Phantom Isle - The Haunted Theme Park

[Itzatrap]

Itzatrap- Rob and Melantha decide that the best course of action would be to search the lobby for the source of that suspicious rustling; after all, even if it turned out to be nothing, the rides would still be waiting for them. After so many years just sitting there, it's not like they'd pick up and leave in the time it takes to make a quick search around the lobby, right?

Rob and Melantha search around the lobby, hoping to locate the mysterious noise they heard before. For a couple of moments, it seems as if the lobby is completely lifeless; no signs of motion can be detected, not even a light breeze, which is strange considering the sound they heard before. After those few moments, however, they eventually hear the sound again; Melantha reacts quickly, using her sharp hearing in order to trace the sound to a small hole in the wall. The hole is about 6 inches high, 6 inches wide and rather unremarkable; even so, Melantha growls ominously at the hole, as if to indicate that whatever happened to make the noise happens to be inside.

Of course, there's a rather obvious problem; neither Rob nor Melantha can fit inside that hole. Even so, there are plenty of options that Rob could try. He could attempt to lure the creature out with a berry or some other object. He could order Melantha to attack and make the hole wider; after all, who's going to yell at him for a little bit of vandalism in this abandoned park? He could even try calling out a smaller Pokemon who would be able to investigate. Certainly, Rob is not limited to these options, as he is a free man who can do whatsoever he likes, provided he is willing to face the consequences of his actions.

What will Rob and Melantha do?

Rob looked around carefully as he walked into the lobby. It was completely static, with only the trainer and his Absol in the room. "Guess it was all in my head." he thought with slight relief, although maybe he shouldn't have been so happy to be hearing things in his head. That is until he heard the noise again, only this time he had Melantha with him, who located the base of whatever was making the sound. A small hole in the wall, too small for Rob or any of his Pokémon to be able to lure out whatever is in there.

Looking on at the hole, he could not help but feel curious as to what was possibly hiding there. So was Melantha as she eyed the hole, ready to attack it. Rob quickly intervened as he saw that, kneeling down and stopping Melantha from attacking with his hand keeping her back, shaking his head at her, which she understood. He certainly did not want to attack the hole to make it bigger, especially since it might lead to turning whatever is in there hostile, and he certainly did not want that. He looked in his bag, hoping to find something that might help him. He then grabbed all the berries in his bag, and decided to offer them them all. He had a Wiki Berry, Grepa Berry, Lum Berry, Figy Berry, Passho Berry, Kelpsy Berry, and finally Bluk Berry. Hopefully whatever is in there would be enticed enough to come out after seeing the berries offered, and take one, or a few. If not, he would have to think of other ways to bring out what was inside.

[uhhhhh]

uhhhhh- An eerie sort of deja vu overwhelms Connor as he realizes that the overwhelming, horrific feeling of fearing for his life is actually quite familiar... He tries to recall the vision in the mirror which followed his gristly death, but the memories do not seem to be coming easily. These tiny bits of memories surfacing into Connor's conscious mind certainly make him wonder what horrors might lurk under the surface of his unconscious... Even so, the topic is one better dwelled upon when not being threatened with permanent Drifloon transformation; an oddly appropriate fate, considering Connor's innate lack of direction. Perhaps, in an eerie, twisted way, the haunted world in which he finds himself is trying to send him a message...

As the battle rages on, Gaspard produces a glowing egg out of nowhere, absorbing the Softboiled creation into himself; after doing so, he appears a bit healthier than before. Drifloon attempts another Cut attack with his sharp scissors, but finds himself having to dodge a brutal Ominous Wind from the demon balloon. Fortunately, the little 'floon avoids significant damage, and motions Gaspard with his scissors to come rejoin the battle. Gaspard flings himself forward with incredible gusto, hitting hard with a Fury Cutter that causes the balloon to hiss with pain as hole on its left side becomes even more damaging to the creature's overall structure. The Drifloon nudges himself beside Gaspard and further tears open the gash with his scissors, Cutting the hole enough that half of the balloon appears completely torn; the other half hangs on for dear life, and sucks in air from the giant gash in an attempt to Swallow the Drifloon whole! Connor had no idea a swallow attack could work that way, but this strange creature seems to be capable of things beyond the capabilities of ordinary Pokemon. With a tug from Gaspard, the Drifloon narrowly escapes being sucked into the demon's body. Gaspard, hoping to end this battle once and for all, unleashes a Seed Bomb in hopes of exploding the balloon to pieces. While it blows out a big hole in the right side, the effect is not as large as Gaspard would have hoped. Drifloon attempts a Whirlwind in order to blow the balloon apart, but only ends up blowing the rubber body around a bit. The balloon then attempts to Swallow Gaspard; seems as if Connor's little monkey is particularly unlucky, as the little purple monkey is drawn right into the attack, and finds himself tangled in the cut balloon's rubber body! He screams and flails in desperation as the life is slowly sucked out of him... Drifloon shrieks, attempting to cut Gaspard free, but only seems to be getting small bits of the balloon untangled (and plenty of clumps of Gaspard's fur). The Drifloon seems absolutely frantic to save Gaspard, his little, black eyes wide with fear.

Paired with Gaspard's Cursed status, there won't be long before Gaspard is completely drained of life energy by the evil balloon. The situation seems dire, and if Connor doesn't act quickly, it may be Gaspard who ends up suffering a fate once intended for Connor.

What will Connor do?

"GASPARD!" Connor screamed as as he saw his faithful partner being choked by the demonic balloon. He looks at the Drifloon who was also desperate to free him, but was having no such luck. Both the photographer and the balloon were desperate to save the little monkey from having his life sucked out of him... and suffer the fate of being a Drifloon forever. Connor didn't know what to do, what to think as to how to get the both of them out of this situation. He knew he had to think fast if he wanted to save him, but his mind was drawing a big blank as to what to do. Why was the balloon targeting Gaspard now? Wasn't it after him? Connor then thought of something. Would the balloon be willing to give Gaspard back to him in exchange for his? Was he willing to give up his own life to save his best friend? Was he okay in being a Drifloon forever? It didn't take the photographer long to come up with an answer.

He was.

Connor clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as his expression darkened. It was almost like he wanted to smash one of the mirrors around them just to let out his frustration. He didn't want to do this, but it was the only thing he could think of right now. He then stared at the Drifloon, then at the evil balloon, and then at Gaspard. Gaspard, while still feeling tangled by the balloon, saw Connor's eyes. Looking at his trainer and best friend, it was as if he trying to hold back his tears as if he was going to make a painful decision. Gaspard then realized what Connor was trying to do, and he was completely against it.

"Ai...aipom..." Gaspard weakly said to Connor, "Aipopom... Aipom..!" he continued as if saying that he shouldn't give up and that they can get through this both alive. Somehow understanding what Gaspard was saying, it made him come back to his senses and looked at Gaspard one more time, "Ai...pom..." he called out to Connor, "That's right... how could I let him down like that? That was too selfish of me that I completely forgot to consider his efforts and feelings. He's trying to help me get out of this alive, and I should try to do the same... but not like this. This isn't the way!" he thought to himself. They've been through so much ordeals together and overcame them together. This one's no different, right? Connor slightly chuckled to himself, "Heh, sorry Gaspard. Your trainer's such a fool isn't he? He still has a lot to learn from you... and everyone else too," he thought.

With renewed determination, Connor pointed at the balloon, "You... I don't know if you can understand me... but I am telling you right now, you're not taking anyone's soul away today! Not Gaspard's, not mine, not anyone else! Gaspard just hold on a little longer, we'll make it through alive!" he said with confidence, "Try to cut the tangles with your Fury Cutter, then once you're free, cut the hole completely with one more Fury Cutter, and U-Turn back to me! We'll make it though out of this, I swear!" he ordered Gaspard. Connor then looks at the Drifloon, "Drifloon, you can use Ghost-type attacks right? Try using them against the balloon! It's Ghost-type so it should be able to hit the balloon without harming Gaspard. Do you know any Ghost-type attacks?" he asked the Drifloon.

"Please Gaspard, stay strong for me, please..."

[Dark Searchman]

((Hello, everyone! After getting permission from the mods, I have decided to assign my group a unique color in order to help me find your posts in the thread more quickly and easily when writing updates. Therefore, if you are in my group, I expect you to respond to updates using our group color, which is #9933FF. If you can't remember that nifty little hexadecimal code, just copy it from my list of updates and you can't go wrong. Also, so you know, the # symbol is not necessary when writing the code for our color, though I use it out of habit. Enjoy~))

Dark Searchman- Questions multiply in Hyrem's head as the situation he finds himself in grows more and more intense. Who is the Lady who covets eyes? Why is the Frillish being referred to as "brother"? Where did his Frillish find all of these comrades in such a short time? The answers may be concealed within the dark, murky depths, but for now, the desire to repent for past transgressions is too great for Hyrem to resist the call of battle. Hyrem chooses to literally illuminate the battlefield instead of metaphorically attempting to shed light on these mysteries, and calls upon Delilah. The little Chinchou's glowing anglers and bright smile warms Hyrem's heart a bit, and cuts through the gloomy atmosphere. The zombies call out their Pokemon, which strangely do not materialize in a flash of light; instead, they seem to materialize from pools of darkness which seep out of the Pokeballs like tar. Eyeless, zombie versions of Igglybuff, Mime Jr., Togepi, Cleffa, Wynaut, Azurill and Pichu take form and shape, with the same vicious expressions on their faces as their trainers. The leader's Togepi, in particular, looks quite menacing.

Chinchou begins the battle with a surprisingly bright and overwhelming Flash. Hyrem is not sure how, but in the moments when the attack is unleashed, the light is so bright that the sea becomes a brilliant, blinding white. In that moment, Hyrem is completely blinded, and feels himself being dragged away by a jelly-like appendage. As Hyrem's vision eventually returns, he sees that both he and Delilah are being spirited away at full speed by Frillish; Hyrem, of course, is being pulled away by his buddy, while Delilah seems to be happily holding the hand of a beautiful pink female Frillish, who seems intent on escaping the zombies and their Pokemon. The female has a similar collar to the male Frillish, hinting that she, too, may have been a rental as well. "Hurry! As fast as you can, brother!" The female Frillish says in human tongue, who is pulling you as hard as his tentacles can pull. "Frill frill," the male responds... Perhaps he has already forgotten how to speak in his "native" tongue. Hyrem also notices that there don't seem to be any other Frillish... Hyrem wonders where they could have gone. The pink Frillish turns to Hyrem, a sad look in her clear blue eyes. The zombies seem to be dots in the ocean, far away from Hyrem, Delilah and the pair of Frillish. Even so, Hyrem gets the feeling that stopping for a quick rest would likely be a bad idea.

"Oh, my dear friend... What have they done? Why must the greed of the Harvester of Eyes be so immense?" There seems to be tears in the little pink Frillish's eyes as she turns to Hyrem's Frillish companion. "I will be strong, brother. I will be the one to kill him."

"FRILL FRILL," the blue Frillish responds angrily.

"But... but we've tried that, brother. We've tried! We tried and we failed! You were there when she turned our baby sister! You saw the way our flesh and blood... the way she looked at us, back there! She threatened to kill you!" The pink Frillish seems to be getting more and more agitated.

"Frill. Frillish Frill. Fri-lli" The blue Frillish snaps back.

"You are an idealist and a fool," The pink Frillish says with a slightly vicious tone. The Frillish responds in his own language, and turns to you. "My brother says that the decision should be yours," the pink Frillish translates with a sigh. "He says that if we defeat the Harvester of Eyes, we may be able to reverse the process. Your only other option is to let us kill you, mercifully, so that you may become a Frillish, as we did."

"Frill-frill," The male Frillish looks at Hyrem pleadingly, as if urging him not to take the easy way out. "We... we win." Frillish attempts to say, with a strong nod. The female Frillish shakes her head.

"Seems as though his mind is made up. Are we to head to her Chambers, then?" The pink Frillish turns to Hyrem, awaiting his response.

It seemed for a moment that Hyrem and Delilah would be in deeper waters than they were already in after the zombies called out their Pokemon. They may have all been in their baby forms, but the way they came out of their Pokeballs... they looked like they materialized out of thick, black oil, and they maintained their demonic auras even after being sent out, with the zombie girl's Togepi having the worst aura and demeanor out of all of them. He was reminded of the way his father described certain Pokemon he had met back in the Orre region... These Pokemon may well have been Shadow Pokemon, for all he knew, and facing such a power in such a life-and-death situation was definitely making Hyrem wonder if he would be able to get out of this now. Still, these "Shadow" Pokemon, if they were such, were still Pokemon, and Hyrem's Pokedex, thankfully waterproof, was auto-registering them like crazy, except for the Togepi, which had already been registered:

Igglybuff, the Balloon Pokemon. Their bodies are extremely elastic and cannot stop bouncing if they ever start to. Igglybuff cannot sing very well until they evolve and gain more developed vocal chords.

Mime Jr., the Mime Pokemon. They can mimic the movements of any person or Pokemon, either to captivate their attention and take the time to understand their feelings or confuse them in an attempt to escape.

Cleffa, the Star Shape Pokemon. Most of the time, they are found soon after a meteor shower occurs. Each shooting star is rumored to bring a Cleffa with it. Sightings of these Pokemon commonly involve them dancing in a circle around meteorites or Moon Stones, and these dances last until daybreak when they stop to drink.

Wynaut, the Bright Pokemon. They seem to always be smiling, but if seen slapping their tails on the ground, that is a sign they are angry. They live in close-knit groups so they can sleep together during the night, and they squeeze against each other to prepare for the day they evolve. Most Wynaut eat sweet fruits, including Berries.

Azurill, the Polka Dot Pokemon. Its tail carries its livelihood. Filled with the nutrients needed to sustain it, the tail can also bounce to be used for transportation and can be flung at enemies to protect itself.

Pichu, the Tiny Mouse Pokemon. At this stage, they cannot control their electric powers, so they may randomly send electricity when you least expect it. Many accidents occur as a result, and people and Pokemon can be hurt from being too close to a Pichu. They are commonly surprised by the sudden outburst of their own electricity.

Delilah was also afraid of these Pokemon and sent out a huge Flash of light that covered the entire area. Hyrem is blinded as a result, and can only feel a tentacle dragging him somewhere. As his eyesight returns, he sees himself in the clutches of his Frillish friend, while Delilah holds onto a pink Frillish, who also has a rental collar. "Hurry! As fast as you can, brother!" she says in human language to the blue Frillish. "Frill frill," he says in Frillish language. Maybe he could talk like a human in the past the way his sister could, but he couldn't do so now.

"Where are we?" Hyrem wonders and then looks back. It didn't look like the zombies were following them at all and were a respectable distance away from them. Then he made another observation: "Wait, where are the other Frillish?" The pink jellyfish turned to him sadly. "No, don't tell me..." His worst fear was realized. The rest of the Frillish were battling the zombies. Stalling. Defending their position so the blue Frillish and his sister could carry Hyrem to safety. And likely getting slaughtered. Rest was not an option. He knew exactly what the Frillish must have been thinking at that moment; all that mattered now was putting as much distance between them and the zombies as they could. They couldn't afford to be any closer.

"Oh, my dear friend... What have they done? Why must the greed of the Harvester of Eyes be so immense?" Hyrem could see the pink Frillish crying as she turned to her brother. She had certainly been privy to many a hardship. "I will be strong, brother. I will be the one to kill him."

Kill!? he thought suddenly. Me!?

"FRILL FRILL," objects the blue jellyfish.

"Chou! Chin Chou Chou Chou! (No! I won't let you!)" Delilah joins in.

"But... but we've tried that, brother. We've tried! We tried and we failed! You were there when she turned our baby sister! You saw the way our flesh and blood... the way she looked at us, back there! She threatened to kill you!" So the undead girl was their sister. And she had to have been corrupted as far as to be willing to turn on them.

"Frill. Frillish Frill. Fri-lli" said the blue Frillish. He seemed unmoving in his argument in Hyrem's defense.

"You are an idealist and a fool," the sister says out of pessimism. "My brother says that the decision should be yours," she says to Hyrem, translating for her brother. "He says that if we defeat the Harvester of Eyes, we may be able to reverse the process. Your only other option is to let us kill you, mercifully, so that you may become a Frillish, as we did."

"Become a Frillish..." he said out loud. But he'd be dead. And, while turning himself into a Water/Ghost Pokemon was certainly an attractive option for a moment...

"Frill-frill," says the blue Frillish. No, that'd be too easy, he thought. The blue Frillish wanted him to live. He was giving him the same look Sera would give him when she was concerned for his life. The same stare she gave him in the lobby of the attraction. He half expected Frillish to start transmitting colors to his mind too. Instead, he gave him these encouraging words in human tongue.

"We... we win."

"Chou!" Hyrem's Chinchou chimes in with complete faith in her trainer.

Yes... we win. He internalizes the thought as Frillish's words and Chinchou's light and countenance increase his morale.

Frillish's sister shakes her head in disbelief before turning to Hyrem and saying: "Seems as though his mind is made up. Are we to head to her Chambers, then?"

"Well..." he started to say. "Being a Frillish would be pretty cool, but I don't actually want that, and none of my Pokemon would want that either, if Delilah's any indication to you. The way I see it, beating this 'Harvester of Eyes' lady is my only hope! So let's go take her down already!" he finishes, confident that, no matter how powerful the enemy, they'd somehow overcome this adversary.

"Chou! (Yes!)" adds Delilah, hoping to instill faith in the Frillish as well.

Now completely in favor of Frillish's plan, Hyrem turns to the sister. "So, can you tell me who this 'Harvester of Eyes' is? I'd like to at least know who or what I'm dealing with."

[MarbleZone]

MarbleZone- If Calandra's humming could produce such a strong, heart-wrenching effect on its own, Levin can only imagine what a full-blown performance could do to him. This is one encore that he is not willing to sit through; despite the consequences that may result from revealing his position, Levin decides that he would rather risk the wrath of the odd pair in the middle of the lobby than endure any more of Calandra's beautiful, yet decidedly haunted "music". Of course, with Crix making his presence very well known, it seems as if Levin doesn't really have any choice in the matter.

Calandra notices Crix before she recognizes that Levin is present; the sight of the little Elekid stops her mid-breath, as she bends down to get a closer look at the curious electric-type. "Hello there, little one! Hehe, I bet you've never seen a human's ghost before, have you?" Calandra seems amused by Elekid's antics, and does nothing to stop him from sticking his hand in and out of her partner's transparent form. Levin can't help but notice that even Calandra's laugh has a certain melodic quality to it. Her ghostly partner, while not nearly as amused as Calandra, at least does not appear hostile to Levin's adventurous Pokemon. Instead, the spectre seems more curious than anything else.

"Hmm... I wonder what an Elekid would be doing here..." The ghostly man says with a quizzical look, before noticing Levin standing up behind the counter. Calandra, who is already pulling out a Pokeball from a well-hidden pocket in her dress in preparation to attempt to catch the Elekid, is stopped by her partner gently grabbing her arm. Calandra looks up, notices Levin, and immediately repockets the Pokeball with some measure of embarrassment. It is abundantly clear to both Calandra and her partner that Levin is nervous and stumbling for an excuse; the ghostly figure seems to derive some dark sort of amusement at Levin's fumbling attempt at communication, a small smirk spreading across his face. Calandra, on the other hand, seems strangely relieved.

"I'm glad you spoke up, Levin! I honestly thought there was no other living person here..." Calandra giggles a bit, though there's a certain sadness in that laughter. "My name is Calandra, and the gallant ghost beside me is my former partner, Orfeo. Oh, I hope you're not here for Talent Night at the Phantom Isle Hotel..." Calandra shakes her head. "I am afraid the living are not usually welcomed very kindly. Why, it's a wonder that I've even been-"

"If the act is good enough, he'll most assuredly be welcomed." Orfeo's smirk widens. "Let's just say that the audience has a much higher standard for living acts than dead ones, and their expressions of disapproval are often fatal to those who have not already seen their end. Then again..." Orfeo pauses dramatically; Levin notices that something in his behavior and mannerisms suggests a background in theater. "If you manage to impress the judges, the rewards are quite great. I know Calandra here will be an incredible hit!" Orfeo gleams with pride as he pats his partner on the back.

"Honestly, I'm just happy to have an audience that can listen to my music without... well, you know." Calandra smiles sheepishly. "If you do decide to come to the show, Levin, you may want to leave when I start to sing. My voice... well, it tends to... it tends to have an effect on people. Anyway, you and your Pokemon wouldn't happen to have a talent, would they? If not, I heard that they're looking for people and pokemon to help out with the event... You know, handing out programs and stuff. I bet they'll pay you well!"

Orfeo laughs. "A living volunteer at Talent Night? Haha, sounds like someone with a death wish... He'll be subjected to more tortures and pranks by the patrons than a freshman getting hazed by a group of frat boys. Then again, it is true... They don't just pay well for talent; they'll also pay well for good ol' fashioned hard work." Orfeo turns to Levin, locking eyes with the living trainer. "My suggestion to you? Forget you even saw us. In fact, forget you even HEARD about the talent show. There are other places in this Hotel to explore, aren't there?"

Orfeo has a point; there are certainly other places in the Hotel Levin could go; after all, he did just pick up a key to one of the rooms, and there are plenty of other locales within the hotel that are just waiting to be explored. That said, the opportunity to go to a ghostly talent show, even as a stagehand or front of house, is certainly once in a lifetime.

How will Levin and Crix respond?

Fortunately for Levin, neither of the mysterious entities seemed too upset with his presence - or, more appropriately, his blatant eavesdropping. Moreso, they didn't dismember Crix nor ate his soul for the abuse of confidence, which was always nice of them, he supposed.

Instead, he found himself amicably confronted with a choice - one that involved the possibility of dying a horrible death for his own incompetence, but an amicable proposal no less. He had to weigh his options carefully...
Well, he really didn't. Going head-on towards a fate that, according to Orfeo, would almost assuredly result in death shouldn't even be an option when others existed. He hadn't even been to his room yet, and God knew how much he needed a rest. But even so...

Levin looked at Calandra once more. She was beautiful, particularly when she looked flustered like she did moments ago, after contemplating capturing his Crix. And at the same time, there was an unmistakable look of sadness in her eyes that no warm smile could hide. If she was indeed the only living soul among these ghostly presences (something he still had a very hard time accepting, even though one was standing directly in front of him), it was no wonder she felt saddened, lonely even. He found himself wanting to be with her, if only for the Talent Show, which seemed to be important for her. The Hotel was going nowhere, he guessed (although, given the circumstances, even that assumption was a bit of a stretch), and even with all the risks involved with listening to her voice, something inside him just didn't want to turn back and leave all of this behind.

- I have only just started my journey, and my Pokémon are all young and inexperienced. I can't really say I have any talents that would impress a common person, let alone an entire audience of demanding ghosts... But I'm a hard worker. It was kind of you to introduce yourselves back and be so open with me about all this, I will admit I expect some... hostility for listening in on your conversation. But if there's anything my Pokémon and I can do help your performance and the Talent Night as whole to run smoother, I'm up for it.

He tried sounding confident, unafraid. But inside, he was trembling like a little boy lying in bed, expecting the boogeyman. He was knowingly walking into a possibly fatal situation, with the opportunity of avoiding it altogether... What was he thinking?!

Before he could panic any further, he felt a light nudge on his leg. Looking down, he was met with his Elekid's huge smile, as if telling him he'd made the right choice. He was pretty sure he hadn't, but at least Crix was on his side. The crazy little bastard.

He forced himself to look Orfeo in the eye, something he had actively avoided doing up until now.

- I'll help out backstage, no matter the pranks they throw at me. But if I'm gonna be useful in any way, and putting my life on the line for this, I'm gonna need some pointers...

