A Day in Obleta (Roleplay, Active)

[ShiniGojira]

As soon as he'd finished speaking, a Pokémon he'd never seen before, resembling a Meowth, leapt out and snatched the map out of the Servine's grasp. Surprised, he watched as the feline started waving it around like it'd succeeded in securing a treasure with the Servine on its tail, struggling to catch up with the feline's agility.

He probably should've helped the Servine in getting their map back, but if he was being honest, it was a pretty funny sight to behold. And aside from the killer among them, it wasn't like they were in any immediate danger, so it was probably fine for him to relax.

He sighed, his ear twitching as the winds around the area picked up, it seemed to be coming from above and he turned, the sight of the massive legendary made his ears perked up and he bit back the urge to greet them. He was supposed to let legendaries be as per protocol and was only supposed to engage if they were rampaging.

But Rayquaza was merely greeting them and not to mention, neither his ranger squad nor anyone from the league were here, so no one would know if he met up with a legendary, right?

"Hey, Rayquaza! It's me, Neo! How's it been, Groudon and Kyogre still a handful to deal with?" He smiled and waved a paw in greeting.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

Lucario shrank back. This was far more..."people", for lack of a better word, than he had ever been around. Until a few hours ago he had only interacted with one person face to face in his entire existence, and Arven and his friends only briefly.

He wanted to flee entirely. This wasn't the future he desired. This wasn't anything he had studied or been able to anticipate. Nothing in any of his programming or research had prepared him for this. It was the sort of overwhelming sense of being unleashed into a terrible independence that he had felt after...

You have to continue our work...Paradise is in your hands now...

He stared down at his hands. It had been a metaphor, of course, but imagery could be a powerful thing.

And if even a god didn't know what was going on, what chance did anyone else? Just what sort of power were they dealing with?

 

[Cresselia92]

The human boy catches it out of the corner of his eye, and leaps backward with impressive deftness right as it thuds down. He scampers several steps away, before taking a bold step forward. He jerks his chin high, his expression is tight and narrow, and he's gritting his teeth. "Hey, watch where you're landing!" he shouts, half-angry and half-scolding.

“Hm?” Unukahlai snapped her head toward the shout, her marks glowing more brightly. There was a human, too? And he could understand her? And he sounded… angry. Whoops!

“Oh, my apologies! I didn’t mean to startle you,” said the Rayquaza, curling herself even further. “I tend to forget my own strength at times. I’ll be more mindful from now on.”

She rested her arms to the second intersection of her body, appearing relaxed while a soft breeze blowed across the field.

He then gets a better look at it in the darkness and snaps up straight. "Ah!" he yelps, eyebrows shooting up as he takes a couple more steps forward. "Are you okay? Your body..."

Puzzled by the question, Unukahlai checked herself over. Healthy scales, bright marks, the winds were in check… yeah, nothing to report. She turned back to the human.

“Well, yes. I’m feeling alright. There is something that is messing up with my usual powers, since I can’t control the currents as easily as I used to. But it shouldn’t be a concern at the moment.” She paused and let her tongue flicker again, monitoring the situation. “Or at least, I hope so. And…”

Unukahlai trailed off as she tasted something peculiar in the air. Intrigued, she stared down at the human…

But if the black Rayquaza was familiar with Arceus' power at all, one look at the human's white pendant and she would know right away - it has been blessed with a power much like it. It wasn't his, but it has a similar vibe. Maybe from one of his other creations or a mix of them.

…or rather, at the pendant he was wearing. There was the clear trace of something akin to primordial energy, but she couldn’t pinpoint what that was. It was a strong impulse, and she felt her own hidden power spiking as she stared at it.

“Your shiny chain has a peculiar scent,” she blurted out, her tongue flicking once more.

I wonder why that is…

"Hey, Rayquaza! It's me, Neo! How's it been, Groudon and Kyogre still a handful to deal with?" He smiled and waved a paw in greeting.

The train of thoughts halted as someone else referred to her with her legendary title. She had to crane her body almost completely to spot the small Minun waving his paw at her. Not wishing to startle him, she lowered herself and let her tail spill to the floor, as a sign of peace.

“Well, hello there, Neo! I’m Rayquaza Unukahlai, but you can call me Nuka, if you wish,” she greeted back, curling her lips in a sheepish smile. “I do not recall a Neo Minun, but it’s a pleasure to meet you all the same!”

Then, her smile turned into a wide grin. A show of confidence, according to mortals. “Ah, but you also seem familiar with those mischievous deities, huh?”

