Mist Continent ~ Frozen Summit

[Namohysip]

Instantly, the battle was on. Red made a single gesture with his right arm, a sweeping motion and a grunt, and his team roared and advanced all at once in perfect unity. Team Spectrum, for the most part, was bracing themselves and dodging the initial volley, grappling with what they were dealing with while preparing their own power at the same time. All but one, who was already prepared to launch the initial attack

Cynthian's Solar Beam dealt a CRITICAL 1853 damage to Lapras, healing her for 185 HP!

"...That did something," Owen said. "I don't think their defenses are all that high."

"Huh, they're kinda like us," Cal remarked, leaning back on her heels. "...Wait, does that mean--"

And so, they answered.

Snorlax used Stockpile, raising its Defense and Resistance by 1!
Snorlax used Blacklight Slumber! Snorlax became Sleepy and started regenerating 3000 HP per turn! It is radiating a sleepy aura... anyone that attacks Snorlax will gain 100 Drowsy status!

Lapras used Icy Wind against Team Spectrum!
Astrid: 24
Bahamut: A grazing 17
Brisa: A grazing 49
Cynthian: 79
Dave: 57
Nip: Dodged!
Owen: Dodged!
Shiron: 84
Starr: Lauchs took the blow for 55!
Vix: 44

Lapras used Blacklight Hailstorm! Strange hail surrounds Lapras, healing for 10% HP for any ally that interacts with her... and hurts non-Ice enemies for 1% of her max HP!

The frigid air left most of Team Spectrum unable to properly dodge the rest of what was to come. It was so accurate--like Lapras knew to slow them down so everyone else on her team could land a strike!

Pikachu hopped and skipped across the snowy landscape, landing on top of Charizard with a rallying cry.

Meanwhile, Blastoise, Venusaur, and Charizard put together a devastating attack. Maple, from afar, recognized it as the same humming sound she'd heard from the badges before S'more's team had been cut off. "Watch out!" Maple shouted, but the frigid air made many of the team's bodies struggle to react.

Pikachu used Agility, raising his Speed by 2!
Pikachu used Blacklight Partnership on Charizard! Charizard's next triple-target attack will instead strike the whole team!

Blastoise used Water Pledge!
Venusaur used Grass Pledge!
Charizard used Fire Pledge as host, striking Team Spectrum with Triple Pledge!

Astrid: 206
Bahamut: 139
Brisa: 438, KO!
Cynthian: 528, KO!
Dave: 381
Nip: A grazing 334
Owen: A grazing 28!
Shiron: 423
Starr: Lauchs took the blow for 274! The shield broke and left behind a Protect!
Vix: Wax!

Additionally, the Triple Pledge struck the whole team for 0.5% of their current HP! They all took 225 typeless damage, reduced by evasion!
Dave was KOed!

Charizard used Hurricane on Shiron, Nip, and Owen!
Shiron: 621,KO!
Nip: 984, KO!
Owen: 83

Charizard used Blacklight Inferno on Owen, Bahamut, and Starr, applying 200 debuff to Defense and Resistance!
Charizard's Attack and Magic went up by 2!
Owen's defense went down by 1!
Bahamut shrugged it off!
Starr was Protected!

Blastoise used Blacklight Bodyguard on Charizard! Attacks must go through Blastoise before hitting Charizard! If Blastoise isn't Staggered, Charizard will gain +3 defense and Resistance!

Venusaur used Blacklight Remedy on Pikachu, healing him for 5000 HP and making him immune to status effects and debuffs next turn!

Lapras and Snorlax regained some HP!

Red used Ward II on Pikachu for +500 status resistance and +100 HP!
Red used Boon IV on Lapras, increasing her Magic and giving +200 fixed damage!

"How... h-how are they so strong?" Owen whispered, taking a hesitant step back.

"What do you expect from a living legend?" Cal muttered, reattaching her arm.

"We've been fighting them for months!" Owen exclaimed back. "This... is totally different!"

Pikachu:
15000

Charizard:
15000

Blastoise:
15000

Venusaur:
15000

Lapras:
25647

Snorlax:
33000

Support Burst: 25/100
Enemy Support Burst: 30/100

Red seems to be trying to protect Pikachu... He probably doesn't have strong defenses!

