The wounds on Dren's back and side ceased to bleed and even started to close up a bit, Rozen carefully situated on his back with his warm, gentle touch going over each bite mark. The dragon's hide still looked singed from Glimmer's Hyper Beam, but nonetheless, he didn't seem to be paying it too much mind. Even if the fight was over, Astrid still couldn't help but to feel on-edge, as if somehow, their enemies would spring back to life and every single one of them would have to scurry for cover. Her and her comrades were all alive, but… she couldn't shake off the thought that, if both Lunala and Raijin hadn't been there, things would have gone very differently.
"Safe to say we're still in the clear if Necrozma ain't swooped in on us yet?" Rush piped up, giving Lunala a glance. "That hungry bitch ain't given us away with her tantrum, ya think?"
"We can't say anything for sure," Lunala replied. "If she did, and Void was going to send her emissaries after us, she probably would've done so before we had any chance to heal and get our bearings, but there's still no telling what her plans are."
Astrid and Arashi shared a glance, the Decidueye's expression still fairly cautious and her partner's face oddly peaceful, as if he knew he should be concerned too but simply held out hope that everything would end up perfectly fine regardless. The Greninja started smiling, wordlessly edging a bit closer to her, and her beak curled up a bit at the edges too.
"Hey, we can do this," Arashi cheerfully piped up. "Our odds aren't going to get any better and we're as prepared as we can possibly be! Have some hope!"
"Li'l Blue, you got the right idea," Rush affirmed.
"He does," Rozen agreed.
Lunala chuckled, one hand reaching down and gently patting the Greninja on the head. Arashi's eyes sparkled at the divine attention, and Astrid couldn't help being slightly amused at his excitement.
"Hey, speaking of Necrozma," Arashi piped up again, looking to the ethereal goddess, "the three of you in the Light Trio are fairly close, right? I mean, you've mentioned it a little before, but like, if you're watching over Ultra Space together, you've gotta be pretty used to hanging around each other!"
She chuckled again. "Well, you're right," she affirmed. "Even before the months-long standoff, I'd spent my own fair share of time fused with Necrozma, and Solgaleo is practically my brother… I've known them both since me and him were little Cosmogs. If you're gonna spend time drifting around the galaxy because even a slight breeze will blow you away, it's better to hold onto someone else in the same situation so you can at least keep each other company while you're floating off aimlessly, and eventually, we both latched onto Necrozma too. You understand- sometimes it's a crazy world out there and it's better to face it with a friend."
Arashi giggled. "That's true!"
"It is," Raijin softly concurred.
Astrid agreed too, but nonetheless, she couldn't help every single one of her feathers standing up on end. She'd figured that out fairly quickly when she'd been dropped into a strange new world, and those same friends she faced the craziness with were going to get ripped away from her in a matter of time that rapidly approached. Lunala knew that fact, and yet she dared to speak of holding onto a friend so casually. The Decidueye bubbled with rage and despair all the same, wanting to turn on the goddess and passionately cuss her out, but she held it together and swallowed whatever tears tugged at her eyelids.
Raijin apparently noticed her state, for he studied her for a second and asked, "Are you alright? You're all fluffed up like you're flustered about something…"
Arashi perked up too. "Sheesh! Glimmer didn't give you too much static, did she?"
The areas of her face not covered by feathers flushed red. "A-ah, w-well-"
"Oh, come the fuck on, you two," Rush chimed in, rolling his eyes. "That's Li'l-li'l Green you're talkin' about. She's probably thinkin' about shit that might go wrong and land her in Void's arms 'cause she just thinks all the damned time, and she's fluffed 'cause she's a damned bird. That's what birds do."
She blushed even more. "Th-that's it," she said quickly, looking straight ahead and avoiding anyone's gaze. "Y-you know how I am…"
Her partner grinned gently, and Raijin gave her a soft pat on one wing. Had anyone been looking to notice it, Lunala would've been displaying an uncertain look too, one that bordered on outright fear.
