Pokémon Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Path of Valor

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Alright, this one wound up running a couple hours late, but I figured that I'd jam out one last review of the year + as a birthday present for you, so let's get right into:

Chapter 101

Spoiler: Line-by-Line

Noctum floated on his back in the sparkling water. Emotion kept the lake — the humans called it Verity — around their home as pristine as anything Noctum had seen. The sun's reflection glistened all around him. Even the shabby magikarp keeping their distance glimmered from the sunlight.

He lazily turned his arms in circles, drifting across the water. The surface was warm while the water underneath was cool.

I can only imagine the

reactions from all the nearby Pokémon to just seeing Palkia casually floating on his back in the water in front of them.

It was so interesting! A fine example of the power of space at work. He hummed softly, floating closer to the small grassy island in the middle of the lake.

Akari sat on the edge, dangling her legs in the water. Emotion drifted between the trees behind her, running their nubby hands across bare branches.

"... Don't know what I'm going to do, Irida." Akari shook her head. "There's still some friction between Diamond and Pearl."

Noctum stopped swimming and tilted his head.

You know, I should really be a lot less surprised that Palkia would swim in Sinnoh's lakes considering its typing, but it's just one of those things you don't reflexively think of.

Oh, right. The one who gave blessings to him was here, too.

"Diamond and Pearl?" Irida glanced at Noctum. "Do you mean..."

"Dialga and Palkia." Akari lazily lifted her right leg. Water dribbled off it. "I thought they'd be appropriate nicknames."

I mean, she wasn't wrong there, just saying.

"Right." Irida looked at reflection in the water. "You do call your pokémon something other than their species."

Akari raised a brow. "Do you not?"

Irida looked left. Underneath the slim shade of one of the bare trees, a glaceon poked at a napping espeon's side. After a few more nudges, Espeon's closed eyes twitched. His forehead gem glowed. A burst of telekinesis unceremoniously tossed a mewling Glaceon into the lake.

- snerk -

Even if that Glaceon kinda brought things down on herself there.

Noctum picked his head up, worried Glaceon couldn't swim. Still on his back, he swam in her direction.

"I never considered it," Irida admitted, watching the water. Fortunately, Glaceon surfaced, but she was quite miffed. Noctum reached her. He dipped his head underwater and positioned it under Glaceon. Then he extended his long neck, creating a makeshift bridge for Glaceon to climb back onto the island.

She immediately barked and hissed at Espeon. Ice crystals formed on her damp fur.

Oh boy, time for a (literal) cat fight. Though I have to wonder how it is you decide when or not to work comic relief moments like these into your scenes or not.

Still curled up in a ball, Espeon poked one eye open. Then he closed it and simply purred.

Glaceon screeched. An Ice Beam formed in her mouth.

"Stop it, Glaceon!" Irida smacked the ground with her left hand. "You shouldn't have been bothering Espeon while he was napping and you know it."

The Ice Beam faded into frosty air. Glaceon looked down guiltily.

Glaceon: "For the record, this isn't over." >_>;
Espeon: "Oh no, I think that this absolutely is unless you feel like taking another swim." >:V

"And Espeon." Irida was on her knees. Her arms were crossed. "You don't fling people into the lake because they're bothering you."

Espeon didn't appear to acknowledge Irida. Noctum thought a little persuasion was in order, so he lifted his head and spat a tiny stream of water at Espeon. The moment it doused him, Espeon jumped to his feet, back arched. He loudly hissed at Noctum, who simply nudged his head in Irida's direction. Espeon's ears folded and he muttered what seemed like an apology to Glaceon and Irida.

The world's most begrudging one, I'm sure.

"Ah, uh, thank you, Palkia." Irida bowed her head respectfully.

Noctum smiled and lowered his head back against the water's surface.

"That might be it," Akari whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"I think I know a way to mend the rift between Diamond and Pearl." Akari got to her feet. "It's like two siblings bickering. A parent can help stop the arguing."

Oh, so that's how Akari in this universe was motivated to slog through the "complete the Pokédex" quest in PLA.

"A parent?" Irida tilted her head.

"I've just gotta finish seeking out all the pokémon here in Hisui," Akari declared.

"A-All the pokémon?!"

Noctum caught the meaning. She was talking about the Creator. The thought of their disapproving look drove Noctum to dive underwater...

Noctum: "Noooooope nope nope nope."

The cosmic charizard sat up, sucking in a sharp breath.

He wasn't underwater. He was just in one of the drab, gray rooms at Cyril's outpost. An infirmary room, judging by the jars with berry pastes and glowing fluids sitting on the shelf opposite his bed. There were two other beds to his right. Widget lay in one and the other had... some black-scaled serpent with starcloud ribbons. A... cosmic milotic? The resistance didn't have one of those...

"Finally up, are we?"

Cute music in the background, even if I assume that we're in a place that's a wee bit different aesthetic-wise from its source work.

Noctum squeezed the covers in his hands.

“V-Valkyrie," he squeaked. The garchomp sat on a chair beside the door, idly flipping through some sort of magazine. "H-Hi." He hastily threw his covers off and scooted to the edge of his bed. "What, uh, are ya reading there?"

"Lingerie holowear magazine." Valkyrie nonchalantly turned the page. She looked up at the cosmic charizard. "You want it? Maybe you'll find something fitting."

Noctum: "Y-You just read that sort of stuff in public?!"

Valkyrie: "It's a way of getting to see hot guys without going as far as reading porn, so... yes?"

Noctum blinked a few times. "I don't... know what that is."

"Tch." Valkyrie crumpled up the magazine and tossed it into the trash bin on the other side of the door. "It was a joke, you dweeb. That was just some trashy Qliphoth celebrity gossip magazine." The garchomp crossed one leg over the other. "Needed something to pass the time since you've been zonked out since yesterday afternoon."

Oh, well. Scratch that last cutaway gag, then.

"Since yesterday afternoon?" Noctum's starry tail flame shrank. He tried to remember what happened. They had gotten back from stopping Vortex's rampage and then...

"There was this pressure." Noctum put his right hand over his chest. "Crushing."

"A bit young for a heart attack," Valkyrie scoffed. She switched crossed legs. "You dropped to the floor and kept muttering something about 'time's gone,' then you passed out."

Oh, so Noctum felt Seifer's death back then. Duly noted.

"I see." The cosmic charizard tapped his claws together nervously. "What else did I miss?" He glanced at the beds next to his.

"Seifer didn't make it," Valkyrie flatly said. "Or, more accurately, he was already dead when we got him." She pointed at the cosmic milotic. "Apparently Artemis thought Leo could bring Seifer back from the dead." She turned her claw on Widget. "And brought him along for the ride. But something went wrong."

[ ]

The garchomp snorted pink-purple embers. "You've already seen Artemis' makeover for yourself. That's not everything, though." Valkyrie kicked the side of the empty bed to her left with her leg.

"Seifer's body's crystallized, Cyril's catatonic, Leo's locked himself in a broom closet, and Gene's faffing about in Radiance instead of being here to rally the troops."

IMO, it might have made sense to elaborate on Noctum's reaction a bit, especially if he doesn't consciously know that Seifer's dead right now.

Valkyrie: "So, yeah, things are going well™ for us all at the moment."

She leaned her chair back on its hind legs. "Any questions?"

Noctum blinked once. Twice. He went over Valkyrie's recap again, but struggled through the full sequence of events. Why would any of this alter Artemis' appearance? Or hurt Widget? And if Leo was back from the mystery dungeon, what about Yuna and the others who went with her.

All of those questions wrestled for his attention, leading him to dumbly mutter, "Uh, what's catatonic?"

Valkyrie's death glare told him that was the wrong question.

Noctum: "I-It was an honest question, okay?!"

"Err, I meant... how's Yuna?" Noctum laughed nervously.

"Could be worse." Still propping up her chair, Valkyrie shrugged. "She brought that koraidon Overseer here somehow. And some weird zoroark and mewtwo mishmash from the latest mystery dungeon.

"Oh, and itsoundslikeshetooksalazzlepheromonesandhadherselfaniceacidtriplastnight."

Cue the freakout in 3... 2...

Even if I feel that if Val had a beat moment, it'd probably make sense to mention that before she attempts to squeak by the bad news at the end.

"Wait, she did what?!"

"She's fine." Valkyrie waved dismissively. "Embarrassed, but fine. Nikki's the same way. They must've tripped balls together."

Noctum had no idea what to make of that.

Noctum: "I'm... going to need to have a word with her to not bring that up to her mother anytime soon."

"Besides, there are more important things going on." Valkyrie let the chair drop back to all fours. She got up and her usual stoic expression returned. "Your appearances changes again, then you just so happen to become unresponsive, muttering 'time's gone,' right before we learn Seifer was declared dead? I refuse to believe that's a coincidence.

[ ]

"You know something. What aren't you telling me?"

Another spot where it might make sense to slip in something in between Val's lines of dialogue.

Noctum: "Er... well... where do you want me to start?"

The cosmic charizard gripped the side of his bed. A part of him knew this had to come up eventually, but why did it have to be right now? Especially when she'd finally started to trust him.

"This is a 'reincarnated souls' thing, isn't it?" Valkyrie squinted at Noctum.

His tail flame shrank.

Valkyrie: "... I'll just take that as a 'yes' there." -_-;

"Knew it." The garchomp paced by the foot of Noctum's bed. "I have my theories." She stopped and crossed her arms. "But I want to hear the truth from you."

Noctum tightened his grip on the bed. Was that meant to be a gesture of trust?

"You promise not to get mad?" Noctum brought his legs together and hunched over. "Or knee me in any sensitive places?"

Valkyrie kept her arms crossed. "As long as you tell me the truth."

Noctum: "Uh... well... I-I'll hold you to that one, since there's a lot to unpack here."

"Okay." Noctum took a shaky breath. He really hoped this wouldn't cause any problems. "That strike from Halvus I absorbed reminded me of my past life." His wings unfolded. "I was this... big dragon who controlled the flow of space. Palkia."

"Control the flow of space?" Valkyrie's arms fell by her sides. "That sounds like... like..."

Noctum: "(Oh boy, that's not a good sign right now.)"

"Like a god? Yeah." Noctum grabbed his tail and brought it around. He stared into the starcloud flame. "I think Arceus created me, which means I'm connected to Giratina. And I had a counterpart who controlled time, Dialga. Kinda like this big blue-gray dragon-horse thingy. They were haughty and talked like they were better than me instead of an equal."

"Wait, horse-dragon?" Biting her lip, Valkyrie glanced at the door. "Are you implying what I think you are?"

Noctum: "I mean, if I went into a catatonic state even before that you heard Seifer kicked the bucket, well..." .-.

The cosmic charizard nodded. "Seifer was Dialga." He squeezed his tail. "Which makes me wonder how much of his early attitude — y'know, before he got fired — was Radiance's culture and how much was his true self leaking through."

Noctum held a claw by the end of the tail flame. It wasn't warm. It hadn't been warm since it changed.

"It could apply to me, too," he mumbled. "The stuff you got on my case for — wanting to please everyone, following others' directions, hell being a servant — was what I was like as Palkia." Noctum ran a claw through the starry flames. "I wanted to do the job Arceus gave me right. So people could live happy lives. I figured if they were happy, then I was happy."

This is going to turn into a "living for yourself and choosing your own destiny" plot, isn't it? Since boy did that just get really dark and depressing in short order.

Valkyrie was still looking at the door. After a few seconds, she asked, "Where do I fit into this picture?"

"Y'know that crisis?" Noctum squeezed his tail again. "The one Zodiark manipulated Giratina into causing? It made Dialga and I fight... and, if I'm honest, they had the upper hand. But then a few humans sought me out to help stop it. One of them... was Yiazmat." He looked over his shoulder at Artemis. "Another led a group that worshiped Dialga."

Sighing, Noctum looked at Valkyrie. "And the third... led a group that worshiped me. She was a very gentle human, from what I remember."

Um... are you sure that's who Valkyrie used to be, Noctum? Since I remember the name Gene addressed her way back when in your first stop by Cyril's burger joint, just saying...

More silence. This was one tenser, with Valkyrie's expression shifting between disbelief and anger. She raised a claw, then lowered it.

When she finally spoke, all she managed was a single, "Damn it." Valkyrie walked over to the wall on Noctum's left and leaned her right arm and head on it.

Noctum: "I mean, the music's soft and peaceful, so she's probably not going to knee me in the groin again?" ^^;

"I'm sor—" Noctum caught himself, knowing an apology would only further irritate the garchomp. "I wasn't sure whether to tell you. Because, y'know, we're friends. I thought if this came out... it'd make everything awkward." He swallowed hard. "But you asked me for the truth. So, I gave it to you."

He squeezed his tail, ready for Valkyrie to yell at him. Instead, the bed shifted and creaked as the garchomp sat on the edge of it.

"Thank you," Valkyrie whispered. "For being honest."

Noctum: "Um... you're welcome? I honestly am not really sure what to make of this. You're not mad right now, are you?" .-.

Noctum's tail flame grew a little. He scooched closer to her. "You're not upset?"

"Dunno." Valkyrie shrugged. "It does... explain one thing for me." She sighed. "Part of why I chose to work as an assassin was to get stronger, you know. But I second-guessed that choice for a while. I was already a garchomp. I had Tesla's dumb experiments. I was strong. Why did I think I needed to be stronger?"

Oh, so Val has been having visions of the past herself, huh? Guess we'll find out what those were in pretty short order.

She glanced at Noctum. "Was that something this human worried about?"

After thinking on it for a minute, Noctum nodded. "You did express those fears to Yiazmat, I think?"

"Figures." Valkyrie snorted blue-purple embers. She leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees.

"Do you miss her?"

"Hmm?"

"The old me."

Oh, so Valkyrie is just Akari's reincarnation. I'll admit that I did not see that one coming, but duly noted then.

"Oh." Noctum lazily swung his left leg out, then back in. "Maybe?" He slowly, repeatedly kicked the air. "I'm friends with you, though, Val."

"You're just saying that."

"Am I?" the cosmic charizard wondered. "I was partnered with Yiazmat. I'm not really sure how much I actually saw you back then."

Oh, well. Nevermind then. So… she’s Irida then? I still didn’t see that one coming, if so.

Valkyrie clicked her tongue. "S'pose that's fair. Must've been a real lonely ass god, then. To think I make for good friendship material."

Noctum frowned, then grunted when Valkyrie thwaped his backside with her tail. "It was a joke."

"You put yourself down, though," Noctum mumbled.

Yeeeeah, Val really has had quite the self-deprecating streak in this story, huh?

The garchomp thwaped Noctum's backside again. "I know you know about self-deprecation. C'mon."

That actually makes me wonder if he was also like that as Palkia back in the day.

"Okay, okay." Noctum pivoted left to protect his flank from Valkyrie's rough, scaly tail. "In any case, you wanted the truth. I gave you the truth." He slouched and leaned back, bracing his arms on the bed. "If I had to guess... that deep part of my soul must've, like, realized the connection with Seifer and felt it fizzle out. Which made me black out."

[ ]

"Can't say I get the spirit mumbo-jumbo behind it." Valkyrie also slouched backward, mimicking Noctum's posture. But she had to be more careful not to puncture the mattress with her claws. "Had you seen death before?"

Another spot where I feel like some character reaction would've lent itself to the scene.

"O-Of course." Noctum's tail flame sparked, both from the questions and how fast he answered it. "I mean, other servants died of old age. Calcifer's parents, too." He glanced at the beds to his right. Artemis and Widget were just as out of it as he'd been. "And, y'know, there were dragons who fell to Whispers in dungeons."

Huh. So there is some acknowledgement of dungeon crawling being a dangerous business in this setting. I wonder if we'll get to see that later on in the story at some point.

Valkyrie shook her head. "No, I mean. Have you ever seen a death like Seifer's before?"

Noctum tensed. He bowed his head, then slowly shook it.

"Think that's the real problem," Valkyrie said. "Not some deep soul bond or whatever."

Noctum: "Er... did I even see Seifer's death, though? Since I could've sworn that I was in Dazzels right around the time that he got electrocuted." ^^;

Though that actually makes me wonder if Noctum wouldn't have had his freakout had he not gotten into that fight with Vortex and gotten more Palkia-y as a result.

The cosmic charizard grunted. Of course the assassin would think that. "Well, I wasn't, y'know, trained to be desensitized to this stuff."

He saw Valkyrie's tail moving this time and pressed it into the mattress before it could smack his left leg.

"Yeah, I'm used to it now," Valkyrie said, eyeing Noctum's hand. Rolling her eyes, she moved her tail away. "Wasn't always the case. Some of the early deaths... they've stuck with me."

Ah yes, mutual opening up time for these two.

"Like your early jobs?"

The garchomp shook her head. "Before that. Citadark."

Noctum swallowed hard. "L-Like people getting executed by Vegna?"

She shook her head again. "Prisoners killing each other."

Well, that got really dark, really fast. But that's certainly realistic there.

"Oh." Noctum's voice was tiny. He went back to kicking the air with his legs. "I guess, uh, you put too many criminals on an island..."

"Tesla had these weird collars that could suppress pokémon's powers," Valkyrie explained. When Noctum glanced at her, she was kicking the air with her legs, too. "It didn't stop the nastiest ones." She sighed. "Saw my first death when some heliolisk had managed to sharpen a cafeteria tray. He used it to—"

Noctum: "Oooookay, that's too much information for me there!"

Valkyrie stopped herself. "Nah, forget it. The details don't matter."

Silence followed. Both dragons knew they were mimicking each other. Valkyrie stared Noctum down. Was she trying to will him to stop?

Noctum decided to indulge her... by scooching next to her. "You gonna be okay?" he said.

The garchomp stopped kicking the air. She raised a brow. "Are you?"

Noctum: "Er... I'm not sure if I know the answer to that, really." .-.

Dang. He wasn't prepared for that one. His tail flame shrank.

"I'm not sure."

Yeah, I figured.

He tensed when Valkyrie raised her right arm, only to relax when she patted his left shoulder.

"Guess that makes two of us." She laughed bitterly. "But at least we get to be screwed up together, right?"

Noctum's mouth hung open. Valkyrie scraped his shoulder blade.

"Ow!" The cosmic charizard's wings tensed. "L-Look, it's hard to know when you're joking!"

I'll say, there.

"Sounds like a you problem." Valkyrie yawned. "Well, those two lugs are still out of it." She stretched her arms up. "And I can't imagine Vortex waking up any time soon. So, I'm feeling lazy."

The garchomp flopped down on the bed, splaying out on her side. "Lemme know if they wake up, I guess."

Noctum grabbed his tail. "H-Hey, y'know there are other beds here, right? Why do you have to use mine?"

"Lazy." Valkyrie yawned again. "You don't like it? Make me move, Palkia."

Shots fired. Though I'm veeery belatedly realizing that since Valkyrie is Irida's reincarnation, that in a way, Noctum is still being paired with someone that had an affinity for his old self-

Waaaaaaait a minute. Did Cyril also have that going on with Seifer, since if so, that could explain a few things about why— oh wait, no, that was Artie, huh. No clue who or if Cyril was supposed to be anyone, then.

Noctum opened his mouth, then closed it. He held a hand up, then lowered it when Valkyrie smirked at him. Sighing, Noctum got to his feet and shuffled over to the bed across from the one he'd been using.

Valkyrie snorted. "Dork."

"I heard that." Noctum frowned.

"I wanted you to."

Despite the sassy tone, there was a grin on Valkyrie's face. Noctum took that as a win.

D'aww...

Yuna's day couldn't have started off more awkwardly. She woke up curled around Nikki, with her tail draped over the toxtricity's lower half like a blanket. With a yelp, the dragapult darted out of bed.

Leo's bed. Where they slept together. And where... something else happened the other night. But Yuna's head was so foggy. It was all a blur.

Oh, so they were getting into 18+ territory inside that room together.

Nikki slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Maaan, why'd you have to get up? I was comfy." She felt around the bed, probably looking for her leather jacket. Yuna couldn't remember her taking it off.

"It's on the floor." Yuna pointed to the foot of the bed with her tail. Nikki crawled forward, then lay on her stomach. She barely had enough reach to grab the jacket and toss it up onto the bed beside her.

"Bluuugh." Nikki's mohawk slowly came to life. "Twiggy's sister doesn't screw around. That shit hit hard."

Yuna: "Seriously, Nikki, why are you into this stuff? It can't possibly be healthy for you." >_>;

Yuna fidgeted nervously. "Um, Nikki? Do you... remember last night?"

"Yeah." Nikki stretched her legs out. "Haven't had a night like that in a while. I feel like a new tox." She rolled over on her right and propped her head up with her arm. "Why?"

"I, um—" The dragapult's tail crinkled. "It's all kinda fuzzy for me, but I, um, think something happened?"

Nikki snorted. "More than something. Mostly for me, though. Pretty sure you told me things don't work that way for dragapult."

Yuna: "Nikki, do I even want to know?" .-.
Nikki: "Well, you tell me there, Princess." >:V

Then Yuna's blurry memories were right. "Ah." She drifted toward the ground. "What, um, should we do now?"

"Strip the bed." Nikki glanced over her shoulder. "Then, uh, I guess if we're trying to be responsible we find out if there's, y'know, world-saving business to do. If not, lazy day, babyyyy."

Yuna blinked a few times. "You mean go back to bed?"

"Pfbt. Nah." The toxtricity rolled off the bed. She put her jacket on, then grabbed the covers and yanked them off in one smooth motion. "Means not doing anything productive. Everyone needs a good lazy day now and again."

So... time to play MMOs with your teachers all day? /s

"Oh." Yuna got off the floor and helped Nikki by grabbing the other end of the fitted sheet to get it off Leo's bed. "You're, um, really nonchalant about this."

"Do you want me to make a big deal of it?" Nikki balled up the covers and sheet. She had to wrap both arms around them to stop them from spilling onto the floor. "I'm not Pillow Prince. Don't need fanfare saying I had a fun night with someone I like."

"But you'd tease someone if you knew, wouldn't you?"

"Hell yeah I would. Cuz it's funny."

Um, yeah, just saying, you probably don't want to mouth off about this in front of Yiazmat, Nikki. Since I'm not convinced that she'd take things in anywhere near as much stride as you.

The dragapult's ectoplasm quivered. Yuna's torso tightened. "I, um—" She tried to keep her form stable, but her tail also twisted around until it was as thin as a straw. "I've, um, never really... thought about that kind of stuff before?"

She looked down at her core.

"I doubt this is a Yaldumbass thing," Nikki scoffed.

Yuna's thinned tail shriveled up. "Y-Yaldumbass?"

Smirking, Nikki marched toward the door. "Seemed appropriate." She glanced at Yuna. "Look, I'll leave it up to you. We can forget about it if you want."

I'm going to take this as a sign that these two are going to be having a more intimate relationship from here on out. I'll admit that I'm fully sure how I feel about things getting kicked off with an acid trip, but I suppose that if they went that far, that there were feelings for each other that had always been bubbling under the surface.

"N-No." Yuna took several deep breaths. Her torso and tail slowly expanded. "I think it was... nice. B-But maybe we don't do anything that crazy again?"

"Fair enough." Nikki nodded. "I'd shake on it but, well..." She lifted the ball of linens in her arms. "Can you get the door?"

... Or not. I suppose it's another thing to keep an eye out for to see where things go from here since I'm getting some mixed signals.

Yuna floated over and opened the door. They headed for the laundry room and gave the linens to two of the skorps manning the washing machines. Then they headed for the hangar. Yuna was startled to learn that Grishi was in the outpost, having come back with Leo and Vince. Cid wasn't around to offer a report, nor was Gene. But Alder told them that things were quiet on the anomaly front.

Whelp, looks like it'll be a lazy day after all. We'll see how long it winds up lasting.

Nikki took that as her cue to declare a lazy day. Which led them up to the restaurant where they sat at one of the tables by the glass wall offering a view of Guzzie Jr.'s arena. Sparks and fireballs flickered in the corner of Yuna's vision as the two sat quietly waiting on the "surprise" Nikki ordered.

Guzzie's loud stomps heralded his arrival. Yuna watched the guzzlord set down a tray with two large glasses and a big plate of fries.

"Here you are." Guzzie took the dishes off the tray. "Two chocoholic milkshakes and a plate of fries. If you want anything else, let Guzzie know." He turned and headed back toward the kitchen.

Ah yes, going straight to clogging those arteries like every responsible young adult would.

"Excellent." Nikki rubbed her hands together eagerly. She pulled one of the milkshakes toward her. "I can't believe you've been here two months and haven't gotten a single shake. Wild."

Yuna reached for the other glass. "I guess I don't see what the big deal is? What does shaking the milk do to it?" She looked at the thick, creamy chocolate in the glass. "Other than make it look a little like that ice cream stuff people enjoy?"

Nikki gave Yuna the most dumbfounded look she'd ever seen. "You're shitting me, right?"

"No?"

Nikki: "Well, you're certainly in for a treat today, then. Go ahead and drink up. Slowly. You'll see what all the fuss is about."

"Good grief." Nikki took a fry and tossed it into her mouth. "It's not called a milkshake because you're shaking the milk. You blend ice cream, milk, and other shit together." She scooped whipped cream off the top of her shake with two fingers, then licked it off.

"Then why call it a milkshake?" Yuna whined.

"Hell if I know. Your confusion's cute, though." Nikki grabbed two more fries and scarfed them down. "Next you're going to tell me you think root beer is booze made from plant roots."

Yuna's ectoplasm shriveled. "I-It isn't?!"

- snerk -

I suppose that's one way to tell that Yuna's grown up in a sheltered background.

Nikki stared at her in disbelief. After a few seconds, she slapped the table, howling with laughter. This quickly faded to a stoic expression. "You're a freaking riot, Princess," she deadpanned.

Yuna: "Look, I spent most of my childhood sick and at home, okay?" >_>;
Nikki: "Hey, I didn't have a healthy childhood myself, and I still knew all of this, just saying."

Frowning, Yuna licked the whipped cream from the top of her shake. "Why'd you order these things together, anyway?"

"To show you one of the best combos in the realm of foodstuffs," Nikki declared. She grabbed a large fry and held it up for Yuna to see. "Fry." She pulled it toward her milkshake. "Dipped in shake."

Nikki ate the large fry in a single bite. "Yeah, that's the good shit right there."

This sounds like a recipe for an early death from congestive heart failure, just saying.

Yuna looked between her milkshake and the fries. Shrugging, the dragapult took a few fries. She dipped one into the chocolate shake, then pulled it out and ate half of it.

Her ectoplasm jiggled. "Mmmm." Yuna finished the fry, then dipped the other two and scarfed them down. "Yeah, I think I see your point." She licked her golden claws. "It's good! I like the mix of sweet and salty." It reminded her of the kettle corn she'd had the other week.

Smirking, Nikki grabbed some more fries. The toxtricity dipped one into her milkshake. "You can admit I have good tastes~"

"I guess you do." Yuna chuckled.

Yuna, I think this is a sign that Nikki's a bad influence on you.

The awkwardness of the morning had melted away. Part of Yuna felt guilty that she was having fun doing something so... silly and insignificant. But that was quickly snuffed out by the part of her that just didn't care.

"Fries and milkshakes for lunch?"

Metallic hoofbeats drew Yuna's attention left. Shimmer walked toward them, with Igneous and Scarlett not far behind. The dragonair spotted the fries and shook her head.

Nikki: "Oh for crying out loud... Pillow princess, don't you have literally anywhere else to be right now? We're having a moment here!"

"A Nikki classic, I see."

The toxtricity wiggled a shake-covered fry at Scarlett. "You know it. If y'all want shakes, you gotta order them."

"I'm good." Shimmer stopped by the table. "That stuff would go straight to my hips."

... Shimmer knows this from past experience, doesn't he?

"Pssh. You have nine tails." Nikki ate the fry in her hand. "More than enough to cover your ass no matter how doughy."

Yuna snorted. Luckily she hadn't eaten the fry in her hand. "N-Nikki."

Nikki tossed a fry into her mouth. "I calls 'em as I sees 'em."

"Har, har." Shimmer rolled his eyes.

Shimmer: "Just saying, this is why you weren't popular at school." >_>;
Nikki: "Just saying, everyone at school was a bunch of dicks, so I kinda didn't really care if I was popular with them or not."

"We figured we'd check in," Igneous said. The grovlazzle put a chair down at the corner of the table opposite the glass wall and sat down. "You guys hear about what happened last night?"

Yuna and Nikki exchanged a look, then shook their heads. She had a bad feeling Igneous was about to ruin her good mood.

Igneous passed along a recap Valkyrie gave him of what happened with Artemis, Widget, and Seifer. He crossed his arms and shook his head. "Not sure what we should do with this. It's concerning, though. Especially because of what happened in Herbrides yesterday."

Yuna: "Well, it was a nice lazy day up until just now." -_-;

Nikki rested her left arm on the table and used it to prop up her head. She sipped at her chocolate shake. "More Xeromus shit? You already killed the vibe, Twiggy, so just spit it out."

Sighing, Igneous recounted a claim Xeromus made about Leo not being the true arceus of their universe. Instead, the crazed silvally believed that title belonged to the cloud monster that killed Seifer.

"Then he's obviously lying," Nikki said. She set her shake down and pinched her brow. "Nnngh. Brain freeze."

Uh... no. No he's really not lying there. Since you already know of major Legendary positions that have been usurped by figures that were never meant to have them at this point.

"Is he?" Igneous tapped his chin. "Leo's blessing went haywire."

Yuna frowned. "It didn't for Cyril or Widget." She decided she'd had enough fries and switched to slowly sipping her milkshake.

"What if that was because Leo didn't have any plates at the time?" Igneous wondered.

[ ]

"Sheesh, Twiggy." Nikki rested her head against the table. "You put the 'kill' in 'buzzkill.' That's the kind of shit I'd expect out of, like, the Reaper."

Another spot where it probably would've made sense to show off the mood change a bit before Nikki spoke up.

Hearing Vegna's title made Yuna suck up a bit too much of the milkshake. A dreadful chill condensed her ectoplasm. "Aggggggh." She covered her torso with her arms and squeezed tightly.

"Oh, right, dragons hate ice." Nikki's mohawk flickered. "Guess brain freeze is even worse for you."

Yuna: "Sure would've been nice to know beforehand..."

The dragapult kept rubbing her arms and chest until her ectoplasm settled. Then she rested her hands on the table like she was going to push herself up from her chair. "I should go talk to him."

"Why, so you can tell him what Twiggy said?" Nikki wondered.

"N-No." Yuna frowned. "To, y'know, assure Leo this wasn't his fault and stuff."

I think that it might make sense to beat it a bit harder over the heads of the reader that Yuna's referring to Leo here.

Scarlett paused with her tail hovering by the half-eaten plate of fries. "Uhhh, do you actually know what you want to tell him? Cuz if you just put your foot in your mouth, it might make things worse."

"Of course I do."

She didn't. And she could practically feel Reshiram's disapproving look.

Cecil: "Princess Yuna..."

Yuna: "(Look, I'll figure out something okay?)" >_>;

"Well, still. I'm his mom." Yuna rose from her seat. "I should be there for him. Besides, it's not like a locked broom closet can stop me if I use my rifts."

The sucking of air came from Nikki's direction. She set her empty glass down and fiddled with the straw. "Don't you need to have been somewhere to rift to it?"

"Yeah."

"Have you gone into that broom closet?" The toxtricity raised a brow.

... I mean, has she? ^^;

Yuna opened her mouth, then shut it and sat back down, slumping over on the table.

"What about Gene?" Shimmer asked. The ponytales tapped an icy forehoof on the floor. "He could get you there."

"He's not here."

Whelp, time to go and track down Leo the hard way, it sounds like.

Everyone's heads turned to find Jade waddling toward them. The salugia had what looked like one of Cyril's laptops under her left wing.

"Right. Cid mentioned that," Yuna said, picking her head up. "Where is he?"

"Heading to Blightsmuth, apparently," Jade said. "He wants to meet with that shredding guy."

"Shredder?" Nikki and Scarlett said in unison. They exchanged a surprised look.

Jade slapped her knee with her free wing. "That's the one!"

Oh, well. I can already tell who this upcoming arc is going to be focusing the time and attention on.

Yuna tilted her head. What did the shadowy mewtwo want with an ex-Crowne Minister?

"Tis not like thou can ask him," Rayquaza said.

"Huh." Nikki leaned her chair back, balancing it against the metal column behind her. "That means he could rift us over there when he comes back."

Which judging by the titles of the upcoming chapters... is probably going to happen in like 5 minutes from now.

"You thinking of going home?" Scarlett said. The dragonair pulled the plate over to her, leaned over, and began scarfing down some of the fries at the edge of the plate.

Nikki stretched her arms up and cracked her knuckles. "It'd be nice to see the ol' joint while we've got some time to breathe."

Yuna nodded in agreement. It'd be something different. Plus, she'd brought Nikki home. It only seemed fair that she visited Blightsmuth.

I mean, did Nikki even see anything of Aeon beside the castle? Since I feel like Aeon hasn't exactly been explored much up to this point so far.

"Well, I dunno how long he'll be." Jade reached the table and set the laptop down. "In the meantime, Cid said I oughta show you this." She grabbed the laptop and opened it up to a page of that weird Chatter thing Yuna heard mentioned before. Judging by the large play button taking up most of the screen, this was some sort of video.

"Okay, trackpad. Trackpad." Jade examined the laptop. "Which one's the— aha!"

She pressed a square on the base of the laptop and obnoxious music with some sort of guitar blared from the speakers as a... vaguely familiar sylveon in a skintight blouse studded with sequins hopped into the feed.

Oh lordy, he's finally back in the plot.

"Whassup #XanFam?! It's your lovely star-studded sylveon!" He winked at the camera and tons of pixelated hearts appeared on the screen. "And it's time for today's #ThreeCheersThreeJeers!"

"The he— ack!" Nikki fell out of her chair, which toppled to the floor with a clang.

Nikki: "Pillow princess, what the hell is this crap?"

Whinnying, Shimmer's tails puffed out. "Xander?!"

Xander hopped backward, sparkles trailing behind him. "Our first #Cheer goes to DJ Spiri2mb." A bunch of pixelated thumbs-ups appeared on the screen behind the sylveon. They rapidly gave way to a blue and purple spiritomb wearing sunglasses with flame decals on the frames. It also showed his name, which had a number two in it for some unfathomable reason. "His latest single 'Afterlive' just dropped and it is #flames."

Oh boy, and here I already thought that Xander was obnoxious and hatable. I see we're charting new horizons for how much of a hate sink this guy can be.

The group could only stare in disbelief as pixelated fire icons and clapping hands appeared all over the screen.

"What is this?" Scarlett's wings fluttered nervously. "It's like he's... hosting some sort of show?"

"And now the first #Jeer... to the police department for Canalave City!" Xander continued. This time a bunch of thumbs-downs appeared on the screen, giving way to footage of a bunch of doodles of human cops lounging about in office chairs and hammocks. "They just sat by and twiddled their thumbs while the rebels swooped in and wrecked Iron Island!"

Nikki: "... Okay, I think I'm just going to leave now. Oh, and get an aspirin. Or better yet, a nice stiff cold one." >_>;

Xander's screen transitioned to show some kind of construction site with a bunch of broken machines and pieces of metal.

"Hey!" Jade squawked, tail flaps curling. "It was like that when we got there! The Whisper did that!"

"Forget it." Shimmer couldn't take his gaze off the laptop as more pixelated thumbs-ups surrounded a dancing Xander. "Why is he there? Don't tell me the emperor brainwashed him like he did the volcarona twins!"

Um, yes. "Brainwashed".

Yuna's legs retracted into her torso. "Err..."

The ponytales tensed. "Don't 'err' me." He glanced at the others. "What am I missing here?"

No one wanted to break the news to Shimmer, leaving Xander's recording to continue.

"... Move on to our final #Cheer. As always, it goes to our beloved Grand Emperor Paradox for his stellar work getting rid of the Iron Island rift the rebels created!"

Oh, Shimmer's going to put two and two together, isn't he?

"Shut that off!" Shimmer hissed. His horn glowed pink. A similar glow surrounded the laptop, which slammed shut.

"H-Hey, careful. That isn't mine." Jade picked up the laptop and inspected it.

Sighing, Igneous leaned over and put a hand on Shimmer's right shoulder. "I hate to break it to you, but Xander joined Paradox willingly."

"What?!"

Nikki: "Wait, is this really all that shocking? He always was a self-absorbed and obnoxious prat even back in school."

[ ]

"We managed to spy on Paradox capturing our classmates," Yuna admitted, massaging her legs out of her torso to mixed success. "Xander practically threw himself at Paradox's feet."

"I thought he'd get turned into an Eternatus Trooper," Nikki scoffed, getting back up and dusting off her leather jacket. "Or one of those robots."

The ponytales wasn't impressed. Shimmer's horn was still glowing. "And when was anyone going to tell me this?!"

"When the need arose." Igneous squinted at Jade. "Evidently, this is that need."

Ah yes, this will do wonders for everyone's relationship with Shimmer here. Not. Even if I wonder if there should've been a bit more focus on his shocked reaction / growing realization there in this sequence.

"Um, is it really that surprising?" Scarlett asked, brushing her left wing against her neck bauble. "I thought you realized your guys' relationship was built on basically nothing."

Yuna frowned at that. Xander was part of Radiant nobility, right? Why else was he at Horizon? "What is his background, anyway?"

"He's—" Shimmer stopped himself. His eyes slowly widened, then the ponytales hung his head. "Oh no..."

Everyone looked at Shimmer expectantly. "Well?" Nikki said. "Don't keep us waiting!"

"Polarisvision!" Shimmer blurted out. His shoulders sagged. "His father's the head of one of the biggest media companies in the kingdom... which he sold to Polaris, like, five years ago!" He tensed up. "Xander was the one who would get me onto the sets of movies or PV shows and that's how we ended up dating..."

Just saying, there's a reason why historically entertainers were seen as basically being barely a rung above streetwalkers in terms of social repute. I see that Xander did his best at living up to old stereotypes.

"Then of course he'd make dumb videos for Paradox." Nikki threw her arms up. "Guy's clearly an attention whore!"

"How much attention could he really get?" Scarlett wondered. She slowly ate a couple more fries. "This Qliphoth place is ridiculously b—"

"He has fifteen million followers on Chatter. His account was made two weeks ago." Jade got the laptop screen on again, showing the numbers alongside a picture of the sylveon lying in a very... lascivious pose.

inb4 that's the equivalent of a 500-follower account IRL.

Eyes widening, the dragonair swallowed hard and descended into a coughing fit.

Shimmer scooted away from the salugia, whinnying. "F-Fifteen million?!"

"Well, shit." Nikki leaned over and rubbed Scarlett's back. "That's obnoxious. But does it really matter?"

"It would if the guy's a Paradigm lieutenant." Jade paused for a few seconds, smiling dumbly. Then she pointed at the small paragraph on screen, below a gold banner reading "Chatter Premium EX Plus Plus Member."

Ah yes, just getting a casual dig in at Twitter / X monetization IRL there, I see.

"His bio says he's one."

Nikki threw her arms up again. "Well screw me for asking, I guess! So, what, do we humiliate him online by using one of Boss Kitty's drones to catch him doing something stupid? Turn his fans into an angry mob? I bet Scarlett and I could write a killer diss track if we want a more musical option."

Yuna drummed her claws against the table. "No, I'm pretty sure we have to beat the Paradigm out of him."

Nikki: "Seriously? You all are no fun. Where's your sense of imagination here?" >_>;

"But getting to him's going to be a problem if he's really that big," Scarlett squeaked, leaning over to nervously nibble on a fry. "Starlene needed security and stuff to keep the public away from her and that fanbase was a fraction of a fraction of what Xander's got."

"I have a proposal, then." Nikki's right arm shot up. "We don't worry about it today." She picked her chair up, spun around it, and sat on it so her arms were draped over its back. "Think about it, guys. We don't know where he is, who's with him, or what sorts of powers he has. We're not the intel gatherers and Boss Kitty's off paying Shredder a house call for some stupid reason.

Oh, so they're essentially planning on trying to get Xander to dox himself.

"Besides, these Paradigm dweebs keep showing up whenever new rifts pop up." The toxtricity smirked. "So, if we wait for the next mystery dungeon, then there's a chance he just shows up and we kick his ass."

... Or they could do that. That works, too.

Sighing, Yuna leaned back. Her ectoplasmic body practically draped over the back of her chair like it was a towel rack. Nikki did have a point. It didn't make sense to go after Xander without a plan. And a solid plan needed solid information.

"I just feel guilty sitting here when something's wrong," the dragapult mumbled.

