"Izzy...didn't Omoiyari say we couldn't go near the wormholes?"

"Yup."

"Well...then why are we sitting right in front of them?"

Izzy was indeed sitting a few yards away from the space displacements, which were glowing and vibrating smoothly. No beast had dared go near them since the first meeting the day before, so Izzy went there to escape the judging gazes and whispers from the others. Omoiyari was not there to scold her, for he had been called away to meet with the elders, so that left her and Scissor (mainly her) observing the beauty of the cracks in space and time.

"Well, that's the thing about rules," Izzy started with a grin on her face. "They can either be seen as something to uphold, or they can be seen as suggestions. By the way, what do you think is on the other side? The imperfect world, I mean."

She watched her Kartana friend look up at the humming wormholes before answering slowly, "I...I guess I think it wouldn't be much different than our worlds. They'll have forests, caverns, even oceans, like the Nihilegos. Why?"

"The elders said Omoiyari lived there, and I would be living there if my...my imperfect mom and dad didn't leave me here. I just can't help but wonder what kind of world I'd live in."

"But this is your home!" Scissor argued, zooming around to face his imperfect friend. "You belong with us, you're family! Don't listen to the Guzzlords, they don't know anything!"

"I...I want to believe that..." Izzy started as she hugged her knees. "But I know that I really don't belong here... this isn't the place I was meant to live in. "

There was an explosive noise behind her, causing Izzy and Scissor to yelp. A young Xurkitree, Pheromosa, Buzzwole, and much smaller Celesteela were scurrying around yelling on the edge of the crater. The young Celesteela had blasted off a few feet off the ground, causing smoke to billow everywhere.

"Strike, look what you did!" The young Pheromosa shouted at the little Xurkitree. "You made Blast whomp* again!"

"I didn't mean to!" Strike whined as the Celesteela finally landed with an echoing thump. "I can't control myself! I can't control my abilities like you guys can!"

"It still hurt!" cried the Celesteela tearfully.

But before either of the small beasts could continue, Izzy crawled out of the crater and ran to her friends while shouting, "Mosa Buzz, Strike, Blast, you're here!"

The tension vanished immediately as the imperfect flung herself onto the Pheromosa while giggling with excitement. The Pheromosa, Mosa, had gotten use to Izzy's overly friendly actions moons ago and awkwardly hugged her back while her other friends gathered around happily.

These younger beasts were her best friends, the only beasts who didn't mind her presence. When Izzy was little, most beasts had tried to encourage their offspring to not go near her since Omoiyari's decision to raise her was frowned upon. However, these young beasts around her age had accepted her into their group, which bewildered the adults. Mosa, for instance, was a Pheromosa, a species that was cruel and rude to life they considered to be inferior. They refused to even touch beasts and objects they considered unclean, so the fact that Mosa would actually hug an imperfect was a shocking miracle.

"We saw what happened yesterday, Izzy," Buzz the Buzzwole told her sadly. "We're sorry for what happened, I wish we could've helped more..."

"You could've done more to help, Scissor!" Blast the Celesteela added in an icy tone.

"Have you seen how big I am?!" Scissor snapped furiously. "I'm smaller than all the other Kartanas, what makes you think I could've done something?!"

"It's ok, guys!" Izzy interrupted hastily, not wanting another fight on their hands. "Omoiyari was all the help I needed, there wasn't anything else I or you guys could do. Besides, what are you all doing out here?"

Mosa shrugged and said slyly, "Probably the same reason you're here. We wanted to get a better look at the wormholes. I understand why you're here, Izzy, but I'm surprised Scissor came along. I thought you would listen to the rules!"

Scissor made an angry buzz but Izzy quickly explained, "I just wanted to think for a bit, and Omoiyari said I can't go anywhere without him or Scissor."

"Yeah, I can see that," Strike said thoughtfully, settling into his spot overhanging the crater while digging his cable-like arms into the ground. "Everyone's talking about the wormholes. Some beasts are theorizing that the Nihilegos are behind it. Nihilegos don't ever show up to the gatherings, so we don't know what they do. Actually, I don't think anyone's seen them since the Great Opening! Then there's the Blacephalons, but they're never invited to gatherings because their downright creepy, and the Stakatakas don't give a brick about anything."

"Is that when Omoiyari disappeared?" Buzz asked with interest while they all gathered around the edge to watch the wormhole. "The Great Opening, I mean."

