Finale - Breaking the Ice
Location: Edinburgh MagicaPolis
Once the five struck a deal in the dead of night, they could begin to put their freshly-laid plans into action. Though alone and adrift in a dangerous city, surrounded by enemies and without any semblance of support, this ragtag group of ex-cops, adventurers, and potential calamities had finally identified a promising path to victory–or at least, progress. Of course, getting there wouldn’t be easy, and they couldn’t afford to be impatient. Their plan relied on the dangerous blend of egomania and complacency that characterized the Consuls’ rule, and if they demonstrated that their target was in very real danger without finishing the job, Moebius L could very well vanish without a trace, hiding herself anywhere within the World of Light. If this isolated cell of Seekers meant to pull this off, their execution -in both senses of the word- would have to be perfect.
For a few days, the five laid low, frequently splitting up. With the Edinburgh MagicaPolis Police Department and the Consuls’ other stooges on the hunt, they needed to keep a sharp eye out. Big Band’s experience with law enforcement, particularly unsavory and corrupt officers like the ones fielded by Chief Irons, gave him a leg up on their patterns and habits, while Lucia’s defection from that same force gave the Seekers the knowledge they needed to stay one step ahead. Meanwhile, Linkle carefully leveraged her power as the Skullgirl to fill the wintry nights with patrolling skeletons, keeping the enemy forces occupied and restless. Her group needed three things: Consul N to lose interest, a way to the Flame Clock at the top of Edinburgh’s monolithic central tower, and a dark night on which to make their way back to the floating Aether Resort to confront the ice-cold collector L once and for all.
In the meantime, everyone strove to befriend Linkle as best they could. The infectious positivity of the friendly Ace Cadet kept everyone in high spirits, of course, and Albedo -the Skullgirl’s companion ever since Snowdin- seldom left her side. Lucia walked and talked with Linkle often, her dry humor often tickling Linkle’s funny bone. Even Big Band, constantly wary and suspicious of the monster in the Seekers’ midst, tried to lend a hand. Whether out of fear or genuine pity and concern, he accepted a fatherly role in the group. For all that had happened to her, after all, Linkle was still just a kid, and she didn’t deserve to be alone.
Finally, the night came. Unable to locate his quarry, N had seemingly turned his attention elsewhere for a couple days now, no doubt to entertain himself with more nightmarish experiments and inventions. Heavy clouds blanketed the sky, and no light shone through from the ghoulish,
corroded moon. Biting winds blew flecks of snow through the cold streets, and if they didn’t chase pedestrians indoors, the wandering skeletons did. The warm light of magical devices and mundane fires shone from inside most everywhere except the Aether Resort, alight with the sterile white glow of electric bulbs as it sat atop its still black lake.
Then light shone from the depths, an unnatural bright blue, first like the flicker of fireflies, and then a flood. It shimmered and cavorted like something alive, but in truth was anything but: a strange, ghostly fire, cold and inextinguishable. Beneath the black water bubbled up the fleshless bones of countless humans and creatures, straining upward from some nameless realm of nightmares into the chilly air of the waking world. The dead were rising.
Once the alarm rang out across the still water, the Aether Foundation’s security force mobilized as fast as possible. Its members scrambled out into the night equipped not just with their Pokemon partners, but futuristic arms and armor, their
sleek purple a total contrast with the Foundation’s minimalistic white. They rushed to the edges of the Aether Resort to find themselves beset on all sides by skeletal foes, some of them identifiable as those of Pokemon–the organization’s sins had returned to haunt them. Soon the scene became a colorful light show as energy weapons and elemental moves were brought to bear to fight back the pale flame of the undead tide. In all the chaos, the defenders could not spare their attention for the one area not under attack: the mansion at the very back of the floating fortress. That meant that three individuals, using the skeletons beneath the water as stepping stones, were able to reach their objective undetected.
