Things were still fairly busy at the Coalition base the next day even if no one was running off on official expeditions, and Adnea's study was buzzing again. Her pens still scrawled away while four creatures- Astrid, Raijin, Lunala, and the researcher herself- huddled around the map of Void's surrounding territory laid out in the middle of the table.
"So we have to keep in mind both team composition and terrain hazards," Adnea mused, looking contemplative. "Based on how many we have, does splitting into four groups sound reasonable? That would give us around seven members apiece, give or take. That's about the size of an average expedition team, so not large enough to raise suspicion straight away, but large enough to deal with whatever foes we might get intercepted by if they turn hostile."
"That sounds fine," Lunala corroborated. "We can all agree that there should be no Flying- or Water-types in Ultra Plant. As far as the desert goes, we need the ones there that can handle the temperatures and weather a sandstorm if need be, and probably some winged ones in the case of an interception since they wouldn't have to worry about the sand hindering their maneuverability."
"H-having a psychic on each team for communication purposes might be a good idea," Astrid piped up. "S-since you can communicate with s-someone else on the other side of the island i-if something comes up…"
"Very good point, and we've got enough of them to go around," Adnea agreed. "Obviously there's Lunala, and we've already agreed that the three of you will be sticking together." One of her pens divided a blank page into four quadrants, and she scrawled the trio's names down into one. "And if you're aiming at Necrozma… Personally I'm thinking Rush, Rozen, and Dren would be the best ones to take along with you."
"I agree," Lunala corroborated. "Though I should say, for as strong as Necrozma is, Rush's immunity to Psychic-type moves isn't going to save him from a Photon Geyser."
"I doubted that it would, but if anyone aside from you is capable of smashing Necrozma's prisms, I'd bet on him," the Orbeetle acknowledged, getting a chuckle from the lunar Beast. She looked to the Starstorm duo next. "What do you two think?"
"That's who I would've picked too," Raijin answered.
"M-me too," Astrid agreed.
That too was jotted down on the quadrant.
"And if I may, I'd suggest positioning us to enter around here," Raijin said, pointing at an area on the map that laid more in jungle territory but overlapped with the desert in a few places. "You won't see as many faction groups here on the verge. The dungeon guards are far enough away on either territory to not be so worrying."
Lunala chuckled again, giving his head a pat with her bony fingers. "You just really do not want to see that Guzzlord, do you?"
"Absolutely not," was the quick reply.
Astrid had to agree with her comrade's sentiments- if that species was bad enough to put him on edge just from the possibility of facing one, then Astrid could only imagine just how troublesome they were.
"We'll go with that," Lunala nonetheless agreed. "We can converge on the tower without any of Void's underlings noticing us and giving us away for Necrozma to swoop in."
The quadrant of the page with Lunala's group written on it tore away rather cleanly from the rest of the paper, and a small paperclip floated up to secure it to the edge of the map.
"Since whoever isn't travelling with me is trying to get lead into the tower, we should position them where they're more likely to be noticed," Lunala continued. "The desert is the biggest shard, so we could have two groups out there- one near Sea of Dust, and the other would be directly approaching the tower guards."
"We'll need someone charismatic in the latter that can make it seem reasonable why they would be doing such," Adnea remarked.
Instantly, someone came to both Astrid and Raijin's mind and they piped up at the same time, "Delphi."
The two other psychics looked at them, and they looked at each other, the Decidueye getting a little grin at the edges of her beak from her and her comrade thinking the same thing.
"I agree," Adnea corroborated. "Her flirting is sure to stupefy them."
Astrid couldn't help blushing at the mention of such, and Raijin gave a little twitch too. The Decidueye wondered just how that would go over, a flirtatious Delphox bantering with several Stakatakas and maybe a Celesteela or two… It seemed utterly ridiculous. Not a bad idea, but ridiculous nonetheless.
Nonetheless, after some deliberating, the four of them came up with the most reasonable-sounding groups.
