Errant Sword [KtK RP Thread; Mission 1]

[Hanafuda]

"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."

Josie stopped and abruptly turned to look back at Kupara. "Paradoxes?" She took a moment to calm down after her avalanche of questions. Oh, she did it again, didn't she? She always had a special interest in the Legendary Pokémon of the world, and she even wanted to meet one in person. She couldn't waste the opportunity to talk directly to one and even befriend them. Still, the mention of that word made her curious. Many have mentioned paradoxes before, and that mostly had to do with time. "You mean when someone travels back in time and changes history, right? Or does it have more to do with laws and physics?" She rubs her head with a leg. "Sorry, just wanna make sure."

 

[ShiniGojira]

A portal opening up should usually be something of concern. It was all colorful and shiny, and a bit nauseating if you stared at it for too long. Pixels wasn't quite sure if it was a good idea to just jump in, no matter how sincere the voice sounded.

Scales would probably lecture her if he knew about this, and that went without what the others would say about her not telling them about it. But she just couldn't not lend a paw to someone in need...

Okay, she tried to tell herself that helping others was the reason she went in immediately, but she could barely keep herself from bouncing in excitement at the thought of exploring another world (all by herself too!).

New sights! New people! Action! Adventure! What could she have done? Let this opportunity slip away from her? As if!

The pink skies and weird trees made it all worth it in her mind. Everything was so cool and new, a lot different than the previous worlds she visited! Reigning in her excitement was a lot harder when every little thing attracted her attention, but she had to speak to her new allies before she could fully envelope herself in the sights and galore.

"Hello, everyone! I'm Pixels, it's nice to meet you all!" she said, doing a formal bow before bouncing back onto her feet and looking around, the piles of keys around the place catching her eye. Ooh, those look like they'd be fun to jump in... oh wait, focus. Talk first then adventure!

Then her right ear twitched and she turned towards the Ampharos with a gasp. "You're a Poké-fied human too? Cool! I didn't know there could be other universes that had them too!"

 

[System Error]

"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."

“Ah, you're just promoted but not technically one I guess? I was hoping you’d disprove things. Well, at least there’s no awkwardness with wanting worship. I’m not into religion and stuff.” Nori deflates a little. Only a little. There’s still a glint in his eyes as he realized a novel ramification. He turns to his Pokemon with a grin. “But did you hear that, Pachi? We can understand each other here!”

The little squirrel answers with cheer, waving his arms and cheering. The other Pokemon or those logically able to would understand it: “That is neat, Nori! And we should be able to understand Qwilfish too!” But to Nori and any others, it would just sound like squeaks and chitters.

The boy’s excitement melts into disappointment. He slaps his forehead and takes a step back, shaking his head at the Klefki. “Okay, maybe we can’t. Guess the realm only bothered to unlock some of the doors.” His Pokemon blinks. Nori looks down with a huff before sort of sauntering away from the Klefki. Things could never be that simple. He looks around for someone else to speak with, or maybe someone else will talk to him first.

 

[canisaries]

Then her right ear twitched and she turned towards the Ampharos with a gasp. "You're a Poké-fied human too? Cool! I didn't know there could be other universes that had them too!"

Other universes were more nonsense, but Samson would play along. He rubbed the back of his head with a nubby hand. "Ha, well, I suppose I am. Though the way you said that makes it sound like you'd already turned into a pokémon before you came here. Am I right in assuming that?"

 

[ShiniGojira]

Other universes were more nonsense, but Samson would play along. He rubbed the back of his head with a nubby hand. "Ha, well, I suppose I am. Though the way you said that makes it sound like you'd already turned into a pokémon before you came here. Am I right in assuming that?"

"Nope! I'm a true and pure Vulpix! I just have some friends that are like you!" She shook her head, a paw muffling her giggles. "And it'd be really weird if I was a human though. I don't think my daddy would've let me lead the kingdom if I was."

 

[canisaries]

"Nope! I'm a true and pure Vulpix! I just have some friends that are like you!" She shook her head, a paw muffling her giggles. "And it'd be really weird if I was a human though. I don't think my daddy would've let me lead the kingdom if I was."

"Ah! My mistake. It's nice to meet you, though! Pixels, was it?"

 

[Nekodatta]

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

Oh, well... Then he probably was from really far away, because she had never heard of the Higgson tribe. She curiously looked at his badge, which seemed to have his name written on it in the same symbols Turo had taught her. So... was he actually from his tribe? Ah well, they had been both brought here.

