Gatekeepers Realm - Clink's World

[ShiniGojira]

They came barrelling through the portal, their momentum carrying them further and further before they came tumbling down onto the grassy ground like a bunch of beach balls rolling down a hill.

June groaned, his head dazed from the rough landing. "Ooh, who's got the number on that mon?" He rubbed his scaly head, attempting to ease his roaring headache. "Warn me next time when you're gonna do that, Eves," he mumbled, glancing around at his colorful surroundings.

The other trainers and their Pokémon were already here, some taking the chance to have a breather on the soft grass, others chatting amongst themselves, and then hovering over them were giant glowing keyholes, each as colorful and bright as the world was and for whatever reason, there were also dozens of random keys piled up and scattered about everywhere.

Weird... He hummed, glancing at the keyholes. "Hey, Eves," he started, turning towards his partner. "What do you–Oh god!"

The sight of Evie pulling out shards of glass out of her paws and legs made him run towards her without a second thought. He walked over the tossed-aside pieces of glass, the smell of blood making him feel a little ill.

"Evie, are you okay? No, of course you're not. You're bleeding, oh God, oh jeez. I–" Evie shut off his panicked rambling with a harsh 'Shush'.

"I'm... fine–" She spat out a glass shard. "–I've experienced worse..." she grunted, hissing at the pain.

"Worse or not. We need to get you patched up," he said, glancing around frantically. "Maybe the other trainers have something they can help us... I'm pretty sure I have some sitrus berries left, maybe even a couple potions–"

Evie extended a paw with a wince, pushing him away. "No, I can heal myself. We can save those for when they're needed..."

Ignoring her protest, June pushed her paw down, making sure to not hurt her as he did so. He stared into her eyes, a steeled determination burning in them. "No, Eves. Let me help you. You don't need to waste any more energy than you need to. Orzo can wait, that Klefki said we're safe her. You don't have to worry." Seeing her shoulders tensing up at his last sentence, he sighed, giving her a soft smile. "Come on, do it for your old pal. We've been through worse and we were moderately okay after. Plus, I need to repay you for all those times you've saved me. Please, Eves? Just let me help you for once."

The look in her eyes wavered and knowing he'd cracked that tough shell, he scoffed, shrugging with a playful smirk. "Heh heh, and besides, you promised me you'd relax a bit more during this vacation so checkmate."

For a moment, Evie stared at him and he wondered whether he'd said something wrong but those worries were quickly tossed aside when she let out a soft chuckle. "Alright, I guess I can let you be my hero for once," she said, shaking her head. "You're lucky these wounds aren't too serious, otherwise..."

Grimacing at the sudden implications, he muttered, "Yeah... I just realised that this... may not have been the best time for a heart-to-heart talk..." He scratched his cheek with a sheepish grin.

Evie giggled, rolling her eyes at the Charmander. "Well, get going then. My wounds won't be healing themselves now, will they, Mr Hero?"

Without wasting another minute, he took out a couple potions and sprayed it on her wounds. But they were quickly discarded and stored away when he heard about the berries. He picked up a couple of fallen berries from a nearby tree and returned to her side.

"Here, Eves. Magical Berries, fresh straight out of the tree," June said, a toothy grin on his face. "Now, now no need to thank me. Your awe and love is all I need."

Snorting at his silly antics, she threw one of the berries at him, eliciting a surprised cry from him.

"Ow, okay. Probably deserved that." He chuckled, grabbing the dropped berry and taking a bite out of it with Evie joining in with a chortle.

The two then ate in silence, enjoying the short peace that seemed to always accompany the oncoming storm.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Clink stared at the ground, still dazed, not responding for several moments. They carried themselves with a dejected air, head low. "I just... If I'd realized sooner..."

They turned slowly to Mightyena and Aggron. "I can't believe I didn't see it util it was too late. I helped. I wanted to do this festival I asked the mythical pokemon to come. How is that not my fault?" Distress rang in their voice. "What kind of gatekeeper am I? How could I be so blind?"

"You're the kind of gatekeeper who believes there's good in the world," Steven said quietly. "And that a festival celebrating friendship between humans and pokemon should have been held without malicious intent."

His gaze turned from Clink and swept over the meadow of assembled trainers and their partners. All these people he never would have had the chance to meet.


He gave Clink a gentle smile. "I see no fault in that."


"The one who is at fault, though, is the Golden King, a creature who harbors hatred in its heart. That's not you, Clink. And, if I may speak for the others, that's not us either."

"Let us know what we need to do to find Darkrai and ask him for his help. Whatever he needs us to do, we'll do it."


Aggron snorted in agreement. "My trainer is good with the fancy words, but he's right. We're not gonna let that golden jerk get his way. He hurt us, he hurt you, and he hurt our friends. Let's make him pay."

 

[Sinderella]

"The one who is at fault, though, is the Golden King, a creature who harbors hatred in its heart. That's not you, Clink. And, if I may speak for the others, that's not us either."

Odile's head perked up, and she raised her wings frantically. "̵H̶O̴L̵L̵U̵H̵ ̶H̶O̶L̵L̷U̴H̶ ̵H̵O̶L̶L̶U̶H̵ ̴H̴O̶L̶L̴U̴H̸,̸"̶ ̶she raised her small dragon-like fingerf in front of her face, "̷H̵O̶L̷L̵U̵P̵.̸"̸

She took a deep exhale and smacked her teeth together. "̴I̴ ̸n̴e̶v̵e̴r̵ ̴f̶u̴c̸k̷i̸n̶'̶ ̵o̴n̸c̷e̷ ̷s̷a̸i̶d̴ ̷I̵ ̶d̶i̶d̷n̷'̷t̷ ̴h̸a̸v̸e̴ ̵h̷a̴t̴r̴e̶d̷ ̷i̸n̸ ̸m̷y̸ ̸h̶e̶a̵r̷t̶,̸ ̵n̷o̸w̴ ̸y̶o̷u̷'̵r̸e̸ ̷s̷p̶e̸w̵i̷n̷g̴ ̶n̵o̶n̵s̶e̵n̴s̶e̴.̷"̸


"..."


Odette smacked the back of her hand to her forehead. "Odile, that's not a good thing."

"̸O̷k̴a̶y̷,̷ ̵o̶k̸a̸y̸,̴ ̴o̶k̷a̸y̵,̶ ̶o̷k̸a̷y̸,̴ ̶o̸k̴a̶y̶,̴ ̶o̶k̴a̶y̵,̸ ̷o̵k̶a̷y̵,̵ ̶o̶k̸a̶y̵,̸ ̸o̷k̴a̷y̶,̶ ̴o̵k̸a̴y̸,̷ ̶o̶k̸a̸y̵,̸ ̶o̷k̶a̷y̵,̶ ̴o̸k̶a̴y̸,̵ ̵l̸e̶t̸ ̴m̸e̴ ̸r̴e̷p̸h̴r̵a̵s̴e̸ ̶m̸y̴s̷e̶l̴f̷.̸"̴ Odile squared her humongous shoulders and cleared her throat. "̴I̴ ̶n̶e̷v̸e̴r̶ ̷f̷u̸c̸k̶i̸n̸'̶ ̶o̵n̶c̴e̵ ̸s̶a̵i̸d̸ ̶I̵ ̷d̴i̵d̷n̵'̴t̸ ̴h̸a̴v̴e̴ ̶h̶a̶t̸r̴e̷d̴ ̴i̸n̵ ̵m̷y̵ ̸h̸e̵a̷r̶t̴ ̶t̶o̵w̵a̸r̷d̶ ̸p̶e̴o̷p̴l̶e̷ ̶w̵h̶o̴ ̸a̷r̸e̶n̷'̴t̸ ̶h̶e̴r̸e̵.̴"̶ She threw a look over her shoulder. ̷"̴T̶o̴ ̴s̵o̶m̴e̸ ̴e̴x̸t̷e̴n̵t̶.̷"̵

Then, she grinned. "̷A̵l̶l̶ ̷o̵f̶ ̸t̴h̶a̷t̷ ̶t̴o̵ ̴s̴a̷y̶ ̴I̴ ̷t̷h̷i̶n̴k̷ ̷w̷e̸ ̴s̵h̸o̷u̴l̵d̷ ̵k̶i̵l̶l̴ ̷O̷r̸z̸o̴.̴"̶


Odette lowered her head even more. "What does one have to do with the other, dude?"

