Thankfully, the half of the entourage following Adnea made it back to the Crossroads in one piece by the time the sun was starting to set over the horizon and everything was getting basked in dimness, and according to the Orbeetle, Rush and Shar's half had pulled off a victory and were heading back too. Astrid and Raijin both were silent as could be, and Azra was taking the greatest care not to jostle Polly too much. For as boisterous as the Gnarly Brigade members were at first, they quieted down quite a lot after the battle against Void's emissaries. Everyone had quieted down- the most talkative was Lazuli, but even then, her words were only simple statements or inquiries like 'Is she still okay?' in reference to Polly and 'Hey, it'll be fine!' if Astrid made a whimpering sound, all of which were cheerful on the surface but melancholy underneath.
A certain Blissey and Alcremie were out and about and took notice of them fairly soon after they all set foot within the town's limits. Ama gave a cheerful greeting and a wave while Millicent made a little heart shape with her hands, and Lazuli gave them a wave back.
"Hello, you lovely darlings~!" Ama called, skipping closer with her tiny cream fairy comrade in tow. "Normally I wouldn't expect to see you all out so late! Did something happen?"
"Oh, you wouldn't believe the day we've had, Ama," Lazuli piped up, grinning slightly awkwardly.
"Oh~?" Ama chirped, looking them all over. Though shortly, she noticed Seth's dents, Azra's cracks, and the hapless lump of feathers that the latter carried and quickly exclaimed, "Wait a second! Is that Polly?! Good heavens, let me see her!"
Azra crouched down and let the Blissey see, and instantly, a Soft-Boiled glow was emanating from her egg. Millicent got a surprised expression too and ran over, a soft scent of Aromatherapy wafting from her as she gently stroked the Chatot's head.
"Okay, I see it now, you all must've had one ugly battle!" Ama cried, taking the egg from her pouch and nudging it as close to Polly as it would go. "What happened?!"
"Oh, it was a gnarly one, alright," Seth chimed in, clicking his pincers together and sounding more fed up than anything.
"We got ambushed by some of those damned emissaries of Void's," Azra remarked, growling just under his breath.
"The memories will explain far better than anything else can," Adnea noted flatly, shaking her head a bit.
Of course, Adnea didn't have to explain anything to the ones with her, but whatever memories that the two sweethearts were seeing made them both get shocked expressions, Ama especially. The tiniest of squeaks left Millicent's mouth, hardly any sound behind it, but it was definitely noticeable coming from a creature that never talked. Astrid couldn't help but think that the Blissey's expression was just as agonized as it had been on Starry Peak after the egg-smashing and blushed a bit under her feathers.
"… Oh!" Ama exclaimed, blinking a few times. "How terrible! Why, I thought Squad Fourteen-Five was problematic, but those two…!"
Millicent shook her head, looking reluctant and making a few gestures with her hands.
"Millicent, run back to base for me and tell Chira and Jingle to grab two boxes of my eggs," Ama instructed the Alcremie next to her. "These dears could definitely use some."
Millicent nodded and shortly was waddling away as fast as she could.
"Hey, speaking of your teammates, you think Chira would mind if I went and bothered her for a little bit?" Lazuli inquired.
"Oh, not at all," Ama answered. "I'm sure she'd love to be bothered."
At that, the Azumarill was darting off after Millicent, who made a few more hand gestures. Lazuli apparently knew what the little cream fairy was 'saying' too, for the others could hear a few laughs coming from Lazuli as the two of them made for the pink, frilly base.
A little grunt came from Polly and she faintly piped up, "Oh, hell, I could definitely go for a Blissey egg about now…~"
"Well, here's one right here, darling- let me share my love," Ama cooed over the Chatot, giving her a gentle pat on the head. "Seth, dear, could I borrow a pincer for a second~?"
The Scizor obliged, giving the egg a little tap with one pincer to crack the shell. Ama pried a little hole in it and helped Polly get onto her feet to eat it, which the Chatot did with no protests while Ama kept her steady with one arm and gently patted her with the other. Polly definitely perked up more than she had earlier once she got a bit of the egg in her beak, and her eyes glittered happily as she scarfed down the white and yellow goop. Her broken wing was still hanging limply at one side, but apparently it wasn't bothering her so much anymore.
"Thank the gods for 'Mon like you and Rozen," Azra remarked haplessly.
"Well, someone has to spread love and joy, and clearly, you all need some," the Blissey chuckled, giving him a smile. The next moment, though, she started looking a little hesitant as she mused, "Though I am quite worried about that adorable little Frogadier…"
At the mention, Astrid winced and let out another dismayed cry, and Raijin shrank up with a twitch. Ama was quick to skitter closer to them both and throw an arm around them, and though it might have been a welcome comforting gesture, the two of them stayed hesitantly hunched up.