"All the Celesteelas have been talking about it," said Blast in her usual mournful tone. "The Great Opening happened a fairly long time ago. Wormholes similar to these opened all by themselves in all the realms. Many beasts were pulled through, including Omoiyari. Everyone thought they were gone for good, but Omoiyari suddenly returned to one of the worlds a few seasons later. He resumed his post as Guardian of the Beasts, and the wormholes weren't seen again until a few days ago."

"And he never told you about the other world?" Strike said incredulously to Izzy.

Izzy shook her head sadly and mumbled, "He never told me anything about it. I didn't know about it until yesterday. I just thought he knew everything."

"Well it's understandable why he wouldn't want to talk about it," Mosa added. "Nobody ever came back before Omoiyari. Entire species were wiped out because of the wormholes. The creatures on the other side are said to round the beasts up and either kill them or experiment on them. It's not the most pleasant place in the universe."

"Do you think he knows what happened to them?" Scissor inquired, sounding thoroughly intrigued.

"It wouldn't surprise me if he did. It could be why he's never said anything. It would just make everyone more scared. But that just still leaves the question on how he survived so long in that world."

"Just because most Imperfects are butt-heads, doesn't mean they all are!" interrupt Buzz as he ruffled Izzy's graying hair. "Izzzie isn't a butt-head, so maybe there are others like her!"

Izzy saw Mosa scowl at the term 'butt-head' but Blast continued on, "It would explain why he has such a passion for their protection as well as ours, and why he took you in Izzy. He's no Necrozma, that's for sure."

The tension that fell at this remark was almost frightening. Izzy had only heard of the name from Omoiyari's stories, though she wasn't as scared as the all others had become. Some had flinched or shivered at the mention of the name.

"What does Necrozma have to do with anything?" Izzy asked with some confusion. "Isn't he just a story? A legend?"

"Unfortunately not," Scissor told her darkly. "He was a beast-like creature that was more powerful than any other, even more powerful than Omoiyari. I heard his armor was as black as his heart. It was driven by a great hunger for light, and intruded other worlds to take it."

"He was defeated eventually though!" Strike piped up excitedly. "Necrozma fled to another world, a separate world with beings similar to Imperfects, and sucked all the light from it. One beast of almost equal power followed him to the world. The people begged for the beast to help them bring light back to their world, for they could not live without it. The beast confronted Necrozma at the tallest tower and tired to negotiate with him, but he wouldn't listen. They battled, but the beast ended up dying because of the power Necrozma absorbed.

"But the beast had been clever, and he planned with the people to imprison Necrozma. When Necrozma was showing weakness as he boasted of his challenger's defeat, the tower opened up and trapped Necrozma within. To this day, he continues to cling to life inside the tower, powering up the city to make up for the light he stole."

"What happens if he breaks out?" Izzy asked nervously, almost dreading the answer.

"Then it will be absolute mayhem throughout all worlds,"  Blast answered seriously. "It would reek havoc everywhere and still every ounce of light. The number of worlds and dimensions are endless, as would be Necrozoma's power. It would be Doomsday."

"You guys don't think Necrozma is behind the wormholes opening, do you?!" Buzz demanded fearfully. "Can't he open wormholes too?!"

"Don't be stupid, Necrozma would have already come through if that were the case," Mosa snapped while waving her hand dismissively. "He would've probably conquered us all by now, and a few of us would already be dead. A hundred percent not Necrozma. Let's talk about something else instead."

There was a small pause between the friends before Strike piped up again, "Let's not talk about that right now! Let's play a game! I bet none of you can get closer to the wormhole than me!"

"No, you shouldn't!" Scissor shouted warningly as the Xurkitree suddenly bolted down into the crater and toward the disturbances. "It's too dangerous!"

But Buzz and Blast had already followed after Strike, each moving a little closer to the wormhole than the last. Buzz made it half way before stopping, while Blast landed a few feet farther and Strike went almost the whole way.

"I can get closer than all of you!" Izzy chimed, ignoring Scissor and Mosa's cries of objection as she slid down the crater and ran past them all and stopped right in front of the center wormhole.

It was the most beautiful thing she ever saw. It's calming colors of pink, purple, and pale blue were hard to turn away from. The glowing and pulsating white cracks flowed over the colors from the blinding white hole that led to another world.

Another life.

It seemed... magnetic.

"Come back, all of you!" Mosa shouted at the beasts and imperfect. "We're not even supposed to be here! Let's go back and play somewhere safer!"

Izzy snapped out of the wormhole's trance at the sound of Mosa's voice. She was right. Omoiyari did not want her here. It wasn't safe here, not without his protection. But as she turned to leave, she brushed the wormhole ever so slightly with her finger.

All heck broke loose.

