Fading Aria [KtK RP Thread: Mission 2]

[Shiny Phantump]

Melody narrowed her eyes. No, this wasn't right, nothing was adding up. "Cool, and everything about with them being corrupted, the ominous crystals emanating from approximately this location, all of that's just unrelated? Good to know, I'll write that down."

They were running in circles. Felt like a poker table with everyone just checking and a dealer who didn't know to turn up any new cards. If they had to throw some chips in the pot to get things moving, so be it. "Listen, I'll stop beating around the bush: I'm psychic. Can't sense the presence of a mind where you are at all." (She'd said she was telekinetic earlier. This was contradicting her past story, but oh well. Had Ichiro even been listening at that point? She might just get away with it, except that she was also really risking eating an attack from Enamorus.) "That's a third idiosyncrasy that doesn't fit in with what you're saying. I've met my own world's Ena, I know it doesn't come with free immunity to being perceived. Even if you genuinely know nothing of Meloetta's corruption, and are chosing to ignore those noxious crystals, I'm gonna have a hard time believing you've got no idea why that's happening, too."

She had a good poker face. Maybe it came easier when you existed outside their own body instead of fully embodying it, but it was also a learned skill. It was a good tool for getting clean human money when they wanted it. The expression on their face betrayed only boredom, even if there was truly something exciting in the moment of anticipation, seeing whether Ena would raise or fold.

"So, tell me, are you really committed to the idea that Meloetta just got miffed at some mortal misbehaviour, and there's nothing weird going on?"

 

[canisaries]

Ichiro opened and closed his mouth. So Melody could read minds... or something to that effect. It was a good thing he was a dark type or else he'd be one stray memory away from making her terrified of him...

He supposed also that he'd really been ignoring the crystals as well. That was just a mistake, plain and simple. Their presence was surely a sign of the world's corruption, and any information they could get on them could help them figure out how to put a stop to it.

"Yeah, what she said," he mumbled, embarrassed.

 

[Negrek]

Taking a deep breath, he prepared to jump in the water. If he found an alolomola, he'd try to get its attention while swimming up to the surface.

The artifacts in the water seemed important. If there was anything that looked like it had to do with the crystals or Meloetta, that might be useful. Or even the magic harmonica. He swam around, looking for something useful. Probably couldn't bring the ground type in the water but maybe it was better he was in time out for a bit, anyway.

There were broken stone all around her. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out what they were and if they had any relation to the ancient tablet she found earlier.

"Hey, Krabby. Do you know what all these rocks are about?" She turned to ask the Krabby but mentally groaned when she remembered that her telepathy was gone. Right...

Rachel poked the Ralts beside her, thumbing a finger to her own skull. It took a second but the familiar mental connection appeared in Rachel's mind.

'What's up?'

Rachel relayed her thoughts to Luni who in turn telepathically repeated the question to Krabby.

Krabby kicked on ahead of the group, and after a few moments Luni was able to relay the wild pokémon's response back to Rachel. There used to be a temple here, a long time ago. It's important to Meloetta somehow. They visit the beach sometimes, although I've never seen them go in the water.

The farther the group got into the ocean, the more aquatic pokémon they'd encounter. There were schools of wishiwashi, magikarp, and tentacool lazing along through the water, although no signs of alomomola yet. Krabby was scooting towards one of the groups of magikarp, maybe to ask for help finding one.

The bits of old stone on the ocean floor did have markings similar to the ones on the tablet found in the garden; it seemed likely the tablet had come from here, or at least was part of the same ancient civilization.

As the seabed continued to slope down ahead, the concentration of ancient architecture would only increase. There was some kind of large building ahead, vaguely pyramidal in shape, surrounded by a ruined courtyard. It was quite a ways underwater, though; there was no way an ordinary human without equipment would be able to hold their breath long enough to explore it.

He looked back up to Enamorus. "Yeah, figured that happened 'cause of the whacked branches. I get it, though. Seen my share of disappointments. But one guy stuck with me after we hit it off pretty good. So it's not all bad. Feel me?"

