Pokémon Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Path of Valor

[Negrek]

Hey, Ambyssin! Back at long last for chapters 19-25. This is kind of the culmination of the trial arc, and it's fun to see how things come together here. The whole trial here is the first major video game that I'm actually familiar with in this fic, and I was surprised at how closely the beats of the trial here follow those of the source material (though wisely excising some of the complexity with e.g. Gina being omitted). The Ace Attorney style blends really well with the tone of the fic--if I weren't familiar with this particular case, I'd probably believe you'd just made it up yourself. Which is pretty impressive! Makes me wonder how many other sections are essentially playing through video game sequences, and how that would change the reading experience, but I'm just not widely played enough to know.

All in all I think the trial sequence did a good job of capturing the over the top nature of the Ace Attorney court dramas while also presenting an interesting case for readers to follow along with, and one that would make sense to people who hadn't played the source game. Like I mentioned, you did well to simplify things a bit, because the GAA cases are definitely too long and twisty to follow along with on paper unless you're willing to dedicate some chunky chapters to them. Although a courtroom drama is definitely new territory for this fic, you did a good job of tying it in with the broader themes of institutional corruption and class warfare that have run through the story so far, and you've definitely structured the story in such a way that having the characters tackle wildly different challenges is simply expected given the setup. I think the trial really lived up to its buildup, and I'm really curious what the fallout's going to be. If nothing else, surely it can only make classes with Vegna even more awkward from here on out! The story thus far does seem to be moving in the direction of Shimmer realizing how fucked up society/his place in it is, and this episode would certainly seem like something that would move him closer to that change. I'm curious to see whether he does end up changing for the better or if he'll instead armor up with denial/entitlement and take the "gets even worse" route.

I do wonder a bit if we needed to see quite as much of the trial as we do here. You simplified the case quite a bit, which was for sure a good call, but there were other trappings of the Ace Attorney system that seemed like they were kind of unnecessary here, like the quirky jurors or smaller details like describing the layout of the streets on the map Kain presented, which I don't think ended up mattering one way or another. I think these padded the scene out a bit more than necessary; it's fun to go, "oh, hey, I recognize that from the other thing," and bits like the scyther obsessed with "moneybags" did tie into the larger themes of the story, but overall I thought the trial could have been streamlined a bit. I did enjoy this section, but there wasn't a lot of tension for me, since I already knew how things would ultimately play out. There was still interest in seeing how you'd adapt the scenario to this world and how the characters react to the situation, but on the whole the scene ran a bit long for me.

While the trial's going on, of course, Yuna and team are trying to survive and free Rayquaza and ideally make it back in time to help with the defense. One thing this section really drove home to me was how important action set-pieces are to this story in a way that I haven't seen a lot in other PMD fics. Some of them have lots of battling, or even scenes of all-out war, and some lean hard into the dungeon-delving with traps, fights, and other perils, but I can't think of another that goes as hard on prolonged action scenes like the team racing to the pyramid across the frozen desert. The emphasis on action/adventure, along with drawing on video games outside of the Pokémon franchise and a large cast of characters with big personalities. Just something I was thinking about while reading through this section, as this particular set of chapters felt like it really embodied the essence of the fic thus far. It's all a wild ride, and bursting with creativity as well as just a touch of horror--the corrupting poison cocoons (oh no! it's making them Galarian!) were a wonderfully creepy set piece here, and the devolution beam added some fun stakes to the battle. Poor Cid. Wonder how he'll bounce back (or not) from the events of this little field trip.

All in all, we got some nice sense of accomplishment here with the rescue of Rayquaza, while setting the stage for further intrigue. Suddenly shiny rayquaza... Perhaps with all these different worlds colliding, there are simply multiple versions of various characters running around, so this rayquaza perhaps isn't the rayquaza mentioned in scripture, but is one with a similar history/personality. Also, I do like Rayquaza's somewhat goofy knight shtick, but if all the sages are large hams like Reshiram and Rayquaza, I think it might start to get exhausting pretty fast. :P

Meanwhile, Yuna's corruption seems rather shadowy in nature, doesn't it? With literal Citadark Isle hanging out in this setting, I wonder if actual Cipher stuff is going on, or whether it's some other form of corruption that acts similarly.

While all that was going on, Noctum and company have kind of been off doing their own thing, although we see some intersection with the trial through Paradox's propaganda. Although the trial's what's been built up to for a while as an important turning point in the school elements of the plot, this segment in Eterna City feels more like it's pointing in the direction of the proper A-plot, the encroachment of Eternatus and the people fighting against it. Definitely some fun sci-fi dystopia vibes here--reminds me a bit of DeliriousAbsol's fic System:Reboot--and I appreciate Cyril's bit of exposition, which lays the situation out perhaps more simply and clearly than any other explanation we've received thus far. Quite the mess Noctum, Seifer, Quetzal and Valkyrie have landed themselves in! I did appreciate how Seifer's life just continues to get worse, and I'm certainly hoping the Malice Crystal won't end up horribly warping Noctum into something terrible--but what are the chances of that, really?

I found it interesting that there's an active resistance to Paradox's assimilation of worlds, and presumably to Eternatus itself, within the Qlipoth. From the way Bahamut described things, it seemed as though assimilation by Eternatus was inevitable and there was especially no point in trying to escape for anyone who'd been consumed by it. To be fair, it would be entirely in character for him to have presented things as hopeless regardless of the actual situation, but at least right now things appear much more balanced. There'd be no point in Paradox beaming out propaganda about how terrestrial life sucks, actually, if he viewed his success as inevitable and wasn't at all worried by resitance from denizens of the Qlipoth. I'll be curious to see how things actually develop--perhaps everything's totally hopeless after all, but at least from here it looks as though things could go any number of ways.

Random side note, but Paradox punishing people by turning them into unown is such a fun villain bit. It's got a wonderfully pokémon-y flavor (what could be worse, besides perhaps magikarp?) and also makes me wonder about the implications of a villain having an army of unown on their side. The little guys aren't much trouble on their own, but get enough of them together and they can do funny things to reality...

In any case, the tidbit that one of the planets consumed by Eternatus was Earth is definitely juicy. I don't know if that's Earth as in our Earth, or Earth as in Pokéworld Earth, but the potential connections to e.g. Citadark Isle are intriguing. Perhaps there are some familiar characters from the Pokémon franchise running around in what appears to be entirely new territory? At the moment I'm most curious about all this mystery abot the colliding worlds and what's actually going on with all these various factions both for and against Eternatus, as opposed to e.g. the Crowne Cup and general school stuff, but I think you've done a good job of tying the various threads together so far, even though there's a lot going on. It's clear that what's going on at the school does in fact have something to do with the broader problems plaguing the world, and in turn what happens with the politics of Etherium probably means a lot for the covert struggle taking place in the Qlipoth. Overall I think this was a good run of chapters that balanced the competing plotlines well and introduced a lot of fun new concepts. I'll be back for more, one way or another!

 

[Mirage]

Heya Amby, you know what time it is - blitz time! Very excited to finally get to reading Path of Valor. I've actually not (yet!) read Guiding Light, this'll be my first time reading one of your longer works. I'm pretty new to writing reviews, so I don't have an established style yet - you might see me tinker with different formats as I go along ^^;

With that said, let's see what PoV is all about!

Prologue​

We hit the ground running with a ton of opening questions and a pitched battle, along with our first look at the villain! Very curious to know what makes the Needles so special - and how Mr. Big Bad^tm is able to avoid the consequences for removing one. Judging by the fact he converted the Radiant Guard to his minions instead of killing them outright (RIP Douglas ), it looks as though we'll be seeing them again sometime. I'm very intrigued at how the Aeon kingdom are apparently related to removing mystery dungeons - do they naturally control them, or have they merely found a way to dispel them? Either way, looks as though PoV will give us a deeper look into mystery dungeons than what a lot of fics typically show.

We also get a first look at Yuna! She seems out of her depth and overburdened by expectations, all too relatable. The golden 4 winged dragon she's praying to stands out - if it's Necrozma and Aeon actually has some influence or connection to it, that could definitely explain how they might be able to control the presence of mystery dungeons. Given what we learned earlier about the conflict between the two places and her current lack of friends, it looks like she could have a challenge fitting in tomorrow...

I wonder why sleep seeds are classified as contraband - are they maybe addictive, or have they been abused in the past at the school? I figure putting oneself to sleep with medication, in and of itself, doesn't seem ban worthy?

Lastly, this isn't related to the writing itself, but I love the artwork you have at the end! It's very striking, how Yuna and her blanket are the only splashes of color, and she looks just as lonely and worried as she's described in the text. Checks out that Adam drew it, he makes so much good stuff.

All in all, a great start, looking forward to more!

Chapter 1​

Alright, continuing on from the previous chapter, it's time to see Yuna on her first day!

Love Carpaccio and Rookie's bumbling dynamic here. Aside from just being hilarious ("why didn't you pipe up earlier, nut-for-brains?", LOL), their skills and personalities seem to complement each other pretty well. They come off as pretty incompetent, but I wonder if there's more to these two than meets the eye? Also nice to see Baraz's power, knocking them both out in one hit. He seems to be at least somewhat powerful, Yuna... maybe not so much yet hehe.

I'm not sure if it's just a coincidence or not, but Horizon Academy is giving me major Harry Potter/Hogwarts vibes so far, what with the friendly chancellor (who's a Fire and Flying type no less!) and his significantly less friendly subordinates, the cup the whole school is competing in, the main character being a student who's out of place due to their background, the Meltan being the silent servants like the House Elves. Perhaps next, we'll get a character who's randomly obsessed with Dragons while everyone else is afraid of them

"That's easy. Smile!" Noctum puffed out his chest. "People like warmth and friendliness. Nothing conveys that like a smile. Watch." He turned to his right, grinning, and waved at a passing ice darumaka. "Hello! Lovely weather we're having, isn't it?"

The darumaka froze mid-step. Her eyes fixed on Noctum's toothy maw. "Ahh! Don't eat me, mister! I don't taste good!" She turned tail and ran off before Noctum could even retort. Yuna floated over and pet Noctum's back while his tail flame dimmed.

It flared right back up, however. "Okay, new idea!" Noctum clapped his hands together. "That bookshop we were in had this book called Fire & Fighting: 151 Fun, Simple Ice-Breakers.

This scene was hilarious, haha!

"This isn't helping you. You're only piling on more sins to weigh down your soul," the beast hissed. "You work for the school. You are a slave to the ether! And I, Xeromus, must guide those awash in its sin to Natus' eternal love."

Giving me IRL flashbacks to a notoriously aggressive missionary at the university I went to. Just need to have security wrestle him out of there while he rants about the coming apocalypse and it'll be complete. Curious if Natus is a name for Arceus here, or if Xeromus worships someone else...?

Good to see Yuna ingratiate herself with her professor, that should help her out. Though maybe that'll just give her a reputation as a teacher's pet, hard to say. The sudden parent-teacher conference however, can surely bring only good

Looking forward to seeing how it goes for Yuna in Chapter 2!

 

[Navar]

Here ya go, another chunk of reviews.

Chapter 35

Hm, yeah, I figured Noctum could bring someone else with him during the warp. Though I'm surprised(and happy) that Seifer wasn't harmed during the process. Either it wasn't a possibility, or Noctum is getting better at doing it. I'm opting to believe the latter option. This first bit is a bit chaotic, with all the conversation and Quetzal showing up and whatnot. However I found it easy to read so it's not a problem. It's good to take the time to focus on some of the side characters, but at the same time Yuna kinda is in danger. She's not exactly in fatal danger, but one nonetheless. Also, mold that eats metal sounds a bit scary. For now it's just... all of them trying to come up with different ways to handle all the stuff thrown at them. Which also includes a swamp monster. Seifer's probably the mvp for this bit, since he's the one with the quickest thinking. In such a high-action scene, it's necessary.

And it keeps on going. Yay. It does feel like an intense situation, like they have little to no time to waste, and that includes saving Kelly. As hard as it must be for poor Skorp. More and more they keep going up. Eventually they're gonna run out of space to run from that Garbodor(apparently named Teddy, which implies it gives good hugs, but I have my doubts about that.) It's interesting that every needle can mutate someone in a different way. Makes a new one showing up as something to be excited about. Gene to the rescue? Gene to the rescue. Also he's gay apparently? Good for him, I might ship him and Cyril. Anyway, it's their best shot at stopping that Garbodor. So Noctum also has quick thinking, which is neat. He's probably my favorite character so far.

Oh, Lugia's protecting an egg? Normally it'd be cute, but I have my doubts considering the whole thing with that Sneasler lady. Also, if the egg is space-colored it makes me think of Cosmog. I wonder what it is... moving on.

Okay, I'm gonna talk about Reshiram here. Doing sacrifices for the greater good? Okay, makes sense. I get it. However, as much as he makes sense here, he's also losing it. He's letting his feelings towards Lugia mess with his judgement. At least I got that impression from him. It's a very intense moment for him, Rayquaza and Yuna. They're all trying to save her, but is it really gonna be possible? I guess I won't know right now, because the chapter is done. What a cliffhanger.

Chapter 36

Well, apart from the initial bit with Yuna, seems this chapter is starting with a flashback sequence. I did want to know more about the sages, so this is the perfect opportunity to do that. First, Lugia and Lunala. Or Lugia and Chiron. In any case, Lugia's first impression isn't that great. I'm not sure what I was expecting of her, but it wasn't of ignoring Bahamut's summons, and not getting lectured by Chiron either. But wow, it's more complicated than that. She wants freedom, which is something everyone wants. I can kind of understand her. About Chiron, she has a Soul Dew, just like Yuna. This certainly isn't foreshadowing, it's just a coincidence. I don't like that Bahamut can just find them that easily. It's not a good look for him. He hasn't even shown up yet(another thing I'm excited about, I love Necrozma).

Ooookay, this is a lot. Chiron barely said anything and Lugia just starts talking non-stop. It's kinda funny, but I probably shouldn't focus on that. It does sound unfair that she can't have love while Chiron and Bahamut do... whatever it is they do. It's a bit hypocritical of him to preach about them not being able to do it, but he can. Though I find it a bit curious that Chiron hasn't accepted his light yet, despite seemingly being in love with the guy. That's interesting. Ah, and Reshiram's old name was Cecil? Cute. I like the reveal that they used to be commoners before becoming sages. It's direct but I do like it. Neat. But hey, Chiron at least let her get away from it for a week. I figured she wasn't all about business. Good to know I was right. It's a cute little scene, and it played with my emotions. Nice flashback honestly.

Oh, they have a baby. So far, it's been a nice little reprive, but I do feel this is just the calm before the storm. In any case, Bahamut finally shows up. He's just as emotionless as I imagined he'd be. I think he probably only shows any kind of emotion other than anger and annoyance when near Chiron. Eh, it happens. Well, the baby is cute, Cosmog is adorable. It's another sweet scene, nothing to complain about it.

All this flashback was a vision Yuna got? Things are getting interesting with each passing chapter. And to finish it off. This Lugia is weird, but I just remembered you got that Salugia adopt(I think it was an adopt), so this must be her. On another note, Yuna finally evolved! I was wondering if she'd ever get to evolve, and here's the answer. This Lugia lady is a bit silly, which means I like her already. Gene shows up again, and wow, he seems angry. Things were sorted out, though. I guess there's not much here.

Okay, the egg hatched right away, and it's another adopt? Neat stuff. It's Leo, which is the same as Bahamut and Chiron's child... ooooh boy, this was something alright. Pretty good chapter.

Chapter 37

No clue who made the entries shown at the start. It's probably Eternatus. Well, whoever it is, they sound like a child, one with too much power. That's all I'll say about this bit.

Hmm, there's a whole lot more going on with Leo than what's apparent already. It's intriguing! Despite only being born for a little while, he already has a bit of knowledge. Not something I want to know the reason behind. Though I imagine he might have been reborn? If that memory was along time ago the egg probably hatched already. And just like I thought, Yuna likely has Chiron's Soul Dew with her. That raises the question as to how her family got it. Still, Leo is adorable, he's so pure and innocent... I hope nothing bad happens to him. In the meantime, Yuna will probably have to be his mom.

Okay, I like Jade. I like all the sages, actually. Each one has their own distinct look, and as I typed this I just realized that with Jade and Cecil, Rayquaza is kinda like a third wheel? Unless he also has a sage for a spouse, but since Bahamut was against that, I kinda doubt it. Jade also can't enter the Soul Dew. Noctum's probably right as to why, but I also think she isn't really dead? Sacrificing herself does imply death, but what do I know? On the bright side Jade joined them very fast. At some point there's gonna be a sage that doesn't want anything to do with it, it feels obvious.

Yuna is not paid enough to deal with everything. Or paid at all. After the fic is done I hope she gets some nice, deserved rest. She earned it so far. Seeing her take some time to process her thoughts and try to figure out what the hell's going on with her is a nice touch too. When you think about it, some of this stuff doesn't add up. Neither her nor me(the reader) has the complete picture. We're just picking up the pieces of a big puzzle. That's all to say I'm going with her. I wanna find out the truth. I also enjoy the little tidbits about Yuna's childhood. Noctum is practically a dad. Or a best friend, or both.

More information on the sages, as well as Bahamut. I suspected he was a lot more complicated than just "emotionless guy", and I'm happy to be right. He's very powerful, of course he's complicated. It was a nice moment, though.

Reaching the end of the chapter and Yuna's already acting like a mom being very worried about Leo. That Braviary kinda showed up out of nowhere, but all it does is make me curious. So, reading more now.

Chapter 38

Oooookay, the logs at the beginning weirded me out. Things will be cleared up in future chapters, I suppose. So the chapter started right where the previous one ended, and there's a weird bird nearby. Convenient and curious at the same time. Funny, he thought she was older. Yuna doesn't look or sound old, but she just evolved(I wonder if she'll get some Dreepy to hold later). The whole thing is odd, I don't know where they are, mister bird doesn't, and just mentioning he's a monk isn't exactly helpful to them. I mean, it doesn't tell them all that much. And the bird doesn't have much to say. It kinda makes him showing up there feel a little pointless, but at least it's funny to see him being just as clueless as Yuna.

Right, they're in Eternatus, so this bird entered Eternatus without even realizing it? Huh, that sure is something, he doesn't seem very bright. He belongs to quite a strange group, with so many names... I've got no clue what he's supposed to be, but I like it. Even Leo understands it. The omniverse... it took a long time for this fic to deal with alternate universes and shit. Hm, I'm not surprised. Honestly it fits right in with the rest of the world, like, it doesn't feel out of place. I like it.

With everything going on I almost forgot to comment on the fact Yuna doesn't seem to recognize Leo as an Arceus(which includes a butt joke, of course). I mean, it's the God above them all, so I imagine it'd be weird if common folk knew what they looked like. But nope, she doesn't know what it is at all. Funny how Bahamut seems more important than Arceus. Leo is surprisingly smart for his age, uh, if he is anything other than a newborn. First time they mentioned a planet not in Eternatus, so I'm excited to see what it's like.

Oh wow. Noctum's backstory is kinda depressing, no wonder he's so attached to Yuna. Poor guy needs a raise. In worse news, everyone inside the Garbodor is dead. I didn't even stop to consider that maybe, sometimes there's no saving them. Sad, but like... it is what it is. Though of course I get why Seifer is upset. It's natural to be.

The last bit of the chapter with Gene... I wonder when I'll get to see his full backstory. I wanna read about it. Anyhow, good chapter.

Chapter 39

Oh. Oh, this one's gonna be a big boy, huh? I checked the wordcount before I started typing this. Nice, just the way I like it. Anyway, here we go.

Mewtwo... I had just mentioned I wanted to know more about Gene, and here it is. Think this is gonna be his chapter. Alright, so the first scene just describes a scientist researching Mewtwo, with the mention of Kanto. Dunno what the relationship between the mainline world and the setting is, but that's a question for another time. I liked the way you did Mewto right after waking up. There's confusion, but there's also some stuff he knows. Not too much, of course, but he knows a few things. By this point he's still too weak to do anything... but he'll grow stronger. From the looks of it, adding human DNA to the mix was actually the answer. I bet the genes come from this scientist.

At first I thought this "Gold" person was the scientist, but reading more of the scene, I don't think he is? It's probably just another psychic that happened to enter in Mewtwo's dream. By following his aura, and unintentionally I think Gold is helping Mewtwo learn new words, as well as their meaning. That's really nice. And their conversation, as vague as it is, feels oddly informative. Gold is a stranger that visited a lot of places, Mewtwo is a stranger to himself... it's like they're both like each other. Two kindred souls inside a dream realm. Weird, but I'll take it. And wooow, they get to become friends! That's adorable. Reading the rest of this bit... oh, it's Bahamut. This only leaves me with more questions. Good job.

Ah, so it wasn't the scientist that shared his DNA, it was this B guy. Cool. Well, Mewtwo is a quick learner... even in the present day he's very smart, and in this flashback I can see that, while he isn't nearly as much, he's developing fast. Surprised that this special chapter has both Gene and Bahamut as a focus, I wouldn't think of that. Still, it tells more about the big light derg. The description of the human he fought implies it's like, Red. Better yet, he thought the battle was fun. Bahamut thought something was fun. This is what surprises me the most. To the point he considers entering a pokéball. That is... wow, I'm really shocked.

Okay, more information now. This time, Giovanni. And as usual, he's a dick. He's a dick that thinks Mewtwo is just a weapon. In a way, he's right, he was created as one. But he can be much more than that if he wants. He's free! Or would be if not for Giovanni. Mewtwo has little to no hope there.

Little to no hope? I meant zero hope. Holy crap this is awful. Beating a trainer is one thing, but erasing someone's memories? That's another thing entirely. And Mewtwo feels so docile, so submissive. It's hard to read. I feel really bad for him. And now he'll be forced to fight against a Zapdos. Which he managed to do without much difficulty. He really is strong, incredibly so. In that way the project succeeded.

He finally meets Mew. He finally defeats Mew. It must be pretty disappointing for him, since he's that powerful. But hey, weapons don't think, so I'm sure he'll ignore it eventually. Though they failed to catch Mew, despite their best efforts.

I was really hoping that his reunion with Bahamut would be sweet, but it's anything except for that. Whatever Giovanni did to him, Mewtwo remembers nothing. Now, I think this is probably his hardest opponent so far. And the worst part is that Bahamut feels betrayed. It's a real bittersweet reunion. His first friend, and probably his last. Must be how Bahamut got his attitude in the future. I feel for him, for once in this fic I feel bad for him. Poor Bahamut was pushed to his absolute limit.

Aaaaaaah, cool, Miraidon shows up here. No sign of his love for sandwiches so far... but he seems like a nice scientist, and this is how Gene gets his crystal, cool too. I'm loving all the reveals so far, it's great. Once again he finds someone just like him, another weapon. And boy do they sass each other. Clearly they'll be the best of friends by the end of this. After Giovanni, someone like Nova is just what Mewtwo needed in his life.

He's losing it. Mewtwo is losing it, despite all the help he's getting. But it makes sense, he was created for a simple purpose, and he failed to do it. Must be rough for him, having nothing to look forward to. Really, really rough. I wouldn't want to be in his shoes. At least Nova is nice. And again, Mewtwo has the chance to get a friend. To get a new purpose. It's nice to hear. He also gets pronouns and a name. Cool.

Okay I know they're friends and all, but... I dunno, they look kinda cute together. Nova in particular, he's just adorable. Telling each other their dreams helps with that a lot.

...Last scene pulled a complete 180, huh? I was almost rooting for Bahamut at the beginning of this chapter, but this at the end? What a fucking bastard. I love to hate him. That's my opinion so far.

Chapter 40

Mewgenics, cute. Doesn't sound creepy at all.

So, while Yuna makes a good point about Nova and Xeromus, I don't think they're the same? Nova did mention he wasn't the only one of his kind around, so it's possible that Xeromus is another one, though one that seemingly got crazy and obsessed with Eternatus. I'll be surprised if it's revealed they are, maybe this is a red herring. It's sad that Gene and Bahamut had such a big falling out, and to think they started as good friends. Though this enlightens me(pun not intended) on Bahamut's deal a lot more. And this is a big shock to the whole worshipping Bahamut thing, though I imagine Yuna won't immediately stop believing in him. God, Paradox is a big bastard. As a villain, though, he's great. Even if he hasn't done anything directly so far, apart from showing the court thing. On Yuna's end, she's a good protagonist too. Convincing Gene to help out(for a rebellion leader he sure seems a bit heartless, though I suppose it's part of his programming).

Now that I think about it, Yuna and Nikki haven't had that much time to talk with each other. I could be misremembering, but hey. Anyway, they're probably friends enough where Yuna asks her for help, or advice. It's a good change of perspective, even if Yuna doesn't immediately change her outlook on life. But she's had enough of everything, so screaming might be the best option for her. She's probably had enough. It's also important to tell Nikki she has a choice on staying or not. Might help with the whole team dynamic. I like it. Quite like reading their conversation, it's nice to have a heart to heart every once in a while, and Nikki was more helpful than I thought.

Okay, so it could be worse for all the sailors. And hey, Yuna's acting like a princess even when faced with the dragon prejudice these people seem to have. Gene's reaction makes it all the more amusing for me. She's sounding more confident too, and I was hoping she'd get to be that way.

So they finally found out where Cakran is. And they're also heading there. This is one ragtag team of... not heroes but they're a team alright. Also, Chiaki is still missing from the story, so I hope he's alright. Meanwhile, Paradox finally has his new toy to play with, and he's finally doing something. I like it.

Chapter 41

Yuna's mom sure feels like an action mom. Or at least a mom that is really worried about her kid. And there's also finally some news on Chiaki's state. That is, he's in the hospital. It must've been a really powerful bomb. I don't even know the status on Scarlett, but I doubt she's okay. She's either dead or just as injured as Chiaki. Alright, so Yuna's mom is actually really cool, I like her determination to help her daughter. Her husband feels a little bit scared though, but I dunno, this is the kind of dynamic I'm a big fan of, so I can't really complain about it. But protecting the small babies is a big deal too, so he's not just doing nothing. Godspeed for both of them.

We interrupt this to bring more news on Shimmer, or more like him running for his life, for once in it. I now realize I was being stupid in not thinking Venish is a stand-in for Venice. With the chaos all around there's bound to be opportunists. Really, the city went to hell in such a short amount of time, I bet Paradox must like that. So the situation somehow gets even worse. I know Shimmer is a prick, but even he didn't deserve losing a loved one like that. It's scary to read, but it must be even scarier in his perspective. And the worst part is that he doesn't even have the time to mourn his loss, because they're trying to kill him too.

What a tense scenario to be in. Now things are a bit different for him, because when it mattered the most all his talk about being a prince was pointless. Shimmer didn't do anything. I imagine that'll bring a big change on his life. Excited to see it. Though I don't like Vegna's attitude here. Again, hard to read him. I'm sure I'll comer around to him later, or I won't. But wow, Shimmer is really gonna blame Chiaki for this? I... I can see where he's coming from, but it's stupid. He's just going through grief. Good chapter, very good.

Chapter 42

Hmmm, no clue what the thing in the beginning is supposed to be just yet, but it makes me curious at least.

And now, finally, after soooo many chapters(it certainly felt like a lot) Chiaki is finally doing something! Or would be if he wasn't stuck inside a hospital bed. Okay, so... he fucked up. Reaaaaally bad. Like, he's so wounded he might as well not do anything anymore. He's alive, sure, but he's not gonna be making any recoveries like this, not anytime soon. No amnesia, just a whole lot of pain. Him saying anything at all surprises me, he must have an immense force of will. Not that it matters all that much, it's not getting him out of that place. Much less when Vegna's just around the corner, doing... his usual schtick.

As always, Vegna is the first to tell the bad news. Or in this case, the worst news. I get that he has some kind of satisfaction in being a dick, but surely there's some kind of limit to how blunt he can be. In any case, Chiaki's situations is as dire as it can be, and as much as it sucks to admit it, he brought it on himself. I do like learning more about how Vegna got his familiars. Somehow it feels out of place and not at the same time. Funny how that works.

Yeah, Chiaki really messed up this time. He, uh, he's in a terrible spot. I honestly can't see any way he can get out of this situation. I feel bad for him, though, because his intentions were good. It just... didn't go the way he planned, and now he paid the price. Ironic, but still, it sucks. Also, finally some light on the Scarlett situation. I was suspecting they kidnapped her, but wow, the story is harsher than that.

It's a heavy scene with Chiaki. To work so hard, to have the best of intentions, only to lose everything. And for once in the fic, he shows some kind of emotions. Only when he's pushed to the limit he's allowed to do that. He's in his lowest point in the story. And just like that, the weird guy (Ahsen) shows up. It's surprisingly convenient, but I don't mind that. It's a deal with the devil, but it's not like Chiaki has any other options.

Now I finally have context for the Salazzle/Grovyle thing. Really good design, and a good chapter too.

Chapter 43

Oh? Vegna's partner is imprisoned? I'm more surprised he found someone that puts up with his attitude, but oh well, hopefully she gets out sooner rather than later.

And speaking of characters with awful attitudes, Shimmer is the focus for now. Cool, I get to see how down he is about the situation in Venish, and it's somehow lower than rock bottom. Seriously. He's usually the one with a big, pompous attitude all around, always reminding others how much better he is than them, that he's the prince and all that. But seeing him this hurt, this upset? I have my limits, and I actually feel sorry for the guy. Even he didn't deserve losing someone important to him. But it says something that one of his thoughts is about going on trial instead of mobilizing others to help find Xander. Maybe his hands(hooves) are tied. Maybe not.

For once I'm glad this isn't about him. Now they're investigating Scarlett's thing. Or Starlene. Makes sense they'd want an answer from Vortex as soon as possible, but the question is whether or not he's hiding something. I really wanna believe he is. Chiaki's also a suspect, but he kinda turned into a hybrid and ran away, so his cooperation isn't expected here. I can't tell how much Shimmer's mom(one of them) cares about him in a personal level since she doesn't seem all that bothered by what he lost. Though announcing what actually happened with Starlene is as good as anything, I suppose.

And they're quick to point out that she wanted the procedure, and wasn't forced. I still have my doubts about that, though. It doesn't feel like I know every bit of detail about this situation. I'm gonna say something though, this scene is so full of politics. I don't follow all of it but I do have an understanding of most of it. Namely that they're trying to find someone to blame for what happened, and there's a bunch of twists and turns, with that part about the kingdom's history being built on lies. I don't know why, but I was always a fan of those kinds of plots. And obviously, none of it will be made public, because the people can't panic. Sounds like an excuse.

There's not much I can say more other than the rising tension. I wonder if Isola was just using this opportunity to fire all of them, or if she is just disappointed in them. Either way, that's another chapter done.

Chapter 44

Alright, next chapter. Not much to say for this beginning part, save for finding the interactions they all have to be cute, Rayquaza in particular, he's my favorite sage(biased, I love Rayquaza). And also liking the teasing done to Gene, him and Nova are so coded.... I do wish they stayed. On another note space would make for a nice dating spot if you can survive the vacuum. I wasn't expecting them to go out into space but I always was a fan of making some kind of pmd fic set in space. I think there's potential, so reading how you handle it should be fun. Good thing (and convenient) that Leo can just sense where the birdman is.

I like the bickering Nikki and Gene seem to have. It's a fun dynamic. I also didn't know what a mesa was until this, so Gene was enlightening for me. Kinda cool. On another note, I am so fucking stupid. I just realized what Guile Hideout is a reference to! It's the manga, and I love the manga. Somehow I just forgot about that character existed, despite how cool it looked, and now there's a character named that way here, along with Gene having a spoon. I do love the manga references. Well, with that out of the way, Gene kind of ditched them, which is just rude. And they're immediately attacked, because team Bastion can't catch a break for once in their lives.

No clue what eating carrots has to do with getting better vision, but at least it's funny. It's a desolate planet, which makes attacking first and asking questions later a viable strategy for them. And to add to the list of coincidences(or maybe not? wink wink) these fire and water mons have the names of the leaders of team magma and aqua. I'm sure that's just a coincidence and not foreshadowing(TM). Good thing they managed to convince the two though.

Paradox gets weirder every single time I see him. And this time it's another type:null(or full). He seems more brainwashed than Gene was in his backstory chapter, and that's saying something. At least his brainwashing seems entertaining? I mean, it's kinda cute, so I don't find it creepy or anything. Though Paradox did raise one from a child state to make sure they wouldn't rebel. That is the creepy part of this. The worst part is that Paradox doesn't even care all that much about his so-called child. And that's a wrap for this chapter.

Chapter 45

More news on Chiaki. He's taking this well, or as well as h can. He'll probably have to wait until he has enough time to really process what happened to him. Though he doesn't seem to have gotten the short end of the stick. Every injury he had was healed, he's got a sick look, Volcarona wings, so it doesn't seem that bad. I'm sure the consequences to his actions will show up sooner rather than later. The first of which is him taking Scarlett with him. Right now since Vegna's the only one that knows where he is I imagine he'll be the one showing up. Still, I think it's kinda cool, as long as he doesn't get like, possessed or something.

He's quick to pull up a backstory out of nowhere. And also quick to give himself a new name, though Igneous? It is kinda funny that he didn't pick it because he looks like that, but because it's a codename. At least it fits him. With this development I can also see he's a good actor, so if nothing else he can try that as a gig. Interesting city, too, a place full of mutated Pokémon, not something I was hoping to see, but I like it anyway. Poor Scarlett... is what I'd say but I'm not sure how to feel about her. It's complicated.

Few people can answer what happened to him, but I'm gonna stop here to make a bit of an analysis on Chiaki. His most prominent issue is the feeling of being a dead weight. Certainly related to not having one of his limbs. The eagerness of joining Yuna on her quest is also likely motivated by that issue of his. It's affected him deeply, until it exploded(literally) on his face. Chiaki's a complicated character, and a compelling one too.

Anyway, at least he's aware that his current predicament is kind of(if not all) his fault. He can recognize that. Though the situation for him is most likely unsalvageable by this point. It really sucks, but there has to be some way he can redeem himself. Him not exactly enjoying his choice of accepting that deal makes sense too, even if he was desperate for a solution. And now I guess I should keep calling him Igneous. His and Scarlett's conversation was neat too, though it doesn't entirely solve their beef, it might help a little.

To finish the chapter, a whole scene with Shimmer. I didn't realize how deep his thing with Xander was, and his moms don't seem like good parents either. And the nail on the coffin is that he has a disease that stops him from evolving. And just like Chiaki did, Shimmer takes a deal with someone he shouldn't be messing with. This can only end well.

Chapter 46

Seems Yuna's not panicking about her religion(is it religion?) involving Bahamut being full of holes and lies. I expected her to do that, but on the other hand, she's had some growth. She's more confident now, so I can see why she's not spending too much time thinking about, even if the thought does pop up from time to time. She also seems to be getting used to being called "mom" by Leo, for better or for worse. Feels nice to have some kind of downtime between all the action, it's appreciated. After a Miraidon cameo before, Koraidon makes an appearance. The cool bike lizard! I was expecting to see more details about gen 9 on later chapters.

Nevermind, there is some hesitation on being a mom. Anyhow, Koraidon looks kinda majestic from the prose, which I found cool. As for Noctum and Valkyrie, I didn't want to see them battle their differences out, and the fact this monastery is peaceful just made me shocked when Koraidon suggested it. Uh, it can help, I guess, but surely there's other ways. Noctum starting it was also surprising, so maybe the crystal in him did change something. Though it doesn't come up that often, so I'm unsure. Maybe it doesn't matter. Though I love Noctum, I don't think he'll be the winner. He doesn't seem like a particularly strong fighter.

Alright then, not what I wanted but let's see how this fight goes. So far, not exactly good for Noctum. Like I thought he doesn't really want to, and right in the middle of it there's some backstory for Valkyrie. It's... kinda sad, but I do see how she got her personality, and why she can be stoic at times. Not saying I like it, but I get it. Though she did push him enough to actually make Noctum be aggressive, so a win for her. In the end, he even mega evolved. Kinda forgot that was a thing. Now they get to train to use mega evolution, cool.

Chapter 47

Ooooh someone wants to destroy Eternatus. That can only end well for the thousands if not millions of people stuck inside of that thing.

More information on the world? Count me in! More specifically on the monastery, and the ones that lived there before the monks(unsure if I should call them monks, but for lack of a better word it'll be this), in this case, the Overseers. If they patrol space, they must be really strong, but if something forced them out of there... then it must be something even more dangerous. Also, information about the dimensions here. So many... I like the concept of a multiverse so this just makes me more excited. Along with all this talk is the implication that Archie and Maxie are, well, their namesakes. And I wonder if this anomaly is Eternatus, or something even more dangerous. So many questions... and I also just realize Alder is the champion from Unova. I'll be honest and say I just forgot what his name was in the games, so I didn't connect the dots until now. All in all, it was pretty informative.

A cut to Gene and the rest of his gang. I did wonder how they were doing. Seifer was just... bored, I guess, and there's a quick explanation as to how(or why) Cyril joined. On another note, good to take the time to make them get caught up about Venish, though nothing about Chiaki(if I'm not mistaken they don't even know the guy?). I'm also just now realizing that I don't know the timeline of events, or how much time passed between chapters. The vibe of their mission is cool too, it's been a while since they had some action.

Ah, and Kyoko is a bitch, ratting Igneous out. Not the family reunion I was hoping for, at all. It's not all bad at least, and they'll go after Yuna. So I was right in that Igneous would end up finding a way to make up for what he did. Better than I thought, and a good job.

Chapter 48

More insight on Bahamut's personality right at the beginning of this chapter(unless it's another Necrozma, which I doubt). Not much to comment about it but I like it.

Now to the main part of the chapter. Training arc? Training arc! Or a training chapter at least. I was wondering why Nikki was there since Toxtricity can't mega evolve, so I'll just assume that, to her in particular, this is to acquire Dynamax. In any case, it's not that bad. Climbing a mountain sounds dangerous enough, but just the right amount that they have a feasible chance of survival. That being said it woulnd't make any sense to make this easy on them, especially considering one of them can actually flight, so naturally that should be disabled. On the bright side, they managed to reach a safe zone, so yaaaay.

I think the climb itsefl is there to help them control their new forms, and I just remembered how silly Mega Garchomp can look, so Valkyrie's comment was funny. Still, they're making some nice progress on the training, and they're faring better than I thought they would. It's cool. It's also cute seeing Noctum be flustered when looking at Valkyrie. Not gonna start shipping them but at least it makes for a cute mental image. So far Nikki hasn't done anything, and she hasn't even gotten her cool form. Wasn't expecting a "sentient" trial, though, but I guess it fits nicely with the monastery.

Hooray, they managed to reach the top without killing each other, with full control of their forms, and all they got was a dumb doodle as a prize. Oh, and more power, which is the real prize! It didn't feel that dangerous, but I guess it happens when they get such a big powerup. These monks are surprisingly more humorous than I expected them to be, which is a nice change of pace from how the trope usually goes. Though I think they went a little too far with the dramatic effect.

And now a scene with Seifer and Cyril. I mentioned it before, but they're not all that different from each other. I think they can understand one another if they really tried to. There's a lot of turmoil within Seifer, but... he's working through it. Cyril can help out too, I think. But also Cyril is just flirting with him at this point. And I have to admit they do look kind of cute together... well, not like there's much left in the chapter for them to talk about.

Chapter 49

The resistance is a lot more chaotic than I thought. I also don't think they have that many soldiers? Not anymore, at least. Though Gene is probably strong enough to handle things with little assistance, but hey, even he needs it. Cyril also is so dramatic, I love him a lot. He's cool and smart. But even if he sends a message throughout the city I doubt everyone's gonna listen to him. Hell, some people might be aware of the truth and just choose to ignore it. However, it's better than doing nothing. And despite this good start to their little assault, Paradox is obviously gonna do something to stop them. That means oh wow, I get to see him doing something at last.

Counterpoint: Paradox is good at brainwashing people with propaganda. Heh, his speech about why Eternatus keeping them all trapped is a good thing almost made me believe him, if not for everything else in the story pointing to the opposite direction. I don't know if he has good intentions and just doesn't see it or if Paradox knows he's full of crap and just spreads misinformation on purpose. Either option isn't particularly good, but I thought about it, it does feel like it's the first one. Just a thought, I guess. Much to my own surprise... he burst into song. A whole musical number, what the hell! It took me by surprise, but I actually like it a lot, mostly because of how unexpected it was.

In hindsight, Deoxys can be quite the scary Pokémon, since they're mostly a virus. Displaying that with Paradox? Holy crap, it's weird and creepy, I don't like it. Good job with that. All that talk about not letting the people of the kingdom discover the truth is kinda down the drain thanks to him, and in a way, I do like that he's saying it to them. I just don't like everything else associated with Paradox.

Again, the resistance was doing well at the start of the chapter, but wow, Paradox always seems to have some kind of contigency plan for these situations. I can't say he's not prepared. Chapter's over, and it was a good one too.

Chapter 50

Still no clue what the thing in the beginning is all about, but I'm excited to learn more about it along the way. I'm sure I'll get an answer soon enough.

So it's back to the monks. And here it is, Koraidon loves sandwiches. And I don't even mind the thing about growing meat on trees, because I'm a Digimon fan and that's a given in that franchise. Anyway, Yuna actually made a point that I was thinking about myself: the omniverse collapsing having nothing to do with the needles. From a story perspective it doesn't make much sense to introduce it, unless it's either foreshadowing or they are connected after all. That being said, I'm almost expecting Leo to call Nikki his aunt, which I can imagine she's not liking. And of course she'd be stinky. At least it's funny.

Awww, cute, Reshiram has a cute nickname for Zekrom. He's also right in that having a moment to relax after all the serious stuff they had to deal with is a good thing. I'd argue it's the best thing they could do. A moment of calm before the storm, if you will. It's nice to see them talking with each other so casually, it's that kind of team dynamic I was hoping to see way back when the story started.

More talk with Noctum and Valkyrie. And since they're not on each other's throats, that makes the scene flow better. Though she still acts like, well, herself. I imagine she and Nikki could be besties if they wanted. I also imagine their disgust at calling each other "besties". And with mega evolution there's always a cost, with losing control or just becoming exhausted. With training they can mitigate that, but I'd like it if those consequences didn't disappear entirely. Oh, and Koraidon's reached someone. I wonder who it could be.

Okay so this new Koraidon is more like a... Koolraidon, eh? In any case, more dimensional stuff. I should be used to it by now. His personality is a complete 180 from Kora so... wow. I wasn't expecting him to be so blunt and crude. But it's kinda nice to see. So they need to find another Overseer to help, which won't be difficult to do at all. I like it.

Chapter 51

A segment from the beginning that I can actually sort of understand! Cool. Doesn't change my thoughts on Bahamut but it's nice to finally get it.

Hm, neat, they don't shoot out Dreepy from their heads anymore. It does seem kind or barbaric, unless you're a child and playing with your parents. Although Yazmat hardly seems like the kind of parent that would do that. Still, she's better than Shimmer's moms in my opinion, at least she seems to care for Yuna(and all her other children). And Aeon itself has more than just a bunch of savages(or so Etherium thinks) with enough technology to have like, super gummies. I don't wanna know how that's possible but man is it cool.

