Team Rocket looks confused by everything the GO!Rocket Grunt tells them.
"... I don't get this at all."
"Using Hoopa is a thousand times more easy."
"Oh! Who!", Rouxls Kaard answers.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
King of the Monsters
"Hoopa?"
Finally finding himself again, Rey says, "An interdimensional Pokémon. Uses its rings to open portals."
"Oh. Well in that case, couldn't it make a portal if it had knowledge of my world from me or one of my own Pokémon? Or even... from the grunt?"
Correct.
"Ohhhhh turds."
The meteor makes impact and explodes... not affecting Rouxls at all. When the smoke clears, I.M. Meen lies defeated, brought down by his own attack.
"He's gearing up for war."
Shadow raises an eyebrow, listening to their story about the Guardian of Fate.
"...okay, they sound like quite the character. Think I'd like to meet them someday. Socially-unusual, with an odd voice and a tendency to offer unusual nicknames and cryptic gifts?"
He grins in a lightheartedly-teasing manner.
"Remind you of somebody? 'Cause they sound like a Deity after my own heart!"
He listens to Areui talking about his fighting style, and nods.
"Yeah, best to go with what you know if it works. Trying new styles can be helpful, but it can throw you off if you're too used to what you did before. And I get that, about the other Angels. Protecting friends and allies is important, even if you have to make some rough choices sometimes. Not that you shouldn't try to find a way to avoid being forced to make that choice in the first place, of course."
He then smiles brightly.
"Oh, Yazur! I met him once! Yeah, he's pretty cool! He's a messenger, right? If he's been helping you with this, then I've really gotta' thank him, too. He's doing a pretty important job, after all."
He then listens to the Angel brothers explaining their stance on the situation, and he takes on a serious expression.
"Well, it's good that he and his family will be okay. And, regardless of whether or not one can survive with a partial soul, it's probably best to try to get his mended, because a full one has to be better than half, yeah?"
He gives a deep sigh.
"Well, if he's been making attempts to repeat the event, then it does begin to dent that logic, but I actually had a discussion today with the very same naysayer who I mentioned earlier, along with someone else before that. Their dedication to survival drove them to do things that I would never condone, but, as they both claimed, in their respective situations, they felt the situation demanded that they either travel down those paths or die. Perhaps this Devil Areui feels that his existence is at stake, and lashes out at anyone who he feels might be even a possible threat to it. Or perhaps he really is that far gone, and unmaking would be no small mercy. With the information I have right now, I can't definitively judge that."
He then frowns a bit, looking reflective.
"Ah, and that comment about not knowing how dangerous it is for your worst traits to bubble up in this fashion? I know you didn't mean anything by it, but..."
He channels some of his energy, causing a cosmic effect to fill his eyes, and gaining a dark aura.
"I'm afraid I know a little too well. You see, I wasn't the most...stable individual, myself, back in the very beginning. I was actually more of an unnatural disaster than a person, seeming mindless much as Devil Areui here. I don't know what eventually tore me out of it, but something clicked, and I came to my senses. By then I had done a boatload of damage across the 'verse. My first conscious thought? Felt I couldn't live with what I did, so I tried to erase myself. Didn't work. Tried it again. Nope. I eventually came to the conclusion that there was a reason why I couldn't just delete myself, some cosmic role that I was supposed to play. And that started my mission to protect the innocent across reality, and atone for what I caused. That's a task massive enough to quite possibly take literally forever, and I'm committed to it. And that specific part about your worst side taking physical shape?"
He turns off his aura and the cosmic light in his eyes, and glances down.
