Tree of Life ~ Exterior

[Ambyssin]

Oh, right. Silver's team was apparently here. He totally remembered that. Except for the part where he didn't.

"Perhaps. Unless memories and subconsciousness works differently on Cibus." Bahamut grunted and shifted position slightly. "Everything works too different here. I can't say I'm used to it, because we've been here months versus the hundreds of thousands of years I've lived in my reality."

He shook his head. "Regardless, if someone intends to question him, do it during the daytime. And make sure the moon isn't visible." Bahamut looked skyward. "Just as I am powered by light of any form, moons give lunala added strength."

 

[Virgil134]

"Well, you're not wrong about things working too different here in Cibus," Cabot sighed. "But I'll keep that in mind about questioning him during the daytime. Maybe I'll try telling some of the others too, since I can't be the only one who's never heard of a 'Lunala' before any of this..."

The Rampardos sat down on the grass and stretched himself a little, before looking back at Bahamut.

"By the way, what's going on with Esper?" he asked. "He's been acting so bizarre, and I've told Pleo to just ignore any telepathic messages from him for now."

 

[Ambyssin]

"He has adopted the look and persona of a cultist from Etherium," Bahamut flatly replied. "Back home, he would lure people to their deaths at Eternatus' nonexistent hands. But here... he is completely harmless. I would suggest ignoring him. That's what I do."

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot blinked slowly for a moment. "Er... why did Esper do that? I don't know how much effort it takes for a shade to completely change form, but surely he knew he'd be turning into someone you'd consider an enemy. Is this one of his bad pranks or some attempt to spite you? "

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut sighed. “I believe that he was so horrified at what a monster I am that he went into stasis and re-emerged as someone whose thinking is warped enough to cope with my bloody memories.”

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot looked away as he tried his best not to visibly frown. "Right... that's a thing."

The Rampardos silently stared ahead as he thought of what to say. He'd promised himself before going to the tree that he'd try not to get upset at Bahamut, yet there was no denying that the way Bahamut had talked about his planet destroying attack when they first brought Diyem to the infirmary still bothered him.

"Do you regret any of it?"

 

[Ambyssin]

"Of course. But I believe humans liked to say that 'hindsight is twenty-twenty.'" Bahamut nonchalantly flipped an upper wing. "Think it has something to do with their eyesight." He shook his head. "Regardless, there are no excuses. Maybe others would act similarly if they were alone for dozens of millennia and chased off from every place they tried to make a home of, but that's nothing but an assumption."

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot seemed surprised for a moment, before a small smile formed on his face.

"That's good to hear at least."

The Rampardos shifted a bit. "You know, I think you've changed over the past few months." He paused. "And I don't just mean physically."

 

[Ambyssin]

"I think we all have," Bahamut responded, though he knew what Cabot was referring to. He was sorely tempted to bring up how whatever the rampardos perceived would be undone once he returned to his old body, but somehow managed to stop himself. "In some respects, I suppose that's good for the sake of the putting a stop to the Blacklight. Though I'm willing to bet some of the team would've preferred to not have to deal with things like a temporary death."

He stared at the Tree of Life, blue and purple spreading across his face. "What you experienced in the Voidlands... is more or less the environment I've spent the last eleven hundred years in. The big difference is that it can completely change on a whim... and has daemonic creatures lurking inside, waiting to lash out."

 

[Virgil134]

"I mean, that sounds pretty different from the place I went to," Cabot said as he scratched his cheek. "Diyem's Voidlands really aren't all that bad."

 

[Ambyssin]

"Is that so?" Bahamut tapped his chin. "I'd consider anywhere without sunlight or moonlight to be at least a pretty crummy place."

 

[Virgil134]

"Well, I certainly wouldn't want to live there, but I wouldn't really call it 'hell' either," Cabot explained. "It felt more like being in a massive, dreary looking waiting room. One where half of me would pass away the time with things like playing truth or dare with Garro and some of the other Void Shadows, while the other half would use that time to learn a few new tricks."

The Rampardos looked at his hand as he made shadows rise up from it, before clenching his fist, causing the shadows to dissipate.

