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Freth would end up searching the festival for several minutes before she would find her target, Kitakami Hall wasn't particularly big but there were enough people, humans, to make it somewhat difficult to find one particular one. It didn't help that Sub had the uncanny natural ability to blend into a crowd and only becoming apparent when he wanted to be, which more often than not did the Snagem leader want to be noticed. Thankfully this was not one of those moments where he desired to become like a Kecleon and disappear into his surroundings.

The hybrid woman would come up Sub dancing with a bunch of festival goers, the bystanders jumping and clapping for the dancers as they shuffled around from dance partner to dance partner. When Freth showed up she would see Sub was quickly becoming a popular dance partner as he switch from person to person, regardless of gender as he just spun a lady away and pulled in another man. Everyone seemed to be having a blast as they danced to the beat coming from the old stereo nearby but the real cause of all this joy was in one of the bottles on top of the stereo; sake.

Before Freth could call out to Sub the Snagem leader would spot her first as he spun around on his heel and looked for his next dance partner, immediately taking notice of the purple bird woman in the sea of humans. Immediately a smile flashed onto his face as he waved at her from afar and shouted. "Freeeth!" He waved, waving excitedly as he began to dance his way up to Freth, immediately grabbing her once he neared and pulled her into a dance. "You enjoying yourself? I've been having a blast!" He joyously declared, the scent of his joy on his breath.

As the frivolities of the town and Festival of Masks faded into the darkness behind him and the wilderness started to creep in all around him Darts could feel his primal rage begin to cool and subside once he moves past the poor tree he destroyed and into the countryside proper. The darkness shrouds him, blanketing and smothering his temper as effectively as any sedative with the shroud of stars winking through the canopy of trees above. What was he doing? He had almost lost his temper in the middle of the village, and knowing what his Teacher and other members of the Dragon Clan would say to him if they could see him now, he had half a mind to just keep on walking and see what was out in this wide world beyond Kitakami.

His pace slows, the adrenaline and Outrage wearing off as he shakes his arms a little with a couple deep breaths, huffing the colder air out of his nose in a cloud of vapor. Even though it was spring here, the nights still cooled down to the point where frost could settle in out in the forest and as a Dragon-type it made his bones ache but it helped to clear his mind as he finally touched the edge of the inner peace that made Calm Mind possible, feeling a relieving wave of serenity peel through his insides from top of his crest down to the tips of his jacket.

Untucking the laughing mask from his armpit where he had been clutching it since unconsciously snatching it up off the ground, he considers the joyful laughing face clutched in one of his golden talons. Carven from some kind of wood, the pair of teeth jutting up from its underbite beneath the brilliant blue mustache gave it an almost grotesque appearance. He found himself wanting to laugh at it, but he had no real reason to want to do so. There was a strange power coursing through the carved visage in his hands, he realizes, though he didn’t know what to make of it as his thoughts drift off away and back to the fight from a few minutes ago.

Speaking of grotesque, a lot of what Crystal had said... was flat right, he had to admit. Coming face to face with a lot of the insecurities that he had been pondering throughout this entire vacation had almost sent him over the deep end, and it made him reconsider everything. Trying to prod and injure her feelings over... what? A misunderstanding? Not exactly, if she knew where she had been and the things he had seen she would probably understand his hesitancy to talk about it, Sub’s word or no. Then what? Pride. Another sigh of icy crystals comes out of his mouth as he runs a hand over where his hair would have once been.

Empathizing with her was far too easy. He had been in her shoes, once upon a time not so long ago, drug into a new body that seemed as much prison as vessel. The way she had taken his barbs... didn’t make him feel like he had learned very much. “’Dartboard-san,’” He mutters to himself, swinging his arms back and forth like a schoolchild at rote as he imitates Teacher’s deadpan voice. “’A student’s only job isn’t to learn. It’s to be able to observe the teacher, so one day they too may take on a student themselves.’” The gambler lets out a little scoff, looking back down at the face in his hands again, the ever-grinning visage staring into his heart as if to say ‘of course, you fool’ at the wisdom he had been given. “I wonder if Teacher ever got himself punched through a shack in his early days for being too flippant.”



As if speaking it into existence, all of a sudden, he was struck from behind, violently. The blow detonates, sending him skidding again across the ground in a familiar fashion to his encounter with Crystal in the village, but he hadn’t had time nor opportunity to block this one. He skips across the grass of the forest a few times before he manages to pull himself together, his training kicking in again as his wings materialize, extend, and right himself as he turns to face his would-be assassin.

Luckily, given his typing, he had some innate Fire-type resistances. And thank Arceus for that... There was a contrail of smoke coming off the back of his jacket where the Pokemon had smashed him, the living garment curling and writhing slightly in discomfort as the adrenaline starts to kick in and take the edge off the pain. Darts took in the scene in front of him, with no small bit of hostility. A small figure with a vibrant red mask of rage obscuring its face, looking for all the world like one of the children from the village, was cautiously making its way towards the Cornerstone Mask, keeping a wary eye on him at the same time as it scuttled forwards towards the relic. The difference between this mask and the ones sold back in the village, Darts realized in an instant, was that this one’s eyes and forehead were shimmering with gemstones of some kind. Even from a distance, he could tell the energy coming off that mask was very similar to the one on the ground, but more... activated. It would have been easy to let the... Ogre, he realized, thinking back to the signs they had seen in the village, take its mask and depart. But for some reason, he wasn’t in the mood to feel very charitable.

