Poppin' Arms ~ Training Facility

[Virgil134]

A knowing smile settled on Cabot's face as a dark haze enveloped him, when suddenly a huge, shadowy Rampardos emerged from behind him. The phantom Rampardos loomed over Cabot and stared down at Kate with golden, glowing, pupilless eyes.

"A Shadow is an extension of someone and a manifestation of those suppressed feelings I mentioned earlier," Cabot explained, motioning his left hand which prompted his Shadow to float around Kate. "For most of the team their Shadow seems to take on a will of their own, and without proper control they can easily blurt out their hosts' deepest and darkest secrets. My Shadow on the other hand, is more like an extra arm. It can't think and talk on its own, and I control its actions directly, something I've had plenty of time to learn while inside the Voidlands."

Cabot's Shadow returned to its original spot behind Cabot and floated in place.

"Who knows what your Shadow will be like?"

With that, Cabot snapped his fingers, causing his Shadow to dissipate.

"Either way, you have no idea how to channel these powers and there's no better way to invoke those feelings than by actually talking about them. You wanted to learn quickly, didn't you? You can dwell on them on your own once you actually know what you're doing," the Rampardos said, when a smirk began to form on his face. "Unless you're too afraid to talk about why you became a thief."

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Kate stared blankly at Cabot's Shadow, wondering to herself just what were these moves if they could conjure... whatever that thing was? The topic of conversation turned toward's Cabot's ending barb about her being afraid of explaining why she became a thief. She wasn't afraid to acknowledge that she'd more or less failed at everything she'd set her claws to other than banditry, it was just nobody else's damn business! But if it was really the only way to get this shadow thing going, she might as well spit out something even if she'd sooner spit fire than bare that part of herself in full to a 'mon she'd known for all of a month!

"Look, what do you want me to say? This just is what I'm good at Cabot," Kate huffed. "I didn't exactly have a stable childhood growing up, so of course I was going to go with whatever put food on the table!"

The Weavile grit her teeth, her breaths coming out tense as unwelcome thoughts of failure at one attempt at making a livelihood after the next surfaced to her mind, Kate noticed with a start that her last words had come out in a peculiar tone, and that a few shadowy wisps were beginning to coalesce around her body.

"Huh?! This is-!"

 

[Virgil134]

"Shadows," he interrupted. "I figured bringing that up would get a reaction out of you."

Cabot seemed satisfied at Kate's sudden progress, only for his expression to mute a bit.

"I'm not here to judge you for your life back home, Kate. I know how different everyone's worlds can be, and if there's one thing I've learned since coming here it's that sometimes it's better not to do so," the Rampardos said. "You needed a place to start from though, otherwise we'd be here all day. I just went with what I knew would work when it comes to using Shadows."

He let out a small sigh and shook his head. "Now that you have some of that power flowing through you though..."

Cabot summoned his Shadow again and motioned with his arm towards one of the dummies in the corner. The phantom Rampardos flew over and picked it up with one hand, before easily lifting it and putting it down in the middle of one of the battlefields. As the Shadow floated back to its host, Cabot turned to Kate.

"Try to focus on it and attack that dummy over there. Use whatever feelings it evokes in you and strike."

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Kate narrowed her eyes in reply, as she returned to her earlier train of thought. The Weavile thought over, and over again of all the times she'd tried to lead a life outside being an Outlaw, each memory making her mood take a darker and darker turn as the shadows about her body came back and settled into a lingering haze.

"Alright then, let's see what this can do," she growled. "Since I need to break something right about now."

The shadows around Kate suddenly thickened with a noticeable pulse, clearing a moment before she threw herself at the dummy. As she neared, she blew out some icy air and fashioned an icy spear around her claws. 'Glacial Lance', she'd heard it called, which she'd first stumbled upon when training with Melanie.

The Weavile tightened her grip around the icy lance and hurled it at the the dummy, her body suddenly feeling lighter as she watched the spear tear into the dummy when she did it again effortlessly a second time.

Uncontent with the ruptured doll, she paced forward, and made a third Glacial Lance, and then a fourth. The last one spearing through the dummy's head and throwing dark sand all about the battlefield. The Weavile stopped, her breaths coming out tense as shadows continued to swirl about her as she realized that amidst her rush, she'd just used four attacks in rapid succession, and was only now beginning to feel the effects of her exertion.

