Fading Aria [KtK RP Thread: Mission 2]

[Inkedust]

"Hey!" called a voice in the distance. "I'm not late for anything, am I?"

A zoroark with dark fur and a striking orange mane came running towards the group. "Sorry... about that..." she huffed. "I just got done running a game of my own in some other realm. Had to wave everyone off and... explain myself a little." As it turned out, tricking people into believing they're trapped with no escape to make them play a game with you wasn't exactly the greatest way of making new friends.

Oh well. With that little sidequest out of the way, the zoroark seemed eager to answer the call and help in whatever way she could.

"Name's Zevya!" she then declared, sizing up everyone gathered. "Pleased to meet you!"

 

[Sinderella]

Corbeau, as usual, was tired.

He was tired of Lumiose—no, Kalos—constantly being in a state of apocalyptic-level discourse. He was tired of the people who refused to do anything about it. Most of all, he was tired of who was causing it all. His eye twitched, his fingers curled, his typically-ignored lean for violence flared just thinking about it. He needed a break. Something else to worry about.

Getting called by a mysterious voice, crying “Help me,” was not at all what he had in mind. In fact, he was tempted to ignore it. I need another thing to ‘help’ like I need a fucking hole in my head. So he felt like an absolute clown when he willingly stepped through the portal. Even more so when he saw the keys.

“Huh.” He’d had a cigarette ready for this exact reaction. You know, the one where you step into a situation and wonder if you’ve made a grave mistake. Or were drugged.

After a hard drag, he tossed out the ball he’d brought along. Obviously, he always wanted to bring along all of his kids. Where he went, they went, of course; that’s how parenting worked. However, this felt like an instance where it would be a crowd. He needed to focus, and he needed the one ‘mon who’d make sure of that.

Bellamy emerged in a flash of garish light with her verdant features settled into her usual bitchy frown. Unease prickled up his arms—gods, what is she going to argue with me about now?—but he stood his ground, despite knowing it was futile. Bellamy could smell a petty fight before it even started.

“Well,” she said, examining her roses. “This isn’t at all what I was expecting.”

“That makes two of us,” he replied.

His eyes settled on a group congregating just nearby. So he either wasn’t the only one called here, or he was about to have a really bad time. He wouldn’t know unless he poked the ice.

He pulled his cigarette down to the halfway mark. “I suppose we should start by introducing ourselves.”

 

[System Error]

"Yo!" Joey noticed the Demon's kick. Suffice to say, he was impressed. "Rad trick you got there! How 'bout I show y'all what I got?"

He cracked his neck before getting into position. Leaning forward with one foot at the front. He smirked. He had to look cool. He makes a hop into the air before spinning im two circles. His tails produced a trail of water as they whipped the air around him before landing. "Howzzat?" He posed with a confident grin and a finger gun pointed at the Nidorina.

The Demon stares. "Only good for catching careless foes. What's your follow-up if you miss?" Ouch. Aesthetics themselves seem to get no points from her. But at least she doesn't just criticize. "Lunge as you spin to improve it. I have a 'trick' like that."

---

"Name's Zevya!" she then declared, sizing up everyone gathered. "Pleased to meet you!"

"I'm Nori, Carino. Nice to meet you too," the boy answers, feeling a little more social now. Well, maybe they called people to other worlds for all sorts of different reasons. "What kind of game did you play?"

 

[ShiniGojira]

One hell of a range, colour me impressed. Would've been nice to have access to that whole suite, but oh well... You know, from where I'm standing there's only one other human without a partner who something weird happened to, and one other psychic who something weird happened to. Looks to me like I'm the most normal one in the room here."

Rachel snorted lightly. This was fun... Mel's situation, that was, it was an interesting puzzle to solve. "Does 'most normal' mean 'standing out' in your world? From my perspective, you're the only one that doesn't fit into a box here. From what I gathered so far, the other normal humans here either only have one partner with them or if they don't, they get turned, like that Houndoom. Seems to me that it's some sort of power equaliser since it's hard to expect an unarmed person to be able to help much against a Legend."

She tapped her chin in thought. "And if having powers removed you from that equation, then it's even weirder that my powers disappeared while yours haven't..."

