So, if you were only reading "The Dreamverse" casually and haven't read the prior stories, don't read any further. XD 'Cause now we'll be discussing plot things unrelated to this story's plot!
GKND H.Q.
On the following day, April visited Madotsuki's house and requested to take Marshadow with her for something. Both of them agreed with the promise that he would be brought right back.
Once at GKND, he was greeted by Nebula and Index. The two of them led Marshadow down a corridor, but the young spirit cringed in worry at seeing the 'God Containment Chamber' label. "Wait, is this actually some type of prison?!"
"No, it's not!" Nebula shouted hastily. "It's more like… a daycare. You can meet your fellow Firstborn here."
"Okay, but I don't have to stay here, right?"
"Of course not. We'll take you home later today, but you should at least stick around to play with them."
"Well, most of them, at least." Index said. "We're going to be needing one of them for some business."
Inside the playroom, Skaios appeared to be giggling and shaking on the floor. "Hahahahaha! Stop it, Synthia! Haha! Why can't I catch you?!"
There was a tiny light zipping around his body. He kept trying to catch it, but it zipped out from under his hands every time. "Tee hee! No one can resist the power of tickles!" The little light, Synthia got under his armpits, then up to his neck, then went between each of his toes to tickle him all over.
Crest, Jirachi, Mesprit, Meloetta, Mew, Gourmerry, Celebi, and Midna were present. Most were watching the spectacle awkwardly, except Gourmerry who was eating some eggs. "So, I guess Synthia doubles as a ticklebender." Jirachi figured.
Nebula, Index, and Marshadow entered. "Oh, it's that guy again." Crest glared.
"Aw, I should've known you'd be here." Marshadow huffed.
"Hahaha! Who's he?" Skaios laughed.
"Everyone, this is Marshadow." Index introduced. "He's the Nightmare Newborn."
"Ah, from Halloween." Midna remembered, smiling. "Well, nice to meet you! I'm Midna, the Twilight Princess."
"Why are you so tall?" Marshadow asked.
"This is my 2nd Age form. Some of us can assume a taller form, but they prefer to stay in their smaller state."
"We're just more memorable like this." Jirachi shrugged.
"Mew…"
"Okay, but what's that guy's problem?" Marshadow pointed at Skaios.
Synthia went up Skaios' nose and began to tickle in. "No! Not in there! Ah, ah, achoo!" A tiny blast of air banished Synthia from his nostrils.
The tiny light plopped against the area where Marshadow's nose would be. He crossed his eyes in shock. "Ah! What's this thing?! Get off!" Marshadow shook his head as the small light fell to the floor. He instinctively began trying to step on it. Synthia dodged around for a bit before being flattened by the shadowy foot.
"Hey!" Skaios pointed. "Get off my little sister!"
"Little sister? What do you-"
But in a flash, Marshadow found himself surrounded by millions of cells. "He said get off me!" Synthia shouted cheerfully. She was an orange amoeba with a sun-shaped eyeball.
"Whoa, where are we?!"
"We're still in the playroom, but you're super tiny now!"
The other Firstborn noticed a speck of darkness appear beside the light on the padded floor, with Meloetta using her bending to make their voices audible. "Hah!" Crest taunted. "You look better down there, Minishadow!"
"At least I'm not fat like you, Fat Moon!"
"I'll show you Fat Moon!" Crest leapt and attempted to flatten them beneath his belly, but a Scare Stream erupted and propelled Crest against the ceiling. Synthia lifted Marshadow and flew away before he landed.
"Don't worry, Brother Marshadow, I'll protect you!"
"No you won't!" Crest yelled, trying to chase.
"Uh…I guess he's settling in just fine." Index figured.
"So, what's that bloke's story, anyway?" Skaios asked.
"He's sort of had a troubled past." Nebula replied. "But he recently found his Guardian."
"Ah, good for him, aye? Mayhaps, one day, Ay can join him!"
"That might be sooner than you think." Index smiled. "If you'd like to come with us, we'd like to show you something."
