Radiant Void

[Chibi Pika]

Things were going pretty well. A raging thunderstorm of Shadows had blown Maple's head clean off. Maybe this was doable.

Then the meteors hit.

The first wave clattered off Starr's shield. The next wave shattered it. Then they just kept coming without end, and all the dodging in the world couldn't save her from the radiant barrage crashing down of her without mercy. The world dissolved into blinding pain, and then nothing.

Sick of being in pain.

Her senses returned in an instant with the flash of a Reviver Seed. The pain returned. Starr couldn't move. She could hardly breathe. The team probably needed her to attack.

They can handle their own damn selves for a change.

Starr reached into her bag, smashed a Protect Orb, curled up under its shield and let the Shadows soothe her mangled body.

 

[Cresselia92]

In the maelstrom of Radiance and Voidlands, the two daemonic star killers roared with fury as they smashed through the falling stars. Born to endure even the most maddening effects of Chaos, what was a shower of stars for them?

Nothing!

Magnificent tore through some of those meteors with his scythe, empowered by his host’s shadow powers, and reduced them into smaller fragments. Whatever energy they had that could have affected Icetales adversely was largely dispersed by the Ninetales’ nebulous powers. Cutting through everything… oh, how amazing that felt!

Ha! Unholy beast! Thou art nothing for the great might of Magnificent! Submit at once!

Then, the phantom smashed the scythe to the not-floor, sending a pulse of dark aura around himself. The shadows danced like hellish flames, latching onto the darkness of whoever got affected by the nebula. Enveloped in a cloudy veil, keeping the teammates protected from light attacks.

Light… Pah! What an abhorrent creation!

There was a bright spark, and Magnificent turned to stare at his host — Icetales had reversed to his original fox appearance and took many calming breaths to keep his shadows in check. A soft white mist and rainbow barrier surrounded him, before being spread across the battlefield.

…Cannot even handle some little darkness? Magnificent leaned on his scythe. Thou must work on that, foolish lad. Darkness is thy nature — thou should control it, not let it control thee.

“I… shall work on that, yes. But not now.” Icetales frowned and braced himself for whatever Radiant attack was incoming. “My priority… is to keep my friends safe and help Miss Maple. Nothing else.” He turned to Brisa, noticing the darkness surrounding her, and flashed a confident smirk. “Brisa… We are counting on thee.” The nebula embraced her body, fueling her attacks. “Show to Miss Maple the true power of Team Spectrum!”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

The team needed her. They were clearing a path. Dave and Koa putting out weakening attacks, Icetales pressing a flask of bright liquid to her paw, Mellow throwing her bodily towards Saltriv, who took on her corruption and gave back protective shields... She was ready. But what about the other strikers–? She couldn't catch sight of them...

Was she really the only one?

They're countin' on you.

At some point in the melée, Brisa had lost sight of Astrid... Over there, Cynthian was exhausted, gasping, desperately shedding Shadows. Cabot gave his all in that last attack, he was done. Owen was back in the physical world, of course... And . . . Starr—! She was there, prone, fists clenched in suffering, fur scorched by light, cocooned in Shadows.

She don't look so good.

Brisa darted to her side, plasma pulsing across her own fur, and reached down, saying, "Starr, it's okay, I'm here—"

Starr kept her silence. She didn't look up and meet Brisa's gaze. But between shudders of pain, somehow, Starr reached back and took Brisa's hand, and the Shadows unfurled to close around her, too. Brisa's pain faded, her exhaustion faded, even the darkness itself drained from behind her own eyes. The yearning in her mind ebbed; the heartache remained, but she could bear it. She'd have to. She...

The team needed her to attack alone, this time.

Y'gotta. No two ways about it. Y'don't have a choice.

She let go of Starr's hand, and ran towards the titan ahead. Arcstrike. Nip dashed to her side, and took her closer to the centre of the frenzy in a Psychic flash. They needed the biggest Arcstrike she could suffer...

"I'll fight through anything if it's the right thing to do."

And you're gonna. You always fuckin' do.

She'd never had her skull so full of darkness.

You ain't gonna be as strong alone. You need Starr to be yer best. So without her...

It didn't matter. Starr might not be here, but Starr was depending on her.

Shadows filled every part of Brisa, seeped from every pore, she could barely stand the wishing inside her, the hope against hope the please be some other way than this, please. The lightning was sustained, never grounding, just building, building, ready—

Please let this be enough, please, I want to be enough–!

The Arcstrikes thundered out of her like a sunless storm front.

Brisa's Cat o' Nine Tails Arcstrikes dealt 3019 damage to Maple!
Maple's wings were destroyed! Maple's Soul was Paralysed!

 

[Namohysip]

Miles: Shield V protected Starr!
Cino's Shield IV protected Brisa!
The Ethereals boosted Brisa's damage and protected the team!
Icetales' Teatime let Brisa restore her stamina!
Icetales' Misty Nebulous Diamond Veil boosted and protected the team!
Mellow's pure words rallied Brisa, Cynthian and Icetales
Mellow's Tailwind hastened the team!
Mellow's Shadow Toss yeeted Brisa to the Right Arm!
Vix chauffeured Dave and Starr!
Vix waxed Starr, Brisa, and Koa!
Vix drained Saltriv's corruption!
Saltriv's Void Acceptance soothed Koa, Starr, and Brisa!
Saltriv's Revitalizing Morning Sun restored Koa, Starr, and Vix!
Saltriv's Brilliant Autumn protected and soothed Koa, Starr, and Brisa!
Starr's Void Catharsis healed, soothed and prepared Brisa and herself!
Koa called out to Saltriv! His pure words reached them!
Koa's Conduit let him shoulder Brisa's Shadows!
Nip chauffeured Brisa!
Dave has Hex Counter!

