-#- INITIALIZING…
-#- …
-#- …
"Hello?"
BOOT SEQUENCE COMPLETED
-#- …
-#- SEARCHING PRESETS…
"Hello? Hello!? Stupid– Hello?! "
-#- 1 USER PRESET FOUND
-#- LOADING USER PRESET…
-#- …
-#- USER PRESET - NECROZMA LOADED
-#- CONFIRM USER?
"Yes! Yes! Just turn on already damn it!"
-#- CAMERA FUNCTIONALITY: ONLINE || POWER USAGE: HIGH || STATUS: NORMAL
-#- Welcome, Mr. Necrozma
A massive white dragon loomed from above, hunched over a crystal floating a little bit above the ground. They grimaced, annoyedly turning back and forth between the device and a screen positioned behind them.
"Okay! I did everything right… No? Why is the damned screen still blank?" Reshiram threw his wings in the air, angrily gesturing towards a giant crystalline dragon seated at the head of a large ovular table beside him. "Ugh! Why'd I even have to do this in the first place? This is your tech Necrozma!"
The golden dragon replied nonchalantly. "Tap the little button poking out the edge of the crystal three times, that should fix it. Thanks for the help, Reshiram." Necrozma reached over, attempting to caress Reshiram's fluffy locks with his claws.
"Yeah yeah whatever, old man." Reshiram swatted away the claws, turning back towards the crystalline camera with a grunt. With a bit more fumbling around with the tiny device was required before it whirred to life, floating further off the ground as it began to glow.
-#- CONNECTING…
-#- …
"Look, I don't want it to sound like I'm… complaining, I guess, but it's just– What even is the point of any of this?"
"What do you mean?"
Reshiram gestured around the room, empty aside from the two legendaries. "All members of the Roundtable are to report for an emergency meeting at once. Thirty minutes, do not be late." he imitated, waving his arms around mockingly. "You do realize we all have things to do as well, right?"
"And yet you're here. Curious…"
"It's my day off!" Reshiram defended. "Besides, that's not the point! It doesn't matter how important the announcement is, you're supposed to schedule things! You literally invented that system for us to adhere to."
The screen flickered, firstly to static then slowly smoothing out into a wide shot of the meeting room.
-#- CAM1 STATUS: ONLINE
-#- RECORDING…
-#- MEMORY: 47% | EST. TIME REMAINING: 2H51M
"I understand you are frustrated, Reshiram. I understand many in the roundtable have come to dislike my leadership. But this announcement is important, so much so I am willing to bend the– ARGH!"
Necrozma stopped in his tracks, his claws nearly tearing into his head as an intense searing migraine ripped through his mind. He collapsed, letting out stifled grunts of pain as he tried to hold his composure to the best of his ability. His golden glow dimmed, while the crystal technology floating around the room stalled for a moment, before returning to their usual operation.
Reshiram was already beside him, gently caressing the struggling dragon's head with his clawed wings. A concerned yet unsurprised grimace plastered itself across his face as he helped Necrozma back into his seat.
"...Ah."
A grunt, paired with an understanding sigh of resignation, was all that Reshiram replied with. A few moments of silence passed as Necrozma regained his strength, consuming a few motes of light floating nearby to help ease the pain.
"As you can see…" Necrozma eventually continued, " This is urgent . My condition is rapidly worsening, I'm already half-blind, and so weak I may as well be bed-bound. I am suffering , Reshiram. This meeting is important as it concerns the fate of my continued leadership and the wellbeing of all mortals under my command."
"G-got it…" Reshiram sulked, turning away to pick up some items strewn onto the ground by Necrozma's episode.
A little while passed before the next few legendaries arrived. First to appear were Palkia and Dialga, the space around their respective seats folding in on itself as the two deities materialized in an instant. Their appearance was accompanied by annoyed grumbling as they settled down, yet they seemed to quieten down quickly as they saw Necrozma's condition.