[Extroph]

Favorite color is yellow and blue, but yellow looks better here. (If you want to see yellow clearly, try the Electric Skin) Also, just like the past weeks, my updating will slow down. One because I'm moving. Two because I'm applying for an advanced arts school which requires a lot of projects that need to be done. And lastly because I'm also busy with other Serebii related stuff other than FB. But this doesn't mean that its once a month. But if it is, then I apologize for the inconvenience and I hope you guys understand

kaisap112- “Of course I want to get to know you, Yamask. We’re friends now, right?” Noriko’s words lingered in the air. Yamask stared down at the floor, thinking. The two looked around, shocked from what just happened. After a few laps around the shop, Noriko and Skitty settled in a corner of the shop near Yamask. “Hey Yamask, the police will be here soon to um…you know. Skitty and I are gonna try to find that freezer those thugs were talking about, there might be something helpful there, for the police at least. So um, I know this is new to you and all, but…” She took out a shining Pokeball, which made Yamask look up again.

If you’d like to join us, we’d be happy to have you. And I really do want to get to know you and help you, so what do you say?” With this, Yamask shook her head. Noriko’s smile slowly lowered, but she understood. She looked up again, to say something, but was greeted with a cold, stifling, substance on her face. She tried to scream but everything was muffled. Soon the stone mask connected with her skin, starting from the chin. It moved its way up the side of the face, until it finally locked itself on the forehead. Noriko couldn’t breathe. She doesn’t know how much time she has left before she faints. Her mind was panicking, but she was immobilized. Her consciousness begins to fade, when a bright light appears in her vision.

It wasn’t a blinding light, but a soft, soothing one. It was dark everywhere else, and the light makes you curious as to what it was. Noriko stared at it with great interest. She moved closer to it, and closer, and even closer. Soon enough she could hear a slight vibrating noise that the orb of light was emitting. Noriko slowly raised her arms, and extended a finger towards the orb. As her finger got closer, the vibration grew louder. Noriko expected her finger to be greeted with a hot sensation, like touching a lightbulb when it’s used. Rather, her finger went through, like touching fluff. “Huh… Not what I expected but--” Her finger tugged violently towards the fluff even more, pulling most her arm inside. She tried pulling it out, but slow moving tendrils from the fluff was connecting to her arm, and soon pulling inside all of her body. Then, it was blackness again.

“Luna! Wake up, darling!” Noriko slowly opened her eyes, and realized that her head was throbbing with pain. “Coming!” The words came out of her mouth, even if she didn’t say anything. She shifted around the bed, and got up. Noriko felt weird. As if, she wasn’t controlling her body. After a few steps towards the bathroom, she knew that she was just hitching a ride in someone’s memory. Then she realized that Yamask had placed her visage mask on her face, showing her past.

Luna rocked back and forth towards the bathroom. Although Noriko was only seeing a distant memory, she could feel what Luna was feeling. The cold wooden floor, the slight headache from waking up early, and the back pain from sleeping in one position all night. Luna finally reached the bathroom after a few yawns and rubs in the eyes.

A mirror was connected to the bathroom wall, just above the sink. For a short moment, Noriko could see the details of Luna’s face. She had long hazel hair, green eyes that were hiding from the bright light of the morning, and somewhat pale skin. She looked a lot like a girl of 15. The longer Noriko stayed in her body, the more she understood Luna. She could hear the dead girl’s thoughts, feel what she’s feeling, and see what she has seen.

The memory skips forward to when Luna is finally leaving for school. She was about to walk out the door, when she was stopped by her mother, who called her from behind. Luna turned around, which gave Noriko a chance to see the main parts of the house. It was a simple home, without any decorations. From the size, Noriko realized that it was an apartment, with only necessary things placed in it. A small TV, a dirty couch, a small dining table. Luna’s mother walked out of the kitchen, drying a mug with a towel. “I appreciate that you want to help our family, but don’t continue this. I can make enough money for the both of us. Just, be careful honey, okay?” Noriko waited for Luna’s reply, but she could only feel tears forming up in her eyes. She turned around and walked away, but said, “Goodbye, mom…” under her breath.

The memory skips again, this time in the afternoon. The sun was covered by the horizon, and the trees along the line. The sky was a hue of yellow and orange, but the purple and black of night was closing in on the other half of the sky. School ended by this time, but Noriko was wondering why Luna wasn’t home by now. She was walking in an old sidewalk, filled with cracks and moss. Adjacent from the sidewalk were old buildings, also with cracks and moss. They looked abandoned, and Noriko could feel Luna’s heart beat faster. She arrives in front of one of them, and looked up. Luna’s thoughts echoed in Noriko’s mind. “This is the right place.” Luna’s heart was pumping rapidly by this time, which was deafening for Noriko. She comes up the steps and enters the abandoned building. The building was empty of furnitures. Barred windows make a silhouette of themselves in the floor from the disappearing sun. Luna looked around from where she was standing, when the door slammed shut behind her. Luna’s reflexes took over and shifted her whole body towards the closed door. A tall man was standing in front of it. Luna and Noriko could see a wide grin on his face. The girl moved back, her ears becoming hotter and the room becoming more stifling. She continued to step back until she bumped into another man, who was also smiling. Both men were hiding in the shadows. Luna’s voice was filled with terror, as if she did not see this coming. “Yo—You said that I’d get my payment. I did it okay? Even ask your boss!”

“We did.” The man near the door chuckled and paced forward. Noriko now recognizes these two. “The boss wants to uh, save money. We’re in a recession these days.” The man behind her chuckled from the joke and the desperation of Luna. Then, a black plastic bag wrapped around her head. Luna tried hard to breathe, but the plastic just gets sucked in. Noriko could feel her head throbbing, becoming lightheaded.

Noriko feels a sharp tug in her waist, as she was reeled away from the body and the memory, returning to reality.

The vision fades, as Noriko was released from the clutches of the mask. She coughed and breathed deeply, from the earlier suffocation. “How long was I gone?!” Noriko asked Skitty, who was worried. Noriko kept coughing, while also hitting her chest lightly to help her lungs. 5 seconds. Luna told her through telepathy. Now you know my secret, and we can speak to each other through our minds now. I’m sorry to say, but I do not wish to join you. I want to roam free, but before doing so, I need your help finishing some unfinished business with me. Before Noriko could respond, Yamask looks towards the entrance of the shop. Again, a light passes by and stops near the shop, and doors open and close. This time, it seems that there’s more of them.

What will Noriko, Luna, and Kitty do?

XatuGamer- Reiji realizes the problem that they were in, and thinks quickly. Different solutions flooded his mind, until he found the safest way to exit and not possibly alter the future. He stepped towards the very end of the fast moving train, and walked out the platform at the back. Harsh winds were tossing Necro back and forth, but he managed to cling on Reiji. “Not too bad of a drop, eh?”

Reiji leaps from the train straight down the brick floor of the park. Many walking commuters gasped at the feat from below, but Reiji just smiled. Necro flew up and grabbed Reiji’s arms, slowing down the fall. When Reiji made contact with the ground, Necro released him, as he performed a barrel roll. Reiji looked up at the crowd, with a slight grin. But it was silence. Then, he saw the floor. It was now an eerie purple, and it was sucking down Reiji like quicksand. The crowd’s faces turned into dark purple blotches, with blood red eyes and red jaws. They were smiling at Reiji, who cannot see them clearly. The mist around them thickens as the crowd distorts like a heatwave would distort a distant object. Then, Reiji heard it. “Shadow Claw, Stunky!” Reiji’s vision distorts once more, into a radial blur, until he was transported back to reality. He was laying on the brick floor, gasping from exhaustion. He looked up and saw a Gastly being struck by a Stunky, and a trainer standing in front of him. He extends his arm towards Reiji, and helps him up. Reiji observed the trainer. He was his age, and had black spiky hair. He was wearing a blue jacket with a yellow V cut shirt inside, and had white headphones resting on his neck.

Necro squawks towards Reiji, making him turn around to see what has happened. More than twenty Gastlys and Haunters were closing in on the four of them. “RUN!!” the other trainer said, and Reiji could hear the boy’s footsteps dash away.

What will Reiji do?

King Ghidorah- Hugo yelled desperately towards Krabby, who was still nowhere to be found. The crab’s familiar clicks could be heard, but Hugo cannot make out which was dream and which was reality. Soon enough, Hugo was crossing a bridge into mental insanity. “Maybe I can fight them off. Maybe I can… maybe I can use AncientPower! Or Croissfire! Or Bubblebeam! Maybe I can do it all!”

Finally, he stops running, and loses his grip on reality. He faces the crowd of faceless people, and taunted them. The horde came quickly, jumping off buildings and getting out of cars. They closed in on Hugo, who was now laughing wickedly at the world.

“Click click!”

Hugo opened his eyes, and saw the dark night above him. The cold stony floor was unconfortable on his head and back. His mouth was parched, head dizzy, and body paralyzed. Krabby was standing on his chest, and was rejoicing when he finally awakened Hugo. Hugo tried his best to get up, but was interrupted by a screaming wail from the Mismagius. “Your Krabby was the least of my worries, but I guess he was too strong to remain asleep with my Hypnosis.” Mismagius’ tendrils spazzed rapidly, as she screams louder. “THIS TIME, YOU WONT ESCAPE!” She opens her beaks, and a large black ball formed near it. She is planning to attack!

Although paralyzed and dizzy, Hugo must make a decision for Krabby. What will he do?

Emp- Mojumbo was a perfect Pokemon to be with at this situation. Wes has recently delivered a sweet Scent at the other tunnel, which, if it works, would make the rampaging killer to lose his way long enough for the two to escape. Besides, the small metallic entrance to the sewer could never make the monster fit. He reached for the door handle, but stopped for a second. Thinking one last thought, he opened the sewer doors. “Here goes nothing.”

Wes was punched straight in the nose by the awful smell. It was as if someone had delivered a knockout blow at him. He pinched his nose at the smell, and waved his hands back in forth in fron of him. He coughed the smell off his lungs, while making a sour face at the dirty tunnel. The rotten waters of the sewer reached up to Wes’ waist, which made him think twice about continuing further. But he’d rather take this than be mauled to death any day. He forced himself to continue on, looking around as he quickly moved around the tunnel. Trubbish and Rattatas were lurking around the dirty piles of trash, minding their own business.

As the made it at the end of the tunnel, they were met with more smaller routes. Wes tried one route first. It wasn’t lit on this first route, so he had to make his way down slowly to avoid bumping into anything dirty. As he reached the end of this tunnel, he realized that it was a dead end. Cursing softly, he turned around, Mojumbo still looking at him without expression. He squints at the distant light of the other tunnel, but he wasn’t looking at that. At the end of the current tunnel, a set of red eyes was staring back at him, submerged in the water.

What will Wes and Mojumbo do?

[Emp]

Hoping to keep my posts this colour for consistancy, but if it bothers you then I have no problem switching to yellow

Emp- Mojumbo was a perfect Pokemon to be with at this situation. Wes has recently delivered a sweet Scent at the other tunnel, which, if it works, would make the rampaging killer to lose his way long enough for the two to escape. Besides, the small metallic entrance to the sewer could never make the monster fit. He reached for the door handle, but stopped for a second. Thinking one last thought, he opened the sewer doors. “Here goes nothing.”

Wes was punched straight in the nose by the awful smell. It was as if someone had delivered a knockout blow at him. He pinched his nose at the smell, and waved his hands back in forth in fron of him. He coughed the smell off his lungs, while making a sour face at the dirty tunnel. The rotten waters of the sewer reached up to Wes’ waist, which made him think twice about continuing further. But he’d rather take this than be mauled to death any day. He forced himself to continue on, looking around as he quickly moved around the tunnel. Trubbish and Rattatas were lurking around the dirty piles of trash, minding their own business.

As the made it at the end of the tunnel, they were met with more smaller routes. Wes tried one route first. It wasn’t lit on this first route, so he had to make his way down slowly to avoid bumping into anything dirty. As he reached the end of this tunnel, he realized that it was a dead end. Cursing softly, he turned around, Mojumbo still looking at him without expression. He squints at the distant light of the other tunnel, but he wasn’t looking at that. At the end of the current tunnel, a set of red eyes was staring back at him, submerged in the water.

What will Wes and Mojumbo do?

Wes’s heart skipped a beat as his fingers wrapped around the metal handle of the door. With a twist the door gave a hollow click, prying open as the teen leaned into it with some difficulty. The rusty hinges made it difficult to budge, but with the combined effort of Mojumbo it isn’t long until the door creeks open. Wes shut his eyes, bracing himself for whatever lay ahead until – the kid’s nose contorted. He flinched at the duo were hit with the stench of rotting sewage. Wes pinched his nose in disgust, the horrid smell setting his nostrils on fire. Mojumbo looked bewildered as Wes recoiled back into the tunnel. He didn’t have a nose. “You’re lucky”, he stated, wincing again as he broke through the threshold with one brave lunge. The smell only intensified as the door to fresh air slammed shut behind them. The trainer fanned his hand back and forth, but he just seemed to be spreading the awful aroma closer to his face. After a good minute holding his breath, the kid choked all sour faced as it drifted into his lungs. He’d chose the Minotaur over this, no doubt.

“Don’t worry Mojumbo”, Wes spluttered, one hand on his mouth, “You’ve been help enough”. Wes tapped the grizzly caveman on the head with his Nest Ball, vacuuming him out of the sewage and sparing him a voyage through the polluted waters – which would no doubt be detrimental to the grass type’s health. This would leave him a sitting duck for whatever lay ahead, and realising this as the tip of his converse tested the sewage, he faltered back and rummaged through his canvas satchel. Prizing a purple ball which seemed to reek with a smell of its own, the trainer butted it to activate its release mechanism. Cracking open in his hand, a small bag of rubbish materialised from the flash of lavender, Wes catching her in his arms leaving his sinuses defenceless. “Climb up”, Wes said through gritted teeth as his nose crinkled. The Trubbish smiled toothily and clambered up her trainer’s bicep leaving brown prints wherever she touched, her long arms of spilling trash tied steadily around his neck. Snooki wouldn’t be much use fighting, but the extra pair of eyes could be a lifesaver.

Wes sunk into the rotten waters with a look of utter revulsion. His denim jeans stuck tightly to his legs as he staggered waist deep in the toxic waters, his green parka billowing in his wake. Wes then remembered his injury from the rollercoaster crash. His eyes darted to the fractured leg and he wondered what the odds of an infection were. His mind quickly darted back to the here and now, his ears straining at the sound of distant squeaks. Wes was relieved to spot a pack of Rattatta scurrying down the side of the current, narrowly scampering past a pile of rubbish bags which appeared to be moving. It was more Trubbish! One of Snooki’s spewing arms withdrew from the kid’s throat as she started blowing kisses toward the sewage dwellers, giving Wes even more reason to retch. Flushing red with embarrassment, the trainer doubled his pace, pressing on further down the sewage line without averting his eyes.

As he made it to the end of the sewer line, the tunnel forked into two smaller routes. Wes veered left, although he quickly regretted this as the lack of illumination made it tricky to navigate. His legs gave a quiver whenever he bumped past a pile of debris or an unseen sewer Pokémon, his fingers clenched on the handle of his satchel with several of his powerhouses nestled inside. More time pressed on until Wes reached a dead end, swearing heatedly at the idea of spending even longer in the dirty cesspits of the deserted theme park. Turning on the heel, Wes squinted toward the other tunnel – shining flecks of light on the curdling torrent a good stretch away. The kid then spotted something in the corner of his eyes, a pair of red dots submerged underwater – fixated on him menacingly. Wes jerked back, now rummaging through his canvas satchel for the first Pokéball he could find.

“Cloysteris!” Wes didn’t need to check as he lugged what felt like a small weight from the pocket of the bag, volleying the Heavy Ball forward. The ball plopped into the water and cracked open on its grimy bed – revealing a menacing bivalve which buoyed up to the surface. Mucky water ran off the two spiny turrets as her pearly face retracted from view with a sickened grimace. “I’m sorry but I need your help right away. Approach whatever’s lurking ahead and get ready to Protect yourself if necessary. If it attacks then show ‘em we mean business with a Spike Cannon – Icicle Spear combo!”

FB

[Shadowshocker]

Shadowshocker- Contrasting with Scherza's loud and merry chirps, Dahlia seethes under her breath, muttering a string of curses at her opponent. Concerned by the damaging status effects Dahlia seems to be taking in her first match, Shadow tries to ease her pain somewhat with a Pecha berry. Unfortunately, the timing for this action couldn't have been worse; as Dahlia attempts to chomp down the berry quickly, the Chandelure appears to be charging up flames for a powerful attack; as Dahlia is just about to finish her berry, Chandelure unleashes a deadly Fire Spin towards the Murkrow, hoping to trap her within the vortex and slowly burn her into submission. Though Dahlia is able to fly enough away to miss the center of the vortex and avoid being trapped within it, she is heavily side-swiped by the flames, her left claw taking the full brunt of the burning cyclone. The claw itself appears black and charred, and Shadow wonders if this burned foot may make it more difficult for Dahlia to land during the battle. Of course, she is still motivated by enough pure, unadulterated rage to keep flying for miles if it means revenge on her opponent, so despite the painful setback, she still attempts a Pursuit of her opponent in attempt to close the distance between the two; her anger propelling her, she even manages to hit the Chandelure square in one of his candles with her sharp beak. The Chandelure yelps a bit, as that candle completely extinguishes. He reflexively insubstantiates into nothingness, leaving Dahlia's attempts at following up her attack with a Sucker Punch completely useless, as she essentially flies through the air. It seems as if the Chandelure was hoping not to directly damage the furious Murkrow this round, but to disorient and confuse her; he immediately fires off a Confuse Ray in the direction of the dark-type, hoping to successfully disorient the bird as he did previously. This time, however, Dahlia is able to shut her eyes before the light completely overwhelms her; though her eyesight after re-opening them is a bit hazy for a second or two, she appears to have been unaffected by the mind-melting light. As if to show off her own power, Dahlia responds with a Confuse Ray of her own; not expecting his own attack coming back at him, the Chandelure is blinded by Dahlia's hate-filled ray, and now floats about aimlessly, bashing into corners and pillars as he tries to navigate the lobby.

Both combatants are significantly wearing down; however, Dahlia currently has the advantage. If Shadow can utilize this opportunity to its full potential, he may be able to lead his battered, burnt companion to victory.

How will Shadow respond?

At that point it was hard to tell who was winning. Both Dahlia and her fixture foe were both rather addled after the constant trading of status effects, and the scientist wasn't quite sure who was better off. Dahlia was wincing noticeably from the course in confusion, poison and burn, though she tried to hide it; on the other hand Chandelure was effectively flying blind as he slammed into pillar after pillar. This might be the only chance for leverage, thought Shadow, while Dahlia flapped her wings at a frequency enough to rival Combee just to stay aloft. A note briefly passed Shadow's thought processes as he observed the tight matchup - one of Chandelure's limbs had defused when Dahlia's attack struck it. Could that be the key? "It's super-effective! Squawk!" cheered Scherza.

"Alright, Dahlia. Pursuit to chase him down, then send a Twister into the flame on his head to blow it out. Follow it up with a Dark Pulse into his core where he's weakest."

[kaisap112]

Favorite color is yellow and blue, but yellow looks better here. (If you want to see yellow clearly, try the Electric Skin) Also, just like the past weeks, my updating will slow down. One because I'm moving. Two because I'm applying for an advanced arts school which requires a lot of projects that need to be done. And lastly because I'm also busy with other Serebii related stuff other than FB. But this doesn't mean that its once a month. But if it is, then I apologize for the inconvenience and I hope you guys understand

kaisap112- “Of course I want to get to know you, Yamask. We’re friends now, right?” Noriko’s words lingered in the air. Yamask stared down at the floor, thinking. The two looked around, shocked from what just happened. After a few laps around the shop, Noriko and Skitty settled in a corner of the shop near Yamask. “Hey Yamask, the police will be here soon to um…you know. Skitty and I are gonna try to find that freezer those thugs were talking about, there might be something helpful there, for the police at least. So um, I know this is new to you and all, but…” She took out a shining Pokeball, which made Yamask look up again.

If you’d like to join us, we’d be happy to have you. And I really do want to get to know you and help you, so what do you say?” With this, Yamask shook her head. Noriko’s smile slowly lowered, but she understood. She looked up again, to say something, but was greeted with a cold, stifling, substance on her face. She tried to scream but everything was muffled. Soon the stone mask connected with her skin, starting from the chin. It moved its way up the side of the face, until it finally locked itself on the forehead. Noriko couldn’t breathe. She doesn’t know how much time she has left before she faints. Her mind was panicking, but she was immobilized. Her consciousness begins to fade, when a bright light appears in her vision.

It wasn’t a blinding light, but a soft, soothing one. It was dark everywhere else, and the light makes you curious as to what it was. Noriko stared at it with great interest. She moved closer to it, and closer, and even closer. Soon enough she could hear a slight vibrating noise that the orb of light was emitting. Noriko slowly raised her arms, and extended a finger towards the orb. As her finger got closer, the vibration grew louder. Noriko expected her finger to be greeted with a hot sensation, like touching a lightbulb when it’s used. Rather, her finger went through, like touching fluff. “Huh… Not what I expected but--” Her finger tugged violently towards the fluff even more, pulling most her arm inside. She tried pulling it out, but slow moving tendrils from the fluff was connecting to her arm, and soon pulling inside all of her body. Then, it was blackness again.

“Luna! Wake up, darling!” Noriko slowly opened her eyes, and realized that her head was throbbing with pain. “Coming!” The words came out of her mouth, even if she didn’t say anything. She shifted around the bed, and got up. Noriko felt weird. As if, she wasn’t controlling her body. After a few steps towards the bathroom, she knew that she was just hitching a ride in someone’s memory. Then she realized that Yamask had placed her visage mask on her face, showing her past.

Luna rocked back and forth towards the bathroom. Although Noriko was only seeing a distant memory, she could feel what Luna was feeling. The cold wooden floor, the slight headache from waking up early, and the back pain from sleeping in one position all night. Luna finally reached the bathroom after a few yawns and rubs in the eyes.

A mirror was connected to the bathroom wall, just above the sink. For a short moment, Noriko could see the details of Luna’s face. She had long hazel hair, green eyes that were hiding from the bright light of the morning, and somewhat pale skin. She looked a lot like a girl of 15. The longer Noriko stayed in her body, the more she understood Luna. She could hear the dead girl’s thoughts, feel what she’s feeling, and see what she has seen.

The memory skips forward to when Luna is finally leaving for school. She was about to walk out the door, when she was stopped by her mother, who called her from behind. Luna turned around, which gave Noriko a chance to see the main parts of the house. It was a simple home, without any decorations. From the size, Noriko realized that it was an apartment, with only necessary things placed in it. A small TV, a dirty couch, a small dining table. Luna’s mother walked out of the kitchen, drying a mug with a towel. “I appreciate that you want to help our family, but don’t continue this. I can make enough money for the both of us. Just, be careful honey, okay?” Noriko waited for Luna’s reply, but she could only feel tears forming up in her eyes. She turned around and walked away, but said, “Goodbye, mom…” under her breath.

The memory skips again, this time in the afternoon. The sun was covered by the horizon, and the trees along the line. The sky was a hue of yellow and orange, but the purple and black of night was closing in on the other half of the sky. School ended by this time, but Noriko was wondering why Luna wasn’t home by now. She was walking in an old sidewalk, filled with cracks and moss. Adjacent from the sidewalk were old buildings, also with cracks and moss. They looked abandoned, and Noriko could feel Luna’s heart beat faster. She arrives in front of one of them, and looked up. Luna’s thoughts echoed in Noriko’s mind. “This is the right place.” Luna’s heart was pumping rapidly by this time, which was deafening for Noriko. She comes up the steps and enters the abandoned building. The building was empty of furnitures. Barred windows make a silhouette of themselves in the floor from the disappearing sun. Luna looked around from where she was standing, when the door slammed shut behind her. Luna’s reflexes took over and shifted her whole body towards the closed door. A tall man was standing in front of it. Luna and Noriko could see a wide grin on his face. The girl moved back, her ears becoming hotter and the room becoming more stifling. She continued to step back until she bumped into another man, who was also smiling. Both men were hiding in the shadows. Luna’s voice was filled with terror, as if she did not see this coming. “Yo—You said that I’d get my payment. I did it okay? Even ask your boss!”

