Chapter 6: The Palace of Reflections (Part 2)
The six members of The Truth Seekers reunited, while two of those members were unaware of the name of their team. After reuniting, they collected the items the remaining Mystery Powder transformed into. These were the usual (berries, orbs, wands), but also, hand mirrors. Six, each themed around a Pokemon species. One themed around Nickit. One themed around Eevee. One themed around Riolu. One themed around Dragonite. One themed around Gardevoir. One themed around Delphox. Unfortunately, these six mirrors possessed not a single ability besides the one of displaying reflections. But the team decided to keep them, each member now possessing a mirror themed around their Pokemon species. The Queen of Battles getting into such a position after being peer pressured into it by the rest of her team.
Team Truth Seekers then continued on their quest to explore the rest of the Palace. Well, just the interiors of the hallways and chambers connected to each other while floating in a dark blue space. This having been decided after assessing just how difficult combat in an environment almost deprived of gravity would be, against the many enemies the senses of the Servants of Igor identified. A decision that was popular with everyone except The Queen of Battles.
"I don't care if it would be fucking difficult! I want to fight more shit with more difficulty!" The Riolu screeched towards the rest of the group currently present (as the Personas of the group were all missing, The Glamorous Adventurer having gone back to resting in Joina's presence), when she realised what the consensus of Team Truth Seekers was.
"But we do not." Ion plainly replied, while his signature resting bitch face rested on his face.
"And this is how democracies work, queenie!" Joina then stated, her signature grin plastered onto her face.
"…Fiiine, but only because you wouldn't allow me to explore this Palace if I didn't…" The Queen of Battles growled, obviously displeased.
Daniela realised the flaws with these arguments that kept the Riolu away from throwing herself into needless danger. Firstly, she could have went by herself into that danger, no need for the whole team to follow her. Secondly, the decision wasn't taken entirely in a democratic fashion, considering that the Personas of the group didn't get to vote. The first flaw was allowed to happen because The Queen of Battles is a powerhouse that could help with unavoidable enemy encounters, and also, because letting her off the leash could have been disastrous to herself. While the second flaw was allowed to happen so that the team wouldn't have to go through the hassle of bringing out their Personas. Not to mention the oddity of the Persona of the Riolu, that is formed by four Pokemon. If it voted, how many votes could it have contributed? One or four?
And although she realised these flaws, the Dragonite did not speak up about them. The dragon-type didn't care about the fighting-type at all, but cared about not creating the hassle that could have been created if The Queen of Battles became aware of those flaws. So Daniela remained quiet, while following the group further into the Palace.
Unlike the Palace formed around Andrei, The Palace of Reflections was massive. Chamber after chamber, hallway after hallway, dead end after dead end. Decorated by encounters of clones of the members of Team Truth Seekers in some of its places. The only things keeping the six Pokemon moving were the healing of Brix and the healing items they owned, some of which were received at the ends of some of the battles. Yet no matter how difficult the battles were, Andrei never once summoned his newly acquired Persona. Daniela found this odd, and the Eevee did as such in order to avoid the awkwardness of his Persona being a representation of Daniela.
Yet that was not the thing the dragon-type found the most odd. But what awaited the group at the very end of The Palace of Reflections.
It was almost a chamber like all of the other rooms the team explored that day: All of its surfaces covered by mirrors. And it could have been exactly like all of the other chambers, if not for a very important detail: The pillar made out of glass in its middle, in which an Absol with his eyes closed was trapped in. As if the glass froze around his body.
Everyone was surprised by this thing, so obviously out of the style set by the Palace beforehand. But Ion and Brix were the most surprised, the Gardevoir looking absolutely shocked.
"There's a presence." He started to speak, grabbing the attention of everyone in the group. "He's alive. And a Traveller. I don't know how and why-"
"He's not supposed to be here! And not like this!" The psychic-type finished, while being right. A Palace usually had a boss battle at its end, the boss then transforming into the Persona of the one rescued from their own Palace. Yet this was not the case here. And there shouldn't have been a Traveller trapped in this Palace, in the first place! Not a single Servant of Igor sensed him. Not until two of them walked into the chamber he was in.
"But he is…And we have to rescue him!" Brix followed up, before looking at Daniela. "Hun, could you please destroy the pillar?" The Delphox then asked the Dragonite.
