Shortly after making the first move, everything had gone downhill with spectacular rapidity. Darkrai’s avatar, Vuduin, had appeared rather suddenly, next to the trainer directly opposite of Tantalus. As her Baltoy was lulled to sleep - and her looking as though she would soon follow - the Avatar allowed himself to take stock of the situation. Yveltal’s dark power - not Alain’s - had flared up from somewhere along the way, causing his skin to crawl violently. A Koffing floated over towards the direction of Seras, using the gas expulsions it emitted to dodge incoming fire. It rose into the air, and then [i]exploded[/i]. Blue light flared from the Pokemon’s body as the air was filled with a streak of fine red mist. The Gardevoir, Charity, stood atop Diancie’s float, her complexion positively [i]glowing[/i]. Smiling, Tantalus found himself enthralled by her sheer ferocity. A yell of pain could be heard as she vanished from sight, a murky black mist fading by the time Tantalus had turned back around from seeing what was occurring at the other end of the parade line. A girl wearing a white dress was flying around throwing fireballs. From this distance, it was hard to tell if it was someone from last night through the heat waves, although it certainly didn’t look that way. Resounding through the air, a single incredibly loud crack of rock came from her direction. Steam began to fire from the ground in a super-heated jet. Soaring above that, went a Golem in considerably better shape than the one underneath his foot. Clearly protecting people wasn’t going to be high on Rebeca’s to-do list today. Brilliant-white, a ball of light crashed through the skylights somewhere above her. The rolling grumble of thunder could be heard, before rain began pouring down over that general area, accompanying a storm of glass shards. From the rain, that must have been Lucas. [i]Hypocrisy. Playing at a peacekeeper while bringing chaos with him.[/i] Tantalus chuckled, realising not a single Avatar here actually seemed to care about protecting people, over dealing with the attackers. Something which was genuinely surprising. The trainer before him vanished in a flicker of light, just as the power of Geomancy faded. Giving a victorious smile, the Avatar began to plan his next move. Glancing down at the dead Golem again, his stomach did a few flips. Bile burned the back of his throat, as breakfast threatened to reappear. Despite never admitting it to anyone, the event was positively [i]horrifying[/i]. Being unable to determine whether the attack was to defend Apate, or just to kill the Golem, was not comfortable. For this one singular day, the man would put aside his ego to help people in an attempt to figure out exactly how much influence Xerneas could muster over him. Several people were injured that he could see from the float. Tantalus would heal their wounds. Focusing on that, he thought about how happy their families would be, being grateful simply to be alive. How much they would owe hi- He winced. This was going to be harder than expected. Another detonation came from somewhere in the middle of the parade, prompting a sigh from the man. Hopping down off from the float, he gave Vuduin a respectful nod for his - however unnecessary - assistance. Turning to face Apate, he reached out telepathically. [color=00aeef]Let’s go see what is going on further up. It’s useless staying down here now.[/color] Nodding enthusiastically, the Mawile followed behind. At several points, Tantalus stopped in over to crouch over injured people, extending his power outwards to heal them. Receiving some very suspect looks as he approached them, spattered with blood and holding a buckled spear recently wrenched from the body of a Golem, they nonetheless seemed thankful for the aid. [color=fff200]Are you having a good day, or something?[/color] Apate chimed in. [color=fff200]I can’t recall ever seeing you using that power for free.[/color] [color=00aeef]I have done it before, albeit rarely. Besides, what happened here was no fault of theirs.[/color]The Avatar chuckled. [color=00aeef]The Mayor might get a bill for my services later, I’ve not decided. [/color] Smiling, the Mawile replied with her typical jaunty nature. [color=fff200]That’s more like it. You had me worried for a second.[/color] Face settling into a hard expression, Tantalus gazed at the ground. [i]You aren’t the only one, dear friend.