"Don't think of it as sitting around then." Nikki drummed her fingers against the back of her chair. "Think of it as resting up before whatever our next battle is."

Wow. Nikki sounding sensible and tactical. The world must be endi-

Nikki: "It is. And I can come up with clever stuff too, you know!"

"I guess." Yuna traced a claw around her core. "But what do we even do to relax?"

"I'd suggest a spa day, but we don't have one of those," Shimmer said.

"Don't look at me." Jade raised her large wings. "These silly things aren't good for mixing up herbal remedies like I did in the ol' apothecary days." She looked over her shoulder. "Plus, I don't even have any supplies."

I mean, you could go to Blightsmuth and chill a bit, since that seems to be what the plot's calling for next chapter.

"But the monks do," Scarlett pointed out. The dragonair straightened up and looked at the salugia. "What if you were giving instructions to us?"

"Teaching? Moi?" Jade pointed at her face. "I never considered it."

"Seriously? Herbal remedies?" Nikki squinted at Scarlett.

"Do you have a better idea?" Scarlett countered.

The toxtricity went back to drumming her fingers against the back of her chair.

Scarlett: "I'll take that as a 'no'. Apothecary lessons it is, then."
Nikki: "You guys really suck sometimes, you know that?"

"It can be pretty therapeutic grinding up herbs and ingredients with a mortar and pestle." Jade pressed a wing digit against the laptop. "But it's up to you guys."

Scarlett looked around at the group. Yuna pulled herself upright and shrugged at the dragonair.

"I'll give it a shot. It's something different." She glanced at Nikki and Igneous.

"Yeah, sure," the grovalzzle said.

"Oh, what the hell. If even Twiggy's doing it, then I'm in."

Well, someone was a better sport about things than I expected.

Jade's tail flaps wiggled in excitement. "Great! Then, uh, I'll go find some supplies and a quiet room!"

She turned on a dime and quickly waddled toward the door to the residential quarters. Yuna glanced at the now empty plate of fries.

This wasn't how she imagined today going. But all things considered, she'd take it over any mystery dungeon chaos.

Aaaand that's a chapter, and Happy New Year!

I take it that this was essentially the "end" of the present arc and the transition into the new one centered around Blightsmuth. It was mostly a bunch of character moments bouncing off each other, which I suppose we should enjoy while it lasts given how fast and frenetic things get in this story when we're in its more active seasons. I'll admit that I snerked more than I ought to have at the part reintroducing Xander as a villain, so kudos there.

In terms of weaknesses, for whatever reason, this time I felt like there were more moments that would've felt more fun to read described out a bit more in terms of character reactions and thought processes. Not fully sure why that was, but it was something that I noticed. Might have been the general slow pace or something like that, since this is definitely on the very upper end of PoV's normal chapter lengths in spite of it being a slower-burn chapter.

But altogether, I had a fun time with this one. Happy (belated) birthday, and here's to a happy 2025 with your story, @Ambyssin !

 

[StolenMadWolf]

Welp, here we go, time for me to come on round for the Review Blitz, and I figured it’s about time I revisit Path of Valor, I’ve read it before, but I haven’t posted a review on Thousand Roads and instead did it on Fanfiction.net. So I’m going to go ahead and read through Chapters 8, 9 and 10 and as a disclaimer, I tend to focus on worldbuilding, characters and plot over grammar, but I’ll try and cover what bases I can.

Spoiler: Chapters 8-10 Review

So, starting things off with Chapter 8. This one comes across as your standard chapter with everyday events taking place. Or rather just a single day to the look of things. So there isn’t a huge amount of plot actually happening here and only a little bit of worldbuilding. What we do get here is character interactions. A lot of them. Mainly from Yuna interacting with some of the other students, giving us some potential insight into their characters, personalities and opinions. We have Shimmer being a lot nicer, or at the very least, throwing up a more casual facade as does help get Yuma into the right place for studies and food at the very least. But damn, is he still being a jerk. He’s just managing to hide the gritted teeth across the board. Oh, and the twist on the game show – which I will get back to later – just also highlights how much of a dick he actually is. Should be ‘fun’ to him get taken down a peg. We do also get a bit more of a glimpse of Nikki and Chiaki in detention, cue more headbutting between the pair. Nikki is still being a troublemaker, and Chiaki is busy with calling out and as well as immediately thinking that she is up to no good. It’s nice to see that both of them are keeping their cards close to their chest, even if we are seeing signs that both do have some of the right ideas buried under their rough exteriors.

Not much happens within Chapter 8 plot wise, but the character development and interaction gets carefully pushed to one side in favour of the plot in the following two Chapters. In Chapter 9, it quickly becomes apparent that there is POLITICS at play again. Proto-ether? A search for unlimited power? The Darkest Day? Yeah. Things are going to get horribly wrong very quickly with that if the Gen VIII games are any indication. Seems like Dynamax is acting up as a different form of supermove, which makes things interesting there.

Soon enough, we are also on a school trip to a very familiar sounding location. There is a good drip feed of information about the world’s – or rather Radiance’s – mythology, with some more stuff about the Darkest Day in this version of the setting. Plus a few hilarious jabs at Shimmer’s expense. But soon enough, our ill, rambling nutty ‘friend’ in the form of the Type Null comes flying back in out of nowhere and completely upends the story once again. Whilst he is absolutely bonkers, I can’t help but think that he is might be secretly on to something. Or at least has a very serious idea on what exactly is going on with the wider world. Before we knowing, Yuna is passing out, Nikki is sent kicking and screaming to god knows where, and everyone save for poor Noctum – who is really suffering from being beaten around the provibial monkey bush. Someone needs to give the guy a pat on the back.

Chapter 10… feels like it should have more action? We end up in another Mystery Dungeon, which to my pleasant surprise is distinctly different from the typical corridor and room layout of normal mystery dungeons as we get in canon. We also get a brief battle with non-Pokemon entities who can actually go toe to toe with some experienced fighters. The combat is nice, but painfully brief. Almost too brief with maybe a little bit too… err… little detail, enough that it can be potentially unclear on what’s happening. But soon enough, we’re going face to face with Xeromus again, and dang it, he’s turned Nikki into an mindless attack… lizard? And soon the gang are in trouble whilst Xero is off doing his hyper religious speeches again. The guy is confusing, insane and a serious threat. And soon things are about to get especially dangerous. Again, I was kinda hoping for more to happen, especially on the combat front, but Chapter 11 is promising to be that.

The characters are so far looking solid, I’m already liking Chiaki more, especially with the reveal of his prosthetic. Nikki too, especially since she has more depth to her character. Grammar and structure is looking all good, apart from again to see more detail in the combat sequence. Not a massive amount of detail, but just enough to help keep track of things. Otherwise it’s looking really good.

Oh, and I'm definitely liking Griffon for the sheer amount of snark that's bleeding out of that bird, as well as rightfully putting Shimmer in his place. Please, keep this guy around!

All in all, the story is looking solid, and I’m looking forward to seeing Chapter 11! Seems like the plot is properly beginning to kick off now!

 

[JFought]

And I’m back for Review Blitz! Originally this was going to be another nine chapter review, but then I started thinking “maaaaaybe i can manage twelve,” and then it turned out that twelve puts me right perfectly before the big special chapter. So, uh, here’s 3k words of review! This ended up covering the entirety of the Venish needle and the events surrounding it, so let’s talk about it.

Thoughts on Chapters 27 to 38:

• Noctum can teleport now! I found myself wondering a lot about Malice in this section, and what its connection to “Ether” is. They both come from Eternatus, so perhaps they’re the same thing, but the implication almost seems to be that they aren’t. Or perhaps no one has made the connection yet.
  
  

• She spotted a miniature version of Guzzie standing atop a hover platform and holding a microphone. "Who could have possibly seen this development coming?" he declared. "Oh, right, everyone. How utterly booooring. Little Guzzie demands more violence! More bloodshed! Agree with me, my peanut gallery! Agree!"

  oh my god zurkon jr he’s great. The whole arena scene is pretty fun actually, just playing on that reference.
  
  
• Nice FF9 reference calling Mega Evolution Trance. In hindsight they actually are fairly comparable: makes me wonder if they have similar mechanics here too.
  
  

• Gene flashed his canines. "People like us know how to get to the bottom of things effortlessly. Isn't that right… Prisma?"

  Well, definitely didn't see that coming. I remember that name from Guiding Light. In hindsight, I’m starting to get a little bit of an idea as to why Valkyrie is so large on the old cover art for this fic. Extremely curious as to what happened to turn her into a Garchomp and land her in these circumstances.
  
  
• Gensect replacing Radiant Guardsmon… Vortex is really preparing to try and make some moves, huh?
  
  
• Noctum returned to the group sooner than I thought he would! A bit of a shame we don’t get much of a reunion, but the main group is finally getting pulled into the main plot now.
  
  
• I see Shimmer isn’t taking things well. Feels like we’re setting up for some character developments with him, though he is mostly in the background for this section outside this scene.
  
  
• I really like the “horn repair” scene: it’s nice to see Seifer have a heart to heart with Cyril. It had a “barber shop talk scene” vibe, except we know both characters and got some good insight. Poor Cyril, and poor Seifer trying to figure out what to do with himself in the midst of all this. I’m interested to see where his character arc goes.
  
  
• I like the train scene: a good transition into this next story segment. It’s also here that it seems like Artemis properly joins the party: I wasn’t expecting it honestly. My read was on him being a side character. It feels like he’s kinda just along for the ride to help fill Chiaki’s spot while he’s off doing his own thing, though I’m assuming he’s sticking around, since he’s in the tags. I can’t say I have a lot of thoughts on him after this section though. Maybe he needs more time, or maybe I just haven’t been paying enough attention to him amidst Everything. Though he does get a good moment later with some of the worldbuilding surrounding fishing in this setting.
  
  
• So we find out that Cassius is actually working for Paradox, which in hindsight does match with the trend of the Gen VIII regional forms being his minions. It’s hard to say how this fits into things, though later we do learn that he’s known as Crowne Minister Charles, not Cassius. Maybe Cassius is his new name? Or something else is going on there.
  
  
• Bogdan, as we end up finding out later, is the next scene for our needle mission. It looks to be based on Sargasso, and the Skorp are a pretty shameless reference to the Morts in Rift Apart. It was a funny bit there, and okay yeah I’ll admit it, it’s a funny bit here too :P.
  
  
• The talk about evolution gives us some interesting context. Based on this and the Transfer Orb bit from earlier, it seems like this is a setting where you have quite a few options for changing your form… but only if you have the money for it. Interestingly (and likely thematically), that makes Etherium less free than the Qliphoth in that sense.
  
  
• I have to say, the whole Venish section of the fic feels like a step up in worldbuilding for the fic. Like, so far the worldbuilding has felt merely functional in its purposes, but we got a lot of details about the city here and a noticeable dedication to the aesthetic. I guess Eterna City got some focus earlier too, but that wasn't part of Etherium. And Etherium is the half of the setting that we rarely get to see outside limited contexts such as the academy, so I found myself appreciating the time spent on the setting for this section.
  
  
• Vegna (unfortunately) joins the party! I'm curious to see more of how he fits into things. He’s a fun character, though as a strict teacher I can't imagine he’d take to everyone's involvement in the plot too well.
  
  
• I liked the scenes with Chiaki building up to Starlene’s concert. Kyoko’s a fun character from what we get to see, and the whole background of the concert is neat worldbuilding. Unfortunate that we don’t quite get to see why he’s so interested in Starlene yet though.
  
  
• Popple’s back! Aaaaand he’s gone :P. I’m wondering what’s up with the Crimson Zephyr title though. The Medica goons seemed to know him by that name too.
  
  
• Y’know, I was wondering if Scarlett was tied to Starlene through the Diva project, and the answer is yes, literally. It’s a pretty good twist, honestly: most of the pieces were early on, and spread out pretty far, but the connections themselves aren’t difficult to make if you’re paying attention (like, scarlett is a singer, was kidnapped by vortex, he has something called the diva project, starlene is called the diva), and so the twist itself feels like a satisfying elaboration on those connections. And even if you didn't catch on (only reason I did was because I habitually go back with ctrl-f to remind myself of things that were mentioned in previous chapters), it's still just a neat surprise.
  
  
• I like how much of a mistake Chiaki firing his “emp watch” Chekov’s gun here is. It’s realistic for him to have not thought about what might happen when he does it, it shows that he does care about Nikki, that he would think about her relationship to Scarlett and that freeing her would become such a priority in his mind. It’s a Good Mistake. And also it seems like it’s a mistake that results in a malfunction with Project Icarus, which was supposed to be powered by Starlene…
  
  
• Ooookay that was a lot. So we’re bringing TPP lore of all things into this, huh? Honestly this just such a… strange twist, I’m genuinely not sure what to make of it. I suppose if Icarus is meant to be connected to Eternatus in some way (this is the energy source Not!Rose is tapping into after all), then things start making a little more sense, though I’m still not sure if Helix being brought into things is literalor just Zed getting broken and overwritten by Ahsen. But if we are getting into TPP lore, I’ll be interested to see how far you go with it: not to out myself here, but I actually followed TPP for four years. I’m one of the only people in this sector of the internet other than canis who knows TPP Lore beyond just the first one or two runs, so you don’t have to worry about it being lost on me ^^;.
  • (speaking of, interesting that Ahsen praises helix while also taking on aspects of the glitched form of Dome. I’m assuming the Missingno is just aesthetic (i genuinely would not believe it if you are bringing OLDEN into this). Like, the implication is that we’re dealing with a force of Anarchy here, yet they’re taking the form Democracy instead. To me that indicates… either the TPP reference is merely a reference and I’m not meant to think about it too hard, or Ahsen here is actually meant to be a force of both order and chaos (or chaos within order? order within chaos?). Or maybe Zed was “switched” into Democracy mode to allow Ahsen to take control through sheer force of will.)
  • (also some of those flashbacks had me wondering “guiding light?’ but as I didn’t finish that fic I’m not able to connect the dots all that well. One of Fobbie’s reviews suggested “GL bad ending?” and well, maybe yeah that sounds plausible as someone who doesn’t know how it ended. and so then, while writing this review, i’m thinking “ahsen has gotta be an anagram of something, right? It sounds like an anagram.” And I couldn’t figure it out, and I was just gonna casually mention possible anagram, and then I figured it out. Suffice to say, I subscribe to his theory now).
  
  
• Assuming the “clove of garlic” is who I think it is, turns out Demerzel is evil after all! I do find his stated motive interesting, with how it ties directly into Calyrex’s lore. Kind of a shame he’s so minor in the grand scheme of things: he’s kind of slid out of the plot of recent (we don’t see him at all in this entire twelve chapter block). Still, I’ll be interested to see how he fits into the puzzle when he does show up again.
  
  
• The situation with the needle is interesting this time around… It seems I was right about that “alternative method” I theorized Paradox is trying to make use of. The implication later is that Jade’s power was being drained from her, so either he needs it for something, or he wants to make sure it can’t be used against them again.
  
  
• You do a great job selling Chiaki’s panic and trauma here in the aftermath of the explosion and him getting seriously fucked up. Really good scene, I feel so bad for him ;_;.
  
  
• There’s a lot going on with Vegna all of a sudden. I might be gaslighting myself, but I think this was foreshadowed: wasn’t there a time where his Talonflame came out of nowhere, and it was commented on in the prose? I’m curious as to what’s going on with the whole necromancy deal, and definitely that Zekrom appearance what the heck.
  
  
• Our needle villain this time is Exdeath (excuse me, Exodus)! It’s about time we have a FF5 reference! As a villain, I do find her to be a bit weaker than Baptiste: she doesn’t have as much presence and ultimately goes down offscreen, though she still serves her purpose well, and we learn some new details through her. We also learn later on that she is Paradigm No. I, which would make her the Magician. I suppose she is the “magician” in a literal sense as a “voodoo magician.” Though as for the actual tarot meaning, I’m assuming she’s meant to be something of a reversal? Like, the Magician is meant to help you realize your full potential as a person, but Exodes’ whole shtick is taking control of you, preventing you from properly realizing that potential (something something reverse magician means you aren’t reaching your full potential for some reason).
  
  
• As a play on G-Max Garboder, Teddy is certainly morbid. Not much else to say other than it’s certainly keeping the pattern from the last giant mystery dungeon monster. The scene in the ship was a bit hard to keep track of at times though, especially that moment at the beginning of that chapter where Kelly showed up to chase after them... but the story only named her as a "familiar silhouette," which didn't quite read as familiar to me. (also i definitely missed noctum getting knocked into the ship)
  
  
• Cecil goes off the deep end here. It’s interesting to see this side of his character, and Yuna unable to stop him as he callously chooses to burn the Skorps. And then Yuna goes off the deep end too, leading to her evolution… Feels like there’s something meaningful there. Like, Cecil was never the most stable guy, so this act is within his character, but something about the way Yuna breaks here and starts manifesting Giratina feels like a little more than just the situation getting to her.
  
  
• Another needle, another flashback, and I like the scene between Chiron and Jade. We get a sense of how Chiron was friends with the other sages, as well as how Bahamut was a bit of a control freak.
  
  
• Jade’s a fun character and design so far! And her and Cecil are cute together. It seems the idea is that she has Salazzle traits due to having her “sage energy” siphoned. And if that means Yuna won’t be able to properly summon her, I do wonder how she’ll fit into things moving forward.
  
  
• This battle is keeping the trend from the last needle, where the fight just kinda gets resolved offscreen. To some extent I get it, since you want to do the flashback right after Yuna succeeds with the needle, which is effectively meant to be the end of the fight. But it does still feel anticlimactic, especially given that this time it was not one, but two different battles that got offscreened.
  
  
• Interesting to see that underneath all the anachronistic jokes, Gene actually has something of a moral compass. I tend to like characters who can manage that duality of “comical and irreverent, yet still serious,” and that does seem to be what you’re going for with him. I feel like he’s struck that balance pretty well so far.
  
  
• So it’s heavily implied that these journal entries in the chapter intro are Bahamut’s. We’re definitely learning a lot interesting things about his character this section… Makes me wonder just how things spiraled out of control for him.
  
  
• Say it with me: poor Yuna :(. She has her own theory on why she’s seeing Chiron’s memories (and why Exodes would call her by that name), and it actually makes a lot of sense, explaining the connection while still leaving room for the other entity she’s connected to. But it’s also clear her reasoning for the theory is just to try and avoid the possibility that her entire life is a lie.
  
  
• I’m not sure what to think about Leo, tbh. The cast is already starting to feel a bit bloated. Like, Artemis is still only just integrating into the team dynamic, and Jade just joined (the whole party currently has 14 characters in it!). I suppose things are going somewhere with him. Presumably he’s going to be pretty plot important. But that’s also Yet Another plot thread to add to the pile, and there’s still plot threads left dangling that we need to get back to pretty soon. I’m just feeling a bit unsure how he’s going to fit into things in a way that’s going to feel satisfying.
  
  
• Alder makes an appearance as Braviary and drops another plot thread on us! We’re getting the omniverse involved now, which I already knew was a plot element going in. And this universe is “POV-2020,” referencing the publish date of the fic of course. I’m very curious about the whole thing, though from the sounds of it, it looks like a plot thread to chase a bit later.
  
  
• Noctum and Yuna are sick of taking people’s shit! They have a lot of reason to honestly, especially Noctum, he’s just been treated terribly by almost everyone this whole fic so far. It was kind of nice to see him stand up for himself for once. And of course it’s nice to Yuna stand up to Gene too (seems evolving gave her some guts). He has been keeping a lot of secrets and just in general not being very helpful with keeping everyone on the same page. And now it seems like he’s finally going to be honest about something…

Spoiler: Typos and Errors

Funnily enough, all the errors I caught this time around were in Chapter 28. Either you/your betas got better at catching them or I've gotten worse at finding them.

It was the forewoman, who now had a strange cannister trained on Noctum. A large rock shout out of it.

He could tell because its broken remnants pepper his backside as he tumbled through the distortion,

Some tense slippage.

When he was met with skeptic looks, he added,

Maaaybe this was intentional, but just in case it isn't I'll point it out.

The plot is definitely hard to keep track of at this point. New plot threads are being introduced faster than old ones can be developed, and the result is that the fic has felt pretty… unfocused, lately (like, Despair still hasn’t really done anything yet, which is extremely weird considering how much we know about him. he’s more interesting in the backstory than he is in the plot, and i’m not sure how you plan to salvage him (specifically) as an antagonist). I still want to give you the benefit of the doubt: it feels unfair to start making judgement calls when I’m far from being caught up yet. But it really does feel like the story’s struggling to carry the weight of its own scope sometimes, and that's why my kneejerk reaction to Leo is so hesitant. Not to mention that the whole pacing leading up to and surrounding the third needle is just very erratic, constantly jumping between different perspectives and events and plot developments, even moreso than usual for this fic. It has me wondering if maybe the pacing makes more sense when viewing PoV as a serial work that's meant to be taken one chapter at a time, rather than all at once. But alas, I’m here to binge the fic in big bursts, for Review Blitz encourages this .

So I guess what that means is that it's a good thing this fic still manages to be consistently fun and entertaining. These twelve chapters are as on point as ever when it comes to humor and creative energy. Lots of fun dialogue, lots of genuinely good character moments, and the story still has plenty of intrigue despite the clutter. I’m interested to see what happens with Chiaki: I’ve technically already been spoiled because you have a lot of art of him everywhere, but I’m interested to see how we actually come to that in the story and what that ends up meaning for his character. Plus there’s also still the aftermath with Scarlet and Starlene, and we have yet to properly see what the aftermath of Icarus breaking free is. There’s the minor implication that it might be causing the weirdness outside, but six chapters after and we still haven’t seen anything clear regarding the aftermath of that yet. So there’s still a lot to clean up in these next few chapters, and the answers all seem interesting, so I'm looking forward to it!

Next time I’ll be looking at the Special chapter (I’m assuming Gene’s backstory? And through exposure to Xeromus spoilers, I can assume it’s his backstory as well). Since it’s long, the next batch will probably be a shorter one, though maybe I can still manage a six-chapter batch. We'll see! Until then!

 

[SparklingEspeon]

You need to have a good insurance policy to succeed in business. I can't expect a lawyer to understand that."

Isn't a lawyer... exactly who you would expect to understand this :V

Vegna's eye sparked. "What manner of trickery is this, Clown Prince?"

Vegna in with the snark

"twenty percent alcohol by volume" on the label

Isn't that like. heavy

his laptop went up in flames

Paradox certainly isn't subtle :V

[Are my (Eyes Emoji) deceiving me?] Ahsen buzzed excitedly. [He's moving! (PogChamp)s in the (CHAT).

Bruh

(HELIX)'s (Body Is Ready)!]

PRAISE HELIX

Sakaki's

Waiting for the inevitable twist where Sakaki is Giovanni's reincarnation :V

Chernabog stood up. His back arched violently. He pivoted sideways... and his belly split apart, revealing rows of jagged teeth that had no place in a giga machamp's stomach.

Lovely, 0/10

The deathly hallows making an entrance

The toxtricity's mohawk flared. "Up yours, you dumb hairless cat!"

:judgement:

The way Demerzel spoke... made it sound like all the help he was giving Shimmer was nothing but some sort of elaborate ruse! Was his growing strength part of that ploy? Had he let himself get duped into thinking he was finally making a difference, only to be made a fool of behind his back again?

:< unfortunately he is likely correct

Noctum looked up to see the large guzzlord looming over them with a food tray in each hand.

I really really love the irony of a guzzlord serving food to others

It had a pretzel bun styled to look like an eevee with its pointy ears and tails. He thought it cute, but it also stirred something deep inside him. Charizard predator instincts, perhaps?

The eevee in the next booth over like: :nyahorror:

"Hey, doesn't that one picture kind of look like Baraz?"

Oh right, he exists. The story forgot about him :V

"Y'see, DNA is the genetic code that makes each and every one of us ourselves..."

r/angryupvote for Mr. DNA reference

Chapter 69: A Nice Dream

Couldn't resist putting a nice in there

Which meant he was the only one who glimpsed a blue-white ninetales emerging from the same door Liza's beldum were in, holding a sign in their maw reading "WILL FIX COLLIDERS FOR BELLY RUBS."

A blue-white ninetales... with what looked like one of Bahamut's Soul Dews sparkling in their chest.

I loved this defining moment of the fic for me

[Input authorization code,] a mechanical voice declared. It belonged to the genesect in the middle of the front row; red, unlike the others. Perhaps it was supposed to be the leader?

Shimmer cleared his throat. "Minister Doctor Tesla is the greatest genius of our generation."

"And yet, despite knowing better as a scientist, his will says 'any and all life-sustaining measures.'"

Not so genius now, it would seem in more ways than one

[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!]

This scene had sad vibes. Like the ones in a lot of pieces of fiction where the MC can only helplessly watch someone else they used to care for naively devote themselves to a cause that will kill them and accomplish nothing. :feelsmewman:

The arrival of Silvphiroth

[WTF?]

This made me chortle

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.

He'd seen copies of the harassment complaints lodged against Shimmer and Xander that Sakaki had gotten his hands on.

💀

"Thousand arms crumble away.

Getting those namedrops in

"Essence of tar pit. Sprayed it all around the area. Everything smells like tar."

:galaxeon:

"Easy to say when you're not the one who had to drain his bottle cap collection just to cover the air and hotel fare!" a third— no, wait, fourth voice interjected. "We came here with the promise of Monarch pikachu pilfering for the boss. And instead all we have are empty hopes and dashed dreams!"

Gene had heard enough. These didn't sound like high-level Rockets. Or even competent ones, for that matter. But hearing "Monarch" and "disappeared" got the gears in his head turning. Hadn't Yuna brought that up when she was explaining the situation? Gene kind of tuned that part out.

Cupping his right hand over his face, he whispered. "Hey, Princess. What was that you mentioned about some missing trainer?"

"The guy who was supposed to defend his title here disappeared," Yuna replied, somewhat hesitantly. "And he might be stuck inside the anomaly core."

Nooooooooo this is going to become an ashfic isn't it

instead the type: full sat in the corner, plugged into a charging station.

Lmao

Sweet and Spicy

Sugar and Spice got turned into marketable plushies

You can walk a path of valor

Roll credits!

Review of chapters 53 – 103

Hello! I keep saying I’m going to catch up with Path of Valor and then… never have the time :V but thankfully blitz has come around and I’m Not Buried In Shit enough to make good on that Soooo here’s my mega review getting up to speed on things.

Since A Lot™ has happened over these 50-some chapters, I’ll write a summary review instead of trying to cover it chapter by chapter.

First off, the characters:

There’s a lot of characters bouncing around in this fic, kind of like GL. I remember GL having a lot of characters and letting some subplots eat the stage at times, but here the main cast feels cohesive, or at least necessary for the most part. It does get a tad bloated and chaotic at times, especially when everyone’s split up and doing different things, but in general I really like their distinct characterisations and how you tie them all together. Even the minor ones, like Vortex and Sticky, have a place.

You have an excellent hand at characterisation and interactions – despite the goofiness and anime/game quirks of the story, the main cast all feel real and heartfelt. I enjoyed reading the parts of this fic where characters got to lay low and shoot the breeze with each other the most. I think it’s the character depth that helps sell the fic and all its whacky complexity in general – it balances out the goofier moments with a heaviness that helps add meaning, but doesn’t drag the fic down to the point where either extreme feels out of place.

Admittedly, the cast does feel a bit bloated at times. Leo felt kind of shoehorned in for a while, and Jade is just kinda There™ most of the time. Also Baraz got the short stick He’s been t-posing in the background for basically 95% of the fic, and when he does get some pagetime, it’s just been namedrops. I forgot he existed

As one silv switches sides, another must replace him… Enter Silvphiroth™

And now I see where you pulled Snowpix!Nikki from… (for the longest time I thought she was pissed bc she got turned into one specifically for CA) I’m guessing she takes the place of GL’s Nicky here. Seems like no matter the universe, Shane finds a way to screw her over >.< that one was… particularly cruel Far more than the neglect/rudeness from GL. I’m not sure if the specific detail of her being trans carries over to that fic, but I thought it was well-pulled off here. I think you strike a good balance of her authentically being the tough/punk aesthetic, and wearing it as a way to cope with things for her. She and Yuna make for good main characters and I like the developing relationship between them (which I’m guessing thematically mirrors their relationship as Tessa and Nickie – another notch in the inevitability theme). Also, poor Leo :madness:

Shimmer’s another character with an interesting arc so far. I guess it makes sense that after learning basically his whole life was a lie, he’d go depressive-drunk and cling to the last people who’ve offered him any peace. It’s been nice to see him hanging around the other characters more and acting like less of a prick. I’m guessing, especially after his battle against Shredder, he’ll come around and find his own inner strength soon, especially since his former boyfriend Xander is out on the playing field being an absolute lord of cringe rn

I think the reincarnation plot is interesting – while I’m not quite sure where you’re going with it on a plot level just yet (there are still some plot pieces wrt eternatus, HELIX, and Leo to slot in place), I do like it as an extension of the theme of distortion and lies that surround basically everything and everyone in Radiance/Aeon. Except in this case it’s not just physical distortion or lies about life circumstances, but literal foundational lies and distortions regarding their personalities and senses of self. I’m guessing eventually this will wrap around to all the characters needing to choose their senses of self and find their own truths. That said, you keep pushing the theme of inevitability, and emphasise that every choice they make just brings them closer to who they once were (Chiaki took on ‘igneous’—his previous name—in order to hide, Yuna is becoming more cynical and like Chiron in her need to grow stronger, Seifer succumbed to ultimately the same thing that felled him as Dialga), so despite their insistence that they’ll move on, it looks like they’re all gonna need to confront their past selves eventually. And most of them will be altered by it.

I see everyone gradually getting cosmogified, usually in conjunction with learning something about their pasts (like Widget learning he’s POV-2020’s VoL), and wonder if that’s going to tie into them coming to terms with their true selves somehow. I’m also pressing the X to doubt on you killing off Seifer. I’m not sure the circumstances, or what it will do to him in the process, but I am sure he’s coming back somehow (granted, the cosmic Keldeo art you showed off may have clued me in on that).

Trying to think of who the body-snatcher in Queen Isola might be :V I’m probably gonna feel stupid when it comes to light bc I’m pretty sure it’s some deeplore legendary/mythical I looked over. (It gives me hard flashbacks to that episode of MLP with the shapeshifters infiltrating canterlot palace) Just another lie Radiance is built on, I guess…

Widget feels like a welcome addition to the cast! Like Leo, he did feel a bit shoehorned into a cast that was already bulging, but he made himself at home pretty quickly. I like that his arc (wondering if he’s even a person, or just a puppet being controlled by others) seems to kind of reflect what the others are going through, and his scene talking to the other silvally is one of the ones I remember vividly. He’s one of my fave characters tbh

Shane returns! It’s been a while since I read GL, so Iiiiii… admittedly forgot he became a necrozma at the end :V I guess given the overworld/omniverse setup here, it wasn’t really sustainable for him to live quietly in Horizon forever. He doesn’t seem to be very popular among his new crowd – if as many of those logs on the front/backs of chapters are his as I think, then I’d guess his unfortunate track record wrt dealing with other people hasn’t quite vanished. Even though he’s ultimately ~correct~ about his hunch. Admittedly I’m not quite sure what he’s doing here yet – there’s that tease about Bahamut being an alternate version of Shane instead of Nickie, like Shane thinks (?), and obviously the rest of the cast are tied to GL in a way too, but beyond that it’s still kind of foggy. I wonder if the rest of the GL crew are still alive… probably not, given the log mentioning ‘generations’ :/

(It also makes me wonder about the overall makeup of the overworld tbh? If there are like a bajillion Wyndons and a whole other Shane/Nickie dynamic, at what point do universes begin to diverge instead of being distorted copies of each other? Did the Horizon Overseer!Shane is from have its own Shane? Is this the same Shane as the one in GL? If Nikkipix was a standin for him in her Horizon, then did the events of GL play out on multiple different worlds?)

The overseers in general seem like an ornery lot – we only really see Shane, Vince, and a few of their associates, but the dichotomy between mortal foolishness and immortal indifference is highlighted a lot. It seems often like they prioritise utility over empathy. I’m guessing they’re not really going to feature much in the foreground either. I’m going out on a limb and guessing they share a lot in common with Namo’s overseers, so I can already see similar conflicts/dynamics popping up between the two, especially with the notion brought up by Vince that they want to axe this universe rather than endanger the others.

The Butterfree Effect/Zodiark is Volo, I guess? The little hints along the way, the partnering with giratina (briefly), and that you seem to be positioning Legends Arceus as the key to the lore in general seems to hint towards that being the case, whatever state he’s in now. Somehow, I doubt he’s whole – I suspect Butterfree Effect might be a husk like Bahamut, mindlessly pursuing Volo’s original goal at ultimate power (? I didn’t play LA admittedly, so I don’t know much about him except by fandom osmosis :V). If that’s so, I wonder if the actual Volo’s soul is hiding somewhere among the cast like Bahamut’s was.

Thoughts on setup/the world/structure:

So the general gist of events I have is:

Following the events of LA, Volo turned himself into a power-hungry monstrosity and destroyed an alt!horizon world, killing off the original characters and reforming it into the broken planet that would eventually become Radiance/Aeon, after Bahamut fled eternatus and discovered it. And now, presumably through both pulling the needles and Radiance channelling ether, the barriers between the worlds have been weakened enough to open portals between them. And this universe is fucked bc of Volo’s tampering, which Eternatus is trying to patch rather than destroy (as originally thought). Assuming that’s all correct, there are still some pieces that still need to fit – like who Matriarch is, what’s up with the HELIX arceus and spamton honedge, and what Zodiark’s goal is. From giratina’s description, I guess he wants to remake the universe properly or something, but in practice all he does is throw out the same vague ‘inevitability/chaos’ platitudes that Xeromus does. I’m guessing Leo not being the ‘original’ arceus probably has something to do with the universe being thrown out of whack as well, especially since in Chiron’s memories he was a cosmog.

I guess the tarots you keep throwing out double as symbolism, though I have Not read up on my tarot and can only really guess what they mean. Will do that at a later date. (Don’t think I missed that Zodiark sounds similar to Zodiac and also Zoroark… not sure what that means or if it’s me grasping for straws. It sounds like a clever thing to hide, though)

The Eterna Empire is the other big piece of this – though as of up to now, there hasn’t really been any huge foundational lore dropped on them that’s shaken up the story for this wing of it. They mostly serve as a source of antagonist mooks for our heroes to defeat each cycle. Paradox is created by and somehow related to the matriarch, and obviously they’re large players that control much of eternatus (and you make a lot of jabs at the hypercapitalist nature of our society by making them….. also hypercapitalist), but for now it’s hard to see what exactly Paradox is getting at, outside of being a narcissistic, power-hungry gamer who’s lying about a fair few things.

The other thing I’ll say is that I really like the setup of this fic – once it gets going, the structure of diving into another universe, doing something there, and then getting the hell out of dodge is one that’s entertaining. For all the stories that use multiverses, I think this is one of the only ones that really does it in an entertaining way – you work a lot of pokelore into building up the omniverse (I guess ultra space became Ginnungagap here), and the trips into different universes are put to good use character and setting-wise. You’ve basically built a fic that can do anything, even Ash Betrayal, and have it not be out-of-place. So while it might be a bit adventurous and unorthodox even for PMD, you deserve commendations for coming up with and trying it anyway – it’s a blast to read. I do wonder if you’ll go to some places that are a bit more exotic than different versions of mainline world cities in the future – so far it’s been Alola, Hoenn, and Wyndon for this wing, despite the ones in the beginning being a bit more out-there (like the desert one). I guess there are only so many needles left to pull, though.

Overall, I think you have a very unique piece of writing on your hands. I think it’s a little bit unorthodox for PMD, and somewhat slow at the beginning, especially with the sudden genre switch-up from a school hijinx story into a grand, omniverse-spanning sci-fi fic about 20 or so chapters in. While in hindsight I can see why the pieces were laid out that way, it did take me fifteen or so chapters after the upset in Venish to get myself reoriented. The gradual goal shift in that time from “solve the spoopy rift mystery and win the crowne cup” to “fight an evil outer-space empire and pursue high-level corruption in Radiance” to “hop between the multiverse and hunt down the MacGuffin Pieces so you can beat the big bad guy, also all of you are reincarnated legendaries or former heroes trapped on the twisted rails of fate” certainly didn’t help in making it feel less confused. While all of it was good, I felt like it was somehow more jumbled than GL’s scope expansion was during that period.

It did get back on-track, though - I think it was after Yuna and Co. cured Widget that the story started gaining a proper direction for me. Afterwards, the pieces came together, and I started to understand where all these complex plotlines that had hijacked the story of the first ten or so chapters were going. I’m not really sure how to fix that in hindsight. One thing I’ll say is that the story feels the strongest when the core cast are together, or at least working together, towards something. It makes sense to me that the period where they’re all off doing their own thing is the part that felt the slowest and most confused.

I think the pull-around was really clever, though – it makes sense in hindsight that Aeon/Radiance would be the distortion world (it being isolated, all the stuff with distortion that seems to primarily affect radiancers, the artificial nature of how the world seems set up (wrt the needles and the saints)). I think it’s also clever in hindsight that the fic’s events up to this point have mostly been highlighting how Radiance (to a greater extent, but Aeon too) have all been lies and rot under the surface – they’re all distortions of the truth. And as that lie starts to fall apart, a lot of uncomfortable truths are beginning to surface. That’s part of why I like the reincarnation motif with the cast so much – it plays into that theme a lot.

Overall, a really fun read! Despite the length and the somewhat rocky middle, I’ve had a lot of fun so far. The only real massive criticism I can throw at it is the aforementioned kind of jumbled period between chapters 30 and 50 – but that sorted itself out, and the story found some very strong footing afterwards. I think you’ve really improved and upped your game a lot since GL, and it shows – the shorter chapters are easy to binge and read through, the massive cast of characters feel like they have a purpose, the plot itself is compelling and well-put-together, and despite being perhaps even larger in scope than GL was, it still feels intimate and gives everything room to breathe. It also has all the slightly silly uniqueness I’ve come to expect from your writing, without repeating what you did before or compromising your style.

Future predictions… I already said I’m expecting Seifer to come back in some shape or form, so, that. At this point, I’m pretty sure nearly all the needles have been pulled at this point, and since the needles all being pulled is likely the point of no return, it’s probably going to shake up the status quo a lot. I’m also expecting the overseers to get more dramatically involved near the finale, and probably Shane is going to have to get directly involved with the main crew at some point? He’s already kind of taken that first step by being forced to give up Vince. Yuna’s arc is taking her down a sort of dark path as well – I’m expecting that to come to a head soonish, as she gets more and more crushed under all the responsibility that has been hoisted on her :( If Butterfree Effect/Zodiark/Volo is the true main antagonist and not Paradox (unless it’s a HoC-type deal), then I’d imagine he’d have to step a little bit more into the limelight soon as well. Maybe he’ll take control of Bahamut’s husk and claim all that power for his own.

Great work, and I guess I’ll be seeing you on the other side for the rest of it! :P This review was kind of a lot and also disorganized, so there’s a possibility that I might add some other notes/stuff I missed later on in a rump review if/when I remember to add them. But until then, enjoy my jumbled mess of ranting :wigglyhappy: Good fic pls update

~SparklingEspeon

Also oh my GOD the Ash Betrayal lol

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 104: Dark Tidings​

Gene had stood on this charcoal ground countless times before. In the past, the red sky gave way to a swirling black cyclone on the horizon. Now, though, that cyclone was close enough for the mewtwo to see all the crystal shards and jet-black debris swirling around the red globe in the center of the storm.

"What is it this time?" Gene's yellow-tipped tail lazily drifted back and forth.

"I can practically taste your doubt."

Red and purple lights flashed within the cyclone. Its voice was like a fierce wind trying to blow Gene off his feet.

"You fear the husk's return. You fear you cannot change the light dragon's mind. Your anger rises from failing to solve this sooner."

"What are you, my therapist?" Snorting, Gene rolled his eyes. "Lemme guess. 'You should harness that fear and anger.'" He massaged his neck following his impersonation of the storm's guttural voice.

"Your refusal to embrace that pain will get you killed," the storm declared. "Get us killed."

"Can you even die?" Gene scoffed. The storm called itself a force, after all. And he was pretty sure a force wasn't something one could kill.

Red lightning crackled around the core. "Even if I survive, I will scatter to the winds without a form. Whatever pain and anguish you experience in your final moments will be wasted."

"Charming." Gene hovered into the air. "But I don't need your help. I have a team."

"You had a team for Herbrides," the storm reminded him. "They do not have faith in you. Not when you got the keldeo killed. And callously disregarded everything that followed."

