Worldcore

[Namohysip]

"Darkwhite told us to destroy this place... to destroy the worldcore. Will doing that really free her?"

"...We should tell Shield and the others what we found when we return," Maple said, forming a portal for them all to go through. "Destroying the Worldcore is a last resort. We may have no choice but to do so... but..."

He glanced at Pecha and Bluk, a pensive expression on his face. “Before leaving, is it possible to ascertain their actual status? Are they still distorted after this event, or something else?”

While Shield was speaking, Bluk and Pecha were quietly discussing with each other what they had found. "The Worldcore is the source of the strange corruption going around Cibus," Bluk confirmed. "We're incredibly lucky that we discovered it so early, or the corruption might have gotten even worse... If we can take care of Darkwhite somehow, that should bring the Worldcore--and Buffet--back into... er... proper balance. But how we go about doing that..."

Pecha winced. "It'll be dangerous for ourselves as well as Darkwhite, if you care about her wellbeing. I'm sorry. But getting in there alone might be difficult..."

"You definitely should take a few days to prepare and mobilize," Bluk said. "I'm afraid this is all we can really do to help. Sorry--we're... not really in the exploration business anymore. We've lost our touch, and this little expedition only proves it."

Pecha's ears went down.

"It's alright," Owen said. "From what I heard about you guys, a peaceful life sounds... y'know. Deserved."

The portal was formed and they were free to return. They had a lot to discuss...

 

[Cresselia92]

“Sir Owen here is correct,” said Icetales, flashing a reassuring smile. “No matter how small, every contribution is welcome. I am confident that your findings will be most useful.”

He wagged his tails and scattered some snowflakes, but then he winced. He definitely needed some good rest after that entire ordeal, and there were some funky thoughts swimming in his head. Most likely the remnants of the outburst of Radiance from a while back.

Sensing the fatigue, Keo’Keo decided to step in to talk for his host. “It appears that there is nothing else to be done here, so yes. Let us discuss the situation with the others and take some proper rest.” He paused, before staring at the others with narrowed eyes. “By the way… let us organize a meeting through telepathy, with the aid of our common patron. We do not want any spy to detect our plans through the badges, do we?”

 

[Namohysip]

<><><>
​

Under the afternoon sun, the Worldcore loomed over them. A strange red-Blacklight mist was flowing out of the cave's entrance, and it seemed to be even more chaotic than before. Reports of Darkwhite sightings all around the world were slowly climbing, and Buffet's sanity was chipping away despite Pop's best efforts. Now more than ever, it was time to put an end to the madness and save the Worldcore from whatever corruption Darkwhite had.

"I hope you've prepared yourselves," Maple said. "The Worldcore is a complex labyrinth and it is possibly even more chaotic now. Your groups and sub-groups are all sorted out with one another?"

"As good as they'll be," Diyem said, slamming the end of his conjured hammer into the ground.

"And you're sure that you're in fighting condition?" Maple asked, raising an inquisitive brow.

"Yes." Diyem nodded. "Xerneas was gracious enough to donate some of his power to bring me back to full strength. After this, I intend to return to the Tree of Life to tell him how it went. But until then, I shall be fighting alongside my team, as it should be."

 

[Disco]

Mellow glanced at Diyem, then towards Maple (who was back to using a suppressed form...), then looked back at the looming shadows of the Worldcore. It was scary but they had gotten this far. They would get through this too. There was no telling what this place would throw their way if they weren't careful, though, especially since they were splitting into different teams. Coordinating which to go along with could mean success or failure.

The Charmeleon glanced down at her sparse pack of items. It was meager compared to what she usually carried but there was no way she could bring her usual stash and keep up. It made Mellow nervous even though these were some of the highest quality items one could get. One bad situation could wipe her and her team out in an instant. She glanced at the others as trepidation she couldn't shake took hold...

Could they do it? Could they really save Sword from the Worldcore and herself?

 

[Namohysip]

"Soda, you, Shield and I will be teamed up with one side," Maple said.

"No objections here," Soda said. "Not that we'll be able to do anything in that kind of distortion. But if there's an opening, I'll chip in."

"Potluck, Truffle, Flesh, and Leg will remain by the entrance as backup and to keep observations for potential intrusions," Maple added. "I'd bring Joule here, but he's not fully recovered yet..."

