Truth or Dare Crossroads

[Fusion]

"I'm... I'm sorry, but what?" Eco stared skeptically at the transformation she had just witnessed before her. "This... this has to be a dream, right?"

"I am an abnormality, and a rather, uh, not good one by nature," Lee said, gently wagging his tail. "If you were dreaming me, I'd be concerned. But at the same time, I guess I'd be flattered if I somehow found out."

He blinked, then shuddered. "Is this the light and joy of youth?" he muttered, somewhat disturbed by the thought.

 

[Navar]

"...Cool. I doubt this is a dream, since I mostly dream of cakes."

And that dork serving them, but that was too much.

"But still, wherever this is, I like the place."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything. Listen, I don't mean this in an aggressive way, but I just want to go home and it looks like I need to tussle with someone to make that happen. What do you say?"

Lillie made a sort of choking noise. "M-Me? But- I, uhh... I've really only been this for a few minutes, so... Don't expect much but if it's really important I guess I could try?"

She didn't recognize who this woman's species was, but it was obviously a grass type. That should put them at even footing in theory, except that in practice she wasn't sure if she could use any psychic or fairy power. But... she had to start somewhere, and a fight where nothing mattered and she was probably supposed to lose could be a good place to start?

Fairy stuff would probably be the safer place to start. She'd heard description of how her species psychically invaded their enemies and it didn't sound like a fun idea for anyone involved. If she could handle a fairy wind or a draini- maybe just a fairy wind actually. That would a be a good thing to try first, and it would count as fighting.

 

[MysteryDungeonlover1]

“I understand.” Seb looked away and crossed his arms over his chest, thinking aloud. “In my experience, Pokémon evolve after finding their resolve. I have a Pidgeot, Zack, who likes being a hero. He’s kinda matured after we went through some mystery-solving and world-saving shenanigans that I’d rather not go through again.”

"You got that right, kid!" NEO tells Seb. "...I wonder if my Trainer's Pigeot, Berdly, would like to be friends with Zack?" the Charizard asks, mainly to himself.

 

[Hanafuda]

"Is this the light and joy of youth?"

“I guess,” Seb replied. “I’m not exactly young—I’m 21–, but I’m enjoying that feeling. Youth can be beautiful, don’t you agree?”

"You got that right, kid!" NEO tells Seb. "...I wonder if my Trainer's Pigeot, Berdly, would like to be friends with Zack?" the Charizard asks, mainly to himself.

“Hm?” The Murkrow turns to look at the Charizard, a bit curious. “Hello?”

 

[MysteryDungeonlover1]

NEO waves hello. "Hello," he greets. He looks around for more Pokémon, encountering many he's never seen before, including Seb the Murkrow themself. "What are all these new Pokémon?" the Charizard asks Seb, wondering if they know.

 

[Navar]

"...Huh, that old? I'm nineteen." Shiron said. Now he felt like a baby, and also wondered how much nineteen was in Marshtomp years. Maybe they were the same. Still, that Lycanroc didn't look old, maybe Shiron should ask what skin treatment he was using.

"Oh well, you look really, err, refreshed, mister Lee!"

 

[Fusion]

“I guess,” Seb replied. “I’m not exactly young—I’m 21–, but I’m enjoying that feeling. Youth can be beautiful, don’t you agree?”

"I... suppose," Lee muttered, but shuddered again and shook his head. "It'll take some time to grow on me and honestly... I don't think I'll stay like this."

His body dissolved into more cubes, growing and reshaping into the large Lycanroc form from before. But now his reds were more vibrant and greys restored to blacks. "Much better, but I will keep a bit of that youth. It's fantastic how much better a body feels with a few centuries shaved off."

 

[Fusion]

"Oh well, you look really, err, refreshed, mister Lee!"

"Mister Lee," the wolf muttered, grinning slightly. "You know what, that sounds much better now."

 

[Hanafuda]

NEO waves hello. "Hello," he greets. He looks around for more Pokémon, encountering many he's never seen before, including Seb the Murkrow themself. "What are all these new Pokémon?" the Charizard asks Seb, wondering if they know.