“We did.” The man near the door chuckled and paced forward. Noriko now recognizes these two. “The boss wants to uh, save money. We’re in a recession these days.” The man behind her chuckled from the joke and the desperation of Luna. Then, a black plastic bag wrapped around her head. Luna tried hard to breathe, but the plastic just gets sucked in. Noriko could feel her head throbbing, becoming lightheaded.

Noriko feels a sharp tug in her waist, as she was reeled away from the body and the memory, returning to reality.

The vision fades, as Noriko was released from the clutches of the mask. She coughed and breathed deeply, from the earlier suffocation. “How long was I gone?!” Noriko asked Skitty, who was worried. Noriko kept coughing, while also hitting her chest lightly to help her lungs. 5 seconds. Luna told her through telepathy. Now you know my secret, and we can speak to each other through our minds now. I’m sorry to say, but I do not wish to join you. I want to roam free, but before doing so, I need your help finishing some unfinished business with me. Before Noriko could respond, Yamask looks towards the entrance of the shop. Again, a light passes by and stops near the shop, and doors open and close. This time, it seems that there’s more of them.

What will Noriko, Luna, and Kitty do?

Yamask didn’t respond to Noriko’s question about joining them – instead snapping her out of consciousness and showing her its life right till the moment it passed away. When Noriko finally returned to the present, Kitty was worried sick, nudging Noriko with her head. “How long was I gone?!”

“5 seconds.” Noriko would’ve jumped at the sudden voice in her head if she wasn’t already busy trying to get her lungs to work properly again. Kitty didn’t seem to notice anything, so…Yamask? No, her name was Luna, Noriko had learned that in the vision.

“Now you know my secret, and we can speak to each other through our minds now. I’m sorry to say, but I do not wish to join you. I want to roam free, but before doing so, I need your help finishing some unfinished business with me.”

Some lights started passing by, stopping in the vicinity of the shop they were in. Doors opened and closed and footsteps could be heard. Noriko could only figure out that there were more of these thugs than the first two. Noriko attempted the telepathy Luna had mentioned. “I’d love to help, but just so you know: my team is not big and strong and ready to take on all those thugs at once. If you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them before they make me join you as another ghost!”

[tsumigi-chan]

XatuGamer- Reiji realizes the problem that they were in, and thinks quickly. Different solutions flooded his mind, until he found the safest way to exit and not possibly alter the future. He stepped towards the very end of the fast moving train, and walked out the platform at the back. Harsh winds were tossing Necro back and forth, but he managed to cling on Reiji. “Not too bad of a drop, eh?”

Reiji leaps from the train straight down the brick floor of the park. Many walking commuters gasped at the feat from below, but Reiji just smiled. Necro flew up and grabbed Reiji’s arms, slowing down the fall. When Reiji made contact with the ground, Necro released him, as he performed a barrel roll. Reiji looked up at the crowd, with a slight grin. But it was silence. Then, he saw the floor. It was now an eerie purple, and it was sucking down Reiji like quicksand. The crowd’s faces turned into dark purple blotches, with blood red eyes and red jaws. They were smiling at Reiji, who cannot see them clearly. The mist around them thickens as the crowd distorts like a heatwave would distort a distant object. Then, Reiji heard it. “Shadow Claw, Stunky!” Reiji’s vision distorts once more, into a radial blur, until he was transported back to reality. He was laying on the brick floor, gasping from exhaustion. He looked up and saw a Gastly being struck by a Stunky, and a trainer standing in front of him. He extends his arm towards Reiji, and helps him up. Reiji observed the trainer. He was his age, and had black spiky hair. He was wearing a blue jacket with a yellow V cut shirt inside, and had white headphones resting on his neck.

Necro squawks towards Reiji, making him turn around to see what has happened. More than twenty Gastlys and Haunters were closing in on the four of them. “RUN!!” the other trainer said, and Reiji could hear the boy’s footsteps dash away.

What will Reiji do?[/COLOR]

"Let's try to hold them off Necro," Reiji said, "Peck everything!"

CAW

What was once Necro is now just a black blur attacking semi-transparent blobs.

After a few minutes the blur begins to slow and visibly start lagging. Reiji the accepts the fact the resistance is futile, and makes an only slightly regrettable choice.

"Necro, RETURN"

Reiji then begins running in the direction he last saw the mysterious dude go in. "I'm sorry Necro, but I'd rather keep you for now."

Reiji spots a deep hollow in the wall and dives in. "Necro, come out". Necro beams out and shoots a dark look at Reiji, then begins preening itself.

I hope we catch up with that other dude. We can always leave him when we get out of danger.

[gmoyes]

gmoyes-

As much as Alex would desperately like to RUN AWAY, it seems as if the risks associated with that option are far too great for Alex to even consider it seriously. Endure may not be an attack option in this generation of games, but it seems as if Alex will have to learn the technique quickly, since his choice will force him to endure whatever horrible consequences may befall him for letting his clone carry him into Lavender Tower. The sound effect of a door opening and closing rings through Alex's ears as they cross the threshold.

As is customary when traveling between different parts of the game, the world turns black for a moment; it is in that moment that Porygon Alex senses that something is dreadfully wrong (as if this whole situation wasn't dreadfully wrong already). First of all, the music isn't starting up again. A strange silence has consumed the world in which Alex and Clone Alex have been traveling. Eventually, the Pokemon Tower "loads," but it is not the familiar purple lobby-like area of the games; there is no receptionist, or man sobbing about his Clefairy, or even walls or a floor. Instead, the entire area is a swirl of disparate pixels, textures, colors and paths that lead everywhere and nowhere, both real and unreal; textures you recall from the real world (fabric, stone, etc.) and their near-infinite range of colors and shading mesh with low-resolution versions of the same objects at odd and impossible angles, with an overall effect more confusing and mind-bending than any M.C. Escher painting or "impossible" shape Alex has ever encountered. This is no ordinary glitch; it is as if the real world and the world within the Game Boy have somehow joined in this place. Standing in the center of this utter madness is the protagonist of the game himself, still and quiet amidst the vortex of odd and distorted sights. Red appears completely unaltered by the glitch around him, though Porygon Alex can somehow sense a sadness emanating from the 8-bit hero. The black dots which comprise his eyes seem to focus on Alex with incredible intensity for a couple of black dots stuck together. Alex notices immediately that this Red does not seem to have the white, soulless eyes of the previous "Red" he encountered, the aura around him still makes Alex feel dreadfully uneasy.

"You won't get away with this!" Red's text box could not be more cliche, and yet Alex senses that the pixelated Red is painfully aware of how silly and meaningless these words are. "Don't make me laugh," Clone Alex responds, as he pushes Alex forward until the Porygon finds himself trapped beside the eerily melancholy Red. Setting Alex's white Pokeball beside Red, Clone Alex begins ascending into the air as pieces of the disjointed world form a transient staircase for him to climb, pieces disappearing as soon as he steps off of each makeshift platform. As Clone Alex ascends, he becomes less pixelated and more realistic, until finally, he is the spitting image of Alex in the real world; the moment this occurs, he vanishes into thin air, and the impossibly altered dimension suddenly returns to the original Pokemon Tower, complete with music, light purple pixels and familiar sprites. A boy and his newly-acquired Porygon stand alone in an electronic wasteland, with seemingly no way out.

Pixel Red turns toward Alex, staring at him for a moment before finally acknowledging him with a text box; "A Porygon, huh? How oddly appropriate..." Pixel Red pauses for a moment before launching into a series of statements. "...Can you speak? Do you know a way out of here? Do you know how they made that portal? Do you have any ideas at all? Please, please tell me! That FREAK has my Pokemon, and with my body... I don't even want to think about it! The damage they'll cause! PLEASE!" The barrage of text is relentless and difficult to read, as if someone is pressing A rapidly through a long dialog, hoping to get to the important plot points.

Alex can't be sure who this "pixel Red" might really be, or what his intentions are, but it certainly seems as if he's trying to get out of this situation just as desperately as Alex is. He may not know a way out, but he may know something about this world that Alex doesn't... Alex may ask questions or attempt to provide answers, but the situation is clear; if there's a way out, the two will have to find it using what they know about the game.

Alex took one last look around Lavender Town before he followed his copy into the tower. For all he knew, this was the last time he would see it. He gave a silent prayer to Arceus as he passed through the doorway and with a shuffling noise, everything went black.

Immediately he had a bad feeling about this. The interior of the tower took a moment too long to load and once it did those feelings were made clear. Instead of the usual reception area of the tower, what appeared was a glitched up mess. It looked as if someone tried to model an object with at least 4 dimensions with paper-mache made from confetti from a shredded National Geographic and a map of videogame Kanto. Just trying to look at it was giving him a headache. His gaze soon settled on the only thing that wasn’t glitched up, the pixelated sprite of the protagonist of the game. The new Red looked up as they approached and while Alex was sort of appreciative that this one had pupils, however pixelated, they still somehow managed to convey pain and anger.

While the sprite Red gave an ‘outburst’ of rage towards Alex’s copy, it just snarled back and shoved Alex towards the pixelated hero. Alex was caught by surprise and found himself stuck beside Red. His clone then placed his pokeball at Red’s feet. Then the world warped around it and formed a staircase for it to climb. As his copy rose, the steps behind it disappeared and it gradually became more and more lifelike. When the pixilation vanished altogether, so did it. As soon as his clone disappeared the space around them turned back to the way it was supposed to, accompanied by the music.

Then sprite Red turned to Alex and after a pause, a text box opened up and he ‘muttered’ to himself about the fact that Alex being a Porygon was appropriate. He then launched into a tirade about him being trapped here like Alex himself was and that he was desperate for help. The stream of text flew by fast and Alex was glad that he was normally a fast reader, otherwise he might have missed something.

At first, he didn’t know how to respond, literally because he obviously couldn’t talk the way he was used to. He tried to make a sound, but all that came out was the standard cry of a Porygon. He gave a few more tries and made an effort to try to say something other than the chirping cry, but no matter what it still came out. He was losing hope and he could tell from Red’s fallen face that he was as well. It would be impossible for them to work together if they couldn’t communicate.

Just then he realized that everyone else here used textboxes to talk, so it made sense that he should be able to as well. He focused on a mental image of a textbox and to his delight, one popped up by his side. He displayed his joy on the textbox with a “BINGO : )”. He then launched into his own stream of text, though nowhere near as fast and as neat. “UH… I’M ALEX AND I GUESS I’M IN THE SAME BOAT AS YOU. I RAN INTO SOME SORT OF GHOST VERSION OF YOU AND THE PIKACHU IT HAD TURNED INTO A PERFECT COPY OF ME AND CAUGHT ME IN THE WHITE POKEBALL AT YOUR FEET. NEXT THINK I KNOW, I’M HERE AND TURNED INTO A PORYGON. I GUESS FROM HERE ON OUT, WE’RE PARTNERS HUH?” He had no clue if this Red was part of the illusion of the game or not, but none of the less, the only way forward was to work with him. “I’M AT LEVEL 12 AND AT FULL HEALTH AND I KNOW TACKLE, PSYBEAM, CONVERSION AND AGILITY. I WILL BATTLE FOR YOU, BUT BE WARNED THAT I CAN MAKE MY OWN CHOICES. SO, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS ON HOW WE GET OUT OF HERE? THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MY MIND IS TO BEAT THE ELITE FOUR AND WIN THE GAME BUT THAT COULD TAKE A WHILE. SIGH.” He looked up at Red. “WHAT DO YOU THINK? I’LL HELP OUT ANY WAY I CAN.”

[Marion Ette]

Meetan- After lavishing her Swinub with some well-deserved affection and recalling the little pig-nose Pokemon into his Love Ball, Alice follows the mechanical Rapidash into the Fortune-Telling Tent with renewed courage and enthusiasm from her successful capture. The Rapidash senses Alice's elated mood, and though the plastic face is stuck permanently in a single expression, Alice can almost sense the Rapidash smiling... "I'm hopin' the future will be as bright as yer' eyes'r lookin' right now, darlin'. Never seen y'so happy before... Then again, can't say I've known y'very long!" The horse whinnies in a manner similar to laughter and moseys on into the tent. As Alice follows behind, she notes the faint smell of a deep, smoky incense, and admires the gorgeous velvet purple cloth draped over the tent, with gold trim and gorgeous golden stars and moons embroidered into the fabric. Over the tent, signs advertising "The Mysterious Selene and her Cute, Clairvoyant Companion, Urth" are accentuated with beautiful paintings of a Cresselia floating beside a Natu. As Alice walks inside behind the Rapidash and navigates through a maze of golden rope where a line most likely would have formed in the glory days of the Phantom Isle Amusement park, she is greeted by photographs of the woman who is supposedly the Mysterious Selene. She is wearing a cheap-looking blue gown with a phony, Cresselia-esque head adornment, with dark roots showing at the crown of her light-blonde hair, and what are most definitely pink contacts over her eyes. Beside her in the photograph is a rather ordinary-looking Natu with a little turban on its head. Though the description above the photograph raves about Selene being the "spiritual daughter of Cresselia" and "capable of peering forth through thousands of future generations," Alice can't help but wonder how a woman who can't even get a decent dye job can manage to tell the future.

Finally, after crawling under some golden ropes to expedite the process, Alice and Rapidash make it to the elaborate main entrance; paintings of psychic-type Pokemon surround a hanging wall of purple crystals, which Alice and Rapidash try their best to walk through without getting tangled. As the two make it into the room, the strong smell of incense assails their nostrils as they are met with the real Selene and Urth. Most of Alice's experiences with advertisements has likely been that what they depict is usually far more beautiful or appealing than the actual product. It seems as if the opposite is true in this instance... The radiant woman with crystalline fuschia eyes and pure-gold hair is barely recognizable as the woman in the photograph. Her gorgeous attire appears far more expensive and well-tailored than it originally appeared. She sits in an ebony wooden chair, with rich fabrics draped over the arms, her head tilted back, eyes focused on the ceiling. She appears to be muttering to herself...

"Virginia, the suicide note you wrote to Leonard was absolutely gut-wrenchingly beautiful. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise- Oh, hold on, it seems as if we have visitors!" The strangely enchanting woman tilts her head back down to Alice's eye level, and gives her a soft, serene smile. "Dreadfully sorry, dear... Communicating with the dead is often very distracting." The woman chuckles a bit, as her Natu, Urth, hops up onto the table. Unlike Selene, Urth is mostly the spitting image of its photograph, except for the eyepatch over its right eye. Based on the scarring that lines the edges of the patch, it seems as if the poor thing had an accident of some sort. It still wears its adorable little turban, and despite its handicap, it appears pleased to see Alice and her mechanical companion out of its good eye, as evidenced by its bright, cheerful chirping. Selene places a deck of Tarot cards in front of the Natu, who chirps at the Rapidash, beckoning it forward.

"Gonna give me a readin', hmm? Well, bein' psychic n' all, I'm guessin' you probably know my question..." The Natu nods, and immediately doles out three cards for the Rapidash. The first card that Natu reveals is the Fool, which causes the Rapidash to react rather strongly. "Fool, huh? Is yer' deck tryin' to insult me?? Why I oughta'..." Natu immediately chirps apologetically, and seems to be desperately trying to explain the significance of the card to the horse-shaped robot. While this is going on, Selene catches Alice's gaze, and beckons her forward.

"You must have a question too, my child..." Selene grins knowingly. "What aspects of your future would you like me to reveal? I have tarot cards, a crystal ball, expertise in palm reading... From abacomancy to zygomancy, I know it all. You choose the question and the method, and I shall provide an answer." As Selene speaks, the pupils of her pink eyes seem to pierce straight into Alice's soul.

How does Alice respond?



Balmund- Orchestrating a fake battle between Averil and Durandal may be one possible solution, but an incredibly risky one... The positioning would have to be choreographed perfectly, and with Averil being a relative unknown to Balmund and Durandal, hoping for that level of cooperation and coordination seems a bit much to expect. Balmund soon realizes, however, that there was more than one solution to this problem. Perhaps faking a move demonstration was the key to fighting these "invisible" foes. Balmund straightens his posture and strengthens his voice as he bellows out to the crowd, pretending to be preparing for a move demonstration that will fill the parkgoers with wonderment and delight. Normally, such a ruse would be hard to pull off, but with the awe-inspiring Pokemon that both William and Balmund have at their disposal, plus Balmund's obvious Blackthorn heritage and aura of expertise, it seems as if the crowd is buying it. Parents usher their children away from Averil as William catches on quickly to Balmund's ruse. He begins playing Duke's foil as the stereotypical bruiser, which seems to fit his appearance all to well. Looking like one tough bully, William smirks at Balmund, as if amused by such a pathetic display. "Oh, yeah? You may be from Blackthorn, buddy, but you're on MY turf now. Time for you to learn some respect!" The crowd already seems divided between the badass ex-gangster and the honorable Dragon Tamer. The crowd's cheers are intoxicating, but with the shadowy spectres closing in, Averil and Durandal both know that they have to stay focused. With Balmund having already issued his orders, William counters with his own "display" of moves.

"Focus energy? BAH! How boring! Show Duke here that even status-boosting moves can be awe-inspiring! Knock 'em dead with your Dragon Dance, then show 'em your Assurance that we can kick his a**! If he wants 'dazzle', then show him your Dragon Pulse! C'mon, don't let that overgrown flying lizard Duke's been training show you up!"

It is clear from the positioning of the two men that each will be going after their own separate Dusknoir. Both dragons "show off their moves" simultaneously, leading to a surprisingly coordinated battle. Durandal Focuses his Energy onto Dusknoir, honing in on his target so that he can hit hard, while Averil's impressive mix of brutality and grace is displayed by her stat-pumping Dragon Dance. Both Durandal and Averil seem to have chosen stat-boosting moves; The Dusknoir seem similarly in sync, simultaneously using their red, cyclopian gaze to perform a curse-like move. Both Dusknoir shoot a Mean Look at the opponent opposite them. Looks like even if Durandal and Averil wanted to, they can't escape this battle now. Good thing neither dragon was intending on running away in the first place...

Focused and ready to go, a mighty wind bursts forth from Durandal's powerful wings. The Air Cutter certainly looks impressive to the crowd, and they cheer in delight from the immense burst of wind; however, Durandal and Balmund are not about to celebrate, as the Dusknoir deftly dodges the impressive attack; however, the Dusknoir opposite Averil does take some of the hit, which seems to do some respectable damage. Averil takes advantage of the situation with her super-effective Assurance; her sniper-like accuracy and sheer brutality make the Dusknoir, who had already been hit that round with Air Cutter, absolutely reel with pain. William cheers loudly in spite of himself, very clearly proud of his Haxorus' strength. The Dusknoir opposite Durandal performs another strange, curse-like move; both Balmund and William begin feeling heavier than usual, and they're both pretty sure it's not just the weight of the pizza in their stomachs... The entire battlefield is weighed down by Dusknoir's oppressive Gravity. Meanwhile, the other Dusknoir unleashes a Will-o-Wisp towards Averil, which hits her dead-on with a particularly nasty burn. Though the parkgoers do not see the attack itself, they seem to comprehend that Averil has taken damage somehow, though it makes no sense given the suddenness of the recoil... The parkgoers don't know what to make of Averil's obvious burn, though crowd consensus seems to be that it must have been from a previous battle. Both Balmund and William realize that while the attacks the Dusknoir are performing are invisible, their effects are not... The two will need to decide how they are going to treat these mysterious wounds.

Heat Wave is immediately a crowd favorite. Everyone's inner pyromaniac seems to come out when Durandal inhales deeply and breathes massive amounts of flames, which heat up the area and cause the smaller ones to "Oooo" and "Aaaah." The effects of the attack on the Dusknoir are similarly impressive; both Dusknoir are hit by the flames, and in a sort of karmic retribution, the Dusknoir opposite Durandal is clearly burned. One of the parkgoers swear that they saw two figures in the flames, though it seems like his friends are laughing at him. As for Averil, her Dragon Pulse is exactly what the ever-growing crowd came here to see: a powerful dragon-type attack. The Dusknoir opposite Averil is not so enthusiastic, as the creature is battered by the blast of pure energy. Suddenly, both Dusknoir disappear from sight... Perhaps they recognize how powerful Averil and Durandal, and have given up the battle. This hope is short-lived, however, as the Dusknoir attack Averil and Durandal from behind with a twin Astonish! Both Pokemon are taken by surprise, taking a decent amount of damage. Fortunately, both dragons recover from their shock quickly, and will both be able to attack next round. There's a big problem, though... Now both Dusknoirs are positioned between the dragons and the crowd, which will make attacking far more risky.

Durandal is fit as a fiddle and looking great, having only taken a little bit of damage from this round. Averil is also relatively healthy, though her burn is somewhat concerning, and has left her more damaged than Durandal. The Dusknoir opposite Durandal is looking like it had a good chunk of health taken away, but the mysterious creature is far from backing down despite its burn. The Dusknoir opposite Averil is the most damaged-looking of the combatants, and seems to have been unfortunate enough to lose what could easily be almost half of its health.

Positioning is now a huge issue, and the Dusknoir seem to know it. They seem to be daring you to attack, even though doing so will mean having attacks potentially leak into the crowd. Some quick thinking is definitely necessary!

How will Balmund and Durandal respond?



Itzatrap- ((I apologize that your updates have been somewhat short. They will grow longer as the story progresses, rest assured!))

They say you can catch more Beautiflies with honey than with vinegar; Rob, agreeing with this general philosophy, decides on a sweet solution in order to attract the creature within the small hole in the wall. Scattering an array of delicious-looking berries at the entrance to the tiny opening, the denizen within seems to take notice of the treats. A brown paw reaches out of the hole and grabs the Wiki berry, immediately snatching it back into the hole. Unfortunately for the little brown creature, the other berries are far too distant for it to grab from within the hole, so it scampers out into the open, its cheeks chubby with the berry it took; Rob immediately identifies the rodent-like Pokemon as a Patrat, who looks up at Rob and Melantha for a long moment before grabbing the Lum and Passho berries. Ir holds them under each arm, attempting to scurry back into its hole on two legs, which significantly slows the creature down. Even more detrimental to the creature's escape is the fact that it will not take its eyes off either trainer or Absol, which is typical of the hyper-vigilant breed. What is interesting about this particular Patrat, however, is it has a large earring clipped to one of its ears, with a large, expensive-looking gemstone dangling from it. The clear, well-cut stone may very well be diamond... At the very least, the earring looks well-made. In fact, that single earring, if made with the right material, might fetch a pretty penny for the gemstone it so beautifully displays. Even Melantha seems quite taken by the beauty of the earring the simple little Patrat wears. Could this little Patrat be some kind of treasure-hoarder...?

How will Rob and Melantha react?



uhhhhh- Connor's first thought is to potentially offer his own life in exchange for Gaspard's; after all, he did appear to be the demonic balloon's intended target. Connor is resolute to perform the ultimate sacrifice in order to preserve Gaspard's life; after all, life as a directionless Drifloon would be nothing compared to losing his beloved companion. The connection between Gaspard and Connor is such that the purple monkey can read Connor's thoughts by his expression, and he attempts to communicate his disapproval of Connor's plan, hoping to reassure him that there might still be a way for both of them to get out of this alive. Connor understands in his heart what his Aipom is trying to tell him, and Connor comes to an important realization. Gaspard has been fighting with all of his might to keep Connor alive, which is the whole reason he got tangled up in this dreadful mess in the first place. What would it say to Gaspard if Connor were to give up his life now? What would Gaspard have fought so viciously and resolutely for, if not for his trainer to keep on living? It was not right to make that kind of sacrifice. No, the two of them would have to keep fighting for one another. They would have to keep fighting, no matter what happened, so that they could both get out of this twisted mirror world together.