Team Mirage as it was seemed fit to stay together in the desert, seeing as Joker's avian form and Spirit's floating form wouldn't get inhibited by the sand that made it hard to run if anything went awry, and Delphi herself as a Fire-type would probably be fine in either scorching heat or awful cold. Yunael from Team Sweetheart would fit too, her aerial body and attacking capabilities seeming useful in the event of a hostile encounter. Polly of the Gnarly Brigade had already imitated Remi and Knox's voices near-perfectly (and also wouldn't get dragged down by the desert terrain if a fight broke out), thus it seemed useful to have her in a group that would directly be talking to the tower guards. Kuro of Team Charade also seemed to fit nicely, what with his capabilities as a Zoroark of casting illusions or disguising himself if need be, and Karma the Wobbuffet from the same team would certainly make a nice shield to hide behind if anyone else needed a quick moment to scarf down a berry or retrieve something from a bag.
The other desert group would have the ever-adaptable head of Team Charade, Xeno, and the lead sweetheart Ama and her absurd durability. Surely a Ditto wouldn't be fazed by whatever could possibly occur out in the harshness of Ultra Desert, and surely Ama's cleric functions would come in handy if the harshness started to wear on anyone else. Cinder and Lazuli would go along as well, Cinder's type and form seeming almost perfect for the terrain, and Lazuli's Surf could at least temporarily change the desolate ground to something else if need be. Seth and Riven of the Gnarly Brigade seemed like good choices too, the Scizor immune to sandstorm damage due to his Steel-type attributes and the Honchkrow adding to their coverage while also not having to worry about getting bogged down in the sand if a fight broke out. Team Charade's Ravi looked like the best psychic to have on hand, as his hooves would make trudging through the barren terrain easier.
The easiest pick to send into Ultra Plant was Shar, as her Ground-type attributes made her immune to electric damage in the first place and her glinting claws would surely come in handy no matter what happened. Chira from Team Sweetheart was easily placed there as well, with the oil coating her fur lessening the effects of static (and static would surely be present in large amounts). Azra of the Gnarly Brigade was as bulky as could be with his armor plates and surely wouldn't be fazed by an errant shock, and Jingle of Team Sweetheart likely wouldn't be too bothered on account of his Dragon-type attributes making electric damage not as worrying. Still, they would have Millicent (likely perched on someone's shoulder for as small as the cream fairy was) to ward off any cases of unexpected paralysis, as well as Adnea as their psychic, seeing as the Orbeetle could float and thus avoid brushing up against or stepping on anything that might unleash an unwanted bolt.
Once it was all laid out, Astrid and Raijin once again made their exit, though as they stalked down the stairs, Astrid piped up, "Hey, Raijin."
"What's up?" the Xurkitree replied.
"I haven't tested this new form out yet, and I should probably get used to what it can do before I get into any serious battles in Ultra Space… Do you mind running off with me for a little while?"
"Not at all," was the easy reply. "I was thinking about that too- we probably need to test out our setup together, since obviously I can't really form a sparking cage around you anymore, so we'll have to figure something else out if I go unleashing bolts on an entire room."
"Right, that too," she agreed. She got a slightly awkward look, fluffing out just a bit, but nonetheless she piped up again, "Y'know, I was thinking…"
"What is it?"
"W-well, y'know, there are a lot of other Beasts, but they're not nearly as friendly and nice as you, and… I know you probably wouldn't like it, but… would you battle with me, so I can see how I fare…?"
"And why would I have an issue with that? That's what I've been doing-…"
The realization hit him that Astrid wasn't talking about camaraderie. They both paused at the bottom of the stairs, the Xurkitree twitching and going tense while Astrid was an odd mix of reluctant yet relaxed.
"… Oh," Raijin said, frozen in place. "You mean… aim my attacks at you…?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
He froze. "You're right… I don't like that idea…"
"I figured you wouldn't," Astrid softly replied. "It's just that… I can't count on any Ultra Space occupants not wanting to completely mess me up. If I see another Xurkitree like you, they're gonna blast me as hard as they can and I'd better be ready to take it. If I screw up with you, it doesn't spell my death or another horrible fate."