She hissed rhythmically, emulating a laughter.

“I can’t really complain! They’ve been somewhat tolerable as of late. Kyogre probably went to sulk somewhere in some abyssal area, perhaps with the excuse that the sunlight isn’t good for her skin or something. And Groudon…” She thumped her tail and rolled her eyes. “Well, he got the brilliant idea of joining Warlord Shingen so that he could burn off his frustration by fighting other deities. Especially my friend Reshiram, if only to prove that he the best at using fire powers. But he has always been quite the hothead, admittedly.”

 

[canisaries]

Red recoiled at the giant black sky-serpent arriving. "Fuck," left his mouth. He wondered why Rayquaza was black instead of green, but the human boy beat him to asking about it. The serpent didn't seem to pick up on the question being about color, so it must have been ordinary for her. Then again, this friendly personality was not something he would have expected of the god of skies, either. It must have been more multiverse madness.

 

[IFBench]

"Ah, a Rayquaza! Welcome to Obleta!" Vinarch said, raising a leaf-arm at the legendary as he continued to try to get his map back. "Two legendaries, a human, and eight others! This has been the largest Rift Event I've ever witnessed!"

A mechanical Catcturne approached the group, steam hissing from pipes where a normal Cacturne's spikes would be. They slammed one of their feet into the ground with a loud clang. "Detective Vinarch!" they shouted. "You have some explaining to do!"

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

"Ah, a Rayquaza! Welcome to Obleta!" Vinarch said, raising a leaf-arm at the legendary as he continued to try to get his map back. "Two legendaries, a human, and eight others! This has been the largest Rift Event I've ever witnessed!"

A mechanical Catcturne approached the group, steam hissing from pipes where a normal Cacturne's spikes would be. They slammed one of their feet into the ground with a loud clang. "Detective Vinarch!" they shouted. "You have some explaining to do!"

There had been other "rift events"? That alone was fascinating enough, but the sudden arrival of the...future paradox? distracted the Lucario.

But this was like no future paradox he had ever seen. They were sleek and advanced, all LEDs and chrome, but this was closer to an alternate history fictional technology he remembered was called "steampunk". Turo had taken a brief interest in the aesthetic in his youth, associating it with the era the explorer Heath would have grown up in. But it was meant to be entirely fictional.

But then, so were Paradoxes, weren't they? And yet he had studied them in person for years.

He decided to approach the Cacturne, free hand raised in a form of greeting. "Pardon me, but..."

 

[System Error]

Nori blinks slowly. He draws a deep breath in and lets it out all at once. At least, this confirmed the Pokemon can understand his words, even if he couldn't understand them. He can gauge enough from the Rayquaza's reactions to get an idea, at least. They tuck inward when he complains, and while they look their body down, they don't react abnormally. That didn't mean their color wasn't abnormal, just that it was something they were used to.

Unukahlai trailed off as she tasted something peculiar in the air. Intrigued, she stared down at the human…

…or rather, at the pendant he was wearing. There was the clear trace of something akin to primordial energy, but she couldn’t pinpoint what that was. It was a strong impulse, and she felt her own hidden power spiking as she stared at it.

“Your shiny chain has a peculiar scent,” she blurted out, her tongue flicking once more.

Then she stares. Long enough to make Nori start to shift. "Um, what is it? Is it something about me?" he inquires, fidgeting and turning away. Maybe they knew why he kept his form? "I'm sorry," he folds his hands and makes direct eye contact. "I can't actually understand your words. So..." He is about to turn to Alex for a translation when he notices the sudden faint violet glow around his pendant. Its warm light is visible to the naked eye for a fleeting moment before it fades. "Were you looking at this?" he asks, holding it up with an unsteady grip. "Nod for yes, shake for no. I can tell you if you're interested..." He didn't see the harm, but he didn't want to go on about something when he wasn't sure about it and make himself look silly!

He sees the robot Cacturne approaching while saying his last couple sentences, but is unflinching at its stomp. He chuckles just a little. Mr. Vinarch was likely just in for a tongue-lashing by a superior. He knew what that was like. Hopefully it didn't get in the way of him helping them!

 

[ShiniGojira]

“Well, hello there, Neo! I’m Rayquaza Unukahlai, but you can call me Nuka, if you wish,” she greeted back, curling her lips in a sheepish smile. “I do not recall a Neo Minun, but it’s a pleasure to meet you all the same!”

