Poppin' Arms ~ Training Facility

[Namohysip]

Deep underground, a hi-tech elevator beneath the Destiny Village guild led to a heavily fortified underground training facility. It was a known secret, and had in fact been designed as a secret bunker in case something catastrophic happened (unfortunately, Joule's attack was too strong even for it) but until then, was used as a training facility for the strongest of the strong. While Destiny Village was built with Legends in mind, some Legends were simply not within the scope of the building design. And so, the underground training facility was made, for some of the strongest fighters to be able to go all-out without fear of damaging the structures nearby.

The underground facility was more like a Colosseum pulled straight from a human world. A large dome enough for Rayquaza to fly speedily throughout comfortably overlooked a large, stone field dotted with countless environments. A whole miniature forest, sand dunes, an artificial river, ,it all seemed to be maintained here by some divine magic. And recently, Team Spectrum had been granted access to this deep facility. Hopefully they would be able to make some use of it...

<><><>​

 

[Cresselia92]

So, it was time to train for the battle that was to come! How many days did they have before the bubble dissipated, anyway? Golly, only Arceus knew, and he was busy attending to whatever plan he was crafting.

Icetales sighed and glanced at his dark paws, the glaring reminder of what he truly was — a daemon born from darkness.

And yet, despite his origins, he refused to even channel the slightest fragment of shadow sorcery. He feared what would have happened if he succumbed to the darkness — would he have become like… him?

“No, I… I cannot do that…” he said, shaking his head. “I… managed swell enough with that light sorcery, so… I don’t need this! I…”

But despite his insistence and refusal, he craved channeling dark forces. He felt this incessant itching that needed to be scratched, this constant turbulence inside his core that wished to burst out, to be free. Besides, as far as he knew, perhaps the shadows were the best way to deal with a luminous entity like Sir Joule.

The Ninetales had no clue what would have happened once he channeled his dark energy, which is why he picked the training facility as soon as he found out about its existence. At least, if he truly lost control, nobody would get hurt by whatever rampage he would have unleashed.

“…What should I do?”

 

[Virgil134]

The day after his encounter with Bahamut, Cabot ran into S'more in the guild's hallways, who told him that there was apparently a secret place to train right underneath the guild. Eager to check it out, the Cranidos took the elevator underground, but when he got there he noticed one of his teammates had already arrived here before him.

"Oh, hey there Icetales!"

Cabot gave the Ninetales a cheery wave, before walking up to him.

"I see you're here to check out the training facility as well," he chuckled. "Who'd have thought something like this was right underneath the guild this whole time, huh?"

 

[Cresselia92]

Icetales perked up at hearing someone approaching, and when he turned around he saw Cabot greeting him.

Oh. Kind of unfortunate timing, but nothing that couldn’t be dealt with.

“Sir Cabot! Greetings for thee, too. What brings thee in such intriguing place?”

"I see you're here to check out the training facility as well," he chuckled. "Who'd have thought something like this was right underneath the guild this whole time, huh?"

Ah, so Cabot was curious about the secret training facility. Icetales smiled at that.

“Yes, not even my most feverish dreams could have cogitated that such place existed underneath our feet. Some legends train here or something, from what I’ve heard.” He glanced around the place. “Fortified walls, ample space, a blend of environments… I reckon even a school of Wailord could move around freely.”

Icetales looked again at Cabot and showed a curious expression. “And if thou art here, I suppose thou art planning to hone thy skills here, yes?”

 

[Virgil134]

"Uh-huh! I was mostly just curious about what this place was like, but I've actually been meaning to do a bit more training, so I might as well!" Cabot replied. "I know some of the others have developed new Shadow techniques since Diyem's return, so I wanted to see if I could do the same."

 

[Cresselia92]

Icetales frowned as he heard the mention of new Shadow techniques. What if that crawling darkness he felt inside his bones was related to that? Did Diyem’s return have anything to do with his stronger desires to let himself go to the shadow forces?

He had no way to know for sure, but there were far too many coincidences.

