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Poppin' Arms Guild ~ Infirmary

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Namohysip

Dragon Enthusiast
Staff
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. charizard
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. sceptile
  6. marowak
  7. jirachi
"...Mm... of course. I do not remember exactly what happened, either. It was during your battle against that... abominable fusion. During that time, I wasn't able to communicate with you, and I was... taken. A force reached toward me and took advantage of the connection I had left to stay in contact with you. I was busy recruiting Kate at the time..." He shifted again, and Owen settled on the bedside near him.

"I can't remember what happened after that. Or, I do remember... but it was so frantic and obscured that I could not tell what was happening. Then, next thing I truly do know... I was imprisoned in that machine."
 

Namohysip

Dragon Enthusiast
Staff
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. charizard
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. sceptile
  6. marowak
  7. jirachi
"That is my guess as well." Diyem rumbled a little, and it seemed like he was exhaling, in a way. "But I am recovering now. I survived."

"Oh." Owen nodded. "Well, that's good, right?"

"Mm."

Owen felt that it was Diyem being optimistic, but he had a feeling that pointing that out would potentially hurt him. "...Actually, about that. Um, Bahamut, Joule is... kind of frozen in time outside. We can't get to him yet, because we're just going really fast compared o the rest of Cibus, but... He's preparing this gigantic Blacklight attack. Like, really, really big. And since you're the same species... We were wondering, um, if you knew anything about it?"
 

Ambyssin

Gotta go back. Back to the past.
Location
Residency hell
Pronouns
he/him
Partners
  1. silvally-dragon
  2. necrozma-ultra
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. dreepy
  6. mewtwo-ambyssin
Bahamut managed to stagger to his feet, though his eyes and core were a sickly shade of green. He firmly expected Cabot to react with disbelief and skepticism. That cranidos was far too coddled. If only he could show him real fear. Fear... like the sight that awaited him once he finally reached the window.

"Oh?" His core shifted from green... to gold. A sign of a spark of familiarity. Though there were shadows coursing through it, there was also light. Sweet, precious light. Stars above, it was beautiful. Destructive, vengeful light that he had been without for so long. It looked so... so invigorating!

He couldn't help himself. Bahamut reached back with a prism arm... and flung the window open. The sill wasn't big enough to accommodate his frame, however, so when he jumped into it, a good portion of the wall surrounding the sill fell away. Bahamut stood on open air, taking deep breaths. His prism armor slowly gained a haunting luster.

"It's not quite as big as what I've managed, but it's still magnificent." Bahamut's arms stretched up toward the frozen attack. "The Light That Burns the Sky. I guess this fool knows the technique as well... and he's given it a Blacklight flavor."
 

Ambyssin

Gotta go back. Back to the past.
Location
Residency hell
Pronouns
he/him
Partners
  1. silvally-dragon
  2. necrozma-ultra
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. dreepy
  6. mewtwo-ambyssin
"Well, I can't quite tell if it's fully charged or not at this range." Bahamut said. "It's still beauty in its purest form, however. When I was whole, I used this attack to end battles before they began. Destroy planets that dared to bring me suffering... and kept them from Eternatus' clutches." A sinister grin spread over his face. "I'm glad to see that the behavior of Maple's familiar is just an act. Deep down, he and I share the same belief. Might makes right. Foes are meant to be felled with overwhelming force.

"If the attack isn't charged, the easiest way to stop it is to kill him... but I know you goody-goodies would never agree to that." Bahamut clicked his tongue and swished his tail. "Likewise, you could try to break him so that he cannot properly channel light. But, again, I'm sure you lot would rather just shout platitudes about kindness and friendship at him in the vague hope it might actually work."

He turned around in midair. "There's one other thing I can think of. And, frankly, I'm surprised neither you nor Owen Two already thought of it, with your so-called perceptive nature."
 

Namohysip

Dragon Enthusiast
Staff
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. charizard
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. sceptile
  6. marowak
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Owen echoed Cabot's question with his eyes. "W-well... I mean... I had a few ideas, it's just, I don't really..."

"He doesn't like them," Cal explained, then looked at Cabot. "It has a lot of risks, right?"

Owen shifted uncomfortably, but nodded. "I want to hear what you have to say, though," he said. "You have another perspective that might... I don't know, maybe confirm that it's the way to go. I just don't want to risk it because it'd put so many lives in danger. Th-then again... That's already happening."

Wishkeeper emerged from Owen's back, looking inquisitively toward Bahamut. It was more likely that it was Wishkeeper who had come up with the idea, specifically...
 