Hey, despite Igneous' own recklessness causing his downfall, he's still like that. He wouldn't change that in just a single day(or a few days?) so it fits him to fall back on those habits. Although to be fair, it is Xeromus, even I want to punch him in that birdie face. It's funny, he speaks like an actual cultist. Seriously, it feels so unhinged from his choices of words. I'm sure that he believes what he says, but does he really need to be so cryptic? I mean, he probably does but I can at least make fun of it(not a complaint though). And if that wasn't enough, the cute little Type:Full is there. He's adorable, but... yeah.

All this time I completely forgot that "Natus" was just a short version of Eternatus and thought it was the bird. Funny how that works. In any case he seems eager to tempt(?) Igneous about his faith or whatever, and I'm glad to see Igneous wasn't having any of that. He's strong-willed if anything.

There's a bunch of cuts between the points of view for this chapter, and I found it a bit jarring. Still, it got easy to follow as I read more, so I'm not gonna complain that much. Obviously little W1-DG3T wouldn't be convinced he's wrong with just a simple conversation. But on the bright side, Yuna managed to get in

And to finish this chapter's review, the final scene from it. Namely, Necrozma. But the fact he's not called "Bahamut" is curious to say the least... I figured there might be another one.

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 78: Water-Type Under the Bridge​

Entry 2201
The newcomer has spoken with a couple of Sages. They said it was just simple questions. About the world. About the Sages. About me. Apparently she ran away from her home.

Otherwise, she's kept mostly to herself. Something about her aura feels familiar. Even the term "lunala" tickles the back of my head. And yet I'm not sure why.

I should try talking to her. Suicune and Reshiram both asked I use a gentle approach, though. Hence, I've left her to her own devices. How much longer do I do that for? They didn't specify a timeframe for this "gentle" approach of theirs. It's rather frustrating...

XxX​

Days of stumbling across the Qliphoth half-blinded were finally behind Necrozma. He had started to fear the remaining Needles were gone. That his power was taken by the one he'd sensed fragments of his light within.

That infernal drakloak. Necrozma didn't know what she thought she was doing. Why her aura had traces of his beloved. But he couldn't find her. And Necrozma couldn't get a lock on a single Needle.

... That finally changed. After slowly drifting from planet to planet within the Qliphoth, he found one composed of bare, labyrinthian tunnels. Dim crystal chunks lay in dirt walls. Twinkling between pillars of wood and metal.

He lumbered through the abandoned mine. Its purpose long past fulfilled, it was left to decay and disarray. The same thing that was happening to his home. That was why he needed his power back. To protect it— no, save it.

The light he sensed got brighter. Warmer. A beacon that drew him through the tunnels. Made every step a bit less painful.

Yet there was a problem: a soul. A single one he sensed by his power. Paradigm energy dwelled within it. A wretched daemon, sniffing around what was rightfully his. Had that so-called emperor ordered the soul to approach the Needle? Study it? Try to pull it?

Necrozma would show them. He would strike with unrelenting force to repel them. His crystal tendrils rippled. He silently wound up, then struck the ground underneath him. His crystal tendrils pulsed with psychic energy, keeping the walls and roof of the cavern rooted in place. There would be no collapsed tunnels here.

Instead, Thousand Waves rippled across the ground. Necrozma flew after it, to follow his surprise attack. The emerald energy carried forward, until the Needle's glimmering blue gem shined ahead of him.

The Thousand Waves struck the armor-clad knight standing in front of it. He skidded across the orange, uneven ground. He struggled to maintain his grip on his incandescent blade.

Necrozma's core flickered. The knight tried to raise his blade, but psychic blasts buffeted it, knocking it further back. Red dust and gravel kicked up all around him. This knight was clumsy and awkward. Unaccustomed to the Paradigm shard he held.

"Pathetic." Necrozma's tendrils rippled under his shadows. Concentrating a bit more, he realized the aura beneath the knight's armor was familiar. However, it stirred no emotions. Only faint memories of prior weakness.

After a few seconds, Necrozma made the connection.

The knight was another of his past mistakes. He destroyed Mewtwo's creator. Necrozma was sure of it. Yet here he was, clad in armor with a strange energy. Another case of Eternatus twisting the rules. Bending nature in ways it didn't deserve to bend. Which was why Necrozma needed to destroy Eternatus.

The Paradigm was merely fragments of the Universe. The unfathomable power at the center of Eternatus' existence. And the very thing that made it so difficult to destroy.

Another Universe fragment would be his. And the Needle this knight was foolish enough to protect would follow. This mistake would not escape. He wasn't Mewtwo. He couldn't teleport. Necrozma had him.

"You sought power through control of others." Necrozma flicked his right hand. A blade of light appeared. "You were doomed to fail from the beginning. You never had power of your own, human."

The knight shot Icicle Spears forward, as if to defy Necrozma. But they were tiny slivers, shredded into mist by a single swipe of his light blade. More sword-shaped Photon Geysers formed over the knight.

"I will show you real power!" Necrozma curled his crystal fingers. The swords descended.

... And landed in the ground, kicking up more red dust. Necrozma looked around, at the vessel-like rocks weaving all around him. Pulsating with orange fluid like a buzzwole's arms.

He just had to concentrate and— there!

Necrozma fired a bevy of Thousand Arrows to his right. Several electronic shouts filled the air. The metallic remnants of those stupid Eternatus Troopers fell into a haphazard pile of scrap metal. Necrozma kept concentrating... but the knight's aura was gone. Some speedy robot must have charged in to give him cover to flee.

"No matter." His crystal tendrils carried him across the orange ground. A single Plasma Fist broke through columns of rock, revealing the Needle buried in the middle of other orange-fluid filled rocks.

Latios appeared in a puff of black smoke by what passed for Necrozma's right shoulder. Glanced at him with empty blue eyes.

"This is what the world needs. I must have all the power."

He reached toward it.

"Hello again, Suicune."

XxX​

The ocean gently lapped against the shore. Back and forth. Back and forth.

Chiron watched the sand darken with each wave, then brighten when the water pulled away. It was almost hypnotic, especially with the sun shining down on her.

"Everything okay?"

Chiron looked up. Suicune sat on the water, like it was nothing. She was well aware suicune were capable of that from the ones she'd encountered within Eternatus. But this was her first time seeing one under natural light. She never realized how beautiful the sparkling head crystal was. Her mane glistened, too. Blue hair flowed with the cool ocean breeze.

"Yeah. Sorry, just... thrown off a bit." Chiron rubbed the right side of her head. She had to choose her words carefully. These Luminous Sages were still feeling her out and getting a sense for her intentions. "We didn't have a lot of," she gestured at the ocean with her wing, "this where I'm from."

"Ah. Yeah, it's really something, huh?" Suicune turned around, ribbons fluttering. Chiron resisted the urge to laugh. The butt ribbons ruined Suicune's regal appearance, in her opinion. If this Bahamut fellow really did craft the Sages from light, he could've at least made some design alterations.

"So, uh, you used to be a different pokémon, right?" the lunala asked to distract herself. "Was the water a big part of your life before you took this job?"

Suicune nodded. "Would you believe me if I said I was a dreadnaw?"

Chiron blinked. Truthfully, no. She remained silent.

"Pfbt. That look on your face tells me everything."

The lunala ducked her head under her left wing. How embarrassing. A few weeks outside the Qliphoth and she'd forgotten how to mask her facial expressions? Matriarch would—

... No. Stop. She left Eternatus for a reason. This didn't matter.

Lifting her head, Chiron said, "It is a strange leap. I mean, I guess you're still four-legged."

"But dreadnaw isn't a picture of beauty and grace." Suicune pivoted to wink at Chiron.

"Is that what your, um, Sage title is?"

"The Sage of Grace, yes." Suicune bobbed her head. She strode across the water. The small waves passed around her legs like they weren't even an obstacle. "In its natural state, water is graceful. Always flowing. Drifting. Cascading."

She flicked her right forepaw, kicking up some ocean spray that showered the sand in front of Chiron. The wet grains glistened even as they quickly dried up.

"Right." Chiron stared at the drying sand. Suicune made sense, and yet the lunala was still confused. "But what does grace have to do with protecting the planet?"

Flummoxing, Suicune stumbled a bit. Which was enough to break her water-walking powers, as she fell forward with an audible splat. Chiron raised a brow at the Suicune-shaped imprint in the sand left behind when Suicune got back to her feet. And it was really hard not to laugh at the sand and silt caking Suicune's face and hair.

"Was it something I said?" Chiron mused.

Suicune did her best to look unphased, shaking the silt off. "I honestly asked my teacher the same question." She twisted her neck and a blue diamond on a chain swiveled out of her hair. It had that same eight-pointed star Chiron saw on the back of Bahamut's head. Other Sages had different-colored gems with the same symbol and she wasn't sure why.

"And I assume you got an answer?" Chiron said.

"Bahamut feels that if we carry ourselves with grace, we're less likely to come to blows," Suicune explained. Finished shaking off the sand, she walked onto the shore. A wave swept away half the trail of pawprints she left behind.

"I see." Chiron folded her wings over her torso. "And not fighting is... important."

"Yes." Suicune glanced skyward. "More than anything, Bahamut wants this world to be as tranquil as possible. That's why the Sages exist."

Chiron frowned. She envisioned a togekiss in the back of her head.

"You must keep Eternatus as peaceful as possible. Fighting will only serve to draw the Renegade toward us and ruin everything."

"Isn't it our nature as pokémon to fight, though?" Chiron wondered, trying to shake the memory out of her mind.

"You mean, like, for sport?"

"At the very least."

Suicune shrugged. "Bahamut doesn't see it that way. He dreams of a world where battling isn't necessary."

Chiron looked down. Why would pokémon even have powers, then? It was completely at odds with Bahamut's way of thinking.

"Something wrong?"

The lunala stiffened. "Hmm?" She shook her head. "I'm fine. Just thinking."

"About your home?"

A single nod.

Suicune slowly slid onto her belly. "But you fled from there, right? Was battling that big of a deal?"

Chiron sighed. "In a manner of speaking."

"Well, if the place made you so unhappy you had to leave, maybe you ought to give our way of thinking a try," Suicune said. She traced a forepaw in a circle through the sand. "See if it's really that strange or not."

Chiron wasn't sure it was that simple. Keeping a low profile was important, though. She wasn't looking to upset Bahamut. Better to play along while she continued to feel things out.

Even if it did sound strange, Chiron doubted it was worse than remaining Archbishop.

XxX​

"Gah!"

Yuna's head shot up. The drakloak furiously rubbed her eyes, then pulled her hands away.

Damp? Why were her hands wet?

... Oh, she had dropped down onto a towel.

Right, I'd finished showering. Yuna looked over her shoulder. Steam faded from the glass shower door. Water droplets trickled down into the shower basin.

She wasn't sure whether to count her blessings that she didn't pass out while showering. The fact that the Phantom — they were calling it Necrozma, apparently — had another Needle was quite alarming. However, it wasn't like Yuna could do anything about it right this second.

Sighing, the drakloak picked herself and her towel off the floor. She finished drying off and tossed the towel into a wicker basket sitting in the corner by chipped green ceramic tiles. Yuna floated toward the door and pushed it open.

Who to tell first? She doubted everyone was together at the moment. Yuna turned right and floated down the hall. Hopefully she wouldn't get turned around trying to find her way back to the restaurant.

"Couldn't you, y'know, just make a rift to it?" Reshiram pointed out.

"Tis true! Work smarter and not harder," Rayquaza added.

"Right." Yuna rubbed the front edge of her rectangular head. She was about to call forth a small rift when faint golden light appeared at the other end of the hall.

I think someone's coming. Yuna straightened up a bit. Her ectoplasm shriveled the moment she realized the gold light came from a familiar dusknoir.

It was hard to read his single eye, but Yuna afforded herself a guess. "Looking for me?"

Vegna looked at his right arm. Golden embers trickled off of it, dissolving against the walls and floor. "Necrozma found another Needle."

"Yeah." Yuna's shoulders sagged. "I don't suppose you and Gene have come up with some way to stop him yet?"

Vegna turned away from her.

"I'm going to go with 'no,'" Reshiram said.

Yuna floated toward him. "So, what now?"

The dusknoir continued down the hall, saying nothing.

"Okaaaay." Yuna followed him. Maybe he was looking for somewhere private— okay, yeah, he literally just went into some random door on the left. Yuna stopped in the doorway. It was an empty room, save for a broom and a dustpan. Given the dust sprinkled on the floor, the room hadn't served a purpose for quite a while.

"I have sought for a joy without pain, for a solid without fluctuation," Vegna said, crossing his arms. His eye dimmed. "Why will you die, O Eternals? Why live in unquenchable burnings?"

"Huh?" Yuna tilted her head.

"He was fond of a particular poet from Earth," Vegna explained. "Bahamut wrote most of the poems in his journal."

"He'd recite stanzas from them to us all the time," Reshiram said, nodding in the back of Yuna's head.

"It was so boooraaaaaaawming."

Yuna shoved Cresselia out of her mind before could yawn again. What did any of this have to do with stopping Necrozma? "Is poetry the key to beating him? Force him to remember things he liked?" Stopping him with the power of positive memories sounded like something right out of Shaymin the Wanderer's Super Darkness Crisis.

"The best thing we can do against Necrozma is stall him." Vegna tapped his right index finger against his left arm. "Stall and find Needles before him. His power is too great. Not even Mewtwo can stand up against him."

That wasn't what Yuna needed to hear. Vegna had basically given up before taking a solid crack at anything! "Then why go through all the trouble to find us?" The drakloak leaned against the doorway.

"I had to." Vegna squeezed his arms. There was an uncertainty in the dusknoir's voice Yuna hadn't heard before. "And you didn't let me finish," he added, a bit more like his rigid self.

Yuna reluctantly gestured for him to continue.

"If we want to defeat Necrozma, we must reunite Phantom with soul." Vegna held his hands up and squished them together.

"You can do that?" Yuna eyed Vegna skeptically. She heard about the necromancy thing, but if Bahamut severed his soul ages ago, it would be long gone.

"A soul cannot be erased." Vegna turned and braced his left hand on the wall. "I would stake my necromancy title on that fact. Bahamut's soul is still out there. Perhaps it passed to this 'Overworld' realm, but I strongly doubt it."

"I bet he thinks pulling more Needles will force the soul out of wherever it's hiding," Reshiram said. Yuna decided to pass that theory along to Vegna, who nodded slowly.

"That's my deduction." He tapped his index finger against the wall. "Necrozma reacted violently to the Needles I pulled, after all."

Makes sense.

"Hold it!" Reshiram's fur puffed out in Yuna's psyche. "He said Needles. Like more than one!"

Yuna blinked. "Hang on... Needles? I thought it was just Zekrom."

Vegna pushed himself away from the wall. His hands flickered gold. Griffon and Talonflame touched down on the dusty floor, spreading their wings in unison.

"Lo! I unfold my darkness," he declared. "And on this rock, place with strong hand the book of eternal brass, written in my solitude."

Poetry was not what Yuna needed to connect the dots. The drakloak rubbed her forehead. "These two are sages? There's no way. I mean, Talonflame's a fer—"

Talonflame opened his wings and screeched.

"Aww, there, there." Griffon draped a metallic wing over Talonflame. "She didn't mean it."

"Much like the blabbermouth half-lugia, these two were already corrupted." Vegna gestured to Talonflame. "Victini, Sage of Victory." He then pointed at Griffon, but the corviknight beat him to the punch.

"Raikou reporting in!" Griffon saluted with a wing. "Apparently. Don't remember diddly squat about those days."

Yuna's eyes slowly widened. There's no way...

"Hmm. I doth recall Sir Raikou having a mouth on him," Rayquaza said. "Not in the same way Dame Lugia did, either. He would mouth off at Bahamut. She would crack jokes."

"Can you prove that?" Yuna squeaked.

Griffon cawed with laughter. "What kind of hack d'ya take V for, huh? Proof's in the journal-flavored pudding. My name shows up there." The corviknight puffed out his chest. "I'm Baha-famous!"

"And we're done here." Vegna snapped his fingers. Both his birds vanished in flecks of golden light. "Satisfied?"

Now it was Yuna's turn to brace herself, only she used the doorframe. "I guess so."

What had they been talking about originally?

Right, a way to stop Necrozma. "So, there's really no other way besides Needle hunting?" Yuna found that quite dangerous if it would bring them to further blows with Necrozma. "Couldn't we just let him get the others and search for the soul?"

"The more he has, the stronger he will be, even after we strip his invincibility," Vegna said. "He attacked you with the techniques of the Sages he acquired, did he not? You're only worsening your odds by letting him get Needles."

Yuna wasn't sure how big a difference it could really make. "I mean... Bahamut was already strong enough to sink an entire island. What could a few extra Sages do for him?"

"More attacks for him to use, obviously."

Silence followed. The two ghosts stared each other down.

"Forgive the discourtesy of my curt response." Vegna leaned against the wall again. "It's a risky situation no matter what. The journal suggests Bahamut was consumed by rage leading up to his death. Reviving him... could revitalize that anger and aggression."

"As if what he did to Gene wasn't aggressive?" Yuna countered. Vegna's expression was too tough for the drakloak to read. She'd need the direct approach to get more out of him. "Is there something you're not telling me?" Yuna did her best to look as tired as possible. "I'm sick of making decisions without having all the information."

"I pulled the first Needle." Vegna looked down at his right hand. Golden fissures enveloped most of it. He squeezed his hand shut. The cracks sealed themselves. "Every subsequent one has worsened the destabilizing. It's getting harder and harder to keep my body together."

Yuna saw where this was going. "This big idea of yours... you won't be around to see it through to the end."

A single nod.

"Figures." Yuna rubbed her temples, torn between a couple of different responses. She could've told him it was easy for him to float there and throw out crazy ideas. Yuna didn't like Vegna. It was hard to feel bad for the guy.

"I'm not expecting any pity," Vegna said, as if he'd read her thoughts. "I made a lot of bad decisions in my youth." He glanced at his right hand again. "It took time for the consequences to catch up to me, but I don't intend to run from them."

"A lot of decisions? What else besides the Needles?" Reshiram wondered.

"What do you mean by that?" Yuna asked Vegna.

"Using my new abilities for my own benefits," the dusknoir replied. "A path that eventually led to me becoming an executioner for the Kingdom of Radiance." He crossed his arms and bowed his head. "And, at first, I was more than happy to carry out that task. But as the years went on, a deep unease gripped me that only grew over time."

"Unease?" Yuna tilted her head. "About?"

"Radiance's royal family." Vegna floated up to Yuna. "I'm hardly a pure soul. Yet at the time, I couldn't shake the sense there was a dreadful rot at the center of the kingdom. So, I put in the effort to transition from working in the prison system to the courts."

Yuna raised a brow. "All so you could conduct your own investigation?"

"Did Paper Boy not offer you a glimpse at the fruits of my labor?" Vegna shrugged. He looked ready to push Yuna aside, so the drakloak gave him the space to float out the door.

"So, what? You'll do what you can to help, then leave us to clean up the rest of the mess?" Yuna said. She kept her distance, but still gave a disapproving look. After all, Vegna having Igneous take all that evidence to Sakaki hardly qualified as helping.

"I'm hardly thrilled about it, either." Vegna's shoulders sagged. Some of the golden cracks returned on his right arm. "But it cannot be avoided."

They were talking in circles. Yuna couldn't come up with anything else, other than, "Fine. Whatever. But when we find new dimensional anomalies, those take priority. So, if you want the Needles salvaged that badly, you'll have to do a lot more to help."

The dusknoir didn't respond at first. He made an effort to hide his right arm. "There's a ferocity about you I never saw when you were a dreepy."

Yuna held tough at his attempts to unnerve her. "You didn't see me much as a dreepy to begin with."

"Valid point." Vegna... chuckled? Yuna didn't think he was capable of it. "Do not let it slip away. Because continuing down this path will lead you to discover several horrible truths. And without that tenacity... the weight of those truths will crush you."

Vegna floated away before Yuna could press him on that. The drakloak tried flying after him, but Vegna was faster. She stopped by the door to a metal stairwell, watching Vegna float up through a gap in the middle of the stairs.

What did he mean by that? Did he have a premonition?

"I didn't think necromancers doubled as fortune tellers," Reshiram said. "But 'horrible truths?'" He shuddered in Yuna's mind. "Something about the way he phrased that doesn't sit right with me."

Yuna wasn't sure if that meant Vegna lied... or something completely different. And the conversation tired her out enough to where she didn't want to fall down that raboot hole.

"At the very least, thou shouldst inform thine allies of this latest Needle pulling."

Right. Yuna slowly hovered up the stairs. That much, at least, was easy to do.

XxX​

Crisp air brushed Igneous' scales. Soft grass crunched under his feet. The grovlazzle trudged across the grassy hills surrounding Horizon Gardens, craning his head up to take in as much of the setting sun as he could.

Try as he might, he couldn't get that forest out of his head. It was disturbingly familiar. So were the pokémon he saw in it. But why? Outside of one of them sharing a name with a certain toxtricity, he had nothing.

However, the forest remained a nagging unease. Its large trees and thick brush kept popping up in his mind. So, after giving a report on what happened in Tulpise, he asked someone to rift him over to Horizon Gardens. Igneous figured the empty grass fields could help clear his head a bit.

It wasn't working as intended. Igneous kept seeing faint outlines of large trees. Or a specter of a riolu running in front of him, arms stuck out to the side.

Why? Igneous rubbed his head with his claws. Why won't it stop? What had that cloud daemon done to him?

It had to be some sort of psychic trick. Maybe if Igneous went to Gene, the mewtwo would find something?

Igneous' snout twitched. Fruity and sweet, but also bitter. Nearby wine? Was someone out picnicking? He had to make himself scarce. But when he turned to head down the hill and back toward Horizon Gardens, he noticed glistening white out of the corner of his eye.

The grovlazzle crept closer and spotted nine messy tails... and the white-furred ponyta— or ponytales they came from. Shimmer tossed an empty bottle over his left shoulder. It bounced along the grass and rolled to a stop by a couple other empty bottles.

Igneous didn't get the chance to consider his next move, because Shimmer abruptly turned around. Recognition flashed in his eyes. Then he squinted. "Are you stalking me?"

"No." Igneous held his hands up. After Tulpise, he didn't want to deal with any more psychics poking at his mind or squishing him against the ground. "You were in Tulpise, right? So was I. I guess we both had the same idea."

They silently stared each other down. Eventually, Shimmer gave a small huff. He pivoted back around, flicking disheveled white hair over his shoulder. "I'm not sharing." Shimmer levitated another wine bottle up and yanked the cork off. The pop drew a wince from Igneous.

"Maybe you should slow down?" Igneous cautiously approached.

"Why? I've got Pastel Veil." Shimmer rolled his eyes. He took a swig from the bottle.

"Right." Igneous kept walking until he stood over Shimmer. "But I doubt your liver's appreciating this."

Shimmer paused in the midst of tilting the bottle. His eyes darted between the grovlazzle and his wine. Grunting, Shimmer set the bottle down. "What does it matter? I'm nothing but a failure."

Somehow, Shimmer sounded more dour than he did back in the library. Igneous figured literally looking down on the ponytales didn't help. He quickly sat down, bending his knees to lean against them. "Tulpise that rough, huh?" It was the most logical conclusion he could draw.

"Did you bring the materials I gave you to the Beacon or not?" Shimmer refused to meet Igneous' gaze.

"I did. Then we went to Tulpise." Visions of the forest flooded Igneous' mind again. "We had," he shuddered, "our own issues to deal with there."

"Well, you must've had a better time with your 'issues,'" Shimmer huffed. He levitated up the bottle again, ready to take a drink from it.

"Hard to say. My 'issues' got away," Igneous admitted. And left a present in my head.

Frowning, Shimmer gulped down some of the wine. "Getting away is better than destroying your meltan titan and making off with all the meltan that formed it. Because that's what happened to me."

Igneous' tails and head leaf briefly ignited. "Shit! Shit!" He turned around and swatted the grass where his tails were before it caught fire. The grovlazzle stiffened. "I, uh—"

"See?" Shimmer swallowed another mouthful of wine. "You think I screwed up, too."

"I was surprised." Igneous shifted his weight uneasily. "Didn't know the meltan could... make a titan or anything."

"And now Eternatus' forces have it," Shimmer said, ears folding. God, the self-loathing in his voice. It was... scarily familiar to Igneous. "I'm supposed to be stronger. To have the power to make things happen. And I couldn't do a damn thing to stop that machine."

Igneous wasn't sure if he was meant to press for details. He settled on a reasonable approach. "You mean machines, right? There were two of them."

To his surprise, Shimmer shook his head. "There was a third. It showed up out of nowhere. Struck Melmetal down in one attack." The ponytales looked down. His eyes were full of fear. "It was going to kill me if that distortion hadn't erupted out of nowhere and forced it to retreat."

The grovlazzle wasn't sure whether to talk about his role in causing that distortion. Everything surrounding Xeromus and the cloud daemon hurt to even think about. Instead, Igneous asked, "What did that machine look like?"

Shimmer shuddered. "Kind of like that lunatic helmet-wearing mutt they keep showing on the news." He bit his lip and nervously dug his forehoof into the grass. "If you took the helmet off and made him really purple and red."

Igneous sucked a sharp breath in. That sounded like Widget! But the silvally was still at the outpost. Had Paradox made another one?

"What's with that look?" Shimmer frowned. "Don't tell me you know about this?"

"N-No." Igneous held his hands up. "It surprised me. That's all." He had to save face. "It sounds like a rough situation. I'm sure you tried your best."

Shimmer sideyed Igneous. His nostrils briefly flared, but then he lowered his head. "Easy for you to say." Shimmer glanced at the wine bottle. "You're actually competent."

Bingo. Igneous had an in. Though the grovlazzle weighed exactly how much he wanted to tell Shimmer. Bringing the Ryujin up was out of the question. Could he tiptoe around that? What if Shimmer's power boost came with some sort of ESP lie detector?

No. Not even Gene's that good.

He sighed. Igneous stretched his legs out. "I'm not."

Shimmer looked unconvinced.

"I put up a good front." Igneous looked down at his orange and yellow belly. "Well, I put up a good front before this."

The ponytales slowly turned around. Igneous piqued his interest. Good. He could continue.

"My mother died from a poisoning several years ago," Igneous said. He didn't leave any time for that to linger. "A poisoning meant for my father. Because of an investigative piece the Beacon was working on."

Shimmer frowned. "But he's a nidoking."

"The poison was seventy-five percent pure salazzle venom," Igneous replied. In truth, he had no idea what the poison was. But it probably involved salazzle toxins. "My dad didn't even tell me until Mom ended up in the hospital. I had to watch her slowly wither away."

He rested his hands on his knees. "I thought I could avenge her. I was stupid enough to try and challenge the kingdom's criminal underworld."

Shimmer blinked. "You're still here, though."

"I lost an arm for it." Igneous rubbed his right arm with his left. "Before these... mutations, I always had a prosthetic." A damn good one, judging by the shock on Shimmer's expression. "My garchomp bodyguard is the only reason I survived. But it caused everyone at the Beacon to lose faith in me. To doubt I'd make a good replacement for my father when he decided to retire."

The grovlazzle guessed Shimmer's next question before he could ask it. Holding up his right arm, he said, "No one in my family had anything to do with me attending Horizon. That was entirely me. I took Mom's life insurance payout for myself and enrolled on my own.

"And, well, you might've heard claims I was involved with the problematic concert in Venish." Igneous hunched over again. "So, clearly, I'm not as put together as you think." He shook his head. "We're both screw-ups."

Silence followed. Though he didn't meet Igneous' gaze, Shimmer was contemplative. And he hadn't picked up the wine bottle again. A part of Igneous wondered why he was spilling his heart to Shimmer of all people. But if this day had made anything clear, it was that the two had more in common than he realized.

"What do I do?"

Igneous tilted his head. "Hmm?"

"I just want to give up." Shimmer pawed at the ground with a forehoof. "I don't know a thing about battling competently or keeping people safe. A power boost is meaningless if you don't know how to use it properly." He hung his head shamefully. "Two of our classmates were inside those Iron Moths. Eternatus' emperor... has brought them onto his side."

The grovlazzle decided not to bring up that he knew that already.

"Don't you get it? Do the math." Shimmer squeezed his eyes shut. "If the emperor's using our classmates against us, then that means..." He grimaced. "That means..."

Igneous recalled Artemis' report from Operation Follow Me: Xander was the first to turn to Paradox's side. He bowed his head. "Right. Your boyfriend."

Shimmer laughed bitterly. "Yeah. Sure." He shook his head.

"Is there a problem?" Igneous raised a brow.

"Yes." Shimmer's brow furrowed. His expression was painful. "Xander and I... we were a total screw-up of a couple."

That was a bold claim to make out of the blue. Igneous could see Shimmer's desire to explain himself, and held his tongue.

"There wasn't love there. Only lust." Shimmer waved his right foreleg dismissively. "Most of what we did was just... flaunt our status in public or get busy with one another. That's not a relationship." He sounded embarrassed... for himself. "That's barely even 'friends with benefits.'"

Igneous never did like the sylveon. Total prick, in his opinion. He wouldn't be surprised if Xander craved the status and power that came with being the crown prince's consort. "You guys have been together for a few years, though..."

"Yeah. And I hate that I'm just struggling with this now." Shimmer smacked the ground with his left forehoof repeatedly. "But it's all I can think of... now that I realize how much of an idiot I am. If I was smarter, maybe I'd have picked up signs earlier. But he was really good with—"

"Dooooon't need the details." Igneous waved his hands in front of his face. The grovlazzle already knew more than he wanted to. He'd seen copies of the harassment complaints lodged against Shimmer and Xander that Sakaki had gotten his hands on.

Shimmer blinked a few times. "Right. Yeah. Stupid of me." He shrank back slightly. "Point is... this is beyond me. I should give up, but I'm stuck working with Demerzel."

Did that have to be the case, though? If Yuna went through the trouble of gathering up new recruits, why couldn't Igneous do the same thing?

"Then work with us instead."

Shimmer's tails poofed out. It was an amusing sight.

"I— that's—" Shimmer's eyes darted around. "Demerzel's psychic powers are strong. He could track me directly to you guys. I think?"

"We have a strong psychic of our own," Igneous claimed. He could've very well been setting himself up to get cursed out by Gene for offering up the mewtwo's services without permission. But Igneous would take any extra leverage he could get.

"And I'm still Crown Prince," Shimmer mumbled. "I have to... keep tabs on Mother."

Igneous didn't see the problem with his offer. "You'd have more resources if you worked with us."

The conflict on Shimmer's face was clear as day. Igneous wasn't going to force him into anything. "You don't have to decide right now. I'll give you space if you want it."

Before the grovlazzle could move away, Shimmer scooted to his side. "Don't. Please."

Igneous' tails almost caught fire again. "Shimmer, what're you—"

"Sorry." The ponytales' tails curled around his hips. "I just— this feels like the first time someone's been genuinely nice to me. No ulterior motives or anything."

Technically Igneous could counter that getting Shimmer into the resistance's ranks was an ulterior motive. But it was more that Igneous empathized with Shimmer's struggles. Kind of like Scarlett, huh? They'd all made bad decisions because they didn't want people to see them as screw-ups.

Igneous shrugged. "I get it. This shit's weighing down on all of us."

Thoughts of Xeromus raced through his head. Igneous did his best not to flinch.

"Guess it helps to have people you can relate to." The grovlazzle scooched right next to him. He misjudged his distance and bumped his side with Shimmer's. They fixed their wide eyes on each other.

"My bad." Igneous repositioned slightly. "Head's still a bit cloudy."

"Right." Shimmer rubbed his forehooves together. "Same here."

An awkward silence followed, until Shimmer whispered, "Would your, erm, team really be okay working with me?"

Igneous nodded. There was the whole Ryujin issue, but that was something he could address later. If Gene could uncouple Shimmer from Demerzel's ESP, that would make things much easier.

"Then I guess," Shimmer took a sharp breath, "we can give it a try."

It was far from an enthusiastic embrace of Igneous' idea. He opted for an equally muted response. "Nice." He didn't stand up. "We don't have to leave this second, though."

Shimmer offered a thankful nod. "Why did you come here, anyway?"

"To clear my head." Igneous scratched it with his left hand. "Though this... didn't exactly help."

"Ah." Shimmer looked guiltily. "Well, I guess... we can sit here in silence?"

Igneous raised a brow. "Like actual silence? Or 'guzzling wine' silence?"

The ponytales flinched. He glanced at the wine bottles. His horn sparked. They rolled up the hill. "I'll recycle them properly," Shimmer mumbled. "Promise."

Tongue clicking, Igneous pivoted in the grass. "All right. Silence it is." Except the grovlazzle lay on his back, resting his head against his hands. He looked out at the setting sun, trying to keep Xeromus' words and the strange visions from seeping into his thoughts.

Igneous found the team a new ally. Sure, there might be some growing pains. But there was strength in numbers, right?

This is a good thing.

He hadn't realized Shimmer lay down next to him until silky hair brushed against his side. Igneous didn't move.

It's a good thing, he told himself again. We can... help each other.

 

[tomatorade]

Alrighty, I think I read some amount of your previous PMD epic back when it was first coming out--same with Namo's actually. Some would say I'm an OG lol (I have not kept up).

I've also seen art of your characters floating around and they've been pretty sick, so I'm interested in seeing them in-context here.

I’ve read the first three chapters here, for reference. I plan on returning, but this is all I had time for today, unfortunately.

Anyway,

Prologue?

How does bird wear uniform?

Figured this gets its own section because, for the moment, it's separate from the rest of the fic.

Broadly, while I think there’s a lot of information that needed to be revealed here, it’s done well. There were times where I think one or two terms irked me up a bit, but I think that has more to do with the birds reacting to things than anything else. It ‘t the predominant form of exposition here and can get a little obvious specifically when Quetzal calls out that the phantom is using dynaforce—at that point I wonder if something like that could go unmentioned. It’s good to get details like this in there early, but the delivery is very brazen in a way I don’t think works in this case. Maybe my ability to follow fantasy has been damaged, but I did trip up a little there. I had no real problems the rest the section. Your writing is smooth and easy to read—easy to get lost into. You’ve got a solid basis of description to ground the setting and just enough attention payed to outlier details to keep me on track and invested in what’s going on.

On to the actual juicy worldbuilding. The needles in particular remind me of Mother 3, actually, with a similar sort of effect on pulling. Obviously it’s too early to tell what their true purpose is, but throwing out some wild speculation on mention of ‘distortion’ and I’d guess the keep mystery dungeons stable/around in some way. Elsewhere, you immediately hold up your promise to highlight the gen 8 mechanics in a pretty exciting way. As I’ve said, there’s a lot and not all is introduced the way I like, but it feels very purposeful, a sort of step-by-step introduction to the world of Galar as told through PMD. Especially the galarian bird forms. Thank you for including them—those designs are great and unironically better than the original I will not be taking questions at this time.

Of course I’m assuming Douglas is the galarian version of a weezing, complete with nice little descriptions like his ‘soda pop beard’. I sympathise with the revulsion around that lol. Beards should not fizz. Though they are racist birds, so I have to cancel them now.

And since this is still connected to the prologue, technically… Yuna premonitions? I’m assuming her nightmare was the bird battle. If so, interesting.

School daze

Yuna

She’s the first character we meet, so I might as well start with her. Adorable, as I expected a dreepy to be, and my heart aches for her attending a school of racists lol. I don’t know how her little heart will handle that nonsense. She seems fairly sheltered which may not be the most damning criticism for a princess.

And *gasp*! We get a cute, melancholic illustration? I don’t remember this being here last time I skimmed through POV. It really sells the homesick vibe, though I’m supposed to be reviewing your writing so that’s enough of that. The writing itself also really sells this feeling. She’s trying to cling onto any happy memories she has in a strange new place, she’s anxious about the future, she’s trying to distract herself any way she can. It’s all very heartbreaking.

Side note before chapter two: the friction between dragons and fairies is interesting to me. I haven’t seen many fics play with this before, but the idea of a big scary dragon being beaten down by a flamboyant pink creature is funny and interesting given how often a dragon’s worth is focused on its pride. Yuna is a good choice in this regard, then. On first blush she comes across quite small and helpless and without the same kind of pride her father has. I’m assuming this will change somewhat over the course of the fic, but it’s always a good place to start.

And we end the chapter with sleep seeds being used as prescription (though probably not) drugs. I’m sure this will only end well.

Yuna, part 2

Well, the sleep seed did what it was designed to, I suppose.

I don;t have much else to say about her through chapter two. The introduction plays out like it’s supposed to, which is a good thing in this case because I thrive off drama. She’s fairly passive and anxious in a way I both sympathise with and I think makes her blend a little into the background depending on what she’s reacting to.

I enjoyed her shock at the idea that an orange charaizard can exist. I wonder if Vortex ever gets flack for just looking like a dragon? And then he has to roll his eyes and go “no, I’m a fire/flying type, actually.”

Baraz

I forgot dracozolt was an actual dragon-type. I also forgot he existed, to be fair. It’s a bold choice of character to include, I think, but one I welcome. POV seems full of bold choices.

As an actual character, I find him a joy. His optimism is misplaced but infectious, I love that he’s still crimefighting while he’s escorting Yuna and appears completely oblivious to the tension between them and the fairies. Even in the face of TMZ-level gossip openly leveled at him. I mean, you’d have to have thick skin to be a dracozolt.

He’s a good salesman, at least. Looking out for his homie, Yuna even when she did absolutely nothing to stop the thieves lol.

Noctum

Another wholesome boy. Are all dragons this nice? If so, I know who I’m siding with when this peace treaty falls apart. I’m having a little trouble separating him from Baraz personality-wise. I will have to wait, I suppose. I love his stamp collection, though. It’s always good to take up hobbies.

Everyone else

We get a host of colourful characters besides Yuna here. I couldn’t say who will end up being important. Besides the toxtricity. She gets cover space and her own inset illustration, but I’m sure that means nothing.

Vortex could go either way for me. Somewhere between dumbledore/snape depending on how nice he is or one of those kids books where the teacher is absent almost entirely.

I’m also side-eying the ponyta. He gets enough attention that I think he’ll be important in some capacity.

Next, the thieves. They’re too goofy for me to take seriously as villains, even in a future where they get like, corrupted and swole like the birds do at the beginning. I’ve alluded to them being team rocket-esque, but beyond that I dunno. I think a strength of this fic in general is me not knowing where it will go. Like, I read the summary and still have no clue how we’re going to get there. It’s exciting ngl.

Is that a type:null I see? Xeromus is interesting because he’s one of a mounting series of antagonistic forces. Yuna certainly has a lot to deal with, and I’m curious what will end up taking priority.

Cid is also interesting because he’s not racist lol. We don’t get a lot from him here, but it’s comforting that Yuna will have at least one staff member on her side at school.

Other things about chapter two

I was going to say we’ve drifted a bit in tone here, but I realise now that this is all very anime in a lot of ways, this sort of juxtaposition of heightened comedy, wackiness and both darker and more nuanced psychology. It’s not always my thing, but it can hit sometimes and, for the most part it does here too. I really enjoyed Yuna’s ruminations the previous chapter, and I enjoy how optimistic everyone in her entourage seems to be about her chances no matter how tragic he outcomes will inevitably be. That said, the wacky thief pairing tying to break into school is eh… not my thing. It’s team rocket intruding on a fairly tense moment imo. I get that they’re supposed to add levity, but it feels a little misplaced right before tYuna’s first interaction with the rest of the school. Takes away a little bit, I think.

It could also be all the nyek-nyeking and oldschool gangster roleplay they’re doing. It’s definitely a distinct quirk to give a character, but it mostly confused me I guess.

Aside from that, this was a fairly breezy chapter. We get the promise of a tournament arch right away, which is a good low-stakes way to develop some characters. We get a lot of characters, but they’re all uniquely presented and distinct. We even get a hook for the next chapter, which is how I know I’m being spoiled rotten.

My suspicions are confirmed immediately

Aha, so the ponyta is important. And important enough to get their own POV scene.

How do horse play pool?

Shimmer

He is exactly the personification of what I expected the academy to be. Conceited. Arrogant. Overall unpleasant, if fabulous. He gets some good banter, at least. The back-and-forth between him and Robin and Xander tickled me. I love these kind of dialogue-driven sections that coast on strong personality above all. It’s an engaging way to tell a scene even when not a whole lot is happening.

I think my favourite bit of his character here is the assumption that one losing the crowne cup will shame them for the rest of their lives. It’s such a rich-person ‘I peaked in high school’ attitude that fits him so well.

I think what I realise here, at the end of this scene, is how good you are at keeping momentum. Every scene ends with some sort of destination in mind. All short-term at the moment, but enough to give definitive direction for characters beyond just having them sit in the background. Yuna is meeting with her parents, Shimmer is meeting with Starlene, Nikki is almost certainly going to be Yuna’s teammate knowing her luck lol. The story really feels like it’s going somewhere, even if I can’t quite be sure where yet. There is still a lot going on. This definitely feels like the type of fic I should read and then sit on a little while just to take in all the moving pieces, but I’m really enjoying it so far.

Anyway, back to Yuna.

True Yuna has been finding a lot of trouble already, huh? I have to wonder what Calcifer expected, tbh. The level of friction between dragons and fairies seems a couple steps below where you can comfortably send your daughter there as an exchange student.

Also true that I don’t think this is a coincidence lol. And poor Noctum deciding to take responsibility. He’s too pure for this world.

Here we get a little of what I worried about for Yuna. She’s very far in the background of this scene to the point that it took a while for me to realise she was eleven there. Fair enough, it’s very difficult to include more passive protagonists for exactly this reason—if they’re unable to be active it can feel like the story is happening around them while they take in the sights. It’s still too early to tell how much this will affect the story, but I’m just making my caution known.

We also get the first confirmation of mystery dungeons and distortion. Vortex definitely comes across as a shady character here. Deflecting worry, purposefully hiding how the mystery dungeon at Douglas’ estate formed. I have to wonder how much he knows about that, actually. He clearly knows enough to think he should hide it, but some wild shit happened there that might provoke a stronger reaction lol.

So the treaty has to do with the dragons being able to reduce distortion somehow? That’s interesting. Especially given how much of the racism focuses on dragons being primitive in some ways.They’ve got something, at least. I worry for a future where the fairies get the secret to reducing distortion and do away with the dragons. Though the monarchs seem pretty discerning, actually. It was very satisfying to watch them see right through all of Vortex’s obvious bullshit lol.

And it’s unfortunate that Yuna decided to exert some agency to join the Crowne cup, which will surely be a mistake.

Oh my god I hate Vortex the most for forcing the name Nicolette. Nikki is a better name, she’s right.

Now that we’ve seen more of him I actually quite like him (as a character, not a person). He’s this subtly slimy bureaucratic type that’s just convincing enough to understand how he got to where he is while still never quite managing to be charming. A quintessential politician. The way this scene is framed is perfect for him, we get to see a number of facets, from the manipulative to the pleasing, and I think it gives a great sense of his character that wouldn’t come across from a single other perspective.

Anyway, It wasn’t a surprise that I would enjoy this but I am surprised at how much I managed to talk.

I will return, hopefully soon, with some other chapter reviews..

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Heya, not sure how this is going to turn out since I'm a bit on the tired side tonight, but I figured that I'd been stalled long enough on getting back into reviewing PoV, and that this week was as good a time as any to catch up, so let's just jump right into…

Chapter 77

Spoiler

It wasn't quite the level of chaos Seifer had seen in the shaky videos of Venish, but that wasn't for lack of trying. Various muscular pokémon ran down the main street, tossing small seeds at nearby shops and restaurants. A few lobbed the seeds up toward buildings with higher floors. Seifer quickly realized they were blast seeds when assorted vines and bushes caught fire. The flames raced along the greenery. Embers and fireballs leapt from one building to the next.

