Spooky, Scary Forests [CATALYST] (Open)

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Energy = 23 - 10 = 13

Music = Shadowhue Forest

Radar had never really liked Shadowhue Forest.

Understatement.

Radar hated Shadowhue Forest.

It's always been scary and creepy, and it made him feel really uneasy. The lack of light always made him nervous, too. Can you imagine? A Dark Type afraid of the dark? ridiculous, right? But...the dark was really quite...uncomfortable...for Radar. He was fine with the dark, a lack of light never scared him...he just preferred things to be filled with light than cloaked in darkness. It was just a personal preference, that was all. Just a personal preference...

There was only one reason the Murkrow was there in that creepy, spooky forest, and that reason was; Yigo.

After this is over... Radar thought. ...it's just Yigo and Radar Fun Time... Radar had forgotten all about not wanting to come to Shadowhue Forest, blindly rushing in because; hey, him and Yigo get to do something special and fun. Great! Yeah, never mind the fact that Radar'd rather be in Pecha Forest, where it was nice and safe and nothing would happen to him...instead? He was in Shadowhue Forest. The most awfullest, creepiest, most hella uncomfortable-est forest there was.

But...Radar was here to forage.

“So, umm...” He began, walking, starting to nervously fiddle around with his wings. Once again, don’t tell him he does that...he can’t help it, no need to make him self-conscious of it. Radar looked at the Sandshrew with him in this spooky, scary forest, feeling nervous before, but...seeing Yigo made him feel a bit better. At least he wasn’t alone in Shadowhue Forest. “See any berries around?” Radar was desperately trying to make small talk right now just to keep his mind off of the creepiness that was Shadowhue Forest.

He really didn’t want to be there.

[Passive dungeon recovery: 13 + 1 = 14]

Deimos' voice was an anchor to reality and what allowed him to become vulnerable. Throwing himself to Radar might had been rushed but focusing on Radar was the best thing Yigo could see himself doing at the moment. No attention required to environment. The Absol could take care of that while the kid tried to make the other feel safe. Rather than staying there and just watch, the Absol shed some information into what was happening, something called a nervous breakdown. By what Deimos was saying, there could be nothing that could be done about it without knowing something, he can't really recall what information he was asking for since Yigo about to have a similar breakdown. He only had eyes or ears for Radar at the moment which would prove to be useful later.

The Absol mentioned a light that meant that aggresive natives were around. Just his dumb luck, exactly what he needed to calm Radar down! Trouble! His panic and fear only grew after hearing those news, looking to the side trying to spot the light. There was something... red... flickering... fire? But he couldn't even catch the scent of ash? What was going on?

Out of nowhere, Radar's voice managed to break Yigo's thoughts and worries. It was low but not because Radar couldn't get to speak louder, it sounded intentional. Yigo's head returned to face Radar's eyes, ears relaxing just a little and ignoring all those clues about the 'threat'. Noticing that Radar was talking low on purpose, he simply nodded, still holding onto him. An explanation was granted, even if it was not to be granted until later. His ears peaked at the voice of Deimos as he offered to head first into the source of the light which was very much okay to Yigo. The pure dark type proved to be a skilled fighter and very capable of running away if things turned out bad for him. This ally would be fine for sure... However, that order of his got in a contrast to what Radar asked moments after the white furred beast advanced. Radar wanted to stand back up again. Yigo wondered for a moment what to do because a wrong state of mind can cause issues, his mother had said the exact same thing as Deimos at one point during his early childhood, yet it felt like Radar was back at being fine. Besides, he felt like he could trust Radar. Not like there had been any other times where the black bird had lied to Yigo that he was aware of.

The Sandshrew nodded at Radar and slowly started to get off of him in silence, moving to Radar's side into a sitting position before getting back up on all fours. He had to remember that there might be danger or maybe not. Nevertheless, they had to be prepared for anything. Hopefeully, Yigo's straight eyes and quietness would convey the same thought to his friend. Now, setting his sights to were the light started and toward where the Absol went, Yigo started walking slowly, snout low, looking from one edge of the woods to the other, tail still and sniffing about. Yes, there was... something in the air besides those three yet no other pokemon around them. That light didn't look like a decoy and more like something unrelated to them completely. Yigo calmed down with this information and followed on the Absol's trail with a quickened pace. He would be behind the explorer, proving how much better he had become at protecting others.

Deimos had paused within the brush, his mind solely focused on the potential enemy ahead. The Ashen furred pokemon had Faith that Yigo could protect the vulnerable one, just as he himself had rescued Yigo and another friend here in the past. The mental image of playing ball with a curled up Sandshrew to avoid a Stantler Stampede echoed in his mind and elicited a soft chuckle. Yigo had been a close friend since then and second Pokemon he'd ever allowed onto his back, the first naturally being his boss before evolution. Yigo was an important friend, one that could be relied on despite his young age.

Perhaps that friendship had something to do with the sudden, fierce gaze the Absol emitted to the light as it ran circles around him. Whatever it was, it could potentially endanger one of his friends and that wasn't something Deimos could take easily. In truth the Absol struggled with making friends in the past, often terrifying or scaring overs away on appearances alone. Despite being likewise Terrified upon their first encounter and with a certain Fennekin's shattered mental state, Yigo had broken past that with ease. "Not... Giving em up so easilly" Deimos growled, clear fury evident. Even if he didn't know Radar, Yigo had befriended the avian without a second thought. That was surely enough for Him to go all out.

Deimos's anger continually rose as the light ran circles around him, the feeling of hair standing on end spreading throughout his body. Whatever the foe was, it appeared to be fairly agile with it's movements, removing any doubt that it would just attack head on and give him an easy win. It wasn't an unreasonable thought that a fast Pokemon could outpace him and charge right towards the one's he intended to shield. That risk only infuriated the Absol to no end. He couldn't just let himself be outdone by the youngster after all.

His attention was soon snatched away however as his mind became alive in a moment of panic. His sensory network detected a familiar footprint rushing his way, Radar's Shield. Acting without a second thought, The Absol quickly turned and ran towards the familiar sensation, triggering a stone edge behind him as he charged. the only thought's on his mind were ensuring his friend's safety. Ramming a spectral talon in the earth the moment he caught sight of the Sandshrew, Deimos used the talon he'd buried into the earth and rock to allow him to turn on a dime, aiming to stop with his left flank shielding the Sandshrew.

