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[Vix] Grand Arena

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Namohysip

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Vix was sprawled out in the middle of the arena with a roaring crowd surrounding her on all sides high above. It was grander than the Colosseum of Destiny Village, with taller walls and an even wider circle. Standing at the opposite side of the arena--if it could be considered standing--was Puddle, who was currently forming into some kind of solid shape.

"And look at you now," Puddle said. "Sleeping on the job. All it took was one little storm and suddenly you're down for the count? C'mon..." Puddle's eyes were red. Abnormal. And a great, crackling line of electricity coursed around its core, through its extremities, and back. "I'm beginning to wonder if you aren't up for this at all."

The crowd went silent, watching. They were all shapeless creatures of shadows, faceless except for their glaring, pupil-less eyes.
 
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Fusion

Oh knee on
Location
Here, silly
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Him/His
Partners
  1. zoroark
"Ngha..." Vix grumbled, holding her head. "What the hell..." It didn't take long for her to notice that she was, for lack of a better term, back to normal. Her "normal" Chandelure look. She didn't have a look of horror, but wasn't all that pleased about it either. "For fuck's sake." With her old makeover officially groaned over, Vix glanced around at the arena she ended up in... The last time she checked, there wasn't a place like this at all near where the team was heading.

"Alright, weird," she muttered, gulping as she locked eyes with a number of the shadowy, faceless creatures, before her gaze drifted over to... Puddle?

"And look at you now," Puddle said. "Sleeping on the job. All it took was one little storm and suddenly you're down for the count? C'mon..."

"I'm beginning to wonder if you aren't up for this at all."

Vix's flame flared, angry, until she noticed how... off it looked. It was changing... growing, rather. And it's voice wasn't... the same. "...Puddle?" Vix asked, not floating any closer. There was something dangerous about it, very dangerous, despite it who it is... or maybe, was, in this case.

"...I don't know when or how you learned to pull something like this off, but we have shit to do, and I'm not in the mood for... whatever this is," Vix said, firm, gesturing to all of "Puddle."
 

Namohysip

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"Oh! Oh! So NOW you want to take things seriously! It only took dying a million times and being told off by the whole team for you to shape up! Now that you could, since you change your body every other day." Puddle paced around, globbing with each step, before it spun toward Vix again. "No. I'm done being in your shadow. You know what I want instead?" It pointed. "I'm taking your place. We're gonna settle once and for all who's the better idiot--I mean, fighter. And we're settling it RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!"

The crowd roared and the whole ground shifted. Countless training dummies, all resembling various past enemies they'd faced, and even some team members, rose from the ground; what looked like energized cannons appeared from all sides of the ring, trained on them. Puddle's red eyes gleamed with malice.

A scoreboard appeared in the high stands of the arena, displaying their names. Vix, 0. Puddle, 0.

"So what now, dipstick?"

Puddle is challenging Vix!
Puddle: 1,000

Training dummy horde: 5,000
 

Fusion

Oh knee on
Location
Here, silly
Pronouns
Him/His
Partners
  1. zoroark
In all honesty, this whole thing tossed Vix through a loop. The arena, Puddle's... whatever the hell is going on, the remarkably detailed training dummies of the team that Vix would have to save for later... somehow. Oh, and the death cannons and every goddamn side. That really rubbed Vix the wrong way. But Vix could really look past all that, truly, she could. It was just... Puddle's new shtick of giving a shit about itself and wanting to be out of Vix's shadow that interested her the most.

She never stopped to think about how it felt this entire time, dealing with all of Vix's bullshit, and the team's bullshit, pretty much on its own. They... hadn't even spoken much since Vix came back, but then again, she hardly spoke with anyone anyway. So Puddle suddenly being all self-centered, to Vix, trying to sound high and mighty, was...

"Hah... hahahaha..... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

"Laughable," to say the least. Vix knew she had knock some sense into Puddle, but this place felt draining just to stand in, let alone fight. Which was a shame... beating up some of those dummies would have been cathartic as hell. So, the only other courses of action were to try and outsmart Puddle a truly daunting task for many, or to slap it with some good ol' fashioned reality.

