Phantom Isle - The Haunted Theme Park

[Tuner89]

Tuner89- After giving the decision some thought, Tuner ultimately decides that he wants the Pokemon in the "Surf" Pokeball. The decision is one that implies a great deal of caution; after all, he would be completely dependent on this Pokemon were anything to go wrong in air or underneath the water, and things could very easily go wrong in either environment if the mechaMantine were to fail. With the surf ride, however, he would not have to worry as much about crashing from a great height or drowning in the water; thus, his dependence on the Pokemon would not be as great, provided he could swim to shore should he topple out of the Mantine boat. Though Hyrem is the first to try to claim this path, and the companion that goes along with it, Tuner mentions that he would like Surf as well, though he indicates his willingness to take what others do not want. With Hyrem's decison to take Dive instead, Tuner's first choice becomes his destiny.

Tuner is the second to take his Pokeball, right after Hyrem. The Mantine smiles gently as Tuner picks up his Pokeball, and whispers to him; "A safe choice, you think? One could never be too cautious in this place, after all..." Tuner steps back to let TA take his Pokeball, after which the Mantine closes the curtain to the kiosk, the lights behind the curtain becoming dim once again. With all three trainers having received their own companion, they say their goodbyes to one another and wish each other luck as they each split up to pursue their own path.

For Tuner, the path leads to a chubby-looking Mantine, who floats on the surface of the water. Unlike the fly and dive rides which have clear, enclosed ceilings, the surf ride has an open top, exposing the trainer to the air and allowing Pokemon to jump on and off the boat. "S.S. Mantine" is painted on the side of the boat, and the little Remoraid attached to one of the Mantine's "wings" is painted to look like it is wearing a pirate outfit. Tuner opens the door to the mechaMantine boat, which appears to have been recently repainted and refreshed, though it is unclear as to who would provide such services. A sign above the mechaMantine encourages trainers to recall their Pokemon, assuring that it is for the Pokemon's safety and that companions can be called out soon after the ride departs. After recalling Reaper, Tuner steps in, closes the door behind him and sits down, inspecting the Pokeball he has recently received. It appears as if the "Surf" label on the Pokeball peels back to reveal a note:

This little one crawled through the "Surf" tunnel, sopping wet and nearly out of breath. They had taught him how to surf so that he may entertain the children with adorable antics alongside the Mantine boat. I imagine that skill, along with the ability to Charm those who might attack him, were the keys to his survival. A long time ago, he loved the water, and enjoyed playfully splashing the children before jumping on them, giving them a big, wet hug. Always the cautious one, he avoids the water now, but he will jump back in at the drop of the hat if it means saving a trainer or Pokemon.

As Tuner reads the message on his Pokeball, the mechaMantine slowly begins floating forward through a tunnel, which shows a series of paintings depicting a cartoon Mantine swimming on the surface of the water before a Gyarados roars up from beneath the surface and directly in the Mantine's path; the Mantine waves happily with its fin at the Gyarados, and the Gyarados smiles and waves back with its tail. At the end of the tunnel is a waterway, surrounded on both sides by forest. The glass-bottom boat is illuminated at the bottom, but thus far, the waters seem calm and empty. The light sources, which used to provide sunlight-esque luminescence for the area above water, are mostly broken, with only a few lights seeming to work. With most of the ride plunged in darkness, it's hard to tell what might be out there in terms of Pokemon, though the whole place is eerily quiet.

A light comes on, indicating that Tuner can now call out a companion if he chooses. Now may be a good time for Tuner to call out his new companion, or choose to call out one of his other Pokemon (that meets the height and weight requirements, of course). Which will he choose?

Having made his choice, Tuner walks up to the Mantine after Hyrem, and is given the 'Surf' ball. The Mantine leans in and whispers into Tuner's ear as he picks the ball, "A safe choice, you think? One could never be too cautious in this place, after all..."

For some reason, the words send a chill down Tuner's spine. He's never really been afraid of much, especially after spending so much time with Reaper, but the way the Mantine worded its caution did not sit well with him.

Moving along, leaving the lobby with TA and Hyrem, the path split. Saying goodbye to his companions, he took the middle path towards the Surf section of the ride. Suddenly a great deal of responsibility dawned on him. Being in the surf section, if anything happened above or below him, he would be the closest person who could help. Tuner pondered over this for a moment, with Reaper by his side as he made his way down the path. Glancing at his companion, even the Duskull seemed uneasy, which Tuner though was strange. He's never seen Reaper look that way before. This whole ride gave both of them the creeps.

Soon, the two reach their destination, the boat. The boat is open, with a Remoraid on its wing dressed up like a pirate. This cheers Tuner up instantly, he's always liked pirates, and he feels comfortated having the Remoraid accompanying him. The sight of something familiar in so much unknown is welcome. The more he thought about this though, the more that feeling was replaced with more creepiness. He realized that the paint on the entire boat looked fresh, something that did not go along with the stories he's been told about this place. What is going on here? he thought to himself.

Noticing a sign above the ride, Tuner turns to his friend, "Reaper, I think it's best if you stay inside your pokeball for now..."
"Skull!" Reaper jumps at the chance and floats towards Tuner's belt, eager to return to the comfort of his home. Tuner though that behavior was strange, but obliged, and boarded the craft. He takes out the ball he received from the Mantine earlier, examining it. He notices a note attached:

This little one crawled through the "Surf" tunnel, sopping wet and nearly out of breath. They had taught him how to surf so that he may entertain the children with adorable antics alongside the Mantine boat. I imagine that skill, along with the ability to Charm those who might attack him, were the keys to his survival. A long time ago, he loved the water, and enjoyed playfully splashing the children before jumping on them, giving them a big, wet hug. Always the cautious one, he avoids the water now, but he will jump back in at the drop of the hat if it means saving a trainer or Pokemon.

He is glad he recalled Reaper at this point. The ghost might have been too scary for this little one. He is so in-thought about this new companion, he didn't even notice the ride moving. Looking up, he sees a Mantine and a Gyarados painted on the side of the wall, both look happy and cheerful. This creeps Tuner out even more, remembering all the children who used to ride this ride. It was once such a happy place, but now? As the ride exits the tunnel and enters the forest, Tuner decides now's a good time to meet his new friend. Pushing the activate on his pokeball, he awaits what will emerge.

[Meetan]

Welcome to Phantom Isle! I will be taking everyone who has yet to receive an update, which leaves me with 3 open slots remaining for now. Before we begin, I'd like to remind you all to have a link to your Fizzy Bubbles profile available every time you post, either in your signature or in the post itself, so that I can access your stats quickly and easily. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy your time here at the Haunted Theme Park... *Evil laugh*

Meetan- The chilly cloak of night which engulfs the Haunted Theme Park is certainly beyond the scope of typical darkness... Indeed, the starry mantle which Haunted Theme Park so proudly wears is thick with foreboding - the presence of spirits makes the air so heavy that it almost chokes the trainers who pass through it. Alice and her adoring Swinub are acutely aware of the nature of their surroundings, sensing doom deep within their bones. Though other trainers run off to either pay their respects or to prove their bravery, Alice seems to always be one step behind them.

The Merry-Go-Round provides feelings of nostalgia for Alice, who approaches the weathered carousel Pokemon and muses that an electric Pokemon might help start up the ride. She also considers the possibility of having Swinub push, though the ride would certainly be too heavy for the cute little pig-nosed Pokemon to push. "I'm thinkin' that won't be necessary," a female voice with a Southern drawl responds from somewhere behind Alice. The whirring of mechanics accompanies the voice; perhaps it belongs to some type of Park Robot, like the talking Trubbish garbage containers that used to be such a hit in the park back in its hayday. Turning around, Alice comes face to face with the glowing red eyes of a Merry-Go-Round Rapidash, which is staring directly at Alice. Its jaw opens and shuts as the voice emanates from its plastic body; "Hop on, ma'am. Y'can bring yer little fuzzball with you. A pretty young thang like you won't weigh much. We can riiiiiide like the wind! YEE-HAW!" The mechanical horse whinnies, though the sound is less like a horse and more like a horrifying screech. In fact, the voice in general is incredibly unnerving, and Alice wonders how the Rapidash is able to address her and Swinub so personally... Perhaps someone was operating the ride from a distance, but who?

"C'mon, darlin', don't be shy." The Rapidash nods its head, as if encouraging Alice to come and take a ride. Will she trust this mechanical fire horse, or will she decide on a different course of action?

When Alice heard the voice, to begin with, she was expecting some plucky young woman to be responsible: perhaps someone from a rural area, like the outside of Olivine City or Floaroma Town, for example. She had jumped, but it turned into a full jolt at the sound of the creaking synthetics, and the nineteen year old whipped round to face a talking false Rapidash. Normally, the rookie was immune to unpleasant sounds like nails on a chalkboard or white noise, but every time it shifted, the girl found it jarring. Swinub shivered. Both were unnerved by the emptiness of its eyes, and equally so by the nature of its offer.

"How are you even talking? Or moving?" She questioned, taking a safe step back. Her legs were only short. Somehow, the fact that the odd thing had noticed her low weight had added to her ego just a tad - Alice was known for her skewed priorities. And like the rest of the ride, the spooky Rapidash was nostalgic, too: its very existence reminded her of Pokemon riding classes, and the voice felt like a throwback to the movie Toy Story. She could be Jessie, riding a fiery, ghostly Bullseye like the wind. "You sound... Broken." She added, unsure of how else to put it.

((Stats~))

[Marion Ette]

Dark Searchman- Hyrem is finding plenty of reasons to worry now that he has officially begun his Mantine Mania journey. The disturbing discovery behind the "Dive" label, the ominous warning of the Mantine and the eerie aura that surrounds the ride in general all add to the feeling that danger lurks deep within the inky waters through which his mechaMantine travels. It doesn't help any that the companion he was promised by Mantine seems to be a Pokemon that is no more. Berift of life, it rests in peace. If it wasn't in a Pokeball, it'd be pushing up the daisies. It's run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. What on earth is Hyrem going to do with a corpse? Hopefully the label was a mistake, and the Pokemon was just resting, or stunned, or simply pining for the fjords. Either way, Hyrem decides to solve the mystery of his strange Pokeball, and braces himself mentally for a rotting corpse, should one end up emerging.

Fortunately for Hyrem, the smell of death and decay does not emerge from the Pokeball as he activates the white push-button, though the faint smell of seawater plays across his nostrils as the red light forms into the shape of a jellyfish-looking creature. As the red light around the Pokemon fades into an ocean blue, Hyrem comes face-to-face with his new companion, whose red eyes meet Hyrem's with a curious gaze. A blue collar fits loosely around the Pokemon's neck, complete with an adorable little Mantine charm. This must be the rental collar that the Mantine in the kiosk alluded to earlier. After bowing his head in greeting, the ghostly jellyfish moves toward Hyrem and sits down beside him, letting his tentacles droop from the bench as he hums a little song to himself. He seems to be using the humming as a self-soothing mechanism for nervousness, though Hyrem cannot tell if that nervousness is from being shy or as a result of the surroundings he finds himself in... Maybe a little of both. Certainly, this is a strange little being, but thankfully not a lifeless one.

Something seems to catch the Frillish's attention, as his head lowers to face a distant shadow that seems to be moving about beneath the Mantine's clear bottom. It is hard to tell what the shadow might be, though the Frillish visibly shudders at the sight of it. The shadow seems to be growing gradually larger, as more small shadows seem to be appearing around the transparent submarine. Frillish appears absolutely terrified by the movement around him, and curls his tentacles around him, forming a little ball of shaking jelly. His humming is loud and stammered, as if desperately trying to tune something out. As his humming reaches its highest pitch, a nearly unintelligible, low-pitched noise gradually becomes audible to Hyrem's ears. How will Hyrem react?


uhhhhh- Connor thinks about the Drifloon's behavior and comes to the conclusion that the Drifloon does not appear to be actively trying to attack Connor. In fact, the balloon Pokemon's behavior seems to indicate a more defensive stance as a result of being attacked. Based on what he has observed so far, he calls off Gaspard's assault. Gaspard responds with a confused look, as Connor approaches the Drifloon with an apology and an explanation for Gaspard's behavior. After all, being suddenly charged at with scissors is pretty threatening. Connor lets the Drifloon know that he just wants to understand the ghost-type's intentions more clearly, especially regarding this whole business with the balloon. Connor is aware that he is taking a huge risk, considering that the vision he had seen involved his attacker becoming a Drifloon. As Connor talks, the Drifloon appears to be slowly inflating itself, until it is twice its normal size; strangely, it does not appear to be preparing an attack, though it is preparing something... Finally, as Connor finishes speaking by asking if the Drifloon has anything it would like to tell Connor and Gaspard, it begins to deflate, the air coming out of the Drifloon's mouth forming an airy, high-pitched voice; despite the ethereal quality of the voice, it somehow seems angry:

"Sorry, huh? I'll bet you're sorry... That balloon's full of evil! Stop being a stupid pair of monkeys and give me those scissors! As the balloon deflates, the anger in its voice seems to deflate as well. It slowly inflates again, in order to exhale another airy monologue: You're in a lot of danger. If you do not accept my help... ha, THEN you'll know the meaning of being sorry. The balloon Pokemon now deflated to its normal size again, it holds out a yellow appendage towards Gaspard, as if asking him to return the scissors. How will Connor and Gaspard respond?


Balmund- William nods as Balmund introduces himself. "Duke, huh... Like royalty. I like it." He chuckles a bit, returning Balmund's nervous smile. As the two men rise to the summit of the Rollerquaza, Balmund then thinks to ask, more to himself than to William; "Any regrets?" William seems to pause at this question, thinking for a moment before responding. "Only one, man. Only one." He pauses again, shaking his head, as if some memory were darkening his mind. "After today, though, that number hopefully drops to zero." He smirks as he pats the Rollerquaza car's plastic Rayquaza head, as if the ride were some sort of dog. "Good ol' number ten. That crazy b**** in the Fortune Telling Tent better not have lied to me..." He turns to Balmund, his eyes so intense that they could bore holes straight through Balmund's soul. "What about you, Duke? Do you have any regrets?" Before Balmund can respond, the ride begins to return to a more horizontal state, indicating that the pair have made it to the very peak of the Rollerquaza. The ride curls around the steep curve of the summit, precariously perching itself at the top. A haze surrounds the two men, as if they were surrounded by clouds. Both men are not only at the highest point of the ride, but have also reached the zenith of their fear; through the haze, the steepest drop in all of Fizzytopia looms beneath them.

