Poppin' Arms Guild ~ Infirmary

[Namohysip]

"Oh. Joy. Another one." He was never going to get his time alone to brood pointlessly. Was that too much to ask? From under the blankets, Diyem shifted his weight to look at Cynthian indirectly, not that he could actually see. "I feel so popular. Cared for. Loved. Hrrrrrrrnnnnngh..." It made him sick.

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Don't worry. I don't love you," Cynthian bluntly replied. "I don't hate you either. I just... it's complicated, especially being in front of you right now."

Cynthian's flower left the metal tray, and he held it together with his other one over his laps. His petals fluttered in a steady tremble. He was afraid.

"I... I'm still struggling to dissociate you from it," he said while referring to his world's dark matter. He chuckled, still avoiding eye contact. "At least your voice doesn't sound like you're talking through metal scraping in a wind turbine."

 

[Namohysip]

"Hmph. Would you prefer that? I'm rusty, but I know how to make a good scare..." When he didn't get an immediate response, he added, "That was a joke."

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian's expression flashed with dread when Diyem suggested that at first. "Right. A joke. Good one," he said with a forced smile.

"Anyway, I came here to inquire a few things from you, mostly about the nature of your being," Cynthian glanced up at the small, clearly tired charmander briefly. He looked down at his flowers again, still shaking. "Though I can always come back another time if you're not fully recovered enough for that."

 

[Namohysip]

"Nnngh... do as you like. I have the energy to talk... a little. It takes energy to make my voice this way, but it is necessary for proper communication." Diyem sighed, then shifted under the covers. "What do you want?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Someone I met once told me that the first step to overcoming one's fear is to understand it. It's like how orange flames used to terrify me, but ever since all my memories returned, I fear them about as much as I fear ice now," Cynthian began. He took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Dark Matter, in my world at least, was spoken of in the same way as one would describe an earthquake or a volcanic eruption: as a force of nature without rhyme or reason." He picked up what resembled a pair of tweezers and toyed with them in his vines. "Some assumed dark matter was just some divine retribution, others chalk up your kind's existence as part of 'the great filter' hypothesis."

"Are any of these true? What exactly is Dark Matter? And, forgive me if this is rude to ask, but why does your kind exist?"

 

[Namohysip]

Diyem did not reply immediately, not even a groan or a sigh. "My origins," he began, "may vary from yours, or many others. Even though we are similar in nature, how we came about is not always clear. We are a force of a world where feelings can become tangible forces in the world. Willpower... togetherness... bonds... Pokemon are all little gods that can shape the world around them based on how they feel. And sometimes, those residual feelings can come together to make great forces... or perhaps these great forces give rise to what Pokemon are capable of. The Voices of Life... Arceus... Dark Matters such as myself...

"I was born from a stray thought of my home world's Creator during the world's origin point. I pooled together the negative feelings of its inhabitants until one day I became strong enough to manifest a form for myself... But knowing only negativity, I was a destructive force that wanted it all to end. Until..." Diyem trailed off, then grunted. "...That's enough of my story. I do not think it is relevant to yours."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Well, of course. I wasn't asking for your personal life." Cynthian sighed and swung his legs slowly a few times.

"When you put it that way, it almost does sound like Dark Matter is an inevitability for every world. A force that comes to to crush a world that can't set aside its differences and let their negative aspects fester." He didn't even know where he was going with this. Cynthian ran his flower across his face and asked, "Do you think pokemon deserve the things dark matters do to them?"

 

[Namohysip]

Diyem considered this, like it was an answer he wanted to take seriously. "...No," he said, "because in the end, Dark Matter as I know them are borne of hatred and malice of a collective. They are a side effect of the properties of the world. Stray thoughts of a great deity given form. One does not deserve an incoming storm; it only happens. Whether one deserves something or not... is something that mortals attribute to forces. The forces themselves merely exist."

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian took his time to ponder those words. If the incident that happened back then had been the result of a landslide, would that have changed anything? It was only possible to blame Dark Matter because it was a conscious entity that had a name. Perhaps Diyem was right. At the end of the day, things like that happened because they do, and that was it.

"I see. Thanks for answering my questions." In truth, getting Diyem's account didn't make Cynthian feel any better, but it didn't make him feel worse either. He gave Diyem a nod and slid off the stool.

"I wish you well on your recovery," Cynthian said before turning back to face the door.

 

[Namohysip]

"Mm." Diyem waited for him to go, then sighed. There was no point in pressing issues like that with Cynthian for long. Not now, when it seemed that the wounds were still so fresh, no matter how long it had been. He was hurt by Dark Matter of his world... And he was one with the same origins, the same motivations. The most he could do was speak neutrally of it.

