[Town victory] Vanilla Mafia!

[Homestar!]

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" Reme snapped, quickly taking a moment to recompose herself. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Seeeeee eeeeenitieeeeeeeeeee duck and the Luceeeeeee"

Mike gulped in air, hissing it back out, trying hard to focus on who-- whatever was trying to speak to him. He blinked back tears, jerking his foot out from underneath where it was stomped. The foot and the leg moved as the same unit, but only just. A jolt of pain shot through him as his heel bumped against the floor.

Regaining her calm, Reme walked over to Mike, offering him a hand. And an Oran Berry. "I'm unsure of whether or not humans feel any healing properties from Orans, but it should be better than nothing."

Mike just made out what she was saying through the pain pulsing its way up his leg. Mike didn't look twice at the Oran berry, and paused before grabbing the Gardevoir's outstretched hand. A life spent being too heavy made him reflexively hesitate, even now when he wasn't too heavy. He had never been this close to a Gardevoir before but was unsurprised that one would be ready and willing to help.

He quickly found he was much too heavy for his foot, which panged the moment he put pressure on it. He leaned hard against the Gardevoir, hissing with the pain. He forced himself to think 'thank you' as loudly as he could, just in case she was listening, and to keep the sensation from making him sick.

[Whoever replies first gets to decide whether or not Mike's Ankle is severely hurt, and how so! Fair game for anyone! GO GO GO!]

 

[HelloYellow17]

For just a moment, Wes thought he was back in the desert, on some overnight mission. He stared up at the cave ceiling for several seconds until he realized two things at once: One, this wasn’t his go-to cave for such missions; it was bigger, colder, and damp. Two, there was a distinct lack of warmth at either side: Neo and Novo weren’t here. Which meant—

Right. Right. He was here, in this gods-forsaken dream, or game, or whatever the hell this was. He pinched his nose and groaned before sitting up and looking around.

Gods, it was LOUD. Several others were still sleeping (somehow), and yet the gremlin (Pokemon? Wes still wasn’t sure) was already wreaking havoc on some poor soul. After doing a quick scan, Wes felt his stomach drop. Two were missing: The odd little Porygon and the Lucario. He clenched his teeth.

Just like last time, they were soon going to be dropping like flies. He needed to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible. But first, he’d need some people to shut up.

He rose and marched right over to where Kent was terrorizing some man he didn’t recognize. Wes seized the creature by the back of the neck and hoisted him into the air, much like he did with Neo when he was a kit.

“What did I tell you,” he hissed, “about being a little shit?”

He glanced at the man sitting up against a rock. He was moaning in pain and favoring his ankle, clearly in immense pain. It didn’t look broken at first glance, but Wes couldn’t be sure.

”Dammit, Kent!”

 

[Bluwiikoon]

[They were with their friend on Day 0 in the last moments of the sunset, trembling and huddling with them. In a way, it was a moment of peace after such a barrage of emotions. Even if they messed up with their speech, their encouragement, they still had a friend. They were together. And then-]

[DARKNESS]

[Plunged into the void, ripped away from the world of day, before they could even scream. Submerged in a sea of nothing.]

"No...! No! DON'T PUT ME BACK!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!! I DON'T WANT THIS!!!!!!!!! I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE AGAIN-"

[Even as they screamed, they could only hear silence.]

-----

[Emerging into the world again, a different world but still a world. They sobbed in relief, grateful for the sight of stone and dirt, the rich texture of rock. Earthy colours, ever so detailed and beautiful in the way they mixed and defined the world. They... they felt a sense of comfort, being in the cave. And... they could hear everyone again. They weren't alone!]

[Trembling still, they looked around. Everyone was here. Everyone was ok.]

[...]

[No, not everyone-]

[The letters on the ground that the dragon threw, the writing seemed to burn into their mind. They realised... they didn't ask anyone for their name yesterday. Too excited, they had forgotten. The strange power of the dragon, however, granted clarity, certainty- PNS-NT was gone.]

My friend...! MY FRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO!!!!!!!!!!! NO NO NO NO-

 

[Sinderella]

Mike gulped in air, hissing it back out, trying hard to focus on who-- whatever was trying to speak to him. He blinked back tears, jerking his foot out from underneath where it was stomped. The foot and the leg moved as the same unit, but only just. A jolt of pain shot through him as his heel bumped against the floor.



Mike just made out what she was saying through the pain pulsing its way up his leg. Mike didn't look twice at the Oran berry, and paused before grabbing the Gardevoir's outstretched hand. A life spent being too heavy made him reflexively hesitate, even now when he wasn't too heavy. He had never been this close to a Gardevoir before but was unsurprised that one would be ready and willing to help.

