ITT: We are all Pokémon Trainers

"Alright then, just gotta..."

Denali snaps their fingers and a large puff of smoke erupts, when it clears, Muninn and Ever are gone.

"Ah there we go!"

Ever: ...Well.

Brie: Where've you been all day?

Ever: Would you believe I was talking to an ancient fae deity about how to acquire a Key Stone?

Brie: ...No. No I would not.

Ever: Alright then, You're doing okay?

Brie: Arm's better. Rest not so much.

Ever: Hm.

-he sits down by her mattress, taking out his laptop-

Brie: What are you up to?

Ever: Essay drafting.

Brie: What?

Copper heads in as well.

Amos decides he probably should too.

Chum exits his ball after sending the text and appears...

Here.

Chum: <Oh, hey, this place seems familiar.>

There's sand for a fair distance, but one could probably see a walled city nearby. There is an extravagant domed palace in the middle.

-The off-color frog pats Sylph, then steps up to the bridge-

Shinobi: -To Nier- <I dunno what those things deal is yet, but what do you wanna bet we'll find Weiss in the center of it?>

-He makes ready to dash across the bridge and smirks at Nier-

<Ready when you are>

Dioh tilts his head at Tagg and seems about to ask him what's wrong when the tall doors leading to the nave grind open, as though bitching about having to do their job.

Immediately, an earsplitting, beastly screech greets them. Opposite the group, across the empty nave, lies a... creature, swaying gently. Its beaked, stupid face gapes sightlessly at the heavens from behind a mask of gray and orange wings. The eyes are deep-set and too human-looking for a bird, however, cloudy like cataracts. Its size is also too great for the building, as it sits in an endless hole in the floor where the altar should be and completely obscures the apse behind. Strips of flesh wrap around the feathered body and anchor it to the marble floor in all directions.

Overall it looks like a deformed Talonflame struggling its way out of a chrysalis, or maybe a disfigured seraph. The vessel is made partially of a translucent fleshy substance and wings plastered to the creature's trunk, dark gray and red primary feathers pointing at the ceiling. The creature's bruised head, skeletal neck, and clawed hands stretching up out of the chrysalis and clenching uselessly are all that's visible of its body. What looks to be Channah's arms are wrapped around its neck. Her fists grip a single pokéball on the right and a tiny figure inside a crystal on the left.

It shakes, disturbing the anchors and dropping feathers, and shrieks in desperate terror.

Truth: Deepest Self, 'sup?

 Channah's Mindscape 

Really wishing I could use a Persona right now.

-To Deepest Self-

Er, hi? Do you talk?

Deepest Self: -incoherent shrieking-

Truth: Nope. Unless you speak Anxiety. That's all this is, really.

-the other aspects have all frozen in place, turned into disturbed-looking statues-

-Brie has gone to sleep, and Ever is talking to Muninn-

Ever: So, I have to figure I can use the information I've already gotten from you, as long as I can find a good citation for it.

Muninn: <...Sure.>

Ever: Right then. As far as your impact on the world, I'd say the most robust topic for an essay is probably the Demon Mutagen, as it's cropped up through history.

-Muninn winces-

Ever: Arceus knows I'm not writing about the other invention I'm aware of.

Muninn: <This isn't pleasant for me either, you know.>

Ever: Mmmm.

Muninn: <...>

Ever: What?

Muninn: <You don't think this goes a little bit against the spirit of the challenge?>

Ever: He said I had to dig. Not like I can get a lot of info from anyone else about what you were up to over the last 7000 years.

edited 16th Mar '18 5:54:55 PM by memyselfandI2

[Giant Squid?]!Vee: -grunting- <No-don't-roll-that-way, augh...>

-Pippy puffs tiredly-

Pippy: <Still rather'd not go metal to metal with a mon of your size and strength...>

[Giant Squid?]!Vee: <You! Get! Over! Here!>

-she coils and yanks, at the same time Pippy slams his strength into the earth, dragging up geysers, the pair of them trying to shove the thrashing Steelix in the direction of most of the Smashers-

-meanwhile, Pollen levitates both guns and fires them at further-away Smashers, as Lapis hammers some Grenades around-

-Megan frantically hits buttons in sequence on the arm cannon, until-

Megan: ...aha.

-ding-

Hehehe...

-whirrrrr-

-triumphantly, leveling the cannon at a distant Smasher- HahahaHA!

-and a large, electric blast charges and fires from the end-

-they all also head through-

Thespi: -murmuring, gazing as dramatically as she can muster into the swirling portal- <Into the magic sands...>

-whoosh-

Desert

Sun!Thespi: <Phew! That's bracing.>

Ceal: >~<

Tripod: -sympathetic pat-

edited 16th Mar '18 6:20:01 PM by Asterisk395

The Sand of Arabia

This feels... Familiar. I welcome you all back to the world wherein sits Agrabah.

-Well, Pent is human again. And thankfully with the thincloth hooded robes he's somewhat prepared to trek through the desert carrying a large gold halberd. Oh yeah, he's already got this world's keytarblade out and is using it as a walking stick a little bit. So as previously mentioned it's a nice big gold halberd but the axe blade is notched and cut like a key and bells adorn anywhere not meant for grip or cutting. Every step is a note of percussion-

-Well, I guess if we're starting the story then it just feels right to break out the vocals and start the opening number-

Alola League

Lane:Ok, I know it'll be rough in there but if you believe hard enough-

Iggy:Papa...

