Author's note: … My immaturity may have gotten the better of me in certain areas here. Sorry, not sorry. :)
Arashi took to carefully arranging their crystalline shards collected from Starry Peak on their shelf in the basement, and the light from Raijin's glow refracted through them into several little rainbows on the wall and floor. It was a pretty sight, and Astrid couldn't help but to admire them a bit from her perch. If they were to have a memento of any expedition, that one was definitely a good candidate- it was a tough win, but no one had sustained any horrific injuries like the other memorable expeditions that came to mind.
Cinder still didn't acknowledge their existences, and for the life of the Starstorm trio, they couldn't figure out just what had ruffled his feathers so much, but after the display he'd given earlier, none of them had much inclination to ask. He and Lazuli seemed to exchange some words after Astrid's bunch was out of earshot, for the Azumarill's voice and some frustrated squawks could be heard coming from upstairs. They had no idea what was being said, and while Lazuli's tone seemed at least somewhat amiable, there was a fierceness to it that they couldn't ignore either.
"We've gotta tell the folks back home about today when we see them next," Arashi giggled, carefully adjusting the position of two crystals. "This has been wild, aha!"
Astrid was inclined to agree and gave her partner a knowing look. "Is this the kind of stuff you wanted to see when we started Team Starstorm?"
"Yes!" was the easy answer. "I told you at Lake Lucent before, but I am still living the dream, Astrid!"
She chuckled softly.
"I'm not gonna be forgetting about Ama anytime soon," Raijin added. "I didn't doubt that she was good at blocking attacks, but… wow."
The Frogadier giggled. "I still feel a little bad about her egg, though," he mused haplessly. "I mean, that ploy worked, but she was so upset!"
Astrid fluffed up a bit. "Well, something had to catch her off guard…" her voice awkwardly trailed off. "I'd feel a lot worse if she couldn't easily lay another…"
At that, it was Raijin's turn to perk up. "Okay, I have to ask," he said, tapping his fingers together in contemplation. "Baby Pokémon come out of eggs, right? I mean, the first day we were here, Rozen cooked a Chansey egg, but there aren't any Chanseys around here, so it obviously had to come from somewhere else. Dren is a carnivore and all of his food comes from the wild, so I figured that's where the egg came from too, since no one has any qualms about eating something from the wild. But every time we've seen Ama, she's had an egg in her pouch, but there's not a little Happiny in there…? I… I haven't figured that out. What was that stuff that came out of it if it wasn't a baby? It looked exactly the same as what came out of that Chansey egg."
Arashi gave him a funny look. "Wait a second," he said, voice uncertain but amused. "Did… Did you think there was an undeveloped Happiny in there when Rozen was cooking it?"
"Well, what else would that slimy stuff have been?" the Xurkitree answered.
Arashi blinked for a few seconds, studying their Beast comrade, then burst into laughter. Raijin gave an uncertain twitch, studying him in turn, and Astrid fluffed up, completely unsure of what to make of the conversation.
"Good grief, no!" Arashi laughed. "If there was a little Happiny in there, we would've been able to tell! Not every eggs hatches, Raijin!"
That only confused Raijin some more. "Then what's the difference?" he inquired, tilting his head sideways. "How do you tell? There's obviously something I'm missing here."
"Well, first of all, Chanseys and Blisseys just lay eggs all the time to start with," Arashi noted. "If you want it to hatch, though, you need a suitable mate, which Ama doesn't have as far as we know, and those eggs that hatch don't look nearly as plain. So all those eggs she's laying aren't going to hatch, but they do have a lot of good stuff in them. It's basically impossible for anyone who eats one to feel hurt or sad, so that's why they get cooked up."
"… Ah," Raijin replied, taking it in and nodding. "That makes more sense! So that's why Ama shares them, I'm guessing? I had just assumed that they were really nice to cuddle with or something."
"That's right!"
The Xurkitree nodded again. "But what does having a suitable mate have to do with it? How does that make a difference?"
Arashi blinked for a second, eyes going blank. "That's… Well… I don't actually know," he replied. "That's all Mom and Dad ever told me, to be honest!"
Astrid blinked too. "Come to think of it… I have no idea, either," she remarked, slightly dismayed. "I feel like I should remember that, though… I mean, I'm a Pokémon now, and obviously, we had them in my homeworld! Where do those eggs even come from? Not every species lays them frequently like Chanseys and Blisseys, so they have to come from somewhere…"
She almost wanted to recall a daycare worker saying 'I have no idea how it got there' or something of the like, but she couldn't place why she'd be thinking of such or where, precisely, the (very) faint recollection was coming from.
