Destiny Tower

[Fusion]

"I second that," Puddle nodded. "Maybe, like, uh... Bahamut? Or uh..."

It was really struggling to remember other psychics, it seemed.

 

[Namohysip]

Poppin' Arms seemed to have it handled. Instead Koa focused his efforts on the surrounding area, trying to see if there was a sign of what had caused all this.

See anything, Echo?

Outside, all was peaceful. It didn't look like there was any activity aside from the rush of Team Spectrum and others to see the aftermath of what had happened...

"The hell is S'more goin' on about?" it huffed, then looked to Silver and Giovanni. "And the hell're their problems?"

"Something is wrong with Giovanni and Silver, is there anyone with psychic capabilities available to look at them? Can someone be called in?"

"Right, I'll--I'll call for Breaker again. She might have an idea of what to do..." Zinc quickly shuffled out, glancing at S'more, who had finally been secured. She wasn't sure how else to help... But Poffin had him in his grasp, now, and securely enough that he couldn't break free. Despite being so tiny, S'more was definitely extremely powerful...

--

He glanced back at the Porygon's twitching form. "There anything in particular you want me to check on?"

"The... suppressors..." Chip looked like he was trying to point to one of the rooms, but with his limbs every which way, it was useless.

Owen seemed to disappear completely, and in his place a small, glowing, see-through tree appeared in his place. A wisp in the shape of a Charizard flew around the treetops and pointed at Chip; waves of prismatic light washed over the scattered Porygon and, with the help of other healers who shuffled in, slowly repaired the cracks along Chip's body. He was far from healthy... but he was stabilizing.

 

[Negrek]

Right, the power suppressors. "Right, I'll look for them," Nate said. Fortunately he'd talked to Chip about them before, so he at least knew what they looked like. Or used to look like, since they weren't fucking stylish enough for Giovanni or whatever and Chip had been working on redoing them. It was hard to navigate the lab, or even recognize large parts of it, thanks to the destruction, but Nate did his best to find the place where Chip had shown him the suppressors previously. If they weren't there, then maybe Chip had some kind of desk or workbench where he kept things he was actively working on. The suppressors were an ongoing project.

While he searched, Nate reached out to his familiar. Rocky, what's the situation over at the Guild?

Not good! S'more's going crazy, and I think somebody's messing with Silver and Giovanni, too!

Fuck. Hold on. I'm gonna see if I can find those power suppressors Chip was working on. If we can get those on them, maybe we can snap them out of it.

And of course if you were listening in on what Chip was up to in the lab, the power suppressors were exactly what you'd be most interested in destroying. Nate picked up the pace, shoving aside rubble and climbing over lab equipment in search of the devices.

Is Chip okay?

Nate looked back over his shoulder at where Owen was doing his... Whatever the fuck it was he was doing. Probably best not to ask. At least it looked like it was working. He's gonna be okay, I think.

You think?

Look, I'm kind of busy here, Nate thought back. Don't you lose it, too.

 

[Disco]

Raven kept a close eye on the two in the cells, and only glanced back to make sure that everything else was still alright with everything else. Mellow was still at the lab, using her abilities to power up the ones casting healing moves.

 

[Namohysip]

The suppressors were where Chip had left them, looking sleek but only half-painted. There was no way Giovanni and Silver would accept such unpainted work. Still, functionally, they seemed operational--how effective they were was unknown.

Chip shuddered and made another buzzing noise that sounded like sniffling. "A-am I dying?" he finally asked.

"You're going to be okay," Owen said gently, spreading his ethereal wings over Chip.

"O-oh, Pop... I see the Tree of Life... this is it..."

Owen paused, glancing back at the ethereal tree he'd conjured, then back at Chip. "No, that's--"

The ground rumbled with heavy footsteps. Zekrom burst through the door; right behind her was Reshiram. "What happened?" she asked, then rumbled toward the ruins of the lab to see Chip. She gasped and ran toward him, but Owen waved her back. She stopped, but not before calling, "Chip! Are you okay?"

"Z-Zekrom... Reshiram..."

