oleg kicks his little feeties from sasky's shoulder, the toe beans she'd sharpied onto their bottoms flashing intermittently. now that she has such a rapport with dr monday, she's gone out of her way to request assignments with her whenever she requires some league help in the ultra crater. 

it makes her job easier and besides, she's come to love her company. maybe she should invite her over for ice cream sometime...she's still smiling dumbly up at the moon when monday picks up the flute and plays; she lets out a delighted gasp, giggling when oleg attempts to mimic the sound himself. 

when the song is finished and the sky darkens, monday prepares for a storm. saskia and oleg, however, crouch down to investigate the grooves on the temple's front. they shiver when she reaches to touch them and the door yawns open. darkness is then swathed in moonlight and the creature that emerges from the temple, injured as it is, screeches with fury and rage. 

"ISWEARIDIDN'TDOANYTHINGITOPENEDONITSOWN," she screams as she ducks. 

Lulu Flint

41 after the flute is played, the circular door-like structure at its peak will open, allowing the moonlight to be channeled through it that fires a signaling laser to summon an enraged and injured lunala. it is incredibly hostile and will retreat after your battle

☉

released from its ball, a frosmoth ascended into the strange air. its sapphire gaze settled on the approaching celestial storm as it lowered the temperature in its vicinity.[break][break]

”frosmoth, defo–shit![break][break]

she ducked just as the laser shot overhead and into space, sniping her bug out of the sky. it fell to the stone floor with an unceremonious thud.[break][break]

her jaw fell agape in surprise, still crouched in anticipation of another attack as she dared to look back in the direction it had come from. for what felt like a lengthy moment hanging in suspense, nothing else happened. she returned her frosmoth, tentatively reaching for more pokeballs as he celesteela stood by.[break][break]

then, a familiar silhouette appeared in the space above.[break][break]

lunala.[break][break]

the sight of it brought back the immediate memory of unfriendly darkness and death. valerio had perished that day beneath the dying tree of life, his ghostly bat disappearing into a wormhole.[break][break]

she had tried to pursue the injured beast before, and now, as it teetered towards them, she wondered if it still survived despite unending pursuit of a necrozma.[break][break]

was that monster there too?[break][break]

“it looks injured,” she noted, watching closely as it careened unevenly towards them. ”and angry!”[break][break]

the storm still headed their way, and she was out of pokemon to clear the weather. she tended to the more immediate threat instead.

”it’s a psychic/ghost-type – and it’s very strong!” luckily for them, it was weakened. perhaps this was her chance.[break][break]

more pokemon were released. ”protect!”[break][break]

but her shadow houndoom was preoccupied with the threat in the sky, its aggression inspiring it to launch the first attack. a dark pulse glowed in rings towards it, quickly overpowered by the glowing moonblast that met it full force. it worked out, for the lunala’s attack had been meant for the women that invaded its resting place.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]saskia volosenkova [break]

more pokemon come at monday's beck and call and saskia fumbles with the pokeballs at her hip. she manages to unclasp one of the balls, but it rolls out of her sweaty palm and would have rolled down the other side of the moon if oleg wasn't so quick to act. 

psychic and ghost. what would hurt it? dark?! she's not a dark-type trainer! she doesn't have a dark-type pokemon. like, maugrim, she's pretty sure knows a dark-type move, but he'll only end up making things worse because there's no way he's listening to her up here on the freaking moon!!!

dogs aren't allowed on the moon!

"okay, we can do something about that though," she calls out and oleg giddily clasps his nubby hands together. with the lunala wholly distracted by the real threat to it, it doesn't sense the psychic energy wrapping around it until it's too late. 

power split makes shockwaves of energy radiate off of oleg and he beeps feverishly. sasky worries he might overload himself by taking on too much in that little baby body of his, but he holds fast, draining the lunala as it tries to power up its next move. 

"GET IT MONDAY, PLEASE, OLEG CAN'T HOLD THIS FOR VERY LONG!"