"If you lovelies need anything, you let me know, okay?" Ama mused, looking them all over in quick succession. "If that troublemaker Void wants to target you again, you can just shove me in front of you! Those Beasts can blast away at me all they want to and I'll just smile at them!"
"Oh, I'll be on the lookout for that, Ama," Adnea noted. "We've had an insider source on Void all this time, but now Void has the same on us. There are quite a few possibilities we'll have to consider going forward."
The Blissey gave her an understanding look, still carefully stroking the Chatot.
"Hey! You guys!" came the call of a familiar Fletchinder's voice.
A quick glance up revealed the other half of the entourage quickly catching up. Shar came gliding in with her body flattened out and arm fins to her sides to be more aerodynamic, Rush and Rozen perched on Dren's back, and Cinder and Riven weren't far off. Astrid was definitely relieved to see them all in one piece, but they definitely looked tired, and Dren looked downright perturbed.
Shar had a fairly deep gash in her chest that had obviously been only hastily healed, which Astrid guessed had come from the Kartana of the squad they'd been intercepted by, and Dren had twitching, wide eyes. Cinder had ruffled plumage and Riven's white feathers were clumped together from a sticky purple fluid that had obviously come from the Naganadel, and while Rush and Rozen were mostly fine, the former did look fatigued.
With a burst of light, Dren's Mega form faded and he went back to normal, but his eyes were still twitching and his body was shaking as if trying to move on its own accord. It definitely caught the attention of Adnea's half of the entourage, but the ones that been with the hulking dragon seemed to know what was going on well enough. The Orbeetle apparently did too, for she was swiftly looking him in the eyes while hers took a hypnotic glow.
"Calm yourself," Adnea instructed, the Salamence's eyes taking a glow too.
Rush snickered a bit, shooting the other half of the entourage a glance. "He smashed that glassy motherfucker, but obviously that process got him splattered at the same time," he explained to the others.
"It was gnarly," Shar added.
"'Smashed?'" Polly inquired, slightly incredulous.
At that, Adnea was showing the ones out of the loop exactly what it entailed- a Nihilego walled off behind several Reflects trying to avoid a furious-looking Mega Salamence with a Scrafty perched on his head, one of those Reflects shattering from a Brick Break, and then… the ugly aftermath of the glassy Beast taking a Zen Headbutt. A horrible metallic screech of pain had apparently erupted as the Nihilego's bell shattered like a glass ball being thrown against a rock, and spurts of toxic purple liquid had splattered across everything close by. The ones seeing the memories winced, Ama giving a little squeak of fright and Raijin twitching in discomfort.
The hypnotic glow faded from Dren's eyes shortly thereafter, and he too got a hesitant look. "I know they can't help being controlled by Void and Salem, but my rage just got the better of me…"
"Don't be sorry- the fewer Nihilegos going around spreading Void's influence, the better," Raijin piped up, albeit still rather subdued.
"Hey, if you're gonna feel sorry for anyone, feel sorry for that team's lead," Rush remarked, shaking his head with an amused look.
Shar and Riven both got shifty looks at the mention, and Adnea showed them a few more memories- Riven getting a pained look at the Venoshock coating his feathers while also bashing the Naganadel with a Wing Attack… straight into the claws of an Outraging Garchomp. The draconic Beast evidently had seemed to realize the trouble that Shar was about to give far too late, and thus a metallic cry had come from the Kartana, whose blades turned on Shar too as more poison from the Naganadel was splattered about with the furious swinging of her claws.
Shar chuckled. "That sharp little fella would've sliced my head clean off if Rozen hadn't put a Reflect in front of me, and I ain't got time for dyin', bwahaha!"
"Well, it still looks like you took a hit or two," Ama noted, eyeing the gash in her chest and skittering closer. "Aaaah, let me share my love and make you feel better! My Blissey tendencies are going wild right now!"
"Oh, I have some healing to do too- by all means, share your love, Ama," Rozen chuckled, then looking to Cinder, "Cinder, you know where I keep the splints and bandages- can you be a dear and go retrieve them for me?"
"On it," the fiery avian replied before quickly taking flight again.
