Obstinea Mountains The Ring of White and Black

[Butterfree]

Another pulse of warm light washed over him with a pleasant shudder. There was a slight, thrumming buzz in his ears now, not distracting so much as sharpening.

"Unless she's a territorial Aggron, then no, we didn't pass her."

So it would work. Excellent. That sure made a lot of things easier. "Well, we've got this Treecko who can Teleport. Probably she could bring some stone to Blaguarro." He prodded at the marble floor. "Also, if there's a dungeon around here, we can establish a connection that'll let us travel quickly between places. Dunno how much stone it could transfer at once, but with many trips? We'd have a whole fucking Radiance army to help sort things out up there, and then we can just return the stone, no harm done, nobody going to flip the fuck out and do anything stupid with a permanently acquired superpower. Right?" Fucking dungeons. Total bullshit but they could do fucking whatever. Greenbough kept telling him about new batshit varieties of dungeon berries. Fucking amazing.

 

[Jackie Cat]

"Indeed, the Light is no aggron," was the monk's amused reply.

Akela smiled and nodded patiently. Like an indulgent older relative listening to a favourite child babble on about their favourite new cartoon.

"It would be truly convenient to use Teleport like that," she observed, with irony. "I wonder how long it would take a talented teleporter to transport large objects long distances?"

Everyone gained 18 Rad...

Akela's eyes were gleaming gold, now. Deep honey irises, pale amber sclera. The smile on her muzzle was almost that of a mischief-making child trickster, and not an adult monastic sage.

"A whole Radiance army would certainly be a great threat to this enemy of yours! Surely you would defeat them, and without casualties on your side. And after your great show of strength, your enemy would no longer be a concern! Why not then turn your attention to all other concerns, greater or lesser than these? Would you use the Light to arrest thieves and killers, perhaps?"

The thrumming, shining energy had become more intense. Details melted away. Context and nuance shied from the Wayfarers' minds. Restraint no longer mattered. Anything other than doing what they wanted to do, needed to do, was a distraction. The Ring itself was no longer intricately dappled with marble patterns, it was simply black and white.

 

[Butterfree]

Another pulse of light, permeating his being with golden warmth.

Akela spoke, and he blinked. The Radiance thrummed in his lungs, made everything curiously still, his heart pounding, the room singing with perfect clarity and conviction.

"What? No, the whole goddamn point is being able to return it. Entities or groups going around doing whatever the fuck they want to anyone they want because they've got bigger superpowers is the problem here. Even if they claim to be associated with the fucking 'light'."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Akela smiled wider, nodding with interest.

"Ah, of course! You would use this power to defeat your enemy, and they would no longer be able to do as they pleased with their own power. And you would not do as you pleased with the power of Radiance because of the rules and restrictions you have placed upon yourself, is that so? You will need to be sure of these rules and restrictions, for in using Radiance yourself, you may find that the power will remain in you."

Radiance, once acquired, was acquired for good. Just like Shadow, then.

Akela's eyes flashed once more, and the sense of being drunk on light and energy intensified in kind.

Everyone gained 18 Rad...!
The squad's Radiance is high!

"One cannot put out the sun. You can only hide from it."

It was getting hard to think.

 

[Sinderella]

Odette had become acutely aware of just how bright everything was getting. How that light radiating from the floor and the stone seemed to be trickling into her and illuminating her from within. That warm, comforting feeling she’d started with began to intensify, it thickening into a steam, as if she were sitting in a sauna. Suddenly logic felt distant to her. It was like she’d taken too hard of a hit off Hau’s bong, leaving her throat feeling dry and her brain momentarily unsure of how it was supposed to work. Her body felt lighter than ever, but as she realized she couldn’t hear Dave and Akela talking anymore, the anxiety came knocking. But she couldn’t find it in the steam.

Blinking hard, she brought her hands up to run her eyes. “Nobody’s…denying the sun’s strength,” she said through grit teeth. “But it’s as you said; in it’s strength, when it becomes too much, you find solace in the shade. Shadow.”