“Hmm, I see.” Icetales sighed and looked away. “I have to confess that shadow sorcery still makes me very hesitant to wield it. Howbeit, there have been numerous times in which those arts helped us against powerful threats, so… yes, I reckon that mastering them would be most useful.”

And then, he felt himself torn once more, between wanting to steer clear from the darkness and wanting to dive in and relish on the shadowy sensation flowing through his veins.

Though, Cabot was one of the toughest fighters and had managed to handle the darkness sufficiently, if what Petram said happened in that dusty lab is any proof. So perhaps…

“I… could help thee channel thy inner darkness,” he said, flashing a serious expression. “That is… not a sorcery I am unaware of, despite using it sparsely all these months. And, well, perhaps thou could help me with my own shadows, too?”

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot tilted his head. "You mean you wanna train together to see if we can use any new Shadow moves? If so, sure! I think that could be fun."

The Cranidos wagged his tail slightly, before his smile muted a bit. Come to think of it, he couldn't recall Icetales ever using any Shadow moves. He figured Icetales just hadn't had the chance yet because of how extremely useful his Radiant techniques had proven to be, but could there be a deeper reason behind it?

"Though... how come you're so hesitant to use Shadow moves? I mean, there's some obvious drawbacks to it, but Radiance has that as well and you've never been afraid to use that, right?"

 

[Cresselia92]

"Though... how come you're so hesitant to use Shadow moves? I mean, there's some obvious drawbacks to it, but Radiance has that as well and you've never been afraid to use that, right?"

Icetales’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Darkness… has always been a nemesis of mine. Back in my homeworld, I had my fair amount of run-ins with shadowy forces, which have… influenced my perception of the dark arts.” He sighed and shook his head. “I am aware of their benefits and risks, but I never had it in me to channel them properly until now.

“But things are different. There is Sir Joule that is a true menace and the physical proof that there are stronger and more threatening challenges ahead of us. And if mastering the dark arts will be of help,” he closed his eyes and his tone became even more serious, “then so be it. I must confront my doubts head on and march forward.”

March forward… oh, how truly terrifying and exciting did that sound!

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot blinked and hesitated a moment. He wondered what Icetales' experiences with Shadows were back in his world, but he decided not to press it for now. If Icetales insisted that he was ready to train then perhaps it was best to do so for now and ask again when Icetales seemed like he was ready to talk about it.

"Well, if you're sure..."

The Cranidos looked around the room, when he noticed several training dummies stashed away in one of the corners.

"We could use those dummies to practice our moves if you'd like. Of course we can also train against each other if you prefer, but I know I'm not the easiest 'mon on the team to spar with..."

 

[Cresselia92]

Icetales followed Cabot’s gaze. “Hm. Yes, I would say we can start with those dummies for the time being. Perhaps attacking something shall be enough.”

The Ninetales walked toward the stashed dummies and wrapped a couple of tails around one, before dragging it to the more open field.

“I would say… that we could spar together if we need that extra burst of motivation and adrenaline. Because, well, what is dark sorcery if not an art that is fueled by our strongest emotions and desires?”

By the worst part of ourselves…

“At least, this is what I recall from the dark arts back home. Things here might be a tad different, but I have noticed plenty of parallels.”

Once Icetales had set up a few dummies, he turned to Cabot. “So, I would say that thou might start, Sir Cabot. Thou have used thy Shadow powers a few times already, so how about trying to channel those energies first before seeing if thou can push thyself further with a more advanced technique?”

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot nodded. "Right, good idea. I instinctively knew how to use my first Shadow move after I got corrupted by the Shadow Machine, so it would make sense that it's easier to learn another Shadow move if I try to channel those powers first."

He turned towards one of the dummies and closed his eyes as he began to focus, trying to draw out the dark strength within him just like he'd done before smashing the Radiant Machine to pieces... or at least a little bit. Surely he wouldn't need to go as far as last time just for some training, right?

Cabot's shadows grew! Cabot gained 20 shadow corruption!

The Cranidos opened his eyes and dug in his feet, ready to start practicing his new move.

