Pokemon Gijinka: The Fallen God [IC / PG-16 / Complete]

[Sethera 290]

The Legend howled with laughter. "Oh is that so? Well let me tell you kids something. You'll all have to learn about romance sooner or later. It's what makes life worth living! Just look around at how happy it makes everyone!"

Ari glanced around, and yeah, people looked happy, but he still remembered how Mac and Kazo had looked during the wedding itself. Bored out of their minds.

Then Tornadus shrugged. "Everyone's so worried about this Godslayer business. Don't get it myself. They'll run into the wrong Legend soon enough and get taken down. Maybe they caught us by surprise but that's over now. Just look at me." He spread his arms wide "Do you really think someone could take me down?"

"Yeah, but if they run into the right Legend, then that Legend is dead," the Litleo replied, shaking his head. "Which means there are less legendaries around. That's not good. Also, it's not good to be so cocky, Mister." He had been cocky when he first started this adventure. Had thought that all he needed to do was try a little harder and he'd be able to take down a legendary, show his worth. Except he had been proven wrong, multiple times. Was this what his father meant when he had told him wisdom was the product of mistakes? If so, then that meant he was getting wiser, kinglier. But I think I would have liked to have not made those mistakes at all, even if that made me less wise, he thought.

--

"My room?" The Kingdra said, glancing in. His eyes focused on the paintings and he shook his head adamantly. "No, of course not, that's uh...that's someone else's room. A Wailord I know, yeah, just was wondering why you were here...a-anyway, let's forget about that alright?"

Dang, Easter thought. That certainly would have made things easier. Still, it looked like the dragon type was willing to talk anyway.

"The Princess is with the Queen right now. Her mother, that is." The Kingdra's expression saddened. "Poor girl." He said solemnly.

"Oh?" the Sylveon asked, slightly concerned. "Why is that?"

He jumped a bit, clearly not realizing he said that part out loud. "Well...you know, cause the queen is sick and all."

"Oh..." Easter had forgotten that. Now that he thought about it, Dora had probably mentioned this, but he had just forgotten. "That's too bad...do they know what's causing it?" he asked, curious despite himself. He knew that they were on a time crunch, but this was information that could be useful for later.

"Not...really, we don't get sick much down here. Some say it was after a stranger from the surface came down here..."

"How unfortunate..." the fairy type clicked his tongue sympathetically. "And poor Dora." He didn't have much experience with sick people, so he wasn't too thrilled at the idea of meeting this woman, but it looked like he would have to. The gijinka took a breath, before getting back to the topic at hand. "Ah, sorry to cut this short, but I really do have to be finding Dora. Do you know where the Queen's room is?"

"Well, yes, but I'm not sure I should..."

There were two ways this could go. The short but violent way, or the longer diplomatic way. Cursing internally at his softening heart, Easter let himself droop, eyes crystallizing with unshed tears. "I understand your hesitance, but it's not like I'm going to do anything bad. Dora is my friend, and, well," he looked down shyly, biting his lip, "I'm not used to being this long without my friends by my side. This place is really nice, but seeing them...it's reassuring," he looked back up and gave a hesitant, but sweet smile.

The Kingdra stepped forward, waving his hands around "No, no don't cry, okay, it's okay, I'll take you there!"

The Sylveon sniffled. "R-really?" his smile became bubblier. "Thank you, oh thank you sir! I've been so lonely." He edged a little closer to the man. "I'm glad that Dora is surrounded by people like you," he said, tone serious but heartfelt. Really, he was glad. Not only did it make it easier to get his way, but...well, maybe he was also glad because it meant Dora had probably grown up happily here, even despite her father's overprotectiveness.

--

Keanu's Surf was good enough to mitigate the Lava Plume that came their way. However, it wasn't good enough to stop Heatran in his tracks. The legendary leapt up, bringing his head back for what attack, Keanu wasn't sure, but it looked like it would hit hard, regardless. Groaning, the Pikachu quickly Substituted himself with a stuffed doll, finding himself displaced into a position somewhat between Marie and Randy.

"Ugh, this guy is for real," the Pikachu muttered. He wasn't too happy with Heatran targeting him, but that meant he wasn't going after either of his brahs, and they didn't need the extra attention at the moment. Speaking of them...wonder when Nani's gonna come back, he thought. It sure would be helpful to have her here right at this moment.

Edited May 28, 2019 by Sethera

[yui 577]

Location: Trailsau (Team Alola, day 27)
Inventory: Good Rod, Antidote, Kasib Berry

"And who are you? You some kind of foreigner? I met a few of those a while back you know, you one of them?"

"Well, I'm... certainly not from here." It was just a gut feeling, but flat-out lying to this girl would - at best - bite her later. At worst, she'd see right through it and know then and there.

"Well that woulda been great. I actually am planning on going over there and taking him on. I've gotten a lot stronger. I think I can take him this time. You wanna come with, Trevor, it'd be a lot easier with you next to me."

"That's...not... I couldn't do that." he finished.

"Well, more glory for me I guess. What about you?"

"Ahhh, I wouldn't go up there right now if I were you." Buy time. "It's such a hassle with all the other fighting going on in town, and I'm pretty sure I saw a few people head up there already. And if you can't beat Heatran all by yourself, then what's the point, right?" Nani then gestured toward the smaller kids. "Plus, you just got back, and it looks like your sisters really missed you. I never had any sisters so I can't relate, but if I did, I think I'd want her to stick around for a bit before taking off to do something dangerous." So far, so good... right? It wasn't straight-up combat with a legendary like the others were doing, but in her own way, right here and now, Nani was going to fight to keep Allie from going up there and making the whole situation that much worse.

[Mr. Hyde 204]

 Team Showdown - Oasis Inn

"My younger brother, both of them honestly, were idiots." He declared bluntly. "They both were carefree and the world has a habit of punishing that." He placed his fists on his hips. "Thank you for your words but it's not necessary. I grieve his loss but he knew the risks he took putting himself in the open like that."

"Cold..."  Taiga said underneath her breath.  

"I had to hide myself when I woke up to avoid the same fate. After years of slumber this is the world I wake to." He shook his head. "Rayquaza must be getting desperate. I knew leaving him in charge when Arceus left was too much for the boy." He narrowed his eyes and leaned down towards the two. "You both feel like warriors. I can sense the urge to battle inside of you. What is it you want from me exactly? Not what he wants, but you."

Taiga stood upright, scratching the back of her head.

"Man...I've been havin' to think about that reason a lot lately."  She crossed her arms, displaying a wide, toothy grin.  "My name's Taiga.  Taiga the Terrible!  Tyrant of the Tide!  I lust for the lost treasures of the world...so you're probably just sensing my urge to find some in this desert!  Fufufufu!"  Taiga flexed her rather toned arm. "Trust me gramps, we've tangoed with plenty of legends, and we've knocked em all down, and only one of 'em had anything worth calling treasure!"  Taiga picked out a small crystal from her pocket.  "That'd be from when we beat Diancie!"  Taiga scratched her chin.  "Although...if you've got somethin' worth my time, we could go at it if you wanna."  She then pointed towards Landorus.  "You said that you left the big green idiot in charge of things, so why don't you come back and lead the charge?!  The people who killed your brother are coming for the rest of ya legends...so we might as well go down fightin' together."  She then pointed her thumb to her chest.

"That way, I can survive to collect all the treasure in the world!  FUFUFUFU!"  

[Skaia 579]

Marie had been riding the wave of the surf alongside Keanu, but soon was emptied out of it as the Heatran came to smash his head against the creator of the wave. Flopping down onto the hot rocky ground of the volcano, steam rising off of her almost immediately as it did so, the girl attempted to get herself back up before looking to the legend. Annoyed at the whole situation, Marie could only hurl back the most daring and mature of insults towards Heatran as she shouted, "no you stop!" As the Heatran slammed his head against the substitute left behind by as Marie blasted yet another water gun into him, as well as the wave of the surf colliding at the same time. The double water attack seemed to do a number on the legend, and with the pause, Marie was beginning to realize just how brutally hot it was as she wiped her brow of sweat in spite of not really doing much. Wanting to get the place cooled down and try to quell the fires a bit, Marie began to sing a soft and somber tune as the clouds above began to rain once more. 

