[CYOA] You Are a Rock

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

Considerations:
- (1) I need to persuade Weavile to tell me where Millie is located!
-
- (∞) [UNKNOWN]

You aren't sure what to say, not immediately. But your goal remains clear. You need to save Millie. If she's a hostage, they won't kill her, not unless they think there's no use to her at all. And if they value 'life,' maybe they won't kill her anyway? That's a real gambit, but... was there really any point in risking her like that?

The best option would be to rescue her so they can't hold it over your head. That's your conclusion for now.

But as for what to say, or how to say it...

"This is between your Knights and me," you say. "Don't include innocents in it."

"Why is that human important to you?" Weavile asks.

"She happened to find me first; that's all. I didn't know anything about being Yveltal when I'd met her."

"Then... sentimental. And that's all," Weavile replies, looking confused. "You aren't the sort of person to care about a single mortal. You claimed to be above individual cares."

"Well, I don't remember that," you say simply. "How long have I been dead? Maybe I'm the good side of me."

"You have been missing for centuries," Weavile says. "Only recently did you start to reawaken. We traced you via the Dungeons your awakening is causing. The Dungeons in this realm."

"Do I... make Dungeons, too?"

Weavile shakes his head. "We don't know why Dungeons and you are linked. Only that it is a link determined by Command. You entered in Kalos, where another world's Yveltal had once been. Then, you relocated here, somehow, over those centuries."

"Kalos..." The region-sized Dungeon.

"As for the 'good side'... no. You are all of Yveltal. You were diminished and nearly killed, but then you escaped with what little of you remained. We thought you were dead, up until the Dungeons arose."

Well, so much for that. Still...

The light got too strong. You squint and look up, raising your transparent wing. Weavile says something--it sounds cautionary, or perhaps threatening?--but you can't make it out.

And then...

<><><>
​

Fish.

You smell fish. It smells amazing. It must be something to do with the new body, but your nose twitches with reflexive sniffs and you blink yourself awake.

That Zoroark -- N -- is there. In front of him is a tray of food that seems to be human-made, perhaps from the city. You aren't sure how he acquired it. But it looks good. You don't feel hungry, but you do have an appetite. How strange.

"Hello I got you a meal that should agree with you I'm sorry if it isn't what you like," N says.

"I'm... That's fine. Thank you," you reply, moving in your new body again. You don't hear Weavile this time. Maybe he only gets in the way if you do something objectionable.

"Who are you?" you ask. "Your name is... N. Are you with the Knights?"

"No I am from Unova but I know of the Knights I have been investigating them for some time since their arrival it seems they are different factions from the same world the Prism Knights are the ones who are after you the others are neutral and do not know the extent of why they are here."

His blazing speaking pace is... disorienting. For one reason or another, N seems used to it, and patiently waits for you to understand it.

"So the other Knights might not know how to help me, but the Prism Knights are... directly against me." You place a claw on your chest. You can vaguely sense that your true core is lodged in there.

"They believe that you are a problem but I do not believe that is true I think there is something more going on the Prism Knights behave very strangely."

"I see..."

You aren't sure how much you want to tell N. He seems trustworthy, if not eccentric. You don't get a sense that he's lying. But he did see you kill someone, claim their soul, possess their body, and then walk around in it. The fact that he isn't unnerved... unnerves you.

The fish get your attention again. Smoked and over a bed of rice and some thin, brown sauce. You nod in thanks when N offers one to you, and as you enjoy the flakey, savory goodness--such a novel experience after all this time--you mull over what to tell N about.

N starts with one conversation already. "While I was purchasing food I saw the news about last evening Lenora is fine and recovering at the hospital Millie's whereabouts are unknown and the Amber Knights do not know about any of it officially."

"So Millie isn't... around, she's missing. But Lenora is okay. That's good." You don't know what to think about the Amber Knights. They are the official protectors of Unova for all things Dungeon related. You know that much.

You feel that staying here for long is unwise. The Prism Knights are likely hot on your trail... Perhaps you can walk and talk later, but for now, you consider a specific topic for what to do next...

DECISION​

What major topic should you plan with N? (Side topics can be done via the Telepathy Action)

1. Getting back to Lenora. The Elite Four would know what to do about all this.
2. Getting away. It's too dangerous to stay here with the Knights swarming.
3. Rescuing Millie. I need to save her before continuing.
4. Nothing. I should keep these problems to myself.​

Current Status​

HP: 10/5+5
Energy: 9/9
Offense: 3+2
Defense: 2+1

Considerations:
- (!) I need to win over Weavile, so that he can help me find Millie.
-
- (∞) I must not allow Yveltal to harm another Prism Knight.

 

[Negrek]

I wonder how much we can trust what Weavile says. I don't think he's trying to mislead us here, but he may not have been given the truth himself. Kind of too bad that he shot down the shard idea here; that was an interesting potential answer to all the strangeness! Us being an Yveltal from another world seems really odd. (And, like. Where'd this world's Yveltal go? Did the Knights kill them? "Another world's Yveltal" is mentioned as having been there--do Yveltal just keep showing up there for some reason??) I wonder if maybe we were chasing an Eternatus, or maybe we are Eternatus with memory problems for some reason. The latter could potentially explain both the dungeons and the personality change, maybe.

If we awoke in Kalos, how the heck did we end up here? Much to consider.

I think we ought to see about Millie before anything else. Not sure there's any hope of rescuing her, but at the least, investigating her whereabouts seems like it'll probably lead us to some more information about the various Knights. And we ought to at least try!

Decision: Rescue Millie I need to save her before continuing.

I also want to see if we can interact with Weavile at all while we're awake. idk if that would necessarily involve telepathy or, like... soul resonance or something, but hey, seems worth a shot.

> Special Action - Telepathy (Weavile) "Weavile... can you hear me?"

Consider: What does this "N" want from me?

 

[Mirage]

Spoiler: line-by-line

You entered in Kalos, where another world's Yveltal had once been. Then, you relocated here, somehow, over those centuries."

