Sand Continent ~ Isle of Light

[Cresselia92]

Icetales stayed silent during the entire meditative session, not wanting to disrupt Bahamut’s efforts to help Maple cope with her long lasting pain. He closed his eyes as his mind wandered temporarily to his own world.

Borealis. Ah, what a lovely continent. The auroras shining so bright over the land, snaking through the mountains and caking the snow with rainbow lights. Fresh air rushing through his fur, bringing pleasant scents from far away, and making his entire body feel… alive.

And then… there were no more auroras. The winds grew merciless, bitter, sharp. Darkness permeated the entire continent, with the royal residence as its epicenter. Aching jolts coursed through his heart, the dismay of seeing his own home ruled by a tyrant and… the regret of not being able to do anything to prevent that.

A shadow. Borealis was a shadow of its former self. And Tenth… did nothing more than run away…

Icetales’s ears twitched when he heard Bahamut tell about Eternatus and the Tree of Life, and when he reopened his eyes he was shocked to see his comrade begging to Maple.

Silence. There was silence after that.

Icetales felt tingles under his paws, his own shadow encouraging him to chime in. To lend his voice.

“…I am… painfully aware of what it means to lose thy home, Miss Maple,” started Icetales, letting his own pain speak for him. “To desire to have the strength to preserve its purity and the pleasant memories gives off. And… failing to accomplish this task.”

The Ninetales looked at the floor, his tails flailing. “Many of us… are aware of that pain and find themselves unable to move on. And yet, despite our different origins and our different mindsets, somehow, we all are here together. And… we all want the very same thing: to keep Cibus safe, and make sure that it does not lose its luster.”

Icetales stared intently at Maple. “Whether we did this out of duty, or because we wanted a chance to redeem ourselves, or for some other reason… that is not relevant. The crux is that we have given everything for the sake of this world, with some of our comrades even giving up their own lives to protect it from…” He paused, wanting to tackle the topic in a delicate way. “…the Blacklight infesting the souls and minds of unfortunate targets. And yes… Eternatus is among them.”

Icetales took a deep breath, both to steady himself and to let his words sink in.

“We have done everything and more to be of help. We do not want this world to succumb to the same raging forces that have affected some of us. We do not… want the inhabitants of this world to go through what we went through. But with some of our comrades, well, lacking physical bodies, the entire cortège has suffered a massive damage. The cohesion and power that allowed us to pull off miracles and to efficiently keep this world safe… is not there anymore.

Icetales bowed with respect. “Which is precisely why we are here. To… ask for your help and guidance,” he motioned toward everyone with his leftmost tail, including the newcomers, “so that we can help this world. Because… this is what our hearts tell us.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Luz approximated a long blowing-out of breath. There was so much riding on this moment, and Maple's expression was hard to read as she heard out first Bahamut, then Icetales. They talked about terrible loss, sacrifice, suffering... What could Luz say to follow their words? She hadn't experienced loss like that. Not for the first time, she wondered what Brisa would want her to do...

But Luz had never figured out how to be what Brisa wanted. Neither could she pretend to have the countless years' lived experience of the venerable souls around her. She was, and could only be, the shade of Luz Escarpa.

What would Luz Escarpa say?

Luz held Maple's inscrutable gaze. They'd had a conversation not so different to this before, hadn't they?

"We're yer best bet at gettin' yer fella back in one piece, and we're tellin' ya, we're up fer it. I'm bettin' on us. You should too."

Luz had been . . . hopeful, honest, and brave. Maybe that would work this time, too.

"As far as I can tell, Diyem ain't expectin' to ever get his lover back safely. He's committed to destroyin' her t'save Cibus, whatever anguish it'll cause him. But his posse, the souls he gathered t'be Team Spectrum, are the kinda folks who'll try fer an ideal outcome, no matter that it might seem hopeless. That's what we did fer Darkwhite, and what we did fer Joule, and what I'm sure we'll do fer Eternatus Eien. We're certainly brave enough to believe it can be done.

"We need our friends back from th'Voidlands if we're t'keep fightin' Blacklight threats. That's the first part of the plan. The second is that the energy from the tree that ain't allocated t'that oughta be spent on whatever's best fer Cibus, 'stead of lettin' it get consumed by Eien while she's corrupted.

