The jugulis thrashes with a fury like none other. Even if it is a machine in the shape of a dragon, it holds all of the wild majesty befitting of such creatures, and the vicious indignance that any lesser beast would dare touch it to match. Behemoth is thrown from the dragon's back amidst the thrashing - and the second that he hits the ground, the heads begin to bite into him. Fangs tear into his hide and draw blood as the nidoking bellows in pain and determination alike, forced to bring his arms up to protect himself from the worst of it. But this doesn't stop the jugulis from once more throwing and slamming Behemoth - which is enough for his consciousness to give out, as he passes out.

Cygne's ghosts - if they come near at any point during its rampage - will find themselves facing the ferocity of the vengeful metal beast as well, limbs swinging and fangs gnashing without mercy.

Only Akero is spared from the attack by virtue of her typing - when the jugulis has had its fill of mauling Behemoth, it tosses him away to turn its attention to her. Lunging, it attempts to lock its jaws around her as well; but her feathers seem to ward it off, interrupting the Outrage. And yet, even this doesn't seem to be enough to truly quell its anger. For the snarling jugulis calls upon the elements - ice, fire, and electricity building in each maw - before it looses a Tri Attack her direction!

Akero, caught off guard by the sudden increase in ferocity from the not-hydreigon, is struck by the move - flames licking, sparks crackling, and frost spreading. But it is the ice that takes hold, spreading fast upon her form, until she thuds to the ground in a chunk of ice - frozen.

With Behemoth knocked out and hurting, and Akero incapacitated, the jugulis briefly stills - its eyes turning to those who remained, and scanning over each individual. But, it doesn't take long before it settles upon but one individual - the jugulis sees easy prey in El. Lunging forward, it opens its maws wide for a Crunch - sure to catch them as they find themselves stumbling and staggering backwards in alarm--

-- Before Bibidi is suddenly between them, the jaws of the hydra caught around her lifted forearms. The alakazam hisses in pain, blood dripping down from where the fangs dig in. She is unable to do anything to fight back though - her most threatening moves all being psychic-type. And so, she is at the jugulis' mercy (or lack thereof) as it begins to slam her into the ground, again and again.

Initially, El is frozen in shock - fear flickering over their expression at the sight before them. Suddenly spurred into movement, a trembling hand hurriedly digs through their bag for something, anything, that could be used to turn things around. A Sticky Glob? A Scatterbang? No - those supplies have long-since been depleted. And though the thought occurs to them to send out another pokemon, they cannot bear to force their smaller team members to face such a vicious and merciless beast. The realm's paranoia conjures images in their head of broken forms, torn wings, lost limbs...

... But when fight or flight takes grip of their heart at the idea of their pokemon being hurt - or worse - and the notion of fleeing occurs to them... The tremble begins to still. Their heart beats in their chest, faster and faster and yet, their grip on their cane tightens. A familiar sensation - much as they had felt whilst facing a jugulis alongside Blackjack - wells up in their chest. They can't abandon those in need - those who require help. They refuse to just sit idly as their pokemon are hurt, or leave Cygne behind to face this thing alone.

Forcing themself up to their feet, El is suddenly charging at the jugulis - and swinging out with their cane, they strike the beast's head. "LET HER GO!" They shout, their voice a righteous anger. When the first strike isn't enough to convince the false dragon to stop though, they strike again. "I SAID - LET. HER. GO!"

It's upon the third swing though, that the not-hydreigon finally pays El mind. An auxiliary head tears away from Bibidi - and before the rookie ranger knows it, it's suddenly sinking into their arm. Pain, sharp and blazing and loud, shoots up their arm and they make a sound that's almost a scream in response.

With am arm freed, Bibidi reaches out to grab El's opposite arm - and though it hurts, she focuses to Teleport the both of them away, out of the jugulis' grasp. The duo stagger as they reappear next to Cygne - and though Bibidi is bleeding and noticeably in pain, she protectively wraps her arms around El as they collapse against her.

El, meanwhile, is only filled with the thought of how their arm hurts. It hurts to move it. Which is a bit of a problem, given the fact that that's the arm they hold their cane with. They don't think it's broken though, which is good - and-- and even if they're in pain, it's worth it. It's worth it, if it means that the others are spared hurt. They don't want to see anyone be hurt - they don't want anyone to face the sort of hurt they've experienced, that they've seen.

Noone deserves to suffer a broken limb, and the challenges that come with it not healing right.

Noone deserves to be denied love and pushed away, to the point of being forced to face the world on your own.

Noone deserves to be forced to face their fears, in this twisted hellscape of a dimension...

If they were stronger, braver, more confident, then perhaps - just maybe - they could better lend aid to everyone they care about. Everyone that needs a helping hand, everyone that's hurting and scared and alone. Julia Davis may call them strong for braving this battleground for the sake of a child's zigzagoon - and they didn't wish to deny it - but strength of character or heart can only take someone so far, right?