A little surprised that this track is playing in a small rural town, though I suppose stuff is just casually catching fire everyone, so good enough in terms of being a match for necessary tension.

Noctum? We need backup!" Seifer called, keeping his distance from the Medicis and instead shooting targeted Hydro Pumps from his forehooves to take out some of the fires before they could spread too far. "Preferably people who can put out fires! Tulpise is under a blast seed siege!"

"Uhh, what about, y'know, people to fight with you?"

Seifer: "Yes, yes, that too obviously, but look, someone needs to keep the town from becoming a giant ash heap, and muscle alone isn't going to cut it!" >_>;

"Protecting civilians comes first!" Seifer barked, galloping down the street. An orange blur streaked by him and sent a machoke tumbling head over heels into a pair of stunky. All of them were out cold.

"I'll do what I can, sir," Quetzal said, before zipping further down the dusty road. Seifer slowly followed him, satisfied his Hydro Pumps had calmed most of the fires immediately around him.

Ah yes, cue the theme music for Quetzal there:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPl_1RpBK_4

Glass shattered a few dozen meters away. Fireballs erupted from broken windows and screams filled the air. Seifer galloped in that direction, only to skid to a halt. A bright red Focus Blast whizzed by him, striking a flower shop. Dirt, mud, and bits of ceramic pottery doused the keldeo, who staggered away in a daze.

"Bros, check it!" A sawk pointed right at him while waving his left arm around frantically. "It's the keldebro the boss told us about!"

Seifer: "Keldeo. And I'm sorry, but who are you criminal scum again?"

Seifer stiffened. Of course the Medicis would know who he was. Yet it sounded like they were actively looking for him.

I mean, yes. Such is life when they're getting commands relayed by Paradox.

"You got a sweet bounty on your head, brosephina!" Sawk flexed. "And my squad's gonna bag— waugh!"

A giant, fluid-filled, muscular arm picked Sawk up and tossed him at a couple of charging throh. They all rolled to a stop in the muddy remnants of some sort of fountain.

Wait, wait, wait. When did they get a Buzzwole on the team again? Like I vaguely remember there being one in the aftermath of the Chernabog fight, but... .-.

Seifer kept his distance from the source of his aid: the giant muscle bug that Team Bastion recovered after beating Chernabog. What was it called again? Buzzweight? Buzzoff?

Oh, so it's one and the same. Have we really not seen him in action all this time since then?

Bah, he didn't have time for this!

"Hey, you! Can you put out fires?"

"Ja, little pony boy! Who do you think you are talking to?"

>dat German accent I snerked.

Is he meant to talk like Schwarzenegger, too? :V

"Get the keldebro, bros!"

The massive muscle bug hefted up a huge chunk of dirt and soil in his fluid-filled arms and hurled it at some oncoming hawlucha and heracross. It barreled right into them and carried them straight toward a burning building. The dirt exploded, miraculously putting out the flames.

Huh. I didn't realize that the Medicis were so heavy on Fighting-types, unless this is a specific chapter of their organization. Since Carpaccio is most decidedly not one himself.

Seifer stared ahead, blinking. "I, uh— sure. That'll do. Keep doing that!"

"For Buzzwole Biff, it is walking cake!" Biff scooped up another giant chunk of ground in each arm and raced forward, propelled by his buzzing wings. Seifer galloped after him, only to turn right at the junction by the destroyed fountain. Several Medicis lay unconscious already, orange sparks suggesting Quetzal had gotten to them first.

>Buzzwole Biff Okay, so what's the story behind that name there? :V

Goodness, the zapdos was far faster than Seifer remembered. Whatever the Phantom had done to him had given him quite the power boost. Thank goodness he's back on our side. The keldeo shot up toward an apartment balcony with Hydro Pump jets from his hooves. He figured he'd get a better sense of where people were who needed rescuing from higher ground.

inb4 he just looks around and sees a sea of flames in all directions.

"Cid, what's your Dynascan telling you?" Seifer asked. "It's a mess of smoke and embers around here. Where are the civilians?"

"You're not going to believe this... but they're rapidly leaving city limits!" Cid exclaimed. "Most of the people I'm sensing left are you and the Medicis!"

Wait, how is Cid's Dynascan able to distinguish that so easily anyways? Is it tapping into some sort of biometric database that Polaris built or something?

Seifer's jaw slackened. To keep his composure, he shot a Hydro Pump from his balcony vantage point. It snuffed out a pair of blast seeds hurled by more hawlucha before they could strike a bookstore. "What do you mean? How could anyone possibly evacuate a whole city that fast?!"

"There were some powerful spikes in psychic energy," Cid said.

Can't tell if that's Gene, Jade, or someone else entirely.

"Then why didn't you say something!" the keldeo huffed. He shot into the air again, deciding the vantage point was useless if most of the civilians were gone.

"Shoot him out of the sky, brocaholics!"

>brocaholics

Seifer: "Seriously! Lay off the jock speak already! Even before you being criminal scum, this is why nobody likes the Medicis!" >_>;

Seifer immediately recognized the voice: a certain megaphone-touting grapploct who'd rioted in Venish and Casaroja. But he had little recourse against three blast seeds hurtling toward him. Seifer braced for an explosive impact, only for a giant dirt clump to strike the seeds instead. They still exploded, knocking Seifer from the air and into the ground with a much rougher landing. But the dirt blocked the worst of it... in return for giving him yet another dirt shower. His pelt was now more brown than tan and blue.

Yeesh, Mr. Paid Agitator packs quite the punch there.

Seifer: "Oh, that tears it!"

"Bros, look at the bug bro's gains!" A poliwrath gripped his head in surprise. "He's totes cheating! Or living the dream! I wanna marry hi—"

Priorities™️. Though I suppose that's one sign that these Medicis aren't the main event in this chapter.

Quetzal sped up behind Poliwrath. An electrified kick sent him careening down the dusty road, knocking over other Medicis like bowling pins. "This is ridiculous!" the orange zapdos huffed. He easily jumped out of the way of a skuntank's Sludge Bomb. Moments later, Biff had grabbed Skuntank by the tail and hurled them over a smoking building.

"Nein. Is good workout." The buzzwole flexed. "Biceps and triceps feeling good!"

Which is going to age terribly once the Paradox Volcarona rolls up, I can already tell.

"No, I mean this... opposition!" Quetzal stood on guard while Grapploct frantically pointed at them with two of his tentacles. "It's a farce!" He glanced at Seifer. "Are we sure we're not getting baited into a trap?"

Seifer: "No! But Igneous insisted this was where the Eterna Empire would strike and the town's clearly in trouble!" >_>;

Seifer pointed his horn forward. An Aura Sphere rifled out, striking a pignite in the stomach and sending them rolling back. Grapploct fell back toward the remnants of some outdoor café, waving his free tentacles around angrily.

"It's hard to be sure of anything," the keldeo admitted, frowning. "And where the heck did Igneous go? I thought he was supposed to be behind us?"

Ah yes, that impromptu grudge match with Xeromus was certainly well timed™️.

It was then that loud static erupted from Seifer's X-transceiver. Ears folding, Seifer winced. "Cid, what are you doing?"

But it wasn't Cid that responded. Instead, Igneous greeted them with a frantic cry of, "Imperial robots outside the city!"

Quetzal: "Yeah, this is totally a trap, just saying-" OvO
Seifer: "Cid! Give us more details here!"

Quetzal immediately stood at attention. "Where outside?"

"Heading for the stat— shit!"

Igneous' line abruptly cut to static. Quetzal looked at Seifer expectantly. "Well?"

Seifer: "... It's going to be right behind us, isn't it?"

"Higher ground first!" Hydro Pumps propelled the keldeo into the air.

"Ugh, easy for you to say!" Quetzal flapped his tiny orange wings in annoyance, before Biff swooped in, plucking him from the ground and carrying him up toward one of the city's taller buildings.

Seifer saw the volcarona robots approaching the city. "Do any of you recognize that weird bubble attack?"

>Seekerpede

Oh, is that what that Centiskorch boss Widget piloted a while back was based off of?

"Can't say that I do," Quetzal responded. He lightly pecked Biff's shoulder and somehow the buzzwole got the cue to fly toward a different roof further away from the robots. Seifer flew after them with Hydro Pump jets. The robots' approach was surprisingly slow, so the team was able to gain several more buildings worth of distance from them. They stopped in the middle of a rooftop terrace.

"But we should call for backup. Cyril, are you there? Who can head over to Tulpise?"

Frantic shouts came from the ground, along with a number of pokémon pointing. Except they were pointing in the opposite direction of the volcarona. The keldeo noticed something yellow poking out from behind a building. Then gray light filled the yellow.

Seifer: "What in the-?"

"Down!" Seifer shouted, blasting Hydro Pumps from his hooves to get off the roof. Biff grabbed Quetzal and flew after Seifer. Moments later, a large Flash Cannon rippled through the air, tearing shingles off roofs and flinging branches and vines around haphazardly.

All:

Seifer: "Okay, this was a trap!"

"What the hell is that?!" Quetzal cawed, orange feathers puffing up. "It looks like a giant meltan! Don't tell me the empire's pincering the city!"

But Seifer followed the Flash Cannon until it caught one of the volcarona robots by surprise. Two of its orange, triangular wings folded back slightly. Its orange mechanical eyes flashed yellow. The other robot hovered toward it.

Oh, that's Shimmer in action, isn't it?

"I think that one's on our side?" Seifer said, landing atop another roof. The giant robot meltan was already moving around the city's perimeter to flank the volcarona bots.

"Do you still want that backup?" Cyril asked. The X-transceiver crackled, but Seifer didn't know if it was a lousy connection or all the wind getting kicked up. "It looks like these volcarobots are in the same encrypted data file as Iron Jugulis. They're Iron Moths."

I do wonder if they're going to somehow learn just how these things were made, or if they're just going to casually blow up one of Team Bastion's classmates in this battle.

Igneous: "Look, just saying, almost everyone from Horizon Gardens was a dick, so it's not the end of the world if we lose a few of them as collateral." >_>;

"Hold that thought." Seifer glanced over his shoulder to make sure Biff and Quetzal were with him. "Cid, what are you sensing in the city?"

"I'm pretty sure it's mostly Medicis outside of you guys," the orbeetle replied.

"Then we're passing on the backup," Seifer said. "If the civilians were evacuated, then let the giant meltan slug it out with these Iron Moths.

Ah yes, the standard operating procedure for every Kaiju throwdown. Even if it's hard to really blame the gang here, since... yeah. Would their attacks even be able to accomplish anything against them?

"Hang on," Cid cut in. "I'm sensing peculiar psychic energy near Melmetal."

"Melwhonow?" Seifer raised a brow.

"The giant meltan," Cid said. "In any case, the energy's quite similar to the spikes I sensed when the population was disappearing. So— hang on. What was that, Scarlett?"

Oh, so that's who yeeted all those civvies elsewhere. Though I didn't think that Melmetal had Psychic abilities, so I'm not fully sure what just happened there.

"There they are, bros! Get 'em!"

"We're being tailed!" Quetzal pointed a leg down toward the ground. The megaphone-wielding grapploct pointed a tentacle at them. Several blast seeds hurtled through the air toward them. Seifer leveled his horn. An Aura Sphere whizzed through the air. When it struck one blast seed, the ensuing explosion triggered the other ones.

Seifer: "Bah, I knew that I shouldn't have passed up on learning that Aerial Ace TM. Since boy would it be handy right now." >.<

"Move!" Seifer fired Hydro Pumps from his hooves yet again, heading for the eastern end of the city. Both Iron Moths spun in place in the distance, kicking up fireballs to try and scorch Melmetal.

"Shimmer! Scarlett thinks it's Shimmer!" Cid cried.

Oh. Well. I suppose that that explains the psychic spikes. Though just how much did Dermezel soup him up anyways? .-.

Seifer landed on a square-shaped roof and galloped across it, watching Melmetal spin away, deflecting whatever flames it could. "I don't follow."

"Igneous and Scarlett met Shimmer at Horizon Academy and he told them he was working on something for Tulpise," Cid hurriedly explained. "And, well, where do all the meltan work?"

Seifer: "I have so many questions right now." .-.
Cid: "Worry about it sometime when you're not in the firing line between multiple giant robots!"

"Okay, fine!" Seifer reached the end of the roof and shot back into the air. He landed on another nearby roof and continued galloping. "Makes sense to me! Then we'll leave it to him, I guess!"

He felt a bit bad about it. All the beautiful greenery of the city was worth defending. But the resistance had much more important things to worry about.

Ouch. Ice cold. Though I suppose that if Shimmer wanted help managing property damage, he should have asked for help.

The keldeo was going to fly off with another Hydro Pump when he spotted a large Flamethrower shooting straight up in the air off in the distance. It wasn't anywhere near the Iron Moths, which were still back at the station.

"Did you see that?" Quetzal called, still uncomfortably cradled in Biff's massive buzzwole arms.

Seifer nodded. "If it's not the Iron Moths... then it might be Igneous!

What are you up to right now anyways, Iggy?

"Bumomomomo!" Melmetal thumped its chest as the two machines crashed into one another and fell to the ground. From his vantage point atop one of the mossy Tulpise roofs, Shimmer afforded himself a small smile. Who would've thought Arianna could wrangle all the meltan together into this hulking giant? And it was holding its own despite these volcarobots — Iron Moths, according to Demerzel — packing fire-type moves.

I'm guessing that that's a side effect of being D-Maxed. Though ohai, Arianna. I see that Dermezel also made you an offer you couldn't refuse as well.

"Don't get cocky," Shimmer called. He did his best not to move too much. The strange metal prongs spiraling around his horn were delicate, according to Arianna. And the gardevoir had no idea what would happen if they were to lose control of Melmetal. "Strike while they're down!"

Ah yes, risking another giant Pokémon going stomping around on a rampage. Or at least I think that's the implication there.

The ponytales funneled a bit of psychic energy toward his horn. His controller lit up. Yellow lightning churned around Melmetal's lugnut hands. It charged down the Iron Moths, but one spun off of its counterpart, buffeting Melmetal with fireballs.

"Defend!" Shimmer's horn sparked. Melmetal held up its electrified hands, absorbing some of the flames, but not all of them.

And the other Iron Moth had enough time to right itself and spew flames at Melmetal's right leg. "Bumo bumoooo!" Melmetal lifted its leg and slowly fell backwards.

Actually, wait, what is Melmetal's dialogue based off of? Is that what it says in the anime or something?

"Idiot!" Shimmer funneled more energy into his horn. A pink barrier stopped Melmetal's fall. Melemetal stomped its right foot down, smothering the flames with dirt and soil until they weren't a problem.

[Stand down! This city belongs to the emperor!] one of the Iron Moths declared, its triangular wings crackling with electricity of their own.

Shimmer stiffened. That voice. He recognized it. But from where?

Wait, implying that this is one of the Eternians from Venish, or...?

The ponytales shook his head. No time. Melmetal had to act first. Shimmer's horn lit up. Melmetal lunged, using the foot it smothered in soil to deliver a swift kick to the electrified Iron Moth. The High Horsepower looked quite devastating, cracking three of its wings and sending it skipping back along the ground.

[Jean!] the other Iron Moth cried. It immediately retaliated with a whirlwind of fireballs. Melmetal had little it could do against the Fiery Dance, stumbling away as fireballs peppered its gray body.

Ah yes, so that's why Shimmer found those voices familiar. Time for the horrifying realization of just what these things are made out of.

Wait, Jean? Shimmer's gaze fell to the mossy roof for a moment. Then his eyes widened in shock.

Jean was a classmate. A volcarona classmate. And with a twin brother, to boot! Did that mean... the emperor had turned them into robots?!

So... I take it that Paradox just has a Biobliterator (or whatever the Paradox-themed rename of it would be) chilling in his basement?

[Jean, activate healing protocols!] the Iron Moth declared. It was already gathering flames for another attack.

[I know, Dean!] The synthesizer dampened Jean's growling.

>Jean and Dean

I mean, those names do scream ‘sibling’ pretty hard when paired together.

Shimmer's ears flicked at the mention of healing. He sent another psychic ping to Melmetal, but Dean was faster, spinning around in another Fiery Dance. Shimmer swapped to defensive measures of his own. He pointed his horn toward the attack. A pink barrier appeared and caught the fireballs like fish in a net. Shimmer flicked his head right. His barrier shot the fireballs back toward Dean. Startled, the Iron Moth fired hastily conjured poison globs to snuff its own Fiery Dance out.

Unfortunately, Shimmer had neglected Jean, who hovered right back to Dean's side. There were still some cracks in its armor and wings, but it had clearly healed.

Shimmer: "Okay, seriously! What the hell?! I thought that these were robots! Since when do robots heal?! And how did Jean and Dean get turned into these?!"

This wasn't good. Maybe Shimmer could make a plea toward the classmates who were still inside? Arianna had said her silly device could project through Melmetal. It was time to put that to the test.

I'll heavily take the under on that, Shimmer. But you're welcome to try, at least.

"What do you two think you're doing?!" Melmetal bellowed, amplifying Shimmer's voice enough to almost make the ponytales stumble back on the rooftop in surprise.

The Iron Moth's mechanical eyes flickered. [That voice... Shimmer?] Jean's triangular wings buzzed a bit faster. [What are you doing?]

"I asked you first!" Shimmer countered through Melmetal. "Tulpise is your home! Why are you out to wreck it?"

Whelp, time to see just how far gone these two are.

[What good is there in protecting a home built on a bed of lies?] Dean spat. Flames danced around the Iron Moth's orange wings. [Your whole family's been lying to everyone! And you've got the gall to act like you're the hero in all of this?]

I mean, it's Shimmer, so...

Shimmer's nostrils flared. The nerve of these two! He gathered energy in his horn. Melmetal quickly spun its electrified hands around and socked both Iron Moths before either could unleash an attack.

"So, because of my mother's mistakes, a whole city needs to be leveled?" Shimmer spat. Melmetal stayed close to them, raising its right leg on Shimmer's orders to strike with another High Horsepower. "Where's the sense in that? Look at yourselves! You're being used!"

Oh the sheer irony of that last line. Like you just know that this is going to be much harsher in hindsight once everything comes out with Dermezel as it inevitably will for a Kuja expy.

[We're making a difference!] Jean said, shooting fireballs around haphazardly. [The world needs Eternatus! Paradox will be a better leader than you could ever dream of!]

Even if they're technically right about at least one of those three statements.

Melmetal stood tall under Shimmer's orders, enduring the Fiery Dance to bring its earth-encrusted foot crashing down onto Dean. The Iron Moth cracked and splintered. Three of its wings broke off. Shimmer winced. He hadn't intended to strike that hard. Weren't ground attacks supposed to be neutral on volcarona? Did Iron Moths actually have a different type?

>Ground attack on a Fire/Poison-type

[Dean!] Jean's triangular wings glowed bright orange. It unleashed another fireball whirlwind. Shimmer's horn glowed, producing a psychic shield to deflect most of the Fiery Dance. The ponytales had a golden opportunity and needed to leverage it now. He was the one in control.

Shimmer's... going to wind up killing his classmates, isn't he?

"Enough of this!" Shimmer declared through Melmetal. He had it step down a bit on Dean. Not enough to do anything, but the grating of metal echoed across the field. "Stand down and I'll let you have your brother back. There's no point to fighting. I know you're here to kidnap people for Eternatus' army, so I evacuated the city!"

[What?] Jean's hovering dropped a bit. [H-How did you—]

Yeah, Fraud is going to be thrilled™️ to discover the sorts of info Dermezel has been passing along to Shimmer. I can already tell.

A purple and red streak shot past Jean. Pierced Melmetal right above the hexagonal gap in its chest. Then it slammed into the ground behind Melmetal, revealing something... vaguely like a helmetless version of the strange creature Shimmer had seen on PV. Only much more purple and red. And entirely mechanical.

Melmetal buckled. It dropped to one knee.

"Bumomomoooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!"

Ah yes, Prowler music from Spiderverse. Only a sign of good things™️ that can come from this. Though what on earth was that? A Pokémon version of Metal Sonic?

Shimmer's eyes widened. Meltan were falling out of Melmetal by the dozen.

It shrank down and down. Melting into a gray puddle of inert meltan. Shimmer's nine tails frazzled. He looked between the puddle and the thing that had brought Melmetal down with a single strike.

Shimmer: "Wh-What the hell was that thing?! It can do that?!"

[Huh?] Jean's wings buzzed erratically. It was just as confused.

[Mission parameters have changed.] The new machine turned back to Jean. [Capture them.] It pointed a red talon at the meltan.

[But the emperor said—]

The newcomer's cheek bolts crackled with purple energy. [Mission parameters have changed. Capture them or I will terminate you.]

Yeesh, Prowlervally isn't screwing around here.

Jean's electronic eyes flickered yellow. Her wings produced green beams. Green bubbles trapped swathes of meltan at a time. They hovered to Jean's side.

Shimmer's heart pounded in his chest. He backed up across the roof. How had the script flipped on its head in just a matter of seconds?! He had to get Demerzel here. And Arianna. They had to get him out of h—

So it was a trap all this time.

The ponytales jumped back. Slivers of his white hair drifted in front of him, revealing the mechanical beast standing right where he'd been moments ago. Purple and red energy crackled in its talons.

"Wh... at..." Shimmer staggered away. He was at least a couple of hundred meters away. How could this thing have closed the distance so quickly?!

>dat art

Oh hey, it really is Metal Sonic as a Pokémon.

[Hostile unit identified.] The machine's electronic eyes glowed red. [Surrender in the name of Emperor Paradox.]

Shimmer concentrated as hard as he could. "Demerzel? You have to get me out of here! We have a problem! I'm in danger!"

[Hostility still detected. Proceeding with termination.]

Shimmer: "Dermezel?! Anytime would be nice right about now!"

It shot toward Shimmer, purple energy intensifying around its forelegs. Shimmer desperately fired a Psybeam, but the machine quickly dodged left. It dodged right from Shimmer's follow-up.

"Demerzel!"

The machine suddenly stopped. It looked over its shoulder. The pixels in its eyes spun around like loading icons.

[Mission parameters have changed.] It jumped away from a dumbstruck Shimmer. [Returning to base.]

Wait, that thing specifically stopped because Shimmer called out for Dermezel, didn’t it?

Shimmer: "What- What on earth just happened?!"

What? That was it? This thing was just going to leave him? It was out for his blood not even a second ago!

Shimmer shot another Psybeam, but the machine lunged off the rooftop. The ponytales staggered forward, heart racing. What had it seen that prompted such a hasty retreat?

My money is on a higher-priority target. Or else the reason floated in the last block.

It didn't take much searching for Shimmer to find what he was looking for: a large pillar of gray and yellow distortion in the middle of the field. And it was spreading toward Tulpise!

"Demerzel, the city's about to be overtaken by a dungeon!" Shimmer ran back and forth across the grassy rooftop, pointing his horn in any direction he could think of as if it were a dish trying to find a signal. "Melmetal's lost. Get me out of here!"

The ponytales waited for a few seconds before a strange jolt rattled him from horn to tails. A jolt that only came from Demerzel's teleportation.

The linked music syncs surprisingly well with this scene as things go progressively more pear-shaped. Kudos on that.

Igneous dropped to the ground, watching the strange green beam sail overhead. It ended as a green bubble that popped. Try as he might, the grovlazzle couldn't figure out what attack that was. A weird Signal Beam, perhaps?

He caught more green light in the corner of his eye and dashed right. Green beams streaked by him, turning into more popping bubbles.

It was time to get moving. Figuring the city was more important to whatever machines were coming, Igneous doubled back. One of the robot volcarona shot one last green beam at him, but Igneous easily outran it with some timely propulsion from his fiery wings. They dissolved into this back.

Yeah, about that, Iggy...

When the bots didn't turn back around, Igneous figured it was safe to coordinate with the others. "Guys? The robots—"

His X-transceiver greeted him with harsh static. Igneous immediately shut it off, spun around, and spat Bullet Seeds behind him.

"Piss off, Xeromus!" he growled. Who else could disrupt his comm line?

Oh, so this is who Prowlervally saw to turn their attention away from Shimmer, huh?

Instead of chains or a canine-shaped shield, however, his Bullet Seeds slammed into bulky static cubes. They broke apart into tiny black and white pixels and scattered to the wind.

[OMEGALUL! This (ADGE BREAK) is already over! No bathroom breaks h— UP START B A UP UP DOWN!]

The static gave way to Ahsen's disjointed discs pulling themselves in different directions. A skeletal kabutops head briefly popped in and out of existence.

... Or it could be Ahsen deciding to poke his head in. Boy has it been a long time since we saw him.

Igneous stepped back. He conjured his honedge in his right hand. Xeromus alone was enough of a problem, but Ahsen, too? Igneous was in way too far over his head. He couldn't afford a repeat of Venish. It was time to cut his losses. The grovlazzle had to regroup with someone. Anyone.

[LEFT LEFT L—] Ahsen stopped jerking. [Oh? Trying to (ALT-F4) your way out of this? Where's the (START9) in that, (FRIEND OF THE STREAM)?] More static ran along Ahsen's arms, briefly turning them into L-shaped, pixelated cubes. [This is the (MOMENT) you've been waiting for! Time for (HELIX) to take the stage!]

>Time for (HELIX) to take the stage!

I'm not sure what's about to happen here, but I already know that it's not going to be any good.

Ahsen descended into shouting more directions, his discoid body flopping about to and fro. Igneous seized the opening, swiping Honedge upwards on instinct. A fiery crescent struck Ahsen and set him ablaze. He dropped to the ground, twitching and spasming in a mess of strange static and occasional bones— wait, was that an aerodactyl skull in place of Ahsen's head? What the hell was this omen?

That would be a Missingno, Iggy.

Igneous: "So, uh... yeah, I'm pretty sure that mission to save Tulpise is well on its way to being an epic fail right now."

[(LIT AF!) (LIT AF!)] Ahsen's tone was surprisingly gleeful for someone who was currently on fire.

Damn it, I have to get out of here! The grovlazzle's wings flared to life. He started heading further away from the city. If there was ever a time for Scarlett's singing to help him out, it was now.

Igneous didn't get more than a handful of meters before a pillar of distortion erupted behind Ahsen, who'd somehow managed to put himself out and return to shouting directions. Two beady red eyes pierced through the distortion, then Igneous saw a tan, wispy silhouette.

Wait, wait, wait. That's Zodiark?!

The cloud daemon! It was here?! And it had crystals growing on its legs.

Damn it, had it gained some sort of power?!

I'm... pretty sure that's supposed to be Tera Power, so... uh... yes. Yes it did, Iggy.

At the same time, the ground trembled. Igneous glanced over his shoulder and thought he saw a gray, hulking blob stomping around Tulpise's outskirts.

This was way too much. The grovlazzle didn't have time to search for Cid and Scarlett. So, Igneous did the one thing he could think of: tilt his head skyward and belt out a Flamethrower. With any luck, it'd serve as a flare to signal there was trouble.

Igneous: "Okay, I realize that that might not have been as effective as I'd hoped when there's an entire freaking city on fire in the background, but I'm short on options here!"

The cloud daemon took that as a signal to go on the offensive. Its wispy form shimmered. The air around Igneous grew thin, as if the daemon was sucking it all up to make a vacuum. Igneous backpedaled. Honedge vanished into orange mist.

A gray flash erupted to Igneous' left. He barely managed to avoid it. The grovlazzle's fiery wings shot him away from the daemon.

These weren't conventional strikes Igneous was dealing with. He flew just a bit over the grass, weaving behind sudden bursts of gray and silver that matched the crystals on the cloud daemon's legs. The grovlazzle stole glances backwards to see Cloudy gliding toward him. Its crystals sparked at the same time as the strange energy bursts.

We're... going to find out what happens if someone gets hit by one of those, aren't we?

Where were Cid and Scarlett? Surely, they must've seen that Flamethrower. "Help!" Igneous shouted. "Scarlett, start sing— gah!"

Igneous rolled right to avoid a crystalline burst. He flicked his right hand back, hurling a fireball at Cloudy. The grovlazzle didn't hear anything to suggest the attack hit. Could it even hit? He couldn't do a thing against it back on the train. But it was entirely a cloud then. It had crystals, now! That had to mean something.

Yes. It got stronger. Since it obviously couldn't do this back on the train.

The grovlazzle dove down. Skidding across the ground, he spewed Bullet Seeds at Cloudy's right foreleg. But hexagonal crystals materialized out of nowhere. The Bullet Seeds vanished the moment they hit the crystals, like they'd never even existed to begin with.

[Your (START9) flavor is all wrong!] Ahsen buzzed, though Igneous had no idea where he was.

Oh, so Iggy's going to need to play along with whatever Ahsen wants him to do, huh? Since I'm getting the feeling that this is where things are going in short order.

Cloudy's crystals flickered asynchronously. It produced something between a roar and a garbled wail, but its voice was so heavily distorted that Igneous could hardly tell what it sounded like.

Still, the force of its voice along was enough to blow Igneous off his feet. As he tumbled back, a dusty trail superimposed itself over the grass. A thick forest flickered in and out all around Igneous.

He watched patiently from the cover of the thick trees as the riolu jogged down the path, beckoning the ice vulpix to follow.

Oh boy, the visions are back. Time to pay attention to try and see if any hints regarding how it relates to the gang in the present day can be teased out.

Igneous forcefully shook his head. Focus, damn it!

Cloudy's eyes flashed gray. Igneous dove out of the way of more crystal flashes. He spat a few Bullet Seeds at Cloudy's right foreleg, then switched to a Flamethrower heading for its left. Igneous smirked when the hexagonal barrier appeared to snuff out his Bullet Seeds, leaving his Flamethrower to strike the crystals.

Igneous: "Wait a minute! I think that just might work!"

A bell-like chime echoed across the field, alongside another garbled wail from the beast. Gasping, Igneous dropped to his knees. He threw his hands over his head.

His insides were on fire! And not in a healthy way, either!

Yeah, turns out that taking swings at the likely source of your freaky Morpho Knight powers is a bad idea. Who knew?

Nickie's Powder Snow caused a trapinch to slip and tumble toward Tessa, who hit it right in the face with a Force Palm.

"I yield! I yield!" Trapinch squealed, trying to bury his head in the ground.

I wonder if this was their analogue to Jangmo-o, there. Or if I'm reading too much into things.

Igneous doubled over in pain, gripping his stomach. Something's... tearing through my insides! He looked up at Cloudy.

"[This is your reality.]"

Oh hey, you're getting in on the hovertext fun and games, too. Though I see the Ominous Hindi is back. I guess that's a sign that Zodiark is from Ginnungagap? Since that's where we've see the Ominous Hindi originate from in the past in this story.

What? There Cloudy went, speaking nonsense gibberish again. Igneous had to fight it. Stand up!

Cloudy's crystals flickered. An even more intense weight gripped Igneous stomach.

"Nice one, Nikkie!" The riolu held out her right paw for Nickie to high five. Except the ice vulpix faceplanted when she tried to reciprocate. Tessa's aura feelers shot up in alarm. "Ah, right! Sorry! Forgot you're still getting used to the 'all-fours' thing."

Ah yes, more AU flashbacks in action here.

Chuckling, the volcarona finally made his presence known by hovering out from the dense trees. "Sharp work, you two. Don't think we've had a duo solve the entrance test that fast before."

Igneous dropped to all fours, tucking his head down against his chest and screaming, "Get out... of my head!"

Oh, so Iggy was the analogue to Metagross in POV-2020's version of GL's storyline, wasn’t he?

"[This is your reality.]"

Cloudy was getting closer. Closer. The air around Igneous was thinning. Warping. More and more it felt like he was in the forest and not the field outside Tulpise.

"[Your fate is unavoidable.]"

Well then. That got creepy and ominous fast. Though I suppose that Nova's insistence that everyone's choices matter is going to become plot-relevant really fast, since... yeah. Zodiark there is basically bluntly telling Iggy the opposite message in live-time.

Igneous' vision flooded with hundreds and hundreds of butterfree wings, falling away to reveal a strange specter with hair like Leo's that blocked part of their face. Giant shadows coalesced around the specter, forming a gray and gold dragon's head.

"■■■■■■■■, strike them down!"

Ah yes, so this is what Prisma-2020 looked like, huh? Though wait, who on earth was her Necky? Since the blanked-out name there has just the right number of letters to line up with 'Necrozma'.

Actually, wait.

>gray and gold dragon

So it's something involving Giratina.

The pressure suddenly lifted. The air stopped thinning. Igneous' ears rang, but he was vaguely aware of wet and squishy ground around him.

"Igneous! Are you okay? Say something!"

That was Seifer. The keldeo was back from the city? Grunting, Igneous tried to push himself up from the ground. Cloudy was roaring again, however. The grovlazzle braced himself for another painful, trippy vision, but it didn't come.

Igneous: "Ugh, god. That went through me worse than day-old Venishian seafood."

Seifer: "Look, there's obviously a long story behind this, but it can wait right now!" O_O;

Instead, he heard music. And there were vocals, but Igneous' ears were still ringing. He couldn't quite make them out. But it didn't matter. The message was loud and clear.

Scarlett was here. Her words could protect him. Protect all of them.

You... probably should not bet a lot on her protection holding out for long, Iggy.

Breathing heavily, Igneous got back to his feet. His flames stirred in his gut. Seifer shot him a worried look.

"I'm okay. I've... got this."

Narrator: "He absolutely does not have this."

Honedge appeared in Igneous' right hand. He shot forward, gripping Honedge tightly. Cloudy's expression was unreadable, but its crystals flashed. Igneous held Honedge up... and parried the crystal bursts!

His fiery wings propelled him toward Cloudy's right foreleg. Igneous slashed at the crystals with Honedge. They didn't shatter, but there was a satisfying claaaaaaaaang and they darkened considerably. Cloudy roared, but Scarlett's singing kept Igneous' head clear as he zipped around to Cloudy's right hind leg and struck again.

"Tum... hara!"

Igneous: "Wait, that is a good thing that just happened, right?" ^^;

Cloudy's body rippled and pulsated. Igneous kept up his charge, striking each of its left legs in quick succession.

[WTF?]

Igneous saw Ahsen flopping around in a panic... and Xeromus watching from behind the glitchy mess of floating discs.

[There's no (PRESS F TO PAY RESPECTS) here!] Ahsen's arms turned into bony aerodactyl wings. [You can't (BAN HELIX). (CHAT) is too (STRONK)!]

Igneous: "Okay, yeah. I really shouldn't have gotten my hopes up."

The grovlazzle U-turned in midair, doubling back toward Ahsen. "I've had... enough out of you!" Igneous snarled, flames swirling around Honedge. Ahsen tried shooting balls of pixels at Igneous, but he rolled left, then right. He swung Honedge upward, slicing Ahsen's discoid head in half and knocking it away from his body.

Ahsen's body flew around haphazardly, flailing its arms around. Pixelated tendrils pulled the halves of its head back together.

Igneous: "Oh you're kidding me..."

Igneous locked eyes with Xeromus. He had Scarlett's power backing him up. He could put a stop to them today. Make sure they never bother anyone again.

Ah yes, Gene will be thrilled about this, I'm sure.

Wings flaring up, Igneous divebombed the corrupted silvally. Yet Xeromus' gray eyes were filled with admiration.

Wait, is... is... Xeromus actually going to die here? .-.

Snarling, the grovlazzle thrust Honedge at Xeromus as hard as he could manage. But all Igneous did was pierce through black smoke and slam into the ground. Grass and soil erupted around him. Igneous grabbed Honedge out of the dirt and spun around to find Ahsen and Xeromus had regrouped by the cloud daemon's sides.

"You can bear your fangs at fate all you want!" Xeromus's chains rattled on his legs. "It will not change anything!"

Yeah, I should've figured.

Shadows burst forth from Xeromus' legs, swallowing the trio up and leaving Igneous staring across the field at a dumbfounded Seifer. And that beefy buzzwole guy bridal carrying Quetzal.

Igneous had several questions, but Scarlett's singing quickly faded. And with it went all of the grovlazzle's second wind. Honedge vanished as Igneous dropped to one knee.

Igneous: "... Ow."

The ground shook once more. Then a pillar of purple and red distortion erupted from where Xeromus once stood. It reached and clawed at the grass and dirt, slowly spreading toward Tulpise.

Seifer and the others managed to get around it. Panic spread across the keldeo's face. He was trying to think of something. Anything to stave off the distortion's advance.

Whelp, I suppose I should get my

s in the chat ready for Tulpise.

It wasn't worth it. Igneous was spent. He imagined the others were tired, too. They had no choice but to leave.

"Outpost," Igneous rasped. "We must... go back."

Alas, Tulpise. We hardly knew ye.

CDL: Medium Insectoid Abduction Unit, Iron Moth Mechanized volcarona adapted to capture small designated targets. It sounds like the emperor was experimenting with ways to modify Bug Buzz from an attack that produces sound waves into a means of ensnaring an enemy and sealing them in a bubble. Frankly, I'm not sure where the link is or how you can jump from point A to point B on that one. But Eterna energy loves to work in mysterious ways.

Oh, so that's that bubble thing that we saw them do in battle.

~Nurtured Destiny: Zodiark Dreamweaver~
The Affirmer is neither mortal nor god. Through transcending space and time, He has evolved beyond the very notion of life and death. He is now the only one capable of rewriting reality's single, ultimate Truth.​

I... have no idea how in the hell the gang is supposed to deal with that, but hey. If TTGL could find a way to do the impossible and see the invisible, I'm sure we'll eventually get there. ^^

Path of Valor Almanac
"Yeh tumhara aasliyat hain," is Hindi that loosely translates to "This is your reality." Similarly, "Tumhara kismat apariharya hain," is a loose Hindi translation of "Your fate is unavoidable." My thanks to ExplosiveTurkey, of PMD: Canon Breakage fame for his assistance!

Oh, so that's where you got your translations from. I'll have to keep that in mind if/when I ever need Hindi dialogue for one of my stories.

Boy, where do we even start on this chapter? Though I suppose this is a good one:

I kinda get the vibe that Team Bastion just has a terrible batting average with these "everything changes" arcs, since... yeah. I mean, it wasn't as big of a disaster as Venish, but this wasn't exactly a happy outcome for anyone on the protagonists' side. Lots of tantalizing hints in the air for things yet to come in the future, especially for whatever's going on with that GL AU sequence and what's now belatedly occuring to me to probably be a vision of Volo from PLA. I'll have to keep an eye on where things go from here, since it feels almost as if the plot got blown wide open... again.

As for critiques... I'm not really sure if I have any. Maybe some parts could've been a bit more generous about hints of what's going on or whatever, but hey, this story has gotten a lot of mileage just dripfeeding little slivers of the truth in the past, so I suppose there's an argument to not fix what's not broke.

Good work, @Ambyssin . I'll be looking forward to getting caught up later this week, since boy are there a lot of places where the dust could settle from all of this, and it'll be quite the ride to see where it winds up going. ^^

 

[SparklingEspeon]

Hello! I’m back again, here to review chapters 39 – 42 for blitz/our exchange.

Mewtwo special had me going :(((((( the entire time I was reading it. Just tragedy after tragedy for him…. Though for how long the entire chapter was, I feel like there are a lot of things that got left in the dark. I refuse to believe that’s the last we’ll see of Fuji/Amber in the story, given how his entries kept reappearing, and it seems like there might be a gap in events between Bahamut destroying the Pokemon World (oof) and the Bahamut that apparently joined Gene/Nova’s resistance. I do enjoy the ruthlessness you portray your Giovanni with; he’s always a fun character to see pop up and even though he does little here except stand around and traumatise people, I feel like you establish his ruthlessness and ability to subdue and command people extremely effectively. Enjoyed the scene of him in the Viridian Gym in particular, you struck a good balance between adapting the anime, tying it back to PoV, and showing how he manages to be so crooked while holding a league position of esteem and using that to further his misdeeds. I’m guessing Giovanni will eventually be coming back too tbh, if you haven’t already snuck him in somewhere. Their whole world got absorbed by Eternatus, after all, and Giovanni doesn’t seem like the kind of man to let the end of the world get ahead of him…

Also enjoyed the arc with Bahamut and Nova (heart-wrenching); I’m guessing this was closer to Bahamut writing those journal logs than it was to Bahamut having an entire pantheon, given the way he reacts to Mewtwo trying to capture him on Giovanni’s behalf in the end. (and I enjoyed the reversal at the end of the special, where Gene decides in a moment of fury that Bahamut has betrayed him and acts the same) Can kind of see how he wound up that way he did if his whole life has been repeats of this. Enjoyed Nova too, and though we skip a lot of time you manage to make their relationship feel real. I’m guessing, as Yuna says, he’s probably the weird chained silvally guy who appears near the beginning of the story.

I feel like we’ve seen Mewgenics pop up at least a couple of times before, but wow that became horrifying on the drop of a dime :rowlanxiety: You do a good job of contrasting the dissonance of the Paradox Regime’s hypercapitalism (uPhone, Chatter, plastic surgery for vanity) with the dystopian totalitarianism of Paradox’s state itself. Kind of insane that they even have a site like Chatter at all if Paradox monitors it so heavily he can just yank people who say things he doesn’t like at random. I have to imagine it’s not a one-off for him, given his predisposition for turning people into Unown for delivering his tea wrong.

Nova winced. "Yeah, I'm doing my best to ignore Selene's... enthusiasm."

Spotted the Guiding Light cameo :V

In general, compared to the last set this was a nice slowdown and also a checkup on characters I feel like we’ve taken a break from for a while (or maybe it’s just how long it’s been since I read). It’s nice to see more of Shimmer and Chiaki, characters who have taken a backseat in the story as of late but will presumably (?) be more relevant later. I guess I feel like I have lost track of what’s going on outside Eternatus at this point. (which, in fairness, may be bc it has been two years since I read the last vanish chapter but I vaguely remember an attack) It seems like Paradox just… destroyed Venish completely? We haven’t been shown it since the attack, at least, but it seemed like a big enough deal that it caused mass panic at the least, and Paradox’s forces don’t seem to care about how many bystanders they kill.

But it looks like we finally see Shimmer again, and he’s getting a healthy dose of reality/a reason to care about the plot now. It seems fairly simple and straightforward, but it’s nice to see reality finally slap him head-on in the face. I’m guessing this is going to lead to him joining up with Yuna’s group eventually, since I assume he’s not going to be getting Xander and Robin back anytime soon (if at all).

I feel like after all this time I still can’t really read Vegna… can’t really tell what side of the law he’s on or if he’s just somewhere in the middle. The only thing he seems to be consistent on is that he protects the students (eg Shimmer), but he seems like he has it out for Chiaki in his chapter, and the stories about him doing Demon Shit were true. Not entirely sure what’s going on with him at this point, but I feel like there’s still a lot of him that hasn’t been peeled back yet.

Did overall enjoy the reversals in this chapter. Compared to Shimmer’s section, Chiaki gets torn down in a pretty unique way (which I might not be appreciating the full depths of bc his biggest trait I remember is that he hates his guardian and has 70 robot arms), and his situation feels truly destitute. I’m interested to see where Scarlett/Starlene’s situation goes too; I remember Nikki took it really hard that her partner in song disappeared all those years ago, so it’s going to be Fun Timez(tm) when she learns that nope, her partner abandoned her to make a deal with Horizon’s Definitely Not Evil Chancellor and pursue vanity.