An inexplicable flash of light overcomes the Rollerquaza, temporarily disabling the vision of the two men. The light produces a strange feeling in the pit of Balmund's stomach, as if something about it was... off. Even so, the light disappears as quickly as it came. Perched at the very top of the ride, at the exact midpoint between the painful, frightening climb of their past and the death-defying, heart-pumping descent that marks their future, Balmund and William can hear their own screams as they begin their descent... only it isn't them screaming. It seems as if an exact replica of their Rollerquaza car has begun the descent without them, barreling forward while the real Balmund and William remain anxiously trapped at the top of the ride. Similar to the line of people that disappeared earlier, Balmund is left wondering what kind of strange illusion this could be; perhaps it was a part of the ride, designed to further create anticipation by providing a holographic vision of what awaits the two men. William, oddly enough, seems delighted by this illusion. "It's working... Holy Arceus, it's really working..." He mutters in amazement. As he says this, gravity seems to be pulling the ride backwards, and after a couple of moments of that sickening, slow pull, the back of the ride drops down the slope, with Balmund and William facing the sky as they plummet back the way they came! The vertical drop is absolutely terrifying, but William seems ecstatic, screaming excitedly as the ride reverses course. Balmund and William find themselves being inexplicably rocketed upwards where drops originally should have been at blinding speeds, and falling backwards at every place where the ride climbed. Every turn and loop is reversed at a speed even greater than what was experienced when the ride was going forwards, until the two find themselves back with the animatronic Dratini and Swablu, their backwards-facing ride going slow and steady once again. The animatronics somehow seem more vibrant, more realistic, more fluid in their movement... It was as if they were somehow re-energized and revitalized after years of wear and tear. As the two men ride backwards toward the docking station, the sound of a crowd awaiting them fills their ears. William leans forward, checking his backpack to make sure everything is still there. As he does this, he suddenly says to Balmund, "Better question for you... Do you even know what you're getting yourself into?" He chuckles as he says this. "Guess you can't turn back now, but you looked really f-ing shocked back there... Don't you know about the number ten?"

How does Balmund respond?


Treecko's Awesomeness- After recalling Treecko, who seems all too eager to return to his Pokeball, TA decides to call out the companion given to him by Mantine. The red light that bursts from the activated Pokeball seems to release a strangely floral scent into the Mantine's cabin. The ball of light forming the Pokemon's sillohette floats in midair, with little leaves sticking out of a round body. As the light fades, the green of the leaves and the pink of the Pokemon's skin become visible, as tiny yellow eyes scan their surroundings before finally resting on TA. Since she has no neck to speak of, a light pink collar has been fitted around her belly with a little Mantine charm visible on her stomach. The opens her arms wide as she floats towards TA, hoping to get a hug from her new friend. She is surprisingly unaffected by her surroundings despite her traumatic experience; perhaps this little pink cutie truly is capable of enduring more than her looks would suggest.

In the distance, a slight movement in the trees and the sound of birds cawing draws both the Hoppip's and TA's attention. Looking through the mechaMantine window, you can see what appears to be a small flock of colorful birds that are flying towards the mechaMantine, presumably curious about the inhabitants. They appear like friendly Pokemon and do not appear to be vicious or angry, and the little Hoppip that rides with TA does not appear afraid of them; in fact, her face is glued to the window as she uses a little paw to wave at them. As they get closer, they begin imitating sounds from the ride's past:

Chaaat! Look at the Chatot! Look at the Chatot! Chaaaaaat!

Pretty birds! Pretty birds!

Where's my camera? Where's my camera? Thought it was right here!

Take a look, Hoppip! Chaaaat!

Hoppip pulls away from the window, her facial expression changed as if she had come to a terrible realization. Instead of being perky and smiling, a more concerned expression has taken over her little pink face. As the Chatot continue, the content of their imitation becomes more and more sinister:

CHAAAT! Crashing! Crashing!

Hurts, it hurts!

Get help, Hoppip! Get help!

At the final statement, the Chatot begin to speak in unison, all repeating the same, eerie phrase: Get help, Hoppip! Get help! Louder and louder they chant, as some of them begin landing on the wings of the mechaMantine, facing the trainer and his Pokemon as they continue their morbid repetition. The Hoppip is silently weeping, though she seems to desperately be trying to hide this fact from both the Chatot and from TA.

How will TA respond?


Tuner89- As Tuner makes his way to the Surf path, it seems as if even Reaper is spooked by their surroundings; the closer they get to the ride, the more oppressive the atmosphere becomes. It dawns on Tuner that he will be taking on the role of "first responder" should anything occur with TA or Hyrem's mechaMantines. One would hope that the Pokemon he has received from the Mantine will be able to help them should they end up in the water. Even so, the very fact that Tuner has to think about these worst-case scenarios is enough to make him tense.

The trainer and his Duskull make it to the mechaMantine boat, and Reaper seems surprisingly eager to return to his Pokeball in accordance with the ride's protocol. Sitting down on the waterproof bench, Tuner notices the message behind the "Surf" label, and thinks to himself that it is indeed fortunate that Duskull was so happy to return to his Pokeball, seeing as the ghost-type may frighten his new companion. Despite the eerieness of the ride and the thoughts that occur to Tuner regarding the children who met their deaths at this very park, he cannot help but feel excited at the thought of meeting his new friend. The moment he is able, Tuner activates the Pokeball, which releases a ball of red light that seems to be clinging to Tuner's leg; the sillohette of the creature has distinctively long ears and a long, rounded tail. As the light fades to reveal the Pokemon's brown fur, striped tail and soulful black eyes, Tuner notices the blue collar around the Pokemon's neck, which has a cute little Mantine charm on it. The pulls himself up on Tuner's leg and crawls on top of it; he balances himself on Tuner's knee using his muscular tail, propping himself up in order to come face with face in Tuner. He examines the trainer's face with a curious expression. Tuner can't help but think that this Pokemon has a certain sort of charm, which may explain why others may have been reluctant to attack him.

The adorable Sentret looks intensely at Tuner for a moment before immediately turning his head at a slight movement that catches his eye; he runs off of Tuner's lap and jumps into the water before Tuner can say anything, swimming frantically toward a small object in the distance. The Sentret grabs the object with its mouth and immediately swims back to the mechaMantine boat with surprising speed and skill. He catches up with the flume-like mechaMantine fairly quickly, and scampers up the boat's rim before jumping back into the seat. He rests his wet paws on Tuner's leg, who can now see that the Sentret is holding a bottle of Fizzy Cola in his mouth. Instead of Cola, however, it appears as if there is a rolled-up piece of paper inside. Sentret seems quite pleased with his discovery, and seems excited for Tuner to take the bottle. How will he react?


Meetan- Alice has a mixed reaction to the Rapidash and "her" strange comments. Certainly, she is pleased that the Rapidash indirectly complimented her, and the Western-style accent is reminscent of the style of speech you'd hear utilized by the characters of Woody's Round-Up. Certainly, Alice can picture herself as the adventure-loving Jessie, riding like the wind on a slightly more disturbing, flame-covered version of Bullseye. Even so, the overall presence of the mechanical horse and the eerie, grating sound of its movement and speech is off-putting to say the least. Swinub's reaction is definitely telling; after all, for an ice-type to shiver, something spooky definitely has to be going on. Alice's response to the strange sight before her is to immediately take a step back and question what she is observing; she asks the Rapidash how it is possible for it to move or speak. She follows this question up with a potentially insulting remark; not knowing how else to phrase it, Alice informs the Rapidash that she sounds "broken".

The "-en" of "broken" barely leaves Alice's lips before the poles attaching the Rapidash to Merry-Go-Round's floor and ceiling begin violently shaking. Spider-cracks spread from the top and bottom of the poles, as the Rapidash's limbs creak and groan out of their stationary position; just as the mechanical Rapidash's legs perfectly straighten, with hooves hovering inches above the ground, the two poles shatter as if some great pressure within them is released, causing Alice to reflexively shield her eyes and her Swinub from the shrapnel. The Rapidash falls gently to the ground, standing stock-straight and ready for action. "Broken... heh, I guess y'could say that." The mechanical horse whinnies eerily; "I find it's true fer' most broken critters... What makes me broken also sets me free! YEEEEEEE-HAW!" The Rapidash rears up on its two back legs for a moment and lets loose a powerful whinny before returning to its original position, as if relishing its newfound freedom. "As fer' yer' other question... I can move 'cause I was built to move. Simple's that, darlin'. Oh, speakin' of movin'..." The mechanical Rapidash takes a step forward. "We can go anywhere y'want. Phantom Isle... The whole world... it's waitin' for us! Where d'you want to go, honey?" The former Merry-Go-Round denizen eyes Alice with its dead eyes, as if awaiting her decision.

There appear to be several options. She could ask to be taken somewhere in the Park, such as one of the rides or to the hotel. She could also ask to be taken out of the park to explore what remains of the outskirts of Phantom Isle. She could even ask the Rapidash to take her around the Merry-Go-Round... or she could decide not to go anywhere at all. The choice is hers.

[Meetan]

Meetan- Alice has a mixed reaction to the Rapidash and "her" strange comments. Certainly, she is pleased that the Rapidash indirectly complimented her, and the Western-style accent is reminscent of the style of speech you'd hear utilized by the characters of Woody's Round-Up. Certainly, Alice can picture herself as the adventure-loving Jessie, riding like the wind on a slightly more disturbing, flame-covered version of Bullseye. Even so, the overall presence of the mechanical horse and the eerie, grating sound of its movement and speech is off-putting to say the least. Swinub's reaction is definitely telling; after all, for an ice-type to shiver, something spooky definitely has to be going on. Alice's response to the strange sight before her is to immediately take a step back and question what she is observing; she asks the Rapidash how it is possible for it to move or speak. She follows this question up with a potentially insulting remark; not knowing how else to phrase it, Alice informs the Rapidash that she sounds "broken".

The "-en" of "broken" barely leaves Alice's lips before the poles attaching the Rapidash to Merry-Go-Round's floor and ceiling begin violently shaking. Spider-cracks spread from the top and bottom of the poles, as the Rapidash's limbs creak and groan out of their stationary position; just as the mechanical Rapidash's legs perfectly straighten, with hooves hovering inches above the ground, the two poles shatter as if some great pressure within them is released, causing Alice to reflexively shield her eyes and her Swinub from the shrapnel. The Rapidash falls gently to the ground, standing stock-straight and ready for action. "Broken... heh, I guess y'could say that." The mechanical horse whinnies eerily; "I find it's true fer' most broken critters... What makes me broken also sets me free! YEEEEEEE-HAW!" The Rapidash rears up on its two back legs for a moment and lets loose a powerful whinny before returning to its original position, as if relishing its newfound freedom. "As fer' yer' other question... I can move 'cause I was built to move. Simple's that, darlin'. Oh, speakin' of movin'..." The mechanical Rapidash takes a step forward. "We can go anywhere y'want. Phantom Isle... The whole world... it's waitin' for us! Where d'you want to go, honey?" The former Merry-Go-Round denizen eyes Alice with its dead eyes, as if awaiting her decision.

There appear to be several options. She could ask to be taken somewhere in the Park, such as one of the rides or to the hotel. She could also ask to be taken out of the park to explore what remains of the outskirts of Phantom Isle. She could even ask the Rapidash to take her around the Merry-Go-Round... or she could decide not to go anywhere at all. The choice is hers.

When the ride began to shake, Alice screeched with it, reeling back with fright and apologising profusely. It looked like she had indeed caused offence, but moments later this was shown up to be anxiety, as the Rapidash embraced its liberty. The human was left shaking like a leaf in a storm, and with the rate at which her heart was racing, the girl couldn't help but think that if several pounds weren't lost out of stress, she would have been served a great injustice.

Millions of thoughts swam through her head, but the teenager was alert enough to take in information, and she nodded a few times to show this. A brief look at Swinub suggested he had no intention of helping her make a decision, and that it was up to her. "Well, maybe going round the merry-go-round would be nice..." She started hesitantly, beginning a cautious, slow-treaded approach. A small, shivering hand reached up to stroke along the machinary, tracing over the whispy art of its mane and along its back. This was a stupid choice to make: to ride this obviously wild, haunted, living ride. But at the same time, the trainer thought it thrilling, and if she turned away, it may never appear to her again. Furthermore, she didn't want to anger a spirit by being rude. "Or maybe to the Fortune Teller's Tent. But the rest of the isle sounds good, too - how many rides do I get?" Alice asked finally, hoisting herself up by one stirrup and swinging her legs over the horse's back. Swinub rested between her legs, clutching the reigns his mistress held onto tightly in his mouth.

((Stats~))

[Dark Searchman]

Dark Searchman- Hyrem is finding plenty of reasons to worry now that he has officially begun his Mantine Mania journey. The disturbing discovery behind the "Dive" label, the ominous warning of the Mantine and the eerie aura that surrounds the ride in general all add to the feeling that danger lurks deep within the inky waters through which his mechaMantine travels. It doesn't help any that the companion he was promised by Mantine seems to be a Pokemon that is no more. Berift of life, it rests in peace. If it wasn't in a Pokeball, it'd be pushing up the daisies. It's run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. What on earth is Hyrem going to do with a corpse? Hopefully the label was a mistake, and the Pokemon was just resting, or stunned, or simply pining for the fjords. Either way, Hyrem decides to solve the mystery of his strange Pokeball, and braces himself mentally for a rotting corpse, should one end up emerging.