[/i] [hr] Just ahead was a group of people, three stood over a fourth who was lying on the ground. Various Pokemon were present also, a Ninetails, Scyther and Charity the Gardevoir. A large concrete trench was cut into the ground around the prone figure. The property damage was substantial. Groudon had certainly done a number on this place. He walked over to the group, planning to offer a healing hand to the injured person on the ground, providing they yet lived. Approaching, Tantalus realised it was a girl. “[color=00aeef]May I be of assista-[/color]”Laying down the spear and outstretching a hand in her direction, he paused about a foot from her, becoming aware of several very important facts. To one side, it was Alain who stood, shirtless, wrapping a pair of black wings around himself. They mimicked clothes well enough that Tantalus had completely overlooked them at first. It was a testament to just how lost in thought the Avatar was. A second figure, standing close beside the Ninetails, was the figure seen earlier from the float. She had been soaring above the crowd, then. Now, the girl stood in a tattered white dress which showed a lot more skin than Tantalus figured it was designed to. Seras was, thankfully, normal. The piece de resistance, without a doubt, was the final woman lying on the floor. Her name was Rebeca. And she was [i]stark naked[/i]. Tantalus tried. He really, really tried. Dark emotions stirred from the death of the Golem, which then mixed with the wordless shock at the scene around him, and coupled with an strange and sudden cheerfulness. The result was that something inside the man short circuited, and he was struck down with an almighty fit of the giggles. It started as a very quiet, guttural sound. Rapidly rising in both pitch and intensity, Tantalus stumbled off to the side, hunching over the nearby remains of a shattered float before completely losing all pretense of sanity. Clutching his head in both hands, he sounded like a tittering schoolgirl, laugher filled by that giddy cheeriness which had welled up from [i]nowhere[/i]. It took quite a few moments before Tantalus managed to get slightly under control, beginning to walk back to the group, straightening his jacket, slicking back his hair and wiping [i]genuine tears[/i] from his eyes. Arceus only knows what the poor girls made of a man spattered with blood, armed with a spear, laughing maniacally off to the side. “[color=00aeef]The primitive act is getting a little extreme, don’t you think? Even the cavemen wore [i]some[/i] clothes.[/color]” Stifling another laugh, he continued. “[color=00aeef]I hope you know there are so many jokes to be made here. Count yourself lucky that I am above such things.[/color]” No reply came from Rebeca, which didn’t bode well. Maybe she was, actually, dead. Something deep inside him seemed happy about that. “[color=00aeef]Nice to see you too, Miss Bancroft.[/color]” A giant smile beamed across his face. “[color=00aeef]Gracious in defeat, I see! How very becoming of you.[/color]” Seras stared at the man for several seconds, trying to understand how anyone could make jokes giving what had just happened. It was a disgrace to those unfortunate enough to have been hurt - or worse. Her tone was scornful. “[color=f6989d]It’s easy to be gracious when you’re the only one competing.[/color]” "[color=00aeef]How quaint. At least you keep better company than you make. Do try to be less sour, in future.[/color]" He turned to the girl in the white dress, the annoyed frown disappearing. “[color=00aeef]Hello, my dear. I do not believe we have met.[/color]” Outstretching a hand, he offered a warm smile in stark contrast to his current appearance. “[color=00aeef]My name is Tantalus. May I ask yours?[/color]” Although somewhat put off by the amount of blood stained onto the man before her, Mia figured she was hardly one to talk, with her burnt up, scuffed and dirty state. Unfolding her wings slightly to let out an arm, she shook his hand with a bright smile. "Mia Vantas - nice to meet you!" She said cheerily, not even wondering why he had been laughing so maniacally earlier. Suppose growing up in a mental hospital will make one not question those kind of things. At least he was happy over something. If Scarlet had shared a type with this bloody newcomer, she would have growled some kind of threat, should he ever find himself laughing maniacally over Mia. However, she made do with just narrowing her eyes at Tantalus. “[color=00aeef]A pleasure.