Gatekeepers Realm - Clink's World

[Hanafuda]

“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.”

“Yeah, we’re friends.” Zack smiled at Neo and gave a thumbs-up. “But man, just thinkin’ about how we all met and all the stuff that’s happened so far… I’m glad we got to be with all of ya.”

 

[Seren]

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.

"I appreciate your sympathy, but it is unnecessary," Lucy replied, looking somewhat uncomfortable. "It isn't as though we were treated poorly. In fact, everything my former masters did was for the benefit of all pokemon. But they... how to phrase this? They had no qualms with ordering us to do their unsavory work for them, when they required it. Regardless, that is my past. I have found adjusting... somewhat difficult."

"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.

"Hm.... yes. A very peculiar relationship, indeed. It is interesting that she chose to reveal herself to you." As Odette sunk into her inner thoughts, Lucy stared at Odile rolling around in the bright grass. A thought occurred to her, her gaze drifting to her new human companion. "During your battle with the alakazam... it appeared as though your own blood is what grants her her power. This was true just a moment ago, when escaping Orzo, as well. Given the name "blood legend" and the story you have just told me, this does make sense. I wonder... could another's blood also be used? Or does she require yours specifically?"

"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.

She scoffed a little at that. "A force of habit. My former master... enjoyed formal events. I personally spent most of my time around him alone, and our... teammates." Once again, for lack of a better word. "I suppose I picked up a few of his traits along the way. At least this is one of his less hazardous ones."

"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."

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."

"There have been a few other ghosts at this gathering I had almost conversed with, however, it is... a shame this Isaur did not accompany you. I believe I would have enjoyed meeting one of my own."

Lucy bobbed in the air, unsure of how to respond to that next part. Cool... but humans didn't have elemental types, did they? Maybe they did in this human's world. Odile shared her blood, after all. "Yes, I... I am fairly certain she thinks the same of you. Although, to my knowledge, she does not harbor her own legend in her body."

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."

"Yes, of course. That is why I am here, after all," Lucy nodded in reply. "It is my chosen duty to protect her from my former masters, regardless of where we may be. I fear I am in a similar state to the rest of our forces, however. There is only so much I can do against this Orzo, that can fight off a slew of mythicals at the same time."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

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.

Aggron looked down at Zack's new form. Not down much, he'd definitely gotten bigger, but down just the same.

"Hmm, little loud bird boy," he said, nodding. "How could I forget? You're taller now. More proportional to the amount of noise you make."


Aggron grabbed another berry from his pile and chowed down. "That's good," he said after he finished chewing. "More of you to protect your trainer and your teammate with."

He glanced over at Seb and Jack before fixing Zack with a grin. "The bigger ones should always look after the smaller ones. It's the right thing to do."

 

[Hanafuda]

"The bigger ones should always look after the smaller ones. It's the right thing to do."

“That’s what I’m here for, after all,” Zack replied, flexing his wings with pride. “How can I be a hero if these muscles can’t save anyone? Especially those who matter.” He flicked his feather bang for a moment. “I’m still learnin’ a lot, though. I’m not done with me yet.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Eventually, Milotic was standing over the young woman. ("You seem to have taken quite the fall. Are you okay? Do you need any assistance?") Victoria could only pray that the young woman could understand either Pokéspeak or Pokémon body language.

Laura looked up, squinting vaguely at the milotic. Not telepathy. Another talker? She hadn't talked before, had she? Or it could be just how this dimension worked. What the fuck ever, honestly.

"Uh, yeah, I ah... I'm not hurt," she replied, concentrating on how she wasn't injured. That was true. "I'm alright." Less true.

She wiped more water from her brow, and tried to breathe as normally as possible, as if she hadn't just been one mishap from ending up wherever that hoopa took people.

"So, I take it we're not in a hurry to go see that guy again?" she deadpanned, glancing at Milotic's shellshocked trainer. She was pretty sure that guy was some famous Japanese League figure. Wild.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

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—?”

Steven nodded at Wes's negative and brought a hand to his chin in thought. "Ah, well, Clink mentioned we might be able to seek out Darkrai for his help against the Golden King. They didn't elaborate beyond that, and I'm not very familiar with Darkrai myself... If you or anyone else knew more about this Legendary, maybe it would prove helpful."


