AN: I said Boss Battles were deadly. R.I.P. all those who fall this chapter. I did try to keep everyone safe, but the dice can be cruel and unforgiving.
Fire Province: City of Geotherm Outskirts: Age of Mew(waning): Year 656: The Battle of Geotherm(BOSS MISSION), Part 2
Alpha Squad Side: Conlan, Rudo, Ornia, Semora, Bennett, Magdalene, Charlie, Mandy, Micah
"Here he comes!" Sigurna announced to the Alpha Squad as she flew overhead, heralding the slow moving arrival of the massive hulking body of magma and steel walking forwards towards Geotherm with his mouth wide agape.
"So that's Hereweald, the savage type 2 legendary." Semora stated as Alpha Squad got ready to execute their plan.
"You ready?" Magdalene turned to ask Charlie who nodded after a gulp.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"Alright Alpha Squad!" Rudo shouted over the wind blowing through the mesa. "Let's show this thing what Moonbrand is made of! Now!"
Charlie immediately began digging under the ground of the mesa, making her way towards one of the Geotherm Power Plant's underground cells. Meanwhile, Bennett put his hand out towards Hereweald and fired off a shadow ball, staggering the beast back, mostly due to being startled rather than any physical pain. "Drop it like it's hot." Bennett announced before blowing on his hands like they were a smoking gun.
"Gueeeeeeeeaaaaahhhh!" Hereweald screeched as he began to pick up his pace. The Metal Sound of his roar making nearly all of Alpha Squad's ears bleed, with the notable exception of Charlie, who was busy digging underground, and Ornia, whose Clear Body reflected the soundwaves back off of her.
Magdalene focused her mental energy and shot an Extrasensory towards the monstrous pokemon, causing it to cringe as it continued to move forwards. Micah quickly teleported to the heatran and threw as hard a punch as he could, the force of his fist swinging him too far to the right, hobbling in the direction of Hereweald's path.
Semora sensed an opportune time to use Double Team and hastily completed the move, creating a good three clones of herself before quickly ducking behind Conlan as she went to hide.
Conlan, for his part, rocketed forwards with a Mach Punch, slamming his fist down on Hereweald's head, before landing next to Micah. "It looks like we're going to be in the thick of things, eh? Feel free to Teleport back if things go south."
"I'll be sure to take you and any others with me if that happens." Micah nodded.
"I'll help those guys up there." Mandy decided as she started performing a Swords Dance.
"You aren't thinking of going up there yourself, are you?" Ornia asked as she set up a Light Screen to coat the entire squad.
"Nope." Mandy smiled. "Once I've maxed out my power, I'll pass the baton on to Micah!"
"In the meantime, I'll help out up there!" Rudo's own fist began to glow with the light of Copycat before she herself rocketed forwards to hit the heatran,
As she made contact and landed near Conlan and Micah, she let out an exasperated sigh. "It still looks exactly like it did when we first saw it come over the dunes!"
"It's tether is still out there intact somewhere." Micah informed them. "But we aren't here to kill the heatran. Remember the plan. Once Charlie gives the signal, we need to bring this thing back towards the trap."
Meanwhile, Charlie was busy digging her way into a Power Plant cell. "Hup." She grunted as she landed in one of the tunnels, held together by refined astrafialpide beams. She grinned. "Perfect. That's not going to collapse on me at least. The only threat is that large fire type from above."
She quickly began digging upwards in the direction of the fighting.
"Gaowmph." Hereweald brought his giant maw down to chomp on Micah with a Crunch.
"Hngghhh!" Micah groaned as he was dropped, a giant gash of blood now vertically marking his entire torso, right over his right lung.
Rudo, after noticing Micah's state, quickly cloaked herself in a blue hue of light, looked at Conlan, and nodded.
"Hargh!" Ornia lifted a rock off the ground, and after molding it into a javelin-like shape, threw it straight towards Hereweald. "Incoming Fire!" She announced as loudly as she could to the three pokemon further ahead of her.
As all of them rolled out of the way, however, the heatran simply swallowed the attack, as though it was nothing more than a lunch for him.
"Don't worry about the mark that much." Micah announced as his Recover quickly began to heal is wound. "I can still fight."
Semora, from her hiding place, once again performed a Double Team, creating one extra clone of herself while Mandy continued with her Swords Dance, raising her strength even further.