Tail crinkling, Gene turned away from the storm. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Do you think I take pleasure in feeling your regret?"

Gene held two fingers a small distance apart. "A tiny bit."

"I cannot feel pleasure." More lightning crackled through the cyclone. "Your negativity only adds to the endless pain that defines me."

"Then what's with all the 'Turn that pain into power' garbage?" The mewtwo side-eyed the black cyclone.

"Turning pain on others is better than letting it sit and fester," the storm countered. "You have fought and destroyed for ages."

"For a good damn cause!" Gene growled.

More thunder rumbled in the distance. The storm's core glowed brighter.

"There's that familiar anger," it said.

Gene took a breath to steady himself. "Whatever. I don't need your power right now."

Purple bolts streamed toward the mewtwo from the cyclone, only to strike a blue barrier and vanish on the spot. Gene smirked, if for no other reason than to mask his relief. Things were still holding up.

"Nice try." He drifted further from the cyclone. "Like I said, I've got this."

More lightning peppered the blue barrier.

"You'll be back," the cyclone declared.

"Not today."

Gene saluted the storm, then watched it fade away with the rest of his mindspace.

XxX​

"... Ty? Boss Kitty, you there?"

The shadowy mewtwo grabbed hold of the arm Nikki was waving in front of his face.

"What?" Gene squinted at the toxtricity. Nikki gestured with her other arm to the paved, empty streets of Jubilife City.

Well, empty save for the large black tornado carrying scores of Eternatus Troopers and debris from nearby buildings. The moment the tornado vanished, the Troopers went careening past all the buildings and toward the distant forest. Mega Rayquaza floated over to Yuna's side by the entrance to a large white building with big, colorful cameras painted on it.

"I can see my house from heeeeeeeeeeere!" one Bombardier declared.

The dragapult glanced up at Gene and Nikki.

"What now?" Yuna asked through the X-transceiver. She was a bit too far to shout at them.

Gene blinked several times. Right. The mission. They'd found Jubilife TV under heavy Eternatus Trooper patrol. A patrol that Rayquaza handily swept through. Still, it didn't take a powerful psychic to guess where in the city the Needle was.

"Well?" Nikki said.

"I need a sec." Gene held his right hand up as he concentrated. He was close enough to the building for his ESP to detect who was inside, so—

Okay, yeah. There was a rapidly growing aura.

"With me!" Gene punched a rift open beside Yuna, grabbed the dragapult, and pulled her through. Yelping, Yuna managed to recall Rayquaza into her griseous core.

Plumes of purple shadows erupted in the street, right by where Yuna was floating moments ago. The shadows gave way to a black horse with flowing purple hair. It paced in front of the Jubilife TV building with hooves that weren't even attached to its legs.

"It's him."

Vegna's voice was raspier than usual, but Gene could still hear it behind him.

"Guile Hideout?" Gene glanced over his shoulder to see the dusknoir nod at him. "Well, that's no ice horse. Guess this means the emperor's breaking off his deal with Demerzel?"

"That would be the logical conclusion." Vegna crossed his arms. "Still, this is not a trifling matter. His blade reflects attacks and that armor seems to absorb impact from strikes. My familiars forced him back last time by attacking Glastrier. We'll need a similar approach."

"Seriously?" Yuna's ectoplasm constricted. "They're innocent in this."

Gene held his hand up. "Princess, Vegna and I will try and distract him. Odds are he's the last line of defense, so if he's out here, you might be able to sneak in and get the Needle."

He looked at Nikki, expecting her to demand a role in this. Surprisingly, the toxtricity held her hands up. "I'm over here if you need me. Or if more bots show up."

The shadowy mewtwo nodded his approval, then took off with a burst of levitation. He only needed a couple of seconds to land opposite Guile Hideout and his steed.

"I think you've gotten a bit turned around, big fella." Gene casually rested his hands behind his head. "Jousting festival is over in Galar, not Sinnoh." He shifted a hand to tap his chin. "Or is it Kalos? Either way, a half a world over."

Guile Hideout drew his sword and leveled it at Gene. His steed neighed loudly, but he yanked the reins and silenced her. Something about her voice was... unnatural. She was one of Demerzel's partners, right? No way she could be feral. Had the emperor... done something to her?

"Meeeewtwwwoooo." Guile Hideout's distorted voice could only draw out Gene's species. He slashed the air. A black crescent shot toward Gene, which he easily Phantom Warped through.

"Not one for conversation, I take it." Gene smirked. "That's fine." He tapped his right temple. "We can skip straight to business. Though I wouldn't recommend it, seeing how many of your Lieutenants we've taken out lately."

Guile Hideout's black eyes flickered purple. His grip tightened on his sword.

Gene raised a brow. "Oh?"

"Weaaappooooon." Guile Hideout jerked his steed's reins. She reared up on her hind legs.

Next thing Gene knew, purple balls had surrounded him. Like some sort of spectral variant of his Psystrike. He had ample room to Phantom Warp away as the purple balls converged and exploded in a purple geyser.

"Don't thiiiink. Don't feeeeeel." Guile Hideout swiped his sword. More spectral crescents filled the air. Gene Phantom Warped past them, and slung a Shadow Ball toward the horse's chest. She leaped away with impressive speed despite her heavy-looking rider.

Gene remained tense. Any quips about Guile Hideout's attitude — or lack of it compared to other Paradigm lieutenants — died in his throat the moment the shadowy mewtwo heard those four words.

His chest tightened. Had that tin can really said that?

You're afraid.

"Weaaappooooon." Guile Hideout tugged the reins. More purple energy balls surrounded Gene. He Phantom Warped away from them slamming together, only for metal spikes to pepper his chest. A harsh, stinging pain spread over him. Gene pulled the spikes out of his chest. No blood, thankfully, but they hurt like a bitch for how tiny they were.

"Worthless."

Clumsy. Careless.

The horse was charging toward Gene. He slung two Shadow Balls at her, but she was able to leap over them. Gene Phantom Warped forward, avoiding the shadowy pillar that erupted when Guile Hideout and his steed landed where Gene had been floating.

"H-Hey!"

Gene spotted a familiar dragapult by the Jubilife TV vision. Purple shadows had walled the building off. Try as she might, Yuna couldn't get past it. Then ectoplasmic spears shot past Gene.

"Princess, watch out!" Gene cried.

Yuna spotted the arrows. Next thing Gene knew, she was several meters away, no rifts necessary. Since when could she teleport?

"Focus on yourself, dumbass!"

Griffon's harsh caws and a couple of loud clangs snapped Gene to attention. He saw Talonflame and the corviknight flanking Guile Hideout, keeping him and his steed occupied.

"Chiiirrrooooon. Meeeewtwwwoooo." Guile Hideout surrounded the birds with purple balls. They couldn't escape from the shadowy barrage. The explosion almost resembled a night sky, so Gene figured Astral Barrage was a good enough working name for that strange attack.

"Weaaappooooons." The knight raised his sword high and a dome of shadows raced out all around him.

"Shit!"

Gene raced away from the attack. The dome kept expanding outward for a full city block and wouldn't go away. Gene stared at the purple and black energy twisting through the dome.

Coward.

Not now.

You know exactly who this is. And that's why you're afraid. In the end, nothing's changed.

"Princess, what the hell's going on?" Gene hissed into his X-transceiver. Guile Hideout galloped through the inside of the dome toward him. Vegna and his birds were somewhere on the other side, but Gene didn't really care.

"Something was blocking me from phasing into the building," Yuna said. "And now this stupid dome is in the way!"

But the dome vanished into Guile Hideout's steed. Gene found himself staring down the barrel of what might as well have been a ghost-type Hyper Beam. The shadowy mewtwo tried flying over it, but the beam singed his feet and yellowing tail.

That's right. Run. It's all you're really good for.

Gene decided to give that asshole a taste of his own medicine, surrounding Guile Hideout with Psystrike orbs and slamming them forward. While some struck his steed, who neighed in pain, the rest were caught by Guile Hideout's blade as he spun around. They were flung at a charging Talonflame, sending him crashing to the ground with garbled shrieks.

"Damn it," Gene hissed in a whisper.

Idiot. You were warned about that. Kill the steed instead.

"Princess, we've got incoming Troopers!" Nikki exclaimed. "Gimme a hand here!"

A rush of air rippled Gene's tail. The dragapult heading away to fend off Eternatus Troopers, no doubt. Gene couldn't think about it further, because more purple ectoplasmic blobs filled the air. Guile Hideout sent the Astral Barrage racing all around him.

Gene maneuvered through them and tossed a tiny fireball at Guile Hideout's left knee. A strange purple ripple snuffed the flames out.

"Pathetic." Guile Hideout swiped at Gene with his sword while his steed sent a Shadow Ball in the other direction, probably to stop Vegna's advance. Gene Phantom Warped through the blade, then summoned his psychic spoon to slash the sword. Despite putting all his muscle into the swing, Guile Hideout held tough. A burst of wind forced Gene back.

Kill the steed.

She's innocent.

She's suffering. I feel her pain from every strike. Every time he tugs her reins. She wants to be put out of her misery.

A giant icy javelin soared through the air. Guile Hideout spun and slashed at it with his sword. Just as he split the icy javelin apart and sent its halves careening into opposite sidewalks, Gene slung a Shadow Ball at the steed's flank. Her legs buckled.

Snarling, Guile Hideout hefted up his blade. Black Lightning raced out in an arc in different directions. Gene easily Phantom Warped away. Opposite him, Vegna leaped from one building rooftop to another, riding a horse resembling an icier version of Guile Hideout's steed. Glastrier, if Gene recalled.

Now I get it. Pathetic bleeding heart.

Gene grimaced. Shut up!

Vegna's eye flashed white. From a couple of buildings ahead of Gene, Glastrier shot another ice javelin forward. Gene surrounded Guile Hideout and his steed with Psystrike orbs once again. He slammed them together. Like before, Guile Hideout succeeded in deflecting many of them. This time, though, that left him and his steed open to Glastrier's attack. The javelin shattered and froze both horse and rider to the concrete.

Gene heard explosions in the distance, along with the frantic shouts of Eternatus Troopers. Nikki and Yuna were holding up, then. Or got reinforcements.

What a pitiful deflection. You won't attack the steed for the same reason you won't simply kill the dusknoir. Too much fear. Too much weakness.

Bitch, I'm trying to help them.

Guile Hideout's frigid prison shattered. His steed wearily shook ice chunks from her mane.

A lie to mask your own doubts.

"Vegna!" Gene telepathically shouted. He flicked his right wrist and a pink glow surrounded the steed. Guile Hideout raised his sword at Gene. Black lightning crackled around it.

"We have to get the sword from this asshole and use it against him!"

Black bolts peppered the air. Gene released his psychic grip. But he couldn't Phantom Warp through all the lightning. Some of it peppered his right side, including his Malice Crystal. A jolt of pain ran from his shoulder down to his tail.

Deserved.

Back off! Gene mentally snarled. That stupid dark storm was only making things worse. He couldn't concentrate like this.

A torrent of ice and lightning drew Gene's attention below him. Zekrom's wispy form struck the steed with a blue lightning bolt, then another ice javelin from Glastrier froze her to the ground. The force from the blow knocked Guile Hideout back.

... Off his steed.

This was Gene's chance. The shadowy mewtwo surged toward the ground. Rather than using his attack, he simply slammed Guile Hideout from behind.

It won't work.

Snarling, Gene tugged on that negativity chomping at the back of his mind. Shadows pooled around his hands, giving him a surge of strength to wrench the blade free of Guile Hideout's hands.

"Oi, look alive, Boss Kitty!"

Gene reflexively jumped away from Guile Hideout. Griffon flew in front of them both, casting a Protect that warded off a Shadow Ball from the steed. She looked around in a panic while Vegna approached atop Glastrier.

"We got her! Just do the thing already!"

There were more explosions and screams in the distance. Gene tuned them out, gaze fixed on Guile Hideout.

Destroy him.

"Meeewtwooooo." Guile Hideout reached his right hand up toward Gene.

"Don't talk to me." Gene pointed the blade at Guile Hideout. "I know who you are. You're finished. Surrender your Paradigm power."

Coward. Finish him.

Gene heard neighing several meters ahead of him.

"Hurry up, Boss Kitty!" Griffon cawed.

"Useless weaaaaapoooon."

The noises. The shouting. Guile Hideout's taunt. All too much for Gene. The shadowy mewtwo's flicker of anger led him to tug on that dark power again. Shadows sheathed Guile Hideout's blade seconds before Gene plunged it into his armored chest.

Guile Hideout didn't scream. Or groan. Or even gasp. Cracks spiderwebbed through his silver armor, until the pieces fell away. For a few brief moments, Gene saw a human form burnt beyond all recognition. Much like what had happened to Seifer.

One thing was still intact, though. The faint outline of an R next to where Gene had plunged the blade in.

Blue light swallowed up the sword. It faded into a small card with a VIII on it. Then both the card and the body underneath it crumbled before Gene's eyes, leaving nothing but a pile of brown ash at his feet.

Interesting. No satisfaction. Only emptiness.

Gene stepped back from the ash. "Princess, Guile Hideout's down. Get back here and grab the Need—"

Blinding light caught the corner of Gene's eye. He turned left and saw rainbow lasers raining down on the a building several blocks away. Shattered glass and rubble spilled out onto the street.

Gene scarcely had time to acknowledge it, as a dragapult sped toward him, clutching a wide-eyed toxtricity.

"What the hell just happened?!" Gene stared at where the building used to be. There was a silhouette in the middle of all the dust in the air.

Your fear is rising. You already know what it is.

"It's here."

Vegna's voice trembled ever so slightly.

Nikki pulled herself free from Yuna and dropped to the ground. "Th-that's Necrozma, isn't it?" Her mohawk shrank. "I shouldn't be here. That thing will rip me to shreds!"

"Then go with Princess." Ectoplasm gathered around Gene's hands. He was doing his best not to think about the last encounter. "Necrozma blocks rifts, remember? The best thing to do is grab the Needle. Now."

The shadowy mewtwo didn't wait for a response. The longer he hesitated, the more likely Necrozma would do something to stop Yuna from getting the Needle. So, Gene flew toward the dust cloud. He slung two Shadow Balls into it.

A burst of pink energy snuffed out his strikes and the dust in the air. Necrozma's large, humanoid, crystal form stood atop the remains of the building its blast destroyed.

"Mewtwo." Necrozma raised two crystal tendrils and blasted scalding water at Gene. He Phantom Warped left and shot a Shadow Ball at Necrozma's right leg. A third crystal tendril batted the Shadow Ball aside, sending it across the street and crashing through the window of the presumably abandoned Pokémon Center.

Give into the fear and anger. Use my power.

Gene tossed two more Shadow Balls. Two Scalds destroyed them, then Gene found himself staring down an onslaught of Thousand Arrows. He was too close to a building on his left, so he rolled right through the air, rapidly firing smaller Shadow Balls. Necrozma tried to turn the Thousand Arrows, but couldn't. The Shadow Balls peppered Necrozma's left side, but it didn't seem to care.

"As weak as ever." Necrozma stomped the ground. Electric pillars sprang up all around him. Gene tried to weave his way through them, but then something sliced his left side. The shadowy mewtwo hit the pavement and tumbled to a stop. Nicks and scrapes peppered his dark gray skin.

"You're, nngh, wrong." Hissing in pain, Gene hopped back to his feet.

I can feel your fear rising every passing second.

"You're the weakling. Cutting out your soul... for more power."

Gene heard lightning buzzing before a Bolt Striking Zekrom charged past him. A startled Necrozma barely managed to fire a rainbow beam at Zekrom from point blank, blasting her back where she grazed a couple of buildings and flung rubble around the streets.

Figuring Necrozma was having too easy of a time deflecting things from afar, Gene rushed forward while its Prismatic Laser faded. Gene conjured his psychic spoon and slashed Necrozma's leg repeatedly.

"Pathetic!"

Emerald light filled the sky. Gene barely managed to Phantom Warp across the street from the ensuing Thousand Arrows hailstorm. A giant blue sphere rushed toward Necrozma. But Zekrom struck an invisible force which held her in place. Gene heard Vegna grunting in effort somewhere behind him.

He'd give Zekrom a hand, then. Gene slung a Shadow Ball at Necrozma's left side, then rushed in after it. Crystal tendrils appeared, but instead of deflecting the Shadow Ball away, they hit it back at Gene. He couldn't dip into a Phantom Warp fast enough. The Shadow Ball slammed into his chest and fell on his back, hissing.

Careless.

Gene sprang back to his feet, only to gasp as a wave of emerald hexagons raced toward him. He shot into the air. Emerald light singed his feet. The pain stung, but it could've been worse.

You're too afraid to fight at your best. Give me control.

Never. Gene fired two Shadow Balls at Necrozma while it was busy slicing through a Glacial Lance from Glastrier.

There was still a chance to save this. They were buying Yuna enough time. If pulling the Needle disoriented Necrozma as much as it did Vegna, then Gene could seize the opening and—

"Down!"

Vegna's cry startled Gene, who fell to the ground, sprawled out on his belly. Intense heat brushed his back from the Prismatic Laser he narrowly dodged.

Static buzzed around his nostrils. A heavy thud and snarls filled his ears. Gene pushed himself up and raced forward, psychic spoon in hand, rapidly approaching Necrozma. It was trading electrified punches with Zekrom.

Gene feinted left, then crossed back right and lunged for Necrozma. He thrust the psychic spoon toward Necrozma's left leg. A resounding clang rang out.

Roaring, Necrozma's tendrils lashed out all around it. But Gene anticipated and pressed himself up against Necrozma's leg. A psychic force tried to repel him, but he had to hold. Hold on. Hold on.

"Gnrk!"

A sudden jolt of black sparks drove Gene's spoon through Necrozma's crystal armor. The shadowy mewtwo's eyes widened. He hadn't—

It caught him so off guard he wasn't prepared for Necrozma's tendrils. He pulled his spoon out and parried one on his left. Then a second on his right.

But the third impaled Gene from behind. The pain didn't even set in until the crystal spear emerged from his stomach.

He barely noted his blood splatter on the ground by Necrozma's foot. Didn't hear whatever it was Necrozma said. Hardly noticed buildings sailing by him. Had Necrozma tossed him away?

The storm was saying something, but the ringing in Gene's ears was too loud.

Gene hit the concrete once. Twice. Necrozma must've tossed him so hard he was skipping along the ground.

Everything spun around him. Blood pooled in his throat.

Familiar memories flickered through his mind.

Bahamut stabbing Gene's right shoulder with the broken fragment from his face. Striking the island with a gigantic energy ball.

Necrozma pinning him to a piece of planetary rubble, readying to blast to wipe him out.

Gene tried to suck in breath, but all he could manage was a gurgle.

The blurry swirl of black concrete and gray sidewalk faded away. And something caustic grabbed hold of him.

XxX​

The shadowy storm was raging now. Black and purple lightning scorched the grass, which was falling away chunk by chunk into an endless dark abyss.

"I warned you!" Its distorted voice was practically deafening. However, Gene lacked the strength to put his hands to his ears. "Your pathetic cowardice has ruined us!"

Gene fell to one knee. The pain was getting to him even here. Was he already dead? What was going to happen to him now?

"There's still a chance," the storm said. "Give me control. Before your spirit fades entirely and I break apart."

Indeed, the dark cyclone looked like it was collapsing in on itself. Tiny cracks punctured the storm's red eye.

"I ca... n't..." Gene grabbed his chest. Yeah, his soul was burning. And not in some romantic way. He hadn't felt pain like this in ages, even following Necrozma's last attack.

"Your fear and anguish are palpable!" the storm snarled. More lightning struck the ground. About half the grassy field had fallen into the abyss. "All you've done is run away from them! And look where it got you!"

"If I... give in... then I'm... no better." Gene squeezed his chest with his right hand. "I'm just... like Bahamut. Driven... by anger."

"So, better to roll over and die?"

Gene didn't respond. More lightning scorched the ground around him.

"Look at the dragapult. She refused to give in to Giratina and now she's stuck in limbo. Filled with fear and apprehension for what the future holds."

What good did bringing Yuna up do for Gene? He was going to—

Wait.

Yuna could do Gene good here. She didn't give in to Giratina. She found some sort of compromise. And maybe... maybe that was what Gene needed here.

The ground a few meters in front of him fell into the abyss. A maelstrom of purple, red, and black lay below Gene.

"You're right." Gene managed to raise his trembling arms like he was surrendering. "I've screwed the pooch big time."

"Then you'll give in?"

"No." The shadowy mewtwo smirked. "We'll just have to work together."

Purple lightning rained down around Gene, disappearing into the abyss with clumps of the ground. There was only a few meters of ground left around Gene.

"Wrong answer."

"Hardly." Gene pointed a shaky finger at the storm's broken core. "If I give up and let you take control, then I'm still running away from everything."

He looked down at the withered gray grass beneath his feet. "I'm done running."

"We cannot simply 'work together,'" the storm huffed. "You are one soul bonded to a force of negativity and emptiness."

"Of course you'd say that," Gene scoffed. "But we won't know without trying."

The storm shrank somewhat. More of the ground fell away. Only a couple of meters were left in front of Gene.

"This won't work. You'll just revert to what you were like under Team Rocket. Why do you think Nova was so worried about me?"

As far as Gene was concerned, there wasn't time to argue this point further. He was done talking. And Nova wasn't here anymore.

Survival was what mattered.

With a pained grunt, Gene leaped into the air. The ground he'd stood on crumbled away, leaving nothing but the gaping abyss beneath him.

"Fool! You'll be the end of both of us!"

The storm wouldn't dare strike Gene, however. Because it had to know that would truly be the end of them both.

No more running. They'd been separated for so long. But it was time for them to come together once again. For the mewtwo to accept the part of him Nova and Miraidon had split off.

He flew toward the eye of the storm. Purple light swallowed them both up before Gene reached the core.

XxX​

Gene awoke with a sharp gasp and shot to his feet. He hadn't felt this energetic in weeks.

He ran a hand along his chest. No blood. Instead there was a red gem, just like the eye of that storm, with a black and red crystal lattice spreading out to his shoulders. His tail had taken on the same starcloud qualities as Cyril, Leo, and Widget's fur.

Down the street, both Necrozma and Vegna were disoriented. The dusknoir lay on his back in the street. He lacked any of his familiars and his right arm was dissolving away in streams of gold. Necrozma clutched its crystalline head. It had no eyes, but Gene was sure it was looking toward the Jubilife TV building. Had Yuna pulled the Needle?

(Art by Gren.)

Didn't matter. It was time to strike.

Within seconds, Gene was by Necrozma's side.

"Impos—"

Shadows swirled around Gene's hands. Black and purple spikes emerged from the sidewalk, slicing through Necrozma's crystalline legs. Necrozma's tendrils lashed out wildly in retaliation, trying to smack or stab Gene. He parried all of them aside with bursts of purple lightning. The electricity crawled up Necrozma's tendrils and shattered them. Crystal fragments dropped to the ground around them.

"Wh... how?"

Over Vegna's strained voice, Gene continued his assault on Necrozma. He grabbed the crystal titan's right arm and sent dark lightning coursing through it. Like the tendrils, the arm shattered and littered the ground with more crystal fragments.

Roaring, Necrozma fell over on its side.

"No! Noooo!" Necrozma desperately sent a Thousand Waves forward, but Gene Phantom Warped through the green hexagons and pummeled Necrozma's exposed chest with more shadow spikes.

"I won't— I can't lose!" Necrozma tried to conjure a Photon Geyser, but Gene kicked it off the sidewalk and into the street.

"I ne... ed pow... er..." The claws of Necrozma's remaining hand scraped the concrete as it tried to stand back up. "Mo... re... pow... er..."

Gene rushed back toward Vegna, who was down to just a head and half a torso.

"I'll do you one better, buddy." He didn't care how distorted his voice sounded. Gene only had one shot for this.

The mega mewtwo levitated Vegna into the air.

"What are... you doing?" Vegna wheezed. "Get rid... of us."

"I'm making my own path forward!"

Gene plunged a shadowy blade into the dusknoir. Something vaguely resembling a groan escaped his decomposing body. He stared in complete disbelief.

There was a tiny voice in the back of his head. Telling him to end it. To be rid of Bahamut forever. To think of what he did to Gene back on Cinnabar. And all the clashes they had since then.

"You're not... going anywhere!" Gene declared. "You're... sticking around... to fix what you helped break!"

Finally, after holding the shadowy blade in place for several seconds, Vegna's ectoplasmic body imploded into a tiny ball of golden light. Gene rushed toward Necrozma's prone form. He weaved past stray bolts of yellow lightning.

"No!" Necrozma flailed around on its back. "No, stop!"

"It's time for you... to pull yourself back together!"

Gene wasn't sure who or what would emerge from what he was about to do. But that wasn't stopping him. Sure, his newly reunited half believed this would end badly. Gene thought differently. After all, Bahamut had proven too damn stubborn.

And so, with a tomahawking swing of his right arm, Gene slammed the golden ball into Necrozma's torso. He jumped back seconds before a pillar of blue light swallowed up what was left of Necrozma.

(Dark Matter Gene. Art and design by Inku.)

XxX

~Il Paradigma, No. VIII: Guile Hideout, Justice~
The power of Justice was one the Emperor long kept sealed. What use was it when he restored order to the Qliphoth so succinctly? And kept it in order for so very long?

It was only in response to the resistance leader's increasing public presence that the Emperor sought to reanimate a long-lost figure from the rebel leader's past. He constructed enchanted armor, infused with Malice, to grant this figure a second chance at life.

XxX

~Il Paradigma, No. XVII: Vegna, the Star~
The lingering spirit severed from the mighty dragon of light. Too gripped by panic to slip into the Benefactor's embrace, he managed to cling to a fragment of the Universe's power that the dragon of light had previously stolen. With that power, he kept his spirit together using dark arts to manipulate the spirits of the dead.​

 

[Arukona]

Alright, time to get through the rest of this. (Slight side note: I wrote the majority of these review notes while at work, so alas I won't be able to comment on the music choices for most of this part. )

Chapter 90

Ah, so that's where Nickie gets her punkish look from - a look that you've commissioned in art many times and a Pix that I'll be seeing plenty of when Catastrophe Academy gets up and running.

Nicking Cyril's card? But what if he wants to buy a gift for his boyfriend? He'll be up that creek without a paddle.

I sure hope that Sobble child isn't crying at the strange appearances of the group and is just crying because that's what Sobble do.

So Demerzel's called Shimmer away...This totally won't bite the gang in the ass in the chapters to come.

It's funny to imagine a mall in Herbrides, given that the Hebrides, the irl name basis, is quite rural and would be difficult to imagine a high-end shopping mall there. Luckily this is fantasy and we can do whatever the hell we want with names.

"There's a cobalion and terrakion heading this way." His eyebrows drooped. "Your uncle and father, if I'm remembering right."

Oh hey, Seifer's fellow Swords of Justice. I was wondering where the other half of the quartet were, or if they would even have a part in this story.

And I gotta love that their names are a pun on Tobias Gregson. They're missing the fish and chips, though, and the London accent.

But already Tobias and Grayson are making their way up the ladder of Most Unlikeable Characters in the Fic. Screw them.

Oh shit, they're under fire from pirates.

Now over to Gene and Widget, where the artificial 'mons are having a not-so-artificial heart-to-heart.

The way Gene's talking about the dark power within him is almost certainly proof that it's gonna overcome him at some point and he'll have to be brought back to reason by Yuna and co.

Widget glimpsed at his new wings. So white and fluffy. Was this... another one of his transformations? Why was it showing up now?

Oh, Widget transformed! With an awesome, even more pettable new form to boot.

Still holding onto that theory that Widget's a reincarnation of Nero.

"What do we do?" Widget said.

"Start blasting, of course!"

*insert that one Danny DeVito meme here*

Chapter 91

Is the next chapter gonna be named "Now You Don't"? :P

Oh hey, we're reaping the SV DLC mines today. I never played it or watched a playthrough of it, so my knowledge of it might be a wee bit patchy.

Iron Island, huh? Are the gang gonna pick up a Riolu egg there by a man with a peaked hat, by any chance?

Cool transformation powers Leo's got now. Kid's growing up fast.

Oh dear, by leaping headfirst into this situation, Leo's probably gonna end up in a world of trouble.

Alas, our game of hockey is interrupted by the present situation at hand. Unfortunate.

This hacking of the X-Transceiver could prove to be a problem if the various parts of Team Bastion can't communicate with each other. Could even be a primary sticking point in a perfect storm situation.

These are some odd bits of ammunition - but they're still ammunition nonetheless. Could it be that the anomaly is bringing these arcade items to life?

And now we're in this new world with Vince, who's reverted to Goober Mode.

Seems like this Ceruledge is our next big target, whoever they are.

Chapter 92

Oh hey, I was right about the title.

Seems like Shane got a bit too involved in the whole Kieran-Ogerpon saga, and now he's been put in gay baby jail.

Tobias continuing his rise through the ranks of Most Unlikeable Character in the Fic.

As juicy as this confrontation is between Cyril and Tobias (no relation to the fruity ammunition bombarding them), one can't deny that Seifer's point that there are civilians that need saving.

Now over to the now-named Gilgamesh, who even with my limited knowledge of Final Fantasy, I know is a walking reference to one of the characters from it. I do certainly appreciate the Large Ham from him.

Interesting Mewtwo we have here - one nearly exactly like Gene in appearance but nothing in personality. I'm almost certainly expecting a dumbfounded snark from our resident Mewtwo if these two ever meet up.

Oh no, wait, they're a Zoroark-Mewtwo fusion? Fascinating...and with a very nice design.

First thing Grishi's reminding me of with his speech mannerisms is Nopon, although I have a feeling that if there is a reference to be drawing from, it's from somewhere else. Maybe Final Fantasy? Given that with Gilgamesh, the references to it are starting to crop up again.

"Very strange that plate corruption resembles Terastalization."

Terawhatnow? Yuna tilted her head. "I'm not sure I follow."

Oh, so this is how Terastalisation works its way into this fic. Sidenote (and I might've said this before) - but I do like how you're flexible in working in elements of the current gen into the plot in spite of this starting out as a Gen 8 fic.

Is your species a giant dick joke or something?"

No, Nikki, that's Miraidon that's known for the dick jokes.

So looks like we have multiple Whispers here. I do wonder if Ogerpon might come out of the woodwork, given what the intro to this chapter alluded to?

Chapter 93

Seems like we have a Ting Lu on our hands. I wonder if the other Treasures of Ruin are nearby?

Looks like Shaymin's partaking in the Dreepy Experience.

And here Zodiark is, lecturing Yuna on the possible consequences of her actions. Although one can't deny that things would certainly be B-A-D if Yuna did happen to be the one to destroy the dome.

Over to Leo, who's interrupting Onion Hair who took me a moment to realise it was Kieran. And boy is he talking tactics (or at least, it seems that way to my non-competitive brain).

"Nah, I'd win!" Leo insisted.

This meme but with Leo.

One can certainly see where Kieran got his Champion title from with how he's ordering that Dragonite about in a flurry of strategic moves.

But he still lost. After all, Leo does have the power of Arceus and anime on his side.

Interesting alliance that's been struck up here - I look forward to seeing what teamwork these two can muster.

Back to Herbrides, where these pirates are being to be quite a troublesome lot. Yet they're not actually attacking anyone...

So this was Shimmer's idea? A bit of advance warning would've been nice, Princey.

... Igneous was still going to ream Shimmer a new asshole when he got hold of the ponytales.

Oh my god, that is certainly an image of all time.

These communication issues don't bode well for Cyril's end of things, given we haven't heard from his side in a while...

Chapter 94

Yep, that chapter title's a reference to a Final Fantasy music track. I've seen that title in passing before.

And that weird crystalline time stop — she was calling it "reverse time" since it had to come from her giratina side — was hurting, not helping.

What, did Giratina's power give Yuna some form of Divine Pulse?

White hot Dragon Darts? That's gotta be powerful. Though hopefully it's not a hidden power in the same way as Gene's "will almost certainly make its wielder lose control" hidden powers. Given Yuna's fears that Giratina will take her over entirely, though, that fear still remains.

"Ring Target." The zorotwo traced a claw in a circle. "Grishi steal from school store. It remove Ting-Lu electric immunity. So Nikki can paralyze."

Ooh, that's a neat strategy. Have to confess that the Ring Target doesn't really cross my mind that much, so it's nice to see it be used in a crafty way like this one.

Oh dear, this isn't good. The dome's in danger of being destroyed.

She jerked her head, transferring Shaymin into a horn, then blasted him back toward Ting-Lu and the giant sandcastle.

"Nooooot cooooooooooooooool!" Shaymin hollered.

Getting more than you bargained for on the Dreepy Experience, eh, Shaymin? Be careful what you wish for.

Well, that went better than expected, but there's still the matter of Gilgamesh to deal with. Here's hoping Leo isn't in over his head...

"—not believe how ridiculous this is!" The ceruledge raised his arms. "My arms are fire swords! How can this world not have a warrior to give me a proper challenge?" He looked up, toward the corrupted core dangling from the top of the dome. "Stupid interdimensional rift! Why spit me out here? It's a waste, I tell you!"

This guy's a laugh riot with his ranting.

"Only one summon this time?"

'Summon'? Going all in with the Final Fantasy references here, I see.

"We take this fight outside. To that big, empty bridge."

Ah, I was wondering where the bridge was going to come into this.

If it's Zodiark giving Gilgamesh these orders from a distance, guess this is really more like a Trainer battle.

"We gotta stop thinking this is about showing how strong we are. And have fun with this instead."

It's always the "figuring out what Pokémon battles are truly about" that manage to turn the tide of battle, huh?

I'm guessing Gilgamesh's attack here is something ripped out of Final Fantasy as well.

Excalipoor is a joke weapon, I think?

And a bombastic finish, with the Final Fantasy victory jingle to boot.

This chapter was a fun flurry of references, even if I didn't get most of them. Maybe I ought to start playing Final Fantasy so I can get all these references...

Chapter 95

Before I begin, I will say that I may have been spoiled on a Major Event™ that happens in this chapter and as a result I am going in here with a very

mindset.

But we start off calmly first, with no imminent sign of danger just yet.

But Cece's floofy chest is soooo dreamyyyyyyy~"

Can't argue with Jade's logic here. Reshiram would no doubt be a top candidate for Pokémon to cuddle with because they'd be so big and warm and fluffy.

So these plates make up a graveyard realm? Spoooooooky. 👻

And core get, with three more plates added to our collection.

So Leo's gonna do something involving Vince, huh? Does it involve our resident Koraidon gaining his mightier form back? Or can we expect a Cosmog-ified Koraidon at some point in the near future?

Back to Herbrides, where this is one strange anomaly alright.

I like the formatting with the various voices of the civilians.

Past vision there implying that Seifer might've been a bit more haughty in his past life. Then again, he did start out in this story as a snooty honse who had to learn humility.

Oh, in comes Xeromus. Nothing's ever good when he's around...

He shot water jets from his forehooves. Xeromus' cloak bristled and some sort of shadowy canine emerged to swallow the attacks up like they were nothing.

Seifer tensed. Igneous had mentioned a spectral beast. Now that Seifer saw it for himself, though, it looked... a bit similar to Queen Calliope. Except for the almost shield-shaped head.

Hmm, so Xeromus has Zamazenta's power by his side? Worrying.

"You're supposed to be better than this!"

Seifer reared up his hind legs. His blue-gray body rippled with a metallic sheen. "Yet time and time again you cause nothing but problems and headaches? Why can you not be still in your pocket and focus on your duty?"

Across from him, Space's pink shoulder gems bristled with energy. "I didn't do anything wrong! You always assume! Rush to conclusions! You're the embodiment of time! Where's your patience?!"

Wait, so Seifer was Dialga? I had a feeling we'd come across Dialga's reincarnation eventually, but damn I had no idea it was Seifer. If this ain't a revelation for the books...

Seems Beta Arceus has made his return.

Judging from these flashbacks, it appears there was a row among the gods, if Arceus is acting in his judgmental manner in this past vision and Seifer's blaming it on Palkia.

You'd think you'd recognize your creator. The rightful arceus of this world."

The rightful Arceus? Could we possibly anticipate him going after Leo, then?

So if Valkyrie is a reincarnated Irida who's paired up with reincarnated Palkia (Noctum), could that mean Artemis is the reincarnation of Adaman, given that it can't be Cyril since he's reincarnated from the AU!Guiding Light timeline?

Oh no, that's some real bad damage Seifer's taking there.

Enough...that he could possibly be dead. Critical condition at best.

Th-This can't be the end, surely...

Chapter 96

Why did I think of House MD upon hearing that chapter title

Is this intro implying that the Matriarch is a result of that AI? (I think this might've been established before)

Well, shit, Seifer really is dead. No...Why him? ;-;

So Xeromus has Void Shadow powers too? Maybe...if he could have those removed from him somehow, he could be Nova again?

before a playing card materialized over Xeromus' helmeted head. Igneous saw an "XV" on it for a moment before the red wolf completely engulfed Xeromus.

Ah, so he has tarot power by his side as well? The Devil, specifically. No, I totally didn't look up what tarot card XV represented lmao, what are you talking about

Ohhh, the Red Lupus is a Bayonetta reference.

Seeing that art of Xeromus and Zamazenta together makes me wonder how many Stand jokes people might have made in reviews of this fic thus far. Especially given those same comparisons could be drawn between Scarlett and Starlene, as well as Yuna and her Sages, and even more so now that the Tarot is in here.

Just a bit more, Igneous! You can snap him out of it!

"I don't care who you are!" an unfamiliar female voice shouted. "Such beautiful power... belongs to me!"

Why do I get the feeling this is Isola who's taking that power for herself?

"Zodiark made you a shadow pokémon, didn't he?!"

But I thought Hands of Creation was the Orre-referencing fic. Stealing Namo's ideas like that smh (/j of course).

The helmeted silvally looked around, thrashing his head back and forth. "Nnnnnnrrgghhh. But it's not time. It can't happen yet."

Why does this bring to mind one of my favourite Fire Emblem memes:

"Something's happened in Dazzels. Vegna was able to help us open a rift there, but I have no idea what we're looking at. Some sort of giant charizard with wings of fire!"

Oh, it's Vortex. Looks like we have our next big battle in Dazzels, where we might also possibly have our showdown with Xander and maybe even Queen Isola as well.

Back to Blueberry Academy, where it turns out that Vince's boss was Shane?

That's some power Grishi has if he's able to suppress Shane's Necrozma power of all things. He's not some ordinary gremlin, that's for sure.

Looks like Leo got what he wanted in the end, with Vince by his side and an unexpected bonus with Grishi as well. The latter will make for an interesting case given how closely he resembles Gene.

Gotta wonder what that failsafe involving Kieran and the Z-Crystal was, though...

Chapter 97

Looks like the return of Mael Strongzard. So this is the effects of the Fire Plate on him - it's Gigantamaxed him.

At least Shimmer's a good actor around Demerzel to make him believe he's not in league with the resistance. Not the worst double agent in the world (even if, as stated before, a bit of advance warning would've been nice).

That's a real unstable power you gave our resident normal-scaled 'Zard there, Demerzel.

"That voice... Reno?!"

"You bet. And I've got Rufus and Vincent here, too."

I see you've not exhausted the Final Fantasy references even after the boatload of shout-outs that was Chapter 94. Though funnily enough, you wouldn't be the only PMD author that has a character that's named directly after Rufus from FF7...

He clearly had immense psychic power.

Psychic power immense enough to dominate the competitive scene for a generation.

This was the power Demerzel had given Vortex? But this was... this was like some of the Paradigm members or Whispers that Yuna and her friends talked about! Why could Demerzel do this?

Maybe a sign you ought to call his loyalties into question, Shimmer.

Conjuring up a real kaiju image here with a giant dragon heading for the city. Then again, the very existence of Dynamax makes perfect fuel for such things.

How fitting that the Van Zieks-alike is the one to fight back against the Stronghart-alike. (Would that Shimmer the Ryunosuke in this situation, then?)

Seems Shimmer still hasn't gotten out of feeling like a screw-up following his earlier loss at Tulpise, and Vegna's words of him being a puppet (of Demerzel in this case) definitely don't feel unfounded.

Charizard vs. Charizard. Somehow I had a feeling back in the early chapters we'd get a Noctum vs. Vortex duel at some point, since the two Charizard were definite opposites in a lot of ways.

It wasn't just his belly, either. His wings were full of glowing blue auroras. So was the underside of his tail. He ran a claw over his belly. Blue light glistened around his claws, coalescing into a pink sphere he was able to hold with his claws.

Oooh, very pretty. Looking nice with all them aurorae, Noctum.

