[Game] Lord Windos' PokeRole Adventure: Celadon City Vandel

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

[Hehehe...I'm gonna do a little more than clue Reiner in, actually.  You'll see soon enough.]


When Weavile and Mew look around to look at that voice, they don't end up looking straight up like Weavile usually does.

Instead, the echoes coalesce in a single spot somewhere in the distance, towards what would have been a horizon if this were a normal location...

...it is far, far from a normal place, though.

When the echoes of Reiner's questions and the thoughts of Weavile and Mew come to a stop...what could only be described as a tear in the fabric of reality opens up where the sounds had gathered.  On the other side of it appears to be...what appears to be four humans battling a knight of some kind?  And the sound of music starts to come from it, too...

The Space Between Worlds: Prelude - Final Fantasy I and II: Dawn of Souls

And out of that same rift steps what appears to be a figure of uncertain height, weight, gender, demeanor...when the two felines and Reiner think they'd determined one trait, it would shift to another almost immediately, never settling on a single one.

...there is only one way to describe such an entity: Fluid.  Uncertain.  Like they were many people simultaneously, all packed into a single space.

Of course, that's hard for mere mortals to understand.



*snap*

The figure stops shifting, instead becoming...a shadow at first.  But then it shifts one last time...

...and Reiner is effectively looking at himself.  Except not.  The hair is green, not blue.  So are the eyes.  While Reiner's wearing a jacket made of Arbok skin, the figure is wearing a jacket made from sparkling Dragonair skin.  But aside from details like that to distinguish the two of them, the figure looks like Reiner, albeit one that could be from an alternate reality.

The figure looks behind himself.  Notices the rift he's opened is still there.  "Whoops, left one of my recent projects open...hmmm...music's nice, though...alright, that'll be what plays here, then."  A wave of his hand, and the rift closes.  But the music that was coming out of it continues playing, coming from both nowhere and everywhere simultaneously.

It's at that moment that Reiner realizes who exactly is standing in front of them.  But how exactly he feels about it...it's hard to tell.  There are many emotions he's experiencing right now, some nice, others...not.

"Well then, I suppose I don't need any introductions.  You all know who I...actually...ah, right.  Almost forgot.  You don't know my name yet, do you, Weavile?  Well, forgive my earlier rudeness.  You may call me Dragonstrike.  Pleasure to finally introduce myself to you in person, old friend."  The statement is an oddity, a contradiction, something that no normal person would ever say, and yet it's said so casually that it's hard to believe any part of it is untrue.  I've definitely known Reiner, Weavile, Kingdra, and all closely related to their pasts for most of their lifespans [even if some of them are still figments of the imagination instead of words on paper].

I throw out my arms to indicate the entirety of the empty space around us.  "And to all of you...welcome to The Space Between Worlds.  The realm where anything is possible, so long as we will it to be so."

"...and why the @#$% did you drag us to this damn place?  We were in the middle of something, you know."

"I see you're still ignoring your mother's attempts to dissuade you from indulging in your more...colorful side, Reiner.  There's no need for such unpleasantness here.  I'm very well aware I interrupted something.  You've been thinking long and hard about how to respond to Alexandria, Reiner.  Longer than you realize.  Or maybe you know how long you've been thinking.  You're time as Mew and interactions with those beyond your world has seemed to heighten your awareness over time, after all, even though you no longer have the same innate abilities that our pink companion does.  Though I suppose that hardly matters right this moment."

Another rift opens behind the party of three.  On the other side of that one is the current situation in the NRF, clear for all to see.  Reiner talking with Alexandria.  Lindworm and Arial (im)patiently waiting for Reiner to finish talking with the survivor he found.  The ravaged yard outside the NRF's front doors.  Time appears to be at a standstill.



Then the rift closes again, leaving nothing but empty space and the 4 figures once more.

"Do not worry.  This won't take up any of your time in your world.  There are some important things that need to be discussed, and it needs to be away from prying eyes and ears.  Visiting this realm is by invitation only, so we 4 [and Windos and Spiritmon, technically] are the only ones here.  Well, I suppose maybe Arceus could drop in uninvited if they REALLY wanted to, given their own massive powers over the creation of everything...but I doubt they will interrupt us.  They're always busy with something or other, after all.  Or napping, depending on which universe we're talking about.  And given the nature of one of the topics I wish to broach, interrupting would be a fairly...unwise thing to do, to say the least."

I look at Weavile.  "Hmmm...it appears you have something you wish to say...very well."  I wave my hand, and it starts glowing.  Weavile inexplicably starts doing the same motion not of his own volition, his claw also glowing the exact same way.  How to perform this new move is quickly burned into his memory, and it's a skill that Weavile has wanted to pick up for a long, long time...

Weavile has learned Assist as a Surprise! for 16 XP.

Then some more rifts open up, each paused, each showing a different person in the process of speaking in some manner.  One of the ones somewhere in the mix is a memory of the battle with Mew, where he was able to use his inner voice, his true voice, to communicate with Reiner.  Those thoughts can somehow be heard loud and clear.  There are many, many possibilities to choose from, though, so many to listen to...which is why I also included a handy search bar just above the revolving set of what's effectively youtube videos [none of which break the immersion of the world Reiner and co. live in, so don't worry about that!] and a floating keyboard for Weavile to type with (another skill that Assist can help Weavile perform).

"Pick a voice.  Any voice.  But once you've picked one, that's the only one you'll be able to use while using the Cat's Paw to imitate human speech.  Choose wisely.  If you wish to continue to be yourself, that is but one possibility you can choose from.  And once you've picked one...go ahead and speak your mind."