Fascinating - so we actually first appeared in Kalos? That explains how the region turned into a giant dungeon... though, if we were asleep, how we actually got to Unova is quite a mystery. Someone must have transported us, but who would think to move a Perfectly Ordinary Rock like that?

Only that it is a link determined by Command

"Command"? So the Prism Knights have a central source of control... and probably a pretty decently sized organization, to need that kind of bureaucracy.

"As for the 'good side'... no. You are all of Yveltal. You were diminished and nearly killed, but then you escaped with what little of you remained. We thought you were dead, up until the Dungeons arose."

So we are all of Ylvetal... but only of one particular Ylvetal, while it's confirmed there is/was at least one other. If said Ylvetal is still around in some capacity, then we need to keep it mind there's a possibility it could have any of the powers that we have... in particular, it could have claimed someone else's soul and be hiding.

Fish.

You smell fish. It smells amazing.

I'm fine with the invincibility, interdimensional travel, and sentient rock, but this, this right here, is where my suspension of disbelief draws the line.

"No I am from Unova but I know of the Knights I have been investigating them for some time since their arrival it seems they are different factions from the same world the Prism Knights are the ones who are after you the others are neutral and do not know the extent of why they are here."

"They believe that you are a problem but I do not believe that is true I think there is something more going on the Prism Knights behave very strangely."

I like how he just casually drops it, but this is huge. This means we don't need to worry about the other knights anymore... and we're potentially looking at a way we can maybe fix the Prism Knights' hostile feelings towards us. They did mention "Command" earlier - are we back to some sort of mind control, perhaps? Or, if that other Ylvetal is missing... is he maybe possessing the leader of the Prism Knights, through claiming their soul, and then directing the Prism Knights to eliminate us through that?

I bet this also means that the Arcanine at the very beginning was supposed to be an ally, wasn't she? And we ran from her, RIP.

But he did see you kill someone, claim their soul, possess their body, and then walk around in it. The fact that he isn't unnerved... unnerves you.

Hehe, that's a mood right there.

I must not allow Yveltal to harm another Prism Knight.

Oh look! So we can indeed influence the Ironclad Considerations through our host. That not only gives us a route to circumventing them, but will encourage us to figure out how to work with our host. If we encounter the Prism Knights in this state, looks like we'll need to figure out a way to either avoid them without harming them, or convince Weavile that they need to be stopped.

--------------------

That was quite a chapter. So it looks like we can indeed at least somewhat rely on the other Knights, and potentially flip the Prism Knights, depending on what's up. In fact... that might be our next overarching goal here.

Since Negrek's already got Millie as a priority, I'm going to use our second slot to add a Consideration for figuring out what's wrong with the Prism Knights. And although I won't put it in as a priority right now, I do think that meeting up with Lenora after might be a wise idea, especially if we aren't successful in rescuing Millie.

Decision: Rescue Millie!

Consider: I need to figure out what's wrong with the Prism Knights.

Special Action (Telepathy / Speech, target is N): "You said the Prism Knights are behaving strangely - what's changed?"

 

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

Discuss rescuing Millie.

Considerations:
- (1) What does this "N" want from me?
- (1) I need to figure out what's wrong with the Prism Knights.
- (∞) I must not allow Yveltal to harm another Prism Knight.

"I'd like to save Millie first and foremost," you say after mulling it over with your meal. At this point, N is looking outside of the small... clearing, cavern that you are in. Now that you think about it, this place isn't very well-hidden.

Oh, Zoroark. Right. That's probably it.

"You want to rescue the human who saved you?" N asks.

"Yes. I can't have that on my conscience."

N's stare is somewhere between blank enough to infer indifference, to so blank that it's uncomfortably analytical. What's going on in his head?

You do have to wonder what N wants from you. N, what a strange name. Strange mannerisms. Strange everything. And he seems to know an awful lot about humans... He would not go out of his way so far and risk so much for no reason. But asking that of him... That does not seem like a good idea for now. You owe him a little for getting you out of trouble. You can worry about motivations later.

As before, you don't sense deception from him. Maybe it is out of some kind of altruism...

"Can you help me locate Millie?" you ask.

"I will try but it will not be easy only the Prism Knights would know at this point unless there are cameras yes we can use the cameras the human world has many forms of observation we will do that wait here."

He left.

"Ah--wait!" By the time N was ten paces from you, when you finally process what he said, you stumble after him. "Hold on!"

"They might sense you."

"But I know what to look for. Maybe. And being alone would... be too risky."

N pauses. "I understand then stay close to me."

N gestures to his head, as if grasping something with two claws. The light around him distorts and distorts, until right before your eyes, the Zoroark transforms into a green-haired, pale-skinned human. Hair stayed the same shape, though. He adjusts the newly formed, illusory hat and oddly ordinary clothes.

"...That's a very elaborate illusion," you say with a hint of suspicion. It's almost too thorough. "You know humans very well?"

"Yes that is one way to put it." He turns around and picks something up from behind a bush. A... bag of supplies. Human supplies, which he slings over his shoulder.

N calls out to the forest. In moments, a bird flies down on a branch, and he starts... talking to the bird. Simple directions and a few questions, describing a few Pokemon, and the bird tweets back before flying away.

"It should be safe this way," N says, leading you along.

"Er... right."

<><><>

Part II - The Rocky Road Ahead
​

"Weavile... can you hear me?" You think inward.

No reply.

"I do want to work with you. Any sort of cooperation. I'm borrowing your body, after all... It would be wrong to simply... take it, I suppose. Er, more than I already have..." No, that probably made it worse. "Any small signal, any at all..."

But suddenly, as you desire this attempt at communication, your left hand moves without your orders. It flexes its claws. Once you realize what's happening, you gasp and the hand stops moving. And you're in control again.

Tentatively, you allow further control... The hand moves again, forming an odd pose. It registers to you as a rude gesture.

"Sorry. That startled me. that's... you, in there? I guess I can give... partial control..."