Reshiram squeezed past Zekrom in the hall and helped bring Chip's limbs back together. He seemed to know just how to place them so they hovered back where they should. He moved with certain expertise, like he knew just how Chip's body worked, and there was a sharp look in his blue eyes. "You're going to be fine," Reshiram said gently. And despite Owen having said the same thing, Chip relaxed only when Reshiram said it. The Porygon-Z openly sobbed then, bumping his head against Reshiram's lowered wing.

--

"Around the time there was some explosion..." Silver groaned, still holding his forehead with one hand. "Yeah. Around then... it felt like my head was splitting in tow from something... hitting me. All these memories slammed into me at once..."

"Mmff... Yes. I felt the same," Giovanni said. "I remember... everything. I remember my plans... And for once, it seems they did not go as expected..."

"Snap out of it!" Poffin said, shaking the fist that held S'more. He continued to stare emptily toward the control panel of the cells. Was he single-mindedly set toward opening them?

Poffin flicked S'more on the forehead, but his finger phased through. He grumbled and coated it in flame next, flicking him a second time. This time, it connected, and S'more, dazed, shook his head. His flaming eyes dimmed with lucidity...

 

[Negrek]

Ah, yeah. There they were. Nate grabbed the power suppressors and pushed them, as gently as he could, back towards Chip and the rest. They were too big to fit into his bags. "Found them, Chip. They're fine." Oh. Well. Looked like he was busy. Nate could tell him later. Right now he needed to get these over to the Guild.

Nate took a look around, seeing who was there. Zekrom, maybe? She seemed kind of preoccupied. But the plant-y charizard was here, the same one he'd hitched a ride with to get to the tower. Nate glanced over at Owen. The other plant-y charizard. Whatever.

He pushed the power suppressors towards Mellow. "Can you, uh, take these over to the Guild for me?" he asked. "They're for Giovanni and Silver. Or S'more? Maybe they'll help with the whole possession thing."

If that was sorted out, there was only one thing left to address. "Owen, what the fuck are you doing?"

---​

"Your memories," Rocky said, eyes glowing bright. "Can you remember now? What happened back on Telum?"

A small, cranky voice spoke up at the back of his mind, and Rocky grinned. "Oh! Mudkip says he's sending the power suppressors over here. Maybe those will help with your headaches. And, umm," he glanced over at S'more, "with him."

 

[Disco]

Raven listened to the two. Particularly the Lunala Giovanni's last comment. She looked towards him and asked evenly, "What were your plans? If you work with us now, maybe things won't end up as bad for you."

She was sort of bluffing. Possibly. With what had just happened, with Cola being targeted as he'd been, she doubted many of those native to Cibus would feel charitable towards him... Not to mention everything else.

 

[Fusion]

Everyone else seemed to have this handled... but the last time Puddle thought that, destiny tower got fucked. So maybe Puddle would just be somewhat skeptical about what was going on. You know, just to be safe.

"Next thing you know, Maple's gonna storm in here corrupted as shit," Puddle muttered, scoffing. "Either her or Joule, hehe... heh... That wasn't even fuckin' funny in my head, why did I say that?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Owen, what the fuck are you doing?"

"Oh! Sorry! Um. I call it my Aether attack... I think it's coming from Radiant power, or something. It's... sort of a long story, but it's based on something I've done a really long time ago. Sort of." The transparent specter of Owen--the phantom was all that remained of him at this point--gestured to the apparition of the tree, which looked to be of green wood and shimmering, rainbow leaves. "I've been experimenting with what it can do... It can help calm our allies, or heal them, or even protect them from harm. And as long as it's up, and I focus a little on it, I can keep doing that. Right now, I'm using it to heal Chip."

The tree, almost on cue, pulsed with another wave of light, which enveloped Chip and healed a few more of the cracks along his body. Owen didn't look tired at all; in fact... he seemed even more stable than the last time he'd done it. So long as nobody struck the tree, it looked like Owen was able to maintain that form indefinitely.

"And heal it shall," Reshiram said gently, rubbing Chip's forehead a little to help the buffs go away with some heat. Chip whimpered and pressed his head against Reshiram's wing. "Rest for now, Chip."