He didn't bother questioning why Yigo had ran towards him, feeling as if he could leave that for another time. He quickly rose his gaze and watched the path behind him carefully. "If you want to bring them harm, you'll have to cut me down first" The Absol roared out without hesitation, channeling all the strength he could into his spectral talons as his... Trait activated. The pair of spectral claws surged forth, emitting a soft purple light upon the surrounding area as they grew in length and sharpness while simultaneously lighting up the surrounding area to a degree, shining especially so off the valuable ribbon around his horn. His species was exposed for all to see without fear as the talons pulsed, ready to cut down any foe or tree in his pass at a moment's notice. "You have one chance to end this peacefully, step forward calmly and extinguish that light, or I will cut you down without hesitation" He called out. He didn't want to expose Yigo to the kind of violence his unconscious mind had performed with his horn once. That was his only reason for offering a peaceful resolution. Deimos had grown a little overprotective of the Shrew, no doubt about that.

He wasn't sticking around, though. Radar was smart enough to know when to quietly back away from a fight, especially since he didn’t know how to fight. Yigo nodded at Radar and slowly—quietly—stood up, sitting at the birds side. Radar took a deep breath, closing his eyes for the breath in as he held it for a second.

Just one second.

Get out of Shadowhue Forest, Radar, the Murkrow planned to himself and himself alone. Sell the orbs, then just buy berries from Petra.

What could go wrong…?

Well, take Yigo for example. Radar exhaled, knowing what he was going to do, only to open his eyes to see Yigo looking right at him. The Ground-Type stood tall on all four paws, and his eyes…they were these serious eyes that…Radar knew exactly what Yigo was going to do! Get himself killed, that's what! “No…!” Radar half-shouted, half-whispered. To clarify here, it was still a whisper, his volume still low, it was more the tone of his voice that came across as Radar shouting the word no at his friend. His eyes had gone wide as he used his wings to push himself up into a sitting position. He was starting to panic now. He wouldn’t just leave Yigo here…which was why he needed to come, too! To come back to town! Where it would be safe! “Yigo, no, you are not doing this…!” He hissed. Yigo had started to sniff the air, Radar getting more and more panicky by the second. “Yigo, don’t you hella–”

Aaaaand Yigo was off on his way.

Radar tried to lean forward to grab the Sandshrew's hind leg with his wing, but he wasn’t fast enough. Radar's wing missed it's mark as the swipe harmlessly passed through the air. He knew Yigo was going over there to where all this attacker-drawn-here-because-of-Radar stuff was! He knew it! Radar actually felt angry at Yigo right now, wing reaching out at nothing—although, they were reached in Yigo's general direction—before clenching angrily and being thrown onto the ground. Never walk towards danger, Yigo! Never!

What if the attacking Pokémon came over here? Radar needed somewhere to hide, but…where, exactly? There weren't really any good hiding spots around. Not to mention hiding is a death trap. Seriously! You hide, somemon's bound to find you! Radar was terrible at hiding, his brother always found him…it was always better to run. Or…fly. But what about Yigo? Would he be fine? He'd be fine…right…? Yigo’d know what he was doing. Not to mention Radar'd probably screw things up by even being there. He'd just be a worry…why Yigo was told to keep him there. Radar knew he was just a liability. He felt worried for Yigo…scared, even…but Yigo’ll be okay. That's what he kept telling himself in his mind; Yigo'll be okay.

And so, with that, Radar looked back at the path he’d taken to get here. Just go backwards, Radar. Back the way you came. He still didn’t want to leave Yigo, but it would probably be best if he wasn’t there. He just looked in the direction of everything happening... “If you want to bring them harm, you'll have to cut me down first!” Radar heard the Absol's voice roar out. He saw the Deimos standing in front of the Sandshrew, making sure he wouldn’t be hurt. Yigo was fine. He'd be safe, that…scary Pokémon would protect him! Also, Radar was justified. He had his reasons for what he was about to do. This would help everymon. Besides, he would just be in Grassveil Town, it's not like he'd mysteriously go missing once he got back or anything. Nope, not at all.

Radar watched on for a few more seconds. “I’m flying back to Town…” He announced, voice incredibly quiet, hoping Yigo—with that super-sensitive hearing of his—would hear. Radar just felt like he needed to say something before just…leaving. After he'd—hopefully—let Yigo know where he was going, Radar turned around and started to fly back to Grassveil Town. He looked back one last time, eyes looking sorry and guilt-filled. Radar knew where he needed to go, though. Yigo would be fine. He wouldn't be.

Radar wasn't being a coward, he was being smart.

Don't be hella angry at me, Yigo, please?

This was it. The moment Tina had been preparing for.

It hadn't been easy maintaining such a frantic pace as she circled her target, but eventually they finally attacked like she'd been expecting. The experience of a real battle though, one she was better equipped for and determined to win, was so surreal that after the initial burst of energy from her foe, the Fenniken's reaction was slow; simply for the fact that she wasn't even aware of the projectiles flying her way until the sharp, shiny stones glinted in the low light of her tail.

The first rock materialized before her eyes for only an instant before whizzing past her head. Another exploded against one of the trees in front of her as she ran. That was all she needed to assess the situation, and where normally she would've reacted with terror and panic, this time Tina was instead focused and single-minded in her resolve to exact reven--Justice! Narrowing her gaze, the Fennekin swung her fiery tail wildly as she broke out of her prior formation to help light up the stones as she nimbly dodged them in a zig-zag pattern, using her momentum to launch from one tree trunk to another.

Unfortunately, agile as her performance was, Tina was quick to get cocky, and found herself in the path of stone that stung sharply when it grazed her left cheek. After striking the tree behind her, it rained debris as the fire-type quickly ducked into hiding. That was... amazing! she thought breathlessly, heart racing and adrenaline still rushing through her veins. Not only had she managed to face an attack head-on, but she came out of it unscathed as well. So she thought at first, anyway.

A cool breeze washed over her face as she caught her breath, making her cheek sting. Raising a paw to the wound, she winced and examined it. A few droplets of blood marred her otherwise fiery yellow fur, but it was clearly just a surface cut. Nonetheless though, Tina scowled darkly, her attention returning to the forest floor below where her attacker had fled. The Fennekin's tail hung from one side of the tree, still visible to her enemy while she peeked around the opposite side of the trunk, trying to spy the Pokemon with the familiar voice of authority that was now threatening her.