Nuka? Strange, he didn't remember Rayquaza having a name and the fact that it didn't remember him was a little odd. He was also fairly certain there was just the one black Rayquaza in his world too...

Oh... oohh... Right...

If everyone here was from another world, then it was also likely that Nuka was too. He grimaced. And here he thought he'd spotted a familiar face too. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to Nuka, a sheepish grin on his face. "It's nice to meet you too, Nuka. Sorry about calling out to you so suddenly, I thought you were somebody I knew."

Then, her smile turned into a wide grin. A show of confidence, according to mortals. “Ah, but you also seem familiar with those mischievous deities, huh?”

He wouldn't really call 'almost destroying an entire region due to a misunderstanding' mischievous, but he was definitely familiar with them. "Well, Steven and I sorta had to deal with them during our journey, since ignoring the harsh storm and drought they brought was kinda... impossible."

She hissed rhythmically, emulating a laughter.

“I can’t really complain! They’ve been somewhat tolerable as of late. Kyogre probably went to sulk somewhere in some abyssal area, perhaps with the excuse that the sunlight isn’t good for her skin or something. And Groudon…” She thumped her tail and rolled her eyes. “Well, he got the brilliant idea of joining Warlord Shingen so that he could burn off his frustration by fighting other deities. Especially my friend Reshiram, if only to prove that he the best at using fire powers. But he has always been quite the hothead, admittedly.”

Even from another world, legendaries were still as quirky as ever. He snorted at the thought. "Well, good to hear that they haven't been causing problems for anyone. Last thing anyone needs is one of them causing another ruckus because someone stole the last cookie."

 

[Cresselia92]

Peering at the other people roaming the place, she traded a quick glance with that strange Houndour and the mechanical Pokémon.

“Hey! Hello to you, too!” she hissed happily, before flashing a toothy smirk and trading quick glances with everyone. “Yes, yes, I am a Rayquaza. But! I’m not like my boring, grumpy brother who only wants mortals to kiss his scales while firing stray Hyper Beams at meteors! Just treat me like… like a mortal, okay?” She roared with mirth. “I won’t Crunch, really!”

"It's nice to meet you too, Nuka. Sorry about calling out to you so suddenly, I thought you were somebody I knew."

Turning back to the Minun, Unukahlai waved her paw dismissively. “Oh, no harm done. I know that my brother’s fame far precedes mine. He is the Rayquaza, after all.” She narrowed her eyes, her marks dimming. “Even if I never got why, though. He can be such a jerk at times!”

"Well, Steven and I sorta had to deal with them during our journey, since ignoring the harsh storm and drought they brought was kinda... impossible."

While Unukahlai didn’t know any ‘Warlord Steven’, she was fully aware of what kind of disasters Kyogre and Groudon could bring in their wake.

“Huh. Yes, I could see why they might seem like a major threat from a mortal’s point of view.” She let out a soft hiss. “For what it’s worth, I apologize in their behalf. My brother and I always try to teach them to have some respect toward mortals, but nothing! Primal energy always drives them nuts.” She shrugged, her gaze still apologetic. “I’ll make sure to keep them better in check next time, so that their out-of-control tempers won’t cause any damage.”

"Well, good to hear that they haven't been causing problems for anyone. Last thing anyone needs is one of them causing another ruckus because someone stole the last cookie."

And hearing that remark make her snort. “Ah! You tell me about that! I’m glad they’re behaving properly right now, and I’ll make sure that they’ll stay like that for a very long time!”

So focused she was on the conversation that she barely registered a small change…

Then she stares. Long enough to make Nori start to shift. "Um, what is it? Is it something about me?" he inquires, fidgeting and turning away. Maybe they knew why he kept his form? "I'm sorry," he folds his hands and makes direct eye contact. "I can't actually understand your words. So..." He is about to turn to Alex for a translation when he notices the sudden faint violet glow around his pendant. Its warm light is visible to the naked eye for a fleeting moment before it fades.

A small spike of power. Once more, she was intrigued by that event, her tongue flicking once more. Oh, if only she paid better attention to the nuances of energy traces…

And that human couldn’t understand her words. Hm, it seemed like he didn’t have warrior’s blood or something. She could have tried some auric link to connect their souls, but trying some connection with a total stranger… well, that never yielded any result.

So, she simply stared, but made sure to keep a relaxed aura around her.

"Were you looking at this?" he asks, holding it up with an unsteady grip. "Nod for yes, shake for no. I can tell you if you're interested..." He didn't see the harm, but he didn't want to go on about something when he wasn't sure about it and make himself look silly!

