Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Union of Stars [IC/Not Accepting]

Sethera · June 24, 2023

Jirachi tilted its head at Hector. "Huh? Did I blast you? Eheh, sorry, I'm a restless sleeper sometimes. But now you're all better, so why don't we let bygones be bygones?" When Es addressed it, it giggled and twirled in the air alongside the Rotom. "You got it! I make everyone's dreams come true… maybe. ♪" And when both Es and Z. snapped at each other, the Pokémon leaned toward Chester. "Wow! Do those two always fight like this? It must be an exciting experience, for sure. But… I think I see now why the mystery dungeon spat you all out like Cheri pits."

After the altercation, when Es resumed her zipping, Jirachi stayed in place this time. "My name isn't Jiji, but… it sounds fun, so I'll let you call me that." The Pokémon beamed as if it had granted Es an amazing privilege. "And I can see you two get along like Zangoose and Seviper!" Even while saying that, the smile never left its face. "Still, mean words can't be taken back, so don't get carried away… okay? By the way, since I didn't say it before, I'll say it now. Nice to meet you all! ♪" It waved a hand in the air at the group.

"Anyway," it giggled, "Before we really get carried away, I will try my best to explain things." Its eyes glowed light blue then, and its next words came directly into everybody's heads. Not just the Pokémon gathered in front of Jirachi, but also the ones surveying the land for coconuts.

"As I'm sure you've all figured out, this place you've all found yourselves in is the world of Pokémon. And it's my fault you're here. At least… I think so." Jirachi bobbed in the air. "This world is in trouble. And I made a wish upon the stars to save it. Right after, you all showed up!" It beamed. "Since I am a genius, I just know that there is a connection. You seven (or twelve) must be the heroes this world needs!"

Edited June 24, 2023 by Sethera

Cheshire Toon · June 24, 2023

Hector very nearly inserted himself into Z. and Es' spat as a mediator, purely out of habit, but decided against it. They were both—from what he gathered—adults, he was no longer a moderator, and this was no longer an internet forum dedicated to a children's card game. They both needed to act their age and settle their own disputes.

"No hard feelings," he said to Jirachu, ignoring the argument nearby. "I can be pretty grumpy in the mornings too." Hector wasn't sure if that was true. His memories of his teenage years were the most clear to him, when getting out of bed involved a lot of grumbling and groaning, but vague memories of extremely early mornings made him wonder if he had outgrown that. Jirachi spoke again before he could think on it much more. Something about explaining things. Then—then the voice that had guided them throughout the cave echoed in his head. Hector very nearly stumbled backwards in shock, but he had mastered his body enough to find his footing before he fell.

"The voice from the cave," he mumbled. It was obvious now that he thought about it. The wind, the telepathy, Jirachi having already used their wish... Of course Jirachi had been the one to bring them here. Who else possibly could?

Hector was shocked to find that the realization made him angry. Something told him that he could not afford to be here. That there was something, someone, some place that desperately needed him there. That something would go terribly wrong if he was gone for very long. It had been a tiny, niggling thought in the back of his head since had first woken up in that cave, but now it was all he could think about. It dominated his every thought.

He took a deep breath to steady himself. "How do we get back? How long have we been gone?" Hector did his best to project a calm front, but the fact that all six voices spoke at once was a dead give away to how anxious he was. He focused harder. "I'd be more than happy to help. Honestly, I think this would have been a dream come true at one point. But I'm not a kid anymore. There's... I'm not sure, but I know there's something back home that needs me there. Something really bad is going to happen if I'm gone too long."

Edited June 24, 2023 by Cheshire Toon

LordCowCow · June 27, 2023

Clobber didn't really notice what was happening around him. He was laser focused on getting to the water and washing up. He had to stay focused so he didn't end up freaking ou- didn't end up getting annoyed at everyone being so damn stupid all the time.

He DID notice when the small bat Pokemon landed nearby....with a coconut of all things. "Wait there really was one of...forget that don't go hurting yourself for a damn, uh, fruit?"

He wasn't about to waste time trying to figure out what a coconut actually was. "Anyway, here lemme..." he reached out for the coconut, saw the clump of dirt still stuck to his fist, and pulled back. "On second thought you hold onto it for a bit I'm gonna wash this off me first. Then, I dunno, I probably can crack it open." He glanced over at the group and sighed. "Maybe a snack will get em to stop actin' up."

He began to finally wash off the dirt when suddenly a voice that was growing more familiar spoke in his mind.

"As I'm sure you've all figured out, this place you've all found yourselves in is the world of Pokémon. And it's my fault you're here. At least… I think so. This world is in trouble. And I made a wish upon the stars to save it. Right after, you all showed up! Since I am a genius, I just know that there is a connection. You seven (or twelve) must be the heroes this world needs!"

Well that wasn't that surprising. No, it was hella surprising, but it made some amount of stupid sense that the wish Pokemon would have been able to pull something crazy like this off. At least he knew that it wasn't his own wish that brought him here, he wouldn't want something like this right?

"Tch, heroes, no way someone like me is a hero. That Jirachi must be busted or somethin' if they landed on me with their wish."

He hadn't realized he said it out loud at first. He also didn't know where it had come from. What even was someone like him? He didn't really know much about what he was like. The only memories he had mainly involved arguing and posting then removing failed attempts at art. Which he supposed was not really the stuff of legends in the slightest.

He glanced over at the Noibat. "Guessing you don't got any idea about why any of us would be chosen do ya?" He glanced at the coconut. "And hand that over, I'll take it, doesn't look like you'll be able to do much with it yourself."

Skaia · June 28, 2023

Chester was glad to see that, through concerted group effort, that his idea had in fact been on the right track. With Z. joining the group to help finish off Jirachi it had awoken with one final strike. Perhaps "finish off" was an inaccurate term to use here, and particularly brutal for what the intended effect was supposed to be, but they had at least achieved the goal that they set out to do and had beaten Jirachi's subconscious into submission making them now conscious. Chester thought about the idea of it in his head yet again and couldn't help but find it strange though he didn't dwell on it any longer. Instead he just said, "good job everyone," before turning his attention to Jirachi.

Before their conversation had continued at all, though, Z. and Es had gotten into short spat. The moderator could feel a headache forming as he could see where this was going, only now realizing how temperamental the pair of Es and Z. were. As the two hurled some rather aggressive and nasty things, Chester felt the urge to step in and mediate, though Es had already ejected herself from the conversation so it wasn't something he could actually do anything about. Well, he wasn't sure what he would do either. He didn't like the idea of someone forcing an argument to a close by saying their own point and then leaving before the opposing side had a chance to respond, but his experience in moderation had told him that when things were like this they would either just end up turning on him and then going back to fighting each other, or just instantly make things worse. But at the same time, it would be bad for the both of them and the group as a whole to have this just hanging above their heads if it wasn't resolved now. Without much to do, Chester could only wait and see how it would play out between the two in their next exchange, but he couldn't help but mentally groan about it.

"Hey my name's pronounced Z.. I'd like it if you could say it like that instead of Zed."

"Oh sure, I'm sorry pal."

That was all it took. From both of them.

Turning his thoughts away from moderation and instead towards the Mythical Pokemon that had in fact been the voice that had been speaking to them in the cavern, Chester thought about their current mission now. They were brought from wherever their home originally was to this world, a world of pokemon no less. All because of Jirachi's wish, which was to do something about some big trouble in the world. Chester always saw himself as more of a solver of trouble on a more personal scale; resolve an argument here, help someone being bullied there, do chores that others were reluctant to take on, and help lead when there was leading to be done. He had never tried to solve large scale issues like global climate change, or corruption in politics or declining economic conditions. As such, saving the world was a task much larger than what he was used to. But, if such a task was entrusted to him, and was only able to be done by him of course the Chespin would do what he could in his power to solve it. "In a similar vein," Chester spoke up after Hector, "where even is here? I understand we're in a Pokemon World now but uh, where?"

radio414 · June 28, 2023

Did it hit different, to be called pathetic and insufferable in real life as opposed to in a direct message from some nobody author who was upset Z. had revealed their fanfic -- about how, say, some nameless character from panel number seven of strip four hundred and twenty-three of some mid-tier fantasy webcomic was the true daughter of the empress and heir to the throne, for example -- was maybe, just maybe, a bit too niche to work as a joke and too much of a joke to work as anything else? Yeah, it did. Obviously, it did. Z. was still too mad to be actually hurt by it, though, and was about to fire back when Jirachi said something about not being able to take back anything, and as loathe as Z. was to take advice from random strangers, being quiet for that extra amount of time it took for the mythical pokémon to speak was enough to at least reconsider their approach. “Sure,” Z. said. “Yeah, Let’s not going to say anything you’re going to regret. I won’t say anything, even, just for you.”