« I see... "Safety In-spect-or"... So you are a guardian of your tribe and your duty is to keep them safe, Breve son of Higgson. » she said. She still didn't quite understand why he didn't have any weapon then, but that could wait. Other humans that had arrived didn't seem to have any either.
That was so weird. Were people from other tribes really that careless? That wouldn't do, if they were supposed to free these legendary creatures from whatever had trapped them.

« My name is Sada, and this here... He is Winged King, my companion. » she added, not without a proud smile. After all, she didn't know anyone else that had tamed a creature as beautiful as him.
The Koraidon simply walked closer, still standing straight on his two back legs, and dipped his head briefly.

« ... Can creatures talk where you are from?» she asked after a moment, turning to look towards all the other creatures that were gathering. Humans seemed to be a minority, and it was making her a bit nervous.

 

[IFBench]

"Well...you could say that," Breve said, adjusting his hard hat. "My 'tribe' would be the trainers doing the gym challenge. It's my duty to make sure gyms are safe and accessible for them."

"As for me being unarmed..." Breve took off the single, translucent pokeball on his belt, and opened it, letting out an Absol...who was also clad in safety gear.

"This is Temsik," Breve said, as the Absol looked warily at Winged King. "They're my companion, and their disaster sense is tuned towards safety violations. They're a great help."

"And as for talking...no, normally they cannot," Breve said, glancing around at the various talking Pokemon.

 

[Negrek]

Nate thought that he'd gotten pretty used to completely batshit stuff happening to him--unfortunately. Weird portal thing popping up out of nowhere was new, though. He examined the glowing rings of energy with skepticism. Something about them seemed to be telling him that it was perfectly safe, that he didn't need to worry about anything, that he'd be back here without even realizing he'd left. Exactly what you'd expect something trying to lure you into their creepy portal to say, basically.

Mightyena stared into the portal, too (so at least it wasn't just him seeing it--not some kind of hallucination, probably). Her ears were full forward, her tail raised. "Come on, Mightyena," Nate said. "Let's go somewhere less weird."

He honestly expected that to work. Mightyena might be way too confident for her own good, but she wasn't fucking stupid. Anything that began with a portal wasn't the sort of thing she'd want to get mixed up in.

Still Mightyena stayed exactly where she was, seeming to listen for something. She let out a short bark, tail starting to wag.

"Mightyena..." Nate started, but all of a sudden she was in motion, hurling herself into the portal. "Mightyena!"

And after that, well. What choice did he really have?

Nate ran forward, calling Mightyena's name. The world warped and twisted around him, and dimness gave way to garish pink skies, too-green trees growing in impossible looping shapes, and piles on piles of keys, stretching out to all horizons. It was bizarre. It was fucking unbelievable. Nate had never seen anything like--no. Of course he had. He knew this place. He knew...?

Mightyena bounded on ahead, scattering loose keys in her wake. "Look, look! I knew I recognized that portal! It's Clink!" A klefki floated up ahead, just above some kind of turtle pokémon thing.

Nate froze a second, stunned to hear Mightyena actually talking. Except no, wait. He wasn't surprised. That had happened the last time they were here, hadn't it?

The last time they were here. Nate pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, trying to concentrate. He could hear Mightyena up ahead yakking away at the klefki, metal sliding under her paws. They'd been here before, yes. There had been all that... all that shit with the hoopa, and the legends, and the people from other worlds. How could he have forgotten all that shit? How was he remembering it all again, just now? What the fuck was going on?

Something was messing with his head. And Nate did not appreciate that. At lot to chew on, there. A fucking lot. But at least for the moment, he knew, he remembered... Clink was a friend. Nate made a grasp for normalcy, put on a strained smile. "Hey, Clink. What's going on? How've you been doing? How's..." Shit. Fuck. Goddammit. "...Xanadu?"

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Did they really need this many people to take on one opponent? That was... concerning. A group this large was likely to factionalize. If they were this overpowered by their enemy, it likely wouldn't matter how many of them there were. Such a foe would just pierce their spirit's protection and put them at blood immediately.

Well, if the group was likely to factionalize, Codex wouldn't allow themself to be left to the side. They'd have to socialize whether they liked it or not. With a group that was relatively emotionally stable, ideally, and also one they could work with. The most viable group seemed to be the Absol, the dragon, and the two members of the phonetically-named species. They were used to Nightfall's baseline level of nervousness and it would be helpful to have someone whose fighting style they were familiar with. The phonetic species was unfamiliar to them, but for whatever reason it seemed there would be no avoiding those here. At least those two seemed... relatively stable. Even if the one without furs seemed irksome.

