Poppin' Arms Guild ~ Infirmary

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa had a mission. Speak with as many of the team as possible over the next few days, and get them in the best condition possible for the fight with Joule. She'd train them, motivate them, and coordinate them as best she could. She could handle it. For something this important, she would handle it. And among the most important of all her concerns were Starr and Astrid . . . who had both fought to the point of knockout in their climactic showdown with Giovanni.

How bold, how strong, how bright the two of them were. It was . . . remarkable, to be on the same battlefield as them.

Brisa arrived at a small recovery room intended for a sole occupant that had somehow been made to fit two. On her way there, she'd passed frantic medical staff, having a tough time dealing with injured legendaries and other members of the Spectrum posse. They'd be busy a while, and the lack of fussing over her friends presumably meant they were okay, thank the stars. They still looked real beat up, though.

"Howdy, you two," said Brisa, marvelling that it was the first time she'd been in a room with just her two best gal friends, even after all the months they'd spent onworld. "Can't even put it t'ya how glad I am t'see you both okay."

For a given definition of 'okay', anyhow.

 

[TheGOAT]

Whose idea it had been to stick an extra bed in an oversized closet, Astrid wasn’t sure. If she had the strength, she’d have certainly sought words with them.

It wasn’t quite that bad, for the most part…ish. There was room to breathe and move around. But with Starr in here with her, alone, feeling claustrophobic was inevitable. Astrid painstakingly tried to ignore it.

What a joke. Giovanni… had tricked them, big time. Astrid traced arbitrary patterns on the ceiling with her eyes as she ran over the last thirty minutes in her head again and again. Even if they got by Joule’s attack somehow, they’d have to take down Joule and Giovanni together, somehow. Coursing through Joule were the power of Shadows and Radiance alike… not unlike Team Spectrum. How would they match up?

They would find out in a couple of days. Astrid knew she could recover, mostly, by then, and hung onto that chance of relief like a lifeline. But she would not have very much time to train. She would not have very much time to condition herself, or to—

She winced in pain; a throbbing ache erupted from her forehead, spanning several prolonged moments of mild to severe agony, before receding as though it were never there. Astrid flinched from the whiplash alone.

What is this stupid pain in my head…? It certainly wasn’t new, but… she’d been pretending the throbbing wasn’t there for weeks now. It was becoming difficult to keep the pain off of her face. The option to speak to some high-up doctor in Destiny Village about it lingered in her head, but the circumstances did not work in her favor right now. Perhaps she was just wearing herself out too often, and aches and pains were simply part of the gambit. Regardless, she could bear a bit of aching for a while longer if it meant spending the previous time they had to recuperate her strength. She’d be fine.

Minutes of silent introspection passed. Then…

Brisa said:
"Howdy, you two," said Brisa, marvelling that it was the first time she'd been in a room with just these two, in the months they'd been onworld. "Can't even put it t'ya how glad I am t'see you both okay."

“Brisa.”

She sat up quickly. Her heart was beating, fast.

“That—back there, that wasn’t—” Astrid paused to violently clear her throat, having a difficult time, “I didn’t do that on purpose, I swear. The machine hit me, a-and I…”

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr looked up from her phone when Brisa entered the room. On the one hand, it was good to see her. On the other, there was a slight edge to her movements, like she was juggling way the hell too many things at once, and Starr had the sneaking suspicion that Brisa had been putting herself in charge of everything in light of the coming disaster. God dammit.

"Howdy, you two," said Brisa, marvelling that it was the first time she'd been in a room with just her two best gal friends, even after all the months they'd spent onworld. "Can't even put it t'ya how glad I am t'see you both okay."

Starr forced a grin. "Takes more than that to keep me down." She still had a splitting headache, but whatever--worth it.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Starr said:
"Takes more than that to keep me down."

Brisa returned the grin. Damn right, Starr went down fighting. Gods, she was so strong. All this was worth it just to get to fight by her side.

There was something off about Starr's smile, though...

Astrid:
“Brisa. That—back there, that wasn’t— I didn’t do that on purpose, I swear. The machine hit me, a-and I…”

Oh. Yeah, that...

"Astrid. It's okay."

Brisa gave her friend a tired smile. It was a long kinda hurt, worrying that someone you cared for would do herself in, but there was a world of difference between intent and consequence.

