[CYOA] You Are a Rock

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

Considerations:
- (1) How strong is Dark Matter? Do we stand any chance against him in a fight?
- (1) Let's find a safe path out of here; no good running off and getting into even more trouble.
- (∞) Run.
- (1%) Stay.

This was getting bad. Fast. The longer you stayed, the longer the corruption would seep into you. You can already feel it clinging to your soul like tar... Or was that all in your head?

But you still have question to ask. Taking the risk of a few more, you start... "You're clearly more powerful than I am. Why do you want me to take down Xerneas? Why haven't you done it yourself?"

"I have been," it replies plainly. "That is why this world is not already overrun with Life."

"Overrun with life," you echo.

You sense Dark Matter's powers, so nearby. You can tell that Millie is there, and Lilly, while present, is... negligibly strong. You could easily deal with her. But Dark Matter... He's hiding 'behind' Millie, in a sense. Controlling her, possessing her, but not truly her. With enough stress on the body, he would probably be ejected. The problem was...

Fragment of Dark Matter:
HP: 3
Incredibly high defenses. You'd need an extremely strong hit to pierce them... if that.

...You alone may not be enough. It could require Weavile to cooperate, and right now, he seemed too afraid to do much.

You have one more question. "What's wrong with Xerneas? I'll have a much better chance if I know what to expect."

It stares at you. "...I am Dark Matter, so I want to remind you that I don't do jokes."

"I really don't know."

"You are possessing one of its disciples. Why are you not taking its information?"

"Oh, can I do that?" You titter, rubbing the back of your head. "Sorry, that part of my brain must still be petrified. I only know what he wants me to know. We're cooperating."

"Cooperating. With a vessel." It raised a finger again. "You're defiling the powers you stole."

"Wait! Wait, hold on," you say quickly. Somehow, Dark Matter doesn't smite you with more darkness. "Just tell me. I'll learn how to get that kind of information soon, but for now, some help?"

"...Disgusting wretches," it growls. "Fine. Xerneas... has become a puppet of her own abundant power. She has brought the world into ruin... by giving it everlasting life. The Weavile you possess could have been alive for centuries, millennia. It is a world of immortality. A world of stagnation. A world without..." It points at you. "Death. And so too came its side effects. Numbness to existence. Stagnation of the lives present. A completely dried river of aura. A world... frozen in light. We should be glad no new life forms, or they would be shoulder to shoulder... and not by choice."

"A world without death... without me?"

"Not you. The power you stole."

"I'm very skeptical of that. I feel like I'm Yveltal. How can I not be? What happened to me, or 'to Yveltal' before I became a stone?"

"Simple. You were defeated. And a deathless world bathed society in light. Endless light... as stagnation strengthened me more and more until I could no longer be contained. That is how I woke up."

"How do I know you aren't just making this up? That doesn't sound much like Xerneas to me..." You frown. Something about this... didn't make sense. Dark Matter surely was missing something. Yet... why did it speak so confidently? Was it lying?

"I can see your doubt. I've had enough talking. If you are going to hesitate when time is short, I'll simply make you fight."

It raised its finger, and this time would not be dissuaded. You had to decide quickly what to do, and there was no longer time for nuance.

DECISION​

Do you fight, or flee?

1. Fight, and free Millie!
2. Flee, and avoid corruption!

Current Status​

HP: 4/5+5
Energy: 4/9
Offense: 3+2
Defense: 2+1
Shadow: 1%

Considerations:
- (!) How strong is Dark Matter? Do we stand any chance against him in a fight?
- (!) Let's find a safe path out of here; no good running off and getting into even more trouble.
- (∞) I'll explain later. Flee! Does that human really matter at all?!
- (1%) Stay.

 

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

Flee, and avoid corruption!

Considerations:
- (1) I'll do my best to dodge those black bolts, if Dark Matter tries to take a parting shot.
- (1) I need to flee this dungeon and find N and the other Knights.
- (∞) I'll explain later. Flee! Does that human really matter at all?!
- (1%) Stay.

"That won't be necessary, Dark Matter. I'll... Cobble a plan together. I always do."

"You speak as if you have a choice."

A black bolt of lightning strikes the ground, but this time you were prepared. You leap out of the way and weave out of view. Several more bolts strikes the ground as if to predict where you go, so you zigzag unpredictably. Quietly, you consider that perhaps fighting Dark Matter would have been easier with Druddigon's body, but avoiding him much harder.

"I have to leave now, but I'll be back for you, Millie and Lily! Don't despair!" you call as you gain more and more ground. It seems that aside from those blasts, Dark Matter isn't able to catch up. Not yet, at least...

Now, if only you could find where N went. Probably, outside the Dungeon, evacuating to safety. But--

Something hollow plinks off of your head.

"What--"

And suddenly, you're weightless. Falling, just a mote of energy. A dream. You aren't sure what's happening at first, but you're still in fight or flight, so you try to run anyway. You feel as if you wobbled... but the binds around your body in this black void are getting tighter.

You suddenly realize what happened. You'd been captured. You don't know who'd done it, so you slam into the ethereal void again, willing yourself out. But... on that second try, you realize that you'd already been so exhausted and weak from before the battle. But now, you were just feeling unlucky, trying to break out from the ball as its bindings grow ever stronger. You have seconds left to try to break out--

You go for a third try, a third wiggle, but you can't get a hang of your movements as this 'energy' state. You hear something with the ears you no longer have: a terrible ringing noise as the ball's casing completely closes...

And then... the binding releases. That pressure is gone. Startled, you try to turn, dim, blurry lights peeking through a spherical rooftop. And you also see... an outline of a human in front of you.

"Hey! You're the one Lenora told us about, right? I'm sorry, we had to get you quickly! Stay put, and we'll get you to safety!"

You don't know who this person is. Your lifesense suggests that this isn't a person at all--you sense no life from it, no spirit. Yet... you feel as though what you're seeing is from something real. That this thing is speaking the truth, or what it believes is the truth. Is this... a projection?

The ball's bindings had gone neutral again. You feel as though you could escape if you wanted... but you aren't sure how valid that 'projection of will' truly is...

What do you do?

DECISION
​

Trust the thrower?

1. Trust (Remain inside Poke Ball)
2. Don't trust (Escape from Poke Ball)

Current Status​

HP: 4/5+5
Energy: 4/9
Offense: 3+2
Defense: 2+1
Shadow: 1%

Considerations:
- (!) I'll do my best to dodge those black bolts, if Dark Matter tries to take a parting shot.
- (!) I need to flee this dungeon and find N and the other Knights.
- (∞) This is illegal.
- (1%) ...

Spoiler: GM Note

When captured by a Pokeball, I roll a d20 three times, and added your % HP remaining as a % of 20. In this case, +8, since you have 4 out of 10 HP left. To escape, you need to hit 20 once out of those three times. I rolled a 1, 4, and 7. Even after +8, none get you to 20, so you were captured. I doubt we'll see this much at all going forward, but that's how it works if it becomes relevant in the future.

 

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

Trust the thrower

Considerations:
- (1) Weavile... what was that about Xerneas back there?
- (1) Can I still feel the darkness within me? Do I feel any connection to "Dark Matter?"
- (∞) This is illegal
- (1%) ...