The hand returns to normal. You can't hear him, yet you can sense his intent. He's watching, a helpless passenger.

But granting him control isn't an option you want to take. Apologetically, you press onward. N is a fast walker, too, and you jog to catch up to him as you go through Pinwheel Forest's beaten path.

Ironically, you'd been here before with Millie. You're about to cross the same river.

"You said the Prism Knights were behaving strangely," you say as you nimbly hop from rock to rock. "What's changed?"

"No I do not mean they behaved strangely to before I mean they are strange compared to the other Knights."

"Oh." Well, that much was much more obvious. "Still... I... know that they're immortal, or something. Maybe they're acting strange because of that?"

"Maybe I think Pokemon are not meant to live that long there is no telling what it may do to the mind perhaps that is the hidden variable in all this but it leads to a very daunting equation."

"Er... right."

"But they only showed up here recently I think they can track your energy or do something similar to that or at least that is my guess."

You both cross the river. But as you approach the city once again, N stops.

"It is spreading," N says.

A soapy ripple of light. A distortion beyond it. Overnight...

Nacrene City had become a Dungeon.

"Faster and faster and now a whole city overnight," N says. He looks back at you. Even with him as a human, you can understand his gaze. It's grave, but also questioning.

You have never entered a Dungeon before. You don't know what it's like or what it would do. However, N is not actively discouraging you to leave or revise a plan. It's more like he's wondering if you still want to go anyway... for Millie.

DECISION​

Do you enter the Dungeon?

1. Yes, and immediately. Millie could be in danger.
2. Yes, but let's look around for the Amber Knights or other signs about what's happening.
3. No, let's wait until we have more information.
4. No, let's try something else.
​

Current Status​

HP: 10/5+5
Energy: 9/9
Offense: 3+2
Defense: 2+1

Considerations:
- (!) What does this "N" want from me?
- (!) I need to figure out what's wrong with the Prism Knights.
- (∞) I must not allow Yveltal to harm another Prism Knight.

 

[Mirage]

Spoiler: line-by-line

You do have to wonder what N wants from you. N, what a strange name. Strange mannerisms. Strange everything. And he seems to know an awful lot about humans... He would not go out of his way so far and risk so much for no reason. But asking that of him... That does not seem like a good idea for now. You owe him a little for getting you out of trouble. You can worry about motivations later.

N's motivations here are definitely pretty mysterious - we know You Are a Rock takes place after the main stories, so he's probably not still trying to liberate the Pokemon of this universe anymore. He seems to know a fair bit about the Knights that no one else so far seems to be aware about, such as the differences in their factions... yet he also seems to be unaware about what exactly causes the Prism Knights to behave weirdly. Or if he does know, he's not letting it on to us at least. Makes me wonder where he got that info? And how he got turned into a Zoroark... (unless it's canon in this universe that he's always been a Zoroark and his human form is just an illusion)

But at minimum, he's helped us quite a bit so far, so I feel like we can trust him. And from what we do know about his goal of trying to solve the puzzle with the Knights, he doesn't seem to have anything to gain by betraying us...

"You know humans very well?"

"Yes that is one way to put it."

It certainly is

Tentatively, you allow further control... The hand moves again, forming an odd pose. It registers to you as a rude gesture.

Did... did he just give us the middle claw?

"You said the Prism Knights were behaving strangely," you say as you nimbly hop from rock to rock. "What's changed?"

"No I do not mean they behaved strangely to before I mean they are strange compared to the other Knights."

"Oh." Well, that much was much more obvious.

Yeeeeaaaaahhhh... I realized while re-reading it yesterday that I got the wrong impression. The thought of "oh, they're behaving strangely now (they've changed)" was what stuck, but re-reading it, N pretty clearly states that it's because the Prism Knights behave strangely that he doesn't think we're the sole cause of the dungeons. Sorry about making you address that Namo, that was poor reading comprehension on my part

But they only showed up here recently I think they can track your energy or do something similar to that or at least that is my guess.

That's consistent with our observations - even inside this world, they've able to consistently find our location, even if they don't seem to be able to directly see through our disguises.

A soapy ripple of light. A distortion beyond it. Overnight...

Nacrene City had become a Dungeon.

Oh... shit. That was unexpected. These dungeons really are expanding crazy fast, we were able to walk around that small mystery dungeon just a few days earlier. That means... is Lenora trapped inside? She probably is, since it's only been a day since the fight?

------------------------

So, for actions, we've got a couple of choices, but I personally strongly favor options 2. I feel like Option 1 is pretty risky, just charging straight in, since we don't know what lurks inside. I don't know that waiting (Option 3) would really do much to advance the story, and nothing comes to mind for me for Option 4, though I'm open if you have any Negrek

But from what we have, I favor cautiously entering and trying to find Lenora or the Amber Knights. There's almost certainly at least a few in there - they'll probably be trying to dispel the core and/or rescue the people trapped inside. Now that we know that they're not immediately hostile to us, and we have a shared goal in trying to eliminate the dungeons, it seems like it'd make sense if we try to partner up.

It'll be interesting to see what Weavile has to say about that...

Decision: "Yes, but let's look around for the Amber Knights or other signs about what's happening."

Consider: "There are probably some Amber Knights inside this dungeon... Let's find them!"

Telepathy / Speak (Target is N): "That's unbelievable, this was a tiny dungeon just a few days ago!"

 

[Negrek]

The hand moves again, forming an odd pose. It registers to you as a rude gesture.

Same to you, buddy. :P

N the zoroark pretending to be a human... I'm definitely also curious whether there ever was a human N in this world at all, heh. I'm also curious about reshiram/zekrom, since N would be one of the people I'd expect to be associated with them. No real way to ask that IC, I don't think, given that Cobble would have no way to know about that history, but still...

Good to know we can communicate with Weavile, to some extent, if we need to. He's understandably not very friendly, but maybe he'll help out a bit if we're mutually in danger... presumably he doesn't want anything super nasty to happen to his body, even if it won't outright kill him.

