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Shaymin Village

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unrepentantAuthor

A cat that writes stories.
Location
UK
Pronouns
they/she
Partners
  1. purrloin-salem
  2. sneasel-dusk
  3. luz-companion
  4. brisa-companion
  5. meowth-laura
  6. delphox-jesse
  7. mewtwo
  8. zeraora
Brisa was a violent animal.

Jesse had told her. He'd been right. She remembered now.

“I'd never kill a thinkin' person, Jesse, don't you know that? This was a fuckin’ sparrin’ match, get off my tail already!”

“Not until you start handling yourself. You need to learn some responsibility before you lose control.”

She tried. She really tried. She trained and focused and held back. Wasn't it enough? What would be enough?

“Responsibility? What responsibility?” hissed Brisa. “To make myself smaller, to never bare my teeth in anger, to not remind you what I really am?”

“Yes, Brisa!” he shouted, voice breaking as he said her name. “Fuck, not the exact words, but yes! Brisa, I know it’s different for you than it is for me, I know I’m human, but you’re stronger than other pokémon. You must realise that. You’re fucking dangerous. I don’t want to find one day that you’ve fucking killed someone, Brisa! Back in the human world we call that manslaughter, and-”

"Well I'm not human. I'm sorry I'm not human! This is all that I am! Can't you love me this way?"

"I know. I know you're not human," said Jesse, with his voice. "You're a pokémon."

{You're a violent animal,} he thought, and Brisa heard it in her skull as if the thought was her own.

Shit.

So that was what her father thought of her.

Gods.

Salt and sand and spit.

Unbelievable.

"Yeah,” she spat. “I'm a pokémon. Like you. Like Ma. Like fuckin’ everybody. It don’t make us ‘violent animals,’ Pa!"

{I’m not a fucking pokémon-} “I’m not a fucking pokémon, though! I’m a fucking human, and we don’t live like this. Fighting all the time, regardless of reason. And you more than anyone! You never rest.

Ha! She was getting to him, now. His thoughts only spilled into her head like that during speech when he was losing his grip on his emotions. Well so what? She wanted to upset him. She wanted to make him feel like shit. That sounded great right now.

“Well, that’s my life. I do fight for no goddamn reason, Pa. That’s what I am. What are you gonna do about it?”

{I’ll put a stop to it.} “I’ll put a stop to it. You can’t keep hurting people, Brisa. That’s what you’ll do if you go on fighting like this.”

“Stop me how? Huh? I’m gonna go find Cathy, and I’m gonna ask for a rematch, and I’m gonna kick her tail!”

She pictured the most brutal fight she could. Jesse would see. He always saw, he couldn’t resist looking into her mind at every last fucking opportunity. Well, if she couldn’t have privacy in her own head, she’d punish him for it. She filled her mind’s eye with images of Cathy, bleeding from a dozen wounds.

{No! NO!} “No. You won’t. I forbid it, Brisa.”

“Ha. Not like you can stop me. Hell, I bet I could prove a match for you. How about it?”

Brisa bared her teeth at her father and imagined what he’d look like after she clawed him to fucking ribbons. He’d see it. So what.

{Stop it, fucking stop it-} “Brisa. I’m serious. Don’t let me find you fighting like that again.”

“Or what?” She was going to fight all she wanted. She imagined how it would be to let loose. To take out everyone in town without breaking a sweat. That’s how fucking strong she was. She was always holding back. Always. And this motherfucker was trying to stop her from having a friendly spar? She could knock anyone she wanted through a brick fucking wall if she stopped holding back. Just try and stop her. Just fucking try.

{What the fuck, Brisa-} “Brisa-”

“What are you gonna do to me when you find me like this?” she asked, and imagined sinking her teeth into Cathy’s neck.

Cathy’s blood in her mouth.

Biting down.

Hard.

Harder.

Jesse’s paw moved to one of his wands and he grit his teeth so hard Brisa felt her jaw hurt.

{If I catch you like that again,} went his inner monologue, {I won’t hesitate to put you down like the violent animal you are.}



Oh.

Jesse’s eyes went wide with horror before Brisa could even react. “I- I don’t know-” he stammered.

Brisa drew back, ears fully flat and tail pulled between her legs. Had her father really just… thought that?

“…Pa?”

{Oh god. Brisa-} “Brisa… whatever you just heard, I would never-”

“Pa, what in blazes is goin’ through your fuckin’ head? Get away from me. Get away. Stay back!”

She began retreating from her father’s fearful gaze, not knowing or caring what it would do to him if she fled forever.

{Brisa.} “Brisa. Calm down.”

“Calm down? Ha, you think I’m the violent one? I’ve never done any of that shit I was thinkin’ about. But you? You’ve only ever solved your problems by shootin’ them. You gonna shoot me, huh? You gonna put me down, Pa?”

{Brisa.} “Brisa. Let me help you. You need to stay calm.”

“How you gonna explain your daughter’s corpse to your goddamn wife, Stranger?”

{Brisa.}
“I don’t want to do this.”

“You won’t see me again, Jesse.”

{BRISA.}


Jesse put out a paw and his eyes burned with a hard light. Brisa froze in his sight and felt her mind being forced open, felt Jesse Stranger inside her head, grasping inexpertly for the memory of his flash of anger, seeking to tear it out, desperate to have never even thought that godawful thing in her presence.