[/color]” Surprised by the general lack of interest in his appearance, Tantalus had to swallow another bout of laughter. [i]Well, it isn't the strangest thing to happen today. And it's not even lunchtime.[/i] Walking over to Rebeca, she looked scuffed up badly. “[color=00aeef]So. The million-dollar question.[/color]” Crouching down, he stretched out a hand once more. “[color=00aeef]What is wrong with her?[/color]” Mia politely answered the question. "Well, she blew herself up." A pause. "Actually, the Golem went to blow up, but she then... blew it up more? I don't know why. Anyhoo, she did it, made a big ol' crater, and then landed face down in the concrete. Skidded a bit too." She added, pointing out the fissure in the ground, that ended with the knocked-out Rebeca. Tantalus whistled. "[color=00aeef]That explains the extent of her internal injuries.[/color]” Placing a hand lightly on her head, the view Tantalus had of the woman changed into seeing her less as a person and more of a mass of cells. Hidden inside was quite a number of injuries, mainly structural in nature. Broken bones threatened to pierce organs if left untreated. Seeing this, the man prepared to use his power to heal those problems. A loud, bellowing roar shook the air, and the numerous small peoples that were scattered across the ground began to tremble and bounce into the air. Down the street, a small grey figure could seen, and was rapidly getting closer. It did not stop for anything; debris, pieces of pavement, a burnt out shell of a car, all was violently knocked out of the way. Behind it, three other figures could be seen in pursuit, resolving into three teenagers, two boys and a girl. The lead figure was Mihkail, and such a look of fury was rarely seen on a Pokemon. Again he roared, his short legs pounding the pavement and digging tiny furrows in its surface with his claws. As he grew closer, the small, brown shape of Maya could be seen on his back, clinging for dear life. Rainbow light began to shimmer around the man, still intently focused on Rebeca’s injuries. Watching his healing power work was fascinating. So much so, that Tantalus completely failed to notice the charging Rhyhorn until the last second. Seras watched, trying to form words to warn the man, but found it impossible. Her Gardevoir was about to shout a telekinetic message to her fellow fairy, but found herself holding off, watching with morbid curiosity. Seconds before Mihkail blindsided the Avatar, he was met by a Mawile, determined to protect her trainer from harm. Dropping into a defensive stance, her massive jaws moving to interrupt the attack. Apate went flying back, tumbling through the air and landing with a thump nearby. The sound of her yelping in pain finally broke Tantalus out of the trance before he had even begun to heal Rebeca’s wounds, with no idea what was going on, until the sight of a Rhyhorn baring down snapped him back to reality. With mere seconds before the Pokemon ran him down, Tantalus threw himself back. A horn came crashing into his lower leg, causing him to topple off-balance upon landing, due to the pain. Looking up from the ground, the man began to yell. “[color=00aeef]What in Arceus’s name was that for?[/color]” As he rampaged past, Mihkail immediately began skidding to a stop, the pavement grating beneath his feet. Once he had slowed, Maya took the opportunity and leaped from his back, shaking herself and scuttling towards Rebeca. After managing to get himself turned around, Mihkail turned his baleful gaze upon Tantalus once again and roared. [i][b][color=e25822]YOU! STAY AWAY FROM HER![/color][/b][/i] Getting into a dominance contest with a Rhyhorn was not how Tantalus had envisioned spending his afternoon, but there was a lot of that going around today. Rising off the ground, he looked towards Mihkail. “[color=00aeef]Very well. I’ll concede I know exactly what it was for, but i’m afraid your anger is misplaced. What happened last night, believe it or not, wasn’t anything to do with me.[/color]” A flicker of rainbowed light burst out of his injured leg, ribbons of it seeping through the fabric of his trousers. His voice grew slightly more gravelly. “[color=00aeef]But even so. Apate had nothing to do with this. Prevent me from helping her and I swear you’ll force my hand. There has been enough violence today. Stop this. [i]Please[/i].