Kate brushed away some residual ice off her claws from her Glacial Lances, before turning back to Cabot. There, clear as day, the Weavile's eyes had turned a vivid yellow, and her fur had flushed a jet black and her feathers had taken on a darker red, vaguely blood-like tint from their norm.

"What- What the hell just happened there?"

 

[Virgil134]

"You did it! You used a Shadow move!" Cabot exclaimed, looking at Kate with a proud smile. "And a pretty strong one at that by the looks of it."

The Rampardos noticed that Kate seemed to be visibly worn down, and in an irritable mood. He supposed that dredging up her life problems and bad feelings associated with them must've thrown her a bit off-balance. Still, she'd done well enough for a first attempt, so maybe it was best to ease up on things for now.

"How about we take a break for now?"

Cabot closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in and out as his Shadow faded away and his scales returned to normal. He opened his eyes, revealing them to be back to their usual red color.

"Just... take a moment to empty your head and relax first," he said. "Whenever Shadows become too much for you, you can always do that to dispel them."

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Kate paused and breathed out, pinching her brow as the haze about her lifted and her colors went back to normal. The Weavile opened her eyes, her irises back to their normal red, as she lowered her ears.

"Well that was... freaky, to say the least," she said, before looking off at the dissipating doll on the battlefield.

"Not that I can really argue with the results."

The Weavile felt her stomach growl just after she finished her words, prompting her to flatten her ears out flusteredly.

"I think that's our cue to go and grab a snack or something," she said. "Come on, we'll figure out a place to hit up on our way back up to the surface."

Kate and Cabot made their way back to the elevator and called it up, the pair chattering with each other as the elevator took them up for the surface. All the while, the topic drifted towards things the two could do together in their break, with Cabot bringing up an offer to treat the Weavile to something called 'gelato' that he'd found a shop in town selling.

It was a bit of a weird concept, but it couldn't hurt to try it at least. After all, it wouldn't be the first thing Cabot introduced to her that would work out...

<><><>​

 

[Namohysip]

Owen entered the training facility with a strange sense of nostalgia. Ever since he had one too many incidents at the park where he'd scared children with his training regimen against Substitutes, he'd been kindly directed by some Guild staff to try out this training facility instead. And while he did miss the sun, and the echo sometimes made him feel empty, it was still nice to have that private solitude to have his moments. It was a sense of release.

Withdrawn for now, Wishkeeper only took the form of the blackened spots on Owen's flame. "So, how come you wanted to train all the way down here this time?" Owen asked, glancing back at Brisa as the elevator closed behind them.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Followin' up on some things," replied Brisa. "Our recent chat with Zekrom left me wonderin' that y'might have more steam to let off than y'can let off alone, or purely by trainin'. Though it'd be good to get some serious trainin' in. Got some high level Colosseum opponents comin' up in my schedule and that's somethin' I know y'can and will wanna help me prepare fer."

She was anxious for Owen's sake around others, in public, when he was perceptibly stressed. Down here though, just the two of them, she could have confidence everything would work out.

Yer afraid of that killin' form, though.

Even if he berserked again, she was in the best combat shape she'd ever been, and she'd reached him last time all the same.

Yer afraid he'll think you're afraid.

If he didn't feel trusted enough by her, she'd just have to prove to him how much faith she had in him. That was all.

 

[Namohysip]

It was hard to get a read on the Charizard ever since the incident with Wishkeeper that had gone unspoken. The cheerful Charizard, all smiles and all serenity, was indeed suppressing countless thoughts of bitterness and contempt in the form of Wishkeeper. Compartmentalized into a psyche that risked devouring itself in darkness.

But that couldn't possibly be Owen, could it?

"High level opponent, huh?" Owen asked, glancing back with wry smile. "Who this time? Shield? Truffle? I heard that Sword's gotten better at fighting smart instead of, well, the way she usually does." Then again, it was probably too soon for a rematch.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa grinned. "Well, I got challenges accepted from Truffle and Flesh, but no word from Cabot about availability in his schedule. So, ah. I'm up 'gainst Lugia pretty soon. Then after her, Team Drumstick. Then who knows what next? Our visit to Zekrom had me itchin' t'challenge her, too."

She relaxed a little. Talking about combat with Owen was always good fun.

