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

[Dragonstrike]

...

"...what are the options?"

[Lord Windos]

...

"...what are the options?"

"Not defying my expectations this time, eh Reiner? Knew a man of action like you wouldn't choose to do nothing when their was something to be done, even if what avaliable is god awful for all of us. I wonder if that attitude will persist when you hear the detail though, hehahehahe....."

A humorless peal of laughter escapes the Merchant's lips as they chide you for implicit decision, before they stop and began elaborating on The Poisonous Choices, their tone of voice grave and strict. They didn't mince words either, choosing concise language to get the information across quickly and cleanly as possible.

"First option to 'cure' Mew of her shock is to drug her. More specifically, we use Cocaine to bring her out of her traumatized shock and make her 'productive' . She has or had a strong addiction to the Drug after she accidentally dosed herself and snorted up an entire warehouse of the white stuff - don't ask, she'll try to kill me if I tell you the full story, and even the scent will make her more Alert and jittery. A good dose will wake her right up make her forgot or ignore all their problems ASAP, so it one of the more expdient 'cures'. Problem is that she hated being addicted to the nose candy, as it made her way too hyperactive, tuned up, distracted, troubleprone, and overall more 'wild' for her tastes, and tried to quit it constantly. Wasn't easy, though, as the withdrawl was an utter nightmare, leaving her debilitated and an emotional wreck everytime she tried. Took having to ask Darkrai to put her in a Dark Void induced coma and sleep it out under his watch, which was just barely more tolerable and less horrid than withdrawl in her opinion. Finally, if she using Cocaine for too long, she need more and more to function without going into withdrawl, and take my word for it that she can snort up more than her wieght in the powder. I'll give you enough of the stuff to last the rest of the week, but you'll have to pay for more after that if you need it, and only if you get Mew's permission. Overall, the fastest and easiest way to 'cure' her, but it turns her into a high maitenance addict and a drain on Poke, or suffer otherwise."

(...)

"Second Option is for me to forcibly dissociate her from the trauma. It'll take about half a day to do so, but she'll be right as rain by the end of it. Only not, because the process involves shutting off her empathy and emotional response towards others except those she's closely bonded to, like you or me, and even then all that will change is you will not be a target or considered 'expendable'. She'll become a high functioning sociopathic, basically, losing her ability to feel Happiness, become ruthless and callous to others in general, become even more pragmatic and goal oriented, and far less likely to be tolerant or nice about things she disagrees with unless argued down. Personality shift is all but garenteed, really. She'll also be fully aware of what happened and why, and while I don't think she'll blame or hold it against you, she'll lose a lot of trust and Loyalty for basically zapping her feelings away. Eventually she'll regain them after a few months, once her mind heals from the forced dissociation and fully subconsciously copes with the trauma and regain her ability to be feel for herself and others, but until then she emotionless. Overall, the second fastest way to 'heal' her, but you are going to make a metaphorical monster for the unforseeable future, with you acting as the leash and chain, one she will fight and disagree with if she 'feels' its necessary."

(...)

"Third and last option is for me to remove the traumatizing memories and tied emotional reactions altogether. This take about a day if I start right away at minimum, but it will work and she won't have from any mental impairment of any kind afterwards, or otherwise I wouldn't even offer it to you in the first place. I'll also not tell her about the memory wipe, so she doesn't get mad at either of us about it and cause a whole lot of trust issues. Downside to this is that its an highly invasive procedure that also shreds any recent Experiences, makes her forgot a whole swath of her Moves, and puts enough stress on her body that some Attributes and/or Skills of hers are going to suffer. Working with her and Training will eventually reverse any bodily effects (IE: Attribute and Skill Penalties), but she'll have to relearn her lost Moves the hard way, like any other Pokemon. Overall, the longest way to restore her 'sanity' and the least pyschologically scarring, but its going to cost her valuable memories and weaken her until you two work to fix it."

(...)

"*Ssssighs* .....There, all the Choices on the table. Pick one and make your peace with it, or don't and accept that your partner is going to be out of action for as long as it take for her to overcome her grief and trauma naturally. I won't blame you if you don't, and neither will Mew I imagine, though she's going to be terribly guilty and heartbroken by the end of it all regardless except if you wipe her mind."

Those are your Choices.

