Reverse World ~ Downsideup City

[Chibi Pika]

A raging inferno collided with the dragon of light above them, and a Torracat stood at the heart of it. This was power. She'd made the source of Radiance himself flinch. There wasn't any reason to hold back. There wasn't any reason to feel bad about dishing out pain, not when it was necessary. Why the hell had she ever thought otherwise? Why the hell had she wasted so much time tearing herself down over things that couldn't be changed? Why--

"Starr," she called out, defying her own shadows to do so, "I know you! You're always in control, always strivin'! Get a goddamn grip and fight yer fuckin' demons like you always do!"

Starr froze at the sound of Brisa's voice, her thoughts screeching to a halt, colliding with each other in her head.

...what? Shadow? That wasn't shadow. She'd seen what the shadows did to everyone else. A total pit of miserable despair with all their worst thoughts dragged to the surface. It didn't fucking make sense for that power to be from shadows. Not if it was something that made her actually feel good about herself for a change. Was that such a crime?

Wh...

Starr shook her head, feeling disoriented. What was...

The flow of the battle shifted. The team had to strike from afar this time. She couldn't do that normally, not without calling on her Radiance. That... that was a good thing, right? If that really was shadow earlier, then the Radiance would get rid of it, right?

Even if it meant more pain. Even if it meant calling on that need to be someone she wasn't, for everyone's sake.

Starr used Shining Renegade!

"Gonna try to hit him with everything I got!" Starr called out to her teammates. "I'm gonna need backup if we're gonna make this count!"

Starr used Fire Pledge!

 

[Namohysip]

The Blacklight That Burns the Sky was deafening. Any shouts or cries that the team tried to make with one another was completely drowned out by the sheer chaos that the nearly-charged attack was exhibiting. But they had to keep going... They were halfway there! If they kept pushing, they could actually take Joule!

Brisa's Cheered Shining Whiplash dealt 175 damage to Joule!
Cynthian's Shining Belladonnas dealt 762 damage to Joule total!
Starr's Shining Renegade dealt 41 damage to Bahamut!


Saltriv, Shiron, and Starr's Triple Pledge dealt 6843 and an additional 883 damage to Joule!
Astrid's x2 Super Booper Sheer Cold dealt 17,793 damage to Joule!
Nip's Shining Rime dealt 165 damage to Joule!
Nip's Precise Triple Axel dealt 840 damage to Joule!
Owen's Five-Star Overheat dealt 2808 and then 7487 damage to Joule!

Joule's damage barrier was met!

Joule roared and reeled back in pain, several pieces of his armor looking chipped and scratched while his unstable body flickered and warped beneath his very power. The comets continued to fall; the Legends tried to fight and deflect what they could, blocking several of them from Team Spectrum directly. Everyone was fighting, hand in paw in wing, to bring down the Dark Star.

But Joule was not done.

Joule's attack charged by another 15%...
Joule purified himself of the ice that Chilled him, but took their effects immediately

Joule used Blacklight Solidify, chaining into Blacklight Disaster!
Several team members gained a Chilly new look! Joule's attack charged by 10%...

Joule gained +2 Defense and Resistance!
Joule gained Critical Immunity for the next turn only!
Joule gained +1 Action for the next turn only!
Joule's status resistance went up even further!
Joule's braced and ready to endure things once he reaches critical HP...
Joule's attack charged by 20%!

But then, just as the Blacklight comets rained down… it suddenly stopped. The crackling halted, the comets slowed, and the ball looked, for a second, stable and small. It was so jarring that even the fighters had to stop, either looking to see if Joule had gained some lucidity, or if he was planning something horrible so they could defend…

And then the true catastrophe happened.

Blacklight That Burns the Sky is fully charged!
Joule gained +1 Endure!

The ball doubled in size; a shockwave knocked Yveltal and many other Legends out of the sky from the wave alone. Karat grunted and lost his focus; Breaker and Wheat had been blown far away, and Truffle flew back to catch them before they fell too far. Team Spectrum’s platforms disappeared—but, despite the fact that they should be falling… they were ascending.

Several of Team Spectrum were falling toward Joule.

 

[windskull]

That attack, it was growing too large too fast. If it kept growing at this rate, they would be struck down for sure. There had to be something he could do about it. Shadowy energy surrounded Nip, and he narrowed his eyes, swearing he could see Joule’s weak points just a bit more clearly.

Nip ignored the sickening aches in his body as the poison took hold, leaving him vulnerable and heavy-headed. Slowly, he reached into his bag, grabbing two seeds. He crouched, muscles coiling as he aimed himself, then sprang.

“Nip, wait!” Tempest called after him. “Don’t rush in, you need to think this through!”


“Nip, I understand that you want to prove yourself, but this is dangerous. This is a tyranitar we’re talking about.”

“It’s fine, Tempest. Besides, I have to do this. If I prove myself here, I’ll finally get some recognition.”

“And if you fail, you’ll be exiled. Or worse, dead.”

Nip had no answer for that. His tail feathers twitched as he stared at the battle plans he’d sketched into the sand. “It’s too late, anyway. I’ve already made up my mind. All I can do at this point is act. Get the others for me, we leave at dawn.”


Tempest’s call fell on deaf ears.

Mid-leap, Nip hurled his seeds at Joule, hissing furiously. His claws began to glow with radiant energy, frost appearing at the tips. “Let’s see how you like some of this in your eyes, you shiny bastard!”

He followed the attack up with a spinning, icy kick, then sprang off of Joule’s beak. But where he expected to land on one of the psychic platforms, he felt only empty air. His descent slowed to a stop.

And then he began to move backwards.

“NIP!” Tempest’s voice cut through the wind. The ninetales was falling - or was Nip being pulled away - his brilliant blue eyes wide with terror.

Nip twisted around. He was being pulled towards the Blacklight That Burns the Sky. He flailed in the air, desperately trying to get free from the pull. But it was no use. He locked eyes with Tempest one last time, his pupils narrowed into fearful slits.

There was light. A horrible, burning sensation that felt as if he was being ripped apart, lasting for only a second. And then. Nothing.

Nip was gone.

 

[Fusion]

“Vix?”

“YES!” Vix cheered, her ire worked! The power she gave Starr was astounding! And Astrid managed to copy that boost onto herself! As they both unleashed their fury on Joule, Vix was having trouble keeping afloat from the shockwaves of fire and ice colliding against him! “My move is fucking amazing!!!”

“Vix!”

She felt like she lived for these moments! Being in the heat of battle, seeing people hit shit really hard, helping them hit even harder… No wonder Vix never felt complete doing the fighting herself, she should have been letting the others fight for her!

“Vix snap out of it! Hey!”

Coming to that revelation, Vix felt so much lighter, in fact, she started floating higher than before. It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. What a relief that was! She didn’t even give a shit about the shadows falling off her body, this feeling was to die for!

“VIX!!!”

A sudden force slammed into Vix, knocking her entirely off balance and bringing some sense back into her. She shot a glare at Joule, snarling as much as a lamp could.

“What?! Haven’t had enough yet?” she taunted, “I’ll scorch you myself since you just can’t get enough of it!” It took her a minute to realize it but, for some reason… Joule was slowly getting bigger.

Another brief moment passed, and a wave of dread washed over Vix once she finally put together that she was getting closer. And not even to Joule, but to the blacklight.

