Chapter 1: Initiation
Chapter Text
"Sir Regigigas, please be honest with me here, for my sake. Are you certain this is a good idea?"
"Fret not, Lady Arceus. They will not fail, I can assure you. Darkrai will be well-taken care of."
"Well, if you say so."
As the Alpha Pokémon reached for the door, Regigigas turned back to his five children, the lot of them staring at the ball of darkness cradled in a blanket of cloth before them, grey white smoke billowing out in endless plumes.
"Listen well, my children. This will be your opportunity to possibly be promoted to the status of Legendary, should you incur favour in the Lady's eyes. Apparently Dialga and Palkia have been acting out of sorts recently, having been damaging the fabric of reality with their arguments. This is quite unusual, but will likely take a while to resolve. Take good care of baby Darkrai while we attend the Legendary conference, do I make myself clear?"
Registeel, very uncomfortably, reached to pick up the gothic child. Why Arceus decided to design a kid whose only purpose was to grow up and deliver horrifying, never-ending nightmares to all who dared her domain was beyond even his supercomputer of a brain. But said brain was created as a part of Regigigas' extension of his own intelligence, so he complied.
The rest of the titans all nodded in agreement, though Regice's yellow dots flashed as she spoke.
"Father, can't Lady Arceus just let Darkrai immediately grow to adulthood, so we can simply ignore the child rearing procedure? I don't wanna be stuck here all night with these… plebeians."
"Theoretically, she could. But after the debacle with Giratina… Our last conference has decided that all newborns must be put through a great deal of education and training before maturing." Regigigas stared down, an unspoken silence lingering in the air as he reminisced. Shaking Giratina's metaphorical shadow off, the colossal titan patted his creations' heads. "As for your siblings, don't talk down on them. You are all created as equals to one another, there is none and will never be a power imbalance between you."
"But isn't Lady Arceus all-seeing? So why can't she be at both the conference and taking care of Darkrai at once? Does Lady Arceus even need to go, since she knows everything that can, has and will happen. Wait, what about Shaymin, and Cresselia? Who are taking care of th-"
"Please reserve your questions for now, my dear. The other children are in safe hands. Time is limited, so I cannot answer."
"I don't wanna do this!" Regice fussed, rubbing her hands with a pompous air of disgust.
"Tch! How lazy, you better hope Slow Start wears off before you get to the conference, if you even get there on time…!" Regieleki whispered, the golem chittered, electric sparks jumping from her body as she chortled at the jab.
"Father, you literally created me approximately thirty-two minutes and forty-seven seconds prior. I am not even fully completed and I am still adjusting to my fellow siblings' linguistics; I do not believe I possess the mental capability to take care of my own child." Regidrago, youngest of the titan quintet, flashed his navy dots in protest.
"Fret not, you have your other siblings with you, you will all do well tonight. I am certain." Regigigas lovingly stared at each of his creations' 'eyes', "We will be returning by 'morrow's light. Or longer, depending on what's caused Dialga and Palkia such an imbalance. Take good care of Darkrai until then."
And with that, Regigigas disappeared through the door and out of the Hall of Origin, shutting it quietly behind him with a click.
With their creator now gone, the five golems looked at each other, their featureless faces shining vibrant colours only perceptible to them and no one else.
"For starters, I think it may be in our best interest for you, Registeel, to cradle the child." Regice addressed the Iron Pokémon, who had pulled the baby off the desk and wrapped her in his lengthy arms.
"Suggestion. That decision appears unwise, my internals are comprised of hardened magma. My 'flesh' is cold and unyielding. Which is unsuitable for child rearing. I request on behalf of the group to provide logical reasoning behind your order."
"Well, I doubt the kid would survive being close to Eleki, due to the constant stream of energy she emits." Regice explained, "Drago has no arms and Rock would probably crush her. No offence, of course." She patted Regirock's head with a patronising huff. He merely nodded, not responding to much. "I don't want to touch it. Leaving you as the most probable candidate to take care of the child."
"I see, your reasoning is… horrid. But given the circumstances, I will proceed with what must be done."
"Jeez, not everyone's gotta speak and act like a supercomputer." Regice sassed. Registeel let out what can only be described as a computer's version of a hollow laugh.
Without any further plan on how to take care of a child, the titans moved from their spot by the front door to the Hall's living room.
It was near desolate, since almost every other Legendary and Mythical Pokémon were out for the conference. And those that were too young were being babysat by others outside of the Hall, so the quintet of golems had the entirety of the Hall of Origin all to themselves.
Regieleki squeezed herself onto one of the bigger beanbags in the room, while Regice sat on the other side, far from Regidrago, who simply floated in a corner and continued to eye the child with undisguised interest. Regirock sat on the floor, and Registeel pulled up a chair, still begrudgingly carrying Darkrai.
"At least the kid's not causing us any trouble as of yet." Regieleki stated, pressing into the beanbag to leave oblong shapes with her arms.
"... . .-.. .-.. - ನಾನು ಹೇಗೆ säätämällä Sprachkonfigurationen ⠥⠓⠍ 𓀂𓀇𓀉𓀍𓀠𓁀𓁂𓀱𓁉𓀿𓀪𓁶𓂧𓂮𓂫𓃹." Regidrago coughed, before his voice flitted through a dozen more languages, each varying in pitch and pace until an eerie, droning voice was what came from the giant's nonexistent mouth, "I wouldn't speak so soon if I werest Thou, children Art well-equipped with a listeth of objectives which we must fulfileth."
"You could've decided on any possible voice, and you chose that?" Regieleki's chipper, almost ecstatic voice contrasted heavily with Regidrago's. Though considering the golem was nearly constantly generating immeasurable amounts of electrical energy every other second, her squeaky voice sounded appropriate.
"I shan't bend to the wills of linguistic drift," Regidrago replies, "I speak the ways of a time where its peasantries then showcase more class than that of nobility now."
Regieleki huffed and was about to retort, but Registeel's monotonous, robotic voice broke through.
"Regardless, child rearing is a difficult task. I suggest that we define a list of possible requirements the child may possess. Proceeding action?"
"Unfortunately, we gotta," Regice grabbed paper from a desk behind her, using her rotating limbs to bring it around without even moving from her spot. "Someone get me a pen."
"Okay, so the kid needs water, I think that's what all living organisms need, sans us. Of course." Regice tapped the ballpoint pen to her body, partially freezing the tip of the lid.
"Shelter is taken care of, but how are we gonna put it to bed? I don't think Arceus spawned any cribs for the lil' fella," Regieleki lounged in the beanbag. "Also, do any of y'all have, like, a built-in music box or something to lull it to sleep in case it wakes up? I heard babies like lullabies from Rayquaza the other day. Or at least Groudon and Kyogre do, but they aren't babies anymore, are they?"
"Given the amount of times they fight on a daily basis, it would be hard not to classify them as anything but!" Regice snorted at her own joke.
"Joke acknowledged. Laughter simulated. Ha. Ha. Ha." Registeel replied sullenly, shifting in his seat rather grumpily.
"F'rget not the food which the young one desires," Regidrago bleeped, the other four titans stared back at him, each flashing the pattern on their face quizzically. "Although I feareth yond I am too young f'r this task, I doth not bethink its strength is powerful enough to consume solid food yet, so we shouldst blend 't."
"Can you just speak normally? Your lack of grammatical accuracy is absolutely crippling my ears." Regice cited, gaining an affirmation from the nearby Registeel, the child crooned in his arms and he dexterously stroked the baby with one of his lithe fingers. "Which is saying a lot - because I have none."
"That's coming from you - little miss I'm-too-good-for-you. But now that I think about it, so far only Regice and I can speak normally, we really don't need another titan who actually has a functioning voicebox with speech impediment issues."
"ün ün ün."
"Yes, we know," Regice said to Regirock, "Regigigas hasn't fixed your voice yet. But honestly, it was funnier the first time around. I think the joke's been overdone at this point, and you know it."