Now its up to you to decide which is 'best.'

And live with the consequences.

[Dragonstrike]

...
What must you be thinking right now?
...
What paths have you traveled down since we've been apart?
...
I'm going to find you...
...
...find out what you've achieved...
...
...what you think of what's happened...
"...damn it..."
...what you've learned about yourself...
...
...I need your help...
"...damn it all..."
...but do you need mine?
...
...that's all I want to know...
'...removing her memory won't work.  That'll only cause more problems than it fixes, and she feels bad enough about being weakened because of our battle as it is...'

...

'...and I'm not going to zap her emotions.  I'm close enough to feeling nothing as it is, and I hate it.  I WANT to be angry.  At myself, at others, at things...'  He clenches his hand into a fist, then unclenches it only a second later.  '...and yet I can't.  I can't afford to cause a scene, can't afford to lose it...I don't want to imagine what it's like to...be stuck like that.  I'm almost certain she'd hate it, as she'd be the very thing which she doesn't want to be in the first place...and similar to the very thing she just destroyed in the rage she lost herself in...'

...

'...so that would only leave one option for a quick 'recovery'...@$!# it.  We can't afford to wait for her to recover on her own...too much is happening...will happen...we have to do something, but nothing seems like it'll end well...'

...

'...I don't regret my choices...but damn it, I wish the world would slow down a little and give me even just a little breathing room sometimes...odds of that happening are probably about equivalent to the chances a Snorlax starts fasting, though...'

Reiner's quiet for a few minutes as he weighs each choice...

There is more to this than what Lilith just said. They aren't purely negative.

Reiner isn't quite sure he's not imagining things...

You aren't. We're subconciously reasoning through this. One option will make Mew super active and bouncy, and miserable beyond belief when she isn't. It took a Legendary power to break that previously. Easy to start, hard to leave. You've seen it happen before.

Another will make her logical and sharp as a tack, which does wonders for Psychic pokemon in particular, but cold and unfeeling...for the most part. Lilith might know of a way to help with a more realistic problem like that, though, if you choose to go down this route.

The third...she loses some of her memory and grows ever weaker...but with great weakness comes great strength, as you're well aware. She could grow stronger because of it, but that's a hard path to go down...so much could be lost, you'll probably question if it will all really be worth it. And it also takes a full day to enact this choice, too.

You don't have a full day.

...

...

He'd thought the T.U.V.E.I. had turned on earlier when this had happened previously...this...dual thought process...ugh, it was giving him another headache...

Well, that's what the aspirin is for.

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

A few minutes of thinking later, and Reiner has some questions for Lilith.

"So...you listed some ways to reverse some of the negative effects for two of those options...know anything that might help with that second choice? And...if we were to go with the second one, when would you start? Right away, or in the morning?"

[Lord Windos]

A few minutes of thinking later, and Reiner has some questions for Lilith.

"So...you listed some ways to reverse some of the negative effects for two of those options...know anything that might help with that second choice?  And...if we were to go with the second one, when would you start?  Right away, or in the morning?"

The Merchant initial response was to level a rather deadpan stare at you, followed by sardonically replying with: "Unless you happen to have a powerful Love or Bonding Artifact/Device/ Mystical Object in that inventory of yours, (IE: Those Rings would naturally come to Reiner's mind) their ain't much I can do to make Mew's disposition any sunnier post 'treatment, Reiner. Hard to brighten her day when she's near emotionless and sociopathic, but I can't blame you trying to make it a less bitter pill for both of you to swallow. If you want her Happy, Cocaine or erasing her Memory will do that, to varying degrees of 'happy'. "

Their next response, however, was crisp, concise, and considerate: "Right away, Reiner, because delaying it won't make it any easier for all of us, or more pleasent that gargling Black Sludge. Best estimate I would be finished with the procedure is by the end of tomorrow Afternoon, so you won't have to wait too long until she back and right as acid rain."