"Though, wait, did you say you're from Orre? Forgive me, but I've never met a trainer from Orre before. There's no official League there, so it's not a popular place for competitive training." He studied Wes for a moment, eyeing his Espeon and Umbreon partners. It was clear they were trained to battle, and trained well. "How did you get into battling, if you don't mind my asking?"

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.

"Don't try that 'fine' stuff with me," Aggron grumbled. "Bad enough I have to deal with my trainer pulling the same stunt."

Thankfully Wes seemed to get the gist, and didn't protest further. Satisfied, Aggron thumped his tail on the ground and sat back with a toothy grin. He picked up another of his own berries --the spicy kind were best-- but then another thought crossed his mind.


Glancing down as Wes munched on his berries, he posed his next question to the two Eons eating at Wes's feet. "Does your trainer do that all the time, too? I'm beginning to think all humans have a habit of thinking they're sturdier than they are."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

(“Ah, I didn’t get you name.”)

Laura gave a little wave, and wearily signed an ordinary circuit greeting – [Hello, you look strong].

"I'm Laura. Pleasure to meet you. I take it you're League battlers of some stripe? I'm a circuit challenger, I guess, just not anyone who can pull anything off against a 'mon of Orzo's combat calibre, though."

She was so far beyond 'too tired' to explain in any kind of detail. Best to stick to the bottom line.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Champ? Howls, no shit."

Laura cleared her throat.

"I'm from Galar. I have, like, half the badges to make a challenge, and it's my first circuit. If you're a champ, you could probably put me through my paces with your eyes closed."

She laughed awkwardly.

"Keep wondering how any of us can put a dent in that golden wanker's smug face, though, champ or not."

 

[HelloYellow17]

"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.

Novo flicked his ears and pawed at the grass, trying to hide his shame. “He was a ghost. I should have been able to do something. But I could not even get close.”

He perked up ever so slightly at Olivia’s suggestion. “That could help. But how do we drain his power?”

He didn’t get an answer immediately, because suddenly Olivia noticed Neo and it was as if Novo had never existed. He chuffed in mild irritation.

Neo lit up at Olivia’s greeting and began kneading at the grass with unbridled enthusiasm. “Fight! The fight! I wanted to fight but Wes wouldn’t let me.” The cheeriness left his tone for a moment and he lashed his tail. Wes was not going to be let off easy for that, Neo would make sure of it…

He flicked his ears and brightened again. No need to involve Olivia with their squabbles. He looked at Novo. “You got to fight? Did you hit him? Did it hurt when he hit you back? But the berries made you all better? They must taste really good. Can I have some?”

Novo fixed his brother with a flat stare, then wordlessly batted a berry his way. He turned away with a grumble.

Steven nodded at Wes's negative and brought a hand to his chin in thought. "Ah, well, Clink mentioned we might be able to seek out Darkrai for his help against the Golden King. They didn't elaborate beyond that, and I'm not very familiar with Darkrai myself... If you or anyone else knew more about this Legendary, maybe it would prove helpful."

Wes rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry I’m not much help there.”

"Though, wait, did you say you're from Orre? Forgive me, but I've never met a trainer from Orre before. There's no official League there, so it's not a popular place for competitive training." He studied Wes for a moment, eyeing his Espeon and Umbreon partners. It was clear they were trained to battle, and trained well. "How did you get into battling, if you don't mind my asking?"

…Ah. Shit.

Perhaps they were past the point where one’s history mattered in this life-or-death gambit. But then again, maybe now wasn’t the time to own up to being a Snagger. He forced a small smile. “Orre doesn’t have a league, but they’ve got a few Colosseums in the bigger cities. We’ve competed in them a bunch.”

Technically, it wasn’t a lie.

Glancing down as Wes munched on his berries, he posed his next question to the two Eons eating at Wes's feet. "Does your trainer do that all the time, too? I'm beginning to think all humans have a habit of thinking they're sturdier than they are."

Novo blinked up at Aggron and felt his mood improve a bit. He didn’t know this Pokémon very well yet, but he’d left a good impression the last time they met. He trilled softly in amusement. “Yes, many times. I thought it was just a thing all humans did until I saw many of them criticize him for it, so it does not seem very common. He is bad at being safe. And sometimes bad at being smart. And sometimes both.”

A tiny, nagging voice in the back of Novo’s mind told him he didn’t have much room to talk after what happened with Orzo. He ignored it.