Don't know if there's any way we can leave him WITHOUT killing him at this point, tho. :X

I can think of a couple other options that aren't presented her, namely:

a) Ask N for advice/where to go
b) Go back to the part of Pinwheel Forest we woke up in and look for clues, now that we have a body much better suited to investigating

However, with Lenora (and thus our connect to the E4) AND Millie presumably inside the dungeon, I do also think that Option 2 is the way to go. Given that dungeons are confusing and difficult to navigate as a matter of course, I'm worried about our ability to find either of them... but if absolutely nothing else, it'd be a good idea to get some experience navigating them, since I seriously doubt we'll be able to go the whole adventure without doing any dungeoneering.

> Decision: "Yes, but let's look around for the Amber Knights or other signs about what's happening."

> Speak (N): "You say you've been researching the Knights. Do you think they might be causing the Mystery Dungeons to spread?"

 

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

Yes, but let's look around for the Amber Knights or other signs about what's happening

Considerations:
- (1) There are probably some Amber Knights inside this dungeon... Let's find them!
-
- (∞) I must not allow Yveltal to harm another Prism Knight.

"That's unbelievable, this was a tiny dungeon just a few days ago!" you exclaim, staring in disbelief at the Dungeon's edge.

"The spread is accelerating," N states, bringing a hand to his chin in thought.

You wonder how many people might already be in there, in some trouble. Millie, too. It also crosses your mind that the Amber Knights might be inside, even if you wanted to get their help.

"I don't know about entering there alone," you say to N. "Are there Amber Knights nearby?"

"We can check their normal routes quickly I know the way," N replies.

Sidestepping the Dungeon, you both leave for the main path that the Dungeon had once been, knowing that the Amber Knights would have gone in that direction at the very least. So far, it's quiet--too quiet. The wild Pokemon know that this is a bad place.

But you break the silence anyway. "You say you've been researching the Knights. Do you think they might be causing the Mystery Dungeons to spread?"

"It would be a strange career choice to make the problem you are solving but I believe that is what my father did so I would not rule it out," N replies.

Allllright, that was very loaded and you aren't sure if you want to unravel that one. "So, you aren't sure," you translate.

"I am not and I found no evidence usually they appear where Dungeons are but do not come before."

"So it's more like they're following Dungeons..." You think this makes sense, considering that Dungeons apparently follow where you go, too. A trail...

N stops. "This is as far as their normal route goes I do not think they are here they are inside."

"Figures." You nod. "But if this is their normal route, then they also entered this way, right? Let's enter the same way. It might be easier."

N seems to agree and leads the way inside.

And as you pass through... the Dungeon greets you with a sickening wave of compression, like you'd suddenly been surrounded by a hundred pounds of wet cotton. When the feeling you can't breathe leaves, you're standing on the same soil and under the same sun.

But the similarities end there.

Trees widened into walls rather than trunks. Their roots twisted and joined with the trunk like a tangle of yarn. Branches loomed over them and formed great, crisscross domes like hallways that connected to separate clearings that had no rhyme nor reason on whether it was a running river, a stone walkway, or simple grassland.

Up ahead, one of the trees fused with a street lamp, growing lightbulbs like they were fruits, forming lamp heads like flowers. One of the small booths meant to hold bikes and supplies had been mangled into a cave made of concrete and wood, its skeleton sticking out like spikes.

"Be careful of wild Pokemon here they are not themselves," N warns.

"What do you mean?"

In the corner of your eye, you catch movement. Above you, in one of the twisted hallways, a Pidove stares at you. You sense... that it isn't just a Pidove. There are... things attached to it. Ethereal. N can't see it, you're sure, or he'd've warned you. But you see dark blobs attached to the Pidove like parasites, seeping into its feathers and filling the Pidove with hostile intent. Anger. Confusion.

The Pokemon in Dungeons were possessed by those strange things. And somehow, those seem... so... familiar.

You hear fighting in the other direction and turn your attention left. Your heart skips a beat before you realize why.

Druddigon is there, surrounded by similar, hostile Pokemon. He looks tired and his supplies are missing. There are a few--but not many--of those strange blobs attached to parts of his body, though even he appears to be unaware of them.

Ahead of you, there seems to be a path that is empty.

And to the right is the path the Pidove glares at you. Now that you look at it a bit more, it seems injured, like someone had already fought it, in that direction... though you aren't sure why. Amber Knights, perhaps? Yes, in fact, with the Amber Knights on your mind, you catch what appears to be scorch marks on the Pidove. They remind you of Arcanine...

Are both Knight factions present in Unova fighting here?

DECISION​

Where do you go? Consider an Action to go with it.​

1. To Druddigon.
2. Down the empty path.
3. Down the recently trodden path.
4. Stay put and watch.
​

Current Status​

HP: 10/5+5
Energy: 9/9
Offense: 3+2
Defense: 2+1

Considerations:
- (!) There are probably some Amber Knights inside this dungeon... Let's find them!
-
- (∞) I must not allow Yveltal to harm another Prism Knight.

 

[Negrek]

Okay, I don't want to stall things out any longer. Mirage, feel free to send contradictory actions, or post something in the discussion thread, and I can edit mine later if necessary! But for now, I think I'll go with this.

> Take the recently-trodden path

> Special Action - Speak (N): "I think the Amber Knights may be this way. Perhaps they can help us."

> Consider: I can't let any of those dark blobs touch me!

 

[Mirage]

Sorry for the sudden hold up - glad to get back to it!

It's all in the discussion thread, but - going over Negrek's questions made me realize I was getting a bit too ahead of myself, hehe. Apologies Namo if you already started writing the next post with that branch in mind, and now we're making you pivot to a new one...

Decision: Take the recently-trodden path

Telepathy/Speak (target is everyone): "What's with the mysterious dark energy everywhere?"

Consider: "What's the source of the dark matter?"

 

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

Take the recently trodden path!

Considerations:
- (1) I can't let any of those dark blobs touch me!
- (1) What's the source of the dark matter?
- (∞) I must not allow Yveltal to harm another Prism Knight.

