Sleep comes easier after a few extra days of rations, rest brings better spirits, but in exchange the gnawing weight of the task is unavoidable. On the last night, an hour before the expedition team is set to depart, Natalie steps outside gear in tow. She finds a quiet spot, far away from the sleeping crowds, but just enough space to keep her within the torch barrier. A nearby stack of dead branches provide enough for a makeshift campfire and give her the tools necessary to draw an intricate design in the snow, keeping it far enough from the flames.
Taking out her pokeballs, the different colored spheres are placed around the symbol carefully, before the final part of the prayer is complete. Pulling up the sleeves of her coat, she removes a copper-toned bracelet from her wrist, staring longingly into the red diamond embedded near the middle of the bracelet. She places the piece of jewelry in the center of her symbol, imagining Tapu Lele wearing the ‘crown’ brings a smile to her face.
The pilgrimage she went on years ago, obtaining this blessing from the Island Deity… She knows they aren’t with her now, and cannot bestow any additional powers to aid her, but Natalie feels a tribute before battle is warranted. Drawing out a blanket from her pack, she lays the fabric out on the snow, sits on her knees and prays. At first, her mind is plagued with thoughts, terrors the Fallen have inflicted on her mind. Their eyes feel familiar, plaguing her mind with visions of the past. The voices of others, childing her decisions, calling her weak…
Natalie places her hands together, breathing deeply. Shake it off. Strike back like the flames.
She prays to Akala. To Tapu Lele. To Pokemon that serve the flame. And to those that have fallen.
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Natalie is one of the first to arrive at the meetup spot, hearing Blaze’s rally speech, fully geared and ready to go back into the storm one last time. Gone are the days where she would eagerly chime in, be the ever-positive fire in a sea of sadness. This experience has hardened her, warped and changed the blade she once wielded into something different.
Once the speech is complete, she raises one balled fist to the sky. Some of Furiosa and Blaze have rubbed off onto her, as the next words out of her mouth are full of power. “We’ll burn them all to the ground!” And that’s her stance, the battle strategy she will invoke, until the very end.
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Taking out her pokeballs, the different colored spheres are placed around the symbol carefully, before the final part of the prayer is complete. Pulling up the sleeves of her coat, she removes a copper-toned bracelet from her wrist, staring longingly into the red diamond embedded near the middle of the bracelet. She places the piece of jewelry in the center of her symbol, imagining Tapu Lele wearing the ‘crown’ brings a smile to her face.
The pilgrimage she went on years ago, obtaining this blessing from the Island Deity… She knows they aren’t with her now, and cannot bestow any additional powers to aid her, but Natalie feels a tribute before battle is warranted. Drawing out a blanket from her pack, she lays the fabric out on the snow, sits on her knees and prays. At first, her mind is plagued with thoughts, terrors the Fallen have inflicted on her mind. Their eyes feel familiar, plaguing her mind with visions of the past. The voices of others, childing her decisions, calling her weak…
Natalie places her hands together, breathing deeply. Shake it off. Strike back like the flames.
She prays to Akala. To Tapu Lele. To Pokemon that serve the flame. And to those that have fallen.
---
Natalie is one of the first to arrive at the meetup spot, hearing Blaze’s rally speech, fully geared and ready to go back into the storm one last time. Gone are the days where she would eagerly chime in, be the ever-positive fire in a sea of sadness. This experience has hardened her, warped and changed the blade she once wielded into something different.
Once the speech is complete, she raises one balled fist to the sky. Some of Furiosa and Blaze have rubbed off onto her, as the next words out of her mouth are full of power. “We’ll burn them all to the ground!” And that’s her stance, the battle strategy she will invoke, until the very end.