Gatekeepers Realm - Clink's World

[Sinderella]

("Wallace? Care to join the game?")

Wallace pointed to Odette. Victoria translated their signing to Enora.

["Smart. Artistic. Good friend."]

Odette became somewhat wary as Wallace pointed at her. She was in no mood to--


Oh. Compliments. The one other thing she didn't know what to do with aside from her own emotions. Swell.

She looped one of her braids around her finger, averting her eyes quickly. "I--cool."

You suck.

Gods, she didn't feel like any of those things right now. And Wallace barely knew her, and yet? Such nice things he had to say, even when it looked like he couldn't talk for some reason.

They looked at Enora. ["Pretty. Kind. Selfless."]

Enora smiled thoughtfully through her trainer's awkward silence, and her fur puffed up proudly as she was acknowledged. "Aren't you sweet! You are quite kind yourself!"

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?

Well, how did this game work? Point at somebody and say something nice to them? Truthfully, she'd have much rather had an eyesight comparison contest. There was no doubt in her mind she'd lose miserably to every goddamn person here, but at least she wouldn't have to twist her entire psyche trying to be personable and sweet. She could look Kimiko or Laura in the eyes and tell them they're good looking. She could tell Wes he's fun to banter with. She could tell Steven he's a good person despite what happened in the lounge. FUCK, that shit that happened in the lounge...

Yeah, she'd rather just take her glasses off right now and go the rest of her time here blind. That would be much easier.

"Uh..." she stammered.

This was wasting time. They needed to start coming up with plans. How to utilize whatever Darkrai could offer them, how to best use everyone's strengths to their collective advantage, how to get ahold of Hoopa's rings again. There was so much that needed to be planned right now...


Movement caught her attention, but she didn't think too much of it until the shape caught her attention. Froslass shaped. Since when was there a Froslass here?

Instinctively, she moved toward her. "Isaur?" She spoke without thinking.

No, not Isaur. She'd have a cow if Isaur ended up here, because then that meant her other Pokemon partners could have been here, and she didn't want to have to subject them to this danger.

When she realized her mistake, she held her free hand up in apology. "Ah, sorry. I thought you were some 'mon I know," she said. "I actually wasn't aware anyone here had a Froslass with them right now."

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

"̶I̸f̷ ̴t̶h̶i̵s̷ ̵i̶s̸n̸'̶t̸ ̵s̷o̸m̴e̵ ̵u̷n̶b̷o̴u̷n̷d̸ ̴a̸n̶g̶r̸y̴ ̷v̶e̷r̶s̴i̷o̴n̶ ̶o̷f̸ ̵a̵ ̴H̵o̶o̶p̷a̸,̵ ̴I̵ ̸b̸e̷t̸ ̵t̴h̸e̶y̴'̷r̶e̶ ̷j̷u̷s̶t̶ ̵a̶n̷o̴t̷h̷e̶r̵ ̵h̸a̴r̷b̶i̸n̵g̶e̸r̷ ̴o̶f̶ ̸s̷i̸n̸ ̷a̵n̸d̸ ̸t̸h̵e̵ ̵d̷a̶r̷k̸ ̸a̵r̶t̶s̷.̶ ̸L̵i̸k̶e̶ ̷y̶a̶ ̸B̶O̸Y̷ ̶r̸i̴g̶h̴t̶ ̷h̸e̴r̷e̴,"̴ she declared, pointing her thumb to her chest.


Upon realizing what she said, she frowned. "̴I̴'̷m̶ ̵s̵p̴e̶n̷d̸i̵n̸g̷ ̵t̸o̶o̴ ̶m̸u̷c̷h̷ ̵t̵i̶m̸e̴ ̶w̵i̷t̶h̶ ̶G̶u̴z̷m̶a̶.̵"̸

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

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?”

"Ah, hello Seb," said Steven, giving the young man a quick once-over. When he couldn't spot any obvious injuries, some of the tension melted from his posture. "It's good to see you, too. You look well, that's a relief."


"As for your question, well, if I'm being honest with myself, no, everything's not alright, but you already knew that given our current predicament." Steven's gaze swept over the assembled group again, lingering longer on those who hadn't emerged from Clink's portal unscathed.