Since the multi-story windows of the mansion’s spacious and opulent ballroom opened straight to the rearward balcony, the trio could climb up and break into their final destination directly. It didn’t matter whether or not their target was here right now; if she wasn’t she would be soon. Once the last sounds of shattered and crunching glass faded away, the three stepped inside. Lucia went first, followed by the Skullgirl, then finally the alchemist Albedo. This room was cold, maybe even colder than the night outside, and eerily quiet. Even the smallest footstep echoed through the empty space. Out of the three, none had been here before, but they knew what to expect thanks to the others who’d managed to raid this place before and escape N’s Latency with their lives. Along the walls stood countless frozen statues of all kinds, carefully collected and arranged for safekeeping. Some of them, the Seekers knew, were L’s own children. Yet none could explain why there seemed to be several instances of each one, and none wanted to know how such a thing could be. This place was more of a gallery than a ballroom, and had probably never hosted a single dance—until tonight.
Lucia inhaled deeply, her breath misting in the frigid air, and she looked back at her companions. Albedo looked almost as still and emotionless as a statue himself, his exhalations barely misting, and Linkle only drew breath by force of habit. No warmth remained within her, but even still, her pale face betrayed the horror this scene inspired within her. “Ya ready?” the detective asked.
Albedo was. He had cataloged the room with his first and second glances in preparation for what was to come. Without further resources or support the plan they'd developed was only the best they could do, but they had a fair chance of success. Especially with Linkle here. Even so, none of them could afford to be distracted. They could save their outrage for later, because for now any slip up from lack of focus could cost them. When he spoke, his voice only loud enough to be audible over the distant din of battle outside, it was to bring focus back to the task at hand.
"We've come up with a strategy and enacted it," he said. "All that's left is to follow through."
He was right. As distasteful as their task was, none of them could back down now. Lucia nodded to the others, and without further conversation, the three went to work. They spread out across the dead-quiet ballroom, headed for its three sides. Lucia came to stop just beneath one of the frozen specimens, a quadrupedal saurian of impressive size, its body adorned with huge palm leaves and dangling fruits all encrusted in ice. As real as it and the rest of the statues looked, as if they would spring to life at the first sign of thaw, the three knew the bitter truth: that these were nothing but frozen ashes, with nothing preserved of the living things that L collected except their shape. For someone with no regard for the lives of others, perhaps that was enough. But if even the Skullgirl shuddered when she saw this sorry scene, there was nothing among these pale imitations worth saving.
Lucia turned sideways, setting one foot behind her. Then she quickly dragged that back foot forward across the floor, turning in the same direction. “Bahning!” Sparks flew, and as she popped her leg up, a fireball ignited that lofted into the air, its blazing reflection brilliant in the polished floors and icy masses. When she pivoted, she brought her other leg up in a snap kick to strike the fireball and launch it into the frozen pokemon’s head, destroying it in a blast of dirty slush. “Rrrraaaaaaah!” Teeth gritted, the former officer launched a series of fiery kicks, working her way through the body, until only fragments remained.
Albedo went to work as well, summoning his blade from the ether. He struck with just the sword, saving his elemental energy for what they knew was to come. He made each strike efficient, cutting through the thinnest parts toward the bases that the statues would topple over and shatter themselves. Those that couldn't be destroyed so easily he concentrated more on, charging his swing to unleash three slashes in the space of one. His sword bit through the frozen ash of quadrupeds with fin-like heads and humans alike, while Albedo himself remained stone-faced and pragmatic in his destruction. They were all coming down one way or another, so he aimed to make quick work of this phase.
On the other side of the ballroom, Linkle was doing the same. It would be easy to wreak havoc with her Skullgirl powers, but everyone had agreed that she needed to avoid relying on the Skull Heart as much as possible. Besides, her crossbows worked just as well. Her bolts struck with enough impact to send hairline fractures across each statue, so it never took more than a flurry or two to shatter them. Still, she expedited the demolition with her bomb arrows, quickly obliterating a handful of figures at a time. Everyone’s efforts quickly paid off; within the first few seconds, alarms began to sound, triggered by the pressure plates beneath the statues once relieved of the weights that held them down.
Security arrived quickly, but not quickly enough. By the time the first few responders reached the scene, the Consul’s collection lay in ruins. The soldiers -a tall thin man, a medium wide man, and a short woman, all in high-tech night ops suits- were struck dumb for a moment when they witnessed the devastation. “Oh hell, L’s gonna be pissed!” the woman groaned.