 

[Sinderella]

"During your battle with the alakazam... it appeared as though your own blood is what grants her her power. This was true just a moment ago, when escaping Orzo, as well. Given the name "blood legend" and the story you have just told me, this does make sense. I wonder... could another's blood also be used? Or does she require yours specifically?"

Gods, Lucy was even there when she'd battled Noro and Alakazam? How had she not picked up on that?

She decided not to press the issue and just shook her head. "No. It would need to specifically be mine. Blood types tether themselves to a host and can only be powered up with that host's sanguinity. She could only use somebody else's blood if I voluntarily passed my 'host' affinity to another person, or...I got killed and somebody else got ahold of her. Neither of those things will be happening any time soon, so, it's all on me."

"A force of habit. My former master... enjoyed formal events. I personally spent most of my time around him alone, and our... teammates." Once again, for lack of a better word. "I suppose I picked up a few of his traits along the way. At least this is one of his less hazardous ones."

Less hazardous ones...?

Judging by the way Lucy was speaking of her "former master," Odette had come to assume that time she'd spent with them wasn't necessarily a good one. So, she opted to not ask about it.

"Wouldn't call it a bad habit. I could stand to poise up my Galarian a little more, but the sailor mouth is imbued in me apparently."

"Yes, I... I am fairly certain she thinks the same of you. Although, to my knowledge, she does not harbor her own legend in her body."

"She did mention that too, and I'm sure given the danger we've faced so far, if she did have one, it'd have reared its head by now."

"It is my chosen duty to protect her from my former masters, regardless of where we may be. I fear I am in a similar state to the rest of our forces, however. There is only so much I can do against this Orzo, that can fight off a slew of mythicals at the same time."

Once more, Odette found herself thinking on something that Lucy had said. "Less hazardous" mannerisms, protecting Kimiko from her former masters...?


"You...wouldn't happen to be talking about the cult she'd mentioned to me, are you?"

Fuck. She'd decided she wasn't going to press, but the morbid curiosity was taking over. Given her own issues with cults, was it necessarily a bad thing to want to know more about somebody facing a similar problem?

She held up her free hand once more. "Sorry. You don't need to answer that, I just--"


A shrug. "I don't know what we're going to do to beat Orzo, but the longer we sit around not talking about it, the more eager I am to beat some fucking ass," she said. "I definitely don't feel as 'up to par' as I would back in my home world, but I'm willing to try almost anything at this point. I just need to know what exactly Darkrai is going to do for us, and where the hell they are. I'm sure with a plan, I could get Odile to do a dent. Maybe. We just need to plan something, because I can't just sit here waiting. I have my team and boyfriends and family and friends that--"

She huffed loudly, quickly realizing her anger was bubbling. "Gods, I'm not sure how many times I can apologize before it becomes redundant. I'm sure it already has, so I won't bother. Bottom line is I'd like to get a move on."

 

[Seren]

Novo flicked his ears and pawed at the grass, trying to hide his shame. “He was a ghost. I should have been able to do something. But I could not even get close.”

He perked up ever so slightly at Olivia’s suggestion. “That could help. But how do we drain his power?”

He didn’t get an answer immediately, because suddenly Olivia noticed Neo and it was as if Novo had never existed. He chuffed in mild irritation.

Neo lit up at Olivia’s greeting and began kneading at the grass with unbridled enthusiasm. “Fight! The fight! I wanted to fight but Wes wouldn’t let me.” The cheeriness left his tone for a moment and he lashed his tail. Wes was not going to be let off easy for that, Neo would make sure of it…

He flicked his ears and brightened again. No need to involve Olivia with their squabbles. He looked at Novo. “You got to fight? Did you hit him? Did it hurt when he hit you back? But the berries made you all better? They must taste really good. Can I have some?”

Novo fixed his brother with a flat stare, then wordlessly batted a berry his way. He turned away with a grumble.

"He's a mythical ghost!" Olivia countered with a playful giggle, sparing Novo the briefest glance as she replied. "He's beating up a bunch of other legends! All at once! What were you expecting, to one-shot him all on your own? Not sure how to drain his power, though. Maybe one of the other mythics could do that? Oh! Maybe that's why Clink wants us to meet darkrai!"

Then she turned back to Neo, her tone still just as teasing. "It's better that you didn't! Your brother got his butt kicked. We all probably would have if we tried to fight right now. We need to weaken him somehow!"