"… Well, I see where you're coming from," Raijin acknowledged, still sounding hesitant nonetheless. "And you're right…"
The edges of the Decidueye's beak curled up in a hapless smile. "Look, you'd technically be helping me out. It's like I said before… If we're heading into a world that's completely crazy by my own standards, I'd better get used to it."
Her comrade eased up. "… Alright," he said, followed by another twitch. "But if you want me to blast you as hard as I can, then it's only fair that you hit me as hard as you can too!"
"I can do that," Astrid answered. "We're on the same page then?"
Raijin nodded, albeit while shrinking up a bit. "We should take a few Reviver Seeds and berries… just to be safe. J-just in case we hit each other a little too hard."
"Good idea," the leafy avian concurred. "We'd probably be fine around the southern outskirts of town, towards where we found Lunala… You know, so we don't get interrupted or catch anyone else in the crossfires."
"Right," her comrade agreed with a nod.
*You're in the clear for now; I'll let you know if you should call it off and Lunala will send you a wormhole if need be,* came Adnea's telepathic voice.
Two simultaneous cries of "Thanks, Adnea!" were called up the staircase, and the Starstorm duo scurried down to the basement. There were still some Reviver Seeds and Oran berries stowed away in the box stashes, three of each getting stowed away in their bag. Astrid couldn't help but to find it almost strange to pick things up with her feather 'hands' instead of her feet, but at the same time, something about it felt familiar. Maybe it was another vague memory connected to her past life…
… And the moment she thought of the origin of the familiarity, she almost couldn't help but to loathe it, knowing she'd be going right back to a familiarity that she didn't want. She didn't dare let it show in front of her comrade.
Nonetheless, Astrid slipped the bag onto her shoulders, noting just how much easier it was to do so in her larger raptor form, and they headed out the front door. Several figures met them on the other side that they weren't quite expecting- Rush and Rozen, who carried on with a Wobbuffet and a Ditto-faced Kommo-o, the latter of which perked up straight away.
"Oooh! You two!" Xeno cried, clapping his hands together with a slight jingling sound. He quickly descended upon them like a Mandibuzz descending on a rotting corpse, making the Starstorm duo freeze up. "That form looks nice on you, Astrid! I oughtta spend more time as a ghost-bird too!"
Before anyone could say anything, the 'Kommo-o' glowed white and morphed into a Ditto-eyed Decidueye, making Astrid blink in stupor. He seemed far more enthusiastic about being a 'ghost-bird' than she herself was, and she wasn't sure whether to be concerned or amused. Rush and Rozen both chuckled at his antics, and Karma didn't seem very fazed.
"And you!" Xeno cried, turning to Raijin. "Do you think your boss would let me Transform into her…~?! I've been dying to have a legendary form in my arsenal…!"
Raijin wasn't quite sure what to make of the Ditto either, but before he could reply, the Wobbuffet piped up instead.
"That's a ridiculous idea!" Karma exclaimed. "What if you fell victim to Void's poison too?! Then she'd have that legendary form in her arsenal!"
"Oh, what're the odds, Karma?!"
"Something that is probably better not to risk," Rozen nonchalantly chimed in.
The Wobbuffet gave Xeno a very pointed look (even moreso than usual considering her species' perpetually flustered countenance), and Rush cackled in amusement at seeing the scuffle. Xeno apparently relented, his form glowing and morphing into a second Wobbuffet, albeit one without the red lip markings that his comrade had.
"What're you two up to, huh?" Rush inquired, looking the Starstorm duo over.
"T-testing my form out," Astrid replied. "A-and we're gonna fight."
A few odd looks followed.
Raijin twitched in uncertainty. "N-not like a serious one, though!" he cried. "W-well, yes, a serious one, but…!"
Rush laughed and looked to Astrid. "Let me guess, this was your idea, wasn't it?"
Astrid hunched up a bit. "Y-yeah… Just to see how I'd fare, since the last time we got ambushed by some Ultra Space occupants, Sixty-O-Three's Ice Beam made me feel like I was about to die, and I want to be prepared for anything…"
Another chuckle followed from the Coalition lead. "Well, you two be good little teammates and whoop each other's asses," he said with a mischievous grin.