That was that matter settled -- to Z., at least -- which got Z. to calm down a little bit more, down to just their usual level of ornery, just in time for people to start asking some real stupid questions. Hector, for example, well, first it took him a moment to even piece the voice thing together, even after Z. had called Jirachi “star command” like a minute ago, and now he was insistently crawling towards some point in his ill-remembered life, something Z. was very sure was never mentioned on the forum, so why would he even try to claim it now? And Chester was trying to sus out their location, which was almost smart for a moderator, even if something more past-tense like “Where were we? Where is that mystery dungeon in relation to us?” would have been more to Z.’s taste, more helpful in getting a mental lay of the land than just a solitary point.

Ears and that Clobbopus were still fucking off somewhere. Z. almost wanted to go join them instead of all this nonsense, but they did have an actual question for Jirachi that would be useful instead of all this noise. “Yeah, okay, sure, get called to another world to save it,” they said. “Hey, out of curiosity, when I go to talk shit about you later, what pronouns should I use? How should I refer to you? I know you said we could call you Jiji but no, that’s not going to happen.”

Tiamat's Circus · June 30, 2023

…Well, that had gone just as well as it really could have; and though Es didn’t really enjoy the reaction Jirachi had given her, it was an easy enough point to jump off of as she set the movement controls to react to her speaking lines. It was a simple idea, but it would at least give her the appearance of speaking animatedly, and as long as she gave herself some appropriately cheery-lines, made the volume and pitch just right… Well, she’d be able to keep herself from losing her cool like that again easily; and it'd give her more than enough time to get her brain back in order, what with how much she had disordered her logs and buffers with the prior outburst.

“You g-g-got it, Ji-ji!” Es chimed out, jolting around the mythical Pokemon as she spoke. “I’ll m-m-make sure I don’t say anything I’ll regret; no matter how tr-true it is!” she added, inserting an array of laughter in around her speech. She only stopped, cutting herself off, when Jirachi revealed themselves to be the voice in the dungeon…

Well, it wasn’t so much a reveal, as it was a confirmation of this fact. “Well! That ch-ch-checks out!” she announced, resuming her sporadic movement around the Pokemon as she spoke, perception reclining in her buffer as she went through the motions of questions. “B-B-But what sort of trouble are we d-d-dealing with? And how are we supposed to b-b-become heroic and save the world?” she’d ask, curiosity seeping into her voice as easily as she had drained her prior, negative emotions from them. “After all, we sure aren’t heroes yet!” she’d add, inserting another array of laughter so-as to make sure it was inflected as a joke.

Chaos Sonic · July 4, 2023

Marv was shocked to say the least about all this, thus far. Between half the crew beating Jirachi up to the other half not giving two shakes of a Ratata's tail...it was clear that they all were sort of...not cooperating. However, once Jirachi woke up...it made at least one thing clear...

"As I'm sure you've all figured out, this place you've all found yourselves in is the world of Pokémon. And it's my fault you're here. At least… I think so. This world is in trouble. And I made a wish upon the stars to save it. Right after, you all showed up! Since I am a genius, I just know that there is a connection. You seven (or twelve) must be the heroes this world needs!"

"Jirachi...was the voice in the dungeon?" Marv muttered, apparently coming to the conclusion most others were already getting to. While the others, however, were debating on where they were or even why they were even brought here...the Froakie was thinking and dwelling on something else. ...would this be the style of world where Explorer Guilds are a thing...or Rescue Teams...? he thought, rubbing his chin slightly.

Marv kept thinking, being in deep thought for a moment. Back to the real world, apparently Hector wanted to return...saying he had something there that needs him. Could Marv really say the same? Try as he might, he couldn't really pick up anything in his mind and thoughts to even give a reason why he would. Maybe he had family that would miss him...but other than that, why would he? Here and now...he was a Pokémon. He could do things he was fairly certain his old self couldn't do...maybe it was all for the best for him.

"In all honesty, we may as well do what we can here." Marv finally spoke up, a smile showing up on his frog-like face. "We play our cards right, we may end up getting what we want in the end...that's usually how these Mystery Dungeon scenarios go, right?"

Doggo · July 8, 2023

The coconut fall hadn't killed Noibat and now here the Clobbopus was even going along with it. As soon as he finally clenad his hand-tentacle-whatever off. That left the bat with the coconut and no realistic way to break into it herself. Her claws were nice for gripping things but coconuts were tough. She took to nervously humming the tune vaguely in her mind from the coconut gun vow she'd made earlier. Her own train of thought was suddenly disrupted as the voice from earlier in the caverns spoke inside her mind again. The Jirachi the others had roughed up a bit to wake up went on to explain the cause of their being here. It was clear Jirachi hadn't meant to disrupt their lives so drastically, and Noibat could appreciate that a world in danger needed legendary prophesied heroes to arrive to save it. But that she could be among such a group, let alone turned into a Pokemon to accomplish it, that was all a bit much. Clobber voiced her thoughts on the matter though it sounded like he'd meant to only be talking to himself. Noibat nervously tugged at one of her overly sensitive ears and decided to pretend she hadn't overheard him. But as he returned finally free of the dirt, Clobber reiterated the idea, relieving her of the pressure.

"Well I'd hate to count any of you out," Noibat started as she nudged the coconut toward Clobber to work his strong-squid magic on. "But I'm definitely not hero material. At least I don't think anyway. I have a lot of memories of a forum I must have been on constantly cuz it's all that's on my brain about when I was human. Doesn't seem very brave to me." Noibat continued while figuring out if it was possible to fold her arms like a person might do when said arms came attached to wings now. She more wrapped herself like a bat might to sleep than got the folding across. It would have to do.

"If I've heard some of the usernames the others were giving out earlier right I have ideas about most of us but no clue why Jirachi would need us specifically." Noibat continued voicing what ideas she could form on the subject. Judging people purely by interactions on an internet forum was difficult because somehow she didn't remember interacting properly in person with people to judge it against. So far as she knew nobody here was particularly abnormal as it stood relative to that community. But maybe they were all in fact weirdos. Either way surely there were people better suited to saving a world. Her eyes led her back to the group and Jirachi in particular.

"Doubt it's got many answers but wouldn't hurt to ask I guess, uh..." Noibat blanked looking for a name. She had seen a Clobbopus before but like most gen eight Pokemon names entirely escaped her. "Wow that's awkward don't think I got your name." She tried nervously laughing off in some hope of not offending him. "Know I didn't give much either but I'm drawing a blank on even what species you are. Got something you wanna be called?"

Sethera · July 14, 2023

BGM: Time Gear - (Pokémon Mystery Dungeon - Explorers of Sky)

Jirachi didn't look surprised at the questions it received. It waited for the initial barrage to die down before answering. "You won't want to hear this, but… I don't know!" It twirled in the air with giddy energy. "I just summoned you here. Even though I'm a genius, I'm not sure how or why you all got chosen, or how the spacetime of our two worlds interact. But my intuition tells me that there shouldn't be a problem back in your world, and my intuition is never wrong… except when it is! ♪"

It moved from twirls to figure eights, cutting through the air like a bird. "You might think I'm busted, or wonder why the wish chose you of all people, but I don't think the wish chose wrong. It sounds like you all know your current limits. And once you know them, you can go beyond them. That's how life works. You just need to unlock your true potential. I believe in you!" It flew toward Marv. "I like you! You have the right attitude. It is well-known that when the hero's job is done, that's when they can finally reap the reward. In your case, I believe you should be able to go home once everything is done."

Elegant spins and cartwheels joined the figure eights. "My pronouns? You know, I think you're only the second person to ask me that!" It danced closer to the Zorua. "Or is it the third?" Though it paused in its speaking, its movements continued unceasingly. "Well, whichever it is, you can call me Jirachi (or Jiji) and I'm a boy! ♪ As for the remaining questions..."

The newly revealed male slowed his motions, as graceful as a dancer reaching the coda of their performance. Gradually, he came to a halt, hovering in place and shutting his eyes. All of the Pokémon, even Clobber and Noibat, would feel an energy emanating from the legendary humming through their bodies, down to their very bones.

Finally, the energy faded, and Jirachi opened his eyes. They were now as dark as the night sky and clouded by a sorrow that everyone could feel at that moment. The sorrow sharpened into a silvery grief and became so overwhelming that the group almost trembled from the pain of it. But before they did, Jirachi blinked, and the emotion receded like a passing storm. The legendary smiled then. It was the kind of smile only ever seen on the very old, who have lived long lives and experienced things younger people could never hope to imagine. A smile arousing both a desire and a dread to share in those experiences.