He quickly caught himself, though, and shook his head as if to dispel some of the gloom. "Ah, apologies for being so blunt. We should try to keep our spirits high despite what we're up against. You seem to be doing a good job of that, thank you. Hopefully it will be contagious within our little group."

 

[HelloYellow17]

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.

“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…”

In the blink of an eye, Wes was surrounded by several people. It was overwhelming, and certainly didn’t help his pounding headache, but he was relieved all the same. As long as it meant someone could help Novo—

Seb offered him a handful of berries while his…his Pokémon (or whatever the hell it was) tried to comfort Novo. A chirp announced an Espeon’s presence as well—Olivia? She, too, had berries to offer.

Wes had to bite his tongue not to snap at all of them. Berries? Berries? Novo needed real medical treatment, not some damn fruit. Still, he accepted berries from each of them with a stiff nod of gratitude and coaxed Novo into eating a few. They couldn’t hurt, at least. Wes would humor them for a moment, then he’d get up and find someone who could be of more help—

“Brrrr?”

Novo slowly sat up, licking berry juice from his snout and blinking in confusion, glancing around him with restored alertness. He found Wes and immediately got to his feet, stumbling into his trainer’s arms with a worried trill. “Brrrrri?”

Wes stared, dumbfounded. “I…you…hey. Hey, you okay? Are you…” He scanned the Umbreon for additional injuries, observed his face for more signs of pain, but there were none. Novo was bright-eyed and breathing normally once again, as if nothing had happened.

Wes pulled him to his chest and held him tight, fighting the lump in his throat. Novo’s purrs filled his ears. Thank gods, he was fine, he was okay, somehow—

Wes blinked up at Seb, his Pokémon, and Olivia. “Thank you,” he rasped. He glanced at the few berries remaining and Seb’s hand. Those berries were a bell of a thing. “Where…where did you get those?”

 

[Hanafuda]

"Ah, apologies for being so blunt. We should try to keep our spirits high despite what we're up against. You seem to be doing a good job of that, thank you. Hopefully it will be contagious within our little group."

“Right. I’m still trying to help even though the mystery has been solved.” Seb fixed his glasses, looking a bit worried. “Speaking of that, what happened on your end? What did you see?”

Wes blinked up at Seb, his Pokémon, and Olivia. “Thank you,” he rasped. He glanced at the few berries remaining and Seb’s hand. Those berries were a bell of a thing. “Where…where did you get those?”

“Oh, Jack found the berries at those trees over there.” He pointed at said trees over the distance. “They’re pretty cool, if you ask me.”

Zack crouched with one knee on the grass as he looked at Novo with a smile. “Hey, little fella. Glad you’re alright now.”

 

[Chibi Pika]

A pink and orange sky hung overhead, cheerfully bright. The grass beneath them glowed an almost neon green, and all around lay piles and piles and piles of keys, hundreds of thousands of them, too many to count.

Jade lay sprawled out in a daze, breathing heavily, staring up at a pink and orange spread that her took her a few seconds to realize was the sky. Her head spun, vision swam. Movement under her right arm reminded her that she was still holding onto Nine--she loosened her hold and the Pikachu extracted himself.

With a long, slow exhale, Jade pulled herself into a sitting position, brushing wet, tangled hair from her face. This... definitely wasn't a normal place. Full of neon green grass and thousands of keys piled up all around. Was this where Clink... lived?

Speaking of Clink, the Klefki was looking dejected, blaming themself for not noticing, for not realizing that Orzo was using them. Jade swallowed hard glancing away. She knew that feeling all too well. It burned.

"It's not your fault," she mumbled in a low voice, though she wasn't sure if Clink heard.

Chef Flygon offered the group some berries and Jade took a few gratefully, realizing that she hadn't eaten since before investigating with Laura. She glanced over the group, from May to Laura to Steven to Mitch to Odette, and a giant, mossy dragon that looked big enough to be a Legendary (at least, until shrinking down into a copy of Odette.) At least it looked like everyone had made it.