Heatran, in response, dove into the lava nearby, only to then burst out behind Marie. "You're so full of tricks aren't you?" 

As the legend began to brings its hand down to grab at Marie, the girl dove forward with all the grace of a magikarp onto the ground onto the hot stone floor. "Ow, ow, ow," as she laid there, stinging a bit from the rocks, the girl looked back to Heatran. "And you're really...um...magma-y! Uh..." Marie seemed confused by her own retort, before letting loose yet another blast of water at the legend. As he was struck the man simply let out another roar, still seeming able to fight. 

Nine sat by the fire, more pensive as Gwen explained her version of destiny to him. As she posed a question to him, Nine simply put a finger to his chin. If he hadn't already thought that she had been hiding something from him, Nine was now affirmed that there was something up with this woman. All the same, he only cared about answering her question now rather than trying to interrogate her in any capacity, and simply looked back to her. "Well, doesn't that depend on the task? After all, if it was something I enjoyed then naturally I'd have no qualms about wanting to perform that task. But, if it was something I didn't like well." The Houndoom thought for a moment before flatly saying, "I'd run. After all, there's no meaning in a task that neither brings you joy nor an end you want, so it'd be simple to just run from it and figure something else out to do with myself." Looking directly at the woman after he said this, a more caring kind of smile on his face then there had been prior, Nine simply said, "so, I suppose I should ask something I haven't yet. What do you want to do Gwen?" 

[Saikazo 241]

"Yeah, see? He's finally learning what's important so don't go distracting him." Mac said, waving a finger at Tornadus. Kazo just stared at Mac, confusion etched on his face.

"Just what do you think I am?" Kazo asked. Did she think he was some sort of playboy? The Legend howled with laughter.

"Oh is that so? Well let me tell you kids something. You'll all have to learn about romance sooner or later. It's what makes life worth living! Just look around at how happy it makes everyone!" Then he shrugged. "Everyone's so worried about this Godslayer business. Don't get it myself. They'll run into the wrong Legend soon enough and get taken down. Maybe they caught us by surprise but that's over now. Just look at me." He spread his arms wide "Do you really think someone could take me down?"

"Yeah, but if they run into the right Legend, then that Legend is dead," the Litleo replied, shaking his head. "Which means there are less legendaries around. That's not good. Also, it's not good to be so cocky, Mister." A simple way to put it, but Ari was right.

"I... I wanna believe you're strong enough, Tornadus... but... well, when I first met Regirock, it was... awe inspiring, really. He was so big, so strong, like a mountain personified. It took everything I had to even put a scratch on him. I remember thinking that it would be impossible to beat such a man, let alone kill him. Not even a week later I learned the Godslayers had killed him," Kazo paused, not liking what he was about to say next. "A-and... and Latios died protecting Latias from the Godslayers...," A death that was his fault. If he wasn't so weak, they could have saved them both. If he was stronger, then the legend he was chasing wouldn't have died in front of him. "I just... I just don't want more people dying because they weren't taking this seriously. This is a very serious threat. So just... be careful, okay? I won't be able to get romance advice from you if you die," 

He just hoped his words were taken seriously. He hoped he didn't just say all that just to get shut down.

---

Denku followed the tunnel. This was confusing. He was told more of the prison was down here, but it didn't seem like a prison, not at all. The glowing coral was quite beautiful, and it seemed a lot more... peaceful here then back outside. He kept going further in, until he saw a shallow pool of water, and in it, was a small child. A small child, deep in a prison? There was only one answer Denku could think of. He took off his mask, walking up to pool, squatting down as he looked over the child.

"Hi. Are you Phione?" He asked in a kind voice.

[Chaos Sonic 443]



"I don't think you're strong enough to get my full attention. But if you want some you can have it!"

This response from Heatran caused him to go wide-eyed. Randy stood there, watching the Legend absorb his flames and his arm was now engulfed in flames as another Flamethrower blasted his direction. It was larger than the last one, and it knocked the Incineroar back quite a bit. It wasn't too harmful...but it was boosted...he could tell that for a fact.

He began to growl through grit teeth, slowly getting up as he watched Heatran attempt to strike at Keanu, only hitting a Substitute instead. Not only this, Marie did assist with another Water Gun and even causing it to rain...which would definitely not just hinder Heatran (hopefully), but it would also hinder his Fire Fang and Fire Blast. He slammed his fist onto the platform, continuing to grit his teeth.

I'm...not strong enough? TAUROS SHIT! Randy slowly stood up, clenching his fists tightly. Not strong enough? NOT STRONG ENOUGH?! I've fought Allie...I fought Blake...I fought Yveltal...all of them were strong... His gaze turned towards Heatran, glaring at him with a strong fervor. "You...don't think I'm strong enough? I'll show you...how strong I am!"

Standing upright, Randy let out a roar and slammed his fists together, both becoming engulfed in a dark energy. "These fists of mine overflow with a powerful darkness!!" he shouted, moving his hands away from one another, both still holding them at chest level. "Their deathly glow tell me to grasp victory!!" He growled, his feral gold eyes glinting slightly as the Incineroar rushed forward. "HERE I GO!!! DARKEST....LARIAT!!!!" He roared, closing the distance between him and Heatran, before striking at him with once with one arm, then spinning and striking at him with the other.

"One thing we Incineroars pride ourselves with, aside from our pride,...is our strength!" Randy growled. "Don't insult my strength...or you'll regret it!!"

[reparoni 161]

Deadlands Team Karaoke

Lok frowned a bit as Kayla spoke. She seemed to think something was off with this mission... he had no idea what she had seen down there, but it obviously seemed to put her on edge. Lok let out a sigh. "What I know is that, whether this task is right or not, we have to do it." He said, floating slowly towards the girl. "I don't know what you saw down there, and I know the people from my little ghost town can be... off putting. But I've grown up with these people all my life, and I know they don't mean any harm." He turned up to the sky. "Whatever is at the end of this journey, I'm sure it's the right thing to do." He smiled softly, before turning back to Kayla, waiting for her response.

 

---

 

Oasis Team Showdown

Scarlet listened as Landorous spoke. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but this definitely wasn't it. She especially didn't except to hear Landorus' question to the group. "What I want...?" She said to herself, before nodding. She waited for Taiga to finish before speaking up. "Everything was ok before these Godslayers showed up." She said, crossing her arms. "The chaos these maniacs are causing is hurting so many innocent people. People that can't do anything to stop this madness."

"I used to wonder why the Gods hid away from the world so long ago, resenting them like an abandoned child. It's the job of the strong to protect the weak, and the Gods weren't doing their jobs." She said, placing one of her pincers on her hip. "Now, knowing what I know, things make more sense. I now understand that how things were was how things should be. I'll be blunt; I can't stand most of the Gods. They drive me insane, and once this is all said and done, I will be absolutely ecstatic to never see them again." She said with a small chuckle. "I can almost see where the Godslayers are coming from, and that's the most terrifying thing to me. That's why I need to stop them."

"So what I want is to end this madness and for things to go back to how they were, before Gods and their slayers."

[LordCowCow 842]

Team Mac, Day 23, Ogren

"Which means there are less legendaries around. That's not good. Also, it's not good to be so cocky, Mister."

"I just... I just don't want more people dying because they weren't taking this seriously. This is a very serious threat. So just... be careful, okay? I won't be able to get romance advice from you if you die," 

Tornadus seemed to be growing agitated by the conversation. "They didn't know what was coming. I know there's people out there. When they come I'll be ready to take them on." He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at the group. "You must have seen some pretty strong folk to shake you up so much. But they're not gonna take me down. The Great Green One can't afford a loss."

And that was when he was struck from the side by a ball-like object. And slammed into the ground.

The object rolled off and spun in place for a moment before stopping. And then a woman uncurled and stood up. Not just any woman. But the Miltank that they had met before.

"Goodness, this has just not gone well. I didn't want to do this with children around but when you have a chance to get rid of a Legend you just have to take it." She smiled sadly at the trio. "I suppose I can't ask you to leave and let me take care of my business, can I?"