"Because we all played into Demerzel's hand. And I suspect things may soon turn volatile here."

Hmmm, playing into Demerzel's hand did appear to be for the better in this case, given that Vortex is an enemy in his own right. But given Demerzel's affiliation to the Empire, even if a coerced one, it's an affiliation to want to escape from.

Now over to Isola's chambers, where Justine's been stabbed in the back - or in the heart, in this case, where she'll become an Iron Thorns. And judging by how Isola's going on about beauty and such, I see that my earlier guess about her stealing Nova's power in that flashback was correct.

For a brief instant, Justine swore she saw a pink serpent replace Isola's head.

Oh, is that Enamorus's Therian Forme? So she has that power at her disposal as well.

Chapter 98

Shane mourning Tessa's passing. Alas, we must all say goodbye to our loved ones eventually.

...In much the same way we're gonna have to say goodbye to Seifer.

Noctum's back with a faraway look in his eyes. Looks like something about Palkia's power did something more to him than just a power increase, if he's in a state like this.

Everything's all a bit too much for Yuna. Not the first time we've seen her like this, unfortunately.

And in comes Vegna with his poetic ways and regrets of his own.

Reshiram pointed his wing at Vegna again. "You're not some random person who stumbled on Bahamut and took his journal. You're the soul that was severed from his body. You're Bahamut."

And there's the truth revealed for all to hear. Quite a surprising truth, to think he was there this whole time back in the early chapters.

Now over to Igneous, where he's remembering his own death from back in his Volcarona days. Almost like Seifer's death is having everyone question their own mortality.

"I'm running the story."

His blood went cold. That was Sakaki.

Looks like he's making his move. Dazzels could well be in an uproar by the time the gang go there for their next fight.

The Torchic are really coming home to roost for Shimmer with that last stunt with the pirates, huh. In an ironic way, back in the Blueberry Academy chapters when Zodiark was preaching to Yuna that she might be the one to cause destruction and ruin everything - that advice would've been better dealt towards Shimmer, especially when Yuna's mission succeeded and his didn't. Once again, more parallels between our prince and princess, and the two are proving to be rather excellent foils for each other.

Talk about character growth, though, where at the beginning of the fic Shimmer made his revulsion for Aeon well known, and yet look at him now, crushing on a lizerb in the form of Igneous.

"We haven't even talked about that shit Xeromus said about the cloud daemon being the 'real arceus.'"

"And I don't want to." Scarlett shook her head. "He's lying for Zodiark's sake."

Somehow I get the feeling this isn't quite the case and our gang will have to reckon with that truth sooner rather than later.

Chapter 99

"Sometimes I wonder what would've happened if he was here instead of me." Nickie looked at Tessa. "And then I tell myself it'd be a disaster. He'd treat everyone around him like dirt and think himself the most important guy in the room."

Ouch. Hit the nail right on the head there, Nickie.

This behind-the-back chatter makes me wonder what'll happen if Yuna and Nikki do end up meeting Shane and what their reaction would be. Because oh boy, there'd be bristling tension on Nikki's side of things at the very least.

Now back to the present day, where it turns out the body snatcher outright killed Chiron and Leo.

That's a new WTF piece of info - as if this fic didn't have enough of those already.

There should be two Needles remaining. Diancie, Sage of Heart. And Enamorus, Sage of Beauty."

Looks like we know which of those Isola pulled, based on the teaser from last chapter.

"I wandered the universe — or, as it turns out, the distortion world — seeking an end to my loneliness. But the same pitfalls that befell my past self happened here.

"I did not understand the places I visited." Vegna shook his head. "And I did not communicate well.

I wonder if that would explain the multitude of teasers we've had until this point that seem to be from Bahamut's point of view.

"But I met someone there. And it was like... looking into a cracked mirror. I couldn't shake the feeling that this person... was a happier me. Similar struggles, yet he found friends and family to support him.

"Something about that made me snap." The dusknoir squeezed his hands together. "I lashed out at him. He defended himself... with a power that split my soul from my body."

I'm presuming this other one he mentions - a happier Necrozma - is Shane. Given Tama's emptiness, seems doubtful it would be him.

The Reaper himself admits regret. Never would've expected that from him - but then who would've expected most of what's been revealed about him now, from our first impressions of Vegna all the way back when?

Reshiram hit the bed and bounced off it with a nasally yelp. He faceplanted onto the carpeted floor then hastily got to his feet, shaking out his messy fur.

Oof, poor Reshiram.

Lucky for him, the bed's soft and the floor's carpeted, otherwise that would've been a hard landing.

Are Salazzle vapours like LSD in this universe? I would've thought they'd have been more along the lines of love potion material.

At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then Nikki reclined. A shiver ran from her head town to her legs. By the time Nikki was slumped against the wall — her waist spikes wedged in a crack between said wall and Leo's bed — her feet were twitching and her mohawk frazzling erratically.

Oh boy, this is going to be quite the trip.

"My mom's in there. With Nikki." Leo wasn't sure how he was keeping a straight face. "Who I might need to start calling my other mom."

So is that confirmation they're gonna be a couple now? Well, in that case, good for them.

Widget did not like lying in a "loaf" position.

Man, what a shame.

"So, that include any of them big muscular dragons with the circular plates?" He traced his paws in circles.

"I think he means kommo-o," Widget offered, though he wasn't sure why the urshifu considered that important.

"More than a few," Gene said.

"Any of 'em ladies?"

Oh yeah, these two Urshifu. And also Xiao has good taste in appreciating Kommo-o.

So it looks like we're gonna see Shredder for the first time, who in spite of being mentioned all the way back in the early chapters hasn't made much of an appearance. I wonder what he'll be like - probably every bit as brash and punkish as Nikki, if not more so.

Good on Widget to check on Cyril. Someone needs to comfort him in a time like this.

Chapter 100

Into the triple digits now. We've come a long way, haven't we?

Something about that title and intro imply that Dialga's gonna be a focal point of this chapter.

Jaeger's part Zygarde? Fascinating - although I somehow get the feeling it's not quite in the same vein that Hecto is in HoC.

Yes, Leo was the key. The key to saving Seifer... and to his power woes.

Oh, so is this where the cosmic Keldeo that I've seen plenty of art of before comes into the picture?

Seeing the medic bay reminds us of the tough blows suffered by all of the comrades in here, from Ifrit to Shiva to Calcifer. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for them all.

And then there's Seifer...

Can't deny that the Fallen Arm night theme is a fitting motif here. Very sombre atmosphere alright.

And as expected, Cyril's not taking this well at all, and nothing outside of a Seifer revival will get him out of his stupour. Which...may well be what's about to happen, if Artemis's plan succeeds.

On that note, before these events go down, I have a slight theory that's formulated over the last while. Could it be that this is somewhat similar to

Spoiler

Dialga taking over Rhys

in Hands of Creation in the sense of 'same body, but similar yet different conscience with different behaviours' that will then result in Cyril having to come to terms with the new Seifer? The basis for this theory is the fact you've made clear multiple times in Discord conversations that the cosmic Keldeo and Seifer are not one and the same. Which makes me wonder if things will play out like this. Then again, could they be 'different' in much the same way that Chiaki and Igneous are the same character yet different in appearance? I guess I'll find out sooner rather than later.

Widget jumped over one of the filaments just as another smacked Artemis across the face. Despite being thin, the filament's slap slammed the milotic into the wall. His golden scales darkened to black and his ribbons turned into starry nebulas that matched Cyril and Leo's hair.

So this is how Artemis becomes the cosmic Milotic.

I had a feeling something like this might've happened back when you revealed this art first.

Seems that just like Nero, Widget also has a bunch of souls within him. And among them...is the Voice of Life. Or at least, some AU version of them.

I suppose in light of all that happened in that room, Leo felt responsibility and that's why he fled. Damn, a lot of characters facing the consequences of their actions today, aren't they?

Now over to Shane, who's bonding with a Xerneas spirit fused with Ultra Necrozma. (You sure do love your fusions, don't you? I forget how many we have now - I've lost count at this point.)

So that was Shane who gave Grishi his power. Not very cash money of the Zorotwo to suppress his power back in Blueberry Academy, then.

These two are surprisingly intimate with one another. Just what role does Angel play in Shane's life? Is this a new love of his, now that Tessa's been reincarnated into another world in the form of Yuna?

Ironic that one iteration of 'Dark' Matter (Tama) ends up as a golden dragon of light.

So there's back up plans waiting to be launched. Here's hoping they work out and don't backfire - we've seen in the past few chapters just how wrong some plans can go.

Conclusion

I'll leave this review here for now, though I'll definitely catch up on the remaining chapters when next week of Review Blitz begins. Gotta get them bonus points for the theme, after all, hence why I'm submitting this batch now.

Anyway, these last few chapters were certainly a ride of and and all in the one. The latter emotion especially which how Seifer bit the dust, and whether he even can be revived with his old self intact. Fingers crossed he can be revived, although I have the slightest of feelings it'll be something akin to my theory above. I guess we'll see what the next few chapters hold in that regard.

I very much enjoyed a lot of what this batch of chapters had. The number one highlight for me was the Gilgamesh fight. Even if I don't know much about Final Fantasy (the most I've played of it is a little bit of Crisis Core and other info has been accumulated through osmosis), I certainly enjoyed watching that fight go down, especially with Gilgamesh's Large Ham rantings and having Leo and Kieran fight together as Trainer and Pokémon. Then there's the fight with Vortex, seeing that plot point resolved and having a cool as hell Charizard vs. Charizard stand-off with Noctum being the one to deliver the final blow. Then there's the Herbrides fight with Xeromus and Beta Arceus, which did provide a very tense, climactic moment - even if it did lead to the demise of our resident gay honse.

All the art's also been very nice. A great accompaniment to a great story, as well as putting your hybrid designs like Grishi and transformations like Noctum's to picture form.

Very good stuff, and I look forward to finally catching up soon!

 

[Arukona]

Time to finish up the rest of this.

Chapter 101

That's a pretty wonderful chapter number right there.

A burst of telekinesis unceremoniously tossed a mewling Glaceon into the lake.

Lesson learned: don't disturb an Espeon's sleep.

In fact, this Espeon has real cat behaviour right here. All sass and not a hint of shame.

And now back to the present day, where Noctum's recovering from that state he was in a few chapters ago.

"Lingerie holowear magazine." Valkyrie nonchalantly turned the page. She looked up at the cosmic charizard. "You want it? Maybe you'll find something fitting."

Somehow I feel like Noctum would be too meek to even consider lingerie, even if he did know what it was.

Yeah, looks like things are in a bit of a state for everyone in the Resistance. Here's hoping the ship can be steadied sometime soon-ish, before the enemy prepares their next big move.

Perhaps it's for the best that Noctum doesn't see Yuna in her current state. That might cause him to slip right back into unconsciousness.

Interesting that both Dialga and Palkia's reincarnations ended up as servants in their respective kingdoms. You'd think they'd be top dogs, but no, seemingly not.

Sighing, Noctum looked at Valkyrie. "And the third... led a group that worshiped me. She was a very gentle human, from what I remember."

Quite a transformation over time for a gentle girl like Irida to become a standoffish ex-assassin Garchomp like Valkyrie.

Valkyrie snorted. "Dork."

"I heard that." Noctum frowned.

"I wanted you to."

Awww, these two are cute together.

And over to our new couple, who are rising after one hell of a trip - and seemingly more than that.

It's sometimes easy to forget that in spite of all she's gone through this fic, Yuna is still a princess with much to learn about things and cultures outside the worldview she grew up in. Things such as chocolate milkshake.

"I'm good." Shimmer stopped by the table. "That stuff would go straight to my hips."

"Pssh. You have nine tails." Nikki ate the fry in her hand. "More than enough to cover your ass no matter how doughy."

Oh, Nikki, you laugh riot. Remarks like this are why you're probably my favourite of our motley group of protagonists.

Those claims of Leo not being the world's true Arceus might have some truth to them...as I suspected.

So looks like Blightsmuth's our next destination...provided a certain Sylveon doesn't interrupt us. Which he has.

They rapidly gave way to a blue and purple spiritomb wearing sunglasses with flame decals on the frames.

That is bling if I ever did see it, goddamn.

So Xander's become an influencer who's subtly preaching the Eterna Empire's agenda and painting the Resistance in a bad light. And he has aid through his connections with his dad and Polarisvision.

"He has fifteen million followers on Chatter. His account was made two weeks ago."

How many of them are bots, I wonder?

Seems like due to the unorthodox nature of Xander as an opponent, it's gonna require an unorthodox approach.

Huh, didn't know Jade did apothecary stuff. Guess some relaxation and recuperation before the next jaunt.

Chapter 102

There's our punkpix - with art by Pledge, no less!

But alas we have to go back to the present, where we have to deal with a much more garish, gaudily dressed Sylveon. Gotta sympathise with Sticky here - this guy is hella insufferable.

"Is this that #BloodMoon thing?"

Oh, so there's gonna be an Ursaluna in the mix?

Over to Yuna and Nikki, where our resident Dragapult's learning drums. Interesting - I thought she'd be more of a singing type.

So Shredder's not gonna come to the team's side easily, huh? Guess this is Shimmer's time to prove his worth. Especially after that failed plan of his that led to Seifer's death.

Yeesh, Blightsmuth looks like a real dump. The perfect place for hooligans and crooks to gather.

And unsurprisingly, Shredder's an Obstagoon. A favourite 'mon of mine, though, so instant approval from me.

Reshiram sighed in Yuna's head. "I knew it."

Knew what?

Is this about Gene's 'team spirit' remarks from before?

"Oh, for pity's sake." Nikki walked over to them, pinching her brow. "The one time I wish my gaydar steered me wrong." She looked between Gene and Shredder, frowning. "World's on freaking fire! We don't have time for this shit!"

Almost like you didn't just have an acid trip with your own closest companion a few chapters ago, Nikki.

Oh, there'll be in-universe backing music to this with Nikki playing? Hell yeah.

"That's garbage!" the grovlazzle grabbed the cage in front of him and shook it. "Using Scary Face on the crowd like that?"

"Street rules, bitch!" Shredder countered. "Anything goes!"

Pokémon villains could learn a thing or two from Shredder here. Who says you have to obey the rules when you're edging more towards the criminal side of things?

Quite a brawl, and though it looked like Shimmer lost, Shredder is convinced. So that's good news.

This was a... strange acquisition for the resistance. And the dragapult figured she wouldn't know what to make of it until she learned exactly what Shredder wanted their help with.

Hopefully there's not too big of a catch with whatever Shredder wants. Or that his motives line up with the gang's.

Now over to Widget, who's grappling with the truth of him and the spirits. And it seems like Artemis isn't taking it too well either...

Yet at the end of the day, everyone must move forward.

So the reason Leo couldn't revive Seifer is because he's not from the past he knows? ...So you're telling me there's a chance, then.

"Then I'm-a ignore it."

Definitely best to ignore a thing like that. Although I reckon forgetting it will be a whole different story.

Team meeting time, where I reckon almost certainly the gang will have to move out again for one reason or another.

Chapter 103

One of the Lucario had a strange aura about him? Uh oh...that doesn't sound good.

"Puh-leeze lay off the card metaphors." Xander shook his head. "It's cringe."

This coming from Mr #IHaveToHashtagEverythingForDaViewz.

Dang, that's quite an entrance from Gus right there. Can't say it isn't a flashy one - even if he definitely puts the 'fat' in 'fat cat'.

"Carpaccio! Get dat lazy greedent bud of yours out here and bring dis gal 'round back, will ya?"

"Oi, ya heard da boss, nut-for-brains! Get out there!"

A greedent tripped in the doorway and rolled down the red carpet.

Wow, we're seeing a lot old faces recently, aren't we? There's a duo that were among the first characters introduced in this fic.

Ahsen returns! More funny dialogue!

[Don't you want to (USE THE BOOST TO GET THROUGH)? Your good buddy, Ahsen, can grow your audience like a zillion viral videos!]

Oh my god, please tell me he's gonna be prominent in these next couple chapters because that'll make them even more of a laugh riot if so.

[🔔🔔🔔!]

How many fics can say they've used emojis in their main writing? That's honestly kinda inspired to use this for robot speech and/or a quirky programming glitch like Ahsen.

We'll make you the greatest (VEETUBER) known to man!]

Veetuber? Nice pun there. Although the "power of Eeveelutions" - does that mean we're gonna see Xander shift through the various Eeveelution forms? Definitely wouldn't be out of Ahsen's capabilities to allow shifting powers like that.

Back to the base, where it seems like the Ursaluna in question is a kidnapped citizen of Blightsmuth. Worrying...

More of Xander's stream, where he's being a #LittleShit.

And we're raising the bounty on his son, Grovyle Chiaki, to 1.5 million radians."

Big money right there.

The unrest is certainly building in Dazzels, that's for sure. I reckon it won't be long before a public mask-off from #MeanieQueenie Isola herself.

Doctored footage of Vegna killing Benedict? Of all the things to use...

Looks like we have our next mission, then: a stadium that the Medicis have taken over. Although that does make me wonder: if they said there's a tournament going on, does that mean Team Bastion will be participating in it, or will they be gatecrashing it instead?

Though with this new Needle sprouting up in Jubilife City, looks like priorities are twofold. And to think it's the final Needle. So it'll be Diancie in this one, since we know Isola already has Enamorus under her control.

"I won't fight directly if it's too dangerous. I can do moral support."

If Yuna had a heart, it might've fluttered. Instead, her tail undulated back and forth.

"I'd... like that a lot."

Good to see these two have each other's back. Firmly attached at the hip now, Yuna and Nikki are.

Chapter 104

Looks like this is a Gene-centric chapter, where it seems like he's having a moment not too dissimilar to Yuna's meeting with Giratina/Chaos in Chapter 83. Although in his usual way, he's going about it in his usual snarky manner.

These are definitely Void Shadows alright, with all their focus on Gene's negativity and fears.

"Then what's with all the 'Turn that pain into power' garbage?" The mewtwo side-eyed the black cyclone.

"Turning pain on others is better than letting it sit and fester," the storm countered.

....He's gonna turn on everyone due to Void Shadow influence, isn't he?

"I can see my house from heeeeeeeeeeere!" one Bombardier declared.

And you probably won't be seeing it again with how this black tornado is raging. Bye, Empire mook.

So tackling Guile Hideout will ultimately be the distraction, while Yuna goes in and gets the Needle. Looks like we've got a jousting match ahead of us.

This knight's proving to be something of a challenge. Doubly so when there's one of Demerzel's partners in the mix too, and killing her wouldn't be good. Triply so when ț̸̛͇͖̐͑̃͐h̴̞̾̍ḛ̶͑͑̃̑ ̵̪͆̆̈́͗͜͝v̴̪̳̆ō̴̡̫̾͝ͅi̵̥̠̜̜̇̓͠c̴̦͌̓͂́ê̸̖͉̺͜s̶̞͙̠̯̎̿̓ are whispering to Gene to do just that.

Looks like the tag team of Gene and Vegna managed to knock the rider off his horse.

And it appears Gene did give into ț̸̛͇͖̐͑̃͐h̴̞̾̍ḛ̶͑͑̃̑ ̵̪͆̆̈́͗͜͝v̴̪̳̆ō̴̡̫̾͝ͅi̵̥̠̜̜̇̓͠c̴̦͌̓͂́ê̸̖͉̺͜s̶̞͙̠̯̎̿̓ and killed Guile Hideout.

And with that, a tarot power fades, and the number of Paradigm lieutenants shrinks by one.

Oh shit, Necrozma's here. What a time to appear - and here's hoping he doesn't take the last Needle for himself.

And as expected, Necrozma wrecks house, with Gene thrown back to the precipice of death. The perfect conditions...for the darkness to creep in and take him over.

"Look at the dragapult. She refused to give in to Giratina and now she's stuck in limbo. Filled with fear and apprehension for what the future holds."

What good did bringing Yuna up do for Gene? He was going to—

A reminder that it's still very realistic in Yuna's case for the shadows to take her over.

Though it seems that Gene may have found a solution, in finding that which benefits them both.

A solution which becomes an awesome new form. Join the cosmic gang, Gene.

And now he's gonna pair Bahamut back with his Phantom-ised husk - joining the two halves back together, just like how our resident Mewtwo's compromised with his other shadowy, Dark Matter half.

And there it is - one of the biggest enemies thus far, taken down. So it's all right in the end, then - although there's still Yuna's side of things to catch up on and a Needle to claim. I suppose we'll have to wait next time for that, though.

Conclusion

Whew...I've done it. After a long while, I've managed to catch up again. And hopefully this year I can stay caught up.

This was another very good set of chapters that I thoroughly enjoyed. The biggest highlight for me was the return of Ahsen and his, er, quirky dialogue, to say the least. There was also an awesome fight between Gene and Guile Hideout, and the subsequent resolution of Gene and Dark Matter joining their powers together. Also Bahamut's husk has been taken down, so that's one of this fic's major enemies down.

Pity that my prediction of Gene losing control and the rest of Team Bastion having to bring him back to his senses never came to fruition. But there's still my other theory about Seifer/the cosmic Keldeo, and whether that ends up happening is something we might well see play out in the next few chapters. I'm looking forward to the confrontation with Xander and the Medicis in the stadium, though - with Ahsen involved in it all, I have this feeling that it'll be quite an interesting fight, alright - or will it even be a fight in the traditional sense, so to speak? I eagerly await to see how things will play out on that side of things.

Good stuff, and good luck with your writing! Really looking forward to what happens next.

 

[StolenMadWolf]

Righto, so I’m going to ignore the oneshot theme for this week and fire off a two chapter review for Path of Valor again, this time focusing on Chapters 11 and 12. As always, my usual focus disclaimer applies as normal. So with that, let’s get started.

Spoiler: Chapter 11-12 Review

These chapters are definitely a welcome addition. Chapter 11 does have a moment of excellent combat. Whilst it’s not the most clear in getting a good picture of what’s happening, I’m not going to complain on that since… well, we’re fighting on the ceiling here, upside down mind you. So I think I’m going to follow poor Yuna’s opinion and embrace the confusion on this front. We get an interesting mix of combat here, and the boss of this particular fight is an interesting one. At first glance, it seems like it’s set to be Nikki… right up until the pile of rubble comes floating in belching confused nonsense at our heroes. Definitely adds to the charm.

The fight is soon enough over though, and we end up transitioning to the first real additions to the wider world and lore. And damn, we get a treat. After the customary flashback after flying into the mysterious needle, we come across the funniest adaption of Reshiram I’ve ver seen. Who knew the guy was such a bundle of nerves! (And seriously, why do so many of the fics I’ve been reading feature Reshiram at the moment?)

Either way, the badly injured gang is able to escape from the dungeon and soon sent rushing back home. Great!

Chapter 12 starts off with… oh… OOOOOHHHHH. OKAY. I was not expecting that scene for sure but hey, it’s something different. Puts Shimmer in an entirely different light in my mind for sure. But soon enough, we get some of that additional worldbuilding that really helps get some things into perspective. It’s myth and legend to be sure, part of which is confirmed by nervebag Reshiram – who is very quickly rivalling Griffon as my favourite character (please put more of that bird in!). After a few chapters with a bit of a dripfeed of worldbuilding, it’s really nice to see the exposition, and the full picture of what’s entirely happening with the world. And bam, the truth dragon is proposing a quest to wake the other agent sages since yeah, the space dragon that is Eternatus is the big bad here and he’s about to break out. Welp, looks like things are going to be moving again very soon, especially when Vortex is off doing politics for his mystery power plant.

The worldbuilding is the real gem of these two chapters, especially when coupled in with Reshriam. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more of the nerves dragon here. And once more, the plot moving forward at a healthy pace. Whilst some of the combat could be clearer or slightly more detailed, again due to the nature of the environment I’ll let that one slide. Seeing a little bit more of the side characters is also a nice touch in these chapters as well.

Overall, looking forward to seeing how this moves forward. Nice!

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

]Alright, this one went under a bit of schedule slip, but one of my goals going into Review Blitz this year was to get caught up with PoV again, so let's get a chapter closer to that with…

Chapter 102

Spoiler: Line-by-Line

"Okay, be honest. What do you think?"

After a solid two weeks of some very strange changes — getting her tails shaved and dyed with her hair to resemble a fire vulpix, stitching together weird tubes for her hind legs, and gathering thorns from nearby mystery dungeons to put on leather bands — Nickie had finished her makeover. She stood between Tessa and their room's mirror, admiring her torn-up leg tube thingies.

That feels like such a contrast between that art and what I mentally associate your choice of BGM there with.

Tessa still didn't understand what the point of wearing them was if they were torn. Torn scarves were useless for dungeon crawls. What good would these "thigh-highs" be?

Nickie: "It's an aesthetic. Lighten up a bit, Tessa." :

Nickie's ears folded and her earlier enthusiasm melted away. "You hate it."

"Huh?" Tessa's aura feelers shot up. "N-No! O-Of course not! Whatever would give you that idea?"

"That dumbstruck look on your face." Nickie's gaze fell to her paws. "And your voice cracked."

Tessa: "Wh-What?! No! I'm just... surprised by all of this, that's all."

Wincing, the riolu rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry. I, uh— it's not something I really understand."

She had to save face. Tessa quickly stepped to Nickie's side. "But you're happy with it, right?"

Nickie slowly nodded.

Huh, I suppose we've seen a bit of that between Yuna and Nikki in the present day. Guess eternal recurrence is a thing in this story (not that it wasn't already obvious with Seifer earlier on)

"Well, if you're happy, then I'm happy." Tessa's tail wagged.

Some of Nickie's earlier energy returned. Her tails wagged asynchronously.

Wait, where is Nickie hiding the rest of her tails in that art? Since it looks almost like she only has one there.

"Yeah," she said. "Yeah, I love this!" Nickie stared at her reflection. "It's the most... me I've felt in a long time."

I'll admit, I'd never in a million years have guessed that an incarnation of Nick would be into a punk aesthetic. I wonder if Nickie's GL counterpart was also quietly into this in the background alongside all that Pokémon merch.

The icepix nuzzled Tessa's side. "Thanks for helping out."

Tessa's aura feelers shot up. Her tail wagged faster. "W-What are friends for?"

D'aww...

Sticky hated everything about Xander's studio. From the cameras wrapped in pink felt and covered in glitter to the sequined hearts on the outline of the greenscreen to the shelves on the other side of the room haphazardly stuffed full of props and other things the sylveon could use for his clips.

Sticky: "I swear to god, I'm going to wind up killing someone over this egotistical ribbon ferret."

[The concentration of sparkles in this room is fifty percent over legal thresholds,] Iron Enforcer declared. The robotic type: full scanned the room. [Shall I destroy the building?]

"No." Sticky sighed. "Paradigm-owned facilities are exempt from sparkle regulations." The naganadel looked down at his tablet. "Which is a sentence I totally thought I'd say in my career when I graduated business school..."

Okay, not that this place isn't an obvious eyesore, but why on earth do you even have "sparkle regulations"?

Iron Enforcer's eyes turned blue and displayed loading icons. They soon faded back to their default red. [Understood. Sparkle threshold parameters updated.]

Huh, so that's what it looks like when Iron Enforcer has to tweak operating instructions on the fly. Duly noted. I wonder if all the Paradox 'mons do that in this setting.

"Hey, hey. If it isn't my favorite #secretary!"

Sticky fought to hide the disgust in his expression. "Executive assistant," he growled, glancing toward the opposite corner of the room to find Xander strutting toward him. The sylveon swished a fur boa out of his face and lifted star-framed sunglasses off his eyes.

I take it that Paradox made it a very specific point to avoid leaving sharp objects lying around in Xander's studio as part of provisioning it. Since... uh... yeah, I kinda get the vibe that Sticky and heaven knows how many employees are more or less constantly on the verge of snapping and murdering him out of existence.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Xander asked. "Something from our #GoatedGrandEmperor?"

... I just realized, but is Xander speaking out hashtags? Who on earth does that outside of YouTube videos?

He pranced over to the naganadel's side and produced a uPhone from his pink coat pocket. He swiped onto Chatter. "Check it. I got that shit #trending this morning!" Xander scrolled down a page full of chats about Paradox, including assorted pieces of fan art.

[Those portraits are highly inaccurate.] Iron Enforcer's red parts glowed. [Grand Emperor Paradox does not have muscles. Shall I hunt down the ones responsible?]

Yeah, I had a feeling there.

"No." Sticky waved the robotic type: full off. "I'm here with a new assignment for you."

"Oh?" Xander stepped back, still clutching the uPhone in a ribbon. Another ribbon pulled off the sunglasses. "I thought I'm defending the #Needle over by my bedroom."

Why does he even have that in his bedroom?

"Change of plans." Sticky tapped at his tablet. "Guile Hideout will take over temporarily. You're taking your act on a little road trip to old stomping grounds."

Xander's brow furrowed in thought. "You mean the Kingdom of Radiance?"

Sticky nodded.

Cue the whining about "but my fans" in 3... 2...

Sighing, the sylveon tapped on his phone. A loud "OOF" reverberated through the room. Sticky tensed.

"Enjoying our soundboard, are we?" Sticky deadpanned.

"How else should I react to a #buzzkill?" Xander winked and stuck his tongue out at Sticky.

Iron Enforcer: "[... Shall I terminate him?]"

Sticky: "Oh, I wish, but unfortunately, no. Not this time." >_>;

Iron Enforcer's head crest sparked with red energy. [Uncooperative attitude detected. Permission to muzzle him?]

I wish. Sticky put a hand on Iron Enforcer's glowing crest. "Your orders are to take Iron Enforcer and escort Lieutenant Turian and her important package to Lieutenant Cassius in Khelifet."

Not quite as drastic as I envisioned, but yeah, I figured that that wouldn't wear well on either of those two.

Xander clutched his boa with his ribbons. "Ugh, seriously? That #hotbox? Do you have any idea what the heat'll do to my fur? Not to mention my makeup! I've got #sponsors to think about!"

[Your duty is to Grand Emperor Paradox.] Iron Enforcer stepped toward Xander, eyes glowing. [Dereliction is cause for termination.]

Xander: "Uh... I guess that I could do a mobile show or something."

"You're getting riled up for no reason," Sticky scoffed. He swiped across his tablet. "It's not much actual traversal. A handful of teleports will take care of things. Plus, you're meeting Lieutenant Cassius underground."

The sylveon's eyes slowly widened. "Is this that #BloodMoon thing?"

Oh, so we're going to be featuring that Pokémon from Teal Mask prominently, huh? Though that was quite a reaction from Xander's end there.

Sticky pinched his brow. "Yes, it's 'that #BloodMoon thing.' Are you not reading your briefings?"

"I #speedread 'em!" Xander put his sunglasses back on. A holographic "DEAL WITH IT" flashed underneath his smug face. "The #brainwaves are already hitting. I can cook some good #StreamValue outta this."

Sticky: "... Fantastic. (God, he can't die on the job soon enough.)"

He turned away from Sticky and pulled his uPhone in front of his face. "Lemme just chat the #XanFam the deets."

[Denied.]

Iron Enforcer darted to Xander's side, holding its open maw around a startled Xander's uPhone.

[Mission parameters dictate no location disclosure until we are at our destination,] it stated.

Sticky: "I still can't believe that Paradox signed off on a freaking influencer of all things as the role for a new Paradigm lieutenant..."

"Okay. Sheesh." Xander put the uPhone back in his coat. "Anything else?"

"You have sixty minutes to prepare." Sticky flicked his wrist toward the door Xander entered through. "I suggest you put that to good use."

I'm shocked that Sticky didn't use this as pretext to just yeet Xander out the building already, but I suppose that he wouldn't want his fingerprints on Xander failing from being obviously underprepared.

"Copy that, Captain Killjoy." Xander sauntered toward the door, lazily saluting Sticky with a ribbon while keeping his back turned.

The naganadel sighed. He really hoped Paradox knew what he was doing with this plan. Three Paradigm lieutenants in one spot when they'd already lost several of them sounded like a terrible idea.

Oh, so it's not just the anomalies that have been bunching up together in this story. Though boy is that going to be a chaotic encounter.

But Paradox must've known something Sticky didn't. After all, the emperor had never been wrong before. Sticky couldn't lose faith. Even if every encounter with Xander made him want to throw up.

Are we just going to go and pretend that Widget's continued existence isn't a hard disproof of this? ^^;

Awkwardly sitting on a metal stool with her tail curled around its legs, Yuna banged magazine stacks on the coffee table in front of her with the wooden sticks in her hands. The thwapping carried a steady enough beat. One, two, three... one, two, three...

Oh hey, the P3 music is back. Though I suppose that's one way to see that the Resistance is (currently) having a slow day.

"Nice, Princess. You're keeping decent pace."

Nikki stopped strumming her guitar and sat up on the couch behind the coffee table. She placed the guitar beside her, propping it upright.

Wow, you're certainly helpful there, Nikki. /s

"Thanks?" Yuna dropped the sticks on the coffee table and wrung her hands out. "Tiring, though."

"Why?" The toxtricity tilted her head. "Dragapult don't have muscles." "

Uhhh..." Yuna looked at her shriveled hands. "Forget it."

- snerk -

Nikki: "No, really, I'm curious now."

Yuna: "Nikki, I'm not going to get into a long lecture about how physical exertion works for Ghost-types, okay?" >_>;

"How do you feel otherwise?" Nikki leaned back, draping her right arm over her guitar.

Yuna shrugged. "I... guess my head's a bit clearer than yesterday?"

"Then it's working!" Nikki snapped her left fingers.

Yuna: "Um... yay? Just saying, it'd be nice if you weren't sitting there-"

Nikki: "I mean, I'm not the one who needed to clear my head, just saying."

The suggestion Yuna give drumming a try came after two days of balm making sessions with Jade. Yuna thought smacking magazines like they were drums was rather silly, but after several minutes she'd settled into it.

Oh, so Nikki's slowly building out a band with her friend circle, huh? Or at least I think that's where this is going to wind up going.

Besides, the Sages weren't bothering her. And she hadn't had any intrusive Tessa or Yaldabaoth-related thoughts the entire day. So, Nikki's silly idea did something.

Which is about to be ruined in like a minute, I can already tell.

"We ought to take a break, though," Yuna suggested. "Maybe lunch."

Nikki nodded approvingly. "Any thoughts?"

Yuna smirked at the toxtricity. "Well, I figured you'd have a new suggestion."

"Hmm." Nikki leaned forward, tapping her chin in thought. "What about grilled cheese?"

Waaaait, has it really taken Nikki this long to bring up grilled cheese as a food to Yuna when it's one of the staple "quick and filling" foods along PB&Js and the like?

"That's a thing?" Yuna raised a brow. "What's the point of grilling cheese without any meat or veggies?"

Chuckling, Nikki got to her feet. "It's a sandwich." She stretched her arms up. "You get tomato soup with it. Dip the grilled cheese in the soup." Nikki kissed her fingers like those chefs on the cooking shows some of the monks watched. "C'mon, we'll try it."

Ah, so we're getting a

moment here. Though sounds quite a bit more appetizing than Nikki's last suggestion for munchies.

Yuna floated off her steel. "Okay, but a cheese sandwich sounds silly."

"Oh ye of little faith." Nikki stepped out from the couch and turned left. In the corner of the room, Scarlett shut a notebook and uncoiled.

Nikki: "Just saying, if you liked my recommendation of dipping fries into a shake, this should be pretty smalltime for you here."

"Lunch sounds good to me." The dragonair turned to Igneous and Shimmer, who were hunched on either side of a chair playing some sort of card game. "You two hungry?"

Shimmer blinked a few times, then placed his cards face down on the chair. "Absolutely."

So... TCG or hanafuda?

Before Igneous could respond, however, a jagged purple rift appeared in the door. Gene stepped through, much to Yuna's annoyance. It seemed like lunch was about to get put on hold.

"Your guy Shredder's a stubborn dude," Gene declared, yellow-tipped tail lazily swaying back and forth. "Wouldn't commit to the resistance. And has some kinda intel he's sitting on."

Well, slow day's over from that change in background music.

Igneous stood up. He shook one leg out at a time. That kneeling must have hurt. "Why didn't you just read his mind to get the intel? I know you can get around dark-types."

"Goes against team spirit." Gene tapped his right temple with a finger.

Igneous: "But you literally go off and do things on your own half the time-"

Gene: "Look, I'll spell it out for you slowly: I'm hoping he'll come around later, and prying into his private thoughts is a sure-fire way to ensure that will never happen." >_>;

In the back of Yuna's mind, Reshiram's fur puffed out like he'd gotten electrocuted.

Something wrong?

"He's lying about the team spirit reasoning," Reshiram said. "But I don't think I want to know the truth."

... Or it could be something deeper than I assumed. I'll just file that away as a note mentally.

And judging from Nikki's scrutinizing look, Reshiram wasn't the only one questioning the mewtwo.

"So, what, you want me to convince him?" Nikki wondered. She had mentioned wanting to go home the other day.

Gene:

"Nah." Gene pointed to Shimmer. "I'm here for Twinkie."

... Or not. Though I wonder what Shimmer's relationship with Shredder is.

Shimmer's tails puffed out. "M-Me?"

Gene held up an index finger. "Shredder agreed to cooperate if our weakest link spars with him."

The ponytales' ears folded.

"I don't think he's weaker than a skorp," Igneous muttered.

"Not like that." Gene waved a hand dismissively. Then, in a pale imitation of a gruff voice, he said, "A band can't jam if everyone's hearts aren't in it. So, I wanna see that weakest heart in action."

Nikki: "Well, we're doomed." -_-;
Shimmer: "I'm right here, you know!"

The shadowy mewtwo tapped his right temple. "Even if the monks or the skorps aren't that strong, they're committed to this." Gene pointed to Shimmer. "I've yet to see that kind of energy out of Twinkie, here."

"But I helped set up the thing with the pirates!"

Everyone squinted at Shimmer, who promptly shrank down to his belly.

Ah yes, """helped""". Let's not even get into what the second-order effects of all of that involved.

"W-When do we leave?" he squeaked.

"Right now." Gene snapped his fingers. His tail pointed to the rift behind him, which had stayed open for their entire conversation.

Time to see what Blightsmuth is like in 3... 2...

"What a... unique aroma your guys' home carries."

It hadn't taken long for Shimmer to go from lagging behind the group to walking the fastest of everyone down the uneven cobblestone road. The ponytales' snout was wrinkled and his tails were constricted like deflated balloons.

So considering the BGM and the place's name, like garbage and industrial waste?

Nikki likewise held the collar of her leather jacket over her face. "Man. I was used to it. Guess I've been away too long."

I'll just take that as a confirmation there.

"It's not as bad up here," Scarlett said, flying with Yuna and Gene over the others. The dragapult's gaze was fixed on the black and brown wooden roofs. Many of them had holes covered by haphazardly hammered in wooden planks or discolored tarps. One she passed on her right had some strange green fuzz clinging to it.

"People actually live here?" Shaymin popped up in Yuna's mind, wrinkling his tiny snout in much the same way as Shimmer. "The kingdom doesn't show this place any gratitude."

Well, that's quite a bit worse than I was expecting. This place feels like a less colorful favela from the description.

Which lined up with what Yuna heard from Nikki. Still, she couldn't have imagined anything this bad. The dragapult passed more wooden buildings. Two on her left didn't have proper doors or windows and just had bedsheets clinging desperately to the empty frames. Similar green fuzz was on the sheets.

I'm beginning to understand why Scarlett was so desperate to get out of this place. .-.

Buzzing up beside Scarlett, Igneous hovered over a broken stone chimney. "How many people are supposed to live here, again?"

"Not a lot." Nikki lazily flicked her right arm, passing by broken streetlights with strange pink moss growing on their poles. "Before I left for another year at Horizon, those who were left were living around the central plaza."

Wait, those who were "left", just how big and abandoned is this place?

Scarlett dipped down slightly. "What do you mean 'those who were left?' Did something happen?"

"Just the usual yakuza 'recruitments,'" Nikki scoffed. "Luring folks away with the promise of better shit than this." She gestured to a one-story house whose front half had collapsed on itself. "I know you said you were secretly sending Shredder money, but that can only do so much when the people he'd have to hire to fix this shit won't come to the city."

Well, then. Though I wonder what on earth happened for this place to basically become that one part of Radiance that the crown leaves to rot, or else if Blightsmuth isn't quite as unique as one would initially think.

Yuna: "Seriously, how on earth does this happen? This place is worse than the poor villages back in Aeon, and we're not the ones with an industrial base."

Yuna winced. Aeon's skies might've been choked with ash, but at least their towns weren't dead and decaying like Blightsmuth.

Yeah, I had a feeling. Guess the Spikemuth BGM really is fitting for this place, even if it, uh... feels considerably worse than Spikemuth.