"The posse's consensus is that it probably oughta be used fer restorin' Pop to good health, assumin' y'all and the people of Cibus agree. A couple pals of mine're in Destiny Tower checkin' out the fella's journals, t'see if he might've wanted Cola t'be empowered instead.

"And, it's true, the energy could be used fer Diyem, who could also pierce Eien's nullifyin' aura. But he, and the team, know that doin' that wouldn't be a good look, given this world's history. Still, the team can get strong enough to take on Eien even if Diyem remains weak."

Luz took a step forward, arms open, eyes bright.

"We're askin' fer yer counsel, yer blessin', and yer faith. Doin' this is the best hope fer Cibus' continued safety, and I hope you'll be alongside us fer this, in body and in heart. You've bet on us before; I'm askin' ya to do that again."

 

[Namohysip]

Maple looked like she had wanted to interrupt several times during their speeches, which despite how well composed they were, Maple had a feeling had not been rehearsed all that much, if at all. Joule holding her side, pulling her back down to think and listen and perhaps breathe, was what let them finish their talking. Millijoule and Truffle looked almost as shocked as Maple did by the time it was all over, and Maple, too stunned, only stared at her hands as she processed it all.

"Eternatus... is inside the Tree of Life, right now?" Millijoule said. "And Arceus, Xerneas, and everyone else had not noticed it, had not seen it? How?"

"Perhaps the same energy used to nullify our powers also nullifies detection," said Truffle. "I certainly know how much we struggled to so much as detect Shades, and those were only slightly related to all of this. I'm still not sure how they were hidden so well."

Maple took a slow breath, falling back to the meditation that Bahamut had encouraged. "...Then, you really are asking to visit the Tree, as Dark Matter's... allies. To draw power from it, to..."

Joule held her a little tighter, pulling her until she was pressed against his crystal torso, and then she was finally able to relax.

"You know," Joule said in his rattling whisper, "trying to take down Eternatus... this Eien that Diyem cares so much for... to save the world?" He ran a crystal finger along her shoulder and she leaned against him. "Quite... familiar, isn't it?"

"Don't say that," Maple said weakly, unable to look at any of them. "Dark Matter wants to go to the Tree, I can't--if it's to fight Eternatus, it would damage, it would--"

And again, Joule held her, ran his claws through her fur, seemed to peck his crystal forehead against hers. Every movement, from what Bahamut could certainly tell, was a strain, a toll, a quiet agony, but he did it regardless.

"...The Tree," Millijoule said while the pair quieted. "If we can draw its power from the perimeter, is it still safe to investigate? Is Xerneas in danger?"

"It may be too late and we don't even know it," Truffle said. "How can we approach the Tree without alarming or setting off any warning signs? Are we capable of fighting Eien right now, as we are?"

"Certainly not," Millijoule said. "We have to revive Team Spectrum! They won't be at their best right upon their return. We need to be... stealthy and covert about it. Frankly, I wouldn't have blamed Diyem if he hadn't told us at all. Maple would surely--ah..."

"...I would," Maple admitted, looking down. "Now that there's a possibility the Tree has always been in danger, already infected... how--how sure is Diyem of this?"

 

[Ambyssin]

"One-hundred percent." Bahamut's head still lay on the sand as he spoke. "He specifically said it was the Tree's core, which is why he thinks the outside should be safe. He was actually quite adamant that we not attempt to go into the Tree. He is... fearful of Eternatus." He lifted his head slightly to glance at Luz. "And it's as Luz and Joule say. Diyem believes that Eien is the exception to the rule of Team Spectrum freeing people from corruption. That it is an impossible task. That if we kill her, the Tree will go with her as collateral damage. But freeing her could just lead her to attack the planet."

He slowly rolled onto his back, staring up at the harsh sunlight Groudon created. "I can only speculate as to why she is there. Perhaps the Blacklight wants to siphon the Tree. Or perhaps Eternatus, with the last bits of her free will, chose to hide herself away in fear of losing control. She may be trying to use the Tree to ward off the Blacklight from overtaking her will completely."

Bahamut sighed, releasing a cloud of gray mist. "But you know my teammates. They do not believe in the impossible task. Futility may as well be a foreign language to them. If there is an alternative, they will try to find it." He tilted his head so he was looking at Maple upside-down. "You know the Tree better than we do. And I'm sure Cibus natives do, too. If anyone could guide the team to that alternate path... it's you."