Brisa screamed.
Yes.

She remembered, now.

"Don't you dare get yourself killed for my sake! [...] I do forgive you, and I'll prove it."

Brisa's paws crackled with vicious lightning as she prowled forward towards Curio.

"You shouldn't forgive me," she snarled. "There's no way you could forgive me."

Starr drew out the glassy orb, instantly teleporting to Curio's side.

Brisa shot Starr a look of feral pain and fear.

"I'm sick of hurtin' people, but it's all I'm capable of," she hissed. "I am a violent animal. You have to put me down."

And then she fixed her gaze on Curio once again, her jaws brimming with shadowy energy.
 
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Dragonfree

Moderator
Staff
Location
Iceland
Pronouns
she/her/hers
Partners
  1. butterfree
  2. mightyena
  3. charizard
  4. scyther-mia
  5. vulpix
  6. slugma
Dave stared at Brisa, his heart lurching at the predatory glint in her eyes - only for a rush of sudden anger to power through everything at her words, a fire of justice momentarily calming the raging horror in his chest. "Brisa, what... the fuck are you talking about." He gritted his teeth, running towards her. "Who the fuck told you that?"

(dangerous nonhumans)

(put them down)

And then he saw Nip lashing out towards Owen and let out a desperate bark, buzzing radiance bursting out of his body before he realized it, forming golden shields over him and Owen.
 
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Tanuki

Friend of All Chu
Location
Rhyme City
Pronouns
He/him/his
"It’s okay. Better me than you, Curio... I deserve this."
"You don't forgive me!" she snarled. "I'll prove it."
Zane heard Brisa's every word. The horde of shaymin, dark pokémon, his teammates, none of them could make enough noise to drown her out. He didn't hear someone else talking; he heard his thoughts come out of someone else's mouth. While he forced himself to battle like always, her voice got louder and louder, everyone else's joining the chorus.

Every burning bruise endured for everyone else sang out in agonizing honesty. He deserved every bit of pain he got leagues more than anyone else on the team. Nothing but a meatshield and a mistake everyone else had to deal with.

But Brisa? "Can it, cat!" he screamed. "You could kill any one of us without lifting a claw! You don't deserve a scratch after what you've done for the team!" If she was worthless, he was a liability. He was a liability. "Kill yourself on your own time! We have a fight to win!" He couldn't hear himself scream until he already had. His thoughts ran faster than he could ever hope to follow.
 
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Namohysip

Dragon Enthusiast
Staff
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. charizard
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. sceptile
  6. marowak
  7. jirachi
Celeste's Call goes to Cabot, lowering his corruption!

Curio's Radiant Fists struck Cabot and Brisa, but a Safe Start barrier protected them from the hits!
Curio's Call goes to Brisa, lowering her corruption!
Starr's Leech Life dealt a total of 334 damage to the Shaymin, healing her for 34 HP! Her Iron Thorn dealt an additional 84 damage!

Nip's Lash Out dealt 173 damage to the machine's barrier, shattering it! His followup dealt 424 damage!
Astrid's Triple Radiant Hex attack dealt a total of 1723 damage to the Shaymin Horde! The horde is stunned!
Cynthian's Sludge Bomb dealt 426 damage to the horde!

Astrid was forced to use Blinding Meltdown! She dealt 215 damage to the Shaymin Horde with Blinding Meltdown!

The horde was stunned again, and through the blinding explosion that Astrid was giving off, which struck at a few of the nearby Shaymin, they couldn't complete their Grass Whistle attack after all...

The Shadow Machine used Shadow Boon, boosting Nate, Cabot, and Brisa, raising their defense, resistance, and evasion by 1!
The Shadow Machine used Shadow Mind on Zane, Celeste, and Dave! Celeste dodged it and Dave deflected it, but Zane gained 30 corruption!

Nate stumbled blindly away from the machine, moving with unsteady, slumping motions halfway between walking and swimming. He flinched with every explosion of an attack, every shout across the battlefield. "Leave me alone," he said. He couldn't see through the dark tears dripping constantly from his eyes, expanding the oozing puddle around his feet. "Stay away from me! Why can't you all just leave me the fuck alone?" There was no way out. No matter which way he turned, the battle raged, the sounds of violence echoing directionless through the miasma. Nate shivered and stopped on the spot, cringing. There was nowhere to run to, even if he could. He closed his eyes and braced himself against some unknown attack. "Leave me alone..."

The shadow mudkip above grew ever darker and more distinct, thick tendrils of black seeping through the air towards Nate's former teammates. Those they settled over disappeared completely, as though swallowed by a black hole.

Nate uses Shadow Isolation on Zane and Celeste, but Celeste resisted!
Zane became Lonely! He cannot interact with allies, and allies cannot interact with him, including Supports!

Owen shuddered when he saw some kind of disturbance outside. The Charizard that had such a claim over him faltered, its wings parting just enough that Owen could see outside, toward Bahamut, who was trying to rein in the shadowy beast. In his crystal form, Bahamut did not have much of an expression, yet somehow Owen could feel the disappointment, and he was riddled with shame. The blast had taken him over so easily--but that was just it, wasn't it? They were unstable, and... and this wasn't him. It wasn't him, and yet... it was all so tiring.

