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The weight of its presence was a block of pressure against your chest. You kept telling yourself it was a different version of the deity you knew, that its memories lacked the very idea of PENELOPE LIVY . But, deep down, you knew better than to allow superficial consolations to sway your thoughts. Those were for the weak-minded and the pitied.
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"Ollie," your voice lacked strength, tattered and frayed at the seams. It further exposed the fears you fought to conceal, both from yourself and others, like how one might carry sin. Desire tempted you to steal a glance. You knew reassurance awaited you within his open, loving gaze, but that'd only provoke Chi-Yu further.
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Enigmatic as always, there were few things you could say for certain about Chi-Yu.
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It hates when you seek comfort, for it in itself was a weakness needing correcting - and you wholeheartedly agree.
It hates when your attention strays from it - something to which you could understand, for you felt it too. It was the original scar that bonded you to it.
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Still, you came here for a reason. Whether it be through the thrill of violence or the beauty of understanding, there would be no straying from this path you've paved. You had to know. For yourself, for Evelyn, for ollie morales.
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"Remember that dating sim game," you called from over your shoulder, eyes still pinned onto Chi-yu's licking flames. Gods, that felt like lifetimes ago. "You know that fish that killed Farhan? That's it. Right here. "
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Ollie was probably confused. You carried at least a year's worth of information against him, which, in Hoenn's time, equates at least a decade; so for you logic only required a handful of disjointed memories working in tandem. For him? Leaps were required.
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"He's here for Moltres," you tried to explain, but the more you stared at it, the more your body began to quake, the more your throat closed , the more your skin prickled in a way you could only describe as alarm bells hollering danger was on its way. "We ha-"
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You could feel it again - the pair of vices in your pocket. How did they get there? You thought you'd given them to Mr Rime for safe keeping.
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Reaching for them, their greeting was immediate They were blisteringly hot, two crumbs of solidified envy calling for its master to reclaim them. It was hard to recall how the original story went; whether they were returned or not. In that way, a haze still clouded your memories, concealing details and turning pictures into meshes of colors. But there was no denying the familiarity of touch. The way the heat bit your skin lovingly.
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"We have to defend Moltres."
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Your resolve was met with fulmination. Mt chimney spat out another lump of molten lava, painting the skies with streaks of unrelenting betrayal. Here, it was clear, Chi-Yu was the artist, not you. It controlled the temperament of the land. It controlled where lightning would strike and where it would not. To some extent, it even controlled you.
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Suddenly, without warning, a new voice broke through the silence. [break][break]

At first it sounded like a handful of leaves rattling in a plastic bag. Archaic in tone, slow in measure, you were in disbelief at the first words to greet your decision.
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"YOU SPEAK OF MOLTRES AS THOUGH THERE IS A CHOICE TO BE MADE."
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Were those the words of Chi-Yu, or had madness finally robbed you of your sanity? Not that an answer would change much.
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Fear hissed into your ears, commanding your body still. there was no testing the scorn of a discarded god, much less one who bleeds the sins of those who worship it, and so relying on Moltres was your only way out. "Ollie," you repeated his name again, urgency tying your finger to the pokeballs latched to your utility belt. one click and a Milotic replaced the Mr Rime at your side. "Play defense, I'll cover our offense."
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That last directive was a call to war. Avatarship didn't tether your soul to Moltres, but you felt its pulse all the same, its thrum no different than your own, its hunger a mirror image of a kindred flame you'd once watch die out. When it dove, looking to defend its chosen representative, there was no other choice but to follow, combining the efforts of your Milotic's Hydropump with ringlets of fire.
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"YOU ARE MISGUIDED IF YOU THINK THAT WILL BE ENOUGH."
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The ruinous beast only flashed its eyes before diving down into the rocky ground, slicing through with a river of magma to trace its trail. Splashes of water still swiped at the fire, and while you smiled at this crucial piece of victory, its pain innately extended to you, much like how child always feels its mother's cry.
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Cornered by the very person who'd understood its ire, you watched as it turned to retaliate, malice and betrayal fueling its declaration against this stance you've taken. Out from its wisping flames, tendrils of ruination jet outward, hands plentiful to grab at each party member with ease.

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