“Wh-What..?” Whatever high she was on fell, fast. She was already floating above the rest of the team, nobody would have been able to help her. Hell, some of her team were getting drawn in too.

“N-No, nonono wait! Stop!” She couldn’t get away, it was pulling her too fast, way too fast! It felt like the more she struggled, the stronger the pull got. It was painful just trying to slow herself down, like her entire body was being choked the more she tried to save herself.

“Vix come on!” Puddle called out, trying to pull Vix to safety It… wasn’t working. “You promised you wouldn’t break down on me here, so you better keep that promise!”

There wasn’t really a lot of time to think, not that Vix was even thinking at this point. All she knew was that they were both in danger, and if Vix could save just one of them…

“Puddle...” Vix exhaled, then aimed one of her arms at Puddle. She knew it wasn't going to let her go so easily, and she had to do something... “I-I’m… I’m really sorry…”

“Don’t you fucking say that! just move!” Puddle barked, still trying to kick and swing them both to safety. “You made a fucking promise! So don’t give me that ‘I’m sorry’ bullshit!” It glared up at the Lampent, and froze. “...Vix?”

“Puddle I won’t let us both get… I need you to let go,” Vix said, her flame dimming.

“A-Are you insane?!” Puddle sputtered. “Like HELL am I gonna let go! We can both make it, w-we just gotta try harder!”

“Puddle, I’m serious. Y-You… I’m telling you to let go.” Vix’s body started melting into wax, bits of her falling off as the pull of the Blacklight got stronger. She was doing all she could to keep herself whole, but she was fading fast. They were both running out of time… “Just let go, Puddle. I am not letting you get hurt because of me.”

“A-And I’m not letting you go by yourself!” Puddle gritted its teeth. It clung so tightly to Vix’s arm that its hands started to mix with her melting wax. “You p-promised you wouldn’t leave me alone again! So either we both go out, or we both make it outta this ali--”

A powerful Hex blasted Puddle right off of Vix, sending it hurtling back towards the safe members of Team Spectrum. It hit the ground hard, still clutching Vix’s arm. Puddle snapped its gaze to Vix, only managing to see her for a split second before she…

“Vix?”

She was…

“V-Vix?!”

Gone...

“VIX!!!”

 

[Adamhuarts]

The blinding chaos from the sky burning blacklight was all encompassing. Even before it had hit, Cynthian felt it even deep in her vascular bundles. Then, the ominous calm followed.

Cynthian gazed up at the glowing ball with bated breath? Why did it stop? Was it over? Did Joule come back to his senses? If only. Oh, if only.

The shock wave that followed swept Cynthian off her feet and she barely kept herself from being thrown right off the platform. Then, the platform gave away.

"Cynthian!" Ivy cried out to Cynthian, but even with all her flailing, she was out of reach.

Cynthian, still dazed, could only stare back at Ivy. Odd, even though they were all falling, Ivy just kept drifting further and further away. She turned around and quickly found out why.

"What?"

The blinding ball of death hung over her, drawing her in. Cynthian's heart raced and she trashed and struggled, but everyone was too far out of reach. Nothing stood between her and Joule.

"No, I won't let you!" Cynthian cried out, making a desperate attempt at several solar beams, but she couldn't aim to save her life and missed every strike. Every blast exhausted her further and further…

Cynthian's eyes fell on Icetales amidst the chaos, and she just stared at him, wordless.

"Let us... get stronger, together, as you said."

Was she not the one who said those words? To stay together and help each other grow? Was she going to leave him behind now, like Mama Rosa had left her behind all those years ago?

Cynthian wanted to spend more time with him, she wanted to be there for him. Cynthian wanted them to be together, and the thought of not seeing him again… it tore her heart to shreds.

"Icetales! Please! Please save me! I don't want to leave you!" Cynthian pleaded in futility tears streaming down her face. She reached for Icetales as much as she could, but it was of no use. Cynthian closed her eyes and whimpered, saying, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm—"

In the end, all that remained was…

 

[Dragonfree]

A deafening thrum of power permeated the air, the sphere of Blacklight steadily growing above them in the bizarre landscape. Dave's legs shook with exertion, his heart pounded in his chest, and each thump set his body on fire with the poison coursing through him.

Starr was calling for backup for one of those combos that'd slaughtered Giovanni last time. And meanwhile the dragon in the sky was preparing a shower of comets. Goddamn it, Starr couldn't go down. She couldn't go down, if they were to have any hope of finishing this in time. He gritted his teeth, snarling past the pain. He'd inspired fucking Arceus for a plan that'd worked. He could protect her. He could protect her. No one, no one was going to die today.

The light, warm buzz of Radiance rose in his chest as he darted towards Starr. Two golden barriers surrounded both her and him, a radiant glow sinking into her body to give her further strength. Dave's fur shone brightly with light. She was safe. They'd be safe and they'd be okay.

He stopped, a moment of curious peace in the eye of the storm. The poison throbbed in his veins, but the agony of it only fucking energized him. He had everything under control. They'd be fine. He downed a Max Elixir before sprinting towards Celeste. Protect him too. Energize his counterattacks. Yeah. Yeah.

The buzz of Radiance and poison delirium was making him lightheaded, his heart hammering like it was about to explode, but it felt good. The poison? Cynthian was healing people, a sweet, fresh aroma wafting from his- no, her flowers; sure, this was some kind of bullshit but he could fucking do that too, heal even more people, why not. His ears rang; all he could hear was his own heartbeat and breathing. His effort smelled less like flowers and more like the ozone scent of Radiance, but it fucking worked. He could save anyone. Who else?

He should just fucking stay in Cibus. Being a Pokémon was ridiculous but at least when it mattered he had the power to make a goddamn difference.

He looked at Mia, beside him. She was there. She was there, and she was okay. (It wasn't really her but--)

The hum of the Blacklight sphere suddenly quieted, everything slowing down to a halt. He looked up in surprise, at the static ball of the attack. And then, a shockwave knocked everything down. The ground vanished underneath him, and he was hovering in midair. Mia tilted her head in surprise where she levitated, looking at him.

And then something was pulling him, up. His fur stood on end with blinding Radiance, resonating somehow with the sphere of Blacklight above, drawing him in. He flailed and struggled but it didn't do a thing.

Mia hissed in realization, her eyes narrowing, scythes automatically poised, and nothing else mattered. "No! Stay down!" he screamed, knowing fuck, when had she ever listened to him--

But no. She stayed where she was, staring at him. Relief flooded through him as he hurtled helplessly upward with increasing speed, relief and the tiniest horrible grain of of course she's not risking her life for you, why would she?

As he receded away from her, he saw her glowing eyes turn toward Joule as she let out a bestial snarl. Fuck, just stay safe, Mia--

Others were hurtling towards the sphere along with him. Cynthian. Owen. Brisa. His heart skipped a beat. No, no. He tried to summon more barriers, but how the fuck would that even help? None of this was ever going to work anyway against power like Joule's. Fucking gods.

He took a last, trembling breath, squeezing his eyes shut, instinctively curling his body in the air, bracing pathetically against inevitability. The growing thrum of power smothering him was hot and cold at the same time, the poison still pulsing through him, until with a stinging, icy burn that was almost a relief, his body disintegrated into nothing.