Welp, Chiaki does seem well and truly screwed here. Good thing Spamton Honedge is here to offer him [DROP9] which I am sure will bear no consequences or ill intent for him later on :D

(And he’s taken Scarlett with him)

Overall enjoyed these! I don’t feel like I see the big picture yet, but things are definitely slowly coming together+some characters who haven’t been in the spotlight for a bit got some screentime and I enjoyed it a lot. Hoping in particular to see what becomes of Vegna/Shimmer, since that’s the one plot that has really operated in isolation to everything else imo (even Chiaki has stronger ties to Yuna). I understand the new cover a little bit more now, at least :p

~SparklingEspeon

 

[Joshthewriter]

Alright! Attempt 2 at pushing myself to actually read this!

Prologue

I adore the fantasy feel of this. It’s so… idk how to really describe it but I love the vibes this puts off. I know you said it pivots hard to sci-fi, but this style and this genre seems like you’re really comfortable with it. That, or you’re a damn good editor.

Some moments I found really special here are the worldbuilding you pitched into this piece. The Radiant Guard? Constant references to “her Eminence”? Even the action sequence hints to quirks with this worldbuilding that really make me ask “what?” and want more.

Speaking of the action, I did feel like it was a little less… idk, kinetic than I’d prefer? That might just be personal preference though, since I like my action very hyper. Description-wise you were good, I just felt like it was off pacing-wise. But hell, I’m not perfect with pacing either.

The second half of the prologue throws the first into a completely different light. I feel like Yuna is gonna be our protagonist and I’m in a completely different story than the one I started in. I’m not quite sure how I feel about that, but Yuna seems likeable enough. I do like the bits of PMD thrown into the fic, like sleep seeds being contraband sleep medication are a nice touch.

Chapter 1

This all feels super super PMD. Like almost like it’s torn from one of the games. The Crimson Zephyr are so akin to a PMD “Team Meanies” or “Team Skull” that it’s obvious even to a PMD noob like me. You really captured that vibe in the opening here. Like I said, really good at instilling vibes into your fic.

I have to note that i absolutely adore the little mention of a black coloured charizard. I’m gonna guess that Noctum’s a Zard X while this Chancellor Vortex is a Zard Y or a regular. It would make sense given that Yuna knows Noctum and they’re from a Dragon kingdom of sorts.

I have to wonder how this is connected to that opening prologue. Has it happened yet? Or is it some alternate universe shit?

I’ll admit, I found the Xeromus battle somewhat confusing. Mostly because I couldn’t nail down what Xeromus was at all. I was trying desperately to figure it out but it just eluded me the entire time.

Yuna certainly is making an entrance at her new school, eh? Capturing some bandits, tangling with whatever the hell Xeromus is… she’s certainly doing better than she thinks she is.

Ah and I love the dread in the realization that her parents have gotten involved. Absolutely hilarious how much I vibe with that.

Chapter 2

Shimmer and Xander seem… lovely. I definitely don’t like the snooty attitude that the two have. hints at the animosity between the two kingdoms. It’s a racial thing, going along type differences. I like the images of society that you’re slowly building, making a PMD world that’s much more coherent than the canon PMD.

An angry duraludon is a terrifying image I really love how you played up how terrifying it is with us in Yuna’s POV how she isn’t used to seeing her dad like that.

And then we get a lot of political exposition and I’ll be honest I loved every bit of it. I’m a sucker for worldbuilding and this entire extended scene just suckered me into your world and the way it works. I want more of these politics, more than anything else rn tbh. I know that I don’t know most of these characters yet, but I’m enjoying starting to learn about them by jumping headlong in rather than easing into it.

I like the way you weaved in the exposition about of mystery dungeons work in this world. I love the thought out system here and really am excited to see this play out.

Chapter 3

I love the dynamic of isolating Yuna from what little support that she has here. It’ll force her into interaction with some of the students and hopefully meet some of the rest of our cast.

So this is the Grovyle on the cover? He seems peachy. And he’s a part of our team along with the toxtricity from earlier? Should be a dysfunctional trio, and yet I see them winning this Crowne Cup thingy.

I also really like the worldbuilding around Bahamut. I’m gonna guess it’s Rayquaza. I love the idea of a religion popping up around a legendary dragon and I’m interested to see more of what that entails.

You do a very good job of making me dislike Shimmer very quickly. Excellent work creating someone so instantly dislikable.

I love that we literally got a title card moment with the song. I do love when a story is having fun with itself and this one definitely is.

I wonder if this vision during the song is connected to the dream from the prologue.

So Xeromus… Appears to be type:Null. I’ll admit, I didn’t see it before. But I really like it. Type:Null is great villain material.

 

[Navar]

Chapter 52

Okay, more stuff related to Chiron and Bahamut. And he's just as stoic as ever. Also, Leo is already born here, which gives me some... interesting implications. In any case, even so far in the past Bahamut already acted so paranoid and delusional. I get where he's coming from, I do, but he's doing it the wrong way. I like it though, it's a neat flaw that he has. He also apparently created Zygarde, and it's a big secret on how. A secret big enough to hide from his wife? Really weird, but I guess him keeping stuff from everyone, including someone close, is expected. Very paranoid. With the Overseers not helping him, his desperation makes even more sense, and the threat of Eternatus is a serious one. I wonder why they didn't do anything. His relationship with Chiron is kinda cute, I have to admit. I wasn't all that interested at first, but as I read more they're starting to grow on me.

Yuna's so wrapped in this she can actually sense when someone else's taking needles. Even if she wasn't the one to take it, she still got that weird vision. I really can't wait to know what's the meaning behind all of this. Though she experienced this vision in the middle of a battle... not good timing at all. Hopefully the others are alright.

And now, back to Igneous and his new employer. He's... still kinda not doing much in terms of fighting, but there's more to it than that. And Yiazmat is also right, charging blindly is kinda what got him into this mess in the first place, so he should work on getting those tendencies fixed. Things became crystal clear to her, both about Yuna being there and all the fighting she's been doing since the fic started. Poor Yiazmat had no idea... I'd say she would have a stroke, but she's a ghost, so what do I know? Even with this information she's not gonna be reckless, so good for her. There's probably some way she can help out. And cut to Yuna not knowing how to handle the situation.

The plan is to use a song. Cool, funny how Nikki and Scarlett are so close to each other, yet very apart. And it's a good plan, too, though it does have the possibility of failing if she can't do it. And... Latias appears. Strange, but cool. Meanwhile, the people fighting still need some help. The cuts aren't so drastic, I think they're fine. Paradox remains a dick.

I know this was posted before this game released, but the singing thing kinda reminded me of Cassette Beasts. Just a coincidence this time, but I wanted to add that. In any case, seems the song helped Gene out. And Nikki was even able to recognize the song... yay? Depends on how their reunion goes. But it even managed to pump her up... so cool.

Turns out the song was just what they needed. Wow, I wasn't expecting it to be that powerful, nor was I waiting to see Paradox of all people freaking out about this. Well played, Scarlett. And okay, Paradox slowly losing it is a lot funnier than I thought it'd be. The guy's having his first major loss.

Finally, the battle's over! Better late than never. Now, Yuna's in for a shock. She's finally seeing her mom.

Chapter 53

Well then, I nearly forgot about the Zacian deal. Don't have much to say.

For the chapter proper. It's focusing on Yuna, and surprisingly her mom doesn't seem upset about Yuna keeping a secret, about all the fighting, about a lot of things. But that's not the main thing I need to talk about here. It was implied on an early chapter, but now there's actual confirmation that she's adopted. Not only that but the circumstances of her birth are weird, to say the least. It changes nothing, but it contextualizes a bunch of stuff. Like, that the Soul Dew reacted to her. Well, despite being adopted she's still gonna be a queen in the future. Cool.

While Yuna didn't react with anger at the truth that she was told, she did finally react with anger towards Bahamut's whole schtick. She didn't do it before, but I imagine she was keeping the thought inside, suppressing it as much as she could, and only said it because her mom kind of made it rise to the surface. I love the storytelling, it's cohesive. Despite so many fights, the thought of not wanting this has never left her mind, it's been consistent. I think Yuna needs a break, maybe some tea... I don't know, she has to do something in order to relax and decide what her goal will be from now on.

After all that was done, Vegna shows up again, and he's been gone for quite a while. As usual he's just so cryptic. Though this time I get that he's trying to get information out of Vortex. And in another twist, Isola knew what he was doing! The obvious conclusion to this is that, once she realized he served no more purpose to her, she cut him off before he could incriminate both of them. He's too wrapped in this to really be innocent, even with the things he had to do for Shimmer. No wonder the guy's desperate.

Vegna's interesting, working for a broken system. Maybe he wants to change it from the inside? And speaking of change, Shimmer shows up with a brand new look. It kinda suits his cold personality. Things take a turn for the worse, and it's... very exciting. I don't know what'll happen to Vortex, but hm, Demerzel is showing his true colos. Only time will tell. Good chapter too, very heavy with twists and turns.

Chapter 54

I don't think the second phase of that project was very successful. And it kinda made Vortex lose everything, so, yeah.

Team Bastion is finally reuniting. It did feel like they got separated for a long time, and because of it there's a thousand things they need to say to each other. One of them being Igneous' current state. Not telling them he chose(kind of) to become that is a choice, one that I doubt will be kept the way it is. The truth's coming out sooner rather than later, I think. Nikki and Igneous' reunion felt natural to me, like they said exactly what needed to be said before Scarlett finally woke up.

Still a lot of questions to be answered, like how Scarlett was able to summon Latias. I didn't realize Igneous was reading about the sages, so I might've missed that at one point. In any case, the project she was a part of seems to be a lot deeper than I thought. And since she doesn't know it, there's stuff they didn't tell her. So much for joining out of her own free will. Well, Starlene was there to tell Nikki everything, which does make things a little easier. Not much though. Starlene's own existence is complicated enough. It's something both her and Nikki need to discuss, and I'm glad they're doing that. And of course Nikki is upset, both at Scarlett and at Igneous. Now, Scarlett's got a point at least, because the racism against dragons is so ingrained there that she'd never be able to reach her dream. It's sad.

Once again, Yuna and Nikki share a scene when one of(or in this case, both) are feeling like garbage. Nikki is actually good at this, as much as she'd probably deny it. Yuna's deal is big, but so is Nikki's. They're handling some really rough stuff to the point that drinking is the better option. Apparently. I think it's safe to say that at this point, they're friends. Though not a direct reunion, they are talking about Scarlett and Igneous, for better or for worse. Probably worse. The alcohol helped somewhat, and things are looking kinda good. Not great, but not awful either.

Chapter 55

POV-2020... that was an entry shown before. Well, these Ruinous Whispers sound like a lovely bunch(/j).

They're in a bit of a pickle, it seems. I didn't know type:full were fully mechanical, I was half-expecting them to be a kind of hybrid. But since they're a robot, then Paradox did one hell of a job adding security to the thing. Uh, animal. Pokémon. Whatever. While obvious, and while Gene tried to deny it, I think he wants to preserve the thing partially because of Nova. The other part must be because the type:full was also created to be a weapon, just like he was. The resistance is a funny bunch, despite being such a serious organization.

...No, not a butt harness. Ahem, moving on from that, Cyril works super fast. Leo is a mystery child in many ways, and one of them is to apparently try to heal this Pokémon's mind. Nothing like undoing brainwashing, or whatever it is he's gonna do. And uh, he's also really strong. That was obvious already, but I guess this is an actual living example of his strength. I get the adults are all weird about it though. And he was actually helpful, making the Type:full some kind of hybrid. I... wow, just wow. A shattered soul? Dear lord what the hell is wrong with Paradox? Many things, I'm sure of it. And he went as far as to "fix" Cyril's issue as well. A horn glowing? Man, Seifer really has the hots for Cyril. They still haven't had the time to talk about that, but I ship them.

So now it's their job to try and make the pilot realize that Paradox is kind of, if not a huge, shitty dad. And it was quicker than I thought it'd be. I guess being presented with evidence that your dad lied and manipulated you will make quick work of those doubts. Oh, and I just realized that him and Leo can be kind of buddies, they even look similar.

To make matters worse, they're ambushed by a weird-looking Regidrago. Yay? Not a yay. In the end, Gene actually saved the pilot. See? I knew he had a soft spot for the kid. And his name is Widget... cute name.

Chapter 56

Stupid thing in their Horizon days... I wonder what that could mean. Took me too long to realize that POV-2020 is the world the fic is set in. Or that's the impression I got anyway.

Shimmer's cold, literally. All things considered he didn't seem to take that bad of a deal, he's got an army of Genesect and he does seem to believe he's fighting the World Ender. For once it seems to be that simple, but I kinda have a few doubts. In any case, Tesla is a genius, and a bit overconfident in himself, enough to pick such a weird access code. It's funny though. And luckily for Shimmer, he gets to test out his army firsthand.

Back to Igneous, and I think this is the first time since he got his new look that something happened to him, like a freaky dream, so Yuna isn't the only one that has those anymore. Though his seem to be more on the cultists' side... if Ahsen and Xeromus are working together. Though the others don't seem to realize he's in the conversation, or at least watching. To be fair, Igneous can't use any moves in this state, so he's just forced to watch them talk and even go as far as actually pull him out of the dream. So maybe they did know he was there.

Team meeting? I think Seifer and Cyril should kiss already. Ahem, anyone sane wouldn't want to trust Widget since he was trying to kill them all just a few chapters before. This gives me vibes of Zuko joining team Avatar actually. Anyway, comparing Widget to Nova is kinda weird because one is a child... but I can sort of excuse Nikki because she's drunk and everything. Poor Igneous missed out on a lot of information. Uh, Leo cured drunkness. His powers are kinda really big, huh? He's an Arceus, so yeah. Also, Widget's older than him, apparently. Like I thought, they're siblings. Congrats on Yuna for being a single parent?

I can see they're finally getting some rest, but not really since they're spending the rest time talking about what the found. Which apparently includes the theory that Nova became Xeromus, which I still don't wanna think is true, because the implications are kinda sad. The scene is just planning and more planning, which is nice to read. They at least seem to have a plan.

Chapter 57

Yeah, I expected Eternatus to look like some kind of cosmic horror on the inside, but it's not as freaky. I mean, I'm all for it, but my expectations were shattered. Devon Corporation, hm? I have to admit I love the way you add stuff from the games into the story. It fits really well, not seeing out of place or like it was just added. There was nothing the company could do after being absorbed than keep working, which sounds a bit dystopic but so does everything related to Eternatus in this story. It's kinda like horror, but the sort of horror I can actually handle. Well, I doubt this mission's gonna be any easy.

From the looks of it they're gonna have to either sneak around or risk fighting a mutant Zygarde, and I have my doubts that they can be very stealthy. I was under the assumption Sigurd was like, old or something but he's the son of the current CEO. Despite it being very much a science fiction fic I can see the reasoning behind some of the, well, science explanations, probably because the way it's written makes it easy for me to understand things. And uh, I was wrong, not stealth, they're in the volcano. A big, powerful volcano. Things seem really weird but I'm in for it. So the volcano just popped inside the city? Creepy as hell. I love the running joke of calling Gene a powerful psychic, it's surprisingly fitting. But as it turns out they're not even on the city they wanted to be. Hm...

Okay, Noctum and co. Compared to an actual volcano, going to a city for old people is a lot better. Really, they're handling things, unlike the other group. I find Yiazmat amusing because she's only now realizing how deep Yuna is involved in this. Oh, and Isola herself has the Genesect... unless they're just assuming it's her and not, y'know, Shimmer. But it's suspicious in any case, so they have to investigate it... through the sewers, of all places. And in the distance, Paradox's forces are making their move.

Chapter 58

Huh, Diyem, neat. Still dunno who this is but it'll be revealed eventually I guess.

Well, the city doesn't seem to be handling the volcano situation any good. People screaming everywhere, chaos all around, yeah, sounds about right. The good thing is there's others trying to help! Except they also have no idea what's going on with the volcano, but they're the only real hope the city has. Oh, and it's full of humans. I still like the running gag with Gene. If he has the power, might as well show it off, right? No reason to keep it hidden from others. Oh, cute to see Widget still has that superhero schtick even after he got "purified"(for lack of a better word).

Rayquaza has been called noodle so much he's gotten used to it. I don't have much of an opinion on him as I have on Reshiram, because compared to him, Rayquaza hasn't done much. Still, he's cool. Moving on, everyone speaks the same language, which is convenient, and this officer is quick to believe everything, which makes sense considering what everyone's dealing with. It's still a culture shock, even more so when there's a Swords of Justice around(which Seifer apparently reacts to? I haven't seen any other Keldeo around), and with Mewtwo. Both being common knowledge to this dimension. It's the best they can come up with, unfortunately...

Sewer time. Surprisingly not as smelly from the looks of it? And Noctum... Noctum you're adorable, don't ever change. His humor consists of not knowing what's going on, or how a piece of technology works. It's fine humor, and I got some chuckles out of it. But so far, nobody found them, despite how talkative the group has been. Lucky shot? Probably. But turns out the time the train departed was a bust. Clearly it has to hold something super important, or they wouldn't have gone to great lengths to keep this under wraps.

They just bareeeely missed Xeromus. Or didn't because he has the best comedic timing I've ever seen, jumping at them from behind. As usual, being weird with his wording. Is he really lacking desire? I can't help but feel a little sad for the guy, and I'd say he chose it but he goes around saying people have no choice, so I'm not inclined to believe that. But he does present a conundrum.

So now they've gotta act, with a pizza truck nonetheless. Funny.

Chapter 59

Panic. So much panic here... and despite this, despite how rough things are, everyone's trying their best. And Jade is there to help, thankfully. They can ride on her, and right, there's a bunch of legendaries there. If anything, they can help raise the morale in the city. It's probably their best option right now, and for a plan that they came up on the spot, it feels surprisingly effective. The dissonance between what Seifer knows and what Molayne expects him to know is kinda funny. All the humans around have a really different ideas of what the legends should be. And wow, Molayne and Seifer are parallels to each other. Similar life situations and all that. It can give him a new perspective on things, at least. Glad to see they tried helping each other. It's nice.

Okay, Widget's helping! He's a nice kid now. And he can transform into different forms... neat. Secondly, what the fuck. Actual fists made out of energy? That makes zero sense and a lot of sense at the same time. It's so out there that I can't help but love it. Once again, Yuna sees something related to Chiron. She's gonna be like, her reincarnation or something. Whatever happened managed to power up Rayquaza, and he finally gets to have a cool moment.

Eventually the anomaly has been revealed. A Machamp. A Gigantamax Machamp. The guy was so pissed off he was throwing literal energy punches... someone should hand him Snickers. He also works for Paradox, which doesn't come off as a surprise at all. He's... a character, alright. Someone that likes to refer to himself in third person, which tells me a lot about him. He also called Yuna "Chiron", which only adds fuel to the fire. He's very angry and very strong, a combination that's gonna make it worse. And he's really trying to kill them all. I think Gene can take him out easily, so we'll see about that during the next chapter.

Chapter 60

Molayne's counting on Rayquaza to save the day! I hope he does, really wanna see something cool coming from him.

Even with those gigantic fists making their way towards the team, Rayquaza is able to block them. See? Cool stuff. This dude is strong as hell, and it does feel like everyone is needed to stand a chance against him. He's giving his all, so it's only natural for everyone to do the same. But, hm, Nikki is actually tossed aside. I imagine that's gonna make her really pissed off for the rest of this chapter(and some future ones, maybe?). All she's got is a mega, which can help but not in this situation I guess.

While that's happening, the people down below are just seeing it. And while it has to be kind of a pretty sight, it's also a bit dangerous. Seifer has the right call here.

Back to the fight! Getting the upper hand is nice, especially with Rayquaza's help, but that's where things get... weird as hell. A maw in his stomach? Wow, I wasn't expecting body horror on this chapter but I'm all for it. And the sight of it makes something in Yuna react, and like her I'm thinking something related to Chiron. Also, same, Gene, same. Though I don't like horror in general. But with so many hits, even the mighty Chernabog seems like he's struggling to keep it up. The voice inside Yuna's head sure is pushy... but allowing them to get sucked into the guys doesn't sound like a good plan. But in the end, it actually worked, though she had to talk to something that may or may not be Natus? Not clear, which is the point of it. At least the fight seemed to be over, but the aftermath is still uncertain.

Team Bureau, yay. They're doing something cool too, and it's a treat to see Cyril's work whenever possible. Like the other team, they're in a bit of a pickle and having to fight so many people. A bit of a chaotic scene, but I didn't find it hard to follow. Valkyrie is doing her thing and attacking everyone she can. So in the end she kinda did what she was hoping for before the sewer plan. And they got attacked. Again. Except it's an Iron Jugulis? Cool.

Chapter 61

I mean, manipulating fate sounds nice. Though from the situations they described it doesn't sound like that.

This scene sounds a lot funnier in my head because I'm playinig a chase song from Scooby-Doo. Anyway, still chaotic. Everyone on the team is trying something to make it better, but it seems like Noctum figured out a plan! Not that it'll be easy to enact said plan, but it's better than nothing, right? Though he didn't even get a chance to do that, Igneous went and stole his thunder. Figuratively. I don't think it's such a bad spot, but it's not a good one either. I'm excited to read how everyone's gonna get out of this one.

Okay! Igneous admits he's reckeless, which is what I and everyone in the fic have been saying for the duration if it. But he's fighting someone, and said someone is Shimmer. Funny how they don't seem to recognize each other(at first, since Igneous does later). So they have a little back and forth. Not so little actually. While they're arguing, the others are still fighting the best they can. It kinda feels like Igneous is just stalling Shimmer while the others work with Noctum's plan. Maybe that's what it is? And wow, Iron Jugulis can actually talk. The Machamp anomaly could too, so I'm not sure why I'm surprised.

So Igneous is trying to not fight Shimmer, instead going for a more talkative approach. Is this character development? I choose to believe it is. And meanwhile, Iron Jugulis continues to beat them up. It's kinda obvious who's having a better time here.

Yay, Igneous managed to convince Shimmer to not do anything stupid. But it wasn't all that great since he got yeeted off the train. I mean, he can fly so it's not that bad. He survived, so he can keep going. That's good. And on the side of Iron Jugulis, things got better. Even more because he got attacked by ice.

More freaky stuff with Igneous. A voice in his head and a headache aren't really good and I wonder if there's other side-effects to his change. But he managed to defeat the cloud monster! With Shimmer's help, even Iron Jugulis got defeated. Mission successful! I think.

Paradox was informed of the whole thing, and he lost again. I'm glad he did. Good chapter.

Chapter 62

This Matriach creature is at the center of a lot of plot points, and yet I don't know much about her, unfortunately. More in the future, I hope.

Aw yeah, last chapter had no appearances of Yuna and the rest of the gang. Just the other team. Well, it's just Yuna and Leo so far, which involves them in some kind of freaky dimension, like most of the dimensions they've been to so far. And whatever this dimension is, it told her something, and Leo can see things that Yuna isn't capable of doing so. And they found a plate, one of Arceus' plate, and of course, Leo wants to take it. He's so cute... but I don't like the picture I had of him with the plate on him. And Sigurd is there, along with a cute doggy. He helped them, I think. Don't quite get the scene, but it's fine. Thankfully the anomaly is finally gone, and wow, in true PMD fashion, Seifer fades away. I didn't cry this time, at least.

Everyone's reunited, and... poor Sigurd. I can respect his decision to not take the cure. Also, more lore about living inside Eternatus. I'm not sure what to think of Paradox artificially expanding people's lifespans inside. It's probably another form of control, so they don't turn back on him, otherwise he'll just reverse the process or something.

Like I thought, Nikki is pissed off. Not only at Gene(which is understandable), but also at Yuna, which must hurt a lot more, because they're friends(I think). I think the conversation slowly shifted to Yuna more than Nikki, mostly because Yuna was just kinda ignoring the whole thing. And dun dun duuuun, the big reveal. She's Chiron. I saw that coming but maaaaaaan I'm satisfied with this twist.

Barely had enough time to process that when another twist was thrown my way. An Icetales. A familiar Icetales... well, hi Shane, it's been a long while. I see he's still a big dork.

Chapter 63

Sheesh this Matriarch thing is worshiped a lot... anyway.

Ooooooh boy. Oh boy, oh boy. Yuna coming up with the conclusion herself, without anyone telling her, was a really smart move. Slowly, as the chapters went on, she pieced together information about not only Chiron, but herself. And after all this time, she finally has an answer. So the others have reasonable reactions to this reveal, and the biggest takeaway is that... Gene has a point. The situation with her is still unknown, I don't know why Chiron became her, and nobody in the story knows if Chiron's gonna come back, making Yuna disappear. That's scary, but there's a silver lining in that she's also doing things Chiron never did, in particular with the Soul Dew. In other words, there's a chance she'll be okay.

Nikki got yeeted, lmao. Now that the twist is out of the way, they can plan things. And this Lycanroc was an intern for the overseers. He also has a familiar name and accent. Yay, more GL connections. This is really nice to see, since I read that fic, it makes things feel so more rewarding once I connect the dots. Jaeger is there for more exposition, cool. It's not a surprise that the chain exists in other worlds, it must be a constant. More importantly, Dialga and Palkia don't exist, same as Arceus. POV-2020 is one weird world.

From the looks of it the story's heading to the point where they need to assemble the pieces of the chain. But wow, Sigurd already had a fragment with him. This was a delightful reprieve from all the action.

And now, back to the rest of the cast. Gene crashing the party with the Chatot from before as well as Nikki. Not much here, but Nikki's gonna give them the rundown on what just happened, so that serves too.

Chapter 64

Well Shane, you managed to reach the dimension, so there's nothing to be concerned with. You should be just fine.

Both of Shimmer's moms react to the news. And I have to say that Isola is a little too calm about her son(her only son) putting himself in harm's way like this, not to mention his new look. She either doesn't care much about him, or she doesn't think it's that dangerous. Isola herself states it's more towards the latter option, all because apparently her family has such a powerful heirloom that Eternatus can't lay a finger on them. That's either overconfidence or she doesn't know any better. I'm not sure which is worse.

On one hand, Shimmer is doing good with his new power, and doesn't seem to be letting it go over his head. On the other, I'm not sure how good this all is. I am glad to see he's changing, at least. He still acts high and mighty, but it feels like he's got some humility. A very small one, but one nonetheless. That doesn't stop him from spying on Demerzel though. Like Shimmer, Demerzel seems to be a victim of his circumstances. He also wanted Shimmer to eavesdrop. A big lore drop about Demerzel here, and he also hates Bahamut. I get why he was talking about desperation with Shimmer all those chapters ago. He's stuck in a world he knows little about. A tragic character.

And what he tells Shimmer is also kinda scary??? That his mom isn't his mom, but some thing possessing her body and that's gonna go for his in the future? This is all so he can get the heirloom and Demerzel can go home. It's a sound plan, but to drop all of that on Shimmer at once is kinda suspicious. Surprised Shimmer accepted helping him out.

To finish the chapter off, Vegna is out there looking for Mewtwo. He's more involved in the story now, I guess. Cool.

Chapter 65

The Butterfree Effect has been mentioned a lot of times in the story. By this point I doubt it's such a flawed theory, because otherwise it wouldn't show up so much.

Nikki spent two whole chapters explaining everything that happened so far. With Yuna's news taking a heavy toll on her mom... adopted or not, she's her real mom, but even she needs time to process all this information. Yuna's at the center of this conversation, since the others want Nikki to actually apologize. I know Nikki doesn't like doing anything remotely emotional, but she makes a good point about Yuna's situation. It's funny how this scene has so much tension that something as simple as sipping water can get everyone's attention. Oh, and Nikki's not upset at Scarlett anymore. Yay.

More conversation. And hey, I like smiley fries too. Anyway, the topic shifts to Shimmer for a bit, and then there's more focus on Scarlett, which is good. Honestly I don't think she's a bad person or anything, she just had a bad hand to deal with. And she wants to change, to help others. That initiative is a good place to start, but she needs to put in the action. With Starlene's help, that might just be possible. This was a fun little segment, just having everyone chat to take away some of the tension. Then Gene comes along for an important development.

Heh. He found it in Nova's closet. And as weird as it looked, it was an actual fragment, even if it got just a single reaction.But it's a fossil, which makes it a bit useless for everyone. It's not an ordinary rock... but I was not expecting the solution to be throwing it at a particle accelerator. It's so weird, but it makes sense in a weird, sciencey way. It'd be an easy solution if not for the fact the planet blew up, and Gene got the blame from it. So now they have to solve that anomaly. Sounds fun.

Chapter 66

So going inside Eternatus is like going into space... except if you die there you kinda get stuck inside of it, so it's worse than space. I'm shocked there's no star wars or trek reference. Or any Doctor Who reference. In any case it's an easy mission so far, taking the ores, get out. Nothing too complicated. The most was the thought it'd warp them somewhere that'd kill them, but that doesn't seem like a possibility. Wow, Jaeger is a lot smarter than he sounds. And he was right! They're in a building. I think every setting this fic has is super fun to read. It's nice and everything. So far, the planet doesn't look too hostile, which makes it better.

Okay, now Cyril can actually use illusions and everything. Also, capital of Hoenn? Must be Mauville. At least, the ORAS version of Mauville. Cool that Cyril is prepared... I didn't wanna see everyone running away from robots if they found out the truth. And a ranger reference too (one I can understand because I haven't actually played the games all that much). That was a long, loooong conversation, and for most of it Cyril was playing along. Better than starting a fight. But it was also a good opportunity to get information, which he did. Bringing him with them was the best option.

Better yet for them, the city has a large collider. Good thing they got that information. There's also a lot of worldbuilding details here, and with the many dimensions it feels like everyone has its own schtick. It was a hunch before but now they actually have to go there so their plan can function. Another solid plan, and I'm more curious on Widget's part of it, since he'll be meeting some Silvally. That... probably won't end too well for him, I don't think.

Oooh, so other people found it convenient that they happened to find another collider. I thought it was, but didn't want to mention it, thought it'd sound nitpicky. And while nothing bad happened to them(yet?) the weird french guy is still a sign of trouble. Yikes.

Chapter 67

Okay, these entries are neat. Some Necrozma with a very strong personality. Good for them?

We interrupt this PMD fic to bring you a Starfox fic! Jokes aside, this battle has some stakes set already. Nobody can have their collars destroyed, because... they'll go boom. But again, Yuna has some quick thinking. Throughout the fic she's been having more and more of those moments. Moments where she realizes a way to get herself and her friends out of this situation. Quick enough to get them a fragment, nice... and Nikki decides to stay behind. Acting as a distraction? It could work, but she's with overwhelming numbers. I hope she can hold out until Gene appears again.

Let's go, Widget! The Silvally nearby look relatively normal. Like, they don't seem brainwashed or anything. They do act mechanical, though. Very mechanical. And of course, they're immediately suspicious of him, a stranger that looks cosmic. But he does convince them eventually, through luck and him being smart enough to find a loophole. I don't think he was there to like, liberate them or anything. Widget probably wanted to see what it'd be like if he still had that programming in his mind, and the Silvally are the closest he'll get to that point. In a way, talking to them is the best way he has of helping himself deal with whatever's on his mind. And huh, it was helpful. Also I thought Type:Full was Null's name in japanese, but it's actually Silvally. I'm a little dumb sometimes.

And now it's Yuna and co again, sneaking in. Even Widget's back with them, and he feels better. It was like a revelation to him, I think. Oh, and Paradox was there. To teach about DNA. That's oddly wholesome.

Speaking of Paradox, he was there in the last scene, and... Chiron is gathering the Paradigm? She also killed the Matriarch? I'd call it a twist but I'm not sure what to make of this. Well, I liked the chapter as usual.

 

[windskull]

Hi Amby! Gonna review a handful of chapters. I swear I read these before at some point because I remember reading through the trial, but I looked in multiple places and couldn't find any place I'd left a review, so here we are.

Picking up on chapter 22…

• The action sequence was fun! While I do look forward to Yuna reaching a point where she can properly fight back, these moments where she has no choice but to be stealthy are really fun for her character.
• Also. Aaaaah gratuitous French. Why must you torture me so.
• The flashback scene has my attention. While I can remember reading bits and pieces beyond this, I can't remember if we’ve seen another one yet. It definitely further fleshes out the dynamic in the past with the sages, and I look forward to seeing how it circles back to the main plot.
• Thank goodness Rayquaza helped them. I'd hate to think of what would have happened if she'd freed him, then he'd turned on everyone. Makes me curious whether Xeromus was lying, if he was referring to a *different* sage, or if there's more than meets the eye in this situation and we’re gonna see a heel face turn later.
• And then the last scene. Boy does it do a good job of setting up intrigue for at least one greater scope villain. He clearly has everything under control (or thinks he does, at least.) So we’ll have to see how that pans out. You do a good job of conveying his disdain for the common grunt, too. I'd hate to work under him.

23:

• As usual, Shimmer really shows his privilege in this opening sequence. Trying to run back to Mom to get what he wants. What are you, 6? Joking aside, that personality is what makes it enjoyable to see him have to eat a bit of humble pie every once in a while.

• The bouncing of the shoddy carriages always lulls me into a sense of ease.

  Bro is already letting his disdain leak through. It's been like ten minutes my dude.
• I like the way you handle the coroner’s report. It feels like a realistic extrapolation of pokemon biology based on your real-world medical knowledge, and it adds a nice touch.
• I don't currently have much to say about the Necrozma scene other than the fact that it looks like our heroes are going to be dealing with multiple antagonistic factions. And I, for one, look forward to seeing what happens when these different groups clash.
• And then the final scene brings us back to Noctum’s group. It raises some fresh questions - I look forward to seeing what the nature of this zoroark’s work with Chiaki’s family is - but it almost gets cut off too quick. But it looks like we’ll have to wait for now.
• This chapter seemed to be mostly catching up with B plots before we return to the main trio. While I just mentioned that I wished we got a bit more answers from the last scene, I do think it better this chapter doesn't overstay it's welcome, so overall it's fine. I suspect we’ll get back to the main cast next, while continuing one of these plot threads on the side.

24:

• And it looks like I was right. Chapter 23 does a good job of wrapping up the current arc in the Qlipoth and ties us back to where she’s *supposed* to be: in court. I really like that we see Yuna’s insecurities here, particularly regarding her inability to fight. But also get to see Chiaki acknowledge that she just did what she had to. Nikki seems more upset, but also seems like she's going to get over it soon. Like she said, two chatterbox sages are enough of a burden to make up for it.
• I think you do a really good job of getting across the vibe of Ace Attorney with this courtroom scene. I will admit that I'm only really familiar with the original trilogy, but even without the knowledge of newer games it may be riffing off of it still gets across the idea of a zany courtroom drama. But damn. I don't know how jury selection is handled here, but they really picked some guys that would already have open bias against the defendant. Dang.
• And that little bit at the end is quite interesting. With it becoming clear that Shimmer’s uncle is hiding something from him about the case. This little bit was small. But… what if there's something more to it? Hm….I will say, one thing that's not totally clear to me is whether the lighting detail was brought up to Kain before or during the case. It doesn't make too much of a difference, but it does make a little if Benedict was anticipating it being relevant prior.

25

• The first two scenes look to be focused on tying Yuna’s group and Noctum’s group back into what is now the primary plot thread. Not much to say about it, except that between the atmosphere and Paradox’s broadcast, I'm getting major “The Under” vibes here. Wouldn't be surprised if that's an intentional nod.
• And then we return to and wrap up the trial. I'm with everyone but Shimmer here. The narrative makes it clear that, at best, something fishy is going on. Like. There are enough circumstantial issues based on what is presented that I'm not sure a real jury could find him guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt and could see a similar real-life scenario leading to a hung jury. But like. His vibes just stink, man. He's practically rubbing it in everyone's faces that he's getting off scot free (or so he thinks, pretty sure I remember reading the next chapter lol.) Regardless, the comparison of fictional court to real court isn't really the point here so I think I'll stop rambling about that lol.
• Instead… Oh, Shimmer. His reaction feels highly realistic. It feels like even he is having his doubts about Benedict's innocence. But at the same time, he clearly cares too much about his uncle to tell the truth, too. Man, he complained about Vegna not being appropriate for this case because he'd have a conflict of interest but one could argue the same about him. That he has a motivation to do anything to find his uncle innocent.

26:

• Ah, so Chiaki’s dad is at least partially inspired by PMD!Giovanni. Got it. We’ll have to see how this pans out. I do find it interesting that he seems to have some sort of connection to Yuna’s parents…
• Yep, I do remember reading this part, at least! The way things play out are quite interesting. The way things are set up seem to suggest, if not downright implicate, that his death wasn't an accident and that Vegna just straight up murdered a mon. At least, with Yuna seeing his bird up where the chunk of building fell from. And that may be true! But I personally suspect there's more going on than meets the eye… I think I'll save further speculation for now, though. This is still pretty early in PoV after all, in the grand scheme of things.
• Also, poor Yuna 8(. Poor Shimmer, too, if I'm being honest. That shit has got to be traumatizing.
• And then that final scene. While I don't have much to say about Gene coming in at the last second to save everyone… perhaps I'm forgetting some stuff from earlier chapters, but the fact that Benedict showed up here after dying has some Fascinating implications…

While I could read more and I'd be open to doing so, I think I'll end things off here, as this feels like a fairly natural break point. This chunk managed to wrap up a couple of notable plots, but there's still quite a few dangling threads we need to follow up on. The most pressing of which is Noctum’s group right now. I don't remember if I read beyond this point previously, but hopefully I'll get another review out in a more timely manner lol (What do you mean it's been almost two years??? OTL). Until next time.

 

[Joshthewriter]

I’m back! Merry Blitzmas!

Chapter 4

More politics to open the chapter! Delightful! I also really like the cracks in Vortex’s cheery armour starting to show. Yuna definitely is a trouble magnet, what with her being our protagonist and all. Glad Vortex is at least somewhat realistic about things and not all cheer and hope.

Man, Chancellor Vortex kinda went full shady politician real quick. I like it tbh. Gives him more depth than the Dumbledore-esque vibe he’s been giving me to this point.

Another thing I’m loving here are the hints that all is very not well in the fairy kingdom. You do a good job selling the things bubbling in the background and teasing the idea that there is more shit going on in the world. Very interested in seeing more of what these mysterious projects are as well.

A zarude? Another new pokemon you showed off here, I’ve never seen one in a fic before. Love all the great representation in this story. It’s a veritable menagerie!

That letter… it’s not getting sent. Not after what Vortex was saying earlier. I wonder what lie they’ll spin, or if they’ll just outright not mention that Yuna passed out during their diva’s show.

Ah, Nikki’s got a boomburst up her sleeve, doesn’t she? It would make sense why she’s so confident that they’ll be fine. I do hope that’s not against the rules or anything.

Team Bastion? Yuna’s right that it doesn’t seem to fit with them that well, and I don’t even see a logical theme with their evolved forms either.

Oh yeah, Nikki’s gonna boomburst all over this crowd. Good plan tbh.

Does the dragon kingdom not have electricity? it would make sense given Yuna’s confusion about what energy is.

I wonder what Vortex got pulled away for. It seems odd, given that he’s been all over this Crowne Cup thingy.

Aaaaand like I thought, there’s the big boomburst. Nice effective cliffhanger, I can’t not jump ahead here after that lol.

Chapter 5

Oh my what is this? Our big bad?!?!? I love him, he’s so menacing and evil it’s so great. Nice appearance of the bird trio, corrupted and all. I love evil shit like this, so melodramatic and delicious.

More exposition on what’s going on in Radiance, with mystery dungeons popping up around those jewel things. Not entirely sure yet what’s going on, but I do like the glimpses of the bigger picture plot here. This shadow is going after the school where Yuna is, which is probably not going to go well.

And then we get the aftermath of the boomburst and it’s chaos. People down all over the place, utter confusion.

I do like the fact that they were challenged after that stunt. Nobody left standing would let that stand without a respons. Kinda surprised there wasn’t a bigger one though.

I was kind of confused during the maze segment. I didn’t really find myself able to follow what was going on. Although, I did have a headache here, so perhaps my impression was exaggerated.

Oh man, so the Phantom already attacked the school while we were following Yuna through the maze. Hope everyone is alright.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Heya, I was home sick for most of the day, so I actually started out my reviewing tonight with this chapter. I figured that it was as good a reason to try and clear my head a bit by finally catching up with PoV, featuring the latest chapter for the next week-ish:

Chapter 78

Spoiler

Entry 2201
The newcomer has spoken with a couple of Sages. They said it was just simple questions. About the world. About the Sages. About me. Apparently she ran away from her home.

Otherwise, she's kept mostly to herself. Something about her aura feels familiar. Even the term "lunala" tickles the back of my head. And yet I'm not sure why.

Oh, so Chiron was also secretly a Giratina too, huh?

I should try talking to her. Suicune and Reshiram both asked I use a gentle approach, though. Hence, I've left her to her own devices. How much longer do I do that for? They didn't specify a timeframe for this "gentle" approach of theirs. It's rather frustrating...

That... doesn't bode well for how well Chiron and Bahamut were getting along shortly before the great sealing of Eternatus.

Days of stumbling across the Qliphoth half-blinded were finally behind Necrozma. He had started to fear the remaining Needles were gone. That his power was taken by the one he'd sensed fragments of his light within.

Ominous Bayo 3 BGM is ominous there.

That infernal drakloak. Necrozma didn't know what she thought she was doing. Why her aura had traces of his beloved. But he couldn't find her. And Necrozma couldn't get a lock on a single Needle.

... That finally changed. After slowly drifting from planet to planet within the Qliphoth, he found one composed of bare, labyrinthian tunnels. Dim crystal chunks lay in dirt walls. Twinkling between pillars of wood and metal.

Oh, wonderful. So Bahamut's undead corpse is going to get a powerup to make everybody's lives harder.

He lumbered through the abandoned mine. Its purpose long past fulfilled, it was left to decay and disarray. The same thing that was happening to his home. That was why he needed his power back. To protect it— no, save it.

Wait, his home? As in Etherium, or...?

The light he sensed got brighter. Warmer. A beacon that drew him through the tunnels. Made every step a bit less painful.

Yet there was a problem: a soul. A single one he sensed by his power. Paradigm energy dwelled within it. A wretched daemon, sniffing around what was rightfully his. Had that so-called emperor ordered the soul to approach the Needle? Study it? Try to pull it?

Ah yes, cue the ranting about 'give me back my light' in 3... 2...

Necrozma would show them. He would strike with unrelenting force to repel them. His crystal tendrils rippled. He silently wound up, then struck the ground underneath him. His crystal tendrils pulsed with psychic energy, keeping the walls and roof of the cavern rooted in place. There would be no collapsed tunnels here.

Instead, Thousand Waves rippled across the ground. Necrozma flew after it, to follow his surprise attack. The emerald energy carried forward, until the Needle's glimmering blue gem shined ahead of him.

Or he could do that. Though I will heavily take the under on that Paradigm operative really being gone.

The Thousand Waves struck the armor-clad knight standing in front of it. He skidded across the orange, uneven ground. He struggled to maintain his grip on his incandescent blade.

Necrozma's core flickered. The knight tried to raise his blade, but psychic blasts buffeted it, knocking it further back. Red dust and gravel kicked up all around him. This knight was clumsy and awkward. Unaccustomed to the Paradigm shard he held.

Oh, it's Gio or whoever that was who popped in in Venish, isn't it? Since this sure reads very similarly.