Fortunately for Hyrem, the smell of death and decay does not emerge from the Pokeball as he activates the white push-button, though the faint smell of seawater plays across his nostrils as the red light forms into the shape of a jellyfish-looking creature. As the red light around the Pokemon fades into an ocean blue, Hyrem comes face-to-face with his new companion, whose red eyes meet Hyrem's with a curious gaze. A blue collar fits loosely around the Pokemon's neck, complete with an adorable little Mantine charm. This must be the rental collar that the Mantine in the kiosk alluded to earlier. After bowing his head in greeting, the ghostly jellyfish moves toward Hyrem and sits down beside him, letting his tentacles droop from the bench as he hums a little song to himself. He seems to be using the humming as a self-soothing mechanism for nervousness, though Hyrem cannot tell if that nervousness is from being shy or as a result of the surroundings he finds himself in... Maybe a little of both. Certainly, this is a strange little being, but thankfully not a lifeless one.

Something seems to catch the Frillish's attention, as his head lowers to face a distant shadow that seems to be moving about beneath the Mantine's clear bottom. It is hard to tell what the shadow might be, though the Frillish visibly shudders at the sight of it. The shadow seems to be growing gradually larger, as more small shadows seem to be appearing around the transparent submarine. Frillish appears absolutely terrified by the movement around him, and curls his tentacles around him, forming a little ball of shaking jelly. His humming is loud and stammered, as if desperately trying to tune something out. As his humming reaches its highest pitch, a nearly unintelligible, low-pitched noise gradually becomes audible to Hyrem's ears. How will Hyrem react?

Expecting to plug his nose from the stench of a decomposing body, Hyrem instead smells seawater as he opens the Pokeball... not a smell someone who had limited experience with the sea was accustomed to, but definitely a better aroma to fill the cabin with, all things considered. The red light materializes into a blue jellyfish with five tentacles, its red eyes looking at him curiously. Having never seen this Pokemon before, he consults his Pokedex:

Frillish, the Floating Pokemon. Rumored to be the spirits of children born into wealthy families who drowned in tragic accidents at sea, they paralyze their prey then wrap their tentacles around them and drag them to the depths of the sea to drown them.

Hyrem was relieved. It all made sense now! Since Frillish was a Ghost-type Pokemon, it's no wonder they couldn't figure out whether they should call it alive or dead. The Frillish greeted his new companion by bowing to him, and Hyrem was impressed with his manners and gradually warmed up to this new Pokemon. "Well, hi, I'm Hyrem," he said to his partner for the ride and hopefully beyond. "It's nice to meet you!" Pleasantries aside, he remembered that he wasn't here for fun (not that this ride felt like fun anyway), he had a job to do. The blue collar around Frillish's neck had a little Mantine on it, probably signifying this was a rental Pokemon for the Mantine Mania attraction. Now he would be able to discover easier if future Pokemon he comes across are rentals that need to be reported.

Hyrem was about to ask Frillish if it wanted to sit down, but it took the initiative and sat down next to him. His tentacles hung down from the bench they were sitting on as he hummed a little tune. It appeared this Pokemon was very nervous, whether in general or as a reaction to this eerie environment, and the humming was a means to somehow comfort himself. Maybe the tune he was humming reminded him of a lullaby he had heard in a past life?

Then Frillish looks down at the Mantine's glass bottom and sees something move around below them. Hyrem sees it too and asks himself, "W-What could that be?" Whatever it was, it had Frillish scared stiff, and he could be seen shuddering at the sight of such a mysterious shadow... especially as it started to get bigger. "N-n-n-nothing to worry a-about, j-j-just something that w-w-wants to ch-check us out... r-r-right?" Hyrem stuttered, trying to comfort the blue jellyfish, but it was clear he wasn't even going to comfort himself with those words. Oh, but it got worse as smaller shadows started appearing from all over the underwater area, surrounding the submarine. Frillish's humming grew louder and more desperate as it started to curl up its tentacles around its face, basically becoming a ball of quivering jelly. Hyrem's heart started racing along with Frilish's humming, and he said, "Frillish, c-can you please stop th-that? I-I-It's not really helping." His humming only got louder and at a higher pitch, and, despite the Floating Pokemon's high-pitched humming, Hyrem could start hearing a low-pitched sound, perhaps something Frillish was trying to tune out... and it sounded like it was coming closer! "Okay, th-th-that's s-s-something to w-w-worry about!" he said as he started panicking. He had the urge to say some sort of phrase that was normally said by a kid in a classic mystery cartoon whenever they were scared, but he resisted that urge and tried his best to keep some sort of level head. He searched through the buttons inside the submarine, hoping to find some way to shine some light on the surrounding shadows, especially the one coming from below since that was apparently what was making those low sounds.

[MarbleZone]

Phantom Isle
The Haunted Theme Park

For several decades this remote theme park was a popular tourist attraction for people of all ages. Starting as a small fairground it was built into the land's largest and most sought after family holiday destination, the entire island eventually converted into one enormous theme park incorporating hundreds of rides, entertainment venues, and showcases. Contests were held, friendly trainer battles took place, children were even allowed to hire Pokémon for the day to either keep them company or to battle with in special kiddie events. When the park became so popular that families wished to stay longer than a single day in order to experience everything there was to offer, a grand hotel was built offering special and affordable deals for families and trainers alike. Then one day, several years ago and during the height of the theme park's popularity, a devastating fire on the Ghost Train responsible for the deaths of several adults, trainers, and dozens of children, closed the fairground to the public. Reconstruction work began immediately, but after many unexplained happenings involving serious injury, and in a few cases the death of construction workers, the repairs were put on hold. The spooky events continued long after, with many curious trespassers, as well as the security guards hired to keep them away, disappearing, never to be seen again, or turning up on the mainland frightened out of their wits with no memory of why, or of how they got there. Any and all attempts at reconstruction have since failed, leaving the theme park shrouded in an aura of darkness and mystery. As a result very few dared to venture here, the stench of death and misery allowing the theme park to become a breeding ground for the darker side of the Pokémon world. As supernatural activity in the deserted park increased, a strange purple haze began to appear until eventually the entire island was surrounded by it resulting in a permanent state of darkness shrouding it as natural light was unable to properly filter through. This of course deterred even more people from approaching the area as they deemed it far too dangerous. In recent weeks, however, some rather bizarre events are rumoured to be taking place, and as word spreads of the park once again being open, only now run by ghosts, the theme park has been renamed "The Phantom Isle". Now, some of the more daring adventurers in the land have been contemplating returning to the park to discover for themselves if there is indeed any truth to these amazing stories.

The Hotel

Situated at the back of the theme park is a grand hotel where guests and their Pokémon stayed whilst visiting. The ground floor has the usual areas such as lobby, restaurant, boutique, and entertainment room, while the downstairs levels house a storeroom and very special casino for its patrons. The hotel is still very active but its guests are far different than you might be used to encountering. The eight upper floors containing the suites are more often than not inhabited by spirits, some being those who perished in the fateful incident that closed the park. Some are restless not realising they are dead, and some are harmless, while others are not. Wander around the hotel and you may find more than you'd bargained for.

Areas:
The Lobby: Upon entering the hotel's main doors, you reach a marble-floored lobby with a check-in desk and huge chandeliers that flicker ominously. Behind the desk lies most of the keys to the various hotels rooms, but an unseen power prevents you from taking more than one at a time. A lone elevator sits at one end, leading up to the rest of the rooms or down to the storeroom and casino.

The front doors parted open and a young man walked in, unafraid. Defiant even.
The Pokémon behind him... not so much.

- Minccino, get a hold of yourself! It's just a hotel, there's nothing here that can harm us. - said Levin confidently... before adding, with a wicked grin - Or is there?

The chincilla let out a small screech and rapidly climbed on top of her trainer's shoulders, trembling in fear.

Girls...

Levin looked around. He hadn't selected the famous, yet dreaded Phantom Isle as their new travel destination by chance. They were all still green, having started out their journey recently .Elekid and Gible, his two other Pokémon, were little more than babies, and even Minccino was far from a strong Pokémon. But physical strength was something that they'd gain naturally overtime, through training and fighting. Here, Levin sought to give them something different.

Strength of spirit is something entirely different. It's easy to be fearless in battle, to be brave doing something we've been trained to do from the start. But here lie mysteries beyond comprehension, it's not something you can prepare for in advance. If we face the unknown, the paranormal, and walk out sane, we'll have become stronger than any amount of routine training could achieve.

Oh, and he might as well nab some new Pokémon in the process. That'd sweeten the deal.

The hall of Phantom Isle's Hotel was as uninviting as he had imagined. The atmosphere was cold and empty, chandeliers flickered eerily and cast ever-changing shadows through the marble-tiled floor.
The obligatory check-in counter was there, but there was nobody in sight. Big surprise.

He made his way to the front desk, taking large, unfaltering steps, and playfully rang the small bell as if calling for the clerk, flashing a huge grin at Minccino. For his efforts in trying to cheer her up, he was awarded a DoubleSlap and a death stare.

- Geez, I wasn't making fun of you! Chill out, Min...

He went around the counter and looked at the display case. Several keys were there, meaning most - if not all - of the rooms were empty. Or rather, absent human guests.

He grinned at Minccino again and took the key to Room 1408.

*DoubleSlap*

[tsumigi-chan]

Ghost Train: Enter if you dare - The Ghost Train, the site of the disaster responsible for the closure of the theme park. Ghostly visits from children lost are reported to have scared many a construction crew away from this site while some of the strongest and darkest Pokémon of all are rumoured to dwell within the burnt out remains of this once popular ride.

Reiji looked over the small map, wondering where to go next. The Ghost Train, renowned for it's deaths, or the Circus Tent, crammed with almost as many ghosts. Necro flew in closer, and gently tapped the Train symbol with his beak. "Ghost Train it is. Let's go see some clowns later, eh?"

"It took no more than ten minutes to get over here, seems they're not busy today, eh Necro?" Reiji peeked his head inside, looking around for any signs of imminent danger. It seems we're good. For now, at least.

What's that light? It's getting closer....

Reiji walked to one of the only slightly rotted boarding platforms. So it is a train. All aboard, eh?

[Treecko's Awesomeness]

Treecko's Awesomeness- After recalling Treecko, who seems all too eager to return to his Pokeball, TA decides to call out the companion given to him by Mantine. The red light that bursts from the activated Pokeball seems to release a strangely floral scent into the Mantine's cabin. The ball of light forming the Pokemon's sillohette floats in midair, with little leaves sticking out of a round body. As the light fades, the green of the leaves and the pink of the Pokemon's skin become visible, as tiny yellow eyes scan their surroundings before finally resting on TA. Since she has no neck to speak of, a light pink collar has been fitted around her belly with a little Mantine charm visible on her stomach. The opens her arms wide as she floats towards TA, hoping to get a hug from her new friend. She is surprisingly unaffected by her surroundings despite her traumatic experience; perhaps this little pink cutie truly is capable of enduring more than her looks would suggest.

In the distance, a slight movement in the trees and the sound of birds cawing draws both the Hoppip's and TA's attention. Looking through the mechaMantine window, you can see what appears to be a small flock of colorful birds that are flying towards the mechaMantine, presumably curious about the inhabitants. They appear like friendly Pokemon and do not appear to be vicious or angry, and the little Hoppip that rides with TA does not appear afraid of them; in fact, her face is glued to the window as she uses a little paw to wave at them. As they get closer, they begin imitating sounds from the ride's past:

Chaaat! Look at the Chatot! Look at the Chatot! Chaaaaaat!

Pretty birds! Pretty birds!

Where's my camera? Where's my camera? Thought it was right here!

Take a look, Hoppip! Chaaaat!

Hoppip pulls away from the window, her facial expression changed as if she had come to a terrible realization. Instead of being perky and smiling, a more concerned expression has taken over her little pink face. As the Chatot continue, the content of their imitation becomes more and more sinister:

CHAAAT! Crashing! Crashing!

Hurts, it hurts!

Get help, Hoppip! Get help!

At the final statement, the Chatot begin to speak in unison, all repeating the same, eerie phrase: Get help, Hoppip! Get help! Louder and louder they chant, as some of them begin landing on the wings of the mechaMantine, facing the trainer and his Pokemon as they continue their morbid repetition. The Hoppip is silently weeping, though she seems to desperately be trying to hide this fact from both the Chatot and from TA.

How will TA respond?

TA looked at the Pokemon in excitement. A Hoppip! He hadn't even guessed that he'd get a Grass-Type! He had thought that the available Pokemon would be restricted to ones that could learn Fly, but the happy little bulb fluttering in front of him proved him wrong. She floated up to the trainer and hugged him. TA, while a little surprised, hugged the Pokemon back.

"Hey, there, Hoppip!" he said. "My name's Thomas, but you can call me TA. You're going to be helping me explore for a while, if that's okay with you."

Judging by the Hoppip's continued smile, she wasn't disappointed with this news. Soon, the car came upon a flock of Chatot perching on the branches of a few trees. They didn't look dangerous to TA, or Hoppip, by the Pokemon's expression.

They started to repeat phrases from the ride's past, and Hoppip pressed her face against the glass and waved to them. Suddenly, the Chatots' voices became more urgent. They started to shriek about the crashing ride, and started begging Hoppip to go get help. The Grass-Type Pokemon started to whimper at the memories she had of the ride. She tried to hide the tears, but TA saw them anyway.

Oh, no. What would he do? He couldn't return her to her Pokeball, as he needed her help to navigate the ride, but he couldn't stand to hear her cry. TA gave the Pokemon another hug. "Don't worry, Hoppip. It'll be okay." Finally coming to a decision, TA started to bang on the glass in an attempt to scare off the parrot Pokemon outside. "Cut it out! Can't you see that you're scaring her?"

[Balmund]

Balmund- William nods as Balmund introduces himself. "Duke, huh... Like royalty. I like it." He chuckles a bit, returning Balmund's nervous smile. As the two men rise to the summit of the Rollerquaza, Balmund then thinks to ask, more to himself than to William; "Any regrets?" William seems to pause at this question, thinking for a moment before responding. "Only one, man. Only one." He pauses again, shaking his head, as if some memory were darkening his mind. "After today, though, that number hopefully drops to zero." He smirks as he pats the Rollerquaza car's plastic Rayquaza head, as if the ride were some sort of dog. "Good ol' number ten. That crazy b**** in the Fortune Telling Tent better not have lied to me..." He turns to Balmund, his eyes so intense that they could bore holes straight through Balmund's soul. "What about you, Duke? Do you have any regrets?" Before Balmund can respond, the ride begins to return to a more horizontal state, indicating that the pair have made it to the very peak of the Rollerquaza. The ride curls around the steep curve of the summit, precariously perching itself at the top. A haze surrounds the two men, as if they were surrounded by clouds. Both men are not only at the highest point of the ride, but have also reached the zenith of their fear; through the haze, the steepest drop in all of Fizzytopia looms beneath them.