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

The Merchant initial response was to level a rather deadpan stare at you, followed by sardonically replying with: "Unless you happen to have a powerful Love or Bonding Artifact/Device/ Mystical Object in that inventory of yours, (IE: Those Rings would naturally come to Reiner's mind) their ain't much I can do to make Mew's disposition any sunnier post 'treatment, Reiner. Hard to brighten her day when she's near emotionless and sociopathic, but I can't blame you trying to make it a less bitter pill for both of you to swallow. If you want her Happy, Cocaine or erasing her Memory will do that, to varying degrees of 'happy'. "

Their next response, however, was crisp, concise, and considerate: "Right away, Reiner, because delaying it won't make it any easier for all of us, or more pleasent that gargling Black Sludge. Best estimate I would be finished with the procedure is by the end of tomorrow Afternoon, so you won't have to wait too long until she back and right as acid rain."

...

...Reiner thinks for a minute about what that could apply to...

...

...and decides not to dwell on it right now in the end and move on to the more immediate decision.

"...that's probably all the time that can be afforded...damn it..."

...

Reiner holds the Great Ball containing Mew out.

"...option two.  I'll...figure out a way to deal with the personality shift.  Somehow..."

[Spiritmon]

Spoiler

The Merchant initial response was to level a rather deadpan stare at you, followed by sardonically replying with: "Unless you happen to have a powerful Love or Bonding Artifact/Device/ Mystical Object in that inventory of yours, (IE: Those Rings would naturally come to Reiner's mind) their ain't much I can do to make Mew's disposition any sunnier post 'treatment, Reiner. Hard to brighten her day when she's near emotionless and sociopathic, but I can't blame you trying to make it a less bitter pill for both of you to swallow. If you want her Happy, Cocaine or erasing her Memory will do that, to varying degrees of 'happy'. "

Their next response, however, was crisp, concise, and considerate: "Right away, Reiner, because delaying it won't make it any easier for all of us, or more pleasent that gargling Black Sludge. Best estimate I would be finished with the procedure is by the end of tomorrow Afternoon, so you won't have to wait too long until she back and right as acid rain."

...

...Reiner thinks for a minute about what that could apply to...

...

...and decides not to dwell on it right now in the end and move on to the more immediate decision.

"...that's probably all the time that can be afforded...damn it..."

...

Reiner holds the Great Ball containing Mew out.

"...option two.  I'll...figure out a way to deal with the personality shift.  Somehow..."

Just like Dragonstrike, Reiner was capable to hear my voice.

Are you sure about Reiner? Its not like I jugding you. I just want to let you know the path you are taking is quite difficult and will require great effort and sacrifice. That will be a strong test about your bond with Mew.

But, I know you can do that. You and Mew already have deal a lot of things in the past. And there is other people who is willing to help ya: Arial, Emily, your pokemons, and your other companions. There is of course us too behind the fourth wall. You are not alone in this fight Reiner Arendense. If you need something, dont hesitate in ask Dragonstrike and me. And if is possible we shall use our powers to help ya when possible.

...Good luck young Dragon. May Arceus and the creation trio bless your path. 

And just like that, my presence was dismiss.

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

Just like Dragonstrike, Reiner was capable to hear my voice.

Are you sure about Reiner? Its not like I jugding you. I just want to let you know the path you are taking is quite difficult and will require great effort and sacrifice. That will be a strong test about your bond with Mew.

But, I know you can do that. You and Mew already have deal a lot of things in the past. And there is other people who is willing to help ya: Arial, Emily, your pokemons, and your other companions. There is of course us too behind the fourth wall. You are not alone in this fight Reiner Arendense. If you need something, dont hesitate in ask Dragonstrike and me. And if is possible we shall use our powers to help ya when possible.

...Good luck young Dragon. May Arceus and the creation trio bless your path. 

And just like that, my presence was dismiss.

Guess I get to be the intermediary for this message, then...I'm not going to type it out, but I summarize it for Reiner.

Reiner doesn't choose to respond.  He has enough to dwell on as it is.

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

...

...Reiner thinks for a minute about what that could apply to...

...

...and decides not to dwell on it right now in the end and move on to the more immediate decision.

"...that's probably all the time that can be afforded...damn it..."

...

Reiner holds the Great Ball containing Mew out.

"...option two.  I'll...figure out a way to deal with the personality shift.  Somehow..."

Once you make your Choice, the mysterious businessperson looked into your eyes and pinned you in place with their own golden, luminescent pair as they weighed your words and judged whether or not this is what you truly felt had to be done for the greater 'good'.......

