Hoopa's Multiverse Madness [Roleplay Thread] - [Oct 25-30]

[Inkedust]

Kaz was breathing heavily, her injuries catching up to her. She looked down at what was now a mudkip, the weight of what she'd done was eclipsed by her exhaustion. The battle was won. Her friends would be okay, they were safe. A petulant child was no match for her.

She shook trying to maintain her balance, making everyone in the clearing her audience, before declaring, "I am Kazimir! General of the Sinnian Royal Army in service to the High King. None can defeat me in single combat. Not one." Kaz shook her head, what was she even saying? But she didn't have much longer to think as she collapsed on her side, on the brink of passing out.

She was tired. So very tired.

 

[AbraPunk]

"BE SILENT." Kaz bellowed.

With a shrill cry, Kaz slashed at the swampert's eyes, deeply, with her talons, producing a fine stream of red to cascade from the swampert's face, knocking the log out of her arms in the process. Disable the foe as soon as possible. That was the quickest way to end a fight.

Antares awoke to a fight between the freak and the child. At first, he thought he should stay out of it, especially since he didn't particularly like either of them. Then--

With a defiant shriek, Kaz slashed at its head and neck. Over and over and over again.

The freak wasn't just fighting Vegeta. This was a maiming. Something that had gone far beyond a simple disagreement. He got to his feet and rushed over, but...

After that... the Mega Swampert fell, cold and still. Her body shrank, more and more, even past her Swampert evolution. Eventually, all that was left was a Mudkip.

Vegeta fell, and all he could do was watch.

All he could do was watch.

Watch as Reshiram destroyed everything and everyone he had ever known.

As Regulus stood his ground, and was burned alive.

As Vega ran. He didn't make it far.

As Graffias managed to use Toxic. Reshiram picked him up by the neck and snapped it.

As Markab's wings were clipped, and he was soon crushed under Reshiram's foot.

As Polaris died fighting, trying in vain to take down the deity.

And Antares had only tried to protect his trainer. His efforts were for naught, though. The trainer was already dead.

Something in Antares broke. He launched himself at the god, furiously slashing.

The golden blood of the god flowed over him, and Reshiram flared up, fire covering her entire body as some sort of defense mechanism.

The heat was excruciating. But there was something else. The crucible of the flame wasn't getting to Antares; if anything it was empowering him. He felt his body changing, and before he knew it...

He had Mega Evolved.

A loud CRACK echoed in the clearing.

He snapped back to the present as the savage continued to beat down the fish. His own Mega form had resurfaced just for this opportunity to rid the world of a true villain. He tried to rush in, tried to protect Vegeta, but something was stopping him. Almost like some sort of higher power was preventing him from interfering...

She waited for a response. And waited... and waited... "C-Come on... V-Ve... Vegeta..."

Only now could he move. The chimera freak had passed out.

He cautiously went up to Goku.

Vegeta's whole body was covered in horrific slash marks. Blood. So much of it.

His Mega form dissipated. Just a regular Garchomp again.

Antares gently laid a claw on Goku's shoulder.

There were no words.

How deeply ironic that the two of them had been discussing death only a while ago, and now...

Now, there was death in this world.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Lillie slipped her hand into her bag. The pocket she kept a revive in was empty. She had a hyper potion, but she wasn't sure if that would mean anything with wounds like that...

Still, she had to try. She took it out and began to apply it to Vegeta's wounds.

There was one last healing item in her purse: A multi-purpose full heal, for poison, burns, and induced unconsciousness. Kaz wasn't heavily injured, just passed out. There was a good chance it would bring them back.

It sat heavy in her bag as she left it where it was.

She whispered, as if the 'friend' who'd trusted her might be able to hear. "Sorry, Kazimir. I guess some things just are too dangerous after all..."

 

[MintyMimix]

Sliding gently off of Kaz's back felt nice for Violet - fun, even! For all the suspicions that she and Lillie might have had, it looked like Kaz might've been different after all. She was quite endearing, had a bit of motherly streak layered with a knightly undertone and sharp tongue, and ultimately seemed to care about those around her. Mayhap they were wrong to be so suspicious of her after all--

That log from earlier looked like just the right size to be a weapon suiting of Vegeta, so she picked it up with an arm and rested it on her shoulder.

Vegeta, no!

"BE SILENT." Kaz bellowed.

With a shrill cry, Kaz slashed at the swampert's eyes, deeply, with her talons, producing a fine stream of red to cascade from the swampert's face, knocking the log out of her arms in the process.