All of the Starstorm trio shot each other some glances, realizing that, between the three of them, they had no clue how hatching eggs came to be.
*Oh. My. Goodness,* came the very flat telepathic voice of a certain Orbeetle.
"Huh? Adnea?" Arashi piped up.
In moments, the floating bug in question was appearing at the top of the stairwell with several books floating around her, a pen scrawling away across the pages on one while the other two were closed. She drifted down to them, the three of them practically unmoving under her gaze.
"I'm fixing this now," she declared, looking them over. "Raijin has a good excuse in being a Beast from a completely different dimension and Astrid's amnesia is a passable excuse as well, but…" Her eyes fell on the Frogadier. "You? You don't know where eggs come from?"
The one in question awkwardly chuckled, sticking a hand behind his head. "Apparently not, aha…!"
One of her books plopped on the ground, the title 'A COMPLETE OVERVIEW OF POKÉMON REPRODUCTION' immediately jumping out at them. It was a thick book, too… likely jam-packed with information. She motioned them over, and they followed.
Arashi gave her a haplessly uncertain look. "Adnea, just what kind of talk are you about to give us…?"
"The one that no one wants but everyone needs," she swiftly answered. "Pay attention."
By the time Adnea was done with them, at least two hours had passed and the sun was nearly gone over the horizon. Astrid and Arashi both had bright red faces, though Astrid's wasn't nearly as visible beneath her feathers, and Raijin also would've been blushing intensely had he been able to. It was a 'complete overview,' alright… complete with diagrams and flowcharts and cross-references in far more detail than any of them had bargained for.
They were all still dead silent when the Orbeetle returned to her study, the three of them still somewhat trying to mentally stow away all the information she'd crammed into their minds.
"… I am never having children," Astrid said flatly.
"I don't blame you," Arashi said awkwardly, casting his gaze to her.
"If that's how Pokémon make more Pokémon…" Raijin's voice trailed off as he shook his head. "… That's just ridiculous."
Astrid couldn't help thinking that their Beast comrade was definitely right in that regard, then gave a look to her partner. "And your parents never told you any of that?"
"Never," the Frogadier affirmed.
She shook her head and went to jump back on her perch, nestling down onto it. "Well, this day has been eye-opening," she said, shaking her head. "Really eye-opening."
Her comrades were definitely in agreement.
"Well, there's still something I wanna know about one specific bird, but…" Arashi's voice trailed off.
The other two eyed him, knowing exactly who he was referring to- the Fletchinder upstairs. Astrid definitely wanted to know what the deal was too, but she wasn't so certain about how to go finding it out without getting into another altercation. If it was something that none of the other Coalition members talked about, then getting Cinder himself to open his beak and spill his side of the story was the only way, but obviously, he wasn't very inclined to do that.
Arashi got a contemplative look. "Did I go too far earlier?" he asked softly. "Should I… have just kept my mouth shut?"
"I mean, that's what I would've done," Astrid said, fluffing up just a bit. "You didn't do anything wrong, but I'm guessing it's just a really sensitive topic… whatever 'it' is."
"His reaction was way out of line," Raijin concurred. "He could've told you to get lost or cut it out, and that would've been one thing, but just attacking you like that was way too far."
The Frogadier sighed, slumping down onto one of the cushions. "Fair enough," he acknowledged. "I was just trying to ease the tension, y'know? I know we can't be friends with everyone, but I thought maybe he'd give us a break."
"It was worth a shot, at least," Raijin replied.
Arashi's look got slightly uncertain. "Do you guys think I should apologize…?" he inquired. "Maybe I didn't do anything wrong, but he obviously took it a different way…"
Astrid and Raijin shared a glance.
"… That's not a bad idea," Astrid mused. "If you do, then at least we can say we tried to be civil. If anything happens between us after that, we can definitely say it's not our fault and we tried to make things work."
"I agree," said the Xurkitree.
Arashi nodded, getting back up from his slump. "Okay, but I don't wanna go alone," he declared. "I win in terms of type matchups, but I'd really rather not get into a fight with a teammate if he doesn't take it well."
"That's fine," Astrid replied.
"I'm not looking to get into fights either, but if he tries anything on you again, I'll make him eat a few bolts," Raijin noted gently but firmly. "And I'll gladly take the blame for it, too."
They all hoped it wouldn't come to that, but the Frogadier nodded and they were all off up the stairs again. It was growing rather dark out the windows, and Dren had slinked back in from his place on the roof, but in the front room, Lazuli strolled in through the door wearing her usual grin and with a familiar Garchomp and Mawile close behind her.