Jirachi's next words were muted, but no less clear, falling down into their heads like April rain. "A couple of you asked where we are and what we're dealing with. I didn't answer before, but I will now. This is the world of Pokémon, and we are on an island. While the island has no name, it is very important. Because," he paused, "this island is the last remaining bastion of hope for this world." The Pokémon shook his head. "I know it sounds dramatic, but it's true. Once, this world was clean and beautiful, filled with life. Pokémon lived in harmony. They formed settlements and teamed up to go on rescues, explorations, adventures, and expeditions. When I fell into my thousand-year slumber, that's how it was. But when I woke up a few days ago…"

He took a shaky breath, closed his eyes, and then opened them. "The world has changed. No longer do Pokémon live peacefully, or even remember a time when that was possible. The earth, seas, and skies have been overtaken by what I call the Endless Mist, or just Mist, because that's what it looks like. An endless mist rolling out over the entire planet and blanketing it in a constant gray cloud. Any Pokémon it touches grows feral, losing all sentience. They become little more than a mindless beast."

The wish Pokémon gestured helplessly. "It used to be that only those living in mystery dungeons acted that way. Now, however, only you all, myself, and two others that I know of have kept our sanity. This island is the only safe harbor, cleansed of Mist by the power of my wishes. But that was all I could do by myself. That's where you come in." He nodded at the group. "I believe you all can combat the Endless Mist, and restore the world back to the way it was before."

Edited July 14, 2023 by Sethera

Cheshire Toon · July 17, 2023

Hector frowned at the answer Jirachi provided to his question. There was no way for him to get back home. For a moment, he felt the panic that pooled in his stomach swell into a tidal wave that threatened to sweep him away, to throw him into the deep end of the pool where his feet no longer touched and his emotions consumed him. Why? Why do I need to get back home so badly? What could possibly be that important? He dug deep into his memories, deeper than he had yet dared to venture for fear he would be unable to find his way back out of the mental maze that was his new consciousness.

He vaguely remembered private messages with friends he had made on the forum as a kid. Most of the conversation had been about the trading card game. Hector could remember those vividly. He could still feel the crushing disappointment of being unable to attend his first national trading card tournament, but why he had been unable to attend, that remained a blank void in his mind. Why could he not attend the national tournament? Why had he become inactive on the forum? His friends pressed the issue, but much to his chagrin, his past self had remained incredibly vague whenever he was forced to answer. Personal stuff. That's what I said. What could be so personal I wouldn’t tell my friends? He huffed in frustration and stamped his feet. Despite all his best efforts, the introspection revealed nothing he hadn’t already known.

His only comfort was found in Jirachi himself. He remained calm and joyful and the aura that he had about him was overwhelming. A blanket of confidence and assurance that everything would be alright… even if he wasn’t sure how.

Hector shook his head (a rather funny looking action from the outside considering he was ninety percent head and all six shook simultaneously), then he pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind.

It was like Jirachi said. Things would turn out for the best. He had to believe that. His panic had finally started to abate.

Then the bombshell dropped. There were to be no friendly faces. No settlements for shelter. No help or guidance in navigating the world they had found themselves in. It was the exact opposite of that. They were supposed to help bring peace back to a world on the brink of an apocalypse. Or post-apocalypse, he corrected himself. If the entire world was already like the Pokémon they had encountered inside of the dungeon, then the world was already largely wiped out. Filled with creatures who knew nothing but pain and fear and violence.

The thought made him incredibly sad.

Hector stepped forward to the front of the group. He had gathered his thoughts and steeled his resolve. “To be honest, we’ve struggled to get this far. Half of us are only just now starting to learn how to navigate our new bodies, most of us can’t seem to get along or cooperate on even the simplest tasks, and you want us to do what even the most powerful Pokémon in the known world couldn’t. How do you suggest we do that?” he asked bluntly. There was no malintent within his voice, no condescension. Just a genuine question. “Do your powers grant us the same immunity as the rest of the island? Or are we vulnerable to it as well? And how do you expect us to repair a calamity on such a huge scale?” He looked around at the rest of the group through the body of the Brass.

The troop of Falinks bundled together and stared up at the Jirachi. “I’ll help. I have no reason not to since I’m already here. But hopefully you can tell us how to start.”

Edited July 17, 2023 by Cheshire Toon

Tiamat's Circus · July 17, 2023

For possibly the first time since she had arrived, Es allowed her body to stop moving as she did her best to take all of this information in; simply issuing a simple-holding pattern command to her body that would keep her drifting roughly in a five-inch circle, given she hadn’t quite figured out how to stay perfectly still without falling yet. That was on the agenda, of course, but for now, different levels of holding pattern would have to do; and by giving them a simple recursive code, she could let herself think rather than having to focus on moving.

A feature of her body that was coming in handy (wing-y? Static-?) here, she found, as she found herself drifting back to the very center of her core, where she began to arrange the various menus at her disposal into order; a task to keep the ghastly analogue of her ‘hands’ busy, while she tried to contemplate Jirachi’s words. Not going back-- that didn’t really concern her. She couldn’t remember much from her old life, other than the types of things she was applying to her new body here; and as long as she had that way in, she figured she’d come across anything relevant to her situation later. The issue that seemed more present to her, was the question of the mist.

Of course, Es could always count on someone else to ask most of the important questions, and this time, the melee-six-shooter had risen to the challenge. She instinctively began to input an array of encouraging words into her speech processor; the sentence “H-H-H-Hey! No wonder there’s six of you - one to ask each (good) question!” having been typed out in an instant, only… To get wiped out in one of the new buffers, erased, and deleted. It wasn’t the time for that; she needed to give Jirachi time to reply to the cartonless eggs, instead of interrupting.

Her jovial demeanor was good, but Es needed to use it sparingly. It would wear down their nerves if it was constant.

“A-A-Adding onto his question,” Es would speak up, her voice catching in its habitual manner with an array of static, as she pushed a new sentence through her buffers, and into the processor itself. “Are the other two Pokémon Special, like yourself?” she’d ask; neither remembering, nor caring to use the nomenclature of ‘mythical’ or ‘legendary’ to describe them. “Or have they simply been afforded your protection? C-C-Can they help us figure out where to start?” she’d add on to her question, her tone still light and bouncy, even as she refrained from inserting any jokes into her speech. Perhaps, that would give it a hopeful tone, she wondered. She had never been good at inflecting hope, but this was a start, she thought.

LordCowCow · July 17, 2023

Clobber wasn't so sure why he was intent on breaking open this coconut but he had it now and he figured there was no point in just ignoring it. So as the Noibat answered he set the coconut down and took aim before sending a jab into the hard fruit to break it open into pieces to make it easier to.... "How does someone even eat coconuts anyway." he muttered.

Noibat's answers confirmed a few things for Clobber. One was that he wasn't the only one who couldn't remember much besides forum stuff, which seemed kind of important, and the other was that there was no obvious reason for them to be picked.

"I dunno much about the others either, even with the names they gave before." He said. Some of them he recognized sure but he wasn't exactly friends with...well, basically anyone on the forum. Which was kind of the main reason he avoided sharing much about that, he didn't have a great rep, and if anything his forum life was pretty embarrassing, so it wouldn't really do him any good.

"Know I didn't give much either but I'm drawing a blank on even what species you are. Got something you wanna be called?"

"What don't know the newer stuff? Anyway, I'm a Clobbopus, as for what to call me just go with Clobber, it's a heck of a lot easier to say." He guessed that for some reason the Noibat was in a similar situation, not wanting to reveal who they were on the forum, so he decided not to ask.

"A couple of you asked where we are and what we're dealing with. I didn't answer before, but I will now.

Jirachi proceeded to explain the situation of the world, and a general idea of what they wanted them to do, which caused Clobber to let out a groan. "And we can't even be brought to a NICE world huh." He grumbled. "Feral Pokemon? Mysterious mist? What the heck, this is ridiculous. I'm just a guy. And since I'm unevolved and all a pretty little guy at that." He wanted to go up and tell this all to Jirachi's face but remembering what happened while the Pokemon was asleep, as well as that energy he felt before, kept him from doing so.

"Whatever, those guys can get their twenty questions in I'm sure they'll have it covered."

In the meantime Clobber would try and figure out some other things. Like, why would he bother trying to help? What did he get out of it? Did he even care about going back home if that was the end goal?