"Please... h-help..." Owen begged. "I can't... It's so much... I'm better than this, why am I..."

Owen used Shadow Perceive, and then Radiant Overgrow, turning some of his moves to the Grass type or their counterparts!

Brisa was following through with her shouts to Starr, going for Curio without further thought--

Brisa used Radiant Arrest on Curio, paralyzing her and lowering her Speed! Then, Brisa used Shadow Maul on Curio, dealing 114 damage!

"So… that's all it took for you guys to panic and turn on me?! One hit from that machine and my scales looking a little different?!"

Cabot seethed angrily and clenched his fists.

"I waste my time being nice and trying to help you all, and for what?! You’re not even my real friends! You all probably just think I'm some gullible idiot you can take advantage off to make up for your own stupid problems back home!"

"Fine then! Screw all of you!" he shouted. "I don't need some whiny bunch dragging me down anyway! I'll send you back to Diyem and use this machine to save Cibus myself!"

Cabot looked over the group, before his eyes settled on Nip. Ah, yes, the Sneasel he'd helped get used to life inside a town, only to barely hear anything from him once he gotten the hang of things. Had Nip ever liked him? Or just used him in order to fit in better with the rest of the group? Cabot narrowed his eyes and grit his teeth.

"Starting with you, Nip!"

The dark haze around Cabot visibly thickened as he felt his muscles lighten up and noticed he could move them around more faster and more nimbly, just like Nip.

Cabot used Shadow Acceleration on Nip, copying his Speed buff!

He rushed forward at great speed, an iron coating forming around his tail before swinging it at Nip with all his might.

"Take this, you useless feral!"
Cabot used Iron Tail on Nip, dealing 234 damage!

The onslaught was chaos--but through it all, would they be able to find a way to stop them? Every time they used a Shadow move, they seemed to get even more corrupted... But they surely would be able to outpace them. They were their allies! Owen's body was moving on its own; among them, he seemed to be resisting the most, acting out of fear that the machine redirected into attacking. They were all attacking because of the machine's manipulation; it could happen to any of them if they lowered their guard.

They had to be freed--and the machine had to be destroyed.

"Concentrate! Do not lose focus!" Maple commanded.

The miasma continues to corrupt everyone in the area...
Shadow Machine: 3071+150
Shaymin Horde: 5141
Nate: 1710; 190 corruption
Owen: 1390; 140 corruption
Brisa: 1550; 160 corruption
Cabot: 2300; 170 corruption

The Shaymin are preparing Seed Flare...
 

unrepentantAuthor

A cat that writes stories.
Location
UK
Pronouns
they/she
Partners
  1. purrloin-salem
  2. sneasel-dusk
  3. luz-companion
  4. brisa-companion
  5. meowth-laura
  6. delphox-jesse
  7. mewtwo
  8. zeraora
"Maybe now you'll realise what I am," growled Brisa. "Maybe now you'll put me outta my misery."

Her eyes flared with Radiance as she conjured those same flickering bars of light which had tormented them both, even as her shadow-self's face streamed with tears. The restraints crackled into place around Curio and flared as they poured disabling electric current into her, over and over.

Then, the teeth came out.

She didn't hold back.

Brisa used Shadow Maul on Curio, dealing 114 damage!

When it was done, she turned to Starr with a hunted look in her eyes. Behind her, her shadow wailed silently.

"Go on, Starr," she said. "I wanna know what you really think of me. Tell me you hate me. Tell me I'm past savin'. Tell me I'll never gonna change. I'm gonna force the truth outta you the way you know best."

She advanced on Starr and raised a paw to summon Radiant Arrest once again.

Please. Please don't leave me.
 
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Fusion

Oh knee on
Location
Here, silly
Pronouns
Him/His
Partners
  1. zoroark
"I'm sick of hurtin' people, but it's all I'm capable of," she hissed. "I am a violent animal. You have to put me down."

"I waste my time being nice and trying to help you all, and for what?! You’re not even my real friends! You all probably just think I'm some gullible idiot you can take advantage off to make up for your own stupid problems back home!"

"Fine then! Screw all of you!" he shouted. "I don't need some whiny bunch dragging me down anyway! I'll send you back to Diyem and use this machine to save Cibus myself!"

"Please... h-help..." Owen begged. "I can't... It's so much... I'm better than this, why am I..."

"Maybe now you'll realise what I am," growled Brisa. "Maybe now you'll put me outta my misery."

"Go on, Starr," she said. "I wanna know what you really think of me. Tell you hate me. Tell me I'm past savin'. Tell me I'll never gonna change. I'm gonna force the truth outta you the way you know best."


Being a puddle of wax gave Vix a lot of time to soak up everything everyone was saying, especially the distorted shouts and cries of those that fell to the shadows. She had given up on trying to speak, her body was too weak to pull itself back together enough for anyone to hear her, but this... this sadness in the air, this pain coming from everyone around her...

Everyone...

They were fighting so hard together, trying their damnedest to stop that machine, to save people. Why was it fair for all of them to be dealing with all this pain? It wasn't fair! And Vix was sick of it! She had to do something, anything to help, but her damn body wasn't reforming!

Everyone, please...

Her voice was lost within herself, a silent collection of bubbling nonsense that no one could have heard. But she didn't allow herself to give up.

