'Peaceful' was likely not an accurate descriptor, but off in Ultra Desert's reaches on the opposite side of Xeno and Ama's group, the one with Delphi in front couldn't particularly whine about their circumstances. Polly was thoroughly enjoying herself perched between Spirit's cannons, and whenever the Dreepies inside of them would peek out, she couldn't help either making funny faces or attempting to play peek-a-boo. The Dragapult chuckled at their antics unfolding on top of his head, the three smaller creatures occasionally scurrying around in a playful manner. Karma wore her usual Wobbuffet frown, but that simply couldn't be helped, and the only time she fussed about anything was when Kuro started snickering to himself (at which point she'd tell the Zoroark "Save that mischief for if we get into a quarrel!"). Yunael fluttered along, humming happily to herself in usual Team Sweetheart fashion on more than one occasion, and Joker trailed close to Delphi while barely making a sound. A sandstorm probably would've gotten on their nerves, but thankfully, there hardly seemed to be a breeze at all to blow the sparkling sands around. The only complaint to be had was that, indeed, the desert was blazing hot… but that likely couldn't be helped.
The sparkling sands mostly started to thin out in favor of the glassy, water-like floors of the Deep Sea terrain, and the air was noticeably thicker… not oppressively so, but enough to tell that the environment was changing significantly. The sandstone cliffs and sea green crystalline pieces had been replaced by plant-like growths with glowing shards in blue, green, and purple as the primary features of the landscape, though every now and then, a little piece of the tan rocks with the inorganic-looking crystals poked up through the slick ground.
Of course, with no interruptions, their venture was fairly easy… at least, as 'easy' as an expedition into an entirely different, enemy-filled star system in an entirely different dimension could be called, but nonetheless, for a certain someone, it was still fairly dreadful.
"I don't like this at all," Delphi said flatly, tugging at the cloak draped around her neck and shoulders as if it were strangling her. "These Nihilegos are Rock-types too! How do they put up with this?!"
"We're not actually underwater, Delphi," Karma piped up, likewise flat.
"We may as well be!" the Delphox countered. "This is awful! I feel like I could drown at any second!"
"Hey, now, I thought the 'drowning' part happened in a past life," Yunael chimed in, fluttering her downy wings. "Are you okay, Delphi?"
"Witch's intuition, Yunael, witch's intuition," the one in question replied. "This is bad luck. I can't seduce the guards if I'm choking on air!"
Her two teammates didn't bat an eye, but the other ones present got funny looks at the mention of 'seducing' the guards. If anyone could pull it off, it was Delphi, to be sure, but the thought of her winking at and sweet-talking a bunch of living ramparts or flying metal bamboo shoots nonetheless seemed a little… esoteric. Possible, sure, but esoteric nonetheless.
"… I wonder about you sometimes, Delphi," Karma noted simply, studying the Delphox.
"Oh, cut her a break and wonder about Xeno," Polly chimed in, looking amused.
"I do that quite often," the Wobbuffet brushed her off. "But when I'm not, I have to wonder about someone."
Joker eyed the Wobbuffet, still not saying a word.
Spirit gave her an inquisitive look. "Do you really? It sounds like you never relax, Karma. That can't be a pleasant way to live!"
Kuro snickered. "That's just Karma for ya! I've walked past her when she's sleeping and she says stuff like 'No, don't you sneak in through that window!' or 'That's the move you picked? You're better than that!' pretty often!"
The Wobbuffet got a few amused looks at the mention, but she didn't seem to care in the slightest and still wore the same perpetually disgruntled expression while her Zoroark comrade stifled some more mischievous laughter.
Delphi chuckled. "Karma, you should come visit Soul Aria sometime and I'll make all of your worries vanish.~"
"You will do no such thing," Karma brushed it off. "Bless Xeno's soul, he's a godsend in battle, but his little Ditto brain is so full of knowledge on his hundreds of forms that he's not good for much else. There's a reason I'm his right hand, and that's why." She nonetheless turned to the Delphox and continued on, "But I just might come to you on my own one of these times… Perhaps you could show me the inevitable future where Xeno Transforms into someone's arch-nemesis and things go horribly, horribly wrong. It's bound to happen."