He quickly found he was much too heavy for his foot, which panged the moment he put pressure on it. He leaned hard against the Gardevoir, hissing with the pain. He forced himself to think 'thank you' as loudly as he could, just in case she was listening, and to keep the sensation from making him sick.

[Whoever replies first gets to decide whether or not Mike's Ankle is severely hurt, and how so! Fair game for anyone! GO GO GO!]

Clovis approached the writhing man, holding his hands up tentatively.

“Easy man,” he said. “I’ve seen my fair share of fucked up ankles before, mind if I have a look-see?”

He offered a short smirk, before kneeling down to his height. He pushed back whatever clothing was covering it, and narrowed his eyes as he examined the swollen flesh.

“Hm, well. Not black and blue, so definitely not broken.” He cocked his head to the side. “Sprained? For sure. You need ice.”

He patted his coat pocket, for the Pokeballs that he knew weren’t there. He sighed in annoyance either way. “And of course, the one time I need them for medicinal purposes…my apologies.”

 

[Inkedust]

Meanwhile, well above the rest of the group, the sound of scraping rock could be heard. Looking towards the source revealed Altair's lower half, sticking out of one of the holes in the cave ceiling, his talons gripping its uneven surface.

Altair frowned. The sky was empty and the air was just as stagnant up here as it was in the cave. To his left were rocks. To his right, more rocks. Worse still, a thick wall of fog obscured anything that stretched beyond 20 meters. He grumbled, he'd have to go back inside. He didn't like it in there.

And then, right on cue, he heard someone screaming below him.

He really didn't like it in there.

 

[Fusion]

Reme gladly let Mike lean on her; for someone with such a frail frame at first glance, she was more than capable to carry Mike's weight. "Easy does it, don't push yourself." She glanced down at Mike's foot... Dear god that wasn't good. Didn't that scalie gremlin just jump on it? It looked... swollen. Really swollen.

Had Wes not started to strangle that little idiot Kent, Reme would have done so once Mike was taken care of. In fact, she might still, but Mike was her first priority. Reme started carrying Mike over to one of the walls, setting him down gently against it and pulling up her satchel. Berries... seeds... herbs... bandage wrap.... rubbing alcohol... Reme's mind was spacing; what helped with swelling and a possibly broken foot?

After a moment to think, Reme pulled out some Heal Powder, Energy Powder, and a coconut. She then pulled out a knife to crack the coconut open, mixed the powders inside it, and handed it to Mike. "Here, this should numb the pain nicely. I personally find that coconut milk helps dampen the bitterness."

 

[Homestar!]

“Hm, well. Not black and blue, so definitely not broken.” He cocked his head to the side. “Sprained? For sure. You need ice.”

"This news is honestly the best news all day," Mike blathered, if just to talk though it, "and I was very glad to not have pissed myself a few hours ago, so thank you and that's--- that's too much information," Mike muttered, "but fuck it, something is wrong, on all counts. Right?"

He smiled at the Gardevoir, allowing himself to be helped over to the wall. "Thank you very, very much."

Had Wes not started to strangle that little idiot Kent, Reme would have done so once Mike was taken care of. In fact, she might still, but Mike was her first priority. Reme started carrying Mike over to one of the walls, setting him down gently against it and pulling up her satchel. Berries... seeds... herbs... bandage wrap.... rubbing alcohol... Reme's mind was spacing; what helped with swelling and a possibly broken foot?

After a moment to think, Reme pulled out some Heal Powder, Energy Powder, and a coconut. She then pulLED OUT A KNIFE

Mike froze, eyes wide, much more awake than he was even a few moments ago with gunfire in his ears.

[And] crack[ed] the coconut open, mixed the powders inside it, and handed it to Mike. "Here, this should numb the pain nicely. I personally find that coconut milk helps dampen the bitterness."

Mike numbly accepted the beverage, and drank a swig. It was horrifically bitter. If he had to quantify it, he would say he had lost ten friendship points. But, considering she had earned more than her fair share with her aid, he forced himself to finish it.

 

[Persephone]

No one answers you! No one at all!

You'll just have to scream louder in the morning.

The morning comes. People are screaming because apparently two pokemon disappeared. Oh well. They'd been useless for you yesterday. Why should you care that they're gone, now? If anything it makes it easier to be heard. And a cave is much better than a field. Cooler. Darker. Maybe there will be bats to hunt.