"Well...after you died, I was so horrified with the situation that, as I've mentioned, I flew into a rage and nearly gave up on helping anyone here, as I was almost completely convinced that everyone was just going to make progressively worse decisions anyway, and that they'd only end up hurting more innocents regardless. After the rage came depression, and I was withdrawn from most. I tried to help when I could, but you could say my heart wasn't in it. Heck, a kid I rescued from an attack even tried to stab me in the heart out of fear, and then promptly freaked out when that failed to get much of a reaction out of me. As I was in that abysmal state of mind, a voice popped up in the back of my head, saying, 'maybe things aren't going to get better. Maybe you're destined to fail. Maybe this was all a joke...isn't that wonderful?' Well, I naturally fought back against that, and eventually went through a set of events that raised my spirits enough to restore my faith in this place. But, by that point, that subconscious, nagging dread had left a physical mark on me, and I had to essentially exorcise my own despair, pretty much. I did so, and that voice fought back all the way. The last words it said to me before I burned it from my mind was to remind me of your fate, the very event that gave it a voice to begin with, and then to curse me and swear it wasn't done with me yet when it was removed. I was exhausted after this endeavor, but I sensed, just faintly, that there might have been more truth to its words than one would think. If you think an Angel's embodied despair is dangerous..."
He takes on a grim expression.
"...what about a God's?
Edited by SacredSpirit123 on Oct 26th 2019 at 8:47:16 AM
"It should be able to.", Meowth says. Jessie grabs a communicator and calls someone.
"Bring in Hoopa."
About ten seconds later, Hoopa appears through a portal, striking a little pose upon its entry.
"Oh dear, it seemsth you've beene downeth.", Rouxls smirks. "But I wantst to showeth off one final attack. Soooo..."
A white square appears near the down I.M. Meen, while the box he has to push appears near Rouxls Kaard.
"If youst can geteth up and solveth thisth puzzlee, I'll concedee."
"The main difference being that you're not creepy.", Areui says. "Seriously, they just ooze eldritch at all times."
He then looks thoughtful.
"I... um... well, friends is a strong word. Amongst the Angels, Yazur is really my only friend in my eyes, seeing as he stuck by me from even before I was cursed. Granted, a lot of them try to be my friend, but I can tell it's just because I'm pretty much a celebrity now. Still, they are innocent, and that's enough for me."
"You'd make such a great angel warrior.", Kirue sighs.
"Probably, but as I said, that ship has sailed. I wanted to become one before I was cursed, but now the Gods aren't getting me.", Areui shrugs. Then he smiles too when the topic shifts to Yazur.
"Yeah, he's an amazing guy. I honestly don't know what I did to deserve having him as a friend."
The two of them then look troubled.
"The only way to mend his soul is to put Devil Areui's back in with his, and I don't think that's even possible. They're not the exact same person, so their souls might reject each other if we try to re-join them."
"Yeah, their union was probably unstable at best. Now that they're separated, I don't think they'll fit anymore."
Kirue then sighs.
"You haven't changed a bit, have you? Fine. We'll try to convince Devil Areui that we won't harm him if he stops being a threat, but if he refuses, we'll do what we believe has to be done. Fair?"
The both of them actually recoil for a moment when they see Shadow's eyes' effect, which is then strangely replaced by an unnatural curiosity in said effect.
As they listen to Shadow's tale, however, they start to look more sad for him. Kirue especially.
"Shadow...", he says, more emotion in his voice than Shadow is likely used to hearing from him. "I... I am so sorry for causing you to feel that way. I..."
Areui, on the other hand, starts looking angry. Not at Kirue, but at Shadow.
"Y-you can't be serious! I... you..."
He then approaches and attempts to grab the collar of Shadow's coat, looking up at him. Kirue is too taken aback to try to get him to back down.
"Shadow, Never, EVER, think that way about yourself and your life, especially not because of mine! You are probably one of the nicest people I know, b-but my life, or a possible lack of that, is NOT worth torturing yourself over! Y-you deserve better than that!", he says, his voice shaking and his eyes tearing up as he keeps his glare, though even that is faltering fast.
"R-regardless of what happened to that voice... don't you dare ever give up on yourself and the purpose you've given yourself. ... 'cause if you give that up, everything'll just... become empty... and meaningless... and..."
Some tears begin to fall.
"... if I'd given up at any point in those 6 billion years, I wouldn't be here right now, helping Angels who need me. You can't give up either. For the people who need you. You're a God, Shadow. Isn't... isn't it your job to try to lead people on the right path if they make foolish decisions?"
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
King of the Monsters
"So that's Hoopa?"
"Yyyeahhhh."
"Neat."
