Lugubrious

Pokémon Mystery Dungeons: The Unsettling Future

Just as Venge was really beginning to enjoy himself, preparing to watch his new buddy Jess beat the tar out of this naive keyring with her Confusion attack, Jingle went and did something tricky yet again. Though the shield the Fairy-and-Steel-type Pokemon created failed to halt the wave of psychic energy blasting from Jess's fist, it did seem rather...weakened. Still unsure of how to initiate an attack, Venge was caught off-guard when Jingle attempted to escape from his Shadow Tag by summoning a layer of Spikes beneath him. For the most part, the little caltrops were too spread apart to effectively wound him, but a sharp jab to the bottom of one of Venge's stubby legs -heralded with an indignant "agh!"- broke his focus and encouraged him to move. The magic keyring did the same, moving out of convenient slapping range and preparing his next move. Venge took the opportunity to momentarily turn his back as he endeavored to maneuver his way out of the Spikes and onto less prickly ground. "Go on, fellas," he called over a shoulder as he stepped over a spike, unaware that his tail was exposed, "Smash those sparkles out of him!"

The sparkles in question, however, were on their way out anyway. With a shout of "Fairy Wind!" a glittery gust swept through the cave, pelting all Pokemon in the vicinity like a sandstorm. The rain of pain hit them all, but it surely hit Venge's vulnerable tail the hardest. Instantly a surge of adrenaline flowed through his veins, and he turned back to face his opponent with a bellow of rage and the know-how to perform a new move. Out of nowhere, a spotlight shone on Jingle and the air around him exploded with confetti. "No more Shields!" Venge growled. "No more Spikes! No more Locks! Time to fight 'mon to 'mon!" He leaped forward, putting all four of his legs into the powerful spring, and landed right next to Jess. He was twice her size and almost triple Jingle's, and with a scowl on his face he looked almost intimidating. What was more scary was that, due to Venge's Encore, Jingle would only be able to use Fairy Wind--an attack practically made for Mirror Coat.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeons: The Unsettling Future

Most of my IC posts right now are kinda lackluster in length, but with only one character and a big reliance on character interactions with other players, I'm a bit stymied. I'm considering making a second character to give me more material.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeons: The Unsettling Future

The Wobbuffet's craggy face broke out into a wide grin. That very instant, Jess's gaseous, nagging anklet dissolved into nothing, rendering her able to move about freely. "Great! I mean, I was totally going to beat you, but a good ol' ceasefire's fine by me! Traveling with you sounds like a fine idea; I'd be glad to join you." When Jess offered a hand, he waddled forward and took it without hesitation. "Jess, huh? Pleasure's all mine. I'm...I'm...eh..." His brow furrowed sharply as he, for the first time, found out he had no idea whatsoever what his name was. Though he would have liked to give it serious thought, the pause was beginning to fester into another unwieldy silence--he would have to wing it. "I'm...Revenge! It's what I do best, heheh! But just Venge is fine." He looked over at Pip, still wiping traces of boogers from his nose. "Blizzard in a cave, huh? That's pretty bizarre, but everything's kinda weird right now anyw...!"

Venge was interrupted as a odd-looking, metallic sprite rounded the same corner Pip had charged out from behind just moments ago. At first glance this thing looked like a floating keyring, but more disturbingly, it shouted at him and his newfound companions. Before Venge knew what was going on -this sort of blithering confusion seemed to be a trend today- a cloud of fast-moving pink and white particles materialized in the damp cave air and streamed around the Pokemon like swarms of insects, flying loops around everyone. Startled, Venge attempted to take a few steps back, but the glimmering stream constricted to prevent his escape. Just in time, the freaky keyring creature interjected, "Well, now you all can't escape! I have locked you with my Fairy abilities. And now it is time to finish all of you off." Though its words were fierce, the sheer goofiness of his assailant's appearance and the whimsical nature of its "Fairy Abilities" meant Venge just couldn't take its threat seriously. All he could do was chortle under his breath until the keyring demanded the trio's last words. Before any of his new buddies could speak, Venge roared, "you want a piece of us?! Bring it on, pixie!" With combat initiated, Venge's Shadow Tag leaped into effect: a grayish-purple tendril slithered across the stony floor from where he stood, reached up, and wrapped itself around Jingle's minuscule torso. He wasn't going anywhere either.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeons: The Unsettling Future