Jade wandered over toward May and Spirit, feeling vaguely out of place. "What... what exactly did you guys find while you were investigating?" she asked.

 

[Seren]

Movement caught her attention, but she didn't think too much of it until the shape caught her attention. Froslass shaped. Since when was there a Froslass here?

Instinctively, she moved toward her. "Isaur?" She spoke without thinking.

No, not Isaur. She'd have a cow if Isaur ended up here, because then that meant her other Pokemon partners could have been here, and she didn't want to have to subject them to this danger.

Lucy Gray turned at the motion of something coming towards her. Oh, her human's friend, the one who controlled the blood legendary. Well, she supposed if someone was to engage her, this would have been her preferred choice, anyway.

"You own a froslass, yes," she replied flatly. "I remember the photograph in your room. Easy enough mistake to make." Well, at least, she was willing to give some leeway given the humans here all seemed to be in somewhat of a daze after escaping from Orzo. But even after realizing her mistake, the human couldn't seem to stop staring. Don't be rude, Lucy reminded herself. Manners weren't something she regularly practiced, but... well, she was trying to change, wasn't she? Small talk wasn't really her thing. Hell, she wasn't even sure this human could understand her. Still... don't be rude. "It is... impressive, the way you control your- the way you and Odile work together," she corrected, eyes shifting briefly to the blood legend. People here saw their pokemon as equals, not something to be used. It was definitely a welcome change from her previous owner, but also one she'd had yet to become accustomed to.

Wes blinked up at Seb, his Pokémon, and Olivia. “Thank you,” he rasped. He glanced at the few berries remaining and Seb’s hand. Those berries were a bell of a thing. “Where…where did you get those?”

"Spii~!" Olivia chirped, her tail wagging happily. It seemed like the bird human was answering his question, so she turned her attention instead to Novo.

"That was so cool, how you broke out and jumped into the fight like that! I wanna be brave like that! Are you okay now? That hit looked like it hurt!"

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

“Right. I’m still trying to help even though the mystery has been solved.” Seb fixed his glasses, looking a bit worried. “Speaking of that, what happened on your end? What did you see?”

"Ah, about that... Unfortunately, nothing much. I... wasn't one of the ones who went into the room. Kimiko and I stood guard in the lounge in case anything happened. There was hardly any time to go over what they'd found when Celebi showed up and whisked us to the Maw."

Steven paused, thinking back to the whirlwind of what was only the last several minutes. It felt like hours had gone by, when in reality it was hardly any time at all. He hazarded a glance at the pink sky of Clink's home and wondered if the passage of time here was the same as the world they'd left behind.

"The only things I know about what they found are what we all do now." He gestured to the prison bottle that Clink was still excitedly examining, and the pokemon who's identity Orzo had stolen. "The bottle, and Hoopa."


"It's been a lot to take in. I'm not sure how much time we have here, but I'm hoping it's enough to talk with Hoopa some. They had an encounter with the Golden King firsthand. Anything they know could be valuable information, especially when all we know about this King is an ancient myth."

Steven's gaze fell for a moment, contemplative. As upbeat as Seb was, uncovering Orzo's true identity was only part of the puzzle... He fixed the young man with a resolute stare.

"As much as I'd like to think the mystery is solved, there's more work to be done. Can I count on you to stay vigilant until everyone is able to go home safe?"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Stray words lapped at the edges of Laura's mind, disconnected from the rest of what everyone else was saying. Here and there, she was vaguely aware of other humans, of pokémon, of light and grass and metal keys. Voices, hard to focus on. Focus. Focus.

"I, uh..."

Laura blinked, and hunched her back at the feeling of water making rivulets down her cheeks, down her back. This was what having long hair got you, when the fucking sprinklers went off. Howls, gods, fuck, fuck, fuck.

She took a breath, and tried to ground herself. What else was there? She was kneeling, she could feel the ground beneath her knees, she was doubled over, holding her fists to her abdomen. They hurt a little. Ah, yes... Mal and Sleet were in her hands, held in their capsules. Laura forced them gingerly to open and allow the metal spheres to roll free from her grip; she'd been gripping the pokéballs so tight that they'd left marks in her palms. Seeing that was so fucking absurd that somehow, it felt okay to look up and around at the key dimension.