"̷F̵I̴G̷H̴T̶ ̶F̸I̴R̶E̷ ̶W̷I̸T̴H̸ ̷F̶I̶R̷E̵,̶ ̶B̴I̴T̷C̶H̵.̸ ̷H̵E̸ ̷W̵A̷N̸T̶S̸ ̸T̵O̶ ̷B̸E̷ ̷A̵ ̴H̸A̴T̸E̴R̶,̵ ̴I̵ ̶C̷A̸N̵ ̵B̶E̴ ̴A̷ ̷B̶I̷G̴G̷E̴R̵ ̷H̸A̴T̵E̴R̶.̶ ̴N̶O̶ ̴F̴U̴C̷K̷I̸N̴'̶ ̴M̸E̴R̴C̷Y̴.̴"̸

 

[Sinderella]

(“Xavian said that bonds have power here. Maybe… with the power of our bonds, we can stop Orzo somehow.”) She looked at Odile. (“Love, not hate. Love for each other. Though maybe… hate is a bond, isn’t it? Enemies have a negative connection, but it’s a negative connection nonetheless.”)

Odile sent Victoria a look that sat on the border of disgust and confusion.

“̷Y̶o̸u̴ ̴s̷o̶u̷n̶d̷ ̴l̷i̵k̵e̴ ̶a̴ ̸f̵u̴c̸k̵i̸n̴g̴ ̶h̸i̵p̵p̶i̵e̸.̴”̶

 

[Sinderella]

(“Thank you! You know, Wallace was a hippie back in their college days. Isn’t that right, Wallace?”)

(“Why don’t you tell us what you did?”)

Odile shuddered as her breathing picked up pace. "̵I̵ ̴m̸e̴a̶n̴ ̸t̷h̴i̵s̶ ̴i̴n̷ ̸t̴h̴e̸ ̴n̴i̶c̵e̸s̸t̴ ̶w̶a̸y̷ ̸b̷u̶t̵ ̵I̵'̸d̷ ̶r̶a̵t̶h̷e̸r̴ ̵s̶h̸o̸v̴e̶ ̸a̷ ̴w̸h̸i̷t̵e̴ ̶h̴o̴t̴ ̷s̴c̷r̴e̶w̸d̴r̷i̴v̴e̸r̶ ̴u̶p̶ ̴m̵y̴ ̴n̶o̷s̵e̸.̴"̸


"ODILE."

"̴W̸H̶A̷T̷,̵ ̵C̷A̶L̶M̷ ̸Y̴O̶U̵R̵ ̴F̵U̶C̷K̶I̵N̸G̶ ̶T̶H̴O̴N̶G̸S̴,̴ ̵I̶'̸V̸E̴ ̶D̷O̸N̸E̴ ̵I̵T̶ ̶B̴E̴F̴O̵R̶E̷.̷"̸

 

[MintyMimix]

Clink shrank away more at Violet's exclamation. Everything was all wrong.... "I couldn't," they muttered. "Even opening that portal, enough to bring everyone here, took everything. And perhaps it is for the best I did not," they added, pure bitterness in their tone. "I surely would have brought Orzo too, like a fool."

Violet lowered her hand from her head as she heard the Klefki's reply. There was a brief moment of surprise at hearing them speak outside of their usual noises, but she shook it off quickly. There had already been more than enough strange things going on — a minor one like that was merely another key to the pile.

"I... I see," she responded as her voice lowered and she looked at the others that assured Clink. "My apologies." Perhaps being tossed around around everywhere had made her far more exhausted than she had anticipated; she was ready to project her frustrations on the one whom had just saved them, after all.

Clink seemed to ignore May's question, though shame still showed in their body language. They looked up, searching gazes of the assembled trainers. "Thank you," they said quietly. "The other mythicals may not be able to help us right now, but there's one who might be able to help. Darkrai. He can help us ward off the mind games Orzo-" their voice wavered when they spoke his name, "the King likes to play. We need Darkrai if we're going to face him."

Despite her daze, Hazel listened carefully to the ongoing conversation as her ears perked up. Darkrai. That was familiar name. It only made sense that if the being of dreams had been invited, her counterpart would also be around. And yet...

"We weren't able to find him around the island, though," Hazel remarked as she nestled herself more comfortably in Violet's lap, "Are you able to reach him? What's he like?"

Wait. Maybe the solution to stop Orzo wasn’t hate, but rather…

(“Xavian said that bonds have power here. Maybe… with the power of our bonds, we can stop Orzo somehow.”) She stared at Odile. (“Love, not hate. Love for each other. Though maybe… hate is a bond, isn’t it? Enemies have a negative connection, but it’s a connection nonetheless.”)

"L-Love??" Hazel squeaked as she tucked in her legs to make a loaf in Violet's lap. "I-I mean—that is—yes I suppose that would be a very reasonable hypothesis..." she agreed, teetering off as she ruffled her coat to fan herself. Why was it getting so warm in this dimension?

Odile shuddered as her breathing picked up pace. "̵I̵ ̴m̸e̴a̶n̴ ̸t̷h̴i̵s̶ ̴i̴n̷ ̸t̴h̴e̸ ̴n̴i̶c̵e̸s̸t̴ ̶w̶a̸y̷ ̸b̷u̶t̵ ̵I̵'̸d̷ ̶r̶a̵t̶h̷e̸r̴ ̵s̶h̸o̸v̴e̶ ̸a̷ ̴w̸h̸i̷t̵e̴ ̶h̴o̴t̴ ̷s̴c̷r̴e̶w̸d̴r̷i̴v̴e̸r̶ ̴u̶p̶ ̴m̵y̴ ̴n̶o̷s̵e̸.̴"̸

"ODILE."

"̴W̸H̶A̷T̷,̵ ̵C̷A̶L̶M̷ ̸Y̴O̶U̵R̵ ̴F̵U̶C̷K̶I̵N̸G̶ ̶T̶H̴O̴N̶G̸S̴,̴ ̵I̶'̸V̸E̴ ̶D̷O̸N̸E̴ ̵I̵T̶ ̶B̴E̴F̴O̵R̶E̷.̷"̸

"...In your current form?" Violet wondered aloud as she winced at the painful image. "Which I must say, is rather imposing. Is this what thou would a 'battle' form, or a 'true' one, I wonder?"

Hearing Violet's inquiry, Hazel shook herself out of her flustered state as she yoinked out her cell phone to take notes. "Actually, that's not a bad idea, Vi!" She said with a cheerful smile. "I think we all ought to share any kind of signature moves, abilities, or whatnot that we each got! That way when we finally confront Orzo, we can play off each other's strengths!" Anything she could learn more about these strange circumstances and stranger people was always fascinating, but learning about her comrades would be an incredible boon.

