Killian
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Player Character
Posts: 95
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: Nicholas Tuason
OOC Username: Peony
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Post by Killian on May 30, 2023 23:34:53 GMT 9
Tip: One way to get free Pokemon is to go through Seta's Trial. ...
*Note: Not for the faint at heart.
> Enter the Everworld?
This was a game, Killian repeated in his mind like a mantra, this was just a game. But unfortunately for him, he was never one for horror-esque settings, and the fact that this was in a virtual reality only made everything more immersive and harder to escape from. He read up on this place, sure, and even if he wasn't done with the tutorial, it seemed like it was worth a look (players were saying that there was no cost nor battling that should occur here, so it seemed easy peasy! Supposedly. He may had glossed over the potential psychological damage part). It was a bit of a detour to get here from where he was originally, but because his timezone wasn't the common one for this server, there was no one around the shrine. It was a pretty sight, but also somewhat unnerving.
It reminded him of another game that dealt with hell - there was one segment that was chaotic and endless. They were both beautiful but haunting; he didn't want to overstay his welcome. The feelings were only amplified when he had to face the master of the domain; how was this a virtual reality??
❝You seek a phantom. A visage that wanders my endless halls...❞
He was made aware of this from the tips, though to hear it from the NPC somehow made it feel heavier. Pokemon here were treated much different compared to the original games, where one could clone and breed to their heart's content. He had his fair share of shiny hunting along with filled up boxes of the same species. Most were released, few were wonder traded to other folk that likely continued the chain.
The young man steeled himself as he waited for his turn to speak, ❝I am a new trainer, with only my beloved Turtwig to keep me company. I thought that I could extend my hand to one of these lost souls and bring them along with me. Let them experience another journey, perhaps, or a better one if they were not treated right.❞ he had been trembling in some of his words, but he tried his best to sound firm. Once again, he repeated in his mind: this was a game, this was a game. It was different, however, that he wasn't just choosing dialogue, but he had to say it from his own lips. ❝It does not matter to me which Pokemon you choose. Maybe I can even take one that has been here for some time, if they are restless and want another try. I'll, uhm, do my best to...❞ convince them? Persuade them? No, maybe...❝...accept me.❞
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C0D13
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Bug Maniac
Administrator
Posts: 1,826
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: C0D13
OOC Username: Ladybug
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Post by C0D13 on May 31, 2023 21:10:44 GMT 9
Seta regards you carefully. Neutrally. Nothing softens, nothing cracks. Ironically, the only thing to never change in the Everworld is the Gatekeeper— but of course, that rule holds true only for those who leave.
"It is kind of you to offer a hand to one lost within these walls."
The words are simple.
"To accept a spirit, Pokemon or human, is to forego understanding."
Seta moves down the hall beside Killian, leading him to a door-shaped hole in the wall. The door is flanked by states with golden masks. Seta looks to one, a Dewpider.
"It is to put aside the notion that we can ever fully read another soul, and understanding that there is much to be loved in and shared with something that can never be truly known."
You pass through the darkness. It's as brief as blinking, and you find yourself in a new world.
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Killian
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Player Character
Posts: 95
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Nicholas Tuason
OOC Username: Peony
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Post by Killian on Jun 1, 2023 19:53:59 GMT 9
Killian wondered how this NPC was programmed; how does it respond in such a manner that seemed almost god-like? It seemed that the answer was enough, thankfully, and he found himself able to move and follow Seta to a door that he didn't realize was there. Inside were brilliant masks, and the trainer soon recognized that they were the faces of various Pokemon...the souls that were lost here, he supposed. Many of them, curiously, were Magikarp? Their expressions seemed haunting molded in gold.
He was unable to follow the NPC's gaze, but the game nudged him along--he was to look for a Dewpider. A seemingly simple Pokemon; he trained one in the generation it came from, and it was a solid water type that heavy-lifted a number of succeeding battles, all the way to the end game. It seemed like a solid choice for a team, especially one as empty as his. But then not long after this brief recollection did darkness envelop his senses. It wasn't the same sensation as lights being turned off, but rather a darkness that moved and swallowed him. It was hard to describe. It would've made his knees give way if it weren't for the fact that he had been knocked out the moment after.
He came to in what felt like a few seconds later, but truthfully, he didn't know how much time had passed. Well, the clock in the UI said that it really had only been less than a minute. He squinted at it, distrustful. Also, it looked like he was in a desert. The thought would take a bit to settle before the full weight of it sunk in.
Killian lived in the tropics; he had never been to a desert before, nor did he ever think he wanted to visit one. The most sand he had ever seen was on a beach, and at least there was an accompanying sea and waves with that one. Here it was nothing but black sand as far as he could see. Thankfully, the developers were kind to the player, as the sky was not blinding nor hot. Instead, it was a beautiful soft blue; the color of 5AM, just before the sunrise. If he didn't feel like he was on a mission, he would've stayed and admired, but he knew that he was stuck here until he completed the trial, so the sightseeing would have to wait.
