Stormy Silph

stormy captures greyson's complete attention, her beauty and personality transfixing his stare as he waves.

until he hears the cry from above.

both delphox and trainer's necks tilt upwards to stare. in broad daylight, flying without a care in the world, MOLTRES, the original flame pokemon. demi-god of fire and all the destruction it brought with it.

and it was here. in greyson's tournament battle.

only one word came to mind then.

a blessing to someone up high. a curse. both?

it escaped in a breathe anyways.

"arceus."

Stormy Silph

with one hand, greyson attempts to block the heat from his face. it's useless of course. but that's not what occupies his mind right now. his gaze flicks to autumn and then to moltres.

"i-is this even fair?" he asks, a bit dumbfounded. a small, nervous chuckle escapes him.

the crowd loved the appearance of such a mythical beast. so too, did greyson. he just didn't love the idea of fighting the thing. even autumn, his delphox, looked unnerved.

"at least some things are starting to make sense now," he says, thinking back to their time in the fiery path.

Stormy Silph

greyson blinks, looking to stormy, to the growing crowd, then back to her.

"is that, like... legal?" he asks, tilting his head slightly.

then again, were using demi-gods in this legal either?

he looks at the delphox at his side, gauging her reaction. she was just as confused as he, but when their eyes met, it changed to grim determination.

a nod in his direction sealed it.

"i think i'll use two," he says, reaching for an orb at his side. "anymore than that and i'd feel a type of way. mythical pokemon, or not."

appearing next to delphox, sol, his dragonite, stands tall.

the nerves clustered in his chest sent shocks through his body. he felt fear, excitement, but most of all, determination.

he met her challenging gaze with one of his own.

"i'm ready when you are, stormy."

Stormy Silph

"so do i, stormy."

she was the pillar of which all others he had met this far could be compared to. stormy wasn't just the summit at the peak of the mountain. she was the mountain. and it felt like every time he saw her, the gap only widened.

exhaling, greyson steeled himself. he wasn't the same man she met in the fiery path. he was better. stronger. he just needed to prove it.

"autmn. sol. let's go."

the two pokemon give affirming grunts, and nods. with SUNNY DAY already in effect, the delphox instead focuses on defense. pulling free her wand, she summons an amber veiled LIGHT SCREEN around the two pokemon.

meanwhile, the dragonite's maw opens, revealing an orb of sparkling electricity. sol fires off the THUNDER WAVE, hopeful in being able to paralyze the demi-god. aftewards, the dragon lifts off after the moltres, content to chase.

Stormy Silph

"i think it's playing with us."

greyson chuckles at the observation, glancing at stormy, then back to the moltres. was he really this far behind? where the gods wouldn't even take him seriously?

"let's bring it down. sol! use hurricane! autumn- contain it."

the dragonite stops flying and lifts its short, stubby amber arms upwards. the clouds above darken only slightly under the SUNNY DAY, but in moments, a small HURRICANE has formed atop the legendary.

all watch as that very hurricane becomes enveloped in violet light, autumn's PSYCHIC squeezing, and tightening it to the best of her abilities, reigning in any collateral damage, and isolating the winds to the moltres.

it couldn't be compared to a real hurricane. but it would have to do. hopefully.

Stormy Silph

greyson stares upwards at the mythical beast, bewitched by its power. the combination of HURRICANE and PSYCHIC would put any pokemon down for the count. yet, the legendary had broken through as if it were nothing, a debonair gaze staring down at the trio.

greyson's eyes are saucers before the majesty of the flame pokemon.

he turns his focus onto his two pokemon. sols chest rose and fell heavily.  the ability to shape the weather, no matter the size, was wearing on the stamina. he looked frustrated, annoyed, and for the first time greyson had ever seen- intimidated.

beneath him, autumn, shared a similar disposition. the delphox's maw twitches upwards to reveal sharp canines, her hand gripping the wand at her side with enough tension that her arm visibly shakes.

greyson's two proudest, and likely his strongest pokemon, were rattled. their confidences shaken. spirits falling.

he could lose to stormy, especially in the face of such an awe-inspiring pokemon, and come out the other side no worse for wear. but he couldn't let his pokemon lose faith in their own strength.

"chins up! this isn't over yet. legendary or not, we don't go down without a fight."

he fronts confidence and conviction, even if he himself doesn't feel it in his heart. he gives each one a stern, unwavering look. one they return.

"work together and we may just walk out of here with our heads held high."

sol descends slowly to the ground, massive wings creating small sandstorms in his wake. the dragonite lowers himself near the delphox, who after a moment of hesitation, mounts the amber scaled dragon. with another spring of his powerful legs, he takes off and races towards the moltres.

on his back, autumn focuses and clears herself of negative thoughts, until all that is left is a CALM MIND. meanwhile, sol completes a series of intricate and elaborate maneuvers designed to not only dodge any incoming attacks, but also to honor his kind in a DRAGON DANCE.

from below, feet buried in the warm sand, greyson's mind goes to a story he heard as a child. about a man with wings made of wax and the hubris that led to his downfall.

staring above at the demi-god of fire- the sun- he can't help but wonder if this was the same feeling that went through icarus. the excitement; the fear.

try as he might, greyson couldn't shake the stories ending. the inevitable fate of the man who thought he could touch the domain of gods.

he asks himself a single question.

if he were to reach for the sun, would he too fall and drown?