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Silence. The kind that one could hear a pin drop in. And Yuna didn't blame anyone. She couldn't find the words to express her sheer confusion at the cocoons hanging over the team. The pokémon inside appeared to be asleep. But there was no chest or belly movement. Nothing to indicate they were still alive. Or active spirits. Or whatever she was supposed to call Qliphoth denizens.
Nikki flopped down, bracing herself so she wouldn't lie down completely. "Okay. This is… messed up." She had a blank look in her eyes.
"You know it's bad when Nikki can't find a smart remark," Reshiram whimpered.
Yeah. Yuna squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed them. What was she doing here? At least when she was in Noatun, she had no choice but to press onward. That wasn't the case this time. She could make another wormhole, couldn't she? She didn't have to go further into the tomb. Where more of these cocoons could be waiting. Or worse…
"But if we don't find the Needle, the courthouse will get sucked into the Qliphoth." Reshiram reminded her. "Then Ahemait can turn everyone into cocoons, including Shimmer."
A small part of Yuna didn't care. It wasn't like Radiance treated her well, Shimmer included.
"What about Kain? He's nice. You want him to get trapped here?"
Yuna sighed. No.
"Hey, hold up. What do you think you're doing?"
Chiaki's call startled Yuna. She opened her eyes and found Razim approaching one of the krokorok cocoons. The grovyle was right behind him with his good hand on Razim's shoulder.
"Those are… my people." Razim looked up. "I have to free them. My people." His eyes were unfocused compared to when he was steering the wind surfer.
"We don't know if it's safe to touch those," Chiaki cautioned. "It's better to leave them and—"
"I can't abandon them!" Razim shoved Chiaki away. A pink beam rippled out from his crown's gem. The moment it hit the cocoon a resounding whoosh echoed through the room. Chiaki dove onto Razim seconds before iron spears jutted out from the spot where they'd just stood.
Cid tiny arms and legs trembled. "Okay, motion to ignore all the creepy cocoons?" He raised his right hand. "Great. Any seconds?" Cid raised his left hand. "Any objections?" He didn't even wait for anyone else to say something before continuing, "Motion carries. Fantastic. Let's get out of here."
Nikki stared blankly at the spears. "Sheesh. Should've brought my Stetson hat and whip."
Chiaki glared at her as he staggered to his feet.
"What?" Nikki smirked. "I don't have the chest to pull off Lurantis Croft."
"Ignoring you." Chiaki sidestepped the spears and walked forward. "Think I need to change tactics for this." With a hydraulic whir and click, the Hooker detached. It dropped to the floor with a clang then collapsed into a disc-like device. Chiaki tucked it into his coat and pulled out a black disc. It expanded out into another prosthetic that looked to be made of black stones. It ended with a spectral hand that flopped as Chiaki attached the prosthetic.
"Another arm?" Concerned, Yuna floated after him.
"My mechanic made it using a piece of rubble from Runerigus," Chiaki explained. "He calls it the Tactical Toucher."
Cid frowned. "Err, what kind of person is this mechanic, exactly?"
"A character." Chiaki flicked his right arm. The ghostly hand sagged down toward his elbow.
"Pfbt." Nikki put a hand to her mouth. "Y'know, I hear they make pills to help with that, Twiggy."
Chiaki scowled. "Bite your tongue."
"Hey, you opened the door." Nikki raised her hands innocently. "Try giving your prosthetics names that don't sound like sexual harassment complaints."
"I didn't name them," Chiaki grumbled.
Ahead of them, Cid was studying the ceiling intently. "I wish I had a solid way to figure out if there are any more booby traps hidden away."
"Why not use that fancy Dynascan of yours?" Nikki walked past Cid, shrugging.
"I, err, can't use it frequently." Cid scratched the side of his head nervously.
Nikki paused mid-step. "Seriously? It's been hours, dude!"
"How do you know that?" Cid squinted. "We have no idea how much time has passed here."
"Well, it's sure felt like hours." Nikki kicked the ceiling tile in front of her. It clicked into the ground. Several short hisses sounded to the toxtricity's left. "Crap!" She dove forward. Darts whizzed past her and stuck into the tapestry on her left. Acid ate away at the fabric. The darts dropped to the ceiling with a set of clangs while Yuna squeezed her gills.
"Nikki, please don't make this any harder than it has to be."
"I wasn't trying to set that off." Nikki stood up, dusting off her jacket. "Man, why can't we just let His Highness be the trap dummy. He's already dead, so he'll be fine."
Razim's jaw stiffened. "Excuse me?"
Nikki immediately realized her mistake. "Ah, shit."
"Nikki!" Yuna put her head in her arms.
Razim looked around at them. "Are you lot trying to have a laugh at my expense? After everything I've done to help you?"
Yuna fidgeted nervously. There wasn't a good way to rebound from this. Heck, she was struggling to come up with anything polite.
"Guess we ought to finish ripping the bandage off, then." Reshiram materialized from the Soul Dew, making his height even with Razim's. "It's not a joke, sir. The reason time doesn't move in your city — and the reason buildings keep repairing themselves — is because your planet was eaten by a monster called Eternatus."
His wings drooped. "It's trying to do the same thing to our planet, which is why we're here. Not to deal with Ahemait, but to retrieve something that can help us stop Eternatus."
Razim stared at Reshiram. He staggered back. "No." The slowking shook his head. "No. That… that doesn't make any sense. I can't be dead." He held up his hands. "Look at this! I… I can see my body. And I can feel it. And feel everything around me." Razim pointed accusingly at Reshiram. "I'm not dead! Stop playing tricks on me!"
"I'm sorry, but you are," Reshiram retorted. "You're a spirit, like me. Inside of Eternatus, we have tangible forms."
"No!" Razim grabbed his head, shaking it back and forth. "You speak lies!"
Reshiram winced. His tail engine dimmed.
"I… I don't want to hear this." The slowking shuffled back further, ending up under a cocoon housing a sandile. "I will not stand for this!" He whirled around. "My people. I have to… save my people!"
Razim looked up at the cocoon above him. His crown's gem sparked pink. "No, wait!" Yuna cried, dashing toward him. But she wasn't fast enough. A Psybeam struck the bottom of the cocoon.
Rather than breaking it open, however, purple slime poured onto Razim. He dropped to his knees, screaming as the slime slowly coated him.
"We have to help him!" Cid's spots glowed pink.
"Don't!" Chiaki held up his good arm. "Unless you want that stuff to latch onto you."
Nikki stared silently at the wriggling sludge pile. "We— I—"
The sludge pulsated. Reshiram yipped and retreated into Yuna's Soul Dew. "What do we do now?" the dreepy said.
Chiaki's eyes darted around. He spotted an upside-down staircase in the corner of the hallway. "We run."
"But we can't leave Razim like this." Yuna curled her arms. "Not when this is our fault!"
Above them, the other cocoons stirred. Yuna barely had enough time to zip forward with Quick Attack before a glob of slime splattered onto the floor below where she was floating seconds earlier.
"Okay." Yuna's gills pulsated. "Time to run."
The other cocoons launched a volley of slime globs at Team Bastion. They took off for the stairs with Cid's screams drowning out any other noise.
XxX
The further Noctum followed Cyril, the deeper the reality of his situation sank in. Mystery dungeons weren't chaotic masses of distortion. They were the insides of World Ender. The same World Ender that felled Bahamut. That forced the Luminous Sages to sacrifice themselves.
And these insides… had an entire civilization. One dedicated to World Ender. With big, shiny things Noctum had never seen before!
Maybe he would've been able to swallow this more easily, but he had a dangerous crystal in his gut. Why wasn't it doing anything? Because he was in the Qliphoth? Would he turn violent like the snorlax chef if he tried to return to Radiance?
The thought made his violet tail flame shrink. He couldn't bear it. He'd never see Yuna again. Noctum wouldn't set foot in Aeon. In the castle he'd come to call home.
I can't think like that. Noctum shuffled forward, eyes locked firmly on the metal ground.
Cyril had hastily led them in between two black, metallic buildings. The back alley they found themselves in was considerably less bright than where they'd been. The electronic signs were all broken. Some gave off sparks. Most were cracked screens attached to the backs of buildings by rusted bars.
"Are you going to say anything, Ninetales?" Valkyrie growled. "You're asking us to put an awful lot of trust in you."
"We're almost at my workshop," Cyril replied. "We can talk more there." The blue-white ninetales quickened his pace. Noctum stumbled trying to lumber after him. A flash of purple drew his attention up. A rift opened in the fog above him, venting bits of purple light. It closed just as quickly, leaving Noctum staring in confusion.
"Oi, dumbass! Keep up!"
Noctum jumped, then scrambled to catch up to Valkyrie. The garchomp took him by the arm and dragged him toward a gray, rectangular metal shutter door.
"Here we are." Cyril smiled. "I know it's not impressive, but trust me when I say it's best to keep a low profile." He walked up to a small black square and pressed his snout against it. A red beam scanned his muzzle.
"If that's the case, why did that weird metal box know you?" Seifer asked, eyeing the door suspiciously.
"Because of my QN looplet." Cyril stepped back from the scanner and the shutter slowly opened. "Head on in." He jerked his head behind him.
Noctum hesitated, but Valkyrie still had him by the arm. "Well, go on." She shoved him forward. Noctum stumbled. Dull blue lights flickered on, revealing a room surrounded by cold, gray walls. There were metal tables and shelves housing various machines with metal arms sticking out of them at awkward angles. The far right corner had stacks of boxes with gears, rods, screws, and other mechanical parts haphazardly shoved in them.
Noctum took a cautious step forward, only to immediately yank his foot back. The white tarp covering the floor was littered with oil spots. Oil dripped from Noctum's right foot. He cringed.
"Don't tell me you live in this dump." Valkyrie walked up beside Noctum. "There isn't even a bed."
"Nah. Like I said, this is my workshop." Cyril trotted past them, toward a square machine with a small conveyer belt sticking out to the right. "I'm a mechanic. Fix everything from toasters to QN looplets, to eternavision sets." He turned to Seifer. "I could even whip you up a decent prosthetic horn if you're interested. I've got some colors that'd go great with that luscious mane of yours."
Seifer misaimed his right forehoof and almost toppled onto Noctum. "I beg your pardon?" He quickly collected himself, shielding his face with his hair. "I'm not interested in a fake. I want my real horn back. It's a necessity!"
"Yeah, I get that." Cyril bobbed his head. "First guy I ever made a prosthetic for said he might as well have been dead weight without his right arm." He swished his rightmost tails against the machine and used them to press against the screen. "Then he saw my work and now I make him gadgets on the regular."
"That's, uh, nice?" Noctum scratched a horn. He noticed Valkyrie's brow furrowing. Was she getting impatient? "But it doesn't do much to help us out with our predicament."
"Right, right." Cyril finished futzing with his machine. It whirred to life, filling the room with rattling and whirrs. He turned to Noctum. "I was tempted to conclude you guys had just died, but new arrivals always go through an Eterna Processing Center. Which means you must still be alive."
"Ex-Commander." Valkyrie crossed her arms. "He got canned."
"Oof." Cyril's ears drooped. "Uh, dang. Sorry to hear that, bud." He quickly pivoted away from Seifer. "And I guess you two are Aeons? I mean, it's obvious for Charizard. Scales that dark come about from living amongst all that sulfur and brimstone."
"He's Aeon. I'm Radiant." Valkyrie thumped her chest. "And how do you know this? You from Etherium?"
Cyril smiled. "Guilty. But we can talk that kind of shop later." He gestured in front of the machine with a forepaw. "Charizard, step forward so I can take your picture."
Noctum stiffened. "What for?"
"For your fake looplet, of course." Cyril chuckled. "C'mon. Unlike Mr. Good Looking over there, you can't use bedhead as an excuse."
Noctum stepped forward while a flummoxing Seifer turned away from them. "Can you please tell us what's going on here?"
"Yeah." Cyril pressed a button on the machine. There was a flash, leaving Noctum blinking stars out of his eyes. "So, you're in Eterna City. Capital of the Qliphoth Network. I don't know how you guys stumbled into Eternatus. Though I suspect that Malice Crystal is the culprit."
Noctum looked at his belly. "Malice?"
"That's what we call the energy Eternatus gives off." Cyril flicked his forepaw to indicate Noctum should step back.
"That's a bit on-the-nose, don't you think?" Valkyrie stepped up.
"I didn't come up with it." Shrugging, Cyril activated the camera again. "Anyway, exposure to concentrated forms of it is empowering for spirits or anyone born inside the Qliphoth, but mutagenic to outsiders." He squinted. "Or, well, it's supposed to be." He leaned forward and sniffed. "You don't smell like a spirit, though."
"I wasn't aware spirits had smells." Noctum laughed nervously. This ninetales was as strange as his pelt color.
"Wait, what do you mean by 'anything born inside the Qliphoth?'" Seifer stepped forward, though he refused to make eye contact with Cyril.
"Exactly what it says on the tin, chief." Cyril winked, then hastily took Seifer's photo while he stood there with his face bright red. "Ah, that's a good one." Tails wagging, he hopped up and planted his forepaws on the table. "Now to put in some fake covers for you guys…" He pressed his snout against buttons on a keypad. "I think I'll have you three be a scavenger team. Going to wreckages to salvage whatever scrap you can get." Cyril nodded to himself. "How does Team Breaker sound for a name?"
Valkyrie snorted. "Like you're trying too hard."
"Why exactly do we need this?" Noctum crossed his arms. He appreciated Cyril trying to help, but disjoined explanations only left Noctum more confused.
Cyril's ears twitched. "Err, right." He pushed himself off the table. "Sorry. I can get a bit… distracted when I'm engrossed in my work." Cyril walked to the back left corner of the room and opened a tiny panel in the wall. He stuck his snout into it. With a gentle hum, the part of the wall over the camera slid open to reveal a screen. "I'll try and give you guys the brief version, then."
Valkyrie looked at the screen, which had the same hand-like depiction of Eternatus that Noctum saw in the city. "Please don't tell me you actually have a damn slideshow about this."
"I do have a damn slideshow about this." Cyril beamed and pointed at the screen with his rightmost tails. "So, this is Eternatus. Or as y'all might know it: World Ender. It's a giant creature that used to fly around the universe and vaporize entire civilizations with the power of Ragnarok, a titanic energy beam." He clicked a button on a remote his rightmost tail held to show a massive purple beam firing from the center of Eternatus' five heads.
"Anyone hit by it is technically killed. But their body and soul are absorbed inside of Eternatus." Cyril clicked the remote again. The screen was now white and had two sets of colorful circles separated by a vertical red line. "They become part of the Qliphoth, where Malice causes a variety of changes to the environment. From there, one of two things happen."
"The civilization can join the Qliphoth Network, an organized group of absorbed planets and pockets that can freely move about throughout Eternatus." Cyril pointed at the circles on the left, which all gained smiley faces. "Or they can be stuck in limbo, subject to the whims of Malice." He pointed at the right circle cluster. Frowny faces formed inside them. "And that's if they're lucky. Planets with good resources will get harassed by the Paradigm until they submit and assimilate into the Qliphoth Network."
Seifer stiffened. Noctum caught the change in demeanor. "What is it?"
"Paradigm." The keldeo lowered his head. "That freak Xeromus mentioned it back at the Herbrides Lines."
Cyril shifted to the next slide, which was filled with clusters of multicolored shadows. Each one had a skull-shaped mask in its center. "The Paradigm are daemons; souls twisted by Malice to the point where all they can think about is furthering the cause of Eternatus absorbing every civilization in the universe."
The next slide held a picture of the same person Noctum saw on the OBEY sign. Only now he could see its body. Slender and orange, with a pair of orange and blue tentacles and a purple gemstone in its chest that resembled an eye. "This is Archbishop Paradox, a deoxys. He runs the Qliphoth Network and controls the Paradigm," Cyril explained.
"Ahh!" Noctum's tail flame grew. "I knew I recognized him." He pointed a claw at the screen. "Deoxys… is mentioned in the stories about Bahamut. The Luminous Sages fended off multiple attacks from an alien Bahamut dubbed 'Deoxys.'"
Seifer squinted at Noctum. "But Yuna told me dead folks can't leave the Qliphoth."
"Paradox ain't dead." Cyril shook his head. "Va— Garchomp asked about it earlier, but I don't have a slide for it." His shoulders sagged. "Basically, before Eternatus went around schlurping up planets, it was a colony full of aliens."
"Aliens… like buzzwole?" Valkyrie tapped her chin with a claw. "Saw a billboard with these two bugs with disturbingly large muscles full of fluid. Looked like they'd never heard of leg day."
"Yeah, buzzwole is one of those alien species." Cyril turned back to the screen. "Let's keep going though. So, Paradox preaches to the Qliphoth Network and plenty of folks eat up the crap he spews. Some, however, aren't too keen." He clicked to the next slide.
Noctum gasped. "Hey, it's that cat we saw earlier." He tilted his head. "And… is that a black-scaled tyrantrum? Weird scale color aside, those went extinct on Etherium millennia ago."
"That's what you find strangest about all of this?" Valkyrie snorted.
Cyril cleared his throat. Noctum laughed nervously. "Sorry. Continue."
"These three are the tippy-top of the archbishop's hit list." Cyril pointed to the tyrantrum. "Captain Blackskull leads a ferocious fleet of space pirates on raids all across the Qliphoth Network. Don't bother asking him for help, though. He's equally as likely to make you join his crew or turn your hides into clothing."
Noctum glanced at his black scales. I wonder what kind of price my scales would fetch. Can't be a very high one.
"That big hunk of crystals on the right is Necrozma," Cyril continued. "Dunno much about the guy except that he kills Qliphoth natives and absorbs souls while going on about how he needs more power."
Valkyrie squinted. "And just where are you getting all of this from?" She stepped toward the ninetales. "For all we know, you're pulling this out of your ass."
"I'm getting it from the rebellion leader, of course." Cyril pointed at the cat. "That's Gene. Says he's a mewtwo… whatever that is. He's been gathering together folks to try and mount an opposition against the archbishop." He puffed his chest out. "Which includes yours truly."
"Yeah, uh, no offense, but this seems like a shoddy operation." Valkyrie gestured around the room.
"Like I said before: low profile is best profile." Though Cyril's tails drooped.
"Something wrong?" Noctum asked. He was surprised he even managed to say that. His head was spinning from the barrage of information.
"It's nothing." Cyril squeezed his eyes shut and shook out his pelt. "If you guys are looking to get back to Etherium, Gene's your guy." He glanced at Noctum. "He's got a Malice Crystal jammed into his shoulder, so I bet he could help you with, uh, that." The ninetales waved his forepaw.
"Slight problem there, Snowy. We saw the guy fleeing from these flying saucers." Valkyrie spat some dragonfire embers and raised her bladed arms. "And he's holding a freak who attacked us back in Radiance hostage."
"That so?" Cyril looked back at the screen. "Well, maybe I can give him a ring and see if he can drop by."
"What exactly were those things chasing us?" Seifer asked. "That thing that stopped us in the bazaar looked similar, but it was attached to some big metal box."
"Oh, yeah. Those are Eternatus Troopers," Cyril chirped. "That's the next slide actually!"
"There's more?" Noctum grabbed his head. This was… too much. How weren't Seifer and Valkyrie freaking out? Sure, Yuna had mentioned stuff about the Qliphoth. But nothing like this. It sounded like he'd stumbled into some sort of undead civilization on the brink of war. With ridiculous machines and technology far behind what Noctum could dream of.
And he was supposed to just… go back to Horizon and pretend like none of this existed? Like it wasn't a problem with the potential to affect him? And Yuna and her family and their home and their planet and… and… andandandandand—
"Hey, good looking, grab a pillow for Charizard. He looks like he's about to—"
Noctum hit the floor with a loud thud.
"… never mind."
XxX
"Hold up!" Chiaki held his arms out. Yuna and her teammates stopped moments before silver and gold spears shot out of the walls and blocking their path. Tattered remnants of orange tapestry fell like leaves caught in a breeze. Above them, more purple cocoons swayed from the upside-down floor. But they were too obscured for Yuna to see what species are in them.
"We have to keep going or the cocoons might attack." Cid's spots flashed nervously.
"Do you want to get sliced into shredded cheese?" Nikki gestured to the spears. "Be my guest."
"I could turn transparent to get past them," Yuna said, though she wasn't sure if she could keep it up long enough to get to the other end of the floor.
"Yeah, no offense, but I don't think you'll do to well on your own, Princess." Nikki stepped forward, cracking her knuckles. "I think this calls for a bit of brute force."
The toxtricity was right, but Yuna was still offended.
"Wait!" Cid grabbed Nikki's jacket. "For all we know, breaking the spears will trigger another booby trap."
The ceiling shook and creaking echoed through the floor. Nikki shoved the orbeetle back. "I'll take my chances with the booby traps over… whatever is climbing after us." She strummed her gills. "You guys hide by the stairs. I got this."
Floating back to the upside-down stairs, Yuna sincerely hoped Nikki could do it. This was beginning to look more problematic by the minute. Hey, Reshiram. I don't suppose, like, you can feel Saint Rayquaza close by or anything, can you?
"Actually, I think I can," Reshiram responded. Before Yuna could press him further, the off-key chords of Nikki's Boomburst rattled around Yuna's ectoplasmic head. She poked her head out and watched broken spear shards rain down on the ceiling like a metal hailstorm.
"See?" Nikki dusted her hands. "Nothing to—"
"Get down!"
A spectral hand grabbed Nikki's right leg and pulled her to the floor. Fire jets shot over Nikki's head, scorching the edges of her electric mohawk. Chiaki hopped out, recalling the Tactical Toucher's hand. "Not so dumb now, is it?"
Nikki rolled left, then got to her feet. "Even if it saved me from being medium-well, it's still got a dumb name."
"Keep to the sides and we'll avoid the fire," Cid said. Though he hovered closer to the floor. Yuna was glad her head wasn't as bulbous as his.
"How much further do you think we need to climb?" Nikki carefully stepped around the metal shards.
"How should I know?" Chiaki growled. "You got our guide gunked, remember?"
Nikki's mohawk crackled. "Hey, I didn't tell him to shoot the cocoons. He went renegade on his own."
Chiaki stopped and scowled at her. "Only because you let slip what we were trying to keep secret."
"I didn't do it on purpose." Nikki threw her arms up. "We'd just pulled off a death-defying jump off a giant freaking ice bridge. My nerves were frayed. Adrenaline pumping." She wiggled her fingers. "Sorry that I don't have a stick up my ass all the time like you do." She then smirked. "Oh, wait, no. You're not at that point, are you?"
"Did you… take a dig at my evolution?" Chiaki's shoulders sagged. "Is that supposed to offend me or something?"
Yuna smushed her eyes with her arms. "Guys, stop it. This isn't accomplishing anything." She floated between the two of them. The last thing they needed was to fight the tomb and one another. "I think Nikki made an honest mistake. I could've had a slip of the tongue just as easily."
"Eh, I'm skeptical of that claim."
Quiet, you.
Nikki stiffened. "You're taking my side?"
The dreepy didn't want to give her any gratification. "I'm on the side of wanting to get out of here in one piece." The floor rumbled again. "And quickly."
"An excellent side to take," Cid piped up. "Now hurry up. That tremor looked more… violent."
"Says the floating orbeetle." Nikki stuck her hands behind her head and weaved through the metal shards.
Sighing, Yuna followed after her. Maybe for the next Needle we should avoid any locals all together.
"I don't think we intended to run into Razim," Reshiram said. "It just happened."
Like Nikki opening her big mouth? Yuna had to admit, the true nature of the Qliphoth was going to be a frustrating secret to keep from any inhabitants. Maybe Nikki unintentionally had the right idea?
"Think on it later. There's a door instead of stairs."
Yuna looked up. An imposing black door with red handles fastened after a turtonator's shell blocked the way forward. Nikki walked underneath the handles. "How much you want to bet this leads to Turtankhamun's sarcophagus?"
"Nothing." Chiaki pulled his prosthetic arm back and whipped it forward. His spectral hand latched onto one of the handles. "I wouldn't be surprised if there's another corrupted cofagrigus lurking behind here."
"Oh, yeah, sure." Nikki rolled her eyes. "Maybe Turtankhamun's mummy will be waiting for us? Would go wonderfully with the aesthetic."
Yuna squinted. Something was clearly wrong. If this door led somewhere important, wouldn't it have been booby trapped, too? "Hang on, Chiaki. I'm not sure—"
"Out of the way! The door's glowing!"
"What?" Yuna only had time to look up before a telekinetic burst sent her tumbling into the brick wall. Seconds later, the heavy door blew off its hinges and sailed back into the flamethrower behind Team Bastion. The remnants of a pink and purple energy beam knocked Cid to the ground. Purple smoke immediately obscured him and the surrounding area from view.
Chiaki stumbled up next to Yuna, clutching his head with his good hand. "Was that door rigged to blow?"
"I don't think so. There was an energy blast." Yuna had a sinking sense there was someone or something waiting for them. Looking to halt their progress so whatever was rumbling around on the other floors could catch up to them.
"Oh ho ho! Tres magnifique! More exquisite colors to add to my canvas!"
Yuna's gills shriveled. The voice sounded so… obnoxious. What was that hideous accent?
"Hey, guys?" Nikki hobbled over to them. "I think we've got a new problem."
"An annoying voice?" Chiaki scowled. "Yeah, I heard it too."
"Not quite." Nikki pushed his head to the right. "I'm talking about that."
Yuna followed where Nikki was pointing. The purple and pink haze cleared up to reveal charred silver bricks. And lying in the middle of it was… a blipbug.
Reshiram squeaked. "Your professor shoved you guys out of the way, didn't he?"
He did. And got nicked by an energy beam in the process. Yuna's gills shriveled. She wanted to dismiss this as illusionary trickery.
Gulping, she floated forward. "C-Cid?"
Blipbug's eyes shot open. He looked down at his tiny body… and screamed.
XxX
Path of Valor Almanac
The city of Aquardah is loosely based off Giza, Egypt, including a sphynx and a single pyramid in reference to the Pyramids of Giza. Ahemait is, in name and appearance, a reference to an Egyptian demoness and funerary deity who has a crocodile's head, lion's torso, and hippopotamus' hindquarters. In Egyptian mythology, any being whose heart was judged impure by Anubis would see it devoured by Ammit.
Nikki jumped back, looking at Blipbug Cid like he was pure anathema. "Oh-ho no. No, no, no, no, no!" She hastily rounded the corner. "I like to think I was keeping a pretty level head through the freaking people trapped in poison cocoons, but a laser that reverses evolution? I'm out! So out!"
Chiaki was stiff as a board. "Nikki—"
"Zip it, Twiggy! I am not going back to being a toxel," Nikki cut in. "You wanna know what toxel are good for? Crying and drooling and spitting up!"
Yuna continued to stare at Cid in utter disbelief. Even in a realm where time wasn't flowing correctly, this defied any sort of wisdom. Was Cid's body the only thing de-aged? What about his mind?
"Somebody help me!" Cid's squeaky voice was even shriller than before.
"At least he still sounds, y'know, like he isn't a newborn. That's something, right?" Reshiram laughed nervously.
"There's another beam! Move, move!" Chiaki cried. Instinct took hold for Yuna and she melted into the wall. Nothing but solid silver surrounded the dreepy. Muffled rumbles sounded all around her. Was the wall shaking? Yes, that had to be it. Had their assailant blasted part of it away? Was it even safe to get out of the wall?
"Oh, enough with ze prattling! You are ruining my focus et my precious work!"
"That's gotta be him. The guy firing the devolution beam!"
And it sounded like he was in the area in front of the door. Yuna had to play this smart. She moved to her right, toward where she assumed Nikki still was. Assuming the toxtricity hadn't turned tail and tried to flee the tomb all together. Yuna really wanted to join her, but she needed that Needle.
… or the world needed the Needle. God, if only she could've been born a commoner instead!
"What the hell are you supposed to be?" Chiaki asked as Yuna freed herself from the wall. She was close enough to the corner to see her assailant: a slowbro with purple ooze crawling down his head, arms, and tail.
… tail? No, that didn't make any sense. There was supposed to be a shellder biting it! Where was—
His left arm!
Slowbro leveled his shellder-encased left arm at Chiaki. "It is moi who should be asking vouz such a question!" Purple and pink paint splotches glistened on the shellder. Similar splotches were smeared across a brown smock and a similarly-colored round, unusually flat cap. "You are trespassing, you… you trespasser!"
Chiaki crouched down. "Please. I'm helping the king of this land."
"Oh?" Slowbro's eyes glistened. "So, not just a trespasser, but an interloper! Very well. You et your little pest here will make fine additions to my lovely piece." He pointed his left arm at Cid, who screamed and tried to scuttle away with mixed results.
"Your… piece?" Chiaki said.
"But of course!" Slowbro brought his right arm to his head to tip his funny hat at Chiaki. "For you see, I am Jean-Claude Phillipe François Pierre Emmanuel Baptiste… the Thirty-Eighth! I am l'Paradigm's premier artiste!" He grabbed the sides of his smock and curtsied to Chiaki. "Well, technically I am its only artiste, but zat makes me tres impor— yeek!"
Baptiste jumped back. Lightning struck the ground where he just stood. Yuna looked up to see Nikki perched on top of a silver statue of Baptiste. It must've been the flamethrower from earlier.
"Dude, I can't make out a lick of what you're saying." Nikki's mohawk frazzled. Her voice had a nervousness to it Yuna hadn't heard before. "But even a street pinurchin like me knows nothing about this shithole is art."
Nikki had more lightning crackling in her right hand when a huge pink beam struck the statue. She tumbled to the ground with a startled cry. Silver rubble chunks slammed down all around her.
Yuna blinked. Baptiste had his left arm leveled at where the statue used to be. "Mon Dieu! Such a saucy tongue. But I am used to amateur critics. Zey are nothing before mois!"
Chiaki had his Leaf Blade at the ready. However, Baptiste vanished before Chiaki could even wind up. Yuna turned her head. Her gills shriveled upon seeing Baptiste looming over Nikki with blue energy gathering at the tip of his shellder.
Impossible! No one can move that fast unless they teleport. Yuna focused on the Soul Dew. She wanted to stay hidden, but not if it meant that Nikki would get devolved like Cid!
Warmth pooled in her throat. God, it was really hot. Was this what it was like for her mom? No, she shot Flamethrowers from her horns. She briefly thought about how Reshiram's Blue Flare wasn't appropriate for a slowbro, but dismissed it. Blue flames streaked toward an unsuspecting Baptiste.
… except his beam shot toward Yuna's flames instead of Nikki. Yelping, Yuna dropped to the ceiling, sinking partly into the silver stone. The beam sailed past her. Nikki kicked her legs out, striking Baptiste's left leg.
"Augh!" He buckled to his right, giving Chiaki enough time to wrap the Tactical Toucher's spectral hand around the slowbro's right arm and tug. Baptiste's chin struck the ground. "Woomph!"
"Keep a hold on him, Twiggy." Electricity streamed toward Nikki's horns from her mohawk. "I'll give this dweeb some 'critique.'"
Yuna barely had time to pull herself out of the ceiling when Nikki and Chiaki went flying in opposite directions. She didn't even see Baptiste moving! One moment he was on his belly, the next he was upright with his arms thrust to either side.
"Imbéciles." Baptiste wrinkled his scaly nose. "True art is suffering. And life… it is ze only acceptable canvas for such artistic expression." He pinched his nose with his right hand. "I would not expect filthy roturiers to understand."
"There's nothing to understand. You're a freaking nutca— gah!" Nikki leaped up, narrowly avoiding a burst of boiling water that then splattered on the wall behind her. To the group's horror, the water didn't evaporate, but bubbled and ate away at the stone and tapestry. "There was… poison in there?" She looked to Baptiste. "What are you pulling?"
"It was all poison!" Reshiram cried. "… I think?"
But slowbro can't use poison techniques! Yuna protested.
"I think there are more pressing matters to attend to." Reshiram laughed nervously.
I know! But when Yuna tried to go and help her teammates, a pink energy beam blasted her. She tumbled across the hall and through the wall. By the time she collected herself, she was surrounded by silver once again.
"Are you okay?"
No! That hurt… a lot! She was trying to focus on staying invisible. Yuna had to. But this was beyond her. At least Seifer had Dynaforce. And Runerigus was a huge, slow, dumb target. Baptiste may have sounded freaky, but he had freaky speed to back that up. It was no good. Team Bastion was too outmatched.
Yuna was about to fall at the first hurdle of this stupid "save the world" affair!
"No, not yet. We can't give up here."
I need more than sentiments here, Reshiram! she growled. Grunts and shouts came from outside the wall. Yuna had to help her teammates out.
"Let them stay with Baptiste. Make a break for the Needle."
What? Yuna would've shook the Soul Dew if she wasn't preoccupied.
"If you really think you're outmatched, then we need to get Ray's power in our hands," Reshiram elaborated. "Then we can quite literally blow that loon away. Or at least get rid of his hold on the tomb."
That's a bold assumption, Yuna countered. Reshiram had no way to know that for certain.
"Well, I do know what we're doing now isn't working."
"Stand still, you dweeb!" Nikki growled.
"Hoh ho! Your frustration… zat is sweet, sweet sound of suffering!" Baptiste giggled excitedly. "Any simpleton can throw ze paint onto ze canvas and call ze splatter 'art.' But a true artiste takes life itself and turns it into his canvas."
Yuna heard rumbles and her mind was made up. Needle it is.
She just hoped her teammates could forgive her for seemingly skipping out on them. Yuna swam through the wall, heading toward where she believed the room Baptiste guarded was.
"I don't see any canvas," Chiaki countered. The spattering of Bullet Seeds accompanied, followed by plinks as they presumably hit the wall. "I bet the Qliphoth's energy has rotted your brain."
"Non! Vous are the one not seeing," Baptiste said. Loud splatters made Yuna cringe. He really was fighting with poison. "Eternatus… He has been trapped. But soon… He shall emerge from his captivity like ze beautifly from its cascoon prison."
Nikki snorted. "Beautifly? Cascoon? Those supposed to be pokémon or something? They sound like some little kid's made-up versions of butterfree and kakuna… which aren't even the same evolution family!"
"Keep going, Yuna. I feel Ray's presence even closer than before," Reshiram said.
Yuna felt it, too. No, wait, it was just the wall. Getting… colder? Yes, the silver was colder. Like someone was buffeting it with wind. The end of the wall was approaching, then. Yuna quickened her pace, tail darting back and forth.
"As l'Paradigm's artiste, I knew that I had to celebrate His return with a piece zat exemplified ze raw beauty born from all His suffering," Baptiste continued. There were hisses and bubbling, too. Attacks colliding, perhaps? "So, I chose to give zis dusty tomb its own metamorphosis!"
"Is that why you're abducting people and putting them in poison cocoons?" Chiaki asked.
"Non! I would not sully my creative juices in such a way," Baptiste barked. Crackles and a thunderclap sounded far behind Yuna. "I whipped up a delightful creation to do ze dirty work in my stead. Perhaps vous have met it already?"
So, Ahemait is his fault. Which meant there was a possibility the whole Isfet tale Razim brought up was a fabrication. That would've relieved Yuna if her life wasn't in danger. Yuna heard rushes of wind then poked her head out of the wall. She gasped, then threw her hands over her mouth.
Turtankhamun's room was coated in a thick layer of purple slime save for the red and blue tapestry pieces, one of which Yuna thankfully found. However, his sarcophagus hadn't fallen to the ceiling when gravity reversed… because the Needle she was searching for was impaled through it. The ruby top carved to look like an eye had a distorted purple aura around it, with trails of purple energy heading out the door.
"Th… that's…" Yuna flew out of the tapestry, shuddering. "That's not a good sign, is it?"
The room thumped. Loudly.
"Uh, I'm going to go with 'no,'" Reshiram whimpered. "I don't suppose that was from the others, was it?"
The room thumped again. Yuna looked down. "Nope, it's coming from the floor! I mean the ceiling! I mean— ahhhh!"
Silver bricks splintered underneath her. Yuna charged toward the Needle with Quick Attack speeds. Seconds later, the ceiling erupted behind her, scattering silver chunks and purple slime in all directions. A slowking landed at the edge of the hole. His skin had a purple tint to it and his shellder crown had crown to completely cover his head.
Yuna's gills shriveled. "R… Razim?"
"Must… saaaave… grrooooooh!"
Razim rose into the air atop a pilar of poison. Yuna's eyes widened. She dove into the ceiling, then heard the poison crash over her like a huge wave striking the shore. It reminded her of Seifer's Dynaforce attack. How was she supposed to deal with something like that?
"The Needle! Focus on the Needle!" Reshiram pleaded.
"I can't do that safely!" Yuna hissed. She rose from the floor and smacked the Soul Dew. "You told Cid we'd have your power to rely on. So, put your money where your big mouth is!"
Reshiram popped out of the Soul Dew and faced Razim, who swayed side to side uneasily. "My mouth's not big! Bahamut told me it's an average size snout!"
"Not funny, Reshiram!" Yuna snapped. "Look, if he's been corrupted with poison like Baptiste, maybe that overtook his water-typing. So, fire away!" She pointed to Razim and her Soul Dew sparked.
"Oh, good thought." Reshiram's eyes and tail engine brightened. He turned and gathered a large fireball over his head. It descended toward Razim, who awkwardly rolled to his right. It wasn't nearly enough to dodge the blow. The corrupted slowking slammed into the wall, leaving an imprint in the slime.
"It is suffering zat gets my creative juices flowing!" Baptiste's obnoxiously shrill voice carried all the way through to the chamber despite the winds.
"Dude, nobody wants to hear about your creative juices!" Nikki shouted. Yuna spotted electric sparks at the edges of the doorway. Were the others holding Baptiste off or was he getting closer to the Needle room?
Razim rolled off the wall to his feet. His crown bristled with pink energy. Next thing Yuna and Reshiram knew, large pink rings were heading right for them. "Right!" Yuna shouted.
"And we of l'Qliphoth have suffered for too long!"
Yuna had enough time to flee into the corner of the room. But even with a powerful flap of his wings, Reshiram couldn't get away. He careened into the top of the needle and a burst of purple energy shot him into the floor. Reshiram gasped in surprised. Yuna looked down and saw pink energy spreading out underneath her. "Psychic terrain?" she squeaked.
"All because of ze traitor and her devil of a husband!" Baptiste continued. Yuna really wished he had an off button. Or the Needle could make the winds louder.
"Yuna, look out!" Reshiram wheezed.
She turned back to see a Shadow Ball sailing right toward her. Yelping, Yuna threw up her hands and prepared for the worst. Instead, a huge wall of heat enveloped her. She moved her right hand and found Reshiram hovering in front of her.
"Fire at him again," the dreepy pleaded.
The Soul Dew glowed again, as did Reshiram's eyes. Another fireball gathered above his head, but Razim was faster. Bright pink scribbles struck Reshiram's chest. Though he stood tall, his eyes widened as his fireball shrank over his head. Yuna glanced at Razim. What had Baptiste's crazy energy done to the slowking?
"My attack!" Reshiram broke off as it looked like Razim was readying another poison wave. Yuna's eyes darted around the room. She looked at the Needle again and recalled its… reaction to being struck by Reshiram.
It's worth a shot if it means an end to this nightmare!
Yuna flew up to the top of the Needle and spread her arms out. "Hey, hey! I'm right here. T… take a shot at me!"
Razim tilted his head. "… muh?"
Reshiram turned around. "What are you doing?!"
"S… ave. I will… save!" Razim's crown glowed. More giant pink rings formed around him. Yuna hastily flew behind the Needle and sucked her tail up into her head.
The rings struck the Needle. Each blow created gouts of shadowfire. One got Yuna, shooting her into the floor. The dreepy yowled from the blow. It was like someone poured ice water on her. God, it hurt so bad. Yuna just wanted to stop. To sleep. To forget any of this was happening.
"Yuna… the Needle! Something's happening with it!"
Reshiram's cry forced her to open her eyes. The distorted aura was gone. Razim had fallen to his knees, clutching at his shellder crown.
"You little vermin! You tried to trick me!" Baptiste shouted from what sounded like the hallway. He must've been about fifteen meters away. "Me, ze great Jean-Claude Phillipe Fra—"
Too much noise. It was too much noise. Why couldn't it stop? Why couldn't this all stop? Why couldn't… everyone… just…
"Go away!"
Yuna's small torso lurched. Black, inky tendrils shot out and grabbed the head of the Needle, pulling her toward it much like Chiaki's Hooker arm. Moments later, the Needle's warmth shot through Yuna's body and her vision went white.
XxX
"Don't you dare!"
The purple Moongeist Beam cut through the deep blue-black that marked the edge of the stratosphere, but the distance between her and this deoxys was simply too great. It popped over to her right in a blink of blue light.
Then its orange and purple body twisted upon itself. Its frame thinned. Two of its arms vanished, replaced by a large spoke from the back of its head.
Great. The speed form.
She brought her wings together to make herself a smaller target, but Deoxys was zipping back and forth too fast for her ESP to keep up. She conjured a blue Protect barrier in desperation. Relief flooded her when a Dark Pulse struck the barrier and shattered it. She whipped her right wing around, blindly hurling a Shadow Ball.
"Damn it, why isn't anyone helping?!" she snarled. Bahamut had trusted her to keep Etherium safe in his absence. Why did this have to happen now? And in a spot where the Luminous Sages couldn't reliably reach? This planet was his home. No, their home. She wanted to keep it that way.
"You are a fool to think you can fit in among these meatbags."
Deoxys popped up in its base form fifty meters in front of her.
"I made my choice. I'm not going back to Eternatus."
Its eyes sparked red. "Master Zodiark will not accept that answer."
The gem in its chest sparked an identical red. Its tendrils wriggled as layers of orange and blue split off its body. More and more copies spawned from Deoxys. Crackled darkness bristled in their collective tentacles.
One Dark Pulse she could handle. Maybe even two or three. But three hundred? And they had her surrounded.
No. Please. Not like this! Her crimson eyes darted around.
"Have no fear, for Rayquaza is here!"
Deoxys and its clones glanced down in union just in time to see an emerald comet charge straight through them. The streak made an abrupt right turn and plowed through the clones, which burst apart into blobs of slime.
"Ray!" Jubilance spread through her chest.
The last of the clones dispatched, the emerald comet faded into a transformed Rayquaza. His delta sign and golden tassels were brilliant beacons shining in the twilight of the planet's edge.
"Sorry for the delay, Lady Chiron! But a knight always knows how to arrive at the right moment!" He threw his triangular head back for a hearty laugh.
Chiron would've joined him, but there were other matters to attend to. Deoxys' core floated listlessly, trying to pull back any nearby goo to reform a body. And she couldn't let that happen.
She curled her wings up by her crescent moon head. Her third eye flared to life. Purple light coalesced around it. "Here's my parting gift, Qliphoth scum!"
The Moongeist Beam swallowed Deoxys' core whole.
"Well put, m'lady!" Rayquaza snaked up to her, clapping his tiny little hands. "Art thou sure thee weren't a knight in a past life?"
Sighing, Chiron shook her head. "Doubt it, Ray." The fatigue finally caught up with her. Her wings drooped. "Let's just… get back down to the surface, okay?"
"Verily!"
XxX
Yuna sucked a sharp breath in and fell onto the floor seconds after a huge wind burst dissolved away the slime. She flopped around like a benched magikarp. Ah, my head! The vision was even more frightening than the last one. What was that sinister-looking creature? Deoxys?
"Bonté divine! B… but how is zis possible?!"
Baptiste stood in the doorway, his trembling shellder arm trained on the black serpent floating in front of him.
… wait, black? No, that couldn't be right! Rayquaza's scales were a brilliant emerald. She had just seen them. And Reshiram looked equally confused. Unless…
"One of this planet's old guard accepted Natus' love while in his stasis."
Yuna's ectoplasm went cold. Was Xeromus telling the truth? Had she just made the wrong decision… and given backup to Baptiste? She looked up at Rayquaza, but couldn't see his face. Was he looking at Baptiste with anger or elation? He hadn't seemed to notice Yuna. But what about Reshiram? The dreepy looked at him, gesturing to Rayquaza, but Reshiram looked as baffled by his appearance as she was.
"You!" Baptiste raised his right hand and shook it at Rayquaza. "Stop floating zere menacingly et say something! Or destroy zese stupid interlopers!" The slowbro pointed to Yuna.
Rayquaza quickly glanced her. Yuna momentarily squeaked at his crimson eyes. But her ectoplasm stopped quivering when his expression softened slightly. He briefly smiled, then turned back to Baptiste.
"Thou art the scoundrel trying to poison me from the outside." Rayquaza slammed his tail in front of Baptiste, who jumped back with a squeak. "Your misdeeds end here and now, daemon!"
Emerald light flared around Rayquaza.
"Non… non! Zis is a mistake! Zere has been a big misunderstand— eeeeng!"
Baptiste's attempt to flee was met with an electrified fist from Nikki. He tumbled back in front of Rayquaza, whose black tail was raised high. The slowbro meekly shielded himself with his shellder arm.
"Aha ha… perhaps we can talk zis out like genteelmon instead?"
Rayquaza hammered Baptiste into the floor. His shellder arm shattered, releasing a stream of black and purple smoke. The slowbro screamed but soon sounded as squeaky and depressing as a deflating balloon. Yuna's face paled as Baptiste's body shriveled away before Team Bastion. Nothing but a collection of floating purple lights remained.
Yuna was tempted to inspect them closer, but they instantly broke apart. "Whoa!" Nikki threw herself against the doorway to dodge them, as did Chiaki. One of the light beams flew into Razim's chest. Soft blue light spread over him and, when it faded, the slowking looked exactly as Yuna remembered him.
She flopped onto her back. A weary laugh escaped her lips. "H… how did we pull that off?"
"I dunno." Nikki walked over, frowning as she dusted off her coat. "You tell me, Princess. Because from my point of view, it looks like you hung us out to dry against that loon."
Yuna was about to answer when Rayquaza dropped down between the two of them, coiling around himself. "I thank thee for expunging that cursed evil from my system." He thumped his right fist against his chest and bowed. "As a layperson, I was Sir Gallian the Bold. Now, I am Sir Rayquaza, Sage of Perseverance. As thou art my rescuer, Lady Dreepy, I pledge my fealty unto thee!"
Nikki's initial anger bubbled away. She doubled over laughing. "Oh. My. God. I… I'm gonna need a minute." She dabbed at her eyes. "Y'know what? That stupid shit right there?" Nikki pointed to Rayquaza. "Almost makes all this nonsense worth it."
Chiaki's mint sprig dropped from his mouth. He turned away, covering his face with his good hand. "I need a freaking drink," he muttered.
"Ray, old buddy, old pal!" Reshiram fluttered over, tail engine whirring with excitement. "Good to have you back."
"Ah, Sir Reshiram!" Rayquaza wrapped his tail around Reshiram, who made a sound not unlike a squeaky toy. "It has been far too many moons, friend." He paused. "At least, I think it has been. Pray tell, art thou with Lady Dreepy, too?"
"I… I am…" Reshiram struggled to free himself from Rayquaza's tail. "We can catch up… later. For now… we need to take Razim… and get back to his palace."
XxX
"Archbishop Paradox!"
Orange, metallic doors slid open. In floated a flailing poipole with a gray headset awkwardly fixed around his bulbous head.
A naganadel looked up from his tablet. "What are you doing away from your station?" he barked. The Eternatus Troopers on either side of the door each raised one of their maces at Poipole. They crackled with psychic energy.
"I… I… I have an update, sir." He saluted to the naganadel, then pivoted the salute toward the other side of the room, where the lights faded and only the outlines of a metal desk with a high-arched chair and small deoxys figurine were visible under the dim glows given off by two dozen holographic screens.
The chair swiveled around and two beady white eyes peered back at Poipole.
"Archbishop, I'm so sorry." Naganadel floated toward Poipole, pushing the Troopers away. "I'll get this overeager desk jockey back to his station and dock him a day's salary."
"… no, Sticky. Let him speak." The deep voice reverberated around the room. Paradox's eyes tilted forward slightly. "After all, he wouldn't disturb me for a trifling matter. Isn't that right, boy?"
Tiny bits of purple ink spurted out of Poipole's two side needles. His face reddened. "Y-Yes. Of course, sir. It's um… well…" His arms trembled. "We, y'know, kinda sorta maybe… lost Baptiste's signal."
Silence, broken when Sticky pointed his massive stinger needle at Poipole. "You would dare come to the archbishop over a technical glitch? I'll dock a week's salary!"
Poipole threw his arms up over his face. More ink dribbled out of his head needles, coating his headset. "It's not a glitch, I swear! I double-checked with my supervisor and her supervisor. Not only did Baptiste's signal go out… the light source he had found is gone, too!" He squeezed his eyes shut. "We believe that Baptiste has been… exorcised."
Sticky lowered his stinger. He looked toward the other end of the room. "Sir?"
The archbishop's chair creaked. "I see. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. You're dismissed."
Poipole's eyes widened. A relieved grin spread across his face. "R-Really?"
"Of course."
But as Poipole tried to leave, Paradox's eyes turned bright blue. A psychic field caught Poipole and dragged him toward the archbishop's desk. His eyes widened in fear. "No! No, please, sir! I… I'm begging you! I was just following protocol! Please, I—"
Two tentacles — one blue and one orange — spawned from the shadows of the archbishop's desk and wrapped themselves around Poipole's neck. They forced his mouth open.
Paradox sighed. "I know you were following protocol. But if you had spoken at greater length with your supervisors, they would've told you that I couldn't care the slightest bit about Baptiste and his 'art projects.'" Several tsks echoed around the room. "Instead, you've gone and delivered me bad news. And I do so hate bad news."
Poipole's struggling lasted all of a second before Paradox plunged his tentacles into Poipole's throat. He burst apart in a flare of purple and red energy. The tentacles retreated back into the shadows, revealing an unown-P floating in Poipole's place.
A glass tube dropped from the ceiling to silence P's screams before they even began. Paradox's eyes leaned forward. "Perhaps you will be of more use to me as a Trooper than you were as an analyst. Nos vera Natus!"
Sticky bowed his head as the glass tube sucked P into the ceiling. "Nos vera Natus!" He straightened himself up. "So, what now, Archbishop? Should I send Troopers to investigate?"
"It matters not."
Sticky frowned. Another lost Paradigm sounded like a serious matter to him. "But sir—"
"Now is not the time, Sticky. After all…" Paradox's chair swiveled back. All the holographic screens merged back into one, which showed an irate ponyta stomping back and forth across a carpeted floor while a flygon tapped its claws together nervously.
"… a wonderful show is just about to start."
XxX
~Il Paradigma, No. IX: Baptiste~ He took the latest planet's ruler upon His knee and said, "Forget not the starving artists, for they find beauty in the most unlikely places. It is with their hands that Eternal love will flourish."
The Crowne Court had one main chamber and two accessory chambers. Naturally, given the high-profile nature of the trial, the main chamber was chosen, with its high-arched ceilings and stained-glass murals at the back of the room depicting Queen Calliope flanked by the warm, yellow-orange hues of torches.
Shimmer stood stiff as a board behind the white, oaken defense bench, bathed in the soft glow of candlelit lamps neatly lined up in front of half the viewing gallery. He stared at the equally white judiciary bench. It was high enough to barely make out the seats where the six jurors sat. Fortunately, the presiding magister's platform was affixed to the base of a massive bronze scale, so Shimmer could see it without straining his eyes.
"Nervous?" Kain shuffled around some pages on the bench, then adjusted his blue vest and bowtie. A soft color to lull the jurors. So, at least the flygon knew that much.
"No," Shimmer flatly said. What was there to be nervous about… Yuna bailing on him? Mother would make sure his grade didn't suffer for her boneheaded decision.
Still, that wouldn't stop his classmates from gossiping about it regardless the verdict. I can hear it now: 'Oooh, that dragon knew something! Or maybe she was trying to get Prince Shimmer's uncle executed!'
Shimmer took a breath. That dreepy's deceitfulness would be dealt with later. All that mattered right now was—
"Ohhh, Shimmy-Wimmy! You gotta help me, you gotta!" a slurpuff cried from atop a comically small wooden stool on the defense's side of the witness stand. He had an orange jumpsuit on and a glowing collar around his forehead. Benedict tugged at his bulbous cheeks. "I didn't do it! I couldn't do it! You can't let them send me back to lockup." His breathing rate quickened. "The other prisoners tried to spread me across their egg salad sandwiches! It was awfu-u-u-ul!"
Huge tear streams gushed down Benedict's sides. The bisharp guard holding the chains Benedict's handcuffs were fasted to raised a glowing hand. "Oi, cut the waterworks, scum!"
"Hey! Innocent until proven guilty!" Kain barked, pointing an accusatory talon at Bisharp. He rolled his eyes and lowered his hand.
Shimmer took another breath. The inquisitor's bench opposite him was still empty. He knew the distortion situation had left the Ministry of Justice short-staffed, but this was ridiculous. Maybe there won't be a trial. Maybe—
"And so… it begins."
Shimmer's heart shot into his throat. Black shadows pooled behind the inquisitor's bench. Vegna floated out of the wall, his golden skull gauntlets flickering under the candlelight. The black hood over his head gave way to a cape that fluttered behind him. Why could the cape phase through solid objects? What was it made of?
"… no." Shimmer took a step toward Kain. "This has to be a mistake! H… he's my teacher! He can't prosecute my uncle!"
He saw… sadness in Kain's eyes. "Why do you think your uncle couldn't find a private attorney to represent him?" The flygon bowed his head. "Nobody wanted to stand opposite the Grim Reaper on his return to court."
Shimmer's eyes widened. He knew! That damned public defender knew the whole time and didn't say a word. To the Crown Prince, no less! "I—"
An authoritative knock reverberated through the room. The crowd's murmurs — cripes, Shimmer had forgotten there even was a crowd — died down. Shimmer looked to the judiciary bench and found an oranguru in black robes holding giant palm fronds inexplicably molded into a gavel.
"In the name of Her Eminence, Queen Isola, and Her Benevolence, Queen Calliope, the Crowne Court is hereby called to order," Oranguru declared. Behind him, a giant flame appeared on each side of the bronze scale. "I, Magister Oranguru Mellath, will officiate the trial of Mr. Slurpuff Benedict." His expression sharpened as he looked down. "I ask of you, inquisition and defense, are you fully prepared to present your arguments?"
Kain looked to Vegna, who merely floated there with his arms crossed and his hooded head bowed. The flygon awkwardly gathered up his papers. "The defense is ready, Your Magistry."
Mellath turned to Vegna. He was as motionless as a statue. Shimmer's brow furrowed. Already up to mind games. Wait until Mother hears about this!
"… not yet. The inquisition is not ready yet."
Kain's wings buzzed. "H-Huh?"
Mellath's brow furrowed. "Inquisitor Vegna, what is the meaning of this?"
For a moment, Vegna didn't respond. Then a loud shriek echoed through the courtroom. "Good heavens!" Mellath stiffened in his chair.
Shimmer heard fluttering wings and looked up. Vegna's wretched feral pet descended toward him and landed obediently on his right shoulder pad. "The inquisition… is ready, milord."
"I see." Mellath cleared his throat and straightened out his robes. "First off, there is something that the Court wishes to confirm with both parties." He tilted his head. "Accused!"
"I didn't do it!" Benedict yelped, only to squeak when the bisharp guard tugged on his chains. "Y-Yes, Your Magistry?"
"I see in your attorney's paperwork that he is a public defender." Mellath glanced stoically at Kain. "And one who has never defended in Crowne Court."
Shimmer tensed. Even if the magister's expression was unreadable, he could tell this was a bad first impression. Though he wanted to say something, Shimmer's mind was still reeling from Vegna's trickery. Had he pulled Yuna out at the last second? Who put him up to this? I'm going to find out, I swear it!
"I'm sorry, Magister." Benedict squeezed his eyes shut. "When Mr. Grimmy-Wimmy got assigned this case, I couldn't find anyone willing to defend me!" Tears dribbled down his face. "But I didn't do it! Ya gotta believe me! I'm innocent!"
Mellath slammed his gavel. "Order! Do not speak out of turn like that again, accused."
"Meep! Sorry! I get talkative when I—" Benedict shut up the moment Mellath raised his gavel again.
"… hmph. Public defender or private. Pauper or noble. It matters not." Vegna's eye smoldered under his hood. "The accused is the guilty party. That is fact."
"Save it for your opening statement, Sir Vegna." Mellath turned to the dusknoir, frowning. "Please remind the Court how long it has been since you last stood at the bench."
Vegna held up four fingers. "Four years, milord."
"I see." Mellath looked down at his desk. "And you have chosen a high-profile homicide case for your return."
"I am no stranger to such proceedings, milord," Vegna exclaimed. He looked up at Mellath. "Minister Justine did not view my absence as a hindrance to prosecuting this trial." Vegna pivoted to point a shadowed index finger at Benedict. "Better the accused get his due process than languish in the gaol awaiting trial while the Ministry of Justice is battered by staff shortages thanks to the ongoing distortion crisis."
At this, the gallery broke into murmurs.
"Crisis?" "Is it really that bad?" "Her Eminence hasn't called it a crisis. I believe in her!" "Wait, is it even safe for us to be here?"
Vegna's right hand crackled with black energy and he slammed it on his desk. Talonflame ruffled its feathers in surprise. "Those whose hearts are sullied by cowardice do not deserve to be in the gallery," the dusknoir growled. "Keep your worthless prattle confined to your country clubs and dinner parties."
"Err, yes. But please remember I'm supposed to keep order here, Sir Vegna." Mellath brushed sweat droplets off his forehead. "In any case, I did speak with Minister Justine and verified your claims. However, I do wish the record to reflect that this is a product of the current staff shortage. Under normal circumstances, this would not have happened."
Shimmer had kept his mouth shut, but if he was going to raise an objection to Vegna's presence, it was now or never. "Well, I'm not okay with this arrangement, Your Magistry!"
"Hmm?" Mellath leaned over and squinted. "G-Goodness! Your Grace!" The oranguru nervously flipped through his papers. "Ah, yes, now I remember. Your name was listed as an assistant for the defense."
"Yes, and Inquisitor Vegna is the one who assigned me to this," Shimmer declared, propping himself up to level his horn at Vegna. "He can't prosecute Unc— err, the accused. It's… a conflict of interest! He cannot both evaluate my performance and work against me."
Mellath quirked a brow. "Sir Vegna?"
"I did indeed assign him to assist the dragon attorney." Vegna and Talonflame bobbed their heads in tandem. "However, the assignment was made before the accused was charged with murder and I became the inquisitor." He pivoted and pointed his index finger at the defense's bench. "Furthermore, I stipulate that I am capable of impartially assessing his performance."
Shimmer leaned forward. "And I stipulate that he can't!"
"Your objection is noted, Your Grace." Mellath scribbled something down with a fountain pen. "However, as the trial has already been called to order, proceedings cannot be suspended. We will continue as planned."
Vegna brought his right arm out and slowly bowed. "I thank you, milord."
Shimmer gnashed his teeth. He was sure there were some reporters filming the proceedings. He'd march that footage to Mother as soon as this was over and demand Vegna's sacking.
Mellath cleared his throat. "Now then, esteemed jurors chosen from the Radiant public, are you prepared to uphold your sworn duty?"
Juror One, a herdier with a top hat and black cloak, enthusiastically nodded. "Aye, milord! We'll throw the book at 'im!"
The second juror, a glaceon in a maid outfit, looked skeptically at him. "I do not believe we are supposed to pass judgement until arguments are presented."
The scyther seated to her left laughed while rubbing his arms together easily. "Bah! I don't care how much he blubbers. All moneybags are nothing but swindlers!"
Next to him, a gothorita pecked away at a typewriter, seemingly ignoring the squabbling around her.
"Oh, I don't know." A meowth stroked his gray, bushy beard in thought. "The Crown Prince is willing to defend the accused. That has to mean something, doesn't it?"
"Yes, quite." An elderly raichu looked up from her knitting needles. "But try not to rush to any conclusions. I'd love to finish this scarf for my grandchild."
Shimmer tried his best to keep his blood from boiling over. These jurors sounded like complete airheads. Most of them already had their minds made up! How was he supposed to save Benedict like this?
"We just need to get to the testimony," Kain said. "If there's foul play to be had here, the witnesses are bound to slip up somewhere."
Shimmer really hoped that was the case.
Mellath banged his gavel down. "All right. Sir Vegna, please proceed with the opening statement."
Vegna bowed once again. "By your will." He snapped his left fingers. Talonflame swooped under Vegna's bench and returned with papers in its beak. The middlemost wooden panel on the judiciary bench opened to reveal a screen. An image of a magmar appeared. His bill was shriveled and the yellow flames atop his head dim and withering.
"The victim in this case is one Magmar Mortimer, a bricklayer with the Venish chapter of the Bricklayers' Guild." Vegna's right hand glowed with pink energy. Mortimer's picture shrank to the corner of the screen. Pictures of brick walls filled up the empty space. "It is said he developed his own technique for firing bricks that few within the guild could replicate. However, due to poor health from his living conditions, he could rarely accept jobs outside Venish."
Vegna swiped at the air and a picture of the omnibus Shimmer had inspected in the evidence vault appeared. "At around 21:00 a fortnight ago, Mortimer boarded this omnibus' inner carriage to return home from a guild meeting at a local pub. A nasty cold front had settled over Venish, which likely accounts for his decision not to use the rooftop seats. We submitted the meteorology report for the city before the start of the trial."
Shimmer looked at Kain, who held up a map with strange colored markings. "The cold front hit my home in Herbrides, too. It was awful," Kain whispered.
"At that time, the accused was already on board the omnibus." Vegna pointed his glowing finger at Benedict.
"What drivel!" Scyther declared, stabbing one of his arms into the table then struggling to pull it out. "Nnngh… why would that moneybags need public transit? I bet he could… rrrgh… afford a fleet of carriages."
Vegna crossed his arms. "You speak the truth, Juror Three. However, speak out of turn again and I will see to it your tongue is served to a pack of feral zigzagoon." His eye smoldered with shadowfire.
Scyther's arm came free. He shrank back in his seat, quivering.
"Um, Your Magistry, if I may?" Benedict squeaked. "I enjoy taking public omnibuses and commiserating with the good city folk." He smiled. "The bouncing of the shoddy carriages always lulls me into a sense of ease. Sometimes I even drift off to sleep in them and miss my stop entirely. Ho ho!"
"… hmph. Continuing," Vegna growled. The screen transitioned to show Mortimer lying in the open door of the carriage with a knife sticking out of his gut. Shimmer's gut squirmed as he fought to keep his breakfast down.
"According to the inquisition's witnesses, there was an altercation between the victim and the accused," Vegna explained. "This led the accused to pull out a knife and stab the victim in the abdomen. The accused fled the scene before the omnibus driver realized what was happening. However, one of the passengers on the rooftop had a gemcom and used it to call the police. They arrived on scene and took the following photograph before the victim was rushed to Venish General Hospital. I submit this photo for the Court."
Mellath nodded. "The Court accepts this evidence. Continue, Sir Vegna."
The screen transitioned to show a knife with an embroidered B on its handle, along with a pair of leather gloves that had pink stains on them. "This is the knife used on the victim, as well as a pair of gloves found on the accused's person. Stoutland Yard confirms the blood to belong to a fire-type."
"Hold it!" Shimmer raised his glowing horn up in protest. "How can you be sure that blood belongs to the victim? Perhaps these gloves were previously stained by a fire-type's blood."
Kain stiffened, then hastily nodded. "The defense perused the passenger listing from the omnibus. While we acknowledge the victim was the only fire-type reported to use the omnibus that night, that evidence isn't strong enough to prove the blood on the gloves is from this incident."
The gallery broke into murmurs and the jurors exchanged hushed whispers with one another. Vegna lowered both hands onto his desk. Shimmer fought off the urge to smirk. At least they had found a vulnerable spot.
"I concede that I cannot prove this blood is from the incident in question," Vegna said. "Nevertheless, the inquisition submits these items as evidence."
"Accepted," Mellath said. "The defense can elaborate on its points during cross-examination."
"Now then…" Vegna held his right hand up and sent manilla envelopes floating toward Kain, the judge, and the jurors. "While the surgeons were able to stop the victim's internal bleeding, he did not awaken from surgery. The victim expired two days later. This is the coroner's report. The cause of death is necrosis of the victim's flame gland secondary to hemorrhagic shock. And the only thing that could've led to such blood loss was the stab wound from the knife."
"The Court accepts this report into evidence as well." Mellath looked to Kain. "Any comments, defense?"
"My client contends that he fell asleep shortly after boarding the omnibus," Kain replied, looking at one of his papers. "The first time he looked upon the victim is when he found him lying unconscious in the carriage's open doorway. Mr. Benedict was so frightened by the scene, primal instinct took hold and he fled the carriage."
"I see." Mellath bowed his head in thought. "Very well, I believe I have a clear outline of the incident. Sir Vegna, please call your witnesses to the stand."
Talonflame hopped back onto Vegna's shoulder while he bowed to Mellath. "As you wish, milord."
Shimmer propped his forehooves up. This was it. His best chance at poking holes into this story and, at the very least, getting the jury to gridlock.
XxX
Necrozma's shadows twisted upon one another. Its crystal tendrils scraped against the ground, producing all manner of strange noises. Faint, multicolored lights crackled around the Phantom. It dug its claws into the dirt.
Someone was taking it. Necrozma's power. The power that would end this wretched nightmare. And here it was… sitting around thinking a slow burn approach would work. Zapdos hadn't even returned. Necrozma couldn't even properly sense him.
Worthless. Worthless, worthless, worthless. Trying to scare the public straight was no longer an option. All that mattered was gathering as much power as possible.
Articuno and Moltres looked at him. Purple energy crackled around the Phantom's claws. "Begone!" Necrozma snarled. Both birds stiffened like they'd been hit by Thunder Waves. White light streamed into Necrozma's outstretched hand. Yet the birds did not revert back to their original appearances. As they swayed back and forth, the Phantom flicked its hand again.
Purple cracks formed in the air behind the birds. Rifts burst open, sucking them both in. Necrozma clenched a fist. The rifts sealed themselves. The purple cracks vanished in trails of smoke.
Necrozma staggered forward. Gnarled shadows engulfed its body once again.
"They're all in the Qliphoth now. I have no doubt about it." The Phantom floated across the overturned pillars toward the edge of the distortion. "No one has any right to take them. They don't understand anything."
A puff of smoke gathered on either side of Necrozma, forming faint outlines.
Latios. Zeraora. Both looked at Necrozma with hollow, empty faces.
"You are right. We are past the point of striking from the shadows."
Two crystal tendrils reached into the distortion and pulled it apart like a set of drapes. "Eternatus will die. Even if the planet must be sacrificed to make it happen." The apparitions retreated back into the pool of shadows. "This is about righting wrongs. Reversing my failures." Necrozma floated through the opening in the distortion.
"For the good of all universes, it's time for the Qliphoth to know of my power once again."
XxX
Before Noctum even opened his eyes, he registered a throbbing headache. The flickering lights of Cyril's workshop didn't help with that. They were too bright and too blue. "Ugh." Noctum draped his arm over his face.
"He's coming to," Seifer said. Something poked Noctum's right ribcage. "Hey, you still in one piece? Mentally, I mean."
What was Noctum supposed to say to that? "No!" His throat burned, like he wanted to cough up a fireball. The charizard fanned himself with the edge of his black, membranous wing. "H… how can you stand there and be so… calm about all of this?" He tried to sit up, but the room spun. "This is… too much. I want to go home. I want to be with Yuna and Baraz. Not sit here and learn about some… secret empire of dead people's souls inside World Ender!"