"Of course." The dragon-type replied, before starting to approach the pillar. How could she not help a Pokemon in need?
The pillar took a few punches and kicks to be destroyed. Thankfully the glass wasn't thick enough to resist the power of a Dragonite.
The Absol opened his eyes wide the moment he was not trapped in glass. The first action he did within his new found freedom was to take in a deep breath. His second action was to cough. The moment he started to cough, the Palace surrounding him started to collapse. Once Ion came to terms with this, he snapped the fingers of his right hand. Teleporting himself, Brix, Joina, Andrei, Daniela, The Queen of Battles and the mysterious Absol on a certain yellow plain.
Brix was already readying a Heal Pulse to use on the Absol. Yet she let it dissipate the moment he stood up, not a single wound present on his body besides the blue scarf wrapped around his front left leg, and no wounds were felt by the Delphox to be inside of the Absol by her Servant of Igor powers.
"…Where is my presence located?" He asked right after standing up, while taking note of the six Pokemon staring at him. A male Eevee, a male Gardevoir, a female Nickit, a female Riolu, a female Dragonite and a female Delphox. All of which looked ruffled up, close to standing up on their last leg. This being the case because, unknown to the Absol, the group of six Pokemon used up all of its healing items, and its healer was keeping the very last of her powers to only be used in emergency situations.
"In a world that co-exists alongside yours, that is named The Alternative World." Ion replied in his plain style of speaking, as his face fell back into its form: That of a resting bitch face. "Well, if you come from the same world as these other Travellers, that is."
"Hun, there are only three worlds in existence: This one, The Real World and The Distortion World." Brix intervened into the conversation.
"That's what I also know. But considering the impossibilities I saw today, I can also believe in more worlds existing." The Gardevoir replies, while still maintaining his usual expression.
"Other Travellers? What is meant by that?" The Absol asked, his gaze on the face of the male psychic-type.
"Well, only me and the Delphox are of this world." Ion started his reply. "The rest are Travellers from what we refer to as The Real World."
"That's understood by me…Well, lets check if the history of their world aligns with mine." The male dark-type stated, before facing the other four Travellers. "So, do tell of some historic events."
"They actually won't have to answer to that." Ion intervened before any of those other four Travellers could show how much attention they paid to history in their lives. Doing as such as his pocket dimension appeared near his left hand.
"I possess a book with most of the historical events of The Real World right here." The Gardevoir stated, as he pulled out that book from his pocket dimension. "You may consult it, then determine if you come from the same world as the other Travellers." He then explained, while handing the book to the Absol.
The Absol grabbed it between his jaws, then placed it onto the yellow plain, before opening it. His right front paw moving the cover and then the pages underneath it as his eyes skimmed through the words present on the cover and pages. Not reading entire pages but only titles and paragraphs. Except for one chapter, that attracted his attention. That the Absol read fully, his eyes widening the more he read from it.
"This can't be…This book proclaims to have been printed in the year 2012, and my name is listed in it as one of the victims of The Distorted Coming! But how could it be from 2012, we're in the year of 2003! And The Distorted Coming just happened-" The Absol suddenly broke out into shouting, as he shut the book closed. He already realised what has happened, he was smart enough to. But he didn't want to believe it. Because that meant-
"We're in the year of 2012. At least in our world, you've been dead for almost nine years." Daniela broke the news to the Absol, and anyone else that didn't realise what was going on.
"Huns…What's The Distorted Coming?" Brix asked the group. Joina looked away, looking sad. Surprising Andrei, The Queen of Battles and Ion, that never saw the Nickit being sad and also did not know that much about this event. Unlike Daniela, who was fully aware of it.
"The Distorted Coming was the very last attack of Giratina onto…The Real World." So she started to explain, accommodating her explanation to the understanding of a Servant of Igor. "In The Real World, each Legendary and Mythical Pokemon has an island dedicated to them. Each island can be visited and inhabited by its owner whenever they please."
"Most of these Pokemon can also walk around the world, they simply don't really do as such because they're comfortable on their islands."
"That is not the case when it comes to those that are marked as being bringers of doom towards mortal Pokemon. This is simply because they have shown their desire to just end the so-called The Real World in the past, yet simply destroying them would harm the balance of existence."
"The Distorted Coming refers to an event when satellites captured video feed of Giratina exiting His island, as a boat approached His island. Then for some odd reason, the video feed skips everything that happened between this event and what it then captured. On all satellites."