"Pathetic." Necrozma's tendrils rippled under his shadows. Concentrating a bit more, he realized the aura beneath the knight's armor was familiar. However, it stirred no emotions. Only faint memories of prior weakness.

After a few seconds, Necrozma made the connection.

The knight was another of his past mistakes. He destroyed Mewtwo's creator. Necrozma was sure of it. Yet here he was, clad in armor with a strange energy. Another case of Eternatus twisting the rules. Bending nature in ways it didn't deserve to bend. Which was why Necrozma needed to destroy Eternatus.

Yuuuuuuuuuuup. Though I suppose that would explain why he was there in Venish in the first place if he's also a part of Paradigm.

The Paradigm was merely fragments of the Universe. The unfathomable power at the center of Eternatus' existence. And the very thing that made it so difficult to destroy.

Another Universe fragment would be his. And the Needle this knight was foolish enough to protect would follow. This mistake would not escape. He wasn't Mewtwo. He couldn't teleport. Necrozma had him.

Yeah, see, the fact that you're feeling this confident makes me think that you're going to get cockblocked, Bahamut. Since being cocky going into battle is always a dangerous state.

"You sought power through control of others." Necrozma flicked his right hand. A blade of light appeared. "You were doomed to fail from the beginning. You never had power of your own, human."

The knight shot Icicle Spears forward, as if to defy Necrozma. But they were tiny slivers, shredded into mist by a single swipe of his light blade. More sword-shaped Photon Geysers formed over the knight.

Bahamut: "Oh, I'm gonna enjoy this."

"I will show you real power!" Necrozma curled his crystal fingers. The swords descended.

... And landed in the ground, kicking up more red dust. Necrozma looked around, at the vessel-like rocks weaving all around him. Pulsating with orange fluid like a buzzwole's arms.

He just had to concentrate and— there!

Necrozma fired a bevy of Thousand Arrows to his right. Several electronic shouts filled the air. The metallic remnants of those stupid Eternatus Troopers fell into a haphazard pile of scrap metal. Necrozma kept concentrating... but the knight's aura was gone. Some speedy robot must have charged in to give him cover to flee.

You sure that Gio can't teleport now, Bahamut? Since that was a suspiciously clean exit there.

"No matter." His crystal tendrils carried him across the orange ground. A single Plasma Fist broke through columns of rock, revealing the Needle buried in the middle of other orange-fluid filled rocks.

Latios appeared in a puff of black smoke by what passed for Necrozma's right shoulder. Glanced at him with empty blue eyes.

I suppose I should be less surprised there given that we already have his counterpart Legendary floating around, but...

So, does this mean that we're going to see Bahamut pull Sanic antics in the future?

"This is what the world needs. I must have all the power."

He reached toward it.

"Hello again, Suicune."

Oh, so that's what he freed from the Needle. At first, I thought that it was Latios, but noted.

The ocean gently lapped against the shore. Back and forth. Back and forth.

Chiron watched the sand darken with each wave, then brighten when the water pulled away. It was almost hypnotic, especially with the sun shining down on her.

"Everything okay?"

Oh hey, FF9 music. It's been a while since we've seen it make an appearance in this story.

Chiron looked up. Suicune sat on the water, like it was nothing. She was well aware suicune were capable of that from the ones she'd encountered within Eternatus. But this was her first time seeing one under natural light. She never realized how beautiful the sparkling head crystal was. Her mane glistened, too. Blue hair flowed with the cool ocean breeze.

"Yeah. Sorry, just... thrown off a bit." Chiron rubbed the right side of her head. She had to choose her words carefully. These Luminous Sages were still feeling her out and getting a sense for her intentions. "We didn't have a lot of," she gestured at the ocean with her wing, "this where I'm from."

Oh right, Yuna sees a vision every time a needle is pulled. Boy is that going to be alarming for her once she puts two and two together.

"Ah. Yeah, it's really something, huh?" Suicune turned around, ribbons fluttering. Chiron resisted the urge to laugh. The butt ribbons ruined Suicune's regal appearance, in her opinion. If this Bahamut fellow really did craft the Sages from light, he could've at least made some design alterations.

Oh, so just like the souls of Pokémon from GL, I see. I wonder if they can similarly be absorbed like in that story.

"So, uh, you used to be a different pokémon, right?" the lunala asked to distract herself. "Was the water a big part of your life before you took this job?"

Suicune nodded. "Would you believe me if I said I was a dreadnaw?"

Chiron blinked. Truthfully, no. She remained silent.

"Pfbt. That look on your face tells me everything."

Well that's a big change. Not as big as Jade going from Salazzle to Lugia, but still.

The lunala ducked her head under her left wing. How embarrassing. A few weeks outside the Qliphoth and she'd forgotten how to mask her facial expressions? Matriarch would—

... No. Stop. She left Eternatus for a reason. This didn't matter.

Narrator: "It absolutely did matter."

Lifting her head, Chiron said, "It is a strange leap. I mean, I guess you're still four-legged."

"But dreadnaw isn't a picture of beauty and grace." Suicune pivoted to wink at Chiron.

I dunno, she sure seemed to have taken quickly to it after the makeover.

"Is that what your, um, Sage title is?"

"The Sage of Grace, yes." Suicune bobbed her head. She strode across the water. The small waves passed around her legs like they weren't even an obstacle. "In its natural state, water is graceful. Always flowing. Drifting. Cascading."

Wait, how did Bahamut go around picking those Sage titles anyways? Since he seems to have been all over the board for attributes he felt ought to be associated with his servants.

She flicked her right forepaw, kicking up some ocean spray that showered the sand in front of Chiron. The wet grains glistened even as they quickly dried up.

"Right." Chiron stared at the drying sand. Suicune made sense, and yet the lunala was still confused. "But what does grace have to do with protecting the planet?"

Oh, so that's how Bahamut chose those titles. Even if I'm now curious about his logic here myself.

Flummoxing, Suicune stumbled a bit. Which was enough to break her water-walking powers, as she fell forward with an audible splat. Chiron raised a brow at the Suicune-shaped imprint in the sand left behind when Suicune got back to her feet. And it was really hard not to laugh at the sand and silt caking Suicune's face and hair.

"Was it something I said?" Chiron mused.

I suppose that's one way to tell that Suicune hadn't really considered the question herself in the past.

Suicune did her best to look unphased, shaking the silt off. "I honestly asked my teacher the same question." She twisted her neck and a blue diamond on a chain swiveled out of her hair. It had that same eight-pointed star Chiron saw on the back of Bahamut's head. Other Sages had different-colored gems with the same symbol and she wasn't sure why.

"And I assume you got an answer?" Chiron said.

Oh, so that's what the heads of the different needles look like, huh?

"Bahamut feels that if we carry ourselves with grace, we're less likely to come to blows," Suicune explained. Finished shaking off the sand, she walked onto the shore. A wave swept away half the trail of pawprints she left behind.

"I see." Chiron folded her wings over her torso. "And not fighting is... important."

"Yes." Suicune glanced skyward. "More than anything, Bahamut wants this world to be as tranquil as possible. That's why the Sages exist."

Well, that worked out well™️ for the present day. And I suppose it answers the question of the world that Bahamut is so invested in saving.

Chiron frowned. She envisioned a togekiss in the back of her head.

"You must keep Eternatus as peaceful as possible. Fighting will only serve to draw the Renegade toward us and ruin everything."

Um, yeah, funny story about that, Bahamut...

"Isn't it our nature as pokémon to fight, though?" Chiron wondered, trying to shake the memory out of her mind.

"You mean, like, for sport?"

"At the very least."

Suicune shrugged. "Bahamut doesn't see it that way. He dreams of a world where battling isn't necessary."

Oh, so that's why Etherium's Pokémon are crazy-underpowered in their natural states. It's literally the sort of world that Bahamut wished to exist.

Chiron looked down. Why would pokémon even have powers, then? It was completely at odds with Bahamut's way of thinking.

"Something wrong?"

The lunala stiffened. "Hmm?" She shook her head. "I'm fine. Just thinking."

Simple. Bahamut wasn't the one to write the rules first, Chiron. He's just attempting to revise them.

"About your home?"

A single nod.

Suicune slowly slid onto her belly. "But you fled from there, right? Was battling that big of a deal?"

Chiron sighed. "In a manner of speaking."

I can't tell whether or not the implication is that Chiron bounced right after Matriarch went offline or not, since given that we know that there was a violent free-for-all afterwards... that would be as good a time as any to want out from inside Eternatus.

"Well, if the place made you so unhappy you had to leave, maybe you ought to give our way of thinking a try," Suicune said. She traced a forepaw in a circle through the sand. "See if it's really that strange or not."

Chiron wasn't sure it was that simple. Keeping a low profile was important, though. She wasn't looking to upset Bahamut. Better to play along while she continued to feel things out.

Even if it did sound strange, Chiron doubted it was worse than remaining Archbishop.

Okay, yeah. That more or less confirms it.

"Gah!"

Yuna's head shot up. The drakloak furiously rubbed her eyes, then pulled her hands away.

Damp? Why were her hands wet?

Ah yes, dipping back into Xenoblade music again, I see. Though I should actually keep this song in mind for if I ever stop being lazy and go back to work in musical potholes into OaT.

... Oh, she had dropped down onto a towel.

Right, I'd finished showering. Yuna looked over her shoulder. Steam faded from the glass shower door. Water droplets trickled down into the shower basin.

Wait... did she not realize that she just had a vision of her life as Chiron?

She wasn't sure whether to count her blessings that she didn't pass out while showering. The fact that the Phantom — they were calling it Necrozma, apparently — had another Needle was quite alarming. However, it wasn't like Yuna could do anything about it right this second.

Okay, nevermind, she realizes it. Though I wonder if she should've been described as being a bit more tense and shaken, since we don't really get that much of an "alarming" vibe up to this point.

Sighing, the drakloak picked herself and her towel off the floor. She finished drying off and tossed the towel into a wicker basket sitting in the corner by chipped green ceramic tiles. Yuna floated toward the door and pushed it open.

Who to tell first? She doubted everyone was together at the moment. Yuna turned right and floated down the hall. Hopefully she wouldn't get turned around trying to find her way back to the restaurant.

"Couldn't you, y'know, just make a rift to it?" Reshiram pointed out.

"Tis true! Work smarter and not harder," Rayquaza added.

They do have a point, just saying, Yuna.

"Right." Yuna rubbed the front edge of her rectangular head. She was about to call forth a small rift when faint golden light appeared at the other end of the hall.

I think someone's coming. Yuna straightened up a bit. Her ectoplasm shriveled the moment she realized the gold light came from a familiar dusknoir.

Yuna:

Vegna: "Yes, yes, very startling, I know, but we don't have time for this, Princess."

It was hard to read his single eye, but Yuna afforded herself a guess.

"Looking for me?" Vegna looked at his right arm. Golden embers trickled off of it, dissolving against the walls and floor. "Necrozma found another Needle."

Yuna: "Tell me something that I don't know. (Also, what on earth is up with your arm?)" -_-;

"Yeah." Yuna's shoulders sagged. "I don't suppose you and Gene have come up with some way to stop him yet?"

Vegna turned away from her.

"I'm going to go with 'no,'" Reshiram said.

Cecil: "Maybe even a 'hell no', there." .-.

Yuna floated toward him. "So, what now?"

The dusknoir continued down the hall, saying nothing.

"Okaaaay." Yuna followed him. Maybe he was looking for somewhere private— okay, yeah, he literally just went into some random door on the left. Yuna stopped in the doorway. It was an empty room, save for a broom and a dustpan. Given the dust sprinkled on the floor, the room hadn't served a purpose for quite a while.

Yuna: "Um... Vegna? What are you doing?" ._.;

"I have sought for a joy without pain, for a solid without fluctuation," Vegna said, crossing his arms. His eye dimmed. "Why will you die, O Eternals? Why live in unquenchable burnings?"

"Huh?" Yuna tilted her head.

"He was fond of a particular poet from Earth," Vegna explained. "Bahamut wrote most of the poems in his journal."

Oh, so William Blake or some analogue to him existed in whatever universe Bahamut originally hailed from.

"He'd recite stanzas from them to us all the time," Reshiram said, nodding in the back of Yuna's head.

"It was so boooraaaaaaawming."

Prooooobably a good thing that he's not around to hear that, just saying. ^^;

Yuna shoved Cresselia out of her mind before could yawn again. What did any of this have to do with stopping Necrozma? "Is poetry the key to beating him? Force him to remember things he liked?" Stopping him with the power of positive memories sounded like something right out of Shaymin the Wanderer's Super Darkness Crisis.

Ah yes, so that's our in-universe equivalent to PSMD there.

"The best thing we can do against Necrozma is stall him." Vegna tapped his right index finger against his left arm. "Stall and find Needles before him. His power is too great. Not even Mewtwo can stand up against him."

Yeeeeeeeeeah, that problem didn't exactly get any better now that he has another Needle under his belt.

That wasn't what Yuna needed to hear. Vegna had basically given up before taking a solid crack at anything! "Then why go through all the trouble to find us?" The drakloak leaned against the doorway.

"I had to." Vegna squeezed his arms. There was an uncertainty in the dusknoir's voice Yuna hadn't heard before. "And you didn't let me finish," he added, a bit more like his rigid self.

Yuna: "I mean, you basically explained that we're up against an enemy where we're just completely screwed if we get into a direct confrontation, so I'm not sure what else there is to add there." >_>;

Yuna reluctantly gestured for him to continue.

"If we want to defeat Necrozma, we must reunite Phantom with soul." Vegna held his hands up and squished them together.

"You can do that?" Yuna eyed Vegna skeptically. She heard about the necromancy thing, but if Bahamut severed his soul ages ago, it would be long gone.

Oh, so like fighting Tubba Blubba from PM64. Though Vegna knows where to find this soul, huh?

"A soul cannot be erased." Vegna turned and braced his left hand on the wall. "I would stake my necromancy title on that fact. Bahamut's soul is still out there. Perhaps it passed to this 'Overworld' realm, but I strongly doubt it."

"I bet he thinks pulling more Needles will force the soul out of wherever it's hiding," Reshiram said. Yuna decided to pass that theory along to Vegna, who nodded slowly.

... Or it could fail and just free Eternatus for nothing. That's also possible, too.

"That's my deduction." He tapped his index finger against the wall. "Necrozma reacted violently to the Needles I pulled, after all."

Makes sense.

"Hold it!" Reshiram's fur puffed out in Yuna's psyche. "He said Needles. Like more than one!"

I'd recommend emphaizing the 's' in 'Needles' from Cecil there. Though I'll admit, I didn't notice that at first from Vegna's dialogue, either.

Yuna blinked. "Hang on... Needles?

I thought it was just Zekrom." Vegna pushed himself away from the wall. His hands flickered gold. Griffon and Talonflame touched down on the dusty floor, spreading their wings in unison.

Alright, time to see who else Vegna's got chilling around in his soul collection.

"Lo! I unfold my darkness," he declared. "And on this rock, place with strong hand the book of eternal brass, written in my solitude."

Poetry was not what Yuna needed to connect the dots. The drakloak rubbed her forehead. "These two are sages? There's no way. I mean, Talonflame's a fer—"

Talonflame opened his wings and screeched.

"Aww, there, there." Griffon draped a metallic wing over Talonflame. "She didn't mean it."

Wait, whaaaaat? Are those two incognito or something? Since I certainly wasn't expecting to hear that.

"Much like the blabbermouth half-lugia, these two were already corrupted." Vegna gestured to Talonflame. "Victini, Sage of Victory." He then pointed at Griffon, but the corviknight beat him to the punch.

"Raikou reporting in!" Griffon saluted with a wing. "Apparently. Don't remember diddly squat about those days."

That's... quite a transformation that Griffon went through both ways. Though I suppose that means that had the gang not intervened with Jade sooner, that she'd have gone back to visually just being a Salazzle. It makes me wonder if we'll one day see Cecil as a Hydreigon again.

Yuna's eyes slowly widened. There's no way...

"Hmm. I doth recall Sir Raikou having a mouth on him," Rayquaza said. "Not in the same way Dame Lugia did, either. He would mouth off at Bahamut. She would crack jokes."

Somebody got Photon Geysered on the regular, I can already tell.

"Can you prove that?" Yuna squeaked.

Griffon cawed with laughter. "What kind of hack d'ya take V for, huh? Proof's in the journal-flavored pudding. My name shows up there." The corviknight puffed out his chest. "I'm Baha-famous!"

Wait, as 'Griffon', or...?

"And we're done here." Vegna snapped his fingers. Both his birds vanished in flecks of golden light. "Satisfied?"

Now it was Yuna's turn to brace herself, only she used the doorframe. "I guess so."

Yuna: "How on earth does nobody notice these things?!"

Vegna: "I mean, having a reputation that makes others not want to get too close helps a bit." ^

What had they been talking about originally?

Right, a way to stop Necrozma. "So, there's really no other way besides Needle hunting?" Yuna found that quite dangerous if it would bring them to further blows with Necrozma. "Couldn't we just let him get the others and search for the soul?"

Yuna: "Since, if fighting with him directly is already hopeless now..."

Vegna: "Yes, but it's at least survivable. If Bahamut grows too strong, that's not something that can be guaranteed."

"The more he has, the stronger he will be, even after we strip his invincibility," Vegna said. "He attacked you with the techniques of the Sages he acquired, did he not? You're only worsening your odds by letting him get Needles."

Yes, that would also be a good reason to not want Bahamut to get too many of the Needles.

Yuna wasn't sure how big a difference it could really make. "I mean... Bahamut was already strong enough to sink an entire island. What could a few extra Sages do for him?"

"More attacks for him to use, obviously."

Silence followed. The two ghosts stared each other down.

Also, wouldn't that imply that Bahamut is presently less strong than back in his island-sinking days? Since you'd think that you'd need every little advantage you could get against him, Yuna. ^^;

"Forgive the discourtesy of my curt response." Vegna leaned against the wall again. "It's a risky situation no matter what. The journal suggests Bahamut was consumed by rage leading up to his death. Reviving him... could revitalize that anger and aggression."

Vegna: "I mean, the alternative is that he curls up in a corner and cries over his personal losses, but... yeah. I'm not going to bet on that one."

"As if what he did to Gene wasn't aggressive?" Yuna countered. Vegna's expression was too tough for the drakloak to read. She'd need the direct approach to get more out of him. "Is there something you're not telling me?" Yuna did her best to look as tired as possible. "I'm sick of making decisions without having all the information."

I mean, yeah. He almost certainly is. Not that I'd really trust on Vegna of all Pokémon to shoot straight.

"I pulled the first Needle." Vegna looked down at his right hand. Golden fissures enveloped most of it. He squeezed his hand shut. The cracks sealed themselves. "Every subsequent one has worsened the destabilizing. It's getting harder and harder to keep my body together."

Yuna saw where this was going. "This big idea of yours... you won't be around to see it through to the end."

A single nod.

... Oh.

"Figures." Yuna rubbed her temples, torn between a couple of different responses. She could've told him it was easy for him to float there and throw out crazy ideas. Yuna didn't like Vegna. It was hard to feel bad for the guy.

"I'm not expecting any pity," Vegna said, as if he'd read her thoughts. "I made a lot of bad decisions in my youth." He glanced at his right hand again. "It took time for the consequences to catch up to me, but I don't intend to run from them."

That's certainly different than how the stock protagonist would react to receiving news like this, though I suppose that it is hard to judge Yuna for feeling that way considering how Vegna's been kind of an ass throughout the story to others.

"A lot of decisions? What else besides the Needles?" Reshiram wondered.

"What do you mean by that?" Yuna asked Vegna.

"Using my new abilities for my own benefit," the dusknoir replied. "A path that eventually led to me becoming an executioner for the Kingdom of Radiance." He crossed his arms and bowed his head. "And, at first, I was more than happy to carry out that task. But as the years went on, a deep unease gripped me that only grew over time."

Ah yes, we're just getting all the skeletons out of the closet, aren't we?

"Unease?" Yuna tilted her head. "About?"

"Radiance's royal family." Vegna floated up to Yuna. "I'm hardly a pure soul. Yet at the time, I couldn't shake the sense there was a dreadful rot at the center of the kingdom. So, I put in the effort to transition from working in the prison system to the courts."

I mean, he's not wrong there.

Yuna raised a brow. "All so you could conduct your own investigation?"

"Did Paper Boy not offer you a glimpse at the fruits of my labor?" Vegna shrugged. He looked ready to push Yuna aside, so the drakloak gave him the space to float out the door.

"So, what? You'll do what you can to help, then leave us to clean up the rest of the mess?" Yuna said. She kept her distance, but still gave a disapproving look. After all, Vegna having Igneous take all that evidence to Sakaki hardly qualified as helping.

Yuna: "Since, really. That's the least you could do right now if you're expecting us to mourn you when you're gone." >_>;

"I'm hardly thrilled about it, either." Vegna's shoulders sagged. Some of the golden cracks returned on his right arm. "But it cannot be avoided."

They were talking in circles. Yuna couldn't come up with anything else, other than, "Fine. Whatever. But when we find new dimensional anomalies, those take priority. So, if you want the Needles salvaged that badly, you'll have to do a lot more to help."

I'm... not convinced that the two are really separate processes from each other, Yuna. Since these MacGuffin quests have been growing more and more intertwined with time.

The dusknoir didn't respond at first. He made an effort to hide his right arm. "There's a ferocity about you I never saw when you were a dreepy."

Yuna held tough at his attempts to unnerve her. "You didn't see me much as a dreepy to begin with."

"Valid point." Vegna... chuckled? Yuna didn't think he was capable of it. "Do not let it slip away. Because continuing down this path will lead you to discover several horrible truths. And without that tenacity... the weight of those truths will crush you."

Translation: Yuna's going to have another bluescreening period or two in the future, since... yeah. This is the break that she's had from the plot so far, and even then, she's still been hard at work playing Ms. Resistance Recruiter.

Vegna floated away before Yuna could press him on that. The drakloak tried flying after him, but Vegna was faster. She stopped by the door to a metal stairwell, watching Vegna float up through a gap in the middle of the stairs.

What did he mean by that? Did he have a premonition?

More like 'he already knows stuff and is doubtful about how well you'll take it'.

"I didn't think necromancers doubled as fortune tellers," Reshiram said. "But 'horrible truths?'" He shuddered in Yuna's mind. "Something about the way he phrased that doesn't sit right with me."

Yuna wasn't sure if that meant Vegna lied... or something completely different. And the conversation tired her out enough to where she didn't want to fall down that raboot hole.

"At the very least, thou shouldst inform thine allies of this latest Needle pulling."

Right. Yuna slowly hovered up the stairs. That much, at least, was easy to do.

Just in time to find out about how Tulpise no longer exists as a city. Wonderful. ^^;

Crisp air brushed Igneous' scales. Soft grass crunched under his feet. The grovlazzle trudged across the grassy hills surrounding Horizon Gardens, craning his head up to take in as much of the setting sun as he could.

Try as he might, he couldn't get that forest out of his head. It was disturbingly familiar. So were the pokémon he saw in it. But why? Outside of one of them sharing a name with a certain toxtricity, he had nothing.

However, the forest remained a nagging unease. Its large trees and thick brush kept popping up in his mind. So, after giving a report on what happened in Tulpise, he asked someone to rift him over to Horizon Gardens. Igneous figured the empty grass fields could help clear his head a bit.

Ah yes, and we FF8 music nao, too. I'm surprised that Iggy would consider Horizon Gardens' surroundings to be a comforting place, since he kinda gave off the vibe that he didn't care for it as a student.

It wasn't working as intended. Igneous kept seeing faint outlines of large trees. Or a specter of a riolu running in front of him, arms stuck out to the side.

Why? Igneous rubbed his head with his claws. Why won't it stop? What had that cloud daemon done to him?

Showed you visions of a past life of yours. Or at least, that's my operating theory at the moment, especially considering that one song that was chosen to accompany one of the past visions of its ilk.

It had to be some sort of psychic trick. Maybe if Igneous went to Gene, the mewtwo would find something?

Igneous' snout twitched. Fruity and sweet, but also bitter. Nearby wine? Was someone out picnicking? He had to make himself scarce. But when he turned to head down the hill and back toward Horizon Gardens, he noticed glistening white out of the corner of his eye.

The grovlazzle crept closer and spotted nine messy tails... and the white-furred ponyta— or ponytales they came from. Shimmer tossed an empty bottle over his left shoulder. It bounced along the grass and rolled to a stop by a couple other empty bottles.

Ah yes, Shimmer is taking his mission's failure well™️ at the moment.

Igneous didn't get the chance to consider his next move, because Shimmer abruptly turned around. Recognition flashed in his eyes. Then he squinted. "Are you stalking me?"

"No." Igneous held his hands up. After Tulpise, he didn't want to deal with any more psychics poking at his mind or squishing him against the ground. "You were in Tulpise, right? So was I. I guess we both had the same idea."

Shimmer: "Hrmph, lucky me, then." >_>;

They silently stared each other down. Eventually, Shimmer gave a small huff. He pivoted back around, flicking disheveled white hair over his shoulder. "I'm not sharing." Shimmer levitated another wine bottle up and yanked the cork off. The pop drew a wince from Igneous.

"Maybe you should slow down?" Igneous cautiously approached.

He's already drunk or on the verge of becoming so, isn't he?

"Why? I've got Pastel Veil." Shimmer rolled his eyes. He took a swig from the bottle.

"Right." Igneous kept walking until he stood over Shimmer. "But I doubt your liver's appreciating this."

Huh, interesting dichotomy about how being able to shrug off poison would help tank intoxication but not the long-term effects of substance use. Though at least he's drinking wine and not doing lines of cocaine Stardust right now.

Shimmer paused in the midst of tilting the bottle. His eyes darted between the grovlazzle and his wine. Grunting, Shimmer set the bottle down. "What does it matter? I'm nothing but a failure."

Huh, I didn't realize how much Shimmer and Igneous paralleled each other in terms of being failure knights with parental + personality problems. I suppose that was the reason why they were paired for this scene to commiserate.

Somehow, Shimmer sounded more dour than he did back in the library. Igneous figured literally looking down on the ponytales didn't help. He quickly sat down, bending his knees to lean against them. "Tulpise that rough, huh?" It was the most logical conclusion he could draw.

"Did you bring the materials I gave you to the Beacon or not?" Shimmer refused to meet Igneous' gaze.

Igneous: "I mean, I at least managed that much? It can't possibly hurt, right?"

Shimmer: "After what happened in Tulpise, I'm suddenly not so sure about that anymore."

"I did. Then we went to Tulpise." Visions of the forest flooded Igneous' mind again. "We had," he shuddered, "our own issues to deal with there."

"Well, you must've had a better time with your 'issues,'" Shimmer huffed. He levitated up the bottle again, ready to take a drink from it.

Igneous: "God, I wish."

"Hard to say. My 'issues' got away," Igneous admitted. And left a present in my head.

Frowning, Shimmer gulped down some of the wine. "Getting away is better than destroying your meltan titan and Imperial robots making off with all the meltan that formed it. Because that's what happened to me."

You're missing a couple words from Shimmer's line there, there's a few possibilities that can fit, but I threw in the two that felt most natural.

Also, you are never, ever going to convince me that you're unintentionally channeling MonolithSoft at this point in the story from that music link. >:V

Igneous' tails and head leaf briefly ignited. "Shit! Shit!" He turned around and swatted the grass where his tails were before it caught fire. The grovlazzle stiffened. "I, uh—"

"See?" Shimmer swallowed another mouthful of wine. "You think I screwed up, too."

Igneous: "Okay, yeah, that's- really, really bad there."

"I was surprised." Igneous shifted his weight uneasily. "Didn't know the meltan could... make a titan or anything."

"And now Eternatus' forces have it," Shimmer said, ears folding. God, the self-loathing in his voice. It was... scarily familiar to Igneous. "I'm supposed to be stronger. To have the power to make things happen. And I couldn't do a damn thing to stop that machine."

Oh, so I was right about the two paralleling each other. Since even Igneous is noticing it, too.

Igneous wasn't sure if he was meant to press for details. He settled on a reasonable approach. "You mean machines, right? There were two of them."

To his surprise, Shimmer shook his head. "There was a third. It showed up out of nowhere. Struck Melmetal down in one attack." The ponytales looked down. His eyes were full of fear. "It was going to kill me if that distortion hadn't erupted out of nowhere and forced it to retreat."

Yeeeeeeeah, Shimmer has a ways to go before he's hardened enough to become a proper member of Team Protagonist, since them almost dying is just another Tuesday for them at this point.

The grovlazzle wasn't sure whether to talk about his role in causing that distortion. Everything surrounding Xeromus and the cloud daemon hurt to even think about. Instead, Igneous asked, "What did that machine look like?"

Shimmer shuddered. "Kind of like that lunatic helmet-wearing mutt they keep showing on the news." He bit his lip and nervously dug his forehoof into the grass. "If you took the helmet off and made him really purple and red."

Igneous: "... (Wait a minute, that sounds just like... Widget.)" ._.

Igneous sucked a sharp breath in. That sounded like Widget! But the silvally was still at the outpost. Had Paradox made another one?

Yeah, I figured. And worse, Igneous. He's made a better one.

"What's with that look?" Shimmer frowned. "Don't tell me you know about this?"

"N-No." Igneous held his hands up. "It surprised me. That's all." He had to save face. "It sounds like a rough situation. I'm sure you tried your best."

Shimmer: "Which isn't exactly making me feel better right now, since 'best' for me is apparently 'epic failure'."

Shimmer sideyed Igneous. His nostrils briefly flared, but then he lowered his head. "Easy for you to say." Shimmer glanced at the wine bottle. "You're actually competent."

Narrator: lol. lmao.
Igneous: "Okay, on the one hand, yes. On the other, was that really necessary?!"

Bingo. Igneous had an in. Though the grovlazzle weighed exactly how much he wanted to tell Shimmer. Bringing the Ryujin up was out of the question. Could he tiptoe around that? What if Shimmer's power boost came with some sort of ESP lie detector?

No. Not even Gene's that good.

He sighed. Igneous stretched his legs out. "I'm not."

Igneous: "Whelp, here goes nothing..."

Shimmer looked unconvinced. "I put up a good front." Igneous looked down at his orange and yellow belly. "Well, I put up a good front before this."

The ponytales slowly turned around. Igneous piqued his interest. Good. He could continue.

"My mother died from a poisoning several years ago," Igneous said. He didn't leave any time for that to linger. "A poisoning meant for my father. Because of an investigative piece the Beacon was working on."

I'm... not sure how much the 'investigative piece' part is true or not, but this is directionally true, at least? ^^;

Shimmer frowned. "But he's a nidoking."

"The poison was seventy-five percent pure salazzle venom," Igneous replied. In truth, he had no idea what the poison was. But it probably involved salazzle toxins. "My dad didn't even tell me until Mom ended up in the hospital. I had to watch her slowly wither away."

Yeesh, no wonder why Igneous still has a thing against his dad to this day.

He rested his hands on his knees. "I thought I could avenge her. I was stupid enough to try and challenge the kingdom's criminal underworld."

Thus how he became a literal Einhänder. Though who were those? The Medicis? Other Ryujin?

Shimmer blinked. "You're still here, though."

"I lost an arm for it." Igneous rubbed his right arm with his left. "Before these... mutations, I always had a prosthetic." A damn good one, judging by the shock on Shimmer's expression. "My garchomp bodyguard is the only reason I survived. But it caused everyone at the Beacon to lose faith in me. To doubt I'd make a good replacement for my father when he decided to retire."

That... wasn't just the Beacon that it messed you up with, but let's not get into that in front of Shimmer there. ^^;

The grovlazzle guessed Shimmer's next question before he could ask it. Holding up his right arm, he said, "No one in my family had anything to do with me attending Horizon. That was entirely me. I took Mom's life insurance payout for myself and enrolled on my own.

"And, well, you might've heard claims I was involved with the problematic concert in Venish." Igneous hunched over again. "So, clearly, I'm not as put together as you think." He shook his head. "We're both screw-ups."

Silence followed. Though he didn't meet Igneous' gaze, Shimmer was contemplative. And he hadn't picked up the wine bottle again. A part of Igneous wondered why he was spilling his heart to Shimmer of all people. But if this day had made anything clear, it was that the two had more in common than he realized.

Because you feel sorry for him and see part of yourself in him? I mean, the second half of the paragraph more or less says as much.

Igneous tilted his head. "Hmm?"

"I just want to give up." Shimmer pawed at the ground with a forehoof. "I don't know a thing about battling competently or keeping people safe. A power boost is meaningless if you don't know how to use it properly." He hung his head shamefully. "Two of our classmates were inside those Iron Moths. Eternatus' emperor... has brought them onto his side."

I actually don't remember whether or not Igneous already knows about the snatched classmates or not. I suppose this will be as good a time as any to get a reminder.

The grovlazzle decided not to bring up that he knew that already.

"Don't you get it? Do the math." Shimmer squeezed his eyes shut. "If the emperor's using our classmates against us, then that means..." He grimaced. "That means..."

Igneous recalled Artemis' report from Operation Follow Me: Xander was the first to turn to Paradox's side. He bowed his head. "Right. Your boyfriend."

Oh right, he does remember. Though I guess Shimmer has already put the dots together for what's become of Xander, even if I can already tell he's going to be shocked at the sheer gusto at which he flipped.

Shimmer laughed bitterly. "Yeah. Sure." He shook his head.

"Is there a problem?" Igneous raised a brow.

"Yes." Shimmer's brow furrowed. His expression was painful. "Xander and I... we were a total screw-up of a couple."

I... did not realize that, but I suppose I should've seen it coming. Especially from the way that Xander just didn't give a second thought to Shimmer after joining the Eterna Empire.

That was a bold claim to make out of the blue. Igneous could see Shimmer's desire to explain himself, and held his tongue.

"There wasn't love there. Only lust." Shimmer waved his right foreleg dismissively. "Most of what we did was just... flaunt our status in public or get busy with one another. That's not a relationship." He sounded embarrassed... for himself. "That's barely even 'friends with benefits.'"

I do wonder if this should've been foreshadowed a bit more earlier on in the story, but you can't say that there weren't signs of it from Venish and onward in retrospect.

Igneous never did like the sylveon. Total prick, in his opinion. He wouldn't be surprised if Xander craved the status and power that came with being the crown prince's consort. "You guys have been together for a few years, though..."

"Yeah. And I hate that I'm just struggling with this now." Shimmer smacked the ground with his left forehoof repeatedly. "But it's all I can think of... now that I realize how much of an idiot I am. If I was smarter, maybe I'd have picked up signs earlier. But he was really good with—"

"Dooooon't need the details." Igneous waved his hands in front of his face. The grovlazzle already knew more than he wanted to. He'd seen copies of the harassment complaints lodged against Shimmer and Xander that Sakaki had gotten his hands on.

Yeeeeeah, you're really priming us to enjoy seeing Xander get rekt down the road there.

Shimmer blinked a few times. "Right. Yeah. Stupid of me." He shrank back slightly. "Point is... this is beyond me. I should give up, but I'm stuck working with Demerzel."

Did that have to be the case, though? If Yuna went through the trouble of gathering up new recruits, why couldn't Igneous do the same thing?

"Then work with us instead."

Well, that was certainly direct there.

Shimmer's tails poofed out. It was an amusing sight.

"I— that's—" Shimmer's eyes darted around. "Demerzel's psychic powers are strong. He could track me directly to you guys. I think?"

"We have a strong psychic of our own," Igneous claimed. He could've very well been setting himself up to get cursed out by Gene for offering up the mewtwo's services without permission. But Igneous would take any extra leverage he could get.

Yeeeeeah, considering how Dermezel himself is in an arrangement with the Eterna Empire and they've been looking for Gene...

"And I'm still Crown Prince," Shimmer mumbled. "I have to... keep tabs on Mother."

Igneous didn't see the problem with his offer. "You'd have more resources if you worked with us."

The conflict on Shimmer's face was clear as day. Igneous wasn't going to force him into anything. "You don't have to decide right now. I'll give you space if you want it."

inb4 he waffles for like 5-10 chapters, comes around and joins, and then things promptly go straight to hell for the Resistance since Gene's location inadvertently gets outed. Like it just feels like the sort of cruel knife twist you'd pull given your batting average with your characters in this story.

Before the grovlazzle could move away, Shimmer scooted to his side. "Don't. Please."

Igneous' tails almost caught fire again. "Shimmer, what're you—"

"Sorry." The ponytales' tails curled around his hips. "I just— this feels like the first time someone's been genuinely nice to me. No ulterior motives or anything."

I mean, considering his definition of 'friends' in the past... he might not be wrong there. .-.

Technically Igneous could counter that getting Shimmer into the resistance's ranks was an ulterior motive. But it was more that Igneous empathized with Shimmer's struggles. Kind of like Scarlett, huh? They'd all made bad decisions because they didn't want people to see them as screw-ups.

Well then.

Though I suppose this means that we'll be seeing these three around each other quite a bit from here on out.

Igneous shrugged. "I get it. This shit's weighing down on all of us."

Thoughts of Xeromus raced through his head. Igneous did his best not to flinch.

"Guess it helps to have people you can relate to." The grovlazzle scooched right next to him. He misjudged his distance and bumped his side with Shimmer's. They fixed their wide eyes on each other.

"My bad." Igneous repositioned slightly. "Head's still a bit cloudy."

"Right." Shimmer rubbed his forehooves together. "Same here."

I smell a ship in action, even if I'm pretty sure that Iggy's got more of a thing for Scarlett right now. inb4 this turns into an "I love all of you" situation

An awkward silence followed, until Shimmer whispered, "Would your, erm, team really be okay working with me?"

Igneous nodded. There was the whole Ryujin issue, but that was something he could address later. If Gene could uncouple Shimmer from Demerzel's ESP, that would make things much easier.

... Wait, just how much of this conversation did Dermezel listen in on anyways? Since if Shimmer's wearing a headset or something that has a mic...

"Then I guess," Shimmer took a sharp breath, "we can give it a try."

It was far from an enthusiastic embrace of Igneous' idea. He opted for an equally muted response. "Nice." He didn't stand up. "We don't have to leave this second, though."

Shimmer offered a thankful nod. "Why did you come here, anyway?"

Shimmer: "Since really, I thought that you hated this place based on how you acted as a student earlier in the story."

"To clear my head." Igneous scratched it with his left hand. "Though this... didn't exactly help."

"Ah." Shimmer looked guiltily. "Well, I guess... we can sit here in silence?"

Igneous raised a brow. "Like actual silence? Or 'guzzling wine' silence?"

Shimmer: "Either is fine with me, really. Though I'm the one with Pastel Veil, here."

The ponytales flinched. He glanced at the wine bottles. His horn sparked. They rolled up the hill. "I'll recycle them properly," Shimmer mumbled. "Promise."

Tongue clicking, Igneous pivoted in the grass. "All right. Silence it is." Except the grovlazzle lay on his back, resting his head against his hands. He looked out at the setting sun, trying to keep Xeromus' words and the strange visions from seeping into his thoughts.

Whelp, we have our answer there. Even if I'm a little unsure whether we're going to end on this cute note, or if something's going to come along and wreck it inside Iggy's head.

Igneous found the team a new ally. Sure, there might be some growing pains. But there was strength in numbers, right?

This is a good thing.

He hadn't realized Shimmer lay down next to him until silky hair brushed against his side. Igneous didn't move.

It's a good thing, he told himself again. We can... help each other.

Okay, yeah, you're totally floating a ship between these two. Even if it's going to get awkward fast once Scarlett re-enters the picture. Though it's a bit weird-feeling to see Shimmer in an actually cute scene for once without him either being an ass or there being some sort of foreboding undertone to things.

Alright, time for that recap. I take it that this was a cooldown chapter given that things... uh... didn't exactly go well for the team last chapter, and I suppose they didn't in the earlier part of this one either. Since it seems like the primary focus was just taking a step back and trying to figure out "where do we even go from here?" oh, and the reveals about Vegna. Like there's a surprising amount of stuff that came out now, and it definitely recontextualizes some things from earlier in the story. I had a handful of critiques regarding missing words or bits that I felt could've had a bit more description than they did, but otherwise things were put together very well.

I do wonder if there should've been a bit more foreshadowing earlier in the story as to Griffon and Talonflame's true identities or what was really going on between Shimmer and Xander, but eh. It works well enough, and if you squint hard enough, I suppose you can see some things in the past that make sense in light of those reveals.

Though good job as always on the chapter, @Ambyssin . It's been a long while, but I'm finally caught up with this story, and eagerly awaiting where things go from here in about a week. ^^

 

[Navar]

Chapter 68

Huh, it is weird that Shane can do that. Unless this world is somehow a continuation of POV-2017? That's what I'm reading here, but I could be wrong.

Ah, the convenience ended because the collider is shut down. While it could be the anomaly part of me thinks it might be the villains trying to stall them so the gang won't go inside. But eh, what do I know? In any case it's not like they were held up for very long; Cyril flashed the fake badge and that worked well. Even with this they have some downtime to talk about the ocean, and about Aeon in particular. See, comparing the technology in Aeon to other places makes Yuna's kingdom look really bad.

Oh, Liza is Liza the gym leader. Or maybe not a gym leader in this dimension. She seems like a bit of an airhead, and a psychic engineer(if she's still a psychic) is a strange but cool combination. So, the pink thing in this collider is not normal, and neither are the paradox Misdreavus around. The only way of solving it is by getting inside the colider, and that can kinda kill them. Soooo, not a good option. And the pink might also be related to the sages being eepy. Despite all the danger, it's going fine so far, since they even have time to chat with Liza about things not related to the job at hand. But thigns get weirder... the pink is just a disimbodied voice, at least so far?

Meanwhile, Noctum and co continue to fight pirates. For a little while, at least. Doesn't feel like they made any decent progress, but it was a nice little scene.

Heh. Guess Yuna saw the ruins through pink-stained lenses. I think that's how the saying goes. Though, thankfully, they got one of the Beldum. Why the hell does Bob have a cowboy accent... I got caught off guard by it but it's funny. On the bright side, Bob got some data, and I imagine once they find all the Beldum, they'll piece together just what this "pink" is. Oh, and Liza did have psychic powers, but as a kid, neat. Her backstory is kinda sad, drifting away from people, specifically her brother. But at least she found her calling. And the pink has another weird voice thingy.

Meanwhile, Noctum's crystal reacted again. The pink might be related to his crystal in the end.

And hooray, they manage to find another missing Beldum. This one just talks like a robot. Nothing too crazy happened, other than... wow, the pink is actually Cresselia? Good twist.

Chapter 69

Poor Bahamut. He needs some sleep, man. No wonder he's so cranky all the time.

Hey, I'm sure Gene can lie his way out of a buncha things, but this was the one time his words failed him. So instead he mentions that the ship was from the Eterna Empire. And that's possibly a lie, but I've got no idea if it is or not. In this case, wow, Gene tricked me. Possibly. On another note, Noctum is worried too. His gut crystal is doing a good job of telegraphing if things are bad or not on Yuna's group, and from the looks of it, they're bad. But hopefully not impossible to get better.

Ah, a Needle. It's been a while since we did this song and dance. Unlike the other ones, this one is near a human, and Liza knows nothing about it. Apart from the fact it's dangerous, of course. And that she doesn't want them to handle it. Man Cyril is good at this game. Jim is the one leading them there, with his quirky and strange personality that I kinda love. So they go there to the collider. And now I get why the sages got so eepy, it's because of Cresselia. Leo's with her, too. I think he might be able to shapeshift if he wants to? He's really powerful, but I dunno, the morph-o-tron works too I guess.

