moment filled with the booming of thunder overhead, until Zapdos next spoke. "He did leave a relic."

"You say modern people would have despised him, but then you say he might have managed to find a real compromise with them. You say he believed - and you agree - in the nature of things to grow and change, but that perhaps the reason he's gone is because he didn't believe in his own capacity to grow to match the changing world. What do you believe?"

The giant avian leapt down from his perch to land in front of the Mimikyu with a heavy thud, eyeing him. "I believe he was a fool who abandoned what he believed in. That is your so-called contradiction." There was pain, underneath those words.

"Or is the idea that the only path to change is through destruction, and that anything once grown is stagnant?

"Destruction is nature's way, and it is indiscriminate. But deliberate change still requires strength to bring about. A fact the world-spirit no doubt knows very well. It is the strength of offworlders that allows them to enact such powerful change in this world." It wasn't an accusation, just a statement of raw truth.

 

[Ambyssin]

"World-spirit, huh?" Nova clicked his tongue. "Y'know, I think we've met one of those. He's not too keen on just how much offworlders can change the world with that strength of theirs. He talks about a time of... extreme change. The Living Sun, I think?"

His crest fanned out and tightened repeatedly. "It's funny. You make these forceful statements like you're dropping truth bombs but at the end of the day, Saint or not, you're still a person. With a soul and all that. What do you make of offworlders and their strength?" He refused to believe Zapdos' thoughts on the matter amount to little more than a shrug and moving on with his day.

"Personally, I don't like the fact that someone like me can just... exert my will on the planet, then fuck back off where I came from. Without having earned the right to. Simply because of lucky circumstances."

 

[Hap]

It is the strength of offworlders that allows them to enact such powerful change in this world." It wasn't an accusation, just a statement of raw truth.

"I don't know how true that is," Ridley said slowly. He remembered how it felt to fight alongside other Wayfarers, the way an instinctive awareness of his companions' intentions sang through his mind without a word being spoken. "Even if we're stronger than the average person, I don't think we could've achieved shit so far if we hadn't been working together. And when I met Articuno, they seemed pretty certain that the main impact we could have on this world was the ability to impart our strength onto others. I think that's what makes change happen, people working together, not one overpowered rando throwing their strength around."

He said, "A single person can be a spokesperson or a trailblazer for a movement, but real change, anything lasting, has to come from collaboration."

"He's not too keen on just how much offworlders can change the world with that strength of theirs." [...] "Personally, I don't like the fact that someone like me can just... exert my will on the planet, then fuck back off where I came from. Without having earned the right to. Simply because of lucky circumstances."

If you should ever come to terms with the danger you pose to this world, then you should end your own lives and choose never to return. Ridley shook his head, trying to chase the memory of his Shadowing away. The fake clefairy head atop his own waggled wildly with the movement.

Wait, fuck, that was a weird thing to do. Okay. "That's what I'm saying," he said quickly, although he suspected he'd shaken himself far too fervently for it to be taken as mere mild disagreement with Nova's statement. Hopefully Nova wouldn't take offence. "Whatever great acts we're capable of, good or evil, they'll only last if the people here are willing to build a stable foundation for them. Otherwise everything will crumble as soon as we return home and stop exerting our influence."

 

[Phoenixsong]

So there was a relic, and he knew about it... okay, that was good, probably. Not actually a mystery, unlike all of the whatever the hell else was going on around here. "So... when there is someone who thinks they have a shot at being the Stormbringer, are you gonna test them, too?" She paused, watching the lightning arc overhead again. "What sort of person do you think would be the next best Stormbringer, if you had to pick?"

 

[Chibi Pika]

"World-spirit, huh?" Nova clicked his tongue. "Y'know, I think we've met one of those. He's not too keen on just how much offworlders can change the world with that strength of theirs. He talks about a time of... extreme change. The Living Sun, I think?"

"Personally, I don't like the fact that someone like me can just... exert my will on the planet, then fuck back off where I came from. Without having earned the right to. Simply because of lucky circumstances."