The Delphox winked, playfully brushing the Wobbuffet's head with her wand. "Oh, I can certainly help you out, Karma.~"
Kuro and Polly both took notice of Delphi's borderline flirtatious mannerisms, the Chatot blinking for a second then averting her gaze, while the Zoroark had bright red cheeks and looked as though he wanted to laugh but was almost envious of the attention Karma received.
Nonetheless, something quickly caught their attention- a message from a certain researcher.
It was disembodied, but it was clearly Adnea's voice. *There are some VERY problematic foes over here.*
Delphi's group paused for a second, everyone but Kuro getting an image of what, precisely, was problematic- a certain flippant Pheromosa using a very sturdy Stakataka as a steed for just a moment, and both of Salem's emissaries dropping into the mix with a Mega Stone prominently around one's neck. The mental picture they got of Remi leaping onto their Protect shield and cracking it just about made everyone else jump as if the Pheromosa were there leaping at them, and the sight of Azure's claws flashing coupled with Zariel's stone glinting were enough to make them tense up too. Short of Void and Salem themselves, those four definitely carried a reputation… and not a good sort.
"Alright, what's going on?" Kuro inquired. "I'm guessing this is psychic business that I can't see."
Delphi replied quickly, sounding a bit hesitant, "Remi, Knox, Zariel, and Azure are all in the same place… where Adnea and Shar's team is."
The Zoroark took his turn giving a jolt of fright too.
"They need protection!" Spirit exclaimed. "Those four are no joke!"
"That pretty asshat turned me into a mess!" Polly shrieked. "My wing was basically mangled flesh and broken bone! They fucked up just about everyone else without breaking a sweat, too!"
"I heard through the grapevine what Zariel and Azure did to Astrid and Arashi!" Yunael exclaimed. "They're absolutely insane!"
"Oh, gods above, that Garchomp is terrifying and that Orbeetle can hold her own with no damaging moves involved, but those four…" Karma's voice trailed off.
"Hey, now," Delphi piped up again, still looking a bit flustered but using a calm voice. "We have one job to do. Let's stay focused."
"Can you see what's gonna go down?" Kuro pressed, looking worried. "You can see the future- are they gonna be okay?"
"… Delphi?" Joker inquired, studying the Delphox's wand as well.
"I can try," the Delphox replied, holding her wand close enough to her face to stare into it intently. The flame on it burned intensely, and she appeared to be concentrating as hard as she possibly could from the way her eyes and face scrunched up in a way that looked borderline painful. She was silent for a few moments, then got wide eyes and a blatantly uncomfortable look. "Oh, gods above…" her voice trailed off. Her gaze slowly trailed upwards to the source of the blinding rays keeping their surroundings illuminated. "Oh, no… That can't be right…"
Her comrades drew in closer, looking frightened themselves at the words leaving her mouth.
"What was it?! What was it?!" Yunael cried.
The flame on her wand went out, and her arms drooped down to the side again while a grin (whether it was perturbed or actually peppy was entirely ambiguous) graced her face. "Something that only makes our job even more important! Let's keep going!"
They wanted to know what that something was, but she evidently was not going to tell them.
. . . . .
The other bunch in the desert was just starting to relax a bit all the while. Ama was hard at work on Riven and Cinder, working to stop the blood trickling from the Honchkrow's stab wound first then setting to Cinder. It would still take some time for both wounds to heal nonetheless, but eventually she was able to remove her bandana from Riven's chest, get Lazuli to wash it off with some bubbles, and instead use it to tie Cinder's wings snugly to his sides in the interim to keep his broken sternum from being displaced too much. The Fletchinder didn't look all that thrilled about the frilly pink bandana either, but he did have to admit, it was easier to move around with everything held in place. Her healing Soft-Boiled glow definitely helped to ease the pain, which gradually turned from burning and stinging into a dull aching sensation that was more tolerable.