Perhaps... Rachel's eyes sparkled before she shook her head. Huh, figures that was the only thing that stayed.

Jumping back on track, she pressed on. "Maybe you are a Pokémon but you just haven't realised it?" Rachel nodded to herself. That theory seems more likely than Rachel being a special person. If she was special, she wouldn't have failed her sister...

"Do you feel anything strange? Maybe some weird passive illusion ability is active on you?" She diverted her attention away from the memories. Puzzles were always a good way to distract herself.

But, hey, if it's any consolation I'd say that not having the certain doom bit counts for a lot."

So the kid— So Rachel had forseen some kind of doom before trying to see the future. Tough break, whether it'd come to pass already or it was looming over her still. Explained why she seemed to be the 'grew up quickly' type. Nothing in the future was every really written in stone, but it could still certainly be something beyond the scope of what one human kid could deal with.

"Whatever we do find out there, I got your back. You're gonna be alright."

Maybe it was tipping her hand a little, promising that while appearing to be nothing more than human with a few party tricks. Hopefully it'd just lend to her mystique a little. They liked having a little bit of mystique anyway.

Rachel smiled at that. Even without her empathy, she could tell Mel was a kind soul. "Thanks," she said before smirking and pointing a thumb to her chest. "But don't count me out just because my powers are gone. I'm not afraid of getting my hands dirty either so it goes both way, Mel."

To this, a judgmental glare. "You may fight with your mind, but you move with your body. Practice dodging."

The more important thing. To this end, she changes her motions. Instead, she moves away. Precise backsteps. Hopping to the side. Ducking - splaying out and getting back up in a blink of an eye. And then a running jump - she gets some good height and distance on it too...then lands into a rear-kick and a whirling jump to counter and face her imaginary foe. She's good, to say the absolute least.

"Apologies if I offended you, Dem..." Saying it out loud like that sounded way ruder than in her head, maybe a nickname would cool off the aggressive Nidorina. She cleared her throat. "Deedee. But if you haven't noticed yet, my feeble body's physicals aren't quite capable of moving like that of an agile warrior. Dodging with pure muscles would only make me trip over my own robe. I'd prefer relying on my Teleport for any type of evasion."

 

[Hanafuda]

The Demon stares. "Only good for catching careless foes. What's your follow-up if you miss?" Ouch. Aesthetics themselves seem to get no points from her. But at least she doesn't just criticize. "Lunge as you spin to improve it. I have a 'trick' like that."

"Oh, heh. Yeah, you got me there." Joey gave a sheepish grin while he rubbed the back of his head. "Good tip, though." He raised an index finger, his confident smile returning. "But I got you that follow-up. Check it!" He got into position again. This time he twisted his torso lightly and raised his front leg. He jumped forward, launching himself into an Aqua Jet, surrounded by water while his tails whirled around in circles.

"Name's Zevya!" she then declared, sizing up everyone gathered. "Pleased to meet you!"

Once he skidded to a stop after showing off his Aqua Jet, he takes a moment to make his signature greeting to the Zoroark coming in. "Yo, yo!" He spread his arms to the sides before crossing them over his chest. "It's Jo-Jo!" He wanted to ask about that game, but Nori already asked.

 

[Negrek]

Kupara watched with approval while people got to know each other and some of the pokémon even began to spar. That was just what she'd been hoping to see. As long as they could work together, there was no doubt they'd be able to overcome a corrupted Meloetta.

"Welcome, Zevya," Kupara said as the orange-maned zoroark introduced herself. Kupara glanced at Clink, who was at work on the crystal surrounding the keyhole to Meloetta's realm. "I believe that most who will be joining us have arrived by now. It won't take Clink much longer to unlock Meloetta's realm. If you have any final questions, now is your time to ask."

 

[Seren]

"Oh! I guess you're familiar with them too. But I didn't see you here last time, which was the first time, I think.

As one of the other humans in the area sprinted up to Kimiko, Victoria casually skipped in front of her, placing herself between them. Kimiko put a pacifying hand on the lilligant's head; they hadn't reached the dangerous part yet.

"First time, huh? No, I..." She paused, the interdenominational memories (or whatever it was) started flowing back to her. "I've been out of my normal world before, but I don't believe I've ever been here before. Sounds like you have some knowledge about the last incident, though, so if this one is anything like it, that'll be useful." She didn't know much about poisons, herself, but maybe Victoria could help with that...

