Mikael's throwing knife found its target clean and quick. Finn was impressed - he was good! Witnessing his prowess was like beholding a song in another tongue. Every note sounded unusual, yet they stitched together with a logic exotic but forceful, and formed chords that arced into a moving song.

Finn whistled in affirmation.

"Nice to meet you - Mikael, Aurora, Selene. This is Beidou, my fellow fighter." Beidou, named after the Big Dipper, wore a star of his own on his neck - a fragment of a Dawn Stone threaded on a gold string. It caught a stray sunray and glittered.

Finn still found it surprising that Mikael was this close to Flying Sword but didn't know of its existence. His green eyes flickered with an idea; his matching green hair twitched too.

"What say you come back with me to have a look at Flying Sword? The students could learn something from you."

Finn gestured to Beidou. With his Teleport, they could be there in a second.

mikael rosenberg

Zev confused Finn. Thinking about him was like fighting a shadow with a sword. No matter your skill, the shadow would slink and swerve around you. Sure, Zev seemed to want to learn, but Finn always wondered if there wasn't a secret undercurrent drifting darkly beneath his feet. 

Or maybe it was just a bad first experience. Finn remembered how Zev had him in a headlock the very first time they met, and how Finn was honour-bound to take him in on a technicality. A reluctant bond, proper on the surface, but who knows what underneath? 

"I like coming here to think about being empty."

It was something he taught in his classes. At the very tip of the blade is where something becomes nothing, the cutting point that severs one into two. Here, at this great spike into the sky, was also a point of vanishing.

To become a good swordsman, you must learn to empty yourself. Become nothing. 

A Misdreavus poked her head out from behind a rock. Feidao Screeched at it, shocking her stiff, and Finn lobbed a Pokeball at the ghost.

"Yourself, Zev? What do you want to find here?"

Zev Harcourt

Finn catches the Misdreavus!

The Battle Resort heated up like a cookie cracking in an oven, but Finnegan Yang, himbo swordsman of Fortree City, would not be deterred from a good day. He leaned back on a bench, his green dragon kimono off his back and fluttering in the wind, hooked onto the bench's corner. His abs caught the sunlight like toasting buns.

Trips away from the School were good for the soul - and for Finn's tan. He'd never catch this amount of Vitamin D underneath the trees.

Someone's shadow came into view, blocking Finn's sun, but Finn wasn't irked by this at all. Peering up from behind his matching green sunglasses, he saw someone he'd always wanted to connect with but never knew how - Noah Faber!

And what? Noah Faber the gym leader wanted to see him?

Finn glowed!

"Yep, in the flesh. And I've heard of you too - Noah Faber!" Grinning like the sun itself, Finn extended a strong bracing handshake. He was honoured to be recognised by someone whose own fighting prowess he admired.

"You should come by for sure. I've been thinking of challenging your gym too," Finn gushed as he reached back to pull his kimono back on.

noah faber

"Thanks, Fei." Finnegan hopped off the tough, burnished back of his Skarmory, who tilted her neck to the ground so Finn could slide and hop off easily. Finn dusted his outfit off, straightened his crown and pulled his hair back into shape. True to her name - which, in translation, was true to origin, Flying Dagger - the ride from Fortree was wild, swift and direct.

Sky Pillar looked as majestic as Finn recalled. This rough, stark spike into the air was a place Finn could always come to clear his head. And get a good fight in. The sky clear air bred fierce, powerful creatures. Finn never left disappointed.

And, speaking of fights and struggles, Zev was here as well.

When Finn told his students that he was taking a day off to train by himself, he didn't expect anyone to come along. He thought they'd be glad he was sparing them for a day. But Zev - a handful of a student - was here too. Grudgingly, but respecting his eagerness to learn (or perhaps just annoy the hell out of Finn) Finn brought Zev along too. And here they were. Finn wasn't sure what to say.

"I come here often." Finn started. His boots crunched on the ground. "These monsters are strong."