[/color]” Mihkail snarled, and charged forward again. [i][color=e25822]I have NO reason to trust anything you say![/color][/i] The Avatar ran to the side, sliding past the rampaging Rhyhorn and praying his turning circle was as bad as it looked. “[color=00aeef]Shall I take that as a no?[/color]” Tantalus tried to be angry. This was getting ridiculous. Apate was hurt, Rebeca was hurt, and this damn Pokemon kept getting in the way. Anger wouldn’t well up inside him, though. It definitely wasn’t cheeriness anymore, but a fuzzy warmth still clouded his mind. So it wasn’t anger in his voice, but defeat. “[color=00aeef]Look. We both know what I said last night. Do you honestly think if that [i]was[/i] me i’d have given you this many chances already? If you want me to let Rebeca die, then by all means i’ll oblige.[/color]” “[color=00aeef]But I am not leaving here without my Mawile.[/color]” Tantalus gathered energy around himself, glowing various colours. For the second time today, the Avatar charged himself up with Geomany. “[color=00aeef]This is the last chance I will give you. [i]Make. Your. Choice.[/i][/color]” Mihkail snarled again, firing off a Smack Down that clipped Tantalus in the shoulder. Pain flared through the man’s shoulder, as he grasped it. Staring hard at the Rhyhorn, voice warped and distorted from the rippling energy of Geomancy, he spoke. “[color=00aeef]I have offered you ample chances.[/color]” White and silver light danced around the hand of his injured arm, it was tinged with the violet purple of a Life Orb. “[color=00aeef]Consider this a gift from Apate, you thick-skulled swine.[/color]” Light bursting forth from his outstretched hand, it sailed through the air towards the Rhyhorn. Powerful as Mihkail was, mobile he was not. The stream of light slammed into him head on, driving him backwards several feet and down into the pavement. Sighing, Tantalus relaxed again. [i]Well, at least it’s finally got the message.[/i] Ignoring the questionable looks of the bystanders wonder why the fight had broken out in the first place, the man found his Mawile slumped against a ruined float off to the side of the street. She was alive, but beat up, and not conscious. Apparently, the landing hadn’t been the best. Kneeling down beside her, Tantalus lightly placed a hand on her head, and did the same thing as earlier with Rebeca. As suspected, it was nothing life threatening, but taking the brunt of a Rhyhorn moving at great speed had done a number on her. The cuts and scraps began to disappear one-by-one, turning into ribbons of rainbow light which drifted off into the air. It hadn’t been a great outcome, having to subdue Mihkail in such a fashion - especially when his fears had been somewhat justified - but despite the offer to leave Rebeca after all, it didn’t help diffuse the situation. So the outcome was inevitable. Well, maybe he would accept healing her as a sort of apology. Then perhaps she could talk some sense into the stubborn fool. Lights shimmering softer by the second, the healing power began to ebb, and Tantalus was about to remove his hand from the Pokemon’s head. Something wasn’t quite right, though. There was definitely something present that hadn’t been before, although trying to find out what was proving difficult for one reason or another. Like looking for a specific cloud in a storm. One blotch of murky gray in a sea of it. The man froze. Something was [i]very[/i] wrong. Apate had a mass of tissue on the inside of her body, which appeared to be self-replicating. It was the new cells being produced, albeit only a small amount, that became highlighted. However, the mass itself was not classified as a problem by his power. With each passing second without an answer, the feeling of uneasy got steadily worse. An ice-cold hand felt as though it was sliding up his spine. Nothing about the situation made any sense. Oh, but it did. Eyes flying wide open, the Avatar recalled what Xerneas had said on the float. How he was a processor for the power. Presumably how it worked, then, was down to him. Which meant one terrifying thing. Xerneas had just given Apate [i]cancer[/i]. And used Tantalus to do it. A death sentence had been delivered to her, one that would ensure a slow and painful passing. Activating the power again, it reverted her system to the ‘save state’ it had been in moments