It's at this point that it's probably suitable for Weavile to react accordingly to the situation.  And maybe Mew, given that this is where Weavile's...unique situation is seeing a little more light shed on it.

[Oh? Hm....very well. Just don't take waste too much of your with the theatric, Dragonstrike. I rather try to destroy some Cursed Arms 'sooner' rather than 'later'.]

By and large, Mew looked markedly unimpressed with your initial metamorphic appearance, giving you a half-hearted roll of her eyes before she crossed her arms and awaited whatever else you had plan. This wasn't the first time she's seen such things or similar in her LONG life, nor were they the most bizarre thing she ever experienced, so in her currently emotionally bereft state she moved to feel anything than slight exasperation.

The big bad black Weavile himself, however, felt constantly unnerved as he stared at you with wide eyes, pricks, goosebumps and an odd, almost electric tingling sensation racing all over his supple feline form them longer he held you within his gaze. He almost top a couple steps back - anything to get away and stop this unearthly feeling of suspense - before he caught himself panicking and wildly shook his head to snap himself out of it, now fixing you with hostile glare and toothy scowl for the 'stunt' you tried to pull.

Your Alter-Reiner form and choice of background music manages to earn an raised, appraising eyebrow/ridge from the semi-sociopathic Mythic and a sharp *Hiss!* of surprise as he reeled backwards, before he force himself calm and still by firmly planting his feet into the 'ground' and leaning forward aggressively to show he will NOT be cowed ANYMORE by YOU. When you gave your name to the cat burglar and addressed him as a friend, his eyes lite up in full recognition before they narrowed into sliver as he let out a sharp, derisive "Weavile, Weavile!" and swept his arm in chopping motion. Given the...…circumstance, you were able to perfectly understand him: "I am not your friend, you pest, so buzz off like a Beedrill!". Ouch, talk about a mean diss!

Your subsequent explanations and shows of reality bending power failed to elicit any response from the muted pink fuzzball other than a 'Hmm.....' sound, while the sly feline did his best to maintain his composure and glare, thought it slipped a few times with surprise. Mew did pique up once you begin to chatter about the Creationist Herself, raising one paw to interrupt you.

'Palkia himself and Giratina can also freely enter the 'Space Between Worlds' as well too, Dragonstrike. Large congragations of Unown can also make breaches into this 'place', though its rare for them to so, to say the least. I doubt The Spatial Incarnate is aware of our presence here or in general, though, and The Queen of the Underworld is.....busy right now, so she's not liable to make an appearance either. As for Arceas, I don't believe she's aware of this meeting, or anyone here at all for that matter. Otherwise, I'd expect a.....swift and sudden interjection from her. She's not terribly fond of extradimensional beings other than Windos, and even less so for anything or one connected to the Cursed Arms. Hm....well, I think she would approve of your plans and support it, but she probably want to eradicate Reiner as we know him for his connection to you and...….them. Which neither of us want at all. So, yes, I agree that her interrupting things would be the last thing we want.'

She says this all blithely and matter of factly, with some emphasis and gesturing every now and again to signify importance. Both of you/you were not entirely sure if she said this as droll re-assurance, or a semi-subtle message to hurry up before any of the aforementioned Godly Legends catch wind of this shindig. Either way, at least the divine feline was being much more emotive now than her new 'normal' , so that'll make communications easier....

As for the Surprise! [Which is granted, btw!], The Master Pickpocket reacted....poorly to your gift of Assistance. His eyes widened like saucers and he jerked violently as the Move was forcibly seared into his mind, like a hot brand on taffy. It was strongly painless, but that didn't mean it was pleasant for Weavile. Arrrrrrrgh. Despite his....discomfort, he managed to retain enough control to snapped his head towards you and let out a terrible *SNARL*, before he shot his other paw forward, and immediately large javelins of ice formed above you before he sent them spiraling down with a flick of his wrist!

Icicle Crash!
Accuracy: DEX (4) + Fight (5) + Channel (3) + Single Action (2) = 14D6 Dice
(3)(4)(5)(6)(3)(1)(3)(4)(3)(5)(2)(2)(1)(5) One of the frozen chucks conks you straight on the head! Critical Hit!
Damage: STR (4) + 3 + STAB + Crit - Vitality (5 [Since you have taken the form of Reiner]) = 5D6 Damage
(1)(1)(1)(5)(5) 'Dragonstrike' takes 1 Damage, 9/10 HP!
Flitch: (6)(3)(3) You're Flinched!

While the improtu shower of hail hardly did an serious harm, it was enough to interrupt you before you could summon up the T.W.E.I and explain what you just did! You'd never expect that taking on a material form would leave you susceptible to harm or outside interference, but guess you learned something important now, didn't you? As did Reiner too, since he got a front row view of the action. Oh boy.....

"What the fuck are you trying to pull here, you-!!"

From out of nowhere a hither unknown suave, husky voice shouted out his outrage, before it abruptly cut off with a gasp. All eyes immediately went to the source, and found it to be none other than Weavile himself, looking simultaneously shocked and still a touch enraged at hearing himself speak. Huh, neither of you/you wouldn't have figured he'd subconsciously choose Sebastian's Voice but Deeper and Raspy/Huskier from Black Butler [How and Why he came to watch that anime I'll leave up to you, mates!], but you have to say it's not a bad fit for the cool operator. 

Mew.....you/you could see her sporting a slight smirk at both you and Weavile, thought it soon faded away a moment later. Huh.....was that a good or bad thing just now....?

[Well that escalated quickly! Reactions time, eh?]