Connor issues the order to Gaspard to cut the tangles with Fury Cutter. Though having order and direction from Connor helps Gaspard to focus himself instead of flailing aimlessly, his arms are too tightly bound to even pull off the attack, let alone pull it off effectively. Resolute to cut Gaspard free, Drifloon continues attempting to Cut with his scissors, and while he does manage to cut one of Gaspard's arms free, he is still tangled within the awful balloon. The balloon viciously Constricts around Gaspard; fortunately, the rubber around his neck has been cut by the Drifloon in his last attempt at freeing him, but his limbs and chest are squeezed mercilessly, and he squeals out in pain. Poor Gaspard! Hoping to end the painful constriction, he performs a frenzied Fury Cutter with his one good arm; luckily, the attack is powerful enough to cut most of his body free. Connor can hear a terrible shriek from the balloon as Gaspard bursts from his rubber prison, though unfortunately, his monkey tail is still trapped within the balloon. Darn it! So close!! Drifloon attempts to Cut the tail free, but it seems as if Gaspard's tail is the most entrenched part of him, and the balloon is not about to let go anytime soon. The balloon tries to Constrict Gaspard's tail, but does not have the strength or the hold anymore to cause significant damage.

The curse is weighing heavy on Gaspard. Panting and somewhat limping, it is clear that Gaspard is nearing his limits, though he remains completely determined. His U-turn, though attempted with as much force as he can muster, is not enough to free his tail from the balloon's clutches. Drifloon's attempts at Cutting him free remain unsuccessful. Then again, despite Gaspard's lack of freedom, the balloon has been taking some terrible structural damage from all of these cuts, and especially from Gaspard breaking free. It seems as if Gaspard is not the only one in dire straits. The demon balloon, coughing and sputtering, begins moving at a startlingly rapid pace towards Connor, dragging Gaspard along with him. Drifloon, frantic and upset, chases after the balloon with his scissors, but to no avail. Gaspard tries attacking the balloon in any way that he can, but cannot seem to stop its rapid forward motion. Fortunately, Gaspard's vicious attempts at stopping the balloon from attacking his trainer are enough to at least break Gaspard free, who rushes towards Connor in an attempt to defend him. Of course, no one is truly prepared for what happens next.

With little more than a fizzle to act as warning, the balloon suddenly performs a kamikaze Explosion the moment the balloon is in range of Connor! Connor attempts instinctively to shield himself with his right arm, but both Connor and Gaspard, who had instinctively attempted to defend Connor from the blast, are knocked backward. The explosion was likely a final attempt at killing Connor once and for all, despite being blown to smithereens. Gaspard, though bruised and beaten, barely escapes the blast conscious, with only a sliver of health remaining. With the curse broken by the balloon's desperate last-minute ploy, Gaspard can be proud to say that he has survived the fight for his life. Level up for Gaspard.

Connor, on the other hand, is not a Pokemon, and therefore poorly-equipped to deal with massive explosions. He blacks out on impact.

---

Upon awakening, Connor becomes acutely aware of the pain he is in before he is even able to take a look at his surroundings. As consciousness begins to return to the young photographer, he realizes that when he shielded himself with his right arm during the explosion, his right arm must have taken the brunt of the damage. Some nasty cuts and scrapes can be seen along the arm, which have yet to be dressed or tended. As Connor attempts to get up from the ground, he becomes more aware of his surroundings. He appears to be in a basement-like area, with no windows and the only light coming in from holes in the ceiling. Judging by the mirrored walls of the room above, this basement must be part of the House of Mirrors. Of course, what really gets Connor's attention is the fact that he appears to be surrounded by the black eyes and purple faces of some very curious Drifloons. Behind the group is Connor's beloved Gaspard, who appears to be munching on some Oran berries... Provided by the Drifloon, perhaps? He seems to be much healthier than when Connor last saw him, as evidenced by the way he bounds happily over to his trainer, delighted that he appears to have recovered somewhat from the blast. One of the Drifloon begins to speak, and Connor recognizes the voice immediately as the Drifloon that helped him with the battle against the demonic balloon.

"Your monkey friend and I had to drag you down here, so I hope you're damn grateful," it says as gruffly as its tiny Drifloon-voice can allow. With a deep inhalation, it begins to speak again; "You don't look like the type to understand Latin, but I hope you know what 'Quid Pro Quo' means. I helped you out-" Another long inflation, and it begins speaking again; "...so I think it's fair that you monkeys help me... help US." The Drifloon looks around at his friends, who haven't said a word, though their eyes remain fixed on Connor.

How will Connor and Gaspard react?



Dark Searchman- With Delilah's support and Frillish's determination both affecting Hyrem, the latest candidate for zombification decides that he will fight his fate by attempting to defeat the Harvester of Eyes. Hyrem, wanting to know as much as he can about his new foe, asks the pink Frillish who... or what... the Harvester of Eyes is, and how potentially to defeat it.

"That's the thing.... She is everywhere. She sees everything. Every corpse, every zombie, every empty shell of a being that was once alive is under her control. Once..." Frillish sighs. "Once, my brother and I tried to escape. We thought we'd get new trainers... Start new lives. We made it to the lobby, but..." The Frillish touches her collar with a tentacle, looking forlorn. "It's as I told you. She is everywhere. I thought she may have killed brother, taken his eyes, but I see now that our fates were the same..."

"Frill, Frill-ish..." The blue Frillish seems to be reminding her sister of something.

"I'm getting to that, brother. In a moment..." The pink Frillish gives her brother a stern glare. "Oh, fine. My impatient sibling here wants you to know that we think that destroying her collection of eyes will cripple her... limit her vision. Then, once we locate the body she is inhabiting, we can destroy her once and for all. Frillish and I made the mistake of trying to destroy the whole lair, but even then, those eyes are cursed, and there are so many of them...." The pink Frillish shudders at the memory. "I honestly would not know how to destroy the eyes quickly before the other pairs alert her."

As this conversation is going on, Hyrem notices that he is being pulled closed and closer to a group of giant rocks underwater. The boulders are so large that they seem to go all the way to the bottom, and probably continue above the surface. As Hyrem's group turns the corner, Hyrem is met with what looks like a mini-cathedral carved into the rock's face. Instead of a door, however, there is what appears to be an ominous looking cave entrance, which is outlined with some kind of decoration. As Hyrem gets closer, he realizes that the "decorations" surrounding the door are actually pairs of eyes. Chances are good that at this distance, the eyes have not caught sight of the group yet.

"As you might have guessed, this is the place..." The pink Frillish shakes her head. "Seven pairs of eyes in the front, plenty more in the hallway leading to her chamber, and then... the great room. I don't even know where to begin on how to tackle this." The blue Frillish, feeling for his sister, gives her a compassionate "Frilll".

Seems as if Hyrem might have to help the Frillish think of a plan before they attempt to tackle this disturbing little lair.

How will Hyrem and Delilah respond?



MarbleZone- Levin considers himself fortunate that he and Crix were not dismembered, deprived of their souls or tortured to death by the supernatural being and his beautiful companion. Instead, the two actually seem to be offering him an opportunity... A dangerous one, for sure, but one that seems to promise great reward. Though Levin knows that he probably should not even be considering Orfeo's proposal, considering the obvious dangers and the fact that Levin could just as easily check into his room and get some sleep, it seems as if the young trainer has become smitten with the lovely Calandra. Her enchanting looks and personality, coupled with the heartbreak obvious in her sparkling green eyes, have Levin completely under her spell. Of course, Levin is humble in responding, letting Orfeo know that his Pokemon are only just starting out on their journey, and that he does not have a talent that such a picky audience would find entertaining; however, he is willing to put in some good old-fashioned hard work and help their performance, as well as the talent show in general.

"I am glad to hear that you are eager to help," Orfeo says with an obvious grin. He motions to Levin and Calandra, and Calandra takes Levin's hand, ushering him towards the staircase leading downward with a silent smile, with Crix following close behind. Orfeo continues; "Unfortunately, the decision of what type of job you'll be given is not up to me, so it will be difficult to provide you specific advice until you are properly assigned. That said, I can give you a general word of warning... Always be on guard, watch your back, and do as you are told. Provided you do those things, you should hopefully be fine..." Orfeo chuckles a bit. "Oh, one more thing... Never, under any circumstances, piss off Ruby. Ever. EVER."

"Ruby is the manager of the Talent Show," Calandra adds. "I haven't met Ruby yet, but I've heard some interesting things..."

"The same goes for you, my dear," Orfeo says ominously to Calandra. "Ruby does not discriminate. No matter how talented you are, my little songbird, that Mismagius' temper is legendary... Best be as gentle and polite as you can in that psychotic Pokemon's presence, but I know you will be a delight, as I have said."

Halfway between the first floor and the basement, Orfeo and Calandra stop on the staircase, where Orfeo reveals a secret panel in the wall. "There are many ways to enter the theatre, but since I doubt either of you are able to phase through walls, this is the best way to go," Orfeo says with a smile. Hand in hand, Levin and Calandra follow Orfeo through a small hallway with elegant red wallpaper; at the end of the hallway, Levin can see a gigantic gilded theatre with golden pillars, plush velvet seats and an impressive stage. Before the trio make it into the theatre, however, Orfeo stops them at the ticket booth. A bored-looking Haunter behind the counter appears to be flipping through a magazine advertising various types of chainsaws before looking up at Orfeo.

"You're here early... Guessing you're one of the talent people?" The Haunter speaks to Orfeo in surprisingly good English. Orfeo nods, but stops himself mid-nod.

"Oh, myself and the lovely lady are an act, yes... but the young man over there is looking to volunteer."

The Haunter cranes its body to take a look at Levin, then lets out a harsh grunt. "Gonna have to talk to Ruby... Hang on a sec." The Haunter excuses himself and floats out of the ticket booth, apparently looking for the hot-tempered manager of the theatre. Eventually, out of a door labelled "staff", a gorgeous-looking Mismagius floats towards the trio, its crimson eyes glistening with glee. The flowing, silk-like body, pink grin and gleaming eyes certainly make this Pokemon a sight to behold. Levin admires the Pokemon as it makes its way towards them, but is completely taken aback when he starts to speak..

"Good to see you again, Orfeo," the low, masculine voice cheerfully says. He turns to Calandra with a grin. "You must be the lovely Calandra that I have heard Orfeo speak so fondly about... Certainly, looks do impress! I hope your voice will do the same. Ah, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Reuben, but of course, you may call me Ruby, as everyone does. Oh!" Ruby immediately turns his attention to Levin. "Orfie, did you provide an appetizer for the Jellicent? Oh, oh no, he won't do at all... Not enough meat. Don't worry, though, we have a real fat one this time around. I learn from my mistakes, let me tell you-"

"Uh, he's the guy that wants to volunteer, Ruby... His name is... uh... Kevin?" Orfeo sheepishly attempts to correct the odd Mismagius, though it seems like he doesn't quite remember your name.

"Oh, well if Kevin a bad worker, then it will make no difference, now, will it?" Levin notices something rather unsettling about Ruby's grin... "I trust you will work hard. I do not tolerate slackers."

"Is there work for him? Might you be able to tell us what he will be doing? He's inexperienced as a trainer, but he'll work hard, I promise!" Calandra's expression suggests a strange concern for Levin, which makes Orfeo grimace somewhat.

"Oh, there's work, all right..." Ruby floats up to Levin, and moves his face mere inches away from the trainer's. "I need to size you up first, though. Orfeo, please take your little Songbird to the dressing room and help her warm up... I need to talk with the new hire."

As Orfeo and Calandra walk towards the stage, Calandra turns back to wave at Levin before catching up to her ghostly companion. Ruby doesn't waste any time beginning his interview. "Doesn't seem like you have any techie experience, but I got all the techs I need anyway... Five simple questions, and I'll be able to assign you some work based on your answers. Now...

-Would you rather work with people who are friendly, yet fake... or honest, yet brutal?

-Let us say that you were on death row. You are given two choices that ultimately average out to the same amount of pain. Would you prefer the method of death that is quick, yet immensely painful... or slow, with a lesser amount of pain doled out over time?

-A busload of strangers and the person for whom you care most are both in a situation in which they are about to die. You can either save the busload, or the loved one, but you have to pick one. Which would you pick? Would that answer change if the busload was an entire city?

-How would you fit a Wailmer into a breadbox?

-Suppose you disappoint me (hypothetically, of course), and I decide to bring you to the dinner table with a group of at least ten hungry Jellicent. How would you prevent yourself from being eaten? Remember, you are unbound and free to move, but the door is on the other end of the table, beyond the hungry patrons.

Think quickly, Kevin! I don't have all day."

Simple questions? Yeah, right! Certainly, the questions Ruby asks would take a lot of thought for anyone, but it seems as if Ruby expects and answer, and if he is as impatient as Orfeo says, it might be wise not to keep him waiting too long.

How will Levin respond?



ShadowShocker- Not wanting to waste their momentary advantage, Shadow comes up with a plan; since Chandelure's flames seem to go out when he sustains heavy damage, perhaps going after the core directly and extinguishing Chandelure's central flame was the key to victory. With Chandelure floating aimlessly, still blinded by the light, it is easy for Dahlia to go in Pursuit of her opponent; she smacks her beak right into his core for some massive damage, which causes the core flame to flicker somewhat, but not extinguish. The impact is enough to knock Chandelure back to his senses, and unleashes a Flame Burst straight into the poor Murkrow's face. With such a direct, brutal hit, it was nearly impossible for Dahlia to avoid a burn, which painfully singes her cheeks and neck. Dahlia looks absolutely fed up with these status ailments, and she has had quite enough of this painful, gradual damage! Time to end this battle once and for all. With a cry so loud and fierce that it rings through the entire lobby, she unleashes a ferocious Twister at Chandelure, which sucks in Chandelure's core and provides the power and force necessary to extinguish the central flame. As the twister subsides, the Chandelure ceases floating and falls to the ground with a loud clang, indicating that Dahlia's foe had finally been KOed. Though Dahlia has been battered, beaten, poisoned, burned and confused, she has ultimately triumphed. Level up for Dahlia.

Another of the candlabras springs to life at the sight of your victory, floating over to his fallen comrade with a chuckle. "Hmmm, I don't believe my brother Tytus thought that your Murkrow would win. How silly of him to assume victory before the battle even begun!" Admiring the Murkrow's handiwork, the Chandelure shakes his head with a sly grin. "He promised to be your guide through the hotel, did he not? Well, he's in no shape to be guiding anyone right now, but I suppose I could peform the job just as adequately... you earned it, after all, and a promise is a promise." The Chandelure bows gracefully to Shadow and Murkrow. "My name is Pyrrhos. Like my fallen brother here, my flames illuminate more than just shadow. With my light, you will be able to see the things to which most mortals are blind. For example..." Chandelure floats over to an open area in the lobby, and lifts one of his candles to what initially appears to be nothing but air and empty space... In the light of the flame, Shadow can see a group of people of all ages, shapes and sizes gathered in the area. "The spirits have been enjoying your battle. You may not have seen or heard them... but they were rooting for you and Dahlia." Pyrrhos retracts his flame, and Shadow notices the spirits waving happily before they disappear from view.

It seems that through Shadow and Dahlia's harrowing battle, they have earned a rather peculiar gift; they now have a ghostly guide to take them through the hotel. How they decide to use this odd little perk is up to them.

How will Shadow and Dahlia respond?



gmoyes- At first, Alex finds it difficult to communicate without using simple Porygon language; however, after putting his processing power to good use, Alex realizes that he could probably use textboxes to communicate if he put his mind to it. Focusing on transforming his thoughts to text, Alex is happy to discover that the talent is not simply limited to sprites of humans; even in his Porygon form, he is able to speak. Pixel Ash is silent as Alex creates his own text, seeming to be reading what Alex has to say as quickly as he can. After Alex has finished speaking, pixel Red takes a moment before responding back with text of his own. "The Pikachu has your body, huh... Guess that creepy rodent must have wanted to be human this time around. I'll bet you anything that in the real world, your body is running around screaming 'PIKA PIKA' while the bastard who took mine is wreaking havoc... All I know is that they call themselves spirit hackers. They somehow possessed this game and used it as a vehicle to steal our bodies, though I haven't the slightest idea how..."

Pixel Red considers Alex's idea to beat the Elite Four as a way of getting out of the game. "I would see how that would work, but the problem with Pokemon is that the game doesn't end when the Elite Four are beaten. It just... keeps going. You go to the cave near Cerulean City, you capture Mewtwo, you keep training your Pokemon. There's no closure, no end... Like you said, it would also take time. Then again, if you can produce text boxes like I can, maybe you can do more than that. Do you think... do you think that with enough concentration, you would be able to alter your stats?" Pixel Red shakes his head. "Nah, maybe that's too crazy... No, we have to think of something else. Maybe, maybe some kind of machine within the game... or maybe if we can break the game somehow, though that would be risky..."

Pixel Red pulls up the main menu and displays it to Alex, hoping that the two of them might be able to figure out something about the world in which they inhabit. The trainer name, "RED," is not very helpful. Red's list of Pokemon only includes Alex, the Lv12 Porygon. The Geodude which clone Alex caught must still be with the clone. Pixel Red runs through the rest of the menu, looking for any sort of clues; "Eight badges, full Pokedex except for... Alakazam, Machamp, Golem and Gengar... and no Mew. Weird. Elite Four beaten 99 times. Whoever played this game had a lot of time on their hands." He opens up his items list, and finds a full list of TMs and 99 rare candies, along with 99 of every item in the game other than Key Items. "Oh! Well, hey, looks like we can level you up to 100 and give you some new moves. Here..." Pixel Red begins feeding Alex candies until he feels completely bloated. Every time a new move shows up, he asks Alex whether or not he would like to keep it. ((NOTE: Your final moveset is entirely up to you. Just be sure to include the list in your reply so I know which four moves you would like. You are limited to Red Version Porygon's level up moves and the TMs that Porygon can learn in Red Version.))

After loading you with a rather unhealthy crash diet, Pixel Red beckons Alex toward the door of Lavender tower. "Let's get out of here... I hate this music. We can talk while we walk." Pixel Red walks outside the tower, and seems to want Alex to follow.

How will Alex respond?

[Meetan]

Meetan- After lavishing her Swinub with some well-deserved affection and recalling the little pig-nose Pokemon into his Love Ball, Alice follows the mechanical Rapidash into the Fortune-Telling Tent with renewed courage and enthusiasm from her successful capture. The Rapidash senses Alice's elated mood, and though the plastic face is stuck permanently in a single expression, Alice can almost sense the Rapidash smiling... "I'm hopin' the future will be as bright as yer' eyes'r lookin' right now, darlin'. Never seen y'so happy before... Then again, can't say I've known y'very long!" The horse whinnies in a manner similar to laughter and moseys on into the tent. As Alice follows behind, she notes the faint smell of a deep, smoky incense, and admires the gorgeous velvet purple cloth draped over the tent, with gold trim and gorgeous golden stars and moons embroidered into the fabric. Over the tent, signs advertising "The Mysterious Selene and her Cute, Clairvoyant Companion, Urth" are accentuated with beautiful paintings of a Cresselia floating beside a Natu. As Alice walks inside behind the Rapidash and navigates through a maze of golden rope where a line most likely would have formed in the glory days of the Phantom Isle Amusement park, she is greeted by photographs of the woman who is supposedly the Mysterious Selene. She is wearing a cheap-looking blue gown with a phony, Cresselia-esque head adornment, with dark roots showing at the crown of her light-blonde hair, and what are most definitely pink contacts over her eyes. Beside her in the photograph is a rather ordinary-looking Natu with a little turban on its head. Though the description above the photograph raves about Selene being the "spiritual daughter of Cresselia" and "capable of peering forth through thousands of future generations," Alice can't help but wonder how a woman who can't even get a decent dye job can manage to tell the future.

Finally, after crawling under some golden ropes to expedite the process, Alice and Rapidash make it to the elaborate main entrance; paintings of psychic-type Pokemon surround a hanging wall of purple crystals, which Alice and Rapidash try their best to walk through without getting tangled. As the two make it into the room, the strong smell of incense assails their nostrils as they are met with the real Selene and Urth. Most of Alice's experiences with advertisements has likely been that what they depict is usually far more beautiful or appealing than the actual product. It seems as if the opposite is true in this instance... The radiant woman with crystalline fuschia eyes and pure-gold hair is barely recognizable as the woman in the photograph. Her gorgeous attire appears far more expensive and well-tailored than it originally appeared. She sits in an ebony wooden chair, with rich fabrics draped over the arms, her head tilted back, eyes focused on the ceiling. She appears to be muttering to herself...

"Virginia, the suicide note you wrote to Leonard was absolutely gut-wrenchingly beautiful. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise- Oh, hold on, it seems as if we have visitors!" The strangely enchanting woman tilts her head back down to Alice's eye level, and gives her a soft, serene smile. "Dreadfully sorry, dear... Communicating with the dead is often very distracting." The woman chuckles a bit, as her Natu, Urth, hops up onto the table. Unlike Selene, Urth is mostly the spitting image of its photograph, except for the eyepatch over its right eye. Based on the scarring that lines the edges of the patch, it seems as if the poor thing had an accident of some sort. It still wears its adorable little turban, and despite its handicap, it appears pleased to see Alice and her mechanical companion out of its good eye, as evidenced by its bright, cheerful chirping. Selene places a deck of Tarot cards in front of the Natu, who chirps at the Rapidash, beckoning it forward.

"Gonna give me a readin', hmm? Well, bein' psychic n' all, I'm guessin' you probably know my question..." The Natu nods, and immediately doles out three cards for the Rapidash. The first card that Natu reveals is the Fool, which causes the Rapidash to react rather strongly. "Fool, huh? Is yer' deck tryin' to insult me?? Why I oughta'..." Natu immediately chirps apologetically, and seems to be desperately trying to explain the significance of the card to the horse-shaped robot. While this is going on, Selene catches Alice's gaze, and beckons her forward.

"You must have a question too, my child..." Selene grins knowingly. "What aspects of your future would you like me to reveal? I have tarot cards, a crystal ball, expertise in palm reading... From abacomancy to zygomancy, I know it all. You choose the question and the method, and I shall provide an answer." As Selene speaks, the pupils of her pink eyes seem to pierce straight into Alice's soul.

How does Alice respond?

At Rapidash's compliments, Alice laughed and blushed lightly, petting its false fur and mane as she walked one step behind. "Aww, thank you. I hope your future's bright, too." She replied. Before she knew it, she was at ease with the pretend Pokemon, when before it had made her quiver in fear. Maybe one day, she hoped, the real fire Pokemon of her team - Torchic - and she would share a similar bond. Alice and fire just didn't really mix.

"I'm normally smiley, I'm just a bit of a 'fraidy cat, really. 'Fraidy Purrloin." The girl joked, taking in the beautiful attraction. All the gold, purple and mystical set-up was appealing to her, despite her cynical and more logical outlook on life. Hell, she even enjoyed all of the fortune telling stuff, even if its accuracy was questionable. Things were particularly questionable when posed by a person who looked like they did on that sign. People should be shot for stating they're related to Cresselia, if they dare look like that, the brat of a teenager thought to herself haughtily.

In order to speed things up, the trainer ignored her childish temptation to jog around along all of the roped maze, and instead clambered beneath it instead, walking over the threshold to be greeted by a blast of incense. She liked the mix of smoke and spices, but she also liked what she saw: a cute (albeit slightly 'incomplete') Natu, and a serene fortune teller in expensive garb, who appeared strangely alluring and beautiful. The woman took her breath away, and once beckoned forward, it seemed somehow easy to ignore the Rapidash's confused threats.

