Worldcore

[Namohysip]

"Don't seem like you got any interest in spying now. What, is this the part where you backstab Giovanni and go off to rule the world yourself or whatever the fuck?"

The strange thing seemed to settle again, that distortion narrowing, and just as Mellow took the image, it stared at her directly. She would feel something like a presence around her despite it not moving from its original position... But nothing else seemed to happen. Only, she heard a whisper that only she could hear.

Nice try.

The image looked the same as what they were seeing, perhaps more faded than what Team Spectrum could see.

"Let's get right to it an' hear yer agenda, yer demands, whatever y'got t'say."

The distortion in its voice settled down enough that it was comprehensible, yet the actual voice itself... It was hard to tell what it was, or who it was. It was a male voice. Perhaps. But it was distorted intentionally by Blacklight, or perhaps Eterna, energy. Could it truly be male, or just someone with a deep voice?

"I got bored, and I got confident," the spy replied with a shrug. "A little excited that part of the plan worked. And besides... I should let you in on a secret that Giovanni was trying to keep from you: Blacklight lives off of a lot of emotions. Pain, struggle, defiance. A mixture of confidence and negativity. All this... energized mistrust you have in one another only makes it stronger.

"So, I think I'll help. Mutual benefits. Raise the stakes. I'll help narrow down your suspect pool. In exchange... you make me stronger, just by having those little pieces of information rattling around in your mind. If you can find the two spies that aren't me... Well." He chuckled, bringing a limb forward. "I think it'll work out better for everyone.

"How's that sound?"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Who did this scoundrel think they were? Luz folded her arms and tilted her head back.

"Narrow it down, y'say? You plannin' on givin' us some cryptic hints, an' then feedin' off the dismay knowin' those hints causes?"

She relayed the info via telepathy, hoping that Brisa would hear and weigh in...

 

[Disco]

Mellow went still at the voice and looked up at the thing, then back down at the picture. That distortion... Maybe if there was a way to disrupt it?

 

[Namohysip]

"Narrow it down, y'say? You plannin' on givin' us some cryptic hints, an' then feedin' off the dismay knowin' those hints causes?"

"That's exactly my plan. But it's not really an offer you can refuse. If you can't find any of the spies... I don't think you have a chance. I'm only trying to help. I'm even going to give hints about who I am. That's more than generous, isn't it?"

"Get to the point," Cal growled, but Owen tried to calm her down by holding her shoulder. "No, let go! Do you really think we're gonna just stand here and let him taunt us like this?!"

"Oh, please, I know you're too weak to keep fighting. Good try, though. Alright, let's start with the first hint. Someone you've been talking to has been lying about what they're truly capable of. After all, it's not like just anyone can look like what I am now. You probably shouldn't be so trusting of what people say their limits are..."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Fine, folks might understate the limits of their abilities, that's no great secret," replied Luz. "That's if'n they even know their powers as well as they think."

She tapped her claws on her arm. It felt like no choice at all. May as well see what they could get. Right?

Grill 'em, came the terse sending from Brisa. Good enough.

"We'll take yer deal, apparition," she drawled. "Let's hear the rest."

 

[Phoenixsong]

Tiny arcs of lightning hissed around the vikavolt's jaws, more out of frustration and nerves than genuine preparation for an attack; she tried to remind herself to keep the building thunder wave back for now. If it didn't actually paralyze the entity, then all it would probably accomplish was sending it laughing off into the distance before they could catch it. Or invite it to turn around and stomp on them.

At least it was offering its "hints" largely on its own, the second-guessing game aside. Probably best to wait for it to chatter itself out before doing anything too decisive. But what else could they do? Was there anything else they could ask to try and verify what it was saying, or learn anything else important?

"Why did you help Sword back there?" she asked suddenly. "If you're working for Giovanni or for the enjoyment of yanking our chains or whatever, why would you save her?"

Had this thing actually been the one to help? Skara had no bloody idea; not like anyone had seen anything, aside from a brief moment of apparent confusion on Shield's part. Given that this was Cibus, it was entirely possible that multiple invisible-distorted-whatevers had been running around there. Still, information was information, whatever the creature's response might be.