Then a human starts screaming just because he hurt his foot. Big deal. Your trainer has hurt her foot, like, nine times by now and she never makes more than a yelp.

You scream at him, louder than him, just to get him to shut up.

 

[Sinderella]

"This news is honestly the best news all day," Mike blathered, if just to talk though it, "and I was very glad to not have pissed myself a few hours ago, so thank you and that's--- that's too much information," Mike muttered, "but fuck it, something is wrong, on all counts. Right?"

Clovis offered a sincere laugh. At least this guy could stretch his sense of humor in the face of such adversity.

“I’m also glad, I didn

Had Wes not started to strangle that little idiot Kent, Reme would have done so once Mike was taken care of. In fact, she might still, but Mike was her first priority. Reme started carrying Mike over to one of the walls, setting him down gently against it and pulling up her satchel. Berries... seeds... herbs... bandage wrap.... rubbing alcohol... Reme's mind was spacing; what helped with swelling and a possibly broken foot?

After a moment to think, Reme pulled out some Heal Powder, Energy Powder, and a coconut. She then pulled out a knife to crack the coconut open, mixed the powders inside it, and handed it to Mike. "Here, this should numb the pain nicely. I personally find that coconut milk helps dampen the bitterness."

Well, thank Gods somebody had the common sense to bring some first aid stuff. A Gardevoir no less. They were always such fantastically smart Pokemon.

“Alright, ER nurse, I see you,” he said. He cut his gaze back to Mike. “Well hopefully you won’t be hobbling around much longer.”

Then a human starts screaming just because he hurt his foot. Big deal. Your trainer has hurt her foot, like, nine times by now and she never makes more than a yelp.

You scream at him, louder than him, just to get him to shut up.

His shoulders tensed at the additional yelling. Actually, no, this was screaming. He frowned deeply and turned his head back to eye the beautiful creature. God, Alolan Vulpix were just magnificent—heaps better than their standard fire-type counterpart in his opinion. Ice types in general were just far superior. Fuck, he missed his Snom…

Anyway, his thoughts were getting away from him. Such beauty didn’t subtract from the fact that this thing was shrieking like a banshee, and grating on his last nerve.

“Hey darling, I understand you’re going through it, but this cave echoes. Spare us, s'il te plaît.”

 

[Sinderella]

[Phone deleted half my reply?? Okay.]

Clovis offered a sincere laugh. At least this guy could stretch his sense of humor in the face of such adversity.

“I’m also glad, I didn't bring my diaper bag with me on this little excursion."

 

[Fusion]

From that look on Mike's face, Reme might have needed a fresher coconut to mix the powders in. But at least Mike was giving it a chance, Reme didn't want to imagine having to force feed a human anything... As if it'd be any different from force feeding a rampant animal sedatives. Other than, well, the obvious.

"I have plenty more berries if the bitterness gets to be too much," Reme said, chuckling lightly. She then turned to the other human, and nodded with a smile. "I don't exactly work in ER, but it pays to know how they handle these sorts of things in the field. Saves quite a few lives."

You scream at him, louder than him, just to get him to shut up.

Then someone else started screaming. Reme had to make double sure that she put away her knife before running her hand through her hair and growling. "Frostpix, please, you're not exactly helping."

 

[HelloYellow17]

You scream at him, louder than him, just to get him to shut up.

“Oh, for the love of—would everyone just shut up?” Wes barked. He released his hold on a squirming and grumbling Kent and let him land lightly on his feet before turning to everyone else. He was glad to see that the other man (Mike, apparently) was at least being tended to. Above all, he was grateful someone actually had any healing items with them. If he’d had his bike, he would at least have some bandages, but, well...

He shook his head. Focus. They needed a game plan. One that preferably didn’t involve screaming.

My friend...! MY FRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO!!!!!!!!!!! NO NO NO NO-

The sound of sobbing drew his attention to the strange Porygon in a box. They were in hysterics, sobbing over the message written on the ground revealing the names of those that had been—killed? Claimed? He did recall seeing the two Porygon bonding quite a lot yesterday...

He thought of Chappie yet again and a bitter taste entered his mouth. He stepped over to them and awkwardly patted their head, or what he could assume was their head. “I’m sorry.”

 

[Homestar!]

You scream at him, louder than him, just to get him to shut up.

It had taken quite some time of blathering, complaining, moving, getting-a-knife-pulled-on-him-ing, and chugging for Mike to have the free brain capacity to really take his surroundings in.

But as the drink worked --- and to his great relief, it worked quite quickly --- the free real estate in his brain was taken up by a very incessant yapping.