Koa's triple Pressurized Outcries dealt 223, 202 and 271 damage to Maple's head, and inflicted -3600 Resistance! The third hit dealt a little extra damage!
Dave's Quadruple Crunches dealt a total of 122 damage, 2400 Poison, and -3000 Defense to Maple’s head! Some of that Poison went to the Soul!
Brisa received a lot of support from the team! Brisa is surging with power... Brisa's Cat o' Nine Tails Arcstrike dealt a semi-CRITICAL 1359, 1026, and 634 damage to Maple's Head, Wings, and Soul! Her Tenacity inflicted 450 Paralysis to each! It's Ultra Effective!
Nip's Shadow Spike dealt 20 damage and +200 Poison to Maple's Tail!

Maple's Wings were destroyed! Several ailments went toward the main body!

Maple's Soul became Poisoned until next turn!
Maple's Soul became Paralyzed!

The titanic leviathan roared and seemed to wince, finally, at the onslaught that was taking out parts of her body, turning them into hazy wisps that struggled to reform. That red star on her chest pulsed ominously and Maple straightened her body... but then snarled, buckling as her arms lost their form again.

No matter, it seemed. She still had a head, and with it...

Maple's Soul tried to regenerate a part... but was stunned! It shook off the Paralysis!

Maple's head opened wide and fired a Blinding Blast against those near her chest!
Brisa: Cino took the hit for a CRITICAL 9538 damage, leaving behind a Protect!
Dave: A CRITICAL 2390 damage! KO!

Maple's head snapped down against those ahead of her with her Blinding Jaws!
Cynthian: Bunker! The head took 400 Poison!
Icetales: Dodged!
Mellow: A reduced, grazing 207!

Mellow resisted being Damage Trapped!

Maple's tail lashed out against Nip with Blinding Piercer, but Nip narrowly blocked it! That looked like it would've hurt!
Dave's Hex Counter lowered the Head's Attack and Magic by 1!

Maple Soul: 6405, Poisoned, 40% damage reduction
Head: 6572
Tail: 4936

Wishkeeper's Insight: Maple's Soul is losing stability... If we strike it enough, its tough defenses might deteriorate soon! Concentrate on the Soul and the Head!

"There's... something. I'm sensing something, but it's... too stable right now. If we apply some stress, I could give more information..."

 

[Fusion]

"Alright!!!" A voice roared. In a spark of black and white light, Astrid had vanished off to a safe place to rest. But not really rest. Probably just somewhere to sit and think without exploding, yet. In her place stood the figure of a Scrafty covered in a dark, waxy substance, who grabbed Dave, vanished again, and reappeared with Starr on the right arm.

With a flick of their hand, the wax on their body scattered off to some of the others, and two giant spheres formed over their head, already filling with corruption. With the wax gone, the Scrafty was fully revealed; Dark scales, darker eyes, deep red skin, crimson claws, a purple fire in place of a frill trailing down to the tip of their tail, and a head of glass with a smug, jagged grin. Whoever this was just exuded confidence.

"Sorry to butt in all unannounced, but I was getting too excited from watching to stay put. And I thought you could use my help right about now anyway," they chuckled. "Can't have everyone blowing up so early, right? Just leave your corruption to me and go wild! We'll be through with Maple in no time flat!"

Hopping off of the Scrafty's back was lil ol' Puddle, exuding half as much confidence as its ride was. "I dunno where Vix went, but this guy with the glass head seems nice! Pretty sure they were sittin' where Vix was, and they won't tell me where she went off to... But I think we'll be fine with them here instead!"

"Hell yeah we will," Scrafty smirked. "For all the spectrums this team's got, losing ain't on a single on of them!"

 

[Cresselia92]

The thrill of the battle! The adrenaline of bloodlust! The raising shadows!

Ah. Yes. That was the perfect setting for a showdown between demons… and that foolish lad was sharing tea with Mellow and Astrid. Imbecilic half-daemon.

What werest thou doing? growled the shadow, shooting an unimpressed glare at his host.

“Dost thou not know that tea has soothing properties? We need all the soothing energy we can get.” Icetales placed a paw on his chin. “Oh. Wait. Thou know, because thou art me.” And so he proceeded to drink his Elixir-boosted tea… before that got swatted away by a hooked tail. “Hey, what—?!”

Enough with this frivolous balderdash! What we need to do it’s to rip this beast to pieces.

“Now that is a tad overkill. We do not want to assassinate Miss Maple — only to calm her down.”

Pah. Where is thy desire of bloodshed, mayhem and soul-draining? Magnificent ran his finger in the flat of his scythe. Truly deplorable of a daemon to lack such natural drives…

“Then I guess I am not a true daemon, and I would be fine with that.”

…Hmph. In any case, we will not progress much in ‘calming down’ this titan without some extra power, yes? Magnificent stared intently at his host, holding the scythe on his shoulder. So, let us accelerate things here, shall we?

Hm. The darkness had a point. Maple was truly a mighty opponent, and the team needed more power to truly compete with that light dragon. Icetales nodded in agreement.

“I must concur. Let us lend some of our power.”