Jaws took notice of them straight away. "Hey! You three!" he said, waving.
Arashi grinned and waved back. "Evening, Jaws! How's it going?"
"It's going fine," the Mawile amiably replied. "Kaede got into a tussle with a Kingler earlier, but other than that, everything is fine! Your boss apparently has something important to say to the other team leads, so here I am."
Astrid imagined it- a tiny, exuberant Chikorita whacking a hulking Kingler with her leaf.
"I heard about you three keepin' it gnarly up on Starry Peak today," Shar chimed in, giving the Starstorm trio a wild smile. "Nice going, mateys!"
Lazuli giggled too, motioning the ones she came in with to the stairs. "Adnea's study is the big room in the middle up here, but Shar, you already know that! She and Rush will tell you guys everything!"
A few pleasantries were exchanged as they both headed up the main staircase together, but shortly, they were going their separate ways- Shar and Jaws to Adnea's study, while the Starstorm trio went to another room to the left with a red curtain door in front of it.
The Starstorm trio paused for a second in front of the red curtain, giving each other some uncertain but hopeful glances.
"Cinder…?" Arashi called through it, giving the wall a small rap with one hand.
They could hear a bit of scuffling around on the other side, but in seconds, a glaring Fletchinder swiftly brushed past the door and stepped out, staring them all down in quick succession. "What do you three want?" he sharply asked, eyes falling lastly back on the Frogadier.
Arashi took a deep breath before saying, "Cinder, I'm sorry about earlier."
The Fletchinder blinked, giving something of a surprised jolt.
"I didn't mean to upset you," Arashi continued. "Look, I talked with Astrid and Raijin, and I shouldn't have brought it up. You don't have to tell us what the deal is, and we won't ask. We just don't want there to be any bad blood between us."
Astrid was still a bit tense, but Cinder wasn't making any moves… and moments later, though he still eyed them rather intensely, he too let out a sigh.
"Get in here, you three," he said quickly, giving a nod towards the door and brushing the curtain aside with one wing.
Another glance travelled about the Starstorm trio, but they followed along nonetheless.
There were several perches fixed into the wall at varying heights, a few plain red shelves with a few seemingly random items- a coiled shell, a vibrant stone or two- placed on them, and in one corner was a black blanket coiled into something of a haphazard bowl shape that Astrid supposed the Fletchinder liked to roost in. Still, Cinder didn't jump on any of his perches and instead stayed close by them on the ground, looking them over with a scrutinizing gaze.
He sighed. "I'm sorry, too."
It was the Starstorm trio's turn to give a surprised jolt.
"Lazuli gave me a royal tongue-lashing after we got back," Cinder explained. "She said I was acting like a huge jerk and what I did was totally uncalled for."
"It really was," Raijin said gently but pointedly.
The Fletchinder growled a bit and glared up at the Xurkitree next. "And I don't need you telling me what I already know!"
It was Astrid's turn to get narrowed eyes at Cinder snapping again, and it was clearly noticed, for Cinder's gaze met hers next and he ruffled up for a second. Perhaps it was in discomfort, perhaps it was in frustration, but regardless of whatever it was making him do such, she kept her unamused eyes fixed on him.
"Okay, look!" Cinder cried quickly, backing away just a bit and looking down at the floor. "I just don't want anyone looking down on me or thinking I'm weak!"
Arashi let out a small laugh. "Thinking you're weak? Cinder, I can guarantee you, none of us think that."
"I don't," Astrid concurred.
"We have no reason to," Raijin corroborated.
The Fletchinder shook his head. "No, you don't get it!" he cried. "You and you-" he glanced to Astrid and Arashi, "-get the rookie pass, and you-" he glanced to Raijin, "-only have one form! But I'm the only one on this team that can evolve and chooses not to! That wouldn't be much of a problem if I wasn't an expeditioner on a famed expedition team, and Pokémon that aren't familiar with us are gonna assume I hold the team back because I'm still in my middle stage! Well, that's not true, and it pisses me off, so I have to make my case somehow, alright?!"
That caught them off guard. Astrid had never even considered that he was the only one (aside from herself and her partner) that hadn't evolved, nor thought anything of it, but the way Cinder put it… perhaps it was a source of discomfort. She eased up, Arashi blinked, and Raijin gave a little twitch.
"Hold on!" the Frogadier cut in. "Has anyone said that to you?"