Tornadus lay, groaning, on the ground, seemingly dazed by the sudden attack. The wedding guests started to panic and shriek. Elsa shouted above the crowd. "Everyone, get out of here, this crazy chick is dangerous! Laura, get everyone going."

The Leafeon hesitated, looking at Elsa in concern. "What are you going to do?" She asked quietly.

"That girl crashed our wedding." Elsa said, slowly making her way forward, fists clenched. "I'm going to make her regret it."

---

Team Neo Not Dark, Day 33, Merm Palace

"Thank you, oh thank you sir! I've been so lonely." He edged a little closer to the man. "I'm glad that Dora is surrounded by people like you,"

The Kingdra was blushing heavily and having trouble looking at Easter as he pointed off in the distance. "R-right this way." He led the Sylveon down the hall, glancing back at him every few seconds, but unable to keep his gaze on him for long. "Well...Everyone loves Dora, after all." He said, finally responding to what Easter said. "It's hard not to. Even if she wasn't...you know, the princess."

It wasn't long before they reached the room and the Kingdra knocked lightly. "Your highness?" He called out softly. Hearing an even softer response he opened up the door. "Um, one of Dora's...friends, wanted to see her, if that is okay with you."

Easter would hear a soft, melodic, voice call out "Well let them in already, no need for them to wait out there."

When he entered the room he'd find Dora, her head on a large bed, asleep. With a sickly, but still beautiful, Milotic laying on the bed and stroking the girl's hair.

------

"Hi. Are you Phione?"

The child's head perked up and they looked at Denku for a while, not saying anything, just watching the Pupitar. "I think so." They responded. "That's what people call me. So I guess I am, huh?" They moved from their back to floating on their stomach instead and pushed through the water towards the edge. "What about you? You're not the person who usually comes here. Are they sick?"

---

Team Alola, Day 27, Trailsau

Rain falling down on his head. Water striking him over and over. Heatran was feeling rather steamed at the moment. So when Randy began speaking the Legend turned to him with an angered look. "You talk too much." he said. The first arm struck him cleanly but as the second came across the legend grabbed onto Randy's forearm. He thrust his fist into Randy's gut and then picked the young man up and tossed him. The Incineroar flew towards the lip of the volcano as Heatran turned his attention back to the other two.

"I'm not nearly worn out! Try harder!" He roared and stuck his arms into the lava on either side of the rocky path. The lava erupted from it, similar to the plume before, in a much larger amount than any attack previous. Two pillars of lava shot towards Keanu and Marie, one for each, and continued to flow.

---

"Plus, you just got back, and it looks like your sisters really missed you. I never had any sisters so I can't relate, but if I did, I think I'd want her to stick around for a bit before taking off to do something dangerous."

Allie's smirk grew cold as she sauntered closer to Nani. She leaned over the Mimikyu and poked her chest. "And where do you get off telling me what to do, hm?" She glanced at Trevor. "Get the girls inside." When they started to complain she shook her head. "I'll tell you all about my journey later if you do."

Once they were gone she turned back to Nani. "What are you trying to hide from me little miss foreigner?"

---

Team Showdown, Day 31, Oasis

"Well can't say I expected that." Landorus said. He nodded at Taiga and smiled. "You, you don't seem half bad. You're honest and I like that. I left it to Rayquaza because that's how this goes." He shrugged. "My job wasn't to take charge. It was to keep my brothers in check. Those two are strong. They helped keep things in balance most of the time. But sometimes they got a bit...out of balance. That's when I wake up and calm them down."

He chuckled darkly. "And what did I wake up to this time?" He looked at Scarlet. "People killing us because they felt they knew how things should be done. You don't like us? Fine. But until you've lived as long as I have you sure as hell can't blame me for what I do or don't do."

Landorus frowned. Gazing down at the pie. "Maybe I just want to enjoy however much time I have left. Cause even if we stop them there's people like you who think they might be right. And then we'll be hunted all over again."

He gave a bitter laugh. "From what I hear this world has been going to shit for a while now. A time before the 'Gods'? What do you think got us into this?"

---

Team Karaoke, Day 37, Deadlands

"so, I suppose I should ask something I haven't yet. What do you want to do Gwen?" 

Gwen smiled slightly at Nine's answer. "I wonder if it's really that simple." She said, before thinking about his own question. She didn't answer at first but slowly a blush formed on her face and she shook her head. At first refusing to answer. But after a few moments she gave a simple answer. "I'd like a family of my own some day." She responded. Her voice sounding almost wistful as she spoke.

---

"Whatever is at the end of this journey, I'm sure it's the right thing to do."

Kayla still didn't seem very convinced but she responded with a half-shrug. "I guess we'll find out soon." She glanced over at him. "I, er, if there is something...going on...I'll..." She shuffled farther away. "Uh, stop it." She finished, unconvincingly.

--------

The next day the trip continued on much the same as previous. At first. After several hours though everything changed. Rather drastically. They found themselves standing not too far off from a grove of flowers. brightly colored and plentiful. A large circular area that, unlike the complete dead land that they had crossed to be here, was full of life.

And in the middle was what seemed to be a shell made of flowers, vines, and leaves. And it was surrounded by Ghost types.

[Saikazo 241]

"They didn't know what was coming. I know there's people out there. When they come I'll be ready to take them on." He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at the group. Great, he was annoyed now. Now he wasn't going to listen to them. Fun fun fun.  "You must have seen some pretty strong folk to shake you up so much. But they're not gonna take me down. The Great Green One can't afford a loss." 

Before anything else could be said, it seemed another Godslayer had attacked Tornadus. To make things worse, it was that nice Miltank from earlier.

"Goodness, this has just not gone well. I didn't want to do this with children around but when you have a chance to get rid of a Legend you just have to take it." She smiled sadly at the trio. "I suppose I can't ask you to leave and let me take care of my business, can I?"

Kazo sighed and shook his head as he got ready to fight once again, readying his nerves. "S-Sadly no. I'm guessing it's going to be too much to ask about why you're doing all of this?"

 

---

 

"I think so." The kid responded after what felt like an unbearably long time. "That's what people call me. So I guess I am, huh?" They moved from their back to floating on their stomach instead and pushed through the water towards the edge. "What about you? You're not the person who usually comes here. Are they sick?"

"My name's Denku and... I honestly don't know who that person who usually comes here is," Denku admitted. "Mew and Mewtwo sent me here to check on you and Manaphy. They're worried about you two,"

Edited June 3, 2019 by Saikazo May Cry

[Sethera 290]

Even after Ari spoke, even after Kazo spoke, Tornadus was still being stubborn. The Litleo shook his head in disappointment. The legendary then continued his boasting, but was quickly silenced by...a ball? And looking to the side, it was that kind lady from before who threw it.

It took a little bit to process. Kind lady. Ball. Tornadus on the ground. But he was helped along by her words. "Goodness, this has just not gone well. I didn't want to do this with children around but when you have a chance to get rid of a Legend you just have to take it." She smiled sadly at the trio. "I suppose I can't ask you to leave and let me take care of my business, can I?"

Kazo sighed and shook his head, recovering from his shock first. "S-Sadly no. I'm guessing it's going to be too much to ask about why you're doing all of this?"

Meanwhile, off to the side, Elsa looked ready to attack the woman, which made Ari shiver a little. It looked like things were going to get...bad. Again. "We shouldn't fight..." he urged to...well, everybody. "Please."

--

The Kingdra was blushing heavily and having trouble looking at Easter as he pointed off in the distance. "R-right this way." He led the Sylveon down the hall, glancing back at him every few seconds, but unable to keep his gaze on him for long. "Well...Everyone loves Dora, after all." He said, finally responding to what Easter said. "It's hard not to. Even if she wasn't...you know, the princess."

"Yeah," the fairy type nodded. "That makes sense. We didn't know Dora was a princess either, and she endeared herself to us." He smiled softly.

They continued walking, the Sylveon quietly keeping track of how many turns they made and how many doors they passed, until they arrived at what seemed to be the right room. The Kingdra called inside, answered by a soft melodic voice. Quickly thanking the dragon type and entering the room, he saw Dora sleeping, and automatically, a part of him that had been tense, relaxed. Also lying on the bed was a sickly but still beautiful Milotic.