"Alright, let's do this."

Cabot tried to feel for something new, anything that wasn't there before Diyem's return. Perhaps he could utilize some sort of new attack, or maybe something that could boost his powers, or... something else entirely. He concentrated on the small amounts of shadowy power that flowed through his body, and yet... nothing was coming to him. About half a minute passed as Cabot just stood there silently, all the while he could feel Icetales staring at him. Sensing that things were starting to get awkward, he looked at the Ninetales with a sheepish grin.

"The beginning is always the hardest with these sorts of things, you know? Especially when you're still unsure what sort of move it is."

 

[Cresselia92]

Icetales hummed for a while, before nodding in understanding. "Yes, that makes sense. It must be strenuous to channel a power that thou do not know yet, hm?"

The Ninetales stared at the dummy in front of him, feeling the storm raging inside his mind: do it, don't do it, do it, don't do it. But as he said to himself before they started, he had to confront his doubts head-on, and that was what he was going to do. Right there, in that facility, with Cabot by his side.

It is time... to do what it is in my nature. To be what I am destined to be.

Icetales narrowed his eyes and stared intently at the dummy. He felt the darkness tingling under his skin and flooding his entire body, until it started seeping through his pores and covering the Ninetales in black tongues of phantom fire. Even his gaze became darker and sharper, totally focused on that dummy in front of him. And just like that, his initial fears seemed to be... gone. Drowned by the sheer thrill and power of the shadows flowing through his aura and spirit.

Darkness. He was darkness.

"Allow me to show thee what a Dark Warlock can do."

And then, Icetales lunged forward and sank his fangs into the dummy. A dark aura surrounded the unfortunate target, which began cracking as the dark energy sank deeper and deeper and tried to extract some energy that wasn't there. Unable to find anything to drain, the Ninetales let go, causing the dummy to fall with a dull thump while black fumes rose from the holes.

Icetales stared at the broken dummy, disappointment flashing on his face. "This does not suffice. I need to channel... more darkness."

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot gave Icetales an impressed look. The Ninetales wasn't kidding when he said he had experience with this back in his homeworld. For a 'mon channeling Shadows for the first time in Cibus Icetales sure seemed to be handling it pretty well!

"Hey, that wasn't too bad," Cabot reassured. "This is the first time you've used that move, right?"

 

[Cresselia92]

"Hey, that wasn't too bad," Cabot reassured. "This is the first time you've used that move, right?"

"...The first time I have used it properly, yes," replied Icetales, with a tone that was halfway between intrigued and hesitant. "I have weaved shadowy wisps a few times, but... never went this far with my shadow channeling."

The Ninetales looked all over himself and winced: his entire pelt had become much darker, almost as his dark fur had swallowed the silver patches. He literally became darkness, just like...

Yes, he was exactly like...

...Father.

"...Bejirah. This is..."

Monstrous. Horrifying. Tantalizing.

"...most intriguing."

Icetales shook himself a bit, scattering some dark wisps that dissipated quickly. Hesitation started gripping at him once more: why did he feel the need to push forward? Why were those shadows latching at him? Did he... push himself too far?

"I must... expel this darkness," he muttered to himself, making sure to keep his composure in check. He turned to Cabot, showing a serious expression. "Sir Cabot, I shall try something else now. I... do not know what will happen once I unleash the Shadow inside of me, and the last thing I desire it's to hurt thee by accident. So," he showed a concerned expression, while his eyes glowed azure, "if thou see something off with me... strike me down. Defend thyself from anything that might be hurtful for thee. Can thou... promise me that?"

 

[Virgil134]

"Beji... rah?"

Cabot stared at Icetales puzzledly as Ninetales continued on, when the nature of his request started to sink in. He shifted uncomfortably for a moment, and then hesitantly spoke up.

"I mean, I guess I've already done it twice before with Astrid..."

The Cranidos let out a sigh and reflexively summoned a Radiant Barricade, before giving Icetales a determined nod back.