The one in question groaned, rolling his eyes. "Not directly, but I've heard a few mutterings. Just look at every other high-profile team around here- either they're all in their final form or they only had one form to start with. You hardly ever meet Pokémon that straight-up don't want to evolve, much less ones that are expeditioners. Say whatever the hell you want about who the weakest link might be, but if it's me, it's not because I'm not a Talonflame, and I don't want anyone thinking it is."
"… So you act like a jerk so no one will underestimate you," Arashi remarked, studying him.
The Fletchinder perked up. "Exactly! And it works!"
Perhaps it was effective… but Astrid couldn't help thinking that it was an incredibly questionable way to go about things. Easy, sure, but still questionable.
"That's a little much, don't you think…?" Raijin's voice trailed off, his fingers tapping together. "Astrid and Arashi dealt with some pretty scary adversaries by themselves and managed to win- I saw them beat Zariel. It never even crossed my mind to think you were weaker just because of the form you were in."
"Well, frankly, you haven't lived here for forever," Cinder shot back, unfazed, then looking to the Dartrix, "And neither have you. Two out of three of you have a really skewed reference point."
"Hey, I can believe it," Arashi said, giving the fiery avian an understanding look before turning to his comrades. "I'm looking forward to being a Greninja whenever that happens, and Astrid knows our friend Trixie back in Tranquil Town has been looking forward to being a Toxicroak for a long time."
"See? This one gets it," Cinder said somewhat pointedly, gesturing at the Frogadier. "Doubt me if you want to and I won't give a damn, but it's true."
Astrid shook her head. "I believe you," she said quickly and softly.
"Fair point; you're right," Raijin easily conceded.
Cinder let out a sigh, looking back at the ground. "… There. Now you know. I don't hate any of you, it's just that I was the last one to join this team before you three came along, and I felt like I had to prove myself or something. It was a dumb move, I was a jackass, and I shouldn't have been so on-edge."
Arashi grinned a bit and Astrid blushed a bit under her feathers, not quite sure what to say. Her partner nudged closer to the Fletchinder and gave his wing a pat, but just as quick, another death-glare made him back off.
"That does not mean I want hugs or any of that," Cinder said fairly pointedly. "You three can do that with each other and whoever else all you want to, but not me."
Arashi held his hands up. "Point taken!" he laughed amiably. "No hugs for Cinder!"
Cinder rolled his eyes, sighing heavily again. Even if they'd actually had a heart-to-heart moment, apparently, the fiery avian would rather act like they had not.
"Can I ask you something, though?" the Frogadier inquired, grinning curiously again. "It's fine if you want us to get lost and say no! I'm just curious about why you don't want to evolve is all."
Another groan, but the one in question answered nonetheless, turning rather heated again, "Have you seen a wild Talonflame?! I have! And every time I have, they've been kicking the daylights out of other tiny avians while the damn things are shrieking and squawking, and then they just shred them apart and eat them once they stop fighting back! I can't become something like that! I mean… you've seen the stuff Dren scarfs down, and that's fine if he's inclined that way what with being a Salamence and all, but me?! I can't eat something that was all happy and roaming around! The thought is just… ugh!"
He practically vomited the words out, and his feathers were fluffed out on end in very obvious discomfort. Astrid was taken aback again, but still, she was mulling his words over.
Her partner, on the other hand, was still grinning, and his eyes lit up. "Oh, so that's what it is! Talonflames are carnivores, and you're an angry vegetarian!"
"But…" Astrid's voice trailed off. "Don't Fletchinders eat bugs…?"
Yet another sigh escaped Cinder's beak. "This Fletchinder doesn't, Astrid. And if you want to put it that way, Arashi, sure." He was quickly pointing at the door again with one wing. "Now get out. Speak of this to no one."
Without saying a single word, all three of them obliged and turned to step out, Cinder still eyeing them almost suspiciously as they left. The curtain door swooshed closed, and the Starstorm trio was making their way back to their own space, but as they did so, the front door swooshed open too and in darted three more familiar figures- a cloaked Delphox, a Shiny Unfezant, and a Dragapult. They seemed to be in something of a hurry, and judging from their somewhat tired faces, it was likely they'd just returned from a mission of some sort.
Arashi waved. "Hi, guys!"
Delphi gave them a grin. "Oh, if it isn't the Starstorm bunch~!" she greeted, giving a playful little wave. "You three should come see me again sometime.~ I've missed you.~"
Astrid blushed a bit under her feathers, and Arashi giggled, giving another playful wave in return. Team Mirage too scurried into Adnea's study, and on second glance, there were quite a few figures in there, some she recognized and a few she did not.