Okay, another flashback... right, since that happens whenever Yuna touches a needle. This time it's not even involving Bahamut, and instead Chiron has a moment many parents can relate to. Oh, except for the part where Leo was having nightmares because of Chiron. If it's bad enough for him, I wonder how bad it is for his mom. Oh, and Cresselia is there too. Reading her lines made me get sleepy too, surprisingly. In any case, she helped! Paranoic or not, Bahamut picked the right Pokémon to be his sages. They do their job really well.

And Igneous was the first to think something bad was about to happen. The power of precognition, or just knowing that whenever they go in these missions, something always goes wrong. Either or. He warned Gene just in time for the pirates to retreat, and they don't even know what's going on in there.

So it was just Vegna. But with a warning for everyone that something(in this case, Necrozma) is coming and that Gene needs to know of. Perfect timing. But the Necrozma that shows up is... freaky. Weird. It barely looks like a Pokémon. Cool.

Chapter 70

To start the chapter off, everyone is safe! Cresselia is there, eepy, and she's a narcoleptic. I swear reading about this is making me get sleepy. Weird, isn't it? But despite setting her free and everything, there's still an anomaly, though the pink is solved. Strange enough as it is, but the anomaly's actually in the collider? Feels like that, by reading the message, they set the anomaly free. Some kinda phantom that knows Yuna(or Chiron in particular). Like everyone, they're cryptic as hell. And they're Natus? Or the prose refers to them as such. Nice of them to enter a whole debate with Yuna, saying a lot and not much at all. Though... they're the so-called Butterfree Effect. See? I knew it wasn't something fake.

This conversation didn't amount to much, but it challenged Yuna's beliefs, even for a little while. And the effect was taking on a form that wasn't their own. Cool. Clearly they're a big deal, considering they can just appear and disappear out of nowhere. And they find Suicune. Or Walking Wake. While this is happening, the collider is turning on. See, now this must be what Noctum was feeling all the way out. An actual dangerous thing pursuing them. All that and they completely forgot about the red chain fragment. And that ended up saving their hides.

A small interruption back to Vegna. It feels weird seeing him weak like this. Must be very dangerous. And this phantom, this Necrozma is... very angry and very strong. Two things that combined make it a remarkable threat. The way it speaks is so much like Bahamut, and yet it feels like he's holding back. He might not even be wanting to hold back. And he wants to use the other Necrozma's power. Ooooooh boy. Calling it Guiding Light confirms it even more that he's using Shane's power. Cool. I mean, not for them. They didn't even get close to winning here. All they did was escape.

Not escaped. They went from a bad situation to another bad situation. Yeah, this isn't good. I like this chapter a lot; there's so much tension and stakes... it's really fun. But despite cooling off, they still need to go back. However will they survive?

Chapter 71

I almost forgot the DMC5 inspirations for this fic were... immense. Power incarnate with no name? Straight from the game. I didn't think Bahamut could be an edgelord, but here it is. I imagine that Gene was beaten up so badly because he got caught off guard... and because this phantom is too strong. But luckily, he didn't die from all those attacks. However he kinda got thrashed around. If someone as strong as him got destroyed like this, then I can only imagine how powerful this phantom is. The silver lining as that Gene got rescued in the end, just in the nick of time. So he managed to find a second miracle.

In fact, everyone's back at the Monastery. And I got a neat explanation for at least one thing, that being the fragment thing. I didn't think he could reawaken it. Through all of that they managed to get away from danger. Barely. It's luck but also reliable allies. Yuna in particular doesn't seem too happy about the situation, and in her shoulders I wouldn't either, even I got spooked by what the Effect said. I don't know, I think her choices matter more than it knows. But right now I'm only gonna know for sure by seeing what her choices bring her. Sounds easy enough, but it hardly ever is. It's been a while since she got all introspective and stuff. Don't think it fits Yuna, but she does need time to process it all(granted the last time she kinda got too drunk and that was detrimental, so).

Cyril's lies finally got to him. See, Liza had a normal reaction to it all. For all she knows her life's work and everything is ruined, and it's not even her fault. She just kinda got wrapped in all of this. Cyril didn't give her enough compensation, but it's better than nothing. Oh, and Shane showed up again. As a cameo. Dork.

The bad guys continue receiving information about what's going on. Obviously they don't like it, save for Bahamut almost killing everyone. And Paradox must've moved on from Widget fast, there's another Silvally being built. Except it's a robot. Well, more of a robot.

Ah, so Bahamut willingly became a Phantom. Now that's horrifying. Good to see Yazmat is finally realizing all that's wrong with her religion, even if it took her this long.

Yuna is taking every bit of information hard. I don't blame her, and even talking to Nikki(again) didn't seem to help out. Well, she's back in the castle now.

Chapter 72
Okay, it's cute seeing Bahamut in love. Or, figuring out that he's in love. Adorable.

Well, it's Igneous again. Figuring out what to do after everything was said and done. He kinda got out of the loop, and wow, him and Scarlett/Starlene have a better relationship now, not getting into each other's throats. It's a cool development to see them both helping each other out. They got screwed over in life a lot, so it makes sense for them to cling to one another. I thought it was just him wanting to befriend her, but apparently he has a crush on her? I think I missed that. I'm really bad at reading this kinds of things. But they've barely even met so it feels one-sided on Igneous' end. Man, he's done a lot of bad choices in his life. Clinging to the one good choice feels in character.

Vegna was listening to the whole thing, and... yeah, there's more information about him now. About him being connected to Bahamut. He's probably a lot closer than I know. His body is apparently falling apart? Holy crap. Well, that's the reason for him being a necromancer. And he's actually going to help them deal with the Necrozma situation. By pratically forcing Igneous to do something for him. Even without the threat I assumed Igneous was gonna go help.

Okay, Seifer... Seifer you dork. He's a disaster, a gay disaster, coming up with excuses to not only see Cyril but to talk to him and... going around as much as he can to not admit he likes the guy. And clearly Cyril likes him back. See? I was shipping them. Hard. For a little while, and I was hoping they'd actually stop and discuss this. And yaaay, they actually did. It's so cute... seeing Seifer doing something for himself, for once, is incredible. And he deserves happiness. Took them long enough to admit this, huh? Talk about a slow burn. Boyfriend acquired, and I'm left giggling here. Cuteee.

Chapter 73

Terraformer Bahamut. That's kinda cute.

Ahem. As drastic as it was for Yuna to walk out like that, it wasn't... bad per se. Sometimes you really need to take things slow and work on yourself. What's impressive is that it took her this long to do it. Like, with the amount of crap she's been through all these chapters, anyone else would've snapped a long time ago. At the same time, Nikki being worried, actually worried is weird, but good. I didn't expect her to actually show it, but I'm really glad she did. Though Valkyrie makes some really good points, they may have escaped that phantom, but everyone should be on guard for future trouble.

She didn't get to be alone for more than a few seconds because her dad decided to show up. And be supportive, of course. This is less of a confrontation and more of Yuna telling her dad about what he missed, and asking some questions. Then she drops every bomb like with her mom. Honestly at this point she must be tired from all of this. Comparing this attitude to how she started in the fic... it's a development, but I wouldn't call it a good one. Poor dad kinda gave up and passed out from all the reveals. And apparently her attitude was like Bahamut... which is another red flag.

Reshiram can be pretty wise if he wants to. It's rare, but he has his moments. I guess it fits his sage status, but I'm still surprised. Somewhat. He's right though, keeping the truth from her friends will only hurt them and Yuna on the long run. And her dad woke up again, seemingly forgetting about the part where he's a grandpa now. And like with Yiazmat, it's hard for him to believe it, even with evidence. It isn't like they can go around telling people the truth. She got an idea, cool. Honestly I feel bad for the dad, he's just... unbeliavably confused about what just happened, but he's a good dad.

Noctum and Valkyrie again. Doing dishes... they're so domestic, when Valkyrie isn't being an edgelord and shit. Anyway, seems like everyone in this chapter is talking about their problems, which is a good thing. Better than to keep them bottled up. Though Valkyrie's issues seem to run deep, and from her words the possibility of being jealous of Noctum might actually be true. So Noctum says she should sleep with someone. Oh my god he's an idiot. I love him.

So Yuna's plan was to increase the resistance's numbers, and she even managed to convince all the Skorps. Well, most of them. Creepy little guys.

God Noctum is stupid. I love him. Good chapter.

Chapter 74

This light dragon is extremely paranoid. I feel bad for him.

So Seifer is the butt of the joke, in more ways than one. Coming into this fic I wasn't expecting to ship a horse and a fox but here we are. You always do make cute couples, I gotta say. That aside... right, Gene's been knocked out for a bunch of chapters. Feels like a long time since he reminded people of how good of a psychic he is. Well, at least he's got visitors. For someone so wounded, Gene talks a lot. It's how he copes. And he's still pissed at Bahamut, for obvious reasons. And he's dodging every question. Not a good look for him. But since he can crack jokes, he must be better.

Oh. Oh crap. Oh crap, Xeromus is Nova after all. And all this time, Gene actually knew the truth. I... I wasn't expecting it, honestly. I really did think it was some sort of red herring. Doesn't seem like there's any option to bring Nova back from his, well, brainwashing. Reading the last recording he had was... rough. You really played with my feelings there, starting the chapter with Seifer all happy, only to reveal the doomed relationship later in the prose. It's awful, but like, I kinda enjoy it. Having my heart messed with like this.

The other big review is that Eternatus needs to exist. It's part of the universe. I don't want to believe it, but if Nova of all people is the one saying that, I'm inclined to. Meanwhile, Bahamut is so far gone his own self-righteousness he can't fathom the idea that he could be wrong. An immense character flaw, so much that he became undead instead of admitting it. And also, Matriach is an AI. Yay, an evil AI. There's so many factions at play in here... and then there's more sciencey stuff. Theories left and right, and I can kinda get it. Leo was the OG Arceus that got too hurt and had to heal. Right, I can see that. The Overseers also want to destroy this dimension. Or are discussing it. Can't be good, now. Hm... On the bright side, they got a break. And at the end, another joke at Seifer's expense. Cool.

Chapter 75

Nice reprieve from all the twists from the previous chapter. So Igneous is going back to the academy, and it's just now dawning on me that this particular part of the setting hasn't been used in sooooooooo long. And it shows here, because the place feels so empty and abandoned. Shows how far the story's gone. But for the plot, Vegna sent them all the way to the school, but he was too crytpic so all the folders and numbers don't mean anything for now. Him doing this to test them or something feels reasonable, as does making them see something for themselves. Well, it's probably something serious enough to warrant this secrecy.

Vortex has been missing since... whatever got done to him. Enough to put him into a coma, I guess? It's serious enough, and he's like, half dead. Justine wants him healed but it's not out of concern or anything. I guess he's better to her alive rather than dead. But that's not looking to be good since he got a seizure. Either he'll come out of this as a horrible mutated monster, or he's gonna die. Maybe he'll be a undead mutated monster, could be anything at this point in the story.

So someone was on the library, and ding ding, Shimmer. Him and Igneous are talking again, and huh, Shimmer actually didn't recognize him back then. But now their identities are revealed to each other. Surprisingly, Shimmer himself seems a lot calmer. I guess that Sylveon boyfriend of his really was a bad influence. He actually looks like he's a better person now, not full of smugness and all that royal crap. It's a relief, honestly. And the thing Demerzel said about Isola feels more real now. Wow, the news are painting a clear picture. Normally I don't think having generation after generation of lesbian queens would be bad, but... yeah, there's something wrong going on here.

Shimmer is worried he's gonna lose his body. It's a tangible fear, seems all his doubts are gone now. That's an extreme reason to change his whole personality but uh, good thing for him I guess. And apparently the empire is getting ready to strike soon. Oh boy.

Chapter 76

Mobilizing the dragons was a lot easier when you take into account that Yuna is literally their princess, so she has bit of an authority over them. Speaking of her, it's good to see Yuna is feeling better after coming up with a plan. No more moping around, just... getting into action. And for now the action is just talking with Baraz. There's wisdom that comes with age, and while she was talking about him, his advice could be useful for her as well. She can try to learn more about Chiron, but it might not make her happy, or satisfied. I don't think she's gonna look into it, but... maybe she will.

Igneous is doing exactly what Shimmer asked him to do. He's been a bit of a mailman these past few chapters. Heh. Who better to hand the files to than his dad? There's suspicion about this not being real, and it does take him a bit of convincing, but seems it's going well. I think Sakaki is a good dad, but his situation with Igneous is complicated. No family is perfect, but I was at least expecting him to go with Sakaki, at least to see his mother's grave. Well, that's one errand out of the way. It's kinda funny picturing him and Scarlett zigzagging around the place.

In the outpost again. Igneous doesn't seem tired at all, but he does seem like a dork whenever him and Scarlett are around. This lizard is really crushing on her. It'd be nice if he could enjoy that moment but Nova/Xeromus has other plans for him. More of the same, honestly, him saying that Igneous' choices don't matter. As annoying as it is I feel bad for him now that I know he used to be Nova. Though Igneous finally did the smart thing and actually attacked. But that wasn't the right choice. It did nothing. Whatever happened to Nova gave him a set of really freaky powers.

And then he got the weirdest vision so far. I almost thought this was another GL reference with the pix and punchdog, but the pix is a girl so I've got no clue. Either way, it's a weird one.

Oh, Igneous was updated on the Nova situation. He even went for that trope of saying he's in there somewhere, not that it worked. It's interesting that Xeromus never attacks. Maybe he's more conscious than he should be. And to make it worse, an Iron Moth is around.


Chapter 77

Shimmer was right. The city's getting attacked left and right. Seifer is probably the best to lead for this, and he's already gathered a bunch of allies over this scene. This scene is tense, I can tell. Luckily most of the civilians walked off already, so it's just a matter of defeating the opposition here. Not that it'll be easy. Feels like a whole riot happening, and even with a Buzzwole and a Zapdos with them, it's hard, isn't it? Then the robot Volcaronas show up. Into the fire, honestly. Literally? And Igneous did his thing to help, even if he's not on the scene. Juuust firing a Flamethrower. Better than nothing.

...Oh dear. Paradox turned students into actual robots? Man, there's no end to his tricks. But hm, Shimmer still tried to reason with them, despite the fact they tried to kill him. I doubt the old him would do that. These moths being here makes me thing Xander might be alive somewhere, mutated by Paradox. And the robot Silvally that was built all those chapters ago finally appeared. It's... totally different from Widget. An actual machine with no room for feelings. I hope they meet eventually, because it'd make for a nice scene. Despite Shimmer's boost in power, he's still weak compared to that robot. He got lucky.

Igneous isn't doing any better. Not only is Ahsen mocking him, but uh, cloud demon's back. With crystals. He's out of his league, and there's even more visions. Visions that don't even belong to him. I don't know who they belong to, maybe nobody. But Tessa? Hmmm. It took a while for him to get any kind of side-effects from his mutation, and I'm glad he did. In any case, they're clearly losing the battle, especially since Xeromus and Ahsen are... y'know, trying to kill them, and being very good at that. Falling back is the only option everyone has. What a packed chapter, it's good. Wonder how they'll manage to come on top.

Chapter 78

Well, it's the last chapter posted... so far. And the first scene immediately goes to Necrozma. Cool, and it's not a flashback. Despite his undead state, this Necrozma can recognize Yuna as having traces of Chiron's aura. This is good, isn't it? It means Chiron isn't taking over her entirely. Honestly, all he can think of is power. It's all that leaves his mouth(I don't think he has one). I understand him better, his hatred of Eternatus is practically visible. Yet it blinds him to everything else. That's gonna be his downfall, eventually, but who knows what kind of atrocities he'll commit until he's satisfied? He's probably gonna be satisfied if it means destroying Eternatus.

Now it's a flashback. With Suicune and Chiron. I like hearing more about the sages, and slowly piecing together the story. From what I could gather, this was before Chiron and Bahamut got together? Hm, every flashback is a bit out of order, but that's kinda cool. It does give me more information about Bahamut. Ironic that he wishes for a world without fights, but his current self wants power. I guess if you have it, you can make sure there's no fights, but that's also a bit... dystopic? Learning more points of view must've helped Chiron too, in the long run. She's a tragic character too, I'm sure of it.

Ah, Yuna saw that vision because someone pulled a needle. Wait, that must've been the same case for the last time she felt someone else pull it. Hm, cool. Anyway, Vegna and her reunite. Nothing sentimental about it, just discussing what to do, but whatever they can do is gonna be hard. Ah, his birds are sages. Or were sages, but they've been corrupted. Weird, they went from regular mon to sages, and back to regular mon. Well, not so regular, but still. The worst part is Vegna's gonna die if they pull out all the needles. He's made his peace with that, and... that's kinda depressing. I don't imagine there's another way. Even after saying so many things, he's still cryptic.

Igneous and Shimmer met again. It does seem they're running into each other a lot these last few chapters. And they had quite the meaningful conversation, full of regrets. In the end, they're more alike than both might think. Both are screw-ups. Both looked for power. That kind of thing. And hm, Shimmer finally had an epiphany about his relationship with Xander. It took him long enough.


To make things better, Shimmer's gonna join the team! I doubt the others will be thrilled about it, but it's a good idea to bring him.

There we go! All chapters reviewed. Took me three whole years but it was very fun. I'll try to keep up with the story from this moment onwards. Thanks for writing it, Amby~

 

[Arukona]

Well, took longer than expected, but I'm finally checking out Path of Valor for Review Blitz. And while there's no bonus points to be had this week from it, I've been itching to get caught up based on vague allusions of what's in these latest batch of chapters. (Also doing this out of reciprocity for the bumper reviews you left for Dual Wills. Thanks a bunch for them, and I'll keep in mind your advice for future writing.

)

Apparently, there's quite the number of instances of the plot being turned on its head in these upcoming chapters, which of course is very to someone who's been following along for some time. And with the last few chapters being dramatic with their own share of plot twists, I wonder what lies in wait for the plot to escalate even more than it already has.

So let me cast aside my wonder, and face the truth head-on.

Chapter 72

We open with Bahamut elaborating on his crush on Chiron. Although he with his cold demeanour refuses to acknowledge it, of course.

As did Vegna's assertion that Bahamut's Phantom was out there causing problems.

'Causing problems' - i.e. making mincemeat of your resistance leader.

Starlene floated in front of him, small latias arms crossed and cheeks puffed out.

I see Little Miss Popstar's one to flout the pout.

Quite the demotion too, for a pop star to essentially become the team's messenger instead of being front and centre. (Granted, as we learned last chapter, the star of the show's now gonna be on break.)

Heh, I like Igneous and Starlene's dynamic. The dark brooding edgelord with the vibrant, bright pop star makes for a nice contrast and plenty of opportunities for banter.

Just kinda realised that the way Starlene intervenes on the convo like this isn't too unlike how Reshiram and Rayquaza make their own observations with Yuna.

"Obvious?" Starlene's electronic wings glowed. "Guy might as well be holding a big neon sign saying, 'Have my eggs, Scarlett!'"

LMAO

Though this exchange does bring to light the realities of Igneous and Scarlett's relationship, about how it's hardly a fairy story where the two'll fall in love at the drop of a hat. Clearly, it's gonna take longer. I still think it might happen, just that it'll be many chapters in the future before it does.

And then there's the whole deal with Igneous's inheritance of the Ryujin. Doesn't exactly seem like he's the most capable to inherit the enterprise. Which makes me wonder if this might well call his status as inheritor into question on Sakaki's end of things. Maybe Igneous'll do a Giorno on it and lead the Ryujin towards a more just way of thinking.

Vegna gave a weak, yet rumbling laugh. "In the hope of running from your troubles, you struck a deal with the devil."

I presume we're talking about Ahsen (aka Missigno)? Just what is up with that floating Twitch Plays Pokémon reference? I don't recall much being elaborated about it thus far?

And now Barok van Zieks Vegna appears, and certainly more knowledgeable of just what Bahamut's up to.

A small part of him wondered if this was yet another stupid choice, but Igneous had already committed. "So, you have Bahamut's journal. And you have a Sage with you. Meaning you pulled a Needle at some point." He stood up straighter. "I think... you know more about this vicious Phantom than you're letting on."

Funny - with Vegna being a dead ringer Ace Attorney reference, Igneous's presumption here almost reminds me of Phoenix Wright's bluffing.

And now the truth comes to light about Vegna. Hmm...quite the story, and one that explains a lot of mysteries about our resident Reaper. And more proof of Bahamut's menace as a Phantom. Now all we've heard and seen of Vegna until now, like his body fading away, is explained.

"Dead as my old hag of a mother-in-law!" Griffon heckled.

F in the chat for her.

The grovlazzle took a cautious step back. "Me?"

"If you want to have even a sliver of hope of staying out of prison, then you don't have much of a choice," Vegna said, his eye darkening.

Subtle blackmail? Vegna's certainly not one to side with honour - in fact, he's pretty disregarding of it. It seems the ends justify the means in his case.

And now over to Seifer, who's hunting down Cyril. How can this not end with a heaping of 🏳️‍🌈 like just about every other encounter these two have had?

"Cyril muttered something about overclocking before leaving," Cid replied. The orbeetle's spots stopped glowing. Widget's unconscious form flopped onto the couch. "I'm supposed to put ice packs on him."

Ah yes, the old reliable method. To think, though, even after all the scientific advancements that Paradox's empire has, yet this is still the optimal solution. Granted, it doesn't mean having to find some super-rare component to replace, so there is that, I guess.

His horn flickered. He was almost tempted to take the prosthetic off so it wouldn't undermine him.

Subtle giveaways of attraction, we love to see them~ (Now I almost wonder if the flickering horn was made for Cyril's advantage with that add-on feature.)

"And right on the heels of driving some bizarro truck into the heat of a firefight!"

That's 'combat pizza truck' to you, Seifer-boy.

Cyril tilted his head slightly. "Are... are you worried for me?" He put his hands on his knees and leaned forward slightly. "Oh my god, you totally are!"

He catches on quickly. Then again, Cyril probably caught on a long time ago.

Cyril lay down on his side, resting his head against his left hand and putting his right hand on his hip.

Goddamn, he's really doing that pose. Then again, if Gene's to be believed, them hips don't lie.

"Yeah, I do like you."

Wow, the words actually came out of Cyril's mouth all serious.

Now how long will it take for Seifer to say the same thing?

Love vibes definitely in the air here. Almost like an S-rank support in Fire Emblem with that BGM. Is the equivalent of that happening here?

If you really aren't interested, then tell me and I'll— mmrrrffffggghhhh!"

Seifer surprised himself with how quickly he moved. Closing the gap... and pressing his round snout into the cosmic zoroark's face. It was clumsy. And foolish. Seifer realized he was squishing Cyril's head against the underside of the workbench.

No, this was fine. Cyril's mane was shaggier than a quartet of mops. And he wasn't pushing Seifer away, either! Even though the keldeo had no idea what he was doing!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Oh my God it is! The feelings are reciprocated! Awww, this is really sweet to watch!

Watching Seifer acting all goofy after his stoic personality gradually eroding away over the course of the story is a sight to see.

Though silent, Seifer's gaze drifted toward Cyril's hips. The cosmic zoroark caught this, and leaned over, putting a yellow claw on Seifer's snout again.

"Really? Jumping into the deep end, huh?" The smirk on Cyril's face grew larger.

Wow. Wow. Going there already? Seifer sure as hell does not waste time. But the camera'll have to cut away because this is a fic for good little boys and girls.

Still a pretty nice ending, even if it isn't Chapter 69.

Chapter 73

Seems we have a diary entry, probably from Bahamut again. The quest for a home...one where he doesn't have to live in fear.

Yeah, Valkyrie probably has the wise idea here, to keep Yuna on her own until she's ready to leap back into the fray. The only question is, how long is Team Bastion gonna have to wait for their leader to be fully recuperated?

"Someone has to stay vigilant. Besides, dividing our numbers further while Gene is injured is a bad move." Valkyrie pointed her claws at the floor. "We need to keep as much of our group here as possible for the time being. That way we can move as a unit."

United, we stand, divided we fall....or something. No doubt Nikki would sniff at such platitudes, anyway.

The black charizard put a hand on his armor. "Can I join you?"

"For the food part. Provided you don't get sappy about Yuna."

Oh, are we gonna have a Noctum/Valkyrie heart-to-heart now? After last chapter's love confession, I'm definitely paying attention to this fic on the relationship side of things.

And now over to our heroine, where finally she makes her return to Aeon. First time we see this happen in this fic, if I'm not mistaken.

Ah yes, Calcifer. Another character who we've barely heard a peep from for a while now. Maybe we'll get some more character interaction from him, and see how his dynamic with Yuna works out.

Yuna wasting no time in unveiling the truth, I see. Seems shady dealings with the Ryujin are dabbled in, although some of it must be to keep the kingdom afloat given its supposedly barren state. Though in some ways, it does feel like a 'scratching each others' back' type situation. I don't think it's Sakaki intent on holding power over Yiazmat and Calcifer, unless...maybe it could be...?

"Because you're still our eldest daughter. It's not as if bloodline matters. We don't have actual blood to speak of."

At least there's no bloodline insistence from the family. Sounds like something some folks would get quite snobbish over.

"So." Yuna clapped her hands together. "Who wants to be the one to tell him Aeonism is a sham and Bahamut turned himself into an undead, bloodthirsty daemon?"

Damn, Yuna, you certainly are quick to get to the point. More people like you who don't dance around the issues at hand, please.

Calcifer's eyes rolled back and his head. He slumped over on his side, out cold.

I don't blame him for this at all. Imagine having the entire basis of your kingdom's founding be overturned by everything told to you by your own daughter and the two sages of Bahamut, no less.

I don't know if it was paranoia over Eternatus or natural control freak tendencies."

Ah yes, the ways of the control freak tend to turn others away from them. No wonder Bahamut's seen in a bad light now. (Then again, he was on a downward spiral as we unravelled more about him.)

Seems like Yuna's a weird amalgamation of Chiron and Giratina, as opposed to just being a reborn Chiron in a Drakloak body. Where did Giratina come into the picture, though? That's what I'm curious about.

Seemed that the 'planet' talked about in the intro was the world of Aeon and Radiance. I see...and in a way, with him being worshipped by Aeon's citizens, he did get what he wanted.

It appears Yuna has a plan! And Calcifer's still fabulously out of the loop as always. Man, once he hears the full extent of what Yuna can do now, he's going to be amazed.

Now over to two other dragons in another dimension. Still a bit frosty between them, though.

But it's not like I'm some skilled warrior or anything. Baraz is actually the better fighter."

Oh yeah, another guy who we haven't seen in a while. Quite some time, now that I think about it. What's Baraz getting up to amidst all this chaos?

"Yeah, but he had some stupid emotional support dogbirdfish thingy to 'deprogram' him or whatever. And was also conveniently banging him on the side."

How convenient for Gene. Nova really must have been quite the shoulder to lean on. No wonder he's aggrieved by his disappearance and subsequent betrayal, then.

He swallowed hard. "Guess that means you should start sleeping with someone."

Goodness, I didn't think Noctum would be so direct with a response like that. (Also wow, these last two chapters really have been about the love lives of our MCs, haven't they? )

And as expected, Valkyrie doesn't take this well at all.

Yelping, Noctum accidentally flung the ladle out of the pot, striking the black wall opposite him. The ladle fell into a gap between the stove and the wall.

No, that's the worst! When a piece of equipment gets stuck in a hard-to-reach place!

She glanced at the duo and the pot of stew. "Training for a couple's cookoff?" Jade shrugged.

Noctum would win that contest, no doubt. Although I do wonder if Valkyrie has any cooking chops of her own?

"Apparently Yuna's recruiting new resistance members." Jade laughed nervously. "En masse."

Well.

Whether a good or a bad thing (the former, probably), this is certainly an interesting turn of events.

Oh hey, Razim and all the Skorps! What a throwback to earlier chapters.

She'd pulled her X-transceiver out of her ear frill. "Guess who's not picking up? Cyril."

Oh he's, er, busy, with a certain Keldeo, no doubt. Something I see Valkyrie's caught onto almost immediately, and Noctum, in his loving obliviousness, remains clueless over.

Chapter 74

Oh dear, Bahamut's beginning to go crazy in that journal entry. Seems like his futile efforts to stop Eternatus were one of the factors that drove him insane.

Also, I see Widget has quite the sense of humour about him. At least he's not some soulless robot without one. Then again, Paradox could well have programmed him that way, given his own tendencies with humour.

But if you really want privacy, find a better spot than his dang workshop."

Is there even a couch in that place? And certainly, yeah, next time they should find a proper bed for such intimacy in future. Such a wholesome relationship deserves it.

Looks like Gene's worse for wear. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery on his end.

"That may be, but I think there's a gap you're not filling in."

Wincing, Gene leaned against the wall behind his pillow. Somehow, he managed a smirk. "Really? Cuz I think someone beat me to that punch."

Acting on one's crush appears to increase their 'easy target' factor by a thousandfold. That's what, three times, we've heard a Seifer x Cyril joke? And yet it only happened slightly over a chapter ago!

"How old is that thing?"

"Older than you, Squirt."

"I'm a third of a meter taller than you!" Widget squawked.

Doesn't change anything about your age, Widget. Taller =/= older.

Oh boy, a hologram of Nova? This is going to be quite the revelation...and with that BGM playing, this certainly is gearing up for that.

"You know how we thought we eliminated all of Matriarch's deoxys?

Wait, there was more of them? I hope that doesn't bode ill for future enemies our gang might encounter in the future.

"Planets that enjoyed a degree of autonomy under Matriarch answer directly to him. And I don't think he intends to stop until he conquers all of the Qliphoth."

Hammers home the kind of guy Paradox is. He might have his bouts of humour to him, but there's a cold, evil persona laying behind those eyes.

"I was wrong. So, so wrong." There was a shuddering breath. "With Matriarch offline, we've gone from having someone who must control Eternatus... to someone who actively wants to."

So it appears the Matriarch did her deeds with some degree of reluctance...and now she's been overthrown by Paradox who wants the power of Eternatus for himself. And yet I recall a few chapters ago that Paradox and Sticky almost seemed to look upon the Matriarch with some degree of fear? So I'm willing to bet the Matriarch is still gonna be an antagonistic force in the upcoming chapters. Perhaps she'll emerge once Paradox is defeated?

"It's like I said," Nova let go of the recorder, "I was wrong. Eternatus... has to exist. It's... a part of the very foundation of our universe."

A necessary evil, then. Although that statement does make me wonder about how this all might end. If Eternatus has to exist in this universe...then who's to say a new universe can't be made where there's no need to rely on it? (A very Xenoblade-esque conclusion to come to, I know.)

"... Your choices matter."

Nova hunched over. Even with the mask on, he was clearly in pain.

"Take care... Gene. I love you."

A certified Tear-Jerker moment, right here.

"Not to play armchair psychologist, but I bet being described as a failure gave the emperor a hell of a complex. So, he wanted to prove his creator wrong by doing a better job of controlling Eternatus than she ever did."

Checks out, alright. A 'failed' prototype does feel like the sort that would want to prove himself better than the 'successful' ones. Come to think of it, that would make an equally good story for a protagonist just as well as a motive for an antagonist.

"Hmph." Maxie approached the bedside, nudging up his goggles. "The logical conclusion to draw here is that this Matriarch character was actually a machine."

"AI."

Oh no, that dreaded word. Now it appears in this fic.

"She had a number of android bodies at her disposal. The ones I remember most were a one-eyed lucario, a roserade, and an arcanine that was practically made of fire and brimstone.

Ah, referencing Cynthia's as well as Volo's team. Though the Lucario having only one eye and and the all-fire Arcanine are details that stick out. And then there's the mystery of just who created this AI. Could it have been the Butterfree Effect who did it, seeing as how he's essentially an AU Volo?

And as expected, Eternatus being the ever-existing monolith that it is messed up the creation process good and proper, and now the world's in a right state.

Seifer felt a headache coming on.

I feel ya. Sciencey descriptions like this can certainly go over one's head.

And now Vince shows up, but he seems to be...conflicted about the appearance of Jaeger and Sigurd? What's this all about?

"Big S did say there was someone named Jaeger around, but he's not who I wanted Yuna to find. The Overseer I'm thinking of is a human who turned himself into a miraidon."

I did wonder when we were gonna see a Miraidon at some point. Guess it'll be sooner than I thought.

And now there's these Overseers who want to destroy the universe? How many bad guy factions are we at now?

"I know it sounds bad. Like super-mega-terra bad. But they're not pulling that trigger. Especially since you're doing a bang-up job patching these anomalies."

I'll hold them to that...and will probably yell out "CALLED IT" when they make an on-the-spot decision to destroy the universe.

There does seem to be a lull in enemy activity for now...although no doubt things are brewing on the enemies' side of things for when the action hots up again.

"Maybe work with that Vegna guy. He seems to know about this Phantom."

"Right." Gene didn't sound too pleased. "I guess... I can try that."

An odd bit of reluctance. And yet both Vegna and Gene are enemies of the Phantom...surely they'd adopt a 'enemy of my enemy is my friend' approach? Then again, our resident Dusknoir would hardly be the amicable sort to ally with, and is quite the polar opposite to Gene.

"Oh, Pony Boy."

The keldeo froze midstep. "What?"

"Cyril's pretty mind-blowing once he gets going, isn't he?"

Oh, so that quote about the 'hips not lying' is in fact true, Gene?

Chapter 75

Three quarters of the way to a hundred! Congrats on getting this far.

Seems like the Medicis might make a reappearance? Once again, another set of faces who we haven't seen in a while.

And speaking of returning to old haunts, back to the school we began in. With a Dual Destinies track to accompany it! (Underrated soundtrack, I gotta say - tends to go under the radar, but there's some solid tracks in there that don't get enough attention.)

"It's dusty," Scarlett mumbled behind him. The dragonair eyed a layer of dust on her tail with a frown. "Guess they're not keeping up with cleaning."

Good thing the lovedergs don't appear to have any dust allergies, otherwise we'd have a problem on our hands.

Rivalries between Isola and Vortex - two antagonists clashing. I think I've said it before, but I do like when not all the antagonists are on the same page, and actively fight and backstab each other.

Igneous sized up the skull. There were small springs built into the jaws. The fangs were as sharp as Valkyrie's claws. Was this thing designed to bite someone's hand?

Looks like someone has a deadly apparatus for anyone who dares get this one wrong.

The grovlazzle knelt down and punched 0-8-0-0 into the keypad.

...That's it? That easy, huh? Not gonna lie, with the combination number, I was almost expecting a reference to Ace Attorney and the amount of safes you open in those games. The one in Turnabout Corner, for instance.

"If he thinks someone committed a crime, why wouldn't he just arrest them? Or report it to his boss, Justine?"

A possible answer occurred to him. And it made Igneous swallow hard.

Unless it involves her.

It seems we're closing in on exposing our dear Virizion queen.

And now back to Vortex, where it appears Demerzel giving him the Fire Plate didn't appear to have done him any good. That is...unless we're gonna have a repeat of what made Chiaki become Igneous.

Also I can see your medical expertise is put to good use in describing all that's going on here in the infirmary.

Whatever! I need him healed. That's why I brought you here."

The zarude turned away from her. "Well, that's a lot harder to do when your wife froze all his assets. Someone has to pay for these tests.

I see private treatments with high payments are still a thing in Radiance.

But oh dear, things suddenly took a turn with Vortex. What is going on here?

A POV switch to Igneous, and with it, more Ace Attorney music!

Can't help but notice that Igneous never answered Scarlett's question about finding his new fire powers odd. Then again, it feels like it would be a long time since Igneous would've been able to call his life 'normal', since becoming a Grovlazzle.

Someone had been here earlier. Or was here right now.

Well now. Looks like there's been some shady goings-on while everyone else has been distracted by World Ender.

Igneous shifted the papers and key card to his left hand, then summoned his crimson honedge in his right.

If I had a nickel for every edgy Treecko line evolution that wielded a Honedge in fics I read this Review Blitz, I'd have two nickels. Now I almost kinda want to see an Igneous and Mhynt meet-up. Has that happened in United's casual RPs yet?

He saw white squares creeping into his view—

Ahsen making a resurgence?
Oh, and it appears it was Shimmer that did the breaking in. Investigating Vegna, no doubt, because of what Demerzel instructed him to do before.

"Even with the changes... I can pick out those rugged good looks."

Geez, what has been with comments of this kind the last few chapters? Remarks on good looks and deviance of the love kind sure have been abound in the last while.

And that was when the grovlazzle saw the bags underneath the ponytales' bloodshot eyes.

No doubt he's been up all night trying to figure out the truth. That, or he's still reeling from the truths he's been told thus far.

And how interesting that our two mutated mons share kindred secrets. I did ponder if Shimmer might well become an antagonist, but with this recent encounter, along with what he's done in the last few chapters, it's probably fair to say he isn't one. Now, when will he meet Yuna? That's what I'm curious about...

Not surprising most of these are old, given Vegna's necromancer status and prior encounters with Bahamut.

Shocking Royal Upheaval: From Prince to Princess!

Oh? Is that a sprinkling of 🏳️‍⚧️ I do see? Interesting, interesting....

Seems like Calliope had a sudden change in attitude. Wonder what happened there?

Princess Rapidash Isola and Primarina Florentino

Oh yes, I recall hearing about this, back in Chapter 45-ish, I think? So now we have a name for that Primarina...and once again, I do wonder if he'll make an appearance.

"She'll always consider me a friend, though," Florentino said to Eldegoss Genesys.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

I'm willing to bet that Isola didn't uphold that in the end. (Also the mention of Eldegoss Genesys makes me wonder - is that name a reference to Genesis from Crisis Core?)

"Besides." Shimmer's shoulders sagged. "You'd drink too if you realized all this stuff means your mother's planning to take over your body and become you."

Wh-What? That is a certified 'Oh Crap' Moment.

"I'm pretty sure... she's some sort of parasite. A body-snatcher who showed up in the aftermath of the Darkest Day and has been masquerading as my entire family tree, ruling the kingdom all the while."

Holy hell....This is a revelation. Though it would line up with Isola having to wear that Radiant Shield all the time. If she took it off...who knows what might happen? A sudden volte-face in attitude from our not-so-Radiant Queen?

"It's the family heirloom. That oversized armor she's always wearing. I think... it's powering the body-snatcher."

Like I thought. So remove it...and our heroes might be able to seize the truth of the matter.

A Red Chain fragment... here all this time?

Hidden in plain sight, in front of our eyes...Then again, we didn't really know about the Red Chain until more recently, so not surprising we wouldn't have guessed.

"I already know where Eternatus is striking next," Shimmer said, horn flickering. "The whole reason I came here was to gather up the meltan for Demerzel and Arianna. They're going to protect Tulpise."

Looks like we'll have a showdown there next. I wonder what Tulpise is like as a place?

"We take these to Vegna first." Igneous' expression sharpened. "Then we find a way to Tulpise. Not a chance I'm trusting whatever plan Shimmer's cooking up to work."

Yeah, never really saw Shimmer as the cunning strategist type. Unless this is Demerzel giving him those instructions. In which case...who knows? This may well actually work.

Chapter 76

Aeon Castle abuzz with activity. I see Yuna's demands are being well catered for.

"Would you prefer a chair to lie down on, Princess?"

Yuna looked up to see Baraz's bulky frame waddling into view.

Eyyy, Baraz is back! I was wondering where he'd disappeared to.

And now that he was here, she couldn't help recalling the pictures from the museum in LaRousse.

That's gotta be awkward, seeing the 'correct' versions of the Gen 8 fossils and then seeing the awkward mishmash that Baraz is. (Now I'm curious if there's a Dracovish anywhere in this world. Maybe one near Aeon's coast?)

Spinning Baraz's awkward shape to be as a result of the anomalies, though? Now that's an interesting take. Gotta commend that interpretation.

Yuna focused on the vase. Some of the purple paint had chipped off it at some point.

Nothing a bit of touching up restoration-wise can't fix.

And now over to Igneous and Scarlett, where Sakaki seems to be busy with other things. Maybe with all the preparing Aeon's doing, he might well have gone over there.

Theorising time with Scarlett, where she mulls over Vegna's motives and I get heavy TGAA deja vu in the process. I do like how the whole Grim Reaper thing is treated in a different manner here to how Barok van Zieks became the Grim Reaper in his own story, and it's not just a complete one-for-one copy.

What gave the grovlazzle pause, though, was a small wooden drinking natu, rhythmically bobbing into and out of a tiny glass of water. Igneous tensed a bit. He had made that drinking natu in elementary school as a Father's Day present for Sakaki. Igneous always assumed Sakaki trashed it a long time ago.

Guess Sakaki's still thinking about his son, and Igneous's dislike for him might well abate with this little revelation. Maybe it'll mellow in time, although the revelation of his father's re-marriage isn't exactly going to be forgotten anytime soon.

"With everything that's happened, I thought you might've forgotten her birthday's soon."

You mean 'would have been soon.' Igneous fiery scales prickled.

Yep. Definitely not forgetting that anytime soon. Sakaki does look to be attempting to make amends, though. So there is that. Even if it does feel too little, too late.

Oh, so Tulpise is an idyllic farmland sort of place. Interesting - and also quite rural. Does raise the question as to why the Eterna Empire would attack there.

"Thanks." He shifted nervously on the branch. "For respecting my boundaries and stuff."

Awww, the edgelord side of him's beginning to melt away~

Igneous began to relax a bit when Cid shot forward, spots pulsating pink. "By the station! People are pouring out of a train!"

Aw, heck, shit's going down. Guess Shimmer wasn't wrong about it all. And it seems the Medici are involved with this one...

And great, Xeromus is back. Philosophical sermon incoming in three, two, one...

He needed to strike from a distance. Could he pull off a Flamethrower instead of Bullet Seed?

Why not both? Do a rapid fire launch of fiery Bullet Seeds. That would make for an interesting attack.

"Ĺ̶̡ỉ̵̜s̷͜͝ẗ̶̞́e̸͜͝n̶̜͝ ̸̟̎w̷̧̍i̶̦̊t̸̘͌h̶́͜ ̴̳̇ẏ̸̮ŏ̵̤ṷ̷͐r̶͓̆ ̴̙̚ś̸͍ȯ̴̖u̵͉͊l̴̩͛.̵̜͑ ̸̺͝B̴̟̿e̶̖̓c̸̟̈́a̸̻͠u̵̙͘s̴̳͛ḛ̸̔ ̸̥͋t̴̥̀h̵̤͝e̷̥̿ ̸̮͛s̴̰͋p̷͍̾i̶̭̚r̷̯͐i̶͋͜t̸̓͜ ̸͔͒ń̴̜è̷̤v̶̩͒e̶͈͝r̷̤̎ ̶͕͝ḟ̴̹o̴̝͝r̶͇͛g̸͕͘é̸̠t̵̳̿s̸̨͐.̷̭̐"

Oh no, we're breaking out the eldritch text.

But there's also a Xenoblade 3 track to go with it! So that's a partial win, at least for me.

A flashback involving a Riolu and an Icepix? Though at first glance, it doesn't appear to be a dead ringer for Tessa and Shane?

Oh no, that Riolu is called Tessa. Though the Vulpix's name is Nickie. And the Riolu called Tessa is a bit more confident than her GL self was at its outset. And her mother seems to be on-side, as opposed to being the bat-shit crazy psychopath she was in GL. So hmm...could it be an AU of Guiding Light, and in the present day, 'Nickie' is that Ninetales we've seen previously?