And what the hell was he gonna do with these pieces of coconut?

radio414 · July 20, 2023

Z. noted Jirachi’s use of the word “person” instead of “Pokémon” as he answered Z.’s question just as much as they stored away Jirachi’s actual answer. The frequency part of the answer got stored away too. It sure said a lot that that wasn’t a common question, even if the world had ended in the meantime. So really, every part of the answer was useful, then, which made it a good question as opposed to all the other questions flying fast and furious around a Mythical Pokémon that flew fast and cheerily all around them. “Cool, gonna go do that now,” Z. said. “Talk shit, I mean, not the other thing. Make no mistake, I’ll help because, like, whatever, but my Maslow Hierarchy of Needs chart’s skewing pretty heavily towards the more primal sections like nourishment and shelter, maybe a hint of self-actualization as I continue to work my way around this body you stuck me in. Certainly not ready for any of this transcendental reshaping of the world stuff yet. It sounds like Ears and Clobber are figuring out one of those needs now, though, so maybe later I’ll get on that ‘saving someone else’s world’ thing.”

As they spoke, the sound of a coconut splitting into pieces rang out from over by the river, and Z. gave a curt nod to Jirachi and almost everyone around him, and they wheeled around and headed over that way.

“Oh, you actually got one,” Z. said as they surveyed the scene. They just managed to hold back a laugh or two at Clobber staring helplessly at his new shards of coconut, but only because they had another line come to mind that deserved the laughter more: “I could have thought they were date palms but you’ve probably never had a date in your life, huh?” Unless whatever they were interrupting counted as a date, but Z. could certainly make some fun out of that too if these two said as much.

Wait, hold on. Something was off about the way Clobber was just holding the shard of coconut shell and doing nothing with it. “Do you actually not know how to eat these?” Z. said. “Here, give me a piece.” They didn’t actually wait around to be handed one, instead just sitting down next to one and balancing it in their paws. “You’re just after the white stuff now -- the ‘flesh.’ If we had a knife or something we could just scrape it off, but in a pinch, you can just…” They bit the shell and pushed it away with their paws, scraping off a bit of the flesh right into their mouth. It was not the most glamorous way to do things, especially without opposable thumbs, but it got the job done. “Yeah, just like that,” Z. said.

“I mean, I guess you need teeth. You do have teeth, right?” There was almost a tone of genuine curiosity in Z.’s voice there hidden in the mockery. “I guess you can suckle a shard for a bit of juice that you haven’t wasted all over the ground yet. I dunno, figure it out.” They grabbed another shard and tossed it the Noibat’s way. “Hey, Ears, want to try?”

Doggo · July 26, 2023

"Clobber..." Noibat repeated curious of the designation the Clobbopus had given himself. "Yeah definitely a lot easier!" She ultimately agreed after confirming she didn't know a user by that nickname on the website they all remembered bits of. She neglected to comment on the extent of her Pokemon knowledge as the explanation felt too long winded to be important and it included an admission she knew very little about the generation of games the Pokemon she'd become was even from. Jirachi spoke again to everyone's minds explaining the situation. While this did prevent Noibat having to circle back to her not having a perfect knowledge of all things Pokemon, it didn't exactly inspire confidence. An entire mist-filled world of feral Pokemon was far from any sort of fantasy she could recall anyone having about the series on the forum and Clobber's summation of the explanation voiced her own concerns fairly well. Though if he shared the growing anxiety building up in her Noibat couldn't tell from looking at him.

It was Z.'s rejoining their circle of things that turned Noibat's concentration back to the coconut Clobber had broken open for her. She wasn't sure if she'd liked coconut as a human, it oddly wasn't something brought up much in that online space, but something about it looked amazingly sweet. And she liked sweet things that much hadn't been shaken out of her brain. But this was something of a different sensation. Her eyes widened as she examined the flesh of the various bits and pieces on the ground. Z.'s demonstration felt so far away despite being immediately next to her. The near apocalyptic state of this world and even Z.'s jab about her never having had a date she'd meant to retort to didn't mean anything. Her ears emitted a high pitched squeal still in most of the group's audible range as she dashed like a hound out of hell, catching the shard thrown to her and several others on the ground scraping at them voraciously with the teeth she still thankfully had.

"Oh my god! When did coconuts get this good!?" Noibat managed to exclaim through mouthfuls of the stuff. The awkwardness of her body aside, she was moving through shards of the shattered fruit fairly quickly, each piece thoroughly divested of the sweet white flesh. Most anything else she tried to say was going to be unintelligible until the coconut was gone or someone stopped her from eating the rest of it. By the way things were going she seemed to forget anyone else was present and was going to try and have it all to herself.

Skaia · July 29, 2023

The answer that was given to their questions was less than ideal. They had no idea how it was they were going to get back home and they barely knew where they were to begin with. Add to that, that it had seemed that they were all chosen at seemingly some cosmic whim to come here in the first place, with no rhyme or reason as to why they were selected to do what was the biggest part of the news that they had received. They were summoned solely to save the world. Such an idea certainly struck the Chespin with awe.

Chester never really thought about helping others in such a grand sense, instead always focusing on the problems that were always right in front of him. His memories were hazy and all he could really remember was the responsibilities and efforts he took to maintain peace around the forum, but he felt like there was more to that instinct beyond just resolving disputes between members and deleting the unrelenting flood of bots that frequented the site. As such the world seemed grand to him in comparison, something that he as a simple moderator couldn't possibly affect in any meaningful capacity. But now it was the problem that was put before him and it was something he could actually do something about. "Of course I'll help!" Chester shouted, seeming much more enthusiastic than he was a few moments ago, before clearing his throat and reigning it in. "I mean uh, yes I have no problem with aiding the world at large here."

Thinking about it for a moment, hearing Hector and Es's questions about the current problems they faced before saying, "if we reason that the area we were just in was a 'Mystery Dungeon,' then it would be safe to say that we're already protected from the madness of living in the world no? But this doesn't seem like a problem we can simply brute force our way through like finding the exit to a dungeon." Not like they had actually found the exit themselves anyway. "You said the power of Wishes cleansed this area, right? What exactly does that entail?"

Chaos Sonic · July 30, 2023

"A couple of you asked where we are and what we're dealing with. I didn't answer before, but I will now. This is the world of Pokémon, and we are on an island. While the island has no name, it is very important. Because, this island is the last remaining bastion of hope for this world. I know it sounds dramatic, but it's true. Once, this world was clean and beautiful, filled with life. Pokémon lived in harmony. They formed settlements and teamed up to go on rescues, explorations, adventures, and expeditions. When I fell into my thousand-year slumber, that's how it was. But when I woke up a few days ago…"

Marv listened intently, his assumptions basically being proven...and even confirmed. So there rescue teams, explorer guilds...but this...isn't what we are then? he thought, letting Jirachi continue.

"The world has changed. No longer do Pokémon live peacefully, or even remember a time when that was possible. The earth, seas, and skies have been overtaken by what I call the Endless Mist, or just Mist, because that's what it looks like. An endless mist rolling out over the entire planet and blanketing it in a constant gray cloud. Any Pokémon it touches grows feral, losing all sentience. They become little more than a mindless beast. It used to be that only those living in mystery dungeons acted that way. Now, however, only you all, myself, and two others that I know of have kept our sanity. This island is the only safe harbor, cleansed of Mist by the power of my wishes. But that was all I could do by myself. That's where you come in. I believe you all can combat the Endless Mist, and restore the world back to the way it was before."

The Froakie nodded, hearing Jirachi saying that they were basically the last bastion and line of defense for this island and combating the Endless Mist as it was called. He rubbed his chin slightly, trying to take in everything. ...what's the difference between us and any other Pokémon then? Is it just because we were human...? The Legends and Mythical ones are a given, but why are we the outlier?? he thought, his mind snapping back to the present moment as Chester spoke.

"Of course I'll help! I mean uh, yes I have no problem with aiding the world at large here."

This caused Marv to chuckle slightly, as he shook his head some. "Ever the helpful Moderator, huh?" he muttered to himself. He hopped over towards Chester piped up. "The Mystery Dungeons were never just a brute force way of doing things...it always takes a mental presence there...they're basically puzzles. ...just not the easier ones...like Trozei..." he trailed off, before clearing his throat. "Anyway! If anything, we just have to combat em with both brains and brawn. But on the wishes..." Marv paused, trying to remember a few things, something finally popping into his head. "...wait...Jirachi's are supposed to, according to information, grant any wish for one week every thousand years...Jirachi, how long have you been awake?? Cause if anything...depending on timeframe...the nap might happen sooner than we think."

