Keiko's ears flinched and laid back sharply. What she expected to hear was the sound of flesh and bone of the four newcomers being torn apart, but instead her claws scraped against a broad, steel-emboldened wing with sparks leaping off the surface, belonging to none other than the tall and mighty Empoleon, Naida.
"HA!," the knightly penguin laughed off Keiko's attempts with a satisfied grin, "YOU T'INK YOUR CLAWS ARE SCARY, LITTLE FOX? YOU T'INK YOUR LITTLE ROCKS KEEP NAIDA AT BAY? T'INK AGAIN! IZANAGI, NOW!"
"AWAY WITH YOU, 妖怪!"
Before the rampaging fox-jackal hybrid could rear back for another strike, Keiko let out a harsh gasp as the wind was forcefully slammed out of her, being sent a great distance by the sheer force of Izanagi's swinging tail. The two taller hunters both seemed to still have fighting spirit surging through their veins despite their grisly back wounds, and the dark dragon huffed out an ember of vindication upon seeing the kyuubi-esque creature slam against the tree. The coordination was well done, but there was something missing...
"GCK--!!"
"May the Will of the Rose still the beast."
And to top off the well-synergized combo, Perceval fired two extensively long thorns not just into, but THROUGH Keiko's arms, pinning her to the tree. The raging fox snarled from both agony, ire and outright vexation over being in this position. And as though it wasn’t frustrating enough for her...
"E-Everyone... g-get up, please, nene...!"
Meanwhile, as this was going on, Kari was sending Heal Pulses to the wounded four that had arrived to the scene in the nick of time. Ciprian, Dycae, Blayz, and Miru and his team all felt a tender, pink light surrounding them before blessing them with reinvogiration. Before they knew it, their wounds had vanished, or at least had healed up considerably. Ume, Miru's female Meowstic, didn't let this gracious assistance go without repayment.
Tapping into her Assist move, and with the luck of the draw, the yellow psychic feline managed to draw out Kari's Heal Pulse, returning the favor to Momoko, Nori, Perceval, and even Kari herself. All four of them being bestowed with this rose-colored warmth helped bring them back to a proper fighting spirit, no longer feeling drained from Keiko's life-reaping attempts.
Blayz, ever alert, pointed out to everyone that Keiko's struggling from her position, and Dycae added in that it looked as though the thorns might give, if not pop off with her arms with how vigorously she was swinging her shoulders. Hearing this, Perceval called out to everyone for the following command:
"EVERYONE, UNLEASH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE ON THE MONSTER! WEAR HER DOWN!"
Without a moment to spare, everyone unloaded a barrage of special attacks on the pinned Lucaritales, with Momo leading on with a direct hit Thunder Wave, and quite a seemingly powerful one at that.
"A-AGH--!!" howled Keiko in pain, her claws flexing and entire body jittering from the electricity viciously coursing through her body. Noting how Ume did not use a psychic attack, Momoko had to chime in the following:
"AVOID USING PSYCHIC ATTACKS IF YOU CAN! She doesn't seem to respond to them as much!" With that detail noted, Miru, albeit hesitant, he took the Gardevoir's word by firing off an Energy Ball instead. True, it wasn't as effective, but it was something and Keiko certainly felt that. Ciprian followed with yet another Moonblast, keeping her embedded in the tree, while the others summoned the will for their own long-ranged attacks.
And to top it all off, out of nowhere, something whisked by as a thin blur, striking Keiko right in her forehead.
"ARGH--!!"
Oooh... this one sunk in deep, possibly pinning through into the tree as well. Keiko's face was cemented in the steep pain of all she had weathered, letting out shrieks as she struggled nearly in vain. In response to this normally fatal suffering, the orb on her ponytail flashed a light blue, as two whispy orbs of light with pained, melted 'faces' curled around to heal their vile captor.
"HAHA, ANOTHER BULLSEYE!," yelled the triumphant yet familiar Scottish voice. Everyone glanced back to see where both the voice and arrow originated, seeing none other than the Viridian Vixen herself, proudly poised in her retribution.
"Hoo is 'AT fur ye, ya sneaky li'l she-devil?" Camellia called out, her grin wide and valiant, as a mysterious green light emanated off her shoulder. "Ye think YOO're the'only one wi' a puckle o' tricks up 'er sleeve? Ah can play fox jist like ya, ye monster!" To emphasize her poiny, Camellia undid the ringing diamond choker around her neck, showcasing not only the wound she recently suffered, but something else.
"Ah've hud dances wi' death himself in th' past, lass, an' Ah got oot of it every time! AH CAN DAE IT AGAIN!"
With morale boosted, and tides looking favorable, Momoko opened her fans. With a surge of psychic strength willing up within her, she felt as though the time was right...
Keiko: “... I’m takin’ your silence as a no?” she asks in a slightly impatient tone. “Whatcha lookin’ at? You’re kinda starin’ out into space there~” The canid hybrid looks over and sees Momoko, giving an amused smir. “You two having a staring contest?”
Daaang, these two produced one heck of a kickass boy. Just lookit ‘im! I was tempted to give his garb Momo’s colors or Cip’s, buuuut I felt like he could use his own colors for his own identity. |D; Either way he looks pretty cool, at least I think so.
“ ... I hope that answers that. Now what of you? What brings you out here? Are you trying to find shelter? Running an errand and merely caught in the storm, perhaps?”
