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All the lava flows had crusted over. Only a handful of fleeting embers drifted up toward a clear blue sky. No smog. No volcanic ash. Just the occasional fluffy white cloud.
Man, if only the Aeon citizens could have more time to enjoy the gift Leo gave them. But at least they are given one last day to enjoy it. So thank you Leo
Laughing nervously, Noctum shuffled to the right. He glanced at the castle, wondering if it was large enough for him to safely enter. Were there any dragons that came close to his height as a palkia?
Even if the road ahead got tough, Noctum had to reach the peace and quiet on the other side. Because there would be people he cared about waiting for him, with Valkyrie chief among them.
"Oh. That." Justine wrinkled her nose. "She told me she was Adelaide. And hopped bodies because she had to bide her time until the day would come where she'd save everyone in the kingdom from the dragons once and for all."
Justine exhaled sharply. "She promised me that, if I followed her, I would be worshipped. As if I was a god."
... seriously!?
Well congrats Justine, that puts you rather high up on the PMD: Parents that Suck™️ leaderboard! I think the only ones that outrank you are Enamorus and Zero!
WHO'S FAULT IS THAT!
You raised Shimmer to be that way. At least Shimmer was able to become a better Pokemon, while all you are doing is doubling down on your mistakes
Mortified, Scarlett sucked in a sharp breath, returning Starlene into the neck bauble. "I'm sorry!" the dragonair said. "I tried to stop her. She's just so slippery sometimes. Mentally or whatever."
Can Starlene only see what Scarlett sees? If that's the case, then Scarlett would have to be looking at Igneous's rear to know how big it is
Another great chapter this time around. I'm really glad the gang gets a moment to decompress and finally relax after everything is said and done. Absolutely loved everyone's interactions with each other, and damn, those art pieces are absolutely spectacular
Before I end this with my probably now-standard ending, a hearty one-fingered salute to Justine (/lighthearted). Man, Shimmer was certainly right in Enamorus and her deserving one another.
As always, I'm looking forward to seeing what the penultimate chapter and the finale have in store, and kudos! 💙
Yuna floated out of a hallway and into Aeon Castle's main hall. For the first time, orange light spilled in through an open main door, adding to the orange and blue glows of the various torches and luminous orbs lining the columns at the walls. Assorted crates sat in stacks. Many empty, some with handfuls of seeds and berries in them. Supplies that the fights against the Eterna Empire and Zodiark's Whispers had no doubt exhausted.
It had never been this quiet before. There were no servants moving about. No Aeon soldiers, either, save for silhouettes of a dragonite and a baxcalibur on the other side of the castle's main door.
But there was another dragapult to Yuna's left. Yiazmat gazed at a painting of Bahamut's original form that hung on the wall opposite the main door.
"Hey Mom," Yuna said. Though she kept her voice down, it still carried. Aside from the boxes and occasional pedestals with sparkly treasures, this was an empty room.
Yiazmat turned to her left. "Yuna." She offered a tired smile. "I wasn't sure whether you'd drop by. I imagine you must have a lot to do right now."
"Not really." Yuna floated past the stone pillars to join Yiazmat underneath the painting. She looked over the empty hall. The purple carpet under them bore haphazard, smudged footprints from Aeons of all shapes and sizes.
"Where'd everybody go?" she asked, though part of her knew the answer already.
"I ended up explaining the situation to the soldiers and servants," Yiazmat replied. The dragapult tapped her claws together. "Told them all to spend this time with friends and loved ones."
Yuna winced. "How'd they take it?"
"Could've been worse." Yiazmat chuckled. "Most of them were happy to see the sun in the sky." She waved her right arm around. "So, the notion that they shall move to a new home that isn't choked by smog and ash excites them."
"That's... good? I think?" Tension that Yuna didn't even know she had melted from her ectoplasm.
Yiazmat nodded. "About as good as it can get, given the circumstances."
"Right." Yuna's tail crinkled up a bit. "And those circumstances must be strange for you, huh?"
"Compared to the rest of you, I have not recalled as much of my old life," Yiazmat admitted, scratching her chin. "It only came in brief spurts when around you or Noctum."
"Yeah." Yuna tapped her griseous core. "It's strange, too. Since, well, you were the one instrumental in stopping Zodiark the first time."
"Well, I was your trainer." Yiazmat chuckled. "In some sense, I ended up in the same role again. Raising you up to what you are now." She gestured to Yuna.
"I suppose that's... one way of looking at it." The dragapult laughed nervously. "Then again, you'd also given Giratina your blessing to go after Zodiark on their own. So, maybe that's the real reason why."