The jugulis, however, cared naught of the thoughts of a young rookie ranger.

Its many eyes settles upon the group, a low and rattling hiss escaping its blood-soaked maws as it begins to advance in their direction, slowly but surely. It moves with all the confidence of a predator that knows its prey has been caught - in no rush to waste the seemingly endless stamina it has, or perhaps just conserving what stamina remains after having burnt off most of its righteous rage.

Bibidi carefully sets El down to step forth - ready to protect them and Cygne both, no matter what happens. Her breathing is heavy, pained, but she forces herself to remain upright. Even if she cannot reliably attack the dragon, maybe - just maybe - she can distract it, so that the others can mount a counterattack or get away. To say that fear did not flicker at her heart would be a lie - and yet...

... This was the role that Isaac had requested of her - and she would fulfill it to the letter.

But as the alakazam's gaze is locked with the jugulis' own, a strange feeling settles over El - and their eyes find themselves wandering elsewhere. A calling of sorts tugs at their heart, their mind, and before they know it their eyes are scanning their surroundings, wondering just what and where the source of this feeling was. Something - something out there, in the mist - was reaching out to them, a call awaiting a response.

They almost missed it - but before long, their gaze locked onto something. A cliff in the cavern that this fight had been taking place in loomed, its shape a silhouette in the thick pink haze that dominated the surrounding space. And yet, it was not this formation that caught there eye...

SPOILER: Click to show

... But rather, the shape that was forming at the peak of it.

With the dream mist obscuring any details, El could only make out the outlines of it - some humanoid being (a human? a pokemon?) perched atop. It was impossible to tell who or what it was - seeming almost incomplete, still-forming. And yet - being able to make it out the spear-like weapon shaping itself together at its side, it brought forth the image of something from one of the many games that El played...

... Namely, the weapon, the stance - it all evoked the image of a dragoon.

Something foreign reached out to El's mind and pressed, a concept like that of a knock at the door - or perhaps more accurately, an extended hand - crossing their train of thought. Yet, for as unsettling and perhaps even frightening the idea of a psychic pokemon you do not recognize impressing itself upon your mind can be... El does not feel scared of it.

Closing their eyes, they open their mind to the unknown pokemon - and they take its hand, extending their trust to it in every figurative sense of the word.

As if sensing the presence of a third party, the jugulis pauses in its advance. A low electrical growl rises from its throat, as it turned around to face the newcomer. But before the false dragon could so much as spot the humanoid silhouette, it leaps - up into the air, higher than the ceiling of the cavern should allow (and yet, when has the Interdream Zone ever cared about physics?) For a moment, it disappears amongst the mist for how high the shape has leapt...

... And yet, when it once more calls out in El's mind, strange and wordless and yet saying oh-so-much, they respond almost without a second thought. Their voice rings out through the cavern with a newfound confidence, even past the wince of pain from their arm.

SPOILER: Click to show

"Spirit Break!"

Above the jugulis, a glowing light shines in the mist - painted pink by the haze's hues. It is dim at first - barely noticeable, one would almost think it a trick of the eye. And yet, it quickly becomes brighter, brighter, and brighter still - almost as if a star is being born somewhere above, to shine down upon the masses...

... Or, perhaps more accurately, as if it were free-falling - down to the earth below.

SPOILER: Click to show

It comes suddenly - suddenly enough that it takes even the jugulis by surprise - as the shape of something like a knight slams down into its back from above. The sound of shearing metal and of something shrieking in pain layer into one another until neither sound is discernible from the other - brought upon by what appears to be a spear of solid light, driven deeply into the jugulis' back by the velocity of the dive.

The false dragon, pained, thrashes wildly to throw off its second unwelcome rider; but the knight-shaped being decides to depart by their own volition, pulling its spear free and making a shorter leap into the air. It lands between the group and the jugulis, flicking its spear as if flicking off nonexistent blood, and sparing but a single glance over its shoulder at El.

And seeing it now, this up close, El can't help but note just how much this paradox pokemon looks like two certain pokemon. The flowing skirt and 'hair' it bears resembles that of a gardevoir. Yet, the weapons it is able to produce - seemingly formed of psychic energy and/or light made solid - and the horn on its head both also remind one of a gallade. For a moment that feels like an eternity, El can't help but gaze on in awe...

"This..." They begin - before hissing in pain, as their arm throbs and reminds them of its bleeding. "T-they... They're an ally," Even as their voice trembles when they clutch their bleeding arm to their stomach - Bibidi rushing to El's side with the first aid kit - they are confident in their own words.

This valiant - this Iron Valiant - was on their side. And they had a feeling that they had brought it into being - or at the very least, completed it - even if somewhat unintentionally.

Enter: A Friend (and also a KO)

ana fell