You're all so much stronger than this... So much stronger than the machine..!

Briefly, her liquid state shifted, starting to take a candle-like form before collapsing in on itself again. She had to pull herself together, lives were on the line! Her team needed her!

Every single one of you is stronger than the shadows corrupting you..! You can't let it take over so easily, you have to keep fighting!

Whether her silent cry was heard or not, Vix did not know. She hoped that they heard her, but that was all she could do now, it felt like. Hope, and wait.
 

TheGOAT

🗿
Location
Houston, Texas
Pronouns
Him/his
Partners
  1. serperior
  2. alolatales-goat
This battle was different.

This battle…

Astrid had always wanted to visit Shaymin Village. Sky Peak had plenty of appeal on its own, sure, but the renowned bastion of gratitude, located in the heart of the Grass Continent, had drawn Astrid in whenever she studied the tales and legends. And now she was here, in all its chaotic glory. She was not a tourist, of course, because it was never going to be that easy.

Indeed, it did not take long for the chaos to take its toll. The Vulpix stumbled, bewildered, breathing heavily from exertion. What were these lights dancing in her vision? These bright patches battling with the darkness? What… was this feeling? What were these fucking feelings? Voices, millions of them, telling her she wasn’t worth it, telling her she was better than everyone here. She rebuked both of them with strength far weaker than she was comfortable with. They were infectious, never quite leaving. Surely it wasn’t natural, she rationalized. Surely it was just the machine! It was nothing like she’d ever felt. And yet…

Something brushed against her side: a lone Shaymin, disoriented, thankfully not focused on her. She turned, and, oh, a hundred more were charging her way. They were preparing something devastating. Some were singed, others were battered, and all were not themselves. And, Astrid noticed, all of them were shivering.

One more.

“One… more!”

The shadows seeping out of her fur stung like hellfire, but she fought them down. A split second of weakness—precious effort spent holding down the blackness enveloping her vision—left her wide open to the light. In the moments that followed, as she took her final steps towards the mob, that light broke through.

Astrid used Radiant Iceberg! The Shaymin were Frozen!

The shadows in her eyes became obsolete, eclipsed by a blinding, burning yellow. Icicles, snowflakes, water vapor solidifying before her—it bent the light shining from her body in all directions. There were so many Shaymin, but the blizzard she’d conjured would not miss a single one.

An intrusive thought broke through her stronghold, which was quickly crumbling.

You’ve accounted for every one of them. Every last Shaymin; not a single soul left out.

Don’t you wish you knew how it felt?


Crippling ice flew forward with the nonexistent wind: a hurricane of snow. As she advanced through the miasma, step by step, she cried out in pain. The voices…

Astrid used Radiant Hex!

It was the worst pain she’d ever felt.

Astrid used Radiant Hex again!

Her shrieks pierced the air. Did anyone hear her? Through the fiery haze, she caught glimpses of her teammates. Did anyone care? Did, did…

Astrid used a final Radiant Hex, stunning the Shaymin horde!

Of course not.

It was almost over. Sweet relief was so close. She could feel it com—

Astrid used Blinding Meltdown on the Shaymin horde! Astrid exploded!
 
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windskull

Bidoof Fan
Staff
Partners
  1. sneasel-nip
  2. bidoof
  3. absol
  4. kirlia
  5. windskull-bidoof
  6. little-guy-windskull
  7. purugly
  8. mawile
A satisfied smirk crossed Nip's face as his first strike alone shattered the barrier around the strange machine. Another strike did more damage, dark, shadowy smoke billowing around him.

He heard his name. Tense, he spun around in searh of the sound. Did he need to move? Was something wrong? What—

Cabot was charging him down.

Cabot was charging him down.

Nip growled, adjusting his stance to face the cranidos head-on. But before he could do anything...

"Take this, you useless feral!"

Nip's eyes widened in shock. He froze up. Hesitated. "Fe—"

The iron tail connected striking him in the chest. He swore he heard something crack. But he had no time to process that, nor Cabot's statement. That one blow was enough to send him flying backwards. He was unconscious before he even hit the ground.

...

...

He didn't know if someone had dragged him back, or if he'd woken near the backlines. Bleary-eyed, Nip struggled to his feet. How did he end up here again? Oh right. He'd been attacking the machine, and then his friend Cabot the cranidos had. Right.

Healing light washed over him, a gift from Bahamut, and he felt his wounds start to heal. And yet he felt so, so tired. Every movement felt like it was weighed down. He looked up to the thick of the chaos, where their corrupted teammates were still fighting. Had he nearly become like them, himself.
He couldn't fight them. Not yet. Not until he'd recovered, but perhaps he could still do something. Owen wanted to kill them. And Cabot was...

Nip threw an iron thorn at the shaymin as he retreated backwards. From a distance, he shouted. "Owen! Remember, you came here by choice. Because you wanted to help people, right? Don't forget that!"

His attention next went to Cabot. He tried to keep a steady voice, but emotion crept into his tone. "What is wrong with you? How dare you call me a..." He couldn't say it. He wasn't a feral stolen kinless. There were people who cared about him... right? "I thought we were friends! But I guess I was wrong after all."
 