Skaios's eye alit with a gasp. "I'll take ya up on that, matey!"
Cheren and the Hope Pirates were standing at the balcony of the cafeteria, catching each other up on the recent incident. "In my dreamscape, I'm a dung beetle." Jataro said. "I eat huge mountains of poo and wait for one of my friends to crush me. But this time, there was a dream version of Carmine there to protect me, and she smelled super nice, hehe…"
"Haha, that's adorable, Jataro!" Yuta grinned. "In my dream, we worship a giant statue of Melody! But because of the nightmares, the statue came to life and tried to kill us."
"Both of you have such creepy dreams!" Kotoko stated.
"Nebula, thank goodness!" Cheren called as the trio arrived. "Save me from this weird conversation!"
"Ahoy, maties!" Skaios greeted, swirling around his five friends.
"Heya, Captain!" Masaru grinned, high-fiving his infant-sized friend. "Did you have any crazy dreams the other night?"
"Ay couldn't sleep a wink that night! So, what's the news, lassies?"
"Yeah, Index?" Nebula inquired. "Who's Skaios' Guardian?"
"Well, that depends." Index withdrew a Spirit Ball designed with clouds against a blue sky. "Who does he choose?" And she tossed it to Skaios, who clapped it in both hands.
"Er…what?"
"Skaios, between your friends, who would you choose for a Guardian?"
"Um, I don't know… maybe Masaru."
"Yeah! Captain likes me best!" Masaru grinned.
"You both share a like enthusiasm!" Yuta said.
"Then give the ball to Masaru. Afterwards, he should know what to do."
Skaios gave the ball to him. "Okay! Go, Pokéball!" Masaru threw the ball with conviction and hit Skaios. It popped open as the captain poofed into a large tornado. The tornado shrank and was slurped into the ball. The ball shook and beeped on the floor, the group watching with anticipation. But after a moment, the shaking stopped as the capture completed.
The ball levitated in the air and flashed, beginning to glow with a soft, warming light. Masaru caught it with an awestruck expression.
Masaru captured a NEWBORN! Only 6 to go!
The rest of them were speechless at the development. Only Index seemed to give a knowing stare. "Holy toledo… so, I'M Skaios' Guardian?!"
"Well, don't just leave him in there. Open it!" Index encouraged.
Masaru threw the ball as Skaios escaped from it. "Blimey, that thing was tight! I mean, it was airy, but it felt so tight."
"Now pick another one, Skaios. Who do you want as your second Guardian?"
Skaios cocked his single brow. "Uhhh...I guess Yuta?"
"Yay! It's my turn!" Yuta took the ball from Masaru and threw it at Skaios.
"Come on, we already established that I'm his-" Masaru began.
The ball struck Skaios and slurped him inside in the same manner. Again, the ball shook and beeped on the floor… and sealed him. Yuta picked the ball up and felt its warmth in his palm.
Yuta captured that SAME NEWBORN! Still only 6 to go!
"Wait, wait, that's only because Masaru already caught him, right?" Cheren asked.
"Who knows? Yuta, let him out and command Skaios to do something."
"Okay?" Yuta freed Skaios. "Skaios, I command you to make a fountain with your spit and airbending!"
"Aye-aye!" Skaios faced upward and spat a great stream of saliva, using airbending to control their trajectory and make a sort of fountain.
"Hey, don't prank me like this!" Masaru shouted. "Skaios would've done that, anyway! The fact is, I caught him first, I'm his-"
"When you get done, Skaios, I want you to choose someone else." Index instructed.
Skaios sucked his spit back in. "Okay, I choose Kotoko next."
"Yuta, ask Skaios to lend you a bit of his power."
"Alright! Skaios, could you please lend me some power?" He reached an open hand up.
Skaios stared at him for a moment. "Hmmm…no!"
"Skaios, could you lend me power instead?" Kotoko asked cutely.
"Aye-aye!" Skaios channeled a bit of chi over her. Feeling wind course through her, Kotoko spun on one foot and used the other to swing gusts of wind around.
