Game Week of the Multiverse: Kecleon Brothers' House (Barky, Star, Nero, Shane)

[IFBench]

The Kecleon brothers' house was one of the largest in the town, owing to the owners being part of the largest groups of shopkeepers in the world.

The entryway room had a few bookshelves around, all of them filled with books. On one of the walls was a map of the known world, with some spots being marked with red dots.

Two of the rooms were completely filled with various boxes of items. Almost any item you could think of, there was at least one of them in these rooms.

A table lay in another room, surrounded by stools. Cupboards filled with various food items filled most of the rest of the room. On the table was what some might recognize as a radio, as well as next to it a small, strange device with a connection orb inserted at the top, and a screen in the middle. There was also four buttons on the side of it. One red, one blue, one green, and one yellow.

In the furthermost room, four tidy straw beds lay, with one pillow and blanket each. Next to one of the straw beds was a journal with the name "Leon" on the front.

 

[Namohysip]

"Aaaah, this is the life, eh, Barks?" Star asked, stretching out her body. She had transformed into an Espeon, and then curled around herself as her body shifted to that of an Arbok seconds later. Then, she balled herself up and became a Wartortle in her shell. "It's been a while since we took a vacation."

"Typically because gods do not take vacations," Barky replied, growling. "The sooner we figure out how to return, the better."

"Aw, c'mon! Let's go out in the yard, eh? Wanna do that?"

"No."

"I bet you wanna do that."

"No."

"Okay, so how about this. We do that, or I fill the house with Smog?"

"Why did you have to come with me?" Barky asked as Star opened the door.

 

[Navar]

Being dragged to another one of the houses wasn't really on Lance's schedule... but he did it anyway. As Meggie said, "it was good to know your neighbors".

"...Do we really need to do this? I was with someone else!"

The Froslass giggled, pushing him further into the house. "Come on, it's Arceus! The one that created everything! Aren't you curious?"

Lance rolled his eyes. "I'm not exactly a believer."

"Doesn't seeing Him change things?"

"..."

She pouted, stopping right at the front of the house. Lance protested a bit more, before resigning to his fate.

"Leave this to me!" she said, floating to the door and knocking on it.

 

[Namohysip]

It opened on the first knock, Star having been on her way out. "Oh!" she hopped back, transforming into a Zangoose. "Sup! Looks like we've got some company after all." With a flip, she shifted back to her normal, Mew self and called, "Alright, Barky! Time to socialize!"

"I am not your child," Barky growled, but then looked down at Lance and Maggie with some air of grace. "...And greetings to you," he said.

 

[Navar]

Lance stared at Barky, but immediately looked down, bosy shivering. He tried to say something, but no words came out.

His friend, on the other hand, waved at them. "Hi! I'm meggie, but just Meg is fine! this... grumpy Lucario is Lance."

"I can talk..."

Meggie ignored him, looking at Star. "Oh! You're a Mew! Amazing! I never saw one before! And..."

Her gaze shifted to Barky. To try and be more respectful, she gave him a bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Lance remained in silence.

 

[Namohysip]

There was a little gleam in Barky's eyes. Finally, someone who demonstrated respect.

"Yeah, being a Mew is pretty awesome," Star agreed. "And unlike the dude behind me, I can become whatever I want! This guy's forever stuck as a stick in the mud."

"In the world we are from, Star and I unfortunately share the same level of power," Barky said.

"So, what's up with him?" Star asked Maggie, gesturing to Lance. "Oh, oh, wait, let me guess, because I know a Charmander back home who's the same way: totally atheist, and reconciling that because I'm right here, right?"

 

[Navar]

Meggie nodded. "Kinda? Yeah, that's the general idea with him."

She looked back to see Lance covering his scar with one of his paws.

Lance raised his head and answered. "...Not there when I needed."

 

[Namohysip]

Barky and Star both seemed to catch the meaning. They'd heard it all the time, after all. "Oh," Star said, floating back a few inches. "Well, I mean..."

"I am not the god of the world you came from," Arceus said, "and I cannot truly speak for him because of that. However... typically, I try to avoid interfering with mortal affairs. I am the World Creator. It is up to the mortals to maintain it."

"Well, that's his philosophy. I love helping out." Star nodded. "Problem is... I'm not native to your world, so... dunno what the story is for yours."

 

[Navar]

Lance crossed his arms. Not exactly the answer he wanted to hear, but one he expected anyway. He decided to remain silent for the moment.

Meggie continued the conversation. "We... both suffered on the hands of a mad scientist. Lance way worse than I did, but still..."

To that, her friend broke his silence. "It doesn't matter. I moved on, we moved on. I think."

 

[Namohysip]

"Kinda skeptical about that," Star said, gesturing to Lance. "Pretty sure we can make a whole stir fry with all that vinegar I smell."

"I doubt we can blame him," Barky pointed out, nodding to Lance. "Such traumas with no resolution will lead people to finding someone to blame for the injustice. And, in the end, the blame often falls upon us gods."

 

[Navar]

Barky was right. Lance could blame him, he could go on an entire rant about how they failed him and let hiim suffer so much. But... he didn't feel like doing that. Instead, he found himself taking a deep breath to calm down.

"I don't know any of you gods in my world. Maybe... one, but he's more of a parasite than anything."

Meggie patted his shoulder and looked at the two Legends. "For what is worth, I don't blame any of you. We're mostly fine."

"I still have a few bad days, but... it's fine," Lance looked up at Barky. "But I still don't believe you exist. For all I know, I could just be drunk."

 

[Namohysip]

"That's the right attitude," Star agreed with a nod, though Barky looked irritated. "Forget about us. Just treat me like any other person, y'know? The whole godhood thing is overrated anyway."

"Overrated?" Barky said with a growl. "I assure you, I'm very real. I could demonstrate my power if you wish."

"But he doesn't wish," Star pointed out with a grin. "So I guess you'll have to do without."

 

[Ambyssin]

Mew had wandered away from boring old Nero. They spotted God-butt and their, well, godly pelt. They popped down on their back to bury themselves in Barky's fur. Way softer than Nero's.

 

[Navar]

Lance sighed. "I don't know. At one point, I would have said otherwise, but... not now."

He looked at Star. "At the very least, you seem the most reasonable one. Unlike... Arceus."

Meggie waved at the other Mew.

 

[Namohysip]

"Why, thank you," Star said even as Barky seethed in silence, completely ignoring the other Mew. He was probably used to it. "I'm usually the more popular god. Barky's all about duty and diligence and nobody really cares about that."

 

[Ambyssin]

Mew poked their head up and waved. They went back to rolling around in Barky's floof.