Icetales closed his eyes and focused on his Radiant power. His body shifted once more, taking the aspect of a nebula-shrouded entity, and his cosmic twister swirled with more power.

Then, a howl echoed across the battlefield, bathing his closest comrades with a glorious light.

Brisa. Astrid. Cynthian. They all got bolstering energy flowing inside their bodies. Then, once that was done, Magnificent aimed his scythe at the Roserade and fired another pulse of darkness at her, filling her body with both Radiance and Shadow.

There. You all got our blessings. Now, Magnificent chuckled darkly, go rearrange her attributes!

 

[Adamhuarts]

A devastating strike from Maple closed in on Cynthian, colliding with the barrier of thorns radiating out of Cynthian's body.

"You're gonna have to do better than that!" Cynthian said, though her heart pounded loudly in her chest. That was a close one.

No matter, she'd recovered again after overexerting herself from her last assault. The time for another round had come, and her target couldn't be anything other than Maple's soul. The purple cracks seeping across its shell left the soul twitching and vulnerable.

Cynthian charged forward, dashing across the scaled floor and joining the others on the scaled ground. She took a deep breath and made eye contact with the others nearby.

Brisa. Astrid. Cynthian. They all got bolstering energy flowing inside their bodies. Then, once that was done, Magnificent aimed his scythe at the Roserade and fired another pulse of darkness at her, filling her body with both Radiance and Shadow.

There. You all got our blessings. Now, Magnificent chuckled darkly, go rearrange her attributes!

Cynthian winked at the shadow phantom and giggled. "Thanks darling. Maple won't even know what hit her!"

Her body darkened from Icetales' darkness, seeping into her body and gathering in her chest. She stomped the ground, igniting her mask and cape in a shimmering light. The protective light from their combined strength cast a shadow below while Cynthian dug her tendrils into the ground. She locked herself in place and exhaled deeply.

"Here goes nothing. I'm giving you all I've got!" Cynthian aimed her bouquets forward, surrounding them in a ring of volatile seeds. With a roar, she shot her barrage forward. Each seed hit its mark. Not even someone as sturdy as Maple could go unscathed from that.

Cynthian dropped to her knees, depleted and exhausted. She struggled to keep her smile on. "I have to keep fighting"

As Cynthian forced herself to her feet, a loud snag echoed beside her. Astrid had collided with the venomous wall of vines… somehow. Cynthian's jaw fell agape, and she stood there not knowing whether to go and help her. Before she had time to think, Maple had begun to move.

"Oh crap, sorry, I'll apologize later! Cynthian said with a sheepish grin and a thumbs up. She then braced herself for the coming onslaught.

 

[Dragonfree]

Every blow Dave dealt to Maple's head splattered corrosive liquid Blacklight onto her, weakening her. Great. Now the rest of them'd just--

He looked around. Where were the rest of them, anyway? It was... just Brisa. She strained to attack with all she had, but Maple was too sturdy. Brisa's attacks disrupted her efforts to heal, took out her wings, put a dent in her... but couldn't knock out her head.

The dragon threw a mad glare over her shoulder at him, charging something in her throat, and Dave only had time to think oh, shit before a blinding blast of energy burned through him, eating at his dissolving, evaporating flesh.

...

He came to, head spinning, feeling heavy, miraculously still somehow on Maple's back. He wasn't melting anymore. The corruption'd cleared itself out. Small victories.

He groaned, trying to push himself up, but couldn't. He saw Brisa there, somewhere, running to attack as usual, and managed with a heave of effort to form shields around her. Had to get up and get something done.

This 'divine' berry he'd bought was expensive, but fuck it. He chowed it down, ground a Vile Seed into Maple's body for good measure, and focused on Brisa's power, willing himself to stand up so he could help her, lighten the load on her, still out there doing fucking everything.

 

[Namohysip]

Ethereal entities boosted the entire team's damage by 50%!

Tricky's Energize II revitalized Brisa!
Curio's Energize III revitalized Saltriv!
Kindle's Soothe III calmed Saltriv!
Seyka's Haste III quickened Astrid!
Skara's Shield IV protected Brisa!
Lauchs's Shield IV protected Dave!

Icetales' Teatimes let Mellow and Astrid recover stamina!
Icetales' Void Wraith supported Cynthian's Brilliant Edelweiss! Their Aster Centauri will shield the team from 25% of damage! Cynthian’s attacks will be more effective!
Icetales' Brilliant Inspirit boosted Astrid, Brisa and Cynthian!
Mellow's Shining Teatime allowed Cynthian and Icetales
Mellow’s Tailwind quickened the team!
Mellow’s pure words rallied Astrid, Icetales and Brisa!
Vix chauffeured Dave and Mellow!
Vix’s Justice drained Brisa’s Shadows!
Saltriv’s Connection Call rallied the Gals!
Saltriv’s Void Acceptance reduced the Gals’ corruption!
Dave’s Shining Burden raised Brisa’s Defe/Res by +1, and gave them both 2 Protects!
Dave’s Vile Seed inflicted -800 Def/Res to Maple’s Soul!

Cynthian’s empowered Gatling Seed dealt a partial CRITICAL 2071 damage to Maple’s Soul! Cynthian Overhealed healed to max!
Starr, Brisa, and Astrid worked together for a true onslaught of attacks! Their Abyssal Power Catastrophe dealt 11512 damage to Maple's Soul and 8197 damage to her head! They were both taken to 0!