"What it then recorded was the lack of the presence of Giratina, and a mortal standing on the Island of Giratina watching the boat recorded beforehand sink."
"She was the only survivor of what she described as being Giratina performing a Hyper Beam towards her boat, although it didn't touch His Island. Therefore, He shouldn't have been able to attack that boat. None that accompanied her on the boat have survived."
"That being Tiana, mother of Joina."
"So that's why you appeared familiar to me." The Absol told Joina. "You're the daughter of Tiana…So, it really is true, the amount of time that has passed. Tiana mentioned that you were a child back then…And now you're an older teenager."
"Well, now we have to do something about your situation, hun." Brix intervened into the conversation, before any awkward silence could settle.
"Indeed there must be something done." The Absol found in the mentioned situation agrees. "What are your suggestions?"
"Your family is still alive, you know." Joina spoke, after being more silent than she usually was. "You could go back to it."
"But how would he explain his nine years long disappearance? And sudden reappearance?" Andrei asked the group.
"A comma, obviously." The Queen of Battles suggested to the group.
"Xerneas' Island is somewhat close to Giratina's Island." The Absol stated a fact. "So, it can be said by me that my unconscious body floated onto it."
"And the healers there healed you!" The Eevee exclaimed an idea. "Unfortunately it took them a lot of time to take you out of your comma, but at least they then helped you get back to the Constanta Port. That can be your story."
"Yes, that's the port from where the boat my presence was on left from." The Absol continued to talk in his odd way of speaking.
"So, your story is settled…But from what part of The Democratic Republic of Ilfev or The Social State of Ruinelia are you?" The Eevee continued his attempt to settle a story for the Absol.
"From The Democratic Republic of Ilfev, a…Settled-in foreigner." The male dark-type replied.
"In what town is your family?" Andrei asked, wishing to know this vital piece of information.
"In Orbaj Town." The Absol plainly replied, as there was not much to say.
"That's great, everyone here besides the Garvdevoir and the Delphox is from there!" The normal-type made known to the dark-type.
"Then…There's a desire possessed by me to see them, after all of this time." The Absol stated his desire to see his family again, now that he had a good lie to tell its members, instead of what had actually happened. A lie existing solely because of how unbelievable the truth could appear to someone not aware of The Alternative World.
"But first, excuse my rudeness for not introducing myself sooner. My introduction shall be stated: My name is Sashir Avci, personal name Sashir and family name Avci. And to whom are my words spoken to?" The Absol that went by the name of Sashir continued his statement-making.
"I'm Daniela Marinescu." The Dragonite introduced herself.
"I'm Joina Arni, but you probably knew that already…" The Nickit introduced herself.
"I'm Andrei Lup." The Eevee introduced himself.
"I go by the nickname of The Queen of Battles, and not many know my name." The Riolu introduced herself. "And I have no fucking desire to tell it to you."
"I'm named Ion. I cannot remember what my family name is, if I even have one…" The Gardevoir plainly introduced himself.
"I'm Brix, and just like Ion, I also do not possess a family name, hun." The Delphox introduced herself.
"A very queer group of Pokemon that you form." The Absol commented, before staring at Andrei. "Though, you aren't as such…"
"Well, y-yeah, I'm straight-." The Eevee replied, a bit taken aback by what he presumed to be Sashir commenting on the sexualities of the Pokemon in the team The Truth Seekers.
"Ah, that's not what was meant by me." Avci stated, his eyes widening as he realised his mistake. "But the strangeness of your group."
"I mean, we are literally hoping between worlds to explore strange places and fight against Pokemon made from shining dust alongside the power of summonable Pokemon in order to save Pokemon from death. So, it is almost impossible to not be strange while doing all of that." The Eevee proceeded to summarise his experience with The Alternative World.
"Summonable Pokemon…Do you mean Personas?" The Absol asked, while glancing at the blue bandanna wrapped around his front left leg.
"Oh, so you know about them?" Daniela remarked before the normal-type got the chance to ask that question.
In response to that question, Sashir slashed off his bandanna in one swift motion with the claws of his front right paw while screaming: "PERSONA! The Hero, show yourself!"
The Persona going by that name was a male-looking Zamazenta. Appearing behind the Absol before his summoning item, the blue bandanna, reappeared back onto his summoner's front left paw.