Kaz, no!

Kaz stumbled from the impact of the punch, but it did nothing to slow her down. Kaz let loose another enraged screech before slashing again. This time, Kaz aimed for the throat.

Violet was panicking at the sight of the bloody battle. Those two were really going to try to... to... She furiously shook her head, trying to make the situation before her go away, but the screaming, the slashing, the sheer brutality between the two just relentlessly continued! She wanted to do something - anything - but it only became clear as day once Vegeta evolved again how hopelessly outclassed she was. She could put on a good show, sure, but this? This wasn't a performance, this was...

A loud CRACK echoed in the clearing.

Violet held clutched tightly onto her cape as all past confidence and all spirit scattered into oblivion as she only watch in abject horror.

No... NO!!!

Violet sauntered up to the pair, shaking as she did so.

Vegeta... W-we were supposed to promise to meet again, to have a new act to banter about together...
K-Kaz... W-we were supposed to have some nice tea with Lillie and enjoy the calming breeze the next time we met...
It... It wasn't supposed to end like this...!

Violet, for all her past bravado, for all her prior teachings about staying cool-faced no matter what was thrown at her, for all that she had wanted to believe in... She couldn't help it. She started to tear up. "C-come now, V-Veggie... You... hate it when people cry, right? You hate it when people call you by something other than thine name... Please... Get up..."

She hated this. She every bit of it. But more than anything, she hated that Lillie was right after all.

Kaz... Or, Kazimir rather... Truly was too dangerous.

 

[Fusion]

Goku didn't flinch as some people approached; a big one, then a smaller one, and one even smaller than that. Slaking? Maybe Vegeta promised to train earlier with him, but... what's with the hand on her shoulder? Why was it so small? And the smaller one was probably Slowking, but he definitely slimmed down... and the last could only be Rilly, right? She was always there to try and get Vegeta up, even when Vegeta yelled at her after...

Honestly... Goku couldn't tell who, being too focused on Vegeta to look. She'd probably kill her for this, but they were gonna be late, and Goku always had to hold Vegeta to her promises, one way or another.

Shaky paws reached for her bag, struggling to open the latch, but all she saw inside was a blurry mess of things. When did Goku get so disorganized? That wasn't like her... maybe she grabbed Vegeta's bag by accident. Oh well, Vegeta should still have plenty of reviver seeds anyway.

For whatever reason, whenever Goku pulled out an item, it was just, really blurry. And her breathing was she shaky and ragged... it must've been allergy season, yeah... although she's never had allergies. If only she could find the heal seed, that'd fix her right up.

"I-I'll just... use th-them all," Goku said, but lifting the bag to try and dump on the still... still slumbering Mudkip, was so hard... her arms ached and shook so badly. Guess that dungeon last night still had her exhausted, same with Vegeta, that's why she wasn't breathing, yeah. Eventually, Goku managed to tilt the bag enough for its contents to roll out, but the seemed to get heavier and heavier until she dropped the whole thing on Vegeta. "S-See what happens wh-when you don't... d-don't..." Goku sniffled. "P-Please..."

Everything grew dark, and cold. Shrouded in the loneliness only she could suffer in, Goku's trembling worsened, and she tried to curl up as much as she could. It... It hurt. So bad. Like it always did. So much dark. So much cold. So alone... All Goku could do was what she always did, wait, and hope, that it would pass soon...

Strangely, there was something else there, this time. Just... this red thing. It was huge, terrifying, but... all it did was stand there, over Vegeta. Goku didn't move, she couldn't, but she didn't feel the need to. Even when the red knelt down to Vegeta, and even when crimson claws rested on the Mudkip's body. The red thing started to speak... and even though Goku couldn't hear it, she felt it was an apology, for letting things get like this.

A warm glow emanated from the red thing's claws, flowing over Vegeta. Its shine was enough to light up the loneliness, even a little bit, but it couldn't make out the red thing's face... As the glow diminished, fading into Vegeta, the red thing stood. It spoke that apology again, before leaving, taking the loneliness with it...

Goku's surroundings hit her all at once; the distant waterfall, the rustling leaves, Antares by her side, Lillie tending to Kaz, Violet crying over Vegeta...

And Vegeta, choking back to life.

 

[IFBench]

Gen screamed as he heard the cracking sound. Crap, crap, crap! Vegeta didn't die, right? Right?

