Draco: So, in what I've experienced so far as of the games' launch, I don't have any real complaints about Galar. A little bit miffed that Mega Evolution is no longer a thing, but I have to admire their choice to prioritize story over gameplay; Key Stones aren't commonplace, and everyone with a Key Stone in Kalos and Hoenn got one from either Gurkinn, Steven, or the Draconids, all of whom have good reasons to have such things. Same with Z-Power; it was useful enough, sure, but that is an exclusively Alolan thing and they never even pretended for it to be something else, so I'm impressed it didn't return.
NEW EDIT: That being said, if they decided to include Mega Evolution or Z-Power somewhere in the Isle of Armour or Crown Tundra, I'm not gonna say no.
Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.
Ultra Kingdom - Carnival of Frights: Infernal Separation
"Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea!"
With Bisharp, Haxorus, and Krookodile offering an advantageous offensive, the wayward Ranseans weren't nearly so terrified of Blacephalon. Mitsunari, Kiyomasa, and Masanori had been fighting the beasts in this hellish circus long enough to know how they fought - and how to deal with them - which meant Oichi was more than happy to defer to their tactical wisdom. Convincing Null to stand back had been an exercise in futility, but Lucario was more than happy to stay out of range as the beasts were dealt with.
That being said, the trio's experience with fighting Blacephalon had largely been in open areas outside the tents - which eventually led to trouble on an occasion where the fight wasn't. Three and a half weeks after Oichi and the others had arrived, the group got into a fight with three beasts in a tent that looked like the biggest performance the circus could offer, with a lot of stages, platforms, and obstacles.
Most of which turned out to be flammable.
Not all of the Blacephalon had their heads explode when they were bested, but Masanori had gotten into the habit of striking them as far away from the combatants as possible, just in case they did. That led to trouble in this particular tent - the explosion of the last beast's head had lit the tent on fire, and everyone started to run away as best they could, not particularly caring which exit they took so long as they didn't get buried under the flaming rubble.
By the time Ranmaru was the last one out, the tent itself was ablaze - and the trapeze platforms had collapsed outward, threatening to ignite other tents as well.
"Damn it all," he muttered. He and Lucario had ended up with Okuni, Volcarona, Kiyomasa, Haxorus, and - to Ranmaru's surprise - the Cosmog; Oichi, Null, Gracia, Gothitelle, Mitsunari, Bisharp, Masanori, and Krookodile were nowhere to be found, and the Dragnoran quickly raised his com-crystal bracelet before him. "Call in."
"Here!" Gracia confirmed. "I got Lady Oichi, Masanori, and Mitsunari with me. Where's the Cosmog?"
"They're here," Okuni assured her. "Kiyomasa and Ranmaru are with me, as well."
"You know, I was starting to think it was pointless to bring com-crystals if we were all gonna travel together," Oichi admitted. "I love being wrong."
Ranmaru glanced at the fallen platforms; there were indeed slowly-expanding flames that indicated the nearest tents in those directions had become alight as well, and the Dragnoran only hoped that they would stop there rather than leading to a chain-reaction that would sent the entire otherworld on fire. "Are the beasts inclined to avoid flames raging so openly as this?" he asked into the line.
"Not happening," Masanori warned. "These guys are stupid enough to insist that the show must go on. We burned down a head-juggling act once and the beasts kept juggling until they noticed we were there."
Kiyomasa saw Ranmaru glance at him. "That was Masanori's idea," he insisted, bracelet away from his mouth.
"Let's try to regroup before the flames spread too far," Oichi insisted. "Head towards the hideout, and let's hope we can meet up on the way."
"And try not to fight beasts," Mitsunari added. "We're at a lot more of a disadvantage spread-out like this."
+x+x+x+
Unfortunately, trying to find your bearings in an array of tents was difficult at the best of times; when your destination is on the other side of an inferno, it's a lot harder to figure out where to do - as Oichi and Gracia discovered quickly.
"You guys were here for half a year," Gracia observed, "I thought you'd know this place like the back of your hands by now."
"Yeah," Mitsunari muttered, "well, if it was a proper maze, we would. But tents aren't logical like that."
Gracia gave a short giggle. "We went through three mazes already," she admitted. "I know what you mean."
Masanori seized his kanabo in both hands as he stretched his arms over his head. "I don't know what you mean," he argued. "A maze is harder to break down if you get tired of it."
"You mean you've just been ripping through tents instead of trying to find your way?" Oichi asked. "Not very clever."
Mitsunari shook his head. "Being clever's my job. He's the one who makes the first move without thinking it through."
"Hey, shut up," Masanori retorted, making to smack him and finding his blow colliding with Mitsunari's iron-plated fan. "Being clever doesn't mean much if you never make a move at all."
"I wait for my opponents to make a move and capitalize on their mistakes," Mitsunari countered. "Which means I'd curb-stomp you if we ended up on opposing teams."
"Keep telling yourself that, smart guy," Masanori fired back. "I could get lucky and crush you into the ground with the first hit, nothing for you to capital on."
Oichi and Gracia watched their argument with amused smiles. "It's like adding weight to a scale and watching it waver," the healer mused.
"Yeah," Gracia agreed. "Going back and forth, and you're hoping it balances out sooner or later."
"They're missing a point of balance, though," Oichi observed. "Kiyomasa's usually around to mediate."
Gracia hummed. "I dunno. They're good friends and all, I don't think they'd be able to-"
A screech from nearby silenced both conversations, and they turned to find a Blacephalon standing there. "Oh, Mulch," Oichi muttered.
Null roared at it.
"Don't you dare!" Mitsunari reprimanded.
