#but that ones reserved for Dusknoir and Dusknoir alone

[graminos]

grovyle pmd for the blorbo bingo? :0

I grew on him A LOT. If there was a "hes so cool hes so cool hes so cool" option I would've circled that one multiple times. He is such a badass pokemon, imo, though he definitely needs therapy. (hes still a dumbass lizard in my brain, though. Just that he is a suave dumbass lizard)

[sincerely-sofie]

The """"villain""""Twig!AU is making me go insane over what would happen. I haven't hyperfixated on something so much, so quickly in years. I need to give my 2 cents or I just might implode

(Tw: self hatred, suicide implications, Death, Caps lock)

Twig would think of herself as an irredeemable monster for indirectly hurting her friends. she would probably think that, because Darkrai made people have nightmares because of malice, (while not knowing its just a thing he can accidentally do without realizing it.) she would think that on some level that she WANTED to hurt the people closest to her. Her self loathing would get SO much worse. BUT she CAN'T be self destructive because she wouldn't want anyone else to be cursed with this power. She would spiral even further. She wants to die, but she knows she can't from age because of Celebi. She would hate herself even more for even thinking of finding someone to put her out of her misery. She loves her friends to a fault. She wants to be with them, but she thinks that she's inherently evil. It wouldn't help that she would not be able to practice controlling her powers in isolation, give that nightmare aura invariably needs someone else to practice with.

Everyone in her friend group, the Guild, heck, maybe even team skull, would desperately search for her. Combing every place they can think of. Searching every mystery dungeon, forest, mountain, cave, even going under the sea to search. But it's no use. One by one all of them would give up and accept that she is missing. Maybe forever. Except Kip. He would never stop searching for her. He's madly in love with her and knows her better than anyone else. All he wants to do is tell her that he still loves her, and that he would endure any nightmare, no matter how awful, just so he could wake up next to her. And that they would figure out how to control her powers together. But he can't. Maybe he evolves from the constant stress and work put in searching for her. He can't accept that she's gone. He CANNOT live without seeing her one last time. But no matter how much he tries, he can't find her. All of his effort, YEARS of searching with no results. He would either fall into an intense depression, rarely eating or getting out of bed, or die in an accident during an expedition. His thoughts for the last who-knows-how-many-decades have almost entirely been about Twig. And that doesn't change during his last breath.

Grovyle would possibly take it the worst out of all her friend. She was the ONE person he SWORE to protect, and he SCREWED IT UP! HE COULDN'T HAVE DONE ANY WORSE! He would consider himself an utter failure on every conceivable level. It doesn't help that his old savior complex habits resurface worse than ever. He doesn't want anyone to worry about him. He needs to be strong. He always puts on a mask whenever he's around others. He denies everything when someone confronts him about obviously not doing well. Whenever he's alone, he wishes he could just, dissappear. But that would mean someone else would wonder what happened to him. So he can't do that. As a result, he becomes more distant from everyone. His friendships fade because he's never genuine. He runs away whenever he begins to get too emotional. And denies that he is doing such a thing.

Dusknoir would be incredibly distraught by this. He hurt Twig before, who's to say he hadn't done hurt her again? She didn't even say goodbye to anyone, least of all him, why would she even care about him? And now all he wants is to beg her for forgiveness. Completely unaware of the fact that she had already forgiven him for his betrayal a long time ago. He has no idea that she would be appalled that he would want her to forgive him when she would be the one begging for his forgiveness for hurting him and "being evil". Both of them recieve no closure for this. And both of them live without knowing that the other wishes they would ask for forgiveness.

Celebi would become more reserved than ever. She learned that; not only could a legend be killed, but also what happens to the person that kills them. She would consider her powers to see the future and the past a curse. One that only she can bear. She becomes so much less adventurous and adverse to risk. Whenever the other Celebi's ask her why she looks so glum, she quickly changes the subject. She can't have them know. It would destroy them. She would consider all of this her fault as well. If only she knew what would happen, she could have stopped it. If she had been more responsible, she could have had Twig live her life, and all of this would have been avoided. But she can't change it now, because if she were to try and go back in time, another Celebi might come to this timeline and learn what happened. Then they would tell the others, and then they would talk, and she would be solely responsible for ruining the lives of infinite Celebi's. It would all have been her fault. She shoos any celebi that arrives in her timeline out of there. Her relationship with Dialga crumbles as a result of how often she threatens other Celebis to tell him that they are interfering with other timeliness. Eventually, the other Celebi's start avoiding her altogether. "If she's gonna be so mean, then we just wont talk to her" they reason. She's alone, her friendships are ruined, the only people that can relate to her hate her. But they are all safe. That's the only thing that matters now.