It wasn't hard to pinpoint the location, thanks to the glow of dark energy from the Absol, but the words he spoke suddenly cast some doubt on his intentions. He claimed to be protecting someone, and for all intents and purposes that was seemingly the case, but it had to be a lie. ..Right? She'd been tricked by them once before, and so wholly and completely that it was still embarrassing and infuriating to look back on. Tina wasn't going to let that happen again. No matter what the enemy said. She had to persist and rescue whomever it was that had cried out.

Luckily, her glowing appendage was still the focus of her assailant, which gave her the advantage in such low-light conditions. All she needed was to sufficiently distract her opponent, or make them attack blindly so that she could slip past them in the ensuing chaos. Whether it was going to work out that way was anyone's guess, but she had her plan of action, and no time to waste.

Just moments after the aggressive 'Mon's intimidating threat, Tina was on the move again. This time however, her tail didn't remain consistently lit as an easy target. Instead, it began to blink in and out of existence, as she navigated the dimly lit treetops. When that initial display didn't immediately trigger a reaction, she proceeded to rain fiery Embers from above. Every time her light went out, a fireball shot towards the ground in front of the Absol, bursting like little snowballs made of fire that created scorch-marks on the forest floor. Not hot enough to ignite, it left the ground sizzling and smoking as she seemingly attacked randomly.

Though her entire plan hinged on the belief she'd be attacked directly, none of her own attacks had been aimed to cause harm. Not just because she didn't want to risk setting the forest on fire, but because deep down she was still frightened. Afraid she might lose. Might be captured again. Or worse; that she might not survive this time. But those fears were buried deep, allowing her to rationalize her reservations as necessary for a rescue mission. Yeah. That made sense.

Whether or not her taunting was met with retaliation though, Tina had a plan to get past. All it required was a bigger fireball and the nerve to attempt a direct hit. Thankfully she was still riding high on adrenaline, so she barely gave it a second thought before initiating a leap towards her target, tail going dark at the same moment she primed up the biggest Ember she could manage. Then she landed firmly on a branch directly in front of the Absol and sent it hurdling towards him before immediately leaping again and sailing overhead.

Now that she was the closest to her foes as she'd ever been, Tina could finally see them clearly, if only briefly as her fireball exploded in a blinding flash. And in that moment she was more than just a little shocked to see the white fur of an Absol with a ribbon tied to his horn, and the Sandshrew behind him that he'd supposedly been protecting. She didn't stop to consider why they looked so familiar though, as she then spotted the one she'd been looking for.

Several meters behind the other two was a grounded Murkrow, the most likely source of the squawking she'd heard. As she came to a landing on the next branch in her path, she noticed the bird was retreating. Perhaps taking the opportunity to escape its captors while they were distracted? Tina certainly assumed so as she proceeded to navigate her way down to the ground. In her effort to reach the Pokemon though, the Fennekin inevitably touched down it front of him, cutting off his escape as she held an offensive stance, tail glowing again and casting a dramatic light that reflected in her eyes as she spoke softly so as not to alert the others right away.

"It's okay, you're safe now!" Tina tried to reassure the Murkrow, taking a step closer, "I won't let them hurt you anymore, I promise."

(Important inventory: Pecha Berry).

In a way, Valen thought, Shadowhue Forest was the bigger, meaner sibling of Pecha Forest. Lucky I don't have any siblings like that!

Valen had been looking for a dungeon that would test his strength even more than Pecha Forest could, and Shadowhue had been perfect. It was near Grassveil Town, where he had been visiting, and it was still not the most dangerous dungeon in the world or anything like that, even if it was a bit dark and scary.

Due to the darkness, Valen actually ended up crashing a few times into various trees. At least he wasn't seriously hurt. He had heard his parents say that Pikipek heads was very strong to protect them from the forces of pecking, so maybe that helped, if it was true. Another good thing was that so far, no feral Pokemon had taken advantage of the darkness to launch a surprise attack on him.

But suddenly, a light flared up in the distance. It looked very much like...firelight. What was that?! Valen thought. A forest fire? Or is it just a Fire-type Pokemon? What if it is a Pokemon who is about to set fire to the forest? Valen decided to go towards it. If it was a forest fire, he thought he could at least fly away, and if it was a Pokemon, maybe he could help or fight, depending on what was going on?

Once Valen was closer, he could see the forms of more Pokemon by the light, which was emanated by a small quadruped with orange and yellow fur. Now he was scared. What if they're all feral and going to attack me at once? But I'm brave! I can deal with this! he quickly told himself.

And then the Pokemon producing the light said "It's okay, you're safe now! I won't let them hurt you anymore, I promise." Not to him, of course, but to another bird. Valen could now clearly see that there was a Murkrow that the other Pokemon was talking to. I've met another bird Pokemon here! Valen was excited, but then he thought about what he had just seen and heard. Had there been a fight? Were dangerous Pokemon around right now? How do I make sure that I don't seem like a threat?

Valen didn't know what to do. He just stood where he had landed - in plain sight of the others.

[Energy: 16 - 10 = 6]

Pickup roll:

Shield carried out 1 launched of one Shadowhue Forest :

Regular rolls:

Shield carried out 6 launched of one Shadowhue Forest :

, , , , ,

Yigo had barely managed to feel the white furred creature's scent close when his ears warned him of a silent prowl. To his surprise, it didn't come from the sides, the rear or above, neither was it followed by a flickering flame. It had been the absol, charging at him. Quick in his reflexes but not as nimble, he threw himself to the side desperately to avoid getting struck by Deimos' strike... Which never came. Due to a masterful flow of the prowl, the pouncing strike became a graceful guarding move as the Absol stood proudly in front of Yigo and roared aloud that he would be have to be dealt with first before getting to the Sandshrew and Murkrow.

One could feel the tension and the weight of the burden the Absol had taken upon himself. Yigo had come just to solve this because, in his eyes, this was all unnecessary. From the grassy floor he laid on after his dodging actions, he got up and nudged Deimos' hind leg "Deimos, calm down. Whoever that is, won't come out because you say so. They are probably either hungry, amused or most likely afraid to death by you. Just... Stop for a moment and think of whoever there is there as if it was me. Besides, I can sense it, they're alone. It's no threat to-"

The strong scent of ash and fire were brought to Yigo's attention. A blast of smoldering embers struck in front of the Absol. This meant that Yigo's supposition was wrong. This Pokémon was not acting aggressively due to fear caused by Deimos. They were looking for a fight. Even though the first volley was ill aimed, it was enough to make Yigo separate himself from the Absol far enough so that his ally gets enough room to maneuver and dodge.