The beast was whirling flames around its hands; Masanori quickly yelled, "Run for it!"
The Warriors charged away as the Blacephalon loosed its Fire Blast, the flames burning enough to reach the tent they had been standing before - and causing it to ignite. Mitsunari quickly led them around the tent before anything within could collapse; they were only barely able to start on the next path before a platform tore out of the tent, not burning yet (presumably knocked over at the base) but slamming into the ground before them. If Null's slower pace hadn't reduced their speed, they would have been right under it.
"Dammit," Oichi muttered. As they leapt over the obstruction, she raised her com-crystal bracelet before her. "What's your status?"
"We're at the hideout," Okuni insisted, "but the flames are spreading fast."
"You're telling me!" Mitsunari protested. "We're on our way, but there's a Blacephalon on our tail!"
A shimmer came in from somewhere near the line, and Ranmaru spoke. "The Cosmog say they're ready to open a gate; do we risk it before you get here?"
"We're close," Masanori insisted. "Have them go for it!
"But tell them to stay on this end!" Gracia added. "If we don't get there, I gotta keep 'em safe!"
"They're on it!" Okuni proclaimed. "Hurry!"
A screech from ahead of them drew the entourage to a stop; another Blacephalon had emerged from a yet-unlit tent, and noticed them. Bisharp promptly charged forward and drove a Night Slash into it before it had the chance to gather its flames, and Krookodile closed the distance while it was reeling and Crunched its hands; once the group had passed, he parted his jaws and took off to follow before the beast could retaliate. The furthest reach of its Fire Blast still singed his tail, but he was well ahead of it before it started running after them.
They were getting close to the hideout, now; the troublemaker trio had prepared for a hasty departure since the travelers' arrival, having makeshifted ration packs and camping tents from the circus cloth to increase their ration stores and keep the camping comfortable. The gate's seam was shining bright, and no sooner had Oichi gotten a good look at the Cosmog circling it than they pulled back and swung their arms towards it, causing it to be thrown wide.
Gracia redoubled her pace, yelling, "Get in!" Everyone's attention was drawn to them as the Cosmog fell to the ground; she grabbed them in her arms and leapt into the gate, followed quickly by Ranmaru and Lucario. Gothitelle stopped at the tent's entrance, turning to the Blacephalon pair on their tail and readying a Future Sight as Okuni and Volcarona leapt in; once Oichi and Null were in the tent, Haxorus stood at its entrance, causing Bisharp and Krookodile to skid past his sides.
Gothitelle watched Null leap into the gate, and followed suit as the Future Sight ripped up around the Blacephalon; they stumbled to a stop as Mitsunari and Bisharp leapt in, and dragon mist draped Haxorus as he bombarded them both with Outrage. Masanori and Krookodile were through the gate as one Blacephalon started to slump over, and Kiyomasa leapt in as Oichi yelled, "Hurry!"
Haxorus turned, charging through the gate before the dragon mist had fully dissipated.
The conscious Blacephalon grabbed the unconscious one's head.
And as the last Warrior was leaping into the gate, it threw the explosive after her - and the gate flickered out in the same instant as the head went through.
+x+x+x+
Oichi's landing on the other side was less-than-stellar, with more rotational momentum than she would have liked - but it didn't hurt her much, given that she landed in water. Very shallow water, to be true - but water that had pooled upon soil, leaving mud beneath it to cushion her fall as she landed on her ass. She barely had time to register the faces of her friends around her before the gate flickered out - and something tumbled into her lap from where it had been.
A dotted white sphere, with purple starbursts on either side.
Everyone screamed in panic as they realized a Blacephalon head was lying there. Oichi forced it off her legs, and Mitsunari scooped it up with his metal fan; Kiyomasa bashed it past him with his scythe-spear, and Masanori slammed his kanabo downward on it, forcing it as deep into the water as it would go while still moving away from him. With a muffled sound, it blast beneath the surface - leaving waist-high waves of unpleasantly warm water to break over everyone.
Still lying down, Oichi got the worst of it - but compared to the alternatives, she didn't have anything in the way of complaints. Sputtering the water out of her mouth and nose, she got to her feet, suspecting a mud patch over the bottom of her garments but ignoring it as she tried to shake as much moisture out of her clothes as she could. "I don't want to think about how close that was," she muttered.
"That was scary!" Gracia screeched. "How did that even come through the gate?"
"I think the other one threw it in," Oichi admitted. "Didn't you mention they juggled each others' heads?"
"I didn't think they were smart enough to use that when one of them got knocked out!" Masanori yelped.
"Let's just be glad it decided to do that instead of coming through the gate itself," Mitsunari insisted.
"Yeah," Kiyomasa agreed, "these places seem like they're made for individual beasts. If they're already terrorizing Ransei, we don't need them terrorizing each other, too."
Oichi looked around, getting a good look at their new environs. "Well..."
She felt awfully as though she had been shrunk, somehow - surrounding her were giant blades of grass. The water in which she stood was a thin layer compared to the grass, but to the Warriors, it was enough to flood their ankles; combined with the mud beneath it, travelling this place was not going to be a pleasant experience. Several large flowers extended in various directions as well - but many of them were broken at the stems, leaving triangular arches in the nature; every plant around them seemed to have a decent layer of moisture on it, with droplets showering off the snapped blooms (droplets of normal size to the Warriors, thankfully).
"...I'm not a hundred percent sure Blacephalon would have the advantage, here."
Draco: Blacephalon heads are explosives. By having their alternate ability be Explode, I can maintain that aspect without having them use Mind Blown and self-eliminating in two attacks. Plus it makes for a nice little bit of terror.