"ün ün ün… 𝔼𝕩𝕔𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦."
"Would it be plausible for us to return to the matter at hand?" Registeel soothed Darkrai as best he could, though the steel robot seemed about as caring to the child as one would to roadkill.
"Right, right, right. Drago, you said the little one needs food, correct?"
"That I did. And blended, too. I doth believe it can chew."
"That's easy!" Regieleki flew over to the kitchen and came running back with a blender in tow. Ignoring the outlet where the TV was plugged, she stuck the cable directly into herself, her body buzzing with electricity as the metallic blades whirred to life, "Okay, dump the kid in." She stated.
"Uh… nay, I hath said to blend the food, not the child." Regidrago repeated, shrinking back, clearly uncomfortable with the notion.
"What you were in the process of enacting would be infanticide. And also extremely illegal." Registeel cast a judgemental glance, his red eyes aglow with a murderous tinge.
"I was just joking! Y'all are so boring!" Regieleki dumped the blender to the side, where it clattered against the floor, smashing into the hazel coloured table the TV resided on.
"卄ㄩ几Ꮆ尺ㄚ…"
"Sadly, you're correct." Regice continued to scribble, "We do need food for it - Regirock, be a dear and check the fridge for any milk and berries, will you? And Eleki, get the blender - we may need it after all."
Regirock stepped away silently, while Regieleki prepared to plug the blender back into herself, Registeel stopped her.
"Please follow the proper procedure and blend the food in the kitchen!"
"No fun…" She muttered as she dragged the device away.
"I bethink the babe needeth to catch but a wink too, unlike us." Regidrago peered over Regice's list.
"Sorry, what?" She swivelled around on the spinning chair. "Why have you made speaking like an outdated mediaeval peasant your whole personality?"
"The same way you've madeth being a pricketh your personality." Regidrago admonished, Regice let out a gasp, sounding incredibly offended.
"Calm yourselves. I believe he is referring to the biological processes in which an organism's brain wave activity lowers and they enter a resting cycle to restore energy. I would not know - as I do not engage in such activities."
"Yeah, none of us do, hotshot." Regice wheeled the chair over to Registeel,
"So when do you suppose it's gonna need to sleep?"
"Most organisms of its age sleep up to twelve hours or longer - if it is to wake at eight in the morning, a recommended sleeping schedule would be between seven-thirty pm to eight."
"Ok, Drago. Go and… get a crib ready, I think that's what the kid's supposed to sleep in. We'll put the little one in once it's bedtime." Regidrago hovered off to the bedrooms, the door moulding into a larger silhouette to fit his size.
"How are things holding up on your end, Steel?" She cast an electrical signal reminiscent of a playful wink at the iron giant, which went completely ignored.
"Despite my wealth of data in the behavioural patterns often demonstrated by the young and inexperienced. This organism has currently been particularly quiet and reserved in spite of our constant banter, not once producing mucus or any eye water in an action often referred to as 'crying'."
"I feel like such jokes only go so far, buddy. It was funny when you pretended to be a supercomputer for… what? The first twenty or so times? Now it's just bland and overdone."
"You are incorrect in your assumption. One, all five of us possess greater programming than anything this primitive world has yet to uncover. Two, I am indeed feeling a change in my metallic heart. I am feeling… 'empathy'. And a need to protect and nurture the child. All are necessary understandings a caretaker must have for their children."
"… Whatever you say, pal. Just keep the kid quiet, I suppose." Regice continued to look unamused.
There was a whirring sound coming from the kitchen, before a thud and explosion followed by a 'shit' erupted down the hallway.
A lightly smoking Regieleki came hopping into the living room, placing a tray of mashed up berries and a carton of milk off to the side. "It would have been so much cooler if you guys just let me blend the baby."
"Ün." Regirock chided, Regieleki gave a sheepish grin.
"Yeah, I know it was stupid to stick the blender into maximum overdrive by literally sticking it into my arm but the food's done, okay?"
"Ün."
"What, no. Don't tell them that! That's fucking embarrassing!"
"Ün."
"Yeah, I'm real glad Regigigas hasn't fixed your stupid old voice box yet. So how are we gonna feed this thing? It doesn't look hungry to me."
The giants peered over Registeel's arm, the child was comfortably cosy, occasionally opening a blue eye to look at them, and nothing more. "Perhaps it'll cry out when it wants food. Just leave the mushy stuff on the table for now." Regice hummed, "Is it asleep, by the way?"
Registeel shook his head, "We may need to apply our vocal cords to form a comforting song in order to lull the organism to sleep. Considering the time, which has nearly struck eight."
"Ün?" Regirock tapped his 'chin' thoughtfully, before coughing a few times.
"He's right. We aren't exactly opera singers, neither are we qualified parents. How are we gonna get a lullaby for it?" Regice slid over to a bookshelf, before realisation hit her, literally. It was a pretty picture book with a colourful Vivillon over its cover. "Ah, a children's book! That'll be useful."
"Perhaps I will read a story for her." Registeel reached up with one arm to grab the book, "That has been known to put fleshlings to sleep."
Regidrago appeared by the doorway, "The deed is done, I did secure the crib, though I cannot bringeth it down as I doth not possesseth arms."
"Very well, I will bring the child upstairs," Registeel trod past Regidrago and headed for the stairs, disappearing through the doors. Regidrago moved to join his other brethren.
"By the way, Regigigas mentioned something about that little shit possessing 'some great power' or whatever, so keep an eye out for that, yeah?" Regice received an affirmative hum from Registeel, suffice to say, it was good enough for her.
"Now that that's taken care of, who's up for a game of Poké-Monopoly?" Regieleki buzzed and reached to pull a board game abandoned under the table, the dust particles clinging onto its sides for dear life, indicating the lengthy time since the game was last played since it was ditched for Unown-UNO.
The Hall of Origin was a… unique location, to put it in human terms. Unyielding to the drifting of space nor time, powers of celestial beings were at play. Allowing for anomalies abound. Items and objects technologically beyond the age of humans could be manifested with ease. As Regigigas put it, of course, none of the titans bothered to listen, except Registeel. But their main (and only) take away from the mind-numbingly long lesson was that as the flow of time and space ceased to apply, they could theoretically pull whatever they wished into existence. Despite its existence possibly jarring the flow of time normally, it wouldn't matter here - so their only limitation was that of their creativity.
"Eleki, why are you purchasing all the brown spaces? They're barely worth squat!" Regice questioned, Regieleki, unperturbed, moved her character over the brown property tiles.
"It's a good strat, okay? I heard about it on Bulba-something wiki that it's a key to winning!" She chirped, watching with delight as Regirock's figure landed onto her space. "Hahaha, more people I can put into debt! Now cough it over, bucko!"
"[ł] 𝔥άⓣᵉ ץo̸̦̺͑̏Ꮼ." Regirock's malfunctioning voicebox replied, annoyedly shoving a fitful of cash into Regieleki's face, who flicked through the dough gleefully, checking every penny.
"Now that puts me in first place. What did I tell you, Ice?"
"Don't rub it in." Regice glared, nearby, Regirock gave a similar expression.
"เ WⒾlL 🆄🆂🅴 e𝐀rтℍợยα𝐤ε."
"Wilt I remindeth thee yond the game is still ongoing even but now." Regidrago rolled his dice, counting the numbers to move his figure. Very nearly landing onto the brown properties as well.
"Oooooh, crisis averted, eh?" Regieleki nudged his side. Regidrago suppressed a faint shiver.
Regice prided herself on a lot of things, one of which was being quite intelligent - she was a supercomputer built out of nothing but ice in an archaic age where the discovery of computers, let alone the code needed to program one as intricate as her, was practically aeons away. So when Registeel was still nowhere to be found after their four rounds of getting smashed by Eleki, she figured something was up.