prior, after the first burst of healing. Which meant he was [i]utterly[/i] powerless to stop it. Throat dry, Tantalus staggered back to his feet, narrowly avoiding falling over. Reeling from the new turn of events, the Avatar didn’t have the slightest idea what to do. He had given his one constant since long before he became a host for Xerneas an incurable disease. If this had been revealed earlier, then taking her to a Pokemon center could have completely avoided this. If he had healed Rebeca firs- If he had healed Rebeca first, he would have known. That single thought bounced around inside his mind, the crushing weight of the implication too much to bear. Raw and dark, fury took over his very soul. In that moment, he wished that Rebeca was in the Mawile’s place, and resented her for not being the one to suffer in her place. But one thing was clear in Tantalus’s mind. She would. The Avatar spun on his heel, and began storming over to Mihkail, intent to kill. Halfway, over, he threw a scornful glance in Rebeca’s direction and noticed movement. Immediately stopping in his tracks, preparing to fire at her instead, he assumed she was waking up. However, it wasn’t Rebeca twitching, but the small Kabuto she carried with her. Her name had been mentioned at the dinner the previous night, but through the red mist, Tantalus couldn’t remember it. He didn’t need to. Energy gathered around his hand once more, the same silvery-white shine to it. [i]You got in my way, Mihkail.[/i] A hard sneer crossed his face. [i]Ashes to ashes.[/i] “[color=00aeef]Dust to dust.[/color]” The light screamed at the Kabuto cowering beside her trainer, to the collective horror of most everyone present, the venom [i]dripping[/i] from Tantalus’s voice. It struck the baby Pokemon with a sickening crack, as it sailed into the air. Time seemed to slow to a standstill. Maya landed with a clatter just to the side of Rebeca. Emotions tangled up inside the man, making it impossible to think or speak. Becoming very aware of the people all around him, staring daggers, as lost for words as he. With a small glance to the still-unconscious Mawile, he formed a simple two-word telepathic message for her. [color=00aeef]I’m sorry.[/color] As the word drifted over, she stirred slightly, looking up in time to see the Avatar take off at blistering speed leaving a trail of multicoloured light in his wake. Rising, Apate looked around at a bewildered crowd. The Rhyhorn who attacked her lay, unmoving, in the middle of the street. Rebeca was still unconscious. She had far more questions than answers. What had happened, after Mihkail’s attack? Where was Tantalus going at such speed? What was he running from? The Pokemon wandered over to Seras, hoping she could provide answers. [hr] Running into a narrow alleyway, rage boiled over at the Pokemon inside. He slammed a fist into the wall hard enough to burst a knuckle. Several tears ran down his cheeks, as the gravity of unfolding events really hit home. Control over his own actions was becoming less and less with each passing second. Slowly sliding down the wall, he curled into a ball, completely lost. It wasn’t very becoming for someone like him, but at least it was fairly dark. A resounding scoff came from inside his head, the voice itself a mocking whisper. “[color=00aeef][b]The superior entity indeed. Tell me, how does it feel to know your entire being will soon slip away? To know you will be nothing more than a memory, one in my name? You wanted them to remember you, and I will guarantee you they will by the time i’m done.[/b][/color]” Hissing, Tantalus was unable to respond with anything more constructive. Xerneas chuckled. “[color=00aeef][b]Get up you pathetic fool. You don’t have long left. Make the most of it.[/b][/color]” Lying on the floor, he knew staying here was going to get people hurt. More than had been already, at least. They had walked away from the Alliance's attack, but would they be able to if Xerneas broke free and went on a rampage? Arceus, maybe the hooded white assailants actually had a point. Unsteadily, the man rose, running like the wind straight out of Mauville City, needing time to think. Time to piece together some semblance of a plan. Turning to speak to Apate on instinct, he would likely never see her again, leaving him entirely isolated. Tantalus could only hope she was in good hands. Because he couldn’t trust his own any longer.