Cressalia would take some time, but eventually she finds out what would happen. She would feel responsible for being the one that got Twig cursed with this power, but also she would try to police Twig the same way she tried to control Darkrai. "She must be doing this on purpose". Perhaps Cressalia is the catalyst that made Twig leave in the first place. By trying to help her in Cressalia's own special way, by guilt tripping them while assuming they know what they're doing. It's only after her experience with the Snivy that she realizes what she has done. And now she did EXACTLY what she did to darkrai. To someone who never wanted or asked for this power. She would want to seek forgiveness, but Twig doesn't sleep. She doesn't know where she is. This guilt would eat away at her, leaving her a shell of her former self.

I love a good (fictional) tragedy, because all of this is no-ones fault in particular. Celebi thought legends couldn't be killed and didn't take any precautions in the possibility of that happening, Cresselia thought she was doing the right thing, both before and after Darkrai's death. Twig, Kip, Grovyle and Dusknoir couldn't have known that any of this would happen. It was the perfect storm and set of circumstances that caused this. The most tragic part of all of this, is that by trying to protect everyone, Twig hurts them more than she would have if she had simply stayed. If she didn't have a tendency to put the well-being of others over her own, she could have lead a much happier life, with some pain at the start. Rather than being in pain forever, while unknowingly causing so much more suffering. Ignorance is often bliss, but it is a curse in this.

I dunno how in character all of this is, (Personally, I think my interpretation of Celebi is a bit iffy, she probably would have known that legends can be killed, seen this future, and taken steps to prevent all this from happening) But my brain latched on to the implications of this AU like a steel trap and would not let go until I wrote this down

Thank you for continuing to make art Sophie! I love this suffering more than you probably realize. (Genuine)

Okay so like. When you said you were gathering your thoughts I was so excited. But I would have never DREAMED of this amazing ask.

This is such an interesting continuation of the AU’s premise! It really drives home the irony of Twig’s belief that she makes things worse for those around her, and that her friends would be happier if they never saw her again— Twig is the heart of the main cast. She’s keeping everyone from going off the deep end with just her presence.

I don’t know what to say other than GOOD GLORY do we ever need a tag for this AU because I’m getting attached to it 😭

[carnistcervine]

Last refs done for AF! ^^ All of these characters already had profiles, but I just wanted to make some better references for them.

Bios under the cut.

Aluna Nocte Species: Darkrai Type: Dark Height: 4'11" Ability: Bad Dreams Nature: Quiet Characteristic: Good perseverance

-Her hands are black and clawed like Darkrai's. -All of her teeth are sharp. -She has freckles. -She can be pretty moody, and likes to be alone. -She despises bullies and bigots, and will torment any she finds with unending nightmares. -The feet of her boots look like paws.

Boo *Her eyes are spooky and glowey *She has fangs, pale skin, and supernatural gold eyes, but she is not vampiric in any way. In fact she actually finds the idea repulsive, but does love cranberry juice and messing with people. *She is an asexual female. *She's naturally shy and reclusive, very reserved and can come across as aloof. *But she can be mischevous at times.

Niore Species: Dusknoir Type: Ghost Height: 7'3" Ability: Pressure Nature: Quiet Characteristic: Often lost in though

Design notes: *She has one eye(the other is a hollow socket) and a jagged Dusknoir mouth. *Her antenna is crooked and bent, so it causes her migraines and some symptoms of dementia. *She has freckles. :3 *She/Her pronouns *Asexual~ *She's a human turned Dusknoir, who only retains faint memories of when she was human *She remembers having a cat who died, but no species of cat Pokemon seems to jog her memory *She's generally irritable(read: salt mine) *She can summon a scythe made of darkness to reap souls without damaging the body *Lady Dimitrescu vibes *She has a hard time interpreting the signals from the Spirit World because her antenna is so damaged, the harsh resonance is why she suffers migraines. *She's a lot more patient, or at least tries to be with the souls of the young, weak, fearful. She genuinely doesn't want to make death any more traumatic that it already is. *She has no patience for the souls of the wicked though. *While she tries to be patient with innocent souls, her migraines limit her patience, so she ends up taking them by force sometimes. *Niore has a lot less patience when she first becomes a Dusknoir, but mellows out with time.