Enamorus blinked, and then a broad smile crawled across her lips. Are you trying to teach me life lessons, mortal?

He looked at the melodica with squinted eyes. "You know how to play it?"

Enamorus shrugged. It's doing rather well on its own, isn't it?

Melody narrowed her eyes. No, this wasn't right, nothing was adding up. "Cool, and everything about with them being corrupted, the ominous crystals emanating from approximately this location, all of that's just unrelated? Good to know, I'll write that down."

They were running in circles. Felt like a poker table with everyone just checking and a dealer who didn't know to turn up any new cards. If they had to throw some chips in the pot to get things moving, so be it. "Listen, I'll stop beating around the bush: I'm psychic. Can't sense the presence of a mind where you are at all." (She'd said she was telekinetic earlier. This was contradicting her past story, but oh well. Had Ichiro even been listening at that point? She might just get away with it, except that she was also really risking eating an attack from Enamorus.) "That's a third idiosyncrasy that doesn't fit in with what you're saying. I've met my own world's Ena, I know it doesn't come with free immunity to being perceived. Even if you genuinely know nothing of Meloetta's corruption, and are chosing to ignore those noxious crystals, I'm gonna have a hard time believing you've got no idea why that's happening, too."

She had a good poker face. Maybe it came easier when you existed outside their own body instead of fully embodying it, but it was also a learned skill. It was a good tool for getting clean human money when they wanted it. The expression on their face betrayed only boredom, even if there was truly something exciting in the moment of anticipation, seeing whether Ena would raise or fold.

"So, tell me, are you really committed to the idea that Meloetta just got miffed at some mortal misbehaviour, and there's nothing weird going on?"

Who said anything about the crystals? Those came later, Enamorus said. You're a bold one, though, aren't you? It's not very nice to poke around in other people's heads. She floated a bit higher off the ground, surrounding herself with a gathering storm of Fairy energy. I suggest all of you leave. Now. She paused for a moment, then nodded at Volo. Except you. I like you. You're welcome to stay if you'd rather.

 

[System Error]

No use hesitating, Nori figures. He starts heading for the center of the town, with the Demon close at his side. Why would this place be so badly infected? It had to be deliberate. There was a good chance something was here. If not a culprit, then a clue. There just had to be!

Right?

He lowers his head as he walks. Sometimes the worst things aren't obvious. So the only thing to do was pay extra close attention.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Who said anything about the crystals? Those came later, Enamorus said. You're a bold one, though, aren't you? It's not very nice to poke around in other people's heads. She floated a bit higher off the ground, surrounding herself with a gathering storm of Fairy energy. I suggest all of you leave. Now.

(Melody let slip the faintest of smiles. The chronology there was interesting, and they saw no reason to disbelieve it. That was information gained, finally.)

Despite it being pointless to try to deescalate, she felt compelled to correct Ena anyway: "Not poking around. Just can't not notice something like that. Immortal minds grow vast with memories, and I can't avoid noticing a gunshot by covering my ears."

And, with her failure to leave, she cast aside her MP3 player and headphones. She could hardly make complex precision-manufactured electronics that she didn't understand from the clay of her flesh like she could clothes, and so they were the only two real things on her person.

"I guess we'll be finding out whether or not you're the real deal the fun way, then."

The rest of their human form burned away as she finished shaping a Brambleghast form for themself. Even cleaning up the excess matter from an old body felt sluggish here, the waste energy of the transformation process only giving off a slow-burning yellow glow instead of the radiant light they were accustomed to. That was probably better for the eyes of those around her, and it certainly didn't diminish the fun of indulging in some dramatics.

 

[canisaries]

"I guess we'll be finding out whether or not you're the real deal the fun way, then."

The rest of their human form burned away as she finished shaping a Brambleghast form for themself. Even cleaning up the excess matter from an old body felt sluggish here, the waste energy of the transformation process only giving off a slow-burning yellow glow instead of the radiant light they were accustomed to. That was probably better for the eyes of those around her, and it certainly didn't diminish the fun of indulging in some dramatics.

