Work Text:
The air was tense as Cyllene looks up the mountain to the tear in the sky. It had appeared a few days before, in a sound akin to a metal ship ramming into another, iron shredding into iron and splintering apart in a shattering symphony. By the time she had made her way from her home to the Galaxy Building, Kamado had already sent out Starly messengers to both of the Clans, and the responses to meet at the foothills of their sacred mountain had arrived by dawn. From how the letters were written, it was obvious that they had written letters before Kamado’s had even arrived, a fact made more apparent when the two Starly he had sent out returned several hours later.
Already, Cyllene could see Lord Adaman and his local Warden, Melli, standing at the gorge in from of the mountain, joined by a figure in a long black coat with matching hat. It seems that the mysterious Ingo, the Pearl Clan’s foundling, was tagging along, though his own leader had yet to arrive. Glancing over to her own leader, Cyllene notes Kamado’s tightened neck muscles, flexed to their limit from a clenched jaw. “I doubt we’ll be in danger from them,” she flatly notes, getting a glance from Kamado.
Her leader’s jaw immediately unclenches as he glances over to her, then nods. “I’m not worried about Adaman or Irida’s people. We’re in a treaty, and I doubt even the most aggressive in any of our camps would want to pick a fight with that over our heads.” He looks up to the tear in the sky, the angle showing the deep frown under his mustache to Cyllene. “I can’t shake the feeling that we’re walking into a trap, or some sort of game.”
As the two approach, Kamado is the first to call a greeting, a simple hail with a raised hand as the two approach the group. Cyllene could see Melli bristle at the sight of them, whereas Adaman gave a brisk salute in his own style and Ingo simply nodded and stood there. “Glad to see you didn’t waste any time, Kamado,” Adaman says as the two approach, crossing his arms and tapping his foot. “I’d normally say the same about Irida, but she actually has an excuse today.”
Cyllene’s brow furrows slightly at the comment, and a quick glance to Kamado is interrupted by Ingo clearing his throat. “Yes, I believe I should switch tracks here. Old Shiki, the Warden for the Highlands, was injured from a fall recently, and is having difficulty navigating the tracks to this station, Commander-han.” (Johto-ben? Laventon had noted his use of Galarian previously, so that’s interesting.) “As her student, I was sent along to act as the Pearl Clan representative while Irida helps her arrive here safely.”
Kamado grunts and nods. “Good man,” he remarks, timed perfectly with Melli muttering something under his breath. “Then let us not tarry. I presume you and Melli have both shared details with your Leaders already, correct?”
Ingo nods sharply while Melli scoffs before speaking aloud for the first time since they arrived. “What do you take me for, a simpleton?” With a huff, he crosses his arms and turns his head away and up in a pose of haughtiness that was, in Cyllene’s opinion, entirely uncalled for in this situation. “I’ve shared plenty with my Leader, though I see no reason to tell you any of it.”
“Meanwhile, I’m more than happy to share,” Adaman groans, pinching the bridge of his nose as Melli gives him a look of abject betrayal. “It hangs in the sky right above the Temple on the summit. Sabi could take Braviary right up to it if I wanted her to die, but I’d much rather not lose a second Warden for the Icelands in a single year.” Ah, yes, the Diamond Warden, Komali, had passed away earlier in the year in the care of the Pearl Can after a crash. Cyllene remembers having to go there on Kamado’s insistence to help ensure that no bloodshed came of it. She ended up not being needed, as Warden Gaeric had stood vigil during his counterpart’s recovery and death.
“T’would be a shame,” Kamado mumbles, his gaze having drifted upwards to the large rift. The group stood in silence for a moment, everyone of them looking up alongside him to stare at the rift. Cyllene takes a moment to glance among the others there. Adaman has the same look of wariness and concern Kamado wears. Melli is obviously terrified, dropping his mask the moment that he feels no one is watching him. And Ingo has shifted to a blank, no, to an almost wistful look.
“Ah, sorry for the delay,” a creaking voice calls from the entrance of the Wayward Cave, pulling the group’s attention to Old Shiki, the Pearl Warden of the Highlands, and Lady Irida. “One cannot traverse our great Space swiftly at my age,” she says with a chuckle, holding her hand out to Ingo, who places his arm under it to support her as Irida moves swiftly towards the gathered group.
