The chill of winter reached down into El's bones - even after twenty years, they never quite adjusted to the colder Galarian winters compared to that of Hoenn. They were the sort of person to thrive in the summer, when others were baking in the sun - but the chill of winter made them want to hibernate, especially when it made their knee pain flare up. It wasn't unusual - in such situations - for El to be seen snuggled up against Akero during outings, as she carried him around like how a penguin carries their chick.

It didn't stop them from spending time with friends such as Josh Devlin or Julia Davis in those quickly-dwindling days, however - or from visiting Isaac Merlo , ana fell and their nieces in Motostoke. To see Sabrina and Iris both grow in the strong and clever young ladies - to be able to hug them close, and simply enjoy the fact that they had a family again, even if it wasn't the exact same as the family they once craved from their childhood.

These smiling faces, they were worth protecting. El knew it.

That didn't stop their heart from rising up into their throat with trepidation, however, as the day of the Solstice soon arrived. In the midst of prayer, they'd be there to see it when the illusory Zamazenta emerged with a mighty howl - one that called for all of Hammerlocke's attention. At the wolf's beckoning, El can't help but feel compelled to follow - after farewells to the apprentices that they had taken under their wing.

But once the time came to leave, it would be in Bibidi's arms - to avoid straining their knee - as she followed the ethereal trail that Zamazenta leaves in its wake.

However, it is in Wedgehurst that they are met with a chilling sight: Necrozma and Eternatus locked in combat, beyond a horde of poison pokemon larger than anything that El has seen before.

The idea of going up against an entire army was a daunting one - even with the ability to dynamax and gods on their side. The sheer numbers, including the dynamax and legendary pokemon they were up against? It was sure to be a mess of a fight - and a part of them wondered just how much they could actually do in supporting their side of the conflixt that was sure to come. Was this battlefield even a place for them?

And yet, when El heard their brother's voice call out not far from where they stood - and saw the shimmering Light Screen he brought forth - they found themself standing a little taller. Not even solely because of the speech he made - but because of the fact that Isaac was here, as well. That he was present, and alive, and fighting not only for the future of this memory, but also for the hope of going home.

And they weren't about to abandon him - not when they waited so long to see him again in the first place.

So, when the call to charge is made, El would waste no time in sending out a pokemon of their own. But rather than go on the offensive with dynamaxing, El was prepared to go on the defensive instead. "Akero - Safeguard! Protect as many people as you can!"

Out came their Togekiss - and as Akero let out a whistle, he would waste no time in getting to work - a shimmering glow washing over him, and those that he flew above, as he bathed as many humans and pokemon alike in his protection.

Meanwhile, El would step forth with their staff in hand. "Those of you who fall ill, come to me - I will heal you!" They called - and slamming the butt of the staff on the ground. The rings that hung from the top of it would ring out with a Heal Bell that washed across the battlefield - healing allies and repelling the poison pokemon alike (the latter being much to El's surprise.)

One way or another, they'd make sure as many people made it through this as possible.

TLDR / NOTES :

SPOILER: Click to show

- In the final days before the Solstice, El spends a good deal of time with friends and family alike.

- They are proud of how Iris and Sabrina have been growing - they love their nieces so fucking much.

- When Zamazenta emerges, they are in the midst of the prayer to the now-asploded-statue; knowing that the time to fight is now, they're filled with trepidation.

- Seeing the army doesn't help - but hearing Isaac + seeing his Light Screen gives them the morale boost to join in this battle.

- Togekiss is sent out, uses Safeguard on as many allies as possible.

- Meanwhile, El uses Heal Bell to mend anyone who gets status effect'd during the fighting, repelling the poison army in the process.

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^{Unable to fight :pensive:}

Josh, awestruck by the illusory Zamazenta's speed, tailed the red canine with the help of his borrowed mount. Sitting astride Raikou and holding a lightning-bolt sword crackling with electricity, he truly felt like the Avatar his younger self would have killed to be. Though it was a detail that had been lost to time, he almost did kill someone very precious in his reckless, unhealthy pursuit. While no saddle, reins, or halters were attached to the Raikou, there may as well have been metaphysical ones, given all the time the two had spent practicing and preparing for this very moment.