There was some kind of poison, but not one that matched any pokémon we know of.

Kimiko turned back towards the shining crystal turtle - Kupara - now addressing her. "That sounds promising..."

"Some kind of powerful toxin was involved, it seems. A hero who helped free Keldeo knew much about poisons and said there was traces of something powerful within its horn. But the crystals interfering with the portals appear quite similar, so I think the affliction may be the same."

Followed by Clink, who Kimiko how felt as though she recognized; surely they'd met somewhere before, then... and undoubtedly so when Clink returned her familiarity without missing a beat. "Okay, that's a start... so at least we can be reasonably sure we're not dealing with an entirely new problem, then." Well... at least to those among the group who'd dealt with the situation last time.

When they're in their singing form, they attack with their voice! That probably means a lot of special attacks from a distance. When they switch to their dancing form, they're much more hands-on."

Something worth noting, she thought, in case they do need to do battle. Victoria, as far as she'd seen, was better at close-range combat; and at the very least, was quite weak to psychic offense, so she'd need to stay away from that if it came down to a fight.

She kept mostly to herself for a while, listening in to other conversations among the gathered. One of the girls was, apparently, a psychic, herself, which explained (?) why she had shown up without a 'mon of her own. She must be pretty damn strong if she can fight for herself. A newly arrived zorua had apparently just come from yet another different universe; Kimiko wasn't sure what kind of game she'd just been hosting, but she could imagine plenty. And a fair distance away she spotted another fellow who appeared less than pleased to be here, and a roserade at his heels who somehow looked even less amused than her partner. Quite the crew they'd assembled.

Kupara addressed the crowd again before she got any notions for greeting anyone further. It seemed Clink was nearly finished with their fiddling, and so they were almost ready to get going. She patted Victoria and they began to make their way over.

 

[System Error]

"Apologies if I offended you, Dem..." Saying it out loud like that sounded way ruder than in her head, maybe a nickname would cool off the aggressive Nidorina. She cleared her throat. "Deedee. But if you haven't noticed yet, my feeble body's physicals aren't quite capable of moving like that of an agile warrior. Dodging with pure muscles would only make me trip over my own robe. I'd prefer relying on my Teleport for any type of evasion."

"Deedee?" She lowers her body as if about to pounce. Uh-oh, seems the nickname got her more riled up. However, her irritation lasts only for a moment, and she relaxes again. She gets why. "Demon is fine. It's what they called me when I terrorized that city. Still fits. Carino said it can refer to skill."

As for her second point. "Warping." The Demon muses briefly, and stoically nods her approval. "Good. Just remember you're open for a moment after. Sometimes, the best counter is a counterattack."

"Oh, heh. Yeah, you got me there." Joey gave a sheepish grin while he rubbed the back of his head. "Good tip, though." He raised an index finger, his confident smile returning. "But I got you that follow-up. Check it!" He got into position again. This time he twisted his torso lightly and raised his front leg. He jumped forward, launching himself into an Aqua Jet, surrounded by water while his tails whirled around in circles.

She simply watches this without comment aside from a mere smirk. The theatrics didn't help, but it was a sound strategy. Keep moving. Simple, yet effective.

---

"First time, huh? No, I..." She paused, the interdenominational memories (or whatever it was) started flowing back to her. "I've been out of my normal world before, but I don't believe I've ever been here before. Sounds like you have some knowledge about the last incident, though, so if this one is anything like it, that'll be useful." She didn't know much about poisons, herself, but maybe Victoria could help with that...

The boy taps his chin. "Hm, I guess you're well-traveled, in a way. I think this is the only time I've been out of mine." This place sealed your memories when you left, so there was no way of knowing if others were around that did the same thing. He stands a little taller, forces himself to. As much as he'd like to say that having people relying on him made him more confident, but it also increased the pressure. So he slumped and was honest, "I don't know if my past experience will apply here, but hopefully it helps at least a bit."

It looked like it was finally time to get going though. He takes a deep breath to steel himself, closing his eyes and holding it in. Venturing into the unknown again. Why was he so nervous? Was it the pressure getting to him?