“Gengar!” he commands, one hand firmly wrapped around Gimmighoul’s Pokeball this time as he hurls another capsule that his jacket tosses into his hand with a practiced sort of motion, his eyes flashing red as he advances alongside the flash of light heralding his ace Pokemon’s arrival. “Get that mask!”

“Gar!” The pudgy specter acknowledges, its tongue lolling as it dives into the ground, no hint of a joke or a jest for once as it sprung into action, spurred by the steel in Darts’ voice. Submerging itself into the shadows, it swam beneath the Ogerpon’s target and erupted, snatching the face away just inches before the Mask Pokemon could retrieve its namesake.

“Pon, pon!” Huffs the little Pokemon agitatedly, the blazing mask perfectly mirroring its outer and inner feelings in the moment as it glared out from behind the spicy visage, stomping one foot in anger.

“Garrrr....” Taunts the ghost, holding the goofy face up in front of its own, pantomime style before peeking out at the agitated adversary in front of them. “Gar?” It asks Darts, tilting its head slightly after a moment. ’Hey Boss, who the heck is this?’

“I’m not... quite sure.” He answers, keeping his body tense as he watched Ogerpon’s little tantrum. “My gut instinct is that it’s the Ogre the villagers have been talking about, and if that’s the case-” He’s cut off as soon as the word ‘Ogre’ escapes his lips, there’s a burst of energy and rage that singes the grass several feet out from the epicenter of where Ogerpon is standing, another baton of pure fire materializing in its hand as it’s on him in an instant, blurring as it closes the gap and attacks all at once.

“Pon, pooooooooooooooooon!” It screams, seemingly in defiance of his words as it attempts to smash him again, bringing the weapon down over and over in its rage. This time, however, Darts wasn’t unprepared and boy he was sick of getting sucker punched tonight. His golden hands move in a blur, intercepting and knocking away each strike before it can make true contact, each time letting the fire slide semi-harmlessly off the dragon scales that made up the woven material of the sleeves on his jacket, his reduced fire damage putting in work.

“Gengar, Sucker Punch!” Call it karma, he was determined to be on the delivering end of one of these tonight. There was no doubt whether or not Ogerpon intended to continue attacking and as a result there’s another, darker, blur as the portly specter warps from its position nearby holding the target of Ogerpon's affections to deliver a right cross straight across the ‘jaw’ of the frowning mask. The Hearthflame Mask bobbles and tumbles away from the Pokemon, and for the first time Darts catches a glimpse of the Ogre’s ‘true’ face for a brief second, starry eyes wide with surprise before they narrow in concentration. There’s movement, so fast as to be nigh-imperceptible, as a vine shoots from behind its left-hand side to snatch the crimson mask in midair. Simultaneously, another vine rotates from behind to replace the first mask with a new one, a bright blue number that glistens with moisture in the moonlight filtering down through the trees. As quickly as the true face had appeared it was gone again, replaced by the teardrop crusted ‘face’ now facing them. The watery protrusions from the mask’s eyes light up as soon as it slides into place, that same odd energy pouring out in front of Darts.

It bends both of its cellulose protrusions on either side towards itself, covering its ‘eyes’ with both as it lets out a shaky, audible sob. “P-poooon...” It hiccups, sounding miserable as it drops to one knee, taking a position of defeat. When the little Pokemon dips, he catches a glimpse of the first flame mask and potentially another behind its back, both lashed firmly to its behind by vines. So that was where the watery-looking one had come from, that answered that. It continues to weep openly, little chirps and sobs coming from it, so pitiful and for so long that both Darts and his Gengar look at each other as if to say ‘okay, what now?’

But that was their mistake, because even though neither of them had dropped their guard as they both suspected some kind of trick, that was all the opening the ferocious Ogre needed to pounce. As soon as they take their eyes off the proverbial ball, i’s in between them, the teardrops sparkling maliciously as it goes on the attack again. Before Darts can issue any more commands to his Pokemon a vine impacts his trachea as a super-effective Throat Chop smartly cuts off his ability to coordinate with his partner, even though he didn’t need to breathe the pain of the attack dizzies him. Both of Ogerpon’s feet dropkick his chest, pushing him back and downwards as he struggles for air for a moment, disoriented. It transitions seamlessly to another attack, flowing to Gengar who had its red eyes wide in amazement as it tried to look to its trainer for orders, hefting the stony object above its head as it tried to play keepaway from the Legend with its stubby little arms.

“Poooon, PON!” Charging its momentum, Ogerpon coils and uncoils like a spring while moving between them both, another baton appearing in its hand as a second Ivy Cudgel sweeps up and collides with Gengar’s midsection, sending the ghost flying end-over-end like a line drive in a baseball game. This time rather than the blaze of fire it’s accompanied by a wet ‘thwack’ as the weapon makes a sound akin to a fat man belly flopping into a pool.