Right. They were here because everyone got fucking curbstomped by the Golden Motherfucker.

"Shit," she whispered. "Shit."

Curbstomped was right, but too fucking bad. She had to get up. Get the fuck up. She blinked water out of her eyes, put the pokéballs back on their clips on her wrists, and tentatively got to her feet.

So. What next?

 

[Hanafuda]

"As much as I'd like to think the mystery is solved, there's more work to be done. Can I count on you to stay vigilant until everyone is able to go home safe?"

“I swear you won’t be disappointed,” Seb said determinedly, clenching a fist in front of his face. “Zack and Jack will help, too.”

"It's been a lot to take in. I'm not sure how much time we have here, but I'm hoping it's enough to talk with Hoopa some. They had an encounter with the Golden King firsthand. Anything they know could be valuable information, especially when all we know about this King is an ancient myth."

“Alright. Thanks for everything. For your help and for your time with us.” He bowed his head before moving towards Hoopa. He grinned. It was exciting to be able to talk with another Legend, but he had to remain focused. The Golden King was still out there, most likely overwhelming the other Legends with his power.

“Um… Hi?” Seb greeted with a meek wave. “You’re Hoopa, right? It’s an honor to meet you. Do you know how we can beat the King?”

 

[HelloYellow17]

“Oh, Jack found the berries at those trees over there.” He pointed at said trees over the distance. “They’re pretty cool, if you ask me.”

So the berries were from…here. Wherever “here” was. Judging by the keys all around, maybe some sort of dimensional hidey-hole of Clink’s?

He winced as his head throbbed yet again, and glanced at the berries. Couldn’t hurt, at least. There was no telling how effective they would be on humans, but, well. He was willing to try anything if it got rid of this damn headache. He popped one in his mouth and made a face at the sour taste. Almost immediately, his head cleared and the pain ebbed away.

Wes held up another berry and looked it in awe. “Damn, I gotta get me a ton of these.”

He noticed Seb stand up and turn to address someone nearby—oh, Steven. He appeared unharmed, to Wes’ relief. Maybe he had an idea of what was going on, but first…

Wes gave Novo another rub behind the ears, then released Neo. The Espeon immediately launched into what could only be a barrage of angry and defiant words, judging from his shrill yowls and lashing tail, but he calmed down after an apology from Wes and some chiding from Novo. Wes would explain more to them both later—for now, he needed answers.

He stood and nodded at Steven. “Glad to see you’re all right. Any idea what happened? Why are we all here?”

Zack crouched with one knee on the grass as he looked at Novo with a smile. “Hey, little fella. Glad you’re alright now.”

Novo looked at the…the…tiny winged human? Human-looking Pokémon? What an odd creature. He seemed friendly and concerned, but Novo couldn’t hold back an annoyed twitch at the tip of his tail.

“Thank you. But I am not ‘little fella’. I am called Novo.”

"Spii~!" Olivia chirped, her tail wagging happily. It seemed like the bird human was answering his question, so she turned her attention instead to Novo.

"That was so cool, how you broke out and jumped into the fight like that! I wanna be brave like that! Are you okay now? That hit looked like it hurt!"

Novo was slightly taken aback at the Espeon that was suddenly in his face, but responded with a purr once he recognized her. “I am well. I did not realize the ghost was so strong.”

He dropped his gaze to the grass. Was the ghost that strong, or…was he simply weak? He had failed to protect Wes. Had even put him further in harm’s way by trying to fight…

If he was going to say more, however, he didn’t get the chance, because Neo was immediately chattering away at everyone.

“Olivia! Hi! Hi! Novo got hit? Hit with what? Are you okay, brother? Wow, what are you? Why do you look like a human and a Pokémon? You’re weird. What’s you’re name? Mine’s Neo!”

 

[Dragonfree]

Jade wandered over toward May and Spirit, feeling vaguely out of place. "What... what exactly did you guys find while you were investigating?" she asked.