“Wait. Sarge, that’s the Skullgirl!” the wide man exclaimed, pointing at Linkle, who sighed. Between her pale, ghostly visage, skeletal limbs, and blue-flame hair, it was pretty obvious, in all fairness. “We need reinforcements!”
“We have ‘em, Cadet!” The woman replied by throwing down a blue crystal sphere. In a flash of light, a
spiky blue creature appeared, with arms almost as long as it was tall tipped with enormous claws. As she pumped her shotgun, the others sent out their partners: a
living iceberg for the Cadet, and a
helmeted beast for the silent Lieutenant, who readied their assault rifle and machine pistols, respectively. “Let’s clean this up before Madam Consul gets here.”
Lucia raised her dukes, cracking a grin. It sounded like their target was on the way, so a little warm-up was just what they needed. “Gimme yuh best shuat!” With an explosive flare, she took off running to close the distance.
“Live!” Ahead of her, one of Albedo's Solar Isotomas came into being where its field would reach the security personnel, its Transient Blossoms waiting to bloom and burst against them each time they took damage. It was too early to really know for sure, but the alchemist's first judgment was that this was a well balanced team: a trio of offensive, defensive, and mixed animals partnered with the guards themselves all using different types of firearms. Although the Consul's guard shouldn't be underestimated, it also went without saying that the Seekers should dispatch them as quickly as possible.
To that end Albedo moved up as well, spreading out from Lucia and Linkle with the Cinnabar Spindle raised and ready to strike. The Isotoma's Geo energy was poised to Crystallize, and he prepared himself to take hold of a crystal it would produce as soon as possible. If there would be a lot of Cryo flung around the shields would be invaluable, though after fighting together with the women more than once, he wouldn't need to remind them of it.
With Albedo and his Isotoma as backup, Lucia felt further emboldened. On the surface her team might seem outnumbered and outgunned, but numbers weren’t everything, and during her time in Edinburgh she’d learned that all summonable creatures had a weakness or two. If these three were as icy as they looked, then luck really was on her side. All her team needed was to split them up. As ‘Sarge’ and her Cryolinx approached, the trainer trailing the much larger Pal, Lucia swerved to put the aggressive beast in between her and her opponent’s shotgun, then draw them away. “Ovah heah! C’mahn, C’mahn!” While the Cryolinx launched an icicle at her, she avoided it with ease, then regained her speed by launching into her command run, Gun Smoke. From there a Rough Chase shoulder barge closed the distance to deliver a body check to the Pal’s center mass.
The Cryolinx gave a surprised grunt, then a ferocious snarl as it tried to strike back. But at such a close range, its enormous arms needed too much time and space to wind up, allowing Lucia to press her advantage. “Fiyahcrackah!” she exclaimed, flipping up her heel to strike her target’s gut with a plume of flame. As expected, it reeled from the fiery strike, so Lucia followed up. “Flippah!” A heavy Flipper Shot forced a stagger as the beast’s fur smoldered, threatening to ignore. Finally, as the Cryolinx lifted its claws, Lucia fearlessly stood her ground and unleashed one more technique. “It’s ovah!” Her flying spin kick, an EX Fire Spinner, knocking her foe away as it burst into flame. The next second, Albedo’s Solar Isotoma struck it with a tremor of Geo energy, causing a Crystalize reaction that left a shard of elemental energy floating just off the floor.
By that time, the Pal’s tamer had circled around. With an itchy trigger finger, she let off a shotgun blast a little too early, making Lucia jump as the pellets whizzed past her. “HEY!” She charged as Sarge took aim, grabbed the Crystalize shard, then leaped at the last moment to perform her V-skill Arrest Heel, a jumping axe kick. The shield saved her bacon as Sarge fired off a quick but well-aimed blast shot, and after landing that jump-in Lucia proceeded with a quick three-hit combo punctuated by another quake from the Isotoma. When the shotgun clattered to the floor, Lucia grabbed it. Her opponent got up in time to see her Cryolinx take a blast that left it down for the count, then stare down the barrel of her own weapon. “That’s uall ya got? Fuhgeddaboudit!” She lashed out with the butt of the shotgun and clubbed Sarge in the head, dropping her to the floor alongside her unlucky partner.