Violet smiled and quirked a brow at Hazel's untranslated talkativeness. She hadn't been used to the Weavile speaking aloud so much rather than using her device, but it was a welcome change to hear her adorable meows. The turned to Clink and asked, "...Doth thou hath the capability to 'unlock' language in this dimension? A bit of a silly question, though it be may useful if we could have a direct line with our Pokémon rather than speaking through a median, no?"

 

[Flyg0n]

(“Gatekeeper? Are you… a deity of some sort?”)

At the mention of Darkrai, Victoria’s heart stung a bit. From the stories she had heard from Wallace’s studies, Darkrai was a malevolent deity who brought nightmares—sometimes endless nightmares—upon their prey.

Well, Orzo deserved that kind of hell.

Still, Victoria was hesitant. (“Darkrai? You’re friends with Darkrai?”)

Clink quickly shook their head. "Deity? No no, nothing like that. I just keep the keys to the mythical pokemons homes safe. I don't have the special powers they do and I'm not very strong... I'm sure there's stronger Klefki out there."

At Victoria's question, they nodded. "Darkrai is... he is not like the other mythical pokemon. He doesn't trust easily. But he is good. He will help, if we ask. But he has grown accustomed to being feared for so long he did not wish to make himself known."

"You feel what you feel," she said. Certainly she knew what it felt like to have failed someone you loved. And even if someone else told you it wasn't your fault... Well, sometimes it just was, no matter what anyone said. "But I still believe in you. And I don't blame you for anything. We wouldn't have found the other hoopa without you, and we all would have gotten taken just now if you hadn't been there for us. So... thank you. And please don't give up hope. We'll get your trainer back, all of us together."

"The one who is at fault, though, is the Golden King, a creature who harbors hatred in its heart. That's not you, Clink. And, if I may speak for the others, that's not us either."

"Let us know what we need to do to find Darkrai and ask him for his help. Whatever he needs us to do, we'll do it."

Clink managed a nod, determination growing in their expression. "...You're right. I have to try to do whatever I can now..." they gave a resigned sigh. "And I can't give up hope. For Xavian, and all those other trainers."

I'll save you. No matter what. They vowed silently.

Aggron snorted in agreement. "My trainer is good with the fancy words, but he's right. We're not gonna let that golden jerk get his way. He hurt us, he hurt you, and he hurt our friends. Let's make him pay."

"Yes," they said, their voice low but firm. Make him pay. "He won't get away with any of this."

("I say we cook Orzo into salad, with feta and lemon.")

A smirk grew on Chef Flygon's face, and devilish twinkle in his yes. "Oh ho, an excellent suggestion. It may be the only thing that makes him remotely palatable," Chef Flygon rumbled. "Or useful." Despite the note of optimism in his tone, his body remained tense, his tail twitching.

Victoria looked up at Clink. ("Forgive me for this question, Clink, but what do all of these keys do? Where do they go? Could they go to other worlds, worlds where we can get help? Can they lead back home if Orzo won't do so? Can they... send Orzo to some sort of punishment dimension?")

Clink shook their head sadly, sending the keys on their loop jingling. "Crossing dimensions is beyond my power. These all lead to the homes of mythical pokemon, or other realms here. But I know the mythical pokemon will help us. They see true friendship in all of you. And strong as Orzo is, I know they'll get away and try to regroup. And then maybe we can fight back..."

As they spoke, they floated over to a pile of keys, sifting through them to withdraw one shining gold, with a black and red base, and added it to their keyring...

“Hey,” he called out, “Do we have any idea how long we’re going to be stuck here?”

"I don't know," Clink admitted. "Orzo won't be able to get to us here but... If we go back to the regular world then he'll be waiting. I'm sorry. I don't know when we can leave. Not until he's gone."

Violet smiled and quirked a brow at Hazel's untranslated talkativeness. She hadn't been used to the Weavile speaking aloud so much rather than using her device, but it was a welcome change to hear her adorable meows. The turned to Clink and asked, "...Doth thou hath the capability to 'unlock' language in this dimension? A bit of a silly question, though it be may useful if we could have a direct line with our Pokémon rather than speaking through a median, no?"

Clink tipped their head thoughtfully, then nodded. "If you like, I could try to do that. It won't last forever but it'll work while you're here."

But, at the mention of the bottle, her hand dove into her backpack, and she pulled it out by the neck. After examining it for any signs of damage, she looked back over at Clink.

"Can this be useful in any way, or am I just lugging around useless glass right now? Your key opened the box this was in. What gives?”

Clink's eyes widened. "Thats!!" They darted over to the bottle, and dipped and weaved around it, examining it. "That's a prison bottle! That means-!"

They cut off abruptly and glanced frantically around the clearing, seemingly searching for something. He has to be here...

And then Clink spotted it - A telltale wisp of pink and a pair of horns, peeping out from where Wes lay sprawled in the grass. "I was right!" Clink shouted, rushed over to them. "You're him! The real Hoopa!"

Slowly, Hoopa emerged, looking around warily, then nodding.

Clink turned back to the group of trainers. "After that night when I got poisoned on accident, and then Shaymin's flower saved me, I started to wonder. So I snuck into Orzo's room and found that key, hidden behind a painting. I wasn't sure what it was for. Then I realized that if he was disguising himself as the ordinary Hoopa... well he must have done something to the real Hoopa at some point. Otherwise we'd know. This world doesn't have two Hoopa's. If Orzo really was a fake, then the real was still out there."

Hoopa managed a smile. "So you help free Hoopa too? Thank you."

Hoopa floated forward, still slightly wobbly but looking stronger than he had before. Even so, he gave Odette and the prison bottle a wide berth. "If Hoopa can get rings back, then can get everyone home." Their gaze settled on Wes and Odette, and Nate. "Hoopa wants to help."

 

[Negrek]

So these were the keys to other mythical pokémon's worlds, huh? Disappointing that they weren't a way home, but that was interesting anyhow. Though they couldn't possibly all be special mythical keys, right? No way there were this many legendary pokémon around. Nate had a strong suspicion that someone had a bit of a key habit, "gatekeeper" or not.

He perked up a bit at the mention of language. If Clink could make itself understood around here, then maybe it stood to reason it could extend that ability to other pokémon as well.

Wait a second. That had been the obnoxious medieval-talking chick, hadn't it? Nate grimaced and prodded at the pile of keys. Yeah, the gang was all here and shit.

There were more important things to worry about right now. Somewhat guiltily, Nate turned towards where Hoopa had emerged. He had to admit he'd forgotten about the guy entirely in all the excitement. But if there was anyone who'd have an idea of how to defeat another hoopa, it had to be him, right? "Do you think the prison bottle will work on Orzo?" he asked. "I mean, I'm guessing that's how he got locked up to begin with, right? Can we just bonk him with the thing and call it good, or what?"

--

Mightyena's tail wagged faintly as Clink gathered themselves and set about trying to answer the others' questions. It was obvious they were still grieving, but at least they were finding some energy again. Mightyena would ordinarily give them a lick to show her support, but would a steel-type like that? Steelix definitely wouldn't, but she didn't know if that was because he used to be a rock, or if all steel-types didn't like to get wet. She settled for nudging Clink with her nose instead.

"You've done so much for us already," she said, "but if you could make the humans able to understand us, I know my trainer would like that a lot." She could see Nate fuming about something over by a pile of keys. She hoped he was behaving himself. "And me, too."

 

[Sinderella]

"L-Love??" Hazel squeaked as she tucked in her legs to make a loaf in Violet's lap. "I-I mean—that is—yes I suppose that would be a very reasonable hypothesis..." she agreed, teetering off as she ruffled her coat to fan herself. Why was it getting so warm in this dimension?