Ichiro stared dumbly at the once-human-now-tumbleweed until he registered that they had just entered a fight. He could think about what exactly Melody was later. He leaped back to put some distance between himself and Enamorus as he gathered the fire in his throat, and didn't advance again until he felt confident he could perform the move - whatever it was - and let the flames fly.

Ichiro used Incinerate!

 

[ShiniGojira]

Krabby kicked on ahead of the group, and after a few moments Luni was able to relay the wild pokémon's response back to Rachel. There used to be a temple here, a long time ago. It's important to Meloetta somehow. They visit the beach sometimes, although I've never seen them go in the water.

'Important? Do you know what or who's the temple for? Was there some sort of ruler that lived here a while ago?' Luni half translated for Rachel, and half asked herself. 'What does she do exactly whenever she visits the beach?'

The farther the group got into the ocean, the more aquatic pokémon they'd encounter. There were schools of wishiwashi, magikarp, and tentacool lazing along through the water, although no signs of alomomola yet. Krabby was scooting towards one of the groups of magikarp, maybe to ask for help finding one.

The bits of old stone on the ocean floor did have markings similar to the ones on the tablet found in the garden; it seemed likely the tablet had come from here, or at least was part of the same ancient civilization.

They're similar...

She remembered that Potdeer –Rachel pushed away the spike of anger that appeared – had said the markings were about a water lord? Was that the case here? Was there anything else she could gather here? Aside from stone and rocks, was there something hidden around that could clue her in on what this was?

As the seabed continued to slope down ahead, the concentration of ancient architecture would only increase. There was some kind of large building ahead, vaguely pyramidal in shape, surrounded by a ruined courtyard. It was quite a ways underwater, though; there was no way an ordinary human without equipment would be able to hold their breath long enough to explore it.

An underwater pyramid? A courtyard? Could that be where that 'water lord' resided?

But that place was way too far for her or Tomomichi to reach. What could she do? Ask the other water Pokémon around for help?

She sighed internally. Yeah, that was probably smart.

Rachel swam over to a school of wishiwashi with Luni in tow before waving a hand in greeting.

'Hi there! Mind if we ask a couple questions?' Luni waved with a friendly grin.

 

[Hanafuda]

"I guess we'll be finding out whether or not you're the real deal the fun way, then."

The rest of their human form burned away as she finished shaping a Brambleghast form for themself. Even cleaning up the excess matter from an old body felt sluggish here, the waste energy of the transformation process only giving off a slow-burning yellow glow instead of the radiant light they were accustomed to. That was probably better for the eyes of those around her, and it certainly didn't diminish the fun of indulging in some dramatics.

"YO!" Joey shouted and jumped back in absolute shock at Melody's transformation. "What are  you!?" The reveal of this human being able to read minds was already one thing. Could they all do that? Wait, did Mel poke into his head? Hope they didn't find anything embarrassing, like anything from his Buizel days. But an entire transformation!?

There was no time for questions, though. Something big was gonna go on.

She floated a bit higher off the ground, surrounding herself with a gathering storm of Fairy energy. I suggest all of you leave. Now.

He cracked his neck as he tilted his head back and forth. He had to get his serious face on. "'Kay. We out, but right after we break it down." He considered a Rain Dance, but Ichiro was here. No use raining on someone's parade just for a boost. So, he settled for an Aqua Jet. His tails spun around quickly before he leapt forward, wrist blades ready to cut Enamorus up.

 

[Negrek]

He lowers his head as he walks. Sometimes the worst things aren't obvious. So the only thing to do was pay extra close attention.

As the graveler had indicated, the concentration of crystals increased as Nori moved deeper into the town. They clustered around doorways and grew straight out of the side of buildings. The most impressive collection of them stood in a dusty clearing near the center of the settlement, what appeared to be some kind of park or public square. The crystals here grew nearly as dense as the cultivated groups of succulents that dotted the ground, and some of them were even taller than Nori.

A small group of pokémon had gathered near the base of one of these large crystal growths. They were mostly advanced evolutionary stages, ceruledge, armarouge, golem, and krookodile, and were engaged in a heated conversation about something.