"Can you even call this place a city anymore?" Reshiram wondered.

Does it matter? Yuna countered.

Considering the absolute state of the local architecture, I'm surprised it was ever called a city in the first place.

Ahead of her, Gene whistled and pointed in front of him. Shimmer looked up, then broke into a trot. Nikki jogged after the ponytales.

"What's the rush?" Yuna flew faster, catching up to Igneous and Scarlett.

"Central plaza's a few blocks away," the dragonair replied. Her feathery wings flapped to carry her ahead.

Yuna: "Um, well, people apparently still live there, so it might be less miserable and gross than everything we've seen so far?" .-.

"Ah." Yuna followed her. The buildings up ahead had shifted from decaying wood to a mixture of stones and rocks. And they were actually in one piece. Although there was a large stone wall in the cobblestone road where the wooden houses stopped. Shimmer skidded to a halt by it. And a sigilyph had stopped Gene up ahead.

Oh, well, at least things have become a bit less favela-tier once we reached the part where people still live. Even if I'll take the under on them actually being nice to be in.

"Yo, Gruber!" Nikki's mohawk brightened and she waved at the wall. "Blights out, my guy!"

The rock wall shifted. There was a hidden door at the bottom! Nikki rested her hands behind her head and strolled on through. Shimmer followed her, looking a bit less certain.

Sigilyph floated to the side.

Yuna: "... Wait, why on earth do you need a hidden door? I thought that this was supposed to be a city?"

Nikki: "Meh, it's a bit of a rough neighborhood. Helps keep unwanted visitors out."

"Blights out." Sigilyph's eye glowed blue. He must have been Gruber. "Shredder's waiting up ahead for ya."

Gene nodded and continued forward. The others followed him.

... Or it could be Shredder's residence. That would work too. I suppose we'll find out shortly which of the two options it is.

"Surprised to see you back here, Scarlett," Gruber said. "Thought you were too good for us now."

The dragonair winced. Her feathery wings shrank a bit. Igneous was quick to flutter over to Gruber. "Are we going to have a problem? She's been helping us out, y'know. The same way we're trying to get Shredder to help us."

Gruber looked Igneous over. "No problem here." The sigilyph's eye dimmed. "You can call off your, uh, girlfriend?"

And cue Iggy suddenly turning red as a beet in live-time.

"I'm a guy," Igneous growled, then flew off. Yuna followed him, shooting Gruber a look. He quickly drifted toward the top of the wall, likely pretending he hadn't noticed Yuna.

Snerk, guess Iggy really is owning that twink aesthetic there.

Yuna continued onward, trying to forget that brief awkward spat. The rundown houses and buildings had given way to an open square of uneven cobblestone. There was some sort of caged off battle ring in the middle of the square. A handful of pokémon were off to the sides of it, attention focused on a raised wooden platform. An obstagoon sat atop a large speaker, nodding in time with the beats of a rillaboom drummer. An electabuzz and low key toxtricity were playing on electric guitars, though Yuna had no idea what was powering them.

Well, I suppose that that's one of the upsides of living in a place with nil property values, since I doubt Shredder would be able to do this in a place like Dazzels.

"I brought your twink, Shredder."

Gene had managed to parade Shimmer past the small group of pokémon to the front of the makeshift stage. The music abruptly stopped. The three musicians glanced at the obstagoon, who swung his legs around and hopped off the speaker.

"Well, ain't this a cute little present." Shredder strutted across the stage. "Your weakest link is the crown prince? And here I thought he was running around with that egghead, Demerzel."

>that BGM

Shimmer: "Um, do I really have to be here right now?"

"Th... things changed." God, Shimmer sounded so tiny. Even in the air, Yuna saw his legs shaking. But Shredder was just one obstagoon. How did he compare to, say, a giant, rampaging Vortex?

Shimmer: "Um, you see, the thing is that I didn't exactly fight Vortex, and..."

Nikki: "Yeah, I can already tell we're doomed." >_>;

"You wanted the guy with the least heart." Gene pat the ponytales' back. "And I delivered. I even threw in a couple of your buds... as a little treat." The shadowy mewtwo blew a kiss at Shredder.

Reshiram sighed in Yuna's head. "I knew it."

Knew what?

I think that I'm missing on what Reshiram's getting at here myself. Unless the point was that Gene wanted everyone to come along but was concerned they wouldn't agree to it.

"Oh, for pity's sake." Nikki walked over to them, pinching her brow. "The one time I wish my gaydar steered me wrong." She looked between Gene and Shredder, frowning. "World's on freaking fire! We don't have time for this shit!"

"Ah, ah." Shredder wagged an index finger at Nikki. "World ain't crumbling this second, Sparkplug."

Oh, so Gene and Shredder had a history with each other, huh? An intimate one if Nikki's comment is anything to go by.

Nikki's mohawk turned pink. Was Shredder where the toxtricity picked up her mocking nickname habit?

Judging from Nikki's reaction, that seems like a pretty resounding 'yes' there.

"See, we got us a problem of our own." Shredder gestured out to the small group of pokémon. An espeon and floragato with shabby fur mewled in acknowledgement. "And that problem might funnel its way right into your even bigger problem!"

The obstagoon smushed his hands together. "Maybe we should work together. But I gotta know I can trust you." He glanced at Shimmer. "All of you."

Shimmer: "(I... take it that I shouldn't bring up the whole 'pirates and Dazzels' episode right now, huh?)" .-.
Nikki: "(No shit, Pillow Princess! God, we really are doomed right now.)" >.<

Shimmer's ears folded. "You know I don't agree with what my mothers are doing, right? That's why I—"

"You were grandstanding for the news with that egghead veggie." Shredder pointed accusingly at the ponytales. A couple of dark linoone booed, along with Espeon and Floragato.

Shredder returned his attention to the others. "It's all about trust. Top to bottom." He snapped his claws and pointed at Gene. "And, yeah, that was a double entendre."

Okay, Shredder and Gene confirmed for ex-lovers confirmed from that line there. I suppose that would explain a few things about why Shredder was so intransigent with him earlier.

Yuna rubbed her eyes, wondering if maybe she'd been better off staying in bed.

"This guy was a Crowne Minister?" Reshiram said. "It's like if Nikki tried going into politics..."

Oh lordy, I can already see how that one turned out.

"You want this settled quickly?" Shredder gestured to the caged ring Yuna was floating over. "Battle's the simplest language us pokémon speak. I'll get everything I need with a li'l one-on-one." He leaned over, resting his right arm on his right knee. "Or ya gonna wuss out?"

Everyone's gazes fell on Shimmer, who swallowed hard. "W-Well I'm here, aren't I?"

Shredder: "Yer not exactly fillin’ me with confidence right now, pony-boy."

"Then we got us a rumble!" The obstagoon leaped off the stage, landing beside Shimmer with a hearty thud. "Open the door and let us in!" Shredder barked.

Whelp, it was nice knowing you, Shimmer.

Floragato shot her grassy yo-yo toward the fence. It twirled around a handle and opened a door Yuna didn't even realize was there. The dragapult drifted toward Nikki while Espeon and two linoone ushered Shimmer and Shredder into the ring. [ ]

"So, um, just how troublesome is Shredder?" Yuna whispered. "Cuz, like, Igneous and Noctum said Shimmer was there for the whole Iron Jugulis thing."

Probably might have made sense to transition a bit more to Yuna's internal thought process here, especially if she's starting to get increasingly worried in live-time.

"Oi, Sparkplug! I know you ain't 'boutta just stand there gawking with Blockhead! Get your ass onstage!"

Igneous looked between Nikki and Shredder. "For what?"

"It ain't a rumble without some backing music!" Shredder played air guitar. "C'mon, Sparkplug. I know you've got it down pat." He jerked his head toward the stage, where the low key toxtricity from earlier was holding out an electric guitar.

Oh, so this is going to be a musical episode, huh? It's been a while since we had a lyric drop in this story, so this'll be fun to see play out.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going." Nikki strutted over, nodding and waving at some of the locals. Scarlett glided down atop the speaker where Shredder had been sitting. Nikki swiped the guitar out of the other toxtricity's hands. She ran her left fingers along the cords and looked out toward the ring.

So... odds of Nikki busting out the cover of some REVO music? Since they do make heavy use of electric guitars there. (Even if I'm a little surprised that the Toxtricity are apparently not using their gills at all for this performance.)

"So, um..." Shimmer looked around in confusion. "How exactly do we start th—"

Rillaboom raised his drumsticks and smacked them together.

"A-one! A-two! A-one, two, three!"

Nikki rifled off a quick chord progression and the cage door slammed shut. Shredder rushed Shimmer down, leaving the whinnying ponytales galloping left. He was fast enough to dodge swipes of Shredder's blackened claws.

Oh, so that's what Nikki's going to play for this. It's not quite 'That Person's Name Is...', but it's certainly fitting.

Shimmer skidded across the uneven stone, slinging Ice Shards from his glowing horn. Two plinked off Shredder's gray back before the obstagoon whirled around and swatted the other two aside.

Shimmer:

"Ha! You makin' things drafty?" Shredder then turned around and shouted at Espeon, who was manning the door with Floragato.

"Shred! Shred! Shred! Shred!" the locals chanted.

Yuna frowned. What was Shredder doing?

Is he about to bring in some additional muscle, or...?

She quickly got her answer. A faint blue light appeared around Espeon. And when it did, Shredder's chest and arms beefed up a bit. Yuna spotted a panicked look in Shimmer's eyes. He shot an Ice Beam from the tip of his horn, but Shredder spun around and held up his crossed arms.

Oh, well. That's totally fair there, even if I suppose an Obstagoon would be unlikely to care too much about that.

An X-shaped shield absorbed Shimmer's attack. "Too slow!" Shredder sneered, then he turned and barked at Espeon again. The same faint light appeared... and Shredder's muscles grew even larger.

"All right, now that's what I'm talking about!"

Shimmer: "W-Wait! There wasn't anything at all said about outside help being allowed for this battle!"

Shredder: "There wasn't anything said about it not being allowed, either."

Yuna looked to Nikki, who was too busy with her guitar part. Rillaboom and the other toxtricity backed her up on drums and bass.

"Oh shit." Igneous gasped as Shredder ripped stones out of the ground and flung them at Shimmer.

Igneous: "I swear to god, if this turns out to be some sort of 'will you all actually back each other up?' exercise..."

"What? What did I miss?" Yuna drifted over to the grovlazzle's side, watching Shimmer deflect one stone with a shield, only for the second to strike him square in the snout. The ponytales staggered back, snout bloodied, while the locals whooped and hollered.

"Shred! Shred! Shred! Shred!"

The obstagoon charged Shimmer down, though his steps were slower and lumbering than before.

And then it hit Yuna. Those weird roars from before...

"He used Scary Face on Espeon." Igneous looked over at her. She was reared up, shaking the cage door in excitement. "If Espeon's got Magic Bounce... and Shredder has Defiant..."

"He slowed himself down to raise his own strength?" Rayquaza burst into the back of Yuna's mind. "Forsooth! Tis quite the bit of strategery!"

I mean, this would almost certainly get Shredder canned from any tournament, but you've gotta admit that that's a clever gambit there.

"Shimmer, look out!" Igneous cried. But the ponytales was too dazed from the earlier blow. Shredder's Night Slash swept Shimmer off his feet and flung him all the way right where he smacked against the metal grating and crumpled to the ground.

Well, looks like this battle's pretty close to being over right now.

"That's garbage!" the grovlazzle grabbed the cage in front of him and shook it. "Using Scary Face on the crowd like that?"

"Street rules, bitch!" Shredder countered. "Anything goes!"

Igneous: "Okay, yeah this is some stupid test to see if we'll back each other up as a team, isn't it?" >_>;

"Damn." Gene walked over to Yuna's side, shaking his head. "Maybe I should've lied and picked that dumb purple and white koraidon your kid brought home with him."

Yuna resisted the urge to snap at Gene, instead watching Shimmer fire enough ice from his hooves to freeze Shredder's legs mid-charge. The obstagoon effortlessly shattered the ice, but it still gave Shimmer enough time to fire a Dazzling Gleam from close range. The burst of pink light forced Shredder back, hissing and crossing his arms over his face.

Huh, so Shimmer's actually not being useless for once. I'll admit that part of me wasn't expecting that in the aftermath of the whole Dazzels episode.

Another X-shaped shield formed up, but Shimmer surprisingly didn't press his attack. Yuna expected him to fall for the bait, but the ponytales instead ran away from Shredder.

"Oi, where do you think you're going?"

"Shred! Shred! Shred! Shred!"

Yuna: "Shimmer, what on earth are you doing right now?" .-.

Shredder ripped a couple more stones out of the ground, but Shimmer fired an Ice Beam right when Shredder was reaching down for the second. It froze his left hand and the stone. Eyes widening, Shredder hurled the stone in his right hand toward Shimmer.

"What are you doing?!" Igneous called as Shimmer skirted the stone and reached the steel cage. The ponytales jumped up, spraying icy mist from his hooves. They stuck to the metal grating. The steel cage wobbled as Shimmer ran along the side of it.

Oh, so Shimmer can be clever in a fight himself. Looks like he internalized that 'street rules' comment pretty quickly.

"Nice try, Happy Feet!" Shredder grabbed hold of the opposite end of the steel cage and throttled it. The loose metal grating rippled like it was a set of linens Aeons were trying to air dry.

Horn sparking, Shimmer struggled to maintain his footing.

"Get off, Shimmer!" Igneous begged. He was worryingly into this. Yuna held her tongue, though, because Shimmer's whole body glowed white. The ponytales unleashed a wave of chilly air.

Huh, so Igneous really does have feelings for Shimmer, since I can see that palpable worry just rolling off of him right now.

Hissing, Yuna shrank back toward the stage. The cold stung the dragapult's ectoplasm and she wanted no part of that. When she lowered her arms, she found the whole steel cage iced over, with Shredder's hands stuck to the grating.

... Clever play there.

Before the obstagoon could break the ice around his hands, Shimmer lunged from his position near the top of the steel cage. Fairy dust gathered around his horn. Shredder yanked his now-glowing hands free and swung at the diving Shimmer.

Dazzling Gleam's brilliant pink light collided with Shredder's jet black Night Slashes. A blinding flash forced Yuna to shut her eyes and turn away. Gasps and shouts from the crowd suggested they fared similarly, though somehow Nikki and the other musicians were still playing.

At Rayquaza's urging, Yuna lowered her arms and found Shredder clutching Shimmer by his horn. His black and white face was scuffed up and covered in a layer of pink fairy dust while Shimmer's mane was completely disheveled.

Yuna et al:

"Cut the music!" Shredder ordered, letting go of Shimmer. "I've seen enough."

The ponytales dropped to his rear with a grunt. "Damn it." He shot an apologetic look toward Yuna and her teammates. Gene had turned away, pinching his brow and shaking his head. Igneous looked ready to try and melt the cage and head inside. The small crowd was about to cheer for Shredder claiming victory.

Nikki: "Well, that was the world's most predictable loss there." -_-;

Instead, everyone gasped when Shredder suddenly hoisted a startled Shimmer back up.

"He's got guts!" Shredder bellowed. At first, no one responded to the declaration. After Shredder repeated himself, however, various onlookers raised paws and wings in a delighted cheer. Espeon went to rattle the cage again, only to back off with a hiss upon touching the cold steel. Floragato twirled her yo-yo.

Shimmer stared blankly. "I don't get it."

It's called you did what you needed to to get Shredder onboard, Shimmer. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Yuna thought much the same. "Are we missing something?" she asked Igneous, who could only shrug.

"I never said you had to win, Snowflake." Shredder laughed and thumped a squealing Shimmer's flank. "I wanted to see if you had heart." The obstagoon placed his fist against his chest. "And I saw heart. Freezing the damn cage and lunging for me like a crazed feral after I've buffed up?" He flexed his bulging biceps. "Yeah, that takes real grit! You've changed."

Shimmer: "Um... yay? Also, can I get medical attention now?"

Shredder pointed to Gene. "We're in, Kitten."

Well, someone's still salty with Gene, but a win's a win, there.

The shadowy mewtwo whistled. "Well, damn. Didn't see that coming." He Phantom Warped through the icy cage and floated over to Shredder. Presumably to talk some manner of specifics that Yuna wasn't interested in. She watched Igneous help Shimmer out of the ring. A couple of the linoone patted the ponytales as he went past.

"That was ridiculous," Igneous said, looking Shimmer over. "Are you okay? What were you thinking? You could've—"

Shimmer flinched. "I was, uh, thinking of you?"

Can't tell how Scarlett's going to take this off on the side. Like she said that she was open to Igneous and Shimmer falling for each other, but...

The grovlazzle's head leaf caught fire. "I-I'm sorry?"

"J-Just, y'know, some of the crazier things you've done." Shimmer brushed his forelegs together nervously.

"Well that's— I, uh—"

"Pfffffffbt, your leaves are gonna burn off at this rate, Twiggy!"

Igneous: "... Please tell me nobody's been recording all of this."

Nikki and Scarlett's approach was enough to get Igneous' head leaf to simmer down.

"Something you want to tell us?" The toxtricity fluttered her eyelids at Igneous and Shimmer.

"No." Scowling, the grovlazzle crossed his arms.

"They're feeling things out," Scarlett said.

Igneous: "Scarlett!" >.<
Scarlett: "What? You are."

Igneous's scowl turned to a glare. "Seriously?"

"I'm pretty sure she already knew," the dragonair said.

"Two for two today, baby." Nikki fist-pumped. Scarlett chuckled while Yuna looked between the two in confusion.

Yuna: "Igneous, what on earth are they talking about?"

Igneous: "... I'll explain sometime later. Much later."

Before she could ask what Nikki meant, Gene landed behind Scarlett.

"All right, pack it in. We're taking this conversation back to the base."

"Already?" Nikki raised a brow, then shrugged. "Eh, it ain't like we've got much around here to worry about. Guess we can call it a day early."

They're about to get some bad news in about two seconds, huh?

Gene shook his head. "Far from it. Shredder's gonna tell us about that problem he mentioned earlier. It sounds like we'll have work to do."

The toxtricity slouched. "Grrrrreeeeeat."

Yuna looked past her teammates, where Shredder was organizing the 'mon who'd watched his fight with Shimmer. This was a... strange acquisition for the resistance. And the dragapult figured she wouldn't know what to make of it until she learned exactly what Shredder wanted their help with.

Nikki: "Seriously, would it really be the end of the world if we just got to fart around for a bit at the base without having problems thrown at us?" >_>;

A day lying in bed staring at the wall was long enough for Widget. Valkyrie knew he'd woken up, but the garchomp let him be. She even stopped checking on him, leaving the cosmic silvally to lay around and stew in his thoughts until he reached a firm conclusion.

Those silhouettes were him.

Ah yes, I see someone's still shook by that vision from a couple chapters ago.

Widget finally understood what the emperor meant when he said he'd "drawn from Eternatus itself" to create him. And what being built to "interface directly with the Benefactor" stood for.

The Eterna energy that forged him... was nothing but slumbering souls. Powerful slumbering souls. And Widget was sure they were connected to Leo. The arceus must've "woken" them up.

... So wait, does that mean that Iron Enforcer also has these properties, or...?

All of Widget's fears were true, then. He wasn't his own person. He was never meant to be his own person. Just a machine running off spiritual energy. One that would follow Paradox's will.

Ah, yes. I can see why this realization would make it hard to be motivated to get out of bed. Though that makes me wonder if Widget's will can just be flatly overridden, or if there's a way to prevent that now.

As Widget forced himself out of bed, he wondered what this meant for the Eterna Empire as a whole. Paradox had drilled into him — heck, into everyone, really — the horrors of the Kingdom of Radiance. How their source of electricity, ether, came from the people trying to live their lives within the Empire.

... But at the same time, a lot of stuff inside Eternatus ran on Eterna energy. Paradox had taught him it was a wondrous and limitless power source with no real drawbacks.

Oh, so it's the same thing happening, just with a different actor. That's certainly one way to cut out any slim moral high ground Team Paradox might have had.

It had to be the same as ether, then. Energy drained from spirits. Were they spirits that tried to stop Zodiark, only to end up in stasis instead of reborn like Yuna and the others?

Widget didn't know. And his head pounded from thinking about it. He glanced at the occupied bed next to him. Artemis lay there. The milotic had gotten hit by Leo, too. And now had a similar cosmic makeover for his troubles.

Boy did this BGM wind up becoming more fitting than I was expecting, since... uh... yeah, it works pretty well as an "busy bluescreening with an existential crisis" theme.

"Hey." Widget nudged the side of the bed. "You okay?"

Silence. Artemis' eyes were shut, but Widget didn't think he was sleeping. Ignoring him, then. When this whole thing was Artemis' idea in the first place.

The cosmic silvally nudged Artemis' black-scaled body. "Get up." His tone was firm.

"Why?"

Widget: "... Well, I suppose that gives me an answer to the 'you okay' question, there." .^.

Widget stared blankly. "We have work to do."

Artemis slowly turned and poked an eye open at Widget.

"Why... am I here?"

Because of the wonders of reincarnation and eternal recurrence.

It wasn't surprising Artemis was taking it all even worse than before. Valkyrie muttered about how shaken up he was over Seifer's death. Widget wasn't sure what he could offer the cosmic milotic.

"Because you're trying to help the resistance." It was the best Widget had.

"Not that." Artemis lazily swatted the air with a starcloud ribbon. "Why am... I in this world?"

Again, see above.

Widget's neck ruff dimmed. "Excuse me?"

Artemis shakily pushed his head up. "Xeromus was right. Leo's not the arceus I remember."

Wait, was Artemis saying he was a reincarnated soul, too?

No, more that Xeromus, at least on some level, was correct during his rant about the way things really worked in your world.

The milotic's ribbons shriveled. "I recognized things. Noctum, Valkyrie, Seifer, and Yiazmat." Artemis' breathing was shaky. "We all... we have to be from that first world Yuna mentioned. The one Zodiark fled from, and Giratina pursued." He shook his head. "But Leo's not from there."

He coiled up on the edge of the bed. "Noctum is Palkia. Seifer is Dialga." His eyes darted around nervously. "I let Dialga—"

Yeeeeeeah, considering who Artemis used to be, I can see why he's taking Seifer's death well™️ at the moment.

"Breathe."

Widget stepped to Artemis' side without even thinking. He offered his left shoulder for Artemis to lean against. Artemis stared silently at the cosmic silvally.

"Why are we here?" Artemis whispered. "How could I... let Mighty Dialga—"

I mean, in your defense, but what exactly were you even supposed to do there? .-.

"You can't think like that." Widget nudged Artemis' starcloud ribbon. "We can't think like that."

Artemis raised a brow.

Widget's neck ruff swirled around. "Whatever Leo did... messed with my head, too." He sighed. "It seems like souls from two different universes are reincarnated. I wish I had answers for you, but I don't.

More like two that we know of, since just saying, with the fluff text about what Volo was up to, there's always room for more to be floating around.

"What I do know, is that Leo's frightened." The cosmic silvally looked Artemis in the eye. "He couldn't have expected that to happen. We have to... tell him it's okay."

I'm not really convinced that that will accomplish much given that Leo's basically been camping in a broom closet, but it's worth a shot, at least? ^^;

That was the right thing to do. Widget hoped that between his words and pleading expression, he'd convince Artemis to come with him. Artemis did have his head bowed in thought, but he said nothing.

After a minute, Widget was ready to leave the infirmary when Artemis slithered off the bed.

"I guess you're right." The milotic held his head up. "I've made some serious mistakes. If I don't try to make things right, then I'd be humiliating my past self."

Not really sure that that's the healthiest of motivators there, but... uh... it's something, at least?

Widget nodded, offering Artemis a smile. The two exited the infirmary. Widget found Jade waddling down the hall and she confirmed that Leo was still holed up in the third floor broom closet. They headed over to it and Widget knocked on the door.

"Leo?"

No response. Widget tried again.

"C'mon, Leo. I know you're in there."

Cue the "go away" in response.

Still nothing. Artemis slithered up to Widget's side and jiggled the handle. "Leo, it's Artemis. Look, I'm sorry I pushed you like that. It was wrong of me."

The lock clicked open and the door swung inward, revealing Leo awkwardly seated between shelves stocked with laundry and dishwashing detergent. At least a dozen brightly-colored, empty, crumpled ice cream pints were strewn about the floor. Some had strings of melted ice cream trickling out of them.

Oh, so Leo's basically been doing:

for the last 48-ish hours, huh?

Widget stared blankly at the floor. "Um, does Guzzie know you've been taking this ice cream?"

"No." The cosmic arceus set a half-full pint down beside a bottle of laundry detergent. Minty green melted ice cream stained his facial fur.

I'll just take that as a confirmation there.

"Oh," Widget whispered. Well, this was off to a fantastic start. The cosmic silvally had to save face quickly. "Listen, Leo—"

"We've worked together before, haven't we?"

Widget stepped back. His starcloud ruff condensed. "Huh?"

"I saw it." Leo leaned over and smushed his face into the ice cream container. When he lifted his head up, his face was greener than before. "When I lost control. You were a hydreigon. Begging me to let you summon a human because there was something wrong with this thing called a Worldcore."

Oh, so Leo was an Arceus after all. Though that also confirms that Widget is indeed a once-Voice of Life.

Hydreigon's silhouette flickered in front of Widget. It faced Leo, all the heads at attention.

"Leo, I'm really sorry." Artemis slithered between Widget and the arceus. "It was wrong of me to force you to try and save Seifer. I was... blaming myself for his death, and so I stupidly thought I could use you to fix my mistake."

Leo eyed the milotic. "Yeah, well, I should've tried harder to put my foot down. Lesson learned." He leaned over and sloppily gobbled more ice cream from the pint. When Leo pulled his head up, he squished the now-empty container with his forehead and lazily tipped it over so it fell on the floor beside the others.

Artemis: "I'm pretty sure that's not healthy for you." .-.
Leo: "I'm not really in a position to care right now." >_>;

Well, this wasn't a disaster. But it wasn't going great, either. Widget tucked his head under one of Artemis' starcloud ribbons. "Are you going to be okay? Is there anything we can do for you?"

"More ice cream'd be swell," Leo said.

Artemis and Widget exchanged incredulous looks. Leo glanced at the pile of ice cream pints by his hooves.

"Oh." He blinked slowly. "Guess I overdid it."

Once again, see above.

Leo grabbed a raggedy towel from a metal shelf on his left and wiped his face. He tossed the rag onto the pile of empty pints. "It didn't work... because of Seifer's soul. He's not from the past I know." Leo looked at Widget. "But you and Cyril are."

Oh, so that's why things freaked out there. Though I suppose that that means that Seifer's just dead dead, since the party who could bring him back obviously won't be particularly helpful for the foreseeable future.

Also, I see that you weren't kidding about this story being a sequel akin to how the numbered Xenoblade games relate to each other, since this scenario is very familiar to people coming from XB3.

He stepped over the pile of pints. "How am I supposed to fix things if I don't understand my powers? If I don't understand what's going on?"

His concerns weren't that different from Artemis'. Or Widget's, for that matter. The cosmic silvally looked down guiltily.

"I don't know. For now... I think we have to take it one step at a time." Widget pulled his head back from under Artemis' starcloud ribbon. "And that first step is, y'know, getting out of the broom closet."

I mean, that does sound like a positive first step, yes.

With a nervous laugh, he hastily added, "And not eating your weight in ice cream."

Leo's starcloud mane and tail dimmed. "Yeah. At this rate I'll be thicker than Cyril." He shook his head, sighing. "One of those steps isn't going to have to be talking with Mom, is it?"

I'm surprised that Leo hasn't made himself sick from all that ice cream there. Guess Arceus bodies just work differently.

"I don't follow." Widget tilted his head.

"Mom and Nikki got stoned in my bed and made out with each other," Leo flatly said.

Um... that was a bit more than just making out, but I don't think you're ready for that conversation, Leo.

Silence followed, with Artemis shooting Widget a flabbergasted expression.

"Iiiiiiiii probably shouldn't have said that out loud." Leo tapped a gold forehoof on the floor. "Welp. I guess it be like that."

That was... more of that strange lingo Widget didn't understand. Yet the silvally felt compelled to say something.

That actually makes me wonder if Leo will ever run into someone who just naturally understands his Zoomerspeak or not, or if he'll always be the odd duck out while it's a habit of his.

"It's up to you how you want to handle Yuna."

"Then I'm-a ignore it."

Okay, I definitely know that that isn't a healthy response, but yeah. Hard to blame him when he's got a lot on his mind already.

Leo stepped through a rift and appeared beside Widget. "If it happens again, I'll just douse 'em with my splash plate." His wheel shifted from gold to blue.

Widget doubted that was a healthy approach, but he wasn't going to criticize. He'd actually gotten the arceus out of the broom closet.

I snerked.

"So, what now?" Leo looked around. "Seems kinda dead around here."

"About that..." Artemis slithered out of the broom closet, a ribbon pressed against his head. "It sounds like Gene's back. And calling for a team meeting in the hangar."

Artemis: "So this was actually really good timing on your part." ^^;

Widget raised a brow. "What's it about?"

"Blightsmuth's old Crowne Minister is here," Artemis said. "Apparently, he has some information that might be connected to the Empire."

Well that one will be interesting to see play out there. Though that's certainly vague.

Leo and Widget exchanged confused looks. Blightsmuth was where Nikki was from, right? This didn't sound good.

"I guess we're going to the hanger, then," Widget said.

He didn't know what to expect. But as Leo opened up a rift to bring them to the hanger, he hoped it didn't mean they'd have to jump right back into the fray.

They're totally going to have to jump right back into the fray, I can already tell.

Alright, a bit chunkier than I expected things to be, but there was a lot that went down in that chapter there. In no particular order, we teed up an imminent encounter with Xander and two other Paradigm lieutenants in the imminent future, squared away an entire plotline involving Blightsmuth, Shimmer stopped being useless for once, and Leo finally got out of the broom closet. Guess that's a sign that that plot lull that kicked in once Seifer bit it is just about done. On one level, I kinda wonder if the Blightsmuth sequence was a bit accelerated, but everything here otherwise felt well-placed for moving things forward plot-wise.

Beyond the obvious of "I wish we got to do more in Blightsmuth", there... isn't a whole lot to nitpick about this chapter, really. There was one spot in particular during Shimmer's cage match with Shredder where I thought that you cut a bit suddenly for Yuna's train of thought. There might have been others, but the content that was there honestly kept me too engrossed to really notice things.

Glad to be a bit closer to being caught up again, @Ambyssin . It'll be a bit of a lift since I've run into the perennial issue of more content than time to tackle for Review Blitz, but you've certainly left a lot for me to look forward to in these last couple chapters before I get current.

 

[Ambyssin]

Chapter 105: Diamonds in the Rough​

"Can I ask you something?"

Nickie's question prompted Tessa to lift her head up from the Kecleon Mart catalog she was flipping through. "Sure."

"Your dad... is he always so serious?"

Tessa blinked a few times. "Is this about the meeting?"

"Yeeeeaaaah." Nickie pawed at the edge of her cushion. "I mean, he didn't yell at us or anything. But that look on his face was so stern." Her shaved tails puffed up a bit. "Gives me the heebie-jeebies."

"Ah." Tessa rubbed one of her aura feelers. "When it comes to guild business, he gets very... focused. But outside of work, he's gentler. Promise!"

Nickie's snout twitched. "So, uh, can we, y'know, see him? Outside of work? You're his kid, right? Shouldn't be hard."

"Sure?" Tessa shrugged. It sounded easy enough.

"It'd help settle my nerves."

"Right." Tessa turned the page in her catalog. "Then I'll make it happen."

XxX​

Jubilife TV's interior was devoid of people. That Paradigm lieutenant must have cleared everyone out. Yuna floated past tables with metal food trays full of bagels, rolls, and other pastries. Some of them had mold patches.

The dragapult headed up the stairs and peeked into a studio. Nothing but a bright pink stage with lights and cameras pointed at it.

Yuna glanced at her griseous core. I could really use a sign right now. She had no idea how long Gene and Vegna could stall outside. She heard occasional muffled thumps and thuds. How close were they to the building?

"Yo, Princess! Think I got something!"

Nikki leaped down from higher up the stairwell. "There's a funny glow coming from the top floor."

Yuna flew up the stairs. Nikki ran alongside her. The blasts she heard before were even quieter now. Though if this was a fancy broadcast building, Yuna supposed it made sense it would be built to dampen outside noise.

The studio on the third floor was even pinker than the one below it. Fur boas and sequined dresses full of sparkles littered the floor beside the circular stage. Even the cameras and spotlights were covered in pink fur and doused in glitter.

"Yeah, Xander was definitely here." Nikki's nostrils twitched. She clapped her hands together and conjured poison globules. The toxtricity tossed them over her shoulder, where they smeared a pinup poster of Xander in fishnets and a corset on the wall behind them. Yuna had floated right past it without even noticing it. And now she wished she could have remained blissfully ignorant of its existence.

"I can take a gaaaaawmd guess what this guy dreams about," Cresselia said.

"The vibes in here are rancid." Shaymin sighed and shook his head. "Find that Needle."

"So, where was the glowing?" Yuna looked around. All the glitter and sequins made it tough to tell.

"That door in the corner." Nikki walked up to the dragapult's side and pointed to a shut door with a big white heart on it. Thin gold light trickled through cracks between the door and the floor and ceiling.

"Worth a shot." Yuna quickly hovered toward the door. She grabbed the handle and, predictably, it wouldn't turn.

"Hey, do you think you could unlock it by phasing through the locking mechanisms?" Reshiram wondered.

Yuna blinked. She hadn't really thought of that before. Mainly because she didn't understand locking mechanisms that well.

Another muffled explosion told her to stop overthinking. She pressed her right hand against the door... and phased through it! Yuna felt around until her hand brushed against pins that were docked into small metal pegs. She slid them out of the pegs and found her left hand able to open the handle.

"I'm in." Yuna pushed the door open and was greeted with racks full of dresses, skintight latex and leather suits, and... other strange pieces of cloth and fabric that made Yuna want to turn and leave.

"Why didn't you just phase through the door?" Nikki walked over, scratching her head.

"I didn't want to leave you out here," Yuna said, rubbing her right arm. As if on cue, she heard another muffled blast.

The toxtricity's mohawk turned pink. "O-Oh." She stuck her hands into her pockets. "Thanks."

Nodding, Yuna forced her way past all the clothing. Sure enough, the Needle was in the back of the room, in front of a big, heart-shaped mirror. She'd admire the tackiness if she wasn't in a hurry.

Yet, as Yuna floated closer, apprehension ate at her.

This was it, wasn't it? The final Needle. The last Sage who sealed themselves away.

... At least, assuming Vegna told the truth.

"He genuinely believes this is it," Reshiram reminded the dragapult. "Worst case, he's wrong. Not outright lying."

That didn't bring Yuna much in the way of comfort. But she couldn't delay any further. Ignoring her reflection in the mirror, she reached out and grabbed the Needle.

XxX​

"Y'know, I've never really thought about it. You came up with this custom, didn't you?"

Diancie turned, twirling a chisel around in her right hand. She looked expectantly at Bahamut, who lay on her granite floor, gazing at the gemstones in the ceiling.

"I did." The light dragon crossed one large gold crystal leg over the other.

"Why?" Diancie wondered.

Bahamut did his best not to let any irritation show. He really didn't want to go down this buneary hole. Too specific an explanation and he might have to divulge things he'd rather keep to himself.

"Diamonds form under intense heat and pressure." Bahamut lazily raised his upper wings and pressed them together. "Great stress leads to something beautiful."

He tilted his head left and cracked a grin. "Sounds a lot like partnership or marriage, doesn't it?"

Diancie tapped the chisel against her chin. "Hmm." She turned back to the purple and gold crystal behind her. "A beautiful marriage enduring stress." Diancie chiseled away at the diamond. "And what happens when the union doesn't work?"

Bahamut dimmed. Of course she'd ask that. Good thing he had an answer ready.

"Even a diamond can crack under intense enough strain."

The chinks of chisel on diamond and tinks of tiny diamond chunks dropping to the floor prevented the room from falling into total silence. Diancie continued chipping off misshapen purple and gold fragments.

"Are you worried that will happen with Chiron?" she wondered.

Bahamut's head tendrils shrank. "That's—"

He folded his upper wings between two of his chest spikes.

"I believe her feelings are genuine."

Diancie paused with the chisel near the bottom left corner of the diamond. "That doesn't answer my question, sir."

Aaaaand that sent Bahamut's tail straight into his torso. For pity's sake, he was supposed to have kicked that habit. And now he needed something to settle down with.

"Thou fair-haired angel of the evening, now, whilst the sun rests on the mountains," he whispered. "Light thy bright torch of love, thy radiant crown put on, and smile upon our evening bed."

That managed to coax his tail back out. Good.

"Your cryptic poems aren't an answer eiiiiitheeeer~" Diancie sang, cheerfully chiseling away at the diamond.

Aaaaaand back in went the tail.

Bahamut threw his upper wings over his head.

"Okay, yes, I am worried about screwing this up." His upper wings flopped at his sides. "What else am I supposed to say?"

Diancie smirked. "That you were too proud to admit it without some teeth pulling."

Bahamut's rainbow eyes swirled around. "But I don't have teeth..."

The look Diancie gave him hastily made the light dragon add, "Joke!" He raised his lower wings and waved them around. "It was a joke, I swear!"

Sighing, Diancie grabbed the chisel and returned her attention to the diamond. "I'm gonna get Reshiram if you keep beating around the bush."

"Fine. Fine!" Bahamut's gold shifted to an irate orange. He had to breathe. "Enamorus' title exists to spread the idea of love. The beauty of love."

At least he managed to get the tail out again. "If people learned the guy who crafted the Sage of Love doesn't have the slightest inkling about romance and relationships..."

His light rippled and frazzled. "It could make them restless. The kind of restlessness that could... draw it here."

The light dragon's expression hardened. "I won't let it destroy m— our home."

Diancie fumbled her chisel but managed to catch it before it fell to the floor. "Ah, right. Yes. That, erm, would make sense, sir."

Bahamut sat up. "Watch your tone. I'm not here saying the fate of the world hinges on this or anything."

"Y-Yessir." Diancie swallowed hard. She chiseled at a few more points on the diamond. "Well, uh, your proposal gift's... ready to rock."

Bahamut glared harder. Of all the times for a ridiculous rock pun.

Laughing nervously, Diancie rested her right hand on the diamond. "S-Sorry, sir. Couldn't help it." She offered a sincere smile. "Even though you're nervous, we're all rooting for you two."

Well, that was nice to hear. Bahamut saw his intense, albeit distorted, reflection in the diamond. He softened his expression a bit.

"Thank you." The dragon pointed an upper wing at the gem. "In more ways than one."

"Don't mention it." Diancie put her tiny hands on her hips. "And, hey, maybe if things go well, you'll consider dropping the whole 'Sages can't court' thing?"

The glare returned. Was all this some ulterior motive? Had Lugia put her up to this? Stars above, she was more than a pain in his ass. He'd have scouted for replacements, but Chiron was fond of her...

"Let's just... take things one day at a time." Bahamut levitated the gem beside him. "Proposal first. We'll see what happens from there."

He flicked an upper wing. Rather than the door opening, a wormhole formed underneath Bahamut. He lazily saluted Diancie with an upper wing as he sank into it.

Bahamut had the gem. And some reassurance. This would work. It had to work.

XxX​

As the memory faded and the dressing room's brightly lit ceiling came into view, Yuna lay on the floor, shuddering.

This didn't make any sense. Why did she see things through Bahamut's eyes? Every other memory was Chiron's. Because the two were connected!

But his ethereal body rippling... and his tail shooting into his body. They were just like... just like...

"Princess? Princess, say something!"

Nikki's shoves jostled the dragapult. But Yuna stayed silent, gaze still fixed on the ceiling.

What could this mean?

"Snap out of it!"

Scaly hands grabbed Yuna's torso. The ceiling got closer, then shook violently.

Nikki's face came into view. The toxtricity was holding her... and shaking Yuna despite her larger size.

"C'mon, Princess!" Worry spread across Nikki's face. "Stay with me!"

The icy vulpix rolled Tessa over on her back. "Can you hear me? Did the reviver go off? C'mon, Tess, say something!"

"Nnngh." Blinking rapidly, Yuna pushed Nikki's arms away and drifted back. She glimpsed Diancie's silhouette from the corner of her eyes.

"I—" Yuna started, but her tail crinkled. She looked at some of the fuzzy scarves on a rack in front of her.

Deep breaths.

Her griseous core tingled in her chest. Was Yaldabaoth trying to interject?