It took a little bit of time for Rozen and Ama to get everyone perfectly back to normal, the Blissey singing happily while basking everyone in a warm healing glow. Even when Rozen noted that her wing had been broken in five places, Polly insisted that no, she didn't need to be put under by Adnea's Hypnosis or to swallow a Sleep Seed when Rozen went to setting the break, but nonetheless, she ended up with Ama's bandana stuffed in her beak to keep her squawks from rousing everyone within a 5 kilometer radius. Several cries of 'You can do it!' and 'Keep it gnarly!' from her comrades probably egged her on, but Astrid couldn't help thinking that, if her own wing had been broken in five places, no amount of mischievous encouraging from her comrades could've made her not opt to get knocked out before having it repositioned. It seemed like a dreadful process.
Nonetheless, once everyone was looking more vibrant, they bade each other goodnight and headed to their bases, though Ama of course had to give everyone a hug before scurrying back to her own frilly pink base. A box with about a dozen of the Blissey's eggs could be found by the door of both the Coalition and the Gnarly Brigade's base, which the expeditioners were certainly thankful for, though strangely enough, Lazuli was still nowhere to be seen. (Adnea assured them that she was fine, that she was merely visiting Chira, and the Azumarill most likely did not want her dealings talked about out in the open, which was reasonable enough.) It was definitely a relief to be back at the base where things were just as they had been earlier, though neither Astrid nor Raijin were making a sound. The others of the Coalition didn't have much trouble chattering to each other, though Dren was still acting a bit shy after going on a Mega-fueled warpath and Adnea was her usual stoic self.
Nonetheless, Rush shot the Starstorm duo a glance before the two of them went retreating back to the basement and inquired, "Hey, you two got a second?"
The ones in question perked up.
Astrid only gave a tiny nod, finding words difficult to get out.
"… Y-yes," Raijin said softly, shrinking up just a bit.
The Scrafty chuckled a bit at their shyness and motioned them outside, and they followed without a word. Astrid couldn't help fluffing out a bit, hoping that Rush wouldn't tell them off for what had occurred in the grotto, but at the same time, she wasn't going to protest it if that wound up happening… At least the streets were fairly quiet with just a few scattered voices filling the air from elsewhere. She wanted so badly to just… disappear, at least until the sinking, panicked feeling in her chest faded.
"A'ight, let me say this up front- I ain't about to cuss y'all out over what happened and it ain't gonna jade my opinion of either one of ya," Rush noted, giving them both fairly intent looks and leaning against the outside wall. "There's just a few things I think I should get outta the way before that high-and-mighty poisonous bitch has a chance to pull something on us."
The two of them nodded, easing up just a bit.
"First of all, I gotta ask you something," Rush said, turning to the Xurkitree. "Is it safe to say Arashi's probably drenched in Void's neurotoxin by now and he's probably gonna tell those asshats everything? Where to find Astrid, who our comrades are, all that shit?"
Raijin nodded, tapping his fingers together and shrinking up even more. "I'd be shocked if she passed on that."
The Scrafty looked fairly annoyed at the idea, but accepted it nonetheless. "Well, Adnea's definitely gonna be on high alert in case we get some unwanted company. Last thing anyone needs is for that purple-eyed asshat of a Delphox to go wavin' a purple flame everywhere and burn the entire goddamned town down to lure out Li'l-li'l Green, and I'ma be ready in case she tries it."
Astrid winced at the thought, instantly recalling the smoldering remains of the forest outside of Tranquil Town after Salem had torched it. She definitely didn't want to be near anything of the sort again.
"… And I guess I oughtta get this out of the way too," Rush remarked, taking a few steps closer. "Look, I've been doin' this shit for a while. Everyone has bad days, and sometimes, outright fuckin' terrible shit happens." He gave them both an amiably knowing look. "What I'm sayin' is, don't blame yourselves for this, a'ight? Obviously you're feelin' fuckin' awful 'cause your buddy is on hostile territory, and it's pretty fuckin' obvious that you are 'cause of how you both are actin', but beatin' yourselves up isn't gonna solve our problems. And if you wanna blame someone, blame me for tellin' you to go off in the first place. All of ya did what ya could, and can't nobody fault ya for that."
They nodded.
"U-um…" Astrid stammered, hardly above a whisper.
"What's up?" Rush asked, sticking a hand on her wing.
"M-maybe we should go see Delphi…" the Dartrix's voice trailed off. "M-maybe she can give us an idea o-of what we should l-look out for…"
"That's not a bad idea," Raijin concurred.
The Coalition lead nodded. "We can do that tomorrow- right now, I think y'all oughtta rest and clear your heads."
Two more nods. They definitely weren't protesting such.
Back into the basement they retreated, where Astrid fluffed out on her perch and Raijin slumped down against the wall next to her with one arm curled around her just a bit. Apparently he was still acting like someone might try to snatch the leafy avian up and vanish with her, but Astrid didn't mind and clutched one of his fingers with one of her feet. If one of her teammates was gone for the time being, she definitely didn't want to turn loose of another, even if she knew the likelihood of anything happening in their relatively much safer location was quite low.
