Truth or Dare Crossroads

[System Error]

"You should try a hundred legs sometime~" the stranger playfully said to Shiron. He turned to NEO. "As for your little problem with not being able to keep it down, it is the power of raging flames. In simple terms, think of it as your spirit flaring up while on the brink of defeat in attempt to turn the situation around. The technical and biological explanation would take a while to fully explain."

 

[MysteryDungeonlover1]

"Uh... thanks?" NEO says, still a bit confused.

 

[lichhen]

Porygon looks up at the charizard, appreciating how well NEO seems to understand them despite their lack of spoken language.

Then a stranger addressed the charizard, and Porygon blinked at them.

The way they spoke was hauntingly familiar. Something about it made Porygon shiver.

Then, Porygon looks toward the Pillar.

"PROMPT_30:\n"
"- Type: Dare\n"
"- Text: Do an impression of another Pokemon present in this place.\n"
"- Responses: 1\n"

Yes... Porygon wanted to try "a hundred legs," as the stranger described. But how? In this place where snow sets but does not freeze the ground. It must be possible.

They pushed the dare directive towards NEO. They did not know what else they could do to communicate. It would be okay if the others never understood what Porygon was trying to say. Porygon just liked to spend time with them.

 

[System Error]

"You're quite welcome~" he said, going to the teapot. He fixed himself a cup and took a sip. "Dandelion? Hm. Well, I suppose variety is the spice of life."

 

[Dragonfree]

“Oh yeah, I’m a bit of both.”

Seb spread his wings, showing his skinny humanoid body at Gabriel.

“I’m kinda full Murkrow, but still retaining a bit of my humanity. I don’t know if it’s symbolic or something.”

Gabriel blinked. "So you're... originally human and then turned into a morph?" That was a strange concept. But then again, he was a Pokémorph who'd just turned into a Slugma.

"Name's Lillia! What are- I mean, who are you?" She figured 'what are you?' would still probably be an acceptable question given their setting, but a name might be more polite.

And then the poke-human answered a dare (uninentionally, by the sound of him), and before her eyes, he morphed down to her height. Poor guy seemed somewhat harried by the change. Lillia didn't really blame him, but at the same time she would much rather be one or the other, not... stuck halfway in between. Maybe she could calm him down. "Very healthy looking slugma, you are! Is this your normal, uh, look?"

He realized he'd forgotten to answer the Growlithe's question in all that. "Ah, sorry. My name's Gabriel. I'm not sure what just happened, normally I'm the way I was before. I used to, um... have a Growlithe." Did these talking dream Pokémon even know what that meant?

The Pillar shifted at once to stark white, and a rolling fog expanded from its base, rippling across the earth. In its wake, great snowdrifts blossomed up as though being pushed clean through the ground. Frost glittered on the carved stone that had been the plaza, the water spray from the fountain crystallizing. Again, the idea of winter, but lacking the physicality of it. Mist formed from breath despite the apparent temperature remaining balmy.

Gabriel blinked as their surroundings changed yet again, flurries of snow arising from the ground. He braced automatically for cold and wetness and the constant discomfort of his skin hardening that he was used to, but again, the temperature didn't change. Would real winter be any easier for a proper Slugma, producing boiling internal heat without a care in the world, instead of having to constantly hold itself back for the sake of fragile human organs?

Truth: What is your best friend's most prominent quality?

This one he actually didn't mind. "My best friend's named Jack. He's part Chinchou. He's a really good guy who loves sci-fi and pizza and D&D. But I guess the biggest thing about him is he'd do anything for a friend in need. He's the one who came for me when I got kidnapped."

And then it'd been Gabriel who'd had to save him. But he'd tried, as hard as he could, even though they'd had nothing.

 

[Hanafuda]

“Gabriel, huh? That’s a cool name,” Seb said and smiled. “And yeah, I was juman at first. I like being a bird, though. If only I knew how to fly…”

"My best friend's named Jack. He's part Chinchou. He's a really good guy who loves sci-fi and pizza and D&D. But I guess the biggest thing about him is he'd do anything for a friend in need. He's the one who came for me when I got kidnapped."