"Puddle, buddy, friendo, chum, pal o' mine,--" Vix shook her head, wiping a tear from her eye, "--this is really sweet, but we really have better things to be doing. If you wanted to hang out and play superhero with your action figure, I'd love to! After this mission, I mean," she sighed, then snapped her glare up to Puddle. Cold, unflinching. Not thinking about the death cannons. Really not thinking about the death cannons. "Even if you were the better fighter here, which we both know you aren't seeing how you need a whole entourage to even try and intimidate me, that doesn't mean shit on the team. Why do you think we are living in their shadows?"
 

Namohysip

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Puddle flinched. "Because I always had to follow YOU around! Is your BRAIN made of wax, too?!" Wait, it was. "...Well screw you!"

Puddle used Close Combat on the training dummies, dealing 1168 damage!

Puddle seemed to be smirking. "C'mon! Lag behind too much and suddenly I'm gonna outshine you!" It smashed into several of the dummies and the crowd roared in approval, slamming this way and that. "Around here, if I win, I can go on without you! Y'know what that means? It means you won't hold me BACK!"

Puddle: 1,000

Dummies: 3832
The crowd's rooting for Puddle!
 

Fusion

Oh knee on
Location
Here, silly
Pronouns
Him/His
Partners
  1. zoroark
Yeah, it was Vix's intention to cut into Puddle, and even though their connection was pretty much severed here... she couldn't help but flinch as well. Damn, admitting things always fucking stung. Although, seeing Puddle beat the everloving fuck out of those dummies, hearing the crowd cheering its name, and how full of itself it looked... Yeah, Vix was starting to understand what she had to do.

"Puddle, honestly, seeing you outshine me and lead the way would make me the happiest I've ever been. You and I... we've been drifting apart, haven't we? And, yeah, you're right... I was dragging you behind in my shadow... and I'm sorry," Vix said, floating over to Puddle. Whether it hit her or not, it didn't look like she would've cared. She'd just die again, anyway. "But you've come a long way without me, haven't you? You tried to help Deoxys after I died, and pretty much every day you're checking in on your family. All I've done is die, create problems for you to fix, then... avoid you."

Vix's flame dimmed even more, but a small smile cracked along her face. "You've already started to outshine me, Puddle. And I couldn't be prouder. I honestly regret not telling you that sooner... I'm sorry."

Vix called out to Puddle!
 

Namohysip

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Puddle's movements faltered and it turned back to glare at Vix. "What... what're you playin' at? You think you can throw me off my game with some sweet words and... and shit? You think that's enough? For everything? Oh, no, boo hoo, that isn't all, this is just the start! That's what you're tryna say, is it? Well, guess what?! It fuckin' worked!" Puddle's voice cracked a little. "But that doesn't mean shit now, does it?! Because... I'm not s'posed to outshine you! You're... you're the real one!"

Puddle is charging Focus Punch...

"What am I? I barely have a body! I'm just... why can't..."

Puddle: 1,000

Dummies: 3832
The audience seems confused...
 

Fusion

Oh knee on
Location
Here, silly
Pronouns
Him/His
Partners
  1. zoroark
Puddle...

Vix's smile fell, and she let out a tired sigh. "About that... being the "real one." I've been thinking about it for a while, and... I don't think I am. I don't think I ever was. Yeah, I have his memories... but no matter how much I change, I can't stop being me. Vix messes things up, Vix dies at the drop of a hat, Vix is... conflicted about her feelings and lets them control her, and Vix was a terrible host to you."

Her body, despite not exerting itself, started to melt and darken, leaving a shadowy pool to grow beneath her. "But I have the memories of, well, a hero. A hero that stood to his beliefs to the bitter end. A hero that sacrificed everything for his family. A hero that was a friend to the very end."

"No matter how I slice it, how I try and justify my actions with his past, it just... doesn't fit. When he got pissed because his family was put in danger, I got pissed because my pride was tested. When he showed fear because someone close to him was taken, I was scared because I would be taken in turn. When he died, with the blood of someone he thought he lost in his hands, but happy that he found them again... I died, went to hell with my friends, and was torn apart by my shattered ego. His selfless Justice, corrupted by darkness and sadness, became my selfish Pride... I'm just some twisted echo of him, what was left over when he was gone."

