Treasure Town ~ Woodland Outskirts

[Torchic]

No two worlds were the same, huh? They all worked differently than his. Exploration being illegal? Ruined economy? He would've been worried if he knew what that word meant.

"I don't think that's going to happen... we have an RT base in every town and village I've come across. They're the ones that'll take care of you if you get injured or lost in a dungeon. They're really friendly mon!"

The prickling was finally gone, and he gestured Icetales to let him down.

"Also, most mon know the dangers of those dungeons, and actively try to avoid them. Unlike yours, our dungeons don't really have any kind of treasures in them, as far as I know."

 

[Cresselia92]

Icetales noticed Cino’s gesture and obliged, lowering himself to the floor to let the latter hop off safely.

“Well, that is certainly reassuring, sir,” he said, getting back to his feet. “At least thy world seems more apt in taking care of those threats, unlike mine. But, well…” He shrugged. “Different folks with different issues for different worlds, I suppose?”

He looked up at the sky, studying the position of the sun. Perhaps there was some time for one last thing before parting ways and going to Marowak Dojo.

“Sir Cino,” he started, looking back at the Minccino, “as thou have realized thy Radiance with success, I have… a favor to ask thee in exchange of my service, if thou do not mind.”

He showed a hopeful smile and started wagging his tails, while his eyes sparkled like sapphires. “Can thou teach me the basics of Tail Slap?”

 

[Torchic]

A Vulpix wanted to learn Tail Slap from him? He didn't mind this favour at all. Icetales helped Cino on how his Radiance was working, and now Cino's gonna help him how to use Tail Slap. Would Icetales even be able to use it as efficiently as Cino?

Would he himself even be able to use it? It was worth a try.

"You wanna learn how to use Tail Slap? Alright, I can help with that. Although I very rarely use it, I'll still try to show it as best as I can."

He got into a position and readied his tail. "So, first thing you wanna focus on the target you want to hit, obviously. Trying to hit something with your tail is not as easy as it sounds. If you really want it to hurt, you gotta do what I'll be doing. See this tree?" He pointed at the nearest one. "Watch closely."

Cino swung his hip, giving his tail some extra momentum, and hit the tree three times. "Oh, and... don't think about if this would be hurting your tail...s. Else you're not gonna hit very hard. Though... hold on." He held a paw on his chin, "Before you try it... would my technique work for you too? I mean, you're not on two legs, like me." Cino brushed a bit of bark off his tail.

He shrugged. Maybe this wasn't all too bad? "Just... do it how you think is right."

 

[Cresselia92]

‘Watch closely.’ So he did.

With the same studious gaze of a Watchog, Icetales focused all his attention on the movements of the Minccino

The swaying tail, in a perfect mix between hardness and flexibility.

The scrunched position, with the legs getting ready to spring forward.

The concentration in the eyes, staring intently at the tree.

And then, the attack itself. Bam, bam, bam!

What technique! What power! What strong tail!

“Ah! That was one great showcase there, sir,” commented Icetales, wagging his tails even faster.

"Before you try it... would my technique work for you too? I mean, you're not on two legs, like me." Cino brushed a bit of bark off his tail.

“Well, we won’t know until I try, no?” said Icetales, showing a confident grin. “I am sure I can adapt the attack to make it work with my four legs. I only need to find a compromise.”

"Just... do it how you think is right."

“I shall!” Icetales lowered his chest toward the floor, keeping his tails high and spreading them to cover the most area. “Alright! Here I go!”

Keeping his narrowed eyes set on the tree, the Vulpix charged at it. The tails waved up and down in a fluid motion, with the curls tightening even further to handle the incoming impact. He ran even faster and jumped toward the tree, ready to rotate in midair… and the momentum completely failed him, making him miss the tree and his tails barely graze the bark.

“Waah!”

And then, Icetales feel inside a bush, scattering leaves around and making a loud swishy noise.

“Oof…” he moaned, before poking his head out of the tree. Small branches were stuck into his curls on his head and leaves were hanging from his mouth, which he promptly spat out. “Eww! Atrocious! And… Oh, golly! H-How embarrassing…”

He wiggled himself out of the bush and shook his head to get the branches and leaves off of his fur. “Goodness! That technique is tougher than it looks… thou made it seem so easy to perform.”

 

[Torchic]

"Try... not jumping toward the tree next time. Not even I can do that consistently. Practice it without moving around, I think that'll help."

 

[Cresselia92]

“Hmph… Yes, that… that sounds reasonable,” grumbled Icetales, before staring at his tails and flexing them. “I had hoped that knowing Tail Whip would have made Tail Slap easier to use, but it doesn’t seem to be the case. I suppose there is a good difference between just… wagging the tails and using them to strike, hm?”

He shook his head and walked toward the tree, before turning around and starting to strike the bark. After a few hits he could feel them starting to feel sore, but he could also feel his muscles hardening.

No pain no gain, I suppose…

Icetales narrowed his eyes as he kept staring at his tails, before glancing at Cino. “Speaking of tails, don’t thou find bizarre that a move called Tail Whip does no damage, sir? Like, a whip should strike hard — think of Vine Whip, for example — and yet a whip-like motion with a tail does… nil?” He tilted his head in confusion. “I wonder if there was a misplaced translation in the older days… maybe it used to be named Tail Wag and someone mistranslated it as Tail Whip?”