So when YOU allow yourself to harm others, it's negligence, but when Astrid does it, it ain't her fault?

No, it wasn't Astrid's fault. The machine...

"You were practic'ly swimmin' in radiance from the moment we arrived. You did fuckin' great." Brisa took a seated position between the other gals' beds. "Y'both did. All of us did. Hell, that fuckin' attack we landed on Giovanni? T'gether? Best darn thing I've seen in all my years."

Gods, she was so fucking proud of them.

 

[TheGOAT]

Astrid turned her neck a few degrees to the left as they talked, glancing over at Starr’s side of the room for a fleeting moment. In that brief window, Astrid could not help but notice how outright exhausted Starr looked and sounded. Much more than those nights when she’d return from training later than Astrid—had there not been more of those lately, too?

She frowned. Back in the lab…

TheGOAT said:
The surge of power came almost instantly this time, with hardly an uncomfortable grace period to speak of. The Inspiration cast foreign thoughts across Astrid’s mind, but one stuck out among them all: one that Astrid herself did not understand, but pulled at her heart nonetheless.

“You’re a lousy father…” she muttered.

Astrid feared it was something too tender to speak about now that the drunken haze of Inspiration had evacuated her mind. It was a move she still barely understood. How comfortable she’d grown with it was irrelevant, too. Why was she suddenly reading minds?

Her migraine (which she prayed was a result of blunt force trauma and not mind-reading wackiness) had settled somewhat. It would need to stay that way, Astrid assumed, if she were to recover on time for fighting Joule…

unrepentantAuthor said:
"Astrid. It's okay […] You were practic'ly swimmin' in radiance from the moment we arrived. You did fuckin' great." Brisa took a seated position between the other gals' beds. "Y'both did. All of us did. Hell, that fuckin' attack we landed on Giovanni? T'gether? Best darn thing I've seen in all my years."

Astrid exhaled. Slowly, the weight on her chest lifted.

“Thanks. Y-yeah,” she chuckled, nodding at Brisa, and then, very briefly, at Starr. “We did what we could against that guy. Maybe we’ll get another chance real soon?”

 

[Chibi Pika]

Geez. Brisa really thought the world of Astrid, huh. So there had to be more to her than just starting bullshit drama all the time. Sure would've been nice if that came out more. This was gonna be a mess just like all the other times, but this time Brisa was here and she'd have to see it and... ugh.

“Thanks. Y-yeah,” she chuckled, nodding at Brisa, and then, very briefly, at Starr. “We did what we could against that guy. Maybe we’ll get another chance real soon?”

Starr paused, eyeing Astrid. She half-expected it to be a loaded question with no right answer. But... seeing the state Astrid was in right now, it was hard to imagine her having the energy for that. (A twinge of sympathy pricked at the back of Starr's mind, to her annoyance.)

"That last attack was fuckin' impressive," she said, glancing away. Felt damn good to have people at my back when going up against that guy."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Something wasn't quite right, but perhaps Brisa was missing some context. Or they were just real dinged about by the fight, or by the doomsday hanging overhead. It'd be more than fair. Still, at least they both admitted the final blow against Giovanni was a good one!

"Fer sure we can pull somethin' like that off again. We're only gonna get stronger. An' we'll do it t'gether."

If they were feeling down, maybe they'd perk up at something to work towards. Like a fight.

"Speakin' of, will I see you gals at the tourney? I was thinkin' of pairin' up with Owen, since he an' I train t'gether so often."

 

[TheGOAT]

A moment of levity—Astrid couldn’t hold in a giggle at that. She’d forgotten all about the stupid tournament. Good grief.

“Aha… yeah! Yeah, I’m doing the tournament. Of course.”

I’m still recovering, Astrid immediately thought. She shoved it out of her mind just as quickly, though. She’d just exploded in front of Brisa again; this was no time to act like she was dying.

“They’ll put me with someone, I’m sure,” she continued, some life returning to her eyes, “‘cause I didn’t really specify a partner. I’m excited no matter what.” Her expression grew more sober. “And I… I think we need to show the town they can count on our strength. I know we’re all in this mess together, but… this is their home.”