Vix's body melted even further. Aside from her glowing yellow eyes and the tears rolling from them, her face was just a waxy, incoherent mess. "But you? You're just like him. You've been everything but selfish, nothing like me. If I saw it sooner... no, if I told you sooner... maybe we could have avoided all this. Maybe you would've seen how strong you always were, instead of as some puddle without form." Vix's flame was snuffed out, and the metallic parts of her body started falling off. "That name... was the worst thing I could've done to you..."
 

Namohysip

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Puddle held its fist in the air, trembling. That attack could have blown several of the training dummies away all in one blow, but he only held it, doing what it could to maintain that focus. Slowly, it turned its head.

"Then... then what is my name? What... am I? Or am I just... going to wander...? Do I even matter? Can... I ever matter?"

Puddle is holding onto its Focus Punch...
Puddle: 1,000

Dummies: 3832
 

Fusion

Oh knee on
Location
Here, silly
Pronouns
Him/His
Partners
  1. zoroark
"Of course you matter..." Vix spoke softly, floating closer. Her body solidified enough to reach out to Puddle, but she stopped just before touching it. "You always mattered, more than you even know. And you're not going to just... wander, at least not alone. You have a family now, remember? All your siblings? Diyem and Eien? You're going to be fine. Especially... without me."

From the shadowy pools of wax, Scrafty rose. His body as shapeless and wispy as it could possibly be, with only his eyes in their usual glare being distinct enough to read, and several thin strands of shadow connecting him to Vix. He rested a tendril of shadow on Vix, and the Chandelure backed away. "Which is why Vix can't name you. Not again. You gotta figure a name for yourself, now. Even if Vix has the best intentions in mind now... her heart ain't in the right place." He looked back at the melting Vix behind him, sighing. "She can't really help that. Just what she is, unfortunately."

"If you really wanna know your old name... it was Kane. On top of bein' a hero when you died, you were a stubborn jackass of a friend that learned to drop the jackass part from time to time. But all that's in the past, and all you've got is your future,"
Scrafty said, sure as stone.

"I know who we were, Vix does to, and even if you tried to ignore it, so did you. Deep down, right now, you know you ain't some weak willed son of a bitch that would let some existential bullshit like your place in the universe get you down. You know you're better than that! That you're Stronger than that!" Scrafty's body started to take its proper shape. He stood tall, proud, like a monument before Puddle. A reminder... A mirror.

"You want to outshine Vix, don't you? You want people to know you as your own person, to remember you for you and not for her, right? You want to be able to look at yourself and be proud of who you made yourself become?" With each question, Scrafty stood taller, and the shadows connecting him to Vix shrank or snapped entirely. Vix, in turn, winced and groaned with each broken shadow, but kept quiet.

"If you want your name--" Scrafty poked Puddle in the chest, his glare not leaving the familiar for even a second. "--Then you better pull yourself together, plant your goddamn feet, and give everything you fucking got to Make It!"
 

Namohysip

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"I... I'm... I have to... forge my own...? Make my own name? My own path? A-after spending all this time in your fucking shadow? You think I'm just gonna step out and do that like it's nothing at all?!" Puddle's voice hitched, but the way Scrafty was staring at it... that glare, that intense, invigorating glare...

"...Fine. You're on. Challenge FUCKING accepted! I'm gonna forge my own path... make my own name... and that way, one day, when you see me again, you're not even gonna RECOGNIZE me... because I'm just gonna be that cool! And my name... the name I choose for myself..."

Puddle pumped its fist in the air.

Puddle used Focus Punch upward!

"MY NAME IS--"

Puddle exploded. Its core shattered completely, and his ectoplasm spread all across the suddenly silent audience. It was there, and there, and there, and there...

The red electricity also disappeared, dimming to its usual, purple hues.
 

Fusion

Oh knee on
Location
Here, silly
Pronouns
Him/His
Partners
  1. zoroark
With the familiar's explosion, the air seemed to normalize. Vix let herself fall to the ground, although there really wasn't much of a fall left. She still felt like shit, and not entirely from being tired or worn out. Not in the physical sense anyway. No wonder assholes never admitted their faults, that shit was exhausting. "Fucking hell..."

"...It was a little excited, but its heart is back in the right place,"
Scrafty sighed, wiping some of the familiar off of him. It was already starting to pull itself back together, which brought a smile to Scrafty. He looked back to Vix, collapsed in a puddle of herself. Despite that being a common Vix state, he still felt bad for her. "Guess I should thank you, huh?"