She sighed. "… Arceus above, we must look pathetic right now."
"I feel pathetic," her comrade replied.
"Me too," Astrid haplessly concurred. "I'm not sure what the hell I'm gonna do without Arashi. Every time I get all freaked out when I talk to someone, I've always had him there to handle it… but I can't do that now. Heck, this entire Team Starstorm thing was his idea in the first place and I just went along with it, and now he's not even here…" She groaned and buried her face in her wings. "Ugh. We haven't heard from Tranquil Town since he sent that letter, but if I see any of them again, I have no idea what I'm gonna say… Probably nothing- I'll probably just stammer and fluff up like an idiot…"
"… I have no idea what I'd say to them either," Raijin concurred, shaking his head. "They all seem so nice, and the only interaction I've had with any of them is when I got into a fight with that Nidoking, and given what happened today… Urgh, they'd probably hate me if we ever crossed paths…"
"I doubt that," Astrid said to the contrary. "And even if they did… you're still my friend at the very least."
The copper-plated hand tensed up a bit as its owner said, "Well, that's good enough for me. That's plenty good enough for me."
The Dartrix sighed. "… Hey, Raijin."
"Hm?"
"Once this is all over… assuming Void doesn't find and kill us, and we're all still in one piece and functioning… what happens then? I mean, I know Ultra Space is gonna be a mess and all, maybe this world too…" A hapless, sardonic grin graced her beak. "And we'll probably all need some serious therapy… This might just be me, but… I don't want Team Starstorm to end. You and Arashi have had my back since day one, and… you're my friends and I care a lot about you both. I might be terrified of what Void is gonna do to us right now, and I might not remember a thing about my former life, but I like being in this world with my friends…"
Her comrade was silent for a second, then piped up, "… I've been thinking about that, too," he replied. "Of course Ultra Space is gonna be a mess and I'll be trying to help the Light Trio fix it, but after that… I don't want this to end, either. I've said it before, but I can't replace you and Arashi, and I don't wanna leave you. Maybe one of the Cosmogs or Cosmoems that Void's kept locked up will join up with us and we can run around anywhere in the universe that we want to. Just be free and enjoy life. If you wanna go nestle off in some dark cave that no one but us knows about, you can do it. If Arashi wants to go pose at a bunch of Buzzwoles until he inevitably annoys the wrong one and we have to yank him away, he can do it. If I wanna go frolic around in every sparking meadow for no reason and watch the storms with you two, I can do it."
"… Take charge of our fates."
"… That. Exactly that."
Astrid sighed again, easing up. "That sure sounds like fun," she noted, gaze drifting up to the ceiling.
Their musings were interrupted by another, much more peppy, voice adding to the mix. "Hey, you two! You got room for one more?"
Both of them perked up and looked to the top of the staircase, where a certain Azumarill gently grinned down at them with a little bag in one hand. She gave a little wave.
"S-sure, Lazuli," Astrid called back, or at least, attempted to.
Lazuli came skipping down the steps and traipsed over to them, looking fairly akin to her usual cheerful self, albeit with a slightly more subdued nature. Someone was still smiling, at least, and Astrid welcomed it.
"So, look, I know things are looking really sucky right now, and you two are probably taking it the hardest," the Azumarill noted, setting her bag down and opening it up. "It's not much, but I wanted to cheer you up a little bit, take a page out of Ama's book and, well, show a little love."
"You're really sweet, Big Blue," Raijin said softly.
The Azumarill chuckled a bit, taking a small box out and placing it on the little shelf with the stones from Starry Peak still making flickering rainbows. "That one's for you, Astrid," she noted, flipping it open. "I went by Grumpy's and asked what would cheer up a little leafy bird, and he told me a Hondew and Leppa tart would do you some good. It's a lot harder to be sad when you've got something tasty to keep you busy."
Astrid looked at the contents- a pale green tart adorned with some Leppa berries, the leaves of which framed the edge of the pastry just like a Dartrix's leaves would frame their face, and in the center was a little pair of eyes and a beak drawn with a dark syrup that she guessed came from a Bluk berry. It was definitely cutesy, almost too cute to have a bite taken out of it, but it was begging to be eaten all the same. Astrid couldn't help the edges of her beak curling up just a bit in a grin.
"Th-thanks, Lazuli," she said softly, jumping off of her perch and skittering closer while reaching her wings out.