“GAR!” Eyes shut, the fat ghost in question tumbles backwards in midair, the mask popping straight up into the air like a cork from champagne as it can’t hold on due to the impact.

“Poooon.” The little Pokemon puts its ‘bat’ to rest over one shoulder, holding it with one of its little cellulite sleeves self-satisfactorily. It raises the other one in preparation to catch the mask on the way back down only for Darts to zip across, his wings extended again as he takes to the air, snatching it mere inches from its grasp.

“Forget ‘bout me?” He taunts, holding the mask up again as he skids to a stop a few feet away. His Gengar manages to return from where it had been batted, all wet from the attack, moisture dripping off it as it looks all the world like a drowned Meowth. It shakes itself top to bottom, the massive tongue elongating to slurp up all the moisture before taking up a fighting stance, mocking its trainer and Ogerpon both with a pseudo- ‘Bombirdier’ pose with one leg raised up and both arms out to the side. The gambler sighs at the ghost’s lack of decorum in the situation, taking up his traditional stance with both hands raised, the mask clutched in one.

This time he was going to be the one to strike first he decides, a blue blaze of Outrage heralding the first conscious activation of the draconic steroid, his arms and legs engulfed in blue fire as he rockets into the fray, a circular thrust kick orbiting his body for a moment before smashing down towards the littler Pokemon, tears or no. And he was right not to hold back as a green barrier envelops Ogerpon, Spiky Shield easily blocking his strike and stabbing into his flesh, eliciting a yelp of pain from the Giratina hybrid, black ichor painting the ground where the needles pierce through his pants and into his silver skin beneath. “Gengar, Thunderbolt!” He still didn’t know what type this... thing was, but there was no doubt that it could use Water attacks. Blue mask, wet attacks, it wasn’t rocket science he figured that this was a Water-type. Put two and two together.

Unfortunately, he was only half-right and never very good at non-gambling math. The air shivers as the smell of ozone fills the glade. “Geeeeeeengar!” His Pokemon cackles, thunder rumbling in the air as a couple million volts of current generates and then discharges from its body, directed in a spear intended to cut straight through their foe. Even Ogerpon isn’t fast enough to dodge a point-blank Electric-type attack so it does the next best thing as the bolt closes the distance, the blue mask sliding off and instantly replaced with the third of its masks, its vines performing another quick change. Gemstones erupt to life across the entirety of the Teal Mask, and now Darts was not right at all, though what was new? Two vines stab into the earth as the Mask Pokemon grounds itself, resisting the Thunderbolt and sending it harmlessly into the forest floor. Darts wasn’t going to let it follow up again like earlier, anticipating another Ivy Cudgel, another burst of Outrage giving the speed he needs as he latches onto the arm to try and peel it back... only to find himself upside down and piledriven into the ground, his own momentum used against him as a Counter turns his world right round and drives him into the dirt.

“Pooooooon!” The Ogerpon chirps, tauntingly as if to say ‘boooooring!’ It had anticipated his intercept, rolling forward and hurling him instead of repeating itself. The extra velocity by the hybrid hitting the ground pops the currently mono-Grass type up into the air, and now it planned to oblige the Dragon Clan Initiate’s initial read, a massive STAB-swollen bludgeoner coming into existence, rising and falling in midair towards his crest with the effects of gravity, intent on spilling more than a little ichor this time.

Not THAT easy... Darts places his golden palms into the dirt below him and chest presses his full weight up, his wings extending on his mental command at the same time as he torques his center of gravity, pulling the tops of both of his underworld pinions down towards his feet and initiating a violent spin that displaces some of the impact as Aerial Ace turns his body into a vicious midair drill. This not only blocked the attack slightly but also created some distance as the innate Flying-ness of the maneuver repelled Ogerpon with a ‘whuff’ of air as its midsection fell on and bounced off the spiral column of Giratina hybrid. Thank Arceus for Drake’s flying lessons. Do a barrel roll!

Coming back to earth slightly dizzy but recovering quickly, the Snagem shakes his head to clear the cobwebs as he lands on one knee, looking back and forth to try and locate the Cornerstone Mask he had been forced to drop with his acrobatics. There it was - a few feet away from where his impromptu spin had pushed it. Unfortunately...

“Pon, pon, pon, pon!” Ogerpon chanted rhythmically, dashing towards its fallen face. “Pooooon....” It sighed happily, two vines reaching out to retrieve the last of its treasured possessions, one vine moving to replace the Grass item on its face as another scoops up the stone mask. All of a sudden, a burst of Hypnosis emerged from both the smiling mask’s eyeholes, battering its consciousness with a somnific assault. It stumbles, the Teal Mask toppling off and to the ground as Ogerpon’s real face emerges again, two black swirls filling the normally bright yellow irises. Blinking furiously, it fights to stay awake as it sways from the sudden ambush, weaving back and forth blearily.