"I'm ready to head in," Shield said, nodding. "My primary goal will be going for Darkwhite..."

"Diyem, will you cover the other team?"

"I will." Diyem nodded. "Unlike you all, I will actually be able to assist actively. You be careful." He turned and addressed Team Spectrum. "The time is now. Get into your groups! Owen. We should go in separate teams for the sake of coverage. I'm going to borrow Wishkeeper."

"You what?"

Diyem flicked his hand and made an odd, tugging motion. Owen gasped, and Wishkeeper came flying out of his chest, looking dazed and startled. Diyem snapped his claws next and Wishkeeper erupted in a thin layer of orange flames. It didn't seem to hurt, but suddenly Maple and the others reacted with a startled expression. Wishkeeper was visible.

"We have others who can analyze the enemy, but none as immediate as you. Wishkeeper, will you follow me for this fight?"

"...I'll do what I can," he replied, his voice like a rumbling bonfire.

"Arrange yourselves," Diyem told Team Spectrum.

 

[Cresselia92]

Icetales peered cautiously at the entrance of the Worldcore, while drinking a special blend of tea — ginger flavor, with an invigorating mixture of leppa, oran, special herbs and Radiance. Something very similar to the special enchanted blends that Fifth used to brew to help folks regain their strength.

Just the time to empty his bottle that he felt the energy surging through his system, making his reflexes sharper and his muscles tougher. He felt marvelous!

‘I still cannot believe thou art relying on doping to have a higher performance! How blasphemous!’ said Keo’Keo, flashing a teasing smirk.

Icetales rolled his eyes. ‘Darkness mine, any trick is useful when thou art risking thy own life. There is a time and place to be competitively fair, but not now.’

‘Heh. Whatever thou say. Anyway,’ the Shadow glared at the entrance. ‘I do not like that. Something is… off.’

Icetales nodded in agreement and frowned, before turning to the God Squad. “Things are sure vastly different from last time. Did Miss Pecha and Sir Bluk report any other anomalous finding about the ley lines or the Worldcore as a whole?”

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot hesitantly looked down both paths, before letting out a small sigh.

"I might as well take the one on the right," he said. "Anyone wanna join me? Maybe you, Diyem? Though I think Icetales and Mellow should be in different groups. You two are really good at supporting the team with moves like Helping Hand and Aurora Veil, and both groups need someone like that."

 

[Namohysip]

Diyem nodded, humming. "Yes," he said. "That should do. Your teams look fine. Get ready for anything and make sure you're flexible for any incoming changes. We have no idea what is waiting for us inside, aside from Darkwhite herself... if we're lucky."

“Things are sure vastly different from last time. Did Miss Pecha and Sir Bluk report any other anomalous finding about the ley lines or the Worldcore as a whole?”

"They said that it was destabilizing more, but mostly within the Core itself," Maple said. "Which means that the moment we enter, we are going to be hit with the full force of its distortions. Make sure you are absolutely careful of anything that happens once we enter. Moment to moment, the very atmosphere might change..."

Maple headed forward. Echoed laughter came from within; countless eyes and embers stared back at them.

"It seems that Darkwhite has lost herself," Maple said.

"No," Shield whispered slowly. "We'll get her. We just need to go forward. I'm ready."

"As are we." Diyem slammed his hammer on the ground, making an ethereal clang! "We will enter running! Don't forget your formations, and watch the crystals! I don't think we can avoid those attacks, but we can at least endure!"

And with that, Diyem raised his hammer. It glowed, brightened, enlarged... "Go!"

And the team rushed in.

 

[Phoenixsong]

The group moved as one, hurrying toward the place where the tunnels diverged. "Shield! Shield!" Araun called, running to catch up to the lucario before the team split properly. "Is there anything else you think we can do to help get through to Sword? We're gonna have to fight her, and hopefully that'll help with some of the corruption, but... if we're calling out to her, what do we say? What do we do to make sure that she keeps believing in us, and in you?"

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Kate, who had totally been there with the group the entire time with Melanie looked down each of the paths ahead of them, neither fully sure which route to take.

"Any ideas of what route we should take?" Melanie asked. Kate folded her arms and tapped her foot as she glanced between the different paths ahead.

"Unless if we have some idea of what's ahead of us, we might as well just roll a die, really."