He shrugged, still hitting the tree. “Some food for thought.”

 

[Torchic]

Cino never thought about that. Who even decided what those moves should be called? He never recalled having learned their names, just that he knew what they were just from seeing them.

"It's certainly interesting if you think about it. But hey, you're doing good so far! Make sure not to strain your tails too hard, or else it's gonna more than hurt. I mean... I'm not sure if you need them for balancing yourself, or... something."

 

[Cresselia92]

“I am being considerate of my wellbeing, sir. I appreciate thy concern, however,” said Icetales with a smile. “But now that thou mentioned balance… Well, a Vulpix’s tails — and tails in general — are an intriguing work of nature’s engineering, if thou think about it.”

Icetales lowered his tails and let them dangle freely, releasing some cold mist in the process. They twitched subtly as the energy dissipated and they recovered some of their vigor.

“A Vulpix’s set of tails is mainly used to channel energy from the air, before being converted into a freezing force inside our bodies and expelled from our jaws in a blast of frost. It works in a similar way for our close relatives, the fire Vulpix, with the difference that… well, it should be pretty obvious.”

He tilted his head. “As of balance… um… it helps somewhat with our equilibrium, yes. Even if,” he leaned forward and put a paw besides his cheek, “between us, it is quite tiresome to drag six tails around, thou know? They are somewhat light, indeed, but having to groom six of them… now that’s quite the task, good fellow. Thou have no idea!”

He paused, before looking frantically around. “Huh… But do not tell this to anyone, sir, especially to my fellow Vulpix. Some of us take great pride in our tails and want them to be as impeccable as possible. I want that, too, but I am not ashamed of admitting that they can be a chore!”

He chuckled, before restarting hitting the tree. “If all, having just one tail should be easier to manage and control, I reckon. How dost thou feel about thy tail?”

 

[Torchic]

“between us, it is quite tiresome to drag six tails around, thou know? They are somewhat light, indeed, but having to groom six of them… now that’s quite the task, good fellow. Thou have no idea!”

Cino nodded in understanding. "Sometimes I take a good half an hour to just get mine in top shape." He chuckled, "I can't imagine having six of those... that would take all day."

“If all, having just one tail should be easier to manage and control, I reckon. How dost thou feel about thy tail?”

"It's alright, I guess? I never had any experience with having more than one, though. One's enough for me." He let his tail go twice around him, stroking it with a paw. "Say, it might be a weird question, coming from me, but... my tail has been feeling... odd. It feels like it can do more than any other Minccino's."

He unwrapped himself and put his tail down, the tip of it forming a small circle on the ground. The muscles in his tail visibly tensed up as he lifted himself up and was now almost twice as tall as Icetales. "This, I mean. Is this normal? This doesn't feel normal, if you ask me."

 

[Cresselia92]

He chuckled, "I can't imagine having six of those... that would take all day."

“Well, I have learned quite a few tricks and can get my tails done in a couple of hours. My best ally is without any doubt a healthy dose of furspray, so that my locks and curls can resist all day.” He waved a tail in front of his body, showing pieces of bark falling aimlessly on the ground. “See? Not a single lock out of place!”

"Say, it might be a weird question, coming from me, but... my tail has been feeling... odd. It feels like it can do more than any other Minccino's."

Icetales blinked. “Oh? I’m most curious, what dost thou mean?

He unwrapped himself and put his tail down, the tip of it forming a small circle on the ground. The muscles in his tail visibly tensed up as he lifted himself up and was now almost twice as tall as Icetales. "This, I mean. Is this normal? This doesn't feel normal, if you ask me."

“…Ah. So that is what thou meant.”

He stopped in his exercise once more, feeling that the soreness was slowly fading away — was he getting used to that and getting closer to learning the move?

Well, that didn’t matter. His curiosity had been piqued by the Minccino’s unique feat and he walked toward him, looking in awe at how he kept his equilibrium .

“Golly! Now that is most impressive!” he exclaimed, before humming in deep thought. “Well, huh… I cannot say for certain if that is normal or not for a Minccino as I am not one, but it is… quite the performance, indeed.”

He circled Cino, studying meticulously every single detail of his tail. “Hmm… Firm muscles, hardly a twitch, perfect equilibrium, not a sweat or other sign of fatigue…” He stopped walking and put a paw under his chin, analyzing what he had gathered. “I have… never quite heard of this kind of feat, aside from some very talented acrobats. As such, either thy tail is stronger that the average Minccino’s, or thou are in the process of learning a new skill. I’m leaning toward something like Iron Tail, but I cannot confirm my theory.”

 

[Torchic]

Iron Tail? That would come in handy later on, maybe. "But... wouldn't it be stiff then? It's still pretty flexible."

He got down to his normal height again. "It's really strange. ...Anyway, do you feel safe using Tail Slap now? Or do you feel you need a bit more training? If not, we can return back to town. I'm starting to get hungry. Haven't had breakfast yet..." Cino laughed nervously. "I just wanted to see if I can already use my Radiance."