Yiazmat smirked. "Yes, but as your mother, my version's funnier."
Yuna couldn't argue with that one, even if she wanted to.
"Still, I recognize what you're getting at," Yiazmat continued, returning her gaze. "Your father and I talked it over already. We're going to stay together." She closed her eyes. "Make sure all your younger siblings have their whole family."
"So, you're going to move to a different world, then?" Yuna asked.
"Indeed." Yiazmat's tail slowly undulated back and forth. "I believe the world you— err, part of you is from is one for only pokémon, correct?"
"It is." Yuna nodded. "So, I guess it makes sense as a home."
From what Yuna was gathering, that world was the one they were all gravitating toward. And now that Yuna thought about it, that concerned her a bit. From her vague recollections as Tessa, that world had a couple of neat pieces of technology, but overall skewed closer to Aeon.
Sure, for her family it wouldn't change too much. They were used to a low-tech lifestyle. But it would be a different story for her friends on Radiance.
Yiazmat began to speak again. "Though I must admit, I can't help but wonder... how are these worlds going to incorporate our souls on top of all the slumbering ones that are supposed to be there?"
Yuna's tail crinkled up. That was another point she hadn't considered.
"The Overseers will help with that, right?" she figured.
"Who's to say?" Yiazmat crossed her arms, frowning. "They cannot stay there forever. Would these worlds be large enough to accommodate us? Or will resources be limited?" She bowed her head. "Will we need to explain what happened to the slumbering souls? Might that create tension?"
Her tail undulated faster. "When I think about it all, it makes me wonder if we're better off finding an empty world to settle on. But who knows how long that would possibly take?"
Yuna swallowed hard. Her mother raised good points. All this time, Yuna had only thought about her family and friends in the resistance. But there were a lot more people involved in this! There were fifty-one different worlds here, all with new lives on them. How were the Overseers possibly supposed to work with that? It could take ages to sort everything out.
And, for some like Diamond and Noctum, that would mean spending ages separated from the people they cared about.
"Apologies." Yiazmat leaned forward. The dragapult put her right hand against the stone wall. "I did not mean to drop such a heavy subject upon you. Especially after everything you've done to get to this point." She sighed. "I suppose it's the queen in me that cannot help but think like this."
She wished the Overseers were still around to discuss the matter with. They sure sounded confident they'd work things out. But Yuna still had doubts.
Thoughts of her last conversation with Shane rattled around in her head. She pictured the crystal he'd given her sitting on her bed, underneath her pillow where she'd left it.
"What if there was an alternative?" the dragapult blurted out.
Yiazmat turned around. "An alternative?"
Yuna tensed, unsure how to respond. She wasn't even sure what Shane had meant with his suggestion of making her own future.
"Yeah." Yuna rubbed her right shoulder. "Like, I dunno, a way for us to all end up together without all these hypothetical issues."
"Hmm." Yiazmat ran a claw along the brim of her triangular head. "Well, I suppose that would be ideal. Though I've rarely seen ideal solutions play out in this life." She raised a brow. "What are you proposing?"
"Nothing specific." Yuna tapped her index claws together nervously. "Only a hypothetical."
"If you're asking for an extra diplomatic voice to plead with the Overseers, then I can certainly lend a hand." Yiazmat extended her left arm toward Yuna. "It's only natural."
"Thanks." Yuna laughed nervously. "But I don't think the hypothetical involves talking."
Before Yiazmat could press the matter further, heavy, thudding footsteps drew both dragapults' attention to the back left corner of the entry hall. A duraludon emerged, with four dreepy on his head and shoulders and another four floating beside him.
"Yuna!" "Yuna!" "Big sis!" "You're back!"
Her eight siblings darted toward her. The smaller dreepy settled in Yuna's horns while the larger ones flew around her.
"We heard you beat a big bad guy!" one of her sisters chirped.
"Yeah, you kicked his butt!" her twin added.
"Baraz says you can shoot giant Dragon Pulses!" One of Yuna's younger brothers brought his hands up by his mouth and spread them apart. "Fwoosh! Bam!"
Yuna spotted the dracozolt behind Calcifer, awkwardly waving to her.
"Now, now, little ones, settle down." Yiazmat floated over to them. "Your sister's very tired after working so hard." She floated up and took Yuna's youngest siblings out of her horns. "How about we give her a bit of space for now, okay?"
As Yiazmat placed the dreepy into her own horns, the larger dreepy all turned to her.
