[POV: STEVEN STONE]
This is bad.
“Sir, the stream is still up! There's still a chance he's alive! M-Maybe it's just gging?” His secretary sheepishly blurts out.
Steven paces around his office, on his monitor dispys the now unresponsive, bcked out stream.
“This is the FIRST TIME the stream has been anything but crystal clear. For a WEEK STRAIGHT there has been no stutters, no jumps, no quality dips, no audio dips, NOTHING! And you're telling me that only now that it's messing up? Right when everything… EXPLODED?”
He doesn't even know how to describe what happened. ‘Exploded’ seems appropriate but it was more… ignited? Destroyed?
Steven is a calm man, collected, methodical. A bit out of touch, maybe, and has a hobby most think is strange (archeology is a COMPLETELY NORMAL interest), but generally he's a grounded man who tries to be pragmatic while inspiring the next generation of trainers.
That being said, there has to be a line drawn somewhere.
And seeing his friend fight an undead dragon, run away from a swarm of whatever THOSE things were, summon a mile tall winged man who lit the AIR ON FIRE, and then summon ARCEUS THEMSELF before FUCKING EXPLODING?
Oh yeah! And the stream is offline!
Yeah. He's a little stressed.
“Yes but the stream is still there, sir. The title was even updated! Maybe he learned to… I don't know, turn it off?”
He… admittedly didn't think of that.
“...perhaps. That is hoping that he's simply resting somewhere… Arceus knows he needs the privacy”
Speaking of…
“How are the other regions taking the… reveal?”
His secretary looks at her tablet, pulling up reports.
Steven takes a long breath before looking at the reports.
The appearance of the… “winged man” is generating a lot less fuss than he expected.
While there ARE people making a big deal of the implication of “other” deities, with the existence of cults and the ever-present headache of the religions that seem to argue that THEIR fvor of polytheism is better…
It's surprisingly okay in that regard.
Joshua has, luckily, unintentionally eased everyone who was watching to understand his religion, somewhat. Or maybe the desensitization of watching a man get worn down by some crazy nightmare world made the viewers more… tolerant?
But the arrival of Arceus…
Oh boy.
With most of the world being polytheistic, and smaller religions that focus on specific Pokemon, the existence of Arceus was a sort of gray area.
Palkia and Dialga exist, he can get on a pne and see them right now. But the existence of their “mother” has been treated with suspicion, as there were no real physical sightings of her.
This was always an excuse used as a weapon between the more fanatic factions. Nobody could really argue…
Until today.
Calls, emails, the entire internet is in an uproar AGAIN because of his unfortunate friend. His friend that SOMEHOW got into the good graces (If Palkia is to be believed) with the creator of the universe.
The only good news is that the quieter groups of Arceusism followers that not only believed in Arceus, but saw her as a supreme being?
Those guys are practically burning through the entire region's alcohol supply.
Good for them.
Looking back at the stream, once again being met with a bck screen.
“Any information on the teams?”
The secretary hums, looking down at her tablet again.
“Quiet”
“...quiet?”
“Team Magma and Aqua are pulling back from their public operations. They just kind of… went home?”
“They went home” He says incredulously.
“It seems the existence of Arceus is causing… issues, with their ideology”
Steven sits back in his chair.
“I wonder how the other regions are taking it…”
…
[POV: CYNTHIA]
“HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHHAAHAA”
In front of Cynthia is a report. Pstered in front is a newsletter of a spiky blue haired man in cuffs.
[Team Gactic Leader Cyrus turns himself in to authorities!]
She clutches her stomach, slumping over her desk as she slowly calms herself. Desperately keeping in the giggles.
With grueling effort, she returns to her calm smile and professional demeanor.
*Knock knock*
“Come in”
Her assistant comes in.
“Miss Cynthia? I have that report you wanted?”
“Just leave it on the desk, dear”
They do, and quickly leave with a polite bow.
“...”
Her eyes gnce over it.
[Team Gactic Leader Saturn turns himself i-
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA”
…
[POV: IONO]
Refresh.
Refresh.
Refresh.
Still bck.
She can still see the chat go by.
[What happened?]
[Stream bugged?]
[Is Joshua okay?]
[Josh?]
[What happened???]
[??????]
[Was that…?]
[Arceus]
[Arceus?]
[What the actual fuck happened]
[Language!]
[Who was the guy with the sword?]
[I hope they're okay…]
[Where did that Porygon come from?]
[It rode the datastream I think]
[I didn't see what happened to Uriel, anyone got any ideas?]
[Dude I can't see anything]
Worry in her heart, Iono types on her keyboard.
[IonoZone: …Josh? ( ；?；) ]
…
[POV: PALKIA]
Palkia senses a change, the widening of space before the inevitable patch that's about to be made. His mother had already begun closing the connection between their world and the ‘wound’.
He raises an eyebrow as the stream of space seems to… bend, in a particur direction.
Looking over at the swarm of unown that seems to follow him around, he speaks.
“I THOUGHT YOU SAID… HE NEEDED REST?”
The swarm moves, forming into words.
> H E D O E S <
“THEN WHY… ARE YOU SENDING HIM… THERE?”
> I T W I L L B E <
> A D E T O U R <
Palkia hums questioningly.
“SO YOU… ARE NOT… SENDING HIM TO A… VILE PLACE… SUCH AS THE WOUND?”
The unown shakes a little.
> O F C O U R S E N O T <
> I T W I L L H E L P E A S E H I M <
> I N T O O U R W O R L D <
> A S W E L L A S <
> C R E A T E B O N D S <
> H E D E S E R V E S <
“...”
That… almost sounds legit.
But he knows there's something missing.
He hums, space around him vibrates like a disturbed kebed.
“SO… THIS IS… NOT AN EXCUSE… TO MEET HIM FACE TO FACE…? BECAUSE YOU… WERE UPSET… YOU DID NOT GET TO… LAST TIME?”
He's definitely aware of his mother's vices.
The sudden tremble of the unown does not help her case.
> N O <
He stares.
The unown moves a bit quicker.
> S H U T U P <
(A/N: Bit more lighthearted one today)