The dragon seemed to be enjoying themselves, at least? Codex reckoned that would be the best way into that group, so they went up to greet them.

"Hello. I am Codex of Truth, though you're welcome to simplify it to Codex. I'm a Hatterene, if you haven't met one before. Never met a dragon like you before, may I ask who you are?"

 

[Flyg0n]

"You mean when someone travels back in time and changes history, right? Or does it have more to do with laws and physics?" She rubs her head with a leg. "Sorry, just wanna make sure."

"A curious one you are, I see," Kupara said cheerfully. "Have no fear, I never grow weary of entertaining a bit of science..." She shifted to settled down more comfortably, then continued. "It's a bit... more than that. Let us think of the world as a great big web, if you will. Woven quite intricately, in a very particular pattern. But if something strikes the web, or causes it to become tangle, the entire web could unravel." As she spoke, Kupara drew a pattern in a patch of dirt before herm illustrating her words. "Fortunately, the world has a way of sorts of preserving itself. Such is where Terapagos come in. We are like... knots, preserving the great web."

"Of course, the details are a great deal more complicated. But that is the simplest explanation I can provide. Is that adequate, little spark?"

"Hey, Clink. What's going on? How've you been doing? How's..." Shit. Fuck. Goddammit. "...Xanadu?"

Clink bounced happily through the air around Mightyena before jingling up to face Nate. "It's you! Mightyena's human! Hello!" they chirped, tapping Mightyena lightly on the head in greeting. "Thank you for coming," they added meaninfully meeting Mightyena's gaze. They knew well enough to know whose idea it had likely been.

They'd hoped that perhaps the call might reach some old friends, and it was quite nice to see one familiar face. "Xavian is doing well!" Despite the correction, Clink didn't seem put off by the mistake. Just excited by the familiar face. "We see each other often when I am not busy with my duties. Although I don't believe he will be planning any more large parties for some time..." they said, with an awkward, tinkling laugh.

"And you, Mightyena and trainer of Mightyena?"

 

[Seren]

In her role as region champion, Kirsten was no stranger to answering calls for help. This was, however, the first time those calls came from some other universe. She'd eyed the portal warily when it had appeared in the midst of a training session, but both curiosity and her sense of duty combined to push her through.

The bizarre landscape was, naturally, the first thing that caught her eye as she emerged. The drapion by her side growled quietly, shielding his face with a claw as though the pastel colors burned his eyes. Kirsten rolled her eyes, but gave him a light, reassuring pat on the head. She hadn't time to collect the rest of her team, for fear that the portal would close and she'd miss her window. She had every confidence in Drapion's battle ability, but perhaps this might prove a unique bonding experience as well; Arceus knows they could use it.

Kirsten spotted their summoner, the klefki, as it began to talk, and she tucked her hands into the pockets (oh how she loved clothing with pockets!) of her unbuttoned overshirt as she listened, following along with the apparent problem. It sounded a lot like a normal Tuesday, except now the violent 'mon was a legendary. Her formal grin slipped into a frown, now wishing she'd gone back for her team after all.

She cast a glace towards the strange crystal turtle, a pokemon she wasn't familiar with, and immediately her brain began trying to slot the puzzle pieces together. The crystals here looked unnatural, as though they weren't supposed to be a part of the landscape, with everything around them seemingly dying (although, who could honestly say what did and didn't belong here, where floating keyholes in the very fabric of reality were commonplace?). But Clink didn't seem suspicious or anything of the crystalline-looking 'mon - Kupara, it had been called - so it probably wasn't the source of that issue.

There was chatter as people began to speak - apparently, some of them had been transformed into 'mon upon arrival, while some, like her, had not; that was interesting - but Kirsten was distracted by another growl from Drapion. A quick sideways glance brought a woman and a large lizard-like 'mon into view. He was probably agitated by the large 'mon for some reason or another. It had risen to its back legs and spread out an impressive crest. Some kind of show of strength, most likely. Yeah, that would do it. She lay a hand on Drapion's armor, a silent order to stand down. They weren't here to start fighting over someone else's home.

Kirsten wandered over to the klefki, Drapion on her heels, where another man was already engaged in conversation with the sentient keyring. She put on a professional smile as she approached. "Hi there, name's Kirsten," she said, more for the stranger's benefit than the klefki - she suspected Clink already knew who she was, somehow. "Sorry to interrupt your... reunion?" Her eyes caught the stranger and his mightyena for a moment, wondering just why these two were already familiar with their host. "Tell me, are these crystals that are... growing-" the word came out sounding like a question, "-around here, are they natural?" Her gaze drifted subconsciously towards the crystalline turtle. She blinked and re-focused on Clink.