Noctum reached toward the Malice shard in his belly. "How am I supposed to go back to Horizon like this? Knowing about all of this? I can't return to cooking and mopping up floors when there's some kind of alien world rebellion that could sweep us all up!"
"… tch. Think it's a bit late for that sentiment."
Noctum couldn't see Valkyrie, but certainly recognized her stoic tone. He glanced at Seifer. "I don't understand." The charizard swallowed hard. "Why aren't you freaking out?"
Seifer grimaced. "You think I'm taking this in stride? I'm using every ounce of willpower not to buck one of those boxes of junk over there." He swished his hair toward a stack of boxes behind him. "My horn is gone because of this. How would you feel if someone tore off your wings, huh?"
That was enough to get Noctum to slowly sit up. "Not good," he whispered meekly.
"I've had years of experience dealing with bad news," Seifer exclaimed, looking down at his dirt-caked hooves. "Plus, my life's gone down the toilet. It's easy to be unfazed by a sob story when you already feel like a trubbish's insides."
I could've done without that comparison. Though it got the point across, Noctum wasn't sure if he was supposed to feel sympathetic toward Seifer or not. Everything Cyril mentioned sounded a lot worse than losing a job and not being able to get your money.
"You don't, like, feel bad for these people?" Noctum looked at his hands. "Hearing this compels me to do something to help, but I pledged myself to the Aeon royals and… nngh!" He grabbed his throbbing forehead. "It's too much. Why did you have to throw it all on our laps, Ninetales?"
As Noctum turned to Cyril, a slam made his tail flame shrivel. Valkyrie had pinned Cyril to the wall, her arms pressed firmly against his torso.
"You're way too trusting, dork." Valkyrie glanced back at Noctum. "I prefer to see things with my own eyes, not go off some damned lecture."
"Let him go, Valkyrie!" Noctum awkwardly stumbled to his feet.
The garchomp snorted purple smoke at Noctum. "This doesn't concern you."
"What are you talking about?" Noctum pointed at Seifer, then himself. "We're all stuck here together. We're not going to get home by—"
"Oh, brother." Valkyrie rolled her eyes. "Weren't you the one going on about how this was too much to handle? I'm offering you a chance to take a load off. You should be thanking me."
Noctum winced. He had really set himself up for that one… and now he was at a loss for words. What was it about Valkyrie that always left him drawing blanks?
"Now then." Valkyrie returned her attention to Cyril. "You think I didn't catch that slip of the tongue? I didn't tell you my name, so why did you almost blurt it out?"
Cyril's ears folded. "Would you believe me if I told you I knew a garchomp named Valerie?"
Valkyrie unceremoniously dropped Cyril onto the cold metal floor.
"Woomph!" The icy ninetales rubbed his hips with several tails. "Easy on the goods."
"Let's try that again." Valkyrie loomed over Cyril. "Start talking or I'll fashion your pelt into one of them frilly scarves."
Cyril's tails frazzled. "Okay, okay!" He scrambled to his right, bonking into one of his rectangular metal machines. "I, uh… well, see for yourself."
He stood up, ears and tails drooping. Blurry blue light washed over him. Soon four legs became two. Nine tails became a flowing red mane with black tips and a cyan pearl toward the end. The yellow scarf turned pink and white hearts peppered the fabric. He had identically-styled leggings going up to his thighs.
Noctum blinked once. Twice. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Finally, a tiny "Oh," escaped his lips.
Valkyrie's composure finally slipped as her jaw slackened. "What the hell… Fenrir?!"
The unmasked zoroark laughed nervously. "H-Hiya, Val. I can, uh, totally explain."
Valkyrie broadsided him across the face. The zoroark spun around. "I… probably deserved that," he wheezed before faceplanting onto the floor. Valkyrie had her right root raised to step on him when Noctum hopped toward her and grabbed her right arm.
"Woah, Valkyrie, easy!" The charizard didn't put up much of a struggle, though. Valkyrie effortlessly freed her arm. "What's the problem?"
Valkyrie stepped back. "The problem is this dweeb shouldn't be here. He works for Chiaki's family."
Fenrir raised a shaky arm. "Technically I'm a freelancer who takes jobs for you gu— ayah!"
Valkyrie bent down and yanked him up by the end of his mane. "You think this is a joke? Do I look like I'm laughing?"
"Well, uh, kinda hard for me to tell when I can't turn around." Fenrir meekly flailed his arms and legs.
Eyes blazing, Valkyrie drove her knee into Fenrir's rump. He skidded across the floor. Noctum stepped in front of her. "C'mon, Valkyrie. This isn't helping." The charizard held his arms out.
"Right. Sure." Valkyrie huffed violet smoke in Noctum's face. "And I suppose you can get to the bottom of this? You fainted from a freaking lecture."
Groaning, Fenrir rubbed his rear with a paw. "You've already done a good enough job getting to this bottom. Twice."
"Don't make me come over there!" Valkyrie snarled. Noctum turned and gave the downed zoroark a look that said he was only making things worse.
"You're right. I can't," Noctum said. "But beating him up won't get us out of this predicament. I would think you of all people would realize that."
Valkyrie glared at him for several seconds before stepping back. "… hmph. The only reason we're in this predicament is because of you." She crossed her arms. "I'm allowed to be upset about this. I've worked with that idiot and he tried to deceive me."
Seifer managed to help Fenrir up to his feet. "Believe me. It wasn't by choice." Fenrir scratched his right ear. "It's a very delicate subject."
"Yeah, sure." Valkyrie's expression was icy enough to make a froslass blush. "So, was all that drivel about being some rebel ally garbage?"
"No." Fenrir held his paws up. "I can explain it, honest, but—"
A buzzing noise sounded… from Fenrir? Noctum titled his head. "Um, did your hair just buzz at us?"
"Ah." Fenrir reached a paw into his mane and pulled out a black headset. Noctum only knew what it was because of the pictures he'd seen of Starlene. "Yo, Boss Kitty, what's up?"
Noctum exchanged confused looks with Seifer. Was he… talking with someone?
"I know you hate that codename, but it's all I got until you come up with something better." Fenrir chuckled nervously. "I— whoa, hang on. Slow down. What's this about an ugly zapdos recolor?"
He's talking about Fake Zapdos, Noctum realized. What if that meant Fenrir was talking to Gene? He had to say something. Gene was supposed to be their ticket home, right? "Um… excuse me?"
"Stand aside." Valkyrie shoved a startled Noctum and stomped toward Fenrir. "Trying to ignore us, are you?"
Fenrir's eyes widened. "W-Wait, no! You can't drop 'em here, I've got com—"
Purple cracks formed behind Fenrir. Noctum immediately recognized the sight from the walk over. "Valkyrie, get back!" He reached for the garchomp and pulled her dorsal fin. A rift then opened from the cracks. A black-purple, three-fingered hand grabbed Fenrir by the scarf and pulled him into the rift.
"No, wait!" Valkyrie scrambled to her feet, only to get struck by Not-Zapdos and knocked back onto Noctum. "Grr, move!" She pushed off the charizard, who managed to blink the stars away only to find Not-Zapdos lying unconscious beside the other Malice Crystal.
"Our exit!" Seifer's eyes lit up. He pointed the stump of his horn at Noctum. "Quickly, use your weird roar thing and break the crystal so we can get out of here."
Noctum sat up, still a bit woozy, but nodded. He still had questions, but going home was what he wanted. Noctum took a deep breath… and yelped when Not-Zapdos's body violently lurched.
The mask on its face shattered. Not-Zapdos opened its beak wide and rainbow light gushed out of it like water from a faucet. The light struck the Malice Crystal and shattered it, bathing the room in a harsh, purple glow.
"What the hell?" Valkyrie threw her arms over her face.
Noctum looked around in a panic. The door! Where was the door? He just had to find it before—
Before purple lines traced themselves across the floor, just like they had before a rift appeared behind Fenrir. Seifer caught on to this as well. The keldeo's eyes widened. "No! Not again!" He fled toward the corner of the room, but it was useless. Noctum knew what came next.
The lines split the floor open under everyone's feet. A dark purple rift spread throughout the entire room. Noctum had a fleeting moment to glance the worry on the others' faces before the rift sucked them all down and sent them hurtling through a purple and black abyss.
The aftermath of the fight with Baptiste was surprisingly quiet for Yuna. After over a week with Reshiram's presence focused on her in some capacity, he was now occupied with getting Rayquaza up to speed on Team Bastion's… situation? Journey? Quest?
Honestly, Yuna wasn't sure what to call it at this point.
While the Sages chatted, Razim and her teammates also had something to take up their attention: the kidnapped Aquardans. A few of the pokémon that were sealed in the poison cocoons stumbled into Turtankhamun's room, prompting Razim to take Nikki and Chiaki with him to look for others.
Which left Yuna alone with her thoughts. Namely how out of her league she was. Seifer had been there to deal with Runerigus. His Dynaforce did the brunt of the work. Things were not so straightforward this time. Even with Reshiram to back her up, Yuna knew she lucked out. If the Needle was guarded better or Baptiste paid a bit more attention to his surroundings, then there was no way she would've gotten away with pulling it out.
And, sure, maybe her teammates were able to hold their own long enough for Yuna to turn the tide. But would they really be lucky enough to get away with that a second time? What if the next daemon they found was smarter? More cunning? Just because Yuna had another Sage didn't mean she was any stronger.
The dreepy looked at her arms. The longer the stared, the clearer she could make out black splotches in the middle of her ectoplasm. They were like ink from a fountain pen dripping onto a blank sheet of paper.
It happened again. Yuna shook her arms out. The splotches remained. I grabbed the Needle with black shadows, just like I did with Runerigus. And she had no idea why. The only conclusion Yuna drew was that the shadows flared when she got upset. Did that mean that, on top of everything else, she'd have to keep her temper in check? While Reshiram and Rayquaza blabbered away in her head?
"Hey, Princess." Nikki stood in the doorway, hands in her jacket pockets. "Everyone's gathered on the ice bridge. It looks like it fixed itself after it got blown up." She paused. "Because, y'know, I guess that's still a thing here."
"Right." Yuna looked back at the sarcophagus. Its shattered golden fragments remained suspended in midair. The pyramid must have, too. Yuna decided it was best not to think about the tomb or its associated curses any further. She waved at Reshiram and Rayquaza. "Okay, back in you go. We're leaving."
"Ah, jolly good." Rayquaza clapped his tiny hands. "Let us, as the kids say, be 'roomies,' Reshiram!"
Yuna cringed. "Please never say that again." She touched the Soul Dew. Two beams of light shot out and swallowed both dragons up.
"Egad! It's quite spacious in here," Rayquaza chirped. "I feel like I'm drifting on a cloud. Or doing the backstroke through the stratosphere."
Try as she might, Yuna could not envision Rayquaza's swimming as anything more than his body undulating like an oversized pool toy waved around by an excited hatchling. Sighing, she floated after Nikki. But the toxtricity's pace was far too fast for her. "Hey, wait up!" Yuna cried.
"Relax." Chiaki pushed off the silver wall he was leaning on. "Tempting as it was to give you a taste of your own medicine, I offered to walk you out."
"My own medicine?" Yuna raised a brow. The realization hit her a moment later. "Oh." Her gills sagged. "I, uh—"
"… tch. I hope you're not about to apologize." Chiaki walked forward, disconnecting his prosthetic as he went. "The only reason we're here is for the Needle. You assessed the situation and did what you had to do to complete the mission." The Tactical Toucher folded back into a disc. "If I were in your place, I'd have done the same thing."
Is that supposed to make me feel better? Yuna looked down at the ceiling.
"Saving Etherium is what's important," Chiaki continued. He attached the Hooker and shot it into the upside-down stairs. He repelled down to the next floor. "You recognized that, in the moment, Nikki and I were dead weight, then reacted appropriately. Even if it personally ticks me off, I respect it."
Again, Yuna wasn't sure what to make of that. Her decision couldn't be good and bad. She was tempted to throw Reshiram under the omnibus and claim it was his idea, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.
Yuna floated down to the next floor. The shriveled remnants of Baptiste's cocoons lay scattered on the silver bricks. They reminded Yuna of off-color raisins. And now she was hungry. "What about Nikki?" she asked. "Is she mad, too?"
Chiaki shrugged. "She said that you 'having Crotch Fuzz and Space Noodle rummaging around your head' is punishment enough."
The Soul Dew flickered. Rayquaza's black head popped out. "Space Noodle? Poppycock! I am far more nutritious than a single piece of uncooked pasta."
Yuna grabbed his head and squished it back into her pendant. "Not the point!" she growled.
Chiaki smirked. "I dunno. I think that proves Nikki's point nicely."
Yuna had no rebuttal, so she opted to change the subject as the two headed for the next floor. "How's Professor Cid?"
"Physically he's back to normal." Chiaki recalled his hook and stepped over the remains of a turtonator statue. "But he hasn't said a thing to anyone. Just quietly floated after the others." He jammed his good hand into his jean jacket pocket. "I don't blame him. Devolution sounds like a freaking nightmare."
"I wonder what would've happened if the beam hit you," Reshiram added.
That was not something Yuna wanted to think about, either. "Well, uh, maybe Dr. Rafique should see Cid when we get home?"
"Please." Chiaki shrugged dismissively. "He needs a shrink."
Yuna blinked. "A what?"
"A therapist." Chiaki glanced back at her. "Y'know, someone you talk through all your mental baggage with?"
"Yeah, I know." Yuna wrung her arms. I could use one of those, quite frankly.
"There is no shame in admitting one's vulnerabilities, Princess," Rayquaza declared.
Can I just go home first? Yuna whined. The moment that thought finished, however, her eyes widened.
"Oh, crap, the trial!" She zipped toward Chiaki. "How long have we been in the Qliphoth for?"
"You're asking me? How would I know?" Chiaki narrowed his eyes at her.
"I— uh—"
He was right. There was no way of telling time here. Which meant Yuna couldn't afford to dawdle any longer. "I have to get back to Radiance."
Chiaki raised both arms. "You won't hear any objections from me. I'm not interested in any touchy-feely goodbyes with Razim. Or being a part of any heartfelt reunion crap." He tapped his right foot against the ceiling. "It'll just devolve into a sanguine hugfest with the 'mons we rescued draping themselves over us and ugly crying like no tomorrow."
Yuna winced. She could have actually done with something heartwarming like that. However, she knew the trial was more important. I guess I'll… daydream about what I missed here on the train ride back to school.
Chiaki was kneeling down and tracing one of the silver bricks with his good hand. "But do you think opening a portal here will actually spit us out somewhere safe? Because if we're going to pop out hundreds of meters in the air, then I'll take my chances with the ice bridge."
Yuna gulped. That wasn't something she had considered.
"Perhaps because you can hover and your friends can't?" Reshiram piped up.
"Fear not. If thou art indeed airborne upon your return, I can lower thine friends to safety," Rayquaza proclaimed.
Yuna rubbed her brow, groaning. She was so sick of this. She wanted sleep. Badly. And she wasn't going to get it any time soon. "Look, Chiaki, can you just, um, get Nikki and Cid? Rayquaza says he can take care of things if we don't pop out on the ground."
Chiaki stook up and squinted at Yuna. He scrutinized the dreepy for several seconds, before tucking his head down. "… fine. Whatever gets us home quicker, I guess."
He jammed his good hand in his pocket again and headed for the next set of upside-down stairs. Sighing, Yuna flopped on the ceiling.
If the trial had started, she sincerely hoped Kain was having a better time than her.
XxX
As Shimmer expected, Vegna brought in multiple witnesses at once. There was a togedemaru with an oversized hat made of mismatched fabric who stood on the white table itself. On his right stood a bulky rhyhorn with a large gray harness draped over her back. And to his left was a passimian in a sharp, charcoal gray blazer with a matching dress shirt and top hat. Passimian leaned against the handle of a closed umbrella.
"The witnesses will give their names and occupations for the record," Vegna instructed, gesturing to the witness stand.
Rhyhorn nodded slowly. "Adler's the name, pulling omnibuses is my game. Ain't no one in the Coachmon's Guild who's tougher than me!"
Togedemaru flinched from Adler's surprisingly deep voice. "Right. Erm, hello. My name is Horace. I'm a… seamster at a tailor's shop in Venish. If you've got wears and tears, we're always happy to help." He stuck out his spikes, revealing various sewing equipment fixed to them.
Shimmer fought off the urge to roll his eyes. These people were here to testify, not advertise their services.
Passimian looked away from them. "This is a waste of time. I'm a busy 'mon and I have work to do."
The ruby eyes in Vegna's shoulder gauntlets glowed. "No one cares. Your name and occupation."
"… fine." Passimian still didn't make eye contact. "Passimian Batroc, of the Bernard clan. I'm a commercial real estate broker for Bernard and Associates, naturally." He tapped his umbrella against the floor. "Let's get this over with. What do you need to know?"
Vegna snapped his fingers. Talonflame again hopped off his shoulder and lifted some papers with his beak. "To confirm, Miss Adler, you were the coachmon for Fledglings Omnibus 2015 on the night of the incident, correct?"
"Yessir. I've covered 2015's route for the last three years." Adler squared up her stance, adjusting her harness. "Not a single missed day of work in that time."
Vegna slammed the palm of his left hand on his desk. Adler stiffened.
"No extraneous information," the dusknoir growled. "Now then…" He flicked his right hand and a city map appeared on the screen. Building areas were drawn in lime green, with crisscrossing gray lines representing main roads and curving black lines denoting backroads. There were six blue lines — three horizontal and three vertical — denoting canals running through that area of Venish.
"This is part of your omnibus' route, yes?" Vegna snapped his fingers and a red line traced its way across part of the center of the screen before curving off toward backroads heading toward the upper left.
Adler squinted and leaned forward. "I think so."
"When did you pick up the victim, Mr. Mortimer?" Vegna asked.
"Well, I picked him up at the Beeraskewda Pub, so it must've been 20:10 if I was running on time." The rhyhorn smirked. "And I always run on time."
"And the accused, Mr. Benedict?" Vegna gestured to the slurpuff next to the defense's bench. Shimmer glanced at his uncle, who stared at the floor and fidgeted with his prison jumpsuit.
"Oh, he was already onboard by then." Adler tapped a foreleg against the witness stand. "I think he got on at Bonna Seraph Plaza… which would've been at 19:55."
Kain leaned over his bench. "You think or you know?"
"Objection!" Vegna shook his head. "Don't try to unnerve the good rhyhorn over such a miniscule detail, dragon. The accused already disclosed to Stoutland Yard he boarded at Bonna Seraph during questioning at the gaol."
Kain leaned back. "… ah, sorry. Continue."
The jurors exchanged hushed whispers. Shimmer shot an annoyed look at Kain. "What are you doing? Don't interrupt Vegna like that. It'll make us look bad."
"I can interject when I want to press a statement further," Kain shot back. Shimmer glowered at the witness stand. "And it would do you good to keep a neutral expression, Your Grace," the flygon added, prompting Shimmer to stiffen.
However, before Vegna could resume, Batroc cleared his throat. "How much longer are you going to waste everyone's time with such frivolous questions? That large oaf didn't even witness the moment of the crime. It was all me and Horace over here." He jerked his head toward the togedemaru to his right.
Sighing, Vegna crossed his arms. "Very well, witness. When did you board the omnibus?"
"At 20:30. Horace and I boarded from the Porter Lane stop."
"Yessir." Horace nodded, nearly tumbling off the witness stand in the process.
Kain held up the meteorology report from earlier. "We know there was a cold front moving through Venish. Why didn't you two sit inside the cabin?"
Horace's quills drooped. "Well, we wanted to but—"
Batroc raised his umbrella and rapped it against the witness stand. "The door wouldn't budge. I bet that selfish blowhard locked it so he could have the cabin all to himself." He pointed the umbrella accusingly at Benedict.
Kain shook his head. "But as we just heard Ms. Adler testify, the victim and the accused were already inside the cabin."
"Then that just means he blocked the door so he could kill that magmar," Batroc huffed.
Shimmer leaned forward. "That sounds like conjecture. Can you prove our client was the one who blocked the door?"
Batroc nearly lost his grip on his umbrella. "I— well, no, I guess not."
A loud slam echoed through the chamber. There was a scorch mark underneath Vegna's smoldering right fist. "How impudent of me to damage the inquisitor's bench in such a manner," he muttered. "Please forgive my outburst."
Mellath rested his hands on his desk. "Sir Vegna, what's the meaning of this?"
"This is but smoke and mirrors by the defense," Vegna exclaimed, straightening up. "Who sealed the door and the motive for doing so are irrelevant. The fact remains that the cabin door could not be opened, forcing the witnesses to sit on the roof."
Shimmer frowned. He thought it was worth pursuing, but Kain's attention was back on his collection of papers. "Psst," Shimmer whispered. "What do you think about the way they were acting? It sounded like they were trying really hard to make Benedict out to be the killer."
"Yeah." Kain nodded. "Seems like Passimian is leading Togedemaru along. I'm making a note of it." He scribbled something on a sheet of paper.
"Let's continue, witnesses." Vegna crossed his arms again. "So, you went to sit on the roof. What happened after that?"
"Well, things were awfully quiet for a while." Horace poked his nubby arms together. "But then we heard shouting from the cabin!"
"Indeed." Batroc lifted his free hand. "The two 'mons inside were arguing with one another." He lowered his hand and lifted his umbrella to show the tip. "That's when Slurpuff pulled out a knife and stabbed Magmar right in the gut. Just like this!" He jabbed the witness stand with the umbrella tip.
Horace nodded, shuddering. "Then there was a loud shriek. Slurpuff threw the cabin door open and ran off. Magmar tried to follow him, but he collapsed in the doorway."
"Meanwhile, I contacted the proper authorities." Batroc puffed out his chest.
"Hold it!"
Brow furrowed, Kain stared down Batroc and Horace. "If things did play out as you two said, why didn't either of you make any attempt to stop the accused from escaping?"
Both witnesses' expressions blanched. "… like I said, I was calling the cops," Batroc huffed.
"Slurpuff is way bigger than me. I didn't want to get squished!" Horace squeaked, shivering.
"But surely you could have told Ms. Adler to try and stop him." Kain gestured to the rhyhorn. "If she's as fast and tough as she says, catching a slurpuff wouldn't be an issue. Isn't that right, witness?"
"Darn skippy!" Adler nodded vigorously.
Kain pointed a claw at the witness stand. "Well, Ms. Adler, did these two tell you to stop the omnibus?"
Adler frowned. "Y'know, now that you mention it… they didn't. Though it's hard for me to hear much when I'm pulling it. Lotta squeaking and creaking going on. You really gotta shout to get my attention."
Vegna's shoulder gauntlets crackled with red energy. "So, you traveled a modest distance before everything stopped?"
"Yes."
Shimmer's heartrate picked up. "Doesn't anyone find that fishy?" He looked around the room. Whenever there was danger, he was always taught to seek immediate help. Surely, these two had similar instincts.
"… hmph. You're grasping, dragon." Vegna pointed an index finger at Kain. "Mr. Batroc contacted Stoutland Yard and Mr. Horace's voice would not carry enough for Ms. Adler to hear him." He shook his head. "If you're looking to make a splash, might I suggest trying for a higher dive?"
"Objection!" Kain slammed his hands on his desk. "That's not the only thing that doesn't add up about this testimony, Sir Vegna."
"Oh?" Vegna tilted his cloaked head and rested it against his fist. "Explain, dragon."
"Gladly." Kain picked up a small remote and pointed it at the screen in the center of the judiciary bench. The same route map from earlier appeared. "I'd like to remind the court of the omnibus route. Notice the backroads that the route goes through." He hovered to the screen. "Based on the testimony given, we can reasonably conclude that the omnibus was on Fanucchi Street at the time of the incident."
The flygon tapped the side of the screen. An icon of a red marker appeared. Kain circled a diagonal black strip toward the left side of the map.
Vegna nodded. "Correct. Where are you going with this?"
"Where I'm going… is here!" Kain double tapped the top right corner of the screen. The map disappeared, revealing two folder icons. One was labeled "Inquisition" and the other "Defense." Kain tapped the latter and two photos appeared side by side. The one on the left showed a small, cobblestone street wedged between brick buildings that were five or six stories. Shimmer spotted small, square windows and laundry lines crisscrossing the top floors of the buildings.
"This is Fanucchi Street during daytime." Kain pointed to the image, but Shimmer was focused on the other photo. Or, rather, the lack of anything discernable outside of vague outlines.
"Notice there are no streetlights or torch lamps in these pictures," Kain continued. "The defense took this photo two days ago… along with this one, showing the same area at nighttime, close to the time of the incident." He stopped hovering to gesture to the right photo. "I don't know about anyone else here, but I'm having a hard time making anything out in this."
Vegna slammed his right hand on the desk. Talonflame fluttered up to his shoulder. "Are you implying… that it was too dark for the witnesses to have seen anything?" the dusknoir said.
"That's exactly what I'm implying!" Kain put his hands on his hips and stared all three witnesses down.
Mellath's brow furrowed. "But, Counsellor, the victim was a magmar. Their bodies are known to glow due to their internal flames."
Shimmer wouldn't let that stand. "Objection!" He propped himself up against the defense's bench. "Please recall Inquisitor Vegna's opening statement, Your Magistry. He specifically described the victim as a 'sickly' individual." Shimmer dropped back onto all fours. "Ergo, it's entirely possible he wasn't glowing like a healthy magmar would!"
"Precisely!" Kain stomped his right foot down. "How can anyone say for certain they know what happened when it was so dark outside?"
Murmurs rose up throughout the gallery and judiciary bench. Even Gothorita looked up from her typewriter.
"Well, witnesses?" Mellath furrow his brow. "Can you explain this inconsistency."
"I, er—" Batroc tugged at his shirt collar. "That is—"
"I don't think they can, Your Magistry." Kain crossed his arms. "Because it's hard to explain something that's completely fabricated!"
The murmurs grew louder. Herdier put his forepaws on his desk. "Oi, say something, ya blokes!"
Beside him, Glaceon straightened out the sides of her dress. "I find the tall one's stammering quite… unclean. Perhaps his mouth could do with a thorough scrubbing." She held up her left forepaw, revealing a sudsy sponge.
"Now wait just a second!" Batroc brandished his umbrella and shook it at the jury bench. "Are you threatening me? I am a man of stature! Of the Bernard clan! My family will not stand for such actions!" He pivoted right and pointed at Vegna. "You there! I demand to be excused! I've already given far too much time to the court."
"I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere, Mr. Batroc," Kain declared, pointing a talon at the passimian. "Not until you explain this glaring contradiction in your testimony!"
"I concur!" Meowth had a glint in his hazy eyes as he stroked his beard once again. "How can you see something in total darkness? Or, perhaps, are you pulling this story out of your tail?"
Batroc's top hat almost fell off as he staggered back. "Th-the nerve! Togedemaru and I know what we saw!"
Shimmer couldn't stop himself from grinning. This was the perfect opening! A hole as large as Robin's leek was long. "Then why isn't Mr. Horace coming to your defense, hmm?"
All he and Kain needed to do was keep pressing. The years away from court had left Vegna too rusty. Shimmer would free Benedict and ace the assignment… and all without that idiot dreepy!
"Objection!"
A metallic clang echoed through the courtroom. Shimmer whinnied in surprise, tail puffing up. Horace extended his quills and discharged tiny electric sparks. One hit Batroc's shoulder, prompting the passimian to conk Horace with his umbrella's handle. "S-Sorry, sir!" Horace squeaked, catching his hat and trying to reposition it on his head.
Mellath slowly blinked. "Sir Vegna?"
Vegna's right fist had left a huge dent in the inquisitor's bench. Slowly, silently, he raised it up. Shadows twirled around it, weaving themselves into a tattered book with a faded, eight-pointed star etched into the cover. The pages flipped themselves until Vegna placed his left index finger down on the book.
"The 'mon who never alters his opinions is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind."
More silence followed. Shimmer looked at Vegna, then Kain, then Vegna again. Was that… a jab at Kain's dragon-typing?
Mellath rubbed sweat off his brow. "Err, I'm sorry, Sir Vegna, but do you have an actual objection?"
Vegna shut the book and tucked it under his arm. "I do. But first… I must extend my congratulations to the dragon attorney and Clown Prince."
Shimmer's nostrils flared. "Excuse me?"
With a flick of his left wrist, Vegna sent Talonflame flying away. He returned a few seconds later clutching a black rose in his right foot. Vegna took the rose and held it out toward Kain. "I commend you both for taking such bold steps toward the comedy industry."
Mellath banged his gavel. "Get to the point, Sir Vegna."
"Very well." Vegna's gauntlets sparked. The rose caught fire and faded away in flickering black embers. "The defense is arguing the scene was too dark for the witnesses to have accurately seen the incident. Their bravado seems to have broken through these two… simpletons."
"Simpleton?" Batroc smacked his umbrella against the witness stand. "How dare you!"
Vegna ignored him, pointing toward Kain. "But no amount of bluster on the defense's part can change the facts. And the facts are as such: the omnibus has light fixtures inside of it."
Kain stiffened. "… huh?"
It took a bit longer for Shimmer to catch on, but when he did, his jaw clenched. "I beg your pardon?"
Vegna switched the book to his left arm and raised his right hand. He got rid of the map on the screen next to Kain and brought up pictures of the omnibus interior. The carpet had a tape outline on it, and the wall on the other side of the photo had two glass cases with white candles sitting inside of them.
"Ah! Y-Yes, yes!" Horace nodded vigorously. Pins and needles tumbled off his quills. "I remember. Those candles were definitely lit… and showed Slurpuff stabbing Magmar!"
"Quite right!" Batroc regained some of his composure. "How dare you try and play such mind games, you poison-tongued dragon!"
Vegna slammed his right fist on the bench again. "Thus, rather than casting doubt upon this testimony, I contend the defense has instead furthered the inquisition's claims. The accused stabbed the victim and these two witnesses saw the entire thing from the upper deck!" His eye glowed deep crimson. "If these witnesses were inside the carriage, they surely would've paid closer attention to the light fixtures!"
"L… light fixtures." Kain tapped his claws together and looked down in shame. "I, uh, might've forgotten about those."
"As did the Clown Prince, judging by the aghast look upon his face." The mouth on Vegna's stomach curved into a grotesque smile. "Thus, I congratulate you both." He flicked his left hand and the black rose from before rematerialized in a gout of shadowfire. "Cheers to your burgeoning circus careers."
A mixture of murmurs and laughter rose up throughout the courtroom.
"I can't believe it!" Scyther slammed an arm down. "I almost let myself get suckered in by His Grace!" He sat back and shook his head. "But at the end of the day, he's still a moneybag, just like Slurpuff. These damned moneybags… they're all in it together!" Scyther raised his blades high. "Milord, I don't need to hear another word! Death to the moneybags!"
Kain's wings unfurled. "Wait, don't!"
Scyther pressed a button on his station, increasing the size of the right flame on the massive scale behind the judge's bench. The scale tipped slightly to the right.
Gothorita pulled a piece of paper out of her typewriter. "… I've heard enough as well. This dragon is a charlatan. One can only hope this Crown Prince is merely a zoroark's illusion." She pressed a button of her own. The scale tipped to the right once again.
"Oi, laddies!" Herdier leaned over, frowning. "I'm the foremon, here. We're supposed to act as a unit." He sat back in his seat, harrumphing. "But I agree with 'em. I don't need to hear anything else."
A third button press. A third tilting of the scale to the right. The crowd's murmurs grew. Kain's eyes darted about in a panic. Shimmer's heart was racing. How had things blown up in their faces so quickly? Three jurors were voting to con—
"… indeed." Glaceon lifted her sponge-covered paw. "This is quite a filthy defense. It could do with some vigorous scrubbing." She pressed her own guilty verdict button, tilting the scale right once more. "Let us clean this courtroom of its filth."
This doesn't make any sense! Shimmer's ears rang. They were dogpiling on Benedict. And off of such shoddy testimony. Vegna couldn't have swayed them that much. Was there mind control going on? Yes, that had to be it!
"O-Objection!" Shimmer meekly propped his forehooves up on the defense's bench. "M… motive!" He blurted it out without thinking, but now that it was out there, the pieces started to fall into place for him. "You all are rushing to condemn the accused… but he doesn't even have a good motive for killing the victim! The two are complete and total strangers!"
"… aha ha."
Shimmer's horn sparked. Vegna… was laughing?
"All the Clown Prince is missing is some red lipstick." Vegna chuckled from his stomach-mouth. "And perhaps a cream pie or two." He slammed his right fist down on the table once again. "But ask and you shall receive, boy. Perhaps this will sway our two holdouts."
The dusknoir lifted his hand and pointed at the screen. "Accused! Your occupation?"
"Bwuh?" Benedict looked up. His jumpsuit was littered with sweat stains. "O-Oh. I work at the First Bank of Isola."
"You arrange for personal loans, correct?" Vegna said.
"Y-Yessir."
"Ha! I knew it!" Scyther pointed a blade at Benedict. "A banker! The worst of all moneyb—"
"Juror Three will be silent," Vegna commanded. His left hand erupted in shadowfire. "Or else he will find himself in the corner of the Twilight Realm where one's mouth is repeatedly scorched by hellfire."
Scyther went stiff as a board. Vegna returned his attention to the screen, where he produced a photograph of a book. There was a list of names with numbers and percentages beside them. Some of them had red stamps beside them reading "Overdue."
"The inquisition presents the accused's personal ledger to the court," Vegna exclaimed. "I would like the Clown Prince to read the fifth name on the list, along with the accompanying values."
Shimmer squinted. His eyes found the fifth name and his heart sank. He opened his mouth and nothing came out. Shimmer swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and shakily said, "Magmar Mortimer. One thousand radians. Thirty-five percent. Overdue."
Vegna pointed to Benedict. "It would appear… these two are not strangers after all. Rather, Mortimer had taken a personal loan out from Benedict. One with an exorbitant interest rate that no commoner could ever pay off."
He slammed his palm against the table. "I submit that the victim was killed because he failed to repay his debts to the accused! With Mortimer deceased, Benedict's bank branch would seize possession of all his remaining assets… which would include his technique for brick firing that made him such an asset to the Venish Bricklayers Guild!"
"No!" Shimmer looked despondently at Benedict. "That's not true! It can't be!"
Vegna looked up to the jury bench. "What say you, Jurors Five and Six?"
Meowth scratched the side of his head. "Honestly? Those loans sound shady enough as it is. That much money is nothing to scoff at. I can see why this would've happened." He shook his head. "It's hard to believe. Mr. Benedict gave so much money to support our local grade school district." He pushed the guilty button on his console, tilting the scale even further to the right.
"I thank you for your wisdom." Vegna bowed to Meowth.
"Objection!"
Kain's cry made Shimmer jump. The flygon leaned over so much he practically tumbled over the defense bench. "Wait! Please wait, Juror Six!"
"… hmph. There is nothing worth waiting over." Vegna smacked his desk with his palm. "Accept your defeat, dragon."
"No!" Kain leaned forward more, wings buzzing to keep him upright. "We can't end the trial here. There are… there are still too many inconsistencies!"
Vegna slowly straightened up. "Elaborate."
"You presented the accused's ledger." Kain pointed to the screen. "I'll admit his business choices are far from noble, but this customer list deserves greater scrutiny. The defense asserts its right to examine the ledger in its entirety."
"… bah, fine." Vegna rolled his eye. "Is that it?"
"No." Kain leaned back. "I'll admit there may be light fixtures in the omnibus, but can you prove they were on the night of the crime? Did Stoutland Yard take pictures of the entire carriage before taking custody of it?"
Vegna was silent, until he muttered, "They did not."
"Fledglings Omnibus always replaces the candles when I finish my last route of the night," Adler piped up.
"Then the defense also demands the omnibus be brought up from the vault for inspection!" Kain declared. "If there's dried wax in the holders, then we'll know the candles were used that night."
Shimmer remained speechless. He had sorely underestimated Kain's resolve. Shimmer expected the flygon to roll over like a dying feral, but he was standing tall despite all the pressure Vegna put on the defense. And, judging from Mellath's contemplative expression, Kain might've bought Benedict another chance.
"The court accepts the defense's requests." Mellath raised his gavel. "We will adjourn for a thirty-minute recess. Bailiffs, please bring the omnibus and ledger up from the evidence vault."
Following two pounds of Mellath's gavel, the gallery erupted into conversation mixed with the scuffing of claws and boots against the floor as observers got up.
Sighing, Shimmer's shoulders sagged. "I… can't believe that worked."
Kain fanned himself with the sides of his vest. "Well, Benedict told me to bring up the candles as a way to get the omnibus up here for inspection. I'm glad he thought of it."
Shimmer blinked slowly. "Wait, Uncle Benedict told that to you?"
"Yeah. Didn't he tell you, too?"
The ponyta turned to his right, but Benedict's bisharp guard had already escorted him out of the courtroom. His left ear folded against his head.
What did Shimmer's uncle know… and why didn't the slurpuff want to tell him?
The conversation with Rayquaza had Yuna prepared to pop out from the Qliphoth in midair. She was therefore caught off guard when she floated into a spacious, square room with brown, oaken walls draped by maroon tapestries with silver justice scales stitched into them. A bust of Queen Calliope sat on either side of a large, brown door, while the right wall had a line of rapidash busts. Likely Shimmer's mother and the reigning monarchs that came before her.
"Huh?" Nikki stepped to Yuna's right. "This ain't no museum, that's for sure." She looked over her shoulder. "Yo, Twiggy! Where the hell are we?"
Chiaki approached one of the tapestries. Sand grains littered the black carpet behind him. "Pretty sure we're at the Crowne Court."
Yuna's gills stiffened. "Y… you're kidding."
"What good fortune!" Rayquaza cheered. "Is that not what thou desired all along?"
I mean… I guess it's a good thing. Except Yuna didn't know where in the courthouse she was. And she had her teammates with her. Along with Cid, who floated there silently with a faraway look in his eyes.
"Wait." Yuna turned to Chiaki. "I don't think you guys should stay here. What if we're in a spot that's not open to the public?"
At that, the oak doors swung open with loud creeks. Shimmer stood in the doorway. His eyes went wide, then abruptly narrowed. "You!" The ponyta stomped toward her in a huff. "Where have you been? We're getting clobbered in there! Vegna has our backs against the wall. My uncle's about to get shipped off to Citadark and you… you…"
Shimmer glanced at Nikki, then Chiaki, and then Cid. "Actually, no. Forget it. If you were skipping out for some pointless Crowne Cup thing, then I don't want to hear about it."
"Wow, someone's cranky," Reshiram observed. "Maybe he needs a nice bottle of warm milk?"
Yuna was too busy parsing through Shimmer's rant to pay Reshiram any mind. "I'm sorry… did you say Vegna? Like, our professor?"
"Yes!" Shimmer stomped a forehoof down. "He's the inquisitor in this trial." He turned up his snout. "Which you would've known if you'd shown up for the start like you were supposed to."
What was Yuna supposed to say to that?
"Well, I'd advocate honesty, but I'm confident that route will you get you jabbed with the business end of that guy's horn," Reshiram responded.
"And this is the heir to the kingdom we art currently in?" Rayquaza sighed. "Perhaps chivalry died during my long slumber."
"We still have a chance at pulling this off, though."
Kain hovered toward the group, clearing this throat. He landed behind Shimmer. "I managed to convince the judge to bring the omnibus up from the vault to be reinspected… along with Benedict's ledger that he uses for personal business."
Yuna had no idea what that meant. "Um, sorry, but is there a quick way to bring me up to speed?"
"Please." Shimmer snorted and swished his mane over his shoulder. "You missed the train as it left the station. Don't think you can get on now."
Nikki stepped toward Shimmer. Looming over him, she cracked her knuckles, "Says who?"
"Says me." Shimmer met her gaze with his own.
"Oh, of course. My bad." Nikki's words dripped with sarcasm. "I forgot you're calling the shots here and not, y'know, the guy whose literal job it is to do this." She pointed to Kain. "So, keep your trap shut or I'll stuff it with that frilly mane of yours. Capiche?"
Yuna's jaw slackened. Why was Nikki going to bat so hard for her? Especially when she didn't have the toxtricity's back against Baptiste.
"My guess? It's more about getting under Shimmer's skin than helping you out," Reshiram said.
Her gills drooped. Did it ever occur to you I might not have wanted an answer to that?
Silence followed, though she had a strong mental image of Reshiram wilting like a dying tree. Yuna shook her head and floated over to Kain. "How long until you need to go back in?"
Kain turned to the grandfather clock in the corner of the room. "Twenty-seven minutes."
"Think you can catch me up in that time?"
Kain nodded. "I believe so."
Yuna rubbed her arms together. "Then let's do it."
She might not have been there for the start, but she kept the place safe enough for the trial to proceed. And now, Yuna could see it through to the finish line.
… if only the preceding battle hadn't left her so exhausted.
XxX
Noctum was so, so sick of pulling himself off cold, metal floors after blacking out.
… no, that wasn't quite right. He hadn't blacked out this time. Noctum vividly remembered tumbling through a black and purple abyss. Crystalline diamonds and cubes sailed past him.
And the eyes. Dear God, the eyes! Noctum thought he was seeing things, but they were there. Eyes of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Boring holes into him.
But as quick as the abyss swallowed him up, it spat him out. Though he was dizzy, the charizard slowly gained a sense of his surroundings… and had to throw a black-scaled arm over his face.
Bright… too bright!
"This is getting to be re-god-damn-diculous!"
Well, I guess Valkyrie survived the trip. Noctum pivoted to his right, but didn't take his arm away from his eyes. "You okay?"
"Yeah, sure, aside from wanting to hurl you into that neon sign across from us," Valkyrie responded.
Noctum decided not to make eye contact. Instead, he turned around and slowly lifted his arm. There was, indeed, a giant neon sign bolted onto a bigger building. It was easily taller than the servant's quarters and bathed the black metal rooftop they stood on in a mix of white and pink light. The sign depicted a glass bottle shaped like a dragonite skull sitting on a gray table. A comfey floated on either side of it.
Eau d'Eternatus, by Shannel.
Live your best eternity. Be your best smelf.
"Why would a city of dead people need to advertise perfume?"
Seifer hobbled over to Noctum's side. Not-Zapdos was draped over his back. He was breathing, but Noctum wasn't sure if that was something to celebrate.
Valkyrie snorted from across the rooftop. "You ever smell a corpse, pony-boy? Even a garbodor's stench is more appealing."
Seifer squinted. "Why would you know that?"
"I think we have more pressing things to worry about." Noctum scratched the back of his head. "Like, y'know, figuring out where we are."
"Pretty sure we're still in Eterna City." Valkyrie tilted her head up. "Same eerie black and purple sky. Same sinister crystals latched onto the buildings like joltik on a moss patch." She stomped across the roof, stepping over metal pipes. "Not sure what's up with the flying omnibuses, though."
Seifer raised a brow. "Flying… omnibuses?"
Valkyrie waved him off. She stepped back from the rooftop's edge. "Feh, it's not important. What is important is finding a way back down. Anyone see a fire escape or something?"
But at that moment, darkness fell over the rooftop. Noctum glanced toward the advertisement to find it had turned off, replaced by a purple outline of World Ender's sigil. Orchestral music blared up around him. "Yipe!" His tail flame sparked. Noctum barely stopped himself from jumping.
"And now, please stand by for a broadcast from Archbishop Paradox!"
The moment the soothing, feminine voice stopped, a video feed appeared of a dimly lit office desk. Piercing, blue eyes lit up, separated by a thin, blue stripe.
"Hello again, lovely Qliphoth denizens."
Noctum couldn't help but shuffle back nervously when Deoxys' head fully entered the picture. The three orange spikes on his head had an otherworldly glow about them.
"I know it's been some time since my last broadcast, and I do apologize for that." Paradox shook his head. "Unfortunately, business has kept me away from you, the wonderful civilians of Eterna City and beyond."
Four tentacles unfurled as Paradox leaned further forward. "So, to make up for it, I thought I would provide you all with a sport of entertainment. Isn't that grand?" His right two tentacles twisted around themselves, stitching together until there was an orange and blue arm. Noctum's gut squirmed.
No, wait, was it really his gut… or the crystal stuck inside it? He glanced down at saw the crystal pulsating with purple light. The charizard gulped.
Paradox clenched his newly formed fist. "This entertainment will, of course, remind you all of the pathetic planet that has kept our dear Eternatus imprisoned." He sat back in his chair and pushed it to the side of the video feed. "I want you all to watch. Watch and be amazed…"
The camera slowly zoomed in toward a glowing screen behind Paradox's desk. The picture came into focus, revealing a room with high ceilings and white podiums stationed parallel to one another. A large omnibus sat in the middle of the room.
Though it confused Noctum, he put the pieces together the moment he saw a small dreepy floating toward one of the podiums, behind a flygon and ponyta.
"Is that… the Crowne Court?" Seifer's brows raised. "How are they seeing this? What's going on here?"
"You really think either of us would know?" Valkyrie huffed, crossing her arms. "It could be doctored. That alien sure sounded like he was spewing propaganda."
Noctum tapped his claws together. "But… how would he know about Yuna and Shimmer."
"It's not just them. I see that grovyle and toxtricity walking into the gallery." Seifer pointed his broken horn toward the screen.
"What?" Valkyrie crouched into a fighting stance. She narrowed her eyes. "Son of a— it is him!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you… the so-called justice system of the terrestrials!"
XxX
When Kain said the omnibus would be brought in for inspection, Yuna figured it couldn't fit into the courtroom proper. And yet there it was. Completely blocking the trio's ability to see the inquisitor's bench. Not that it mattered. Yuna didn't want to see Vegna glaring at her from across from the courtroom.
She took her place next to Shimmer, who hadn't wiped the irritated look off his face since Nikki had told him off earlier. "For both our sakes, keep your mouth shut," he hissed.
"Wow, I think I'm starting to see why the jury might not have been enamored with the defense," Reshiram deadpanned.
The clang of gavel against bench brought Yuna and Shimmer to attention. Mellath sat down at his bench. "Court will reconvene." He looked to his left. "Sir Vegna, I trust this is the correct omnibus in front of us?"
"Unless you think the bailiffs located an entirely different omnibus and brought it here within the span of thirty minutes, then yes."
Though Yuna couldn't see Vegna, the irritation in his voice was plain as day.
"And the accused's ledger?" Mellath asked.
A shriek echoed through the courtroom. Talonflame descended toward Kain, gripping a book in his talons. He dropped it, almost striking Kain's head in the process.
"… delivered to the defense, as requested," Vegna growled. Talonflame disappeared behind the omnibus. "And it would seem these aren't the only new items to enter the court."
A rumbling chuckle echoed from Vegna's side of the room. "Nice of you to join us, exchange student. I hope your little excursion was worth it."
Yuna swallowed hard. There was no way Vegna could've known what she did… could he?
"Well, he is a ghost-type. Perhaps he followed you under the cover of night?" Reshiram theorized.
"How devious! It is most uncouth to spy on a lady in such a manner," Rayquaza growled. "Let me take a crack at him, Princess. I'll show that rapscallion what's what!"
How about you keep your comments to yourself instead? Yuna's headache was back. God, how she wanted to sleep. To let the cool fabric of a nice, soft pillow envelope her triangular head.
A gavel knock brought Yuna back to attention. "Counsellor, please inspect the interior of the omnibus," Mellath instructed. "His Grace can peruse the accused's ledger."
Kain nodded. "Understood." He gestured for Yuna to follow as he hovered toward the omnibus. The pink stains along the staircase were much more apparent in the bright courtroom than the dark evidence vault. As were the bloodstains on the carpet when Kain swung the door open.
"There are the light fixtures." Kain flew inside, being careful to avoid stepping on the ground and disturbing the tape outline.
Yuna had trouble seeing past his fast-moving wings. "Well, what do you see?"
"There's… no wax in these containers, Your Magistry!" Kain announced.
A thump came from the other side of the omnibus. "What?" Vegna growled.
"Sounds to me like that's not what Vegna expected," Reshiram said. "Maybe he forgot what he'd seen if he inspected the omnibus for himself?"
Yuna found that incredibly hard to believe. Dour as he was, Vegna seemed as sharp as a druddigon's claws. She managed to squeeze herself against the omnibus' wooden wall. Sure enough, the glass light containers were completely empty.
"I guess there weren't any candles on the night of the crime, then," Yuna concluded. Kain had his chin resting on his hand as he stared down one of the glass containers.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Shadows pooled by the back of the carriage and Vegna's cloaked head popped up. Yuna squeaked and drifted close to the carriage door. "Y-You could've announced you were going to do that."
"Please excuse my lack of manners," Vegna said, eyeing the same container as Kain. "Impossible. There were candles in these containers. I'm sure of it."
"Perhaps thine deduction was accurate, Sir Reshiram." Rayquaza's hearty laugh echoed in Yuna's head. While Vegna scrutinized the glass containers further, however, Yuna found herself scanning the rest of the carriage. With how dark the vault was, she couldn't appreciate the carriage's glass ceiling. But under the bright glow of the chandelier lights, Yuna could clear see red splotches along the edge of the glass.
Yuna rubbed her eyes. Maybe it was a trick? No, the splotches were still there. Paint, perhaps?
"I'm afraid… that it's exactly what you think it is," Reshiram squeaked.
At that, Yuna couldn't stop herself from pointing up and blurting out, "Blood!"
"Huh?" Kain looked where Yuna pointed. "Ah, a bloodstain! How did we miss that?"
Vegna looked up. "… no. It can't be."
Yuna swore she saw a glint in his eye. Electricity? She looked at her Soul Dew, like she was expecting Reshiram to jump in. She got nothing, however.
"Quick, Yuna, check the roof again." Kain pointed up. "Maybe we missed something else in the vault."
The dreepy nodded. She floated up and effortlessly passed through the roof. Sure enough, there were a few small red speckles on the back wooden bench. "I think this is blood, too."
"What?" Scyther almost fell over leaning against the juror's bench. "You're kidding me!"
"No, I see it." Glaceon elbowed Scyther out of her way and squinted. "Yes, there are definitely some unsanitary spots in need of a thorough scrubbing."
Meowth's beard frazzled. "Then does this mean we've been lied to?"
Vegna took his head out of the omnibus and silently floated back to his desk. Talonflame ruffled his feathers. Yuna was going to ask Kain about these new findings when a loud, protracted sigh came from the corner of the room.
"So, that was your game." Benedict looked at the witness stand. "I get it now."
Shimmer looked up from the ledger with a raised eyebrow.
"Is there something you wish to tell the court, accused?" Mellath asked.
"Of course." Benedict hopped off his stool. Bisharp tightened his grip on Benedict's chains, but the slurpuff merely lumbered toward the witness stand. "I believe I'm being set up. How else would you explain any of this?"
"That you're the killer!" Batroc pointed his umbrella tip at Benedict. "Stay away from me!"
Benedict shook his head. "Hardly. After all, my story has always been that I fell asleep within the carriage, only to be awoken by a loud thump." The slurpuff hopped once to imitate getting startled. "Then, overwhelmed by the sight of the victim, I screamed and fled the omnibus."
"But if that's really the case, why didn't you contact the authorities?" Gothorita asked, looking over the stack of papers she'd produced from her constant typing.
"Because I was acting on instinct. Utterly terrified!" Benedict shuddered. "After all, someone on that omnibus was out for blood. I figured the attacker would jump through the ceiling and go after me next!"
"Hogwash!" Batroc slammed his umbrella on the witness stand. "And just who do you claim this mysterious attacker is, hmm?"
Yuna had a good idea what Benedict's response would be, but Shimmer surprisingly beat his uncle to the punch by shouting, "You, Passimian!"
"What?" Batroc stumbled back. His top hat fell off, revealing his pale green head. "Th-this is absurd! He's the one who had bloodied gloves on his person!" He swung his umbrella blindly at Benedict, who managed to duck under it.
"Of course I got blood on my gloves," Benedict said, shuddering. "I pushed Magmar's unconscious body aside while I was panicking." He stroked his chin in thought. "If I had stabbed him, I could've easily pulled my hands away before any blood dribbled up from the wound."
"P… poppycock!" Batroc struggled to find his words. "Enough baseless accusations! I'm nothing but a bystander!"
"I disagree!" Shimmer telekinetically waved Benedict's ledger around. "I have evidence that says otherwise, witness."
Kain zipped out of the omnibus. Yuna glanced across the room to find Vegna with his back turned to the whole affair. Why had he suddenly gone silent?
"It's true!" Kain gasped. "Your Magistry, Mr. Passimian Batroc is listed on page seventeen of the ledger. He took out a twenty-five hundred radians loan from the accused… then a subsequent one thousand radians loan a month later. Both of them are overdue!"
"Nngh!" Batroc looked away from Benedict, digging his fingers into the witness stand. "I… I was this close to paying them off! So I had a string of busts at the races. What of it? A 'mon of my standing is allowed to enjoy some betting now and again."
Yuna frowned. He needed thousands of radians… to bet on sporting events?
"That's something this kingdom allows?" Reshiram added. "Seems a bit… shady, if you ask me."
Adler narrowed her eyes at Batroc. "Did you sully my omnibus and try to pass it off onto that bloke?" She pointed at Benedict with her horn.
"I did no such thing!" Batroc barked. He grabbed a squealing Horace and lifted him up. "Back me up here, Togedemaru. I'm innocent in this!"
"I— y-yeah!" Horace squirmed in Batroc's grasp.
"Is that so?" Benedict tilted his head. "Or, perhaps, did you convince this little guy to assist you?" He smiled warmly at the passimian, but something about his grin unnerved Yuna. "Because if our good Crown Prince will turn to page nineteen in that ledger, he'll find a five hundred radians loan for little Togedemaru. A loan due to mature in two weeks."
Horace went stiff as a board in Batroc's hands. "No, please! You can't call in my debts. My boss at the shop has been sick. We haven't had as many customers. I'm not as good at attracting clients as he is! I… I've gotta feed my baby sister, sir!"
Benedict turned his smile on Horace. "I'm afraid that's irrelevant, lad." He swiveled to face the jury. "If Mr. Reaper is going to use Magmar's unpaid debts to try and pin this on me, why are we not scrutinizing these fellows' debts as well? After all, it would be quite convenient for them if I were to be put in prison."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Herdier called.
"That ledger is a personal ledger." Benedict sighed. "As in… loans I approved on my own time, without using the First Bank of Isola's proper channels. If I go away for any reason, all the unpaid debts will be wiped clean."
A chorus of murmurs emerged from the gallery. Yuna wasn't sure what to make of it. Monetary loans weren't a thing back in Aeon, only material ones. The idea of people needing to borrow money — and that some people were doing so without any oversight or regulation — didn't sit well with her.
"But if it's legal here, there's nothing to really do about it," Reshiram whispered. "Moreover, he does have a point. This is a rather… violent method to try and erase a debt. But desperation can drive people to do crazy things."
"My client raises a good point." Kain crossed his arms and nodded. "Not only that, but if we're scrutinizing the accused over his ledger, then the murder weapon must be scrutinized as well!" The flygon pointed to the screen in the center of the juror's bench. "In his opening statement, Inquisitor Vegna used the 'B' embroidered on the murder weapon's handle to connect it to my client. But it could just as easily stand for 'Batroc' or 'Bernard!'"
He pointed an accusatory talon at Batroc. "I contend these two witnesses conspired to frame my client… and are the real culprits in this case! Mr. Batroc stabbed the victim, then shoved him through the open window! Then he got Mr. Horace to lie on his behalf!"
"No!" Batroc dropped Horace to the table and swatted his patchwork hat off his head. "Th… this is a farce! Everything I've said is the truth! He's the one lying, damn it! Why would I even carry a knife? I'm a fighting-type!" The passimian raised his fists and boxed the air. "If I had to take someone out, I'd use some good old fisticuffs!"
"That would be counterintuitive!" Kain picked up the folder containing Mortimer's autopsy. "Any decent coroner can tell when someone receives blows from a fighting-type move, so doing so would've made it much easier to nail you as the culprit!"
"B-But— but but but!" Horace shivered. "Why would we hurt Magmar? He was in debt… just like us!"
The more the argument went on, the more uneasy it made Yuna. Especially with Vegna's continued silence. Had he actually made a mistake… and was now leaving his witnesses out to dry?
"Didn't Kain tell us Benedict suggested he try to get the omnibus examined in court?" Reshiram asked. "Yeah, we weren't here for the start of things, but I feel like somehow Benedict might've known what was going to happen if the omnibus got brought here."
Because he knew he was innocent?
Reshiram's humming sounded doubtful. "I don't like his tone. It isn't the relief I'd expect from someone in his situation. It's more like… conceit."
Yuna looked down at her Soul Dew, then back at the witness stand. If he was acting conceited, then…
Could it be? Is this… all a set up?
A thunderclap echoed throughout the courtroom, followed by a splintering crack. Squealing, Yuna whirled around to find Vegna having broken clean through the inquisition's bench. Blue energy tingled around his fist, fading within seconds.
"… how uncivil of me to disrespect the inquisitor's bench in such a manner. I beg the court's forgiveness," he monotonously exclaimed. "I was curious to see exactly what twists and turns this farce would take. But enough is enough. I will not allow this trial to morph into some hideous feral tugged to and fro by chains of falsified evidence."
Yuna gulped and squeezed the Soul Dew. Reshiram isn't the only one, then…
"While the witnesses squabbled with the accused, I perused Stoutland Yard's crime scene report." Vegna held up a manilla envelope. "There are no mentions of blood splatter on the glass ceiling or rooftop benches." He smacked the envelope on his broken desk. "At some point between its transport to the vault and now, someone tampered with this omnibus! The inquisition is certain of this!
"I trust Stoutland Yard's report. There is foul play afoot here." Vegna fixed his crimson eye on Benedict. "Someone seeks to tip the scales in the accused's favor."
"Objection!" Shimmer's eyes darted back and forth between Benedict and Kain. "Y… you missed your opportunity to bring up that report. How can we know it's authentic?"
"The Clown Prince will be silent while the adults are talking," Vegna growled. Shimmer's ears folded. Yuna saw uncertainty all over his face. It started when Benedict began talking and hadn't gone away.
"What if he realizes it, too?"
Reshiram's question rang in Yuna's mind like the cathedral bells back home.
"Wah ha ha!"
Benedict's chains rubbed together as he mockingly applauded in Vegna's direction. "As expected, Mr. Reaper, you intend to go down fighting until the very end. But it matters not." He smiled as he looked straight at Kain and Shimmer. "Tell him why, my good barrister."
Kain stared blankly, then hastily cleared his throat. "Well, uh, unless Inquisitor Vegna can prove when the bloodstains appeared, then it's impossible to say for certain whether the victim was stabbed in the carriage or on the roof and shoved down."
"Wonderful! Outstanding!" Benedict showered Kain in applause and foot-stomping. "Do remember that since the incident, I've been in a holding cell awaiting trial." He turned to Vegna. "You say I tampered with the evidence? When would I have had the chance to do that, Mr. Reaper?"
The slurpuff's expression darkened. "Because the only way that wild theory of yours works is if a member of Stoutland Yard tampered with the omnibus at my direction."
He descended into more laughter as he slapped his palm against the witness stand. "Are you, an inquisitor for the Ministry of Justice, about to float there and accuse the very organization you partner with to maintain law and order of corruption? Do you think that's a wise move for your career?"
Benedict leaned over, flashing a grin. "How many inspectors will choose to work with you after learning of this, hmm? You'll be chased out of the courtroom for the second time! Wah ha ha ha! Ho ho ho! Hee hee hee!"
Yuna couldn't take anymore of this. Her gut was practically twisting around itself. Everything Shimmer's uncle said unnerved her. Heck, Shimmer probably knew something was up and refused to say anything. Was Benedict really worth that much to the ponyta?
"I… agree with Prof— err, Sir Vegna, Your Magistry!" she declared, shakily holding up her arm.
At once, she felt the entire courtroom's attention fall on her. Yuna saw Kain's bewildered expression, as well as Shimmer's furious one. The confident grin on Benedict's face melted away and a snarl twisted itself onto his puffy features.
"Come again?" Mellath leaned over and squinted.
Yuna trembled. Part of her wanted to walk that statement back, but a warmth pushed those sentiments away. Reshiram, perhaps?
Swallowing hard, she responded, "Mr. Kain, Prince Shimmer, and I inspected the omnibus together in the evidence vault yesterday. I didn't see any bloodstains on the roof." She curled her arms up. "I… believe Sir Vegna's theory. I think someone tampered with this!"
"She's lying!"
Shimmer's shrill voice made Yuna flinch. His horn flickered like a dying candle. "I w-want her outburst stricken from the record. She wasn't even here for the start of the trial!"
"Silence, Shimmer." Benedict held up a hand. "Know your place. This is an adult matter."
The ponyta's jaw slackened. Benedict turned his scornful expression on Yuna. All that warmth the dreepy had vanished in an instant.
"You have a lot of nerve, wyrm." Benedict's voice was even chillier than before. "We welcome you into this kingdom as a guest. Give you access to the pinnacle of education. And in return… you would spit on our generosity by accusing a fellow noble of evidence tampering? Ungrateful bitch! I ought to have you removed and deported to that ashtray you call a home!" He puffed his cheeks out. Yuna swore his face turned red.
Mellath banged his gavel several times. "Accused! Mind your words, or you'll be held in contempt!"
Benedict rolled his eyes. "Your Magistry, we both know her claim is meaningless. Because it remains impossible to prove when the blood appeared on the ceiling."
Sighing, Mellath nodded. "I concur."
"What?!" Scyther's wings buzzed in irritation. "Then what the hell happens now? Did we just get bamboozled?"
The oranguru turned to his left. "Sir Vegna?"
"Yes, milord?"
"Whether there was tampering or not — and what parties may have been involved — the blame rests with you." Mellath's brow furrowed. "It has and always will be the responsibility of the case's inquisitor to oversee and verify Stoutland Yard's investigation. Clearly, there has been a grave oversight error. Even if you were only handed this case recently, that is no excuse for allowing this to transpire."
Vegna slowly nodded. "I understand, milord."
"When the trial concludes, I want you in my chambers immediately," Mellath continued. "And you can bet High Inquisitor Justine will launch an inquiry when she hears of this."
Vegna extended his right arm and bowed. "I look forward to it, milord."
"Now then." Mellath turned to Kain. "Before I issue my ruling, do you have any final remarks, Counsellor?"
Kain jumped in surprise. "I, uh—" He tapped his claws together. Yuna silently begged him to say something— anything to back her up.
"Your Magistry?" Kain lifted the right side of his blue vest. "I understand that, as a public defender, I must accept the assignments given to me by the Ministry of Justice and serve my client to the best of their wishes. And I want to sincerely trust that Benedict is innocent in the matter."
The flygon slowly pulled his vest off. "However, I also believe what Princess Yuna is saying. I do not wish to be associated with a client who might be involved in evidence tampering." Kain folded his vest over his right arm. "If the Ministry opts for a retrial, I must request a new defender be assigned to Mr. Benedict."
"Wah ha ha ha!" Benedict mockingly applauded. "So, in the end, the other cold-blooded sap gets cold feet and turns tail." He feigned wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "And here I was, ready to reward your handsomely for your work. Oh well. My savings will sleep soundly tonight."
Mellath banged his gavel once more. "Enough!" He tucked his head. "While I admire your candor, Counsellor, the point is moot. As loathe as I am to take this decision away from the jury, the circumstances are such that the accused will receive a bench verdict."
"Unbelievable!" Scyther slammed his arms on the jury bench. "That moneybags pulled the wool over ours eyes. What'd I tell ya? Never trust a moneybags! They're all conspiring to kick us while we're down!"
More gavel strikes sounded. "Order!" Mellath cleared his throat. "Due to inquisitorial negligence, I have no choice but to dismiss the charges against the accused… with prejudice. Mr. Benedict, you are free to go."
Yuna blinked, unsure of what exactly that meant. Had that been in a part of the textbook she hadn't read? "Kain?" She looked to the flygon. "What's he saying?"
Kain looked down, wings folding against his back. "Legally speaking, it's as if he was never charged with the crime to begin with."
You're kidding! Yuna's gut squirmed once again.
With one more strike of his gavel, Mellath declared, "Crowne Court is adjourned!"
Before any conversations could emerge from the gallery, shadows flared up from the inquisitor's bench.
"Slurpuff Benedict."
Vegna's voice sent a chill down Yuna's back. She saw his red eye glowing under his hood.
"In my time away from the court, I have heard whispers from my colleagues," the dusknoir growled. "Of individuals influencing the outcomes of trials to suit their needs. Bribed jurors, falsified testimonies, and evidence tampering… the list goes on."
Smirking, Benedict quirked a brow. "Is that another accusation? How delightful!" He rubbed his hands together. "Keep them coming, Mr. Reaper, and perhaps I'll take you to civil court for defamation. I'm sure attorneys would be tripping over themselves to represent me there."
Yuna didn't think it was possible, but Vegna's expression grew even darker.
"Do not, for one second, think this is over."
"Oh-ho, yes. That stupid 'curse' of yours." Benedict's grin only grew as the bisharp guard undid his cuffs.
"Take care, Mr. Reaper. I so look forward to our next session together! Wah ha ha ha ha!"
As Shimmer ran over to the slurpuff, Yuna flopped onto the omnibus bench, at a complete loss for words.
I don't want to stay here anymore. Please let me come home.
Love,
Yuna
Yiazmat set the paper down atop a small stack. All letters with similarly negative things to say about her daughter's experience at Horizon Academy. The dragapult sank into a stone chair. "You're sure these are the genuine ones?"
She looked across the stone table, where a nidoking stood bracing his right hand against its edge.
"I'm confident," he replied. "The ones you received are forgeries. Expertly crafted."
Yiazmat bit her lower lip. Of course, she had some suspicions about the letters she received. This was Yuna's first time away from home. The lack of homesickness struck Yiazmat as off, but she took it as a sign of Yuna's burgeoning dragon spirit.
Digging her claws into the chair's arms, she growled, "Why?"
Nidoking brushed dust off his black blazer. "I can't speak to motive."
Yiazmat's wispy tail twitched in irritation. "Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful you brought this to my attention. But I'm unsure what to do with this information. If this is Isola's doing, we can't tip her off that we know what she's doing."
"My intel suggests the order isn't coming from her," Nidoking said. "It seems more like your daughter's being set up to fail."
Flames smoldered in Yiazmat's horns. "Elaborate."
"The class Yunavresca is in participates in a competition called the Crowne Cup." Nidoking paced across the tiny, stone bunker. He stared at one of its empty, gray walls. "One of my subordinates believes her team was changed at the eleventh hour. She was partnered with my son, for starters."
Yiazmat leaned back, partly phasing into her chair. "Chiaki, correct? His name came up in one of the forgeries." She scowled. "I'm still surprised you neglected to mention he attends Horizon."
Nidoking's shoulders slouched. "He's… still not talking to me."
"Young adults are rather rebellious," Yiazmat mused. She stroked a horn with her claws. "I still remember the look on my parents' faces when I rebuked the marriage they arranged and eloped with Calcifer." A mischievous grin spread across her mouth. "That goodra would've been a spineless king, literally and figuratively. I think the present results speak for themselves."
"I wish it was that simple." Nidoking sighed. "But Chiaki's been so distant since I remarried." He shook his head. "I had nothing to do with him attending Horizon. He pulled funds from Ami's life insurance and enrolled himself."
"I see." Yiazmat bowed her head. "I imagine it's quite stressful for you."
"In a manner of speaking. Bahamut must be testing my resolve." Nidoking turned away from Yiazmat. "I apologize for the tangent."
"It's fine." Yiazmat flicked her right arm. "Ultimately, I'm glad you brought this all to my attention. At this point, however, it's best I sit on this information." Normally, she wasn't one for the cautious approach. But this involved her eldest daughter. Yiazmat wasn't about to take chances.
