Truth or Dare Crossroads

[UnknownUser55]

Porygon's discharge of electricity had hardly phased Eco in the slightest, redirecting any stray bolts directly into her mandibles to absorb for herself. Her mandibles crackled with newfound energy.

 

[Fusion]

“Hold on… Is this really a dream?”

"I have reason to believe this is not a dream," Lee said with a shrug. "Seeing as I myself cannot dream, and I sought this place intentionally. Or a place similar to it, at least."

 

[IFBench]

Arctozolt was ready to bite back, until Porygon spoke.

...

They hesitated, then said, in a softer voice, "Look, not everyone wants to battle. You gotta respect that."

Their tail was still lashing, though.

 

[MysteryDungeonlover1]

Truth: What scares you more: forever or finite?

"...finite," NEO admits. "We've already lost my Trainer's friend's strongest Pokémon. He was like a dad to me. I don't want to lose anyone else..." he continues. He tears up a bit as he mentions his father figure, a shiny Nidoking named Cobalt.

 

[Hanafuda]

"I have reason to believe this is not a dream," Lee said with a shrug. "Seeing as I myself cannot dream, and I sought this place intentionally. Or a place similar to it, at least."

Seb held his hands onto the rim of his head crest, trying to process what he was told. “So I guess that makes everything make sense now. Would that really explain the lucidity? Will I even remember all of this?”

"Uh... yeah! That's me!"

“And if Winona is really here… Is this another game Hoopa wants to play with us?”

 

[Fusion]

They hesitated, then said, in a softer voice, "Look, not everyone wants to battle. You gotta respect that."

"But if you did not wish to fight, why did you... fight?" Lee asked.

 

[UnknownUser55]

"Would be absurd by this point to assume any of this is a dream." Eco huffed. "Rock Gramps is right about that, I suppose."

 

[lichhen]

Porygon's mind buzzed with the other's words, repeating and reverberating.

They started jerking around as they sat on the patchy forest floor.

"I don't... understand." They threw another bundle of electricity at Arctozolt.

 

[Fusion]

Seb held his hands onto the rim of his head crest, trying to process what he was told. “So I guess that makes everything make sense now. Would that really explain the lucidity? Will I even remember all of this?”

Lee shrugged. "Depends on the person and the dimension, I truly could not tell you as I have never seen this--" he gestured to the spire, "--before in my lives." A beat passed. "Life."

 

[IFBench]

"But if you did not wish to fight, why did you... fight?" Lee asked.

"They attacked us first! We were defending ourselve-" they began, before being it by the electricity, and yelping again.

They immediately swung their head back towards Porygon, and yelled, "OH, FUCK OFF!"

 

[Fusion]

"Rock Gramps is right about that, I suppose."

"...Gramps," Lee blinked. "Gramps... Is that... accurate? I do not exactly have..." He paused and furrowed his brow. "No, no I do not have grandkids. Nor do I look that old, do I?" he asked as he looked down at himself, then shook his head. "No matter."

They immediately swung their head back towards Porygon, and yelled, "OH, FUCK OFF!"

"You should get your tail in order, I do not believe it is meant to be hostile towards yourself," Lee muttered, then looked back at his own tail. "Granted, I never had a tail long enough to thrash myself with. Perhaps that is natural."

 

[lichhen]

Porygon whirred, legs spinning as Arctozolt's voice blew threw him like a pleasant gust of fresh air.

They rolled forward through the grass and attached themselves firmly to Arctozolt's leg, sparking happily.

 

[UnknownUser55]

"...Gramps," Lee blinked. "Gramps... Is that... accurate? I do not exactly have..." He paused and furrowed his brow. "No, no I do not have grandkids. Nor do I look that old, do I?" he asked as he looked down at himself, then shook his head. "No matter."

"Don't think I ever managed to catch your name." Eco shook her head as a form of a shrug, flashing her eyes for a brief moment. "Until I catch a name, you're Gramps to me, Gramps."

She twitched her mandibles. "And yes, you do look pretty old to me. Kids in my home would call you some sort of 'geezer', I think."

 

[Fusion]

"Lee," the wolf said, then tilted his head. "But other than how I looked when I awoke, my manner of speaking, and my size, how do I look old now?" he asked. "This is how I looked some few centuries ago, which I considered quite young. Do Lycanroc get... more vibrantly red when they age? Is red the color of old age for them?"

He was... genuinely curious.

 

[IFBench]

Arctozolt's flipper-leg raised up, ready to stomp the Porygon-

DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE.

Why not?! YOU'RE the one who's been livid at it.

Of course YOU'D attack a Pokemon who's being affectionate towards you, abusive bitch.

And you just swore at them.

Shut up. Just...give them a gentle pet with our tail. GENTLE.

Fine, but you owe me one.

Arctozolt planted their flipper-leg back down on the ground, and semi-gently gave Porygon a few pets with their tail.

 

[Fusion]

Lee hummed and nodded. "I like this second fish."

 

[Navar]

"I dunno enough about Lycanroc to say..."

Shiron muttered. "But you don't look old. Maybe, I dunno. There's this old Houndoom back home, but he does look old."

 

[lichhen]

Porygon sensed a distress signal from Arctozolt, but then the pets were... very interesting. A type of attack?

They would attack in return. They would -

Rest.

Porygon fell asleep on Arctozolt's foot.

 

[UnknownUser55]

"Lee," the wolf said, then tilted his head. "But other than how I looked when I awoke, my manner of speaking, and my size, how do I look old now?" he asked. "This is how I looked some few centuries ago, which I considered quite young. Do Lycanroc get... more vibrantly red when they age? Is red the color of old age for them?"

"Intuition." Eco simply responded. "And I'd wager that you shouldn't be so worried about how old you look, either. To be frank, I don't care you, and neither should you."

"Either way, I'm Vikavolt Eco, I suppose. " she introduced. "I'm a master-class worker for a guild I'm at."

 

[IFBench]

Great. Now we can't move.

We still have your tail and other leg, and I have my neck and hands.

But we can't walk around.

If you wake them up I will bite you.

Arctozolt's tail slumped off of the Porygon, flopping onto the ground. Their head glared fiercely at their tail.