Poppin' Arms ~ Dorm Lounge

[Ambyssin]

"Clear your mind of possible corruptive influences, hmm?" Bahamut crossed one foreleg over the other. "Kind of hard to do when Owen Two is quite literally attached at the hip to you and Owen Three," he gestured to Cal, "follows you around like a hatchling would their parent.

"But go right ahead. Nothing's stopping you."

 

[Namohysip]

Owen flinched, as did Cal, but they said nothing in response.

Owen crossed his legs and Wishkeeper withdrew completely. The Charmeleon closed his eyes and cleared his mind, breathing deeply. Cal tried to do the same, but without proper lungs, or a brain, or much of anything else, she was mostly mimicking the gestures.

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut stared at them for a bit. Given he was already sleepy, his gaze slowly shifted to their tail flames. Crackling in almost rhythmic manners, but not quite. Flames had not patterns to them. They burned with spontaneity. But such tiny, concentrated flames were peaceful. Cozy. Bahamut never lived in a true house with a true fireplace but Reshiram always raved about his... the absolute dork that fluff dragon was.

It wasn't long before Bahamut's eyes and core dimmed. His head dipped down so that his snout plinked when it dropped to the floor. After that, the room fell into silence for a few minutes.

Then Bahamut's tail twitched. His left hind leg kicked out at the air. His muzzle scrunched up into a grimace. His core erratically flickered, projecting purple light, then red light, then more purple. Back and forth. Back and forth. The necrozma's armored claws dragged against the floor.

 

[Namohysip]

Owen tried to concentrate, he really did, and tried to clear his mind. It was unintuitive, but he knew the feeling. He'd done it so many times before. Cal was less familiar. She had probably not inherited memories or knowledge of those things, and she eventually gave up. Getting bored, she quietly stood up and wandered around the room, looking for quiet things to do while The Ancients did their... thing.

Occasionally, Owen peeked with one eye, mildly concerned. Bahamut must have been really tired... He leaned forward, though he did still try to meditate. Was he alright?

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut's claws dragged across the floor again. This time he pawed at his metallic mane.

His core erupted in a burst of pink light. The room's two other occupants would find a psychic force pressing on their minds. Images of thorn covered vines filled with viscous, red and purple fluid would creep into the peripheries of their vision.

 

[Namohysip]

Cal stiffened and stumbled away, falling on her rear. She wanted to cry out, but for some reason her voice had caught in her core. Owen, meanwhile, felt his heartbeat quicken, but he closed his eyes and kept calm. The psychic force pressed into him and crept into his senses. Was that what Bahamut was dreaming about? Was that the home he was destined to return to?

Bahamut, Owen thought, hoping there was some small part, this vision was two-way. Bahamut, you aren't there. Wake up!

 

[Ambyssin]

Owen's voice failed to reach him. A distorted silhouette spread across the floor. Puddles of gray water... but also fire? And lightning? Icicles hanging from the ceiling, dripping sparks instead of water. The sensation of a warm room suddenly turning bone-chilling cold before growing sweltering.

Chunks of broken prism armor lay scattered around. And, opposite everyone's vision, a hulking canine hunched on all fours. Three heads that Owen might recognize: Suicune on the left, Raikou on the right, and Entei in the middle. Each head was chained. Muzzled by thorny crystals. An armored plate on the beast's chest glowed with the silhouette of a circle surrounded by five diamonds.

"Begone, outsider!" Suicune rasped, hindered by the muzzle.

"The days of the Einherjar are long over!" Raikou thundered. "The Paradigm are the new shepherds of the Qliphoth's future!"

"Kneel before Cerberus!" Entei roared.

 

[Namohysip]

Fear, naturally, was what grasped at Owen's chest, and he took a reflexive step back. But then he saw Cal next to him, her whole form quivering, and something welled up inside of him.

Cal, Owen thought, unsure if this apparition was real or not, or if it would be real enough for them, within this psychic labyrinth. Stay by me. Stay calm. Do as they say.

What? As they say? Are you nuts?!

Trust me.

Cal's golden embers quivered, but they calmed when her eyes met his. She knelt.

Wishkeeper, Owen thought. Do you see anything?

I see the lounge. This is a psychic vision. I cannot do anything.

Okay. Then he used his eyes. He saw the armor. What he needed to see was Bahamut's core. As Owen knelt, he readied for a run, even if it was mental, the same for a Protect.