"Okay, you gotta admit, when that thing was all blood-soaked, it looked gnarly," Riven said mischievously, eyeing the frilly bandana around Cinder's midsection.
"And I wouldn't have minded if it was my own blood," Cinder replied. "If I get stabbed and you wanna wear a bandana soaked in a comrade's blood, be my guest, but I'm not keen on it."
The Honchkrow snickered a bit. "What if it was an enemy's, huh?! Would you do it then?!"
"Absolutely," the Fletchinder replied without missing a beat. "Especially if they called me 'little' or something."
Lazuli took her turn snickering, looking utterly amused at the idea. "Oh, Cinder, you're my least favorite Fletchinder.~"
"Go back to the Distortion World where you belong, Lazuli," Cinder nonchalantly jested back. "They should've dropped you in Ultra Plant all by yourself."
At that moment, though, they got a message from Ultra Plant, and a rather unhappy-sounding one at that. *There are some VERY problematic foes over here.*
Lazuli and Cinder perked up before anyone else did.
"Adnea?!" Cinder cried.
"Why is she- oh, gods above!" Lazuli exclaimed.
Riven was left out of the loop, but the reactions of everyone else clued him in fairly easily that something was horribly, horribly out of the ordinary. They too all jumped at the mental picture of Remi lurching onto the shield from Knox's walls with their flippant, bloodthirsty smile, and it was easy enough to tell that Zariel and Azure meant pure trouble. Maybe they hadn't had interactions themselves with Salem's emissaries, but what they had heard was plenty of info to tell that having them there was not good in the slightest.
"Ah! That Pheromosa gave me and Rozen a hard time with healing!" Ama exclaimed in fright.
"And that crazy-eyed Charizard and that dapper-acting Golisopod practically killed Astrid and Little Blue!" Lazuli exclaimed, face going angry. "Those jackasses are here?!"
Cinder growled, eyes burning with rage almost akin to the embers welling up in his beak. "That bitch and that bastard think they had the right to give Astrid and Arashi hell?! I'm the only one who does that, dammit! And Remi and Knox can both fuck off straight to hell where they belong! Fuck 'em!"
"Hey! What's goin' on?!" Riven fussed. "What're y'all seein'?!"
"Our captain's bunch just got ambushed by Remi, Knox, Azure, and Zariel all at once," Seth explained to his comrade. One of his pincers clanged shut as though he were strangling someone right then and there. "Oh, I'd love to drag Remi to hell myself. Fuck them."
The Honchkrow's face lit up. "Me too, matey!" Riven concurred, getting something of a wild grin himself. "If turbo-hell exists, that's where they belong! All of them!"
"… You all definitely have some feelings about those four," Ravi remarked. "Valid feelings, I should say."
Xeno, however, skidded to a dead halt, and Ravi followed suit, everyone eyeing the Ditto-eyed Mudsdale curiously at such a sudden gesture.
"Boss?" the Girafarig asked.
"Xeno, dear?" Ama inquired. "Something on your mind?"
He was quick to answer, stomping in place with furrowed eyes that weren't quite angry but definitely weren't peaceful. "We have to go help them," he declared. "They're gonna get killed! We grouped up how we did so we could handle the terrain and a fight with a Beast squad if it came down to it, but that's no ordinary Beast duo and those are not two ordinary Pokémon either! Void and Salem personally picked them!"
No one was protesting what the Ditto said, but there were still some uncertain looks travelling around.
"Are you sure?" Seth didn't quite agree. "We could reach the tower if we hurried-"
"That's not the point," Ama cut in, looking determined herself. "Xeno, darling, are you thinking that they're gonna take out our lovelies in Ultra Plant and then run back to Void's side too?"
"Well, no, but that doesn't sound good either!" Xeno replied. "I was thinking that it's gonna be a hard battle and they just need some hard backup, but what're you getting at?"