"Darn, four rounds and we've barely gone past GO." Regice muttered to no one but herself. She eyed the empty seat around the couch beside her, "Four rounds so far and Registeel hasn't shown up either…" She murmured, this time louder so the others could hear her.
"Maybe his supercomputer brain superheated itself while he was reading the kid that story?" Regieleki piqued up, wrapping her electrical tendrils around the dice. "Don't know how it would happen, but it'd be cool to see him all red and melted and… stuff."
"Shouldst we wend and checketh in on that gent?" Regidrago prepared to stand up, but Regieleki hushed him back down.
"... Nah, I'd rather go for another round!" Regieleki threw her dice into the air, "Come on number six. Let's get it! Woohoo! More property for me, haha!" She cheered, flaunting the cash Regirock had begrudgingly forked over as she purchased another plot of land.
"I ɯιʂԋ Vιƈƚιɳι ɯαʂ ԋҽɾҽ ƚσ ɯιρҽ ƚԋҽ ʂɱυɠ ʅσσƙ σϝϝ σϝ ყσυɾ ɱυɠ."
And so the quartet continued with their leisurely activities. Though it wasn't until the tenth round, when everyone had gotten rather bored of continuously losing to Regieleki, for curiosity in Registeel's disappearance to really climb.
"Wow, maybe Father was right. This job's totally easy! If being a babysitter means I can just sit around and play board games all day, I wonder why there aren't many people doing it?"
"It's because there's something wrong, toaster brain!" Regice growled, standing up from her beanbag, now covered in a thick sheen of frost. "I'm going upstairs, it can't have taken him over an hour and a half to have that thing asleep by now."
Hovering above ground, the Iceberg golem floated up the staircase and into the hallway, and instantly felt something off.
For one, although she was not originally aware of the room the child was housed in, the creeping sensation coming from the second door to the right certainly notified her of the issue. Beneath the light, strange, dangling shadow tentacles danced like demons from the beyond. An ominous grey and white colour bathed the entire hall, as if suffocating it in some unseen nightmare…
Chapter 2: Elongation
Chapter Text
Regice burst into the room, only to find Registeel standing stock still, the picture book sprawled open on the floor. All seven of his ruby-encrusted eyes dimmed from their usual piercing colour. He was asleep, and as still as a statue, she noted. This wasn’t natural, each of the giants were powered by raw, Infinity Energy, meaning that they would never tire so long as that power remained in their elemental bodies.
Furthermore, there was no sign of baby Darkrai, sans the sleeping Registeel; and to make matters worse, the window nearby was open, leaking cold air into the Hall of Origin.
Regice’s automaton brain connected the dots together in less than a tenth of a second and shuddered. To see Registeel sleeping (on the job, no less) should have been a sign to immediately mentally alert her siblings of the problem at hand.
Regieleki burst into the room so quickly that Regice knew they would have needed a new form of measurement to calculate her speed, “Did someone die?” She questioned nonchalantly, rocking the empty crib back and forth. “So are we off-duty, then?”
Regidrago and Regirock then filed into the room, the former letting out a gasp of surprise at the missing child, the latter bashing his club-like arms against Registeel, while unable to even scratch the titan, was enough to shock his systems back into alertness once again.
“Rebooting…” His scarlet eyes flashed one by one, before they all simultaneously flickered back to life. “All systems online. The organism we have been tasked to protect has now disappeared. I am in great confusion as to this occurrence, proceeding action?”
“Yes, you lug!” Regice seemed more fired up than any of the other giants, any more anger and Regieleki wondered if she would melt. “I knew it was weird that you didn’t show up for so long.”
“Current objective updated: Locate, contain, protect. Darkrai is able to float, but she is only a child, so her powers will not yet be under full control. Thereby, it will be easy for us to track her.”
“Anyone see where it even went?” Regieleki wondered aloud, "I've already circled the interior perimeter of the temple as you all were speaking four times already, and there’s not been a single opened door!”
Registeel pointed to the window. “I believe our best odds will be starting there, then.”
“Doesn't it have an impromptu energy signature we may followeth?” Regidrago queried.
“Yes, it is a constant emanation of Dark-type energy, manifesting as blackened tentacles from the child’s every pore. She contains the ability to bring upon tormenting nightmares onto those unfortunate enough to be caught in her powers. Yet she is not mature enough to control said powers, making her existence a dangerous hazard should she be unleashed to the world at large. Although we cannot dream or experience nightmares, we may still be put to sleep by her magic. Stay on alert .” Registeel warned, as Regirock punched a hole through the window and lept out.
“Well then, no time to waste like the present. Let’s go catch ourselves a child!” Regieleki hummed, following after the hole Regirock made.
“... Am I, like, the only sane one in this group of idiots?” Regice pondered, floating past the hole, “We could have just used the door, you know.”
“Thy problems art not a concern, for the wall wilt heal itself.” Regidrago’s fangs bit through the wall, allowing his skull-like ‘arms’ to weave through. Before exiting, however, he paused, “Must I come? With Eleki’s speed, this search wilt likely be over extraordinarily quickly.”
“I’m gonna take the door.” Regice began to turn, but Regieleki suddenly returned back into the room, blocking her way.
“C’mon, who doesn’t want a spot of adventure? I’m dying of boredom getting cooped up in that stuffy hall!” She zipped, pushing both Regice and Regidrago out of the window with her. A chorus of groans emanated from both.
Regice landed on a fluffy cloud, if she could recall, Lady Arceus had created such clouds to teach the baby Legendaries how to control their power of flight. They were imbued with a mystical power that allowed them to float in whatever direction its rider wished, these clouds were an excellent asset, as they provided both mobility and the conservation of their energy. Considering the child could be practically anywhere at this point, it was important that they covered as much ground with as little energy usage as possible.
“Well, Steel. You’ve been most exposed to the kid’s dark powers, have you picked up any traces?”
“Correction: The proper terminology would be ‘energy signature’, but yes, I have. There is a faint effigy down the mountainside, leading into the forest nearby. Let us hurry.”
The five golems descended on their clouds down the peak of Mount Coronet, throughout the Heaven and Earth, they had but a brief and succinct second to admire their handiwork. A vibrant morning day coloured the landscape like an oil painting with rich grass and lush, tall trees. It was their hard labour and cooperation that brought the world together.
Unfortunately, today was cruel, it would not spare them any more moments to relax and take in the sights and sounds of their magnum opus.
“Right there, I can sense it.”
The primitive structures of the humans’ homes, layered of cuboid stacks of clay, soil and held together with grass straws was beautiful, in its own way. Not in the same manner compared to the Hall of Origin with its structured marble pillars and glossy glass rooftops, but rather a thing of beauty with uneven ends and a hearty atmosphere that one would be exceedingly remiss to go amiss.
Despite the comforting sun’s rays gently warming the land of Hisui, the village lacked any semblance of bustle or hustle. Usually there’d be people farming, foraging, hunting and whatnot, but today it was dead silent.
Not a surprise, considering the child’s abilities.
“Looks like all them dudes are dead.” Regieleki eyed a guard, draped over his post with eyes sealed shut, occasionally shivering as some unknown nightmare haunted his terrible dream.
“Nay, not dead, but under its influence,” Regidrago floated into the village’s plaza, “It seems we art too late. Thither's not a soul awake right now.”
Just as the Dragon Orb’s voice fell, a stumbling woman roused from one of the huts, the hair draped over her eyes made her seem like a shambling zombie. She even had the weapon to match, though it was closer in size to a dagger than a sword.
“... Ngh, m-monster, you won’t get me…!” She slurred, bumbling about drunkenly, with her staggering steps, it was clear she seemed to be in a state of unrestful sleep walking, one could only imagine the fitful ‘rest’ she was having right now.
Bumping into Regirock, she plucked the weapon from her hand and jabbed the boulder golem repeatedly with marked precision for a sleepwalker. “Gah! You demon… the world will be better without… you…” Of course, the attack did next to nothing to the mighty stone titan, who flashed his eyes liltingly.