Ignis Infernalis *Ghost *She/Her *Asexual *Hostile and vengeful. Can be downright murderous. Unapologetic and unafraid to hurt anyone's feelings. *Basically, just ridiculously and relentlessly mean. x'D *Loves cats tho *Can create and manipulate purple fire. *Umbrakinetic

Convexa *She/Her *Asexual *Looks like an eldritch abomination/has a nightmare face, so it's either hidden by shadow or covered up by a mask. *Fond of masks, especially scary or ugly ones. *Generally reserved and shy, prefers to keep to herself, quite the gloomy fellow. *Doesn't expose her skin, she keeps any potentially exposed areas wrapped in bandages. Like a mummy. *Her scarf and wings are made from living darkness and can change appearance to represent different night skies. *She has the ability to change her wings into any other shape she desires. This includes wrapping them around herself like a blanket. *Her real eyes are hidden, and the ones we see are just a magical glow. *Her hair is soft and quite curly, but also thick like a lion's mane. *Absolute pastel goth. *Harbinger of doom *Uses dark magic, umbrakinetic *Can tear holes in the fabric of reality *Lives in a space in between universes *Can read the "coding" of the universe and gain insight into potential futures/the world around her *Her true form is a biblically accurate angel. :3

[i-never-forgot]

Sorry it took so long to respond to this haha, I had to wait until I could procrastinate on homework before my mind could work...I hate my brain ngl

Hold on to that warhead for a couple more minutes, Fujii, I've got more to share *rubbing hands maniacally together like a fly*

Ribbons being so sweet and letting Eliana ramble until Aimilios joins in so she doesn't have to nod awkwardly the whole time lolll XD also them just sitting there with someone a third of their size letting her give lectures and such is just a sweet image. Eliana would be able to tell they're sincere in their interest so she would definitely feel comfortable to open up...though she does feel a little bad about taking so much of their time and for talking for so long once she realizes it haha. But Eliana finding common ground with Ribbons as far as their Dimensional Screams go is so important. Eliana feels so isolated most of the time, and even with Lu there's this lingering feeling of "otherness" that she can never quite seem to shake. She wouldn't feel that with Ribbons even with the age/maturity gap.

Lu would understand Aimilios being concerned for his wellbeing and wouldn't really say anything about it bothering him bc a) it really doesn't and b) he appreciates someone taking the time to help him without being pitying or skeptical of his abilities for once. Aimilios would be one of the few to truly understand that Lu really can take care of himself since I headcanon that most Riolu/Lucario can "see" with their eyes closed to a certain extent bc of their aura sight. Lu just feels so safe around Aimilios (and Ribbons too), plus I feel like their auras would be stronger since they're aware of them, too, and might exude them a little more purposefully to help Lu sense where they're at or where they're going.

While Lu wouldn't really notice it, Eliana would find their reaction a bit puzzling, especially what Aimilios says. By this point it's a no-brainer that Dusknoir cares for them, since he's finally proven himself trustworthy and sincere in her eyes. Still (in this hypothetical case, at least), it would be the first thing she would think of when his betrayal finally did happen. That's why they looked like that. That's why they said that. Eliana would understand better than most that interfering with others' timelines/etc would be no bueno, so she wouldn't hold it against Ribbons/Aimilios at all. (It was her own fault for being gullible to start with, after all. She should have known better.)

But now I'm imagining Eliana and Lu meeting Dadnoir, too. Lu I think would sense the extra dad energy and be a little shy at first, but he'd warm up to him quickly out of curiosity and sensing how kind and gentle he is even if he's a bit more reserved and careful with his words and actions than Dusk. Eliana would be absolutely fascinated with him, asking questions to see how they differed from each other and to see what knowledge Dadnoir might have that Dusk doesn't. She would notice the scars, and his more subdued demeanor, and would wonder what happened to him, but she wouldn't pry since she respects Dusk (and Dadnoir by proxy) enough to leave old wounds like that alone (pun intended). (Perhaps it would have benefited her more if she had pushed Dusk for more information, but alas...)

But I imagine Dadnoir would likely be a little uncomfortable interacting with them at first, since he knows (like Ribbons/Aimilios) what lies in store for them. I feel like he would want to interfere a little more, seeing how sincere Eliana is in her affection and adoration simply describing her Dusknoir, and might feel a little helpless watching yet another duo of bright and innocent people be deceived by his kinsman. Even still, he would try to nurture them while he could. Offer kind words and spoil them a little (Lu especially). I get the vibe that he'd be a bit awkward with it, since they doesn't share the same history as he does with Aimilios/Ribbons, but he worries for them nevertheless.

(Whatever you do don't imagine Dusk running into Dadnoir at this point. Or even Dusk after SP05. I...I don't think my emotions could handle an interaction of that caliber. Wow. Dadnoir might just tear him a new one.)

Thinking about @fujii-draws' eepies with mine again...except WorseTM. I've illustrated them as meeting after Eliana has made amends with Dusknoir (so like post-post-post game in my AU haha), but what if it were reversed?

Little Eevee!Eliana just dazzled by Sylveon!Ribbons and her bubbly nature despite the hardships that she hints she's gone through. Asking for advice in how to maneuver in such a tiny body, especially in dungeons, as well as for how to support and help Lu advance and grow. Feeling a bit silly being older still but able to piggy-back on Ribbons' back (although she does get taller when she evolves lol).