"Greetings Your Highness, my name is Easter," the Sylveon bowed. "I'm sorry to disturb you. I was looking for Dora..." he paused, glancing at the girl on the bed, a little stymied. With the Wooper asleep like this, it was a shame to wake her up, but they really needed to get going. But... He hesitated. Maybe she's better off here? Her father is a jerk, but she seems to like it here nonetheless. "She looks so peaceful like this."

The woman smiled. "Yes, well, after spending the entire day being herself her body has to settle down somehow."

"Yes, that's true," the fairy type chuckled. "And, it's a shame, but, I'd like to wake her up. I wanted to quick talk with her." And ask her if she wants to stay here or not.

The woman coughed lightly into her hand before answering. "Well, that's fine with me, but you're responsible for getting her back to bed later. Though I am interested in wanting to know more about the people Dora has been with all this time."

"Oh?" Easter attempted to block off any impatience he felt. Thankfully, it should take the king quite a bit of time before he reached the prison, though he was already on his way there it seemed... Well, Brooke and Denku would just have to wait. With all luck, the king would just reprimand them before returning. Still, that downed Tentacruel was rather suspicious...he probably should've moved him somewhere, but he just didn't have that much time. "Well, it's been Brooke, Denku, and I along with Dora for the past few weeks now, but Brooke's been with her a lot longer than that. Years, I think. Ever since she came to the surface." He stopped, hoping he didn't touch upon a sore spot. If this woman was anything like her husband, she wouldn't be too happy to hear this.

"Brooke, that's a strong name." The woman responded. "I'd like to talk to this Brooke." She gave Easter a long look. "I have a feeling that isn't going to happen any time soon, is it?"

Ah. He hadn't been subtle enough. Fair. He was rather impatient right now. The fairy type blinked innocently, glancing briefly at the door before back to the queen. Lowering his voice just to be sure, he decided to be truthful, "Probably not. We're...on a bit of a mission. We're not planning on staying long. Well, you might have heard as much from your husband." Though they hadn't told him the whole truth. "And Dora..." he glanced up at the water type, "She came with us, and we'd like to leave with her." He hesitated, forcing out the next words. "Unless...she would rather stay. I guess that's what I wanted to ask her." It was the height of foolishness to be so frank with a woman who had every right to want Dora to stay with her. And yet, he didn't have the time to dance around the topic either. If worst came to worst, he would just have to knock her out somehow, loathe as he was to do so against a gijinka in her condition.

The queen looked down at her daughter, running her hand through the girl's short hair, before responding. "I'm sure my husband won't like that. Which I suppose is why you are in such a rush." She sighed. "He's too afraid of the outside world. Ever since what happened to me..." She looked back at Easter. "But that's why I want Dora to make her own choices. Soon I might be around any longer and then she won't have that chance. I'm sure you realize, Dora isn't our biological child. She was brought here by a young man." She nodded to herself. "She deserves to see more of the world she was born into; not just this place."

Easter sighed, partly in relief, but partly out of sympathy for this woman before him, who would send her daughter out for her own sake. He couldn't help but see the parallels to his own situation. My mother threw me out as well...I'm sure she did it just so I could come crawling back on my knees, begging for forgiveness, but...instead, I left for good. And I'm glad I did. There is so much more to this world than a small seaside town. This woman, no, this mother, realizes that as well. It wouldn't be unusual for her to want to stay with her daughter while she's like this instead, to spend her last moments with the child she loves. His expression turned sardonic. Would I had this person for a mother instead. It's a little sad that she, who has no family ties with Dora, treats her so much better than my own blood-related mother.

The Sylveon's visage turned pained. "You are correct... Your husband is...less than pleased with the prospect of Dora doing anything but staying here, within these city boundaries." He glanced around the room, taking it in. "Were he to have his way, she would never leave. At least, that is the impression I have gotten. And Brooke...well, she is a little unsatisfied with that idea. I don't blame her, honestly. I've gotten attached to Dora too, and the idea of forcing her to live in a gilded cage sounds...unpleasant. I used to live a similar life, and in the end, I'm glad I left it." He shook his head. "Still, the fact you're letting Dora choose...well, I feel like you're no less a mother than you would have been had you been her biological mother." Just like Brooke is no less a mother either for taking care of Dora like this for so long. That child was fortunate to have two, if not three mothers who cared very much for her.

And me, he thought. I care for her too. Maybe not exactly like a mother, but...she is still dear to me. She was like that other little one, the Eevee, the one they all lost. Cherished. Special.

Loved.

--

Much to his relief, the heat was finally taken off of Keanu. Only to land on Marie instead. Which wasn't very good either. Then to Randy, and then back to him and Marie. Great. He attempted to dodge, but every time he moved, so did the lava pillar heading his way. Which was annoying. Gritting his teeth, the Pikachu sent off an Electro Ball before jumping out of the way as the pillar came after him. He could only hope that it would help, even if just a little. "This is impossible," he muttered.

The electric type glanced at the others. Hopefully they were still managing to keep up throughout all of this.

[Chaos Sonic 443]



"You talk too much."

Randy was stunned as now he was being literally launched into the air by Heatran, stopping the second strike of his Darkest Lariat. This was becoming insane to him... And right now, he heading over the lip of the volcano. From the given way things were going, no resistance...he was definitely going to go over and outside of the volcano.

Grrrr...I-I don't think so! Randy thought, immediately firing a Fire Blast above him, allowing him to propel himself downward and back into the volcano. He landed over on a ledge, to where he could catch his breath for a good moment. Right now, he was clenching his fists. ...not worth his FULL attention? The hell is that supposed to mean? he thought, grinding his teeth. I'm giving it everything I have, damnit!!

He slammed his fist into the side of the volcano where he sat, taking a deep breath and trying his best to calm himself. His mind went through the fights he had leading up to this: the Northshore bout...where it pretty much ended in a draw against Allie. Deep down, he wanted to say it was a win for him, but he knew better...he had been lying to himself on that. The Mowloo attack with him fighting Blake...it ended, but he didn't really win. That win was practically Yveltal's. Hell, even the Yveltal fight! He was out for a good long portion of the fight...how could he really call that a win. The only fight he really truly won in, aside from the other native Mowlooians that Blake had working for him, was that cannibal Pawniard.

...I want to say I won...I want to say that I was able to win against something. Randy admitted to himself, moving slightly, trying to make his way back to where the three were. Sliding down the side of the volcano, jumping to get on the other platforms, he stood there watching Heatran looking menacingly at Keanu and Marie. He was behind the Legend, and his fists clenched tightly.

He began to make his stride towards him, watching him fire off two Lava Plumes. Randy growled slightly, his hands being cloaked in a white energy as he approached the Legend. With a roar, he struck at Heatran's back with a Brick Break, two of them to be exact and gave off a look that showed both a determination to win and a desire to be acknowledged. "...we aren't done yet."

[yui 577]

Location: Trailsau (Team Alola, day 27)
Inventory: Good Rod, Antidote, Kasib Berry

"And where do you get off telling me what to do, hm? Get the girls inside. I'll tell you all about my journey later if you do."

Uh-oh. The way this was shaping up didn't bode well. Had she said the wrong thing maybe? She certainly couldn't fight Allie head-on if it came down to it, probably. At least it was an opponent she'd seen in action before this time though. Not that it was much consolation.

"What are you trying to hide from me little miss foreigner?"

"My face, mostly," Nani answered, doing her best to at least lighten the mood, and ideally dodge the question completely, as she fiddled around with her hood's ears. "I've heard of 'a face only a mother could love' but I'm really pushing it. Makes the Hunchback of Lumiose City look like a real prince charming. I don't deal in orders though; I'm not really telling you what to do so much as just, there's so many good reasons not to go fight Heatran this instant, right? He'll still be up there later and all. Sorry if we got off on the wrong foot or something." Nani made sure to keep light on her feet though, in case she had to bail in a hurry.

[Mr. Hyde 204]

Team Showdown - Oasis Inn

"Well can't say I expected that." Landorus said. He nodded towards her and smiled. "You, you don't seem half bad. You're honest and I like that. I left it to Rayquaza because that's how this goes." He shrugged. "My job wasn't to take charge. It was to keep my brothers in check. Those two are strong. They helped keep things in balance most of the time. But sometimes they got a bit...out of balance. That's when I wake up and calm them down."