Then the fire kept raining. This not only kept Yigo on edge as he could only imagine the feeling of getting burnt but the scent just grew ever so intense so as to dim every single other scent around. Fire and ash was something very familiar to the Sandshrew. It never meant anything good and it didn't look like it would mean otherwise here. It was the first omen to a tragedy. With one of his senses nullified by his opponents strategy, Yigo could only rely on his hearing of the rustling leaves and branches while his eyes focused on the more dangerous embers. His target was moving from one position to another and never touching the ground level as it leapt from tree to tree.

"Radar, be careful. Don't fly up just yet" he whispered to his side. He had been trusting to have the black bird by his side providing support. Radar was filling much better now, right? Even if he couldn't fight due to fear, he could use some advice. Yigo didn't even turn to check on his presence until just then. Looking around at the lack of response and even realising that he hadn't heard the sound of startled feathers. Was he even around? "Radar?"

A flash of light just illuminated the clearing. It was barely a second of clear vision but it was enough for Yigo to spot his friend way on the back where he had been moments before. He hadn't followed Yigo. This image was soon followed by a feeling of pain as his back started to burn. Yes, it had only been a flesh wound since the hide on his back was more resistant to the elements in general but it was enough to make Yigo hiss in pain and turn back around. Their foe had been taking the distraction caused by Radar to take a clear hit and to relocate further, Yigo could hear as much yet the way the movement was headed... No, it couldn't be. Yigo's heart had just skipped a beat.

"Radar!" Yigo screamed his lungs out so that he would catch his friends attention. Right after that, he saw their assailant for the first time, now coming down to cut Radar's escape. Yigo didn't even try to use his eyes to try to see who that was, his claw now remained firmly planted, his tail stood high and curved forward while Yigo started showing his teeth, not a shred of doubt or fear in his mind. A moment after that, a flash of light started coming out from Yigo's satchel, blinding compared to the darkness from before, that started enveloping the Sandshrew. Glowing in a golden light, enough to light him and the surroundings clearly thanks to the powerful aura, Yigo stood tall eyes closed and raising his arm high up "Now! Fly!" He screamed before twirling and attempting to strike at the ground with the risen paw as if to split the earth in a shattering chop.

If that were to connect, if Yigo was not to be stopped or the crystal from his satchel was not taken away from him, the surge of energy gathered in Yigo's body would sink into the earth beneath and increase the power of the earthquake Yigo was channeling. Everything between him and the assailant would feel the earth turn into shards and ruins in which to get buried, the ground collapsing under them as if they were at the top of the tallest of towers. But the earthquake wouldn't stop there. Grass would be razed, trees would get their bases shattered and their tips would tilt as their wood is forced to fall and rocks would merely explode as if they were Blast Seeds full of shrapnel. Not only in between Yigo and this fire type. It would be in a 40 feet radius around the latter.

PrimordialPrim carried out 10 launched of one Shadowhue Forest :

, , , , , , , , ,

[Remaining energy: 14 - 10 = 4]

"If it was friendly, they wouldn't be circling and watching for an opening to strike. Remain on guard" Deimos remarked without a second thought, holding perfectly still before his young charge. No scenario existed within his mind that would indicate that the light's owner was neutral or friendly. If they were just lost or a neutral figure, they'd just reveal themselves and speak, as he had done towards Yigo in the past upon their first encounter. His assumption of it being a hostile was soon proven true however as bolts flame were let loose before them. A warning perhaps? or might they be waiting for a counter attack?

Letting off a small growl in anger, the white furred beast held its ground, refusing to move as shot after shot struck the ground before him. "Must be Range finding or trying to lure us into making them an opening for a direct attack" He murmured, focusing a fairly sizable amount of his effort on maintaining the empowered claws he'd called forth prior.

Soon enough it appeared their mark had made up its mind and went for a direct strike, a stronger fireball on a direct path. Though it didn't look as strong as the flame charge he'd been forced to endure from Hidon in the past, taking a direct strike wasn't in the cards. With it's size, apart from taking the blow fully on flank to shield Yigo, his only option was to attempt dispersion of the flames to minimize the harm dealt. Swiftly launching a vertical slash at the burst of flames, Deimos cleaved the ball of flame in twain in order to disperse it, though not without harm. Though his body was able to absorb most of the weakened attack, a small portion appeared to have snuck through to strike Yigo. That... Was the last straw.

Deforming one set of claws, Deimos put his full sensory strength to use, his own exhaustion be damned. Fortunately however it didn't appear as if it was needed, Yigo having quickly identified where their foe had moved. Preparing to lunge forward towards his prey, a cursory glance was extended towards his young ally as he began to light up the surroundings. His eyes suddenly opened wide upon realizing the kid's plan. In the past, Yigo had mentioned a crystal that could enhance his power. Though Deimos hadn't personally seen its power in practice, he understood the Youngling's mental state.

"Yigo cease, if you use that in rage you will do things you regret. If you act without being in control you might hurt people who aren't even involved, going off what you've mentioned it doing before. Can you in good faith potentially sacrifice innocent people to your attack running out of control to protect just one person? You also need to remember i can't fly." Deimos spoke in a fierce, demanding tone with a sharp gaze. He had no intent to abandon people to their own rage. Without even waiting for a response, Deimos charged forwards towards the location Yigo aimed towards, intending to use himself as collateral if his words failed to get through.

With Yigo's illumination, the light from their mark and the illumination of his own claws guiding him, he rocketed towards the mark with ruthless determination, ready to strike down what he assumed to be something of the Litwick line. That thought however was soon dashed as his senses picked up a voice loud and clear, one that caused a clear grimance before being replace with sheer anger. Deforming the central claw, Deimos closed into visual range, aiming a swift thrust with intent to trap his foe's neck between them in melee range, almost like a man-catcher. With his claw's illumination the enemies species was clear to see, a fairly clear cut Fennekin. Though it seemed cleaner than the one he'd encountered before he didn't doubt that after escaping a certain cannibal cult that she'd clear up her appearance. If it truly was who the voice indicated... Oh he wasn't going to let her off easily, especially so after firing on Yigo!