A horrible shriek followed as Maple's tail thrashed about, striking at Nip but ultimately missing. The head was ablaze with Radiant energy while the whole of Maple's titanic body seemed to fizzle and spark. She growled...

"Dark... Matter..."

The first time she spoke--her voice was a deafening boom.

"You're all... Dark... Matter... I will... defend... Telum... I WILL... SAVE... TELUM...!"

The red star glowed bright. Something that looked like a Core surfaced, the center of its form... staring at them all.

"...I see it," Wishkeeper said. "Her chest! It's coming from her chest! It's... what... no--!"

An Eterna Parasite revealed itself!

It pulsed with life and restored Maple again... Maple's body darkened. She became Blacklight type, along with all of her attacks!

Maple lost stability! Her offenses are significantly stronger, but her defenses are dramatically weaker!

The Eterna parasite pulsed with a horrible energy. Anybody who attacks the Parasite will gain 20 Blacklight corruption!

Maple's Soul pulsed horribly and partially reformed her wings and head! All body parts are unstable, but gained the Last Word status!

Maple's Soul: 9,999, 20% reduction
Parasite: 8,888
Head: 4,999
Wings: 2,500
Tail: 4,936

Special condition: Reduce the Eterna Parasite's HP to 0!

"She's talking--is that an improvement?" Wishkeeper flew around, but then noticed something else. The threads that tied all the souls together... And there was something even larger far, far above them.

"...Telum's spirits! The threads around them are weak!"

A new zone has appeared: Void Sky!

But it's so high up... How can it be reached?

You can use a clever action to reach it, and another to interact with the spirits!

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr wasn't sure how long she'd passed out. She could feel distant rumbles shaking the earth. Hear the frenzied roars and booming thunderclaps tearing the air. Some distant part in the back of her head told her that she needed to move, needed to help the others. Another just wanted to lie there, let them figure this bullshit out on their own.

Would it even matter if you did.

But something brightened around her and she felt her mind clearing. Sluggishly, the Incineroar pushed herself to her feet, swaying a bit. Her wounds were gone, most likely from the shadows. As for the light... Saltriv again. Still keeping her and everyone else going.

God, that kid doesn't know when to quit.

Another thunderclap grabbed her attention. Starr jerked her head toward the sound and saw Brisa, striking maple with everything she had. Alone. No one else was able to help her? You weren't able to help her.

Starr broke into a run, fur already shifting to white and gold from the moment she first let the Radiant flames loose.

 

[Flyg0n]

Attacks rained down on Maple, cries of encouragement were cast back and forth, and chaos continued through the battlefield. Koa barely heard any of it. His throat burned and he felt like he couldn't breathe properly. His voice felt hoarse from crying out non-stop, greedily drawing on the shadows more and more and more-

If you don't save Maple you're a failure. Saving her is your responsibility. Just like saving him. And you failed.

I won't fail again.

He saw the hazy shapes of the trapped spirits above. Could they be-

Nothing matters. It doesn't matter. Not unless you fix this.

The others would have to handle that. The only way to end this fight was to defeat Maple.

"Maple!" he roared. "I won't let you do this!"

 

[Chibi Pika]

Radiance mixed with Shadows for the countless time. The fusion attack exploded with overwhelming force, tearing into Maple's blinding body yet again. It felt... good. It felt right.

Starr barely has a moment to appreciate the feeling before Brisa was off, grabbing Nip's claw and teleporting high above, struggling to free the lost souls cocooned within the radiant thread.

She cares about saving everyone. Not like you.

Starr grit her teeth and refocused her attention on Maple. Something was crawling out of the Radiant dragon's chest. Just looking at it gave her a horrible, sickly feeling. That was what caused all this...?

Without even thinking, Starr let her claws blaze with radiant fire and rushed forward to tear it apart.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa's lightning snapped and roared and shattered around her as she kept up the relentless pace.

At least Starr's with ya fer this one...

The Fusion Arcflare unfolded across the length and breadth of Maple's vast soul, like a sun dawning over a vast, dark plain.

You wanna be with her. It's a feeling so strong it can do that.

But there was no time to savour it. Starr had made all the attacks she would for this salvo. And Brisa needed to get up high, to reach those 'mon chained by light. She could get off one more attack... Bolt Strike wasn't gonna do half as much as the Arcflare, but it was powerful, and the best she could manage with a moment to spare. She charged her body with the kinetic, electric, euphoric power – gonna do my best, gonna save them all, gonna be good, gonna do what's right – and unleashed a torrent of lightning blows.

Maple's body ruptured where she struck. The attack was more powerful than it ought to have been. How—?

This has happened before, remember? Against Lugia. You were too caught up in yer own transformation to make the connection, but it's obvious.

Astrid.

Astrid's void-filled, starr-dappled, Blacklight-soaked form was arcing from target to target, continuously bursting with power. And Brisa could feel it. She could feel how things ought to be. What was right. What was good. The power that existed in that conviction.

Brisa's Bolt Strike reacted to Astrid and became Super Effective! Astrid's Freeze Shock reacted to Brisa and needed no preparation!

Ain't she somethin'?

Yeah. Astrid really was something special.

She barely had time to think does she feel something too before Nip landed beside her again, ready to ferry her to the goddamn sky. There was a Psychic flash, and she was floating above the battlefield, looking down, her electromagnetic repulsion of little use here...

"Thanks partner," she gasped, as Nip vanished.