“I took a moment to observe it from a closer Space at the Temple while Old Shiki prepared,” Irida says nervously, glancing between Adaman and Kamado. “The air felt like I’m swimming through Budew oil, and my mouth tasted like iron.” She shivers, and looks up towards the mountain top with a scowl, gripping her arms like she was cold. “It feels like something is watching me from it.”
“I’m not the only one!” Melli shouts, throwing a hand up in aggravation towards the rift. “I swear there is something in there! I keep feeling like something is looking down on us!”
Kamado’s default frown turns to a scowl as he turns his gaze upward, and Adaman speaks up. “Could it be the Almighty Sinnoh? Could He be using the rift to judge us?”
“But why?” Irida immediately shoots, glaring at her counterpart. “If it was for the Diamond Clan worshipping the wrong aspect as It, then this rift would’ve appeared sooner.” Silence begins to build before she lightly gasps. “Or is It angry that we’ve made peace with heretics?”
“If that was the case, then it would’ve appeared months ago,” Cyllene says quickly but calmly, her tone even enough to cut off any retort without diverting aim. “You all began working on peace before we arrived, with Kamado’s help simply finalizing what was already in the works.”
“But there will be people who believe it to be a sign from Sinnoh regardless,” Old Shiki says with a shake of her head. “Ingo, Melli, and I will keep people from the summit for now, though. Hopefully both Clans working together would help to prevent tensions from building unnecessarily.” Ingo nods dutifully, while Melli gives a nervous and hasty nod.
“Alright, then,” Kamado says gruffly, finally pulling his eyes from the summit. “We will work on getting a base set up here in the Highlands soon, to help observe things. I presume no one has any objec-”
Kamado is cut off as a large crack is heard, with Melli and Old Shiki reacting first out of seeming familiarity to prepare to move, looking up at the cliff face. However, no cracks had appeared on the rocks above, even as another crack sounded through the air, a sharp smell suddenly permeating the space. The hairs raising on the back of her neck, Cyllene turns and looks up behind the group, seeing a small crack forming in the air, white energy spilling forth. “Move!”
Melli and Irida move first, Melli bolting into Wayward Cave and Irida moving towards Old Shiki. “Ingo, help me here!” Ingo and Irida scoop the old Warden into their arms and follow Melli into the cave, while Adaman waves for Kamado and Cyllene to follow.
“Go!” Kamado orders Cyllene, stepping forward towards the crack to be the rear guard. Nodding, Cyllene nods, and follows Adaman into the cave, Kamado moving backwards after them once he knows they’ve escaped. As he enters into the darkness with them, a dull roar is heard, and lightning crackles through the air, solidifying into a swirling dome over the path that the group had been on.
A moment of silence hangs over the group before Melli breaks it. “What is that?”
“I have no idea, but I have a feeling that we’re going to have to find out,” Adaman says, glancing at the others around him. “I didn’t bring my partner with me. Did any of you?” Irida shakes her head, and the same from Melli and Old Shiki.
“I have my Gliscor,” Ingo says, pulling a Poke Ball of all things from a pocket. Cyllene hadn’t realized that he had purchased some from the Village when he had been there previously. “And I presume the Commander and Captain have some with them as well.”
“I would never leave the Village without them,” Kamado says, pulling a Pokeball out from under his coat. “What say you on the thought of going in, Cyllene?”
“I am the Captain of the Survey Corps, sir,” she says, stepping forward. “If you deem it necessary to survey the dome, then I’ll follow your lead.”
“Good,” Kamado nods, breathing in deep before letting it out in a huff. “Ingo, follow us if you would.” The Clan member nods, and as Kamado exits the cave into the swirling dome of smoke and lightning, Ingo and Cyllene follow him in, with Cyllene pre-emptively letting Abra out of his ball.
Cyllene hadn’t been quite sure what to expect inside of the dome, but it definitely hadn’t been an unchanged landscape. The mostly clear morning was replaced by a seemingly thick cloud cover, though it was unclear if it was from natural cloud cover or the dome itself. The group quickly crosses the thin strip of land onto solid ground, with Kamado and Ingo both releasing their Pokemon.