But wait, what was he doing in the desert? He checked the menu to find the tiny blurb that Seta never bothered to say. It was only then that he realized that the sand he stepped on wasn't even; rather, it was filled with prints. Pokemon footprints, according to the tooltip. All in different shapes and sizes and numbers, going in all sorts of different directions. If he truly tried to focus and pick one of the more recognizable ones out of the sea of dots, he could vaguely trace a path, seeing where it went, which was always somewhere off the horizon. On the other hand, he realized that maybe the developers were secretly sadists, or decided to create the worst matchup between trial and Pokemon.
❝Are you kidding me? How am I supposed to find a literal set of dots in a desert?!❞
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Killian
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Player Character
Posts: 95
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Nicholas Tuason
OOC Username: Peony
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Post by Killian on Jun 1, 2023 20:33:01 GMT 9
Killian liked puzzle games, but it didn't mean he was good at them. At least he made sure to clear his schedule before attempting this trial -- the tip online did mention that some trials could take quite a bit of real world time to figure out, with some people even needing to log out and log back in to continue. There was no going out of it unless one gave up, but giving up would just make you look bad in the eyes of the NPC, and if something went wrong in the future, you do not want death on their bad side.
So he needed to suck it up and figure out what to do next. Sitting down on the sand (which was pleasantly cool), he gingerly touched the recesses, wondering if they would lose their shape at the slightest external force. Even if there was no wind, the temperature was comfortable. Killian could only imagine what a nightmare this would be if there was wind blowing -- the trial wouldn't even be valid if all of the footprints would be just buried away in a blink of an eye.
The worst thing about this was that he didn't even know what this Dewpider went through. There were many ways a Pokemon could end up here, from getting their butts beaten in a battle to more unsavory methods, such as being 'sacrificed' (the trainer couldn't wrap around his head why that was a thing. What happened to releasing? Did trainers get something out of abandoning their Pokemon like a Neopet to the NeoPound?? He was pretty sure there was no benefit to that other than freeing up space...) It was very possible this Dewpider was unfortunately one of those Pokemon, and if Seta did pick one that had been here for a while, well...how long was a while? How long had they been waiting here, wondering what they did wrong?
He recalled what Seta mentioned about not needing to be able to understand everything to make a connection (or at least, that was how he understood the NPC. Again, Killian was not the sharpest tool in the shed, but it seemed serviceable enough). Maybe the answer was just to pick a path and follow and...hope for the best? The slightest touch did seem to make the surrounding sand crumble into itself, messing up the shape of what he could only guess to be a mammalian-looking Pokemon. The prints surrounded him; anywhere was as good a direction as any, but none of them had what looked like to be a Dewpider's footprint. And wait, weren't they really tiny and light? Would they even leave footprints in the sand? He was pretty sure crabs didn't...
❝Dewpider...are you even lonely? Do you want to go back? What were you doing before you were sent here?❞ he pushed himself back up so that he was standing. The sky had not changed at all. Forest was not with him. He was already starting to miss the Turtwig's company, or maybe he just really wanted someone else to talk to. ❝Did it hurt?❞ he immediately regretted asking that the moment it left his lips, but it was not like it was certain that he could be heard, or..? ❝Sorry, it probably did. I had hoped it didn't. Don't know if Pokemon have that setting for a reduced pain threshold though.❞
He paused, thinking. There was nothing else to do but walk. ❝I'll try to find you, okay? So if you can hear me, stop walking. I'll try to find you.❞ And so he took his first steps, crushing the footprints under his own. He began to walk.
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Killian
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Player Character
Posts: 95
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Nicholas Tuason
OOC Username: Peony
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Post by Killian on Jun 1, 2023 22:59:59 GMT 9
He walked, and while he walked, he spoke. He asked questions, thinking that he could try to get to know the Dewpider better. He also talked about himself, along with the Dewpider he trained in a save file he had long forgotten (he was pretty sure that he had transferred those Pokemon into storage, they were sleeping in HOME right now). The Pokemon footprints never ran out, but the more he walked, the more the footprints organized themselves. Well, organized was not the correct term here, but it was clear they were all headed towards the same direction. To where, however, Killian had yet to discover. It was still desert upon desert as far as his eyes could see.
Because he was just walking, his stamina meter wasn't really depleting. Thus, he felt he could keep walking, and the only thing really stopping him was a matter of choice and mind. The tedium was starting to wear him down, and after some time, he had gotten tired of asking the air. It didn't help that even the sky was unchanging--he was used to the color shifting quickly from blue to a gentle splash of warm orange and yellow. Here, the few stars he was able to make out remained in the same place, and there was no moon nor sun to keep him company. His gaze would turn to the footprints that he was following. Could he identify them, now that they were somewhat in line, with a few stepping one over the other?