Sethera · August 3, 2023

Hector's eyes met Jirachi's, and it felt like looking into the dizzying expanse of space. The legendary said nothing, but the Falinks heard a voice going, "not yet," inside his head. It was the sort of voice that is not actually a voice at all, but a feeling hatched in the head. A thought not quite put into words. So when the psychic type answered Es instead, it was with none of the usual awkwardness that comes with being ignored. Instead, it was as if Hector were back home waiting his turn in line at the gas station.

"By special, do you mean, uh, special attackers? Or do you mean Special special? I can't say for sure on the first, but for the second, no, they're normal Pokémon like you and me. Except none of us are really normal, huh?" The mythical thought for a moment. "Since I'm a genius, and you all are actually human beings (or so my intuition tells me). So you could say they're more normal than any of us! ♪" He waved his arms in emphasis.

Jirachi then turned to Chester. "Well, I actually cleansed that place earlier, and the Pokémon there were all normal mystery dungeon Pokémon. So maybe you're immune, but maybe you aren't. I wouldn't risk it, myself. But speaking of cleansing, that's what happened! I wished to restore the world back to the way it used to be. But I'm too weak." He smiled with a touch of self-deprecation. "My power could only cleanse this small island and the edges of the mainland where you originally arrived. It took a lot out of me, too. If I use too much of my powers, I fall asleep, just like what happened while you all were in the mystery dungeon."

He giggled with some embarrassment before addressing Marv. "But I'm a lot better than I used to be. It's true that in the past I only stayed awake for one week every thousand years, but stuff happened, and I've gotten better at that. Even after using all my wishes, I can stay up for a looong time now."

Jirachi floated higher into the air until he rose above the trees. When he spoke next, it was in their heads. "On the subject of time, there isn't a lot left. My power originally covered a wider expanse. But every second, the Endless Mist gains ground, and now only this island is protected. If you look out at the sea, you can see it approaching even now." He pointed with a pale arm toward the shoreline.

—

The three at the edge of the island found that the coconut pieces were rich and filling, but not as crunchy or sweet as they remembered. After all, most processed coconut from our world is grated, toasted, and mixed with sugar. And, contrary to popular belief, coconuts do not contain milk inside, only water. But this being a mature coconut, there was very little of that either. Still, it had a nutty and refreshing flavor.

More coconuts hung from the surrounding trees—young green ones and mature brown ones. And the island had more than just coconuts. Bushes and trees laden with ripe fruit and berries suffused the green inland areas with a fragrant perfume.

But the wind blowing off the ocean waves carried a distinct aroma. If you have seen the sea before, you would recognize it immediately. But if you have not, then imagine a heady cocktail of greenery, salt, and tangy sulfur, all with a fishy overtone. Separate, they are ordinary, but together they produce a briny scent that is unforgettable.

The sea itself I won't describe, having already gone over that earlier. What was important was the edge of the sea. The boundary where the ripples and waves blended into one thin line meeting the sky. There, a grayish smudge stained the horizon, as if an amateur had taken a dirty eraser to a sketch and made it worse off for it. If any of the three glanced at the blemish more than once, they would find that each time, it grew bigger than before. But it was so gradual that it was hard to tell, and it looked as if their eyes were playing tricks on them.

—

Jirachi fluttered back down to the ground. "The Mist won't be here for a while, at least. By my calculations, it'll be… about half a day. Enough time to rest and grab food. Some of you have found out already, but this island is full of goodies! And the stream over there has a lot of cool, clean water, too."

The Pokémon twirled in the air. "There's more I want to say, and I haven't answered all the questions either, but I want you all together for that, so I'll hold off for now. Let's meet up back here when you're ready! ♪" He paused, voice growing serious again. "And... for those of you who have decided to help... Thank you. I mean it."

After that, Jirachi would grab an apple and eat it while waiting for the others to finish, cheeks bulging like a Morpeko's.

OOC: All right! Got a lot of questions answered, and now you all have time to do whatever on this island for a bit before we get back to plot stuff. Let me know if you need information for your posts. Your characters are free to bum around, get a drink, grab food, whatever. I won't worry about "rounds" so much for this part, so feel free to post multiple times (or not) depending on what your character is doing. I might not post at all during this part since Jirachi will just be chilling in one spot for the most part. Exceptions are if you need me to write out a short post with description or if your character chooses to interact with Jirachi.

Also tried out a new style of writing for this post. I'm thinking I might do more like it for this RP, specifically, since it seems to fit the genre. Let me know if it's jarring in any way, though.

Edited August 3, 2023 by Sethera

LordCowCow · August 9, 2023

“I could have thought they were date palms but you’ve probably never had a date in your life, huh?”

Clobber threw up his arms in a confused gesture, "where the heck that come from?" he grumbled. Of course he.....had he? Was he actually even interested in dating? He couldn't remember ever talking about it but that was just what he could remember from the forum. People...no, there were a lot of people who talked about their dating life there. But he never participated. Is that because he never had one before?

Words like 'waifu' and 'husbando' sprung to his mind and he shook his head to clear it. No, that was different, and brought up incredibly embarrassing memories of some fanart he had very quickly had the mods get rid of....

Either way he had missed the timing to snap back at Z. and, anyway, he didn't really want to fight about it right now. Instead he listened to the, somewhat condescending, explanation of how to eat a coconut.

“I mean, I guess you need teeth. You do have teeth, right?”

"Obviously I ha-..." Wait. Maybe he didn't. He was an octopus right? Plus it wasn't like he could feel any teeth. How did people usually know how to eat to begin with? It was supposed to just be a natural thing, you would instinctively know food goes into the mouth and....

He realized then how he ate. It came to his mind as if it had always been there despite having no idea just moments ago. Oh that's...kind of weird. "Uh. Whatever, yes, I can eat things just fine I just didn't know what was the part you ate. What're you some kinda fruit farmer or something?" Truly not his best comeback but he was still startled at realizing he wasn't able to eat like a human would.

He grabbed a piece and turned away from the others and awkwardly moved the food under his tentacles.

Once he was done he turned back around and wiped where a mouth would be on a person, almost defiantly.

While all of this ridiculousness was going down Jirachi was giving answers to what he supposed was some kind of important stuff.

Clobber turned his gaze towards the water and realized that, yes, it did sorta seem like it was closer than last time he had looked. He gulped. "Oh, that can't be good." They had to get outta there, right? Obviously being caught by that wouldn't be good. It was like an actual horror movie. Not that Clobber had watched many of those but those he had, against his will, had to watch....well actually the details were fuzzy but he was sure mist was usually a bad thing.

"Don't suppose you know Defog?" He asked the Noibat nervously.

"The Mist won't be here for a while, at least. By my calculations, it'll be… about half a day. Enough time to rest and grab food. Some of you have found out already, but this island is full of goodies! And the stream over there has a lot of cool, clean water, too."

"Ah. Uh. O-of course, nothing to worry about I knew that." Clobber said, laughing awkwardly. He stood there a moment before deciding to speak up, maybe more loudly than necessary, "If anyone wants any of these damn coconuts I can crack them open for you, I guess."

Cheshire Toon · August 9, 2023

Hector allowed his concentration to lax while he absorbed the information Jirachi provided. To anyone watching, it would look like the troopers had huddled around the Brass and taken a seat, like a group of children about to be read a story. He doesn’t want to answer my main question yet for some reason. He was surprisingly unbothered by that prospect. Some instinct told him that Jirach was not ignoring him; the question was heard, but the time for that particular answer had not yet come. Best to be careful with that Mist for now though. Probably better to never test that particular hypothesis, in case we don’t like the answer, Hector thought, turning the Brass to stare at the Mist approaching the shore. The sight unnerved him so deeply that all five troopers snapped back to life and jumped to their feet, shields in the air, ready to fight an invisible enemy.

He mastered the Brass and troopers enough--he knew now that whenever his emotions ran high, it was harder to control them--and turned to face Jirachi. “That’s… a lot to take in. Thanks for the transparency at least.” The entire troop dipped their heads in a half-bow of gratitude. “I’m gonna go get a drink and just… let that all sink in.”

He excused himself and awkwardly toddled to the stream. His mind was a maelstrom of cluttered thoughts. That Wall of Mist is terrifying, was the most prevalent thought. He could not remember much of his past life but he knew for sure that he was not someone easily frightened… which made the fact that he could not shake the sheet of fear that had gripped his nerves even worse. What if we aren’t immune? He has to have a plan. We should all be alright as long as we just do what he asks us to. Jirachi had an air of otherworldliness about him that made Hector feel like he knew a lot more than he was willing to tell; the Falinks hoped that applied to this situation as well. Yet he also had a way of coming off as very immature and whimsical. Like he very rarely thought things through. Was following him really the best idea?

