Seeker of Crocus is at glance a story about a Professor wishing to bring hope onto the Train and things seem to be looking up...
But then you remember that this is also a story in the Blossomverse, meaning that it also has its own share of twisted nightmares.
The Skill Crane Car
- The Skill Crane Car in and of itself isn't terrifying, it's the last part of the chapter that ramps up the horror when Sycamore gets in contact with Walter Sullivan...
- We learn more about how the Soul Jar works; Alex has to place it near Alain's comatose body to let him speak, and we can see that Alain is absolutely not in a good state of mind, especially when he decides to quotes parts of Mary's letter as an invitation to get Sycamore into Silent Hill.
- And then we find out that just by having that Honor of Kalos medal, Alain takes over Alex and is babbling why Sycamore is even on the Train before Alex takes over.
- How bad is this reveal? Yuri is terrified at hearing the name of the city.
- The end of the chapter changes the status quo by revealing that Ogami, the Big Bad of Voyage of Wisteria is rendered Deader than Dead. That's right, Ogami's own soul was destroyed and given how bad he is — going as far slaughtering a child for his schemes — what type of Big Bad awaits Sycamore and the Red Lotus Trio in this timeline?
The Twisted Lab Car
- And just like in Knight of the Orange Lily, we're not even spared the fourth focus car of the story to have, as London calls it, "Technological horror Silent Hill". How bad is it? London and Easter recall a passenger who had to high-tail it out. Said passenger? Rick. A scientist who has seen so much crazy shit in his life is so terrified of this car! And even worse, the entire car is based off of Silent Hill 2, so those who know how terrifying that game is will know just what's going to happen. And did we mention that Green Phantom Queen is also helping out?
- The group sees a desolate wasteland and the only intact building a lab which plays the poem "There Will Come Soft Rains" in Sycamore's voice and is later reflecting the Sycamore Institute. Lovely.
- The speakers continue to praise how the world will be beautiful once humanity is destroyed and this is all done with Sycamore's own voice. And continues to taunt Sycamore about his failures while he does.
- Yuri's ordeal can be summed up in two words: Nightmare Therapy. It also seems to be a combination of the memory tapes Tulip and Grace had seen except he can't alter his memories; he has to see numerous people in his life — his teacher, his older sister, his parents — as blank slates with muffled voices. In fact the boy nearly breaks from it all and would've ended up like Blossoming Trail Goh did if Vaillant didn't step in.
- And of course, we have Lain, the Maria expy who switches from playful to terrified to brainwashed without changing a beat, the fact that only Augustine can see him and the fact that he also is working for Shadow Sycamore to brainwash Augustine does not help.
- Yuri and Vaillant's encounter with Shadow Sycamore...or rather Sycamore brainwashed to believe he is Shadow Sycamore and in which it goes all Higurashi and Perfect Blue with the insanity.
- Shadow Sycamore shows how sadistic he is by commanding Sycamore to murder Yuri and Vaillant. Need we remind you that Yuri is 11? He also doesn't care that Lain was murdered by Sycamore and states that he'll just make a new friend for the professor.
- Speaking of which, Lain being murdered as Sycamore starts laughing at how much fun he is having at making this construct squirm...but in the eyes of everyone else they just see Sycamore stabbing the air and laughing at nothing.
- When Vaillant throws Garchomp's Poké ball at Sycamore , he momentarily stares at it before trying to shatter it with his bare hands with a deranged look on his face.
- Shadow Sycamore's monster form is a burnt corpse of Sycamore hanging on an inverted cross with glowing eyes.
The Ninjala Car
- Vaillant tried to boast that Lexi couldn't scare him. He was wrong, oh so wrong.
- Lexi as a Creepy Child that looks like a little vampire with his cheerful smile and weaving tales that can cause a lycan to look in fear. And then his attack on Vaillant looks like he murdered the wolf. The narration describes Lexi appearing and the audience watching it as a horror movie where the main character doesn't know he's about to be attacked by the monster.
- Professor Yung is just as sociopathic as canon, if not worse. His attack of Mirage Pokemon is likened to a zombie apocalypse, and he has no compunctions whatsoever about commanding his horde to rip Chloe apart.
The Chocolate Car
- Gladion's meltdown in class, culminating in him grabbing a pen with intent to do harm...though to who is unclear. And that is nothing compared to what Easter's letter shows him going through and Tokio going through massive Sanity Slippage.— 'EVERYTHING IS FINE'
Routine
- Elipzo is started to make it's move, and it gets more and more threatening...from kidnapping and brainwashing Tiffany to having agents in the Pokemon World talking with Tokio, before finally revealing that they can manipulate souls much like Ogami could - by trapping Queen's soul in a Fate Worse than Death.
- And things keep getting worse...they almost abduct Mairin by preying on her guilt and worry, and subject Kisaragi to a particularly nasty Mind Rape that all but breaks the proud rabbit.
The Firefly Funhouse Car
- The prequel story to Crocus following Chloe establishes her as someone who fantasizes about murdering Goh by beating him to death with her donut holer as part of her power fantasy. To reiterate, this is a ten year old who wants to murder her fellow ten year old friend with a pipe.