In those few serene seconds, dry air whipped her fur and her stomach rolled, and she locked her eyes on the ones she needed to reach. Her arms glowed with light... Y'can break 'em free. Put an end t'this. Brisa felt a pulse of Radiance as one tether, then the next, hit their targets, linking her to the sleepers. She let herself feel.

Wake up. Y'can't stay here fer ever. Please – we've come in part t'save you. Ain't you the folks of Telum? If y'wanna save yer world, wake up, help us, come t'yer senses! Yer Voice of Life needs you!

Brisa used Shining Whiplash! Brisa reached out to the trapped souls, and showed them her heart!

 

[Namohysip]

Dave's quad Crunch dealt 208 damage to the Eterna parasite and both Poisoned and lowered its Defense!
Vix's Justice Bomb dealt 189 damage to the Eterna parasite!
Nip's Shadow Spike dealt 29 damage to Maple's Soul!
Brisa's Fusion Arcstrike: 735 soul, 801 and 860 to head and wings
Bolt Strike: 296 soul, 288, 314 head and wings
Koa's Hyper Voices dealt a total of 463 to soul and 496 and 485 to head and wings
Starr's Powerblitz Flarestrike dealt a total of 5524 damage to Maple's soul, 5287 damage to Maple's head (destroying it!), 1629 to Maple's wings, and 5502 damage to the Eterna Parasite! The Parasite hit its resolve!
Astrid's Freeze Shock dealt 1790 damage to Maple's Wings and 1491 damage to her soul!
Astrid's Z-Burst dealt 3049 damage to Maple's soul!

Maple was hurt very badly! Maple thrashed about! Maple's wings performed a Blacklight Gust attack on those in the Chest location!
Astrid: KO!
Koa: Protect!
Conduit: 652, destroyed!
Mellow: 757, KO!
Starr: Protect!
Vix: 587, KO!

Maple's head fired into the sky! A Blacklight Starfall is incoming...!

Maple's soul pumped more energy into the limbs... but failed!

Maple is shrinking!

Meanwhile, high in the sky, several of the spirits stirred. The nearest ones, the strongest spirits among them, stirred a little. The chains were like anchors against them, and upon closer inspection, some seemed to be embedded deep into their skin and scales. But they rose, little by little, starting first with a Haxorus that Saltriv had called. And for Brisa, a Meganium blinked awake...

"What...? Where... am I..." Meganium struggled to look.

"Oh. Cool." The Haxorus leaned forward, then winced when a golden thread tugged at his arm. "Ow." He pulled on it. "Ow." He pulled harder--and it snapped free. He shook out of the rest. "Ow ow ow." And then he started falling. He grasped onto the chain and dangled there, swinging into a nearby Serperior, who was startled awake next. Wordlessly, he started to tug at the threads...

What are you doing in there? It's working. Prepare to escape. I can subdue Maple now. When you are ready, I will bring you all back.

Maple shook off several of those trying to climb onto her for a closer hit and flew high into the sky, wings barely reforming to allow it. Her many other limbs flailed about, thrashing and preventing any easy grab onto her scales. But Starr, the closest to her, and the one thrashing against the parasite...

The thing saw a new host, even as Maple struggled to keep herself together.

The Eterna Parasite leapt out and latched onto Starr!

 

[Chibi Pika]

It happened in an instant. First a blast of dark-light energy, hitting her square in the face. Starr staggered backwards, squinting through the haze, struggling to focus. Then a reddish, serpentine blur lunged right for her, striking her chest. Burning, nauseating pain radiated out from the impact, spreading to her limbs, dissolving her senses in agony. She clutched at the wound and had the sickening realization that something was burrowing into her chest even as she tried her hardest to claw it out. Her arms felt distant, unresponsive. A smothering wave of Shadows and Radiance was building in her mind, overtaking her senses, melting her surroundings.

Then everything faded into emptiness.

Spoiler

When she next opens her eyes, Starr finds herself in a featureless void with no one else around. The battle, the team, Maple, it's all gone. All except for a presence behind her. For several seconds, she doesn't turn to look. Like she knows what she's going to see. Eventually, she turns to look anyway.

A shadowy figure stares back at her. An Incineroar but not. Human but not. Herself but not. Or rather... the self she used to be. (The self she still is?) Its expression is hard to make out. Something between contempt and... pity.

"Astrid."

Starr flinches, and her mind flickers for an instant to the other Astrid, the Ninetales, whose face is a lot easier to associate with that name now. She's not here, though.

"That's not my fucking name. Not anymore."

"You never stopped being me."

The voice is her own, but with an edge that she thought she killed a long time ago. The edge that makes her friends back home flinch with the memory of the things she did to them. They try to hide it, but it's there. They try to pretend like they've forgotten what she did, but it's there.

"You're not me," Starr growls.

"Why wouldn't I be."

The statement is so completely self-assured that there's no arguing with it. Why wouldn't this be her. What the hell is Starr supposed to say to that? She thinks about saying that this sure as hell doesn't look like when the others faced themselves. But then, the shadows have never felt the same to her as they do to everyone else. No fear, or pain, or misery or self-hate. Just... relief.

"It's comforting, isn't it? Pretending that you're not me. Pretending like it wasn't really you, doing the things I did."

Starr bristles. "I have never tried to pretend like I didn't do any of that shit," she snarls, the words venom.

Astrid pauses to consider it. "...Maybe not."

Starr lets out a breath, without letting herself relax.