"Sure." "Okay." "Bye, Yuna!" "See ya, sis!"
Nodding to Yuna, Yiazmat took her siblings and hovered toward the same hall everyone had come out of a few minutes ago. That left Yuna with Baraz and Calcifer.
"Hey, Dad." Yuna greeted. "I, uh, take it someone's brought you up to speed on everything?"
"Indeed," the duraludon replied. "I don't entirely understand all of it, but I shall do my best to help your mother in whatever trials await us."
"Right." Yuna glanced at Baraz.
"These old bones haven't given out quite yet," the dracozolt said, stretching his tiny neck. "I'm sure I'll be around."
"If that's what you want," Yuna said.
Calcifer took a few steps forward. He reached his stubby right arm out, aiming for Yuna's shoulder. She caught this and bent over so he could rest his arm there.
"While a lot of this has gone over my head, I do know you and your friends have fought so very hard to get to this point," he said. "You've surprised me in ways I couldn't have imagined back when you were sick, when your mother and I worried ourselves silly."
Yuna's tail crinkled in embarrassment. "Dad..."
"Okay, I won't belabor the point." Calcifer chuckled. "Which is that I'm proud of you. Truly, if anyone's seized the day by the horns, it's you."
"Heh." Yuna couldn't help but smile. "It's funny. The last time I thought about that old creed... it was my first night at Horizon. Crazy how much things changed in, what, four months? Five months?"
"Indeed." Calcifer stepped back. "Why, if things hadn't turned out like this, I dare say you'd have been finishing up your school semester and rejoining us for a break right about now."
"In which case, she still would've been tired," Baraz added, chuckling. "Just because of exams and whatnot."
The irony was almost enough to make Yuna laugh. She'd gone to Horizon with the goal of surviving a school year. Who would've thought the survival part would get taken to such an extreme?
"I, uh, think I'm gonna head back to the outpost to see my friends." Yuna rubbed her right shoulder. "But thanks for checking in." She looked at Baraz. "Both of you."
Baraz nodded. "My pleasure."
"Have a good night," Calcifer said.
"You too, Dad."
Yuna turned and floated across the entry hall. She hovered out the door, nodding to the two guards again. The dragapult flew across the drawbridge, now suspended over rocks with a slight orange tinge to them.
She didn't even make it across the bridge before she spotted a large figure sitting on the edge of the path. Yuna flew faster to close the gap with the palkia up ahead of her. She caught sight of Valkyrie lying on her side, resting her head against Noctum's leg.
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Yuna asked.
"Princess?" Noctum looked over his shoulder. "Oh, hi." He waved, but otherwise didn't move. Valkyrie didn't acknowledge Yuna.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Wanted to see Mom and Dad," Yuna replied. Her ectoplasm rippled. "I... was gonna find you, too. Just didn't think you'd be here."
"Well, the outpost doesn't entirely accommodate me like this." Noctum laughed nervously. "Besides, it's nice to see the sun in Aeon for the first time."
"And the only time," Valkyrie muttered, not budging from her position. "Y'know, considering what's gonna happen."
Yuna's shoulders sagged. "Yeah."
Her previous conversation with Yiazmat ran circles around her head. Along with what Shane had said to her.
"Are you okay?" Noctum asked. "Your tail scrunched up into your waist again."
Yuna looked down. Sighing, she kneaded her hips to coax her tail back out.
"I was... thinking," the dragapult said. "About some points Mom raised over this whole 'world resetting' business."
Valkyrie snorted. "Join the club. We were talking about it earlier."
"Yeah." A pensive frown spread over Noctum's face. "I'm going to try and push through whatever struggles come with fixing my old world. So, um, the Tessa that's deep inside you needs to work hard, too, okay?"
"I'll certainly try." Yuna managed to coax her entire tail back out. "Although..."
That got Valkyrie to sit up. "What?"
"What would you do if you were told there might be another path forward?" Yuna asked.
Though she directed the question to Noctum, Valkyrie responded first. "Meaning?"
Crud. It wasn't like Yuna had gotten specifics since bringing this up to Yiazmat.
"I dunno... a way to restore the worlds without so much uncertainty?" The dragapult looked at Noctum. "Or sacrifice?"
Valkyrie squinted. "You don't sound so sure about this idea."
Noctum gently nudged the garchomp's head. "I think it's a hypothetical."
"Yeah, but where's it coming from?" Valkyrie wondered.
Yuna's chest ectoplasm tightened. There was no sense hiding it.
