Psyduck glanced around at her fellow inter-narrative travelers, head already starting to throb as the inevitable bickering began. Although she was tempted to waddle off into a soothingly dark and quiet corner and and ponder the philosophical implications of multiple fanfiction dimensions with contradictory backstories and worldbuilding existing simultaneously, Psyduck knew she couldn't. The thought of an entity powerful enough to extend across the multiverse and cause people to vanish into nothingness - to make their existence as fictitious as most imagined fanfic characters to be - unnerved Psyduck more than she cared to admit. And perhaps - as absurd as the possibility might seem - there might even be something to learn from some of these strange characters and their different worlds. So, with great reluctance, Psyduck forced herself to make her way towards the crowd and approached the wiry, black-haired human who had spoken earlier.
"Excuse me, ah, Lachlan, I believe your name was? I happened to overhear something you stated earlier, about the necessity of pooling our common knowledge for us to have any chance of getting out of this situation. And I quite happen to agree. The best place to begin, I believe, is the beginning itself - that is, the circumstances surrounding the initial bout of disappearances in our home worlds that compelled each of us to gather together here today. Perhaps by comparing our different tales, we may glean commonalities in the disappearances that suggest who this "Mafia", as I suppose everyone's terming it now, might be likely to target next.
Until recently, I lived a humble but philosophically rich life in a Pokemon daycare deep in the countryside. The first inkling I had of something being amiss came when a Zoroark who lived alongside us failed to return from one of his extended excursions into the surrounding wilderness. Of course, at first we dismissed the disappearance as merely a prelude to one of his infantile pranks. But several days later, just as the finest minds among us were debating the merits of sending out a search party, another us of vanished right from under our beaks - a Slakoth who'd been the first to express alarm over the Zoroark's absence. After a full examination of the daycare's grounds failed to turn up even the scent of him, a Farfetch'd with a tenuous grasp on reality began to shriek that Zoroark must've devoured him whole. He was the next to vanish, which to the simpler-minded members of our daycare lent credence to his accusation.
Following that, it was decided that we should adopt a risibly-named "buddy system" - as if mere physical proximity could bring about bonds of true companionship - which was, of course, effectual only at accelerating the growth of distrust and paranoia between us. When Clefairy disappeared after that, suspicion naturally fell upon the 'buddy' who was supposed to have been accompanying her, Seviper. After Seviper's next volunteer comrade, Grumpig, disappeared, it was decided that she should be locked in the basement. By this point, of course, it had become apparent to me that these disappearances were being done in a systematic fashion, calculated to turn us against each other.
The situation deteriorated quickly after that. Each new dawn brought with it a new disappearance. Pokemon began to fear what would happen when whatever shadowy force was behind all of this had diminished our numbers enough that they no longer felt they needed to stay hidden. Then, our resident Porygon claimed that they'd found out about similar patterns of disappearances in other worlds through some sort of telepathy they called the 'internet', and that they'd also heard of a rumor that certain residents of those worlds were gathering together to try to get to the bottom of the situation. Although I held great skepticism of this rumor, I was under no illusions as to my odds of remaining corporeally unchallenged if I remained at the daycare, and so I sought out this meeting ground between worlds. What happened to the Pokemon I left behind, I know nothing of."
Psyduck paused for a moment, and, as if suddenly realizing she'd forgotten to do so even once during her long monologue, let out an exaggerated moan and clutched the sides of her head.
"...there. I've told my story. Is there anyone else here who'd care to provide similar elucidation?"