Albedo's chosen opponent was the Diveberg and man who had yet to say a word. Compared to the walking wall of ice his sword would fare better against the bipedal creature, but it wasn't the Diveberg that Albedo set his immediate sights on. Without his burst ready, the alchemist's range was limited - so he dashed toward the Lieutenant, intending to eliminate the advantage that the tall guard's pistols gave him.
Both the Lieutenant and his Diveberg noticed the approach, and the beast summoned an undertow current to drive Albedo back. In the presence of ice, water wasn't unexpected, and since Albedo had anticipated an attack his evasive maneuver brought him to one side of the pair. The Lieutenant leveled both of his pistols at the intruder, but by that point Albedo closed the distance with a sword thrust which almost seemed to leave a glittery trail in the air. The sword struck the Lieutenant's shoulder, drawing a pained hiss from him. Diverberg was on him the next moment, this time shooting forward headfirst. Albedo met the icebreaker with his weapon, catching the beast's helmet with the flat of his blade. He held his free hand against the other side of his sword, stabilizing his guard to hold his ground while the Diveberg tried to drive forward.
He felt frigid cold radiating from the metal into his arms, but he didn't plan to draw this out longer than needed. When he noticed the Lieutenant taking aim again from the corner of his eye Albedo abandoned the contest with the Diveberg, turning the sword to leave a shallow slash on the creature as he whirled to avoid the controlled spray of bullets. Albedo dashed forward with his blade ready for another quick strike, but this time the Lieutenant finally found his voice.
"Diveberg, do it!" he ordered, and the beast turned and raised a wall of ice between the two men. Albedo's Spindle clanged off of the ice.
As I suspected, he thought. With luck, being able to use both offensive and defensive abilities meant that the beast excelled at neither. He already noted that the wall had a considerable crack running through it after being struck. There was another flaw in the wall, namely in how it was raised. It might have protected the Lieutenant from Albedo, but it also protected Albedo from him.
As the Solar Isotoma went off and scattered the elemental crystals, Albedo grabbed one and made the most of his time. Diveberg came at him with another icy headbutt while the alchemist put his blade to work. He took the glancing blow and swung, cutting the beast down with multiple slashes. At that time, the Lieutenant had realized his mistake with the elemental wall, and rather than go around he blasted through it with his gun. The chunk of bullets against the ice alerted his opponent to the attack early, letting him know to duck. Albedo swiped his sword low across both of the man's shins when the wall went down, then slashed upward inside of his guard. The blade drew a bloody line up the man's torso and he fell backward, losing his grip as he did. Albedo wasted no time kicking the weapons across the room.
By contrast, things went a lot more simply for Linkle. While the Cadet expected to outgun his opponent with his assault rifle, the impossible output of Linkle’s crossbows matched him bullet for bolt, and her bomb bolts worked almost as well on the soldier’s Avalugg as they did the frozen statues. Neither ranged weapon offered a lot of stopping power, but Linkle’s advantages quickly became clear: she was much more nimble than her attacker, and her aim was better. Thanks to her run-and-gun strategy the damage quickly piled up for the ponderous pair, while the Skullgirl’s acrobatics kept her health high, and even when sprayed with bullets or Avalugg’s icicles her undead body took less punishment than it should have. The shootout came to an end when the Cadet’s magazine ran dry, and his weapon clicked empty. He cursed and took cover behind his pokemon to reload, leaving his Avalugg alone against the Skullgirl.
Without delay Linkle unleashed her Musou Attack, a bombastic AoE blowout that caught both pokemon and trainer in its blast, and when the smoke cleared both were down for the count.
Though she finished first, all three dispatched their opponents within quick succession, and the cacophony of combat ceded to the alarm’s incessant blare. Lucia and the others released the tension in their bodies, taking a quick breather, but they did not let their guards down. This battle was far from over.
Suddenly the alarms shut off, leaving the ballroom dead silent. Then, the loud, echoed click of high heels reached the trio through the mansion’s main corridor. A narrow silhouette appeared behind the glass of the double doors, though it quickly began to expand. The next second, a terrific noise resounded through the ballroom as the doors were smashed inward, reduced to shards of glass and wood by the strength of a
mighty mosquito, the four-legged beast’s bulging muscles glowing a vivid red in the darkness. Lucia and Albedo both dodged backward from the startling explosion of shrapnel, while Linkle stood firm, unimpressed and impassive.