"I think the Amber Knights may be this way," you say to N, steering clear of Druddigon for now. "Perhaps they can help us."

N eyes Druddigon with uncertainty, but relents and follows you. The Pidove glares, but has enough sense not to attack both of you. It would likely do very little.

"The Dungeon is worse than usual," N reports to you. "The Pokemon's voices are very hostile I do not think this would happen so quickly if Pokemon stay inside a Dungeon for too long they become hostile if not prepared."

You have a pretty good feeling, putting two and two together, that those strange dark blobs are responsible. Of course, being the only one who can see them here, perhaps it simply appears to be an unknown or strange force instead to everyone else... Staying away from those blobs--and protecting N and others from them--would be wise.

You spot some tracks. N is faster, following those tracks. "An Arcanine left these tracks and I can smell scorch marks up ahead that Arcanine must be defending against something."

Your hunch was correct. But the sudden advancement of the Dungeon's power... Why was this happening? Did it have to do with you? And if so... why? You have no memory of these strange creatures. Or, at least, you have never encountered them before, even in what you believe to be your subconscious memories.

Weavile, too. You sense a perplexed feeling from him. This is foreign.

"What's with the mysterious dark energy everywhere?" you finally ask.

"Dark energy?" N asks.

"You don't see it? It was on that Pidove, and near that Druddigon, too. In fact--there!"

You interrupt yourself when you spot a stray dark blob approaching from ahead. It lunges for N. On reflex, you flick a shard of ice at it, straight past N. It passes through, but despite that, the blob shrieks and melts into the floor, inert.

N, however, doesn't react. "Perhaps the Dungeon is causing you to hallucinate we should go through faster," he says.

A hallucination? Was that possible? You're so confident that it's real, but the way the ice passed through it... it wasn't made of matter. It had no physical presence.

Another blob approaches. N or you, it would attach if you didn't strike, so you send another one ahead of N, which startles him, but he doesn't protest. For now, he appears to be... tolerant of your hallucinations.

You experiment when the third one arrives. "N, can you attack?"

"I don't like to in this form, but I can."

"A projectile attack, two feet ahead of you... not!"

N doesn't move his body, yet there's a Dark, dazzling blast where the blob stood. It shrieked all the same and disappeared into the wall.

"Was that another 'dark energy'?" N asks.

"Yes. And you dispelled it," you report. "But you can't see it... But it reacts to attacks. Hmm..."

Is this ethereal in nature? But even Druddigon and the others could see your projections. Yet they are blind to these. There must be a difference between your projection and these invisible blobs. Something fundamental.

You determine that the source of this dark presence must be related to you in some way, but not in anything obvious. You, the Dungeons, and the darkness... How does it all tie together?

There is a strong sense that if you find the answer, many more will cascade, which may solve the mystery of everything that puts you in this strange situation.

You walk and walk, each strange distortion something new and bizarre. You see a river spiraling into an upward waterfall, fish still swimming through it like it was normal. You see an old apartment complex overtaken by tree roots and pine needles with no rhyme or reason. You see the museum you'd once been in, but now the fossils are fused with the walls, the books splayed on the ground like tile, and the shelves expanded into new and empty rooms.

You see fresher scorch marks in a clearing that had once been a street, still smoldering from old burned wood.

N grabs you by the shoulder and pulls you aside. You narrowly avoid a Fire Blast that instead scorches your fur only slightly. The ground, now molten, bubbles where you'd once stood. The fire is a deep orange, almost black, when it smolders longer than it should.

And then, finally, you see Arcanine... dotted with those dark blobs, madness in her eyes, and her fangs extended with an ethereal, dark energy. Her fur dribbled with black water as if she'd emerged from watered-down tar. Everything about her was darkened two shades. Each breath she exhaled created a fog.

"That's an Amber Knight," N says, "but the Dungeon has claimed her mind it is not safe to interact the cure is to drag her away she may look normal but I can hear her mind's voice it is not one of a sane Pokemon any longer if it is too dangerous we can flee before the same fate claims us."

"What do you mean, look normal?!" you protest.

But Arcanine gives N no time to reply. She lunges for you with murder in her eyes.

Fallen Amber Knight Arcanine
HP: 7

Current Status​

HP: 10/5+5
Energy: 9/9
Offense: 3+2
Defense: 2+1

Considerations:
- (1) I can't let any of those dark blobs touch me!
- (1) What's the source of the dark matter?
- (∞) I must not allow Yveltal to harm another Prism Knight.

Special note:

I forgot to cold open the Part name. I've edited a past post with the Part title when it was supposed to happen. We are currently in Part II - The Rocky Road Ahead.

 

[Mirage]

No safe spaces here! Let's see how we go.

It does seem like being Ylvetal, dark energy is the kind of thing we'd create... which would unfortunately back Weavile's claim of us being the cause of these dungeons. Maybe when Arcanine's calmed down, or if we get her out of the dungeon, we can try directly touching some of this matter and seeing what happens. If it is caused by our presence, then I would think that maybe it can't really affect us, since it's coming from our own element / spirit.

I believe I may have found a few typos:

"Darky energy?" N asks.

This one I'm unsure about, could be a special quirk of N's speech, but I think that may have been intended to just be "dark energy?"

"That's an Amber Knight," N says, "but the Dungeon has claimed his mind it is not safe to interact the cure is to drag her away she may look normal

Sorry N, not posting the entire sentence I might just be losing the context here, but it seems like the "his" here refers to Arcanine? In that case, should it be "her", so that it matches the other pronouns?

-----------------------------

Special Action: Enervate (Target is Arcanine)

Consider: "I'm not very good at absorbing hits - I need to stay ready to dodge!"

 

[Negrek]

Quick post because I’ve gotta run…

Special Action: Enervate @ Arcanine

Consider: What’s in my bag?

 

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

Enervate!

Considerations:
- (1) I'm not very good at absorbing hits - I need to stay ready to dodge!
- (1) What’s in my bag?
- (∞) I must not allow Yveltal to harm another Prism Knight.

