ITT: We Have All Become Pokémon

Dras-Il continues to stare at PJ- her expression, for once, impassive.

Then she cocks her head up, and her deep voice reverberates from within her wooden body. "Eliot! Your friend says that he's sorry, that you're not to worry, and that he'll meet you in Orichalcum."

With that she bends down and scoops PJ's tiny, paralyzed body up into her claw.

Ignoring any possible reaction he may have to this, she looks at Guy and J. "Are you two prepared to move?"

"I might need a stronger berry than an Oran Berry to heal those ribs, but the paralysis has worn off enough for me to move now."

[I give Dras-Il an unseeable thumbs-up; remind us never to f**k with her or any part of these woods ever again.]

[...well, I suppose now is a good time as ever to get going. I turn towards the town and begin slowly walking along the dirt path...occasionally stopping and turning back to see if Dras with PJ has started moving along yet.]

> Oz is hanging weakly from Goobert's arms, looking more dejected.

"...you guys could just leave me behind, you know. it's not like i'm good for anything here."

Mila continues on in silence, making no sign that she even heard Oz' remark. Instead, she looks down towards the berries she is carrying and examines each of them carefully as if hoping to find something lost in between them.

Why should he feel bad? He tried to help everyone when the fight was going on, and it's not like he could control getting attacked. At least he made some use out of these berries, unlike me. Heh, I can't even stay consistent. I complained that other people were just thinking about themselves, and now I'm doing the same thing. I'm terrible...

Due to her lack of outside focus, Mila fails to notice a root in time and trips on it, sending her sprawling to the ground. Rather than stop her fall, however, she simply rotates sideways to move the bag out of the way and lets gravity connect her to the earth. Once on the ground, she stares across the dirt watching as tiny ants and other insects scatter about, going on with their lives as if she wasn't there.

"——"

edited 27th Apr '17 5:00:57 PM by Cabe_Bedlam

(By this point, Oz's attitude is starting to get on my nerves, even as a generally cheerful Goodra. I try to talk to him in as calm of a tone as I can muster)

Oz, stop blaming yourself for this whole mess. It's not your fault, it's no one's fault.

(In my exasperation, I forget about how Nyquil feels about this whole incident)

edited 27th Apr '17 6:04:15 PM by kablammin45

("No one's fault," huh? Well, guess who's a "no one.")

This prick!

>I point at Dras-II.

"Wait. This is the Trevenant that attacked you guys?"

"Also, what's with all the fighting and self-loathing attitude? I'm so lost..."

"I said something really stupid... and everyone hates me now..."

what's wrong with mila?

Finley completely understood why she was acting like this, being called a murderer out of nowhere can't be fun, but she looks like she's distancing herself from the group.

"Hey Mila, are you o-"

Before he can finish, he sees her connect with the ground, almost intentionally...

"Damn..." He runs over to check on her, probably against her wishes. "Mila? Do you need help?"

"...i'm not just talking about before. i'm talking about this whole journey, from the very beginning of this, back when we landed here for the first time. i've done nothing since then. the whole time i was just tagging along, following you guys, watching you help each other while i'm doing shit. i mean, what good have i ever done during this whole mess? making a friend vomit paint? not helping you guys with the ruffians? getting almost killed and causing trouble for all of you?! that's it! i've only caused trouble!! i've done NOTHING but causing trouble!!!"

> Oz continues to rant until he falls off Goobert's grasp and into the ground, breaking into tears.

"...i-i-i've done nothing... i-i'm useless..."

author's note: and that's my attempt at deconstructing the Out of Focus trope! (:D) as you can see, my writing is really terrible.

edited 27th Apr '17 7:27:58 PM by anza_sb

>I walk to Oz.

"Uh- you alright, mate?"

"...i'm useless..."

> Oz is still sobbing on the ground.

[...goddamnit, I'm stuck in another...plane, I guess, where any and all methods of interaction are cut off from the world itself, and...and I feel like I'm the only one with my head on straight. Oz...damn it, Oz, you don't need to blame yourself for all this... I heard his rant, I turned and saw him fall, I see him sobbing like...like crazy. Oz, I want to say...Oz, you're not useless. It's...it's been, what, two days, tops? Everything's just...a little hectic now, it's okay, it's fine to be...taken aback, I guess, it's fine to want to...stay to the side for now, get accustomed to shit..."

[I walk over to him, and even though I know he can't feel it, I kneel down and give him a hug.]

[A shadowy, three-fingered hand is currently draped over Oz, though after a bit, the shadows recede, leaving only the end of the hand covered.]