Maple was shaking off some frost from her head. "This is bad," she said, then called to the others. "You need to knock them out quickly! If you can at least get one of them down... perhaps some of us can find an opening to strike and disrupt their flow!"

"Another one of those and we're finished," Soda hissed. "Take out that damn Pikachu! Or the Charizard, or--just stop that damn combination attack from going off again!"

"I can't get my shields up," Truffle lamented, frantically drawing symbols in the air. They fizzled in the disruptive aura.

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut lightly thwapped the back of Owen's head. "And they've been a team for significantly longer. You're too used to fighting foes who don't think straight. So they actually have better versions of the same combinations you lot have been using. How terrifying."

He smirked. "If you claim to be so perceptive, you should've seen that coming. Maybe you need to adjust your expectations?" He sounded less smug and more... playful? "You're moving too much on instinct. Let some higher-order thinking take over."

 

[Fusion]

"Holy fuck..." Vix muttered. Red and his team certainly hit like champions.

"H-Hey, if we get our shit rocked, we still evolve after the fight, right?" Puddle asked, having climbed onto Vix's back. "Askin' for a friend... named me."

"Honestly I feel like if we can get out of this fight alive at all we can grow from it. Takes a lot to get the absolute fuck beat outta you," the chandelier tittered. Joking aside, Vix glanced around for the next best target to power up. Not everyone looked all that ready for some all-out assault, but there was someone better off than most of the team. Being Owen. That felt convenient but Vix knew not why.

A sphere of wax appeared before Vix, but just before she sent it towards the dragon, Shadow rose up and poked the wax, giving it a dazzling black and gold design. The ire-wax flew off to Owen, seeping into him. "Let's see if we can't show the punks up with this," Vix snickered, grinning.

 

[Disco]

From farther away, Mellow stepped back through the portal with a thoughtful expression. But one look at the state of everyone on the battlefield made her lose track of what was on her mind and she rushed over. Who needed help the most? How did everyone get hurt this bad?! She was only gone for ten minutes, at most!!

The Charmeleon stopped at the edge of the group, ready to lend her support in any way she could. Her eyes narrowed at the mostly silent Charizard and his team...

 

[Chibi Pika]

She didn't want to be here, all things considered. Giovanni and his Mewtwo had been taken into custody, and half the team had gone with them. But Brisa was staying here, and so was Owen, and ughhh. And they really needed to get this asshole on their side, snap him out of the corruption, whatever the hell.

Fine. Whatever. She'd do it. She'd stay and fight if the team--her friends--needed her strength here.

"Let's kick their faces in," she muttered, flame belt heating up to a fever pitch.

 

[Namohysip]

"You're moving too much on instinct. Let some higher-order thinking take over."

That was hard. Battling was when Owen got to switch gears in his brain and stop thinking on a high level and more on a primal, tactical level. But this was also true. Maybe if he thought more about his opponents...

Oh, by the Stars, that was a lot of attacking power, though. And that Pikachu seemed to have a catalyst for it. Owen had a bad feeling that its support would only continue if that kept up.

"Sorry, Bahamut," Owen said. "I'll do higher thinking later. I need to help clear the way for the team! Turning off my brain for a second!"

"Uh oh." Cal glanced at the others. "Dave! Mind helping out? Let's get Owen fired up!" She was slamming her wobbly arms into Owen's side. His flame kept sparking...

Owen let out a snarl, crouching until he was on all fours. His tail blazed and Dave, looking befuddled at the general bullshit Owen tended to pull, did what he could to halfheartedly comply, but not before bounding away to protect Brisa and others that were vulnerable once that flame really sparked with heat.

Owen roared as countless orbs of fire rose from his back and out of his wings with every beat. A shadowy aura enveloped him and he spiraled toward Pikachu, who was caught off guard and stunned by the sudden assault.