"Haha! This feels amazing! He's mine now!" Kotoko swiped the ball and caught Skaios with it. The same process repeated.
Kotoko captured the SAME NEWBORN AGAIN! You're not making any progress!
She then opened the ball and released him. "So, it's just as I thought." Index smiled. "Skaios' status as a 'Free God' makes him different from other Firstborn. He has no set Guardian. Rather, he can choose any Guardian at any time, but because he has the freedom of choice, Skaios is essentially his own Guardian."
"Hold on, that's insane!" Cheren protested. "I mean… how are Guardians decided, anyway? Isn't that how they all get picked?"
"Technically, some of our less experienced Firstborn didn't specifically handpick their Guardians, like Crest or Gourmerry. Even 'bonding' with the Firstborn isn't always required. Arianna's mom didn't really bond much with Celebi before she caught her. It's all a matter of the Guardian's personal growth."
"I don't feel right about this. Like, with more new Firstborn showing up, the whole idea of becoming a Guardian is starting to feel less sacred. And Skaios is allowed to have as many as he wants? Why?"
"Don't ask me." Index shrugged. "But it's just how he works. Based on Riddler's original clue, it sounded like Louise could've been his Guardian. But I think that was because Louise happened to be Captain of Skaios' crew at the time. Electing a captain was the same as electing a new Guardian. I'll admit it's not very fair, but the fact is, Skaios is his own Guardian! So yay, we captured three of them now! Which Newborn should we search for next?"
"Honestly, I kind of see where Cheren is coming from." Nebula replied. "Being able to choose any Guardian anytime is too chaotic, and weren't you trying to move away from that? I think you should try to choose just one Guardian and stick with them."
"Alright, then let's have a contest." Masaru folded his arms in thought. "Let's decide which of us is the best Guardian."
"To be perfectly honest," Shingetsu began, "I don't think either of us are very worthy of being a Guardian."
"Okay, Nagisa's out, that's one down!"
"Perhaps Kotoko could do it?" Yuta wondered. "She's the only one without an element."
Skaios rubbed his chin, beginning to consider this. "Well… who would you recommend as my Guardian?"
"Who, me?" Cheren snickered. "Honestly… I recommend Sheila. She's the Pirate King, she loves pirates, like you… so, why not?"
"He's got a point." Nebula shrugged.
"Yeah, but I barely know the scallywag." Skaios said. "We barely even had ourselves a good skirmish."
"Then maybe Louise?" Index wondered.
"Eh, I don't think we should." Cheren said. "Louise is kinda… loose."
It was then that everyone imagined a poorly-drawn meme video with Louise holding the Spirit Ball. "GO, Purkyboll!" She threw the imperfect circle-ball and hit Skaios.
"Voom!" Skaios was sucked in.
Louise then let him out. "Skyos, giVe me The POWer to STAP these BAD gais!"
"Woom!" Skaios gave her some chi.
"YaY!" Louise lashed wind blades to kill a bunch of bad guys.
"Yeeeeaah…" Everyone chorused in agreement.
"Hmm…okay, I think I have another idea." Skaios said. "Maties… take me to Avalar."
The Hope Pirates exchanged surprised, but knowing glances. "Wait, can I at least have a turn, Captain?" Jataro asked.
"Alright, Jataro. I choose you as my Guardian."
Jataro giddily snatched the ball from Kotoko and caught him. The animations played once more before Jataro picked it up.
Jataro captured a—look, you get the point.
Avalar; Evermore
Cheren escorted the Hope Pirates down to Evermore, in the process of recovering from its shabby state. The human and Mobian citizens turned to their visitors with curiosity… only to recognize them. While Skaios didn't appear to be present, they recognized the Hope Pirates. The kids in question could feel their cold stares on their journey through town, causing them to shirk in fear.
Fortunately, the two people they were looking for seemed to be on a walk outside the castle. "Hey, Evan! Tani!" Cheren called.
The cat-earred Faunus and the forest-dressed pirate looked over in surprise. "Cheren!" Evan beamed as he ran to greet his friend, Tani joining.