He frantically dug into his bag, searching for one of those "reviver seeds" Burhalla had talked about. There had to be one in here somewhere. There had to. There had to.

After fifteen seconds of searching, he finally pulled one out, only to hear Vegeta's choked sounds. Thank Lugia, she was alive. She was alive. She was alive.

He breathed a deep sigh of relief, clutching onto his reunion cape.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Vegeta had survived. Again. Her second time picking a losing fight, and her second time being bailed out.

Lillie took a deep breath. It was okay. Everyone was okay. She took a deep breath.

Fear set aside, she instead found herself angry that they'd been out in this situation again. "You... are an idiot! How many times will we need to bail you out of fights with a living weapon before your last two brain cells connect, and you realize you can't win! Or are you just going to keep pushing her until she snaps and someone dies for real!"

 

[Fusion]

More coughs and chokes, and Vegeta rolled onto her side. She wobbled as she stood, taking deep breaths and spitting out the blood in her mouth. Everything felt so big again, which kinda sucked, and it felt like she was forgetting something, but other than that, she was... fine. Although, there was this headache that came and went...

Fear set aside, she instead found herself angry that they'd been out in this situation again. "You... are an idiot! How many times will we need to bail you out of fights with a living weapon before your last two brain cells connect, and you realize you can't win! Or are you just going to keep pushing her until she snaps and someone dies for real!"

"Geez, what the hell are you on about!" Vegeta shouted back, glaring up at Lillie. Yeah, she was small again, but she didn't seem to care about how that happened. "I doze off for five fucking seconds! What the actual hell could I have done!?"

Goku was... honestly she couldn't tell what she was feeling. There was... a lot. Just... a lot. Vegeta was fine, shouting and angry, just like always. She wasn't even hurt. She didn't look fazed. She was fine. "Vegeta..."

"Hold on a sec, I'm chewing out the snowflake," Vegeta said, holding up a paw to Goku. "Like, seriously?! Is bitching and being snippy just your default? Was your mother a crab and your father a beartrap? Geez kid, find another Pokemon to obsessively annoy!"

 

[AbraPunk]

"I doze off for five fucking seconds! What the actual hell could I have done!?"

Antares had been surprised to see the fish come back to life, yes...

But unfortunately it seemed she was as horrible as ever.

"I highly doubt you are truly unaware of what trouble you have caused."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

"Hold on a sec, I'm chewing out the snowflake," Vegeta said, holding up a paw to Goku. "Like, seriously?! Is bitching and being snippy just your default? Was your mother a crab and your father a beartrap? Geez kid, find another Pokemon to obsessively annoy!"

"You almost gave your partner a heart attack! Do you not care about that? When are you going to realize that you're hurting the people who care about you?" Lillie sneered. "Or is your bloated ego more important to you than your partner?"

 

[MintyMimix]

She couldn't understand.

Violet saw Vegeta was spitting and sputtering again - in his base form - like nothing had happened. She was overwhelmed by all of this, and she was sad, elated, but above all else... angry.

She couldn't understand.

Was she frustrated with Vegeta for acting so callously - for worrying and picking fights with everyone around her? Was she betrayed by the actions of the false knight - the one she wanted to give a chance only to have crushed by a brutal act? Was she angry at herself for breaking down easily... and for trusting so easily?

She couldn't understand.

She balled up her claw into a fist, and, tried as she might, attempted to slug Vegeta in the face, but it was nothing more than a meek tap as she shivered and quailed. It was all she could muster.

 

[Fusion]

"I highly doubt you are truly unaware of what trouble you have caused."

"Then enlighten me, your highness, what crimes am I charged with today? Not shining your boots? Not having a low enough bow when you enter the room? Looking you in your beady eyes like you're on my level?" Vegeta scoffed, sitting down.

"You almost gave your partner a heart attack! Do you not care about that? When are you going to realize that you're hurting the people who care about you?" Lillie sneered. "Or is your bloated ego more important to you than your partner?"

Vegeta's glare fell silent on Lillie, a more focused fury than whatever she had before. "I beg you're pardon. Would you like to say that again? You were accusing me of not caring about Goku? Me? So you're not just frail and full of yourself, you're outright braindead too." If looks could kill, Vegeta would already be convicted.

She balled up her claw into a fist, and, tried as she might, attempted to slug Vegeta in the face, but it was nothing more than a meek tap as she shivered and quailed. It was all she could muster.

