Destiny Village ~ Central Crossroads

[Namohysip]

Joule, bright and energized, grinned down at them all and said, "Ah! My apologies if I caused a stir! But I assure you, everything will be perfectly all right from here on! For your savior has arrived at full power!" He raised all four of his wings and shined a little brighter.

"Joule, it's evening! Perhaps dim yourself!" Maple called. The golden Voice of Life, who was noticeably larger than Joule, had dimmed her body somewhat until she looked more like a luminescent yellow.

"Ah, yes, yes, evening. Of course." He lowered himself, dimmed, and smiled at them all, even Mellow. "Certainly, I shall pay for any expenses! My apologies for my celebrations!"

His presence was... boundless. He seemed apologetic, and yet so very enerigzed...

 

[Disco]

Mellow was obviously skeptical.

Raven wasn't even looking at him at all.

 

[ntmymike]

Miles continued to watch the commotion, dodging the scattered pieces when needed and keep his eye locked on the gleaming dragon with awe and curiosity.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Luz came jogging along from her own abode to witness the restoration of the dragon of light. Her sire.

"Howdy there, Joule!" she called, giving him a wave. "My regards t'ya on yer much-awaited return t'normal! How're y'feelin' on it?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Oh, wonderful! Simply wonderful!" Joule's voice had finally normalized enough that it was tolerable. "It took much longer than expected, but a combination of Groudon's light, Arceus' graces, and some donations from Chip and my 'self,' and I am good as new!" Joule brightened a little, but then dimmed so the sky would be its normal colors again.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Yeah, about those donations," drawled Luz, cupping one paw in the other. "I'm given to understand the shades voluntarily returned t'ya. Is that reabsorption somethin' y'could do to an ultra familiar like m'self?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Well, considering what I just--"

"It's voluntary," Maple replied immediately, flicking her massive tail on Joule's upper thigh. "...Millijoule... had a talk with the two of us."

Cal's embers dimmed to pinpricks. "What do you mean?" she asked. "...What... does that mean?"

Owen glanced at Maple. There was something in her massive paws. The dark material stood out against her bright body... It was a Core, shattered to pieces.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Luz perked a brow. "Huh. He sure didn't take long to come around to it, then. Didn't realise what y'meant by yer 'self', figured y'just meant the shades."

She rubbed her chin.

"Do I gotta watch myself around ya? I take it this ain't somethin' easily done by accident."

The zeraora-shade noticed Cal's nervousness, and put a paw on the smaller familiar's shoulder.

You're safe, darlin'. All's well.

 

[Namohysip]

"Oh, certainly not," Joule replied. "It required quite a bit of my own energy to break him out of there! Or, er, me, I suppose. Hm. That's rather complicated."

Cal couldn't look at Joule. She shuffled to Owen and then stayed behind him like a terrified hatchling. Owen curled his tail around her and didn't force her to do anything.

"I understand if it's... scary to think about," Maple said, "but I assure you, Joule himself was hesitant. Millijoule was... a special circumstance. He is, after all, or was..."

"Was... Joule," Owen said. "So it probably wasn't a real change for him, right?"

"I certainly don't think so," Joule replied, "and I'm both of us now, am I not?"

"I want to go," Cal whispered to Owen, her voice shaking.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"That might be best," said Luz to the two of them, gently. "I'll stick around. I've been meanin' to catch up with the big guy once he had his health back. Don't wait up!"

Luz gave Cal a pat she hoped would feel reassuring, and strolled up closer to the Voices of Light.

"Don't really blame the fella. Reckon I'd do the same in his position. Hm. Mind if I take a look?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Take a look?" Joule asked, waving at Owen as he left with Cal for their home a few homes down. "At the former Core of mine?"

Maple held it out. Upon closer inspection, there were traces of what looked like Joule's linear scorch marks at a singular impact site, which split the core into eight large pieces and several smaller chips and bits.

"It was quite uncomfortable near the end, but I never quite felt at peril, either. Intense pressure. I did feel some fear briefly because of it. And then an odd... cold feeling. Have you ever worn a scarf for far too long, and then took it off against a spring breeze? Much like that. I believe it was similar to when I had to wear a full-body disguise to hide my light in a realm that had been taken over by a lord of literal darkness, you see..."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Luz cocked her head. "Can't say as I have, fella. Can't say as it's an experience I'd expect one like yerself to be familiar with, either."

She ran her digits over the surface of the core. Not a corpse, then. A garment. A shackle, maybe.

"What form didya take?" she asked, still intent on the shards.

 

[Namohysip]

"Form?" Joule asked, tilting his head. "Well, my disguise was a very elaborate one. Every inch of by body was wrapped in a thick and powerful cloth, and I had to curl myself up into my smallest possible form until just the right moment when I could unleash my true power!"

"...A ball," Maple summarized.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Luz chuckled. "Yer quite the character, partner."

She withdrew her paw from the shards, and sighed.

"Cal's worried y'might try to claim her. I ain't. I'm worried I might miss my opportunity."

The shade looked hard at Joule.

"I want yer word that y'won't leave me stranded on Cibus, Necrozma Joule. Take me with you, or take me back, but don't let me linger here."