An inexplicable flash of light overcomes the Rollerquaza, temporarily disabling the vision of the two men. The light produces a strange feeling in the pit of Balmund's stomach, as if something about it was... off. Even so, the light disappears as quickly as it came. Perched at the very top of the ride, at the exact midpoint between the painful, frightening climb of their past and the death-defying, heart-pumping descent that marks their future, Balmund and William can hear their own screams as they begin their descent... only it isn't them screaming. It seems as if an exact replica of their Rollerquaza car has begun the descent without them, barreling forward while the real Balmund and William remain anxiously trapped at the top of the ride. Similar to the line of people that disappeared earlier, Balmund is left wondering what kind of strange illusion this could be; perhaps it was a part of the ride, designed to further create anticipation by providing a holographic vision of what awaits the two men. William, oddly enough, seems delighted by this illusion. "It's working... Holy Arceus, it's really working..." He mutters in amazement. As he says this, gravity seems to be pulling the ride backwards, and after a couple of moments of that sickening, slow pull, the back of the ride drops down the slope, with Balmund and William facing the sky as they plummet back the way they came! The vertical drop is absolutely terrifying, but William seems ecstatic, screaming excitedly as the ride reverses course. Balmund and William find themselves being inexplicably rocketed upwards where drops originally should have been at blinding speeds, and falling backwards at every place where the ride climbed. Every turn and loop is reversed at a speed even greater than what was experienced when the ride was going forwards, until the two find themselves back with the animatronic Dratini and Swablu, their backwards-facing ride going slow and steady once again. The animatronics somehow seem more vibrant, more realistic, more fluid in their movement... It was as if they were somehow re-energized and revitalized after years of wear and tear. As the two men ride backwards toward the docking station, the sound of a crowd awaiting them fills their ears. William leans forward, checking his backpack to make sure everything is still there. As he does this, he suddenly says to Balmund, "Better question for you... Do you even know what you're getting yourself into?" He chuckles as he says this. "Guess you can't turn back now, but you looked really f-ing shocked back there... Don't you know about the number ten?"

How does Balmund respond?

Balmund's question really seems to get to William, as he pauses for a before answering, shaking of some unpleasant memory in the process. Whatever his sole regret was, however, it seems he intended to do something about it right now, and he was counting on this car for it. A fortune telling tent though? What kind of fortune did he get there, anyways? It would indeed be very unfortunate if it turned out to be a sham though, considering the current circumstances. He proceeds to return the question, but Balmund has no chance to answer back as the ride finally reaches it peek. Both men are surrounded by a cloudy haze as the ride curves and perches itself at the top, and in an insant, they are both blinded by a flash of light. Something within Balmund's guts gave him a feeling that something was very off about this, and in moment the feeling is confirmed as Balmund sees and hears a replica of himself falling down the slope. Balmund wondered just was kind of dark sorcery was taking place right now, but he was certainly in shock. William however seemed delighted by this. He had anticipated and hoped for it, but it also looked like he couldn't quite believe his eyes himself. As he mutters out loud in amazement, the ride suddenly starts dropping the other way, revisiting every single turn and drop, much, much faster than before. Balmund's guts were feeling weird alright, and this time for perfectly understandable reasons as they were thoroughly scrambled. William however was ecstatic, screaming excitedly with pure euphoria, like he had already won some huge gamble and got a millionaire jackpot for a reward.

The ride slows down as it returns back to its starting point, and somehow, everything looked that much more lively and new. Back at the docking station they could hear the sounds of a crowd waiting for them. Nothing about this made sense to Balmund as he was still trying to process all the information that his senses provided. Had they actually warped in time or something, or was this something more than that? Whatever it was, William was pleased as he checked the contents of his bag, making sure everything was intact. Chuckling, he changes his question and asks if Balmund really knew what he had gotten himself into.

"Seems like you do." He responds still trying to recover his breath. "To me, this was more like taking a dive off a rockly cliff and hoping I wouldn't crash in the process."

"Tell me William," he continued after a brief pause, "what about the number ten?"

[CyberBlastoise]

CyberBlastoise: The woman gives you a look of confusion.

“What are you talking about?” she asks, “The sixth floor is definitely not missing. I’ll show you.”

She grabs your arm and pulls you towards the staircase, and this woman is much stronger than she appears to be. She starts to climb the stairs and you follow her, wondering where you would end up. Walking to the top of the stairs, you look across and see a sign that says ‘Floor 6’.

“See I told you that there was a sixth floor,” says the woman, “I have no idea what you are going about the floor being missing.”

Something is definitely not right about this, but this is definitely the sixth floor, and it definitely isn’t missing. Rather dejectedly you and Gold make your way out of the hotel, and when you step onto the first floor you take a look at the front desk. And freeze in your steps. Sitting there on the desk is a card with the date printed on it, Friday the 17^th of February, 1984! And then another realisation hits you. You hadn’t really paid attention to what the woman had been wearing but now that you think about it, but the clothing that she had been wearing had been ever so slightly outdated.

What will you do?

Bill found himself to be majorly disappointed with this 'new' finding. All those rumors about the sixth floor disappearing, never to be seen was all just a lie. So much for that adventure, he just turned to the woman and said, "Thank you for your help then, ma'am." The red-haired trainer walked downstairs with Gold, a bit defeated about this. He walked through the lobby, his eye looks toward a nearby calendar. At first he thought nothing of it and continued onward, until he realized something. He rushed back to the calendar and sure enough the date that was on it was...February of over 15 years back. Why in the heck was the calendar wrong? Unless it wasn't wrong...and Bill was back in time. At first he thought the idea was a bit silly, but he couldn't help but wonder...and to top it all off, that woman was wearing clothes that were a bit old fashioned, not that Bill was one to talk about fashion.

"Gold, I think we better head back upstairs. There's something odd going on..." Bill stated. The Totodile nodded his head and started up the stairs. This time Bill decided to head back to the mysterious floor, the 6th floor.

[Tuner89]

Tuner89- As Tuner makes his way to the Surf path, it seems as if even Reaper is spooked by their surroundings; the closer they get to the ride, the more oppressive the atmosphere becomes. It dawns on Tuner that he will be taking on the role of "first responder" should anything occur with TA or Hyrem's mechaMantines. One would hope that the Pokemon he has received from the Mantine will be able to help them should they end up in the water. Even so, the very fact that Tuner has to think about these worst-case scenarios is enough to make him tense.

The trainer and his Duskull make it to the mechaMantine boat, and Reaper seems surprisingly eager to return to his Pokeball in accordance with the ride's protocol. Sitting down on the waterproof bench, Tuner notices the message behind the "Surf" label, and thinks to himself that it is indeed fortunate that Duskull was so happy to return to his Pokeball, seeing as the ghost-type may frighten his new companion. Despite the eerieness of the ride and the thoughts that occur to Tuner regarding the children who met their deaths at this very park, he cannot help but feel excited at the thought of meeting his new friend. The moment he is able, Tuner activates the Pokeball, which releases a ball of red light that seems to be clinging to Tuner's leg; the sillohette of the creature has distinctively long ears and a long, rounded tail. As the light fades to reveal the Pokemon's brown fur, striped tail and soulful black eyes, Tuner notices the blue collar around the Pokemon's neck, which has a cute little Mantine charm on it. The pulls himself up on Tuner's leg and crawls on top of it; he balances himself on Tuner's knee using his muscular tail, propping himself up in order to come face with face in Tuner. He examines the trainer's face with a curious expression. Tuner can't help but think that this Pokemon has a certain sort of charm, which may explain why others may have been reluctant to attack him.

The adorable Sentret looks intensely at Tuner for a moment before immediately turning his head at a slight movement that catches his eye; he runs off of Tuner's lap and jumps into the water before Tuner can say anything, swimming frantically toward a small object in the distance. The Sentret grabs the object with its mouth and immediately swims back to the mechaMantine boat with surprising speed and skill. He catches up with the flume-like mechaMantine fairly quickly, and scampers up the boat's rim before jumping back into the seat. He rests his wet paws on Tuner's leg, who can now see that the Sentret is holding a bottle of Fizzy Cola in his mouth. Instead of Cola, however, it appears as if there is a rolled-up piece of paper inside. Sentret seems quite pleased with his discovery, and seems excited for Tuner to take the bottle. How will he react?

As the flash clears, an adorable Sentret appears. Sentret scampers up on top of Tuner's legs, and Tuner can't help but stare, amazed. Aside from Achene, this is the cutest thing he's ever seen. Suddenly the message on the pokeball makes sense, and Tuner can't help but admire the little guy and all he's been through.

Just as Tuner opens his mouth to say hello, the Sentret is gone, having dived into the water. Worried, Tuner jumps up and runs to the side of the boat as he sees his new companion swimming away.

"Come back! You don't need to be afraid!" Tuner is worried and panicked, feeling like he's already failed the Mantine. Just as these thoughts rush through his head, he notices the Sentret turning around and returning, with something in its mouth. The Sentret reboards the craft, delivering the item: A bottle.

"What's this?" Tuner asked as the Sentret jumped up and down, pointing. "It looks like there's something in there... Do you want me to read it?" Sentret jumped up and down even more excitedly, nodding its head. "Well, alright then..." Tuner leaned over, picking up the bottle. Removing the letter, he began reading it out loud to his new friend.

[Shadowshocker]

Shadowshocker- Dahlia decides to take the lead for this particular battle. In response to Shadow expressing concern, she admonishes him with a stern peck on the ear, not only for doubting her, but for mentioning the dubious Halloween incident. The Chandelure bows to Dahlia as a respectful, honorable beginning to their battle; in contrast, Dahlia simply glares menacingly at her opponent. The fight begins quickly, with Dahlia calling up an Ominous Wind in hopes of not only damaging her opponent, but strengthing her own abilities. The wind hits Chandelure hard, knocking it back and causing his lights to flicker somewhat. It appears that Dahlia has gained a confidence boost from the attack, as well; she appears somewhat stronger than before. Despite the kickback of Dahlia's stellar attack, Chandelure easily picks himself back up; his candles flare, releasing a Smog into the air. Dahlia tries using this moment to respond with Air Cutter; though the attack blows away some of the smog and damages Chandelure somewhat, the after-effects of smog exposure seem to be effecting Dahlia rather strongly; she coughs and sputters, and looks a little sick... Maybe even poisoned. To make matters worse, Chandelure's eyes emit a blinding Confuse Ray straight towards Dahlia, causing the poor bird Pokemon to see little versions of herself flying around her head. The disorienting light transform's Dahlia's Drill Peck into the poor bird flying into a wall, with a rather sickening splat. Dahlia is able to pull herself off the wall, but she coughs a bit, as if affected by the poison. She still seems dazed by the Confuse Ray's blinding light. A bit of luck comes Dahlia's way as Chandelure is so amused by the bird smacking into the wall that he loses his opportunity to follow-up with a devestating attack, instead spending the time chuckling in spite of himself. The laughter enrages the humiliated Dahlia, whose feathers are sticking on end, tingling with anger. Shadow suspects that if she is able to overcome her disorientation, she could easily pull off a very powerful, rage-motivated attack soon.

Dahlia seems a bit worse for the wear than Chandelure at this point in the battle, though as they say, it ain't over 'til it's over. What will Shadow do?

Even in spite of Dahlia's own brand of malicious enthusiasm, given initial impressions it was beginning to be difficult to think positively. The orange Murkrow, after all, had essentially no battle experience and this particular opponent was in half his element. In her mad flurry Shadow timed his aim before lobbing a Persim Berry to the floundering flight operative, who crushed it into pulp with her beak. The neutrally flavoured juices soon calmed the movements of the Murkrow, but not her seething anger at the flickering, chortling light fixture. Shadow hoped that this wasn't a sign that the Chandelure was merely toying with them and that the fiery spirit held more power than any of them realised. Dahlia in the meantime muttered foul, unintelligble curses and warcries under her breath while Scherza ticked her tail from side to side, occasionally rotating her head in watchful thought. "Objection!" screamed the Chatot, "That was... objectionable!"

"Based on preliminary data it seems that the species line tends to be solid, so a Facade riding off the poison should work. After that, feed him a pair of Dark Pulses."

[Marion Ette]

Apologies to MarbleZone and XatuGamer for not adding you to the list this week; I'm planning on writing updates for you two next week, though. Hang tight~


Meetan- Against her better judgment, Alice decides to mount the mechanical horse and go for a ride; however, she has a difficult time deciding where she would like to go, and her loyal Swinub seems to be providing no help in making that decision. She first asks if maybe she could go once around the merry-go-round, stroking the mechanical horse's sculpted mane. The horse's plastic exterior is surprisingly ice-cold, even for the chilly atmosphere that surrounds both horse and rider. As Alice's hand travels down the mane and along the Rapidash's back, the texture seems to become less hard and rigid, yielding to a more soft, hair-like consistancy... It was as if the horse was coming to life. Of course, Alice realizes quickly that her tactile sense is deceiving her, as shiny horse still looks as solid and fake as ever. Alice's request then becomes slightly more adventurous, suggesting that they travel to the Fortune Teller's tent. As she climbs the stirrup and mounts the mechanical Rapidash (with Swinub following her lead), she goes so far as to request a ride around Phantom Isle... How many rides will this Rapidash offer to give her, anyway? There are so many options, it seems hard to pick just one!

