Tree of Life ~ Exterior

[Ambyssin]

“No struggle is endless. There will always be something that shifts the balance of power until a measure of finality appears.” The shade’s eyes turned purple. “You think things are rough for the team, but they are persevering regardless. Either the blacklight will surge to an unfathomable level or it will be crushed.”

 

[Disco]

"And I am sure that measure of finality is to be with Eternatus.", she answered. "Or some other nonsense. And yes they are persevering, but at the expense of their well being-"

She cut herself off. "I refuse to get pulled into an argument with you."

The Charizard instead went to sit close to Bahamut and curled up, her feathers standing on end.

<><><>

 

[Disco]

Raven flew in low, landing on the outer edge of the island the Tree of Life was on. Something about the conversation she had with Soda got her thinking...

They didn't have to go in blind. Maybe she could investigate and find out more.

So, very carefully and slowly, she navigated through the forest under the cover of darkness. She kept a sharp eye out for any sign of Xerneas and Diyem along the way.

 

[Namohysip]

Diyem and Xerneas were nearby, but it seemed like they were occupied with one another. Xerneas was inspecting some of the trees that looked a little less healthy, while Diyem was frowning and poking at a fallen tree's trunk. Neither of them were looking at the sky.

The Tree of Life had very few entrances, but the nearest one seemed to be the largest, leading directly into the Tree's interior. It seemed to be unguarded, but it radiated a foreboding aura...

 

[Disco]

Raven took the opportunity to slip inside.

 

[Namohysip]

On the approach, Raven would see rainbow lights pulsing through the roots in thin lines, running throughout like prismatic blood. However, as Raven drew closer to the entrance, the lights seemed to brighten. Did it know she was there?

 

[Disco]

The Shade didn't pause, but went deeper inside. The lights made it seem healthy... Nothing like the red flash she'd seen before. But there was likely more just under the surface...

 

[Namohysip]

Nothing for a while. This seemed like a bad idea... Xerneas could sense her, couldn't he? It was hard to tell, but by now, the entrance was many paces behind her. Ahead, there seemed to be a few walls, but no obvious way forward. It seemed like the Tree had sealed itself up a while ago--it would take some firepower to blast through.

The roots flashed red...

 

[Disco]

Raven grumbled at the dead end. There didn't seem to be a way forward... She looked up, to see if there was any way farther in at all, and then back at the roots when they flashed red...

 

[Namohysip]

The red lights pulsated a little brighter, and Raven would feel the presence of something behind her, deeper inside the tree. It had simply appeared there without a word.

Phantasmal claws grabbed her arm, squeezing tight.

 

[Disco]

The Shade's feathers puffed up in alarm, and she immediately tried to pull away, but then she paused.

"...Eien? Is that you?", she asked quietly. "...Can you hear me?"

 

[Namohysip]

It was not Eien.

The claws were of something roughly the same size as Mellow, but with a completely different build. A long tail with axes at the end, intense, red eyes that glowed in the slight dimness within the Tree, despite the prismatic lights--it was a Haxorus phantasm.

It squeezed Raven's arm even tighter, crushing her ectoplasm arm and ripping it clean off. It seemed surprised by this, but only for an instant as it lunged toward Raven's head next.

Another phantom was forming nearby...

 

[Disco]

Raven attempted to run, only looking back briefly at the Haxorus and the other phantom. She attempted to see what the second one was, but didn't waste time taking flight and leaving either.

 

[Namohysip]

The second one was forming into a Serperior with similarly red, glowing eyes. It was conjuring a Leaf Storm attack, but Raven's evasive action led to her being far out of range by the time it had been launched, and the Haxorus phantasm was too slow to keep up.

 

[Disco]

Raven immediately left the tree to find a safe place to recover and share with Mellow what she had seen...

 

[Namohysip]

The phantoms did not pursue, but Diyem and Xerneas had been running toward the Tree's entrance just as Raven left their field of view.

"Is something wrong?" Diyem asked Xerneas.

The embodiment of life was growling deeply, strange gaps forming on his face, like it was threatening to split open at any moment. "Someone... tried to trespass. If I find them... I will make sure they n̶̟̔é̵͈v̴̦̽é̷͔r̴̦̃ escape..."

"Hmm..." Diyem scanned the immediate area. "Let's keep looking."

<><><>​

 

[Namohysip]

Owen led the search to find Diyem around the Tree after consulting with Bahamut on where he might have wandered. The Charizard stretched his wings and contemplated flying to do better scouting, but just then, Wishkeeper descended upon him.

"...Okay, guys," Owen announced, "looks like we found them. They're resting right now, so I think this is as good a time as any. Follow me!"

He continued off the proper path, careful that his flame wouldn't be too hot to scorch nearby plants. The foliage was thick and several wild Pokemon fled upon the much larger Team Spectrum members rumbled through the bushes.

 

[Disco]

Mellow trailed along behind, her arms crossed. Raven had suggested just talking to Diyem, or something, to get him to understand why he made her, and everyone else, upset. She was right. She was also a couple of paces behind. The Florizard glanced back at Raven. Raven noticed and looked her way with a smile. That only made Mellow groan and look forward again. At least after this, Raven had promised they could go berry picking...

Raven, on the other hand, was keeping an eye out for anything strange or concerning during their trek. The roots of the tree surely went everywhere through the island. Anything could manifest anywhere, with that corruption going through it. Hopefully nothing would attack them...

 

[Namohysip]

Owen, very aware of those same risks, said, "I don't think those phantom things will try to attack us unless we're closer to the depths of the Tree. Right now I think we'll be okay... Let's try to be careful."

Through the dense forestry, they made it to a clearing per Wishkeeper's guidance. There, they saw a surreal sight--one that, at first, Owen wasn't sure if he had been dreaming it or not.

Lying in the clearing was Xerneas and Diyem, curled around each other in a cozy little ball with Xerneas acting as a large bed for the Charizard, who was between his four legs. They were both sound asleep, a few Pidgey on Xerneas' antlers while ground-bound, smaller Pokemon were sleeping under Diyem's wings. It was like something straight out of a fairy tale.

"...You're... all seeing this, right?" Owen asked them.

 

[Disco]

Mellow growled and pointed at the two. "See?! I have every right to be mad!!"

"Mellow, please...", Raven replied in a gentle tone, though she did look back at the both of them with a frown. They certainly seemed peaceful... But looks could be deceiving. "I suppose we should wake them up."