Good. That was logical enough. The steam cleared just long enough for her to grab onto the passing train of thought. “There is no light without dark, and vice versa. But as with everything, one in excess is too much. It’s a matter of balance. It’s not a matter of rules or restrictions, but trying to strike the balance between light and dark.”

Breathe. She had to breathe. She couldn’t tell if she was making sense, but she didn’t have enough bandwidth to be concerned about that. “It’s…not as black and white as using Light to banish Shadow. Using what one might perceive as good to get rid of bad. It’s never that black and white. It’s just a matter of ensuring one never overpowers the other. Injecting balance back into a world that is clearly out of fucking wack right now.”

Acquiring Shadow wasn’t bad, despite everyone’s propensity to call it an infection. Likewise, acquiring Light wasn’t necessarily good, despite the probable common thought that Light would equate to something good, because what she was feeling now was definitely not good. Having both, however, to counteract one another…that felt like the key here. The key to understanding how they were going to use it to beat back whatever shit was headed their way.

 

[Virgil134]

Rodion confidently shook his head. "I just want to see more of Forlas while I can and use Radiance to protect myself and my friends. What's there to misuse from wanting to do that?"

Akela's eyes flashed once more, and the sense of being drunk on light and energy intensified in kind.

Rodion felt the warmth in his body grow stronger again. His confident expression faltered a bit as he realized it was starting to get a bit too strong... a feeling that wasn't too different from the one he'd have after drinking a lot of rum. Perhaps like then, this was also a sign that it was time to stop.

He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, doing his best to try and clear his head.

Rodion Focused!

 

[Butterfree]

"Ah, of course! You would use this power to defeat your enemy, and they would no longer be able to do as they pleased with their own power. And you would not do as you pleased with the power of Radiance because of the rules and restrictions you have placed upon yourself, is that so? You will need to be sure of these rules and restrictions, for in using Radiance yourself, you may find that the power will remain in you."

Radiance, once acquired, was acquired for good. Just like Shadow, then.

The light was overwhelming, making him lightheaded. What was all this about rules and restrictions? Didn't matter. She was talking about it sticking. Like the Shadows, no way to undo it.

He growled, shaking his head. "Why the fuck do you keep going on about defeating my enemies? I just want to save a bunch of people who are in danger. If we can't get it temporarily without getting infected with it permanently, then fine, you come down there yourself and help instead, or help us get the Wandering Light to do it."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Akela kept her paws in that prayer-like position, her eyes closed, and she held still. The light was faintly visible through her eyelids, so bright was the Radiance in her eyes.

Odette Focused... She shed 20 Rad.

"Balance is a virtue. Radiance and Shadow together may temper one another, or they may co-exist in a dangerous state. I know of no precedent for it. Whatever happens, know that there is no truly safe way to wield such energies."

Rodion Focused... He shed 20 Rad.

"More ill can come of good intentions than you realise. ...Yet, it is also true that a light heart and a curious mind are less easily driven to misuse. You may be able to temper the Light, if you come to wield it."

Dave's Radiance is high!
Dave became Dazzled!

"You wish to save people, and you say that you will do this by putting a stop to those with power, you imagine an army, you intend a confrontation. When this is done, you will still have the power of Radiance. Will you choose, for the rest of your life, not to use it? Is that a vow you can make, and one others should believe in?"

Dave? Can you hear me? What is happening...?

Oh...! Your soul is so bright! Please be careful!​

 

[Sinderella]

Odette hissed to herself, suddenly being hit with the weight of her own psyche starting to come back down to Earth. "Well, isn't that fucking something," she said through grit teeth. She could see how Shadow and Radiance could serve to keep one another in check if utilized consciously, but they were powers so dead set on fucking over your mental that perhaps there was no real way to be conscious about it. Or perhaps it was something that could be trained...like a muscle, or something.

In a way, it all reminded her of sin. On the light side, perhaps useable. In excess, it was deadly. And in the end, there was no real safe way to go about handling it.

Her gaze cut over to Dave, who only looked to be getting brighter and brighter. The gleam around him only served to highlight just how frantic he looked.

