Destiny Village ~ Sundae Park

[Flyg0n]

Didn't he know what that felt like. Trying not to think about everything that bothered him? "Well, at least Telum is still out there," he murmured comfortingly. "Maybe there's a way you can go back."

 

[Namohysip]

"If that Haze person was telling the truth, at least," Shield said. "How would he even know that? Maybe he had something to do with... whatever happened in Telum that didn't happen here, or something..." It was a wild guess at best. He had no idea.

"Or maybe he just found out and might use that to his advantage," Sword said, pouting. "...Ugh. This is stupid... Maybe we should go home for now."

 

[Flyg0n]

Koa nodded absently. "Sorry for bothering you guys," he admitted. "I've had this stuff on my mind awhile and I guess everyone on the team is still worked up about the spy." He let out a sigh. Perhaps it was best to leave them in peace. One thing did bother him though...

"Shield.... Back on Telum, you were a Riolu, right? But you're a Lucario now. Do you remember anything about how that happened?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Not... really." Shield shook his head. "I just remember... holding Sword as close as I could. And then there was a bright light from the Tree, and... I woke up here in Cibus." He slowly stood up, holding Sword, who was still having trouble levitating on her own. "That's all I can really say for sure."

 

[Flyg0n]

"Okay... well thank you guys for all your help. If you remember anything else, let me know." He paused, ready to turn away, then hesitated. Something about the Mew's attitude rang true with him. He couldn't just leave like this. Like this was some kind of interrogation. Not when he knew how it felt to probably be constantly thinking about things you'd done, or what you'd lost.

"And... if you guys ever wanna do something fun, let me know. Something that isn't about spies or the end of the world, ya know? We can just... hang out. I don't know about you but," he shrugged. Maybe this was a stupid thing to have said. He had barely known either of them after all. Well, no going back now. "I think that'd be nicer than worrying about everything all the time."

 

[Namohysip]

They tilted their heads at this, almost in unison, before looking at one another. "Well..." Shield nodded. "I don't see anything wrong with that while we recover."

"Maybe we can see one of those Colosseum fights," Sword suggested. "Those always seemed pretty cool, y'know?"

Shield grinned. "Yeah. Maybe that." He stretched his legs and Sword curled around his neck. "But not today. We... need some rest."

 

[Flyg0n]

Koa's eyes lit up at the suggestion. A Colosseum fight sounded like fun. He'd never had the chance to properly spectate on those before. Smilling, he nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'd like that too."

He hadn't found out much, but perhaps he had made a new friend, which was more important to him. "I'll see you guys around," he said. And with that, he bid a final farewell and continued on his way.

<><><>​

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave approached the park, slowly, heart hammering deafeningly in his chest, hyperaware of the straps of his backpack. He jumped at a random noise and hated it, growled at the empty air.

He hadn't really been to this park. He didn't really get parks, generally; they were just there, nothing special to do but stroll around and maybe bump into people you knew (or people who knew you). Everything was plants and trees, but winter left them dull and bare. Place was fucking depressing. Why the fuck was this the first place he'd thought of to meet kinda-privately? Next time he was picking somewhere else.

Soda was going to be here. Where the fuck was he?

 

[Namohysip]

And suddenly, a little ways ahead of where Dave was walking, there seemed to be a can of beer. One of Soda's favorites, apparently, bought from somewhere in Pasta Plaza. The cans on Cibus were a little different; they seemed to be made of some kind of firm paper with wax inner linings, rather than metal or plastic. Perhaps it was easier to biodegrade? Cibus was remarkably conscious of the environment... probably because a lot of their citizens lived in the ocean, among other places.

"Hey," Soda called. He was in one of the trees; he hopped down and landed lithely. "Sick of people?" he asked Dave, as it was his usual opener.

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave jumped at Soda's sudden appearance and his heart came close to actually exploding. And yet, it was somehow comforting. Soda was acting like his usual self.

(Had he hidden in the tree in case he'd brought anyone else?)

"Always. Want to sit down?" He gestured at a bench nearby, headed for it without waiting for an answer. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.

 

[Namohysip]

"Sure," Soda said, walking over as he always did, bringing back his mane and flicking it over the back of the bench as he sat. Today he had a red bead to keep it all together, rather than the usual turquoise his species was commonly known for. Perhaps it was a fashion thing from his human habits.

Soda popped open his beer.

"Yeah, it's me."