"That's gotta be their mission if they're sending an overkill brigade like that- make quick work of our comrades out there so no one bothers Void," Ama mused. "And if they do that, then Void and Salem still have their emissaries, and we have fewer allies for when we need them."
Everyone else started to get the picture, and by the gods, was it an ugly one.
"How are we going to, though?" Ravi inquired. "That's far away, and on the other side of the tower…"
Ama didn't seem to have a solid idea.
Xeno, on the other hand, sighed. "You know, under normal circumstances, I'd be inclined to Transform into a Gardevoir and just suck us all into a black hole… but that requires a ridiculous amount of energy and might get us noticed by Necrozma. Besides, I'd be preeeeetty much about to die if I did that, and it's kinda hard to get in there and mix it up with your enemies when you're dead." The tone he used might've indicated defeat and a downtrodden acceptance of the situation had he not said what came next. He perked right back up and continued without missing a beat, "So! I'm not gonna do that, because I have another idea!"
His form glowed white and started to shift around, eliciting a few cries of surprise from the ones on his back. They didn't fall off, nor did they really move as his form shifted around, either, but instead found themselves perched on an even bigger surface- the head belonging to the hulking, metallic form of a Metagross.
Xeno crouched down low onto the ground. "Everybody, get on! I'm using this form's telekinesis to fly!"
It surprised them, but it was certainly agreeable, and they nonetheless did as Xeno said. He tucked his legs up, and they all positioned themselves to fit more precisely- Ravi laid down on Xeno's head on account of his quadruped form lacking any appendages to grab hold, Ama took up close to the Girafarig with Cinder tucked between her and Ravi, Seth braced himself against Xeno's two back legs, Lazuli braced herself against Seth, and Riven perched on the raised edge of one leg. Maybe the Ditto's form shook a little as everyone got situated, but he definitely made a sturdy metal steed.
"Alright, let's go show those emissaries that they can't mess with us," Xeno declared, then nonverbally called out, *Hey Adnea! We're coming- you guys just need to hold out for a few minutes, okay?! When I get there, you all can have a Ditto-eyed Knox as your shield too!*
. . . . .
Lunala's bunch had some fairly adverse reactions too.
"WHAT?!" Rush hollered when the goddess broke the news of what Adnea was relaying. "Not that pretty jackass and that blockhead bastard again! And Zariel's got a fucking Mega Stone?!"
Dren and Rozen were wide-eyed in fright, and the Scrafty looked ready to rip the head right off of 'that pretty jackass.' Raijin was practically frozen solid, not making a sound or a single twitch of movement, and Astrid wasn't too far behind. Every single one of her feathers stood out on end and she yanked her hood closer around her head, beak hanging slightly open.
"No way!" Arashi gasped. "Zariel was about to splatter us across the walls the first time she met us, and heck, she kinda succeeded on one of us!"
"D-Delphi foresaw her, but…" Astrid croaked, eyes practically bulging out of her skull. "I… I can't quite believe she's actually got a Mega Stone and she's here now…"
"That's extremely problematic in its own right," Dren piped up, voice faint as he eyed them all hesitantly. "I don't like going Mega, I don't like that violent rush of madness it gives and I still try to resist it, but someone like Zariel…"
He didn't need to finish the thought, for they all understood exactly what he was conveying. Dren was strong, to be sure, and he was definitely scary in his Mega form in his own right, but he was a gentle soul by nature that didn't actually want to hurt anyone beyond what was purely necessary. Zariel, on the other hand, was a flagrant criminal that, by her own admission, simply couldn't resist the violent urges she felt even without any influence. Therefore, if someone like the Salamence was prone to a Mega-fueled rage fit even while trying to resist such a feeling, someone like Zariel would fully lean into and embrace it…
"You saw what I did that day we were ambushed," Dren noted, wide-eyed. "I was ready to rip heads off and there's a Nihilego that's dead because of me. That is not the kind of creature I really am."