Spirit looked up. "Not much was out of place in his quarters," she said. "In a storage room, a box had been moved. And in Orzo's room, a painting of the legendary Pokémon had been defaced to slash out their eyes."

May shuddered. So was Orzo planning on killing them all, or what?

"Orzo himself emerged out of a portal when I was in his room," Spirit went on; May looked sharply at her. "The gem from Marshadow on my necklace concealed me from him. He put on an act of being tired and weak, looked at the defaced painting, and then left the room to join Xavian and Clink. I left after that, knowing the storage box was likely important."

May clenched her fist. At least seeing Marshadow hadn't been a waste of time.

"Where were you, anyway?" she asked, turning back toward Jade and Nine. "I didn't see you when we were planning all this."

 

[Hanafuda]

Wow, what are you? Why do you look like a human and a Pokémon? You’re weird. What’s you’re name? Mine’s Neo!”

“Woah, okay, we got ourselves a real chatterbox here!” Zack waved his wings. “I’m Zack.” He placed his wings on his hips and puffed up his chest, showing off his pectorals. “And I think the word you’re lookin’ for is ‘cool’. These muscles were inherited from Dad.”

 

[Shiny Phantump]

"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."

Gladion grimaced. “Then what can we do? Can Hoopa send us home from here once they recover? I’m not the only one who didn’t prepare for a long stay before getting whisked into the Maw. I can’t stay here.”

"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!"

“Thank you. I would be saying the same of-” Hazel blinked. “Wait. Evolving? I am not understanding what you are meaning by that. I am thinking that I cannot be doing that. I… It is not mattering. I am just happy to be your friend and would also like to continue with that when we go home.”

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven nodded to Seb and then watched him make his way over to Hoopa. It would be good for everyone here to get to know them a little more, perhaps make them more comfortable being in such a large, unfamiliar group.

He was just about to follow Seb to see if Hoopa had any more information to share when he heard a rustle of fabric behind him. Steven turned in time to see Wes get back to his feet. A little wobbly, maybe, but it was good to see Wes upright again.

He stood and nodded at Steven. “Glad to see you’re all right. Any idea what happened? Why are we all here?”

Steven greeted Wes with a sincere smile, though it faltered when it became clear Wes really had been out of it for at least some part of the escape from the Maw. Any blow that left him so dazed he couldn't recall how they ended up here wasn't good.


"I'm glad you're doing better yourself," he said, "but maybe you should have another berry or two?" He eyed some of the cuts on Wes that had yet to heal. A little part of him also recalled Wes nursing some kind of injury earlier in the week...


"Might I suggest something a little sweeter this time?" Steven chuckled lightly; he'd seen the pucker Wes wore when he bit into the sour berry from Seb.

Aggron had been listening in, and gave a curt huff before wandering over to a pile of berries and selecting a few of the sweeter varieties from the bunch. Steven took the moment to give Wes a rundown of what he had missed.


"The short of it is, Clink saved us by bringing us to his home world. It's a pocket dimension that's safe from Orzo's reach. I do have to ask, though; do you know anything about the pokemon Darkrai?"


Aggron's heavy footfalls heralded his return, arms laden with more berries than necessary. Steven quirked a silent brow, but Aggron simply shrugged and deposited his armload to the ground. He set to work sorting a few piles and nudging two of them toward Neo and Novo. After claiming his own pile, he sat back up with a soft pink berry in his claws and presented it to Wes.

Steven knew it was a lot to process all at once, especially after being as out of it as Wes had been. He was content to accept the berry Aggron handed to him and wait for Wes to take it all in. There wasn't any rush. Yet.

 

[MintyMimix]

“Thank you. I would be saying the same of-” Hazel blinked. “Wait. Evolving? I am not understanding what you are meaning by that. I am thinking that I cannot be doing that. I… It is not mattering. I am just happy to be your friend and would also like to continue with that when we go home.”

Hazel tilted her head. "I... guess it was a bit of a presumption of me to assume your helmet-less form was a new evolution. Still, I do feel an aura from you that I didn't quite before!" She placed a claw on her chest. "Kinda like when I went from a Sneasel to a Weavile, you know?"