The Rapidash chuckles eerily in response to Alice's indecision. "Tell y'what, puddin'... How 'bout we mosey on over to the Fortune Teller's Tent and ask her where we should go? That lady may be a few cards short of a full deck, but she knows a thing 'er two about directions, let me tell ya'... She might know which path is the best one fer' whatever y'happen t'be lookin' fer. I hope yer' holdin' on tight..." The Rapidash begins trotting off of the carousel at a leisurely pace, before breaking into a gallop around the carousel. She runs faster... faster... faster... So fast that Alice has no idea how she and her Swinub are managing to hang on, as colors and lights from the carousel zoom by in a blur. Faster, faster, faster, until a blinding light overwhelms both Swinub and trainer; when the light fades, the two suddenly find themselves outside of the Fortune Teller's Tent, as if they had teleported there. Both of them feel somewhat ill after the intense ride. "Woooo-eeee~!" The horse neighs happily. "That's just the beginnin'. WOO! Talk about exileratin'! Everyone okay back there?" The mechanical horse turns to face Alice, its disturbing red eyes focused directly on her. "Don't want any mishaps, now... Y'might feel a lil' sick at first, but you'll get used to it."

As the Rapidash says this, Alice's bag begins to move strangely, as if something living was inside. Suddenly, an odd creature tumbles out of the bag and onto the ground; fortunately, its catlike physique allows it to land on its feet. The creature, which Alice now identifies as a Purrloin, has her berry bag in its mouth, but the little thief promptly drops it as it wobbles around a bit, trying to get its bearings and recover from its unexpected wild ride. The mechanical horse looks at it with narrowed eyes. "Looks like we got a stowaway... Lotsa' varmints comin' round the merry-go-round to play tricks and steal things from good, upstandin' trainers. Lucky you caught this one, or it might'a made off with yer' berries..." The Rapidash snorts in the direction of the angry Purrloin, before muttering, "Ain't worth my time." The Purrloin, however, snarls at Alice, as if she were the one responsible for making it feel sick. As the Rapidash stops to let Alice dismount in order to retrieve her berry bag, the Purrloin growls and rushes toward Alice. The fire in its eyes seems to indicate that it wants to battle her for the berries!

What will Alice do?


Dark Searchman- Hyrem is greeted by a Pokemon that he has never seen before; as his Pokedex provides some relevant information regarding the creature, Hyrem feels a great sense of relief knowing that the confusion about whether the Frillish was living or dead likely had to do with being part ghost-type. Hyrem introduces himself while taking note of the collar on the Frillish's neck, making note of its appearance for potential rescues.

Hyrem takes notice of the strange shadows beneath the boat just as the Frillish does, which prompts him to nervously question what might be floating to meet them. Though Hyrem tries to comfort his new companion by reasoning that it's probably just a couple of Pokemon looking to say hello, like the poster for the attraction advertised, his stammering voice and worried expression does nothing to calm the already-hysterical jellyfish. Hyrem realizes that the Frillish might be humming loudly in order to drown out the low-pitched noise that seems to be growing in strength as the shadows approach; the sound that Frillish so desperately tries to drown out seems to unnerve Hyrem, as well. He decides to take action, searching the submarine desperately for buttons of some sort to press. Just as he is about to search for buttons, he sees a flash of something pink swimming past his boat. The flash is gone before Hyrem can even check out what it was, but whatever it was, it was certainly in a hurry.

Hyrem bends down to inspect a small control panel with a medley of colorful buttons at child-height, presumably for little children to press as a means of enhancing the ride's entertainment value. A red button depicts the rough silouhette of a Remoraid shouting into a megaphone. A blue button depicts a siloutette of a Remoraid blowing bubbles. A yellow button depicts a silouhette of a Remoraid with a rainbow coming out of its mouth. Finally, a green button depicts a Remoraid silouhette pulling on the bow of a wrapped present. Aside from the pictures, the buttons do not seem to be labeled in any way.

While Hyrem tries to figure out which buttons to press, the low hum begins transforming from unintelligible noise to the murmur of voices. A visitor... A visitor... Who visits us...? Who visits us...? The eerie voices chant, as the shadows surround the boat. Unable to shake the feeling that he is being watched, he looks down through the glass-bottom floor on which he stands... He finds his face inches away from the socketless eyes of a young girl's face, whose blue, rotting lips are completely motionless: not even a hint of breath. The only thing that separates man and corpse is the Mantine's glass floor. Perhaps the ride unearthed a bed of resting bodies, which now float to the surface... The corpselike being startles as she sees Hyrem, and her countenance quickly morphs from a blank, lifeless expression to one of unimaginable rage.

A shrill scream pierces through the bottom of the boat; A BREATHER! The animated corpse's distorted, furious face presses against the glass, her fists viciously pounding on the floor of the MechaMantine. I SEE YOUR CHEST MOVING. YOUR MOUTH IS FULL OF AIR. WE DO NOT NEED YOUR AIR! WE WILL NOT LISTEN TO YOUR SCREAMS! WE WILL DROWN THEM OUT! Her infuriated screeches echo through the boat, along with the rapid percussion of her fists pounding at Hyrem's feet; he can feel the vibrations clear through his legs. As she pounds, more and more dead faces press themselves against the walls, the ceiling, the floors; Hyrem is surrounded by the faces of children. Distorted, hateful faces, drowned faces, eyeless spectres with burning glares that melt poor Frillish's mind into utter insanity. The creature hums as loud as he can and rocks back and forth in his little jelly ball; he is completely distraught, surrounded by the makings of a nightmare.

Their pounding... It's getting louder... Hyrem is starting to hear something cracking...


Treecko's Awesomeness- TA cannot bear to see his new friend cry. Providing a warm embrace and some soft encouragement, he decides that he will defend her from the horrible reminders of her past by attempting to scare the Chatot away. His screams and bangs seem to have little effect; the Chatot start landing, one by one, on the wings of TA's MechaMantine, slowly weighing it down. Though TA's screams do not seem to scare the Chatot, they do seem to take notice of them, and begin murmuring amongst themselves in Chatot language. Eventually, they all nod in agreement, one of them flying off the wing to face the MechaMantine window, where TA sits.

Chaaaaat! Miss Hoppip. Miss Hoppip. Chaaaat! Never came back. Miss her so much. Want to see her. Remind her, Chatot! I miss her! Why did she leave me? CHAAAAAAT! Hoppip perks up at the statements of this particular Chatot, and cautiously approaches the window, looking curiously at the parrot-like Pokemon. Suddenly, something seems to occur to her. She waves her arms frantically, shouting in Hoppip-language to the Chatot. It is unclear exactly what the Hoppip is saying, but it sounds urgent. The Chatot hear her pleas and begin cawing loudly; eventually, their cawing ceases, as the sound of a loud THUMP rattles the mechaMantine. TA and Hoppip find themselves lowering slowly as something begins to weigh down on the ride with the rest of the Chatot. The ride eventually runs aground, and skids across the dirt before eventually stopping. Something about the descent is strange, though... It was as if the drop was controlled in some way by whatever was weighing down the Mantine to ensure that the two occupants would land safely. Hoppip points at the window, pounding it with her little, pink fists, as if hoping TA will help her break it open. Beyond that window is a dark, eerie forest which seems to stretch on endlessly.

Certainly, TA could help Hoppip with her task and go with his little companion into what is likely an incredibly dangerous situation; he could also try and figure out if he could get whatever is weighing down the MechaMantine to let up, so that the pair can get flying again. What will TA do?


Balmund- Balmund is honest with William, admitting that he has no idea what the significance of the number 10 could be. He then asks William if he could perhaps explain what is going on, since he seems to know something about the ride. William takes on a more serious expression, and leans toward Balmund, placing a hand perpendicular his mouth in order to indicate that he is about to whisper; "I wish I could, but the walls have ears and we don't have much time 'til we're at the gate... I want you to listen to me very carefully. If the Guardians of this place find out that you don't belong here, they will come after you. Pretend you belong. Pretend you're here for a fun day at the park. The longer we can go without them chasing us, the better." William retracts his hand, putting on a smiling face as the ride enters the docking station backwards. He forces a laugh and points at Balmund, pretending to be in mid-conversation about their recent rollercoaster ride. His large grin and overexaggerated mannerisms are in sharp contrast to his former demeanor. "Man, the look on your face when you looked down from the summit! You looked like you were gonna s**t yourself! Ha-HA! I can't wait to go again... First, though, I think we should grab somethin' to eat. All that screamin' made me effin' hungry!!"

As the pair come to a slow halt at the docking station, it appears as if the park has come back to life again; trainers and children in somewhat outdated clothing wait in lines at the docking station, eagerly awaiting their turn at the Rollerquaza. The once shabby, dust-filled station is now bright, freshly-painted and full of energy. What remains unchanged, however, is the eerie mascot that awaits your arrival; standing at the controls, he allows for the restraints to be lifted off of your shoulders, and motions for you to exit the ride. His expressionless mask's plastic-eyed gaze follows you both as you dismount from the Rollerquaza; William whispers to Balmund, "Man, I guess that thing was always an effin' creep show..." He laughs a bit after this whispered bit of dialog, though his eyes betray his nervousness around this mascot. Filing in with the lines of people leaving the Rollerquaza and praising its amazing ability to make parents throw up (to the simultaneous amusement and disgust of their children) in addition to making children scream with fear and delight, William turns to Balmund, attempting to initiate some kind of park-related conversation. "So, Duke, where d'you want to eat? I'm like a Gulpin, man... I can eat pretty much anything. Pika-Pizza in the Food Court has some decent, cheap food, or we could go to one of the snack stands and get some ice cream or somethin'..." He reaches into his backpack, and pulls out a map of the park to show Balmund. He can see that clearly marked on the map is a path drawn in red marker, which begins at the Rollerquaza ride. From the Rollerquaza, the path goes through the food court, down through the various carnival games, past Mantine Mania and to the Ghost Train. The path ends at the Ghost Train with a single red "X", with little explanation as to what the path could mean. He points at the Food Court, and seems to be studying the various food options that line his pre-determined path. "Let's see... Houndour's flamin' hot dogs always has a bit of a line, but their stuff's really good. Pika-Pizza is cheap and pretty good, like I said before... the one-stop snack shop would be really quick, but it's mostly ice cream and chips and s**t; nothing too filling. Finally, there's the salad bar, if you're into that healthy nonsense." He turns to Balmund. "I'll leave it up to you, man... It's been a rough ride for you, so you deserve to pick the meal." As the two men walk and talk, neither can seem to shake the feeling that they are being watched. William quickly folds up the map and puts it away, as if keeping it out too long was somehow dangerous. "So, what are you in the mood for?"

How does Balmund respond?


Tuner89- Though Tuner is initially overcome with worry at the Sentret's sudden dive into the water, he is relieved when the little ferret-like creature swims back safe and sound. Intrigued by the bottle in Tuner's mouth, he seems intrigued by what the message might say. As Tuner unravels the parchment, it's clear that water damage has done a number on this piece of paper; roughly half of it has been destroyed. Studying the other half, Tuner can see that the paper is actually a childlike sketch of a clearing in a forest. On the good half of the drawing, a little girl with curly hair waves, as if beckoning. The Sentret looks at the picture for a moment, before noticing the crudely-drawn charm bracelet on her wrist; he points at it with his little, furry paw, before reaching beneath his Mantine collar and pulling out a small charm that looks like a tiny princess crown. The Sentret hands the little charm over to Tuner, and clasps it in his hand. Sentret jumps up and down, appearing to be filled with excitement. You have obtained the crown charm; its use to you is not yet known.

Tuner notices that shadows seem to be gathering beneath the surface of the water, though it is hard to say what they might be and whether or not they will pose any danger. Meanwhile, Sentret seems profoundly alert; he seems to be looking for any opportunity to get safely from the Mantine flume to the forest that surrounds the pair. One option could be to ask Sentret to use Surf as a means of ferrying Tuner over to the forest, though he risks being noticed by whatever creatures are gathering beneath the surface of the water. Another is to look for a downed tree or some land that juts out so that the pair may walk across; there appear to be none immediately surrounding them, though the first major plunge looms just ahead. Provided they survive, there might be better opportunities for crossing to land without swimming after the drop. If Tuner is particularly resourceful, he may even think of his own method of getting to the forest, which he can share with his Sentret.

What will Tuner do?


Shadowshocker- Thinking quickly, Shadow provides his Pokemon with a Persim Berry as a means of shaking her confusion. As Dahlia consumes her berry, the Chandelure fades into existance, leaving only a tiny glimmer of a flame behind... Unfortunately for Chandelure, Dahlia seems wise to his attempts at Astonishing her, and deftly avoids the frightening attack by carefully monitoring the location of the tiny flame before Chandelure suddenly reappears in an attempt to severely frighten the bright-orange bird. In response to Chandelure re-materializing, Dahlia puts on a Facade that she's healthy and full of power; concentrating her rage into this vicious attack, she charges at Chandelure, and manages to make contact, slamming into him with devastating force. Chandelure's core flame flickers with the blow, and the chandelier Pokemon looks somewhat rattled. Regaining composure after shaking himself back into battle mode, the Chandelure fires off a Flame Burst towards the oddly-colored Murkrow; it seems as if luck is favoring Dahlia this round, as the flames barely graze her as she makes the split-second decision to dive below the burst; the flames miss her almost completely, only singing the tips of a few feathers on the Murkrow's head. Dahlia opens her beak and unleashes waves of black and purple energy in the form of a Dark Pulse, which hits the Chandelure right in one of its candle-bearing "arms". The super-effective attack does some decent damage, though it is clear that Chandelure is done playing games with his opponent. Realizing that a barrage of super-effective attacks should be expected from the dark-type Murkrow, shrinks into himself, defensively using Minimize in order to decrease the likelihood of being hit in the appendages a second time. Inspired by the success of her first Dark Pulse, she attempts a second, unleashing another pulsating, dark beam from her open beak. This time, however, Chandelure is quick to float away from the attack, sustaining a minor side-swipe from the passing beam. He fires another Flame Burst at his opponent; this time, the fire makes a direct hit, causing Dahlia to howl in pain. Fortunately, the flames extinguish quickly, and Dahlia does not appear to have sustained major damage from the attack aside from the initial burst of pain. Dahlia's cough remains persistant, as the poison gradually takes its toll. Despite the heavy blows exchanged, both Pokemon seem resilient in the face of their attacker, with plenty of fight left in both combatants.

How will Shadow respond?

[Dark Searchman]

Dark Searchman- Hyrem is greeted by a Pokemon that he has never seen before; as his Pokedex provides some relevant information regarding the creature, Hyrem feels a great sense of relief knowing that the confusion about whether the Frillish was living or dead likely had to do with being part ghost-type. Hyrem introduces himself while taking note of the collar on the Frillish's neck, making note of its appearance for potential rescues.