Baby Riolu!Lu still trying to find himself and his place in the world, still working hard to master his aura-sight, feeling so insecure about his limitations and combative abilities to keep Eliana safe since she's usually the one that takes the brunt of the fighting despite him being more suitable for it. Finding comfort in Aimilios' and Ribbons' unconditional encouragement and advice on how to be a better explorer and partner to help Eliana with her amnesia and Scream.

However, the heartache comes into play when Eliana starts telling Aimilios and Ribbons about her good friend the Great Dusknoir. Do they know him in their world? He's very wise and kind and such an excellent conversationalist. She has learned so much just listening to him and he's very patient and gentle with her despite how rude she was to him at first and she just really respects and admires him (and it's so painfully obvious how much she likes him despite her not saying as much).

Ribbons and Aimilios just Look at each other knowing they can't break the "temporal prime directive" but feeling just so much dread and sadness knowing, at least vaguely, what will happen and how it might impact Eliana. Them feeling so conflicted on whether they should at least say something to try to prepare her emotionally but knowing they can't really interfere. God help them if they witness the immediate aftermath.

(And God help Dadnoir if he's anywhere near her afterwards.)

[nelvana]

Intermission

First [ARC 1]: In which the human is transformed First [ARC 2]: In which a present is prepared Next: In which a warning is received Previous: In which the dusknoir is taken around town

Warning! This chapter has descriptions of blood, burning, burn wounds, and body horror! Reader discretion is advised.

    Deep out in the woods, much farther north of Pokemon Square, a spinda wandered across the forestry ground, wobbling with each step, as that species tended to do. He walked with a bounce in his step, a bubbly excitement carrying him through his travels.

    Maurice was his name, one he once hid in an attempt to be more professional, but now wore with pride. He was one who had picked his name for himself, and had done far too much work in choosing it to let it become reserved for only friends and family.

    A bag was carried over his shoulder, one that was large and likely once filled with many items, but now sagged with the emptiness of those objects being used in adventures past. On his head he wore an explorers hat that somewhat resembled a porkpie hat, carrying two feathers in its band. One feather was white that faded into a light brown; the feather of a farfetch’d. The other gleamed with the colors of the rainbow, and was Maurice’s treasure out of his most recent adventure.

    Weeks before now, he had discovered the Clear Wing, and took it upon himself to figure out more about what it was, and what it could do. His partner, Farfetch’d, who also was the one whose feather also sat on Maurice’s hat, wished to go to Pokemon Square first instead. They were understanding partners, and it was easy for them to split up with promises of stories and to meet up again soon. He could see why Farfetch’d would want to go to that tiny town anyway, he had talked about the place and the café his uncle had set up there with his partner Gulpin often, and they had been planning on heading there anyway. So, they took different paths for the time being, with Maurice heading off in his search to find what this rare item really meant.

    As he recalled the quest, he subconsciously reached up to trace the feathers on his hat, reminding him that they were, in fact, still safely up there and not lost earlier in the trail. Now the Clear Wing was the Rainbow Wing, blessed by Ho-oh and their three beasts, Suicune, Raikou, and Entei. It had been a challenging and perilous quest, but only just would make it all the better story to tell when he finally arrived to Pokemon Square.

    The three beasts had tested him, originally wishing for battle, but eventually were convinced to change it to trials of skill instead. Maurice wasn’t one for battles, and he had the wisdom to know that he would not have the raw strength to beat any legendary. Suicune tested strategy and the physics of water; Raikou tested speed and agility; Entei tested strength, though not that of a one on one battle. Ho-oh, seeing the success, gifted the feather with their energy.

    It was something Maurice would not take lightly, though it was hard to keep his excitement from getting the best of him.

    Now, he looked forward to finally arriving to Pokemon Square, to reconnect with friends and family alike, to share stories and enjoy some hearty meals and drinks. He wondered how his uncle, Horace, would be doing with his business. He wondered about the other residents of that little town; surely everyone would have grown since he had last been there.

    But most of all, he wondered about his partner, Farfetch’d. He wondered what Farfetch’d had been up to while he was off on his own quest. He wondered if he had found a name of his own; something Maurice had tried to help with in the past without much success. He wondered if Farfetch’d missed him as much as he did.

    It seemed that the old saying had come true, distance did make the heart yearn. In his time alone with his own thoughts, Maurice had finally come to the conclusion that Farfetch’d was truly his perfect partner, and he wanted to tell him that. He wanted to be, perhaps, more than simply best friends. Perhaps he was being hasty in this, but he felt like he would burst if he thought about it too much again. His heart seemed to swell up at the mere thought of his partner and seeing him again.