 

[Cresselia92]

Yes, that general reaction from the members of the God Squad (and Millijoule) about the status of the Tree of Life was not too surprising. Though, Maple took the news a bit better than expected — Joule’s presence gave her comfort, and that heartened Icetales somewhat. Who knows what would have happened if he did not make it…

The Ninetales shook his head. No, there was no need to even entertain those thoughts, but rather to consider how similar the current circumstances were. If they managed to rescue Joule in the past, then perhaps there was some way to free Eien from her Blacklight corruption.

But… which way? How could they even start working on that potential solution without a single lead?

“…Where there is a will, there is a way,” said the Ninetales at last, swaying his tails in slow and gentle motions. Sparkles of Radiance flickered around them, making them glow brightly under Groudon’s sunlight. “I concur that the entire situation is… most concerning, but if we can find a way to free Miss Eien of her corruption, then by heavens! We must take it! And who knows, she could even give us more insight about the Blacklight and help up purify other unlucky victims.”

He leaned forward, his gaze full of hope. “And the help of the God Squad would be most beneficial. As Sir Bahamut just said, you all and the inhabitants of Cibus know about the Tree of Life more than the cortège, and such knowledge is plenty valuable. Especially… if some scouts were to assess the situation by venturing into the Tree itself and verify Sir Diyem’s claims, as well as study what is the extent of Miss Eien’s prowess and potential damage caused to the tree itself.”

Before anyone could object, Icetales lifted a forepaw. There was more to be said and he didn’t want to be interrupted, in order to avoid misunderstandings.

“I am not suggesting to entrust Team Spectrum with such an important task, but we want you to consider this proposal very carefully.” His voice became more serious. “We do not know with who we are dealing with, nor how to operate under the current circumstances. Gathering information is imperative in order to elaborate the most effective plan to solve the current situation. Team Spectrum might not be strong enough — not yet, at least — but nothing should stop us from preparing ourselves ahead of time. What we must do… it is to cooperate for the common cause.”

 

[Namohysip]

"A way to save the Tree... to save Eternatus, even? I... I don't know. This is a lot for me to take in." She looked down, steadying her breath, but at this point Joule felt that he no longer had to hold onto her. "I'll try. But I need time to... to process all of this. Everything feels as if we knew nothing all along. The Tree had always been infected? And we still have those spies Giovanni claims is among our ranks. We haven't made any headway there..."

"Is there a risk of the spy sabotaging something when we go to the Tree?" Millijoule asked.

"We would have to be on our guard," Truffle agreed. "How many others know about this so far?"

 

[Ambyssin]

"Aside from the team? We came to you first," Bahamut replied. "Had you not already been here, I'd have suggested going here for its, erm, desolateness."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

All things considered, Maple wasn't taking the news . . . as badly as she could've done. They were at least discussing things rationally! And the other God Squadders present were pushing on with the pressing practical priorities of the situation. Good.

Luz allowed herself a small smirk at Bahamut's comments on the impossible task. Now, that was true. And . . . it rang true for her. Luz didn't believe in no-win scenarios. That felt true.

This felt good. It felt hopeful. It felt like something the Wandering Light would do.

"If there's a way to save the tree, we'll find it. If there's a way to save Eien, we'll find it. There's nothin' gained by assumin' th'best outcomes are outta reach," she added, eager to back up Icetales' positivity. What a swell fella.

"As fer the spies," she continued, scratching her chin with arms folded, "I still ain't convinced that weren't a distraction to waste our time. But if there are spies, I don't believe it's any of y'all, an' Diyem is quite insistent that there ain't any in Team Spectrum's number, else he'd know by way of his telepathy. There's one person here we ain't asked fer an opinion on the matter, though!

"Joule. If'n ya had t'guess at the identity of a spy fer Giovanni, does anyone come to mind? Fer any motivation at all, you understand. Includin' extortion. There ain't much we know about that jackass, but we know he's ruthless."

She spat on the ground. The glob of darkness merely reconnected via her hindpaw.

 

[Cresselia92]

Spies. Yes, something that had been largely pushed to the sidelines after the whirlwind of events that transpired in the latest days.

