Mystery Continent ~ Northern Pines

[Flyg0n]

Maybe they weren't so different. "That kind of sounds like being a trainer!" Koa said. "I travel with my team and we go on adventures and try to train to be stronger."

A sudden thought occurred to him, and his eyes widened. "Hey! I have to know, before the final battle and all, what was that transformation you did during the colosseum match? You looked you turned into some kind of Xerneas!" His eyes shone with curiosity and fascination.

 

[Magyk]

Ben's chest puffed out with pride. "I'm friends with the Xerneas back in my world, she helped me do some things back home, basically gave me the power to help folks adapt to change and stuff. It's...a bit of a long story, but it felt cool to be chosen for something!"

Then he grinned. "Guess the Blacklight wanted to replicate that, which was super awesome. I kinda liked feeling powerful, but I know that means inviting equally powerful things back home."

 

[Flyg0n]

Koa's eyes practically glowed. "Xerneas chose you? That's sick! I guess it means more trouble but that's actually really cool."

He wondered if he lived in a world like that, if he'd ever be chosen. There was that legend about a Rainbow Hero he'd read, but that was more children's tale than fact. Perhaps the dragons of Unova, although he was sure they chose champions anymore.

"So your world has legendaries around?"

 

[Magyk]

Ben attempted a shrug. "I'm not too sure honestly, Xerneas was the only one I saw in my adventures. I...kinda wanna keep it that way. The less crazy home is the better."

He supposed he could understand the appeal in it all, he just preferred to keep things simple.

 

[Flyg0n]

"I guess my world is a little different. There's legendaries, but they don't show up often. I wanna meet more legendaries one day, maybe all of them eventually. And catch one," he added with a chuckle.

"But its not bad!" he said quickly. "Catching just means... befriending one. Showing one that you're... worth something. I want to help legendaries see that people are still good."

For a moment, he mentally tensed himself, expecting some kind of doubt or disbelief. But it never came.

As he spoke further with the Arcanine, he realized that even they were worlds apart, and even if the concept of training and humans were alien to him, Ben had a good heart, and a listening ear. The hours swept by as they traded stories of their adventures, and shared their trials on Cibus. He found himself laughing and joking with Ben like an old friend, connecting over unexpected likes - love of adventures, steadfast loyalty and a desire to make the world better.

By the time he turned in for the night, the moon was high, and Koa's spirits with it. Knowing mon like Ben were out there, trying in their own way to do something felt oddly inspiring. He'd miss him, when he went home, but he was glad he'd had the chance to meet him all the same.

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[Dragonfree]

Dave'd texted Soda about whether they were at home (new badge, same ID, apparently). Instead, Soda had told him they were at the Northern Pines. Presumably Flesh was munching on some trees, or whatever.

He padded cautiously through the snow, listening for any sign of them. Place was cold. Could Soda even fucking feel cold anymore? Didn't the ghost Zoroark live in frozen tundras? Hell, maybe he'd just move out here. (On the other hand, his spooky mansion home was in a way more appropriate now, wasn't it.)

 

[Namohysip]

It was hard to miss Flesh, mostly because when Dave was a few minutes away from the forest proper, one of the trees fell over, snow and pine needles raining down with it.

"Yeah, yeah, enjoy yourself," Ionys said with a sigh, shrugging openly. "Only one this time, alright? Forest might be big but your gut's bigger..." He glanced behind him and waved idly when Dave came into view.

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave followed the sound to find the two of them. Soda (Ionys?) stood by Flesh, as always.

“Hey,” he said. He turned to Flesh. “Thanks for, uh, your support.” And sorry about your buddy getting fucking vaporized.

 

[Namohysip]

Flesh halted his eating--which was rare for him--to address Dave with a nod. He seemed more solemn than usual, and then went on with breaking down the tree trunk, leaves and all.

"Hey," Ionys greeted back. "All things considered, you guys had a pretty solid win, eh? Only one person died, and I don't think that guy minded it all that much in the grand scheme of things. Was some old dude anyway, eh?" He smiled. Despite it all, his eyes suggested genuine playfulness.

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave tried not to wince. "I gather you're spiritually bound to Maple now or some shit, and that's why you're still around?" He glanced at Flesh and back to Ionys. "You two still relocating to Telum to help out there? What's changing for you, other than the being a ghost bit?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Well," Ionys said, "it takes energy for Maple to keep me tangible, but since she doesn't really have a place she needs the energy yet, it's no big deal right now... Yeah. Still relocating to Telum. Flesh is gonna be just fine there, got some places and plans..." His voice was a little quieter than usual, a subtlety that Dave would easily pick up on.

