Coming to the Solaceon Ruins had been a delightfully nostalgic experience for Astrid. Back when she had traveled the region with Brian and the rest of the team, the group's unofficial motto had been to leave no corner of Sinnoh unexplored. It hadn't been strictly enforced or anything, but the phrase served as a reminder not to just barrel ahead in search of the next city, the next Gym badge, or even the next battle. Brian had wanted to savor his adventure, to take his time and discover the full extent of what Sinnoh had to offer him, so that his experiences would be so much richer than those of the average trainer embarking on their Pokemon League challenge.
The motto had often prompted the group to take lengthy detours to historical sites or small towns that normally got passed over by League challengers. Not every Sinnoh town was involved with the activities of the League, but they still welcomed travelers that strayed into their neck of the woods. The fact that most trainers never even came across these settlements unless they happened to stray great distances from the main roads meant that these visits were more laidback and interesting than the more popular traveler destinations.
Most of Brian's peers had expressed concern that his frequent detours would either prevent him from qualifying for the Championship tournament in time, or wear on the patience of his Pokemon. It was not uncommon for wild Pokemon to engage travelers in the hopes of impressing them enough to earn a slot on that trainer's team, or for trainers to impress a wild Pokemon in a similar vein. In such instances, the newly recruited Pokemon was usually interested in becoming stronger, and could become frustrated if their new trainer was failing to deliver on the Pokemon's expectations.
The concern was not entirely unfounded. Thresher in particular had been a prime example of that overly competitive mindset. The then-Scyther had joined Brian's team in the hopes of one day settling the rivalry he had formed with Astrid after being bested by her in battle, and he was most often the one to express scorn for activities unrelated to improving his battle skills and tactics. It was anyone's guess why Thresher had stuck with the team for as long as he had, although Astrid personally liked to think that Thresher had taken a liking to the group, and was just too proud to admit it.
Coming across the human siblings earlier in the Ruins had only amplified Astrid's nostalgic yearnings. The boy that Raze had identified as 'Marcus' strongly reminded her of Brian, almost to the point of distraction, whereas the youth's older brother seemed to be roughly the same age Brian would have been if he had survived...
Astrid had required a moment to compose herself in the wake of that idle thought, and was simply grateful that Shadow and Leaf hadn't noticed her getting choked up for seemingly no reason. Few things could twist the knife in her heart more effectively than her happy memories mingling with the awareness that those days were gone forever. With Echo's death, another significant person in her past had been erased, and even reminiscing came with the bitter reminder that those memories were all that remained of her former companion.
That same reminder steeled and sobered her, at least to her closest equivalent of that state of mind. She had come to the Ruins with the intention of doing what she could to offset the impending calamity that Diablos represented. Even if the Spiritomb was not personally present, as Shadow had come to suspect, coming here was an opportunity to try and gather more information about their mutual foe and what he, or his allies, were planning.
It was for the sake of that goal that Astrid had accepted Circe's challenge. The justification for conflict was so ludicrously petty that the Absol couldn't even pretend to be invested, but she couldn't deny herself the selfish thrill of battling a unique and powerful opponent. Despite being informed that Circe's species was known as a 'Salazzle', Astrid had never seen or heard of that Pokemon before, but neither, apparently, had anyone else. Equally surprising was the claim that Circe had fashioned her Absolite bracer, as well as the insistence that she demonstrate her ability to wield the stone.
Part of Astrid's hesitation stemmed from the uncomfortable awareness that she was still badly out of practice with her Mega Evolution. In the absence of a Key Stone, she would need to take the full extent of the stone's energy into her body and maintain near-perfect focus to avoid being overwhelmed by the massive power spike. Her ability to do so independently had taken a tremendous blow since Brian's death, but she had resolved to remaster the skill for the sake of overcoming Diablos and preventing him from bringing further misfortune upon others. Ever since she had gotten her Absolite repaired, she had told herself that she needed to find time to practice using it, but she kept putting it off.
No such excuse existed this time, but Astrid felt it wise to approach the situation with caution. She didn't really care what reason Seraphina and Circe used to justify fighting her, but the timing of their visit to the Ruins raised a number of red flags in the Absol's mind. She had no idea what they had been doing here, or what their relationship to Kaito and Cecilia was. On the surface, the interactions seemed unambiguously hostile, but this in no way suggested that the fire lizards could be seen as potential allies, in the traditional "an enemy of my enemy is my friend" kind of way.
