Together, they manage to avoid being struck down by Kyogre's rage. They twist and pivot in the air while aiming to land. In Stormy's peripheral, she sees Fernando fall from the sky. Fortunately, the man lands without much issue other than a lung full of sand to compensate.

Stormy lands not too far away, gathering nearby both illeana reyes and kim cole-essam. But while the three of them engage with their watery counterparts, Stormy's attention is tugged away with a snide, overzealous comment from her own.

"I can weather both lava and sea— and I'll send you to your grave in either one. Make your choice, copycat."

Her Charizard bristles, a low growl rumbling in her throat as she looks to the sky. Above them, the burning wings of a Moltres fly overhead, the fiery counterpart to the Zapdos Sea!Kim has summoned. For just a moment, Stormy feels a rush of familiarity and surprise, but the bird above her is not hers. It doesn't have the same soulful eyes that had looked to her when it had saved her life at the Soiree.

"You're really dramatic. What's your choice, huh? Is this really what you want?"

There is an expression of molten rage behind the copycats eyes. Something familiar, something scary, something that the real Stormy just can't shake.

"Fine. Looks like you've chosen to do nothing-- typical."

Stormy braces herself by diving to the side, behind Charizard. Whatever remnants of the dragons PROTECT now shatter with the powerful AIR SLASHES that tear up the ground. Torrents of sand shoot up from the ground with every impact; the noise is deafening, pierced only by Moltres' scream.

Even in spite of the danger she's in, Stormy can't help but scan the bird for signs. She looks for the flash of pink, for the rage, for the determination. It couldn't be her Moltres because this wasn't her world. It couldn't be.

She couldn't pull her punches.

"Tell me, Stormy--" God, that was weird. Is that what people felt when they said her name, too? "How hard have you fought? How close to the end have you come? They say that when we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change. Are you ready?"

She draws in a breath, returning Charizard and standing alone for a moment. Fear traces her steps, leaves her legs tense as she steps to the side to circle her counterpart. Naturally, the other Stormy rises to the challenge, and above, Moltres circles, too.

"What are you talking about? Just shut up and fight, copycat!"

Stormy sniffs. Even here, it seems the similarities between them were stifling. She turns to face the Moltres and it screams again. It borrows from the Zapdos' RAIN DANCE to summon a HURRICANE. Stormy faces that storm head on and without fear. She's hit her lowest point already, this was nothing-- but it was reminiscent. Fitting, given the step she was about to take.

It had been raining then, too, if she remembers right. Everything bad happens on a rainy day. When the world had gone dark and a monster had spawned, hell-bent on devouring everything in its path. It had taken her Castform and countless other innocent lives. It had nearly taken Moltres' too.

So it was time to introduce this Moltres to a piece of Necrozma.

The bellowing, ear-piercing roar that leans over her shoulder is on par with a God's. Driven by rage and by pain with the crystaline growths extending from her face, the Tyrantrum locks eyes with the legendary bird. Without hesitating, the dinosaur charges into the storm to fight. She is fearless because she has already escaped certain death. She has climbed from the brink of it and come out a monster.

Another bellow of her prehistoric vocal chords conjures a SANDSTORM from below her feet. The DARK SANDS whip up violently, shrouding her in darkness. No amount of Moltres' AIR SLASHES or plumes of flame can stop this train. Tyrantrum steamrolls, pulling rocks both from her own body and from the sand beneath her to pelt the Moltres out of the sky with ANXIENT POWER.

Stormy watches with bated breath as the deity fights back, using its AGILITY to evade. Again and again it swoops out of harms way, but Tyrantrum is tireless and unstoppable. She is the black hole that Necrozma had been. She is the remnant from the ashes, the monster come back to life.

One of the rocks clips Moltres and the bird slips. It's all Tyrantrum needs to spring. With a powerful push off of her hind legs, the shadow Pokemon HEAD SMASHES to connect with Moltres.

"No! How is this possible?! What is that Pokemon?"

Stormy says nothing, her expression grim as the two Pokemon crash to the ground amidst the sandstorm and the rain.

scxzOp|t

notes:
- lands safely, watches fernando, kim, illie land
- sea!stormy challenges her, stormy is surprised to see moltres
- takes the challenge, protects herself from the first blast (barely) by hiding behind charizard
- swaps charizard for sh!tyrantrum to fight moltres
- ability DARK SANDS in use! sandstorm rages for 4 more posts
- ability DARK METAMORPHISM[ in use! sh!tyrantrums normal-type moves are rock-type