Fire. It was now raining fire. Fire was raining from the sky. Radar looked back for a second to see if Yigo was still okay, and saw fire raining from the sky. What the f*ck, fire should not be raining down from the f*cking sky! Why was fire f*cking raining from the sky, why the f*ck was this even happening? Why? Wh-wh...why was...there was so much Radar did not understand, he only knew that fire was raining from the f*cking sky. If Radar didn’t have a reason to get the f*ck out before...he definitely had one now.

However, a Pokémon had stopped him, though. A new Pokémon, one Radar hadn’t seen earlier. It was a yellow fox with red fur growing out of her ears, and a bushy tail where the tip of it was red. It was a Fennekin, Radar had run into one of them over the winter season and her name was, uh...‘Mille’. Her name was Mille. This wasn’t Mille, though. This Fennekin was different, and she looked hostile as she stood in front of him. But instead of attacking him...she talked to him. “It's okay, you're safe now!” The Fennekin reassured Radar, stepping closer to him. He was safe now...? “I won't let them hurt you anymore, I promise.”

Wait, no, they’re not hurting me...

Before Radar could say anything, however, he heard Yigo's voice screaming his name, a light shining from the Sandshrew who was currently behind him. Why was Yigo glowing...? Was he currently hallucinating right now? Or seeing things? Or...one thing Radar could see was that Yigo looked furious, his claws planted in the ground as his tail stood high and curved forward. The light was golden and blinding, glowing all around Yigo. He stood up tall, his eyes closed as he raised his arm up. “NOW! FLY!” Yigo screamed, Radar not needing to be told twice as he flew away as fast as he could, going around the Fennekin and away from the light as he just decided to rush home as fast as he could.

He was on his way home, having had enough of ‘Shadowhue Forest’.

I am never hella coming back here...never ever.

For once, everything had gone perfectly; a minor hiccup or two here and there, but so far so good. At least Tina had thought as much right up until she actually saw the look of utter terror in the Murkrow's eyes as she spoke. That wasn't the gaze of a Pokemon grateful to see their rescuer. Instead, everything about the avian's body language screamed of a desire to escape their new predicament, so raw and potent, that their very soul might've fled their own body just to do so.

In that moment, the Fennekin began to doubt herself again. Suddenly everything felt off. Why were they so scared? Was it her? Did they think she was the aggressor? Was she the aggressor without realizing it? Had she even read the situation clearly? These and countless more thoughts raced through her mind in a flash, before a flutter of movement to her right caught the fox's attention. Shifting to a defensive stance, she dared to take her eyes off the Murkrow to spot the new Pokemon that had appeared. Only to find another flying-type, throwing greater confusion into the mix.

Wait... was... was that the one that cried out earlier? Tina thought for one brief, baffling moment before a shockingly familiar voice cried out from behind the Murkrow.

The Fennekin's ears perked up in recognition as she turned back to Radar, only to see the avian taking flight, per the Sandshrew's bellowing instruction. "Wait, where are you--?!" she called after the fleeing bird, but in their departure, they cleared the way for Tina to spot the young ground-type just as he struck the ground with devastating effect. "Y--Yigo?!" she yelped in disbelief, her entire conjured narrative suddenly collapsing under the weight of reality. "W-what're you doing he--?"

Before Tina could say another word, the world around her trembled violently and the very ground beneath her feet began to split apart and crumble. Without a second thought, the Fennekin threw herself to the nearest solid ground, even as it shifted and heaved, the very terrain being reshaped into a jagged mess of stone and trees. Though shocked and unprepared as she was for the unexpected challenge, Tina managed to nimbly avoid getting clobbered by the initial wave of falling trees, but the unfortunate Pikipek who had undoubtedly been drawn to the scene by her earlier theatrics, had a great big oak bearing down on it from behind.

Fueled by a nauseating mix of embarrassment and genuine altruism, Tina frantically navigated her way to the imperiled avian, building up enough momentum that even her tiny body, when she inevitably launched herself into the falling tree, was enough to knock its trajectory off course. Landing on the ground next to Valen, she called out, "Quick, get off the ground until it stops! It's not safe! Fly above the treeline!"

Whether or not the Pikipek followed her instructions, Tina had to keep moving. Even the ground were she and the avian had been standing was already cracking and crumbling to bits. Her only chance to avoid getting swallowed by the earth was to leap from flailing tree-trunk to shattered rock, to every other clump or intact ground she could find. Of course, now that she was officially on the defensive thanks to Yigo, the Fennekin didn't have to spend much longer wasting energy before Deimos came swooping in next for the final blow.

By now she'd realized the awful reality, and hopefully he had too, for when he bore down upon her with that familiar force of his, she didn't fight back. Tina half expected the Absol not to pull his punch, though. So it was a surprise when he struck the ground to either side of her, with such explosive force that he cratered the ground around them and simultaneously canceled out what remained of Yigo's Earthquake. Dust and debris had been kicked up high into the air though, the devastation from the attack having leveled all of the trees within its range. What remained was a very lumpy, forty-foot round clearing which, for the moment, was deathly silent, as all the wildlife in the area had been just as stunned by the event as everyone else.

The only one no longer coming to grips with what had just happened, was a very ashamed, very guilty-looking Tina, as she laid on her back, legs raised defensively while she struggled to meet the gaze of a disappointed Absol. It was impossible not to hide her embarrassment, as the hairs of her inner ears sizzled on cue.

"H--heeey... Deimos...! L... long time no see, hah," she stammered awkwardly, wincing slightly as the Absol's shadowy claws hummed with energy. "Uhm... this... i-isn't really what it looks like, hahah..! I-I-I can explain, I swear..!"

[Energy: 6 - 21 = 0]

A lot of things were happening at once. There seemed to be a fight going on and Valen could hear many voices. The important thing was that some of them were calling for flight. Valen quickly took off into the air when he heard them, narrowly avoiding the falling tree.

High above the ground, Valen became slightly calmer, as it was less dangerous there. There was that Murkrow he had seen before, now flying away - something Valen couldn't really blame him for, given the situation. Should I fly away too? Valen thought. Maybe follow him?

But then... There was the other Pokemon, the one that had rushed to him while calling for him to fly, the one that had seemed to want to save him - now seemingly being attacked by a larger white Pokemon. Although the smaller one seemed to be saying something which Valen couldn't make out much from the distance he was at, it was still worrying.