"If I had feathers, I'd probably fluff out too," the Xurkitree noted.
"Well, y'all ain't got to, 'cause if that Nihilego tries to touch any of us, especially any of you, I'ma fuckin' rip her arms off," Rush remarked, completely unfazed. "I've already been envisionin' it. I don't need no damned poison to be a crazy bastard, and I'ma show her she fucked with the wrong bunch o' 'Mon."
"Now, now, friend, let's not be hasty," Rozen nonchalantly piped up, getting a funny look from the Scrafty in return. The feeler-eared one chuckled, briefly flashing up a Reflect in front of them. "You're assuming she'll be able to touch anyone in the first place."
The Coalition lead cackled, and Dren too chuckled a bit while giving the Audino a pat with the tip of his tail and winking at the Starstorm trio. Arashi grinned some more, while Astrid deflated, albeit pulling her hood a little more snug around her head.
"Say, Lunala, how are the others faring?" Dren inquired, glancing up at the goddess.
Her perturbed look faded almost instantaneously, replaced by her usually amiable look. "Well, I'm not seeing anything immediately concerning," she answered. "No one else has been intercepted yet, but that's fine for now. Aside from our own hiccup, everything seems to be going how we planned it, and our comrades are on the right track to where they need to be."
"Good," Rush said, pounding his fists together.
The Starstorm trio shared a glance amongst each other with the same sentiments- everything going according to plan was what they needed the most. A single mishap could have disastrous consequences… but if what the goddess said was true, then they didn't have much to worry about in the interim.
They only hoped it would stay that way.
. . . . .
Off in the desert, Xeno and Ama's brigade seemed to be handling themselves fine enough, except for the Blissey herself and Lazuli having difficulty skittering after a galloping Ditto-eyed Mudsdale and their Girafarig comrade while keeping the same pace. Xeno found himself with Seth, Ama, and Lazuli all perched on his back as a result, Seth at the front and Ama at the back, all holding tight to his mane, while Cinder and Riven perched on Ravi's back (where the Honchkrow made shifty eyes with his tail-head). Of course, Xeno didn't mind in the slightest, not even breaking a sweat as he dashed through the glittering sand, and the avians were light enough with their hollow bones to not bother Ravi so much. The rays of light beating down from the looming tower in the distance were still rather intense, and every time a breeze blew, the glassy bits of sand were rather uncomfortable to a majority of the ones there. Everywhere they looked, bright spots shimmered like miniature suns, the crystalline sand reflecting the Blinding One's rays in every direction.
"Twi-twinkle, twi-twinkle, twi-twinkle, twi-twinkle, go show your love~" Ama sang sweetly, mostly to herself. "Twi-twinkle, twi-twinkle, twi-twinkle, twi-twinkle, go show your looooove~! Dear gods above, accept my wish, I want to see this world smiiiiile~! The door to my heart is open wide, and my friends are all happy and starry-eyed!"
"How many love songs do you have, Ama?" Riven asked, shooting her an incredulous glance. "I swear, every time we see your team, there's always a different one."
The Blissey giggled. "Not enough~!" she happily replied. "I lost count a while ago, but the numbers aren't important. Maybe your team should give it a try!"
"But that's your team's thing, Ama!" Xeno chimed in, glancing backwards for a second. "If anyone else paraded around singing love songs, it just wouldn't hit right!"
"Well, we have one song whenever Shar or Polly starts it," Seth chimed in, looking to the egg-toting one. "The old 'yo-ho, blow the 'Mon down' shanty. It's not much about love though, and I doubt she'd sing it if it was."
Another giggle escaped Ama. "Oh, you gnarly darlings just won't admit it.~ You're not really rough-and-tumble all the time.~"
"Yeah, and there ain't no way in hell you're cutesy all the time, either!" Riven playfully shot back, eyes glinting with mischief. "Admit it, Ama- you've dropped a cuss word or two or told someone that they're unlovable before!"