The Kyurem shade at first opened her mouth to reflexively mention that the idea wasn't all that bad, only to catch herself. Were they really this in the dark over what lay ahead of them?

Her thoughts were abruptly cut short by Diyem ordering the group to hurry forward, with Kate and Melanie watching a party run off with Starr and Brisa to the left, and another including Cabot to the right.

"E-Eh?! They're just rushing off ahead!" Melanie exclaimed.

"I might as well take the one on the right," he said. "Anyone wanna join me? Maybe you, Diyem? Though I think Icetales and Mellow should be in different groups. You two are really good at supporting the team with moves like Helping Hand and Aurora Veil, and both groups need someone like that."

"Eh, don't question it too much," Kate shrugging her shoulders. "Though sounds like Cabot asked for others to join him, so might as well..."

And with that, the die was cast, as the pair hurried off for the rightward path, and the unknown foe that lay ahead in wait for them.

 

[Fusion]

Vix felt like she might have had a lot on her mind, but not enough to fully distract her from what was right before her. That being a battle with a... world core thing, the thing that Darkwhite was stuck in. That was all Vix needed to know, really, and also which team she was joining. Every single part of her wanted to join the team going down the left side, to the point that she had to stop herself from actually splitting in half.

"Keep fallin' apart and I'm leavin' you behind," Scrafty huffed, appearing by Vix's side and elbowing her. "I ain't dyin' again, you hear?"

"Don't worry about that, I'm the only one that's gonna feel any of it," Vix replied, floating behind her team. "We've been hitting a clean streak of not fucking up, and I'm not letting this be the fight that ruins that."

 

[Namohysip]

"Tell her that we just want her back," Shield said. "That's it's okay. That we forgive her. She doesn't like having regrets, maybe she's afraid that we'll treat her badly because of--well, all this. But if we tell her to break away... maybe she'll--"

The laughs were starting to get louder, and that's when they realized something peculiar. It wasn't just Darkwhite, but Sword replicas as well, floating and swirling in the halls like phantoms. Charmander and Mew alike were dancing in the air, and it looked like they were getting ready for quite a hit.

Ahead, there seemed to be three paths. Left and right, like before, but there seemed to be another path--one that was barely large enough for one person to run through. And while the others hesitated at the unfamiliarity, the one leading the rush did not. He ran with purpose, like he sensed something.

"Sword!" And the Lucario sprinted forward, like he actually saw her through all that chaos.

That hidden path closed behind him--it had drawn him in. And yet he didn't stop. A barrier formed around him--that was the last the team saw before the wall closed behind him.

"Shield?!" Owen shouted.

"No!" Maple hissed.

"He's okay," Owen said, seeing through the wall, and Brisa would likely be able to see the same. He was still running forward. It was like Darkwhite was specifically letting him through... Was she afraid of everyone else?

"It's too dangerous in here," Soda grunted. "That idiot...!"

"He might be able to help. If he can calm Darkwhite down, maybe all this chaos will--"

"If he survives," Soda hissed. "We gotta hurry it up!"

"Our mission is to get Darkwhite out," Maple said. "Everyone! Take your formations, now!"

"Good luck," Diyem grunted, and then started down the right path. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated. Use telepathy where you can.

 

[Adamhuarts]

"I believe in him. If there's anyone who can reach through to Darkwhite, it's Shield," Cynthian said with a focused gaze. After having met Pita and Nutmeg, Cynthian wanted Shield and Sword to be united again more than anything.

 

[Namohysip]

The team split off, Owen going one way to the left and announcing what he saw as usual, with Diyem going down the other wish Wishkeeper, still looking a little disoriented, doing the same in his blazing voice. He sounded a lot like Owen now that the fires died down, but much deeper. Assertive.

"Well, this isn't unexpected," Owen said as he flapped his wings to slow down. "There it is!"

Just like before, the Blacklight Dragon leered at them, its single head a hybrid of Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina like before. It was hazy and misshapen, stronger than they remembered it, but perhaps weaker than what they'd fought in the past. Or, at the very least, not as durable...

But there was something curious just behind it, blocking the way forward with a strange, twisted barrier of squares and flickering lights. It bled into the wall, making the very material that made up the caves flicker like it didn't know whether or not it should exist.

