There were numerous reasons as to why she shouldn’t have it. Countless. As many as there were universes. And in all of them, she never did. Whether because Howard stopped her, Annalise never helped her, or she had no reason to– they all pointed to her failure. The world took notice and stopped her.

But here, right now, where the sun is hot and the air is electric and salty and everything’s wet and dry? This is the reality in which the world truly didn’t care. It let her have it. Regieleki was in her possession not because of the people, but by existence's own indifference.

In the one reality where she had it, a million more exist where she didn’t, and it was absolutely justified.

“NO.”

But for June, there was only one reason why she didn’t give it up. A single one, stood against the storm, the flood, against the infinite possibilities that challenged its potential. An anomaly in the machine, but one she clung to for dear life and never let go of.

If she was to be ignored by the world, then all she could take was damned as well. Naturally, that is which is fated are linked, intertwined by fate's incoherent yet ever omnipotent thread. Those left in the basket, unloomed, surely had no place in her tapestry.

But if Regieleki was in her possession… then it had no place either. Kindred souls, destined to rot in their own corners. Whether of their own free will or by a grand, outside force, they had nothing but each other in the loneliness of forgottenness. It could very potentially still have a part to play, a role to be had. Perhaps it had only been set aside, left to be threaded back in when it was most necessary.

But until then, it was hers. She would cling to the golem unfit for her for as long as possible. Shred took because life refused to. June took because life allowed it.

And it made them impossibly different.

Unstoppable Hatred met Immovable Spite, and June stood her ground. Not to win, but to not lose. Regieleki struggled against the Great Tusk, but not for long. Just as the paradox could not hope to catch light, it couldn’t hope to hold such a powerful being of free will down forever. Soon enough, it wiggled and escaped its grasp.

"Go to hell."

Electricity gathered, suddenly, powerfully. The ambient yellow zipped straight into the golem, and it grew brighter than the sun Shred commanded to shine down. The second sun pointed both its powerful arms straight at the Paradox.

Then, at once, power discharged. The rail gun fired the Zap Cannon to wipe the creature not meant to be from existence.

---

Shred

[googlefont=Rubik Burned]With a flash of light and a sharp crack, the Zap Cannon launched, and the resulting beam consumed Great Tusk whole.

For most, that would be a death sentence. Regieleki was a generator like no other, and it produced power the likes of which scientists and engineers could only dream of. Could you even imagine it? Enough electricity to power all of Galar, surging through you all at once? Eighty nine billion kilowatts ripping through your flesh and blood? As though you were nothing more than a loose wire in an insignificant circuit?

For most, it would be a death sentence. Like being strapped to the electric chair for days and weeks and months and years. Even the strongest of the strong, the Zev Harcourt's and the freya morningstar's and the jayden cross's and the kyle lopez's, couldn't survive for more than a few seconds.

But in the end, electricity was just that: Electric. And though Regieleki was strong, the rules of nature were stronger.

"If you won't give it to me..." You growl, your hand raising up to eye level, before clenching tightly into a fist, "THEN I'LL JUST TAKE IT."

For a moment, you're no longer in this world. You're back in the Ultra Plant, upon a lightning-scorched plain, thunder booming in the distance. The sun did not shine so brightly back then, and the air was not quite so filled with static. Still, the little inconsistencies melt away. The heart of the situation is the same. And it beats the same way, too.

"GREAT TUSK!"

Out from the light, emerged a shadow.

"SHOW THIS FUCKER WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FUCK WITH ME!"

And out from that shadow, emerged a Pokemon that should not be.

"▂▄▄▃▄▄▅▅!!!"

And as it emerges from the Zap Cannon, it deviates. Once upon a time, it threw the supermassive giant high into the air, so that it might be sent reeling as it came crashing back down to earth. But this time? The giant is shrunk. Small enough that it can wrap its trunk around its metal shackles, strong enough that it can ensure the tricksy golem won't escape so easily a second time.

And once the prey knows that there's nowhere left to run, hoof and tusk and fang and claw descends upon it, a vicious Close Combat unlike any other. It's a brutal assault, meant to beat it within an inch of its facsimile of life, to crush it so badly that its trainer's spirit is completely broken, to leave the both of them with no choice but to surrender or to die.

