Errant Sword [KtK RP Thread; Mission 1]

[Flyg0n]

Hello! Can you hear me?

Amiable spirit... Please, if you can hear my voice, I beseech you to come to my aid.

My name is Klefki Clink, Guardian of the Gatekeeper Realm.

My realm and those who call it home are in danger. Alone, my power is not sufficient to save it. Lend me your help, just for a little while, and I promise to send you back unharmed, as if you never left.

Please.... I need you...​

You get the strangest sense that the one calling can be trusted...

Glowing concentrics circles manifest in your vision, like an elaborate portal. The promise of safety and returning without issue are ones you innately somehow know to be true. Maybe you will help...

..
...
....
.....

You step through the portal, and emerge in the strangest place, straight out of a fairytale or fiction. Sunset pastel skies, trees growing shapes like something from a cereal box, and all over, piles upon piles of keys. As far as the eyes can see, there are keys upon keys, of every conceivable shape and size, and then some.

Dotted here and there are strange crystal formations, piercing the landscape in jagged and unnatural ways. Dark aura oozes from these, staining the otherwise bright landscape. And deep inside these are dull, floating keyholes...

Before you hovers a rather unusual looking pokemon, like some kind of living key ring. A tiny metallic body that forms a loop, upon which dang a variety of keys. Behind them, on a little bed of keys, rests an odd crystalline turtle pokemon with indigo scales, looking weary but excited, its eyes shining and as it takes in the travelers.

---

“Welcome!” Klefki declares, "To the Fields Between Worlds, or as many call it, the Gatekeepers Realm." Despite the cheer in their voice, there’s an almost forced note, underlied with clear relief. It seems to be trying very hard to project professionalism. “Thank you for answering my call! My name is Clink the Klefki. As I said in your vision, this is my home. I guard the doors that lead to the domains of the legends of my world.” Clink seemed to realize something, then added, "in this world, there are places known as domains. Domains are like pockets in a worlds reality. Hidden areas. Legendary and mythical pokemon reside there when they are not traversing this mortal realm of gardr."

Clink’s body droops and the keys on its body chime in a low note. “Except ever since some time ago it changed... now it's like this.” They gestured to the world around them, and all the crystal structures. The grass around the crystals was tainted and withering, and they appeared clearly sickly.

“Normally I can enter and exit as I please, but ever since these crystals grew, it takes a lot more effort to open the doors. And then the legends inside....” Clink shivered, rattling their key collection. “They’re usually pretty friendly, or at least not hostile. But now they’re very malicious. And those who live in their domains suffer. My power in there is limited, but with your help, maybe we can figure out what’s going on... and save them.”

Gesturing toward the closest crystal, which contained a keyhole trapped inside, Clink continued, “I will open this one, and attune it to your spirits, now that you are here. But please, try to get to know each other while you wait. You’ll be working together, so it’ll help to not be strangers!”

Clink started to head towards the crystal, then paused. “Oh! If you have questions, please do not hesitate to ask me or Kupara.”

The Terapagos, who up until now had seemed to be resting, rose its head and dipped it in greeting to the new arrivals.

 

[IFBench]

Breve was pretty sure that those piles of keys were a safety violation.

Not a severe one, mind you. On the scale of violations, it would be "Low", the second lowest level. Normally that'd only necessitate a fine.

But this was far from normal. This wasn't a routine gym inspection. This was an alternate dimension that he found himself in, after listening to a call for help and walking through a portal.

He should probably have been more careful, but he was here now.

And the Klefki was talking. Because why not?

Now, Breve wasn't a complete stranger to talking Pokemon. That one Meowth from Kanto existed, after all.

But this was certainly strange.

Though at the very least, they didn't seem malicious.

That talk about legends being malicious, though...that was worrying.

But he wasn't one to turn down someone in need. That's why he became a gym inspector: to keep people safe. And this Klefki, Clink, their home was in danger of becoming unsafe.

That still didn't excuse the piles of keys, though.

Breve waved at Clink, and said, "Hello! I'm happy to help, but how stable are those piles of keys? If they were to collapse, that wouldn't be good."

 

[Flyg0n]

Clink stared at Breve, seemingly caught off guard by the question. "Stable?" That wasn't what people usually ask when brought here. Usually Clink heard 'where am I!' or 'Why is the sky pink'.

