Grass Continent ~ Treasure Town Beach

[NebulaDreams]

Again, he had no eyes to roll. "I hear riolu need happiness to evolve. Good luck achieving that in your new body with that attitude."

“I’m plenty happy already. I’d be happier if I didn’t have to talk to a crumpled-up trash bag like you.”

The conversation flew by for Curio. Brisa seemed lost with all these different people going on, and Curio was in a similar boat herself. She could’ve read the room, or the beach in this case.

“Psst,” she whispered in Brisa’s ear, “let’s ditch this emo origami. Emogami if you prefer.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa studied the symbol in the sand. "I'll remember it," she said, solemnly. From the sounds of it, Necrozma's experience with World Ender, if that was the threat at hand, had been cataclysmic. With no strategic advice forthcoming and a potential rockslide of grief present, she felt entirely out of her depth. In desperation, she meaningfully nudged Curio's tail with her own and was relieved when the riolu got the idea and suggested leaving.

"Best of luck in the comin' battle, if I don't see you before then," she said to the other mon, before turning to leave with Curio.

 

[Namohysip]

<><><>
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"Ahh, lovely moonlight tonight, isn't it?" Truffle asked, admiring the way the silver light reflected off of the gentle waves of the ocean. "I must say, of what I'd read about your kind, you're doing very well considering the form you currently take. I apologize if the others are less aware of what it means."

 

[Ambyssin]

There it was again: his kind. He let the words rattle around in his head. "A... kind?" Necrozma looked at his right palm. "I traveled to several worlds in my universe. Never stayed long. I was 'other' to the inhabitants. It left me with the impression I wasn't actually a pokémon." He turned to Truffle. "Explain what you mean by 'kind,' if you would."

 

[Namohysip]

Truffle's eyes glinted slightly with a new understanding. "I see," he murmured to himself. "Necrozma, your species... is rare, incredibly rare. I only know of your kind from what Arceus had told me. There are several worlds that do not have a single one. Typically they are more in... exo-universes--worlds beyond ones like this. And, therefore, while rare, they can also be learned from... Such as their need for luminous energy."

 

[Ambyssin]

Something about that comment didn't sit right with Necrozma. If there were, indeed, multiple realities, he could buy there being a creature like him in one of them. But he couldn't imagine one being willing to let others study them just for the sake of the knowledge. "And yet... you named a few techniques when you first met our group that sounded as if they harnessed light." The off-colored triangles in his core flickered. "But they didn't sound anything like the light-based moves I've seen other pokémon use: Solar Beam and Solar Blade.

"How can you harness light?" With Necrozma's ESP severely blunted thanks to Stoogezard's machinations, for all he knew he could be talking to his counterpart in disguise. "And what is an ar-kay-us, for that matter?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Ah, my apologies." Truffle bowed. "Arceus is a godlike creature, or quite literally the god, of many worlds like this one, and I work under the Arceus of this world. He is able to tap into the powers of light and, while not specialized like a Necrozma, was enough for me to harness it for myself. It's a very fascinating venue, after all... And it seems my work is paying off, isn't it? Please, allow me to assist."

Truffle spread his wings, then made several gestures in rigid, intentional angles and lines. Little sparks of light flitted off of his feathers like tiny Volbeat, and then a circle of light appeared several feet in front of him like a beacon. "It's similar to Safeguard, but the added light factor may interest you..."

For just a second, while Truffle was conjuring that technique, an overwhelming power had emanated from the Decidueye.

 

[Ambyssin]

Necrozma's core rattled inside in frame. In fact, small sparks of various colors popped out of his shoulder joints and fizzled out against the beach. There was something about Truffle's aura. It was only a split second... but it felt so warm. "It's so," Necrozma shakily reached a hand toward Truffle, "familiar." His voice was raspy, like he'd gone days without water.

 

[Namohysip]

Truffle beamed. "Why, thank you! That must mean I've replicated the powers of light very well." He motioned toward the beacon of light. "Please, go inside. I'm sure you will appreciate the results."

 

[Ambyssin]

There was a small voice in his head telling him not to let his guard down. But the pain rattling in his core was too great. Arms hanging limply by his sides, he floated into the beacon in question.