A gust of wind blew up, taking with it a little sandstorm that jabbed at the expeditioners. A few cries of protest graced the air, the avians shielding their faces with their wings while Ravi and Lazuli grimaced a little. Ama's eyes twitched slightly, but she was hardly bothered and simply patted her egg as if it too could register discomfort. Nonetheless, it was over in seconds, everyone easing up again.
The Blissey looked almost horrified at the idea Riven bounced around, hugging herself with her stubby little arms. "Why, darling, I would never! Telling someone that they're unlovable is just too awful to even consider!"
"In other words, she's not denying that she's cussed," Cinder remarked, mostly to himself.
Ravi started to laugh under his breath, stifling it as best he could. *Hey, now, she never said she did either,* he replied without words.
*She might be a Blissey, but no one will ever convince me she hasn't had a swear-worthy expedition before,* the Fletchinder flippantly thought back. *I know my own team has had plenty.*
The Girafarig's mouth pressed tightly together, but his tail-head wasn't immune from snickering at the idea.
Lazuli, though, chimed in with different ideas, grinning playfully. "What, telling someone they're unlovable is too awful? I've told that to Cinder at least five times!"
"Hell, I'll say it right now," Riven crowed with mirth. "Seth, you're unloveable!"
"Keep talking," the Scizor replied, holding up one pincer and clanging it open and shut. "I'll break that head of yours like a brittle eggshell."
The Blissey studied them all with amused eyes of her own, remarking, "Oh, my lovelies, I know you're all better than that.~ You don't mean it.~"
"I don't know if I'm better than that," Cinder nonchalantly said to the contrary.
The egg-toting one giggled. "Oh, Cinder, don't say that.~ You're an angry fireball, but you have a heart under all that rage or you wouldn't be our comrade.~ You just need some love.~"
The Fletchinder wasn't too convinced, saying indifferently, "No, I just need something to set on fire."
"Might wanna try that when your Water-type friend isn't around," Lazuli piped up.
Cinder's gaze turned on her next, the fiery avian musing while he stared straight at her, "Hey. I'll just burn you too."
"You're gonna threaten me with fire~?"
"I did some Acrobatics to steal the glasses off of Remi's face, so I'll just do the same to steal the eyes off of yours. Then we'll see who's laughing."
"I dare you!"
The Fletchinder spread his wings slightly and crouched like he was about to spring, and Lazuli too braced herself while batting her eyes without a care, though the both of them stood down moments later as if nothing had ever happened.
Xeno and Ravi, though, came to a screeching halt when a bright ray of light bounced directly into their eyes from the edge of a tall crystalline cliff.
"Augh!" Ravi groaned, directing his gaze elsewhere.
"Shades!" Xeno cried.
Lazuli angled herself so that Ama could reach into the bag on her back and fish out a pair of Goggle Specs, which were then handed off to Seth, who carefully placed them on Xeno's head. The Azumarill then took her own turn reaching into the bag on Seth's back, retrieving a pair of Lock-On Specs that Cinder flitted over to grab before placing them on Ravi's head. The ones with the glasses were far less distressed with the rays mostly dissipating through their shades, and Xeno was back to kicking his hooves playfully in seconds.
"That's more like it!" the Ditto-eyed Mudsdale said happily.
"Sheesh, I can see why Raijin said this place was trouble," Ravi remarked.
Another breeze kicked up another cloud of crystalline dust, eliciting another set of cries.
"How do those Pheromosas put up with this?!" the Girafarig fussed.
"I'm not gonna complain, but sheesh!" Lazuli too exclaimed.
"Gnarly as hell," Riven said flatly.
Cinder merely squawked, burying his face in his wings again.
Ama, on the other hand, patted her egg again and said, "Gather around, my lovelies!"
