[Inaccessible] Veritas City

[Namohysip]

Part of Diyem, perhaps whatever side he could consider whimsical, wanted to answer, 'No, I did much worse.' But his therapist said that such cruelty was not part of a healthy mindset. Instead, he sighed and said, "No. He is fine and performing a mission--the same one you had been called for."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Oh, okay then—Wait I think I'm going to need a bit more explanation than that, right?! Start over from the beginning... Please?" Cynthian pleaded with drooped shoulders.

 

[Shadow of Antioch]

Flame couldn't help flinching every time black lightning struck. His tail fire faltered.

"Question," he muttered. "Does the lightning hurt? And... couldn't we choose something cooler to be transported? Like, a portal, or a blaze of dragon fire?" He smiled sheepishly at the Diyem.

 

[Virgil134]

"Is anyone here?" Cabot called out as he walked down the secret passageway. He vaguely remembered a call for help before waking up here, but... this was the Truth or Dare dimension, wasn't it? Wouldn't that mean that nobody could be in a serious harm?

The Rampardos eventually got to a large, white room, where he noticed a Charmeleon, but also a familiar Roselia and Charizard.

"Oh, Diyem, Cynthian!" he greeted.

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian tensed up at the new arrival, but he narrowed his eyes at the hulking rampardos that called him by name, though he was off by a letter.

"Wait, you're the one who made me jump over Diyem's fire the other time! Cabot, right?" Cynthian asked, easing up from the sense of familiarity. "You've already evolved since I last saw you. That's amazing."

After seeing two familiar faces so far, now Cynthian was sure that night wasn't a fever dream after all.

 

[Namohysip]

Diyem figured that much was at least warranted. "Very well," he said, and proceeded to go through the same explanation as before, even with the footage of the Charmander from before. The Magikarp, the loss, and the general plight of the world called Cibus. "...And that is where you and your allies come in. It is your turn to fight the Magikarp, and potentially the threat behind it... once I locate it."

And then, addressing the other arrivals, he said, "It does not hurt, and no, I won't make anything cooler." He sighed. "You Charmander-line Pokemon are all the same."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Aren't you a Charizard yourself?" Cynthian asked, after processing all the given information.

"That aside, it is a bit of a relief that there's more people on our team than I'd thought. I can't make promises, but I'll do myself. I'm ready to go now," Cynthian said, holding his flowers to his chest.

 

[Virgil134]

"Thanks!" Cabot said to Cynthian. "I only just evolved actually."

His attention soon turned to the explanation and the footage Diyem showed.

"Okay... so we first need to find Owen and then figure out a way to beat that giant Magikarp... right?" Cabot asked.

 

[Shadow of Antioch]

Flame huffed, looking away. "Aesthethics are important to building a brand. What would Zapdos be without its lightning? Or you without your..." He looked Diyem up and down, "... brooding?"

As he stood beside Cabot and Cynthia, sudden grin lit up his snout. "Hey—it's just a Magikarp, right? What's it going to do, splash us?" He blinked, and glanced back at his tail fire, then Cabot. "Er, that would be a problem..."

 

[NebulaDreams]

Curio was in another parallel dimension of some sort, where she was being briefed on some mystery dungeon bullshit again. Whatever. It was just another Tuesday to her at that point. She watched all the crap about, wait, was that Owen? Yeah, Owen being pancaked by a freaking huge Magikarp. If she had ever caught something like that back on her home island, she would've been able to feed her whole family for a week. Suddenly, she had a craving for Magikarp, and not only because her interdimensional friend was in danger.

She looked to the rest: a Roselia (he looked familiar), a blue Zangoose, a Rampardos (weren't they extinct or something?) and another Charmander. At least it wasn't another Lucario like herself.

She yawned, flexing both her paw and her metal arm. "Well, that Magikarp's going on a skewer, whether I'm a Lucario or a Riolu. And hey, it could kick ass to be in a new body, one that actually has an arm."

 

[Virgil134]

"I mean, that Magikarp definitely looks a lot stronger than most Magikarp, but I'm sure we can take it down if we all work together!" Cabot insisted. "Rampardos can hit really hard, so I should be able to damage it pretty well with a Stone Edge or two."

 

[Namohysip]

"Yes," Diyem said to Cabot. Finally, someone who actually understood how to get to the point. "Consider that your first mission. Several others are currently there and getting familiar with the town. Also, I would be careful with the Magikarp. I know for a fact that it knows Hydro Pump, among other things."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Oh, you're Curio! The riolu that was getting petted the other night, right?" Cynthian asked cheerily.

 

[NebulaDreams]

"Uh, yeah." Wow, she was never going to live that down, was she? "And what are you supposed to be, some kind of potted plant?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Actually, I sleep in a vase, but you're close," he replied.

 

[Virgil134]

"Oh, is that you Curio?" Cabot asked, as he thought back to the previous truth or dare session. "I see you managed to evolve as well!"

 

[NebulaDreams]

"I mean, that was one time, chrome-dome." She extended her metal arm, flexing her digits two fingers at a time, since the nerve endings didn't allow for the fingers to act individually. "I'm surprised you recognise me with all this crap on me."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"I could tell from your smell," Cynthian said. Having a good sense of smell came in handy for a flower pokemon.

 

[Virgil134]

"Chrome... dome...?" Cabot gave Curio a confused look before deciding to brush it aside. "Er... well I didn't at first, but at least Cynthian seemed to... though what happened to your arm?"

 

[NebulaDreams]

"That's a secret." Okay, that was a lie; Curio knew. But she neither wanted to know nor remember the circumstances behind it, and it would've taken a hell of a lot of digging inside her own head to get to that point. "Let's just say, some fucked up shit happened that I'd rather not get into." She sighed, then put on that smile again. She had to. "Anyways, how'd you all end up here with this discount Owen?"