And just as one beast rushes forth, so too does another. And though there is no gun in your hand this time, your lethal intent is nevertheless radiant as you punch June as hard as you can.

Eternatus, whitelist, howard slayte be damned. For once, if only once, you will have your way.

---

june sleigh

How?

How?

How?

W H Y ?

It should have been turned to dust. Evaporated. Floating alongside the wind that gave way to the nuclear assault. Yet there it was, like the attack never existed. Regieleki could not show fear or doubt as to what occurred, so June picked up the slack.

Shred’s fist slammed into her face, and there was zero resistance. No fight. Pain blossomed, but it didn’t matter. Great Tusk should be gone. Dead. Yet there it was. Ready to reap revenge from when it first tried to enact its will forcibly upon the trainer.

The grip was all too familiar to the golem. Yet the strikes were not. They were much stronger this time. Much more real, in its shrunken frame. In the Power Plant, it couldn’t hope to make a fraction of a dent in its frame. Delay, but not stop the inevitable. Here, it folded. Strike after blow after pummel and hit after kick.

It stood no chance. Soon, the battered golem topped beneath the Great Tusk's grasp. Discarded, crumpled into a neat electrical pile to rot and wither away. Its lightning glowed weaker, much weaker. Its hue adopted the same as the electrical terrain, and with as much intensity.

Like Howard’s golem from when she’d first caught it, the lights on its face flickered. Dimmed. Despite having enough power to keep Galar on for days on end, it struggled to remain conscious.

June rolled over, senses jumbled. How? Why? “Stop.”

“Don’t,” she called feebly. One hand grasped the weak sand and tried to pull her forward. “Please.”

But Shred wouldn’t stop. She knew it. He would take what was unrightfully hers and push her back into the corner. Where nothing else resided. She’d be alone again. Truly alone. There wouldn’t exist another opportunity like this. And if she couldn't have it...

Then Shred couldn't either.

There was only one option. Death wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

The words gathered on her tongue, and the final command escaped her lips. Regieleki could be free once more, and fate would hopefully put its power into the right hands. Ones that weren’t hers.

“Eleki. Hyper Beam.”

"⠕⠗⠙⠑⠗ ⠗⠑⠉⠊⠑⠧⠑⠙"

Click. On her side was a Tera orb, and it reflacted light across the beach. Power rushed back into Eleki, and its form changed. Gone was the yellow, replaced with the brilliance of grey normalcy. Power through a Normal Type would give it the strength required to wipe the two of them off the face of the earth.  Fulfill the task given to it. And energy surged through the newly changed Regieleki, and its lights flashed brightly. Intensely. Its strike would know no limits, and nothing in its wake would remain.

Failure was not built into its code. Failure was the burden of the owner, not itself. June would pay the price.

“I’m sorry Dad.”

The world went white.

---

Shred

June Sleigh hits the ground. It doesn't take long for Regieleki to do the same. You stand over one, while your Great Tusk stands over the other. You did it. You're victorious. You've won.

You begin to laugh.

It's a low chuckle at first. Then, it rises into a cackle. Then, it becomes a roar. You don't know why. There's nothing amusing about this situation, no joke hidden within the brutality. Maybe it's ironic, but not in a way that anyone could find funny. No, from her perspective, watching this burned husk of a man howling with glee, she must think you're insane.

Maybe you are. Maybe you hadn't endured all those trials and tribulations as well as you thought you had. Maybe all those lies you told yourself as catching up to you. Maybe something within you snapped, and you'll never be able to fix it.

But amidst the tragedy playing out, you take some small pleasure in being the comedian. As though when historians are forced to write about this moment, they'll have to spend paragraphs musing on why you were laughing so intently. They'll ask all the same questions you asked yourself, and unlike you, they'll have to find answers to them. A reason why you followed the leylines as far as you could go. A purpose for this battle fought over nothing at all. A motive for why a man who suffered so would needlessly proliferate such suffering.

In the end, they'll all fail. But one of them will be right.

Kill her, or die, said howard slayte long ago. You are not free. Choose.

You'd proposed the third option, a universe where the both of you lived. But your best friend had denied it to you. He said that if that universe truly existed, it was not this one. Thus, he tricked you into believing that your options were one or two, not three. Yet neither he nor you considered the fourth possibility.