And there was another thing - the first voice that had called out for flight, the Pokemon that had used a massive, devastating attack that Valen had just dodged - he could recognize it now. Yigo. How had this fellow student from Peak Academy ended up here, and why had he done what he did? He was the only Pokemon here that Valen had known before.

Those facts made Valen decide to stay for the moment. He flew somewhat lower, hopefully low enough that Yigo could clearly hear him. "Yigo! What's going on here?" Maybe I'll understand what's going on. Maybe it will distract the others from their fight. I hope. Valen thought.

Deimos had misjudged something about Yigo. His eyes didn't have a shred of rage within them. If Deimos looked very closely, they were full of fear and desperation. The question which Deimos asked, if he would have sacrificed other innocents to his attack to control just someone, was something that Yigo knew the answer to. Certainly, he wouldn't harm many to save a single Pokémon. But this wasn't a single Pokémon, this was Radar and while his mind uttered "NO", his heart screamed "YES".

And so, the claw struck the ground and the tremors began... but the light of his Z-Crystal had dimmed. Both sides of his soul had reached a compromise. There wouldn't be a Tectonic Rage but the area wouldn't be free of an earthquake that, while greatly decreasing the impact in the surrounding area, still caused chaos and beyond. Trees fell, the ground cracked and shattered and stones turned into dust. A Venomoth flew away from one of the trees it was resting at yet a Slakoth couldn't be counted among the fortunate enough to have seen it coming, falling down from its napping spot into a bush that luckily had no trees falling onto it as well.

Yigo could hear his names many times, all from different Pokémon but his mind was not right. The voice he wanted to hear it from... there was not here. He hadn't heard him! He had to have flown away. He couldn't have been crushed under any trees, he was sure of it, right?. The Sandshrew tossed his crystal to the floor, completely ignoring it as he rushed ahead. He threw himself onto all fours, heart racing and ears low. This was probably the fastest he had ever run, even getting past Tina and Deimos without as much as a glance directed towards them.

When he got where Radar once was. A fallen tree trunk was now in his place. Yigo looked down and started sniffing, trying to see if he could find his scent or... the scent of something that indicated a dire fate for his friend yet there was none, fortunately. Hearing his name from a familiar source by his side made his ears twitch, signaling that Yigo became receptive to his own name game. Standing on his hind feet, he turned around to face Valen. His body was... a mess. Tense would be an understatement as he couldn't keep his gaze from rising above the Pikipek's feet. His moves were all shaky and disorganized while his tail was being dragged around through the floor, something that wasn't normal at all in Yigo. "W-Who..? Who are you?" He spoke in shock, now examining Valen up and down. Due to the stressful nature of the situation, he couldn't identify him quick enough before another, more pressing thought occupied his mind. He pointed at a random direction past them, expecting Radar to have gone that way "I need to find him" His voice was grave and melancholic as if he had been sick recently. In truth, it was another sign of desperation "I need to find him!" he shouted before getting on all fours again and rushing away from the clearing. He stepped from broken ground to mound of debree. From there, hopping onto a tree before losing himself inside a bush and squeezing through a fallen tree to continue advancing out of this little chaos region.

Regrettably, that didn't get him too far at all. As he ran away and started to get past the disaster zone by getting over the ruined ground, he found himself with some extra weight on his back and, soonly thereafter, a bite that fell onto his shoulder and narrowly avoided his neck. Those were two twin fangs. Yigo turned around as a reaction, shaking his attack off which had fallen due to a lack of better support on the back of the rodent.

It was a Paras, now defenseless on the ground, who had leeched some life out of the Sandshrew and now it was time for the latter to take retribution by slashing it with a Crush Claw. He pounced onto the poison-bug type, it itself being unresponsible of its own actions due to the impulse of the parasite fungus, and got struck twice, once for each claw and on the body of the Pokémon. Yigo was about to give it more, punishing it for interrupting his search for Radar when a stinger suddenly struck at the open wound of the Sandshrew. It was no minor impact or stinger either, as it made Yigo fall off of the Paras and onto his side.

Yigo screamed in pain, loudly so as he felt the pain caused by that attack. A purple sludge was coming out of the tip of the stinger, being poured into his other wound and surely poisoning him without him being able to do much about it, all the while the Ariados, the sharpshooter approached silently from in front of the mouse, fangs ready to bite into this treat who had fallen right into her trap "This-s is-s for endangering the brood s-s-shrew!"

If only he could get rid of that... stinger... maybe he could fight back... or run away but... he was already feeling weak. Really weak. His sight was starting to fail and his will to waver. "H-Help... I'm... here..." Yigo spoke as a last resort. Maybe someone could hear him.

(OOC: It's technically not my turn in the posting order. However, this is a special case, as I am leaving and everyone else in the thread has allowed me to do so on Discord, so I am making a post describing the circumstances under which Valen leaves in-universe. I believe that blade12 should still be posting next after this).

Yigo hadn't seemed to hear or see Valen properly, and he looked pretty injured. Valen followed Yigo as he ran away, still hoping to maybe be able to talk to him some time and find out what was going on.
As Valen flew, he noticed two plants close together - one bearing a Pecha Berry and one with a Cheri Berry. They were near enough that he could swoop down and grab the berries without going much off the path Yigo was traveling on. But then, he was hit by purple threads. Not only did the threads cling to him and hinder his movements, Valen suddenly felt worse - he recognized this sensation as poisoning.

He landed and looked at the direction the thread had come from. There was a Pokemon with apparently yellow-and-purple striped legs and a red-and-black striped body, coming out of a web. It suddenly lunged towards him, but Valen managed to dodge it despite the thread still sticking to him. Valen used Mirror Move, and he lunged towards it in return. This seemed to damage the creature, and it also seemed... slightly dazed? The other Pokemon seemed to secrete poison from one of its legs and struck Valen with it, yet the blow felt weaker than he had expected. Valen then pecked it, doing even more.

To Valen's surprise, the Pokemon did not seem knocked out or even unable to fight, but still skittered away. While Valen didn't know this, the feral Ariados had been hungry, but was no longer interested in taking on prey that made it hurt that much. Valen then ate the Pecha Berry that he had just grabbed, feeling better as the poisoning went away. He felt better for a moment - he had managed to defeat this dangerous feral Pokemon completely on his own!