Shiron's Umbral Petrichor dealt a total of 64 damage to Blastoise!
Starr's Shining Renegade dealt 862 damage to Blastoise!
Starr's Fire Pledge combo dealt 1499 damage to Lapras!
Dave's Iron Thorns dealt 244 damage to Owen!
Dave's Void Desperation dealt 1197 damage to Lapras!
Cynthian's Solar Beam dealt 1418 damage to Blastoise!
Owen's Void Demon dealt 666 damage to Pikachu!
Four of Owen's stored Overheats dealt a CRITICAL 17,385 damage to Pikachu, knocking him out!
The remaining two Overheats went to Venusaur for CRITICAL 8513 damage!
Astrid's CRITICAL Spreader Flail attacked Venusaur, Blastoise, and Lapras!
Venusaur: 2,817
Blastoise: 2,817
Lapras: 2,944
Brisa's Overcharged Facade dealt 4,167 damage to Blastoise!
Nip's Triple Axel dealt a total of 724 damage to Venusaur!
Nip's Shining Rime dealt 291 damage to Lapras, then 363 damage!

Lapras flinched! Lapras only has 1 action! She used Aurora Veil!

Blastoise and Venusaur prepared another Pledge attack!

Charizard used Fire Pledge for a Triple Pledge attack on Owen, Dave, and Bahamut!
Dave: Protect!
Owen: Detect!
Bahamut: A grazing 82!

The Triple Pledge's sweeping attack was blocked by Umbral Gambit!

Charizard used Hurricane on Owen, Astrid, and Shiron!
Owen: Dodged!
Astrid: Endured!
Shiron: A grazing 465

Charizard is charging Solar Beam!

Blastoise is charging up a Skull Bash, raising his Defense!

Venusaur used Sleep Powder on Dave, Bahamut, and Cynthian!
Dave: Protect!
It bounced off Bahamut!
Cynthian dodged it!

Snorlax used Sleep Talk into Stockpile! Snorlax used Stockpile again!

Red used Boon IV on Snorlax, boosting his Attack!
Red used Ward II on Lapras, protecting her from ailments!

Snorlax regained some health. The Blacklight Hailstorm regained further health to the whole team!
Dave and Starr took 250 damage from Blacklight Hailstorm!

Bodyguard was successful! Charizard's Defenses went up by 3!

Dave's Hex Counter lowered Charizard and Lapras' Attack and Magic by 1!

After the overexertion, Owen plummeted into the ground, miraculously dodging several incoming attacks as he gathered his strength. A part of him looked like he was baiting the attack to strike him, but none came. He grunted. He was hoping the Reviver would have give him more strength. But now he could barely stand, the seed unused...

But otherwise they were in much better shape than before. "K-keep it up!" Owen said, but then looked at that Snorlax. Think tactically... That Snorlax, so far, wasn't doing a whole lot. Building up power. Red just tried to boost it, yet...

Insight: Snorlax is tough, but he might be trying to scare the team! The others are a bigger threat for now!

Charizard:
16500

Blastoise:
5673

Venusaur
4446

Lapras
24006

Snorlax
39000

Support Burst: 55/100
Enemy Support: 60/100

Soda looked surprised by something, then at Maple. "Hey! You feel your powers working yet?"

"Not yet," Maple said, growling. "I felt it for an instant, but--"

"Sucks to be you!"

Soda used Blinding Mirrors! Illusory walls are throwing off Red's team!
Team Spectrum all gained +1 Detect! It doesn't interfere with other barriers!

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut's barrier deflected Pledge attacks and the Magic Coat bounced Venusaur's Sleep Powder away. However, his attention was focused on Owen. The bizarre twisting of his aura through his barrage of attacks.

"Such ferocity." Bahamut tapped his tail against the ground. It wasn't clear if he was talking directly to Owen or Cal as a proxy. "Ruthless attacks. It would seem we're far more alike than you would ever admit."

 

[Dragonfree]

This was bullshit, this was bullshit, why were they doing this. Sure, some people went off to accompany Giovanni and the other Mewtwo, but were they actually going to be able to stop two fucking God Squad members if they turned out to be the famed spies? If they were so sure they were out for the count for a while, couldn't they just keep them here, where they could keep an eye on them? But no, here the team was springing into action to fight this fucking guy, like he couldn't wait ten goddamn minutes for them to actually try to be vaguely sure they had Giovanni under control--

--and before he knew it there was a horrible hum in the air, and a combined beam of searing energy swept across the entire team. He screamed, and lost consciousness, and then came to again as the Reviver Seed in his bag withered, vision swimming. Fuck. Fuck. This motherfucker.