And at the core of those strange, flickering walls was a phantom of a creature. "What... in the world?" Maple pointed. "Those ones aren't supposed to exist in this world! Unless they were one of Regigigas' ideas..."

"Who the fuck cares, just beat it up!" Soda pointed. "That thing's called a Regidrago! Dragon regi! It's a target like everything else, I... think."

"Something's strange about it..." Maple hummed.

--

"Just ahead," Diyem said. "This shouldn't be difficult. Not more difficult than the Blacklight Dragon from before, the--you're kidding me."

And on the right side of the arena was another Blacklight Dragon... of a sort. He was certainly a lot brighter.

"Joule's here?! No... It's another phantom. Conjured from the Worldcore--!"

And behind it was another creature, this one that sparked with electricity and was embedded into the air like there was supposed to be a wall, just like Regidrago. "Regieleki," Diyem said.

Regieleki:
HP: 1

"It's weak. Any damage will obliterate it. And it's also blocking the way forward. If we destroy it, we can advance to Shield! We have to hurry!"

Diyem tilted his hammer. "Easily."

Diyem opened with Abyssal Onslaught on Regieleki! It hit fives times for 0 damage total!

Diyem jumped back, looking at the apparition on the wall, then at his hammer. He knew he hit it. Those were direct hits. Was it immune to Shadows? Fire bubbled in the back of his throat and he blasted it with searing flames.

Diyem used Fire Blast! It dealt 0 damage to Regieleki!

"Okay. It's immune to... What is it not immune to." This wasn't like Shedinja. Diyem knew that using a Ground attack would do just as much--absolutely nothing. Why? there had to be some way to harm it...

And all the while, the Darkwhites and Swords in the air continued to laugh and laugh and laugh. They were conjuring something... And the crystals were starting to turn a strange shade of green. The Darkwhites all transformed into odd-looking Butterfree at the same time. Meanwhile, the Swords were all breathing deep, like they were about to launch a fiery attack all at once--across the whole cave.

The ground heaved. A wave of distortion washed through the caverns and Diyem shouted in surprise, feeling his Shadows flare up. He glanced at Wishkeeper, who was, on reflex, looking around for Owen.

"Stay calm," Diyem shouted, and then he announced to the others. "Be careful! The whole room is distorted and unpredictable--reality isn't stable!"

Roars mixed with laughter as the entrance to the Worldcore closed...

Reality is twisting and turning. For one turn, corruption gains are increased by 50%!

Darkwhite became Butterfree and is preparing a strange attack dripping with Eterna energy!
Sword is breathing in and preparing a Fiery attack with Eterna energy!

Blacklight Dragon, Joule, and the Regis all have the Last Word status condition! When their HP reaches 0, they perform one last action!

Zone L1:
Blacklight Dragon:
HP: 30,000

Regidrago:
HP: 1

Zone R1:
Joule:
HP: 30,000

Regieleki:
HP: 1

Everywhere:
Darkwhite horde: 50,000
Sword horde: 50,000

Victory: Rescue Darkwhite and escape!
Special Condition: Find Shield before the end of turn 5!

The Regis are blocking the way!

Owen's insight:
The Regis aren't normal. Regular attacks aren't doing anything to them! Is there some other way to break through?!

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr surveyed the hordes of Mew and Charmander with distaste. So this bullshit was what they were up against this time. Great.

She glanced back at her half of the squad. She had Brisa with her. Not to mention Owen, Dave, Icetales, and the newcomer Brisa had been training--Koa. No idea how they'd get past the wall in front of them--going off what Diyem had said, it was impervious to damage.

Well, whatever. They'd figure something out, then everything would go to shit anyway. They'd deal with it. Always did.

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian went into the right corridor along with the others, all the while expecting to encounter the blacklight dragon from last time. Instead, she froze upon seeing Joule's apparition in their path.

She let her heart spiked for a second then cooled her senses right away. Cynthian frowned. The original looked far more terrifying than a fake.

"Leave this Joule to me," Cynthian said, rushing forward to rain down a hail of ice cold leaves on Joule. "I hope you like the cold, glow stick!"

 

[Namohysip]

Skara used Ward III on Starr, granting a 1313 threshold barrier and a 175 HP damage barrier.
Skara used Ward III on Cynthian, granting a 1313 threshold barrier and a 175 HP damage barrier.
Mithos used Ward III on Cabot, granting a 1313 threshold barrier and a 175 HP damage barrier.
Ashwood used Ward II on Mellow, granting a 625 threshold barrier and a 125 HP damage barrier.
Support Burst is at 75/100!