Shiny Phantump

Through Dream, I Travel
Location
Hallownest
Pronouns
She/Her
Partners
  1. sylveon
  2. absol-mega
  3. silvally-psychic
  4. ninetales-phantump
  5. cosmog
  6. gallade-phantump
  7. ceruledge-phantump
So, their teammates were turning against the team...

“You gutless traitors. You think the rest of us are here because I want to be? That I wouldn’t rather be comfortable at home instead of here, fighting for my life? Fuck off. I am here because we have a duty, and I WILL ensure that it is performed, even if I have to clear you out of the way to get it done.”

Celeste scoffed. “Come on, Brisa, even you? Hmph. Here I’d thought that you were the one here I could count on. The only thing about you that I have to hate is the fact that you’re throwing a hissy fit and turning tail on us. Grow up and do your bloody job before my respect for you flickers out.”

He heard Cabot yelling, then a loud cracking sound. What is wrong with you, Cabot? Nip isn’t the one lashing out at his teammates. If anyone here’s gone feral, it’s you. Consider yourself lucky you don’t have a hollow at the bottom of your skull, because I’d be perfectly willing to slice into that brain cavity of yours... Not that there seems to be anything of value there, anyways.”
 
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Chibi Pika

Stay positive
Staff
Location
somewhere in spacetime
Pronouns
they/them
Partners
  1. pikachu-chibi
  2. lugia
  3. palkia
  4. lucario-shiny
  5. incineroar-starr
"I'm sick of hurtin' people, but it's all I'm capable of," she hissed. "I am a violent animal. You have to put me down."
God, Starr did not have time for this. Dealing with it back in the cave was one thing--they'd all the time in the world. Too damn much of it, in fact. But here there were a million things vying for her attention and still the creeping needles of dread in the back of her skull, and half of her was still surprised that that was all it was. It hadn't taken hold of her. Not yet.

"Put you down? Don't make me laugh," Starr said, meeting Brisa's vicious gaze with her own, cold and steely. "You think I don't know how to take down an enemy without killing them? Give me some damn credit."

There wasn't time. There were still a million enemies to focus on, she couldn't drop everything for just one, that wasn't how things worked. But right that moment, a raging Blizzard tore through the sky, freezing a massive chunk of the horde at once. The assault let up for a single, sweet moment. Had to make it count.

"Go on, Starr," she said. "I wanna know what you really think of me. Tell you hate me. Tell me I'm past savin'. Tell me I'll never gonna change. I'm gonna force the truth outta you the way you know best."
She forced herself to stare straight into those burning golden eyes. "Still trying to pass yourself off as hopeless? That's the easy path. Then you don't have to do any goddamn work. You're gonna deal with this shit the hard way--there's no shortcuts. And I'm not afraid to beat that into you if I have to."
 

Namohysip

Dragon Enthusiast
Staff
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. charizard
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. sceptile
  6. marowak
  7. jirachi
Starr's Leech Life dealt a CRITICAL 209 damage to the horde! She healed for 21 HP!
Nip's Iron Thorn dealt 92 damage to the horde!

The calls got through to Cabot and Owen, allowing them to repel the Shadows!

The Shadow Machine used Shadow Mind on Zane, Astrid, and Cynthian raising their corruption by 30, except for Cynthian, who took 73 damage!
The Shadow Machine used Shadow Boon on Brisa and Nate, raising their Magic, Defense, and Resistance!

The Shaymin unleashed their Seed Flare!
Astrid: 41, KO!
Bahamut: 49
Celeste: 58
Cino: 152, KO!
Curio: 107
Cynthian: 33
Dave: Protected!
Nip: Mithos takes 135 damage, but the shield breaks! Nip takes an additional 54
Starr: Skara takes 67 damage, and the shield breaks! Starr takes an additional 48
Vix: 21
Zane: 91

For a while, Nate was lucky. There was one advantage to being small: no one noticed you. It was easy to hide. In the dark, swirling mist, who would even notice he was there?

At least there was the mist. It strengthened him, it protected him. It told him what was going to happen. This fight had been going on for so long, long before he came here, but soon it was going to be over. There would be no more battle, and no one would ever bother Nate, not ever again. Nate looked up and tried to see through his tears as a whole flight of shaymin rose up out of the mist, glowing with green light. One more attack, and that was all. It would be over. And then, finally, he would be safe. The light grew and grew until Nate couldn't see anything else. The air roared and the ground shook.

For a moment, there was peace. The fog drifted, harsh sunlight shining down over the scarred and cratered ground. But it didn't last. Pokémon were stirring. Some of them were even standing up. They raised claws and bared teeth. Give it another second and they would attack. It was going to start all over again.

The battle was never going to end. It never could end, not as long as even one pokémon had the strength to ball hand into fist. Hiding wasn't enough--there was only one way to end this. There was only one way Nate would ever be safe.

Somewhere in the sucking ooze that made up Nate's side was his bag, surely inaccessible, even if he still had hands to open it with. Didn't matter. The ooze around him rippled, flowing and reshaping, and now here was a hand, and he could raise it out of the muck. In its palm rested a cluster of seeds. Nate knew what to do with those.