Vix's eyes shifted around to look at Scrafty, tired. "For what? I didn't do anything."

Scrafty shook his head. "Nah, you did loads. For one, carried me around 'till I found my self again. In fact, I should say sorry for all this. You woulda been more stable if I knew you weren't him from the get-go, could've saved you a lot of... integrity."

"I doubt it. Like you said, I am what I am... Would've turned into a fuck up without you,"
Vix groaned.

"Another thing to say thanks for; you fightin' that selfish side of yours for him. I'm impressed you didn't totally fall apart," Scrafty chuckled. "Actually, the fact you made it this far at all... What other void shadow could say they did that, huh?

I ain't got a lotta time left, the second he's back together, I'll be gone. He'll be whole again, with a new body and a new life to live. And so do I, now. Maybe, when he goes and pulls a you, we can kick it in hell and all that good shit. That won't be for another lifetime or ten, though."


Vix tried to prop herself up, but her arms were still too soft, and she felt back to the ground. So her eyes moved around again. "Why the hell are you so... sentimental all of a sudden? Did I miss something between you lifting him up while kicking me while I'm down?"

"..."
Scrafty took a deep breath, then walked over to Vix, crouching down to her head. There was a softness to its glare this time, almost soothing in a way. "You might not be him anymore, but you still were. That's means everythin' I said to him applies to you too."

Most of the familiar had collected nearby, and strands of shadow from Scrafty started flowing into the mass of ectoplasm. He was almost ready. Scrafty's glare hardened again, and he poked Vix in the forehead. The melted Chandelure looked back up at him, locking her eyes with his.

"Pull yourself together." More of Scrafty's body was being pulled into the ectoplasm.

"Plant your goddamn feet." Everything up to the Shadow's chest was gone, and the rest would soon follow. Still, he jabbed Vix in the head with his digit, that fierce, unflinching glare still there.

"And give it everything you fucking got--" the Shadow's head was gone, yet his hand and glare remained as long as possible, still fixated on Vix. Shadowy wisps rose from his eyes, tears, and a proud grin appeared just below them, "--to make yourself a Hero."

As the Shadow's remaining featured returned to where they rightfully belonged, Vix watched in silence. It didn't feel like she lost a piece of her, but she was gonna miss him anyway. Looked like that sentimentality of his got to her after all. "God... dammit, Kane." The pools of wax flowed back to their origin, building herself back up again. Vix picked herself up off the ground, a brighter shine about her than normal. There wasn't a new look, physically, but when everyone say her next, she'd definitely look different.

On the topic of different looks, the shade let off a lavender and red glow as his body solidified. With one fist raised in the air, a crimson frill mohawk upon his head, his eyes closed and his faced aimed towards the sky, and a lack of loose skin... he looked like a pretty normal Scrafty-Shade. Aside from the gaping chest wound that pulsed with a dull red light. And the far more noticeable scales.

Vix approached the shade, looking him over. To her, it looked like he was even taller than Scrafty was, and toned. Or was it lean? Fit, yeah, fit. "So..?"

The Shade blinked his eyes open, and slowly looked down at Vix. His height caught him off guard and he stumbled back a bit; this was the first time he had actually seen Vix at eye level before... although several memories started flowing into his mind telling him otherwise. He lowered his fist, flexing it, and swished his tail from side to side. "So... what?"

"You know..." Vix cooed, floating around him. "How do you feel? What's it like? What's, uh... your name?"

"My name..?" the Shade hummed, flicking his tail in thought.

"Do you have an idea about it yet?"

"My name."

"Yeah, what's it gonna be?"

"My name."

Vix deadpanned, sighing. "If you don't wanna tell me, I understand. But you don't have to play dumb about it."

The Shade hung his head back, taking a deep breath, then crouched down real low. After a moment of silence, he suddenly exploded up, throwing his hands in the air and shouting out, "DRAKE!!!"

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
Vix yelped, holding her arms out to fight as her flame erupted.

"Oh, sorry. Drake. That's the name I want. Kane's last name. He didn't tell many, but at least now, I can honor his legacy!" Drake said, grinning brightly. "Guess what I want my other name to be?"

Vix held up an arm, catching her breath and clutching her chest. "Geez, give a girl a breather, would ya? Scared me half to dea--" Suddenly, Drake wrapped his arms around Vix, squeezing her tightly. "...Ooooookay..?"