Odile made a manic gesture toward Hazel. "̴N̷o̶,̷ ̷d̶o̸n̴'̴t̸ ̵c̷o̸s̵i̴g̷n̷ ̷t̶h̴a̵t̶ ̴s̶h̵i̴t̵,̶ ̶a̸r̴e̸ ̵y̵o̴u̴ ̵i̴n̸s̸a̷n̸e̶?̵"̵

She pointed to herself. "̶T̵a̴k̷e̸ ̸i̶t̸ ̷f̴r̴o̵m̷ ̸m̶e̶,̸ ̶w̷h̸o̴ ̷i̵s̵ ̸e̷o̴n̸s̸ ̷o̴l̴d̵ ̸a̶n̵d̷ ̴h̸a̶s̵ ̴s̴e̷e̴n̸ ̴s̷o̶m̸e̶ ̵s̵h̵i̸t̷-̴-̴d̵o̶ ̶y̴o̶u̷ ̸k̶n̸o̶w̷ ̷w̵h̵a̵t̶ ̴h̵o̷l̵d̸i̷n̴g̸ ̸h̵a̵n̴d̸s̵ ̷a̶n̸d̷ ̵s̶i̴n̷g̵i̷n̸g̷ ̵K̷U̵M̷B̶A̴Y̸A̷H̶ ̵t̸o̶ ̵a̴ ̷m̷a̶l̵i̵c̶i̶o̴u̶s̴ ̷d̸i̴c̷k̸s̸t̴a̸i̶n̵ ̴w̵h̴o̶ ̴w̵a̵n̷t̵s̷ ̵t̴o̵ ̶s̶h̶o̵v̸e̵ ̵a̸b̵h̵o̶r̵r̶e̵n̷c̸e̷ ̴a̶n̵d̶ ̴s̷e̷l̴f̵-̴r̵i̷g̶h̸t̷e̵o̶u̸s̷ ̴r̸e̶t̴r̶i̸b̷u̵t̶i̴o̸n̵ ̴i̷n̸t̶o̸ ̷A̶L̴L̶ ̴O̶F̸ ̷O̷U̷R̸ ̶O̸R̷F̴I̸C̶E̵S̶ ̷i̴s̶ ̶g̷o̵n̷n̴a̴ ̵d̸o̶?̵"̶

The question was very obviously rhetorical, but that didn't stop her from darting her eyes around as if waiting for somebody to answer.

"̶S̸p̵o̶i̶l̸e̷r̶ ̷a̸l̵e̶r̴t̸,̸ ̷A̴B̸S̶O̶L̷U̵T̵E̷L̵Y̴ ̴F̴U̴C̸K̵I̸N̷G̵ ̸N̶O̷T̴H̴I̸N̶G̷.̷ ̸W̷e̷ ̶a̶p̵p̴r̸o̵a̵c̵h̴ ̷O̶r̴z̷o̶ ̷w̶i̵t̷h̶ ̸l̶o̵v̸e̸ ̷a̷n̵d̸ ̵c̸o̷m̶p̸a̵s̴s̵i̸o̶n̷,̵ ̶a̶l̴l̸ ̵h̶e̷'̶s̴ ̶g̸o̸n̵n̸a̷ ̴d̷o̸ ̵i̵s̶ ̵r̸o̵u̴n̷d̶ ̴o̷u̸r̸ ̶s̷t̷u̸p̷i̴d̶ ̶a̷s̴s̵e̵s̵ ̵u̶p̵ ̶a̵n̵d̷ ̴s̵t̸r̷a̶p̶ ̵u̵s̷ ̴a̷l̵l̷ ̸t̵o̵n̷g̵u̵e̷ ̸f̵i̴r̷s̵t̸ ̶t̸o̴ ̷a̴ ̵h̷o̵r̶m̶o̸n̶a̷l̸,̵ ̴gi̶g̶a̵n̵t̶a̷m̴a̶x̴e̶d̸ ̷E̵l̶e̶c̷t̶r̸o̸d̶e̵ ̷a̵n̸d̵ ̶L̷E̵T̵ ̴M̵E̶ ̷T̸E̴L̴L̴ ̴Y̸O̶U̴.̸ ̶T̵h̵a̶t̷ ̶s̶h̸i̶t̷ ̵N̶E̷V̵E̵R̶.̸ ̶E̶N̸D̸S̸.̸ ̴W̷E̵L̷L̵.̸ ̷E̶s̴p̸e̶c̶i̶a̶l̶l̸y̸ ̴n̵o̴t̵ ̴f̸o̷r̴ ̴M̸O̸R̶T̸A̴L̵S̷.̴"̴

She flicked her wings, and they suddenly weren't wings anymore--they were jagged swords. She bared her teeth maliciously. "̵I̸ ̵s̷a̵y̶ ̴w̴e̷ ̴t̶a̵k̴e̵ ̶o̴u̵r̵ ̸p̸a̸n̷s̵y̴ ̵a̴s̸s̶e̸s̵ ̸b̸a̴c̶k̷ ̶u̷p̴ ̸t̶h̵e̶r̴e̶,̶ ̶e̸v̴i̴s̷c̵e̶r̴a̷t̷e̶ ̵t̶h̸e̷ ̵f̸u̸c̴k̴e̷r̵,̶ ̵t̸h̸e̷n̴ ̵d̶i̸s̶p̶l̶a̵y̴ ̵h̸i̸s̸ ̷i̵n̸s̴i̶d̸e̵s̴ ̵i̴n̸ ̵t̶r̸u̵e̴ ̶C̸a̵s̸t̸e̶l̸i̸a̷ ̴F̴a̵s̸h̵i̸o̶n̷ ̵W̶e̵e̵k̴ ̴m̷a̷n̷n̶e̴r̵-̵-̸a̴ ̴f̵l̷a̵s̵h̸y̷,̵ ̵c̶a̷m̷p̴y̵,̵ ̶a̶b̵s̵o̵l̸u̷t̶e̷l̵y̵ ̷Z̸u̵b̴a̴t̸s̴h̴i̴t̸ ̵r̴i̵d̶i̶c̸u̶l̶o̴u̷s̸ ̴f̸a̵s̷h̵i̷o̴n̵ ̸s̸h̷o̸w̸.̵ ̶L̴e̷t̸ ̶e̶v̸e̴r̴y̴o̵n̷e̷ ̷k̵n̶o̷w̸ ̵t̶h̵a̷t̸ ̶w̶e̴ ̶H̴A̸N̴D̷E̴D̶ ̷H̶I̷S̴ ̷A̷S̷S̴ ̸B̸A̷C̶K̸-̶-̶"̴


Odette stood up and began to walk over to Odile, her hands raised. "Okay, you know what? You've been in this form for way too long, and it's getting to your head. Change back, right--"