Lane:And if it gets too rough you can always leave early and try again-

Iggy:Papaaaaa...

Lane:I know it'll be tough as a monnotyper, but if you remem-

Iggy:PAPA!

-Lane goes squeak-

-Iggy patpats his head-

Iggy:I'll be fiiiine! I may be a coordinator, but I can be tough too! :D

-She hops up, pecks him on the cheek, and dashes in-

Lane:Wait you forgot your...full restores...

-Lane sighs as Iggy enters the League chambers-

-Beat-

-Maria, who's leaning on a pillar, chuckles-

Maria:Really, now, lil bro?

Lane:M-Maria!

Maria:And here I thought you couldn't sound sappy like...ever. Glad to see I'm wrong~. o3o

Lane:S-Shut up!

Lost Shrine

Nier:<I'll bet all my gold on it.>

-He hunkers down and rushes across and through the door-

-There...there are a lot of Shades.-

-Small ones, large ones, ones as big as yer head-

-wait they aren't coconuts.-

-But yeeeah, there's a lot. Most of them are humanoid with swords and clubs, though a few sport shields-

 Channah's Mindscape 

The caged bird, yearning to be free...

-Using Aura Sense-

...So the Deepest Self is a giant mass of anxiety?

-Looking at the now statuesque in more than one sense of the word aspects-

I'd assume she's responsible for this. You're "high priestess" as you put it, so that's probably why you're unaffected. Can they hear us in that state? And what's the crystal supposed to be?

Truth: -shrugs- Dunno. And not really. Hard to hear much over this. -about the screeching, which lessens but never stops- So, yeah, that's correct. I let it get too big and now it defines me. Hence the cathedral - worship and recognition of its permanence. Deepest Self consumes everything eventually, and someday it will eat them too. -nods to the other aspects-

<no>

Deepest Self: -shakes harder, trying to tear feathers out-

 Channah's Mindscape 

I could just leave, I didn't bring anyone else besides the stoners, and they can't really fight, and I don't have a Persona if this thing's somehow actually a Shadow Self, so trying to fight it could possibly end pointlessly, and even if I by some miracle beat it that's not going to solve her problems, I already beat up my equivalent about twice.

-Thinking back to not too long ago-

"The least I can do for my only friend."

Ah crud.

-To Truth-

So, it just devours until nothing is left? If this place is basically a monument to the god As uncomfortable as all these crosses make me, what would happen if the cathedral were destroyed?

edited 16th Mar '18 8:13:27 PM by rmctagg09

Truth: Looking for an angle? Eh, bad idea. It has that name for a reason - It's the real me. More me than even this aspect. Aaand now you know why it's so easy for me to brush off any advice I get. Couldn't override its will even if I wanted.

 Channah's Mindscape 

The voice, where is the voice? I know you can hear me.

-To Truth-

You don't beat all the Leagues I have by easily giving up, plus all the stuff I've done since becoming part of the J-Team, and so I'm not giving up on you, even if you show me the door. Cause ♪that's what bein' friends is about.♪

-Mezzo is sitting with her Switch, very unconcerned about what Ever is doing-

-however, her Umbreon is showing a lot more interest-

Sunny: <Oooh, are you writing something?>

Ever: Uh, yeah. Well, drafting. I need to write an essay about Muninn.

-he pets Sunny's head-

Sunny: <Interesting choice. Are you gonna write about his old lovers?>

Muninn: <Excuse me?>

Ever: They'll probably feature. I need this thing out to 2000 words at least.

Muninn: <My romantic life is none of anyone's business.>

Ever: You wiped out your civilization with a bioweapon; I don't get the sense it'll take long to go over.

Sunny: <Surely you've had some sort of romantic life, haven't you? Wouldn't it be lonely, living for thousands of years without one?>

Truth: ...Dude, are you actually singing. -seems mildly disgusted-

<interloper>

Deepest Self: -throws its head back, with more pained screaming and attempted self-mutilation-

<anotherstormiscoming>

Truth: ...I think the best course of action is to end this now and pretend it never happened. -a black circle begins forming around Tagg's position- You have birds' rights to campaign for or something, right?

<pleasereleaseus>

<iwillrepaythedebt>

 Channah's Mindscape 

Who exactly are you? How do I do that, and what else happens if I do? I'd rather not break things worse.

-To Truth as the circle starts forming around me-

Yeah I need to keep her talking until I can properly formulate a plan.

I mean you turn into one, so birds' rights would involve you as well. Also Deepest Self over there is basically a giant woman bird. The right to get set on the path to free you of your insecurities, I'm not foolish enough to believe just one mindscape trip will solve all your problems, that's what I said before we even started this thing.

Muninn: <Yes, I've had a romantic life.>

Ever: Like Pleth.

Muninn: <No, I mean an actual romantic life.>

Ever: Wow.

Muninn: (to Sunny) <My first boyfriend, uh...well, his name translates to something like Cloudburst, he broke up with me because I was getting too obsessed over the Demon Mutagen in the first place. He—>

-...-

Ever: Don't mind me. Please, continue.

Muninn: <Aren't you not supposed to be getting information from me?>

Ever: You're saying words to Sunny. I just happen to be sitting here.

-Sunny nods sagely-

Sunny: <That's so tragic. Your own heartlessness and obsession ended up killing your relationship with him...>