"Stop!" Nate yelled, even though he knew they would all ignore him. When had anything he'd said ever mattered? And even through stinging, shadow-blurred eyes, he could see that they weren't stopping "Stay away from me! Stay back or I'll--I'll--I'll fucking kill you!" Nate hurled the handful of blast seeds at the line of advancing pokémon and then, too scared to even watch what happened next, flattened himself to the ground under the strongest energy shield he could muster, cringing and shuddering and expecting retribution at any moment.

Nate used Final Rush and tossed four Blast Seeds the way of Zane, Celeste, Cynthian, and then Curio!
Zane: 100, KOed
Celeste: Dodged!
Cynthian: 100, KOed
Curio: 100, KOed
Nate used Protect, gaining 5 Protect barriers!

Brisa's Radiant Arrest was partially dodged by Starr, but the full, but not completely effective, force of her Shadow Maul strikes Starr for an additional 23 damage!

Several others had been revived, but Astrid and Zane were completely knocked out!

The Charizard around Owen suddenly disappeared, and Owen flopped to the ground and closed his eyes, clutching his head. "N-no..." he muttered. "I..." He sighed, trying to keep it together, sighing quietly. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me..." He stood up, a new fire in his eyes.

Purified of his Shadows, Owen is motivated! He has gained one free Support action for this battle!

The Miasma continues to permeate the area...
Shadow Machine: 3071 + 150
Shaymin Horde: 4840
Nate: 1710, but he only has one action, corruption 200
Brisa: 1550, corruption 140

The Shaymin are preparing Sweet Scent...
 
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NebulaDreams

Ace Trainer
Partners
  1. luxray
  2. hypno
Curio looked at the scene around her. Everyone was turning into shadows, left and right. Friends became foes. Allies became enemies. And her corrupted teammates started spouting all that stuff about killing each other or themselves. It was all too much.

So Curio just laughed. A guttural one she had been holding in for quite some time.

"Ahahahaha! What's the point of all this? It's-it's all so absurd, it's too much!"

Curio smacked herself across the face, suppressing the shadows within her for now.

"I'm sick of hurtin' people, but it's all I'm capable of," she hissed. "I am a violent animal. You have to put me down."

And then she fixed her gaze on Curio once again, her jaws brimming with shadowy energy.

"No, you're not!" Curio screamed. "Don't you ever say--"

Oh, crap. Brisa was really about to attack her. Again. Please don't let it be like last time. Curio braced herself for what was about to come, fearing the worst.

"Maybe now you'll realise what I am," growled Brisa. "Maybe now you'll put me outta my misery."

Her eyes flared with Radiance as she conjured those same flickering bars of light which had tormented them both, even as her shadow-self's face streamed with tears. The restraints crackled into place around Curio and flared as they poured disabling electric current into her, over and over.

Then, the teeth came out.

She didn't hold back.

Brisa used Shadow Maul on Curio, dealing 114 damage!

No. No no no. Not this again. Not the restraints, not the shocks, not... this.

Okay, calm down, focus. That just happened in the past. Why are you going through this song and dance again? You know this is temporary, and you know Brisa isn't in the best state right now.

Ugh... that bite really did a number on her. She wasn't sure how much more she could take. After the bite, Curio stood up and tried to put on her best smile, despite the gnawing feeling in her heart.

"Brisa. Was that really your worst?"
 
Partners
  1. skiddo-steplively
  2. skiddo-px2
  3. skiddo-px3
  4. skiddo-iametrine
  5. skiddo-coolshades
  6. skiddo-rudolph
  7. skiddo-sleepytime
  8. snowskiddo
  9. skiddotina
  10. skiddengo
  11. skiddoyena
The battle against their own team raged on. Skara had no strength left for any more substitutes. And what good would it do even if she did? There was no "hiding behind" something when wave after wave of energy rolled across the battlefield from every direction, launched by countless angry shaymin. There was definitely no hiding from the dark miasma seeping out of the "machine", slowly stealing away everyone who was supposed to be helping, everyone who was supposed to be strong.

Substitutes wouldn't fix this. Nothing Skara could do would fix this. She couldn't help Cynthian when it was just him, possessed by just one shade. How could she help literally everyone else, all at once, while everything was actively exploding? How could anyone? What was the point?

She'd thought they'd made progress. She'd thought she was beginning to understand. She'd thought the shades she and the mudkip had questioned were reasonable, or something approaching that. Certainly that they were thinking, feeling creatures—like animals, at the absolute least, if not something akin to pokémon. She'd thought that there might be a way to stop at least some of the infections and keep people safe.

Fat lot of good any of that had done. Was this even remotely related to what they'd learned? Was the miasma actually a tide of shades, or was it some new, fresh hell they'd never seen before? Was there a limit to how much the thing could produce, or were they just going to be swimming in the stuff before long? Was it even possible to snap the others out of this? Did it work the same way? What was even going on? What was the point?

Something shifted among the enemy ranks. Shadows receding? Hard to tell. Did it matter? Still so many, many more pouring out of the mist-damned whatever-it-was. Still so many members of the team plastered all over the ground, struggling to stand.

Everything had gone to hell, because of course it had. No one had any control over anything at all. Legendaries and shadow creatures could just do as they merry well pleased, just like Mysthame, just like always, because that's just how it was everywhere, apparently, and how dare she have the temerity to request that the way they chose to screw her over make half an ounce of sense.

What was the point?
 

