Poppin' Arms ~ Cafeteria

[Navar]

Shiron noticed it, and just nodded, having finished the plate.

He stood up and yawned, picking the plate and glancing at Koa.

"Anytime. Feel free to call me, and I'll be there. Nice to have you on the team."

<><><><><><><><><>

 

[TheGOAT]

Why Red was here of all places, Astrid wasn’t sure. She simply went where she was told.

She had carefully chosen a period between mealtimes to approach the guild cafeteria, taking note of a small group of Pokémon socializing near the back but relaxing when their chatter wasn’t loud enough to interrupt her thoughts. Maybe, she thought, with a quiet enough room, she’d be able to hear Red’s voice if he tried to speak.

He was among the few occupants of the expansive room and still got plenty of looks. As she walked up, Astrid got plenty of her own; the mild discomfort she felt probably wasn’t shared by the stout trainer, who gave her a hard look as the distance closed. To her surprise, his gaze helped put her at ease, helped remind her he was an ally.

—An ally who was an inter-dimensional alien and imposed a unique language barrier Astrid had no experience with in her anthropologic years. As far as she was concerned, that was a ripe frontier, but right now wasn’t the time to think that way. Right now, this was simply a person she wanted info from. Someone who could help a bigger cause.

She didn’t speak. For that matter, she’d been standing there for several seconds in silence, having not quite come up with a plan until her paws were already moving. The table thumped as she placed a tiny stack of processed photos down, all of them depicting Blacklight Mewtwo at various angles. Then she took a seat.

 

[Namohysip]

Indeed, the Charizard was staring at Astrid, and the rest of his Pokemon were also present along the table, eating their own meals with curiosity. It must not have been the cuisine they usually partook in.

Upon spreading out the photos, Red leaned over for a better look at them all. Yes, he remembered that one. There was something awful about the way he looked, that cold stare in the dark Mewtwo's eyes, that made Red pity it in some way. What could have happened to make it so twisted? Red frowned pensively, glancing over all of the images.

Somehow, Astrid was aware of what Red was thinking, as if he'd been talking to her the whole time.

 

[TheGOAT]

Astrid nodded, taking note of little gestures between his six Pokémon. They could hear him, couldn’t they? She sure couldn’t, but it hardly seemed to matter. Like she didn’t need to in order to understand. Not worth questioning right now.

She produced another photo, emphasizing the chest markings. One of her tails rested upon it.

A second tail rose briefly—radiance sparking off of the end like a firecracker.

A third tail did the same, but with shadows.

Astrid sought eye contact with Red, breaking it only to glance between the sparks she’d generated and the stack of pictures. Radiance and shadows… they’d made her do strange things before. Dangerous things. They’d gotten in her head. Not just her, either; this had happened to just about everyone affected by it. All of her teammates…

And then there was this Mewtwo, who had been so thoroughly corrupted, and so thoroughly beaten into the ground by the powerful being before her, and yet had gained his pity. What could have happened to make it so twisted? What was this energy? Had it taken control of its mind somehow?

She frowned. She couldn’t help it. Darkwhite had been captured by the same shit, hadn’t she? What did she have in common with—

“Wh—uh,” The words tumbled out at once. “Sorry, um.” Clearly his Pokemon hadn’t been expecting her to make noise; she’d been quiet the whole time. “D-do you know what a familiar is?”

 

[Namohysip]

Red frowned, looking at the photos again. There was pity in his eyes again as he looked at that Mewtwo, because he knew that one. He knew it because he'd seen him before.

Red tilted his head at Astrid next. A familiar? Those Ultra Shades, probably. He didn't really know much about them, only that they were strange and a little cute. They seemed like Pokemon to him.

Pikachu stared at it as well, frowning, looking between each one and pointing at it. He said something in a language Diyem couldn't translate, it seemed, and Red nodded solemnly.

That was Giovanni's Mewtwo. Red had been chasing after Giovanni for a long time, back when he was human, and the travel involved leaving the world he had come from. Giovanni... wasn't the one he knew. This was a different Giovanni, one that was far more successful. Maybe one that had never been defeated by the Red of his world, if there ever was one at all.

Red then gestured to the walls of the cafeteria, where several murals depicted things like the various Legends and other sacred locations and mountains. One seemed to be of the Tree of Life. This one, Red pointed.

They'd fought Giovanni there.

 

[TheGOAT]

The Tree of Life. Diyem said that’s where Eien is located…

Astrid went mute again, relaxing a bit when the Pikachu made its own squeakish noises. Yes, Giovanni being there made some sense. And it didn’t bode well for any of them, did it not? Giovanni must have harnessed this power somehow, if this Mewtwo—innocent, perhaps?—was under its corrupting influence. Darkwhite’s situation was certainly more nebulous, but it wasn’t a mystery that Giovanni factored her into his plans somehow. Him being at the Tree of Life had to support that notion, somehow, some way. Astrid’s eyes blazed as she stared into Red’s; this energy, these symbols, they were important.

