#high stakes pokeblogging

[liminal-station]

@that-one-poison-trainer

TIME TO KILL GOD!! WHERE IS HE?! COWARD HE IS

You realize you’re only here because I let you in, right?

I hope you had fun playing the heroes in your little faerie-tale.

Now, it is time for you to face reality. MY reality.

Prince, annihilate them.

[jaimemes]

[The following post is stuck at the top of your dash. No matter how many times you refresh the site, it always seems to be stuck there.]

[Your Rotomblr page seems to have cracked like glass…]

[aspens-dragons]

Off Screen Post

heat abnormal - Part Three (Final Part)

Content Warning(s): Post-apocalyptic themes/imagery, possession/mind control, parasitism, non-lethal injury.

//If the the Pokemon Sun and Moon main story makes you uncomfortable, it is recommended that you do not read this post.

The Beast runs. How long has it been running? Who knows; maybe five minutes, or ten, or maybe it’s been hours. It doesn’t particularly care; it is a Beast. An amalgamation, a manmade horror easily comprehended; It is a jacked fucking attempt at making God, having horribly failed in the process. It is nothing more than a consequence, just like how the battlefield that surrounds it is nothing more than a consequence.

04 stares into the sky; the dark, gelled mass that holds the boy is massive. He looks so small compared to it; compared to both of them. He floats, limp in it’s hold, scowling down at the chaos. 04 can vaguely feel the heat of electricity crackling in the distance behind, a flash of purple is the venom of a lethal Poison Jab. Maybe it should stop, maybe it should focus less on avoiding the attacks and maybe even help their recipients, but it doesn’t, because up in the sky is it’s goal and it’s purpose. Up in the sky is the very creature it was born to kill and the boy it has tasked itself with protecting.

As it runs, the mask cuts into 04’s neck; it hurts. It can’t remember the last time it felt air on it’s face. It would all be easier without it, but there’s no way for it’s chains to crack, so it howls instead as it races towards it’s trainer.

---

Aspen stares down at the battlefield, at the people and Pokemon and the orange flash of what he feels must be called the Blade. Something courses through his veins, something that pricks in his mind as something Wrong, as Something dangerous and noxious, but the Something is too blissful, too numb for him to particularly care. All these different battles seem so meaningless, so… small to him, but he doesn’t know where the thought comes from.

I’m so tired.

I might as well…

He wants to close his eyes, to relax, to let the bittersweet taste in on his tongue and the pleasant paralysis take hold of him forever. His vision blurs, and his eyes grow all the more dead until an unholy screech of a howl cuts into his hearing. It’s so loud, it’s louder than Miguel was, and it’s absolutely ear-grating. His eyes snap open, his exhaustion forgotten as he lets out a pained, strangled scream at the sound, excruciating and familiar in a way he can’t name.

NO-

NO-

The bliss, the paralysis, the numbness that brough him such relief is ripped from him as he screams again, the sound of that sacreligious cacophony of pure desperation reaching his ears and making him feel as though they are bleeding.

His eyes focus and they feel wet. His face feels wet.

What is this? Where am I? What’s going-

Everything is fine. I am fine.

That ever familiar pinch in his neck suddenly comes back, and everything goes dark.

---

04’s howl and Aspen’s scream both echo throughout the ruined city, and suddenly all eyes are up towards the sky and every gaze focuses on the gelatinous monster holding him in it’s grasp.

There he is; there is the boy they came in searching for, kicking and screaming, in what can only be the worst pain he’s experienced in his life.

His eyes are filled with tears.

Aspen’s eyes are filled with tears.

He is alive until he isn’t; as quickly as life returned to him, it leaves, and he goes fully limp.

The Beast, the [DATA EXPUNGED] makes a quiet sound and only runs faster, despite the surging pain every step brings. There he is, there is it’s trainer, so close yet so far. It runs and runs and it keeps running; that’s all it can do, that’s all it’s ever known, yet as it runs, not away from the boy but towards him, it can’t help but grow more and more aware of the sound of something cracking in it’s ear and the near blinding light that emanates from it’s chest.

