Poppin' Arms Guild ~ Infirmary

[Namohysip]

"I was under the impression we were all doomed," Diyem replied to Nate. "So generally speaking, anything you come up with will probably be better."

 

[Negrek]

Nate laughed. "Well, I dunno. Grabbing a bunch of random people from around the multiverse or whatever the fuck and dumping them all off here to fight crime should have been a really terrible idea, but it's been working out so far, right? Don't sell yourself short, you've obviously got the plans when it counts."

Rocky, on the other hand, only stared down at the floor. "Oh, come on. Cheer up," Nate told him. "We'll think of something." Turning back to Diyem, he said, "Thanks, anyhow. That was a lot, but... I'm glad you said something. And, like. Sounds like you've had it pretty rough. Like even rougher than I was thinking you did. So, sorry about that. Ain't nothing nobody should have to deal with. Anyhow." He got back to his feet and shook out his fin. "We got shit to do, I guess. Rest up and all that. Anything we can get for you while you're, uh, lurking under there? I could curse you out or something if that would make you feel better."

 

[Namohysip]

"Not necessary," Diyem muttered. The blankets shifted and spun, unfolding quietly, until, finally, they revealed an adorable, toddler-aged Charmander beneath the sheets. "I've built up a tolerance to... good vibes." Diyem made annoyed air-quotes. "I just have to make sure I don't feel too much of them myself."

 

[Negrek]

Diyem was moving around up there, but Nate still couldn't see shit. With a grunt, he reared up on his hind legs, grabbing at the side of the bed for support. If he strained upward on his toes, he could just peek over the edge of the mattress.

And oh... damn. No wonder the guy had been hiding out up there. The vibe tolerance was a good thing, because without it a case of cute that severe would definitely be terminal. "You sure about that?" Nate asked. "Ain't often a guy gets a chance to cut loose without getting thrown out of the bar or whatever the fuck."

Rocky still looked like he had a stomachache or something. Yeah, whatever, everybody's a critic. "Take care, anyhow. You'll be back to smiting the fuck out of dudes in no time." Nate dropped back down to all fours and trotted under the bed, looking around for Silver. At least he'd be hard to miss. "Come on," he called back to Rocky. "You got those fucking ribbons?"

It turned out to be kind of tough, figuring out where to put a bow tie on somebody who didn't have a neck, limbs, or much of anything sticking out of him, but in the end Nate and Rocky were able to leave Silver sleeping peacefully in the infirmary, a red bow tie wedged between two of his fins.

<><><>​

 

[Namohysip]

Joule, Pop, and several other injured parties were rushed to the largest infirmary room below the Guild. It was an emergency and all hands were called to help at once, and then some, seeking volunteers from all over Destiny Village. Cepa was there with Balm, who had experience with combat healing and quick-acting workarounds before proper care could arrive. Zinc tried to work with the bodies she knew best first, though she asked frequently if Pop was going to be okay. Confirmation from others eased her worries--This Poke Ball technology had some great utility after all...

Diyem shed any pretenses and sat in his bed with his usual Charmander appearance, sitting instead while wrapped with his covers, looking tired and barely conscious. Apparently something about Joule's blast had put a real strain on him, and he'd dozed off while sitting up, even as Team Spectrum and several of God Squad stepped inside.

Various medics told them to leave room so they could do their work. Maple refused to leave Joule's side, which wasn't too much of a problem--she'd be the most experienced, anyway.

Silver was propped up in the corner of the room after a quick checkup confirmed he was fine.

"Where is everyone else?" Zinc asked. "What--what happened? There are usually more of you here after a fight... Did it go that well?"

 

[Fusion]

"Oh, it went swimmingly!" Puddle said through gritted teeth. It was probably full of more sarcasm than a spiteful teenager. "We only lost half of the team in a giant ball of death created by that 'hero dragon' over there," it glared at Joule, bubbling, "It couldn't have gone better."

Just about every fabric of Puddle's being told it to throw just one punch at Joule. The worst thing that could happen is that it gets instantly attacked by Maple and can see Vix again. Which... honestly didn't sound so bad.

Puddle kept its gaze on Joule, bubbling further. "I would love to know how the hell you let so fuckin' corrupted, by the way. You'd think something as strong as you would be able to handle the same shit a bunch of literal teenagers that Diyem randomly found could."

 

[Ambyssin]

"Enough!"

A lettuce coated, metallic paw stomped on the floor. Bahamut towered over Puddle. With his forehead shattered, his core's red, sparking energy was plainly visible. "You are doing no one any favors with that kind of attitude. Stand down."

Not that the little thing could do much. Still, it was the thought that counted, right?

 

[Fusion]

And then there was this asshole. Bahamut might have been several times Puddle's size, vastly more powerful than him, and terrifying at first glance, but that did not give that jagged-emo-loner-fickle fuck any power over the shade.

"Oh sure, how about I go run down to the flower shop and get him a bouquet? Maybe hit up a bakery on the way back and get his favorite sweets, like a cake that says 'Wow, I'm so happy you feel better! Congrats on killing my friends, by the way!'" Puddle's body boiled as it stared the giant cat down. Or... up.