They did as she said, Ravi trotting up beside Xeno as close as he could get while the Blissey bathed them all in a Soft-Boiled glow. A few sighs of relief followed, and she gave little one-armed hugs to whomever she could reach without tumbling off of Xeno's back.
"Thank the gods for the Happiny line," Ravi mused under his breath.
"Xeno, you lucky bastard," Riven remarked. "That Transforming capability must feel reeeeaaaal nice about now."
The Ditto giggled, playfully stomping in place again. "It does!"
They all basked in Ama's healing glow for a few more moments before it faded, all of the ones scratched up by the glittering gusts feeling much more rejuvenated afterwards.
"Are we all good now?" Xeno inquired, stroking at the sand with one hoof.
"No complaints from me, boss," Ravi replied.
"It's gonna take more than that to extinguish my Big Blue spirit," Lazuli answered.
"Oh, I'm ready to raise some hell," Riven affirmed.
"Let's go," said Cinder.
Xeno didn't waste any time in dashing off again, the ones on his back clutching to his mane for dear life.
"Ravi, I wonder about your boss sometimes," Cinder remarked as the Girafarig turned to follow.
"Don't worry; we all do too," was the nonchalant answer. "Mostly Karma, but we all do."
The ones doing the running weren't too put-off by the occasional glares from the sand anymore, but the ones on their backs still nonetheless had to shield their eyes a few times from errant rays of reflected light. They tried sticking close between some of the larger crystalline cliffs so as to be shielded from the wind at least somewhat, and it worked when the cover was there, but there was still no completely avoiding the desert's harshness. Seth's wings flapped furiously in an attempt to keep his body cool, and Riven held his wings out away from his body to let some of the heat escape where his feathers were thinner. A few Bubble Beams from Lazuli (that Cinder flitted around in the air to avoid) sprayed in every direction gave them some respite from the heat too, even if they did evaporate fairly quickly. Something else became noticeable the further they went- the crystalline fixtures started having little variations in their colors from the ever-present sea green, taking a few hues of blue or even a pale purple. Some of the shards even started to resemble little buds of water plants- clearly not the same structures of the desert, but almost as though they had simply started to grow of their own accord.
However, they were halting yet again.
"You guys," Ravi piped up as he came to a stop, sounding rather intent.
Xeno practically skidded to a halt, turning around to look at the Girafarig. "What's up, Ravi?"
"Now, I'm not nearly as good at surveillance as Adnea is, but I think we're not alone," was the reply. "This feeling I'm picking up is… pretty hard to ignore."
Lazuli got an exited look. "Really?!" she exclaimed.
Both Ravi's main head and his tail-head nodded intently.
"Oooh! Yes~!" Ama cried, clapping happily. "This is what we've been waiting for!"
"Alright, who's doing the talking?" Seth inquired, glancing around. "Someone's gotta talk to these creatures."
"My vote's for Ama," Cinder noted. "She already speaks their language. Start gushing about how much you love Void and they'll take us straight to the tower, no questions asked."
"I agree," Ravi seconded it.
"Me too," said Lazuli.
"Me three," Riven concurred.
No one else protested it, and the Blissey started grinning even more than she had been before.
"Well, then, I guess it's all up to me!" she sang, patting her egg. "There's no way we can mess this up! I'll be all 'Void's enlightenment is the greatest form of love there is and we're all dying to see the real thing! Please, let us bask in her love and let us take it to the reaches of our world too!' They'll have to listen to us!"
Smirks started going around the group.
"Where are we headed, Ravi?" Xeno inquired.
The Girafarig nodded off in one direction. A crystal-embedded sandstone cliff rose up in the near distance, closer to the tower's (still far-off) vicinity and slightly to their northeast, and a single plant-like rock grew just in front of it as though signaling the terrain was indeed starting to change. There were plenty of slopes, crevices, and hollow points for someone to be hiding out in, but seeing as the expeditioners themselves were the intruders, whoever Ravi picked up on likely was not hiding in the slightest so much as simply going about their business.