Hector was pulled from his melancholy ruminations by the sight of his reflection in the stream. It was the first time he had seen what he looked like since waking up, and the image looking back at him shocked him. I don’t have a nose. He tried to reach for his face and all six of the Falinks hit themselves in the face with the edge of their shield. Hector felt so stupid that he wanted to hit himself again.

Not having a nose wasn’t particularly strange when he really thought about it though. No, the reason it bothered him was that he was CERTAIN that he could still smell. He could smell the ocean, the warm sand, he could even smell the sugary scent of fruit that came from the others eating coconut down at the beach. If anything his smell was better than it had been in his actual body, and he was sure that his sense of smell in his normal body had been very trained. He could remember bragging to a friend on the forum that he could smell if a dish was under or over seasoned with a single whiff. So how exactly could he smell now?

The rest of his features were just as strange. His eyes were less like eyes and more like glowing blue orbs. Like lightbulbs or something. His face was effectively featureless aside from that. Plus the more he looked at his armor the more he became convinced that it was actually some kind of bone growth or something. It was too dull to be metal, and there was a slight roughness to it that metal wouldn't have.

He was relieved to find that he had a mouth at least. It was nearly invisible when he was silent, but when he tried to take a drink of water, a normal mouth with a pink tongue and shockingly human-looking teeth opened up.

At least the sensation of drinking water was the same. All six of the Falink crowded near the stream to gulp down a few mouthfuls. The refreshing sensation went a long way in cooling him off and calming him down enough to organize his thoughts. There was no other option besides following Jirachi, so that was what they needed to do. It was a waste of effort to think about it any harder.

Hector marched back over to the group just in time for him to hear Clobber’s offer. “I could do with a coconut. Not sure why this is one of my memories, but I know I love ‘em. I can make a mean chicken curry with the milk too.” He waved his shield-hands at Clobber. “No clean way for me to open them up like this though. You’re a real hero for the help.”

Tiamat's Circus · August 14, 2023

Es did have to admit, that it was at least Jirachi was taking this all in stride. If she had been the one trying to solve what appeared to be an inevitable end of the world situation, then she’d have been panicking a lot more; whereas Jirachi was in good enough spirits to make jokes. Still, the fact that the others were ‘normal’, comparative to the former-humans and the wish-granting Pokémon in front of them… That didn’t give her much hope for the other survivors to be able to help them figure out their next step. Still, it was good to know Jirachi wouldn’t flake out on them after a few minutes like some people were known to do, when they didn’t get their way.

Still, Es found herself rotating her eyes along the outside of her body to follow where his pale arm had pointed; eyes adjusting their focus as they began to rotate, as she watched the mist continue its advance. It was… Strange, in a sense. Dreadful for sure, Es could state that emotion easily; but there was something else that came with watching it. It was… Hard for her to describe. It was almost comforting, in a way she didn’t know how to describe. Serene. Because as dangerous as it was… She couldn’t lie, and say there wasn’t something appealing to an end which slowly, and steadily approached, in a predictable manner.

Es blinked for a moment, eyes swiveling back to their normal location on her body; her mouth briefly crossing into a frown as she took that thought; that… Comfortable feeling, and placed it behind a quarantine layer. She would need to dissect it further to determine the source, to determine why it was just as much as what it was; but now, was not the time.

Luckily, that hardly took any time in reality; several lines of code acting as effective seals as she felt the feeling drain away from her conscious mind, allowing her to return to the ‘center’ of her mental landscape, video feed returning to before her ‘eyes’ as the spectral hands she used to manipulate the digital world in her core began to move. “...Timer set for [Twelve Hours],” she’d chime out, the indicator forming within the corner of her video-feed as she spoke; dialogue forming and passing through her buffer without any issue, as if… That was something she, or her body, was used to saying.

Interesting.

In an instant, she found herself moving her ‘hands’ around the speech buffer.

# In addition to [Outbursts], it appears that there are other lines of dialogue which are able to pass through the buffer unabated.
# I would wager that this one did so because Rotom was… A personal assistant in some or most of the games, I think? Hard to remember.
# ”Timer set for [Increment]” is my hypothesis for one such sentence; may have something to do with performing the action at the same time.
# Will continue researching later.

Her eyes seemed to focus for a moment, as she lifted her hands from the ‘console’ in front of her, and began to push her conscious-mind back into action. “...T-T-T-That's a good point,” she’d play an automated laugh, bobbing up and down as she did so. “I-I-I hadn’t even thought about if this b-b-body needed to eat, after all!” she’d announce, admittedly… Not lying, as much as she wish she was. She opened her mouth, as if to ask something, only to… Pause for a moment, eyes shifting to the familiar [loading] symbol they often did as they began to rotate, her consciousness taking a step back from her active mind.

An array of unknown variables had been brought to attention when the psychic attack had hit her, though she had put them back away as soon as she could; status bars, lines, values which she knew existed to determine… Parts of herself, but were lacking any sort of documentation. Of course, everything in her body was undocumented, that was the nature of the beast, but these were values that had been changing constantly, and were difficult for her to track. The mention of food, however, had sparked her to bring them back to view in the corner of one of her feeds; still unlabeled, but where she could ‘see’, or at least ‘acknowledge’ them.

# If one of these changes when I eat, I need to label that as [Food].
# The body will feel hunger, but its very likely I won’t consciously acknowledge, or recognize the sensation.
# Additionally, need to see if these track other needs as well.
# Currently Current Hypothetical Value-Names: Food Requirements, Water Requirements, Sleep Requirements, Energy Requirements.

Her eyes refocused on the Jirachi in front of her. “...Zzzt! Right, sorry! I meant t-t-to ask, do you know if there are any sour t-t-tasting Berries or Fruit on this island?” she’d ask, plasma drifting idly as she too, began to drift slightly in a circle as she spoke; reverting to one of the patterns she had prescribed for the body earlier on. “I feel like it’ll probably suit my [Electric] p-p-p-personality!” she’d add on, allowing a naturall bouncy nature to overtake her voice as she spoke. “...Additionally, d-d-d-do you know if the Water is safe for us to drink? I’ve not g-g-got any joke to go with this one,” she’d state plainly, eyes instinctively shifting to upturned arrows, to reflect her good-mood. “I know I c-c-c-could look around, or try the water myself to find out,” she’d begin to explain. “B-B-But you’re a genius, and you’ve been here longer! So why not use that g-g-g-genius brain of yours to save some time?”

Edited August 14, 2023 by Tiamat's Circus

radio414 · August 14, 2023

Clobber was acting weird, which was in-character for him, sure, but that didn’t make it any less stare-worthy, the way he shuffled around and turned away like he was embarrassed to do a perfectly normal task. He had some weird jab about fruit farming that Z. didn’t quite follow -- even if they had been a farmer, what would be the problem with that? -- but maybe that was his plan to get Z. to move on to something more interesting. It didn’t work, or rather, it did work in that Z. moved on, but not for that reason.

No, even before Ears the Noibat lunged forward at the broken coconut, Z. was already cringing and moving away. It was the shrill scream she’d let out that did it. It was basically a dog whistle, and not the online kind Z. could seize upon and call out, so they could only be miserable about it the usual way. They dropped their coconut piece and said, “Hey, warn people maybe next time you want to do that, huh? I was just getting used to having voices in my head that aren’t mine, don’t gotta exacerbate the headache by throwing in a tornado siren.”

Thankfully, other people were breaking away from Jirachi at this point, leaving more people to go bother instead. Hector first went over to the river to look at himself more than he already could with six sets of eyes lying about, then to get a drink of water, before finally coming over to offer to do something with the coconut water instead, but it was the wrong thing. Like, it hit an off-key note in Z.’s brain even if they couldn’t place the whole tune, just component parts.

It wasn’t like they weren’t going to call Hector out on it, though, even with the little information they could scrounge up. “Yeah? You got an emulsifier on you? Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Maybe they had mentioned cooking on the forum, then. Well, they remembered that information, at least, so a cooking topic seemed most likely. If there was a cooking topic, Z. felt like Hector would have been on it, so they refrained from further calling Hector a cooking poser. Instead, they said, “If you want to cook something, we’ll need a fire, and maybe an oven if we can find some stone or clay or something. Walk with me and help me carry the stuff for that.”

