[Game Thread] Pokerole Mystery Dungeon: Primal Shadows

[no one]

Daxter's eyes narrow. "Well, good thing we took you down then. Wonder if your mates also went berserk and attacked Pokemon."

Daxter then turns to Braixen. "Now I've gotta ask. What were you thinking, love? Running off without a word, forcing your mum to send teams all over the bloody world... She hides it well but she's probably driving herself insane. Just curious. Why?"

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

Hoopa simply chuckles in response to Platina's uncertainness.

"Oh, little birdy, you have no idea what I am truly capable of.  It isn't just the powers of Legendaries I can summon, but the Legends themselves as well!  Or I would be able to, if my powers hadn't been sealed by some meddlesome force.  Ooh, but I can feel it starting to come back now.  I'm this close to having a suitable portion of my power back to start performing great feats!  And the more power I regain, the more helpful I can be for your team.~  Win-win, right? You should remember that, because I guarantee that you'll want to call on my aid at some point.  I highly doubt that this'll be the last you see of Legendary pokemon.  Oh no, the adventure is just beginning!  Hehehehe.~"

After tatTornadus pulls themselves up enough to look at Platina directly.  He seems to be...puzzled.

"...after nearly blanketing this continent in an unending blizzard and threatening you and your friends, you choose to show me compassion?  Ha...haha...it's almost enough to make me laugh..."

He shakes his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

"...I am fine now.  Weakened, but I will recover before long.  There are no more forces influencing my actions, whatever they may have been.  I am more concerned about another."

(...)
Hoopa floats over to interject.  "Well duuuuuhhhhh, of course the door's behind us now.  Didn't you hear me say we're in the Mirror World?  This is the domain of the Four Therians, the Seasonal Winds.  Everything here is reversed.  And very similar to my situation, the Therians' true powers are sealed here.  And as if that wasn't enough, we have one teensy little problem: we're stuck here.  Only the Therians are able to manipulate what comes and goes from their realm.  And I don't think Tornadus is any condition to send us back to the real world right now, sooooo..." 

The Genie of Portal's response doesn't alleviate her concerns in the slightest, but they are put to the side in favor of interest as They explain the full extent of their Powers and Authority.

"Truly? You are a Summoner of the Gods themselves? That is....certainly an amazing Authority to wield. *Mumbles* and bordering on the heretic and most dangerous *Mumbles* . *Coughs* Well, I am certainly glad my group has earnt Your Patronage and Guidance, oh Great God Summoner Hoopa. If nothing else I'll certainly endeavor in seeing Your return to full Ascendency - to serve the Divine is an honor, and holding their Favor most welcome."

Hoopa's warning about the group facing other Legends does cause her to stiffen, but she takes a deep breath and heaves a weary *Sigh* , a resolute and regal glare now taking firm hold.

"....So be it. Challenging the Gods is the height of heresy or hubris, but if it must be done....it must be done. On my Name, I shall not falter against Them again."

(...)

To the Winter Wind's disbelief filled query, she only had this to say:

"Yes. Prideful and intent as I am, compassion is a gift that should be given. Especially for those that deserve it, Tornadus. You were not in control of Yourself, nor were You in Your right mind. Whatever is to blame for robbing You of Your agency is where my scorn lie, not You."

His fretfulness earns a curious look from Platina, before a look of comprehension flashes across her face.

"What are you - oh! If You claimed Dominion of Winter, then that must mean their are three other Kin of yours - the Spring, Summer, and Fall! Which means if whatever happened to You....oh dear, I can see why You are so unbalanced now. *Firm Look, then a Nod* Very well then. We'll help You figure out the Fates of Your Kin. If They suffer from the Blight that gripped You, we shall fight to free Them of it as well. So I promise to You, oh Cold Therian Tornadous."

(...)

Twintale (eventually) gets a tired *sigh* from Platina, shaking her head at the dead end the group was now faced with.

"By the.....Gods, that is not a portent I wanted. Do you know anyone or anything that can lead to the Great Ice Dragon, though? I rather we not have to stumble blindly trying to find Them, or have to give up entirely seeking them out, Heaven forbid...."