As June gives up all hope, she gives the last command you'd ever want to hear her give.

"...No."

As you turn to face the fading titan, you see a new glow. The kaleidoscopic of Terastalisation is a different brightness than that of Regielekei, yet it shines brightly nonetheless. It shines even brighter as an all-too-familiar attack rears its ugly head.

"NO."

As you can do nothing but what, you're forced to reckon with it. The foolishness of you, and everyone around you. So concerned were you all with musing over difficult decisions and moral dilemmas, that you'd never even considered that the zero sum game would end up just that: Zero sum. No survivors.

"NO!"

As the Hyper Beam launches towards you and June, you're faced with the unseen yet inevitable outcome. And as it comes for you both, all you can do is brace for what comes next.

---

june sleigh

OUROBOROS

PRELUDE THREAD - THE FIRST WAVE

[player]https://file.garden/ZXZrnWMYuz15frfJ/HOENN%20MUSIC/koraidonmiraidonbattle.mp3[/player]
ANOMALIES ARE CURIOUS THINGS. The DRK Triad laments them as symptoms of a terminal universe. The AEOS Division studies them as corrupted data in need of eradication.

However, anomalies possess a unique beauty all their own. They represent limitless possibility. Breathtaking discovery. Like bones, the rules of the universe can break to mend again. Torn apart and taped together like a map where all roads kiss running rivers—

—and this pieced together map brings june sleigh and Shred next to each other. The chart has been wholly rearranged. Fate's boundaries have been trespassed and as the HYPER BEAM nears, its sizzling current of energy ascending to a shrill peak, fate's lines are crossed once more.

AGIAAAS!

Before june sleigh and Shred, two reptilian creatures nullify the beam with flame and bolt. They roar in defiance of the game june sleigh's attempted to play. Around them, the sunlight intensifies into scorching rays and electricity surges across the field like racing Zebstrika.

The two Paradox Pokemon have recently emerged from the underground, driven out by the waves of fear... and yet, they find familiarity in june sleigh and Shred's scents. The former's penchant for electricity. The latter's orichalcum mark.

However, the two also perceive june sleigh and Shred as anomalies of their own... And with this kinship, they ally themselves to them respectively—understanding deep within that this may possibly pit the two against each other in war.

IMPORTANT NOTE: From this point forward, Rysa may control and write Miraidon, including placing the Pokemon in june sleigh's PC. Similarly, Raptor may control and write Koraidon, including placing the Pokemon in Shred's PC. By the end of this thread, june sleigh will become Miraidon's avatar while Shred will become Koraidon's avatar.

This thread will also act as a PRELUDE THREAD for THE FIRST WAVE. An appropriate amount of MP will be distributed in this thread for june sleigh and Shred.

Once a suitable moment has been reached, please ask shiv for a mod post detailing the acquisition of Avatar abilities.

june sleigh Shred

Zero no longer equaled zero, and this universe once more proved to defy all expectations.

White faded from everything, and June saw. So… she had failed once again. Had the world finally given her the attention she so desperately craved, or was it once again the meddling of man that solidified her place in it?

Neither, perhaps. From the flashbang of the Hyper Beam, which left the Regieleki entirely out of commission, was a different pair of creatures. Pokemon in design and shape, yet something entirely unique. She’d never seen anything like them, but they closely resembled Cyclizar. Living bikes.

The orange did, rather. Much more close in design and shape. But the purple one… it looked too futuristic. Not from this world. Her eyes were drawn to it naturally, as she could sense the raw electrical output from its frame. Much akin to Regieleki, but… different. She couldn’t describe it.

The conflict was forgotten, if only for a brief spell. “Wh-what are those Pokemon? Have you seen them before?”

The purple one’s neck twisted suddenly, and she found herself locked in eye contact with its virtual orbs of cyan. Cold and calculating, it twisted its body and floated over to the prone delivery girl. It did not move with legs but with jet propulsion. The engines thrum cut straight through the madness.

It stopped. Paused. Bent down and examined her. She could hear it, alongside the breath that tickled her hairs. Her neck strained to look to the heavens, but it was too tall. It towered above her, a pillar in her vision that blocked out the sun. All that remained was an outline and the yellow streaks that dominated the land.