 

[Virgil134]

Among the Pokémon getting pulled up into the large Blacklight orb was Cabot, who flailed around in the air. There surely had to be some way out of this, right?! He flung a Stone Edge at the orb, hoping it would somehow disrupt its effect to pull him in, but to no avail.

"Cabot! Hold on!"

The Cranidos looked down and saw Pleo flying towards him. The Lugia latched on and began to desperately beat his wings in an attempt to pull Cabot away for safety… only to start getting pulled in as well. Cabot blanched as he tried to think of another way, any way, for them to escape. Unable to think of a means to save himself, he realized there was only thing that they could do...

"Pleo! You have to let me go!"

The young Lugia gave him a startled look. "Wh… N-No! You'd get sucked into that orb!"

"If you don't let me go we both will!" Cabot insisted. "You have to save yourself!"

Pleo began to visibly panic at this idea and wildly shook his head several times.

"No! No! I won't leave you!"

Cabot’s heart sank. Pleo would rather die with him than let him go? That… No, he couldn't let that happen. Pleo was his friend, and in this world, his best friend. There is no way he would let him die for nothing. The Cranidos squeezed his eyes shut as he realized what he had to do.

"I'm sorry."

A tear rolled down Cabot's cheek as shadows built up along the top of his head, before he smashed it against Pleo's side. The Lugia let out a pained cry as the blow sent him flying towards the ground. Away from his death… away from Cabot.

The moment Pleo hit the ground he struggled back up and looked towards the sky, where much to his horror he saw Cabot disappear into the orb. Terror struck the Lugia as he fully realized what had just happened, his voice coming out as a panicked screech.

"Cabot!"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa Escarpa​

Once again, Brisa saw Starr lifted off the ground by psychic power. Astrid too, and Owen, and so many others–! And, she realised with furious dismay, her.

"Oh, no you fuckin' don't," she snarled, gripping the island's surface with all her strength.

She'd never used Shining Whiplash this way, but she'd have to innovate... The radiant tethers burst from her mane and latched on to Starr. Brisa pulled, taking the radiant surge herself rather than harm Starr, and swore colourfully under her breath, sparks of blacklight flashing off her teeth.

Brisa used Shining Whiplash!

Starr was, as in every fight, full of blacklight energy. The pull on her was intense, and it affected Brisa too as she dug her claws into the earth. Luz, unaffected by the attraction, emerged from her satchel and clung to her as well. It wouldn't be enough.

Brisa called out to Starr!

"Let go of your blacklight! Now! You need to–"

The tethers went taut and Brisa cried out in pain as the radiance began to really burn her. But she wouldn't give in. Not now. She retracted the tethers, pulling Starr back . . . and lost her grip.

"Brisa!" cried Luz, snatching at thin air beneath her.

"Joule, you bastard–!"

She kept pulling, exchanging Starr's velocity for her own, until Starr was sent flying back to be caught by Luz, and Brisa . . . would surely be carried into the blacklight sphere.

"Keep fightin'," she roared to Starr as they tumbled past each other. "You're the best of us! They need you!"

She hurtled towards her doom, and all she could think for a serene second was—

When the time came, she didn't hesitate. This was proof that Brisa had always meant it: she'd give her life when it counted. She was a ranger after all.

The acceptance lasted only a moment, then she snarled her defiance anew and fired more whiplashes to tether herself to the ground. At this distance, she could barely reach it, and she was close enough to the ball that its energy was scorching her back. She grit her teeth and looked for her friends. Down below were Starr, safe with Luz, other members of the team being secured one by one, and Astrid, rising helplessly upward, too far for anyone to reach.

Anyone but Brisa.

{Listen, Luz. I ain't gonna make it, so . . . I'm sorry, about everythin'.}

{Brisa, what the fuck are you doing??} sent Luz, in rapidly-peaking alarm. {Get back down here!!}

Brisa looked down, at Luz, at Starr, at Astrid, staring at her with the worst expression she'd ever seen in her life. Fear . . . and faith. Astrid still believed in her. Brisa's heart broke like never before, but she forced down her tears. She'd do it. She’d save her, no matter what happened. When Astrid was nearly on her, Brisa overcharged her limbs, and hit Astrid, sending her flying back down . . . and snapping the whiplash tethers. No, no you bastard, not yet—!

She called out in the seconds she had left.

"Astrid, what I was gonna tell you— Astrid, I lov—"

Brisa's body hit the blacklight sphere and, with unique and peerless agony, it tore every cell in her body apart.

---

Luz Escarpa​

Silence. That's what it felt like.

Luz stared at the spot where Brisa had been until a moment ago, expecting her to somehow emerge any second now. She did not.

Their psychic bond, which had existed between them since before Luz had even been Luz, was gone. Not even broken, just . . . connected to nothing. Empty. Luz couldn't feel anything from it at all, when there had always been something.

{Brisa??} she sent, desperately. {Brisa, send back!! Brisa!!}

Nothing. Luz clasped her paw to her face. There was nothing. Brisa wasn't there. And she never would be again.

"Brisa...?"

 

[Namohysip]

Owen and Cal were caught among the falling Pokemon, ascending toward the great Blacklight in the sky. Joule didn't even seem to be aware of the sheer power, even as several Legends scrambled to grab who they could, losing several but saving a few.

"Owen!" Cal shouted, holding onto him and trying to pull forward. She'd gripped her feet into the ground even as it disappeared, then tried to pull herself far and into the stone. They had been lucky enough to find solid ground that wasn't from the Psychics, but Owen was still being pulled upward. The little Charmander couldn't hold on. "I'm... what's happening!?"

Owen had fear in his eyes. He rarely showed that. But what he was afraid of, Cal didn't know, and Cal didn't think to ask--she was too overwhelmed by her own panic. And in that desperation, her body grew, her arms lengthened, a horn grew from behind her head, and her core shined.

"It's okay," Cal said. "I've got you!"

"Okay, o-okay," Owen said with desperate breathing, pulling closer. "Don't--"

Cal's arms were too ill-defined. No matter how hard they held on, they were torn right off. Owen was still holding them, eyes wide, as he flew into the Blacklight like all the others. Cal screamed, unhinging herself in an effort to jump toward him--but then Owen reached back and conjured Wishkeeper. He tried to throw Owen back... but it wasn't enough. So instead, Owen said something to Wishkeeper and forced the most frightened smile he'd ever made on Cibus... and then clasped his hands together. Wishkeeper snarled at him, but then curled into a ball, which Owen hurled to the ground.

--

Maple shouted frantically for others to go in, save who they could, and she didn't understand why Team Spectrum in particular was attracted to the--

"It's the Blacklight. They're resonating with it! Get--get all of them now! HURRY!"

Arceus tried to get close, but it felt like his very power was nullified just by being there. He looked at Silver, who was being guarded by Shield and Karat, salvaged with the few they were able to save.

Maple was trying desperately to do a headcount, but the sheer number missing...

Wishkeeper, hazy and rapidly fading, pointed upward at the incoming attacks. Joule wasn't done. Wishkeeper himself was rapidly deteriorating, Owen's presence no longer there. He was but a lingering phantom.

Joule's body mutated rapidly, his body gaining an icy, frosty air that would knock even the coldest Pokemon off balance!
For every attack done against Joule, they will gain +1 Stagger!