If anything, the hostility between the other Pokemon made Astrid warier of their intentions. She had initially suspected that Seraphina, as a Marowak, was predisposed towards aggression and scrappiness, but Circe's fixation on her Absolite seemed more shrewd and sinister. Astrid doubted that Circe was simply curious about the stone's capabilities, the way Frost had been, but she couldn't think of what the Salazzle might be trying to accomplish by encouraging her to use it.
Astrid shook herself, dispelling the haze of doubt that was worming its way into her mind. Obsessing over the details would do her no good, and would just hinder her from effectively wielding the Mega Stone. She had to stay focused and calm, and cast aside all doubts.
The Absol stepped forward, taking her place on the impromptu battlefield. She had been about to suggest that the others stand back, but it appeared that a warning was unneeded. Shadow and Leaf had already huddled together on the side of the room nearest to the winding staircase, and Kaito seemed to have recovered just enough to risk moving, albeit with the Quilava's assistance.
Circe smirked and expelled another wisp of purple smoke from her nostrils, sidling over to a position across from the Absol. She cast a glance around the room, silently confirming that the other occupants were well out of range of their battlefield, and then fixed Astrid with a wicked smile, watching her expectantly for some signal that she was ready to begin.
Astrid took a deep breath and let it out slowly, projecting her lingering doubts and fears into her breath, so that they exited her body during the exhale. She took another moment to adjust the Absolite bracer on her foreleg, ensuring that the circlet fit comfortably and unobtrusively on her leg. Warmth spread through her body as she brushed the white gemstone with the pad of her paw, and she smiled. Even after years of disuse, the stone remained attuned to her, like a puppy recognizing its master after a long absence.
With one final, cleansing breath, Astrid met the Salazzle's gaze and nodded, her tail wagging enthusiastically.
Circe dropped down on all fours, almost perfectly emulating the battle stance of a feral beast. She let out a battle shriek of sorts and raised her tail into the air. Peculiar, purple-red flames spewed from her paws and she swiftly waved her tail over her head, causing similar flames to erupt along the underside of the appendage. The Salazzle then opened her maw and spat a powerful burst of flame towards Astrid.
The Absol leapt clear of the fiery projectile, channeling energy into her scythe-like horn until it glowed with vibrant pink light. As she descended towards the Salazzle, she swiped her head viciously, releasing the light as a crescent-shaped blade of energy that sliced through the air towards the poison lizard. Circe's smirk widened and she rose up onto her hind legs, her tail still lashing behind her like a whip.
Then she spun on her heel with incredible agility, her tail glowing with an intense, light-blue aura. Her glowing tail struck the Psycho Cut with great force, and the two energy beams pushed against one another for a moment before the energy engulfing Circe's tail gave out. The remnant of the psychic-infused blade plowed into her backside, still carrying enough power to send her reeling.
Astrid seized the opportunity to ready her next offensive technique. Electricity coursed through her horn and launched towards her foe, but to her surprise, the bolt abruptly veered off course towards the Marowak, drawn to her like a moth to flame. Seraphina snickered in amusement as the electricity was harmlessly absorbed into her body.
"Oh dear, I didn't realize that Seraphina was still in range," Circe noted with a sly smile. "I'm afraid her body draws in electricity, so you may want to refrain from using such techniques."
Astrid answered with a nonchalant shrug. She didn't really rely on Thunderbolt in most battles, although she couldn't deny its effectiveness in subduing opponents and prey. She was just trying to get a feel for Circe's battle style right now, and see how she reacted to a variety of different threats. She had no experience fighting against Salazzle, and really wasn't sure what the species was capable of.
Circe's smile widened and she spat a concentrated glob of purple gunk at the Absol. Astrid was a moment's slow in reacting, and the glob struck her in the chest and burst, showering the huntress with toxic fluids that dyed her fur purple. Tears filled her eyes as the toxic fumes burned her eyes, and she retched after inhaling the reeking stench of the Salazzle's venom.