"I have so much work to do... Oh, it's my fault... the lab is so ruined... all my fault... I should have been careful... should have found a better..."

"Sudo sleep, Chip."

Chip's eyes flickered a little. Defeated, the artificial Pokemon's limbs dangled below him. "I'm sorry..."

Reshiram pulled him close. Chip's eyes dimmed into a rhythmic transition between darkness and a soft glow, and then back. The final few cracks on Chip's body sealed themselves, and Owen flew over the tree and spread his wings. They expanded impossibly until they enveloped the ethereal tree entirely, and the vague, flaming shape of a Charizard was all that remained, who said, "I'm going to check on the lab next if anybody's hurt there."

The wisp drifted between everyone and headed out to the surface. It seemed to be a lot slower than Owen normally was, almost like a tranquil drift, but perhaps that was as fast as he could go in that mobile state, carrying a whole ethereal tree with him.

--

She looked towards him and asked evenly, "What were your plans? If you work with us now, maybe things won't end up as bad for you."

Looking amused, the Lunala smirked and tilted his head back. "Well... despite everything," he said, "I don't think I told you more than you ever needed. You've all surely been clever enough to deduce what my original plan had been... Have Silver do the attacking while I was here, taking advantage of your kindness as my true self was being strengthened. Then, if Silver failed, I would still be free to continue my work..."

"You planned for even your own defeat?" Cal said, embers expanding with surprise. "How many backup plans do you have?!"

"One too few, it seems," Giovanni replied, and his smirk seemed a little more stiff.

"Urgh..." S'more sighed, shaking his head. "What... where am I? What happened? ...Why is there a burn on my forehead?"

"Uh, sorry about that," Poffin said. "You weren't yourself. There was this... blank stare in your eyes for a bit. And then... it looked like you were trying to free the folks we were holding in custody."

"I... I see." S'more hummed, looking down. "...Then it seems our suspicions were right after all."

 

[Disco]

Raven frowned. "There are a lot of things that haven't been answered. Who gave you the power to become what you are? And the corrupted Mew-Two that was working for you... Where did he come from?"

 

[Namohysip]

"I think it was a stroke of fate that gave me the body I did... with perhaps a slight misfire." Giovanni glanced at Silver, then back at himself. "I knew of the species I was, and it seemed that my loyal Pokemon--that other Mewtwo you're referring to--had the same idea. Though, I am not sure where he got the plan..." Giovanni hummed. "Pokemon are meant to be tools. They should not think on their own. So for mine to come up with this scheme on his own... has me wondering if there is foul play involved." He smirked. "I would be willing to cooperate to get to the bottom of that mystery, of course."

But despite everything, Breaker arrived shortly after that. She was quick with her work, and it only really took a glance for her to see what she wanted--being so familiar with their mental maps already. The conclusion was simple: All of the locks on their memories had been simultaneously released. They seemed to be their own Pokemon, now--or, perhaps, their own humans. Silver, the Mewtwo, felt himself, though he still had memories of who he had been for a few months, which would certainly be disorienting. The same went for Giovanni, the Lunala...

But that did not necessarily mean they could trust them on their own, especially with a raid against the Tree looming over their heads the very next day. There was simply no time to get things through. So, everything was kept as it was, for now. Chip was left to recover with Reshiram, Zekrom, and Zinc; S'more was locked in another cell until he could be properly evaluated--he did not resist--and Giovanni and Silver were kept where they were.

Pop and Cola sent a message to them from an unknown location, but still through their badge. Pop somehow masked where it had been, but some of the things Pop said in his messages made it unmistakably him. They were safe, and would message them daily or whenever something odd happened... but would not reveal where they were, for Cola's safety, until things settled down more.

Meanwhile... Soda and Blacklight Mewtwo never appeared...

What could it all mean?

<><><>​

 

[Fusion]

Feeling more or less exhausted from... pretty much everything recently, Vix honestly didn't care to float all the way back home, or having Scrafty carry her. Instead, she dragged herself over to Destiny Tower to just sit... and think. Preferably alone.