    Maurice paused, torn out of his daydreaming at the sound of movement. This was a nearly abandoned path from what he had gathered, and he had not seen any other travellers in ages; the only pokemon being the legendaries he had met and the dungeon spawn he had evaded.

    His attention drawn, he carefully moved towards the presence of others to investigate. He didn’t get too much far off of where his path had been before when it gathered that what he had run into had to be other legendaries, or at least mythicals. He had had enough experience around the powerful beings to pick out their energies above other pokemon’s, and took this in mind as he proceeded. Legendaries could be fickle creatures sometimes, it was important to prioritize politeness above all, at least for first impressions.

    Passing through more trees towards a clearing, Maurice’s gaze caught the sight of twin tails flitting in the air; long, lightly colored tails that ended in tufts of fur with spots of red. Spotting this, along with two more pairs of tails near the first, his breath hitched, and he shut his eyes. As he did so, he pushed his back against a nearby tree at the edge of the clearing, protecting his back while he was temporarily blind.

    “Why do you refuse to look at us?” an unfamiliar voice questioned, their voice smooth, yet almost monotone.

    “I apologize, Uxie,” Maurice began, identifying one of the legendaries that were in front of him. “I have merely heard the legends of your gem, and its ability to wipe memories,” he explained.

    “I assure you; we have no wishes to erase your memories. Your mind will lay untouched,” they promised.

    While he was hesitant, to go against their wishes to make eye contact could be considered offensive. Legendaries and mythicals rarely lied anyway, so Maurice reluctantly opened back up his eyes, turning his gaze up to the pokemon he was speaking to.

    Instantly his suspicions were confirmed about the pokemon in question. The Lake Guardians all floated before him, Uxie at the center and closer to him than their siblings, but all a couple meters away from him. He hesitated again, refreshing his mind of his past memories and doing his best to hold tightly too them as he made eye contact with Uxie, but was relieved to find that nothing happened to his mind as he looked at them. It was just as they promised, but there had been some doubt. He was glad to have been proven wrong there.

    While he almost didn’t notice right away, a ditto was slumped nearby the trio as well. He had seen dittos before, but this one seemed… different, in a way. It appeared lethargic and defeated, more like a puddle in the grass than its usual blob form. Despite Maurice’s immediate concern, he had to tear his focus away from the seemingly already defeated being, and back to the three legendaries.

    He waited at first for a moment for Uxie or one of their siblings to continue, maybe even a friendly “I told you so.” Yet, they said nothing right away, only staring at him in a way that felt like it bore into his very soul. It was quite unnerving, and something he had never quite experienced, even after meeting other legendaries before.

    “Now, it is quite the honor to be sought out by a trio of legendaries such as yourselves,” he said, deciding to take some initiative instead of leaving the ominous silence. “If you don’t mind, I must inquire, you are here to ask something of me, yes?”

    Uxie nodded slowly, “indeed. You see, we are on an important mission. We sensed you are one chosen by Ho-oh, which proves you as someone pure-hearted and incredibly skilled. It is our belief that you will be able to help us with our mission.”

    “I cannot promise anything,” Maurice began, knowing that beings such as these would never forget a promise, and he should not promise to something he doesn’t know the conditions of. “However, I will hear you out, and see to doing what I can to help for the better.”

    “That is what we hoped for. There are not many mortals we would trust to ask of a task such as this. You, however, have clearly proven your worth in the past, so we trust you to do so again,” Uxie responded, “you are on your way to Pokemon Square, correct?”

    “That is correct; yes I am.”

    “Very good. Here is our request; there are many pokemon taking resident there that threaten the world’s balance. They are anomalies. We require you to seek them out, and either end them yourself, or bring them to us so we may do so,” Uxie announced, “there are seven pokemon in total; a time gear thief grovyle, a mislead servant dusknoir, a cursed spirit guide gardevoir, a corrupted celebi ahead of their time, and two humans who have taken pokemon form. Is this clear?”

    Maurice paled. They wanted him to kill seven pokemon, or at least assist in the killing of them? By the descriptions of some, it was clear that some of these were members of Team Galaxy. While he had been away adventuring for a long time, he hadn’t missed the news of their hand in saving the world. He also hadn’t missed how some of them were from the future and had disappeared, but had been brought back by Dialga. Why were the Lake Trio now asking to kill these pokemon, if Dialga had already helped bring them back to life?

     “The… instructions are clear,” Maurice told them slowly, mulling over how to approach this carefully. “I’m afraid the reasoning is not. Has Dialga not assisted in bringing most of those pokemon to this world?” he asked.

    “They did. Palkia has told us since that that was wrong. They have given us the task to fix the problem, and now we ask of your help as well,” Uxie answered calmly, still showing no inclination of emotion one way or the other.