“ ᶜea𝕤𝔼 𝒶n𝓓 Đ𝕖s𝐈Şᵗ,” He muttered, swatting the woman’s knife with one twitch of his stony arm. He looked at the stream of sleeping humans which littered the streets in an unsettling display of unnatural, induced slumber, confirming their fears. “тн€ ᶜĤ𝒾lĐ ᕼ𝐚s b𝔢𝒆𝕟 𝐇eŕe, 𝔦𝔱 𝔦𝔰 𝔥𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔪𝔢𝔢𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤, 𝔴𝔥𝔦𝔠𝔥 𝔦𝔰... 𝔭𝔯𝔬𝔟𝔩𝔢𝔪𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔠.” The five of them returned to their clouds, bolting in a flash of light, their high-speed pursuit continued.
“Regirock is right, I sense a disturbance in the stars above. The child may be headed to the Legendary conference.” Registeel angled his cloud upwards, “Post-haste, now!”
“I wonder how Dad’s doing in his meeting right now…” Regieleki nudged Regidrago, who shrugged uncaringly, “Hey, what do you think he’s talking about right now, by the way?”
“Beyond the stars and into the cosmos…” When Regieleki gave him a perplexed frown, Regidrago huffed, “How wouldst I know? I didn’t even ask to be created, let alone be tasked with dealing with this child - this foul creature.”
“I don’t know about you, but I think having a kid is pretty fun! It’s like this useless pebble that you have to feed and watch. Or kick around if you get bored. Of course, it does nothing, but not everything has to have a purpose, you know?”
Regidrago contemplated her words, “Not everything needs to have a purpose…”
“I mean, I don’t know why this kid can cause terrible nightmares. Like, how does that power even help anyone? But it’s still alive and kicking, unfortunately. I guess that just proves my point, huh?”
“I shalt deeply consummate over thy philosophical words.”
The ‘conference room’ was much like the Hall of Origin. Arceus loved her marbled pillars engraved with patterns too ancient for even the titans to understand, didn’t she?
The room was also floating in an endless abyss, though as the golems approached, semi-transparent glass platforms floated to guide their way.
“Right there!” Registeel pointed, besides the front entrance, a smoky, fog-like ghostly plume billowed from a gaping hole. The five hopped over the glass tiles until they reached a literal brick wall.
Darkrai was gone, there wasn’t even a door. The wall had seemingly disappeared and re-materialised for the sole purpose of letting Darkrai in.
“Great, what now ?” Regice pouted, tapping the bricks, which proved that they were indeed solid and not some form of mirage created by another Pokémon.
“Let’s blast through it!” Regieleki pushed Regirock over to the door, “Regirock, use Explosion, go on!”
“ No !” Registeel raised his voice, causing heads to turn. That was quite unlike the calculating, indifferent robot the others knew. “We must be as stealthy as possible. If Lady Arceus saw us meddling about out here without the child in sight… It would be a rather bad look for us, wouldn’t you think so?”
“That’s easy for you to say. I don’t even have legs that can bend, let alone sneak through an entire conference being guarded by many Legendary Pokémon. How exactly do you think we’re even gonna do this?” Regice floated over, balancing her entire body weight on her conical icy feet.
“We can signaleth each other, can't we? Mayhaps we shouldst split up into groups and behold for an entrance 'round the building. I can stayeth here and guardeth the door shouldst it reappear.”
“Great idea, Drago!” Regieleki gripped the dragon titan’s arm and pulled him past the corner, oblivious to his protests of staying behind.
“That still doesn’t answer my question of being stealth- Ah, whatever. If they get themselves killed, I guess I won’t hold any responsibilities.” Regice moped. “I’m so glad I don’t have kids.”
“Quit whining and start searching. I’ve a feeling we might be here for a while.” Registeel’s attempt at chastising Regice only earned him a frustrated mewl from the Iceberg titan, as the triad headed off in search for the illusory door.
After what felt like an eternity, the three elemental golems returned to whence they started, the same brick wall still sitting impassively in front of them, as if mocking them for their lack of progress.”
“Ugh… It’s been fifteen minutes and we’ve barely done anything!” Regice whinged, “I hope the group with actually useful people can get stuff done.”
“Do you ever stop complaining?” Registeel jabbed a finger accusingly at Regice, who didn’t falter in her outburst.
“I think I’ve a pretty good reason to! Stuck in the middle of nowhere with you idiots after being forced to babysit some demonic little shit who puts people to sleep and gives them horrendous nightmares. Including you. I even gave you a warning! I thought your ‘supercomputer brain’ was well equipped to handle any situation, so how’d you get put to sleep so quickly, huh?”
“Well, at least I tried! I’ve been trying to take care of the child so much better than you ever did. All you did was boss the others around to get ‘get this’ and ‘get that’ without doing anything yourself!” Breaking his facade, Registeel glowered at Regice, who emitted a signal that could only be taken as a roll of the eyes.
“I’m ordering everyone around because I have to! You guys are clumsy, clueless and totally apathetic to the kid. If it wasn’t for me, the lot of you would have just stepped on it at some point without even noticing! I’m so tired of doing everything around here because none of you have the brains where it counts!”
Registeel whirred a lamenting sigh, “Nevertheless, as per Regigigas’ request, all five of us are all in this together until the assignment is over. Arguing like this is pointless - it won’t help us find Darkrai any sooner. So let’s cut it out, but if it helps, I wouldn’t mind issuing some commands every now and then, just to take some stress off of you.”
Regice rubbed her heated face, which was already unusual, but Registeel actually cared about someone else? Now that was even more unusual . She figured why not give him a shot, if he was crappy at his job (which he most likely was, all things considered) she could just boot him and take the throne herself, no harm, no foul. It was better than just futilely yelling at each other and hoping the stupid door would reopen itself, after all.
With the sigh of someone who knew they were gonna regret their decision, Regice conceded.
“.. / .... .- ...- . / ..-. --- ..- -. -.. / .. -” Regirock suddenly manifested between them, one club-like arm jutting towards a mystical staircase.
“You found something? A staircase? That wasn’t there before.”
Upon closer examination, the stairs were like a mirage, it seemed to flick in and out of reality at a moment’s whim. Who knew how long this thing would stay. The trio rushed onto the grated metal until they came across a grey hatch plastered with an entry inside.
“Bingo, that’s our goal.” Yanking the latch aside, Registeel slipped open the door and hopped into the darkness, followed by Regice and Regirock.
Their landing was soft, all things considered. Which was especially impressive considering all three of them weighed well over a hundred kilograms.
“Light levels are approximately 9.2%, turning on personal lighting.” Registeel commented, his eyes began emitting a cone of faint scarlet light. Regice and Regirock followed, albeit using yellow and orange colours respectively.
Examining the room, the three stood atop a balcony, towering above a glass window which… Oh, Arceus. It was Arceus herself, along with the rest of the Legendary Pokémon delivering speeches about… something. Registeel adjusted his eyes’ lenses, enlarging his view until the whiteboard came into focus. Half a dozen crudely drawn, pixelated pictures of Dialga and Palkia were strewn across the white board. Connected by thin red yarn threads and pushpins. Aside from the personification of God herself, he could also see Regigigas, eyes flashing in and out of consciousness as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Ho-Oh and Lugia were floating above the tables locked in their own discussion, thankfully only the back of their heads faced the window. Even the Original Dragon was there too, a blend of black and white, Registeel didn’t know why, but he had a funny feeling the Original Dragon wouldn’t stay… whole in the near future. Though that was neither here nor there. Fortunately, the balcony they entered was pitch black, so the chances that they’d be caught were quite unlikely.
“Come in, Regieleki, Regidrago. What is your current location?”
After a few seconds of static, an electrical signal ran through to Registeel. “We’re crawling in a vent, right above the conference room. It looks like they’re having an exhausting debate down there. I wonder if we can have our own debating session at some point.”