Joule used Blacklight Catastrophe! Bahamut's Gambit protected two of the hits! Everyone else had to whether three more! Most of them evaded some or all of it, but several took damage!
Astrid: A grazing 279, KO!
Bahamut: A grazing 208
Celeste: Protected and dodged! Riposte countered for a total of 4152 damage!
Icetales: Protected and dodged!
Saltriv: 675, KO!
Shiron: 1140, KO!
Starr: Protected and dodged!

Joule healed for 9999 HP!

Joule:
HP: 30,846
Status: 900
Stagger: 20
Charge: 100%
Crit Immune (1 turn)
3 actions (1 turn)
Endure (1 turn)
Focus Disruptor
Row-Ignore
Regen 9999
Stagger Spike

Next turn, Joule will launch Blacklight That Burns the Sky as one of his actions!

Those that the dead left behind... their familiars can still fight!
They gained a free, Rank Down Support action for this fight only! Some familiars may have different Supports than their hosts...

Arceus stared amid the chaos, then looked toward all the others, his face grave. "...Do not worry about the Blacklight," he said, crouching down. "This, too, I had planned for. I will handle it. This will buy you time. Finish this."

Wishkeeper, meanwhile, was drifting weakly around the area before finally settling on one fighter in particular. His glowing eyes focused on her tired body, then weakly held forward what little power he had left.

Owen's Last Wish activated, curing Starr of her ailments and restoring her HP and Stamina to full! A voice lingered in her head... You're still standing. Keep going.

 

[Disco]

"Well shit.", said Mellow, and proceeded to use every expletive she knew.

 

[TheGOAT]

Astrid's x2 Super Booper Sheer Cold dealt 17,793 damage to Joule!

Astrid fell back in tandem with Starr, their attacks landing simultaneously with Owen’s and the rest. Again, a deafening screech filled the air. Joule staggered back, solidifying and lashing out.

“Yeah!” She gathered herself and cried out. “One more! One more!!”

A horrible pulse blew through the air that knocked back Myles (who had stuck to Astrid’s flank like glue for the majority of the fight) several platforms. Astrid reached out to him—“Myles!”—but he was already getting farther away.

“What the—!” He shot up, running across a rapidly fading psychic platform, then jumping to another. It was Astrid who was moving father away. “Hey! You’re—hey! I-I don’t know how to stop it!”

Astrid was rapidly gaining altitude; she rotated her neck up, and her vision was filled with a bright void.

The Blacklight that Burns the Sky.

It was a slow ascent, but it mattered little when gravity was bent so thoroughly. There was simply no escape. Astrid could not run, or fly away—and to her horror, there were few platforms this far up to try and grab onto. It was a Blacklight hole.

And then it ended suddenly with a yank. Something caught the very tip of her leftmost tail and dragged her down rapidly. Astrid tumbled down and clipped the side of a psychic platform, letting out an oomph as she fell further and further, glancing off yet another platform before finally settling on a third well away from where she’d started.

“This is one case where you’d probably want to keep your well-being in mind, yeah?” Myles jeered, letting go of her tail. But Astrid wasn’t listening. “…Astrid?”

“No.” It wasn’t just her. “No, no…” It was…

Cabot.

Owen.

Cynthian.

Vix.

Nip.

Dave.

And…

By the time Myles had drawn in a breath, Astrid was gone. The turbulent world around her was a blur as she raced towards her friends, who were harrowingly far away. Residual radiance still lingered at the tips of her paws; she needed it now more than ever! She looked up, and, and—

“Brisa!”

She was too far away to hear. Barely hanging on by a thread.

Faster, faster, faster!! Astrid willed and willed and willed herself forward. Drawing upon every ounce of inspiration she could muster, she slung her forepaw in Brisa’s direction and pulled—!

"Uh, yeah. I'm used to cliffside scree more'n aboreal climbin', but yeah. Let me go ahead, I'll find you a good path. Maybe y'can glean somethin' of my technique!"

Each jump became easier than the last. Brisa’s energy coursed through Astrid veins, and she used it to glide towards Joule. She’d been knocked far away, but it didn’t have to be too far! She took riskier jumps, made longer strides, and when she had finally come close enough to her friends, she gathered her wits and bounded down the biggest platform yet and prepared to leap—!

I’m not ready to say goodbye.

She knew it would be tight. She knew she would probably get sucked in if she got that close. But since when had that ever stopped her?

“I’m coming!!”

She had no way of getting back down now that she’d jumped. But she just needed to reach Brisa, and then they’d figure that part out in the seconds they had left. They always did! Angling her body forward, she reached out a paw—

“Brisa!! Please!!”

Their contact was short, violent, and final. It was the moment Astrid realized this was actually happening.

“No…”

She was subject to the laws of nature at that point, no better than an asteroid. But she fell. She did not rise. As she rotated her body to look up at the remnants of her friends, she felt the weight of that burden immediately, and knew it would never leave her.

"Astrid, what I was gonna tell you— Astrid, I lov—"

And then it was over.

Astrid hit a platform sooner this time, but did not move. The growing sphere above her no longer had the outlines of her friends against its background. Brisa’s outline, only a speck in its final moment, was gone as well. It wasn’t coming back. She wasn’t coming back. Astrid didn’t believe it yet, but the survivor in her knew.

Through unholy force of will, Astrid found it in herself to notice that Joule was not yet finished. Of course he wasn’t. There was a battle going on. So many lives at stake, right?

She didn’t move at all. Couldn’t. Not when she saw the sphere fully charge, and not when Joule began firing smaller ones at the rest of the fighters. The other survivors. But as far as she was concerned…

Joule used Blacklight Catastrophe!

Astrid: A grazing 279, KO!

Astrid wasn’t ready to feel sorry for herself quite yet. She could only feel anger now. She had nothing to lose, after all.

The reviver’s glow faded around her, and she stood. To her left: Shiron, Saltriv, and Celeste. To her right: Starr, Icetales, and Bahamut. All in varying conditions, but still in the brawl. Seven lone familiars joined their flank, all varying degrees of lost. Astrid felt their anger too.

“Maybe you’re better dead after all,” she choked, charging a Stored Power.

 

[IFBench]

The light of the reviver seed surrounded Saltriv, and they stood back up, glancing towards a tether on the ground, before looking up.

The sight before them was a horrific one.

Above them was another sphere of Blacklight. And it was drawing members of the team in.

They stared in shock as Nip was pulled in, and then Nip was gone. No!

Cabot was next. Saltriv tried to extend a vine for him to grab onto, but they were too late. He disappeared. No!

Dave kept floating upwards. They extended their vine further, but Dave was already gone. This couldn't be happening!

They heard a scream from above, and noticed Cyhthian almost touching the Blacklight. Before they could react, though, Cynthian had already disappeared. No no no!

They saw Vix melt away, before disintegrating with the others. No no no no no!

Astrid...they saw Astrid fall back to the ground, but the tethers on the ground snapped. Saltriv looked up, and saw Brisa get sucked into the sky-devouring sphere. NO!

They saw a Charmeleon being dragged into the Blacklight. Saltriv's mind didn't register them as Owen, though.

What they thought they saw was their best friend, Burhalla, disintegrating into nothingness.

"NO!"

Saltriv screamed.

Saltriv panicked.

Shadows flared up around them, and began battering Joule, over and over. With each strike, Saltriv called out for a member of Team Spectrum that had been lost. With each strike, the sunlight above them grew dimmer and dimmer.