"Who are you?"

It was the simplest and most basic question you could ask. You couldn't tell... But unfortunately, this person wasn't giving you a response. The projection faded. It was like they couldn't hear you. Was it... some kind of automation by the Pokeball? What else could it be?

You hear something. It's muffled and distant, like trying to listen through a thick wall, but there. You hear a discussion between two female humans.

"You shouldn't have done that," the first one says, sounding half asleep.

"I know, I know!" says the other, much more frazzled. "But I didn't know what else to do!"

You feel movement. You rolled and gained a lot of height... Your ball was picked up.

"But... I don't think he's trying to escape. Did he accept this?"

"Perhaps he's tired," says the sleepy one. "Maybe he was hurt. If that's the case, we need to go."

Then, a male voice calls from further away. You just barely make out what he says... "Lady Caitlin! This way!"

"Ah, there's Darach. Let's go..."

You're carried with them. Caitlin... She sounded bored in the middle of a Dungeon. How strong is she to be bored in a place like this?

The male's voice is much closer and clearer. "I have cleared the way to an escape route, Lady Caitlin."

"Oh, thank you so much!" said the frazzled one.

"I am only doing my duty," Darach said. You see a vague shape of something bowing politely. "This way, please."

They continue to walk. At this point, you're confident you're in good hands... You like their vibe. You can use this time to recover... You still sense Dark Matter's corruption within you, like a cold itch that won't go away. But, thankfully, nothing is pulling on those strings. Perhaps Dark Matter needs to see you, or be near you, to work his influence... at least for now.

You're safe.

And with that in mind... Weavile, you think, this time a little more pointed. It's time you explained a few things. First of all... When I first met you and the other Prism Knights, your behavior seemed strange, almost robotic, and you acted emotionless. Do you know what I'm talking about? Does it have to do with what that entity said about Xerneas?

You feel silly, thinking to yourself and expecting an answer. Yet, this time, an answer comes--in the form of a "recollection." Weavile says nothing, but you now know some of the details, as if Weavile had given you access to those memories.

Xerneas was the ultimate ruler of the land Weavile comes from after the fall of any higher gods, and the grand defeat of Yveltal, who had fallen under Dark Matter's control during a great cataclysm. However, Xerneas had been terribly wounded in the fight, not just her body, but her very essence. A piece of darkness had plagued her, corroding her senses and putting her want for life into overdrive. She made all life immortal and undying, and prevented any new life from entering the world, effectively freezing the population into eternity.

Weavile was several lifetimes old, but he'd lost track of the specific number. However, Xerneas' corruption spread into those who worked closest to her. Shadows would have overtaken them, turning them into monsters, if their negativity became too strong. As a defense, somehow, all emotions had to be suppressed, save for the basic few necessary to persist. In that sense, the Prism Knights would pledge not only their lives, but their "selves" in the name of defending a physical eternity. It was an honorable sacrifice, and the price to pay for defeating Death itself.

You feel, suddenly, a surge of loyalty for Xerneas... but you are confident, a moment later, that it was how Weavile felt. When you filter that out, you instead feel a hollow sadness... And you wonder where those feelings are from, if not Weavile.

Something about the story feels... incorrect. Not that Weavile is lying to you... but that somehow, Weavile is mistaken about something in an otherwise true recollection.

There's fighting outside. A scuffle. It's swiftly dealt with, and Darach adjusts his gloves and bows, letting the two ladies walk through first.

These three... They give off a much stronger power than Lenora. They were at a whole other level...

Current Status​

HP: 4/5+5
Energy: 4/9
Offense: 3+2
Defense: 2+1
Shadow: 1%

Considerations:
- (!) Weavile... what was that about Xerneas back there?
- (!) Can I still feel the darkness within me? Do I feel any connection to "Dark Matter?"
- (∞) ...
- (1%) ...

 

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

Considerations:
- (1) I need to try to learn more about the other divisions of the knights!
-
- (∞) ...
- (1%) ...

With these people handling things on the outside, you feel that it's safe enough to do some conversing with Weavile. During the discussion, you hear muffled noises above as they talk with police and give a report on what happened.

In your immaterial state, you mentally exhale and send more thoughts Weavile's way. Do the Amber and Crystal Knights also work under Xerneas, or do they have their own leaders? Are they affected by Xerneas' corruption?

The memories come to you. You realize... the other Knights are other divisions of the same society. All immortal, all very strong, but not as close to Xerneas--and, therefore, they got to keep their "selves." Some have grown weary of their long lives, while others seem happy to live as they do in their new reality. There are apparently other Knights and researchers who want to find where Death had put the lives of those lost, so that their eternity is not one without those who'd already passed on.

There are rumors of Xerneas' strange behavior among the other Knights, but they are far removed from it. They don't know anything, not to the extent that the Prisms do.

I see... You sigh. Something about it feels very wrong. I can't place why...

Still, you send more thoughts along. Why did you come to this world? Was it because Dark Matter of Yveltal came here first, and you wanted to destroy them? Or did Xerneas want something else?

Weavile shows you a memory. This time, it's of a mission statement, on paper, of tracking down the source of distortions into another world. That Yveltal or Dark Matter or both were involved in it, and to track down and destroy that source. That was all the Prism Knights knew -- that they had to find and destroy Yveltal for good, and then Dark Matter would be powerless.

But that's wrong, you think in a whisper. Dark Matter would just find a new host, wouldn't he?

You feel as though you know enough about the Knights, now. Authorities of the old world, loosely associated with Xerneas except the Prism Knights who worked directly under her. They were all on assignment to keep this world stable... while the Prism Knights went for the source.

But then, your thoughts are interrupted. The ball feels as if it's expanding around you, the space suddenly opening up from your cozy abode into the outside world. White light fills your vision and weight returns to your body.

You see N in his human form. He offers you a nod. It was safe.

Lenora is sitting in a chair nearby, reapplying some bandages herself while a couple of her Pokemon dote over her, holding supplies when she tells them to.

And you see three others. They speak quietly to each other and you match voices to names. Darach is the slim male wearing a black, long-sleeved coat of some kind with regal purple pants. His most notable feature is his strange hair, a lighter brown in the center and a darker brown along the edges, combed back in a wave-like pattern.

The one named Caitlin is a woman in a truly impractical pink veil and white... sleeping gown? How did she run in that? Even more staggering is her hair. What is it with humans and hair? It flows out and seems to lift all on its own like a great dome around her. Medium-sized Pokemon could probably seek shelter from the rain under that thing.

The last one, you don't know the name of. She was the more nervous female human. Her hair and dress are dark purple. She has a book in one hand and large glasses on her head. Of the three, she strikes you as... odd in a different way. Something about her presence reminds you of specters. Ah, it's because the essence of Ghosts are with her. A powerful presence indeed...

"Hey," said the Ghost lady. "Um, I'm sorry for capturing you. Here! The, um, the ball..." She offers it to you--a simple red and white capsule. For some reason, you feel insulted that it had caught you, as if that particular color was offensive.

"We're in a shelter outside the Dungeon it's safe," N confirms.

