Destiny Tower

[Namohysip]

Another pause, perhaps because Pop was weighing his options. There did not appear to be anybody on the ground floor of Destiny Tower.

[Pop > S0urdough]: Okay. Step into the warping light in the middle of the room and wait there. I will take you to my location. Cola will also be here, but we're technically the same person.

 

[Ambyssin]

Right. Technically.

... well, perhaps that didn't need to be the case anymore. But business first. Bahamut floated up to the area in question. He flared his body to try and blind anyone thinking of trying anything funny.

 

[Namohysip]

A light enveloped him, and soon Bahamut reappeared in another strange land. His natural radiance gave the true limits of the wall, perhaps enough that he could drift in any direction for half a minute before reaching a wall. The walls themselves, however, appeared to be painted and twinkling stars, and the floor, too, gave off a similar, cosmic appearance. Arceus floated nearby, while Cola was looking over a few books, only half-bored this time. Everything seemed to float here.

"Bahamut," Pop greeted. "How are you?"

 

[Ambyssin]

"... cramped," Bahamut flatly responded. "Also I've spent the last—" He cut himself off. "I've spent longer than I care to admit getting pounded by Map—"

The necrozma facepalmed. "Sorry, poor word choice. I was protecting Dark Better. By getting punched. A lot." He shook his head. "However, we did manage to locate Eternatus. Bad news is that she was hexed by that seemingly-soulless mewtwo. Unlike with Owen, whose hex my teammates purged before it was activated, hers was already active and it seems that she not only destroyed the tree in a surge of power, but Eterna energy is now spreading toward Primeval Forest.

"Which brings me to why I'm here." Bahamut looked down. "She gave me... special energy. I think it contains two templates to construct pokémon specially designed to... destroy Eternatus. I said I would deliver them, but this needed to be done discretely. If anyone else on the team realizes such a contingency exists, they would've stopped it from reaching you."

 

[Namohysip]

Pop's gaze darkened. "...Two," he said. "I think I know which ones you are talking about. A few weeks ago, I had gotten off a call with Bean, who had contacted the Overseers for advice on what to do. They are hard at work trying to get us support for this crisis, but at the moment only Bean can properly communicate with them. They are hopefully going to come with a lot of answers from queries that he has been sending their way. One of the earlier answers was any information on things to combat Eterna energy, and they were going to deliver an energy signature that I could replicate. I already have the concept... But you have the energy?"

"We're killing Eien?" Cola asked worriedly.

"No," Pop said. "It's... a last resort. But this same energy can also be used to weaken her."

 

[Ambyssin]

"Correct." Bahamut opened his beak wide and appeared to... cough up two silhouettes: one cyan, the other magenta. He wrapped his tail around them, then turned his head to the ceiling. His eyes projected a couple of canines onto the starry ceiling. One held a sword in its maw, the other had a golden pelt fashioned like a shield.

"Zacian and Zamazenta. Or at least, those were the names they went by in my world," he said. "Not sure where they came from. Their trainer didn't know, either. All I know is they could deal with the strange energy of Eternatus' innards."

 

[Namohysip]

"Perhaps they are otherworldly guardians in their own right," Arceus said, "or fables given form. When you deal with matters of gods, sometimes mere ideas can be given true forms... Just as I shall now. Those silhouettes were perhaps once created by chance, or by another deity, as a means to combat Eternatus. But now the idea is given to others, who can Create..."

The energies drifted to Pop. He closed his eyes, perhaps analyzing the energy closely. "...I see, I see..."

 

[Ambyssin]

"If I may interject for a moment?" Bahamut raised an upper wing. "This, erm, unusual opportunity may provide a solution to... another dilemma."

He pointed his other upper wing to Cola.

"Lacking in a real form. Conflicted over a sense of identity. I may not mold reality or anything, but would it not be possible to offer a choice to become one of these instead of, well, getting reabsorbed or absorbing you."

 

[Namohysip]

Pop looked at Cola, who looked up from his current book.

"Well, er..." Pop trailed off. "How to phrase it... while Cola does not have a defined form in the traditional sense, he does still have a defined spirit. One cannot simply... separate one in that way. Not without... hrm, well..." He trailed off, thinking.

"What do they look like?" Cola asked.

Pop tapped a hoof on the ground and made projections of them both.

"Oh. Those are kinda lame."

"C-Cola, they could very well be our saviors!" Pop said.