Then, suddenly, she leaped away, pouncing mercilessly on the berry Novo had attacked. It squashed beneath her paw like a bug, splattering juice everywhere. Olivia flinched back in surprise for a moment, then proceeded to slurp up the remains of the berry.

---

She decided not to press the issue and just shook her head. "No. It would need to specifically be mine. Blood types tether themselves to a host and can only be powered up with that host's sanguinity. She could only use somebody else's blood if I voluntarily passed my 'host' affinity to another person, or...I got killed and somebody else got ahold of her. Neither of those things will be happening any time soon, so, it's all on me."

"Wouldn't call it a bad habit. I could stand to poise up my Galarian a little more, but the sailor mouth is imbued in me apparently."

An expression crossed Lucy's face that could be called a frown. "The language, I imagine, comes with the responsibility of harboring Wrath Incarnate. It is a shame only you can fuel her. Although I suspect that should another's blood been a viable solution to ease the stress on your own body, you would have already discovered so. Curious, though... what would it to do you to pass on your 'host' affinity? Would you be injured? Could you restore it later, perhaps after you recovered?"

She really wasn't sure why she was still asking questions at this point; her momentary flare of inspiration had already been shot down before even making the suggestion, and it's not as though she'd be bringing this information back to...

"You...wouldn't happen to be talking about the cult she'd mentioned to me, are you?"

The disappointment on her face a moment ago may have been questionable, but the shock she now expressed likely wasn't. She'd given too much away, and this woman was not the person to slip up in front of; she had proven a capable detective in their short time here. Too late now.

Besides... its not like she was still working for them.

Forcing her face back into something more neutral, she said, "...Yes. My former trainer was a member of the cult." She felt like she was on the defensive all of a sudden, and she didn't like it. Maybe it was best to return to the subject at hand.

She huffed loudly, quickly realizing her anger was bubbling. "Gods, I'm not sure how many times I can apologize before it becomes redundant. I'm sure it already has, so I won't bother. Bottom line is I'd like to get a move on."

"Your apologies are... appreciated, but unnecessary. I, too, would prefer to hasten our movement." Lucy turned, seeking out Clink. "I attempted to convey this to the klefki, but they appear to be quite taken with the hoopa you rescued."

---

Meanwhile, Kimiko had finished with her hair only to discover that both of her pokemon had wandered off on their own. Olivia was harassing Neo again; no surprise there. More curious, though, was that Lucy appeared to be holding a conversation with Odette, even gesturing over towards her at one point. She wondered what that was all about, but decided to let it be for the moment. Odette had a froslass too. Maybe they were just curious about each other.

She decided maybe she should try to enjoy whatever brief respite they were being given before setting out to find darkrai - because who knew when they'd get another one - so she picked up another berry and sat there, watching Odile rolling around in the grass like a skitty with a ball of yarn. She wasn't sure if she had just gotten used to her presence by now or what, but she was glad regardless that the sight of the demon no longer stirred her anxiety or anger.

 

[IFBench]

Gen yelped as the last shard of glass was pulled out of him. That stung so, so much. He was in agony, he was terrified. He just wanted to go home and forget about all of this.

More than anything, though...he was ashamed of himself.

"I...I'm s-sorry...I failed...I c-couldn't distract Orzo for l-long enough...m-my cooking wasn't good enough...I'm s-sorry..."

Coleane simply rubbed his uninjured shoulder with a vine while gathering berries with another vine, unsure how else to help.

Gen wasn't the only one who had failed in that restaurant. She failed, too.

 

[Chibi Pika]

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."

Jade fought back a shiver. It wasn't like there wasn't plenty of anti-Legendary sentiment back home, but something about having a visual to go with it made the whole thing feel more personal.

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

Jade sighed. "I was with Laura and Wes--we were checking out the last disappearance site. Figured that too many people hanging around Xavian's room would just grab too much attention." Not that investigating had done any good when they'd all just ended up here.

Nine glanced around the bizarre key-realm, tail high. "*How long do we need to stay here?*" he asked the Klefki.

Jade gave him a tired look. "Well, probably long enough for everyone to recover, yeah? That includes you," she added, given how he'd burned a ton of lightning back there.

Nine closed his eyes with a dismissive huff before focusing his attention on the berry pile.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

[“Nessa! Milo! Raihan! Leon! My friends. Do you know them?”]