Hector turned to face Z. when they spoke. It took a moment for the troop to rotate for all of them to be facing the right direction, but when they all had, six sets of eyes settled on them. “I didn’t promise to make chicken curry. I just said that I could,” he said through the Brass.

All six of the little orbs swelled up when Z. suggested gathering the supplies. “I would love to help gather the stuff to build an oven. It would be great to cook for everyone,” he said. Then he paused and glanced toward Jirachi. “Probably shouldn't be running off yet though. He sent me a weird… mind… message thing while he was answering questions. Think he wants us all to gather up before he tells us something important.”

Again with the mind stuff. But Z. couldn’t help but look quizzical, tilting their head to the side as Hector explained his reluctance. “He literally said we have half a day though? And yeah, building an oven's hard but we don't need to finish it until after we get back. If it’s so important, he can tell us whenever he wants.” They flexed their front paws. “If there's one thing these things are good for, I bet it’s digging pits.”

One of the troopers turned back to stare at the mist approaching the shore. “Well, he said the Mist would be here in half a day. But I thought there was more he wanted to tell us before that, right?” Hector said through the Brass, who was still staring at Z. “I figured it was a quick break to grab a drink and a bite to eat before we got down to business.”

Z. felt their eyes nearly bulge out of their skull. Leave it to a moderator to make up their own personal rules and try and get everyone else to follow them. It was enough to get them to slip up a little bit and reveal some ulterior motives. “Then help me carry food for most of these people then,” Z. snapped. “God, do you want me to give you a proper ‘you’re welcome’ or not?”

Hector laughed. It tinny noise that rippled from trooper to trooper and caused their heads to bobble out of sync. It was almost bad, like, Ears’ ear noise, if it weren’t also on the softer end. “Sorry, sorry. You're right,” he said (reiterating what Z. already knew). “I’m sure he can wait a few minutes while we grab some things. We deserve the break.” The troop formed into a single file line with the Brass at the front. “Lead the way, Captain.”

“God,” Z. said again, again containing themself first at the laughter at their expense and then the absolutely comical conga line performance this was becoming. The “Captain” thing didn't help much. Stifling it all still meant it came out as a light cough, though. “Okay.”

They went further inland a little ways, just going upstream. Despite the outburst, the “You’re welcome” was not entirely forthcoming. Every so often, they would point out a fruit tree that could be interesting, some of them even fruits unrecognizable to both of them, and both Z. and Hector would shake and/or physically attack the tree to get at its precious bounty. Hector handled most of the carrying, what with technically being six Hectors and all, but Z. did nestle some of the smaller fruit into their fur similar to how they had the Oran Berry back in the Mystery Dungeon. Eventually, though…

“You’re welcome,” Z. said. “I didn’t do it for you specifically, so you didn’t even need to thank me, but you’re welcome. I also didn’t thank you for correcting that actual child about me, so there you go, you get one of those for free too.” They stopped in their tracks, looking at the latest flora discovery directly in front of them. “Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me,” they said. “It’s a date palm.”

Hector did what looked like a shrug but the gesture was not very clear when all six members of the troop were ladened with fruit and supplies. “Thanks anyways. I appreciate it. And don’t sweat it about Cross, I think he just didn’t understand. Patience goes a long way in my experience,” he said.

The troop stopped marching when Z. did, managing to stop before walking into them this time. “Oh, man,” Hector said, the troop shaking with laughter again. It was a much deeper belly sort of laugh this time. “Lucky day for Clobber, huh?” he managed after a moment. “We got him a date.”

Z. didn't fight the laugh this time. It was practically a cackle. “He’s a little dingus, isn’t he? One thing I’ll give him is he has the decency to chew with his mouth closed, but imagine being embarrassed to eat in front of people. Any idea who he's supposed to be in real life?”

“Not really,” Hector said, quieting down a little bit. “You probably noticed but I wasn’t exactly active the last few years. Might not want us to know considering he hasn't mentioned his username at all.”

“Mm,” Z. said, nodding. “I guess. I can think of some really embarrassing people for him to be, and I will absolutely give him shit for it if it turns out he was indeed as much a goober then as he is now. But Ears has been like that too, and she seems cooler than that.”

Hector walked over and used his shield-hand to scoop a date up and toss it up onto the shield of one of the troopers. “Plenty of people are cool now that weren’t fifteen years ago,” he said. “I was a pretty cringy twelve-year-old when I first joined, but I like to think I’m an alright twenty-seven-year-old.”

Z. laughed again, but didn’t correct him. “That’s true,” they said. “I have some baggage myself, don’t I? And that's even ignoring what Zeta Channel eventually became. Naw, my problem is it’s a cringy thing to do now. I don't know. I don’t want to say it’s a matter of trust or anything stupid like that because you don't need to know someone’s entire life story to know they have your back, and I certainly have bigger trust issues right now, but it still feels like they're withholding something, and that’s not not meaningful, you know? We’ll see.”

Hector tried to shrug again. “I get that. I don't mind so much, mostly because I don't think any of the real weirdos from the site got plucked up, but it would be nice to know who they are.”

“Oh, that’s true,” Z. said. “The real weirdos. God, could you imagine? I think I would strangle Summer if I saw him in real life.”

They tried to get a few more dates but found themself running out of available space. They looked at Hector going around scooping things up with his shields. “Actually, hold still,” they said. Hector did so, and Z. made a quick loop around the six Falinks, checking and double-checking each of them in turn. “Now just, like, walk? Move around a bit?” After that was done too, Z. un-nestled their fruit, concentrated as hard as they could on what they had just seen, and threw themselves into the air in a sick backflip. What came back down was a pretty decent copy of Hector, all things considered. The troopers weren’t going to move from their spot behind the brass, Z. knew that even before trying it, but still. “There,” they said, scooping up the fruit again. “Now it at least looks like I’m carrying more than I am. Should be enough to head back now, huh?”

Hector shook one of his heads. “You’re getting the hang of that whole copycat thing pretty fast,” he said. “I’m only just now starting to get the hang of this whole six-in-one thing I've got going on.” He hefted the weight he was carrying, hoisted as they were atop his shields like little platters. “Should be good to go. Think we've got a pretty decent haul.”

“Cool,” Z. said. “And hey, at least you get to practice just by, you know, being. And I’ve still got a long way to go too. But I’m not going to stop until I get there. Imperfection I can fix like that is just not something I can abide by.” One final laugh. “I guess if you can’t sort yourself out alone, I’ll be there to make sure you do. For now, let’s go back.”

Edited August 15, 2023 by radio414

Skaia · August 22, 2023

When all was said and done, Chester wasn't really sure what to make of the situation. Jirachi's explanation did little to assure them of their success in actually being able to save the world at large, with the only assurance that they could at all being that it was Jirachi's wish was what brought them here in the first place. Jirachi already had the power to cleanse areas from this endless maddening mist as it were, so he wanted to believe that their wish meant something, but that something wasn't necessarily them being immune to the maddening properties. He was also a bit curious about the structure of these "mystery dungeons" as well. He had known about such things from his time discussing such games on the forum they were from, but he never seemed to actually be bothered by the fact that in those games the pokemon in the dungeons were all aggressive all the time. Perhaps maybe someone made a comment about it, but it was almost always in jest or a thought that had no real answer to it. He wondered why he never thought something like that was strange, especially when his first instinct here was to try and talk it out with said pokemon. And add to that, why it was the mystery dungeons seemed to drive pokemon to madness as well when they made it their place of residence.

Well, quite like a question cast into the vast sea of an otherwise indifferent message board, it was pointless to ponder such things by himself right now.

Instead, he wondered what it was that they could do here and now. The Chespin looked around and saw others already getting food, self directed that they were in doing so, and decided to walk over to the nearby stream to instead refresh himself. Looking into the water, Chester once again examined his newfound body. He thought it was newfound at least. There was this bizarre sense of complete unfamiliarity with it, while contradictorily as if it had been his body his entire life. Nothing about it seemed particularly odd to him. Two arms, two legs, two eyes, a nose, a mouth, enormous front teeth. Of course, none of this was actually in view of the stream, only a vaguely distorted image of himself going through the water if that. Everything else was truly checked by him using the aforementioned arms to make sure that all of those things were indeed there. A task he found more difficult then he would've normally expected, as his arms seemed to have a hard time going across his entire face with how stubby they were. All the same everything checked out, so he wasn't really sure what the off feeling was but perhaps in the end it was just an insecurity he had about having to fight some kind of maddening mist. After taking a drink from the stream, the Chespin stood back upright ready to reconvene with the others.