"Well..." The girl began shyly, a little unsure of herself. If they really were psychic, as the Natu suggested, that would be a bit embarrassing. Had Selene really been conversing with a spirit? Well, if ghost Pokemon existed, it could be possible... "I would like a general palm reading, if we have the time. You know, what people usually get. But specifically, Rapidash and I were wondering where we should go next, in or out of the park. We came from the Merry Go Round." Alice explained, taking a seat before the pretty table, "Is a palm reading good for that, too, or would you recommend something better?"

((Stats!))

[poketim2]

The Park

House of Mirrors: Reflections aren't the only things you'll find in these mirrors...

Hastefully moving down the walkways of the amusement park, Brier couldn't help but regret making the bet with his partner Jitterz. In fact he couldn't quite remember what it was about. Needing to reassure himself why he was there, he was forced to ask the only one who was there at the time.

"Hey, I know this is irrelevent but what was that bet about?"

"Oh that, it was nothing, you just had to get a date with that one girl that we met at the restaurant last saturday. And just so you know I'm not gonna let you live this down." Jitterz mockingly replied.

"I hate you sometimes, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, why else would I...I...I..."

"You alright there man, wait... what are you doing?"

*WAP! WAP!*

Brier was helpless as his partner lead him about with a String Shot made into the form of reigns towards the House of Mirrors yelling, "I know what we're gonna do today!"

[Dark Searchman]

Dark Searchman- With Delilah's support and Frillish's determination both affecting Hyrem, the latest candidate for zombification decides that he will fight his fate by attempting to defeat the Harvester of Eyes. Hyrem, wanting to know as much as he can about his new foe, asks the pink Frillish who... or what... the Harvester of Eyes is, and how potentially to defeat it.

"That's the thing.... She is everywhere. She sees everything. Every corpse, every zombie, every empty shell of a being that was once alive is under her control. Once..." Frillish sighs. "Once, my brother and I tried to escape. We thought we'd get new trainers... Start new lives. We made it to the lobby, but..." The Frillish touches her collar with a tentacle, looking forlorn. "It's as I told you. She is everywhere. I thought she may have killed brother, taken his eyes, but I see now that our fates were the same..."

"Frill, Frill-ish..." The blue Frillish seems to be reminding her sister of something.

"I'm getting to that, brother. In a moment..." The pink Frillish gives her brother a stern glare. "Oh, fine. My impatient sibling here wants you to know that we think that destroying her collection of eyes will cripple her... limit her vision. Then, once we locate the body she is inhabiting, we can destroy her once and for all. Frillish and I made the mistake of trying to destroy the whole lair, but even then, those eyes are cursed, and there are so many of them...." The pink Frillish shudders at the memory. "I honestly would not know how to destroy the eyes quickly before the other pairs alert her."

As this conversation is going on, Hyrem notices that he is being pulled closed and closer to a group of giant rocks underwater. The boulders are so large that they seem to go all the way to the bottom, and probably continue above the surface. As Hyrem's group turns the corner, Hyrem is met with what looks like a mini-cathedral carved into the rock's face. Instead of a door, however, there is what appears to be an ominous looking cave entrance, which is outlined with some kind of decoration. As Hyrem gets closer, he realizes that the "decorations" surrounding the door are actually pairs of eyes. Chances are good that at this distance, the eyes have not caught sight of the group yet.

"As you might have guessed, this is the place..." The pink Frillish shakes her head. "Seven pairs of eyes in the front, plenty more in the hallway leading to her chamber, and then... the great room. I don't even know where to begin on how to tackle this." The blue Frillish, feeling for his sister, gives her a compassionate "Frilll".

Seems as if Hyrem might have to help the Frillish think of a plan before they attempt to tackle this disturbing little lair.

How will Hyrem and Delilah respond?

"That's the thing.... She is everywhere. She sees everything. Every corpse, every zombie, every empty shell of a being that was once alive is under her control. Once..." The pink Frillish sighs before continuing: "Once, my brother and I tried to escape. We thought we'd get new trainers... Start new lives. We made it to the lobby, but..." Hyrem sees Frillish touch her collar, and he wonders what the significance could be. Could the collars be equipped with something to prevent rentals from running away? Perhaps the Harvester of Eyes was a former employee of Mantine Mania? But what was with the eye stealing? That didn't fit anything, as far as he knew. "It's as I told you. She is everywhere. I thought she may have killed brother, taken his eyes, but I see now that our fates were the same..." But the little sister wasn't so lucky, apparently.

"Frill, Frill-ish..." said the blue Frillish. It looked he wanted his sister to mention something important.

"I'm getting to that, brother. In a moment..." The pink Frillish gives her brother a stern glare. "Oh, fine. My impatient sibling here wants you to know that we think that destroying her collection of eyes will cripple her... limit her vision. Then, once we locate the body she is inhabiting, we can destroy her once and for all. Frillish and I made the mistake of trying to destroy the whole lair, but even then, those eyes are cursed, and there are so many of them...." Then she shudders from remembering her encounter. If there were as many eyes as she said there was... Hyrem was starting to shudder too, just from the fantasized image. "I honestly would not know how to destroy the eyes quickly before the other pairs alert her."

The Frillish eventually lead Hyrem to a pile of huge boulders that go all the way from bottom to an eventual surface. Once they see it from a different angle, it looked like some sort of small temple. The decor for the entrance to this cave seemed macabre... and it was.

"As you might have guessed, this is the place..." The pink Frillish shakes her head at what she again deemed impossible. "Seven pairs of eyes in the front, plenty more in the hallway leading to her chamber, and then... the great room. I don't even know where to begin on how to tackle this." The blue Frillish, feeling for his sister, gives her a compassionate "Frilll".

Eyes? Those were eyes!? This had to be the most gruesome surveillance system Hyrem had ever seen. Fortunately, not one of them could see Hyrem, Delilah, or the Frillish, but he could see now why the pink Frillish had so much trouble trying to figure this out. If there was an attack that could destroy fourteen eyeballs at once, he would've loved for his Chinchou to know it about now. Even then, he couldn't think of any feasible way for one attack to work completely in this situation.

All he could do was try and toss around some ideas with the Frillish and hope they could come up with a successful strategy to deal with the eyes on the outside. Then they had to deal with more on the inside... that'd be fun. Assuming they even got past the first few without the Harvester of Eyes alerted to their ploy.

"Hm, I'm having trouble figuring this one out too," said Hyrem while holding his chin. "Maybe we could have Delilah use Flash to stun the eyeballs, then use Shock Wave to deal with some of them while you two attacked the others at about the same time?" he said, not too confident about the plan, but it was all he had so far. He was pretty sure it needed some more ironing out before it turned into an effective plan (he could already think of a flaw; Shock Wave might only be able to target one eyeball at a time, so it may take too much time to deal with all of them), so he waited for the Frillish's input before trying to bounce around some more ideas. It may take some time to come up with a good strategy, though, and that might be time he just didn't have.

[gmoyes]

gmoyes- At first, Alex finds it difficult to communicate without using simple Porygon language; however, after putting his processing power to good use, Alex realizes that he could probably use textboxes to communicate if he put his mind to it. Focusing on transforming his thoughts to text, Alex is happy to discover that the talent is not simply limited to sprites of humans; even in his Porygon form, he is able to speak. Pixel Ash is silent as Alex creates his own text, seeming to be reading what Alex has to say as quickly as he can. After Alex has finished speaking, pixel Red takes a moment before responding back with text of his own. "The Pikachu has your body, huh... Guess that creepy rodent must have wanted to be human this time around. I'll bet you anything that in the real world, your body is running around screaming 'PIKA PIKA' while the bastard who took mine is wreaking havoc... All I know is that they call themselves spirit hackers. They somehow possessed this game and used it as a vehicle to steal our bodies, though I haven't the slightest idea how..."

Pixel Red considers Alex's idea to beat the Elite Four as a way of getting out of the game. "I would see how that would work, but the problem with Pokemon is that the game doesn't end when the Elite Four are beaten. It just... keeps going. You go to the cave near Cerulean City, you capture Mewtwo, you keep training your Pokemon. There's no closure, no end... Like you said, it would also take time. Then again, if you can produce text boxes like I can, maybe you can do more than that. Do you think... do you think that with enough concentration, you would be able to alter your stats?" Pixel Red shakes his head. "Nah, maybe that's too crazy... No, we have to think of something else. Maybe, maybe some kind of machine within the game... or maybe if we can break the game somehow, though that would be risky..."

Pixel Red pulls up the main menu and displays it to Alex, hoping that the two of them might be able to figure out something about the world in which they inhabit. The trainer name, "RED," is not very helpful. Red's list of Pokemon only includes Alex, the Lv12 Porygon. The Geodude which clone Alex caught must still be with the clone. Pixel Red runs through the rest of the menu, looking for any sort of clues; "Eight badges, full Pokedex except for... Alakazam, Machamp, Golem and Gengar... and no Mew. Weird. Elite Four beaten 99 times. Whoever played this game had a lot of time on their hands." He opens up his items list, and finds a full list of TMs and 99 rare candies, along with 99 of every item in the game other than Key Items. "Oh! Well, hey, looks like we can level you up to 100 and give you some new moves. Here..." Pixel Red begins feeding Alex candies until he feels completely bloated. Every time a new move shows up, he asks Alex whether or not he would like to keep it. ((NOTE: Your final moveset is entirely up to you. Just be sure to include the list in your reply so I know which four moves you would like. You are limited to Red Version Porygon's level up moves and the TMs that Porygon can learn in Red Version.))

After loading you with a rather unhealthy crash diet, Pixel Red beckons Alex toward the door of Lavender tower. "Let's get out of here... I hate this music. We can talk while we walk." Pixel Red walks outside the tower, and seems to want Alex to follow.

How will Alex respond?

When Alex finished his speech, sprite Red paused for a moment and responded with saying that the Pikachu was probably out taking a joyride with Alex's body. While slightly unnerving, he sort of doubted it. The ghosts probably had more important things to do like trap more people in the game. Anyway, Theta and Echo were there to watch over things, though thinking about made him wonder how they were handling the situation. They saw what happened to him, there was no way they would side with his copy. At least he hoped so, his Bronzor being a psychic type would know something was wrong anyways. Well he now had a name to put to the demons that trapped him here: spirit hackers. Fitting, and he wouldn't be surprised if a Rotom was part of this scheme.

While Alex knew that there was no true ending in a pokemon game, the credit roll after defeating the elite four was as close to an ending as you could get. Though his line that he might be able to do more than just create textboxes made him slightly confused. He was still human and he didn't think creating the box took any special powers. Even if he could find a way to alter things in the game, he ageed with the pixelated Red that screwing around with the game while still inside it would probably not be the best idea.

When Red opened up the main menu, he was impressed of all the accomplishments. Obviously by looking at the pokedex, whoever played this didn't trade to evolve their pokemon, but they must have traded at some point. How else would they be able to get the other starters and the other fossil? If they hacked them in, why didn't they hack the others in? Mew not being in there wasn't really surprising, it took a certain glitch while battling certain trainers to trigger it. When he saw the number of time the elite four were defeated, his eyes widened, even though he was sure that it was physically impossible the them to do so. When he himself played the orignal red version, he couldn't even get passed Lorelai. When he saw all the items stored in the bag, he was glad he didn't have a mouth. If he did, his jaw would have gone straight through the floor and potentially meet whatever was burried under there. Whoever played this must have done some hacking. How else would they have gotten all of those items?

When Red started spam-feeding the rare candies to Alex, while he obviously couldn't eat, the number count decreased and he felt an increase of energy inside him. If he was still human, there would have been a big goofy grin on his face. While he didn't use rare candies much in the games, now he was above and beyond every other pokemon in the game. He learned Tri Attack while leveling up and after a little debate, discided not to learn Recover because they already had a massive stockpile of potions so using a move to recover heath was pointless. He also learned Thunderbolt, Psychic and Blizzard using the TMs. He inwardly cursed the '4 move symdrome' of the games, it would be fun blasting foes with Hyper Beam and there was a bug that if you defeated a foe with it you didn't have to recharge. Still the recharge time might be hazardous so he stuck with reliable Tri Attack.

After his power boost he quickly followed his new 'trainer' out of the tower. They have spent too long in this town already. Who knows when that glitch would act up again. Just then it hit him. The glitch in the tower showed some sort of link to the real world. What if other glitches did the same? He quickly brought up a new text box as soon as they were outside. "HEY RED, I JUST HAD AN IDEA. THE GLITCH WE SAW IN THE TOWER HAD SOME SORT OF CONNECTION WITH THE OUTSIDE. WHAT IF OTHER GLITCHES DID THE SAME? THE TWO MAIN ONES I CAN THINK OF ARE THE MEW GLITCH AND MISSINGNO. THE MEW GLITCH IS CLOSEBY, WE JUST NEED TO GO WEST OF HERE, BUT WE NEED TO FIND A CERTAIN TRAINER AND FLY TO CERULEAN CITY BEFORE THE BATTLE ACTUALLY STARTS. THEN WE HAVE TO FIND A CERTAIN TRAINER TO THE NORTH OF THE CITY WITH A SLOWPOKE AND BATTLE HIM. THEN WE COME BACK HERE AND RUN INTO MEW. HOWEVER, THAT MIGHT NOW WORK BECAUSE MAYBE THOSE TRAINERS HAVE ALREADY BEEN BATTLED. THE MISSINGNO. GLITCH IS EASIER, WE JUST NEED TO GET TO THE EASTERN SHORE OF CINNABAR ISLAND. HOWEVER WE NEED TO ACTUALLY GET THERE SO WE NEED TO GET A POKEMON THAT CAN KNOW FLY EITHER WAY. THOUGH THAT WON'T BE THAT HARD TO DO SEEING AS WE HAVE A TON OF POKEBALLS. WHAT DO YOU THINK?"

Alex kept to himself that there was one more place, not a glitch, but a place where the 'fourth wall' is thinnest: Gamefreak's office in the Celadon apartments. Though that isn't very likely to have any impact, it was a place to keep in mind.

[uhhhhh]

uhhhhh- Connor's first thought is to potentially offer his own life in exchange for Gaspard's; after all, he did appear to be the demonic balloon's intended target. Connor is resolute to perform the ultimate sacrifice in order to preserve Gaspard's life; after all, life as a directionless Drifloon would be nothing compared to losing his beloved companion. The connection between Gaspard and Connor is such that the purple monkey can read Connor's thoughts by his expression, and he attempts to communicate his disapproval of Connor's plan, hoping to reassure him that there might still be a way for both of them to get out of this alive. Connor understands in his heart what his Aipom is trying to tell him, and Connor comes to an important realization. Gaspard has been fighting with all of his might to keep Connor alive, which is the whole reason he got tangled up in this dreadful mess in the first place. What would it say to Gaspard if Connor were to give up his life now? What would Gaspard have fought so viciously and resolutely for, if not for his trainer to keep on living? It was not right to make that kind of sacrifice. No, the two of them would have to keep fighting for one another. They would have to keep fighting, no matter what happened, so that they could both get out of this twisted mirror world together.

Connor issues the order to Gaspard to cut the tangles with Fury Cutter. Though having order and direction from Connor helps Gaspard to focus himself instead of flailing aimlessly, his arms are too tightly bound to even pull off the attack, let alone pull it off effectively. Resolute to cut Gaspard free, Drifloon continues attempting to Cut with his scissors, and while he does manage to cut one of Gaspard's arms free, he is still tangled within the awful balloon. The balloon viciously Constricts around Gaspard; fortunately, the rubber around his neck has been cut by the Drifloon in his last attempt at freeing him, but his limbs and chest are squeezed mercilessly, and he squeals out in pain. Poor Gaspard! Hoping to end the painful constriction, he performs a frenzied Fury Cutter with his one good arm; luckily, the attack is powerful enough to cut most of his body free. Connor can hear a terrible shriek from the balloon as Gaspard bursts from his rubber prison, though unfortunately, his monkey tail is still trapped within the balloon. Darn it! So close!! Drifloon attempts to Cut the tail free, but it seems as if Gaspard's tail is the most entrenched part of him, and the balloon is not about to let go anytime soon. The balloon tries to Constrict Gaspard's tail, but does not have the strength or the hold anymore to cause significant damage.

The curse is weighing heavy on Gaspard. Panting and somewhat limping, it is clear that Gaspard is nearing his limits, though he remains completely determined. His U-turn, though attempted with as much force as he can muster, is not enough to free his tail from the balloon's clutches. Drifloon's attempts at Cutting him free remain unsuccessful. Then again, despite Gaspard's lack of freedom, the balloon has been taking some terrible structural damage from all of these cuts, and especially from Gaspard breaking free. It seems as if Gaspard is not the only one in dire straits. The demon balloon, coughing and sputtering, begins moving at a startlingly rapid pace towards Connor, dragging Gaspard along with him. Drifloon, frantic and upset, chases after the balloon with his scissors, but to no avail. Gaspard tries attacking the balloon in any way that he can, but cannot seem to stop its rapid forward motion. Fortunately, Gaspard's vicious attempts at stopping the balloon from attacking his trainer are enough to at least break Gaspard free, who rushes towards Connor in an attempt to defend him. Of course, no one is truly prepared for what happens next.

With little more than a fizzle to act as warning, the balloon suddenly performs a kamikaze Explosion the moment the balloon is in range of Connor! Connor attempts instinctively to shield himself with his right arm, but both Connor and Gaspard, who had instinctively attempted to defend Connor from the blast, are knocked backward. The explosion was likely a final attempt at killing Connor once and for all, despite being blown to smithereens. Gaspard, though bruised and beaten, barely escapes the blast conscious, with only a sliver of health remaining. With the curse broken by the balloon's desperate last-minute ploy, Gaspard can be proud to say that he has survived the fight for his life. Level up for Gaspard.

Connor, on the other hand, is not a Pokemon, and therefore poorly-equipped to deal with massive explosions. He blacks out on impact.

---

Upon awakening, Connor becomes acutely aware of the pain he is in before he is even able to take a look at his surroundings. As consciousness begins to return to the young photographer, he realizes that when he shielded himself with his right arm during the explosion, his right arm must have taken the brunt of the damage. Some nasty cuts and scrapes can be seen along the arm, which have yet to be dressed or tended. As Connor attempts to get up from the ground, he becomes more aware of his surroundings. He appears to be in a basement-like area, with no windows and the only light coming in from holes in the ceiling. Judging by the mirrored walls of the room above, this basement must be part of the House of Mirrors. Of course, what really gets Connor's attention is the fact that he appears to be surrounded by the black eyes and purple faces of some very curious Drifloons. Behind the group is Connor's beloved Gaspard, who appears to be munching on some Oran berries... Provided by the Drifloon, perhaps? He seems to be much healthier than when Connor last saw him, as evidenced by the way he bounds happily over to his trainer, delighted that he appears to have recovered somewhat from the blast. One of the Drifloon begins to speak, and Connor recognizes the voice immediately as the Drifloon that helped him with the battle against the demonic balloon.

"Your monkey friend and I had to drag you down here, so I hope you're damn grateful," it says as gruffly as its tiny Drifloon-voice can allow. With a deep inhalation, it begins to speak again; "You don't look like the type to understand Latin, but I hope you know what 'Quid Pro Quo' means. I helped you out-" Another long inflation, and it begins speaking again; "...so I think it's fair that you monkeys help me... help US." The Drifloon looks around at his friends, who haven't said a word, though their eyes remain fixed on Connor.

How will Connor and Gaspard react?

"What in the world?" Connor exclaimed as the balloon quickly approached him. Gaspard managed to free himself from the tangles and was now beside Connor in an attempt to protect him from whatever the balloon was planning to do. Suddenly, the balloon sizzled for a bit and Connor and Gaspard's eyes widened at the realization of what it was doing. It was planning to kill them both with an Explosion. The two didn't have enough time to react as Connor quickly shielded himself with his right arm and Gaspard jumped in front of him to try and take the majority of the damage as the balloon exploded. Gaspard managed to survive the impact while still being conscious but Connor was knocked back onto one of the mirrors and lost consciousness from the attack, though thankfully still alive.

Connor felt unusually uneasy. He was running away from something, but what? What was trying to chase him down? He looked behind him, but all he sees is a blur. He couldn't understand why, but he had to run. Run for his life... Connor looked forward again until he saw...

"Gah!" Connor shot up as he regained consciousness. He was breathing heavily and his heart was beating unusually fast. The first thing he thought was of the dream he had. Connor couldn't understand why, but it seemed that that dream was awfully familiar. Was this adventure starting to mess with his mind now? He then immediately felt the pain on his right arm. He looked at it and saw that fabric of his royal blue jacket was torn to reveal that he had many wounds and scrapes on his right arm from the explosion before, some of which probably caused by shattered glass. "So much for wearing a jacket..." Connor muttered as he took off his jacket and placed it in his bag, leaving him with only his pale yellow shirt.

"Well I'm definitely alive, that's for sure... but let's see... where am I?" Connor said to himself as he looked at his surroundings. Judging by the fact that there were no windows in the room and that he could see the mirrors on the holes of the ceiling, he quickly gathered that he was in a basement somewhere in the House of Mirrors. That wasn't all however, as the photographer saw the swarm of Drifloon surrounding him, staring at him and not saying a word. "Drifloons?! Oh wait..." he was surprised for a moment until he realized the situation from before. "That's right... figures that there would be more than one victim, but I didn't think it would be this many," he said looking at each and every one of the balloon, each of them still not saying a word to them. "So, I assume you're friends with that Drifloon who was with me from earlier huh? Wait... where's Gaspard?!"

As if on cue, he immediately saw his beloved partner who was munching on some Oran Berries and looked to be extremely healthy. The Aipom notices that his trainer has regained consciousness and quickly happily bounds over to Connor and promptly glomped him. "Aipom! Aipopopom..." Gaspard mutters as he tightly grasps Connor's shirt. The photographer was surprised at first at Gaspard's actions but he then smiled and hugged him back. "I'm sorry for making you worry back there Gaspard, and thank you... thank you for helping me realize something I neglected," he whispered to his partner. They stayed like that for a few seconds, not caring that the Drifloons were still watching them.

After a few seconds, he looked up to the Drifloons in front of him, "I suppose this whole mess is far from over seeing as you dragged me to where the other Drifloon are, am I right... er... um... which one of you Drifloons was with me a while ago? You all look alike, I can't tell!" he said, confused as to which Drifloon he was supposed to face to. One of them begins to speak and Connor immediately recognized the voice as he looked at the one Drifloon speaking. "Your monkey friend and I had to drag you down here, so I hope you're damn grateful," he said before he starts to inhale again and speak, "You don't look like the type to understand Latin, but I hope you know what 'Quid Pro Quo' means. I helped you out-" "Wait, what does 'Quid Pro Quo' mean again?" Connor thought to himself. "...so I think it's fair that you monkeys help me... help US." the Drifloon finished.

Connor nodded as he got up from his position, still carrying Gaspard with him, "You need not ask. Helping in saving both mine and Gaspard's life is a pretty big deal and we know how to repay the favor. Besides, Gaspard here wouldn't let me say no anyway!" he exclaimed. "Not that I would actually say 'no' of course. First of all, however... and I assume we have plenty of time right now..." he said as his expression turned serious, "I never got your name Drifloon. Mind telling me your name so I can distinguish you from the other Drifloons here? Oh yeah, we never did introduce each other, have we? I'm Connor, and the Aipom with me's called Gaspard," he said as he gestured to himself and his Aipom, "Second, I already gathered what happened to you all that turned each and every one of you into Drifloons... what you're asking help from me definitely has something to do with whoever's behind all this isn't it? You suspect that it has something to do with that old man with the many balloons right?" Connor added as he waited for the Drifloon from earlier to answer.