"Well looks like you're out of the job now, huh...unless the other one's makin' hell somewhere else..."  She sighed, making a half-assed attempt at dark humor.

"So what I want is to end this madness and for things to go back to how they were, before Gods and their slayers."

Taiga stared at the girl next to her, dumbfounded.  

"And what did I wake up to this time?" He looked at Scarlet. "People killing us because they felt they knew how things should be done. You don't like us? Fine. But until you've lived as long as I have you sure as hell can't blame me for what I do or don't do."  Landorus frowned. Gazing down at the pie. "Maybe I just want to enjoy however much time I have left. Cause even if we stop them there's people like you who think they might be right. And then we'll be hunted all over again."  He gave a bitter laugh. "From what I hear this world has been going to shit for a while now. A time before the 'Gods'? What do you think got us into this?"

"You're just echoing the God Slayer Manifesto, Chrome Dome!"  Taiga barked at her friend.  "How do you 'spose we get to a time without Gods, while there are still Gods walkin' around!"  Taiga was dumb, but she'd never thought she'd hear anything dumber than what Scarlet just uttered.  She shook her head, still bewildered.  "I thought we were tryin' to save everyone...Gods included..."  Taiga blushed, before twiddling her thumbs.  "And then take all their money, of course!"  She looked back towards Landorus.  "I'm sorry Landy...my cohort isn't that great with her words...she don't talk much."  She looked to Isole.  "Neither of em do...I'm basically the mouthpiece of this here Team."  She stuck out her hand, and grinned.  "Team up with us and the gods...we're gonna need your old muscles if we wanna make it out of this alive.  Wouldn't your brother's want you to avenge 'em?  Yer not obligated to...but at least show 'em up by taking a few down yourself."

[reparoni 161]

Deadlands Team Karaoke

Lok let out a sigh as the girl shifted away from him. He felt bad, wondering what exactly she had seen down there. He wished he could say something to her, but the words escaped him. Maybe she was right - they'd see soon enough.

. . .

After resting, the group continued. Things were going about the same as the previous day, until they reached it. They found a sudden grove of flowers in the middle of the dead lands. Colors that seemed to pop out even more compared to the grey wasteland around it. In the center of it all was a shell surrounded by Ghost-types. "I think we're here." He said quetly, cautiously making his way towards the middle. "Worst of all, it seems like they're here too." He turned to the others, before turning to Nine. "We should go for an ambush and try and save the Legend. You're by far much stronger than I am, so I ask that you lead the way. I'll back you up." He said, turning back to Nine. If Nine were to engage on the ghosts, Lok would fire off a Confuse Ray towards one of the closer Shuppets.

 

---

 

Oasis Team Showdown

"Don't you dare compare me to those monsters!" Scarlet snapped at Taiga, crossing her arms. "Have you already forgotten how things were before Volcanion died? There was no trace of Gods back then, only dreams of ever meeting one." She said, turning back to Landorus. "That's the Godless world I am talking about. Not one where there are literally no Gods, but where we and the Gods did our own thing." She shook her head, turning back to Taiga. "How could you ever tell me that's what the 'Slayer Manifesto' was, when they're the ones that started this!? Of course we're here to save lives - including the Legends. " She turned back to Landorus.

"You seem to misunderstand me too. Like I just said, the Godless world I speak of was before Volcanion's death, the exact point the world 'started going to shit'. Before all of you started cropping up." She tilted her head. "I never put the blame on the legends for any of this. Not anymore. Sorry I don't get along with everyone, but don't say I'm blaming any of you for this." She grit her teeth. "Let me be perfectly clear about this, and don't you twist my words on this."

"All of this is the slayer's fault. I do not agree with the slayers, nor do I think they're even remotely right about anything - if I did, I would have joined them by now. My sole purpose for coming to you is to stop the slayers, because I know that none of us can stop them by ourselves." Scarlet let out a sigh. She was getting ahead of herself again, almost forgetting the reason they were here. "I can only hope your opinion on me doesn't cloud your judgement. Innocent people are getting caught in the crossfire, people that can't do anything. We need to fight for them, and once we give them a chance to rest, we can do the same."

 

[Skaia 579]

Nine simply sat back as he said, "a family huh?" With a smile on his face he said, "well, when our journey is all over, I'm sure a woman like you will have no issue with that." With that, Nine merely sat there in silence with Gwen by the fire for the rest of the night. Eventually, Nine awoke and got ready to travel through the dead wasteland that they had found themselves in once more. Quite like before, their traveling didn't have anything other than  just dead grass and a barren landscape to it. That was, until it didn't. 

As if a part of some other land was torn off and just placed here, the terrain shifted abruptly. With bright colors and teaming with life, the group had arrived at some kind of a grove that Nine had to double take upon laying eyes upon it. Looking back and forth between the grove and the place they had come from Nine simply said, "well, not uh - you know let's just go." Following along through the grove, Nine looked in awe at everything around him, figuring that this was something that was clearly an unnatural sight here. All the same, the group eventually ended up at what Nine believed to be the center of the grove. 

Seeing the plantlife around it twisting into an almost shell like formation, Nine was beginning to have a thought about what was going on here. One that was only reinforced by the gathering of ghost types around it. Looking to Gwen as Lok made his comment, he jokingly asked, "what? Not friends of yours?" As he asked this, it seemed that Lok had taken the planning of the attack to head. Feeling a bit impressed with the authority with which the boy spoke and seeing him combat ready, Nine said, "well feeling a bit feisty there Lok. So, if I'm bait here, guess I'll go and do my role. I'm a bit curious as to what they know, and gotta make sure they're our mark first though, so I'll go on ahead. I'll give the signal if things need to come to blows...or if they start attacking me, take that as a signal." Chuckling to himself, the Houndoom moved and rapped around the forest. 

The Houndoom had let a pulse of dark aura move around him, sharpening his flames and dark pulse, as he kept on walking forward. Approaching from where they had come from, Nine gave a small wave to the ghosts saying, "hey there fellows, a bit of an unusual sight here I must say."

The Chandelure of the group made her way towards Nine, swaying back and forth as she did. "I think the unusual sight is you actually. What, I wonder, are you doing here?"

Putting his hands up to show that he meant no harm, Nine said, "well, I'm a bit of an explorer, a connoisseur of strangeness if you will. And well, seeing a thing like this is nothing short of strange, wouldn't you say?"

"Mmm, well, why don't you go explore somewhere else then? This is our spot now."

"Now now, don't be like that. I'm sure something like this is good enough for the whole lot of us to share. Besides, I though the folk of Alpha and Omega were supposed to be a hospitable sort."

"We're not in Omega right now, pup." The Cafagrigus said, possessing a deep voice that resonated from inside of its shell.

Raising his eyebrow at this, Nine had gotten what he wanted out from them. Knowing that they were there targets for sure, the young male continued to prod at them saying, "And I thought hospitality was a universal constant. Didn't your parents teach you sharing was caring, after all?" Shrugging, he said, "well, it's not like I can leave with my curiosity piqued like this anyway. So, why don't we just let bygones be bygones and talk discuss what this kind of place is together, huh?"

"I'm not sure you really have a say in that." The Chandelure said. Meanwhile during this the Drifblim is floating closer and closer without saying anything

Stepping a bit back, feeling a strange sense of hostility from the Drifblim, Nine said, "well, then let me be the first to offer, before thinking of receiving. A place like this, a drastic change could only be caused by one thing right? After all, talks of legends being around have become more common place this past month, so I can't help but think one is involved here, right?"

"And what do you know about Legends?" The Chandelure asked, sharply. The Drifblim got even closer, moving a bit faster, with a huge smile on their face.

Sighing, feeling as though it was now or never, Nine said, "well, I suppose I should reintroduce myself. I'm not just any connoisseur of strangeness." With that, the Houndoom sent out a pulse of darkness towards the Chandeleur, saying, "I'm a Chaser." 