Their gaze shifted to their precious piles of Keyes, then back to Breveas they mused. "Well, I'm not sure. Perhaps not very stable? I don't think they'd be for anyone heavier than me... But I'm light and they're not dangerous to me since I can levitate."

 

[canisaries]

When the portal appeared in front of Samson, he had a strong feeling he was meant to walk through. Such a strong feeling that it may have been the Creator himself that willed it. He quickly called his wife and let her know that he might come home later than usual, though he also felt like whatever adventure this portal promised would bring him back not long after he entered - from his world's point of view, anyway.

That settled, he entered, and found himself in a magical-looking place. A klefki named Clink was there to explain the circumstances, and Samson listened closely, knowing this was important to whatever test the Creator must have brought him here for. Once Clink was done and the person wearing safety equipment asked his question, Samson crossed his arms --

His arms didn't feel normal. His hands, even less so. He looked down to meet the sight of two yellow, furry arms ending in nubs. His eyes widened, and he inspected the rest of his body - the body of an ampharos. He stared at it for a moment before trying to move his tail. Somehow, he managed it - quite naturally, too.

He faced the klefki again, but remembered that he was also allowed to ask the crystal tortoise-looking mon. He stepped up to them and breathed in.

"Um, hello, I'm Samson," he began with a little wave. "Do you, um, know why I've turned into an ampharos? Is that supposed to happen?"

 

[Shiny Phantump]

There were a great many experiences Codex of Truth had gotten used to since leaving their coven. This was not one of them. This was a weird one, and listening to Clink wasn’t seeing it begin to make much more sense.

“Sorrows,” they cursed. “You need someone to go fix the Suffering Dimension, and you call upon a Hatterene of all things. Not your best plan, I’ll be honest.”

Though, Codex didn’t seem to so much be addressing Clink as much as they were complaining about them in the second person.

The took a tally of the species around. People were still arriving, but they’d already noticed one particular species seemed to be occurring several times. Their eyes flitted through the crowd before settling upon one member of the unknown species.

“And why summon so many of this one species? What’re they called?”

 

[Flyg0n]

Clink tipped to the side and floated closer to the Ampharos that had arrived. "Oh hm... that is odd. You mean to say you were not an Ampharos before you arrived? I-"

Kupara clears her throat, then begins to speak, her voice clear and high, but all the same bizarrely hard to grasp. "-see you ,time with do to has It .really simple quite s'It !explain can I".

Kupara stops speaking and frowns, apparently thinking hard before speaking again. "Ah. Sorry. How I mean to say is, the process of summoning involves bending time, just a wee bit." Her eyes twinkle with excitement. "It's not exactly like a river, it's like a prism. It retracts and bends in unusual ways depending on how one interacts with it." She speaks matter of factly, but with excitement as well, eyeing Samson with interest. "When pulling someone from another place, that timeline can shift into a different wavelength."

Studying him, she continues. "Or to say it simpler, your soul received a new body to accommodate you here."

 

[Nekodatta]

Sada had heard a mysterious voice call out to her, and since it had mentioned needing her help, she had accepted without thinking too much about it. She had stepped through the weird rippling circles in the air, and now found herself in a bizarre world, completely different from anything she had ever seen. The sky was pink! And there were strange trees and... Weird piles of what looked like little misshapen arrowheads just dumped on the ground.

And hovering in front of her was a creature like she had never seen.

« Are... you the one who spoke to me? » she asked, eyes going wide as she grasped the long spear with a sharp looking stone point she was holding. She had never met a creature that could talk! And here it was full of them!
There was even the adult form of a Spark Tail(Mareep)!
She turned towards Winged King, who had followed her and was sniffing the other glowing creature, apparently attracted to it, and narrowed her eyes at him.
Could all creatures secretly speak? Was the big lizard hiding something from her?

She thought it had been another human to contact her, but... she had already said she would help, she couldn't back away now.

« S-so... We have to help you free these... Creatures, right?» she asked both "Clink" and "Kupara", before looking around her with a critical eye.

Thankfully another person was there, and also seemed interested in the pile of objects on the ground. She silently observed him for a moment. The man was dressed strangely, but she could understand him, so he couldn't be from a faraway tribe like... Like him-

She picked up one of the arrowheads from the ground to better examine it, and clicked her tongue.