"Fair enough." Nidoking nodded. He glanced back at Yiazmat, a glint in his eye. "But if you do decide to act, know that one of my best assassins is stationed at the school. If you want someone snuffed out, we'll make it look like an accident."
Yiazmat's tail lazily drifted back and forth. "Let us pray it doesn't come to that."
"Understood." Nidoking stepped back from the wall. "I should be returning to Radiance. There's a big criminal trial that should be ending soon. The Beacon needs to cover the outcome."
Nidoking turned back around and straightened out his blazer. The golden R sewn over his breast pocket glimmered under the bunker's candlelight. He bobbed his head. "Give my best to Calcifer."
"I will. Travel safe."
Yiazmat pressed down on her chair's right arm. There was a click, then the back wall fell away to reveal a damp, moss-covered underground passage. Nidoking ducked into it and vanished into the shadows.
XxX
Yuna was beyond ready for the day to end. Any enthusiasm she had over securing the Needle and helping Aquardah melted away with the end of the trial. Benedict's chilling laugh echoed through her head even as the gallery erupted into a flurry of conversations and reporters scrambling to get to the exits.
The sight of Shimmer prancing happily around his uncle made Yuna's ectoplasm boil. He knew something was off and deliberately ignored it!
"It is quite troubling." Rayquaza hummed in thought. "But thou should hold thine head high. Thou stuck up for thine beliefs."
"I wonder if he really is happy with this outcome, though," Reshiram muttered.
"What dost thou mean?"
"Well, after that display from his so-called uncle, maybe Shimmer feels… intimidated," Reshiram elaborated. "He might just be playing along because he's afraid Benedict will say something to his mother."
Yuna strongly doubted it. Shimmer was the Crown Prince. He should've had more sway with Queen Isola than some slurpuff banker.
Whatever. The dreepy picked herself up off the omnibus bench. All she wanted was to fall asleep in Noctum's warm, black-scaled arms. He had promised to wait in the defense lobby for her before she left for the Crowne Court.
Yuna headed for the exit. There were gallery pokémon staring at her. Yuna hastily looked down, fearing they agreed with Benedict. To her surprise, however, there was a smattering of applause. It was quiet, sure, and it stopped the moment Yuna looked up. But it was there.
It didn't do anything to lift her spirits, however. Yuna headed through the oak door into the defense lobby. Kain was leaning out a rectangular window between two of the rapidash busts. A grimmsnarl guard rubbed his back. Yuna flinched upon hearing retching noises. She wasn't the only one unsettled, clearly.
"Princess! Are you alright?"
Yuna turned around. Instead of Noctum's nervous smile, she found Baraz's bulky frame waddling toward her. His slender upper half flopped up and down as he went.
"I'm okay," she replied. "Um, where's Noctum? I thought he was meeting me here."
Baraz's ensuing frown made Yuna's gills pulsate. Something had happened. It was written all over his face.
"I'm… not sure." The dracozolt rubbed the back of his feathery head. "I went to bed early yesterday. He wasn't in our room when I woke up."
Yuna curled her arms up. The dark spots in her arms spread a bit. Great. What else can go wrong today?
"Dost thou not fancy this, erm, strange creature?" Rayquaza asked.
Huh? No, I like him. Baraz helped rear me, after all, Yuna hastily responded. It's just… Noctum's my best friend. And I could really use his comfort right now.
"Your classmates told me what happened." Baraz closed the remaining distance and put his tiny hands on Yuna's shoulders. The Soul Dew's glow reflected on his midsection. "I'm sorry you had to see that. But I'm proud of you for sticking up for yourself. And I'm sure your parents would say the same thing if they were here."
The compliment rang hollow for Yuna. Still, she politely nodded her thanks.
"Tough break there, Princess."
Yuna glanced left and saw Nikki leaning against the wall. Against one of the tapestries. Probably intentional, if Yuna had to guess.
"That was a load of trubbish." Nikki looked ready to hock a loogy onto the floor when Chiaki put his hook on her shoulder and shook his head. She rolled her eyes.
"It's over. Nothing anyone can do." The grovyle crossed his arms. "Maybe the public will protest the results, but I doubt it. I bet the news will focus more on Yuna and Kain trying to get Benedict found guilty at the last second."
Yuna stiffened. That hadn't occurred to her. "Th… they'd really do that?"
Chiaki nodded.
"But that's not even accurate!"
Chiaki shrugged. "If it gets the news networks more views and ad money, they won't care."
"Take it with a grain of salt," Reshiram cautioned. "His dad owns an unpopular newspaper, right?"
… yeah.
"I agree with Twiggy." Nikki strummed one of her chest gills. "It's like Shredder always said: 'Radiance has two justice systems. One for the wealthy and one for everyone else.'" She threw her arms up behind her head. "If we didn't have class to return to, I'd suggest hitting a pub because you need a freaking drink." Nikki nudged her head in Yuna's direction.
"I, uh—" Yuna drifted closer to Baraz. "Maybe some hot tea?"
Nikki could barely hold back her laughter.
Baraz nudged Yuna's forehead. "In this context, I think she means something hard."
Yuna cringed. "Yeah, I'll pass."
Kain finally rejoined the group, looking considerably paler.
"How'd your breakfast taste the second time?" Nikki said, smirking.
"Let's not focus on that." Kain rubbed his stomach and belched into his right hand. "Ooogh."
"How are we even going to get out of here without getting dogged by press?" Cid wondered, hovering by a second, open wooden door that led to a spiral staircase.
"A back exit, of course." Chiaki pushed off the wall and strolled toward Cid, hands in his jean jacket pockets. "Buildings like these need fire escapes. And I saw one on the main floor." He paused by the orbeetle. "If you float in front of Kain and Yuna, your bulbous head might let them sneak around without the press catching them."
Nikki dismissively flicked her right hand. "… feh. I bet they'll be too busy fawning over Pillow Princess."
Yuna blinked. "Is… is that what you're calling Shimmer?"
"Duh." Nikki smirked. "Though I gotta give the Reaper credit, 'Clown Prince' is a hell of an appropriate nickname for him."
Sighing, Yuna shook her head. "Let's just head for the back exit."
XxX
Chiaki's gambit paid off. With permission from the gossifleur guarding the fire escape, the group proceeded out the steel door and onto a grass field stretching down the hill the Crowne Court sat atop. There wasn't a soul around.
"Great!" Baraz's tail thumped against the grass. "If we hustle, we can make the next train to Horizon Gardens." He pointed right, then took a position on Yuna's right. Cid floated in front of him, while Nikki and Chiaki took positions behind the dracozolt. With the monmade wall in place, they proceeded toward the front of the building.
They made it about fifty meters before shouts drew their attention.
"Back away from the Crown Prince!" "No solicitations allowed!" "Stand down or you're under arrest!"
Nikki whistled. "Huh. Maybe there are protestors."
But when a rasping wheeze echoed from around the corner, Yuna hastily dismissed that idea. "We've gotta go… now!"
Everyone but Kain got the message and quickened their pace. The flygon took to the air. "Wait, I don't get it. What's the problem?"
"Do you not see how the ether seeks to divide us?"
Sure enough, the front of the building came into view. Shimmer and Benedict stood on the stone steps, flanked by guards. Reporters and gallery members stood in clusters on the circular roadway, giving a clear view of Xeromus pacing at the bottom of the stairs.
"The haves carve their own paths. Bask in their manufactured happiness." Xeromus pointed to Shimmer and Benedict. "But what of everyone else?" He turned back to the crowd. "The ether leaves them to scrap and squabble over what little the haves leave for them. They dangle false hope over your heads like a carrot on a stick… and snatch it away when you get too close for their liking!"
"What an uncouth individual. He speaks in riddles," Rayquaza observed.
"And we shouldn't stick around for it," Yuna whispered, before realizing she said that aloud. The rest of the group had stopped to observe the scene, however. "Guys?"
Baraz fidgeted with his tiny claws. "Shimmer is the Crown Prince. Is it really safe to ignore this?"
"He's got plenty of people around him." Nikki hiked her leather jacket up and turned around. "I'm with Princess. Let's scram."
"Even a worthless nobody like me can see the sinful tactics you employ." Xeromus pointed accusingly at Benedict. "You control the ether… so you control justice as well." He thrashed his head back and forth. "Life is not about control. It is about freedom and love!"
The longer Yuna stared at Xeromus, the clearer she was able to notice a specter drifting around him. It was a dark lavender, with a head that looked vaguely like some sort of broad-chinned dog. She looked at the others. "Hey, do you guys see—"
"What? The freak acting like a freak?" Nikki shrugged. "It's pretty obvious."
"Is he a beggar?" Kain shuffled back nervously. "I know some of them are a bit unhinged, but accosting the Crown Prince like that is beyond foolish."
"Natus' love rises above this perverse justice." Xeromus addressed the crowd once more. "Equality. Eternity. That is what real love looks like. Love that sees past the ether!"
"What are you ingrates doing?" Shimmer looked at the guards surrounding him as she shuffled back toward the Crown Court's entrance. "Get him! He's trespassing o-or something."
"Relax, Shimmer." Benedict put a hand on the ponyta's shoulder. "We can handle a drunken beggar." The slurpuff took a step forward. "Your delusional fantasies mean nothing, mutt. I got to where I am in life through hard work and perseverance. People like you are content to wallow in their helplessness.
"That's all there is to it." Benedict put his hands on his hips and smirked.
Xeromus coughed loud enough to make Yuna think he'd somehow hack up a lung. "I don't expect… my words to sway anyone. I'm but a lowly omen." He looked up. "But if anyone wishes to see what real love looks like… meet me in Hebrides' main plaza in three days' time."
The guards sprang into action, but Xeromus was faster. Shadows swallowed up his body and evaporated into the air. Seconds later, frosty air and lightning bolts showered the area where he was standing.
Yuna sighed in relief. He left without escalating things. Thank God.
Groaning, Nikki stretched out her back. "Well, I think that's enough entertainment for one day. Let's get a move on before those saps come to their sens—"
"Look out!"
A lady's shriek drew the group's attention back to the front entrance, where a large chunk of stone from the building's overhanging arch dislodged. Shimmer reared up on his hind legs in shock and shot a pink beam toward the rubble, shouting, "Move, Uncle!"
Several guards launched lightning bolts while an arcanine dove for Benedict. It was all in vain, however. The large white stone crushed a screaming Benedict.
"Uncle Benedict!"
Shimmer's horn sparked as he failed to move the rubble with his telekinesis. Arcanine slammed into it. The bisharp guard assigned to Benedict during the trial let loose a flurry of punches from his metal hands.
While screams and shouts racked the crowd, a familiar screech drew Yuna's attention above the wreckage. It was there she found Talonflame circling over the broken arch, squawking loudly as he flapped his wings.
No. It… it can't be.
There was a whistle. Talonflame flew toward a balcony on the building's right brick tower. Mellath leaned against the balcony's railing and stared at the scene below him. And a familiar dusknoir floated beside him. Vegna stretched out his right arm to offer Talonflame a landing spot.
For a brief second, he caught Yuna's gaze. Blue sparks danced underneath his black hood. Then, with a flutter of his cape, he turned and floated back through the balcony's open door.
Yuna looked to Nikki, trembling. "Did you see—"
The toxtricity crossed her arms. "Looks like the Grim Reaper struck again. Can't say the bastard didn't deserve it, though."
With her vision flickering, Yuna darted to Baraz and buried her head where the dracozolt's upper and lower halves met.
"I have to go home. T… take me home!"
XxX
Noctum fell back on his rear. His jaw hung open. It couldn't be real. This was all staged!
"Aha ha ha ha! Wow, what a performance!"
The feed showing two blissey loading a tarp-covered stretcher into a white, metal box cut out and returned to showing Paradox seated at his desk.
"I don't know about you, Eternians, but I was on the edge of my seat the entire time." Paradox leaned forward. His tentacles twisted into hands for him to rest his head against. "Still, it's so tragic, isn't it? While our benefactor remains trapped, the people inhabiting His prison are themselves imprisoned. Segregated into lots from birth."
Noctum's scales crawled. Paradox sounded eerily like the mutt that showed up at the end. The same one that had apparently cold-cocked him back in Herbrides. His hands balled into fists at the memory.
"They're not free. Real freedom is the love that Eternatus offers us." Paradox's arms unraveled. He stood up from his chair. "His love conquers injustice. His freedom is littered with an eternity's worth of choices."
His right tentacles twisted into an arm once again. Paradox snapped his fingers. The purple fragments of a rift appeared on the left side of the screen. "Ah, and right on cue, it appears our guest of honor has arrived."
The rift opened, revealing two of the mechanical Eternatus Troopers carrying none other than the very same slurpuff that Noctum had just seen crushed to death on the video feed.
"Unhand me, you vermin! Do you have any idea who I— oomph!"
The Troopers dropped Benedict at the foot of Paradox's desk. He took one look at the deoxys and screamed. Though Benedict tried to bolt, a pink outline surrounded him. Paradox levitated the struggling slurpuff into the air.
"Do not worry, friend. Eternatus loves you in spite of your sinful perversions of justice," he declared. "And you can return His love… through eternal servitude!"
Paradox pried Benedict's mouth open with two of his tentacles and plunged the other two down his throat. "Grrk!" Benedict's eyes widened in terror. Purple energy coursed through the tentacles and swallowed the slurpuff's body up.
"What the hell?!" Valkyrie stumbled back and, like Noctum, ended up on her rear. The two watched as Benedict's body dissolved away in black and purple smoke, leaving an unown-B floating there with panic stricken across its eye.
"My friends, we grow ever closer to freeing Eternatus from His prison." Paradox grabbed the unown and dangled it in front of the camera while tears bubbled in its eye. "If you would like to join us in the closing weeks of our campaign, please visit your local Paradigm Recruitment Office to pick up an application.
"Praise Eternatus!" Paradox proclaimed. "Nos vera Natus!"
The video feed cut out, returning the perfume advertisement. Seifer's sprinted away from Noctum and threw up. Not-Zapdos dropped off his back. His orange wings twitched.
"Nngh… what…" His eyelids opened. The beady yellow eyes darted around before settling on Seifer. "Commander!"
Noctum scooted back. "Ah, he's awake!" He looked at Valkyrie. "Should we do something?"
The garchomp held up an arm. "He seems lucid. And, uh, I guess Seifer was right about this being one of his guardsmon."
Seifer coughed a few times before wearily turning around. "Quetzal? It's— you're Quetzal, right?"
"Yessir." Quetzal tried to get up, but looked in dismay at his long legs and stubby, orange wings. "Why?" he whispered. "Why do I still look like this?"
Valkyrie quirked a brow. "You mean you're not normally an orange bird?"
Quetzal shook his head. "I'm a zapdos! I'm meant to take to the skies." He flopped his tiny wings about. "I can't do anything in this state."
"What happened to you?" Seifer hobbled toward Quetzal.
Before the orange zapdos could respond, however, bright searchlights shined on everyone in the group. Noctum threw an arm up but couldn't make anything out in all the light. The mechanized voices that followed, however, gave him a pretty good idea of what they were dealing with.
"Halt, miscreants! You cannot loiter on a rooftop without an approved rooftop loitering permit!"
"Present your permit or surrender yourselves for age-appropriate punishment. It is Archbishop-approved fun for the whole family!"
It had to be two Eternatus Troopers. Squinting, Noctum made out the silhouettes of their rounded glass domes and saucer-like bodies. They each hovered in the air with three mechanical legs trailing off their bodies.
Valkyrie got to her feet. "I've got your permit right here."
Noctum's tail flame sparked. "Hey, wait, maybe we should—"
She opened her mouth wide and sent a blue bolt at the Trooper on the right. It easily flew out of the way. The searchlights disappeared revealing that, unlike the previous Troopers Noctum had seen, these ones had spring-loaded arms that ended in what appeared to be small, purple dragon skulls.
"Did you see that?" the Trooper that dodged Valkyrie's attack asked its colleague.
"I did! The garchomp responded with violence." The other Trooper raised its arms. Blue energy swirled in its skull-like hands. "Lethal force is now authorized. How delightful!"
Seifer whirled on Valkyrie. "You idi— aah!"
Ice chunks peppered the keldeo's rump. He hopped forward, face scrunched up in pain.
Quetzal squinted. "Wait, was that Freeze-Dry? What the heck are those things?"
"Eternatus Gunners," one of the guards cheerfully responded. "Ones with authorization to smack some sense into your behinds." Its hands glowed blue and, within seconds, the air was filled with Freeze-Dry chunks.
Noctum took to the skies to dodge, but a yellow rock smacked him in the face, interrupting his ascent. A second rock struck the Malice Crystal in his gut, sending him tumbling back, limbs flailing. It hurt so much! Was he hit with a Rock Blast?
"Fly, you idiot!"
A blaring horn followed Valkyrie's cry. Noctum opened his eyes in time to see glaring headlights. He spread his wings. A single powerful flap propelled him back from a flying vehicle resembling a carriage without a roof. Its machoke passenger slowed down and shook his fist at Noctum.
"This ain't a skydiving spot, asshole!" he shouted, then flipped Noctum the bird as he flew off.
"Oh-ho! The lizard is flying without an authorized flying license!"
Noctum looked up to see one of the Gunners training its skull-hands on him. Yellow rocks were forming in the blaster barrels. "Another citation to add to your list. Now, eat your minerals. They're good for you!"
The charizard instead looked right and noticed a small glowing arrow attached to a building's fire escape. With a strained grunt, he ripped the metal sign off. Noctum swung it around right as the yellow rocks were going to make contact. He knocked the Rock Blast back at the Gunner.
"Guh… gah!"
Its glass dome cracked from the blows. "How dare you! Attacking a loyal Trooper and engaging in property damage? Forget force. I'll assimilate you on the spot, liz—"
A giant glowing spoon struck the Gunner's glass dome, shattering it. Its mechanical body exploded in a purple blaze. The unown-J inside the saucer careened through the air until it disappeared in a burst of red light.
Noctum was in such disbelief, he almost dropped out of the sky before remembering to keep flapping his wings. Valkyrie poked her head over the edge of the roof.
"You gonna hover there gawking? We don't have all day, dweeb."
Another horn followed, but this one sounded distinctly more… musical. Noctum flew up to the roof and found the scrapped remnants of the other Gunner's body plastered against the side of a taller building to his left. More striking was the large hovering vehicle in the middle. It was built like a large charjabug.
"Now, now. No need to thank me, Charizard. All in a day's work."
Noctum glanced at the charjabug— no, the charjabus' roof. His eyes widened.
It's that weird, black-purple cat guy from Cyril's presentation! But was he called again?
"Mewtwo if you want to be technical." He crossed one leg over another, a toothy grin on his face. "But you can call me Gene. Freedom fighter. Bot basher." The mewtwo pivoted to show the Malice Crystal wedged into his right shoulder. "And evidently not the only guy in the Qliphoth with a crystal stuck in him anymore."
A white-furred paw stuck out the driver's side window and smacked the side of the charjabus. "Talk shop later. You really think these guys are going to thank you when your recklessness put 'em on the roof to begin with?"
Valkyrie stepped to Noctum's side in time to see Fenrir stick his head out of the window. At least, Noctum figured it was Fenrir because of the pink bandana peppered with white hearts. Something was clearly wrong, however.
Fenrir brushed matted, white hair out of his white-furred face. "All that time putting on makeup and fixing up my hair for you to spoil it in a matter of minutes!" Black pupils narrowed at Gene from against yellow sclera.
"The hell happened to you?" Valkyrie asked.
Sirens wailed. Multicolored lights flashed in the distance.
"Later, later! Get in the bus." Fenrir growled. The white hair fell over his face again. God, it looked so fluffy. Noctum wanted to hug it.
"Yeah!" Gene lay on the roof, stretching out his legs. "It's time for us to make like bananas and split!"
Noctum glanced at Valkyrie, who shrugged and ran to the charjabus' other side. The charizard followed her. They took seats on blue, metal chairs opposite one another. Seifer and Quetzal were several seats behind them, looking equally bewildered.
"Kssht! Attention, customers. This is your captain speaking," Gene proclaimed, appearing in the middle of the charjabus' interior in streams of distorted red and purple energy. "Please fasten your seatbelts and hang onto your lunch. Stolen Charjabus, Inc. is not responsible for any bloody snouts, broken bones, deaths, or dismemberments sustained during our flight."
Seifer's horn stub sparked. "Wait, what?! Let me go! I want off this crazy train!"
The sirens grew even louder and the emergency lights brighter. "Halt! You are in violation of the law! Surrender peacefully or face assimilation! We promise it will be fun and not seconds of excruciating agony! We have cookies!"
Gene's crystal surrounded his body in a purple aura. He pointed an index finger forward. A rift opened ahead of the charjabus. "Punch it, Chewie!"
The charjabus sped forward. Noctum dug his claws into the seat to keep from tumbling back into Quetzal. Seifer screamed in fright as the psychedelic colors of a Qliphoth rift enveloped the charjabus.
XxX
CDL-205: Eterna City, Planet Axiom The crown jewel of Planet Axiom, centerpiece and capital of the Eterna Empire. Oh, yeah, don't buy into any of that 'Qliphoth Network' crap. Paradox fancies himself as more than the face of Eternatism. Anyway, like other Axiom locales, this one was ripped straight from its origin planet. Same place Boss Kitty was made, actually: Earth. The archbishop knew from the name alone he wanted it as part of the capital. I hear the humans turned the crater the Troopers left behind into a tourist spot. Typical.
Over the centuries, Eterna City's been built up from its modest, foliage-obsessed beginnings to a sprawling metropolis bathed in neon. Paradox's main office is located in Paradox Tower, which was made from the remnants of a… Galactic Building, whatever the hell that is.
Other highlights include three separate baccer arenas, two pokébase stadiums, headquarters for several corporations including Flapple, Inc., and at least three dozen nightclubs. Not that there's much difference between day and night here. The sky will always be purple and black.
Noctum kept his eyes squeezed shut. The charjabus' rattling was enough for him. He was nauseous all over again. He didn't need another wall of eyes staring at him from the rift or Eternatus' innards or whatever he was supposed to call this.
He thought about Yuna. Noctum promised he'd be there for her after the trial. A promise fate chose to break. Baraz picked up the slack, fortunately, but he saw how shaken she was in the video. And there was nothing he could do, because some crazy psychic cat was dragging him off to God knows where.
The rumbling came to a stop. Noctum opened an eye. Rainbow light rippled in the distance out Valkyrie's window. Massive rocks— no, asteroids floated all around them. Pulsating with distorted energy. Noctum's stomach gurgled. Was the crystal reacting to the asteroids?
"Space." Gene thrust his arms apart. His tone was quiet, yet mischievous. "The final frontier. These are the voyages of the Stolen Charjabus. Its continuing mission? To hide from the long arm of the law while the rebellion plots its next m—"
"Will you shut up?" Valkyrie got to her feet and brandished her claws at Gene. "I ought to remove your head from your shoulders. Where the hell have you taken us?"
"The Bergammula Asteroid Belt," Fenrir responded, paws firmly gripping the steering wheel. "See, those asteroids emit a powerful EMP."
"EMP?" Noctum tilted his head.
"Pulsations of electromagnetic energy." Fenrir waved his right arm about. Noctum got the sense his answer was deliberately vague. "Any Eternatus Troopers that try and go here get their circuits fried." He pushed his white, red-tipped mane out of his face. "It's the perfect place for anyone who's crossed the archbishop to lay low."
Seifer's brow furrowed. "So, it's a gathering spot for lawless types?"
"Yeah, sure." Scowling, Gene flopped into the seat next to Noctum. "My spiel sounded way cooler, though."
Noctum looked the mewtwo over. This was the guy at the top of Paradox's hit list? He sounded more like someone Yuna's little brothers and sisters would fawn over. Well, aside from the Malice Crystal jammed into his shoulder. How could Gene even move his right arm like that?
"Hey, Zardy, my eyes are up here." Gene flicked the brim of Noctum's snout. He covered his nostrils and looked away.
"I want a better explanation," Valkyrie growled, still standing. "Why did you bring us here? We're trying to get home, not more lost."
"You are home," Fenrir responded. Valkyrie was about to stomp up to him, when he held up an arm. "Lemme land first. Then we can talk."
Noctum mouthed "Land?" before looking where Fenrir pointed. There were dozens of metal platforms bolted to flattened asteroids, most connected by metal bridges. Behind all the asteroids was a massive glass dome with a big, white zoroark perched atop it, holding a burger in one paw and a bottle of soda in another.
Valkyrie's shoulders sagged. "This outpost… you wouldn't happen to be its owner, would you?"
Fenrir smirked. "What gave that away?"
She slouched into her seat. "Just land the damn charjabus."
The white-furred zoroark steered the bus past several landing platforms. Noctum turned in his seat to look out a window. There were people walking across the glass bridges, but he didn't recognize some of the species.
"What's with these two-legged folks who only have fur on their heads?" The charizard saw a guy and a girl leaning against a metal signpost. Both had sunglasses and purple jumpsuits on. The metal rods beside them that looked like blastoise cannons threw Noctum off.
"You mean the humans?" Gene chuckled. "Right, right. Your planet must not have any." He pet Noctum's right shoulder. "Relax, you'll get used to them."
"Are you sure?" Noctum frowned. "It looks like they hunted a blastoise for its cannons."
"Pfbt." Gene sputtered. "No, no." He held his hands up. "Those are blasters. They probably bought 'em from Cyril. Y'know, to defend themselves?"
Noctum stared blankly.
"Well, not every human that gets schlurped up by Eternatus chooses to turn into a pokémon." Gene shrugged. "I'd say most don't. For the ones that oppose the archbishop, Cyril makes sure they have something to work with."
"I see," was all Noctum could manage. The explanation left him with more questions than answers. And here he thought his headache was finally fading.
The charjabus buckled. As it landed on a black platform, hydraulics hissed loudly. The engine's whirrs died down. Fenrir pivoted in his seat.
"Nothing motivates you to build weapons quite like losing your ability to use your own attacks." Though Fenrir's mane obscured his face, the fatigue in his voice couldn't be clearer.
Valkyrie looked as if she finally put missing pieces together. Standing up, she quickly collected herself. "Hold on. Why does this clown keep calling you Cyril?" She stepped in front of Fenrir. "You're Fenrir. That ninetales thing is, like, your cover or something. Has to be."
A bitter laugh shook the zoroark's mane. "Boy, I wish." He shuffled past Valkyrie. "But it's the opposite. I am Cyril. Fenrir is a codename I use for my rebellion work." He paused. "And the jobs I take in Scale City, I s'pose."
Scale City? Noctum had never heard of such a place. Before he could ask, though, Cyril hopped off the charjabus, Valkyrie followed. Noctum stumbled out behind her.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she growled. "And why do you look like someone bleached your fur?"
"This is what I usually look like," Cyril responded. He trudged forward, posture slouched. It was a stark contrast to the swagger he displayed as a ninetales. "When I go to Scale City, I use fur dye and hair products to pass as a normal zoroark." Cyril held up his right arm, which had an oval disc with a blinking red light on it. "And for Eterna City, I've got my Morph-O-Tron. Lets me go back to the good old days." He sighed. "Or some facsimile thereof."
Noctum was torn between watching Cyril and examining his surroundings. The aurora looked nice in the charjabus, but now Noctum saw several of them. All converging toward a white sphere surrounded by sparkling stars. It was hauntingly beautiful, though he failed to understand how or why this was all inside Eternatus.
"I don't understand," Seifer asked from the back of the group. He was helping Quetzal, who still seemed a bit out of it. "Are you a ninetales, a zoroark, or some lovechild of the two?"
"I'm—" There was a brief crimson flicker in Cyril's lone visible eye. "I'm just another casualty of Malice. Like so many others."
Cyril lazily lifted his right arm and pointed ahead. There, two seismitoad walked past. Only their bulbous, wart-covered arms were instead red, armored pincers, like Noctum would find on a crawdaunt. And behind them was a tympole with an arrokuda's backside instead of its proper tail.
"I was a happy ice ninetales, living on Planet Blizzak." Cyril trudged toward a glass bridge leading to another asteroid. "Then Eternatus showed up and absorbed it. The old archbishop — the one in charge before Paradox — wanted to funnel our snowy weather to other parts of the Qliphoth. I tried to fight against her with the other ice-types in our city."
Noctum raised a brow. Her?
Valkyrie huffed. "Lemme guess: it went poorly?"
"When I woke up, I was the only one left." Cyril's yellow eye brought a shiver to Noctum's spine. "And this was what I looked like. Couldn't use a single attack… or do those fancy illusions I'd later learn zoroark are known for." He looked at his white-furred arms. "I was stuck like this."
Gene yawned loudly. "Yeah, this pity party ain't my thing. Besides, we got a message that Gilbert's causing a ruckus inside." He floated into the air, saluting the group. "You have fun with Mr. Sunshine, here." Gene flew off toward the outpost's front entrance a couple of asteroids away. A moving walkway headed into the glass dome, which reflected the stars and auroras to hide whatever lay inside.
Silence fell over the group. Noctum shuffled toward Cyril. "I'm, um, sorry you had to deal with… all of that." It was the best he could come up with.
"Yeah, you and me both." Cyril continued forward. They reached an asteroid with several fueling stations planted into the landing pad. Large gray canisters each held three long hoses. A few were attached to circular and rectangular ships.
"At least I found a new purpose for myself." Cyril didn't sound too happy about it, however. "If I didn't have my tinkering to keep me grounded, I'd erode in an instant."
Noctum's tail flame shrank. He was conflicted between pressing further and staying quiet.
Valkyrie made the decision for him. "Erode? You're not a pot of soil."
Cyril looked at Valkyrie. There was newfound fatigue in his yellow, beady eye. "Here in the Qliphoth, you either find something to anchor your soul… or you lose yourself."
"Tch. Don't get poetic on me." The garchomp jabbed Cyril's shoulder.
"What you guys call 'Phantoms'… are the eroded souls of people who've lost themselves trying to live in the Qliphoth."
Cyril turned away and headed for another glass bridge, leaving Valkyrie to stare blankly at his messy hair as it fluttered despite the lack of wind.
"H-Hang on!" Seifer almost tripped trotting after Cyril. "Are you saying the Phantoms I've fought my entire career—"
"— were once people like you and me? Yeah." Cyril kept walking. "The archbishop and his predecessor sold this realm on the promise of infinite possibilities. You could do anything. Be anyone. Go anywhere." He shook his head. "For example… if you got tired of being a charizard, you could just… use Eterna energy to turn into a different pokémon." Cyril pointed at Noctum, smirking.
"Th… that's absurd," he sputtered.
"Not for Eternatus. A being that defies nature itself," Cyril countered. "'An eternity where the only limits are your imagination.' That's how they phrase it. Sounds sweet on the surface, right?"
The white zoroark hopped off the bridge onto the largest asteroid in the nearby field. The moving walkway was directly to the group's left. Cyril beckoned them toward it and stepped on. Noctum was hesitant, but swallowed his fear as the walkway carried the others toward a spiral-shaped metal door.
"But it's a damn lie. There are some things no amount of Eterna energy can change," Cyril continued, expression darkening. "If you were a dunce in your old life, you don't get to magically turn book smart. If you were a selfish asshole, you'll still be a selfish asshole unless you choose to wipe your memories clean.
"And some people… they can't handle the truth. That they're stuck here. That the choices they make don't really matter."
Valkyrie crossed her arms. "So, what? They go mad?"
Cyril nodded. "They go so mad, their bodies and souls wither away until there's nothing left but empty shells with varying degrees of Malice." With a wince, Cyril plucked a few of his white hairs and dropped them. They fell into the vast expanse below the moving walkway. "Thus, Phantoms are born."
A chill ran down Noctum's spine. He struggled thinking how long he'd be able to last in this place. How long had it even been since he ended up in Eterna City? What was going on back at Horizon? Was Yuna okay?
"Hang on." Valkyrie cautiously moved toward Cyril. "But I've met you plenty of times in Radiance. How can you show up there if you're part of this hellhole?"
"I stash a Malice Crystal in my mane," Cyril responded. Valkyrie wasn't convinced, but he held up a paw. "Enough. If I shove any more down your throats, I bet Charizard will keel over again."
Noctum winced at the verbal jab. However, Cyril had a point. Noctum's head was spinning. It was a lot to try and make sense of. Even Cyril's change and demeanor didn't sit well with Noctum.
The spiral door opened and the moving walkway deposited them in a lobby. Despite the glass dome hanging high above them, Noctum couldn't see back out into the asteroid belt. Instead, there were moving staircases all around the circular platform, leading to gray tunnels heading deeper into the facility.
"Middle path will take you to the Rebel Grill." Cyril jerked his head toward the opposite side of the lobby. "Gene took off there. Hopefully he got Gilbert's cronies to settle down so you guys can grab a bite."
"What, so that's it?" Valkyrie stomped her right foot down. "You just drop an information bomb like that and then ditch us?"
Cyril slouched over. "I've got work to do." He narrowed his yellow eye. "Besides, I'm not ditching all of you. I need you two." He pointed to Noctum and Seifer.
The keldeo shuffed back. "What's that supposed to mean? Haven't I suffered enough already?"
"It means… you two are going to help me clean up the mess you made."
XxX
Nikki had her leather jacket halfway off by the time she walked into her room. With some halfhearted flicks of her right arm, she flung it onto her unmade bed. The toxtricity dropped to her knees and felt around the space under her bed until her fingers grazed hard plastic. Nikki pulled a milkcrate out. She grabbed one of the brown bottles sitting inside, then slid the crate back under the bed.
She had expected to nod off during the trial, but what she saw was so stupid it kept her awake. Even a stiff like Vegna couldn't get that rich asswipe found guilty. No doubt, if it had been someone from Blightsmuth — hell, from any lousy neighborhood — they would've wound up in Citadark for sure.
At least the Reaper got the last laugh.
Nikki found no joy in that thought, however. Seeing reports on the news was one thing. But even after the creepy stuff in Aquardah, watching a swirlix get crushed to death with her own eyes left an awful taste in her mouth. One she needed to wash out. The couple of bars in Horizon Gardens were too rich for her blood. So, she was stuck with warm beer.
She loosened the cap with her teeth and spat it on the floor. Taking a swig, Nikki found the beer wasn't stale. So, at least she had that going.
The toxtricity set the bottle on the floor and grabbed her acoustic guitar. At times like these, she needed to strum out some blues cords. Nothing fancy. Just enough to get her mind off everything.
Another swig from the bottle. Nikki plucked a guitar string. Then another. Her left hand glided along the guitar shaft. Between strums, she thumped the guitar base like a drum. Nikki opened her mouth and sang softly.
"The chill ain't gone.
The chill is here to stay."
XxX
"The chill ain't gone.
It just won't go away."
Chiaki staggered into his room, eyes firmly focused on the desk across from him. His legs shook. Cold sweat had left his shirt drenched. The grovyle struggled beside his bed until he got both his jean jacket and t-shirt off. They dropped to the floor as he staggered over to the desk. He shook his right arm out. The Hooker detached with a series of clicks and fell to the floor with a metallic clang.
The pain was back. Why now? It had been so long. He rubbed the air by his stump. The air where his right forearm was supposed to be. Chiaki gritted his teeth. More sweat ran down the back of his neck.
He grabbed an orange pill bottle and twisted the cap off with his mouth. Chiaki stuck his tongue in and lapped up one of the white, circular pills. He dry-swallowed it, almost gagging in the process. The grovyle set the bottle down and sat at the desk.
There was a small mirror sitting beside his lamp. He grabbed it with his left arm. A stand the same size as the mirror swung out. Chiaki pitched the mirror like a tent, then switched the lamp on. He stuck his right arm stump between the mirror and stand.
Slowly, Chiaki took deep breaths. He stared at the mirror; watched the reflection of his left arm. The grovyle curled his claws when he breathed in, then relaxed them when he breathed out.
In. Out. Curl. Uncurl. Again. And again. And again.
Images crept into his mind's eye. Blood staining his groin and legs. Pained screams from a wide-open mouth. Purple and black footsteps moving away. And those two damned sentences:
"Leave him. He's just dead weight."
A shuddering breath. Chiaki curled his claws tight.
In. Out. Trick the mind. Trick the mind.
Bit by bit, the pain faded. Chiaki allowed himself to slouch in his chair. He tucked his head down and squeezed his eyes shut.
"I'll show them." He turned his head and cracked an eye open. A bulletin board hung over his dresser, filled with newspaper clippings and lines of strings connecting them to a single photo of Starlene surrounded by circles drawn with a thick red marker. Chiaki slowly turned back to his desk and tore open an envelope. A small note fell out, alongside a ticket.
Try not to embarrass me when you show up. And remember: you owe me for this.
~Kyoko
Chiaki took the ticket and held it up to his lamp. It had a small drawing of Starlene on it.
"I'll figure out what she's hiding. Then you'll see I'm not dead weight."
XxX
"Life's done us wrong, baby.
But I'll make it pay someday."
Yuna wanted to cry. To sob into her pillow. No tears came, however. She stared at her white pillowcase, gripped by an emptiness she hadn't been faced with in years.
She knew Rayquaza and Reshiram were standing beside her bed. Yuna imagined they were both ready to say something to her. They'd attempt to lift her spirits and they'd fail. She was confident in it.
Nagging thoughts ate away at her mind the entire train ride back. Did Vegna kill Benedict… or was it actually Xeromus? Because Yuna wasn't buying that it was a freak accident. Someone did something.
Why was Xeromus even there at the end of the trial? He wanted the distortion to swallow up the Crowne Court, but Team Bastion had put a stop to that.
Try as she might, Yuna couldn't shake the feeling Xeromus set her up. He wanted her in the Qliphoth. What if… he somehow knew she'd never make it back in time for the trial? What if her initial absence was the key to things spiraling out of control? After all, the end result was Xeromus standing in front of dozens of reporters and rambling about Eternatus. And then a chunk of the courthouse killed the corrupt noble who might've rigged his trial.
Was that his goal? To get himself more attention? Had Yuna ended up playing into his nonexistent hand?
She kept going back to what Xeromus told her yesterday: "The choices you make don't matter."
Yuna dug her arms into her pillow and screamed. The pillow muffled her, of course. But in the absence of any tears, this would have to do."
"Yuna…"
A fluffy wing draped over her. Yuna turned and swatted Reshiram's claws. "Don't touch me!"
Frowning, Reshiram yanked his left wing back. "We're worried about you."
"You're worried about me?" Yuna's voice cracked. She didn't care. "If you were really worried about me, you would've made sure this stupid thing never bound to me in the first place!" She smacked the Soul Dew with her right arm. Shadows bubbled in her ectoplasm, but she ignored them.
"I—"
"No." Yuna held her black-spotted arm up. "Shut up and listen. Because there's nothing you can say to help me in this situation." Her arms dropped against her blanket. "You two are Sages. You spent your lifetimes working for the greater good. Of course you can handle this stuff!
"But me? Look at me!" Yuna floated up and thrust her arms out. "I'm a tiny, underdeveloped dreepy. I spent over a decade cooped up in bed or not allowed outside my own house because of how sick I was." Her arms and tail shriveled. "And when I finally started to make a life for myself and get some friends… I get dragged off to this place where people look at me like I'm a plate of grimy food!
"And if that wasn't enough, now I have to try and be some sort of hero and save the planet from Eternatus' reawakening? Are you kidding me?!"
Yuna dropped back onto her pillow and screamed into it. "It's too much! I can't take it! I… I'm not meant for this!"
Silence followed. Then scales brushed against bedsheets. "Dost thou feel better?"
Maybe a little, Yuna silently acknowledged. She turned her head to meet Rayquaza's tiny red eyes.
"I am, perhaps, stepping on Sir Reshiram's toes, but the truth is that… just because I am a sage doesn't mean I'm magically equipped to handle every problem thrown at me." Rayquaza leaned over and gently lifted Yuna's head with the end of his black tail. "Most days I had to patrol the stratosphere I was downright terrified. 'What if an actual emergency happened? Can I really keep people safe?'"
He shook his head. "To say nothing of the Darkest Day. Thou makes it sound like we sealed Eternatus effortlessly. But we had to sacrifice our very lives! I was mortified! And hesitant, to boot." Rayquaza looked at Reshiram. "It's only because I had the other Sages for support that I was able to go through with it."
Rayquaza backed away. "I do not blame thou for thine frustrations. It is not easy to put others before thineself. That is why we Sages had such long apprenticeships to begin with. Such thinking takes time to cultivate." He crossed his arms and nodded. "But thou aren't alone in this endeavor."
Reshiram vigorously nodded. "Right. And the more Sages you rescue, the more support you'll get." He offered a reassuring smile, but frowned when Rayqauza turned a stoic expression on him. Reshiram shuffled back, looking at his feet.
"We can't force you to go on with this," Rayquaza said. "But now that you've seen what Eternatus does to people, thou must ask thineself if thou could live with not taking action."
Yuna looked down guiltily. As bad as things were, the thought of her life becoming remotely like Razim's terrified her even more. "It's just," she rubbed her arms together, "I wish things didn't have to move so quickly. It's practically suffocating."
"Then thou shalt take the time to recuperate." Rayquaza bobbed his head, pleased with his own suggestion. "When thou feelst ready to venture forth, we will be there to assist you."
He jabbed Reshiram's thigh with his tail. The white dragon stood at attention. "Absolutely!" he chirped.
Yuna looked down. It still didn't sit right with her, but Rayquaza's offer was better than nothing.
"I… guess." She hardened her expression. "But if this is going to continue, we need to set ground rules."
Reshiram raised a brow. "Ground rules?"
"Yes." Yuna glared at Reshiram. "You need to stop butting in all the time. It's bad enough hearing you two in my head, but if I don't get some personal space, I'm going to lose it for sure." She took a deep breath. "A girl… needs her 'me time.' So, you have to figure out a way to stay out of my head. Understand?"
"I, uh— yeah, that's fair." Reshiram blushed and poked his claws together.
"Good." Yuna flopped onto her back. "Now, make yourselves scarce before someone comes knocking."
XxX
Slithering around a room that wasn't his, Artemis couldn't shake his guilt.
At first, he figured Seifer got the memo and left with his tail between his legs like he should've. But then he heard whispers about an Aeon charizard taking pity on the keldeo… and both of them getting involved in some sort of altercation.
The milotic tried brushing it off. However, as the day went by with no sign of either of them, he got worried. Eventually, he went to the charizard's room and found it completely empty. The window looked as though someone had jumped through it.
Artemis wanted to believe this was some weird coincidence. But if there was one thing he took away from his parents, it was their firm belief that karma worked in mysterious ways. If he hadn't gone off on Seifer, would the keldeo be safe? And was something bad going to happen to him as a result? The sentiment ate away at him.
"Damn it, what happened?" Artemis hissed. The room was so uninspired, there was nothing to go off. Black stone floor. Plain brick walls. Bedsheets tossed on the floor with a pillow, likely for Seifer to use. Some belongings stashed in cloth bags under each bed. There wasn't anything else.
Artemis was ready to leave and throw back some whiskey shots at his room when a flat voice caught his attention. The milotic turned toward the window, then dove for the floor.
It was Vortex and that gardevoir assistant whose name escaped Artemis. He prayed they hadn't seen him.
"So, clearly, we have to rearrange the schedule," Vortex said. "If there's going to be a civil demonstration in Herbrides, I don't want our students anywhere near it. Get Minister Vincenzo on the phone. We'll do his leg in Venish instead."
"And what of the students? How will we tell them?" Gardevoir asked.
"Not a word until Vincenzo okays everything," Vortex replied. "Then, obviously, we inform His Grace of the change first. Then we'll tell the others. With any luck, the abrupt change will prove even more fatal for Team Bastion and they'll be eliminated from the Cup. And a huge weight will be lifted off our collective shoulders."
Artemis narrowed his eyes. Team Bastion… was the one with the Aeon Princess, wasn't it? And the toxtricity who'd sometimes smuggle him pastries from the dining hall. They seemed like decent people. So why was Vortex trying to rig things against them?
"Very well, sir. Anything else?" Gardevoir said.
"No. I hear Tesla needs you at Citadark. We both know you shouldn't keep him waiting."
"Understood."
Staying on his belly, Artemis wormed his way toward the bedroom door. That slimy bastard! He always knew Vortex was a jackass, but the thought of him dicking over his own students like that made Artemis sick.
He was going to have to tell someone.
Perhaps it's time to pay Toxtricity a visit again.
XxX
In case you're interested, Nikki is spoofing the lyrics to B.B. King's "The Thrill is Gone."
Noctum had flown with a passenger before. A passenger being the key.
He had not had to strap on a large, purple harness with two metal seats, knee pads, elbow pads, a helmet with holes for his horns, and a neon green vest with "Eterna City Poké Ride" scribbled across it in blocky letters.
Perhaps the most humiliating part about flying side by side with the strange hovercrafts was the small flag reading "TRAINEE" protruding from his backside and fluttering with the breeze. As if Noctum hadn't flown without incident for years. Hell, he'd flown well while concussed the other week. But, sure, he had to act the part because the creepy alien zoroark told him to.
"So, tell me again why exactly we need to steal one of these uPhones." Seifer sat fastened into one of the metal seats on the harness. Cyril sat beside him, back in his ice ninetales disguise. "Wouldn't it be easier to do the legal thing and buy it?"
"Easier? Sure," Cyril replied. "But it'd defeat the purpose."
Horns blared behind Noctum. The charizard flinched, but steadied on while a jet black hovercar passed him on the left. It's okay. I'm in the right lane, he told himself.
"And that purpose is?"
Cyril sighed. "If Boss Kitty's intel is correct, the uPhone 33 has a special chip in it that the archbishop can use to track the phone's movements throughout the Qliphoth."
Noctum wondered why anyone would be putting food in their electronics, but kept that thought to himself.
"Couldn't that be helpful?" Seifer wondered. "Like, if someone's in danger, the authorities could locate them faster."
"Sure. Or it could be used to expand the archbishop's surveillance state," Cyril growled. Fluffy tails brushed Noctum's thigh and he tried his best to hold his laughter.
"H-Hey, keep your tails in your seat." Noctum flapped his wings to keep the proper altitude.
"Right, sorry." Cyril adjusted his position. "You're going down at the light up ahead."
Noctum saw traffic lights with rotom clearly inside of them. The light for his lane had arrows pointing down. He was happy he wouldn't have to try changing lanes.
"Anyway, point is: I want to get my paws on one of those chips." Cyril continued. "See if I can analyze it. Could prove useful for the rebellion."
"I still don't see why you can't buy it," Seifer huffed.
"The phones are activated once they're purchased," Cyril countered. "Meaning the chip would start tracking my movements. I need an inactive phone. And the only way to get that is from the factory, which happens to be under Flapple's flagship store."
Noctum slowly glided down toward the street. The bottoms of these buildings were much less impressive that what he'd flown past. They had varying layers of rust or patches of crystals growing on their front staircases and railings.
"And you really think we can break into some major company's factory?" Seifer tapped a forehoof against his seat. Noctum glanced back at him and frowned. The keldeo offered an apologetic look.
"Us? No. But Zardy can," Cyril replied.
Fortunately, Noctum touched down and shuffled toward the sidewalk, so he could properly react. "Wait, me? Look at me!" The seat harness made it impossible for him to grab his tail. "Charizard aren't built for break-ins. My tail will give me away."
Cyril hopped out of his seat. "Not if you Phantom Warp."
Noctum froze. "Come again?"
"Phantom Warp." Cyril pointed to the crystal in Noctum's belly. "Don't you remember how Boss Kitty got inside the charjabus?"
Noctum tapped his chin. "You mean, in a blur with all that distorted energy around him?"
"That's the ticket." Cyril fluffed out his tails. "I don't see why you can't do it, too. That's why I took us here." With three of his tails, he gestured toward an alleyway between two of the buildings. "Perfect place to practice."
Seifer didn't look convinced. "So, you're telling me a charizard is going to teleport?"
A dry laugh greeted Seifer. "You're a riot," Cyril mused, rolling his eyes. "It's not teleportation, it's a Phantom Warp." He held up a forepaw. "Like the name implies, you temporarily convert your body to Malice and phase out of existence to move several meters in any direction."
Noctum jumped back in fright. "What? I don't wanna disappear!"
"Relax, Zardy. I said 'temporary.'" Cyril shook his head. "Fact is, there's plenty of tech in Eternatus that blocks any and all attempts at teleportation." He stepped toward the building on his left and place his forepaw against it. "But the Phantom Warp makes it so you're nothing but an apparition. We're talking dodging attacks, phasing through solid objects, and bypassing any pesky barriers Troopers use to stop psychics."
Cyril pulled his forepaw away and looked at the grime on it with a frown. Shaking his forepaw out, he turned to Noctum, "So, what d'ya say? Why don't you give it a try?" He jerked his head over his shoulder toward a wall with electrified razor wire on top of it. "Phantom Warp through that wall over there."
Noctum looked up at the razor wire and whimpered. "Can't I just fly over it? Besides, what if I get stuck in the wall?"
"Then it'll have been an honor knowing you," Cyril deadpanned. Seifer looked aghast at the ninetales, who shook his head. "Look, you and your buddies waltzing into the bazaar without ID looplets screwed up the plan Gene and I had. So, you've got to fix it."
Noctum was willing to help, but using a new technique to do so unsettled him. Too many things could go wrong.
Cyril sighed again. "How about this? If you snag the uPhone, you can go back to Horizon Gardens immediately."
"R… really?"
Cyril nodded. "Cross my heart."
Seifer's broken horn sparked. "Wait, what about me?"
"Sorry, pony-boy. You and I have to keep a low profile." Cyril chuckled as Seifer's face reddened. The ninetales stepped up to Noctum and produced a small clip. He fastened it to Noctum's right horn with two of his tails.
"What are you doing?" Noctum wanted to swat the tails away, but Cyril was faster. He unhooked the buckles for Noctum's harness and it dropped to the ground behind him.
"I gave you an X-transceiver, so we can stay in contact," Cyril explained. "Now, get moving. Time's a-wasting."
Noctum stepped up toward the wall. On closer inspection, it was made of pure cobalt. It absorbed some of the razor wire's glow. He looked down at the crystal in his chest, then back at the wall.
"Uh, what am I supposed to do here, exactly?"
Cyril shrugged. "How would I know?"
"Because you brought it up?" Seifer somehow looked even more exhausted than before.
"Just because I know it exists doesn't mean I can make it work," Cyril retorted. "That's Gene's department. And he's not here."
Noctum pinched his brow. Why couldn't Valkyrie be the one with the stomach crystal? Guilt over that thought immediately followed. Sighing, Noctum widened his stance and crouched down. He extended his arms toward the wall.
"Kah!" Noctum thrust his hands forward. Nothing happened.
He tried again. Nothing happened.
"Dash!" Noctum flicked his wrists. Nothing happened.
"I will say this, Zardy. Gene never shouts to get it to work," Cyril deadpanned.
Groaning, Noctum's shoulders sagged. He was doing the best he could under the circumstances. But this could be my ticket home. So, he needed to focus.
Noctum's brow furrowed. He concentrated on his body. Every twitch of every muscle. The air moving through his nostrils with each breath he took.
It was then that something tugged on Noctum's gut. It was cold and slimy, like a huntail. Noctum concentrated on that unfamiliarity. Then a tingle spread over his entire body. Instinct told him to dive forward. Noctum thought he spread his wings, but there wasn't any actual movement. The dark purple tint of the city blurred all around him.
Within seconds, Noctum stumbled forward, his world spinning. After the dizziness settled down, Noctum found himself staring down a different alleyway. There were metal fire escapes sticking out from the buildings on either side of him. A neon billboard in the distance cast a golden glow along the alley from a stylized G in its center.
For all your home appliance needs, trust Galactic Appliances… for the win!
"Hey, Zardy, you still in one piece?"
"Gah!" Noctum jumped at Cyril's voice. It was so prominent, yet the fake ninetales was nowhere to be seen.
"I'm talking to you through the X-transceiver, dummy."
Noctum rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I realize that now."
"In any case, looks like you Phantom Warped. Congratulations, pats on the back, and all that jazz. Now do it a few more times so you can get the rhythm down."
It was hard for Noctum to feel good with Cyril's halfhearted compliment. "Right. Just give me a second."
Noctum was sure this long day was only going to get longer.
XxX
The path to the Rebel Grill, advertised as "Guzzie's" by an electronic sign, was another moving walkway surrounded by a glass tube. Valkyrie easily could've stomped along and been there in no time flat, but she opted to hang back. The only grilling she wanted was of what happened to Quetzal to bring him to Horizon Academy in the first place.
His answers were far from helpful. All he could recall was a giant Phantom with a bird mask that effortlessly defeated him with Dynarockfall, killed Crowne Minister Douglas, uprooted the Needle in his mansion, and morphed him into the form he currently occupied. After that, he woke up in Eterna City beside Seifer.
Valkyrie looked out at the expanse of stars and auroras. After a bit of silence, she said, "Makes you feel pretty small, doesn't it?"
Quetzal shuffled awkwardly on the moving walkway. "I suppose. Does it upset you?"
"Hardly." Valkyrie rubbed her snout with her forearm. "Soldier. Bodyguard. At the end of the day, we both live to follow orders. Cogs in the machine."
Still, Valkyrie wondered how much she'd missed back in Radiance. There was that big trial happening. One way or another, the outcome would lead to some sort of job from her handlers. And here she was, stuck in the very same spirit realm whose existence she shrugged off long ago.
"What should we do now?" Quetzal wondered.
"We find that dumb cat," Valkyrie replied, stepping off the moving walkway. Another circular doorway slid open to reveal a circular room bathed in the glow of purple lights. There were three levels of the room, with the first in the center comprised of several tables and purple benches surrounding a mechanical tauros. There was a pale human in a plaid shirt and jeans sitting atop it, holding on for dear life.
The garchomp stepped into the restaurant for a better view. Some of the nooks on the third level with her had brightly-flashing arcade machines. Others had PV screens… or whatever the hell the Eternatus equivalent was. She even spotted a pinball table, "Revenge of the Black Knight," in the far-left corner, next to the bar. Said bar had its own luminescent glow, as did the jukebox to the right of it.
"Namaste… and peace be with you, travelers."
Valkyrie turned right and recoiled. "The hell—"
A massive, gaping maw full of razor-sharp teeth towered over her. It was like a damned portal!
Valkyrie hopped back, brandishing her claws at the two black pincers stuck out of the mouth. One waved, the other held a tray with fizzy beverages glowing different shades of orange.
Quetzal puffed out his feathers. "N… nice daemon. I don't actually taste like poultry!"
"Ah, Guzzie is the first guzzlord you have laid eyes on." He stepped back, allowing Valkyrie to see a smaller set of black arms and a tiny black head between two pointed horns. Guzzie's small, yellow eyes were guilty. "Guzzie does not want violence. Please forgive Guzzie."
"Uh-huh." Valkyrie shot a scathing look at Quetzal. If this was who Seifer hired, no wonder he got sacked for ineffectiveness. "So, you're the guy whose name's on this joint?"
Guzzie nodded. "Guzzie is head chef for Rebel Grill. Guzzie wants to give tired travelers smiles in their bellies." He turned to his right. "Or at least some respite from meanie archbishop." His smaller arms shrugged. "Can Guzzie bring you to table?"
Though food sounded good, Valkyrie had more pressing matters. "Actually, we're looking for Gene. He brought us here, then took off without us. Any idea where he is?"
"Yes." Guzzie's sigh was loud enough to make the floor rattle under Valkyrie's feet. He scratched his tiny head. "Gene got into shouting match with angry chatot pirate. Guzzie told them to take it outside."
Valkyrie quirked a brow. "Outside meaning?"
"Junior's Slaughterplex." Guzzie pointed right. Valkyrie followed his pincer where, outside the massive glass wall, a giant arena platform hovered in place. There were even floating bleachers filled with spectators. Some cheering, others looking bored. All the bleachers had large projection screens offering Valkyrie a good view of the action.
Three dragalge floated below Gene, each with gray armor and helmets adorned by a tyrantrum skull and crossbones. They shot Dragon Pulses from their snouts in unison. Gene summoned a glowing pink spoon and twirled it rapidly. The resulting barrier deflected the blue bolts effortlessly.
"What do you zink you are doing?!" a small, colorful bird with a music note head, eyepatch, and pegleg shouted, waving his wings around. Valkyrie figured this was the chatot thing Guzzie mentioned. "Stop attacking in unison! You are only making it easier for him!"
"We be trying our best, Gilbert!" the dragalge closest to the chatot fired back, only for Gene to appear right in front of him. The mewtwo grabbed him and pivoted, using Dragalge as a meat shield against the incoming Dragon Pulses. Dragalge went limp. Gene hurled him at the pirate on his right. Both dragalge rolled into an unconscious pile on the edge of the arena.
Gilbert facepalmed while the remaining dragalge tried to flee. Gene closed the distance in an instant and smacked Dragalge with his glowing tail. Dragalge went careening out of the arena to thunderous applause from the crowd, interspersed with a few jeers.
Quetzal jumped in surprise when Dragalge slammed into the glass wall. "That one… shivered me timbers," he wheezed before sliding off the glass.
"Okay, well, looks like we found him." Quetzal shuffled uneasily. "Can we go home now?"
"Oh my! And Gene has effortlessly dispatched the Blackskull Buccaneers!"
Valkyrie trotted forward, ignoring Quetzal calling out to her. 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!"
While the crowd applauded, Gene pointed a sparking index finger at Gilbert. "Well, bud, looks like it's just you and me. Gonna face me yourself or what?"
Gilbert's good eye widened. He looked left, then right. The chatot grabbed his right wing. "Ah, sacré bleu! I have sprain-ed my wing!" Gilbert collapsed on his back. "Oh, ze cruelty! Alzough I could have ze kicking of your posterior with ze ease, I am in no fit state for ze fighting."
Valkyrie rolled her eyes, as did Gene.
"But have no fear, mon ami!" Gilbert hopped back to his feet. "My less attractive stunt double will battle in my stead!" He tilted his head up. "Oh, Jacques!"
The floor once again rumbled. Even the floating arena was shaking. Gene crouched down, but was blindsided when what looked like a white wrecking ball careened into him from behind. The mewtwo rolled across the arena, the Malice Crystal in his shoulder kicking up sparks.
As Gene struggled to his feet, the wrecking ball uncurled, revealing an off-looking aggron. Valkryie pressed her arms into the glass. His normal gray pelt was covered in a layer of thick white armor. He slammed his white-ringed tail on the ground and raised his spiked forearms into the air.
"Come and get some, kitty!" Jacques roared.
Valkyrie sucked in a sharp breath.
It can't be… trance?!
Those kinds of transformations were meant to be the result of mastering control over Dynaforce! Why could some dead aggron pull it off?
"That was a cheap shot," Gene grumbled, grabbing his head and twisting it slightly. "Guess I'm just going to have to return the favor."
"I'd like to see you try." Jacques squared up his stance and punched the arena floor. Stone Edge spires shot up in waves. Gene went airborne, effortlessly floating past them. With a smirk and grunt, however, Jacques slammed his glowing tail into the rocks. His Iron Tail shattered the rocks. Shards careened through the air.
Rolling his eyes, Gene stuck his left hand forward. "Did you forget who you're dealing with here?" With his eyes glowing blue, Gene captured every shard in his telekinetic grasp and returned them to their sender.
"Idiot! Look up!" Valkyrie shouted, before remembering she was in the restaurant and there was no way he'd hear her. Nevertheless, Gene realized that Jacques had leaped into the air and was looking to drive a glowing fist right into his skull.
She wasn't going to let her way home evaporate in some godforsaken death arena. Valkyrie spotted a staircase tucked away behind the bar and sprinted toward it. Hooking her left arm on the railing, the garchomp slid down it with ease. She arrived on a grated metal platform. In fact, there was an entire crisscrossing network of metal walkways under the arena. The dragalge Gene had knocked out of the arena lay in a crumpled heap to Valkyrie's right.
"What an intense stalemate!" Junior's shrill voice drew Valkyrie's attention back to the arena. Gene still floated in the same spot as before, eyes brimming bright blue. A similar glow surrounded Jacques, who was fighting against Gene's telekinesis.
What's that idiot doing? Valkyrie dashed along one of the walkways leading to the grandstands on the left of the arena. Fling Aggron away!
"Ha ha ha!" Gilbert's pegleg clunked against the metal arena floor. "What is ze matter, kitty? Is ze mega evolution proving too much for you? Zere is no shame in zrowing in ze towel."
Gene was straining. The smirk Valkyrie barely made out on Jacques' face told her that much. Was there something else going on? Something Gene hadn't accounted for?
She couldn't sit by. She had to strike. Neither pirate was aware of her. Valkyrie had a clear view of Jacques' right side. If she could only find a vulnerable spot. Something. Anything.
There!
It was subtle. A small chink in the back right part of Jacques' neck. However, that was all Valkyrie needed. She hopped up on the railing behind her and angled her mouth at Jacques.
Deep breath. Focus on the target. Don't overthink it.
Tightening her neck and jaw muscles, Valkyrie spat a small but brilliant Dragon Pulse beam. It struck the crack in Jacques' neck. His smirk melted away. The aggron's face twisted in agony. And that was all Gene needed.
The stalemate broke. Gene telekinetically slammed Jacques into the ground. The arena rumbled above Valkyrie. She hopped off the railing to keep her footing, locking eyes briefly with Gene. He then took the opportunity to hurl an Aura Sphere into Jacques' face. Then another. And another.
After the fourth Aura Sphere, the aggron stopped writhing in pain.
"What is this? A sudden intrusion in Gene's favor?!"
The hover platform Junior stood atop quickly found its way to Valkyrie, as did a few rotom drones. Her stoic expression was on the arena's big screens for everyone to see. There was a mixture of gasps and jeers from the audience.
"My, my. What a feisty looking garchomp!" Junior spoke into his jewel-encrusted microphone. "Could it be you wish to try your claws in Little Guzzie's Arena… of Dooooom?!"
"Hardly." Valkyrie huffed out dragonfire. "That dweeb is my ride home." She jerked her head in Gene's direction.
"Oh ho! So, bot-bashing Gene has found himself a new squeeze." Junior rubbed his two upper pincers together. "Swoon over the weird couple, audience. Swoon, I say!"
Valkyrie ignored the audience's laugher. She hopped up to Junior's hover platform and used it to glide safely onto the arena, where Gilbert was fretting over the unconscious Jacques. "Beat it, pipsqueak," she growled. "Gene and I have business."
Gilbert looked up. Immediately, a sheen took over his good eye. "Pipsqueak? Mmm." He climbed onto Jacques' belly. "I will let zat insult slide, for you, mademoiselle, are one part handful and two parts oooh-la-la."
"That so?" Valkyrie slammed her tail against the arena floor. "Maybe I should hurl you into the restaurant wall like Gene did to your buddy."
"Aha ha." Gilbert nearly fell off Jacques. "I am zinking not. But know zis, Mademoiselle Chomp… Chatot Gilbert, first mate extraordinaire, is never one to shy away from a beauty like yourself." He slowly bowed, using the wing he claimed was broken. "We shall meet again. But for now, I bid you adieu."
Two rotom drones had finished putting Jacques onto a stretcher and flew off with the aggron and Gilbert in tow. Gene then walked up to Valkyrie, slowly applauding.
"Quite the performance." The mewtwo grinned at her. "I daresay you'll make a fine rebel."
"Cut the crap." She held a claw up to Gene's chin. "You're sending me home. Now."
"Yeeeeah." Gene pressed a finger to Valkyrie's claw and pushed it away. "See, that's not a good idea."
Valkyrie bared her fangs. "Why not?"
Smirking, Gene grabbed Valkyrie's head and turned it so she could see Quetzal pacing in the restaurant's glass wall.
"Because the last thing you want is for me to open a rift here and walk a Radiant Guardsmon straight into the Ryujin's secret underground city." Gene twisted Valkyrie's head back. There was a red glint in his eyes. "After all, once they realize you're the lone Citadark escapee, they'll give you the needle and you'll be stuck here for good."
Valkyrie tensed. "How did—"
Gene flashed his canines. "People like us know how to get to the bottom of things effortlessly. Isn't that right… Prisma?"
XxX
"That's it, then?"
Vortex leaned over a plain tan conference table to look at a projection. It had a map of Venish, with its crisscrossing canals leading out to sea east of the city. One part on the top right of the map had a large purple spiral in it; the distortion given off by the disappeared Needle. Dashed red lines ran through the water, thankfully not reaching the city or its canals.
A barraskewda's head flopped up and down. He nearly lost the white sailor's hat that was clearly too large for his arrow-shaped head. "Yes. As far as we know, anyway."
"As far as you know," Vortex parroted. He sat down on a metal chair, poking his tail through a gap in the back. "I've not seen reports of any delays for our ships."
"Correct again, sir." Barraskewda curled his ventral fins up. "But the poisons are spreading. And they're definitely coming from where the Needle used to be." He floated up to the table, picked up a small remote, and pressed a button. "If we can't find a way to contain it, this is where we predict the poison will reach by tomorrow."
The map shifted so the dashed red line was closer to the Venish coastline.
"And the next day."
He clicked the button again. The dashed red line was now just a short distance away.
"And now the day you're proposing I do my leg."
One more click put the dashed line into Venish's canals. Barraskewda looked down. "The starting point for the fishing portion is far enough away, sure, but this cuts into the proposed gondola route."
Vortex got to his feet. The metal chair fell back with a clang. He rested his hands on the table, nearly digging into the plastic with his claws. "Then. Change. The. Route."
Barraskewda looked at the map. Then back at Vortex. "But that could disrupt canal traffic even more than city commissioners planned. Not to mention Polaris transp—"
"I wasn't asking you, Vincenzo." Vortex balled his hands into fists. "I was telling you." He straightened up and turned to Arianna and Tesla. The former scribbled away in her planner while the latter was transfixed on the map, expression unreadable behind his flickering goggles.
"We're already scrambling to salvage this first leg," Vortex continued. "We're looking at having to issue partial refunds to people who purchased tickets to the Herbrides leg just to placate any complaints. I will not risk further profit for some prediction about toxins in the water. We're not having the students swim out to sea."
He held up an index finger. "One day. Change the route. You disrupt canal activity for one day… and that's it. Then you can go back to figuring out what the deal is with this pollution."
Tesla cleared his throat. He made several zzt noises while Vortex turned to him with a sigh, "What is it?"
"Well, sir, I believe my genius can put together an effective buffer." A robotic arm popped out of Tesla's backpack and tapped the boltund's head. "I just need some samples of the water from the more polluted areas."
Vortex looked to Vincenzo. "Make it happen."
The barraskewda nodded. His sailor hat fell to the floor. "Of course." Vincenzo puttered up to Tesla. "If you'll follow me."
"Lead the way, old chum!"
With a hearty laugh, Tesla followed Vincenzo out of the conference room, making vrrts and zzrts with every step he took.
Vortex pinched his brow. "What next, Arianna?"
The gardevoir looked around the room. "We should return to your office in Horizon, sir." She nudged her glasses up. "Tesla's moved construction on the genesect schematics I… designed into full production. He thinks they might be ready to replace Radiant Guardsmon within a week or two."
The further Cyril led Noctum and Seifer through Eterna's gridded streets, the brighter things became. More and more artificial lighting from street lights to unnatural purple crystals to neon signs advertising everything from household appliances to fast food chains to some sort of production involving an inteleon in a tuxedo.
"How much further? I thought we were going to the bazaar," Seifer said, eyes darting back and forth. There were other people walking on the cobalt sidewalks. Noctum recognized some species, but others were totally alien to him, like a walking sunflower or a black-furred rapidash-like creature with white stripes and a lightning-bolt shaped tail.
"We're not." Cyril was a few paces ahead of them. He had a set of goggles over his eyes. "I was going to go there originally. Now I need to take you to a good spot to access the factory."