"It wasn't the way I was hoping for this to happen," Lenora said, "but... Cobble, these are the ones I called over. Elite Four Shauntal and Caitlin, the Ghost and Psychic specialists. Along with them is Darach, who is with Caitlin."

"A pleasure to meet you, Cobble," Darach said with a very formal bow.

Shauntal smiled nervously.

Caitlin appeared to be asleep while standing.

Current Status​

HP: 4/5+5
Energy: 4/9
Offense: 3+2
Defense: 2+1
Shadow: 1%

Considerations:
- (!) I need to try to learn more about the other divisions of the knights!
-
- (∞) ...
- (1%) ...

 

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

Considerations:
- (1) How might we get to Kalos?
- (1) What is it about the color of that capsule that offends me? Does it remind me of something?
- (∞) ...
- (1%) ...

What better than a greeting for the time being. While you have all their attention you get straight to the facts.

"Hello! It's good to meet all of you. Lenora must have told you about my problem. Do you think you can... sense anything about who I am? Or how I came to be like this?"

"Right, right!" Shauntal nods enthusiastically. "I'd be happy to help! Well, I'm more of a writer, you see, but my Pokemon! Oh, they would know! I'm sure of it."

Quickly, she summons one--a Chandelure, brimming with spectral energy. Chandelure's hollow eyes stare at you with interest. Next, she summons Gengar the same way, an eternal smile etched into his face.

"Do you see anything?" Shauntal asks.

Gengar's stare in particular is intense despite the grin. Then, suddenly, Gengar nods and disappears.

"Oh. Weird. He's frightened," Shauntal said. "Well, he gets shy around Dark Pokemon sometimes, so I guess that's natural..."

Chandelure's hollow gaze remained. An echoing, wailing groan came from its glassy body.

"Oh? Ohh, really?" Shauntal asks.

Chaneldure's spooky wail confirms whatever Shauntal heard.

"I see, I see... Well, you see--"

"Don't jump to conclusions," Caitlin said, and while her voice was dreamy, her words themselves were firm. "We will need time to discuss this... if you saw what I can see."

"Oh... um, okay," Shauntal says, nodding and withdrawing Chandelure. "Gengar! Gengar, where'd you go?!" she calls, stepping out of the tent.

And once again, you're left to yourself, at least for now as everyone settles. Your Poke Ball wobbles emptily in your hands.

You stare at the Poke Ball for a while longer, lost in thought, trying to recall why you feel so offended by this. You aren't sure what's special about it until Weavile's memories flash in front of you. There are a variety of Poke Balls in this world, specialized for certain Pokemon, or in general stronger and more expensive. There are even coveted balls that are extremely hard to make and distribute, said to capture things without fail.

And you... were captured by the least expensive, most mundane ball out there. A standard Poke Ball, no more expensive than a candy at the check-out aisle.

Now you understand why you are offended.

You simmer in that in silence while recovering and the others tend to Lenora and their Pokemon's wounds. There isn't a lot to say for the time being. You are still recovering. And, despite how dangerous everything was... you somehow survived? And still with Weavile, too...

Distantly, police are asking questions, and Darach took the liberty of answering what they needed while you recovered. Caitlin and Shauntal are still discussing their findings, though it sounds like they won't be done until tomorrow morning.

"Say, N... what happened to the Knights we rescued?" you ask when the thought occurs to you.

"They were evacuated further in to the rest of their Knights they seem worried for Weavile but I said he was killed in action which I do not think is a lie."

"Um... Sorry, can you say that again?" Shauntal titters.

"It's okay" Caitlin whispered in a dreamlike voice. "I understood him perfectly... They are fine."

"I think our primary concern... is your well-being, Cobble," Darach said, returning from outside the tent.

"Oh. I'm fine," you say. "A little beat up, but it's nothing some rest won't fix."

"Wonderful."

"In general," Darach said, "things have calmed down, though unfortunately I don't think the Dungeon is going to fade. A lot of people have suddenly become displaced. Hmm, a trouble for tomorrow, I suppose... They have shelter today."

"...But... I think we need to explain a bit, since you came here all this way. But first... If I, hypothetically, had to make my way to Kalos... How would I do that?"

"Kalos? Quite far from here," Darach says. "But that won't be a difficult matter. Considering the circumstances and what Lenora had explained to us already, we could get you a flight there tomorrow after some travel."

Oh. Well. That was easy. All things considered, that was the clear option to go... still, with all the help they were giving... Would it be wise to tell them more?

You aren't sure. And as the silence settles in, you realize you would have to say something quickly.

DECISION​

What do you tell the others?

1. Before I go, there's a lot we need to talk about. (Tell them everything.)
2. I can't explain everything, but... (Tell them the essentials.)
3. I'm... very tired, actually. I'd like to rest and go there as soon as possible. (Tell them nothing.)

Current Status​

HP: 4/5+5
Energy: 4/9
Offense: 3+2
Defense: 2+1
Shadow: 1%

Considerations:
- (!) How might we get to Kalos?
- (!) What is it about the color of that capsule that offends me? Does it remind me of something?
- (∞) I won't fight Xerneas.
- (1%) ...

 

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

Tell them just the essentials.

Considerations:
- (1) What goals are these E4 members after? Are they just here to help, or is there something else they want?
- (1) How does Weavile feel about going to Kalos? Would he prefer that we bring the other Knights with us?
- (∞) I'm not fighting Xerneas.
- (1%) ...

"Right..." You sigh nervously. This was going to be a lot. In all honesty, you don't want to tell them everything. Not only was it unreliable in some respects, but perhaps sharing too much out in the open could... paint you in a less favorable light.

Just the essentials. Just what you know for sure. That was best. You don't know what the Elite Four truly want--sure, it could be the protection of Unova, or the world. But what would that mean for you?

It is best to stick to the truth for now. You also feel as if Weavile is... conflicted about going to Kalos at all. But bringing the Knights could help. It would be better. Perhaps they could stop you if things go too far--find another solution. Would allying with the Knights help that...?

"In all honesty," you begin, "I don't know the whole story yet myself. I do have... amnesia of how I became a rock, and how I came to possess these kinds of powers. But I do know, for sure, that I have Yveltal's powers, or... something like it. I know that Dark Matter is after me, but I don't know what for specifically. And that I, the Knights, and Dark Matter are all related to Dungeons forming... and maybe, if we all leave, the Dungeons will also go away."

"Hmmm..." Caitlin's reply is first, though it's hard to tell if she's half-asleep or not from the explanation.

You add, "Have any of you ever battled against a legendary Pokemon before?"

"Oh. Yes, we have," Shauntal said. "Twice, actually!" She glances at N, who adjusts his hat. You wonder if that hat is real. "Aaaand we lost twice. But! We have some experience."

"Hm. Right... and I've heard all of Kalos is swallowed by a Mystery Dungeon. What sort of situation should we expect when we get there?"

Darach's expression is slightly grave, but there's a certain confidence in his eyes as well. "While it has become entirely distorted, the people within have adjusted to that kind of life relatively well. Many have been displaced, and it's certainly more dangerous, but people are nothing if not resilient to adversity."

"Well... make that what you will," you say, "but I'll be diving right in... and confront Xerneas myself. The outcome... I don't know what's right yet. Maybe I'll find out when I'm there."