"A Wild Card Persona using Traveller." Ion stated the obvious. "How did you even get into the position we have found you?"
"That can be explained by me." Sashir replied. His stomach then decided to growl. "…After some food is consumed by me."
"That can be arranged." Daniela stated, grabbing the attention of the male dark-type. "In Orbaj Town. My parents wouldn't mind feeding you alongside me."
"Or we could do the exact same thing Joina did, but at a different place." Andrei suggested while referencing some events Avci and the two Servants of Igor were unaware of. "Save up on time and get some more privacy at the same time. The later is ironic because-"
"-We'd be in a more public space, yet Pokemon shouldn't be paying attention to what we are saying." Daniela finished the statement of her best friend. "That's a good idea. Let's do that instead."
"…I'll pay for the food…" Joina spoke up, still sad. "I want to know how my mother is connected to you, besides the friendship that formed between our families after your presumed death."
"And I'm tagging along for that free food!" The Queen of Battles made known the only thing she was interested about from this whole ordeal.
"Just, please don't bring us to the maid cafe again." The Dragonite very politely worded the request she, the Eevee and the Riolu all had.
"I'm not in the mood for that, so, don't worry about it…" The Nickit replied.
"Then we shall do as such." Sashir stated, making it official while his Persona disappeared. The blue bandanna appeared around his front left leg a while before his Persona disappeared. "Before my reunion with my family."
"Are you sure you wish to keep your family waiting? We can talk about all of this at a later date." The normal-type asked and suggested.
"Positive." Sashir started his reply. "A reunion with my family might take quite a bit of time, considering that it will wish to see me for as long as possible after thinking of me as being dead for so long."
"Therefore." Avci continues his reply. "It would be better to first discuss the matters with you, so that it is not needed for me to excuse myself from my family at an inappropriate time for it."
"Then if that's settled, how about I provide you with a way to return to your home world, huns?" Brix proposed, before reaching for her wooden wand.
"And whenever you visit again, do tell me the same answers." Ion proposed to the five Travellers. "You can go without answering because it is quite late in your world. Not to mention that the other Servants of Igor probably wouldn't like to share their food with you."
After the statement of the Gardevoir, the Delphox chuckled, closed her eyes, then shouted the following:
"By borrowing the spatial powers of Palkia for a few mere seconds, I, a mortal in the service of Master Igor, create a temporary passage way between this world and The Real World!"
After shouting that incantation, she waved her wand towards a spot on the yellow plain that was not occupied by any of the Pokemon standing on it. A blue, holographic door appeared. In the following moment, it opened by itself. Revealing to those in the group the shelf found in front of the massive TV that connected The Real World to The Alternative World.
The group of Travellers was impressed. This wasn't the first time any of its members saw one of the only species of Pokemon able to use magic borrow the power of a Pokemon on a higher plain of living for a few seconds in order to do a spell. Yet almost none of them were able to feel and see such strong magic happening before their eyes any other time before this moment. Especially see it being cast so quickly. Just how powerful was this Delphox witch?
"Huns, I know my magic is quite impressive, but this door will close and disappear if you don't use it soon." The fire-type started, taking the Travellers out of their amazement.
"R-right! I'll go on the other side! And thanks for all of the adventures!" Andrei stated, before bolting into the door.
"…Let's hope we aren't seen." Daniela told the Pokemon that came from the same world as her, before walking through the door. Thankfully for her, Brix kept her Dragonite proportions in mind while making the door, so the dragon-type was able to pass through its frame without any issues.
"Well, you two have fun while we're away, alright?" Joina told the Servants of Igor, before walking through the door.
"Next time we're exploring the weird void!" The Queen of Battles screamed, while running towards, and through, the door.
"…Maybe your presence shall be met by mine sometime in the future. But until then, thank you for all that you did for me until then." Sashir addressed the two Servants of Igor, before hesitantly walking through the door.
The door closed behind the five Travellers, then fell down as Mystery Powder.