Did it judge her? Was she strong for making a hard decision, or weak for making a selfish one? Or did it not care, and she was simply a curiosity to be investigated? Whatever the case, she did not know and did not move. Fear of the unknown struck her heart and kept her locked up. Would this be how she went, not with a bang but a whimper?

Finally, it tilted its head and gave her one final, hard look. Then, it shoved its nuzzle into her shoulder and pushed against her. Up and backward, until she was sitting.

“What are you? Who are you?”

A low hum escaped its throat. Friendly. It looked to its kindred soul to see how it reacted to its own anomaly.

---

Shred

...You're not dead.

Maybe you should be. Maybe you should've died decades ago, when you were back in Galar, getting into trouble with the boys in blue and fooling around with dangerous vices. Maybe you should've died years ago, when you were drifting aimlessly from region to region without care or concern, even for yourself. Maybe you should've died months ago, back in the Silent Icelands, when your war against the League took everything from you. Maybe you should've died weeks ago, when you were toiling in the Prismatic Penitentiary, beaten and shamed and drowned in toxins. Maybe you should've died today, when that Hyper Beam hit and obliterated what remained of Paul Meatles.

And yet, once again, you've survived. In spite of everything, a world that doesn't care for your plight and people who care even less, you're alive. As burning embers, crackling electricity, and motes of pure energy float about you, you turn to face your saviour.

Scarlet scales shine under the searing sun like impenetrable armour. Vibrant feathers flow in the wind like royal regalia. Its fangs and claws are an arsenal fit to defeat any foe before it. The crest atop its head is a crown, a signifier of its worthiness over all things. Still, you see something familiar within those amber eyes.

Ambition?

For a moment, you glance past the beast in front of you, to the beast behind it. Your Great Tusk, fresh off of its victory over Regieleki. But the mammoth takes no pleasure in its successful hunt. No, instead, it seems... Timid. It lays its head down, and kneels as best as its stumps of legs will allow. Did it take more damage from the Zap Cannon than you had first thought? Or maybe, it was surrender. A humble predator, yielding in the face of an apex life form. A servant, bowing down to the king.

...King. Yes, it is, isn't it? It is royalty. This thing, this anomaly that stands before you, is a king. Nothing else it could describe it.

You reach out and rest a hand upon the creature, and the orichalcum markings upon your burnt skin begin to ache. As though this was the meaning of it all. The reason you followed the leyline road to it's end. The destination you were looking for.

This beast, in another world and another time, is you...

...

...But then, what of the other one? That facsimile, made of metal and plasma instead of flesh and blood. Something about it fills you with anger, makes you upset in a way you can't quite vocalise. Yet, it looks upon june sleigh with some mechanical mimickery of compassion, as though a machine were capable of such a thing. Did it intend to side with her? Despite her utter inability to wield her power, despite her continued insistence on burdening everyone you hold dear, despite all her failures past, present, and yet to come, it would still choose her?

Then, like her, it is your enemy.

"DESTROY IT."

The girl might've forgotten about the conflict, but you haven't, and neither has the King. It acts upon your command with brutal efficiency, stomping forth and raising an arm on high. Then, a Dragon Claw fell, to shatter the mirror and dispel this warped reflection so that it might bother you no more.

---

june sleigh

June recoiled back just in the nick of time, as Koraidon slammed its monstrous claw down. The general area she occupied turned to a dust cloud as Miraidon slammed into the ground. Her eyes went wide open, and she turned her attention back to Shred.

“Fuck you!” All she could do is extend the bird straight in his direction. However, it disappeared as soon as it arrived. The delivery girl had to push herself further back as the two sibling Pokémon started their battle in earnest.

Scarlet met Violet violently, and hardened claws dug into the steel frame. Its scrape cut into her ears, like a car being keyed, but it did not fold. It narrowed its eyes and grunted. With a shriek, its jet-legs roared with life, and it rushed backward, away from its new foe.

Unfazed, its posture tall and demeanor calm. Underneath the infernal sun, she saw… minimal damage. Claw marks marked its side, but it still hovered as tall and proud as before. Not regal, but something like it. A hero, or a knight, suited in metal armor against the fearsome dragon.