 

[Ambyssin]

"Ah, yes. Everyone loves their Blacklight powers." Bahamut stretched his neck before settling back against the tree. "Even if they make you explode or manifest your inner daemons as creatures with their own sentience." He paused. "I wouldn't say anyone's gone on a full-fledged power trip, but it must be nice for all of you to be so much stronger than you're used to in your homes." His lower wings slowly crossed at the base of his crystal torso. "I'd say I'm the only one on the team who took a substantial hit to his power in this second-hand body. Perhaps Dark Matter felt it necessary.

"He says he can't send us home as he is now... but part of me wonders if we ever properly left." Bahamut rubbed his beak with a wing. "I mean... he basically stuffed our memories into bodies that he constructed. It's not that far off from what Arceus did in creating Cola."

Yes, if he looked at it that way, then he was actually a knock-off of the real Bahamut. One who was destined to die as soon as the job on Cibus was done. Perhaps the shade now thought that, too...

 

[Virgil134]

"It depends on how you look at it. Back home I could take a lot more hits, and I definitely didn't get so tired so easily when fighting," Cabot replied. "Also, my shadow isn't sentient."

He shook his head. "And what are you saying exactly? That you think we're all clones?"

 

[Ambyssin]

So, perhaps the pokémon in Cabot's world had less power behind their attacks? Or were just sturdier? Either way, Bahamut imagined he could cut them down effortlessly in his real body. Especially if there was a light source. But that was neither here nor there.

"It crossed my mind," Bahamut said. "But perhaps that was just the ramblings of an old geezer. Even if we've been together for several months now, I can't say I'm used to being around people after so long on my own. Not that I make for pleasant company anyway. It's why it's fitting for me to be out here. This eternatus and I have only six degrees of separation, as ironic as it is."

 

[Virgil134]

"Well, you're not always an easy 'mon to get along with, that's for sure," Cabot sighed. "We sure have butted heads a lot these past few months..."

His gaze drifted down towards his feet for a moment, before looking back up at Bahamut with a small smile.

"How about we start over?" the Rampardos asked. "We've both changed, and if Pleo's willing to give you a chance then so am I."

 

[Ambyssin]

There wasn't any physical headbutting involved, but Bahamut got Cabot's point. Though it did make him wonder if Cabot enjoyed butting heads with fellow... hardheaded pokémon like the cranidos and rampardos that Bahamut had seen in his universe.

"That works for me." He offered a lower wing for a shake, only to realize it was disproportionately large for Cabot's arms. Bahamut folded the wing back over his chest. "Unfortunately, I'm still on Tree duty for your Worldcore mission, but I believe the shade will go in my stead." He looked at the Tree. "I'm sure Dark Matter's girlfriend being stuck in there has nothing to do with it." There was thinly-veiled sarcasm behind his words.

"In any event, best of luck trying to retrieve Darkwhite. Or Sword. Or both?" He chuckled to himself. "I'm afraid I've lost track of it at this point."

XxX​

 

[Disco]

Raven soared overhead, her eyes peeled for a glimpse of Bahamut. She'd been traveling for a few days and seemingly overnight had become something bigger, and stronger. Mellow evolving must have been why... Her sister didn't really want to talk about it much. She'd visited, briefly, but the Florizard was much too distracted by studying. So here she was, back at the Tree of Life, and with several packages in tow to share with her friend.

Hopefully he was here, and not off-duty...

 

[RJR Basimilus]

Seyka lazily glided through the air, not caring where he ended up. The Skarmory's head was completely and totally empty, and that was fine with him.

He spotted the Charizard flying along, and recognizing it as a familiar, sidled alongside in the air.

"Do you think," he started without any introduction. "-that when this is all over, they'll make statues of those pokemon in team Spectrum? Imagine that, what a tribute." He laughed.

 

[Disco]

Raven blinked at the Skarmory as he approached. He wasn't someone she recognized right off the bat, but then he mentioned Team Spectrum and she brightened. "Perhaps! It would be nice for all of them to be remembered. At the very least, they will be talked about for quite a long time." The feathery looking Charizard looked down again, searching for Bahamut, but continued, "Are you a part of Team Spectrum?"