Fifth.

[azumods]

ENCOUNTER. It's taken some discussion on the part of the elders of the town, but it seems that a decision has been made regarding allowing the lot of you to see the Celestic Ruins; it's worthwhile, they think, even if they believe your overall mission to be dangerous to the point of recklessness - after all, those that oppose Team Galactic, as a rule, do not succeed. But every rule has its exceptions, and the evidence stands strongly in favor of the notion that you may be the exception to this one; the good you've done for the region is undeniable, and they wouldn't be capable of passing this sort of decision at all were it not for you. As such, your patience will be rewarded today; the person who leads you into the place late this morning beckons you inside with the promise of giving you the knowledge they have regarding the legends, information that may help you on your journey from here on out. The ruins are massive and cavernous, the walls of the cave reinforced with heavy stone columns surrounding large mural depictions of the various legends of Sinnoh; most are foreign to you, though there are some that are not (flowers springing up to cover a barren valley, a massive creature with bright cores pulling the landmasses of the world into place with ropes wrapped around its arms) - however, what's most pressing is the depiction in the center, three vague beings of light surrounding another, larger entity, all of it very nondescript and yet seeming to depict a very specific event despite its simplicity. This, your guide explains, is the beginning of the world. In the beginning there was the Creator, and from the Creator came all things - the rulers of Time and Space, followed by the Lake Guardians to govern over all people, humans and Pokémon alike. In their arrogance, Team Galactic believed that they could take control of those Legendary Pokémon responsible for all life, and use them for their own means. Not to change the world as they lived in it, but rather to create a new universe altogether. During this lesson, life goes on in the town just outside the ruins; people and Pokémon alike can be heard going about their day. Perhaps you'll realize it before your guide stops speaking; perhaps it won't be until there's a lull in the explanation. Either way, it will soon become noticeable that everything has suddenly become very, very quiet. A stark, staring silence has fallen over the town, and with it comes a sense that something isn't right. That something unnatural has happened, that something is present that shouldn't be; whatever it is, it seems to demand reverence. Not in the way that the Lake Guardians demanded reverence, but in a way that's glaringly and blatantly terrifying. When the man enters the cavern, he doesn't look like anyone you've seen before. Like all members of Team Galactic, he's dressed strangely, though his outfit differs greatly from those of the grunts and the commanders alike; it's difficult, honestly, to tell exactly how old he is - he moves with all the abruptness of someone rather young, though his general appearance would imply that he's seen more than enough of the world to be thoroughly tired with it. He carries himself well, straight-backed and tall, with the sort of countenance that implies that he's used to being listened to; the sort of person that receives respect not because he demands it explicitly, but because he already seems to have earned it somehow, and he expects it, and very few people argue the point. His bright blue hair is spiked up and back, away from his face; his gaze is piercing, and his expression is almost alarmingly unreadable. When he speaks, his voice isn't relaxing to listen to; it's a bit too rough in timbre for that. At the same time, he doesn't seem worked up or agitated. He isn't blank, either, not like the affected; he's just very, very calm as he stops a reasonable distance away, folding his hands behind his back as he regards the group evenly. "My name is Cyrus; I serve as the leader of Team Galactic, and the creator of the ideal world. I've found your efforts to be remarkable, the strength of your collective spirit undeniable... And yet as one who seeks a permanent end to pointless strife and hostility, and you being those who seek to restore such things to this world... I believe our meeting is long overdue."

Comments

[azumods]

Don't misunderstand me - your efforts are admirable, regardless.

[It isn't said in a way that's intended to be comforting, or even particularly indicative of praise; again, it's just...a statement, more or less.]

[gekkaju]

[...interesting.

Unnerving, but interesting.

Might as well go ahead and say it-]

...but that's just it. Our efforts are just...efforts. Attempts at fixing things that have done something, but otherwise aren't enough to change everything.

Right?

[azumods]

Yes, more or less.

[...]

If you're trying to convince me to leave you be, that's likewise an admirable but fruitless effort.

[gekkaju]

[I mean

It would be pretty nice if we could just pretend we never saw each other and just go our separate ways but...it's never that easy.]

Are you looking for a battle, then?

[Cause likewise, he's not confident they're going to make it out of something like that on top despite their numbers.]

[hyruglyphics]

[ duDE? ]

[gekkaju]

[TRUST HIM HE'S NOT SAYING HE WANTS TO BATTLE HE'S JUST ASKING

THAT'S USUALLY HOW IT GOES AROUND HERE If they're gonna be curbstomped he'd at least rather have fair warning]

[azumods]

...I have no intention of making this into a confrontation, unless that becomes something you render necessary.

[He's not here to battle, he'd prefer it if no one tried to stab him? Conversation for now, bro, that's all.]

[gekkaju]

[Oh thank god.]

I can't speak for the others, but...I'm not looking for trouble. Talking is just fine with me.

Is...there something specific you wanted to hear from us, though?

[azumods]

I could ask you a similar question, I believe.

[Not like you haven't been asking him nine thousand questions already, but he imagines you might have something a little more pressing than WHY DO YOU PEOPLE JUST KEEP SHOWING UP SO MUCH...]

[gekkaju]

[Okay but...why though, can you answer him that

That gets him to pause for a moment, though, thinking. He didn't expect to meet Cyrus so soon, so he never had any grand demands to make of him thought up.]

...we all woke up here in this world in your bases. I'm sure we were intended to work with you from the start.

Was that directly your doing?

[azumods]

Yes and no. The specific individual responsible for your presence is Saturn, though it was on my orders.

[gekkaju]

Why? You didn't have enough people here to work for you already?

[It just doesn't make sense. They're foreign to this world, they didn't even know about Pokemon until showing up here.]

[azumods]

I imagine answers for that will present themselves readily enough.

[discutio]

...What of our homeworlds? Were they affected in any way as this world was?

[azumods]

They remain untouched for the time being.

[discutio]

With the implication that your intent is to change that at some point, apparently.

[azumods]

Yes, of course.

[discutio]

...Why? I think you're liable to find our worlds--and in some cases the gods therein--on something of a different level than anything here.

[Which didn't come out defiant or arrogant; just a question and the facts of the situation. Even with control over time, space, and creation, Ignis had a hard time picturing Cyrus standing against the Astrals with much success.]

And even were that not the case, what concern is that of yours? You succeeded in your goal of removing spirit, will, and emotion from this world. Why try to go further than that?

[azumods]

I would think a more relevant question is why I wouldn't, when given the opportunity...?

[gekkaju]

[Well that's about as cryptic of an answer as he could have expected.]

The bottom line is that us being here was no accident, right?

[azumods]

[.......he literally just said it was on his orders

he does not quite know what you want here]

[gekkaju]

[Atsushi is just very confused by yall's motives]

Well, whatever your reasoning, you should never have had us brought here in the first place. It doesn't seem like the possibility of us trying to stop you was thought through at all.

[azumods]

Again, you overestimate how much of a concern you actually are.

[gekkaju]

[Atsushi frowns.]

If we weren't that much of a concern, then you'd let us go home. We have no business here, your subordinates have told us as much before.

[heritrix]

[Rin sighs, heavily.]

I doubt he's lying. From his perspective, though, it's not like he owes us anything either. Why would he be obliging enough to send us back to our worlds, when some of us would then very likely sound out a warning and prepare to fight back?