"̸M̷a̵'̶a̴m̴,̷ ̷I̶ ̶d̷o̷n̶'̷t̸ ̷k̶n̷o̵w̵ ̷w̴h̴o̵ ̸t̸h̴e̷ ̸F̸U̸C̷K̸ ̸y̸o̴u̴ ̶t̷h̷i̷n̷k̸ ̵y̶o̵u̸'̴r̷e̴ ̶t̷a̵l̷k̶i̸n̴g̸ ̶t̷o̶.̵ ̴Y̵o̸u̵ ̵h̶a̸v̶e̸ ̷t̴h̷e̷ ̸b̵l̵o̴o̷d̶ ̷o̷f̸ ̷t̸h̷e̴ ̸l̶i̸t̸e̵r̷a̵l̴ ̵K̸I̸N̶G̸ ̷O̷F̷ ̶T̷H̸E̴ ̶C̷R̷I̶M̸I̴N̸A̷L̵ ̷F̷U̵C̴K̸I̷N̶G̶ ̸U̴N̵D̵E̷R̶W̸O̴R̸L̶D̷ ̴c̴o̸u̴r̶s̵i̵n̴g̷ ̴t̷h̵r̶o̵u̸g̸h̸ ̸y̷o̷u̵r̵ ̵t̷i̷n̴y̵ ̷m̸i̷d̷g̴e̶t̵ ̷v̷e̶i̴n̶s̸, A̸N̷D̴ ̴y̸o̵u̵’̴v̷e̷ ̷h̵a̷d̶ ̶m̸e̴ ̶t̸i̸c̶k̵l̶i̶n̵g̶ ̶y̷o̷u̶r̸ ̶p̴r̸e̴f̸r̸o̷n̷t̷a̷l̷ ̷c̷o̴r̸t̸e̷x̷ ̷s̴i̸n̶c̵e̴ ̷b̵i̶r̷t̴h̵,̵ ̴s̴o̴ ̷y̴o̴u̵ ̷s̸h̴o̵u̷l̷d̴ ̸b̸e̵ ̴A̴G̶R̶E̵E̴I̵N̶G̷ ̶W̶I̵T̷H̷ ̵M̸E̶.̸ W̶h̵y̵ ̶d̵o̸n̶'̴t̷ ̶y̸o̷u̷ ̷p̴u̷t̶ ̶t̴h̵o̷s̵e̴ ̵g̸e̸n̸e̴s̴ ̶t̶o̶ ̶g̵o̶o̶d̵ ̷u̴s̷e̶ ̶A̸N̴D̵ ̶P̷O̷P̶.̸"̵ ̷She clapped her wings together. "̴A̸.̸"̷ Clap. ̸"̸F̶U̸C̸K̸I̷N̴G̸.̶"̵ ̵Another. "̸C̴A̵P̵.̷"̴ Clap. ̷"̵I̷N̸.̵"̷ ̵Clap. "̴O̷R̵Z̸O̶'̴S̵"̸


"I'm not gonna ask you again." She sounded more calm and collected than somebody who was being yelled at by an eldritch terror should be. "Change back. Now."

"...In your current form?" Violet wondered aloud as she winced at the painful image. "Which I must say, is rather imposing. Is this what thou would a 'battle' form, or a 'true' one, I wonder?"

Odile ignored Odette's request and rolled her eyes in Violet's direction.

"̷T̶h̵i̵s̶ ̷f̵o̷r̸m̷,̵ ̴t̵h̷a̷t̶ ̵f̶o̶r̶m̶,̶ ̵m̷y̴ ̶o̴l̷d̸ ̸v̷e̸s̸s̶e̴l̵'̴s̶ ̷f̵o̷r̶m̴s̴.̷ ̴Y̷o̵u̵ ̵w̸o̴u̶l̴d̵n̶'̶t̷ ̶b̶e̶l̵i̸e̴v̶e̴ ̴t̵h̸e̸ ̷t̸h̴i̷n̵g̵s̶ ̶I̴'̷v̷e̸ ̷s̶h̴o̴v̶e̷d̶ ̶i̶n̴ ̶m̵y̵ ̴n̴o̶s̶e̶.̴ ̸E̶o̴n̷s̸ ̷o̴f̶ ̴s̵h̵i̸t̵.̸"̶


"I'm going to count to five."

"̶N̵O̴,̸ ̵I̷'̷L̸L̴ ̵B̵E̶ ̶G̸O̸O̴D̶,̵ ̸I̸ ̵S̷W̶E̷A̵R̵.̸"̵


"One."

Odile lowered her head, eyes blazing, and she held her snout up to Odette's body. If she weren't so big, their foreheads might have touched. "̶A̷n̸d̴ ̸w̵h̷a̴t̴ ̵i̷f̵ ̵I̸ ̶s̵a̸y̶ ̵n̷o̵?̵ ̵M̶y̴ ̸h̵e̴a̵d̸ ̴i̶s̵ ̷b̵i̴g̶g̷e̷r̵ ̸t̵h̸a̷n̷ ̶y̶o̷u̴r̴ ̴b̷o̵d̷y̸,̸ ̸I̶ ̵c̶o̷u̵l̸d̸ ̵s̸w̶a̶l̶l̷o̶w̴ ̸y̵o̵u̷ ̸w̵h̴o̷l̶e̵.̸"̸


Odette placed her hands on her hips. "Are we really fucking doing this right now?

Odile flared her nostrils and exhaled. The force of the air sent Odette's braids and loose-fitting jacket swaying. "̸N̷o̸.̸ ̵F̵u̵c̸k̸ ̶y̸o̴u̸ ̶a̴n̷d̶ ̷y̷o̵u̷r̷ ̵w̸r̶i̸n̵k̶l̶y̵ ̴b̷r̸o̸w̷.̵"̶

The dragon stood upright and held her wings out to her side. She puffed her cheeks, as if holding her breath, and slowly but surely reduced herself back to her human form.


She smacked her lips together, trying to get a feel for this humanoid form again. Maybe being powered up was causing her to go a little haywire. She felt far more calm now. And now only had one thing on her mind.

"̶W̵h̷e̶r̴e̵ ̸a̸r̵e̶ ̴m̸y̸ ̸S̸h̸a̵r̶p̶e̴d̷o̸ ̶t̵e̵e̷t̸h̴?̸"̷

Clink turned back to the group of trainers. "After that night when I got poisoned on accident, and then Shaymin's flower saved me, I started to wonder. So I snuck into Orzo's room and found that key, hidden behind a painting. I wasn't sure what it was for. Then I realized that if he was disguising himself as the ordinary Hoopa... well he must have done something to the real Hoopa at some point. Otherwise we'd know. This world doesn't have two Hoopa's. If Orzo really was a fake, then the real was still out there."

Hoopa managed a smile. "So you help free Hoopa too? Thank you."

Hoopa floated forward, still slightly wobbly but looking stronger than he had before. Even so, he gave Odette and the prison bottle a wide berth. "If Hoopa can get rings back, then can get everyone home." Their gaze settled on Wes and Odette, and Nate. "Hoopa wants to help."

Odette couldn't respond before Clink was on her and the bottle. Happy about it, apparently. Knew damn well Orzo had done something to the poor other Hoopa too. But, at least that corroborated their claim that they knew Clink. The two had their momentary reunion, and even though Hoopa still looked a little beat, they were much better than before.


She looked between Wes and Mitch before responding. "Are you sure you're going to have the energy?' Then again, if they ate some of the berries, maybe they'd be fine. It was their precious rings at stake here. And everyone's way home...

With a quick shake of her head, she gestured to the bottle.

"So we need to get your rings. For that, we need Darkrai. And we have this bottle. How are we getting to Darkrai, and can we use this bottle for an advantage against Orzo?"

 

[Sinderella]

("Odile I swear to the Sky Dragon I do not need Wallace losing any more of their lunch and neither do they. We are using friendship and love and good things to stop Orzo. We aren't going to love Orzo. We are going to love each other and hate Orzo. We will bond over our hatred of Orzo, which will be Non. Violent. As humans would call it, a K rating. No blood. No guts.")