Memories race through the beast’s mind, as though being sorted into files, into a new system; memories of joy and laughter, of pain and accidents, of quiet, winced affection and gentle, calloused hands.

As the light grows brighter and the cracking grows louder, 04 can think of nothing but it’s trainer and-

For just a moment, everything goes dark.

It can hear Aspen’s voice.

What do you say, bud?

The setting comes back as quickly as it left; everything is the same. The sun is still that wretched scarlet, the sounds of every battle in the ruin forming a horrid, terrifying symphony of desperation, the smell of chalky ash and bone and faint blood seeping into it’s nose and the overbearing, overwhelming suffocating heat continues to bare down on it’s talons and body and face–

It feels the air on it’s face. Everything is clearer, it’s senses are sharper, it no longer hurts and suddenly, 04 understands what the cracking noise and light was.

Leaving the remnants of the mask behind, 04 sprints with a newfound vigor; energy seeps into it’s bones as it locks onto it’s target.

Information about the dark, gelatinous mass that’s kept it’s trainer trapped in this hell comes to it naturally, memories of fights in never partook in playing in it’s mind like there’s no tomorrow, because there isn’t a tomorrow if it can’t get him back.

The Silvally runs, and it runs, and it runs, and it runs, and without an ounce of hesitation, it leaps into the air, eyes trained, not on the Infection, but on Aspen.

Talons and fangs and a crest rip through gelatin, the attack unleashed with every ounce of strength in it’s body; it near-tackles the Infection to the ground, ripping it away from it’s trainer; as they hit the ground, it resists the urge to continue to tear at the monster that took Aspen, but turns back to see him falling to the ground, all alone.

He looks so small; he seems to float in mid-air for just a moment, and for that moment, haloed by the sun, Aspen looks nearly divine.

04 runs towards him again, reaching him just in time to catch the boy, unconscious and limp on it’s back.

It wastes no time, sprinting through the wreckage, straight towards the Ultra Wormhole–straight towards home. 

"Aw shit,” says Miguel, watching it all. Below them Celcity shifts uncomfortably.

"Everyone, we gotta get outta here now,” they look around at the rest of them.

Esper stands stock still, her head swiveling around as she speaks in a panicked tone, "What? Why? What's happening? I can't see anything out of my range. what's happening??"

"Aspen's fuckass thing is running back to the portal," Maple says, pulling herself over a ledge.

She lets out a sharp whistle, and Dash wastes no time trotting over to his rider. As he moves past Maple, she grabs a hold of him and pulls herself up onto him, the Cyclizar not slowing to a stop until they've both made it back to everyone else.

Jaime does a quick glance at everyone in the group to ensure that they’re all present and accounted for. Returning his Indeedee and his Croagunk to their Pokeballs, he says, “I think it’s time we did the same.” 

He doesn’t want to spend another minute in this hell, not with the sounds of Ultra Beast cries beginning to surround the city.

The boy whistles for Momoto and Estrella to come to his side. The Cyclizar and the Espathra are both quite bruised and battered from their respective fights, but they trot to his side with newfound vigor and determination. They’re getting out of here alive.

“Momoto,” Jaime turns to his Cyclizar, “Help Esper and Victoria onto your saddle,” he moves to mount his Espathra, “I’ll take Estrella.”

Momoto nods and leaps to the girls’ side, and Victoria grabs Esper’s wrist to help lead her to Momoto, “Let’s go.”

Miguel looks around, trotting over to Maple and Dash while the others get situated, "Hey, Maple, what do you say to some good ol' distraction tactics? Keep the Beasts busy while everyone makes a break for it?"

Maple looks at everyone then back to Miguel with a smile, "I'm up for the world's first Cyclizar race to involve Ultra Beasts if you're up for it."

Miguel reaches down into their saddle bag and winces for a moment. Damn wound. Gonna have to get that one patched up. They pull out two rods, and throw one to Maple. 

"Here, catch," They extend out their own with a smirk, electricity crackling off the end, "Extendable cattle prods."

Jaime glances back at Maple and Miguel, hesitation etched onto his face. “Right… well, if you two are doing that, then I’ll be taking the girls back to safety.”

He adjusted the hat on his head and said to them, “Don’t fall too far behind.”