    He hesitated; this didn’t feel right. Rarely did he go purely by gut feelings, so he took a moment to access the situation in front of him as well. Dialga brought these pokemon here, and Palkia now wished to take them back. Though, why didn’t they do that themself? Why not bring up the problem with Dialga instead?

    Beyond that, there was certainly something wrong with the Lake Guardians as well. Their colors were dulled, as were their eyes, which were also almost glazed over, as he noticed now that he took the time to really look. The gems on each of their foreheads were especially darkened, taking on an even darker than blood red, instead of the almost candy pink-red they were supposed to be. The legendaries themselves held themselves loosely, their expressions just as monotone as Uxie’s voice was.

    Maurice knew that this wasn’t right, and yet he wasn’t quite sure how to approach it yet.

    Regardless, he had waited too long, and Uxie showed almost the first signs of any emotions as their brows furrowed slightly at him.

    “Why do you hesitate?” Uxie questioned.

    “That does not follow my morals; I apologize,” Maurice told them carefully, minding his every word. “It is against my morals to kill another, or to assist in the killing of another.”

    “Even with the world’s balance at stake?” Uxie pressed, tails now lashing around them. “You would not help remove anomalies from this world to save it?”

    Maurice swallowed, “I believe that Dialga would have un-summoned them by now if they were such a risk. The pokemon you mentioned are known heroes as well; there may be another solution to this.”

    Surprisingly, Uxie relaxed again, returning to their neutral state. They did not say anything again for a few moments, but then finally exchanged some glances at their siblings and then spoke to the spinda once more.

    “I see. You do not believe us then,” Uxie stated coldly, “you will need more persuasion then. We cannot have this sort of miscommunication. We cannot have you warning the anomalies.”

    Azelf and Mesprit repeated the last sentence, sending chills down Maurice’s spine. Then, in synchronized movement, the trio all looked down at the ditto, who shrank away under their collective gazes. Ditto did not stay like this for long, however, as under the stares of the Lake Guardians, they began to writhe and shake. Energy suddenly shot into them, a sudden contrast to their earlier drained state, and their expression twisted into one of pure aggression. Finally, their body began to melt and alter, forcing it into the body of a houndoom.

    Maurice did not stick around to watch this forced transformation. It was impolite to flee from legendaries in the middle of a conversation, but that idea was long gone now. He knew the moment that the ditto began shaking that they would be turned against him, and he knew better than to try throwing himself into a battle such as this.

    Taking his head start, he pushed himself back into the forest from which he had come from, sprinting as fast at he could in between the trees. Behind him, he heard the strained howl of a houndoom, and then footsteps behind him. Alarm set in even more; there were no houndooms here, so how could Ditto have pulled off such a transformation? Dittos transformed into visible pokemon, or, if their memory was good enough, a pokemon they had seen recently. There were no houndooms anywhere near this forest. Such a transformation should have been impossible.

    Then, it clicked how this had worked. With Uxie’s powers of knowledge, they could give Ditto the memories to transform into any pokemon. Azelf brought up their determination, and Mesprit had twisted their emotions to be more inclined to anger. They were using the ditto as a tool to battle where they could not.

    Knowing this now, Maurice only pushed himself further. He had beaten Raikou in a test of speed, after all, he knew that if he handled this correctly, he could lose his pursuers in the forest. It was thick enough that he could confuse them between the trees.

    Unfortunately, he didn’t get the chance to push forth any of his blooming ideas, as the ditto now transformed into a houndoom made a well-timed leap just as Maurice’s balance teetered; a flaw of his species’ lurching movements, while it could be used to confuse foes, it could also trip them up. As the larger pokemon’s paws pushed him to the forest floor, Maurice managed to twist himself to land on his back, so he faced his foe, whose paws pushed down on his chest now instead of his back.

    What met his eyes was what should have been a houndoom, but was not complete. The creature’s body appeared to melt back into the pink goop of a ditto in many places. There was some missing from their cheeks, showing off the sharp teeth that had not been missed in the transformation. Holes showed up in other parts of the body, continuing to drip back into the slime of its original form. The bone-like ridges on its back that were meant to shield a houndoom and show up as an intimidation tactic instead jutted into its own body or outwards at awkward angles.

    Seeing this weakness after getting over his initial horror at the sight, Maurice made use of his hind legs and kicked up onto the pokemon’s belly to try pushing them off of him. There was no success to this attempt, however, as one foot hit solid body which did not budge despite his force, and the other foot sank into the warm, amorphous feeling of a ditto, sinking in like slime or some thick mud. He tore his foot back out right away, mind racing for other options.