With each strike, Saltriv changed. Their neck lengthened, and their jaw pushed forwards. Their skin began changing into a pale yellow hue. Behind them, their tail lengthened. The stem of their leaf grew, and a hole formed on one side of their leaf. The buds around their neck lengthened, turning a paler red, a spicy aroma emitting from all seven of them.

Tears flowed from Saltriv's now-larger eyes. Crimson-red vines sprouted from their buds, growing rapidly, wrapping around any Team Spectrum members they could find and pulling them into the tightest hug Saltriv could muster, before letting go.

The Bayleef stared at the Voice of Blacklight, a hollow look on their face.

 

[Navar]

Shiron's eyes snapped open, followed by a loud cough. His vision was still blurry from the last attack that got him... knocked out? Someone must have used a seed on him.

"Urgh... what happened?"

Despite being awake, he struggled to move, feeling sore all over. Still, he could still do something to help the team! Using all his strength, Shiron got up, panting in exhaustion.

That's where he saw what was going on. Just in time to see lots of allies perishing. One by one. Owen. Cabot. Cynthian. Nip. Dave.

A powerful Hex blasted Puddle right off of Vix, sending it hurtling back towards the safe members of Team Spectrum. It hit the ground hard, still clutching Vix’s arm. Puddle snapped its gaze to Vix, only managing to see her for a split second before she…

“Vix?”

She was…

“V-Vix?!”

Gone...

“VIX!!!”

Vix... all gone in an instant! This was too much, and he fell on his knees, not bothering to struggle and get up again. He... he didn't do anything. He failed to save them. His friends, his allies...

"N-No... no, please... this has to be. a dream. It isn't real, it isn't, it c-can't be..."

He fell face-down on the ground, shivering from top to bottom. Worthless. Garbage. That was all he was. Too weak to do anything, not even strong enough to give his life so the others could survive. Why him? Why did he make it through? The others were so much better. They deserved to live. But Shiron? His entire existence didn't matter, and the failure in this fight only served to prove that point.

"..."

The Marshtomp remained there, still, tears dropping to the ground. He didn't feel sad, or angry, or anything at all. Just... emptiness. No emotion other than melancholy. It's not like there was much he could do, anyway.

Maybe, this is truly the end...

And did his life matter? It didn't. Not by one bit. If he was gone, nobody would miss him. The only one who did was also dead...

Stop.

"W-What?"

That voice! He heard it before, somewhere... on the human world where he came from.

Stop. Your life matters.

Shiron remained down. "How do you know that? You're just in my head."

I'm not the friend you knew. But I have your memories of him. So listen to me... to him. Your life matters.

"Nick... he's dead. Because of me. Because I'm scum. You're not him."

Why was he listening to that telephatic voice? It was pointless, just like him...

Get up. You can still fight. If anything, to avenge them...

Tears flowed from Saltriv's now-larger eyes. Crimson-red vines sprouted from their buds, growing rapidly, wrapping around any Team Spectrum members they could find and pulling them into the tightest hug Saltriv could muster, before letting go.

He didn't react to the hug, other than a faint smile. But it faded as fast as it appeared. Like an invisible force pulled him down, as crushing as gravity. Unwilling to move, what would he even do? There were so few of them left...

They care for you. Don't you think that' enough to try?

"...I can't do it. I'm not strong enough. I'm not good enough. Leave me alone."

It was that day of drowning, here again, the cold wash he felt. He didn't want to get up. He didn't want to move at all. And yet, a small part of his body screamed at him. To try, to fight, to avenge everyone, as best as he could. Because if he didn't do anything, things would only get worse.

They're still counting on you, on all the survivors. Please... get up.

And in that moment it took all the strength he had to make the right choice. He got up, not caring for pain or depression or anything like that. He shoved all the bad thoughts out of his body, rubbing the tears off his face. That fight wasn't over yet.

 

[Cresselia92]

A few seconds after he thanked Cynthian for removing the poison from his body (golly, wasn't poison a most dastardly fiend for a Fairy-type!), Icetales was back on his feet, running from a platform to another to share words of encouragement and hope.

"My comrades, we can do it!" he yelled left and right. "We have faced many threats by now! We can pull off another victory!"

Icetales felt some confidence shining from his spirit, maybe as a result of his burning Radiance. But then, a massive shockwave erupted from Joule's location and he felt himself like falling... then ascending. He flailed his paws in alarm, scared by the lack of solid ground under his feet, and felt Petram trying to help him by pulling at one of his tails.

"Daddy!" howled the Shade, clutching the tail as strong as he could. "I'm gonna save you, Daddy!"

"P-Petram?"

Numerous thoughts were rushing inside of Icetales' head, drowning him under the sheer pressure and terror, when his ears detected a familiar voice...

"Icetales! Please! Please save me! I don't want to leave you!"

Icetales looked in the direction of the strange orbs. He saw many of his comrades disappearing inside of it, turned into some sort of cosmic dust. Cabot, Brisa, Vix, Nip... and the one who yelled those words was Cynthian.

"Nooo!"

Icetales tried to reach out for his comrade, regardless of the fact that she was far out of his reach. He breathed out a strong blizzard toward the orb, but his snowflakes couldn't even connect with the target.

And then... Cynthian was gone.

"C-C-Cynthian..."

And then, the ice fox hit the floor, but all that came out from his throat was a small whimper. No amount of physical pain could drown out the emotional blast that his mind was undergoing.

He... He couldn't lead his comrades to victory. He couldn't lead his comrades to hope. He... He...

"I... led my friends to their..."

---

Solaris, a few minutes before Icetales was summoned by Diyem...

Spoiler

Pangoro Cafe was bustling with activity at that time of the evening. Many 'mons loved to hang around that place after work: it had convenient prices and good food and drinks! Also, Pangoro himself was a really friendly host, who loved to entertain his guess with funny tales and jokes.

Firetales was chattering amicably with the host and a few other diners, while Icetales was staring despondently at his cup of tea. The fire Ninetales had emptied five mugs of cider by then, while the ice fox was still stuck at his first cup, barely touched. Then, Firetales noticed the gloom radiating from his companion and shot a worried stare.

"Hey, bud. What's up? You aren't looking too hott, and that's not because you aren't a fire Ninetales."

Icetales sighed and poked at his cup. "It is nothing, my comrade... Do not mind me."

"Nothing?" Firetales frowned. "Oh, c'mon! If it was nothing you wouldn't be standing there like a battered puppy!"

"..."

"You know you can tell me anything, right? I'm your friend, no?" said Firetales, before leaning forward and staring at the other Ninetales. "So go ahead. Tell me what's troubling you."

Icetales glanced at his companion, then looked again at his cup. "...I have received a letter this morning. From a royal messenger."

"Okay?"

"And... that was not good news."

"This much seemed obvious, by judging your long face. Did something happen at home, or...?"

Icetales took a deep breath, his mind and heart aching. "My comrade..." he glanced at the other Ninetales and leaned forward, "my father is planning something atrocious."

"Oh?" Firetales rubbed his chin. "Isn't your father... the Magnificent?"

"He is. Yes."

"Well, he doesn't have a good rep, but I dunno what kind of atrocious thing he would be planning."

Icetales' face and tone became grave. "He is planning to wage war against Solaris."