"You tried to pretend like you never enjoyed it, though," she says, and Starr freezes.

"You always hated it, is that it?" Astrid continues. "Always hated hurting people. Hated having power over people. You never once felt even the slightest bit of satisfaction. Can you really say that?"

Starr recoils backward. "I-I..."

"You never once felt like you were doing a good job. You never once felt like your friends deserved pain for the troubles they put you through. Really? Not once?"

"Don't fucking screw with me, you don't know me!" Starr knows the words are hollow, meaningless. A lie. Astrid looks at her with pity, like she doesn't even need to bother countering that.

For several seconds, there's silence. Starr glares at the shadow, defiance taking hold. "The hell do you want me to say? That I'm some kind of monster? That I've hurt people, killed people, and no amount of suffering is ever gonna fix that?"

"You shouldn't fucking have to suffer!" Astrid snaps, and Starr stares at the shadow in stunned disbelief.

"You can't change what happened. No one can. Why the hell should you have to suffer for it? What the hell right does anyone else have to judge you for that?"

Starr glances away. "They're not doing that," she mutters.

Astrid laughs. "You can't honestly think these people wouldn't drop you like a sack of shit if they knew."

Starr grits her teeth. "That's a lie. Brisa--"

"--Is lonely and desperate and fucking terrified of being alone. Of course she'd cling to someone like you."

Starr's claws involuntarily flex as a surge of anger floods her being. She imagines herself lunging, tearing the shadow to pieces. The way you obviously would. Violent. Remorseless.

A steady buzzing grows in the back of her skull, growing into a full headache. It's hard to think. She can feel her thoughts dissolving, limbs growing distant, pain blossoming in her chest.

"Go on then, prove me wrong. Show them what you're really like."

She tries to reach out but her muscles won't respond. The shadow's gone. Its words echo in her head, drowning everything out.

"Prove me wrong! Show them. SHOW THEM."

The Incineroar staggered to her feet, a haze of distortion emanating from her body. A glowing red, five-pointed wound pulsed on her chest. She glanced around at her teammates, felt a rolling fog of hatred drowning out her thoughts.

All you've ever been good at is causing pain.

You're TIRED of suffering for bullshit that's in the past.​

​

You haven't changed, not really.

You sometimes wish you didn't have to. It'd be so much easier.​

​

Starr opened her mouth to speak, her words distorted and broken: "It hurts. I'm sick of it. Sick of being in pain. Sick of acting like I've changed. You're all supposed to be here, helping people, protecting people. All I fucking know how to do is hurt people."

They have to know what you're really like. You'll show them. YOU'LL SHOW THEM.

 

[Namohysip]

...What was that.

Something happened.

What happened?

...Starr.

What happened to Starr?

The parasite burrowed deeper and already seemed right at home. Starr was growing from the corruption of this energy, twice, thrice, four times her size, letting out a roar that was anything but natural. It sounded like Maple's.

Skeletal joints exploded from her back, like a dragon's--an Eternatus. Her tail hardened into segmented pieces before ending in a triangular mouth that nipped harshly at the air.

The parasite was in control, even if Starr thought she was.

Her eyes lost their pupils... And she readied her strike.

Maple, meanwhile, looked dazed, confused, but then snarled at them. "Dark... Matter... Dark... Matter... You're all... here... to destroy... Telum... I will protect..."

And then... something shined in the sky. Not the incoming Starfall... not the many threads...

But one soul in particular.

A little higher than the rest...

Was that a Hydreigon?

Wishkeeper's insight: That Parasite must be stopped. Starr is going to attack! Maple looks confused. Can we reason with her?

Maple is flying? Fine. I have more than enough energy to grant you this blessing while in a realm like my own...

Starr gained Last Word+3! If she goes down, she'll attack thrice!

The Parasite needs to be beaten away!

Diyem empowered the team! They became extremely mobile! The Sky is the only zone that remains, but Starr looks like she can strike from afar!

Maple is no longer a Titanic enemy!

Maple: 9,999, Resolve=0, Incoming: Blacklight Starfall
Eternal Starr: 9,360
Eterna Parasite: 4,444

 

[TheGOAT]

Astrid.

Astrid was dead. About to be dead. Perhaps what happened in the Lugia fight had slipped her mind, or perhaps she’d grown so used to accepting this fate. Her inevitable, imminent fate. The one that I signed up for.

She hadn’t realized she’d transformed until something tickled the back of her neck. Brisa—! She didn’t need to look. Go get ‘em, Brisa.

Brisa's Fusion Arcstrike: 735 soul, 801 and 860 to head and wings
Bolt Strike: 296 soul, 288, 314 head and wings

Pandemonium; flashing lights; a pulse across the jagged plains that rippled right through Astrid’s body—and left her standing where she was, unaffected, as though she’d become liquid. She still had some left in the tank, still could go on! But, what…?

"It hurts. I'm sick of it. Sick of being in pain. Sick of acting like I've changed. You're all supposed to be here, helping people, protecting people. All I fucking know how to do is hurt people."

Starr was unrecognizable, yet it was unquestionably her towering some amount as tall as Maple had earlier. It was her dimmed shadow now that covered Astrid and left her eyes brimming wide open. Her muscles glinted in the poor Voidlands light. Each line across her body pulsed with something horrible.

Starr was a menace at regular size. She was not regular size.