Lazuli giggled and returned the hug, giving the little avian a pat on the back as she did so.
"And I know that sort of thing won't do a damn thing for you, Raijin, so I bothered Chira for a little bit and came up with this," the Azumarill noted, reaching into the bag again.
The object she withdrew was definitely eye-catching- a shimmering gold scarf with 'RAIJIN' embroidered on it in black along with a little star underneath. The Xurkitree twitched in surprise at seeing it and gingerly reached out as if he were unsure it was even real, and Astrid blinked a few times at seeing it too.
"Y'know, Astrid and Arashi already had their little black scarves with their team badges, and I figured you needed something classy too," Lazuli said with a chuckle as he took it. "Chira did the stitches and helped me pick out the color- she said it'd really bring out your glow."
"I… Wow," Raijin mused, completely enchanted by it. "That… That's special…~"
"Try it on," Astrid piped up.
Her Beast comrade did so. He tied it around his right arm, where the top glowing white band kept it in place and gave it a bit of light to reflect. The gold looked quite nice against his black cables, and indeed, it did really bring out his glow with the gentle shimmering, making the black stitches stand out more against their shiny surroundings.
"This is great," Raijin said, admiring it, then turning to Lazuli, "I'd take this as a form of identification over the other one I've got any day. Thank you."
Lazuli giggled, and the Xurkitree gave her a hug too, which she returned. Her eyes went wide for a second, which Astrid guessed was as a result of feeling the currents pulsing through Raijin's form, but she still grinned nonetheless.
"You know, if you ever wanna pester someone, you can pester me," the Azumarill remarked, shooting them both a glance.
Astrid eyed her. "W-what do you mean…?"
Lazuli giggled again, strolling over and giving her a pat on the head. "That I know you're worried as hell as anyone should be, and I am too, but if you wanna take your mind off of things by going and drawing some pink hearts on the Gnarly's Brigade's base or painting Ama's roses black or sending Cinder a fake love letter from Yunael, hit me up!"
Astrid blinked, and Raijin paused too.
"But wouldn't Ama and Shar notice…?" Raijin inquired.
"W-wait, w-why Yunael in particular…?" Astrid wanted to know.
More laughter. "Just because Yunael would be the most convincing pick and I'd kill to see his reaction at something overtly feels-y.~ And yeah, Ama and Shar would definitely notice unless we went really late at night, which is totally doable!"
"Have you done any of that…?" the Xurkitree asked, studying her some more.
Lazuli gave a wave of one hand. "Nah, that's something I'd just think about doing and maybe joke about it with Rush or something. Besides, Adnea would know and tell me off and then I'd just be inviting everyone to take revenge on me! I'm not a degenerate, y'know!"
"Degenerate!" came a call from upstairs, the voice belonging to a certain Scrafty.
Lazuli threw a glance behind her at the steps, getting a playfully devious look as she called back, "Hey! Shut your mouth, degenerate!"
"Make me!"
"I will! I have the type advantage between us!"
"And I have Poison Jab and an inability to give a flying fuck!"
A squawk from Cinder added to the mix. "Hey! Adnea nonverbally says you two should shut the fuck up and no one cares!"
*That is not what I said in the slightest, nor did you need to repeat it.*
Either way, the bantering ceased, though they could hear Rush cackling above along with Lazuli's chuckles.
"Point is," said the aquatic fairy, "I don't wanna see you guys hoarding off in a corner and thinking you suck and all that! You were pitiful coming home as it was! If you need someone to talk to or get your mind off of things, call me!"
Astrid reached her wings out and Raijin reached one arm out towards the Azumarill, and Lazuli returned their hugs with a grin.
"I-I won't lie, I could use a l-little distraction right now…" Astrid's voice trailed off.
"Give me a second; I got an idea," Lazuli replied, giving her a little pat before scurrying off up the stairs again.
She was quick in returning with a fairly thick book tucked under one arm, undoubtedly something procured from Adnea's shelves, along with a few markers and pens. 'Bulbapedia vol. 13, edition 5' was printed on the book's plain brown cover with black ink that appeared slightly faded, and it was obvious that the book was fairly old from the crinkled, slightly yellowed pages.
"This here is an outdated encyclopedia that Adnea let me commandeer a while back," Lazuli explained, flipping it open. "And y'know what we do with outdated stuff? We edit it!"
She flipped to what appeared to be an article on Vivillon wing patterns… or at least, it used to be. Words were crossed out and replaced with other ones scribbled over them or on the page margins, and the wing patterns had likewise been scribbled over to make much, much different designs (solid black, an angry frown, a Cubone skull, or a heart symbol broken in half, among others). Astrid eyed it, rather unsure of what to make of it. She skimmed a marked-up paragraph.
