Grass Continent ~ Amp Plains

[Namohysip]

"I don't remember it clearly anymore," Zeraora replied. "Perhaps I saved a village. Or a town. I doubt the world. Or maybe I did something to catch the attention of the gods while among the stars. But I'm here, now. And perhaps I will turn a new page in my life." She looked at her paw again, swirling with Blacklight. "It may not have changed my mind, but it changed my body. And with it, I can do more. Perhaps now I can control more than just storms.

"I think I want to see the rest of the world again. Will you give me a taste of what Cibus has to offer?"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa didn't answer instantly. A request from a Legend should be considered. Its implications given due thought. Zeraora's species, at least in this world, was a regional guardian. Had her specialism confined her to Amp Plains, at least without surrendering a good portion of her power? Indeed, power kept coming up in her speech.

Luz had said that Zeraora had been many years alone.

"I will," said Brisa. "As you wish, fer what time I have left on Cibus, I would gladly spend a part of it showin' you the world beyond these plains."

She wet her mouth and felt the hum of Blacklight in her fur. She would ask, as she'd always known she would, eventually.

"And if you accept, I would battle you. My mother's people believe that battle is how we come to understand ourselves and others. Though I suspect yer own mastery of my element would kill my strongest disciplines dead, I would still care to know you better through combat."

 

[Namohysip]

The sky rumbled gently, like a lion's purr.

"Then it seems," Zeraora said, "we already understand one another more than I thought."

A low electric hum crawled across the dusty plains, carving a circle around the two. The clouds thickened and lightning arced beneath them, providing a flickering sun to the battlefield.

"I'm not interested in crowds and spectacle. Battles are sacred. They are special. I do not think I would agree to a battle in those arenas. Not yet."

The ring completed, its intention clear.

Zeraora shifted her stance and then pointed at Brisa. A jolt of electricity that felt both cold and hot gripped her chest, her core.

A line of electricity connected the two.

"Outworlder," Zeraora said firmly, jumping to the edge of the ring--the connection they shared seemed to sync their hearts beating. "Show me your strength. Show me what Cibus has made you!"

Zeraora's Control activated!
Unleash corruption was set to 0!

Brisa can sense Zeraora's life force!

Zeraora: 10,000

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa rolled her neck, cracked her knuckles, breathed deep and felt the Blacklight flow and ebb around, within, and between them. This duel would be something else, win or lose. It was right that it should take place here. Plasma bloomed over Brisa's body, a lightless fire embracing her, to strengthen and protect. Against Zeraora, she'd known from the start that she'd be on the back paw. She chose to fight anyway.

"I never fight to lose," she said, her voice crackling faintly, "but if I learn somethin' from you today, that's good enough fer me. I won't hold back."

Brisa's mane rippled with light and she grunted with exertion as she pushed her body to its limits.

Brisa Unleashed her Tenacity!
Brisa used Brilliant Paragon!
Brisa used Rest Battle Trance!
Brisa used Substitute while in her trance!

Δ Stats: +4 Atk, +4 Spd
Δ Stamina: -62
Δ Corruption: +68 Rad
Δ HP: +25%, then +69 Nice
Δ Misc: +2 Protect, +Paragon, +2 Charge, +Substitute, +Super Sleepy, +Unleash

 

[Namohysip]

Zeraora... disappeared.

Something grazed Brisa's cheek. A small cut of fur drifted in front of her, and a hint of blood where the claw grazed her.

"Then I won't, either," Zeraora said.

Brisa's Substitute had been destroyed instantly by an attack too hard to see. Only its aftereffects, with Shadowy plumes drifting where the apparition had briefly appeared.

Zeraora used Fury Swipes at extraordinary speeds, destroying her Protects, then dealing 76 damage to Brisa's substitute
Zeraora used Shadow Fists on the Substitute, dealing 365 damage, destroying it!
Zeraora used Hone Claws, gaining Attack and Accuracy!

Brisa: 987

Zeraora: 10,000

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Zeraora's adeptness with the Blacklight was extaordinary. Her speed, her disposition – this was exactly how Brisa sought to fight. She'd have to draw on Shadows to survive more attacks like that. She dug deep.

What do you fear becomin', ranger? What d'you hope fer? To be like her...?

Enough. She had to strike back, hard and fast. Now.

Brisa focused to gain Shade...
[+9, Rivalry, Loner]
Brisa used Facade!
Brisa used Extreme Speed!

Δ Stats: -
Δ Stamina: -135
Δ Corruption: +20 Shd
Δ HP: +69 Nice
Δ Misc: -Super Sleepy

 

[Namohysip]

Brisa's Facade dealt 1364 damage!
Brisa's Extreme Speed dealt 2237 damage!

"Gh." Zeraora disappeared again, reappearing behind Brisa with a grazing shot from a Radiant strike. "Even without Blacklight, your strikes are extreme," she said. "Is that your power shining, or the Blacklight's? I don't know for myself, either."

Despite her voice coming from behind, Brisa instead felt a fist to her front.