She beamed as her named counterpart continued her statement. "I'll find a way for us to communicate across dimensions somehow! Hazels gotta stick together!"

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 placed a hand on her hipped and hummed as she listened to the ongoing chatter. "I believe that translation field in this realm would be most appropriate," she remarked as she smiled at the Hazels' clearly friendly interaction.

Still, Violet couldn't help but feel a strange sense of déjà vu. There was a certainly a fair amount of both catch-up and planning occurring, yet something about the situation had been tugging at something in the back of her head.

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."

When her eyes settled upon Hoopa, it clicked. It was one of the memories of the other Violet; the one that had brought her Pokémon counterpart to a multiverse event was... also a Hoopa, yet one that acted nothing like Orzo. They were more playful, happy-go-lucky, and more importantly, nameless.

The trainer walked over to the Hoopa with an inquisitive expression as she tried to get their attention. "Excuse me, Hoopa," she said as she scratched her cheek, "Perchance, were you at one point the host of some, er, inter-universe game of sorts?" Her brows furrowed as she tried to recall the name. "'Truth or Dare', was it? And was there a Sneasel present...?"
@Flyg0n

 

[Hanafuda]

After Zack heard the heavy footsteps, he stood straight and saw Aggron. He smirked at the Rock-Steel-type with confidence. “Yo. Remember me?” He raised his wings and punched the air in front of him. “How do ya like me now, big dude?” He moved his head, showing off his unruly crest and Ponyta-tail.

 

[Sinderella]

"You own a froslass, yes," she replied flatly. "I remember the photograph in your room. Easy enough mistake to make."

Odette blinked a few times. "You were in my--?"


Shaking her head quickly, she shoved her fingers under her glasses to rub her eyes. That actually seemed right up the alley of a Froslass, so she wasn't sure why that startled her so much. "I'm far too jumpy right now, I'm sorry." The word 'own' caused her to grimace, and she inhaled through clenched teeth.

"'Own' is a bit too strong of a word. Isaur's my partner."

"It is... impressive, the way you control your- the way you and Odile work together," she corrected, eyes shifting briefly to the blood legend.

Odette's eyebrows raised as she followed the Froslass's gaze over to Odile, only to see the eldritch terror was rolling around in the grass like a goddamn Lillipup. She sighed at the sight and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Thanks. It only took three years to get on somewhat common footing." Another sigh. "I suppose better now than never, given this fucker's on our ass right now."


Opening her eyes again, she dropped her hand as she met the Froslass's eyes again.

"I didn't catch your name. Are you here with another trainer?"

 

[HelloYellow17]

“Woah, okay, we got ourselves a real chatterbox here!” Zack waved his wings. “I’m Zack.” He placed his wings on his hips and puffed up his chest, showing off his pectorals. “And I think the word you’re lookin’ for is ‘cool’. These muscles were inherited from Dad.”

Neo cocked his head to the side. ‘Dad’? What did that mean? And why was this bird so muscle-y? Didn’t that make it hard to fly? Especially since he was big?

He didn’t voice any of these questions, though, and instead settled with, “I think you are weird. But not in a bad way. You do not make sense to me. But that’s okay! We can be friends.”

Wes steadied himself as he stood up, feeling a little more unstable than he liked. Apparently those berries weren’t quite as instantaneous as he thought. He caught Steven’s concerned expression and waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. It looks worse than it is. I’m fine.”

"The short of it is, Clink saved us by bringing us to his home world. It's a pocket dimension that's safe from Orzo's reach. I do have to ask, though; do you know anything about the pokemon Darkrai?"

So he’d been right that this was Clink’s doing, then. That little mon was powerful then, if they had managed to drag everyone here right out from Orzo’s grasp.

He frowned at the mention of Darkrai and shook his head. “Doesn’t ring a bell. I’m not all that familiar with Legends, especially if they’re from regions far from Orre. Why do you ask—?”