Bennett fired off another Shadow Ball, while Magdalene, next to him did the same with an Extrasensory, both attacks rushing towards the heatran, and each one managing to to make the monster stumble forth rather than trudge.
Conlan felt a chill run down his spine, and decided that then would be the best moment to look up and down Hereweald for any weak points with a Focus Energy.
"Guaaaooorr!" Hereweald roared as the winds around the mesa picked up intense speed and then suddenly, without warning, stopped as a surge of scorchingly arid wind from Hereweald's Heat Wave washed over everyone present, knocking them all back multiple feet, and besides roughing up all those other than Magdalene who was immune thanks to Flash Fire, or Charlie, who was safely underground, also inflicted all the non-fire type pokemon with serious burns, making it difficult for any of them to move.
"Argh, ow, ow ow!" Rudo rubbed her muscles as she got up from the ground. "Conlan, are you alright?"
"I-I think so…" Conlan rubbed his head as he stood up, and noticed how singed and grotesque Rudo's body looked from that attack. "But we need to get you a healer right away! Where was that mewtwo wasn't he a-?" Conlan's voice stopped short as he noticed the Moonbrand scarf resting upon the pile of ash. The wind picked up again and as Conlan quickly caught the scarf, the ash was blown by the air current into the shape of two gigantic batlike wings. Conlan couldn't help but notice Libitina hadn't come to collect the ashes.
"How could anyone have Teleported away from that?" He quietly asked no one in particular before turning back to the Heatran. "Rudo, let's hit him with a Two For One!" He clenched his fist and wound it back, getting ready for a Mach Punch.
"I couldn't agree more." Rudo wound her own fist back, glowing with a Copycat.
As Conlan rocketed forwards, he noticed Rudo by his side, lunging towards Hereweald, who in return was clearly charging up some powerful fire move.
That was when he noticed the cloth sticking out of Rudo's bag.
He gulped, and instead of using the opening to directly hit the heatran, he changed his Mach Punch's target to Rudo, knocking her out of the way just barely as Hereweald let loose a Magma Storm that poured out into the wilderness, scattering the rest of Micah's ashes. Conlan then fell to the ground, knocked back by Rudo's blue Counter light..
"Read-" Charlie popped her head out of the ground, before stopping herself momentarily and noticing the terrible singed bodies of most of her teammates, as well as the absence of Micah. She had a job to do though, and powered through with the rest of her statement. "The trap is ready! Lead it over!"
"L-lead...the heatran." Rudo tried her damndest to head towards the trap that Charlie had dug. "This way...There's Ngh...Lots of food down this way!"
"Hrmmmm?" Hereweald cocked his head and allowed Rudo to lead him towards the trap, though she was going quite slowly, and it was clear he didn't have much patience when it came to finding food.
"Rudo!" Mandy called out. "Is Conlan still back there? Is Micah still back there?"
"Conlan's back there, but Micah-...He didn't…"
"We need to get that heatran trapped as quickly as possible." Magdalene advised Mandy, who nodded. She materialized a baton in her hand and passed it over in Rudo's direction. "Rudo, catch! Use it to move without a limp!"
Rudo caught the baton and as it disappeared, she was able to pick up the pace, despite still being hellishly singed all over.
Magdalene moved closer to the hole and got ready to keep Hereweald trapped down there once he fell in.
Semora quickly brought as much of her color back as she could with a Synthesis, careful to continue staying completely hidden, but prepared to knock Hereweald into the trap from behind.
Ornia joined Magdalene near the trap, ready to assist with keeping the monster contained once it fell in.
Bennett, having noticed Micah's death, Conlan's injuries, and nearly everyone else's severely burnt and singed skin, including his own, which was oozing a thin red gas from gashes from the Heat Wave, he felt a knock inside the back of his head, before he lost his consciousness and Fenrir emerged.
"Hurry up and get in that hole to die already you cretinous creature!" Fenrir announced as he rushed towards the Heatran, disappearing and then reappearing with a Phantom Force, only for Hereweald to curiously turn his head towards him.
"Bennett, get back here!" Magdalene shouted. "You're taking Hereweald's attention away from Rudo!"
"Bennett is gone right now, girl!" Fenrir snapped back. "And I can handle this thing myself!"
Hereweald bent down and sniffed Fenrir, scrunched his nose up, repulsed by the scent, but then chomped down with a Crunch anyways, swallowing the pokemon in front of him after a single chomp.