“Oh, I actually have a Farfetch’d called Jack! He’s kinda like your Jack, looking after me and Zack, my Pidgeot. Fun fact: he’s training with an Aegislash back home in Kalos.” He looked up with a thoughtful look. “I think it’s because he wants some time to himself after we helped to save the multiverse from that golden Hoopa.”

 

[Forestoak]

Two legs! Although, I suppose I don't actually have legs...eh, bet he meant any type of thing holding you up.

“Oh, I actually have a Farfetch’d called Jack! He’s kinda like your Jack, looking after me and Zack, my Pidgeot. Fun fact: he’s training with an Aegislash back home in Kalos.” He looked up with a thoughtful look. “I think it’s because he wants some time to himself after we helped to save the multiverse from that golden Hoopa.”

Golden Hoopa? I'm really out of my league here...what's even a hoopa? This was the third time in a day Fake was confused. And this random thought made him even more confused. Nope, he needed a break. Like, a 48-hour long one to ponder this. When he was still in Hisui, before he...got here, he'd sit under that tree that Mental always picked Naban Berries from and just think. He realized he missed that tree, so he went and built a snow mound and sat under it, homesick.

 

[MysteryDungeonlover1]

"What's a Hoopa?" NEO asks Seb. "There are so many Pokémon I haven't seen before," he says.

 

[Hoopapkmn]

Hoopa was spending his time, browsing through his ring portals looking for a new universe to explore. In one of the rings he saw a Charizard talking to someone off view. The Charizard seemed to be asking what a Hoopa was.
Well, might as well show him, he thought to himself, entering through the ring.
“Hey, overheard you asking what a Hoopa was from another universe. Well, I am one myself, and I would be glad to answer any questions-“
Suddenly, the ring portal Hoopa came out ceased function, shrinking back into a regular ring.
“Huh. That doesn’t happen often. Whatever. I’ll deal with it later. Anyways, as I said, whatever questions you have, hit me with them! I’ll answer as much as I can!”

 

[MysteryDungeonlover1]

"You're a Pokémon I haven't seen before. What are you?" NEO asks Hoopa, confused.

 

[Hoopapkmn]

“I’m Hoopa.” He turned to Seb. “And by the way, who are you? I don’t recall ever meeting you, and I’m pretty sure I’m a one-of-a-kind species in the multiverse. That’s why I don’t have a secondary name like a lot of other Pokémon have.”

 

[Fusion]

Lee raised a paw. "I know of a Hoopa. She owns a casino," he said, then frowned. "She kicked me out for winning against her three games in a row. Quite the sore loser, she was."

 

[System Error]

The strange man with a powerful presence cracks a smirk. "Oh, there's plenty of them out there," he says, without specifying which of them he's talking about.

 

[Hoopapkmn]

“Interesting. More Hoopa? Perhaps this place connects to a wider multiverse than the one I’m familiar with, and that’s why I’ve never seen any other Hoopa before?”Hoopa theorized. Also, for some reason, he had a feeling that this was some giant game of truth or dare. He looked towards a pillar and thought…

Truth: Do you have any experience with the multiverse?

 

[MysteryDungeonlover1]

Truth: Do you have any experience with the multiverse?

"The multiverse? Um... I guess my Trainer counts? He's not from my world," NEO explains.

 

[Hanafuda]

“I’m Hoopa.” He turned to Seb. “And by the way, who are you? I don’t recall ever meeting you, and I’m pretty sure I’m a one-of-a-kind species in the multiverse. That’s why I don’t have a secondary name like a lot of other Pokémon have.”

“Oh. Hi.” Seb gave an awkward wave at Hoopa. He seemed a little nervous. “I’m Seb. Pretty sure you aren’t the only Hoopa out there. I’ve seen two in the same place; one is just a normal Hoopa who’s friends with a rich guy who owns an island resort he invited us to for a celebration of friendship and there was this yellow one, the Golden King, who hated friendship and tried to kidnap us so he could suck the power out of our Pokémon and make a world where the strong lived and the weak were executed.”

