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As the prophecy continues, Lydia's lips press into a thin line. Can this region take any further ruin? Is Arceus so content as to ignore their prayers? Is this what will happen or what might happen? These thoughts quickly vanish as the Disable starts to take hold.[break][break]

The Iron Valiant's eyes brighten until the magenta light is almost blinding. This stare shifts from the Hoopa itself to one of the nearby rings. With the sound of shattering glass, this portal collapses. For an instant, the monster's reaching hand is reflected at them. It vanishes as the interdimensional energy flickers. [break][break]

The soldier stares defiantly up at the Hoopa. They need to get closer. Glancing at her Iron Valiant, the pair run toward the nearest portal. When the pass its border, they stop closer to the beasts. For an instant, her feet almost pitch over the edge of the chasm. A few shards of crystal fall to the earth. [break][break] The hooves of the Lord of Water beat the ground beside them. With a powerful burst from its legs, the iron paladin launches a Play Rough at the patron of chaos.

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The bomber just sneers in response. The Silph’s response draws out a bark of laughter. “The only difference is somebody will miss me.” His eyes are dismissive as Lydia approaches him. Her movements leave a watery trail behind her. The Rocket agents split in a taunting smile. “Aww! I made Captain Barbie grumpy!” As Matias speaks, she turns to him, paying the other man no attention. [break][break]

Memories flash through her mind. Fallen comrades and blood-stained sand. The ringing of a car bomb in her ears. “I’ve enlisted before. Seen enough for a lifetime.” Not in this war. But for the same reasons that tempted her now. The ability to feel like something bigger. To give meaning to what she did. To return to something terrible that filled a void she couldn’t explain. “Thank you.”
[break][break]
A noise of surprise follows as she hauls the attacker up by his elbows. “Hey! Wait—!” She dances him to the end of the pier. “What the hell are you doing?” Lydia does not smile—her countenance. “You said it was hot, sir.” With a thrust of her arms, she sent him into the churning waters. “I am cooling you off.” A glance is given to her resurfaced Kingdra. He’ll fish the fool out in a moment.
[break][break]
But he deserved to squirm first. To feel the Arceus damned terror he visited on the town’s residents.
[break][break]
War was terrible. Being a soldier meant giving up a lot of what made life free. It was the last thing she should want. It’d be insanity to climb back on that altar. To try and finish a fight that had already almost killed her.
[break][break]
“Whom do I talk to?”

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Lydia and her nameless companion escape mostly unphased. But this is due mostly to their inability to move forward than any true action on their part. Each time the blonde lifts her head, an attack is fired off in one direction or another. Her teeth grind together as her urge to move forward grows stronger. [break][break]


She watches as one legendary is caught in the Hoopa’s grip. The powerful Moon Blasts are seemingly useless in the bout. But she has seen what a single drop of water can do to stone. And examined the smallness of a single grain of sand on a beach. Each action, no matter how small, is predetermined by Arceus themselves. If a single one were neglected, the very reality they live in might turn out different. They are a tapestry made up of choices—good and bad. [break][break]



A shard of ice slices across Lydia’s cheek. “Tsk!” She hisses as she drops back out of sight. A finger lifting to probe her bleeding cheek. The ground beneath her begins to shake as the fissure collapses into a chasm. Perhaps, Arceus has chosen this. Is this to be my fate? A reminder of the folly of opposing gods? The words of the prophecy wash over her in a wave. [break][break]



Then, she sees him. “Lord Keldeo!” The successor to the musketeers and the embodiment of courage himself. It is the goat’s appearance that finally forces the pair from its hiding place. Its Helping Hand wraps the Iron Valiant in a soft, bluish light. The glowing patches on its body flare in intensity. “Let’s go.” With a nod, the pair began racing across the landscape. Bright blue eyes watch for flying fists as the veteran dances around and between the icicles around them. [break][break]



Her feet fall into the divots left by the water type’s valiant hooves. Now closer, the woman gestures the automaton forward. “Disable it!”

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In the middle of shaking the last of the snow from her jacket, Lydia’s eyes caught on movement in the underbrush. It was just a strangely shaped shard of white. One that looked like a fin. An uncharacteristic smile spread across her face as the veteran pushed into the next glade over. [break][break] There—looking cute as a button—sat a Cetoddle. Its little eyes and toes instantly endeared her to it. This is truly proof that Arceus is divine.[break][break]

With slow, methodical steps, she approached the land whale. From her pocket, she pulled out a handful of berries. These she spread on the ground in front of the baby. It chirped curiously at her and the sentinel poised behind her. Eventually, it began to eat. Suddenly awkward, Lydia just sat and enjoyed its company for a moment.[break][break]

A leftward glance the artificial nature of this place came flooding back. Just beyond the nearest tree line, she could see the fence and dome that comprised the place.[break][break]

Where had this creature come from? Did it know its family? Would it ever experience the camaraderie of a herd?[break][break]

Suddenly, the noblewoman’s heart twisted. Her support of this place suddenly seemed ill-advised. Lowering herself from a rock to the forest floor, she posed a question to the Cetoddle. “Have you ever seen snow?" Its eyes lifted to the sky its head. There was a sadness to its gaze as if it’d become suddenly aware of a missing tooth. “Would you like to?"’

