Gatekeepers Realm - Clink's World

[MintyMimix]

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

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

"I see," Violet hummed in contemplation as she bowed her head, "Nonetheless, let us do our best to cooperate and free ourselves from this realm first then, shall we?" She lifted herself back up flashed a smirk at Hoopa. "After which, mayhaps then thou couldst deliver mine Pokémon counterpart to me in such a game, then? I have some... challenges for her, to be sure."

"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."

Hazel's ears perked up as she scratched her chin. "Fascinating! So the theories that the Unovans had regarding dreams was true! If one could overcome resolve within that kind of realm, then it'd almost be the same as catching a Pokémon while—"

The Weavile's words became an incoherent, muffled mess as her cheeks were lifted by a pair of soft hands. The culprit was none other than her trainer. "Hazel, love, thine voice! It is so... mature!" Violet remarked in awe as she continued to pinch the Pokémon's face in adoration. "It is unfitting of that remarkably cute face; not like thine typical calls!"

Hazel's immediate response was to let out a whine while she gripped onto Violet's hands.

"See? Exactly like that," Violet giggled as she freed her friend from her doting clutches.

Hazel pouted as she wrapped herself fully in her lab coat and huffed. A brief pause followed as the scientist processed what had just transpired. She swiveled over to Violet as her eyes glimmered and mouth hung agape. "Hang on a sec, you can understand me now?!" She exclaimed as excitement breached her voice.

"I did ask Clink for that favor, no?" Violet coolly replied as she place the back of her hand on her hip and leaned to the side. "Certainly not the pitch or cadence I was expecting, yet it is quite... welcoming, if I may be honest."

"Oh my gosh this is the coolest thing ever I've dreamed about making a device that could do this for years and now it's real and oh my gosh—"

"Remind me: what was thine age again?" Violet quirked a brow as she kept her smug expression.

"Oh! Uh, I'd say about twenty-four from a human equivalent—"

"Because that face says four," Violet cooed as ruffled Hazel's head feathers.

"Stooooooop...!" Hazel protested out loud, yet involuntarily kicked her foot in enjoyment.

"This is far more fun when I can hear what thou hath to say."

"Viiiiiiooollleeeeet!" She complained while still leaning into her hand to receive further pets. "Hey, hey, wait, that means— you can talk to the other Hazel can talk too! Oh my gosh! And Victoria, and, and—" The Weavile's voice dropped as she let out a purr. Acting on pure instinct, Hazel rolled onto grass and showed her belly to her trainer as she graciously accepted the tummy rubs that followed.

 

[Flyg0n]

Clink nodded in understanding. Everyone was ready. They stilled the slight tremor of their keys and steadied themselves. It’ll be fine. Darkrai would help them. They could save the trainers, protect everyone and... Please be okay, Xavian. For a moment, the old swirl of thoughts resurfaced. How if they’d simply been better, done better. Been less oblivious, less trusting. How they’d failed their duty-

They pressed the thoughts aside. They couldn’t blame themselves.

Gripping the key tighter, they floated over to a glowing red keyhole and inserted the key. As always, a faint tingle ran through their body, along with a cold feeling they’d come to expect. Then they turned it.

The keyhole grew, oozing down onto the grassy earth. It spread like a thick sludge, until it was as large as a Torterra. Clink channeled more of their own energy into the portal and it began to trickle outwards, wider and wider, until it covered the entire ground under the trainers.

And then it rose up and swallowed them.

>>>>​