And with that, Estrella and Momoto dashed off to the distance, taking Jaime, Esper, and Victoria with them.

Maple watches the others leave, taking a few test swings of the cattle prod. She'd ask where Miguel got this, but she's pretty sure she doesn't want to know.

"Well, wouldn't want to keep them waiting, would we?" She asks Miguel, a smirk forming on her face. Maple doesn't give Miguel a chance to respond before she sends Dash running in the opposite direction from the portal, loudly hollering to get any remaining Ultra Beasts attention.

Joy lights up in Miguel's chest even despite the shit situation, thinking to themselves, Oh, we are so fucking back.

Sprinting across the battlefield, 04 finds the weight of Aspen across its back to be almost comforting.

It can hear Jaime, Victoria, and Esper following behind them on the Espathra and the other Cyclizar. It trusts that Maple and Miguel will follow behind them.

As the Beast Type: Null Type: Full Silvally reaches the Wormhole, it can feel white hot warmth pulsing from it.

This is it.

It looks back, gazing at the five of them, who’d come into the Ruin to get Aspen. It glances at the boy on its back, just to make sure he’s still there. He looks better; his skin’s already gained some warmth to it. That’s good, isn’t it?

…

04 steps into the Wormhole.

It’s time to go home.

[cooper-magnolia]

Hello.. this is Alvin. I’m one of Cooper’s Rotoms. I only just got the phone working, not sure if this will even post.

Last night, a building collapsed unexpectedly while Cooper and some others were inside. We’re all still stuck in the rubble, and I can’t see the others, but my trainer is

well

It feels strange to be making a tumblr post about this but I feel it’s something you need to know.

My trainer is dead. We are sure, we checked for breathing and pulse. And I don’t think anyone can lose that much blood and live.

I’m not sure what’s going to happen next, we’re still buried. I just felt you all should kn[CONNECTION LOST!]

[bugged-skulls]

{ everything’s going dark .

everything hurts , and even through the overhanging sun in the cloudless sky and the ever-flowing sand , everything feels like it’s growing cold .

eyelids feeling heavier with each passing hour , time feeling like it’s going slower each time - how long has he even been here at this point ? has anyone even questioned where he is , why he’s been out for so long ? and if they have , are they even trying to look for him ?

….. of course they aren’t . they think you’re capable of being able to do shit on your own because you’re the boss . that’s just how they’ve come to think of you after all the years you’ve had them .

and then you end up in shit like this . good going , guzma .

…. this seems like it may just be the end . what a shitty way to go . }

[a-lost-archivist]

I… feel this is important to share.

——

It’s an audio File. Would you like to listen to it?

//tw: mentions of blood

//originally written by the mod of @prof-snakewood

——

The tape recorder whirred in the background, though there was no click to indicate the actual start of the tape.

“You seem to think I’m in some sort of danger”. A voice. Snakewood’s voice. “Or even, if I may be so bold, that I have some sort of humanity left inside of this worthless vessel.”

Something else in the background whirred. Snakewood groaned in pain.

“It—…Arughhh…”

Snakewood paused for a moment.

“Not that it’s any of your concern, but this is all my blood.” He informed. “Since I found out about ‘The Taskforce,’ the extent of which the multiverse can reach, I have been in contact with several of my alternate selves.”

He abruptly paused again, before continuing.

“Jeeves, I don’t have time for these two. They’re interrupting my supply chain.” Snakewood snarled. “I can’t handle you two in person until I trick this universe into thinking I’m Chosen. But when I do, I will personally show you the vision that Gonzap and I have for a more perfect world.”

The file cut off abruptly, once again without a click.

——

This.. was recorded last night. Myself and a colleague were sent to investigate a dimensional disturbance in the ruins of team Flare’s base. When we arrived, we were met with several of Snakewood’s Pokémon taking blood samples from other Dimensions. Snakewood himself was.. not physically there, opting to speak with us remotely.

Do not trust anything stated regarding this matter on his or Nictoria’s blogs. I know for a fact that if presented with this evidence he’ll find every possible reason to dispute it. I know what happened. I know what I saw.