 

[Cresselia92]

Very carefully, a pair of scaly looking hands pushed the debris off the Shade and gathered him and his core up...

Raven had come to inspect the commotion herself, but she very warily kept at least a few lengths away from Joule. She also kept a very close eye on Truffle and Potluck's position, all without saying a word.

“Oh! Thanks for the help, friend!” exclaimed Petram, giving a quick grateful snuggle at his savior and wagging his gooey tails. He plopped down to the floor, apparently not minding his current status as some spectral blob.

The spectral Vulpix couldn’t quite tell what everyone was saying as his ears were slowly reforming, but he saw the shock in Cal’s face as she looked away from… whatever thing Joule did. Somewhat confused, he turned toward the immense dragon of light, managing to make out a few words…

Something about… Joule rejoining with Joule?

Then, he noticed the shards in Maple’s paw. Shards… of a broken core. The violet goo that originally was his pair of eyes glowed dimly and the spectral matter bubbled with fervor.

“Huh?! I… I don’t understand! Do we… have to go somewhere…?”

 

[Phoenixsong]

"Nah, you don't have to do anything. Maple just said it's a choice!" Araun dropped the wayward piece of roofing on the ground near the pair of Voices, then sat next to Petram with his tail still wagging. "You can go back to being a part of Joule, or you can stay as Petram! Whatever you want, sounds like."

Skara frowned as she finally folded her sore wing back in. The familiars "going back" to Joule... hm. Someone had said something about that while they were questioning that... whatever it was. It did make some sense, if the shades really had come from the necrozma. She knew that the arrangements that had been made on Cibus, the contacts, the memories, would all go away when she returned to Mondhame... but she hadn't really thought about what Araun would actually do once she was gone. Part of her had almost expected him to come with her—they were training partners, after all—but of course that wouldn't be the case. Whatever he was made of, it wasn't temporary dark matter–stuff housing a consciousness from another world. And the real Araun was still back home, probably annoying Chelou and Paldros and making the Commander do a lot more head-shaking than was probably good for her neck.

It didn't really matter what happened to him, then, did it? To the only person here who she'd gotten even remotely close to, aside from Cynthian, who, remembered or not, would definitely at least get to go on existing and living her life... she already had an Araun, and this one could just do whatever and it wouldn't matter.

Right?

"And do you know what you intend to do?" she asked, unable to hide a slight, nervous waver in her voice.

"Huh? Oh, I dunno." Araun shrugged. Skara was only surprised for the briefest of moments, and then she sighed. Real-Araun wasn't exactly stellar at the whole 'thinking ahead' shtick, either. "Probably stay myself? Being a lot of people inside one head sounds too fuckin' confusing, I think. But maybe it'd be neat, getting to see all the cool stuff that the God Squad does from the perspective of a mighty hero!" He turned his tongue-lolling grin to Joule. "Oh, oh! So what are you gonna do now, then, Joule, now you're back to your old self and bright enough to save the world?"

 

[Namohysip]

"I want yer word that y'won't leave me stranded on Cibus, Necrozma Joule. Take me with you, or take me back, but don't let me linger here."

"Ahh... Certainly, Luz. If you want to come along with us on more adventures and world-saving missions, then by all means you may come with us as part of God Squad! Why, this could be a matter of a new era!"

"Oh, oh! So what are you gonna do now, then, Joule, now you're back to your old self and bright enough to save the world?"

"Well! I am certainly bright, but I don't think my power itself as completely returned. Only enough to get back into this form. Far from the brilliant, shining power that I have at my best... Still! I would gladly help you, should I find the opportunity. Such things are difficult to do at times, you see..."

"Like my true form here," Maple said, "there is some... concern on whether we are easy to corrupt due to our energies being constantly exposed. We may not want to risk it unless Joule can strike from a far distance."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Ahh... Certainly, Luz. If you want to come along with us on more adventures and world-saving missions, then by all means you may come with us as part of God Squad! Why, this could be a matter of a new era!"

Luz nodded, and said nothing. She hadn't a nervous system to feel anything in her chest with as such, but... She felt relieved.

She had a future, and an end, if she wanted them.

 

[Cresselia92]

Petram stood there for a few more seconds, assimilating everything that everyone was saying. The future… what did he want from his own future? What would he do once Daddy left?

…My, there was only one path ahead of him!

“I… want to be a beacon…”

Slowly, his body shifted and morphed, reforming four legs and six tails. However, those appendages were much longer, and his entire body grew in size. In that moment, he resembled more a regular Vulpix, with the only difference being the spectral matter, the violet eyes and a purple flame burning inside his chest.

Even his expression seemed more mature, as if something had snapped into place.

“I want to be a light. Someone who will lead people who are lost in the darkness.” He took a look at himself and chuckled. “I know this is silly coming from someone like me, but… heck, I won’t know whether I will succeed or fail until I try, no?” He looked up at the sky, a confident smirk on his muzzle. “And I wanna try! I wanna be the brightest shadowy light ever!”

 

[ntmymike]

As Miles looked around at everything around, something sparked in his mind. It's something he doesn't quite understand yet.
"H-hey Joule, you said you are our savior right?" Miles paused for a moment, trying to phrase something with his limited knowledge "What... what do you mean by that?"