"Scatterbugs with a combative personality will inevitably mature into Vivillons with an angry-faced pattern on their wings, which will remain no matter how they may insist that their numerous sins should be forgiven. Those with more reserved tendencies will mature into black-winged Vivillons, the blackness of their wings reflecting the blackness in their souls. Only the absolute worst will mature into skull-patterned Vivillons, which are perpetually bent on galactic destruction and will attempt to kill anything that moves. Kill them first and burn the corpses to ash, lest they kill all other forms of life."
Astrid blinked, thinking that indeed, it was 'edited,' alright- whether that was a good thing or a bad thing was a completely different question.
"… None of this is true, is it?" Raijin inquired, studying the open pages. "I might not know much about this species, but…"
"Of course not!" Lazuli replied, giving a playful wave of her hand. "All of those scribbled-in notes are things I made up, and these patterns are fake as hell!" She turned the pages to another section with illustrations of Spindas and an article about their spots. "So how about we touch up this section about Spinda spots, give 'em some nice designs?"
For some time afterwards, they did exactly that, and Astrid's tart gradually disappeared into her beak as time went on. The article quickly ceased resembling anything akin to an academic study and started looking more like something that only a drunk creature would come up with. Astrid marked one illustration up to give it one spot above the left eye and another below the right eye, which she dubbed 'Vertigo'- all of those with the same pattern would feel perpetually sick from their incessant twirling and thus be insufferable complainers about everything. Raijin marked one up to have a heart shape in the middle of its face, which he named 'Lovely'- the ones with that pattern would always be happy, even if they'd fallen off of a cliff and busted their skulls open against a rock. Lazuli's had a spot perfectly centered over each eye, which she called 'Goggles'- the pattern was indicative of absurdly sharp eyesight, and thus those with it would always be extremely fussy about the tiniest of details from a slight slant of a picture frame to a speck of dirt on the wall. The rare spotless Spinda would simply be catatonic all the time, bemoaning their lack of decorative red patches, and those with spots on the sides of their head below their ears would inevitably overhear every conversation that they weren't welcome in. (Of course, there were probably Spindas out there with those same spot patterns, but whether they had the same questionable traits was another matter.)
After they couldn't possibly add any more to the Spinda article, they switched pages to one with a Rotom and its many forms (which Raijin took note of and exclaimed 'So that's what everyone that didn't know better kept thinking I am!'). They set to giving that one some more ridiculous forms, such as Lazuli scribbling one onto one page wherein a bunch of ordinary Rotoms were tied together with some black cables so the spikes on their heads faced outwards and the cables draped down from them, which she dubbed 'the Raijin knock-off' much to the amusement of the Starstorm duo. Astrid came up with one that was simply a Rotom with a blanket thrown over its head, which she dubbed a 'failed Mimikyu.' Raijin doodled one possessing a radio, but much to its dismay, the only music it could play was extremely grating to listen to.
If anything was certain, it was that Lazuli knew how to keep them preoccupied. For quite a while, until it was rather late and both Astrid and Lazuli were getting heavy eyelids, they kept utterly messing up pages in the encyclopedia with peaceful amusement. Cinder even peeked down for a moment and joined them for a minute or two at Lazuli's beckoning (accompanied by a squawk of 'I-it's not like I like this sort of thing!' that the Azumarill gave him a playful shove for), but eventually, they stowed the book away on the shelf and settled down for the night. Lazuli retreated upstairs, Raijin plugged into the ground, and Astrid nestled down on her perch…
Getting to sleep wasn't easy, though. Her eyelids just didn't want to stay closed, as if somehow she might look around in the dark basement and find her partner on one of the cushions as he always was, but that clearly wasn't going to happen. She rustled around on her perch for a little while, holding her eyelids shut and shaking her head as if that might shake the worries away. Finally she deduced that she wasn't going to be much help to anyone if she wasn't thinking straight due to drowsiness, and fetched a Sleep Seed from the boxes against the wall that she used to knock herself out. As much as another chime-in from Necrozma might've been welcomed, her dreams were silent.
… At least, they were for a while.
The sun wasn't even up. Astrid was asleep on her perch (as shallow of a 'sleep' as it may have been) and Raijin wasn't stirring, but just when the eyelids of the early risers would've only just started to flutter open, the Starstorm duo was jolted alert. A disembodied and static-laden sound practically assaulted their senses, one which Astrid recognized fairly quickly- the same sort of sound that Necrozma's calls took when first trying to contact her. However, this one was much louder, much more frantic-seeming…
Her eyes shot open, and Raijin was unplugging just as fast. They looked at each other.