 

[Flyg0n]

"Tell me, are these crystals that are... growing-" the word came out sounding like a question, "-around here, are they natural?" Her gaze drifted subconsciously towards the crystalline turtle. She blinked and re-focused on Clink.

Clink turned away, staring for a few moments at Kirsten, distracted briefly from their excitement. It was another moment or two before they collected themselves and replied. "I am afraid not. They are..." their voice trailed off. "I am not sure yet, of their origin. But I know they are connected to what is happening." There was a note of reluctance in Clink's voice. Concerns and suspicions they didn't seem ready to share yet.

"And I know they do not belong here. Every door to a legends domain is blocked by them." Clink floated over to tap the nearest crystal, which encased a rather distinct sword shaped keyhole. The shimmering keyhole flickered dully within, and a matching key was embedded in the crystal itself. Ashimmering glow spread from the key that seemed to be slowly eroding the crystal. "I am still able to use my power to open them, but it is growing more and more difficult..."

 

[ShiniGojira]

"Ah! My mistake. It's nice to meet you, though! Pixels, was it?"

"Yup! Nice to meet you too, mister... um–" She just realised she didn't know his name. Huh. Best to just act like she did then. "So... ooh, your necklace looks really pretty. Where did you get something like that?"

 

[Hanafuda]

Let us think of the world as a great big web, if you will. Woven quite intricately, in a very particular pattern. But if something strikes the web, or causes it to become tangle, the entire web could unravel." As she spoke, Kupara drew a pattern in a patch of dirt before herm illustrating her words. "Fortunately, the world has a way of sorts of preserving itself. Such is where Terapagos come in. We are like... knots, preserving the great web."

"Of course, the details are a great deal more complicated. But that is the simplest explanation I can provide. Is that adequate, little spark?"

Josie nodded as they heard every word attentively. Oh, being called 'little spark'... That sounded embarrassing, but she appreciated it. It was a breath of fresh air after being called 'JoJo' so much. "Yeah, I got all of that." She looks down at the illustration below. "As someone who can make web myself, it's only natural for me to understand this allegory. So, you make sure that these paradoxes don't destroy the world, right? That sounds like a huge weight on your shell." She looks disheartened after saying those words.

 

[Negrek]

They'd hoped that perhaps the call might reach some old friends, and it was quite nice to see one familiar face. "Xavian is doing well!" Despite the correction, Clink didn't seem put off by the mistake. Just excited by the familiar face. "We see each other often when I am not busy with my duties. Although I don't believe he will be planning any more large parties for some time..." they said, with an awkward, tinkling laugh.

Mightyena wagged mightily while Clink bounced through the air around her, snapping playfully at their keys. "Oh, yeah," Nate said, rubbing ruefully at the back of his neck. "Probably a good idea to take it easy on the parties for a while." That was good, anyway. Considering that what Xavian had gone through was the sort of thing that could leave people gibbering out of their mind for life, the fact that it sounded like he was mostly back to normal had to be some kind of miracle.

Mightyena barked a laugh. "Well, that's good! He should come play sometime! We barely even got to meet him before."

"And you, Mightyena and trainer of Mightyena?"

Nate's smile faded. What exactly... had happened since he'd last been here? He wasn't sure. He wasn't actually sure how long it had even been since the last time he was here? "Uh, we're good, you know. Fine."

Mightyena exchanged a look with him. One way or another, it would be hard to describe their recent situation as "good." It was weird, remembering everything that had happened here last time. What they'd said to each other. And they hadn't been able to take any of that back to their real lives? It felt kind of fucking pointless.

"It was fun to be back with my team," Mightyena said, which, yeah, at least that was true. "But it's so good to see you again! Maybe someday we'll be able to bring everyone over to meet you."

She put on a professional smile as she approached. "Hi there, name's Kirsten," she said, more for the stranger's benefit than the klefki - she suspected Clink already knew who she was, somehow. "Sorry to interrupt your... reunion?"

Nate was distracted from his thoughts by a new arrival. A woman all in red and orange, giving fire trainer vibes--but that was a drapion with her, not any kind of fire-type at all.

Right... if this was anything like last time, Clink probably would have brought a bunch of people in, right? Not for a party this time, apparently, but it wasn't like he and Mightyena alone would be able to handle much of anything. Nate hadn't been paying attention to the other people occupying Clink's realm, but there were a fair number here, weren't there? A lot of pokémon. Including that drapion. Nate gave it a brief appraisal. Looked pretty strong.