Igneous couldn't help but smirk. This was going far better than last time.

And yet he's still not actually attacking.

Perhaps a sign that Nova's beginning to come out a bit more through the Xeromus mask?

And now an Iron Moth shows up. Will this result in as hectic a clash as the Iron Jugulis vs. combat pizza truck? I doubt it, but hey, I guess we'll see.

Chapter 77

No quote at the beginning, eh? I guess Tulpise really doesn't have much to it if even I Pilastri dell'Eternità has nothing on it.

Lotta 'bros' being tossed about by these 'bros' of the Medicis. Nice speech quirk to chuckle at, if nothing else.

I will say, this doesn't appear to be as big a deal as it first seemed. The Medicis seem to be mostly pushovers, easily dealt with by Seifer, Quetzal and Biff. Though I imagine things are gonna change once that Iron Moth comes onto the scene....

"No, I mean this... opposition!" Quetzal stood on guard while Grapploct frantically pointed at them with two of his tentacles. "It's a farce!" He glanced at Seifer. "Are we sure we're not getting baited into a trap?"

Seems Quetzal caught onto that same thing.

A bunch of psychic energies making the citizens disappear? Oh dear, it's just like it was in Venish. If there's an upside, at least there's no civilians to harm

Just realised how fitting it is that Igneous with Volcarona wings is now fighting a bunch of robot Volcarona.

A giant Meltan appeared! Probably a Melmetal. Maybe that explains where the Meltan cleaners of the Academy went to?

"Igneous and Scarlett met Shimmer at Horizon Academy and he told them he was working on something for Tulpise," Cid hurriedly explained. "And, well, where do all the meltan work?"

Knew it. I believe this was also vaguely alluded to by Shimmer back at the Academy.

"Don't get cocky," Shimmer called. He did his best not to move too much. The strange metal prongs spiraling around his horn were delicate, according to Arianna.

Hmm...is that how he's controlling the Melmetal? Although I sense bad things happening if those prongs break...

Wait, Jean? Shimmer's gaze fell to the mossy roof for a moment. Then his eyes widened in shock.

Jean was a classmate. A volcarona classmate. And with a twin brother, to boot! Did that mean... the emperor had turned them into robots?!

Oh boy...that's concerning. Horizon Academy's classmates being used as cannon fodder for the Eterna Empire is quite a worrying turn of events.

Then it slammed into the ground behind Melmetal, revealing something... vaguely like a helmetless version of the strange creature Shimmer had seen on PV. Only much more purple and red. And entirely mechanical.

Oh, now we're getting that robot Silvally that was teased a couple of chapters back. This thing's gonna be no joke, I can tell already. (Also RIP Melmetal, you were powerful while you lasted. )

Huh, that was a...quick retreat. Though now we have the threat of a Mystery Dungeon on our hands.

Instead of chains or a canine-shaped shield, however, his Bullet Seeds slammed into bulky static cubes. They broke apart into tiny black and white pixels and scattered to the wind.

[OMEGALUL! This (ADGE BREAK) is already over! No bathroom breaks h— UP START B A UP UP DOWN!]

Ahsen makes a return! YES! Now time to absolutely break down in laughter at all of his lines.

He dropped to the ground, twitching and spasming in a mess of strange static and occasional bones— wait, was that an aerodactyl skull in place of Ahsen's head? What the hell was this omen?

Seems that Ahsen mainly has fossils going for it. Makes sense - it is dedicated to Lord Helix, after all. But what you could also do reference-wise is allude to the team used in Twitch Plays Pokémon Red, like Pidgeot aaabaajss or Venomoth AATTVVV, that could glitch in just like the Aerodactyl skull and Kabutops head.

And now Beta Arceus shows up? Man, can this get any crazier? Oh, and apparently it was that cloud daemon that was on board the train in Chapter 61? Dang, all of Igneous's demons are out for him today.

When I heard Beta Arceus was gonna show up in PoV, I totally thought it would be related to Leo in some way. How wrong I was.

Chuckling, the volcarona finally made his presence known by hovering out from the dense trees. "Sharp work, you two. Don't think we've had a duo solve the entrance test that fast before."

Considering how well their other counterparts did...yeah, definitely a roaring success compared to that one.

Igneous' vision flooded with hundreds and hundreds of butterfree wings, falling away to reveal a strange specter with hair like Leo's that blocked part of their face. Giant shadows coalesced around the specter, forming a gray and gold dragon's head.

"■■■■■■■■, strike them down!"

And now the Butterfree Effect is here? Shouting Volo's line when he summons Giratina? My god, calling this whole thing 'intense' would be the understatement of the year.

"Igneous! Are you okay? Say something!"

That was Seifer. The keldeo was back from the city? Grunting, Igneous tried to push himself up from the ground.

Okay, good, backup's here. Phew - was getting a bit worried for our resident Grovlazzle.

Instead, he heard music. And there were vocals, but Igneous' ears were still ringing. He couldn't quite make them out. But it didn't matter. The message was loud and clear.

Scarlett was here. Her words could protect him. Protect all of them.

Does Scarlett's singing act like a power boost in this case? If it is, then I think showing a burst of energy from Igneous as a result of being invigorated might sell this better.

"You can bear your fangs at fate all you want!" Xeromus's chains rattled on his legs. "It will not change anything!"

Why does this line remind me of the title of a track from Fire Emblem Awakening with a similar name?

And looks like this is a bit of a bittersweet end. On the one hand, Beta Arceus was defeated, but on the other...Tulpise is lost to distortion, and Xeromus and Ahsen got away again.

Chapter 78

Looks like Bahamut's learning how to do the 'working up the courage to talk to one's crush' thing. No doubt it'll take a few tries.

And now he appears in the present-day, closing in on another Needle by the sounds of it.

The emerald energy carried forward, until the Needle's glimmering blue gem shined ahead of him.

Blue gem? A few it could be, but since Suicune's mentioned in the intro...hmm...

More Eternatus shenanigans, which of course messes with Bahamut's control freak tendencies and makes him froth at his non-existent mouth.

Huh, that seemed like a curbstomp battle against this knight, yet he appeared to flee. I wonder if we'll be seeing them at some point in the future?

And now Suicune's been added to the Phantom's ranks. Oh dear, that's one less ally for Yuna and one more ally for him.

She never realized how beautiful the sparkling head crystal was. Her mane glistened, too. Blue hair flowed with the cool ocean breeze.

Suicune is certainly the eye-catcher; after all, they made a man (Eusine) chase all across Johto and Kanto just to see them in all their radiant glory.

A few weeks outside the Qliphoth and she'd forgotten how to mask her facial expressions? Matriarch would—

... No. Stop. She left Eternatus for a reason. This didn't matter.

So Chiron had a bad experience with the Matriarch? Or was the Matriarch her creator? Seems there's a traumatic past here worth delving into.

"Yes." Suicune glanced skyward. "More than anything, Bahamut wants this world to be as tranquil as possible. That's why the Sages exist."

Ah, but as it does, tranquillity is fleeting, and only remains with us for a short while. No doubt another aspect of Bahamut's controlling tendencies, to have the Sages to safeguard peace.

"Bahamut doesn't see it that way. He dreams of a world where battling isn't necessary."

Chiron looked down. Why would pokémon even have powers, then? It was completely at odds with Bahamut's way of thinking.

At such odds that one of these days it's gonna come to blows between Bahamut and the rest of the Sages.

Speaking of which, back to the present day, where Yuna nearly blacked out while showering. Good thing she didn't - that might well have ended poorly if she did. (Also, a Xenoblade track! )

Vegna's here? Damn, if that's not convenient timing. Seems he's able to sense those Needles being gathered too. Maybe due to having gotten a Needle of his own? If so, how are the Sages gonna respond to that? Particularly Reshiram, whose other half (not Jade but Zekrom) is with Vegna?

More William Blake musings from our resident van Zieks expy.

Stopping him with the power of positive memories sounded like something right out of Shaymin the Wanderer's Super Darkness Crisis.

Nice nod to Shiren the Wanderer there.

"If we want to defeat Necrozma, we must reunite Phantom with soul." Vegna held his hands up and squished them together.

Bahamut 🤝 Tubba Blubba from Paper Mario
Uniting them fully is the way to defeat them because they're invincible otherwise.​

So Vegna has two more Sages at his disposal? Dang, didn't think he had more beyond that. And now that gives us more of an insight into just who Griffon and Talonflame were all this time. (Also kinda funny to think Victini of all mons is now just a screeching feral.)

"Every subsequent one has worsened the destabilizing. It's getting harder and harder to keep my body together."

Yuna saw where this was going. "This big idea of yours... you won't be around to see it through to the end."

So Vegna may not be around for a huge amount longer? That's a pity. I like him. One of my favourite characters in this story.

"There's a ferocity about you I never saw when you were a dreepy."

A sign our little Yuna has grown a lot since the start. Enough to rival her mother, I'd wager.

Because continuing down this path will lead you to discover several horrible truths. And without that tenacity... the weight of those truths will crush you."

It'll crush all of us readers under the weight of all of the shocking revelations we've heard thus far in the last few chapters. Because holy hell, there have been a lot more recently.

And now over to Igneous, where he's gonna have a heart-to-heart with his fellow fusion. (Who appears to also be a prolific wine-drinker.)

More Xenoblade music! Given how the title screen music is used in-game for various points (usually explaining about the world) in Xenoblade 2, I feel it fits this more emotionally sadge moment here.

Shimmer will probably redeem himself combat-wise at some point in the future, hopefully.

"A poisoning meant for my father. Because of an investigative piece the Beacon was working on."

Highlighting the dangers of that job, clearly, if he's being given stuff like Salazzle venom to try and kill him.

A part of Igneous wondered why he was spilling his heart to Shimmer of all people. But if this day had made anything clear, it was that the two had more in common than he realized.

Always nice to find kindred spirits in the most unlikely of people. Especially a snobbish prince like Shimmer.

A power boost is meaningless if you don't know how to use it properly."

Wise words from our princeling. Strange, those words wouldn't be out of place as a beratement to an enemy who got jacked up on power to a similar way that Shimmer did.

Oh, is this how we rope Shimmer into working with the protagonists? Though there's still the problem of Demerzel. Will he be so willing to side with Yuna and co.?

Vague implications of something possibly sparking between Igneous and Shimmer? Dang, when did he become the popular one? First Scarlett, now this? Granted, of our protags, he is probably the most eye-catching of them all due to his unique looks. Though it'll probably be just a friendship with Shimmer, while the love on his end will be with Scarlett. Maybe. We'll see how things develop on that front.

Conclusion

And that's that. Finally caught up after a period of being left in the dust. And wow, did I miss a lot.

So much things happened here that I love! Cyril and Seifer finally confessing their love for each other. Noctum and Valkyrie banter. Being reacquainted with old faces like Baraz and Calcifer. Finding out facts that turn the story on its head after it keeps escalating. A nice heart-to-heart between Igneous and Shimmer. Mysteries unravelling about Vegna, Bahamut and Chiron, among others. Lovely BGMs that accompany the reading of this fic very nicely. And of course, the absolutely priceless humour that comes a dime a dozen with this fic. And it's no different with this latest batch of chapters. Especially with Ahsen coming back - the Twitch Plays Pokémon references gave me a great laugh.

It's great coming back to this. It is a gem and a half, what we have here. Great work, @Ambyssin, and keep it up.

 

[Gyeig]

Review of the Prologue and Chapters 1 through 4.​

Spoiler

Hello there, Amby. Been a while since I last clicked on this fic. In fact, it’s been about two, nearly as long as I’ve been in the PMD community to begin with. Time sure flies, doesn’t it?

Buuut yeah. The last time I read Path of Valor was ages ago, and I remember getting to somewhere about… chapter 20-30, somewhere around there, before dropping it. That was around the point where during the middle of a reading session, I realised that I had literally zero idea of what was even happening anymore. Didn’t know the main characters, struggled to tell some characters apart, where certain characters even where, let alone what the plot was. I pretty much had to start rereading from scratch, and there were plenty of other fics on my plate, so I stopped and… didn’t look back, really.

That was 2022 though, and we’re in 2024 now. Got plenty of additional experience as a writer and as a reader under my belt, so now is as good a time as any to try and get into this again. Perhaps this time, I’ll actually be able to keep track of what is happening… or at the very least identify the spot where things went wrong on my end. Or yours. We’ll see.

Enough introducing myself, let’s get to it.

So, one prologue and four proper chapters in, what do I think?

Well, the best way to summarise it would be that there’s plenty of building blocks here, but they’re thrown together in strange ways, and I feel like I’m reading a completely different fic at times. I’m gonna split the scenes up into two categories - one is ‘Yuna’, and the other is ‘Xeromus’ (elaboration to come soon).

So the Yuna scenes are pretty straightforward - they follow Yuna, Dreepy princess attending an academy/university in a foreign country that doesn’t like dragons. She has a few bodyguards following her around, like Baraz and Noctum (might have missed something, but I remember there being more), and the scenes generally consist of her struggling to fit into the student body of the academy, being a foreign princess from a species that isn’t particularly well liked. We hear a lot about the Crowne Cup, how she’s already been sorted into a team for said cup with two Pokemon that aren’t the kind of people she’d enjoy being around - one overly serious Grovyle (Chiaki) and a Toxtricity who sounds like the archetypical punk and doesn’t really give a shit about anything.

So far, so good, right? Yuna’s slowly figuring things out, and you have two sets of characters - friendly bodyguards, and not so friendly fellow students. It works.

And then the Xeromus scenes kick in.

Yes, I know that Xeromus is only really mentioned in a scene Yuna’s in so far. But the main reason I call this second category ‘Xeromus scenes’ is… well, let’s look at that original Xeromus scene again. It’s a character who comes out of nowhere, gets into a fight with Yuna’s bodyguards (if i remember correctly), then just… disappears. I distinctively remember wondering what even happened during my first reading here, and I’m pretty much asking the exact same questions this time around. Who is this character? What is their business? Why is this not followed up upon? And so on.

And really, that pattern continues in just about all of the scenes that Yuna isn’t the PoV (hahaha) character in. Something happens, it probably has some big impact on the overarching plot – it’s very questionable from the outset that this entire fic is nothing more than ‘princess studies at school’ – but trying to puzzle together what is even going on is difficult. How do the scenes fit in with the rest of the chapter, or the fic up until then? The flow from scene to scene is… spotty.

Speaking of which, there’s something about the writing style here that… makes my eyes just kind of gloss over what is happening. Like the scene where Baraz (or was it Noctum?) encounters those two thugs messing around with the air vent. I was genuinely surprised when it turns out that a fight happened there. I read back up and sure enough - a fight did happen. But somehow… that didn’t register on my end.

Looking back, I think I have a theory for why I’m having this problem - this is a fic that’s incredibly dense with all sorts of information, and there isn’t a whole lot of breathing room to let any of it sink. There’s a ton of characters, most have names that aren’t particular common, and thus take a while to get used to, and there’s tons of concepts being thrown around - the academy, the political situation between the two kingdoms, Yuna’s role in that explaining why she is at the academy to begin with, everything to do with Xeromus, the Crowne Cup… and so on. Now in the case of the academy and the Crowne Cup, it’s generally fine: The gist of it I get, and characters like Chiaki and Nikki standing out in the cast helps out with that. Anything beyond that… not so much. Xeromus especially.

Okay, now I’ve spent a lot of time typing all of this out, and… yeah, this didn’t come out as positive as I’d like these to go normally speaking. Thing is, I’m already one failed read into this fic, and I’m approaching it with a more critical lens to make sure that doesn’t happen all over again. Obviously, there’s quite the audience for what you’ve written - the stats aren’t lying about that. In my eyes, though… it’s definitely not an easy read, and I’m kind of left indifferent after these 4 chapters or so.

If there’s any suggestions I have… well, this is one of the few times where I’d say ‘more words’ would go a long way. All the stuff that doesn’t directly involve Yuna (plus the Xeromus stuff) feels incredibly difficult to get a good grasp on, and even after rereading things, I still am left scratching my head. Hell, see the things I’m putting between parentheses? That’s me either scrolling back up to reread a part, or actively repeating what happened in my head. It’s… something, alright.

Thanks again for the chapters, best of luck with the rest of the writing.

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 79: You Wyndon Some, You Lose Some​

Two weeks went by in a hazy blur. Perhaps because the outpost buzzed with activity. The monks kept their eyes out for anomalies, but came up empty. Gene and Vegna worked with an Aeon platoon to deal with tracking Necrozma. The only reports so far were of the Phantom jumping through rifts, followed by long stretches of purposeless ambling. It led the resistance to conclude that, unlike their rift makers, Necrozma struggled to conjure portals.

Cyril made plans to try and create a machine for tracking anomalies with the help of the two Red Chain fragments the team had. But there were issues making sure the fragments could remain stable in such a machine. Or something. Most of that technical jargon went over Yuna's head. Probably, Seifer's, too. Yuna figured that, given the talk around the outpost, the keldeo hung around Cyril for different reasons.

Cid was happy to have a handful of skorps assisting him with all the monitors. It actually gave him a bit of breathing room. He asked Yuna if he could puruse Bahamut's old journal and she directed him to Vegna. Perhaps the orbeetle wanted to compare what was written with his own past research?

The big oddity was Shimmer. Igneous apparently got permission to explain Shimmer's situation. Yuna felt a pang of sympathy, but never got to talk with him. Since Gene insisted on more rest before he seriously exerted himself, Shimmer mostly kept to himself. Only appearing when he had to eat. He was polite, yet stiff. At least, compared to what Yuna remembered. Nikki always studied him skeptically. Yuna worried if it was the toxtricity's old grudge toward the so-called ponytales.

With everyone finding things to keep them occupied, that left Yuna with training. Something she'd never done much of in her life. But something she sorely needed. Not in the sense of bolstering her own limited attacks, but in keeping the shadows firmly under control. And calling on Sage powers faster.

To her surprise, Alder proposed she train in tandem with Leo. The drakloak hesitated to have her son do that. But the psychic braviary emphasized the importance of Leo learning to control the powers his plates gave him.

Today was one such training session. Yuna hovered over some metal platforms Guzzie Jr. had separated off his main arena. She focused on the Soul Dew's light. A small Fusion Flare formed over her head. After a moment's hesitation, she hurled it toward the cosmic arceus. His wheel shifted from gold to a sparkling ocean blue. Leo melted into a puddle. The Fusion Flare sphere harmlessly passed by him.

Yuna curled her right hand. The Fusion Flare erupted. Leo reformed from the puddle. "Fast, right?" His starcloud tail wagged. "Now, water attack thingy go!"

His blue wheel flashed. Water burst from the ground directly underneath Yuna. Meeping, she shot forward. White Quick Attack energy trailed behind her.

For a brief moment, the platform and water columns stopped. Had they... crystalized?

No, wait, that didn't make any sense. The columns splashed water all around, then disappeared. Yuna rubbed her eyes. She must have imagined it.

"Ah, splendid!" From beside the platforms, Alder clapped his legs together. "No soaking of the peanut gallery, Leo. I'm impressed!"

The cosmic arceus looked around, eyes sparkling. "You have peanuts?"

"Ah, no." Alder's pink head feathers drooped. "That's an expression."

"Ohhhh. Right." Leo nodded. Yuna frowned, uncertain if Alder's correction actually stuck.

"What now?" The drakloak drifted to the ground and stretched out for a quick rest. "Junior's going to open his arena soon, right? I'd rather not practice around all those people." She gestured vaguely toward the empty stands. Not to mention the noise.

"Hmm." Alder stroked his chin with a wing.

"Anomaly identified! Anomaly identified!"

With a holler, Yuna's body shriveled up into her head. "Owww..." Yuna's head flopped over. "Not so loooooud. We keep these X-transceivers by our heads, Skorp!"

"Aw, shucks. Sorry 'boot that!" Skorp laughed nervously. "Guess I got a bit excited, eh. First time 'n all that."

I can tell. Yuna slowly managed to pop her body out of her head. Guess they knew what they'd be doing. At least she was well-rested this time.

"Brother Kora's agreed to go with the scouting team like we discussed?" Seifer asked over the X-transceiver line.

"Yepperino," Skorp chirped.

"Great. If they can stabilize the rift, we can know what we're getting into," Widget said.

"Where is it, though?" Valkyrie wondered. "At least, on our side of things."

No response at first. Frowning, Yuna hovered off the ground. "Uhh, guys?"

"Sorry." It was Cyril. "Needed to know if Gene was online."

"... It's Earth, isn't it?" Gene was terse.

"Kanto, specifically."

"Which part?"

"Indigo Plateau."

Yuna looked toward the aurora on the horizon. Who names a plateau after a color? She then had to imagine an invisible hand muzzling Reshiram before he could give her an answer.

Gene's sigh echoed through Yuna's X-transceiver. "We better hope that anomaly's outside the Pokémon League. Otherwise, we've got problems on top of problems."

"Pokémon League?" Yuna said. She glanced at Alder, who had landed on the platform and was furiously flipping through one of his books.

"A system where humans train pokémon to battle for sport," the psychic braviary declared. "It's near ubiquitous for worlds where humans and pokémon coexist!"

Yuna quirked a brow. Battling for sport wasn't an issue. They did plenty of that in Aeon. Tests of strength and whatnot. But what role would humans have to play in that?

"Thou hast seen it with thine own eyes," Rayquaza piped up. "In Malie and LaRousse. Humans partnering with pokémon."

I dunno, Yuna responded. Molayne and Liza felt more like... bosses with pokémon employees.

The X-transceiver crackled again before Yuna could say anything else.

"Yiazmat reporting with the scouting team. The anomaly is immediately behind a very large building at the center of this structure. Not seeing Eternatus Troopers, but humans have the area cordoned off."

Well, that sounded bad. If the people there already knew about the anomaly, they could alert the emperor!

"Assuming they haven't already," Reshiram pointed out.

Not helping!

"Sorry..."

Yuna gestured for Leo to come to her side. "Let's get ready, Leo. We might have to move fast."

The cosmic arceus trotted through the air, nodding. "I'll puddleify if I have to!"

Sighing, Yuna forced a smile. "It's liquify, sweetie."

"Right, that too!"

"Okay." Gene wasn't quite as terse as before. "Not the worst case scenario."

"We still need a plan," Widget countered.

"Cyril will go and provide an illusory cover for the scouts," Gene said. "We'll break into Teams Bastion and Bureau based on what they find. Bastion'll head in the rift with Yuna and Leo. Bureau will stay behind to ward off any Troopers that drop by."

He paused. "Any objections?"

No one spoke up. Yuna put Cyril's disguise collar on Leo, turning him into a dreepy again. He floated onto Yuna's head. The drakloak buckled briefly. Deeeefinitely heavier than before. She straightened herself up. "Heading back to the restaurant. You coming, Alder?"

"Yes, of course." The braviary placed the book back in his white head plume and flew after them.

XxX​

Indigo Plateau wasn't indigo. In fact, there were hardly any shades of blue to speak of! At least, that was Yuna's impression as her eyes traced the gray stone walkway past rows of empty pop up shopping booths to a stone staircase. It climbed up to a gold, circular building. A stadium, judging by pictures Yuna had seen.

INDIGO POKÉMON LEAGUE: HOME OF THE INDIGO AND SILVER CONFERENCES

Hanging underneath the gold sign was a "TEMPORARILY CLOSED." Hastily placed, judging by how it dangled from frayed ropes.

"Indigo Plateau my ass." Nikki rested her hands behind her head. "More like 'False Advertising Plateau.'"

Seifer rolled his eyes. "We're not here to judge its outer appearance."

"No duh." The toxtricity's mohawk frazzled. "You put this shit next to its name and anyone's gonna sit back in their chair and say 'My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.'"

"Isn't that a bit dramatic?" Yuna said, raising a brow.

"It's making a point." Nikki jabbed an index finger into Yuna's ectoplasmic torso.

"Shh!" Cyril glared over his shoulder. "Invisibility illusion doesn't work if you keep yapping it up. I'm concentrating, here."

Nikki pantomimed zipping her lips shut, then tossed the imaginary key over her shoulder.

Yuna hovered next to her, studying the humans scattered around the grass at the facility's perimeter. Their blue uniforms reminded her a bit of Molayne's. I guess it's still the local police.

"Strange. You'd think by now the empire would do something," Reshiram said. He paced around in Yuna's mind. "Unless they're monitoring things from afar?" His fur puffed out. "You don't think we're wandering into an ambush, do you?"

The drakloak bit her lip. Wouldn't they have attacked our scouts, then?

"Not if they realized the people they're really after hadn't shown up," Reshiram countered.

Yuna hovered faster. She didn't want to entertain the possibility that the empire had strong aura readers waiting in the wings. Besides, wouldn't Gene and Cyril have covered that?

A familiar jagged purple rift lay ahead of them. Out in the open, pulsating with static. The humans kept their distance. Assorted growlithe, arcanine, and houndoom whimpered whenever the officers tried to get them to sniff the ground close to the rift.

Taking deep breaths, Yuna prepared herself for what was ahead. Another big city, apparently. A place called Wyndon. Things were calm, yet hectic, according to Koraidon. Which could have meant any number of things. But put that together with the anomaly core giving off a signal from a highly populated part of the city... and Yuna couldn't help but think about the Butterfree Effect's warning.

She glanced at her hands. No shadows. No reaction to the rift. Good. Her training was paying off.

"I don't recall your shadows appearing solely because of the anomaly rifts," Reshiram said.

Let me have this, Yuna hissed, sending Reshiram scurrying from her mind.

Cyril stopped. The cosmic zoroark made a few hand gestures... which Yuna hadn't the foggiest idea how to interpret. She tilted her head. Cyril appeared irritated. He scratched his right ear, then covered his snout with his hand.

"It's going to be a handoff." Cyril's muffled voice came through the X-transceiver. "You guys will swap with the scouts, except for Brother Kora. Capiche?"

The trio nodded.

"Once you're there, you'll follow him to the anomaly core," Cyril continued. "Then try to get a sense for how much extra help you need."

Seifer shifted uneasily. The keldeo walked up to Cyril and whispered into his ear.

"Get away from it if your X-transceivers don't work, then" Cyril said. He knelt down and pecked Seifer's cheek. Seifer's face reddened. Nikki snickered. Yuna frowned at her. The toxtricity simply made a kissy face, earning glares from both the guys.

"Ready for the exchange."

That was Koraidon. Cyril hopped to attention and guided them toward the rift. He kept as far from the police dogs as he could, then eventually dashed across the grass. The trio hurried after him.

Unlike other anomalies, this one greeted the team with... chilly air? Strange, but Yuna would find out the reason soon enough. Cyril pointed to the jagged rift.

Nodding, Yuna checked to make sure Leo was balanced on her head. Then the drakloak flew through the portal.

The result was the inverse of her previous anomaly jumps. Instead of shifting from dark to light, she'd gone from daytime to nighttime. Though there was still a fair amount of flavorfully colorful light several meters away. Courtesy of bright signs advertising fashion boutiques, hair salons, and restaurants like "Bob's Your Uncle."

Chills rippled through her ectoplasm. Yuna rubbed her hands together. "Cold..."

"'Mon up." Nikki strutted past, taking in a deep breath. "Crisp air like this is great!" She stretched her arms up. "Tells us we're alive!"

The toxtricity took one step onto the stone walkway in front of the rift, then abruptly jumped back. "Gah! Hot!" Her mohawk frazzled. "The hell is this?!"

"A heated walkway." A cyclizar stood on it, happily swishing his tail back and forth. "Isn't it lovely? The power of science is amazing!"

Yuna tilted her head. That voice... was Koraidon's? "Did you take one of the disguise thingies?"

"Of course. Can't go causing a scene." Koralizar clasped his hands together and bowed. "It would be quite un-zen of me."

Leo hovered off Yuna's head and reached a fake dreepy hand out to touch the stone. "Oooooh! It is warm!" His eyes sparkled. "It's a magic path, Mom!"

"Magic schmagic." Nikki crouched on the edge of the grass and poked the pathway with a twig. "Probably some dumb human technology."

"Yes, yes." Seifer walked onto the path, shaking his head. "We can marvel at their wizardry later." The keldeo looked at Koralizar. "You can guide us toward the core, correct?"

"Absolutely." Koralizar nodded. "Happy to go as fast or leisurely as you want."

"Let's make it quick." Seifer impatiently tapped a hoof on the ground. "We don't want the others staying around Indigo Plateau for too long."

Yuna nodded. She picked Leo up and placed him back on her head. The drakloak flew after the others. Their path followed a still river along the outskirts of a city whose colorful lights were mainly hidden by relatively tall brick buildings.

"More like Venish than LaRousse," Reshiram said. "Has a certain rustic charm to it."

She had a hard time drawing that conclusion just from brick buildings and a river. But then colorful sparks danced across the sky in the distance.

"Whoa!" Leo wiggled excitedly atop Yuna's head. "It's like a rainbow of Fire Blasts!"

"They're fireworks," Seifer said, galloping beside Koralizar. "And a lot of them, too. We're not arriving in the midst of some sort of festivity, are we?"

Nikki held her hands up by her eyes in mid-stride. "Does 'Pokémon World Coronation Series' sound like a festivity?"

The keldeo tripped, nearly stumbling to the ground. He managed to keep his balance, albeit falling back to Nikki's side. "It sounds... like they're crowning a monarch!" Seifer frowned. "Which wouldn't just be a festivity, it'd be a historical event! Do you have any idea how many people attended Isola's coronation?"

"Pfbt." Still running, Nikki rolled her eyes. "I couldn't give a rattata's ass about that!"

Yuna was still confused where Nikki had even pulled that phrase from. "How do you know there's a coronation?"

The toxtricity pointed ahead. Amidst all the fireworks was... a flying wailord machine?! At least, it was big, round, and blue like a wailord. But it had a screen on it with some sort of gold sigil. The phrases "Pokémon World Coronation Series," "Wyndon 2020," and "Opening Ceremony, Sponsored by DENSOKU and Mach Motors" flashed by one after the other.

"Do coronations usually have opening ceremonies?" Yuna wondered. Again, she and her friends could effortlessly read what was on the flying wailord machine. It wasn't a coincidence. It had to be her.

She glanced at her torso. No shadows. Was this a part of that chaos the Butterfree Effect claimed she spread?

"Oi, Princess, keep up!"

"C'mon, Mom!"

Leo tapped the edge of the drakloak's rectangular ahead. Nikki waved at her from several meters away. Yuna hovered after her.

By now, things were much brighter. Both from the closer fireworks display... and the positively massive circular building underneath. Red and white light spilled out over the stone walkways surrounding it, as well as the river that curved around it.

"Hot damn." Nikki slowed to a jog. "Look at all those people. No chance we're getting through something like that without a whole tauros herd." Smirking, the toxtricity rolled up her sleeve. "Or I could Boomburst 'em into a collective evening nap."

Seifer's tail scrunched up. He, too, slowed his pace. "Let's not default to assaulting the humans, please."

"Speaking as a monk, I must concur," Koralizar added. "And I don't think it wise to bring a keldeo toward all of those people. We'll attract far too much attention."

Nikki's mohawk frazzled. "Then why'd we bring Pony Boy along instead of, like, Chompy?" She hiked up her leather jacket. "And what was the point of scouting ahead if you can't tell us there's a giant roadblock."

"Would you believe me if I told you the crowd wasn't there before?" Laughing nervously, Koralizar scratched his head.

The toxtricity glared at him.

"It's the truth though." Koralizar rested on the railing beside him, staring at the river.

Yuna continued watching the fireworks display. The bright, colorful bursts were practically hypnotic in the way they erupted against the night sky. Cool for sure, but she doubted she could simply fly toward the place undetected.

"What about the oppaaaaaawmsite?"

Cresselia's yawning made Yuna's tail crinkle. The opposite? Like going down?

"Undaaaaaaawmground."

The drakloak looked down at the path. Phasing through the ground? That would be an awfully long way to travel through. Did she have the strength to pull that off?

"Hey, um, one of you tech people?" Yuna mainly addressed the X-transceiver. "There's a giant crowd by this big, uh..." She blinked. "That's another stadium, right?"

Nikki nodded.

"Okay. So, do you think there's something underground I could phase into?"

Yuna waited for some sort of response, though she didn't know which resistance member would have an answer. Assuming any of them did.

"Gotta be a sewer system, then." A response from Valkyrie isn't what Yuna expected. "Just like when we had to get past the protestors to Casaroja's railyard."

"That'd be my guess, too," Cyril added. "If you're looking for a way to get in underground, that's your best shot."

Seifer tapped a hind hoof against the path. "You're going off on your own?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Yuna gestured to the fireworks display in the sky. "Because flying doesn't strike me as doable."

The keldeo opened his mouth to respond, then promptly shut it. "Fair. I guess... back off if you think there's trouble?"

Yuna nodded. That was doable. She reached up and passed Leo over to Nikki. "C'mon, seriously?" The toxtricity held the fake dreepy at arm's length. "Why do I gotta look after Squirt?"

"Because you were standing next to me," Yuna mused. She rubbed her hands together again, then dove into the ground. Fortunately, it wasn't proofed against ghost phasing like LaRousse's collider room. Yuna easily phased into the ground. She didn't have to push that far through rocks and soil before spotting rounded tunnels carrying water and big metal cables in different directions.

"Hey, can you guys hear me?" she whispered, popping out of the ceiling. Yuna kept close to it in case she needed to phase back inside.

"Loud and clear," Noctum chirped. "Did you find some sewers?"

"Yeah." So far, it was a straight shot. The only lights were occasional small blue ones. And a couple of the bulbs had gone out. She wondered if any pokémon that liked dark, damp places actually lived down here.

"But how wouldst they get any food?" Rayquaza asked.

Yuna simply shrugged, then continued forward. To her relief, the sewer remained empty. No humans. No pokémon. Just dark water passing by underneath and blue light glinting off metal pipes and cables.

"Find the stadium yet?"

"No, Nikki." Yuna was pretty sure the group stopped a good distance away from it. "Though I guess there are more tunnels going straight up? With ladders and stuff."

"Probably leading to manholes on the streets," Cyril said. "I think that's a good sign? A stadium's bound to have a lot of manholes by it."

The drakloak kept going forward. "Then should I try going up?" What if she popped out of the ground and hit a human's shoe? She could cause a panic!

"When we went to the train station, we found some sewer entrances for employees," Valkyrie responded. "Try looking for doors or staircases."

Doors or staircases, Yuna mentally repeated to herself. She swiveled her head around, looking for anything that wasn't just a ladder going up or some other big sewer tunnel. Seeing nothing, Yuna flew forward at a slower pace, keeping her eyes peeled all the while.

Eventually, one branch point had no water coming out of it. And was halfway between the base and ceiling of the sewer. Yuna cautiously approached and was rewarded with a metal door. Black and yellow bars ran across it. She floated up to it and pressed a hand against the metal. After recoiling from how cold it was, she put her hand back on it... and successfully phased it through. The rest of Yuna followed her hand through into some sort of dark shaft.

Up it is, then. Yuna quickly ascended, passing metal beams and girders. Eventually she saw the base of a metal cube approaching. An elevator, probably. Like the ones at Cyril's outpost.

She easily phased through the bottom of the elevator. Yuna didn't stop to take in its sights other than how shiny its white floor was. She could practically see her reflection in it.

The drakloak phased through the gray elevator door into a dimly lit corridor. She passed by empty, gray metal walls. Light trickled in through cracks in a closed door at the other end. "Okay, I'm—"

Yuna's X-transceiver flooded her head with static. She abruptly stopped talking and it went away. If she lost the signal, that had to mean she was close. But how close?

Hesitantly, she glanced at her torso. Her shadows pooled at the base of her tail. More toward the left. Yuna took a breath to steady herself. A quick enough glimpse was all she needed. Let's get it over with quickly.

She darted for the door on the other end, easily phasing through it. Bright blue and white light forced her to shield her eyes. It was another hallway. The white, pristine floor ended abruptly by a gray railing with glass underneath. Probably to keep smaller people from falling down to the other hallway below them.

And there were people walking around down there. Yuna hastily looked left and saw multiple humans with uniforms similar to the ones the Indigo Plateau people wore. They had arcanine and boltund standing guard beside them. The police are here?

Her shadows were trying to swing her tail in the officers' direction. And it didn't take long for Yuna to realize why.

They stood in front of a door made of a heavy-looking black metal. There was a very large lock and some sort of screen underneath it. Both of which had ripples of distortion running across them.

"Oh no," Reshiram squeaked in her mind. "The core... is inside a vault? Why does a stadium even have a vault? Look at it! It's practically as tall as Jade is!"

Arcanine and Boltund locked eyes with her. Both started to bark at her. The officers' heads whipped in her direction.

"Are you lost, little drakloak?" He reached for a radio attached to his belt. "Do you have a trainer?"

Yuna didn't dare open her mouth. Even if it was just a couple of policemen and their dogs, this counted as trouble for her. It was time to double back to the others. As she turned around and got ready to phase back through the door, however, one of the officers shouted, "Wait, Drakloak!"

"I'm getting the sergeant on the horn," the other said. "We oughta sweep the sewers."

Yuna phased her way back through the door, ready to quickly retrace her steps back to the others. But the moment she got through the door, her shadows swung her tail forward. Squealing, Yuna righted herself... and found a familiar purple figure standing in front of her.

"You're early, Yaldabaoth."

XxX​

GL Exploration Log: Wyndon, Galar (Dimension POV-0773)
The novelty of being in PokéLondon wore off with, like, the fifth Wyndon I visited. This one's pretty par for the course. Macro Cosmos already folded in the wake of their CEO deciding to unleash Eternatus. The various subsidiaries were taken up by competitors or became government-controlled utilities. Nothing special there. But, hey, Parliament seized all that Rose doofus' assets. So, that's different from the last few!

I guess if I had to list anything that actually sets this one apart, it'd be that it's a good deal foggier than other Wyndons. Quick internet search suggests they average about fifty to sixty days of sunlight a year. Which ain't going to jive well with my inner light dragon. Despite the gloomier weather, this Wyndon's a popular spot for hosting the Pokémon World Coronation Series. It functions more like the Olympics in this universe. Every four years regions send their best trainers to compete for the gold. How they pick them ranges from actual qualifying tournaments to just sending off gym leaders and their elite four and calling it a day.

Not a tea guy, but the biscuits are a solid seven out of ten.

XxX​

Path of Valor Almanac
The dimension number is the national dex number for Silvally. Which wouldn't be terribly significant on its own, but I used it as the uniform number for my character in Pokémon Sword.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Heya, firing this up just before conking to get caught up with this story through a review of…

Chapter 79

Spoiler

Two weeks went by in a hazy blur. Perhaps because the outpost buzzed with activity. The monks kept their eyes out for anomalies, but came up empty. Gene and Vegna worked with an Aeon platoon to deal with tracking Necrozma. The only reports so far were of the Phantom jumping through rifts, followed by long stretches of purposeless ambling. It led the resistance to conclude that, unlike their rift makers, Necrozma struggled to conjure portals.

Wow, that's quite a timeskip ahead. Though that mix of the P3 dorm music is definitely catchy.

Cyril made plans to try and create a machine for tracking anomalies with the help of the two Red Chain fragments the team had. But there were issues making sure the fragments could remain stable in such a machine. Or something. Most of that technical jargon went over Yuna's head. Probably, Seifer's, too. Yuna figured that, given the talk around the outpost, the keldeo hung around Cyril for different reasons.

I can already tell there were a few nights where their neighbors were having trouble sleeping from the racket.

Cid was happy to have a handful of skorps assisting him with all the monitors. It actually gave him a bit of breathing room. He asked Yuna if he could puruse Bahamut's old journal and she directed him to Vegna. Perhaps the orbeetle wanted to compare what was written with his own past research?

The big oddity was Shimmer. Igneous apparently got permission to explain Shimmer's situation. Yuna felt a pang of sympathy, but never got to talk with him. Since Gene insisted on more rest before he seriously exerted himself, Shimmer mostly kept to himself. Only appearing when he had to eat. He was polite, yet stiff. At least, compared to what Yuna remembered. Nikki always studied him skeptically. Yuna worried if it was the toxtricity's old grudge toward the so-called ponytales.

Oh huh. Shimmer's already on Team Bastion or whatever we're calling it now. Would've thought that we'd see more of the moment where he came aboard, but eh. If it works, it works.

With everyone finding things to keep them occupied, that left Yuna with training. Something she'd never done much of in her life. But something she sorely needed. Not in the sense of bolstering her own limited attacks, but in keeping the shadows firmly under control. And calling on Sage powers faster.

To her surprise, Alder proposed she train in tandem with Leo. The drakloak hesitated to have her son do that. But the psychic braviary emphasized the importance of Leo learning to control the powers his plates gave him.

Yeeeeeeeah, considering the power scales some of your opponents are rocking, it really would be a bad idea to keep Leo perpetually in "Team Mascot" mode.

Today was one such training session. Yuna hovered over some metal platforms Guzzie Jr. had separated off his main arena. She focused on the Soul Dew's light. A small Fusion Flare formed over her head. After a moment's hesitation, she hurled it toward the cosmic arceus. His wheel shifted from gold to a sparkling ocean blue. Leo melted into a puddle. The Fusion Flare sphere harmlessly passed by him.

Oh, well. TIL Leo can do that with the Splash plate. Getting some vibes for how Zena can do something similar to this in HoC thanks to her connection to the Water Plane or whatever it's called.

Yuna curled her right hand. The Fusion Flare erupted. Leo reformed from the puddle. "Fast, right?" His starcloud tail wagged. "Now, water attack thingy go!"

>dat dialogue Well, he's definitely still in his "mental 5-year old" phase. :P

His blue wheel flashed. Water burst from the ground directly underneath Yuna. Meeping, she shot forward. White Quick Attack energy trailed behind her.

For a brief moment, the platform and water columns stopped. Had they... crystalized?

No, wait, that didn't make any sense. The columns splashed water all around, then disappeared. Yuna rubbed her eyes. She must have imagined it.

Narrator: "She absolutely did not imagine it."

"Ah, splendid!" From beside the platforms, Alder clapped his legs together. "No soaking of the peanut gallery, Leo. I'm impressed!"

The cosmic arceus looked around, eyes sparkling. "You have peanuts?"

Somebody has his priorities straight there.

"Ah, no." Alder's pink head feathers drooped. "That's an expression."

"Ohhhh. Right." Leo nodded. Yuna frowned, uncertain if Alder's correction actually stuck.

I mean, it obviously didn't, but you probably have bigger things to worry about right now, Yuna.

"What now?" The drakloak drifted to the ground and stretched out for a quick rest. "Junior's going to open his arena soon, right? I'd rather not practice around all those people." She gestured vaguely toward the empty stands. Not to mention the noise.

"Hmm." Alder stroked his chin with a wing.

"Anomaly identified! Anomaly identified!"

Well, that was a short two-week lull in the story (which I'm now just realizing is a meta parallel to how long it takes to get out a new chapter). Time to get neck-deep into cosmic trouble again.

With a holler, Yuna's body shriveled up into her head. "Owww..." Yuna's head flopped over. "Not so loooooud. We keep these X-transceivers by our heads, Skorp!"

"Aw, shucks. Sorry 'boot that!" Skorp laughed nervously. "Guess I got a bit excited, eh. First time 'n all that."