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr let out a dry chuckle. "A tournament. While the world's ending. Sure, why the hell not." She could go with a distraction anyway. She damn well didn't wanna spend the next however many days focused on that thing hanging overhead.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Hey, that's mighty fine t'hear," said Brisa, already vividly imagining going toe to toe with her friends.

They were both so strong. No matter who won, it'd be a fight to remember. Hopefully she got to fight both of them before she was eliminated. Maybe she'd get to fight both at once–!

She was snapped out of her intense reverie by the feeling of their stares on her. She awkwardly scratched the back of her head and chuckled.

"Just real eager, I guess," she explained. "So, it looks like you gals'll be outta here pretty soon. I'm keepin' real busy, but I hope to see ya both around...? And uh. I was thinkin'..."

Gods, don't get awkward about it, just because Astrid's Astrid...

"I was thinkin', I'd love to spend some time with th'both of ya. You're . . . important t'me. An' I already spar practic'ly every day with Owen, so it's you gals I wanna see more of. I'm open to anythin', but... Well, they have this place here called the 'amusement arcades', an' there's nothin' like it in my world, an' I thought maybe you'd . . . like to go with me?"

She grinned sheepishly, her ears suddenly feeling very warm.

 

[TheGOAT]

Brisa said:
"Just real eager, I guess," she explained. "So, it looks like you gals'll be outta here pretty soon. I'm keepin' real busy, but I hope to see ya both around...? And uh. I was thinkin'..."

“Mhm. This is just a checkup,” Astrid clarified.

Brisa was smiling, and that made her smile too. “…You were thinking?”

Brisa said:
"I was thinkin', I'd love to spend some time with th'both of ya. You're . . . important t'me. An' I already spar practic'ly every day with Owen, so it's you gals I wanna see more of. I'm open to anythin', but... Well, they have this place here called the 'amusement arcades', an' there's nothin' like it in my world, an' I thought maybe you'd . . . like to go with me?"

Astrid’s eyes lit up. She had no idea what Brisa was talking about. It was perfect.

“Yeah! I’d love that!” she said, flashing her friend a toothy smile.

Sometime in their limited future together (yikes, that wasn’t a thought she wanted to linger on long), Astrid had been hoping to do something again with Brisa. Banking on it, even. She’d envisioned a day on the beach with nothing but drinks and stories to tell. Maybe even a few stories about Cibus, someday. Maybe Pop could do that god-control thing he did to the Creation trio to Groudon and make it sunny and warm for a day. Or maybe there was a less morbid alternative. Whatever. Brisa would probably enjoy the warmth. Brisa would probably enjoy a break.

Again, dammit, she momentarily caught sight of Starr. She looked like she needed a break just as badly…

 

[Chibi Pika]

"I was thinkin', I'd love to spend some time with th'both of ya. You're . . . important t'me. An' I already spar practic'ly every day with Owen, so it's you gals I wanna see more of. I'm open to anythin', but... Well, they have this place here called the 'amusement arcades', an' there's nothin' like it in my world, an' I thought maybe you'd . . . like to go with me?"

Damn it all. Of course Brisa just had to go and invite both of them. With that ridiculously overeager face like she honestly didn't know what a stupid idea that was.

But... she obviously really wanted this. And she needed a break, god dammit.

"Never was all that into arcades," Starr said dismissively, "but someone's gotta get your ass out from under a rock and living a little. So, sure... why not." She was absolutely going to regret this, but didn't have the will to care right now.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Perfect! Well, Astrid seemed a lot more into the idea than Starr did, but Brisa knew not to take Starr at face value. Even if the arcades were a bad idea, there were plenty other ways to spend time together. She couldn't wait! Although, of course, she'd have to. There was no way she could justify a day of recreation like that with preparations underway for a showdown with an angry star. Whatever her hopes for quality time with her two best gals, they would simply have to wait.

"Lookin' right forward to it," she said, her voice suddenly thick with feeling. The thought of spending time with two friends who were special to her (and to whom, perhaps, she was special as well) was doing strange things to her eyes and throat.

She coughed. "Anyway, uh, I'd best be gettin' on with stuff. I've given myself a hell of a lot to do and I oughta make a start. Take care, both of ya!"

She smiled, trying not to feel embarrassed, and flicked a goodbye wave with her tailtuft as she left. So much to do...