Ignore them. Deep breaths.

Not that the dragapult had lungs. But the air steadied her ectoplasm. The ripples and quivering died down.

"I got a memory of Bahamut." Yuna suppressed a shudder. "All my other memories were Chiron's. Which I thought made sense. But this one..."

Saying it out loud proved difficult.

"What?" Nikki stepped closer, head tilted.

"Bahamut acted... kinda like me." Yuna's tail started to retreat into her torso. "Like that." She pointed at the tail like it had a mind of his own. "His tail would do that, too. And his body would ripple and jiggle like my ectoplasm."

Nikki raised a brow. "Meaning?"

Yuna threw her arms up. "That we're, like, related somehow."

"Uh-huuuuuh." Nikki lazily strutted away from Yuna, resting her hands behind her head. "And that's surprising becaaaaaaaaause?"

"Because I used to be..." Yuna's voice trailed off. She looked down at her wispy feet, then massaged her tail with them until it was fully out of her torso.

"I take it you caught on?" Nikki said, smirking.

Yuna drifted right and draped herself over an empty chair. "If I'm really Giratina, and Bahamut had Giratina's power, then I guess it makes sense. He had a part of my soul, after all."

"Exactly."

Nikki smacked Yuna's back. Meeping, Yuna faceplanted onto the seat of the chair. "Owwww..." She squirmed around to sit backwards on the chair, curling her tail around its legs.

"Whoops." Nikki wiggled the fingers of her raised hand. "But, hey, at least you're not freaking out anymore, right?"

The dragapult hardly considered that a consolation. Besides, there were bigger things to worry about. Namely...

"Um, did anything happen after I pulled the Needle?" Yuna wondered.

"Like what?" Nikki asked.

Yuna shrugged. "I dunno. The room shaking? Some ripples of distortion or colorful lights?"

She got a blank look from Nikki. "Uhh, I guess I heard some more explosions in the distance?" the toxtricity said. "But they completely stopped a little while before you woke up."

Yuna glanced down at her griseous core. It sat in her chest, slowly pulsating like it usually did.

Now that was strange. Wouldn't Giratina have reacted to Yuna severing the connection between Eternatus and the reverse world?

"Ahem."

A dainty throat clearing drew Yuna's attention toward the mirror, where Diancie still floated. The Sage wore a confused expression.

"Ah. You, uh, probably have a lot of questions," Yuna said, pressing her brow into the back of the chair.

Diancie nodded. "Talk about bizarre first impressions. You and your girlfriend sneak away from work to canoodle or something?" She looked around the room. "This place would... certainly accommodate that."

"G-Girlfriend?" Yuna squeaked. When her tail shot into her torso, it shifted her weight enough to tip the chair backward. "Wh— eep!"

Arms flailing, Yuna floated into the air before the chair fell over with an unimpressive thud.

"We're not— that's just—"

"We're partners trying to save the universe, Rocky," Nikki scoffed, crossing her arms. "What are you, the Sage of Assumptions? You don't got the backside for it." She laughed to herself.

"Sage of Resilience, actually." If Diancie was annoyed, she didn't show it. She twirled around and gazed at her reflection. "Diamonds are resilient, after all. At least, that was Bahamut's take."

"Pssssht." Nikki bent over to stand the chair back up. "Like anything that asshole says is worth a damn."

That got an irritated look from Diancie. "Excuse me?"

Yuna chose to stop this before things got heated. The griseous core flickered, then sucked a startled Diancie inside. "The others can catch you up," she whispered to the core.

Chaos energy tickled her ectoplasm from the edges of the core. It felt like Giratina reacting to the new presence, so Yuna ignored it.

Something still felt off to her, but at least Yuna now knew which Sage was unaccounted for. And with the last Needle pulled, what did that mean for Necrozma and Vegna?

"Okay. Guess it's settled." Nikki clapped her hands together. "We should get out of here, right? You think Gene's okay?"

Before Yuna had the chance to respond, the room violently shook. Clothing racks toppled over, leaving a veritable rainbow of fabrics strewn across the floor.

"The hell? Is this an earthquake?" Nikki jumped to Yuna's side. "Princess, you gotta get us outta here!"

"But Necrozma blocks rifts." Yuna's tail crinkled. She'd have to fly Nikki out.

Seconds later, however, the dressing room door was violently torn off its hinges. The wall surrounding it crumbled away.

Yuna darted protectively in front of Nikki, ready to summon Rayquaza to her aid. But an unseen force grabbed hold of the dragapult. The next thing she knew, they were both flung face-first and screaming into a jagged purple rift.

XxX​

Between the Needle in Jubilife and the Empire popping up in Khelifet, the outpost was a flurry of activity. Enough for Guzzie to close the restaurant and, despite his son's protests, the arena. That gave Widget plenty of space to slink off to while everyone else ran around coordinating things.

The cosmic silvally barely paid attention to Xander's broadcast. He was still too preoccupied with what had happened to him. And Leo.

Which was why he was currently pacing along the edge of the arena, waiting for the cosmic arceus to come by.

Yes, Widget felt guilty worrying about himself with everything else going on. But this was like a pervasive itch he couldn't scratch. If Widget couldn't get to the bottom of things, he'd go crazy.

"'Sup. Brought the lizard."

Widget looked up in time to duck under a flailing Vince. The purple koraidon landed behind him and rolled to a stop, groaning loudly. The fluttering of wings preceded Alder landing next to him.

"What was that for? I can walk, y'know." Vince staggered to his feet and shook himself out.

"You're twitchyAF." Leo walked across the air until he was between Vince and Widget. "You were totes gonna bolt."

"Bolt to where?" Vince looked down, scowling. "I can't go anywhere without my powers. I'm practically your prisoner!"

"You really wanna have that argument?" Leo squinted at Vince, whose feathered antennae drooped.

Sighing, Vince looked at Widget. "What do you want?"

The cosmic silvally gestured to Alder and Vince. "Between your Lorekeeper and Overseer stuff, I was wondering if either of you knew something about an entity known as a Voice."

Judging by Alder's pensive expression and Vince's startled one, Widget had hit on something. The braviary levitated a book out of his crest and flipped through it.

Vince pawed nervously at the ground. "W-Where did you hear that?"

"From myself," Widget flatly replied. He tucked his head down. "When Leo and I... worked on Seifer the other day, I saw... silhouettes of a bunch of pokémon. And they were, like, pointing at me. Calling me Voice."

He shuddered. "Ever since, something's felt... off. Like my scales are crawling under my fur and I want to rip them out."

Vince shrank back from Widget's visceral description. Alder cut in before the purple koraidon could say anything. "I do have something. The Voice of Life." He tapped the page of his open book with a wing. "Says here they embody the will of the world and all the souls that inhabit it."

Widget's crest fanned out. "Ah! I think... I think that's it!" He repeated the phrase to himself a few times. His scales tingled and his fur stood on end. "But what do you mean by that 'will of the world' stuff?"

The braviary flipped the page. "The Voice of Life helps to keep the world in balance through preserving spiritual integrity," he explained, reading off the page. "Whether a force of nature or a living being themselves, the Voice of Life can work directly with a person's soul, even drawing spirits in from nearby worlds and empowering them in times of crisis."

With that last sentence, Widget jolted. The arena's gray floor disappeared from under his feet, replaced by a serene blue sky. He watched a pikachu fall through the air, limbs flailing, until they disappeared through the trees below.

A sharp breath brought Widget back to attention.

What was that, a memory? His memory?

"There can be other Voices, too," Vince said, looking around. "Though that's more applicable to Overseers. Most worlds only have a Voice of Life. And if there's knowledge of that stuff, it's usually kept to legendary pokémon. Voices will frequently work with them, aiding in a world's creation or tweaking its design to keep things balanced."

He shot Leo a look. Widget followed Vince's gaze, frowning.

"So then... when Leo kept calling me his brother, he wasn't just being silly?"

"I blurted that stuff out whenever it happened," Leo confessed. He brushed a golden forehoof back and forth on the metallic ground. "In hindsight, though..." He glanced at Alder, who nodded.

"If we're to assume that Leo is the creator, then it would make sense for him to feel a connection with the universe's Voice." Alder pointed at Widget with his right wing.

Widget's starcloud neck ruff deflated. Something about that bothered him. Why did he see all those silhouettes of other pokémon, then? And what about Xeromus' ranting in Herbrides? Not to mention...

"The emperor created me," the cosmic silvally muttered. "But I'm pretty sure he doesn't know about this stuff. Did he somehow make a Voice by complete accident? Or did... did..."

He stepped back, avoiding eye contact with Leo.

Did Leo put the Voice inside me with that blessing?

Both options unsettled him. They leaned toward his worst fears. That his identity wasn't his own. His thoughts, actions— none of it was really his.

"Get back!"

Leo's cry jolted Widget. The cosmic arceus stepped in front of him, wheel glowing brightly. A jagged rift sat in the middle of the arena.

Trouble?

"Waaaaaaah!"

Nikki's cry came seconds before she and Yuna hit the arena floor and skidded to a stop beside Leo.

"What the hell, dude?!" Nikki growled, rubbing her head.

The rift faded to reveal a mega mewtwo floating above everyone. Widget thought he sensed Gene's aura, but those black lattices and red Malice Crystals sent a horrid chill down his spine. As did the red core in Gene's chest. It was practically staring Widget down. The cosmic silvally's scales crawled even more than they did earlier.

... Wait. That lattice! He'd seen it the other day in Herbrides. As a silhouette around Gene.

It's been too long, Voice.

"Dark Matter?"

Widget whispered the words without even realizing it. Heads whipped in his direction. There was a flash of recognition in Leo's eyes, confusion in Nikki's, panic in Vince's... and curiosity in Alder's, who was glancing between Gene and the rapidly turning pages of his open book.

"So, you figured it out." Gene remained above everyone. There was a strange distortion to his voice that soon faded with the intense red glow from his chest.

"Figured what out?" Nikki pushed herself up. She pointed accusingly at Gene. "Makeovers don't excuse pulling that shit on us!"

"My bad." Gene didn't sound the least bit sorry. He quickly focused on Leo and Widget. "Us three are connected."

He pointed to Leo. "The creator."

Then to Widget. "The source of balance and spirituality."

And finally Gene pointed at himself. "And the source of emptiness and negativity."

Silence followed, with everyone aside from the three Gene pointed to exchanging uneasy looks.

... Then Nikki audibly snrked. And the snrk turned to laughter. The toxtricity leaned forward and rested her hands on her knees.

"Um, Nikki?" Yuna nudged her side with her large tail.

A few deep breaths stopped Nikki's laughter. "Sorry. But, like, c'mon." She gestured at Gene with both arms. "Boss Kitty's basically telling us he's the god of edgelords! How can you not laugh at that?"

Widget rubbed his chitinous forelegs together nervously. "Should we, um, be worried about what this means for the resistance?"

"No." Gene waved the cosmic silvally off. "I'm still me. Just like Princess is still Princess." He glanced at the dragapult, specifically the amber crystal in her chest.

"Besides, I'm not the only one who put himself back together."

"Eh?" Widget's crest tightened. "What's that supposed to—"

"Release me at once, you wretched gremlin!"

With an amused swish of his starcloud tail, Gene levitated forward... a squirming lucario? His pelt had the same starry motif as Leo and Widget's. He glared daggers at the mega mewtwo.

(Art by Raph.)

"All that power you so desperately craved is forever out of your reach, buddy," Gene said, ignoring everyone's confused expressions. "It went back to its rightful owner." He pointed to Yuna. "And if you even think about splitting yourself again, I'll put you right back together."

Blinking slowly, Widget realized what Gene's taunt meant.

"That's Bahamut?" he said, eyeing the starry lucario. "Did you fix him?"

It didn't make any sense. Wasn't he supposed to be some giant dragon of light? Or at least a smaller lump of black crystals?

"I did." Gene smirked at the cosmic silvally. "Pretty sure Princess was aware of this already, but for the rest of you who didn't put two and two together... Vegna was the missing soul."

"Seriously?!" Widget squawked, starcloud ruff puffing. He glanced at the others as if waiting for someone else to let their shock be known.

Except that didn't happen. Leo's expression hadn't changed. Hell, even Nikki wasn't phased. And she was the first one to open her big mouth at times like these.

The toxtricity caught his gaze. "I already knew that. No math required." Smirking, she adjusted the sides of her jacket.

"Same." Leo tapped a forehoof against the floor. "I eavesdropped on you yelling at Vegna. You called me his son."

"You're not my son." Bahamut had given up fighting against Gene's psychic grip. His expression remained fierce, however. His eyes had a fire behind them that sent a chill up Widget's spine. Almost as much as that red gem in Gene's chest.

"You may share his name — his color scheme, even — but you're not him." The cosmic lucario side-eyed Gene. "You're supposed to be a powerful psychic. You can see it. Yet you refuse to admit the truth out loud. Instead, you yelled at Vegna."

Widget frowned. Some part of him didn't like Bahamut dismissively referring to Vegna like he was someone else entirely. It brought that itching in his scales back. Was this a Voice of Life reflex? If it was, he could do without it.

"To be honest, I was hoping now that you're whole again you might be able to fill in some of those gaps." Gene tapped his right temple. "We're still missing pieces of the bigger picture."

Yuna's tail curled up. She fidgeted nervously. Widget was about to ask her what was up when she said, "You told me as much the other day. That a lot of your memories were fuzzy."

Something was off with Yuna's tone. Like she had pivoted from what she wanted to say at the last second.

As much as Widget wanted to press her, he let it slide. He focused on Bahamut instead. The lucario was silent. In fact, he'd shut his eyes. Was he ignoring them?

"Yo, Mutt." Nikki's mohawk crackled. "Cold shoulder ain't helping anyone."

"Then tell Mewtwo to release me." Bahamut glared at Gene. "It is difficult to think straight when one's stuck in a psychic snare."

Gene squinted. "Are you going to behave?"

"I'm not threatening anyone," Bahamut countered.

Rolling his eyes, Gene snapped his fingers. The blue glow surrounding Bahamut faded. But the moment the cosmic lucario hit the ground, he sprinted toward Yuna.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Bahamut conjured a blade of light... maybe a custom Bone Rush or Psycho Cut? He swung the light blade only to strike Gene's purple and black spoon. Motes of light and shadows hit the ground around Gene and Bahamut.

Widget backed away nervously. The red gem in Gene's chest was glowing again.

"I knew you'd try it, bastard." Gene's voice had gotten deeper and guttural again. But whatever he was doing was pushing Bahamut back. The flat of Gene's spoon broke the light blade and the cosmic lucario was forced to jump away. He kept his paws raised like he was ready to try and strike again.

(Art by Raph.)

"She has my power," Bahamut snarled. He conjured another light blade and pointed it at Yuna. "Mine and Chiron's!"

"She has her power back," Gene corrected. The glow in his chest gem faded. "As for the Paradigm fragments that belonged to Chiron... c'mon. Think." He tapped his right temple again. "Why would aspects of both you and Chiron end up with Yuna?" His starcloud tail pointed at the dragapult.

Widget caught a flash of shock in Yuna's eyes.

"No." Her ectoplasm rippled, then her tail shot into her torso. "You can't be serious."

Bahamut's eyes widened. His starry tail crinkled in much the same way Widget had seen Yuna's do time and time again.

The cosmic lucario stepped back. "That's... impossible."

That was when it sank in for him. The cosmic silvally's beak hung open. How was it possible?

"Oi!" Nikki's mohawk sparked. "Someone wanna loop the rest of us in?"

The amber gem in Yuna's chest crackled. Squeaking, she covered it with her arms. Bahamut looked away, his expression stern once again.

Sighing, Gene shook his head. "Guess it falls to me, then." He crossed his arms. "Princess here? She's Bahamut and Chiron's other kid."

"Oh, okay."

Yuna shot Nikki a look of disbelief. The toxtricity must not have initially realized what Gene said, because a few seconds later her mohawk grew and turned bright red.

"Wait, that's not okay!" Nikki threw her arms up in disbelief. "That's freaking insane! It doesn't even make any sense!"

"Really now?" Gene paced back and forth on the metal floor. "Think about it. Why has Princess been able to interface with everything in Eternatus so easily? How could she pull all those Needles and get weird memory visions? How did her lost chaos powers return to her?"

"Because she's Giratina," Nikki said, though her wavering tone and shrinking mohawk made her sound quite uncertain.

The mega mewtwo pointed at Bahamut and Yuna. "Well, that soul of hers had to reincarnate somehow. Same as the lot of us. And the easiest way for all that to add up is if she's his kid."

"But—"

Gene held his hands up. "I'm not entertaining questions. We've got work to do."

Widget tilted his head, then remembered the small contingent that had gone off to investigate Khelifet. He hadn't even bothered checking in on any updates about that.

"What?" Bahamut's aura feelers stiffened. "You can't espouse such insanity and then waltz off like it's not your problem."

"Watch me." Gene sarcastically saluted Bahamut and flew back toward the restaurant, ignoring Nikki and Vince's shouting to stop.

Widget sat down, his head still spinning. He could scarcely imagine what was going through Yuna's head. She stared blankly at Bahamut, who was doing everything in his power not to look at her.

"Well then." Laughing nervously, Alder waved his right wing. "Perhaps I should give you all some space for your family reunion."

The braviary flapped his wings and flew toward the restaurant. A second later, Vince sprinted after him. "H-Hey, don't leave me with them!" the purple koraidon cried. "I can't do awkward silences!"

After a short time passed, Leo finally broke said awkward silence, walking toward Bahamut. The cosmic arceus loomed over him thanks to Leo's plate-induced growth spurts.

"So, like, are you my gramps, then?" Leo wondered. "This geezer's kinda cringe, but I guess I can roll with it."

That got under Bahamut's skin... assuming he actually had any. The cosmic lucario's aura feelers curled.

"What are you talking about?" he growled. "Cringe isn't even an adjective!"

Widget took that as his cue to excuse himself. "Uh, I should... go help Gene out."

He shifted into flight mode and took off into the air, eager to get as far away from those two as possible. There were still things Widget needed to address with Leo, of course. But he supposed those would have to wait for another time. He just hoped the resistance's newest acquisition would simmer down. Otherwise, they were going to have a massive headache on their hands.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Heya, this one didn’t quite get out as planned last night, but I whipped up a double-feature review in order to be caught up in time for today’s bump. Don’t feel like reformatting things to shove everything into one big review so so let's see where things go by kicking off with

Chapter 103

Spoiler: Line-by-Line

"So, um, I went over to Aeon Town. Like you asked."

Hydreigon looked up from his half-eaten, oversized bowl of stew. The latias lying on a cushion across from him nervously fidgeted with her claws.

"Oh, you did? Wow, that was fast!" Hydreigon spoke through his main head while his right head-hand continued slurping up stew. His left head-hand squinted at him. "Err, n-not that I wouldn't expect you to be fast or anything, Blossom. You're one of the best fliers around."

Oh, so POV-2020's Voice of Life was the one with the relationship with

in this story. Duly noted.

Blossom blinked. "Um, thanks?"

They stared in awkward silence that was broken by the slurping of stew broth. Blossom's wings twitched. "Are you, uh, curious what I saw?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes! Of course! Very curious!" Hydreigon nodded all three heads, including the one that was half submerged in the bowl.

That doesn't sound very curious there, just saying.

Blossom's neck got splattered with broth for her troubles.

Yeeeeeah, this is why you don't attempt to hold a conversation while you eat, Hydreigon.

"Ah, sorry! Terribly sorry!" Hydreigon forced his right head-hand out of the bowl and drifted away from it. "So, um, what did you find?" He grabbed a small dish towel and tossed it to the latias.

"There was something off in Aeon Town, just as you thought," Blossom explained as she cleaned the broth off her feathers. "But, well... I think it's coming from one of the guildmasters?"

Hydreigon's six eyes widened. "Th-the guildmasters?" He poked his head-hands together. "Oh dear. That sounds, y'know, not good."

Wait, is that referring to Volcarona/Igneous there, or...? Though whatever it is, it clearly worried Hydreigon quite a bit.

"I'm not really sure how to describe it." Blossom's feathers stood on end. "One of the lucario... has something off about his aura. But whenever I tried to probe more, I got a terrible headache — like the whole room was spinning — and had to stop."

"I see." Hydreigon looked down. "W-Well, even so. You've been very helpful." He forced a grin onto all three heads. "I'm sure if I do some digging, I can get to the bottom of things."

Oh, so that's what Volo got isekaied to POV-2020 as.

"Are you #4realz, Cassius? What are we waiting around for? These dumbasses gonna roll out a #RedCarpet on us?"

Xander stood on a towel he'd placed in the middle of a dusty courtyard. The sylveon eyed the front door of the gaudy orange mansion in front of him. He wasn't sure what was dumber: the sides of the house resembling flexing arms or the fact that this whole building was underground. Seriously, how did the hell did this place go undetected by Radiance's police?

At first I thought that Xander was in Scale City, but no, this one's definitely new.

From his place on the mansion's front stoop, Cassius shrugged. "Don Giuseppe works in mysterious ways." The Mr. Rime adjusted his hat. "No doubt he's making sure things are ready for Turian."

Ah, the Medicis, I presume.

Harsh coughing drew Xander's attention to his right. A balding and sickly ursaluna hacked up a mouthful of green-yellow phlegm. Xander put a ribbon over his snout and turned away. The snot reeked as bad as any pure poison-type muk. At least before this Xander could walk away from it.

Oh, so that's the Bloodmoon Ursaluna that was hinted at last chapter.

"You did remember the other part of this package deal, yes?" Cassius said, watching Turian cough up more phlegm.

"Bitch, please." Xander flicked a ribbon dismissively. As if he'd actually forget. He jerked his head in Iron Enforcer's direction. "Show him."

The robotic type: null's back opened. A metal arm emerged clutching a test tube filled with glowing red fluid.

[As ordered.] Iron Enforcer retracted the arm into its back. [Is the subject still viable?]

Ah yes, that's totally not suspicious or hazardous to one's health at all there.

"She was as of five minutes ago." Cassius had conjured icy playing cards in his hands and shuffled them. "The Don doesn't have the sleight of hand for any fast ones. The transfer should work exactly as we expect it to. No surprises in this deck."

"Puh-leeze lay off the card metaphors." Xander shook his head. "It's cringe."

Cassius: "... I'm going to hate this little fairy, I can already tell."

Before the Mr. Rime could retort, the front door flew open. A guitar and bass riff echoed through the dusty courtyard.

"Hmm?" The sylveon raised a brow.

"Whazzup, Empire bros?!"

Well, that song was unexpected there. Though I'm guessing this is that one Grapploct or whoever it was from the Medicis that was engaging in brospeak in a couple past chapters.

Xander saw a flicker of red in the doorway. On instinct, he jumped back and pulled out his uPhone. He managed to start recording as a red carpet rolled its way over the front stoop and all the way across the courtyard, stopping right in front of Turian and Iron Enforcer.

A grapploct clutching a megaphone stepped out of the doorway. "Put your dukes up and start clapping for the realest bro around! The Steely Spirit himself, Big Gus!"

Yeah, I knew it. Though not 'Coates', huh?

Grapploct twirled the side, letting a dozen lopunny and lilligant file out of the front door, alternating thrusting their arms left and right in time with the guitar and bass.

"Get down tonight with our boy Gus!"

Iron Enforcer's red eyes glowed. [Why are these meatbags singing?]

"The party never stops with our boy Gus!"

Wait, are those straight lyric rips from the song, or am I tripping- oh wait, the original lyrics mention 'Lonely Gus', nevermind. Still decently close.

Xander almost dropped his uPhone in surprise as the lopunny and lilligant stepped to the sides of the red carpet and began throwing out confetti.

"The coolest cat around, that's our boy Gus!"

The sylveon caught a gray gleam within the doorway. Then the portliest perrserker Xander had ever laid eyes on waddled out the front door, whooping and blowing kisses to his assembled cheerleaders.

"He'll knock you to the ground, cuz he's Big Gus!"

Iron Enforcer: [Permission to terminate this musical number with extreme prejudice?]

Cassius: "As tempting as that is right now, no. We need him to work with us." -_-;

"Mwah, mwah! Hugs and kisses!" Gus switched from blowing kisses to flashing victory signs as the music died down and the lopunny and lilligant broke into applause. "Oh, you're all too kind, my darling gals!" He shot them fingerguns as he waddled past. Cassius hadn't left his spot on the front stoop and was ignoring Gus while continuing to shuffle his deck of icy cards.

Technically, wouldn't those be "tentacleguns" given that Gus is a Grapploct?

Xander struggled to keep a straight face. This was the Medici Crime Family's leader?! Gus was nothing but a sleazy, smelly tub of lard!

Given how your potholed music link has battle mix sections, I'm going to guess that Gus can actually hit decently hard when he needs to. Even if I'll heavily take the under on it being sufficient against these four.

"Well, #XanFam, I know what's going in this week's cringe compilation," the sylveon whispered. He stopped recording and hid his uPhone before Gus got a proper look at him, but he was sure chatting just a snippet later would get him a shitton of clicks.

"You da guy here to bring us da goods?" Gus stroked his bushy beard. It had several colorful splotches. Assorted sauces and condiments from this perrserker's "see food" diet, if Xander had to guess.

... Oh, it's the fat Perrserker that's Gus. Yeah, I'm slow, but duly noted there.

"No. I'm the fuzz and I'm here to arrest your ass." Xander's words dripped with sarcasm. "I've got your fighter and the blood moon serum." He gestured to Turian, who was coughing up more nasty phlegm, and Iron Enforcer. The robotic full's back opened, producing the mechanical arm holding the vial.

"Dat's your fighter?" Gus stared at Turian incredulously. "Dey look ready to keel over."

I'm just realizing, but he's got the same speech pattern as Meowth from the TRio. I wonder if that's pointing at anything there, or just a mythology gag.

The lopunny and lilligant all laughed. It clearly sounded forced, but Gus bowed and blew kisses to them anyway.

Clearing his throat, Cassius strode down the red carpet. "And that's where your side of the scheme comes in, Don Giuseppe."

"Man." The perrserker sighed. "How many times I gotta say it before you get it t'rough your thick skull?" He tapped the side of his head with a claw. "Giuseppe was my pops, like his pops and his pops before him. I'm Big Gus." He smacked his belly.

Oh, so the Medicis and Ryujin both have ties to Team Rocket in the distant past, don't they? Since I can see that gesture that Gus just made there, and it'd explain the speech pattern he has.

"Whatevs." Xander was getting tired of standing in this musty courtyard. "Let Cassius speak."

"We're going to take our fighter and transfer his soul into the ursaluna you captured." The Mr. Rime explained as an icy card warped from his left hand into his right.

Gus' eyes widened. "You can do dat?"

Xander: "I'm sorry, but why are we working with this fat old fart again?"

Cassius' card duplicated, then the two cards turned to four. "Of course."

"And dat'll let us put on da show of da century at Salim Stadium?"

"Exactly."

I wonder if Gus was an only child, since... uh... yeah. Unless this is all an act on his part, he very clearly did not get this job for his smarts.

"Now you're speaking my language, ya sonofagun!" Gus slapped his right knee, then snapped his claws. "Carpaccio! Get dat lazy greedent bud of yours out here and bring dis gal 'round back, will ya?"

See, I knew that Carpaccio and Rookie were Medicis.

"Oi, ya heard da boss, nut-for-brains! Get out there!"

A greedent tripped in the doorway and rolled down the red carpet. He managed to stop himself by Turian.

"You got it, Mr. Boss Gus, sir." The greedent waddled behind the ursaluna and began to push her off to the right.

Wait a minute, that soul is what's in the red test tube, huh?

Iron Enforcer glanced at Xander. [Do we follow?]

"I should hope so," Cassius declared, still doing little card tricks with flicks of his wrist. He and Iron Enforcer walked alongside Turian and Greedent while Gus ushered his cheerleaders back through the mansion's front door.

That left Xander at the front gates. The sylveon was about to go after them when a loud "Psst!" caught his attention. Xander glanced over his shoulder and tilted his head.

Was that a porygon-Z stuck inside the gate? It was like the gate's bars impaled its torso. How? That wasn't there before.

Xander:

Xander was about to signal his allies when he noticed they were frozen in place.

... No, it wasn't just them. All the Medicis were, too.

[Don't mind them, Strimmer!] Porygon-Z's voice was garbled, like it was coming out of some vintage PV speakers. [They're just on an (ADGE BREAK)! But I've extended a little (PRIME GAMING) to you (FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY)!]

Oh boy, Ahsen has entered the chat. Only good things can come from this, I'm sure.

Every ounce of Xander told him this was sus as hell. He turned to walk away. "If you're a fan, you can #BuyMyMerch from my link like everyone else." Xander flicked his ribbons dismissively.

[(OMEGALUL)! I see you are a 'mon of a culture as well,] Porygon-Z retorted. It then shouted random directions out and its body jerked around. The metal gate held it in place.

I should be a lot less surprised that a character based on TPP would instantly recognize influencer-speech, really.

Xander had taken three steps toward the others when it called out, [Don't you want to (USE THE BOOST TO GET THROUGH)? Your good buddy, Ahsen, can grow your audience like a zillion viral videos!]

The sylveon froze mid-step. Grow his audience? Now that was the kind of language Xander recognized. He turned back to Ahsen.

Woooooow, Xander. Just wow. Though I suppose we were warned by Shimmer and the others about what his priorities were.

"Elaborate."

At first, Ahsen kept shouting random directions and getting jerked around like a puppet on strings. But it managed to stop shouting and look Xander in the eyes.

[I can show you (A WHOLE NEW WORLD)!] it declared. Static rippled around its nubby hands, turning into several party popper emojis that showered the ground in pixelated confetti. [(HELIX) can link you to another dimension with a shiny new audience waiting for (STREAM VALUE)!]

Ah yes, I can already see how Xander's going to react to this:

The porygon-Z vibrated excitedly. Bony aerodactyl wings replaced its arms for a few seconds, before disappearing.

"Another dimension?" Xander tapped his chin in thought. "You mean like those #rifts Paradox keeps talking about."

[🔔🔔🔔!] Ahsen's dinging noises were unsettling. [If you (ACCEPT THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS), (HELIX) will link you up to your new audience. You'll have the power of (PRIME GAMING) on your side! (STONKS) rising! UP UP DOWN A A!]

So given that Ahsen is a fountain of memes, will we ever hear more memetic songs play in the background of some of his appearances? :V

A small ball of static trickled out from Ahsen's chest and floated toward Xander. The sylveon eyed it cautiously. This sounded insane. But an entirely new dimension to lavish attention on him was too good to pass up.

Lmao, that Elmo reaction image was well-placed.

"Hang on." He held up a ribbon. "Will I have to give up my Paradigm powers?"

A loud buzzer sounded. [You get a (HELIX BOGO)! Buy one (VEETUBER) power, get (OLDGE) power for free!]

"That's a no, right?"

Ahsen nodded, before shouting [DOWN!] repeatedly while its body vibrated in place and more static cubes appeared around it.

Don't you mean "that's a no" there? Since Xander is very specifically being told that he won't have to give up his existing powers?

"All right." Xander approached the porygon-Z. "What's the plan?"

It was still a sketchy proposition, but the fame would surely make it worth his while. Anything to get to the top... and become the world's biggest star.

"You've gotta be shitting me! The Medicis took Freya? How? Why?!"

Sparks littered the middle of the hanger, courtesy of an angry Nikki. She glared at Shredder, who stood opposite her, at the head of the small group of Blightsmuth 'mon that followed him back to the outpost. Yuna floated next to her, along with the others who'd gone to Blightsmuth. Noctum and Valkyrie were over by the computer monitors. Yuna saw Leo by the hanger door, but he kept avoiding her gaze, which made her ectoplasm shrivel.

Oh, so Nikki knew a jumpy rat growing up. Duly noted there.

"Wish I was, but I ain't."

"Freya's tough as nails," Nikki said, mohawk still crackling. "How'd those clowns get the jump on her?"

Shredder nudged Floragato forward. "I only caught the end of it," she muttered, fiddling nervously with her yo-yo. "But I saw a greedent taking her through some big blue rectangle."

Waaaaait, are you using that name for the Ursaluna or whatever that's going to be used by the Medicis in the prior scene, or...?

Yuna expected the toxtricity to offer another rebuttal, yet Nikki stayed silent.

"Big blue rectangle?" Scarlett tilted her head. "That's kinda vague, don't you think?"

"Want me to read her mind?" Gene tapped his right temple.

"No need." Igneous stepped past the shadowy mewtwo. "That sounds like Minister Charles."

Wait, Cassius can do that? .-.

"Charles?" Shredder squinted, then scratched his chin. "Oh, yeah, he went missing a few months ago."

"I saw him in Venish, corrupted by the Empire." The grovlazzle crossed his arms. "And he had a greedent with ties to the Medicis working with him. I doubt it's a coincidence. But Empire or not, what does kidnapping one ursaluna do?"

Oh, well. We have our answer as to who 'Freya' is. Very different from what I was expecting, but I suppose it wouldn't be the first time that's happened in this story.

No one responded, though Yuna could see some agitated looks on the faces of the Blightsmuth folks.

"Ah, shit."

The dragapult wasn't expecting Gene to cut in. He hovered in front of Igneous, pinching his brow.

"It must be Turian."

Oh, so Gene knows about that Ursaluna with Cassius and Xander in the first scene.

Everyone exchanged confused looks.

"Isn't a durian a really stinky fruit?" Jade said from her roosting spot by boxes filled with the monks' medical supplies.

"Turian, Birdbrain." The shadowy mewtwo waved Jade off dismissively. "Paradigm Lieutenant. Has always used an ursaluna body despite the species being quite rare within Eternatus." He tapped his chin in thought. "Haven't heard a peep about her in months, so I figured they must be looking for a new body for her."

Oh well that's certainly creepy and ominous there.

"And Freya's gonna be that new body?" Nikki's mohawk flared up again. It even flickered red. "Well screw that noise! We gotta rescue her!"

"How?"

The toxtricity whirled on Igneous. He shrugged. "We don't know where she was taken. It could be any Medici encampment. Or she's already been brought into the Qliphoth."

... Sure is a good thing for you all that Xander is going to dox Big Gus on his Chatter account, huh? ^^;

Yuna's tail crinkled. If the transfer was already complete, then they'd have to fight her. "But even if we can't stop this Turian lady, we can still free Freya. Like with Beef—"

"Nein, I'm Biff!" the buzzwole called from near the closed hanger hatches. He was doing push-ups with a nervous-looking Vince on his back.

"Right." Yuna tried to recollect her thoughts. "Um, but you get the idea. And there's my dad and Victini."

"'Cept they're both still out. Same with those two birds," Valkyrie said. The garchomp rolled her eyes when Noctum and Yuna frowned at her. "Sorry." She held her arms up. "Force of habit."

I mean, I suppose that their batting average of not getting others horribly killed has been decent in this fic. Even if I'm not quite as convinced it'll stay that good in light of recent events.

"I don't want Freya to be stuck asleep." Nikki's mohawk kept giving off tiny sparks. Yuna had to back away from her to stop the static from jiggling her ectoplasm. "We have to try something." She looked at Igneous again. "Doesn't your family keep tabs on the Medicis? Get your pops to—"

"I think I've got something!"

Everyone turned to the computer stations in the far corner of the hanger. Cid was pointing at a couple of skorps desperately trying to turn a couple of the larger monitors so that everyone could see. As soon as they did, obnoxious guitar music played from the speakers.

Familiar obnoxious music.

Lol. I knew it.

"Whassup #XanFam?"

"Oh no." Yuna's legs shot into her torso. Why was Xander popping up again?

"Wait a sec." Nikki pointed at the screens. "That's Salim Stadium over in Khelifet! The hell's going on here?!"

... This is going to be some sort of elaborate trap, isn't it?

"It's ya boi Xander comin' at ya from #EnemyTerritory!" The sylveon crouched down and looked around in a poor 'mon's impression of sneaking around. He was dressed in skin-tight camo and wore a beret like he was one of those soldiers in the movies Guzzie would sometimes play in the restaurant.

"Cuz we're simulcasting to #RaDUMBance!" Xander winked at the camera and several pixelated hearts fluttered around his face. "To bring you a #SpecialEdition of #ThreeCheersThreeJeers!"

Wow, Xander really did just sell out everything in order to get his audience, huh? I mean, I suppose we were warned.

Pixelated confetti streamed out around Xander while disembodied applauding hands surrounded him. "I know, I know. I can't believe it either. And we're gonna #MixItUp in more ways than one!" He spun around, conjuring a bright pink version of that martini shaker thing Yuna saw Guzzie use at the bar. "By starting with the #Jeers today!"

Oh, well. That one's certainly different.

Red, pixelated thumbs downs surrounded Xander as the camera pulled out for a large holographic "JEER ONE" to flash over his head.

"#JeerOne is goin' to #MeanieQueenie Isola!" Xander stepped aside for a picture in picture to appear. It showed footage of the rapidash in front of a gaggle of reporters.

"Your Eminence, what do you have to say about the Beacon's accusations?"

"Are you really some sort of body snatcher?!"

"Why didn't the Radiant Guard step in to stop Vortex or the invaders in Herbrides?"

"Where's High Inquisitor Justine?!"

Igneous: "We've been missing a lot on the news lately, huh?" .-.

The flurry of questions cracked at Isola's normally serene demeanor. Yuna even noticed an eye twitch.

"Everything in that so-called 'expose' is hearsay," Isola said. Her usual sweet tone had a layer of frost in it, judging by Shimmer's ears folding and tails puffing up. "We have arrest warrants issued for Nidoking Sakaki and the staff writers who dared to submit this slander. There are bounties of one million radians for each of them. And we're raising the bounty on his son, Grovyle Chiaki, to 1.5 million radians."

Well then, Radiance is confirmed to have lese majeste laws based on the tail end of that dialogue there. Though I see that Isola's facade is slipping a bit.

Igneous' tail leaves caught on fire. "This has gotta be fake, right?!" He stormed over to Cid. "He's conjuring this with Paradigm magic or whatever!"

"It's legit, eh!" One skorp declared from the smallest computer terminal. "PNN is showing the press conference, too!"

Igneous: "Wonderful. As if I didn't already have enough problems in life."

The grovlazzle fell silent as Xander cut the footage from his stream.

"Ya got that right, #XanFam!" He clapped his ribbons together excitedly. "#CancelCulture's coming over to #RaDUMBance and it's going straight for #MeanieQueenie herself!" The sylveon dashed toward the camera. "Oh, and just between us, that report's #TotesLegit." He winked at the camera and stuck his tongue out playfully. "Which means a #fraud's been keeping #Eternatus imprisoned!"

Can't tell if Xander just made everything dramatically worse, or if it'd just get laughed off on the Radiance side of things.

Xander smushed his cheeks with his ribbons, feigning shock while tons of pixelated shocked faces popped up around him. "It's totes crazy, right?"

The shocked faces went away while Xander twirled around. More pictures in pictures showed swarms of pokémon marching around, carrying a variety of signs, some with cartoonish doodles of Isola full of knives and other pointy objects.

Well, I see that Radiance's already tenuous governmental legitimacy is presently in freefall from those newsclips.

"That's why #CheerOne goes to these brave #RaDUMBance souls!" Xander wiggled his ribbons while pixelated hands doing those "metal horns" Nikki loved so much drifted all around him. "Taking to the streets to tell #MeanieQueenie to buzz off! You totes know they want a real leader!"

Nikki: "... I don't think I like where this is going right now."

The sylveon spun around, conjuring a deoxys plushie between his two right ribbons. "And you can totes get a cuddly little version of the best leader around at a whopping fifty percent off if you use my code 'IHEARTPARADOX' at the #XanFam merch store!"

Lol. You can't say that it's not on brand for an online influencer.

"Why the hell are we watching this?" Valkyrie snarled. Purple embers licked at her lips. "Shut it off!"

"Leave it on." Gene held his right arm out. "There might be something here."

Xander now had a picture of Vegna up beside him. Several people turned toward the dusknoir, who was braced against the wall. Lightning crackled in his eye.

Oh. Oh dear. This one will be good™, I'm sure.

"#JeerTwo goes to this goober named Vegna." Xander rolled his eyes. "He was one of #MeanieQueenie's minions. A prosecutor. But get this! He was totes #Murderizing peeps who got off innocent against him in court!"

With a wave of his ribbons, Xander summoned another picture in picture. This one had footage of Vegna in the tower of the Crowne Court that Yuna had gone to. The dusknoir flicked his wrist and a flash of golden energy dislodged a portion of the tower that appeared to be under construction. It fell to the ground where it crushed a familiar slurpuff.