As Marie was pressed against the hot volcano surface, the girl continued to feel the stinging heat and was all the more terrified of the volcanic legend looming over her. Thankfully, Randy had stepped in and struck at the legend. Unthankfully, he was clearly losing his cool and Heatran was clearly stronger as he tossed the Incineroar away. Marie had managed to get back to her feet as this happened, but she knew that the situation wasn't the best looking. Something in her told that it was becoming far too dangerous for Randy to keep in this fight, as the more he got worked up the more reckless he'd get and the more likely he'd actually get himself killed. Shouting out, "Randy keep coo- AHH!" The girl cut herself off, as a pillar of lava erupted from the volcano and made its way towards her. The pillar, while menacing on its own, was only made more so as steam from the rain hitting against it poured off of the plume.

Marie, not entirely known for her speed, didn't have much of a way to avoid the pillar. Especially as, with what little movements she did make, the fire seemed to continue towards her. Taking the flames, Marie let out a small scream of pain as the heat and fire washed over her. Looking towards Heatran, seeing Randy and he exchange blows, Marie could start to feel her blood, almost literally, begin to boil as she began working herself up against her opponent.

[Cheshire Toon 141]

So the King had arrived. Swell. "It would appear my lack of trust for land dwellers was well founded. Tell me, did you plan on using my daughter to break into here or was that just a bonus?" Just swell. This was just going amazing. Denku had ducked into the maximum security room he had just busted the door off, vanishing into the darkness, and then seconds late the King had materialized from around the corner. 

Brooke started toward the King but stopped a few dozen yards away from him. “Trust. Funny thing, that. Nobody seems to have much of it these days. Not you, not any of the legends, not even me.” She stared the Kingler down with eyes so alight with malice they could have been mistaken for smouldering coals. “I had a bad feeling about this place as soon as we arrived. What’s in that room?” She gestured at the room Denku had disappeared into. “My friend is already in there so we’ll know in a second anyways, but maybe you’d be willing to make our job easier and just tell us?”

She was redirecting. Really, she was just trying to distract him. She was inching ever closer to the support pillar in the center of the hallway between them as she talked; her hands, hidden behind her back, began to pulse with the oh so familiar fighting energy that gave her the strength to shatter stone. “Wait… pump the breaks. On second thought, go to the Distortion World.”

She grabbed both the support beams, summoned all the strength she could muster, and attempted to rip them out of the wall.
 

[LordCowCow 842]

Team Mac, Day 23, Ogren

"S-Sadly no. I'm guessing it's going to be too much to ask about why you're doing all of this?"

Mia sighed heavily. "I have to do it. I've seen too many kids suffer because of how this world works. If we just get rid of them then we can make everything right again."

"Blah blah, you think you're some hero or something? I don't care. You messed with my day, worse you messed with Laura's day, I'm not going to just let you do as you please." Elsa said.

"We shouldn't fight...Please."

The Glaceon seemed to deflate a bit. The group and the Godslayer watched each other as the tension grew.

"I'd love it if we didn't have to fight." Mia said. "I'd rather not hurt you." She then turned towards Tornadus. "But I have to do what I have to do." She then crouched down, preparing to go back into her Rollout again.

Mac clenched her fists, "We can't let her do this." Mac said. "Right? Kazo? Ari? What are you gonna do? You know I'm gonna have to stop her one way or another."

---

Team Neo Not Dark, Day 33, Merm Palace

"My name's Denku and... I honestly don't know who that person who usually comes here is," Denku admitted. "Mew and Mewtwo sent me here to check on you and Manaphy. They're worried about you two,"

"Mana...mana...Oh, you're talking about mama? Mama isn't here. The man said mama won't come here so I gotta wait for mama to come. How's Mew doin? She was gonna visit sometime but then I got put here."

---

The woman gazed at Easter for several long moments. A multitude of emotions crossing her face. Only ending in a brief coughing fit. "I am glad my daughter found such a kind soul to help guide her." She stated. Then she leaned over and gently shook Dora. "It's time to wake up, your friend is here to speak with you."

Dora's head shot up and, breaking the somber moment, called out "Waffles?" She looked around and her eyes settled on the Sylveon. "Hi Easter!" She said.

---

“My friend is already in there so we’ll know in a second anyways, but maybe you’d be willing to make our job easier and just tell us?”

The king's gaze turned towards the door, which had been burst open, and he frowned deeply. "I'm not sure it's really any of your business but, very well, I am not ashamed."

“Wait… pump the breaks. On second thought, go to the Distortion World.”

Stepping back the Kingler prepared to retaliate as Brooke stepped closer. He hadn't expected her to go for the wall, however, and she was able to rip a chunk out of the wall. Causing a portion to crumble.

The two Corphish pulled him back as the stone tumbled down. The hallway became three-quarters filled with stone, with a corner remaining open. From behind the rock Brooke could hear the man speaking. "Very well. You don't have anywhere to go. You have to leave eventually. You two. Go get some more troops. Bring some of them down here. And send the rest to my wife's quarters. The other one is still up there. If they do anything to Dora..."

"Your highness we can't just leave..."

"I believe I am strong enough to handle them if they try anything, the princess needs protection, now go."

---

Team Alola, Day 27, Trailsau

Heatran grimaced as he took the electric attack dead on and he instinctively removed one of his arms from the lava. Immediately the pillar that was chasing Keanu petered out and vanished. Then Randy's attack came and the Legend pitched forward, though didn't fall on his face.

The pillar that was chasing Marie changed course and went coming towards Randy directly behind Heatran instead.

As it did the man stood to his feet and swung around. He stomped his way towards Randy, sending large shockwaves through the ground, going in to grab the Incineroar.

---

"He'll still be up there later and all. Sorry if we got off on the wrong foot or something."

Allie smiled wide. "Well fine then. Don't you worry about it." She started walking past and put a hand on Nani's shoulder. "You can make it up to me by coming to see our good buddy Heatran with me." And with that she would head towards the volcano without any intention to stop.

---

Team Showdown, Day 31, Oasis

"Neither of em do...I'm basically the mouthpiece of this here Team."

"For better or for worse." Isole muttered in response, idly leaning against the wall. "It's easier to just let it happen and react to whatever she gets us into."

Landorus rubbed the back of his head as he watched Taiga and Scarlet. "You're so tenacious." He pointed at Scarlet. "Girl. The world has been dying for longer than that. The Legends never left they just haven't been active in everyone's lives. Which made people like them think it's time to change things."

He glanced at Taiga and chuckled. "Well would you look at that, I got myself caught in my own words." He shook his head. "Maybe it is time to show you kids what's up after all. You all have gotten so far off track."

With a grunt he sat back down. "I don't even get a week off before back do business do I?" He raised a hand towards the two. "Come, sit, there's pie to be had."

---

Team Karaoke, Day 37, Deadlands

The Chandelure let out a scream as the pulse hit her. As did the rest of the Gijinka, barring the Drifblim.

"Then I guess you can all die! You and your two friends."

She moved backwards back towards the shell of plants. "I'll break this open. Be a dear and handle them would you?" She said to the Cofagrigus, who slowly made his way around to the other side of the shell nearest to Lok and Gwen.

The Gastly and Shuppet gathered together and started towards the two of them as well. One such Shuppet was hit by Lok's confuse ray and rammed themselves into the ground.

Gwen had been silent during all of this. Usually she would be the first to try and talk to them but her face was expressionless as she watched them. When the fight started all she did was let out a soft sigh. She raised her hand towards the fallen Shuppet. A dark eye appeared above the girl as she used her Hex attack on the Shuppet, who stopped moving after a few moments of twitching.

Over by Nine the Drifblim, still smiling, closed in on him. A pair of ribbon-like appendages shot out from thier side and wrapped around him, squeezing tightly, as they pulled themselves even closer.

[yui 577]

Location: Trailsau (Team Alola, day 27)
Inventory: Good Rod, Antidote, Kasib Berry

"Well fine then. Don't you worry about it. You can make it up to me by coming to see our good buddy Heatran with me."

Looks like I can't stop her after all. Not with words anyway. And certainly not by fighting; Nani would be terribly outmatched against Allie in a fight. And so, the Mimikyu followed closely behind, eyes glued to the volcano. Eye on the prize, as it were. Allie absolutely couldn't get up there before Randy and the others were done fighting Heatran and got back down. And while Nani couldn't stop Allie, surely that didn't mean she couldn't slow her down a bit. Nani's hands crackled with electricity, before she suddenly swung them upwards, releasing a wave of thunder to try and do precisely that, before running around the Tyranitar's side and making a full-speed beeline for the volcano.