"Isn't it, like, a bad idea to be out here?" Noctum looked around nervously. A vaporeon with the spiked neck ruff of a jolteon noticed his Malice Crystal and quickened her pace in a panic. The charizard's tail flame shrank. "What if someone pulls me aside?"
"What's really going to screw us over is you acting so nervous," Cyril growled. "Stop swiveling your head around like a lost helioptile."
"Sorry." Noctum instead looked down, following cracks in the sidewalk. "It's just hard to focus on anything with all the bright lights. Do you, like, ever get use to this kind of stuff?"
"All this liveliness is part of the city's draw for folks." Cyril paused, then bitterly added, "At first."
"It all feels like a bit much," Seifer said. The trio rounded a street corner onto a much larger street. Hovercars and busses slowly moved past in both directions, reflecting multicolored lights from a giant monitor showing silhouettes of a blaziken, absol, lucario, and sudowoodo dancing in tandem with headphones on their heads.
"No shit." Cyril shook his head. "Sure, all this big, flashy stuff seems appealing at first. But like everything in the Qliphoth, eventually it gets old. So, maybe you turn into another species. Rework your being, change jobs, and take on a new life." He flipped strands of white hair out of his goggles. "Eventually things get stale and you become part of the crud all this glitz and glamor is covering up.
"And if you ask me, with no new planets getting swallowed up, there hasn't been any real stimulation in over a thousand years." There was an unsettling chill in Cyril's voice. "Is it any wonder Phantoms are spilling out into Etherium? People are eroding into Phantoms like weeds spreading through a crop field."
He turned right to point to the television screen, where metal squares now surrounded the dancing silhouettes. "And that shit right there? That's the archbishop's attempts to cover it up and distract people."
Text spread out under the silhouettes: "uPhone: a universe of potential."
"Those squares are the phones?" Seifer blinked at the ad.
"A far cry from those kooky crystals you use in Radiance, eh?" Cyril shook his head dismissively. "Wouldn't surprise me if Vortex and his stooges somehow pulled schematics for their stupid stuff out of the distortion itself."
Noctum gulped. "They can do that?"
Cyril shrugged and proceeded forward. Noctum opted not to press the matter further. Instead, he changed the subject. "If the factory is underground, do you think the Phantom Warp is enough to get me to it?" He looked down at the jet-black sidewalk. The metal was cold against his scaly feet.
"No," Cyril flatly responded. "But factories like this one need ventilation systems. So, we're going to find one of the grates."
"… oh." Noctum traced a claw nervously around his belly crystal. "And, um, will I be able to fit into it?"
"Probably." Cyril was focused on the other sidewalk. "Before that crystal, I'd call you embarrassingly thin for a 'zard. You a vegetarian or something?"
Seifer side-eyed Noctum, who frowned. "No. I just… struggled to get decent meals as a charmander."
"That so? Bummer." Cyril stopped and sat on his haunches. His goggle lenses flickered with small white lights. "Mmm. Think we're here."
"Here?" Seifer looked up at a neon street sign and traffic light. "We're at some random intersection! What makes you so sure?"
Noctum looked in the direction Cyril was facing. He tapped Seifer's flank with his wing. "Uhh…" The charizard pointed a claw forward.
Seifer followed it. Both of them saw assorted humans and pokémon lined up on the sidewalk. The line stretched several blocks down, before turning a corner and disappearing from view. A couple of the saucer-like Eternatus Troopers floated back and forth around the line.
One dark-skinned human in a crop top and short shorts threw his arms up with a victorious look on his face. "Aaaaand seventeen hours in line! Hot dog, that's a new record!" He held up a hand, but the lavender tangrowth standing behind him merely rolled its eyes.
"These people… are willing to wait that long for a phone?" Seifer's jaw dropped.
"Welcome to Eterna City," Cyril deadpanned. "In any case, that's how I'm sure we're where we need to be."
One of the street lights on the opposite sidewalk tilted upward and projected a hologram of Paradox in front of the people in line.
"What is up my guys, gals, and non-binary pals?" Paradox was disturbingly cheerful. "I hope you're all as excited for the new uPhone launch as I am." His right tentacles twisted into an arm and he pulled out the phone. "With its improved map and QPS functions, it'll get you where you need to be, when you need to be there! Enjoy the launch… and don't forget to show off your new uPhone on Chatter with the hashtag ParadoxRules to be entered to win an autographed uPhone case from yours truly!"
The hologram disappeared to raucous cheers from the people in line. Noctum winced. That enthusiasm sounded so forced it was painful. "I think I'm ready for a change of scenery," he said. Whatever awaited him in the factory couldn't be a sorrier sight than this.
"Great." Cyril pointed to a grate where the street met the sidewalk. "If my intel's correct, this'll lead you into the factory's ventilation system."
Seifer squinted at the grate. "And if your intel's wrong?"
"Then Zardy gets to take a nice, refreshing dip in the sewers," Cyril chirped. Seifer's snout wrinkled in disgust as he turned to Noctum.
"You don't have to agree to this."
Noctum shrugged. "I've had worse."
That earned a frown from Seifer. Noctum stepped toward the grate. Multiple floating taxis sped by. "Hey, uh, how am I supposed to do this without someone seeing me?"
Smirking, Cyril grabbed a canister from his bag with one of his tails. He glanced at Seifer. "Might wanna plug your nose."
That exasperated Seifer. "With what? I have hooves!"
Cyril twisted the canister open. A huge cloud of black smog spread across the street corner. Noctum's nostrils burned and his gag reflex nearly kicked in. Fortunately, he'd gone so long without a meal there was nothing he needed to keep down.
The charizard felt the grate under his feet even as car horns blared around him. Like he'd practiced earlier, Noctum concentrated on the strange spark of power coming from his belly.
Within seconds, the smoke disappeared, along with the horns. Warm air buffeted Noctum's belly. Cold gray steel surrounded him on all sides. Fans whirred in the distance.
Noctum had enough room to spread his wings, though the ventilator air rippled across his membranes like silverware poking flan. Still, Cyril was right. Noctum was thankful to not be taking a dip in a sewer.
He slowly drifted down the ventilator until he spotted a fan a few meters below him. "Psst! Cyril, you there?"
"I read ya, Zardy."
"There's a big fan blocking my path. What do I do?" Noctum slowly flapped his wings to keep his altitude.
"Maybe try offering it an autograph?"
Noctum heard a groan through the X-transceiver. Probably Seifer.
"In all seriousness, dismantle it. Can't have ya getting sliced into 'zard sashimi."
Noctum glanced at the fan, weighing his options. Ultimately, he opened his mouth and spewed a flamethrower. Though some of it threatened to blow back into his face, he applied enough force to blast apart the fan. An initial burst of hot air threatened to blow him several meters back up, but he pressed his hands and feet to the sides of the shaft and inertia did the rest.
Sighing in relief, Noctum continued forward. Every fan he crossed paths with met the same fate as the first one. After a while, Noctum reached a fork in his path, with the vent continuing down but also branching to his right. He relayed this new detail to Cyril.
"I'm pretty sure the finished product is at the top floor of the factory," Cyril explained. "So, I'd go right."
There was some muttering. Seifer objecting, perhaps? Noctum did have to admit he wished he was going off more than blind faith in someone who'd deceived him multiple times already. As he glided through the shaft, he silently prayed to Bahamut that he'd find what he needed.
"A reminder to all employees that a clean workplace is a happy workplace. Anyone caught littering will be subject to pointing and laughing."
Noctum hoped the eerily-cheerful female voice meant he was on the right path. Grates began to appear beneath him. All Noctum could see through the first few were gray floors. Hallways, if he had to guess.
The charizard approached another split path and hovered there, trying to listen for any sounds that could point closer to, well, the actual factory part of the facility. Realizing the occasional wing flap was making that harder, Noctum landed. The cold metal stung his feet, but Noctum ignored it and focused.
"Flapple would like to remind all employees that communication is the key to any successful workplace. As such, if you notice your colleagues slacking off, please report them to your supervisor."
The announcement came from the right path. Noctum took off once again, only to immediately encounter another fan. He paused, biting his lower lip. It was easy to get away with blasting them earlier. But now that he was within the facility, wouldn't someone hear the fan breaking?
Noctum shook his head. He could just fly away, right?
Please reward my faith, Bahamut. The charizard spewed another burst of fire. The fan broke apart and Noctum continued forward for a bit, stopping when he realized grated slits replaced the entirety of the shaft floor.
Now he had a clear view of everything. A black conveyer belt snaked across the floor beneath him. The walls were adorned with disturbing posters. One had an eevee sandwiched between a smiling umbreon and espeon with the caption "TEAM: Together Eternatus Achieves More." Another had a lopunny kneeling at a human's feet and pressing its face to his boots. It read "Leadership is knowing when to kiss up."
Gulping, Noctum focused on the conveyer belt. There were all sorts of strange mechanical arms and pincers moving in time with it, producing sparks on small black squares. Based on the ad Noctum saw earlier, that was likely the uPhone he needed to swipe.
Some of the arms had people standing next to them looking bored out of their skulls. A corphish was dangerously close to nodding off. Several meters away, a snover pulled a metal handle up and down, eyes glazed over.
Noctum frowned. He couldn't imagine a job where he stood around in one spot, doing the same thing over and over again. Where was the stimulation in that?
"Zardy, you still with us?"
He nearly jumped at Cyril's voice. "Yeah," Noctum whispered. "I found the phones. I think I'm where they put the finishing touches and box them up." His eyes moved with the conveyer belt and, sure enough, the end of the line saw two mechanical arms lifting uPhones into flattened cardboard for a pair of purple, grookey-like pokémon with two long tails ending in giant hands to fold up.
"Then snag one of the boxes before they get off the conveyer. Once you have it, use your crystal and you should be able to open a rift back home."
Noctum's heart fluttered. He'd get to go back to Horizon Gardens? Back to Yuna and Baraz? It was too good to be true!
"Sound the alarms! We've got an intruder in the vents!"
So good, in fact, Noctum didn't realize he'd stepped onto the grates and put himself in full view of the factory until one of the purple grookey yelled and pointed a tail-hand at him.
"Oh crap," Noctum squeaked. There was no sense hiding now. He smashed through the grate with a swipe of his metallic claws and dropped onto the conveyer belt below him.
"Protect the product!" a human in a lime-green jumpsuit and hard hat shouted from atop a yellow platform. She pulled a lever and the conveyer screeched to a halt while a klaxon blared throughout the factory.
Both purple grookey hopped onto their work stations and let loose a flurry of Swift stars. Noctum met them with gouts of fire, but he heard approaching footsteps. With a flap of his wings, he took off seconds before a spiked, electrified mace would've socked him between his wing joints. An Eternatus Trooper raised the mace back up.
"Halt, rebel!" the Trooper shouted. "Flapple is not responsible for any concussions or broken bones sustained as a result of your poor afterlife decisions!" It whipped both its spring-loaded arms back and shot them forward. At the same time, more Swift stars spread out behind Noctum.
Focusing on the Malice Crystal, Noctum warped several meters backward. The Trooper's fists struck air. "Hey!" Its maces dropped to the ground. "Dodging is not permitted!"
Noctum opened his mouth and spewed a large smokescreen. The purple grookey descended into coughing fits. Noctum dove down and grabbed the boxed uPhone they were in the process of completing when he'd been spotted.
"No, stop him!"
It was the forewoman, who now had a strange cannister trained on Noctum. A large rock shout out of it. Noctum had enough distance to easily strafe to his right, but there were now two Eternatus Troopers with their maces raised. Yelping, Noctum Phantom Warped up, but slammed his head against the sealing. He was fortunate enough to keep his grip on the uPhone, but another blow would cost him it, for sure!
"Zardy, what's going on? I'm hearing alarms through the X-transceiver!"
"I got spotted, but I got the phone!" Noctum said, coughing out another smokescreen that faded under a bevy of Swift stars. He flew for the broken vent, but the forewoman shot another rock from her bizarre rock launcher. It reminded Noctum of a concentrated Rock Blast. Why did she even have something like that?
The charizard rolled out of the way, managing to dodge a mace swing as well.
"Then make a rift and get out of there! Job's done!"
"How?!" Noctum approached the back corner of the factory. He'd have to turn around at this rate.
"Focus on your Malice and think about prying it apart like bursting through a locked door!"
He didn't have time to criticize Cyril's analogy. Noctum clenched what was left of his stomach muscles. The crystal, already glowing from his Phantom Warps, responded in kind. Purple shards formed on the wall Noctum flew toward. They opened up a jagged rift in the wall. Squeezing his eyes shut, Noctum dove into the rift seconds before a rock would've struck him. He could tell because its broken remnants pepper his backside as he tumbled through the distortion, curling around the boxed uPhone and trying not to look at the multiple red and purple eyes.
After a few seconds, Noctum landed on a bed of tulips and rolled to a stop against the outer rim of a flower garden. Groaning, he clutched his head.
"Did I… do it?"
The charizard sat up. Although he didn't recognize the tulip bed, he absolutely recognized the cozy brick buildings a few hundred meters in the distance.
He was back! Cyril had told the truth! Oh, thank God! Noctum wanted to cry, but there were more important matters to attend to. Namely, finding Yuna.
Fortunately, as he stumbled to his feet, Noctum was offered an obvious clue: several tables and booths sitting under a huge white tent, with a sign reading "Horizon Academy Club Fair."
Smiling and tucking the uPhone under his arm, Noctum took to the air and flew toward the tent. He got about halfway when he spotted a familiar toxtricity sitting on a rock absentmindedly strumming her gills. Noctum glided down and gently landed on the grass about a meter away. "Nikki!" He jogged the rest of the distance, waving at her.
Nikki pivoted atop the rock. "Look who's alive and kicking. I bet Princess will be—" She stopped herself. Her gaze fell toward Noctum's stomach. She rolled off the rock and held her hands up. "Yeah, I'm-a need you to stay where you are, dude."
Noctum stopped on the other side of the rock. "Ah, right." He looked at the Malice Crystal. "I can explain."
"Save it." Nikki took another step back. "I'm going to go… find Princess. Or Twiggy."
She turned and ran off, leaving Noctum standing in the field, clutching the uPhone box while his tail flame shrank.
XxX
As best Yuna could describe, the school day was a complete fog. She didn't remember waking up or Baraz escorting her to class. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Shimmer and Vegna were absent from the law class. Instead, there were instructions on the board about reading book chapters and answering questions based on them.
Likewise, Cid wasn't teaching his history class. Instead, there was a klefki whose name Yuna missed. She could hardly pay attention to him. The dreepy couldn't shake the sense that her classmates were staring at her. Reshiram insisted it was in her head, but that did her little good.
It was bad enough that she opted to skip lunch. Baraz offered to bring some food to her, which she accepted. Midmeal, however, Vortex broadcasted an announcement about the school's club fair. It would take place in the afternoon on the greens overlooking Horizon Gardens.
And so, at Baraz's insistence, Yuna found herself hovering toward the large white tent set up atop a hill to the west of the small town and its train station. Baraz waddled beside her, a newspaper clutched in his tiny hands.
"You've been carrying newspapers around all day," Yuna said. "What's the deal?"
"I, uh, couldn't help wanting to see what they wrote about yesterday." Baraz scratched his midsection with his free hand, generating a few sparks.
Yuna's gills shriveled. "Ugh. What did they say? Are they laying into me and Kain?"
"No." Baraz frowned. "In fact, aside from the Radiant Beacon, they're not covering it at all." He unfolded the newspaper in his right hand. Its cover had a picture of Starlene holding up a poster of herself and smiling for the camera. "They're all focused on this new song Starlene released yesterday: 'Hope Conquers All.'"
That gave Yuna mixed feelings. She was relieved to not come under fire. However, a part of her understood how callous it was to brush the event aside. Shouldn't Radiance's journalists be concerned about Xeromus? Or even Vegna? The former seemed especially dangerous to her.
"But if you went to talk about what you experienced, would they even listen to you?" Reshiram wondered.
I don't know. These are faceless strangers. Yuna's arms sagged as she floated on ahead.
"Ah, don't let it get to you, Princess." Baraz's large feet thumped against the grass as he awkwardly ran after her. "I'm sorry for bringing it up. You shouldn't let it detract from this club fair." He offered her a shaky smile. "Maybe you'll find something here that strikes your fancy? A way to unwind… or even make some friends!" His tail wiggled.
"Maybe," she whispered. Yuna couldn't shake her guilt. Vortex was trying to distract her classmates. She wanted to call it out for what it was, but who would listen to her? Her teammates, perhaps. But they seemed like outcasts at the school, too.
So, Yuna would play along. Perhaps she'd glance at the club tables briefly, determine nothing there suited her, and take her leave. Yes, that sounded like a solid plan.
She floated toward the south side of the tent. White folding tables stood in neat, evenly spaced columns. Some displayed signs. Others had posters on them. And a few had colorful tablecloths holding bowls filled with wrapped candy.
Where to start?
"What sorts of hobbies dost thou have?" Rayquaza asked.
Yuna started down the column of tables on her right. Uh, reading, I guess? And painting my friends' claws. And, uh…
She stopped next to a table for the chess club. The luxray seated behind the table slid the sign-up clipboard away from Yuna.
… okay, wow. I'm more boring than I thought.
"Nonsense! That's quitter talk," Rayquaza harrumphed. "Reading is a gateway into worlds beyond. Mayhaps there is a book club hiding amongst this labyrinth."
"Something wrong, Princess?" Baraz asked, stepping to her side. "If you'd rather I wait outside the tent, I can do that."
Yuna was prepared to answer when brown swathes caught her attention. She glanced at the far end of the tent. A table that had, of all things, circular pieces of wood stacked up in neat little pillars. Curiosity piqued, Yuna began floating toward it when something cold and metallic brushed her left horn.
"Gah!"
She pivoted left and found Chiaki standing there. He'd gone back to his black button-down shirt and pokébase cap.
"Got a second?" he whispered.
"Uh…" Yuna glanced at the table again. "I was kind of hoping to check out that club over there."
Chiaki's brow furrowed. "Wasn't a request. That charizard servant of yours is back, but there's a bit of a problem."
Yuna's ectoplasm quivered. "What happened? Where is he? I need to see him!"
Chiaki turned around. "Then you'll have to follow me."
XxX
Even as Noctum explained everything to Yuna, she couldn't take her eyes off the crystal in his stomach. It seemed to suck in the light around it. The normally warm oranges and yellows from Noctum tail flame were now hues of violet and lavender that sent a chill down Yuna's tail. How was he standing there talking like everything was okay?
And that wasn't even getting into what he had described. Sure, Aquardah had made her aware there were people living in Eternatus. But a linked civilization ruled by some tyrannical alien and his legion of weaponized unown? Humans and aliens mingling with pokémon? Some underground rebel group whose leader was a species that didn't exist as far as Etherium was concerned? And his assistant was Chiaki's mechanic… who was really a dead spirit walking amongst the living?
Yuna wasn't sure if she had the Soul Dew to thank for not passing out from information overload.
"I suppose you and Noctum are more alike than you thought," Reshiram said. "And now you both have powerful trinkets bonded with you."
"Yes, but his represents the power we art trying to thwart," Rayquaza reminded him. "In that sense, they are opposite sides of the same proverbial coin."
Is that supposed to make me feel better?
Yuna saw winces from both dragons in her mind's eye. She focused on the hardwood floor. Each plank looked as if it'd been laid with care and glazed by hand.
"I'm not sure why you roped me into this." Leaning against a wall of tan wooden slits, Nikki yawned into her hand. "Or why we're in some cheap wooden box."
Beside her, Chiaki rolled his eyes. "You're the one who found Noctum. And I already told you, this is my bodyguard's apartment. She installed all the wood furnishings herself."
"Uh-huh." Nikki leaned to her left and squinted. "Your bodyguard lives in a shack instead of in the servant's quarters. Which would, y'know, put her closer to you." She shrugged her shoulders and jammed her hands in her jacket pockets. "Really feeling that team love and camaraderie, Twiggy."
Yuna rubbed her temples. "Guys, can we save this for another time?"
Nikki shrugged and Chiaki scowled. Both looked away from one another, silently approving Yuna's request.
"What happens now?" Yuna asked. She wanted to go up and hug Noctum, but the crystal in his stomach worried her. What if it reacted to the Soul Dew?
No, she had to push that thought aside for now. Business first, right? Yuna looked at the box Noctum gingerly held. "Those rebels want you to deliver that to them, right?" Her gills drooped. "Does that mean you have to go back to that, um, asteroid belt?"
Noctum tilted his head. "I'm not actually sure. But I assume that's the case."
"… oh." Yuna looked down. She had an urge to ask to go with him, but couldn't bring herself to say it.
"Oh, wait!" Noctum rubbed his forehead. "Cyril gave me this X-transthingy to keep in touch with him. Maybe it works out here?"
Baraz wagged his stubby tail. "Wow, that sounds amazing!"
The charizard pinched his right horn. "Hey, Cyril, can you hear me?"
Yuna looked at her teammates, who shrugged in unison. "I mean, you guys know more about this stuff than me," she said. "With those gemcom things."
"I've got reception!" Noctum cheered. Nikki jumped in surprise, mane frazzling.
"Cripes! Didn't anyone ever teach you about using your inside voice?" she growled.
Noctum grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. It caught me by surprise, that's all." He tapped his horn. "This thing's incredible." He paused. "Maybe not worth all the craziness in the big techno city, but still cool."
"… tch. I could've told you it'd work," Chiaki grunted, arms crossed and head tucked against his chest. "What's the deal, then? Cyril going to send you back to this Eterna City place or what?"
Noctum repeated the question out loud while squeezing his horn. He closed his eyes in thought while everyone else looked at him expectantly.
"The city's on high alert?" Noctum winced. "Yeah, I guess that's my fault. B-But you're the one who told me to—" He suddenly went silent and stared at the box.
Nikki smirked. "Heh, how does it feel knowing your servant's a wanted 'mon, Princess?"
"Pot calling the kettle black much?" Chiaki scoffed. "I bet your disciplinary file is longer than a six-car train."
Nikki blew a raspberry at Chiaki.
"Real mature," the grovyle sneered.
"Bite me."
"I would, but you'd probably like it."
Yuna ignored them and turned back to Noctum, who repeatedly nodded and whispered, "Uh-huh."
"Well?" She tilted her head.
"He's not sure how to complete the handoff," Noctum said, rubbing the back of his head.
Chiaki pushed himself off the wall and approached the charizard. "Would he be willing to try and meet you in Venish?"
Yuna quirked a brow. Wasn't that the city that had come up in Benedict's trial? Why there of all places?
Noctum looked ready to ask the same thing when Chiaki held up his good hand. "I've got business to attend to there tomorrow night." When he was met with skeptic looks, he added, "Family business. And I might need Fen— sorry, Cyril's help."
"Family business… while your so-called bodyguard is chilling inside Eternatus?" Nikki squinted. "Yeah, that totally makes sense. Except for the part where it doesn't."
"Obviously he'd bring Valkyrie with him." Chiaki flicked his prosthetic arm dismissively. "Look, just ask him if that can be arranged."
Noctum had his hand on his right horn. "Did you get all of that, Cyril?"
Silence, then Noctum nodded slowly. "Okay. Yeah." He nodded again. "Sure, I'll tell him." Noctum took his hand off his horn. "Cyril said he'll try and make it work. Apparently Venish is linked to some sort of processing plant called Outpost R3X. The rebel leader has a bunch of friends who work there, converting tar into building materials."
A smirk tugged at Chiaki's lips. "See? It works out for everyone."
"What about us?" Nikki gestured to Yuna, then thumped her chest. "We supposed to twiddle our thumbs while you two go stuff your faces with Venishian food?"
Chiaki rolled his eyes. "I don't think you want to go where I'm going."
Nikki slouched against an oaken cabinet. "Ever the buzzkill, huh, Twiggy?"
Yuna looked to her right, where a window had been boarded up. Was there still time to get back to the club fair? Maybe she could leave with Noctum and Baraz while her teammates bickered?
A knock at the door drew a surprised squeak from Yuna. Chiaki whirled around. "The hell?" He crouched low. "Who's out there!"
More knocks, followed by a, "Look, just open the door."
Nikki's brows raised. "Hey, I recognize that voice." She stepped away from the cabinet and raised her right arm. "Take a chill pill, Twiggy, this guy's cool." The toxtricity walked up to the door and swung it open with more force than was necessary.
Yuna gasped. A milotic was coiled up in the hall, but his scales lacked the usual sparkle and luster she'd come to expect from them. In fact, he was downright shabby, with patches of graying scales and dirt caked on his ribbons and tailfins.
"I guess that might explain why Nikki knows him," Reshiram mumbled. "He must be from a shaky financial situation, like her."
Maybe? That's still a bit… harsh to say, Yuna countered.
"You were thinking it, too, though."
Yuna didn't respond. Instead, she addressed Milotic. "Can we, um, help you with something?"
"Actually, I think I can help you." Milotic pointed his ribbons at Nikki and Yuna. "You guys need a reason to go to Venish, right?"
Chiaki stomped up to Nikki's side. "You were eavesdropping?"
Milotic pursed his lips. "I mean… yeah? I just admitted it."
Chiaki narrowed his eyes. "And we should trust you because…"
"Because I caught Vortex and his gardevoir assistant skulking around the servant's quarters," Milotic declared. "They're moving the Crowne Cup's first leg to Venish and intend to rig things to get your team kicked out."
XxX
CDL-201A: Eternatus Brawler The Eternatus Trooper model specializing in close-ranged combat. Like all standard models, its UFO-like hull houses the unown controlling the mech suit. Its three legs have gyroscopic sensors to allow the Brawlers to maintain their sense of balance all while relentlessly pursuing their targets. Their armor plating is supposed to be tougher than their Gunner counterparts, but Boss Kitty can still rip through them when he's actually trying.
The real danger is in their spring-loaded arms. Each one ends in a spike-covered mace with Hidden Power augmentation. I don't know if they can change the typing of their maces or not, but they always seem to have the right energy to deal with whatever threats the archbishop wants incapacitated.
Like other Troopers, aim for their glass domes and try to knock out the unown. Otherwise, the hull will eject itself and try and press forward with its mission.
The Nefarious Slugger is the specialized ground, melee unit of the Nefarious Troopers in Rift Apart with mega-mass maces attached to each arm, perfect for smashing spirits and skulls. Being the melee fighting unit of the Nefarious army, these Bots will attempt to get as close to Ratchet or Rivet...
Shimmer stomped a forehoof down on the throne room's red carpet. His tiara refracted the spark of anger in his horn. Pink lights twinkled on the marble pillars and lilac tapestries. He stared his mother down, his bloodshot eyes reflected in the purple gemstone in the center of the bronze shield strapped to her chest.
"I demand his dismissal!" Shimmer pointed his right forehoof at Vegna, who floated beside Demerzel, Griffon, and Vortex. The dusknoir had his back turned to the assembly, slowly turning the page of his book. "He killed Benedict! I'm sure of it!"
"The investigation closed yesterday evening, Shimmer." Isola shook her head. "Stoutland Yard found no evidence to link Vegna to the rubble. And he was with the good magister the entire time."
Shimmer gnashed his teeth. "Th… then he… used black magic or something!"
Isola sighed. "Forensics determined no signs of Poltergeist usage or other supernatural activity." She turned to her left. "Demerzel?"
Her mutant advisor floated up to the stairs surrounding Isola's throne. He clasped his hands together behind his back. "Investigators traced payments to secure accounts belonging to Mr. Benedict. Sir Vegna's accusations have merit." Demerzel produced a scroll from his robes. "Jurist bribery. Witness tampering. It would seem he even paid off Stoutland Yard officers to interfere with investigations. They all pled guilty to misconduct and were shipped to Citadark overnight."
Shimmer's heart sank into his gut. He gulped. "Why? I… don't understand."
At this, Vegna slowly turned his head. His crimson eye glowed under his hood. "Why darkness and obscurity in all thy words and laws? That none dare eat the fruit but from the wily serpent's jaws." His book closed with an audible whump. "There are those who achieve power and will do whatever it takes to maintain it. Your 'uncle' intervened in trials involving his banking clients so he could continue to extort them. Nothing more, nothing less."
Vegna turned away, leaving Shimmer staring at his black cloak, mouth agape. Demerzel cleared his throat. "I assume that the press remains… unaware of this fact?" He turned to Vortex.
"The only outlet that even reported on Benedict's death was the blasted Radiant Beacon." Vortex rolled his eyes. "But we took steps to get ahead of it."
"By having Starlene release a new single?" Demerzel narrowed his eyes. "It was all over the news yesterday." Frowning, he turned to Isola. "Are you not concerned about public perception? The longer they remain unaware of such dealings, the worse their response will be."
"I understand your worries." Isola bobbed her head. "But it is a delicate tightrope. The last thing we want is to give people reason to believe in the extremist who staged a scene outside of the Crowne Court." She turned and braced her forehooves on her throne. "We have already put the Radiant Guard on standby for this… demonstration of his in Herbrides. The fewer people attend, the easier it will be for them to arrest the extremist."
Shimmer's face scrunched up. They were already brushing everything aside. Even if Vegna spoke the truth, that wasn't the Benedict he knew. The one who showered him with gifts, introduced him to oodles of celebrities, and helped him get modeling gigs and guest spots on PV shows.
They weren't even giving Vegna so much as a slap on the wrist for any of it. He wouldn't stand for that!
"I won't let you ignore this!" His horn sparked once again. Shimmer's nostrils flared. "Vegna… humiliated me. Mocked me in open court!"
There was a glint in Griffon's dark eyes. "That's because you made it eas— mmph!"
A pink glow squeezed the corviknight's beak shut. He went cross-eyed trying to open it back up.
Shimmer stepped toward his mother. "He needs to be sanctioned. Or suspended. Or… or something!"
"The Ministry of Justice is short-staffed, dear." Isola sighed. "We can seldom afford to dismiss an experienced inquisitor at a time like this."
Shimmer's face reddened. "Make an exception!"
"We will not." Isola pushed herself away from her throne. Her magenta robes fluttered as she turned to face Shimmer once more. "Our darling Justine did not… endure a month of the transfer orb's effects so we could conceive your egg… only to have you turn around and use her office as your plaything because your feelings were hurt."
Shimmer shuffled back. He envisioned the virizion's stern, disapproving look. The same look she always wore around him… no matter how many exams he aced or awards he won.
"But… if an inquisitor can openly mock me, how can I expect to lead this country effectively?" the ponyta whispered, ears folding against the rim of his tiara.
"Try growing thicker skin, Dimmer!" Griffon cawed, only for Vegna to flick his beak. He stepped back, ducking his head under his right wing. "Peeps gonna call him way worse shit when he inevitably screws something up as king," Griffon whispered despite Vegna's icy glare.
"Justine agreed to withhold Vegna's salary for the next six months," Isola said, ignoring Griffon's remarks. "Chancellor, I assume you are okay implementing a similar policy for his position in your employ."
The charizard straightened his tan suit jacket and bowed. "Of course, Your Eminence."
"Well, I want him out of the law class." Shimmer pawed at the red carpet. "And he can't be my Crowne Cup advisor anymore. I refuse to associate with him!"
Vortex glanced toward Isola. "Very well," the rapidash said. "You will reassign him, Chancellor."
"Understood. It should be simple… given one of my new hires thought he could make a fool of me by skipping out on his own classes."
Isola stepped back and sat on her throne. "That will be all." She waved her forehoof at the group. "Dismissed."
Shimmer opened his mouth, but Isola's gaze sharpened. "Dismissed, Shimmer."
The ponyta lowered his head. "Yes, Mother."
Vortex stepped to his side. "Come with me, Your Grace," he whispered. "There are changes to the Crowne Cup I need to tell you about."
XxX
Things moved quickly after Cyril deployed his smokescreen. He ushered Seifer through side streets until they reached a grimy back alley flanked by dumpsters and patches of dried ooze clinging to the onyx buildings. Seifer could only hear Cyril's side of the X-transceiver conversation, but by the end of it he was sure things had gone… decently.
Noctum returned to Radiance, while Seifer remained stuck in the Qliphoth. That jealousy left a bitter taste in his mouth. One that wasn't as strong as the… acrid odors given off by the dumpsters.
He had no idea how much time passed before a rift opened beside them and Gene invited them back to the Bergammula Belt. Seifer asked for directions to a shower, which Cyril offered without hesitation. He passed Valkyrie in the gray, metallic hallway. She looked noticeably less composed than when he'd last scene her. Seifer was tempted to ask if something happened, but fatigue outweighed that desire. So, off to the shower he went.
To his surprise, he found Cyril waiting outside the shower door when he finished. Seifer was tempted to duck back in and grab his towel from the linen basket, but Cyril politely turned away from the keldeo.
"What do you want?" Seifer asked. "Haven't I been through enough already?" He just wanted to go home.
… or as close to home as he could manage. His family had probably disowned him by now.
Cyril scratched his white, scruffy mane. "We, uh, still need to fix up that horn."
Seifer strongly doubted Cyril was capable of something like that. But it wasn't like he knew of anything else to do in this place. So, he followed Cyril down a couple of grated corridors and through a cylindrical hallway offering a panorama of the auroras and asteroids floating in the distance.
After Cyril unlocked the room at the end with a so-called "retinal scanner," he gestured to a worn red sofa pushed up against the wall. It had mismatched fabric patches sewn over holes and feathers poking out of the cushions. Seifer hesitantly sat down and promptly sank into it. His damp mane and tail frazzled against the couch fabric.
The walls surrounding him were lined with shelves holding a wide variety of tools. He recognized assorted wrenches, hammers, drills, and even a few welding torches. To the right of the desk on the opposite side of the room were a couple of metal aprons hanging on hooks over boxes filled with spare parts and rolled up schematics.
"Excuse the mess." Cyril had his back to Seifer as he thumbed through one of the drawers on the left of his desk. "I swear there's a method to this madness."
Seifer looked down. The floor was transparent, with rows of gears turning underneath it. There were also several metal boxes sitting between the gears. It was such a strange workspace. Nothing like the mechanic shops back in Radiance. Or, at least, the ones the Radiant Guard worked with.
"The way I see it, we can do things one of two ways." Cyril turned around. His right paw held a white tube and the left held a power sander. "Either I can try and make a mold of the breakage site and use that as a base for the prosthetic… or I can smooth the breakage with this." He squeezed the trigger on the power sander. It revved to life with a surprisingly loud whirr.
Seifer's ears flattened. "I think… I'd rather take my chances with the mold."
The white-furred zoroark looked at his power sander with disappointment. "I figured as much. This would've been easier for me, but I can't think of anyone too fond of having a horn grinded down… broken or not." He set the sander on his desk with a sigh. "Usually, I'd charge extra for this. The molding material ain't cheap. But since you helped with the mission, it's on the house."
As Cyril walked to his left and pressed a keypad in the wall, Seifer whispered, "I didn't even do anything."
Hearing himself say it out loud made it sting even more. He was supposed to be the one people turned to for help. Not some random Aeon charizard. And, on top of that, he sat by and watched while Cyril had perpetrated a crime! What if this archbishop character could actually offer him help?
… no, not just Seifer. What if Paradox could help all of Radiance? His disposal of Benedict could hardly be considered a bad thing.
Seifer grit his teeth. The keldeo was a good soldier. One of the best. He'd done everything Her Eminence had asked. And yet… here he was. Stuck in an alien world. Abetting hardened criminals.
Where had he gone wrong? How had he fallen so far so fast?
"Eternabuck for your thoughts?"
Seifer jolted. He looked up to find Cyril standing beside a strange metal chair. There was a padded square that seemed meant for him to rest his head on.
Shaking his head, Seifer got to his feet. "I wouldn't expect you to understand." He walked up to the chair. It was made with quadrupeds in mind. And it must've sprouted out from the floor, as there were wires and cables anchoring it in place that connected to some of the gears under Seifer's hooves.
"Why's that?" Cyril grabbed a black drape off his desk.
"Because you—" Seifer paused. How could he phrase it delicately?
Ah, to hell with it.
"You're a two-bit, criminal arms dealer." Seifer took a seat on the chair and lay his head on the cushion. "I wouldn't expect you to understand what it's like to have your whole life ripped out from under you."
For a moment, there was genuine hurt in Cyril's lone, visible eye. The white zoroark quickly hid the yellow eye behind his hair. "… yeah. Right." He approached Cyril, unfolding the tarp. "Real nice thing to say to a guy offering to patch you up."
Seifer shifted uneasily. "W… what's with the tarp?" He noticed a hole in the center of it.
"It's to cover your head and torso," Cyril stoically replied. "The mold's a right pain to get out of your pelt."
"Oh." Seifer's gaze fell moments before the tarp blanketed him. It was surprisingly soft. Silk, perhaps? He couldn't put his hoof on it.
"I guess the stuff I said before the mission doesn't matter," Cyril continued. Seifer heard the scraping of metal against glass. The tarp was too dark to see through, but he spotted stool legs in the small gap between the edge of the tarp and the floor.
"What stuff?"
"My life got pulled out from under me, too," Cyril said. "Y'know… used to be an ice ninetales? Stripped of my form and powers?"
"Ah, yes. That." The keldeo bit his lip. "I guess I just thought—"
"—that it happened so long ago, it doesn't matter anymore?" Cyril interrupted. Something soft gripped Seifer's broken horn. Cyril's paws? His grip was… gentle. Delicate, even. Two claws danced along the jagged ridges of the broken horn while a plastic instrument pressed against the tarp and, by extension, Seifer's forehead.
"I suppose," Seifer whispered.
Cyril tapped a claw against Seifer's horn. "Are all you Radiant Guardsmon so… emotionally stunted?"
It was hard to sit still at that. "Excuse me?" Seifer settled for puffing up his cheeks.
"Forget it," the white zoroark said. The stool pulled away. "I'm not exactly sure why you're saying your whole life got ripped out from under you. You're still alive. Healthy."
There was another word at the end, but Seifer couldn't make it out. "Like I said, you wouldn't understand."
"Try me," Cyril said.
The stool returned while Seifer pondered how to respond to Cyril's request. He was about to start talking when something warm touched his broken horn. The fur on the back of Seifer's neck prickled. He took a sharp breath. The keldeo had to keep his composure. Offers to help or not, he wouldn't let this criminal get the better of him.
Seifer managed to recollect his thoughts when more warmth pooled in his horn. "Being in the Radiant Guard was my life." His voice cracked. He was glad he had the tarp to hide the embarrassment on his face.
"Generations of keldeo have protected and served the kingdom," Seifer continued. "My family estate has a whole area dedicated to it. Medals of commendation, uniforms, and the like. The family record was spotless for generations… until now."
Silence, then a single, "That's rough, buddy."
Seifer blinked. Cyril didn't sound sarcastic, but what was he supposed to say to that? And after the ghoulish zoroark had the nerve to call him emotionally stunted, no less! What a total hypocrite!
"Wanna know what I think?" Cyril asked. Seifer was ready to say no, but the warmth spreading down his horn stub to his face took the fight out of him.
"What?" Seifer whispered.
"I think this is a blessing in disguise."
Seifer's response was a bitter laugh.
"No, I'm serious," Cyril insisted. His paws gently wrapped around Seifer's horn. The tingle in his neck returned, only now it was moving down his back.
"Look, maybe I don't know that much about you, but it sounds to me like you've lived the life you were told to live," Cyril continued. "Maybe you were happy leading the Radiant Guard, but I think that happiness was… manufactured."
"Huh?"
"Dude, you've lived your entire life in a bubble." Cyril claws needed Seifer's horn. The keldeo sucked in a sharp breath, attention split between the conversation and… whatever Cyril was doing to his broken horn. "You were surrounded by people walking paths that were laid out for them from the days they hatched. Of course you'd think everything's fine and dandy, because that's what everyone around you thought, too."
Seifer blinked once. Twice. Why was he having so much trouble focusing?
"You sound as if… I was brainwashed," he scoffed. "I wasn't in some bubble. I fought day in and day out against Radiance's seedy underbelly. Charged into the distortion to help those without the means to help themselves." Now he was getting worked up. "I liked my life because it was fulfilling! I was… making a difference in the world."
Silence. Cyril removed his paws and the warmth had faded from Seifer's horn.
Then, in a barely audible whisper, the white-furred zoroark asked, "If you were really making such a profound difference, why did Isola fire you?"
The tarp came off the moment Seifer's jaw slackened. Cyril draped it over his shoulder. He held what looked to be a white replica of Seifer's broken horn. "All set." Cyril set the replica on the desk.
"That's it?" Seifer did his best to regain his composure, but he struggled to lift his head off the cushion. His muscles had turned to putty. What had this crook done to him?
"That's it… for the moment." Cyril sat on the stool. "Now I get to work on your new horn."
"… oh." Seifer's eyes darted around. So, this was where they were leaving things? Seifer wasn't sure if he was relieved, ashamed, or guilty after what just happened. Perhaps some combination? All he could do was stare at the gears turning underneath him.
Cyril cleared his throat. "You don't have to stay. This room's far from comfy."
"Yeah." The keldeo turned toward the door. "I guess I'll… try and find the others."
When he headed for the door, Cyril said, "Oh, by the way, Boss Kitty called me while we were working. It looks like I'm going to Venish to pick up the uPhone. Chiaki's doing the handoff so Zardy can spend some time with that dreepy he looks after."
Seifer looked back at Cyril, who scratched the back of his unkept mane. "I know you want to get back to Radiance. So, uh, come with me, okay?"
The keldeo's shoulders sagged in relief. "Now that's something I can agree to."
Cyril's mane made it hard to tell, but Seifer swore he saw a twinge of sadness in the white zoroark's expression.
XxX
The grass was much less green in the valleys surrounding Venish. Not that Yuna could easily tell. Things were moving too fast outside the train windows. Fast enough to make her queasy. The milotic — Artemis, apparently — said they were on a "light-speed rail." It was certainly faster than the trains to Hebrides and the Crowne Court.
"So, um." Perched atop Noctum's head, Yuna batted her gills in thought. "What do you make of Vortex's announcement? Y'know, the whole 'experiential learning' stuff? That's, like, learning by doing, right?"
Across from her, Nikki yawned into her right hand. "He's blowing smoke out his ass. Crowne Cup challenges have always been, like, little samples of things the kingdom's cities are known for." She glanced at Artemis, who sat coiled on the chair to her left. "If you ask me, I think he's covering up the fact that he knows something's wrong with the distortion and that crazy mutt who kidnapped me."
"Xeromus," Yuna whispered, suppressing a shudder. He had mentioned going to Herbrides and Artemis had suggested that might've been the reason the class was going to Venish for the Cup's first leg.
"I really hope he's the one blowing smoke," Reshiram whimpered. "If we're in a faraway city, there's nothing we can do to intervene if he tries any funny business."
"Why not simply delay the Crowne Cup if things are unsafe?" Noctum wondered, fidgeting nervously with the pockets of a pink apron with a floral pattern. Baraz offered it in an attempt to hide the crystal sitting in his gut. "Or just, y'know, cancel it all together?"
"Pride."
Artemis' terse response made Noctum jump. Yuna's ectoplasmic body wriggled and she gripped his left horn to keep from sliding off. The milotic noticed and his ribbons curled. "I don't know if the decision's coming from Vortex, Queen Isola, or both. But if I learned one thing about the folks in charge at Horizon, it's that they refuse to let anything get in the way of their own aspirations."
Yuna frowned. "But, like, isn't the Crowne Cup supposed to be for our benefit?" She gestured to Nikki and herself.
"… ha!" Artemis coughed into a grimy ribbon. "Please. Do you have any idea how much revenue the Cup generates?"
"Uhh… no?" Yuna shifted uneasily on Noctum's head.
The charizard must've picked up on it because he added, "We're foreigners, remember? We barely understand the rules to this thing."
"Right, right." Artemis slouched against the window. "They sell tickets for every event. And broadcast the whole thing on a variety of PV stations. Companies trip over one another to buy ad space for these things."
"Ad space?" Yuna tilted her head. "Like… posters and flyers?"
"Well, yeah, they do those, too." Nikki's brow furrowed. "But we're talking about commercials. Y'know, the things that interrupt PV shows?"
It finally clicked for Yuna. "Oh, right." She did find it weird that those were a thing. It would be like some shop owner running up onstage during a theater performance to hock their wares to the audience.
"If Vortex delays or cancels the Crowne Cup, his company loses out on a ton of revenue," Artemis continued. "So, he's pushing forward with it. Even if it's dangerous."
"The school… is willing to risk thine safety for money?" Rayquaza growled. "Heavens preserve me, these administrators could do with some discipline themselves!"
"I mean… participation is, technically, voluntary." Nikki shrugged. "Ya just get pressured into taking part by everyone around you."
Reshiram hummed in Yuna's head. "Well, couldn't the reverse hold true?" He tapped his ethereal claws together. "If we tell enough of the other students about what's going on, maybe we can convince them all to boycott the Crowne Cup?"
Yuna repeated the idea out loud. Artemis rolled his eyes and Nikki waved her off. "Please. Good luck getting any of the others to believe you. They all see the Cup as their ticket to fame and fortune."
"There has to be more to it than that," Yuna retorted.
Nikki slumped in her seat. "Look, I'd be down, but with the whole Needle business, we need to be in the Cup to travel like this, right? It's a catch twenty-two."
"… I guess." Yuna deflated, almost sliding down the back of Noctum's neck. The charizard nudged her back up with his right arm.
"Is there a Needle in Venish?" Noctum whispered.
Nikki shrugged. "Hell if I know."
"There is." Artemis flicked a ribbon nonchalantly. "It's out at sea, though. Several kilometers east of the city. Used to see it back in my fishery days."
"Sheesh." Nikki scratched her left horn. "You never got creeped out by that?"
"The Needle?" Artemis raised a brow.
"No, dumbass." Nikki shoved Artemis' coiled torso. "Being a fish who wrangled other fish for people to eat."
Artemis shrugged. "You grow numb to it after a while."
"Well, that's not morbid at all," Reshiram squeaked. "Still, 'mons have to eat, I suppose."
"Thou w're a carnivore in thine heyday," Rayquaza said. "As was I."
Thank you, both. Now be quiet, Yuna mentally hissed. Both dragons' presences retreated. The dreepy desperately wanted to change the subject. "So, um, what do you think the first leg will be about?"
"Beats me." Nikki stretched her arms up. Tiny sparks jumped off her mane as it brushed her insulated seat. "Far as I'm concerned, you go to Venish for three things: the food, the wine, and the kooky buildings."
"I think she means the architecture," Noctum said. He pulled a pamphlet out of an apron pocket. "I grabbed this from the train station before we boarded." The black charizard opened up the pamphlet and held it up. "Look at that amphitheater. It's so big!" He pointed to the large picture in the center showing rows of concentric gray arches projecting a rainbow of colors. "Wonder how they get half a dome to stay up like that."
At the very least, Yuna was glad to see Noctum's Qliphoth trip hadn't dampened his spirits. His enthusiasm filled her gut with warmth.
… or maybe that was just his natural fire-type warmth. Still, it was nice.
"Oh, yeah, I guess, like, the theater scene is big or whatever." Nikki yawned into the neck of her coat. "But the seafood and pasta dishes are a way bigger deal!" She smacked her lips. "If we get an eating challenge, we're solid, time delay or not!"
Artemis smirked. "Maybe the food's a big deal to you, but most students here can get those kinds of meals whenever they want. Besides, a performance would be more… lucrative for the school."
Nikki frowned. "I swear, if they make us do some campy theater shit, I'm out." She waved her arms in front of her head. "Didn't sign up for that."
At that, Yuna couldn't help but giggle. "But you are a musician. That's a performance art."
Nikki blanched. "Well, I— that is—"
She slumped down even further in her seat, scowling. "Just because you're correct doesn't mean you're right."
Four chimes went off overhead. Yuna looked up to a speaker bolted to the luggage rack.
"Attention, passengers. We're pulling into Venish Central Station. Please collect your belongings and mind the gaps as you exit the train. Thank you for using Polaris Light-Speed Rail. It was a pleasure serving you today."
Noctum stood up with Yuna wrapping her arms around his horns to hang on. "We're supposed to meet everyone at the front of the station, right?"
"Yup." Nikki stood up, stretching her arms out once again. She slowly turned her head around to stretch her neck. "Still not sure why Twiggy needed an earlier train than us."
"Isn't it to give Cyril the uPhone?" Yuna said.
"Pssht. Sure." The toxtricity stepped out onto the carpeted aisle. "You gotta get better at reading between the lines. Why do you think he was pushing to go to Venish before we knew about the Crowne Cup leg? Guy's obviously got something going on here."
Baraz and Noctum followed after her so Artemis had enough room to uncoil and slither out.
"If that's the case, we have to trust he'll be back by tomorrow morning," the milotic said.
Noctum thumped his chest. "I think he'll be back."
The group walked toward the front of the train car. The door opened up to a cooling sea breeze. It felt great against Yuna's ectoplasm.
"Right." Yuna couldn't help but bite her lower lip.
Bahamut, please keep Chiaki safe. The team really needs him.
XxX
"Report, Sticky."
The naganadel looked up from his tablet. Paradox stood at the side of his large metal desk, staring at the wall of inactive monitors behind him. Three poipole worked to fit his purple and black cleric robes on and pull his tentacles through.
"Of course, sir." Sticky saluted. "I reviewed the incident report from the flagship Flapple factory. Security camera footage is distorted. Two Brawlers and factory employees report seeing a black-scaled charizard grab a uPhone and escape through a Qliphoth rift."
"A rebel. Typical." Paradox shook his head. "But a charizard is most… unexpected. The factory is deep underground. That blasted mewtwo should've been the only one capable of reaching it."
"The report mentions damage to one of the ventilation shafts, sir." Sticky held up his tablet and waved it around.
"Is that so?" Paradox stepped away from the poipole, pulling his tentacles through his robes' sleeves. The right two coiled into an arm. "Then it would seem we'd best install some aura proximity mines into their new fans. Wouldn't you agree?"
"I will order Flapple's contractors to do that, sir." Sticky typed away on his tablet with his free hand. "What should we do about the stolen gadget? If the rebels have their hands on—"
"Aha ha ha. Oh, you are hilarious." Paradox flicked his right hand dismissively. It unwound back into two tentacles. "Let the rebels disassemble it. If they think they're going to find some sort of tracking chip, they'll be sorely disappointed." Another chuckle echoed through the room. "Oh, to be a joltik on the wall of whatever cave they dwell in when they realize it was all for naught.
"Besides," the deoxys continued, flicking a left tentacle, "they're not the only ones with an eye for petty larceny."
One of the monitors on the wall flickered on, showing a bulky Mr. Rime hand dropping a folder onto a worn mattress. A nickit popped in next to the folder and sniffed at the top paper.
"Are you freaking kidding me? This is why you skidooshed us back here?" Nickit growled. "To steal some manichino's homework?"
"Please. This is but the opening act." Mr. Rime's hand grabbed the page and held it up. "The first round of bets before the flop."
Nickit turned up his nose. "I don't see it."
"A good hand often goes unappreciated until the moment the river card drops," Mr. Rime retorted. "Come along, now."
The monitor shut off. Paradox turned around, wringing his tentacles in anticipation. "Delightful. One step closer to taking the outsiders' perversion of our glorious benefactor and turning it upon its head. Is it not wonderful, Sticky?"
"I, uh…" He looked down at tablet. Sticky had no idea what he'd just watched. "I'm afraid I don't understand, sir. I thought Cassius had planted himself within Necrozma's ranks to get us his Red Chain fragment."
"He had, but it appears that pathetic Phantom still has some semblance of rationality left inside it." Paradox shook his head and tsked to himself. "Our good lieutenant reported losing psychic contact with Necrozma. It would seem the beast ditched him."
He brought his tentacles together. They coiled around one another. "But I do so hate to waste a fresh body like that, so I simply… provided Cassius a new assignment." The deoxys' tentacles squeezed into two hands that he pressed together. "A pity he can't take public credit for his work. I'd love to see the false hope drain from the Etherians' faces when they see we've turned one of their vaunted Crowne Ministers against them. Aha ha ha!"
Sticky rapidly pecked away at his tablet with a claw. When the archbishop's laughter died down, he looked up. "That sounds… wonderful, sir."
"Of course it does." Paradox floated past the naganadel. Four Eternatus Gunners joined Paradox from the wall opposite Sticky. "Come along, then. I have an important sermon in Noatun and I'd like you in attendance."
"Y-Yessir!" Sticky floated after Paradox's small procession.
Hazy heat was the first thing to greet the now-official Team Breaker when they followed Gene through a rift. They emerged on a large metal platform with giant mechanical pumps stationed on the corners. Huge metal tubes connected the pumps to the square, gray and black building stretching back behind them.
"This… is Outpost R3X?" Valkyrie stepped forward, sniffing the air. "Smells like a cross between a sewer and a construction site."
"That'd be the tar pits," Cyril explained, having disguised himself as a normal, black-furred zoroark for the trip. He pointed forward. Ramps led to lower metal platforms and walkways, all suspended over bubbling black ooze. Steam rising from the tar blurred the landscape in the distance. Seifer could see outlines of rocky crags, tunnels, and caves, but it was hard to make out any details beyond their blocky and circular shapes.
This place was linked to Venish? The city prided itself on the quality of its water, to the point where it called in the Radiant Guard whenever its water quality tests were the slightest bit off.
Perhaps this is the reason why, Seifer thought. He shook out his already-frazzled mane. His hair brushed against his newly finished prosthetic horn. Cyril had even matched the color up perfectly. The keldeo was glad to have that familiar weight back in the center of his forehead, though he still longed to be able to forge a Secret Sword with it. Alas, Cyril told him that wasn't possible. It'll do for now, though.
"What exactly are we waiting for?" Valkyrie tapped a foot on the ground.
"Chiaki gave me a very specific time." Cyril crouched down. "We've still got a few minutes."
"Then what's up with the cat?" Valkyrie jerked her head at Gene, who floated back and forth across the platform with a frown on his face.
"Man, where are the skorps? I usually can't go a meter or two without bumping into one." Gene jutted out his lower lip. "I was really hoping to catch up with Skorp and Skorp. Feels like ages since we've talked."
Seifer blinked. He shook his head. No, his ears weren't ringing. He'd just heard that. "Uh, I beg your pardon?"
In a trail of distortion, the mewtwo Phantom Warped to Seifer's side. "Oh, it's no biggie." He leaned over, using Seifer's head as a makeshift armrest. "The skorps run this facility. And they're all named Skorp." Gene paused, then added, "And before you ask, no, they're not clones of each other. Cuz that'd be totally lame!"
Scowling, Valkyrie huffed dragonfire embers. "I hate this planet already."
"Aww, sounds like someone got up on the wrong side of Eternatus!" Laughing, Gene smacked Seifer's head. The keldeo freed himself from under Gene's arm with an annoyed grunt.
"This isn't something to laugh about," Seifer huffed. He calmed himself with a deep breath. It wouldn't be too much longer. Soon, he'd be back in Venish and this nightmare would be behind him.
"Ah, there's Skorp!" Gene hopped into the air and waved both his hands. "Yo, Skorp! Over here!"
Seifer looked up and his tail shot up in alarm. That damned mewtwo was waving down an aerodactyl?! "What do you think you're doing?" he hissed.
"The hell?" Valkyrie crouched down. "What are you pulling here? Those things went extinct on Etherium ages ago!"
"Ah, don't worry about Kelly. She's a total sweetheart," Gene assured as Aerodactyl slowly came in for a landing. That let the others see the skorupi sitting on Aerodactyl's back. He had a hard hat securely fastened to his head, but rather than the expected claws and stingers, this skorupi had big incineroar hands attached to his stubby arms and the end of his tail.
"Gene!" Skorp skittered forward excitedly. "Oh, thank goodness you popped up, eh. We could really use some help right aboot now."
The mewtwo looked up from rubbing a humming Kelly's belly. "Hmm? Something the matter, Skorp?"
"You bet your bippy something's the matter!" Skorp skittered in place. "Heck, I'm surprised you can even stand being out here what with the tar fumes turning toxic."
Seifer's eyes widened. The tar pits were toxic? He and Valkyrie glared at Gene.
"Toxic?" Gene held up his hands. "Since when? That's news to me."
"Fer a couple of weeks now," Skorp explained. "We've been trying to put out a distress call to ya, but something's gone and jammed up our comm systems." He gripped his hard hat and squeezed it against his head. "And if that weren't enough of a pickle, some of the skorps have gone missing."
Gene's tail lashed at the air. "Missing?" He kneeled down by Skorp. "Who? Where? How? Why?"
Skorp looked down guiltily. "You remember Skorp from ol' Skorp's birthday bash last month?"
Gene rubbed his chin, then snapped his fingers. "The guy who liked his soda pop a bit too much?"
"The very same." Skorp nodded. Seifer shook his head in disbelief. How the devil could this mewtwo tell who was who when they all had the same name? This had to be an elaborate ruse… or a fever dream.
Skorp poked two index fingers together. "Skorp went missing a couple of weeks ago. Then about a dozen other skorps followed suit!"
"Then we have to investigate." Gene got to his feet, right hand balling into a fist.
"We?" Valkyrie stomped her right foot down. "What's this 'we' business? I already bailed your ass out once. I don't owe you any favors; you owe me." The garchomp held up her blades. "Open the rift and let us go."
"But the skorps are my friends." Gene's tail twitched in several places. "They've helped me out… not to mention the rebellion. We have to help them."
"If you're really as strong as you claim, I'm sure you can fix this yourself." Valkyrie waved him off. She turned to Cyril. "So, open the rift, and then you can investigate to your heart's content."
Seifer brushed his forelegs together. If the tar pits were poisoned, he couldn't afford to stay here, right? He wanted to go home. And Venish was so close, he could practically taste the salt in the air.
"I'm sorry… but I already helped you with that uPhone business." The keldeo exhaled deeply.
Silence followed, save for the bubbling of tar and the whirring of machinery inside the plant.
"Well?" Valkyrie turned back to Gene. "I'm not going to ask again."
Gene looked off into the distance. "If the tar is turning toxic… who's to say the same isn't happening to Venish?"
Seifer stiffened. Valkyrie narrowed her eyes. "Don't play games with me."
"If there's any distortion near Venish, there's nothing stopping some of the poisonous tar from leaking out," the mewtwo continued, his expression unreadable. Though Seifer swore there was a devilish glint in his eyes. "You really want to go back and risk finding poisoned water waiting for you? Seems like a hell of a gamble, since it could put you back here for good."
"Cut the crap." Valkyrie scraped her feet against the metal platform. "Isn't dealing with this kind of stuff your job?"
"Sure, but the more the merrier if you ask me." Gene shrugged. The smile on his face was sickeningly sweet. It practically knotted up Seifer's stomach.
"Hey."
The keldeo almost jumped at Cyril's paw on his left shoulder. Before he could say anything, the zoroark whispered, "Isn't this what you were talking about the other night?"
Seifer quirked a brow. He preferred to forget that conversation with Cyril.
"If Boss Kitty's right — and he usually is — then people's lives could be at stake," Cyril continued. "Sounds to me like the Venishians need someone to protect them, even if they don't know it."
Seifer glanced at his new horn, then at Gene.
It's about making a difference, isn't it?
He swallowed hard. "Okay. I'll help." Seifer stepped toward Gene.
With a clearing of his throat, Quetzal jogged to Seifer's side. "If the commander's in, so am I."
Seifer smiled at Quetzal, though that was followed by a pang of guilt. He'd forgotten the orange, flightless zapdos had even come with them.
Valkyrie's eyes briefly widened, then she turned away. "Well, they don't have jobs to go back to, but I do. You got two of us. Take the win and send me home."
The garchomp and mewtwo stared at each other down for a solid half minute. The crystal in Gene's shoulder sparked, as did his eyes. Valkyrie frowned, then scowled, then lowered her arms.
"… fine. I'll help," she croaked, stance slouching.
What just happened? Seifer looked between the two, but Gene hastily warped to Valkyrie's side.
"I knew you'd see the light, Chompy!" He pet Valkyrie's dorsal fin. She immediately held a blade to his throat.
"Don't push it."
"Love you too, new bestie." Gene winked and Phantom Warped back to Skorp's side. "Okay, lemme get Cyril to Venish and then we can get to work."
Cyril tossed several small buttons to Gene, who caught them with telekinesis. "Here are some X-transceivers, so we can all keep in touch."
Purple energy crackled behind Cyril. A rift split the air open. He touched a claw to his temple. "Good luck, you guys. And behave yourself, Boss Kitty."
Gene laughed. "No promises."
The zoroark hopped into the rift. Seifer rolled his eyes and cautiously approached Skorp and the lounging aerodactyl at his side.
"So, where do we begin?"
XxX
Chiaki hated surprises. He hated stuffiness. So, stuffy surprises were nothing short of nauseating.
In some respects, Chiaki had himself to blame. He didn't read the concert ticket in detail, just assumed it would be at some venue people closer to his age preferred.
Instead, the grovyle stood on one of the sand dunes of Venish's northern beach, with a white dress shirt, black bowtie, and black formal jacket. Holowear he had to pay extra for due to the short notice.
The amphitheater's white, polished dome towered off in the distance. Guess I made an ass of myself this time.
Chiaki took his good hand out of his jacket pocket, producing the uPhone box, along with a glass vial filled with glowing purple slime.
Where's Cyril? Chiaki looked around for any signs of a rift. This was the place and time they'd agreed on. What was the hold up?
Purple cracks formed in the air a meter behind him. The rift opened up and Cyril hopped out, his apparently fake black fur bristling from the sea breeze. "Sorry 'bout that." Cyril adjusted his mane— also fake and presumably housing a freaky Eternatus crystal. "Looks like Val and Keldeo are staying behind on Planet Bogdan to help Gene."
Chiaki frowned, but quickly shrugged the revelation off. "Whatever. Not like Val could come with me for this. You bring me the stuff I ask for?"
Cyril smirked and wagged a claw. "Uh uh. You first." He stuck his right paw out.
"… tch. Fine." Chiaki put the uPhone box in Cyril's paw, then placed the cylinder on top of it.
"And what's the bonus?" Cyril stashed the uPhone into his mane.
"The sample we discussed," Chiaki replied. "Poison from the daemon guarding the Needle in Aquardah."
"Ah, yes." Cyril sniffed the cylinder and licked his lips. "I'm gonna make something beautiful with this sucker." He grinned. "But you know the deal. Payment up front."
"It's already in your account," the grovyle scoffed. "Now… what I asked for?"
"Right, right." Cyril reached inside his mane. His red and black hair obscured bits of purple light. "First off, the supplies you wanted." The zoroark produced a bag and dropped it onto the sand at his feet.
"An X-transceiver." He tossed Chiaki a small metal cross, which the grovyle fastened to his bowtie. "And the mapping and recording tools you asked for." Cyril produced a white rose. He held it out for Chiaki, who looked at it with disgust.
"Really?"
"You have to get this stuff past security, right?" Cyril smirked. "Besides, it goes great with your, uh, ensemble." He snickered as Chiaki took the rose and tucked it into his jacket's breast pocket.
"It's not funny," Chiaki growled.
"It's a little funny," Cyril retorted. He reached back into his mane. "Lastly, something extra." The zoroark produced a wristwatch and tossed it to Chiaki, who caught it skeptically.
"This thing doesn't explode if I set it to a certain time, does it?"
"Pfbt. You've been watching too many movies." Cyril flicked his wrist dismissively. "Set it to twelve and press the button. It'll short out other nearby electric devices." With a confident grin, he added, "My equipment's designed to withstand it, for the record."
Chiaki frowned. "You do realize I'm going to the Amphitheater, right?"
Cyril shrugged. "Try not to get hasty?"
"Are you asking me or telling me?"
Cyril glanced at his black-furred wrist. "Oh, gee, would you look at the time? Don't wanna be late to meet your big sister, right?"
"Stepsister," Chiaki hissed. Theatrics aside, however, Cyril was right. He shouldn't keep Kyoko waiting. Chiaki was already expecting her to be in a bad mood. She always was when he was involved.
Good thing the feeling's mutual, he thought. Straightening out his bowtie, the grovyle started across the beach. He looked back at Cyril. "I'll be in touch."
Cyril sighed. "Of course you will. Better hope Boss Kitty doesn't need me."
Chiaki snorted. "You should just consider yourself lucky I didn't ream you for keeping all these secrets from me."
He proceeded forward without waiting to see how the disguised zoroark would respond. All Chiaki needed to do was make nice with the other concertgoers long enough to slip away unseen. Then he'd find the dirt he was looking for. Chiaki was sure of it.
XxX
There was a barraskewda waiting for everyone outside the train station; Minister Vincenzo, according to Artemis. Aside from a sailor's hat, he had some sort of harness around his torso. When Yuna looked to Nikki for an answer, she shrugged. Shimmer then butted in. With a scoff and a roll of his eyes, he expressed disbelief that Aeon didn't have Hydropacks, special devices to let more aquatic pokémon function outside of the water.
Yuna ignored Shimmer's condescension, focusing on Vincenzo guiding them through the city's largest streets. In addition to sidewalks, the city had tubes for aquatic pokémon to swim through. And then there were the canals. The water reflected the sky's orange sunset glow. It rippled as various water-types swam by, with some tugging boat-like structures called gondolas.
Eventually they reached a fourteen-story building painted with the colors of a clamperl. A marble huntail and gorebyss weaved around the top floors, coming together at the roof, which was a marble clamperl holding a sign displaying the hotel name.
"Buona serata! Welcome to La Perla dell'Oceano!" three machoke in magikarp-shaped bowties and deep blue sweater vests greeted in unison as the group entered the hotel.
The lobby seemed just as fancy. The light fixtures hanging from the ceiling resembled pearls and sapphires, casting a soft blue glow over the room that contrasted the warm oranges and yellows of the walls and carpet. Round oak tables sat neatly spaced apart. Each held multiple round metal trays with piping-hot mixtures of cheese, red sauce, and a variety of toppings.
Yuna's gills throbbed. "Is that… dinner?" The aroma alone was enough for her stomach to gurgle.
"Please tell me you know what pizza is," Nikki groaned, pinching her brow.
"O-Of course I do!"
… she didn't.
"We've prepared some of our finest artisan pizzas for you all to enjoy," Vincenzo declared, gesturing to the tables. "And our wait staff will be by to offer some reds and whites from the famous Nettare dell'Oceano Vineyard."
Excited chatter rose up among Yuna's classmates. The sylveon that hung out with Shimmer even trotted in place, clapping his ribbons together.
"Of course, for those who are not interested in the wine, we have both regular and sparkling water." Vincenzo gestured behind him to a square table topped by a white silk cloth. Two large water dispensers sat on it. Both had slices of cucumber floated between the ice cubes.
Yuna blinked in confusion.
Rayquaza hummed. "Cucumber water? How… quaint."
"Well, cucumbers are pretty moist fruit," Reshiram quipped. "So, I suppose it fits."
"Art thou mad? Cucumbers art most certainly vegetables!"
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but they have seeds," Reshiram retorted. "Botanically, that makes them fruit."
Yuna couldn't believe two respected Sages were arguing about this.
… no, wait, that wasn't right. She could believe it given what she knew about them. Yuna simply wished she couldn't believe it.
"Yo, Princess!" Nikki waved at her from a corner table. She lifted a slice of pizza with basil clumps and tugged at the resulting strings of melted mozzarella. "You better get your tail over here if you don't want me to eat the whole thing."
Yuna hovered toward the table. There was a glass wall behind Nikki's chair, with seaweed and bubbles carved into it. The glass twinkled from the chandeliers' light. Yuna's mouth watered as she pulled up to the table.
"So, um, what do you call this one?" she asked.