What did you see? What happened? Can you… help me visualize it?

Astrid reached out with her mind and pulled—not grasping at whatever she could reach, but as a calm, goodwill gesture intended to mask the extent of her desperation. She swallowed, wondering if he could still somehow feel her deeper inhibitions. They’d only recently been launching dangerously high levels of corruptive energy at one another, with his team being no exception. It didn’t feel quite right that she could trust him so readily, yet there was something about his aura…

 

[Namohysip]

Red nodded, but then looked at the mural of the Tree again, perplexed about something. Yes, there had been something bothering him about this world ever since he had arrived. Something very strange indeed. Because yes, they had confronted Giovanni at the Tree of Life, and yes, Mewtwo had been there... Giovanni seemed like he had been chasing after something else.

But, most importantly...

With a small gesture, Red conjured a little flame at the end of his palm, flaring it up.

Red was sure he'd seen the Tree of Life get destroyed, and he'd been caught in the blast...

 

[TheGOAT]

Everything froze. Could Red feel the impact that Astrid felt in her chest in that moment?

“Oh my god…” she whispered, immediately feeling alone at the table of eight. Yet it couldn’t possibly compare. “A-are you from Telum? Do you know…?”

 

[Namohysip]

Red frowned, the flame on his tail dimming.

Then it was true. This place, Cibus, was similar to Telum, and yet not quite. Telum... had been destroyed. He'd died, and yet he was now here. He'd... failed?

He was chasing after Giovanni, who had come to Telum, and had gone to the Tree for some reason. He had help from a Riolu and a Charmander, and another trainer who was after Giovanni--the son, Silver. He knew they were alive, too, all of them, and yet... they really did fail.

Astrid would feel a strange wave of emotion radiating off of Red despite his stoic expression. Frustration, hopelessness, defiance, anger, confusion, denial. All wrapped in one, despite that piercing gaze remaining unchanged.

 

[TheGOAT]

Astrid paused, uncertainty creeping in. So many questions yet to be asked, but the pain attached to the answers was surely something to consider. It was no secret that Red didn’t lose very often, let alone with so much at stake…

Better now than later. She reached into her bag and produced a tiny box. Printed on the front in dull colors was the logo of an under-the-radar bakery deeper in the city. “I… know it’s not much, relatively speaking, but this is for you and your team.” A cheap plastic window revealed seven sugarcookies detailed heavily with icing—one for each of them, and decorated to look like their faces.

“Friendship matters a lot to the both of us, I-I think. I got that impression during our final clash, at least. So… we still have a chance to make this right. There’s still a world to be saved, perhaps many worlds. Telum… we can’t let it be in vain.”

She went silent again, as if it mattered. That’s what Team Spectrum is all about. Red, I need your help. Then a glance at his team. All of your help.

Her tails stuffed themselves under the table as she got comfortable. Telum. In those last moments, what did you see? Giovanni was there, yes, and so was Silver… what Pokémon was Silver? And did you get a glimpse of what Giovanni was after?

 

[Namohysip]

He took the cookies gratefully, and he gave one to each of his teammates as well. They seemed less aware of the problems that they'd gone through; perhaps only Red truly knew that Telum was gone, and the others on his team thought they were still on that same world. It would be hard to blame them.

Red didn't eat his. He saved it for later, putting it in his bag. But when he did, something glimmered that caught his eye, followed by an idea. He pulled out an odd device--a metallic rectangle that was a little too small for his hands. He pressed at a button on the side and the front lit up with colors and symbols. He inspected something on the top corner and, frowning, slid it to Pikachu, who made a cheerful noise and rubbed his cheek against the object. The symbol at the top corner of the screen slowly transitioned from red to yellow to green.

Red didn't remember a whole lot. He knew that Giovanni had been chasing something through space. Something very big--a creature he had never seen before, but it was huge. It had gone to the big tree, where it seemed like something else was going on there.

He remembered what Pokemon they had become. Giovanni had become a Nidoking. Silver had become a Flareon. But... And to this, Red looked away. Silver also remembered they had been killed in a bright explosion. And Red was sure the same had happened to him.

Red then flipped through his rectangle, which Red briefly explained was a phone, and looked hopeful but unsure. Then came relief. His phone obviously had no connection--it never did--but it did still have data. Pictures that he'd taken. He showed one to Astrid immediately--one of a Flareon looking quite upset at a Pikachu tackling him from behind. But despite this, there was a smile that Flareon was trying very hard to hide. It seemed that Silver and Pikachu got along very well.