 

[Ambyssin]

There was no core, however. Because they were seeing things as if they were the core. Sure enough, the scattered armor pieces vibrated. They would fly right at Owen and Cal, even though they were incapable of doing anything. The room and the monster, Cerberus, would grow further away, replaced by a sensation of falling. Surrounded by distorted purple energy. Occasional tears in the space would offer glimpses of bizarre sights. Sideways stares. Fire-types walking through a bed of water and breathing like they were in open air. A giant, gray lycanroc with spikes seemingly made of ice instead of rock.

Bahamut hit his head against the floor. The silhouettes abruptly disappeared. Bahamut's legs and tail continued to twitch asynchronously.

 

[Namohysip]

"Tss--" Owen winced at the sudden jolt, the psychic vision abruptly dissipating. Cal was curled up in a little ball, knees to her chest, as she stared emptily forward. Owen glanced behind him, at Wishkeeper, who nodded and drifted toward Cal to pick her up. Owen, meanwhile, cautiously approached Bahamut and held his cheek.

"Bahamut, wake up," Owen said into his ear. He was ready to Protect and hop away if needed, and ready to attack to get him up more forcefully.

 

[Ambyssin]

"Grrah!"

Bahamut abruptly rolled over... in Owen's general direction. His eyes lit up. "What happened?"

 

[Namohysip]

Owen hopped back, expecting it--the talk about crushing some thief was still in the back of his mind--and steadied his footing.

"You were dreaming, or having some kind of psychic vision," Owen said. "I think... it was through your perspective."

Wishkeeper returned with Cal in his arms, still trembling.

"Cerberus," Owen added, as if that was all that would be needed. "And then falling through... I think it was a Dungeon. The sort you'd see in deep, deep distortions." Owen felt he did not need to explain what he thought it really was, if it was coming from Bahamut.

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut slowly rolled over. At least the hollow eyes made it impossible to read his exhaustion levels. "It was the Qliphoth. That is... essentially, what's waiting for me back home."

 

[Namohysip]

The Charmeleon nodded and brought a hand over Cal's back once Wishkeeper set her down. "It's no wonder you were looking for a way to avoid it."

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut nodded slowly. "Mmm. The Qliphoth is Eternatus' realm. One gigantic mystery dungeon only understood by those who have given in to its corruption. Weak spirits are eroded into Phantoms. Particularly strong spirits can become daemons and corrupt others to carry out their whims. The rest..." He shrugged.

"My friends sacrificed themselves to try to keep Eternatus from overrunning the planet. But Eternatus is steadily absorbing Etherium into the Qliphoth." Bahamut's eyes reddened. "Before I wound up here... I was attempting to hasten that process in the slim hopes that, as things merged, I might discover some sort of vulnerability within Eternatus."

 

[Namohysip]

"Hasten the process..." Owen frowned, thinking back. "I think I know what you mean. I've, uh... Not important." He shook his head. "That's noble of you, after everything you've already tried. Though, I get the feeling there are a lot of people who don't appreciate what you're doing, since, you know..."

 

[Ambyssin]

"It's not a benevolent process." Bahamut looked away. "The distortion has already consumed entire cities. Nay, countries. And continuing the process ensures that more will be turned to Phantoms or join the Qliphoth's denizens." He clenched his jaw tight. "I'm attempting to steer such corrosive forces toward the people who deserve it. The selfish nobility and their ilk who have steadily weakened society to benefit themselves, turning the average person into a pale shadow of their ancestors. Pokémon are so weak, they rely more on tools and technology than their own abilities. Only a smattering of the populace have the strength to truly defend themselves... which gives them all the power to abuse."

 

[Namohysip]

"That's awful," Owen said, thinking about what it would be like to be in a world where Pokemon were 'weak.' What did that truly mean, though? Owen wasn't sure how that translated. Weakness... Relative to humans? Relative to here? Still, it seemed too broad of a question.

"You mean you're moving that distortion to others... But you also said you wanted to try to stop it. Are you trying to do both? Wouldn't those nobles be... you know, your best bet at trying to find that weakness together? Otherwise, the whole world could be doomed."

 

[Ambyssin]

"It's the exact opposite." Bahamut's expression darkened. "They are trying to use Eternatus as a power source for their society. Though I've managed to... rally some of them to my cause."

It was hard to keep his voice steady through that one.

"The rest... they're too self-centered." He snorted out Blacklight plumes. "And I'm quite sure that the sorceress that killed my wife and son is part of that. So long as Darklaw still breathes, none of them can be trusted."

 

[Namohysip]

"Oh." That wasn't very good. "Guess I can see why you'd want to do something like that..." He crossed his legs again. "I hope you can find a way to stop Darklaw, then. Maybe then you'll also have your release, or be able to work to it."