Ah! That she could do! Unukahlai nodded furiously, trying to not seem too eager to know more. She pointed a claw at the pendant, then let her legendary energy pulse through her body. A warm emerald glow flickered on her serpentine body, before halting near instantly.

Power.

 

[PainterFight]

"Well, well, well, look what we have here; more tourists!"

A Darumaka walks up to the crowd, grinning as always, making finger guns in front of them. He seems passionate with the idea of guiding them.

"Heeeey, Vinarch!" He greeted, affably. "My mechanical Charizard won't do the work for them! That's why I'm here!"

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

"Heeeey, Vinarch!" He greeted, affably. "My mechanical Charizard won't do the work for them! That's why I'm here!"

The Cacturne hadn't replied, but the mention of a mechanical Charizard tore the Lucario's attention away. "Excuse me, mechanical Charizard?"

 

[PainterFight]

The Cacturne hadn't replied, but the mention of a mechanical Charizard tore the Lucario's attention away. "Excuse me, mechanical Charizard?"

The Darumaka nodded. "Yep, *that* Charizard! I've been building him up from the blueprint I made since I was a lil' mechanic! But no matter how many times I reprogram it as a guide, it keeps loafing!"

"Anyways... are you new here?"

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

The Darumaka nodded. "Yep, *that* Charizard! I've been building him up from the blueprint I made since I was a lil' mechanic! But no matter how many times I reprogram it as a guide, it keeps loafing!"

"Anyways... are you new here?"

"I am. Apparently the others here are as well. Are...mechanical pokémon commonplace in this place?"

 

[System Error]

Ah! That she could do! Unukahlai nodded furiously, trying to not seem too eager to know more. She pointed a claw at the pendant, then let her legendary energy pulse through her body. A warm emerald glow flickered on her serpentine body, before halting near instantly.

Power.

Nori couldn’t help but giggle a little at the big dragon’s enthusiasm. Much as she tries to veil it, he still sees through the act. Even if she had managed to obfuscate her body language, her energetic glow would've told all. Well, even if they’re revered in some cultures, Rayquazas are still sapient Pokemon. They’d obviously still feel emotions, and she seemed excited to learn about it.

“So this,” he begins, holding the pendant up so she could get a better look at it. “My...” And with this, he abruptly pauses as his heart felt like it was shrinking. He glances down for just a moment, his mouth falling open before speaking again. “My friend, Prema Kannagi, gave it to me. She said it would protect me on my journey. I didn’t want to travel, mind you, but some stupid morons made me.” He puts a hand on his hip, scowling a little as he sighs heavily. The others present who are humans in their world would probably find this statement unusual. A forced journey? You could probably ask him about it if you wanted, he’s evidently pretty open to talking!

But he shakes off his irritation. He takes a deep breath and continues to explain. “Anyway, Prema’s a priestess. She’s descended from the first people to connect with the three lake guardians 1500 years ago. Their shrine played a huge role in developing human/Pokemon bonds. Spiritual power’s in her blood, and she used that to bless this pendant. I’m not sure how, like if it’s her power or her gods’, but that’s what she told me.” He puts a finger on the side of his lips. A safe travels charm was a typical gift, but she went much further than needed. It would be weird for an apatheist to get the gods’ blessings, but he assumed it wasn’t an issue. “I’m guessing from the glow just now, it works?” The boy shrugs. “I should ask her when I get back. I should…ask her about a few different things, actually.” He turns away while rubbing a cheek, which is a little flushed. “But yeah, that's the short of it.”

Spoiler: Notes about the truth

Depending on how well Unukahlai (or others) can discern the nature of spiritual energy, she might realize any or all of the following with the added context. Pick and choose any to all!

- It is indeed a charm of protection, warded against misfortune and evil in particular. It might be able to do more, but it's unclear what. Might have had something to do with that reaction...
- It is, in fact, a human's spiritual power like he's saying.
- The source seems to be the human herself, not bestowed by any god.
- It does feel like the lake guardians that he mentioned, explaining the feeling she got, but isn't exactly the same.
- The energy in the pendant, besides the wardings, is specifically in the form of wishes and prayers for his safety. Besides the priestess' own, some are to gods with names she'll recognize. Others have names she won't.
- There seems to be strong personal emotion held within her wishes.

 

[IFBench]

[[Note: I did not clear that the mechanical Charizard was created by PainterFight's character. Please coordinate with me first on these things before making this call.