But this feeling soon dimmed as Valen saw that Yigo was being attacked by another member of the same species that had just attacked him - and there was a Paras as well, a Pokemon Valen knew for the mushrooms on its back that controlled its actions. Valen flew towards Yigo, ready to rescue him...

And then, he was knocked out of the sky with a powerful Wing Attack as a Noctowl dived at him. Valen stared as another Noctowl came into view as well. The pair of feral Noctowl were also hungry, and had waited, unnoticed due to their silent flight, for a chance to strike. Valen used Mirror Move, copying the Wing Attack - but though it hit the Noctowl that had attacked him first, it did not do much. These Pokemon seemed to be tougher than the last one he had met. The other Noctowl attacked next, this time emitting an odd psychic wave. The energy shook Valen and, surprisingly, the first Noctowl - though Valen did not know this either, it was because they shared types. Valen used Mirror Move again - the move he copied actually seemed to be somewhat stronger than the Aerial Ace, but it still wasn't enough, as while the first Noctowl hooted, apparently in anger, the Noctowl that had used the Psychic move simply struck Valen with a Wing Attack of its own.

Valen was now severely injured. He could barely do anything to the Noctowl, and they were actively moving around him, preventing him from even fleeing. But now, in his desperation, he used a move that he had rarely used before, as he had thought it was weak compared to just attacking. He growled endearingly at the Noctowl, though he somewhat wondered whether it would even work on such vicious ferals. As one of them glowed with a harsh white light - something that, to Valen's horror, he recognized as the incredibly powerful Sky Attack, and the other stared at Valen with an obvious hunger in its eyes, expecting to be able to eat soon, Valen just growled again.

And then, the Sky Attack hit, throwing Valen back into the leafy crown of a large tree. The Growls that he had used were the only reason that he had survived at all, because the Sky Attack, though powerful, had been carried out with less force than they could have as the Noctowl were affected. After a bit, Valen managed to gather himself together somewhat and start flying away as fast as he could. For once, he was still too panicked to go back and try to help Yigo.

Valen wasn't actually that fast at the moment, given how injured he was. But fortunately, although yet again, he didn't know this, the Noctowl had lost him while he was inside the leaves. He had seemed too small to warrant them spending a lot of time searching, so they had left. He wasn't actually thinking about things like this in his agitated state, however.

Valen ended up flying above much of the canopy, so he could eventually see a place where the forest ended and he could leave. He flew there; as he lowered his altitude a bit and felt a bit less panicked, he could see something lying down inside the forest but near its edge. He went to it, seeing that it was a treasure chest of some kind with a Black Gummi lying near it. He picked both of the items up, and wondered: Should I go back? Yigo, and maybe some other Pokemon, are in danger! But though it was a quite unpleasant thought, he realized: It won't help. I've flown too far away, so I probably can't find them anymore. It will just put me in more danger. So Valen left Shadowhue Forest completely.

"Then you'd better start talking, i'm already in quite the bad mood from sleep deprivation. I don't need friendly fire against Yigo being added to that, especially since all things considered you pretty much ruined their foraging plans." Deimos spoke with a clearly angered tone, his empowered claws finally fading after the impact. The voice was unmistakable. Tina of all people had been firing on them quite literally, bringing harm to Yigo, the first one on scene to aid her during their first encounter. Not particularly a good way to start off a new encounter, not at all.

Taking a moment to glance to the now decimated surroundings, Deimos let off a soft sigh. It seemed he hadn't been able to completely stop Yigo's attack, but judging from it being cancelled out with the claws he could only assume he'd at the very least minimized it. Clearly those little crystals Yigo knew of were quite dangerous if not completely controlled, not unlike his own stone in a way. He'd never been forced to put the stone to work so he wasn't entirely sure of what it would transmogrify the user into, that lack of knowledge was dangerous in its own right. He couldn't justify wasting it however due to the more... costly nature of his stone compared to the crystal.

"First things first, i'm quite certain you owe me, Yigo and his friend an apology. its quite tempting to give you a much harsher vocal lashing at the moment. Now come along, we're following Yigo. That is not a request, that's a demand!" The Absol ordered as he turned away to pursue his young companion, trying his best to take his focus elsewhere and avoid giving the pesky Fennekin a vicious tirade of hate. He'd set a good example of being the one with self control before and he didn't want to undermine that.

Deimos began following the panicked shrew without a further moments delay, doing his best to distract himself from the seething anger raging in his mind. That anger only intensified however as a certain little scene came into view, Yigo's sudden departure having left an easy trail to follow. A wounded Sandshrew and some obnoxious bug towering over him as if he was prey. That... That was the last straw.

"Tina... if you want to start redeeming yourself, get Yigo to safety and then provide some cover. I'll deal with the bug... I need get some of this rage out of my mind" Deimos ordered in a harsh tone. Sitting down without missing a beat, Deimos crossed his claws before him, scraping them against each-other as if sharpening them with a whetstone as a brilliant white light began to shine forth from them and his horn, seeming to lengthen them. After a moments shining, he released a crossed slash before him, his claws and horn retaining a soft white hue as they notably had grown in length. Swords Dance was in effect. "Time to get cutting!"

With Deimos' snout just inches from hers, Tina couldn't help but wince as she was berated by the agitated Absol. He had every right to be cross of course, after the stunt she'd pulled, which now, in hindsight, was perhaps her biggest failing to date. And that was saying a lot. The Fennekin, however, couldn't say a thing in her own defense, so she was left with only one real option.

"I--I'm sorry, I--I didn't realize you... I mean, I didn't recognize...!" she stammered, completely flustered and disarmed as the Absol loomed over her.

Suddenly Tina was feeling even smaller than usual, beneath the towering disaster-type, such that she was grateful when that piercing gaze of his broke away to scan their decimated surroundings. His intimidating, ethereal claws faded out of existence and with a soft sigh, the level-headed, emotionally distant Deimos she remembered came back as he barked a strict order for her to follow. Which Tina nodded in eager approval of as the Absol backed away to take off after Yigo. Still not at a loss for words, the Fennekin couldn't help the questions that flooded forth after she rolled to her feet and sprinted after Deimos.

"I-I really am sorry, I swear! If I'd--if I knew it was you and Yigo, I wouldn't have... H-h-how did he do that, though?! He tore the whole area to ribbons..!" she commented in awe, trying to circumnavigate the newly transformed terrain, which Deimos scaled with much greater ease.