"Jesus, Dave, take a breath," she urged him. "You're gonna get yourself fucking crazy, and then we're gonna have to knock you down a peg, and I didn't come here to fight a version of you that breathes fucking sunlight."

 

[Butterfree]

"You wish to save people, and you say that you will do this by putting a stop to those with power, you imagine an army, you intend a confrontation. When this is done, you will still have the power of Radiance. Will you choose, for the rest of your life, not to use it? Is that a vow you can make, and one others should believe in?"

Dave? Can you hear me? What is happening...?

Oh...! Your soul is so bright! Please be careful!​

Everything swam in golden light. The buzz in his head rang with a clear note of conviction.

"What are you talking about? I just fucking said if it's so dangerous and can't be done temporarily, then fine, we don't need to have the power, you can come down yourself instead. Are you even listening to me? Do you have any interest whatsoever in helping these people or do you just want to sit up here on your mountain feeling smug and superior while people die?"

Betel was talking to him. So was Odette.

"Look, I'm perfectly fucking fine."

He gritted his teeth. The Radiance was loud in his head. Why was it so loud? He was fine. Thinking clearly. Were they going to just willfully ignore him because his soul was shining or whatever the fuck?

Fine. If they wouldn't hear it from him until he said it with soul shining less, so be it. With an enormous heaping of spite, he forced his eyes shut to concentrate. Concentrate, on something other than Akela's fucking nonsense.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Akela watched carefully as Dave attempted to get his Radiance under control. She was still, her body at rest, but the sensory organs that hung from behind her ears were raised and shaking gently as she monitored Dave's energy. Her stance subtly lay between inoffensive meditation and readiness to strike if needed.

Getting knocked out was one way to instantly purge one's body of built-up Shadow. The same was doubtless true of Radiance.

"I do, and I am. I listen closely to every pokémon who speaks to me," said the Lucario, quietly. "Whoever and whatever they may be."

 

[Sinderella]

Odette watched Dave for a while, grinding her teeth together in general annoyance. This was some fucking test--it had to be--and if they blew it because one of them flew off the fucking deep end and lashed out, she was going to lose it, no Radiance or Shadow needed.

"We'll have a much better time having this discussion when you simmer down," she said, keeping her urging tone. "You're too dark to be a walking flashlight anyway, so let's just...not."

Eyeing Akela more suspiciously now, she worked herself up with a breath before speaking directly to her. "I hate to rush whatever lesson we're going through here, but this isn't any song and dance most of us haven't done before. I get it now. Either end of the spectrum is just as dangerous as its counterpart, and us not being careful could lead to more harm than good," she said. "But in not so many biting words, we are on a time crunch, and we do gave a lot of 'mon with their lives on the line, and we really want to help them as best as we can. I know the bottom line here is that there's a lot more to it than just bad, good, save them, don't save them, yadda, yadda, yadda, but right now we're aiming to do whatever we can to stop a small crisis here. So once my friend here gets a fucking grip," she aimed a pointed look at the poochyena as she said those words before softening her gaze back on Akela, "we really need to get a move on."

 

[Butterfree]

"Yeah, well, you're not doing a great job of showing it so far," Dave growled.

God. Focusing on anything other than this infuriating fucking Lucario and her lofty superiority complex was like pulling teeth. Why.

Radiance. This was bullshit, absolute bullshit.

He gritted his teeth, forcibly pulling away from the hot itch in his brain. Breathed in and out through his nose, steadying the agitated tremble in his lungs.

"So are you planning to help or not?" he said when most of the buzzing had died down, glaring back at Akela.

 

[Jackie Cat]

So, all of them could bring themselves down from a Radiant height. Even from being Dazzled, albeit not during a battle, which was a different thing indeed.

Akela closed her eyes, and the light behind the lids dimmed, gradually, until none was left.

"I told you already that I would help," she said to Dave, gently.

There was a tiredness in Akela's eyes. A sadness. Such visitors as the Abbey got under usual circumstances tended to be intrigued by it, coming there for its own sake, and those that lived there would have well-established relationships with a master like her. It could be that a demonstration like this – meant to show what it was like to be filled with Radiance, a helpful and necessary step for anyone planning on wielding the power – being received with anger and impatience was something she neither expected, nor was used to. Just how often did the Lucario monk even do this, for anyone?