Circe closed the gap between them in an instant, and flames spewed from the palm of one of her paws, right before she delivered a fierce slap to the Absol's face. The toxic fluid clinging to Astrid's face ignited, burning her skin as the flames devoured the makeshift fuel. Mercifully, the fire fizzled out within seconds, leaving behind a stinging sensation, but no lasting damage.
Growling, Astrid swiped her horn at the Salazzle, but Circe dropped onto all fours, losing enough height to slip under the blade entirely. Poisonous fluids seeped from the Salazzle's mouth, pooling around Astrid's feet so rapidly that she thought for a second that Circe was vomiting. The Absol gagged from a combination of the sight and stench of the fluids, and her stomach churned. The toxic fluid clung to her paws, thickening into a sludge that reminded her unpleasantly of a Muk grasping at her legs.
Astrid was starting to get a grasp on Circe's tactics now. She was quick and agile, able to shift from an upright, bipedal stance to crawling around on all fours with ease, making her very tricky and evasive. She could use both distance and close-range attacks, but at the end of the day, the Salazzle's greatest weapon was the various interactions of her fire and poison techniques. Circe seemed to have several varieties of poison at her disposal, and could make devastating combos with techniques like Venom Drench and Venoshock once a basic poison had been activated. That wasn't even counting the potency of her pheromone-laden poison gases. Male opponents would find the Salazzle almost insurmountable, and other Pokemon could be lured in or incapacitated by the alluring fragrance, even if they were female themselves.
All in all, Circe was not an opponent she could afford to have a long, drawn-out battle with. Judging by the poison lizard's lithe figure and evasive tactics, Astrid suspected the Salazzle to be a fragile fighter. Fast and agile, but lacking the bulk to cushion against stronger blows. If that was the case, then she had even more incentive to tap into her Mega Evolution.
Right on cue, the white gemstone glowed softly, drawing Circe's gaze to the Absol's foreleg. She made no attempt to interfere and merely smiled, watching Astrid closely. The disaster Pokemon's heart thumped against her chest as she closed her eyes briefly, focusing upon the energy contained within the glowing stone. Even when she wasn't attempting to Mega Evolve, there were times when she could draw upon its energy in smaller doses to provide a temporary boost in power, but this time her aim was to access its full power.
She could feel energy coursing from the stone and spreading through her body, and as she took another deep, cleansing breath, she tried to clear her mind of doubt, but the smell of Circe's poison hovered in the air, causing her to gag and lose her concentration. In addition to the energy of the stone, Astrid was uncomfortably aware of a mild poison spreading through her body, courtesy of the Salazzle's bursting Sludge Bomb trick from before. It was potent enough to make her feel ill and nauseous, as if she was suffering from a seasonal flu.
Astrid spat on the floor, vainly trying to rid her mouth of the taste of poison. Her eyes burned with tears, yet she didn't dare try to wipe them away, not while her paws were covered in sludge. Worst of all, her flu-like symptoms were putting a severe damper on her mood, and negative emotions were the last things she wanted to experience when attempting Mega Evolution.
"Is your focus faltering, dear?" Circe asked, her voice brimming with callous amusement. Astrid didn't bother dignifying the question with a response, but she knew her flushed face and pained expression said more about her physical discomfort than words ever could. Circe smirked and swished her tail forcefully, producing a purple mist that gradually dispersed. Almost immediately, Astrid's senses were bombarded with a sweet, soothing fragrance with a slightly bitter aftertaste. While a bit overpowering, it was infinitely more palatable than the reeking stench of poison.
At such close range, Astrid was better able to detect the pheromones infusing the Sweet Scent, and she shivered involuntarily, but forced herself to refocus. The unpleasant odor of Circe's poison had been temporarily masked by the sweet mist, and she was able to breathe deeply again without gagging. This was her chance. It was either now or never. The stone at her leg glowed vibrantly, so much that Astrid nearly had to shut her eyes against the intense light.
Warmth spread through the Absol's body, banishing the nausea and aches that had clung to her body, and replacing them with a surge of energy. Power raced through her body like lightning, flushing out her discomfort and filling her with giddy excitement.
The Absolite pulsed with intense light, and a harsh wind swept through the room, as if a cyclone was forming in the center. Circe rose onto her hind legs and grasped onto one of the nearby pillars in order to keep herself anchored in place. Astrid closed her eyes tightly, focusing with all her might as more energy coursed through her body.