Lulu Flint

☉

“i’m sorry…” she said quietly, as the lunala screeched in pain above them.[break][break]

there was no way to know if it was from their universe. it was too risky to heal it, give it more power and try to gain its trust. they were fighting for their lives.[break][break]

however, perhaps there was a chance of escape if they weakened it just a little more. oleg’s power split offered them a opportunity.[break][break]

marshadow sunk into a dark, ghostly portal and reappeared, inflicting a phantom force midair before being knocked back to the ground again.[break][break]

”saskia, new plan! we’re leaving!”[break][break]

she could report back to team rocket that it had been spotted. they would return for it.[break][break]

”celesteela, get ready. shade, smog!”[break][break]

clouds of toxic black began to fill the air from the dog, and lulu turned to the ranger, covering her face with her sleeve before moving quickly towards her ultra beast preparing for liftoff. however, around them through the clouds, the lights of celesteela lit up.[break][break]

it was as though the entire moon had been awakened and disturbed by the battle, and they watched ominously. fire exploded in the distance, again and again…[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]saskia volosenkova [break]

it's so powerful. it's like nothing she's ever seen before. she's seen the aftermath of titans fighting: the scar in the earth just outside her home, cleaved by an otherworldly dragon, but this is different than hearing about it secondhand. different than seeing the devastation. 

oleg's whole body shudders and saskia cuddles him close, even as psychic energy zips around her and makes her feel like all her veins are vibrating. 

"i got you, buddy. not too much, not too much." she curses herself for not being stronger and when monday changes plans, they have no choice but to make their exit. 

the creature above them screeches. in frustration? in pain? she has no idea, but both hurt her heart as she scrambles up the celesteela's side. her eyes are red and puffy from the smog and she coughs, but her breath is stolen from her when she sees the other celesteela.

"they're...they're all leaving." did we do this? 

all at once the light surrounding oleg fades and he collapses in sasky's arms. she cradles him close and looks at monday. "can - can you fly us through all that?"

Lulu Flint

☉

”celesteela can. we’ll be fine,” she assured, though unsure of it herself. she returned the rest of her pokemon and held on tight. as they left, what could seen of the moon through the black smog was consumed by fire.[break][break]

countless celesteela abandoned their home at once, reducing the lunar terrain until there was nothing left. smoke and moon dust darkened the yellow atmosphere. the journey back was nerve-wracking by surprisingly safe, as all ultra beasts seemed preoccupied with their evacuation.[break][break]

when they landed, they could hear lunala screech as it disappeared into the darkness above. something else had vanished too.[break][break]

"the moon... it's gone," she pointed out, staring up in surprise at where she was sure it had been previously.[break][break]

prompt 42 – moon destroyed

[attr="class","ooc"]saskia volosenkova [break]

their companionship is steeped in the trauma they've shared on these journeys and so she wordlessly slumps into monday when they depart. an ache riddles holes in her heart, growing with every beat, and when she squeezes her eyes shut, she doesn't notice she's leaking tears.

it's when monday tells her the moon is gone that she finally draws back and looks up into that blank sky.

"i...we didn't mean to," she says thickly, almost overcome. oleg beeps a melancholy tune in her arms. "the lunala. was that its home? it was so hurt...and we - and we, oh gods, what did we do?"

Lulu Flint

24 involve themes of romance, loss, or forgetfulness in some way. this can manifest in geyser steam, gas or plants that can evoke emotions.

☉

back on that world’s craterous ground, she did not feel the same mysterious companionship with the ranger that she’d felt on the moon. the moon was gone, perhaps taking those feelings with it forever.[break][break]

she stared at the empty haze above with a distant look of indignance. ”we didn’t do anything. that tapu bulu steered us wrong.”[break][break]

gods knew what they did. so why?[break][break]

in her line of sight, a razor leaf whistled past, with a kartana quickly following it toward them.[break][break]

”flamethrower, celesteela.”[break][break]

her celesteela’s steel arm rose, the end combusting with fire that singed the edges of the foe ultra beast. when it dared not to flee, even trying a leaf blade, she commanded ruthlessly, ”again.”[break][break]

like the moon, its leaves were burned to nothing.[break][break]

”again.”[break][break]

soon, it was little more than a piece of paper floating to the ground. she collected it into a pokeball before turning back toward the rift.[break][break]

”i think this will be our last trip here together, saskia.”[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]saskia volosenkova [break]

they are attacked. so much of this place hates them. it wants them out. she's meant to protect lands and their pokemon, even if they're not her own, and look what she's done. look at how they come at them and how monday tears them down so ruthlessly. 

saskia wilts and when oleg feebly goes to fight, she cradles him close like a teddy bear. 

their last time here together. because at the end of the day, she's not good enough. no matter what she does or how hard she tries, she just doesn't grasp it all the way. not fully. not completely. never like she's supposed to. 

the back of her neck prickles. her hand twitches. oleg hums mournfully and she looks behind them, eyes going glassy and then misting pink as, impossibly, she sees another moon rise into the sky. 

'wait, monday - look!" she says, turning, reaching, only to find she's already gone. 

Lulu Flint

☉