Zapdos clacked his beak. "The myth of the Saint of Victory. The strongest offworlder of the ages." He smirked and said, "I've said before that offworlders have often used their strength to exert their will on their world while claiming otherwise. But then... if you dislike a truth of the world, would you fight to change it?"

"Even if we're stronger than the average person, I don't think we could've achieved shit so far if we hadn't been working together. And when I met Articuno, they seemed pretty certain that the main impact we could have on this world was the ability to impart our strength onto others. I think that's what makes change happen, people working together, not one overpowered rando throwing their strength around."

Zapdos chuckled. "I can hardly deny that there's strength in numbers. Our own clash proves that much," he said, inclining his head toward Koa and Leaf. "You might say enough combined strength can overcome any force." The Cyclone peered down at the Mimikyu with piercing eyes. "But what happens when groups fail to agree on how to use that strength? Something mortals are famously good at," he added with a laugh. "Or would you say there exists such a thing as unbreakable bonds?"

"So... when there is someone who thinks they have a shot at being the Stormbringer, are you gonna test them, too?" She paused, watching the lightning arc overhead again. "What sort of person do you think would be the next best Stormbringer, if you had to pick?"

Zapdos glanced briefly at Leaf, then followed her gaze toward the towering clouds overhead. "The next Stormbringer... that's in the talons of the dungeon to decide. The dungeon tests any who would try to claim his power. And if they prove themselves worthy, then I'll test their strength myself."

"If it were my choice..." His words trailed off, as if he genuinely hadn't considered it before.

 

[Phoenixsong]

Leaf snapped back to attention. "Wait, wait, wait. The Saint of Victory? Like Victini?" Okay, hadn't expected to hear that one today. "What do you know about Victini? Are you saying he became a saint even though he... he wasn't even from here? That's a thing?"

 

[Ambyssin]

Zapdos clacked his beak. "The myth of the Saint of Victory. The strongest offworlder of the ages." He smirked and said, "I've said before that offworlders have often used their strength to exert their will on their world while claiming otherwise. But then... if you dislike a truth of the world, would you fight to change it?"

This was, in some respects, the inverse of what happened with Powehi. With the big legend posing this question to Nova rather than Nova telling his desires to the powers that be. Which meant he could toss out what Powehi told him...

"If I do that... how is it any different from what Offworlders usually do?" Nova's cheek bolts turned slowly. "It's still forcing my vision onto the world. If the people who actually call this place home dislike that truth, then I'll fight with them to change it. But I haven't exactly met anyone who thinks that way." And he didn't blame anyone for not thinking about the subject. It was existential as all hell.

He locked eyes with Zapdos. "So, back to my question. What do you make of offworlders and their strength? I don't really believe you have such a detached opinion on this truth. After all... how can your strength amount to anything if someone like me can come along and turn it aside?"

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Wait, wait, wait. The Saint of Victory? Like Victini? What do you know about Victini? Are you saying he became a saint even though he... he wasn't even from here? That's a thing?"

Zapdos shrugged his pointed wings. “It’s ancient history, but that’s the tale as I’ve heard it—the strongest offworlder for the strongest crisis. And I’ve never heard of another offworlder becoming a saint.”

"So, back to my question. What do you make of offworlders and their strength? I don't really believe you have such a detached opinion on this truth. After all... how can your strength amount to anything if someone like me can come along and turn it aside?"

Zapdos stared back, his eyes sharp. “When I clash with offworlders, it’s with the aim of reminding them that their strength has limits. And that no matter their talk of grand ideals, in the end, it’s that very strength that lets them fight for change.”

The Cyclone dragged a talon along the ground, leaving deep gouges in the rock. “Offworlders defy will of nature And yet, in the end, their strength is a natural rule of this world, even if they themselves are not.”

In others words, he was conflicted… though it was unlikely he’d ever put it that way himself. If the strength of offworlders was the will of the world itself, how could he defy that, no matter how much he resented it?