"What a nice surprise!" Tani smiled. "Er…and you've brought these five? What a… surprise."
"Hey, I was good!" Yuta argued. "Uh…no offense."
"We have another surprise, too." Jataro giggled maliciously, revealing the Pokéball under his sleeve. "Come out, Skaios." He popped it open as the Free God emerged.
"Ah! Ahoy, Evan and Tani!"
"AAH!" Tani yelped. "INITIATE SKAIOS DEFENSE MANEUVER DELTA!"
A huge mob of citizens rushed in and brutally ganged up on Skaios. "OW OW OW OW AH AH AH GOW!"
They leapt off to reveal his bruised and tattered form. "I was going to say… we come in peace…"
"Perhaps we should go in the castle." Evan suggested.
…
Once inside Evan's throne room, Cheren explained what they just learned. "But Cheren thinks I should only decide on one Guardian." Skaios continued, holding the Pokéball to Evan. "So, I was wondering… if you would like to be my Guardian."
"Evan, don't even." Tani stated. "We can't just keep him in our kingdom! The people will go into a panic!"
"I do have some reservations… but what would being a Guardian entail, anyway?"
"Basically, Skaios could lend you his airbending in a dangerous battle, and you could order him to fight with reservations or do other things." Cheren answered. "But I guess he has the ability to decide to stop taking orders from you."
"But I ain't planning to run away!" Skaios said. "I'll…I'll try to be a good Firstborn."
"Aww, he's so precious!" Kotoko cooed. "How could you say 'no' to that?"
"Heh heh." Evan laughed. "Well… I guess I'll give it a try." He took the ball.
"But Evan!"
"Think of it like this, Tani: if we're in charge of him, then no one untrustworthy would be in charge of him."
"But he can leave whenever he wants to! Ugh…"
"Let's just give it a go. Nnh!" He threw the ball at Skaios. Once again, he was slurped inside, and the Guardianship officialized.
Evan captured a NEWBORN! Can we move on with the plot now?
"Is he really going to be staying with us?"
"Tani, he sounds like he's trying to change. We don't have to forgive him, but I don't think he'll try to sabotage us. You won't even see him that much. I'm planning to just make him do some chores around town. After we address the citizens, of course."
"Sigh…fine, I guess we'll see how long this lasts. …And what are you lot still doing here?" Tani asked the Hope Pirates.
"We understand you possess no sympathy for the captain," Shingetsu answered, "but we wouldn't like you to abuse him. Is it alright if we stay here to offer moral support?"
"That's fine by me." Evan shrugged. "But if you don't have the money to afford our inn, I recommend finding jobs of your own."
"Hehe, hate to break this to you, but I was hoping to get back to my family today." Yuta grinned sheepishly. "So, I can't stay."
"Traitor!" Masaru hissed.
"Don't worry, Skaios!" Kotoko cheered. "We're good friends, we'll be here for you!"
"Nebula was getting tired of us free-loading off the base, anyway…" Masaru whimpered.
"I'm not planning to treat him too badly, anyway." Evan smiled. "Not too badly… I promise to take good care of him, Cheren."
"I know you will! I'll see you later, Evan." Cheren and Yuta turned to leave the castle.
"Okay! We'll let you know how it goes!"
"Aye-aye!"
GKND H.Q.
"Evan is a pretty good choice, when you think about it." Nebula figured. "He's responsible enough to keep Skaios under control, and they do have a rough past to work through… Sounds kinda familiar!"
"Yup!" Index perked up. "Alright, quest complete. Good, because we really need to get this Newborn Train rolling. Not including Hoopa or the final Newborn, that leaves only four left."
"Cheren and I already have some operatives on the case."
"Supreme Leader Nebula, a report!" She was approached by a muscular, wide-faced Solaran, a salute over his strict frown.
"What up, Solbro?"
"My brethren have arrived with important news! They'll be awaiting in the hangar!"