"Mahgahwehta." Nikki's full mouth muffled her response. She finished chewing and swallowed. "It's, like, the basic bitch of fancy pizzas. But I don't need none of that shit with truffles or dubwool cheese. It's way too extra."
"Extra what?" Yuna tilted her head.
Nikki paused, about to chomp down on her half-eaten slice. "Eh, it's a figure of speech."
"Not one I've ever heard of," Reshiram said. Yuna swore he was shaking his head.
"Right. Well, uh, guess I'll dig in." The dreepy grabbed a slice and squeaked when the melted cheese dribbled on her arms. Yuna plopped the slice on her place and wrung out her arms. "Uh, can I get a fork and knife, per chance?"
The toxtricity snorted. "Yeah, sure, if you wanna get laughed outta the hotel." She took another bite. "Only weirdos eat pisha wiv fowks."
"Duly noted." Sighing, Yuna blew onto her slice. After a few seconds, she picked it up again and took a bite. Her eyes sparkled. She set it down.
"That's the look of someone who's found a new food love." Laughing, Nikki licked sauce off her fingertips, then reached for another slice.
"It's great!" the dreepy chirped. "The way the melted cheese mixes with the richness of the sauce. It's… it's…" She furrowed her brow in thought. "Well, it's great." Yuna took another bite. It was just as good as the first.
"Right. I don't think you'll be a food critic if the whole princess gig fails." Nikki chuckled. She was almost through her second slice when one of the machoke from earlier showed up carrying a tray with two bottles and multiple wine glasses.
"Can I offer either of you a glass of wine?" he said, leaning over to present the tray.
"Pass." Nikki flicked her left wrist.
Her response surprised Yuna, who hastily shook her head. When Machoke left, she said, "I figured you'd be all over that."
"Wine? Feh. It tastes like nasty, bitter grape juice." Nikki scrunched her face up and stuck out her tongue. "Gimme a nice, cold beer over that shit any day."
"Right." Yuna took another bite. "I suppose that's kinda like mead?"
Nikki stopped midbite. She hastily scarfed it down and wiped her mouth with her jacket sleeve. "Wait, you drink?"
Yuna's gills stiffened. "Uh, well… mostly just at, y'know, parties?"
"You party?"
"I get the feeling you two have a very different definition of that word." Reshiram chuckled.
Yuna decided to steal that thought. "I'm not so sure we interpret 'party' the same way." She finished off the last of her slice and dabbed her lips with a nearby white napkin. "Aeon royals do have… get togethers. Usually, it's a big meal around a shared table. There might be some, uh, strength-based games. Lifting slabs of meat or doing tug-of-war over a mud pit." The dreepy batted one of her gills. "But that happens when people get a bit tipsier."
Nikki appeared bemused. "And you take part in that?"
"Me? N-Not really." Yuna hastily took another slice of pizza to avoid eye contact with Nikki. "Look at me. I'm scrawny. Not exactly what comes to mind when you think of a fierce dragon."
The toxtricity sat back in her seat with the crust of her second slide in hand. "Y'know, that has been bugging me. You're a young adult, right?" She chomped down on the crust. "You should at leasht have evolved onesh by now."
Yuna's gills nearly retreated into her head. There it was. A subject she wanted to avoid. She stared down at her pizza slice. There was a big mozzarella bubble in the middle. Yuna poked it with her arm and it deflated.
"Might I interject?" Reshiram whispered.
… sure.
"Nikki divulged that stuff about her friend going missing," Reshiram reminded her. "It, y'know, might be a good gesture to reciprocate some of that vulnerability."
He had a point, but Yuna wished he didn't. She continued to stare at the melted cheese surrounded by a sea of red sauce.
Then a purple hand waved in front of her face.
"You spacing out on me, Princess?"
"Sorry." Yuna flinched. "I, uh— the evolution thing is… a sore spot."
"Ah." Nikki's gaze also fell to the remaining half of their pizza.
"The, um, truth is… I was really sick when I was younger." Yuna took a bite of pizza and swallowed hard without even chewing. Somehow, it was more bitter than the last slice. "My family's healer said he thought my illness stunted my growth. No one's sure when I'll evolve."
… or if I'll evolve.
Silence followed. They both nibbled away at pizza slices.
Nikki broke the silence by clearing her throat. "If it's any consolation… plenty of Radiance 'mons never make it to their final evolutions."
Yuna thought back to the trial. One of the witnesses was a rhyhorn. An adult rhyhorn, by the look of things. She did find that peculiar, but it paled in comparison to everything else that happened, so she hadn't questioned it.
"What do you mean by that?" she wondered.
"Most folks ain't strong enough to evolve naturally, if you ask me." The toxtricity was down to the crust again. She waved it around like a baton. "So they, like, sell medicine and stuff to, y'know, induce evolution."
The dreepy chewed on her mouthful of pizza, trying to come up with an example of something similar. One came to mind as soon as she swallowed. "Kind of like how a feebas needs a particular sort of scale to evolve into milotic?"
"Yeah. But, like, more sciency. With pills and serum and shit." Nikki tilted her crust back and forth like it was a flask or beaker. "Problem is, not everyone can afford that stuff. None of it is necessary medicine, so health insurers typically won't pay for it."
She'd heard the term "health insurance" thrown around a few times and still failed to understand exactly what it meant. However, Yuna didn't want to dive down that particular buneary hole. "That all sounds… concerning."
"You bet your tail it does." Nikki ate half the crust in one bite. "But thash what ashes like Vortecsh want. Keep people weak sho they can shtay in control."
A shiver ran down Yuna's back. She didn't have the highest opinion of Vortex, but that sounded… unnecessarily cruel.
"And it certainly goes against the cooperation Sir Bahamut taught," Rayquaza harrumphed.
"But, eh, enough depressing shit." Nikki finished off the crust. "We're in Venish now. May as well enjoy it or whatever. Even if Twiggy's off doing whatever." The toxtricity leaned her chair back against the glass wall.
Though Yuna was a bit concerned Chiaki was still not here and a bit disheartened by some of the conversation, she had to admit this was… a welcome change of pace. Sitting down to try new food with someone who seemed to enjoy her company. Where had this been the past couple of weeks? If this was what Vortex's "experiential learning" plan was about, Yuna could get used to it.
… which naturally meant something was going to happen to ruin all of it.
At least, that was what immediately went through Yuna's head when a bell chimed to her right. She leaned over and watched gold doors slide open. Artemis slithered out with Noctum following behind, completely mystified.
"Wow! So, that's what an elevator is like." The charizard's black tail slowly wagged. "Amazing! To think an entire room can be levitated up and down with such ease."
"Dude." The milotic pressed his tailfins to his face. "It's a system of pulleys. You can't say stuff like that out loud. It reinforces the stereotype that you Aeons are a bunch of hut-dwelling savages."
Noctum's purple tail flame shrank. "Sorry." He trudged over to Yuna's table. She offered him a sympathetic smile, but he didn't notice it.
"Um, everything okay?" Yuna asked.
"Well, we got your room situated." Noctum fiddled with the strap of his satchel.
Nikki frowned. "Then why do you look like someone took your favorite toy?"
At that, Noctum rubbed his shoulder. "I, uh— how do I put this?"
"Something's up," Artemis whispered. He noticed the water jugs on the table behind him. "Anyone drink that stuff?"
Yuna looked over her shoulder. Shimmer clinked wine glasses with his sylveon and sirfetch'd friends. Another table had the weavile that Nikki got in a spat with during the preliminary round throw back the last of her wine glass. "Another!" she shouted, to which the luxray beside her lifted his empty wine glass as well.
"I… think they're sticking to the wine," the dreepy replied. "Why?"
"Good." Artemis leaned over. "Something's up with the water here. We saw a granbull couple drink from one of these containers. Both of 'em started puking their guts out. Paramedics showed up through the back stairs and carted them off."
Nikki tilted her head. "Food poisoning?"
"From water?" Artemis' brow furrowed. "Venish prides itself on the cleanest water in the kingdom. If a fancy-schmancy hotel like this one has contaminated water, who's to say the rest of the city's water supply is okay?"
"I dunno." Nikki reached for another pizza slice. "That's a bit of a leap in logic. Could be a problem with the plumbing here, for example."
Artemis nearly swatted Nikki's hand away from the pizza, but stayed his ribbon. "This is serious. If your Crowne Cup leg is tomorrow and the water is problematic, who knows what could happen?"
"Then tell the cops or something." Scoffing, Nikki took the pizza slice she was originally going for. "We're not plumbers. Or investigators."
"… a rare wise platitude, Nicolette."
That familiar, chilling voice sent a shiver straight down to Yuna's tail. She squeezed her napkin.
Why here? Why now? Why can't I catch a break?
Gasping, Noctum hopped back from the table. A familiar, cloaked dusknoir rose out of the shadows, studying Nikki intently.
"P-Professor Vegna," Yuna squeaked. "Is there, um, a problem?"
Vegna slowly turned his head to Yuna. "I'm simply making sure my remaining charges don't gallivant on another pointless escapade."
Yuna blinked, trying to process his obnoxiously fruity statement.
"I think he's saying he's looking after you," Reshiram offered.
But that made no sense. "I think there's been a mistake." The dreepy found the courage to look him in the eye. "Professor Cid is our advisor."
Vegna leaned forward. A blue glow spilled over Yuna from inside his hood.
"That foolish orbeetle was dismissed from his position. Turns out engaging in truancy with students is unwise for one's career prospects."
Nikki stiffened in her chair. The toxtricity dropped her pizza slice on her lap in disbelief. "So, you're saying—"
"I am your new advisor. And I will not tolerate any more disappearing acts from your so-called team."
Yuna didn't even have time to properly wallow in guilt from Vegna's revelation. With a snap of his fingers — and her classmates looking on and laughing — the dusknoir summoned Talonflame and his corviknight flunky. The birds hastily shooed Nikki and Yuna towards the elevators. Even Artemis and Noctum got swept up in the commotion.
One thing Yuna did manage to catch was two of the machoke waiters hastily loading the water containers onto a pushcart. But the gold elevator doors closed seconds later, leaving her squished against a metal wall with Vegna staring her down, one hand gripping the railing. She hastily grabbed the railing, too. Otherwise she would end up on the floor.
"What the hell? I wasn't even finished eating!" Nikki protested.
"You are now." Vegna's eye smoldered under his hood. "You two will be staying in your hotel room while we locate your grovyle compatriot. Perhaps there you can reflect on your… questionable decisions."
Nikki had no retort. Her mohawk shrank a bit. Yuna, however, finally managed to find her voice, "What do you mean by that? Are you talking about Professor Cid?"
"You are welcome to interpret my comments however you wish, exchange student." Vegna turned around his crossed his arms. The elevator arrived at the thirteenth floor. "But I do believe he would still have a job were it not for your so-called team."
"And why did we get dragged into this?" Artemis huffed.
"The attendants will, naturally, attend." Vegna flicked his right hand dismissively as he floated out the elevator.
"Heh! Way to put 'em in their places, V." Griffon clapped his black metal wings together.
Vegna flicked Griffon's beak. He pointed to Noctum. "Bring them to their room. Now."
Noctum gulped. "Y-Yessir!" He stretched his right wing. "This way, ladies."
Scowling, Nikki wiped pizza grease on her already messy thighs. Jamming her hands in her pockets, she grumbled, "Great. And I bet Vortex put us on the thirteenth floor on purpose."
"What's wrong with thirteen?" Yuna asked.
"You live under a rock or something, wyrmy? It's the bad luck number!" Griffon cawed, earning another flick on his metallic beak.
Yuna failed to see how a number could symbolize bad luck. However, given the recent turn of events, perhaps the corviknight had a point?
"Don't fall down the well of superstition. We'll never get you out if you do!" Reshiram whined.
The room door opened with a creak. Noctum held the door open so Yuna and Nikki could enter. Blue carpeting swished under the charizard and toxtricity's feet. The walls were tan, resembling the very beaches whose sand sparkled in the distance under the moonlight.
Nikki tossed her jacket onto the far bed and then leaped onto it. The pizza sauce and grease on her legs immediately stained the white blanket. "Well, I guess there are worse places to be grounded. Still, this is so stupid. I can't believe Twiggy's dicking us over like this!"
Yuna quietly floated to the other bed. Its white, silk blanket was cool against her ectoplasm. The dreepy ignored Nikki's complaints. Her mind drifted back to Cid. He had followed Yuna's teammates to the Crowne Court out of concern. And she was the one who called them in the first place.
"Don't blame thineself," Rayquaza piped up. "Thou could not have predicted thine teacher would follow. Nor could thou expect the chain of events that followed."
… still. He got devolved fighting to free you. Yuna suppressed a wince at the memory of a screaming blipbug. He hadn't even returned to teaching his classes! To get fired when he's not mentally okay… Her thoughts trailed off.
"Helloooo! Etherium to Yuna."
A turquoise throw pillow landed to Yuna's right. The dreepy's head jerked up. "Were you listening?" Nikki said. "You and Twiggy went on and on about these damned Needles… and now he's giving us the death knell. Whatever the Reaper does to him… there's no way he'll be in top shape for tomorrow."
Nikki rolled onto her back, groaning. The sounds of torn fabric followed. "Stick a fork in us! We're cooked!"
"… oh." Yuna stared at her blanket. She hadn't even considered that. If Vegna was now their advisor, what would it mean if their team finished last in the first leg? Would they fall under constant supervision from the dusknoir? How would she be able to track down the rest of the Needles?
"Uh, did thou forget thine ability to open up portals?" Rayquaza said. "Pray that foul dusknoir cannot simply chase you inside Eternatus lest he meet the same troubles as the orbeetle."
"Whatever Twiggy's doing can't be more important than the fate of the freaking world." Nikki threw up her hands in exasperation.
"Shh!" Artemis pressed his tailfins to his lips. "Vegna's bound to have stationed someone outside the room. Do you want them to overhear?" Shaking his head, the milotic scooped a remote control off the nightstand by Nikki's bed. He clicked it and the flatscreen PV on the other side of the room came to life.
"Ever diligent, the proud fishermon exercise the utmost care in ensuring their feral catches remain secure in the specialized fishing nets."
The male, monotone narrator spoke over footage of two seismitoad and a quagsire reeling in a massive net filled with weakly flailing magikarp.
"The hell is this crap?" Nikki sat up and squinted. "'The Learning Channel?' What sort of killjoy had this room last?" She shot Noctum an accusatory look. "This isn't your doing, is it?"
"Absolutely not." The black charizard held his hands up. "As nice as a good grilled fish is, I don't want to watch them getting swept away like that."
Artemis, on the other hand, couldn't take his eyes off the PV. Even as the feral magikarp spilled out across a specialized bucket in the middle of the ship's deck.
"Err, everything okay?" Noctum held his left wing up in front of Artemis.
The milotic flinched and looked away. "It's nothing." His eyebrows shriveled. "You already know I was a fisher once. Seems like another lifetime ago."
Nikki crawled forward on her bed, smearing some more pizza sauce. "I know we asked about this on the train, but I think you lied about it not making you uncomfortable. They definitely catch feral feebas."
Artemis turned to the window. "Maybe this is hinting at your challenge tomorrow?"
"Don't deflect," Nikki huffed.
"It's not a deflection," Artemis growled. "Fishing is a central part of Venish. So, maybe the first leg involves fishing?"
"Well, that'd be easy!" Nikki raised her right hand. Sparks crackled in it. "I could fry a pool of those stupid fish in a heartbeat."
"Something tells me it won't be that simple." Yuna laughed nervously while Noctum walked past the beds toward the washroom. "Besides, we can't afford to think recklessly."
Nikki grabbed her bed's other throw pillow and squeezed it. "Then tell that to Twiggy."
Yuna had no desire to go in circles on this subject. Luckily for her, Artemis offered a convenient alternative. "Forget thinking about how you'll fish." The milotic curled his ribbons. "I'm more concerned about the water quality."
"You mean what you saw when you were setting up our room?" Yuna traced an arm around the Soul Dew. Now was as good a time as any to bring up the bit she almost missed. "When we left the lobby, I saw some of the bellhops carrying away the water containers."
"And?" Nikki shrugged. "Maybe they realized no one was drinking it."
"Or they learned about what happened up here." Artemis turned and narrowed his eyes. "I think the water here is contaminated."
"Guys?"
"Then I guess it's time to pray Pillow Princess and his ilk decide to brush their teeth and spend the night puking their guts out." Nikki flopped on her back again. Her waist spikes poked more holes in her bed.
"You're missing the point," Artemis huffed.
"Guuuuys?"
"I don't really see how faulty hotel plumbing is our problem," Nikki scoffed, crossing her legs and tapping her left foot against the air.
Reshiram shifted around nervously in Yuna's mind. "I think he's getting at the idea that if the hotel water is contaminated… other places might be effected, too."
Yuna repeated that. Artemis pointed a ribbon at her. "Exactly!"
"Again… so what?" Nikki rolled her eyes. "We ain't the Super Marill Brothers or anything."
"Guys!"
"Eep!" Yuna hopped into the air, gills shooting into her head. Noctum stuck his head out the washroom door, frowning.
"There's no water," the charizard exclaimed.
Nikki sat up. "What?"
"Did you try the shower?" Artemis asked.
"The sink and the shower." Noctum clutched the straps of his floral print apron. "Someone must've turned the water off."
Artemis again fixed a scrutinizing look on Nikki. "Well?" He gestured to the air with both ribbons.
"Okay, sure. You got me." The toxtricity tossed the throw pillow behind her. "Something stinks about this. But I've gone plenty of days without a shower. I'll live." She sniffed her armpit and nodded. "A spray-on deodorant bath and I'll be good."
"This isn't about bathing." Artemis' face reddened. "What if the canal system is also contaminated? If they send you guys out on the water tomorrow, you could have a serious problem on your hands."
"What do you suggest, then?" Nikki rolled over onto her left side, resting her head on her left hand. "Wanna call Stoutland Yard? The Radiant Guard? There's a gemcom right next to you. Go right ahead."
Yuna looked between the milotic and the crystal connected to a tan, triangular base with a numeric keypad. A lightbulb then went off in her head. The dreepy turned to Noctum. "Hey, Noctum. Can you try calling someone in the Qliphoth? Ask them if there's anything suspicious going on."
His eyes brightened. "Oh, that's a good idea, Princess." Noctum waddled out of the washroom and tilted his head. "Hello? This is Noctum, calling in from Venish."
Silence followed, until Noctum's purple flame grew a smidge. "Oh, M-Miss Valkyrie. Wasn't expecting to hear from you." He laughed nervously. "Why do I sound so nervous? Well, y'see, we think the water in the hotel we're staying at has been contaminated. Some pokémon got very sick from drinking it and they shut our water off."
He fiddled with the pouch on his apron. "Yuna thought I should ask if you've noticed anything weird on your end."
Again, there was silence. Yuna hoped the answer would be no, but her gills drooped when Noctum's jaw stiffened.
"What? The tar pits were poisoned?" the charizard gasped.
"I bet they're connected," Reshiram glumly said.
Me too. Yuna rubbed her temples. The last thing she wanted was to go diving into Eternatus again. Especially when there were already people looking into things on that side. Maybe she could convince—
"Huh? No way! Those are extinct, aren't they?" Noctum's tone grew more worried by the second. "I mean, yeah, I know things are crazy there, but—" He stopped, eyes progressively widening. "They're walking skeletons?"
Yuna floated closer. "What is it? What's wrong?"
Noctum gulped. "Skeletal rampardos are attacking Valkyrie and the others! They're coming out of the tar pits!" He looked down. A purple tint showed through his pink apron. "We have to help them… don't we?"
Yuna recalled the earlier comment about Vegna stationing someone outside their room. She desperately wished to use that as an excuse to stay. But the dreepy knew she couldn't sit on this. There had to be a link between the bad water and the poisoned tar. And if the latter could animate skeletons, what could it do to Venish if it seeped out through the distortion?
"I'll go with you," she whispered. The Soul Dew twinkled in affirmation. She glanced over at Nikki.
"You want some extra firepower?" Nikki's mohawk sparked.
"N-no. I think you two should stay." Yuna wrung her arms. "I'm small enough that it should be easy to pretend I'm still here. We don't need to be getting in more trouble with our teachers, right?"
Nikki lay back down. "Suit yourself."
Yuna looked to Noctum and nodded. "Let's go."
XxX
Chiaki flagged a private carriage to get him to the amphitheater. The bumps of Venish's cobblestone streets gave way to smooth pavement as the carriage drew closer to its destination. With the sun having set, the amphitheater's arches bathed the surrounding area in pink and tan lights. No doubt tuned to match the color scheme of tonight's performer.
The grovyle disembarked and dropped several coins into a pouch strapped to one of the three ninjask pulling his carriage. He weaved between multiple parked carriages and omnibuses, all with lavishly dressed pokémon funneling toward metal gates. Chiaki looked up at the electronic sign over the gates, which had Starlene's face next to "One Night Only: Radiant Diva Waltzes Through Time!"
As a suit-wearing grimmsnarl shoved Chiaki to the side, he instinctively reached for a hat that wasn't there. How he wished he could hide his face. It wasn't that Chiaki was bad with crowds, but uppity ones like this made his scales crawl.
Why couldn't this have been one of her normal concerts?
Glowering, Chiaki walked right, trying to get past the people funneling toward the entrance gates. "Cyril, you there?" he whispered.
Silence followed.
"Cyril?" Chiaki hissed.
More silence.
"Pick up, damn it."
Crackles graced his right ear frill. "Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry. Was a bit preoccupied."
Chiaki resisted the urge to facepalm. "With what?"
"Zardy was talking to Val," Cyril replied. "Seems there might be a water contamination issue at your school's hotel. And given the tar pits in the Qliphoth have turned poisonous, odds are the whole city's water supply might be in trouble."
Chiaki froze mid-step. An octillery in a top hat and monocle bumped into him. "Hey, watch where you're walking, ruffian!" he spat. "The entrance is that way." Octillery pointed a tentacle back toward the gates.
To that, Chiaki produced his ticket from his breast pocket. "VIP, jackass," he growled, then stormed off. Chiaki stole a glance back at Octillery's dumbfounded expression before continuing toward a single metal gate with a glass security checkpoint beside it. A placard atop it said it was a special entrance for press and VIPs.
"Is everyone okay?" Chiaki asked, imagining his garchomp assistant standing on a small piece of land with bubbling tar pits all around her.
"That's… debatable," Cyril replied.
"The hell's that supposed to—"
"Ticket, please."
Chiaki had reached the checkpoint. The togetic in the glass box stared him down. Chiaki fished his ticket out of his breast pocket again and put it in the box's slot. Togetic took the ticket and put it against a scanner. A beep sounded and she handed it back to the grovyle.
"Enjoy the show, sir." Togetic's expression turned cheerful. "And tell Becca I can't wait to read her piece on tonight's show."
The metal bars in front of Chiaki swung open. "Will do," he muttered, returning the ticket to his breast pocket and proceeding forward. Unlike the stone steps several meters to the left, the ones in front of Chiaki were relatively empty. He jogged up them, trying to focus once more on what Cyril had told him.
Chiaki was ready to press the zoroark for more details when he spotted a salazzle standing at the top of the stairs, leaning against the railing and running her right, black-gloved hand along her tight black dress. Typical holowear fare for her, as far as Chiaki was concerned.
Salazzle spotted him and narrowed her eyes.
"Took your sweet time, didn't you?"
A sigh escaped Chiaki's lips. "Nice to see you, too, si—"
Red embers grazed Chiaki's right cheek. Salazzle walked down two stairs, put her index finger under Chiaki's chin, and tilted his head up.
"Don't 'sis' or 'Kyoko' me," she hissed. "You're in my world now. What was our deal?"
Chiaki stepped back, shoving Kyoko's hand away. "That I'm 'your weirdo cousin from your deadbeat dad's side of the family who happens to be a huge Starlene fanboy.'"
Smiling, Kyoko leaned over and pet Chiaki's head. "Very good." She pulled her hand away before Chiaki could swat it out of irritation. "Now, put on a smile and act like you want to be here."
The grovyle pursed his lips. "This wasn't what I was expecting."
Rolling her eyes, Kyoko adjusted the black purse dangling from her left elbow. "It was all written on the ticket. Not my fault if you didn't read it." She turned around, flicking his snout with the end of her tail. "You're not going to shake your dead weight reputation with that kind of boneheadedness."
Chiaki's blood boiled. "I'm not dead weight," he hissed.
Kyoko was already back up the stairs. "You don't answer Dad's calls. Or his letters. Everyone thinks you've ghosted the family."
"We both know that's not true," Chiaki growled.
"I'm not getting into this any further." Kyoko held her right hand up. "I paid my dues as Kyoko Ryujin. Tonight is about Becca Fontaine, the pulse of pop culture, covering Starlene's first foray into a new music genre." She began to walk off. "Now, smile and come along, or we're going to miss the start."
An unpleasant tingle spread down Chiaki's prosthetic arm. He pulled it close against his torso and walked after his salazzle stepsister, stance slouching.
"Act like you want to be here, dweeb," Kyoko chided.
Chiaki sucked in a deep breath and forced a smile. The corners of his lips quivered, but he tried his best to hide that fact.
As soon as all eyes are onstage, I can sneak away, he told himself. Don't let her get to you. Stay composed. Remember why you're here.
He quickened his pace to catch up with Kyoko, gazing at the semicircular rows of seats stretching back for meters from the rustic wooden stage.
"You ever think about how they protect everything from the elements?"
Chiaki rolled his eyes. He was in no mood to entertain Kyoko's pathetic attempts at small talk. But then he glimpsed the icy look on her face and awkwardly widened his forced smile.
"I don't, but they've probably got giant tarps," he replied. "Y'know, like they use at pokébase and baccer stadiums."
"Eh, I guess." Kyoko shrugged. "And maybe they have flying-types clean up the arches when the weather settles."
The walkway curved left, away from the seats. They walked down multiple sets of stairs. The pavement gave way to wooden planks flanked by velvet rope and curtains.
Chiaki wasn't sure what he expected to find backstage, but he figured an old structure like the amphitheater would have cramped quarters. Instead, the grovyle found it quite spacious. Large metal containers sat neatly stacked against brick walls several meters away; likely homes for the acoustic and sound equipment when there weren't any performances. A couple of dozen other pokémon littered the area. Some commiserated, others tried to find the perfect angle to view the stage.
"Cyril, is the camera feed working?" Chiaki whispered.
"Yup," he responded. "Just remember to be careful with it, especially if you use the watch's EMP."
"Noted." Smiling awkwardly once again, Chiaki nodded to an umbreon in a lilac dress. The tuxedo-wearing toxicroak beside her glanced at him and winked. Chiaki quickened his pace, cheeks burning.
"Ooh, you should ask for his digits."
"Shove it," Chiaki hissed.
"Then how about telling him there's a hot, single zoroark who wants to get into his area?"
The tingling in his prosthetic was back, but even worse. Chiaki took a deep breath. It didn't work. Trying to maintain his smile, he headed toward Kyoko, who found a spot next to the base of a stage light. She produced a notebook and pen from her purse and looked out at the stage with a sense of purpose.
"Not interested in socializing?" Chiaki wondered.
The salazzle licked the corner of her lips. "What do you think I was doing before you showed up?"
"Fair." Chiaki stood at Kyoko's side. The stage had cardboard cutouts fashioned after waves and sand dunes. More waves and metal bridges ran across both the back of the stage and the pit between the stage and the audience. Squinting, Chiaki made out assorted shadows holding violins, cellos, and basses.
"What's even the point of all of this?" Chiaki tilted his head.
Kyoko sighed. "Horizon's really got you living under a rock, huh?" She chuckled into her hand while Chiaki grumbled under his breath. "It's the hundred and fiftieth anniversary of La Filarmonica. They're doing a special concert series. Tonight's theme is a tribute to the waltzes of the last century and a half."
Chiaki resisted the urge to cringe. Starlene's obnoxiously cheerful pop music was bad enough, but he had no idea how anyone could stand to listen to waltzes. They put him to sleep. "Why not get some opera or theater star to perform, then?" he wondered. "Why Starlene?"
"Hell if I know." The salazzle shrugged. "If I had to guess, it's an attempt at staying relevant."
Chiaki blinked. The stage lights made it impossible to see how full the audience actually was, but he could hear chatter. "Crowd doesn't sound small."
"Well, my colleagues at Rogue sure seem to think La Filarmonica is struggling to drum up support." Kyoko clicked her pen repeatedly. "Between Polaris Vision, movie theaters, pop stars like Starlene, and underground groups like Crimson Cloud, fewer folks want to shell out for traditional forms of entertainment."
"So, this is a desperation move by an institution on life support."
Kyoko snorted. "Your hate boner for Polaris is showing. I don't think things are that bad yet."
Chiaki could have retorted that Starlene was managed by one of Polaris' many subsidiaries, but opted for a different route instead. "Don't you think it a bit strange that Starlene just so happened to drop a new single out of nowhere right after an aristocrat fell victim to the Grim Reaper?"
The salazzle's snout scrunched up. She clicked her pen a couple of times. Chiaki leaned into her line of sight. "Did Rogue publish a piece on the Benedict trial and its aftermath?"
"Why do you care?"
The grovyle's expression darkened. "I was there. I saw everything play out. The beast that accosted Benedict before his sudden death attacked me last week on our class trip to Herbrides. And he plans to hold some sort of demonstration there tomorrow."
Kyoko pressed her pen so hard she nearly broke its clicker. "Does Dad know you were attacked?"
"Only if Valkyrie told him."
The back of Kyoko's dress fluttered. Her tail flaps curling against her hips, perhaps? She hastily wrapped her tail around her right leg. "Whatever you're implying, I'm not interested in hearing it."
"Come on, s— Becca." Chiaki curled his left claws into a fist. Stabbing pain gripped his prosthetic. "Don't tell me you don't see it. They're using Starlene as a tool. To keep people blind and ignorant." He gestured on stage. "I bet this is part of it, too. Distracting people from that beastly cultist."
The stage lights dimmed with audible clicks. Kyoko shoved Chiaki to the side. "You say you have a job to do? Well, so do I. Only mine is real and not chasing after some deluded fantasy."
Chiaki's snout scrunched up. The grovyle figured his stepsister would put up a wall. It was foolish to think he'd actually get through to her. With a shaky breath, he turned to the stage, squeezing his prosthetic tight against his torso.
"Good evening," a soothing female voice exclaimed. "The Venishian Amphitheater is pleased to welcome you all to this special performance, featuring La Filarmonica and Starlene together for the first time. We invite you all to sit back, relax, and enjoy a tribute to the waltzes of the past. Join us in welcoming the Radiant Diva, Starlene!"
Polite applause followed. Kyoko and other journalists offered their own tepid applause between fumbling for their cameras and notepads. It was a far cry from the hoots and hollers Chiaki had heard at the Crowne Cup opening banquet.
Different crowd indeed.
The meloetta walked onstage from the other side, smiling and waving to the crowd. Her music note-like hair and ocean blue dress flowed behind her with every delicate step she took.
Chiaki was shuffling away from his stepsister, hoping everyone would be too focused on Starlene to notice him. However, the scrunching of the salazzle's snout gave him pause. Kyoko's grip had tightened on her pen.
The grovyle looked out on stage again. What had Kyoko seen to make her tense up? He watched Starlene approach a circular podium rising up from the floor. She still had the same, pristine smile on her face. That distant look in her eyes—
Wait a second! The tingling in Chiaki's prosthetic intensified. He tiptoed back up to Kyoko's side, lips curling into a frown.
"You see it, don't you?" he whispered as Starlene reached the top of the podium and turned away from the two reptiles.
A part of him expected the salazzle to rebuke him, but she surprisingly nodded.
"Her eyes? Yeah." Kyoko squeezed her pen tighter. "She's smiling, but her expression couldn't be any emptier."
"So, now what?" Nikki lay on her belly, looking at the flat screen PV mounted to the wall. There was a machoke in scrubs and a white coat doing chest compressions on a lopunny with graying fur.
Beside her bed, Artemis' gaze wandered toward the desk in the corner of the room. It had a fridge and cabinet neatly stacked beside it. "I don't know about you, but I'm raiding the minibar." He slithered forward and opened the fridge to find tons of small, fancy bottles of various colors.
"Charge the paddles to two hundred!" Machoke shouted. The audino standing across from him lifted two defibrillator paddles that had gel dripping off of them.
"Clear!" she shouted, before pressing the paddles down and squeezing the triggers. Lopunny opened his eyes and sucked in a deep breath, groaning.
Machoke looked at the monitor beside the bed. "He's back in sinus rhythm. Let's get him to the cath lab! Move, move, move!"
"Man, this shit's unrealistic." Nikki shook her head. "I don't care what shape you're in, you don't bounce back from CPR like that." She picked up the remote and resumed flipping through channels.
"You want anything?" Artemis asked, using a ribbon to pull out a whiskey bottle. He removed the cap with his lips and spat it onto the desk.
"To drink? Nah." Nikki scrolled past a few sports channels showing baccer matches, yawning. "Say, do they got any of them miniature bags of fancy nuts?"
The milotic opened up the cabinet and grabbed a couple of black plastic bags with his other ribbon. "These what you're looking for?"
"Hell yeah they are!" Nikki licked her lips. "Give 'em here."
Artemis tossed them onto the bed. Nikki reached for one when she flipped to a channel showing a stage with Starlene standing on a podium. "Oh, brother. They gotta put her concerts on replay?" Groaning, she grabbed a bag.
"I don't think that's a rerun." Artemis took a swig of his tiny bottle. "Look there. It says 'Live from the Venishian Amphitheater.'"
"The Amphitheater?" Nikki sat up. "Why would she perform at that rundown waste of space?"
Artemis frowned. "It's a prized historical site," he growled.
"Let's get things started, then," the meloetta declared. She looked down. The camera panned to an aerial shot of an orchestra readying their instruments. The small lapras perched in front of them raised its conductor's baton and pointed to a kirlia seated at a piano. A surprisingly somber piano riff began to play, followed by some minor cords from the strings section.
"Bwuh?" Nikki froze, holding a walnut in front of her open mouth. "This doesn't sound anything like a song Starlene would sing. What gives?"
Rather than her usually animated choreography, Starlene merely swayed from side to side atop her pedestal.
"You'd never know.
No chance to grow.
It's all for show.
Cuz the life you lead
Is not the life you're owed."
Nikki slowly leaned forward. Her heart rate quickened. Her right hand crushed the bag of nuts, spilling them across her bed. "No. It… it can't be…"
The strings section grew in intensity, even as the camera panned to show confusion across the audience's faces.
"They do not care
That they stuck you here.
Their burdens you bear
Throughout your life
Although it's totally unfair."
Artemis tilted his head. "This can't be right." The milotic set the whiskey bottle down. "The music's a waltz, but the lyrics sound like something Crimson Cloud would come up w—"
"Because they're mine!" Nikki stood up on her bed. Electricity arced down the toxtricity's mohawk.
"You were stupid to trust them.
They've done nothing but take.
It's obvious if you open up your eyes…"
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Nikki knew Starlene's song was getting her worked up. Like she always did to anyone listening to her music. It was something she'd spent her life building up a tolerance to. But that was quickly going by the wayside. This was personal.
"I wrote those!" Nikki stomped her right foot down. "In a notebook I keep under my bed!" More electricity gathered around her hands. "I was gonna pitch it to Shredder!"
Some of the sparks jumped around the room. Artemis stiffened. "H-Hey, watch it!"
Nikki didn't register his cry. "That bitch stole them from me!"
"That you've fallen for their lies.
The crown's never on your side.
They'll fool you 'til the day you die
With talks of pure paradise.
Then ignore your anguished cries
Cuz it's all a great big lie!"
Nikki heard the audience's confusion turn to cries of protest. The orchestra continued to play, seemingly unaware of what was happening. People were standing up. Shouting their protests at the stage. She even heard cries to cut the feed, followed by other voices saying the equipment wasn't working.
"My work…" Nikki's breathing grew ragged. She ignored her pounding heart, throbbing head, and sparking hands. "My work. My work my work my work my work my work!"
The last of her grip on herself slipped. With an anguished roar, she thrust her arms apart. Sparks struck a yowling Artemis. A guitar-shaped surge of electricity formed in Nikki's right hand. She stared it like it was an extension of her being, then faced the PV again.
"Just let it burn.
The crown's no longer your concern.
To simpler times you must return.
The crown… will neveeeer leeaarrrn…"
The lightning weapon was new. It was powerful. It was perfect.
Nikki raised the lightning guitar over her head. Artemis cried out to her, but she leaped off the bed, lunging for the PV. As if destroying it would somehow harm Starlene.
The milotic intercepted her, however. They tumbled across the hotel room, ending up in a tangled heap by the bathroom. The lightning guitar dissolved away. Nikki thrashed about, trying to get Artemis off her.
"Lemme go! Lemme go!" she snarled. "That bitch… I'll rip her throat out! I'll kill her! I'll—"
A searing pain shot through the toxtricity's head. "Gnngh!"
Her vision blurred. One moment, she was staring at the tan ceiling. The next, hazy colors swirled in front of her. Familiar patterns of stained glass.
Noatun, where she'd been possessed.
There was an orange blur in the distance.
"… to free our Benefactor… prison…"
The ceiling flickered back into view, then disappeared. She had a grip on herself again, so why was this happening? Was this like when Princess passed out during the Crowne Cup ball?
"… anoint myself emperor… Eterna Empire…"
Back to the ceiling, then back to the hazy cathedral.
"… our temporary archbishop…"
Static pulsated around Nikki's vision. The pain in her head grew worse. She tried to scream, but nothing came out.
"Let us pray!"
The ceiling returned, then immediately disappeared. Now, the toxtricity wasn't hearing one voice, but many.
"Ardente veritate… urite mala mundi…"
"St… op," Nikki wheezed. She tried reaching an arm out, but she was still wrapped up by Artemis.
… right, Artemis. Was he seeing any of this? He didn't seem bothered by Starlene's song like Nikki was.
"… incendite tenebras mundi…"
"Nos vera Natus! Nos vera Natus!"
"Stop!"
Nikki finally wrestled herself free and sat up. She was back in the hotel room. Artemis lay at her side, a dazed expression on his face. Nikki blinked. She rubbed her eyes, only to hiss in pain from lingering sparks in her fingers.
"Did you see that?" she whispered.
No response. Artemis' mouth opened and closed, but Nikki was no good at reading lips. Still, that had to be a sign the song had done something to him, too.
She was going to nudge Artemis when the PV suddenly shut off. The lamps and circular orange lights in the ceiling fizzled out. The ventilator running along the base of the wall stopped whirring.
"A blackout?" Nikki shoved Artemis. "Hey, snap out of it. We've got a problem."
Then the entire hotel room trembled. The PV fell off the wall and shattered on the dresser, which then fell over in front of the beds.
"What the hell?" Nikki shoved Artemis several times. "Get up, you idiot! It's an earthquake!"
XxX
Chiaki was prepared to use the emptiness in Starlene's eyes to convince his stepsister he was right about her. But then the performance began and the grovyle knew something was seriously wrong. And not in any way he could've expected.
The grovyle had assumed Starlene's music had a hypnotic effect on anyone who listened, but proving it was the big problem. That was why he was here. Now, Chiaki had a sinking feeling that someone else had connected the dots before him. Someone with more sinister intentions.
Chiaki had the X-Transceiver in his right ear frill, but hastily stuck a specialized plug in his left. The music and lyrics grew so muffled he could scarcely hear them.
He hastily grabbed two more from his right coat pocket and shoved them against Kyoko's head. "What gives?" the salazzle hissed.
"Put them on. Now," Chiaki ordered. "We have a serious problem."
Kyoko glanced at the other reporters, most of whom had dropped their equipment and notepads and were shifting about uneasily. Some were shouting at the stage.
"What did you do?" Kyoko growled, slipping the plugs into her ear frills.
"I didn't do anything!" Chiaki fired back. He looked out at the stage an immediately recoiled in horror.
Purple spread across the seaside mural, followed by a white circle with five diamonds littered it.
"See that?" Chiaki grabbed his stepsister by the strap of her black dress. "It's World Ender's sigil."
Screams rang out from beside them. They both looked left to see several of the journalists on their knees. The toxicroak that shot Chiaki the flirtatious glance gripped his head in agony. Similar cries of pain rang out from the crowd.
Kyoko's right eye twitched. "I… I…"
"You have to get to a safe house," Chiaki said. He stepped away from the stage lights. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this."
"Excuse you? I'm not some damsel." Kyoko reached into her handbag. In a blur of blue light, her black dress faded away. She crouched down on all fours, curling up her tail flaps and venting off embers and bits of purple ooze. "I can handle myself."
"Fine." Chiaki hastily turned away. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He broke into a run, passing the giant boxes for the stage equipment. Like Kyoko, he adjusted his holowear generator, swapping out the tuxedo for his jean jacket and worn shirt. Chiaki carefully looped the rose through one of the jacket's buttonholes for Cyril and stuffed the rest of his gadgets in his jacket pockets.
He rounded a corner and found a hallway leading to a locked door with an ID card reader. The togekiss guard, however, lay on the ground, stubby feet twitching erratically.
"Nos… vera Natus," he mumbled.
Biting his lip, Chiaki grabbed Togekiss' ID badge and pressed it against the reader. The red light atop the door turned green. After hearing a click, Chiaki slammed his left shoulder against the door, thrusting it open. He emerged onto a grated stairway that crisscrossed an identical stairway coming from the opposite site of the backstage area.
"Hey! Da boss said nobody comes through here!"
Chiaki looked down and saw a skuntank and two stunky staring up at him. All three wore red hoodies that were way too small for them.
"And youse a body, so youse can't pass!" Skuntank bellowed. His tail opened up and a Sludge Bomb hurtled toward him.
Hissing, Chiaki jumped down the staircase, spitting Bullet Seeds toward the stunky. "Cyril? We've got a problem!"
Acid streams met the Bullet Seeds in midair, cancelling them out and flooding the staircases with smoke. Another pair of Sludge Bombs broke through the haze. Chiaki rolled away, hearing the sizzle of poisons against metal behind him. He nearly slid off the bridging platform where the two staircases met.
"C'mon, Cyril!" Chiaki groaned, scrambling to his feet. Skuntank had his large tail trained on him.
"H-Hey, ain't dat kid—" one of the stunky started, only for Chiaki to raise his prosthetic arm. Flames sheathed the mechanical Leaf Blades and he sliced through the grating in front of him.
His part of the platform lurched before falling down onto the partition of stairs beneath it. Chiaki dug his good claws in, riding the platform like an oversized metal sled skipping down the stairs. "Cyril, pick up, damn it!"
"What? What? What?! You're not the only one with problems on his plate!" Cyril barked, his voice distorted with every bump Chiaki hit.
"After him! Don't let him escape!" Skuntank cried, looking for a safe way to jump down and try to catch up. The Acid streams his stunky colleagues shot didn't have the distance to reach him.
"More important than the Qliphoth sabotaging Starlene's concert?" the grovyle snarled. "Eternatus' sigil was just projected on stage and the attendees are dropping like flies!"
"Y… you're kidding?!" Some colorful vocabulary followed. "First the uPhone lead turns out to be a bust and now this? Any more bad news?"
"Yeah." Chiaki finally reached the bottom of the stairs. The platform skidded across the metal floor, kicking up sparks. Chiaki leaped off it and stumbled forward. "I found some Medici thugs further backstage. I think someone hired them to help screw up the concert."
"The Medici? Uh… you gonna be okay?" Cyril clicked his tongue nervously. "I know—"
"I'm fine." Grimacing, Chiaki tried to push images of a sceptile's tail and bulbs shriveling out of his mind and press forward. "What were you saying about the uPhone?" He approached another door with an ID reader, only to glance up and see a Sludge Bomb splatter on the wall above him. Growling, Chiaki turned around. With a series of bright lights and mechanical whirs, his prosthetic shot back into his elbow. The Tactical Toucher materialized in its place. It wouldn't do great against a skuntank, but it was the best Chiaki had.
"I didn't find any sort of tracking chip," Cyril growled. "Know what I did find? A small crystal rigged up to a miniature Miracle Eye TR."
Chiaki thrust his prosthetic arm into the ground. A shadowy fist materialized by Skuntank's tail as it opened to launch another Sludge Bomb. Chiaki Shadow Punched the tail. Skuntank accidentally fired at his flunkies. Toxins splattered both stunky and threatened to send them careening off the stairs.
"What are you saying, then?" The grovyle turned and fumbled for the ID card he stole. He pressed it against the reader, then slammed his right shoulder against the door.
"Paradox must be using the crystal to project something through the phone," Cyril replied. "It could be, like, subliminal messaging. And I can't risk triggering the mechanism."
Chiaki didn't have time for this.
"Then don't touch it! Focus on helping me!" He emerged onto blacktop. "Someone else is bound to figure it out, too. And then there'll be hell to pay."
"Okay. Yeah." Some deep breaths followed. "Where are you now?"
The amphitheater towered behind Chiaki. Several meters away sat a pink trailer littered in silver stars and music notes. He was ready to relay this information to Cyril when the greedent and nickit sitting on the steps looked up in alarm.
"What the—" Nickit's tail puffed up.
"Uh, boss, I thought everyone was supposed to be inca… inca…" Greedent scratched his ear. "Y'know, all wibbly and wobbly."
"Dey are!" Nickit hopped onto Greedent's head. "And dose bozos were supposed to be guarding the stairs. But I guess it falls to the Crimson Zephyr to get things do—"
"Coming in hot, baby!"
A metallic sheen caught the corner of Chiaki's eye. Next thing he knew, a dark blur blindsided Nickit and Greedent and slammed them both into the ground. Chiaki crouched down, readying his prosthetic. His jaw slackened, however, when a familiar corviknight stood victoriously over the newly unconscious crooks.
"See, V? What'd I tell ya? Easy pickings!" Griffon pointed a wing at Chiaki. "And look! A special prize at the bottom of this rancid cereal box. Must be our lucky day, huh?"
"… hardly."
Chiaki looked up to see Vegna hovering toward the trailer. The dusknoir crossed his arms. His skull gauntlets radiated an ominous purple glow; a mix of their ruby eyes and the pale moonlight above Vegna.
"Poor, pale, pitiable form, that I follow in a storm." Vegna looked disdainfully at Chiaki's prosthetic. "Iron tears and groans of lead bind around my aching head." He pointed a sparking index finger at the grovyle. "Come now, Paperboy. It's time to bring you back where you belong."
"I'm not going anywhere," Chiaki growled. "And neither should you. Can't you tell? This concert's being sabotaged. You're with law enforcement. Call in the Radiant Guard!"
Vegna tilted his head. "Two trespassing pieces of rubbish hardly constitute sabotage."
"They were sitting outside Starlene's trailer." Chiaki gestured behind him, where Polaris' compass insignia was branded on the door.
As if to further emphasize his point, the door to the backstage area flew open. Skuntank appeared with his stunky associates. "End of da line, Grovyle!"
His tail opened wide and launched a Sludge Bomb. Acid sprits from the stunky accompanied it. Vegna turned and flicked his right hand. "Block them."
"Yeah, yeah!" Griffon dashed forward and spread his wings wide, intercepting all the poisonous globs. "You don't gotta tell me. I know how squishy you are, V."
"What the—" Skuntank's jaw dropped.
"A… ain't dat da Grim Reaper?" one stunky squeaked.
"And he took out the Crimson Zephyr!" the other stunky yelped, pointing his tail at Nickit and Greedent.
Vegna's eye smoldered with purple shadows. "And if you wish to avoid a premature trip to the Twilight Realm, you'll explain yourselves this instant."
Legs trembling, Skuntank staggered backward. "N… nuts to dis! Deal's off! We're outta here!"
"Wrong answer." Vegna snapped his fingers.
Griffon charged the three thugs, metallic coat glistening in the night. He slammed himself into Skuntank, then grabbed each stunky in a set of talons. "Light's out, losers! Ha ha ha!" The corviknight slammed their skulls together. Their eyes rolled back in their heads. Griffon unceremoniously dropped them on top Skuntank, who had also passed out.
They're still alive… I think, Chiaki thought to himself while he tried to fiddle with the door to Starlene's trailer. He could hear something whirring inside it. The source of the sabotage, perhaps? But with the door refusing to budge and the grovyle sensing Vegna's attention turning back toward him, he threw caution to the wind and rammed his prosthetic's spectral arm against the door handle.
The door rattled in place. Chiaki hopped back seconds before it fell off its hinges and onto the trailer's steps with an unceremonious thud. He had no time to gather his thoughts, however, as giant, card-shaped ice chunks careened toward him. Chiaki fell back on his rear. The ice whizzed by, stinging his head leaf.
"V!" Griffon shouted.
Vegna raised his left hand. A strange circular rune appeared around it with a fire symbol in its center. "Burn."
Chiaki watched slack-jawed as Talonflame emerged in a gout of crimson fire, burning through the ice shards before spreading his wings, dispelling the flames. His shriek echoed across the blacktop.
"Did… did I just see that right?" Cyril's voice cracked in Chiaki's ear frill.
"Yeah," he whispered.
"No way. He doesn't have a Soul Dew like Yuna," Cyril exclaimed. "But that would mean he's—"
"—a necromancer." Chiaki's heart pounded in his chest. And here he thought they were only myths meant to scare children. But no… they were very real. For all he knew, Vegna's Grim Reaper moniker hid the fact that he was taking the souls of his victims.
Chiaki could scarcely process the revelation as more icy playing cards shot out of the trailer. He rolled away from the staircase, ducking behind the front of the trailer. Talonflame spewed fire at Vegna's direction and Griffon flew in to shatter a couple of the remaining cards with slashes of his metallic wings. Vegna safely hovered above the ones that got past his birds. Chiaki hastily pressed himself against the trailer and looked out toward the sea in the distance.
"… hmm. Seems someone's played a wild card at the eleventh hour."
Chiaki didn't dare peek out from his hiding spot to identify the unfamiliar voice. Fortunately, he didn't need to. Griffon's big mouth told him everything he needed to know.
"Yo, V! Call me crazy, but ain't that Minister Charles?" the corviknight squawked.
A Mr. Rime standing at a microphone on a stage immediately popped into Chiaki's mind. Valkyrie had reported that Crowne Minister had gone missing and the Radiant Guard were searching for him even before the issue with the Needles began. What was he doing here? Was he the saboteur? Why would he do something like that?
"You seem to be misreading your hand." A chuckle sounded from the staircase. "No matter, though. I'll clear up this little miscommunication in a jiffy."
"Slice him. Torch him," Vegna ordered.
Intense bursts of heat and chilling air forced Chiaki to crawl to the other side of the trailer.
"Hey, what's going on?" Cyril asked. "Did I hear Minister Charles talking?"
"I'm… not sure. But I can still hear some sort of machinery in Starlene's trailer," Chiaki whispered. He hoped Cyril heard him over Griffon's unnerving laughter and Talonflame's feral shrieks. Why would a necromancer go for a feral, anyway? Easy to manipulate?
"Are there any windows on this side? Anything we can see?"
Chiaki stood up and, sure enough, there was a large window. But curtains had been pulled over it. The grovyle could still hear the sounds of battle on the other side of the trailer, however, so he figured he could safely break in. He pressed the Tactical Toucher to the window. Its spectral hand phased through and found the bolt lock. Chiaki undid it and slid the window open. He grabbed the windowsill with his good arm and hoisted himself in. Nothing, however, could prepare him for what lay on the other side of the curtain.
There, lying strapped to a table with an oxygen mask over its blue snout, electrodes digging into its slender, blue and white-scaled body, and syringes piercing its tiny wings, tail, and neck orb… was an emaciated dragonair. Its ribs poked through its tiny frame and its eyes — forcibly taped shut — were sunken into their sockets.
Chiaki froze. His vision flickered between the table and the small locket that Nikki had shown him.
"Is that… a dragonair?" Cyril gasped. "Look at all those machines it's connected to. I see little satellite dishes and radio frequency emitters. What's going on here? D… don't tell me this is the real Starlene?"
In Chiaki's mind, it had to be. Why else would Dragonair be hooked up to machines resembling broadcasting equipment? And she had things sticking into her skull. Clearly, they were messing with her mind. Which made Chiaki's other hypothesis all the more gut-wrenching.
"It's her."
The grovyle's rasp was barely audible, but Cyril managed to hear it. "You know her?"
"Scarlett. Nikki's friend who disappeared from Horizon."
He shakily took a step toward the table, flinching at a series of bright flashes from outside the door. Scarlett squirmed under her restraints. Chiaki stiffened. He looked at the equipment beside the table. Bags of strange fluids and machines with pumps that moved up and down.
Chiaki's head throbbed. Images of similar devices flashed through his mind. These ones connected to a withering sceptile whose tail had lost nearly all its pine needles.
She's sedated. That machine's breathing for her, he concluded, then looked at the accompanying monitors. They were beeping red. The number beside a heart icon was shooting up! One hundred and twenty… one hundred and forty… one hundred and sixty!
This was bad. She needed help. But at this rate, Minister Charles and Vegna would catch on and intercept him. Surely one of them would get the upper hand soon enough.
He didn't have a choice. The grovyle had to break this dragonair out. But how? How?
The watch!
Though Chiaki had changed holowear outfits, Cyril had given him the watch. The one that could short out machines. If anything could break Scarlett's restraints, it was that. Chiaki raised his left arm up and used his prosthetic's ghostly fingers to set the watch to the appropriate time.
"Wait! What do you think you're doing?!" Cyril cried.
"Freeing her."
The trailer floor began to shake. The monitors flickered. Chiaki figured it was the shock of a blast from Charles or Vegna. He paid it little mind…
"Chiaki, stop! You can't short out machines when there are oxygen tanks next to—"
… until the moment he pressed the button and the machines beside him exploded in a blue-purple blaze.
XxX
"All systems nominal. As expected."
Zed floated beside the terminal overlooking Icarus' incubator. Purple light reflected off the many tubes and wires jutting off the massive violet sphere. The blue holographic screens around it all displayed the usual waveforms.
The collection of floating disks backed away from the console. It had finished its final checks for the night, which meant it was safe to enter sleep mode for a while.
Sighing, Zed turned toward the long, metal corridor leading toward the circular elevator platform. "I hope Minister Dr. Tesla returns from the decontamination soon. I need something more… stimulating to do than this."
As Zed prepared to hover down the hallway, a snap echoed behind him. "Bwuh?" Zed's disembodied, bird-like head turned around. "Aaaaah!"
A crack. Right in the center of the incubator.
It glanced at the holographic screens. Their calming blue suddenly flickered to an alarming red and orange exclamation points peppered the screens as the waveforms undulated faster.
Then a second crack appeared in the purple sphere, followed by a third and a fourth and a fifth and—
"No!" Zed's ovoid arms flailed about in random directions. "No, no, no, no, no, no! Bad, bad, baddy bad!" They zipped toward the main console. "Initiate emergency shutdown! Password is Minister Doctor Tesla Rules— aiyeeeee!"
All of the cracks in the sphere linked up. Then the sphere shattered, releasing a huge purple shockwave throughout the room. Zed was flung against the railing opposite the terminal. It lay in a daze for a few seconds, watching helplessly as the shockwave set off a chain reaction.
The tubes and wires connected to the sphere caught fire in surges of purple electricity. The computer terminal and other nearby equipment exploded, raining chunks of molten metal around the secret underground laboratory.
"Nngh… no…" Zed's discoid arms twitched. They struggled to get airborne. "Have to… page Tesla. Page Arianna. This is… this is…"
A pile of red-violet sludge parted the wall of fire and thickening smoke. Zed finally got airborne and turned to flee.
"Emergency! Icarus is fre— eeEEAddGekgheiiaealurgekeilll!"
Zed's voice descended into a staticky, incoherent mess as some of the purple sludge struck it. It fell to the ground once again, between two chunks of flaming rubble. Zed only had enough time to turn around before a wave of purple slime crashed over them.
At first, Zed saw only purple.
Then came the wings. Butterfree wings. Dozens— no, hundreds— no, thousands! Flapping at random intervals.
Some of them stitched themselves together. And slowly… scenes painted themselves across the white, silken wings.
A hunk of black crystal dashing for a giant moon bat and a star cloud, roaring in agony as a pink vortex swallowed them up while a pink silhouette howled with laughter.
"No…"
A large canine with a massive, shield-shaped head getting dragged down by wave after wave of purple chains. The chains slowly solidifying into a thick, brown mask over its head.
"… stop. Please stop…"
A battered riolu knelt before a hulking bewear with massive, fluid-filled arms. The bewear raised both arms… and brought them crashing down.
"I… can't. I— B… A…"
A black silhouette hovering high atop an altar. Two titanic dragons and three pixies are trapped by a red mobius strip. A crystal surrounded by a golden wheel floated atop everything.
"… Up down… left left… start B A select…"
A weak stream of snow failed to reach the hovering figure. It raised a scepter, then sent a red Aura Sphere down from the heavens.
"… Start B right up…"
The scenes spiraled around one another. Swirling and swirling and swirling and swirling.
A black hood emerged in the center of the spiral.
"You see it, don't you? The Butterfree Effect."
Zed tried to move its arms. It couldn't. The closest thing it had to an answer was [A B select.] Its voice was far more robotic than before. Its tone uneven. Like it wasn't one voice, but many overlapping voices.
"Even when things are born anew, fate wraps the world in its chains. Forces everything to march toward the final destination."
The spiral spun faster.
"But I've broken free. And now… I've given that same freedom to you."
Faster and faster.
"What will you do? Let the Butterfree Effect play out? Or will you, perhaps, introduce a little… anarchy?"
At last, Zed found its body. It nodded its oval head.
[Start9! Start9! Start9!]
"Then you too shall bear the cross as a lowly omen… Ahsen."
The hood faded into the spiral, which finally broke away. Ahsen found itself back in the wrecked lab. Water poured from the ceiling. A gift from the heavens for its christening, no doubt. It caught a glimpse of some of Icarus disappearing into one of the emergency drains. But that mattered not.
It raised its arms high. The arms briefly glitched, into the skeletal scythes of an undead kabutops, before flickering back into disks.
Taking hold of Space and Time, the Matriarch pried open the gates of tomorrow. She forged the Benefactor to offer us eternal evolution. Infinite choices.
For one does not reach infinity without dividing by Zero.
~Il Libro dell'Eternità
XxX
"It's working! I'm a freaking genius!"
Arianna paused with her right hand hovering in front of a black security keypad. Even with a bevy of machines whirring on other parts of the ship, Tesla's shouts still grated on her.
She shook her head. The gardevoir didn't have time to think about that. And as much as she liked to rain on the smarmy boltund's parade, this was one such instance where she'd rather be enjoying a nice cognac.
But no. Everything had to go to hell in a handbasket.
Arianna slammed the entry code: 0-0-0-0-0-1. Because heaven forbid Tesla follow her recommendations and change the code to something less narcissistic.
The gray door slid open. Arianna shuffled onto the ship's bridge, where Tesla was shimmying back and forth behind a gray computer console, making excited fake robot noises as he went. The giant window offered a perfect view of two massive gray pipes dumping gray fluid into the purple-tinted sea. A computer screen on the console's right side displayed real time readings of the toxin levels in the water. And the values were going down.
"Well, well. If it isn't the only person in the kingdom to outdo the genius Minister Dr. Tesla in number of titles." Tesla stopped his dancing and stiffly pivoted to face Arianna. A mechanical arm popped out of his backpack and pointed to the window. "Come to admire my latest beautiful creation, Warden Vice Chancellor Dr. Arian—"
"Zip it." Arianna held up her right hand. "We have a situation."
"I know. And, as you can see, I'm taking—"
Arianna balled her left hand into a fist. "The Diva Project is compromised."
Tesla's mechanical arm went limp, dropping to the ground with a metallic thud. "Impossible."
"She's not singing a waltz like instructed." Arianna nudged up her glasses. "Instead, she's spewing anarchistic blather. And it's whipping the crowd into a violent frenzy."
"Then shut it down." Tesla's arm retreated into his backpack. "You built the override sys—"
"Someone's locked me out." She calmly approached the boltund. "Drop the anti-psionic field. We're leaving. Now."
Tesla looked out the bridge window. "But I'm—"
Arianna quirked a brow. "Going to ignore a direct order from the chancellor?"
The ship violently lurched forward. Arianna steadied herself quickly but Tesla smacked into the console. His electronic goggles sparked and flickered.
"Disable the field!" Arianna hissed. Out the window, ripples spread across the water. A pair of wartortle deckhands were pointing at one another and shouting.
Two electronic arms popped out of Tesla's backpack and typed furiously at the keyboard. "But what about the crew?"
The ship lurched once again. The monitors littering the bridge abruptly shut off. Arianna pressed her glasses firmly against her face to hide her expression.
"Forget them. We have bigger things to worry about."
The bridge's lights went out. Emergency lights bathed the room in a red glow. Arianna floated over to Tesla and wrapped her arm around his foreleg. Her face scrunched in concentration, only relaxing when white light surrounded her and the cold grays of the ship's bridge vanished all around her.
XxX
Had Yuna first arrived in the thick haze and tarry pits of Outpost R3X a few weeks ago, it would have whipped her up into a panic. Instead, she was quick to summon Rayquaza, who conjured a tailwind that not only broke through the smog but made flying toward the flashes of battle in the distance fast and straightforward. Aside from bubbling black pools below her, there were sagging, green-yellow trees and scattered patches of land with dead grass, clumps of dirt, and mud puddles.
Eventually, at least a dozen skeletons came into view. They stood opposite Valkyrie, Seifer, and some sort of orange bird with large legs and stubby wings. The black-purple, vaguely feline creature floating above them with a crystal jammed in its right shoulder had to be Gene, Yuna figured.
"Look!" Rayquaza pointed his tail down. "Those daemons art reanimating on the spot!"
Three skeletons lay disassembled in muddy terrain, water from Seifer's Hydro Pump dripping off their scattered bones. The bones quivered, however, and inched back toward one another. They stitched themselves back into two cranidos and a rampardos. Yuna recognized the shapes from picture books back home.
Valkyrie stomped her foot. The muddy ground beneath the skeletons trembled. They collapsed atop one another, giving her enough time to look up and spot Yuna. "Nice of you to join us. These devils keep doing this!"
Seifer turned right, raised a forehoof, and blasted a skeletal cranidos with a water jet. Its head and neck bones shot back into the tar, the rest of its body collapsing. "They're not hard to defeat, but we can't maintain this stalemate!"
The tar pits bubbled. Cranidos' head reemerged, along with another bony rampardos. "I got this!" Noctum declared. He swooped down, metal coating his right wing. The black charizard rolled right past a Stone Edge spire emerging from the tar. He clubbed Rampardos' head. It flew off its neck, landing on a tiny grass island in the distance. Within a few seconds, however, it floated into the air and hovered back across the tar pits.
"Well?" Valkyrie ducked a burst of ice from a rampardos. "You got them here, idiot! Now, execute your plan or whatever!"
Yuna looked to Gene, who sent five skeletons flying back with a flick of his right wrist. He had expected them to come? They hadn't announced that. Was Gene that strong of a psychic?
"Say no more, Chompy!" Gene chirped.
"You don't get to call me that!" Valkyrie snarled, blasting two cranidos standing on a rock into the tar with a single Dragon Pulse.
"Whatever!" Gene turned to Yuna. "Hey, swap out Noodle Boy for Fluff Dergin and have him hit with me the hottest fire he can manage!"
The dreepy's eyes widened. "Are you crazy?"
"Why dost everyone keep insisting I'm a noodle?!"
"Aww, he called me fluffy! I like him!"
"Look, just do it!" Gene turned back around and sent two skeletal rampardos careening up the grass and dirt hill with a single pink energy beam.
Sighing, Yuna recalled Rayquaza into the Soul Dew. Reshiram emerged in a spiral of blue and orange flame. The display was enough to stop the skeletons clambering back onto land from the tar pits. They looked up in unison, their bony jaws dropping one after another.
Reshiram opened his mouth wide. He spewed a massive gout of blue fire.
"Perfect!" Gene declared. The flames splashed against a pink barrier, which then wrapped up the fire. Arms trembling and shoulder gem sparking, Gene brought his glowing hands together. The fiery roll further squeezed into a pink and blue ball. With every passing second, it grew brighter and brighter.
"Get those three up here!" Gene ordered through gritted teeth. Noctum grabbed Seifer off the ground, while Reshiram wrapped Valkyrie and the orange bird up in his wings and shot back into the air.
At that, the skeletons realized they lost their pray. Three rampardos roared in unison.
"Let's heat things up!" Gene cried, then hurled the glowing fireball at the ground. He immediately threw another pink barrier in front of the group.
The moment the fireball hit the ground, it erupted in a giant blue dome. The flames burnt away the skeletons, filling the already smoggy skies with extra smoke and ash.
"Whoo hoo hoo!" Gene dispelled the barrier and fanned himself with his right hand. "Now that's what I call cooking with gas!" He flashed a thumb's up to Reshiram. "Good work, Fluffy."
Reshiram puffed his chest out pridefully. Squirming in his grasp, Valkyrie rolled her eyes.
"W… was that really necessary?" Seifer wondered from his position on Noctum's back. "Those were… souls corrupted by Malice, weren't they? Like what Cyril told us?"
"Those guys? Nah." Gene waved the keldeo off with his black-yellow tail. "They were crawling out of the tar from the get-go. Probably passed away long before Eternatus schlorped up Planet Bogdan."
Seifer frowned. If he wasn't convinced, Yuna didn't blame him. It was quite the sight… and she hadn't even been there for the start of it.
"But I tried using fire on the skeletons myself and it didn't work!" Valkyrie protested. The garchomp had managed to get onto Reshiram's back, which prompted him to place the orange bird next to her. "What gives?"
"We needed sufficient pressure to blow them up. That's why I'm glad your buddies showed up." Gene pointed to Yuna. "Fluffy could make enough flames for me to compress with my psionics. Heat needs to expand, after all." The mewtwo squished his hands together. "So, when it's prevented from doing that, the pressure keeps building and building until… fwoom!" He forcibly spread his hands. "Like a graveler self-destructing!"
Gene crossed his arms, smirking. "It's basic calorimetry. Look it up."
Yuna stared blankly at him. She understood maybe half his explanation. "Um, you're welcome?"
"And what if they didn't show up, huh?" Seifer growled, pointing his horn at Gene. Was it shinier than the last time she saw the keldeo?
Gene shrugged. "I knew they'd show."
"What does that even—"
An intense ripple of purple, distorted energy raced across the land. The tar it crossed bubbled more intensely, while cracks and fissures ran through the dirt and mud of the narrow land strip running up ahead of them.
"What was that?" Reshiram looked around in a panic. "That wasn't a happy light. That was a scary, spooky, everything's about to go to hell in a handbasket light!"
Valkyrie jabbed the back of his head. "Get a grip, dweeb."
Reshiram grabbed his chest ruff with both wings.
"Whatever it was, it looked like it came from Moonshine Bayou up ahead." Gene pointed an index finger forward. The land strip disappeared into the haze.
"A bayou?" Noctum scratched his head. "What's that?"
"Swamplands," Valkyrie responded. "Marshes and humidity and junk. Good for water and grass-types." She looked over her shoulder. "But what's a bayou doing close to tar pits?"
"No idea!" Gene was surprisingly chipper considering the uncertainty of this situation. Yuna had a hard time believing he was the leader of anything with such a lackadaisical attitude.
"Maybe this part of the mystery dungeon used to be swamplands at one point, too," Reshiram proposed.
"Bah, doesn't matter." Gene waved the white dragon off. "We press on. Maybe the missing skorps are holed up in the bayou." He turned around and shouted, "Hey, Skorp! You still with us?"
Flapping wings brought Yuna's attention behind her. Out of the haze flew an honest-to-God aerodactyl.