    His foe wasn’t about to wait for that though, and instead opened their mouth with a roar, diving their head down to take a bite out of Maurice’s throat. He acted before this could happen, and intercepted the attack with his right arm. The teeth easily sank through his arm, prompting him to take in a sharp inhale of breath from the pain. Blood began pouring out from the wound, some dripping into the pink slime of the ditto, but most just staining the ground below and his own fur.

    The attack didn’t end there, however, as what was meant to be a houndoom began gurgling at the back of their throat, heat beginning to fill the air. Flames shot out of their maw, licking over Maurice’s arm and instantly burning it. The only thing that stopped the fire from burning the rest of him being his arm taking the full power of the hit and blocking the rest of it from him.

    He couldn’t stop the scream from ripping out from himself, the pain far too intense to just deal with through a sharp breath of air like before. Charred fur and muscle filled the air, mixing with the blood from before. Pain whirled through Maurice’s head, far too much to keep himself from thinking about it. White dots began flickering in at the edges of his vision, and tears sprung to the edges of his eyes. He was beginning to find it hard to breath between everything else, his head feeling muddled and dizzy. All he could really think aside from escape was to be thankful that this wasn’t a real houndoom, else he could risk feeling this burn for life.

    Through all that though, fear stabbed through his being. He couldn’t die here. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. He didn’t want to die; not like this, not now.

    Shakily, he managed to move his left hand towards his bag. There weren’t many items left after all his travels since the last storage statue, but he hoped there would be something to help him now. It was hard to concentrate on what he was feeling with his left hand, as the pain in the right one continued to burn. After what felt like ages, his stubby fingers brushed across one of his seeds. The shell of the object felt almost wrinkly, and there was a line across the center, like a closed eye. A blinker seed!

    Digging a claw through the coating of the seed, Maurice pulled his hand back out of the bag and smashed the item into his attacker’s face. The seed instantly took effect, sealing their eyes shut. Ditto cried out at this, and as they opened their mouth, Maurice was able to pull his arm free. As they stepped back as well, he was able to kick his way out from under the creature and scurry away.

    He didn’t turn back to watch if they would recover or not, but they could still hear their yell of agony at their temporary blindness. The noise was a torn sound in between the howl of a houndoom and the squeak of a ditto. There were no sounds of any further pursuit, and he did not know if that was because they had given up or chosen to let him go, but he no longer cared.

    As Maurice ran again, he lay his right arm lay limply at his side. There was no longer any pain in that arm; in fact, he couldn’t feel his upper arm at all. His hand and lower arm still hurt though, and knowing that that meant he could at least feel them, meaning they weren’t damaged as badly, he was thankful. When he got the chance, he knew he should apply some oran berries and rawst berries onto it, but for now he had to get away.

    He had to get away from the Lake Guardians and their ditto.

    He had to get away from the danger.

    He had to get away from them.

    He had to get away.

    He had to get away.

    He had to-

First [ARC 1]: In which the human is transformed First [ARC 2]: In which a present is prepared Next: In which a warning is received Previous: In which the dusknoir is taken around town

[sizifov]

THE SPIRIT WORLD + PSYCHOPOMPS

Roughly seven-billion humans and four-trillion Pokemon exist on Earth. Like humans, Pokemon are constantly dying and reproducing. So where the hell do they all go upon death!? And what are psychopomps? Well, here’s an answer for all of you!         -- image credit (x)

    Several afterlife places exists in one massive plane of existence that is constantly expanding like the universe itself, making it infinite as more and more souls begin to reside there. This domain is called “the spirit world”, and it is split into various different realms. There are many theories, myths, and beliefs on all of these realms, but we won’t go into that now.

  Each world is connected through the Pokemon world in a way. In realms where spirits reside, the spirits are to go through the astral plane in order to reach these worlds. Some people and Pokemon can astral project (rarely is it done deliberately by humans, forever), which means they can project their souls and travel there while said soul is still connected to the body. They can always do so without getting lost, because the soul is attached to the body through a cord, and as it will remain that way until the body stops functioning completely.

The problem is that spirits often get lost and have no idea where to go. Whether young or old, Pokemon and human, sometimes they’re stuck wandering Earth. This where psychopomps like Dusknoirs and Ira herself come in; older psychopomps guide human souls through the astral plane and into one of the realms (sometimes known as the Underworld) where humans are judged for their sins. A deity known under different names (most common names include Pluto and Hades) rules over the underworld. The legendary Yveltal is said to be an agent of Hades, destroying the souls of those who threatened the safety of the psychopomps and occasionally assisting them with particularly violent souls.

    Younger psychopomps like Ira usually guide the souls of Pokemon instead. Unlike humans, Pokemon souls usually aren’t judged, for most Pokemon are believed to be pure creatures who’s sins are committed out of fear and ignorance, instead of true malice. Exceptions are very few. A psychopomp is not to judge the soul they are guiding; their job is to guide those souls and only guide them. Whatever reservations they had for the soul they’re guiding, they are to guide that soul to their destination and nothing else. Only the judges chooses the eventual fate of the soul. 