Dave used Psych Up on Starr's Speed and Attack, copying her +6 boost to each!
Dave used Scary Face on the Blacklight Dragon, applying -800 to Speed!
Icetales' Teatime let Brisa use a Quick Seed!
Icetales' Aurora Veil spread Misty Terrain to Brisa, Starr, Owen, Koa and Dave! Team Spectrum in Zone L1 will have incoming damage reduced by 25%, incoming threshold values halved, and incoming damage from Dragon-type moves halved!
Koa used Shadow Browbeat on the Blacklight Dragon, applying -500 to Speed!
Koa Called Out to Regidrago!
Brisa used Radiant Arrest on the Blacklight Dragon, applying 400 to Paralysis and -100 to Speed!
Brisa's Thunder Fang dealt 185 damage to the Blacklight Dragon, and added 200 to Paralysis and 200 to Flinch! The Blacklight Dragon was Paralysed!
Cynthian's Leaf Storm dealt 2069 damage to Joule! Sweet Marigold added 300 to Freeze and 100 to Confuse! Joule was Frozen!
Owen's Bestow boosted Brisa's Speed by +3 and her Evasion by +2!
Dave used Psych Up on Starr's Speed, copying her +6 boost!
Shiron's Brilliant Tidal boosted Cabot's, Mellow's, and Vix's Speed by +3!
Shiron's Ultra Stone dealt 10 damage to Regieleki!
Mellow's Tailwind boosted her own, Shiron's, Cynthian's, Saltriv's, Cabot's and Vix's Speed by +2!
Mellow's Teatime let Cabot, Saltriv and Cynthian each use a Stat-Up Seed!
Saltriv's Umbral Urging boosted Cabot's Attack by +6!
Saltriv Called Out to Cynthian, Mellow and Shiron! They each gained +2 Speed!

The flurry of blows and all that chaos led to very few strikes from the team, but it was enough to grapple against their opponents and get a sense for their strength. Like before, Joule seemed fragile, and yet the Blacklight Creation, much more durable. This would be a tough fight indeed...

But the Ultra Stone had indeed hit true! Regieleki was dispelled as if it had never existed at all, the odd, flickering squares where it had once stood rapidly fading away and revealing the tunnels ahead...

Koa tried to make contact with Regidrago... Koa heard strange, confusing words and noises in his mind, giving him a terrible migraine. He took 100 damage in recoil!

Owen winced. "Try not to communicate with those things! I think--they mess with your head!"

Regieleki's Last Word activated! It used Thunder Cage on Cynthian, Mellow, and Cabot!
Cynthian: Dodged!
Mellow: A grazing 80!
Cabot: Protected!

The Darkwhite horde launched Befuddle! This time, it inflicted Sleep!
Brisa: 114
Cabot: 183
Cynthian: 195
Dave: 220
Icetales: 84
Koa: 153
Mellow: 42
Owen: 22
Saltriv: 81
Shiron: 101
Starr: 93
Vix: 82
Diyem: 42

The Sword horde launched Flare!
Brisa: 123
Cabot: 175
Cynthian: 347
Dave: 145
Icetales: 139
Koa: 318
Mellow: 57
Owen: 29
Saltriv: 86
Shiron: 86
Starr: 95
Vix: Wax-protection!
Diyem: 60

For one turn, the whole Worldcore became Sunny!

Regidrago used Lock-On! Its next hit won't miss!

Blacklight Dragon's movements are significantly hindered! It only has one action!
Blacklight Dragon used Blacklight Creation, gaining 2 Valor!

Joule used Blacklight Purity! Its status resistance went up by 300, and it attacked the whole area with 300 Freeze!
Vix and Shiron became Chilly, losing 1 action and becoming vulnerable to Magic attacks!

Joule gained a new attribute! Frigid air swirls around him... All attacks will add 1 Stagger!

Diyem barely felt the strikes, but then felt a sudden jolt of pain and grunted, shaking it off. "What--" He turned to see Cynthian smoldering under the flames of Sword and snarled.

Cynthian was KOed!
Diyem took 374 damage!