[lumenflowered]

🕵‍♂️➡️🏔

😨➡️👩

���👌

🔴➡️😨

🆘️ ❗️❗️❗️

[chaos-cousins]

I. I don't know if I can push on any further today

I feel like I'm about to collapse

When did I get so damn tired so fast

YOU FOUGHT TWO LEGENDARIES AND HAVE BEEN RUNNING AROUND AND FISTFIGHTING PEOPLE FOR LIKE THE PAST 8 HOURS YOU DORK OF COURSE YOURE TIRED

I need to figure out what to do though

[taskforcedistortion]

Taskforce Announcement

UH

WARNING FOR THOSE IN @house-of-villiany'S UNIVERSE

IT IS REALLY UNSTABLE!

GET OUT IF YOU CAN! WE'RE TRYING TO FIX IT BUT ITS-

HHHH!!

THIS HAS BEEN A TASKFORCE ANNOUNCEMENT-

-C [Purple C for Cassiopeia]

[eartheats]

//ooc post but god. for my own sake, i'm organizing and trying to set some hard dates for some events. i'm also looking for some volunteers, specifically BBA adjacent for one of them and just in general for the second! i need to stop keeping plots in my head.

no cws up until the third bullet point, where there is talk of kidnapping (successful attempts on adults, failed attempt on a teen), violence (to adults and to a teen), murder (of an adult and only an adult), mind control, and other evil team shit on the horizon. be forewarned! the final bullet point will be in very high stakes territory, given that noriko fully intends to try and end the world, but feel free to ignore if that isn't your jam. live your lives besties <3

(mid-may ETA): Bouton evolution arc. I need to find someone or multiple someones to bother with a very nosy Roselia who is trying to find a shiny stone, and may potentially steal something sparkly thinking that it's what it needs. If anyone wants to volunteer for this lmk, but I can just as easily borrow Carmine for this if nothing else! (CLAIMED)

(may!): Ren goes back to Zapapico! Temporarily. Jacques is going to get his grand festival trophy from Sinnoh and quietly retire. Ren's going to be in Zapapico and getting used to life back home for a lil while.

(early june through august): I wanna work in the Iron Crown sighting/healing arc I have in the works, because while Ren's not going to CATCH the paradox, it's going to be something that works alongside any volunteers for taking care of Noriko's evil team resurgence. Mostly as extra assurance for them to lose! Tatiana reconciliation Arc will probably take place around here too. basically, if anyone wants involvement with zapapico/ren just in a general context, feel free!

(start of september) Ren goes back to Blueberry! Madison and Jacques will be posting some of notes they find from Noriko, which will have some involvement IC if desired since I'll be using Caesar Ciphers to scramble shit up if anyone wants to play detective. :3c They'll also briefly be around to post on Ren's blog/answer questions!

(mid september) The final batch of notes is found and translated, and the opening to Noriko's secret base of operations is opened! But Madison/Jacques are going to end up kidnapped here by Iori, an admin in Noriko's Neo Flare stuff and actually a faller from Hisui! She'll be available to interact with for at least a day. <3 Design coming soon, I need to figure out her nonsense.

(also mid september) yeah so ren is. escaping the academy, even if it tries to keep them constrained. they are going to be meeting their mom on the remains of cinnabar island, where one confrontation may take place. please keep in mind if you try to do a ren rescue party, it is going to fail. (very specifically for ren) it has to fail for the next leg of the plot, but i AM potentially considering getting carmine in on this mess and getting her injured in the process, and while there, noriko is definitely going to think about taking her too so that her kid has a friend. which. yeahno. this one is influenceable, but is MUCH more likely to fail, so if anyone wants to big damn heroes carmine you have my full permission 👍👍👍 save that girl! (CARMINE SAVING IS HANDLED BY THE GIRLFRIEND BLESS)

as a small aside: would anyone like to get ren's very stressed out team to take care of for a bit? noriko's a lot of things but she's not a monster, if anyone wants to take care of the team for a bit/potentially use them against lotus :3c it may be. interesting! (CLAIMED for now)

