ITT: We are all Pokémon Trainers

-Ren headtilts as Abe no Seimei readies himself for battle.-

Ren: -in thought- This... Is a bit different...

CU, Throne Room

Jacob: -His hands tense and Shiva behind him wrings his fingers over his trident- This... this thing. It feels closer to Soul than to the other Shadows...

-His eyes dart around- ... We need to be careful. But we can't avoid this.

-Verax meanwhile is just trying to not freeze to death and is paying attention-

"If there is no way to win, I will simply force a way."

CU, Castle of .-.

Lane:Wow, and Ithought mine could taunt...

Ikusa: Well, excuse me.

Lane:Shush.

CU, Throne Room

-The Frozen Shadow smiles to himself. A cocky, self-assured grin.-

Frozen King: So. You can surely see the logic in my argument - it's worked well enough for us so far. We will move on, maybe visit Angela. And then we can go back to our own devices, away from all of this busywork and thankless fighting.

-Dune takes a moment. He looks behind him, at the group, and most pointedly at Galvani. He takes a deep breath.-

Dune: I'm afraid I can't do that.

—!!!—

Frozen King: ... What?

Dune: I can't turn my back on them now. Not after all we've been through and everything we've built togeth-

Frozen King: EXCUSE ME, what was that?!

-The room grows dim, especially around the walls.-

Frozen King: "Everything you've built together", is THAT what you were going to say?!

-Light seems to bend with space as Dune is pulled from the group. The Shadow is in his face again.-

Frozen King: If it weren't for me, YOU wouldn't even be alive! It was MY influence, MY tenacity, MY will to live that let us survive the Blacklight Caverns! It's MY scars that keep the Criminal from driving you to driveling insanity! Even after all that, you would still DENY ME?!

-The walls of the throne room fade into blackness, and from them come an array of twelve mirrors encircling the party sans Dune.-

Dune: I'm not that kind of person anymore, to just turn my back on those who have placed their trust in me!

-Dune jumps back as a silver blade clatters at his feet.-

Frozen King: Then defend your convictions. Steel on steel. Just like how we've always done it. As for the peanut gallery...

-Silhouettes form inside each of the mirrors. All of them... familiar.-

Frozen King: Knights of the Mirrors! Heed the call of your King, and dispose of these interlopers!

-The Frozen King then lunges at Dune's shoulder with a stab as two of the silhouettes step out of their mirrors.-

☢ CAUTION ☢ CAUTION ☢ The Knights of the Mirrors ☢ CAUTION ☢ CAUTION ☢

Verax Mirrored: Yes, my king!

Jacob Mirrored: Yes, my king!

-They both teleport into the middle of the arena formed by the mirrors - and likely into the middle of the group. The monochrome pair are striking in their ornate armor - and wielding an ornate axe and pair of blades, respectively.-

Verax Mirrored: The Earth trembles at my command!

Jacob Mirrored: The Heavens denounce you!

-Verax Mirrored crashes his axe into the ground, creating massive shatters that snake out to the edges of the area in his direction while Jacob Mirrored swings his blades in the other direction, creating a horrible half-tornado of cutting winds. Deziree barely manages to Magnet Rise over the broken earth created by the Verax doppelganger.-

CU, Mirror Arena

Lane:-is shaken by the broken earth-Gah!

-He regains his footing-

Ooooooh I don't like this...Y...Yomutsu Ikusa!

-The Cyndaquil Persona launches a fireball at Verax Mirrored-

This all seems familiar...

CU - Throne Room

Verax: -He yelps and falls into one of the cracks created and barely catches himself, hauling himself on to the arena floor, and whirls around, glaring- "Oh hell no!! Take-Mikazuchi!!" -The Cubone hurls his club at the Mirrored!Verax-

Jacob: -His eyes narrow as the gales pass over a Protect thrown up by Shiva- "... I serve no king. Shiva. Crush the shade."

-Shiva bellows and rushes in, bearing down its sword at the lookalike-

"If there is no way to win, I will simply force a way."

-The delay in scanning time makes impossible for Mendel to accurately warn the group how to move and what to watch for from the doppelgangers' attacks.-

Mendel: Oh this is BAD...

-Through the accessories- All I can recommend is to just keep moving and keep your guards up!

-Unfortunately...-

Ren: AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!

-Abe no Seimei takes both attacks, bring him to him and Ren to his knees, both breathing heavily and unable to move. Ren painfully gulps down air as Abe no seimei silently chants, causing a star-like construct to form above them.-

Abe no Seimei made a wish!

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-The two reflections, despite the devastation that follows in their wake, shatter and disperse as easily as they formed.-

Galvani: ... <Oh, I get it! They're literally made of glass!>

-Two more phantoms step forward, the first wielding a bow and the other holding a revolver.-

Fletcha Mirrored: Yes, my king!

Des Mirrored: Yes, my king.

-They both disappear in a pillar of light before reappearing at opposite ends of the arena.-

Fletcha Mirrored: Like Ducklett season!

Des Mirrored: Like fish in a barrel.

Galvani: <HIT THE DEEEEECK!>

-Galvani throws herself to the ground as arrows and bullets start filling the air. Galvani has Yurlungur throw a ball of poison at the copy of Des.-

-Abe no Seimei raises a Protect by making a hand gesture, preventing damage from the barrage. The previously created star begins to shines brightly.-

Abe no Seimei's wish came true!