(“We’ll find a way,”) Victoria said. (“I swear on the Sky Dragon. Even if it means travelling a thousand roads to a thousand dimensions, even if it means giving up my life.”)

Wallace started panicking again. No. No. He couldn’t lose Victoria. Especially not now.

Laura hesitated, not sure how to respond to Wallace's question. Like, yes she knew of the Galarian League members, but it wasn't like she was in that circle, or ever would be. The guy was on speaking terms with celebrity battlers on the other side of the planet from himself, she was a junior trainer, there was a gulf of achievement and accomplishment between them...

But before she could answer, Victoria went straight to mentioning self-sacrifice as part of defeating Orzo, and Wallace looked like he was about to be sick or something. Howling wolves, it was kinda weird to realise the guy was a League champ and not, like, an idol, or something. He seemed so frail. Poor guy. At least he had a bloody massive sea-serpent for a partner.

"Not a fan of any plan that has a good chance of getting people killed," muttered Laura.

Howls, she was in no state to offer comfort to a stranger on the verge of a breakdown, and she wasn't about to have a freak out of her own in front of a stranger, either. She needed to find someone with a proactive head on their shoulders, or like, come up with a bloody plan herself. Which meant getting information, if possible.

"Pleasure meeting you," she mumbled. "Excuse me."

She made her way towards the 'real Hoopa'. It didn't seem like anyone had crowded them, but they were Orzo's opposite number, their very own mythical ally. They could know something useful, surely. They could also be going through some shit. Who knew how long they'd been trapped, or what it had been like for them...

She stopped a little distance off, and gave a little wave. She considered bowing, and thought better. Instead, she lowered herself to the grassy ground, and sat cross-legged in their line of sight.

"Hey there," she called, gently. "Would you like to talk a little?"

 

[Dragonfree]

Jade sighed. "I was with Laura and Wes--we were checking out the last disappearance site. Figured that too many people hanging around Xavian's room would just grab too much attention." Not that investigating had done any good when they'd all just ended up here.

Nine glanced around the bizarre key-realm, tail high. "*How long do we need to stay here?*" he asked the Klefki.

Jade gave him a tired look. "Well, probably long enough for everyone to recover, yeah? That includes you," she added, given how he'd burned a ton of lightning back there.

Nine closed his eyes with a dismissive huff before focusing his attention on the berry pile.

May frowned. "Well, if we spend too much time here, isn't Orzo just going to do what he pleases over there? He has no charade to keep up anymore. He might be going around killing people for all we know. We can't just sit around any longer than we have to."

Spirit looked at Nine as he went for the berries. "You have the power of a legendary, correct? You may be essential for the fight."

 

[Flyg0n]

"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."

Clink nodded. It drifted over to one of the many piles of keys, and fished one out (how it managed to know where to find them was a mystery. There was no organization it seemed...). It was bright silver in color, and the end of it almost looked like face, if you squinted.

Clink floated over to a matching silver keyhole in the hair, and inserted it, then twisted. The keyhole expanded, wider and wider, until it was like a dazzling blanket in the sky, then shattered into a rather pretty silver dust that quickly faded. For a brief second, there was the faintest flash of silver threads linking pokemon and their respective trainers, but it was so quick it almost looked like a trick of the light.

"There!" Clink declared cheerfully. "As long as you're here, or in one of these realms between worlds, your trainers will be able to understand most of you better."

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?"

"I have a key to Darkrai's realm. He usually does not enjoy visitors but given everything happening he will not mind, I'm sure." Clink eyed the bottle thoughtfully then glanced at Hoopa, who seemed content to still stay far from it.

After a moment, Hoopa seemed to realize Clink expected an answer, and spoke up."...oh. yes. We can trap Orzo in the bottle, but it is like a pokeball. If he is too strong, he can break free. We will need to weaken him first. A lot."

Victoria nodded. ("The other Mythicals... do they like Darkrai?")

"Some of them," Clink said finally. "Shaymin likes him. Cresselia has great sympathy. But he enjoys his solitude, and not every mythical looks fondly upon his powers..."

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?"

Clink turned to May and nodded. "You are right, I do not believe his mind can be changed. There is too much hate. The others are..." Their voice trailed off and they scanned the area. "I sense that their realms are there but... its weak. I think they are recovering. We can seek their help soon."

Hoopa cleared their throat. "The human girl is correct. Why Darkrai? How can he help?"