A direct strike seemed like a bad idea right at the start. With Arcanine lunging right for you, it seemed like the best time to go for something weakening. You point at Arcanine and shoot a mysterious beam from your claws. You sense a hint of disgust from Weavile, but he does nothing to stop you--because he can't, or chose not to.

The beam hits Arcanine square in the chest. Despite its immaterial nature, you still feel a tug as if you'd caught something on a fishhook. You pull back, taking motes of light with you, and Arcanine groans with sudden fatigue. Meanwhile, you are energized... It went off without a hitch.

Enervate!
Arcanine is weakened considerably!
You gain Energized, and are refunded your 1 Energy!

N takes this opportunity to step back. He's also evasive--which didn't go well if you were also trying to be evasive. You suppose it would only make sense if he has a human disguise to maintain. Still, he fires another Night Daze at Arcanine, striking her while her guard is down.

You quickly learn that while N is formidable, he is not at your level of raw power, whatever that may be.

N strikes Arcanine, dealing 1 damage!

But Arcanine finds her footing enough to open her mouth on your back step. You're too slow to pivot away, still reeling from the surge of energy in your system as well as Weavile's. It seems that all of your powers are still working perfectly--though you wonder in the back of your rocky mind if Catapulting yourself would lead to some awkward results.

Arcanine's attack of choice is a five-sided flame. You weave to the right, avoiding the worst of the hit, but it still singes you enough to hurt. Even worse, you see a core of darkness in the center of that blast, further enhancing Arcanine's power. Those dark things were making her stronger; she was far stronger than an Arcanine should be. You know this by some instinct.

Arcanine strikes you with Fire Blast, but you easily dodge the worst of it! You take 1 damage!

But after that, Arcanine struggles to pull up more heat to her throat. That enervation is paying you back already. You take the opportunity to get more familiar with Weavile's items. Most of your supplies seem to be rations or useless gear. Some food. Some glowing things for the dark. A set of playing cards? ...Is that a stuffed toy of a fish? It's all mundane.

You find some useful items in one of the corner. You have the Warp Seed, but it occurs to you that these only work for one person. It would be either you or N. Weavile cooperates with you and funnels information into you for the rest of your bag.

You see a Stun Seed. It explodes on impact and paralyzes the person in a cloud of nerve-numbing dust of some kind. You suspect it would work similarly to your Enervation. You see two Blast Seeds. They explode, violently. You don't know what you expected, but maybe that would be useful later. Perhaps, if you Consider your options, you can use these later amid the heat of battle...

And... a Reviver Seed! What a lifesaver! Something like that would bring you to top form the moment you fell.

...Something is wrong, you note. When your claws brush against the Reviver Seed, the little heart-shaped leaf that characteristically comes out of them withers and dies, leaving an empty husk. The Reviver Seed was nullified... You suspect such things won't ever work on you.

Well. You suppose if you ever needed true confirmation of being a god of death...

Your misfortune compounds. Two others are coming closer, and they don't feel friendly. One is familiar--Druddigon. And in the corner of your vision, you also spot Marshtomp. Panic that doesn't belong to you wells up in your chest. You feel Weavile's motivations changing...

Fallen Amber Knight Arcanine
HP: 6, Enervated
Offense: 3
Moves: Void Fire Blast (+3)

Druddigon and Marshtomp are separate and a room away, flanking, and are not yet close enough to attack.

N is calm, but his movements are evasive. "This could be trouble there are no free exits."

Arcanine in front of you. Marshtomp to the right hall. Druddigon behind. And nowhere else to go.

Current Status​

HP: 9/5+5
Energy: 9/9
Offense: 3+2
Defense: 2+1

Energized! (half off next action, round down)

Considerations:
- (!) I'm not very good at absorbing hits - I need to stay ready to dodge!
- (!) What’s in my bag?
- (∞) Just don't kill them.

 

[Negrek]

Nother quick post. We have a warp seed for one of Druddigon/Marshtomp if necessary, and if Druddigon’s now corrupted but Marshtomp is not, perhaps Marshtomp will initially help us out anyway. Best option appears to be taking Arcanine out ASAP.

Do we know Night Slash? Guess we’ll find out.

> Night Slash @ Arcanine

> Consider: I need to focus on dodging!

 

[Mirage]

Ooooh, this isn't going well for us. Even if both us and N attack next turn, we might not be able to take down Arcanine before getting cornered. There's certainly no way that we can take out all three... Even Weavile seems to realize this, which is why he's actually cooperating for once.

Since it doesn't look like we'll be able to brute force our way out and the warp seed seems to be our only escape option, I'm putting my vote in for trying something dumb with one of the blast seeds. Unfortunately, Enervate is actually going to kind of backfire for this - not my brightest moment

Consider: I'll throw a blast seed into Arcanine's mouth next time she tries to use a fire attack!

Special Action: Night Slash (target is Arcanine)

And I'll second trying out for Night Slash - if Weavile is willing to cooperate and lend us the use of his elemental attacks here, that would really help us out. Definitely looks like we need to try to remove Arcanine's darkness as fast as possible, we don't have much time left.

 

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

Night Slash?

Considerations:
- (1) I need to focus on dodging!
- (1) I'll throw a blast seed into Arcanine's mouth next time she tries to use a fire attack!
- (∞) Just don't kill them.

Night Slash. That's a thing Weavile know a lot about, right? You heard about it from... somewhere. Yeah.

Weavile know Night Slash. That is their thing. You flex your claws and wait for an opportunity. You channel Dark energy in your claws... Any seconds now... aaany second now...

"Why are you standing there I am trying to not get hit," N says.

Fighting is more complicated than you expected. The claws are yours, but the element behind it, why can't you harness it? Is it because Weavile isn't properly in sync with you? Is it because you took the body, but not the prowess? No! You have Weavile's soul; this had to be enough!