Despite it being pointless to try to deescalate, she felt compelled to correct Ena anyway: "Not poking around. Just can't not notice something like that. Immortal minds grow vast with memories, and I can't avoid noticing a gunshot by covering my ears."

And, with her failure to leave, she cast aside her MP3 player and headphones. She could hardly make complex precision-manufactured electronics that she didn't understand from the clay of her flesh like she could clothes, and so they were the only two real things on her person.

"I guess we'll be finding out whether or not you're the real deal the fun way, then."

The rest of their human form burned away as she finished shaping a Brambleghast form for themself. Even cleaning up the excess matter from an old body felt sluggish here, the waste energy of the transformation process only giving off a slow-burning yellow glow instead of the radiant light they were accustomed to. That was probably better for the eyes of those around her, and it certainly didn't diminish the fun of indulging in some dramatics.

Enamorus' eyes lit up as Melody slowly completed their transformation. Oh, you are a fascinating one. Let's see how you fight! No acknowledgement of Melody's statement about noticing Enamorus' lack of mind--but they'd probably been right that there was no use trying to deescalate at this point.

Ichiro stared dumbly at the once-human-now-tumbleweed until he registered that they had just entered a fight. He could think about what exactly Melody was later. He leaped back to put some distance between himself and Enamorus as he gathered the fire in his throat, and didn't advance again until he felt confident he could perform the move - whatever it was - and let the flames fly.

He cracked his neck as he tilted his head back and forth. He had to get his serious face on. "'Kay. We out, but right after we break it down." He considered a Rain Dance, but Ichiro was here. No use raining on someone's parade just for a boost. So, he settled for an Aqua Jet. His tails spun around quickly before he leapt forward, wrist blades ready to cut Enamorus up.

The Incinerate struck home, scorching Enamorus' front and knocking her back in the air. A moment later Jo-Jo's Aqua Jet got him right up in Enamorus' face, slashing a few long wounds across her torso. The legend didn't seem overly bothered by her injuries. She floated up, out of easy reach, and then unleashed a Springtide Storm that was strong enough to knock a human off their feet and dig furrows in the ground with flying debris.

It was clear that any one person's attack alone couldn't match Enamorus' for sheer power...

'Important? Do you know what or who's the temple for? Was there some sort of ruler that lived here a while ago?' Luni half translated for Rachel, and half asked herself. 'What does she do exactly whenever she visits the beach?'

I don't know. I think the temple has to do with some other legendary pokémon, or someone Meloetta used to know. Mostly they liked to look at the ocean and talk to the pokémon here. But sometimes they would sing! People would come from all over to hear that.

Rachel swam over to a school of wishiwashi with Luni in tow before waving a hand in greeting.

'Hi there! Mind if we ask a couple questions?' Luni waved with a friendly grin.

The wishiwashi scattered instinctively at Rachel's approach, but the group slowly began to re-form as Luni conveyed her words to their heads. The water distorted the sound of their replies, and the sheer number of minds whizzing by made it hard for Luni to pick out an answer. But with a bit of work, it was possible to get a general idea of what they were thinking.

Questions? I suppose...

Don't come any closer!

 

[System Error]

The crystals here grew nearly as dense as the cultivated groups of succulents that dotted the ground, and some of them were even taller than Nori.

No surprise there. The kid's way below average height for his age. That's what a low-income diet can do to a kid. But he's a bit taller than the last time, and it's only been a couple of weeks since then!

A small group of pokémon had gathered near the base of one of these large crystal growths. They were mostly advanced evolutionary stages, ceruledge, armarouge, golem, and krookodile, and were engaged in a heated conversation about something.

Nori looks behind himself to see if the men are following. Whether they are or not, he approaches - with only a little hesitation if he's alone.

"Hello. Sorry to interrupt your conversation," Nori says confidently yet politely, bowing slightly at them and stepping beside his Pokemon, who was leading until now. He folds his hands. "My name is Nori. The two of us and our companions have been looking into these crystals around your city. It's really troubling us, so we want to try and do something about them. We were told this is one of the biggest hotspots. If it's not too much trouble, can you tell us what you know about them? Any clue where they came from?"