Leveling up Gaspard from 52 to 53!

[takkupanda]

takkupanda- Mama Coffee is absolutely thrilled by Marcelo and Broly's enthusiasm, and bows slightly to Marcelo in thanks. "I knew I was right to summon you, Marcelo. You will be a great help to us; I'm sure of it." Mama Coffee chuckles a bit in response to Marcelo's confusion regarding how to leave a place entirely comprised of thick walls and boarded-up exits. "Oh, of course... Here, let me show you." Mama Coffee floats towards the emergency exit that Marcelo noticed earlier, and encourages him and Broly to follow her. As Marcelo and Broly approach the door, Mama Coffee instructs them to take a very close look at the wood. Noticing nothing in particular about the wood, Marcelo may begin to wonder what exactly he and Broly were looking for. Suddenly, the two are surprised by a quick shove from behind, as they find themselves hurtling through the closed door and collapsing outside of the building! Fortunately, though the pair is startled out of their wits, they are physically fine save for a few minor scrapes and scratches. When Marcelo touches the wood through which they previously plummeted like it was nothing but air, it seems to be completely solid and impenetrable again... Strange.

The Merry-Go-Round is not far from the Mantine Mania station; after all, both rides were considered favorites of the younger set (though they could be enjoyed by all ages), so it made sense for the original architects of the park to build the two rides close together, so that parents could take their children on both rides in quick succession. The quickest way to get to the Merry-Go-Round would be to go through the thick foliage that lines the railway, though the bushes may need to be cut down in order to prevent getting scratched and scraped up by the now-overgrown branches, and the potential dangers of such lovely plants as stinging nettle and poison ivy. There is also a chain-link fence nearby that could be climbed somehow, which either a Pokemon could do for Marcelo, or he could attempt the climb on his own (if he's dextrous/brave enough). Perhaps he might also be able to dig underneath it. Finally, Broly notices a human-sized clearing through the brush that the pair could climb through without much difficulty, though the path itself is thickly lined with rather large Pokemon tracks...

What will Broly and Marcelo do?

After accepting the challenge of fetching berries for the Yamask and Mama Coffee, Marcelo and Broly waited for Mama Coffee to show them a way out. Instead, she just asked them to look at the boarded up exit door. Before they realized what they were actually supposed to do, Marcelo and Broly found themselves being pushed ahead, through the wood to the outside of the station as if they were in an alternate dimension! As they fell on the other side, surprised much more than they were hurt, Marcelo started questioning whether what was happening was actually real. Touching the wood from outside, it felt perfectly solid and only something ethereal would be able to pass through. Marcelo tried to remember if they went to any place where he had fallen asleep and probably this was a dream, but he didn't remember sleeping in the last several hours. This thought kept worrying him as they tried to focus back on the task at hand.

Seeing that the Merry-Go-Round wasn't very far, but the path in between hadn't been traversed by humans for years and had a lot of obstacles in various forms. As he did not have any decent climbers, Marcelo decided not to take the vertical route. Cutting through the bushes would have been possible, but they seemed thorny and were probably poisonous as well, so Marcelo struck that option out too. He also didn't have any diggers so the underground route was nigh impossible. The only route they were left with was the path which the large Pokemon probably used over the years. Broly looked a little worried by those and gestured towards the bushes by letting out a small ember, suggesting that he could burn down a track through the bushes which they could use to get to the other side. "You want to go that way? But what if one of us gets poisoned? We don't have anywhere to go to if that happens! Also, what if the whole thing is set on fire? We wouldn't want to douse that kind of fire!" Marcelo tried to convince Broly. With a despondent yowl, Broly agreed to follow the tracks left by the large Pokemon. He probably sensed something that Marcelo might not have realized and was worried. "Don't worry Broly, as long as we're together, nothing can happen to us!" Marcelo said with a thumbs up as the two walked through the clearing.

[myahoo]

myahoo: You step through the portal, not knowing what would happen to you. The moment you are completely through the portal, there is a strange sucking sound and you are sucked into it. You spin around and around and around, some sort of strange force completely taking over your body. Your vision starts to blur, as a figure of sorts comes into focus. As the rest of the world sort of disappears, the figure becomes clear. The figure walks up to you, and you see that it is... the fortune teller?

"My my," she says, a smirk on her face, "I wouldn't have thought that you would have been stupid enough to walk through the portal. Then again, I have thought that of everyone so far. I guess that the curiosity really does kill the cat."

She places her hands on your shoulders, and your entire body suddenly feels like cement. The fortune teller stares into your eyes and everything goes black.

You slowly open your eyes, and find yourself staring into the face of a giant doll! You shoot up and look around, horrified to find yourself in what appears to be a giant doll house, filled with many large dolls.

What will you do?

As Melissa stepped through the portal, a loud sucking noise accompanied a sucking as she was dragged further into the portal. She began to spin and she closed her eyes after a moment, the spinning making her dizzy and nauseous. Distantly, she could feel…something taking over her body, but the sensation was pushed aside as she tried to prevent herself from hurling.

Cracking her eyes open to try to figure out when the spinning will stop, she caught sight of some sort of figure standing in front of her. The figure sharpened and Melissa recognized it as the fortune teller. That’s where she disappeared off to, she thought in relief, automatically assuming the fortune teller would either explain what was going on or help her get out of the spinning. The relief faded when she caught sight of the smirk.

“My my,” she said, and the brunette could almost feel the amusement coming from the other woman. Melissa, on the other hand, felt a sinking somewhere in her stomach area that dropped lower with each word the fortune teller spoke; she was also cursing her own curiosity. “I wouldn’t have thought that you would have been stupid enough to walk through the portal. Then again, I have thought that of everyone so far. I guess that the curiosity really does kill the cat.”

As she placed her hands on the teen’s shoulders, Melissa started urging her body to move away, far away from the fortune teller, but her body didn’t respond at all. It felt heavy and solid, like cement, and she tried to push down the rising feeling of panic. When the fortune teller stared into her eyes, though, she frantically tried to get away or move or anything, but everything went black.

The next thing she was aware of was the giant doll staring her in the face. Melissa yelped, scrambling away from the doll and glancing around for a way out. Everywhere she looked, though, were more dolls, huge dolls, all confined in—what she was starting to suspect was—a giant dollhouse. She couldn’t help darting glances at every doll she could see, as she half-expected them to get up and walk.

“God, this place is freaky,” she breathed after a moment, scanning the dolls again. I can’t freak out, though, she told herself, I got myself into this mess; now I gotta get myself out. She shivered, looking around again. What a way to start off my first solo adventure, though: an explosion, a portal, and a dollhouse full of dolls. She took a breath to calm herself down. Alright, first things first, I gotta make sure Wildfire and the rest of my Pokemon are okay. Then, I’ll carefully look around for an exit without touching anything and keep an eye on those dolls. With another wary glance around, she inched one hand towards her left shoulder and the other towards her belt. Oh, I hope Wildfire’s okay and still here; I haven’t heard him say anything since we went through that portal.

[Azran Flame]

Flame Mistress: "A Vulpix?" asks Festus, "I haven't seen any Vulpixes, have you Volcanus?"

"Can't say that I have either, well apart from myself obviously," he replies, contemplating for a couple of seconds. "But there may be someone who might have."

Well this certainly peaks your interest. Noticing this, Volcanus continues, "Nearby there is an old Arcanine who is said to know who everyone within her domain is, and where they are at any given time. Personally I have never seen her do anything like that, but then again, I have never needed her services. But maybe, just maybe she can help you find your Vulpix."

Well that surely was helpful, possibly a little too helpful actually, but you can't tell whether or not you should be suspiscious.

What will you do?

Charlotte's eyes lit up when Volcanus said that someone could help her. "Nearby there is an old Arcanine who is said to know who everyone within her domain is," he said, "and where they are at any given time. Personally I have never seen her do anything like that, but then again, I have never needed her services. But maybe, just maybe she can help you find your Vulpix." Images of being reunited with her beloved starter flickered into her head, the world fading around her, catching Flare in her arms, spinning around...

...Woah, woah, wait a minute. Wasn't he being a little... too helpful? And it did seem suspicious that he hadn't actually needed her help before. But then again, this Arcanine could be her only chance of actually finding Flare... Of course, she was just being too skeptical. An adequate amount of skepticism could save lives, but too much of it could be dangerous. Yes. She was just being paranoid.

"So, where can I find this Arcanine?" Charlotte asked Volcanus. "And... will you come with me on the way? I mean, you're the one who knows what's around here... wherever this place is..."

Letting Volcanus take her could be risky, but hey, it was better than nothing.

[MarbleZone]

MarbleZone- Levin considers himself fortunate that he and Crix were not dismembered, deprived of their souls or tortured to death by the supernatural being and his beautiful companion. Instead, the two actually seem to be offering him an opportunity... A dangerous one, for sure, but one that seems to promise great reward. Though Levin knows that he probably should not even be considering Orfeo's proposal, considering the obvious dangers and the fact that Levin could just as easily check into his room and get some sleep, it seems as if the young trainer has become smitten with the lovely Calandra. Her enchanting looks and personality, coupled with the heartbreak obvious in her sparkling green eyes, have Levin completely under her spell. Of course, Levin is humble in responding, letting Orfeo know that his Pokemon are only just starting out on their journey, and that he does not have a talent that such a picky audience would find entertaining; however, he is willing to put in some good old-fashioned hard work and help their performance, as well as the talent show in general.

"I am glad to hear that you are eager to help," Orfeo says with an obvious grin. He motions to Levin and Calandra, and Calandra takes Levin's hand, ushering him towards the staircase leading downward with a silent smile, with Crix following close behind. Orfeo continues; "Unfortunately, the decision of what type of job you'll be given is not up to me, so it will be difficult to provide you specific advice until you are properly assigned. That said, I can give you a general word of warning... Always be on guard, watch your back, and do as you are told. Provided you do those things, you should hopefully be fine..." Orfeo chuckles a bit. "Oh, one more thing... Never, under any circumstances, piss off Ruby. Ever. EVER."

"Ruby is the manager of the Talent Show," Calandra adds. "I haven't met Ruby yet, but I've heard some interesting things..."

"The same goes for you, my dear," Orfeo says ominously to Calandra. "Ruby does not discriminate. No matter how talented you are, my little songbird, that Mismagius' temper is legendary... Best be as gentle and polite as you can in that psychotic Pokemon's presence, but I know you will be a delight, as I have said."

Halfway between the first floor and the basement, Orfeo and Calandra stop on the staircase, where Orfeo reveals a secret panel in the wall. "There are many ways to enter the theatre, but since I doubt either of you are able to phase through walls, this is the best way to go," Orfeo says with a smile. Hand in hand, Levin and Calandra follow Orfeo through a small hallway with elegant red wallpaper; at the end of the hallway, Levin can see a gigantic gilded theatre with golden pillars, plush velvet seats and an impressive stage. Before the trio make it into the theatre, however, Orfeo stops them at the ticket booth. A bored-looking Haunter behind the counter appears to be flipping through a magazine advertising various types of chainsaws before looking up at Orfeo.

"You're here early... Guessing you're one of the talent people?" The Haunter speaks to Orfeo in surprisingly good English. Orfeo nods, but stops himself mid-nod.

"Oh, myself and the lovely lady are an act, yes... but the young man over there is looking to volunteer."

The Haunter cranes its body to take a look at Levin, then lets out a harsh grunt. "Gonna have to talk to Ruby... Hang on a sec." The Haunter excuses himself and floats out of the ticket booth, apparently looking for the hot-tempered manager of the theatre. Eventually, out of a door labelled "staff", a gorgeous-looking Mismagius floats towards the trio, its crimson eyes glistening with glee. The flowing, silk-like body, pink grin and gleaming eyes certainly make this Pokemon a sight to behold. Levin admires the Pokemon as it makes its way towards them, but is completely taken aback when he starts to speak..

"Good to see you again, Orfeo," the low, masculine voice cheerfully says. He turns to Calandra with a grin. "You must be the lovely Calandra that I have heard Orfeo speak so fondly about... Certainly, looks do impress! I hope your voice will do the same. Ah, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Reuben, but of course, you may call me Ruby, as everyone does. Oh!" Ruby immediately turns his attention to Levin. "Orfie, did you provide an appetizer for the Jellicent? Oh, oh no, he won't do at all... Not enough meat. Don't worry, though, we have a real fat one this time around. I learn from my mistakes, let me tell you-"

"Uh, he's the guy that wants to volunteer, Ruby... His name is... uh... Kevin?" Orfeo sheepishly attempts to correct the odd Mismagius, though it seems like he doesn't quite remember your name.

"Oh, well if Kevin a bad worker, then it will make no difference, now, will it?" Levin notices something rather unsettling about Ruby's grin... "I trust you will work hard. I do not tolerate slackers."

"Is there work for him? Might you be able to tell us what he will be doing? He's inexperienced as a trainer, but he'll work hard, I promise!" Calandra's expression suggests a strange concern for Levin, which makes Orfeo grimace somewhat.

"Oh, there's work, all right..." Ruby floats up to Levin, and moves his face mere inches away from the trainer's. "I need to size you up first, though. Orfeo, please take your little Songbird to the dressing room and help her warm up... I need to talk with the new hire."

As Orfeo and Calandra walk towards the stage, Calandra turns back to wave at Levin before catching up to her ghostly companion. Ruby doesn't waste any time beginning his interview. "Doesn't seem like you have any techie experience, but I got all the techs I need anyway... Five simple questions, and I'll be able to assign you some work based on your answers. Now...

-Would you rather work with people who are friendly, yet fake... or honest, yet brutal?

-Let us say that you were on death row. You are given two choices that ultimately average out to the same amount of pain. Would you prefer the method of death that is quick, yet immensely painful... or slow, with a lesser amount of pain doled out over time?

-A busload of strangers and the person for whom you care most are both in a situation in which they are about to die. You can either save the busload, or the loved one, but you have to pick one. Which would you pick? Would that answer change if the busload was an entire city?

-How would you fit a Wailmer into a breadbox?

-Suppose you disappoint me (hypothetically, of course), and I decide to bring you to the dinner table with a group of at least ten hungry Jellicent. How would you prevent yourself from being eaten? Remember, you are unbound and free to move, but the door is on the other end of the table, beyond the hungry patrons.

Think quickly, Kevin! I don't have all day."

Simple questions? Yeah, right! Certainly, the questions Ruby asks would take a lot of thought for anyone, but it seems as if Ruby expects and answer, and if he is as impatient as Orfeo says, it might be wise not to keep him waiting too long.

How will Levin respond?

Oh, I’m a hard worker alright. Who knows, I might even surpass your wildest expectations… There’s somebody I need to impress, he said to himself, thinking back to the lovely Calandra. The way she held his hand before made his heart race a little, even if she thought nothing about it. Damn, was he back in high school or something? Get a grip, you idiot!

He forced himself to look his new “acquaintance” in the eye. The Mismagius was definitely a sight to behold. Even if the looks didn’t match its gender at all, it was still pretty much evident that this was a force to be feared. Admittedly, he hadn’t expected this sort of outcome – Mismagius were opponents he probably couldn’t stand up to if things went awry, and this one apparently had a confrontational personality of its own. Well, if he couldn’t beat him, at least he could play along… for now. He may not be the strongest trainer around yet, but if he absolutely had to pick one “special talent” like Orfeo intended earlier, it would be his own intelligence.


And so, a job interview it was. Though the nature of most questions was more personal than he would have been comfortable with, he had long wrapped his mind around the fact that nothing from here on out would go according to his own preference. If he wanted the easy way out, he would have returned to his hotel room instead.


- Well, Mr. Ruby… in regards to your first question, I consider that truth, no matter how painful, is the only true way for one to improve, as well as the only way for a person to be completely sure of his own worth. I can live with a few less friends if they’re not truthful at heart too, so “honest, yet brutal” would be my answer.

There was little point in lying here. While he was no saint himself, and had been known to get out of a number of tight spots with a well placed falsehood, in the end what was the point of living surrounded by liars? If they would lie about a number of things, couldn’t their own “friendliness” be a lie itself?


- As for your second answer sir, I’m afraid I don’t believe in a “sealed fate”. As long as there was a chance to find an alternative to death I would be inclined to seek it… so while the perspective of a quick death is infinitely more appealing, regardless of how painful, I would have to go with the option that gives me more time to think of an alternative solution. A slower method could provide that, and if I may, I do tend to find my way out of most troublesome situations.

Most of it was true, anyway. He was undeniably resourceful, and the prospect of trumping impossible odds had always appealed to him. Though, if the grim scenario ever did develop at any point, he wasn’t sure he would keep his wits about him… And if he lost that one edge, then he’d probably end up begging for a swift end. It came down to mental fortitude, he guessed.


- Next one... Life isn’t worth living without the people we love. I could say we don’t live forever, though you would be a testament against that yourself, but regardless… Life is meant to be enjoyed. Call me selfish, but I couldn’t care less about a handful, a bus or a city filled with strangers if the people I held dear were at risk. I would save my loved one and regret nothing.

Would he? He couldn’t remember the last time he had a “loved one”. He wasn’t exactly on good terms with his parents, who had always frowned upon the perspective of him pursuing the life of a Trainer as a kid, and had gone positively ballistic when he decided to leave home with Min after high school instead of moving on to college.

As for romance, he hadn’t found much success in that department either. Sure, there had been that one girl, Patty, during his senior year, but it never really went very far because he didn’t have the guts to let it grow into anything meaningful. Could his Pokémon be considered his “loved ones”, then?
He smiled. If they could, then he really would regret nothing.


- The Wailmer-in-the-breadbox… - thinking about his own Wailmer, Noah, made him shiver – Well, sir, no Pokémon large enough to eat a Wailmer would really put one in a breadbox, would they? It’d grow moldy in there. Why not freeze it and thaw as necessary? – he tried to chuckle, but gave up quickly. Ruby probably wouldn’t play along…

- Just joking, sir. Well, harming it would be a shame, wouldn’t it? Even if the purpose would be, hum, in the end, hum… eating it… doing any damage to it would corrupt the flavor, yes? So no point in… chopping it to bits… at all. One could always… - words were failing him now. Thinking about Noah wasn’t helping his thought process… but then it hit him.

- Why, one could always resort to a Drifblim, which by the way are wonderful Pokémon, like every other Ghost-Types, and simply have it use Swallow on the Wailmer, then Minimize! That way one could store the tiny Drifblim in the breadbox, and have it use Spit Up when necessary!
Unsure as he was about his own answer, he couldn’t help but smile at the brilliance of the reply under such strenuous circumstances. Atta boy.


But the last question could well be the most meaningful. Out of all the hypothetical scenarios, this one had clearly the highest chance of becoming a reality. If so, by revealing his real plan to the creature that could condemn him, wouldn’t he effectively be reducing his own chances of survival?

- I could come up with several answers sir, but not only do I hold the magnificent and regal Jellicent in much higher regard than mere starving, mindless souls, the only true answer can only be one… I will not disappoint you. But for the sake of argument, imagining that you did find it best to punish me in that manner... I am, like you said, far from a meaty specimen. Why, I would barely satisfy a single Frillish, I reckon, let alone ten large Jellicent with an appetite. Would they find it so unreasonable if I told them that, under orders from the great Ruby the Mismagius, only the strongest Jellicent would be fed that night? I doubt they would be willing to share me anyway, so a tip in the right direction could be enough to make all ten fight among themselves for the meal. That could well provide a window of opportunity for a dash toward the exit, unnoticed in the heat of battle…

There, he was honest. Now if he did end up in that situation, Ruby would be ready… so the only option left was, indeed, not to disappoint him in the first place. Unless any of his answers just did…


((OOC: I will be unable to reply to any updates for the first two weeks of August (possibly a little longer), so if you can, please don’t drop me for inactivity! Thanks in advance.))

[Itzatrap]

Itzatrap- ((I apologize that your updates have been somewhat short. They will grow longer as the story progresses, rest assured!))

They say you can catch more Beautiflies with honey than with vinegar; Rob, agreeing with this general philosophy, decides on a sweet solution in order to attract the creature within the small hole in the wall. Scattering an array of delicious-looking berries at the entrance to the tiny opening, the denizen within seems to take notice of the treats. A brown paw reaches out of the hole and grabs the Wiki berry, immediately snatching it back into the hole. Unfortunately for the little brown creature, the other berries are far too distant for it to grab from within the hole, so it scampers out into the open, its cheeks chubby with the berry it took; Rob immediately identifies the rodent-like Pokemon as a Patrat, who looks up at Rob and Melantha for a long moment before grabbing the Lum and Passho berries. Ir holds them under each arm, attempting to scurry back into its hole on two legs, which significantly slows the creature down. Even more detrimental to the creature's escape is the fact that it will not take its eyes off either trainer or Absol, which is typical of the hyper-vigilant breed. What is interesting about this particular Patrat, however, is it has a large earring clipped to one of its ears, with a large, expensive-looking gemstone dangling from it. The clear, well-cut stone may very well be diamond... At the very least, the earring looks well-made. In fact, that single earring, if made with the right material, might fetch a pretty penny for the gemstone it so beautifully displays. Even Melantha seems quite taken by the beauty of the earring the simple little Patrat wears. Could this little Patrat be some kind of treasure-hoarder...?

How will Rob and Melantha react?

Rob looked at a paw emerge from the hole in the wall, taking a Wiki berry, fading back into the darkness of the hole. It comes back out again though, ready for a second round, looking at Rob and Melantha before taking a Lum and a Passho berry under its arm. Rob couldn't help but smile at the furry creature, especially once it tried to maneuver back into the hole with the berries in its arms and eyes on both Rob and Melantha. Though something in the ear of the Patat caught Rob's eye, Melantha's more so. A beautifully made earning. Looking at the Patrat, Rob felt compelled to try and see where it got the earring, but he also wanted to get to know it a little better, He knelt down as he spoke to the Patrat in the wall, "Hello Patrat. My name is Rob, and this is Melantha. We're here to explore this place. Would you like to come and take a Mantine ride with us Patrat? Or perhaps you could show us where you got that beautiful earring you have."

[Balmund]

Balmund- Orchestrating a fake battle between Averil and Durandal may be one possible solution, but an incredibly risky one... The positioning would have to be choreographed perfectly, and with Averil being a relative unknown to Balmund and Durandal, hoping for that level of cooperation and coordination seems a bit much to expect. Balmund soon realizes, however, that there was more than one solution to this problem. Perhaps faking a move demonstration was the key to fighting these "invisible" foes. Balmund straightens his posture and strengthens his voice as he bellows out to the crowd, pretending to be preparing for a move demonstration that will fill the parkgoers with wonderment and delight. Normally, such a ruse would be hard to pull off, but with the awe-inspiring Pokemon that both William and Balmund have at their disposal, plus Balmund's obvious Blackthorn heritage and aura of expertise, it seems as if the crowd is buying it. Parents usher their children away from Averil as William catches on quickly to Balmund's ruse. He begins playing Duke's foil as the stereotypical bruiser, which seems to fit his appearance all to well. Looking like one tough bully, William smirks at Balmund, as if amused by such a pathetic display. "Oh, yeah? You may be from Blackthorn, buddy, but you're on MY turf now. Time for you to learn some respect!" The crowd already seems divided between the badass ex-gangster and the honorable Dragon Tamer. The crowd's cheers are intoxicating, but with the shadowy spectres closing in, Averil and Durandal both know that they have to stay focused. With Balmund having already issued his orders, William counters with his own "display" of moves.

"Focus energy? BAH! How boring! Show Duke here that even status-boosting moves can be awe-inspiring! Knock 'em dead with your Dragon Dance, then show 'em your Assurance that we can kick his a**! If he wants 'dazzle', then show him your Dragon Pulse! C'mon, don't let that overgrown flying lizard Duke's been training show you up!"