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot stood at the back of the group. While he wasn't sure what to say to the spy in his tired state, he could think of one thing he could do that would potentially prove a suspicion he had for the past three weeks.

The Rampardos took out his badge and just like Mellow had done before, snapped a picture of the spy. Even if the figure would be hard to make out, it didn't matter. It was good enough for what he was trying to do...

[Coba > S'more]: We've just been confronted by one of the spies at the Worldcore. Have you or anyone at the guild ever seen a Pokémon like this?

 

[Namohysip]

"That's if'n they even know their powers as well as they think."

"Oh? So you think I'm some sleeper cell, and once this is all over, I'll not remember a thing?" The twisted entity waggled what might have been fingers, if it had one. "Here's another hint. The spies Giovanni has? ...I'm the only one who knows it. The others are pawns. That's why it's ever-so-easy for them to slip past your strategies. Well, aside from S'more. You got that one right."

"Why did you help Sword back there?" she asked suddenly. "If you're working for Giovanni or for the enjoyment of yanking our chains or whatever, why would you save her?"

"...And what makes you think I did that to help her?" the spy asked, his tone suddenly a little cold. "Who knows? Maybe... eh. Who cares. I used her to incubate some energy for me. Now that I got what I wanted, I repaid my debt. She was like that before I got to her, and I took advantage of the situation before getting her out of a jam. It's not like I'm evil. Besides." A wide grin spread across his distortion. "They seem like a cute couple, don't they?"

Cabot ended up getting a 'read' notification fairly quickly, but S'more didn't reply immediately. He might have been showing to around to others, or sharing it. Eventually, near the end of the spy's response, S'more said, 'I sent it to others who might know. I don't recognize that figure at all. Is everything okay?'

 

[Phoenixsong]

Now that I got what I wanted, I repaid my debt. She was like that before I got to her, and I took advantage of the situation before getting her out of a jam.

Skara clicked her mandibles. "Mm. I don't suppose you're going to elaborate on that 'debt'. Would you at least tell us how Sword did get into the Worldcore, if it wasn't you?"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Nobody just out an' says they're evil, pal," remarked Luz. "Y'gotta have a motivation of some kind. What's yer motive, then?"

 

[Negrek]

More inscrutable bullshit. Somebody trying to fuck with them, acting like they knew all the good shit and they'd give it up if everybody kissed ass hard enough. He could see Giovanni and this one being pals, for sure.

A load of bullshit is what it was. Nate wanted to turn around and leave right there; they were wasting time when they could be actually trying to track whatever "spies" down.

There was one thing he was dying to know, though. It seemed safe enough to ask. "We heard you were out snagging the regis earlier with S'more and that creepy mewtwo and another mewtwo guy who about looked like he was pissing himself in fear. Was that Giovanni? Don't hold out on me, now--you know if that was him I'm gonna treasure that image for the rest of my life, right?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Mm. I don't suppose you're going to elaborate on that 'debt'. Would you at least tell us how Sword did get into the Worldcore, if it wasn't you?"

"Yeah. Yeah, that was me." He shrugged. "Didn't expect it to get this bad, but that's how it goes sometimes. I bailed her out because killing her off wasn't part of the plan. She trusted me, after all. Why would I go around and break that trust? The golems were insurance so nobody got in the way. Giovanni didn't really have much use for them... Probably collected them on a whim. He's a real power-hoarder."

"Y'gotta have a motivation of some kind. What's yer motive, then?"

"Motive, motive, motive. Yeah, that's fair. I definitely have one, but that's not really gonna narrow it down, will it?"

and another mewtwo guy who about looked like he was pissing himself in fear. Was that Giovanni? Don't hold out on me, now--you know if that was him I'm gonna treasure that image for the rest of my life, right?

The grin got wider, but it flickered, like he was mulling over his options. "...Yeah. S'more was there. I was there. But, y'know?" He hummed, the static coming back to his voice as he considered how to answer. To lie? To tell a half-truth? Or to just mess with the Mudkip?

"No," he said. "That wasn't Giovanni. How's that for an answer? But, y'know, let's go back for a second. I like one of your questions. Because I get the feeling if I lean on this, it's gonna power me up. Motive. What is a motive? What would drive me to... do something this crazy? Maybe there's someone I lost a long time ago who isn't even in the aether. Maybe this Blacklight power can recover them anyway. Eh, Truffle?"