[Clovis] cut his gaze back to Mike. “Well hopefully you won’t be hobbling around much longer.”

"Me either," Mike called back over the din, "I need both legs to deliver a good punt."

Mike caught his thoughts before any more escaped and took a deep breath. Something was swirling in his stomach that was completely unfamiliar. He felt his ankle, and even his foot, spasm once or twice. But as they did so, a relief and pressure washed through his body. He could tell it was still tender, but the Gardevoir's medicine had gone far beyond his expectations.

Now if only he could wear that ice-type like a chilly, Ugg-ly little boot.

 

[Bluwiikoon]

The sound of sobbing drew his attention to the strange Porygon in a box. They were in hysterics, sobbing over the message written on the ground revealing the names of those that had been—killed? Claimed? He did recall seeing the two Porygon bonding quite a lot yesterday...

He thought of Chappie yet again and a bitter taste entered his mouth. He stepped over to them and awkwardly patted their head, or what he could assume was their head. “I’m sorry.”

[Too emotional to even speak, all they could do is sob into Wes' coat (someone REALLY put effort into tear ducts for this machine, holy alomomoly) until they trailed off into hiccups and sniffles. They are trying really hard, I promise.]

i'm... i'm, sorry...... (sniffle) (hic) i don't- i don't... i don't want to,, bother anybody...

 

[Flyg0n]

Chaos, people acting up... Annoying. Still, she felt bad, the Porygon seemed so nice. She felt bad for that other Porygon-thing stuck in a machine or something.

Still, this wasn't the time for freakouts, this was the time for focusing, for evaluating. "We need to focus," she declared. "Figure out who might have been behind what happened last night."

 

[Sinderella]

"Me either," Mike called back over the din, "I need both legs to deliver a good punt."

Mike caught his thoughts before any more escaped and took a deep breath. Something was swirling in his stomach that was completely unfamiliar. He felt his ankle, and even his foot, spasm once or twice. But as they did so, a relief and pressure washed through his body. He could tell it was still tender, but the Gardevoir's medicine had gone far beyond his expectations.

Clovis's brow twitched. "Keep the Pokemon cruelty to whoever's trying to kill us off," he suggested. His grin became wry. "Unless that's you?"

There was a clear shift in Mike's demeanor as the medicine apparently got ahold of him. Clovis also found himself impressed; Pokemon based medicine back home usually only did half the legwork for human injuries, but it seemed whatever this Gardevoir had on hand ran the whole race. He'd have to take notes.

"Fancy shmancy," he chirped.

 

[Persephone]

Good. People are paying attention to you. Finally.

“What is going on? Who are you?”

 

[HelloYellow17]

i'm... i'm, sorry...... (sniffle) (hic) i don't- i don't... i don't want to,, bother anybody...

”It’s fine. Don’t, um, worry about it,” he mumbled and just patted their head again. Gods, he was so useless at this.

Chaos, people acting up... Annoying. Still, she felt bad, the Porygon seemed so nice. She felt bad for that other Porygon-thing stuck in a machine or something.

Still, this wasn't the time for freakouts, this was the time for focusing, for evaluating. "We need to focus," she declared. "Figure out who might have been behind what happened last night."

He nodded to her. “I agree. Did anyone...see or hear anything, maybe?”

 

[Sinderella]

Still, this wasn't the time for freakouts, this was the time for focusing, for evaluating. "We need to focus," she declared. "Figure out who might have been behind what happened last night."

Clovis whirled his head around to eye this little green girl. Was she...cosplaying a Flygon? How cute. And she was speaking some sense.

"Fantastic idea, lets just pull up the interrogation box."

“What is going on? Who are you?”

He averted his eyes back to Pixie. "See little thing, we're trying not to meet the void. And I could ask you the same thing?"

 

[Fusion]

"We need to focus," she declared. "Figure out who might have been behind what happened last night."

Reme nodded. "Agreed. I believe we all were given... roles, for lack of a better word last night. I'm unsure how this game or... whatever that Charizard called this, is supposed to play out, but my said I was simply... Vanilla." She sighed, then shook her head and held a determined face. "In other words, nothing for me has changed. Powerless before and powerless now."

“What is going on? Who are you?”

She then looked to the Frostpix, semi-disappointed. All of that was seriously just for attention? Reme walked over to her and crouched down. "I am Reme. Apparently, two of our own have died, and we have to figure out who the culprit is before everyone else follows their lead. If you are done, screaming, I believe we all could use any information we could get."