Then, a faint little something tapped her on the cheek. It was so harmless, it actually caught Vegeta off guard. Who the hell could have done that? One of the humans? No, those were too tall... the Oshawott then? Honestly, if it was, Vegeta would have commended him, but... "Violet..?"

The Sneasel was a mess, the poor girl looked more than exhausted. She was shivering... but it was so warm out... And... was she crying? Vegeta, confused, just sat there, staring... It was hard to look Violet in the eyes, for some reason. "Violet, what... happened?"

"Vegeta..." a voice called, drawing the Mudkip's attention. Without a doubt, it was Goku. She was sitting in front of a pile of junk, her eyes were red and puffy, and she shook like a wet dog out in the cold.

"Goku?" Vegeta gasped, looking over to her companion. For the first time, her bravado broke, and panic showed its face on the Mudkip. "What the hell? What the hell?! What happened? How long was I out!?"

 

[IFBench]

"YOU DIED!" Gen screamed, trembling badly. "Y-you fought K-Kaz, and it was r-really bad...and then..."

His grip on his reunion cape tightened.

 

[Inkedust]

Kaz laid there, her breaths shallow, listening to the distant voices. They were worried about the mudkip. Scared of her.

Why? Kaz had been trying to protect them from what had been a swampert, who'd been nothing more than a bully, picking fights with everyone, goading them all on. Why were they fawning over it now?

And then, Kaz heard Lillie whisper.

"Sorry, Kazimir. I guess some things just are too dangerous after all..."

Kazimir.

She wanted to speak up, to correct her friend, to say it was just 'Kaz' but something much deeper gave that name weight, gave that name meaning, so much more than 'just Kaz'. And just like that, Kaz had two sets of memories; one of a young ponyta living a simple life in a small village, the other of a proud man who had his spirit haphazardly shoved into this body.

Eyes half lidded, Kaz murmured, "So that's how it is then? All just an elaborate lie." She chuckled, a hollow sound, before she looked towards Lillie and Violet. "What am I?" she asked herself before addressing her friends.

"I'm not really a ponyta, am I?" Kaz asked the two, her voice flat. "I don't understand what happened, I'm remembering things I shouldn't—memories that break everything I thought I knew about myself into tiny pieces." A small sob escaped from the helmet. "I-I was forced into this body by some kind of ritual then I escaped the cell those cultists were keeping me in, only to have everything about me overwritten.

"That name you called me, 'Kazimir', that's my name; my real name. I was a human before all this. A general in a time of war..." Kaz trailed off. Everything felt surreal, as if it was some kind of dream. The next thing she said was nothing more than a whisper.

"I just wanted to protect..."

 

[Fusion]

"YOU DIED!" Gen screamed, trembling badly. "Y-you fought K-Kaz, and it was r-really bad...and then..."

"I don't care what happened to me, what happened to Goku!" Vegeta snapped, far less angry than her usual. "Did Goku get hurt? And Violet too?" She looked back at Goku again, wincing slightly. "Nothing's broken? No bleeding?"

Goku shook her head, silent, and Vegeta let out a relieved sigh. "Thank god..."

"I'm not really a ponyta, am I?" Kaz asked the two, her voice flat. "I don't understand what happened, I'm remembering things I shouldn't—memories that break everything I thought I knew about myself into tiny pieces." A small sob escaped from the helmet. "I-I was forced into this body by some kind of ritual then I escaped the cell those cultists were keeping me in, only to have everything about me overwritten.

"That name you called me, 'Kazimir', that's my name; my real name. I was a human before all this. A general in a time of war..." Kaz trailed off. Everything felt surreal, as if it was some kind of dream. The next thing she said was nothing more than a whisper.

So Kaz was another human, huh? For fuck's sake, these things were a dime a dozen. Why the hell were so many of them here for anyway? Whatever, it doesn't matter.

"I just wanted to protect..."

"And who the hell are you to decide who needs protection?" Vegeta spat. Surprisingly, she still wasn't angry, moreso just annoyed. "Just throwing your help on others when they didn't ask for shit, what a joke. What kinda friend thinks their friends are so weak that they need their help?" she sighed, lowering her head. "Now look at what we've done, jackass..."

 

[SilverPhoenix]

Lilly walked over and slapped Vegeta,
"YOU LITERALLY DIED! YOU OBIOUSLY NEEDED PROTECTION!"

 

[Fusion]

Lilly walked over and slapped Vegeta,
"YOU LITERALLY DIED! YOU OBIOUSLY NEEDED PROTECTION!"