"But be careful about it," Rozen added with a smile. "I can fix a lot of things, but a dead body isn't one of them."
The two of them assured the Audino that nothing of the sort was going to happen and set off again. Some more happy-go-lucky antics came from the Ditto, but whatever he was doing that Rush cackled at and Karma chided him for, they didn't listen to.
"You know, him Transforming into a Cosmog or Cosmoem would be one thing, but… Karma's probably right," Raijin mused, glancing backwards for just a moment.
"If I'm being honest, he seems like the type to go opening a dozen wormholes at once just for the hell of it," Astrid concurred.
"That's what I thought too," her comrade agreed.
The air was rather peaceful for the most part, but the post office seemed to be getting some business and the Kecleon Shop was buzzing with lone figures and shouting expedition groups alike. Astrid couldn't help but to think that, if Arashi were there, he'd be abuzz with enthusiasm yet probably completely terrified at the idea of taking one of Raijin's bolts given how he jumped in fright at mere sparks from their comrade, but he'd likely go along with her idea nonetheless. She also couldn't help but to think that, if he evolved, every single one of the Xurkitree's attacks would be super effective against a Greninja… and she wasn't quite sure what to make of that. If her exuberant partner turned up acting hostile against them, she didn't know if should've been happy that they'd have the advantage or distressed at the thought of thrashing her partner. She didn't mind the relative solitude, just her and Raijin, but all the same, things seemed far too quiet.
It was fairly quiet within the trees too, only the occasional chirping of a wild avian (or the fussing of a lone Cherubi at said avians) gracing the air. Astrid didn't mind that either… If anything, it was better that way, since she knew Raijin would probably cry 'Ah! Forgive me!' at any stray bird that got inadvertently caught in a Discharge. The two of them came upon an area that wasn't so dense with greenery and decided to settle there for the time being, Astrid taking the bag off and setting it down against a tree trunk.
"Okay, we should work on our setup first," said the Decidueye. "Obviously you can't shield me anymore if you go launching lightning bolts all over the place. How'd you do it with your former comrades in Ultra Space?"
"Well, I'd almost always be on the same team as a Stakataka or Celesteela, and they almost always have Wide Guard in their arsenal," Raijin explained. "Usually they could tell when I was about to let loose because I'd start sparking, or I'd just tell them if we weren't quite used to each other yet, and they'd put up a shield around everyone else and let me do my thing… But if we didn't have a designated guard, and it was a setup more like Squad Fourteen-Five where our team members covered for each other depending on what attacks were getting thrown around, then I'd do things pretty similar to how I do with you and Arashi. I'd tell them to get close and I'd be out in front of everyone so I could loose the bolts out away from them."
Astrid nodded. "That makes sense. So I'd just be in a position where it's easy for you to work around me."
"Pretty much," her comrade affirmed. "Usually one of our defensive members- a Stakataka or Nihilego in this case- would still sort of shield the others just in case of an errant spark, like a Stakataka might have everyone huddle up inside their walls or a Nihilego might keep the closest to me kind of like how you saw Seven Thousand shielding her comrades."
"And in our case, I resist you, so if Arashi were here, I'd do that," Astrid noted. "Between the three of us, I can probably take hits the easiest now that I'm in this form…"
"Well, you already know this, but aside from keeping enemies away with sparks, dealing damage is a lot easier for me than taking it… a lot more so in Ultra Space, but the principle still applies here fairly well."
"Right," the Decidueye affirmed. "Show me how it goes."
Her comrade nodded and motioned her over, and she scurried behind him while still keeping a bit of distance. A nest of bolts sparked to life in Raijin's hands, and moments later, a flurry of sparks were Discharged out in front of and slightly beside him without touching Astrid. It wasn't a full-force attack, but nonetheless, Astrid got the gist of the setup just fine. A stray Spearow or sleeping Murkrow somewhere behind her squawked in unease and quickly flitted away from the area, and the surroundings were left with quite a few jagged singed lines from the bolts.