Registeel felt himself flinch, “That’s so dangerous! Get out of there, you’ll be caught!”
“Gimme a sec, I’m getting loads of juicy gossip hiding up here, they’ve TMI’d me about Palkia and Dialga’s relationship for the third time now. They’re into some kinky stuff! Did you know that Dialga really likes being-”
“Okay, we don’t care! We’re here to find the kid, that’s all! Now get a move on!” Regice cut off their connection right as a creak interrupted their conversation.
From their view atop the meeting, the three Pokémon could see the metal pipes shift, bulging with Regieleki and Regidrago’s combined weights. It was only a matter of time before the shaft gave way.
And give way, it did.
Left hanging by a thread above the army of Legendary Pokémon, it was only thanks to Regidrago’s quick thinking that Regieleki was clumsily pulled back up into the darkness of the ventilation system. Unbelievably, whatever heart-to-heart the other Pokémon were having was apparently too engrossing for them to notice the ginormous electrical orb flailing about. Despite their bumbling incompetence, somehow the integrity and sanctimony of their ‘stealth mission’ hadn’t been completely compromised yet. Registeel didn’t know whether to thank Arceus or not - he wasn’t particularly religious. What he did know was that he felt as if he could facepalm himself so hard he’d leave a mark.
A creaky door revealed a split path, with one poorly lit slope delving deeper past the conference building’s inviting maws, the other continued straight ahead under chalky white fluorescent lights.
“Guess one of us has to take the scary route. Not it!” Regice exclaimed, waiting for the others to take the fall.
“... Not it?” Registeel’s delayed reaction would have given ample time for any other Pokémon to respond and send him far and away into the unlit pit. But, as luck would have it, his only competition was Regirock, who could barely talk.
“ℑ 𝔡𝔢𝔰𝔭𝔦𝔰𝔢 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶 𝔞𝔱𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔪𝔶 𝔟𝔬𝔡𝔶.” Brightening the light from his eyes, the Rock-type trudged into the unknown.
Regirock was the first to have found the baby. It was surprisingly quick, he only had to follow the trail until it opened up to an empty room, already dancing with faint shadows abound beneath the crack under the door. There was a spot of distinct chatter mingled with a variety of dialects several rooms down. He was closer to the conference room than he thought. Hopefully she came quietly, if she cried or used her powers and made a mess everywhere. It wouldn’t bode well for either party.
Entering the room, he flicked on the lights. She was curled on the floor against a darkened corner, fitting for her, he supposed.
Noticing Darkrai, Regirock sent out a signal to gather his brethren. But that was when he also realised the substance plastered on the floor.
Pitch black, moving like it was alive. A portal gradually opened up…
A shadow emerged, growing only exponentially in size until droplets of it flung all across the room, like ink staining a carpet, it spread and spread until there was no room left for it to consume.
From deep within the murk, a pair of deathly crimson eyes, discoloured in a frenzy for bloodlust, gazed right back at Regirock.
“I WAS ONCE CHAINED TO OBLIVION, NOW I’VE RETURNED TO CAST MY RIGHTEOUS FURY!”
The figure announced, their voice distorted in a swell of hatred and violence. A mere mortal would have simply gone mad just hearing it speak. a pair of gargoyle-like wings complete with three piercing scarlet tendrils each sprouting from the pool of gloom. Six long legs slammed into the floor, every one of them as thick as tree trunks, followed by shadowy claws that ripped out of the walls.
It was Giratina - Lord of the Distortion World, banished into a plane of nothingness for her crimes attempting to rebel against the natural order - against Lady Arceus herself. It seemed the incantation to seal her away was not particularly powerful, for the forgotten third member of the Creation Trio was now here to take her revenge.
Chapter Text
Regirock knew he couldn’t feel fear, his programming dictated that such unnecessary emotions were not to be included in his destitute list of expressions. But even he couldn’t help but metaphorically gulp at the sight.
“YOU, SERVANT OF ARCEUS. HEED MY WORDS, I WILL SHRED EVERY INCH OF THIS WORLD DOWN TO ITS LAST ATOM, UNTIL A PERFECT WORLD OF NOTHING IS CREATED! STARTING WITH YOU!” She turned to Darkrai, ready to blast her into… well, nothingness, Regirock presumed.
Before the Dragon Pulse could fully disperse from her mouth, an Electro Ball whizzed by, temporarily stunning the beast in the head.
“I’m gonna make this clear. This worthless baby is with us. You wanna get to her, you’re gonna have to go through us ! Or more accurately,” An Ice Beam, combined with a Thunderbolt and a Flash Cannon, matched equally with Giratina’s devastating Dragon Pulse, sending a smokescreen that covered the room, “We go through you !”
Flashes of yellow lightened the room. Like a beacon of hope, Regieleki’s body fired up with a blur of sizzling electricity as the others filed into the room. Regidrago was the last and seemingly least happy to be here. Regirock beeped in relief - they’d received his message.
“THERE IS NO ESCAPING THE INVERSE OF ALL THAT IS CREATED!” Giratina stood her ground, it seemed this was a battle they could not hope to avoid, “FACE ME, AND BE CAST INTO NOTHING!” She fired off two Shadow Ball attacks directly at Regieleki and Regidrago, but they were safely absorbed by Registeel’s Protect.
“We must secure the protection of the child.” Regirock nodded at Registeel’s command, picking up the child (as gently as his clumsy stone arms could allow), he began to make his escape.
Only to be stopped by a massive Dragon Tail that alerted only one line of programming in his code: Protect the child. At all costs. Throwing caution to the wind, he unleashed his massive strength and tossed the baby far and away, straight into Registeel’s arms, allowing himself to be struck by Giratina’s Dragon Tail.
Regice didn’t think herself capable of being surprised, so this feeling… It certainly was new to her. Along with Regirock’s fall: this was a double shock to her.
One hit, that was all it took, and Regirock turned into splinters scattered across the entire room.
“RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. BOW BEFORE MY IMMEASURABLE MIGHT!”
“Sheesh, what a drama queen! What did we even do to you?” Regieleki buzzed, voice hissing as she stared at one of the rocks that rolled near her feet, this only served to make the dragon seethe.
“ARCEUS TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME, AFTER EVERYTHING I’VE DONE FOR HER, I TREATED HER LIKE MY OWN MOTHER, AND RECEIVED NOTHING FOR MY EFFORTS. THIS IS MY RETRIBUTION. TO TAKE FROM HER WHAT SHE TOOK FROM ME. THAT CHILD WILL PERISH BY THE DAWN OF TOMORROW, AND YOU WILL BE HELPLESS TO WATCH AS THE WORLD BURNS BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES!”
“... P'rhaps we ought to just giveth up, it'll be easier yond way.” Regidrago’s dejected cry did little to lighten the mood.
“Mistake detected: That was the incorrect adaptational scenario.” Registeel’s eyes flashed a fiercer shade of red, he placed the child behind him, hopefully safe from Giratina’s wrath for now, “Regardless of outcome: We must protect the child, we must protect Darkrai. That may not be our programming - but it is our duty .”
The Flash Cannon hit Giratina straight in the face, but she didn’t flinch in the slightest.
“FOOLISH ROBOTS, I WILL NOT BE SUBDUED BY SUCH PATHETIC CREATURES! NOW WATCH, AS I DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU HAVE EVER CARED FOR!”
Her Dragon Pulse was aimed at Darkrai, but retracted when the tips of her tendrils became covered in frost.
Regice’s power came in the form of concentrated mist, the icy substance quickly lowered the temperature around her by an incremental amount, “You stupid bastard! You’re making me work!” Her Ice Beam clipped Giratina’s face, leaving behind crystals and a bright mark.
“VERY WELL, FREEZE ME, IF YOU SO WISH. THAT WAY, YOUR PRECIOUS CHILD WILL BE FROZEN TOO!”