Trembling, I.M. Meen slowly picks himself up, his breathing ragged.
"I merely underestimated you..."
He casts a spell that launches the box closer to the square, since he lacks the strength to push it all the way over there himself. Then he slogs over and pushes it the rest of the way himself.
"He's gearing up for war."
"Alright, now give Hoopa dose coordinates so that it knows where ta go.", Meowth says.
Hoopa, a little confused about the situation, approaches Beeatrice, at least understanding that she needs it for something, and being curious as to what.
"Oh, thou dideth itst! ... but thou wereth a secondst too late.", Rouxls Kaard says.
The area around I.M. Meen is cast in a large shadow, and if he looks up, he'll see a creature with the second-most fabulous legs known to creation
◊ come bearing down upon him, threatening to crush him with its landing.
Granted, I.M. Meen would most likely just be comically flattened, but it'd still hurt a lot.
Edited by DevilPsyco on Oct 26th 2019 at 3:48:17 PM
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
King of the Monsters
Beeatrice tells Hoopa the dimensional coordinates the GO Rocket Grunt had yelped out. If that does not help it to create a ring, then she unleashes her Celebi again and has it transmit memories of GO!Earth to Hoopa.
In a first for this whole battle, Meen narrowly manages to sidestep K. Round's attack.
He glares at Rouxls with an overly exaggerated brow, to the point where he looks more pouty than enraged.
"I admit, I underestimated your intellect. But next time we meet - and there will be a next time - I will be ready. I will prepare to battle you... and I will destroy you... bookworm. Eeheeheeheeheeheeheehee-!" I.M. Meen disappears in a burst of sparkles.
Edited by KiriK on Oct 26th 2019 at 8:52:43 AM
"He's gearing up for war."
Perhaps surprisingly, Hoopa understands what Beeatrice is saying, and whips up a dimensional ring instantly.
"Oh, it worked!"
"Eehouhouhouhou~! Let's go!"
"Towards Team Rocket's victory!"
The trio goes over to Hoopa to enter the ring, with Carnivine following.
"I welcometh the challenge, worm.", Rouxls Kaard scoffs as I.M. Meen disappears.
"Gah ha ha ha, that wasth quite fun. But... aghst, I've forgotteneth his namee."
He sighs.
"Well, whatever. I'll asketh for it again once he returneth. In the meantimest... I must improveth mine puzzles!"
He disappears into a large flash of light again.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
King of the Monsters
"I am so fired..." mutters the grunt.
Beeatrice smirks and goes into the portal, with Rey reluctantly following behind.
Pokémon GO!Earth
They are dropped out into a subway tunnel. This should immediately be unfamiliar to the Rocket Trio, considering how unlike the Pokémon world's industrial structures (outside Unova) it is.
It's also noisy as hell.
Rey pulls out his phone to check where they are... hot damn.
"We're in San Francisco, California. I don't see many notable landmarks on my map, except... oh no."
Niantic Headquarters are somewhere nearby. What an odd coincidence. And terrifying, from Rey's perspective.
Anyway, Beeatrice notices a door on the side of the tunnel right by where they were dropped and opens it, immediately introducing a much more Poké-familiar sight - the inside of what looks like a Team Rocket Hideout.
"... You know, maybe I'll wait out here. Don't want to risk Team GO Rocket targeting me first and wiping me out."
"He's gearing up for war."
The trio looks around in confusion at the new surroundings.
"This place reminds me of Unova."
James looks at Rey and Beeatrice.
"San Francisco? California?", he mutters to himself.
Jessie, meanwhile, looks at Beeatrice as she opens the door. She looks unamused.
"Are you saying we're an easier target?"
"Jess... we kinda are.", James says, shrugging. "Remember the Pokemon she has."
Jessie doesn't look pleased in the slightest, but can't argue with it.
"Whatever. Let's get started.", she says, walking inside. Meowth and James look at one another, then follow.
Back at the hotel, at the entrance, a portal opens, and something rather big emerges, looking around, eventually deciding to enter the hotel.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
King of the Monsters
Rey follows the Rocket Group... albeit somewhat reluctantly.
