บท 1778: Unity
With a look of fascination on his face, Vahn, accompanied by Yoruichi and Hinata, watched as Kyrie danced atop the surface of an 'ocean' he had created in the Sixth Layer. She hadn't even received a True Name, yet, in spite of this, her elegant dance caused massive waterspouts and whirlpools that were more than a hundred meters across to wreak havoc in her surroundings.
Saying what they were all thinking, Hinata muttered, "Beautiful..." in a hushed tone while clinging to Vahn's right arm. This was met with an affirmative nod by the latter while Yoruichi, sitting in Vahn's lap in her cat form, added, "It's like watching a natural disaster...you've created a real monster this time, Vahn..."
Though he never liked the term 'monster' when describing one of his companions, Vahn wasn't able to refute Yoruichi's statement. Kyrie's ability to produce rain and manipulate water was on a level far beyond his own understanding. If he wanted to perform a similar feat, it would take a considerable amount of time, preparation, and energy. Kyrie, however, needed only dance near the surface of the water, the long sleeves of her outfit swaying with her movements as her siren-like song seemed to carry for dozens of kilometers, echoing within the tempestuous winds produced by the churning of the ocean.
Unfortunately, no matter how horrifyingly sublime the scene of destruction was, Kyrie was far from being 'all-powerful'. Her abilities were only truly useful against static opponents and infrastructure. Anyone with sufficient speed or strength would be able to blitz her relatively easily; so, while Hinata and Yoruichi might not be able to perform a feat even remotely comparable to Kyrie's manipulation of an ocean, both could defeat her, and similar opponents, without too much trouble.
The greatest benefit Kyrie had was that Shinsu could be manipulated using the same abilities that allowed her to control water. This gave her unparalleled potential as a Wave Controller, so much so that she could presumably humble anyone beneath the status of a High Ranker. The only downside was that her abilities weren't very friendly; so, when Kyrie went all-out, both enemies and allies were equally affected...
Feeling that the demonstration had gone on long enough, Vahn pulled out a spherical device with a magenta covering set atop a white base. There were two pink vents located on the upper half of the sphere while, at the very front, a circular button could be seen beneath an engraved letter M. Vahn promptly pressed this button, producing a phenomenon similar to lightning, instantly traversing the distance between himself and Kyrie as he said, "That's enough, Kyrie. Return."
Without causing her any injuries, the vibrant white lightning veiled Kyrie's entire body, seemingly breaking it down into motes of similar white light before vanishing less than a millisecond later. At the same time, the spherical device in Vahn's hand, better known as a Master Ball, began to release a gentle hum as the ball promptly shrunk to less than a quarter of its original, grapefruit, size. After that, Vahn revealed his personalized Arms Inventory, upon which sat a total of seven identical balls.
Though there were more expensive versions that could undoubtedly capture any living creature, the Master Balls wielded by Vahn were specifically used to capture and house Pokemon. They were the highest tier of a device known simply as a Poke Ball, and, so long as the target was applicable, they could be housed inside the miniature world contained within. As for why he bothered to use Master Balls, it was because they were simply the most comfortable for the Pokemon. They also had a high degree of indestructibility, and, most importantly, allowed anything inside to recover from virtually any injury in a relatively short period of time.
With Kyrie safely secured within her Pokeball, the ocean below began to gradually calm due to the lack of tidal forces present within the Little Garden. It would likely take several days for it to become completely calm, however; so, rather than stick around, Vahn teleported himself, alongside Yoruichi and Hinata, back to the Eighth Layer.
In the past, the Eighth Layer had been little more than Vahn's 'love nest', a relatively empty space that contained a single, massive, mansion. Now, however, it looked more like a nature preserve, the mansion replaced by a series of homely dwellings that were built directly into hills and trees. All of this was set within a massive emerald grove with the canopy of a World Tree dominating the region for nearly three kilometers.
Following the aroma of delicious food, Vahn soon found himself in a dining room that was directly linked with the kitchen. This allowed people to smoothly transition between the two, and, though it was never said aloud, everyone knew that Vahn simply enjoyed watching the women cook. Most of the appliances and stoves were located on the far wall, so, if he sat at his usual spot, he could watch the back figures of the girls as they happily prepared food for the ever-growing population of the Eighth Layer.
Fortunately, everyone, including Yoruichi, genuinely enjoyed preparing meals. This was one of the traits each of Vahn's Templates had inherited, and, if not for the 'ban' preventing men from entering the kitchen, he would happily cook alongside them. Instead, he, alongside the other male residents, traditionally sat at the dining room table, observing the scene of meal preparation while discussing various topics, most related to training.
Having already separated from Yoruichi and Hinata so the two could go wash off in the bath, Vahn was alone as he stepped into the extremely fragrant kitchen. There, he saw three women wearing casual clothes and aprons, each humming the same song while Madara, still in her female form, sat silently with an open bottle of sake at the dining table. She couldn't actually get drunk, but, perhaps as a result of the time Vahn had spent with Tsubaki, Kenshin, Nobunaga, Musashi, and several other 'eastern warriors', Madara had always had a fondness for alcohol.
Though they all noticed his arrival around the same time, the first to speak to Vahn was the shorter of the two red-haired women cooking alongside Mira. She had just grabbed the food that had been prepared for Madara, so, while carrying it over to the table, a radiant smile spread across her face as she stopped near him and asked, "Are you here to eat or just watch?"
Since his stomach was effectively a bottomless pit, a trait shared by all of his 'unnamed' Templates, an amused smile spread across Vahn's face as he answered, "Both." while reaching out his hand to stroke the petite woman's head.