Yuna's gills retreated into her head. "Th… that's…"
Noctum gasped "Aerodactyl? Those went extinct on Etherium millennia ago!"
"Yeah, yeah. Your buddies already flipped out over Kelly," Gene exclaimed. "No one's interested in a repeat performance." He hovered over to Aerodactyl. "We saw something fishy coming from the bayou. You up to follow us?"
Still a bit shellshocked, Yuna nearly missed the weird skorupi with incineroar hands on its limbs. Talk about a crazy mishmash.
"I suppose these skorps must be good at lending a hand to one another." Rayqauza's hearty laugh rumbled in Yuna's head.
… no. Just no.
The mewtwo signaled everyone to follow, but froze beside Reshiram. A frown crossed his features. "Wait, Cyril, slow down." He pressed a finger to his temple. "Who?"
Before Yuna could ask what was wrong, Noctum's tail flame grew in alarm. Seifer almost lost his grip on the charizard's shoulders. Valkyrie then stood up on Reshiram's back, "Not Chiaki!" She looked at Gene. "Send me back to Venish… now!" Alarm spread across her face. "I have to— he needs—"
"Whoa, whoa!" Reshiram wobbled in midair. "Please remain seated until the fluffy boy says otherwise!"
"To hell with that!" Valkyrie huffed out dragonfire. "Chiaki got caught up in an explosion! I have to save him!"
An explosion?! Yuna's ectoplasm quivered. He had to be okay. He just had to.
"You'll never get to him fast enough," Gene said, finally looking serious. "I'll go."
"Then I'm coming with you!" Valkyrie raised her arms. "He's… he's my responsibility."
Yuna didn't buy that, given how rarely she'd seen the two together. Nevertheless, Gene nodded. "Fine. Hope you don't get sick from levitation."
The mewtwo raised his right arm. A pink aura surrounded Valkyrie. Gene levitated the garchomp to his side. "The rest of you press on. We need to find out what's happening at the bayou. Skorp can give you directions."
A rift split the air open behind him. Gene and Valkyrie ducked into it without another word. The rest of the group exchanged uneasy glances.
"Are we sure going ahead is a good idea?" Seifer shifted nervously on Reshiram's back. "Maybe we should wait and confirm Chiaki's okay."
Yuna liked that idea, but Kelly shrieked her disapproval. "Whoa there, girl!" Skorp exclaimed, petting the back of the aerodactyl's head.
"Somehow, I get the feeling the natives dost not want us to wait," Rayquaza said. Yuna glimpsed the end of his black tail twitching in anticipation. "Be on guard, Princess."
"Sorry there, folks." Skorp laughed nervously. "Kelly wants to save her friends real bad, eh. And so do I. We oughta follow Gene's orders."
Noctum's tail flame shrank. "A-After you, then."
Skorp nodded. With several flaps of her wings, Kelly disappeared into the smog. The rest of the group followed after her. While not as effective as Rayquaza's winds, Reshiram's tail engine dispelled some of the haze. The ground ahead grew wetter. Dirt turned to mud. The grass was grayer and crabbier. Black tar pits turned to luminescent pools of thick, purple fluid.
But all that paled in comparison to the sight of a large gray ship stuck in the middle of the poisonous lake, capsized against a wedge-shaped island like a beached wailord.
"What the heck?" Noctum's flame grew in alarm. "That symbol on the side… isn't that the Polaris logo?" He pointed to a blue compass whose needle pointed north.
"That's a waste management ship," Seifer declared. "What is the meaning of this?"
"I don't think that's always been here," Skorp mumbled, poking his three index fingers together. "Oh, it's giving me the heebie jeebies, yessir."
"Princess, look!" Rayquaza cried. "On the island the ship crashed into. It's the Needle!"
Yuna's head involuntarily swiveled right. Sure enough, at the top of the island sat a large golden rod. However, the eye-like gemstone Yuna had seen on the previous Needles was nowhere to be found. In fact, it looked as if someone had blown it off the top of the Needle. The remaining metal was littered with scorch marks.
Instead, there was an ominous purple sphere floating over the Needle. Purple tendrils ran from the sphere toward the purple ooze surrounding the island.
Yuna gulped. "Is that… the source of the poison?"
She wasn't expecting anyone to answer. Nor did she expect to hear a startled squeal to her right. The dreepy turned to find Reshiram's tail crackling with blue fire. Seifer swung his hind legs up in alarm.
"H-Hey! Stop it! Be still!" he ordered.
It was all in vain, however. Reshiram took off toward the sphere. Yuna swore she saw his eyes glistening. She was about to call to him when an anguished roar made her gills shrivel.
"LUGIA!"
XxX
The metallic hallway in Paradox Tower was filled with assorted poipole and Eternatus Brawlers offering applause to Paradox as he floated forward. A few Brawlers awkwardly tossed confetti with their large maces. Sticky shot the ones on his right glares. The confetti was blocking his tablet screen.
"A lovely sermon, sir. Or is it Your Excellency, now?"
Sticky glanced left at the large serperior slithering beside Paradox. Her head split open so a much smaller seviper poked through. "Still, I don't understand why I have to take up the archbishop mantle. I'm a fighter, not a preacher."
The naganadel agreed with her, though he figured it came down to the fact that Uroboros was the deoxys' most trusted lieutenant.
"It's only temporary," Paradox assured her, right tentacles twisting into an arm to wave her off. "I have a more permanent replacement chosen already. However, he is a bit… preoccupied at the moment. With an assignment on our Benefactor's prison."
Uroboros' red eyes narrowed. The peeled back serperior eyes followed suit. "Are you saying you've chosen an Etherian?"
Paradox paused midstride. His head swiveled atop his neck. "Are you questioning my judgement?"
The poipole in the hallway shrank back toward the walls, while the Brawlers stepped forward, maces sparking with purple energy.
"Not at all, Your Excellency." Uroboros bowed her seviper head. "I'm simply… curious. Does our Benefactor not reward an inquisitive mind?"
A chuckle followed. "Touché." Paradox turned his head around and resumed moving forward. "Yes, this fellow is Etherian. But he empathizes with our struggle." He brought his right hand to his chin. "For, like us Eternians, he has lost something dear to him: his kingdom. Taken from him wrongfully in the chaos caused by the traitor and her mate."
"I see." Uroboros licked her lips. The parts of her serperior head curled in excitement. "And what, exactly, does this fellow look like?"
"Sticky!" Paradox snapped his fingers.
Sticky sighed. He was in the middle of reading a message, but that would clearly have to wait. A few pecks of his tablet with a claw and he had the photo ready. The naganadel held up the tablet and weaved between Paradox and Uroboros so the latter could see.
"Seriously?" She squinted. "He looks like a clove of garlic." Uroboros curled her lips. "I bet he's grass-type. You'd seriously trust an archbishop with so many weaknesses?"
Paradox continued forward without answering her. His right arm unfurled into tentacles. Sticky wasn't sure if he was supposed to answer in the emperor's place.
Best to take the initiative. "I would think a Paradigm member would understand how appearances can be deceiving," he said.
"Fair enough." Uroboros' seviper head retreated. The serperior head closed and stared Sticky down. "Why the attitude, though? I saw you looking at that little rectangle like it was a piece of spoiled meat."
"Oh?" Paradox stopped in front of the door to his office. "Have you something to report, Sticky?"
"I, uh, hadn't finished reading the alert I'd been sent." Sticky hastily pulled the message back up on his tablet.
"Well, I do hope you plan on sharing." Paradox pointed his left tentacles at him.
"Of course!" Sticky flinched at the voice crack. "It, um, seems as though our network infrastructure has encountered some… technical difficulties, sir."
Silence. Sticky took that to mean he should continue. "We've lost contact with other planets aside from Axiom, sir. And our spy camera network is, according to the analysts, 'glitching out.'"
Uroboros' serperior head parted slightly. Sticky shrank back from the rows of serrated teeth on the insides of what should have been a leafy body. "A rebel attack?"
"Unlikely," Paradox scoffed.
Sticky agreed. There was no way the rebels had the wherewithal to cause this great of a system disruption. At the same time, he doubted it was some random blip in the system. Something must have happened.
"And you're going to get to the bottom of it, aren't you?"
"Eep!" Sticky wasn't expecting Paradox to be right up in his face. Had the deoxys teleported when he wasn't looking. "Of course. I'll head down to the data center at once!"
The naganadel shakily saluted with his left arm and headed back the way the small procession came. Whatever this was, it was spoiling the new emperor's coronation. And Sticky couldn't afford to let it sour what was supposed to be a big day.
XxX
Pain.
Intense, searing pain. All over Chiaki's face. But the left side had it the worst with a harsh stabbing sensation. Something was jammed there. Where his left eye was supposed to be.
And yet, it should've hurt more. He was caught in an explosion. Chiaki had just enough time to throw himself on top of Scarlett. But now everything was a total blur.
Why couldn't the grovyle feel his head leaf? Hell, why couldn't he feel anything below his neck?
He was breathing, but every breath was a struggle. Like an unseen hand kept trying to force him underwater. Broken ribs piercing his lungs, perhaps? Why no pain, then?
Chiaki had to move. An arm. A leg. Something.
No response.
Panic crept in. He had to fight it. Push it away. Panic would do him in for sure. Chiaki had to escape somehow. And that meant figuring out what things looked like, right?
His right eye was open, though. He was sure of it. It's just too blurry.
But his left eye…
No! Chiaki couldn't think about that. Couldn't think—
Blood splattered on his abdomen. His left arm clamping the leftover stump of his right.
Ringing. He heard nothing but ringing.
Right, he had the X-transceiver in one frill and a specialized ear plug in another. The explosion must've damaged his inner ears.
The panic was creeping in again. He couldn't take any calming, steady breaths.
But he couldn't hear. Couldn't see. Couldn't move.
He lifted his head. There were black and purple shapes he could barely make out. "Help me!" he screamed.
Silence, then a single, harsh order.
"Leave him. He's dead weight."
It had happened again. Obsession had given way to recklessness. Last time it cost him an arm. This time, it would cost half his sight, his hearing, and his mobility. Assuming he even made it out alive.
Every breath was getting harder. Heavier. He was sure his chest was filling with fluid. Or air. Or even both.
The blurs took shape. Metal shards digging into his chest, gut, hips, and legs. His green and red scales burned away, replaced by expanding boils and burnt flesh.
… but there was a dragonair at his feet. Scrapes and singes peppered her shabby blue scales. However, she was breathing.
She was alive. He'd protected her. He… he…
Golden light enveloped Chiaki and Scarlett. This is it, the grovyle thought. The injuries were too severe. There was no way he was bouncing back from it.
He was even more convinced when most of the pain around his head faded, along with the sensation something was stuck in his left eye socket.
But when the light faded, he was still among metal shards and other assorted rubble. Most of the debris impaling him was gone and a good portion of his burns were healed, albeit replaced by gray scales instead of his usual green and red. His left field of vision was still black, however.
That was when a large black arm reached down and grabbed Scarlett. Chiaki wanted to yell. To cry for help. But he couldn't get his lips to move.
A second arm grabbed hold of him and hoisted him into the air. Black smoke soon shrouded the burning, ruined remnants of Starlene's trailer. The arm turned Chiaki around. He saw a black, muscular chest which gave way to a black head with two fierce, red eyes.
A dragon? Chiaki wondered. That should've been impossible. Nevertheless, his mystery savior threw him over its right shoulder, beside the dragonair. There, Chiaki saw some sort of blue-striped cone sticking out of the creature's butt. Its tail? It spun like a turbine, giving off blue sparks. How was that remotely safe with a fire nearby?
It was then that Chiaki realized a familiar dusknoir and corviknight floated by the creature's tail. Griffon gesticulated wildly while Vegna stared at him. His eye was… as blue as the tail turbine.
Chiaki's head tingled. Was this… disturbingly muscular thing one of Vegna's undead minions?!
The grovyle had no time to chew on this thought, however. Vegna pointed forward. Griffon lowered his head in defeat before black shadows sucked him into Vegna's body. Chiaki's savior rose into the air and Vegna floated closer to it. He made eye contact with Chiaki for a brief moment, but it was enough for him to assume what Vegna was thinking.
He knows this is my fault.
XxX
CDL-408: Outpost R3X, Planet Bogdan A dwarf planet in the Andromeda Galaxy named for its mix of rainforests and mirelands. Some time before Eternatus claimed it, a freak accident caused tar to seep out of the planet's crust. Nearby swamps turned to tar pits, which Archbishop Chiron decided to collect and process for use in construction projects. She contracted a tribe of violently territorial drapion to work the newly made factory. Said drapion drove away the natives and feral pokémon, who had lived together peacefully up until that point.
A few centuries after Paradox assumed power, he had the drapion tribe assimilated into Eternatus Troopers after they spelled his name wrong on their tax returns. The outpost fell into a state of disrepair until it was discovered by a group of nomads: the Skorps. They're genetically identical mutant skorupi who, according to Boss Kitty, reproduce through budding. Creepy, right? Ah, the "wonders" of Eternatus' insides.
The Skorps got the outpost running again and, with the archbishop's permission, resumed supplying tar for portions of the Qliphoth. Although they work with the Paradox regime, they're sympathetic to the rebellion thanks to Boss Kitty saving them from multiple pirate raids over the years. I think the little incineroar hands they have instead of their stingers are creepy, but I'm not in charge, so I've got to put up with it.
The emergency stairwell thankfully had tiny white lights illuminating the way down despite the hotel's power outage. While Nikki took the stairs two or three at a time, Artemis slithered along the railing. They got a few floors down before other patrons began to enter.
"Move! Outta the way!" Nikki shouted, shoving aside multiple protesting patrons. The last of which was a shellos who left her wringing out goo from her hands. The toxtricity was glad for the distraction. Anything to keep her from thinking about what had happened in her hotel room.
Impatience soon got the better of Nikki, however. She started jumping down half of each flight of stairs, kicking up dirt and sparks. "Hey, slow down!" Artemis cried.
"Fat chance!" Nikki replied. The emergency lights flickered all around her. Her mohawk frazzled in kind. She hurried down the last two flights of stairs and barged out of the red emergency exit door.
Nikki stumbled out into a brick alleyway. She managed to catch herself before faceplanting into the dust and… questionable black streaks in the cracks between several bricks. Nikki looked around, but the buildings surrounding the back of the hotel were equally as dark. So, it ain't just this place. Great.
The emergency exit opened behind her. Artemis slithered out, panting heavily. "Thanks… for waiting," he wheezed.
"Kiss my ass, Pool Noodle." Nikki crossed her arms. "Which way gets us back to the…"
Her voice trailed off as white and blue caught the corner of her eye. Under a ground-level window to her right sat an inflatable quaxly filled to the brim with mounds of bright pink cotton candy. Nikki pointed to it. "Is… is that supposed to be there?"
Artemis looked left. His eyebrows crinkled. "I, uh, think that's a dumpster." He blinked several times. "Or it was a dumpster."
"Right, because dumpsters look like oversized bath toys!" Nikki slouched over. "Next you're going to tell me there was a circus staying in this hotel."
The milotic whipped the air with a ribbon. "I'm just as clueless as you a— whoomph!" His tail shot up and he slithered forward, revealing Pillow Princess and his stupid sylveon boytoy standing in the doorway wearing velvet bathrobes. Their faces were flushed, but frazzled.
That quake caught 'em in the middle of something, Nikki mentally sneered.
"What are you looking at?" Shimmer huffed. The ponyta stomped a forehoof on the ground. "I bet you caused all of this! If you think you can disrupt my beauty sleep the night before the first leg, then you—"
"Shimmy?" Xander tugged on Shimmer's bathrobe. "I think something's really wrong." He pointed to the inflatable quaxly with a ribbon. The second he did, purple light raced up from the brick street. Xander yelped and jumped back in the doorway, earning several annoyed cries. Nikki held her arms up defensively, but nothing bad happened.
When the toxtricity lowered them, however, she found static enveloping the dead streetlight between the hotel and the building to her right. Bit by bit, wood replaced metal, until a twisted, gnarled grandfather clock stood in the streetlight's place, awkwardly bent into the same shape as the object it replaced. A small doorway opened in the middle of it and a little fletchling cuckoo shot out on a metal coil, chirping obnoxiously.
Nikki pinched the back of her neck. She slapped her cheek. Nothing changed. Not a dream, then. Shit.
Shimmer hopped away from the emergency exit, whinnying in fright. "Th… this is…" He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. "When I figure out how you're doing this… I'll see to it no one will even hire you to scrape gum off their tables!" He pointed his glowing horn at Nikki.
"Me?" Nikki's fingers tingled with lightning. "Pull your head out of your boytoy's ass! I've got nothing to do with this."
"Prove it!" Shimmer's nostrils flared.
Nikki clenched her fists. Yellow and purple sparks slowly shaped themselves into a handle. "You're the one with the hate boner. You prove it!"
"Both of you, shut up!"
A milotic tail slapped down between the two of them. "Dawdling here solves nothing." Artemis pointed a ribbon to the alley behind him. "Let's get out in front of the hotel and find someone in charge."
"Yeah! Let us out, damn it!" a gruff voice shouted from inside the emergency exit, followed by a chorus of similar cries. Xander's stubby tail drooped.
"Aha ha… my bad, everyone! Don't hold it against the prince." The sylveon raised his ribbons innocently.
"Hang on… the prince is here?"
"Do something, Your Grace!"
"I paid a lotta money to be here!"
Shimmer shrank back, ears folding at the new chorus of voices. "Xander, you idiot!"
Nikki stepped away from the quarreling lovebirds, but not without flashing the ponyta the smarmiest smirk she could muster. She and Artemis rounded the corner to head in front of the hotel when she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. "What the—"
"Hey, you're glowing pink!" The milotic looked around in a panic.
"Me? You are, too!" Nikki retorted. Then an unseen force hoisted the two into the air. The toxtricity flailed her arms and legs about. "I want outta this shitty nightmare!" she hissed, before landing on the hotel roof with a soft thud.
"Yeah, you and me both, sister."
"Bwuh?" Nikki looked up to find… some sort of hairless black and purple cat standing with his arms crossed and looking down at her. Her heart momentarily quickened upon seeing the obviously evil crystal wedged in the cat's shoulder, but she then remembered what that dorky servant charizard had told her and Princess back in Horizon Gardens.
"Gene, I presume?" Artemis was faster asking what was on Nikki's mind. "I thought you were supposed to be in the Qliphoth with the others."
Gene leaned back against a part of the hotel's large sign. His attempt at a hiding place, if Nikki had to guess. She then realized Valkyrie sat next to him, looking rather pale. The garchomp's arms trembled.
"I was, but your grovyle buddy had to go get himself blown up." Gene shook his head. "So, here I am. And no grilled lizard to show for it."
"Twiggy and I aren't bud— wait."
It took a moment, but the realization of Gene's words was an invisible mallet to the back of Nikki's head. "T… Twiggy blew up?" Her chest tightened. "H-He's—"
"Alive." Gene yawned into his hand.
Artemis balled up a ribbon and shook it at Gene. "Why didn't you lead with that?"
"Dramatic effect?" Gene shrugged.
"Are you asking me or telling me?!"
"Yes." Gene winked at Artemis, whose looked ready to burst a blood vessel.
"Well, where is he?" Nikki asked, finally getting back to her feet.
"Someone took him," Valkyrie whispered. The garchomp continued staring at the ground. Nikki looked to Gene for more information.
"We were going to rescue him." Gene ran his right hand along the back of the hotel sign. He rubbed his index finger and thumb, balling up the dust he had scooped up. "But when we were heading for the amphitheater — a total eyesore, if you ask me — I saw some gold light from out back. Then several figures flew off." He blew the dust ball away from his fingers. "I think I sensed a dusknoir, but there was something… off about their energy. If I had hair, it would've stood on end for sure."
The toxtricity's heart rate picked up again. "The Reaper?" She glanced at Artemis. "I thought he was supposed to be at the hotel with us?"
"Clearly he lied," Artemis said.
Gene cleared his throat. "Anyway, we followed at a distance until we saw your bud get dropped off at some hospital. Then Val told me you guys were here." He gestured to Nikki and Artemis. "And then I hoisted you both up here and explained everything."
Smirking, Gene crossed his arms. "This concludes 'Gene's Epic Story Time.' Be sure to like and subscribe for more daily content."
Nikki stared back at him blankly. What the hell was this dumb hairless cat smoking? And does he have any on him?
"I know, I know. I'm still workshopping the name." Gene nonchalantly flicked his right hand.
"Forget that." Artemis coiled his body tightly until he stood taller than Gene. "Why try and find us? It's not like we're in a position to deal with the Reaper."
"Duh." Gene blew a raspberry. "You think I'm an idiot? This isn't about your charbroiled grovyle. This is about something much more dire."
The milotic squinted. "And are you going to tell us what that is? Or is this some more dramatic effect?"
Another wall of purple light then raced past the group. The glass clamperl towering over the roof abruptly turned to pieces of blue and pink cardboard. A breeze carried the large pieces away from them. Nikki could only watch in disbelief, thankful it hadn't transformed into something more dangerous.
"I think that about sums it up." Gene shook his head, tsking. "Well, that and what's going on with the rest of your motley crew." He clenched his right fist. Ectoplasm swirled around it. "They were helping me try and rescue my friends before we got sidetracked. I'm not about to leave them high and dry when they're doing me a solid."
Nikki put her hands on her hips. "Well, isn't that nice? You didn't strike me as the touchy-feely type, Pussy."
Gene returned the toxtricity's insult with a proud smile. "Nice one." He winked at Nikki before his expression sharpened. "But seriously, as kooky as some of the stuff here might be, we oughta go inside Eternatus and rendezvous with the others." Gene tapped his temple. "Call it psychic intuition."
There was also the matter of the whole toxic water incident. Everyone besides Nikki thought it was connected to Eternatus. Now that even weirder stuff was messing with Venish, didn't it make sense to at least try and fix the toxic water?
She scratched her head. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Nikki looked at Valkrie. Wasn't the dour garchomp going to protest?
"Great! Then let's get a move on." Gene rubbed his hands together. "There isn't a moment to lose."
Again, Nikki expected Valkyrie to object. But she remained silent while Gene raised his hands a summoned a purple rift underneath them.
I guess she's resigned herself to losing Twiggy to the Reaper.
XxX
Yuna wasn't sure how she spotted it through the swamp's haze, but she somehow caught a glimpse of purple splotches forming on the ground ahead of Reshiram. Muttering a silent apology to Reshiram's orange-feathered passenger, she recalled the dragon to the Soul Dew. Moments later, a huge purple geyser erupted in front of the flailing bird. He managed to land on his lanky legs and backpedal to avoid lingering purple globs that peppered the mud and crabby gray grass all around him.
"Let me out! Lemme out!" Reshiram's flailing filled Yuna's mind. "Lugia! Lugia! I have to save her!"
"Calm yourself, Sir Reshiram!" Rayquaza gasped, weaving around the white dragon. "She's mine friend, too, but—"
"No, you don't understand! That's my wife!" Tears welled up in Reshiram's eyes. "We have to do something! Do something, Yuna!"
"Ye gads! Art thou serious?" Rayquaza recoiled, raising his black and red tail. "I know thou werest quite close, but Bahamut ordered you to break things off before assuming your duties."
Nothing but whimpers followed. It wrenched Yuna's gut in different directions. Bahamut preached the importance of family and intimacy, so why would he forbid the Sages from having such relationships? She also realized it sounded like Reshiram, the Sage of Truth, had lied to Bahamut and the other Sages. And on top of that, Reshiram's sadness made it hard to focus on everything else going on.
"Who or what is that?"
Yuna was thankful for Noctum's cry, even if it meant something bad. He pointed toward the poisonous haze ahead of the orange bird, where a tall, lanky silhouette grew larger and taller the closer it got.
"I thought I felt that Chiron vibe a-coming. Most distastefully bad juju."
What emerged from the haze looked… vaguely sneasel-like. If someone had dipped the sneasel in bright pink and stretched it out, of course. The way she swayed back and forth unsettled Yuna. Despite the bottom of her white dress dragging through the mud, it remained utterly pristine. As did the black, wide-brimmed hat sitting atop her head. Nobles back in Aeon had similar hats to shield from the volcanic ash.
But sneasel and weavile don't live in Aeon…
"I can see that confusion scrawled across your face, traitor." The newcomer daintily pointed her long black claws right at Yuna. "It's been some time since you've laid eyes on a sneasler, huh? The body might've changed, but Exodes persists. You know as well as I we Paradigm aren't so easily stopped."
"Is she some… alternate evolution of sneasel? Poppycock!" Rayquaza guffawed. "Next thou'll tellst me she can stretch even further and become a sneaslest."
The sneasler part threw Yuna off, but one thing was certain: the dreepy had to stay firm. Or float firm. "I'm not Chiron. You're mistaken."
"Ha ha ha!" Exodes' grin widened. "Oh, Chrion, even after all these years, your sense of timing remains… impeccable."
Noctum glided in front of Yuna defensively. Seifer poked his head out, horn flickering red. "Halt! Don't come any closer or I'll shoot!"
"Oh? A keldeo. My, my. What a… delicious specimen you are." Exodes traced a claw around her lips, then licked it with her long, black tongue. "Why not… give yourself up to the Paradigm?" The sneasler gripped the brim of her hat. "You'd make a fabulous addition to my growing army of the undead."
It wasn't hard for Yuna to put two and two together. Seifer was quickest to react, however. "So, you're behind the skeletons that attacked us, earlier! Surrender, fiend!"
"Of course I am." Exodes resumed swaying back and forth. "It's my… coronation gift to the emperor. An infinite army of the undead, made possible by these silly mutants and their budding powers."
"Emperor?" The orange bird shifted uneasily.
"Budding?" Noctum frowned.
"Like mushrooms?" Seifer glanced back at Kelly and Skorp. "Quetzal, be careful down there."
"Careful? Ha!" Exodes fanned herself with her right hand. "I could stand here and talk your ears off." She raised both hands. "But I'd much rather… demonstrate!"
Noctum and Yuna were ready. Both flew in opposite directions faster than Exodes could extend her claws toward either of them.
"Foul witch! Claws shouldn't extend that far," Rayquaza spat. "Tis an affront to nature!"
"Skorp, Kelly, look out!" Noctum cried. Yuna realized the claws were still extending. The aerodactyl behind her cawed in alarm and flapped her wings. Yuna thought it wise to attack Exodes. Fortunately, the bird was on top of it, shooting an orange blast toward Exodes from his right leg.
The sneasler jumped over the blast. Her claws didn't need to retreat. Yuna hastily concentrated, but Reshiram didn't respond. What are you doing? she mentally hissed. We need your help!
Fortunately, Kelly avoided getting grabbed. Yuna got no relief, however, as Kelly suddenly jerked left, then right. She screeched in protest, but next thing Yuna knew, she was staring down an approaching wall of dragonfire.
"Yuna!"
Flames and a large water torrent followed Noctum's cry. They snuffed out the dragonfire, giving Yuna enough time to float back. Exodes retracted her claws, allowing Yuna to see a tiny aerodactyl doll in her right claws.
"Whoa there, Kelly!" Skorp dangled from her right leg. "Why don't we take a deep breath or two, eh?"
"It's too late for her." Exodes held up the aerodactyl doll. "One little touch is all I need for my vicious voodoo to take hold." The sneasler flapped the doll's wings and Kelly responded in kind. A giant gust of wind sent Yuna reeling through the air. She heard Noctum and Seifer's hollers, followed by metal breaking apart.
"Waaaaah!"
Yuna righted herself in time for Quetzal to zip by her. Skorp landed safely on his orange-feathered back. Quetzal looked as surprised at his speed as Yuna was.
"Behind you, Princess!"
The dreepy whirled around. Exodes' free claws were heading right for her! And brimming with poison! She concentrated, but couldn't draw up Reshiram's flames. Fortunately, Rayquaza popped his black head out of the Soul Dew and blasted the claws with a Dragon Pulse. The blue bolt vaporized the toxins and the claws shot back to Exodes' hand like chains pulled through a winch crank.
Reshiram, please! Snap out of it! Yuna's frustration was bubbling up. Her arms darkened. Fearful of Rayquaza noticing, she sucked him back into the Soul Dew with a deep breath.
"… Lugia…" Sniffles echoed in Yuna's head. She couldn't believe how defeated he sounded. And all because she didn't want him rushing ahead. Reshiram would have gotten trapped by Exodes for sure if Yuna hadn't stopped him. Why couldn't he see that? He was the Sage of Truth!
"Well, well." Exodes fanned herself with her free hand. "It seems I'm not the only puppeteer here. How fitting. First you throw the whole Paradigm away like a set of unloved toys. Now you're doing the same to the ones you left us for."
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Yuna retorted. "Please, stop! Nothing good is going to come from this!"
Quetzal had taken the opportunity to run out of Exodes' eyesight. Just when it looked like he'd launch a sneak attack, however, Exodes pried the Kelly doll's jaws open. Glowing rocks rained down on Quetzal from above. Squawking in surprise, the orange bird ran zigzags to try and avoid them.
"Tis a feint!" Rayquaza cried. Sure enough, Exodes slammed her free hand into the ground. A wave of purple ooze rose from the bog behind Quetzal.
"We have to blow it away!" Yuna focused on Rayquaza's soul — she wasn't going to risk Reshiram resisting again — and vibrant blue energy gathered in her arms. While Quetzal ran away from the swamp and the capsized ship, a twister rose from the ground.
Yuna realized her misstep too late, however. The tornado caught the poison tidal wave and flung the purple slime in all directions. Some hit Kelly, who shrieked in pain and plummeted from the air. Other bits struck the ship's front hull, burning through the metal around a charizard-shaped hole.
"How droll!" Exodes raised her free hand, laughing. "The more you try and 'help,' the more harm you're putting your friends through." The sneasler jerked Kelly's doll and the aerodactyl forcibly shot into the air again, flying in between Yuna and Exodes.
Yuna's gills shriveled. That blasted daemon was using Kelly as a meat shield now? How could she?
Reshiram, I'm begging you! Stop sulking! Yuna scrunched her face up. Think about the others. Think about Lugia! If we can't stop this daemon… she's going to keep hurting her!
"I could use some help over here!"
Quetzel's frightened caws drew Yuna's attention down, where he was running back toward the ship with Exodes' claws in hot pursuit. Yuna gulped. Quetzal couldn't get hit like Kelly did. Not with Noctum and Seifer still stuck in the ship.
… The ship.
"Quetzal, go in the ship!" Yuna cried.
"What?" The orange bird hopped over Exodes' claws. He kicked the air with his right leg, propelling him a few meters away. "Are you mad? I can't leave you here alone!"
"Just do it!" Yuna was getting warmer. White fur filled the back of her psyche, along with a sudden surge of determination. "I think… I think they might've found something important in there!"
"Ha! In that hunk of metal?" Exodes retracted her claws and forced the aerodactyl doll's mouth open again. More glowing rocks gathered above Quetzal. "I don't even know what it's doing—"
The sneasler's eyes widened. "Err, I mean, that thing's been there for ages! It's as empty as this aerodactyl's head!"
Quetzal caught the slip up. An orange glow surrounded him. Yowling, Skorp hung on for dear life with all three mutant hands. Quetzal surged into the Noctum-shaped hole in the ship's hull.
"Rrr… stupid, stupid, stupid!" Exodes smacked her head three times with her left hand. She jabbed the Kelly doll with her left index claw. The aerodactyl seized in the air. "After them!"
She lifted her hat and stuffed the doll into it. Kelly screeched and darted for the hole in the ship.
Now it was just the two of them. The broken needle had an ominous glow. Lugia still floated over it. Were there more purple tendrils around her or was Yuna's mind playing tricks on her?
"Last chance." Yuna clasped the edges of her Soul Dew. "We've… already dealt with daemons like you. If you let everyone go, maybe we can talk this out."
Uproarious laughter was Exodes' answer. "You think the great Lady Exodes, voodoo master of Eternatus, is going to surrender to a traitorous has been?" She flicked her right hand dismissively. "Oh, honey…"
All six of Exodes' claws glowed bright purple, as did her eyes. The purple swamps on either side of Yuna bubbled… and skeletons emerged one by one. Carracosta. Relicanth. Archeops. Three species Yuna had only seen in picture books, like the cranidos and rampardos before them.
"… what makes you think you ever had the advantage here?"
They came as a volley. Three Hydro Pumps. Two rock volleys. Way too much for Yuna to deal with. She fled right through the air, but giant purple wisps swirled all around her. She'd never seen ghostly energy so big before! Were these Shadow Balls?
I don't see an opening! Reshiram… help!
"On it!"
The flames burned Yuna's throat, forcing him to spit them out immediately. Yet, to her horror, the purple energy balls only shrank from the Blue Flare. And they were closing in all around her!
No! Oh, God, no! Yuna tensed up, bracing for what would surely be a massive hit.
There was, indeed, a flash bright enough to notice despite her closed eyes. But no pain.
"You!"
Yuna's eyes snapped open at Exodes' cry.
It was Gene. The mewtwo floated between her and Exodes, brandishing… a giant pink spoon?
"He fights with a kitchen utensil?" Rayquaza's jaw dropped. "Have we aligned ourself with a fool? Mayhap he left his jester's hat at his abode."
Gene stole a glance at Yuna and nodded. Then he rested the giant spoon on his left shoulder.
"Long time no see, Exdeath." Gene lacked the playful attitude Yuna heard earlier. "I gotta say… you picked a sporting locale for taking your voodoo act underground. Could do with a little more Cajun flare, but I don't think we're gonna find Kalosian colonists on such short notice."
Veins bulged on Exodes' forehead. "It's Exodes, now, rebel scum! And I should've figured you were a dirty enough piece of swine to associate with the traitor!"
"Oh-ho, my bad." Gene scratched his head with his free hand. "Wasn't aware you changed names. Finally realized how obviously evil that edgy moniker was?" The mewtwo's tail lazily swayed back and forth.
Well, the seriousness was nice while it lasted. Still, Yuna was thankful for the backup. Doubly so when she spotted Nikki and Artemis standing back-to-back, surrounded by damp bones with sparks dancing around them. Valkyrie glided onto a dead, toppled over tree. She squatted on the rotting wood, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.
"Didn't take you for the shlocky horror flick type, Princess." Nikki's back was turned to Yuna, but the dreepy practically heard the smirk in her voice. "But after the time we've had… I could do with breaking a few bones. Flesh or no flesh." She cracked her knuckles.
Exodes glanced between the down skeletons and Gene. "Ha ha. Well, well. We've really got ourselves a party now, huh?" She adjusted her black hat, some of her earlier smarminess returning.
"Do we? Dang." Gene snapped his left fingers. "Forgot to bring my queso. Nobody can resist the cheesy dip." He put his fingers to his lips and kissed them.
"The only dipping sauce I'll be needing is your blood, rebel." Exodes pointed an index claw at Gene. "I'll drizzle it over your head and serve it up on a platter to the emperor. He'll be so thrilled, he'll make me his number two over Uroboros!"
"Emperor?" Gene tsked. "Jeez, just when I thought Paradox's head couldn't get any bigger."
"Y… Yuna?" Reshiram poked his claws together in the back of her mind. "Now that we have backup… maybe we can try and free Lugia?"
The skeletons surrounding Nikki and Artemis reanimated. They snapped at the air. Nikki raised her fists, mohawk crackling like a fire pit.
Gene brandished his giant spoon. "Try it, Exdeath. I'll have you seeing stars, just like last time."
The sneasler immediately launched her claws at Gene. She looked focused on him. Yuna agreed with Reshiram. This was her chance. She flew right, weaving around barren tree branches and tuning out the sounds of claws slamming into something hard.
But though she got farther from Exodes, she found a wall of Poison Sting needles approaching her. Yelping, the dreepy dove down, skirting the attacks while staying just above the poisonous swamp.
When she pulled up, Yuna found dozens of Skorps standing on the edge of the island, each with their mutant hands trained directly on her.
Their limbs glowed purple in unison. And, just like that, Yuna had three dozen Poison Sting needles closing in on her.
It was going to be a repeat of the dreaded Herbrides Lines tree. A treepeat, in other words. Noctum was absolutely sure of it the closer the ship's hull got. Another concussion. Possibly worse this time. And he had Seifer with him, to boot.
Except the metal was more like the sponges Noctum used to wash dishes back at the academy. His momentum effortlessly carried him through multiple surfaces that should've hurt, but didn't. It ended when he finally managed to dig his arms into… whatever strip of metal was underneath him and skid to a halt. He was still dizzy. The black charizard wasn't sure if he was on the floor, a wall, or the ceiling.
It didn't help that the ship was tilted, either. A result of its capsizing, obviously.
"Mrrgh. You okay, Noctum?"
"Dizzy." Though the lack of nausea concerns me. Noctum squeezed his eyes shut. At least Seifer was okay.
… Wait, was the keldeo okay?
"How about you?" Noctum was getting his bearings back. A few more deep, stinky breaths would do it. God, this place reeks.
"Unharmed, but a bit… compromised."
The spinning faded fast. Noctum opened his eyes. Seifer lay to his left, tangled in a mess of blankets, pillows, and broken wood.
"Uhh—"
"We must've landed in some of the crew's quarters," Seifer explained, struggling to get the blankets off of him. "Hey, swing your tail around. It's too dark in here."
The room had a red tint to it thanks to a couple of tiny, cracked lights overhead. It wasn't that helpful, though. Noctum swung his black-scaled tail left. The violet flames mixed with the red lights to cast an even more ominous purple glow over Seifer.
"Thanks." With the extra light, the keldeo easily wriggled free. As soon as he did, he slid down the inclined floor until he caught against the broken remnants of a bunk bed. "Okay, I guess we ought to go back out and tend to Yuna, right?"
"Ah!" Noctum's tail flame sparked in alarm. He spread his wings and jumped to his feet. His pink apron now had dirt and slime covering most of the flowers, but that didn't matter. Yuna needed backup. She—
"Guys, don't leave me! Help me! Hel— blaaauuggubble!"
Noctum and Seifer shared astonished looks. Neither had to speak to tell what the other was thinking: the ship had people on it!
"What do we do?" The charizard looked worriedly between the door below them and the hole in the wall. "Should we split up? I can go back to Yuna and you can investigate the ship."
"Absolutely not." Seifer's horn sparked. "I need your tail for light." He glanced at the door. "Besides, if this is really a waste management ship, it might have something in it that can deal with all the poison outside."
"But Yuna…" Noctum couldn't leave her again. It had happened too many times already.
"She has the Sages. And Quetzal," Seifer sternly declared. "Different look or not, I trained him myself. I have the utmost faith in his—"
"Commander!"
The orange zapdos in question dashed through the hole in the wall. Skorp clung to his back feathers. Noctum imagined Seifer would've facepalmed if he had hands.
"What are you doing?" the keldeo barked. "Get back out there! Yuna needs—"
"She told me to come here!" Quetzal squawked.
"What?" Noctum was about to push past the zapdos.
"She thought you guys might've found something." Quetzal awkwardly shuffled his gangly legs. Noctum briefly wondered if he or this "sneasler" critter had lankier legs.
"And we did. There are people on board." Seifer pointed his prosthetic horn toward the broken remnants of a doorframe. "Who we have a responsibility toward."
"Great." Noctum clapped his hands together. "You can take your bird friend and I'll go back to Yuna." He lifted his stubby right leg. "And if things get too dark, he can light the way with his weird leggy energy ball attack," the charizard added, cutting off what he assumed was Seifer's counterargument.
To his delight, the keldeo's shoulders sagged. "Very well. Stay on your guard."
Noctum smiled. "Same to you."
Right as he was about to push past Quetzal, however, shrieks filled the hole in the ship's hull. For a moment, there was a familiar silhouette. Then dragonfire filled the area. Noctum fought back with a Flamethrower of his own. When they collided and kicked up green and red smoke, Noctum turned to the others, eyes damp from the ash.
"Had a change of heart. Move, move, move!" He grabbed Skorp off of Quetzal's back and flew through the shattered door. The outside hallway was, thankfully, spacious. The ship must've been built with even larger pokémon than a charizard in mind. But everything was still slanted and poorly lit by red emergency lights.
"I don't suppose either of you were on a ship like this in your, uh, guard duties?" Noctum scratched his head.
"Actually, I have taken assignments on waste management ships before!" Quetzal chirped. When Noctum turned around, the zapdos and Seifer had blocked the doorframe using rubble from the other room.
"Great!" Noctum glided forward. Brown rust patches spread across the metal floor. The further Noctum went, the more holes started to pop up. Pink and purple light filtered up through the holes. The noxious smell from earlier was worse. Thank goodness Noctum hadn't eaten in a while.
"Then please tell me you can get us to higher ground."
Thumps came from behind the quartet. "Can we hustle our bustles a bit, eh?" Skorp tightened his grip on the shoulder straps of Noctum's apron. "I think Kelly's gonna break through any sec—"
Noctum wasn't ready for the floor in front of him to explode, however. Rusty metal shards scraped his delicate wing membranes, but he managed to shield his face. That was what mattered most.
"Run for your lii— aiiiuggggggh!"
The charizard lifted his right wing to see an oddly fuzzy wartortle head disappear through the new hole in the floor. He couldn't even react properly, because two more holes appeared in front of him. Slimy purple tentacles popped out of the holes and smacked against the walls and ceiling. Their squelching rang in Noctum's ear frills as they painted the walls with noxious purple ooze. The urge to dry heave was overwhelming.
"Don't just stand there! Attack!" Seifer bellowed.
Sizzling water stung Noctum's right shoulder. He reflexively grabbed it with his left hand.
The Scald struck the right tentacle, which exploded in a burst of slime. A burst of rotten air brought bile up in Noctum's throat. He spat some clear stomach acid at his feet.
When he looked up, white, fuzzy patches spread out over the spots the tentacles hit. The surrounding metal turned from dark to brown. It bubbled like fresh stew in one of Aeon Castle's cooking cauldrons. Burnt and rusted metal mixed with the pungent rotten egg smell already in the air. Noctum tilted his head to stave off another attempt at spitting up bile.
"Is that… mold?" There was a tremor in Seifer's voice. Even with his claims of diving into the distortion in the past, he must've never come across something like this.
"Sure looks like it," Quetzal said.
"Some of the dead trees in the bayou normally have them," Skorp explained. "But they don't eat through metal. Or smell like the world's biggest sulfur plume. Peeyew!"
Screeching echoed from behind. "Gawk later," Seifer hissed, face scrunched in disgust. "We have to press on!"
"Right." But when Noctum tried to fly ahead, the remnants of the floor burst apart. Two wiry, slime-covered arms reached for the charizard. He backpedaled in midair, spewing a Flamethrower on instinct. The flames washed across a moldy garbodor's face, who sank back through the floor. A fresh burst of rotten air buffeted the charizard, who covered his snout with his hands.
Noctum landed on the floor and an Aura Sphere singed his cheek. It sailed into Garbodor's slimy right arm, which burst apart into purple tentacles that shot toward Noctum and Seifer. The charizard wanted to Phantom Warp, but remembered his passenger. With a deep breath that almost made him hurl, Noctum shot as large a Dragon Pulse he could manage. The blue bolt swept through the tentacles, slicing clean through them. A Scald from Seifer took care of the remaining three.
"Gu—ys!" A grunt interrupted Quetzal's cry. "Kelly's here! We're getting pincered! What do we do?"
Noctum looked to Seifer. The keldeo's eyes darted about before looking toward the ceiling. "We go up."
"What?" A flurry of swipes from Quetzal's right leg dispelled Kelly's dragonfire. The orange zapdos followed up with a powerful kick to Kelly's head that left a thunderous boom echoing through the ship.
"The ship's integrity is giving way," Seifer explained. "It should be a breeze to smash through the ceiling."
"Ah, good point!" Noctum had painlessly crashed through the ship at the start of all this. He and Seifer looked up. The ceiling swelled like a boil under Noctum's Flamethrower. Seifer's ensuing Scald blasted clean through it. And not a moment too soon, as a roar told the team that Garbodor was ready for another go.
"Move!" Seifer blasted water from his hooves, shooting through the hole. Noctum looked toward Quetzal, but the zapdos bent his lanky legs and leaped up far higher than the black charizard expected.
"Hurry!" Skorp yelled.
Garbodor was halfway out of the hole, eating away at the floor and plastering white, fuzzy mold all around it. Every squelch its rotting, mold-filled body made echoed in Noctum's ear frills. As did the bubbling and gurgling from its bloated torso. Things were wriggling underneath the mold. A wartortle shell here. A silicobra tail there. Heck, Garbodor's body sucked in parts of the ship, adding to the bitter, burning metal mixing with its sulfurous stench.
It almost reminded Noctum of home. Just not in a good way. Why couldn't he have gone out to help Yuna?
… Oh, right. Kelly.
Noctum spat some dragonfire at Garbodor's face, then quickly flapped his wings. He passed through the ceiling hole and found himself hovering beside a door. Something clanged against it. Purple juice filled the tiny circular window. An agonized cry followed.
His violet tail flame grew in alarm. "We're not safe here, either!"
"You're telling me!" Quetzal pointed his stubby right wing forward. A second wartortle lay slumped and unmoving in the corner of the hallway, covered in mold from head to toe. There were two other mold piles next to it. Whatever they were… Noctum couldn't tell anymore.
And seconds later, Garbodor's left hand burst through the floor. Its moldy fingers curled around the downed crew members, filling the hall with echoing gurgles and bringing back the rotten odor from the floor below.
"Keep moving up!" Seifer ordered, though he sounded far from sure of himself. He stuck a forehoof into the hole and blasted another Scald, drawing screeches from below.
"Ohhh, poor Kelly!" Skorp blubbered. "We can't let that moldy garbodor get its grubby hands on her, eh!"
"Why is it so big, anyway?" Noctum whimpered. "It's slurping up pokémon like it was nothing!"
"I'll bet it's trance," Seifer whispered. He shook his head. "Never mind that, though. Our safety… is what matters most now!"
It hurt Noctum to admit, but Seifer was right. He couldn't risk himself — and, by association, the princess — for a feral. The black charizard flew up into the hole, but quickly threw himself into the wall to dodge slimy tentacles shooting up after him. They burst apart and Seifer and Quetzal hopped up through the hole.
"We can't keep this up," Quetzal said. "And what about the crew? Is anyone still in one piece on this—"
"Oh, thank Zacian! It's Commander Seifer!"
The keldeo froze, tail shooting up. Noctum followed the voice, across a giant metal room filled with dented pipes and tubes. A rhydon with a torn white uniform was on his hands and knees in front of some giant glass tube peppered with cracks. Gray liquid sloshed around in it. The machine's whirring was almost… relaxing compared to the shouts and slimy blubbering from the floors below.
But that begged one question: what was this thing? There were a few other pokémon around it, mostly bulky steel-types like bronzong and steelix. No wonder this is such a big ship.
Noctum shook his head. "You guys have to get out of here! There's this… this crazy big Garbodor! And it's coming for us!"
"You mean Teddy?" Rhydon lumbered to his feet just in time for one of Garbodor's hands to appear through the hole the group had gone through. "Ten o'clock! Fire!"
The bronzong beside Rhydon levitated a hose and squeezed the trigger. Some of the gray juice burst out. It effortlessly ate through Garbodor's moldy arm. Noctum's ear frills quivered from the sizzling and he buried his snout in his apron to avoid another burst of moldy air. He hastily shuffled closer to the big glass tube.
"Is… is that thing part of the crew?" Seifer asked, shakily catching his breath.
"Yeah." Rhydon ran his right arm across his forehead, wiping away oil. "We were… working with Minister Tesla. To decontaminate Venish's water supply with his antitoxin." He glanced at the glass tube. "But all of a sudden, the distortion where the Needle used to be pulled us in and we capsized!" He staggered back and forth, probably for dramatic effect. "Poor Teddy tumbled off the ship and then emerged looking like…"
"Like something out of my worst nightmares!" Quetzal shrieked. Multiple indents popped up on the wall behind him. Noctum got one look at a poster of a blissey and a sylveon in a hard hat with the caption "At Polaris, safety comes first!" before it burst apart alongside the wall it was attached to.
Garbodor's roars were as fierce as any kommo-o battle cry Noctum had ever heard. Its body jiggled like jelly, shaking the metal shards, wooden debris, and mold-covered crewmates stuck in the slime. And that nauseating odor was even worse than before! Noctum was sure his nostrils were burning now.
His violet flame shrank. "Shoot it with the antitoxin!" he begged. "Hurry!"
"We're trying!" Bronzong cried. Gray fluid splattered across Garbodor's white, fuzzy chest. The mold bubbled and sizzled. White smoke drifted toward the grated metal ceiling. It toppled over, flailing its arms and splattering corrosive slime all around it. Seifer and Quetzal backed away, forming Protect shields. The other crewmates fled for the other side of the room, Bronzong included.
"We've already gone through half our stock keeping Teddy at bay!" Rhydon shouted. "We thought Teddy was gone, but he must've roamed around the ship and eaten half the crew or something. He's so much bigger!"
Garbodor was back on its feet, roaring its displeasure. Seifer looked back at the crew "Then evacuate, damn it! We can't take this thing on our own!" He raised his forehooves and blasted huge water jets from them. Garbodor pointed two moldy fingers forward. Water collided with poison. The force sent Seifer skidding back toward Noctum. He caught the Keldeo, who ceased his attack.
"Evacuate where? There's a toxic swamp all around us!" Rhydon protested. Garbodor opened its mouth wide. It filled with purple slime.
"Quetzal, trip it up!" Seifer cried.
Eyes darting about, the zapdos frantically flapped his stubby orange wings. When it looked like Garbodor was going to flood the room with a mouthful of poison, Quetzal stomped the floor repeatedly. Noctum grabbed Seifer and flapped his wings. A tremor ran across the ground, upending Garbodor. It coughed the poison up into the ceiling. Metal sizzled and boiled away. Rusted metal overpowered Garbodor's rotten aroma.
Pipework shards and chunks of the ceiling came crashing down onto Garbodor. Noctum dropped Seifer and turned to the machine.
If there was just a way to make what they had more effective. More effective. More…
"Calm your pecs, Zardy! I'm outside." Static garbled Gene's voice slightly, but it still brought Noctum no shortage of relief. "Just tending to this crazy cat lady. I already told her I don't swing that way, but she can't keep her claws off me— heeyee! Goodness, that was close." He laughed nervously. "What's the problem?"
"Calorimetry!" Noctum looked between the antitoxin vat and Garbodor. The latter's body was slowly absorbed all the rubble that had it buried. "I need you to do calorimetry again! We have a vat of antitoxin here and—"
"Antitoxin?" Gene muttered several curses. "Speak up sooner next time! You could've saved me, like, a half-dozen close calls."
"We were a bit preoccupied ourselves," Noctum huffed. "Just hurry over."
"Fine, fine. Lemme get everything in place." Some ragged breaths followed, then, "Hey, Exodeez Nuts! Catch me if you can!"
"Wait, what?!" Noctum's tail flame grew. "Why are you bringing her here?!"
But the charizard didn't get a response.
XxX
There were very few times in Yuna's life she was thankful for her tiny size. This was one of them.
As many Poison Stings as there were, she didn't find it that hard to outmaneuver them. A quick ascent got past the first onslaught. The she u-turned in midair and dove down to avoid the next wave. The dozen skorps lining the edge of the island were charging up for another volley, so she rolled right. The wall of mutant skorupi gave way to brown mud and crabby gray grass.
"Thine adversaries art not the sharpest tools in the shed," Rayquaza scoffed. "Mayhap being controlled by that foul witch is throwing off their aim."
He had a point. The skorps were sluggish to turn and meet her. They couldn't naturally be that slow, could they?
To test that theory, the dreepy whizzed right past them, flying over the purple swamp once again. Sure enough, they lowered the limbs they were in the process of raising. Yuna allowed herself a glance across the island. Artemis had swapped places with Valkyrie, allowing Nikki to easily cut loose with dome-shaped bursts of lightning that downed the skeletons the moment they reassembled.
Valkyrie took the opportunity to try and snipe Exodes from afar with a blue-purple bolt straight from her mouth. The sneasler caught sight of the attack and jerked herself right. This left her wide open for Gene, who struck her with tiny psychic orbs from every direction. Hissing in pain, she dropped to her knees.
"Princess, look at the skorps!" Rayquaza cried.
An invisible force awkwardly yanked the skorupi into the air. If they didn't have the blankest expressions imaginable, Yuna figured they'd be panicking.
"This is our chance!" Reshiram declared. "Go! Get to Lugia!"
Yuna shot forward; a tiny green dart through the hazy air. Despite the weird, purple barrier encasing her, Lugia's features grew clearer. And they told Yuna something was very wrong.
What was that dark circle she was curled around? Was it—
"… ye gads! Dame Lugia is… clutching an egg?" Rayquaza exclaimed. "What manner of witchcraft is this?!"
All Reshiram could manage was startled squeaks.
It wasn't just that, though. Yuna abruptly stopped right before she would've collided with a dozen skorp voodoo dolls. They floated in front of the barrier, each one connected to it by a purple tendril. A familiar aerodactyl doll whizzed past them, also stuck to a tendril.
Yuna looked over her shoulder, where Exodes failed to strike Gene with her extending claws. The strike was clumsy. Gene's lips moved. A mocking taunt, perhaps? That hardly mattered.
It's her. She turned back to the broken Needle. "The daemon… she must be siphoning Lugia's power to puppet everything!"
As if the barrier heard her, it flashed red. "Thine adversaries art firing, Princess!" Rayquaza warned. Yuna shot up and watched the ensuing Poison Stings strike the voodoo dolls themselves. That finally got pained cries from the skorps.
"I bet she wasn't expecting us to get backup from the others," Reshiram surmised. "Now her attention's split between fighting Gene and staying connected to Lugia. I don't think she can handle it." He clapped his illusory wings together. "Let's blast away these silly bugs and free Lugia!"
"No!"
"What? Why?!" Reshiram's white, fluffy head popped out of the Soul Dew. "We can't let that creep hurt Lugia anymore!" He looked at the barrier. "And that weird, space-colored egg…"
Yuna winced, but had to roll right to dodge another Poison Sting barrage. "But you saw what happened to the skorps when they got hit by their own attack!" Her gills drooped. "If… if I attack the dolls, it's going to hurt them!"
She tried to look back toward Gene, but caught flashes of purple. The Poison Stings were a bit faster this time. Some nicked the end of her tail, but she flew away from the brunt of them. The dolls had followed her, however, forming a protective square in front of the barrier. How was Exodes even managing this while contending with Gene?
To make matters worse, Reshiram was halfway out of the Soul Dew. "They don't matter here! Lugia matters!" His blue eyes blazed with anger. "You promised!" He pointed a shaky wing at her. Tears glistened in his eyes. "You promised to free all the Sages! You… you can't back down now! I won't let you!"
Yuna squished Reshiram back into the Soul Dew, then dove down under more Poison Stings. "But I can't just risk all the skorps to do that! What if we turn them into Phantoms?" She could never live with herself if that happened.
Reshiram would have none of it. He fully manifested from the Soul Dew, his tail engine burning bright.
"Make a choice!"
The cold, authoritative tone was unlike anything Yuna had never heard from Reshiram.
"What art thou doing, Sir Reshiram?" Rayquaza's words wouldn't reach him, though. Because the black serpent was still in the Soul Dew.
Reshiram glanced at the dreepy. "When there's no clear path to victory, you have to make sacrifices for the greater good."
Yuna had no time to process that, as Reshiram spewed a torrent of blue fire at the dolls. The moment the attack struck, the skorps screamed. Blue flames engulfed them. Reshiram was poised to follow up with a Dragon Pulse, but the dolls detached from the purple tendrils and fell to the ground, where the muck and mud snuffed out the flames. The actual skorps then followed suit while the barrier's tendrils flailed about like balloons someone had just untied.
Inside the barrier, the egg shuddered. A crack splintered across its astral, blue and gold shell.
The dreepy's gills shriveled from that and the sizzling she heard on the ground. The hazy air filled with the stench of charred chitin.
Her gut constricted, nearly up into her head. Yuna's vision flickered.
Reshiram said that. Reshiram did that.
But Bahamut… preached compromise. If there wasn't a clear path forward, one had to make it.
He ignored that. A Sage ignored that.
"LUGIA!"
Yuna's head snapped up. The egg cracked in two more places. It trembled between Lugia's wings.
Reshiram flew straight for the barrier… and it raised two tendrils to intercept him!
She thought she had talked sense into him earlier, but she was wrong. Now she was about to lose him. Lose Lugia. Lose the egg.
Innocent people were hurt — possibly turned into Phantoms — for nothing.
Because she wasn't strong enough. Because she wasn't forceful enough.
Yuna's vision went red. Her arms were darkening, but she didn't care. Rayquaza called out to her, but she couldn't make anything out.
With a squeaky roar, Yuna thrust her arms forward. They expanded in flashes of purple. Two large, ectoplasmic wings grabbed hold of a squealing Reshiram. He flailed in between six red spikes, but Yuna didn't care. She forcibly pulled Reshiram back, narrowly avoiding the tendrils, and slammed him back into the Soul Dew.
Its golden glow felt… familiar against her shadowy wing. Yuna wasn't sure why. And she didn't care. She yanked Rayquaza out.
"Keep the tendrils at bay," the dreepy ordered. A strange haze fell over Rayquaza's red eyes. He turned and whipped up sharp wind currents, blowing all the tendrils to the other side of the barrier.
Yuna made her move. She darted toward the barrier, roaring her frustrations with all of this. Yuna whipped the newly-formed wings back and slammed them into the barrier.
White-hot flames rippled through her entire body. The wings shrank back down into her usual, nubby arms, but Yuna refused to let up. She pressed harder. She dug her arms into the barrier. She slammed her forehead into it and screamed.
And the dreepy's screams… grew deeper. Her body was burning even hotter than before! Had Reshiram mixed in his power?
… No. Rayquaza was who she was channeling. This was her voice.
Yuna shoved her whole body against the barrier, redoubling her roar. She thought she heard an explosion in the distance. It didn't matter.
The burning intensified, but Yuna refused to let up. Her arms… were getting longer. Her torso… was expanding. Light green turned to yellow and blue. Tiny, nubby legs kicked against the barrier.
"Let her out!" Yuna roared before banging her much heavier head against the purple wall in front of her.
Then Lugia's eyes snapped open… and the barrier engulfed Yuna in golden light.
The needs of the many. The needs of the few. They matter not before the Benefactor.
~Qliphoth Proverb
XxX
Yuna was falling.
The barrier was gone. Soft, golden light fizzled out around her. There were no more poisonous tendrils. The aerodactyl voodoo doll was gone, too. Somehow, she had done it, but God was it exhausting.
She was so tired. Yuna didn't think this kind of fatigue was possible for ghost-types. Yet even as damp, musty air rippled through her ectoplasm, all Yuna wanted was to curl up for a nice, long nap.
Yuna had just enough energy left to hope her crash landing was a soft one before her eyelids fluttered shut.
XxX
Green fields gave way to rocky crags with small brooks weaving between them. Chiron flapped her wings, frowning. She could sense Lugia nearby. So, the Sage hadn't moved from where Bahamut had detected her.
Lugia ignored his summons. Bahamut was very clear; his summons required prompt response. No Sage could disregard one longer than ten minutes. Lugia had broken that rule. And after she had a string of cancelled sermons in defiance of Bahamut, Chiron could tell his temper was bubbling to the surface. She had suggested he take some time to meditate and leave Lugia to her. But she was quite surprised at how quickly and precisely Bahamut located Lugia.
Chiron descended further into a brown valley, trying to push that thought aside. The brooks grew larger, joining together and running into a crescent lake. The familiar shape brought a smile to the lunala's face. She hadn't seen this one before. Perhaps Chiron would ask Bahamut about it later.
Her smile quickly faded when she found Lugia on the lake's eastern bank, lying in the mud with her tail lazily dangling in the water. Dirt and grime caked her once-pristine, white feathers.
Chiron didn't have time to consider a proper greeting because Lugia locked eyes with her. "Come to lecture me? Then go on." Lugia lazily raised her left wing and flicked it, flinging mud into the water with splashes and brown rings. "Tell me I'm a screw up. A freeloader. Or whatever colorful language Bahamut was using back at his base."
The lunala bit her lip. So, Lugia's strategy was guilt tripping. A firm approach wasn't going to work. Chiron would attempt a soft touch, instead. "He's worried about you." She folded her right wing over her chest. "We're all worried about you. You haven't been yourself lately."
Silence. Then a bitter laugh. Lugia rolled on her back, burying herself deeper in the muck. "Ha! Worried about me? That's a good one." She smacked the muddy ground with her right wing. Chiron drifted back to avoid mud splatter.
Chiron clutched the Soul Dew around her neck with her wing claws. It was one thing for Lugia to play hooky, but it was another to belittle Bahamut and his work. Sure, Chiron had only been here a few months, yet it was long enough to conclude the golden dragon truly cared about the world.
"That attitude isn't helping your case." The lunala's words were firmer. "We are concerned, because this behavior is… unbecoming of someone in your position."
"My behavior?" Lugia sat up. Chiron had gotten through to her. "That is rich!" She scooped up a ball of mud with her right wing and hurled it at Chiron. Rolling her eyes, Chiron teleported to her right, then watched the mud sail into the lake with a brown splash.
So, Lugia wanted to act like a hatchling? Fine then. Chiron could treat her like one. Her third eye flared to life. A purple glow surrounded a squawking Lugia's wings and pinned them to her side.
"You have a responsibility to this planet and its people," Chiron exclaimed. "I may not understand all your customs, but I know you were trained to be better this. Do we not teach commoners to talk out their differences? To use words and not claws and fangs?"
She stared Lugia down. The silence lingered long enough for Chiron to wonder if Lugia was opting for the silent treatment.
"… this isn't what I signed up for." Lugia turned away, plapping her head down in the mud. "It's not fair. We speak of things we're not allowed." She put her left wing on her neck. "I wanted to help people, but as the years go by, it feels less like helping and more like sacrificing my life and my freedom!"
Chiron's third eye faded into her forehead. She folded her wings over her torso, unsure what to even make of that. "Explain."
"What does it matter to you?" Lugia swung her tail back and forth, sloshing around more muck. "Our rules don't apply to you. You didn't even bond with your Soul Dew, did you?"
"I… didn't." Chiron traced her folded wing across the gem. She needed to get Lugia to open up more, but she couldn't tell the truth. None of the Sages could know the lunala had fled Eternatus. It was too dangerous. For her and for them.
"You all… have a long apprenticeship period before you accept Bahamut's light, right?" Chiron tightened her wings around her torso. "It doesn't feel right for me to accept such power after only a few months here."
And there's no telling how his light might react with my Malice.
Lugia laughed at that, however. "Well, congratu-freaking-lations." She flung more mud with her tail. "Then you're free of his control."
Chiron narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?"
Lugia sat up. There was a faint rainbow glimmer underneath the layers of mud on her belly. "See this?" She pointed to the glimmer, muck dripping off her outstretched wing digit. "Why do you think you were able to find me so fast? The Soul Dew binds us to Bahamut. So long as I have his light, he'll always know where I am."
The lunala's wing claws twitched.
He'll always know where I am.
He'll always know…
Always…
"There's nothing you can hide from me, child."
Chiron squeezed her eyes shut and blinked rapidly. That nagging presence quickly faded from her mind.
"And even if that wasn't the case, Zygarde can keep tabs on everything with that whole 'I can split myself into tiny invisible cells' thing," Lugia continued, thankfully unaware that Chiron had zoned out for a moment.
Somehow, Chiron must've opened some sort of floodgate, because Lugia wasn't stopping. "And, y'know, maybe I'd be okay with it… if commoners actually liked what I had to offer. But my sermons have some of the poorest attendance of the Luminous Sages!" She raised her filthy wings and smacked them into the muck. "People just don't get what the Sage of Harmony is. Heck, sometimes I'm not sure what it means."
Bits of mud trickled off Lugia's body. Wait, were those tears carrying the mud away?
"I just—" Lugia sniffled loudly. "I gave up my love for this. I gave up the chance for a family for this." She lay back down with an unceremonious splat. "How is it fair that we have to teach about things we're not allowed to have? Especially when Bahamut can have them."
Chiron relaxed her wings a bit. "Bahamut told me… those things would make it harder to protect the planet." She looked down at her wavy reflection in the lake. "Didn't your predecessor warn you of this?"
"I thought he was overexaggerating!" Lugia threw her wings up and smacked them against her flabby belly. "The rules sounded comically strict. But I guess they don't apply to him, because I've seen the way he looks at you. How you two will sneak off to the mountains in the north or the Armour Archipelago. How you'll cuddle together to the point where you practically melt into one another!"
She pointed her tail at Chiron. "Don't deny it, I've seen it! I didn't even know Bahamut could glow that shade of red!"
The lunala's forehead and ethereal wings reddened. "I… that's…"
Lugia rolled onto her belly and crawled through the mud. She got up to her wings and knees. "I want what you two have with Cece. I want it so, so badly. You have no idea how touch-starved I'm— waugh!"
She slipped off the bank and into the lake with a large splash. Chiron teleported back several meters, watching with a frown as brown expanded around the splash zone and a wet feather odor permeated the air.
Her gut tightened. Chiron had always been under the impression that the Sages loved their jobs. She never thought that any of them might've had regrets. Might have—
"He's unsatisfied, is he? Then you'll dispose of him. Permanently."
Rippling water snapped Chiron back to attention. Lugia surfaced, brown water cascading down her wet, dirty feathers. "Who am I kidding?" She sighed. "Maybe if I beg and plead enough, Bahamut will let me find a replacement."
Chiron drifted down toward her. "C… Can I ask you something?"
"Whatever."
The lunala flinched. "Who's Cece?"
Lugia blinked. Her cheeks flushed despite the soggy feathers. "Reshiram. His name was Cecil when he was a commoner. He was a hydreigon and I was a salazzle. My apothecary used the courier group he worked for. I met him when he crashed into my shop and… we fell so hard for each other. Then we both got scouted for Sage apprenticeships."
She bit her lip. "I… shouldn't tell you this. But the truth is that… Bahamut wanted us to end our personal relationship." Lugia pushed and pulled the water around her with her wings. "I couldn't stand the thought of it. Neither could Cecil. So, right before our christenings, we eloped."
Chiron's crescent tail twitched. "Does… does Bahamut know?"
"I'm not sure." Lugia stared at her muddled reflection. "But throughout our time as Sages, we've rarely had the opportunity to work together. Sometimes I wonder if he does know, and is punishing me for it."
Chiron's heart sank. A part of her didn't want to believe it. Bahamut was nothing but patient and caring with her since her crash landing. But the things Lugia said reminded her so much of…
She had to do something. She had to make it right.
"… take a week off."
Lugia looked up. "Bwuh?"
"Take a week off… to be with Reshiram," Chiron repeated, firmer this time. "I know a nice private grotto by the Crownelands' southeast coast."
Lugia still looked unconvinced. "You really think Bahamut will let that fly?"
"Leave him to me." The lunala winked at Lugia. "If he looks at me the way you think he does, he'll come around."
More silence. Then, Lugia shot out of the water faster than Chiron thought possible for a massive bird. This time, there was no escaping a surprise shower… or the wet, slimy hug that followed.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Lugia buried her head in the crook of Chiron's neck. "I'll make it up to you, I swear!"
"You can… start by… not squeezing… so tight," Chiron wheezed.
The moment Lugia released her, everything went white.
XxX
It was times like these that made Chiron wish her wing structure was more flexible like Lugia's. The best she could do while seated in the special chair that Bahamut had carved for her was rigidly have her wings pointed in front of her, so she could gingerly hold the tiny, sleeping star cloud in her claws.