The mischievous spirit's response was meet with the deepest *SIIIGH* yet from the shiny bird as she hung her head, a very much 'done' air beginning to grace her.

"Joy. Then we're stuck until Tornadus regains Their Strength and Vigor. *Perks Up* Unless....Oh Mighty and Mystical Hoopa, can't you use your Portals to get us out of here? You claim that you have regains a bit of your Full Authority - could You perhaps push Yourself to Your new Limits and free us all from this Place? Or better yet, take us to where Tornadus' Kin is at , if you could Divine a connection between Them we could follow? If they are suffering from the Blight like They, then we need to help them too."

[Dragonstrike]

"The Seasonal Shrine.  It was suddenly overtaken by dark, shadowy weather one day.  Drove almost all of the Incarnates wild.  Only one escaped.  I barely remember it happening..."

"The... 'Primal Shadow'." Karen says, to no one in particular.

To Zeraora, she repeats Xatu's Prophecy,

copypasta

Disturb not the harmony of Fire, Water, Ice, nor Lightning, lest these spirits wreak destruction upon the lands in which they run to and fro.
Though the sky's great guardian has descended to quell the fighting, alone its efforts have failed. Thus the world shall be blanketed in Shadows.
Oh Chosen Ones, by thine hands, bring together all four. Their powers combined shall help tame the Beast of War.

and says, "I think Raikou is the Lightning we are looking for..."

To Thundurus:
"Which one escaped, and where can we find the one that didn't?"

Daxter's eyes narrow. "Well, good thing we took you down then. Wonder if your mates also went berserk and attacked people."

Daxter then turns to Braixen. "Now I've gotta ask. What were you thinking, love? Running off without a word, forcing your mum to send teams all over the bloody world... She hides it well but she's probably driving herself insane. Just curious. Why?"

Zeraora gives Karen a confused and skeptical look when she recites that prophecy.  They recognize Xatu's name, at least.  "From the description of the spirits' behavior, it certainly sounds like it might be describing Lord Raikou and his contemporaries.  You'll have to forgive me if that all seems to be a bit far fetched though.  For a prophecy from Xatu, it seems to be a bit lacking in the...prophetic department.  It sounds like it's talking about something that already happened.  Not to mention that Lord Raikou is a member of a trio, and this prophecy is clearly talking about a quartet.  Even if it is referring to Lord Raikou, Lord Entei, and Lady Suicune, the presence of an Ice aligned spirit calls the entire involvement of the Legendary Beasts into question."

-------------------------

"Enamorus managed to get away.  Landorus took the brunt of the assault.  Tornadus and I were merely clipped by the energy.  I shudder to think what it's done to Landorus in the time I've been away..."

"Landorus is likely still at the Seasonal Shrine on the Island of Storms.  He is not as prone to wandering as myself and Tornadus.  I imagine Tornadus did fly off somewhere to cause trouble though."

-------------------------

Braixen sighs when Daxter directs questions at her.  "Alright, alright.  Cat's out of the bag now I guess.  Look, to start, Delphox is not my mom, okay?  As someone blurted out without thinking (Braixen glares at Thundurus as she says that), I'm a human.  Just like you apparently. Not sure why exactly you decided to keep that little fact to yourself, but no point in either of us hiding it from each other now.  We both saw what our attacks did to that barrier."

The Human from Nowhere: Partner's Theme (Music Box version) - Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon

Braixen starts pacing, much like she was doing back in the guild.  "I've been here for...what?  Two, three years I think?  The Guildmaster found me washed up on Sahra Town's shores around then.  I was still a Fenniken then, and I'd mostly forgotten what my human life was like.  Still don't remember much really.  She took me in though, made sure I had a place to stay.  Never really asked for much.  The one condition she had was I keep my identity a secret.  Said it was 'for my own good'.  Didn't take her long to come up with that story about me being her daughter to 'protect me'."