He dragged himself to his feet, acquiesced to some bullshit Owen was asking for, summoned bright sunlight to restore his strength, ran over to assist Brisa and Starr and Shiron with it, summoned shields to protect himself and Brisa. On shaking legs, he faced down Red's team.

If they were going to insist on having this dumb fucking fight, fine. They'd just have to take them down, fast, and then go the fuck after Giovanni. The buzz of Radiance told the pleasant lie that sure, everything'd be fine. Yeah, right. Fuck off.

Shadows pooled around his feet. Just beat them. Sure. Beat them, before Giovanni fucking blew up Destiny Village and left them a smoking ruin to go back to.

Owen'd pointed to Lapras as the most vulnerable to disruption. It was also the one with a magic hailstorm swirling around it. He charged, Shadow coldness tightening his chest. He felt his body erupting in nightmarish shadowy tendrils, pulling every last drop of energy he had, forming a hazy, howling apparition many times his size, prepared to hit Lapras where it counted, and braced for a world of pain.

 

[Namohysip]

"Ruthless attacks. It would seem we're far more alike than you would ever admit."

Owen laughed weakly, even as he staggered to his feet and parried a stray attack sent his way. "You know," he said with a slightly more frantic, thrilled whisper in his voice, "I always knew deep down we had something in common."

He tried to dash forward, but his body couldn't keep up and he stumbled again.

 

[Ambyssin]

"Heavens, Rayquaza acted the same way." Bahamut shook his head. "Trying to fly off to save a litten family from a falling tree when he was already hurt only to flop around like an overgrown pasta noodle."

 

[Virgil134]

The fight against Red's team had been a struggle for Cabot to say the least. Not necessarily because of his opponents, as a timely Protect had kept him safe from their opening onslaught, but because of the freezing weather. The Rampardos had done his best to stay as far away from Red's Lapras as possible, but even so, the snow and mountain air had made it pretty much impossible for him to do anything aside from occasionally shielding himself, let alone fight Red's Pokémon at full strength. Cabot currently stood there at back of the group, shivering as he looked for an opening to attack, his fingers and toes having gone completely numb at this point. Gods it was even colder here than in Destiny Village, how was anyone able to fight like this?!

His eyes eventually fell on Red's Blastoise, who was lowering his head into his shell. The turtle's tough shell would make it hard for most to stop his Skull Bash... but Cabot had a way to pierce those defenses. The Rampardos charged forward as a dark aura began to form around the top of his head, before speaking up with chattering teeth.

"H-Hey, Blastoise! Heads up!"

 

[Namohysip]

Blastoise was feeling great. He had protected Charizard with ease and he was feeling defended. And now, it was time for him to protect Charizard again! They had been together for a long time, partners in crime, partners across so many worlds now! And yet, Charizard was always a little bit ahead... but he found his niche. Guarding, making sure Charizard could focus so much on attacking. But now--

"H-Hey, Blastoise! Heads up!"

Blastoise stopped and looked back just in time to see the Rampardos rampaging forward. He was sent several feet into the air, tumbling and twirling through the sky. and amid that flight through the sky, becoming trapped under huge mounds of snow, a flurry of attacks went flying every which way.

Cabot's Strike V dealt 2683 damage to Blastoise!

Starr used Fire Pledge combination with 852 damage to Lapras!
Nip's Void Frostbite dealt 195 damage to Charizard!
Nip's Void Forstbite dealt 424 damage to Lapras! Venom Seeds Poisoned Lapras!
Cynthian's Solar Beam dealt a CRITICAL 2316 damage to Lapras, healing for 185 damage!
Brisa's Facade dealt a CRITICAL 7705 damage to Lapras!
Brisa and Starr's Fusion Arcflare dealt a total of 27,472 damage to Snorlax! Starr took a lot of recoil, but endured it!
Brisa's second Facade dealt 4623 damage to Lapras!
Starr's Shining Renegade dealt 1,267 damage to Venusaur!
Starr's Power Trip dealt 4905 damage to Venusaur, KO! (31 stamina)
Astrid's Hex dealt 2207 damage to Charizard!
Astrid's two Flails dealt CRITICAL damage to Lapras, Charizard, and Snorlax!
Charizard: 12981
Lapras: 11,329, KO!
Snorlax: 10761

Astrid's final Flail struck Charizard, Blastoise, and Snorlax!
Charizard: 1955, KO!
Blastoise: 928
Snorlax: 3229, KO!