As the Buzzwole straightened up from its massive blow, its master stepped into the room. Though Consul L’s build differed a lot from that of her colleague N, her armored suit looked virtually identical, minus the shape of her helmet. Its adornments resembled flat ribbons, wound together in wings and spirals like a modern art piece. Though it hid her face, there was no disguising the raw fury in her eyes.
“What. Have. You. DONE!” She screeched. “My private collection! My sweet beasts, my precious babies, painstakingly collected over so many lifetimes! You…imbeciles! You troglodytes! You savages! HOW! COULD! YOUUUUU!”
As she screamed, fists raised, the space behind her distorted, and an Ultra Wormhole tore open through the fabric of reality. Unnatural, otherworldly energy poured through it, a dazzling display of noisy darkness and light, as if some far-flung dimension were howling alongside her. Then, as abruptly as it appeared, the wormhole vanished. L tried to control her breathing, brushing her hands across her outfit as if trying to smooth it out.
“Hah…hah…no matter. I suppose…that there are always more where they came from. Remaking my collection will keep me busy for a while. I have all eternity, after all. But you…”
From Ultra Space she summoned three beasts: the electric
Xurkitree, the mammoth
Guzzlord, and the stony
Stakataka. “You three don’t have long at all. In this life -and in every life- I will exterminate you. And you won’t even know why. So I hope you cherish these last few moments, awash in the beauteous glory of Ultra Space!” Consul L extended her finger. “SLAUGHTER THEM!”
Albedo tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword during the Consuls outburst of rage. So far, everything was going according to plan. Now they had to make sure it would stay that way. The Solar Isotoma had faded out before L arrived, but by his estimation he would be able to summon another one in
three... two...The Ultra Beasts moved as soon as L gave the order. While the writing mass of cables anchored itself to the ground and began gathering a concerning amount of electricity in what must have been its head, the wide mouthed behemoth lurched forward and slammed its two longer arms down towards the heroes. At the same time, the Stakataka stood firm and began firing pieces of itself out like machine gun fire, threatening to punch holes into anyone that evaded Guzzlord's opening move.
Albedo preferred to take his chances with the rock blast. He dove out of the impact zone as Guzzlord's toothy limbs came down. His low stance saved him from only the first few projectiles, which he saw now were akin to solid, high speed bricks. He countered as many as possible with his blade, blocking where he could and smashing others to lessen the blow just before they hit. His eyes flickered around the battlefield, seeking a more advantageous position to use his elemental skill as soon as he'd weathered the attack.
After its initial strike, Guzzlord might have continued to hound the alchemist if not for Linkle’s timely intervention. A barrage of crossbow bolts zipped through the air to pepper the giant beast, many flying down its cavernous maw to lodge not in its scaly black hide but its more sensitive tongue and inner-mouth. It let out a bellowing scream, the volume and force of the sound wildly disproportionate to the damage it had suffered, before turning its focus on the Skullgirl. Of course, that gave Lucia a chance to catch it unawares. After closing the distance with Rough Chase, she launched upward with EX Tornado Spinner. Her goal was the monster’s head, but it was much too high up for her to reach, so she settled for a fiery body blow.
As soon as he had an opening, Albedo moved.
There. He flung his arm up, fingers splayed towards the ceiling as he zeroed in his chosen space before he slammed his palm to the floor. He cast the Isotoma where it could Crystalize with the Xurkitree's electro, and where it was close enough that his Burst would benefit from its blossoming.
"Now, the moment of birth...!" Albedo banished his sword for a moment in order to call up a surge of bright yellow crystals. They erupted from the ground, spreading out in a semi-circle in front of him to threaten the Consul and her pets.
L stepped back as a handful of purple electro crystals dropped around Xurkitree. Though she instinctively recoiled from the challenge like a civilian who’d never seen live combat, her manner was one of smirking disbelief. Though Albedo had managed to get past Guzzlord, that massive menace now isolated him from his allies, and he stood alone against the Consul with two of her Ultra Beasts. “You must have a deathwish,” she taunted, crossing her arms as both Xurkitree and Stakataka took aim with a bombardment of lightning and stone.