Odile snickered and pointed her thumb at Victoria. "̵G̴e̷t̸ ̸a̵ ̵l̵o̸a̷d̵ ̸'̵a̶ ̴t̶h̴i̵s̵ ̴g̵u̸y̴,̴"̸ she called out to the others, shaking her head. ̵"̶W̴h̸a̸t̸ ̵d̴o̷e̶s̴ ̶s̵h̶e̷ ̶t̶h̴i̶n̷k̸ ̴t̶h̵i̵s̶ ̸i̶s̷,̷ ̴a̸ ̸f̶o̷r̸u̸m̶ ̷b̷a̸s̵e̷d̷ ̴R̴P̸ ̶o̶n̴ ̵s̵o̴m̷e̶ ̴P̴o̷k̶e̷m̷o̷n̵ ̵w̸e̸b̶s̶i̴t̶e̶?̴ ̴K̷-̵r̸a̸t̶i̷n̵g̶?̸ ̴C̸r̷a̵z̵y̵ ̵a̷s̷s̸.̵"̴


"̷I̴f̴ ̷y̷o̸u̸ ̶w̸a̷n̵n̷a̴ ̵'̷k̷e̴e̶p̶ ̵t̸h̷e̶ ̶h̴i̶g̵h̴e̶r̸ ̴g̷r̴o̷u̶n̴d̸'̴ ̶o̸r̷ ̵w̷h̴a̶t̷e̴v̸e̷r̵ ̵r̵i̵g̷h̷t̶e̴o̴u̵s̷ ̶c̴r̷a̶p̶ ̴y̴o̵u̴ ̷h̸a̸v̴e̶ ̷i̸n̶ ̷m̴i̶n̴d̴,̵ ̵b̸e̴ ̴m̵y̸ ̵g̶u̵e̸s̷t̴.̵ ̶B̵u̶t̷ ̸i̷f̶ ̴y̶o̶u̵ ̶t̴h̷i̵n̵k̷ ̴t̴h̸i̸s̴ ̶i̵s̶ ̴g̸o̴n̶n̴a̷ ̸e̶n̴d̶ ̶i̴n̷ ̷a̴n̷y̶t̵h̴i̶n̸g̸ ̵t̸h̶a̴t̵ ̷I̶S̸N̸'̷T̴ ̸a̴t̶ ̶l̸e̴a̶s̸t̷ ̵h̶a̸l̴f̵ ̷v̸i̷o̵l̶e̸n̶t̴,̶ ̵y̶o̸u̷'̵v̶e̵ ̴g̴o̶t̸ ̴a̷ ̸s̶t̶o̶r̸m̶ ̶c̶o̸m̸i̸n̶'̸.̷"̷

She took a deep breath. ("How about... we do a little game? We go around and tell each other one thing we like about one of the friends here. I'll start: Hazel")—she turned to the Weavile—("I think you're very smart, not to mention very pretty.")

Odile deadpanned at the idea. "̶O̶n̴c̴e̶ ̵a̸g̴a̶i̸n̷,̷ ̸I̸ ̷m̵e̵a̵n̷ ̷t̴h̷i̸s̴ ̶i̷n̴ ̸t̸h̷e̸ ̸n̵i̵c̵e̵s̶t̶ ̴w̶a̸y̴,̸ ̸b̵u̴t̸ ̸I̷'̴d̴ ̸r̵a̶t̴h̸e̸r̶ ̶s̶h̶o̶v̶e̶ ̸a̸ ̸w̴h̸i̶t̴e̸ ̴h̷o̴t̷ ̸s̴c̷r̸e̷w̴d̵r̵i̴v̷e̷r̵ ̸u̵p̸ ̶m̶y̴ ̵n̶o̴s̷e̷.̶"̸


It was there that Enora approached and forcibly shoved a berry into Odile's mouth with one of her ribbons.

"Shut your mouth and eat the fruit, please." Good gods, if there was a time for Odile to be heckling the others, it definitely was not now.

 

[MintyMimix]

Clink tipped their head thoughtfully, then nodded. "If you like, I could try to do that. It won't last forever but it'll work while you're here."

Violet smiled and nodded her head. "Even if it is only in this location, that would be most wonderful! I would adore hearing Hazel speak in her own voice rather than mine—"

Odile made a manic gesture toward Hazel. "̴N̷o̶,̷ ̷d̶o̸n̴'̴t̸ ̵c̷o̸s̵i̴g̷n̷ ̷t̶h̴a̵t̶ ̴s̶h̵i̴t̵,̶ ̶a̸r̴e̸ ̵y̵o̴u̴ ̵i̴n̸s̸a̷n̸e̶?̵"̵

She pointed to herself. "̶T̵a̴k̷e̸ ̸i̶t̸ ̷f̴r̴o̵m̷ ̸m̶e̶,̸ ̶w̷h̸o̴ ̷i̵s̵ ̸e̷o̴n̸s̸ ̷o̴l̴d̵ ̸a̶n̵d̷ ̴h̸a̶s̵ ̴s̴e̷e̴n̸ ̴s̷o̶m̸e̶ ̵s̵h̵i̸t̷-̴-̴d̵o̶ ̶y̴o̶u̷ ̸k̶n̸o̶w̷ ̷w̵h̵a̵t̶ ̴h̵o̷l̵d̸i̷n̴g̸ ̸h̵a̵n̴d̸s̵ ̷a̶n̸d̷ ̵s̶i̴n̷g̵i̷n̸g̷ ̵K̷U̵M̷B̶A̴Y̸A̷H̶ ̵t̸o̶ ̵a̴ ̷m̷a̶l̵i̵c̶i̶o̴u̶s̴ ̷d̸i̴c̷k̸s̸t̴a̸i̶n̵ ̴w̵h̴o̶ ̴w̵a̵n̷t̵s̷ ̵t̴o̵ ̶s̶h̶o̵v̸e̵ ̵a̸b̵h̵o̶r̵r̶e̵n̷c̸e̷ ̴a̶n̵d̶ ̴s̷e̷l̴f̵-̴r̵i̷g̶h̸t̷e̵o̶u̸s̷ ̴r̸e̶t̴r̶i̸b̷u̵t̶i̴o̸n̵ ̴i̷n̸t̶o̸ ̷A̶L̴L̶ ̴O̶F̸ ̷O̷U̷R̸ ̶O̸R̷F̴I̸C̶E̵S̶ ̷i̴s̶ ̶g̷o̵n̷n̴a̴ ̵d̸o̶?̵"̶

The question was very obviously rhetorical, but that didn't stop her from darting her eyes around as if waiting for somebody to answer.

"̶S̸p̵o̶i̶l̸e̷r̶ ̷a̸l̵e̶r̴t̸,̸ ̷A̴B̸S̶O̶L̷U̵T̵E̷L̵Y̴ ̴F̴U̴C̸K̵I̸N̷G̵ ̸N̶O̷T̴H̴I̸N̶G̷.̷ ̸W̷e̷ ̶a̶p̵p̴r̸o̵a̵c̵h̴ ̷O̶r̴z̷o̶ ̷w̶i̵t̷h̶ ̸l̶o̵v̸e̸ ̷a̷n̵d̸ ̵c̸o̷m̶p̸a̵s̴s̵i̸o̶n̷,̵ ̶a̶l̴l̸ ̵h̶e̷'̶s̴ ̶g̸o̸n̵n̸a̷ ̴d̷o̸ ̵i̵s̶ ̵r̸o̵u̴n̷d̶ ̴o̷u̸r̸ ̶s̷t̷u̸p̷i̴d̶ ̶a̷s̴s̵e̵s̵ ̵u̶p̵ ̶a̵n̵d̷ ̴s̵t̸r̷a̶p̶ ̵u̵s̷ ̴a̷l̵l̷ ̸t̵o̵n̷g̵u̵e̷ ̸f̵i̴r̷s̵t̸ ̶t̸o̴ ̷a̴ ̵h̷o̵r̶m̶o̸n̶a̷l̸,̵ ̴gi̶g̶a̵n̵t̶a̷m̴a̶x̴e̶d̸ ̷E̵l̶e̶c̷t̶r̸o̸d̶e̵ ̷a̵n̸d̵ ̶L̷E̵T̵ ̴M̵E̶ ̷T̸E̴L̴L̴ ̴Y̸O̶U̴.̸ ̶T̵h̵a̶t̷ ̶s̶h̸i̶t̷ ̵N̶E̷V̵E̵R̶.̸ ̶E̶N̸D̸S̸.̸ ̴W̷E̵L̷L̵.̸ ̷E̶s̴p̸e̶c̶i̶a̶l̶l̸y̸ ̴n̵o̴t̵ ̴f̸o̷r̴ ̴M̸O̸R̶T̸A̴L̵S̷.̴"̴