At long last, he felt like he was contributing to the war effort in a meaningful way. He felt he could meaningfully fight back against what seemed like impossible odds. Atop the fastest land Pokémon in the world, armed with an attack designed to take full advantage of death-defying speed, the battlefield was his playground. When he saw the invading armies were led by Galarian Slowbro and Slowking, he grinned.

In his eyes, the mistakenly Water-type enemy couldn't have been hand-picked any better for him perform an annihilating dance of sense-disabling speed. "Hyah!" he squeezed the electric tiger's sides, and they were off with fierce acceleration. Though his rigorous training with Raikou made Josh more adaptive to the physical stressors his mount put on his body, it didn't make them any less intense. The legendary Pokémon's purple thundercloud was the only thing that made being atop the feline's flexing back bearable.

As the toxic armies came into view, all Josh could think about was annihilating those Slowking. As he wound up for the slicing motion, burying his off hand in the Beast's electric fur, he pictured the generals disintegrating on contact with an ELECTRO BALL so powerful it could rupture the very earth near the impact zone. "We carve a path through them! Raikou, charge! EXTREME SPEED!!"

The Stadium Leader had ten years to refine this technique to an art form: the deadliest combination of speed and electric fury Galar had ever seen. Raikou's legs disappeared into a single yellow-and-black blur beneath its body, Josh seemingly floating in place above the thundercloud from how impossibly rapid the Johto Beast's running stroke was. His younger self may have been paralyzed by the speed, but not one with as much experience as he had with it now.

A sonic boom echoed from the tip of Josh's blade with every slash. From the tip of each flew an ELECTRO BALL hurtling toward the generals and their toxic Pokémon with speed that was too fast to follow. In one hand, Josh held the metaphorical reins of the Johtonian god of speed, his inert Sygna Suit doing little to protect him against its forces that made his skin ripple from head to toe. In the other, a blade with the potential to fire the most powerful electric blasts in the world when combined with his legendary mount known for unparalleled land speed. With confidence the duo danced around the battlefield, wreaking untold havoc upon the foes known for their lack of speed.

Josh wondered what Elinor Anderson would think of his accolades this day...

An apocalyptic knell washed over the region announcing the day of Prophecy was upon them. Even Gerald heard it. Though not long after the blinding light of a magenta pillar became visible.

Members of the Survey Corp were quick to jump into action, as they always were. But today was different. Gerald could feel it.

He ran home, hurried as quickly as he could. Wife and children were already privy to the news of what had appeared. He hugged all three of them. Cried as he said his farewells, told them how much he loved them, told them to be safe, and even lied as he promised to be back soon. This wasn’t like any other expedition and they all knew it.

Gerald tried to leave Iroh, his Iron Moth, behind. But it declined. Though its mechanical body had grown worn and torn from age, it would not see its trainer alone on the battlefield no matter how little it could fight.

Gerald left to join the Survey Corp as its Commander. His brave men and women soon joined the main host of the army of Chirchester as it made its way to the battlefield.

Gerald was the first to arrive, the first to gaze upon them all, alongside him were his Decidueye, a trusty companion.

As the rest of The Survey Corp stood before the colossal army and gazed upon its generals and its giant monster of a Cinderace at the back. Fear struck true in their hearts. The Survey Corps, though used to fighting, were not soldiers of war. Their skirmishes had been small in comparison to this. While some hid their fear others voiced their worries.

“Sir?” A young man said.

“Yes?” Gerald answered, his gaze fixating upon the man and his fearful trembling voice.

“Are we about to charge to our deaths?”

For a moment Gerald was surprised by the directness of the question. But then Gerald’s gaze grew solemn. He felt the tension forming in his troops. “We probably are.” He would not lie, not to his troops.

Another soldier chimed in, voice quivering with fear as well. “But we are all just going to die here, what did we fight for? Was it all meaningless?”

Gerald knew where this was going. Despair gripping the heart of his troops tightly.

“Meaningless?” His voice echoed with a certain growing power. “Yes. It's all meaningless. No matter what dreams or hopes you had No matter how blessed a life you've lived It's all the same if you're shredded, blasted or burned by the enemy standing in front of us –” He paused. Taking a breath before continuing. A righteous fury against the monsters that would steal these brave men and women’s lives were forming in his chest.