"Oh, wow. We really got to the core of the A-plot, didn't we?" Shauntal says. She seems... excited. Worryingly so. You're concerned for that human.

"And what does this have to do with Kalos?" Darach asks. "Is Xerneas the origin of this?"

"I'm not sure... the information came from Dark Matter. But Xerneas--not this world's, but my world's--is corrupted and came over here to eliminate me. Perhaps... coming over to this world is what is causing the distortions. The Dungeons. I think they were common in my world, related to Dark Matter."

"I see... Yveltal..." Caitlin nods slowly. "You are very open. And cautious of the information you can trust. I think it is safe to tell you... about what we have discovered about you."

Shauntal nods. "It might give some answers? To be honest, I'm not totally sure what to make of it myself..."

"I'm quite curious what it could all mean," Darach said, "but it is not my palce nor expertice to expound." With that, he bows, as if to let Shauntal and Caitilin go over the details.

"Gengar and Chandelure are confident that you are Yveltal," Shauntal says. "The way they described your power... it can only be Yveltal, even if they never met such a Pokemon before."

"But what I sense," Caitlin says, "would paint a much more... thorough picture, along with their confirmations. Yes... Who we are speaking to now. I do not think it is Yveltal of your world, even if you... contain Yveltal."

At first, you're puzzled. But then, a strange cold seeps into you, even with your part-Ice body, at the ramifications of this.

"I sense within you... the psychic and cosmic waves of countless, countless minds, all bundled into a singly driven entity. Thoughts and considerations from many angles, only a select few surfacing at once... I believe you... are many. You are Yveltal, but also many more..." Caitlin nods. "I wonder what that means..."

"I'm... many?" you whisper. You look at your claws. You think back... to how you'd Claimed Weavile. How he had become a thought in your head, persistent and influencing. Even as you speak of fighting Xerneas, your heart is not in it.

These... thoughts in your head. Sometimes, you feel words tumble from your mouth that you didn't think to say, and yet did. And you followed along with it.

These thoughts... so diverse and conflicting...

The realization strikes you like lightning. You are Yveltal... and all the souls he'd claimed.

"Cobble?" Lenora asks. "Are you okay? You look... like you realized something."

Current Status​

HP: 4/5+5
Energy: 4/9
Offense: 3+2
Defense: 2+1
Shadow: 1%

Considerations:
- (!) What goals are these E4 members after? Are they just here to help, or is there something else they want?
- (!) How does Weavile feel about going to Kalos? Would he prefer that we bring the other Knights with us?
- (∞) The Lost City...
- (1%) ...

 

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

Tell them just the essentials.

Considerations:
- (1) If we all lost our memories, then what does it mean to be "me"? Do 'I' even exist, or am 'I' just the combination of everyone else?
- (1) Can I feel any of the souls within me besides Yveltal and Weavile?
- (∞) The Lost City...
- (1%) ...

The first thing you need to do is get their attention off of you. There's a lot of thinking to be done for now...

"I will be... fine. Thank you for your help. I don't really know what it means to be 'many,' but perhaps it... explains a few things. Do you have any idea how I ended up as a rock, though? Is that something that happens to spirits in this world?"

"Umm... no," Shauntal says with a nervous titter. "I'm afraid people don't usually become rocks like that."

"Although," Lenora interrupts, "now that I think about it, I did do some reading on just that before. I set it aside, not sure if it's useful... but maybe it is. They say that in Kalos, the power of Yveltal could turn those struck directly by its destructive beams into stone..."

She sighs, putting the hand of her good arm to her chin. "Still, they were just statues after that. No life to be found in them, not even to a Lucario's senses. Can't say the same for you, can we?"

"Mm, not at all," Caitlin agrees.

The silence settled in again, but this time it seemed the attention was not entirely on you.

"Well." Darach claps his hands once. "I suppose that's enough excitement for one day, yes? We shall find our flight tomorrow. Cobble, I trust you will also get some rest."

"Ah, uh, yes. Thank you."

Darach bows. "Feel free to use your Poke Ball if you would like additional comfort. They are naturally very cozy."

Says the human. But... they probably were, if Pokemon so frequently remained in them by choice.

But eventually, they did settle into their own tents, and the interviews from the police quieted down enough that you could rest for the night. You still feel that distant, hollow presence of darkness in your chest... but it's easy enough to ignore for now.

In that time, you quietly ponder... everything. Yourself. Your 'many' selves. If you didn't have any memories, and only worked on those faint echoes of impulses... were you any of those people anymore? Were they erased? Sealed? Would they come back one day... and if they did, would 'you' be erased instead?

That hollow darkness twinges at that, amplifying those dreadful thoughts. You shove them down.... You can feel it, or maybe it's a trick of the mind? The presence of so many lives within you. Weavile, the latest addition to a vast sea of souls, all within a single stone.

But why did it all happen in the first place?

"There was once a city," you say without realizing. You're startled at your body moving on its own--and then realize it's Weavile in a moment of your distracted weakness. But rather than use the opportunity to escape, Weavile is using the time to speak... "A city that lived simply and honorably within the forest that the Tree of Life protected. In this city--the City of Origins--Pokemon lived simple, ever-recycling lives. It was beautiful to them, so rapidly moving between life and death, with only faint dreams of who they'd been in decades' past. Not modern, not nomadic, but modest lives...

"That's the legend, at least... I never saw it in person. Few did. Because when Yveltal was defeated... the city, too, had disappeared. All that remained were lifeless... statues. In the center was Yveltal's own, petrified in a protective cocoon, yet not a shred of life inside. A perfect stone statue and reminder of death's self-destruction and evil nature... except for Yveltal's chest. Like something had been carved out and away... a small stone.

"Yveltal's heart had vanished."

Weavile's claw gently traces his chest where a small scar had formed where you had entered.

"Find Yveltal's heart, and destroy it: put an end to Death forever before it may rise again. Xerneas granted us the ability to see 'life,' and to search for life where there should not be any. To find life in the stone heart of Yveltal... and as our one sin, extinguish it. But..."

Weavile's claws tremble.

"But if the City of Origins resides in this stone, too... could we bear such a transgression against Life? Against so many..."

Weavile's arm lowers. You feel control return. Weavile sinks deeper into your mind as if to think to himself in death's abyss.

And you wonder, quietly... who you used to be. Or, who those voices were. And also what you must hone for your final confrontations in Kalos...

Your body and spirits rest, regaining your strength and vitality, and then some. Gain +4 HP, +4 Energy, +2 Offense, and +2 Defense.

Like a cork from a bottle, more and more strength wells within you... You feel as though you will only have one more opportunity to grow stronger after this night.

DECISION​

But until then, what more do you need?

1. I need the strength to strike them down. (+2 Offense, +4 Energy)
2. I need the endurance to weather their tricks. (+2 Defense, +4 HP)

Current Status​

HP: 14/9+5
Energy: 13/13
Offense: 5+2
Defense: 4+1
Shadow: 1%

Considerations:
- (!) If we all lost our memories, then what does it mean to be "me"? Do 'I' even exist, or am 'I' just the combination of everyone else?
- (!) Can I feel any of the souls within me besides Yveltal and Weavile?
- (∞) ...
- (1%) ...