Adamhuarts

Mew specialist
Partners
  1. mew-adam
  2. celebi-shiny
  3. roserade-adam
What was going on? Everyone was falling, one by one. Cynthian heart sank when Astrid fell to that Seed Flare. He wanted to rush over to her and make sure she was okay, but just as he was about to move, there was a blast seed right in front of his face.

"What?"

The resulting explosion sent Cynthian tumbling back a few times. He screamed and whimpered. A searing pain enveloped him and the world was a blurry haze for a few agonizing seconds. When his vision cleared, he saw the husk of a reviver seed drop out of his flower. Right, so that's where he lost it.

Cynthian couldn't help but wheeze. He was barely hanging on, but he was still alive. There had to be something he could do. A piercing headache stabbed at him as he wobbled to his feet. His eyes were locked on the Mudkip going on a craze. What was his name again? Cynthian didn't know, nor did he care to remember. If he wasn't snapped out of it, everyone else could die.

Others were calling onto him and some were even using their radiant abilities. Right, Curio brought him back a similar way before, right? Cynthian waved his flower and sent two glowing petals at the Mudkip. If this was the way, he'd follow their cue.

Having done that, he clumsily took his last bottle of elixir, color returning to his leaves as his energy returned. There were no words describing his annoyance with the stupid machine corrupting everyone.

"EAT DIRT, YOU STUPID CONTRAPTION" Cynthian drew a blast seed and hurled it at the machine with all his strength.
 
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Namohysip

Dragon Enthusiast
Staff
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. charizard
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. sceptile
  6. marowak
  7. jirachi
Starr's Iron Thorn dealt 52 damage to the machine's shield!
Brisa took a grazing 25 damage from Dave's Small Blast Seed!
Bahamut's Sunny Morning Sun healed a chunk of the party!
Cynthian's Small Blast Seed dealt 100 damage, shattering the shield!
Curio's Radiant Fist dealt 137 damage to the Shadow Machine!
Starr's Flare Blitz dealt a total of 620 damage to the Shadow Machine, and she took 62 damage in recoil!

Nate and Brisa were freed!

"Good... good," Owen said, sighing as several of the team gathered around them, even in the midst of battle, to make sure they were okay and intact. The last of the corruption had to get out of their system first before they could totally lose themselves. "That... that attack from the machine was way more than what we'd ever dealt with before. It was like a concentrated Shade and--h-hey, did you guys notice that this thing isn't making Shades or anything? We haven't seen any here..."

The Shadow Machine used Shadow Mind on Dave, Celeste, and Bahamut!
Celeste dodged and Dave deflected it!
Bahamut gained 30 corruption!

The Shadow Machine used Shadow Boon, focusing entirely on the Shaymin! It boosted their Magic by 3!
The Shaymin used Sweet Scent, attacking everyone and lowering their evasion!

"We can't fight something like that. It doesn't matter h-how mentally disciplined you are. It just... corrodes you. I felt thoughts that didn't even feel like my own near the end there, I--it just..." He glanced left. "Bahamut? You're not looking too..."

The miasma continues to spread throughout the field...

"We have to end this NOW," Maple shouted, looking to Soda, who was still trying to wrestle and yank all the Shaymin out of his mane. "The team is freed. Take the opportunity before it makes things worse! Strike it down!"

"But," Owen said, "what about the Shaymin? I--"

"Fuck the Shaymin!" Soda shouted, pointing at the machine. "They'll live! In fact, we WON'T if you let them launch--" Soda ducked, narrowly avoiding a crescent-shaped volley of green light. "TAKE IT OUT!"

Shadow Machine: 2314 + 150
Shaymin horde: 4840

The Shaymin are preparing Seed Flare...
 
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unrepentantAuthor

A cat that writes stories.
Location
UK
Pronouns
they/she
Partners
  1. purrloin-salem
  2. sneasel-dusk
  3. luz-companion
  4. brisa-companion
  5. meowth-laura
  6. delphox-jesse
  7. mewtwo
  8. zeraora
"Brisa, what... the fuck are you talking about. Who the fuck told you that?"
Only the great hero, Delphox Jesse Stranger, the human-made-mon, the psychic, her father.

But Dave didn't need to know that. He didn't need to understand. He only needed to believe that she was dangerous.

"Can it, cat! You could kill any one of us without lifting a claw! You don't deserve a scratch after what you've done for the team! Kill yourself on your own time! We have a fight to win!"
She wasn't going to kill anyone. She would never kill a thinking person. Not deliberately, anyway. You violent animal. The whole point was to prove she would keep hurting people and had to be stopped. She had to force them to give up on her so she needn't be so afraid, all the time, of letting them down. Fuck killing herself. Fuck the fight. She needed them to put her down.

She shut out the calls from her allies as she restrained and then mauled Curio, tearing into her badly enough to match the most brutal of her combats back home.

Yet...

...she couldn't land a finishing blow.

"Brisa. Was that really your worst?"
No. It wasn't. It wasn't enough to prove what she deserved. She wrenched her face away from Curio, the frustrated growl rising again in her throat.

She needed to be put down, and she could prove it.

"I'm gonna force the truth outta you the way you know best."
"Still trying to pass yourself off as hopeless? That's the easy path. Then you don't have to do any goddamn work. You're gonna deal with this shit the hard way—there's no shortcuts. And I'm not afraid to beat that into you if I have to."