Wes cut short when Aggron lumbered over, arms laden with more berries, then began sorting and distributing them before holding some out to him. Wes blinked, surprised, then accepted the offer. “I…I’m really fine, seriously—”

Aggron scowled and huffed at him. Wes was suddenly very aware of just how large and intimidating he was. Gods-damn, he was enormous.

“O-Okay, all right, I get it. Um, thanks.” He accepted the berries and hastily popped one in his mouth. It tasted a whole lot better than the last one, at least. He ate two more, the slight dizziness subsiding and along with the stings of his cuts.

 

[Seren]

Novo was slightly taken aback at the Espeon that was suddenly in his face, but responded with a purr once he recognized her. “I am well. I did not realize the ghost was so strong.”

He dropped his gaze to the grass. Was the ghost that strong, or…was he simply weak? He had failed to protect Wes. Had even put him further in harm’s way by trying to fight…

If he was going to say more, however, he didn’t get the chance, because Neo was immediately chattering away at everyone.

“Olivia! Hi! Hi! Novo got hit? Hit with what? Are you okay, brother? Wow, what are you? Why do you look like a human and a Pokémon? You’re weird. What’s you’re name? Mine’s Neo!”

Novo's comment was curious. He didn't know Orzo was strong? Wasn't that why everyone was so worried about him? "Oh yes, he's very strong! But not in a good way. He's mean and steals his power from others!" And then an idea struck her. "Hey! Do you think maybe it's possible we can drain Orzo of the power he's stolen from the partners? That would weaken him a lot and then we could fight him!"

And suddenly Neo was there and whatever thought Olivia had about Orzo vanished instantly, as though another portal had appeared and sucked it away. "Neo! Are you okay? I didn't see you at the fight! Your brother tried to fight Orzo and got attacked! He's okay now, though, they gave him some berries!" She nodded her head at the Seb, then the berry pile.

---

Shaking her head quickly, she shoved her fingers under her glasses to rub her eyes. That actually seemed right up the alley of a Froslass, so she wasn't sure why that startled her so much. "I'm far too jumpy right now, I'm sorry." The word 'own' caused her to grimace, and she inhaled through clenched teeth.

"'Own' is a bit too strong of a word. Isaur's my partner."

"Mm... yes, of course. I am not accustomed to my kin being considered partners. My former... human and his associates... did not see us in that manner." Which was ironic, given why they had banded together, but then... well, it wasn't the first time she was seeing things in a new light. Lucy bowed her head. "My apologies."

"Thanks. It only took three years to get on somewhat common footing." Another sigh. "I suppose better now than never, given this fucker's on our ass right now."

"Yes, I believe she will be quite useful in defeating our new foe." Yet she'd just witnessed a dozen other so-called mythical pokemon getting their asses handed to them... what more would a single legend add? Still, though, this one was unlike anything she'd ever encountered, or even heard of. As far as she knew, neither had the twins, or they'd have certainly been looking into it as an option. "Curious... how exactly did you manage to tame her?" Tame was not the word she was looking for, given how chaotic Odile still was, but she lacked a better one. The blood legend still obeyed this human for some reason, and it had to be more than just being her vessel. Three years was quite a bit of time, though, too... so perhaps it hadn't been so simple as Lucy was imagining.

Opening her eyes again, she dropped her hand as she met the Froslass's eyes again.

"I didn't catch your name. Are you here with another trainer?"

"I must apologize again. I am somewhat new to this... casual socialization." Her brow twitched in agitation. Unlearning years of stoicism was not coming easily. "My name is Lucy Gray. I have been shadowing my human since she arrived here. We have not been together long, and I did not realize our entire party was not going on this... gathering all together, so I followed her for her own protection. Which appears to have been validated." Not that she alone could do anything to actually stop Orzo, but that's why they needed to stop wasting time, wasn't it?

"Anyway, that is how I saw your photographs. You're quite familiar with my human," Lucy said, gesturing vaguely towards where Kimiko remained kneeling down, pulling her hair back now that she'd gotten out as many glass shards as she could find.

 

[Sinderella]

"Mm... yes, of course. I am not accustomed to my kin being considered partners. My former... human and his associates... did not see us in that manner."