"You... idiot. You got careless! Get a guard up or you won't last at all!" He waved his hand in the air, a strange darkness enveloping his claws. At the same time, a similar darkness surrounded Cynthian, warding off the flames and patching over what the Reviver Seed could not.

Diyem used Abyssal Blessing on Cynthian!
Cynthian gained 50% HP, +3 Defense, +3 Resistance, and Endure!

Diyem used Abyssal Conjuration! Diyem increased his Attack and Magic by 1!

Blacklight Dragon:
HP: 29815

Regidrago:
HP: 1

Joule:
HP: 27931

There are several foes deeper inside... It looks like they've been alerted to the group's presence!

The middle, deeper chamber contains Ho-Oh and the three Beasts, as well as a distorted Registeel! This one looks real... but seems to have the same properties as the other Regi from before.

The right, deeper chamber contains a phantom of Rayquaza and a strange Regirock!

"Damn it," Diyem hissed, and then sent an alert to the others.

If my sense of this cavern is correct, both of our chambers seem to split off further. Is that correct, Owen?

Yes! One left and one right!

There's a strong chance our chambers meet in the middle and branch into further fringing chambers. If we don't occupy them properly, we will get flanked.

We're getting spread thin...

We will need to prioritize who to fend off and who to strike down.

The dimension is twisting once more...
Corruption gains have returned to normal!
But now... evasion is nullified, and all hits are now Critical!

The Darkwhite horde transformed again! This time, she became an adorable storm of Eevee! They're preparing a strange Cuddling attack of Eterna energy!

The Sword horde is making various punching gestures. A great Rockfall is incoming, enhanced by Eterna energy!

"We don't have the resources to handle all of this," Diyem snarled, noticing that the central chamber had the most foes. And with everything so unstable, it would truly hurt if... "Nnngh... Don't ever say I didn't protect you!"

Diyem ran into zone M2! He's going to try to distract Ho-Oh and the others!

 

[Cresselia92]

Yes, Icetales didn’t miss fighting in that environment at all! That same twisted creation of ley lines loomed over the group, smaller than usual.

There was strength in number, that was undeniable, but now that half of the team was fighting in another side of the mysterious cave, he felt somewhat more… vulnerable. Exposed. Perhaps a tad more nervous. Would he have been able to keep everyone safe?

Then, there was that accursed combination of powders and flames. Good thing that his reflexes were still sharp: a wondrous Aurora Veil and Misty Terrain weakened the two attacks considerably, allowing himself and his team to endure the hits more easily. He could feel some sleepiness settling in, but he managed to shrug it off easily with a quick shake. The pixie powder had done its job.

He glanced at the others, who were focused on their surroundings, before getting a message from the other half of the team through telepathy: they found some obstacle on the way and blocking the wall, but managed to bring it down with the power of an Ultra Stone.

An obstacle…

Icetales glanced at the strange entity on the wall: was it Regidrago, right?

“We ought to attempt flinging an Ultra Stone, too,” he suggested, glancing at the others. “Any familiar is willing to give it a go?”

Then, there was the roar of the Blacklight Dragon, making the Ninetales focus again on it. A strange aura surrounded the illusion, a familiar energy coursing through its body. Icetales narrowed his eyes and flicked his tails, glancing back and forth between the dragon and the crowd of smirking cats and lizards.

“We should do something about them, too…”

He thought for a while, before looking at Starr and Brisa. Everyone could see how connected they became with each other, to the point that they manage to break past the barrier of the living and the dead to create a mixture of Radiance and Shadow. It was always a sight to behold.

Then, he glanced at Dave and Owen. Even they had managed to craft a unique friendship, despite all odds. Dave really behaved like a father for the group, huh? Perhaps a tad grumpy, but he had his own mystique. And Owen, well… it was weird to see him without Wishkeeper.

Lastly but not least, Koamaru. The lad might be new to the entire hero business, but he managed to improve and pull his weight spectacularly. He couldn’t help but be impressed by his natural talent and quick progress.

In that moment, his spirit flared up with power. He remembered that feeling… in that exact cave… with that exact foe…

Yes. He knew what to do.

‘My comrades! We shall go onward and do our most best to prevail once more!” he encouraged, the words filled with Radiance resonating with his comrades’ spirits. ‘Let me share my power, so that you can do what you can do best — save the day.”