 

[TheGOAT]

Astrid took it in and nodded. It had to be Eien that Giovanni was chasing, that much seemed clear. Had he caught her? The Mewtwo seemed to be evidence of that. But Eien was locked away in the Tree at the same time?

Leaning forward, Astrid pressed. Was there anything else you saw? Anyone present who might’ve been working with Giovanni?

Then she stared at the phone again, searching the pixels depicting Silver’s eyes.

Also, have you met… our Silver by chance? Astrid fidgeted in place. Um, a couple months ago we destroyed a machine powered by shadows. A Cosmog was inside claiming to have amnesia and be a human. We thought he was Silver at first, but… I think you just need to meet him, actually. He’s kinda weird. And a Lunala now.

 

[Namohysip]

Red tilted his head. He'd talked with Silver very briefly, but he didn't want to talk back and went back to flight training. He was very cold, which wasn't too surprising. Silver didn't like showing his feelings much and was more focused on strength.

Red showed Astrid another image. This one was of the Tree of Life... except there was something horrible about it.

It was the Tree. But... It looked awful. Like it had died long ago. Rotten, red wood and leafless branches...

That was Telum's tree, where they had fought Giovanni and then everything had exploded into a white light. Giovanni was after something there...

 

[TheGOAT]

So this is what a dying Tree of Life looks like…

Astrid prayed she’d never have to see one with her own eyes. Its entire image embodied death itself, if anything ever could. It looked simply wretched.

And Giovanni, she continued, a bit unsteady, what was he like? Was he the one that did this to the Tree? And is he the same Giovanni as, y’know, ours? The same one you smashed into the dirt the other day, I mean.

Even if that weren’t the case, it was possible Red simply didn’t know the answer. Astrid huffed under her breath. They needed something concrete—ah wait! The phone. That was a key piece of interest that couldn’t go unaddressed.

Hey, would you mind showing me more pictures? Of Telum, or, really anything you’ve got could be useful somehow. Just maybe. You’re in possession of some of the last existing records of that world, I think.

 

[Namohysip]

Red knew for sure that the Giovanni they were dealing with now and the one that had been at the dying Tree was the same. But the Tree... had already been that way when they'd arrived. He seemed to be thinking about this as he showed Astrid more of the pictures--quite a few of them. There was a Riolu and Charmander as common factors among them. The Charmander seemed to always be getting into trouble, while the Riolu was often trying to mitigate it or stop something from breaking or crashing down. There were pictures of a Guild of familiar faces to Astrid, just of a different world entirely. Ampharos, Mawile...

Flareon was riding atop the back of Typhlosion, and they were practicing their Fire strikes. Flareon's was weaker. Alakazam and Weavile were watching in the background, looking unimpressed. Off to the side, Red and Charizard were attempting dual Flamethrowers, with Sword looking proud of her great Ember. shield was sitting with his legs crossed in the background.

They really did seem happy together. An empty feeling radiated from Red as he changed to more photos depicting similar images.

Eventually, he ran out, and Red, after looking at those images, wondered about Silver some more. The Lunala flying in the skies felt like a totally different person. He wondered how badly the amnesia had affected him for so much to be lost... What could they do to get the old Silver back?

Red sighed and put the phone away. There wasn't anything more to glean from it.

 

[TheGOAT]

There were pictures of a Guild of familiar faces to Astrid, just of a different world entirely. Ampharos, Mawile...

There had been rumors of this sort of thing. The multiverse was such a horrendously nebulous concept to Astrid; she hadn’t ever thought in those terms before, instead limiting herself for years to believing her world was the fullest extent of reality to be explored. Now she was staring back into the eyes of her colleagues, most of them full of life. It was them. It was them. She stared at the phone. Sometimes, only sometimes, the phantoms of her friends seemed to stare back.

As the pictures scrolled by, she sought those closest to her… but they weren’t there. Why weren’t they there? Where was Mincinno, or Helli, or Sage or Leah? Or herself? Would she really get to see herself?

Turns out she wouldn’t. There was no alternate-universe Astrid to be found. No version of herself she’d get to see forming bonds and making memories she’d never have for herself. Maybe it was for the best.

Eventually, he ran out, and Red, after looking at those images, wondered about Silver some more. The Lunala flying in the skies felt like a totally different person. He wondered how badly the amnesia had affected him for so much to be lost... What could they do to get the old Silver back?

Astrid gently rested a tail on his shoulder, hoping he’d react well to a Pokémon making unprompted contact. We’ll get him all the way back. One way or another, we will.

She was getting hungry. She was tired. But there was still work to be done, and she wouldn’t rest yet.