Hyrem takes notice of the strange shadows beneath the boat just as the Frillish does, which prompts him to nervously question what might be floating to meet them. Though Hyrem tries to comfort his new companion by reasoning that it's probably just a couple of Pokemon looking to say hello, like the poster for the attraction advertised, his stammering voice and worried expression does nothing to calm the already-hysterical jellyfish. Hyrem realizes that the Frillish might be humming loudly in order to drown out the low-pitched noise that seems to be growing in strength as the shadows approach; the sound that Frillish so desperately tries to drown out seems to unnerve Hyrem, as well. He decides to take action, searching the submarine desperately for buttons of some sort to press. Just as he is about to search for buttons, he sees a flash of something pink swimming past his boat. The flash is gone before Hyrem can even check out what it was, but whatever it was, it was certainly in a hurry.

Hyrem bends down to inspect a small control panel with a medley of colorful buttons at child-height, presumably for little children to press as a means of enhancing the ride's entertainment value. A red button depicts the rough silouhette of a Remoraid shouting into a megaphone. A blue button depicts a siloutette of a Remoraid blowing bubbles. A yellow button depicts a silouhette of a Remoraid with a rainbow coming out of its mouth. Finally, a green button depicts a Remoraid silouhette pulling on the bow of a wrapped present. Aside from the pictures, the buttons do not seem to be labeled in any way.

While Hyrem tries to figure out which buttons to press, the low hum begins transforming from unintelligible noise to the murmur of voices. A visitor... A visitor... Who visits us...? Who visits us...? The eerie voices chant, as the shadows surround the boat. Unable to shake the feeling that he is being watched, he looks down through the glass-bottom floor on which he stands... He finds his face inches away from the socketless eyes of a young girl's face, whose blue, rotting lips are completely motionless: not even a hint of breath. The only thing that separates man and corpse is the Mantine's glass floor. Perhaps the ride unearthed a bed of resting bodies, which now float to the surface... The corpselike being startles as she sees Hyrem, and her countenance quickly morphs from a blank, lifeless expression to one of unimaginable rage.

A shrill scream pierces through the bottom of the boat; A BREATHER! The animated corpse's distorted, furious face presses against the glass, her fists viciously pounding on the floor of the MechaMantine. I SEE YOUR CHEST MOVING. YOUR MOUTH IS FULL OF AIR. WE DO NOT NEED YOUR AIR! WE WILL NOT LISTEN TO YOUR SCREAMS! WE WILL DROWN THEM OUT! Her infuriated screeches echo through the boat, along with the rapid percussion of her fists pounding at Hyrem's feet; he can feel the vibrations clear through his legs. As she pounds, more and more dead faces press themselves against the walls, the ceiling, the floors; Hyrem is surrounded by the faces of children. Distorted, hateful faces, drowned faces, eyeless spectres with burning glares that melt poor Frillish's mind into utter insanity. The creature hums as loud as he can and rocks back and forth in his little jelly ball; he is completely distraught, surrounded by the makings of a nightmare.

Their pounding... It's getting louder... Hyrem is starting to hear something cracking...

Before Hyrem started searching for buttons, something flashed by him that caught his eye. "Wh-what was that!?" he said quickly, still on edge from all the shadows surrounding him. It looked pink, but it was gone before he could even confirm what color it was.

Well, no time to think about that, he still needed to figure out something to do about everything around him. He eventually found four buttons that kids could press to have fun, one red, one blue, one yellow, one green, with different pictures that depicted the general idea of what each one did. No labels, however, so he could only guess what each of them actually did.

Then things take a turn from worse to downright crazy. The low hum becomes a collection of... voices... A visitor... A visitor... and each and every one of them... Who visits us...? Who visits us...? ...sends shivers down Hyrem's spine. "Vvvvvvvvoices!?" quivered Hyrem, whose own voice was starting to reach the higher registers along with Frillish. "Who could be- AAAAH!!"

A dead girl's body had made contact with the bottom of the MechaMantine, her pale, blue, rotting face inches from Hyrem's face. The shadows all around him... probably other dead bodies that were floating to the surface. He dared try to exhale so he could speak.

He felt the breath come back in again as the girl's body erupted with anger and malice and shrieked. A BREATHER! The undead girl starts pounding the bottom of the boat. I SEE YOUR CHEST MOVING. YOUR MOUTH IS FULL OF AIR. WE DO NOT NEED YOUR AIR! WE WILL NOT LISTEN TO YOUR SCREAMS! WE WILL DROWN THEM OUT! Hyrem was hysterical by now. He didn't need the pounding of the girl reverberating through his legs. He didn't need other zombified kids joining in on the pounding from all sides. He didn't need Frillish also going near insanity with him, humming louder and louder and rocking his jelly body back and forth as if that would somehow help to stop any of this.

He started frantically pushing the buttons: the yellow one so that maybe there would be some light to scare them off, the blue one so that maybe they could escape in a cloud of bubbles, the green one so the presents might float to the surface and draw the kids away from the sub, the red one so he could make some sort of loud noise to scare them off.

As if to explain the grim odds Hyrem had against him, he could hear... more pounding...

More pounding...

LOUDER...

LOUDER...

CRACKING...

CRACKIIIIIIIING!!!!!!

He found himself pressing the buttons faster and faster and faster until he was just simply button mashing, hoping something would work... anything would work...

SOMETHING...

ANYTHING...

PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE!!!!!!!!!!!

[Meetan]

Meetan- Against her better judgment, Alice decides to mount the mechanical horse and go for a ride; however, she has a difficult time deciding where she would like to go, and her loyal Swinub seems to be providing no help in making that decision. She first asks if maybe she could go once around the merry-go-round, stroking the mechanical horse's sculpted mane. The horse's plastic exterior is surprisingly ice-cold, even for the chilly atmosphere that surrounds both horse and rider. As Alice's hand travels down the mane and along the Rapidash's back, the texture seems to become less hard and rigid, yielding to a more soft, hair-like consistancy... It was as if the horse was coming to life. Of course, Alice realizes quickly that her tactile sense is deceiving her, as shiny horse still looks as solid and fake as ever. Alice's request then becomes slightly more adventurous, suggesting that they travel to the Fortune Teller's tent. As she climbs the stirrup and mounts the mechanical Rapidash (with Swinub following her lead), she goes so far as to request a ride around Phantom Isle... How many rides will this Rapidash offer to give her, anyway? There are so many options, it seems hard to pick just one!

The Rapidash chuckles eerily in response to Alice's indecision. "Tell y'what, puddin'... How 'bout we mosey on over to the Fortune Teller's Tent and ask her where we should go? That lady may be a few cards short of a full deck, but she knows a thing 'er two about directions, let me tell ya'... She might know which path is the best one fer' whatever y'happen t'be lookin' fer. I hope yer' holdin' on tight..." The Rapidash begins trotting off of the carousel at a leisurely pace, before breaking into a gallop around the carousel. She runs faster... faster... faster... So fast that Alice has no idea how she and her Swinub are managing to hang on, as colors and lights from the carousel zoom by in a blur. Faster, faster, faster, until a blinding light overwhelms both Swinub and trainer; when the light fades, the two suddenly find themselves outside of the Fortune Teller's Tent, as if they had teleported there. Both of them feel somewhat ill after the intense ride. "Woooo-eeee~!" The horse neighs happily. "That's just the beginnin'. WOO! Talk about exileratin'! Everyone okay back there?" The mechanical horse turns to face Alice, its disturbing red eyes focused directly on her. "Don't want any mishaps, now... Y'might feel a lil' sick at first, but you'll get used to it."

As the Rapidash says this, Alice's bag begins to move strangely, as if something living was inside. Suddenly, an odd creature tumbles out of the bag and onto the ground; fortunately, its catlike physique allows it to land on its feet. The creature, which Alice now identifies as a Purrloin, has her berry bag in its mouth, but the little thief promptly drops it as it wobbles around a bit, trying to get its bearings and recover from its unexpected wild ride. The mechanical horse looks at it with narrowed eyes. "Looks like we got a stowaway... Lotsa' varmints comin' round the merry-go-round to play tricks and steal things from good, upstandin' trainers. Lucky you caught this one, or it might'a made off with yer' berries..." The Rapidash snorts in the direction of the angry Purrloin, before muttering, "Ain't worth my time." The Purrloin, however, snarls at Alice, as if she were the one responsible for making it feel sick. As the Rapidash stops to let Alice dismount in order to retrieve her berry bag, the Purrloin growls and rushes toward Alice. The fire in its eyes seems to indicate that it wants to battle her for the berries!

What will Alice do?

When Alice felt the sudden change in the mane, she frowned, and her stomach did a leap. The young girl had a fear of fire-types, and though she owned a Torchic, there was a reason she hadn't bonded with him yet. Honestly, the girl felt sorry about it. "That seems a good idea to me. I do like tarot." She voiced, laughing weakly at the monster's metaphor. The girl gripped with her heels and fists as it began to move, and at first, it was smooth sailing - her time at a Pokemon Academy meant that she knew how to ride Pokemon, even if she had shyed away from the obvious Pokemon to learn with. But it was gaining speed, quickly, and she ducked against him, clutching Swinub securely between her bent arms. There was a bright light, which forced her to shut her eyes, and when it faded away... They had already arrived.

"Well, at least someone enjoyed that..." The girl breathed. It took a lot to make Alice feel sick. She wasn't affected by much gore, unpleasant noises or any theme park rides, but that had surely done it. Inhaling shakily, her attempt to calm down did not last, and she shrieked as her bag began moving. Swinub jumped. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygodthere'ssomethingintheregetit OUTohmygod~!" Another childish whinge, and the something revealed itself: a beautiful Purrloin, up to no good as their species often was. "Hey, what the hell...?" The girl complained, scowling at the sight of her raided berry bag. "I'd been saving up ingredients in that!"

The trainer went to descend, but ended up cursing loudly and swinging herself off the other side. The dark-type was going straight for her. "Bite and then tackle, Swinub!" Alice commanded in a hurry, and her partner obeyed. He went to clamp his teeth down on the cat's tail, and following that, tackle it right off of Rapidash's back.

((Stats.))

[uhhhhh]

uhhhhh- Connor thinks about the Drifloon's behavior and comes to the conclusion that the Drifloon does not appear to be actively trying to attack Connor. In fact, the balloon Pokemon's behavior seems to indicate a more defensive stance as a result of being attacked. Based on what he has observed so far, he calls off Gaspard's assault. Gaspard responds with a confused look, as Connor approaches the Drifloon with an apology and an explanation for Gaspard's behavior. After all, being suddenly charged at with scissors is pretty threatening. Connor lets the Drifloon know that he just wants to understand the ghost-type's intentions more clearly, especially regarding this whole business with the balloon. Connor is aware that he is taking a huge risk, considering that the vision he had seen involved his attacker becoming a Drifloon. As Connor talks, the Drifloon appears to be slowly inflating itself, until it is twice its normal size; strangely, it does not appear to be preparing an attack, though it is preparing something... Finally, as Connor finishes speaking by asking if the Drifloon has anything it would like to tell Connor and Gaspard, it begins to deflate, the air coming out of the Drifloon's mouth forming an airy, high-pitched voice; despite the ethereal quality of the voice, it somehow seems angry:

"Sorry, huh? I'll bet you're sorry... That balloon's full of evil! Stop being a stupid pair of monkeys and give me those scissors! As the balloon deflates, the anger in its voice seems to deflate as well. It slowly inflates again, in order to exhale another airy monologue: You're in a lot of danger. If you do not accept my help... ha, THEN you'll know the meaning of being sorry. The balloon Pokemon now deflated to its normal size again, it holds out a yellow appendage towards Gaspard, as if asking him to return the scissors. How will Connor and Gaspard respond?

"Sorry, huh? I'll bet you're sorry... That balloon's full of evil! Stop being a stupid pair of monkeys and give me those scissors!" the Drifloon had said to him. Connor frowned. It was not exactly the reply he had wanted out of the balloon Pokemon. "Er... why is that? As much as I want to trust you, you're still not telling me what's going on. Why are you after the balloon?" Connor asked him as Gaspard just stared at the Drifloon with the scissors still on his tail-hand, still doubting its intentions. As the Drifloon inhaled to prepare to say something to Connor again, Gaspard gave the scissors to Connor. Connor stared at the scissors on his hand, wondering what in the world is going on. He really wanted to trust the little guy, but there are still a few doubts inside him that's preventing him from doing so.

"You're in a lot of danger. If you do not accept my help... ha, THEN you'll know the meaning of being sorry." the Drifloon continued while holding out one of its yellow appendages to Connor. Connor and Gaspard looked at each other, most likely thinking the same thing. Danger? What was the Drifloon talking about? The photographer contemplated on whether or not he could trust the balloon, despite not saying much as to what's going on. After a while, he replied, "I want to believe that you're helping us Drifloon, I really do. However, I still have no idea what this 'danger' that you're talking about is. And who's to say that you're actually the one putting me and Gaspard here in danger? Which is why I've come to a decision," he paused for a while as he looked at Gaspard and then back at the Drifloon, "I'll accept your help and I'll hand the scissors over. However, you'll have to tell us first everything you know about the matter and why exactly are we in danger. Is it a deal?" Connor asked the Drifloon.

[Balmund]

Balmund- Balmund is honest with William, admitting that he has no idea what the significance of the number 10 could be. He then asks William if he could perhaps explain what is going on, since he seems to know something about the ride. William takes on a more serious expression, and leans toward Balmund, placing a hand perpendicular his mouth in order to indicate that he is about to whisper; "I wish I could, but the walls have ears and we don't have much time 'til we're at the gate... I want you to listen to me very carefully. If the Guardians of this place find out that you don't belong here, they will come after you. Pretend you belong. Pretend you're here for a fun day at the park. The longer we can go without them chasing us, the better." William retracts his hand, putting on a smiling face as the ride enters the docking station backwards. He forces a laugh and points at Balmund, pretending to be in mid-conversation about their recent rollercoaster ride. His large grin and overexaggerated mannerisms are in sharp contrast to his former demeanor. "Man, the look on your face when you looked down from the summit! You looked like you were gonna s**t yourself! Ha-HA! I can't wait to go again... First, though, I think we should grab somethin' to eat. All that screamin' made me effin' hungry!!"