"From Shane," she said. "Sorta. He made it sound like there might be a way to break the rules, so to speak."
Valkyrie's expression hardened. "Didn't all of this start because he broke some sort of rule about divine power?"
Noctum laughed nervously. "Well, he's an Overseer now, so surely he knows better." His shoulder gems weakly pulsed with pink light. "As for your question, Princess, it would be nice if there was a way. I think I'd probably take it."
Valkyrie snorted. "It sounds too risky if you ask me." When Noctum then frowned at her, her expression softened slightly. "But I suppose we didn't get to this point by playing things safe."
She lay her head back against Noctum's leg. "With a reward that good, maybe it is worth the risk. I dunno what Shane's scheming, but if you really believe there's another way forward, I guess I'll trust you."
Noctum's large tail nearly started wagging. Valkyrie felt the movement because she lifted her head up to squint at both Noctum and Yuna.
"Screw it up, though, and I'll kill you."
Awkward silence followed as she lay her head down again. Noctum tapped his claws together.
"I, um, don't think she means that."
"I absolutely mean it."
"Aha ha." Yuna's tail crinkled slightly. "Right." She drifted back a bit from the two dragons. "I'll, uh, keep that in mind."
The dragapult looked over her shoulder. "I should be getting back to the outpost anyway."
Noctum nodded. "All right. Be well, Princess."
"You too."
Yuna conjured a rift with a wave of her right arm and floated through it. It placed her in the outpost hangar, which had completely emptied out save for one person. And as luck would have it, the cosmic silvally was exactly the person Yuna was looking for.
Widget slowly turned around from what was left of monitor bank. It was strange to see it all disassembled after months of the monitors' blue light bathing the hangar.
"Hey." His cheek bolts turned once in their socket. "Didn't think it'd be this quiet here."
"A lot of folks are hanging out at the restaurant and the arena," Yuna said. "You okay? You look a bit tense."
"I'm as good as I can be, all things considered." Widget's starry ruff dimmed. "Watched a bunch of folks leave with the Overseers, including Bahamut and Gene."
Yuna's tail nearly shot into her waist. "Wait, they left?"
Widget nodded.
The initial surprise quickly wore off when Yuna thought it over for another second. "I mean, I think that was always their plan, right?"
"Yeah." Widget traced circles in the floor with a gold talon. "Guess they decided there wasn't any reason to stay here until tomorrow. It makes sense, I suppose. It just... happened so quickly. I wasn't ready to say goodbye."
Sighing, he hung his head. "I'm still not ready for tomorrow."
Yuna winced. Right. Widget's situation was even tougher than hers. And Yuna doubted that any sort of "alternate path forward" could save him from that fate. These worlds needed their Voices of Life.
"I don't blame you," she said. The dragapult rubbed Widget's shoulder. "It isn't fair for you." She paused. "For any of us, really."
"You can say that again," Widget muttered. His neck ruff deflated. "I wish I could be happy we won. And accept what's coming gracefully. It's just... so hard to think about." His fur bristled. "The idea that one moment I'll be here... and the next I'll be a bunch of different people who maybe vaguely remember what happened here."
"I get it." Yuna rubbed her right shoulder. "Had similar thoughts about the possibility of Giratina swallowing me up." She chomped the air.
"Yeah, but that was a possibility." Widget's crest tightened. "You got control over Giratina in the end. What's about to happen to me is a certainty."
"Sorry," Yuna reflexively muttered. It seemed Widget wasn't in the mood for sympathy. Yuna didn't know if she could improve his mood. So, she'd have to cut right to the chase.
The dragapult opened a tiny rift and stuck her hand through it. She produced the crystal Shane gave her. Its rainbow light sparkled despite the hangar's dim glow.
That got Widget's attention. "What's that?" He tilted his head. "It kinda feels like... Shane's energy?"
"Because he gave it to me," Yuna said, holding the crystal up. "When he suggested that there might be another way to restore the worlds. Y'know, beyond going with the Overseers."
Widget raised a brow. "And did he tell you how to do that?"
"Nooooot exactly."
Yuna laughed nervously when Widget squinted at her. "I was actually going to go to Valhalla and see if I could contact him about specifics."
"Why Valhalla?" Widget tilted his head.
"Privacy, for one." Yuna's tail quickly undulated. "And, well, it is the center of this universe." She tossed the crystal to herself. "If we can make anything happen, it'll be there."
"We?" Widget's cheek bolts turned. "You want to rope me into this?"