"Bennett!" Magdalene shrieked out as Hereweald slurped up some of the strange gaseous blood from Bennett's body.
Rudo fought the urge to turn around and lunge at the heatran in a fury and continued to lead it towards the hole, only to be caught alongside it as they both fell down into the trap.
Rudo's world turned off.
"Rudo!" Magdalene called. "Can you hear me?"
"I think she's unconscious…" Mandy noted, looking down the hole as well.
"How am I supposed to cover the trap up with Rock Slide now?" Semora grunted as she kept her health at the best she could with another Synthesis.
"Let me see if-" Magdalene rushed up to the edge of the whole and shot some Hypnosis rings down at the heatran, but instead tumbled her own into the trap.
"Where's Magdalene and Rudo?" Charlie asked as she rejoined the others.
"Down in there." Ornia mournfully informed Charlie as she motioned towards the hole.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Charlie rolled her eyes as she looked over to Magdalene.
"Magdalene, you need to use Hypnosis on that thing before you climb up!"
"E-easier said than done, you know!" Magdalene called back. "I'll keep its attention for as long as I can but-"
"We've got ranged attacks!" Ornia announced. "We can keep it from getting too close to you or Rudo!"
Meanwhile, Conlan, back where he was knocked down, found himself being brought up to his feet.
"You there!" The arcanine barked at him after tossing him into the hands of two seperate magmar, each far stronger than Conlan would have thought. "You're….Hmmm! Aha, you're part of that mercenary band that helped the pretender queen escape Flamewater during Mt. Immolate's eruption a few months prior! You'll make excellent leverage during the pretender queen's surrender!"
He looked over at the two magmar. "Place him in the rear. Aradia has enough guards as it is. She can surely spare some for one of Visha's war prisoners."
Back where the rest of Alpha Squad was dealing with an ambipom wrench being thrown into their plan, Mandy had succumbed to her burns and Ornia quickly caught her.
"She'll be fine with enough rest, but she can't fight anymore." Ornia analyzed. "May Tapu Lele keep her safe."
Semora rolled her eyes as she jumped into the trap grabbed a surprised Magdalene, and surprisingly light Rudo, and used her Acrobatics to leap up and out of the pit.
"Maybe now would be the best time to cover that pit!" She announced.
"Tapu Lele grant me your strength" Ornia muttered a quick prayer before raising nearby rocks with Ancient Power and throwing as many as she could down the hole to fill it.
"Let me help." Semora stated as she placed the two pokemon she was holding down, and summoned her own pile of debris with a Rock Slide, filling the rest of the hole that Ornia alone couldn't handle.
"There's an innuendo here somewhere" She shook her head "But I guess we won't have a ghost to point that out to us anymore."
"Delivery!" Sigurna announced as she flew overhead again, dropping two rawst berries to Ornia and Semora respectively. "Also, important notice: Visha's troops are approaching geotherm en masse! Rendezvous with Satinka and Inkeri inside Geotherm's walls! They have other work for you to do!"
Fire Province: City of Geotherm(Outside City Walls): Age of Mew(waning): Year 656: The Battle of Geotherm(BOSS MISSION), Part 3
Theta Squad: Gertrude, Comfort, Caress, Aaron, Terune, Hex, Bravero, Verden, Gina
POW: Conlan
"En garde!" Visha announced from the front of his massive army closing in on Geotherm, rows upon rows of magmar, growlithe, magmortar, torracat, and incineroar were charging up behind his floating visage. "If you are Ignian enough to face me, I shall accept your challenges, but those unworthy will stand ASIDE!" He immediately whipped up a large Whirlwind with his wings and lunged it towards where Theta Squad and a few salandit army soldiers were standing.
Gertrude, Bravero, and Verden all slammed their backs into the wall, while Terune was blown off into the horizon along with the salandit soldiers stationed outside the walls.
"Terune!" Aaron shouted as he quite futilely reached out for the tree stump pokemon.
"Well, this is quite telling." Duman announced inside Terune's head. "You ought to tag me in, otherwise you're going to die, and then we'll both be in a pickle."
"Er- right." Terune nodded, allowing Duman to take control. As he drew out two ethereal scimitars, Duman landed atop Sigurna.
"Feel like fighting with us in the air force, do you?" The togekiss asked. "You got any range?"
"Plenty." Duman responded.
Back on the ground, Aaron noticed an incineroar soldier heading towards him, and immediately let a Thunder loose from his mouth, striking his attacker down with one blow.