She suddenly stops in place and stomps her foot in frustration.  "I don't get that honestly!  I've heard so many stories of humans saving this world!  Why is Sahra Town so paranoid about them, huh?!  I'm tired of feeling like a burden!  I have to be here for some reason!  You're human too.  What makes you so different from me?  Why do I have to stay cooped up in the guild, hiding from the world while it's obviously in trouble?!"

Her ears droop as she sits down, collapsing into a semi-depressed heap of fur.  "...sorry.  You probably didn't want to hear my life story.  Or at least, what I remember of it..."

[Mikaruge108]

Her ears droop as she sits down, collapsing into a semi-depressed heap of fur.  "...sorry.  You probably didn't want to hear my life story.  Or at least, what I remember of it..."

Karen gives Braixen a consoling pat on the back at this.

to Thundurus:
"I feel like we may have no choice but to knock some sense into Landorus. Would you be willing to help us do so when the time comes?"

She just gives a puzzled "Hmm..." to Zeraora's statement.

[Spiritmon]

Kogeki was surprise of Enamorous words. He was quiet though all this time, and listen to every word she has to say. The blind light envelop him, and he was back to reality. He complete ignore Emolga words about zap him, and then tell her the information he grab. "The battle is not over. There something else we need to do." With little difficult he stand up, and he decided to get to the others. But first...he go to Keldeo, and speak to him. "You look different, but your will looks stronger as ever. Nice swords skills by the way."

[no one]

Daxter pauses. "A... human... Listen, love, the Grandmaster's trying to watch out for you. There's no reason anyone should know anything about you. Just gives them more to use against you. Sahra Town's full of weird characters I don't trust and there's no reason for you to trust them either. We're definitely here for a reason but if the whole town's gonna chase us around with pitchforks because we're human it'll just make things harder for us. Information is power, right?"

Daxter pauses, and then continues. "I agree on the thing about you being cooped up though. Would drive me bloody insane. You talked to her about all this right? Maybe we could work out a deal with her. Get her to lay off you a bit so you can actually go out and do something."

He then frowns. "What happened to the other team you came here with? The Gallade and his chummies?"

[Dragonstrike]

Kogeki was surprise of Enamorous words. He was quiet though all this time, and listen to every word she has to say. The blind light envelop him, and he was back to reality. He complete ignore Emolga words about zap him, and then tell her the information he grab. "The battle is not over. There something else we need to do." With little difficult he stand up, and he decided to get to the others. But first...he go to Keldeo, and speak to him. "You look different, but your will looks stronger as ever. Nice swords skills by the way."

Emolga blinks in surprise as Kogeki dumps a massive amount of information on him and leaves without elaborating much further.  "Huh?  What do you mean we're not done?  Wait, Kogeki, where are you goi...huh?  What's this?"

He bends down to pick up the frism that Kogeki left behind, puzzling over it while Kogeki talks to Keldeo.

Speaking of the mythical in question, he seems to be rather proud of Kogeki's observations.  "Thank you!  I worked long and hard with Virizion and the other Swords on that technique.  I actually once overheard Cobalion telling Virizion once that he thinks I could eventually be stronger than all of them!  I still have a long ways to go, but I'm working on toughening up!  You weren't half bad yourself with that metal blade of yours."

Spoiler

The Genie of Portal's response doesn't alleviate her concerns in the slightest, but they are put to the side in favor of interest as They explain the full extent of their Powers and Authority.

"Truly? You are a Summoner of the Gods themselves? That is....certainly an amazing Authority to wield. *Mumbles* and bordering on the heretic and most dangerous *Mumbles* . *Coughs* Well, I am certainly glad my group has earnt Your Patronage and Guidance, oh Great God Summoner Hoopa. If nothing else I'll certainly endeavor in seeing Your return to full Ascendency - to serve the Divine is an honor, and holding their Favor most welcome."

Hoopa's warning about the group facing other Legends does cause her to stiffen, but she takes a deep breath and heaves a weary *Sigh* , a resolute and regal glare now taking firm hold.

"....So be it. Challenging the Gods is the height of heresy or hubris, but if it must be done....it must be done. On my Name, I shall not falter against Them again."