“Cyllene, focus on support,” Kamado says, scanning the area as he motions a command to Snorlax to sweep the area. “He won’t be able to deal much damage, so do your best to manipulate the battlefield for us. Ingo, have Gliscor act as an aerial scout for now.”
“Destination set,” Ingo says with a quick salute, in an oddly Unovan style, another quirk Cyllene files away in her mind. The Warden whistles to his Gliscor, the pitch ascending before ending it with two short notes. Gliscor trills and quickly ascends, circling above the group.
The trio slowly moves the perimeter, keeping an eye out. A few Pokemon are also within the dome, though they seem mostly as confused as they are and not aggressive from their distance. An odd Pokemon Cyllene doesn’t recognize, a silver orb with two prongs off the side, seems more erratic than the rest. Littered across the ground were a variety of known and unknown items, ranging from colored shards that the children in the village might collect, to potions, bundles of dust, and an odd rubber cable of some kind.
Nothing stood out to attention until there was a sudden thunderclap, with each of the trio tensing and looking around them for the source. Out of the corner of her eye, Cyllene notices the odd Pokemon from before blinking out of existence, and as she turns to check for the other Pokemon they had seen, she watches new Pokemon blink into existence around them. “What’s going on?” she mutters to herself, reaching out to Abra to place her hand on his head, making sure that he had stayed without taking her eyes off these new arrivals.
Any other course of action was cut off with a warning cry from above, and a shout from Kamado grabs her attention. “High Horsepower!” Whirling around, Cyllene sees the threat - An Alpha Luxray had appeared within striking distance of the group, electricity already crackling across its fangs as Snorlax launches his drop kick. “Full Speed Ahead!” Ingo shouts in near tandem, his Gliscor swooping down behind and charging a Mud Bomb behind the beast.
Cyllene feels a presence, the snaking tendrils of Abra’s mental reach, gently enter her mind. Good boy, she thinks, getting a warm feeling of joy from her Pokemon. This eliminates the need to verbally communicate strategy, speeding up the process. As the Luxray yowls, it lowers itself to the ground, and winds-up a launch, the idea forms, immediately communicating to Abra. “Gliscor, Snorlax, prepare yourselves!”
The Alpha launches itself into the air, obviously aiming to latch onto Snorlax for a devastating Wild Charge. And in an instant, its target blinks out of existence, only for a shocked Gliscor to appear in its place, the similarly bewildered Snorlax appearing several feet behind it. And while the flying scorpion is sent tumbling from the impact, the actual power behind the attack seems to have no effect on it, the scorpion more perturbed by the sudden Teleportation that Abra put it through than the actual Strong-style attack it endured.
“Giga Impact, with all your strength!” Kamado barks, swinging his arm out in emphasis. Snorlax lets out a loud yawn before squatting down, gathering energy before bum-rushing the staggered Luxray and still-pinned Gliscor. Cyllene glances to Ingo, who winces but doesn’t seem to be objecting, and tries to communicate to Abra to move their ally out of the way. Her Pokemon is too slow to react, though, as Snorlax barrels over both Pokemon, sending the Alpha tumbling off Gliscor, who shrieks and ends up staying in place long enough for Abra’s Teleport to drop it next to Ingo.
There is a moment’s pause as Snorlax catches its breath and the Luxray lays there, weakly growling but still prone. Ingo recalls his Gliscor, the Pokemon clearly having fainted from the friendly fire, and Kamado readies a second Pokeball to switch if needed. After the moment, though, the Luxray goes limp and unconscious, with the trio of Trainers letting out their own held breaths. “Let’s get outta here,” Kamado says quietly, breathing in deep to come down from the battle high that the three had begun to feel.
“I agree,” Ingo says as he looks back towards the area they had entered from, seeming to plot the quickest way through the trees and Pokemon. “It will be safer for us at station with Adaman and Irida.” Without another word, he briskly walks off, with Cyllene and Kamado both following after recalling their Pokemon.
They still have no solid idea on what this dome is, but one thing is clear. It’s connected to the rift above, and it is very, very dangerous.