“Hyah!” As Guzzlord pivoted around in a massive tail swipe, Lucia vaulted over its spiked club, then landed in a headlong sprint without missing a beat. Closing in on the opposition, she skidded to a stop, the friction of her shoes against the ground creating fiery sparks. The detective turned her momentum into a blazing Flipper Shot that lobbed a fireball toward Stakataka, which burst against its stone-brick exterior. It did almost no damage, but it didn’t need to–it just needed to take the gleaming beast’s attention and turn it toward herself. Stakataka obliged, and Lucia took off running in an attempt to put L between herself and her attacker, turning the dull-witted beast’s bombardment against its master.
Meanwhile, Linkle stood firm against Guzzlord and its deafening howls, unfazed. As nightmarish as this monstrosity was, a behemoth of claws and fangs whose eldritch gullet offered a one-way trip to oblivion, she’d seen worse. After exhausting her crossbow bolts, the Skullgirl reflexively began to reload, but thought better of it and put them away. “So, you’re fine playing with fire,” she muttered, noting how the monster shrugged off Lucia’s flames. The half-skulls in her irises shone with a blood-ruby radiance. “How about ice?”
Guzzlord brought down a fanged limb in a mighty Hammer Arm smash. Linkle dashed backward with the effortless smoothness of an ice skater, freezing the floor beneath her feet, and in her wake she left a bed of icicle spikes. Her enemy promptly impaled its maw upon them, eliciting another scream as the super-effective damage did its thing. Linkle smiled dryly. “Thought so.” As Guzzlord opened its maw to unleash a Sludge Bomb, she launched forward, leaping onto the top of the wounded tentacle. She then raced up its length, her spiked footfalls encrusting the beast’s hide in ice with every step. When the Sludge Bomb flew her way, she stood firm with arms extended, her sheer cold freezing the poison solid before it could make contact. With an elegant pirouette, she spun and flung the frozen mass at Guzzlord’s upper lip. It recoiled, and without further ado, Linkle leaped up to bring both heels down on the frozen limb with a mighty stomp.
A sickening crunch echoed through the ballroom as it snapped, freeing the Ultra Beast to stumble backward as it writhed in pain. She landed beside the detached limb, grasped it like a giant frozen mallet, and began to drag it around in a circle to build up speed. Finally, without even a sound of effort, the Skullgirl flung the limb in a frosty Hammer Arm of her own. The dual ice-fighting attack struck the dark-dragon like a freight train, bowling the rotund monster over onto its side. As it struggled, unable to right itself, Linkle entered Focus Mode and skated forward to nail Guzzlord’s head with a frigid Weak Point Smash, freezing it solid with an absolute zero thrust kick before unleashing a dive kick that blasted her through her target and out the other side in a spray of blood-red diamond dust.
“What!?” L yelped, shocked by the sight of her Ultra Beast’s death. “Who the hell are you?”
An intense, thunderous
CRACK split the air as Xurkitree completed its charging and let loose an explosive Zap Cannon. Though extremely fast, its windup was easy to read, allowing Albedo enough time to get out of the lightning's deadly path while it punched through the gallery's wall. The bright flashes of its electric head reflected off the ice and broken glass, scattering light all over the room as the Xurkitree moved in as soon as its attack had missed, crackling limbs reaching out towards its opponent.
Lucia coming to take half of the heat off of him wasn't strictly within Albedo's expectations, but it was much appreciated. Albedo did not in fact have a death wish, so he treated this battle the same as any other: weighing the potential outcomes of each of his actions against each other to determine what would be a better move, especially to further their goal. The result of his Tectonic Tide had given him more information to work with, and he flicked his gaze from the Consul to the Xurkitree coming at him.
The earlier wave of Geo energy seemed to have dealt a significant blow to the electric Ultra Beast, more than expected if its reeling reaction was any indication, which did not go unnoticed by Albedo. If it had some kind of weakness to his Geo element, that was a boon that had to be put to the test. He parried its Thunder Punch with a high stance block and twisted, weaving around the creature in order to take and make use of the Electro shards forming. Xurkitree lashed out at the same time that it turned, coiling both of its arms together and slamming them toward Albedo as a Power Whip. He quickly rolled out of the way, the whip shattering the tile and concrete below it upon making contact with the ground instead. As the Xurkitree pulled its arms back Albedo followed, lunging with a stab that sank into its middle.