-The star's light heals Abe no Seimei and Ren quite a bit. Now with determined eyes, the pair gets to their feet, both winded, but now able to move and fight.-

Ren: You may style yourself a king, but I see nothing but a tyrant who was knocked off his throne and is now having a royal hissy fit.

Jubilife, past

-To Jacob-

Knowing our luck it'll probably possess a train or something.

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

Jublife

Hrm... I suppose. I'm definitely expecting it to toss one helluva curveball at us at some point though...

Snowpoint

Hm... I suppose, ain't like there's anything else to do around here right now.

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

CU, Mirror Arena

-Lane ducks down, but takes an arrow to his shoulder-

Lane:G...GAAAAGH!

-He clutches the shaft of the intruding projectile as Ikusa blasts the Des close with a Fire Blast-

CU - Throne Room

-Joseph yelps and tries to avoid the projectiles. Lin Bu, meanwhile, lobs a Sludge Bomb at Fletcha-

Another green world.

==Snowpoint City==

Zachary picks up Nack from the ground as he listens to Pent's response.

Zachary: "Let's go then!"

Zachary calls out Bunby the Staraptor from her PokéBall and hops on, waiting for Pent to hop on.

Zachary: "Oh but uhh, do note that we have a tendency to suffer a lot of bad luck by air travel, don't worry, we always make it out alive and right in the place we want to go! ...Barely, but that's besides the point!"

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-The two mirror beings shatter as the attacks hit them. Between the brief moment of peace until the next pair arrive, the sound of frantic footsteps and metal parrying can be heard on the other side of the wall of mirrors.-

Silent Mirrored: Yes, my king.

Daydre Mirrored: Yes, my king!

-The grey Silent disappears in a misty cloud before reappearing in the center of the room. He jumps into the air, and iron needles covered in gleaming poison rain down on anyone in the inner part of the arena.-

Daydre Mirrored: Time for some FUN!

-The doppelganger Daydre pulls out a book and opens it, shadowy tendrils reaching out of it and encircling the outer edges of the arena, grasping at anyone they can reach and slamming them against the floor.-

-Galvani, still being made of metal, rushes through the rain of poison needles and has Yurlungur Wrap the Silent Mirrored, crushing him into mirrordust.-

Maggie: "Yeah, probably."

"Though, hey, curve balls and discovering reality isn't as simple as we originally thought are kind of the J-Team's thing."

Kernel: <Guess I have to admit that. Plus I'm more used to stuff like this, even if I don't usually like it.>

"life is just a series of increasingly canon-eluding ao3 tags" ~ everydunsparce "Keep your hellfruit away from me, tempter" ~ also Every

Jubilife, Past

-Pent takes a moment to avoid smirking broadly-

I already know how complex things can get, so I don't think that's gonna be an issue for me...

Snowpoint, Past

Aye, sounds fine. I don't usually fly places but it's a good change of pace.

-He clambers onto the Staraptor mount and waits for takeoff-

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

CU - Throne Room

-Joseph yelps at the poison rain dripping down...before gasping in a lovely scent, creating a cloud around him-

Joseph: Thanks, Lin!

-the 'sona, having used Aromatherapy, is unable to defend against the tendrils, however-

Joseph: ACK!

Another green world.

-Maggie nods-

Maggie: "Yeah, right. Being able to look at things like that is part of why I think we'll be whatever ends up happening."

"life is just a series of increasingly canon-eluding ao3 tags" ~ everydunsparce "Keep your hellfruit away from me, tempter" ~ also Every

-Siobhan is around because glitches.-

-Scherezade (who, contrary to popular opinion, still exists) is around because, y'know, she lives here.-

-Both are available for interaction.-

All are significantly abnormal in a normal world... All are significantly normal in an abnormal world.

CU, Castle

Daydre is slammed against the ground by.. herself (or her mirror clone, anyway). Arahabaki erects an Earth Power wall to block the needles from hitting her, but ends up getting hit itself, rendering that moot.

"Ngh-"

off the shits

CU, Mirror Arena

-Ikusa winds up for an attack, but winds up taking a few needles and shattering-

Lane:A-...Aaagh...

-Lane faints from the pain-

Damn...it...

-While Abe no Seimei stands over Ren, preventing the poison rain from falling on Ren. Abe no Seimei takes minimal damage from the rain thanks to his typing, but was poisoned.-

Ren: -feeling sick again- *belch*

-As a pleasant smell spreads through the throne room, Abe no Seimei was cured by Lin Bu's Aromatherapy.-

Ren: -feeling good again-Thanks, Joseph!

-Abe no Seimei and Ren swing their respective shaku and cane and cane in an identical motion, firing a Shock Wave at Daydre Mirrored.-

CU, Throne Room

-Daydre Mirrored shatters outward as two more take her place. Two that, all things considered, people would most rather not see team up.-

Pent Mirrored: Yes, my king.

Ren Mirrored: Yes, my king.

-The two disappear as a spotlight shines in the center of the room, and through visual trickery Ren Mirrored appears from behind a nonexistent curtain while Pent Mirrored appears behind him, his keytar set to "orchestral". He begins to play a distinct but obscure piece.-

Ren Mirrored: Is there one here who calls himself Don Quixote de La Mancha?

-The spotlights fan out in search of people to shine upon, blazing down furious light.-

Ren Mirrored: Now hear me, charlatans! You are no knights, but foolish pretenders!

Ren: -at his Double- I believe it's time for you to look into the Mirror of Reality.

-Abe no Seimei wreathes himself in flames and with furious speed, rushes Mirror Ren, using the momentum of the attack to stay ahead of the spotlight following him.-