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave froze, another full-body chill running through him. He sat, still, staring straight ahead, claws digging into the bench.

"So you're an aspirant Arceus," was the first thing that came out of his mouth.

 

[Namohysip]

"I was one before," Soda said. "Before all that bullshit happened. But I guess some things don't really change."

The colors on Soda's fur washed away into something new. Silvery here, a gold pattern around his abdomen there, but still echoes of his old and proper colors as well.

But they were out in public. Someone would see this, right?

There were a few people around, walking on nearby paths. But none of them paid them any mind. Like they were just a normal two Pokemon chatting. They were right there, and yet so far away. It was just Soda and Dave.

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave looked warily at him, at the mismatched colors of his body. Somehow he thought of Jean, after she half-evolved, lost and strange and in pain. His heart thumped.

"What are you planning?"

 

[Namohysip]

Soda held out a paw and faced it toward the sky. Five little embers formed above them. Black, white, red, silver, and a deep gold. "Shadows. Light. Eterna. Divinity. Life. I've got bits of all five already. I just need some time and a boost." Soda leaned back, sighing. "I'm going to rip that world open and set things right. That's all I want. Maple won't do it for me, and the Overseers don't care, so I guess that's where I'm left."

The embers disappeared.

"Nobody trusts others with ultimate power, especially people who already have it," he said. "I don't think my body will be able to handle that kind of power for very long. But I don't really care if it means I can see her again. I figure you know how that feels. I'd give anything to... Tch." He smirked, looking off. "I hate this sappy crap. I don't need to explain it."

 

[Dragonfree]

Little orbs of power floated above Soda's paw. All the energies they'd talked about. He had everything he needed already, basically. The power of a god.

Maple and the Overseers not helping tracked. Bean himself had explained they were too busy for the mere oppressive gods. The Arceus from Soda's world sure did seem like an evil motherfucker. All of this made perfect sense with everything Soda'd said before. And yet.

"So you think it'll just kill you? Get rid of a tyrant, reunite with your partner, die in her arms, no more god, world lives happily ever after?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Yep." Soda took another drink. "Well, I'll probably last longer than that. And it's not gonna be that romantically stupid." He looked back. "I'll probably have a while left to do a few other favors here and there, but priority one is gonna be getting her out of there. As long as she's out of his clutches, that's... all I need. I'll put Cibus back, I'll fix up whatever's going on with Maple if I can, then I'll maybe see if there's a thing or two I can do for you guys, I dunno.

"Here's the thing, even if I die... that won't matter. I just want to get her out of that world. That way, she can't... be away forever, the way that Arceus is forcing it.

"You said that in your world, you didn't even know if souls were even a thing. That when you died, that would be it. Poof, then nothing. Like a sleep where you don't wake up. And that's whatever, y'know? Because you'll be going to the same place anyway. But me..." Soda's claws clicked against the paper can. "I've got eternity. Souls don't die. They don't fade or disappear or forget. And unless I do something, I'm never... ever going to see her again. Arceus won't let it happen." Soda glanced at Dave. "That's why I'm doing this."

 

[Dragonfree]

There was a lot there, too much to cover. Putting Cibus back. Whatever kind of afterlife Soda thought he'd be having. His partner. The thing that stuck wasn't even the most important by any objective measure, but it latched onto his brain. "What's going on with Maple?"

 

[Namohysip]

Soda blinked, glancing at Dave, like he'd not realized something. "Oh, right. Don't think I ever mentioned that. Well, don't tell her, because it might set her off, but I'm pretty sure Maple's got Blacklight corruption in her and there's nothing we can do about it. She's been weird ever since we got to Cibus, and we figured it was just stress, but I've got a sense for this sort of thing now. She's totally corrupted and maybe doesn't even know it. Nothing we can do for now." He tapped the can, considering something. "Unless you want to stare down a big light dragon who can roll you flat. You thought Joule was scary? He's the little spoon of their relationship."

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave clenched his jaw. Of course. Why the fuck wouldn't Maple be highly corrupted. It'd sure explain the way shades came from Joule, before Diyem ever touched Cibus. And yeah, he'd seen the photo of Maple's nightmare fucking true form. He'd tried to tell everyone not to trust Maple this entire time and consistently got brushed off, like the literally everything weird about her didn't mean anything. Figured Soda'd be the one person to have noticed.

"So what was that about putting Cibus back?"