"… But that's the kind of creature Zariel is on her own," Astrid croaked. "She was laughing and talking about turning us into pulp…"
Rush didn't look thrilled at the thought at all. "… She's gonna go fuckin' insane, and that's probably a fuckin' understatement."
"And there's hardly a thing that moves faster than a Golisopod's First Impression," Rozen mused, contemplatively horrified. "Those claws are huge…"
"He almost killed me!" Arashi fussed. "Heck, he would have too if that evolution stone didn't save me! My mom was right- me and Astrid got lucky with those two!"
Raijin too wasn't amused in the slightest. "Short of Void herself, Remi is the last Beast you'd ever want to go up against, much less with someone like Knox as their shield…" his voice trailed off. "This is horrible."
Arashi definitely thought it was horrible too from the look that crossed his face at the mere sound of the Pheromosa's name. It was pure fear displayed in his lightly twitching eyes and his mouth hung open slightly with a subdued whimper escaping. Astrid couldn't help being taken aback by such a look on his face, but when it looked like he might pass out and his knees went weak, she reached out with both of her wings and clutched him up. Dren started to lurch forward to catch him too, but the Decidueye simply reached him faster.
"Li'l Blue!" Rush exclaimed in surprise.
Raijin was quick to react too, darting closer to Astrid's side and gently sticking one hand on the side of his face as if to jolt him back to reality. Astrid gripped him fairly tightly, but not so tight that it would cause discomfort.
"Hey," the Xurkitree said softly.
"Breathe," Astrid whispered.
She could feel her partner tense up in her wings for a moment after being almost completely limp, then quickly ease back into a normal state. A giggle escaped the Greninja, albeit one with a slightly cracking voice that sounded like it was trying to be upbeat even if not succeeding, and Arashi straightened himself up again.
"Hah! Sorry about that- I lost my cool for a second!" Arashi brushed it off, voice chipper but still tinged with fright.
Lunala gave him a little pat on the head with one bony finger, and the others gave him a knowing look that conveyed their understanding even without words.
"They're gonna get fucking shredded out there," Rush said flatly through clenched teeth, balling up one fist tightly. "Y'all seen our memories. That blockhead and that asshat were honest-to-gods on the path to kickin' every single one of our asses before they got called out, and that was against two teams at once. I can't see this endin' well, even if it was just those two and absolutely fuckin' not with Azure and Zariel out there."
Raijin, on the other hand, turned to Lunala and asked hurriedly, "I-is it a bad time for wormholes?! N-not because they've overpowered anyone yet, but…!"
"… But because it's better to finish those four off away from Void so there's no chance of her having her emissaries around when it really matters," the goddess finished his thought.
The others looked to their Beast comrades, taking in what they were saying. Astrid thought about it too- what Raijin was thinking was true, that if they could cut off access to her emissaries to help her, they would have less trouble. At the same time, though, she couldn't help but to feel that the sweetly poisonous tyrant herself had to have accounted for such the way she seemed to have accounted for the possibility of losing Arashi when she sent him back to their world. She still had an uneasy feeling that she just couldn't shake off.
"Yes!" Raijin affirmed. "Let's go help them! Me and Astrid already tested out a strategy for dealing with someone like Remi before we set off since she can shoot a clear path while I use Discharge, and both Zariel and Azure are weak to my type! Necrozma wanted me to kill those two anyway while I was on their world! That only leaves Knox, and we can deal with him afterwards!"
At her comrade's words, it finally struck Astrid.
"No," Lunala replied.
Astrid, though, simultaneously said the same thing, but with much more feeling behind it. "No!" she exclaimed.
Everyone's gazes fell on both Astrid and the goddess, drifting back and forth between the two. Lunala looked to the Decidueye, and the feathered ghost in turn looked back.
"… That's a different reason than mine, but it's valid," Lunala noted simply, studying her and evidently reading the thoughts crossing her mind.
Astrid still couldn't help shrinking up a bit under Lunala's gaze, albeit for multiple reasons- the fact that she didn't like this creature, her status as a literal goddess, the way she still had to act civil towards Lunala to keep everything together… but she still replied, "… W-what's yours…?"