Also, PainterFight, we still need to talk about the issues with your character and signup before you get in. You haven't been approved for play yet.]]

 

[IFBench]

"Ah..." Vinarch's expression paled. He stopped reaching for the map.

"Your rent! Where is it?" the robotic Cacturne demanded.

"Well, you see..." Vinarch began, tail drooping onto the ground. "There haven't been many mysteries to solve this month. If you'll give me a few more days, sir, I'll-"

"Excuses, excuses!" the Cacturne shouted. "I want to see that rent money by the end of the day, or your family is getting the boot!"

"Wait, sir! Please, I-" Vinarch said, voice desperate. But the mechanical Cacturne was already leaving.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

The Lucario wanted to follow, to understand what made the mechanical Cacturne tick, but something held him back. Instead, he approached the one the Cacturne had been speaking to.

"Excuse me...I am to assume that you are a resident here, if you have been berated about rent, correct?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Wait, sir! Please, I-" Vinarch said, voice desperate. But the mechanical Cacturne was already leaving.

Felin tsked twice, kicked the sole of her second boot and walked over and patted Vinarch a few times. Her paw rose in a thumbs up and she grinned.

"Look, you said this realm houses treasure, right?” She swooped ahead of him and spread her arms wide. “Treasure brings riches! You’ll never be out of pocket. We can settle your debts and you can bring us adventure. It’s a win win for both of us, isn’t it?”

 

[Seren]

If you want to vent about it, I'll listen!" At least that way, he can do something meaningful!

Alex goes silent while Nori chats away to him. "Oh, nah, I'm... it's probably best I put it out of my mind for a while, if there's truly nothing I can do until we all get home."

"I'd need a translator, is what I'm saying. Um, were you...offering to do that by saying I don't have to worry?" He places his hands together and smiles

He blinks down at the human(?). "I, uh... I mean, you seem to have a grasp of other pokemon well enough? If you can't understand their words, try to focus on their tone of voice and body language. That usually is a pretty good way to tell what someone's saying, even if you can't hear their words." At least, that's always worked with his team, once he got used to their individual motions.

A mechanical Catcturne approached the group, steam hissing from pipes where a normal Cacturne's spikes would be. They slammed one of their feet into the ground with a loud clang. "Detective Vinarch!" they shouted. "You have some explaining to do!"

Still others were arriving, including what looked like a... black rayquaza? Alex had heard of shadow pokemon before... was this what they looked like? But wait, no... they didn't look much different than a regular pokemon to the untrained eye. At least, not in his universe.

More curiously, Vinarch mentioned this being a large rift... was this number of visitors all at once abnormal?

The cacturne caught his attention. This one seemed to be a native resident, if the pipes were any clue. Alex wondered what Vinarch needed to explain; it's not like the servine was the cause of the rifts. ...Was he?

She said it would protect me on my journey. I didn’t want to travel, mind you, but some stupid morons made me.”

Nori had begun to explain a bit about himself; perhaps there'd be some clue as to why he hadn't turned into a pokemon here?

He could understand not wanting to travel, at least. Not that he personally could relate, but Kimiko had complained on numerous occasions about her distaste for camping, if nothing else. He didn't quite understand the rest of the story, but when pokemon were concerned, there were all kinds of strange magics at works.

"Excuses, excuses!" the Cacturne shouted. "I want to see that rent money by the end of the day, or your family is getting the boot!"

"Wait, sir! Please, I-" Vinarch said, voice desperate. But the mechanical Cacturne was already leaving.

"Look, you said this realm houses treasure, right?” She swooped ahead of him and spread her arms wide. “Treasure brings riches! You’ll never be out of pocket. We can settle your debts and you can bring us adventure. It’s a win win for both of us, isn’t it?”

Before he could question Nori further about his pendant, the cacturne's bellowing voice again demanded focus.

Apparently, Vinarch was paid to solve mysteries... and relied solely on that to survive. Interesting that there were enough of them to make a career out of, but enough of a lack of them that said career couldn't reliably maintain a household...

"Er... yeah, is there... anything we can do to help, while we're here?" Not that Alex was terribly eager for an adventure right now, but again, he reminded himself... he was stuck here for a while, anyway. Might as well try to do what he can.

 

[UnknownUser55]

Mtri winced as the Cacturne approached the group, unsettled by the Pokemon's cybernetic appearance. They couldn't help but lean just a bit closer to get a better view of them.

"You... what are you?" they asked. "So static, yet, so full of soul. I've never seen anything like you."