"Well, alright then! Let's do this!" Xeno cried, playfully stomping some more before bolting off yet again.
*Hey, we might be reaching the tower soon; we've got company,* Ravi broadcasted his thoughts out to any of his other comrades that might pick up on them.
*Hope for the best and be ready for the worst,* came a quick response from Adnea.
*Give 'em a nice hello~* came Delphi's telepathic voice, sounding more like a suggestive purr than anything.
Lunala didn't say anything outright, but even from afar, he could tell she was nodding in acknowledgement at the info.
Ama giggled to herself as they drew closer, and Lazuli gave her a playful pat on the back. Sure enough, someone, a stick-thin and fast-moving someone, could be seen quickly skittering up to the top of one rocky wall, waving their arms in what looked like exasperation, and then leaping back down out of view without ever turning towards the expeditioners. Several glances travelled around the group, for clearly, they were not alone.
That only became more apparent once they drew closer. Several voices graced their senses from behind the rocks.
"You really think they'd try?" said one, only slightly metallic.
"I wouldn't put it past them," said another, having a more prominent metallic buzz to it. "I wouldn't put anything past them, to be honest. They're smart and they have informants."
"That not be good…" a third one trailed off, more akin to a pleasant chime than anything.
"After that snafu on the thorny mountainside, anything goes," the buzzing one noted. "Besides, if this is the call Void is making, we listen, no questions asked. I don't want to be explaining anything lackluster to Remi again anytime soon. We're lucky Salem didn't chew us out too."
The conversation piqued their interest, but something else piqued it even more when a scuttling set of footsteps graced their senses. Ama jumped down off of Xeno's back and onto one of the flat rock surfaces, clapping her hands happily. The rest of her comrades hopped down too, giving each other knowing glances.
In moments, the same stick-thin figure popped up at the top edge of the rocky embankment, poised to leap down, but she paused for a moment and merely stared down with one leg slightly in the air over the edge and arms slightly out to the side. "… What the hell…?" she said, only a single eye narrowing in scrutiny.
Ama didn't waste any time. "Hiiii~! You're a native, aren't you~?"
The Pheromosa blinked, then jumped down to their level. "Hey, get over here and look at this," she called over to the other side, casually crossing her arms and leaning against the sandstone wall. The red identifying marks on her arm were visible, but the way her arms were crossed obscured the full sequence from view. She studied the creatures before her, wearing an almost funny expression. "Well, I'm an Ultra Space native, if that's what you mean, but not a native to this particular desert. What are you all doing here? You don't know where you are, do you?"
Ama giddily threw her arms out to the side, chirping, "No, we're awfully unfamiliar with this place and we were hoping someone could point us in the right direction! We've been enlightened with Void's love and, well, we just have to bask in her glory!"
The Pheromosa's face lit up, and just as quick, another figure peeked down at them from the top of the rocky shelf- the hulking body of a Buzzwole. He wasn't alone, either- the glassy body of a Nihilego swayed next to him, floating around his head as if she wanted to perch atop it like a bonnet. From their angle, the identifying marks weren't fully visible, but the figures themselves nonetheless raised a few questions.
Ama blinked for a second, her eyes twitching just a bit at the sight, for surely there was more than one Buzzwole-Pheromosa-Nihilego squad… Surely…
The Buzzwole jumped down, and the Nihilego floated behind him. The identification of 'UB01-7000' was plainly visible on the glassy one's bell, and when their Pheromosa comrade uncrossed her arms and simply stuck her claws on her hips, her identification of 'UB02B-6003' became easy to read as well. With a simple pose, the Buzzwole showed his too- 'UB02A-0145.'
Ama's expression faltered, and Ravi picked up on it too for the way he perked up. Xeno too blinked a few times, but he didn't make any moves yet.