Zev Harcourt

(Note: Feel free to write it such that Zev came over on the backs of one of Finn's flying Pokemon. Or, even more hilariously, on Finn's Skarmory too!)

Finn grinned lightly, but his gratitude ran deep for Isaac. Such pupils came about once a lifetime, and perhaps even less than that. Weakly, but surely, Finn's eyes twinkled.

Finn's green fringe drooped. The meds were doing their thing, and he felt sleep creep back into his body. But Isaac asked a good question - what would be the Iron Valiant's name? Finn thought, his lips pursed. Iron Valiant wasn't a pupil - he was a teacher. He taught Finn the importance of relying on those around him - to lean on the strength and support of his friends.

"Jiangjun." Finn muttered. Victorious in war. Whether the war was outside on the field, or inside his soul.

Isaac Merlo

PURCHASING/REDEEMING

welcome to the poké mart!

1X type 1 evo (50 PD - fire discount)

TOTAL

do come again!

50 PD

• player/ooc name: Robin
• character tags: Finnegan Yang Mage Maddox
• dropped characters' tags (if applicable): -
• ic posts for characters: 1, 2
• are characters in directories?: Y
• any notes/comments: -

Finn smiled weakly. He knew what Isaac was doing, and he appreciated him for it, but he knew that this was a lie. He smiled knowingly, in defeat, in surrender. Part of him died that night - or was it back in the starry cavern, gouged out by the attacker's cruel blade? His ego had fallen from his face, removing the mask that had been stitched so tightly into his skin.

Who was the master? Who was the one that kicked the Iron Valiant's ass?

Finn didn't recognise the person who wore his crown anymore. But he knew that man didn't fight alone.

"Isaac, I didn't do it. We did."

Finn looked up at Isaac with a grateful spark in his eyes. He wouldn't be alive if not for his loyal, steadfast student. Part of him died so that he could start again,

"Come here."

Isaac sat by Finn's side, and Finn pushed himself upright with a groan. He reached out to Isaac and embraced him, their foreheads touching, their green and blond fringes enmeshed.

"Thank you."

Isaac Merlo

Finn jolted out of a dark, inky sleep. He grabbed onto his sheets, looking for his sword, and his eyes darted about the ward. But there was no danger, no monster lurking in the woods. Light shone in from the windows. Finn was safe here.

Emotions flooded Finn's insides, but Finn wasn't sure what they were. It felt like a valve being released, the loosening of a spring. Finn rested his eyes on his knees as gentle waves rocked his body. Not in the sense of a sea jeopardising a boat, but a child being cradled.

The door opened - Finn quickly wiped his eyes and sat upright, but relaxed once he realised it was Isaac.

"What happened?" Finn asked. He recalled swords clashing in the woods and catching Iron Valiant, but then what happened afterwards? He had to know if everything was alright. He tried to look composed but his eyes betrayed him. His hair was still all messed up from his fitful sleep.

Isaac Merlo

Finn nodded halfway between being solemn and gratified. Isaac was dutiful, but by this point, Finn didn't just see Isaac as a student but a brother of the blade.

Finn offered Isaac a hand, moving to pull him off the grass.

"I want you by my side."

The battle had thoroughly exhausted Finn of his energy. Running purely on adrenaline now, he reached for an Ultra Ball in his trouser pocket as the Iron Valiant struggled against Ying's unbreakable chains. It, too, seemed to be low on juice. Finn wondered the same thing as Isaac did - what would a killing machine look like if it's turned round to the side of justice?

One way to find out.

Supporting himself by keeping an arm over Isaac's shoulder, Finn threw the ball at the robot and sealed it in for good.

Then, Finn spoke softly, delicately. Intimately. "Thank you, Isaac."

And collapsed. Fatigue rushed in on Finn like a black wave and swallowed him whole. But Finn only let it take him because he felt safe and taken care of, not just with his Pokemon, but his friend.