Oh, well. That one's going to do wonders for Vegna's relationship with the rest of the group. Especially since now they know that he's not above baldly lying to them.

Yuna's tail and legs shot into her torso. This didn't make any sense. Vegna denied those allegations. Was he lying?

"Impossible." Electricity rippled through Vegna's body. Yuna swore she saw flickers of gold, too, and the flash of anger on Gene's face told her she wasn't the only one.

... Or he could have a doppelganger doing these hits. Not sure which of the two is the explanation there.

"I was in a meeting with the judge," Vegna growled. "This footage is manipulated. Or fabricated."

"But they're playing it on PNN!" the skorp at the tiny computer exclaimed.

"Pix News, too!" called a second skorp beside him.

>Pix News

Oh, you.

"Then they were sent manipulated footage," Vegna snarled. This time Yuna was sure his eye turned gold. Everyone else in the room exchanged uneasy looks.

Not sure I believe this one or not there.

Before anyone could press the matter further, however, Shimmer's whinny caught everyone's attention. "W-Why am I getting jeered?!" His tails puffed out.

Ah yes, priorities™

Yuna returned her attention to the screen where Xander shook his head at a picture of the ponytales. "#RaDUMBance's twink of a prince is getting jerked around by those #ResistanceLosers like the sad little bottom he is!" He waved his ribbons and generated a Shimmer puppet getting yanked in different directions by holographic phantoms of Gene and... Demerzel?

... I mean, was Shimmer the bottom in his old relationship with Xander? ^^;

"The emperor still has one of his partners, right?" Reshiram reminded her. "Guess he's given up trying to blackmail Demerzel and instead painting him as an enemy."

"Now I know what you #RaDUMBance viewers are thinking," Xander continued. Another picture in picture showed Xander and a pre-transformation Shimmer exchanging a very passionate kiss. "Me and Shimmer were #OTP, so why the #Jeer? Well, that's easy!

"I just wanted to screw him and help run #RaDUMBance!" Xander laughed heartily while a big red X crossed Shimmer out of the photo. "But now that the #GrandEmperor has shown me the light, I couldn't give a lick about him!"

I mean, I could've sworn that Shimmer intellectually acknowledged this in the past. Though time to see how well the emotional side of him handles things.

He leaped close to the camera and leaned in. "And just between us, dude's a terrible kisser. And he gives lousy head!"

A whimpering Shimmer had slinked onto his belly, burying his head under his forelegs. "Shut it off! Please shut it off!" he begged.

Yeah, I had a feeling that Shimmer wouldn't handle this well, since even if it's stating things that Shimmer knew intellectually, it just wrapped straight around to public defamation.

"Don't listen to him." Scarlett slithered behind him while Igneous stepped in front of him as if they could block everyone else's gazes.

Jade tapped her chin with a wing digit. "Y'know, if that body snatcher got control of Shimmer, it would've made him kick Xander to the curb, wouldn't it? So, this is pretty ironic."

Igneous' head leaf caught fire as he glared at the salugia. "Iiiiiiiii'll shut up now." She looked down.

Igneous: "Seriously, do you ever read the room, Jade?" >_>;

Yuna didn't have anything to offer Shimmer, but seeing him like that brought to mind when he'd focused the whole academy's attention on her at the Crowne Cup's opening ball. And a tiny part of her enjoyed seeing him get a taste of his own medicine, which gave way to waves of guilt.

Oh, so Yuna still hasn't fully forgiven Shimmer over some of the stuff he did earlier on in the story. Duly noted, there.

"Ah! There! That's the intel we need!"

Gene pointed to the monitors, which showed footage of a large stadium. It had banners with crudely drawn fists draped over large screens.

"Medicis?" Valkyrie held up her bladed arms. Noctum shot her a concerned look.

"That's right! These folks took over a whole stadium!" Xander's footage pulled back to reveal that he'd been standing in some sort of broadcasting booth within the stadium the entire time. "In celebration of #RaDUMBance's impending fall, our #GrandEmperor's allies, the #Medicis, are hosting a no-holds-barred tournament open to the public!"

A tournament arc, huh? I'm not convinced that you'll actually play this one straight, but it'll be interesting to see how it shakes out.

The sylveon curled his ribbons into a big heart. "And #YaBoiXander's gonna be on the mic! I'll be bringing you all the juiciest deets, spiciest hits, and #EpicFails!"

His smile grew bigger. "And the #WinnerWinnerChickenDinner will get a prize package including a ton of #YaBoiXander's merch... and a chance to meet with #GrandEmperor Paradox himself!"

Ah yes, what a prize there. /s

A picture of the deoxys posing proudly flashed on the screen.

"Who knows? You might get the chance to work for him directly, just like #YaBoiXander!"

The monitors then shut up and Gene turned around, rubbing his hands together. "So, we'll have at least one Paradigm Lieutenant out in the open."

Oh, so Gene's having a

moment. Even if I'm sure that this is a giant trap given that the entire intent of Paradox's plans for Xander was that he'd draw the Resistance to him.

"Not to mention Charles if the Medici are involved," Valkyrie added. She was still staring down the monitors like she wanted to attack them. Yuna had a feeling she was going to leap at the chance for this fight.

"That was it?" Yiazmat scoffed. The dragapult corralled a couple of armored kommo-o back toward her. "I hardly see the need to get that invested in some... takeover of a single place in Radiance."

You probably should listen to mom there, just saying, Yuna.

Gene snapped his fingers. "Which is exactly why we don't need to focus all our efforts there." The shadowy mewtwo looked around. "We send a few Aeons and monks to scout around before bringing out the bigger guns." He jerked his head in Valkyrie's direction. "Chompy's ready to murder our computers, so I'd say she just volunteered to be a big gun."

Valkyrie: "Wait, what?! I never signed up for-!" O_O;

Yuna saw Noctum whispering something to the garchomp, who jabbed his light blue belly with a claw and glared at him. The cosmic charizard's starcloud tail flame shrank.

Is that a "this is a bad idea, don't go

" there? ^^;

"We can go over who's who once we have a lay of the land," Gene continued. "That agreeable?"

Nods and approving mumbles followed until the hangar door opened up and Archie lumbered through.

"Alder's got something!" the samurott barked. He stepped aside so the braviary could hover over him.

... Wait, are Archie and Maxie also going to get involved in this too, or...?

"Yes, a big something!" Alder's pink feathers flickered excitedly. "One of the monks that was scouting Sinnoh for us says she found a Needle! It's in Jubilife City!"

Well, that music's certainly ominous there.

"Jubilife?" Gene's tail crinkled. "Some of us were just in Sinnoh the other day. How'd we let this slip by?"

"Tch. Not like we've been actively searching for them," Igneous scoffed. He was kneeling beside Shimmer and nudging the despondent ponytales' shoulder.

"Well, our priorities have clearly shifted," Vegna said. His eye buzzed with blue electricity again.

Yuna caught another flash of contempt on Gene's face, but the shadowy mewtwo quickly hid it. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves." He looked at Alder. "Bring that monk back here, get a report from her, and we'll go from there."

I'm just going to mentally note that reaction by Gene there, even if I'm not fully sure what the proper way of interpreting it is.

More mutters of approval followed, but Yuna stayed silent. Her gaze drifted toward the floor.

Another Needle. The final Needle, if Vegna was to be believed. Once pulled, it would tell them which Sage was missing. And which Sage could be the body snatcher.

I mean, we already know from that scene from Isola's perspective where she Iron Leaves'd Justine, but I suppose the gang doesn't yet.

Yuna's mind kept racing. Did Necrozma already know about it? Was it not approaching because the empire was guarding the Needle? And what would happen to Vegna if it was pulled? What if Vegna came along and Necrozma was there? Could they recombine? Should they recombine?

Ominous questions are ominous there. Though hey, we know that there's at least 50 more chapters in this story, so it probably won't do anything too apocalyptic just yet? ^^;

"Hey."

A cold hand on Yuna's left shoulder jolted the dragapult to attention. She turned to Nikki. "You all good?" the toxtricity asked.

"No." Yuna swallowed hard. "There's a lot at stake here." She tried subtly pointing at Vegna with her tail.

"Oh." Nikki blinked. "Ohhhhhh, right." She adjusted her jacket. "All the more reason for me to go with you, then."

Whelp, looks like that one night stand was driven by more than just Salazzle Gas from that reaction there.

"But—"

Nikki put a finger on Yuna's lips. Her ectoplasm rippled.

"I won't fight directly if it's too dangerous. I can do moral support."

See above, really.

If Yuna had a heart, it might've fluttered. Instead, her tail undulated back and forth.

"I'd... like that a lot."

Hopefully, things would be fine. Maybe there would be no Necrozma and Yuna was worrying for nothing. Regardless, she felt better knowing Nikki would be at her side.

Aaaaaand you jinxed it, Yuna. Though cute outro note, there. And moving straight along into…

Chapter 104

Spoiler: Line-by-Line

Gene had stood on this charcoal ground countless times before. In the past, the red sky gave way to a swirling black cyclone on the horizon. Now, though, that cyclone was close enough for the mewtwo to see all the crystal shards and jet-black debris swirling around the red globe in the center of the storm.

"What is it this time?" Gene's yellow-tipped tail lazily drifted back and forth.

Wait, where on earth are we? Though ohai Dark Matter.

"I can practically taste your doubt."

Red and purple lights flashed within the cyclone. Its voice was like a fierce wind trying to blow Gene off his feet.

"You fear the husk's return. You fear you cannot change the light dragon's mind. Your anger rises from failing to solve this sooner."

Oh, so when Gene was rezzed back in the day, Nova jammed Dark Matter into him, huh?

"What are you, my therapist?" Snorting, Gene rolled his eyes. "Lemme guess. 'You should harness that fear and anger.'" He massaged his neck following his impersonation of the storm's guttural voice.

"Your refusal to embrace that pain will get you killed," the storm declared. "Get us killed."

Ah yes, an evil force trying to tempt a Legendary to yielding and letting it take over. That's the second take on this scenario that I've read in Review Blitz. Which isn't much, but it's still weird it happened twice. ^^;

"Can you even die?" Gene scoffed. The storm called itself a force, after all. And he was pretty sure a force wasn't something one could kill.

Red lightning crackled around the core. "Even if I survive, I will scatter to the winds without a form. Whatever pain and anguish you experience in your final moments will be wasted."

So basically the inverse of:

"Charming." Gene hovered into the air. "But I don't need your help. I have a team."

"You had a team for Herbrides," the storm reminded him. "They do not have faith in you. Not when you got the keldeo killed. And callously disregarded everything that followed."

I mean... yeah, that was more than a little bad on Gene's end, even if I suppose he's been burnt out by seeing similar events over and over again through the centuries.

Tail crinkling, Gene turned away from the storm. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Do you think I take pleasure in feeling your regret?"

Gene held two fingers a small distance apart. "A tiny bit."

"I cannot feel pleasure." More lightning crackled through the cyclone. "Your negativity only adds to the endless pain that defines me."

I can already tell that there's a story behind how these two wound up combining with each other, since I distinctly remember that Gene hailed from a mainline-esque world, so it's a bit hard to think of who on earth he could have had an Alt!GL counterpart to.

"Then what's with all the 'Turn that pain into power' garbage?" The mewtwo side-eyed the black cyclone.

"Turning pain on others is better than letting it sit and fester," the storm countered. "You have fought and destroyed for ages."

Gene: "Which considering how that turned out for me, why am I supposed to find this appealing again?"

"For a good damn cause!" Gene growled.

More thunder rumbled in the distance. The storm's core glowed brighter.

"There's that familiar anger," it said.

Gene: "Ugh, how on earth did I even get stuck with you in the first place, anyways?"

Gene took a breath to steady himself. "Whatever. I don't need your power right now."

Purple bolts streamed toward the mewtwo from the cyclone, only to strike a blue barrier and vanish on the spot. Gene smirked, if for no other reason than to mask his relief. Things were still holding up.

"Nice try." He drifted further from the cyclone. "Like I said, I've got this."

More lightning peppered the blue barrier.

"You'll be back," the cyclone declared.

"Not today."

Gene saluted the storm, then watched it fade away with the rest of his mindspace.

I mean, just saying, I'm pretty sure that Dark Matter is onto something there.

"... Ty? Boss Kitty, you there?"

The shadowy mewtwo grabbed hold of the arm Nikki was waving in front of his face.

"What?" Gene squinted at the toxtricity. Nikki gestured with her other arm to the paved, empty streets of Jubilife City.

Well that's quite the skipahead there. I suppose that Gene zoned out after Phantom Warping, then?

Well, empty save for the large black tornado carrying scores of Eternatus Troopers and debris from nearby buildings. The moment the tornado vanished, the Troopers went careening past all the buildings and toward the distant forest. Mega Rayquaza floated over to Yuna's side by the entrance to a large white building with big, colorful cameras painted on it.

That's... quite the in medias res opening there. I'll admit, I'm not fully sure how I feel about it, but you can't say that it's not different from past chapters.

"I can see my house from heeeeeeeeeeere!" one Bombardier declared.

- snerk -

The dragapult glanced up at Gene and Nikki.

"What now?" Yuna asked through the X-transceiver. She was a bit too far to shout at them.

Gene blinked several times. Right. The mission. They'd found Jubilife TV under heavy Eternatus Trooper patrol. A patrol that Rayquaza handily swept through. Still, it didn't take a powerful psychic to guess where in the city the Needle was.

Nikki: "... You ever get the feeling that things are just a bit too easy right now?"

Gene: "I mean, Yuna is going to town over there. You're sure that she's not just catching up on the power scale?"

"Well?" Nikki said.

"I need a sec." Gene held his right hand up as he concentrated. He was close enough to the building for his ESP to detect who was inside, so—

Okay, yeah. There was a rapidly growing aura.

Well, that's ominous there.

"With me!" Gene punched a rift open beside Yuna, grabbed the dragapult, and pulled her through. Yelping, Yuna managed to recall Rayquaza into her griseous core.

Plumes of purple shadows erupted in the street, right by where Yuna was floating moments ago. The shadows gave way to a black horse with flowing purple hair. It paced in front of the Jubilife TV building with hooves that weren't even attached to its legs.

"It's him."

Oh hello, Spectrier.

Vegna's voice was raspier than usual, but Gene could still hear it behind him.

"Guile Hideout?" Gene glanced over his shoulder to see the dusknoir nod at him. "Well, that's no ice horse. Guess this means the emperor's breaking off his deal with Demerzel?"

"That would be the logical conclusion." Vegna crossed his arms. "Still, this is not a trifling matter. His blade reflects attacks and that armor seems to absorb impact from strikes. My familiars forced him back last time by attacking Glastrier. We'll need a similar approach."

Ah yes, I'm sure that Dermezel will just love that considering what happened to his last steed when Vegna did that.

"Seriously?" Yuna's ectoplasm constricted. "They're innocent in this."

Gene held his hand up. "Princess, Vegna and I will try and distract him. Odds are he's the last line of defense, so if he's out here, you might be able to sneak in and get the Needle."

I mean, that has been a pretty reliable formula in the past. Which I suppose is a sign that things won't be so easy this time around.

He looked at Nikki, expecting her to demand a role in this. Surprisingly, the toxtricity held her hands up. "I'm over here if you need me. Or if more bots show up."

I actually wonder if she'll get a boost beyond what she's presently got at some point, since it does feel like Nikki's increasingly been a cheerleader for much of the more recent fights in this story.

The shadowy mewtwo nodded his approval, then took off with a burst of levitation. He only needed a couple of seconds to land opposite Guile Hideout and his steed.

"I think you've gotten a bit turned around, big fella." Gene casually rested his hands behind his head. "Jousting festival is over in Galar, not Sinnoh." He shifted a hand to tap his chin. "Or is it Kalos? Either way, a half a world over."

Ah yes, just opening with a casual diss. It wouldn't be a Gene battle without one. o<o

Guile Hideout drew his sword and leveled it at Gene. His steed neighed loudly, but he yanked the reins and silenced her. Something about her voice was... unnatural. She was one of Demerzel's partners, right? No way she could be feral. Had the emperor... done something to her?

That feels highly likely, yes.

"Meeeewtwwwoooo." Guile Hideout's distorted voice could only draw out Gene's species. He slashed the air. A black crescent shot toward Gene, which he easily Phantom Warped through.

"Not one for conversation, I take it." Gene smirked. "That's fine." He tapped his right temple. "We can skip straight to business. Though I wouldn't recommend it, seeing how many of your Lieutenants we've taken out lately."

Oh, so that is the one and same Giovanni from Gene's special.

Guile Hideout's black eyes flickered purple. His grip tightened on his sword.

Gene raised a brow. "Oh?"

"Weaaappooooon." Guile Hideout jerked his steed's reins. She reared up on her hind legs.

Oh, well that music took an ominous turn there.

Next thing Gene knew, purple balls had surrounded him. Like some sort of spectral variant of his Psystrike. He had ample room to Phantom Warp away as the purple balls converged and exploded in a purple geyser.

"Don't thiiiink. Don't feeeeeel." Guile Hideout swiped his sword. More spectral crescents filled the air. Gene Phantom Warped past them, and slung a Shadow Ball toward the horse's chest. She leaped away with impressive speed despite her heavy-looking rider.

Gene: "Oh come on, seriously?! Do you mysterious fighter types always have to be this damn annoying?!"

Gene remained tense. Any quips about Guile Hideout's attitude — or lack of it compared to other Paradigm lieutenants — died in his throat the moment the shadowy mewtwo heard those four words.

His chest tightened. Had that tin can really said that?

Oh, so I was right about Guile Hideout's identity

You're afraid.

"Weaaappooooon." Guile Hideout tugged the reins. More purple energy balls surrounded Gene. He Phantom Warped away from them slamming together, only for metal spikes to pepper his chest. A harsh, stinging pain spread over him. Gene pulled the spikes out of his chest. No blood, thankfully, but they hurt like a bitch for how tiny they were.

I mean, DM's not exactly wrong. Since I can see Gene slipping up in live-time there.

"Worthless."

Clumsy. Careless.

The horse was charging toward Gene. He slung two Shadow Balls at her, but she was able to leap over them. Gene Phantom Warped forward, avoiding the shadowy pillar that erupted when Guile Hideout and his steed landed where Gene had been floating.

"H-Hey!"

Gene spotted a familiar dragapult by the Jubilife TV vision. Purple shadows had walled the building off. Try as she might, Yuna couldn't get past it. Then ectoplasmic spears shot past Gene.

See, I knew that Yuna wasn't going to just be allowed to just sneak up to the Needle there.

"Princess, watch out!" Gene cried.

Yuna spotted the arrows. Next thing Gene knew, she was several meters away, no rifts necessary. Since when could she teleport?

I'm gonna assume that that's either Yaldabaoth or Chiron's doing there.

"Focus on yourself, dumbass!"

Griffon's harsh caws and a couple of loud clangs snapped Gene to attention. He saw Talonflame and the corviknight flanking Guile Hideout, keeping him and his steed occupied.

"Chiiirrrooooon. Meeeewtwwwoooo." Guile Hideout surrounded the birds with purple balls. They couldn't escape from the shadowy barrage. The explosion almost resembled a night sky, so Gene figured Astral Barrage was a good enough working name for that strange attack.

Surprised not "Umbral Barrage", but that might be cutting a bit too deep into Yuna's shtick.

"Weaaappooooons." The knight raised his sword high and a dome of shadows raced out all around him.

"Shit!"

Gene raced away from the attack. The dome kept expanding outward for a full city block and wouldn't go away. Gene stared at the purple and black energy twisting through the dome.

Oh, so Guile Hideout's basically doing a smaller-scale version of:

Coward.

Not now.

You know exactly who this is. And that's why you're afraid. In the end, nothing's changed.

... Is Gene actually going to be successfully tempted into giving in here, or...

"Princess, what the hell's going on?" Gene hissed into his X-transceiver. Guile Hideout galloped through the inside of the dome toward him. Vegna and his birds were somewhere on the other side, but Gene didn't really care.

"Something was blocking me from phasing into the building," Yuna said. "And now this stupid dome is in the way!"

Oh, so they're going to have to get rid of Guile Hideout to get through, huh?

But the dome vanished into Guile Hideout's steed. Gene found himself staring down the barrel of what might as well have been a ghost-type Hyper Beam. The shadowy mewtwo tried flying over it, but the beam singed his feet and yellowing tail.

That's right. Run. It's all you're really good for.

Just saying, Dark Matter, honey has a way of attracting more flies than vinegar.

Gene decided to give that asshole a taste of his own medicine, surrounding Guile Hideout with Psystrike orbs and slamming them forward. While some struck his steed, who neighed in pain, the rest were caught by Guile Hideout's blade as he spun around. They were flung at a charging Talonflame, sending him crashing to the ground with garbled shrieks.

"Damn it," Gene hissed in a whisper.

Idiot. You were warned about that. Kill the steed instead.

"Princess, we've got incoming Troopers!" Nikki exclaimed. "Gimme a hand here!"

A rush of air rippled Gene's tail. The dragapult heading away to fend off Eternatus Troopers, no doubt. Gene couldn't think about it further, because more purple ectoplasmic blobs filled the air. Guile Hideout sent the Astral Barrage racing all around him.

Gene: "Seriously, of all the freaking souls that Paradox could've reused, he just had to use this one..."

Gene maneuvered through them and tossed a tiny fireball at Guile Hideout's left knee. A strange purple ripple snuffed the flames out.

"Pathetic." Guile Hideout swiped at Gene with his sword while his steed sent a Shadow Ball in the other direction, probably to stop Vegna's advance. Gene Phantom Warped through the blade, then summoned his psychic spoon to slash the sword. Despite putting all his muscle into the swing, Guile Hideout held tough. A burst of wind forced Gene back.

Kill the steed.

She's innocent.

She's suffering. I feel her pain from every strike. Every time he tugs her reins. She wants to be put out of her misery.

Well, that got incredibly dark incredibly fast.

A giant icy javelin soared through the air. Guile Hideout spun and slashed at it with his sword. Just as he split the icy javelin apart and sent its halves careening into opposite sidewalks, Gene slung a Shadow Ball at the steed's flank. Her legs buckled.

Snarling, Guile Hideout hefted up his blade. Black Lightning raced out in an arc in different directions. Gene easily Phantom Warped away. Opposite him, Vegna leaped from one building rooftop to another, riding a horse resembling an icier version of Guile Hideout's steed. Glastrier, if Gene recalled.

Oh right, Vegna must've pulled him from his soul collection, huh?

Now I get it. Pathetic bleeding heart.

Gene grimaced. Shut up!

Oh. Oh right. That's why Gene was so contemptful of Vegna last chapter. Clearly he hasn't let the events of the special go.

Vegna's eye flashed white. From a couple of buildings ahead of Gene, Glastrier shot another ice javelin forward. Gene surrounded Guile Hideout and his steed with Psystrike orbs once again. He slammed them together. Like before, Guile Hideout succeeded in deflecting many of them. This time, though, that left him and his steed open to Glastrier's attack. The javelin shattered and froze both horse and rider to the concrete.

Well, this battle is going swimmingly at the moment. /s

Gene heard explosions in the distance, along with the frantic shouts of Eternatus Troopers. Nikki and Yuna were holding up, then. Or got reinforcements.

What a pitiful deflection. You won't attack the steed for the same reason you won't simply kill the dusknoir. Too much fear. Too much weakness.

Bitch, I'm trying to help them.

Dark Matter: "Be honest with yourself. You don't actually want to help them, do you-?"
Gene: "Again, shut up!"

Guile Hideout's frigid prison shattered. His steed wearily shook ice chunks from her mane.

A lie to mask your own doubts.

I get the feeling that as biting as Dark Matter is being here, that nothing that's being said here is exactly wrong. We'll see how that shakes out in a bit, since that chapter title is... uh... ominous, to say the least.

"Vegna!" Gene telepathically shouted. He flicked his right wrist and a pink glow surrounded the steed. Guile Hideout raised his sword at Gene. Black lightning crackled around it.

"We have to get the sword from this asshole and use it against him!"

Clever. If easier said than done.

Black bolts peppered the air. Gene released his psychic grip. But he couldn't Phantom Warp through all the lightning. Some of it peppered his right side, including his Malice Crystal. A jolt of pain ran from his shoulder down to his tail.

Deserved.

Back off! Gene mentally snarled. That stupid dark storm was only making things worse. He couldn't concentrate like this.

Dark Matter:

A torrent of ice and lightning drew Gene's attention below him. Zekrom's wispy form struck the steed with a blue lightning bolt, then another ice javelin from Glastrier froze her to the ground. The force from the blow knocked Guile Hideout back.

... Off his steed.

Gene: "Finally! I was starting to wonder when we'd get a freaking break!" >_>;

This was Gene's chance. The shadowy mewtwo surged toward the ground. Rather than using his attack, he simply slammed Guile Hideout from behind.

It won't work.

Oh yeah, Gene's totally going to listen to that. /s

... Even if he probably should right now.

Snarling, Gene tugged on that negativity chomping at the back of his mind. Shadows pooled around his hands, giving him a surge of strength to wrench the blade free of Guile Hideout's hands.

"Oi, look alive, Boss Kitty!"

Gene reflexively jumped away from Guile Hideout. Griffon flew in front of them both, casting a Protect that warded off a Shadow Ball from the steed. She looked around in a panic while Vegna approached atop Glastrier.

Oh, that snapped Spectrier out of things, huh?

"We got her! Just do the thing already!"

There were more explosions and screams in the distance. Gene tuned them out, gaze fixed on Guile Hideout.

Destroy him.

"Meeewtwooooo." Guile Hideout reached his right hand up toward Gene.

I mean, even if following Dark Matter's advice is surely a terrible idea, you've gotta admit that this one sounds decently compelling.

"Don't talk to me." Gene pointed the blade at Guile Hideout. "I know who you are. You're finished. Surrender your Paradigm power."

Coward. Finish him.

I'm actually surprised that Gene isn't listening to Dark Matter in this one case. Is there something that very specifically has taught him not to do that in the past, or...?

Gene heard neighing several meters ahead of him.

"Hurry up, Boss Kitty!" Griffon cawed.

"Useless weaaaaapoooon."

The noises. The shouting. Guile Hideout's taunt. All too much for Gene. The shadowy mewtwo's flicker of anger led him to tug on that dark power again. Shadows sheathed Guile Hideout's blade seconds before Gene plunged it into his armored chest.

Well then.

Guile Hideout didn't scream. Or groan. Or even gasp. Cracks spiderwebbed through his silver armor, until the pieces fell away. For a few brief moments, Gene saw a human form burnt beyond all recognition. Much like what had happened to Seifer.

One thing was still intact, though. The faint outline of an R next to where Gene had plunged the blade in.

Whelp, that's one boss that we're never going to see again with a finisher like that.

Blue light swallowed up the sword. It faded into a small card with a VIII on it. Then both the card and the body underneath it crumbled before Gene's eyes, leaving nothing but a pile of brown ash at his feet.

Oh, so GH/Gio was the Strength Arcana. Decently fitting, really.

Interesting. No satisfaction. Only emptiness.

Cue the theme song:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYcOTMhs5sw

Gene stepped back from the ash. "Princess, Guile Hideout's down. Get back here and grab the Need—"

Blinding light caught the corner of Gene's eye. He turned left and saw rainbow lasers raining down on the a building several blocks away. Shattered glass and rubble spilled out onto the street.

You have a superfluous word there in the second paragraph. Though let's see who came in to crash this party.

Gene scarcely had time to acknowledge it, as a dragapult sped toward him, clutching a wide-eyed toxtricity.

"What the hell just happened?!" Gene stared at where the building used to be. There was a silhouette in the middle of all the dust in the air.

Your fear is rising. You already know what it is.

"It's here."

Oh, it's what's left of the rest of Bahamut, huh?

Vegna's voice trembled ever so slightly.

Nikki pulled herself free from Yuna and dropped to the ground. "Th-that's Necrozma, isn't it?" Her mohawk shrank. "I shouldn't be here. That thing will rip me to shreds!"

Yeah, I knew it. Though Dark Matter sure has been getting a lot of lucky breaks for being able to sway Gene to yield to its influence this chapter, huh?

"Then go with Princess." Ectoplasm gathered around Gene's hands. He was doing his best not to think about the last encounter. "Necrozma blocks rifts, remember? The best thing to do is grab the Needle. Now."

Gene: "Oh, and try and make it fast here!"

The shadowy mewtwo didn't wait for a response. The longer he hesitated, the more likely Necrozma would do something to stop Yuna from getting the Needle. So, Gene flew toward the dust cloud. He slung two Shadow Balls into it.

A burst of pink energy snuffed out his strikes and the dust in the air. Necrozma's large, humanoid, crystal form stood atop the remains of the building its blast destroyed.

Gene: "Well, I sure hope those two can work fast, since... uh... yeah, I've got my work cut out for me here." ._.;

"Mewtwo."

Necrozma raised two crystal tendrils and blasted scalding water at Gene. He Phantom Warped left and shot a Shadow Ball at Necrozma's right leg. A third crystal tendril batted the Shadow Ball aside, sending it across the street and crashing through the window of the presumably abandoned Pokémon Center.

Give into the fear and anger. Use my power.

Gene: "I'll admit, it's starting to sound kinda compelling at this rate."

Gene tossed two more Shadow Balls. Two Scalds destroyed them, then Gene found himself staring down an onslaught of Thousand Arrows. He was too close to a building on his left, so he rolled right through the air, rapidly firing smaller Shadow Balls. Necrozma tried to turn the Thousand Arrows, but couldn't. The Shadow Balls peppered Necrozma's left side, but it didn't seem to care.

"As weak as ever." Necrozma stomped the ground. Electric pillars sprang up all around him. Gene tried to weave his way through them, but then something sliced his left side. The shadowy mewtwo hit the pavement and tumbled to a stop. Nicks and scrapes peppered his dark gray skin.

Gene: "... This is gonna suck, isn't it?"

"You're, nngh, wrong." Hissing in pain, Gene hopped back to his feet.

I can feel your fear rising every passing second.

Gene: "Seriously! I thought you said that you didn't want me to get killed here!" >_>;

"You're the weakling. Cutting out your soul... for more power."

Gene heard lightning buzzing before a Bolt Striking Zekrom charged past him. A startled Necrozma barely managed to fire a rainbow beam at Zekrom from point blank, blasting her back where she grazed a couple of buildings and flung rubble around the streets.

Ouch. That one's gonna leave a mark there.

Figuring Necrozma was having too easy of a time deflecting things from afar, Gene rushed forward while its Prismatic Laser faded. Gene conjured his psychic spoon and slashed Necrozma's leg repeatedly.

"Pathetic!"

Emerald light filled the sky. Gene barely managed to Phantom Warp across the street from the ensuing Thousand Arrows hailstorm. A giant blue sphere rushed toward Necrozma. But Zekrom struck an invisible force which held her in place. Gene heard Vegna grunting in effort somewhere behind him.

Gene: "Damn it, you seriously couldn't have split yourself up more evenly back in the day, Vegna?!" >.<

He'd give Zekrom a hand, then. Gene slung a Shadow Ball at Necrozma's left side, then rushed in after it. Crystal tendrils appeared, but instead of deflecting the Shadow Ball away, they hit it back at Gene. He couldn't dip into a Phantom Warp fast enough. The Shadow Ball slammed into his chest and fell on his back, hissing.

Careless.

I mean, at least he helped Zekrom there? ^^;

Gene sprang back to his feet, only to gasp as a wave of emerald hexagons raced toward him. He shot into the air. Emerald light singed his feet. The pain stung, but it could've been worse.

You're too afraid to fight at your best. Give me control.

Never. Gene fired two Shadow Balls at Necrozma while it was busy slicing through a Glacial Lance from Glastrier.

'Never's a very strong word there, Gene. I'm not particularly convinced that you'll be able to back that one up.

There was still a chance to save this. They were buying Yuna enough time. If pulling the Needle disoriented Necrozma as much as it did Vegna, then Gene could seize the opening and—

"Down!"

Vegna's cry startled Gene, who fell to the ground, sprawled out on his belly. Intense heat brushed his back from the Prismatic Laser he narrowly dodged.

inb4 this trips all the traumatic flashbacks right now

Static buzzed around his nostrils. A heavy thud and snarls filled his ears. Gene pushed himself up and raced forward, psychic spoon in hand, rapidly approaching Necrozma. It was trading electrified punches with Zekrom.

Gene feinted left, then crossed back right and lunged for Necrozma. He thrust the psychic spoon toward Necrozma's left leg. A resounding clang rang out.

Roaring, Necrozma's tendrils lashed out all around it. But Gene anticipated and pressed himself up against Necrozma's leg. A psychic force tried to repel him, but he had to hold. Hold on. Hold on.

"Gnrk!"

Yeah, Gene's slipping. I can already tell.

A sudden jolt of black sparks drove Gene's spoon through Necrozma's crystal armor. The shadowy mewtwo's eyes widened. He hadn't—

It caught him so off guard he wasn't prepared for Necrozma's tendrils. He pulled his spoon out and parried one on his left. Then a second on his right.

But the third impaled Gene from behind. The pain didn't even set in until the crystal spear emerged from his stomach.

Yeah, I'll just take the under on him successfully resisting Dark Matter's advances this chapter.

He barely noted his blood splatter on the ground by Necrozma's foot. Didn't hear whatever it was Necrozma said. Hardly noticed buildings sailing by him. Had Necrozma tossed him away?

The storm was saying something, but the ringing in Gene's ears was too loud.

Gene hit the concrete once. Twice. Necrozma must've tossed him so hard he was skipping along the ground.

Cue the Sonic gif from earlier.

Everything spun around him. Blood pooled in his throat.

Familiar memories flickered through his mind.

Bahamut stabbing Gene's right shoulder with the broken fragment from his face. Striking the island with a gigantic energy ball.

Necrozma pinning him to a piece of planetary rubble, readying to blast to wipe him out.

Oh, so we are having all the traumatic flashbacks right now.

Gene tried to suck in breath, but all he could manage was a gurgle.

The blurry swirl of black concrete and gray sidewalk faded away. And something caustic grabbed hold of him.

I'll take that as a sign that DM is in charge now.

The shadowy storm was raging now. Black and purple lightning scorched the grass, which was falling away chunk by chunk into an endless dark abyss.

"I warned you!" Its distorted voice was practically deafening. However, Gene lacked the strength to put his hands to his ears. "Your pathetic cowardice has ruined us!"

Oh, well. Not quite, then.

Gene fell to one knee. The pain was getting to him even here. Was he already dead? What was going to happen to him now?

"There's still a chance," the storm said. "Give me control. Before your spirit fades entirely and I break apart."

Indeed, the dark cyclone looked like it was collapsing in on itself. Tiny cracks punctured the storm's red eye.

Well, if he's not dead yet, he's certainly dying. And yeah, I had a feeling that Gene wasn't going to be able to resist.

"I ca... n't..." Gene grabbed his chest. Yeah, his soul was burning. And not in some romantic way. He hadn't felt pain like this in ages, even following Necrozma's last attack.

"Your fear and anguish are palpable!" the storm snarled. More lightning struck the ground. About half the grassy field had fallen into the abyss. "All you've done is run away from them! And look where it got you!"

I mean, considering the alternative is Gene straight up dying and exiting the story, I'm convinced he's going to yield here.

"If I... give in... then I'm... no better." Gene squeezed his chest with his right hand. "I'm just... like Bahamut. Driven... by anger."

"So, better to roll over and die?"

Gene didn't respond. More lightning scorched the ground around him.

"Look at the dragapult. She refused to give in to Giratina and now she's stuck in limbo. Filled with fear and apprehension for what the future holds."

Oh, so Yaldabaoth is trying to take over Yuna. Duly noted, even if I wonder how Dark Matter knows this.

What good did bringing Yuna up do for Gene? He was going to—

Wait.

Yuna could do Gene good here. She didn't give in to Giratina. She found some sort of compromise. And maybe... maybe that was what Gene needed here.

Don't make me break out Bubsy, Gene. Though I suppose that you don't exactly have many choices right now.

The ground a few meters in front of him fell into the abyss. A maelstrom of purple, red, and black lay below Gene.

"You're right." Gene managed to raise his trembling arms like he was surrendering. "I've screwed the pooch big time."

"Then you'll give in?"

"No." The shadowy mewtwo smirked. "We'll just have to work together."

Dark Matter: "Are you still going on with this nonsense-?"
Gene: "Look, buddy, the alternative is that we both die and fade away, so pick your poison here." >_>;

Purple lightning rained down around Gene, disappearing into the abyss with clumps of the ground. There was only a few meters of ground left around Gene.

"Wrong answer."

"Hardly." Gene pointed a shaky finger at the storm's broken core. "If I give up and let you take control, then I'm still running away from everything."

Gene: "Also, you'd seriously rather let yourself fade out than compromise, huh?"

He looked down at the withered gray grass beneath his feet. "I'm done running."

"We cannot simply 'work together,'" the storm huffed. "You are one soul bonded to a force of negativity and emptiness."

"Of course you'd say that," Gene scoffed. "But we won't know without trying."

Yeah, I suppose that a blob of negativity incarnate would miss how this is a golden opportunity to slowly corrupt Gene. But maybe that's not the end of the world there.

The storm shrank somewhat. More of the ground fell away. Only a couple of meters were left in front of Gene.

"This won't work. You'll just revert to what you were like under Team Rocket. Why do you think Nova was so worried about me?"

Oh, that's a huge risk there.

As far as Gene was concerned, there wasn't time to argue this point further. He was done talking. And Nova wasn't here anymore.

Survival was what mattered.

Gene: "TL/DR, I'll take my chances. I'm not giving up my screentime that easily."

With a pained grunt, Gene leaped into the air. The ground he'd stood on crumbled away, leaving nothing but the gaping abyss beneath him.

"Fool! You'll be the end of both of us!"

Gene: "Yeah, I get that a lot. Welcome to the team, evil negative blob thing."

The storm wouldn't dare strike Gene, however. Because it had to know that would truly be the end of them both.

No more running. They'd been separated for so long. But it was time for them to come together once again. For the mewtwo to accept the part of him Nova and Miraidon had split off.

He flew toward the eye of the storm. Purple light swallowed them both up before Gene reached the core.

Oh, so Gene is the reincarnation of Dark Matter. Duly noted there.

Gene awoke with a sharp gasp and shot to his feet. He hadn't felt this energetic in weeks.

He ran a hand along his chest. No blood. Instead there was a red gem, just like the eye of that storm, with a black and red crystal lattice spreading out to his shoulders. His tail had taken on the same starcloud qualities as Cyril, Leo, and Widget's fur.

Down the street, both Necrozma and Vegna were disoriented. The dusknoir lay on his back in the street. He lacked any of his familiars and his right arm was dissolving away in streams of gold. Necrozma clutched its crystalline head. It had no eyes, but Gene was sure it was looking toward the Jubilife TV building. Had Yuna pulled the Needle?

Well that's some unexpected BGM. Though I see from your embedded art that that's the origin for

Didn't matter. It was time to strike.

Within seconds, Gene was by Necrozma's side.

"Impos—"

Shadows swirled around Gene's hands. Black and purple spikes emerged from the sidewalk, slicing through Necrozma's crystalline legs. Necrozma's tendrils lashed out wildly in retaliation, trying to smack or stab Gene. He parried all of them aside with bursts of purple lightning. The electricity crawled up Necrozma's tendrils and shattered them. Crystal fragments dropped to the ground around them.

Necrozma: "I call hax."

"Wh... how?"

Over Vegna's strained voice, Gene continued his assault on Necrozma. He grabbed the crystal titan's right arm and sent dark lightning coursing through it. Like the tendrils, the arm shattered and littered the ground with more crystal fragments.

Roaring, Necrozma fell over on its side.

"No! Noooo!" Necrozma desperately sent a Thousand Waves forward, but Gene Phantom Warped through the green hexagons and pummeled Necrozma's exposed chest with more shadow spikes.

I can already see Vegna's expression of blank shock off on the sidelines right now.

"I won't— I can't lose!" Necrozma tried to conjure a Photon Geyser, but Gene kicked it off the sidewalk and into the street.

"I ne... ed pow... er..." The claws of Necrozma's remaining hand scraped the concrete as it tried to stand back up. "Mo... re... pow... er..."

Gene rushed back toward Vegna, who was down to just a head and half a torso.

Oh, so Vegna's dying alongside Necrozma, huh? Or at least I think that's the implication there.

"I'll do you one better, buddy." He didn't care how distorted his voice sounded. Gene only had one shot for this.

The mega mewtwo levitated Vegna into the air.

"What are... you doing?" Vegna wheezed. "Get rid... of us."

"I'm making my own path forward!"

Gene, what are you doing? .-.