"You want bask in Void's glory?" the Nihilego asked, clapping her tendril arms together. "Seven Thousand can help!"
The Blissey nonetheless kept on, even if she sounded a bit more stressed than she had prior. "That's right! We know a goddess when one presents herself!"
Fourteen-Five, however, cut in fairly quickly, skittering closer and kneeling down. "Hold on," he said, holding one hand up to halt his comrades' antics. He pointed at Ama with one borderline accusatory finger, saying, "You, that frilly pink bandana, and the 'love' talk."
The one wearing the frilly pink bandana got slightly wide eyes, nonetheless still smiling as she continued, "What lovely timing, am I right~? What're the odds, it's the lovely Squad Fourteen-Five! I didn't think I'd ever see you again, ahaha…~!"
Seven Thousand stopped swaying, and Sixty-O-Three perked up instantly. The rest of Ama's comrades perked up too at the mention, albeit holding perfectly still as if moving would throw everything off. Whether the developments happening before them were good luck or horrendous luck was impossible to tell.
The Buzzwole stood back up, striking another pose. "I've punched you! Ami of Team Sweetness- no, that's not right… But you're that expeditioner from Starry Peak, aren't you?!"
"That's me, alright!" Ama didn't even bother hiding it. "Ama the Blissey, leader of Team Sweetheart and spreader of love and joy!"
"And you're here because you wanna see Void, right~?!"
"Yes! I want to take her love to the reaches of our world! My friends here are all with me! They saw how happy I was, and, well, they can't resist her either!"
"That's right!" Xeno exclaimed. "If anyone knows what love is, it's Ama, and I believe her!"
"I don't give a damn about love, but I recognize greatness when it's out there!" Riven too (untruthfully) corroborated.
Sixty-O-Three's grin got even bigger, and Seven Thousand went back to swaying like a flower nonchalantly blowing in the breeze. Fourteen-Five was evidently quite giddy too, for he clapped his hands with glee and struck another flamboyant pose.
"This is lovely timing! Oh, this is perfect!" the Buzzwole exclaimed. "I can't wait to tell Void about this!"
Even if they didn't make it obvious, the rest of the group was relieved at his words and relaxed as best as they could. Their luck hadn't been terrible after all, and Fourteen-Five was exactly right about things being perfect. By the gods, Ama had done it- they were going to go see Void up close and personal, just like the Coalition's smart minds had planned.
… Or at least, it seemed that way for all of around three seconds.
"… Because you're a filthy liar just like Six-Seven is!" Fourteen-Five hollered, pointing at her accusatorily again while balling his other hand into a fist.
The expeditioners were taken aback all over again, Ama's eyes going wider than they had before.
"H-huh?!" the Blissey cried.
Sixty-O-Three couldn't help her laughter, and Seven Thousand rubbed her tentacle arms together in a way that seemed more calculating than cutesy.
"You aren't enlightened," the Buzzwole declared, crossing his arms. "You didn't get to Ultra Space without someone helping you, and the only ones capable are other Beasts carrying little nebulas. If you got here, to this section, you'd know where Void was and that you're in the right place to see her because any of us bringing you along would've clued you in. But here you are, acting oblivious."
"I-it was a spontaneous wormhole!" Ama protested haplessly. "I'm not a liar! Why would I lie?!"
"Pffft! Those odds are so low, it's not even funny!" Sixty-O-Three scoffed amusedly.
"Because Void made the call that Six-Seven and Lunala's buddies would try to pull something like this, that's why," Fourteen-Five shot back. "Look, little lover-liar. We know you're close to the Coalition, and we know that the Coalition has a tiny bug that's capable of nullifying enlightenment. You're here for Void, alright, but not to bask in her glory. We gave you a world of pain once, and we'll do it again."
Everyone behind the Blissey took positions ready for a fight, but the lead sweetheart herself couldn't help but to blink for a second in pure exasperation. The fists and claws facing her certainly didn't put her at ease.