 

[Seren]

He realized he'd forgotten to answer the Growlithe's question in all that. "Ah, sorry. My name's Gabriel. I'm not sure what just happened, normally I'm the way I was before. I used to, um... have a Growlithe." Did these talking dream Pokémon even know what that meant?

So he was normally that half-human, half-slugma form, and the full slugma here was the abnormal form... Then again, as Lillia looked around and spotted the half-murkrow, it seemed there already was at least one in the group. "Good to meet ya, Gabriel!" she said, tail wagging. "So, you used to have a growlithe, eh? Like, as a pet? Was she l...ike..." Lillia trailed off, realizing the implication halfway through the question. That could get awkward quickly.

On the other hand, Gabriel could probably guess what she was asking anyway... "Like you?" she finished, before racing into another topic. "I don't have any pets exactly, but I have my team! Where I come from, I'm a... trainer..." Wait, was that rude? It wasn't like her universe had half-human pokemon... that she knew of, at least.

Truth: Do you have any experience with the multiverse?

Grateful for a topic change, Lillia turned her head to bark an answer. "Nope, this is my first time! If that's what this is, anyway. But I know a few friends who've been through something like this before!' She squinted at the newcomer, a memory surfacing. "In fact... rumor has it they fought against an evil golden hoopa! You're not secretly body painting yourself, are you??"

 

[Hoopapkmn]

"The multiverse? Um... I guess my Trainer counts? He's not from my world," NEO explains.

”Interesting. How did that happen?”

“Oh. Hi.” Seb gave an awkward wave at Hoopa. He seemed a little nervous. “I’m Seb. Pretty sure you aren’t the only Hoopa out there. I’ve seen two in the same place; one is just a normal Hoopa who’s friends with a rich guy who owns an island resort he invited us to for a celebration of friendship and there was this yellow one, the Golden King, who hated friendship and tried to kidnap us so he could suck the power out of our Pokémon and make a world where the strong lived and the weak were executed.”

“Does that Golden Hoopa happen to be in its unbound form? Cause’ whenever I go into my unbound form I go crazy and do a bunch of evil stuff, so much that Arceus himself had to seal that form away. I don’t mind it, though. I feel happier in this form.”

So he was normally that half-human, half-slugma form, and the full slugma here was the abnormal form... Then again, as Lillia looked around and spotted the half-murkrow, it seemed there already was at least one in the group. "Good to meet ya, Gabriel!" she said, tail wagging. "So, you used to have a growlithe, eh? Like, as a pet? Was she l...ike..." Lillia trailed off, realizing the implication halfway through the question. That could get awkward quickly.

On the other hand, Gabriel could probably guess what she was asking anyway... "Like you?" she finished, before racing into another topic. "I don't have any pets exactly, but I have my team! Where I come from, I'm a... trainer..." Wait, was that rude? It wasn't like her universe had half-human pokemon... that she knew of, at least.



Grateful for a topic change, Lillia turned her head to bark an answer. "Nope, this is my first time! If that's what this is, anyway. But I know a few friends who've been through something like this before!' She squinted at the newcomer, a memory surfacing. "In fact... rumor has it they fought against an evil golden hoopa! You're not secretly body painting yourself, are you??"

“Body painting, huh? Well, why don’t you see for yourself!”
Hoopa used rain dance!
“As you can clearly see, I am still not golden.”

 

[System Error]

"Ah, the Golden King. Right, right." The man nods and retrieves a parasol from his bag moments before the Rain Dance starts. "Well, you're a very Hoopa-like Hoopa, Hoopa. But how do we know you didn't use a waterproof paint~?" It's clear he's just teasing, but...

 

[MysteryDungeonlover1]

"Not sure..." NEO ponders this question. "This scarf I'm wearing? It's the colors of his glasses," the Charizard states. "He's an ODD little one, that's for sure. By that, I mean he is very small - around a foot tall," he clarifies.