It is clear from the positioning of the two men that each will be going after their own separate Dusknoir. Both dragons "show off their moves" simultaneously, leading to a surprisingly coordinated battle. Durandal Focuses his Energy onto Dusknoir, honing in on his target so that he can hit hard, while Averil's impressive mix of brutality and grace is displayed by her stat-pumping Dragon Dance. Both Durandal and Averil seem to have chosen stat-boosting moves; The Dusknoir seem similarly in sync, simultaneously using their red, cyclopian gaze to perform a curse-like move. Both Dusknoir shoot a Mean Look at the opponent opposite them. Looks like even if Durandal and Averil wanted to, they can't escape this battle now. Good thing neither dragon was intending on running away in the first place...

Focused and ready to go, a mighty wind bursts forth from Durandal's powerful wings. The Air Cutter certainly looks impressive to the crowd, and they cheer in delight from the immense burst of wind; however, Durandal and Balmund are not about to celebrate, as the Dusknoir deftly dodges the impressive attack; however, the Dusknoir opposite Averil does take some of the hit, which seems to do some respectable damage. Averil takes advantage of the situation with her super-effective Assurance; her sniper-like accuracy and sheer brutality make the Dusknoir, who had already been hit that round with Air Cutter, absolutely reel with pain. William cheers loudly in spite of himself, very clearly proud of his Haxorus' strength. The Dusknoir opposite Durandal performs another strange, curse-like move; both Balmund and William begin feeling heavier than usual, and they're both pretty sure it's not just the weight of the pizza in their stomachs... The entire battlefield is weighed down by Dusknoir's oppressive Gravity. Meanwhile, the other Dusknoir unleashes a Will-o-Wisp towards Averil, which hits her dead-on with a particularly nasty burn. Though the parkgoers do not see the attack itself, they seem to comprehend that Averil has taken damage somehow, though it makes no sense given the suddenness of the recoil... The parkgoers don't know what to make of Averil's obvious burn, though crowd consensus seems to be that it must have been from a previous battle. Both Balmund and William realize that while the attacks the Dusknoir are performing are invisible, their effects are not... The two will need to decide how they are going to treat these mysterious wounds.

Heat Wave is immediately a crowd favorite. Everyone's inner pyromaniac seems to come out when Durandal inhales deeply and breathes massive amounts of flames, which heat up the area and cause the smaller ones to "Oooo" and "Aaaah." The effects of the attack on the Dusknoir are similarly impressive; both Dusknoir are hit by the flames, and in a sort of karmic retribution, the Dusknoir opposite Durandal is clearly burned. One of the parkgoers swear that they saw two figures in the flames, though it seems like his friends are laughing at him. As for Averil, her Dragon Pulse is exactly what the ever-growing crowd came here to see: a powerful dragon-type attack. The Dusknoir opposite Averil is not so enthusiastic, as the creature is battered by the blast of pure energy. Suddenly, both Dusknoir disappear from sight... Perhaps they recognize how powerful Averil and Durandal, and have given up the battle. This hope is short-lived, however, as the Dusknoir attack Averil and Durandal from behind with a twin Astonish! Both Pokemon are taken by surprise, taking a decent amount of damage. Fortunately, both dragons recover from their shock quickly, and will both be able to attack next round. There's a big problem, though... Now both Dusknoirs are positioned between the dragons and the crowd, which will make attacking far more risky.

Durandal is fit as a fiddle and looking great, having only taken a little bit of damage from this round. Averil is also relatively healthy, though her burn is somewhat concerning, and has left her more damaged than Durandal. The Dusknoir opposite Durandal is looking like it had a good chunk of health taken away, but the mysterious creature is far from backing down despite its burn. The Dusknoir opposite Averil is the most damaged-looking of the combatants, and seems to have been unfortunate enough to lose what could easily be almost half of its health.

Positioning is now a huge issue, and the Dusknoir seem to know it. They seem to be daring you to attack, even though doing so will mean having attacks potentially leak into the crowd. Some quick thinking is definitely necessary!

How will Balmund and Durandal respond?

Things went off to a great start, though several points of concern ran through Balmund's mind as he though about the best course of action to take. The intesified Gravity would certainly cripple Duran who was now temporarily deprived of his dear gift of flight. He wondered if the crowd had noticed; it was pretty hard not as Balmund himself was starting to feel considerably heavier than usual. Averil's burn seemed like a nasty one, and with the constant stinging pain that comes from it, he was sure the power behind her attacks would hardly be at one hundred percent. That she showed such a visible wound could be beneficial though. Consideirng that neither Pokémon were attacking each other, if injuries keep coming up out of the blue, at least someone with a brain within the crowd will start picking up that something very fishy might be going on. Lastly, there was the issue of positioning. With the Dusknoir now standing between the combatants and the crowd, the usage of their moves would have to be carefully measured if one isn't to accidentally hurt someone other than the ghosts. Balmund kept his cool however. He figured that as long as he kept to close range physical attacks, the risk of injuring any of the parkgoers would be considerably reduced. Besides, anyone with a healthy respesct for their own well-being would indeed back off at the sight of a such a beast rushing towards their general direction.

It was time to issue orders. One of the Dusknoir seemed to have taken quite a bit of damage. If Duran focused his attacks towards it, and with the help of Averil, they would be able to take it out right away. However, while the Salamence would certainly obey, Balmund didn't want to put him in such a position. Two ganging up on one? How dishonorable! No, his eyes were locked on the Dusknoir directly opposite to him, and even if it looked healthier than the other, that was the opponent the Salamence had to take out first.

"Duran! Start off with an intense Leer, then rush and show everyone your might, slashing with a fierce Shadow Claw followed by the snapping Crunch that comes out of your jaws." Balmund wasn't expecting the Dusknoir themselves to feel fear towards the Dragon-type; for all Balmund knew they looked like emotionless puppets following the bidding of a greater being. But behind them, there was a crowd of perfectly average men, women and children, and with Salamence being quite Intimidating as is, the Leer would certainly get their hearts going to say the least. But that too was part of the show, wasn't it? They'll certainly go back home knowing how terrifying it is to watch an angry dragon face to face. Thrilling!

[Shadowshocker]

ShadowShocker- Not wanting to waste their momentary advantage, Shadow comes up with a plan; since Chandelure's flames seem to go out when he sustains heavy damage, perhaps going after the core directly and extinguishing Chandelure's central flame was the key to victory. With Chandelure floating aimlessly, still blinded by the light, it is easy for Dahlia to go in Pursuit of her opponent; she smacks her beak right into his core for some massive damage, which causes the core flame to flicker somewhat, but not extinguish. The impact is enough to knock Chandelure back to his senses, and unleashes a Flame Burst straight into the poor Murkrow's face. With such a direct, brutal hit, it was nearly impossible for Dahlia to avoid a burn, which painfully singes her cheeks and neck. Dahlia looks absolutely fed up with these status ailments, and she has had quite enough of this painful, gradual damage! Time to end this battle once and for all. With a cry so loud and fierce that it rings through the entire lobby, she unleashes a ferocious Twister at Chandelure, which sucks in Chandelure's core and provides the power and force necessary to extinguish the central flame. As the twister subsides, the Chandelure ceases floating and falls to the ground with a loud clang, indicating that Dahlia's foe had finally been KOed. Though Dahlia has been battered, beaten, poisoned, burned and confused, she has ultimately triumphed. Level up for Dahlia.

Another of the candlabras springs to life at the sight of your victory, floating over to his fallen comrade with a chuckle. "Hmmm, I don't believe my brother Tytus thought that your Murkrow would win. How silly of him to assume victory before the battle even begun!" Admiring the Murkrow's handiwork, the Chandelure shakes his head with a sly grin. "He promised to be your guide through the hotel, did he not? Well, he's in no shape to be guiding anyone right now, but I suppose I could peform the job just as adequately... you earned it, after all, and a promise is a promise." The Chandelure bows gracefully to Shadow and Murkrow. "My name is Pyrrhos. Like my fallen brother here, my flames illuminate more than just shadow. With my light, you will be able to see the things to which most mortals are blind. For example..." Chandelure floats over to an open area in the lobby, and lifts one of his candles to what initially appears to be nothing but air and empty space... In the light of the flame, Shadow can see a group of people of all ages, shapes and sizes gathered in the area. "The spirits have been enjoying your battle. You may not have seen or heard them... but they were rooting for you and Dahlia." Pyrrhos retracts his flame, and Shadow notices the spirits waving happily before they disappear from view.

It seems that through Shadow and Dahlia's harrowing battle, they have earned a rather peculiar gift; they now have a ghostly guide to take them through the hotel. How they decide to use this odd little perk is up to them.

How will Shadow and Dahlia respond?

"Spirits... eh." As Dahlia reassumed her position on Shadow's shoulder the scientist muttered briefly under his breath. He recalled some intel that attributed the park's current status to an accident that had occurred on one of the amusement rides, and since then had deteriorated into a state of complete disrepair in spite of countless attempts to restore all facilities... The scientist soon realised that given the incomplete observations he was provided with the scenario made little sense. If records of the accident and all subsequent paranormal occurrences were taken to be accurate, did it suggest that malicious supernatural forces were at work? But if so, why would any spirits benignly watch people supposedly trespassing on their haunting grounds? And how did the phenomena extend from the park to the hotel to begin with? There were too many questions without anything adding up, necessitating the need for further investigation... which Shadow was admittedly not completely comfortable with. If only the spirits could be counted on as cooperative like Pyrrhos appeared... or Tytus supposedly claimed to be.

Shadow proceeded to refer to a floor plan of the hotel as the birds on his shoulders scratched at his black jacket, bearing in mind the other rumoured intel that he had retrieved from external sources - none of which were particularly substantial but nonetheless held various warnings. Dahlia glanced at the "Entertainment Room" briefly and rustled her orange feathers; an odd combination of snapping angrily and worriedly shuddering - apparently recalling the incident where her lustrous purple coat was forcibly turned a garish Halloween orange. "All we can do is move forward," Scherza suggested serenely, before screaming for no particular reason, "Don't mess my clothes up!"

"We'll be in your good care, Pyrrhos," Shadow greeted the floating Chandelure after making his decision. "Could you escort us to the Boutique, please?"

[Marion Ette]

Meetan- As Alice expresses her preference for palmistry, Urth turns over the next card for the mechanical Rapidash, which reveals the creature's present situation. The Chariot, in the upright position, suggests a journey with much adversity and the need for perserverence. Of course, the Rapidash seems to be missing the message entirely...

"Hey, lookit' them horses! They look like me... proud n' ready to go! If that's what yer' sayin' about the present, then pardner, you'd be right! Yeee-HAW!" Urth shakes her head, her good eye betraying a strange combination of amusement and irritation. The mechanical Rapidash peers expectantly at the last card, which supposedly will reveal the Rapidash's future... "Well, what'r y'waitin' fer? This is the big one! This is the whole reason I'm doin' this crazy card shuffle! What's the future got in store for me?"

Urth shakes her head with a hint of sadness, and turns to Selene, who turns the card over for her little friend. "Urth cannot see the future clearly anymore... Though her vision for the past is sharper than it ever was," Selene comments as she turns over the card. The Rapidash gasps with shock. "No... no, y'can't mean it! Y'can't..."

The card staring back at her is Death.

Urth, sensing Rapidash's fear, immediately starts responding with a series of quick chirps, most likely in a desperate attempt to reassure the robotic entity that the card is strictly metaphorical... to no avail.

"I don't wanna die! I only just got livin'! Oh my Arceus... Oh my Arceus!! What am I gonna do?"

Meanwhile, Selene has agreed to perform a palm reading for Alice, and asks Alice to provide her with either her right or left hand. "There are different schools of thought about which hand should be read, of course... Some say the hand should be the one you use to write with. Some say that the left hand should be used for women. Still others claim that the future is shown with the right, and the past with the left... With so many different views on the matter, I think the choice is best left to you, my dear. Now, please give me your hand..."

((In order to receive a more accurate reading, please answer some questions based on your preferred hand.

1) Which of these descriptions most closely matches the structure and look of your palm/fingers?
a) Hands are very square-set with boxy fingers and thumbs and square-ish fingernails. The skin is usually coarse and thick in texture. The colour is reddish and ruddy. Has fewer but deeper lines.
b) A square-ish or rectangular palm with long fingers, low-set thumbs and fairly prominent knuckles. Skin is often dry and a little pale. Has many lines which are lighter in definition.
c) A squat, oval-shaped palm. Fingers are long, often thin and flexible. Skin is soft and supple. Has fewer but deeper lines.
d) Palms are square or rectangular and potentially greater in length than fingers. Skin is flushed or pink-ish. Fingers are squat but not blunt. Has many lines which are lighter in definition.

2) Using this picture as a guide, identify the four major lines on your chosen hand. Bear in mind that line 4 is not always present on an individual's hand.
Please indicate all of the options that apply for line 1:
a) Begins below the index finger
b) Begins below the middle finger
c) Begins in the middle
d) Straight and short
e) Touches life line
f) Long and curvy
g) Straight and parallel to the head line
h) Wavy
i) Circle on the line
j) Broken line
k) Smaller lines crossing through major line

3) Using this picture as a guide, identify the four major lines on your chosen hand. Bear in mind that line 4 is not always present on an individual's hand.
Please indicate all of the options that apply for line 2:
a) Short line
b) Curved, sloping line
c) Separated from line 1
d) Wavy line
e) Deep, long line
f) Straight line
g) Donuts or cross in line
h) Broken line
i) Multiple crosses through line

4) Using this picture as a guide, identify the four major lines on your chosen hand. Bear in mind that line 4 is not always present on an individual's hand.
Please indicate all of the options that apply for line 3:
a) Runs close to thumb
b) Curvy
c) Long, deep
d) Short and shallow
e) Swoops around in a semicircle
f) Straight and close to the edge of the palm
g) Multiple lines
h) Circle in line
i) Breaks

5) Using this picture as a guide, identify the four major lines on your chosen hand. Bear in mind that line 4 is not always present on an individual's hand.
Please indicate all of the options that apply for line 4 (if you have one):
a) Deep line
b) Breaks and changes of direction
c) Starts joined to line 3
d) Joins with line 3 somewhere in the middle
e) Starts at base of thumb and crosses line 3

Answer as accurately as you can. Your fate, quite literally, rests in your hands.))



poketim2- ((Welcome to Phantom Isle! Since you are in my group, you will need to use #9933FF as your post color from now on when replying to updates. I hope you enjoy your time here~ *Evil laugh*))

Brier and his pal Jitterz take a stroll down the walkways of Phantom Isle's abandoned theme park, discussing a bet which resulted in the young man having to travel with his Joltik to the supposedly haunted locale. While neither man nor Pokemon has seen anything particularly out of the ordinary, it is a bit strange how an otherwise bright and sunny day in Fizzytopia turned dark and ominous the moment the two stepped foot inside the theme park. Then again, sudden changes in weather were common in this area, and it would be silly to jump to conclusions, right? The pair are not about to let the foreboding atmosphere get them down, after all... Their playful banter indicates that, despite the stormy weather, the pair are ready for whatever comes their way. Of course, Jitterz seems far more ready to go than his trainer; as such, the Joltik utilizes his web-making ability and shoots string at his human companion, forming a leash of sorts with which the little Joltik can use to pull his considerably larger partner into the haunted attraction. As Brier is dragged unceremoniously through entrance of the House of Mirrors, he can at least be grateful that no one is around to see his humiliating predicament... yet despite the fact that the park appears deserted, Brier can't help but feel as if he is being watched. Was that the sound of laughter he heard in the distance, or just the wind? Perhaps Brier's imagination was getting the better of him.

As Jitterz drags Brier into the House of Mirrors, the little Joltik seems quite amused by the variety of mirrors which distort his captive trainer in rather humorous ways. Eventually, Brier breaks free of his String Shot leash, but as he stands up, he is drawn to a mirror that stands out as not displaying a mere reflection; in fact, the mirror appears to have a scene painted over it. As Brier gets closer to the mirror, however, he realizes that the "picture" over the mirror is actually moving... It appears to be some kind of thick forest area trapped within the mirror, with large, shady trees forming a path into the distance. Was this some kind of illusion? Brier and his partner look around, but don't see any means by which such a scene could be projected onto the mirror. Perhaps it was a TV screen, but it was unlikely that the amusement park would even have access to such advanced technology when it was still in operation. As the pair looks around the area, Jitterz suddenly notices a man sticking his head out from behind the trees. "MARCUS, MARCUS!" He shouts, alerting Brier to his presence. Brier is a bit confused at the shouting, seeing as his name clearly isn't Marcus.

As the man cries out, an incredibly unusual Pokemon floats out from behind the man... No, it can't be, but there it is, right in front of their eyes...! Brier and Jitterz stare in wonderment as a shiny Jirachi floats out from behind the man, looking in similar wonderment at Brier and Jitterz.

"The Great Mirror has granted our wish," the Jirachi remarks happily, in startlingly pristine English. The legendary being then calls out to the pair in the House of Mirrors; "Please come join us, you two! We need your help!"

"MARCUS!" The man cries out again.

What will Brier and Jitterz do?



Dark Searchman- The pair of Frillish listen to Hyrem's plan intently, noting that Hyrem himself seems unsure about the strategy he describes. Indeed, he can perceive some substantial flaws already, and sincerely hopes that the Frillish might be able to help him brainstorm a more effective method of tackling the macabre security system guarding the lair. The Frillish, however, do not seem in the mood to keep talking, as the pink Frillish looks behind her fretfully.

"Well, we will have to give it a shot. It won't be long, now... The zombies are bound to figure out that the other Frillish are decoys, and then they'll be after us." The pink Frillish giggles a bit, as if suddenly taken by a pleasant memory. "I used to make cloth dolls for my little sister... It passes the time down here, though material is scarce... often from clothes of corpses and whatnot. Never thought the talent would actually be so use-"

"Frill! Frill Frill-iii!" The Blue Frillish snaps his sister out of her reverie and points to Hyrem's skin, which appears to be turning abnormally pale. Indeed, the transformation has been gradually setting in, which creates yet another time-limiting factor. With the two Frillish resolutely going full speed ahead towards the door, it seems as if Hyrem has no other choice but to enact his original plan, no matter how unsure of it he may be. The Frillish, who seem to know what they are doing from their last attempt at destroying the lair, swim in such a way that the eyes are unable to see them until they are at close range; Hyrem and Delilah follow close behind, not wanting to alert the eyes to their presence. When the pink Frillish finally gives the signal to Delilah, she is able to successfully stun the eyes with a brilliant Flash. The following Shock Wave, which travels surprisingly well in water, is attracted by the conductive ocular decorations and appears to destroy all the eyes on the right side of the wall! The Frillish, working quickly, use their tentacles in a jabbing motion to pop the eyes out of the left side of the wall... Gruesome, but effective, which means that the group was successful in their efforts to disarm the security system at the entrance. The plan worked like a charm; however, would it be that successful in the hallway...?

From inside the entrance, Hyrem and Delilah can see that the hallway is long, dark, dank and cramped. There is, indeed, a light at the end of this tunnel, but the eerie red glow of the illuminated room at the end of the hall doesn't exactly inspire hope in Hyrem or his undersea companions. Though the group cannot see the eyes, based on what is illuminated and the pattern in which the eyeballs are placed, there are probably about 10 pairs of eyes on either side of the wall.

Certainly, Hyrem and Delilah could try and utilize their plan from before, or quickly try and think of a better strategy. The choice is theirs. They have to think quickly, however... Hyrem can feel his own eyes growing weak...

How will Hyrem and Delilah react?



gmoyes- Alex is quick to recognize that while the individual who played this game may not have any of the Pokemon in his Pokedex that require trading to evolve, the person still would have to trade somehow in order to fill up the rest of his Pokedex... After all, how would this individual manage to Pokemon exclusive to Blue version, or the other starters, or the other fossil Pokemon? Then again, considering the number of items this person had, it was clear that he had done some hacking. Perhaps he stopped playing the game before he could finish hacking every Pokemon into his Pokedex, or had some vendetta against Pokemon that evolved exclusively by trade... Whatever the case, it was puzzling, but probably not something worth mulling over too extensively.

Alex also reasons that, since the spirit hackers used a glitch in order to connect to the outside world, perhaps other famous Red Version glitches would have a similar effect. Alex summons up a textbox, and suggests to Red that perhaps the pair should try the Mew glitch or the Missingno. glitch. Red nods, and brings up a textbox of his own:

"Either way, we'll need to catch something that learns FLY... Okay, let's head towards Route 8. We can brainstorm as we travel." The pair walks towards Route 8, with Red making textboxes as he goes. "I honestly like the Mew glitch better, since it's more reliable... but like you said, we have no idea if this guy fought that particular gambler or not. Mew's not in his Pokedex, so it hasn't been captured yet. Not sure what to make of that." The colors and music around them shifts as the pair leaves the eerie Lavender Town. Red inevitably has arrived at a spot in the game where a trainer battle is inevitable; even if he sneaks behind one trainer, the other will spot him and challenge him to a battle. Red boldly walks in front of the female trainer's sprite, but the woman does not respond. Instead, she stares blankly at Red, and something about her lack of responsiveness is eerie to Alex... Outside of the game, she would just blend in with the scenery, no big deal... but in the game, the deafening silence that surrounds her is far more unsettling when placed in a perspective looking directly into the inactive trainer's eyes. Red seems to be feeling uneasy as well, and quickly walks away, only to be met with a grassy field blocked off by a tree. Since the pair are not able to CUT the tree down, Red encourages Alex to follow him to Saffron City, while carefully avoiding any movement that could trigger the gambler from the Mew glitch. As the pair walks into Saffron City, Red becomes talkative again. "Of course, this guy clearly has been using some kind of item duplication glitch, which involves MissingNo, right? It's a riskier glitch to mess with, but may be more effective for what we're trying to achieve. Who knows? All I know is that I have 99 Master Balls, so we can catch whatever we want. Hey, um..." Red trails off. "Actually, never mind... I was going to ask what you were like outside the game, but hopefully I'll be able to find out for myself when we get out of here, heh!"

Finally, the two of you make it to Route 7 (which has the same theme as Route 4), where a patch of grass lies waiting to be explored. It doesn't take long for the familiar battle theme to begin playing as the screen flashes, indicating a wild Pokemon encounter. As luck would have it, a wild PIDGEY appears, at Lv.19. Though Red calls Alex out onto the battlefield, Alex knows instinctively that a true battle won't really be taking place this time around; as expected, a Master Ball flies through the air, which captures the Pidgey without fail. Red, for some reason, decides to nickname the Pidgey "FREEDOM". When the screen fades back to the two trapped souls on Route 7, one of Red's textboxes appears; "Hopefully, it'll live up to its name, right?" Alex can almost hear a ghostlike laughter emanating from Red's sprite. As Red goes through the appropriate steps to teach the Pidgey how to Fly, his textboxes overlap the menus. "So, we have the Pidgey... I'm replacing its GUST with FLY, okay? Not that it matters... What DOES matter is which glitch we end up doing. I think it should be up to you."

Indeed, perhaps it should be up to Alex... While this Red seems to have his heart in the right place, he may not have the same strategic mind as a man who has been granted the analytical power of a Porygon.

How will Alex respond?



uhhhhh- Connor is quick to realize that he has little way of distinguishing the Drifloon who helped him earlier from the other members of the group, and asks the Drifloon if he might be able to provide Connor with a name. The Drifloon inhales while Connor introduces himself and Gaspard, and exhales the name "Sam" when Connor has finished his sentence. The Drifloon named Sam inhales again, prepared for Connor to ask more questions. Indeed, Connor is anxious to know what kind of help Sam needs from the trainer and his Aipom. The photographer assumes that it has something to do with the strange Balloon Man, who likely was the culprit behind the transformation of these Drifloon; when Sam exhales, however, the airy sound imitates a harsh laugh.