(...)

To the Winter Wind's disbelief filled query, she only had this to say:

"Yes. Prideful and intent as I am, compassion is a gift that should be given. Especially for those that deserve it, Tornadus. You were not in control of Yourself, nor were You in Your right mind. Whatever is to blame for robbing You of Your agency is where my scorn lie, not You."

His fretfulness earns a curious look from Platina, before a look of comprehension flashes across her face.

"What are you - oh! If You claimed Dominion of Winter, then that must mean their are three other Kin of yours - the Spring, Summer, and Fall! Which means if whatever happened to You....oh dear, I can see why You are so unbalanced now. *Firm Look, then a Nod* Very well then. We'll help You figure out the Fates of Your Kin. If They suffer from the Blight that gripped You, we shall fight to free Them of it as well. So I promise to You, oh Cold Therian Tornadous."

(...)

Twintale (eventually) gets a tired *sigh* from Platina, shaking her head at the dead end the group was now faced with.

"By the.....Gods, that is not a portent I wanted. Do you know anyone or anything that can lead to the Great Ice Dragon, though? I rather we not have to stumble blindly trying to find Them, or have to give up entirely seeking them out, Heaven forbid...."

The mischievous spirit's response was meet with the deepest *SIIIGH* yet from the shiny bird as she hung her head, a very much 'done' air beginning to grace her.

"Joy. Then we're stuck until Tornadus regains Their Strength and Vigor. *Perks Up* Unless....Oh Mighty and Mystical Hoopa, can't you use your Portals to get us out of here? You claim that you have regains a bit of your Full Authority - could You perhaps push Yourself to Your new Limits and free us all from this Place? Or better yet, take us to where Tornadus' Kin is at , if you could Divine a connection between Them we could follow? If they are suffering from the Blight like They, then we need to help them too."

"If you truly did receive a vision from Master Kyurem, then there must be a clue around here somewhere about how to reach them."

Hoopa considers Platina's query carefully.  "Hmmmm...well, I'm not nearly at full strength yet, so my portals can't quite reach other dimensions yet.  With a strong enough anchor for my portals though, I could probably reach another location in this dimension."

Tornadus interjects.  "If you can free Landorus from the grip of this dark power, he can get you out of the Mirror World.  If you need an anchor to reach him, I can guide you to where he is.  I should have enough strength to manage that."

Hoopa seems rather giddy at the suggestion.  "Ooh, that would be wonderful!  Yes, I would love direct help from a Legendary pokemon!"

"Hey!  Hey guys!  I think there's something screwy going on with the frism that Sue left here!"

Emolga gathers everyone around the Frism.  "See?  It's glowing!  I thought we checked this already, though."

Hoopa floats closer to it and gives it a good, long stare.  "Interesting.  I wonder what would happen if..."

The mythical subsequently touches it, activating it!

But what comes out of the frism isn't a voice this time.

It's a vision.

A Frigid Vision: Icy Sanctum (Arrangement 1) - PMD: GtI

Everyone sees the same scene of Kyurem talking with Sue that Platina had seen back in Post Town.  But something about the chill air feels...off.

And it's made apparent when Kyurem turns to face them instead of Sue.

"I see my powers of foresight haven't failed me this time.  Team Omega Seekers have defeated Tornadus and found themselves trapped in the Mirror World.  They have found the frism that had been left behind by Sue, and discovered its reversed properties."

Even though it's just a vision, a projection of the frism, the very appearance of Kyurem is awe inspiring.  A gigantic dragon covered in ice with jagged, mismatched wings!  Their very presence seems to chill the surrounding air...!

"And as they have discovered, I am not in the Glacial Ruins, while Sue has gone to search for the Stones of Truth and Ideals and has yet to return.  A story is unfolding between forces both Black and White, Shadows and Light, and every human in this world has been caught up in the battle.  A dark force wanted to lure you into a trap here with a false vision, and its plan has backfired spectacularly."