Note to self: don't overdo it.

 

[Cresselia92]

Iron Tail? That would come in handy later on, maybe. "But... wouldn't it be stiff then? It's still pretty flexible."

“Not if thou are merely starting channeling the energy for the move. In that case, thy tail would be a good mix between hard and flexible, but without the power to pack a… powered tail, of course.” He chuckled. “But again, that is just a theory.”

A move theory.

"It's really strange. ...Anyway, do you feel safe using Tail Slap now? Or do you feel you need a bit more training? If not, we can return back to town. I'm starting to get hungry. Haven't had breakfast yet..." Cino laughed nervously. "I just wanted to see if I can already use my Radiance."

“Hmm… I think I am swell, for now. I will go later to Marowak Dojo to have Marowak lend a paw with the final touches. And… breakfast, hm?” He smiled and wagged his tails. “Well, now that thou mentioned that, I would not mind some fresh mint tea with biscuits after all this workout. So yes, we can safely leave, Sir Cino.”

His smile became a grin, showing his appreciation and happiness at having met and get to know a new good fellow. He didn’t regret accepting the help request one bit.

 

[Torchic]

"Right, a training session or two in the Dojo wouldn't hurt. But first, breakfast."

He was about to walk back to town, "Oh", he turned to Icetales, "almost forgot. Thanks for your help, Icetales."

<><><><><>

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa prowled into the woods in search of no particular prey. Not that she could catch much with her body still so battered from the fight down at the beach.

"Diyem?" she said aloud, unwilling to subvocalise what she intended to ask, even if she would only receive answers in goddamn telepathy. "I'd like that word with you now, if you please."

 

[Namohysip]

Diyem didn't answer immediately, but eventually that same telepathic presence made itself known. Something about it seemed a little gentler this time, for some reason, like he was not immediately thrusting his voice into her mind.

Hello.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

She'd had the questions assembled in her mind for days. Plenty of time to think them over in her sickbed, tracing mnemonics with her tail. What were you so worried about when Buffet offered to speak with you? Do you know if there's some reason that the radiance-touched are just as lunatic--in the opposite way--as the slug-possessed? And why did you really pick me for this mission? Nevertheless, the moment she was faced with a voice in her head, even a gentle one, the neatly arranged structure of her inquiry started to crumble.

"Back in the clinic," she blurted, "what in blazes was that about? I had someone offerin' to get me a meetin' with my pa and I had to shut it down cause you reared up in my head over it. What gives?"

 

[Namohysip]

...Mm.

There was a strange sensation just then, and it suddenly felt as if Diyem was standing beside her like a phantom. A trick of the eye, perhaps if she squinted, and maybe there was an outline of a Charizard there, arms behind his back, eyes skyward. Or perhaps she was just seeing things. His tail, if it was truly there, emitted a soft, white flame.

It is always a reckless endeavor to search other worlds. There is no telling who you will find or what will come of it. Worlds communicating with worlds is unpredictable, perhaps the most unpredictable phenomenon there is. And... I am nervous of communicating with a Voice, as well. Additionally... The phantom looked down, making a light clicking noise. Should I meet your father, I imagine I will be very cross with him.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa stammered for a second, then... she laughed. It wasn't a happy laugh, but a wild, lofty, broken sound.

"Y'know, so would I. Fuck, it'd be worth it just for that. The chance to really put some splinters in his neck."

She shook her head and tried to focus. Having the phantom image there gave her someone to look at, at least.

"You ain't a Voice, then."

 

[Namohysip]

More silence, and the wind blew. Somewhere far away, Karat was training someone on how to learn some strange technique not native to this land. Echoes of casual Psychic power reverberated weakly before fading. An old, old mark of that possessed Rattata shined in a glint of sunlight. It must have been several days old by now, the way the wood was dead and dry.

I am not, Diyem said. I told a few others about this already. Being a Voice of Life is merely the story I tell because it is easier to accept and not as distressing to learn. It was a great lie I spoke so this world had at least a small chance of being saved, rather than my credibility to doom it to being ignored.

Diyem sounded nervous, just slightly. But that was all. It seemed he was still going to answer.

Maple told you all a story about a great evil that once befell this land. One that brought with it Dungeons, apocalyptic Omens, and of course the attack that nearly plunged the world into the sun. A collection of anger, sadness, pain, and all of the world's evils given form. Dark Matter, the source of the crisis before this one on Cibus.

I am not that Dark Matter... but I am one from a different world. I was defeated long ago after trying to destroy my world... and now, I suppose in a twist of irony... here I am to save another.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa thought on this with her eyes closed and her tail drawing scratching in the ground.

"I get it," she said at last. "Folks don't tend to easily forgive bein' hurt or afeared."

Deep breath. Try not to panic just because of the telepathy. It wasn't so bad.

"So you're a bein' made of painful emotions, and you nearly doomed your own world. But you're trying to save this world now, so somethin' musta changed. You don't gotta tell me. I have no idea what that stuff must be like to live with, and I ain't askin' yer to relive it for my curiosity."