"So, this version of the Pokémon world is exactly the same, or at least almost the same, as the world I come from, which is called Earth. All the locations in this world are the same as locations on Earth. It basically is Earth."
As he explains it to them while walking, he completely misses the female GO Rocket Grunt who steps in to block their path.
"Oh crap."
The grunt seems to be chewing bubblegum, considering she blows a bubble which then pops. "Sup, twerps? Looks like you made it in. Too bad we were ready for you."
She tosses down a Poké Ball, and... oh no.
◊
Battle! Glitch-Type Grunt (Battle! Gym Leader - Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu & Let's Go Eevee)
The glitchy abomination screeches as it attacks the first thing it registers as a Pokémon - Meowth - with a small but strong barrage of water blasts (Fast Attack: Water Gun).
Edited by KiriK on Feb 11th 2020 at 2:37:37 PM
"He's gearing up for war."
Listening to Rey's explanation, the trio doesn't notice her either. They do, however, get furious the moment she speaks.
"Twerps!? Don't call us twerps, you twerp!"
"We should teach you some manners-"
Cue the Missingno, which makes them pause.
"Wait-"
"-who's that Pokemon!?"
"It ain't lookin' too healt-MEOW!"
He gets blasted in the face by the Water Gun, moving about in a panic.
"AGH, I hate watah!"
James grabs a Poke Ball and throws it.
"Weezing, use Thunderbolt!"
Weezing emerges from its Poke Ball and immediately obeys James' orders, attacking the Missingno with its electric attack.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
King of the Monsters
Missingno. simply turns its water spray on Weezing. The Thunderbolt courses through the water current and electrocutes it, but it continues attacking undeterred.
"It's a glitch! But... how?"
"Impressed?" the grunt asks with a cocky smirk.
"No, just... confused."
"He's gearing up for war."
The water hits Weezing, surprising it and causing it to move to the side to avoid further damage.
"A glitch? What does that mean?"
"Hold on...", Jessie says, grabbing a small device out of her pocket and aiming it at the Missingno, trying to scan it.
Meowth, meanwhile, gets angry at having been sprayed by Water Gun.
"I oughtta-"
He then leaps at the Missingno, attempting to hit it with Fury Swipes.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
King of the Monsters
The Missingno. recoils, drifting backwards through the air to avoid further attacks from Meowth.
"I-in those video games I mentioned... the first generation of them... they were really buggy and laden with glitches. Some of those glitches were actually registered as Pokémon, a-and that's the most famous of them all..."
The scans ought to confirm it right as Rey says it.
"Missingno.!"
Missingno. rises up and forms ethereal wings before divebombing Meowth and Weezing at once with its Charged Attack, Sky Attack!
"He's gearing up for war."
"Missingno?"
"Oh, this Glitch Pokemon's energy is nearly identical to the powerful energy we were trying to track!", Jessie says.
"Which means they might know things we'll need to know."
Meowth panics and leaps to the side to avoid. Weezing, however, gets hit and hurls into a wall.
Meowth, making his claws glow with dark energy, then tries to perform Night Slash against Missingno.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
King of the Monsters
Missingno. goes flying into a wall and faints. The Grunt recalls it and sends out... a different kind of Missingno., but it's still the same species.
◊
"I have no idea what this one is."
The Y!Missingno. opens with its Charged Attack, Pay Day, barraging the opposing side with a flurry of projectile currency.
"He's gearing up for war."
"It says here that it also has the same energy.", Jessie says.
"Which means it's probably a form variant of Missingno."
Weezing and Meowth both get hit by Payday, though Weezing isn't hurt too much by it. Meowth, after falling on the ground from the attack's impact, opens his eyes and looks to the side to see the golden coins laying there. His eye twitches for a moment.
"Alright, Weezing, use Sludge B-", James tries to command, but before he can, an absolutely furious Meowth, eyes red with anger, jumps into action again.
"... Meowth?"
"Sprayin' me with watah is one thing, but THIS is just rubbin' salt in the wound!", Meowth yells as he attempts to perform a powerful pummeling version of Fury Swipes.