(october-november? maybe) noriko's neo team flare shit (name pending) will emerge proper and try to be as evil teammy as possible! ren is going to be a mind controlled admin named lotus and have none of their actual pokemon! shit's going to be bad, but! while it might take a bit to organize some losses for them and i may mostly leave that to anyone who wants to fix this mess (we can either handwave or actually play them out, preference to whoever volunteers), but there's gonna be one event specific for camille, one for iori, one for lotus (which can influence how the big admin battle goes), and then what i'm hoping to be a siege on the base. this one i have ways to bullshit a win (for the good guys!!) for, but i wanna see what people come up with, too!

and by the new year, everyone should be recovering, and that'll be the end of team neo flare at least! the rest of the event will decide everyone else but ren's fate. they will end up coming back fine from this, but it's gonna be rough :')

so yeah. basic rubric and very changeable (i gotta ask some players some stuff and things), my only real rule is no instant wins/legendary spam/godmodding really? i want this to be fun but i want it to feel like an actual uphill battle a bit, and i'm still trying to build toward that. this could even be pushed out into 2025, depending, but! yeah!!!

idk if anyone has questions feel free to leave 'em on this post and i will try to get to them when my brain isn't a mess because of retail or other stuff 👍

volunteers (for my ref)

@/suddenlyauntiemaya (bouton evolution arc!!! pushing this one back for this :3b)

@/little-guys-pokemon-central

@/elite-amarys (CARMINE'S SAVIOR!!!)

@/goindownswingin

@/professor-amaryllis (ren rescue party!)

@/electricalflre

@/bee-bee-kyuu (ren rescue party!)

temporary team-ups/team holding:

lulu the orthworm: going to @/professor-amaryllis!

bouton the roserade: @/professor-amaryllis! teaming up to bring lotus back to their senses/back to being ren :3c

coriander the ferrothorn: available! she is not a battling pokemon and is. going to be about as stressed and anxious as lulu, as a warning.

soba the furret: @/bee-bee-kyuu! will be very determined and ready for a fight.

harusame the huntail: available! will also be very determined though a lot more emotional.

any pokemon who is not taken will likely be taken in by amy, and lulu is going to be going to amy instead by default for planning purposes~

[yharnamcrow]

[An audio file. The sound of a door being thrown open loudly.

"CAINHURST!" Eileen's voice is barely held in anger. There is a clattering sound, before a quiet answer follows, too quiet to be picked up by the mic. "Your mess comes to haunt me and mine again. I am displeased. Not just with you. Oh no. I have a grudge against a certain Kantonian. Consider this to be your chance to redeem yourself in my eyes." The sound of someone being pulled closer by fabric. "Destroy the remnants of that technology. Or I will rip your spine out and strangle you with it. Right before using it to gouge out Giovanni's intestines."

"I will." The voice is low. Rough. Yet recognizable.

"You better. Once Maria is done with him, there better be no chance of this reappearing. If it ever does..." The audio cuts.]

[liminal-station]

ya know- might be a good time to wake up and skedaddle Ingo and Emmet!

Surgeon: I should have dissected you DECADES ago!

Ingo: …

Emmet: …I see it.

Ingo: Okay, on three…

[jaimemes]

okay. theyve arrived at aether. jaime and maple are setting up stuff as directed. victoria and esper and miguel are prepping. flynn is on standby. and HAL9000 is scared

fair warning, theres a chance we might fuck smth up on rotomblr. dw abt it <3

[aspens-dragons]

Off Screen Post

heat abnormal - Part One

Content Warning(s): Post-apocalyptic themes/imagery

The cacophony of voices and songs that make up the wormhole die down as the group steps from its gaping mouth. Boots upon cracked earth.

A blistering, sweltering, weighted heat falls upon the group like a terrible blanket. The reality of the situation shoves its way down the throats of those too young for this place, climbing inside hanging jaws, labored breaths, and riding down thick swallows of saliva into the pits of their stomachs. In an instant they all become Atlas, a titan doomed to shoulder the world.

A domed sky of smog that dares to call itself clouds gives the feeling of a cage, enclosing them in this wretched place. All the more unsettling is the glimpses of the dead sun that peaks through every so often. It's rotten, burnt out body feeling more like an eye watching them all than the long gone corpse of a star. Nothing about this place feels right, and all it inspires is dread.