<><><><><>​

 

[Negrek]

Silver still hadn't left the infirmary, although by this point Nate figured they surely must have, like, propped him up against the wall in a corner or some shit. The guy wasn't exactly doing much, after all, and there wasn't anything wrong with him as far as anyone could tell. With all the attacks going on recently, surely they would have needed the space for somebody who was actually injured.

He'd tried coming by here a couple times earlier, but there'd been people lurking out in the hall, waiting for a chance to talk to Diyem. All clear now, though. Inside it didn't look like there was anyone around aside from a couple nurses.

This was supposed to be a quick stop, just hook Silver up with his bow tie and go, but Nate hesitated, looking over at the bed he thought was the one people had been visiting earlier. There was something that had been bothering him, and who knew when he'd get another chance to talk to the guy.

With a glance back at Rocky to make sure the familiar wasn't about to start a scene, Nate padded over to the bed he hoped Diyem was in. He couldn't see shit from his vantage point on the floor. "What's up, Boss Man? Got a minute?"

 

[Namohysip]

A warped, ethereal growl escaped the blankets Nate had approached, followed by a sign. "Yes? What is it? You're... right. Nate." For a creature of darkness, that was a surprisingly polite greeting, relatively speaking. Maybe that therapy really was working out. "I have as much time as Joule will allow, at this point." He still did not emerge from the blankets.

 

[Negrek]

Nate smiled at the cranky growl that came down from the bed overhead. Well, sure sounded like he was in the right place. "Surprised I caught you on your own. Looks like you had pretty much the entire team coming through here to say hi. That's gotta suck, huh, so many people being all happy to see you back at you? Let me know if you want me to think some dark thoughts for you to snack on or whatever, I bet I could come up with a few."

He looked around for some kind of stool, or a chair, or something he could climb up on to be able to see better. Nothing. And he figured Diyem wouldn't appreciate him jumping up to join him on the bed. Instead he paced in a circle below, then sat down with a scowl. Sure, he could just hang out down here and not be able to see shit. Cool. Whatever.

At least Rocky didn't look inclined to make trouble, for once. He hovered around near the foot of the bed, looking uncertain. No doubt he wanted to hurry on to deal with the Arceus problem, but he probably wanted to see Diyem, too. Nate kept half an eye on the familiar while he went on, "Real impressive stuff in that last fight, especially after all the shit you'd been through. Must've been pretty satisfying to put the hurt on that bastard Giovanni, huh?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Yes. It was very cathartic. It probably contributed to why I am currently bedridden." For a number of reasons. For one, he'd been bathed in pure Radiance for long enough that time had lost meaning for a while. Second, upon escaping that horrible prison, he'd immediately gone into straining himself further with his strongest attacks against Giovanni the moment he tried to escape. And of course, finally, the sheer elation he felt when pounding Giovanni into the ground had conflicted with the very core of his being.

Still worth it.

"Everyone visited me. I feel very loved. I think it's slowing my recovery."

 

[Negrek]

Nate laughed. "Yeah, figured it was something like that." Well. It wasn't actually very funny, was it? He prodded at the tile a moment, thinking. "Sorry for asking dumb questions, but we ain't really got a Dark Matter in my world. At least, I hope not. So I don't really get it. But you can't, like, feel good about nothing? Like positive emotions literally hurt you? I mean, does that mean you can't be happy... ever?"

 

[Namohysip]

"...That is how I used to be." Diyem slowly shifted under the blankets. A Charmander's black flame briefly poked out from under the covers before hastily slipping back inside. "I was born from the world's negativity in a reality where everyone had a say in how the world worked. It isn't like throwing a rock or blowing in the air. Pokemon can harness the fabric of reality itself... and sometimes, stray thoughts can build up in the aether. From the very world's creation, I was born. Lost, confused, scared, and constantly in pain.

"I wanted nothing more than to destroy the world to end that pain. I only knew a world of strife and struggle, and felt that there was no point in continuing such an existence. Life is suffering. I wanted to bring it all to the void.

"...But... things can change. And just before my destruction... I was saved by the reincarnation of Mew. I felt... gratitude. Oneness. And then... I finally died."

 

[Negrek]

Nate blinked at the brief flicker of flame from under the covers, but it was gone before he could make sense of what he was seeing. So Diyem had... died? "Oh. Uh, well, you got better, I guess?"