« These are all wrong! How can an arrow even fly straight with such a heavy and unbalanced point attached to it? What kind of hunter made these?»

Whoever it was, he needed a lot of practice.
She cautiously eyed all the various creatures present, stepping closer to Winged King as she gripped her spear tighter. They didn't seem to mean any harm, but... Being around so many of them wasn't something she was used to.

 

[Flyg0n]

Kupara felt a ripple across her scales as she eyed Sada. Oh that was... very interesting. Her crystalline body seemed to tingle, just as it had from when they'd called. What were the odds of calling one like her? Well technically, Kupara knew the exact odds but... Fascinating nonetheless.

« These are all wrong! How can an arrow even fly straight with such a heavy and unbalanced point attached to it? What kind of hunter made these?»

Clink jingled eagerly up to Sada, and spoke cheerfully. "They're not arrowheads! They're keys! They open locked things. Many kinds of doors, or chests, or other things that are locked!" Perhaps this one they had called wasn't from a place with many locks. How very tragic. "And yes... here we call them legendaries. They are very powerful pokemon. A bit like your friend there," Clink added dipping their body towards the Koraidon. "We will enter their domain- er...territory, and hopefully fix whatever has caused them to become corrupted."

 

[IFBench]

"Well, I'm not sure. Perhaps not very stable? I don't think they'd be for anyone heavier than me... But I'm light and they're not dangerous to me since I can levitate."

"Then I'd like to request that you either cordon them off, or guard them some other way. While they might not be dangerous to you, they're dangerous to visitors such as us," Breve said to Clink, flashing his badge. "While this isn't an official safety inspection, it's still good to keep safety in mind."

Turning away from the Klefki, he looked at the Hatterne, and waved. "Hello! We're humans!"

Then he noticed someone investigating one of the key piles, and hurried over towards her.

"Please be careful!" he exclaimed. "Those piles of keys are dangerous, and if you were to disrupt them, they could collapse onto..."

Then he noticed the weapon the woman held.

"...is that a spear?"

 

[canisaries]

Studying him, she continues. "Or to say it simpler, your soul received a new body to accommodate you here."

Samson brought the nubby end of his arm - which he would probably still call a hand from now on - to his chin. "Ah. I see."

Not that other timelines actually existed - it was sci-fi nonsense. The Creator had made exactly three worlds - heaven, earth and hell - and His time was spent managing those alone. However, it wouldn't be polite to start arguing. That would already be one test failed.

 

[Hanafuda]

A Joltik came in after the other individuals, looking around the new realm she ended up in. It was a world of whimsy, indeed. The pink sky, trees with extravagant shapes and Klefki claiming to be its guardian were evident enough. And here she thought she had seen it all after a few Trick Rooms and fairy fields.

Nonetheless, she was here now, having decided to help with whatever crisis was happening here. She remained quiet as everything was explained. So, the Legends of this world have become malicious, huh? She shivers a bit. Was she really gonna have to confront them? What if she got squished? No, she was agile enough with her web. There was no time to worry.

Oh, right, there were others around the place. So, she was also gonna work together with all of them, huh? Of course! Big Pokémon to compliment her small size!

But first, she wanted to make sure to know about the indigo crystal over there. She skittered towards Kupara and waved a leg. “Hi! I’m Josie. Josie the Joltik.” The way she said that quickly… Sheesh, hearing ‘Jo’ twice in quick succession sounded as dumb as always. “I’ve never seen any Pokémon like you before. Kupara, was it? Nice to meet you! What Pokémon are you? Are you a Legend, too?”

 

[Flyg0n]

",Terapagos a am I" Kupara replied. "Apologies. That is to say, I am known as a Terapagos. I believe some humans have written books about me. Perhaps to some I am a being of myth and legend, so yes, in a way of speaking I am a legend." Of course, she was also different from other legends she knew of. Different in grandeur and power, even from one like Celebi. An odd placement, to be sure. Perhaps even... paradoxical she thought, smiling inwardly.

 

[Hanafuda]

“Oh, man, I need to know more about you. What should I ask first?” Josie skittered back-and-forth with an excited look on her eyes. She even started to talk quickly and without pause. “What’s your specialty? Do you also uphold the balance of the world like the other Legends do? Why do you look so cute? How did you become friends with Clink? What do you like to eat? Do you have any hobbies outside of your duties as a Legend?”