"We have no way of knowing if Necrozma is aware of us or not," the goddess clarified. "They might not be. Shar and Adnea could have gotten picked up another way and Remi likely would lead the charge to get rid of a bunch of off-world intruders regardless. If I opened a wormhole to go help them out, it'd be a dead giveaway who was behind it, and there we'd be."
A reasonable answer, to be sure.
Raijin deflated a little, but he nonetheless turned to Astrid. "What's yours?"
"… D-Delphi's predictions," Astrid answered, looking to her Beast comrade. "L-look, it was you she saw dropping bolts on Zariel in her Mega form, yeah, but… she said before that happened, the tower had gone dark, and we don't want that yet. In the future she saw, something had to have happened with Necrozma, but given what we're doing now, it can't have been anything in our favor, and she said she saw me going crazy over something not to long after too. She was spot-on about everything in her first prediction, she already predicted our fight against Squad Glimmer, so we really do not need to make any more of this come true given our track record." She couldn't help fluffing out just a bit and looking at the ground. "B-besides, she told me to stay focused and she told you not to try handling everything on your own, and right now, that's exactly what you're doing."
Raijin deflated even more, drooping like a dying flower. "… Y-you're right… You're both right…"
It definitely wasn't comforting news to anyone. The Starstorm trio exchanged some worried glances, and Astrid wordlessly grasped at her teammates' hands. Arashi nestled into one of her wings again while clutching one hand tightly, and Raijin edged closer with one arm wrapped around her. Rush, Rozen, and Dren likewise weren't too thrilled, the Audino and Salamence with perturbed eyes and Rush with both fists clenched while he glared in frustration at the ground.
"Dammit," the Scrafty hissed, pounding his fists together. "So we just gotta leave 'em to fend for themselves? Adnea's out there, and if anything happens to her, then-…" He paused and shook his head, rubbing his temples as though he had a significant headache. "I don't need to think about losin' that Orbeetle, or I'll cause a bigger uproar than that fuckin' Guzzlord."
The goddess, though, still had different thoughts. "Now, I didn't say we had to leave them to fend for themselves," she said to the contrary. "I just said no wormholes. If you had, say, someone who can fly fast, and you wanted to go help them out, then you could. For all anyone knows, you all were just scoping the place out and Adnea called you herself."
The original three of the Coalition perked up, Dren catching on fairly quick and fluttering his wings a bit. Rush and Rozen both looked at him, then at each other, the Scrafty getting a smirk.
"Get on," Dren declared, crouching closer to the ground. "This is one of those situations that I'm willing to do anything, even if it means Mega-fueled rage."
Rozen, however, still looked a bit hesitant. "But what about you four?" he asked, eyeing Lunala and the Starstorm trio. "If Necrozma takes note of you, will you be alright…? I can't be your cleric from afar…"
Astrid too wanted to know, and Arashi looked inquisitive.
"Don't worry," Lunala replied. "It'd be cutting it close and I might burn out again, but Necrozma still probably isn't fully recovered. I've been basking in your world's sun for longer than Solgaleo's been up and generating light. It's still two against one, but…" She smiled a little and gave Raijin a pat on the head. "I've got the best emissary I could ask for and he'll hit hard for me. Astrid and Arashi are both valuable assets for multiple reasons too. We can manage."
Raijin tapped his fingers together and nodded slowly, albeit looking at the ground. The Audino seemed to get his answer and nodded as well, albeit in fairly quick fashion, after which he joined Rush in leaping onto Dren's back. Arashi looked a little startled still, but he nonetheless started to grin, likely in fanboyish admiration at his idols instantly jumping into action against such dangerous foes just like they were apt to do.
"Please take care of yourselves," Raijin said, encouraging but worried.
"G-give Zariel a few hits for me," Astrid said softly but tinged with vengeance. "And tell Azure that I still would never replace my partner because no one can get me a better one."