"I'm not even surprised you're so calm about this, being the jagged cactus prick that you are. One of the few members of this team that not only cared about you, but fucking looked up to you is dead because of him-" it pointed at Joule, growling and boiling more. "-and you don't even bat a fuckin' eye! Did you even care about her?! At all? Or was she too small, weak, and annoying for you to spare any of the fucks you didn't have?"

 

[Dragonfree]

Mia entered the infirmary, looking around. Bahamut and Puddle were there, having some kind of strange argument. So was Joule, with Maple beside him. And Diyem. She tilted her head. He was a Charmander now. Or looked like one.

She walked straight up to him, looking at him intently. "Dave said that you said if people died in Cibus you could bring them back."

 

[Namohysip]

"Please... no yelling..." Joule said in a whisper, and Maple gently placed an extra pillow on top of Joule's face. "Thank you..."

Diyem groaned. His voice was tiny and high in that little body of his, but at the moment, he did not care. "Everyone... I am still trying to recover. Stop... whatever nonsense you're doing. Let me explain." He held up his arms. "...So, people died during that fight against Joule. Was it only Team Spectrum?"

"They were drawn to Joule's attack," Maple said. "It didn't have an effect on anybody else."

"I see." Diyem nodded. "Your friends are not alive, yes. They were killed by Joule. However, they were not sent back to their worlds, because I am here. I... no longer have a means to send them back while I am here." He looked at them gravely. "Their souls have been damned to the Voidlands for eternity."

A beat of silence.

"...That was a joke. But they are in my Voidlands. I'm working on a way to bring them back... but I do not have the power right now."

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut stood stoic as ever, but then the stone cracked a bit, leading to a, "Huh."

Esper wiggled from within Bahamut's bag. No doubt he would have some sort of snide remark about how anticlimactic that was to hear. But it didn't matter.

"And there you have it." Bahamut bowed his head, though that was still enough to allow him to make eye contact with Puddle. "The team... I fear we rested our laurels too much. Seeing our success as guaranteed. Now we know for a fact that that is not the case. We should be thankful that Diyem was, at the very least, here to make that Voidland stuff happen. If he was still missing... then who knows what would of happen."

What indeed. Hindsight was all Bahamut had now. And he couldn't help but wonder if the team had run into such gut-wrenching complications against an earlier foe, would they have reacted the same way? He should've kept that thought internal, but it came out anyway.

"Imagine it wasn't Joule who this had happened against. Imagine it happened against Shield and his recruits. Or Lugia. Or Darkwhite." Bahamut approached Puddle. "Would you still react with such vitriol toward them? Is that what the others would want? Is that what Vix would want?"

Perhaps others had walked in during the exchange. Bahamut was too tired to sense them.

 

[Fusion]

Puddle shot a deathly glare back at the EdgeMander. "Diyem that really wasn't fuckin' funny."

"And you don't have any fuckin' right to try and tell me what Vix would have wanted, as if you were close enough to her to know," it hissed at Bahamut. Was he really so far up his own ass that he just had to try and play the 'higher moral standing' card? Pathetic.

"Do you really fuckin' think I care about who killed her? At least with Shield and his buddies getting corrupted, they have the excuse of bein' just regular fuckin' Pokemon. Darkwhite is batshit insane, and nobody was singing any praises about Lugia. But Joule? The stronger version of you? A fuckin' 'hero?'" Just saying that word left a bitter taste in Puddle's mouth. The thing that killed Vix was the very thing she wanted to be. A Hero.

"You honestly expect me to not only let this whole fuckin' thing slide, but to also let him not being able to do what you or Vix could slide too? He didn't just kill Vix, someone who thought herself as your friend, but he put the entire fuckin' planet in danger." Puddle looked over at Joule in disgust. "I can't believe that's supposed to be a hero."

 

[windskull]

"Enough," Tempest growled, trying to put himself between Puddle and Bahamut. "This isn't the time nor the place for this argument."

He glanced at Puddle. "I know you're upset. And I am too. I'm livid, even. But fighting won't bring Vix Back."

He glanced to Bahamut next. "I think you're right to keep a level head here, but it wouldn't hurt to show a little sympathy."

He huffed, his tails twitching, then turned to look at Diyem. "Instead of arguing, I suggest we focus on talking to those that might be able to do something about the situation."

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr's mind was in a daze when she barged in through the front entrance to the guild, only distantly remembering the way to the infirmary. Every inch of her body felt like it was running on overdrive, like if she stopped moving at any moment she'd collapse. Scattered voices could be heard from all the way down the hallway. She entered the infirmary and was immediately faced with a crowd of people all talking over each other. Bickering. Meaningless noise. A voice in the back of her head wanted her to order them to keep quiet but there were too many of them and she had other things to focus on. Diyem, where was Diyem...

"...That was a joke. But they are in my Voidlands. I'm working on a way to bring them back... but I do not have the power right now."

