Poppin' Arms Guild ~ Infirmary

[Ambyssin]

"What are you talking about?" Red and orange were explosively bursting around Bahamut's eyes. "She damn well better believe you. That's the definition of an emergency. Someone should be ringing alarm bells over this."

He was doing a remarkably good job keeping his voice down given he was internally screaming. Even if Eternatus wasn't the one he knew, it was still emitting bizarre, nullifying auras. If it was inside the Tree, it could be transmitting that energy through it. Who's to say it wouldn't corrupt Diyem or Arceus? Or his allies when they got revived. Would they turn gigantic like Sushi or Sashimi? Or mutate into hideous daemons like Darkwhite? Neither of those were pleasant, but there was also no telling what would happen the longer it was allowed to stay there.

"What makes you think she wouldn't believe you?" Bahamut's tail came dangerously close to lashing at the empty bed behind him. "You really think she'll see it as you conjuring up an excuse to destroy the Tree?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Her world was destroyed, Bahamut, by an entity nearly identical to me, and it was done by going to the Tree and removing it from the world. There is no telling if the same thing could potentially happen again, from her eyes. And..." Diyem lowered his voice. "I am sensing something odd about her ever since I'd arrived. I do not know what."

 

[Ambyssin]

"You mean the fact that she's not a smeargle? I've seen her 'flesh' rippling and pulsating like some sort of suit." Bahamut's ectoplasm quivered. "There's some sort of... unwieldly creature inside of there. Something that wouldn't be out of place within the Eternatus of my universe."

He crossed his upper wings and bowed his head. "But putting that aside... I can't exactly blame her for such a reaction." His head tendrils shrank. "She's probably traumatized. And it's a trauma she's never gotten to work through. You. The Tree. They're both triggering for her." He sighed. "But letting Eternatus stay in the Tree could lead to the exact same result. And while I suppose some of us can scout the area, it's now a much riskier venture in my eyes and, as desperate as the team is to reunite, I cannot in good conscience recommend we take you to the Tree while Eternatus is there."

Bahamut tapped his chin. "Unless you think that, even in this weakened state, you have some means of dealing with it. But I strongly doubt that's the case. Otherwise, you'd have told us, no?"

 

[Namohysip]

Diyem grunted, looking away. Something was definitely bothering him, but that was a lock on his heart that wouldn't break so easily. "I do think that Maple's suggestion to not get too close to the Tree, and only act on its perimeter, would make it safer than expected. And we can still comply with Maple's demand I don't get too close. Drawing from the roots would be safe enough... But in the end, we will need to perform an assault on the Tree at some point. Otherwise... yes, its power will only grow, and it could potentially turn this world into... what became of yours. But if we strike the Tree, Maple will react badly. We have to do it when she is not aware."

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut frowned. His head tendrils shrank. "I would ordinarily agree with you, but..." He glanced off to the side. "Now I'm... not so sure." He tucked his head down. "Things have been successful... because, even with clashing personalities, the team has succeeded through cooperation. Withholding that information and sneaking to the Tree like that... feels like an antithesis to everything we—" He stopped himself. Because he knew what he saying wasn't accurate.

"— sorry, that the others have worked toward. Cultivating relationships with one another... and with the people of Cibus as well." The green and pink in his eyes expanded. "This is still their planet. They deserve to know the truth and to help if they want to." Bahamut gazed out the window. "I can't say if that's what the others would want. However, my gut tells me that if we revived them and you told them we'd have to betray our hosts' trust to launch a sneak attack on the Tree, they wouldn't take it all that well."

He gestured out the window toward Destiny Tower. "I don't know all the details, but I hear a few folks ran themselves ragged trying to devise something that would keep Arceus from having to face Joule's Light That Burns the Sky. Do you really think they wouldn't try to find another option for this? And I say that as someone who, if I had the means to, would blow that tree up myself if it meant taking Eternatus out."

 

[Namohysip]

"...Nnnngh..." Diyem clearly could not fully empathize with this. "If Maple reacts badly, she will try to halt us from going there, no matter how correct we are. That is the risk we are running by telling her. But..." He glanced away. "If you truly believe that we can tell her, then I ask you at least gather Team Spectrum first, in a place where Maple cannot hear you. A conference among you all. I am strong enough to facilitate telepathy between us. Perhaps when we have the power to bring back the others, we can do that next.