So wait, did everyone in the base just get deafened by that overeager Skorp there? ^^;

Yuna: "My ears!"

I can tell. Yuna slowly managed to pop her body out of her head. Guess they knew what they'd be doing. At least she was well-rested this time.

"Brother Kora's agreed to go with the scouting team like we discussed?" Seifer asked over the X-transceiver line.

"Yepperino," Skorp chirped.

Oh, well that's definitely different. Though I wonder if he's going to get taken over by Vince again while out in the field.

"Great. If they can stabilize the rift, we can know what we're getting into," Widget said.

"Where is it, though?" Valkyrie wondered. "At least, on our side of things."

No response at first. Frowning, Yuna hovered off the ground. "Uhh, guys?"

"Sorry." It was Cyril. "Needed to know if Gene was online."

"... It's Earth, isn't it?" Gene was terse.

Well, Gene is taking this well™️

Yuna: "Wait, but does it really matter if it's on earth since there's apparently like a billion of them floating around out there in the omniverse?" ^^;

"Kanto, specifically."

"Which part?"

"Indigo Plateau."

Oh. Well. Even with AU dynamics going on, I can see why that would get really, really awkward and uncomfortable for Gene in short order there.

Yuna looked toward the aurora on the horizon. Who names a plateau after a color? She then had to imagine an invisible hand muzzling Reshiram before he could give her an answer.

Game Freak and its localization offices, bring it up with them, Cecil.

Gene's sigh echoed through Yuna's X-transceiver. "We better hope that anomaly's outside the Pokémon League. Otherwise, we've got problems on top of problems."

Yuna: "Wait, I'm not sure if I follow though. Why would it be such an issue if the anomaly wasn't right next to this 'Pokémon League' again?" ^^;

"Pokémon League?" Yuna said. She glanced at Alder, who had landed on the platform and was furiously flipping through one of his books.

"A system where humans train pokémon to battle for sport," the psychic braviary declared. "It's near ubiquitous for worlds where humans and pokémon coexist!"

>near ubiquitous

That actually makes me wonder if we're going to run into some world with humans and Pokémon together that doesn't follow a normal mainline setup. Since I can see that qualifier there.

Yuna quirked a brow. Battling for sport wasn't an issue. They did plenty of that in Aeon. Tests of strength and whatnot. But what role would humans have to play in that?

"Thou hast seen it with thine own eyes," Rayquaza piped up. "In Malie and LaRousse. Humans partnering with pokémon."

I dunno, Yuna responded. Molayne and Liza felt more like... bosses with pokémon employees.

I mean, to be fair, if their "employees" ever went on "strike", they'd be fairly limited in what they could do back to them.

The X-transceiver crackled again before Yuna could say anything else.

"Yiazmat reporting with the scouting team. The anomaly is immediately behind a very large building at the center of this structure. Not seeing Eternatus Troopers, but humans have the area cordoned off."

Oh, that's why Gene was freaking out about whether or not the anomaly was near the Indigo League. The rest of the plateau is a pain to get to and the Kanto Champ and E4 would be the only trainers anywhere close by with a fighting chance of holding off the Eterna Empire if they came barging in.

Well, that sounded bad. If the people there already knew about the anomaly, they could alert the emperor!

"Assuming they haven't already," Reshiram pointed out.

Not helping!

"Sorry..."

Wait, wait, wait. Is this Earth inside Eternatus? Since I did a bit of a double-take at these humans notifying Paradox about the anomaly. I think that that was the implication, though admittedly it took me a while to gather that this was what it was getting at.

Yuna gestured for Leo to come to her side. "Let's get ready, Leo. We might have to move fast."

The cosmic arceus trotted through the air, nodding. "I'll puddleify if I have to!"

Sighing, Yuna forced a smile. "It's liquify, sweetie."

"Right, that too!"

-snerk-

Never change, Leo. o<o

"Okay." Gene wasn't quite as terse as before. "Not the worst case scenario."

"We still need a plan," Widget countered.

"Cyril will go and provide an illusory cover for the scouts," Gene said. "We'll break into Teams Bastion and Bureau based on what they find. Bastion'll head in the rift with Yuna and Leo. Bureau will stay behind to ward off any Troopers that drop by."

Okay, yeah. I'm going to just assume that this is just Gene's earth until something comes along to firmly prove otherwise.

He paused. "Any objections?"

No one spoke up. Yuna put Cyril's disguise collar on Leo, turning him into a dreepy again. He floated onto Yuna's head. The drakloak buckled briefly. Deeeefinitely heavier than before. She straightened herself up. "Heading back to the restaurant. You coming, Alder?"

"Yes, of course." The braviary placed the book back in his white head plume and flew after them.

So Leo's regaining mass as he gets more plates. I vaguely remember him getting bigger after getting his first one, so I suppose that it makes sense.

Indigo Plateau wasn't indigo. In fact, there were hardly any shades of blue to speak of! At least, that was Yuna's impression as her eyes traced the gray stone walkway past rows of empty pop up shopping booths to a stone staircase. It climbed up to a gold, circular building. A stadium, judging by pictures Yuna had seen.

INDIGO POKÉMON LEAGUE: HOME OF THE INDIGO AND SILVER CONFERENCES

Hanging underneath the gold sign was a "TEMPORARILY CLOSED." Hastily placed, judging by how it dangled from frayed ropes.

Ah yes, another musical reminder that I should really get into R&C sometime. Since I remember having a lot of fun with the demos of the various PS2 games from the series while growing up.

"Indigo Plateau my ass." Nikki rested her hands behind her head. "More like 'False Advertising Plateau.'"

Seifer rolled his eyes. "We're not here to judge its outer appearance."

"No duh." The toxtricity's mohawk frazzled. "You put this shit next to its name and anyone's gonna sit back in their chair and say 'My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.'"

Seifer: "Look, just. Pretend that it's indigo-colored or something, alright?" >_>;

"Isn't that a bit dramatic?" Yuna said, raising a brow.

"It's making a point." Nikki jabbed an index finger into Yuna's ectoplasmic torso.

Nah, she's being dramatic. >:V

"Shh!" Cyril glared over his shoulder. "Invisibility illusion doesn't work if you keep yapping it up. I'm concentrating, here."

Nikki pantomimed zipping her lips shut, then tossed the imaginary key over her shoulder.

Yuna hovered next to her, studying the humans scattered around the grass at the facility's perimeter. Their blue uniforms reminded her a bit of Molayne's. I guess it's still the local police.

Huh. Police in Japan really do have blue uniforms. TIL.

"Strange. You'd think by now the empire would do something," Reshiram said. He paced around in Yuna's mind. "Unless they're monitoring things from afar?" His fur puffed out. "You don't think we're wandering into an ambush, do you?"

The drakloak bit her lip. Wouldn't they have attacked our scouts, then?

"Not if they realized the people they're really after hadn't shown up," Reshiram countered.

That thought that this might be an ambush didn't occur to me until just now, but if they already pulled that gambit once at Tulpise...

Yuna hovered faster. She didn't want to entertain the possibility that the empire had strong aura readers waiting in the wings. Besides, wouldn't Gene and Cyril have covered that?

A familiar jagged purple rift lay ahead of them. Out in the open, pulsating with static. The humans kept their distance. Assorted growlithe, arcanine, and houndoom whimpered whenever the officers tried to get them to sniff the ground close to the rift.

>police Houndoom

I actually don't remember how often that's appeared in the actual series or not, but I suppose they are canine Pokémon and not particularly rare around Kanjoh, so...

Though does that mean that there are also police Riolu and Lucario in other regions?

Taking deep breaths, Yuna prepared herself for what was ahead. Another big city, apparently. A place called Wyndon. Things were calm, yet hectic, according to Koraidon. Which could have meant any number of things. But put that together with the anomaly core giving off a signal from a highly populated part of the city... and Yuna couldn't help but think about the Butterfree Effect's warning.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5vd5cE3n0M


Wait, Wyndon's in Kanto on Gene's Earth? Was it always like that? .-.

She glanced at her hands. No shadows. No reaction to the rift. Good. Her training was paying off.

"I don't recall your shadows appearing solely because of the anomaly rifts," Reshiram said.

Let me have this, Yuna hissed, sending Reshiram scurrying from her mind.

Wow, rude, Yuna.

Cyril stopped. The cosmic zoroark made a few hand gestures... which Yuna hadn't the foggiest idea how to interpret. She tilted her head. Cyril appeared irritated. He scratched his right ear, then covered his snout with his hand.

"It's going to be a handoff." Cyril's muffled voice came through the X-transceiver. "You guys will swap with the scouts, except for Brother Kora. Capiche?"

The trio nodded.

Yuna: "Wait, I'm sorry. Why are we doing a handoff again?"

"Once you're there, you'll follow him to the anomaly core," Cyril continued. "Then try to get a sense for how much extra help you need."

Yuna: "Right. That would be a good reason to do a handoff, really."=

Seifer shifted uneasily. The keldeo walked up to Cyril and whispered into his ear.

"Get away from it if your X-transceivers don't work, then," Cyril said. He knelt down and pecked Seifer's cheek. Seifer's face reddened. Nikki snickered. Yuna frowned at her. The toxtricity simply made a kissy face, earning glares from both the guys.

I mean, you did walk straight into that one, Cyril.

"Ready for the exchange."

That was Koraidon. Cyril hopped to attention and guided them toward the rift. He kept as far from the police dogs as he could, then eventually dashed across the grass. The trio hurried after him.

Unlike other anomalies, this one greeted the team with... chilly air? Strange, but Yuna would find out the reason soon enough. Cyril pointed to the jagged rift.

Whelp, guess that confirms that we're dealing with the Icicle Plate here.

Nodding, Yuna checked to make sure Leo was balanced on her head. Then the drakloak flew through the portal.

The result was the inverse of her previous anomaly jumps. Instead of shifting from dark to light, she'd gone from daytime to nighttime. Though there was still a fair amount of flavorfully colorful light several meters away. Courtesy of bright signs advertising fashion boutiques, hair salons, and restaurants like "Bob's Your Uncle."

Huh. I actually wonder if this was just a flat-out spatial portal that shortcutted from Kanto to Galar. Since that mention of going from daytime to nighttime seems to indicate that Yuna's not even in the same time zone anymore.

Chills rippled through her ectoplasm. Yuna rubbed her hands together. "Cold..."

"'Mon up." Nikki strutted past, taking in a deep breath. "Crisp air like this is great!" She stretched her arms up. "Tells us we're alive!"

Yuna: "No, I'm pretty sure that this weather is telling me that I'm going to go into torpor if I don't warm up nice and quick."

The toxtricity took one step onto the stone walkway in front of the rift, then abruptly jumped back. "Gah! Hot!" Her mohawk frazzled. "The hell is this?!"

"A heated walkway." A cyclizar stood on it, happily swishing his tail back and forth. "Isn't it lovely? The power of science is amazing!"

Wait, those exist canonically in Wyndon? Or is that something cooked up to show off the AUness of this Wyndon?

Yuna tilted her head. That voice... was Koraidon's? "Did you take one of the disguise thingies?"

"Of course. Can't go causing a scene." Koralizar clasped his hands together and bowed. "It would be quite un-zen of me."

Wait, he can do that? Or is that just something that Legendary Pokémon in general are capable of in this story?

Leo hovered off Yuna's head and reached a fake dreepy hand out to touch the stone. "Oooooh! It is warm!" His eyes sparkled. "It's a magic path, Mom!"

"Magic schmagic." Nikki crouched on the edge of the grass and poked the pathway with a twig. "Probably some dumb human technology."

Something something, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, something something.

"Yes, yes." Seifer walked onto the path, shaking his head. "We can marvel at their wizardry later." The keldeo looked at Koralizar. "You can guide us toward the core, correct?"

"Absolutely." Koralizar nodded. "Happy to go as fast or leisurely as you want."

Yuna: "Yeah, no, I literally can't feel this 'heated path' right now, we're going to speed this up." >_>;

"Let's make it quick." Seifer impatiently tapped a hoof on the ground. "We don't want the others staying around Indigo Plateau for too long."

Yuna nodded. She picked Leo up and placed him back on her head. The drakloak flew after the others. Their path followed a still river along the outskirts of a city whose colorful lights were mainly hidden by relatively tall brick buildings.

"More like Venish than LaRousse," Reshiram said. "Has a certain rustic charm to it."

Oh, well I guess that's one way to tell that Venish's architecture was fairly Venetian from the point of comparison there.

She had a hard time drawing that conclusion just from brick buildings and a river. But then colorful sparks danced across the sky in the distance.

"Whoa!" Leo wiggled excitedly atop Yuna's head. "It's like a rainbow of Fire Blasts!"

"They're fireworks," Seifer said, galloping beside Koralizar. "And a lot of them, too. We're not arriving in the midst of some sort of festivity, are we?"

I mean, you obviously are, but now I'm curious myself. And ditto if we'll get a Buddy cameo at some point, even if it's been firmly deconfirmed for this chapter.

Nikki held her hands up by her eyes in mid-stride. "Does 'Pokémon World Coronation Series' sound like a festivity?"

The keldeo tripped, nearly stumbling to the ground. He managed to keep his balance, albeit falling back to Nikki's side. "It sounds... like they're crowning a monarch!" Seifer frowned. "Which wouldn't just be a festivity, it'd be a historical event! Do you have any idea how many people attended Isola's coronation?"

I went and BPed this, and... we're in an animeverse? Since this was apparently a thing in Journeys.

"Pfbt." Still running, Nikki rolled her eyes. "I couldn't give a rattata's ass about that!"

Yuna was still confused where Nikki had even pulled that phrase from. "How do you know there's a coronation?"

The toxtricity pointed ahead. Amidst all the fireworks was... a flying wailord machine?! At least, it was big, round, and blue like a wailord. But it had a screen on it with some sort of gold sigil. The phrases "Pokémon World Coronation Series," "Wyndon 2020," and "Opening Ceremony, Sponsored by DENSOKU and Mach Motors" flashed by one after the other.

>Wyndon 2020

Damn, we even went back in time by 4 years. Unless if we're still in "2020" since that's what things were in Etherium at the start of this story and we've moved forward all of like a month and a half at this rate.

"Do coronations usually have opening ceremonies?" Yuna wondered. Again, she and her friends could effortlessly read what was on the flying wailord machine. It wasn't a coincidence. It had to be her.

She glanced at her torso. No shadows. Was this a part of that chaos the Butterfree Effect claimed she spread?

"Oi, Princess, keep up!"

Huh. Catchy BGM is catchy. Though time to find out who said that.

"C'mon, Mom!"

Leo tapped the edge of the drakloak's rectangular ahead. Nikki waved at her from several meters away. Yuna hovered after her.

Right, should've figured it was Nikki from the speech pattern.

By now, things were much brighter. Both from the closer fireworks display... and the positively massive circular building underneath. Red and white light spilled out over the stone walkways surrounding it, as well as the river that curved around it.

"Hot damn." Nikki slowed to a jog. "Look at all those people. No chance we're getting through something like that without a whole tauros herd." Smirking, the toxtricity rolled up her sleeve. "Or I could Boomburst 'em into a collective evening nap."

I suppose that that's one way to tell that Yuna's never seen a modern-style arena before.

Seifer's tail scrunched up. He, too, slowed his pace. "Let's not default to assaulting the humans, please."

"Speaking as a monk, I must concur," Koralizar added. "And I don't think it wise to bring a keldeo toward all of those people. We'll attract far too much attention."

Nikki's mohawk frazzled. "Then why'd we bring Pony Boy along instead of, like, Chompy?" She hiked up her leather jacket. "And what was the point of scouting ahead if you can't tell us there's a giant roadblock."

Seifer: "In my defense, we didn't exactly have any expectations for what we were going to find on the other end." -_-;

"Would you believe me if I told you the crowd wasn't there before?" Laughing nervously, Koralizar scratched his head.

The toxtricity glared at him.

"It's the truth though." Koralizar rested on the railing beside him, staring at the river.

Wait, how long ago was Kora here, then? Since you'd think that it'd take a while for a big crowd like this to fill in.

Yuna continued watching the fireworks display. The bright, colorful bursts were practically hypnotic in the way they erupted against the night sky. Cool for sure, but she doubted she could simply fly toward the place undetected.

"What about the oppaaaaaawmsite?"

Cresselia's yawning made Yuna's tail crinkle. The opposite? Like going down?

"Undaaaaaaawmground."

The drakloak looked down at the path. Phasing through the ground? That would be an awfully long way to travel through. Did she have the strength to pull that off?

"Hey, um, one of you tech people?" Yuna mainly addressed the X-transceiver. "There's a giant crowd by this big, uh..." She blinked. "That's another stadium, right?"

Nikki nodded.

"Okay. So, do you think there's something underground I could phase into?"

I mean, if Wyndon is taking after its source of inspiration, there should be an entire subway system for you to work with, so...

Yuna waited for some sort of response, though she didn't know which resistance member would have an answer. Assuming any of them did.

"Gotta be a sewer system, then." A response from Valkyrie wasn't what Yuna expected. "Just like when we had to get past the protestors to Casaroja's railyard."

"That'd be my guess, too," Cyril added. "If you're looking for a way to get in underground, that's your best shot."

Whelp, no Tube in this Wyndon, then. But I suppose that would make sense as a way to get in.

Seifer tapped a hind hoof against the path. "You're going off on your own?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Yuna gestured to the fireworks display in the sky. "Because flying doesn't strike me as doable."

The keldeo opened his mouth to respond, then promptly shut it. "Fair. I guess... back off if you think there's trouble?"

Narrator: "They will absolutely not back off. Or at least not in time for it to be relevant."

Yuna nodded. That was doable. She reached up and passed Leo over to Nikki. "C'mon, seriously?" The toxtricity held the fake dreepy at arm's length. "Why do I gotta look after Squirt?"

"Because you were standing next to me," Yuna mused. She rubbed her hands together again, then dove into the ground. Fortunately, it wasn't proofed against ghost phasing like LaRousse's collider room. Yuna easily phased into the ground. She didn't have to push that far through rocks and soil before spotting rounded tunnels carrying water and big metal cables in different directions.

Wait, how does phaseproofing even work in PoV's omniverse anyways?

"Hey, can you guys hear me?" she whispered, popping out of the ceiling. Yuna kept close to it in case she needed to phase back inside.

"Loud and clear," Noctum chirped. "Did you find some sewers?"

"Yeah." So far, it was a straight shot. The only lights were occasional small blue ones. And a couple of the bulbs had gone out. She wondered if any pokémon that liked dark, damp places actually lived down here.

That would be wholly unsurprising to me given the existence of the Castelia Sewers in B2W2.

"But how wouldst they get any food?" Rayquaza asked.

Yuna simply shrugged, then continued forward. To her relief, the sewer remained empty. No humans. No pokémon. Just dark water passing by underneath and blue light glinting off metal pipes and cables.

"Find the stadium yet?"

Yuna: "I barely started going forward!" >.<

"No, Nikki." Yuna was pretty sure the group stopped a good distance away from it. "Though I guess there are more tunnels going straight up? With ladders and stuff."

"Probably leading to manholes on the streets," Cyril said. "I think that's a good sign? A stadium's bound to have a lot of manholes by it."

The drakloak kept going forward. "Then should I try going up?" What if she popped out of the ground and hit a human's shoe? She could cause a panic!

Nikki: "Wait, but wouldn't that be a good thing since you could just retreat back into the sewers and it'd thin out the crowd-?"

Yuna: "Nikki, no." >_>;

"When we went to the train station, we found some sewer entrances for employees," Valkyrie responded. "Try looking for doors or staircases."

Yuna: "I feel like I should be asking more questions about how these layouts are so similar across wildly different worlds, but whatever. Good enough."

Doors or staircases, Yuna mentally repeated to herself. She swiveled her head around, looking for anything that wasn't just a ladder going up or some other big sewer tunnel. Seeing nothing, Yuna flew forward at a slower pace, keeping her eyes peeled all the while.

Eventually, one branch point had no water coming out of it. And was halfway between the base and ceiling of the sewer. Yuna cautiously approached and was rewarded with a metal door. Black and yellow bars ran across it. She floated up to it and pressed a hand against the metal. After recoiling from how cold it was, she put her hand back on it... and successfully phased it through. The rest of Yuna followed her hand through into some sort of dark shaft.

Up it is, then. Yuna quickly ascended, passing metal beams and girders. Eventually she saw the base of a metal cube approaching. An elevator, probably. Like the ones at Cyril's outpost.

Whelp, time to see what on earth Yuna just got herself into.

She easily phased through the bottom of the elevator. Yuna didn't stop to take in its sights other than how shiny its white floor was. She could practically see her reflection in it.

Ah, soundtrack from the R&C reboot game, huh? Duly noted.

The drakloak phased through the gray elevator door into a dimly lit corridor. She passed by empty, gray metal walls. Light trickled in through cracks in a closed door at the other end. "Okay, I'm—"

Yuna's X-transceiver flooded her head with static. She abruptly stopped talking and it went away. If she lost the signal, that had to mean she was close. But how close?

Hesitantly, she glanced at her torso. Her shadows pooled at the base of her tail. More toward the left. Yuna took a breath to steady herself. A quick enough glimpse was all she needed. Let's get it over with quickly.

Well, at least she's not losing any time in zeroing in on where this new anomaly is.

She darted for the door on the other end, easily phasing through it. Bright blue and white light forced her to shield her eyes. It was another hallway. The white, pristine floor ended abruptly by a gray railing with glass underneath. Probably to keep smaller people from falling down to the other hallway below them.

And there were people walking around down there. Yuna hastily looked left and saw multiple humans with uniforms similar to the ones the Indigo Plateau people wore. They had arcanine and boltund standing guard beside them. The police are here?

I can't tell if those are cops or Macro Cosmos security. Since there would be a strong overlap in the Pokémon they'd field.

Her shadows were trying to swing her tail in the officers' direction. And it didn't take long for Yuna to realize why.

They stood in front of a door made of a heavy-looking black metal. There was a very large lock and some sort of screen underneath it. Both of which had ripples of distortion running across them.

"Oh no," Reshiram squeaked in her mind. "The core... is inside a vault? Why does a stadium even have a vault? Look at it! It's practically as tall as Jade is!"

I mean, I saw/read AKIRA. Guarded facilities in/around stadium complexes are always a bad sign since there's often something inside that really, really shouldn't be let out.

Arcanine and Boltund locked eyes with her. Both started to bark at her. The officers' heads whipped in her direction.

"Are you lost, little drakloak?" He reached for a radio attached to his belt. "Do you have a trainer?"

Yuna didn't dare open her mouth. Even if it was just a couple of policemen and their dogs, this counted as trouble for her. It was time to double back to the others. As she turned around and got ready to phase back through the door, however, one of the officers shouted, "Wait, Drakloak!"

Ah yes, cue the theme song:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DebmlHgAvko

"I'm getting the sergeant on the horn," the other said. "We oughta sweep the sewers."

Yuna phased her way back through the door, ready to quickly retrace her steps back to the others. But the moment she got through the door, her shadows swung her tail forward. Squealing, Yuna righted herself... and found a familiar purple figure standing in front of her.

"You're early, Yaldabaoth."

Well then. I had a feeling that this lull wouldn't last, but I certainly wasn't expecting that.

Yuna: "Oh, you're kidding me."

GL Exploration Log: Wyndon, Galar (Dimension POV-0773)
The novelty of being in PokéLondon wore off with, like, the fifth Wyndon I visited. This one's pretty par for the course. Macro Cosmos already folded in the wake of their CEO deciding to unleash Eternatus. The various subsidiaries were taken up by competitors or became government-controlled utilities. Nothing special there. But, hey, Parliament seized all that Rose doofus' assets. So, that's different from the last few!

Okay, yeah,

wrote this entry. I can already tell from the explicit comparison to 'London' there.

I guess if I had to list anything that actually sets this one apart, it'd be that it's a good deal foggier than other Wyndons. Quick internet search suggests they average about fifty to sixty days of sunlight a year. Which ain't going to jive well with my inner light dragon. Despite the gloomier weather, this Wyndon's a popular spot for hosting the Pokémon World Coronation Series. It functions more like the Olympics in this universe. Every four years regions send their best trainers to compete for the gold. How they pick them ranges from actual qualifying tournaments to just sending off gym leaders and their elite four and calling it a day.

Not a tea guy, but the biscuits are a solid seven out of ten.

Yeah, I knew it. Though I suppose that's a sign that it won't be much longer before

joins the plot proper, since we've already seen him poking around a bit in past chapters.

Path of Valor Almanac
The dimension number is the national dex number for Silvally. Which wouldn't be terribly significant on its own, but I used it as the uniform number for my character in Pokémon Sword.

Come on... Buddy cameo next chapter, you know you want to...

Though that was definitely a bit of a change of pace, definitely a bit slower than a lot of other chapters have been lately, though I suppose we do still need to pick up the pieces from Tulpise no longer existing as a city narratively, and the outro definitely made it clear that the peace and quiet this chapter isn't going to last very long.

In terms of criticisms, I do wonder if it really made sense to offscreen as much stuff that happened over the two weeks in-setting as it did. Like most of it seemed decently justified for just handling with a summary, but not showing Shimmer's first impression with the Resistance or the broader group coming to terms with the debacle in Tulpise definitely felt like a bit of a missed opportunity. But eh, it's your story, and I suppose I can't fault you for if you felt that one-and-a-half chapters of mostly just grappling with more aftermath was really interesting for readers to deal with.

Feels good to be caught up with this story again @Ambyssin , and I'll be looking forward to where things go next time given that you left things on quite the cliffhanger note there.

 

[JFought]

This took me way too long. These past couple weeks have been killing me pretty hard, honestly, but I managed a review for a nine chapter set this time. It is massive, and rambly, and I preemptively apologize for it. Anyway, last time the party was met with a revelation in Aquardah, and this time...

Thoughts on Chapters 18 to 26:

• The story of Isfet is definitely interesting… I feel like I’m not far off about Aquardah being sacrificed by Bahamut, and it seems Cecil has reason to believe something similar.
  
  
• Another piece to the plot is introduced through Ryujin here. I can’t help but wonder what their purpose is, since they seem fairly minor compared to a lot of the other things going on in the plot right now.
  
  
• The battle against Not!Zapdos felt a little stilted at times, but it did its job well enough I think. Thinking about it now, it’s kind of wild it took this long for one of the birds to see use in the story. Despair has been biding his time for a long while now, while Vortex and Xeromus have been making moves, so this is definitely a change in pace. And then it ends with the crystal shattering, and…
  
  
• There’s that Ratchet and Clank influence. I knew you were a fan of the series, so I figured it was inevitable. And those adverts made it obvious before the music link came in to confirm it. From the atmosphere to the music to the satirical humor, it’s pretty transparently meant to invoke the same feeling as when Ratchet ended up in Nefarious City in Rift Apart, and I definitely got similar vibes. I can’t help but wonder if this is what Despair meant by “letting them see,” as Noctum essentially bit the bullet for something intended for someone else, and I’m not sure what he'd intended for the crystal to do otherwise.
  
  
• So Chiaki has other arm models as well… I have no idea if it was intentional, but the way he essentially gained the ability of the last “boss” made me think “megaman???”
  
  
• Cyril gives us a massive loredump on the city. It's a lot to take in, even Noctum can't handle it. I was kinda always expecting this moment, I just never expected it would happen independently of Yuna as part of the B plot. Because there’s so much, it’s hard to piece it all together, but it does have me second guessing some things.
  
  
• Speaking of which, I think I’ve been getting a few of my wires crossed regarding stuff in the plot. I’m not sure about Bahamut sacrificing Aquardah for the needle anymore, but I still feel there has to be a connection between his appearance there and the needle’s appearance afterwards. It just seems unlikely that it'd be coincidence.
  
  
• of course it would be Cid FF9 who gets transformed into small bug.
  
  

• Chapter 21: Astonishing Goons Drawn Quick

  oh agdq i get it.
  
  
• Baptiste feels like he jumped right out of a Mario and Luigi game, and I mean that as high praise. The battle with him was a bit more hit-or-miss: it felt like he had several things going on with him, between his devolution ray, his poison, being really fast, and his artist motif, but it was all a bit much when most of the battle happened in the background. Having Razim pop up again was a great way to twist things, though, and you did successfully get across the feeling that our protagonists are out of their league in this fight, even with the new toys they have to play with. (also if Chiaki is megamaning this then does that mean he gets G-Slowbro’s arm cannon next?)
  
  
• Rayquaza seems fun! Or Gallian? Though it sounds like he abandoned that name, which seems to imply he was granted his role (mortal ascended to legendary, maybe?). He made a strong first impression, like he might be more reliable than Cecil… but it also seems like being reliable has a positive correlation with being very annoying :P. Poor Yuna is gonna have an entire peanut gallery in her head by the end of this.
  
  
• Pulling the needle is again accompanied by a flashback. This is the second time it's taken Lunala’s POV, and we learn that her name is Chiron, AKA Bahamut’s wife. There's a few things this could imply: Yuna having a relation to her almost seems too obvious (especially since you’ve pulled that twist before), but looking back at the Naotun scene, the implication seems to be that only Chiron would be capable of pulling the needles. It's also possible she's connected to the needles directly somehow, and Yuna is accessing her memories through it. Technically there are still several things we don't understand about the seal, so it feels probable, though also less likely, given that she apparently died to someone, presumably before the seal was created.
  
  
• We finally get a scene with Paradox, who I assume must be the main antagonist, based on the fact that our characters have mostly been dealing with his forces. I can’t say I have a lot of opinions on him, other than acknowledging that he seems pretty evil and dangerous. I guess the main question is the matter of who he is, and what his goal is, as it looks like he's currently interested in maintaining the seal on Eternatus (or at least, the pokémon working for him are). Given the Rift Apart parallels we've been seeing, I wonder if he's meant to be an Emperor!Nefarious expy of sorts, though he almost seems a little bit too serious for me to say "oh yeah that's what he is." Though I can still see the inspiration.
  
  
• Also, minor note, but now we know that the needle guardians are a force known as the Paradigms. As soon as I saw that Baptiste was “Paradigm No. IX,” I immediately felt a hunch, decided to look back at the last one real quick, and there it was right in the chapter title: they’re based on the major arcana. I blame Trails for my ability to pick up on this. I’m not enough of an arcana expert to parse the symbolism at play, and character-wise there isn’t all that much going on with him, but I suppose Baptiste as Hermit makes sense? He’s certainly reclusive, but also in the sense that he’s obsessed with “true art,” making him a seeker of truth, of sorts. Though honestly I feel like I’m reaching ^^;.
  
  
• We finally get the trial, and damn you really committed. Not just in terms of expy characters to match G1-3, but even small details like having Vegna perform most actions with his right arm, both in line with prosecutors from the series and so his face wouldn’t be covered when imagining the scene from AA’s normal view angle. There’s a more critical part of me that almost wants to say it’s too shameless, but I don’t think I really have it in me to levy that criticism seriously because I’m too much of an Ace Attorney fan. All I have to say is that it’s a shame Venga doesn’t have legs, though I suppose Fire Punching the bench will have to do.
  
  
• I don't feel too haughty about calling Despair as Necrozma, it seemed pretty clearly telegraphed to me. With all of these antagonistic forces at play, it wasn't clear how he fit into things, but it's starting to make sense. He opposes Paradox, and has the same goal as Yuna, with the catch that he's willing to take more drastic measures for it. Though Despair hasn't actually done much in the story yet, so what that would mean is still kind of unclear. I guess I'll have to wait and see, but it does feel odd that the first villain we're introduced to has played such a muted role, with his most influential actions being in the plot's backstory.
  
  
• Cyril is revealed to be an alias for the Zoroark, Fenrir, who works for Chiaki! It was hinted that this guy was the one making new arms for him earlier, but I can't help but wonder if Chiaki is hiding something here, or if Fenrir’s involvement in this is something unknown to him (but not to his family). One nitpick I do have with this scene is that Zapdos kind of came out of nowhere. I assume they were thrown through the rift after Fenrir got pulled in, but it wasn’t really communicated.
  
  

• "To confirm, Miss Adler, you were the coachmon for Fledglings Omnibus 2015 on the night of the incident, correct?"

  (insert captain america “i understood that reference” meme here)
  
  
• The trial continues to follow the general outline of its inspiration. At first Benedict’s characterization was different enough that I was unsure if he was the killer, but it does look like we’re being given reason to doubt him, just like in the original case.
  
  

• Eau d'Eternatus, by Shannel.
  Live your best eternity. Be your best smelf.

  this is the worst pun i have ever seen in my entire life. i hate you for this. unforgivable.
  
  
• Benedict’s personality does a 180 here, and now he’s acting like Megundal (or McGilded, but I never preferred that name). This is pretty much in line with G1-3, aside from it being sped up of course. There’s also no Gina to commit the tampering, so I’m curious how he pulled it off… It’s also noticeable that the Danganronpa blood wasn’t just for show, though it’s odd that no one brought up the blood being red.
  
  
• Yiazmat learns of the forgeries, and we meet Chiaki’s father, who looks to be the leader of Ryujin? (he is very much a giovnni expy) This raises some questions, since that means the royal family of Aeon has direct connections to the very yakuza that Seifer was trying to take down, who in turn has connections to someone inside the Qliphoth...
  
  
• Baraz is back! It’s been a long time. I've been wondering if he was just gonna sit in the backseat, but maybe now that Noctum's stuck in the Qliphoth, this is his chance?
  
  
• And then Benedict gets reaped. It’s implied very heavily that Vegna is directly responsible unlike Van Zieks. It wouldn’t be the first time you’ve tried to leverage awareness of the reference’s origin to mislead, though it does look pretty definitive that Vegna is responsible, if not for his own curse, then at least for this.
  
  
• And it looks like dying caused Benedict to appear in the Qliphoth… Xeromus’ prediction never came to pass, but it looks like Paradox was able to turn this into a propaganda piece anyway. He claims to want to free Eternatus, but if that were the case, the Paradigm wouldn’t be guarding the needles as they are. Unless they have their own method to make it happen, one that is more favorable to their goals and relies on the needles still being there. If a needle can be used to summon a distortion, that would make sense…
  
  
• Quetzal wakes up! I’m a little confused as to what caused the mask to break though. This also leads into Gene making a proper appearance. And wait now Fenrir is a H-Zoroark? Wait but if that were the case then why would you-
  
  wait… *checks publish date* *googles*
  
  …i see you.
  
  
• Did Mewtwo just reference fucking Star Wars?
  
  
• Oh, Eterna City is that Eterna City. Somehow I just kinda took it for granted ^^;. Though if they took it from Earth, that would mean Eternatus got to it… Though that raises the question of how Citadark was displaced. I knew that this fic played around with mainline canon in some ways, but the relation was uncertain until now.
  
  
• If Gene’s gonna keep making references I’m gonna need a Reference Bingo Card v2. He’s certainly a colorful character, pretty much the opposite of what you’d expect from Shadow Mewtwo. I had heard there was a Shadow Mewtwo in this fic, and it didn’t really prepare me for him ^^;. I guess he just likes old movies and TV shows (or I guess ancient, considering how far in the future this fic would need to take place given Eternatus was sealed forever ago).
  
  
• So Fenrir (or I guess he is Cyril) owns Not!Zurkie’s. We get some more worldbuilding from him too. It sounds like Paradox is the inheritor to an empire that has always existed to some extent. Given the explanation behind phantoms, I wonder if the purpose behind the satirical levels of consumerism and propaganda in Eterna City is to try and fill the void in its citizens' lives. It couldn’t work that well, but Paradox would have a vested interest in making sure everyone under him doesn’t turn into a mindless corpse. The belief that there’s a purpose to their ‘eternal’ existence would help to some extent.
  
  
• I like the procession of scenes here, moving from Nikki, to Chiaki, to Yuna, dealing with the aftermath of what they've been through. Nikki trying to forget, Chiaki dealing with phantom pain and PTSD (and some intrigue: it looks like Starlene might finally come back into the plot), and then finally Yuna letting Xeromus' words get to her head and sprout doubt within her. It was nice seeing the sages comfort her. They've been mostly played for laughs, so seeing them show care for Yuna felt like a nice moment (for Gallian particularly. He hasn't been around for long but he's made a good impression so far).
  
  
• It looks like Artemis might become more involved in the plot soon. Also damn, it's been a while since Vortex has appeared, huh? It looks like we'll be going to Venish soon (chances are there'll end up being another needle there). Though I am curious about Xeromus' 'demonstration.' It looks like we'll soon find out how Paradox plans to free Eternatus...

Spoiler: Typos and Errors

Orange energy erupted around her and, next thing Noctum know, he was jumping back to avoid Valkyrie skipping across the ground like a stone on water.

Noctum jus had to focus. Focus. Focus!

Yuna didn't think Aquardah could get colder than it was before.

Unfortunately, the youtube video this used to link to has been taken down.

His skin had a purple tint to it and his shellder crown had crown to completely cover his head.

He careened into the top of the needle and a burst of purple energy shot him into the floor. Reshiram gasped in surprised.

Rayquaza quickly glanced her.

Even Cyril's change and demeanor didn't sit well with Noctum.

nine chapters and chiaki never played a single video game.

This set finally introduced our main villain in Paradox. The plot is starting to reveal itself more clearly, though it's definitely starting to feel cluttered a bit too. There are several pieces at play that currently seem tangential, and now more than ever I do find myself questioning Despair's purpose in this story. But there's still room to pull it all together, I'm mostly just wondering how you will. I expect Team Yuna and Team Noctum will continue to be our main lens for the story for the forseeable future, and considering the plot itself is happening across two worlds with the needles to connect them, this is probably the best way to handle it. I'm interested to see what Team Noctum's way forward in all this is, and Team Yuna seems to have a few potential directions to go in themselves, between Chiaki's interest in Starlene and the Crowne Cup taking us to Venish soon. And I'm still curious about what's going on with Ryujin, given all the intrigue surrounding them in this set of chapters.

Anyway, that's all! I enjoyed this set, and I will see you again for the next!

 

[Mirage]

Heyo, back... a lot later than I'd have liked due to IRL stuff, but back nevertheless. Let's see how things went for Yuna!

Chapter 2​

(Also, thought I'd try my hand at a quotes review! Never done one of these before)

Spoiler

Dragons are all cold-blooded, icy-hearted brutes anyway.

Man, I'm really curious what drives the animosity towards dragons at Horizon Academy and elsewhere in the kingdom - we've gotten peeks at it again and again, but no concrete reasons why. So far, they've been the nicest characters in the story! Props to Robin for being open-minded at least.

But we shouldn't have to lower ourselves to the dragons' backwards standards. I hear they still live in shacks made of mud and rocks.

Shimmer please

Yes, well, I'm afraid the Radiant Guard are a bit preoccupied at the moment.

Yeah, just... a bit preoccupied

But also, hello, since when does an academy chancellor know about (presumably classified) guard missions??? I pegged him as just a typical university admin, but now I'm wondering if I've greatly underestimated him.

I take it that is why neither of the queens are here?

Interesting, there's actually two queens! I'd assumed there was just one up to now.

One of our Crowne Ministers was working with some guards in his estate when they accidentally set off several blast seeds in succession

That's... that's not what happened!

...I defer to the queens and their advisors. [...] Unlike some charizard, I'm not content to kowtow to others.

Ooh... Bit of an ominious contradiction here.

"If I pull your daughter out... I'll also have to sideline the two students the committee partnered her with." Vortex held up the yellow folder. "And, well, I'm not too sure they'd take it well. To say nothing of how their parents would respond."

Damn, he's pretty devious.

"Working on the stage crew is a great way to teach you to channel your passion in a productive manner." Vortex smiled warmly. "Once you see how much the students appreciate your work, I'm sure it will fill you with hope. Hope that will energize you in your studies."

Nikki wanted to retort, but Vortex held up his hand. "And, of course, I'll have Professor Monokuma supervise you... just to make sure everything goes smoothly."

The color drained from Nikki's face. A brief image of a hulking bewear flashed through Cid's mind. He hovered back, fidgeting nervously. The poor girl. If she stepped out of line, she'd probably get one of his awful hugs.

DAMN, he's pretty devious!

So... this chapter was very clearly aimed at developing out Vortex, and it certainly succeeded in that goal. He went from just a cheerful chancellor to quite an excellent (and rather underhanded!) politician. We saw him not only effectively understand how to manipulate Yuna and her parents, but also Nikki as a rebellious problem student, and he's apparently in good enough graces with the queens to have privileged knowledge about some of the kingdom's secrets. I think he's the most intriguing character in the story so far, and I legitimately can't tell if he's a villain in disguise, or just a ruthlessly effective good guy. He's certainly pretty ambitious and I'm not sure how comfortable he is just being a university chancellor, although to be fair, his power seems to go quite a bit beyond just running the university as is. I do wonder how long he can keep what happened to the Radiant Guards a secret - it'll become quite apparent the needle wasn't destroyed by some blast seeds when the possessed guards come back to attack another one

Also very notable was our peek at Yuna's future teammates. We've seen a bit of Nikki, and no doubt is it going to be entertaining watching her brash and anti-authoritarian personality clash with Yuna's timidness. The Grovyle though, I don't think we've seen any of him yet? But surely he'll be coming up soon. Given that Vortex seems to want this team to fail, I wonder what traits he's gonna have that won't fit in with the other two.

Looking forward to Chapter 3!

 

[Mirage]

Chapter 3​

Writing this having just read the first section - already so much stuff to cover! As expected, we're introduced to Chiaki the Grovyle. His composure and skill is definitely quite the contrast vs Yuna and Nikki, but honestly, it looks like their personalities actually complement each other really well, at least once they figure out how to work together. If Yuna's going to wind up leading the team, she'll definitely need to learn how to assert herself when necessary!

The spineless joke got me

So it looks like Necrozma's name in this story (assuming the light dragon was Necrozma in its ) is Bahamet? That'll be good to keep in mind for the future. Funny to see Yuna get excited at thinking Chiaki might also be a believer in him - coupled with the Silvally missionary earlier, it seems like we might get some spicy religious conflict coming up. Perhaps the Kingdom of Radiance's dislike of dragons might be rooted in their own religious differences?

And yes - Kingdom of Radiance! Cool to finally learn the name of the other kingdom (unless it was revealed earlier and I just missed it... that's uh, definitely never happended before ^^; ). This is probably where I'm just reading a bit too much into it, but I feel like there's an interesting connection in one kingdom being named "radiance" and another worshipping a god who seeks light.

RIP Douglas

Oh noooo, is that a Disarming Voice attack mixed in with the singing? Is Starlene intentionally attacking her I wonder, or is it just a byproduct of how Starlene enhances her voice? Either way, fainting from a song surely isn't going to help her fit in...

A dragon serpent with golden rings and lines, that surely must be Rayquaza. Odd that it seems to be attacking her though, given her affinity for other dragons and that she hasn't done anything to it yet. Perhaps a foreshadow for a future villain?


Our favorite Silvally makes a return in the following scene. Thought he was the Rayquaza at first haha, since Rune mentions the Pokemon that attacked Yuna, until I realized it's set a bit in the past. Pretty shocking to see Xeromus control the distortion, and she seems to be using the same shadow powers as the demon in the beginning of the story. I'm guessing the "Natus" that Xeromus keeps referring to must be this demon? That definitely upgrades him in the threat level department - he's gone from an insane crank to a legitimate threat.

And RIP Rune too

-------------------------------------

And that concludes Chapter 3! A very enjoyable read with a lot of action and plot progression. Hope to see Yuna's team in action and how (if?) they work together on their first challenge!