Hazel blanched as she leaned further into Violet. "T-that's not what I meant. Friendship has some energy generative powers, according to this world's governing laws, and I-I just— I didn't mean to imply— I'm sorry—"

"Oi," Violet interrupted as she clutched onto Hazel and delivered a fierce glare to the enormous creature before her. Odile's appearance tugged at a memory, but she dismissed it. She wasn't going to back down. "I have come to accept that we must work together to survive. I have tolerated thine presence and persistence in an effort to cooperate."

The trainer gently set Hazel down as she stood up to the legendary, "But never. Insult. My friend. Is that understood?" She growled, clenching her fist. "I don't care that one like you could flick a wrist and end me here. I would most assuredly fall. But I shall not allow the same to happen to Hazel."

"Violet, please!" Hazel let out a mewl as she tugged on Violet's pants. "I'm glad you're looking out for me, but please stop fighting! I don't want to see anyone hurt..."

Odile ignored Odette's request and rolled her eyes in Violet's direction.

"̷T̶h̵i̵s̶ ̷f̵o̷r̸m̷,̵ ̴t̵h̷a̷t̶ ̵f̶o̶r̶m̶,̶ ̵m̷y̴ ̶o̴l̷d̸ ̸v̷e̸s̸s̶e̴l̵'̴s̶ ̷f̵o̷r̶m̴s̴.̷ ̴Y̷o̵u̵ ̵w̸o̴u̶l̴d̵n̶'̶t̷ ̶b̶e̶l̵i̸e̴v̶e̴ ̴t̵h̸e̸ ̷t̸h̴i̷n̵g̵s̶ ̶I̴'̷v̷e̸ ̷s̶h̴o̴v̶e̷d̶ ̶i̶n̴ ̶m̵y̵ ̴n̴o̶s̶e̶.̴ ̸E̶o̴n̷s̸ ̷o̴f̶ ̴s̵h̵i̸t̵.̸"̶

After Violet looked down at her partner's pleading eyes, she took a deep breath and let out a sigh. "...My apologies. The situation is tense, and mine stirring of needless drama is... unwarranted here." Her gaze remained firm as she looked back at Odile. "Please, let us continue to collaborate so that we may take down Orzo in any way we can. Whatever form you may call it, it is quite... powerful. I believe thou hath the greatest chance out of all of us with contesting against the despotic king."

She watched with bafflement as Odette reigned in her Pokémon. "...How did she manage that...?" She mumbled to herself.

She took a deep breath. ("How about... we do a little game? We go around and tell each other one thing we like about one of the friends here. I'll start: Hazel")—she turned to the Weavile—("I think you're very smart, not to mention very pretty.")

Upon hearing the melodic voice of the Milotic, Hazel loosened her grip on Violet as she turned to Victoria, heart beating even more rapidly than before as she listened to her words. She buried her face in her trainer's leg as she nuzzled it and let out a squeal-meow in delight and embarrassment.

After a moment of letting the words process, she quickly let go of Violet and stepped a bit closer to Victoria. "I—If you insist on this game, well, I—" Each digit of her claw tugged and pulled at her lab coat as she tried to cobble together her words. "In my scientific opinion, you've have a fierceness to match your beauty— a-and I'd love to stare at — observe the sheen of your scales and brush— ascertain the material of your lovely tassels and pretty face all day and really hope if you're not too busy after all this maybe we could—"

Hazel couldn't finish her sentence as her face scrunched in flushed self-consciousness and she devolved into a sputtering mess. Out of sheer embarrassment, she covered her face and squeaked, "Sorry!"

Violet quirked a brow and let out a chuckle as she realized what was going on. She titled her head towards Clink as she said, "Now I absolutely would love to hear what the Pokémon are saying, if that would be possible in this realm." She flashed the Klefki a playful smirk as she nodded towards Hazel and Victoria.

Hazel ended up turning away and towards the Silvally instead, clearing her throat as she tried to regain her composure. "Um... I-I think I can continue the game now, so, here goes," she said as she tried to settle the ringing in her ears and her hastened breath, "Hazel... you're... you're such a strong, brave, kind individual with a deep love for your trainer."

She took a deep breath as she looked up and smiled at her named counterpart. "We're kindred souls of science. You're an incredible dancer and such a fun Pokémon to be with, and I'm so, so, happy to see you evolved! I hope that, when this is all said and done, we can still be friends even across universes!"

 

[Dragonfree]

May sighed. "Look, 'friendship and love' or not, we're going to have to fight this guy, right? He's not going to just suddenly change his mind after thousands of years because we talked about friendship at him. We need a strategy to actually win. If we can get Darkrai to help, great. Are the other mythicals still there holding him off or what?"

 

[Hanafuda]

@HelloYellow17

Seb sat up and looked around. Yes, everyone was here. Kimiko, Violet, Steven, Odette… They all seemed busy talking to the others, but one person seemed free. He raised his arm and waved.

“Hey, Wes!” he exclaimed with a small smile. “Good to see you again! Please tell me you’re not the edgy one!”

 

[HelloYellow17]

@HelloYellow17

Seb sat up and looked around. Yes, everyone was here. Kimiko, Violet, Steven, Odette… They all seemed busy talking to the others, but one person seemed free. He raised his arm and waved.

“Hey, Wes!” he exclaimed with a small smile. “Good to see you again! Please tell me you’re not the edgy one!”

Wes opened his eyes at the sound of someone calling his name. Who…?

He turned his head and saw…who the hell was that? He frowned and wracked his memory, and his head throbbed in protest. That kid was…was…right. They’d met once…at the Maw…gods, that place was probably in shambles by now—

Suddenly he remembered where he was. The situation they were in. He sat bolt upright—and immediately regretted it, holding his head in his hands with a groan. Dammit all, why did everything have to go down the way it did…

He razed his head, squinting to shield his eyes from the brightness all around him, and mumbled a reply to the guy waving at him. “What do you want?”

 

[Hanafuda]

“What do you want?”

“Just wanted to say hi,” Seb replied. “And I forgot to say thanks to your Espeon for giving me your number. Are you okay, though?”

“Who’s Seb talkin’ with now?” Zack jumped back on his talons after finishing the berry he was given. He let out a breath, feeling refreshed. He looked at where Seb was looking, noticing Wes and his Pokémon in the distance. “Oh, heya.” He gave a quick wave and flicked his long bang feather. “All good here?”

Seb looked back at his Mega-Pidgeot. “Oh, right, you never met my Pokémon, right?” He moved an arm to signal to the humanoid muscular bird. “This is Zack.” He shifted his gaze towards the smaller humanoid Farfetch’d sitting behind him. “And that’s Jack.”

 

[HelloYellow17]

“Just wanted to say hi,” Seb replied. “And I forgot to say thanks to your Espeon for giving me your number. Are you okay, though?”