"At the very least, I want to visit the Tree's edge to gather some power back. If Arceus needs it, too, then... perhaps we can sort something out. But to fight Eternatus or Maple, we need everyone, regardless."

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut crossed both sets of wings. "If the team is truly to be consulted, then they need to be included." He pointed right at Diyem's tiny chest. "I'm not looking to pull something boneheaded," he gestured to Icetales' statue, "but I would at least like to broadcast a message to them. So they understand what the situation is."

 

[Namohysip]

Diyem nodded, then turned away. "...Very well," he said, "but make sure to be careful who you tell, and... and..." He winced. "And... what did Icetales do upon entry?" He winced harder and stood up. He staggered off the medical bed and around the room, where he'd apparently found something. "Excuse me--"

A horrible sound followed, like Diyem was snapping his bones and growing his whole body for some horrible act, and then a groan and an unholy roar. Something was coming out of his throat. It landed on the ground with a heavy thud. Shadows flooded the ground of the infirmary room. "Oh... that's where that one went..."

Diyem, shrinking back down to a Charmander, collapsed in front of an unconscious Pancham.

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut’s expression blanked. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Do I need to perform an exorcism?”

He poked the pancham with his tail.

 

[BlackHairedPsycho]

After a few pokes, Pana's eyes snap awake. She jumps up, stomps on the offending tail to keep Bahamut from moving, and grabs the closest Pokemon, Diyem, pulling him closer. The glare she gave him could have made a wild Tauros think twice about charging.

"Who are you!? Where am I!? Where's my team!? WHY AM I STICKY?! ANSWER ME!!" She starts shaking him violently.

 

[Ambyssin]

Being larger had its advantages. Like easily sliding a tail out from under a tiny leg and taking hold of Diyem from an angry pancham. “Please don’t harass the thing that’s keeping us both alive right now. Especially when he’s clearly unconscious.”

 

[BlackHairedPsycho]

The black energy pooling around her body seemed to disperse a little. She took a quick look at her surroundings before turning to Diyem.

"What the hell is going on?"

 

[Ambyssin]

Yes, sure, ignore the big ethereal dragon to address the tiny unconscious charmander. That was an excellent plan.

Bahamut rubbed his temples with his upper wings. “You’re on a planet called Cibus. You were summoned here at random to help save it from a crisis. But this numbskull,” he pointed to Diyem, “bungled up your summoning so you arrived months after the rest of the team... half of whom are stuck in hell and we’re currently trying to revive.”

 

[BlackHairedPsycho]

She lets go of Diyem, before turning to Bahamut. She took a deep breath before continuing.
"Okay... next question. Why am I sticky?"

 

[Ambyssin]

“He puked you up like a rotten piece of meat.”

 

[BlackHairedPsycho]

"...Are you sure I can't kill him?"

 

[Ambyssin]

“Very sure.”

 

[BlackHairedPsycho]

"...Fine." The black energy completely dissipates.
"I'm Pana."

 

[Ambyssin]

"Bahamut."

The back of his head prickled. Right where his eight-pointed star insignia was. There were people far better suited for this— for introducing someone new this nonsense. But the teams friendliest faces were either stuck in hell or — he stole a quick glance at Icetales — decided now was a good time to vacation there. And the ones who were still here and could be considered friendly faces were either working through the results of yesterday's battle... or off in their own little worlds and likely to confuse Pana more than help her.

Bahamut needed to do something. He looked around the room and noticed a cabinet in the corner. A quick flick of an upper wing opened it to reveal towels stacked neatly on the top shelf. There were even bars of soap. Bahamut telekinetically grabbed one of each and brought them to Pana's side. "First things first... I think there should be a bathroom in here if you want to clean yourself up. And I'll, erm, contact your new teammates and let them know you're here."

As he went for his badge, a chilling thought ran through his head.

By the stars, I'm becoming Owen.

 

[BlackHairedPsycho]

"Oh thank Arceus."

She grabs them and goes to wash herself off.

"I'm probably gonna be in there for a while. Just to make sure I get it all out. Dragon spit tends to stick..."