"Sure. But they still look lame."

Pop sighed.

"And that still doesn't make us two different people no matter what body I get," Cola added. "Besides, weren't you planning on giving those bodies to Sword and Shield? You already promised!"

"I, well, I did, yes..."

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut frowned. "This isn't because of their names, is it? Because I do not trust the artist formerly known as Darkwhite with a giant blade."

 

[Namohysip]

"...What about their names?" Pop asked, tilting his head.

 

[Ambyssin]

"Err... they translate to certain objects for us." He traced a sword and a shield in the ground with his tail.

 

[Namohysip]

"Oh. An interesting coincidence." Pop nodded, but then added, "No, that is not the reason. Sword and Shield are in fact perfect candidates for this power, for a few reasons. The first is that they have experience, even partially, against Dark Matter, but are not of my world, which required a more rigorous process for Ascention. But if they are not of my world, I can more readily make temporary Ascensions for the time being. What happens with them afterward is... less a concern, because if all goes well, they will leave Cibus and return to Telum, and my power in that domain will be much weaker. There is less long-term risk.

"They also both have some experience with Eterna energy already. Sword, as you've all seen, and Shield, who freed her. They know what the energy feels like and how to fight against it. And, as for your concerns with Sword specifically... I have done extensive evaluation on her psychology at this point with the help of Breaker, Wheat, Bean, and even Fugu, as well as other top psychologists to make sure she can be trusted with this power.

"On the surface, her Darkwhite persona appears to be just as unstable as before. But closer inspection reveals that Sword is perfectly in control of this power, at least insofar as not harming others with it. She may be a... showboat and a braggart, but she does not unnecessarily use her power any longer." Pop nodded. "I was skeptical as well... but the evaluations were consistent. She is stable."

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut knew that he was, quite frankly, better than Arceus' experts. He got to Owen's block, which Breaker didn't even attempt to do.

But it's not like he was in a position to really argue with the guy in charge of the world. "Right. Well." He rubbed the back of his ethereal head. "Again, the issue is that this needs to be handled discretely. No one on my team knows about this contingency. If they do, I fear it might make them less receptive to all of this. So, it's probably best to keep this all secret. At least until the two have made the necessary adjustments to their new forms.

"Oh, and if there's any way to spare some of that energy, it would be much appreciated. Since, well, there is still the moon to be concerned with." Bahamut flicked an upper wing, which sparked with a bit of light. "At the very least, it can increase my portal-making to work against Eterna energy."

 

[Namohysip]

Pop could sense Bahamut's skepticism. "If you truly want to be certain of Sword's competence, you are free to check yourself. I can tell her that it is part of the evaluation process." Which was technically true. "Sparing this energy... Yes. But it will take time. I need to prepare their bodies and Ascent first. Afterward, I shall try to give it to all of you so you may resist that Eterna energy in the same way... But the timing is hard. Even now, the Sea of Wonders is in danger. I've rallied as many spare hands as I could to evacuate everyone on the central island and all nearby ones. Otherwise, I do not know what will happen to those caught in the storm..."

 

[Ambyssin]

"Well, I imagine much the same as what happened to those magikarp sisters." Bahamut tapped his chin with a wing-claw. "They'll turn big. Some might change form. And they'll rampage."

 

[Namohysip]

"Hmmh... But with so many, will there be anything left of the place when the storm passes? ...I doubt it. We should prepare for a massive recovery operation even when this is over and done with..."

"It's alright. The Tree's already gone, so it's not like there's a whole lot more to lose." Cola turned a page. "That's a good way to look at it, right?"

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut craned his head down toward Cola. "Have you read about wildfires? It's said that when they ravage forestland, the ashes left behind can be used to sprout new fauna." He picked his head back up. "In some regards, such a storm could give rise to something new."

Again his wings sparked. "I can certainly try and assist with evacuations. Portals would expedite the process."

 

[Namohysip]

Pop nodded. "We're prioritizing Primeval Forest for now, but outer islands might be in danger next. I'm going to be giving the Guild a map, but I can give you a few of them first, when you're ready. We may have rescued Maple, but there's still work to be done..."

He paused.

"...And how are you feeling with all of this?" Pop asked with some weight in his words. "How did Eien compare?"

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut frowned. "Regrettably, she appears to be my dimensional counterpart. Not Joule. However, I did tell her that if she can be rescued, that it's time for her to retire from her interplanetary escapades."