Yuna nodded. "I figured maybe your Voice powers could help. And, well, we've gotten this far by sticking it to the powers that be, haven't we?"
She extended her free arm toward the cosmic silvally. "Wouldn't it be nice to go out doing that one last time? And in a way that'll make things better for all our friends?"
Widget stared silently at Yuna's arm. Then he stretched his right foreleg out and pressed his talons against Yuna's hand.
"All right." He exhaled deeply. "When you put it like that, I suppose I can give it a shot."
Smiling, Yuna threw her free arm back. A rift opened behind her that she floated backward through. Widget walked after her.
"Okay." Yuna tossed the crystal to herself again. "Here goes nothing."
The dragapult focused on her griseous core and funneled a bit of energy toward the crystal. Its prismatic light glowed brighter.
"Um, hello?" she said. "Shane, are you there? It's Yuna. I'd like to try finding another path forward."
Silence followed. Widget sniffed the air.
"Is the crystal gonna do anything?" he asked.
"No idea," Yuna replied.
The crystal flashed. It vibrated in Yuna's hand. Squeaking in surprise, she nearly dropped it.
"Put a bit more energy into it."
Shane's voice sounded distant. And like it came through an old-timey speaker.
Yuna and Widget exchanged a curious look. Then the dragapult set the crystal down. Two Giratina tendrils emerged from her griseous core and zapped the crystal with bits of red and black chaos energy.
It vibrated in place more intensely. Then a stream of rainbow light spilled out of it, taking the shape of a ninetales silhouette on the ground between Yuna and Widget. The light faded to reveal Shane standing there. A bit of multicolored light glistened under his chest fur.
"Heya." Shane waved a few tails at them. He acknowledged Widget with a nod, then looked around. "Huh. This is kinda familiar. Where are we, exactly?"
"The center of this universe," Widget said, tapping a gold talon impatiently on the ground. "It's where Nova fought with Matriarch. Y'know, after learning about the worlds colliding business and Professor Cynthia's program to restore them."
"Right, right. That was in the explanation." Shane bobbed his head.
Widget's starry ruff puffed up a bit. "Yuna says you apparently made her some sort of offer about a different way to fix the worlds?"
Shane's ears swiveled back. "Well, I didn't exaaaaactly phrase it like that. I did suggest she might be able to carve out a path forward for everyone in the Overseers' stead."
As far as Yuna was concerned, those were semantics! She crossed her arms. "Can you help us or not?"
The icetales turned to look at the broken Eternatus Core. He studied it silently, bushy tails lazily swished back and forth.
"Hellooooooo?" Widget stepped into Shane's line of sight and fanned his crest out. "We don't exactly have forever to mull this over."
"Oh, I know." Shane turned back to Yuna. "And I think I have an idea in mind."
He closed his eyes. Whatever gemstone sat under his chest fur pulsed with warm white light. Shane nodded slowly to himself.
"Yeah. It can work." Shane sat down, curling his tails up. "First thing you two gotta do is get that thing on again." He jerked his head in the core's direction.
Yuna and Widget exchanged flabbergasted looks.
"What are you talking about?" Widget squawked. "It's broken beyond repair!"
"Because its main power source is gone, right?" Shane looked between the two of them. "You can gather that power."
Yuna wasn't convinced. "Explain it concretely."
"When Leo sealed Zodiark away, he did so using that original divine energy that never belonged to these worlds." Shane gestured with a foreleg. "Dreamweaver was destroyed in the process and joined the departed souls making up Eternatus.
"But what about all that divine energy?" Shane pointed at the ground with a tail. "It's still here. Spread throughout the universe. If you have enough discipline and willpower, you can draw from it.
"And, well, with no Creator, you two might as well be the next rungs on the legendary ladder," Shane quipped, the tips of his tails thumping against the ground. "If you focus enough, you can gather that energy here and use it to jump start the core."
His explanation was still a bit too esoteric for Yuna's liking. Then again, everything about this was esoteric as hell. And considering Giratina played a pretty big role in this universe's creation to begin with, maybe Shane had a point.
"Hold on a minute." Widget's cheek bolts spun quickly in their sockets. "If we turn on the core, what's stopping Matriarch from trying to run Cynthia's program? Y'know, the thing we don't want to happen?"
Yuna stiffened. That was a very good point.
So, why did Shane seem so unbothered by Widget's interjection? What was he thinking?
Wait. Carving out our own future...
Yuna blinked once. Twice. The dragapult opened her mouth, only to close it. Then she did it again. And a third time.
Try as she might, the words kept getting jumbled in her head.