Her Shadow and Familiar would've joined her, but had a feeling she might've needed her space.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa hauled Astrid back to her permanent residence in the infirmary and prowled out of the guild. She wandered a little, lost in her own head, until she found Destiny Tower. Vix was there, haunting the brickwork, apparently.

Perhaps it was an opportunity to talk. Vix was her friend after all.

"Vix," she called, feeling something in her chest twist as she approached. "D'you got a minute to talk?"

 

[Fusion]

Vix turned to the voice, flinching slightly. Brisa wasn't exactly high on Vix's list of people she wanted to see right now, but she was too... too something to drive her off. That being said... Vix remained somewhat tense, not sure how this would turn out.

She nodded, turning away again. "...What is it, Brisa?"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Not a great start.

"I don't much like leavin' things other'n right between us," she said, tail drooping even as her shoulders held stiff. "I know we weren't seein' eye to eye in there, but I believe you got good intentions, and I sorely hope you see th'same is true of me."

 

[Fusion]

Vix grimaced, then sighed. She didn't really have fists, but she curled up her chandelier arms as if she did. "Would you blame me if I didn't? All I've heard about Zoroarks is how mistreated they are because they're all seen as liars and tricksters. I owe one of them my life, and we all had ourselves or our friends saved by Soda, yet the second he does one suspicious thing--" she stopped herself, gritting her teeth as very faint shadows rose off her body.

"Soda is... he was... I saw him as a friend," she stuttered, still looking away. "If anyone talked about anyone else the way you and the others talked about Soda, I would've reacted the same way. That's just... not fair."

Even if... it was right, in the end.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa sighed. No agreeing to disagree, then? Okay.

"It ain't like that. I got no experience of seein' zoroark any kinda way, they ain't around my part of my world fer anyone t'be suspicious of 'em. Hell, I gave him the benefit of the doubt fer exactly that reason long after I woulda gone to town on anyone else in his position. Hell, I investigated everyone in God Squad, 'cause one of 'em had t'be the Haze. Even Truffle, who I'm deeply fuckin' fond of. Because he had a motive, and the right skillset. But he had alibis, and Soda had circumstantial evidence against him. There was far more than one suspicious mark 'gainst the guy. You realise that, right?"

 

[Fusion]

Silence, followed soon after by Vix slamming her fist into the side of Destiny Tower. She didn't even leave a dent, but her arm almost entirely fell apart on impact.

"I know. At least... I know that now," Vix growled, holding her melting arm and staring at it. The melting didn't slow, even after half her arm fell off. "I wanted to trust him, I needed to trust him. And he made it so, so easy to. Everything you guys brought up? I heard none of it. I didn't even know he had a girlfriend, the one thing he says he's doing this for..."

Vix turned slightly towards Brisa, just enough for one of her eerie yellow eyes to spot the feline. Shadowy wisps rose of her glass body. "Do you have any idea how much that hurts? To have someone you desperately want to trust just... betray you? Because I do... in this life and in my last one, and it hurts. What's the point in trusting anyone at this point, Brisa?"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Well, there was the time her father ripped a memory out of her head when he came between her and her only friend, someone she could've loved. That same friend, who never had the guts to so much as write a letter afterwards. Her mother had left her to make her way in life alone before she was truly of age. The whole town had decided they preferred a comfortable distance from her no matter how alone it kept her. Even on Cibus...

"Yeah," said Brisa, stiffly. "I get it all too goddamn well."

She took a deep, deliberate breath through her nose, and stared down the chandelure.

"Y'can't live without trustin' folks. The risk of bein' let down or hurt sometimes is just the price fer it."

 

[Fusion]

"Seeing how I'm already dead, that point feels moot, doesn't it?" In any other situation, that would've been a joke.

Vix turned to face Brisa, glaring, but hurt. "When I first died, I was alone. Cold, heartbroken, and possibly literally falling apart... I know I had friends, but none of them came to help me. Ironically, one of them was a Zoroark, too!" she laughed, her shadows rising even more.

"I-I've already been left for dead by my friends once! And I try again and again to have faith in people that do nothing in the end but hurt me!" Blackened tears rolled down her face, blending in well with her now-melting body. "It's only a matter of time before the rest of you do the same, isn't it?"