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It is a god. What majesty. Lydia’s eyes widen as she stares across the snowy waists. As Kyurem and its companion emerge, the people around her fade to nothing. Her knees bend as she prostates herself before the Kyurem. Her eyes close as she tries to protest the storm raging around her. The souts of shock and pain. The deafening rumble of prophecies no human ears were meant to hear. Arceus, is it your desire we be destroyed? [break][break]


She waits. Nothing. No divine voice steps in to tell her the right thing to do. There is no commander to guide her gun or her blade. Then, she sees it: Zekrom. It and its avatar are charging into the fray. The majesty of the noble dragon now seems almost tainted somehow. Perhaps this legendary action reminds her of the characterization of the Hoopa beside it. Perhaps it is being controlled? A dark type was not a thing to be easily trusted, especially when given malice by fairy whimsy.[break][break]

"!?" Lydia watches in horror as freya morningstar’s dragon falls to Kyurem’s frigid breath. Please forgive me, Lord Arceus. But I do not think this is what you intend. With a nod to her companion, the veteran picks her way across the battlefield to a better vantage point. She pulls her gun from its holster and turns the safety off. Even if the cold may jam it, it seems better to have it than to not.[break][break]

The tongue the dragon speaks is translated unto them. She recognizes the word matriarch but little else.

“Go—” Again, her inability to name her Iron Valiant weighs heavy upon her tongue. “--attack the Hoopa.” With a nod, the fairy-type unleashes a Moonblast at the legendary’s head. Expecting retaliation, Lydia takes shelter behind her escarpment. It is only as she ducks that she recognizes the landmark for what it is: a Pokemon frozen in Neverwinter ice.

"Thank you." She murmurs to it as she lays a hand upon its prison.

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The blonde’s radar went off just seconds before something white and powdery hit the tree beside her head. [break][break]

A hand lifted defensively as the ice sprayed across her field of view. With a glower, she turned to face the snowball’s thrower. A little grinning Darumaka stared up at her. What a disrespectful little ingrate. A shake of her head removed the excess powder. “Monsieur--!” Before she could finish, another projectile was thrown.[break][break]


SCHINK! The Iron Valiant’s blade sliced through the snowball like a heated knife. By the end of its arc, it was nothing more than a drip on the tip of the blade. Its LED panels darkened as it took a few steps forward. Pink liquid shifted green as the fairy-type prepared a Leaf Blade.”Maka!” The little ice type dropped its next ball to the floor. Its hands lifted in a sign of peace. “....bzzzzt.” The Iron Valiant tilted its head before charging forward.[break][break]


With a squeak, the ice type vanished into the shrubbery. "Leave it." With a look of confusion ("?....?), the Paradox Pokemon complied.

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Eventually, the open ground near the creek begins to thin. Soon, saplings and thick tree cover take their place. As they duck into the foliage, she feels her Iron Valiant stiffen. “Beep! Brzzzzp!” Occasionally, a mechanical noise emerges from the area of its mouth. In this shadowed area, the fairy-type’s paranoia becomes more pronounced. “Be at ease,” Lydia murmurs to him as they dodge around a rotten log. “Nothing here will harm you.” It does not flinch when she lays a hand upon its arm. “Just have faith in our Father.” [break][break]


With a resolute nod, the android continues through the forest. As they round a corner, its eyes catch on the hanging form of a Burmy. Though its grip tightens on the shaft of its weapon, it does not attack. Instead, it merely nods in greeting. Lydia hides a small smile beneath her scarf. “A good day to you.” With that perfunctory gesture complete, they push deeper into the safari zone itself.
[break][break]

A compass emerges from the downy pocket of her jacket. After adjusting her heading slightly, the woman continues due north.



NOTES
[break]Skipping

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With a Delibird accompanying her, Lydia could not help but feel some holiday cheer. The little present—just a few pinecones—was tucked lovingly into her backpack. They would look lovely next to her candles and nature displays. A few moments of walking brought her and her Iron Valiant to a small creek. Ice clung to its edges like Jack Frost’s attempt at a miniature bridge. [break][break]

The blonde stepped toward the banks. For a moment, she stared at herself in the crystal clear waters, her face inscrutable. I sometimes wonder if I have aged at all.[break][break]

Her Iron Valiant did the same. Its LED eyes are emotionless. After a moment, its head tilts. Lifting its spear, the steel type slashes across the water. Just like that, silent contemplation is shattered. Spooked by the noise, a Staryu darts away from them. Its metallic body glistens like a Christmas tree topper in the sun.[break][break]

“Let's go.” With a final, confused, glance at the water, the fairy-and-fighting type follows its much smaller trainer.