"It's funny," he said. "All my life, I've fought to not be under a god as some servant. Tried to fight against the one whose world I saved, and then when the Blacklight twisted me up, I almost became one myself. And then, when it really mattered and I had a choice to make, I sold my soul to one just to save my friends." He smirked, looking down at Dave. "I guess that's karma."

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave snorted. "I guess in a cartoon universe maybe there is fucking karma. God."

He paused for a moment, looking at the Zoroark. The new form was still eerie, but it wasn't like he hadn't gotten used to worse. "Didn't have much of a choice when otherwise you're fucking dead, huh? What, no way for Maple to just resurrect you without the soul-binding bit, like she did the first time? How's that work?" He exhaled. "Then again, you've been in Maple's employ for however long already, and were already planning to go to her world and keep working for her."

 

[Namohysip]

"Maple... sacrificed a lot of power to resurrect me in a new body, and it still wouldn't bring me back to a place I'd died in. Most worlds make it pretty hard to bring someone back once they've died. Natural balance crap." He glanced back at Destiny Tower. "Even here... only large portions of power from Ho-Oh or Xerneas could resurrect someone. And I was... obliterated. They'd need to craft a body for me from scratch. But..."

Ionys glanced off.

"I dunno if I want to ask it, but I wonder why Maple was able to bind my soul to her so easily. It was almost instant. Like she'd already put in most of the work..."

 

[Dragonfree]

A familiar alarm went off in Dave's head. Fucking Maple. Already itching to bind him to eternal afterlife servitude before he was even dead? What the fuck.

And yet. Wasn't like a person couldn't have fucking predicted this might happen from a mile away.

"She could've at least fucking told you she was taking precautions." He exhaled through his nose. "So what's the plan? What're you going to be doing for her? How about Flesh?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Already talked to Maple about it," Ionys said dismissively. "Flesh will be fine. I'll be nearby. In fact, once I'm in Telum, I'll be a quick trip away at all times..." He sighed. "Yeah. I guess Maple should have told me. But maybe she didn't want me to panic about it. In the end, I still had to consent to it. I could tell that she couldn't do it without that. Still, what deal with the devil didn't end up having a contract we agreed to?" Ionys smirked.

"...Nah." He waved Dave down. "Really. I'm not mad. I knew what I was getting into. Maple told me about this a looong time ago." He let out a long breath through his nose. "...I was ready. I'd made my choice."

 

[Dragonfree]

"What, she told you about wanting to recruit your soul when you died?" And yet Soda'd chosen not to mention this when going on about how he'd be dead soon. Jesus.

He exhaled, watching Flesh eat. "So what's the nature of the connection here? You get some Voice powers I guess, and you said she needs power to keep you tangible? I guess really the main thing is you can't walk away from it, or not without kicking it for real."

 

[Namohysip]

"Never that specific," Ionys said to Dave's first comment. "Only stuff that involved working with a Voice and how far it can go. This whole soul-bond thing was a bit of a surprise... but it kinda all made sense when she said it. Tied it all together. As for what it means..."

Ionys leaned back, floating in midair. "I've got some Voice powers now. I can sense life force about... maybe up to there." He pointed to a faraway tree, perhaps a few hundred meters away. "I also don't really have a body, just like Maple. Just avatars and projections. And, heh... I don't see it as a drawback that if Maple lets me go, I die. Because that would've happened anyway. I get to hang around longer before getting sent adrift this way."

 

[Dragonfree]

"I guess."

Hard to call anything much of a free choice when the alternative was death, wasn't it. But it wasn't like Maple was actually going to exploit him. She'd just be in total control while refusing to use that control for anything he didn't want. Respecting his fucking privacy.

"Still wouldn't have to be happening if you hadn't come to the fight."

 

[Namohysip]

"Don't give me that," Ionys dismissed with a wave. "I chose this, too. And you gave me closure. Shut the fuck up about trying to blame anyone but me for my choices. If I didn't die... someone else would have. Or more would have." He prodded a claw at himself. "I knew the risks more than anyone. This is on me, and I'm fine with that."

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave's gaze stayed on Flesh. "Well, if a guy's got to die, let it be the guy who's going to survive it."

Not that Ionys hadn't just said he hadn't known that when he took the attack. Noble self-sacrifice that happened to be undone by a convenient loophole. He could have been dead. Would have been, if not for Maple's machinations.

He looked back at Ionys. "Guess that means if I ever get those memories back you'll still be alive out here, huh? For some value of 'alive'."