"It's not as big of a range as I would get if I just let loose in every direction, but I still get a pretty decent spread," Raijin noted, turning back to face Astrid.
"That works fine," the leafy avian noted, glancing around a bit. "Matter of fact… Let's do that again."
Another nod from the Xurkitree followed, and he turned away from her again, but Astrid too turned with her back to her comrade. He let off another flurry of bolts, and at the same time, she gave a hard flap of her wings to shake some razor-sharp leaves loose that jabbed into the trunks of the trees she faced. She had a pretty decent spread herself, or at least, enough to cover what Raijin couldn't…
Raijin seemed to notice it too when he turned back around, and the Decidueye wore a happy look while glancing around.
"You used Razor Leaf…?" the Xurkitree asked.
"Yeah," Astrid replied. "So if we do have multiple targets, you use Discharge, and I use Razor Leaf… That covers things pretty well."
Raijin twitched. "A-ah! That's… That's a good idea."
She chuckled, albeit in a rather subdued manner. "I think this is what Arashi would call 'synergy.'"
Another twitch. "H-he would…"
They were both quiet for a moment, Astrid's eyelids twitching in sad hesitance for a second while Raijin shrank up a bit, but Astrid let out a sigh and forced the worry for her partner to the back of her mind.
"Alright, so we have that setup that we can use," she carried on. "And let's see about something else while we're at it. Obviously I couldn't grab you and pick you up in my last form since I was so small, but I wanna see if I can do it now since we're a little more similar in size. That sort of thing comes in handy."
"If that'd save me from an Earthquake, I wanna see it too," Raijin remarked.
Astrid chuckled, then flapped her wings and swooped her comrade up by his arms. She had to admit, it was quite easy to get a firm grip on his wires with her talons, but while she knew it was likely perfectly natural for the Xurkitree, it felt strange to have someone be so… limp in her grasp. Had she been grabbing anyone else and they went limp like that, she would've worried that they were unconscious or worse. Nonetheless, with a few good flaps, both she and Raijin were hovering several meters off the ground. Carrying Arashi around as a Dartrix hadn't been that big of a deal, though she had to take notice that carrying Raijin around was definitely manageable but still more difficult. Astrid figured that, since her comrade had copper features (and probably copper cores to his cables for the currents to travel along), the metal's dense properties contributed to the heaviness even if Raijin wasn't a hulking figure. It surprised her just a bit, but she still didn't think much of it.
"So this is what it feels like," the Xurkitree mused.
"Yeah, I think I could definitely save you from an Earthquake or Earth Power or sudden wormhole opening underneath us," Astrid noted. "If we had Arashi, he could probably jump on my back… but I doubt I'd be able to fly very fast like that."
"Is this troublesome for you at all? I mean, I'm still bigger than you…"
"No, not particularly," she replied, still flapping her wings to hover. "I can definitely feel you there, but you aren't dragging me down enough for it to bother me." She fluttered down a bit and turned loose of Raijin once he could touch the ground, then landed herself. "Now let me see about these arrows I'm supposed to have…"
"You're basically a walking weapon all by yourself at this point, aren't you?" Raijin inquired, studying her. "Not that I doubted you as a Dartrix- and believe me, I didn't doubt your capabilities at all, but… Your claws and your beak are way sharper now, you've practically got blades for feathers, you've got four limbs for grabbing things instead of just your feet, you're way bigger, and you can still fly around to get more leverage against anyone that attacks us… I mean, you're not as sharp as one, but with all that, you could give a Kartana a run for their money with the way your form in and of itself is threatening…"
The edges of her beak curled up in a grin. "You think so…?"
"Yeah. Seriously. You're… kind of intimidating."
She chuckled. "You think if Necrozma had turned me into an Ultra Beast instead of a Pokémon, that that's what I'd be…?"