NOTES
[break]Skipping

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Fixated on one Pokemon in particular—the toddling land whale—Lydia had neglected to explore the rest of the catalog. So, she was surprised when the spirit of Yuletide burst from a bush. For a moment, the two stared at each other. The Iron Valiant, meanwhile, brandished its spear threateningly. [break][break]

A gentle prod from Lydia made the weapon lower. [break][break]

Blue eyes widened slightly as a hand curled at her chest. The gesture highlighted the whipcord muscles throughout the veteran’s slight form. The normally serious countenance crumbled. She was a girl after all, even if her life made her act otherwise. Oh, Arceus! It’s so cute. With a soft smile, the blonde crouched to approach the Delibird. “A warm Yuletide to you friend.” An old tale came to mind—about Delibird and gift giving. Her father said there was no greater generator of luck than to give to the Santa bird.[break][break]

And, in all honesty, she could use all the luck she could get. “I have something for you.” She offered a small block of bait.[break][break]


The Delibird chirped at her as it gobbled down the treat. It then pulled a little box from its bag. With a surprising amount of deference, she took the strangely wrapped little parcel. “Thank you, kind spirit.” When she stood, she was surprised to feel a tug at the back of her shirt. A flipper tapped the ball at her waist.[break][break]

It tilted its head. “It would be nice to let you spread some cheer, non?” With a click, she laid the ball in front of the bird. In a burst of red light, he vanished. Another member of her growing band.

NOTES
Catching Delibird

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A simple nod served as her initial response. “I am glad to hear it.” If the avatar of a god died on her watch, Lydia was not certain she could handle that. She had failed her squad once. That feeling was not one she wanted to repeat.
[break][break]
Only after being certain he is safe does Lydia move to pull herself back onto the walkway. She grips Matias’s hand tightly as she pulls herself up the last two rungs. Just as her feet touch down, a raucous clang sounds just above the water’s surface. Turning to face the ruckus, she finds a Sharpedo’s red eyes staring back. I am sorry you are deprived of a meal, friend..
[break][break]
At the Silph’s curiosity, Lydia’s narrowed eyes swept up the walkway. "Do not worry, sir." The Rocket operative sneered at the two soldiers. The wolf snarled at him again, her rocky growths now pressing against his threat. “Minerva’s watching him.” Bright blues swept across the surrounding area. She spotted at least five other people in a similar state of dampness. But, no one seemed hurt.
[break][break]
“Thank Arceus.” The woman muttered a quiet prayer under her breath.
[break][break]
The bomber grinned cheekily. “Have a nice swim, Blondie?” Blue eyes slid toward him as her jaw set. “Sad that bastard didn’t drown with you.” Bare feet slid toward the detonator, The normally icy countenance was white hot. After she finished with him, she'd go teach these yokels how to properly restrain a prisoner.

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The woman’s lips pursed together. A blonde brow rose until it disappeared in her mess of tow bangs. This man seemed—or at least his words implied—to think they had been manufactured on an assembly line. The very idea of such sacrilege raised her figurative hackles. A series of beeps came from the steel type next to her. What its exact thoughts were was difficult to extrapolate. A single question emerged from Lydia’s lips. “Who or what is they?”[break][break]

The noblewoman blinked. There was not much she could say to a comment like that. The sheer ease with which this man accepted his fate-to play pincushion to the world—was astounding. “Huh.” A meaningless, little gasp of air emerged between pale lips. It gave her time to think of a response. If there was one thing Lydia disliked, it was leaving a conversation open-ended. Loose ends were not something the soldier was comfortable with. “Well, you seem to have been fortunate so far.” The man was not in the hospital nor did he seem to be missing any fingers or toes. “With Arceus’s blessing, that luck may hold.”[break][break]

As his hand reached forward, Lydia would do the same. Her fingers offered an obligatory squeeze as she acknowledged his name with a nod.
“Lydia. Magnusson.” After a moment, she pulls back. Perhaps it would help to get a different perspective. I must not be so inflexible. A tiny hand ushers the steel paladin forward. Its blade now rests easily in its jointed steel fingers. Its head tilts as it stares down at Raphael.[break][break]

Mimicking its trainer, the Paradox Pokemon offered a hand. But it was turned the wrong way and still curled into a fist. Gears whir as its head tilts. “We haven’t been able to settle on a name.” A resigned breath followed. “Do you have any suggestions, monsieur?”