A spark. It didn't come readily, but a dark spark had formed in Weavile's claws. You feel your chest throb with power where your heart should have been. Your stone, your anchor. Of course. You had to get power from your anchor... Getting up close and personal. That was close enough to a raw attack with your body. If you channeled that and utilized Weavile's power...

You use Night Slash (+Rocky Tackle) (+1 bonus damage!)
Arcanine takes 6 damage!

Energize is used up! -1 Energy cost!

You cleave through Arcanine's thick fur and hit flesh. Blood instantly soaks your claws. Arcanine doesn't seem to react despite the great wound on her side... though even with that, she isn't down. The dark powers are still moving her body. The darkness would have to go, or her body would have to be unusable.

But she's too hurt to be a threat. What you do about her when the dust is settled... You can decide later.

N seems distressed about something and doesn't strike Arcanine. Instead, he turns his attention to Druddigon and Marshtomp. Now that Marshtomp is closer, you spot a dark set of 'cracks' along his skin crawling from around his back. He's also possessed. Druddigon and Marshtomp--Weavile's old allies--are your next foes.

They seem stronger, but at least Arcanine is out of the way. You glance at the Blast Seed in your free claw and gently lob it to N. He catches it quickly, giving you a puzzled look.

"Throw it at a threat," you explain.

N doesn't question it. You and N both have the same idea: getting close isn't wise. You both search for an opening. You realize that the path Marshtomp had come from is wider than Druddigon's. If there was a route to escape, it would be that way, though you'd likely get a nick or two in the process. What were your chances there instead of taking them on directly? You have options to Consider, though there is no clear decision to be made...

Druddigon and Marshtomp are close enough to fight!

Fallen Knight Druddigon
HP: 9

Fallen Knight Marshtomp
HP: 7

Early discovery!​

Synergy!
Gain minor bonuses to your normal techniques by tapping into the power of your Claimed body, once you discover the moves they are capable of. Not all move combinations will work; use your intuition, and Consider ways things can work together!

But be warned: Synergy costs +1 extra base Energy. Additionally, Tapping into your Claimed body's power means they, too, may influence where it's directed and how it's used.

"Synergize" has been added as part of your Action list.

Current Status​

HP: 9/5+5
Energy: 8/9
Offense: 3+2
Defense: 2+1

Considerations:
- (!) I need to focus on dodging!
- (!) I'll throw a blast seed into Arcanine's mouth next time she tries to use a fire attack!
- (∞) Just don't kill them.

 

[Negrek]

Enervate @ Marshomp

Consider: I can’t let that darkness touch me or N!

Special Action: Telepathy @ Weavile “Weavile, can you see the darkness corrupting your friends, or do they look normal to you? Give me one of your special thumbs ups for dark, two for normal.”

 

[Mirage]

Spoiler: line-by-line

Night Slash. That's a thing Weavile know a lot about, right? You heard about it from... somewhere. Yeah.

Weavile know Night Slash. That is their thing.

Heh, Night Slash does indeed sound like a very Weavile-ish thing to do while Synergize only increases the raw power by a small amount, being able to take advantage of the type system might help us out quite a bit more, though with the caveat of needing Weavile's buy in...

You realize that the path Marhstomp had come from

Small typo here.

Good thinking about asking Weavile if he can see the darkness - that will probably greatly influence how much he's willing to help us out with using an Ice attack against Druddigon for instance.

Attack: Enervate (target is Marshtomp)

Consider: I'll throw my Warp Seed at Druddigon!

 

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

Enervate Marshtomp!

Considerations:
- (1) I can’t let that darkness touch me or N!
- (1) I'll throw my Warp Seed at Druddigon!
- (∞) Just don't kill them.

Cornered. You know that much. And the best way to get rid of that would be to clear a path. But more than that, perhaps you can also take Marshtomp down while Druddigon is away--you think Druddigon is stronger. Marshtomp would surely go down faster.

Just as they get close, you toss your Warp Seed into Druddigon's face. It pops like a firecracker and engulfs him in a thick, sparkling mist. He bursts through it... and then a vacuum pulls him into an invisible plane, and he's gone, just like that. A gust of wind greets you where Druddigon once stood.

You sense that, by pure luck, Druddigon would take some time to get back to you. You have extra time to focus on just Marshtomp...

Who, the moment you pushed Druddigon away, got a cheap shot on you with a deluge of mud.

Marshtomp gets a Mud Shot on you! You take 2 damage, and your mobility is hampered!

"Ugh--" At least N isn't getting hit. You sense that just one or two good strikes would do him in. It befuddles you how strong you are compared to seemingly hardened veteran fighters... and how strong these Knights are by that same logic!

But you try the same thing again, pointing at Marshtomp and sending dark chains into his soul. The siphon lands, and you feel the energy returning to you for another good strike. You're starting to get a good rhythm for conserving your strength!

Marshtomp is Enervated! You are Energized!
N gets a few hits in! Marshtomp takes 1 damage!

You spot a few dark things going toward N and sweep your feet at them on reflex. It's enough. They feel like nothing, physically, but they send a chill through your heels. At least, when striking them, they do not have the time to strike back... but that was risky. You elect to avoid not doing that too often and fire potshot icicles at other ones.

N continues to be puzzled at you shooting at the ground.

It's getting frustrating being the only one seeing those things. “Weavile, can you see the darkness corrupting your friends, or do they look normal to you? Give me one of your special thumbs ups for dark, two for normal.”

You glance at your free hand while you have that free breath. Marshtomp is still trying to get his bearings. N dives in for a Night Daze, though it only does some damage while Marshtomp's guard is down.

Weavile gives you one thumbs up. It seems he can see what you can see, at least while he is part of you.

"We cannot stay here we should advance while we have the chance," N reports, already fleeing into the next room.

"Ah, but the Knight!" you call, looking at Arcanine... who is no longer there. What?

There's a trail of black blood following N. At first, you panic, wondering if N was hurt. Seconds later, you realize N had invisibly taken Arcanine with him under the guise of an Illusion... Quite the carrying strength on that Zoroark.