As the pair come to a slow halt at the docking station, it appears as if the park has come back to life again; trainers and children in somewhat outdated clothing wait in lines at the docking station, eagerly awaiting their turn at the Rollerquaza. The once shabby, dust-filled station is now bright, freshly-painted and full of energy. What remains unchanged, however, is the eerie mascot that awaits your arrival; standing at the controls, he allows for the restraints to be lifted off of your shoulders, and motions for you to exit the ride. His expressionless mask's plastic-eyed gaze follows you both as you dismount from the Rollerquaza; William whispers to Balmund, "Man, I guess that thing was always an effin' creep show..." He laughs a bit after this whispered bit of dialog, though his eyes betray his nervousness around this mascot. Filing in with the lines of people leaving the Rollerquaza and praising its amazing ability to make parents throw up (to the simultaneous amusement and disgust of their children) in addition to making children scream with fear and delight, William turns to Balmund, attempting to initiate some kind of park-related conversation. "So, Duke, where d'you want to eat? I'm like a Gulpin, man... I can eat pretty much anything. Pika-Pizza in the Food Court has some decent, cheap food, or we could go to one of the snack stands and get some ice cream or somethin'..." He reaches into his backpack, and pulls out a map of the park to show Balmund. He can see that clearly marked on the map is a path drawn in red marker, which begins at the Rollerquaza ride. From the Rollerquaza, the path goes through the food court, down through the various carnival games, past Mantine Mania and to the Ghost Train. The path ends at the Ghost Train with a single red "X", with little explanation as to what the path could mean. He points at the Food Court, and seems to be studying the various food options that line his pre-determined path. "Let's see... Houndour's flamin' hot dogs always has a bit of a line, but their stuff's really good. Pika-Pizza is cheap and pretty good, like I said before... the one-stop snack shop would be really quick, but it's mostly ice cream and chips and s**t; nothing too filling. Finally, there's the salad bar, if you're into that healthy nonsense." He turns to Balmund. "I'll leave it up to you, man... It's been a rough ride for you, so you deserve to pick the meal." As the two men walk and talk, neither can seem to shake the feeling that they are being watched. William quickly folds up the map and puts it away, as if keeping it out too long was somehow dangerous. "So, what are you in the mood for?"

How does Balmund respond?

As Balmund asks about what is going on, William leans towards him and whispers about the dangers of this place. It wasn't safe talking about it, at least for now. Heck, just being here as is wasn't safe at all, but Will's advice sounded healhy and wise: it was best to act like you belog. As William radically changes his demeanor, pretending to be conversing excitedly about the wild ride they just, Balmund stares at him blankly for just a second, processing all the information he had just recieved before transforming his facial expression as well, looking very excited and thrilled; not that hard to do, his heart was already accelerated as is, and the adrenaline remnants were still running through his body. "Ha, ha, yeah! I can only imagine how I must've looked! Do ya think they took a picture? I bet they got me mid-blink, they always do." he laughed out loud. "Dude, food! I'm sooo effing hungry too!"

Everything looked back to life as they returned to the docking station. So many people, all dressed in an outdated clothing style reminiscent of the one his own father used to wear in his younger days. The Rollerquaza's mascot was still there, and Balmund could agree with Will that its creepiness factor was still rather unchanged. Dismounting the ride, Will tries starting a conversation with Balmund, wondering where they should go next to eat. Pulling a map out of his bag, William shows a path going throughout various destinations eventually leading into the Ghost Train. The first stop on the way just happened to be the food court, and Will was generous enough to allow Balmund to choose the place he liked best.

"Honestly, who needs salads, man? Here, of all places... bunch of "healthy" c***. If I could have some Jack-Daniel's glazed ribs I would die a happy man, but pizza sounds awesome. Hot Dogs are great too, but I don't think either of us is in the mood to wait in line, eh?" Balmund responded, and indeed, the more time they spent here the more likely the guardians would find that they didn't quite belong. Balmund had no idea what the path on William's map meant, but he gathered he would find the answers soon enough, and meanwhile a quick and cheap pizza sounded just perfect. "I say we go get some delicious pizza, genereously topped with all that fake mozzarella goodness."

[takkupanda]

takkupanda- Broly seems more than happy to follow the little Yamask into the seemingly abandoned Mantine Mania Station; Marcelo, on the other hand, is hesitant. After all, where would they go if something went wrong? Not only that, the likelihood of something going wrong in a haunted place like this seems rather high. Marcelo stops Broly and whispers his concerns to the fiery canine. Though Broly cannot respond in words, a nod followed by a soft nuzzle to the leg seems to be his way of saying, "Don't worry; everything will be okay." Marcelo thinks for a moment, but ultimately decides to place his trust in his Pokemon, agreeing to enter the station with Broly.

Broly is first to jump through the small opening, and is able to enter with no problems. Marcelo, on the other hand, struggles a bit to contort himself in such a way that he would be able to fit through; the experience involves some awkward angles and moments of feeling stuck, but ultimately, Marcelo is able to force his way in and tumble through the opening, which is promptly shut behind them by their Yamask friend. After dusting himself off and checking to make sure that Broly is alright, Marcelo takes a look at his surroundings. Though the trappings of a train station peak through every now and then, the place appears to have been remodeled considerably; a small kitchen and dining area with a plate of berries on the table has been included, with a long row of tiny chairs, presumably for tiny people. The alphabet is painted on the ceiling, though only the letters A, K, M, S and Y are represented. The main lobby of the train station appears to have been converted into a playroom, though the "children" there are certainly unique; two Yamask with masks shaped like the faces of little boys play with retro Golurk action figures, making laser noises and simulating explosions with their imaginations. A Yamask with the mask of a toddler girl hugs an old, tattered stuffed Buneary as the mask hums to itself. A Yamask with the face of an elementary schoolgirl tries to play hopscotch, though it appears that she and her other Yamask friends are trying to figure out how to stop floating and then, once that's accomplished, how to "hop" with their ghostly bodies. One seems to be doing an odd sort of flop where they use their arms to lift themselves up and then plop down on the next square. Though not a very effective hopscotch method, the girls appear to be laughing, both with their masks and with their Pokemon heads.A Yamask with a carton of berry juice approaches Broly and pats him on the head. It coos in Yamask language, a big smile on his elementary schoolboy mask. Overall, despite the clearly ominous exterior of the building, the interior feels decidedly less frightening, though the feeling that pervades here is heavy and confusing. It is hard to tell whether this is a place of happiness or sadness... Perhaps a mixture of both.

In the distance, you hear what sounds like a lullaby in a strange language: Cofa-coooof, cofa-coooof, cofagriiigus cof-cof-fa, gri-gi-guuus, gri-gi-guus, cofagri-gri-gus, cof-cof. Broly seems to want to investigate the lullaby, wasting no time bounding towards it. Marcelo follows, too, and finds a Cofagrigous in the former ticket booth using its upper pair of arms to rock a small Yamask with the mask of an infant to sleep. The room is lined with cradles; oddly enough, though the masks of the infants appear to be sound asleep, the Yamask faces themselves are wide awake, staring blankly at the ceiling... The Cofagrigus rocking the "baby" notices Marcelo immediately, and puts a free arm up to its mouth, as if to indicate the need to be quiet. It places the baby into an empty crib, and floats toward a door labeled "STORAGE". It opens the door and encourages Marcelo and Broly to follow it; inside are two small chairs separated by a wooden table, presumably acting as a small office space. The Cofagrigus ushers Marcelo and Broly inside, and closes the door behind them. It is then that the medallion on the Cofagrigus' "coffin" body speaks, in a calm, professional female voice. "You can call me Mama Coffee. I run the Afterlife Services here at Mantine Mania. I was wondering if you and your Growlithe might be able to help me with a few things..." She chuckles a bit. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm supposing you would like a tour of our facilities. It is a rather strange place, to be sure... a rare sight for the living..." The Cofagrigus' medallion face smiles serenely, though the Pokemon face seems permanently stuck in the trademark, horrific grin so often associated with the species. "...or would you like to get right down to business?"

How does Marcelo respond?

As the duo struggled through the narrow opening with some difficulty, they eventually reached a somewhat alien world. Though it did look a bit like the remnants of an old Train Station, it was noticeably different. The furniture was designed as if made for people of much smaller size than humans. Marcelo realized then that this was where the Yamasks lived. There was a striking similarity between this place and a place where humans might be living. Marcelo wondered why, but couldn't find the link until he saw the inhabitants. There were Yamask "kids" who were playing with their Pokemon toys. They were trying all the games which they must have learned in their previous lives and horribly failing at some of them, though clearly having a lot fun trying them out. One of the kids came and patted Broly on his head. Broly closed his eyes playfully and let the Yamask pet him... he was happy at getting so much attention today. Marcelo realized that this is where the Ya'masks' relived their lives like they did in their pasts. He thought for a moment that maybe he shouldn't be scared of these Pokemon.

Broly heard a sound much like a lullaby coming from a distance and followed it. Marcelo had to follow. They came to a place that looked like it might have been a ticket booth and saw a much bigger and scarier looking Ghost Pokemon there - a Cofagrigus! Marcelo started to pull out his Pokedex, but the Cofagrigus' hand reached her mouth and signalled Marcelo to remain silent. Marcelo put the Pokedex back and looked around. He saw Yamasks lying in cradles wide awake staring at the ceilings. It looked funny at first, but then he realized that the masks were put to sleep by the Cofagrigus like she was trying with the one in her hand. As that Yamask dozed off, the Cofagrigus kept the baby in another of the cradles and signalled Marcelo and Broly to follow her in another room which was labelled 'STORAGE', which gave Marcelo the chills. As they went inside, it looked like a small office which relieved Marcelo a little, not for long though. The 'mask' in the coffin body of the Cofagrigus spoke which suprised Marcelo again. Now he was shivering. The Cofagrigus introduced herself and told that her name was 'Mama Coffee'. Marcelo remembered that the little Yamask they first met mentioned something about Mama Coffee and also realized that Coffee must have come from Cofagrigus. She continued her introduction and mentioned that she ran the Afterlife Services there. Marcelo's heart started beating faster now. Then she mentioned that Marcelo and Broly could help her with a few things. Marcelo at this point had become totally paranoid and thought to himself 'Wh-what kind of things?' But then she asked whether Marcelo and Broly wanted a tour of the place or would they like to get to business. Again Marcelo was in complete horror and thought to himself, 'wh-what kind of business?' He looked at the Pokemon and the Pokemon stared back with a blank yet scary expression it had, though the mask appeared to be smiling serenely. Marcelo was shaking.. his fear had taken over his mind. He thought that coming here had been a bad idea and that he should find a way to get out or at least to delay whatever 'business' Mama Coffee was talking about. So he said in a quivery voice, "We would love to have a tour and get a good look at this place", he said hoping to find an 'emergency exit' on the way. Broly didn't know what had been going in Marcelo's mind, but didn't mind having a tour which he approved with a happy bark and his wagging tail.

[King Ghidorah]

Phantom Isle
The Haunted Theme Park

Fortune Teller's Tent: Situated in the shadows cast by the majestic circus tent is a much smaller tent which once housed a mystical woman who was said to have powers beyond that of a regular human, being able to see not only into the past, but also into the future. She passed away not too long before the closure of the theme park but nobody thought anything of it, since she was getting on in years. Today, there is still a light coming from her tent, so could it be she still lingers in the theme park, waiting for her next customer?

Phantom Island. Dark and mysterious. Hugo and Krabby have encountered some bizarre things in their journeys, but a haunted theme park. These things were only thought to exist in stories or in movies. But nevertheless, here they are.

“This is…I don’t even…” says Hugo as he wanders into the park. “I mean…I’ve always loved amusement parks…but never seen anything quite like this….”

*click….click * responded Krabby.

Krabby’s apprehension was evident in his face and his movement. His eyes drooped, his scuttle was slower, he slightly shivered in fear. Hugo, noticing this, began to feel bad. After all, he was the one who dragged Krabby here to begin with. Krabby was a loyal friend, and Hugo had forced him into something he wasn’t comfortable with.

“Cheer up, buddy,” said Hugo with an uneasy smile. “It’s…it’s not so bad.”

Silence. The silence was almost deafening. The deserted concession stands. The rides where children once reveled in delight. All empty. The place was like an eerie wasteland. The memories of good times marred by tragedy are all that’s left.

As the duo wandered through the park, they caught the site of a small tent. Seeking refuse for the evening, Hugo decided it might be good to hide out in there until daylight. They wandered closer and at the top they could read the sign on the top.

“FORTUNE TELLER.”

“Let’s go in here, Krabby,” said Hugo. “It will be good to rest for a bit.”

And they wandered inside.

OOC: I figured with two new updaters, myself being one of them, it would be okay if I jumped in here

[Marion Ette]

XatuGamer, your update is not here because extroph has volunteered to be your updater. Your update will be with his first batch. As for MarbleZone, you're stuck with me... Enjoy~

MarbleZone- In the olden days, the Phantom Isle Hotel was a place for stressed, tired guests to unwind and relax. It seems the opposite is true nowadays, with "guests" usually entering the hotel more stressed and wound-up than ever from the ominous, unwelcoming environment. In contrast to the latter trend, the latest "guest", Levin, exhibits a strong, unwavering stride and defiant expression which marks him as a young man not easily intimidated by the rumors of hauntings and curses that surround the hotel. Levin's Minccino, on the other hand, is clearly on edge, her wide eyes and twitchy tail indicative of a creature that will jump in fright at the slightest provocation.