Gertrude, after freeing herself from the wall, found herself being pounced upon by a frothing torracat, who cut straight across and through her chest with its Shadow Claw. "Heh. Let's see you without that dress, Fable lady." The soldier sneered as two more torracat and an incineroar began to surround her, grappling and binding her as the first soldier ripped her dress off her body.
The agonizing screech of pain that came from Gertrude nearly stuck the soldiers dead with fear, before she lost consciousness and their mortified frowns returned to malicious grins.
In the air, a fletchinder soldier brought down a tropius sky knight.
"Good." An important looking chandelure praised the fletchinder before he turned his attention to Duman and Sigurna. "You there, atop the enemy general. I can sense it in you. A different life than the one you currently have. I am Chakra, Visha's General of the Air Force. You will be a worthy story to tell my grandchildren once you are defeated."
Chakra shot a Flame Burst at Duman, engulfing the phantump in flames, and singing the edges of Sigurna's wings as well, causing the togekiss to fly a tad lower.
"Hup!" Sigurna flapped her wings as she moved backwards, firing an Air Slash towards her opponent. Her wings carried such power that the flames atop Chakra's appendages were all snuffed out from the air, and he immediately knew retreat to be a far better option than fighting to the death. "Air force, pull out at earliest convenience!" He ordered. "That togekiss is not to be messed around with!"
"Sorry that I was a bit too powerful, kid-" Sigurna looked up before gasping. "Kid? Kid?!"
She only then noticed Duman falling.
"Ah! Someone down there catch him!" She called as loudly as she could.
"You four" Hex turned to Comfort, Caress, Aaron, and Gina. "The tether for that heatran is being kept on Aradia the braixen's person, and while I don't doubt in the trap Alpha Squad set, the only way to get rid of that heatran for good is to deal with Aradia."
"She's all the way in the back of the army though, could we really push through that?" Aaron asked, understandably doubtful of the situation.
"We can we can!" Comfort cheered.
"Just make the army slow slow slow!" Caress sang equally cheerfully.
As the debate was going on, two growlithe and two magmortar began closing in on the group, to which Hex immediately responded with a Bulldoze, shifting the ground under the soldiers' feet and causing them all to topple over one another, losing consciousness.
As a trio of magmortar approached Bravero, Verden, and the group surrounding Gertrude, Bravero took action, rushing forwards to Sky Uppercut the one closest to the main gate, but instead being knocked back into the wall by a different magmortar's Focus Punch..
"Damn...Glad I Bulked Up before this shit." Bravero said to himself as he made sure his jaw wasn't dislocated.
"What's an ice type doing trying to defend geotherm against an army of fire types?" The arcanine asked Gina as his body began to glow red. "Don't take this personally kid, but General Ardent fights fiercely."
And with that, he slammed into Gina with a Flare Blitz, knocking her back across the sand while he took a knee from the damage he did to himself with the same attack.
Aradia, from the back of the entourage, pulled out her stick and began weaving it through the air, creating strange symbols, and mumbling something Conlan couldn't recognize.
"What was that?" He asked a guard in front of him. "What did she do just now."
"I don't have to explain milady's Lucky Chant to you." The magmortar spat.
"Ooooh…" Conlan cringed to himself. If she put a Lucky Chant on the whole army…
Conlan's thought was interrupted by a shriek from Aradia, and he looked over to see Terune's body in front of her.
Just Terune's body.
The spitting magmar from just a moment ago was now vomiting in pure disgust.
Conlan then noticed Terune's head in Aradia's hands. The braixen's terror, after a closer examination, seemed to turn to anger.
"Soldiers." She stated calmly as she gently placed the head of Terune next to his body.
Conlan looked behind him and noticed Libitina sneaking up to collect the remains. She brought one of her 'arms' up to her mouth as though she was instructing him to remain quiet.
So she was still doing that. Conlan continued to wonder why she didn't collect Micah's then.
"Lady Aradia?" A magmar asked.
"Push forwards. I'm going to pay my friend Hifroli and her 'retainers' a visit."
"Milady, are you sure that's a good idea?" The spitting magmar asked. "Lord Visha already had reservations about you coming along, and to place you in even more danger would be-"
"I'm in no danger." Aradia smiled softly. "Please have more faith in me." She looked at Conlan. "You.. I'm sorry for what is about to happen to your friends. This is the price they pay for lying to me, however. I do not take kindly to be cheated or taken advantage of. Please don't hold it against me, okay?"
