Destiny Tower

[Namohysip]

"Don't hate the player, hate the game," Pop said with what might have been a frown. "Crying to the heavens is a little awkward when they're actually standing in front of you. I'm afraid there is little I can do about my existence, since it halting is also something you seem to prefer avoiding with other superpowers at play."

 

[Dragonfree]

"Yeah, hating the game is what I'm doing, thanks," Dave said. Something about Arceus's expression and demeanor had changed, a shift that made his hackles rise and the Poochyena brain scream at him. He stayed rooted on the spot, claws digging into the floor. "Jesus, you think I'm here to ask you to stop existing? I'm not asking for shit. This discussion started because you didn't like being called supreme overlord of Cibus. I don't care what terms you use, but if you're so powerful you can do whatever the fuck you want and there's no one who could stop you, at least fucking own it."

Mia's eyes were narrow slits, watching Arceus. "You said you wanted to make sure Cibus can continue without your power. That implies you're worried about it."

 

[Namohysip]

"I am," he replied to Mia. "I am worried for it because I do not see myself as its ruler, but its protector. In a practical sense I am both, but there is a lot of power behind perspective, especially in a world like this one, where desires can manifest by power and will alone." He turned his gaze to the great, Blacklight sphere that loomed over them. "This is the greatest threat Cibus had ever faced. Not even I know the magnitude of what I am fighting. So I must prepare for the worst, even if I am hoping for the best. But even if I am gone... I am confident that Cibus can continue without me. As it should. Otherwise... I would be a failure as its protector. The greatest protection I can give it is the power to stand on its own."

 

[Dragonfree]

Arceus turned toward Mia instead, and Dave exhaled slowly, his heart still racing. Protector, huh. "What do you mean, power behind perspective, desires can manifest by power and will alone?" Maybe that just meant shit like Dark Matter, this notion of vague negative thoughts congealing into some sort of entity? Christ, if the power of positive thinking was an actual law in this universe he was going to go insane. "What do you use your power for? Do you pull it out only for this kind of shit?"

"How are you going to draw the attack toward you? Could you get on the other side of the moon, and make it hit the moon instead?" Okay, Mia's brain was entirely elsewhere.

 

[Namohysip]

Pop gestured to himself. "Your powers are no different. This is a world that has every entity on it as someone who is a little demigod. Pokemon are all gods in their own way, capable of Creation. Of energy, of matter, of power, of desire. Just because a Legend and myself are capable of more of it does not mean we are fundamentally different.

"...But my methods... I have seen how that attack operates. Joule aimed it at Destiny Village, but I can attract energy toward me if I am far enough away from Joule. It is too strong to redirect away, but I can still attract it to me. With luck, I can end the attraction enough that it strikes something else that isn't of consequence. Enough to neutralize it. Giratina gave me a map of the Reverse World, and I believe I found somewhere safe that is nearby. If all goes well, I, too, will dodge the hit."

 

[Dragonfree]

Mia cocked her head. "If you get behind something else, you shouldn't have to end the attraction to make it hit it."

Arceus wasn't giving much of a straight answer about how he used his powers, huh. Dave rolled his eyes. "I mean, sure, you can define demigod to include literally everyone, but that doesn't actually mean much of anything. You say you're not a ruler but a protector. So does that mean you're pretty much noninterventionist, except when Cibus is facing world-ending threats, or I guess when Maple wants to literally murder people?"

 

[Namohysip]

Pop nodded. "That is the policy," he said. "I suppose now and then I would assist with small tasks, but... I do not publicize that." He looked ahead. "Mortals should know how to handle themselves on their own. The Legends and I won't be around forever by their side. We often slumber during eras of peace, but considering it hadn't been long since Dark Matter, we plan to stay awake for another century or so... just in case."

 

[Dragonfree]

Well, that was certainly one way of doing it. Create the world, then leave it alone unless you really have to. Problem of evil: God doesn't do anything about it because mortals should know how to handle themselves. Sure.

"What happens if you wake up and, you know, something horrific has happened? Is that just an oh well, too bad?"

 

[Namohysip]

"I have a crisis alarm in case there's a spike of deaths," Arceus replied. "I... try to take precautions. But otherwise... I do have that risk. Inaction... is perhaps the greatest thing I can do against them." He nodded solemnly.