“Geeeeen gar?” Forget ‘bout me? The sardonic ghost asks in a direct imitation of its trainer as it reemerges from the shadows with a snicker, floating in the air next to the hybrid. While the Legend had been fighting Darts, the slippery specter had been lying in wait, and what better way to ensure that your foe gets a full dose of sleepy-time energy than to put your eyes that project it directly where they needed to put theirs?

This was their first opening in a while and the Snagem wasn’t going to waste it. He cocks both arms back, adjusting his weight as he sets his stance. Another furious burst of Dragon energy flows through him, coagulating at his wrists and fingertips. He seizes it, shapes it just like he was taught by the old pirate and then charges forward, the outline of the top and bottom of a massive wyrm’s jaws covering his arms as he brings his palms together, the points of his talons coming to one needle-fine point as he cocks the attack back by his shoulder. “Try laughing this one off!” Putting his back into it, he launches the Dragon Claw forwards with all the mustard he can put on it, throwing it right into the exposed face of his stunned adversary. There’s a massive explosion of blue energy, the trees rocketing backwards outward from the epicenter before quiet settles across the site of their impromptu battlefield. Smoke obscures the glade, blue fire and grey wisps smattered here and there as Darts pants lightly, trying to get vision of the Ogre once again as the hot air produced by his attack rises, starting to suck the shroud that had fallen over them out into the night sky. That had to have made... There was no way... Darts couldn’t believe his ears.

“Pon pon pon pon....” Ogerpon laughed, voice squeaking slightly as it did so. “Pon pon pon pon pon pon pon pon pon pon!” As Darts straightened back into a fighting stance, half in disbelief, the Mask Pokemon cackled in direct defiance of him, the goofy blue moustache shaking a little as it did so. The gems in both of its eyes and the bottom row of teeth shimmer as the mask locked to its owner’s face bounces in rhythm. It had managed to topple into the Rock-type transformation just before the strike had hit home, and while it didn’t resist Dragon it was pretty... Sturdy.

Now Darts knew why the town held this thing in the contempt and fear that they did... a little perspiration, not all of it from exertion, rolls down his crest as he tries to center himself again, waves of Calm Mind battering back the rising tide of Outrage coursing through his blood. It was a freaking monster in every sense of the word. There wasn’t much Outrage he could use without going completely berserk and losing control, which wouldn’t be much better than letting Ogerpon run about unchecked. His Gengar is equally flabbergasted, tongue dangling from its mouth in unabated wide-eyed shock as it hovers near its trainer’s shoulder.

Now that it had all of its masks, who knew what its next objective was going to be? He couldn’t let it get anywhere near the village. If he alone was having this much of a problem, it would butcher most of the festival with relative ease, Team Snagem there or no. He flicks his red eyes over to meet Gengar’s, and as the jokester pulls its tongue in with a sharp snap of the jaw, they both gently nod at each other and begin their assault.

There was no doubt about it, Darts thought, as Gengar rushes ahead of him to be met by a rock-solid headbutt from the Ogerpon. There’s a green flash accompanied by a sharp gasp from the Ghost, as its life essence gets Horn Leeched to restore some of the masked fighter’s dwindling HP. The masks don’t just change its type. He throws a couple exploratory jabs in the Pokemon’s direction and it’s like hitting a building but half as soft, his fists ricocheting off the now-impervious skin with little pings as gold impacts stone.

Lifting its face to Gengar’s for a half second, the Ogre spits a Leech Seed out between the stone chompers, little sprouts enveloping and binding the Shadow Pokemon’s arms as more life essence makes its way back to what was now a healthy fighter. It pushes the ghost to the ground with a slow palm thrust, turning to face Darts head on with one of the pair disabled.

Its fighting style changes too... Not just its typing. Before, when the Fire mask had been on it was all aggression and hostility, the Water mask had been flowing movements and the Grass brought prickly counter attacks. This Rock mask... Ogerpon was moving very little, its arms up in a defensive stance. Each step impacted the ground with a massive weight, cracks showing up in the ground beneath the grass it had burned away earlier. Its moves are slower and easier to intercept but... The Giratina hybrid hesitates, and the little Pokemon raises one sleeve, tilting inwards towards itself as if to say ‘Just bring it.’

What was it about tonight and people taunting him? He seethes for a second, but takes a breath, weighing his options as he actually tried to learn from his mistakes with Crystal. Clearly it WANTED him to approach to leverage its weight and power, so there was no reason to give it what it wanted. He was playing right into its... sleeves at that point. He keeps his distance, lashing out with his longer reach and reestablishing his guard each time. Battering its stone skin with lightly Outrage powered lefts and rights, maybe it was his imagination, but he felt like for the first time he was actually getting somewhere. It almost seemed like Ogerpon was getting impatient, trying to press in and being eluded as the jacketed gambler dances backwards, continuing to batter and outfight the smaller Grass-type. Because he had the edge for once, he leans on his second greatest asset next to his body, his mouth.

“Come on, big mighty Ogre of the mountains... You going to plod around all day or you going to come and...” As soon as the barb about it being an ‘Ogre’ comes out of his mouth again, the Rock mask rotates, replaced again by the snarling Hearthflame Mask.

“Pooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon!” it screams defiantly, another flaming Ivy Cudgel in hand as it rolls forward and leaps at Darts, closing the gap unexpectedly and sending the hybrid crashing down into the ground with a swat. Boy.... it really doesn’t like that name... He catches the club on both sides with his hands as it’s on a crash course with his head, another grunt of pain coming from his lips as more black ichor joins his blood spilled earlier. His arms shake, trembling with the effort of holding the weapon back, and he swings his body, using its blind rage to bait it into a leg sweep, knocking the Ogerpon to the ground and giving him a second to unimpale his hands.

By now, his Gengar has extricated itself from the life-absorbing vines, but it’s absolutely beat to hell and back. It can’t even levitate, stubbornly stumping forward on its little legs as it comes to the defense of its master again, winding up and delivering a picture-perfect Shadow Ball with the last of its strength, the black orb of its necrotic energy whirling into a direct hit on the red-masked... no, shoot, it was blue-masked now, writhing out of the way of the desperation attack with the Wellspring Mask front and center. It flows out of the way of another attempt at a crescent kick from Darts, switching to the Teal Mask post-dodge to wind up and charge another massive STAB Ivy Cudgel, sending Gengar back to the dugout with another round of pinch-hitting as it smashes the ghost into unconsciousness, mercilessly delivering another blow that sends the prankster sprawling, eyes closed.

“Gengar!” Darts returns the Pokemon back to its ball, thinking quickly as he flicks back through the other members of his team, none of them anywhere near as seasoned as Gengar. Maybe Hydreigon... He has no time to get his body to react though, as Ogerpon is on top of him now, making sure to be up close and personal this time before swapping to the Cornerstone.

“Pon!” It grunts, shoving both palms forward in a laborious, slow strike that carried the weight of a mountain behind it at close range. The impact lifts the gambler off his feet, launching him through several of the trees behind him like a shack earlier in the night. Not... He coughs, spitting up black viscous ichor onto the ground as he tries to get back to his feet, defend himself, get his guard up, something. Not good...

Ogerpon was taking its time now, idly twirling a new club as the face changed from laughing and smiling Rock to neutral, the Grass-type Teal Mask back in the forefront. It had clearly been in this position dozens, maybe hundreds of times before. There was no emotion here. No anger, no sadness, no laughter. Hardened by battle, tempered by whatever drove it to kill the Loyal Three. It raised its weapon, prepared to dispense with the execution. It did what it had to do to survive, just like it always did. And so did Darts. He always did.

There’s a scream as reality tears itself open for a brief instant, the Distortion World welcoming one of its own back into the maw of antimatter. Ogerpon shows surprise, nearly dropping its conjured armament as the jacketed Snagem vanishes, but only for an instant before he reemerges, on his feet, dealing a right hand with all the power he has left in his body. The energies of his progenitor wind around his fist as he strikes, momentum driven through the strength of his body and projected between worlds, Shadow Force combined with the last little bit of Outrage he thinks he can use without losing his mind fusing into a blow that cracks the edges of perception with the sonic boom of him breaking the reality barrier catching up with the rest of his body, blue flames licking his shoulders and waist, pouring out of his eyes as he puts it all into one final attack.

It hits directly, the combination of the abilities of his body stretched to their limits, his desperation, and the form ingrained by hours and hours of working with his teachers and sensei sending Ogerpon flying backwards, the masks scattering as it loses control of its vines, sending its treasures to the now war-torn earth. Darts collapses to his knees, gasping again for air even though he didn’t need to breathe. That was all he had. Any more Outrage and he may as well help Ogrepon slaughter the town himself anyways. Thank Arceus that had been...

The Ogre rises, struggling, slowly picking itself up. No. There was no way. The Cornerstone mask stares at him defiantly, that damned grin sure to be etched in his nightmares if he ever got to sleep again. It had managed to put that thrice-cursed mask on just before his attack. The mask topples off its owner's face, exposing, for the third time, the Pokemon’s true face to the world. She stares Darts down as she approaches, maskless. Actual pips of brilliant poisonous yellow meets his deep blood red on his knees, clutching his ribs, blackness running down his hands and out of the void of his crest, running down his neck as he tries his best to put up a defiant face. Arceus help him, Giratina help him for what he was about to do. Hopefully Blizz would manage to come and stop him. He reaches down into that well of Outrage aga-

She puts her appendage to his face, stopping him. Gently, serenely, she indicates that she didn’t mean any harm somehow.

“Pon.” She says simply, her voice cracking and wavering a little with the exhaustion of battle. Neither one of them were in any shape to continue, it seemed. “Ponpon, pooon.” She nods her head at something, her glowing yellow eyes fixed on something chest height in his jacket, near his heart. Confused, Darts reaches and pulls back the sides of his coat. Inside his most precious possession, stashed away accidentally and lost in the heat of all the fighting was a precious ruby glimmer. A runty candy apple, one of the famous ones from the festival in Kitakami was stuck to the inner lining of his jacket, probably from when Crystal had blasted him through the merchant earlier in the day. Ogerpon almost squeaks with delight as he scrapes it off and holds it alight, eyes shining brightly as it takes in the precious treat.