Bom. A Transient Blossom burst in the air beside Xurkitree, staggering it. Albedo drew his sword across its wiry body again, triggering another blossom's bloom. The alchemist sliced it as many times as he could get away with, his blade work focused on landing any kind of cut that could deal even minimal damage to the beast so that his Isotoma could do most of the work. Xurkitree screeched, drawing its limbs in close and giving it the appearance of a spiky tipped pole. Then its head pulsed, unleashing a Shockwave. Albedo raised his sword in defense even as the purple shield around him absorbed most of the damage. The wave of electricity forced him backward and gave the Xurkitree space to splay out its limbs again and force electricity through them into the ground until it levitated high off of the ground, using its Magnet Rise.
It came too little, too late for the Ultra Beast. While it gathered yet more lightning, Albedo met it in the air with the help of his Isotoma, plunging his blade into the space between its head and the trunk of its limbs. Though immune to the resulting Bloom that occurred, after the damage it had already taken the simple stab was enough to finish the Xurkitree off. Albedo twisted his sword and heard something sever inside of the beast; it blinked brightly then crumbled to dust at the same time as the Geo platform, dropping Albedo back to the ground.
As he hit the floor, Linkle slid to a stop alongside him, the cold that radiated off her intense enough to react with Albedo’s Geo energy and form Cryo crystals. Off in the background, Lucia didn’t seem to be having much luck against Stakataka, but at least she was keeping it busy. “Don’t wahrry about me!” she yelled, her voice hoarse as she panted. “Hurry up and kick ‘er ass!”
L, meanwhile, regarded them both with wide eyes, aghast, as she backpedaled. Linke turned her head toward her companion. “You good?”
The alchemist smiled slightly. “If anything, I should be asking you.”
“
I’m good,” Linkle asserted with a chipper tone of voice as she reloaded her crossbows. “Let’s get this wrapped up.”
L glowered at her. “Fools. This fight has barely gotten started.” With a snap of her fingers the Consul tore open three more Ultra Wormholes. From the first descended a
sprightly jester, its bizarre, colorful body covered in clownish frills and topped by a detached ball for a head. The second new beast was enormous, a
titan of metal bamboo shoots and steel cloth that blazed with inner light. Finally, L’s favorite joined the party: the
brolic mosquito with rippling crimson muscles. As Blacephalon and Celesteela advanced, Buzzwole remained behind, posing like a strongman. First with the back double biceps pose, then the side chest pose, it radiated waves of vital energy as it boosted its physical attack with Bulk Up. “Destroy as many Ultra Beasts as you want. My power, Import, means I can always bring more.”
“Good.” Linkle’s remark and uncharacteristically nasty smile confused L for a brief moment. Then the hulking carcass of Guzzlord behind her, yet to dissolve, began to shudder, and after a moment cold blue flames burst from its neck like a roaring bonfire. With a vast, hollow groan, the undead Ultra Beast began to get to its feet. L stared at Linkle in horror, all of a sudden seeing the Skullgirl in a brand new light as she added, “Keep ‘em coming.”
At L’s command, all three Ultra Beasts attacked in a frenzy. Buzzwole hurled itself forward with its right arm at the ready, and though Linkle tried to block, the sheer force of its mighty Dynamic Punch sent her flying across the ballroom. As she struggled to rise, confused, Celesteela gathered energy into an orb of silvery light that it then fired at Linkle, only for her new minion to body-block it. The two titans proceeded to clash, Heavy Slam against Heavy Slam, while Buzzwole buzzed over to pursue Linkle. At the same time, the fast and nimble Blacephalon thrust its arms forward, sending a huge plume of fire at Albedo to Incinerate him.
An evasive maneuver put Albedo to one side of it. Pyro was another element that would crystallize, which rallied him to go on the offensive. He struck with a series of swift slashes though the beast danced around them, its disconnected head rolling around one its collar to avoid damage. Blacephalon hopped backward, conjuring a few sinister, bluish white flames. It flicked the Will-o-Wisps, sending them floating toward Albedo. Intent on not giving the monster room to breathe, the alchemist rushed through the flickering lights and ignited with flame. The burn weakened his attack, allowing his foe to shrug off his slash, blast him back with a Shadow Ball, then start dancing to build up colorful energies.