Starr's ears pricked and she stormed forward, oblivious to anyone she'd run into. "You've got a way to bring them back? How long will it take?!"

 

[Namohysip]

Diyem glared at Starr, narrowing his eyes. He flicked his hands, like he was considering something, but then held off. "...As it stands," he said, "I simply don't have the power to bring them back. They are trapped there."

"They're... trapped in the Voidlands?" Maple repeated. "You don't have the power?"

"Look at me." Diyem gestured toward himself. "I do not. They will be trapped there... indefinitely, until I have a means to conjure their bodies again. Or perhaps not at all." He looked down. "I'm sorry."

 

[Ambyssin]

He glanced to Bahamut next. "I think you're right to keep a level head here, but it wouldn't hurt to show a little sympathy."

Bahamut winced. Earlier in the day, he might have made a snide remark comparing the situations to his own back home. Instead, his metallic mane bristled. "Yes, I suppose you're right. I was trying to go with an angle that they aren't truly gone and we will get them back, but I suppose it's not that simple. Nothing ever is."

He clicked his tongue. "Though I concede my bias on the matter. The little one was going on about heroics... but they are young. I looked into Joule's attacks and I saw... corruption. And my mind went straight to Eternatus. No matter how strong one claims to be... its corrosive power is without match."

Bahamut glanced at the large hunk of crystals. "Joule mentioned... sowing chaos. That was the idea that had control of him. Eternatus is chaos incarnate. There might have been some... leaps in logic."

And while that was going on, Starr had apparently stomped into the room. Well, a bigger, beefier star. Again, Bahamut's bag jiggled. Smarmy remarks Esper wanted to make. Bahamut wouldn't let him. There was no congratulations to be had.

"Please," he whispered. "You have to focus. You're not yourself right now."

 

[Fusion]

He glanced at Puddle. "I know you're upset. And I am too. I'm livid, even. But fighting won't bring Vix Back."

"For someone that's livid you sure look calm as hell," Puddle huffed, boiling again. "You ain't the one being told to act like someone dyin' ain't a big deal from high an' mighty over here."

"The little one was going on about heroics... but they are young."

Puddle's body started to boil over, but anything it wanted to say was stuck in its throat. Chances are anything it would have said would've been shot down again anyway. 'So this jackass is just gonna keep lookin' down on me?'

Starr barging in was a surprise, and from the sound of it she was way more distressed than anyone else here. Finally, someone who was actually acting the way they should! Like this was a problem! It probably would have been too much of Puddle to ask her to hit either Bahamut, Tempest, or Joule, unfortunately.

Diyem glared at Starr, narrowing his eyes. He flicked his hands, like he was considering something, but then held off. "...As it stands," he said, "I simply don't have the power to bring them back. They are trapped there."

Of course... Fucking of course Vix was trapped. Maybe she'll die in there for real and Puddle would never fucking know, or worse, be stuck there forever without it being able to reach her. "Of all the incompetent..." it muttered under its breath and growled.

"Please," he whispered. "You have to focus. You're not yourself right now."

"So you can give a fuck about her, but no one else?" Puddle scoffed, crossing its arms. "It's a miracle."

 

[Ambyssin]

It was pointless. Their mind was completely subsumed by grief. "I'm sorry," Bahamut mumbled. "I've spent far too long grieving myself. I understand your sense of rage well. And, perhaps, if I were in your place, I would find a way to twist everything said to me into something negative. It's my nature, after all." He shook his head. "I'm not the person to turn to for comfort. There are others here who are better for that than me.

"In the mean time, I just want to make sure nobody does anything to make this situation worse." He glanced at Joule. "For all we know... he could actually be the key to helping Diyem with his predicament."

After all, if light had mixed with Joule's shadows to give the team their powers, who's to say what could happen if two of the primary sources pooled their powers together?

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Look at me." Diyem gestured toward himself. "I do not. They will be trapped there... indefinitely, until I have a means to conjure their bodies again. Or perhaps not at all." He looked down. "I'm sorry."

Falling. Falling into a bottomless void. It was like the floor had dissolved beneath her and there would never be any soild ground ever again.

Starr's voice was a low growl. "What kind of power do you need."

 

[Namohysip]

"Enough," Diyem snapped, shooting a small beam of Shadows at Puddle. Even that, it seemed, drained him, and he slumped over to catch his breath. "Enough infighting... The benefits you give me with the negative energy outweighs the drawback of the lack of synergy you all have. It's more likely to power the Blacklight than me..."

Starr's voice was a low growl. "What kind of power do you need."

Diyem tensed, looking at Starr, then down. "Typical darkness is one way. I can build it up and slowly recover... but I do not know how long that may be."

Maple tended to Joule again. "If only he'd given his power to Diyem somehow," she said.

"It'd be... too volatile, I'm sure..." Joule tried to move, but he was still in too much pain. Millijoule, peering out from within Maple's bag, frowned and looked between them all.

"...But there is... another way," he said. "But to revive them soon... as quickly as I can, I would need..." His gaze hardened. "...to go to the Tree of Life."

Maple's expression was like ice.