More than that, Starr was Astrid’s source of power. A good amount of it. How had that happened, Astrid wondered in a stupor of disbelief, when the bloodthirsty look Starr gave her right this moment was so similar to ones she’d received in the past? What was this tinge in the back of her throat that she was feeling right now?

No time to think, only to jump.

Something chipped the edge of Astrid’s tail; Starr’s fucking fist nearly did her in. Fuck. Oh fuck. It was a wonder the shockwave that sent her spiraling afterward didn’t finish the job, and when she jet into the ground like a missle, she almost wished it had.

I… I can’t beat her head to head. I never could’ve! Never could’ve if it were any of them! Because, because I—

You are not weak. The voice was clear as day, and she almost refused to believe it. You just aren’t honest with yourself.

M-Myles…? Wh—

Everything spun. Another dodge by the slimmest of margins, and again her body was a ragdoll. In the state it was in, she could not afford another, absolutely not; her breath came in rasps, her vision spun. But no, not yet, she couldn’t faint yet, not YET, NOT YET! Starr was distracted with the whole team at once, she had to seize this moment!

Maple was close enough, looking conflicted. Looking hesitant. Astrid could finish it while she hit Starr. She realized this all too fast, things were moving too fast.

First, she turned to Starr and found her voice.

“I’m sorry!” Astrid screamed up at her pupil-less eyes. Of course she couldn’t hear her. She was wasting her breath. But dammit, that was what Astrid was good at. “Starr, I’m fucking sorry! I thought you hated me so, so I lost my mind! I j—just wanted to bring the team closer, not tear it apart more! I’m sorry I haven't been a good friend!!”

That lump in her throat grew to her tails somehow, jolting down her spine. Everything suddenly burned; the air around her began to crystallize in a fiery dance.

Astrid used a CRITICAL Freeze Shock on Starr and the Parasite!
Something resonated between Astrid and Starr… Astrid used Ice Burn! It hit Starr and the Parasite for CRITICAL damage!

Astrid could not possibly process what had happened, as if she’d understand it by simply thinking about it. No, she had only seconds left to do this. It was almost over.

She now turned to what remained of Maple.

“Maple!” she called, readying a strike. She would not kill her, no. But she would show her what Team Spectrum was made of. “You need us to save Telum! But we can still do it! You can still do it!”

Astrid is in Blaze of Glory!
Astrid used Voidbound!

She had one last thing to say.



@ExplosiveTurkey ❤️

Voidbound chained into CRITICAL Explosion! Astrid launched it at Maple, Starr, and the Parasite and crumbled to the ground, vulnerable and defeated!

…

Maple is an ally! Blast Control shielded her!

Flames and energies of all colors cast down on Maple’s head like a tsunami, yet contact was never made. The energy did not rip her body asunder or leave so much as a scratch. Because you’re one of us, Astrid affirmed. Because you’re a friend. You have a mate who loves you and a world that needs saving. Please come back with us.

 

[Dragonfree]

Something burst out of Maple's chest and -- it was one of those things, the parasites, the ones that, one way or another, came from the source of all this. Whoever'd had it planted in Maple. In Owen. Whoever'd broken Soda into the smiling, deranged husk he'd met at Spirits' Edge.

For the second time, Dave felt corruption seeping through his skin. Maple was still there, still raving, but they were not letting this fucker get away. He fixed his eyes on the parasite still embedded in her chest and sprinted towards it with a snarl, his fur crackling and oozing with Blacklight. A series of toxic tears into the thing's pulsating form left it quivering and the Blacklight dripping from his body brighter than ever, and then Starr came along in the middle of one of her mindbending combos, yelled at him to get out of the way, and just fucking demolished it.

Or so it seemed. As Maple shook everyone off her and Dave fell down towards the ground, the parasite leapt at Starr, burrowing into her. Shit. Fuck. Shit.

Mia cushioned his fall as the Incineroar grew to gigantic proportions and skeletal Eternatus parts ripped out of her. He stared at her, numb, heart pounding in his throat. That could've been him. (It should've been him.)

"It hurts. I'm sick of it. Sick of being in pain. Sick of acting like I've changed. You're all supposed to be here, helping people, protecting people. All I fucking know how to do is hurt people."

What the fuck was she even talking about? Dave looked wildly around for Brisa. They didn't have time to deal with this along with everything else. The parasite was still there, embedded in her chest, wriggling.

The Blacklight oozed from his pores, itching, ready to hurt and provoke and intimidate. (All I fucking know how to do is hurt people.)

 

[Cresselia92]

A golden wave of Radiance. A burst of Shadow. Then, yet another pulse of Radiant power. The continuous shift from a contrasting energy to another was too much even for an half-daemon born from the madness of Chaos and the Cosmos.

Howling gusts and whistles came from the explosive golden rings and light-stealing maws, while the nebulas on the back became more gaseous and borderline intangible. The half-daemon yowled, struggling to keep his body together. The Radiance… the Shadow… he felt like he was slowly being torn apart.

Perhaps… light and darkness weren’t really meant to be blended together…

The daemon gritted his fangs and made a guttural growl, before laying down to rest after using so much alien sorcery.

Focus. Focus. Focus, darn it! Why can’t you focus?!

Too much! Too much! Too much!

“Daddy!”

That voice… it cut through the cacophony in his mind like a sunbeam though a cloudy day. Though, the clouds were too dark; the sunlight too weak. Even the purple light of that shade was pale and distorted.