"You got that too, didn't you?" the Dartrix quickly inquired.
"I did," her comrade answered. "Necrozma, is that-"
*You two! Sorry, I can't explain now!*
It wasn't Necrozma. She didn't recognize it at all, and while it had the same ethereal qualities, it was distinctly more feminine.
Raijin, though, apparently knew who it was. "Lunala?!" he exclaimed.
As the words graced their minds, they were gradually becoming more distorted and faint. *Yep, long time no talk! Look, I tried to open a wormhole to an area close by, but I just don't have enough energy left to be sure! Here's where I'm at; I'm crashing!*
Indeed she was crashing, apparently- a mental picture was presented to them of some very spindly-looking trees covered in moss with faded green leaves that drooped, and they were quickly getting closer in view to the eyes seeing them.
*I'll explain, but I need you two to come get me…! I'm about to go under… I just… have nothing left…*
Whatever was said after that became a mess of static and distortion before fading away entirely.
Astrid blinked, getting an apprehensive look. "But isn't Lunala supposed to be…?"
"… Fused with Necrozma," Raijin finished the thought. "And if she's not, then that means-…"
He paused for a second, and Astrid blinked some more with feathers fluffing out in apprehension. She considered the connotations- surely, there had to be some reason that she wasn't comprising half of the gleaming dragon anymore. Perhaps she'd merely gotten too tired to keep the shield up and opted to switch with Solgaleo, but even if that were the case, surely switching would necessitate dropping the shield for at least a moment… But if the shield had dropped, and Azure hadn't been lying…
The Xurkitree piped up again, albeit with a slightly distorted voice and very hurried, apprehensive words. "… Okay, she said she'd explain, and I'd much rather hear it from her instead of speculating since every possibility I'm thinking of is… really ugly and I'd rather not think about it."
Astrid had to agree, and quickly nodded in wide-eyed affirmation. "Adnea can probably tell us where it was that she showed us… Can Lunala use berries? She's probably gonna need healing…"
"She can, but if we can get her out under the sun or close to some kind of light, that'd be a lot better," her comrade answered, swooping the bag up from the shelf and studying its contents. "She feeds on light, and I can glow, but that won't be nearly enough."
"So we should bring some Luminous Orbs too, just to be safe," Astrid posited. "Maybe a Shiny Stone or something like that…"
"Definitely wouldn't hurt."
"I'll go get Adnea, you see what's in the stashes that we can use."
Her comrade nodded, and she turned around and darted up the stairs. Her feathers fluffed out just a bit at directly approaching the stoic, straight-faced Orbeetle, and she easily knew that, if Arashi were with them, she could've simply asked him to go do it with no issue… but no, her partner wasn't there for her to hide behind. Calling the shots in the dungeon wasn't so big of a deal, but outside of them, she knew she'd have to find her voice quickly.
She flapped her wings and flew up the stairs as quick as she could, but as soon as she reached the top of them, she was quickly trying to come to a dead halt. Even in the dimness, Adnea's small shape was easily discernible less than a meter away, and if a psychic glow had not quickly surrounded the Dartrix to slow her down, she would've smashed right into the researcher.
"Ah-!" Astrid cried in surprise, hovering just a second before plopping back on the ground.
"She didn't speak directly to me, but that certainly alerted my senses," the Orbeetle piped up. "That was Vanishing Swamp that she showed you. It's a trek to the south of here, and Lazuli has been there so many times that she could probably guide you there in her sleep. Lunala's mind is an open book, which I would not expect from a creature of her caliber… and it quickly starting to fade. She's hit a sinkhole that leads into the dungeon and she's disappearing inside of it, as far as I can tell."
Astrid's feathers ruffled out even more. "A-ah… Th-that can't be good…"
"Indeed," Adnea flatly affirmed. "We can't waste any time."
A bit more rustling and stirring made Astrid perk up again, and shortly, a certain Salamence was peeking out from the curtain door adjacent to the base's entrance.
"Is something the matter?" Dren inquired, looking between the two of them. "It's earlier than usual for anyone to be stirring."
"We've got company," Adnea replied without missing a beat. "Something has transpired on Ultra Space that's caused Lunala to flee to this world, and we need to go retrieve her."
The dragon got slightly wide-eyed. "Is she alright…?"
"Given that she's a legendary from a dimension far harsher than ours, her hold to consciousness is absurdly weak, and I would currently have a harder time scanning the mind of a newly-hatched Caterpie than I would her, I think it's safe to say absolutely not," the Orbeetle flatly noted. She sighed, crossing her arms and looking up at the ceiling. "Dren, as much as you and I might not care for dungeon-crawling and battling, this looks like another occasion that necessitates it. We have to secure that Beast by any means possible; she's simply too valuable."