"Wax. Wax Drake. But I'll go by Drake for now," he purred, squeezing Vix tighter. She was struggling not to melt at this point. "You might've fucked me over for a while, and I should honestly want nothing to do with you, and frankly even calling myself wax is giving you way more than you deserve..."

"Mmmmm, yeah, internal pain. My favorite kind," Vix huffed.

"But, I still owe you big time. You helped bring me back to life, and you brought my Shadow back, and you never really gave up on me, even when you were jealous as hell about me."

Vix smiled, wrapping her arms around Drake. "Awww, that's so... wait..." She pulled back, looking Drake in the eye. "...How."

"Scrafty was a part of you, and now he's back to bein' a part of me," Drake grinned, winking. "Gotta admit, you weren't kiddin' about your feelin's and shit. And I thought I was gonna explode from repressin' everythin', you were goin' nuts. How did you get anythin' done?"

"Oh god..." the Chandelure's face fell. Almost literally.

Drake's grin widened even further. "Like, damn, I'm gettin' a headache just thinkin' back on it. Oh! Speakin' of, how bad do you want me to not tell everyone about your notebooks?"

A fierce glare from Vix snapped to Drake's face. "I will actually fucking kill you again."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll keep quiet."
Drake let out a laugh, pressing his forehead against Vix's. "But, really, thank you... Thank you so, so much."

Vix chuckled lightly, patting Drake's head. "Don't thank me, really. I'm far from earning any of that, but I will." Vix let go, as did Drake, and the two shared a smile. "And I'll keep your softness a secret if you keep my notebooks a secret."

"Deal. I don't think anyone wants to know about you listing their strengths and weaknesses anyway," Drake nodded.

"It's called being scared of everyone around you because you're an insecure glob of darkness, bite me," Vix huffed.

"You'd be into it, though," Drake snorted. "But, first... how do we get outta here?"

Vix shrugged. "Was hoping you'd know, since you made all this. I think."

"...Great," Drake sighed.
 

Namohysip

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But just then, the doors to the strange arena creaked open, and ahead of them the way forward became clear. It wasn't too far away... The eye of the storm was a short walk from their spot. It was time to go--another mission to save the world, it seemed. At this point, they knew how to get it done.

Vix's Eternal Spirit awakened!
"This is so cool! I mean, hot!" - Once per battle, Radiant Wax can be converted to Self+Triple Target, and doubly apply.
 

Fusion

Oh knee on
Location
Here, silly
Pronouns
Him/His
Partners
  1. zoroark
"Bitch and the world provides," Vix snickered, nudging Drake with her elbow. "You ready to shine, Scales?"

"Scales? Didn't know I booked an appointment durin' amateur hour down at the lame nickname club. Don't skip your day job, Candlestick," Drake huffed, nudging Vix back. "'Sides, we gotta let the other boys and girls shine while they have the chance. Wouldn't wanna kick the team dynamic in the dick now, would we?"

Vix stuck out a ghastly purple tongue, blowing a raspberry. "Speak for yourself, but fine. Would've loved to show up and kick ass with the best of 'em, but if you really wanna get sidelined even more I'd be happy to sit along beside you." A grin cracked along Vix's face, and raw, draconic aura coursed around the two. Vix body changed to that of a Scrafty again. Must've been muscle memory... or, wax memory? "All this awesome power going to waste won't be my problem for much longer."

Drake rolled his eyes, growing a wicked set of wings from his back. "You say awesome power, I see wasted potential. Potahto potato. Now get your ass through the door, Candlestick, I got a mom to save." Despite his new appendages, Drake decided to run through the door rather than fly.

"So we got a "Momma's boy" in you, Scales? Should I head back and get your binkie and you blankie too?" Vix scoffed, flying in behind him.

Vix didn't forget what Kane said before he became a part of Drake... She still had to make herself a hero, and a name for herself. Whether that meant changing "Vix" to something else, or finding what "Vix" really means... she didn't have a clue, yet. Thankfully, she didn't let herself dwell on it. She got this far just charging head-on, and even if she screwed up big times along the way, she still got somewhere. Now she had a purpose, something she could aim for... which was finding something to aim for, but fuck off, it counted!

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