“Pon?” A simple request, from the thing... the Pokemon that was about to end his life. Can I have it? Darts looks at the candy on the stick, his blood running down to the ground from his hand below it, and shrugs. Sure, what the hell. His voice wasn’t working, but he reaches it out to her, stick first. She hesitates, briefly eyeing him up and down before a vine extends, snatching it from his hand. Her mouth opens, exposing a couple rows of sharp teeth before she takes a bite, crunching into the juicy fruit and hard caramelized candy.

They sit there like that for a couple of minutes, Darts doing his best not to go unconscious and Ogerpon eating her candy before she breaks the silence again. “Pon, pon?” She asks, hesitantly as she continues to chew. What’s with your mask?

“My... mask?” he asks, allowing himself to slowly lower himself into a seated position, unsure if he had heard her correctly. Looked like he wasn’t going to die this second, at least. There was something... odd about this Pokemon without its- her masks. “Oh.” It was the same as the villagers in town, he indicates the golden helmet enveloping his head with an exhausted wave of his hand. “You mean my crest. This isn’t a mask, this is just my face.”

Ogerpon seemed more shocked by this than anything that had happened in the entirety of their fight, even pausing worrying at the candy for a second. “Pyon pon...” Oh, I see. “Pon pyon po pon pon...” I thought maybe you were a mask maker, like the one who helped me and... She pauses, tears pooling at the edges of her bright star-filled eyes. “Pon.” My friend.

“Your...” Darts clears his throat, spitting a little to get some of the air back into his lungs. “Your friend?” He wasn’t familiar with this part of the legend, not that he even knew the whole thing having been in the town a total of one day. “Who’s that?” The question lingered in the air for a bit, and Ogerpon moved on like it hadn’t heard him, even though he was sure she had. She finishes her candy apple, worrying every bit of the core off the stick as she gulps the last of it down.

“Pyon pon...” These were always my favorite. She sighs happily, moving over to sit down near Darts on the ground, her vines snaking out to gather up each mask and stash them behind her. She crosses her legs, keeping her bare face exposed to the air as all four of her other relics line up neatly behind her back, something like a smile again crossing her face as she looks upwards towards the moon. “Pyo pon, pon pon pooon pon.” You fight well, both you and that other big tongue. You remind me of him, a little bit. “Pon.” She says, a little sadly. “Pon po pon.” He would always bring me candy apples after we sparred, and his Pokemon were fiercely loyal.

Whoever ‘he’ happened to be was clearly not a question Ogerpon felt inclined to answer right now. She turns to gaze at Darts, their eyes locking again for a second before the Grass-type pulls her gaze away, apparently ashamed of staring. “Would you...” It felt odd, asking this question to a Pokemon, beat half to death and lying in the middle of the woods. He clears his throat of some of the ichor again. “What are you going to do now?”

“Pon, pon...” Now that I have my masks back, from my dear friend... “Pyo pon po pon pooon...” I don’t know. The village hates me, they won’t give me any candy apples. I fear that was my last one, forever. “Pon pon pon...” I appreciate you giving me one last good fight, I think. My time here is almost up. “Pon po pon pon...” The village, it will not take me in, they call me monster... “Pon.” There is nothing else for me in this world.

“That’s... not true.” Darts’ mind was reeling, whether from blood loss or from the mass of information that had just dropped on him was anyone’s guess. But he knew one thing for sure, both from what it had just told him, and even from fighting against it, clashing in skilled combat. This Pokemon was no monster. It was strong, and it had a lot of hurt in its heart. But it just needed the right person to help direct it. It needed a teacher. He reaches into the interior pocket of his jacket, where he kept his most treasured possessions. A Master Ball clicks into full size in his hand, and he holds it out toward Ogerpon, offering it up gently.

“I won’t force you to come with me, but I’ll make you an offer. An open deal if you will. A fresh hand of cards, to use a gambling term.”

“Pon?” Cards? What is that?

Darts laughs, gently as he struggles to his feet, the Master Ball clutched in his hand. “You said I reminded you of your old friend, even though you won’t tell me who that is. Why not come with me for right now? We can travel together, and if you decide to go your own way I won’t hold you...” He laughs again, full throated as he waves up and down at the absolute decimated state of his body. “I’m not sure that I could. But, I can show you there’s more to this world than old caves and people that hate you.”

Ogerpon looks him up and down, suspiciously, as if weighing his very soul in those brilliant effervescent eyes. Before nodding. “Pon.” Very well, human. “Pyon pon?” What is your name?

“It’s Darts. Juuust Darts.”

“Pon pon.” Very well, Darts. We have an accord. She nods, closing her eyes gently as she does so. “Pyon pon...” I hope we can eat many candy apples together... She wanders forwards, and taps the top of the Master Ball gently, allowing herself to be scooped inside the capture capsule, the lid of the never-failing ball clicking shut with a satisfied ‘snap’.