 

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

I need the endurance to weather their tricks.

Considerations:
-
-
- (∞) ...
- (1%) ...

The night draws on. Your eyes grow heavy. Weavile had settled into the back of your mind, comfortable to let sleep claim him for now.

And you agree...

...

<><><>​

You're here again. That empty void in the pit of your heart.

You look around, shapeless, and will yourself into the form of Yveltal again. Weavile is next to you, though this time, his stance is much less hostile. He's clearly conflicted, and you know why. You'd felt why. But for now... he's his own person.

"...We would have killed countless of Xerneas' own," Weavile says quietly. "What... did she send us here for... surely, she knew the truth..."

"I don't know," you say gently. Closing your eyes, you remark, "And... thank you for telling us that story, Weavile, and for all you've done to help us. I'm sorry for all that you've been through on Yveltal's account, even if I don't know if we were really a part of that or not. It sounds like you've had to sacrifice a great deal to make it to where you are."

"Mm." Some of that gets to Weavile. Enough where he relaxes and steps away.

"And... I...!" But suddenly, it's a strain to speak.

Weavile pauses his grieving to give you an uncertain look. "Is something wrong?"

You open your... beak? to reply, but no words come, the movement is strained. You look at your wings and see little embers flaking off like dust in the wind. The embers never go out; they merely float there, bubbles of light, every time you move. Everything is hazy. Your vision is splitting in fifty ways at once, and then suddenly you lose sight of it all...

Until you--all of you--flake off of this hollow Yveltal, inert, floating souls in the abyss of Yveltal's petrified heart. Most of the souls are completely silent and unmoving. A few bob confusedly. And you, of course, are awake and aware, throughout those countless years of dormancy. The lucky, the strong, the surviving... whatever you are, it would be all of you who bear witness to this while conscious.

And then in the center, there is one soul different from all the rest. This greedy, hungry ember is a deep crimson-black. Two wings expand from that tiny ember, forming a Y-shape even in its very essence. The shape of the god of death, his very soul at its depths. Even with everything else stripped away, it was unique. It was not a mortal soul.

You all were.

Most of the souls coalesce again, drifting toward the flames, but few resist this and take on little, shapeless bubbles instead.

And then he becomes, at least in this vision, solid.

Red feathers lined with black accents. Intense, piercing eyes. An expressionless beak. Yveltal, your god of death, stands before you, looming tall. You are infinitesimally small, yet this avatar of the end grants you a rare exception to his indifference. He is watching you, the ones still awake.

"You're still here," he says. Even his voice rattles you differently. Just slightly differently. You feel the threat of sleep overtake you. But you resist. Perhaps Yveltal is not trying. Perhaps Yveltal can't. You don't know. But a small bit of hope remains.

Weavile nervously steps back. You've never seen the fear in his eyes like this before. His claws ball into fists and he attempts an Ice Shard, flinging cold daggers at Yveltal's chest--which you notice has a faint, cloudy mist obscuring it.

But Yveltal leisurely moves his wing and blocks it, and then points a single, black, skeletal finger at Weavile. Not even a word, not even a beam of energy. Only a pointed stare.

And Weavile falls, unconscious. You hope.

"Well, go on," he says, somehow both patient in tone yet hasty in words. His attention is to all of you again. "You already know who I am. You already know what you are. But tell me, souls who persist..."

He asks you a question. A very simple one for your former, mortal lives. And while things were once muddled and confused, suddenly, in this vision, in this instant, you are individuals again. And you can recall fragments of your past that you know are true. The lives--perhaps many, perhaps only one--that you had lived.

Perhaps to grasp it, to defy the avatar of the end, you feel compelled to speak what you recall. To immortalize it before the icy gaze of Death.

He asks...

WHO ARE YOU?










​

End of Act II​

And that's all for a short break! I'll give things 1 full week for you to come up with your individual answers. Perhaps it will mean something for the final act, and those final showdowns on your way to, and within, Kalos...

Current Status​

HP: 18/13+5
Energy: 13/13
Offense: 5+2
Defense: 6+1
Shadow: 1%

Considerations:
- (!)
- (!)
- (∞) ...
- (1%) ...

 

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

You speak of your time alive.

Considerations:
-
-
- (∞) ...
- (1%) ...

Yveltal listens with his eyes closed as the stories come, one, and then the next. Many other souls murmur, minds blurry, uncertain, or half-asleep. Weavile, not quite conscious, whispers something of duty for the world and all of its future generations.

Yveltal walks on an invisible floor. You realize that while you are some echo of corporeal, there is no floor to stand on. You are floating. Yveltal, meanwhile, had become more and more solid as the remaining souls--all but you, and Weavile--mesh back onto the death god's form.

You can see the detail of muscle beneath feathers; the individual claws and every little imperfection of the god's physical avatar. The feathers and strange, leathery skin, one indistinguishable from another while afar. The claws scrape on the ground, leaving silver, ethereal trails in the void.

"A jeweler thief," Yveltal summarizes, "meeting an eventual end, as they all do. And a faded hero meant to rest... and stay rested. But today you stand in a half-dead state, one push away from your quiet and rightful darkness. You are facing me in a way that very few do twice as the same person."

So entranced by his speaking, you don't realize until he's done that he'd completed a circle with the claws on his tail.

An arena. And shining above the trail of silver is a great dome, trapping you inside.

"I must thank you for keeping my heart, and my own immortal soul, safe from harm, by coincidence or happenstance," Yveltal says. "But I'm afraid the only repayment I have is my duty as always: your death, as it should be, so that I may continue my purpose in the delicate cycle of the mortal realm."

He spreads his wings and you realize he's serious. On reflex, you take a battle stance--and suddenly wonder, why? Would it... matter?

"I am sorry."

God of The End
Yveltal​

HP: ???

Yveltal studies you. "...You still wish to fight," he says. "But your power came from me. There is nothing left for you but your old selves. And... the mortals before me, what are they but leaves in the autumn wind? ...This is beyond your scope."

With a single wingbeat, a black gale sweeps over you. Weavile winces and holds strong, even as a strange, dark rot seeps into the edges of his translucent fur.

Yveltal's expression is like stone. "Fall."

Once more, he brings his wings back. And despite this, you stand. You wonder, in your innermost self, if you can still fight back. If you reach deep into yourself and call upon faded memories for one last struggle, what will manifest? You are still part of Yveltal, despite the great bird's words. In death, your spirit continues; what has it kept? What has it amplified?

What can you manifest to help you when you wake? Not if, but when; coming so far, a return to death is far too soon.

Quite literally facing the avatar of the end, it was time to do or die. Yveltal's Oblivion Wing charges...

What do you do?

MANIFEST YOUR POWER










​

Current Status​

HP: -
Energy: -
Offense: -
Defense: -
Shadow: 1%

Considerations:
- (!)
- (!)
- (∞)
- (1%) ...

 

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

Considerations:
- (1) I need to protect Weavile if I can!
- (1) Can I draw on the strength of the Fairy energy from within myself? From the void around me? From anywhere else?
- (∞) ...
- (1%) ...