Never had sunlight seemed so dark, Jaime thinks.

He’s the first to emerge from the shattered crack of reality. He lowers his hand from his face and cranes his head to the desolate sky above as an ashy taste settles on his tongue. The juxtaposition of the roaring wormhole to the eerie stillness of the world behind it leaves him with a feeling of deep unease. Back home, even in an expansive desert, there are shifting sands and rolling hills. Back home, the winds whisper and the night sings. Back home, even if the world feels still, the world feels alive.

But here, there is this sense of... Nothingness. Nothing moves. Nothing grows. Nothing lives.

He'd read about the depiction of Hell from several different cultures; how it was a place of fire and brimstone and the screams of the damned.

Jaime realizes they were wrong.

Miguel steps through next, and immediately feels nauseated. The air feels thick, and the false light makes them feel disoriented at best. Every instinct in their body screams that they’ve made a mistake being here.

How did those signs go? This is not a place of honor, what is here was dangerous and repulsive to us. Feels... fitting.

Then Maple makes it through the wormhole, and the dread of where they are and what they're doing hits her like a truck.

Aspen had seen this too, she realizes, guilt settling in her stomach, but he had been all alone.

Victoria is the next one to emerge from the Ultra Wormhole. With narrowed eyes, she gives a sweeping glance over the horizon until her eyes land upon her friend at her side.

Hm. Perhaps blindfolding Esper was the right decision after all.

It’s then that Dash files out of the portal, and a blindfolded Esper rides atop him. Her signature long hair has been cut; twin braids fall down to just below her chest. The girl grips the reins within her hands as she feels the heat bare down onto her. Her father's leather jacket feels so much heavier than before.

She can’t even see what the others are seeing, not in the same way at least; colorful dots cover every surface within a certain radius as her psionics pulse around her.

All she can "see" in this hellscape are her friends. Nothing more. Nothing less. 

Swallowing back the dryness in his throat, Jaime reaches for two of the Pokeballs at his belt and releases the beasts inside.

The first to appear is Momoto, already harnessed and loaded with supplies for the trip. She eyes her surroundings wearily, and stalks closer to Jaime's side with a nervous huff.

And right beside her, a second beast appears, an amalgam of mismatched parts that no god would take part in creating. The product of man's hubris, built in the image of Arc itself yet devoid of Arc's own hand in its very existence.

A beloved creature. The fourth of its kind. The Type: FNull. 04.

Having left Ferravis behind with Flynn, Miguel only has 5 balls on them. They take Celcity's ball and expand it before throwing it out in front of them.

Celcity forms in front of them, already saddled up, before they also let out Nyoom, who promptly perches on their shoulder. 

Miguel breaks the silence.

"Man... Is it just me or is this place more nuclear fallout than city?"

"This is supposed to be a city?" Maple asks, "I don't think hole radiation is the thing we should be worried about, I am going to be real with you all."

Esper tilts her head, the ends of her blindfold falling to the side, "What do you mean?"

"It's like how Unovan movies portray Poke-Mexico,” Miguel looks over their shoulder back at Esper, “That kinda orange everywhere. And there's a ruined city in the distance.”

“Oh.”

For a moment, Jaime glances at everyone. The once deafening roar of Ultra Space is nothing more than a quiet hum behind them. 

They’re really doing this.

With a deep breath, he whistles for Momoto to come closer and mounts her. He gives 04 a nod before throwing another glance at the rest of the group.

“Ready?”

Mounting their own Cyclizar, Miguel looks at Jaime. "Yeah." 

Inside their chest the dread pools like a sick ink... But they ignore it.

Victoria flexes her knuckles and draws in a deep breath. "Ready."

Jaime nods. "Let's go."

And with that, they go forward, into the barren unknown.

[pinkhairandpokemon]

[ Congratulations! Your Zorua has evolved into Zoroark! ]

———

N hadn’t really been processing what had happened. One moment, he was running away from the group he had begun to consider family over the span of the last few months.

Team Courage. I thought I belonged with them.

The next, he stopped for just a brief second, only to turn around and see that Eevee- no, that wretched human- catching up with him, desperately shouting his name.