The Decidueye flinched. "E-excuse me?"

"I know all about the people here. Team Spectrum, God Squad, even the Cibus natives. This Blacklight power, if you know what it can really do, is... Well. Anybody would want it. It can tear open worlds and pry trapped spirits from their cold, dead, thousand hands. Truffle... your family was reincarnated. They aren't waiting for you when you die. And with the Blacklight, that could change."

"You're... you can't be serious," Truffle said.

"Of course, you could be me as well. Maybe I am you! A good-enough Substitute, and you'll be in two places at once. Standing there... and floating here.

"Or maybe Potluck?"

"M-me?" Potluck asked.

"Pining for someone that has been taken for hundreds and hundreds of years. Hoping that maybe one day she'll just glance at you the same way she stares at her mate. Hoping, deep down, that this was your one... shot."

Potluck was frozen stiff. He dared not look at anyone but the apparition.

"Maybe if you did something, you would have been able to be with her after all. Maybe there's still a shot? Speaking of which... Maple."

"I'm growing tired of your games, traitor," Maple said lowly, preparing a Radiant Crescent.

"Telum is still alive," the spy said, "and you know it. It must be so frustrating to not be able to find it, despite knowing that surely, as its Voice, it must still exist in the world of the living. You know, even if you aren't the spy... turning traitor, I'll happily give you an assist once I get what I want. Sorry that I'm toying with you now, but, you know. I still have a few missing pieces to gather."

The Smeargle answered with silence.

"Don't think I forgot about you, Soda." The presence looked at him. "Betrayed by a god and sealed away from your mate. Never knowing what happened. Imagine being able to have the power to get back at the god that took it all away?"

"F-fuck you," Soda wheezed, finally giving in and leaning against Owen when his strength gave out.

"And that's just a few of the people here! I'm sure you have more who are listening right now. Red, the trainer who lost his way from home. Maybe this is his only way back? Maybe Joule himself is finally bored of saving world after world, only to drift away and find a new place that isn't afraid of his power. You have another Necrozma among you who is the same way. Or maybe it really is Pop himself, looking for a new crisis to keep things spicy. Or, after his run-in with Dark Matter, is afraid his power is weakening, and now wants a new edge in life. Power only leads to wanting more power, right?"

"Enough!" Cal shouted. "You're just... trying to make us doubt ourselves!"

"Of course I am!" He sounded cheerful. "Oh, and let's not even forget you, Cal, or all of your... siblings. Doomed to die to Joule, is that right? Maybe this Blacklight can change that, if you'd work with me. Lots and lots of options if you just let me wrap things up here..."

 

[Disco]

Mellow picked up a rock and threw it at the apparition.

 

[Negrek]

Damn. Not Giovanni? Could be a lie, but, well. It hadn't sounded like Giovanni, neither. Fucking tragic.

And now the guy was going on with the whole dramatic backstory shit, blah blah work for me and I'll give you the universe, whatever. Nate tried to ignore it, but... damn, some of that was actually pretty spicy. Assuming it was true, which going by people's reactions, it seemed to be. Nate raised an eyebrow at Potlock while he felt around for his badge. From what he'd about Maple's true form... Jesus. No accounting for taste.

There was the badge. Nate pressed his hand against it and sent a telepathic message. Hey, Chip. That Mewtwo-tracker of yours pick anything up recently?

To the floating, buzzing thing, he said, "Ah, damn. That's a shame. I guess it was too good to be true. Anyhow, good luck getting enough power to pull that stick out of your ass. Real damn tragic and all. God knows the rest of us having to listen to you bitch about it sure is."

 

[Namohysip]

Chip's response came in a timely manner. Perhaps everyone was on high alert due to the initial reports.

'Yes, but it's just Karat fighting at the Colosseum. Giovanni and the creepy one are in the usual place.'

Meanwhile, the apparition shot a beam of blue light at the rock that Mellow had thrown, turning it into fine gravel that scattered on the ground.

"Really? Rocks?"

 

[Disco]

Mellow glared and prepared another rock in case he started causing trouble again.