Which basically translates to Meowth attempting to slash at Missingno without stopping until it either faints or manages to break free.
If Missingno dodges the initial strike that sets up the clobbering combo, Meowth will attempt to pursue and try again.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
King of the Monsters
Missingno. gets shredded.
One more to go. The grunt sends out something that looks identical to the first Missingno. in every way, but may in fact not have the same energy type as it.
Before it can even begin to attack, Rey pulls out his controllers, goes gun mode, and shoots it until it collapses in a pile of messy pixels. "Sorry, but no."
"... Crap. Guess I can't exactly stop you from moving on ahead, huh?" The grunt shrugs. "Well, sucks for you, because everyone else is waiting."
"Thanks for telling us, idiot." Rey cautiously moves on ahead, keeping an eye out for additional grunts.
Edited by KiriK on Oct 26th 2019 at 10:14:01 AM
"He's gearing up for war."
"Whoa, Meowth."
"He used Pay Day, he was askin' for it!"
"I don't think these people know you can't use Pay Day, Meowth."
The three... well, five, since Weezing and Carnivine are also present, watch as 'M gets shot to hell and back.
"Hey now, shooting a Pokemon with a gun? Isn't that a bit much?", Jessie asks.
They then look at the grunt, and Jessie sighs.
"They somehow already know... well, that rules out a quiet stealth mission.", she says as she starts walking.
"In that case, drop the grunt, Carnivine. It doesn't matter where he goes if they already know we're coming.", James says. Carnivine obeys and releases the grunt, after which it floats after James, as does Weezing.
Meowth just gives the female grunt the evil eye as he passes.
"You better not have known.", he grumbles as he passes her.
Inside the basement, Hoopa starts getting bored and is about to leave, which would result in closing the portal. However, the big creature that entered the hotel now enters the room, and Hoopa is startled and awed at its presence.
The creature, looking at the portal, starts approaching it, intent on passing through.
Edited by DevilPsyco on Oct 26th 2019 at 5:23:20 PM
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
Spooky Scary Boneheaded Man
Astil
The cylinder fell out... And so did the sole occupant of the ship.
They looked... strange. It seemed like they were wearing armor, and yet, the way it moved, it didn't seem like any armor — and the style and coloration seemed most odd for armor as well. Dark blue, metallic, highly segmented, and possibly involving some kind of inbuilt technology of... some manner.
"ACK!", they yelped, falling out of a man-shaped recess in the back half of the cylinder. They jumped up into a combat-ready stance, more on-guard than actively aggressive.
"The Stick has sentimental value. It's like an enormous, hideous teddy bear we can kill things with." -rikalous
Shadow snickers.
"Idunno', I've received mixed opinions from different people on that point. Yeah, I've actually been pretty reserved here in the Arena, but that's because I've had tons of practice, and I've generally been in a pretty good mood. If someone really drives me crazy, or some people just catch me at an off time, well, they could definitely call me creepy, but not evil. Darkness isn't generally known for being cute and fuzzy, after all. Thanks for the compliment, though. And I still think that just makes the Guardian of Fate sound even more interesting. I'm on pretty good terms with the Great Light, so I'm curious to see if I can establish a rapport with the Guardian of Fate, too. It's also pretty helpful to have friends in high places."
He nods.
"All the same, the other Angels extending a hand in greeting shows that they at least don't outwardly dislike you. Their motivations could use some work, yeah, but they don't loathe you, which is good."
He nods cheerfully upon Areui's confirmation of his thoughts on Yazur.
"Hey, maybe next time I see him when he's around, I can tell him we talked again, and we can catch up on things. It'd be good to actually get to know him instead of just running into him like I did that day."
He's then back to intently listening to their stance on the soul situation, and mirrors their expression, looking thoughtful.
"Eh, that might indeed be rough...and it certainly wouldn't be any easier if one of the halves was unwilling. It just sounds like a big problem to me, though. The soul generally isn't really something that can just take a hit like this and keep on being truly healthy."
He shakes his head, smirking slightly.
"No, I have not changed, thank you for noticing. Still the optimistic old inkblot that I always am. And, as I've said to two different people today already, I guess that's the best I can hope for at this point, isn't it?"