Ambyssin

Gotta go back. Back to the past.
Location
Residency hell
Pronouns
he/him
Partners
  1. silvally-dragon
  2. necrozma-ultra
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. dreepy
  6. mewtwo-ambyssin
"There's one thing specifically." Bahamut stepped back into the room. His eyes turned pink and he stared Owen down, psychically projecting exactly what he had in mind to the charmeleon... and only the charmeleon. Perhaps Diyem would pick up on it just by virtue of being in their heads... somehow.

"In my opinion, this is the most agreeable course of action given the bleeding hearts on this team." He spoke telepathically. Again, only to Owen. "Even if this works on the current attack, I do not believe Joule can be subdued with the same empty platitudes used on Darkwhite. Force is necessary to put him out of commission. This gives us the best chance. But the moment that time barrier falls, a powerful psychic like Joule could figure things out in an instant. So, I'm only trusting you with this information. Owen Two can probably shield your mind to some degree. And your relentless optimism can convince the necessary actors to prepare for the moment time resumes its normal flow."

The glow in his eyes faded. He knew Cabot was probably annoyed. Well, assuming he realized he was being left out of the loop. "I'm only disclosing it to Owen," Bahamut tersely said. "Especially since the team as a whole is not fond of my opinions and ideas. I trust him enough to believe he's considered such an avenue."
 

Virgil134

PMD Writer
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Cabot instantly stood up and shot Bahamut a venomous glare. Was he dismissing him as some sort of naive child again?! Whether it was due to any remaining Shadows from the fight or not, he felt his temper flare and he opened his mouth with an angry shout.

"Are you serious, right now?!" he snapped. "The world's about to end and you're deciding to play favorites?! What sort of-"

The Cranidos caught himself and grit his teeth, before shaking his head in disgust. "Actually, you know what? Fine! Don't tell me what your plan is. I don't care! Whatever idea you came up with probably involves killing or sacrificing someone, or doing some sort of unnecessarily cruel thing to Joule. Not because of how dire the situation is, but because you always default to that, even if there's another way out! We're close to saving Sword? Best to just let her kill herself, walk away, and refuse to help heal her when the rest of your teammates are telling you to! Sword has an Ultra Stone? Time to prematurely kill all our Shades because they might go through the same thing Sword did, even when their Ultra Stones look completely different! And here you are, looking at an attack that could possibly destroy all of Cibus, and the first thing you can think about is how 'beautiful' it is! It's like you want the worst possible thing to happen!"

Cabot had gotten himself worked up enough that he was now seething with rage, having balled his claws into fists. At this point he was more than ready to let out every bit of frustration he'd felt since that day he and Bahamut spoke on Treasure Town's beach.

"You're right, the team doesn't like your ideas. We've been here for over three months and you've never come up with any good ideas or a sensible battle plan, so why should this time be any different?! During our past fights we've faced plenty of setbacks and unexpected twists, but we've always found a way around it, even when you were ready to give up, and I'm sure this time will be the same. I know that I and some of the others can think of something better than the moron who ate his own badge!"

He said nothing after that, seemingly done with his rant, only to abruptly speak back up again the moment someone else was about to say something. "And you know, even in the unlikely event that we have to kill Joule or permanently put him in that awful form you were first in, it's because there really was no other option and it was the only way to save everyone. Not because you were right this whole time. If you keep saying the same thing over and over again for thousands of years I'm sure something will eventually happen that matches up with what you're saying. Even a broken clock is right twice a day."
 

Ambyssin

Gotta go back. Back to the past.
Location
Residency hell
Pronouns
he/him
Partners
  1. silvally-dragon
  2. necrozma-ultra
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. dreepy
  6. mewtwo-ambyssin
Bahamut stood there while Cabot barked at him. When the cranidos finished, he remained silent until he whispered, "I see." His eyes and core blued. "Yes, delightful. I'm sure all this pent up rage and hatred is rejuvenating for our boss." Bahamut gestured to Diyem. "He'll be out of here in no time at this rate. And then, since I'm sure the rest of the team feels similarly, you can all convince him to send me home and I'll be out of your nonexistent hair forever.

"My idea... isn't much of a risk to Joule. We'd be the ones bearing the brunt of the risk. Possibly Arceus, too." There was a brief flicker of pink. "Joule is a psychic beyond compare. Whatever Brisa spouts off about her father, take that and multiply it ad infinitum. I fear that, even when time returns to normal, he will read any plans and react appropriately, even in the span of a few seconds." His shoulders sagged. "I do not know if your military training included means of warding off psychics. But Owen knows about such things. As do I. However, if you have your own idea, you're welcome to share it. Or keep it to yourself. It matters not to me."