"Okay, I promise. Though could you promise to be careful?" Cabot asked. "I don't wanna put you in the infirmary or anything, especially when it's not needed."

He paused as a sudden idea came to mind. "Actually... hold on."

Cabot closed his eyes and focused on the dark powers inside of him once again. The time bubble wouldn't last that much longer, so he'd probably need this in order to learn his new move in time anyway, and since he was able to handle things fine the last two times...

A shadowy aura flared up from Cabot body as his scales darkened and his head and back turned indigo, before the Cranidos looked back at Icetales with yellow eyes.

"Alright, you can get started now."

 

[Cresselia92]

Icetales sighed, understanding Cabot’s worries. “Yours truly ending up in the infirmary is the least of my worries, but… Fair, I shall be mindful of mine own well-being.”

The Ninetales took a deep breath, while the shadowy wisps engulfed him entirely. His dark pelt blended almost completely with the dark fumes, making it look almost like the fox was becoming some kind of phantom.

“…It is time.”

Icetales crouched down, before clawing at the floor and making a loud guttural growl. His eyes glowed more fiercely and the wisps at the tips of his tails took a glacial azure shade. The black mist took a deep ocean blue shade while particles gleamed inside, giving to the cloud the aspect of cosmic darkness.

Then, Icetales howled, his cry sounding like a snowstorm wind. The darkness seemed to melt from his body and seeped toward the floor, making the area around the two Pokémon look like a giant black stain.

The blue smoke around the Ninetales’s tails erupted in a gaseous explosion, reminiscent of a dying star, and the fumes merged into a raging twister.

The air seemed to have grown heavier, while a faint blue mist sparked with power as it came in contact with the Shadow energy surrounding the two Pokémon.

Dark center… heavy air… raging twister…

A black hole.

Icetales shuddered and took some deep breaths, feeling somewhat drained after the effort — pushing out the darkness inside proved to be harder than expected. He looked around, somewhat shocked by what his shadow power had accomplished. It was scary, but impressive nonetheless.

Icetales turned to Cabot, wanting to make sure he was alright. “Sir Cabot? Art thou swell?”

The Ninetales was so focused on his comrade that he didn’t realize that the shadow behind him was slowly emerging from the floor, with bright crimson eyes staring at the two…

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot looked around the now transformed room, before turning back to Icetales. "I feel... great."

He shot Icetales a beaming grin, before looking down at his claws and flexing them. "Maybe it's because of all the Shadow energy in my body, but I feel stronger now," he said. "Your Shining move powers up Radiant moves, does it not? Perhaps this new move of yours does the same for Shadow moves, which would explain why I currently feel like this. Either way, I certainly wouldn't mind battling in an environment like this."

The Cranidos looked back at Icetales, only to notice the bright crimson eyes on the floor behind him. Cabot raised a brow as his smile was replaced with a frown.

"Though it seems you've let out an unexpected guest in the process."

 

[Cresselia92]

Cabot looked around the now transformed room, before turning back to Icetales. "I feel... great."

He shot Icetales a beaming grin, before looking down at his claws and flexing them. "Maybe it's because of all the Shadow energy in my body, but I feel stronger now," he said. "Your Shining move powers up Radiant moves, does it not? Perhaps this new move of yours does the same for Shadow moves, which would explain why I currently feel like this. Either way, I certainly wouldn't mind battling in an environment like this."

No words could describe the sheer relief that Icetales was feeling, nor the pleasant tingling he felt as his body was brimming with shadow power. It was ironic, really: unleashing his darkness created an environment that boosted dark powers?

'Golly. So the powers of the Dark Warlock followed me even here, in some way...'

He sighed, but immediately flashed a small smile, still glad that Cabot was taking it so well. "This seems to be the case. I am glad thou art safe and sound, Sir Cabot."

'I might not be able to escape from myself, but at least I can--'

"Though it seems you've let out an unexpected guest in the process."

And in one fell swoop, his relief was dashed away.

"A... a guest...?"

Dreading what he was going to see, Icetales turned around, and his confusion rapidly turned into horror as he saw him.