"Sheesh, Rush must've summoned everyone," Arashi noted.
"I would too," Astrid mused, shaking her head haplessly.
"Hopefully this'll help our situation if everyone knows what's going on," Raijin agreed. "I'd really hate to see anyone else get hurt or poisoned if they didn't know what to expect…"
They were all in agreement. They retreated to the basement again, and for them at least, everything seemed fairly peaceful.
Adnea's study, on the other hand, wasn't chaotic by any means either, but still, the many figures taking up in it weren't a usual sight. Ama, Shar, Xeno (in the guise of an Aegislash), Jaws, and Team Mirage were accompanied by a handful of others, making things rather cozy in her room full of books and documents. Rush was next to her, wearing a casual smirk, while her expression was the same as it always was.
Rush looked over the gathered bunch. "Alright, I think we're all here. Sorry to bother y'all, but we got a situation on our hands that y'all gotta know about."
"If it's coming from you, it must be serious," said a Feraligatr.
"It is," Rush affirmed. "Put shortly, we know what's causing all the 'crazy' incidents and it's a lot worse than we suspected. Not to put the spotlight on anyone, but y'all all heard about what happened with Ama's team, yeah? There was a big outbreak of wild 'Mon actin' crazy at Starry Peak, they went out there, got their asses kicked?"
Some nods and affirmations came from the others.
Ama herself giggled. "Oh, darlings, we went crazy ourselves too~! Don't leave that out, Rush~!"
A book from Adnea's shelf floated down to her and opened up to one page in particular, bearing some sketches of figures that weren't easily recognized to the majority of those present and information jotted down by each one- her notes about the Ultra Beasts.
"And this one here was the culprit," Adnea mused, one of her pens floating up and pointing to her drawing of a Nihilego.
Ama's face lit up in recognition. "Oooh, yes! That looks just like Seven Thousand! And two of those other ones look like Sixty-O-Three and Fourteen-Five!"
"I recognize those, too!" Xeno chimed in. "Four of those were what we ran into at Bramble Peak!"
Shar snickered, crossing her arms and looking them over. "Ohoho, so it's startin', huh?"
"Damn straight, Shar," Rush replied. "Here's the thing, you guys- Salem's been the primary agent makin' 'Mon go crazy up until now, but even then, she can only do it 'cause of this species here." He pointed to the drawing of a Nihilego. "This here is called a Nihilego. And there's one called Void that's behind it all, even Salem. Give 'em the memories, Adnea."
The Orbeetle was shortly sharing some unspoken information with them, and some dismayed and surprised looks travelled around the bunch (save for the Garchomp who had already been apprised).
"Oh, my!" Xeno cried. "That's troubling!"
"So that's what it was all about!" Ama exclaimed, bouncing in place a bit. "Ack, that isn't love at all! And I am so glad I didn't mention your adorable little Dartrix when Squad Fourteen-Five asked us! I never would've guessed!"
Jaws got a stupefied look, and his mouth hung slightly open. "So… Astrid and Salem are humans…?"
"That's exactly right," Rush affirmed, giving the Mawile a glance and sticking his arms behind his head. "Salem got sent to save Ultra Space, got fucked over by Void, so now we got Astrid. If they get ahold of her, we'll have Salem 2.0 in the form of a leafy bird, I'm sure. Don't anyone want that."
The shakes of heads and disturbed murmurs that went around the bunch affirmed that indeed, no one wanted such.
"You all know what Salem is capable of," Adnea chimed in. "If you want an illustration of the absurd extents to which the 'craziness' can go, look at her."
At that, the Orbeetle gave them some more memories- specifically of Salem's outburst in Tranquil Town, and how she downed everyone taking up against her while taunting them and laughing without a care, then of the forest she'd burned down trying to find Astrid and Arashi. The headlines had spoken loud enough, but seeing memories of a direct confrontation only made it all the more clear that the purple-eyed Delphox wasn't to be trifled with. Some more murmurs went around.
"Now that is gnarly," Shar remarked.
"Sure is, Shar," Rush concurred, then looking to the rest of them, "So now you all know what the situation is. Y'all are team leads- I want y'all to warn your teammates and your pals of what it means if you see a Beast squad while you're off anywhere. They ain't just gonna swoop in and blindside us like this."
A Flygon raised his hand. "If I may," he said, "how are we supposed to win against something like this? If their supreme overseeing legendary is at a stalemate, that doesn't bode well."
Some utterances of agreement went around.