He turned away from everyone and faced the hole he'd made in the wall. "You think I enjoy being the odd one out in this group? Hardly. But too many times I've tried things your way... offering kindness and compassion. And what did I get for it? Attacked. Maimed. Nearly captured countless times." Blue shifted to red. "I lost my home. My friends. My family. So, you'll have to forgive me if my instinct is to turn to cruelty.

"I sincerely hope that, whenever you come across someone whose heart has been hardened by tragedies suffered at the hands of whatever enemy you're fighting with your military, you will not berate them as you did me." Bahamut bowed his head. "Otherwise, I fear you are in the wrong profession."
 

Namohysip

Dragon Enthusiast
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Partners
  1. flygon
  2. charizard
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. sceptile
  6. marowak
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Owen winced, not finding his words while Cabot ranted. This was so unexpected of him; usually he was cheerful and at least politely moving along from what was happening, but now...? He wondered if Cabot, too, was kept in the dark about the inner workings of the world he was from. He was young, after all, and despite that a soldier for a kingdom of some kind, from what he'd heard. Used as a weapon, but as far as Owen could tell, Cabot didn't seem to mind the same way Owen did of his own situations...

During that silence between Bahamut and Cabot, and then during Bahamut's subdued response, the Charmeleon had glanced at Wishkeeper, speaking to him silently with his mind, and then at Diyem, perhaps also talking to him without words. The red orb had no expression, of course, and he seemed too exhausted to intervene directly. Perhaps instead he left it to Owen, who finally spoke.

"Bahamut is being practical," Owen said. "He doesn't know you like I do, Cabot. We meditate together all the time, and I've been able to prove myself to him. And after what he told me... it's possible that minimizing who knows among the team would be good until a better idea comes along. The risk-reward balance is... There are too many lives on the line for me to blab about this. Even for me."

"There may be a strategy meeting soon," Diyem said, gathering barely enough energy to speak up. "Perhaps all the ideas can be pooled there. Tell... Maple of the option, if they haven't considered it already."

Nodding, Owen then turned to Bahamut, but it was Cal who spoke up this time. "Bahamut's got some rough ideas, but they're ideas we can use as a fallback, if you ask me. Better than totally losing." She looked at Cabot, her golden ember eyes unreadable. "So, y'know, for someone all about friendship and teamwork, maybe you should start with fighting Joule instead of the team like Giovanni tried to orchestrate."
 

Ambyssin

Gotta go back. Back to the past.
Location
Residency hell
Pronouns
he/him
Partners
  1. silvally-dragon
  2. necrozma-ultra
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. dreepy
  6. mewtwo-ambyssin
Right, Maple. That would be another piece in this big puzzle.

"Didn't Maple try to fight Joule when we were dealing with the fusion dragon?" Bahamut intended to keep that thought in his head, but wound up voicing it.
 

Namohysip

Dragon Enthusiast
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  1. flygon
  2. charizard
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  5. sceptile
  6. marowak
  7. jirachi
"She did," Owen said. "She, um. She didn't do too well."

"Y'know, that's kind of weird to think about," Cal said. "Isn't Maple, like, holding back when she's in that form, or something? I remember her mentioning something like that... But she still lost badly to Joule."

"It's weird that we've never seen her go all-out," Owen remarked. "I guess there's no point if it neutralizes her power anyway..."
 

Ambyssin

Gotta go back. Back to the past.
Location
Residency hell
Pronouns
he/him
Partners
  1. silvally-dragon
  2. necrozma-ultra
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. dreepy
  6. mewtwo-ambyssin
Bahamut tapped claws against the floor. Cabot seemed to still be mulling over what he'd said. "Well, I'm sure there are some on our team who will want to try and call out to Joule like they did with Darkwhite. But I see a problem with that idea. Darkwhite spent several months with us, for better or worse. Joule hasn't. I'm not in his head, but I cannot imagine that words of encouragement from complete strangers would really sway him. In fact, in an enraged state, it might have the exact opposite effect. Psychics value their thoughts and beliefs. Joule could interpret our pleas as having pried into his mind and lash out.

"Maple, however, is a different story. I think she's the one with the best chance to make any headway." His eyes turned purple. "But she's also like me. Unlikely to be receptive to such an idea. Yet if she really is similar to that Buffet character, then there's some sort of compassionate side of her that's been hardened away. If that side could be coaxed back out... perhaps that could get through to Joule."
 