It was not the same as a landslide. Dark Matter had been constructed by the negativity of Pokemon. It would have been the same as a landslide due to the neglect of Pokemon that had mistreated the land. Did the Pokemon, collectively, then deserve it? Diyem wasn't sure. The good Pokemon were lumped in with the bad in that circumstance. Did that matter... or was that how the world worked, when everyone was on the same team, driving themselves down?

Such philosophies... would not fall well with Cynthian. Not now, not ever.

So, as Cynthian left, Diyem said nothing, and continued to rest under his sheets.

<><><>​

 

[IFBench]

A few minutes after Cynthian left, a Chikorita with an autumn-red leaf entered the room where Diyem is.

Their leaf was drooping, compared to it normally being sturdy and healthy. There was a tired, yet determined expression on their face.

They looked around the room, before their gaze settled on the lump beneath the sheets.

"Dark Matter, are you there?" Saltriv asked. "I need answers."

 

[Namohysip]

"What do you want."

Terse, curt, and simple--Diyem was used to so much of the team trying to visit him that he was positive there was some kind of secret relay being set up to meet him one after the other.

 

[IFBench]

There was so much Saltriv had wanted to ask. What exactly were the Voidlands? What did Dark Matter have to do with their shadows? Why had they been sent to who-knows-where on the Mist Continent, left to fend for themselves for weeks before meeting another sapient Pokemon?

But there was one thing they wanted to ask more than anything else. About something that had been bothering them ever since they had learned that Team Spectrum was working for Dark Matter. About something that conflicted with almost everything they knew about Dark Matter back in their home world.

"Why are you trying to save the world?" Saltriv asked. "Since you're...Dark Matter."

 

[Namohysip]

He had been asked this question so often, and in the end he did not completely know the answer himself. Or perhaps, he didn't want to answer. They were a team, but there were some things that would only make their jobs harder, should they keep doing what they were trying...

"The world was in trouble and it seemed only I was able to save it," Diyem replied. "I knew what had to be done. It was good for therapy."

 

[IFBench]

"But...don't you want to destroy the world?" Saltriv asked. "Kill the tree of life and fling the planet into the sun? That's what the Dark Matter in my world tried to do."

 

[Namohysip]

"Congratulations, you know my past," Diyem replied. "But not my present. Frankly I'm surprised the team didn't inform you that I'd moved past that. I was defeated like any other Dark Matter, but... well. Here I am now. Atoning, I suppose."

 

[IFBench]

That...Saltriv still didn't quite understand how negativity incarnate could try to help people, but at least it seemed like Dark Matter was being genuine. Otherwise, why would their teammates care about him so much?

They still had more questions they wanted to ask, though.

"Why wasn't I sent to any towns when I first arrived?" they asked, their confused look now having a hint of anger in it.

 

[Namohysip]

"Rrrgh..." As much as he liked the fact that the anger fed into him, he was still irritated at all the questions. Do everything right and nobody seems to notice, do one thing wrong and that's all he's known for...

"...I misfired," Diyem replied flatly.

But before Saltriv could get another word in, someone tapped on the doorway and entered. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to go," said a Goodra, holding up what looked like a bag of medical supplies. "It's time for Diyem's checkup. He's a healthy Charmander and we need to keep it that way."

"Joy."

"You can talk to him later," Zinc added, even as Saltriv protested. "Sorry, sorry, but we still need to monitor him! He's not exactly a normal patient..."

And, eventually, Diyem was left again for whatever checkup Zinc had to perform...

<><><>​

 

[Chibi Pika]

(Shortly after the team returned from the mission to stop Giovanni and the Radiant machine...)​

Another mission, another trip to the infirmary feeling like she'd been hit by a bus. So it went. Still, it wasn't anything she couldn't bounce back from. (Pokemon healing--still nuts.) And a bunch of of other teammates had it way worse. Astrid among them.

Starr still had no idea what the hell that Nintetales' deal was. Every time she opened her mouth, things got worse, and she was determined to take everything Starr said in the worst possible way. Even when it was bullshit that had literally nothing to do with her, it was like she was allergic to minding her own business.

Damn if they didn't fight well together, though. Felt weird to acknowledge, but it was true. That last attack, the two of them working in perfect sync somehow, flattening that smug Mewtwo bastard into a crater. Now there was an image that she could stand to see on repeat.

Of course, it wasn't like they'd get much chance to celebrate the fact that they collectively kicked Giovanni's face in, now that the fucking world was ending. But dammit, Starr wasn't gonna let herself not feel good about it just because of that.