Gene plunged a shadowy blade into the dusknoir. Something vaguely resembling a groan escaped his decomposing body. He stared in complete disbelief.

There was a tiny voice in the back of his head. Telling him to end it. To be rid of Bahamut forever. To think of what he did to Gene back on Cinnabar. And all the clashes they had since then.

"You're not... going anywhere!" Gene declared. "You're... sticking around... to fix what you helped break!"

Is he going to duct tape Vegna and Necrozma back together, or...?

Finally, after holding the shadowy blade in place for several seconds, Vegna's ectoplasmic body imploded into a tiny ball of golden light. Gene rushed toward Necrozma's prone form. He weaved past stray bolts of yellow lightning.

"No!" Necrozma flailed around on its back. "No, stop!"

"It's time for you... to pull yourself back together!"

Wait, he can do that now? .-.

Gene wasn't sure who or what would emerge from what he was about to do. But that wasn't stopping him. Sure, his newly reunited half believed this would end badly. Gene thought differently. After all, Bahamut had proven too damn stubborn.

And so, with a tomahawking swing of his right arm, Gene slammed the golden ball into Necrozma's torso. He jumped back seconds before a pillar of blue light swallowed up what was left of Necrozma.

Well, I suppose that I'm going to find out shortly as to how Bubsy-tier this whole moment was.

~Il Paradigma, No. VIII: Guile Hideout, Justice~
The power of Justice was one the Emperor long kept sealed. What use was it when he restored order to the Qliphoth so succinctly? And kept it in order for so very long?

It was only in response to the resistance leader's increasing public presence that the Emperor sought to reanimate a long-lost figure from the rebel leader's past. He constructed enchanted armor, infused with Malice, to grant this figure a second chance at life.

Oh, right, the 8th arcana is Justice. That one's definitely a lot more ironic than I expected for someone who used to be a Giovanni.

~Il Paradigma, No. XVII: Vegna, the Star~
The lingering spirit severed from the mighty dragon of light. Too gripped by panic to slip into the Benefactor's embrace, he managed to cling to a fragment of the Universe's power that the dragon of light had previously stolen. With that power, he kept his spirit together using dark arts to manipulate the spirits of the dead.

Wait, wait, wait. Vegna was ex-Paradigm all this time?!

And made it to the end, which I think we can basically sum these two chapters up as:

And how, given that we have a lot of potential fallout going into tomorrow since quite a bit changed in the span of less than 10,000 words. I see we're just going full pedal to the metal here, though by and large, these chapters did their job and didn't waste any time getting the characters back into the thick of things. You also had a decent range of vibes, which I felt was a welcome change from the slower pace that most of the last 5-ish chapters had.

I do wonder if you accelerated things a bit too much in parts though, especially in Chapter 104. Like I'll give it kudos for trying something different, but it did feel heavily accelerated to just jump straight to the last needle, and I feel like Gene and Dark Matter bouncing off each other would've felt more organic if we'd gotten to see them do more of this in the past such that this big moment felt more built-up to.

But all-in-all, I thought that this was a pretty fun pair of chapters @Ambyssin . Whatever lies ahead, I'll be looking forward to it, and keep it up. ^^

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

And speak of the devil, doing something that I haven't done in a long while and whipping up a review day and date for one of your chapters, this time for…

Chapter 105

Spoiler: Line-by-Line

"Can I ask you something?"

Nickie's question prompted Tessa to lift her head up from the Kecleon Mart catalog she was flipping through. "Sure."

Wait, the Kecleon made printed catalogs of their wares? I wonder if they also did a mail-order service.

"Your dad... is he always so serious?"

Tessa blinked a few times. "Is this about the meeting?"

"Yeeeeaaaah." Nickie pawed at the edge of her cushion. "I mean, he didn't yell at us or anything. But that look on his face was so stern." Her shaved tails puffed up a bit. "Gives me the heebie-jeebies."

Oh, so Tessa did still have her parent troubles in this continuity. Just with her dad and (maybe) not her mom.

"Ah." Tessa rubbed one of her aura feelers. "When it comes to guild business, he gets very... focused. But outside of work, he's gentler. Promise!"

Nickie's snout twitched. "So, uh, can we, y'know, see him? Outside of work? You're his kid, right? Shouldn't be hard."

"Sure?" Tessa shrugged. It sounded easy enough.

"It'd help settle my nerves."

"Right." Tessa turned the page in her catalog. "Then I'll make it happen."

I can already tell that that didn't go well there, to say the least.

Jubilife TV's interior was devoid of people. That Paradigm lieutenant must have cleared everyone out. Yuna floated past tables with metal food trays full of bagels, rolls, and other pastries. Some of them had mold patches.

That... doesn't sound like a recent clearing given that there's literally molding food lying around.

The dragapult headed up the stairs and peeked into a studio. Nothing but a bright pink stage with lights and cameras pointed at it.

Yuna glanced at her griseous core. I could really use a sign right now. She had no idea how long Gene and Vegna could stall outside. She heard occasional muffled thumps and thuds. How close were they to the building?

Oh, so this is happening concurrent to the second half of the last chapter, huh? Since that sounds like she's hearing Gene getting thrown around outside.

"Yo, Princess! Think I got something!"

Nikki leaped down from higher up the stairwell. "There's a funny glow coming from the top floor."

Whelp, there's that sign you asked for, Yuna.

Yuna flew up the stairs. Nikki ran alongside her. The blasts she heard before were even quieter now. Though if this was a fancy broadcast building, Yuna supposed it made sense it would be built to dampen outside noise.

The studio on the third floor was even pinker than the one below it. Fur boas and sequined dresses full of sparkles littered the floor beside the circular stage. Even the cameras and spotlights were covered in pink fur and doused in glitter.

Oh right, it was mentioned that the needle was kept near Xander's bedroom. Somehow I didn't realize that he would be living here, but the more you know.

"Yeah, Xander was definitely here." Nikki's nostrils twitched. She clapped her hands together and conjured poison globules. The toxtricity tossed them over her shoulder, where they smeared a pinup poster of Xander in fishnets and a corset on the wall behind them. Yuna had floated right past it without even noticing it. And now she wished she could have remained blissfully ignorant of its existence.

I take it that Xander isn't exactly prime 'model' material from Yuna's reaction to that poster.

"I can take a gaaaaawmd guess what this guy dreams about," Cresselia said.

That obvious, huh? /s

"The vibes in here are rancid." Shaymin sighed and shook his head. "Find that Needle."

"So, where was the glowing?" Yuna looked around. All the glitter and sequins made it tough to tell.

Can't tell if that was a feature or a bug on Xander's part given that normally making the needle hard to find would presumably be a part of his job.

"That door in the corner." Nikki walked up to the dragapult's side and pointed to a shut door with a big white heart on it. Thin gold light trickled through cracks between the door and the floor and ceiling.

I suppose that we'll find out how clever Xander was, since just saying, the smart thing to do would've been to riddle Jubilife TV full of decoy needles.

"Worth a shot." Yuna quickly hovered toward the door. She grabbed the handle and, predictably, it wouldn't turn.

"Hey, do you think you could unlock it by phasing through the locking mechanisms?" Reshiram wondered.

Yuna blinked. She hadn't really thought of that before. Mainly because she didn't understand locking mechanisms that well.

I take it that there aren't too many of them back home in Aeon, but it's certainly worth a shot.

Another muffled explosion told her to stop overthinking. She pressed her right hand against the door... and phased through it! Yuna felt around until her hand brushed against pins that were docked into small metal pegs. She slid them out of the pegs and found her left hand able to open the handle.

I'm surprised that she has that level of control over corporeality, but I suppose it's within the realm of antics that ghosts are supposed to get up to in folklore.

"I'm in." Yuna pushed the door open and was greeted with racks full of dresses, skintight latex and leather suits, and... other strange pieces of cloth and fabric that made Yuna want to turn and leave.

"Why didn't you just phase through the door?" Nikki walked over, scratching her head.

"I didn't want to leave you out here," Yuna said, rubbing her right arm. As if on cue, she heard another muffled blast.

Nikki: "... Okay, yeah, that'd probably be a good thing. (Boy, I sure hope Boss Kitty's doing alright out there.)"

The toxtricity's mohawk turned pink. "O-Oh." She stuck her hands into her pockets. "Thanks."

Nodding, Yuna forced her way past all the clothing. Sure enough, the Needle was in the back of the room, in front of a big, heart-shaped mirror. She'd admire the tackiness if she wasn't in a hurry.

Yuna:

"Which is starting to get me worried that there's some sort of horrible catch to all of this, but..."

Yet, as Yuna floated closer, apprehension ate at her.

This was it, wasn't it? The final Needle. The last Sage who sealed themselves away.

... At least, assuming Vegna told the truth.

Yuna: "Great, now I'm starting to get second thoughts about all of this."

"He genuinely believes this is it," Reshiram reminded the dragapult. "Worst case, he's wrong. Not outright lying."

That didn't bring Yuna much in the way of comfort. But she couldn't delay any further. Ignoring her reflection in the mirror, she reached out and grabbed the Needle.

Whelp, let's see who Yuna rolled this time.

"Y'know, I've never really thought about it. You came up with this custom, didn't you?"

Diancie turned, twirling a chisel around in her right hand. She looked expectantly at Bahamut, who lay on her granite floor, gazing at the gemstones in the ceiling.

And the FF9 music makes its triumphant return. Though Diancie, huh? Or at least I think that's the Sage we just pulled.

"I did." The light dragon crossed one large gold crystal leg over the other.

"Why?" Diancie wondered.

Bahamut did his best not to let any irritation show. He really didn't want to go down this buneary hole. Too specific an explanation and he might have to divulge things he'd rather keep to himself.

Wait, I just realized, but why is this memory being written from Bahamut's perspective? ._.;

"Diamonds form under intense heat and pressure." Bahamut lazily raised his upper wings and pressed them together. "Great stress leads to something beautiful."

Thus the diamond-related chapter title, I presume.

He tilted his head left and cracked a grin. "Sounds a lot like partnership or marriage, doesn't it?"

Diancie tapped the chisel against her chin. "Hmm." She turned back to the purple and gold crystal behind her. "A beautiful marriage enduring stress." Diancie chiseled away at the diamond. "And what happens when the union doesn't work?"

Bahamut dimmed. Of course she'd ask that. Good thing he had an answer ready.

"Even a diamond can crack under intense enough strain."

I mean, that's not wrong, but still very

to contemplate.

The chinks of chisel on diamond and tinks of tiny diamond chunks dropping to the floor prevented the room from falling into total silence. Diancie continued chipping off misshapen purple and gold fragments.

I just realized, but Diancie's crafting a needle there, isn't she?

"Are you worried that will happen with Chiron?" she wondered.

Bahamut's head tendrils shrank. "That's—"

He folded his upper wings between two of his chest spikes.

"I believe her feelings are genuine."

Diancie: "But that didn't answer the question." .-.

Diancie paused with the chisel near the bottom left corner of the diamond. "That doesn't answer my question, sir."

I love it when I can call reactions like this.

Aaaaand that sent Bahamut's tail straight into his torso. For pity's sake, he was supposed to have kicked that habit. And now he needed something to settle down with.

"Thou fair-haired angel of the evening, now, whilst the sun rests on the mountains," he whispered. "Light thy bright torch of love, thy radiant crown put on, and smile upon our evening bed."

Wait, did Bahamut come up with that bit in the second paragraph? Or is that something that Gallian helped him come up with?

That managed to coax his tail back out. Good.

"Your cryptic poems aren't an answer eiiiiitheeeer~" Diancie sang, cheerfully chiseling away at the diamond.

Aaaaaand back in went the tail.

Though I'm just realizing that that Bahamut's reaction there is an awful lot like Yuna's stress reactions... I wonder...

Bahamut threw his upper wings over his head.

"Okay, yes, I am worried about screwing this up." His upper wings flopped at his sides. "What else am I supposed to say?"

Diancie smirked. "That you were too proud to admit it without some teeth pulling."

Bahamut's rainbow eyes swirled around. "But I don't have teeth..."

The look Diancie gave him hastily made the light dragon add, "Joke!" He raised his lower wings and waved them around. "It was a joke, I swear!"

Sighing, Diancie grabbed the chisel and returned her attention to the diamond. "I'm gonna get Reshiram if you keep beating around the bush."

Oh, someone's pulling out the big guns there.

"Fine. Fine!" Bahamut's gold shifted to an irate orange. He had to breathe. "Enamorus' title exists to spread the idea of love. The beauty of love."

At least he managed to get the tail out again. "If people learned the guy who crafted the Sage of Love doesn't have the slightest inkling about romance and relationships..."

I think that you had some bigger issues to worry about coming out on the 'dirty laundry' front, just saying.

His light rippled and frazzled. "It could make them restless. The kind of restlessness that could... draw it here."

Oh. Well. I suppose that's one way to tell that the contradictions of Bahamut's order wound up catching up with him given that his fears indeed came to pass later on.

The light dragon's expression hardened. "I won't let it destroy m— our home."

Diancie fumbled her chisel but managed to catch it before it fell to the floor. "Ah, right. Yes. That, erm, would make sense, sir."

Bahamut sat up. "Watch your tone. I'm not here saying the fate of the world hinges on this or anything."

inb4 this was precisely the thing that wound up screwing everything up. Especially since we know that Enamorus was the Sage that betrayed everyone else.

"Y-Yessir." Diancie swallowed hard. She chiseled at a few more points on the diamond. "Well, uh, your proposal gift's... ready to rock."

Bahamut glared harder. Of all the times for a ridiculous rock pun.

Laughing nervously, Diancie rested her right hand on the diamond. "S-Sorry, sir. Couldn't help it." She offered a sincere smile. "Even though you're nervous, we're all rooting for you two."

Oh, so Diancie helped make Bahamut's equivalent of an engagement ring, cute.

Well, that was nice to hear. Bahamut saw his intense, albeit distorted, reflection in the diamond. He softened his expression a bit.

"Thank you." The dragon pointed an upper wing at the gem. "In more ways than one."

"Don't mention it." Diancie put her tiny hands on her hips. "And, hey, maybe if things go well, you'll consider dropping the whole 'Sages can't court' thing?"

Wait, implying that there were other Sages that had active relationships beyond Cecil and Jade?

The glare returned. Was all this some ulterior motive? Had Lugia put her up to this? Stars above, she was more than a pain in his ass. He'd have scouted for replacements, but Chiron was fond of her...

Wooooow. Like I had gathered that Jade was Bahamut's unfavorite Sage, but that was certainly blunt there.

"Let's just... take things one day at a time." Bahamut levitated the gem beside him. "Proposal first. We'll see what happens from there."

He flicked an upper wing. Rather than the door opening, a wormhole formed underneath Bahamut. He lazily saluted Diancie with an upper wing as he sank into it.

Bahamut had the gem. And some reassurance. This would work. It had to work.

I mean, given that you two had a kid together after(?) this...

As the memory faded and the dressing room's brightly lit ceiling came into view, Yuna lay on the floor, shuddering.

This didn't make any sense. Why did she see things through Bahamut's eyes? Every other memory was Chiron's. Because the two were connected!

See, I knew that was a sign that something was off. Though I wonder if that has anything to do with that power that Chiron apparently stole from Bahamut.

But his ethereal body rippling... and his tail shooting into his body. They were just like... just like...

Oh, so I was right to notice the resemblance there.

"Princess? Princess, say something!"

Nikki's shoves jostled the dragapult. But Yuna stayed silent, gaze still fixed on the ceiling.

What could this mean?

That Bahamut clearly didn't split into just two pieces. Even if it's TBD how you managed to get the part you're holding onto.

"Snap out of it!"

Scaly hands grabbed Yuna's torso. The ceiling got closer, then shook violently.

Nikki's face came into view. The toxtricity was holding her... and shaking Yuna despite her larger size.

Nikki: "Yuna! Get it together!"

"C'mon, Princess!" Worry spread across Nikki's face. "Stay with me!"

The icy vulpix rolled Tessa over on her back. "Can you hear me? Did the reviver go off? C'mon, Tess, say something!"

Oh boy, now flashing back even further into history, I see.

"Nnngh." Blinking rapidly, Yuna pushed Nikki's arms away and drifted back. She glimpsed Diancie's silhouette from the corner of her eyes.

"I—" Yuna started, but her tail crinkled. She looked at some of the fuzzy scarves on a rack in front of her.

Deep breaths.

Yuna: "I... am really, really confused right now by what I saw in there."

Her griseous core tingled in her chest. Was Yaldabaoth trying to interject?

Ignore them. Deep breaths.

Not that the dragapult had lungs. But the air steadied her ectoplasm. The ripples and quivering died down.

Oh, so that's who's making the 'deep breaths' comment. I didn't realize that until just now. Kinda wonder if it'd have made sense to tip your hand a bit harder as to the "voice" that's speaking.

"I got a memory of Bahamut." Yuna suppressed a shudder. "All my other memories were Chiron's. Which I thought made sense. But this one..."

Saying it out loud proved difficult.

"What?" Nikki stepped closer, head tilted.

"Bahamut acted... kinda like me." Yuna's tail started to retreat into her torso. "Like that." She pointed at the tail like it had a mind of his own. "His tail would do that, too. And his body would ripple and jiggle like my ectoplasm."

Yeeeeah, I'm not sure what to make of this myself, other than that somehow, the Bahamut that Gene put together last chapter is still not whole.

Nikki raised a brow. "Meaning?"

Yuna threw her arms up. "That we're, like, related somehow."

"Uh-huuuuuh." Nikki lazily strutted away from Yuna, resting her hands behind her head. "And that's surprising becaaaaaaaaause?"

"Because I used to be..." Yuna's voice trailed off. She looked down at her wispy feet, then massaged her tail with them until it was fully out of her torso.

Not sure where this one is-

"Because I used to be..." Yuna's voice trailed off. She looked down at her wispy feet, then massaged her tail with them until it was fully out of her torso.

"I take it you caught on?" Nikki said, smirking.

Yuna drifted right and draped herself over an empty chair. "If I'm really Giratina, and Bahamut had Giratina's power, then I guess it makes sense. He had a part of my soul, after all."

Oh. Oh. I see that I had the who had a part of the other completely inverted there. Though that makes me wonder if Giratina would also react like Yuna when stressed.

"Exactly."

Nikki smacked Yuna's back. Meeping, Yuna faceplanted onto the seat of the chair. "Owwww..." She squirmed around to sit backwards on the chair, curling her tail around its legs.

"Whoops." Nikki wiggled the fingers of her raised hand. "But, hey, at least you're not freaking out anymore, right?"

I mean, I'm pretty sure there's still reasons to be freaking out here even if Yuna hasn't thought through all the implications just yet.

The dragapult hardly considered that a consolation. Besides, there were bigger things to worry about. Namely...

"Um, did anything happen after I pulled the Needle?" Yuna wondered.

"Like what?" Nikki asked.

Yuna shrugged. "I dunno. The room shaking? Some ripples of distortion or colorful lights?"

Ominous BGM is ominous. Let's see where this goes.

She got a blank look from Nikki. "Uhh, I guess I heard some more explosions in the distance?" the toxtricity said. "But they completely stopped a little while before you woke up."

Yuna glanced down at her griseous core. It sat in her chest, slowly pulsating like it usually did.

Now that was strange. Wouldn't Giratina have reacted to Yuna severing the connection between Eternatus and the reverse world?

... Are you sure that it's really been severed, Yuna? Since this sounds like the sort of thing that would happen if it hadn't been, just saying.

"Ahem."

A dainty throat clearing drew Yuna's attention toward the mirror, where Diancie still floated. The Sage wore a confused expression.

"Ah. You, uh, probably have a lot of questions," Yuna said, pressing her brow into the back of the chair.

Diancie nodded. "Talk about bizarre first impressions. You and your girlfriend sneak away from work to canoodle or something?" She looked around the room. "This place would... certainly accommodate that."

So how beet red is Yuna's face right now anyways?

"G-Girlfriend?" Yuna squeaked. When her tail shot into her torso, it shifted her weight enough to tip the chair backward. "Wh— eep!"

Arms flailing, Yuna floated into the air before the chair fell over with an unimpressive thud.

"We're not— that's just—"

I'll take that as a 'very' there.

"We're partners trying to save the universe, Rocky," Nikki scoffed, crossing her arms. "What are you, the Sage of Assumptions? You don't got the backside for it." She laughed to herself.

"Sage of Resilience, actually." If Diancie was annoyed, she didn't show it. She twirled around and gazed at her reflection. "Diamonds are resilient, after all. At least, that was Bahamut's take."

Nikki: "Okay, seriously, did Bahamut just pick his sage attributes out of a hat or something?"

"Pssssht." Nikki bent over to stand the chair back up. "Like anything that asshole says is worth a damn."

That got an irritated look from Diancie. "Excuse me?"

Yuna chose to stop this before things got heated. The griseous core flickered, then sucked a startled Diancie inside. "The others can catch you up," she whispered to the core.

Yuna: "Well, at least I can take some solace that I'm not the only one who's confused and disoriented right now?" .-.

Chaos energy tickled her ectoplasm from the edges of the core. It felt like Giratina reacting to the new presence, so Yuna ignored it.

Not sure that that was wise on your part, Yuna, but duly noted.

Something still felt off to her, but at least Yuna now knew which Sage was unaccounted for. And with the last Needle pulled, what did that mean for Necrozma and Vegna?

"Okay. Guess it's settled." Nikki clapped her hands together. "We should get out of here, right? You think Gene's okay?"

That depends on how you feel about his voice now permanently sounding like a distorted crowd and him blasting Rob Zombie wherever he goes now.

Before Yuna had the chance to respond, the room violently shook. Clothing racks toppled over, leaving a veritable rainbow of fabrics strewn across the floor.

"The hell? Is this an earthquake?" Nikki jumped to Yuna's side. "Princess, you gotta get us outta here!"

"But Necrozma blocks rifts." Yuna's tail crinkled. She'd have to fly Nikki out.

Can't tell if that's Bahamut getting stitched back together or that connection with Eternatus finally breaking.

Seconds later, however, the dressing room door was violently torn off its hinges. The wall surrounding it crumbled away.

Yuna darted protectively in front of Nikki, ready to summon Rayquaza to her aid. But an unseen force grabbed hold of the dragapult. The next thing she knew, they were both flung face-first and screaming into a jagged purple rift.

Well then.

Between the Needle in Jubilife and the Empire popping up in Khelifet, the outpost was a flurry of activity. Enough for Guzzie to close the restaurant and, despite his son's protests, the arena. That gave Widget plenty of space to slink off to while everyone else ran around coordinating things.

The cosmic silvally barely paid attention to Xander's broadcast. He was still too preoccupied with what had happened to him. And Leo.

I'll admit, I wasn't expecting that BGM to pop up here.

Which was why he was currently pacing along the edge of the arena, waiting for the cosmic arceus to come by.

Yes, Widget felt guilty worrying about himself with everything else going on. But this was like a pervasive itch he couldn't scratch. If Widget couldn't get to the bottom of things, he'd go crazy.

"'Sup. Brought the lizard."

Oh, so we're going to be doing stuff with Vince today?

Widget looked up in time to duck under a flailing Vince. The purple koraidon landed behind him and rolled to a stop, groaning loudly. The fluttering of wings preceded Alder landing next to him.

"What was that for? I can walk, y'know." Vince staggered to his feet and shook himself out.

"You're twitchyAF." Leo walked across the air until he was between Vince and Widget. "You were totes gonna bolt."

I mean, I'm with Leo on this one, since Vince has rather transparently been trying to get out of dodge ever since

stuck him with the group.

"Bolt to where?" Vince looked down, scowling. "I can't go anywhere without my powers. I'm practically your prisoner!"

"You really wanna have that argument?" Leo squinted at Vince, whose feathered antennae drooped.

Oh, so Leo was right there. Figures.

Sighing, Vince looked at Widget. "What do you want?"

The cosmic silvally gestured to Alder and Vince. "Between your Lorekeeper and Overseer stuff, I was wondering if either of you knew something about an entity known as a Voice."

I mean, I'm sure they do, but let's see what they have to say about it.

Judging by Alder's pensive expression and Vince's startled one, Widget had hit on something. The braviary levitated a book out of his crest and flipped through it.

Vince pawed nervously at the ground. "W-Where did you hear that?"

"From myself," Widget flatly replied. He tucked his head down. "When Leo and I... worked on Seifer the other day, I saw... silhouettes of a bunch of pokémon. And they were, like, pointing at me. Calling me Voice."

Well that one certainly got a reaction from Vince, even if I wonder why.

He shuddered. "Ever since, something's felt... off. Like my scales are crawling under my fur and I want to rip them out."

Vince shrank back from Widget's visceral description. Alder cut in before the purple koraidon could say anything. "I do have something. The Voice of Life." He tapped the page of his open book with a wing. "Says here they embody the will of the world and all the souls that inhabit it."

Which we already know from that one scene with Shane and Angel is a bit of an inadequate description of Widget there.

Widget's crest fanned out. "Ah! I think... I think that's it!" He repeated the phrase to himself a few times. His scales tingled and his fur stood on end. "But what do you mean by that 'will of the world' stuff?"

The braviary flipped the page. "The Voice of Life helps to keep the world in balance through preserving spiritual integrity," he explained, reading off the page. "Whether a force of nature or a living being themselves, the Voice of Life can work directly with a person's soul, even drawing spirits in from nearby worlds and empowering them in times of crisis."

Wait, implying that the properties of the Voice of Life aren't consistent between universes in this story? I mean, I suppose it makes sense if the omniverse literally encompasses all Pokémon universes out there and then some.

With that last sentence, Widget jolted. The arena's gray floor disappeared from under his feet, replaced by a serene blue sky. He watched a pikachu fall through the air, limbs flailing, until they disappeared through the trees below.

A sharp breath brought Widget back to attention.

What was that, a memory? His memory?

Ah, I see that POV-2020 has the same Gates protagonist as POV-2017 did. Not sure how I feel about that given how divergent things were in Aeon, but duly noted.

"There can be other Voices, too," Vince said, looking around. "Though that's more applicable to Overseers. Most worlds only have a Voice of Life. And if there's knowledge of that stuff, it's usually kept to legendary pokémon. Voices will frequently work with them, aiding in a world's creation or tweaking its design to keep things balanced."

Wait, whaaaaaa? That one is definitely news to me.

He shot Leo a look. Widget followed Vince's gaze, frowning.

"So then... when Leo kept calling me his brother, he wasn't just being silly?"

"I blurted that stuff out whenever it happened," Leo confessed. He brushed a golden forehoof back and forth on the metallic ground. "In hindsight, though..." He glanced at Alder, who nodded.

Wait, wait, wait, so Leo isn't just POV-2020's old Arceus?

"If we're to assume that Leo is the creator, then it would make sense for him to feel a connection with the universe's Voice." Alder pointed at Widget with his right wing.

Ah, that's what you meant there.

Widget's starcloud neck ruff deflated. Something about that bothered him. Why did he see all those silhouettes of other pokémon, then? And what about Xeromus' ranting in Herbrides? Not to mention...

"The emperor created me," the cosmic silvally muttered. "But I'm pretty sure he doesn't know about this stuff. Did he somehow make a Voice by complete accident? Or did... did..."

He stepped back, avoiding eye contact with Leo.

Did Leo put the Voice inside me with that blessing?

Both options unsettled him. They leaned toward his worst fears. That his identity wasn't his own. His thoughts, actions— none of it was really his.

I mean, that doesn't change your current identity, Widget. Even at this rate, you probably need someone to give you a hard dope slap and remind you that you can control who you want to be in the present. Probably. Maybe.

"Get back!"

Leo's cry jolted Widget. The cosmic arceus stepped in front of him, wheel glowing brightly. A jagged rift sat in the middle of the arena.

Trouble?

"Waaaaaaah!"

Nikki's cry came seconds before she and Yuna hit the arena floor and skidded to a stop beside Leo.

Oh, so that's where that rift took Yuna and Nikki.

"What the hell, dude?!" Nikki growled, rubbing her head.

The rift faded to reveal a mega mewtwo floating above everyone. Widget thought he sensed Gene's aura, but those black lattices and red Malice Crystals sent a horrid chill down his spine. As did the red core in Gene's chest. It was practically staring Widget down. The cosmic silvally's scales crawled even more than they did earlier.

Oooookay, yeah, it figures that an incarnation of the Voice of Life would react... poorly to seeing an incarnation of Dark Matter right in front of him.

... Wait. That lattice! He'd seen it the other day in Herbrides. As a silhouette around Gene.

It's been too long, Voice.

Widget:

Yuna: "Um, Widget, what's going on here? Also, what on earth happened to you, Gene?" .-.

"Dark Matter?"

Widget whispered the words without even realizing it. Heads whipped in his direction. There was a flash of recognition in Leo's eyes, confusion in Nikki's, panic in Vince's... and curiosity in Alder's, who was glancing between Gene and the rapidly turning pages of his open book.

"So, you figured it out." Gene remained above everyone. There was a strange distortion to his voice that soon faded with the intense red glow from his chest.

Nikki: "Okay, so why are Leo, Widget, and Vince all reacting like they've seen a ghost, again? What on earth is this 'Dark Matter'?"

Vince: "Something that shouldn't be here right now!"

"Figured what out?" Nikki pushed herself up. She pointed accusingly at Gene. "Makeovers don't excuse pulling that shit on us!"

"My bad." Gene didn't sound the least bit sorry. He quickly focused on Leo and Widget. "Us three are connected."

He pointed to Leo. "The creator."

Then to Widget. "The source of balance and spirituality."

And finally Gene pointed at himself. "And the source of emptiness and negativity."

Nikki: "Really? I thought you were more a source of snark and devil-may-care-ness."

Gene: "Long story, I'll explain it sometime offscreen."

Silence followed, with everyone aside from the three Gene pointed to exchanging uneasy looks.

... Then Nikki audibly snrked. And the snrk turned to laughter. The toxtricity leaned forward and rested her hands on her knees.

"Um, Nikki?" Yuna nudged her side with her large tail.

A few deep breaths stopped Nikki's laughter. "Sorry. But, like, c'mon." She gestured at Gene with both arms. "Boss Kitty's basically telling us he's the god of edgelords! How can you not laugh at that?"

Didn't think of it that way, but she's not wrong there.

Widget rubbed his chitinous forelegs together nervously. "Should we, um, be worried about what this means for the resistance?"

"No." Gene waved the cosmic silvally off. "I'm still me. Just like Princess is still Princess." He glanced at the dragapult, specifically the amber crystal in her chest.

Oh, so Widget is going to get his "you're you" motivation speech, huh?

"Besides, I'm not the only one who put himself back together."

"Eh?" Widget's crest tightened. "What's that supposed to—"

"Release me at once, you wretched gremlin!"

With an amused swish of his starcloud tail, Gene levitated forward... a squirming lucario? His pelt had the same starry motif as Leo and Widget's. He glared daggers at the mega mewtwo.

I'll admit, that I did not see that coming. Though it's kinda funny to get confirmation that Shane's 'for want of a nail' moment that kept him getting isekaied as a Riolu in GL would've literally been a world-ending experience had it not come to pass.

"All that power you so desperately craved is forever out of your reach, buddy," Gene said, ignoring everyone's confused expressions. "It went back to its rightful owner." He pointed to Yuna. "And if you even think about splitting yourself again, I'll put you right back together."

Right, since Yuna is Giratina's host, so of course the power that Bahamut yoinked would go to her.

Blinking slowly, Widget realized what Gene's taunt meant.

"That's Bahamut?" he said, eyeing the starry lucario. "Did you fix him?"

It didn't make any sense. Wasn't he supposed to be some giant dragon of light? Or at least a smaller lump of black crystals?

... Wait, is that implying that Alt!Shane used to be Tessa's dad in this continuity?

Bahamut: "Um, you know how back in the day you used to be a Riolu? Well..." -_-;

"I did." Gene smirked at the cosmic silvally. "Pretty sure Princess was aware of this already, but for the rest of you who didn't put two and two together... Vegna was the missing soul."

"Seriously?!" Widget squawked, starcloud ruff puffing. He glanced at the others as if waiting for someone else to let their shock be known.

Except that didn't happen. Leo's expression hadn't changed. Hell, even Nikki wasn't phased. And she was the first one to open her big mouth at times like these.

Yuna: "I mean, he did kinda walk me through this to an extent about 5 chapters ago." ^^;
Widget: "Why does nobody tell me about these things?!" >v<

The toxtricity caught his gaze. "I already knew that. No math required." Smirking, she adjusted the sides of her jacket.

"Same." Leo tapped a forehoof against the floor. "I eavesdropped on you yelling at Vegna. You called me his son."

"You're not my son." Bahamut had given up fighting against Gene's psychic grip. His expression remained fierce, however. His eyes had a fire behind them that sent a chill up Widget's spine. Almost as much as that red gem in Gene's chest.

Oh, so he was involved in grenading the world way, way back when, huh?

"You may share his name — his color scheme, even — but you're not him." The cosmic lucario side-eyed Gene. "You're supposed to be a powerful psychic. You can see it. Yet you refuse to admit the truth out loud. Instead, you yelled at Vegna."

Widget frowned. Some part of him didn't like Bahamut dismissively referring to Vegna like he was someone else entirely. It brought that itching in his scales back. Was this a Voice of Life reflex? If it was, he could do without it.

I'm sorry, what?

"To be honest, I was hoping now that you're whole again you might be able to fill in some of those gaps." Gene tapped his right temple. "We're still missing pieces of the bigger picture."

Yuna's tail curled up. She fidgeted nervously. Widget was about to ask her what was up when she said, "You told me as much the other day. That a lot of your memories were fuzzy."

Something was off with Yuna's tone. Like she had pivoted from what she wanted to say at the last second.

As much as Widget wanted to press her, he let it slide. He focused on Bahamut instead. The lucario was silent. In fact, he'd shut his eyes. Was he ignoring them?

Probably, but he's also almost certainly going through a lot at the moment.

"Yo, Mutt." Nikki's mohawk crackled. "Cold shoulder ain't helping anyone."

"Then tell Mewtwo to release me." Bahamut glared at Gene. "It is difficult to think straight when one's stuck in a psychic snare."

Gene squinted. "Are you going to behave?"

"I'm not threatening anyone," Bahamut countered.

Not sure if I believe that one, but at the very least, it sounds like he's gotten a pretty significant debuff since being put back together.

Rolling his eyes, Gene snapped his fingers. The blue glow surrounding Bahamut faded. But the moment the cosmic lucario hit the ground, he sprinted toward Yuna.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Bahamut conjured a blade of light... maybe a custom Bone Rush or Psycho Cut? He swung the light blade only to strike Gene's purple and black spoon. Motes of light and shadows hit the ground around Gene and Bahamut.

Well, that's going well at the moment.

Widget backed away nervously. The red gem in Gene's chest was glowing again.

"I knew you'd try it, bastard." Gene's voice had gotten deeper and guttural again. But whatever he was doing was pushing Bahamut back. The flat of Gene's spoon broke the light blade and the cosmic lucario was forced to jump away. He kept his paws raised like he was ready to try and strike again.

Whelp, no teamup with Lucario!Shane, it seems. Though I like how that art is basically a zoomed out take of that one moment from early on in XB3 Chapter 6. All that's missing is the rant about "[X] is mine!" to accompany it.

"She has my power," Bahamut snarled. He conjured another light blade and pointed it at Yuna. "Mine and Chiron's!"

Oh, never mind, we are getting a "[X] is mine!" rant after all.

"She has her power back," Gene corrected. The glow in his chest gem faded. "As for the Paradigm fragments that belonged to Chiron... c'mon. Think." He tapped his right temple again. "Why would aspects of both you and Chiron end up with Yuna?" His starcloud tail pointed at the dragapult.

Widget caught a flash of shock in Yuna's eyes.

Gene: "Seriously, I literally spelled this out not even a minute ago." >_>;

"No." Her ectoplasm rippled, then her tail shot into her torso. "You can't be serious."

Bahamut's eyes widened. His starry tail crinkled in much the same way Widget had seen Yuna's do time and time again.

The cosmic lucario stepped back. "That's... impossible."

Okay, yeah, you absolutely drew influence from that cutscene in XB3, since even if the sequencing is mixed around, I can distinctly see the bits and pieces that echo each other.

That was when it sank in for him. The cosmic silvally's beak hung open. How was it possible?

"Oi!" Nikki's mohawk sparked. "Someone wanna loop the rest of us in?"

The amber gem in Yuna's chest crackled. Squeaking, she covered it with her arms. Bahamut looked away, his expression stern once again.

Sighing, Gene shook his head. "Guess it falls to me, then." He crossed his arms. "Princess here? She's Bahamut and Chiron's other kid."

Wait, they had an 'other' kid?! O_O;

"Oh, okay."

Yuna shot Nikki a look of disbelief. The toxtricity must not have initially realized what Gene said, because a few seconds later her mohawk grew and turned bright red.

"Wait, that's not okay!" Nikki threw her arms up in disbelief. "That's freaking insane! It doesn't even make any sense!"

Bahamut and Chiron confirmed for world's worst parents at this rate.

"Really now?" Gene paced back and forth on the metal floor. "Think about it. Why has Princess been able to interface with everything in Eternatus so easily? How could she pull all those Needles and get weird memory visions? How did her lost chaos powers return to her?"

"Because she's Giratina," Nikki said, though her wavering tone and shrinking mohawk made her sound quite uncertain.

The mega mewtwo pointed at Bahamut and Yuna. "Well, that soul of hers had to reincarnate somehow. Same as the lot of us. And the easiest way for all that to add up is if she's his kid."

Oh, so Alt!Shane really was Tessa's dad back in the day. Since we've had history repeat once he went on to become a big light derg.

"But—"

Gene held his hands up. "I'm not entertaining questions. We've got work to do."

Widget tilted his head, then remembered the small contingent that had gone off to investigate Khelifet. He hadn't even bothered checking in on any updates about that.

Widget: "... Right, we should probably check up on them all, huh?" .^.

What?" Bahamut's aura feelers stiffened. "You can't espouse such insanity and then waltz off like it's not your problem."

"Watch me." Gene sarcastically saluted Bahamut and flew back toward the restaurant, ignoring Nikki and Vince's shouting to stop.

And there's the Gene we all know and love. I see he really was able to work something out with Dark Matter there.

Widget sat down, his head still spinning. He could scarcely imagine what was going through Yuna's head. She stared blankly at Bahamut, who was doing everything in his power not to look at her.

"Well then." Laughing nervously, Alder waved his right wing. "Perhaps I should give you all some space for your family reunion."

Yuna: "For the record, I still don't know how on earth this all happened. Since when did you have a second child?!"

The braviary flapped his wings and flew toward the restaurant. A second later, Vince sprinted after him. "H-Hey, don't leave me with them!" the purple koraidon cried. "I can't do awkward silences!"

- snerk -

After a short time passed, Leo finally broke said awkward silence, walking toward Bahamut. The cosmic arceus loomed over him thanks to Leo's plate-induced growth spurts.

"So, like, are you my gramps, then?" Leo wondered. "This geezer's kinda cringe, but I guess I can roll with it."

That got under Bahamut's skin... assuming he actually had any. The cosmic lucario's aura feelers curled.

I take it that's a sign that he needs a drink there.

"What are you talking about?" he growled. "Cringe isn't even an adjective!"

Widget took that as his cue to excuse himself. "Uh, I should... go help Gene out."

He shifted into flight mode and took off into the air, eager to get as far away from those two as possible. There were still things Widget needed to address with Leo, of course. But he supposed those would have to wait for another time. He just hoped the resistance's newest acquisition would simmer down. Otherwise, they were going to have a massive headache on their hands.

>implying you don't already

Alright, made it to the end, and... I'm not sure what on earth I just read there, in a good way. Since boy we just blew up like 2-ish years of assumptions and turned them on their heads in the span of a little over 5000 words. Though we got a new party member out of it, so that's cool, too. I take it that the big blindside is meant to be the meta purpose of this chapter, since... uh... yeah, it feels like we're going to need a chapter or two to digest all the implications of everything that came out here, and here I already thought last chapter was shocking.

I don't really have too much to complain about in this chapter, other than the fact that I kinda feel like there should've been a bit more explicit buildup to this point. Since kinda like last chapter, it feels like we went a bit 0-100 for this reveal, and I'm honestly not sure what the foreshadowing in the past towards Bahamut and Chiron even having a second child was or if it was just subtle enough that I missed it. If they are lurking around, some sort of "hey, remember this?" moment might have been called for to have gotten the noggin jogging before the big moment of truth.

But otherwise, I thought that that was a fun chapter. Glad to finally be caught up again with this story, @Ambyssin . Hopefully I'll be able to do a better job of staying current in this coming year. ^^;