Regice hissed, like on Giratina, clouds of her own icy mist gathered at Darkrai’s heels - it was only a matter of time before she was turned into a living popsicle.
“You gotta tone yourself down, icy! You’re gonna kill the lil’ guy too! Not that it wouldn’t be funny, actually, wait, maybe you should let the baby d-“ Regieleki quipped, earning her a glare filled with endless amounts of ire from her sibling.
Regice chuckled hollowly, but obliged to Giratina’s demands. The frosty atmosphere dissipated from her body, leaving the room warm and toasty once again. Great, now they were basically being held hostage by Giratina's hostage.
With a deafening roar, Giratina sent chunks of violet meteors hurtling towards the giants. Reflexively, Regieleki, Regice and Registeel threw up three layers of Protect, but even they felt the tremors rumble behind their shields.
“WHY WON’T YOU FALTER?!” Giratina bellowed, “LET ME DESTROY THIS WORLD IN PEACE!”
“We must keep her at bay.” Registeel announced, charging forward with his arms outstretched, glowing with a metallic power. “You shall not harm Darkrai!”
One jab from her umbra tentacles sent Registeel flying back into a wall, Regice bleeped angrily, “Running right at her? Is this the best plan your supercomputer of a brain can come up with?!”
“Watch your flank! We need more power.” Registeel confirmed, as Regice’s Ice Punch sent a tentacle slithering back to where it came from, “A super effective move will heavily damage Giratina, allowing us to move in for the finishing blow. Unfortunately, not one of us possesses that level of power, not even your Ice-type attacks will faze her much.”
“Oh, but we do !” Regieleki chimed in, “Regidrago, c’mon, how about you stop sitting by the sidelines and get your ass over here!”
Despondently, the nihilistic Dragon-type groaned and floated over without an ounce of care. “... What doth thee wanteth?”
“Okay, this might be harder than I thought with that attitude!” Regieleki gasped, “You two hold that freak off. I’ll see if I can get his rear in gear!”
Regice and Registeel marched off to another round of defeat, as Regieleki shook Regidrago back and forth in place.
“We need you, buddy. It’s life or death, honestly! Like, I literally don’t know how to put this, but if we can’t save that child, not only is Dad never gonna let us hear the end of it, Giratina’s gonna kill us and cause a mess everywhere else! Dad might even go out to buy milk, never to return!”
“... I can’t. I’m not powerful enough, I… I was just born several hours ago, I-I’m not even a completed product yet. I won’t be able to do this.” He drooped, voice briefly losing the Mediaeval accent he had so proudly donned thus far.
Regieleki, in a touching moment that she herself thought quite out-of-personality for her, reached out and tenderly grabbed Regidrago by the arm. “It’s alright, brother. Just try.”
“I’ve never used Dragon Energy before, what if I… fail?”
“You don’t have to believe in yourself, because I believe in you!”
Regidrago huffed, the meek, depressive sigh had an edge to it as he steeled his crystallised heart. “Very well, since I’m already facing Giratina anyway, I suppose it’s better to try and fail than fail to try. Alright, sis. For you, here comes my Dragon Energy!” The jaws around his head detached as he floated upwards, streaks of magenta flowing through the draconic crystals in his body as he charged up for the devastating attack.
“I’ve got him fired up, what’s our next step?” Regieleki turned to Registeel and Regice, both exerting their most powerful efforts to keep Giratina at bay; it was no use, however. A single Shadow Claw caused them to reel back from the downright consummating power behind the attack.
“YOU PLAN TO STOP ME WITH THAT PITIFUL LASER? FEH! I’LL SIMPLY DODGE IT. IT’S NO USE IF I CAN SEE IT COMING, HAHAHA!” Giratina taunted, pointing to the floating Regidrago, “THAT’S THE FAULT WITH APPARATUSES LIKE YOU, YOU CAN EACH FORM A GOOGOLPLEX OF EVEN THE MOST DIFFICULT CALCULATIONS IN A MATTER OF NANOSECONDS, YET IN THE LONG RUN, THE ANSWER REMAINS THE SAME - YOU’RE TOO PREDICTABLE!”
“The most flexible program performs only the most inflexible operations, it is the self-delusion of the flesh which aims to match the ultimate and unending truth of the machine!” Registeel stated sagely, before all seven of his eyes flashed a vivid red, “Now, Regirock! Let’s give her a taste of our new adaptational scenario!”
“You’re getting surprisingly fired up for this.” Regice nudged Registeel’s side, the giant sheepishly rubbing his head, a rare case of displaying emotions with such openness.
“As much as I loathe to admit it, I’ve grown surprisingly fond of Darkrai, she’s a beautiful creature, even if no one can understand her boons.”
From the rubble, the remains of Regirock sprung into action. Like a robotic serpent, coils of rock wrapped themselves around each of Giratina’s legs before slithering up to her chest and neck, forcing the Legendary into a chokehold.
“Here’s a tip: Expect the unexpected!” Registeel chastised the struggling shadow beast, before firing a red target ring around Giratina with Lock-On. “Preparations are all set, fire at will!”
“That’s our chance. Let ‘er rip!” Regieleki guffawed, pointing straight at Giratina.
On cue, Regidrago’s magnificent burst of power sailed through the air, sending shockwaves of raw, draconic might even more cataclysmic than anything the likes of Giratina could ever conjure. Even her Draco Meteor, her most powerful attack, didn’t leave nearly as much of an impact!
“Again, let’s kill her this time!” Regieleki commanded.
However, she still had one last trick up her sleeve…
Cloaking herself in an intense ghostly glow, she managed to slip from Regirock’s clutches and disappear into the darkness of the Distortion World with Shadow Force, cutting off the portal before anything could follow her through. Surely she’d escaped for good - the attack couldn’t hit her here, right?
Lo and behold, breaching the seal between dimensions, the fuchsia energy poured in, Giratina’s eyes darted to and fro, trying to see how it managed to follow her into another dimension, before the tiny, almost imperceptible target mark on her chest made her gulp.
It hurt, it really fucking hurt.
How can such a tiny Pokémon boast such magnificent power? Giratina growled, but it wasn’t over for her yet. In any case, it was a clear sign for her to pull out all the stops. These idiots may have been strong, but she’d be damned to all hell if she let these weaklings beat her. Damn, she’d have to tap into her reserves much quicker than she’d have expected… No matter, the sheer spitefulness, the grudge against her creator commanded her to march forward . Countless years of planning, every day slowly inching at driving Dialga and Palkia mad, tearing incremental gaps in the fabric of reality… It would all come to foil at these nobodies’ hands… She wouldn’t allow it.
Cutting a new portal from the Distortion World, she lept away.
Back on another side of reality, the giants celebrated their victory over one of the Creation Trio ecstatically, it was probably the most amount of emotion they’d ever felt since their very long lives.
“You were awesome, Drago. I didn’t actually think you had it in you, what with your stubby little legs and downright depressed demeanour!” Regidrago made a dumbfounded noise.
“Regieleki, I beg your pard-”
“Honestly, that could’ve gone worse! Look at us, we weren’t even Legendaries and we still managed to go toe-to-toe with that behemoth!” Regice chirruped, despite her body now being cracked at the seams, she still helped Regirock up, his body having been fully reformed back into the shape of a vaguely humanoid stone golem, though not without some missing splinters here and there.
“All’s well that ends well, eh?” Regirock’s deep, jagged voice spoke up, leading everyone to gape at him in shock and awe. “I-I can… speak normally now?” His own surprise joined with the group’s, “Haha! I can talk again, this is awesome! Woooooo!”
“Maybe all you needed was to be hit hard enough to fix your voice box, like an actual computer,” Regice shrugged. “Anyways, Registeel, go fetch the child, and we can hopefully still get out of here before the conference ends.”
As Registeel approached baby Darkrai, a crack in front of him made him freeze up in anticipation.