Akela began to walk, slowly, towards the small platform behind the Wayfarers, where cable cars arrived and departed at regular intervals.

"If you wish to gain the ability to use Radiance, find Zeraora Luz, the Saint called the Wandering Light. She left only two days ago, headed east, saying that she meant to make good on an old promise. The best advice I can give you is this: the Light is a cynic. She is best reasoned with by bearing that in mind."

The next cable car was just pulling up. It looked like it had passengers.

"The next time you use Radiance, you may be in battle," Akela added, turning to look at the group again. "It is easier – much easier – to lose oneself while focused on fighting. Meditation is only one way to practice the mindfulness that will keep you safe, but you will need some way of your own, or you will soon burn yourselves."

 

[Butterfree]

Dave blinked, the last sparks of Radiance still lingering in his body. All that interrogation no matter how often he said he wasn't even asking to get the dumb fucking power, and now she was just... fine with them getting the power? The fuck was all that for, then?

The 'old promise' was presumably the thing with Sierra. Not an unreasonable conclusion already, but at least it was slightly more information than 'east'. He considered pushing Akela on whether she had any plans to join them, but whatever. The sooner they were out of this fucking place and away from the thrumming buzz still permeating the floor, the better.

"Yeah, we'll keep it in mind," he said, turning towards the cable car.

 

[Virgil134]

Rodion let out a small, disappointed sigh as he followed Akela towards the cable car. Did they really come all this way just to find out the only 'mon who could give them the ability to use Radiance was back in Frontier Town? Even if Betel's network could allow them to easily teleport between the Silver Ravine and the Templefall Caverns, the last thing he wanted to do right now was to backtrack to Frontier Town...

He supposed he could at least press Akela for more information. Even if it's just a little bit, hopefully she could reveal something more that would make it easier for the Wayfarers back in Frontier Town to find Luz.

"We'll be sure to keep that in mind. Thank you for your time and the help you've given us," Rodion said, feigning a polite smile in an attempt to hide his disappointment. After all, Akela couldn't help that Luz was now back in the place they started. "Though, did Luz say anything about what this old promise might be exactly? Frontier Town is to the east, is there anywhere specifically she might go to for this old promise?"

 

[Jackie Cat]

Akela bowed lightly to Rodion.

"If she has a promise to honour, perhaps it is to one of her own people. The Light was an Escarpa warrior before she was a Saint."

That small smile played at the Lucario's mouth again, for a moment.

"And perhaps she might stop by in places she has been before... if you have heard of any."

Somewhere the Wandering Light was said to have been before? That sounded familiar...

 

[Sinderella]

Odette cringed at just how ruffled Akela look. This certainly wasn't the ideal meeting; not in the fucking slightest. Maybe the lucario had never had the poor unfortunate honor of meeting offworlders like them that were in such a rush to get ahold of this information, and she wasn't entirely thrilled by the thought that she was part of the first group to give her that experience. But they had no choice; there was no time for idle chitchat or hypothesizing or discussing the grey area of rights and wrongs. They had to go.

"A cynic, huh?" she said, trying to keep things moving. "We'll get along just fine then."

Had she heard previously that the Light was related to the Escarpa? She couldn't remember, but she committed it to memory anyway. Something to consider when they finally went looking for her.

As she stepped onto the cable car, she looked back over toward Akela, offering her more sincere apologetic look.

"I really am sorry for how this went," she said. "We really mean no disrespect or harm, and I hope there are no hard feelings. I do appreciate the information. It won't be forgotten."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Akela nodded to Odette, and placed her paws in that same prayerful position.

"I understand," she said, softly. "I wish you all good fortune, and success in the challenges you face."

The monks in the cable car filtered out, apparently here for some Obstine tradition or meeting – it was likely that which Akela had been waiting for. Perhaps she had meant for the party to spectate, were it not for the urgent rush they were in. Another time, perhaps.

It wasn't like Akela was going anywhere, after all.

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