A while before the five Travellers departed from The Alternative World, a certain Mimikyu was sitting at his desk in The Velvet Room. An orb was placed in front of Igor. An orb made from the same material into which Sashir was stuck, until he was freed. An orb that was being pondered. By pondering such an orb, Igor watched the freeing of Sashir. Before then he watched the adventures of The Truth Seekers as they ventured forth into The Palace of Reflections. Doing as such while watching events unfold across the entirety of the world that surrounded him. When pondering The Orb of Reflections, Igor was as all-seeing as his creator. Who was not fully all-seeing, as He couldn't see any of the events that unfolded outside of His domain, ever since He was sealed away again.
Once The Truth Seekers left the collapsing Palace, Igor felt a pull. Oh, that fucker wanted to chat about His current situation. The Mimikyu allowed himself to be pulled, getting ready to absolutely decimate his creator with facts and logic. Because it could be fun.
Igor found himself floating in the same dark blue space that surrounded The Palace of Reflections. The Mimikyu found himself in front of a hallway made out of mirrors, that lead into that dark blue space. One of the hallway's edges was dissipating into Mystery Powder at a slow pace, under Igor's gaze.
"Boo." Boomed a deep, thick voice from behind the fairy-type. Igor sighed, then faced its owner: His creator, Giratina. In His Altered Forme, as He deserved to be in.
"Gira, you'll never scare me by doing that." The Mimikyu stated, obviously unamused.
"That's what you always say, but you're probably lying." The legendary Pokemon replied, before frowning. "Just like before."
"You're still sore about that, Gira? You know you were going to lose either way, right?" Igor remarked the truth about the situation that his creator was alluring to.
"Maybe. If one of the so called 'good ones' of The Union came to stop me." Giratina started to explain. "But, maybe I could have had a chance to free Yveltal or Eternatus or Hoopa before that happened! And maybe our powers combined could have been enough to free any of the other sealed away Pokemon of The Union!"
"Maybe and could, as you said yourself, Gira." The Mimikyu continued his critique of the statements of the legendary Pokemon. "After all, there are only five in The Dark Union, and four of you are sealed away. And so many of the 'good ones' are part of The Union, and most of them are not fond of the antics of you five are up to."
"Darkrai just got lucky, considering how minor His part was on The Darkest Day! And fucker actually bowed down enough to suck off Arceus, instead of choosing imprisonment! Fuck that guy!" Giratina mocked one of His allies in response.
"Yet while bowing low to The Union, He enables communication between you five through His nightmares." Igor commented, not fond of the mocking Darkrai was receiving.
"And you're saying that such actions are enough to make up for Him being free while the rest of us are not?!" The legendary replied, too deep in his anger to realise how foolish he sounded.
"Yes, especially considering what you four sealed away entities would do if freed." The Mimikyu stated, making Giratina groan.
"Fucking hell, and I was such in a good mood!" He shouted, the hypocrite not realising that His own words led to the ruin of His good mood. "Look at the machination that was keeping me sealed! It is falling into golden dust, and I can feel its hold on me weaken! Once it falls, I'll be as free as before my first sealing!"
"Once it falls entirely, Gira." Igor remarked, continuing to correct the statements of the legendary Pokemon. "And as we both knew since your seal recently manifested itself as a Palace, it did as such as a massive Palace. And although the room holding the sacrifice keeping this seal unbroken is now gone, and the act of freeing him brought down the room in which he resided, the rest of the Palace won't fall as quickly. And definitely not in such big chunks, but instead, bit by bit."
"I already came to the same conclusions, you fuck!" Giratina boomed out in reply. "So just let me be happy in my misery for once, fucker!"
"Well, you created me for the very purpose to nag you in your boredom, Gira." The Mimikyu calmly explained. "So, no matter what you say, I shall fulfill my purpose."
"Fuck, why the fuck did I give you so much power and an opposing mindset-" Giratina started another statement with anger. "-And now I'm too weak to strip away your powers! Fuck!"
"And before you regain enough to strip them away, I shall use them to leave you. Goodbye." Igor stated, disappearing from the dark blue space before Giratina could have shouted at him again. He has had enough of that hypocrite's shit.
Now back in the safety of The Velvet Room. Back in the safety of the chunk of The Distortion World that Giratina couldn't enter, as ironic as that was. By attempting to bring wreckage to The Real World, the legendary Pokemon only managed to further seal Himself.
Igor once more sat onto his velvet blue seat in The Velvet Room. Sitting there as if nothing was wrong.
As if a slowly approaching doom would never reach both The Distortion World and The Real World.
End of chapter 6: The Palace of Reflections (Part 2)