Destiny Village ~ Central Crossroads

[Virgil134]

"I'll help!" Pleo said, raising a wing.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa looked back anxiously at Maple, but Starr kept dragging her away, saying something about her being a moron.

Luz, meanwhile, was perfectly at liberty to tag along. And delighted to do so, too!

"Sign me up, partner!" purred the zeraora-shade. "Maybe it'll be another relevant piece of the puzzle!"

 

[IFBench]

"I'll go, too!" Saltriv declared, shifting their leaf slightly.

 

[Namohysip]

"Then let's not waste any time."

With little more to do, Maple carved a portal for the team to head right to Treasure Town, and the rest of the team dispersed to spend the next few days preparing for finding Sword, Diyem, and Giovanni.

<><><>​

 

[IFBench]

Saltriv walked through the crossroads, looking around sadly at the marks of the battle with Giovanni. If they had done more against that shadowy figure, would Sword be safe right now?

Laid atop their leaf was a small stone, one that shook with every step Saltriv took. After a few steps, the stone rolled around atop their leaf. Saltriv giggled for a moment, before taking in their surroundings once more.

They'd find a way to save Sword.

 

[Ambyssin]

As it turned out, Bean did have the information Bahamut needed. Yes, Kyurem and Yveltal lived here and, yes, it was close to where Maple's team had taken up lodgings. Bahamut had left Tricky behind, but there was a small bit of satisfaction in knowing that he was right. Though that was followed with the bitter irony of a role reversal. Perhaps he should've pointed out to the kit that he was the one who would usually expect the worst of things with regards to the two so-called gods.

Bah, whatever. That whole bit was as behind him as the library. He'd been crisscrossing around town practically the whole day. The necrozma was considering whether or not to try visiting Kyurem when he spotted a familiar chikorita walking down the road.

He wasn't going to turn onto a side street. Bahamut kept walking forward. His eyes and core briefly flashed pink as he tried to probe Saltriv's mind. He got an image of Sword. Of course. Never mind that their leader had supposedly been found. "Aren't you supposed to be planning a rescue? We heard from Dark Matter."

 

[IFBench]

Saltriv's expression fell further as they saw Bahamut. If they had just cooperated with everyone and tried to help Sword instead of rambling about how she should die, maybe this wouldn't have happened.

The stone on their leaf wobbled a bit.

Then Bahamut brought up Dark Matter. Truth be told, they still weren't sure how to feel about knowing they were all working for Dark Matter. The thing had nearly thrown Saltriv's planet into the sun just a few years ago, and their experiences in the Voidlands...they didn't want to think about those. But maybe this Dark Matter was different, and really did want to help?

They felt unsure about it all.

Either way, they should probably answer that question.

"I'm on my way to start planning with everyone," Saltriv said. "We'll save both them and Sword."

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut shook his head. "If you're going to focus on saving anyone, it should be Dark Matter. We don't have the resources to divide the team... and from the sounds of it, he is under heavy duress. It's only by his power that we ended up here in the first place. If he were to perish... what do you think would happen to us? And to this planet? We're the only ones who are able to break through the disinhibiting corruption."

He frowned. "You will likely have to defeat Giovanni to rescue that daemon mew. I'm not sure our team is in a position to do that yet."

 

[IFBench]

"We'll find a way!" Saltriv protested. "We'll save both of them! I'm not leaving Sword behind!"

Their stone rustled again.

 

[Ambyssin]

"That's all well and good, but we can't do both at the same time." Bahamut's eyes and core were red. "The team needs to prioritize based on what's best for all of Cibus. And, bizarre as it sounds, that's rescuing Dark Matter." He flexed the claws on his back. "He might even be able to provide us with a boost of strength necessary to defeat Giovanni if we find him.

"If you tunnel onto this one thing, you won't be able to focus on the bigger picture. There's still an entire planet under duress here."

 

[IFBench]

"There has to be a way!" Saltriv retorted, as their stone rolled around once more. It jumped into the air, hanging there for a fraction of a second before landing back on Saltriv's leaf. "Or do you just not want there to be a way so that you can feel righteous about trying to let Sword die?"

 

[Ambyssin]

"Oh?" Bahamut approached Saltriv, towering over them. "You're twisting my words. The way to rescue your so-called friend is by beating Giovanni. But as long as Dark Matter presently remains captive, that is not something I see the team accomplishing." He looked skyward. "If that gremlin is really a friend you care so deeply about, then you should want the best odds of succeeding in a rescue. And that means getting back the person who imbued us with the power to fight Eternatus' corruption in the first place. So, stop seeing trees and missing the forest."

 

[IFBench]

Saltriv looked up, trembling slightly at the sight of the massive, Solgaleo-like Pokemon towering over them. Up close, he was really, really big...but they wouldn't back down!

"Then we'll save Dark Matter, and then Sword right after!" they declared.

The stone on their leaf leapt into the air again. It didn't fall back down.

 

[Ambyssin]

"Then that's what you should be preparing for." Bahamut glanced down. He reached out with his hand and grabbed hold of the ultra stone. "I don't think almost losing this stone is a good use of your time. You don't want it to fall into the wrong hands, do you?"

 

[IFBench]

"He-" Saltriv began, before it flew out of Bahamut's grasp. As it floated in the air, a black goo began to form around it. Saltriv stared up at it in awe.

 

[Ambyssin]

“Oh? Lovely. The late bloomer is finally hatching.” Bahamut maintained his grip on the stone. If it was going to display the same naive optimism, that would need to be quickly stamped out.

 

[IFBench]

As Bahamut gripped the stone, it began shooting around within his grasp, banging into his paw. A muffled "Cut it out!" could be heard.

Saltriv gasped, the voice familiar to them.

 

[Ambyssin]

“Ah, so you’ve found your voice?” Bahamut opened his hand up, looking to see what had emerged from the stone.

 

[IFBench]

Immediately as Bahamut opened his hand, the thing inside shot away, before moving over towards Saltriv.

A pure-black tail lashed behind the figure, tipped with a flame-shaped purple plume. It was attatched to the base of charcoal torso, which was attatched to a round head, two short legs, and two arms that ended in small, four-fingered hands. A bracelet as black as the figure's body was attatched around the right arm, with two black indedations on it, and a third that was filled with a purple glow. The head had eyes filled with purple, and a similarly purple scarf-like appendage was wrapped around the neck.

Saltriv looked at the familiar, eyes wide. "Burhalla?"

 

[Ambyssin]

"Seriously now?" Bahamut shook his head. Another charmander? The team was over half charmander and vulpix lines at this point! Perhaps they ought to change their name to Team Unoriginal.

"Heh." Esper popped out of Bahamut's bag. "Check it. It's, like, the sixth Owen. Or is it the seventh?" He tapped his chin in thought. "Well, I'll just go with Owen Seven to be safe!" He pointed his head forward and painted a bright yellow seven on Burhalla's chest.