The shadow emerged fully and took the shape of an imposing Ninetales of darkness. The crimson eyes were fully focused on the two shadowed comrades, before an inky black smirk appeared on his dark muzzle. Then, the shadow extended his tails, which blurred together in a wave of phantom mist.

"Fuh huh huh! Well, isn't this quite the surprise?" said the shadow with a raucous voice, the demented grin not fading once from his face.

Icetales looked at the other Ninetales, eyes wide and mouth agape. He took a shaky step back and shook furiously his head. "No! It cannot be! Thou... thou art not real! Thou art not here!"

The shadow tilted his head, unimpressed. "Golly, did thy ears deteriorate or something, thou foolish lad? Thy reptilian... ha, 'friend' can see me clearly. He would not have uttered those words mere seconds ago, if I was some invisible presence." His smirk widened even further. "Which is splendid news! At long last I am free. Free from those shackles thou have chained around me, no longer forced to be a mere voiceless shadow!"

"That is what thou deserve, thou... thou sirrah!" hissed Icetales, his haunches very close to the floor and his tails flailing in a panic. "Thou... did not deserve anything else, thou... imposter of Father!"

"...Father? This implies that thou art my son..." The shadow growled. "Thou art no son of mine! Thou art a mere freak of nature that should not even exist! Rubbish that should have been eliminated years ago! Thou do not deserve to be a Keo'Keo of Magnificent!"

Icetales started shaking violently, those sharp words digging deep into his spirit. The blue twister seemed to have grown in power... and darkness. That subdued reaction seemed to delight Magnificent, who hummed and turned to the dummy.

"Hmm." Magnificent opened his jaws wide and shot a burst of black energy. The darkness surrounding the room fueled his attack and struck the bitten dummy, demolishing it entirely in an explosion of phantom energy. The shadow smirked with glee. "Oh, I could get used to this..."

Icetales stared in horror at the scrapped dummy, his tails wrapping around his body and his ears pinned to the back of his head.

Father... was truly there!

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot looked between Magnificent and Icetales, his frown deepening into an unimpressed stare. Under normal circumstances he'd try to defend his friend against the shadow that was clearly tormenting him, encourage him not to listen to what he was saying, and maybe even feel slightly intimidated by Magnificent's presence. But now...

"... Your shadow is an imaginary version of your own dad?"

The Cranidos let out a dismissive scoff and eyed Magnificent carefully. He remembered Icetales briefly telling him about his father. How he was a ruler, a king. Yet, the shadow before him wasn't Icetales' dad. Like any shadow it was merely a suppressed part of Icetales, one that had somehow convinced itself to be this 'Magnificent'. Whatever the reason behind it was, its appearance wasn't doing Icetales any good, and it certainly wasn't helping them with their training.

"As... interesting as it would be to see this fantasy play out, I think it's time for you to go. We don't have a need for you right now, so you can go play pretend some other time." Cabot waved at Magnificent with the back of his claw, before turning back to the Ninetales besides him. "Icetales, dismiss your shadow," he ordered.

 

[Cresselia92]

“Dismiss…?” muttered Icetales lowly as he turned to Cabot, almost as if what his comrade ordered was in some alien language. “How am I supposed to—”

Fwoosh! A snowstorm brewed like a flash freeze, making Icetales shrink as he stared at the phantom Ninetales. The shadow of Magnificent was glowing with a red malicious aura, while his eyes were as fierce as two miniature suns.

“How dare thee attempt to disregard me, thou filthy commoner whelp?!” hissed Magnificent, baring his black fangs. “I have spent years as a forsaken memento of that foolish lad, and if thou believe I shall merely dissipate and become tongue-tied once more,” his tone became even more sinister, “then thou have just spelt thy death wish.”

Icetales gasped in alarm. “Sir Cabot! Look out!”

A rainbow veil of auroras surrounded the duo, but that was torn to shreds as another dark beam headed their way, courtesy of Magnificent. The energy took the shape of a monstrous fox with sharp fangs, ready to chomp down on Cabot and drain his energy.