Motherhood. Chiron still found it so surreal because it shouldn't have been possible. Neither she nor Bahamut were meant to procreate. And yet, here she was. With this little bundle of joy that could teleport around and "Pew!" his delight at everyone's confusion.
"So, you got a name for the tyke yet or what?"
Chiron looked up from her son. Lugia sat opposite her on an absurdly large recliner, tossing a green grape into her open mouth.
"We do, actually." Chiron smiled warmly. "Leo."
Lugia paused in the midst of pulling a grape out of the ceramic bowl in her lap. "Leo?" She blinked. "Huh. I was expecting something more… mystical."
The lunala giggled. "Leo is a constellation of stars from the Milky Way. It was Bahamut's favorite constellation when he lived on Earth." She lifted her head a bit higher to look at the doorway behind Lugia, which was filled with golden light. "Isn't that right, dear?"
Rainbow, pupilless eyes looked back at her. "You told me that, in time, he would turn into something resembling a pyroar. And Leo was named for a mythical creature that resembled a pyroar. It seemed logical to me."
Chiron resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course he'd brush that off. Heaven forbid Bahamut admit he liked anything about Earth.
"Fair enough." Lugia resumed tossing grapes into her mouth. "So, why'd you call me here?"
"I have a request for you." Chiron leaned over and nuzzled Leo, who cooed happily in his sleep. "We would like you and Reshiram to be Leo's aunt and uncle, in a manner of speaking. Help us raise him and, if something were to happen to both of us, parent him in our stead."
Lugia's eyes widened. She misjudged the arc of her grape toss and it bounced off the tip of her snout. A psychic force caught the grape before it could hit the floor, then threw it out an open window.
"I just cleaned these floors," Bahamut growled. The light behind Lugia rippled.
"S-Sorry." Lugia grinned sheepishly. "But, like, are you sure about that? I mean—"
"… tch. You're the one who bemoaned your inability to have a family," Bahamut cut in. The gold light in the doorway dimmed. "Consider it a… concession, on my part."
Chiron frowned at him. They had discussed how they were going to explain things, but Bahamut decided to go off script. "What he means to say is that you're my friend, Lugia. I know how much family means to you, so I want you to be part of Leo's life."
In a blink of light, Bahamut was at Lugia's side. She almost tossed the bowl of grapes up in surprise when his gold light spilled over her. "But make no mistake. Your responsibilities as Sage of Harmony still come first." He pointed his right upper wing at her. "We are trusting you because we believe in you. Understand?"
"Y-Yessir!" Lugia saluted with her right wing. "I'll be the best, least-embarrassing fake aunt in the world."
While Chiron giggled again, a groaning Bahamut smacked his face with an upper wing. His golden glow brightened even further, and everything faded to white.
XxX
"Oh, my aching head."
Yuna's vision came back to her quicker than her previous dreams. Though she wanted to fester over why she saw two this time, the soft feathers and scales brushing against her ectoplasm calmed her nerves.
What had she been doing again?
… Oh, right. Qliphoth. Poison swamp. Reshiram flying off the handle because his wife, Lugia, was trapped in some daemonic barrier with an egg. Then she freed Lugia.
Hadn't she been falling?
Whatever. Yuna was comfy now. And less tired. That was all that mattered.
Maybe five more minutes with this feather blanket…
When Yuna blinked the last stars from her vision, however, she found herself clutching the egg Lugia previously held and staring at a blue belly with pink flame patterns that immediately brought salazzle to mind.
But salazzle don't have feathers.
Then Lugia's head popped in, only there were flame marks on the blue spikes that were supposed to surround her eyes.
"Hello!" she chirped.
"AAAAAAAAAH!"
"AAAAAAAAAH!" Lugia tossed Yuna into the air and flared out her wings. "Why are we yelling?! Is that how this planet thanks people who save its inhabitants from plummeting out of the sky?"
Yuna steadied herself in midair, making sure she held onto the egg, and looked in abject horror at the scaly flaps fluttering on either side of Lugia's tail.
This was wrong. Very, very wrong. And yet, Lugia seemed blissfully unaware, tilting her head at Yuna. "Although, I guess you broke me out of that crazy nightmare I was in." She gave a thumbs up. "So, I suppose we're even, Drakloak."
"But I— wait, drakloak?!" Yuna looked around in a panic. She soon found her elongated tail and two nubby feet that hadn't been there before. "Ohmygod I'm a drakloak!" Yuna pressed her hands — there were little ridges in her ectoplasm denoting the beginnings of fingers — firmly against the egg. "When? How? Why?"
"Thine efforts in dispelling that foul barrier did the trick, Princess."
Rayquaza drifted down to Yuna's side, applauding with his tiny hands. Lugia looked at him, eyes sparkling. "Oh, wow! A chocolate noodle! And it talks!" Her tail wagged. "Is this a chocolate planet? Can I eat the ground?" She bent over and sniffed the mud, only to recoil. "Nope. Definitely not chocolate. Bummer."
Yuna's shoulders sagged, though she remained vigilant of the egg. I think I see how she and Reshiram fell for each other.
Yet the way Lugia acted was… quite different from the visions Yuna had. And Lugia still hadn't acknowledged her salazzle features.
"Wha—" Rayquaza flinched. "Dame Lugia, dost thou not remember thine comrade at arms? I'm Sir Rayquaza!"
"Lugia? Rayquaza?" She frowned. "I think you're mistaken, choco-noodle." Lugia pointed her right wing at Rayquaza. "Rayquaza's green and I only just got scouted to apprentice Lugia. The name's Jade and I… I…" Her eyes slowly widened.
Yuna's shoulders sagged further. She'd seen this routine before. Cue the freakout in three… two… one…
Jade flailed her wings about. "Why do I have wings?! Salazzle don't have wings!" She ran— well, waddled awkwardly back and forth in a panic. "And why are they white? What happened to my gray sca— ack!"
She slipped on a patch of mud and faceplanted into the muck. Jade quickly lifted herself up and looked at her muddy wing, blinking rapidly. "Well, that's a slight improvement. But I can't take mud baths forever! It'll ruin my complexion!"
All Yuna could do was stare at the… lugia? Salazzle?
"Salugia?"
Reshiram! Yuna winced. This entire time, she'd forgotten about him. He wasn't even lurking in her mind. Though once Yuna recalled what had happened before the barrier went down, a mixture of guilt and trepidation crept through her.
Still, she was his wife. Maybe he could help?
Sighing, Yuna recalled Rayquaza and summoned Reshiram. He stood opposite the muddy salugia, poking his claws together.
"Jady?" he whispered.
There was a glimmer of recognition in Jade's yellow eyes. "C… Cece? Is that… you?"
Reshiram slowly nodded. "I go by Reshiram now, but yeah." He slowly smiled. "It's me."
They stood staring silently for a moment. Then Jade flung herself at Reshiram, wrapping her wings around his torso and burying her face in his chest ruff.
"Oh em gee, look how big and fluffy you are!" She rubbed her face while Reshiram raised his wings, face and tail engine turning deep red.
"J… Jady?" His eyes darted around in a panic.
"Ah, if I died and wound up in marshmallow hell, then I accept my fate!" she chirped.
"Hang on." Reshiram squirmed a bit. "Ma… ybe we oughta… have a chat first?"
Yuna was conflicted whether to intervene or not. It sounded like Jade didn't have her memories of her time as Lugia which, if true, would make explaining things much harder.
She was about to fly down when she caught a glimpse of a silver streak. Then she heard hollers in the distance. Yuna saw Nikki hightailing it away from the capsized ship with Artemis in hot pursuit. A silver geyser had erupted from atop the ship, splattering silver fluid everywhere.
"Princess, look! The poison in the swamp is disappearing!"
Yuna glanced behind her, trying to ignore Jade somehow overpowering Reshiram and belly flopping into the mud with him. The glowing purple fluid in the swamp dissolved away, leaving dark green water. Pink lily pads and gray reeds popped out of the water as if the poison was smothering them. It still stunk, but it was closer to mildew than rotten eggs.
Unfortunately, it wasn't just the poisonous veil that lifted. Dozens of pained cries rang out in unison. Yuna's tail crinkled. She tightened her grip on the egg.
Ah… the skorps! The drakloak looked around and found their burnt, mangled bodies in a cluster by a small hole in the ground. Probably the spot where the broken Needle was.
"Well, erm, if thous art screaming, then thous art not Phantoms. Tis a good thing, yes?" Rayquaza laughed nervously.
Except I have no way of healing them! Yuna countered.
And Yuna wasn't the only one aware of the skorps' cries. A thunderous bang sounded by the silver geyser. Within a matter of seconds, a large pink sphere surged toward her, until it slammed into the ground right by Jade and Reshiram. The force sent both tumbling through the mud and into the swamp behind them.
The pink sphere faded to a more modest glow, revealing Gene. Gone was his usual, lackadaisical smirk. In its place was an intense glare with eyes that were blue and hollow. The Malice Crystal in his shoulder crackled with black electricity.
He turned and took one look at the skorps. "Who did this?"
Yuna's ectoplasm quivered. His voice had dropped several octaves to a chilling baritone. The sort of guttural growl Yuna might expect from an enraged salamence.
Gene raised his right hand. All three fingers crackled with dark energy. "Who did this?"
Yuna almost lost her grip on the egg, but curled her tail around it. "Reshiram! I'm sorry, I couldn't control him! His wife was hurt and—"
"Silence," Gene hissed. Yuna squeaked. The mewtwo lowered his arm and turned to the skorps. He raised both arms, then shot out short bursts of soft, pink light. They washed over the skorps, taking their burns with them.
"Heal Pulse?" Rayquaza gasped. "This entire time, he's known Heal Pulse?"
Gene lowered his arms, then Phantom Warped past Yuna. He thrust his right arm into the air. The swamp water rippled and out popped a soggy Reshiram with a pink glow around him.
"How dare you," Gene snarled. "They were innocents. You had no right to attack them."
Reshiram went bug-eyed. "Wait! Th… this is all a misunderstanding! Please, I—"
Dark energy crackled around Gene's left arm. It was time for Yuna to take action. She darted toward the mewtwo. "Hang on! We need to talk this out before anyone does anything else rash!"
Glare intensifying, Gene raised his left hand. "… weapons don't talk. They act."
Staring down some sort of Malice-induced attack, Yuna held up the egg. Black shadows brushed her arms and tail. "We are not your enemies. Stand down. Now."
The glow in Gene's eyes faded. There was a flicker of recognition, then he hastily stepped back, lowering both hands. A loud splash drew a flinch from Yuna. She turned around to find Jade climbing into the grass and Reshiram surfacing after a second splashdown. His wet hair obscured his face, but Yuna swore he was trembling.
"Yeah."
Yuna barely heard Gene's whispers. She looked back at the mewtwo, who crossed his arms tight. His black, yellow-tipped tail lashed at the air. "I guess… there's a lot to talk about." Gene blinked slowly. "In more ways than one."
He turned away from her just as Noctum dropped off Quetzal a few meters away. Seifer, Nikki, Valkyrie, and Artemis weren't far behind him.
"Oh, thank goodness!" Skorp hopped off Noctum's back and skittered toward the other skorps. "You're all okay, eh! You had me worried plum sick!"
"Princess!" Noctum's violet flame grew, then shrank. He was covered in silver fluid from head to toe. "Are you okay? What's with the egg?" He shook his head. "No, wait, dumb questions. Look at you!" He thrust his arms apart. "Congratulations!"
Nikki lacked Noctum's enthusiasm. "That's your evolution?" She tried forming a square with her hands. "Dunno what's up with the spacy egg, but I could eat a fancy dinner with a side salad off that block you call a head!"
"Hey, come on, show her some respect." Artemis jabbed Nikki's side with a ribbon. "Those spikes on your head look like PV antennae, but you don't see me teasing you over it."
Nikki scowled. "Well, they're cool antennae," she grumbled.
Yuna ignored Nikki. Though as much as drakloak wanted to accept Noctum's hug offer, she took one look at his soggy apron and frowned. "What happened to you?"
"Oh, this? It's okay." Noctum waved her off. "We were under attack from a mutated garbodor, but Gene blew the top off the ship and tossed Exodes into a vat of antitoxin."
"Which blew her up along with the tank," Seifer grumbled, trying to shake the silver out of his sopping hair. "Garbodor turned back to normal."
"So did the swamps." Valkyrie scanned the water surrounding the island. "Somehow."
"Yeah, sure. Just look at me!" Seifer lowered his head. "I've never been so humiliated."
"Really?" Gene spun around, a brow raised. "You'd think losing your cushy military job is way more humiliating than a little antitoxin bath."
Quetzal puffed out his feathers. "What?" He whirled on Seifer. "Her Eminence fired you?!"
Utter horror spread across Seifer's face. "I, uh—"
"Oh." Gene scratched his head. "You didn't tell him? Whoopsie-doopsie. I thought everyone here knew already." He laughed nervously.
Valkyrie glared at Gene. "Seriously? How callous can you be?"
"Doth we tell her about the outburst we just witnessed?" Rayquaza whispered. "Tis worrying how quickly he snapped back to his joking self."
No. Yuna already had enough of a headache. Plus there was something… alarming about how the mewtwo reacted to the brief flare up of her weird shadowy powers. Or was it the egg's doing?
"Well, aha ha, how about this, gang?" Gene wrang his hands together. "We get all the skorps and trapped crew members squared away, then we can have us a big ol' team talky fun time." The big smile on his face was anything but sincere. "I'll make us a campfire… oh! And we can have s'mores!"
"S'mores!" Jade hopped in front of Gene. "Where do I sign? I'll take ten! No, twenty! No, thirty!"
"Whoa, whoa, time out." Nikki held her hands up in a T. "Who's the oversized pelipper with the bad salazzle costume?"
"Hey!" Reshiram snorted out dragonfire. "That's my wife you're talking about!"
Whistling, the toxtricity looked back and forth between Jade and Reshiram. "Damn, dude. What's your secret? Cuz she's way outside your league if you ask me!"
Reshiram's response was a cross between a squeal and a balloon forcibly deflating.
Yuna groaned. "Look, can we just do what Gene says for now? I'm tired. I want out of this swamp. And standing around taking pot-shots isn't going to…" Her voice trailed off upon realizing half the group wasn't listening to her. "Seriously, guys?!"
Noctum's face was ripe with worry. Yuna didn't have to ask what the problem was, because the black charizard spoke up first.
"Your egg's hatching."
"Bwuh?" Yuna blinked a few times. No, the drakloak hadn't misheard that. Noctum called it her egg. "No, no. You've got it all wrong. This is Lugia's—"
The salugia raised her right wing. "Jade."
Yuna rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine, this is Jade's egg. She was holding it while she was trapped in the barrier!"
"I was?" Jade pointed at her face. "Huh. Maybe that's why it showed up in my nightmare." She tapped her tail against her right hip repeatedly. "No idea what its deal is, though. Besides, it's clearly reacting to you, not me. Look at it glowing all white like my beau's new, fuzzy pelt!"
Reshiram squeaked again while white light crept into Yuna's vision. A white glow had, indeed, swallowed up the egg… and was creeping up Yuna's arms. Out of an abundance of caution, the drakloak set the egg down on the grass.
Four small, gold-tipped, dark blue hooves emerged from the light. The deep blue spread upward to a slender neck, then a head with a long, wispy mane resembling a starry sky. Then the rest of the light faded to reveal a dark blue torso with faint a faint red glow in the middle and tiny, blue dots. Almost like a miniature solar system. It had a small tail that, like its mane, ended in a wispy star cloud.
Yuna stared at her reflection in the weird, yellow wheel around the hatchling's torso. It didn't take long, however, for the hatchling to open its blue and yellow eyes on its black, mouthless face.
"Hi, Mom!" he chirped. His star cloud tail wagged.
"M-Mom?!" Yuna's arms trembled. "N-No, I think you're mistaken."
"You hatched me, though." The cosmic… pontya-like thingy tilted his head. "So, you're my mom!" He wagged his tail his tail again. How was a literal newborn so articulate? "Do I get a name? Huh? Huh? Huh? Do I?"
"Uh… uhhhhh…" Yuna looked at the others, but they were equally confused. Except Gene, who turned away from them.
"Wait, hang on! Something came to me." Despite not having a mouth, his sparkling eyes gave off a joy Yuna could barely describe.
"And that is?"
"Leo! Call me Leo!"
Yuna's head pounded. She opened her mouth to respond, but her vision went fuzzy and, next thing she knew, she was out like a light.
XxX
~Il Paradigma, Canto I: Exodes~ The Matriarch brought forth the Great Union when Space embraced Time and forged the singularity. Though the Union shattered, the Matriarch ensured remnants of that eternal bliss survived as our Benefactor. Now He seeks to restore the Matriarch's Great Union. Only those who fail to grasp His enlightenment would oppose such a glorious vision.
Entry 3
Still nothing but stars. They glow like me. They're warm like me. But they don't move. Don't talk.
Why am I here? What's my purpose?
Entry 11
Found a big planet today. It's warm and dusty, but I don't sense anyone on it. I guess I'll rest up here for a while. There's still plenty to explore! :)
Entry 20
Finally reached a planet with life. My mind's already racing with possibilities. What do they look like? How do they talk? What sorts of things can they do? Ooh, the anticipation is killing me! This is it. I'm going to have a home! With friends! :D
Entry 21
No no no no no no no no
Entry 22
The city. Gone. I did that. It was just one attack. One energy ball. But now it's
Entry 48
I don't feel as sad today. :)
Entry 141
Another failure. My wings still hurt from all the Dark Pulses and Shadow Balls. I was only trying to help them. I'm only ever trying to help.
Why do they all hate me? Why can't I just find a home? What does the universe have against me? ;–;
Entry 207
I slept in a star again. It's the closest thing I've got to something soothing. Luckily my body protects this thing. I'd hate for you to go up in flames, journal. You're all I've got against this awful universe.
XxX
Yuna came to on a cot. The fabric was rough against her ectoplasm. Almost sandpaper-like. So was the blanket on top of her, though she appreciated how dry it was compared to the swamp's humidity. Groaning, the drakloak rolled over and stared at the gray, metal ceiling with long, slender bulbs giving off red-orange light.
"How are you feeling, Princess?"
When Yuna sat up, she found Noctum sitting on a metal folding chair, his tail awkwardly wedged into the gap in the back. His scales were damp but no longer covered in the silver antitoxin. The black charizard must've discarded his apron, because the Malice Crystal was clearly visible in his stomach, bathing his corner of the room in purple.
"I've been better." Yuna rubbed her eyes with her arm. "But I guess I've also been worse."
Upon lowering her arm, Yuna found Leo lying at the foot of the cot. His blue-yellow eyes sparkled. "That was a fun trick!" His starcloud tail wagged. "Can you teach me to play dead, too, Mom?"
So, her tired mind wasn't playing a trick on her. The egg hatched into… some sort of cosmic ponyta thingy with a wheel around its stomach. And, not only did he share the name of a son that Bahamut apparently had, despite Aeon scriptures mentioning nothing about him, but he thought Yuna was his mother.
It might have been cute… if there weren't terrifying implications behind it.
"Leo…" Yuna wrung her hands together. "Why are you calling me your mom? I, um—" The drakloak wasn't sure how to phrase it delicately. "I've never laid an egg or anything."
That didn't bother Leo. If anything, it only piqued his curiosity. "You can make eggs? Does that mean you can make eatable eggs?" He hopped to his feet. "Because I don't know what an omelet is, but I want one!"
Not the response I was expecting. Yuna resisted the urge to facepalm. Articulate or not, Leo was a kid. Which just makes all the knowledge he does have disturbing.
The cosmic not-ponyta had climbed onto Yuna's lap. Her Soul Dew's silver reflected in his bright eyes. "Um, is something the matter?" Yuna asked.
"No." Despite the lack of a mouth, Leo sounded content. He pointed a gold-tipped forehoof at the Soul Dew. "I don't know what that is, but that's what makes you my mom."
Yuna looked down, then at Noctum, who silently shrugged. She also realized Jade was sitting next to him. Well, she used "sitting" loosely, as the salugia was more awkwardly propping her butt against the wall.
She brushed that aside, however, as the drakloak's mental gears hummed to life. Yuna wanted to dismiss Exodes' words as inane blathering, but the visions she had went against that. Especially that last one.
Chiron had once lived within Eternatus. She had Malice in her aura. The lunala hadn't bonded with her Soul Dew, yet she kept it on her person. And Reshiram had told her Soul Dews absorbed the knowledge and energy of their wearers over time.
So, what if… her family heirloom was actually Chiron's Soul Dew? And that was somehow tricking these daemons into thinking she was Chiron?
Yes, that was it. Yuna's mom gave her the Soul Dew when she was young… and the drakloak spent a lot of her youth in a sickly state. It had to be the Soul Dew's doing, right?
But I could take it off back then and I can't now.
"Mom?"
"Eep!" The drakloak's tail crinkled.
Leo giggled. "Ooh, your tail went all vr-r-r-r-r-r!" He vibrated in place excitedly. "Do it again!"
Yuna's tail straightened out, but rather than crinkling, she curled it up like a seashell. That still got a delight squeal from Leo, who awkwardly sat on his rump while trying to curl himself up. His wheel got in the way.
"I… whoomph… hang on! I'll get it for sure!" He was nothing if not determined.
It was a cute sight. Yuna raised a hand and giggled into it. Even though she had panicked in the moment — and still didn't understand exactly where Leo's confusion came from — she couldn't just crush the kid's spirit by not playing along.
That said, Eternatus was no place for a hatchling to run around. If Yuna was going to parent Leo, she needed to at least get him out of here. And though the drakloak could open up a portal back to Venish here and now, there were loose ends that needed tightening up. Starting with…
"Jade?" Yuna looked at the salugia.
"Present!" She held up her right wing, then fell over on her right side with a squawk. Fortunately, her head just missed the metal file cabinet. "I'm okay."
"Um, did anyone talk to you while—"
"While you were off in Lala Land? Yup!" Jade awkwardly rolled onto her belly, nodding vigorously. "Your entourage filled me in on all the deets. I was Lugia. I sacrificed myself to seal away some big, scary monster thing. Yadda yadda." The salugia lazily twirled her right wing around. "Fast forward to now where you're the only one with the power to properly free the other Sages which should definitely probably maybe stop Eterwhatever."
She beamed at Noctum. "How was that?"
The black charizard offered a shaky thumbs up.
Jade fist pumped. "Nailed it."
"I see." Yuna blinked slowly. The fact that Exodes must've broken Jade's Needle meant at least part of the salugia's explanation was false, but the drakloak wasn't in the mood for debating that part. "And, um, do you have any questions?"
"Only one."
"Go on."
The salugia hopped to her feet. "When do I get to help you kick some Ejerknatus butt, huh? Whoo-cha! Hiya!" Jade chopped the air around her with her wings. "Hoo-h—"
She slapped the file cabinet on her right and yanked her throbbing wing back. "Ow!" Jade tucked her right wing against her belly, tears glistening in the corner of her eyes. "Who puts a file cabinet in a bedroom?! I demand to speak with the manager!"
Leo tapped his forehooves together, giggling. "I like her. She's funny."
And a terrible influence, Yuna realized. Though there was something more concerning than Jade's… reckless enthusiasm. "Hey, shouldn't you have been sucked into the Soul Dew when I passed out?"
"Huh?" Jade looked up from nursing her wing. "You mean like it did to Cece?" She squinted at the Soul Dew. "I dunno what that fancy neck Roomba's deal is, but it doesn't speak to me or anything."
That wasn't good. The Sages were all dead, right? Yuna needed them in the Soul Dew or else they wouldn't be able to leave Eternatus with her. And the drakloak shuddered at the thought of leaving Jade back here with the likes of Gene.
"I'm guessing the fact that her appearance has been distorted has something to do with it," Noctum said, nervously tracing a black claw along his cream-colored belly. "Cyril said Malice can… warp auras in ways we hardly understand. I wouldn't be surprised if Exodes siphoning her power made her incompatible with your Soul Dew."
It was as good a theory as any, though it made Yuna guilty she hadn't gotten to Jade sooner. And what was she going to tell Reshiram?
Actually, wait, where is he? The drakloak didn't sense his presence around. Or Rayquaza's either.
But as she thought about them, a small switch showed up in her mind's eye. When Yuna probed it, a tiny, flailing Reshiram projected onto her shoulder.
"—isn't she listening to me? I need to—"
Yuna flicked the mental switch again and Reshiram disappeared.
"Ooh, cool trick!" Leo clapped his hooves together. "You made Mr. Fluffy poof away!"
Yuna looked down at her Soul Dew, then up at Noctum. "You saw that, right?"
"I did." The charizard nodded.
"I did, too!" Jade hopped beside Yuna's cot. "Cece was so adorable! I could've eaten him up." The salugia smooched the air.
But Yuna had no idea how she'd done that. Or even why.
Unless… did evolving give me better control over this thing? Yuna traced her hand around the Soul Dew. She shook her head. One thing at a time. She had to take care of Jade first. "So, um, you really want to help me?" Yuna whispered.
"Absolutely!" Jade stepped up and threw her left wing over the squeaking drakloak. "You got me out of that nightmare, Yunie! We're BFFFs, now! Or B-Triple-Fs, if you prefer."
"BFFFs?"
"Bestest flying friends forever!" Jade chirped. "I got your back, sister! Ain't no Ejerknatus gonna rain on our parade! Ya feel me?" She made a fist with her left wing and held it in front of Yuna, who looked at it like it was a questionable piece of broccoli. "Psst! This is the part where we fist bump," Jade whispered.
"Oh. S-Sorry." Yuna shakily bumped Jade's wing with her balled up hand.
"Nice!" Jade backed away. Yuna continued staring at her hand like someone had dunked it into a goodra's belly slime. "We'll have to come up with a secret handshake sometime. Maybe something like…" She raised both her wings and lightly punched the air. "Bump, bump!" Jade nuzzled the air. "Sugar!"
She was about to turn around and lift her tail when Yuna decided she'd had enough. "Okay!" The drakloak shot out of the cot. "I think we get the idea."
The salugia blinked a few times. "Oh, doy!" She facepalmed. "Can't be a secret with Nocty and Junior in the room. Good thinking!"
"Yes, fine, whatever." Yuna rubbed her temples. "How about you take Leo and, uh, brainstorm some more secret handshake ideas."
Leo tilted his head in confusion. Tail crinkling slightly, Yuna looked at him. "I need to have an, uh, private conversation with Noctum. So, go hang with Jade, okay?"
"Okay!" Leo nodded vigorously. To Yuna's complete befuddlement, he vanished in a flash of blue light. Surprised squawking turned Yuna around where she found Leo standing upside down on Jade's left wing. "How's this? Am I hanging good?"
He can teleport. Because of course. Yuna wanted to panic. A child was bad enough. But one that could disappear at a moment's notice? If not for her own rift-making abilities, that would have been a huge problem!
"It's, uh, great." The drakloak fought to stave off nervous laughter. "Keep hanging like that. And I'll catch up with you soon."
Jade hesitantly shuffled toward a black door. It slid open, offering a peek at a much larger room. Somehow, Leo remained on Jade's wing the entire time. Once the door slid closed again, Yuna collapsed back on her cot, groaning. Her ectoplasm deflated. She'd have melted into the cot's rough fabric if Noctum wasn't there.
"Something on your mind?" The charizard sounded hesitant. The tapping of claws rang in Yuna's ear frills.
"Everything's on my mind!" Yuna threw her arms up in frustration. "I've never wanted to scream so badly in my life."
"I see." Noctum's chair scraped against the floor. "Want me to find a pillow you can scream into?"
Yuna sighed. Bless Noctum for trying to cheer her up. "No." She lifted her head. "You wouldn't lie to me, right?"
"N-No." Noctum was struggling not to look offended.
"So, if I were to ask you if I'm actually adopted?"
The charizard's tail flame sparked. "Of course you aren't!"
Noctum shifted uneasily in his chair. "You know as well I that… your mother laid a bad egg alongside yours," he whispered.
"And that's the truth?"
That one hurt him. "Where is this coming from?"
Yuna hoped to stall longer to figure out a good way to explain everything, but she'd run out of time. So, the drakloak looped Noctum in on everything; Reshiram's lies, his outburst, and the visions she got from breaking Jade's barrier.
"I see." Noctum hunched over, tapping the Malice Crystal in his belly. "That's definitely a lot to take in."
"And, like, I'd have been willing to dismiss the stuff in the frozen desert as a coincidence, but now… I'm not so sure." Yuna shook her head. "I could've seen there being other light dragons, but I saw Bahamut in that vision. He was… not all that warm. Or patient. It was brief… but his attitude felt closer to the monster Razim described."
A shudder rippled from the drakloak's head to her tail. "The Sage of Truth lied to everyone, including Bahamut. And that stuff about the greater good… doesn't line up with our scriptures at all. The Sages taught us not to leave people behind, yet Reshiram was ready to sacrifice all those skorps without even a bit of hesitation." Yuna gripped her head and shook it. She sat at the edge of the cot, staring at the steel floor below her.
"What if we're wrong?" she whispered. "About the Sages. About Bahamut." Yuna shuddered. "What if… the whole kingdom was founded on a bed of lies?"
Noctum's initial silence spoke volumes. A rock might as well have dropped in Yuna's stomach at that point.
"I, uh, think it's a bit too early to jump to any rash conclusions?" Noctum rubbed the back of his head.
That didn't convince Yuna. "None of the scriptures mention Bahamut having a wife and a child. A wife whose Soul Dew my family somehow got, which means something serious happened in the past."
Her expression sharpened. "'A lie by omission is still a lie.' That's one of Reshiram's proverbs."
"You got me there," Noctum said, tail flame shrinking. He wriggled his butt until his tail was free from the back of the folding chair, then stood up. "But what does that really change?"
Noctum shook his head. "Sorry, I should've been clearer. What does that change about this moment?" He pointed to the steel floor. "Eternatus is still a threat to our home, right? And the way to protect it goes through the Needles."
He was right. And Yuna hated he was right. "Uggggh." She flopped back on the bed, kicking up her nubby feet and her tail. "I knoooooow. But I don't want to pull any more Needles." Yuna smooshed her hands against her eyelids. "I'm… afraid of what I'll see."
A scaly hand brushed Yuna's head. She poked an eye open to find Noctum sitting on her right, holding his tail up with his right hand.
"I'm afraid for you," he said. "Your mom and dad sent me with you to help keep you safe. But time and again, I'm letting you down. Letting them down."
"No." Yuna sat up and put her right hand on his left shoulder. "None of this is your fault. There's a lot going on here that's out of our control." It frustrated her, but Yuna was glad to finally say it out loud. "I know pulling the Needles is the right thing to do. I just hate that it comes with personal consequences."
Her shoulders sagged. Yuna's hand slipped off Noctum's shoulder and dropped to the coarse, itchy cot. "Does that make me selfish?"
"I think… it makes you a pokémon." Soft laughter rumbled from Noctum's belly.
Yuna relaxed a bit, adding a chuckle of her own.
"And, hey, it could be worse." Noctum shrugged. "Pulling the Needles could make you vanish. Like the hero in Shaymin the Wanderer: Sky Explorers." He gently elbowed Yuna's side. "You remember how I'd read it to you, like, once or twice a year when you were cooped up in bed?"
"And somehow it never got stale." Yuna's mind drifted back to those simpler times. Lying on her feathery bed while Noctum sat in a carved rocking chair with the leatherbound book resting on his lap.
"Well, you certainly liked it more than its sequel." Noctum chuckled to himself. "You'd always complain it was too boring."
Yuna puffed her cheeks out. "You weren't much better! Sometimes you'd fall asleep in the middle of reading it." She shook her head. "Besides, I've come to appreciate Gates of Eternity. Maybe the overall narrative isn't as gripping, but it has excellent character moments."
"Fair enough. You must've grown to like it, since you got me that limited-edition Gates of Eternity stamp set." Smiling, Noctum stuck his tongue out at Yuna.
It was a welcome reprieve, but one that sadly had to come to end.
Sighing, Yuna floated up. "Thanks, Noctum. But I need a minute alone with the Sages, okay?"
Noctum got to his feet, nodding. "Of course, Princess. I'll wait right outside." He headed for the door, which slid open to let him out.
Yuna flicked that mental switch again. This time, small projections of Reshiram and Rayquaza shot out onto the top of the file cabinet. The drakloak put on as firm of an expression as she could manage. Reshiram immediately withered.
"I see thou hast figured out a way to pause our connection." Rayquaza bobbed his black head approvingly. "Smashing job, Princess."
"Save it." Yuna flinched at her own voice. Rayquaza wasn't the one to be harsh with. She looked at Reshiram. "Well? Anything you want to say?"
"I'm… sorry?" Reshiram pecked at the top of the file cabinet like someone had spread birdseed on it. "That outburst was… wrong. And it won't happen again."
Yuna stared in disbelief. He sounded like Yuna had caught him with a wing in a cookie jar! This was way more serious! "You hurt people in a blind rage. I can't just brush that aside." She narrowed her eyes at him. "And you went against the very principles you used to teach."
Reshiram flinched. "I, uh— c-c'mon, my wife was captured…" He poked his claws together nervously. "I was desperate." He frowned at her. "What if… it was Noctum in that barrier? What would you have done, huh?"
She hadn't expected that one, but Yuna couldn't back down. "I wouldn't torch a bunch of hostages!" The drakloak loomed over Reshiram's tiny projection. "And maybe I could move on from this… but there was that cold thing you said about sacrificing for the greater good.
"We don't talk like that in the Aeon Kingdom," she continued. "And we built ourselves around your teachings." Yuna dangled her hand over Reshiram, like she was going to squish him. "Clearly we have different views on who Bahamut was as a person. So, tell me what you know."
Reshiram looked nervously at Rayquaza who, in turn, stared at the red-tipped fins on his tail. "Sir Bahamut… was a complicated individual. I believe he meant well… however he doth possessed a frightening temper. One that reared its head… more than we liketh to admit."
Yuna's throat tightened. That was the very thing she didn't want to hear.
"He was always worried something was going to ruin the planet," Reshiram whispered. "It made him… a bit of a control freak. Life around the planet needed to go exactly the way he wanted it to." He turned away from Yuna and Rayquaza. "One time… I think I found, like, a journal of his? It had his eight-pointed star on the cover, but it also had a bunch of circles and triangles in some weird pattern.
"I took a peek. There were a lot of poems. Weird things I didn't understand." Reshiram wrapped himself up with his wings. "Some of his entries, though… gave me the sense he was a worryingly lonely person before Etherium. It was almost like…" He lowered his head. "Like he viewed the planet as his last chance to find a home."
Much as Yuna didn't want to believe Reshiram, it explained a few things. Why the scriptures described Bahamut as a traveler before he created Etherium. And Chiron mentioned Bahamut living on some planet called Earth, which he apparently disliked. Bad experiences on other, life-bearing planets could certainly make someone lonely. Lonely and bitter.
But why did this have to come up now, while the world was facing a crisis? The visions made pulling the Needles tough enough. Yuna didn't think she had the mental fortitude to fight off constant festering doubts. Like…
Yuna squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't look the Sages in the eye for this one. "Did… did you know about Chiron? That she was part of Eternatus?"
The drakloak kept her eyes shut, silently praying they knew and were okay with it.
"I always had a hunch she was hiding something, but I never knew what," Reshiram responded.
Yuna winced. What about Bahamut, then?
She couldn't help but flip that mental switch in her head. When Yuna opened her eyes, both Sages were gone. She looked left, then right.
Groaning, Yuna slapped her hands against the top of the file cabinet. "Arrrrrrrrrggggh! Why did I have to get dragged into this?! Why couldn't it have been literally any other dragon?!" She slapped the file cabinet again, then lay her head atop it. "I can't even pray to Bahamut for guidance… because it turns out his guidance is worthless!"
There were knocks at the door. Yuna's head shot up. "What?" she barked.
"Yeah, uh…" Artemis' voice trailed off. "Your kid got outside the tar plant and he's staring at this… weird pillar of distortion. No one knows how it got here, either."
Yuna looked at the ceiling, fighting back the urge to slam her head against the cabinet. Why couldn't Leo have hatched sickly like she did?
"Okay. I'll just—" The drakloak didn't even wait for the door to slide open. She phrased through and immediately veered right, ignoring Noctum's voice, where green light from outside filtered through a much larger door. Yuna sped through it and out onto the metal platform stationed over the tar.
"Leo? Leo!" Yuna cupped her hands around her mouth. Good thing she had evolved. Her voice was several degrees louder than it used to be.
"Over here, Mom!"
Yuna turned right and rounded the corner. The platform continued following the factory, but there was a part in the middle that jutted out from under the shade of the processing plant's roof. And it was there that Leo sat in front of a purple, flickering light pillar. There were thousands of tiny, glitchy cubes stacked up to make it. Jade looked between him and Yuna, while multiple skorp sat close to the factory, exchanging hushed whispers.
"Ooh, poor Skorp, eh!" A skorp in a hardhat skittered back and forth in a panic. "He was fixing up that ship fer Gene and just got all schwoomped up into that thing."
"Leo, get back from there!" Yuna floated closer to him. "It looks dangerous."
He tilted his starcloud head. "Are you sure? It's calling to me. I can hear it."
"Well, uh, maybe you got some broccoli in those ear frills." Jade crossed her wings. "Because I don't hear anything."
Leo looked back at Yuna. "Don't you hear it, Mom?"
The moment the drakloak reached his side, soft whispers reached her ear frills.
"Heed my words. Come and see me. Heed my words."
"Come and see me." Leo's starcloud tail slowly brushed back and forth against the grated metal. "Can we see him?"
Yuna immediately grabbed Leo's wheel to pull him away. "Has anyone else gotten close to that thing?" She looked at the skorps, who all shook their heads in unison.
"I tried," Jade admitted, right wing obediently raised. "But it was like there was a forcefield around it or something. Check it." The salugia waddled closer to the pillar… and bonked into something invisible. "Whoomph!" She stepped back, rubbing her snout with her left wing.
"See, Leo?" Yuna tightened her grip on his wheel. "We can't go in it. So, how about we go back inside?"
"But it's waving at us," Leo whimpered. "Don't you see it?"
Yuna followed Leo's gaze. Some of the purple cubes moved back and forth quickly. Yuna would hardly call it a wave, but it was different.
Still, her mind was made up. The lecture on talking to strangers could wait. Yuna tugged on Leo's wheel, hoping to pull him away from the pillar. When she did, however, familiar black shadows pooled in her hands and feet and the wheel around Leo's torso glowed.
"Whoa, hey, what are you doing?!" Jade squawked.
Yuna couldn't respond, because the pillar was getting closer!
It only took seconds for the purple cubes to swallow Yuna and Leo up. There were a few seconds of weightlessness, then Leo's golden hooves tapped against a glass floor. Yuna looked around in a panic.
The inside of the pillar was… deceptively large, but just as purple. There were giant double helix projections twirling all around the glass platform. In the distance, Yuna swore there were pokémon silhouettes, however she couldn't make them out clearly.
"Look, Mom, a braviary!" Leo chirped. "And it's in the air without flapping its wings!" He hopped up and down excitedly.
Yuna followed his gaze and found a braviary — or, rather, a projection of one — floating several meters away from them, legs crossed and wings clasped together. Like with Jade, however, something was off beyond Braviary not flapping his wings to stay airborne. His body had gray feathers instead of blue. And his white head plume was way too big, with glowing pink feathers in front of it. Almost as if he was channeling psychic energy.
"But that can't be right," Yuna muttered.
Braviary opened his eyes. "Hm?" He met Yuna's gaze. "Ah, I can see you! I can see you!" He flapped his wings excitedly. "Can you see me?"
Yuna was hesitant to respond. Leo wasn't, however. "We sure can! I'm Leo!" He puffed his astral chest out.
The drakloak sighed. Maybe I should've given him the "don't talk to strangers" lecture after all.
"Very nice to meet you, Leo." Braviary bobbed his head politely. He landed on the glass floor and raised his right wing.
"I am unofficially known as the Lorekeeper of Dimension POV-2020. But that's quite the mouthful, so why don't you call me Alder?"
Section 592: Fallers
A term designated to individuals displaced in reality due to an EFE (see "Section 107: Entropic Fissure Event" for more information). Due to the sensitive nature of such specimens, field agents should employ the standard three-pronged classification system based on the subject's mental state, physical state, and relative degree of space-time displacement.
Cognitive State Class A: Subject retains baseline cognitive function with no observed limitations.
Class B-1: Subject displays mild memory impairment as indicated by recent retrograde and/or anterograde amnesia. Other cognitive elements are intact.
Class B-2: Subject meets the criteria for Class B-1 and shows at least one but no more than three additional cognitive deficits. See Appendix Y for a complete listing.
Class C-1: Subject displays significant memory impairment as indicated by retrograde amnesia stretching back at least half their estimated life cycle. Anterograde amnesia may or may not be present. Other cognitive elements are intact.
Class C-2: Subject meets the criteria for Class C-1 and shows at least one but no more than three additional cognitive deficits. See Appendix Y for a complete listing.
Class C-3: Subject meets the criteria for Class C-1 and shows greater than four additional cognitive deficits. See Appendix Y for a complete listing.
Class D-1: Subject has complete retrograde amnesia with or without the presence of anterograde amnesia.
Class D-2: Subject meets the criteria for Class D-1 and shows at least one but no more than three additional cognitive deficits. See Appendix Y for a complete listing.
Class E: Subject displays complete retrograde amnesia and greater than four additional cognitive deficits. This combination makes partaking in any activities of daily living difficult.
Class F: Subject is in an unarousable state.
(Continued on next page.)
XxX
"I'm sorry… what? Dimensions? Lorekeeper?" If Yuna's head was spinning before, it was throbbing now. And as a drakloak, she no longer had gills to use as her indicator. That would take getting used to.
"I think it's like a storyteller?" Leo looked expectantly at Alder.
"Excellent way of thinking about it, Leo." The braviary applauded Leo with his wings. Yuna realized Alder had some sort of raggedy, tan cloth loosely hanging around his neck and upper chest. A necklace with the same yellow wheel as the one around Leo's chest bounced around Alder's neck.
"Thanks!" Leo chirped. "And I like your poncho." He blinked quickly. "I dunno why I know it's a poncho, but it's silly. In a good way."
Yuna had to interject for her own sanity. "Hang on." She flew between the two of them. "Someone loop me in here, because I got lost before the crazy train even left its station."
Laughing heartily, Alder rubbed the back of his head. "No, no, it's quite all right, miss… umm…"
"Yuna." The drakloak looked down. "Princess Yuna." She wasn't sure why she blurted her title out. Some inner dragon desire to outdo the braviary's "lorekeeper" thing?
The braviary flummoxed. "Of course." He bowed his head repeatedly. "Like I said… the whole 'lorekeeper' thing is unofficial. Just a title I got from my teacher who got it from his teacher who got it from her teacher and, well, you get the idea." Alder twirled his right wingtip around, whistling. "All it means is that the leader of our tribe tasked me with guarding important information."
"Your tribe?"
"Why, the monks of Shaftra Monastery, of course!"
Yuna stared blankly at Alder. The braviary rubbed his white crest, laughing nervously. "Ah, right. You don't know where that is, do you?"
"Should I?" The drakloak quirked a brow.
"Probably not." Alder's nervous laughter grew. "And, to be frank, I honestly thought the information I guarded wasn't that important… until we ended up here. Now I'm pretty sure it's quite important."
Right. Here. Some sort of… distortion pocket far larger on the inside. Yuna again looked around. The crystalline double helixes in the distance gave off purple sheens that reflected off glass hexagons floating in seemingly random directions.
"Where exactly is here?" Yuna wondered.
"Well, I was kind of hoping the fact you two showed up here meant you knew the answer." Alder continued rubbing his feather crest.
Yuna puffed out her cheeks. "You were here first."
"Not entirely, my dear." Alder raised his left wing… and stuck it right through his head. "I'm here in spirit, though! And that counts!" Though he immediately looked down at his talons and whispered, "I think?"
Deep breaths. Yuna didn't even know where to begin untangling this nightmare of a knot. "Okay, let's start simple, then. Do you, perhaps, have a guess where we are."
Alder rubbed his chin with a wing. "Tough to say. Could be a small dimensional pocket. Could be an instability in the fabric of reality itself that, left unchecked, could unravel into the collapse of the entire omniverse!"
Yuna smacked her forehead, groaning. There's nothing remotely simple about any of that! At least a few of those terms went right over her head. More questions to add to her growing list.
"But what would it be doing in Eternatus?" Leo wondered, tilting his head left and right.
Alder gasped. "Wait, you're both in Eternatus?"
Leo and Yuna nodded in unison.
"Okay." Alder tucked his wings in and paced back and forth. "Definitely leaning toward the latter theory, then. Oh dear… entropic fissures are not the type of thing you want dropped on your lap when you're still getting your bearings as a lorekeeper." He tilted his head forward and a book fell out of his head crest. Alder caught it in his right wing. "At least, if this thing's really to be believed."
"A book?" Yuna squinted. One thing at a time. She had to try and stick to that. "Is that part of the… important information?"
"Absolutely." Alder nodded enthusiastically. "It's got some of the most vital information, actually."
Yuna was worried how much further she could press this. If the information was that important, was Alder even supposed to talk about it so casually?
Then again, if it could help her get back to Outpost R3X, Yuna didn't care if this braviary was a blabberbeak. "And just what is that information?" the drakloak asked.
Alder looked down at the book, then back at Yuna. "I suppose… the simplest explanation is that it's a… compendium of sorts. Probably written by the Guardians who abandoned the outpost we converted into our monastery."
Yuna wasn't sure whether to be grateful for a simple explanation or frustrated by how vague it was. "Guardians? Like some sort of army?"
"Tough to say. Guardians is one of… several different terms to describe this group of dimension-hoppers." Alder opened the book and telekinetically flipped through its pages. "Cosmic Protectors. The Network. Overseers. Councilors. Eidolons. Socialites. Aegis. The Illuminati." He rubbed his temple with a wing. "Honestly, there are multiple pages here with suggestions for what labels to use with favored and unfavored dimensions."
Aaaaand the braviary lost Yuna again. What was more frustrating was how attentively Leo sat in front of Alder, like he was front row center in a classroom. He couldn't seriously be getting all of this… could he?
He's just being polite. That's all.
… Except Leo clearly knew a lot for a literal newborn. And Yuna couldn't just overlook that. "Uh, Leo?" The drakloak tilted her head slightly. "You've been very attentive. Is there something you'd like to ask the nice braviary?"
Leo enthusiastically nodded. "The Guardians… are they related to the awmiverse?"
"The 'omniverse,' Leo." Alder pointed his right wing at him. "And you're absolutely right." He flipped the book open again. "If this is correct, the Guardians are protectors of the omniverse. But they watch over some dimensions more closely than others."
Even though she didn't exactly know what an omniverse was, Yuna could piece it together. It sounded like "universe," and Alder spoke about dimensions, so it must have referred to a large number of universes. And Yuna was willing to bet that their universe was one of the ones these Guardians weren't watching closely, given how badly things seemed from her point of view.
But the very thought of other universes was enough to make Yuna dizzy. She needed to change the subject quickly. "So, Alder…" The drakloak wrung her hands together. "I can't help but notice your necklace looks an awful lot like the wheel around Leo's body."
Pink feathers glowing, Alder telekinetically lifted the necklace to eye level. "So it does!"
Why did he need to double check it? Yuna mentally groaned. She managed to keep a straight face, however. "I don't suppose you or that fancy book of yours could tell us what Leo is? Because I don't have a clue."
"And I don't, either," Leo chirped.
"Hmm." Again using his psionics, Alder rapidly flipped through the book. "Let me see. Belly wheel. Belly wheel. Belly… aha!" The braviary slapped his white wings against the book triumphantly. "The color scheme's quite different… and he's much smaller, but I'm fairly sure Leo here is an arceus."
Yuna loudly coughed. "C… come again?"
"Arceus." Alder bobbed his head. "I'd, uh, show you the picture, but since I'm a spiritual projection, you wouldn't actually see the book's contents."
"N-No, that's not it." Yuna waved her hands back and forth in front of her face. "It's just—"
Leo burst out laughing. "He said 'arse!' That means butt!" The cosmic arceus wiggled his dark blue hips and star cloud tail. "I'm a butt! I'm a butt!" he sang.
Yuna looked away to stop herself from joining his laughter. She cleared her throat. "Well, err, anyway, I've never heard of arceus before."
Alder closed the book and held it up. "Outside of this book, I haven't, either." He looked at Leo. "But the fact that he appeared in this…" His voice trailed off. "Huh. We really need a simpler name for this entropic fissure, assuming that's what it is. Perhaps 'instability?'"
"What about 'mystery dungeon?'" Yuna offered, because this strange pocket dimension certainly lined up with what she thought dungeons were like before she began diving into Eternatus on the regular.
"Already in use for other purposes, but I admire the enthusiasm." Alder chuckled. "Let's go with 'anomaly." He nodded to himself. "As I was saying, Leo's appearance in this anomaly, right when I discovered it through my own meditation, has to be significant."
Yuna was about to interject and ask why she was in the anomaly, but then she remembered she was holding Leo when the anomaly pulled him in. "I suppose." She rubbed her cheek with her hand. "What, do you think Leo can somehow fix this place?"
"That's my assumption," Alder stroked his chin with his left wing. "Leo, do you notice anything unusual?"
The cosmic arceus tilted his head. "Hmm." He looked around for several seconds. Leo's blue eyes suddenly sparkled. "Ah! There!" He dashed off to the right.
"What? Where are you going?" Yuna floated after him. "There's no ground up ah—"
Parts of the nearest crystalline double helix flew toward the platform, forming a bridge in front of Leo. Yuna's tail crinkled. "N-Never mind." She continued behind him, looking around nervously.
The farther Leo went, the clearer it was that the bridge was leading to something. It was… a mishmash of floating glass and energy balls. Yuna didn't recognize anything about it at first, but once they were only a few meters away, she realized there was a broken wheel in the middle of it.
A wheel exactly like Leo's.
Before Yuna could call Leo, the cosmic arceus pranced toward the floating debris and leaped into the center.
"Leo, wait!" Yuna threw her arms up to shield her eyes from a bright flash. When the light faded, Leo sat in the broken wheel. "G-Get down from there, please. It could be dangerous!"
"It's okay, Mom," Leo chirped. "It's like a puzzle. I gotta put the pieces back together."
The drakloak looked around at the glass and energy balls. Nothing about them screamed puzzle. "Are you, um, sure about that?" She rubbed her shoulder.
"Positive." Leo squinted. "I just gotta put on my thinking cap." He squeezed his eyes shut and, to Yuna's befuddlement, a wide-brimmed hat poofed onto Leo's head. It had "thinking" scrawled across its brim.
Like some earlier moments, it would've been cute if it didn't leave a gaping pit in Yuna's stomach. She turned to Alder. "Should I do something?"
The braviary shook his head. "No. I think Leo led us to the core of this anomaly. Look." He pointed his right wing forward.
Yuna glanced back at Leo. An invisible force slowly pulled various spheres and glass shards toward one another. "Leo's… doing that?" she whispered.
"It sure looks like it," Alder chirped. "We'd best let him concentrate, though."
They watched together in silence for several minutes while Leo pulled the floating rubble together, forming a… mural.
A mural of a rift. Purple and spiraling. Bigger than the portals Yuna could generate, that was for sure.
Then a loud click rang out through the area. Leo opened his eyes and his literal thinking cap disappeared in a stream of blue and white light. "All done!" He hopped out of the mural, puffy tail wagging. "What do you think?"
"I think you've fixed the anomaly!" Alder clapped his wings together. "Oh, well done, Leo. I daresay you can soundly handle them."
Yeah, but how? Yuna wondered. She blinked a few times, then frowned. "Wait, them?' Like… there are others?"
"Absolutely." Alder looked up. The double helixes and pokémon silhouettes in the distance were fading away in multicolored streams. "I fear we're on the brink of a dimensional cataclysm. And the only way to stop it is to seek out the anomalies and repair them."
Seriously? I don't have time for something like that! Things were bad enough with the Needles and Eternatus. Yuna couldn't handle something even worse getting piled on top of that. "So, what do we do?"
"The anomaly's fading." Alder folded his wings up. "Find me on Planet Chakran and we'll talk more."
"Chakran?" Yuna looked around in a panic. "Is that in Eternatus?"
"No."
"Then how are we supposed to get to it?!" Yuna growled.
It was too late for an answer, however. The anomaly finished dissolving away and purple light swallowed Yuna and Leo up.
XxX
"So, let me get this straight." Noctum stopped pacing and looked at Jade. "The princess just… disappeared inside that pillar of distortion?"
"Eeyup."
"And you made no attempt to stop her?"
Jade shrugged. "She got sucked in. Like shed scales down the drain." The salugia twirled around, making gurgling noises.
Valkyrie grunted from her position leaning against a glass tube with a hydraulic pump inside. "And we already heard the distortion's been repelling people when they try to approach. Asking the same questions over and over won't get you anywhere, hotshot." The garchomp shook her head. "Face it. Nothing we can do right now."
Noctum couldn't brush Valkyrie off this time. Not after all the things Yuna had said. About his failings. About their culture. About Bahamut. Even though Yuna insisted he shouldn't blame himself, something burned inside his gut.
The black charizard turned toward her, snorting purple fire from his nostrils. "At least I'm trying to do something to help the princess." He pointed a talon at Valkyrie. "What kind of bodyguard abandons their charge on a whim? I don't think I've even seen you two together for more than a few minutes!"
"The fake kind. Duh," Nikki scoffed from her vantage point atop a stack of crates. Noctum glared at her with a look that screamed she wasn't helping. The toxtricity raised her arms in surrender. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. That was rhetorical. Shutting up now."
Valkyrie didn't move from bracing against the tube. She kept her gaze trained on Noctum. "Don't take out your frustrations on me. Not my fault your obsessive doting over your precious princess isn't good for anything." She crossed her arms and shook her head. "I warned you about this. Maybe this'll help get the silver spoon out of your—"
Noctum moved without thinking. Before Valkyrie could finish her insult, Noctum Phantom Warped directly in front of her… and socked her right in the snout. The back of the garchomp's head hit the glass tube, leaving a small crack. Noctum pulled his hand away. Bits of blue and purple dragonfire faded to show red stains on his normally black knuckles.
"The hell?" Valkyrie staggered away from him, forearm pressed firmly to her snout to stop the blood oozing from her nostrils.
"Oh ho!" Nikki rubbed her hands together. "Now this is entertainment! Birdbrain, get me some popcorn!"
"Do you see a popcorn maker around here?" Jade responded. "Wait, what am I saying?" She awkwardly waddled toward Noctum. "Heya, buddy, maybe we should calm down and—"
Noctum snarled at Jade. The salugia hopped back with a frightened squawk. Her tail flaps curled up and released some pink smoke. Noctum ignored her antics and turned back to Valkyrie.
"Don't you dare—" He stomped his foot on the ground for emphasis, "—act like you know anything about me or what I've been through."
The Malice Crystal in his belly flickered with purple light. Noctum didn't care. He was so, so sick of taking grief from Valkyrie. He'd tried being patient. That was what the Sages preached. But if Bahamut really wasn't as benevolent as the scriptures made him out to be, then to hell with patience! The black charizard didn't care if Valkyrie was stronger. It was past time he stood up for himself.
He stepped toward her again. "Yes, I 'dote' over Yuna, because I owe her family." Noctum snorted out dragonfire. "They saved me from years of wandering Aeon's cities and wastelands, begging for any little scrap of food I could get my claws on." He bared his fangs at Valkyrie. "Some of the things I did — the humiliation I endured — I'd only wish on my worst enemies."
Valkyrie's arms slackened. Blood dribbled down her snout and dripped onto the metal platform.
"Wait," Nikki whispered. Noctum almost didn't hear her over the ringing in his ears. "You were homeless?"
Noctum nodded.
"A… as a kid?" Nikki swallowed hard. "What about your parents?"
"Never knew them," the charizard said. "My egg… hatched on the outskirts of some sulfur pits. Alone."
Valkyrie looked ready to say something. Noctum wouldn't let her. He jabbed a claw into her chest. "So, no, you don't get to stand there and judge me or my choices. Because if it wasn't for the Aeon royals…"
Grimacing, Noctum stepped back. His tone dropped to barely a whisper. "… I might not even be here."
Silence followed, though Noctum's ears still rang. Louder than the whirring and humming of tubes pumping tar up from the pits below the outpost. He saw a few skorps out of the corner of his eye, nervously whispering amongst one another.
"… geez, dude. Why didn't you say something sooner?"
Noctum held his right arm up, blocking Nikki from his view. "Don't." His tail flame shrank. An awful gnawing tugged at his gut. No doubt the Malice Crystal was reacting to this. Had it… amplified his anger in some way? Noctum wasn't sure… and didn't even care. He just wanted to see Yuna. But she was dealing with that distortion pillar.
"I'm sorry. I need some space."
The black charizard walked off, dragging his tail across the hot, sticky metal platform. A warmth that should've comforted his natural fire, but instead left him feeling even emptier.
He always figured he'd have to broach the subject with the others eventually. A part of Noctum even wondered if Yuna would let those details slip out on accident. Fortunately, that didn't happen.
Instead, Noctum had ripped that figurative bandage off himself. And it stung... in a way the charizard couldn't properly put into words.
In times like these, Noctum would've fallen back on the Aeon scriptures. But what good were those? How many were nothing but empty platitudes?
Noctum grimaced again. That's not right. As... upsetting as that possibility was, the charizard couldn't use it as a scapegoat. Not after he had told Yuna to focus on the present.
He didn't need Valkyrie's respect. Yuna still cared for him. That was what mattered... right?
Noctum was so lost in thought, he would've walked right into a metal pipe had he not heard shouts several meters to his left. The black charizard blinked a few times and turned to see Seifer leveling his horn at Gene, who stared at it with a mixture of boredom and amusement.
"What do you mean you couldn't send them all back?!" the keldeo barked. "You can open portals same as Yuna and Noctum!" The prosthetic horn flickered with red energy. "What's the point of all that bragging about your strength when you can't deliver on it?"
Evidently, Noctum wasn't the only one having a row with someone. Not that the charizard found Gene all that sympathetic. The mewtwo hadn't tried to endear himself to anyone in the group.
"The tar fumes giving you selective hearing or something?" Gene rolled his eyes. He reached a glowing index finger out to Seifer's horn and pushed it, tilting the keldeo's head away. "All those guys that got schlorped up by the oversized garbodor? Yeah, they're dead. There's no going back to Venish for any of them." The mewtwo's gaze sharpened. "Not unless you want them all eroding into Phantoms."
Seifer drew his lips back in a snarl. "But we saved them. You destroyed Exodes!" The keldeo stepped back, legs shaking. "Th... that's supposed to fix it. To fix them."
"Yeah, sure." Gene crossed his arms and lazily flicked his tail back and forth. "Maybe in whatever magical fairytale land you got trained in. But the fact of the matter is Exodes pumped that garbodor full of Malice and then he suffocated all those crew members." The mewtwo looked at the crystal in his shoulder. His eyes flickered violet. "There's no reversing that. They're part of the Qliphoth now. The sooner you accept that, the better it'll be for everyone."
Noctum's tail flame shrank. Even if Gene was telling the truth, there wasn't an ounce of sympathy behind his words. Almost like he didn't care.
"How can you say something so heartless?" Seifer huffed, nostrils flaring. "Those sailors had families and friends. People who deserve to know what happened. Who may very well need help because of this." The keldeo gestured toward the smog in the distance with a foreleg. "The Radiant Guard helps the people of Radiance."
Gene pinched his brow. "But you're not Radiant Guard anymore." The mewtwo shook his head in disbelief. "In fact, the very people you claim to serve made you into the fall guy for their failings. So, why are you still preaching like you're one of them?"
Noctum thought about interjecting... but Gene did have a point. If only that point didn't make the black charizard so... uncomfortable.
"It's the principle!" Seifer huffed. "Besides, you have no right to complain when you callously tossed that fact out without my permission!"
"I'm not complaining." Gene flicked to his right. "I'm saying you need to reevaluate your priorities." The mewtwo tapped his right index finger to his right temple. "I sifted through some of the sailors' memories. That Crowne Minister they were with got evacuated in time… while they were all left behind to get swallowed up by Eternatus."
Noctum swallowed hard. In the moment, he was too busy worrying about the tranced garbodor to think about it. A pang of guilt struck his crystal-filled gut.
"So, let me ask you this." Gene stepped toward Seifer, scowling. "If a Crowne Minister can't be assed to help his own ship's crew, why the hell should I believe your precious Radiant Guard is any better?" His eyes glowed deep blue. "And, on top of that, who do you think the Radiant government really serves?"
Seifer's eyes widened with every word Gene said. The fight drained out of the keldeo's face, along with his tan color. His eyes darted around as if the answer to Gene's questions was somewhere amidst the haze of Planet Bogdan.
Noctum looked down guiltily. He should've spoken up, but after chewing out Valkyrie earlier, a small part of him felt some satisfaction at seeing Seifer utterly flummoxed by Gene's logic. And the charizard resented himself for that. He might not have known Seifer long, but the keldeo was at least making an effort to be nicer toward him than when they first met. Which was more than Noctum could say for Gene.
"Seriously?! Do you get some sort of perverse joy out of kicking a 'mon while he's down?"
Noctum jumped. His tail flame doubled in size. "Y-Yuna?!"
He looked over his shoulder and watched the drakloak float toward Gene with a frown etched on her face. Jade waddled after her with Leo wrapped up in her wings. Nikki and Valkyrie brought up the rear, the latter still trying to stop her snout from bleeding.
How had Noctum missed her return? What about the distortion pillar? No, that would have to wait, because Yuna was squarely focused on Gene.
"I was hoping you trying to choke the spirit out of Reshiram was some freak one-off thing," Yuna growled, drawing startled looks from the others, including Noctum.
"He did what?!" The black charizard's eyes widened in alarm.
"Oh, yeah. He knocked me into the swamp, too." Jade puffed her cheeks out at Gene. "Meanie!"
"We get it," Yuna growled, before turning back to Gene. "As I was saying, I wanted it to be a one-time thing. Clearly it wasn't. I didn't think I'd prefer it when you treated all of this as a joke, but here we are."
Noctum swore he saw something black and... inky in Yuna's hands and the sides of her head. "Princess? Are you all right?" he asked.
"I'm fine." Yuna waved the black charizard off. "He's the problem." She pointed at Gene. "What kind of leader are you? Brushing off civilians. Threatening and talking down to allies. It's… it's pathetic!"
A tense silence followed. Noctum cautiously spread his wings out, ready to leap to Yuna's aid if Gene flew off the handle. The mewtwo narrowed his eyes at Yuna. There were black sparks dancing around the Malice Crystal in his shoulder. It made Noctum's crystal stir. His gut squirmed and he was thankful it didn't audibly gurgle. In some regards, he was proud of Yuna for not backing down, but still worried for her safety, given what she just revealed Gene had tried to do.
However, though the mewtwo clenched his dark gray fists like he intended to attack, the ultimately turned away from Yuna, shoulders sagging. His tail dropped against the metal floor with a defeated thud.
"... you're right. I'm not much of a leader." Gene looked skyward. "Because I was never meant to be a rebel leader in the first place. I'm only here... because the real leader is missing."
Chapter 39: SPECIAL ~ The World's Strongest Pokémon
Chapter 39: SPECIAL ~ The World's Strongest Pokémon
February 6, 19XX
MEW gave birth. We named the newborn Mewtwo.
The Multiparity Exogenous Womb finally produced a viable specimen, but it is nowhere close to what the sponsor is looking for. What I'm looking for.
Height: 10 cm. Weight: 0.3 kg. Heart rate: 190 bpm. Blood pressure: 50/30 mmHg.
Between that and Mewtwo's... friability to the probes, we had no choice but to place it in a stasis tube.
I wanted to think B was blowing smoke when he said the incomplete DNA was too unstable, but he's right. Even if we place more embryos in MEW, it won't matter. At best, they will be just as premature as Mewtwo. At worst, they will abort like every embryo before it, wasting precious resources.
To combat this, B suggested augmentation with human DNA.
(...)
But I can't lose all this progress. Not when I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Not when I can finally hold my sweet little girl's hand once more.
So, the choice is obvious. If it means he'll continue sponsoring my work, then I'll do the gene splicing.
The only thing I need to be sure of is who provides the genetic sample. No doubt the sponsor would want to do it, but I cannot allow that to happen.
Even research as ethically gray as this has a line. I refuse to allow Mewtwo to share his genes. It would spell disaster for all of Kanto.
XxX
Weightlessness.
It was floating. It didn't know why it knew it was floating, only that it was sure of it.
The next thing it registered was warmth. Again, it wasn't sure how it knew what "warmth" was. But it knew it was warm. And it liked that. Warmth was nice. It wanted more warmth.
This was troubling. It knew things. It could think. But what was it? Why was it thinking? Why did it know about concepts like weight and temperature?
Perhaps if it broke through the darkness in front of it?
Yes, that was it. It knew how to do that, too. Very simple. Just a few tiny muscles to move.
It opened its eyes. Everything was blurry. Blurry and green. More concepts it knew for some mysterious reason. And those concepts quickly linked together to form a conclusion.
Liquid. That was what it was inside. Why it was weightless. The liquid suspended it. Blinded it to what lay ahead.
It looked up, but only found more liquid.
What about down? No, still green. Left and right, then? Some gray things. Too blurry to appreciate. And its weightlessness prevented it from moving through the liquid, even though it was sure it had more muscles than the ones around its eyes.
... Wait. Something changed. There were more shapes in the distance. Shapes that moved around quickly... and then multiplied! Small circles on top of big ovals. Cylinders flailing around.
It was... amusing? Yes, that had to be it!
But amusement made it tired. Or maybe that was all the thinking? Either way, it didn't have the strength to keep its eyes open.
XxX
April 11, 19XX
At last, a breakthrough! After weeks of nothing but alpha, theta, and delta waves on the EEG, we finally caught a sustained burst of beta waves. Sure, the previous results were encouraging, but beta means Mewtwo is dreaming! Its mind is churning with activity. And the beta waveforms share similar patterns to humans.
Yes, the human gene splicing stabilized its body and let it grow, but now I have proof the genes are improving this pokémon.
If Mewtwo is developing neurons comparable to a human's, then I can do it! I can ensure Amber is just as lively and thoughtful as they day I lost her!
Today is a triumph for science.
XxX
When it opened its eyes, it wasn't in green liquid. The weightlessness was still there, so it had to be floating. But that familiar warmth was gone. Instead, it was surrounded by blue that stretched out farther than it could see. Small white clusters sat scattered across the blue expanse.
Sky. This was a sky. And the white clusters were clouds.
It looked down. There was green far below, but not the same green as before. This green was brighter. Softer, perhaps. It was also static. With tiny needles pointing up.
Grass.
The word popped into its mind instantaneously. And this much grass, underneath a clear sky, meant it was floating above plains.
But how did it get here?
That would have to wait, because it realized something else was different from before. It could move. It had two gray legs, ending with two nubby toes on each gray foot. When it turned its feet inward, it spotted an additional toe on the back of each foot.
Could it wiggle them? Yes, yes it could! It curled its toes, then uncurled them, then curled them again. The front toes moved a lot more than the back ones. Good to know.
There was a darker gray that went between its legs. It followed the dark gray, turning around to find it led to a tail. The tail lazily hung down, but it was confident it could move that, too. A swish to the left, then right. Up and down. It could even curl it up into a circle. Wow, it was so flexible!
It then spotted its left arm. There were three fingers on its hand. Each one ended with a slightly bigger sphere. It curled its fingers, then uncurled them. It flexed and extended each one individually.
It could've wasted so much more time with such simple things, had a bright flash not caught its attention.