An intense jolt of pain shot through Astrid's skull and she cringed, tightening her jaw to keep from crying out. Her body was resisting the transformation. The amount of energy flooding through her was coming in too quickly for her to manage. She was like a battery being overcharged, only able to absorb more energy if she found a way to discharge the excess, but the transformation refused to occur.
Fighting against the panic welling up inside her, Astrid closed her eyes more tightly, willing her body to accept the Absolite's power. Another shock of agony shot through her body, and she let out a whimper through her teeth. Tears of pain spilled from her eyes and she clenched her jaw so tightly that her teeth began to ache in protest.
Come on...come on...why won't it work?!
She was so close...she could feel herself hovering just at the threshold of a successful Mega Evolution, but it wasn't happening. No matter how desperately she begged her body to evolve, it fell short of that line, all while the pain was intensifying in her skull , and spreading slowly to the rest of her figure.
"She can't do it," someone sneered, sounding so far away, yet the words came in crystal clear. Astrid wasn't even sure if the words were spoken by someone in the room, or within her own mind. She had struggled with Mega Evolution in the past, but Renard and Echo had helped her through it.
Sorrow surged through her heart at the mere thought of how the Vaporeon used to sit with her in the evenings, encouraging her even when she had lost hope of ever succeeding. But Echo was gone now; he could no longer help.
'No, don't think like that!' Astrid urged herself. Diablos had taken Echo from her, but she needed to prevent the demon from striking again. She needed to master her Absolite once more, and deliver the world from further misfortune.
The pain in her head was beginning to overwhelm her, and she felt her body weakening, her legs collapsing beneath the strain of the energy she was tapping into. Fighting through the pounding in her ears, Astrid shook her head violently, snarling with wild abandon. Her green eyes glowed with intense light, the outline of a distinct, catseye sigil appearing within her pupils. Blue-green energy surged around her body like an aura.
She knew what she had to do. This was her last shot...if it didn't work, she'd probably pass out from the strain of trying. She closed her eyes again, desperately trying to recall the ritualistic chant that she, Echo, and Renard had come up with years ago, the words that inspired and focused both body and mind.
"Harbinger of disaster..." she choked out, each word escaping her throat with difficulty, and her breathing pace escalated. Another intense gale of wind whipped through the chamber, shaking dust free of the walls and ceiling. "Angelic soul resisting fate..."
The Absolite began to glow solidly, no longer flickering as it had been before, and Astrid felt a weight lift free of her chest, her body feeling lighter and more energized than ever before. Her tail wagged excitedly, even as more tears spilled from her eyes.
"Awaken power within me...and unlock my evolution!"
The walls shook as brilliant beams of light extended outwards from the Absolite bracer, but the excess of unstable energy created tremors that seemed to rock the foundation of the Ruins. Small chunks of rock dropped from the ceiling and shattered upon the floor. Startled shouts from the other occupants caught her ears, and she froze in place.
Images passed before her eyes so rapidly they were practically a blur. A dark cave. Tremors causing rocks to fall from above. Terrified shouts and screams, a child, begging for salvation. Light up ahead, the sting of small rocks pelting her body. The sensation of small hands clutching the fur at her neck. Falling rocks crashed all around her, boulder-sized obstacles that threatened to impede her movements, and trap them within the crumbling cave.
Paradoxically, the flashing memories banished all fear and doubt from the Absol's mind, and allowed her to gain control of the energy threatening to burst free. Warmth spread through her body with such intensity that her fur bristled, and a burst of energy rippled outwards, calming the tremors that shook the chamber. The light that had engulfed her body faded, as abruptly as it had appeared, and she panted for breath, feeling for a moment as if she had been trapped underwater for the past two minutes.
She was dimly aware that all eyes were fixed upon her, and she could feel a steady supply of energy coursing through her body. She took a moment to look herself over, having been deprived of seeing her majestic figure for so long that she felt it acceptable to indulge in a moment of vanity.
Her white fur had grown longer, adding a vaguely feral appearance to her body. The fur at the back of her neck had bristled outwards, giving the appearance of angelic wings, and her scythe-like horn had widened. Lastly, the 'bangs' opposite her horn had lengthened to partially cover her left eye, which usually was the first indication she had to confirm a successful transformation.