Blake. Why won’t they just leave me alone?

He tried to retreat again. They were persistent and kept chasing. He got sick of it.

A fight ensued.

“N, just stop and listen to me for a moment! Please!”

Both of them were already bruised and battered from the struggle against that ancient Galvantula before. Neither of them had much left in them.

Still, he fought back with everything he had.

Maybe it was a bit too much.

“N, please don’t do this,” they sobbed, trembling like their legs would give out at a moment’s notice. “I didn’t mean to lie to you. I’m sorry. Just- don’t go, please, we can talk all of this out!”

The sight of them in that state was almost enough to get through to him. It certainly made him hesitate.

A flood of memories came rushing into his mind. All the moments he shared with the Eevee up until now. The nights they spent just talking under the stars, away from the rest of the group. The day they welcomed him onto the team. The day they met.

The day his father found him. The day he fell.

They just looked like he did. Desperate for someone to listen. Desperate for someone to not raise their claws at him for being something he couldn’t control. Desperate for acceptance.

He shook his head. No. No. He couldn’t trust them. He couldn’t let his foolish affections cause him to lose anyone else.

It didn’t matter. He finally had the Dark Stone. Things were going to change. When all was said and done, everything would be right again.

He began to run again. They shouted his name.

“Wait!”

“Stop FOLLOWING ME!”

He jumped out of the way just as they were about to tackle into him. In a feat of maneuverability he didn’t know he had, he dashed behind them, and swung his claws.

They screamed.

N opened his eyes, blinking away these strange lights that had begun to dance in his eyes. He looked down, and saw them limp on the floor. Three slash marks across their back. Too large to be of his making.

Wait…

He looked down. His small paws had somehow morphed into larger ones, with sharp black claws protruding out from them.

His body felt… bigger. The tuft of fur on his head felt heavier, like a Pyroar’s mane. Had he…?

His eyes flicked to Blake again.

Oh gods. He had.

A raspy exhale escaped his mouth. Words failed to form. His eyes were locked onto them, desperately searching for any sigh of life. A breath. An ear twitch. Anything.

“No, no no no no,” he murmured frantically, his lanky limbs suddenly remembering how to move as he stumbled towards them.

He gingerly scooped them up, hand trembling like he was carrying something fragile. Oh gods, they were so small in his paw now.

What had he done?

He felt the faintest heartbeat beneath his claw. The relief it brought wasn’t enough to wash away the horror of his actions.

“No no no, please, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he croaked, holding them softly against the mane of fur around his neck while keeping one paw pressed to their back to try and stop the bleeding. “I didn’t know what I was doing- I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m-”

His repeating of apologies eventually turned into incoherent blubbering, as he curled himself around them to protect them from any further harm.

———

[battle-subway-ghost]

Unraveling.

// Please read the tags beforehand, <3

Paris leaned against the tree trunk, making a desperate attempt at catching his breath. He had been running for- He didn't know, probably hours? He checked the time with his phone, but it still read 3:27 A.M. Same as it had been for probably hours- He didn't know. he couldn't tell… He checked the battery icon at the top- it was nearly dead. The signal may have read "SOS," but he had already tried multiple times to call for help. Nothing.

He wasn't about to try again- Something about the definition of insanity… and instead he put his phone back into his pocket, properly shutting it off to try to conserve what little battery was left. Paris had the urge to sit down for a little while; the muscles on his legs burned, and he was completely exhausted from running for so long. Stupid choice- he knew it wasn't a good idea to run around in the fog like a headless Torchic while he was already lost, but every time he considered standing still and waiting for this stupid, stupid fog to fade, he thought back to…

That. He shuddered, trying to focus on anything else besides that voice- his own voice, feeling a familiar chill crawl up his spine as he started to grow tense again. He could just imagine approaching footsteps- those hollow eyes, the-

He felt something seeping onto his hand, and cried out in surprise as he immediately moved away from the tree, trying to shake off the…

Black ink. Leaking out from the tree like sap. Paris stared at his hand, feeling his head pound at the sight of the stuff… He did his best to wipe it off of his hand, though he didn't have much besides his own clothes to do so. Still- it was better than nothing, at this point.