Clink turned to address the group. "Darkrai is the only one who can walk the dreams of another. If we can confront Orzo and put him to sleep with Darkrai's help, we can weaken him and capture him."

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."

Clink held up the key with the black and red base. "I am prepared. And once you are all ready, we can go. But please, you must still recover yourselves as well."

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?"

Clink quickly shook themselves. "I apologize, I didn't mean to confuse you. Orzo is indeed a Hoopa, a 'shiny' one, as humans might say."

"But there is only one Hoopa that looks like me in this universe," Hoopa added softly. "That is why he locked me away and pretended to be me."

“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?”

"No," Hoopa said. "There is no Ditto or Zoroark that could be capable of what he did... or at least, none of this world. Orzo is Hoopa, through and through, although with much greater strength than even I have. They were once a king over this whole universe..." They wrung their hands together and glanced away for a moment.

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.”

"Hoopa can send you home but..." They reached up and brushed their hand against a horn. "My rings are gone. Orzo took them."

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...?"

Hoopa rubbed their chin. "A game? No, I don't think so, but that sounds like a lot of fun."

She stopped a little distance off, and gave a little wave. She considered bowing, and thought better. Instead, she lowered herself to the grassy ground, and sat cross-legged in their line of sight.

"Hey there," she called, gently. "Would you like to talk a little?"

Hoopa turned to the young girl, slightly surprised. "Oh, hello," they said. This girl seemed nice, like many of the other trainers here. "Hoopa doesn't have much helpful to say. Just want to stop Orzo. Want to go home. And..." they paused for a moment, seemingly uncomfortable. "Hoopa sorry that you are trapped."

--

Clink turned once again to the group. This time they seemed to give off a sense of determination and resolve. "Once you are all ready, I will open the gate to Darkrai's realm, if you will accompany me. And... once Darkrai agrees to help, we can try to confront Orzo before he gets too strong. I am sure that with everyone's help we can stop him and get everyone home again."

 

[Hanafuda]

"There!" Clink declared cheerfully. "As long as you're here, or in one of these realms between worlds, your trainers will be able to understand most of you better."

“Oh, that sounds nice,” Zack said with a smile.

“Hey, I can understand you again,” Seb exclaimed in delight. “Cool.”

“Well, communications should be easier for now, then,” Jack said, leek over his shoulder.

“Darkrai, huh?” Seb looked up in worry. “I heard about that Legend. I could try skipping out on this, but I feel like I have no choice.”

“You’re never alone, Seb,” Jack replied with a glare of determination towards his Trainer. “We’ll protect you. And as afraid as I am about what might happen, I’ll still fight.” He swung his leek over to his side. “No matter what.”

“Yeah, courage.” Zack pumped a fist in front of his face and closed his eyes, letting his crest and Ponyta-tail sway behind him. “I can get behind that. It’s one of the traits that makes a real hero. ‘Sides, we’re here for each other, buddies. We’re not really a team if we can’t stay together.”

“Guys, please, stop being so wholesome…” Seb moved his glasses up and place a hand over his eyes. “No, I mean, you guys are the best, thanks, but you’re making me cry. Can you give it a rest?”

“Ahaha. Oh, Seb.” The Mega-Pidgeot shook his head lightly in amusement. “Such a softy for bein’ a big man.”

“I don’t really feel like an actual man.”

The Farfetch’d sighed contentedly. “I’m glad to be here with you.”

 

[Dragonfree]

Clink turned to address the group. "Darkrai is the only one who can walk the dreams of another. If we can confront Orzo and put him to sleep with Darkrai's help, we can weaken him and capture him."

May furrowed her brow. "Hang on. You mean you want us to beat him up while he's asleep, or we're supposed to go into his dream somehow and fight him there?"

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“I’m ready to go as soon as we can,” Gladion said, “The sooner this is over, the better.”

And, of course, the soon he had his bag back, the sooner he could stop worrying.

 

[Flyg0n]

May furrowed her brow. "Hang on. You mean you want us to beat him up while he's asleep, or we're supposed to go into his dream somehow and fight him there?"

"Both," Clink replied firmly. "If we can put him to sleep, we can hopefully weaken him further by fighting him in the dream realm. There, he will be even more vulnerable. Cresselia would have a harder time because of his ghost-typing. Darkrai won't have any issues penetrating his mind."