He took a glimpse at the shadow that towered behind him. The redness of his bones and mist… those piercing eyes… that malevolent smirk…

N-no. No. He couldn’t look at it anymore. Just the sight of that aspect made his darkness pulse and his body disintegrate further.

Rest. He needed to… rest… and breathe…

“Daddy! C’mon! You gotta get a grip!”

Yes. Right. The team… needed him. He had to… breathe, and… clear his mind…

…

But… Did they really need him? What… could he really do to help?

He just… His powers weren’t enough. That Maple was too strong, and… whatever thing came out of her! Just… what was that?!

…Huh. That is so adorable. It would be a real pity to put a end to such a beautiful hellspawn, would it not? And now look! It seems it has found a new and better host. How lovely.

“Keo… You aren’t helping!”

I am not ‘Keo’! I am Magnificent, the Wraith of Wrath.

“Yeah, right, whatever! You’re not Magnificent. You’re just a phantom of his memories… even if you’re more solid here.”

A phantom… Heh. In a sense I am. But… no, I am more than that.

“Oh?”

I am a reflection of what he can do. Of the dormant self that he keeps hidden within himself. Even when his own life is in danger, he refuses to manifest his true nature.

“Oh, no… Is this one of those stupid claims that he is a daemon, that he doesn’t have a heart, and all that nonsense? Because he proved again and again that he has a heart and that his daemonic blood and nature are irrelevant. Daddy is Daddy!”

A foolish brat for a foolish lad. I am not surprised that you took after the most innocent side of this fake Ninetales. After all, it is very likely that thou art a reflection of how he wished he could be.

“…Huh?”

Thou art not Firetales, but thou art not Icetales, either. So, what art thou?

There was a short moment of silence. It was too long.

“…I am Petram, of course. Who am I supposed to be?”

Ah, yes. Petram. And what is Petram?

“Well, I… Naturally, I am… Oh! Why does that even matter?”

Because thou art just as twisted as our host. Born from the egg of a cosmic entity, and imbued with the hopes and dreams of a hopeless and dreamless daemon. A Ninetales without a true identity nor a true origin. A shell filled with empty matter and black air. The irony of all of that is so delicious.

Another short pause. This was longer. Tense.

Thy dream… Thy desire to be a Beacon of Hope. Heh. That is merely a pipe dream that this foolish lad had since he discovered his true origins. Merely a fantasy that he crafted for himself to escape from the reality of who he really was. Thou art… a walking dream.

“A… walking…?”

Thou art fake. As much of a fake Ninetales as this foolish lad is.

“Hey! He is a Ninetales! I mean, he even has nine tails, no?”

A Ninetales… And yet his mother was a Thievul and his father is a daemon. How dost thou explain that he was born as a Vulpix?

“This… huh. I dunno how that works…”

Yes. He doesn’t know that, either. Even though, he has a theory.

“Hm?”

He is a shape-shifter that copied the genetic pattern of his surrogate mother. Which could also explain why he can use the powers of the Kyukon clan…

“What?”

He is a copycat. Just like me. Or, well, my real me. A parasitic species that invaded the nest of someone else. No wonder his family despised him so much…

“Okay, enough with this crap! Even if he is a copycat or whatever, he couldn’t steal what his mother proved for him. She loved him.”

He stole her love. That is different.

“Love can’t be stolen! It can only be shared!”

There was a loud roar. Maple? Or was it…?

“This is… I know what that is! This is just something that bastard crammed in his mind, wasn’t it? Just more crap about daemons stealing hearts and feeding on emotions!”

Well, he has a couple of members of the cortège that are smitten already.

“So? That is natural attraction! Daddy is…”

Petram sighed.

“Daddy… is a good ‘mon. It doesn’t matter where he come from, or what he is. What really matters is who he is. Which is also why I don’t give a damn about being dream material or whatever! I forge my path, just as he forged his own!”

Something wrapped around the half-daemon’s neck, and his eyes snapped open. Around his neck there were two black paws, alongside the purple trails of nine fluffy tails. It seemed like time has frozen, just to give a little moment to a father and a son to share a hug. And the half-daemon… reciprocated it.

A surge of emotions flowed through both foxes, as the Radiance and Shadow solidified once more. The raw power of their unfiltered parental love cleared away the fog and red phantom, and gave way to a soothing mist.

Icetales, the half-daemon, cried.

Tears of joy… and acceptance.

 

[Flyg0n]

Sickening fear filled Koa at the sight of Starr, her soulless eyes, the gaping red mark on her chest. Their teammate. A friend.

She's here because of you. They all are. You have to make up for this.

All you've ever been good at is causing pain.

You're TIRED of suffering for bullshit that's in the past.You haven't changed, not really.

You sometimes wish you didn't have to. It'd be so much easier.

For a second the shadowy energy in him wavered.

She's like me?

His anger resurged. This had to end. Turning his gaze to Maple. The familiar, almost intoxicating surge of power came so easy. He could do it. He could save Maple, he could make up for everything. He had to.

"Maple!" His voice came out in a guttural roar. "This isn't the way to save Telum! We're not your enemy!" More shadows, more radiance. He needed more power. He could lose, couldn't fail, couldn't drive someone else to this again.

"Please don't do this! Let us help you! Let us help you save Telum!"

His body positively crackled with energy and he whirled around, zeroing in on the horrifying parasite buried in Starr's chest. Opening his jaws, he let loose with a feral roar, a sonic surge of electric energy tearing from his jaws toward that hated thing.

He had to save her.