Edited August 22, 2023 by Skaia

Chaos Sonic · August 31, 2023

"But I'm a lot better than I used to be. It's true that in the past I only stayed awake for one week every thousand years, but stuff happened, and I've gotten better at that. Even after using all my wishes, I can stay up for a looong time now."

Marv rubbed his chin, nodding slightly at this. Perhaps this was something that could be plausible in the long run, all things considered. Pokémon could break limitations that they used to have if pushed to the limit...it wasn't unheard of. It happened all the time in certain games and even in the anime...right? Regardless, the Froakie shrugged and gave a nod at Jirachi. "Then maybe we should be good to go then. If you won't end up taking another long nap, then perhaps all may be right with things for now."

"On the subject of time, there isn't a lot left. My power originally covered a wider expanse. But every second, the Endless Mist gains ground, and now only this island is protected. If you look out at the sea, you can see it approaching even now."

Jirachi's voice changed again...Marv listened more carefully this time, glancing over in the direction of what was known as the "Endless Mist". The boundary where the ripples and waves blended into one thin line meeting the sky, and beyond that...there it was. The gray smudge that rested and was a blight on the horizon. For a moment, he could've sworn it was getting bigger, but these optical illusions were obviously something that could occur in a situation like this. ...so that's the Endless Mist? Yeah...doesn't seem like a Primal Dialga thing...then again, something like the natural disasters and calamities from Red and Blue Rescue Team... he thought, nodding slightly.

"The Mist won't be here for a while, at least. By my calculations, it'll be… about half a day. Enough time to rest and grab food. Some of you have found out already, but this island is full of goodies! And the stream over there has a lot of cool, clean water, too. There's more I want to say, and I haven't answered all the questions either, but I want you all together for that, so I'll hold off for now. Let's meet up back here when you're ready! ♪ And... for those of you who have decided to help... Thank you. I mean it."

"Oh uh...yeah sure..." the Froakie nodded, before turning to go back in the direction of the others. Right, socializing, he needed to do that. But still, why did that somewhat not sit well with him all too much? Maybe bits from his past life? He couldn't be sure or for certain, but whatever it was, maybe he could get past it.

"If anyone wants any of these damn coconuts I can crack them open for you, I guess."

Marv thought about it, about the time his stomach also thought about it...to which it let out a loud growl. He sighed and hopped in the direction of Clobber. "Y-Yeah, if you don't mind...I'd like one!"

Doggo · September 13, 2023

Noibat was in heaven and not processing anything going on around her as she ate. Clobber being embarrassed to eat, the others coming and going in search of other food sources. The ominous world consuming mist coming for all of them in half a day. None of it mattered. That was until the bat's teeth clicked down not on succulent coconut flesh but the hard very not tasty husk of a piece she'd already eaten. She quickly tossed it aside and picked up another, again the same sensation. She was out of coconut. That was fine. Clobber was offering to break more open. But that meant her brain came down from the fruit bat high and began registering things that had been said.

"D-defog?" Noibat could only timidly fire back Clobber's move idea at him. It sounded familiar. Like a thing Pokemon could do. But now didn't seem like the time to admit to only ever taking damaging moves on her Pokemon when she still actually played the games. She could guess what a move called Defog might do just from the name of it at least here as a real Pokemon doing real things physically herself. That sounded pretty useful all said with the world ending fog on its way. "H-heh how would I even know?" she finally managed to say voicing her concern. Just figuring out moving and gust had been adventures unto themselves. Her pulse was picking up at this point as one of her hand-like claws high up on her wing came up to her mouth, a clear nervous tick awkwardly translated into her new body. Noibat's breaths were accelerating, inhaling greater volumes of air and exhaling very little in the process. Her head was feeling light and her toes were tingling, a familiar sensation but certainly not welcome. The bat sat, or more properly collapsed, onto the ground only able to think about the word Defog.

"It's stupid enough I got isekai'd..." Noibat muttered to herself though audible to Clobber any gathering near her. Her ears were pinging with no rhyme or reason as she spoke, though never for long or too loud. "But it's post-apocalyptic. And they think I can do anything about that? I don't even like post-apocalyptic games." A weird thought took hold that she knew this opinion because like all of her opinions she'd voiced it many times on the forum, the only thing she could actually remember. But it was still strange to remember a preference so clearly while not being able to recall actually playing the things at all. Entertaining but only for a moment and not enough to break the overriding train of thought that they only had half a day before the rest of the world ended. Taking any sort of charge in the current situation was out the window and a few miles back on the highway. Noibat was very ready for one of the others to tell her what to do. Anything to get her thinking about something else.

Sethera · September 14, 2023

Jirachi looked at Es and beamed, swallowing the last of the apple. "Wow, you're a strange one, for sure! But maybe it's because you're a Rotom?" Despite his words, his voice held no malice. It felt more like an innocent comment from a child's mouth than anything else. "You have good eyes too! Indeed, I am a genius! Jirachi, the genius!" He floated upward. "Because you're so discerning, I will use my genius brain… and help you out, just this once! ♪"

He hummed in thought. "Let's see… There are some Nomel Berries further inland, and some Aspear Berries nearby. Oh, oh! And I have this! Ta-dah!" With a flourish, he produced what looked like a pear. But unlike the pears from our world, this one was blue. Not aqua, not indigo, but a deep blue with an orange ring at its base. "It's called a Belue Berry and I've heard it's super sour! And a little spicy too. Even better!

"As for the water," he settled himself back against a rock, "it's as clean as can be! It comes from a spring and Suicune himself rated it safe to drink!" He puffed up his chest and then deflated. "Of course, that was long ago, and who knows if that's true anymore, but I can't imagine that much has changed. I had a drink myself a while ago and I'm still fine. ♪"

Fired up by Es's comments, the mythical would also take part in the foraging, gathering water in small handwoven cups made from large, stiff leaves. He gave these to Es and anybody else who passed by. Even though they were made of leaves, they were stable and didn't wobble or fall over when placed on the ground.

—

Once everybody gathered together and received a cup, Jirachi clapped his hands together in enthusiasm. "All right! Now that we're all here, it's time to make a game plan. This is just like old times—" his smile froze for a second before he changed the subject. "I know you've got other questions. Like, how are you going to save the world? What can you do to do to stop the Endless Mist? Well, you weren't the only ones asking these questions. Even I, a genius, wondered the same. When I granted the wish to save the world, there was another wish—my last wish—that if I couldn't save this world myself, that I could have help. I'm sure that's what summoned you all.

"And it also brought me these!" He held up a single gold badge, produced from who-knows-where. It appeared similar to the one he wore on his chest, but lacked the taiko drum shape of the original. Rather, it looked like a metal coin with a five-pointed star affixed to the front and a pair of wings to the back.

"These are called badges," Jirachi explained. "Back then, the world had many different kinds. Rescue Team Badges, Explorer Badges, Adventure Squad Badges, Expedition Society Badges… But now they're all gone..." he glanced down at his chest, "mostly." The Pokémon returned his attention to the others with a smile. "There is a special energy in these badges. They were first created by the Pokémon Rescue Organization to combat the natural disasters and rise in mystery dungeons throughout the world. If you set a 'Home Point' for them, then they will bring the bearer and anybody else nearby back to that location. You can also use them on other Pokémon and choose to stay where you are, badge in hand. However, they don't always work, and in those cases you must use an Escape Orb. Pretty mysterious, huh? ♪"

Jirachi lowered his hand and stared down at the star-shaped badge. "But I believe these badges have more to them than that. There must be some other reason they were sent to me along with you all. I believe they can combat the Endless Mist." He looked up, eyes blazing with determination. "So, I would like you all to take part in an experiment with me. Please, everybody, take a badge and stand still. I will soon teleport us all to the center of the island."

With a wave of his hand, the psychic summoned more badges that floated over to each Pokémon. Unlike normal badges, these didn't have pins, nor could they be sewn on. However, as soon as the Pokémon placed them on their bodies, they stuck in place. They could also be removed with some resistance (like taking off a magnet) and then reapplied elsewhere.

Jirachi nodded in satisfaction at seeing them stick. "Let me know when you're ready. We don't have much time left before the Mist arrives."

OOC: Yes, banana leaf cups are actually a thing, which is neat. Look them up if you're curious! Also, I finally get to show you all these badges! I'm pretty excited about them, and I think they fit the RP pretty well too. And feel free to finish up any interactions you've started from last round and then react to what's going on here and stuff. I'm planning on moving us on next round, so if there's anything your character wants to say or do still, now's your chance!

Edited September 14, 2023 by Sethera

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Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Union of Stars [IC/Not Accepting]

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