 

[Namohysip]

It was like bathing in sunlight at the apex of the world. The energy curved toward Necrozma when he drifted inside, shortening the beacon's height in exchange for drawing more of it into his prism.

Truffle watched silently, tilting his head. "However you came here, it seems that you can at least accept light. Hopefully this will ease your nights..."

 

[Ambyssin]

Soothed. It was the only way he could describe the light. Chiron had described this luxurious feeling of standing under a warm shower. He never really understood it until this point. And yet that thought made the light pouring into him quite bittersweet. His core brightened. The mismatched, off-colored triangles became more prominent. For a brief moment, gold flickered in his limbs. His arms rattled in their joints, but ultimately stayed in place.

"Nrrgh... th-thank you." Still his voice was raspy. "It's wrong to accept a gift like this without anything in exchange, though. Perhaps I can offer... some information? Something you can pass along to your, erm, supervisor?"

 

[Namohysip]

What are you doing.

"Hmm, information?" Truffle said, though he did raise his wing to pacify him. "There really is no need. After all, we are both here to save the world, are we not? Your repayment can easily be subduing that Magikarp tomorrow."

Yes, please take that advice.

 

[Ambyssin]

"I... suppose so." Necrozma wished there was a way to sever the infernal connection to Stoogezard. "But, well, your supervisor can't really think the giant magikarp is the only problem, can they? Otherwise... would not all available resources you have be dispatched to deal with it?" He shrank back slightly. "I concede that I do not have the benefit of a position like yours, but my, erm, gut is telling me that Magikarp is a symptom and not the disease."

 

[Namohysip]

"Oh, certainly not," Truffle said. "We suspect it may be something else pulling the strings, but for now, we have no choice but to defeat the symptoms while researching the source. All over the world, similar incidents such as these are happening... But this is the only one where our attacks seem to have no effect. and along with that, a strange illness is gripping many Pokemon, seemingly at random. The poor, youngest daughter of Team Spice--a team that had saved the world a few decades ago--is among the affected..."

 

[Ambyssin]

"That's what I feared." Necrozma looked at his right hand again. "In my, err, travels... I came across phenomenon similar to Magikarp's. Hence why I'm willing to offer up a theory if you're interested." If it meant it could help his new allies escape the trap and return to their worlds in peace, he'd take whatever outside help he could get. Especially outside help that Stoogezard disagreed with.

 

[Namohysip]

"That could help," Truffle agreed, nodding. "From your world, what entity was behind something like this?"

 

[Ambyssin]

"A faceless daemon." Necrozma drew the same symbol on the beach he did earlier: the circle with five diamonds around it. "People in my universe referred to it as 'World Ender.' It was a creature that was said to be able to produce infinite energy... breaking a basic law of nature." He stared at the center of the circle. "But pokémon that came into contact with that energy..." Necrozma shuddered. "Experienced a variety of bizarre reactions. Growing to large sizes, losing their senses of self and reason, memory erasure, comas... even transforming into bizarre, grotesque alternatives of their natural species.

"I fear the giant magikarp means that some alternate counterpart of this daemon has set its sights on your world." He sighed. "It doesn't even need to have a specific reason to do so. It just acts without thinking. Makes energy without thinking."

 

[Namohysip]

"I see..." Truffle hummed, listening to every word intently. "If that's the case, that would be something very worrisome... I will be sure to inform Maple about this. By now I believe she is evaluating the other giant Pokemon that had been rampaging around the world. They had all been subdued, and are thankfully back to normal." He harrumphed, sighing. "Unfortunately, none of them recall what had happened to make them that way in the first place."

 

[Ambyssin]

"And that is another symptom of exposure to the daemon's energy. If someone is successfully freed from the energy's grips, they do not recall what happened to them." Necrozma shuddered. "It's unfortunate, really. But, hmm, to think that your attacks won't work against Magikarp." He tapped his claws against their opposite forearms. "That's concerning. The creature can produce infinite energy... but could this one have adapted to absorb energy, too?"

He shook his upper half. "Apologies. You have better things to do than to listen to someone as worthless as me." Necrozma lowered to the ground. "Please, tend to whatever business you have."