Index joined Nebula down to the hangar, where a ship that resembled an illusory sun had landed. Pyler, the violet Solaran leader, stepped off the ship. Behind him were yellow and sapphire Solarans, carrying a heated cage with a yellow and orange imp inside. It had blue eyes and tall ears to shape its V-shaped head. "Victini?" The creature curved its head curiously.
"This is the one, right?" Pyler asked.
"Yeah, that's the same creature who disrupted Field Day. It's supposed to be one of the Newborn, too, right?"
"Yep!" Index nodded. "The Victory Spirit, Victini. We need to set him up with his future Guardian and figure out what they need to do. But you'd better keep that one on watch for now. Judging by his actions at Field Day, he's probably corrupted by darkness, too."
"Victini~" The spirit brushed off her concerns and kicked back in his cage.
The Solarans carried Victini away as Nebula asked, "So, which Newborn are we missing now?"
"We still don't really know where the Matter Newborn is, but Cheren already sent Sector $ to retrieve the Ice Newborn."
"So, they already know where it is?"
"Of course! Supposedly, it's a family heirloom."
Coruscant; Atlas; Schnee Manor
Ciel Phantomhive and his butler, Sebastian snuck their way down to the mansion's basement after Carol had disabled the security network. They silently KO'ed as many guards as necessary before locating a giant vault. Ciel put his ear against the door and listened as Sebastian twisted the gigantic knob. With a loud, satisfying CLACK, the vault slowly began to open…
Ciel and Sebastian shared a cautious glance before walking into the vault. Inside was a wide chamber as cold and blue as ice. There was a central altar and central pedestal… with a purple back with blue eyes and snowflake points suspended above it. "Weiss was right… well, both her and Cheren, I should say." Ciel said. "That's Araea's Mask."
"Is it really, Young Master?" Sebastian approached the mask suspiciously.
"Ah, right. I suppose this isn't the true Araea's Mask, is it?"
"In more ways than you think." Sebastian took the floating mask off the pedestal and smashed it like porcelain.
"Sebastian!"
"Honestly, My Lord, can you not feel an ounce of Dark Chi from this mask?"
"Of course not, what's that got to do with…!" The earl's eye widened. "I can't…" Ciel approached the shattered mask and bent over it. "It's not the real one, is it?"
"Perhaps there is more to this vault yet to be explored? And yet…" Sebastian waved his hand over the pedestal. "I do feel some sort of… residual darkness. Master, do you think there's a possibility the mask was stolen?"
"Was it stolen? Or was it… sold?"
"Would you suspect Miss Schnee's father of doing such a thing?"
"Only she could answer that question. Let's search here for a bit longer before we go ask her."
A wasteland on Reepor
The agents of CP0 landed on Reepor, a small, abandoned planet inhabited only by non-sapient creatures. They calmly journeyed to a vast, empty valley where the moon hung above a cliff. Knowing someone could strike them at any moment, they were on full alert. Yes… in particular, someone, not something. They wouldn't have been called out here for some ordinary monster.
There was a rush of wind as something came flying at them—Lucci brought up his hand to catch it like a baseball. He let the object drop on the ground. "!!!"
It was a severed head of a teen girl with long black hair. Her mouth was frozen agape and her narrow eyes stretched in fear. "M…Mandy?!" Akame gasped. No doubt, the head belonged to Mandy Beret, their fellow assassin.
The men were already glaring at the moon. It was only now they noticed the shadow on the cliff against it. (Play "Advent One-Winged Angel" from Smash Ultimate.)
The being on the cliff was a man in a black coat, pants, and boots. He had metal shoulder pads and flowing silver hair. In his left hand, he wielded a long katana, and on his right, a single dark angel wing. "I wanted an application to join your crusade… I didn't know the procedure, so I decided to call one of you to assassinate me." Despite his quiet tone in the vast distance, by focusing their vision, they could read his lips. "Perhaps that one was your weakest link… You can't hope to assassinate the gods with skill like that. In any case… it seems you have a spot open."
With a flap of his wing, he glided across the valley with terrifying speed. Within a minute, he was on the ground before the assassins. "So… can I joi-"
The assassins lunged at him simultaneously.