FERNANDO SILPH kim cole-essam illeana reyes

☉

She lives.
[break][break]
Catherine’s life is miraculously saved by none other than her own patron deity, the Altered Giratina. Although THE RENEGADE’S DECREE comes to fruition, it’s no surprise that Giratina’s counterpart survives the aftermath. They were - in some form - equal.
[break][break]
“Hrm, i’m afraid not.” The sound of her, or rather, their voice almost disgusts her. Knowing that it belongs to anyone other than herself causes her stomach to churn, but such mundane feelings are dismissed and forgotten about as Giratina’s voice echoes within her mind.
[break][break]
Then she wasn’t imagining it. Catherine did have a shard of the orb. A griseous shard, as she called it.
[break][break]
”But I’ll do you one better, hand over yours and I promise I’ll be quick when I kill you.” She won’t spare her the pain, however. She was not that kind, nor was she even slightly peaceful.
[break][break]
She leaps off of Giratina’s back as it clashes with its counterpart, allowing the deity to tend to its replica without reason for concern. If there was ever a time to prove that he’d chosen the right one— the one true Katherine, then it was now. This was their domain, and no one else’s.
[break][break]
A snap of her fingers directs Nihilego back, summoning it back. It hasn’t travelled too far away from them, although it was most likely still carrying a cargo on top of its head. “You know, before I saw you, I thought that fate was bullshit. That we make our own destiny.”
[break][break]
And to a degree, she still does.
[break][break]
“...But I recognize that some things are written in the stars. A part of some grand plan. I was destined to find Giratina, just as it was your fate to meet the fake one.” Whether if it was the will of Arceus or the stars was left to be determined, but one thing was certain: there was a reason for it all. Perhaps even this very encounter.
[break][break]
“This… This is where it ends. I don’t need the fucking stars. I don’t need Arceus’ grand plan.” A breath is drawn, and then she continues.
[break][break]

”..And most of all? I don’t need you.”

[break][break]

SPOILER: Click to show

"You talk a lot of game for someone who'd blown her ace already. Fine, have it your way. If you won't hand over your shards— I will gladly pry them off of your dead body."
[break][break]
Catherine appears both confident and vain. If it wasn't for the subtle gills on her neck, it'd be hard to tell the difference between her and the real one. Even at the face of danger, the potential risks that an unknown opponent such as Nihilego might hold, she laughs. She cackles madly. [break][break]"Did you really think that this will be enough? Just some jellyfish from your world? You're even more desperate than I thought."

[break][break]
Nihilego arrives just on cue, as Katherine relinquishes her control over gravity for a fleeting moment— allowing the beast to capture her, a shimmering myriad of lights spreading from their union. The Ultra Burst takes place as Melody and Cobalion are granted a moment of reprieve to settle in the strange, distorted realm.
[break][break]
Yeah, she's brought her allies into the mix. If Sootopolis taught her anything, then it's that there's strength in numbers.
[break][break]
A venomous SLUDGE WAVE surges forth, spreading toxin across Catherine's side of the field indiscriminately. She may phase and turn into anti-matter, but she will resurface. After all, she must breathe.

CopPkTVJ

[break][break]
notes:[break]
- lots of dialogue, mostly between kat & cat. giratinas fight in the background undisturbed.[break]
- kat's BATTLE BOND with nihilego alerts the beast that she needs it to return. it carries melody & cobalion along the way.[break]
- it arrives, and cat laughs at it. that is, until the ultra burst takes place and kat & the ultra beast fuse.[break]
- melody and cobalion are here too now, proving that major difference between these kat & cat is their ability to fight alongside others / trust allies.[break]
- the battle begins now![break]
- 1 salac used aha.

[attr="class","ooc"] Aqua Kennedy [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]

The union between Nihilego and Katherine eliminates her freedom of speech, but Melody Miro’s warning is heard all the same. A specific move that can make them swap bodies, huh?
[break][break]
She’ll have to keep that in mind.
[break][break]
The beast’s SLUDGE WAVE claims both Catherine and Sea!Melody as victims. The former may phase to avoid the BEAST NEUROTOXIN, but the latter lacks such an ability— and as such, both Melody and Manaphy likely find themselves badly poisoned.
[break][break]

[break][break]
On the opposite side of the field, the two Giratina continue to (quite literally) butt heads. Their golden crowns batter against one another, singing of malice and doom. Both Renegades shriek in unison, causing the distorted realm to tremble further— as if threatening to collapse at any given moment.
[break][break]
King versus king.
[break][break]
A draw.
[break][break]
Until Melody intervenes, that is. Cobalion and Lapras’ assistance are crucial to Giratina’s crusade against its counterpart. That alone is enough to tip the scales in their favour, but Kat won’t stop there. Far from it. Having forced Catherine to turn into anti-matter already, the Ultra Burst Nihilego casts its HEX, intent on assaulting the woman whilst she hides from the poisonous, treacherous terrain.
[break][break]
… Which pushes sea!melody into action.
[break][break]
Manaphy is driven to SWAP HEARTS between the four of them— but it only succeeds in part. Katherine’s mind, preemptively influenced by Nihilego, remains shrouded with a protective, impenetrable veil.
[break][break]

[break][break]
Perhaps this is the definite proof that she is heartless - but Melody Miro isn’t. She finds herself in sea!melody’s shoes, staring at herself from the other side of the distorted domain.
[break][break]
notes:[break]

SPOILER: Click to show

- sea!kat is still in her anti-matter form, evading the poisonous sludge wave and whatever remains of it.[break]
- giratina vs giratina ensues, but they appear to be equal in strength. thankfully, cobalion and lapras intervene, tipping the scales in origin forme giratina's favour.[break]
- sea!melody & manaphy are potentially poisoned by sludge wave (refer to beast neurotoxin ability description)[break]
- sea!melody uses heart swap, but only the hearts of melody and sea!melody are swapped. kat is immune to heart swap's effects (refer to the second ultra burst note)[break]
- katherine / nihilego use HEX to assault sea!catherine while she's in her anti-matter form, either to strike her or force her to step on the treacherous terrain (and likely suffer from the poison too).[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Aqua Kennedy [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]