You run after N as Marshtomp gives chase. You're slower, but so is Marshtomp, leaving you in a dead heat while N dashes ahead to relative safety.

You see the police are alongside their Pokemon, fending off wild Pokemon that had gone hostile, fighting in the street between two houses that had become stretched into something resembling a concrete ice cream swirl. The feral Pokemon bodies were blackened and shadowy, but you know you're the only one who sees them as that tainted appearance.

Lenora is there, in a sling over her injured shoulder, shouting commands to three of her Pokemon at once. She's holding her ground well. It seems that a nearby restaurant, miraculously intact, had been hastily converted into a shelter.

What a mess.

N is still holding the Blast Seed. It seems he's waiting for when you're in dire straits.

It occurs to you that if the Prism Knight trio is fighting you, where is Millie?

Druddigon is decently far from the battle!

Fallen Knight Druddigon
HP: 9

Fallen Knight Marshtomp
HP: 6
Enervated!

Current Status​

HP: 7/5+5
Energy: 8/9
Offense: 3+2
Defense: 2+1
Energized!
Mobility down!

Considerations:
- (!) I can’t let that darkness touch me or N!
- (!) I'll throw my Warp Seed at Druddigon!
- (∞) Just don't kill them.

 

[Mirage]

Spoiler: line-by-line

You sense that, by pure luck, Druddigon would take some time to get back to you. You have extra time to focus on just Marshtomp...

Nice, our strategy worked! Hopefully that buys us enough time to take down Marshtomp and revive Arcanine...

Who, the moment you pushed Druddigon away, got a cheap shot on you with a deluge of mud.

...Looks like we didn't claim the only sneaky member of the Prism Knights

It befuddles you how strong you are compared to seemingly hardened veteran fighters... and how strong these Knights are by that same logic!

"by that same logic", huh...?

I wonder - we can probably guess that our strength comes from us being a fragment of an extremely powerful legendary. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but I wonder if the implication here is that the Prism Knights' strength also comes from a source of legendary power? There does seem to be an obvious candidate who might have a hatred of us, and you know... can grant immortality, like we saw earlier...

You spot a few dark things going toward N and sweep your feet at them on reflex. It's enough. They feel like nothing, physically, but they send a chill through your heels. At least, when striking them, they do not have the time to strike back... but that was risky. You elect to avoid not doing that too often and fire potshot icicles at other ones.

Ohhhh.... woah, I thought we were immune to them, since we were a creature of darkness ourselves. Very good to know, gotta be careful then - though since we're able to purge the darkness with our attacks, might we still be able to at least reduce the strength of the darkness, so long as we don't touch it for an extended period of time?

You glance at your free hand while you have that free breath. Marshtomp is still trying to get his bearings. N dives in for a Night Daze, though it only does some damage while Marshtomp's guard is down.

Weavile gives you one thumbs up. It seems he can see what you can see, at least while he is part of you.

That's good - it should make Weavile more understanding, now that he can also see the influence from the darkness. I bet he has suspicions now that he was once influenced by it as well, seeing as how Druddigon was normal earlier when he only had some of the darkness on him. It's kinda chilling how much it affects the Pokemon's physical appearance and takes over their personality, yet us and Weavile are the only ones who can see it...

There's a trail of black blood following N. At first, you panic, wondering if N was hurt. Seconds later, you realize N had invisibly taken Arcanine with him under the guise of an Illusion... Quite the carrying strength on that Zoroark.

And sharp thinking too - though that's to be expected from N, huh? Let's hope we can keep Arcanine safe until the influence vanishes from her.

You see the police are alongside their Pokemon, fending off wild Pokemon that had gone hostile, fighting in the street between two houses that had become stretched into something resembling a concrete ice cream swirl. The feral Pokemon bodies were blackened and shadowy, but you know you're the only one who sees them as that tainted appearance.

Lenora is there, in a sling over her injured shoulder, shouting commands to three of her Pokemon at once. She's holding her ground well. It seems that a nearby restaurant, miraculously intact, had been hastily converted into a shelter.

Lenora's safe! I wonder if she recognizes us as the Weavile now, or if we left before she could realize we claimed him. I guess we'll find out soon enough!

It occurs to you that if the Prism Knight trio is fighting you, where is Millie?

It's pretty weird how she's just... vanished. She wasn't with the Prism Knights, doesn't seem to be with Lenora, and we haven't seen or heard from her directly either. I wonder if she was taken by something else after the Prism Knights fell into the dungeon... or did she maybe leave on her own somehow?

A really cool chapter - nice to be seeing all these familiar faces again! Let's hope we can defeat Marshtomp quickly here, and then with any luck, take down Druddigon. Then maybe we can catch our breath and figure out what's going on.

It pops like a firecracker

By the way Namo, you have a small formatting error here! An extra bolded letter. Just thought I'd let you know, given how easy it is to accidentally press the shortcut for bol-

You sense that, by pure luck, Druddigon would

Oh, another one! Just thought I'd highlight this one for you too-

Who, the moment you pushed Druddigon away

...Another one? Should I put them all in one place? For easy reading, perhaps?

Spoiler

I S E E Y O U , Y V E L T A L

...Oh shit. This isn't even in the dialogue, it's directly in the story we're reading. As the reader! It's almost like it's directed... at... US.

---------------------------------------------

Damn, and I haven't even gotten to the actions yet! I guess I'll go straight for an attack on Marshtomp, since we seem to be the only ones who can really put a stop to him right now. We need to be careful not to actually kill him, per Weavile's influence, and we do want to revive him if we can after all. So I'm thinking about maybe holding back and just going for a Rocky Tackle, without the Synergy?

I'll put in the Rocky Tackle for now, but I'm perfectly willing to adjust this if there's a better option that could help us deal with Marshtomp here. Perhaps we do need Catapult to overcome the mobility down, now that I think about it...

Attack: Rocky Tackle (target is Marshtomp)

Telepathy (target is Weavile): "Hey Weavile - do you know any ranged attacks?"

Consider: "I need to be careful not to let N get hurt!"