“Okay, I kinda know them all, so let me see…”

Seb looked around, trying to identify the Pokémon that were gathered around.

“There’s an Espeon, a weird-looking Typhlosion, a Ducklett, a Porygon, a Lycanroc, a Kirlia, a Deerling, a Lycanroc, a Marshtomp… Wait, why does that Zorua have white fur? It looks so sad.”

 

[UnknownUser55]

"I am an abnormality, and a rather, uh, not good one by nature," Lee said, gently wagging his tail. "If you were dreaming me, I'd be concerned. But at the same time, I guess I'd be flattered if I somehow found out."

"...Aaaaaabsolutely not." Eco huffed. "Don't get ahead of yourself, I don't even know who you are."

 

[Navar]

"Mister Lee," the wolf muttered, grinning slightly. "You know what, that sounds much better now."

"I-I was just trying to be respectful!"

Quick, something to distract himself.

“There’s an Espeon, a weird-looking Typhlosion, a Ducklett, a Porygon, a Lycanroc, a Kirlia, a Deerling, a Lycanroc, a Marshtomp… Wait, why does that Zorua have white fur? It looks so sad.”

"...Variant. Like how there's ghost-type Marowak."

Shiron grimaced. God, he remembered all the classes on variants. Ice Vulpix, ice Sandshrew, that weird Wheezing with hats...

"W-Well, that's what my parents taught me, anyway. I've never seen one in real life."

 

[Hanafuda]

“Variants? Oh, right, like the ones from Alola. How could I forget?”

Seb adjusted his hat crest before looking at the Charizard. “Anyway, do you have a name? I’m Sebastian, or just Seb.”

 

[Fusion]

"...Aaaaaabsolutely not." Eco huffed. "Don't get ahead of yourself, I don't even know who you are."

"Hm?" Lee tilted his head. "Obviously we do not know each other. When did I imply the opposite?"

"I-I was just trying to be respectful!"

The wolf tittered and waved a paw dismissively. "And now you are panicking. What, did I miss something?"

 

[MysteryDungeonlover1]

"NEO. Nice to meet you, Seb!" NEO introduces himself. "'Variants'? Oh, yeah, like that weird multi-colored Muk that my Trainer and his human friend saw in a stamp book when we all first arrived in Alola!" the Charizard realizes.

 

[canisaries]

"...Variant. Like how there's ghost-type Marowak."

"On that subject..." started Andre, then pointed a hoof to the zorua, the typhlosion and the lilligant. "You three look Hisuian. Are any of you from Hisui? In my world and my time, your kinds are next to extinct."

 

[Hanafuda]

“Extinct!?”

Seb’s stomach burned a little after hearing that word. Pokémon becoming extinct? That was unheard of for him.

“No way. A-And here I thought those Lapras had it tough.”

 

[UnknownUser55]

“Variants? Oh, right, like the ones from Alola. How could I forget?”

"What is Alola?" Eco, a Vikavolt, asked. "Somewhere that you're from, I'm assuming? We all are apparently from some different world, or something like that." she shrugged. "Would be a bit interesting to know more about these 'worlds' out there."

"Hm?" Lee tilted his head. "Obviously we do not know each other. When did I imply the opposite?"

"I don't dream about other Pokemon, ever." Eco retorted defensively. "Don't go around trying to imply those sorts of things."

 

[Navar]

"Uh... I'm good, don't worry, mister Lee."

He could at least think of a prompt.

Truth: What is your favorite food?

 

[lichhen]

Feather-soft grass bloomed beneath Porygon. The body around them felt more like a carapace that would swell and shed. The world outside it was obscured and blurry. The world inside hummed.

Beings were living, time passing around them. They felt the moss creep over them like stone.

They could process the language of the Pillar, and felt the interactions. Porygon became aware of the game. And they were delighted.

A huge influx of stimulus. One of the tea party guests was Arctozolt. That was something familiar, something they could hold onto.

Porygon wondered if Arctozolt had the ability to bathe in lightning and not get harmed. Excited to find out, Porygon rolled after the other, slowly and clumsily. Porygon shot bolts of electricity towards Arctozolt, hoping to land one.

@IFBench