Darts caught an Ogerpon!

“Hooray.” He gasped, before blacking out.

Sub would listen to Freth and continued to dance as she did, taking in everything she said however with a few seconds delay as the words had to pierce the fuzzy veil of drunkenness. "Crystal decked Darts? Are they playing some kind of...card...game..." Initially Sub wouldn't quit register what Freth was telling him, his incinerated mind interpreting her words incorrectly however as they sunk deeper and deeper into his mind Sub slowly but surely began to understand. As he begun to realize what Freth was saying he slowly stopped dancing with her until they were standing still, Sub still holding Freth as he looked in her eyes for a good long while, as if searching for a hint of buffoonery, that this was all joke. However, if there was one person that didn't joke, besides her lover, that was Freth.

"Oh Arceus..." Sub muttered as he stared in Freth's eyes, finding nothing but humorless seriousness in her gaze. He would then let go of Freth and began to look around frantically for a bit as the last bits of sake were shaken off, his buzz completely ruined in this moment. Not spotting signs of Crystal nor Darts he turned back to Freth. "Where are they now?" He asked Freth, not wanting for a answer as he gentle urged her to move out of the dance circle they were in. Once they were a good bit away from the crowds he spoke.

"By the Eternal Flame! May lightning strike me now so I might escape this life for another! I am going to-" He shouted, the sound of loud drum beating drowning out his more colorful words, the man now showing off a bit of anger along with his clarity as he stomped about, frustrated and showing off a bit of his monk lineage as he began to utter some Tin Tower native terms of frustration. "Is Darts okay? That is to say is he okay enough for me to punish. I mean, is he still in this reality? I swear I will hunt both of them down across all of Ultra Space and everywhere in between just to bash their heads together! I was having such a good time too! Ugh!" The man continued to fume, some of the festival goers on the outskirts of the grounds along with them would stare, eliciting Sub to gawk right back. "I can stare too you know! See!?" Okay, maybe this didn't sober Sub up completely.

As he scared away those gawkers both Sub and Freth could hear the sound of hooves as two officers, each on the backs of a Stantler, pulled up into the festival. Sub didn't need to check out what that was about, he immediately knew it was for all that commotion. Letting out an annoyed sigh he turned to Freth. "Go find Crystal and check up on her, make sure she is okay. Once she is tell her to go home, we don't need these people creating a new festival, one telling the tale of the galaxy born cat person being lynched out here in the sticks. I'm going to go look for Darts." He would turn to head off but stopped short of doing so after realizing something. "...try not to provoke her into punching you too. I think you're a little less durable than Darts. You're actually alive by current scientific standards. Man, where are some malasada when you need them..."

Once Freth had been given her instructions Sub would call out to Griswold, the Spiritomb materializing from his shadow, wrapping around him and his face now in front of his own. "Help me find Darts." He ordered the ghost who was happy to help. After turning its attention to its surroundings it would proceed in conjuring up a will-o-wisp, the little ball of fire then flying off slowly on its own, indicating the direction Griswold sensed a powerful spiritual force. Had to be Darts. With that Sub was off.

Running would be all that Crystal would do for a few minutes, only pausing when she felt she was far enough away from the festival that there wouldn’t be anyone following her. She dropped the shawl and skirt she was carrying, offhandedly throwing a punch into the tree she stopped next to. “Light…” She shook a bit as she stood there, replaying the events in her head. She had really let Darts get under her skin, there, and she hated that. She was supposed to be poised, calm, collected, and instead, she just flew off the handle. Darts wasn’t completely wrong on some things, either, was the worst part. Now, he just had more ammunition to throw at her at their next encounter! Light, all of this over a stupid Light-damned question! All she needed was a solid answer! Didn’t have to actually say what was going on. She had just gotten tired of dancing around the question. She was allowed to be tired of that kind of stuff at some point!

This really wasn’t just about that now, though, was it? She was just pissed off about how she lost her cool and punched someone who was supposed to be an ally, no matter how much of a jerk he was being, making her look like an a**. Right, Loyal One. That couldn't have been farther from the truth right now. She was pissed about how the battle had gone, making Demon Wing, and subsequently her, look the fool. And the whole event that started this debacle, Darts playing the distraction card to flee made her look and feel like an idiot. This all stemmed from her own attitude and worry about how she looked. Light burn her, she was a moron! Couldn’t control her temper, couldn’t get her own dumb emotions under control-

The galactic cat woman would stop herself when she realized what she was doing to the tree. Large gouges were taken out of the tree, like a giant Pokemon was trying to mark their territory. And that was probably being generous. But that damage was all her while she was stuck in her head, continuing the negativity spiral. And only making it worse, as the hybrid shook her head and grabbed her hair, now noticing that she was starting to look more and more unhinged. Now not even thinking to grab the loose clothes she wore to hide her frame, she started running again, not stopping until she heard a splash at her feet. “Huh?” She looked down, noticing that her paws were standing in water, flowing water specifically. She made it to the river bank. “Hm.” Deciding that she couldn’t look any crazier at this point, she’d unbuckle the backpack and threw it behind her further inland, then took a few more steps in before spinning and letting herself fall backwards into the river.