Thinking of days… spending so long in the Voidlands had made him lose track of time.

…What day was that again? He had no clue.

Well, that was a trivial detail. He would have caught up of recent events with Petram.

…Petram. Oh, the poor pup. He must have been so worried. The Ninetales made a mental note to give him an experience worth an entire lifetime. As soon as he pondered about what to do, that’s it.

“Hm, yes. Having some spies hidden in the crowd is a concerning matter, too.” Icetales tilted his head. “…If someone were to investigate the tree, then it would be ideal to have an expedition comprised of at least three members. In that way, two pairs of eyes could pay closer attention and prevent any attempt of sabotage, if said spy somehow managed to sneak into the group.

“But speaking of the Tree of Life, there is still the matter of the energy transfer. As we discussed earlier, it would be ideal to deplete the tree of its energy, so that Miss Eien cannot drain it to increase her power further. Howbeit, who do you believe should be the receiver of such energy?”

 

[Namohysip]

desolateness

Down the hill, Groudon perked up, but then went back to lounging.

"...I don't know," Maple said to Icetales. "I'll... need time to think about what would be best. But if Team Spectrum is needed to combat the Blacklight even now, then perhaps they should be restored. I... I do not know about Diyem. And Pop, I am sure he would want to be restored as well. Perhaps... No. I need time."

Joule didn't urge her to continue. Instead, he seemed to be thinking about something else.

"...A spy, a spy..." Joule hummed, uncertain. "Well, for the most part, I did not see very much in the way of others beyond Giovanni and Darkwhite. And they seemed to be at odds with each other. I don't think Darkwhite was welcome."

"You know Darkwhite?" Truffle asked.

Joule nodded, or might have. It was hard to tell with his body. "Maple filled me in on the details. I do hope to meet Shield properly later..."

"I'm afraid I don't really know who the spies are," Joule said, "but I do know one thing--Giovanni sometimes spoke to someone, and it was usually at night. Sometimes in person, other times it sounded more like it was through a badge..."

Maple's expression darkened. "How many different voices did you hear?" she asked.

"...I'm... not sure. The voice was disguised. Perhaps a modulator. But at least two. One was a smaller voice. The other was probably from someone medium-sized. Possibly male."

"Two distinct voices..." Maple hummed. "No third?"

"No third, as far as I'm aware."

"A small voice and a male voice," Truffle said. "And the third one doesn't contact Giovanni, if there is one. And Darkwhite isn't one of them?"

"Certainly not."

"...What about a Charizard?" Maple asked.

"I remember seeing fire," Joule said, nodding. "But it was quite odd. He never spoke. I don't know what his voice sounds like."

 

[Ambyssin]

"They used a badge?" Bahamut managed to keep his voice a whisper, but sat up nonetheless. Humming in thought, he rapped his lower wings against the ground. "That's... not good. I don't want to sound paranoid, but there's a good chance that means they have connections with Chip. Or the guild in Destiny Village.

"Either way, I think it's in you and your team's best interest to stay relatively clear of the guild. And Chip's lab, for that matter." Bahamut looked at his badge. "We should probably continue using these, just in case an outside source is observing them. Otherwise they might realize we're catching on. But, push comes to shove, I believe Dark Matter and I should be able to work together to get out messages telepathically. If we wanted to be very cautious, we could discuss fake plans on the badges and real plans through telepathy."

He lay down on his side. "Hopefully I'm just worrying for nothing." This was only a talk, but it felt exhausting nonetheless.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Luz cracked her knuckles in turn. Spies. It didn't sit well with her. She wrote it off before, but...

"Well, at least we're movin' towards a plan. I'll do what I can to keep the team morale up and get the best of those that're left of us in condition to keep up the struggle. If I can. I trust you'll make the right call, Maple. And, Joule . . . I hope you'll be restored soon as well, partner."

 

[Ambyssin]

"Mmm. Yes. At least you won't be spending eleven centuries in that form." Bahamut shuddered.

 

[Cresselia92]

“Indeed. May the stars illuminate our path, my dear comrades.” Icetales bowed with respect at the God Squad. “We shall depart at once and inform the rest of the cortège, then. Please, take care.”

The Ninetales felt a pull under his paws — apparently his Shadow was tired of all that light. Then, he turned to the others. “I suppose it is time for us to go.”