"You seem to be the only one stupid enough-"

Sam begins squeaking as he runs out of air, but another Drifloon tries to finish his sentence for him. "-stupid enough to think that we would challenge-"

Yet another Drifloon chimes in. "-the Balloon Man. That's the last thing we need." Sam lets out a small sigh before reinflating again.

"We need to get out of here. We... can't find the way out. It's like-"

"-we're cursed." Another Drifloon graciously finishes the sentence for Sam. Sam reinflates, and begins again.

"I can prob'ly last a few more weeks, but my wife needs-"

Sam still has some air left to finish his sentence, but another Drifloon cuts him off, a sad expression clear on the little balloon's face. "Sam, while you were gone, your-"

"your wife blanked out. We didn't want-"

"you to see her like that, so we let her wander-" The Drifloon stops, but not for lack of air. It seems hesitant to continue speaking on its own, but none of the other Drifloons seem to want to chime in. Sam turns to face Connor, clearly distraught. He inhales, very deeply, and when Sam begins speaking again, it is soft and slow, so that he can speak with as few interruptions and reinhalations as possible.

"Do you know what blankout is, Connor? The curse does not just affect our bodies, it affects our minds, as well. The clock starts ticking the moment transformation happens. Memories begin fading away, one by one, until there is nothing left... that is blankout." Sam sighs, which allows him to take in more air. "We came here looking for our son, when the Balloon Man assured us that he had run into the House of Mirrors. Gave us some balloons, for free... Said it was 'cause he felt bad for us, missing a son and all." Sam reinhales. "My wife... she wanted to forget. I knew this, but... I held out hope..."

One of the other 'floons wraps a string-like appendage around Sam's body, as if trying to comfort him. "Connor and Gaspard will help us! We'll get out, and make new memories, while we can... Like you wanted!"

"We'll ride the winds of Fizzytopia, make new friends-" another Drifloon starts, also trying to rekindle the hope in Sam's heart.

"Go places we've never been -"

"We'll never look into another mirror again!" At this statement, all of the Drifloons let out a hearty cheer. Even Sam, despite his sadness, is able to manage a little, airy hurrah.

"What do you say, monkeys?" Sam tilts his balloon head, desperately trying to act tough and hold back tears in the face of the trainer and his Aipom.

How will Connor and Gaspard respond?



takkupanda- Having encountered the first obstacle in their quest, Broly suggests a solution to the problem that any pyromaniac would love; burning the bushes down would certainly clear their path in a hurry! That said, Marcelo is concerned about the possibility of having to deal with the fire burning out of control, and the last thing the pair wants to deal with is attempting to put something like that out. Of course, this left their only other viable option, which was to follow the path covered in large, ominous-looking footprints. Broly seems quite concerned at Marcelo's decision, and lets out a despondent yowl, likely indicating that he recognized those tracks to be big trouble. The big claws and padded feet of the footprints suggested something big, and very likely mean... Even so, Marcelo is quick to encourage Broly, saying that nothing could happen to them if the two remained together. Perhaps not entirely true, but it seems to be enough for Broly, who wags his tail and barks in agreement.

As the two take to the path, Broly examines the footprints with his powerful puppy nose. Though the sight of these footprints had initially made Broly quite uneasy, whatever he seems to be smelling seems to intrigue him, as he navigates the path rather quickly, following his nose to the source of the scent. As Marcelo follows Broly, the narrow path between the bushes yields to the wide-open fairground, which includes the berry bushes that line the Merry-Go-Round. Much to Marcelo's disappointment, these bushes seem as bare as the ones near the Mantine Mania station. How will Marcelo complete his quest now? This problem does not seem to be much of a concern to Broly at the moment, who excitedly follows the footprints. He is drawn right to a rather large, brilliant red Aspear Berry bush, which appears to have been picked clean save for a few small, barely-ripe berries. As Broly sniffs his way behind the bush, looking rather unintimidated by the large prints, he barks loudly and happily, in order to indicate to Marcelo that he has found something interesting.

Marcelo turns the corner to check out what's going on, and sees that Broly's bark has startled a young-looking Wurmple, whose body is covered in dirt. Beneath the Wurmple is a half-finished pawprint with evidence of digmarks, which appears to be leading inside of its cozy little nest full of various types of berries. This Wurmple looks to be only a baby, but it seems as if the creature is rather clever for its age... Upset that its plan to intimidate would-be berry thieves did not account for Pokemon with a strong sense of smell, the angry bug-type glares at Broly; the creature may be at a severe disadvantage, but it is certainly not about to back down, even against a Growlithe! The creature makes its intentions clear by firing off a Poison Sting, which the quick-thinking Growlithe barely dodges! This little one means business.

How will Broly and Marcelo respond?



MarbleZone- Levin is determined to work hard and impress the lovely Calandra, and displayed his resolution through strong eye-contact with the beautiful, hot-tempered Ruby. The questions are a bit too personal for Levin's liking, but he is firm in his decision to stick it out, even if these questions are a sign of more uncomfortable, potentially painful trials to come. Ruby maintains this eye contact with a strong gaze of his own, clearly not one to back down. Ruby's eyes are intense and thoughtful as Levin answers each question to the best of his ability, not missing a word of what Levin has to say. Once the trainer has finished speaking, Ruby nods decisively, as if he has already made up his mind.

"Very well, Kevin." Ruby smirks playfully. "You seem like a man who cannot accept defeat... always looking for another way, an alternate method... a man who relies on brains over brawn. Hmph, I suppose that could be a good thing. Then again, you couldn't just put the Wailmer in a Pokeball and put it in the breadbox that way, hmmmm? I have to hand it to you, though... you answered my last question correctly. The answer, of course, is that you do not disappoint me in the first place, as you stated." The Mismagius chuckles. "Truth be told, you're an a**-kisser and a fool, but I think I have just the job for someone like you." Ruby floats back towards the "Staff" door, phasing through it for a brief moment, before phasing back out again with what appear to be a pair of tuxes; one is human-sized, while the other is considerably smaller, as if tailored to fit a Pokemon. Ruby hands the human-sized tux to Levin, while giving the smaller tuxedo to Crix. "Oh, you two are going to be downright adorable... but looks alone won't get you through this task. Think those Jellicent are magnificent and regal, hmmm? HAH! Well, I hope you weren't bulls****ing me, because that's where you're going. Oh, no long faces now... you're not their dinner. Yet." Ruby cackles ominously. "They bought out the balcony seats, as they always do, and will be expecting the VIP treatment. You will be the one to serve them. Ohhh, but they will let you know if you mess up. Believe me, they will let you know... hehehe. Let me show you to the dressing rooms so that you can both get into uniform..."

Ruby leads Levin and Crix towards the stage, where Callandra and Orfeo were walking moments before. Suddenly, Ruby snaps around, as if suddenly aware of something. "Cover your ears, mortal," Ruby hisses, "if you value your stupid life." Seeing as you and Crix value your "stupid lives", you both do as directed. As the Mismagius and his new hires walk toward the dressing room, the sound of singing barely seeps through to Levin's ears, causing him to become overwhelmed with the same melancholic feeling that he experienced when he heard Calandra's humming... His heart begins to hurt, metaphorically first, and then literally... Was this what having a heart attack felt like? His heart feels as if it might explode in his chest! Resisting the urge to clutch his heart, his pain is finally relieved when the singing suddenly stops. As the dressing room door opens, Calandra pokes her head out sheepishly, and sees Levin and Crix covering their ears. "Are you both alright?" She asks, clearly concerned for their health, before Orfeo appears at the doorway, looks at Levin with a scowl, and ushers Calandra back into the dressing room, shutting the door loudly behind him. "Wonder what's gotten into Orfie," Ruby says with a giant grin. "Well, I guess you'll have to use a different dressing room if he won't let you in. Oh, but I do love when actors throw their little temper tantrums! It's so amusing. This way, my little slaves~"

Ruby takes the trainer and his Pokemon to a smaller dressing room on the other side of the stage; Ruby opens the door, turns on the light and shoves the pair inside, closing the door behind them. There appears to be stalls for both people and Pokemon, which appear more cramped, but will at least get the job done. "Get changed, and hurry! Oh, and while you're in there, think of a good, regal name for them to call you and your sparkplug. Kevin is silly! Think of something more... classy. You better be oozing class when Oceanus comes to pick you up and explain your duties, or I'll be putting salt and pepper on the two of you!"

How will Levin and Crix respond?



Itzatrap- Rob decides that he would like to get to know this little Patrat better. With a little kindness, perhaps the Patrat would be willing to show Rob and Melantha where it received such a beautiful piece of jewelry. Though the little creature is initially nervous at being directly addressed by Rob, it eventually relaxes upon realizing that the trainer and his Pokemon do not appear to mean any harm. The creature gives a little bow in response to Rob's greeting, and introduces himself in Patrat language, though Rob cannot understand exactly what the creature is saying. Based on Melantha's facial expression, however, Rob can guess that the greeting was a fairly typical one. The Patrat's expression changes when Rob suggests that it ride Mantine Mania with them... The creature shakes its head emphatically, backing up a bit, as if vehemently against the idea of going anywhere near the ride; however, when Rob suggests that the creature take him to where it received its lovely earring, the Patrat seems far more receptive. Now, there was something that the Patrat would love to do! Holding out both of its front paws, the creature speaks in its native language, which Rob once again cannot understand... Thankfully, Melantha demonstrates for Rob, and places her paw in one of the Patrat's hands. The Patrat reaches out to Rob with its other paw, as if expecting Rob to take it. Melantha seems a little suspicious of whatever the Patrat said... Perhaps something about how it could take them to the treasure if the pair are willing to take each of its paws. Whatever it says, Rob now has a choice as to whether or not he will trust this strange little being. Then again, what could a little Patrat possibly do...?



Balmund- With the risk of hitting the audience being too great to continue using long-ranged attacks, Balmund decides that switching to close combat is the most reasonable option, ordering Durandal to perform a Leer attack before performing some short-range moves. William is visibly crossing his fingers and muttering a quick prayer to himself as Balmund gives his orders, clearly hoping that this strategy will work. Going into entertainment mode, William grins at the audience and follows suit with his own orders to Averil, choosing also to perform a few close-combat moves.

"Well, everyone, it's up to you! Shout out who you think has the scariest Leer... Not that there's any contest, haha! We're gonna follow it up with a Dual Chop, and a wicked Dragon Claw! C'mon, people! Show Averil some love!" Everyone claps and cheers, looking very excited for the dragon's ferocious leer attacks. Some mothers pick up their children in preparation, while others seem to urge their children forward for such an exciting glimpse into the true power of the dragon spirit. The crowd is not disappointed; both Leer attacks frighten and delight the audience, with both Averil and Durandal seeming to receive equal shouts of support. As for the Dusknoir, it is difficult to tell if they have been affected by it, though there was really only one way to find out... Before Averil and Durandal can unleash their attacks, however, the two Dusknoir lurch forward with their respective attacks; the Dusknoir opposite Durandal tries to smash his fist into the dragon's face with a super-effective Ice Punch, but Durandal dodges just in time to barely miss the harrowing attack! The crowd wonders what Durandal could possibly have jerked suddenly for, though they seem to be generally thinking that he was displaying his awesome dodge ability... or maybe that he was intimidated by Averil! The Averil fans in the crowd seem pretty convinced of this theory, at any rate. Meanwhile, the Dusknoir opposite Averil takes advantage of her burned status and comes at her with a nasty Hex, which manages to make contact and do some heavy damage to Averil. Fortunately, the dragon takes the hit like a champ, and the crowd doesn't even seem to notice her pain. Her stoicism is truly impressive, and suggests an incredible amount of training and discipline. Even so, Balmund can sense the pain and fury in her eyes.

Durandal's next move impresses the audience, who feels as if the Shadow Claw was coming right towards them! They seem to have quite a bit of trust in both Balmund and William, whom they appear to be regarding as "professionals" in the art of stunt Pokemon. While that assumption may be entirely untrue, the attack manages to hit its intended target and spare the audience. Certainly, the Dusknoir is in a great deal of pain as a result of the super-effective strike rending through its ghostly body, made only stronger by the previous defense-lowering glare. Durandal seems quite proud of himself for the amazingly-executed move, which has the audience clapping vigorously; however, the Salamence clearly understands that it is too early in the game to give in to such emotions. Averil is similarly successful, with a devastating Dual Chop, both blows smacking the Dusknoir opposite her with incredible force. It seems as if both combatants were fortunate this round. As for the Dusknoir opposite Durandal, his attempt at another Ice Punch, again, results in missing the mark, as the Salamance steps back, attempting to pretend that he is giving himself space for his next awe-inspiring attack. The dodge move works, and is considerably less conspicuous than his first. Meanwhile, the Dusknoir opposite Averil seems similarly cursed by the gods of chance, as its Confuse Ray totally misses the mark; Averil anticipates the attack and closes her eyes just in time to avoid confusion! Talk about a flawless round!

Unfortunately, Durandal's Crunch does not meet with similar results... The Dusknoir phases out of existance just in time, which leaves Durandal crunching a big bite out of one of the food court tables! The young couple sitting at the table yell out in shock, but seem amused at the trick more than anything else. Of course, the food court attendants seem far less happy about Duran causing property damage, and now seem to be watching the battle carefully to make sure that nothing else is harmed. Averil's Dragon Claw similarly misses, though her vicious claws swipe at nothing but air, avoiding damage to any property or people. Both Dusknoir seem to have vanished... Are they planning another Astonish? Both Averil and Durandal are on guard, looking in all directions, prepping themselves in the event that they are startled... However, they are shocked and dismayed when both Dusknoir reappear among the crowd!! One seems to be hovering in an empty space just behind the audience, while the other is "sitting" at a booth in the center of the food court. By the looks of them, the one in the crowd is Durandal's mark, while the one at the booth is Averil's. The lady Haxorus snarls with a burning hatred at the Dusknoir sitting at the booth. In dragon language, Durandal can clearly hear her hiss the words, Filthy coward! William, too, is trying to hide his rage at the pair of Dusknoir, who seem to be pressing the boundaries further and further.

At the end of this round, Duran is still in tip-top shape, having been masterful at dodging for two consecutive rounds. Averil is looking a bit rough, especially considering the burn/hex combo, though she is far from giving up. Duran's Dusknoir opponent is likely missing half of its health, and still seems to be suffering from the burn it received earlier. Averil's Dusknoir is severely damaged, and may not last another round... provided Averil can get to it. Balmund and William will have to make some difficult decisions, and make them quickly.

How will Balmund respond?



Shadowshocker- The scientist Shadow finds himself presented with a number of questions, many of which have frightening implications; certainly, there were rumors and strange reports regarding the Ghost Train incident in the Phantom Isle Theme Park. These bits of information often claimed that "ghosts" or "hauntings" had prevented any meaningful attempts at reconstruction from taking place since the incident, which implied some measure of malevolence on the part of the spirits inhabiting the park. That much was known even by people without access to a top-secret intelligence network... but why had these hauntings spread to the Hotel? More importantly, why were these spirits acting so friendly and helpful when their counterparts in the Park were rumored to be malicious and cruel? Was it all an act, or could these ghosts be the result of an entirely different phenomenon? Who knows, maybe the intel about the park itself had been flawed... Perhaps the spirits only sought to protect their home from those who would significantly alter it or make it less inhabitable for ghosts. Shadow knows that the answers to these questions can only be found by exploring the Hotel for himself, but without the assurance that these spirits truly mean no harm, it is a hard reality for Shadow to accept...

Pyrrhos chuckles a bit at the eccentric little Chatot on Shadow's shoulder. "I will do no such thing," he says in response to her random outburst regarding messing up her clothes. "I do agree that we should move forward, however." Indeed, Shadow seems to agree with the more rational of Scherza's statements, and allows himself to move forward under the watchful eye of the Chandelure. The scientist asks to be directed to the Boutique; Pyrrhos nods in agreement, and uses one of his candle-arms to point in the direction of the stairs. "This way, sir... I do not believe I caught your name. I apologize." Pyrrhos bows his head with a bit of embarrassment at the social faux pas before slowly floating in the direction of the stairs, moving so that Shadow and his two bird companions could easily follow behind. As the ghostly chandelier makes its way towards the Boutique, he occasionally stops and waves at what initially appears to be nothing; as he waves his candle-covered appendage in the direction of what he is greeting, however, it becomes apparent that he is greeting a spirit wandering the halls of the Hotel. Shadow continues to find it remarkable at how friendly these ghosts are, and how they all seem to know Pyrrhos... A particularly energetic young girl even jumps up and down upon seeing Pyrrhos, clapping her hands excitedly! Shadow watches the girl's display with vague interest, wondering what has her so excited. The girl seems equally happy to see Shadow, and waves to him as well. Shadow thinks that she is about to say "Hello," but only the first syllable escapes her lips before her greeting is+ cut off by Chandelure's flame, which draws away from the girl, causing her to disappear from Shadow's mortal vision.

Finally, Pyrrhos leads Shadow and his pair of ladybirds to what appears to be the hotel's gift shop; the sign above the store simply says "Boutique". Though the architecture of the shop indicates that the store was originally intended for high-end merchandise and the finest toiletries for the well-to-do clients that once called the Hotel their second home in the past, little statues out front of adorable Pikachus carrying bags full of theme park merchandise and a Ducklett trying on a funny hat suggest that the "Boutique" was rennovated in the more recent past to include all sorts of Theme Park memorabilia. The windows appear to have been smashed in (perhaps by robbers), and Shadow makes a mental note to beware of broken glass when he enters the store. Pyrrhos shakes his head. "It amazes me how greedy humans can be... Trying to steal from the dead! How dreadful. I certainly hope that was not your intent in coming here..." Pyrrhos chuckles. "Ah, but you don't strike me as the thieving type. More the curious sort... am I right?" The Chandelure gazes intensely at Shadow and his companions for a moment before continuing. "Of course, no one can resist a bit of treasure, can they? I might be able to help you in that regard... Or, if you wish to speak to the spirits who inhabit the Boutique, I may be able to assist in such an endeavor, as well. The choice is yours."

Certainly, both options are enticing. While a treasure hunt may provide some fascinating items and material wealth, the information held by the spirits of the Boutique may provide a certain wealth in their own right... How will Shadow respond?

[Meetan]

Meetan- As Alice expresses her preference for palmistry, Urth turns over the next card for the mechanical Rapidash, which reveals the creature's present situation. The Chariot, in the upright position, suggests a journey with much adversity and the need for perserverence. Of course, the Rapidash seems to be missing the message entirely...

"Hey, lookit' them horses! They look like me... proud n' ready to go! If that's what yer' sayin' about the present, then pardner, you'd be right! Yeee-HAW!" Urth shakes her head, her good eye betraying a strange combination of amusement and irritation. The mechanical Rapidash peers expectantly at the last card, which supposedly will reveal the Rapidash's future... "Well, what'r y'waitin' fer? This is the big one! This is the whole reason I'm doin' this crazy card shuffle! What's the future got in store for me?"

Urth shakes her head with a hint of sadness, and turns to Selene, who turns the card over for her little friend. "Urth cannot see the future clearly anymore... Though her vision for the past is sharper than it ever was," Selene comments as she turns over the card. The Rapidash gasps with shock. "No... no, y'can't mean it! Y'can't..."

The card staring back at her is Death.

Urth, sensing Rapidash's fear, immediately starts responding with a series of quick chirps, most likely in a desperate attempt to reassure the robotic entity that the card is strictly metaphorical... to no avail.

"I don't wanna die! I only just got livin'! Oh my Arceus... Oh my Arceus!! What am I gonna do?"

Meanwhile, Selene has agreed to perform a palm reading for Alice, and asks Alice to provide her with either her right or left hand. "There are different schools of thought about which hand should be read, of course... Some say the hand should be the one you use to write with. Some say that the left hand should be used for women. Still others claim that the future is shown with the right, and the past with the left... With so many different views on the matter, I think the choice is best left to you, my dear. Now, please give me your hand..."

((In order to receive a more accurate reading, please answer some questions based on your preferred hand.

1) Which of these descriptions most closely matches the structure and look of your palm/fingers?
a) Hands are very square-set with boxy fingers and thumbs and square-ish fingernails. The skin is usually coarse and thick in texture. The colour is reddish and ruddy. Has fewer but deeper lines.
b) A square-ish or rectangular palm with long fingers, low-set thumbs and fairly prominent knuckles. Skin is often dry and a little pale. Has many lines which are lighter in definition.
c) A squat, oval-shaped palm. Fingers are long, often thin and flexible. Skin is soft and supple. Has fewer but deeper lines.
d) Palms are square or rectangular and potentially greater in length than fingers. Skin is flushed or pink-ish. Fingers are squat but not blunt. Has many lines which are lighter in definition.

2) Using this picture as a guide, identify the four major lines on your chosen hand. Bear in mind that line 4 is not always present on an individual's hand.
Please indicate all of the options that apply for line 1:
a) Begins below the index finger
b) Begins below the middle finger
c) Begins in the middle
d) Straight and short
e) Touches life line
f) Long and curvy
g) Straight and parallel to the head line
h) Wavy
i) Circle on the line
j) Broken line
k) Smaller lines crossing through major line

3) Using this picture as a guide, identify the four major lines on your chosen hand. Bear in mind that line 4 is not always present on an individual's hand.
Please indicate all of the options that apply for line 2:
a) Short line
b) Curved, sloping line
c) Separated from line 1
d) Wavy line
e) Deep, long line
f) Straight line
g) Donuts or cross in line
h) Broken line
i) Multiple crosses through line

4) Using this picture as a guide, identify the four major lines on your chosen hand. Bear in mind that line 4 is not always present on an individual's hand.
Please indicate all of the options that apply for line 3:
a) Runs close to thumb
b) Curvy
c) Long, deep
d) Short and shallow
e) Swoops around in a semicircle
f) Straight and close to the edge of the palm
g) Multiple lines
h) Circle in line
i) Breaks

5) Using this picture as a guide, identify the four major lines on your chosen hand. Bear in mind that line 4 is not always present on an individual's hand.
Please indicate all of the options that apply for line 4 (if you have one):
a) Deep line
b) Breaks and changes of direction
c) Starts joined to line 3
d) Joins with line 3 somewhere in the middle
e) Starts at base of thumb and crosses line 3

Answer as accurately as you can. Your fate, quite literally, rests in your hands.))

Alice smiled and thanked Selena for allowing her a palm reading, and in fact looked quite excited at the prospect! However, this feeling was dulled by the Rapidash’s loud panic and misunderstanding. Watching the display actually made her feel a bit guilty: she often got like that because as laid back about some matters as she could be, the girl was ridiculous about others, like fire and bugs and even ghosts.

“It’s only a metaphor, Rapidash. You probably won’t die, it’s just a bad omen. Those things are what you have to watch out for or overcome, like a test.” She explained, recalling various fictions where that card had arisen. The trainer took a seat, extending her left hand. “I’m a girl, and I write with my left, so let’s just hope it doesn’t repeat my actual past, right?”

In terms of the lines in her hand, line one started between the forefinger and middle, and it wasn’t too long, but had a slight slope to the end of her square hand, in which her thumb was shorter than the others, but also shaped more like a finger. In fact, if one were to compare the anatomy of her hand to a chimpanzee’s, there’d be little difference! Her hands were also soft, with low set knuckles, and a slight flush that betrayed the pastiness of the rest of her complexion.

Line two was also curved, with a deeper slope that was entirely disconnected from the first. It was also longer in comparison. Line three, however, was incredibly short and disconnected from the others, and also short and shallow. There didn’t even appear to be a fourth line. It looked like one had attempted to form by her middle finger, and broken off and ended right away.

Alice watched Selena and the Natu intently, flashing her mechanical friend the occasional look of sympathy and affection. What would the fate in her hand be?

((Stats.))