Is there anything else you know that could be helpful? Anything at all? The littlest detail makes an immeasurable difference…

Perhaps honesty was the best route to take. It was a gamble—they’d only fought once, only spoken once (right now)—but no, time was too desperate, too short. She believed she had to trust this person.

Giovanni said there were three spies. There could’ve been more, less, whatever, but it’s probable that they exist. If you didn’t see anyone working with him, did you at least see something that suggests he and the Mewtwo weren’t working alone? Anything to cast light upon what’s gotten him so nervous, or what he wants with the moon, or… or the origins of the explosion. Was it the Tree?

 

[Namohysip]

Red shook his head. What more could he provide? He supposed there was his time under Giovanni's control. It was so surreal. He felt as if he'd been fighting alongside a partner, or that it was just the right thing to do. Now that he was free of that corruption, it all seemed so wrong...

Everything was still too strange for Red. He didn't know what caused the tree to explode the way it did. He didn't really know anything about spies, either. Most of the time, Red was sealed someplace else and only brought out to take care of a mission, like attacking Destiny Tower or a rampant, large Pokemon that had gone berserk. He didn't know how or why it all happened.

But now that he thought about it... There was one thing that stood out to him. Giovanni did seem nervous or uncertain at times, and that made no sense to Red. As a foe, he always seemed like someone certain of his convictions and ambitions. Maybe it was from being on the other side, as an ally, that he saw his insecurities? But somehow Red didn't think that fit.

What especially didn't fit was the fact that Giovanni never seemed to go as far as he usually did. When Red performed his missions, he had been under Giovanni's control, but he had never been told to kill anyone. He easily could have, and it would have been a struggle to prevent that... unless Giovanni knew he'd resist. But then, why did Giovanni never kill anyone?

It seemed odd.

But other than that, Red had no idea. So, he shrugged and shook his head, and then glanced at his team. They were finished eating.

 

[TheGOAT]

Indeed, it didn’t seem to add up. Astrid tried to hide her frustration from the trainer, forcing herself to project the gratitude that she felt just as strongly. Thank you. This is all—it’s gonna make a difference, okay? We’re gonna make this right.

She got up, glancing back once more at his team, and gave a happy chirp bound to no language in particular. It was little more than a friendly gesture beyond the gift she’d brought, ascertaining that they were on the same side. They wanted the same thing she did at the end of the day, didn’t they?

But as she walked away, that damned frustration still lingered in her chest, burning at the ends of her tails. She was still so confused. Way too much for her to cover, way too much. But the others… they had to know more. They’d help piece this puzzle together.

A group text was in order—nope, never mind, that could be hacked. No point in taking chances. It would have to be telepathy then…

<><><>​

 

[Flyg0n]

Koa wandered through the cafeteria, absent-mindedly putting food on his plate. He needed a break and getting some food seemed like the best place to do it. Something about the cafeteria had a... pleasant vibe to it, so he'd chosen it over the restaurants. Besides, he kinda felt like relaxing, not ordering off a menu.

Yawning, he found himself a spot a little ways away from some of the other pokemon and started eating.

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Hot dogs! Hot dogs! They're not made of hot ducks! Cynthian, come on! Let's get hot dogs!" Ivy urged, pushing against Cynthian's back as they made their way to the cafeteria.

"I said I'm not hungry, Ivy." Cynthian sighed, feeling the rosemew crawl up her crown flower.

"Liar liar, pants on fire. I know you haven't eaten anything but snowscones since morning!" Ivy rebutted, prodding at Cynthian's mask with a pout. By that point, other pokemon were starting to watch.

"Okay, okay, we'll get the hot dogs." She reached her vines and pulled the rosemew down, who only returned a playful grin. "Can you please sit still."

"I want hot dogs."

With another defeated sigh, Cynthian walked over to the counter and ordered the junk food. All the while, Ivy was either looping in the air or just floating right up to other pokemon in the cafeteria and staring at their food. She almost reached a paw to swipe a slice of grilled corn off someones plate before Cynthian stopped her with a glare.

After purchasing the hot dogs, a pokemon stood out to her in the crowd. Koamaru seemed to be by himself. She couldn't blame him after what happened back in the meeting. Should she give him space or try to talk with him? She opted for the latter and approached his table to sit on the opposite end of it.

"Hello. Koamaru, right? I hope you don't mind me intruding," Cynthian said politely as she brought out a hot dog from the paper bag.

"Mine!" Ivy bit down on the hotdog while Cynthian still held it, prompting a frown from the Roserade.

"So uh, how are you doing, Koamaru?" Cynthian released the hot dog to let Ivy have her way with it, who floating off while munching on the snack.