"That's the thing that bothers me too," Rush replied. "Necrozma's been talkin' to Astrid. They told her initially that Void was sendin' groups of her underlings to this world and that she ain't concentrating fully on them anymore. That can mean either they're stallin' her out, or she ain't gotta expend as many resources to wear them down. But since Necrozma seems to still be exertin' themselves pretty hard, I'm guessing it's the latter. One way or another, we can't do a damn thing from our world if Void and her army are out of our reach, so I'm thinkin', for the moment, our best call is to jack a Cosmog from one of the Beast squads and go from there. Maybe we can warp straight to Void herself and punch her lights out, maybe we can drop a fuckton of Oran berries for Necrozma to use. If we can ask Necrozma themselves, we will, and if not, we'll see what Raijin thinks. Point is, we're on the defensive right now, and it don't need to stay that way."
That sounded reasonable enough. Adnea showed them some more memories, specifically of the vessel that Fourteen-Five carried with its glowing edges and tiny voice inside, so they all knew what they were looking for.
"If I see one, I could Transform into it," Xeno noted. "That would be less precarious, no?"
"That's also an option," Rush affirmed. "And if any of ya meet any and manage to KO 'em, let Adnea know, so she can do her thing. She's keepin' watch."
Some nods went around.
"Just use some damn common sense in how ya handle what ya know," the Scrafty instructed. "If any of 'em ask if ya know a human-turned-'Mon in the Rowlet line, you ain't got a clue. If ya run into 'em and they got that human-turned-'Mon in their hands somehow, beat the hell out of 'em and get her back. If they confront you at all, it's probably gonna turn into a fight. And if ya see a Nihilego… either knock their ass out as fast as you can, or run the other way."
More nods.
Rush started grinning, and snickered a bit. "That's all I got to say," he said, crossing his arms. "Be careful and watch out, you guys."
Some affirmations came from the bunch, and they started to clear out, but a certain team in particular lingered for a bit longer than the rest. Delphi had a contemplative look to her eyes and approached Adnea in particular, her teammates sticking around too.
"Delphi?" the Orbeetle inquired, casting her gaze to the Delphox in the hat and cloak. "Something is on your mind, I can tell."
Rush perked up as well. "You ain't about to predict the end of the world, are ya?" he asked playfully. "How do we all die, huh? When is the apocalypse?"
Spirit chuckled. "Hopefully not anytime soon!"
The Scrafty chuckled too. The Unfezant next to the Dragapult merely brushed his longer feathers aside out of his face, not saying a word.
Delphi gave him a playful, knowing grin, then turned back to the Orbeetle. "Adnea, do you have a minute?" she inquired, smiling amiably. "One psychic to another?"
In response, the Orbeetle looked to the rest of those present in the room- Rush, Spirit, and Joker- and said flatly, "You heard her. Out."
They didn't protest, Rush immediately striding for the door and the other two following along.
Adnea looked back to her company. "What is it?"
"You probably know I did a reading for Team Starstorm not too long ago," the Delphox noted.
"I am aware, yes," Adnea answered. "I've taken note of that- the forest that you saw Salem running through doesn't appear to be any surrounding territory, or I would've advised them about it."
A slight bit of hesitance entered Delphi's countenance. "Well, there's a little more to it than what I saw the first time…~ Some of it became a lot clearer recently…~"
"… Oh?"
Something unseen to anyone else was exchanged between them, and Adnea's usual stoic countenance changed to a rather surprised look shortly thereafter.
"… Oh," said the Orbeetle, blinking. "… Oh. That… That is unfortunate."
"Should we tell them?" Delphi inquired, sounding a bit uncertain. "I'm not entirely sure."
Very quickly, Adnea shook her head. "Absolutely not," she answered. "Not right now, at least. As underhanded as that may be, if they knew…"
Delphi nodded. "I thought so. I'm hoping this one is subject to change, because if not…"
Adnea sighed, glancing off to the side at around where the Starstorm trio would be if there weren't several walls and a floor in the way. "… We'll deal with that when the times comes." She looked back to the Delphox. "Thank you for showing me, Delphi."
The one in the hat and cloak nodded, then strolled out herself, where even as brief as that talk had been, a certain Scrafty had started some playful antics with her Dragapult comrade.
"Yes! Right here!" Rush cried happily, waving his arms on the other side of the floor.
Spirit giggled, and the Dreepies in his cannons were wearing huge grins. In moments, the two little dragons were fired off at the Scrafty, who reached out to grab them before they could smash into the wall. A cheerful whoop escaped Rush, and Spirit beckoned William and Clerval back into their cannons while Joker watched without a word.