Starr, in an effort to prevent Astrid from exploding, booped her really hard on the nose, knocking her out!

Lapras' Hailstorm was dispelled!

Blastoise snarled and got out of the snow, shivering with a line of snot falling from his nose. He looked left and right, then blinked. What was going on? Where... was everyone? Charizard was skidded across the ground, grunting and breathing lightly. Venusaur and Lapras were in a heap, while Snorlax was rolling far down the hill. Soda and Truffle were in the way with Maple--all three having returned--and the three of them with their backs to one another to cover each other.

But when they saw Snorlax coming, Truffle flew away and Maple slipped into a portal. Soda, looking left and right, said, "What? What's--" before he was toppled into a fatty snowball. Muffled screams trailed down the mountain.

Blastoise suddenly was alone, with everyone staring at him. Maple hopped out and prepared her Blinding Crescent, but Blastoise suddenly let out a loud, bellowing cry. Maple was about to retaliate with a strike--but then stopped. That wasn't a cry of rage. Blastoise was scared and alone, nobody to guard, and perhaps because he'd failed.

And frankly it was so pitiful that Maple halted her strike. That... didn't look like an act.

"Aww... poor guy," Cal said. "What's wrong with you guys?! Saving the bodyguard for last?! Sadists."

"Hey, you were going after Venusaur!" Owen said.

"Well duh, I'm a Fire! I think. Kinda. Not really."

But then, like a shadowy guardian, another Charizard swooped in and held Blastoise on the shell, and Blastoise flinched, then tried to hide in his shell. Red shook it a little, forcing Blastoise to peek out. They stared at each other.

Red used Soothe II on Blastoise! ...He's feeling a little better!
Red used Haste II to Blastoise!

And with another encouraging shove, Red sent Blastoise forward for one final gambit. Meanwhile, he dug through his bag and pulled out several Poke Balls, withdrawing Charizard, then Venusaur, then Lapras, and finally Snorlax. He drifted toward Pikachu, picking him up. Just down the hill, Blastoise was on a rampage as the Blacklight in his system flared up--but mostly because he was on his last legs. One more firm jolt and the corruption would leave him.

Blastoise used Skull Bash on Bahamut, Dave, and Brisa!
Bahamut: Detect!
Dave: Detect!
Brisa: Detect!

Blastoise used Water Pledge on Bahamut, Dave, and Owen!
Bahamut: Protected!
Dave: Protected!
Owen: Dodged!

Blastoise used Protect+5!

Red watched, waiting. There was a thin smile on his face, but it seemed strained. Yes... he still was trying to fight the corruption. Even if his team was down... was Red still trouble?

Blastoise:
2,062

Insight:
Once Blastoise is down, there may be one more foe who will fight back instantly...

Support Burst: 0/100
Enemy Support Burst: 90/100

 

[Cresselia92]

A duel atop of a frigid mountain was right up of Icetales’s alley.

The cold air flowing into his lungs. The tails tingling with frost magic. The hail bouncing harmlessly on his iceproof pelt.

Even though there was something sinister about that hail, he could feel. Very much unlike the hailstorms he used to summon. Was that… corrupted hail? How could weather itself be corrupted?

Anyway, that hardly mattered, and he focused on that strange Charizard with his army of ‘mons. Someone called Red, apparently, and who was a renowned legend in some human worlds. Some kind of unbeatable champion.