Shane smiled warmly. "Looks to me like you've got an idea."
That bit of prompting straightened out Yuna's thoughts. She took a deep breath.
"Are you suggesting... we rewrite the program?"
"What?" Widget's neck ruff puffed out so much it obscured his beak. "How would that even work?"
"Think about it." Yuna tapped her griseous core with a claw. "Matriarch's ultimately bound by her programming. Now, with Zodiark out of the picture, she has no reason to be as guarded over it."
"Programming that had her doing everything possible to keep Giratina's energy from getting near her," Widget pointed out, preening his neck ruff under control. "She'd never let you rewrite her code."
"But she wouldn't have the same problems with you," Yuna countered. "Heck, you were originally built to interface with Eternatus. What better way to give one last proverbial 'screw you' to Paradox than to use those abilities for your own purpose?"
Widget opened his beak to respond, only to shut it and look down. His cheek bolts turned slowly as he mulled over Yuna's point.
"I imagine we would need even more energy to make this happen, right?" he asked, looking at Shane.
"Yep. Enough energy to rattle anyone, legend or not." Shane's expression grew serious. "I can't act as that conduit... or else we risk repeating some of the same mistakes that got us all here to begin with."
His gaze fell on Yuna. "But with all those Giratina layers you've got, you might be able to make it happen."
Widget looked ready to cut in when Shane held up his leftmost tails. "After rewriting the code to not be hostile to Giratina."
The cosmic silvally nodded silently.
"But the restored worlds would need their giratina, wouldn't they?" Yuna tapped her claws together nervously.
"They'd still get them." Shane sounded confident. "You can't destroy a soul. Even if that energy burns through your body and 'kills' every layer of you right down to Tessa, the souls will persist."
His expression grew contemplative. "Though that would affect what happens to you in your new world. Since, effectively, you'd need to be born anew."
There it was. The catch. A small part of Yuna knew this all sounded too good to be true. Now she had a choice to make. She could do nothing, and accept the risks the Overseers' process posed to everyone, including friends and family... or she could take on all that risk herself to give everyone a clearer path forward.
Sure, Yuna had given up a lot. But so had the others. And it was Giratina's fault they'd all gone through this.
When Yuna thought about it that way, it was really a no brainer. Only one thing gave her pause.
Nikki...
How would the toxtricity take this? Would she be mad at Yuna? See it as the dragapult giving up on her? Or would this be the kind of thing Nikki would encourage her to do?
Yuna's tail scrunched up. She gazed up at the broken core.
"What are you thinking?" Widget whispered.
"If Nikki was here in my place, what would she do?" Yuna poked at her ectoplasm.
Widget hummed in thought. "Well, she's never been one to take things lying down." Gold talons clicked against stone. "And she wears her heart on her sleeve. If it were her... I think she'd go down swinging, so to speak."
"Meaning she'd give this a try." Yuna straightened her tail out. "Then I guess that settles it." She looked at Widget. "And you're willing to work with me?"
"Yeah." The cosmic silvally turned toward the core. "I think, somehow, this is what Leo would've wanted, too. For us to make our own miracle."
Smiling, Shane stepped back, clearing a path to the altar's stairs. "All you've gotta do is concentrate on what's around you. Feel for that divine energy and tug."
It still sounded silly to Yuna. Nevertheless, the dragapult flew up toward the altar. Widget trotted after her.
Taking deep breaths, Yuna shut her eyes. She focused on her breathing. On the warm sunlight and the cool breeze coming in through the hole in the dome.
It wasn't long before she felt something other than the well of power in her griseous core. It was all around her. As if a deep lake surrounded her.
Yuna imagined reaching her arm out and dipping her hand into the water. Warmth welled up in her gut.
She figuratively stuck her arms in deeper, cupping the water under the surface. Then Yuna lifted her arms out.
The warmth spread throughout her body. Then it extended in front of her.
[Power cells at sufficient capacity,] a female voice announced. [Matriarch system online.]
"Matriarch," Yuna whispered. She looked toward the base of the altar, but didn't see any signs of the old android body. It must've gotten destroyed during the battle with Xeromus and Dreamweaver.
[Multiple errors detected,] Matriarch continued. [I must run diagnostics to ascertain the problems before resuming standard operations.]
Widget took that as his cue. He stepped toward the flickering purple light.
"That won't be necessary," the cosmic silvally said. Tendrils of purple energy extended toward the core.
For a brief moment, Yuna thought she saw tiny pink silhouettes that resembled mew drifting around the core. Maybe it was a trick of the eyes. Or something to do with Widget's Voice powers.