"Necrozma… are you–"
"I'm fine ." Necrozma curtly replied, gripping the arms of his chair a little harder as he felt his head begin to violently ache once more. He glanced at Reshiram, who assuredly nodded back as he floated off to welcome the rest of the incoming legendaries.
Soon only a few seats around the table were empty, as each member of the roundtable arrived and settled down. A tense atmosphere had developed, with every member concernedly eyeing the near-crippled form of their once illustrious leader. Silent whispers and murmurs began to spread across the room as Necrozma waited for the last few stragglers to be seated.
"It was never this bad… "
"...is he dying? "
"What is he planning… "
Giratina and Yveltal were the last to arrive, the former wrapped snugly around the latter's plume. They quickly separated once Necrozma's irritated glare landed upon the two latecomers.
"You two are lucky I do not have the strength to reprimand you for your lateness." the golden dragon muttered, his radiance dimming even further than before. "Settle down quickly, this meeting pertains to matters of the highest importance. I do apologize for calling this meeting with such short notice, but as you can see from my… ah… condition , I am unable to wait any longer."
Necrozma turned to face the camera crystal Reshiram had set up, his frown deepening as he began to recite a short script he had prepared beforehand.
"Recording Log Number 1506. The meeting is of urgent status. Members present: All members of the Roundtable."
The rest of the meeting room watched on in silence as Necrozma waved around his sickly hands, commanding a couple of glowing crystals floating around the room to focus their lighting upon himself, almost like a spotlight on himself.
"With the formalities out the way, I'll get started quickly. Once again, I do apologize for the breach in meeting protocol." He froze for a moment. The pain was rapidly worsening.
"Over two millennia ago, I agreed to bless humanity. To grant them sentience and intelligence, to promote their kind to the same level as Pokemon, and to allow them to coexist in their own societies. I believed it was a great act of charity, and you all agreed with me on that."
The room nodded in silent agreement. No one dared to disagree with Necrozma on that.
"Humanity prospered, their intelligence and cohesion as a species quickly allowed them to overtake us Pokemon as the dominant species of this world. However, their rapid rise to the top came with many many unforeseen consequences. I'm sure you all have seen your own fair share of change, have you not?"
No one answered. That's fine, the faster he got this done the better. He conjured hundreds of screens, each displaying a unique picture or looping videos of his aforementioned humans. The screens shuffled around, quickly collating themselves into the rough shape of the world's continents.
"Our sacred lands have been invaded upon, our domains polluted. I gave them free agency, but I never expected them to ignore our authority entirely. Yet we have tolerated this, enabled this for centuries even…"
"...Necrozma, what are you–"
"I do not regret giving humanity their sentience, but it's time for this little experiment to end, don't you think?"
With a snap of his fingers, the screens began to shut off one by one, revealing the widened eyes and shocked reactions of the other gods for Necrozma to see.
"Do not fret, I am unable to forcefully disconnect my light from all of humanity like that." Necrozma attempted to soothe the others' unnerved glares. "I plan to drive humanity to extinction, it's the only way for me to rid myself of this burden entirely. I ask for your cooperation in this undertaking of mine. It will be quick and painless for them, I promise."
"No! That's not– That's not what we care about!" Yveltal screamed. "You can't just up and decide to kill off the entire human population like that!"
"Oh but I can, and I will." Necrozma replied simply. "That decision is not up for discussion. I have already made up my mind on that."
The room erupted into a melting pot of screaming and curses following Necrozma's response. Necrozma simply tuned them out, patiently waiting for the room to settle back to normalcy by itself.
A tap on the dragon's shoulder broke him out of his meditative state. Lunala hung from a perch above Necrozma with her wings crossed, her disgruntled glare unnerving him much more than any of the shouting ever could.
"Necrozma. "
"Yes, Lunala. I know."
"Know what? Of all the crimes you are suggesting we commit for your sake?"