"… Ohhhhh dear, not this again…~" Ama's voice trailed off, sweet but faltering with hesitance. The words that left her mouth the next second gave everyone a very clear idea of what was going through her head, too. "… GODS.~ FUCKING.~ DAMN IT.~"
. . . . .
"You sure you weren't making stuff up?" a certain snarky Pheromosa remarked, side-eyeing the Delphox next to them. "Look, if you're trying to lure me out into empty territory so you can kill me, you're gonna have a rough time."
Salem rolled her eyes, not caring in the slightest. "Go on, Remi, keep projecting," she brushed them off. "Seriously. It's entertaining."
The look that crossed Remi's face was one of pure fury and disdain, but they kept their mouth shut.
The jungle was quiet, almost too quiet. The little nebula that Remi had strapped across their body was definitely quiet, the glowing cube not twitching or moving in the slightest. Nonetheless, it was fairly easy to tell where Squad Glimmer had gone running from the trails of burnt canopies overhead and battered trees, making it fairly obvious that a certain Guzzlord had gone on a rampage and a certain Celesteela had flown after them. What caught the emissaries' attention, however, was the complete lack of commotion- whatever rampage Salem had heard clearly was not still occurring, for there was neither sound of fuss nor any voices in the air aside from the two investigating. Salem held her wand in one hand, the tip still burning with purple flame, and Remi's claws twitched as though just waiting to dig into something.
"Maybe Glimmer knocked her out," Remi mused, glancing around but avoiding looking at Salem. "Nothing puts a Guzzlord in their place quite like a little fairy glow."
"Maybe," Salem said with a shrug, obviously not taking the idea seriously.
Rather shortly, they got indication that such had not happened when they were able to catch sight of a claw-raked, bloodied pincer lying limp and motionless. Salem and Remi both blinked, and almost too fast to see, the Pheromosa was dashing off into the clearing with Salem trailing behind.
"Okay, what happened?!" Remi cried, skidding to a halt in the middle of the silent battleground.
Salem ran in too, the flame on her wand burning brighter as if in preparation to start a fight. Her purple-tinted eyes scrutinized everything in sight- the KO'd Guzzlord with blood dripping from her wounds, the faint and faded Glimmer at the bottom of a newly-formed pit, and Fifty-One-Sixteen unmoving in a crater of her own making. Both sets of eyes travelled around the scene, taking in the bloodstains, the charred surroundings, the vine nets haphazardly scattered, the blatant effects of a high-powered Hyper Beam smashing through the vicinity… There was no way it could be chalked up to an incident of Forty-Twelve getting antsy. Salem and Remi both looked at each other, inquisitive and unamused all the same.
"Ohoho, someone's getting put in their place," Remi remarked flatly.
"Someone's gonna get a taste of Void's wrath," Salem agreed, albeit slightly contrarily as she strolled over to Forty-Twelve's limp pincer.
The wounds were fresh, and Salem carefully looked them over with a scrutinizing gaze. Remi, on the other hand, slid down into the crater with Glimmer and gave her head a nudge with one foot, then started plugging her limbs into the ground when they got no answer. The fainted Guzzlord didn't even budge when Salem poked at her wounds with her wand.
"This isn't right," Salem remarked.
Her faster-moving company darted back up the edge of the pit and over closer, saying, "Say again?"
"This isn't right," Salem repeated, albeit rolling her eyes with a more annoyed tone. She prodded at the bloodied wounds again, noting, "Claw marks, three big ones in a line. Pheromosas only have two, Blacephalons only have one, a Naganadel's are too small and they don't use them much anyways, and another Guzzlord probably wouldn't leave a mark like that."
Remi studied her, blinking just a bit. "… So it wasn't a fucking Ultra Beast."
Salem's mouth started curling up in a smirk. "Nope."
The two of them looked at each other, Salem looking more and more excited with each moment.