Silence hung around the two foxes, with the fire fellow showing a horrified expression and his tails burning, while the ice fox looked down and wrapped his tails around his body, chilling the air instantly. Soon, a small puddle began gathering under their seats, and the Pangoro grunted in annoyance. He didn't seem to have heard anything, however.

"W-war...?" stammered Firetales in disbelief. "No, you... There must be a mistake!"

"No mistake. There was the seal, signed by both the Head Counselour and... Fifth." Icetales winced and his voice became much quieter. "Even they are concerned about this."

"Oh, crap! This is..." Firetales trailed off, unsure what he was supposed to say. After a few seconds of awkward silence, he mumbled the next words. "This is horrible, bud! Did they send that letter to warn us?!"

"For that reason, but also to request something from yours truly."

Firetales tilted his head. "Oh? Request what?"

"To lead the resistance... and assassinate Father."

"What?!" yelled the fire fox in horror. "Resistance and... This is insane, bud!"

Icetales winced once more and hugged himself with his tails. "I am aware of that," he took a shuddering breath, "they said that there is no other way. That I either take control against Father, or... thousands of Solarian 'mons will perish. Borealian armies are powerful, and they... they could turn this kingdom into another desolated winter land!"

"...By the gods."

Icetales started shuddering and covered his eyes with his leftmost tail. "So they want me to... take responsibility for the resistance's lives! To lead them in a suicide mission to attempt to stop Father, and," he sobbed in despair, "I do not know what to do! I cannot fathom the idea of folks dying under my guidance, but... but if I do not do anything, then myriads of innocents will be..."

"Hey. Bud. Calm down," said Firetales, before wrapping one of his (not anymore burning) tails around his companion. "I know this might sound tasteless, but you gotta chill. Alright?"

Icetales kept sobbing and buried his head into the warm tail of his comrade. The tears evaporated instantly when they touched the golden fur, but his worries were still there. Clawing at his heart.

"And... huh... What are you gonna do? Are you... considering leading the resistance?"

"...I don't know." Icetales closed his eyes and wrapped his paws around Firetales. "I... don't know..."

The fire Ninetales wrapped his own paws around Icetales and hugged him tightly, to let the latter let everything out.

"War is truly terrible, bud, especially when there are casualties. I wish... there was another choice..."

---

"...death..."

Icetales stared at the orb in silence, unable to utter another word. He stood there, frozen and incapable of registering all the emotions he was experiencing. A faint presence was in the back of his head, and yet even that sounded small.

Silence.

Shuddering.

Crying.

And then, screams of anguish. Pained wails echoed across the entire battlefield. Howls of despair, of heartbreak, of hopelessness.

His comrades! His friends! He had no idea how many they were, but even one was too many. They were gone! Gone!

"Daddy..." whimpered Petram, staring with worry at the Ninetales. The poor Shade could feel his own mind being bombarded by hateful thoughts, and his gaze was filled with terror as he saw the fur of his father turning pitch black. "...D-Daddy...?"

'It should have been me!'

Abortion. Thou art an abortion. A waste of space and air.

'I should have died!'

No full Ninetales. No full Thievul. No full daemon. Thou art a freak. Freak!

'I should have died back then!'

Fear not, 'son'. Thy suffering shall end now. This empire will be freed from thy pestilence.

'Why didn't I die?!'

Smash his egg. There is no room for half-bloods in my empire.

But...

It's an order, vixen!

'Why why why why why why why why?!'

Ahahahaha!

AHAHAHAHAH--!

---

And then, something inside of Icetales snapped and his mind was devoid of thoughts and laughter. Only white noises and a black void filled his mind-space.

An unnatural blank expression appeared on his face, while his entire body became rigid. Clouds of black and golden mist seeped from his nostrils. A twitch of his ear, followed by quivering tails. Streaks of golden and black flowed from his tails and an ominous blue aura was radiated from his eyes and appendages.

War is truly terrible, bud, especially when there are casualties. I wish... there was another choice...

'...'

Slowly, Icetales looked at the survivors of the onslaught. Astrid... Bahamut... Celeste... Saltriv... Shiron... Starr... and the Shades of the ones who disappeared. They seemed just as distraught as he was, even if they showed their tension in different ways and amounts.

Survivors.

Not dead.

'...But I have a choice here...'

No. He wouldn't have allowed more casualties. No. He was going to keep fighting. He was going to do that... for his fallen friends. He wouldn't have stopped until that monster paid for what he did! He was going to pay!

"Rrrghh... gaaah!!"

Tendrils of darkness and golden energy erupted from Icetales, coating his entire body with a quivering energy of opposite natures. For the briefest of moments, he turned into a daemon, but the effect vanished just as quickly.

A black orb surrounded the Ninetales, while golden gusts and twinkles raged around the dark core. Auroras and a small constellation swirled around the darkened fox, while golden stars brimming with hope rained down on the battlefield, ready to empower the remaining fighters.

Then, the orb expanded and filled the surroundings with a heavy mist, charged with both Radiance and Shadow. The few survivors were sucked into the black hole, but they were... fine, unlike their other teammates. Icetales didn't bring them inside his core out of malice, no. He did it to keep them safe... from that monster!

Blacklight. Ninetales Kyukon Keo'Keo X was pure Blacklight. He was... a true Dark Warlock.

A daemon to kill other daemons.

"I shall be the evening star that will bring joy and hope at night!"

"I shall be the black fangs that will slay the foulest beasts!"

"I shall be the light that will comfort the ones who lost their dears!"

"I shall be the darkness that will shred malevolent hearts into ribbons!"

As both his Radiance and Shadow grew in power and intensity, three voices sounded in unison from the depths of the expanding quasar, while hateful blue and golden eyes glared at the monster who killed his friends.

The magnanimous Voice of Hope.

The magnificent Voice of Wrath.

The marvelous Voice of Justice.

"And I shall tear thee apart limb after limb, JOULE THE BASTARD!!"

 

[Chibi Pika]

Another explosive blast sent Joule reeling. He retaliated with a reflected burst of icy chill, but it didn't matter. Like anything could slow her down now. She didn't have to hold back. She didn't have to be something she wasn't. She didn't owe anyone shit.

Cynthian...

If she wants to be terrified of you, fucking let her. Who gives a shit what she thinks.

Vix...

She tripped you up in the most important fight of your life and expects you to forgive that?

Owen...

He thinks he's so wise, he thinks it's okay to tell you how to feel about yourself.

Brisa...

If she wants to burn herself out, fucking let her. It's her own damn fault.

Astrid...

She thinks she can judge you? She doesn't even fucking know you.

...

And then a blinding light seared the sky raw. Starr heard panicked shouting. Screaming. Felt her paws lose contact with the platform. Falling, weightless. Then something grabbing her around the middle and hurling her back downward. She collided with the platform in an uneven heap, then immediately picked herself up and snarled, "Who the fuck--"

But there was no one there.

Cynthian, Cabot, Dave, Nip, Vix, Owen, Brisa. All gone.

You're still standing. Keep going.

 

[Ambyssin]

There were a number of advantages to Bahamut's enormous size and psychic typing. Even in the Reverse World with the bizarre gravity effects Joule was making, Bahamut could largely tend to himself. Which is exactly what he was doing. Trying to focus on keeping the shield up while repelling corrosive thoughts. His teammates were... not at all good at that. But perhaps a millennium of misery had hardened his spirit so much that these shadows were simply more of the same.