 

[Hanafuda]

"Demon is fine. It's what they called me when I terrorized that city. Still fits. Carino said it can refer to skill."

"Demon? Heh, ow, the edge." Joey put his hands up in front of him. He couldn't help but smile in amusement at that name. Nevertheless, the Nidorina's tips would be helpful against Meloetta. Speaking of...

If you have any final questions, now is your time to ask."

He raised his hand before speaking to Kupara. "Yo, cute li'l' crystal pal! You sayin' this Meloetta sings and dances, right?" He looked down, trying to hide an embarrassed expression behind his float vest. "Are we really gonna have to do one o' those numbers?" Dancing he could do, since he could Rain Dance. Breakdancing with the gang happened often, so that helped him perfect his moves. But singing? He was no lame schoolboy! He was a gangster from the streets! He had no time to make himself sound like an idiot in front of everyone.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

"Does 'most normal' mean 'standing out' in your world? From my perspective, you're the only one that doesn't fit into a box here. From what I gathered so far, the other normal humans here either only have one partner with them or if they don't, they get turned, like that Houndoom. Seems to me that it's some sort of power equaliser since it's hard to expect an unarmed person to be able to help much against a Legend."

She tapped her chin in thought. "And if having powers removed you from that equation, then it's even weirder that my powers disappeared while yours haven't... Maybe you are a Pokémon but you just haven't realised it? Do you feel anything strange? Maybe some weird passive illusion ability is active on you?"

Melody smirked. This was verbal sparring now, and that was always fun. "No, no, standing out in my world happens when you're outstanding. Me? I'm a background character, and that's alright with me."

Rachel was getting dangerously close to the truth now. That was fascinating in its own right, given that any consequences would vanish when they parted ways. But they did not make a habit of turning over secrets freely. If this human wanted to know what they were, she'd have to work it out like every past human who'd come to know them. But Melody would play fair.

"I look and feel the same as when I entered. If I were a Zoroark or the like, I'd expect I would have lost any trace of psychic power on me, same as you did, rather than only getting to keep them because of it. Seems to me like I've got the same body and skills I came in with, every bit as human as before. Don't know why that's unexpected. Our Houndoom pal over there is the outlier, he's the only one to have changed bodies when arriving at this place, and he surely has many things in common with people who aren't me, too, even if they're less obvious. We just don't have enough data points to draw causative conclusions about what's normal and what's odd."

"Hey!" called a voice in the distance. "I'm not late for anything, am I?"

A zoroark with dark fur and a striking orange mane came running towards the group. "Sorry... about that..." she huffed. "I just got done running a game of my own in some other realm. Had to wave everyone off and... explain myself a little." As it turned out, tricking people into believing they're trapped with no escape to make them play a game with you wasn't exactly the greatest way of making new friends.

Oh well. With that little sidequest out of the way, the zoroark seemed eager to answer the call and help in whatever way she could.

"Name's Zevya!" she then declared, sizing up everyone gathered. "Pleased to meet you!"

Melody perked up upon hearing that this Zoroark was claiming to be some kind of frequent-flier across different worlds. It was probably best not to ask her about the case of the missing psionics, she already knew the answer wouldn't favour her. But she did truly struggle to imagine that spontaneous human metamorphosis was actually more common than individual humans simply remaining human.

"Hey, Zevya!" They gestured invitingly towards her. "The pleasure's mine. Name's Melody, or just Mel. Glad to have someone who knows their way around these kinds of matters."

For a moment, they wondered if they had to worry about laying it on too thick. But really, it was going to be fine. Other people had higher tolerances for attention than they did. And this one in particular sounded like a lonely sort, if they had to turn to such extremes to get people to play a few board games.

"Hope it's not rude to look to you for some expertise, but we got a 'mon somewhere here who was a human before arriving here, and there's been some discussion of whether it should've happened to me too. Surely that kinda thing has gotta be a one-off, right? Some kind of edge case?"

 

[Nekodatta]

That's horrible!" he shouts, emotions uncontained. He swings an arm and stomps a foot, his brow furling. "How could anyone do something like that?! That's like having a kid and neglecting it! No, it's like throwing it out on the streets!" He was glad his mom wasn't like that! "I dunno much about raising Pokemon, but they could've put it up for adoption or given him away or, or anything else! I hope they got exposed and had their Breeder license revoked at the very least!"