Nodding her head in understanding, the youthful-looking red-head turned toward the kitchen, and, though it wasn't really necessary, she chimed, "Mira-nee, Kushina-nee, dinner and a show for one more~."
Responding to the girl's words, Mira just issued a light chuckle as the woman to her right pumped her fists and spiritedly replied, "Yosh! Leave it to me, Mor-chan! I'll cook up something delicious and spicy~!" before taking her kitchen knife to a set of ingredients with intense enthusiasm.
Giggling in response to Kushina's remark, Mor-chan, better known as Morgiana Fanalis, looked back at Vahn and said, "Come. I'll prepare your usual spot."
Nodding his head in affirmation, Vahn retracted his hand for Morgiana's head, once again finding it amusing that she was 2cm taller than Yoruichi despite the latter appearing more mature. This wasn't to say that Morgiana lacked feminine charm, but, when standing next to Mirajane and Kushina, 167 and 165cm, respectively, she did look a little childish. Of course, Vahn would never say this out loud, as, despite being a Template he had created, Morgiana could be pretty petty when you pointed out her height and figure; seemingly forgetting she could change both at will...
After taking his seat next to Madara, Vahn watched as the barefoot woman scampered back to the kitchen, a contented smile on his face as he asked, "How was your day?" without looking directly at the person he was speaking to. In response, Madara picked up a piece of eel from her plate, deftly maneuvering it to her lips with chopsticks before plainly answering, "Calm..." in her characteristically soul-piercing tone of voice.
Deciding against pressing her for a more detailed response, as Madara could be 'very' scary when she got mad, Vahn just nodded his head in understanding before replying, "That's good..." in a soft murmur. This caused a slight smile to spread across Madara's face, an amused glimmer in her onyx black eyes as she muttered, "Indeed..." in a curt tone...
---
With less than a day until the Survival Test was scheduled to end, the members of Team Wolf Pack had all gathered together near the large crystal that allowed them to summon items and supplies. It hadn't been all that useful to them over the last twenty-nine days, but, now that the test was all but completed, everyone pitched in to purchase a veritable feast.
Originally, Khun had been prepared to sacrifice his own Points in order to boost everyone's morale and make sure they were prepared for the 5th Floor. This plan was promptly shot down by virtually every member of the Team, so, after a brief discussion, they decided to all pitch in a few thousand Points. The only person who hesitated was Nare, but, without needing anyone to convince her, she ultimately decided to go with the flow.
After 'suffering' together for twenty-nine days, the sense of unity within Team Wolf Pack was at an all-time high. They had learned to set aside the self tendencies attributed to most Regulars, and, though it would likely take years for them to cement their bonds, they were already beginning to act like a proper Familia. This was largely thanks to Baam, his kindness having an infectious quality; but, more than anything else, it was their intrinsic desire to break free from the system that caused them so much torment that compelled everyone to work together.
At this point, everyone was pretty much in agreement that the Tower needed to change, drastically. Fortunately, they had a literal God on their side, so, in preparation for the drastic changes that were bound to sweep through the Tower, they were determined to become the torchbearers that led the way towards a better future. This seemed to be the very thing Vahn was preparing them for, so, with a profound sense of purpose uniting them, Team Wolf Pack heralded the dawn of the thirtieth day with the light of conviction reflected in their eyes...
---
With subtle vibrations and heat spreading through his body, combined with the sound of purring tickling his ears, Vahn found himself in a situation where he simply didn't want to wake up or move around. He had decided to take a nap alongside Latias and Latios the previous evening, and, by the time he woke up, he had a black cat, a red lioness cub, and an exceptionally cute nine-tailed fox kit sharing his body as their bed.
If not for the person incessantly poking him in the cheek with a stick, Vahn wasn't sure he would be able to separate from the veritable mountain of fluff he had awoken to find himself buried under. It was like his body was awash in an ocean of soft and pleasant warmth, a sentiment that was shared by the other residents of the pile due to their overlapping auras.
Though he could perfectly fine without opening his eyes, Vahn adopted a half-lidded expression as he stared at the petite and delicate-looking woman poking him in the fact. She was extremely thin, appearing much like a doll, and, though she resembled a refined maiden with flowing blue hair and peculiar golden fringe, closer observation would reveal numerous peculiarities. This included a fluffy black tail, gold-adorned black leggings and gloves that were actually a part of her body, and, most notably, a jeweled crown that vaguely resembled antlers protruding from the top of her head. This last article made up nearly a quarter of her total height, and, though she had also had mesmerizing blue eyes, it was hard to take your eyes away from the massive crown...
Seeing that Vahn had finally awoken, the exceptionally lithe girl adopted a gentle smile as she said, "Good morning, Master. It is time to wake up. If you don't prepare quickly, you will be unable to eat breakfast before returning to the Outside."
Disturbing the trio that was pretending to still be asleep on his chest, Vahn stopped leaning against Latios' side, stretching his body and releasing an extended yawn before smiling back at the girl and replying, "Thanks for coming to get me, Nea. Don't worry, I'll still have plenty of time to brush your hair if we visit the outer rings."
Smiling in response to Vahn's final remark, Nea, better known as Xerneas, performed a polite bow before promptly turning around and transforming into a remarkably elegant-looking deer. Vahn understood her intentions without her needing to directly convey them; so, even though it wasn't really necessary, he cradled Yoruichi, Kushina, and Morgiana in his arms, riding Xerneas back to the Emerald Grove as Latias and Latios happily dodged through the surrounding trees...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Sublime Terror','Familia','Fluff')
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