"Don't lay a finger on any of my friends." Conlan responded.
"Oh…" Aradia cradled her hand as she brushed her fingers over her ring. "I doubt I'll have to."
Conlan wasn't quite sure what was going on, but if that ring was going to be the death of any more of his friends, he knew he needed to get it out of that braixen's possession. Still though, that would be hard to do with all these guards surrounding him...unless…
"I hope to Arceus this works." He crossed his fingers before putting them inconspicuously behind his tail, and created a thin line of Fire Spin. He just needed to trap one, and he could make a break for Aradia's ring.
"Heehee." Aradia giggled. "That's actually a really cute trick you're doing with that Fire Spin, mercenary. But I have a trick of my own. Wanna see it?"
Aradia took out her wand of a stick again and pointed it at Conlan. "Up you go~!"
Conlan soon found himself being lifted up into the air by a Psychic.
"I'll keep you safe up there until you're well behaved enough to come down~!" she sang. "Or maybe I'll catapult you into Hifroli!"
Conlan didn't know who Hifroli was, but he did know that he probably wouldn't like being catapulted into her.
Back near the main gate, Verden shot a Spore attack mixed in with a Seed Bomb at the approaching magmortar, sending them all back like they were nothing but dominoes.
"Ngh…" Gina helped herself to her feet, and stared down Arden, the general of the army.
"I could use a healer!" She barked before attempting to unleash a Blizzard,, but instead falling to a sitting position due to injuries to her legs, and shooting a concentrated attack at the ground, which came back to hit her right where her front leg and previously been broken, effectively paralyzing herself for the duration.
Comfort floated over to Gina and the flowers on his lei grew large to envelop her, refreshing her energy and while she had still stunned herself, her body appeared completely healthy otherwise.
"Floral Healing to the rescue!" Comfort chimed before backing up a bit. "Now Fight Fight Fight!"
Meanwhile, Caress, noticing Gertrude's situation, made her way over to where her leder was being surrounded.
"Don't tie my leader up like that! I'll tie you up first!" Caress huffed as she extended long vines in an effort to Wrap the soldiers. However, she only managed to ensnare the incineroar.
"Sorry, Fable flower." The incineroar smirked. "Your efforts won't save your friend's fine ass from my boys."
"Comfort!" Caress announced as she extended another vine from her flowers. "Teamsies Please!"
"Yeah Yeah! Go Caress, best sister!" Comfort cheered using Helping Hand and Caress's Wrap managed to ensnare the rest of the pokemon, and judging by the state of Gertrude, saving her from them just in the nick of time.
"Hraahhh!" Hex began to charge forwards, towards Aradia, and she began to shake the ground with a Bulldoze to attack the magmar blocking her path, causing both guards to faint.
"Hex!" Conlan called out as he noticed her running towards Aradia.
"The ring, I know!" She nodded at him.
Meanwhile, back at the main gate, Bravero saw opportunity.
"I'll take this one." He said as he jumped in between the bound soldiers and hoisted Gertrude over his shoulder.. "I've always wanted to do something like this." He grinned as he jumped away and from the ground erupted a Blast Burn from magma so fierce, none of the soldiers were left with any remains after being hit by the attack.
"Thank you for saving our leader!" Both Comfort and Caress smiled at Bravero. "You're our new favorite!"
"Get those healers out of here!" Ardent barked at a squad of three growlithe, and one incineroar, who then all rushed towards Comfort and Caress with a Flare Blitz. While Caress managed to dodge both a growlithe and the incineroar's attacks, Comfort was hit directly by both of the growlithe gunning after him, and was knocked over the city walls.
"Comfort, nooo!" Caress called before shaking her head and turning to her and her brother's attackers. "You would not be welcome in our village in Fable!" She huffed.
"Again, a little help!" Gina called from where she was facing Ardent down.
"Gina!" Verden noticed and rushed towards her.
"Verden?!" Gina's ears perked up as she noticed him running towards her.
"You can't save her from her fate!" Ardent chuckled. "Once he has his target, Ardent never rests!"
"Gina, I've got an idea! Use Frost Breath!"
"Hah!" Ardent laughed. "Like that will work!"
Gina nodded and quickly breathed a Frost Breath attack as Verden launched a Spore attack was well.