Well, he could see that those voices were founded. The team didn’t see that onslaught coming and almost everyone was brought down to their knees. However, they were used to tough challenges, and managed to regain their footing. And now, the tables had turned, and it was Red’s team the one that was struggling. Only Blastoise was left, but he wondered what other surprise that Charizard was planning…

As he prowled through the battlefield and got ready to assist his team further, he spotted Cynthian among the crowd. The Roserade had a determined look on her face, with her flowers glowing with Radiance. He was close enough to sniff a strong aroma coming from them and carried by a winter-like wind, which bolstered his spirit somewhat.

Golly. She was a true fighter now. Truly admirable change.

“Thou art doing splendidly, my dear! Dost not give up!” he cried aloud, managing to pierce through the howling winds. “I believe in thee!”

 

[Adamhuarts]

From the very start of the battke, Cynthian had been the first to land a strike on Lapras. Red and his cohorts soon launched a tremendous counterattack knocking the wind out of Cynthian and many others.

It didn't take Cynthian long to get back on her fee. While she recovered her strength, she did her best to support her team by aiding them with her radiant abilities. Each petal made her glow brighter and brighter. Every so often, she'd launch a bright purple blast across the field to press the attack on their opponents.

The air soon turned frigid, and each breath Cynthian took threatened to burn her lungs. Yet, Cynthian's flowers glowed in a shimmering light and she clouded the air in the scent of Cinnamon and baked bread without a fault.

The battle proved exhilarating. More than ever before, Cynthian enjoyed the chaos around her with a blissful and whimsical look in the midst of battle. It felt so good to fight, and fight, AND FIGHT—

“Thou art doing splendidly, my dear! Dost not give up!” he cried aloud, managing to pierce through the howling winds. “I believe in thee!”

Like a soft melody in the middle of spring, Icetales' voice lulled her out of her trance.

Cynthian met his eyes through the snowy winds and blushed with a smile. "Thanks, Love!" she waved a flower at him as her heart fluttered. "I believe in you too!"

Cynthian reminded herself: it's not for the sake of it that she fought, but for those she held dear to her.

With most of Red's cohorts lying unconscious around the battlefield, Red would surely jump into the fray himself soon. When he does, that's when the real fight would truly begin.

 

[Disco]

Mellow was distracted. She was looking down the mountain, trying to find out where Soda was. That fall did not look pleasant in the slightest.... She glanced over at the team, Maple and Truffle, then back down. Well, someone should check on him, and she supposed it would be her.

She made her way around to where he might have landed and looked closely.

 

[Fusion]

"We are really fucking their shit up," Vix chuckled, pleasantly watching the lightshow of attacks coming from both sides. She always enjoyed fighting, but for some reason this one felt just that much sweeter. And exhilarating! And honestly just fun!

"At this rate, they might not be strong enough for me to evolve!" Puddle laughed, shooting Red a smug grin. "There's only one of 'em left, then we take out the boss!"

"And no one's gotten all that hurt after the first time we all got hurt. This couldn't be going any better!" Vix added, beaming

But when they saw Snorlax coming, Truffle flew away and Maple slipped into a portal. Soda, looking left and right, said, "What? What's--" before he was toppled into a fatty snowball. Muffled screams trailed down the mountain.

Shadow nudged Vix's face, nodding its head over at the rolling blob of snow. "Ain't that Soda? And the Snorlax?"

"What?" Vix turned just in time to see the two roll off the side of the mountain. "Oh shit, that's definitely gonna hurt..." She took Puddle off her head and looked it in the eye. "Imma need you to play support for a little bit, alright? I'll be back in, like, maybe a minute."

Puddle blinked, not paying attention to anything other than Red before Vix grabbed it. Before it had a chance to even process what she said, Vix dropped it in Shadow's arms and flew off towards Soda. The familiar and Shadow looked at each other, then both deadpanned.

"She simpin'?"

"She simpin'."

"Goddamnit," Puddle sighed, the hopped onto Shadow's head. It clapped its hands together, coating itself in a coating of wax and grinning. "We're gonna have to be the brains of this oprega... ober... op-uh..." It fell onto Shadow's head, looking it in the eyes. "What's the word?"

Shadow rolled its eyes, flicking Puddle in the forehead. The wax coating it had burned into them both, and shadow wisps rose off of Shadow's body. "Eyes up, dumbass. We're playin' support, not tryin' to look like we need it."