Gotcha. I'll fix that ASAP

Pokémon Mystery Dungeons: The Unsettling Future

As the shining blast made contact with Jess, bowling her over, a loud "Hah!" resounded throughout the cave. Unknown to its maker, the adulation was boisterous enough to alert several more of the cave's denizens, some of whom had been asleep, eating, or merely startled. In minute or two, the Beach Cave's resident Pokemon could very well converge on the Wobbuffet's location with malicious intent. Meanwhile, the Wobbuffet in question pumped his noodle-like arms and continued, "Score one for...uh...me!" Caught up in the hype of winning, he managed to momentarily ignore the fact that he had no memory of his name. He then slapped a hand to his head, indicating at the space between his eyes. "Come again, heathen brawler?" he declared dramatically.

Apparently his Meditite foe decided against 'coming again', for she sat down upon the floor, pressed her hands together, and closed her eyes, all with a serene yet somehow determined look on her features. The Wobbuffet quickly realized that he had absolutely no idea about how to go about attacking her. "Er..." he intoned, rapidly venting the confidence he had gained in the last minute or two. Jess made no movement, still sitting upon the floor. "You..uh...you gonna attack? I...don't think I can." A few drops of water from the ceiling and the steady, low roar of the distant breakers crashing against the floor filled the rather awkward silence. The Wobbuffet noticed his opponent's griseous anklet, and instinctively recognized it. "Oh yeah...Shadow Tag! I'm not sure how I know this, really, but you won't be able to run away until one of us is unconscious or we agree to a draw."

Jess remained motionless, still deep in meditation, waiting for incoming backup. A few shouts, scrabbling noises, and meaty thwacks could be heard from the next room; the Wobbuffet wondered what was going on. He rubbed his overlarge head, thinking. "You know, aside from the whole running-up-and-attacking-me thing, you don't seem like a bad fellow. No mindless brute, at any rate. If you're not going to press the assault, maybe we can come to some sort of understanding?" He wondered if she actually understood him; at the moment, she exhibited all the mental capability of a homegrown cabbage, and not a particularly fresh one at that. The Shadow Tag on Jess's ankle did, however, waver, as if it were about to sputter out.

The noises nearby had ceased, now that the Wobbuffet noticed. Before he had given it much thought, around a stony corner cartwheeled the Aipom called Pip, much to his surprise. "Whoa!" he yelped, "who in Heatran are you!?"

Pokémon Mystery Dungeons: The Unsettling Future

From what I can tell there are two major points of interest at the moment: the dungeon Beach Cave, in which a kerfuffle has just begun (Pip, Lucio, Jess, Smoochum, and my Wobbuffet), and the Guild, which I don't fully understand, with just about everyone else aside from Purin and those in the Juice Bar (I think).

Pokémon Mystery Dungeons: The Unsettling Future

The Wobbuffet had barely settled into his comforting, shadowy corner before he changed his mind; determined to present this strange new world with a brave face, he leaned forward again to peer around the corner. He had expected to see the three Pokemon he before witnessed, but instead he got a good look at a wild-faced Meditite barreling toward him at great speed. Caught totally off-guard, he tried to mumble out a greeting, a warning, or perhaps an apology but just managed a surprised blurt that was instantly cut short by the Meditite's eager shout. The Wobbuffet had no clue what 'confusion' was (though it pretty accurately described his current situation, truth to be told), but the instant that word exited the Meditite's mouth, a vaguely pink wave of energy emanated from her fist and flew straight toward him.