There would be a sort of sizzle as she waded in, like water being added to a hot pan, becoming louder as she dropped her whole body in. She heard bubbles briefly, probably steam from the heated up water, as she sank, starting to feel cold for once. Letting herself fall to the riverbed, her gaze would be up toward the distorted sky, letting the feeling of the current wash over her, and trying to let that be the only thing she thought about for the moment, trying to use the river to cool off. In both senses of the phrase.

As Sub went off, she couldn’t help but to sweatdrop as he made his way off. “Oh…so he’s one of those drunks…I’m starting to regret bringing it up.”

”Those drunks?

“From being your best friend to pissed off to possibly angry to jovial and so on at the drop of the hat. God, how much did he have, we haven’t been here THAT long, have we?” Freth asked.

“No. Possible that it runs through him fast, perhaps. And if I am to understand how this works, he’s not going to be feeling the greatest in the morning.” Eris stated.

“…lightweight.” Freth then concluded. “Well, either way, at least Sub had some sense. Better go find Crystal now, where ever the hell she went off to.” Freth went to hover off away from the dance floor but by the time she did, she would be stopped.

“Freth, make things faster for yourself. Get up into the air, already.” Eris spoke up. Freth couldn’t help but to roll her eyes. She then would ascend up into the air and hovered there a good ways up above the festival grounds to see if she couldn’t spot Crystal in some fashion here. It only took two minutes before she started to realize something.

“This would be easier if I could still sense pressures.” Freth said.

“And I would like to actually exist in the physical space again, but we can’t all have everything now, can we? We’re not getting into this again for the 4th time this month.” Eris replied back. “Besides, you don’t need it. Your psychic ones are actually better in the long run if you actually can pay attention to them more than you have. You got command of kinetic forces, need I remind you. Use them already.” She said. Irritated at the statement, Freth had to admit she wasn’t wrong. She could feel just about every object about in the area as if she touched it with her own hands, something her mind even after all this time still is trying to comprehend. Even people and their Pokémon, with their various motions of their limbs could be discerned. Galarian Articunos manipulated these forces to great degrees, degrees Freth had yet to realize that Eris had been trying to push and prod her to do over these past months.

That being said, Freth had to admit that one thing felt similar in motion to another. She couldn’t discern one person from another, let alone if that other person was actually a bipedal Pokémon by chance. She could probably recognize a pole or a chair with it being stationary and all, but that was the most she could figure out. It was too much for her mind at times, so much that she’s even lost sleep over it once or twice because her mind was still trying to process what was going on around her. Now it started to feel like she was being tested in trying to find Crystal in all of this mess in a weird, profound game of Where’s Sudowoodo.

Something in the air then got her attention, she started to look around and then started to look off into the distance. She flew off in the direction, staring in confusion for a second until her mind started to somewhat process what she was feeling. There were waters that way, though one spot felt turbulent. Like a bunch of stone throws into the lake, all centered in one spot. There was a body there as well. Feeling like she wasn’t getting anywhere hovering above the festival, she flew off towards the direction of the feeling she was getting. She started to hover over the spot and looked down, and much to her surprise, she actually found her faster than expected. No stone throws…just…her? And steam? Did she boil water here? Too many questions…doesn’t matter. She found the hybrid. She would start gently floating her way down and hovered nearby Crystal above the water. “Feeling better yet?” Freth asked Crystal.

The distorted stargazing would be interrupted by something purple coming onto her field of view, lowering and hovering nearby. It would take her a moment to register the question, realizing that the purple in front of her was Freth. Oh joy. Sitting up, she'd wipe the water from the glass that made up the upper half of her face, looking tired and relatively resigned. Was the action useless, almost certainly. It was a reflex, though. "Maybe. I haven't figured out yet." Sighing loudly, she'd start to stand up. "The water on a body that was apparently starting to heat up, according to people that made comments on the area around me getting warmer, felt nice though. Why are you here? Specifically. I can guess the general reason." She knew it had to be related to her slugging Darts. And the damage. Whatever else, she didn't know yet.

"From Crystal? Oh yeah, I'm fine. It's not my first time being punched through a structure and to be honest it wasn't all that sturdy..." Darts rasps, catching on to the fact that he might not be in all that much trouble. "And while I'll say I may have provoked her slightly, I did my best to pull it away from the townsfolk when I had a chance. Didn't want to ruin their festival. Not going to apologize, you know me, but I wasn't going to sink our little soiree if I could help it." The Giratina hybrid pauses, gathering the other half of Sub's silent question from the fact he's covered quite a bit of his own blood. "This," He indicates his beaten down form. "Wasn't from Crystal. Although...." his tone lightens a little, eyes widening slightly with realization. "What I have here," He hefts the Master Ball, holding it for Sub's inspection. "Might do more than ruin the festival. I caught... well, more like she agreed to come with me for the time being..." A hesitation, hoping the girl inside the ball would forgive him for the sake of explanation. "The Ogre. Ogerpon."