Calm in the face of adversity. She looked at it with vague childlike wonder, unable to tear herself away from the one that stood on her side. It knew nothing about her, and it protected her anyway. Why? She wasn’t worth it. Maybe it was as flawed as Shred thought it was.

“Stop them!”

A growl emanated from its long, neon neck as it flared with color and viscous energy. Its chrome maw opened, and a Draconic Pulse flew from the depths of its throat. The engine in its chest thrummed with tapped potential, and more yellow arcs flew into the environment. They cast no shadows as they dispersed.

It listened to her. Obeyed her. Coincidence, or intentional? June didn’t want to know. The truth was so tantalizing, yet so dangerously sharp. It could stitch her together or slice her apart.

---

Shred

And so, the two dragons begin their dance.

The King lands a hefty blow, its monstrous claw slamming down upon the metal frame of the Imposter. Yet, there's no satisying crumple, no dent left behind. Instead, the serpent rises up once more, and retaliates with a blast of draconic energy into its past self. You flinch for a moment as the pulsing violet hits the Scarlet, sending it skidding back against the ground. But as the attack begins to fade, there's no spurt of blood, no chunk of flesh missing. Instead, it continues to stand, and it stands strong.

At a glance, the two seem evenly matched. That pisses you off. This is supposed to be your time, your opportunity, your prize. You're supposed to crush this cheap copy like it's an empty tin can. This is supposed to be YOUR victory! And even now, after everything, she's still here, still intefering, still causing problems. She tried to kill you. SHE TRIED TO KILL YOU BOTH! She doesn't deserve this! She's UNWORTHY! Why is she even here? She's ruining it. She's ruining YOUR MOMENT!

And that, you won't abide.

You stare at her, eyes bulging, blood boiling, orichalcum searing. Your anger is as hot as the vibrant sun beating down upon you. Your ego is collapsing into a black hole that will destroy and destroy and destroy until not a speck of June Sleigh remains.

You inhale, as though you were about to dive into the ocean. You exhale, as though breathing fire. And then, you speak again.

"I, SAID, DESTROY IT!!!"

Once again, the King rushes forward. This time, however, there is no claw raised or fang readied. Instead, the entire body of the Scarlet beast ignites like a wildfire, a calamity of heat and light and destruction all condensed into a single charge. A Flare Blitz meant to melt through plating, circuitry, and engine all in one.

But destroying her champion is only one half of killing June Sleigh. The other half? You'll take care of that.

Running upon the trail of scorched earth left behind, you quickly close the distance between you and your would-be killer, and with murderous intent of your own, aim a strike directly at her neck. Not a punch, no, something more primitive, more feral, almost as if...

...You were attempting to claw her throat out.

---

june sleigh

They were equal, then. Attacks as devastating as that should’ve left one or the other in the dust, turned to ash and dead as could be. Yet neither were fazed. If anything, they looked all the more fearsome as they did their dance. Sang their disastrous song. June wanted to watch until the sun went down and all the energy faded into obscurity.

Except she couldn’t. Shred wouldn’t let her. She’d learned her place, over the last few years. Or rather, how she didn’t have one. Even with Regieleki, she was little more than a dot on the map than a genuine destination. Faded into obscurity, she had learned to settle for what table scraps were left unattended.

A spectator.

But that wasn’t okay with him. She was there at all, and that was a sin. An unspeakable, unforgivable crime– why else would he want to get rid of her though whatever means necessary? She had the audacity to exist during his ‘big moment’ and the punishment was now death.

It was unfair, but such was the will of royalty. Now, June had to contend with a very pissed off man with peeling bandages, a bright hot mark on his hand, and all the rage in the world. If he had two hands, then it wouldn’t have been close. Her throat would’ve been torn to ribbons and her life force splattered all across the golden land.

Instead, she barely managed to deflect the blow. The impact sent a jolt of fear and pain down her nerves, but she wouldn’t back down. Mutual destruction was the most she’d compromise. Her leg shot out and forward in an attempt to knock him down. Anything to keep him off her back. “And I said stop it, you bastard!”