“Who’s Seb talkin’ with now?” Zack jumped back on his talons after finishing the berry he was given. He let out a breath, feeling refreshed. He looked at where Seb was looking, noticing Wes and his Pokémon in the distance. “Oh, heya.” He gave a quick wave and flicked his long bang feather. “All good here?”

Seb looked back at his Mega-Pidgeot. “Oh, right, you never met my Pokémon, right?” He moved an arm to signal to the humanoid muscular bird. “This is Zack.” He shifted his gaze towards the smaller humanoid Farfetch’d sitting behind him. “And that’s Jack.”

Wes barely managed to bite back a snarky retort. Does it look like I’m okay? Instead, he sighed and rubbed at his temples, though that didn’t seem to help at all. “Hi. I guess. I’ve been better, that’s for damn sure.”

And then the guy introduced his Pokémon. Wes spared them a quick glance, then did a double take. What in the hell was he looking at? Those were not normal Pokémon. Right?

He struggled for words for a moment, then simply said, “That’s…nice.”

Mew have mercy. His head hurt too much for this. Maybe he could just send out Neo and Novo to chat with them while I dug around in his bag for some painkillers or—

He froze, the fuzzy events from the Maw flooding back into his brain with full force. Novo. Novo. Oh, gods, Novo was—

He grabbed Novo’s Pokeball so quickly that he immediately fumbled it and dropped it in the grass. He managed to slide the lock open with panicked fingers and released the Umbreon.

Novo lay on his side, gasping for air and letting out strained, high pitched whines between breaths. “Bri—i—iiiii…”

“Oh, gods—Novo, I’m so sorry, I—dammit—” Wes clenched his teeth, furious at himself. Concussed or not, what kind of trainer was he, not thinking about his Pokémon first?

He tore through his bag, pulled out a potion, and sprayed Novo down from head to foot. The Umbreon’s breathing terrified him; Wes couldn’t see any blood, but what if he had internal injuries? If that was the case, then a potion wouldn’t cut it, and what would he do then?

Novo let out another strained whine. Wes shakily rubbed his ear with an apologetic murmur. He needed to do…something. Something, think of something—

He looked at Seb. “Are you a nurse? Can your Pokémon heal? Do you know anyone who can help?” His voice was getting much louder than he intended, but he didn’t care.

 

[Seren]

There sure was a lot of commotion going on for so little action.

Lucy Gray hovered in place, looking around at the group she'd been observing for a week now. The klefki wallowing in self pity, the milotic trying to compliment everyone, the strange birds just having a casual chat... even the legend on their side, that mythical blood demon, wasted time in a petty argument with the milotic. Hell, even her own human simply sat there, picking shards of glass out of her hair, her espeon similarly lazy. Didn't they all realize what had just happened? Weren't they literally just talking about how they needed to act quickly? They'd wasted too much time already, their foe too powerful and only growing stronger while they all screwed around. This sort of thing never happened with the cult...

Lucy again looked around, spotting the klefki. Ignoring the surprised looks she got from the people and pokemon talking to it, she floated directly into Clink's view. "If it is so essential that we seek out Darkrai, let us do so. We can waste no more time here. We must move now. The longer we wait, the greater the danger to everyone - this group, those left behind, and even your own human. Let us seek out Darkrai and put an end to this king's rule."

---

When Kimiko finally thought she'd removed all the glass shards, she set about pulling her hair back up. Only then when she looked up did she realize that her froslass had vanished again. Probably invisible again... but no, a quick scan of the area showed her hovering over by Steven?

---

A whine of distress caught Olivia's attention. She recognized that sound - Neo's brother had appeared, looking less than stellar. His human had started freaking out over the umbreon's condition, too... was it serious? Olivia tried to get her human's attention, but she was busy keeping an eye on Lucy. Well, that was probably for the best... Olivia could handle this on her own, then.

She collected a few of the miracle berries that Lucy had gathered, levitating them behind her as she trotted over to Novo and his human. She approached with a trill, making sure they heard her. She wasn't trying to sneak up on anyone, after all. She set her berries down next to Wes, all except one, which she hovered in Novo's direction. They'd helped her human, so maybe they'd help him, too!

The strange bird human was here, too. She wondered why; they didn't look like healers. Still, it would be rude of her to ignore them, so she offered each of them a berry of their own, too. It's not like they were bacon.

 

[Hanafuda]

“Are you a nurse? Can your Pokémon heal? Do you know anyone who can help?”

“I’m no nurse, but here!” Seb quickly stood up and grabbed some of the berries Jack had gathered. He was gritting his teeth with a worried expression. “These should work!” He dropped them near the injured Umbreon, offering him one to munch on. He noticed Olivia and nodded in greeting. “Oh, hi. I saw Kimiko around here. Olivia, then, right?”

“Holy crap.” Zack ran towards Novo, gently placing a wing over the Umbreon’s body. “King got ya good, eh? Hang in there, buddy.”

Jack flew towards them as well. He didn’t say anything at the moment, but he was just as worried. A Psychic-type Pokémon defeating a Dark-type… Guess type matchups weren’t gonna matter against Orzo. “We seriously need a plan…”

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

And then Clink spotted it - A telltale wisp of pink and a pair of horns, peeping out from where Wes lay sprawled in the grass. "I was right!" Clink shouted, rushed over to them. "You're him! The real Hoopa!"

Slowly, Hoopa emerged, looking around warily, then nodding.

Suddenly Clink was off like a shot, headed straight for Wes. Steven watched nervously for a moment, wondering if Clink had noticed something was wrong with Wes (he hadn't moved much since they arrived in this dimension, which was worrying), but then Steven spotted what Clink already had. The other Hoopa. Or, according to Clink, the real one.

All the questions Steven had been wanting to ask back at Odette's room came flooding back, but he held his tongue as Clink, and then Hoopa themselves began to explain.

This world doesn't have two Hoopa's. If Orzo really was a fake, then the real was still out there."

Hoopa floated forward, still slightly wobbly but looking stronger than he had before. Even so, he gave Odette and the prison bottle a wide berth. "If Hoopa can get rings back, then can get everyone home." Their gaze settled on Wes and Odette, and Nate. "Hoopa wants to help."

Or what he hoped would have been an explanation. It was more like a half-explanation that ended up leaving him with even more questions. But he settled for trying to clear up the most pressing matter...


"So what you're saying is the Golden King isn't actually a Hoopa, and that he stole your rings somehow, and with that your powers?"

"And if the Golden King isn't a Hoopa, what is he?"

He hoped he wasn't pressing the real Hoopa too much, they had looked rather frail from being kept in the prison bottle for gods knew how long. At least the berries here might be able to help. He noticed with relief that Wes was sitting upright and getting some help from Seb, though he felt a pang at the way his Umbreon was laboring.

They needed some answers sooner rather than later. Then, for some odd reason, he felt a sudden chill in the air, though he was too focused on his own thoughts to wonder about it further.

@Flyg0n

 

[Hanafuda]

"So what you're saying is the Golden King isn't actually a Hoopa, and that he stole your rings somehow, and with that your powers?"

"And if the Golden King isn't a Hoopa, what is he?"

“Huh? When did we ever come to that conclusion?” Jack became confused after hearing what Steven had to say. “I mean, the Golden King is a copycat Hoopa, but are we sure we’re not dealing with a Ditto or a Zoroark?”

Seb turned around and noticed the newcomer nearby. He gasped in delight. “Steven! Hi! I’m glad to see you again!” He fixed his glasses and adjusted his jacket. “Everything alright?”