"Shall we go again?" the Dragapult inquired.
"Fuck yeah," Rush called.
The two Dreepies certainly weren't protesting and went back to their places to be launched again.
Delphi giggled. "Oh my, less than a minute and you're playing games~?"
"It was his idea," Joker matter-of-factly noted, motioning at the Scrafty with one wing.
The Delphox playfully rolled her eyes. "Oh, of course it was.~"
One more round of catching Dragon Darts, and Team Mirage took their leave too.
Megalo Tower 0F- Base
"You called, goddess?" inquired a certain smirking Charizard.
A certain Nihilego turned her attention on Zariel as the draconian Pokémon strode in through the cavern's opening, glancing away from the Golisopod she was facing before. In one corner nearby was a Stakataka sitting much like a pillar of bricks, one eye on each side peeking out from the myriad of other rectangular pieces (one of which was marked UB08A-2301).
Void nodded, swaying a bit and gently clapping her arms together. "Yes. Come here to Void."
Had it not been for the glowing shards in the rocky surroundings, everything would've been much darker. The cavern itself wasn't huge by any means, unlike the hulking stone tower it was set into that was easily visible for miles outside, but it was still plenty big enough for a dozen or so figures to take up in comfortably. There were not a dozen inside, only two Beasts and two Pokémon, but the entrance was flanked by a Stakataka on either side with their eyes watching all angles. More Beasts could be seen out of the opening- a Celesteela flying overhead and two squads with varying species talking to each other. Everything was dark and glassy and a few rocky fixtures resembling aquatic plants were scattered over the floor, two large ones in particular on either side of the cavern seeming to act as shelves with some potions and other items set on their 'leaves' in very careful arrangements. In the back were two dulled, thick grey metal doors tightly shut with two big hoops to pull them open, practically daring anyone to try opening them, and on a peg next to one shelf was a square vessel with glowing edges that twitched occasionally.
To one side wall was fixed a huge map of sorts, one absolutely out of the ordinary to any that the Pokémon might've expected to see on their own world- the terrain depicted always came in sharp distinctions to whatever was close by if there was anything close by, floating islands made up quite a bit of the paper, and between everything was pure blackness. Red X's covered quite a bit of it, every section of terrain except for one in the middle crossed over. To the opposite wall was a set of several much smaller maps, some with circles and arrows drawn on them but no X's, all looking much more similar to each other than the one of Ultra Space across from them.
Dutifully, Zariel strode over to the Nihilego, who reached up onto one of the shelves and delicately picked up a small dark wooden box. Azure gave the winged one a nod of acknowledgement, and she gave him a smirking chuckle in return with a few embers escaping her nostrils.
"I'm guessing you smashed that last evolution spot north of Crescent Ridge," Zariel laughed.
"Of course," replied the Golisopod. "And you must've torched the sheriff's office south of Green Overpass."
"Damn straight.~"
They both snickered to each other, taking pride in their misdeeds.
"Void not see you very often, but Void know you two try hard," the Nihilego chimed in as she turned back to them, her voice as amiably nonchalant as could be. "And that make Void very happy." She turned to the Charizard. "Some of Void's underlings find something special in other world, and Void think you like it. Void be happy if you use it."
She held out the little box and opened it up, where an orange spherical stone with a red and yellow swirl in the middle and a chain affixed to it sat daintily on a tiny black cushion- a Charizardite Y. Zariel's eyes went huge and a giant smirk spread across her maw, her mouth practically watering in delight at the mere sight of it.
"Holy fuck!" Zariel exclaimed with gleeful mirth. "Goddess! You got me a Mega Stone?!"
"That right," answered Void. "Void's underlings find lots of them in place called Kalos region. Apparently there big war happening in that world, and big explosion cause Mega Stones appear…"
Whatever the 'Kalos region' and its happenings referred to, neither Zariel nor Azure had any idea, but the Charizard didn't waste any time in snatching the stone up and fixing it around her neck. She eyed it with wild eyes, absolutely enthralled by holding it.
"Aren't you a lucky one," Azure chuckled, studying it too.
"I sure am," Zariel concurred, a bit of smoke leaving her maw.
The Nihilego reached out and gave her a little pat on the head, which Zariel didn't protest, but she couldn't help noticing that the touch of Void's tentacle stung a bit to the touch. Still, it didn't sting nearly as badly as a rain-boosted Water Pulse to the flame on her tail, and it was easy to ignore.
"Void sorry, Void's underlings not can find Mega Stone for Golisopod," Void gently noted, turning to Azure and giving him a pat too. "If one exist, Void get it. You both good Pokémon and deserve it."