Isaac Merlo

Finn's chest swelled as he watched Isaac and his team square off beautifully against the Iron Valiant. They wove in and out of each other with ease and clarity, hitting back like a flock of Taillows pecking. Finn was more than pleased - he was proud.

Ying croaked in his arms, rousing herself back into action. Her feathers waved in an invisible wind. She could feel the vitality and warm pride radiate off her friend's skin, and was glad he was well again.

"Ready to get back in?" Finn asked, patting Ying's cape, and the great owl nodded. They got on their feet and raised their weapons not a moment too soon - Iron Valiant snuck through Isaac's manoeuvres and knocked the air out of his ribs.

Finn's gut dropped. The air turned silent in the wake of that blow. "Isaac!" Finn cried, throwing himself over his student. Ying flung Iron Valiant back with a blast of wind. Coldness shot through Finn's veins, his fingers fumbling as he tore through Isaac's shirt. Was he wounded? Was his life at stake? Then came a warm rush of relief as Finn saw the dark, but ultimately minor, bruise. Isaac would make it.

"Oh god, thank god you're alright." Time was short, but that small moment felt like forever. Finn rested his forehead against Isaac's and closed his eyes. Gratitude and honour met where their brows touched. A new, fresh vital force raised its head in Finn's body.

"I'll take it from here."

Finn stood up, picking up his crown from the grass. The Iron Valiant got back on its feet, and Finn's crown found its place on the master's head again. Silver glowed in the moonlight.

"Regulus, to the left!" Isaac's Ceruledge took one side of the robot and Finn himself took the other. He might just be human, but that was what gave him strength. His blades burned with wrath, with the recognition that Isaac had almost died for him, and the determination to make sure that it ended now.

Two fighters - one purple, one green - slashed off against the Iron Valiant, and they were gaining on him for a while. Then, with a flash of robot pink, Finn and Regulus were knocked clean off their feet. The Iron Valiant towered over them, its weapon glowing decisively. Finn's face slackened with mortal fear as the robot crept up towards him... And then shifted gear fully like a blade unsheathed.

"Ying, now!"

A lone arrow shot from the trees behind the Iron Valiant and pinned its shadow to the grass. The monster tried to move but its feet just wouldn't budge. Ying used Spirit Shackle! Iron Valiant's feet were sewn into the ground!

With a grin, Finn slid up and out, pulling Regulus with him. The battle was all but over. The robot was useless if it couldn't move.

Finn brushed his nose with the back of his hand. He could end it there and then... But he wouldn't.

"Isaac, would you like to do the honours?"

Isaac Merlo

Finn roared. The cyborg was strong, and he could feel its inhuman might pressing down on his sword. The point where their blades met was so hot it felt like it could spark. With a grunt, Finn squeezed all his might onwards, and sighed in relief when Isaac finally joined the fold.

Isaac's Doublade landed a few psychic strikes on the Iron Valiant, sending it flying into a pile of fallen trees. Finn sucked air and wheezed. Fighting with sake in his blood was like sparring with leaden gloves. He hated that he wasn't at his best - but at least he wasn't alone.

"Took you long enough!" Finn swore in Isaac's general direction, but underneath his grit and fatigue was a smile. Isaac's presence gave him confidence and a reason to fight.

A whir and beep came from the crash site - Iron Valiant seemed to be rebooting. Finn wiped the sweat off his brow and shook the liquor out of his brain. That Psycho Cut hit much harder than he thought it should...

Ding ding ding! "It's Fighting-type!"

Ying (Finn's Decidueye) nodded. She could take it from here. Melting into the night air, Ying darted from tree to tree, sliding between shadows, spreading out above Iron Valiant like a dark terror and raining down jabs onto its metal armour. Ying used Pluck! She got in a few good hits - but then, Iron Valiant's systems came back online.

Faster than firing synapses, Iron Valiant's Shadow Sneaked up from the ground and caught Ying mid-strike.

Ying's body cracked down on the grass.

"No!" Finn roared. The robot demon was strong. Alarmed, he looked to Isaac to see if he could help.

Isaac Merlo