Now that was kinda just sad. Props for standing up for something, but Vegeta couldn't rate that hit very highly. "And I'd do it again in a goddamn heartbeat instead of cowering behind someone else so they die in my place. I don't need protection because I'm not so much of a weak, defenseless child to beg and cry for someone else fight my battles," she said, cold. "I know that isn't a concept you or anyone else here can wrap their head around, other than Kaz, at least."

 

[AbraPunk]

"I don't need protection because I'm not so much of a weak, defenseless child to beg and cry for someone else fight my battles," she said, cold. "I know that isn't a concept you or anyone else here can wrap their head around, other than Kaz, at least."

"You say such things, yet you have done nothing except be a nuisance to all. The one fight you were in, you were defeated. You died." Antares glared at Vegeta.

"Even death does not sway you from your ways. It is not surprising as to why you have so many enemies." A dark sneer made its way onto his face. "You have died once, and I would not hesitate to have you die a second time. Everyone would be better off because of it." He snarled in a low voice. He truly meant every word he was saying.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Eyes half lidded, Kaz murmured, "So that's how it is then? All just an elaborate lie." She chuckled, a hollow sound, before she looked towards Lillie and Violet. "What am I?" she asked herself before addressing her friends.

"I'm not really a ponyta, am I?" Kaz asked the two, her voice flat. "I don't understand what happened, I'm remembering things I shouldn't—memories that break everything I thought I knew about myself into tiny pieces." A small sob escaped from the helmet. "I-I was forced into this body by some kind of ritual then I escaped the cell those cultists were keeping me in, only to have everything about me overwritten.

"That name you called me, 'Kazimir', that's my name; my real name. I was a human before all this. A general in a time of war..." Kaz trailed off. Everything felt surreal, as if it was some kind of dream. The next thing she said was nothing more than a whisper.

"I just wanted to protect..."

It took Lillie a second to realize Kazimir was talking to her, had indeed heard what she had whispered. She regretted saying it now.

She sat down beside them, feeling safe doing so for the first time since she had encountered them. She owed them an explanation...

As she spoke, she stroked the feathers that emerged from the bottom of Kazimir's control mask, emulating the way her twin would stroke her hair when she was stressed out. "You aren't a ponyta. This is the body of a Type: Null. The three of them I know, at least from the point in time I come from, are the only three in existence. My father wanted something that could protect the world from a newly-discovered sort of life form we called 'Ultra Beasts.' He genetically engineered what he thought would be a body adaptable enough to handle their unknown properties, and drew inspiration from Oricorio to give them the power to change their typing at will... Before he finished his work, he..." She took a deep breath. "He died. The person who took over... It didn't go well. That 'headdress' is a control mask fitted to disable the type-changing system. Without it, your immune system would be fighting with the rest of your body, killing you from the inside."

Lillie wanted to stop there. It was all Kazimir really needed to know... But if she stopped now, they wouldn't know why she had whispered what she had. Why she hadn't helped them after the fight. Her breaths were growing heavier. "The worse the situation with the project grew, the more the temperament of the Nulls started to grow worse. One day, one of them lashed out, knocked a researcher to the ground, and... smashed him with the control mask. Shattered his face guard and skull. They needed a mop to clean up that was left of his head afterwards. That's why I was afraid of you at first, and why I was even more terrified when that damn Mudkip kept picking fights with you."

She was shaking now. "The project was declared unsalvageable at that point. Instead of euthanizing them, my mother decided to freeze them. I-I didn't say anything, but my... my brother..." It was her first time calling him that. The word felt right, like a missing piece of the twin she'd never really understood had finally clicked. "My brother was was always fond of the Nulls, and was always braver than I. When he found out what was happening to them, he stole the last one before they could freeze it and ran away from home. I haven't seen him since... I only found out pretty recently that he was even alive. Mother had been content to let me think it had probably killed him, too."

"The two they did freeze were supposed to stay frozen indefinitely, but nothing really lasts forever. Once all the humans of your era died out, it was only a matter of time before they thawed. I suppose some cultists of your time found them, and... You know better than I what happened after that."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

And I'd do it again in a goddamn heartbeat instead of cowering behind someone else so they die in my place.

Lillie cast a glare towards the whiny Mudkip. "There was no battle to fight, except the one you chose to pick. Perhaps you should stop and think about how much your partner cares about you before you go throwing your own life away."