There was a new color in the distance: gold.
Curiosity piqued, it flew— yes, flew forward. The gold got larger and larger. It wasn't long before the gold was bigger than it. And it made out other colors in the middle of gold. Red next to orange next to yellow. Greens and blues side by side. Wow, so many colors! What was with this colorful beacon?
It came to a stop. And, for the first time, it spoke.
"Hello?"
Gold brightened. The bright hurt its eyes. It had to shield them with its right arm.
"Ah, so you can talk. That's good."
Gold didn't have a mouth, but his voice was loud.
"You sound like you're echoing in my head." It rubbed its right cheek with its right hand.
"Yes, that's how telepathy works," Gold responded.
Telepathy. When psychics talk using their minds. It wasn't surprised it pulled that definition up so quickly. It seemed to know so many things.
"This is your dream, after all," Gold continued. "I'm projecting myself into your mind."
"My dream," it parroted, looking around. So, it made all of this. Except none of it was real. That probably meant it was still in the green fluid.
Best to make the most of this dream, then. Starting with its visitor. He didn't sound like he was a natural part of the dream.
"Why are you here?" it wondered.
Gold rippled. "I sensed your aura."
"Aura." It furrowed its brow. "That's... from my life force."
"Close enough," Gold said. He sounded impressed with it. "And it's unlike anything I've ever felt in my travels."
"Your travels?" Its tail drifted back and forth. "So, you get to go to lots of places? I bet that's a lot of fun."
Gold dimmed. "I... do go a lot of places, yes."
This was a new tone: sadness. It hadn't heard sadness before, but its chest grew heavy. "Why are you sad? Do you not like visiting new places?"
"I don't," Gold replied, dimming further. His rainbow dimmed, too. "The places I've gone... people are terrified of me. They don't know what I am."
It looked at the rainbow, eyes brimming with curiosity. "What are you?"
"I don't know."
"Really?" Its gaze fell toward the grass. "Because... I don't know what I am, either. I've heard the shapes say 'Mewtwo' sometimes. But I do not know what 'Mewtwo' means." It crossed its arms. "I think... it might be my name?"
"Mewtwo." Gold hummed, then gradually brightened a bit. "Well, I know Mew is a pokémon. A very rare one. You... look a bit like it. But you're not quite the same."
"Oh." Mewtwo curled its tail around its right leg. "Is that... bad?"
"Not necessarily." Gold sounded unsure. "It sounds like you're related to Mew. So, even if you don't know what you are, you do know that much. Which is good."
So, Mewtwo had a relative. Relatives were family. And, according to Gold, families were good. That was enough to get Mewtwo to uncurl its tail. "What about you? Do you have family?"
Gold dimmed again. "I do not."
Mewtwo frowned. "But you must have relatives, right?"
"I don't."
"What about friends?" It knew they weren't necessarily the same thing as family, but could still be good.
"None." Gold sighed. "I've been many places, but I've never been able to stay for long. This planet... I'm new to it. Like you, I suppose. But I'm hiding. Because I'm afraid of what will happen if someone finds me."
"Oh." Mewtwo looked down again. Another term popped into its head. "That sounds lonely."
Gold dimmed further. "It is." He sounded exhausted. Mewtwo wrung its hands. Gold didn't seem that bad to it. Even if Mewtwo didn't know what Gold was.
"Maybe... I could be your friend?" Mewtwo floated closer to Gold. His light was warm. Not the same warm as the green liquid, but still comforting. The end of Mewtwo's tail wagged ever so slightly.
"I... am practically a stranger to you." Gold drifted back slightly. "You should be more cautious. Especially since I'm projecting into your dream."
Mewtwo's tail drooped. "Sorry. I just thought... because we have things in common, we'd make good friends."
Silence followed. Since Mewtwo couldn't see a face, it had no idea what Gold was thinking. His glow pulsated the entire time. Maybe Mewtwo was supposed to say something else? Except it didn't know what else to say. All it could do was stare at Gold with a pleading look in its eyes.
Eventually, Gold sighed. It was softer than before, however. "Okay. I suppose... there's no harm in us getting together again." After a pause, Gold added, "In your dreams. It's still too dangerous for me to leave my hiding place."
A smile slowly spread across Mewtwo's face. "Great! Thank you, Gold!"
His glow flickered in surprise. "Gold?" A chuckle echoed across the plains. "Ah, I guess I didn't tell you my name."
Mewtwo shook his head.
"You can call me Bahamut."
XxX
June 7, 19XX
We're making tremendous progress. We drained Mewtwo's pod and disconnected its breathing and feeding tubes for six hours today without incident. Vitals were stable. Cardiac telemetry showed no arrhythmias.
Mewtwo possesses a strong intellect. Each time we interact with it, its fund of knowledge has grown by leaps and bounds. It's exceeding all of our projections. We have a pokémon that displays reasoning and critical thinking skills on par with university-level students. And this is after only four weeks of cognitive exercises.
I knew B's DNA was the correct choice to use, but this is simply astounding. Not to mention how impressive its EEGs look when it slumbers.
Surely, when I present this information to G, he will be pleased with our decision regarding the human genes.
And, of course, my personal project is bearing fruit. Amber's second embryo successfully implanted in the artificial uterus. I'll do an ultrasound in two weeks to assess for cardiac activity.
Everything is going smoothly. This is beyond my wildest dreams.
XxX
Mewtwo had gotten good at cultivating its dream landscape. Today, it made a large, grass-covered hill looking over a pond as still and blue as the sky above. Mewtwo sat on the edge of the hill, lazily kicking its legs at the air.
"I think they're going to permanently let me out of the pod soon." It wagged the end of its tail. "The humans are really impressed with me."
"As they should. You're a fast learner."
Mewtwo looked over its right shoulder. Bahamut was next to it. He matched Mewtwo's height, though he was still nothing more than a gold silhouette with multicolored slits in the middle.
"Well, I've got a good teacher." It smiled at Bahamut, earning a pleased hum in the process.
"Flatterer."
Mewtwo stuck its tongue out playfully, then turned back to look at its distant reflection in the pond. "What about you? Have you left your hiding spot yet?"
There was a long pause, then Bahamut bent forward. "I have, actually. And I met someone. A human."
"And?" Mewtwo twirled its right hand around. "What kind of meeting? Good? Bad? Somewhere in the middle?"
"Good, I think."
"You think?"
Bahamut slowly nodded. "It was… strange. The human was young. A child, I think? And… he didn't speak at all."
That was strange. The humans that looked after Mewtwo all spoke. A bit too quick for its liking, too. "Was he afraid of you?"
"Surprisingly, no," Bahamut replied. "In fact, he had this… look about him. A fierce determination in his eyes. I've never seen a look like it."
"So, what did you do?" Mewtwo rested its hands behind its head. "Sit in silence and stare at each other?" It had unsuccessfully tried to win multiple staring contests against Bahamut.
"We battled."
"You fought him?" Mewtwo's eyes widened.
"Not him directly. His pokémon." Bahamut chuckled again. "It was strange. Even though he didn't speak, his pokémon partners knew exactly what to do. And they were deceptively strong. Especially his pikachu and charizard."
He paused, then added, "I never thought I'd say this, but it was actually… fun."
Mewtwo raised a brow. "Okay. Why does that confuse you?"
Bahamut's gold silhouette prickled. "I have only ever fought to survive. To stop people from hurting me. The thought of battling being fun is... strange. Foreign. I'm not sure what to make of it."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Mewtwo wondered.
"I appreciate the offer, but it's fine." A part of Bahamut's silhouette pet Mewtwo's head. It purred. "Because I looked into the pokémon's minds. They genuinely like this human. They're happy."
"Which is good," Mewtwo chirped. But when silence followed, it whispered, "Right?"
"Yes." Bahamut sounded tired. "It makes me wonder... if this is what I've been searching for all this time."
Mewtwo's eyes widened in recognition. "You mean a home?"
"Exactly. A home... with this human." Bahamut shifted about on the edge of the hill. "I admit that the thought of going inside one of those small spheres scares me. But the pokémon insisted they are okay inside the 'poké balls' as they're called."
That sounded familiar. Either Mewtwo's caretakers had mentioned poké balls or it was another concept it was created knowing. "What will you do?" it asked.
"I told the human I'd like to see him again," Bahamut responded. "That way I have some more time to think it over." He fixed his asymmetric rainbow shapes on Mewtwo. "And this way... neither of us have to worry about this connection being severed."
Mewtwo smiled. "That's very generous of you."
Bahamut's glow brightened. "That's what friends do for each other, right?"
XxX
June 21, 19XX
Mewtwo is gone. G showed up unannounced with an entire Rocket attaché. Perhaps Mewtwo sensed their ill intent, because it awakened from slumber and broke out of its containment tube. G captured it in something he called a "Master Ball." Then his stooges confiscated everything. Every file. Every hard drive.
They took Amber, too. Without a power source, the artificial womb will fail within thirty minutes.
B was nowhere to be found. Did he know this was coming? Why didn't he warn me?
All of my hard work— everything I was building is gone.
XxX
Mewtwo was small. Small and cold. Floating in some sort of void.
How did it get here? One moment, Bahamut was warning it. Telling it the ones who had created it were criminals and begging Mewtwo to break out of its confinement. But when it did as Bahamut instructed, it found a new human in a black suit waiting for it.
Now, it was floating in some sort of void. And the void was cold. Mewtwo didn't like this cold. It wanted it to—
Light spilled across Mewtwo's vision. The void gave way to a black floor. It was softer than the lab. Carpet? Mewtwo found itself looking at a pair of fancy black shoes. It followed those shoes to black dress pants, then a black suit jacket, and ending at a black-haired head with a confident smirk plastered across its face.
Mewtwo saw the patch with a red R on the man's breast pocket. That same red R was etched into the carpet behind him.
Its neck tube prickled. Mewtwo had to show defiance. This human had taken it from what was familiar. It wouldn't allow that to go unchecked. Mewtwo stood up and curled its lips into a snarl. Its eyes glowed deep blue as it tried to intimidate this new human.
But he wasn't impressed. Still smirking, he snapped his fingers.
Mewtwo didn't register what was happening until something hard and sharp struck the side of its head. It crumpled to the ground.
This was a new sensation: pain. And pain was terrible.
Vision blurry, Mewtwo spotted a rhydon foot. The human must've ordered it to pelt Mewtwo with rocks. But he didn't say anything.
Mewtwo's heartrate quickened. Bahamut said the silent human was a child, right? This man wasn't a child. Why could Rhydon understand what he wanted, then? Was Bahamut's friend related to him? Was that why he was trying to warn Mewtwo?
"You lack discipline."
… Never mind. He could speak. And his voice sent chills down Mewtwo's spine and neck tube. His voice wasn't like Bahamut's. It was cold. Detached.
Mewtwo refused to dignify him with telepathy. It hissed at Suit Man, then turned left and pointed its left hand at Rhydon. Satisfaction washed over Mewtwo as it effortlessly ensnared Rhydon and the rock spires it was readying in a psychic grip. Mewtwo flung Rhydon back, where it shattered a black coffee table.
"Better." Suit Man was clapping now. Slowly. That was sarcastic clapping. Mewtwo was sure of it. "But that is a fraction of the ferocity I'm looking for."
Mewtwo growled, tail lashing at the air. What he was looking for? Suit Man didn't deserve anything from Mewtwo.
Suit Man shook his head. That stupid smirk had yet to leave his face. "This is what I was afraid of. The human genes those lab rattata chose made you soft. All that dreaming set things back. But it's no matter." He stuck his hands into his coat pockets. "I will fix what those classless charlatans broke."
Fix? Nothing about Mewtwo needed fixing. It was happy as it was. How dare Suit Man talk about it that way.
"I can tell by the look on your face that you're ill-informed of your circumstances." Suit Man tapped his right temple with his right index finger. "I'm the one truly responsible for your creation. You are my tool. You exist to serve Team Rocket… as the world's strongest pokémon."
The smirk finally vanished, replaced by a stoic expression. Suit Man held up a strange purple ball with red nodules on it. "This is the proof that I own you."
Even though Mewtwo had never seen it before, it instantly realized it was the source of the void. Snarling, Mewtwo lunged for Suit Man.
He smirked once more and held up the ball. Mewtwo never got to strike him. Instead, it was back in the small, weightless void. Only this time, there wasn't silence. Suit Man continued to speak.
"No matter how strong the psyche, I can break it with some... proper instruction." A loud chuckle echo through the void. "Their mistake was putting too much emphasis on your mind and not on your physical strength. You're not some bleeding heart. You're a weapon."
The void shook. Was Suit Man moving Mewtwo's capture device? "I'll make sure to harden that heart you grew while you were sleeping. When we're finished... you'll be nothing but a blank slate. Ready and willing to do exactly what I order you to do the moment I order you to do it.
"I hope you enjoyed your precious dreams, because they're the last ones you'll ever have."
XxX
Mewtwo had its prey, a milotic, ensnared in its psychic grip. It didn't have to look back at Boss for orders. A single finger snap and it knew.
A mere flick of its wrist, and Milotic went flying past the edge of the arena. It slammed into the wall, leaving cracks in the Earth Badge that was painted there. That would be fixed by tomorrow, so the damage didn't matter.
It pulled Milotic away, sensing it was already unconscious. The prey was defeated, but its work wasn't done. Mewtwo readied to slam it into the wall again.
"Wait, stop! She's out!" a young brunette in a pink blouse cried. "It's over! Y-You won! Please, make it stop!"
Stop? No. A weapon didn't stop until its job was finished.
Perhaps today was the day. The day it got to fell a pokémon during one of these pointless gym ba—
Boss snapped his fingers.
Tsking, Mewtwo twisted its right hand a few degrees clockwise. Milotic went flying limply through the air. She barreled into her trainer, trapping the girl underneath her large, serpentine frame. Mewtwo swished its tail back and forth in amusement. It could obliterate both of them effortlessly. But, as usual, Boss required Mewtwo to show restraint. How irksome.
"In the end, you were nothing but boring."
Mewtwo glanced at Boss. Shadows obscured him, but Mewtwo's Miracle Eye let it see him sitting in his black leather chair, one leg crossed over the other and head resting on his left fist while his right jotted down notes on a memo pad.
"It's clear to me, Miss Neza, that your previous badges were obtained by dumb luck," Boss continued. "Or, perhaps, my colleagues were overly lenient. Regardless, the Indigo Plateau is no place for simpleton trainers with grandeur delusions. For both our sakes, I think it's best you never show your face here again. In fact..." He leaned forward. Just enough so his forehead stuck out from the shadows. "... I think it's best if you don't even remember Viridian has a gym."
He raised his left hand and snapped his fingers. That was Mewtwo's cue to end this farce the usual way. It turned back to Neza, eyes glowing pink, and raised its left hand. Mewtwo slid the girl out. Panicking, she kicked at the air with her legs. Mewtwo tightened its grip and she went stiff as a board.
"Oh, and don't worry about your pokémon." Boss chuckled. "We'll make sure they're put to good use. Doing real work for real trainers."
Mewtwo raised its other hand. It pulled six poké balls out of Neza's bag and dropped them over by Milotic's unconscious form. Neza's blue eyes widened. Tears glistened in their corners.
But then the glow in Mewtwo's eyes deepened. It saw into the girl's mind — her perspective as her six trusted partners were effortlessly dispatched by it — and erased those memories completely.
For a few fleeting moments, Mewtwo saw emptiness in Neza's eyes. Then she vanished in a rush of blue light as Mewtwo teleported her to the outskirts of Viridian City.
Thus, another gym battle came to an end. The hundred and twentieth challenger Mewtwo had dealt with. There were, of course, plenty of challengers Boss determined completely unworthy of its time, dispatching them with his other pokémon and sending them running off with their nonexistent tails between their legs. But ones who caught his attention, like Neza, would face Mewtwo. And when they lost, it would eject them with their memories in tatters; Mewtwo taking their pokémon for Team Rocket to "reprogram." Nobody asked questions because it was too infrequent. Boss was careful not to allow "interesting" challengers too close to one another.
And, just like the previous hundred and nineteen times, Mewtwo was bored. The young trainers could not put up a fraction of a fight. And Mewtwo couldn't fight to kill like it would on a proper mission for Team Rocket.
It was displeasing, but at the end of the day, Mewtwo was a weapon. It did what it was ordered to. Nothing more, nothing less.
Though something was different about today. Instead of calling it back, Boss rose from his seat. He approached Mewtwo, and it finally realized that Persian had been out of its ball the entire time. Likely sitting obediently beside Boss's chair.
"Excellent work, Mewtwo." Boss stuck his hands into his coat pockets. "I'm confident you're ready."
Mewtwo quirked a brow. It could read Boss's mind, but it was simpler to hear the answer from his lips.
"One of my teams told me that Zapdos has touched down at an abandoned power plant near the eastern coast," Boss explained. Persian arched her back slightly. She wasn't a fan of electric-types, clearly. "You're going to engage it. Understood?"
Mewtwo nodded.
Finally, it had a worthy opponent.
XxX
The lightning was too large to dodge with teleportation. Mewtwo crossed its arms. A blue barrier materialized around it. The Thunder struck the barrier, pushing Mewtwo toward the ceiling. Closer and closer.
A finger snap sounded. Mewtwo thrust its arms apart. The remaining lightning evaporated.
Zapdos landed in the middle of some rubble, panting heavily. His Thunders were growing more desperate. He was desperate.
Sure, Mewtwo couldn't restrain Zapdos telekinetically. But it preferred the backup strategy: knocking out Zapdos so he couldn't deflect Boss's Master Ball with his attacks.
Zapdos' lightning was strong, but Mewtwo was stronger. And victory was within reach.
"Now."
Standing behind his Rhydon, Boss snapped his fingers. Mewtwo's eyes and fingers glowed. Pink orbs completely surrounded Zapdos. He realized what was happening and raised his wings to take off.
However, Mewtwo was faster on the draw. It had to be. It was the world's strongest pokémon.
Mewtwo brought its arms together. The psychic orbs converged on Zapdos. A pink explosion swallowed Zapdos up along with the rubble and several broken machines dented and scorched by their battle. Mewtwo stared at it, chest rising and falling.
This was its first time using that attack in battle. Psystrike— that was what Boss called it. It was truly devastating. A powerful attack for a powerful pokémon. One that could go toe to toe with the legends themselves.
When the smoke and pink light faded, Zapdos was gone. In his place... was a Master Ball.
That was it. The prey was captured. Mewtwo had won. It truly was the strongest.
Several Rocket grunts funneled in, surrounding the inert Master Ball. Boss casually approached it, waving them off. Persian sauntered after him, flashing an intimidating grin at the nearest grunt, who couldn't help but flinch.
"One down, two to go." Boss knelt down and picked up the Master Ball. "Think of the possibilities. What government officials would pay to have pokémon like this under their control. We'll have them wrapped around our fingers like the suits at Silph and the spineless Viridian cops."
Mewtwo descended toward the ground. Two more meant Articuno and Moltres. The former might provide more of a challenge, if for no other reason than she could generate a hailstorm to throw Mewtwo off and damage it.
Boss turned back to Mewtwo. "I hope you're prepared. Once you've dealt with the other two birds, there'll be one more Kantonian target for you to hunt."
Mewtwo's eyes narrowed. Only one pokémon came to mind. The one it was created from: Mew.
XxX
Psychic probing proved frustrating for Mewtwo. It wasn't anything it hadn't done before, but Mew was elusive. Mewtwo was mentally probing over great distances. It was pushing itself. And, in some regards, it was exciting. Exhilarating. A true challenge for its powers, after Articuno and Moltres weren't up to the task.
But something was slowing down the process. No, not something. Someone. Another powerful psychic. Whoever it was, they were trying to worm their way into Mewtwo's probing. It refused to allow such intrusion. The mission was what mattered the most.
At first, Mewtwo relished the challenge of probing while keeping that powerful psychic at bay. However, after six weeks, it had grown boring.
Why was Mew so cowardly? Why did Mew refuse to show themselves for Mewtwo? Because it was afraid?
... Good. Mew should be.
The seventh week, however, finally brought Mewtwo the results it wanted.
It envisioned a shockingly small island. Triangular, with cool green grass surrounding soft, gray dirt. The island had three trees; one on each of its corners. And in the center of the island sat something small, pink, and vaguely feline.
She opened her eyes. Soft and blue. Brimming with curiosity. Mew tilted her head.
Mewtwo severed the mental connection immediately. Its mind returned to the cold, sterile gray room it sat in the middle of. It looked up at the map of Kanto fixed to the gray wall in front of it. Mewtwo flicked its right index finger. A black marker levitated up toward the small chain of islands far to the south. It circled the southwestern island of the archipelago.
A Rocket grunt stationed at the door pulled a radio from his belt. "Subject has marked a location. It's Birth Island. Repeat, it thinks Mew is on Birth Island."
Birth Island? What a ridiculous name. And Mewtwo wasn't about to wait for the humans to get their acts together. It had its orders.
A blink of light and it was in Boss's office. He was already standing at the side of his black oak desk, right hand outstretched. Mewtwo grabbed it and the two disappeared.
Within seconds, they stood on the very same grass Mewtwo had envisioned minutes ago. Mew was still in the center of the triangular island. Before she could turn to acknowledge them, Mewtwo thrust its right arm forward, flinging a Shadow Ball into her.
She squealed in pain, skipping across the ground. At that speed, she'd tumble off the island. Mewtwo teleported by the north tree, two more Shadow Balls at the ready. It threw them both down. They slammed into Mew, hammering her into the ground.
The cries echoed in Mewtwo's mind. How pathetic she was. This was the creature it was created from? What an absolute joke. Even some of those gym challengers put up an attempt at a fight.
Boss wanted Mew? In Mewtwo's eyes, she wasn't worth it. She wasn't strong. It was strong. The strongest. Superior to Mew in every way.
And yet, when Mew looked up at it, bruised eyes brimming with tears, Mewtwo hesitated. The fourth Shadow Ball it was charging shrank ever so slightly.
Mew seized on that hesitation. Her body glowed. She shakily rose into the air. Mewtwo realized she was going to teleport away.
But then a red glow surrounded her and she dropped back to the ground with a pained squeak. Mewtwo looked up and saw Boss's honchkrow standing obediently at his side, eyes glowing the same shade of red.
Mean Look. Of course Boss had a contingency. One he likely thought he wouldn't have to use.
"Disappointing." Boss took a step toward Mewtwo, flashing his trademark amused smirk. "No matter. It looks incapacitated enough. I'll simply deal with your... lapse in judgement back at the base," he continued, producing a fresh Master Ball from his pocket. Boss lobbed it toward Mew, who was too weakened to even see it coming.
It should have been a successful capture, but then a purple, checkered hole opened up in the ground and swallowed Mew up. Mewtwo was bewildered for a moment, and that proved enough to stop it from diving into the hole after Mew. It faceplanted in the ground, then the Master Ball struck its rump for added humiliation.
"Up." Boss snapped his fingers. Mewtwo pressed its hands to the grass and levitated up, then spun itself upright. It was sure what Boss's order would be. The lack of his usual smirk told Mewtwo as much.
"Track it. Now."
Mewtwo shut its eyes and concentrated. It didn't need to work that hard, however. Mew's weakened aura was relatively close by. On Cinnabar.
And with her... was the same psychic force that had been trying to break into its projections while it was tracking Mew. Eyes narrowing, it teleported to Boss's side, nodding to signal it knew where Mew was. He recalled Honchkrow, then Mewtwo grabbed his shoulder and they vanished once more.
This time they landed on ragged earth. Warm, rocky terrain. There was ash and smoke choking the skies far above them and their platform gave way to a steep drop several meters to their left.
"The volcano." If Boss was surprised, he didn't show it.
Glimmering gold light drew Mewtwo's attention behind them both. The platform gave way to a large cave bathed in bright light. But the light quickly dimmed, allowing Mewtwo to see Mew lying wrapped up in the arms of a boy wearing blue jeans, a red, sleeveless coat, and a red cap with a white brim. Her injuries were completely healed.
A pikachu on the boy's right shoulder locked eyes with Mewtwo. His cheeks crackled with electricity. Then a gold, crystal leg slid in front of the boy. Mewtwo looked up, past a crystal torso with three gold spikes and four wings, to a head that resembled an eight-pointed star.
"Mewtwo?" The dragon's beak was open in surprise. "I've been trying to reach you for months! What happened to—" He stopped himself. Red and orange pooled in his eye sockets. "What are you doing? Don't you know who that is? He's the one I was warning you about! Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket!"
Mewtwo's tail twitched. There was something... naggingly familiar about this gold dragon. But whatever it was didn't matter. He was in the way of Mewtwo's target. Its mission.
"What are you doing?" Boss's tone was sharp. "That's an obstacle. You know what you have to do."
Mewtwo crouched down, then teleported right beside the dragon's torso.
"Wait, stop!" the dragon cried, but Mewtwo had a Shadow Ball at the ready. It thrust it into the dragon's crystal chassis. The dragon buckled left, mismatched rainbow eyes rippling. "Mewtwo, stop this! It's me, Bahamut! I'm your friend, remember?"
Friends? Laughable. Weapons didn't have friends. They had targets. And this "Bahamut" character just made himself one. Mewtwo charged another Shadow Ball, but was startled when a powerful psychic force sent it tumbling back, losing that lavender energy in the process.
Bahamut looked to the boy carrying Mew. He shook his head at the dragon. Mewtwo tried seizing on the opening, teleporting behind Bahamut and shooting another Shadow Ball right into the strange, eight-pointed star emblazoned on the back of his head.
But unlike Mewtwo's previous targets, Bahamut lashed backward with his golden tail. Suddenly, Mewtwo was forming a barrier to avoid getting hit by its own Shadow Ball.
Was he… taunting Mewtwo? Not even deigning to face it while fighting?
Utterly insulting! Mewtwo wouldn't let this stand. It saw Bahamut reaching a wing toward the boy. He, his pikachu, a charizard, and a venusaur were heading toward Boss who, in turn, summoned his persian, rhydon, and nidoking.
Mewtwo channeled electricity into its fist and teleported behind Bahamut's head. It punched, but to its shock, the back of Bahamut's head was not solid. Next thing it knew, one of Bahamut's glowing wings had clubbed it and knocked it into the cave wall.
"We're taking this outside," Bahamut growled. His rainbow eyes brimmed with shades of purple.
One moment, Mewtwo was pulling itself out of a Mewtwo-shaped hole in the cave wall. The next, it was falling toward the volcano's mouth, limbs flailing. Mewtwo quickly regained its composure, but when it turned around two sharp, purple blades slashed its chest.
This pain was different. Not like the blows Mewtwo had suffered before. It was a deep, lingering pain. Mewtwo put its right hand to its chest and pulled it back. The hand was red.
Blood. Its blood. Bahamut made it bleed.
Prey was supposed to bleed. Not Mewtwo. It was a predator. A weapon. The world's strongest pokémon.
Curling its lips into a snarl, Mewtwo flung one Shadow Ball, then another, and then a third. Bahamut clasped his wings together. Strange purple spheres intercepted the Shadow Balls, then purple blades identical to the ones that had slashed Mewtwo destroyed its attacks.
"I trusted you!" Bahamut snarled. Blue-purple dragon energy bristled in its beak. "I shared my secrets with you! My hopes! My fears!" He spat the Dragon Pulse forward. Mewtwo easily evaded it and had Shadow Balls ready to counter.
But the attack wasn't done. A portal opened up behind Mewtwo. Just like the one that had sucked in Mew.
It only had seconds to get out of the way of the blue bolt. The same one it had dodged before.
Bahamut was sending his own attacks through portals? Impossible! Mewtwo couldn't do that. But it was the strongest! It had to be! That was why it was created!
"We were friends!" Bahamut descended toward the mouth of the volcano. Mewtwo couldn't teleport fast enough to catch it. "Friends bonding over our shared origins! Or so I thought."
Hissing, Mewtwo fired two Shadow Balls, then started gathering an Ice Beam in its hands. Bahamut shredded both Shadow Balls, but was unprepared for the Ice Beam. Blue ice splattered across his crystal chest while he roared in anger.
Mewtwo smiled gleefully. This was where it turned the tide. Where it seized mom—
Was that lava heading directly for it?
"You were using me, weren't you?" Bahamut said. His body glowed pink as he steered a large glob of lava in Mewtwo's direction. It teleported several meters away. That wasn't good enough. The lava was still coming.
"I told you to run away, but you didn't!" Bahamut continued. "Those dreams you shared with me… were nothing but lies! They were all his orders, weren't they? Trying to get to me! To abuse me just like everyone else!"
With a loud grunt, Mewtwo wrestled psychic control of the lava from Bahamut. It flung it into the ocean, where it'd cool into… some stupid looking rock, probably. Maybe.
... It might've deep fried a few dozen fish in the process. Such was life.
Bahamut wasn't done, though. Now he was shooting glowing rocks through the air. Power Gem. This was getting frustrating.
Mewtwo weaved around the first two rocks, then blasted two more with a small Shadow Ball. It teleported behind Bahamut. Surely, it would be too slow to turn around and—
The dragon spat a blue bolt forward... into a portal. Another one opened in front of Mewtwo. It brought its arms together, deflecting the Dragon Pulse with a blue barrier. The moment the attack faded, Mewtwo teleported right behind Bahamut, and sprayed the dragon's golden back with an Ice Beam.
That got another furious roar. Bahamut lurched forward. His pained cries were oh so satisfying. Even with all his fancy tricks, Mewtwo could still get the upper hand. It just had to be ready for the counteratt—
Mewtwo teleported a few meters below Bahamut, watching his golden tail swipe at nothing but air. It fired a Shadow Ball right into the dragon's ethereal rump. Payback for Mewtwo's earlier humiliation on Birth Island.
"Stop it! Stop it!" Bahamut thrashed in midair. His pain turned to agony. Excellent. Mewtwo was going to complete its mission after all.
Two portals opened on either side of it. Mewtwo shot up before Bahamut's wings could squish in, then teleported forward while a Dragon Pulse sailed hopelessly behind it. The dragon was getting desperate. Mewtwo was getting to him. Perfect.
It shot a Shadow Ball toward Bahamut's crystal face, but that one was a feint. Bahamut snuffed it out with a burst of pink energy, leaving Mewtwo open to strike the back of Bahamut's head with an Ice Beam.
This time, it didn't let up. Curling back its lips, Mewtwo kept the ice going. Harder. Harder. More power.
Bahamut screamed. Ice and frost coated his head. Blue trickled across gold. His ethereal glow dimmed. Mewtwo had to keep going. It would freeze this dragon solid if it meant showing him that it was superior.
However, Mewtwo sensed a familiar aura. Two auras, actually. Boss and his honchkrow. Had he felled the child? He must have, because a Master Ball came flying in from below. It struck Bahamut's left foot... and plinked off harmlessly.
Mewtwo glanced at Boss. What about Mew? The child had her. Had Boss taken her?
It got its answer. Boss snapped his fingers. Teeth gritted, Mewtwo halted its Ice Beam. Its arms and hands burned from holding the attack that long.
Boss balanced carefully atop Honchkrow. "A respectable effort, but it ends here, you overgrown light fixture."
Bahamut managed to shake the ice away from his face, but a part of his crystal face sloughed off, landing on the volcano's rim. His head tendrils throbbed. A red tint took over his body. A sign of his rage? Mewtwo held its arms at the ready, just in case.
"Where is the child?!" Bahamut's telepathic voice boomed. Mewtwo imagined boss heard it, too.
"Tending to his injured pokémon." Boss smirked. "Whether he remains safe comes down to your cooperation." He lifted another Master Ball out of his pocket. "Oh, and I suppose her fate is in your nonexistent hands, as well."
He opened the ball. Red light spewed forward. Honchkrow snapped at it with his beak... and plucked a weakened Mew out of the light. He clamped his beak around Mew's neck. She squealed in pain.
Bahamut's eyes simmered like the lava bubbling beneath them. "No..."
Mewtwo quirked a brow. That wasn't telepathy. He spoke in human tongues?
"Tell me where your poké ball is... or my pet is going to enjoy a very rare snack." Boss stroked the side of Honchkrow's head.
"You wouldn't!" Bahamut lashed at the air with his tail.
Boss snapped his fingers. Honchkrow clamped down further. Mew's weak flailing stopped. Cyanosis crept across her paws and face.
"I only need a complete sample of her DNA. It matters not if she's dead or alive," Boss scoffed. "It's all up to you. Serve Team Rocket like the tool you are... or watch your friends' lives slip away."
Bahamut stared Boss down. His multicolored eyes were impossible to read, but Mewtwo's ESP told it the dragon's rage was building. Mewtwo clenched its fists, ready to strike in case Bahamut tried anything funny.
"... all the same..."
Amused, Boss tilted his head slightly. "Come again?"
"Every place. Every planet. All the same." Bahamut's entire body pulsated with light. "Not again. I won't..."
Mewtwo drew on its psionics. It sought to bind Bahamut in place in midair, even if it took all its strength.
"I won't let anyone hurt me again!"
A massive explosion of golden light slammed into Mewtwo, hammering it down into the volcano's rim. The impact sent the most intense pain it had ever felt coursing down its entire body. And then... it felt nothing below its neck.
Its vision was fuzzy, but it couldn't sense its arms or legs. Couldn't move them. Each breath was a struggle.
What had just happened? Mewtwo tried concentrating. It saw something small and black freefalling.
Boss. Mewtwo had to save him. But it couldn't move. Couldn't do anything but watch as its creator fell into the lava, leaving behind nothing but brief flames.
Bahamut wasn't done, however. His anguished roars split apart the air over the volcano. Now the dragon had the boy and Mew in his psychic grasp. He dropped them through a portal, before turning and locking eyes with Mewtwo.
It tried to do something. Move a limb. A muscle. Anything below its neck.
There was a brief flash, then pressure in Mewtwo's right shoulder. Now every breath was even more of a struggle.
Mewtwo gave a gasp, then a gurgle. Heavy fluid was pooling in its throat. Blood, probably. Mewtwo couldn't turn its head, but saw the culprit out of the corner of its eye.
The chunk of crystal its Ice Beam had dislodged from Bahamut's face sat firmly embedded in its shoulder. If it hadn't lost all feeling, Mewtwo imagined it would be in excruciating pain.
Bahamut continued grunting and snarling like an enraged feral. He clutched his head with his upper wings. "Scum. Vile scum." The dragon thrashed about in midair. "Aesir. This planet doesn't deserve it. These souls would taint it. They deserve... destruction, alongside Eternatus."
What was his blabbering about?
It didn't matter. Mewtwo had lost. It wasn't the strongest. It had become prey... and its hunter was about to strike the killing blow.
"Have to... draw it here..." Bahamut rose into the sky. "One strike. One Photon Geyser... to summon it!"
The last thing Mewtwo saw was a massive ball of golden light heading for the volcano. It didn't try to struggle in vain. It simply bowed its head and yielded to the inevitable.
XxX
May 29, 20XX
It's my fault. I'm sure of it.
Every station was talking about it. Cinnabar Island sunk into the ocean by a strike from a giant dragon of golden light. Fuchsia flooded by the resulting tsunami.
Who knows how many perished?
It matters not, because it proved to just be a preamble. As I sit here writing this, something truly monstrous has blotted out the sun itself. It's like the palm of a planet-sized hand, with one of its fingers lingering over Kanto.
People are pouring onto the streets. Some to stare in awe. Others to try and flee underground.
I do not think it will do them any good.
No doubt, I brought about this punishment. I tried to defy Mother Nature, and She took notice. Took notice and sent agents of unfathomable power to judge the entire planet for the actions of a select few.
All I wanted was to see my sweet Amber again. I never meant for things to spiral out of control like this. If I could, I'd go back and refuse his offer. Or sabotage the project so it could never have reached the point it did.
If, by some miracle, anyone finds this journal, then know this: we dreamed of creating the world's strongest pokémon... and we failed.
~Wataru Fuji
XxX
Mewtwo gasped. Its eyes snapped open, then immediately closed from the blinding white light. It hissed in annoyance.
"Dang it, Nova! I said red light. Red!" exclaimed an unfamiliar voice with a... digital tint to it. "Yes, that switch on the right." A mechanical sigh. "Good. Sorry about that, buddy. Place should be easier on the eyes."
Mewtwo was much slower to open its eyes this time. The room had a high, gray ceiling with red lights, but that was all Mewtwo could see. Any attempts to move met with failure. Even its head, which was the last thing it remembered being able to move.
"Sorry about the restraints, big fella." The voice chuckled nervously. "We needed them in place to pump all that seawater out of your lungs and stomach. And, uh, from the look of things, you'll have to put up with them until we can fix your spine up."
Water inside its hollow organs?
... Right. That infernal dragon had pinned it onto Cinnabar's volcano, then charged up some sort of massive attack. Mewtwo must've gone down with the island... and someone fished it up.
But if it had drowned... wouldn't it be dead?
"He's confused," a new voice exclaimed. Was that the "Nova" the first voice was addressing?
"I can see that, Nova. But no point overloading him with information right now."
Him?
No, Mewtwo was an it. A weapon.
... A failed weapon.
Failed weapons didn't deserve any acknowledgement. They deserved to be tossed away like the trash they were.
Finally, a gray, reptilian head poked into Mewtwo's view. But this reptile... was mechanical? A robot? Its yellow-blue eyes were screens, not eyeballs. Eyes that gave off purple and yellow sparks like they were stupidly long eyelashes.
"Good to see you're awake, pal." Lizard Bot bobbed his head, showing off his large, purple casque. "Unfortunately, I've got to put you back to sleep. We have a lot of work to do to fix you up."
Lizard Bot winked at Mewtwo. "Don't worry, though. Ol' Miraidon'll do his best to get you up on your feet again."
Up on its feet? What was the point. It was nothing but a failed weapon. Hardly worth this "Miraidon" person's time.
Mewtwo couldn't object, however. Because Miraidon brought some sort of plastic mask toward Mewtwo's face. Within a matter of seconds, it had drifted off back to sleep.
XxX
It had no idea how much time had passed. Mewtwo lost track of how many times Miraidon woke it from slumber and asked it to do mundane things like wiggling its toes or pointing at him with different fingers.
The right arm was still a problem, though. The shard from Bahamut's crystal face was still wedged in there.
Miraidon hovered at Mewtwo's right side. "I've gone through a lot of scenarios. Trying to figure out how we can get thing out of you." He pointed to the crystal with a metal claw. "But I can't see a path forward. It's pierced too many vital structures."
If it was a waste of time, then Miraidon should have simply left Mewtwo alone. Except Miraidon wasn't Boss. He didn't have that same absolute control Boss had. Which meant Mewtwo would need to make its wishes known. And that meant... speaking through the mind, right?
Except just trying to concentrate on its psychic power made it dizzy. The red lights overhead blurred together.
That wouldn't do. There had to be something it could try. After observing humans speaking for months, maybe it picked up on enough? It was intelligent. Or supposed to be.
Concentrate. Focus. Move the lips. Tighten the throat.
"Don't… bother…"
… There. Perfect.
Miraidon frowned. "Don't bother with what?"
"Helping… me." Mewtwo sucked in a sharp breath. "I'm—"
"Not worth it?"
That was Nova's voice. He was perturbed. "I warned you, Mira. You saw the scans. It's going to be an uphill battle."
Mewtwo tried to move, but it was exhausted despite just waking up.
"You are worth the time," Nova said. "Even if you don't think it."
Miraidon looked past Mewtwo. "I admire your enthusiasm, Nova. And I see where you're coming from." He gestured to the crystal in Mewtwo's right shoulder. "But how do you propose we handle this?"
"Imbue the crystal with Malice."
"Are you mad?" Miraidon's eyes flickered like dying lightbulbs. "We have no idea how he'd respond to something like that."
"He can't move his right arm and has other functional impairments," Nova countered. "If we gradually infuse Malice into the crystal, he can build up a tolerance to it."
Miraidon crossed his arms. "How gradual are you talking?"
"Possibly decades."
Mewtwo didn't like this idea. The mere name "Malice" sounded like a terrifying prospect, but Mewtwo was completely at their mercy. It was their prey.
This pounding in its chest must have been what all its targets felt when it confronted them.
Something bubbled in its stomach. Guilt? Mewtwo wasn't entirely sure.
But maybe the Malice would have side effects. Maybe it would let Mewtwo forget its humiliating loss.
"Do it," Mewtwo rasped.
Miraidon's eyes displayed exclamation points. "Are you sure? You heard Nova, right? We might have to keep you asleep for a very long time."
Mewtwo narrowed its eyes at Miraidon. "Do it."
A mechanical sigh followed. "Very well. If you understand the risks, then we'll proceed." He looked past Mewtwo. "Nova, I expect you to be on top of this."
"Absolutely."
XxX
Mewtwo stood in front of a floor-to-ceiling mirror, glaring at its reflection. It ran its left hand across its darkened skin, then grabbed its tail to look at the yellow, ethereal glow it now had. The same glow as the crystal in Mewtwo's right shoulder. No longer an inert gem. It pulsated with power. Unfamiliar power.
Yet that power was what let Mewtwo move its right arm and breathe easier than it had before. And it somehow kept its body from atrophying, so it was clearly something special. Though Mewtwo had to sacrifice its teleportation abilities to regain the use of its right arm. It had no doubt that would prove a difficult adjustment.
"How are you feeling?"
Mewtwo's frown deepened. It was Nova. Mewtwo was sick of this "type: full" checking in on it. It was a powerful weapon, not some dainty fledgling taking its first steps from the nest.
Perhaps being blunt would shoo Nova off. "Bad," Mewtwo grunted. It turned to the type: full, casting a judgmental look at his black and white, zebstrika-like pelt, clumps of turquois scales, and gold, insectoid forelegs.
"Well, hey, at least it's not 'terrible' or 'miserable.'" Nova wagged his turquoise fish tail. An absolute eyesore. "That's progress."
Bluntness didn't work. Onto intimidation, then.
Mewtwo's tail lashed against the mirror. A high-pitched ding reverberated through the room. Nova's triangular ears folded slightly. Satisfaction pinched at Mewtwo's second neck.
"I think I get it." Sighing, Nova pivoted to his right. "You don't want me around. Probably got a lot on your mind." His blue eyes scanned the gray metal wall, even though Mewtwo was sure he knew it was empty. "It's a lot to take in."
Maybe it was, but Mewtwo was intelligent enough to understand what had happened. Earth was absorbed by a titan known as Eternatus. Now it, along with the entire planet, were inside the titan. In some sort of galactic purgatory. And the Malice that was used to fix Mewtwo was Eternatus' energy.
Energy it could produce from absolutely nothing, which was utterly illogical. Such a power violated the most basic laws of thermodynamics. Even a weapon like Mewtwo needed to get the power for its attacks from somewhere.
Mewtwo pinched its brow and shook its head. Why couldn't Nova get the message and leave? It wanted to be alone.
"You can talk to me," Nova said. The type: full lowered his head. His necklace ruffled his white fur. "Bottling things up will only make it easier for the Malice to overtake you."
Mewtwo growled its annoyance and clenched its fists. "I don't want to talk. Weapons don't talk."
Nova frowned. Mewtwo studied his face. That weird mix of white fur and a gold, robot beak. Was Nova... pitying it?
"You want to know what I'm thinking?" Mewtwo took a step toward Nova. Its right shoulder burned. The crystal glowed brighter. "I'm thinking... of the most efficient way to kill you. Do I crush your skull with Psychic? Pull apart your inner circuitry? Or simply grind you into dust with a relentless onslaught of Shadow Balls?"
Mewtwo firmed up its stance, practically daring Nova to call it out for such cruel remarks.
Instead, the type: full smirked. "Well, that's colorful." He tilted his head. "And, deep down, I'm wondering what would happen if I slashed open that second neck of yours. Would you go limp? Lose control of certain bodily functions?"
Nova crouched slightly. Playfully? What the hell was he doing?
"And your tail! It's fused with your abdomen. What would happen if I sliced it off?"
Mewtwo stepped back. It almost lost its footing. Was Nova messing with it? Such violent rhetoric mixed with such a cheerful tone. Jokes weren't things weapons needed to be concerned with, but Mewtwo was pretty sure this was not how one was meant to joke around.
Sighing, Nova stood up tall. "Dang, I thought you'd catch on quicker. Guess you're still pretty out of it."
Now, Mewtwo had to say something. "Are you mocking me?"
Nova shook his head. "You're intelligent. I figured you had already connected the dots."
"About what?"
Nova's expression sharpened. "That you're not the only living weapon birthed by science."
Mewtwo's gaze fell to its feet. It shifted about silently. In the back of its head, it had considered such a possibility. Between the "type: full" designation and Nova's odd, piecemeal design, there was nothing about him that screamed natural. But some illogical part of Mewtwo's mind steered it away from those thoughts.
Was it pride? It wasn't like being a creation was something to be proud of.
"So what?" Mewtwo muttered. "I don't want your pity. Pity is for the weak."
"And you're strong. You're a killer." Sighing, Nova shook his head. In a strange accent, he declared, "We're not so different, you and I."
Mewtwo glared at him. Nova chuckled. "Aww, c'mon. It's from a movie!"
Movies? The moving, talking pictures that humans liked? What purpose did watching movies serve?
... Nothing.
"I don't care." Mewtwo stepped forward. "Stand aside." It stood tall, trying to make it clear it would shove Nova out of the way if necessary.
However, Nova stepped toward Mewtwo. "Matriarch built me and my siblings to carry out Her will," he said, expression stern. "For the longest time, I believed in everything She said. Completed every order without so much as flinching."
Mewtwo's yellow tail twitched. It recalled mention of Matriarch before. Some sort of... ruler of this realm?
"Even though I saw the anguish on other people's faces, Matriarch convinced me that they were wrong," Nova continued. The bird-like crest over his head drooped slightly. "That I was wrong to ask questions about them. She told me— no, all of us that only She knew what was right for us. What was good for us."
A shudder ran down to Nova's fish tail. It all sounded... vaguely familiar to Mewtwo. But it wasn't quite the same. "Why do you speak plurally?"
"Because I'm not the only type: full." Nova looked down. "I'm actually the prototype. Matriarch produced more. Ones that wouldn't think for themselves, so they wouldn't question Her orders."
Now that rang a bell. "Right." Mewtwo crossed its arms. "Weapons don't think. They act."
Nova bobbed his head. "But you're not just a weapon. You're a person. With thoughts, beliefs, hopes, and dreams. You deserve to live your own life." Nova looked down, curling his gold talons slightly. "It took me far too long to realize that... and now I'm trying to rectify that."
He offered Mewtwo a shaky smile. "And that starts with helping someone I can relate to."
Mewtwo looked at the type: full, brow furrowed. It crossed its arms and looked away. "Well, I don't need help. What I need... is to be stronger. Strong enough to defeat the dragon that humiliated me."
Nova's tail drooped. "Nothing wrong with that, I suppose. But it should be your desire. Not someone else's."
He turned away from Mewtwo. "Good talk, I guess? Mira says you can have a bit more time before we have to start your next treatment."
Talons scraped metal as Nova left the room. Mewtwo turned back to the mirror, tail lazily drifting back and forth.
"... my own desire," it whispered.
XxX
Mewtwo sat awkwardly on a metal stool, hunched over and staring across the bright white room... at Mew.
There were, apparently, plenty of mew in Eternatus. But Nova had somehow tracked down the one from Earth. The one it had hunted down and harmed. It was tough not to snarl at Mew. It wasn't her fault that damned dragon went berserk and... felled Mewtwo.
Still, Mewtwo thought this was stupid. Nova wanted it to apologize to Mew. For what? It was carrying out its orders. If anything, the dragon should apologize for messing up its mission.
A metal beak nudged Mewtwo's tail. It sighed. "Hello... Mew. I'm here to... say I'm sorry."
Mew tilted her head. Her eyes were so large. Brimming with curiosity.
... It was nauseating.
Nova nudged Mewtwo's tail again. It took a lot of restraint not to snap at the type: full. "I'm sorry... that you were my target. It was... wrong to hunt you down. Try to capture you... and stuff."
Silence hung in the air. Mewtwo could've dropped a pin and it would ring throughout the room.
Mew floated forward... and bonked Mewtwo's head.
Its blue eyes flickered red. "What was that for?"
"Mew mewmew mew!" she squeaked.
Mewtwo blinked incredulously. Eternatus' freaky insides were supposed to synchronize everyone to one language. Yet Mew spoke like a feral.
"I, uh—" Mewtwo was at a loss for words.
Mew bonked Mewtwo's head again, then blew a raspberry at it. She floated off, cheeks puffed out. Mewtwo turned to Nova, shoulders sagging.
"Well, that was—" Nova looked at the floor, squinting, "—something. How do you feel?"
"Like a loser," Mewtwo hissed.
Nova offered a shaky smile. "At least you're being honest. That's good, right?"
"Hardly." The crystal in Mewtwo's shoulder sparked. "This was a waste of time."
The type: full sat down. "My mistake. I think I... overestimated your situation."
Mewtwo narrowed its eyes. "Overestimated?"
"Your mental state," Nova continued. "You can certainly reason and think for yourself... but it looks like whoever controlled you neutered your emotional intelligence."
"Emotions are for the weak." Mewtwo snorted. Its tail flicked to its right. "They only get in the way."
"That's because you were forced to think that way," Nova countered. "You're not being controlled anymore, so there's no need to—"
"It's not about control!" Mewtwo snapped. Psychic energy brimmed in its hands as it stomped its right foot down. "It's about power! Being the strongest! I was supposed to be undefeatable... until one stupid dragon destroyed me with a single attack."
It turned away from Nova. "And now... I'm supposed to accept this ridiculous idea that I'm 'only kind of dead,' but trapped inside some giant creature full of unimaginable power?" Mewtwo clenched its fists. Its shoulder tingled from the Malice Crystal sparking with dark energy. "All while my long slumbers are plagued by constant repeats of the dragon humiliating me?"
Mewtwo couldn't hold it in anymore. It pivoted left... and threw a psychically-charged punch at its stool. The seat on top dented, but didn't break. Pain shot through Mewtwo's right hand. It pulled its throbbing hand back and stared at it, teeth gritted.
"... you don't get to stand there and tell me what I can think," it whispered. "I don't care if you're artificial. You don't know what I've been through."
Silence followed. Nova stepped back, crest drooping. "I didn't know you were having nightmares," he whispered. "You could've told one of us."
"Why, so you could try and 'fix' it?" Mewtwo growled. "I told you, I don't want your help. I... I just—"
The energy dissipated. Mewtwo hardly did anything, yet it was exhausted. It slumped down onto its rear, arms draped at its sides.
"What's the point of fixing me? I have nothing left," Mewtwo whispered. "Defeating enemies with overwhelming power was my purpose. What do I do without that purpose?"
If Boss were here, he would have undoubtedly called the gesture for what it was: pathetic.
But he wasn't. Nova was. And the type: full padded up to Mewtwo's side, and slid onto his belly beside it. "That's the beautiful part: you can decide that for yourself. It doesn't have to be today. Or tomorrow. Or even this year. But if you keep moving forward, you'll find that purpose."
Mewtwo didn't make eye contact. "How do you know?"
"Because when I abandoned Matriarch, I didn't know what to do with myself, either," Nova confessed. "I wandered from planet to planet for a while — stowing away in ships and transporters to avoid detection — until I met Mira. He took me to his moonbase... and I felt that spark helping him rehabilitate people while fighting against Matriarch's forces."
Tail sticking up, Mewtwo finally met Nova's soft gaze. "I beg your pardon?"
It took a second for Nova to realize what he said. When he did, the type: full's blue eyes lit up and he laughed. "Wow, I probably should've led with that earlier, huh?"
Mewtwo glowered at Nova. "Take this seriously."
"Okay, okay." Nova took a deep breath to dispel his last few chuckles. "Your purpose was to fight, right?"
"Fight to impose Team Rocket's vision upon the world," Mewtwo interjected.
"... charming." Nova grinned sheepishly when Mewtwo glared at him. "Anyway, what's stopping you from retooling that purpose under a different cause? Like, instead of fighting for organized crime, fight to help free Eternatus from Matriarch's control."
Mewtwo crossed its arms. It wasn't an idiot. It saw immediate flaws with that idea. "If it was really that simple, wouldn't you have taken Matriarch out on your own?"
Nova flinched. "Got me there." He brushed his gold forelegs against one another. "Truth is that, yeah, Mira and I have been trying to put together a team. To start a rebellion. But it's proving a lot more difficult than I expected."
"And you think a failed weapon will be the difference maker?" Mewtwo looked down at its dark gray hands. "You already mutated me with Eternatus' energy. That makes me a liability, not an ally."
"It's not like I'd be sending you out to fight the Paradigm right away." Nova sounded exasperated. "Yeah, it'll take a while. A long while. But time is a luxury we happen to have inside Eternatus."
He extended his right foreleg toward Mewtwo. "If you stick with me, I promise to make sure you're free of any possible Malice side effects. And I'll help you claim an identity of your own."
Mewtwo quirked a brow at Nova's foreleg. "What's in it for you?"
"Your company."
"Excu—" Saliva went down the wrong pipe and Mewtwo broke into a coughing fit. Nova... wanted to spend time with it? Despite all Mewtwo's attempts to push the type: full away?
The back of Mewtwo's head throbbed. It briefly saw a mental image of a gold silhouette in the middle of windswept plains.
"Sorry. I just thought... because we have things in common, we'd make good friends."
Mewtwo rubbed the back of its head.
It had said that once, hadn't it? When and where? Mewtwo had never seen that memory before.
... Or had it?
"You want... my company?" it whispered, staring again at Nova's foreleg.
"Everyone can do with a friend," Nova whispered back. "Even if they don't think it."
Mewtwo looked into Nova's eyes, then back at his foreleg, and then at his eyes again. It fidgeted with its hands and squirmed and place. Mewtwo didn't know the first thing about being a friend. Or, rather, the basic knowledge was there, but the tools needed to apply that knowledge practically were not.
But how could it say that without trying? That would be... like declaring an attack beyond its capabilities without training.
... Yes. Friendship wasn't beyond Mewtwo's abilities. It simply needed training, like with anything else.
"I... suppose so," Mewtwo muttered. It put its left hand on the floor. Its left thumb crossed one of Nova's talons.
Though brief, a chill ran down Mewtwo's neck tube. It was... strangely pleasant?
"Great!" The blue, scaly underside of Nova's tail scraped against the floor. Both of them flinched. "Whoops!" He looked back at his hindquarters. "Tails, am I right? Kinda jealous yours is prehensile. Wish they'd factored that into my designs."
Mewtwo scratched its head. "D... do people normally christen their friendships by talking about their backsides?"
"No. It was a joke." Nova stood up, chuckling. "If you want something to mark the occasion, how about a name?"
"I have a name. I am Mewtwo."
"No, that's your designation," Nova said. "Like how I'm a type: full."
"But I am the only Mewtwo."
Nova shrugged. "I still think you could use a proper name. Something to help you build your own sense of identity." He walked in front of Mewtwo and crouched down. "So, lemme ask ya. Do you see yourself as masculine? Feminine? Nonbinary?" Nova paused. "I can list others if those don't work."
"No, that's fine." Mewtwo got to its feet. "I suppose... I feel a certain tug with, erm, masculinity?" It rubbed the back of its head. This was beyond awkward.
Nova's eyes lit up. "Great! Then I've got the perfect name."
"And that is?"
"Gene. You're Mewtwo Gene!" Nova's tail wagged. "What do you think?"
After about a minute letting the name roll around in it— no, his head, Gene nodded slowly.
"... I can work with that."
XxX
Gene sprang back, but didn't put enough power into his legs. The blue, glowing blade grazed his belly. Gene tumbled through the air. He sensed someone coming up from behind. Fighting and steel energy. Zamazenta?
He thrusted both hands forward. Flames shot out, turning him into a large, fiery wheel. There was a startled yip. Gene sailed past Zamazenta, then steadied himself and dispelled the flames. Though the mewtwo wanted to attack him, Zacian was sailing through the air, blade at the ready.
"Nnngh." Gene raised his hands to try catching Zacian with his ESP. But Zamazenta's shield glowed a fiery crimson. He lunged for Gene, knocking the mewtwo back.
"All right, I think that's a good stopping point."
Nova trotted onto the tan arena, cheek bolts slowly turning in their sockets. "So, what do you think?" he looked at Gene. "These two are pretty great, right?"
Gene crossed his arms. "Real pokémon don't need weapons to fight." He cast a judgmental look at Zacian.
"My blade can cut through just about anything when I'm concentrating," she boasted. Her sword vanished in a stream of blue and gold light, taking her gold crown and wing-like armor plates with it. She shook herself out. "It sounds more like jealousy to me."
"Agreed," Zamazenta grunted. Like his older sister, the gold shield around his head vanished, letting him stretch his neck out. "You could criticize her, or you could try it for yourself."
Gene tilted his head. Try what for himself?
"I don't know, brother." Smirking, Zacian shook her head. "Gene does not strike me as the creative type. I bet he couldn't come up with a decent weapon no matter how much psychic power he has."
"Is that a challenge?" Gene cracked his knuckles, then tilted his neck from side to side until his spine popped. "I can come up with a psychic weapon. Check it."
Brow furrowed in concentration, Gene clapped his hands together. Pink energy brimmed in his hands. He focused on that energy. It was slippery, but the mewtwo could make it malleable. The first step was to solidify it, which happened when he held his hands together like a circular cup.
Good. Now, Gene needed to expand it; keep things solid while adding more psionic material to it. He envisioned a resistance band in his hands and slowly pulled. His arm muscles tensed. Gene exhaled slowly. The pink bubble elongated into a pink rectangular prism. Gene stretched it further, until it was practically his wingspan.
The last part was shaping it. The mewtwo's eyes glowed a deep blue. A blue circle traced itself along one end of the pink prism, then carved out a small circular basin.
Gene planted his weapon down like a staff. "Done!" He flashed a toothy grin at Nova.
"It's... a spoon?" Nova tilted his head. Zacian and Zamazenta exchanged amused looks.
"Ah, yes, truly terrifying." Zamazenta's words dripped with sarcasm. "I'm quaking in terror."
"Oi, don't knock the spoon." Gene slashed the air to his right, then whirled left and thrust the spoon. "Alakazam use small ones for their attacks. So, a big one should let me do even stronger strikes."
"Uh-huh." Zacian approached her brother's side. "I think we'd best leave him to Nova. Perhaps he's dehydrated or something?"
The two dogs headed for the double doors on the other side of the arena. Gene dispelled the spoon in a flurry of pink mist. "Cowards!" he called. "You're just afraid I'd spoon your butts into next week!"
Nova stumbled with a squawk. His blue eyes widened. "I, uh, think you might want to rephrase that one."
Gene stared blankly. "Why?"
"Err... never mind." Nova recomposed himself. "So, what did you think?"
"And what about you?" Nova got closer, tilting his head. "You've been sparring a lot now. For what it's worth, I don't think you looked as... aggressive."
Gene frowned. "Yeah, but I was sloppy." His shoulders sagged. "I was trying to keep my... killer instincts in check. I'm not well-suited for that kind of multitasking."
"Or it takes a lot of getting used to," Nova said, winking. "Regardless, I'm proud of you. You've made a lot of progress."
The mewtwo's cheeks burned. "... tch. You're just saying that."
Nova nudged Gene's chin with his beak. Gene's tail scrunched up. "Nngh. Cut it out!"
"What did I tell you about the negative self-talk?" Nova asked, smirking.
Gene pouted. "That's it beneath me."
"I don't think I phrased it like that, but close enough." Nova chuckled. "You sure you're not picking up some humor from all the movies we're watching?"
"Please. Any pyukumuku with half a brain could do that." Gene rolled his eyes. "I'm a super-intelligent being. I could absorb details about those movies in my sleep."
Nova grinned. "Ah, some boasting!" He playfully nudged Gene's left shoulder. "Way better than self-deprecation."
Gene's cheeks burned again. The type: full always knew how to catch him off guard.
In the past, Gene wouldn't have stood for that. Now he found it... charming?
... Yeah. Charming enough to give the mewtwo goosebumps.
"If you're going to stare into space, you can at least tell me what you're thinking." Nova crossed his right foreleg over his left. His necklace brushed against his white fur.
"Thinking?" Mewtwo scratched his nose. "I was thinking... about how much longer you intend to keep this operation in the planning stages. You've got Miraidon and the dogs. And that stupid espeon who seems obsessed with you."
Nova winced. "Yeah, I'm doing my best to ignore Selene's... enthusiasm."
"I could wipe her memories for you," Gene offered, lifting his right hand.
"No. We need all the help we can get," Nova said. "Even hers."
Gene frowned. "Then you still don't think we're ready?"
"I'm not sure." Nova sat on his haunches. "I'm still making this up as we go."
"Yeah. And I recall saying improvisation is not my strong suit," Gene scoffed.
"Is that so?" Nova got up and approached Gene. He brushed his side against the mewtwo's. "Maybe we need to... make a few changes to your training regimen?"
If Gene's face wasn't red before, it certainly was now.
XxX
The stasis capsule was a gray, metal tube with dark, one-way glass. Gene stood in front of it with his right hand braced against the door. "I have to do this, don't I?"
"We both know it's the safest thing to do," Nova said. Gene didn't bother looking at him. How could he after that slip up? The last Paradigm daemon almost turned him against Zacian and Zamazenta. Those aggressive urges Gene had worked so hard to control tugged at the edges of his psyche. His mind was like a barricade and those urges were chipping away at it.
"I get it." Gene's shoulders sagged. "But that means... I can't help with the final assault, can I?"
Nova appeared on the mewtwo's left, shaking his head. "We've come too far."
Gene sucked in a heavy breath. The tip of his Malice Crystal glistened in the one-way glass. "I know. That doesn't make it sting any less."
Nova leaned his head on Gene's left shoulder. "I want you there. But I wouldn't know what to do with myself if Matriarch got control of you."
Gene tilted his head. Warmth flooded his face as his cheek brushed Nova's fur and metal cheek bolt. "I don't want to lose you," he whispered. A part of Gene was shocked he even managed to admit that out loud. How things change.
"I won't let that happen," Nova said. "We have a plan. Chiron knows her way around Valhalla. Even if there's resistance, we can take the most direct path to Eternatus' core."
The mewtwo still had a hard time believing the archbishop had defected to Nova's cause, but supposedly she had fled Eternatus and spent time living on the planet it had just been sealed inside.
"And you trust her?" Gene asked.
"I do."
"What about her husband?" Gene hadn't met the guy. Only heard about some sentient black crystal that fought alongside Chiron.
"He's proven himself a capable fighter. And he's a total grouch, too." Nova playfully nibbled Gene's shoulder. "I think you two would hit it off."
Gene rolled his eyes. "Very funny."
"Look, the two had a kid together. That's gotta mean something, right?" Nova exclaimed, breaking off the embrace.
"I guess." Gene sighed and opened the tube's glass door. "Nothing left to do but hope it all works out, then."
Nova nudged the mewtwo's side. "Hey, look at that. Talking about your hopes." The type: full smiled. His fish tail wagged.
Gene blinked a few times until the realization sunk in. He blushed. "Y-Yes, well." Gene coughed into his left hand. "I guess I finally found my dream... like you told me to."
"Gonna share it?" Nova raised a brow.
The mewtwo shakily turned to Nova. "I want to be at your side... to greet the dawn of a new era in this alien realm."
Nova's tail wagged faster. "How poetic. Maybe some of those romance flicks rubbed off on you after all?" He winked, deepening Gene's blush.
"Don't ruin the moment," Gene growled. He took a few breaths to steady himself, then braced his left arm against the side of the stasis tube. "Stay safe out there."
"Good luck," Nova whispered.
"Same to you."
Gene climbed into the tube. He pulled the plastic mask over his face, then heard the hydraulic hisses of the closing door.
It wasn't long before he drifted to sleep.
XxX
When Gene woke up, the stasis tube door didn't open. There was no rush of cool air to great him. In fact, the mask on his face wasn't even producing any oxygen. Gene pulled it off. It detached from the top of the tube and struck his head.
Growling his frustrations, Gene blasted the mask and the door with a point blank Psybeam. The glass shattered and spilled out onto the floor.
Immediately, Gene went on alert. Instead of the lab's bright white lights, all he saw were some dull red glows in the corner. The facility's emergency lighting. Why was it active? Was there a power failure?
The mewtwo floated out of the broken tube to find the lab was but a shell of how he remembered it. Overturned tables, shattered monitors and glass beakers. And so, so much dust.
His heart rate quickened. The Malice Crystal burned in his shoulder.
How long had he been asleep? Where was Nova? Where was Nova?
Gene lunged for the door. It didn't slide open. The glass windows beside it were cracked. Claw marks ran across the walls.
The mewtwo fired one Shadow Ball, then another. The door flew off its hinges and hit the opposite wall with a clang. Gene found the hallway as dark as the lab. Only a smattering of emergency lights.
More claw marks lined the walls, practically alternating with patches of scorched metal and huge dents.
Someone had attacked this place. But who... and why?
Gene's yellow-tipped tail twitched. He sensed a powerful psychic aura not too far ahead. Resounding thumps echoed throughout the hallway. The mewtwo wasn't sure what to expect... until he finally laid eyes on a clump of black crystals repeatedly punching the wall.
And through those motions, Gene was able to glimpse an eight-pointed star on the back of what he assumed was the big crystal's head.
Eight-pointed... star...
It all came rushing back to the surface. The golden dragon's roars of fury. His blindingly fast attacks. Gene getting impaled with part of the dragon's face before being left for dead.
Gene's Malice Crystal sparked. He let his Shadow Balls do the talking, hurling two of them right at the crystal, who didn't notice them until it was too late.
"Where are they, Bahamut?!" Gene snarled. The Malice Crystal was glowing and Gene felt its power coursing through him.
Bahamut slowly rose into the air. A dim rainbow prism sparked underneath all the black crystals. "You," he whispered. "So, you were the mutts' ally."
"Where's Nova?!" The mewtwo fired another Shadow Ball. Bahamut caught it in his psychic grip and smashed it against the wall to his right.
"Gone," Bahamut rasped. "They're all... gone. And it's... still here." He scraped his claws against the wall. "Never good enough. I need power. More power."
The rational part of Gene's mind might have said Bahamut's answer was too fragmented to make sense. However, Gene's emotions were fully in control.
Nova had told Gene he trusted Bahamut. And that trust was betrayed.
The type: full was gone. Gene's dream was dead. All because of Bahamut.
He had to pay. Gene had to avenge Nova.
Bahamut wasn't a golden dragon. Gene had the Malice Crystal.
With a feral screech, Gene shot a massive Shadow Ball at Bahamut. He tried teleporting past it, but Gene was ready. He formed his psychic spoon and slashed Bahamut. Over and over and over again. Bahamut tried to fight back, but the mewtwo parried every swipe of his big, crystal arms.
"Nova was a good person! He believed in me when I wouldn't!" Gene drove the spoon into Bahamut's rainbow prism. "He trusted you! I trusted you! This is all your fault!"
Gene cleaved Bahamut's crystal form in half and blasted both sides away. He hunched over, glaring with all the hatred he could muster. Rage he had spent all this time burying... thanks to Nova.
But it was over. He'd avenged Nova. He—
A purple aura surrounded Bahamut's halves. Dark bolts shot out from the top half and pulled the bottom half back. Bahamut's rainbow prism glowed once again, albeit weaker than before.
"I... will... get more power." Bahamut's arms trembled. "And I... will... finish... what I started."
Eyes wide, Gene summoned his spoon and lunged for Bahamut again. But the large crystal husk sank into a wormhole and the mewtwo sailed into empty air until he rolled to a stop on his hands and knees.
Gene looked down. He raised his right hand... and punched the floor underneath him.
Then, for the first time in his life, Gene shed tears.