Dren nodded. "Well, I suppose this does sound like one of those times…"
Adnea turned back to the Dartrix. "Tell Raijin that the environment there isn't his preferred terrain for recharging and it's 22 floors full of watery sand and silt. I'll wake the others."
Astrid nodded, and she went scurrying back down the stairs again, where her comrade was stowing away two Luminous Orbs in their bag.
"Adnea says it's a place called Vanishing Swamp and she's inside a dungeon now," Astrid relayed.
Raijin twitched. "She's in a dungeon?! Sheesh, I guess that's better than just laying out in the open for a faction group to see her, but… I hope the wild ones there aren't too hostile if she's completely drained of energy…"
"I hope so too," Astrid concurred, shaking her head and skittering over to the stash of boxes against the wall. "Apparently it's also 22 floors of watery sand and silt, so that's gonna be an issue when you need to recharge. We should take a Reviver Seed or two for you, just in case."
It was her comrade's turn to give a headshake. "… That's gonna be miserable," he noted haplessly. "But y'know what? You, Arashi, and the Light Trio are creatures I'll go through 22 floors of misery for, no protests."
The Dartrix gave a hapless, sardonic chuckle. "I don't guess we have much of a choice either way here. She can open wormholes- we need her."
"If Void's managed to get her tentacles on Necrozma and Solgaleo, we're gonna need her even more for that…" Raijin's voice trailed off. "No, no… I'll worry about that possibility when I hear it straight from her…"
Astrid shuddered at the thought, for as much as her comrade was right, she too didn't want to think about the possibilities. The mere idea of them facing down the gleaming dragon was enough to make her want to sink into her feathers. She figured Raijin probably wouldn't be happy about having to face the other two of the Light Trio either if it came to that, especially considering his emissary status… One thing was certain, the both of them had friends in Ultra Space that they did not want to see get poisoned into being Void's pawn, but it seemed almost inevitable. The Dartrix forced it to the back of her mind.
Some voices from up above made it obvious that the others were awake and apprised of the situation.
"Oh, my gods! I'd ask if you were kidding, but I know you wouldn't joke!" came an exclamation from Lazuli.
"Arceus above, what did that jelly-looking narcissist do?!" squawked Cinder.
Some footsteps came darting down the stairway, which they found belonged to Rush with a quick glance. "Maaaaan, y'all always get the fuckin' craziest news, don't ya?" he remarked, striding closer.
"You're not wrong…" Raijin's voice trailed off.
Astrid haplessly shook her head. "It'd feel weird not to at this point…" she said, hardly audible.
The Scrafty shot them both a knowing glance. "Well, Adnea told us what's up, and the Kecleon Shop ain't open just yet, but Rozen's goin' over there to bother 'em anyway about getting as many Luminous Orbs as we can fit in a bag. All of us can get our stuff together in the meantime and set off when he gets back so we ain't wastin' any time, and yeah, I literally mean all of us in this base. Ain't no way in hell we're takin' this one lightly."
The Starstorm duo nodded, not protesting such at all, and Rush scurried back up the stairs where the chattering was still going on. Astrid and Raijin cast each other a glance.
A little twitch went along the Xurkitree's form. "If I ever see that Nihilego in the flesh again… I'll drop a bolt on her that'll crackle in every single corner of whatever world we're on."
"I'll smash her with every Razor Leaf I can throw," Astrid replied, her eyes narrowing at no one in particular but the poisonous, frail Beast light years away.
Her comrade's tail curled around her for a second, and she grasped one of the prongs with one of her feet before they both set back to organizing their bag with the contents they'd need.
Author's note: Well, here I am again to chime in. I said I'd be editing earlier chapters after I put this one up, so that's what I'll be doing for a little while. I'm not sure exactly how long I might be doing that for, since I'm always apprehensive about looking at older things I've written... but I'm still around, even if I go another two and a half weeks (or longer, who knows lol) being relatively silent.
Anyways, time for another random interjection. 'Bulbapedia' being the title of the book that Lazuli commandeers is just a facetious reference to an Easter egg in the Touhou fanwork A Summer Day's Dream, wherein the character Patchouli Knowledge has a book in her library labelled 'Wikipedia.' The facetious editing of the book articles was also an idea that I got from a Homestar Runner toon, 'Strong Bad Email #84 - Kids' Book,' wherein the titular Strong Bad marks up an innocent children's book into something more outlandish and edgy.