Once more, Odette grimaced. "I'm...sorry to hear that." And she meant that. She truly did. Witnessing the shiny trade and all of its horror made her wholly sympathetic to such a plight.

"Yes, I believe she will be quite useful in defeating our new foe."

She didn't do anything to signal her sudden discomfort at the thought, though she did sneak another glance in Odile's direction.

"She will be. Provided I can keep up."

Realistically speaking, Odette could get Odile to a size that surpassed Orzo's. She'd done it once, so she could naturally do it again. Granted, that one time had nearly killed her, and Armel had been standing right there almost the entire time. Not only was he not here, but what she'd brought of her emergency blood reserve was back in her dorm. And even that wasn't a guarantee she could hold up such a powerful form long enough to take Orzo down, or that she wouldn't drop dead directly afterward. The medicine here was insane, yes, but that wasn't a risk she wanted to take. And she was a risky person.

Though, perhaps if she took it slow and concentrated. Had somebody nearby to watch. Maybe they could pull something off with some help.

"Curious... how exactly did you manage to tame her?" Tame was not the word she was looking for, given how chaotic Odile still was, but she lacked a better one. The blood legend still obeyed this human for some reason, and it had to be more than just being her vessel. Three years was quite a bit of time, though, too... so perhaps it hadn't been so simple as Lucy was imagining.

Odette didn't realize she'd zoned out until the Froslass asked her another question.


"How did I tame her?" she repeated.

She pursed her lips. How did she manage to tame a prehistoric Lovecraftian monster of a Pokemon?


"Well, she possessed me at birth," she replied. Simple everyday fact. "So she'd been hiding in my blood for twenty something years before she decided to...come out. And she let herself be caught in a ball so I'd always have access to her. I suppose we'd already had that two-decade long bond, even though it was ridiculously one-sided."


"I think I got through because I stopped being fazed by her shit. I'd never seen anything like her prior to us officially meeting, and it took me a while to get used to the fact I now had a creepy version of myself screaming nonsense and eating," she rolled her eyes and shook her head, "communion wafers in my shadow. Once I got over that, we started falling into step. Slow as fuck, but surely."


"I guess it helps that she's made it very clear she has a soft spot for me. That was probably the other half of it, because she sure as fuck doesn't listen to anybody else unless I somehow come into play. Apparently my birth gave her an outlet for escaping her...'siblings.' So she's quite adamant about keeping this bond we have functioning."


She shrugged. "A pain in my ass sometimes, but I'd say I'm used to it now. I don't think there's another soul who could handle her ridiculousness as well as I do, anyway."

She didn't think she'd even let them if they asked.

"My name is Lucy Gray. I have been shadowing my human since she arrived here. We have not been together long, and I did not realize our entire party was not going on this... gathering all together, so I followed her for her own protection. Which appears to have been validated." Not that she alone could do anything to actually stop Orzo, but that's why they needed to stop wasting time, wasn't it?

"Anyway, that is how I saw your photographs. You're quite familiar with my human," Lucy said, gesturing vaguely towards where Kimiko remained kneeling down, pulling her hair back now that she'd gotten out as many glass shards as she could find.

Lucy Gray. What a pretty name for a Froslass.

"For somebody new to socialization, you're very well-spoken," Odette complimented. Though, getting the explanation as to how there'd been a Froslass here this whole time without her noticing made her feel a tad less stupid.


For a moment, at least.

"You're Kimiko's Froslass partner," she said in a slight gasp. "She did mention that she had a Froslass on her team when we first spoke in-depth."

Gods, now the parallelism felt a little too real. It was one thing to talk about it, but to sit here and have a conversation with Kimiko's Froslass friend herself? It started to set it all in stone.


"Too bad I couldn't bring Isaur. Weirdly enough, she doesn't have another Froslass friend."

Flexing her lips, she wondered if she should say what was next up on her mind. "And yeah, I am. Probably too familiar, with all these similarities. But I guess that just means she's cool people."

Ugh, you fucking lame ass.


She cleared her throat. "Anyway, I hope you're keeping an eye on her. Not that she needs it because I don't think she's an idiot, but...y'know, don't want her getting hurt or anything."