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave nodded slowly. He supposed if you had to have a god, the world playing out to the furthest degree possible as if there weren't one but maybe he can wave a magic wand to prevent a catastrophe now and then might be about the best you could fucking hope for.

"Dave's Radiance can make shields to protect you. Maybe that would help, if you don't have time to go behind the moon."

"Mia, I'm not..." He gritted his teeth. "Look, that's hardly going to help against that fucking thing." He glanced up at Arceus. Right? He'd better not have to start this fight protecting a god.

 

[Namohysip]

"Unfortunately, I don't really think it will help. Between what Owen and Chip analyzed, that move is extremely powerful, to the point where even the shields of a Protect would not be able to block it. But... I do appreciate the thought."

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave peered at Arceus, frowning.

Mia's train of thought made more sense than he liked to admit. At this point, yeah, he believed that Arceus legitimately thought he might not survive this. And it didn't sound like the fake sort of god death where they're actually undying and just suffering artfully for effect, either. He was figuring he'd be gone and the world'd have to go on without him. Which would be fine, one less god in the world. But also, he was literally the reason Maple hadn't murdered the lot of them.

And, well, as gods went Dave liked him a whole lot more than Maple, at any rate.

"What if, hmm, someone teleports you out of the blast radius just before it hits? Or, I guess, makes a portal and closes it as soon as you're through?" God, why.

 

[Namohysip]

And to this, he paused. "...Teleported me directly out of the blast the moment I collided?"

It sounded like he hadn't considered the possibility.

"That would put them in danger, though," he said, which was likely why it hadn't crossed his mind. "If they were close enough to try to Teleport me away, what if that also resulted in them getting caught in the blast, too? If the Teleport was suppressed..." But he was still thinking about the possibilities. "...I'll consider this. Find a way to make it safe for others..."

 

[Dragonfree]

Ha. He hadn't expected much of a reaction, given how Arceus had largely ignored Mia's suggestions, but this was actually getting somewhere. Maybe Maple'd portal him away and it'd hit her instead. If only.

"I mean, what happens if you stop attracting it? Does it swing back around to Destiny Village somehow? Because, you know, normal physics in my world has inertia, which'd mean it should just continue on the same trajectory."

 

[Namohysip]

"I don't know," Arceus said. "However... I was sensing some attraction forces from the attack. It is being drawn to Cibus, not thrown. I was going to replicate Cibus' energy signature, but stronger, to draw it to me. If I halted that... it might start drifting toward Cibus again. Joule's attack is... clever. Devastatingly clever."

 

[Dragonfree]

"Hmm. Still. Teleport plan might still work, if you do it quickly enough."

"But Joule isn't clever," Mia said, frowning. "He'd kill everyone immediately if he went all out to attack but instead he's going to waste time healing himself if we disrupt him even a little. That's very stupid."

Dave cracked a smile. "Well, I guess it's Giovanni who made him charge this up. Maybe he's the brains behind it." He paused. "Or, you know, I guess the real Joule doesn't actually want to destroy Cibus. So if he can fight off whatever Giovanni did to him enough to be very dumb, maybe that's smart of him."

Mia considered that for a moment. "How strong are you?" she asked, looking at Arceus.

Actually, come to think of it... Dave concentrated on the faint scent of the god Pokémon. It reminded him weirdly of... towels straight out of the dryer? Was Arceus made of cotton and laundry detergent? What the fuck.

Dave used Odor Sleuth!

 

[Namohysip]

"Well," Arceus admitted, looking faux-bashful, "I suppose I'm fairly strong."

Creator Arceus
HP: 22,777
Attack: 4,010
Magic: 4,010
Defense: 777
Resistance: 777
Ability: Divine Creator

For some reason, Creator Arceus seems to be missing some of his power...

"But against someone like Joule, who can nullify so many powers just by proximity, I can never be too careful. I need to prepare for everything."

 

[Dragonfree]

Interesting. Dave peered at Arceus. "I'm... sensing that you're not at your full power right now. What's up with that?"

 

[Namohysip]

Arceus' eyes darkened. "Something I cannot say right now," he said flatly, and it didn't look like something that he would budge on. "But no matter how much power I have, I cannot underestimate what Joule is capable of. Even if I am defeated, I've made sure that Cibus will not be lost."

 

[Dragonfree]

Hmmm. "Is it important? Because, you know, if worse comes to worst you may not exactly get a chance to explain later. Does somebody else know?"