Arashi grinned at the mention and piped up himself. "Heck, give Zariel a hit for me too for making me think I'd lose mine! And Azure one for impaling me!" He got a bit nervous, but still grinned. "A-and tell Remi that they're the lesser species! Put them in their place!"
The Mega Stone around Dren's neck glowed, and one burst of energy later, he looked far more menacing. "Oh, I'm gonna give someone some hits."
"I'll beat the shit out of 'em for ya, don't worry," Rush snickered with a wild smirk.
"… Gods be with you," Rozen said, giving them all one last glance.
Before long, Dren had taken a flying leap and soared into the air, quickly becoming a small figure that was hard to see.
Once the Coalition trio was gone, Raijin practically threw both of his arms around Astrid, which surprised her but was nothing she protested.
"I needed to hear that," the Xurkitree practically blurted out. "You're right. I was trying to solve things on my own. I was freaked out and playing it all over in my head that Zariel is alive because I couldn't get a good opening and Azure is alive because I hesitated the first time, and I thought that if I'd taken care of them before, we wouldn't be facing this problem now. As tied to those four as Salem is, she would've picked up on it, and Necrozma and Void would too by proxy, and…"
She wrapped her wings around her Beast comrade too. "Hey. It's gonna be fine."
She wasn't quite sure of her words, but it seemed like the best thing to say. They were all still holding onto hope, staring at that glimmer of light off in the future where everything would indeed be fine, and it was true that, even for all the trouble they'd been through, their circumstances couldn't have been better. Her comrade seemed to be comforted by it, for he gave her one last little squeeze before letting go and nodding.
"Don't beat yourself up over the past, either," Lunala piped up with a more firm voice, giving her emissary another pat on the head. "Perfection isn't attainable. We- me and Necrozma- told you to do some pretty difficult things. Killing isn't easy for someone with a big heart."
Arashi chuckled, grinning at both of his teammates. "Hey! Let's not doubt our comrades, either! Azure and Zariel and Knox are scary and Remi is terrifying, but Adnea's pretty smart! We hardly win any battle from strength alone, so maybe she can figure something out before things get bad like Astrid has! And if she can't, then Rush and Dren have plenty of strength to go around!"
His voice was still tinged with fear, and Astrid could see it in his eyes too if she looked closely. That was Arashi, alright- smiling just about all the time, even when things were looking awful. She almost had to wonder if he'd still be trying to smile when she inevitably told him goodbye… but she didn't dwell on that for too long.
"You're right too," Raijin acknowledged. "Sheesh… I couldn't get better friends than you two. Having you here makes everything feel better."
Arashi laughed, the sliver of fear finally leaving again. "That's what friends are for! Once we beat Void, we don't ever have to worry about Team Starstorm getting broken up or ending, and we'll always have each other!"
The Xurkitree nodded again, tapping his fingers together. "… Right."
Her comrades seemed content, but Astrid started feeling weak herself as if she might turn into a pathetic sobbing puddle of feathers and leaves. She shut her eyes tightly again and pretended to be straightening the feather on her hood to hide her expression, getting herself back under control as quick as she could before putting on a brave face again.
The voice of Lunala that she heard in her head certainly helped in an unintended way, even as apologetic at the ethereal Beast sounded. *… I'm sorry it has to be like this, Astrid. Truly, I am.*
The Decidueye's eyes shot back open and went narrow in wrath, which could easily be passed off as contemplation or determination to anyone who saw it. *I hope it eats you- all three of you- alive for the rest of your unnaturally long lives. And I don't want you invading my head with your voice unless it's strictly necessary, either.*
The goddess didn't say a word in response, but yet again her countenance went distraught. Shortly, she too was trying to get a handle on things when one of her associates turned to her.
"Hey, Lunala, you'll tell us what's going on, right?" Arashi inquired, looking up at her. "Not that I think Rush and Rozen won't take care of things like they always do, but just… y'know, so we're not all in the dark if something really bad happens out there!"