He couldn't help a bitter smile at the teenager's outrage.

« That's what would happen in a perfect world, but nah. I doubt the guy even got caught. I don't know how it works in your world, but in mine, it's technically not illegal.» he said, lips curving downward showing exactly what he thought about that.

« Of course, most Breeders try to not have their Pokémon lay more eggs than they can handle, or put them up for adoption, or simply keep them all... but reintroducing Pokémon into the wild is not technically banned. But some Breeders... they just don't care if the Pokémon they are releasing can even handle being in the wild. » he muttered.

Thank you, Mr. Hirose." Nori bows to him appreciatively, chest feeling lighter. The praise meant a lot. The sort of positive reinforcement he needed right about now. He takes a deep breath - steadying himself from that story about the Vulpix being abandoned - before returning the favor. "It sounds like you're doing some good things too. There's lots of Pokemon who would've suffered or worse if not for you. Even if it's only a few Pokemon in the world, it's the world to those Pokemon." He grins and pumps his arms.

He found himself smiling a little at the kid's bow, but then stiffened.

"There's lots of Pokemon who would've suffered or worse if not for you"

His breath hitched, fingers tightening around the cigarette. No. No they weren't.

In fact, it was the opposite.

All those cages, full of small trembling shapes and pleading eyes, pitiful meowls rising when he approached, jingling the keys and feigning indifference.

"It was just a job. Just work."

Lots of Pokémon had suffered because of him-
Sometimes he still wondered what had happened to them-

He broke out of his thoughts with a shuddering breath, blinking once.

« ... appreciate it, kid.» he mumbled, trying to calm himself down.

It was long ago. It had nothing to do with him anymore. Especially not here. Not now.

Huh.” He’d had a cigarette ready for this exact reaction. You know, the one where you step into a situation and wonder if you’ve made a grave mistake. Or were drugged.

Thankfully, he got distracted when his eye fell on the figure that had just arrived. Oh, thank the gods, someone else other than him that brought the average age over 25 or so.
He was getting worried of maybe being the only one that could legally drink here, judging from everybody else's appearance.

He sized the new arrival up, finishing the last of his cigarette, before thoughtlessly flicking it to the ground and putting it out under the heel of his shoe.
What else was he supposed to do? There were no fricking trash cans in Acid Trip Hills here.

His gaze wandered, looking for Inari. Where had he gone... oh.

... well, he was... making friends? Kinda?

---
Inari observed Demon carefully; there had been no comments at his little warm up exercise, so he continued. The Nidorina was brash and rude, but she was actually giving sound advice to people. He hadn't expected that.
Practicing dodging; he could do that.
He started to do some short sprints and jumps side by side, picturing an imaginary enemy attacking. His tails were constantly in the way; what if an enemy grabbed them? So cumbersome... to think Vulpix were usually supposed to have even more. How did they move without all that mass constantly putting them off balance?
His eyes landed briefly on the Floatzel; for all his yapping, the guy seemed to know what he was doing.
He watched him twist through the air with an Aqua Jet, fur bristling instinctively at the sight of water, focusing on his two tails.
Umm... so he used them like that.
He twitched the tips of his own, stopping his exercise, panting slightly from the effort.

One of the two Pokémon that had brought them here seemed to think that they were about to start, so he didn't want to tire himself out uselessly.

 

[Inkedust]

Zevya grinned and waved back towards those who acknowledged her presence before saying, "Ah, just some social deduction death game thing called 'Mafia'... or was it 'Blood on the Clocktower'? Doesn't matter, they didn't really die. Unless they wanted to, of course." A dismissive wave. "I'm good at making friends. Promise. I just felt like having a little fun."

Melody perked up upon hearing that this Zoroark was claiming to be some kind of frequent-flier across different worlds. It was probably best not to ask her about the case of the missing psionics, she already knew the answer wouldn't favour her. But she did truly struggle to imagine that spontaneous human metamorphosis was actually more common than individual humans simply remaining human.