Raijin thought for a second. "Well, not necessarily," he replied. "In terms of your personality, you honestly strike me as more of a Celesteela. They're the most well-rounded species, and for someone as cautious as you, that'd probably suit you well. The only thing is, for as huge as they are, you'd never be able to hide from anyone."
"Well, that's probably why Necrozma turned me into a Rowlet instead," she mused.
Her comrade didn't disagree.
She reached into the underside of one wing and felt around for a second until she came upon a set of very sharp quills that detached without too much hassle if she gave them a tug. She pulled one out, and it was sharp, alright- the end of it was pointed and stiff like a thorn, while most of the barbs along the shaft came off fairly easily when she ran her feather fingers down it with a bit of pressure. What was left resembled an arrow if she'd ever seen one, and the end of the feather that had attached to her wing seemed perfectly built to fit against the vines of her hood. She figured out what to do fairly quickly and held one vine up over her head while pulling the arrow back against it until it wouldn't stretch anymore, then picked a spot of bark on a tree and let it fly. It wasn't a perfect hit, but it was fairly close.
"… Well, that's useful," Astrid remarked. "Let me see…"
She repeated the process, though she moved much faster in plucking the feather and brushed off the extra barbs while nocking it against her vine all in one swift movement. It flew, and while yet again not a perfect hit, it was still fairly close.
"Sheesh," Raijin mused, studying the arrows jabbed into the bark. "Getting that stuck in you somewhere would have to hurt…"
"Probably," Astrid agreed. "Though I still feel like I'm missing something…"
She tried it again, though that 'something' she was missing became fairly apparent when the arrow took a ghostly glow akin to a wispy blue flame as she nocked it against her vine. She paused for a second, taking note of the spectral energy, and picked a new target- a bright yellow flower situated in the shadow of a smallish bush. When she let it fly, the poor little plant she'd targeted was severed from the ground in a perfect hit, but at the same time, the bush growing over it shook as though she'd walked over and rustled it. A spectral string came out of the arrow and appeared to stitch around the bush's shadow like sewing a patch on a blanket. She studied it for a second.
Raijin too studied it. "Is that… a new attack?" he asked, sounding puzzled and tapping his fingers together.
"… I think I just learned Spirit Shackle," Astrid replied. "Did you see that too? I didn't even hit that bush but it shook like I did, and that string that came out stitched its shadow down."
"That's a move I'm not familiar with, but I'm guessing that's your ghostly side coming out."
"Yeah," she affirmed. "If I hit you with it, you'd be stuck in place."
"Is that what those stitches do?" the Xurkitree asked, and on getting a nod, "Duly noted…"
Astrid strode closer to the stitched shadow and studied it. The entire thing had a stitched edge, and when she reached down to touch the spectral string, she found that she could nudge it around or pull the stitches up (though she didn't pull very far). Raijin too came over to see it, studying it intently and touching the stitches too, but when he tried to nudge them, they wouldn't move. It appeared only the one to cast the ghostly snare in the first place could affect it.
"… That's really useful," Astrid remarked.
"It really is," Raijin agreed. "If we can lock our enemies down, then beating them is way easier…"
"And if we're feeling really outmatched, that makes running away a lot easier too," she added. Her eyes lit up for a second, and she gave a rather intent look to her comrade. "Matter of fact, speaking of locking someone down… Can you use Discharge again?"
A nod followed from her comrade, and again Astrid was ducking behind him while a flurry of bolts doused their surroundings in sparks, but she wasn't holding still or using Razor Leaf again. She plucked and aimed a spectral arrow, narrowing her eyes and picking out another spot on a tree trunk in the same direction Raijin was facing, then let it fly into the sparks. Once her comrade's bolts fizzled out seconds later, she darted over to it.
"What's up?" Raijin inquired, scurrying after her.
She yanked the arrow out of the bark and inspected it, holding it up where the Xurkitree could see too. There wasn't a single singe mark on it, and while the feather barbs did look a bit ruffled, they seemed untouched by the bolts.
"Did you completely avoid that attack…?" Raijin's voice trailed off as he studied it.