“ – But everyone will die someday.” This was a promise.

“Does that mean life is meaningless? Was there even any meaning in us being born if we are just meant to die? Would you say that of our fallen comrades? Their lives. Were they meaningless?” He gave them a moment to consider. Before he loudly continued “NO, they weren't! It's us who gives meaning to our comrade's lives! The brave fallen! The anguished fallen! The ones who will remember them are us, the living! We die trusting the living who follow to find meaning in our lives! That is the sole method in which we can rebel against this cruel world and the enemy it has pitted against us! – ” Gerald roared!

“ – MY SOLDIERS, RAGE WITH ME, LET US MAKE THESE MONSTERS RUE THE DAY THEY THOUGHT TO TAKE OUR HOMES AND OUR FAMILIES FROM US.” And with that Gerald turned and charged.

With a powerful charge he slammed into the army breaking the first poisonous monsters beneath his warhammer. The next swing of his hammer hit the ground on purpose. Large spikes of STONE EDGE began to spew up in a straight line into the army, hopefully breaking their ranks further in.

The rest of the Survey Corp joined him milliseconds later. War cries and weapons raining down upon the poisonous enemy.

Meanwhile Decidueye stayed behind as soldiers fought on the battlefield and giant monsters sent calamity after calamity against each other. Decidueye was neither big nor a close-ranged fighter, and so he used his keen eyes to scout for any important enemies in the army. And he saw it, at the far end. A Poisonous galarian-Slowking-looking-thing, the odd one out compared to the rest.

Decidueye notched an Arrow on its string, gathered as much energy as it could and allowed a Z-MOVE: NEVER-ENDING-NIGHTMARE infused arrow to fly aiming for the head of the enemy general.


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OOC: STONE EDGE WARHAMMER
TLDR:
- Gerald says his farewells to his family, and promises to be back (A lie)
- Gerald's Survey Corp is struck with fear as they gaze on the Cinderace Army
- Gerald holds a rousing speech resolve any doubts and fears in The Survey Corp
- Gerald charges into the fray as the first of his soldiers. He uses STONE EDGE to break the army ranks with his Warhammer
- Decidueye stays back, locks onto the Galarian Slowking General of the Cinderace Army, and sends a Z-MOVE: NEVER ENDING NIGHTMARE infused arrow at the general.

Colton’s lips drew thin as he gazed at the approaching army. A group of gigantic Pokémon, surrounded by even more instances of the sludge that they had been warding off of their city walls for the past two decades. One final push by their enemies to wipe them out and they would hold nothing back. Fear was only natural when facing against enemies that seemed more like forces of nature than Pokémon, but, as the cries of his allies’ Pokémon become earthshakingly loud with Dynamax power, their forms growing in size to rival that of the Rillaboom, Inteleon, and Cinderace, Colton could feel something else take the place of that fear: Hope, courage, and the will of everyone to succeed.

As the air became filled with the deafening roar of tidal waves, blazing infernos, and booming thunder, Colton couldn’t help but feel his ego being stoked a little bit. It was power he had helped create, the Dynamax bands being key in leveling the playing field between themselves and the steadily approaching Gigantamaxed Galar Pokemon. He wondered if they were surprised by the citizens of the different kingdoms being able to shatter the barriers that surrounded them, their own show of force potentially outmatching the attackers. Did they have other tricks up their sleeves to force a shift in the kingdom’s attack strategy? Was this all bait to burn out their resources early before a vicious counter attack would come that they’d have no chance in stopping?

”Well, no use in giving them the chance to counter attack,” Colton said, his own Dynamax band glowing as he raised Arti’s Pokeball. The red energy flowed into the Pokeball, causing it to expand enough to require Colton to hold it with both hands before tossing it upwards. In a giant flash, the Rotom appeared, it’s tinny cry now deep and booming as it’s trainer turned his attention back towards the approaching Pokémon, his gaze settling on the Cinderace. Without a word, he pointed towards the rabbit Pokemon, his other hand lifting his King’s Shield to ready it’s own defensive power while Arti launched a MAX GEYSER towards it.

TLDR:
- Colton Dynamaxes Rotom, readying his King’s Shield to absorb any counter attacks
- Rotom launches Max Geyser at Cinderace
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