Zeraora used Radiant Fists, twice, dealing a grazing 230 damage!
Zeraora used Divine Heroics, and is filled with serene valor! She gained 3 Divine Detects, 2 Valor, and Guarded!
Zeraora switched to Radiance Absorb!

Their hearts beat together. Zeraora was being pushed to more than a leisurely battle; Brisa knew, in their hearts, that she was giving it her all. And, therefore, that an even greater barrage was coming. She wasn't one for drawn-out fights, it seemed. But when her spirit burned, it looked like it had limitless fuel...

Brisa: 826

Zeraora: 6,399, +3 Divine Detects

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa came out of her combat trance with a sharp roar of satisfaction. Zeraora's intent was to strike hard, Brisa could feel it in her just as plain as if there were Whiplash cords connecting them. She could probably survive a full-on onslaught – she'd tuned her aura to survive a lot – but that wouldn't be in the spirit of the fight. No, she saw an opportunity, and she'd damn well take it.

Brisa struck immediately – and like lightning.

[Rivalry, Loner]
Brisa used Extreme Speed 3! [+9]
Brisa used Shining Whiplash! Brisa used Void Arcstrike! [+9, Stab, SE, Charge, +296]
Brisa used Umbral Overcharge! Brisa used Blacklight Z-Burst! [190 bp, +11, Stab, UE, Crit]

Δ Stats: +2 Valour
Δ Stamina: 50%
Δ Corruption: Bust, then +34 Shd
Δ HP: 50%, then +35
Δ Misc: Bust

Near-instant strikes matched even Zeraora's exceptional reflexes, and then Brisa connected to her—

The way you fight is extraordinary. I wanna learn how you do it. We ain't all that alike, but there's somethin' in us both, linkin' us. I feel it. Now let me show you my strength.

The sentiment passed like a thunderbolt through its target, and Brisa's Arcstrike raced up the tethers after it, unevadable and devastating. Then with one final release of power, Brisa struck true with all the Blacklight in her.

 

[Namohysip]

Brisa's Whiplash Arcstrike dealt 2135 damage to Zeraora!

"So that is your answer?" Zeraora called, deflecting the Arcstrike with a shield of pure Blacklight, but the resonating clang suggested that she'd had to put all her force into taking that strike. She panted a bit and disappeared behind Brisa, missing her first jab before slamming Brisa for the second.

Zeraora used Fury Swipes on Brisa, dealing a grazing total of 101 damage!
Zeraora used Laser Focus... her next hit will be Critical!

"Show me, then," Zeraora said, her eyes blazing with Blacklight frenzy, despite her movements being the same quick tempo. She wanted to resonate with Brisa's attack, and for a moment, she let loose, and Brisa could feel it.

Brisa's Overcharge Z-Burst dealt 5650 damage to Zeraora!

Zeraora held up her shield again, deflecting almost all of it, as it split the ground in a V-shape behind her. The fissures crackled with Blacklightning, and Zeraora herself was knocked backwards several feet.

But she landed on her feet. The Blacklight connection had severed between them, and it felt like Brisa had beaten her, didn't she? But no--that was just the connection... her shield.

And suddenly, Zeraora was upon her.

A blur, unseen, and a fist of pure Blacklight rushing to Brisa's front.

Zeraora used Blacklight Fists, dealing--

But then, inches away, she stopped. The wind caught up to them a moment later, blasting dust and charged soil in an outward crater. The air coned around the pair and left a dome-like crater several feet behind Brisa, but no harm had befallen Brisa herself.

Zeraora stopped and glanced behind her, not quite taking her eyes off of Brisa, before hopping back a few feet. Like she'd realized something. She was at the edge of the ring, standing in a half-stance, and let out a little huff.

"...So you beat me," she muttered, looking at the clear scuff mark a few inches outside of the drawn ring in the dirt. Zeraora's foot had touched there. She closed her eyes, smiling to herself. "I wasn't expecting that," she remarked.

In a moment of clarity, a feeling would dawn on Brisa of what had just been averted...

--dealing what would have been 1449 damage.

Ring out! Zeraora was defeated!

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Not quite a knockout, but a technical victory was just as good in a clash like this. And goddamn, what a battle.

"Yer a real storm-with-claws," remarked Brisa, steadying her breath from the exertion of the final exchange. "That's the kind of goddamn battle I live fer. You get it. You fight like I only try to."

This time, Brisa didn't slip back into her luxray body. She'd keep the Blacklight form a while longer today. It was absurd to think she'd earned it from sparring with Zeraora, rather than from the countless battles for the fate of Cibus, and she was still no true aspirant, yet . . . having Zeraora's respect made the body feel a little more comfortable to exist in. It wasn't who she was. But it fit her, at least some of the time.

Brisa put out a paw. "My thanks t'you, and my respect, Zeraora of Cibus."