"Hey, Zevya!" They gestured invitingly towards her. "The pleasure's mine. Name's Melody, or just Mel. Glad to have someone who knows their way around these kinds of matters."

For a moment, they wondered if they had to worry about laying it on too thick. But really, it was going to be fine. Other people had higher tolerances for attention than they did. And this one in particular sounded like a lonely sort, if they had to turn to such extremes to get people to play a few board games.

"Hope it's not rude to look to you for some expertise, but we got a 'mon somewhere here who was a human before arriving here, and there's been some discussion of whether it should've happened to me too. Surely that kinda thing has gotta be a one-off, right? Some kind of edge case?"

Zevya's ears perked and swivelled towards the human, giving a friendly nod in turn. Their questions enraptured the zoroark immediately, tuning out everyone else.

"Well, it looks like several others here remained human," she said, taking a quick tally of the existing humans there. "So it doesn't look like a case of everyone is required to be a pokémon here. Maybe that human – the houndoom if I heard right – crossed through a world that does before arriving here?" She tamped her foot on the ground, as if trying to get a feel of the world's nature. Solid ground, breathable air... Yep! It sure was another world.

"I dunno though," she shrugged. "Would needa study this place more before I can get a good grasp of how the rules work here but it would feel like there would need to be a special rule in place if that guy got transformed but nobody else if they'd gone straight from their world to here.

"Or you know: This universe has it out for him specifically. Anything goes."

 

[MegaAbsolOfDespair]

"I believe that most who will be joining us have arrived by now. It won't take Clink much longer to unlock Meloetta's realm. If you have any final questions, now is your time to ask."

Volo pondered for a moment before finally asking: "I've got a question! I've got a question! Is it going to be difficult to defeat this Meloetta? I don't want to die yet!"

 

[Flyg0n]

Volo pondered for a moment before finally asking: "I've got a question! I've got a question! Is it going to be difficult to defeat this Meloetta? I don't want to die yet!"

Clink paused their work on the crystallized keyhole. "Don't worry!" they said with a cheerful rattle. "You won't die, you end up back home if something... Bad happens."

A piece of malignant crystal flecked away. "When I knew her normally, Meloetta's strength was in her spirit, although she certainly wasn't weak. But bonds here have great power, I'm sure if we stick together we can save her!"

Clink paused again to survey the heroes who had answered the call this time. What an unusual bunch... The lone human, the one who called himself Volo... And such an odd Zoroark. To say nothing of the others who had come, trainer and pokemon alike.

They would be enough, Clink was sure of it.

 

[ShiniGojira]

Zevya's ears perked and swivelled towards the human, giving a friendly nod in turn. Their questions enraptured the zoroark immediately, tuning out everyone else.

"Well, it looks like several others here remained human," she said, taking a quick tally of the existing humans there. "So it doesn't look like a case of everyone is required to be a pokémon here. Maybe that human – the houndoom if I heard right – crossed through a world that does before arriving here?" She tamped her foot on the ground, as if trying to get a feel of the world's nature. Solid ground, breathable air... Yep! It sure was another world.

"I dunno though," she shrugged. "Would needa study this place more before I can get a good grasp of how the rules work here but it would feel like there would need to be a special rule in place if that guy got transformed but nobody else if they'd gone straight from their world to here.

"Or you know: This universe has it out for him specifically. Anything goes."

"I mean, we could also just ask our hosts about these 'rules'," Rachel commented before readdressing Mel with a smirk. "But taking the easy way out wouldn't make this nearly as fun."

Melody smirked. This was verbal sparring now, and that was always fun. "No, no, standing out in my world happens when you're outstanding. Me? I'm a background character, and that's alright with me."

"I look and feel the same as when I entered. If I were a Zoroark or the like, I'd expect I would have lost any trace of psychic power on me, same as you did, rather than only getting to keep them because of it. Seems to me like I've got the same body and skills I came in with, every bit as human as before. Don't know why that's unexpected. Our Houndoom pal over there is the outlier, he's the only one to have changed bodies when arriving at this place, and he surely has many things in common with people who aren't me, too, even if they're less obvious. We just don't have enough data points to draw causative conclusions about what's normal and what's odd."

Mel was hinting at something.

Like sure that Houndoom could be an outlier but at the same time Rachel got the feeling Mel was merely deflecting rather than actually offering an alternative.