The Brilliant Inspirit shone across the entire zone, filling the air with an empowering energy. Glorious, blinding, comforting.

As soon as the light faded, Icetales was gone, with just a few psychic sparkles left behind.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

The team worked together with the kind of efficiency, precision and power that Brisa hoped to see from them at their best. And they needed their best for this one. As she stared down the Blacklight Dragon for a second time, all the while hearing telepathic chatter about a phantasm of Joule in his fully-blacklit form, she shuddered with relief that she was in this tunnel and not another. All the while, parodic manifestations of their target spiralled around them, chattering with laughter, charging attacks as if this were a game. Brisa grit her teeth. Charged her aura. Braced against impacts.

In amongst in all, there was Starr. Looking back at her. Trusting her.

It was good. To fight side by side.

Brisa scarcely knew what the power was, or why it mirrored itself in each of them, half Radiance, half Shadow, but it was there, and only partway with intent, it poured out of them in a melded strike. The two of them, together, tearing through phantoms with all their might, bright fire and dark lightning swirling as one.

Brisa used Void Arcstrike against Sword! It reacted with Starr's Brilliant Flarestrike and became Fusion Arcflare!
Brisa & Starr's Fusion Arcflare, supported by Icetales's Inspirit and Vix's Ire, dealt CRITICAL damage to Sword! It's Ultra Effective!

She barely stopped to glance to see if Starr was okay or see how much of an impact they'd achieved. She knew.

The phantasms cackled eerily. Was their a mind, a heart, a soul behind that mania? She had to know.

"Tell her that we just want her back," Shield said. "That's it's okay. That we forgive her. She doesn't like having regrets, maybe she's afraid that we'll treat her badly because of--well, all this. But if we tell her to break away... maybe she'll--"

Sword made sense. Feeling that you'd let others down, wanting to be close to them, fearing reprisals... Brisa understood. She got it. The tethers surged out, and Brisa felt that mad, uninhibited emotional surge that always happened in a full-on Whiplash, as her heart poured out into her opponent.

Sword, listen t'me! We're here to get you safe an' clear of this place, y'hear? Let us help ya! Help us help ya! We need to get through this place an' help Shield get t'ya! Can you let us through? Can y'help us fight these phantoms? Please, Sword! It'll be alright. I promise.

Brisa used Shining Whiplash against Sword! Brisa Called Out to Sword!

 

[Flyg0n]

Koa had followed the Team into the dungeon, prepared for a fight. He wasn't sure what to expect, but based on what everyone had said about their experiences with the place things would probably get a little crazy. And they did.

Phantom mirages of the same horrific fusion dragon, hordes of disturbing Mew and Charmanders phantoms and something that appeared to be similar to a Regi except... not right. Yet familiar too. Was that a Regidrago? Different texts theorized other Regi's existed, including ones formed in Galar known as Regidrago and Regieleki, but they'd never been seen on record.

No time to ponder on that now though. By his side stood his friends and allies - Brisa and Icetales, as well as Owen, Dave and that person who was Brisa's friend, Starr. Between all of them, surely they could handle whatever happened. Nervousness made him hesitate a bit, but he did his best to shake it off. This would be his first proper, real battle with Team Spectrum, he could not screw this up. He had to get it right.

The strange apparitions began preparing an attack. Chaos erupted. The team responded, all launching their own flurry of attacks. Koa reltaliated with attacks of his own, the very same ones he'd learned to use in his training with Brisa. As attacks flew back and forth, his gaze never left the Regidrago blocking the path. They had to get past that if they wanted a chance at get through this place.

Maybe he could help somehow. Diyem's attacks hadn't worked but... What if there was another way?

"Regidrag-" A flood of strange, awful noises flooded his mind instantly. Pain spiked through his skull. He staggered back, stunned, and gritted his teeth. His head rang and he felt dizzy for a good several seconds.

So much for that venue.

Useless again, Koa.

The familiar draw of shadow called to him, tempting him-

‘My comrades! We shall go onward and do our most best to prevail once more!” he encouraged, the words filled with Radiance resonating with his comrades’ spirits. ‘Let me share my power, so that you can do what you can do best — save the day.”

Vigor flowed through Koa and he suddenly found he could think clearer again. Grinning, he took on a battle ready stance.