 

[System Error]

Nori Carino would like to tell you he was doing something important at the time some weird rip in reality appeared. The truth was he was meandering around Veilstone City with hesitation. His heart and brain and mind were telling him what he needed to do, but he also wanted to avoid what it entailed. He shuddered at the mere thought of it.

Water? That was something he had a crippling phobia of. But some giant pink portal appearing in the middle of the air? A well of courage rose up in him, and he stood ready to face whatever might come out of it. The promises don’t even reach him. Suddenly, the Pokemon at his feet squeaked something and rushed in. “Pachi!” he called, running full bore after his companion without even thinking.

In the otherworld, a Pachirisu with sleek and healthy fur that’s maybe a little over average size appears first, skidding to a stop in awe. Then out rushes a short boy in his early teens, if that. He is wearing a shirt that clearly depicts the exterior of the Sunyshore Gym to anyone familiar with it. It happens all at once: the change of scenery, him trying to absorb a lot at once, slowing down but not stopping, not looking down at his feet...he yelps as he somehow trips over his own Pokemon. At the very least, his arms go out and he breaks his fall. He spends the introductory conversation lying on the ground with the Pachirisu standing protectively after some initial panic.

He finally pushes himself up and gets to his feet as the Klefki finishes speaking. “Huh. That is...so. Cool!” he gushes, punctuating it with a hop and pumping both arms. His eyes are like sparkling rubies. He heard about this! “We’re like, the heroes in an isekai anime! This’ll be great! Of course we’ll help! My Pokemon would love it! Most of them, anyway. Um, why can I understand you?” He rubs the nape of his neck, suddenly realizing he was talking to a Pokemon. “Is this some psychic thing or a legendary trick? Are Klefkis legendary here?” There is some sort of smirk of anticipation on his lips...

 

[kyeugh]

"Whoa! This place is weird!" Sun skipped merrily along, wide eyes reflecting the shimmering pink skies. "Where are we?"

Ferry cast an uneasy glance behind his shoulder. Everything had looked normal not a few minutes ago, and then the sky had changed. Now they might as well have been in the Court of the Fae for all the whimsically shaped trees and towering mounds of trinkets. It did not seem like a place where mortals were meant to tread.

"You don't know where we are, do you? Ha!" Sun cackled.

"Of course I do," Ferry growled. "We just need to go a little further. Quietly, if you please."

"Okay! La la la..."

Ferry, at least, remained silent as the meditite chirped incessantly ahead. This was a strange place - the grass swayed without breeze, and the temperature of the air was impossible to gauge.

After a few minutes, they happened upon a gathering of other people and pokémon. Ferry's shoulders slackened with relief. Before he was able to consider what he would say to the others, Sun bounded forward gleefully.

"Hey everyone!" Then he scampered way up one of the trees and perched in its branches, dangling his feet.

"Sun," Ferry said. "Sun!"

"So what is this place?" the meditite asked.

Ferry pulled his lips back in a snarl. Blasted little chimp. He scanned the crowd quickly before his eyes landed on an ampharos. Perfect.

"Ampharos," he called politely, "could I trouble you to call a bolt of lightning onto that tree?"

 

[Nekodatta]

Clink jingled eagerly up to Sada, and spoke cheerfully. "They're not arrowheads! They're keys! They open locked things. Many kinds of doors, or chests, or other things that are locked!

Sada furrowed her eyebrows at the little creature's words, not quite sure she understood exactly what purpose a "key" had. Most "doors" she knew of were simply a piece of cloth hung on the entrance of a tent, and there was no reason to want to keep it closed... But she knew what a chest was... Kinda.

« So they are a way to keep things closed. Like stopping pests from stealing from your food storages. That makes sense. Very wise. » she nodded slowly.

She felt a strange shiver across her back as her eyes landed for a moment on the other shining creature. It was almost mesmerising to look at: she stared, absolutely sure that she had never seen it before but also feeling a strange feeling of familiarity with it. She wanted to move closer, examine it. Talk with it, maybe? It felt like that creature could make her wildest dreams come true.

Then he noticed the weapon the woman held.

"...is that a spear?"