Then came the shockwaves, however. Accompanied by cataclysmic booms. As if someone had rung the galaxy's largest bell. The shield stopped some of the waves, but he couldn't keep it up. And just like that, all his attention went toward trying to steady himself as the distorted, purple space and distant floating islands became a blur around him.

He was only tangentially aware of gravity altering further. Bahamut's core sparked with pink as he kept himself steady. Wobbling, but steady. However, with all the magnified ESP, he was aware of bodies flying into Joule's meteoric, charging strike. The auras projected images into his head.

The roselia with the self-confidence of tissue paper. Her fears of Joule realized full force.

The naïve, optimistic cranidos. Bahamut had wondered if he'd actually seen any tragedies working as a militant, but now it seemed he was the tragedy.

The poochyena who bared fangs at gods and power. Seemingly done in by divine power. The ultimate poetic irony.

The weavile who... okay, Bahamut actually wasn't sure about him. Something about eggs? Well, his had just been made sunny side-up.

That lampent with an unhealthy doting approach to him. Bahamut told her to improvise and look what that managed to accomplish. Another death he could add to his depressing tally.

The infernally upbeat charmeleon. No amount of smiling would get him out of this one. Though if they could pull off a miracle, Bahamut imagined he'd try to laugh it off with some comment about how he's died before. Dumb kid.

And that aggressively confused luxio. Or was she confusingly aggressive? Bah. What did it matter? Bahamut had been clear. Maple needed to call Joule. Not Team Spectrum. But of course she had to go and scream into a literal abyss about faith and belief. He tried to warn her. And it wasn't coming from the same place of malice his attitude toward Darkwhite had been. He genuinely believed it was the wrong thing to do. And look what had happened.

All Bahamut's focus had gone toward defenses and healing. But, ultimately, they were useless in the face of this. This power. It wasn't really Joule's. He couldn't dispose of them with his own strength, so he was instead leeching off the distortion. He didn't care what Owen said about Voices or whatever. Joule had the distorting aura. Eternatus had tainted that fool's light. And that tainted light could very well do them in.

Bahamut didn't care if it did. He was so tired of living. But Cibus...

"The choices you make don't really matter."

Bahamut looked into Joule's massive blacklight attack. He saw a faint purple outline. A single circle, bordered by five diamons. But was it really there or—

He was in an alley. Dank. Bits of garbage and sewage dribbling off of buildings. Shadows crept in from between the bricks. Encircling a group of black and white linoone and a family of machoke. Right. They were neighbors. Fighting over... something. But then he showed up.

"I can see that anguish on your faces and it pains me so," a raspy voice said between wheezing breaths. Gray eyes stared out from the shadows. A stone helmet emerged, shrouded in a black cloak. "Your anger toward one another... it is not really yours. It is your desperate struggle for survival. An attempt to escape death's clutches. But no matter the outcome... no matter what decisions you make... everything ends the same way. And that is the despair that shrouds you. That turns you against one another."

The shadows circled faster. Bahamut tried to reach a black arm toward them, but it wouldn't budge. They needed to run. That creature—

"As a fellow worthless lump of trash, I want nothing more than to see such despair cast aside." His gray eyes glistened. There was a certain... eagerness to his voice. "There is hope to be found... by accepting Natus into your hearts and minds, you can become part of something bigger. You can all know what it's like to feel love. Acceptance. To be more than cogs in a machine, clawing idly to keep death at bay."

There were indistinguishable shouts. Bahamut couldn't say anything. Only watch as the shadows slowly swallowed the group up.

"Haaa ha ha haaaaa! Together... we can bask in the darkness of eternity! The eternity... of Natus' love!"

“Maybe you’re better dead after all,” she choked, charging a Stored Power.

That was it? After all of the team's collective pushback against Bahamut's desire for force, now they wanted to abandon it?

"...I can't do it. I'm not strong enough. I'm not good enough. Leave me alone."

... of course. It made sense. All this time, the fights had gone their way. Even if there were hiccups and strange developments, the others got the best outcome. The things they wanted. This was the first time something bad had really happened to them. And it was one of the worst kinds of bad imaginable.

"And I shall tear thee apart limb after limb, JOULE THE BASTARD!!"

Bahamut flexed all his claws. A part of him wanted to believe that finally... finally they might understand how he feels. Why he thought the way he thought. But that was too optimistic. This was grief. Bahamut knew its facets well. In all likelihood, grief was clouding their thinking. Something about that would have to change.

Crimson-red vines sprouted from their buds, growing rapidly, wrapping around any Team Spectrum members they could find and pulling them into the tightest hug Saltriv could muster, before letting go.

The necrozma swatted the vine away. He had his ESP. And, loathe as the thought made him feel, he had shadows. If he used both, perhaps he could project his voice loud enough to reach the others. Right then. Here goes.

A deep breath. His eyes and core glowed bright pink.

"Be silent! Shove your grief-laded thoughts down your throats!" he roared. "We had a plan. We stick to that plan, regardless the circumstances. If they were still here, do you think they would accept anything less than freeing Joule? Of course not!" He paused. "If you want to have any shot at a miracle, then he needs to be purified, not killed."

He whirled on Maple, the pink shifting to a blazing red. "And you. So-called Voice of Life. We had a fucking agreement! I don't care how much the distortion is deafening voices. You have to call out to him. You're the one who can reach him. So use your fucking words! Or are you going to stand there and wait for the rest of them to get swallowed into the abyss, hmm? Speak now or Cibus will be forever silent... just like your old planet!"

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Celeste saw planes showing several members of the team getting drawn into Joule's power. He tried to call out, to warn them, but his cry was lost in the din of blacklight and battle.

Nip, Cynthian, Brisa, Vix. All of them were gone.

At some point, it became so impossible to process that it lost the sting it should've had. They couldn't all be dead. They couldn't. His teammates were the only thing that kept him sane as he worked through this awful duty.

Celeste just stood, dazed... Without his friends, what was there to keep him going?

---

Icetales was doing... something. Celeste wasn't sure what it was, but more importantly... Icetales was alive.

The attack that had been about to descend on Icetales... He'd prevented that much, at least. Even if he'd lost nearly every other friend he'd made, he'd protected someone. That wasn't nothing. That was a reason to keep going.

A goal even his radiance-fogged head could understand: Keep someone alive. Keep Icetales alive.

Celeste scrambled up to where Icetales was standing, and prepared to channel that life-saving radiant power.

"You. You are going to say alive. Okay? I need you to do that."

 

[Chibi Pika]

They were gone.

That bone-chilling realization took several seconds to fully sink into Starr's brain, and those seconds lasted an eternity. Some of the survivors had grouped together near her. There was a vine curled around her, holding her tight, but it barely registered.

Cynthian, Cabot, Dave, Nip, Vix, Owen, Brisa. All gone. What the fuck. No. No. No. No.

They're not gone, they're fucking fine. They're with Diyem. Don't worry about them.

Diyem! Are they with you?! Are they--

He can't hear you in this place.

Then we can't know if they're fine--

Don't worry about them.

Brisa--

A voice, behind her: "Hey."

Starr whirled around to see a shadowy Zeraora behind her, halfway reaching out.

"I tried to forget that you were here," Starr hissed.

Lexx looked spooked for just a second. Then he smiled weakly and said, "Hey, real talk, I'm trying to help."

"Not interested in your shitty games."