She responded with a vicious, feral snarl. "I could kill you. I'll make you kill me if I gotta. I can't live like this one more goddamn day."

“Here I’d thought that you were the one here I could count on. The only thing about you that I have to hate is the fact that you’re throwing a hissy fit and turning tail on us. Grow up and do your bloody job before my respect for you flickers out.”
Was the absol threatening her with the loss of his respect? She didn't want respect. She had plenty of respect back home and not a drop of it ever made her happy. I just want to be loved. But... Celeste didn't hate her. He was counting on her. She should stand by him.

No.

She wasn't really a person.

"Why won't you admit it?" she cried. "Jesse knew what I was. Jesse knew he would have to kill me. Why can't you do it?"

She fired up the bars of light, and Starr weaved and dodged past them, tearing through the restraints with her own Radiance. Brisa yowled and dove on Starr's body, and rent it open with claws, with teeth, with crackling lightning. She meant to put her within an inch of death. That was the plan. Prove she was dangerous. Prove she needed to die. And yet she couldn't help but hold back, because...

Because...

She was sinking her teeth into Starr's neck. Again.

Tasting Starr's blood in her mouth. Again.

Biting down. Again.

Hard.

...harder?

She...

She couldn't do it.

"Starr... I... I'm sorry... I just..."

She sank to the ground, letting go of Starr's throat without leaving serious damage.

"...I don't know how to be okay..."
 

Fusion

Oh knee on
Location
Here, silly
Pronouns
Him/His
Partners
  1. zoroark
Having finally pulled herself back together, Vix finally got a look at everything going on. She was only out for like, what ten minutes or something? Her teammates were back to normal, sure, but the greenery looked just about ready to explode everyone to death. And the damn machine was still working! To make matters worse, for her specifically, she still wasn't at 100%. Parts of her were still goopy and she was a lot shorter and wider than usual.

She looked at an elixir, it might be enough to big her back up, but...

Do it, Vix. Just fucking hit the thing.

Ah, yes, now she was hearing things.

Hit it really hard...

"But I just-"

Dooooooooo it...

"...Fuck it." With a final, blinding wave of super-heated air, Vix once again fell into a puddle of herself. Hopefully she did enough to help out the team. Maybe. Probably.
 

Chibi Pika

Stay positive
Staff
Location
somewhere in spacetime
Pronouns
they/them
Partners
  1. pikachu-chibi
  2. lugia
  3. palkia
  4. lucario-shiny
  5. incineroar-starr
Starr braced herself for worse. All things considered, it wasn't that bad. She'd been torn up as a human before, but everything just felt easier as a Pokemon. Maybe she was just numb from half her moves and her own damn radiance eating her alive. That, or the numbness that came from shutting everything out because she could not, would not let herself feel things, not now, not when the team needed her to not to fall to pieces.

Or maybe it was just the simple, blatantly obvious truth that Brisa had held back, and Starr could spot it from a mile away.

Starr slowly pulled her feet under her body and lifted herself from the ground, staring down at Brisa with tired eyes. "You don't have to know how to be okay. You have to know how to keep trying anyway."

She turned around to face the battle. Everything had gone to hell. Soda was screaming at them to ignore the Shaymin and attack the machine.
She'd wasted half the damn fight focusing on the wrong target. Time to put things right.

Starr's fur lit up with raging flame. Too hot; it was consuming her. She didn't have the aura to keep it at bay anymore. Didn't need it though. She only had enough for one good hit, and she was gonna make it count.

The Litten shot toward the shadow machine in a blazing meteor.
 

Adamhuarts

Mew specialist
Partners
  1. mew-adam
  2. celebi-shiny
  3. roserade-adam
As the corruption further encroached into Cynthian's psyche, his body completely stiffened and he remained standing in place with a dazed expression. No. He couldn't let it happen again. He couldn't afford to let those terrifying thoughts engulf him once more. Flashes of fire and screaming played in his mind...


"We have to end this NOW," Maple shouted

Cynthian snapped back to reality and heaved a gasp. Beads of transpiration dropped from his forehead as he struggled to keep it together. Slowly but surely, he could feel the dark thoughts begin to recede. That's right... it was not yet time to open that door. Something told him those memories were better left repressed, and besides.. There were more important matters.

The Shadow Machine still loomed over them, ominous and gloomy. Just the thought of using another made his arms ache in soreness. He could manage one... two sludge bombs in his current state.

What should he do? Should he risk? If everyone attacks the machine and it's still not broken, then...

No. He should do it. If the machine is still active after everything, then they could've only gone so far anyway...

Cynthian gathered sickly purple energy in both his flowers, held them together and shot the two sludge bombs at the machine. He fell back onto his rump from the recoil and sat with his legs sprawled on the ground.

"I want to go home."
 

Ambyssin

Gotta go back. Back to the past.
Location
Residency hell
Pronouns
he/him
Partners
  1. silvally-dragon
  2. necrozma-ultra
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. dreepy
  6. mewtwo-ambyssin
Bahamut managed to keep his allies standing against the onslaught. Good. At least, as exhaustion forced him down to the ground to rest, he could pleasantly on thoughts of Darkwhite throwing a temper tantrum somewhere.
 
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