His first instinct was indignation. The second was self-preservation. Scrunching his eyes shut, the Wobbuffet threw up his arms in front of his face. As such, he didn't notice a purple, shadowy mist slide from his body, slither across the floor, and tag the Meditite on the heel--all of which happened in less than a second. While he was too distracted to take note of this unobtrusive event, Jess would quickly realize that if she tried to escape, a shadowy band would solidify around her ankle and root her to the spot, preventing her from fleeing. The telekinetic force made contact, but instead of the mind-reeling agony he had expected to receive from the psychic assault, he felt only a minor pang, like a headache. That wasn't so bad, he mused, eyes still closed and arms up, and with the realization he relaxed his arms, dropping them to his side.

Yet another surprise greeted him as a silvery sheen spread across his skin, glowing brighter by the second. The Wobbuffet's befuddlement turned to a sort of anger, and with a vindicative "kyah!" the dazzling energy erupted, firing off a silvery blast right back at Jess. He had instinctively used Mirror Coat, and now Jess's own strike would be returned to her twofold unless she intervened.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeons: The Unsettling Future

All the time. It's one of my skills. We might actually have one on our hands if the owner of Pip & co would reply...

Pokémon Mystery Dungeons: The Unsettling Future

Raddum said
Aah, alright. I get a good vibe from him, I have a feeling this will be humorous. :3EDIT: Waaait a second.

After uncontrollably bursting out laughing, allow me to say: holy moly, somehow I didn't realize what I was writing. There are no sub-contextual implications there though.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeons: The Unsettling Future

There was indeed, a creature in the Beach Cave, not more than a few hundred feet from where the intrepid three were, but this thing wasn't a Nidoran by any stretch of the imagination. An oblong, cyan figure lay upon the damp, unforgiving floor, its arms and stubby legs splayed across the rocks--a Wobuffet. Though no Pokemon, neither cave-dweller or adventurer, was in position to observe it, an observer would note that the Wobuffet appeared to be sleeping. A smooth, rubbery torso that glossily reflected what little light penetrated this deep into the cave rose and fell slowly as the Pokemon breathed, but its movements were anything but peaceful. Arms and legs twitched incessantly, and every so often the creature would roll over, as if subconsciously seeking a more comfortable patch of rock upon which to slumber. These movements became increasingly erratic, as if the Pokemon's nightmares were rising to fever pitch. Finally, with a heaving spasm, it tumbled from its stony bed into a random pool of seawater, making a hefty slap that echoed throughout the cave.

Suddenly thrust into the waking world, the Wobuffet gasped for air and struggled in the puddle, flinging brine in all directions as he tried to catch its bearings. Everything felt incredibly strange to him; not what he felt (cold, wet, and hard were familiar if disliked sensations) but how he felt it. He had no clue where he was, what he had been doing, or even who he was. Nothing but shadows existed in his mind, the kind that shrink away like bugs when reached for. Though light was scarce in this place, he found out very quickly that something was very wrong with his body. It was entirely unfamiliar, totally alien to him for reasons he couldn't comprehend, and yet...somehow, it felt right.

Getting his bearings at last, the Wobuffet dragged himself from the chilly seawater back onto the stony cave floor, shaking drops from his four legs. It was then he noticed a little black thing trailing behind him. Upon glimpsing his tail, Wobuffet was stricken by a surge of emotion. Though he had no clue where the knowledge had come from or why it even made sense, he was suddenly seized by the notion that he needed to protect that tail from anything and everything. It was vital! Defend it! Keep it! Shield it! A few seconds passed before he could think clearly again, after which the Wobuffet dismissed the sudden panic attack. "I'm so confused..." he whispered to the dark, and he found some comfort in the fact that he could still speak.

His comfort vanished when the darkness answered back. "Keep on your toes, they could come from anywhere," echoed across the cave walls, and the Wobuffet shrank back into the darkness. Were there others in here? A hint of fear stole up on him only to be crushed by a newfound, natural sensation of confidence, and he waddled boldly forward until he could peek around a corner. What he saw (a Smoochum, Aipom, and Tyrogue silhouetted in the light of the distant cave mouth) caused him to recoil in fear, momentarily forgetting his bravery. He was equal parts repulsed by the light and the other Pokemon, but his hasty retreat might have caught someone's eye. Had they seen him?