 

[Namohysip]

Maple nodded gravely. "We will be careful. And... thank you, again. I will need time to think about all of this, but it will paint this visit to the Tree of Life in a very new light. I'm... still not comfortable allowing Diyem into the Tree. But if all he requires is being at its perimeter, and perhaps some coordination with Xerneas, I won't... object."

"And thank you for the kind words," Joule said to the others. "I will be fine. Really, it... isn't so bad. I've had worse. Now, you all take care. Perhaps, when I have a little more energy, Maple and I will pay the sun a visit. Then I will be in top form again!"

Truffle and Millijoule bid the team farewell. Once they were gone, Joule playfully nudged at Maple's shoulder. "That was very strong of you," he said gently. "Though... speaking of secrets. Why are you still in that form?"

"Oh?" Maple blinked, looking at her arm, then at Joule. "Oh. I... suppose I never got around to it."

Joule chuckled. "You were worried it would be corrupted like I was," he said. "I think you're safer now. Perhaps, once I am restored, you can get out of that cramped disguise."

"...After spending so long in it, I'm starting to grow accustomed," Maple admitted, adjusting her cap.

"Why not now?" Joule asked. "Perhaps we could..." He made another rattling whisper into her ear. When he was finished, she swatted him on the head.

"You're far too weak for that," Maple replied, averting her eyes. "...Later."

<><><>​

 

[Negrek]

The desert, as always, was blinding, not to mention fucking hot. Nate felt like his lifeforce was getting sucked out through his pores, which he had too many of because, obviously, fucking mudkip over here.

He probably should have come at night. Did Joule even sleep? Maybe when he was a dragon thing, but now that he was, like, some sort of modern art glass thing?

At least it wasn't going to be hard to find him. He was pretty obvious, with Groudon looming right there. Now there was a mon you could see from a ways off. Nate slogged through the sand in the earth legend's direction, Rocky trotting cheerfully along beside him. The familiar had insisted on coming to meet his... dad. If you could call Joule that. Rocky clearly wanted to, and Nate could only hope the familiar wouldn't make things too weird out here.

"Hey! How's the, uh, the light?" Nate called as they got close.

 

[Namohysip]

Joule without Maple was an odd sight for some reason. Yet there he was, half-buried in the sand, his glassy, prism armor looking much brighter than usual. Little ribbons of light coursed through them on occasion, and better still, when he turned, it was not sluggishly or with a general discomfort.

"Ahh..."

His voice was still rough to hear, though.

"Nate. Good to see you... The light is very good. I expect I should be able to... gather enough strength to sustain myself very soon. Very soon. The pain has been so much lighter. Now it's only a twisting feeling..."

 

[Negrek]

"Hi, Joule!" Rocky chirped.

"Oh." Right. Necrozma like that were supposed to be in, like, constant pain or something? Jesus. "Well, that's good to hear. I guess this is just... something that kinda happens to you now and again, huh?"

"I bet you're excited to go back to being a big dragon again," Rocky said. "Just like Milijoule! You'll be twins!"

The familiar looked down at Nate, who was trying to stay in his rather thin shadow. It really was bright out here. Rocky concentrated for a moment, and a long tendril of ectoplasm rose up from his hand, straightening and then flattening out at the top like a mushroom, until it looked like Rocky was holding an umbrella made out of the same shadowy stuff as him. Nate gave him one of those looks, but moved to be in its shade anyway.

 

[Namohysip]

"Ahh, I do look forward to it very much," Joule replied, making slow and deliberate movements to get into a sitting position. "Ahh... to be whole again..." His claws twitched a little. "Though, it appears that we are a lot different in size. His name does have a smaller sense to mine..."

 

[Negrek]

"Yeah. He's pretty big for a familiar, but not, you know." Even Bahamut wasn't as big as Joule was, or at least had been when he was super high on Blacklight.

"He's super nice, though! And he's supposed to be based on you, so you must be super nice, too." Rocky beamed. "But Milijoule is also kind of like your son or something, right? He got made from a piece of you."

"Uh, right," Nate said, looking askance at Rocky. "My impression was that chucking shades all over the place ain't exactly normal for you, but. Do you know anything about them at all? Do you have any kind of, you know... connection?"