.......until they reached forward to snatch your partner's Great Ball out of your hand, staring at it faintly for a moment as if thinking 'He used a Great Ball of all types of Pokeball to capture her?' , before clasping it between both their hands and giving you one last good long look, before they said this:

"So you say, it shall be done. The consequences of this shall be share between us, but I can handle the burden just fine myself. Question now is, can you ? .....Hehahehahe, guess we'll all find out how tough that Dragon blood in you of yours really is, eh Reiner? I'll give you a call when I've completed the process, and where to meet me to pick her up. Don't be late, or I'll come hunting your arse down myself, and stick my boot so far up it you'll be tasting leather for weeks and have problems shitting for the rest of your life. Got it?"

Well, do you?

Now would also be the time to ask anything/for anything else too, so speak now or forever hold your peace!

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

Once you make your Choice, the mysterious businessperson looked into your eyes and pinned you in place with their own golden, luminescent pair as they weighed your words and judged whether or not this is what you truly felt had to be done for the greater 'good'.......

.......until they reached forward to snatch your partner's Great Ball out of your hand, staring at it faintly for a moment as if thinking 'He used a Great Ball of all types of Pokeball to capture her?' , before clasping it between both their hands and giving you one last good long look, before they said this:

"So you say, it shall be done. The consequences of this shall be share between us, but I can handle the burden just fine myself. Question now is, can you ? .....Hehahehahe, guess we'll all find out how tough that Dragon blood in you of yours really is, eh Reiner? I'll give you a call when I've completed the process, and where to meet me to pick her up. Don't be late, or I'll come hunting your arse down myself, and stick my boot so far up it you'll be tasting leather for weeks and have problems shitting for the rest of your life. Got it?"

Well, do you?

Now would also be the time to ask anything/for anything else too, so speak now or forever hold your peace!

"It's what I had on my person at the time, and she doesn't mind.  If anything, it helps remind me that she wants to be treated like any other pokemon, but she's still a bit...more than that."

...

"...if anything, I think I'm going to find out how tough HER dragon blood is...and if I didn't give a damn about what happened to her, I wouldn't have come to you in the first place, so don't worry about me being late."

...

"...what's up with the snake stuff, by the way?  Just part snake due to an 'accident' in the past, or is that due to...something else, shall we say?  I'd rather not make any assumptions."

[Lord Windos]

"It's what I had on my person at the time, and she doesn't mind.  If anything, it helps remind me that she wants to be treated like any other pokemon, but she's still a bit...more than that."

...

"...if anything, I think I'm going to find out how tough HER dragon blood is...and if I didn't give a damn about what happened to her, I wouldn't have come to you in the first place, so don't worry about me being late."

...

"...what's up with the snake stuff, by the way?  Just part snake due to an 'accident' in the past, or is that due to...something else, shall we say?  I'd rather not make any assumptions."

*Quirks an unseen eyebrow at you, before shrugging it off*

...

"Hehahehahe.....still have plenty of fire in your belly, despite the world trying its best to put it out. With that stubborn resolve and grit, I think  you'll do right by old Mew, be it for the better or worse. Still, a friendly warning never hurt anyone, right? Unless they carry through with it, of course, ha!

...

At your inquiry, the Merchant fixed you with another measuring look that seemed to bore right through you...... and then threw back her head and let out cackle of hissing laughter, before slowly shaking it as they answered in silken tones that sent shudders down you spine, luminous eyes twinkling with a fae sense mirth.

"Pixie Sticks hasn't told you much about little old me, has she? Not sure if she's embarrassed pink, too annoyed to bother, or just trying to coddle you from how much stranger the world is than you think, but if she's kept her trap shut I see no reason why I should open mine up. Ask her yourself later if your still crave the Knowledge, because  getting information from me would cost ya far more than you'd be willing to pay, no matter If I make a deal with you or not, ahahahaha......~ I'll give you kernel to nibble on, though, since you've I think such a good customer such as yourself deserve a little more than to be teased: My Name is Lilith , and I'm more than just a serpent. Let's see if that brain of yours can dig up the Truth from that clue. Ahahahaha.......Be seeing you, Reiner Arendse......."

Then, they took a few smooth backwards strides into the pitch black allyway, eyes never leaving yours as the even more mysterious business....person seemed to dissolve into it, their luminous gaze the last to be stolen by the shadows, and their laughter smothered by the sound of rain.