Unfortunately, Tina wouldn't get an answer, as the scene she came upon just moments after the Absol, stole the words and her breath away. The Sandshrew was in the midst of what could only be described as an all-out assault on the one responsible for the mess. Only problem of course, was that was really Tina, but they were attacking a Pokemon for his knee-jerk reaction to an ambush she had perpetrated. That guilt weighed heavily on the fox as she received a sharp order from Deimos to rescue Yigo if there was to be any hope of redeeming herself.

Not that she really needed the extra motivation. Her own guilty conscience had that covered as Tina bolted into the fray without a second thought for her own safety. Making as straight a shot for the downed Sandshrew as she could, the Fennekin was still leaping in a zig-zag pattern from broken boulder to cracked trump, the clump of dirt and back. Though it proved an effective evasive maneuver for the inevitable volley of poison stingers sent her way, Tina was downright terrified she might get struck as well.

Only once she cleared the debris field and hit solid terrain again, did she regain the confidence to close the distance, unaware that by that point, she was accompanied by a powered-up Deimos, whose focus was the growing horde of angry Pokemon forming in opposition to their retrieval of Yigo. Tina kept her attention squarely on the fallen ground-type and the poisonous stinger protruding from his wound, planning her next actions as soon as covered enough terrain to render long-range attacks ineffective.

That didn't stop the offending Ariados though, which was her main obstacle. The spider instead began to spray the last few feet between Tina and Yigo with a sticky, stringy web instead, in the hopes it might stop her full-speed charge. But even if the Fennekin had wanted to stop on a dime, she was going too fast now. So, with no other option, she leaped into the air as high as she could, letting the momentum carry her over the minefield of webs, and into a direct collision course with the Ariados. The bug followed her arc with the String Shot though, forcing a panicked Tina to summon Magic Coat in her large, fluffy tail, contorting in mid-air to sweep it ahead of her defensively.

In what must've been a massive stroke of luck on her part, it worked. Tina's glowing tail effectively swatted the spider's own webbing back into her face, the force of the impact sending the arachnid tumbling backwards, tangled up in her own webs as the Fennekin, to her astonishment, landed on the opposite side of Yigo, standing where the Ariados had just been, with her downed companion right in front of her. There was no time to question her success, much less pat herself on the back, as next she had to get him out of harm's way.

Lunging forward without a word, Tina bit down on the stinger embedded in Yigo's shoulder and yanked it free, chucking it aside as she then drove the full strength of her tiny frame into forcing the dazed, poisoned Sandshrew onto his feet in such a way that she could wriggle underneath his injure limb and walk him out of the conflict. It wasn't easy going, as the poison had time to set in, but she did her best to keep him focused on moving instead of trying to lay down.

"No, no, Yigo, we need to go. Y-you need... to keep moving, c'mon. That's it... one foot after the other, a--almost there... No-no, don't lay down...!" she instructed him, every step of the way, trying very hard to keep the tears out of her eyes so she wouldn't get jumped but another enemy.

Unfortunately for Tina, she had a huge blindspot directly overhead, where another Ariados was descending from the remains of a tree that had remained upright, but at a very crooked angle. The spider clearly sought revenge, as well as a mated pair of Noctowl that circled in the sky, whom had their home completely demolished in the unwarranted deforestation. As the type that leaned more toward psychic attacks, one would've thought they'd avoid the dark-type charging into the fray to take on multiple enemies. Deimos however, clearly portrayed the most direct threat now that the Sandshrew was wounded.

More importantly though, the flying-types' had more than just psychic attacks in their arsenal, as they decided just in time for Deimos to reach the horde, to dive-bomb him with a wave of Air Slash's, squawking in anger as they charged into the battle.

Seconds passed and sickness started to settle in. The body of the rodent was starting to heat up and breathing became harder. An unintentional whine signaled to anyone that he was in an awful position, unable to continue on his own. His mind was starting to feel like he would never make it out of there despite many friendly pokemon being around. He couldn't catch their attention at all. Maybe they did hear him and they didn't care enough to come to rescue him or the impact caused them too much trouble, delaying their aid. Yigo couldn't know.

With his ears now low and focusing on getting enough air not to faint, Yigo stopped resisting. He couldn't stand on his own anyway. But it was then when he felt the stinging sensation on his shoulder intensify to unbearable levels before finally stopping. The squeak that came as a result awoke Yigo's senses again, ears rising and muscles tensing up, although weakly. A nudge pushed him onto his feet which caused him to put some effort in actually standing up "U-Uh...? I-I..." His eyes tried to open and see who it was but, even though they were open and his head had tilted to the side, all of his vision was blurry and covered in little dark dots. It didn't matter who it was at the time. It was help and he needed to walk away if he wanted to survive!

Step by step, aided by the mysterious voice, he began moving forward. One step at a time, fighting the toxins and the pain caused by the open wound. The whole body started shivering after each step, being harder and slower to get the next paw forward and the last standing in support until his body could take the poison no more and gave in to the weight. The young kid fell back down on his belly, his eyes dulling right as more foes started showing up.

While a second Ariados started its assault on Tina and the fainted shrew and the flying couple took upon themselves to hinder the Absol from the safety of the skies, a couple of bug type pokemon stared from afar, attracted by the commotion.

"Well, well... if it ain't Tiny! And it looks like she's got herself into trouble without my help" A Paras looked from the outside, rubbing claw against claw and shaking its body, spores falling down to the sides in excitement "Oh, I'm oh so going to enjoy making her regret showing her fur back here!"

From the outside of the destroyed area and next to one of the trees that remained undamaged outside of the clearing, the recovered leader of the cult observed with delight the battled, looking for a moment to step in.

"If I may, boss" A Venomoth quietly spoke from behind, landing on a root so to not be spotted by anyone but the Paras "Why don't you let them go just this once?"

"What?! Are you out of your mind?!" The Paras shot back, turning to his henchmon in a fit of rage "This is our chance to-!"

"Do you want them dead or do you want them to suffer?" The Venomoth calmly replied "If you want the former, go ahead and join the fray. They won't stand fighting the whole onslaught. If you want the latter, let them fight this through and maybe win. Let them grow confident so they come back bolder, stupider and, hopefully, alone. That way we have a chance to capture them and take that pride and confidence out of their hearts... before taking their hearts." The Venomoth flapped its wings and looked back from where they came "I'm sure that I could ask the sentry to do their job right this time but the decision to intervene is yours."