"Hah!" Ardent laughed as the Spore intersected with the Frost Breath. "You couldn't even flank *yawn*...me...Now I can kill….you…*yawwwn* you both…"
Ardent slumped to the ground, successfully put to sleep by the Spore carried by Gina's Frost Breath.
"H-huh?" Gertrude began to regain consciousness. "Eh-" She realized that her dress had indeed been torn off her body. "Eh-?!" She noticed that she was being carried by Bravero.
"Eeeewwww!" She began to struggle. "Let me go, let me go! Put me down!"
"Hey, I helped your comfey teammates save you, alright? Calm down."
"Oh yeah, tell the womon who just had what amounts to a layer of skin ripped off to calm down! Why didn't I think of that? You desert dwelling Ignian imbecile!"
"Really?" Visha sighed. "You still haven't dealt with them yet? Alright, I guess it's my go now."
Visha once again flapped his wings, and once again, a gigantic gust of wind began to pick up, but it then began to swirl. The Hurricane attack was easily braced by Gertrude and Caress, who hid behind a stalwart Aaron. Meanwhile, Bravero was rocketed into the air, and Verden and Gina were slammed into the walls of the city once again.
"Hifroli…" Aradia smiled as she approached Hex "If that even is your real name. I doubt it. No one from Longguo royalty would name their kid something so...ice-type. You've been spying on me, haven't you?"
"I clearly had good reason to." Hex responded.
"Hex!" Conlan called out again.
"The ring, I know!" Hex, losing a bit of patience. "I'm working on getting it now!"
"No, don't! I'm in terrible shape. If Aradia drops me-..."
"That's right." Aradia smiled. "If you try to take this ring...I drop the monferno, who I assume is your leader? That blaziken up there doesn't seem to be it, at least. Besides, even if you do managed to get to me…"
The ground thumped.
"I wonder if you'll have truly destroyed this tether before dinnertime~!"
"I'll deal with these guys, comfey girl." Aaron said as he stepped up to the growlithe and incineroar and began to shake the ground with a Bulldoze of his own, managing to fell each of the growlithe, though the incineroar was able to remain conscious.
"Guards!" Aradia announced as two more magmar flanked Hex. "No Mercy."
Both magmar nodded and shot mirror Fire Blasts and Hex.
While both Fire Blasts hit Hex completely, her tough skin kept her from getting burnt, and the damage she did sustain appeared to be minimal. Still though, Aradia didn't seem worried.
Hex simply shook her head before rushing towards Aradia brandishing a Dragon Claw,
"Hrahhh!" Hex slashed at Aradia's ring-bearing hand with her attack, only to be met with nothing but fluff.
"Ooooh! I knew that Substitute would come in handy!" Aradia smiled as she walked up from the very rear of the army. "Even after I told you that I would be apart from the main troops, Hifroli! Still though, you did value winning over your friend in the air there, so…"
Aradia gently let Conlan onto the ground, though the mental energy force upon him from the Psychic had him lose consciousness anyways.
"Save my favorite!" Caress sang as she let out a large Floral Healing flower to reach up and grab Bravero.
"Thanks for the assist!" Bravero gave a single wave to Caress. "Now…I think someone needs to learn that just wanting to be a king isn't enough to make him one!"
Bravero lunged down at Visha, his fist glowing with the toxins of a Poison Jab, landing a hit directly on the volcarona's chest, and quite clearly infecting the wound with further poison.
"That was a mistake." Visha warned maliciously.
Meanwhile, the two magmar flanking Hex began to attack again. The first of the two shot a Hyper Beam out of his mouth, hitting Hex square in the side of her shoulder.
The other magmar, however, did not use an attack. It simply waited where it was.
"This is why it was a mistake!" Visha shouted as he flapped up another Hurricane, this time at a point blank range for Bravero. However, Bravero simply gripped the wings.
"Some mistake." Bravero smirked. "You should surrender now. Tashia doesn't want us to fight each other like this. If you wanted change, why didn't you attempt to apply for an advisor position? All you've done is plunged this country into financial ruin."
"You don't understand at all, do you?" Visha responded before coughing from his Poison Jab wound. "I won't be good enough for her if I'm not also the ruler of my own territory!"
"Good enough for who?" Bravero rose an eyebrow. "There's another province ruler you like?"
"I don't need to tell you my life's story!" Visha snapped as he broke free from Bravero's grip.
"How has no one called for fucking reinforcements?" Gertrude gave an exasperated sigh as she headed towards the main gate.