Once he's recounted his history, he then gives Kirue a solemn nod, and, noticing his heightened reaction, offers a sad smile.
"It's alright, I know you did what you believed had to be done...like I said, I overreacted, and a long, long time's worth of doubt didn't help much, but I really do forgive you for it. I hold no ill will towa-"
He's then cut off by Areui's incensed reaction, as the Angel actually succeeds in reaching up and yanking down on the collar of Shadow's cloak, pulling him down to his level and knocking down his hood, revealing his very bewildered face. He listens in stunned silence to Areui's impassioned speech, and he, as well, is too shocked to act until he's asked specifically. He blinks, taking a few moments to find his words, and he tears up as well.
"Yeah, I know people are counting on me, which made the doubt hit even harder. For all I knew at the moment, how could I show my face around them when I could barely stand myself? It was a vicious cycle that I've thankfully broken out of, in no small part due to meeting some people who really made me stop and take a good look at myself and reevaluate my life. It was these people who ended up repairing my faith in humanity, and I'd love to introduce you sometime, but, well...that's a story for another day. Regardless, their intervention is one of the major reasons I stopped giving up on life, no matter what happened next. There is always hope, and I will pursue it dauntlessly."
He sighs, a soft look in his gaze.
I'm glad that you never gave up on me, but, even though I am a God, I'm not one of those pompous types who acts like mortals or other beings are below them, like they don't mean a thing. I'm just not that detached. What one could say was my greatest weakness is also my greatest strength. I'm compassionate, and it wounds me to see others suffer. My inner demons had a voice, and now, judging by the final message, they most likely have a face. At least now I can probably punch it. Regardless, as you can probably tell, I really did need this talk with you, and I'm glad we got to do this, even if it took an erstwhile arrow shot to start it...as I said, it's been a really long day, and I am very grateful that you care enough to go through this with me. You truly are among the greatest friends I've made, not just in the Arena, but probably in any of the places I've drifted to."
Laxin, Sith Emperor
Wrustoiz stands his ground, shearing his lightsaber blades and adopting a passive stance. He slowly reached his hand out to the tenno.
"I mean no harm my friend."
Men have regrets
King of the Monsters
The female grunt steps aside as the group walks past. "H-hey, Pay Day didn't even exist in this universe 'til we hooked up some Glitchmons with it."
"Strange," Rey muses.
As the group leaves, the grunt notices the captive Carnivine had brought along. The sounds of her yelling angrily at him soon begin to fade away.
It's not long before two more GO Rocket Grunts are spotted standing on opposite sides of the hall, one man and one woman. They seem to be conversing. If any members of the group bother to try and listen in on what exactly they're saying before moving in, they appear to be discussing date plans for this evening.
I tried to put the following stuff in spoiler text but couldn't get some of the formatting to work so I decided not to bother. Still, in-universe the characters won't know this.
Male Grunt's team:
- Fast Attack: Bubble
- Charged Attack: TM09
PKMNaPKMNゥ ♂ fPKMNk (link separated or else formatting has a stroke)
- Fast Attack: Low Kick
- Charged Attack: Vice Grip
Female Grunt's Team:
-PKMN (again, formatting would flip out and die if I didn't keep the link separate)
- Fast Attack: Karate Chop
- Charged Attack: Mega Kick
- Fast Attack: Absorb
- Charged Attack: Aurora Beam
Edited by KiriK on Oct 27th 2019 at 10:12:10 AM
"He's gearing up for war."
Beeatrice pulls the gag down from the GO Rocket Grunt's mouth. "Get all that? You can tell us how to open up that rift, or I can throw you to the metaphorical Manectric."
"Um, um, um..." The grunt yells a bunch of coordinates, something about wavelength and frequency, and how to operate the machine.
Rey is still too stunned to help keep track of anything he just said.
Wrong.
The meteor draws closer.
Complete the joke.
Knock knock. Who's there? [BLANK]. [BLANK] who? Are you a man or an owl?
Edited by KiriK on Oct 26th 2019 at 8:00:08 AM
"He's gearing up for war."