 

[Negrek]

Got it. Thanks. Well, assuming that whatever that thing had been doing around the Worldcore required at least a bit of juice, that at least seemed like it ruled out a couple possibilities.

It was a long shot, given how fucked everything about this weirdo seemed to be, but Nate figured he couldn't let things go without at least trying to get a read at the guy. He squinted at the hazy mess of static, concentrating with all his might.

Nate used Foresight!

 

[Phoenixsong]

That. That was. A lot? Okay. "Casting blame on literally everyone here isn't changing the situation much, you know," Skara tried. "We've been concerned about quite a few of the major players in Destiny Village for a while, and we're well aware there are things we still don't know about the God Squad. Honestly. I thought you were going to help us narrow things down.

"Look, give us something to work with here. What even is this Blacklight nonsense? What exactly—not just 'power', not just 'fixing things', c'mon, you can be more interesting than that—do you think it's going to get you? What is it going to get you that working with people who aren't legendary-kidnapping megalomaniacs wouldn't get you? You've seen what we can do. However far off the mark you think we are from figuring you out, we've managed a lot more than Cibus itself has been able to." She tried to keep her gaze level on the thing's "face", nauseating as it was with the constant shifting and contracting and expanding. "We're supposed to be here to help people. That was what we all agreed to do when Diyem brought us here. Why spend all this time causing trouble instead of just asking for help?"

She could practically see Paldros and her grandmother glaring at her as she sassed the thing. Mists, this was stupid. But why not at least try?

 

[Ambyssin]

There was soft laughter from the back of the group. Possibly the mouth of the cave.

"It seeks to expand such an unstable energy because it craves miracles that it cannot perform." Coughs. Wheezes. A slow, rasping breath. "Perhaps the energy you all have taken to has gained a measure of sentience."

 

[Namohysip]

It seemed that Nate was not the only one trying. Owen looked like he was getting a passing headache now and then, his Blacklight powers getting disrupted. Wishkeeper in particular seemed to fizzle and fry out.

But for Nate, it seemed that he was not seeing anything. It was like there was nothing there at all when he attempted Foresight, nothing but a power, or a vague presence even less defined than what his eyes were telling him.

What even is this Blacklight nonsense? What exactly—not just 'power', not just 'fixing things', c'mon, you can be more interesting than that—do you think it's going to get you? What is it going to get you that working with people who aren't legendary-kidnapping megalomaniacs wouldn't get you?

"We're supposed to be here to help people. That was what we all agreed to do when Diyem brought us here. Why spend all this time causing trouble instead of just asking for help?"

"...You're right," the spy said, shrinking a little. "I guess I've been wrong this whole time. The power of love, friendship, and goodness has convinced me to give up my ambitions and lend my faith to you, Team Spectrum, to do my work instead."

Owen frowned, looking off. "Don't need my Perceive for that one," he mumbled.

"Here's the thing," the spy said, drifting only a foot closer, even though he was still several feet in the air. "For what I want to do, it requires a lot of power. The sort of power that can mess with whole worlds and more. Nobody's gonna trust anybody with that. Some of you don't trust God Squad with what they have already. Or Pop. Or any of the Legends. You're all from smaller-scale worlds where that sort of thing isn't the norm, or even believed. You won't let me do this, and I know it. Because if there's one thing that I can agree with Giovanni about... it's that power means everything.

"And nobody in power will trust you with something greater than theirs. Not at this level. If I want this... I have to do it myself. If you're not with me, then stand aside and let me do my work."

He drifted back again.

"The Blacklight... Not even I know what it really is. It's something that happened when the Shadows of Dark Matter combined with the Light of Joule. Not just that, but a a blend of a bunch of different energies. Five energies." Staticky laughter rippled through the air. "And now that Darkwhite's role is done... I have a hint of all five with me already. Maybe that's why I'm feeling so confident."

"Five," Owen latched onto that number. "Five energies. Shadows, Eterna--"

"Ah, ah." He clicked at Owen. "That info's off limits. Don't want you guys messing with that too much juuuust yet."

The spy drifted backward. "Getting bored. This was fun, seeing all your intense faces like that. But I think I'm about done here, y'know?" He shrugged. "I might have one last thing to say. Any last questions? Go on, I'm listening." He seemed to be leaning forward, holding back a laugh.