"This is Theta Squad requesting reinforcements! I repeat, Theta Squad requesting reinforcements!"
"You heard them, guys!" Satinka laughed as she and a substantial harem of her salandit followers poured out the gate.
"For Satinka! For Ignia!" One of the salandits shouted as they began to swarm around the remaining fodder of Visha's ground forces.
"It's time to put this arcanine out of my misery." Gina growled as she walked up to the sleeping Ardent. "An Ice Shard to the heart ought to do it." She spat, the Ice Shard tearing through Ardent's heart and out his backside like a bullet.
"Now that leaves only one delusional warrior left to deal with."
"That's right!" Aaron agreed as he rammed his way towards Visha with an Iron Head, knocking the volcarona duke back, before realizing how terribly overheated and burnt his head had just become.
"Haha, my Flame Body protects me from such terrible physical combat." Visha chuckled. "Enjoy slowly burning to death."
"I don't think death is in his future." Verden said as he also turned his attention towards Visha. "Yours however...well, I wonder if you'll wake up tomorrow morning." He then shot a Spore attack right towards the duke of Emberguard, putting Visha to sleep.
"He's asleep?" Bravero confirmed. "He's asleep! Quick, someone get the others! We can tie him up and force his surrender! We might even be able to marry him off to some other province so he won't be in our hair anymore!"
The ground between Aradia and Hex was now thumping quite frequently. The soil was stirring. Whatever was coming was only a small moment away from arriving. That was when a Salandit made his way towards the two.
"Hey! Moonbrand!" He announced. "We've captured Visha, and Satinka's about to start her interrogation!"
"C-captured Visha?" Aradia could hardly believe what she was hearing.
"Yep!" The salandit nodded. "Was put right to sleep by a Spore attack and when he awoke bound in astrafialpide rope, he surrendered fairly quickly. Wonder what'll happen once Satinka's done with him. We can't quite have such a violently harsh critic to the queen ruling Emberguard."
"Wait, we can't just accept a surrender like nothing happened when this one" Hex pointed to Aradia "Is using a savage type 2 legendary to get her way!"
"I've done no such thing!" Aradia defended herself. "I've been trying to train Hereweald as a gift for Visha! He'll have no choice but to accept me as a bride if he knows I'm persuasive enough to tame a demigod!"
"Visha weddin' an Ignia noble? I don' think so." The salandit shook his head. "It sounded like he was trying to impress a different province ruler or something."
"Heh…." Aradia nervously laughed. "You're lying….You're just jealous…."
"Why would he be jealous?" Hex asked, legitimately confused. "He's already in some sort of thing with Satinka….right? Is that how that works?"
"Well…." The salandit shifted. "The point is that the fighting doesn't need to continue, and we'd prefer the rest of you disengage and come with us quietly."
The ground thumping stopped.
Aradia thought.
"I've decided to come quietly, on a condition."
She held out the ring to Hex in the palm of her hand.
"That condition is if this haxorus womon here doesn't destroy or take this ring and agrees to let me keep it."
"No, fuck you." Hex swiped the ring out of Aradia's hand. "But you're still coming-"
Aradia had already vanished.
In her place, Hereweald was waiting patiently.
Hex slowly put on the ring.
"Hereweald?" She asked.
"Guooooooaaaahhhh!" Hereweald roared in her face. He then began to charge up an attack in his mouth.
He did not look pleased.
In a split second, Hex threw the ring into Hereweald's mouth and crouched as she used a Protect.
Hereweald gulped down the ring, but rather than his mouth remain open, agape like some monster, it closed.
Hereweald once again noticed Hex standing there.
He very clearly did not like her presence.
"Gyyyaaaaoooohhh!" He screeched a Metal Sound at her, before turning to wander slowly into the Blaze Desert.
"Come on, Moonbrand, we don't have all day!" The salandit tapped his foot impatiently.
"Fine." Hex sighed.
The Battle of Geotherm Conclusion
After an extensive interrogation by Satinka, it was revealed that Visha was so adamant about him being in power for two main reasons, the first being what he had told Hex at his luncheon earlier that month, that he believed those trained to rule should rule rather than those chosen. The second, more personal reason was to impress the eldest princess and next queen apparent of Fable, Mizuko. Unfortunately, that day will never come for him. Visha has been stripped of all his lands, they've been handed over to his nephew Lisariph. Lisariph, despite some initial reservations, has pledged his loyalty to queen Tashia.