Namohysip

Dragon Enthusiast
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Partners
  1. flygon
  2. charizard
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. sceptile
  6. marowak
  7. jirachi
Cabot looked like he was about to say something--a lot of somethings, the way he was perhaps more fired up than Owen's tail--but a wet knocking against the door got all of their attention.

"Um, excuse me," said Goodra Zinc. "Sorry... but it's time for your checkup, Bahamut. We need to monitor his condition a little more thoroughly... and we also have to see how, um, mister Dark Matter is doing, a-as well..." She spoke professionally, but her speech trailed off near the end.

Cabot looked at Zinc, then at Bahamut, and finally Diyem. There was too much to say, and not enough time to say it. But in the end, he had to respect the doctor's orders. They were still a team, after all, even if Bahamut's decisions were so often opposite to what he would have done.

"Oh, right..." Owen glanced apologetically at Diyem, who once again shifted in his bed. "I'm... Okay. I'm going to go and check on everyone else, maybe see how things are doing, help with planning... I'll see you around, Bahamut. And get well soon, both of you, alright?"

"I will be fine," Diyem muttered.
 

Ambyssin

Gotta go back. Back to the past.
Location
Residency hell
Pronouns
he/him
Partners
  1. silvally-dragon
  2. necrozma-ultra
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. dreepy
  6. mewtwo-ambyssin
"I already feel better." Bahamut was surprised Zinc didn't care about the hole in the wall. "It seems the light from Joule's attack has abated my pain." He nodded at the others and followed Zinc out of the room.

<><><>​
 
R9 – Brisa & Diyem

unrepentantAuthor

A cat that writes stories.
Location
UK
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they/she
Partners
  1. purrloin-salem
  2. sneasel-dusk
  3. luz-companion
  4. brisa-companion
  5. meowth-laura
  6. delphox-jesse
  7. mewtwo
  8. zeraora
Brisa hardly stopped moving, going from location to location attending to everything she could think of. She sent Luz off to boost morale with the more fretful members of the posse, and occasionally exchanged a text or even minor telepathic exchanges. It was getting easier to open up. Slowly, the list of concerns and duties diminished into something manageable. Next on the list...

Diyem. Diyem was the next priority. There would be much to discuss, if he'd had time to recover. How much time did a Dark Matter need for recovery? Brisa didn't know.

She knocked on Diyem's door, too tired to even prepare a script. She wasn't even sure if he'd be willing to speak with her at this time, so why bother? By thunder, but she was tired.
 

Namohysip

Dragon Enthusiast
Staff
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. charizard
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. sceptile
  6. marowak
  7. jirachi
"Hrrnnn." That was probably the best answer Brisa was going to get, but it wasn't an outright rejection, and the door slid open.

Diyem was alone on a soft bed stuffed with cotton and probably some other foam, meant to accommodate terrestrial Pokemon. There was a sheet on the bed, which shrouded Diyem's spherical form, though there was a very obvious lump in the middle of it. The sheets had been layered thickly over him, perhaps by some odd request. Medical supplies of unknown use and purpose sat at the edge of the table, though based on the way some of them had been placed, whoever had been analyzing or taking Diyem's vitals didn't have the faintest idea where to begin. They likely gave up.

"Owen, if you're asking how I am again, I'm fine," Diyem growled. "Cal, if that's you, stop stealing my blankets. I will find you."
 

unrepentantAuthor

A cat that writes stories.
Location
UK
Pronouns
they/she
Partners
  1. purrloin-salem
  2. sneasel-dusk
  3. luz-companion
  4. brisa-companion
  5. meowth-laura
  6. delphox-jesse
  7. mewtwo
  8. zeraora
Brisa huffed. "Howdy, Diyem. Don't you worry, I ain't here to coddle ya. If you have the strength fer it, I figured we'd discuss the situation as it stands."

She'd heard that Diyem had soundly rejected affection and consideration, and she intended to abide by those requests. What mattered now wasn't assuring herself of his recovery, but making use of available time and energy before the coming fight. Diyem would agree with that.

Partly from sinking into such thoughts from her usual place of compassion, partly out of conscious choice after what Owen had told her about reaching for her darker self when it suited, she drew on a little of her shadows. She didn't know if it would help Diyem, she didn't know if it would make her more amenable to conversation with him, but after how it had apparently helped him break free of the Radiant Machine, it was worth a shot.

"Do you have it in ya to make use of the time, or shall I leave ya to slumber under yer sheets?"
 
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