"No games this time, I mean it." He forced a grin. "What, I can't try to help my sis out?"

"You're not my fucking brother and I never want to see him again, anyway."

Lexx's expression flickered for just a moment. Then he sighed and turned around, surveying the battlefield. So many of their forces were gone. Half the people he would have asked for help were gone. The shades like himself now outnumbered the others. His eyes fell on the one the looked like him--the one he'd copied the form of because it'd seemed like fun. He went over to her.

"I know I'm probably not the one you want to hear from right now," he began, "but my sis is in a bit of a rut, and..." Ah, this wouldn't work. Luz had just lost her host after all. She wouldn't want to talk to him.

He never was too good with delicate situations. That'd been true of the other Lexx, and it was true of him now. He didn't mind when people were angry with him. It did make it hard to help out for real, though.

 

[Cresselia92]

Everything was chaos.

Darkness.

Light.

Wrath.

Hope.

Not even Bahamut’s words swayed him all too much, despite knowing deep down that he was right.

The rage was unbearable, and the daemon inside of him told him to go ahead. To unleash his full power and to show what a cosmic daemon can do.

But before he could even formulate some twisted thought, he heard the shuffling of someone approaching. Icetales glanced toward the source and noticed Celeste enveloped in a warm light of Radiance. That golden glow and that white fur were so glorious amidst the blackness of his Blacklight, almost as if the heavens themselves decided to reach out for him to give him peace and comfort.

And in a sense, they did that.

"You. You are going to stay alive. Okay? I need you to do that."

“Alive…”

Icetales stared intently at Celeste, then he glanced at Joule, before returning back to his friend.

The firmament of hope might be broken, but… there was still one star remaining, despite all odds.

Celeste was his ray of hope, and he wasn’t going to let it go. Not even if the entire universe collapsed on him.

“…I shall not die, Sir Celeste,” said Icetales, his voice sounding calm and celestial despite the distortions. “Thou art one of my most precious friends, and the thought of leaving thee behind… oh, it shatters this broken heart.”

To reinforce his words, he managed to smile despite the wounds at his heart and spirit. If there was some reason to live on… it was to keep the spirits of his comrades up.

To be a support for Celeste, just as he was a support for him.

And there was one thing he thought could cheer the Absol up: he snuggled onto his fur, letting the hopeful energy of his Radiance spread into his friend’s mind.

“I am not going anywhere…”

 

[Negrek]

All things considered, the fight was going way better than Nate would ever have expected. Joule was kept so busy shaking off lightning and poison and ice that he hadn't even tried to counterattack. More weird voices emanated from Rocky's core, golden energy streaming out from the familiar to envelope other members of the team, which was at least mostly a good thing. (At one point he'd looked over at Nate with the most horrifying : ) expression on his face and the mudkip had had to yell at him to stop that, but other than that, no problems.) Now and again the platform under them flickered or destabilized, but nothing that put a serious crimp in their attacks.

Joule's light was dimming. After everything, they were going to take the guy down, and it wouldn't even be hard.

Then the huge attack overhead flickered, seemed to shrink, and then suddenly redoubled in size--and everything went to hell.

The platform under Nate's feet disappeared, and he was falling--but Rocky was going in the opposite direction, shooting off into the sky.

"Use gravity!" Nate yelled at him without even thinking.

"Everything's backwards! That's gonna make things worse!" the familiar yelped, reaching with elongated arms to snatch Nate from the air.

Everything flipped over. Now Nate was falling, along with Rocky, but there were still people flying--going in the opposite direction. The light in Rocky's eyes grew brighter, and their fall slowed. Nate struggled around in the familiar's arms, heart still pounding, trying to figure out what was going on.

People were falling up, up towards the growing ball of death overhead. He had been, too, just a second ago. They were far away now, most just shadows against the attack's glow. And as Nate watched, one of them--the cranidos? Was that the cranidos?--disappeared in a flash of light.

Nate's stomach churned, and he flailed angrily in Rocky's grip. "Let me go! You, you--fly closer! We gotta get them outta there!"

"I can't!" Rocky said. "I don't even know if I can stop both of us from getting pulled in! Stop struggling!"

"Fuck you! Let me--!" How many of them were there up there? That was--that was Owen? And the weavile, tumbling slowly through the air. Shit. Probably the front-liners had been the closest, they'd be the easiest to pull in. Fuck, they were losing all their offense. Was everybody just going to--?

Nate's eyes were drawn to yet another flailing shape, and his train of thought evaporated. The poochyena struggled against the attack's pull, paws running on thin air, but then curled up, unresisting, a second before they disappeared into the curtain of burning light. Nate froze, some hot feeling racing out through his chest. He stared blankly at the place the poochyena had disappeared, eyes watering from the glare, breathing in short, ragged pants.

No, no. This was stupid. That wasn't his poochyena. It wasn't even--it was that guy. Fucking... Nate didn't even like him! Served him fucking right, they'd all be better off without that asshole. Nate squeezed his eyes shut, but immediately he thought of the way the poochyena had tucked itself into a ball, a useless gesture against the all-consuming attack, like the image was branded on the inside of his eyelids.

Nate's eyes snapped back open. No. Fuck's sake. This was so fucking pointless. Served that asshole right, if he was scared. If he was thinking about... getting burned up in that huge fucking ball of death. Nate could imagine him whining, scared and pleading for his trainer to come and save her...

Nate didn't even notice when Rocky's feet settled on solid ground.

Something slithered around his midriff, and Nate instinctively twisted to escape it, coming back to himself at last. "It's okay," Rocky said, and Nate looked down to see it was a... vine? His gaze traveled out along it until it reached a bayleef gazing up at the attack overhead. Oh. That must be the chikorita guy, gone and evolved. Nate wasn't quite sure why he was grabbing people, but a moment later the vine slid away, and Nate shook his head.

"Put me the fuck down," he growled at Rocky. The familiar gazed at him uncertainly. "I ain't gonna do nothing stupid. Put me down already."

"Okay...." Rocky said reluctantly, but he did set Nate down on the Reverse World's rocky surface.

Nate shook himself and squinted up into the blinding attack overhead. Right. Some people were down for the count, but even if they died, Diyem said he'd be able to bring them back anyhow, right? No big deal. He might be a lot cuter and less powerful right now, but even if he wasn't able to bring them back right away, it wasn't like they were gone for good. If Nate was lucky, maybe that poochyena would be the last one back and he'd get a couple weeks without worrying he'd run into that bastard somewhere. Silver linings and shit.

It wasn't like he was the only one who'd survived, either. It looked like a lot of people were missing, but there were plenty left, too--sobbing, slumping in defeat, raging at Joule overhead. Right. If they didn't do something about the dragon and the second giant ball of death, they'd all be getting burnt up. Fuck that. The battle was still on.

"All right. Let's fucking finish this," Nate muttered. "Ready?"

"Yeah!" Rocky was back to full form in an instant. "We can do this. We're nearly there!"

"Just keep doing what you're doing," Nate said, drawing up water as he squinted up at Joule. "But don't let any... weirdos through, okay?"

"What weirdos?" Rocky said. But his tail twitched, just once, and then he smiled at Nate, malleable face forming an unmistakable ": )".

"I'm fucking serious! This ain't the fucking time!"

Rocky smiled to himself, looking up into the chaos overhead. The golden band hummed around his core, warming him from within. Time to win.