You, the spirit of a heroic Beedrill, move in first. "I still remember the world I was fighting for. I might not have succeeded the first time, but I won't give up now! Why don't we work together to restore the world to the way it's supposed to be?"

You, the jeweler Minccino, move forward next. "I might not be alive anymore, but that doesn't mean I'm dead! I won't give up without a fight!"

Yveltal offers you no words in response. Instead, he beats his wings forward, sending a series of twisting, black jets of energy toward you. You dodge the first few, but then one strikes at your shoulders--which you suddenly realize are tangible again. Wincing, you both lose your forms quickly and drift toward one another. It's so seamless that you don't realize until a second later that your consciousnesses have merged once more.

Yveltal's eyes narrow. His attention turns to Weavile.

No! you think.

Another jet of deathly arcs through the void and toward Weavile, too weak to move out of the way. But you aren't. Without thinking much about it, you get in the death beam's way and hold out ethereal arms.

And the death beam deflects--against the facsimile of two drills, like swords deflecting an arrow. Behind you, another echo manifests: a pinkish jewel that radiates with life, or the imagined life of the past. Weavile grunts, but then stares upward with reverence. "Xerneas?" he whispers. And then realizes, instead, that he's staring at you.

"Not her," you say. "Just... Cobble, now," you continue, realizing that the only name you can agree with in your present state is 'Cobble.' "Now, come on! Up!" you encourage.

He listens, confused yet obeying on autopilot. He eyes Yveltal with helpless scorn.

Yveltal raises his wings again. You brace. This time, so does Weavile, ready to parry, to counter, to do anything in response to defy Death.

The god holds the pose for a while longer.

"...Very good," he finally says... and lowers his wings. The oppressive atmosphere relents at the same moment.

You're guarded. You can't rely on death to be honorable.

"Normally, such an attack would kill you, no matter how well you parry it," Yveltal points out. That feels true. "But as I'm sure you've noticed... we are at a stalemate here. Your will refuses to relent. But I am the proper host of the body. We shall clash here until only one remains. Now... I could patiently wait for you to give in... but I do not think that would be beneficial to either of us. Not when time is against us... and not when... mm."

He was going to say something. Yet he didn't. Even now, Yveltal held something back.

"...But there is much more to this. Your spirits, by happenstance or strength, have withstood my presence. That alone grants you the privilege of borrowed time... until we accomplish our common goal."

"Common... goal?" you repeat.

"With you?" Weavile hisses.

"Yes. With even you," Yveltal replies, marching forward. Weavile immediately takes on a battle stance and lunges for Yveltal once he's in striking range.

"No, stop!" you shout, but Weavile is faster.

Yveltal holds up his right wing and blocks Weavile's slash with his own claws. Rather than strike him down, Yveltal instead tilts his head in fascination. Where their claws had struck, a strange, pinkish-purple energy remains there.

Weavile kicks away and lands next to you again. He looks at his claws. "What... what is that?" he whispers.

"...The power of auras clashing from within," Yveltal says, looking skyward. "...An old, old friend told me about this. I think I understand the more... literal interpretation of it. All lives touch other lives... creating something anew and alive. In this case... even those who cling to life, touching that of the god of death, that cryptic statement holds true."

Auras clash; powers awaken...

The power of a lost hero:
World's Guardian: Before an attack that deals damage resolves, you may sacrifice HP. In doing so, that attack gains 2 points in offense for each HP sacrificed. This attack cannot be used at 1 HP, nor can it take you below 1 HP.

The power of a resourceful jeweler:
Lifegem Essence: After expending Energy, gain HP by the same amount before discounts after the attack resolves. Cannot overheal, and HP is only restored after everything else of the attack is completed.

The power of Death's avatar, and the power of Life's disciple:
Boundary of Life and Death: Once, and only once, if your HP is reduced to 0, instead heal to half your max HP.

Weavile grunts instead. "I don't think I care much about that," he says. "I can never work with Yveltal, the enemy of Xerneas."

"Enemy?" Yveltal says. "I'm afraid you've been misled by the plague that blights Xerneas' mind. We were never enemies. Perhaps to mortals, we are seen as opposites meant to destroy one another... but as gods..."

Yveltal brings a wing to his chest.

"Xerneas is a dear friend to me. I want nothing more than for her lives and her world to prosper. A prospering, thriving world creates more lives; more lives means more deaths. That is the cycle. That is how it should be... even if it manifests in different ways. Reincarnation, passing on, whatever means to continue the flow of life into, throughout, and beyond our worlds. And that is why... we have a common goal. Don't you agree?"

Weavile says nothing. He holds a glare, but his hatred seems to falter. Nothing Yveltal is saying appears to be a lie. In fact, you quietly wonder if it is possible to lie in this realm where your very soul is exposed...

"Then the common goal we share," Weavile demands.

Yveltal bows his head. "To free Xerneas."

Current Status​

HP: -
Energy: -
Offense: -
Defense: -
Shadow: 1%

Considerations:
- (!) I need to protect Weavile if I can!
- (!) Can I draw on the strength of the Fairy energy from within myself? From the void around me? From anywhere else?
- (∞)
- (1%) ...

 

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

I need the endurance to weather their tricks.

Considerations:
- What'll happen to all of us souls once we accomplish our shared goal? Will we really... disappear, forever?
-
- (∞) ...
- (1%) ...

"To free Xerneas... Do you know who, or what, we are freeing her from?"

It was a logical follow-up to Yveltal's explanation. As simple as it was, something about it feels odd.

"No," Yveltal admits. "I know it has to do with Dark Matter, but..." His head turns, looking down regretfully. "But something went wrong. It wasn't supposed to go this way..."

"Go this way," you repeat. "This battle between you and Xerneas?"

Yveltal nods. "But... that story is for another time. And it's not very important for what you must do next. Perhaps later."

Now that you pay attention to it, the void is getting brighter. Light at your eyelids. Daylight would come soon.

"Just know that something corroded Xerneas' mind, and I do not think it was Dark Matter directly. If we can defeat her... perhaps we can also remove that corrosion. And if not... then at least free her from herself."

From herself. In other words, if you aren't able to find some way to save Xerneas, then killing the god of life is the next best thing. Weavile bares his fangs at this, but in this world of souls, he cannot speak against it without lying. He says nothing.

You also wonder... what that means for you. When this is over, will you also sink back into Yveltal's cold welcome? After all, you'd died. Was this all just borrowed time? Was that... okay? The chilling thought bothers you, but you are too uncomfortable with the idea to voice it to Yveltal directly.

You instead ask a different question. "Do you know how your heart came to be in this world? Were you intending for that to happen, or did someone steal it?"

"That's another great mystery," Yveltal admits. "I should not be in a different world at all. None of this should be happening. Yet it is. I think... the work of an interloper is responsible for much of this. That interloper must be long gone by now, yet the aftereffects are what we're dealing with. Xerneas is at its epicenter. But I do remember... seeing the Voice of Life--a Hydreigon at the time--yet... realizing a moment too late it wasn't actually him... Hmm... I remember... one of that impostor's eyes was a glimmering crimson..."