Eyes narrowed, Albedo thought quickly. “Burst forth.” He conjured a Solar Isotoma behind him, triggering its Geo energy himself in order to Crystalize his burn away. After collecting the Pyro crystal to gain a shield, he dashed backward onto his construct, which he used to fly into the air just in time. Blacephalon hurled its own head with its signature move, Mind Blown, and when it hit the ground it detonated in a massive cluster-bomb of pink, white, and blue fireworks. Albedo had planned to drop on his foe with a plunge attack, but the blast was big enough to hurl him through the air. The next second he hit the ballroom floor hard, injured more by the fall than the explosion thanks to his shield, but closer to the Consul than before. L noticed this, and despite being alone, stalked toward him, oddly confident.
She wasn’t the only one who noticed his stunt, though. For all her fiery spirit, Lucia hadn’t been doing too hot against Stakataka, since her strikes did little damage and getting close enough to land them put her in range of the beast’s crushing strength. When Blacephalon’s Mind Blown went off, however, she looked over in time to see Albedo hit the ground near L. She immediately assumed this to be part of an intentional gambit in order to cut the head off the snake, taking advantage of L’s overcommitment against Linkle, but with the Consul in front of him and the Blacephalon coming up behind, the alchemist couldn’t do it alone.
Lucia turned back not a moment too soon, just barely managing to avoid Stakataka’s Take Down. “Buzz oahff!” She put all her strength into a powerful kick, not at the beast’ body, but at one of its legs. Its bricks went flying from the blow, and with its balance threatened, the monster decided to roll with it and flatten Lucia by falling on her with Iron Head. Instead blue energy surrounded her as she performed a V-shift, her eyes gleaming white. After practically phasing through the deadly blow, she turned and sprinted away from the fallen Ultra Beast, making a beeline for L. Legs pumping, Lucia closed the distance and threw herself into the Consul with a Rough Chase tackle.
“Ugh!” L stumbled a few steps before landing on all fours. Then, furious, she whipped around and cast her hand out. In an instant the
tiny Ultra Beast hidden in her palm as a trump card darted out and slashed Lucia from hip to temple. Blood sprayed, and the detective fell clutching her left eye. The next instant, Albedo’s Cinnabar Spindle pierced L’s back, protruding through her stomach into the floor. “Aaaaagh!” she cried, gripping the blade. Though clearly in pain, she was far from finished, and turned her head toward him. “Did you really think…that’d kill me?” she growled through gritted teeth. “Kartana!”
At her bidding the paper beast began to slash Albedo, putting his high natural defense to the test. The alchemist refused to budge, however, holding tight his sword to keep L pinned in place. Even as the lacerations mounted, he refused to give in. “Die already!” The Consul shrieked. “Why won’t you-!”
A dazzling orb of pink, white, and blue answered her question as it sailed her way on a collision course with Albedo’s back. L stared at her Blacephalon’s head dumbly, her eyes growing wide, and the next second the head exploded.
In the spectacular fireworks display of destruction that ensued, both Albedo and L were flung a good hundred feet. They both rolled to a stop, smoking, but after a moment, the Consul began to rise. She groaned, holding her stomach, and glared toward her fallen attackers, then at the fierce battle between Linkle and her Ultra Beasts. “Impudent, blithering idiots,” she hissed. “Congratulations on throwing your lives away for nothing. A little visit to the Flame Clock, and this whole sordid affair will be nothing but a memory.” With that the Consul departed, teleporting away in a burst of purple light.
Albedo’s eyes slid open. Though badly injured by the blast, he was still alive–for now. Neither he nor Lucia were in any condition to fight, and the Ultra Beasts that L left behind would be keen to finish them off. Their lives lay in Linkle’s hands, and the fate of L lay in those of Big Band, Ace Cadet, and Wonder Red, laying in wait at the Flame Clock for the Consul’s arrival. Whatever happened to him now, the rest was up to
them.
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