 

[Namohysip]

Zeraora studied Brisa, noting her fatigue, but also that she'd won regardless with a proper surge of power. That took wit and tenacity to do. So, she nodded and took Brisa's paw. "And mine to you as well, Zeraora of the Outworlds."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Zeraora of the Outworlds. In a flash, Brisa imagined herself travelling as God Squad and Eien once had, and Joule still might, a zeraora of many worlds. But for now, she was ground-bound, with a pressing duty to attend to.

She shook Zeraora's paw firmly, grinning with satisfaction. For her own part, the meeting had been more than worthwhile, and her opponent was at least not disappointed with their battle. She only hoped she could make Zeraora's encounters with the wider world somewhat worthwhile as well.

"I'll remember yer boldness when I face the Eternal Blacklight again," she said. "If I fuckin' live through it, then . . . I'll see you in the world."

She'd look forward to it.

<><><><><>​

 

[Namohysip]

"Well," said Zeraora, patting her sides. "I suppose I'm ready, I have everything I need for... this outing to the rest of the world." She glanced at Brisa, uncertain. "And... you're sure that this will be fine? I'm not really sure how people react to Pokemon of my stature outside of Destiny Village, you know."

Though perhaps more concerning was that 'everything' Zeraora needed was actually nothing, not even an equipment bag.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa took zeraora form for this encounter. It seemed appropriate. While Zeraora might subsist on nothing, Brisa's satchel had victuals and such, so she wasn't worried. And yet Zeraora was, somehow. Luz' account and Brisa's own experience had been of a self-possessed, independent demigod. And yet, here she was with how will people react? Who cared? Cibus wasn't so culturally provincial that anyone would lose their minds; the biggest concern was people crowding round asking for autographs, more likely. Perhaps that was exactly the problem.

"We won't be visitin' any population centres," Brisa assured her companion. "This is more of a sightseein' event, and our final opportunity to converse afore my departure, so I've no intention of wastin' time on crowds. I ain't anticipatin' adverse reactions from any civilians we happen across, and we can handle those in any case. Besides, if'n you care to see more of yer world after this, Luz will do any damn thing you ask of her, includin' makin' introductions."

She thought about querying the lack of bag. Best not. Right?

"No personal effects?" she asked. Damnit.

 

[Namohysip]

"Not much for me to bring," Zeraora said with a shrug. "Right now, you know more about Cibus than I do. I will follow your lead." She gestured ahead. "Unfortunately, if we're out in the open, I don't think we'll be able to have a brawl between ourselves... but seeing Cibus will be enough."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Strange to think, but evidently true.

"I can't show you the whole damn planet, but I can show you parts of it I find special," offered Brisa. "And if y'want a scrap, that can be arranged too."

She grinned. "Speakin' of scraps, I never got the chance to say this before... Thanks fer yer help 'gainst the Blacklight. I pulled off some . . . unprecedented maneouvres with yer blessin'."

 

[Namohysip]

Zeraora smirked. "That other one, that Lucario? Seems like the three of us all had a good harness on Blacklight. Maybe it'll be useful even after this."

She followed Brisa out, and after navigating through the plains and toward its waypoint, they got to Treasure Town's Waypoint Road. Zeraora seemed a little sense at the sudden number of others on the road, not necessarily to fight, only because she wasn't used to being in a crowd unless it meant some grand mission like a few days ago.

But Brisa had a place in mind, and they only had to walk a few Waypoints down before stepping onto another. In seconds, they were now at higher, arid grounds, the secluded village of Shaymin... Zeraora squinted at the sudden brightness. "Well, look at that..."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Despite Luz's initial misgivings about Zeraora's corruption, she had proved capable of handling it, perhaps better even than many of Diyem's posse. Brisa couldn't help but be relieved that there remained folks on Cibus who could defend it against any future threats. Diyem and his family, the void eternas, God Squad... and Zeraora.

"Yer eyes'll adjust quick enough," Brisa said, and took a deep lungful of the cleanest mountain air she'd yet found. "We'll go steady on the ascent; the air gets thin much higher than this. There's a drifblim carrier service as I recall, but my expectation is that you'd prefer to hike it. More satisfyin' that way, and more private."

 

[Namohysip]

"That I would," Zeraora said, walking with her hands behind her back like it was already the start of a leisurely stroll. "...Everything all tied up for you?" he asked, looking at Brisa. "Ready to go... back? Or are you still trying to squeeze out those... last few moments? Sorry if it's a painful subject, but I don't really know how to phrase it otherwise."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa gave a dry smile. "Be as blunt as you like. I won't take offence."

She kept pace with Zeraora, one paw swinging freely, the digits on the other rubbing against each other in contemplation.

"I've been sayin' goodbyes and resolvin' loose ends. I never kept many possessions here, but almost all of what I had, I've sold or donated. I've written a will and testament. I guess I'm more or less ready to go."

Brisa let the alpine sun fall on her face and the wind ruffle her mane. So many small joys.

"I love too much about this world and the folks in it to let it go easily, though. Every hour that passes, I try to make use of it. Both to get closure with my friends in Diyem's employ, and to leave this world a touch better than I found it last."