*~*~*

"Take away my power?!" Omoiyari half shrieked, his antennas pulsing with electricity.

All the elders except Guzzlord flinched at this outburst and only the Kartana was brave enough to correct, "We cannot take away your power even if we wanted to. That power is what allows us to move from one world to the other. We must instead restrict its usage, so instead of opening multiple wormholes all at once, you will need to open one at a time."

"You talk as if it's no big deal!" The guardian beast snapped furiously as he began to pace back and fourth around the desolate crater the elders were meeting in. "My power is a part of me, and you can't just restrict it! Why even consider it?!"

"We need to make every effort to stop the wormholes from spreading," the elder Pheromosa, who was the head of the council, explained slowly. "You are the only beast that can open the gateways, so you can not blame us for being cautious. There are not many explanations for what else could be causing this."

There was an echoing grunt from the side of the crater, the place where the elder Guzzlord sat. Omoiyari's antennas sparked furiously as he saw the gluttonous monster smirk and speak out, "Of course, everyone present is aware of my theory, except maybe the defendant. Tell us, what about the imperfect?"

"What about her?" Omoiyari immediately growled defensively as if daring them to continue. 

"We know little to nothing about Imperfects, yet you lived alongside them for a dozen moons in their time. We are not aware of what they themselves are capable of. What if the imperfect here is able to open wormholes as well, and its testing its powers that you're covering up?"

"Imperfects don't have the power to open wormholes!" the beast snapped furiously as a few of the elders began to whisper. "They can't open them all on their own! Izzzie is harmless!"

"But they can open wormholes, correct?" Guzzlord persisted. "You said they can't open them on their own, so they can do it with technology from their own world. What if the imperfect's family is causing these wormholes to send a message that they want their offspring back? Someone must know that its here."

Omoiyari gnashed his teeth angrily to avoid answering. The truth was that it was possible that the wormholes were opening because of Izzy. There were humans that had known about Izzy's existence. If Katie had died, people would go looking for her daughter. Worst of all, one individual who had known of Izzy's existence did have the technology to open wormholes.

"But why now?!" Omoiyari burst out desperately. "She's been in my care for nearly eleven years! If her mother wanted her back, she would come here herself, she wouldn't do-!"

"Omoiyari," interrupted the elder Kartana interrupted sternly. "Is it possible the wormholes are opening because of the girl? Yes or no?"

The guardian beast's tail lashed back and fourth viciously but he growled in a hiss, "Yes." 

"Then it seems we are once again at the same conclusion," the elder Pheromosa started, looking down at the guardian critically. "We will give you a choice; you can either have your power temporarily restricted, or you can return the imperfect to its own world. We will comply with whatever you choose."

Omoiyari huffed with some defeat before replying without hesitance, "Then get it over with already. I'd rather take three times as long to make wormholes than the latter. Just do it already."

But before anyone could move or speak, the ground shoot with great force. The pale orange sky had suddenly become flooded with twisting storm clouds. Lightning cracked overhead and and earthquake caused rocks to fall from higher ground. The beasts present made loud cries of shock and fear, except for Omoiyari. He knew exactly what had happened.

Izzy.

"Someone stop him!" an elder shouted as Omoiyari suddenly surrounded himself with his electric and psychic energy, but it was too late. He had already teleported with a small pop.

*~*~*

"Hold on Izzzie!" Strike shouted over the howling of the winds as Izzy clung to his long wire-like arm. All the young beasts had slipped into the crater as the wormholes had begun sucking at the air and objects around them. Blast was the heaviest and had anchored herself to the ground like Strike had. Mosa and Buzz were holding onto Blast while Izzy held to Strike with Scissor.

Izzy couldn't speak, but she yelled with pain as her hands burned from slowly sliding off the Xurkitree. She couldn't hold on much longer, she didn't have the strength the others had. It was by pure luck that she was still clinging to her friend. 

"I-I can't hold on!" was all she could gasp as her fingers slipped further more. "C-can't...do it..."

"Izzy," Scissor yelled to her over the wind. "You can do it! I know you can! You're a strong beast! Please Izzy, don't let go!"

The imperfect felt hot tears fly off her face as she squeaked, "But I'm not a beast. I'm sorry..."

And her hands fully slipped off. She heard her friends scream with fear and a roar. Not a roar of wind, but from a creature. She saw a beast lunge off the crater edge and catch her as the center wormhole engulfed them. The last she saw of the world was her friend's frightened faces, Scissor's expression specifically burned into her memory.

(*Whomp: a polite term for a Celesteela fart, though it's much more consistent with an octopus releasing ink as a defense mechanism.)