Visually, anyway.
The Absolite bracer and stone had disappeared, one of the more peculiar elements involved with Mega Evolution. The items ceased to exist while the transformation was active, and reappeared upon returning to normal.
The energy coursing through Astrid's body was like tasting a delicacy she hadn't had in years. It was intoxicating, turning every thought and instinct toward satisfying that craving. Her predator senses were drastically amplified, so that she was aware of everything around her. She could sense almost every living being within the Ruins, and smell each of their distinct scents. She could identify the species, gender, and emotional state of almost every creature nearby. She could hear their hearts beating, and even make out the footsteps of the humans and Pokemon on the floors above.
It was so much stimulation to take in, and she wasn't content to passively filter through it. She was too energized and excited to just stand here and marvel at the feeling of Mega Evolution. She pawed at the floor restlessly, her claws lengthening and gouging into the stone tiles as easily as if they were made of wood.
She hungered for battle. Some Absol allegedly detested fighting, but she had been raised as a battler. There was no greater thrill to her than a challenging opponent. Mega Evolution had purged the Salazzle's poison from her system, and the unstable energy had even eradicated the sludge clinging to her paws and fur.
Astrid's intense green eyes focused upon Circe, taking in every detail of her Salazzle opponent. Her eyes soon narrowed, noticing that the poison lizard had abandoned her battle stance, and was softly clapping her paws together, in what Astrid recognized as a vaguely sarcastic or unflattering gesture.
"Well done, my dear," Circe murmured, and her expression became one of disinterest. "My research here is now complete. I'm satisfied."
The Salazzle began to walk off the battlefield, in the direction of the stairs, but Astrid growled, and her eyes glowed with an intense red light. A powerful, ghostly aura engulfed her body and then extended outwards to surround the poison lizard. Circe froze in place, her purple eyes widening in fearful alarm.
Astrid smiled, the motion exposing her predator fangs. She took a step nearer to the Salazzle, putting additional pressure on her to continue the battle or risk being pounced upon. It was so satisfying to see the smug reptile flinch.
"Are you sure you want to force my hand, love?" Circe asked, miraculously managing to keep her voice from trembling, and the shadow of a smirk stretched across her face. She snorted a wisp of purple smoke from her nostrils, and Astrid immediately detected the pheromones infused within the small cloud. It reminded her of a few other cravings she had yet to satisfy, but battle lust took priority.
Astrid didn't answer and merely took another step closer, coming within striking distance. She crouched her body, preparing to spring at her foe, and silently counted down from three. She pounced at 'two', and struck at Circe's body with her enlarged horn, only for Circe to leap up with surprising speed and vault over her head with all the grace of a professional gymnast. Astrid skidded to a stop and whipped her head back towards the Salazzle, conjuring up a gale of intense wind. The wing-like extensions of fur on her back beat the air forcefully, directing the Razor Wind towards the retreating Salazzle. Blades of air collided with the Salazzle's back and she tumbled forward with a gasp of pain, landing on all fours, and a gash opened along her scales, drawing a trickle of blood that streaked down her back.
The smell of blood was just as intoxicating to Astrid as anything else, and while she didn't particularly consider Circe to be 'prey' in the traditional sense of the word, she delighted in the hunt all the same.
She stepped towards the fallen Salazzle, only to grunt as something leapt upon her back and repeatedly drove its tightened fists into the side of her head. Astrid growled and shook her head violently, dislodging the Marowak from her back with enough force to send her tumbling across the stone floor. She waited just a moment for the Marowak to look her way, and then gave her the same intense glare she had fixed upon the Salazzle. The ghostly aura surrounded Seraphina, but to the Absol's surprise, the masked lizard seemed utterly unfazed. Like, not even slightly shaken.
"Mean Look doesn't work on Ghost-types," the Marowak snickered, scrambling back to her feet. Normally, Astrid might have been annoyed by the interference, but the idea of fighting two Pokemon at once sounded like much more fun than fighting against one, so she shrugged and turned her attention back towards Circe.