[I see.] The broken core pulsed with pink light. [Zodiark has been eliminated, with Giratina contributing to his defeat. All the worlds have been gathered within Eternatus. However, Dreamweaver is gone. You are proposing to rewrite the Dimensional Restoration Program, while Giratina supplies the energy to power it?]
"We are." Widget looked at Yuna. "You'll find that Giratina is... not the enemy you thought she was."
Yuna wasn't sure what to do, so she waved nervously. "All we want is what's best for everyone here. Whether they're alive or slumbering. Our friends have fought too hard to leave their futures up to chance." She bowed her head. "So please let us do this."
At first there was no response. Yuna swore she saw a loading icon or two in the cracked glass behind the triangular core. She hoped that meant Matriarch was thinking.
[The professor created a number of safeguards in my coding to prevent tampering,] Matriarch said. The core's light dimmed, then brightened. [However, diagnostics reveal you are telling the truth. There is no sign of Zodiark anywhere. Therefore, I will grant you administrator privileges to my systems.]
Text flickered on the broken screens. Widget's energy tendrils turned bright blue. His crest fanned out.
"Ah, I can see it!" Blue light filled Widget's eyes. "I've got it all right here!"
"Really? That's great!" Yuna's tail undulated in excitement. "So, uh, what do we do with this new version of the code?"
"If I may make a suggestion?" Shane called from the bottom of the altar. "You can do two versions for each world. One for the slumbering souls to return to. And one for the people who are currently alive."
"But what about Paradox's capital?" Yuna tapped her chin. "And Aeonius?"
"I guess we can preserve those as is," Widget said. Pink and blue lines flitted across his glowing eyes. Yuna wondered how fast he could possibly work.
"Another question." Yuna turned to Shane. "How are we supposed to put these worlds back in their proper spots in Ginnungagap?"
"You're not." Shane shook his head. "Keep them all here, but as a connected multiverse. If you build the new dimension with Ultra Space, that fabric will keep the worlds separated from one another."
"Ultra Space?" Widget tilted his head. "Wait, I think I do have memories of that concept."
Yuna wanted to press for more details, but Widget didn't seem bothered. The blue and pink lines moved even faster.
It was really happening then. Widget was rewriting the code. Which meant next would come Yuna's part.
The part that Shane called overwhelming.
"You good here for now, Widget?" Yuna asked.
"Yeah." His fur then prickled. "Wait, you're not leaving, are you?"
"Just gotta take care of one thing back at the outpost," Yuna said, already drifting away from the altar. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Promise."
The dragapult opened a rift in front of her.
"Wait, Yuna, what's so important it can't wait until I'm done here?" Widget called. But Yuna had already flown through the rift.
She didn't know how much time she'd spent in Valhalla. Only that she didn't have a moment to lose.
It had never been this quiet before. There were no servants moving about. No Aeon soldiers, either, save for silhouettes of a dragonite and a baxcalibur on the other side of the castle's main door.
"Still, I recognize what you're getting at," Yiazmat continued, returning her gaze. "Your father and I talked it over already. We're going to stay together." She closed her eyes. "Make sure all your younger siblings have their whole family."
"Heh." Yuna couldn't help but smile. "It's funny. The last time I thought about that old creed... it was my first night at Horizon. Crazy how much things changed in, what, four months? Five months?"
"Privacy, for one." Yuna's tail quickly undulated. "And, well, it is the center of this universe." She tossed the crystal to herself. "If we can make anything happen, it'll be there."
(Give or take fifty feet)
Also, this means that Hubble's Law can't be a thing in this universe, so the universe isn't expanding. How else could there be an exact center of the universe? (Sorry, just my inner astronomy nerd)
She extended her free arm toward the cosmic silvally. "Wouldn't it be nice to go out doing that one last time? And in a way that'll make things better for all our friends?"
"But she wouldn't have the same problems with you," Yuna countered. "Heck, you were originally built to interface with Eternatus. What better way to give one last proverbial 'screw you' to Paradox than to use those abilities for your own purpose?"
There it was. The catch. A small part of Yuna knew this all sounded too good to be true. Now she had a choice to make. She could do nothing, and accept the risks the Overseers' process posed to everyone, including friends and family... or she could take on all that risk herself to give everyone a clearer path forward.
Oh come on! (/lh)
Yuna deserves to be happy!