Azure gave a gravelly chuckle. "I don't believe that such exists, but I would be grateful to receive one if it turns up in another world."
Void nodded, touching the tips of her arms together and swaying in place. "Void send Beasts to find Astrid, and Salem busy with other places and Pokémon on your world… but Void call Salem home soon too. Necrozma's shield fading, and it not last much longer."
Both Zariel and Azure perked up.
"And Void still not forget what you tell Salem about Six-Seven, Azure…" the Nihilego continued, her voice sounding less like a pleasant chime and slightly more akin to nails on a chalkboard. "Void know accidents happen, Void know things go wrong… but if Void have traitor…!"
A mighty screech of rage erupted from Void, and she turned to the wall, raising both of her arms up and smashing at it while shrieking in rage. The Stakataka in the corner immediately sprang to life and hurriedly ambled over.
"Hey, hold on, goddess!" Zariel cried, awkwardly grinning at her.
If Void had been a Buzzwole, she would've absolutely demolished the wall with her fists… but she didn't have fists, and she certainly didn't have any physical durability. In mere moments, the tip of one of her arms cracked and she shrieked again in pain instead of rage. The other Beast reached up and carefully nudged her away from the wall.
"VOID," he said, the myriad of voices from each piece conglomerating into one huge, deep one, "HOW ARE WE TO PROTECT YOU IF YOU HURT YOURSELF?"
"Mmmmmm…" Void's voice trailed off, going back to its nonchalant sound. "Void get worked up… Thank you, Knox…"
"IT IS OUR DUTY TO ENSURE YOUR WELLNESS."
Azure was already scurrying for the nearest shelf and reaching for a hyper potion with his two back claws. Void gladly took it with her non-injured arm and sprayed it onto her cracked one, letting out a little sigh of relief.
"I would be worked up if I was in your position too," Azure noted. "The possibility of someone defying you didn't even cross my mind."
Zariel laughed, some more embers escaping her mouth. "What a damn shame I didn't get to see that one.~ Those sparky motherfuckers could blast me into orbit, but I bet I could melt one if I Flamethrowered 'em hard enough."
"Must you always make such a mess?" Azure remarked, giving her a glance.
"I didn't burn a forest down trying to find two little runts," Zariel laughed, giving him a sly look. "Salem just gets a pass, huh?"
Before he could say anything back, Void piped up again, still with a slightly wrathful tinge to her voice. "If Six-Seven got lost, then he see wormholes and know there plenty of squads to come home with. If he find Salem, then Salem know what happened and Salem handle it. That what Void pay attention to- what he say and do to comrades. But if Void have traitor… Void not deal kindly."
She sighed, touching her arms together and swaying again, but a shudder went down her form that the rest assumed was in loathing anger. Certainly, none doubted her words, and she turned back to the Charizard and Golisopod before gently giving the both of them another gentle pat of affection.
"That all Void need you for. Salem want see you again for other targets; Void send you back to her."
They nodded, and Void floated over to the square vessel hanging on the wall.
"Comrades need wormhole; you see location in Void's mind?" the Nihilego said to the glowing square.
"Yes, of course!" came a small voice from inside. "Right away, Void!"
In moments, the air cracked and a glowing white hole opened that Zariel and Azure strode into.
"Thanks again, goddess!" the Charizard called as it closed.
At that, Void and Knox were left alone in the base, and Void floated over to the entrance next with Knox keeping close behind.
"Void is patient," she mused gently, swaying like a flower in the breeze. "Void know no one can beat Void. But Void… Void want Astrid. Void want Necrozma. One of those things seem much harder to get than the other. But that okay… Void wait as long as Void needs to. Void let Void's squads look for human, Void let Salem and Salem's underlings destroy that world's resistance. Void love Salem. Void have faith in all of Void's comrades, all the Beasts and Pokémon that Void has. Because one day…" She reached up with her non-injured hand and made a sweeping gesture up at the sky. "… All that be Void's. And Void, Salem, and Astrid never let it go." She turned to Knox. "Take Void to crater. Void want see Necrozma."
"OF COURSE."
Some of the blocks on the Stakataka's front rearranged and folded aside so the Nihilego could float inside of his walls. Once she was safely tucked out of view, they went back to their normal position, and the living rampart strode off towards a blazing light in the distance with Void floating along inside, thoroughly shielded from anything that could possibly come at her.
… Light years away, her favorite purple-eyed Delphox was raining fire and wreaking havoc, just as they both liked her to do.