That much made sense. You and Yveltal were both in the dark, but all of the evidence suggested "something" going wrong. And if Yveltal held no knowledge, and also didn't doubt Dark Matter, and if of course Xerneas was not acting as she should... a party removed from all of you was the next reasonable conclusion.

The void's light was a lot more annoying, suddenly. Coming in flashes over your vision.

Yveltal closes his eyes. "I will try to guide you from within," he says, "but my spirit is not the dominant one today. Perhaps... that, too, is an aftereffect of this interloper's work. Good luck. And when the power is right... I will try to channel one last surge of power into you, or whatever body you may occupy at the time. You will need it... for your final confrontation."

And, finally, the void fades to white...

<><><>
​

Groggy and stiff, you wake up sitting in a completely different position. There's a pillow next to your head and a strange, flat strap of cloth across your chest. You're sitting on something soft that has no life. You're also moving, and occasionally tremors bump you up and down.

"Oh, it looks like he's starting to wake up..."

Shauntal is sitting beside you. You realize that you're in some kind of metal-plated human contraption that moves at high speeds. You've never seen anything like it before, but Weavile's memories inform you that it is a car.

N is sitting on the opposite side of you, his gaze on the outside of the car with his hand on his chin. You're going down a rural road through some forest, but the trees are different. Shauntal is between you and N, and you spot Gengar pooled in the floorspace beneath your feet, staring at you. Caitlin appears to be snoozing on the front seat, based on her overflowing hair that crawls around the seat behind her. Darach is driving.

"Oh, wonderful," Darach says with a hum. "We decided that, even if you had to squeeze in the back seats a little, it would be rude to withdraw you while you are asleep. You were very out of it, though. But we are almost to the airport."

"We got into contact with Skyla," Shauntal said. "She's going to have a special flight for you all the way to Kalos! Since, you know, it could save the world, it took top priority over basically everything else."

"How's... Lenora?" you say.

"Oh, she stayed behind, but wished you well," Shauntal replies. "She's in no condition to follow after her injury, though. She needs at least a week to recover."

"Oh..." No goodbyes. But maybe that was for the better. But, Millie... What about her?

"I can tell you're worried, but it's really fine," Shauntal assures you. "Oh, but... your friend, right... Well. We didn't see any sign of her. Sorry... She must have left for someplace else."

Darach tilted his head and adjusted the mirror at the front of the ceiling. He seemed to be eyeing something behind the car.

Darach calmly floored it, and you're pinned to the back seat.

Current Status​

HP: 18/13+5
Energy: 13/13
Offense: 5+2
Defense: 6+1
Shadow: 1%

Considerations:
- (!) What'll happen to all of us souls once we accomplish our shared goal? Will we really... disappear, forever?
- (!)
- (∞) ...
- (1%) Hello again.

 

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

I need the endurance to weather their tricks.

Considerations:
- (1) What... what's behind us? o_o;
- (1) ...What does Dark Matter want from us? Whatever it is, there's a catch, isn't there?
- (∞) ...
- (1%) ...

Hey buddy.

You could sense his presence before you could do much else. The push against the seats is more than enough to keep you pinned while you gather your bearings and properly wake up.

Caitlin somehow sleeps through all of this. Shauntal turned back to peer behind the car and let out a scream.

N glances behind him and tilts his head in fascination. "Oh I believe that's dangerous."

And finally, as the acceleration lessens and you find your strength, you push yourself out of your seatbelt and look behind you as well, searching through the rear window.

And you see Millie, flying toward you on a pair of great, dark, feathery wings.

"I think we found where Millie went!" Shauntal cried.

Millie's arms dangled below her body like a puppet's limbs without strings. Then, once she was about fifty feet away from you, one arm twitched to life and pointed in your general direction. Black and red energy sparked at the tip of her finger.

You know that power. While faint, it was an echo of Yveltal's--a remnant of an old partnership. You know this innately... perhaps from Yveltal's influence.

Oh, Yveltal's power.

"DODGE!" you shout.

Darach spins the wheel and swerves into the adjacent lane of the narrow, two-way road. A thunderclap shatters the window next to you and several bits of rubble pierce the hull of the car, rattling somewhere between the interior and the outer layer. A scorch mark and new pothole rapidly leave your view as Darach speeds ahead.

Millie holds out the other hand, holding a... very dark Poke Ball. Out emerges a Lillipup--or, you can only assume as much, as what comes out is instead some misshapen, winged canine of black and red fur and feathers. It's faster than Millie and spirals toward the car, about to divebomb it.

I can already sense your skepticism, Dark Matter says, its voice rattling your mind. So be it. I will walk your corpse to the proper end my own way.

Lily smashes into the car's rear window, breaking it yet not quite breaking through. The car was made to be Pokemon-resistant, you imagine, to your fortune. Gengar, sloshing around in the car floor, seeps through the cracks of the car and emerges atop the roof, firing Shadow Balls at Millie and Lily as you gather your bearings. N has his eyes closed, looking very focused on nothing. His Zoroark form reveals itself, earning another surprised shriek from Shauntal.

Lily hops off the car again and aims for Gengar... only to completely miss, smashing into the ground. Lily left a crater there, and then dizzily returns to the skies to catch up.

Millie fires again, another complete miss, as if Dark Matter sees you somewhere you aren't.

"Well, this is a trifle," Darach mutters, rolling down his window. He whispers something into a Poke Ball. Then, he says, "I usually am not one to practice distracted driving, but this will have to be an exception!"

He withdraws a Poke Ball and points it outward, opening it in-hand. A Houndoom appears high in the sky, carrying the car's momentum, and shoots a five-pointed gout of fire toward Millie. An instant later, Darach fires the Poke Ball's withdrawal beam and rescues Houndoom before he hits the ground.

It forces Millie to weave out of the way, slowing her down for precious seconds.

Your destination is a minute or two ahead at these speeds. Whether you'd make it or not, you have no idea. But surely there is something you can try... Or even something to advise or help while riding in this strange contraption.

Current Status​

HP: 18/13+5
Energy: 13/13
Offense: 5+2
Defense: 6+1
Shadow: 1%

Considerations:
- (!) What... what's behind us? o_o;
- (!) ...What does Dark Matter want from us? Whatever it is, there's a catch, isn't there?
- (∞) A powerful Ice presence is ahead. Do you feel it?
- (1%) Surrender yourself and the rest will be spared.

 

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

Enervate on Millie!

Considerations:
- (1) If Dark Matter wants our help, we need to work as a team, not as vassals.
- ()
- (∞) ...
- (1%) ...

You can't help but wonder why Dark Matter is attacking at all, even as you try to climb out of the car. You figure out how to roll down the window--if only by accident as you step on the button--and resist the high winds outside.

"Careful!" Shauntal calls.

But then, innate knowledge, perhaps from Yveltal, floods in next. Dark Matter, a being of negativity... knows only negativity. Therefore, if you doubt, even if the majority of it is a belief in working together... what would Dark Matter see? It can only see the negative...

What a terrible partner. It's no wonder Yveltal severed paths with it.

You jump to the car's roof where Gengar is half-pooled into the roof as an anchor, blasting Shadow Balls like Darach's personal turret.

A few seem to hit Dark Matter, but all of them bounce off, doing practically no damage. It would take much more to make it falter...