The Lobby is the perfect embodiment of the inherent contradictions that define the Phantom Isle Hotel. Cheerful, modern advertisements with silly mascots and thrilling rides are plastered over intricately carved marble walls. Hundred-year old Edwardian arches are painted to depict the Rollerquaza curving over the steepest point of the ride and directly into its most immense, death-defying drop. One of the lovely little alcoves in the Lobby has even been given a television (which appears broken), little chairs, and a few toys scattered across the floor, presumably for children who were waiting for their parents to check in. It seems that turn-of-the-century wealth and splendor gives way to Theme Park advertisements and "child-friendly" adjustments nearly everywhere Levin and his partner look. Of course, "child-friendly" seems like a strange term to use for this particular Lobby, since the general aura of the place doesn't seem friendly at all. Despite the dark, foreboding atmosphere, Levin still bravely (or stupidly, whichever you prefer) walks past the hotel elevator (complete with "OUT OF SERVICE" sign) and approaches the counter. He rings the bell sarcastically, knowing full well that the service at The Phantom Isle Hotel is terrible... Nonexistant, even. Minccino does not appreciate the visual joke, and provides some tactile feedback to indicate to Levin that he has considerable room for improvement in the humor department.

Though Minccino does not appreciate the Stephen King reference, Levin will likely appreciate the fact that he has obtained the key to Room 1408. Lucky for Minccino, this room is on the first floor, and not the "fourteenth". As he pockets the key, however, the sound of something mechanical grinding to life catches the ear of both Levin and Minccino. Turning around, they see that the formerly-defunct lobby elevator button panel appears to have recently come to life, with the number 5 lit up brilliantly against the darkness of the rest of the lobby. Five then grows dark as the number 4 begins to glow, indicating that one of the elevators is going down. So much for being out of service! There's no telling who... or what... might be descending on that elevator, but Levin and Minccino get the feeling that whatever it is, it's heading straight for the Lobby.

A number of options present themselves to the pair. Certainly, they could greet the elevator passanger as he/she/it descends to the Lobby. The pair could try to hide somewhere in the lobby, and hope that whatever it is will not see them as it traverses the lobby to whatever its destination is... or, the pair could run towards either of the two staircases (the left staircase heading up towards the rooms, or the right staircase heading down towards entertainment) and get away from the lobby altogether.

Whatever Levin decides to do, he will have to do it quickly... 3... 2...


Dark Searchman- Hyrem decides that now is not the time to be picky about buttons, and decides to press them all in sequence of their perceived usefulness, hoping that something... anything... will work to scare the zombie-like abominations away. The yellow button, when pressed, unleashes colorful lights and delightful music, which is decidedly less delightful considering the present circumstances. Though the sudden burst of light and color temporarily stuns the children for a moment or two, they eventually realize that the light and sound does not pose a significant threat, and resume their pounding... only now, it's strangely in time to the music. In fact, the overall effect is akin to being attacked by zombies in an underwater disco. Not helpful! Not helpful at all. CRRRRRACK... Time to try another button, and fast!

Before Hyrem can even blink, The mechaMantine splits open with incredible force; the only luck that seems to befall Hyrem is the fact that he is knocked out cold by the pressure of the water breaking through the sub before he falls into the hands of the twisted, undead children. An eerie laughter fills his head before he blacks out completely, floating helpless in the haunted waters of Mantine Mania.

***

Hyrem awakens to the horrific feeling of water rushing into his lungs; much as he tries to exhale, the water will not come out. His open eyes sting as water rushes across his eyeballs, but closing them seems to provide little relief. His nostrils fill with seawater, the taste and smell of the ocean completely inescapable. His neck is in absolute searing pain, as if he had bruised it severely... Disoriented and in pain, Hyrem flails for a moment, desperately trying to swim towards some sort of surface, but a pair of small, yet strong hands hold him down. Just relax... Says a familiar voice. It will all be over soon, foolish Breather. It takes a moment before Hyrem realizes that despite his extreme discomfort, he isn't drowning, yet he has the sense that things have taken a definite turn for the worse. As the sting of the water in his eyes gradually lessens, the gruesome children begin to come into focus. They sit around him in a semi-circle, their faces no longer consumed with ire, but blank and expressionless. It is hard to tell which expression was worse. Though he cannot see her, he knows that the girl who called him out as a "breather" is behind him, holding him down. The Frillish Hyrem received from the Mantine is nowhere to be seen.

The process takes a little while, I'm afraid... Perhaps we should get to know you better, breather. Tell us a story. We love stories...

Process? What process? What could that evil little zombie girl mean? What was going on, here? Hyrem has to find out, and quickly. He needs to choose his words carefully when dealing with these children; they may hold the key to the information he needs to find Frillish and get out alive, but they may also be the bearers of a one-way ticket to a fate worse than death.

The children have now taken to chanting after their leader: We love stories... stories... Their eyeless sockets widen with childlike wonder, though the effect of their widening sockets is more horrifying than anything else. How does Hyrem respond?



Meetan- The Purrloin which nearly made off with Alice's berries now charges forward, claws bared in preparation for a Scratch attack. The mecha horse whinnies loudly, shouting "WATCH OUT" to Alice as the creature bounds forward. Swinub comes to the defense of his trainer swiftly and valiantly, blocking his trainer from the Purrloin's attack; he takes the brunt of the clawed menace's fury with great endurance, though he does wince a bit as he is struck. In response, he bears his piggy fangs in order to Bite the Purrloin's tail. Normally, a bite attack would not be very effective on a dark type such as Purrloin, but the tail seems to be a particular weak spot, and Swinub hits it dead on. The Purrloin cries out in pain, clearly upset at the damage that Swinub has done to her beautiful tail. The mechanical horse whinnies happily, encouraging Swinub to "Go get 'em, partner!" The Purrloin, on the other hand, Growls angrily at the nerve of this little pig, which seems to effectively intimidate the poor little Swinub. Not one to ignore orders, however, he tries to Tackle the Purrloin off of the ride, but the Swinub does not seem to exert enough power to knock off the Purrloin completely. Shrugging off the damage from Swinub's tackle, the creature Torments Swinub, mocking it for using such basic moves. The mocking hurts Swinub's feelings, and Alice senses that he will not perform the same move twice for the next couple of rounds in order to show that stupid Purrloin just how many attacks he really knows.

Swinub seems to still be very close to full health; Purrloin, on the other hand, seems to have lost roughly a fifth of her health.

What will Alice and Swinub do?


uhhhhh- The Drifloon puffs up angrily as Connor delivers his speech, which seems to make the Drifloon quite impatient; even worse, Connor's decision seems to imply even more wasted time to the Drifloon, who waves his balloony appendages with rage. The Drifloon looks as if it is about to pop with fury, and indeed, when it exhales, its airy, high-pitched scream nearly shatters the mirrors around it; WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? THAT THING IS GOING TO KILL YOU AND SUCK OUT YOUR SOUL THE MOMENT IT POPS IF YOU DON'T- The Drifloon squeaks as it runs out of air; it narrows its eyes at Connor, its energy expended from the vicious exhale of angry words. It reinflates a bit, before exhaling in a tiny voice, I miss having lungs... The Drifloon suddenly seems a bit sad. Connor wonders what it means by this latest burst of speech. Could the Drifloon be implying that it used to be human...?

As if on cue, a sickening pop echoes through the House of Mirrors; Connor's purple balloon begins falling down to earth, deflating as it goes, but it stops its descent at Connor's eye level; the rubber morphs into one of the most horrific faces Connor has ever seen, as it floats towards Connor with bulging, rubber eyes; it looks like saliva is dripping from the rip in the rubbery material, as if the balloon has suddenly acquired a mouth. Connor can hear the demonic thing laughing in his head... The Drifloon, acting quickly, uses Gust to blow the balloon away from Connor, though the evil thing is far from defeated. It gets up with an infuriated expression in its rubber face, looking ready to murder the little balloon Pokemon. The Drifloon motions to Connor and Gaspard, as if urging them to join in the fight; for the first time, Connor and Gaspard can sense nervousness in the little creature.

How will the pair respond?


Balmund- Balmund is quick to take William's advice, and soon finds himself making similar attempts to blend in to his new surroundings. Perceiving that the pair may be facing a serious time crunch with the threat of the Guardians discovering their presence, Balmund decides on an option that will be both quick and delicious. William nods in agreement with Balmund's choice. "Pika-Pizza it is, man! ONWARD!" William points forward with an exaggerated war-face and puffed-out chest, as if parodying a powerful general marching into battle. With William's amusing battle cry leading the two men forward, Balmund finds himself outside the Rollerquaza ride, though his surroundings are very different than when he first decided to put his courage to the test; the park is bright, cheerful and very loud, with hoardes of people swarming towards rides, strolling the boulevards with sweets and snacks, and taking their Pokemon out to enjoy a wonderful time at the park. Posters advertise various rides and attractions with plentiful smiling faces and over-excited phrasing. Many posters feature park mascots such as Petey and Penny Pika, the male and female electric rodents whose faces seem to be everywhere. They are joined by Nutty the Houndour and his pet dog, Neptune the Poochyena... One wonders why a dog mascot would have its own dog for a pet, but that was another mystery for another time. Dolan Ducklett's derpy face seems to be everywhere, too... What was that guy's appeal, anyway?

As the two men walk towards concessions, William turns to Balmund, appearing somewhat curious. "Say, Duke, you wouldn't happen to be a trainer, would you? I really hope you have some brutes in that pocket of yours..." He pauses for a moment, as if trying to cover up his concern, "Y'know, so we can battle sometime! My Haxorus, man, she'll pound you into the DUST." He laughs a bit, though something in his eyes seems strangly wistful. "Averil's been my best fighter ever since she was an Axew. Y'know, man, I always loved dragon types since I was little. The thing is, I ain't the type'a person who should be trainin' em. Dragon trainers are supposed to be honest, noble people. It's kinda ironic... the only reason I even have my Pokemon is 'cause I stole it from some dude when I was a Team Rocket lackey, back when I was younger'n you." He shakes his head, chuckling darkly. "Can't say I regret it any. She's noble and strong for the both of us, y'know. Best Pokemon a man could ask for." He stares in the direction of the Ghost Train and mutters, "I know she'll do her best, no matter what happens. We both have a lot riding on this... no pun intended."

Eventually, the two men make it to Pika Pizza; the stand is easy to spot by its large, yellow banner, with Petey Pika dressed like a chef, presenting Penny Pika with a pizza covered in heart-shaped pepperoni as Penny swoons over the marvolous looking meal. William checks his watch and nods. "We've got about two hours until the train leaves the Main Station." The two men step in line; fortunately, it seems as if the line is not only short, but moving quickly, as well. "I'll be covering the both of us, if you don't mind, Sir Duke." William laughs. "It's not a date'r anything, though. Don't get too excited." He laughs as he approaches the counter. "I'd like a Pika-Pepperoni special, a large Corsola Cola, and... uh, what kinda pizza do you like, Duke?" He turns to Balmund, awaiting his response.

Balmund makes his order (whatever it may be), and each man grabs a tray as they slide down the line, awaiting their meals. After picking up their respective orders, William finds a free table for the two of you to sit. William bites into the molten-hot gooey lava of mozzarella goodness the moment he sits down; between bites, he says, "Man, this stuff is good. Haven't had pizza from Pika-Pizza in years... S'good to have it again."

Balmund still cannot shake the feeling that he is being watched, though his observers still seem to be watching from a distance.

How does Balmund respond?


takkupanda- The motherly Mama Coffee senses Marcelo's nervousness quite keenly, and talks gently to Marcelo, her mask-face expressing sympathy; "I imagine this is your first time being summoned by Afterlife Services. Please, do not worry! I would not have summoned you and your little friend if I did not think that we could reasonably help each other out. We aren't planning on turning you into a client anytime soon. We're already overbooked as it is." The Cofagrigus laughs at her own joke a bit before standing up, showing Marcelo and Broly to the door. "Really, the tasks I will be asking you to do should not be too difficult, even for a beginning trainer. In fact, I would complete them myself, but I have my hands full with these little ones as it is." Mama Coffee picks up a large, empty picnic basket before floating into the nursery, her voice taking on a much more quiet tone. "In the meantime, let me show you around a bit." Mama Coffee nods in the direction of the baby Yamask that line the walls. "This is the nursery. We should not stay here long. These infant spirits need their sleep." The Cofagrigus ushers Marcelo and Broly onward; unfortunately for Marcelo, the emergency exit has been boarded up, with a pastel sign written in Yamask language hung over the boards. A cartoon picture of Mama Coffee is painted below the writing to the right, with a little Yamask by a door labeled "EXIT" appearing to be asking Mama Coffee something. To the left of that drawing is a picture of a Yamask leaving by itself with a red X through it. It appears that this sign is telling the Yamask that they have to ask permission before they can leave. Apparently, the same goes for Marcelo...

Mama Coffee and her two living guests enter the playroom; all of the Yamask greet Mama Coffee in Yamask language before resuming their playtime. The Cofagrigus says something back in her own Cofagrigus dialect, but Marcelo cannot understand a word of it. Mama Coffee then tells him what he already knows; this is the playroom, where the little ghosts enjoy playing games from their past while getting used to their new bodies and new languages. "The process is very difficult. Time moves much more slowly for the dead, since we have all the time in the world, really... We have no lifespan - we do not develop as humans do. The closest my little ones can get to such a process is honing their skills through battle. Let me show you..." The Cofagrigus then opens a panel in the playroom, and ushers Marcelo and Broly through the opening. Inside, what appears to be a kiddie arena can be found, where paintings of joyful-looking Cofagrigus line the walls in cheering poses, as if encouraging the Yamask to spar in order to attain these forms. "This is our arena. We use it to help the little ones train against each other, and grow strong." The Cofagrigus face smiles. "We usually let them go once they evolve, though a particularly strong Yamask may also leave the daycare if they show that they are ready to take on the world." The Yamask nods. "Your final task will take place here... but let's not rush things." The Cofagrigus floats beside the arena, sitting down at the low-sitting bleachers before indicating to Marcelo and Broly that they should both take a seat beside her. "Your first task is actually quite simple, but very important to our daycare. It may not be the most exciting in the world, but you would be doing us a great help." Mama Coffee gives Marcelo a long look before continuing, as if trying to impress upon him the importance of this task. "The berry bushes we planted outside the station have been picked clean, and they will not sprout again for a few more days... The little ones need berries to grow, and will become restless without sustenance. I have heard that there are still berry bushes growing near the Merry-go-Round; if you could pick a basketful of berries for us, we would greatly appreciate it." She holds out the empty picnic basket for Marcelo to take. "Will you do this for us?"

How will Marcelo respond?