Kyurem looks up.  "Sue is currently searching for the Sky Ruins, the temple where Truths and Ideals were once enshrined in this world.  You will find clues to its location at the Ivory and Obsidian Peaks on this continent.  Once the temple has been located, the black and white stones sealed there must be brought to the Altar of Ice Depths in the southern Sea of Wonders, where I await.  Do so once you are able, and you shall have my aid in the coming battles."

Kyurem looks back at the group.  "This will not be an easy task.  Truths and Ideals shall test you to ensure your intentions are pure, and the Shadows that will soon cover this world will do everything in their power to stand in your way as you seek to interrupt their conquest.  But so long as human tenacity remains, there is hope.  Seek Sue and the stones.  Awaken my true power.  Drive away the darkness that threatens to cast a long shadow over this world."

The vision ends there.  Emolga, Keldeo, and Madame Twintales are left somewhat stunned.

Hoopa still seems to be just as jovial as before.  "See, what'd I tell ya?  Everything's reversed here!  Instead of a recording from Sue, we got a vision from Kyurem!  And I have to say, getting the pow...I mean, aid of Kyurem sounds miiiighty useful, don't you think?  We need to get out of here first though, so who's ready to go fight another Legendary storm pokemon?"

By this point, Tornadus seems to have finally recovered enough strength to stand.  "The Seasonal Shrine will likely be a very dangerous location to visit.  Ensure that you are ready before I guide you there."

[Dragonstrike]

Daxter pauses. "A... human... Listen, love, the Grandmaster's trying to watch out for you. There's no reason anyone should know anything about you. Just gives them more to use against you. Sahra Town's full of weird characters I don't trust and there's no reason for you to trust them either. We're definitely here for a reason but if the whole town's gonna chase us around with pitchforks because we're human it'll just make things harder for us. Information is power, right?"

Daxter pauses, and then continues. "I agree on the thing about you being cooped up though. Would drive me bloody insane. You talked to her about all this right? Maybe we could work out a deal with her. Get her to lay off you a bit so you can actually go out and do something."

He then frowns. "What happened to the other team you came here with? The Gallade and his chummies?"

"And why don't you trust them?  Because somebody told you not to?  Who's to say they're going to chase us out of town?  Maybe they can be reasoned with."

She sighs.

"...though if they're all as stubborn as the Guildmaster, that probably wouldn't work.  Yes, I've tried to talk with her about this.  She won't budge.  Why do you think I snuck off in the first place?  And now you're here to drag me back to the guild I presume..."

She shakes her head in dismay, though her ears have perked up a little when Daxter mentions the missing team.

"You mean those Normal types I came out here with?  I dunno what happened to them.  Ditched 'em while they were fighting cat boy over there."

Zeraora's eyes narrow at that comment.  "Those three pokemon used an Escape Orb and left as soon as they realized I was too strong for them to defeat.  And before I could give chase to the sassy rebel, I had to deal with the rest of you showing up."

"Yeah, well, it's not hard to sneak off when your opponent is busy fighting three other pokemon at once.  Anyways..."

Braixen gets up and walks over to Daxter, seemingly excited about something.  "You're out here looking for Team Raiders too?  I actually came here because of that weird storm that had been going on.  I had a good feeling it might be related to whatever their mission was!"

She backs off slightly, looking a little sheepish.  "...well, I don't actually know it's related.  But come on, a perpetual storm hanging over the southern Water Continent?  That sounds suspicious enough, right?"

She looks at Daxter pleadingly next.  "If you're looking for Team Raiders still, please take me with you.  I won't be a burden, I promise!"

Her ears droop as she sits down, collapsing into a semi-depressed heap of fur.  "...sorry.  You probably didn't want to hear my life story.  Or at least, what I remember of it..."

Karen gives Braixen a consoling pat on the back at this.

to Thundurus:
"I feel like we may have no choice but to knock some sense into Landorus. Would you be willing to help us do so when the time comes?"

She just gives a puzzled "Hmm..." to Zeraora's statement.