Rachel furrowed her brows, eyes glowing. She says she feels and looks the same but if she did turn, she would've lost her psychic powers. Why would that be the case? If anything, wouldn't she be turned into a Psychic-type so it would more align with their psychic nature? That Houndoom looked and acted pretty gloomy and creepy enough for the species.

But she was pretty confident that if she were to turn into other mons, she'd lose her psychic powers.

Unless...

She's said that it seems like she kept the same body with the same skills it has. Why and who the heck would say it like that instead of just confirming that it's her body?

Unless...

It's not her original body.

"Are you a Ditto?"

 

[canisaries]

"Welcome, Zevya," Kupara said as the orange-maned zoroark introduced herself. Kupara glanced at Clink, who was at work on the crystal surrounding the keyhole to Meloetta's realm. "I believe that most who will be joining us have arrived by now. It won't take Clink much longer to unlock Meloetta's realm. If you have any final questions, now is your time to ask."

It looked like they didn't have time for an actual tussle, everyone too busy doing solo acts with their fancy moves. Oh well. Ichiro couldn't say he was too broken up about losing the chance to feel his ribs break against that nidorina's spikes.

"Or you know: This universe has it out for him specifically. Anything goes."

"Yeah, well, wouldn't be surprised," Ichiro muttered. He then spoke up louder so the ones that had kept his ears burning for a while now could hear him. "My own question is: does it matter that the pattern is inconsistent? We're in some crazy other dimension full of keys, being enlisted to un-corrupt a pokémon of myth. I have turned into a dog. I'd just go with the flow if I were you and not sweat the small stuff."

Of course, it could be meaningful that one of them was an odd one out. If someone didn't adhere to a rule all the others adhered to, that could mean their origins were different, and that could mean they weren't here to help at all. But if Ichiro threw that idea out, would they really think Mel was the imposter over him? He kept his elongated mouth shut.

 

[Sinderella]

There were...a lot of fucking children here. Most of the human bodies he could see couldn't have been older than 15, save for one or two, and that was him being generous. There were some Pokemon, but those were less jarring. He tried to lessen his chagrin by imagining Bellamy befriending them; how poorly that might go for the rest of them. It made him snicker into his non-cancer-causing cancer stick.

"Actual adult eyeing you up," Bellamy said. No longer was she trying to look nonchalant, but was now dead staring at the sharply dressed figure several paces to their left. Corbeau followed her gaze and found interest in the man's eye patch. He didn't need to look at his tailored suit and rugged features to know that this guy was cut from a similar cloth. Some people just have that look, and he had it in spades.

He sized the new arrival up, finishing the last of his cigarette, before thoughtlessly flicking it to the ground and putting it out under the heel of his shoe.
What else was he supposed to do? There were no fricking trash cans in Acid Trip Hills here.

With the full pack weighing down his inner suit pocket, Corbeau took that as an invite to approach and finally weave himself into this ragtag, bizarre-looking group. He couldn't see any better person to start with.

"Then let's say hello," he said. He nodded in the direction he turned into, and Bellamy huffed a rebellious breath before following at his side. "Don't sound so pissy; you're in a world full of floating keys. Doesn't that excite you?"

"That would depend on what said keys do," Bellamy chided. Now she looked like she was sizing her fellow 'mon up. She was getting more comfortable. Good enough for him.

When he was in earshot of his fellow suited man, he proffered a polite nod as greeting. "Didn't think I'd see another chain smoker in a place like this. They'd do well to install an ash tray somewhere."

 

[Negrek]

He raised his hand before speaking to Kupara. "Yo, cute li'l' crystal pal! You sayin' this Meloetta sings and dances, right?" He looked down, trying to hide an embarrassed expression behind his float vest. "Are we really gonna have to do one o' those numbers?" Dancing he could do, since he could Rain Dance. Breakdancing with the gang happened often, so that helped him perfect his moves. But singing? He was no lame schoolboy! He was a gangster from the streets! He had no time to make himself sound like an idiot in front of everyone.

Kupara chuckled. "I don't know what awaits you in Meloetta's realm. I would imagine that even if you found yourself in a situation where you felt you needed to sing, or dance, Meloetta would appreciate earnest effort more than the results. Don't be embarrassed! And lean on your companions for help if you find a challenge you can't handle on your own!"