---

"Whoever made these is powerful," the Demon remarks in a warrior's tone. Anyone with a sense of strength can tell she has it in spades. "Hope they have the skill to go with it. What about you? Care to face this enemy and take back your colony?"

 

[ShiniGojira]

I don't know. I think the temple has to do with some other legendary pokémon, or someone Meloetta used to know. Mostly they liked to look at the ocean and talk to the pokémon here. But sometimes they would sing! People would come from all over to hear that.

'Ooh, you hear that, Rachel?' Luni turned to her trainer. 'Do you think they'd sing for us once this is all set and done?'

Focus. Rachel glared at her partner.

The wishiwashi scattered instinctively at Rachel's approach, but the group slowly began to re-form as Luni conveyed her words to their heads. The water distorted the sound of their replies, and the sheer number of minds whizzing by made it hard for Luni to pick out an answer. But with a bit of work, it was possible to get a general idea of what they were thinking.

Questions? I suppose...

Don't come any closer!

'Awesome!' Luni clapped her hands although the movement was a bit lackluster due to the water. 'Introductions first! My name is Luni, this is my friend, Rachel and that over there is Tomomichi! We're on a mission to help find Meloetta. Apparently they've been corrupted by some mysterious evil crystals and we've been following some leads that suggest this to be one of her potential whereabouts. Do you happen to have seen anything weird or suspicious?'

Hey, don't forget about Kricketot. came Rachel's telepathic reprimand.

'Oops, right.' Luni scratched the back of her head. 'Also do any of you know where we might find an Alomomola? One of our friends got hurt and we wish to see them for some healing.'

 

[Negrek]

"Hello. Sorry to interrupt your conversation," Nori says confidently yet politely, bowing slightly at them and stepping beside his Pokemon, who was leading until now. He folds his hands. "My name is Nori. The two of us and our companions have been looking into these crystals around your city. It's really troubling us, so we want to try and do something about them. We were told this is one of the biggest hotspots. If it's not too much trouble, can you tell us what you know about them? Any clue where they came from?"

---

"Whoever made these is powerful," the Demon remarks in a warrior's tone. Anyone with a sense of strength can tell she has it in spades. "Hope they have the skill to go with it. What about you? Care to face this enemy and take back your colony?"

The air was uneasy; the pokémon were surprised to have been interrupted, and perhaps whatever they had been discussing wasn't something they were eager to talk about with outsiders. Finally a salazzle snorted, lashing her tails. No idea at all. No one seems to know. And your son seems determined to get in the way of us solving the problem.

The ceruledge whom she'd directed her last statement at narrowed his eyes. Enough. Charcadet needs a little time, that's all. He will come through for us.

The salazzle hissed and blew out a cloud of smoke. How long do you expect us all to wait?

Demon's statement drew frowns of consternation. Do you think the cause is something that can be fought? one armarouge said. We've seen no one.

'Awesome!' Luni clapped her hands although the movement was a bit lackluster due to the water. 'Introductions first! My name is Luni, this is my friend, Rachel and that over there is Tomomichi! We're on a mission to help find Meloetta. Apparently they've been corrupted by some mysterious evil crystals and we've been following some leads that suggest this to be one of her potential whereabouts. Do you happen to have seen anything weird or suspicious?'

Hey, don't forget about Kricketot. came Rachel's telepathic reprimand.

'Oops, right.' Luni scratched the back of her head. 'Also do any of you know where we might find an Alomomola? One of our friends got hurt and we wish to see them for some healing.'

The school of wishiwashi churned fitfully in response to Rachel's question. Weird? Suspicious? The idea seemed to make the fish pokémon anxious; they clumped and bunched together, and for brief moments seemed to take on a much larger, hulking shape before breaking apart again. Nothing weird! Nothing suspicious! Nothing besides that strange music. It was almost like they were trying to reassure themselves.

Perhaps the small group of wishiwashi that darted away from the main school were eager to escape uncomfortable questions. Alomomola, yes! We can find one!