"We're gods! We are above our laws!" Necrozma raised his voice to account for the wild shouting match going on around him. "We are under no one's authority, and I simply want to do what's best both for me and the world!"
"And the decision you landed upon was genocide?!"
"...it's the best I could do." Necrozma gritted his teeth, head hung slightly in his reply.
"I won't accept it. All the blood and suffering on our hands… I-I can't."
"What about my suffering?!" Necrozma lashed out, his golden claws swiping at the air in front of Lunala. "You all seem to care oh so much about their pain and their lives and so on. But what about me? I'm suffering here too! I gave them life and now it's a crime for me to take it back because it's too much for me?"
Necrozma turned to the crowd of arguing legendaries below, lobbing a sphere of golden energy into the air above. The attack imploded in a spectacular shine of brilliance, silencing everyone as the explosion rocked their surroundings.
"Finally, some silence."
Necrozma sighed. He had expected some disagreement, but not to this degree of extreme pushback he presently faced.
"I understand many of you are upset with such a change, but will you please hear me out… just for a moment?"
A few members nodded, while most of the rest bitterly shook their heads in disgust. None, however, decided to interrupt the dragon.
"You have all noticed by now, but my power is waning. Fate has decided that I shall head in the same direction as Lord Arceus did." He shook his head, frowning. "Let it be reminded, that I hold sole authority over every single mortal mind and that none of you possess the capability to take over my role any longer."
"So?" Palkia rose out from the crowd, fists raised with sheer rage. "What does any of that have to do with killing all of humanity?"
"Let it also be reminded, that in the very possible case I collapse early, the minds of every single sentient being in the world will go down with me." Necrozma continued, ignoring the interruption entirely. "Just like that, poof. Gone. Your followers you all worked oh so hard to maintain? Back to ferals. All of them."
Most of the legends backed down, returning to their seats in deep contemplation. A few remained stalwart, however, not entirely convinced by Necrozma's explanation.
"So what? We're supposed to help you murder millions upon millions of innocent souls… just because you think you're gonna die soon?" Lugia spat bitterly. Their fists were clenched, threatening to pounce onto the dragon at any moment. "You put this responsibility upon yourself, Necrozma! I won't let you simply throw it to the side like that!"
"I am NOT!" Necrozma slammed the table, the space around the point of impact warping under the extreme force produced.
-#- WARNING
-#- CAMERA INTEGRITY LOW (EST. 32%)
-#- CAMERA BATTERY LOW (24%)
-#- AUTOSAVE PROTOCOL ACTIVATED
"This problem I myself have caused, and as such I have provided a solution for you all!" he snapped. "Pokemon minds I can slowly wean off my influence, human minds I cannot. This is the most ethical solution I can think of. If you do not want blood on your hands, fine , but do not get in my way. I will end humanity one way or another."
"Oh no, you don't!"
A sphere of psychic energy barreled down the length of the table, smashing into a hastily formed protect shield around Necrozma. The impact shook the room as tiny shards of the now shattered shield ripped across the room like shrapnel, carving deep cuts and holes into the table before dissipating into nothingness.
-#- CAMERA INTEGRITY CRITICAL (10%)
-#- FURTHER DAMAGE WILL RESULT IN CAMERA SHUTDOWN
Necrozma raised his arms, a blinding flash of green illuminated his surroundings as a shockwave ripped through the legendaries, ejecting all but the most powerful of the roundtable out of his realm. Those that remained staggered away, blinded by the dragon's intensifying radiance.
"Traitors! All of you! This meeting is adjourned! Humanity will die by my hands, whether you like it o–"
-#- …
-#- CONNECTION LOST
-#- …
-#- END OF MEMORY REPLAY
"...was that really what you showed him?"
"Yes. Accidentally. I shall deal with the repercussions at a later time."
As the light of the monitor dimmed the rest of their surroundings came into focus. A room, decor identical to the one in the memory, missing only the flames and destruction Necrozma had laid upon the room in the memory.