     Psychopomps are immortal and cannot physically die; the only thing that can destroy a soul is Yveltal. They can, however, be injured (through any sort of trauma or injuries that would physically harm ghosts) or split into fragments. Obviously, they can still exist while fragmented, but the psychopomp will feel immense pain as if physically hurt, lose it’s ability to change it’s appearance, and will be unable to do their jobs in general. This can also happen to any soul, whether they’re still connected to the body or not. This is why they have associates to protect them if the worst is to come; if something in the physical plane is a major threat to them, they can summon Yveltal to defend themselves.

  Usually, only psychopomps can traverse between the spirit world and the Pokemon world on a regular basis. Psychopomps are relatively human in nature, and because their wisdom is only gained the longer they exist, younger psychopomps tend to wander the Earth for reasons that don’t pertain to their job. Sometimes, they can get in all sorts of mischief, but it’s never done out of malice lest they lose their role and are trapped in a realm where they suffer.

   Keep in mind not all psychopomps are humanoid! A psychopomp can take form of any organism, whether human or Pokemon. Even non-ghost types Pokemon can be psychopomps; spirits of Pokemon can also guide their kin or trainers to the afterlife. Pokemon commonly portrayed as psychopomps in folklore include various ghost types, Espeon, Umbreon, Zoroark, and Litwick who were under the ownership of a now-deceased trainer. They may come in groups or work alone.

[gregnas-the-grouch]

What eats at your soul

No more waiting. The giant raised herself from the ground, albeit with shaky legs as she struggled to stand up. Yemir would be damned if some stupid sickness would keep her from looking for Eudai. It had been nearly a month now since Yemir last saw the small Mismagius near the cabin. While it wasn’t uncommon for Eudai to disappear for weeks on end with little to no communication of his status. This felt sudden, abrupt. Besides, Eudai would always notify the brutish Gallade ahead of time whether he’d remain on extended stay of leave due to company work. There had also been the unexpected mail from the OPP, giving a notice due to unexpected absence on Eudai’s part. A statement which only sent chills through Yemir’s spine.

The ghostly titan didn’t care whether or not she’d violate Eudai’s quarantine procedures, Yemir had to know of Eudai’s whereabouts, one way or another. Wrapping the large blanket that had been her constant companion for the last few weeks, Yemir opened the door with some hesitance, only to feel the frigid blast of old man Winter sap what little warmth she had left. Letting out a low growl, Yemir trudged through the frozen landscape of White Forest, determination plastered on her pallid face as the harsh gales of a blizzard whipped and howled around her.

Taking a few steps through the frigid snow, Yemir faltered as she coughed harshly into her hand. Only to stare at the dark ichor coating the palm with disgust as she wiped it away on a nearby tree. Yemir’s strength was running on reserves, she knew this, even as she struggled to take every step while the cold sapped what little she held close to herself. But that didn’t matter, none of it did. If she were to die, right here, right now. Due to the meddling of some gluttonous Giratina. Then she’d rather it be on her feet than slowly rotting away in a bed. And yet, the more Yemir moved, the more off balance she felt, as if the ground had been shifting under her. The trees contorted into mocking faces, laughing in a cacophony of twisted cruelty as they jabbed at Yemir, pulling and prodding the giant at every turn as they sowed confusion and despair into the giant’s heart.

“Where do you think you’re going?” “Lost like a hapless Mareep.”

“Think you can get away?”

“You’ll end up just like your sister!”

“Eudai will die. His death will be on your hands!”

Such haunting words only fueled Yemir’s anger, her delirium reaching its utmost peak as the very air around her swirled with such rancidness. Even as she gripped her face with one hand, claws digging into her pale skin, Yemir’s eyes widened with insanity as it gnawed away at every sense she had. It took all her willpower just to keep it together. And yet, despite the hallucinations she was experiencing, Yemir was not alone. On top of one of the branches watched an all too familiar face. Whisper, in her decaying glory, eyed Yemir stumble through the woods with a malicious grin and a twinkle in her eyes. “My my, seems like Fenris is having his fun with Yemir.” The ghoul chuckled to herself, amused at the situation. What did Gregnas see in Yemir that Whisper and Eudai did not? It was hard to say, but Whisper had no time to reminisce about times long forgotten. Every fiber of Whisper’s cancerous being called out to punish Yemir. To torment her. How easy it would be. Yet, that is not the purpose of her little visit. Letting out an irritated sigh, Whisper followed her younger sister. Uncertain as to why she had even been considering this little plan in the first place. Either way, it would be quite the spectacle, of that, the Dusknoir had been certain about.