A familiar claw projected through the temporal rift, and an equally familiar voice came out in pyrrhic cries. “FOOLS THAT DARE TO STAND BEFORE PERFECTION. IT IS TIME TO REJOICE AND REJECT YOUR PALTRY GODS. YOUR SALVATION IS AT HAND.”
A smouldering Giratina, body alight with flames and fumes left from Regidrago’s powerful Dragon Energy, charged from the space-time distortion straight at the child.
Without thinking, Registeel launched himself into Giratina with Iron Head. The ruthless attack centred only around the child’s safety, not his own self-preservation; and against all odds, he held the stand-off, if only barely long enough. As Giratina began to slowly but surely overpower the iron giant, she felt another round of searing pain in her sides. Giratina’s unbridled fury only deepened. Her claws drew deep into his outer shell, blasting the poor golem with swathes of ghastly energy. Creating dents that surely would’ve permanently maimed a living organism and left its entrails out in a gory display.
Giratina smirked, her adversary beeped shallowly, his legs creating dents in the floor he stood upon. He was going to topple any second now - the glow in his eyes was gradually fading…
Until she felt her muscles tense, and not in the same way exerting energy for a move would cause. It was more of a tingling sensation… like electricity.
“Good thing I was never really religious anyway.” Regice launched another Thunder Wave directly into Giratina’s body. Further increasing the numbing sensation tenfold, while Regieleki sent swirling waves of electricity with Thunder Cage around her. With her elongated tail, she swatted the Electric-type aside, landing into Regirock’s arms nearby.
“Ice, Drago. Open fire!” Registeel hollered, his voice undulating in pitch as even the paralysed Giratina put unfathomable strain on his body.
“You’ll be caught in the crossfire too! You… you might even get destroyed by us!” Regice temporarily lowered her Ice Beam, before Registeel’s determined voice cried out.
“... I’m alright with that.” He replied, arms visibly shaking from the exertion needed to hold the demon back. “The child has taught me something that I never thought my programming could allow for - Empathy. Even if I take that newfound strength to the grave, I would perish as a happy ‘mon.”
Even as Giratina turned and attempted to run, the localised paralysis left her utterly unable to cut open a new portal. She was at the whims of these pathetic machines.
“Now! I can’t… hold her much longer…!” Registeel crumbled, unable to withstand Giratina’s assault before being engulfed in a wave of blue and red. Burning both Giratina and Registeel away into nothing more than featureless profiles that dissipated with the sheer force behind the attack.
“... Did we do it?” Regirock pondered aloud.
“THIS ISN’T FINISHED!”
It was only then that Giratina revealed the ace up her metaphorical sleeve. The eldritch chill crept through the golems’ elemental bodies, Arceus’ own shadow icing at their robotic hearts. Obscured in a veil of gloominess, the blight that was Giratina’s body took on a different form. Her legs retracted, while her already ginormous tail enlarged further, her wispy claws turned into solid spines that jutted from the monstrosity’s back like parasitic fungi.
Regice almost faltered at the sight, all that work erased in an instant; And she came back somehow even stronger?!
Dual eyes aglow with equal parts malice and determination, Giratina’s Original Forme ripped through the cracks and lunged.
Now that Registeel was out of commission, the rest of the titans came together to withstand the Renegade Pokémon’s brutal onslaught. Their four Protect shields were the only thing that stood between the child and Giratina’s savagery.
“YOU ARE ALL WEAK, PATHETIC! YOU LACK THE COURAGE TO FACE ME IN LONE COMBAT!” She sneered, the golden mask around her face opening up to reveal the devilish smirk plastered over her face as she mockingly laughed at the labouring automatons.
“And yet… together we have the strength to move mountains, to shape the world’s design and let nature thrive with its course.” Regice stood boldly before Giratina, looking at her comrades in turn. Regirock, Regieleki and Regidrago each flashed their eyes a ferocious shade. “To fix what’s broken and learn to care and adapt. We reach out our hands in friendship… so we can open our true hearts to one another.” Her Ice Beam mixed with Thunderbolt, Stone Edge and Dragon Energy to become a miasma of swirling essence. “That’s how we’ll win !”
"Ooh, a cheesy victory speech, didn't know you started doing those now, icy!" Regieleki chuckled, though her voice was growing strained under their foe's repeated attacks. "C-Can I partake?"
"No."
As Giratina moved to dodge the blast, a spike of darkness enveloped her. Surprising both her and her adversaries. All five of them turned to see baby Darkrai, her nightmarish powers unleashed and on full display. And despite having hardly any control over it during the prior few hours, the Mythical Pokémon directed the sphere of darkness forwards, encasing Giratina into a Dark Void.
“NO! THIS CANNOT… BE! I’VE FED MYSELF WITH POWER TO CLAW THE CREATOR OUT OF HIDING… I CANNOT… FALL… H-HERE…” Resisting as desperately as she could, the ghostly serpent thrashed in the confines of the Darkrai’s sleep-inducing powers. Gradually, her eyes began to droop; Despite her defiant statement, Giratina was snoring as loud as thunder in only mere seconds, leaving her with no energy to dodge the titans’ combined attack.
By the time Giratina came to, she saw six Pokémon standing beside her ominously, her five least favourite Pokémon in the world (she hated them almost as much as she despised Arceus) and a baby cradled in the metallic one’s arms.
Undeterred by her scarred body, she attempted to rise. Only to be reminded of how poorly outmatched she was by the bruises, cuts, splinters, burns and frozen chunks all over her body. She sliced open a portal, though right before entering, she side-eyed the quintet with a vengeful glimmer. “TCH… YOU MAY HAVE YOUR VICTORY NOW, BUT ONE DAY THE CREATOR WILL FALL. EVENTUALLY, I’LL STAND BEFORE ARCEUS AT LAST - NO, I WILL CONQUER HER! MARK MY WORDS, I WILL. NO MATTER HOW MANY YEARS, HOW MANY DECADES, HOW MANY CENTURIES IT TAKES ME!”
“ Nuh uh !” Regieleki ridiculed the dragon. With one almighty slap from her electrically charged arm, a smoking Giratina riddled with electricity fell back into the Distortion World, with the portal closing up behind as she faded from view.
Regice looked around herself, Regirock’s body was chipped and shattered in some place, Registeel had uneven dents all over his entire body (though at least he recovered from fainting fairly quickly), Regieleki was occasionally spluttering from her injuries, leaking static that made Darkrai’s hair rise up. While Regidrago looked drained from having to cast one Dragon Energy after another.
She herself wasn’t faring all that well, either. A deep gnash was apparent on her left arm, and she swore she definitely lost a crystal on her back at some point. But the transmissions of joy she received from her siblings. Regirock could talk again, Registeel cradled the babe in his arms as lovingly as a parental figure would, that dreaded existential crisis which she sensed plagued Regidrago’s code had lifted, and he now joined in with the celebrations as Regieleki happily bounced around him, chittering excitably. She mulled over how ridiculous their situation was: In their plight to take care of a child possessing the ability to grant endless nightmares, they snuck into a conference of the Gods and thwarted a fallen angel’s plan to destroy the world as they knew it.
And yet here they were, laughing amicably in the face of literal death itself. Regice shook her head in exasperation… Goodness, this was unbelievable. She might be the only sane one out of her siblings, but she wouldn’t trade them for the world.
“Those were some sick moves you guys all pulled back there!” Regice laughed, letting out a frosty, ringing bellow that caused slight flurries of frost to drop from the ceiling.
“Yeah… we were quaint merit good, weren't we?”
“Maybe we should get a team name…! That sounds awesome, but what would we call ourselves?” Regieleki squeezed poor Regidrago into a hug, his Dragon typing thankfully rendering him more resistant to electricity than the other potential recipients.
“The… uh, ‘Attack of the Titans’?” Regirock piped up.