(My exasperation quickly turns to concern. I have no idea what I can say to make Oz feel better without feeling like I'll make him feel worse. However, I feel that I know how he feels. I slept in a bush while Eliot was blowing chunks, I went straight to bed when we got to Morbitesse's place, and I spent a lot of our fight with Dras-II either curled up in a ball or trying to break up the fight. So I'm a way, I feel like I haven't been the most useful either, kind of like how Oz feels right now.)

(The problem is, I have no idea how to put all of this into words.)

Oz, I..., I mean, I know...I...

(I groan in frustration with myself and sit down beside Oz. Without thinking about it, I begin pulling on my antennae again.)

Mila hears a familiar voice, and despite her impassivity a twitch of emotion flashes across her face. Is it anger? Appreciation? Embarassment? Shame, perhaps? In any case, as it disappears as quickly as it came, and Mila immediately picks herself up, grabs the bag from its position on the ground, and provides only the shortest of responses.

"I'm okay."

What is wrong with me? The one person who maybe cares most about me out of this group and I can't look them in the eye or even give them a good answer? Am I really trying to drive them away any faster than I already have? This heaviness in my chest... I can't keep hurting other people because of my problems.

edited 27th Apr '17 8:20:31 PM by Cabe_Bedlam

> Seeing Goobert frustrated with themself, Oz can't help but feeling guilt for venting out all of his emotions like before.

"goobert... oh no... i'm sorry, i didn't mean to yell at you... i mean..."

> Suddenly, Oz feels something touching his back (or at least, the back of his head). He turned around to see Goobert, but they don't seem to be touching him, and even if they did, he would feel something more slimy. This feels... strangely warm. And kinda fuzzy, like some sort of fur.

"...?"

a.n.: i don't know goobert's gender, so i just leave it as "they".

Yes, let's go.
*Quickly flies to near the front of the group heading for Orichalcum.*

edited 28th Apr '17 12:40:31 AM by StarAndroidJaguar

Before setting off, Dras-Il picks up the Cheri Berry on the ground and drops it next to PJ's body. Then she follows after the group, watching their individual breakdowns with... concern, but astonishment too.

"Tell me..." She's not addressing anyone in particular; just anyone who's currently in a clear enough mindset to answer. "How long has this group been travelling together? I assumed weeks, given the diversity and growth of those within it, but this sort of despair is... naive."

*I don't really object to being carried like this. It feels demeaning to be carried in the palm of someone's hand, but I can't bring myself to care that much.*

"We haven't really been together that long. Like, some of us have known each other for a while before this, but we only really 'got here' and grouped up yesterday."

*I fling my arms up, trying to gesture to the whole group. What I say next is dripping with faux joviality.*

"Day two and we're already having mental breakdowns! Doesn't this just bode so well for us?"

*I look over at the Cheri Berry laid beside me. I said I'm not hungry, but now that I think about it, I haven't eaten anything all day. Considering that and how needlessly hard it is to move anything from the neck down, I figure, "oh well, what the hell?" and start taking small, disinterested bites from it. The taste is odd, like a cherry dipped in jalapeno sauce, but it actually isn't that bad. With each bite, I can feel myself regaining muscle control in my body. Not to say it doesn't still hurt like a bitch all over, but I can move without facing any resistance now. The little electrical crackling noise seems to be going away too. If I cared, I'd be wondering what the hell's in these berries that lets them do stuff like this.*

"Let's just forget about it. I do not want to talk about what happened there anymore."

[...something feels...off... I stop rubbing Oz and take my head from off of him, looking around to see—wait, MY HAND?!]

[I shoot up, looking back and forth between my hands. One of them's...normal, but the other has that same faint, hazy aura around it all the others do. My tail whips back and forth excitedly. Wait, does this mean...]

[I bend down and draw a line in the dirt with my hazy hand...]

[I...I did it. I mean, it's just my hand, but it's still a part of me, right? I touch the hand outside to the hand still inside: it's...an odd feeling, namely because I'm getting no sensation from the hand outside.]

(I look up for a moment just in time to see a disembodied hand rubbing Oz's head)

YIPE!

(I yelp and jump up so fast that I lose my balance and fall on my back. Then it occurs to me that it's Eliot's hand)

Hey guys!

edited 28th Apr '17 7:25:11 AM by kablammin45

*Looks around in each direction repeatedly.*
What was that?

"... Well, if you really say so. Don't take what PJ said to heart, okay?" Finley begins to walk back to the group, but jumps back when he hears Goobert freak out.

"WHAT?! What happened?!"