"… I think so," Astrid replied, sounding just slightly uncertain. "Let's do that again. I need to see if that's a fluke or not."
They repeated the maneuver, Raijin letting loose with a flurry of lightning and Astrid firing the arrow once more. They both ran over to inspect it, and sure enough, slightly ruffled the end may have looked, it was free of any sign of a spark. The Decidueye studied it with a rather intense gaze, and slowly the edges of her beak started to curl up in a grin again.
"… Arceus above, this is insanely useful," she noted, looking up at her comrade. "You know how Sixty-O-Three was avoiding your Discharges…?"
The Xurkitree caught on almost as soon as the words left her beak, giving a little twitch. "So if we were to face anyone like that again, then they might avoid my Discharge, but…"
"They can't avoid me," Astrid finished the thought. "Not without getting hit by you. So they either take a Discharge or get hit by me and locked in place. We get the upper hand either way."
Her comrade was silent for a moment, but shortly, his hands shot out and grabbed her shoulders in excitement. "A-am I allowed to say that I love your new form too…?! This is working way better than I thought it would!"
She chuckled. "Go ahead," she brushed it off. "I'm enjoying it a lot too. Necrozma knew what they were doing when they picked the Rowlet line."
"Apparently so," Raijin concurred, turning loose of her. "You really seem to be finding your stride now. N-not that you didn't find it before, but-"
"You don't have to explain," Astrid said, looking slightly amused. "And I agree. This form feels way more comfortable than the last two."
Her comrade nodded, tapping his fingers together. "I know it doesn't affect me, but I'm glad…"
She reached her wings out, and it didn't take long at all for the Xurkitree to return the embrace too. It felt different- Raijin didn't completely swallow her up in a tangle of cables, and she could actually wrap her wings around him. It felt nice, and she catalogued it in her mind, for as much as she wanted to think she'd have plenty of time to enjoy hugging her comrade in the future… time was limited. Their venture to Ultra Space didn't seem very far away, and after it, she knew she might not ever get to do it again, whether because Void crushed them all or because she was sent back to her homeworld. She wanted to hug Arashi too, and the thought that she might not ever get to after their awful parting made her choke up, though she again forced it to the back of her mind.
"… Hey, Raijin."
"What's up?"
She let out a heavy breath. "… I think I've got the gist down on a Decidueye's abilities now…"
A twitch of apprehension followed. "A-ah… Right…"
Raijin let go of her, and she turned him loose too. Fairly quickly, the Beast was shrinking up and tapping his fingers in fairly blatant apprehension, though it didn't last for more than a few seconds. Astrid studied him too, a hint of hesitance in her eyes while the rest of her looked oddly calm.
"… Hey, we're friends," Astrid said softly. "You'd blast me into the next dimension if I wanted you to, right…? We both know you're good at it."
"W-well, y-yeah," Raijin haplessly agreed. "You swear you're fine with this, right? I don't wanna hurt anyone for no reason, especially not a friend like you."
"I swear," she replied. "If I can't take it anymore, I'll tell you. And if I can't tell you, then I'm sure Adnea will."
He nodded. "… Alright. Then in that case…"
Crrrrrrrack!
Astrid could practically feel the air buzz as her comrade's body crackled with lightning, and she jumped back while plucking another arrow. For just a moment, that same feeling of being a scared little Rowlet in the midst of a terrifying alien creature returned that she'd felt when she first dropped into the world, but that jolt of fear subsided as quickly as it came. That terrifying alien creature was her friend, but even if he hadn't been, she wasn't going to run. No… Once she started facing Void's underlings on their own turf, running wouldn't be an option anymore. She certainly couldn't avoid them forever as it was.
Yet still, she couldn't help the almost sardonically amused hesitance in her eyes as she muttered, mostly to herself, "… I'm gonna regret this, aren't I?"
Author's note: Funnily enough, Spirit Shackle (the signature move of Decidueye) apparently originated from a TCG move used by Greninja, which, given Arashi's species, is quite a coincidence. I didn't know that originally when I started coming up with this story, but whatever, I guess that's cool.