Aradia has not been seen or heard from since the battle. She seems to have disappeared off the map entirely, though she's left Emberside and its lands in the capable hands of her younger brother Asriel.
Hereweald reportedly walked all the way to Flamewater and inside Mt. Immolate, where he seems to reside peacefully to this day. Some Flamewater locals have heard rumors of a hooded pokemon often visiting the volcano and talking to its new resident, but none of these rumors have any substance behind their claims.
Masti's parents died from the shock of Visha's defeat, and she inherited the throne at a young age. She kept hoping the friend she made at Emberguard would come visit her, even once, but grew cold and reserved when she realized it would never happen.
Razr and the rest of Team Soulwind brought their winnings back to Noironia proudly and immediately began planning their next mission, their first as an S rank mercenary band.
Nezarix and Team Horizon stuck around in Lightgrasp in the aftermath of the war, making sure no riots started, or at least that the ones that did start were quelled quickly.
King Fernando was able to use his shrewd senses to rebalance the Flying Province, or rather the Himmelskt nation's economy, in what locals called the latest move of the Feathered Financer.
Gertrude, Comfort, and Caress, despite desiring to return to Fable, were told by Concordia to remain in Lightgrasp until Moonbrand themselves decided to travel there. Comfort and Caress didn't mind.
Grutyme never did find out what happened to her daughter. Verden, Gina, and Magdalene looked all over for Maodice, but couldn't find a trace of her. When they delivered the news to Grutyme, she decided to join her family underground, and the oasis soon dried up.
Hajari was executed for bringing the entire Electric Province Military to the middle of nowhere for no clear reason.
Tashia had a successful coronation ceremony at Wildeburn, which was renamed the capital of Ignia as on that same day, at Inkeri's suggestion, the Fire Province officially seceded from the UGM beyond a shadow of a doubt.
To accommodate for this change, Alvar became the new mayor of Lightgrasp, remodeling the obsolete UGM Hall into both his living space, and a hotel for travelers, though he did keep facilities for the creation of mercenary bands open.
Moonbrand spent a long time mourning the loss of Micah, Bennett, and Terune, and often stuck to local jobs around Lightgrasp to build up some savings of money. With no more UGM Hall in the town, Conlan and Rudo's house on the outskirts found itself becoming part of a small camp of huts, that the locals of the town had taken to calling Camp Moonbrand. To reward them for their exploits in the short span of less than a month, Inkeri officially raised Moonbrand's rank to B. Strangely enough, she seemed more excited about it than any Moonbrand member, even Rudo.
And the rest of the month went by, for better or worse without much issue, and before anyone knew it…
The year was about to turn.
The Age of Entei was about to begin.
But before it did…
All of The Known World would be celebrating the Year-Turning Festival.
It was a festival made popular as a couple's celebration. Plenty of pokemon would ask others to watch the Year-Turning Star Shower with them as way to either profess love, propose marriage, or, in the case of some pokemon, to simply be better friends with one another platonically.
With games, travelers, and romantic affairs, the festival was a welcome calm after the storm that had just plagued Ignia not nearly a month ago.
BOSS MISSION: COMPLETE
AN: As the conclusion just said, the next chapter is a quiet, safe, fun chapter. It's the Year-Turning Festival! Here's what I'd like from any current Moonbrand members
(And also any OCs that want to be members of moonbrand but haven't been introduced yet, don't worry about the 16 member limit, pretend it doesn't exist):
Please submit up to 3 Moonbrand members you'd like a Support Rank Up with.
Also For Moonbrand Members: Feel free to request your OC to ask another to the Star Shower! Those lucky enough to go in pairs will get an extra Support Rank up, but going in a group will not!
AN2: In-between these arcs is the best time to submit OCs!
OC Name, Sex, Species:
OC Home Province (Where they are from):
OC Role(Teammate Hopeful, Other Team Member, Minor Villain, Commoner, Etc.):
OC Profession(Are they unemployed like Terune, are they a veteran like Concordia, an assassin like Semora, etc.?):
OC Moveset:
Move 1(From Natural Movepool):
Move 2(From Natural Movepool):
Move 3(From Natural Movepool):
Move 4(From Natural Movepool):
Alt Move 1(Can be TM or Egg Move):
Alt Move 2(Can be TM or Egg Move):
OC Personality:
OC Background:
Anything Else Doobop Should Know:
That's all for now! Thanks for reading ^.^!