“Too lengthy, besides, I’m sure a name like that’ll get copyrighted in the next millennia or so.” Regice complained.
“What about ‘The Regis’? ‘Cause, you know, we all have the same prefix and all.” Regieleki tilted her head expectantly, only to be met with a disjointed thrum.
“Feels a little uninspired, honestly.”
And from there, the five’s conversation descended into incomprehensible white noise, each pitching their own ideas but each getting rejected in turn. Some were too stupid, others too violent. It wasn’t until Registeel’s voice cut through the crowd of chatter did they finalise their name.
“... The ‘Legendary Giants’. I think that sounds appropriate.”
Regieleki huffed, “Aw man, what was wrong with my name - the $4!T Squad’?”
“That swear word’s second tier!” Regirock argued, “Anyways, it gets my vote.”
Regice and Regidrago both hummed simultaneously, “Yeah, I like that. It has a ring to it.” The Iceberg Pokémon droned.
The five looked now at the gaping hole in the conference room, “Okay, so how the hell do you suppose we cover all of this up?”
Regirock glanced out into the hallway, the amicable chatter resumed as normal. Almost as if no one hadn’t heard even a peep out of the room a couple doors down. Despite the fact that they had essentially fought a God.
Maybe it was soundproof? He hoped to Arceus it was.
“I don’t think anyone heard us. Let’s just get out while we can. This way!” The five golems slipped out of the carnage and raced to the stairs.
Regigigas knew he was back earlier than he had imagined. Strangely, Arceus had soon called off the meeting discussing Dialga and Palkia’s oddities in the midst of their heated debate for the best sandwich condiment. Even though it had hardly begun, of course, being the almighty creator of the universe, the other Pokémon just accepted reality and moved on. Of course, when Regigigas tried to wring an answer out of the Alpha Pokémon, all he got was a cryptic answer in return. “What needs to be done has been completed. Dialga and Palkia have returned to their normal selves.” Unable to extract a better answer, he left it at that.
When Regigigas slowly entered the Hall of Origin, the first sight he was greeted by was Lady Arceus knighting his children. Baby Darkrai soundly asleep in a crib beside a game of discarded Unown-UNO.
Although he lacked the facial features to grin, a wondrous joy bloomed in his chest. Strangely, they seemed to be rugged and chipped in some parts. Not the pristine and unbroken Pokémon he had left them as. But at the same time, he had sensed that they’d grown. Of course, by the age of other Legendary Pokemon they were barely younglings, but there was an air of self-reassurance about each of them that he hadn’t sensed prior to his departure. For starters, Regieleki still buzzed and thrashed with a level of energy only she seemed to possess, but it was no longer the careless outbursts they’d once been. She tiptoed carefully around Regidrago, whose worrisome gloom had all but dispersed. Not bad for someone who was only born yesterday.
Registeel had a patience and flexibility that now matched the pliability his metal was made. Formerly, answers to him had been ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Without an ounce of care for the individual who asked. Now there was warmth in his metallic body, well, figuratively speaking, at least.
Regirock… could talk again, somehow. Did the stone golem find and fix himself with a spare voicebox from his workshop while he was busy? He had to give him credit, Regirock must have been smarter than he accounted for.
As for Regice… Well, there was still perhaps a spot of haughtiness as the literal ‘ice queen’ of the group. But even then they were only faint traces. Regigigas possessed only a basic intuition of psychic powers, but even he could feel the distaste replaced by total contentment behind the Ice-type’s yellow eyes around her peers.
“For your efforts and bravery against the insurmountable. Even in moments of absolute darkness, you protected Darkrai with absolute fealty. I hereby grant thee, Regirock, Regice, Registeel, Regieleki and Regidrago, the rank of ‘Legendary’.” Arceus tapped the shoulders of each of the kneeling golems in turn with a knowing smile. “Congratulations on ascending the rank as a Legendary Pokémon.”
Regieleki lept into the air with a sparkle of electricity, “Woohoo! I’m home free, baby! Now, who’s up for another round of me beating y’all in Poké-Monopoly?” Regieleki seemed to move even faster than she already did. That had to be some kind of world record!
“Hush; mind the child.” Registeel’s body was even shinier and well-polished. Not a dent from before could be found, the meteoric iron in his body was tougher than ever. He brought a finger to where his mouth would be if he had one, “But your challenge has been accepted, I do not believe that my algorithms will succumb to your modernised mind.”
“Pfft, as if! Drago, you up?”
“It’s an honour that I'd be most joyous to partaketh.” He bowed, floating away with the box with Regice levitating closely behind. The crystallised energy around his right arm and patterned core were blazing with a much more pronounced effect.
“Same here, I’ve still got a bone to pick with you, Eleki!” Regice had a faint mist beneath her feet, a telltale sign of her amplified icy powers.
“Heh, you’ll have to catch me when I pass by GO! I’ll even race ya!” The mischievous Electric-type bounded off with Registeel, leaving only Regirock trailing after.
“I don’t really know what to say but it’s great to be able to talk again, huzzah! Let’s get the game started!” Each step the giant took rumbled the earth itself, as if his body had become even more compacted and sturdy.
And with that, the Legendary Giants disappeared through the door with their board game, as Arceus and Regigigas watched from afar.
“They grow up so quickly.” The latter’s eyes flashed proudly, hands perched on his hips with a great sense of pride.
“Yes, and they’re quite capable, too. They even fought against Giratina herself to prevent armageddon, despite not being actual Legendary Pokémon at the time. They stood firm before what would have snapped the will of others. They’re not bad for a bunch of rocks and ice.”
“Well, I’ve always designed them to snap before they bend. Even against Giratina, they shan’t falter. They were made to serve the greater good, after all.” Regigigas humorously replied, earning a quaint chuckle from the Alpha Pokémon. “... I beg your pardon, so that ghastly aura that I could sense latching onto them - it was Giratina?”
“Indeed. I… owe you an apology, sir Regigigas. I foresaw such events, owing to Darkrai’s powers and mischievous nature, they would sneak into the back of our meeting in an attempt to corral her back into the Hall of Origin, and accidentally stumble upon the location where Giratina was planning her revenge. Evoking a massive battle between them.”
“I suppose you are all-seeing, Lady Arceus. So that does explain a lot,” Regigigas admitted, before he gave a side-glance, “But why send my children in if you were already aware of the dangers?”
“Darkrai was going to escape anyways, they not only served as her protection, but their sense of duty overrode their programming to protect her. I hadn’t expected them to stay even until the bitter end, but they’ve more than proved their worth.” Arceus flicked her head, the ensuing visions of the quintet’s harrowing battle with Giratina flooded the creator’s head. “Anyone can make a decent robot, sir Regigigas. But only you can make ones worthy of being qualified as ‘Legendary Pokémon’.” The visions shut off, causing Regigigas to dust his palms.
“A test, then? I’m glad they passed with flying colours, and each learned a little lesson to boot. I hope to see the day they become fully-fledged Pokémon, utilising both their programming and personalities to the fullest.” A nostalgic tone choked the back of his throat. Was he welling up so easily? Though he lacked the tear ducts to cry, his voice still found itself wavering, disguising it as a cough, he cleared his throat several times.
“I believe that day will come sooner than you expect, it’s as you said, ‘they grow up so quickly’.” Arceus patted the colossus gently on the back, both watching the wispy strands of the baby as she slept quietly like a log. “Yes, I suppose it was a good idea to have them take care of Darkrai after all, sir Regigigas.”
Notes:
Author's notes: Yeah, this is really kinda dumb. But hopefully it was charming and at least funny. There was a great attempt at humour with this one. Also tried to let each of the Regis, Giratina and Darkrai have a sec in the spotlight. In terms of both character development and action sequence. As stupid as this story is, hope you enjoyed it! (I mean, you probably wouldn't have read this far if you didn't like it...)
Skulgrim on Chapter 1 Tue 05 Nov 2024 11:09PM UTC
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