#paenula

More writing!

This time featuring Cobalt and his soon-to-be adoptive daughter Paenula, and how Cobalt found her!

Monty flinched and stumbled, the earth rolled under their feet as the huge rock crashed down. Paenula stood firm-seeming under it, beautiful strong Coalossal, but even she wouldn't hold another one. The wishing star itched and burned at Monty's wrist, Paenula looked back, felt the pulse and rise, but they put their hand over the band and snuffed the surge. No. No Dynamax. Like Piers. Prove we can fight still without it, have a fierce win without it. 

Sands hissed hard as Monty called out "Rock Slide!" 

Saw Leon grit his teeth, Paenula roar, Charizard flinch and shudder and groan under the pounding stone. 

And still it stood. 

Leon's grin- almost sad, Paenula can't outspeed that Charizard, last leg though it was. Done next turn, nothing else to withstand its might. 

"You almost had me, Monty," he called. "If you had Dynamaxed, you might have won it!" 

Monty bit their lip, slid their glasses down. But not in defeat. In readying. 

And the sands kicked up, the sands he kicked up. Sands that would not rise without that big rock to shake them. 

Saw his shock, Raihan's wild grin--his tactics, his, if not his hand--Piers's small smile. 

And Charizard roar and fall, fall, fall-- 

Downed by his own sandstorm, his own move.

Felt Pae's own roar, Monty's shout and triumph and Leon's proud joy. And best, most-loved Mako's pride, for the tactics, for the knowing. For the trust. Because it was not--never--about the biggest, strongest, best. It was about what you can with what you've got. 

Quod alpha dixi, Corde, paenulatorum

Te nuper, aliqua cum iocarer in charta, 

si forte bilem movit hic tibi versus,