So if souls can't be destroyed, what are memories. Are those imprinted on the soul too? If that's the case, then could Yuna still have a chance at remaining who she is, just with a layer of Tessa's memories as well? Or perhaps Giratina could choose to allow Yuna to exist in their place, as one final gift, one final act of making up for everything that happened?
Man, I can't wait to see what the next chapter will bring
"You're not." Shane shook his head. "Keep them all here, but as a connected multiverse. If you build the new dimension with Ultra Space, that fabric will keep the worlds separated from one another."
Another fantastic chapter Amby! I absolutely loved getting to see how overwhelmed Yuna was feeling, and see her interacting with those she loves and cares about. But since she's said goodbye to her mother, father, and Noctum (older brother imo), all that's left is for her to say goodbye to her love...
I can't wait to see how things all play out next week. It's been such an amazing and fantastic journey these past few years, so all I can say for now is that I'm looking forward to seeing where things go next, and kudos! 💙
And here we are… finally caught up. I will try to be a bit more in depth this time around since I’m not rushing to catch up, but first and foremost… Almost feels like a lifetime ago that you described the hallways of Aeon castle and Yuna’s family. It’s kinda nostalgic and melancholic seeing the state in which things are, but at the same time, there’s hope for a brighter future. That’s one of the core themes of this story, and it’s become prevalent: looking toward the future even if current events are very dreary.
And considering current events in our lives, I think it’s a message we all have to hold close to our hearts.
It’s very much like Yiazmat to worry about the state that their world will be in, whatever ends up happening, but… just gotta hope it works out. She brings up valid points about resources, but I’m sure that considering the Overseers said this happened before, they wouldn’t just leave people out to dry or keep people dead and waiting in the wings for centuries for their turn to live, and completely separate loved ones and families. That insecurity is still a killer though…
These kinds of conversations are such a treat, because I can actually see where the relationship between Yuna and her mother is. It’s certainly come a long way from where they ended up back when Yiazmat first joined the resistance, and even if the true nature of their relationship is a bit muddy, thanks to the fact that she’s Akari deep down… hell, she still did a wonderful job rearing her and giving her the best childhood she could despite the strenuous and odd circumstances. A far better mother than practically anyone else in Radiance. Would’ve loved to see some commentary on Leo however, how she regrets not talking with her grandson more, or comforting Yuna in what happened to him. Even if she’s come to terms with it, just that tiny gesture might’ve done wonders, and made the scene all the sweeter.
Also, Yuna’s siblings saying bye from Yiazmat’s horns is adorable.
Hey Yuna how about you don’t make your dad pass out this time around, eh? You practically killed the guy last time! Wonder if him learning she’s dating Nikki would do him in again… naah, those kinds of relationships are much more accepted in this world, which is a breath of fresh air. Kinda crazy to think just how much happened in less than half a year, and needless to say, she’s survived a school… week? At most? And then the end of the world and who knows how many more life or death situations, so yes, she’s hella impressive, and the pride that radiates from Calcifer is palpable. If there’s a reason Yuna came out like this, it’s because of their support and love, as well as her indomitable spirit.
I don’t know if Shane really has learned his lesson or if he knows better Yuna, but I think it’s worth giving it a shot, even if it’s… well, dicey, to say the least. The risk is great, but the rewards are greater. Just… gonna have to talk with him and figure something out, aren’t you? At the very least she has Noctum and Valkyrie’s blessing. Should she go around asking Diamond, Cyril… basically, everyone else as well? Because if it involves all of them, well… chances are she should at least mention it to at least Widget.
Oh, speak of the devil. The two biggest losers here… and someone who is absolutely going to go through with whatever crazy plan Shane is going to propose. Though if they’re going to Valhalla… Wait, I think I know where this might be going, if they can somehow restart the core… wait wouldn’t that just fuck them all over and send everyone out to Gunningagap?
Oh wait, so if they rewrite the code, then they can try to make a big multiverse where everyone can coexist and go visit without a need for all the de-stabilized stuff! Ok that’s actually a great idea, since at the end of the day, that was the whole reason for Eternatus and Matriarch! To create a stable multiverse! That’s actually a brilliant idea on their part, and with Shane’s supervision then… surely it can work!
Even if it can, uh… potentially kill Yuna. God damn it… can this girl have a happy ending, or am I going to bawl my eyes out when she has to give up her sense of self or her memories or her life up? Can’t she just… be happy? Because even Widget is looking like he might get what he wants and not have to get split apart into a million different pieces.
Well… I suppose she’s off to fetch Nikki and get a final goodbye? Guess we’ll know this Saturday!