"Sorry, but I really can't let you go up there right now," Nani called back, not bothering to stop and see if she'd actually slowed her down. If she did, and Allie hadn't been slowed down after all, it would have probably been a pretty bad time for Nani. Instead, she hurried toward the volcano. Allie was coming, and the others needed to be warned about that. Maybe it can convince Heatran to wait a bit too, at least until she's left. Now that I get WHY he's fighting and all.

[Saikazo 241]

"I have to do it. I've seen too many kids suffer because of how this world works. If we just get rid of them then we can make everything right again."

"Blah blah, you think you're some hero or something? I don't care. You messed with my day, worse you messed with Laura's day, I'm not going to just let you do as you please." Elsa said. Kazo rolled his eyes at that. So self centered, like almost everyone he ever met. It was pretty annoying to be honest.

"I'd rather not hurt you." The Godslayer said as she turned towards Tornadus. "But I have to do what I have to do." She then crouched down, preparing to go back into her Rollout again.

 "We can't let her do this." Mac said. "Right? Kazo? Ari? What are you gonna do? You know I'm gonna have to stop her one way or another."

"It was never a question of 'if', but 'why'," Kazo stated. "Of course I'm not going to let her murder Tornadus... I won't ever let that happen again...," With that, he ran off, rushing up to the Miltank and readying to hit her with Iron Head.

---

"Mana...mana...Oh, you're talking about mama? Mama isn't here. The man said mama won't come here so I gotta wait for mama to come. How's Mew doin? She was gonna visit sometime but then I got put here." Phione explain, causing Denku to stroke his chin. This was confusing.

"The man?" He asked. "Who's that?" Still, it seemed like someone wanted to keep her here and he wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. Was it a trap to offer her up to Godslayers? Was it to protect her from Godslayers? "And Mew is... well, she's being her happy self, but she's really worried about you. Do you want to go see her?" He offered.

[Skaia 579]

While Nine had managed to get a good opening blast at the Chandelure, the Driftblim had made its way over to him and managed to wrap its ribbons around him. While Nine could start to feel the grip tightening, to a painful degree, and being pulled towards the ghost type, the Houndoom still managed to keep his composure. "Hey, no need to be so grabby." Glowing with a black aura around him, the Houndoom then kicked the Driftblim with its own strength, causing the ghost to bob back and forth as it let go of him. Smiling still, it began to float towards him more, ready to grab at him again only for the Houndoom to back off and away. 

As he did so, the Dritfblim seemed to stockpile up some energy only for Nine to fire a dark blast towards it once again. Bouncing around in place once more, the Driftblim took it in stride once more as it started to glow, smoke seeming to billow out from around it. Sensing some big danger from it, Nine hopped back further away to create more space between the two, the ghost in turn lashing out with its ribbons to constrict at him again. "Sorry, but you're really not my type." Letting out a pulse towards the the two ribbons, Nine batted them away, only for the Dritblim to cackle at him once again. 

Sighing, the Houndoom said, "a real charmer, you are." Taking a deep breath, and knowing he'd need a bit more punch to get through this wall of a person, Nine had a brief dark pulse move through his body as he sharpened his aura for a second time. 

As Marie was starting to get her blood a boiling, she saw that the magma that had been chasing her and Keanu seemed to shift targets. As Randy seemed to be the full, undivided focus of Heatran, the girl stood up and knew she had to do something here. Though she knew he was certainly a sturdy enough person, Marie had a feeling that if Heatran got onto Randy it would be very, very bad. And so, taking in a deep breath, the girl started to focus herself. With the rain pattering around her and her necklace glowing, the girl let out a blast of water towards Heatran. As her water gun collided with him, and he didn't seem to be stopping his stride, Marie simply focused more on firing her attack into the legend. 

[Sethera 290]

Ari wilted when it looked like it would come to a fight anyway. Why did everything have to end in fighting? He wasn't sure why, but he was starting to tire of it.

Mac clenched her fists, "We can't let her do this. Right? Kazo? Ari? What are you gonna do? You know I'm gonna have to stop her one way or another."

"It was never a question of 'if', but 'why'," Kazo stated. "Of course I'm not going to let her murder Tornadus... I won't ever let that happen again...," With that, he ran off, rushing up to the Miltank and readying to hit her with an attack.

Well, if Kazo was going to attack, then Ari certainly wouldn't be left behind. Letting his head droop, the Litleo closed his eyes and concentrated. Working himself Up to the idea of yet more fighting. His head pounded with uncertainty, or was that his heart? Still, despite the fear forcing his legs to quake, or his tail to shake, he knew that he needed to be strong once more. A king was not just wise, but also strong enough, and experienced enough, to be confident in his beliefs. This is just another experience, he thought. It's something that will turn me into the kind of king that my father would be proud of. That others will want to follow. His eyes snapped open, and he raised his head with a defiant tilt of the chin. "Fine," he declared. "I don't want to fight you either, but like you said, I also have to do what I have to do."

--

The fairy type chuckled gently, "Hi, Dora." His smile turned a little sad. "No waffles, I'm afraid. I came to ask..." he hesitated. "Dora... Brooke, Denku, and I, we'll be leaving here soon. And, well, we weren't sure if you wanted to come with us." He took a breath. "But...whatever you decide, we won't be coming back, at least not Brooke, Denku, or I. So if you leave...you probably won't get an opportunity to come back for a long time. And if you stay...you might not find an opportunity to leave soon either." He knew that Dora could be a little silly sometimes, so he wanted to make sure she would understand exactly what her decisions would mean for her.

She blinked up at Easter silently. Then she tilted her head to the side. "I was gonna go with you anyway. I still have a lotta things to do."

The Sylveon let out the breath he was holding. "Oh. Okay." His smile became a little brighter. "I'm glad to hear that."

Dora returned his smile with a beam of her own, before jumping up and turning back to her mom, nuzzling her. There was a sweet, innocent affection in that single action that caused the fairy type's heart to clench. Eventually, the Wooper looked up at the Milotic. "Bye bye, I'm gonna go adventure more now!" She hopped off the bed to stand next to the fairy type.

The queen gave a wave, smiling gently, and Dora waved back. Easter paused, closing his eyes before giving her a bow. He opened them as he straightened.

In the next second, the room darkened, the walls fading away to form the night sky. It was as if they stood in the vast expanse of space itself, dotted with the glittering pinpricks of distant lights. Soon after, a single star fell from its perch above, trailing a stream of its fellows. They came down, swirling around the Milotic on her bed, granting her, at that time, a heavenly majesty of sorts, her own crown of dazzling lights. And then, just as soon as they arrived, they burned themselves out, falling to the bedspreads and winking out into nothingness.

As the effects of Wish faded, Easter spoke, the blue of his eyes slightly grayer, like the sea beneath an overcast sky. "I am sorry I can do nothing more for you." He hesitated. "I wish we could have met under better circumstances. But, you don't need to worry about your daughter. You can rest assured of that." His mouth tightened. "Brooke, Denku, and...I, we would walk through the gates of the Distortion World before we let anything happen to Dora." He glanced at the Wooper fondly before turning back to the queen. "Farewell. May the stars shine down upon you." 

Taking the Wooper's hand, the two of them left the room, where the Kingdra waited for them on the other side.

"What are you--" the gijinka started but paused at hearing the queen call his name from inside. "Yes, Your Highness?" he asked, giving the duo one last, hesitant look before stepping inside.

"All right," Easter said, striding down the hallways. Left, right, and then another right, go straight past three doors, and then take the first left. He turned to Dora, "Let me know if I'm going the wrong way, but I'm pretty sure this is the fastest way to where we need to go. Brooke and Denku are down in the dungeons, and last I knew, your father was headed down there as well, and he wasn't very happy with us. We might need to get out of here fast, so if you have any ideas on how to escape this place, I'm all ears." He wasn't going to rely entirely on the Wooper. After all, it was Dora. But, as someone who had lived between these walls as long as she had, she might know of an alternate avenue of escape. If they were lucky, they'd find Phione as well. Perhaps the legendary wasn't even in the castle, but outside of it? With any luck, they'd be able to find him and then return to the S.S. Showdown.