At the center of the fog-covered realm were the two inhabitants of Alan's mental realm, both staring blankly into the dark screen in front of them. The Serperior was bound in thick illusory chains, pinning him to the ground as he struggled against his restraints. Necrozma sighed as he lowered himself atop the snake, assisting the chains in keeping Edward under his control.
"Ngrk!" Edward grunted. "N-Necrozma! I wasn't going to–"
"Silence, Vessel."
Edward sighed in resignation, giving up any attempt at escaping his binds. He simply glared at the dragon, hissing in pain under the crushing weight of his captor.
"Why so many chains, Necrozma? Have I not made it clear that I lack neither the capability nor the want to wrest control back from you?" The Serperior growled, a twinge of regret leaking into his tone. "I have already accepted my fate as punishment, there is no need for such extreme measures. Please, the chains they– oh whatever…"
"As my champion grows in strength, so does his host. These binds are simply protective measures, your suffering or self-atonement means nothing to me."
"Champion, huh…" Edward sneered at Necrozma's choice of words. "Do you think Alan would still trust you at all after you showed him a memory of you planning to destroy humanity?"
"The memory was cut off."
"Much too late, if anything. He can infer what happens next." Edward replied. The chains tightened slightly, digging a little deeper into his illusory skin. "Ack–! So much for not caring about my suffering…"
"Then I shall deal with him later."
A tense period of silence followed. Edward could easily melt back into Alan's subconscious, if Necrozma allowed him to. Yet he remained trapped in this fog-covered realm as if Necrozma wanted to toy with him just a little longer. He grumbled in annoyance, trying to distract himself from the pain of being crushed.
"So… I take that your uh… purge … was successful?" Edward asked.
"Yes."
"And the other legends… did they hinder you?"
"Consider why they are but myths in your age."
"R-right…" Another tense silence. "But then… what about your banishment? If they were no issue for you, how did–"
"I simply let them. Banishment is far better than the fates that befell the others."
Edward shuddered. He was beginning to doubt the mythos surrounding the Legendaries he was familiar with. There was no roundtable, no Necrozma, no sentient humans either. Just what exactly did Necrozma do to cause such an extreme erasure of the past? Edward questioned internally.
The Serperior felt the crushing weight atop his body take off as Necrozma wordlessly floated into the air. Before his captor's crystalline form could fully fade into the gray fog, however, Edward decided to push his luck one last time.
"I feel you, Necrozma. Stuck in limbo, unable to control your fate for thousands of years."
"..."
"You and I aren't too different, after all. I don't know your past, but I respect your willingness to do whatever it takes to try to take your fate back into your own hands. Takes a lot of bravery, much more than I ever had. I respect that."
Necrozma turned around, the fog obscuring his entire form aside from the light shining from his multicolored pupils.
"Silence, Vessel. We are nothing alike. I do not want your empathy."
The mass of crystals snapped his claws as he turned back away, his body fully blending into the surrounding fog. Edward felt his binds loosen, the chains slipping off his body and dragging themselves back into the mist behind him. The Serperior, now free, began to melt back into Alan's subconscious as well, allowing the fog to flood into his surroundings as his senses returned to the Vulpix's.
"Whatever you say…"
Author's Note
Hello again! I've been slacking on writing for the past few months, sorry about that! Aside from procrastinating on this fic I also wrote a small oneshot connected to this fic for the PMDiner Oneshot Collection 2024 event which, alongside all the other entries, can be found on the PMDFanfiction site!
This chapter is an interlude chapter between arcs, the next chapter will be the start of the second arc. A huge thanks to Xuey and StarFalcon555 for beta reading and helping me with phrasing and general plot points.
I'm not publicly making any more promises about when to expect the next chapter, but it will come eventually! Thank you to all my readers for putting up with my terrible upload schedule T-T