She was distracted by the only other human approaching her. She blinked and looked away, focusing her attention on the man. Weird clothes... not as weird as Turo's though.



« ... Yes? » she answered, bewildered. He sounded surprised. Why didn't he have a weapon with him?



« What tribe are you from? I've never seen people with your clothes at the trading grounds. Why did you come here unarmed?»

---

As for Winged King, he was currently scanning the crowd of other Pokémon. He was pleased in seeing that he seemed to be the bigger Pokémon present at the moment. Good.

Just to be sure, he still raised himself up on his back legs, spreading his feathered crest wide.

He had understood what the other Pokémon had said immediately: this was a clash over territory!

Something he was really familiar with.

 

[IFBench]

"...tribe?" Breve asked, bewildered. "Er...I suppose the Higgson family?"

The woman baffled him. Those clothes, the terms, the spear, all of it felt out of a history book.

Then it hit him.

The turtle Pokemon had mentioned time, hadn't they? Perhaps they were not all from the same era. Perhaps this woman really was from long ago.

"Ahem. I apologize. I don't think we're from the same place," Breve said, showing his badge. "I'm Breve, safety inspector."

 

[canisaries]

"Ampharos," he called politely, "could I trouble you to call a bolt of lightning onto that tree?"

It took Samson a moment to realize he was being addressed. "Ah, um..." He tapped his chin. "I don't know if I know how to. I wasn't an ampharos just a few minutes ago, I was a human. But I can... try?"

He looked at the tree and noticed the the meditite in it.

"Oh, no, I couldn't," Samson said to the lucario. "Not while they're up there. That would be dangerous!"

 

[EonDuoLatios]

The Latios assumed the call for help came from a power higher than his - or, alternatively, from a Pokemon who has more power than he does. The speech that the Klefki - Klink, as he seemed to call himself, seemed to signal that his call was for Legendary Pokemon - it would make sense to pit legendaries against other legendaries, wouldn't it?- but looking around, he found that he was sorely mistaken.

He wasn't too surprised by the pastel skies, the dark crystals, or even the piles of keys; he assumed that they were just something natural in some other realms. But among the Pokemon around him, the only one that he could recognise that was legendary was the Yidawang, standing beside -

Humans, he realised. Those creatures only showed up in legends of all, but if they were to be believed, they would have ruled over himself if they actually existed, and even a Magikarp raised by them would be stronger than himself. That was probably the reason why they were called over.

He floated upwards into the air, slightly higher than the humans, and made his presence known, with a voice that could ring out far.

"Greetings, friends. My name is Shou'an, and I am the leader of the Northern Kingdom of Tianxia. I am very honoured to be with all of you here."

 

[Flyg0n]

“What’s your specialty? Do you also uphold the balance of the world like the other Legends do? Why do you look so cute? How did you become friends with Clink? What do you like to eat? Do you have any hobbies outside of your duties as a Legend?”

Kupara blinked, surprised by the boundless curiosity Josie possessed. She hummed in thought for a few moments before replying rapidly,her tone airy yet cheerful, unperturbed. "My hobbies include glassworking and gardening, I enjoy eating enigma berries. Any berries really," she added. "Especially the rare ones. So many that don't grow in the current present. I am... unique among legends as far as my place goes." She'd apparently chosen to tactfully avoid answering some of the questions, but the confidence she spoke with made it easy to forget.

"I do not uphold the balance in the way they do, at least not alone. But my kind are rather integral to any world. Or most worlds, at least. My specialty is rather complicated." She paused for a moment, turning the question over as she considered how to answer. "To simplify, one might say my specialty is paradoxes."

Um, why can I understand you?” He rubs the nape of his neck, suddenly realizing he was talking to a Pokemon. “Is this some psychic thing or a legendary trick? Are Klefkis legendary here?

"No tricks," Clink says firmly. "I am... unlike other klefki in my world. As a Gatekeeper there are certain abilities I possess that others of my kind do not. I myself am not a legendary, though, simply a protector and ambassdor." There seemed to the ever so faintest note of a sort of sadness, or perhaps longing, as they spoke of their differences from their species.

"It is an honor to act as guardian of this realm. It is also a facet of this realms power that many of the boundaries between language are unlocked-" at this they gave a muffled metallic noise that was like laughter, seemingly amused at their joke, "so you are able to understand me freely, as you are the others called here."