The Salazzle whipped her tail through the air, producing another mist of her pheromone-filled poison, and Astrid snorted in amusement. Arousal did nothing to distract from or lessen her aggressive instincts. Dark-type predator species loved to exert dominance over rival females during courting seasons, so spreading those pheromones only made it easier to identify Circe as a 'rival', despite them being unrelated species.
Astrid shifted into a pouncing stance again and blue-green energy shimmered around her body. Her pupils lengthened into feral slits, either as a side effect of Circe's pheromones in the air, or because of the energy coursing through her, like blood pumping through her veins. She couldn't have stopped herself even if she wanted to.
"You still don't realize my intentions," Circe crooned, and Astrid growled, forming a sphere of black energy within her mouth and launching a pulse of darkness towards the Salazzle, celebrating with feral delight how easily she formed and fired such a powerful attack. It took no toll on her body or energy reserves at all, yet the Dark Pulse coursed with such intensity that it left a fearful vibe in its wake. "Defend me," Circe ordered nonchalantly.
The pulse exploded mid-flight, without so much as touching the poison lizard, and Astrid blinked, genuinely alarmed. As the smoke from the blast faded, the Mega Absol could see a familiar black-furred Espeon standing before the Salazzle, his silver eyes glazed and unfocused, and his gemstone glowing weakly. The remnants of a psychic barrier shimmered before him, and what remained of the Dark Pulse forced its way through, striking him squarely in the chest and flinging him backwards against the wall of the chamber.
The Espeon slid to the ground and collapsed, unquestionably unconscious. Astrid gaped in confusion, unable to comprehend why Shadow would have interfered with the match like that. Then she caught sight of Circe's wicked smirk, the poison lizard looking more smug than she ever had before.
"My pheromones attract others to serve me," the Salazzle whispered. "I can turn every male within range into your enemy with almost no effort. Even humans are easily lured to me...and they can command the Pokemon they control, males and females alike. There is no Key Stone within the Ruins, so the only question is whether you can manage your energy long enough to last to the end. Will you last, dear? Will you last?"
Astrid felt a surge of rage welling up within her chest as she looked at the unconscious Shadow. He reminded her so much of Echo, and the thought of him being turned against her by Circe made her sick with anger. Leaf was the next closest to the Salazzle, so he would undoubtedly be the next male sent against her.
"I'll take this," Circe crooned, stroking the Leafeon's ears and deftly extracting Seraphina's bone club from underneath his forelegs, as the Grass-type purred, enjoying the attention and relaxing scent the Salazzle produced. With a sharp flick of her wrist, Circe flung the retrieved bone to Seraphina, and the Marowak seized it gleefully. "Serve me, little one," the Salazzle murmured in Leaf's ear.
"What's in it for me?" Leaf retorted, and Circe paused, clearly not expecting such a response. In lieu of an answer, she snorted a wisp of smoke at point-blank range at his face, prompting a sneeze. "Is that it? Smells great, but...kind of a meh deal, you know?"
Circe stared at Leaf uncomprehendingly, before the lightbulb seemed to click on upstairs. "How old are you? Are you even able to be affected by female pheromones yet?" she mused, idly lifting Leaf's tail with her paw, but he pulled away, smirking widely.
"Yeah, they work just fine on me," the Leafeon said nonchalantly, placing unusual emphasis on the pronoun, and he smirked, exposing one fang. "I just want to know if you're actually going to deliver, or if it's just an empty promise, you know?"
"You need not worry about payment," Circe murmured, flicking her tongue suggestively against the Leafeon's ear, although Astrid noted the action seemed intended only to allow her to exhale another wisp of her poison into the Leafeon's face. The Grass-type's golden-brown eyes flashed, and the wisp seemingly rebounded without actually touching him. Circe's nostrils twitched, her expression becoming increasingly bemused.
"See, that's not quite good enough. Do you pay partially in advance?" Leaf asked, his tone becoming increasingly more nonchalant and inappropriate for the situation. His smirk widened, fully exposing his right-side fang. "Or fully in advance, with bonuses distributed later?"
"No," Circe answered bluntly. "When I require immediate action, I don't negotiate."
"Your loss," Leaf said, shrugging casually. "I guess I'm now obligated to kick your sexy tail because you hurt Shadow. Tough luck, 'love'."