The various conversations buzzing around the Gatekeeper's Realm would have to be continued later, because at that moment the crystal Clink had been working on cracked once, twice, and then shattered completely, evaporating into dust. The keyhole inside floated free, flickering with orange light like an irregular heartbeat. The way was open.

Kupara nodded to Clink and then addressed the gathered heroes. "Clink is ready to take you through now. This is your last chance to turn back, if you'd like to. None of us know what to expect in Meloetta's domain. Each legend's realm is different according to their personality, and we don't know what affect the corruption may have had. You're in no danger of dying in Meloetta's realm, but you still may experience pain. We don't want anyone to feel forced to undertake this task if they are at all unsure. If you wish to remain behind, I'll help you return to your own world safely."

Clink floated up to the newly-freed keyhole, raising a key tipped with a musical note to match the keyhole. There was a distinct click as he inserted the key and turned it sharply to the left, and then a snatch of musical notes rang out across the Gatekeeper's Realm, like someone had run a mallet across the keys of a xylophone. The keyhole began to grow, wider and wider until it had formed a large gash in the air. The suggestion of sunlight filtered through the open portal, a faint, warm breeze--nothing too intimidating.

"!doog kcuL! !doog kcuL!" Kupara inclined her head. "Thank you all for your help! I'll be waiting for your return. Ah, if only I could accompany you. But you'll have Clink as your guide."

The klefki hovered next to the portal, ready to follow the others through.

---

The sight that greeted the group on the far side of the portal was hardly sinister: a well-groomed garden, with neat flowerbeds and raked gravel paths that wound between dense rows of hedges, forming a kind of maze. Statues and fountains depicting legendary pokémon stood here and there amidst the plants.

All in all the atmosphere was calm, giving the impression of a warm spring day. There was no sound but the gentle patter of water into the bowls of the fountains. Presumably Meloetta was somewhere nearby, or Clink's portal wouldn't have brought them there, but there was no clear sign of the legend. Or of any other life, for that matter, save for a few shadows flitting between the bushes.

@canisaries @Inkedust @Nekodatta @Mirage @System Error @Hanafuda @Seren @ShiniGojira @Shiny Phantump @MegaAbsolOfDespair @Eal Tides @Sinderella

 

[Hanafuda]

Joey wanted to ask about those weird bouts of reversed speech from Kupara, but the bigger focus was on the keyhole opening up to reveal the way into Meloetta's realm. It was now or never. He blew out some air from his muzzle before making a few quick hops and shaking his hands.

"I don't know what awaits you in Meloetta's realm. I would imagine that even if you found yourself in a situation where you felt you needed to sing, or dance, Meloetta would appreciate earnest effort more than the results. Don't be embarrassed! And lean on your companions for help if you find a challenge you can't handle on your own!"

"You got it. We wouldn't be a gang if we didn't back our buds up, anyway." He looked at everyone who had entered, even gave them a raised brow. "Am I right?" He had to make sure he could trust everyone, no matter how distant they may have seemed. Especially the Houndoom and Vulpix. Demon gave him a good first impression already with the battle tips. What if he paid it forward somehow? He needed to be a good homie for these guys, full ride-or-die.

"Anyway, check ya later, buddy." He gave Kupara a quick little pat on the shell as he made his way through with a jump. Oh, a fancy manor. With a hedge maze. Great. It was enough to earn him an unamused look with half-closed eyes.

"Ugh, bummer. Gettin' the feeling shortcuts will get us smoked, too."

 

[canisaries]

For Ichiro, transitioning into a much less dreamlike environment had the side effect of making him realize he really was out of prison for the time being. Seeing some proper vegetation without bars or fences to block it off. Flowers, even. A thought came to him to smell them. For a moment, he hesitated, but then realized that no one was going to punish him for it. He paced over to the nearest blossoms, closed his eyes and drew in the scent. It was wonderful, and he let the aroma linger in his nasal cavity as the fountains babbled. He wanted to stay in that moment for hours, but he supposed he didn't have that time to spare.

How cruel of them to rob me of this. How cruel of me to have robbed them of this.