Before the goddess could say anything, Astrid started snickering, which caught the attention of her comrades more than anything. "Oh, come on, Arashi," the Decidueye remarked. "We can't do anything about what transpires out there. Why would she tell us just to get us worked up and worried?"
It was an innocent enough inquiry, but Lunala visibly tensed up when the words left Astrid's beak. Of course, the Decidueye had different ideas of what it truly entailed- the goddess had broken the news that she couldn't stay in the same world as her friends, which was definitely working Astrid up over something she couldn't control. To Arashi and Raijin, it was a jest, but to Lunala, it was a knife through her chest. Astrid didn't mind putting one there, either… the goddess had already stuck one into hers and twisted it several times over.
"Because if you were out there, I'd want to know too!" Arashi exclaimed, giving his partner a playful nudge. "They aren't here, so I can be a fanboy and say it- those are still my idols, Astrid!"
Nonetheless, Lunala chuckled, albeit with a disturbed tinge that only Astrid would've noticed. "Of course I will," she brushed it off. "I've been keeping you all in the loop this whole time, no?"
Raijin gave a playful nudge too, albeit to the Greninja. "You just really like seeing your idols in action. Go ahead and say it."
Arashi looked like he (jokingly) wanted to hit the Xurkitree with a Water Shuriken or two, but he quickly let that thought go. Instead, he merely shot their Beast comrade a side-eye and said, "Okay, maybe you're right, Raijin."
Lunala giggled a bit and Astrid couldn't help her beak curling up in a smile.
"If it makes you feel any better," said the goddess, "Xeno and Ama's bunch are on their way over there too. That'll probably keep Necrozma nice and distracted, and it'll be a benefit to us once we reach them and Void."
The other three nodded, Astrid letting out a sigh of relief and Arashi perking up as well.
As much as Astrid didn't want to listen to Lunala, the goddess knew Necrozma and Ultra Space better than anyone else, thus what she said had to have some truth to it… but all the same, something still didn't feel quite right. Maybe the future that Delphi saw with the dimmed tower was some horrendous outcome that had to be avoided, but of course, there was no way to know that, and if it was, they had no way of knowing whether they actually had dodged it or not. Avoiding what the Delphox had seen seemed like the obvious answer, but Astrid still couldn't help feeling that there was something more to it. Why the Decidueye herself had been going ballistic, and at who…
None of them had the answers. It was all like one huge mystery dungeon- they knew where they wanted to end up, but how they'd get there was anyone's guess. All of the meticulous planning and mapping things out hadn't saved them from serious setbacks, and it seemed the further they went, the more precarious things got. She felt like a tiny Rowlet panicking in Tranquil Tunnel all over again, listening to someone more knowledgeable than herself but who clearly didn't have all of the answers, someone she didn't particularly have any faith in but someone she had no choice but to trust nonetheless.
Her gaze drifted up to the gleaming rays atop Megalo Tower, and at that moment, a chill travelled down her spine that made her feathers fluff out again, for it felt like the one behind those gleaming rays stared back.
She blinked, and in fright, averted her gaze back to the vicinity in front of her. That couldn't have been right- Lunala was masking them. Surely, if Necrozma had picked up on them from the commotion caused by Squad Glimmer, they would've swooped in and tried to stop Lunala's bunch then and there… unless something else had transpired that they weren't aware of, or if Void had other ideas…
She fluffed up even more. The more she thought about it, the more she felt like she and her friends were walking straight into a trap set by the sickly-sweet tyrant herself. She shook her head as if that might shake off the thoughts swirling around in her mind, but even if she forced it to the back of her head, it lingered. They'd all been played before, and it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that they'd get played again. Maybe Void was watching them fumble around in an ever-changing maze of mishaps.
She hoped to whatever higher power would listen that such wasn't the case, for if it was, they hadn't avoided some abysmal future but rather strode straight into it while thinking they had a better grasp than they really did.
That thought too was shoved to the back of her mind, but it still lingered close enough to be uncomfortable.