Miraidon had a much simpler, more effective method of retaliation. As the blazing force of annihilation rushed forth, its own inner body heated up. Engines revved higher and higher, and the heat generated expanded exponentially. As contact was made, it used the force and its own strike to create distance.

Like a bomb, flames expanded from the center. One side from Koraidon, and the other from the Overheat that sent Miraidon backwards toward safety. Scorched earth covered the land between them, hellfire high in the sky. Still, it looked like it had no fears against its kin. Every move matched, even if they threatened to obliterate both of them with one wrong move.

And soon, it would turn on the offensive.

---

Shred

Flame meets flame, but as Scarlet advances, Violet retreats. The two might be evenly matched, but the differences between them are becoming clear. One, a savage brawler, looking to close to distance, hit hard, and hit often. The other, a piece of living artillery, firing out devastating blasts from afar. What makes them truly even is their speed, their pace. Neither can outrun the other. They cannot catch up to each other, nor can they escape.

Like a dragon devouring its own tail, going around and around, on and on, forever and evermore. Call it equilibrium, or call it stalemate. It carried on all the same.

Amidst the flames left from its clash, the King lets out a mighty roar. Its heart beats harder, its blood flows faster, and so too does its body. If speed is the cause of this deadlock, then it will push its Agility to the limits and put an end to the endless cycling.

An inspiring sight, to witness an apex climb even higher than they had before. Though you must confess, you're far too busy fighting your own battle to witness it.

Despite your best efforts, June Sleigh evades your grasp. Fearful hands push away your claw, and a desperate kick hits your shin and sends you toppling down. Yet you don't even hit the ground before you scramble back on the offensive, relentless in your assault. You grab her outstretched ankle and drag her towards you.

And then, you try and bite her.

Your lips are burnt smooth. Your tongue is pathetic and atrophied. Your teeth are yellow and cracked and incapable of chewing even the softest fruit. They are not glorious fangs meant to pierce and rip. They're the broken remnants of a broken man. They're more likely to splinter and break in her skin than they are to devour her flesh. You're more like to hurt yourself than hurt her.

But does the Zangoose care when the Seviper's venom flows through its veins? Does the Heatmor care when the Durant bites its snout? Does the Groudon care when the Kyogre rains fury upon it?

No. They don't. And you don't, either.

Because within those proud eyes, you saw a better way, and you'll be damned before you let it get away.

---

june sleigh

Miraidon would not let its fellow kin get the better of it. As Koraidon’s heart race increased and blood flow likewise, the futuristic counterpart mimicked the move in its own unique sense. Instead, electricity thrummed harder inside its own chest. The whine of an engine doubled and more current discharged from its limbs.

Agility matched Agility. Speed matched speed. Past matched Future. The cycle would forever continue, whether they liked it or not. Best to stay with the times, lest they be forgotten and left to rot.

June, however, did not fare as well. The world shifted as she fell, and her back smacked into the soft, charged sand. Desperate fingers clawed at her ankle, and her head craned to get a good look as–

“AAAAAA, FUCK FUCK–” Teeth dug into her flesh. He bit her. Bit her? Chewed on her. Gnawed. Disgustingly yellow molars sank into her skin, and some fragments fractured from the point of impact. But the threat of it hurt all the same, and panic set in.

This guy was nuts. Psychotic. More so than before. At least then it had a clearly defined purpose. There was merit to the monstrosity. But now? Nothing more than absolute insanity. “What the fuck is wrong with you?! Be fucking normal, why dontcha, and maybe people will like you!”

“Get off of me!” Her boot pulled back, then shot forward with all her might. If he took out her ability to run, then she might as well get the revolver and set a bullet straight through her skull. Death would be the end result no matter what. And now? She returned to her initial refusal of the facts.

She could not die here. Not to this…

What was he?

---

Shred

[googlefont=Rubik Burned]What the fuck is wrong with you?!

That was a question you'd been forced to reckon with for your entire life. A question asked to you since you were old enough to remember. Asked by your parents and your teachers whenever you'd cause trouble and misbehave. Asked by your mates when you'd snitch them out and girlfriends when you'd cheat on them. Asked by cops when you were locked up in cells and judges when they read out your sentences. Asked by debtors as they squirmed under your grip and defectors as they pleaded for mercy. Asked by doctors and nurses as they stared upon your scarred body, touched by fire and envy and ruin. Murmured by grunts under their breath as you stormed past them in the halls.