"Hey," he said. "My name's..." And then he was stuck for a moment, remembering the last time he was here, and trying to lie low. Turned out that was pointless, the chances of actually meeting anyone from his world were apparently fucking tiny, and he'd kind of given up on it, but would it be weirder to pretend to have forgotten the whole "Mitch" thing or not?

Well, fuck it. He was going to sound like a fucking weirdo for that gigantic fucking pause anyway. "...Nate," he said finally. "Anyway, yeah, these crystals," time for a goddamn change of subject, "There's supposed to be a legend on the other side of them? Which one do you think it is?" He glanced at Kirsten. "I ain't exactly up on all the fucking legends out there, apparently."

 

[kyeugh]

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

"Hm. Last time I ask a sheep for something." He tried to ignore Sun’s triumphant chuckling from up in the tree, but couldn’t stop his ears from twitching in annoyance.

"Hey, Clink. What's going on? How've you been doing? How's..." Shit. Fuck. Goddammit. "...Xanadu?"

“Wait. You’ve been here before?” Ferry asked, tail sweeping low. “So you’ve escaped once before, then. I would like to hear more about this if you are willing to tell. From someone who is not fae,” he added, practically hearing the klefki perking up helpfully before it happened.

He knew “fairy” was the right word to use here, but… it always felt a little weird, coming from his mouth.

 

[System Error]

For a bit after that, Nori was content to sit on the grass and relax with his Pachirisu by themselves. He leaned back, holding himself up with his arms while stretching out his legs. The boy looked up at the sky. Definitely a magical world. Though from the looks of it, he was the only younger person here? Everyone else seemed to be an adult or a talking Pokemon. Or, in at least one case, a human who got transformed? Well, at least he was used to being the odd one out.

As the subject of the crystals comes up, he looks over at them. He actually didn't notice what they were doing to the land before, but now that he got a good look at them... “Crystals,” he mumbles to himself as he puts a finger on his lips. One thing came to mind, he learned about it in geography class. “Crystal Pool? No. It's not like this there.” It was just a passing thought.

 

[Nekodatta]

Well...you could say that," Breve said, adjusting his hard hat. "My 'tribe' would be the trainers doing the gym challenge. It's my duty to make sure gyms are safe and accessible for them."

Sada furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, trying to follow what the other was saying. He was using a lot of words that she didn't know. Gyms? Trainers? It was probably some kind of role or title in his tribe, like hunter, or shaman.
"So people come to take challenges in this place called a gym... is it like a test of courage to prove that you are ready to become a full member of the tribe?"
She asked, curious. She always liked to know what other tribes did. Some had to climb a really tall cliff or tree alone, some had to prove their might by hunting a creature, or sneak into their den.

"For my challenge, I had to grab a tuft of fur from a Slither Wing while it was sleeping, and escape unarmed!"
She jumped back and pointed her spear forward when another creature appeared out of thin air, surprised. After a moment, she realized that it probably belonged to Breve.

« I've never seen a creature like that before... nice to meet you, Temsik...»

Hello. I am Codex of Truth, though you're welcome to simplify it to Codex. I'm a Hatterene, if you haven't met one before. Never met a dragon like you before, may I ask who you are?"

Winged King turned a questioning look at the Pokémon that had approached. His scales itched, his instincts warning him that this creature was his exact opposite in terms of capabilities and that it could prove a formidable match... But he wasn't here to fight.
Well, not to fight her, at the least. He turned briefly to look at his human companion. It seemed that here, Pokémon could speak freely with their humans and be understood... But he wasn't quite sure if he really wanted to reveal he could do it.
Knowing his human, she would take advantage of the occasion to absolutely pester him with questions that he really didn't feel like answering. He answered instead in the common language of all Pokémon.

« I have not. You look a bit like what my human calls Brutal Bonnet in my world... But stronger. As for me...» he unfurled his antennae into feathered wings, raising his head proudly.

« I am the Winged King, the Apex Dragon, the one who split the land in two with his bare fists!» he announced proudly with a resounding roar.

« No one is a match to me!»

... Well, except the other of his species that had beaten him senseless one time forcing him to look for a new territory, but he wasn't here! No one needed to know that!

 

[Flyg0n]

"Anyway, yeah, these crystals," time for a goddamn change of subject, "There's supposed to be a legend on the other side of them? Which one do you think it is? I ain't exactly up on all the fucking legends out there, apparently."

Clink wilted in the air, their keys rattling as their cheer immediately faded. For a moment they didn't speak, trying to find a way to reply, before saying in quiet voice, "this is the door to Keldeo's domain."

The meaningful look made it clear this was the same one they had known.