He could only hope.

--

 

"Randy keep coo- AHH!" A small scream of pain brought Keanu's attention to Marie.

Oh, gods no, he thought, worried. Marie's having a haad rub with this. No surprise, what with them fighting a legendary and all. Exactly how did they get into this situation again? Thankfully, the pillars seemed to change course, though why exactly Keanu wasn't sure. Perhaps Heatran was taking pity on them? ...Nah. The downside, however, was that they were heading for Randy instead.

Marie shot a blast of water toward Heatran, apparently hoping to distract the legendary. Remembering what had happened the last time their attacks had combined, Keanu fired an Electro Ball at the bullet, hoping that the combined force would be enough to take some of the heat off of Randy. The ball of lightning ripped through the air like a meteor, trailing the scent of ozone in its wake.

Edited June 14, 2019 by Sethera

[Mr. Hyde 204]

 

Team Showdown - Oasis Inn

"Maybe it is time to show you kids what's up after all. You all have gotten so far off track."  With a grunt he sat back down. "I don't even get a week off before back do business do I?" He raised a hand towards the two. "Come, sit, there's pie to be had."

Taiga eyed the pie, taking a seat and nodding her head.  

"Thank you for understanding!"  She said, before taking a slice for herself.  "So you said you left Rayquaza in charge, right?  He seems kinda useless to me."  

Landorus laughed.

"Well more I didn't oppose it. I'm not sure what your experience with him is but he's the strongest of us. And the one who was closest to Arceus."

"Doesn't seem like good qualifications for becoming a leader..."  Taiga grumbled, biting into her pie.  "What do you think of him?  Is he worthy enough to be leading this whole war against the Slayers?  I didn't even think he liked us for the longest time.  I just kinda feel like we're being used here."

"War? Hrm, no, this isn't a war. I've seen a couple of those. This is something else...To answer your question. Honestly? I don't think any of us are fit to get everyone to work together. I'll be surprised if even half of us can be gathered for this fight."

"If this ain't a war, what is it?"  Taiga questioned, still munching on a piece of pie.  "And you don't gotta have half of ya!  We can fill in the gaps!  Team Showdown is basically one legend in it's makeup!"  She leaned in to whisper.  "I'm doin' all the heavy lifting, so if anyone is an honorary legend, it's me!  Fufufu!"  

"I'd call it...assassination. The wars were much...different than this." Landorus then leaned over towards Taiga and grabbed her arm, feeling the muscles, then compared them to his own. "You might need a few more years before you can claim that much." He said with a sly grin.

"Just you wait!  One day, all y'all will take orders from me one day!  Fufufufu!"  She rubbed the nape of her neck as she laughed.  "That's a joke!  I wouldn't want to deal with having to wrangle you all into Team Showdown anyway...you're all too big to be crafty treasure hunters too."  She the placed her pie down on the table.  "Assassination huh...well they can't assassinate us all at once!  When it comes down to a brawl, we'll be the ones comin' out on top!  The godslayers don't got nothing on Team Showdown!"  She proclaimed, hoisting her pie into the air, like a sword on the round.  

[Chaos Sonic 443]



It wasn't looking 100% good for Randy right now. Sure he had gotten the attention of Heatran with his Brick Break strike, but right now, the Legend looked pissed...almost beyond pissed. And the moment he turned, Heatran had also sent the pillar of magma that was going towards Marie and it struck at him...and this one was WORSE than the other one previous. He braced himself, but was still knocked back quite a bit away...but he wasn't going to give up.

T-Tch...well, got him on me now...what next Roarton? he thought, growling slightly, watching Heatran stomping towards him...almost seeming to be in the motion of attempting to grab him. Randy could tell...he got a hold of him like that, it was the ten-count for him for sure. I don't have anything else that could work...then...guess it may be time to use the ace in the hole...

The Incineroar looked at his Incinium Z around his neck, before glancing back at Heatran. He'd need to do this just right in order to do it properly. Allie took the Malicious Moonsault last time...and unfortunately, she was Dark so it practically did nothing. However, he knew Heatran wasn't just by looking at him. This would have to work...now if he only had a method to give him something else to slow him down first.

Luckily, Heatran was struck in the back by an attack...more accurate...a combo attack performed by Keanu and Marie via an Electro Ball and a Water Gun. And from the looks of it, this caused Heatran to be a bit slower in his approach.

BGM

Randy noticed this slowed approach of the Heatran after the attack struck him. This was his opportunity. A deep sigh escaped his mouth as the Z-Crystal around his neck began to glow brightly just as he began to stand back up. "Didn't want to use this now...but...looks like I have no other option." he growled slightly, the air around him being covered in a strong energy. "Here goes nothing!"

With a quick stomp of his foot, Randy watched as the ground around him and Heatran rose up in the formation of a square. He let out a loud roar, before leaping high into the air. With the flair of the somersault being performed in the air, Randy began to fall at an alarming rate towards Heatran, his entire body being coated in a flame that seemed to also have a hint of dark black tints to it. "SIGNATURE MOVE!! MALICIOUS...MOONSAULT!!!"

Once the fiery strike that was Randy collided to Heatran, an explosion erupted from this "ring"...as the Incineroar skidded out of the explosion a bit away, huffing slightly as he awaited to see if that did anything to this Legend.

[Cheshire Toon 141]

Brooke stumbled but barely caught herself on what remained of the wall. She was overusing Superpower, and her muscles couldn’t take the continued strain. 

At least the cave-in would buy them some time though. The King was sending his guards to rally the rest of the troops, which did put them in a time crunch, but a little time was better than none at all. Hopefully Easter can avoid them though…  Who was she kidding? Easter could more than handle himself, as he had proven time and time again. She needed to stay focused on her own predicament.

Brooke pushed herself into an upright position with some difficulty. She was covered from head-to-toe by dust from the rubble. The abuse of Superpower was obvious too, the muscles in her arms bright red and painfully bulging, not to mention the literal steam rolling off her skin.

“Bit of a sticky-wicket we’ve stumbled into.” She took her hat off, dusted gravel and dirt from it (creating an actual cloud in front of her), then returned it to the top of her head. She lowered her voice when she continued. “Any ideas? You’re from here so you know this place better than me. I’ve probably got one or two more walls left in me, but I’m just about spent.”
 

Edited June 16, 2019 by Cheshire Toon

[reparoni 161]

Deadlands Team Karaoke

Nine made his move... and started talking to them. A fruitless task, Lok knew, especially with what he had learned in his journeys. Still, he decided to humor Nine, ready to attack when they made their move. Once they did, Lok fired off a Confuse Ray, hitting a Shuppet who was then swiftly dealt with by Gwen. He didn't have much time to celebrate, however, as he saw one of the Ghastly start approaching. "Look out!" Lok shouted, throwing his arm towards the ghost and firing off a Thunderbolt towards them. Lok took a moment to turn towards Nine, who was not having a good time of his own. A rather clingy Drifblim had him in its ribbons, trapping the Houndoom. He turned back towards Gwen and the large number of ghosts that they still had to deal with.

 

---

 

Oasis Team Showdown

Scarlet crossed her arms. "Well, as long as we're on the same page." She simply said, taking a seat around the table. She didn't have much to add to the conversation between Taiga and the legend, taking a piece of the pie for herself. They talked about Rayquaza and the attack they were planning on launching at the Slayers. Landorus was much more level headed than she had expected him to be; a nice contrast to Zygarde from earlier. As she calmed down a bit, she realized that she might have over done it earlier. Scarlet nodded as Taiga held her pie up in the air proudly. "That's right. These slayers have no idea who they're messing with." She said, chuckling softly. Taiga always made Scarlet feel better, she wasn't sure what she'd do without her. Scarlet turned to Isole, giving the girl a faint smile. She turned back to Landorus. She felt a bit awkward, especially after her outburst from earlier. "I... uh..." She said, her face getting slightly red. "I... wanted to apologize... to all of you... for my outburst earlier. " She said, rubbing her arm. "I got a bit carried away there... and..." She was at a lost of words, before shaking her head. "...I'm sorry."