Thundurus seems to have regained just enough strength to put himself upright by this point.  "I do not have enough strength to engage in another battle at this time.  However, you may be able to ask Enamorus for her assistance if you can find a means of contacting her.  The most I will be able to do is guide you to the Seasonal Shrine so that you can engage Landorus.  It is not particularly far from here, being just to the south of this continent."

At this point, Bunnelby and Dedenne finally rejoin the rest of the group.  Dedenne had been making sure Bunnelby was okay after that explosion and also trying to make contact with the rest of the Expedition Society.

"So, uh, bad news everyone...I can't communicate with the Expedition Society at the moment.  The only signal I'm getting on the Connection Orb is from Team Omega Seekers."

"Ah, so you have friends here.  That's good.  Landorus will be a powerful opponent, and having allies should make the fight easier.  Even I would stand no chance against him.  Whenever you deem yourselves ready, I shall take you to the Island of Storms."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Ziggy Kee, eventually having recovered from his angry outburst, is quiet and lost in thought and awe during the whole vision. He's trying hard to follow and remember what's being said by the icy dragon that Kyurem is, not quite sure what to make of it or whether he understands things correctly. At Tornadus mentioning the Seasonal Shrine and calling it a 'very dangerous location to visit', he perks up and shows a sneeky and toothy smile at the wind therian. "Battlin' an' fightin' 'gainst you was a very dangerous thing already, an' we managed it either way 'ventually. So whatever danger may be 'head, am gonna face it an' not shy away!" He perks up at this point, displaying a bold and confident stance.

"But b'fore that... Do tell Tornadus -", he gives them a suspicious glance, "- how can we be sure that you'll REALLY be leadin' us to said Seasonal Shrine an' not 'nto some kind of trap with open arms, huh? If I understood that correctly, we DO need Landorus' aid t'get outta this odd Mirror World, but what makes Landorus so much different from you? Is there no way YOU could get us outta here so that we could head to these, uh... Ahyes, 'Ivory and Obsidian Peaks' straight 'way? Me felt Kyurem's words left little time t'loose or iddle."

[Dragonstrike]

Ziggy Kee, eventually having recovered from his angry outburst, is quiet and lost in thought and awe during the whole vision. He's trying hard to follow and remember what's being said by the icy dragon that Kyurem is, not quite sure what to make of it or whether he understands things correctly. At Tornadus mentioning the Seasonal Shrine and calling it a 'very dangerous location to visit', he perks up and shows a sneeky and toothy smile at the wind therian. "Battlin' an' fightin' 'gainst you was a very dangerous thing already, an' we managed it either way 'ventually. So whatever danger may be 'head, am gonna face it an' not shy away!" He perks up at this point, displaying a bold and confident stance.

"But b'fore that... Do tell Tornadus -", he gives them a suspicious glance, "- how can we be sure that you'll REALLY be leadin' us to said Seasonal Shrine an' not 'nto some kind of trap with open arms, huh? If I understood that correctly, we DO need Landorus' aid t'get outta this odd Mirror World, but what makes Landorus so much different from you? Is there no way YOU could get us outta here so that we could head to these, uh... Ahyes, 'Ivory and Obsidian Peaks' straight 'way? Me felt Kyurem's words left little time t'loose or iddle."

"Those dark forces have drained me of much of my strength, and I am grateful that you managed to drive them off.  I can do little besides guide you to the Seasonal Shrine currently.  If you recall, though, there was a sound of breaking glass during our battle.  That was when we transitioned into the Mirror World.  Should you fight Landorus and start gaining the upper hand, something similar should happen and send you back to the real world.  You need not take me at my word alone, though.  The Imprisoned One can verify these facts for you as well."

"You can leave looking for the Obsidian and Ivory Peaks to us when we get out of here!  You've still got other things you need to do, right?"

"Can't be everywhere all at once, after all.  And Paradise is more than familiar with the surrounding area.  It probably won't take us too long to find those peaks.  Haxorus will probably know more about them.  He and Sue went on all kinds of adventures after they defeated the Bittercold.  And failing that, maybe Virizion and I could try and find the other Swords, see if they know something about those locations."