"What can y'tell me about Lugia, partner?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Lugia, Lugia..." Owen breathed in, then sighed through his nostrils. The air in front of him distorted from the heat. "I've seen her training with Meringue, so I actually have a lot of information about her. The biggest thing to know about her is that her offensive power looks intimidating, but it's probably weaker than a lot of what we've been dealing with already. Lugia is a defensive fighter, and she operates on wearing opponents down with her massive defenses. That scaly body of hers... Something about it seems to blunt all attacks, energy or physical."

At least Owen was normal when he was babbling about opponents.

"Her main trick is the weather. She can change it around on a whim; I think only Rayquaza and his team can trump her. No matter what you guys do, I think Lugia's going to override anything you guys try with the atmosphere... And it doesn't look like it takes her much effort, either. Like she can do it with a thought."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa nodded. "That's about what I'd been expectin'. That ability... Meringue had it too. Multiscale. He had a way of reactivatin' it one time only. I wouldn't be surprised if she could do the same or better."

She'd studied Lugia's demonstration of weather-mastery. It sure had seemed as if it was something she could determine at a whim. The question was whether she could figure out any counterplay.

"I'll be bringin' Astrid an' Starr along, if I have my way," she told Owen. "Was thinkin' I might wear her defenses down fer 'em, maybe alongside my usual hinderin' strategy. I flatter myself that I'm gettin' pretty adept at that. What d'ya reckon, are we in with a chance?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Hmm..." Owen's tail swished around, thoughtful. "Maybe... but I feel like we're at the precipice of something strong in us. Ever since Diyem went full Abyssal God on us. I feel like we can do a small version of that if we tried... I've been trying to mimic it myself, actually." His tail crackled once. "He looked cool, after all... But, as we are now? Even if it was three on one... I don't know. Mm, still... you guys do all have an elemental advantage against her..."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa nodded, and limbered up, anticipating a good fight soon enough.

"I know what y'mean. I feel it too. There's this potential, just waiting fer the right push. It's like . . . a yearnin', inside..."

Maybe it would come out now. Maybe not til later. But if it was what it would take them to beat Lugia...

"Say, Owen. There's somethin' more important I was meanin' to talk t'ya about. Couple things, really. The more important of which is . . . you need t'stop holdin' in all yer feelings around me. Around someone, anyway, and it may as well be me."

She looked Owen in the eye. Was he surprised?

"I've seen ya deeply Shadowed and I've seen ya berserk more'n once. The whole time with Zekrom, y'were holdin' yer feelings inside. And then as it turned out, y'really didn't need to. Y'follow what I'm sayin', Owen?"

 

[Namohysip]

In that great dome that was the training facility, there was no wind nor any real sound aside from its occupants. And because of that, Brisa would notice the brief absence of a crackle or a hum of fire, like the Charizard's ember had gone completely silent. His pupils had narrowed, then dilated, searching for anything to focus on despite never moving away from Brisa.

Owen made a sound that was somewhere between a growl and snort. Sounded feral, perhaps something Silver's team would have understood. But the intonation and the context... could it have been a curse?

"...Then it's true," he said. He had been right to keep Wishkeeper withdrawn during his time with Icetales. "He's..."

The next thing he said slipped out before he could properly regulate it. Maybe because it had been his worst fear, or maybe it was to honor Brisa's own request... Owen's eyes looked, briefly, cold.

"And you didn't even tell me."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa steeled herself, even as her heart sank. She had never meant to hurt him, goddamnit.

"I'm tellin' you now," she said, trying to keep her agitation out of her voice. "It's why I brought you here. So that if the reason fer it was somethin' that'd mess you up, you wouldn't have to process it in a public space. An' so if that turned out to be the wrong call, you could be mad at me about it somewhere private."

She took a shuddering breath. Stop bein' so goddamn frightened. He'll think yer afraid of him.

"If I shoulda done it the second I heard him, I'm sorry. You know I am. I had my head somewhere else and at first I didn't even notice you hadn't realised – that it weren't intentional. And by the time I realised you had no idea – it was hard t'know what to do."

'Cause the second you noticed he hadn't caught on, he thought that shit about bein' the final goddamn spy. What a time to tell him. Thunder...

Gods, she just didn't wanna hurt her best fucking friend.

Please believe me.