…He wasted no time getting on the move again, wandering further into the fog, trying to listen closely for any odd noises or disturbances. He couldn't trust his eyes anymore, as the fog had grown so thick that he could barely see past the length of his arm. Paris tread carefully, avoiding tripping on any loose roots or branches on the forest floor. How big was this forest, anyways? Surely he would've found his way out by now.

Then again, this wasn't the same place he had entered however long ago now. He wasn't sure how, but he just knew. He just had to keep walking now, he wasn't even sure if this would get him out, but he couldn't stay still. Not right now.

Paris stopped in his tracks as he heard a twig snap to his left. He turned immediately, nearly giving himself whiplash with how quickly he moved. He instinctively backed away, already tensing up to run-

And there it was.

A Thievul. the Thievul. That damned thing, staring back at him with those hollow, white eyes.

At last.

Paris charged at him, pursuing him as he turned tail and fled. The Thievul was swift, but he was determined to catch him, maybe if he did, it'd put an end to this torment. He wove through the trees with a precision Paris couldn't quite match, as he seemed to blend in with the fog at times- like he was about to fade into it. Paris pressed on, despite the burning in his lungs and the stiffness in his legs.

He finally got close enough to where he could tackle that thing, grabbing him with his hands-

Only to grasp at nothing but air.

Paris hit the ground, falling face first into the dew-covered grass. It took him a moment to recoup and process what happened, as he scrambled to get up, looking around for the Thievul. He was nowhere to be found, as if he vanished into thin air. The fog was starting to clear up a bit, and from what Paris could tell, he had been lead to a clearing in the woods.

He was fuming. He had gone here for nothing! Nothing at all! Revenge- Or even just closure, simply gone! Like that! No fanfare- no anything.

He yanked at his hair, yelling out of pure rage. Rage at the thievul, at himself for allowing it to escape, frustration over this entire stupid situation and this stupid fog and this stupid forest and EVERYTHING-

He stopped after a few moments passed, and finally opening his eyes, watery from the threat of crying. He looked up, seeing- black… patches? He blinked a few times, trying to clear up the blurriness in his eyes. Surely-

No. His eyes weren't playing tricks on him. The fog had receeded at an unnaturally fast rate, but… There was darkness. the inky-black dark of the ink, starting to spread through tears in the scenery, almost. He could feel the panic building in his chest, attempting to run the other way, only to find that the ground underneath him was starting to fade into the same black ink that was beginning to surround him. Paris screamed, trying to pull himself out, only to find that every time he put his foot down he simply got dragged deeper into the inky abyss. He could feel the substance clinging to his skin, unnaturally warm, almost pulsating… like breathing-

Something painful tugged against him, finally prompting him to glance down. his arms- the muscles were starting to twitch and twist unnaturally, his skin shifting around to compensate for the changes underneath. It was agonizing, muscles beginning to stretch and tear, before attempting to mend themselves again.

He howled in agony, nearly collapsing into the ink entirely, barely able to steady himself. it burned. His right arm in particular was getting the worst of it, the sensation similar to what he imagined it'd feel like having your arm ripped off.

…And much to his horror, it was actually hanging loose when he checked. the skin peeled away like wet cardstock paper, revealing red thread coiling around the remnants of the arm, as well torn ligaments and muscles trying to keep everything together- to no avail. It broke apart entirely, and fell into the ink below, slowly sinking down. There was no blood, instead, frayed and torn red thread hung down from what was left.

Paris collapsed- finally, into the ink. It was a miracle he had even been able to stay standing for so long, given that it seemed like he could fall apart like bad paper mache at any second now. He sputtered and coughed as he accidentally breathed in the ink, trying to pull his head back up. He couldn't breathe- it clung to him like tar, pulling him down further- further into the abyss.

Everything was falling apart. the trees falling apart like flayed seams- unraveling before his eyes, leaving nothing behind besides the pitch black abyss.

His head finally sank underneath. The last thing he saw was the bright red string- cutting through the dark abyss as it drifted upwards.

He shut his eyes, and the searing pain melted away.

Silence, at last.