"Can you read them and see who it was?" Remi inquired, eyeing her.
Salem snickered flippantly. "Remi. I don't need to."
Remi's eyes narrowed in what might have looked like incredulity, but the smirk that started to spread across their own face gave away their excitement fairly clearly too.
Salem, on the other hand, strolled right into the middle of the wreckage, throwing her arms out with a laugh and looking straight into her company's eyes. "Obviously, a bunch of off-worlders probably wouldn't pull this off alone without someone, someone with knowledge, telling them what to do.~ And you know what that means, Remi~?!"
The stick-thin Beast, as much as they may have despised the Pokémon in front of them, started getting a wild smirk too. "… Our goddess was right."
"YES!"
The Delphox threw her head back and started cackling wildly, arms still thrown out to the side but her free hand twitching as though on the cusp of strangling someone. Remi's claws flicked erratically, the Pheromosa merely chuckling to themself for a moment before bursting into laughter too.
"Hah! She called it!" Remi hollered gleefully. "There's no chasing them down now; they'll come straight to us!"
"Oh, I can't wait~!"
"What do you think that little blue brat's gonna say~? You think he'll be all 'Oh no, you guys, this was a bad idea!' or maybe 'Get your poison off of my friend, you jerks!' instead?"
"Forget the brat, he's the first one we'll shut up!" Salem brushed off the idea. "What do you think Six-Seven's gonna do~?" She feigned a frightened look, arms going slightly limp as she waved them haplessly and stumbled back a bit as though she'd been stabbed in the chest- movements someone would make if they lacked facial expressions to convey their feelings. "Oh, forgive me, you guys!" she cried, faking despair. "I never should've done this! I should've known better! We're doomed and it's all my fault!"
Remi cackled too. "Fuck Six-Seven, Void's gonna make him beg for mercy! What do you think Astrid's gonna do?! I'm betting she breaks down and starts crying inconsolably!"
"Oh, she would, too! She screeched and cried for a minute when Azure impaled her brat friend, then she quieted down afterwards when she saw how fucked she was! She was terrified when I started prodding her too! Once she sees there's no way out, she's ours whether she likes it or not, and she's not gonna resist at all!"
The Pheromosa still laughed, but they said with a bit more of a begrudging, venomous tone, "And then you'll feel the same way towards Astrid that I feel towards you for stealing my one true love away from me.~ And you'll come crying about how this wallflower is getting her affection, and I'll laugh and tell you to go fuck yourself.~"
The wand-toting one only looked more amused, quieting down to a few snickers as she trotted closer, looking Remi dead in the eyes as she said, "Keep projecting, Remi. Keep projecting."
Her company's eyes flashed with fury for a second, but they quickly and meekly changed the subject, saying much more calmly, "… The goddess is going to want us back at the tower."
"Indeed she is," Salem replied without missing a beat. "Zariel and Azure are already in position there. Let's go."
Still with begrudging eyes, Remi gave the cube they toted a tap, saying, "Take us back to Megalo Tower, little nebula."
"Y-yes, Remi!"
The air cracked and opened up into a wormhole, and in moments, the jungle was silent again.
Author's note: Ama's little song is modeled to the chorus of "TwinkleDance of Love" by Foreground Eclipse. Once the guitars and screaming kicks in at the minute mark, it's an absolute headbanger even if the lyrics are cutesy as hell. (And also rather nonsensical- I have to wonder exactly how they came about.)
I just wanna say a little thank-you to skyguys05- always makes me happy knowing someone is enjoying my work! Funny enough, I'd forgotten how much of a banger the Recon Squad theme was until you mentioned it, then I gave it a listen and was like "… Yeah, I can totally see that." I think I was listening to some of The Browning and DenKare's songs or something when I wrote it, since hey, ya can't have fights in Ultra Space without techno and electronicore and all that to get in the mood.
Anyways, on another note, I hope all of you lovely people have a lovely day.