Every time, you'd swear you'd be better. Every time, you'd falter. But every time you failed you were punished, and every punishment hit the nail harder. Eventually, you'd learn your lesson. Still, they asked.

You learned to keep quiet and stay in your room. You learned to do your homework and speak when spoken to. You learned to never betray your friends and stay faithful to your lovers. You learned how to dodge the cops and legal trouble alike. You learned to break the jaw first so rats couldn't squeak. You learned how to wrap bandages neatly and tightly so nothing was revealed. You learned how to bottle up your anger so it wouldn't spill where people might step.

And still, still, STILL, they asked.

What's wrong with you?

What WAS wrong with you?

What was the problem that they saw in you that you couldn't see in yourself? What was it that constantly made you the outsider where others were allowed in with open arms? What was it that made you the Kyurem and not the Palkia?

What was so bad about you that was so good about everyone else?

Her boot hits your face hard. As it pulls away, so too does your skin. Little pieces, breaking and crumbling and falling from your face. Blood pours from the wounds. Only the bone remains. That, and your rage.

"Fuck's sake! It's three in the fuckin' morning! And you're fuckin' screaming at the telly! AND I GOT FUCKIN' WORK AT SEVEN IN THE MORNING! KEEP IT FUCKING DOWN! I swear to God, Paul... Why the FUCK are you like this?!"

"Shut up!"

You stomp hard on her flailing leg, pinning her to the ground.

"You're such a dick, Paul. No, stop, just-- JUST STOP, OKAY? I gave you a second chance, and a third, and I'm not giving you a fourth. If you want sympathy, then why don't you go back to Roxy? No, Paul, stop, stop-- Stop crying! I warned you, and you... Oh, grow up, Meatles! Why are you even like this?!"

"Shut up!!"

Your hand lunges out. Yellowed nails drag against her face, leaving bloody marks behind.

"Let me see here... Paul Alexander Meatles, arrested for... Shoplifting, vandalism, and picking fights? What a disgrace! It's young men like you that give the rest of us a bad name! Tell me, why'd you do it, son...? For fun?! You find wrecking my town fun?! What's wrong with you, you scumbag?!"

"Shut up!!!"

And again. Another strike. Another scratch. Another set of claw marks upon her face.

"Please... Please...! I already told you, I can't pay you this week! Just one more extension! Please! I won't be able to make rent! I'll... We'll all be homeless! No! PLEASE! STOP! WHY! WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?! PLEASE!!"

"SHUT UP!!!"

And again, harder, deeper, angrier. Your nails begin to crack and break and fall apart. The wounds are jagged and uneven.

"Major third degree burns to the entire body, that's gonna need several months of transplants to fix, and there's no guarantee you'd survive one, let alone multiple... Honestly, Beast Zeppelin, I don't know how you got like this, but I don't think anyone in the world could help you."

"SHUT UP!!!"

And again. And again. And again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again--

"H-Huh. So, that's Beast Zeppelin, huh? What? No, nothing! It's nothing, sir, nothing... Man, what a fucking freak... Why the fuck is he like that, anyway...?"

"▂▄▄▃▄▄▅▅!!!"

--Until your fingers are left mangled wrecks and your words are little more than the pained howling of a man who had lost everything long before the Silent Icelands. Her face is covered in blood. More hers than yours.

Ironic, isn't it? That this childish spat between wayward childrens means everything, and the battle between distant aeons is meaningless.

This isn't the first time they've fought. This isn't the last time, either. Across a million years and a million universes, this clash must have played out a billion times. Maybe not with this King, and this Serpent, but this Scarlet and this Violet? They are colours that reach far beyond what you can see and echo even further than that. It is destiny that they meet like this again and again. Destiny that is playing out once more.

Scarlet eyes Violet from across the clearing. Is it even possible for one to truly best the other? Can the mouth swallow the tail whole? Can the tail pull free from the mouth? Across those million universes and billions of battles, there are no answers to those question. Only the continuation of the cycle, going onward and onward and onward.

And now, onward.

The Scarlet challenges the Violet with a Collision Course.

---

june sleigh