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut focused most of his energy toward shielding, but it turned out to be wholly unnecessary. Red's team dropped like dominoes. Only Blastoise was left. He also noticed Starr having to turn on Astrid, who was going to burst apart from radiance at any moment.

"If the fool would persist in his folly, he would become wise." The necrozma rested his chin against an upper wing. "Perhaps such a platitude does not apply on Cibus." He coiled his large body vaguely in Brisa and Starr's general direction.

"I'm no doctor or relationship expert, but you might want to talk to your third wheel. Continuing her suicide strats even after watching you die right in front of her... doesn't seem very healthy." Bahamut slowly lifted himself up. "Morning Sun cannot heal foolishness."

 

[Negrek]

Fighting Red's team was exactly as exciting as Rocky had hoped. They got off some big attacks, but one by one Team Spectrum was taking them out. It looked like they might wipe everyone out completely, but in the end Blastoise was still standing--if only barely. He didn't look like he was having a great time.

Well, that wasn't any fun. The whole point of this battle was for everyone to have a good time. "Come on, Blastoise!" Rocky yelled. "You can do it! Show us what you've got. The battle isn't over yet!"

 

[Chibi Pika]

Team Spectrum was doing well. Really well, holy shit. Up against a whole team of champion Pokemon hyped up on Blacklight, and they were holding their own. But most importantly, it was the first fight since they'd gotten everyone back. And those... thoughts. The ones she'd first had, when fighting Joule. It felt easier to stave them off this time. Maybe it was just because this fight wasn't literally the end of the world, hell if she knew. Still, there was no denying it--it felt good, fighting alongside everyone. It felt damn good.

Red's team went down one after the other. A particularly devastating flurry of hits from Astrid sent Snorlax rolling down the mountain like a huge snowball. But then after the last strike, the Ninetales's body flickered with Radiance--bright, brighter, too bright. God dammit, this wasn't even a life-or-death fight and she was already about to explode. What the fuck.

"The hell do you think you're doing?" Starr called out, shielding her eyes against the intense light. Motherfu--

If Astrid wanted to push herself beyond all sense, that was fine, but if she fucking exploded, then everyone would get caught in it, and--

Before she really knew what she was doing, Starr had scooped up a fistful of snow, pressed it into a ball, and hurled it at the Ninetales.

"Snap out of it!" she barked.

Starr, in an effort to prevent Astrid from exploding, booped her really hard on the nose, knocking her out!

 

[Dragonfree]

(CW: vague suicidal ideation)

One by one Red's Pokémon fell, save the Blastoise hanging on by a thread, but Red was still a Pokémon, still hanging back, still corrupted. Dave dragged forth more Radiance to shield Starr, used the sunlight radiating from her to heal Brisa, Shiron and Nip, and then stood back, panting.

His body was shivering and heavy and thrumming with light at the same time, his heart pounding deafeningly in his ears, all other sound distorted. There was a strange cold clarity in his mind.

He felt like shit. He always felt like shit, and he was sick of it. Why did he keep expending so much energy fucking arguing with Shadow when he said plain obvious things. Why'd he been evading talking with Mia this whole time for no reason. Why'd he have to constantly keep insisting he was fine when he obviously wasn't. Why was he such a fucking garbage fire of a human being. Why the fuck would he, after getting two kids killed, ever presume to be an improvement on anyone's parents. Why was he even fucking alive.

Astrid kept blowing herself up with Radiance, wiping out their opponents in one fell swoop. He wanted to do that, do that and just be done with this fucking fight and wake up in the hospital if there was anything left of it, or in the Voidlands, or not at all. He began to call on the already-buzzing Radiance tugging on his brain--

--and then an abrupt nudge on his chin broke his concentration. It was Shadow, solid again, bumping his head up against him, his glowing eyes sad and resigned, not saying anything. Leaning against him, shivering.

He thought of Jean, cold after waiting too long for him to pick her up, and trying, desperately trying to keep her warm while she sniffled on the sofa.

He shuddered, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, dragged himself away from the mental precipice.

Slowly, slowly, steady breaths dissolved the coldness, quieted the buzz, let him feel normal again.