 

[Namohysip]

Owen stared for a while, listening to every word. He was at least attentive; he wasn't yelling or screaming over Brisa. But this cold silence that was coming from him was so frighteningly uncharacteristic...

Then, Owen closed his eyes, taking a slow breath, and silently gestured for Brisa to follow him. Whether she did or not, Owen stopped by one of the training facility's landmarks--a large bounder that could be scaled for high-falling strikes, and he stopped at the base, taking a seat next to it. He curled his tail and crossed his legs, then folded his wings and arms down, taking on a meditative stance that was reminiscent of something Bahamut would do.

"I've been angry too much today," he said quietly. Wishkeeper was no help. "...I didn't know you knew, either," Owen said. "I've been working on ignoring anything about my friends and roommates if I could. Even though you told me it was okay... I know it's not. I saw how Koa behaved, and Dave, and I know about Jesse. I know you don't like being read, even if it's not the same way."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa followed Owen and took up a meditative position of her own, following his lead. They hadn't done a lot of this together – she was too restless – but she knew how. She listened with the same attentiveness he'd showed her. When he came to a full pause, then she replied.

"It's good of you to try t'show that measure of consideration, Owen. But it's hard on you. Y'gotta have someone y'don't have t'bear it with."

She swallowed hard. He wasn't wrong. But it also wasn't the point.

"Perceive me now so y'know I'm bein' honest," she said, with the same tone she used when barking a request in battle, though softly this time. "It ain't that bein' read is what I hate, not exactly. What I can't bear is someone forcin' their way inside my head, twistin' what they find, judgin' and scrutinisin'... The itchin' in my skull that comes with it."

She sighed through her teeth. It wasn't even pleasant to think about.

"I like bein' understood, Owen. By folks who'll give me th'benefit of the doubt. Who won't look fer reasons t'disapprove of me. By folks who're fair. And kind."

Her eyes prickled, against her expectation and her will. No matter.

"Like you."

 

[Namohysip]

Owen's pupils were normalized but they were still slits. It was odd how different they were from the average Charizard, whose eyes were more rounded, not like that of a serpent's. But Owen's intense stare seemed much more intimidating when he wasn't smiling or giggling.

His brow furrowed by the end of it. Contemplative. Then, his eyes flashed gold. Wishkeeper wasn't coming out; was this Wishkeeper? Or was this Owen, or... the true Owen? But that glow meant he was actively Perceiving Brisa, but when he did, he seemed to frown.

"Sometimes, I wish I could trust people without having to do that," Owen said, and he finally, finally broke his stare. "Pokemon trust others all the time without Perceive or mind reading or anything like that. But I've never had... faith like that. Or maybe I used to..." He sighed.

He'd trusted Brisa enough that he didn't need to use Perceive, or at least, he would actively ignore it.

"It felt like if I relied on it for my friends, then I'm not respecting them. I'm not trusting them like I should. So, asking me to do that... is like saying I can't trust you otherwise. It's not fair to you. I..." Owen looked down. "...I get it. You didn't want to disrupt things. It was all... bad timing. Back there, with Zekrom... Were you trying to hint at it? I was with Icetales a bit ago. I didn't bring out Wishkeeper, just in case. It was my hunch."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa gave Owen a slight, slow nod, and inhaled deeply. "Yeah. Tryin' t'think fast enough on my feet to say stuff as would tip you off without forcin' the issue was the best I could think of t'do under the circumstances. It helped that I didn't have t'think of any lies, or nothin'."

She bit her lip. Didn't Owen know how fucking badly she felt for him right now? Would it help or hurt matters if he did?

"Lotta 'mon don't trust most folks, or take time just to trust a li'l, or drop their trust if it's ever broken. I have plenty faith in the team, and in you, but I know folks keep their secrets, bury their fears, hide their pain. It's okay. I'm no stranger to that."

You have to tell him. Even though it's hard.

"Owen, the thing that tipped me off that y'didn't realise I could hear Wishkeeper was also somethin' I couldn't possibly have brought up t'you in that moment. Now, I swear t'you, I swear it, that I ain't told a soul about this. 'Cause I trust you, okay? I trust you."

Looking at his face... Even without Perceive, he already knew. Maybe he already did. He might've assumed you wouldn't come down here alone with him if you knew.

"I heard Wishkeeper talk about you an' Soda, Owen."