That's when you go into action, pointing at Dark Matter once he's close enough. Enervating energy jumps from your claws and toward Dark Matter. Millie's face contorts from emotionless neutrality to an irritated grimace.

It raises Millie's arm and points directly at you.

SHOOM!

The wind is knocked out of you and you're blown into Gengar's forehead, pressing him directly into the car. That hollow coldness in your chest triples. Lily comes in next and comes in hot, snarling and slashing at your face while you're down... but it seems that Dark Matter is slow enough that Lily backs off before too much can be done to you.

For now, you've lost them. Dark Matter is too slow to catch up. You see it land in the middle of the road, kneeling. A dark aura intensifies but then fades out of view... Was it charging something?

Enervate slows Dark Matter down! It can't catch up!

Ouch! Lily's scratches deal 1 damage to you, and Dark Matter's strike adds 2% Shadow...

Thankfully, you have a moment to breathe.

Literally, only a moment. As you turn to look ahead, you narrowly duck in time as an icicle the size of your arm grazes your head feathers.

Something grabs you from below and tugs you through the car roof.

"Wonderful job, Cobble," Darach comments as Gengar firmly places a seatbelt over your body, failing to clip it closed. "Unfortunately, we have a new--"

He swerves the car as another icicle pelts the street the car had once been.

"--problem. I believe that is Kyurem's ice. I was not aware that it had returned... Thought it as under the care of a certain trainer."

"It is," N says, looking confused. "I am too far away to hear its voice but I wonder if something went wrong or if there is a new variable to this formula that we are not aware of."

"Always with formulas with you," Shauntal grunted, grabbing one of her many discarded draft papers and crumpling it up. "Hey, Caitlin! We could use a little help here!" She throws it at the back of her head, but the impregnable barrier that is Caitlin's hair deflected it effortlessly.

Up ahead, you see the first buildings of a city. And further ahead, you see its airport, your goal. One of the planes looks very different from the others, and also moving. Oh, that's Kyurem. A great, hulking dragon that is simultaneously massive and withered, with a gray and ice-encrusted body and hollow, yellow eyes. You sense, even from this distance, a coldness deeper than ice within its body. In fact, you see flecks of darkness in its ice as well... but it feels off. That isn't Dark Matter's.

They're on a hill, a final hill until the city, which was about a quarter mile away. Not very long at all in this car...

"Well! With our pursuer out of the way, this has suddenly become much easier!" Darach says. "Caitlin! If you may!"

"Hmmm?"

And finally, she replies. You have no idea if she's been awake the whole time or not. Caitlin raises her hand and gently holds aloft two Poke Balls, using her other hand to open the car window. From each ball, you sense two lives emerging and materializing on the car roof.

"Kyurem has a lock on us!" Shauntal cries. "We can't even get out of the car without being iced over! What do we do?!"

"I see." Caitlin hums. "Okay."

"Okay? Okay?!" Shauntal snaps. "What can we--"

You fear for the car's integrity on your approach. Is there anything you can do to defend it from incoming blasts? You only need to buy... perhaps a minute. But what?

Current Status​

HP: 17/13+5
Energy: 13/13
Offense: 5+2
Defense: 6+1
Shadow: 3%

Considerations:
- (!) If Dark Matter wants our help, we need to work as a team, not as vassals.
- (!)
- (∞) That's it! That's the same corruption in Xerneas! It... isn't Dark Matter's? What do you mean?
- (3%) ...

 

[Namohysip]

RESULTS​

Aura Shroud the car!

Considerations:
- (1) How strong is Kyurem? Do we stand any chance against it in battle?
- (1) Is there anyone in the airport besides Kyurem? Is there anything there that looks like it might be controlling them?
- (∞) ...
- (3%) ...

"Weavile, do you know any techniques that can provide stealth or create illusions?"

A plain negative is your vibe. Weavile was stealthy in the conventional sense; the magic of a Zoroark or a Ghost was beyond his grasp. So much for that.

It seems like a bad idea for you to leave things out in the open. Your first thought is to shroud the car--except, you'd only done that for yourself before. Would this be safe? No time to think. You try it anyway, clutching onto the seat fabric and channeling your energy through it. A pulse of darkness spreads through the car like food coloring in water, and the whole thing lurches downward, earning a startled cry again.

"Gengar?!" Shauntal cries as if this was something he could have done.

Aura Shroud... on the car! Triple Energy! Energize halves the result! -3 Energy!

And it seems he had caught on to your intent--and is helping you, pulling the car into the abyss. You peek outside in this abyssal realm out of sheer curiosity and see... a hollow outline of the road above you like seeing the outside world through a screen door. You even see the road markings trail above you. Below, the wheels are spinning on Psychic platforms managed by Caitlin's Pokemon, and for all you know Caitlin herself.

You can sense Dark Matter getting closer. And rapidly. It was definitely charging up some kind of speed boost. Hoping that you're close enough, you mentally shout back: "We're just trying to do what you asked us to do! We'll get a lot farther if we work together instead of fighting. Can you distract Kyurem for a minute? I can't guarantee the others will let you come with us on the plane to Kalos if you help, but I can at least try to convince them!"

Icicles pelt the ground above you, completely missing the car, even as your stamina wavers. The energy you'd taken from Dark Matter could only help so much against the car's sheer size. You can't hold it for much longer.

"We're coming back up soon!" you warn.

"That will do," Caitlin replied.

"What?" you ask.

"Just tell me when. Darach?"

"Of course, Lady Caitlin." Darach summons Houndoom again and merely offers a nod. Somehow, that's enough for Houndoom, in this relatively cramped quarters, to understand what to do next.

You're probably getting closer to the city at this point.

And then, Houndoom breathes into the device, and the car lurches forward. You lose your concentration and the car pops out of the ground. And then... kept going. Higher and higher on psychic paths and starry trails.

Shauntal passes out. N looks moderately ill. Darach calmly places the car's control stick to the 'N' letter. You can only assume this car was custom-made to help N feel better because you have no idea what else that would be for.

Caitlin appears to be asleep again.

And now you're weightless as the car loses altitude. You're pinned to the ceiling... and thanks to your new viewing angle, you see two things at once. First: Kyurem is staring at your vehicle, charging an attack--and it appears that the car's current trajectory... is directly toward the hulking ice dragon. Second: Dark Matter is flying after you, disobeying every single traffic law on the books as it leaves the streets in a ruined mess from the shockwave of its incoming speed. Clouds of debris and concrete fly behind Dark Matter's wake. At first, you think it will strike the car in the air... but instead, it goes past you and into the city.

Darach is looking through the glove compartment with the same urgency as someone searching for a lost quarter.

You have approximately ten seconds before impact.

Current Status​

HP: 17/13+5
Energy: 10/13
Offense: 5+2
Defense: 6+1
Shadow: 3%

Considerations:
- (!) How strong is Kyurem? Do we stand any chance against it in battle?
- (!) Is there anyone in the airport besides Kyurem? Is there anything there that looks like it might be controlling them?
- (∞) That's it! That's the same corruption in Xerneas! It... isn't Dark Matter's? What do you mean?
- (3%) Fine. First, Kyurem.