...no, he wasn't an expert in footprints, unfortunately, even if he did play Pokemon Mystery Dungeon. That was only workable because he had four choices. Here, in this bothersome trial, he had nothing but his own mind. He tried to think back to what Seta mentioned before he was sent here, assuming that there was a clue embedded in his words. No matter how much he asked and tried to get to know the Dewpider, he would never really be able to know everything about it. That much was certain, and was the truth for every living thing. He would've thought that the concept didn't apply to AI and the game, but then again, the code wasn't something he was ever going to fully understand either.
Ah, of course, why didn't he think of this earlier? ❝This whole debacle's kind of like Concubine Walkthrough.❞ it was a sci-fi/historical manhwa he read and completed recently; the theme of the story really stuck to him. He forgot how it went, exactly, but it went along the lines of, where one cannot distinguish between virtual and reality, use your heart as a signpost. The way the manhwa wrote it was definitely more romantic than that, but he supposed to pass this trial, he should stop thinking about UNOVR too hard. There was a Pokemon in need and he was here, trying to rescue it. That was what he wanted to do.
So he continued to walk, and walk, and walk. That was until the horizon suddenly had something different than black sand, something...green? And seemingly shimmering blue! ❝An oasis!❞ it made sense that many of the footprints that were still with him on this journey led to this spot. Feeling excited, he couldn't help but break into a bit of a sprint (he couldn't run completely because the sand made it hard for him to get traction). But for some reason, the trees and the body of water weren't getting much closer, even if he felt like he had covered quite a distance already. The footprints did not seem distorted either. Was it actually..?
He was inching closer, but the image of salvation only grew more blurry. At a certain point, after crossing an invisible line, the oasis seemed to vanish in the wind completely, blown away like smoke. Ah, it was too good to be true, he thought, how could he be so naive? Deserts birthed mirages, after all, that was common knowledge...
Wait, since there were no Pokemon around at all since he started this trial, and they were technically phantoms...would they also be located in these mirages? Kind of like Mew in R/S/E? He couldn't explain it, but he suddenly felt his eyes becoming sore and dry, so he rubbed it momentarily. When he opened his eyes, there were suddenly two more mirages, but they were in different directions. Hmm, this was starting to feel more like a game, which way should he go?
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Killian
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Player Character
Posts: 95
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Nicholas Tuason
OOC Username: Peony
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Post by Killian on Jun 2, 2023 18:32:59 GMT 9
How did mirages work when there was no sun? But maybe that was why the illusion seemed more crisp rather than blurry and wavy. Oh well, he decided that he would just ignore it for the sake of the game. The mirage to his left looked like a warm and sunny forest, though he could only really see some bits of the trunks and the leaves attached to the branches. The mirage on the right looked more desolate and out of place (more out of place than a forest? One would be surprised), for it looked something almost like snow and death and gnarled bark. It seemed like the grimmer option between the two, and if Killian knew anything about games, then it was likely his objective lied in the road less appealing.
So he started to walk towards the right mirage. This time, it felt like he was actually moving closer to it, and the closer he got, the chillier it felt. There were only three sets of Pokemon footprints walking down this path before him, but none of them looked like something a Dewpider would make. Nonetheless, he kept on going, following the sand that started to ascend. Before he reached the top of the hill, though, a sudden thick fog rolled down from it, easily obscuring his vision. As if the situation wasn't spooky enough, he began to hear voices, but they sounded far away, saying only a word or phrase at a time.
❝Food--❞ ❝Let's play--❞ ❝The trees--❞ ❝Mom--❞
❝Hurts--❞ ❝Where--❞ ❝Forget--❞ ❝Why--❞
Did this belong to a person or a Pokemon? With the Pokemon speech setting on, it was impossible to tell. However, the silhouettes in the mist didn't look like people, so maybe these were the memories of some of the Pokemon lost here. Was Dewpider among them? He closed his eyes and tried to focus on what the voices were saying. They were of different tones, pitches, speaking different topics that mostly related to survival and pain, but there was one that stood out to him, one that seemed to slur as if they weren't entirely awake.
❝Happy--❞ ❝Feels like--❞ ❝Never ends--❞
Was this his Dewpider? Could he even call the Pokemon his, was he jumping the gun here? But he didn't want to go back now, not after spending so much time walking and searching and thinking. The game would eventually present a way to find the Pokemon after conditions have been met, right? Was this one of them? Wandering into the dreamlike fog?
There was only one way to find out.
❝Dewdrop, can you hear me?❞ he raised his voice, suddenly feeling like this was something that needed volume, ❝Your name, I decided, I hope you're okay with it.❞ he was still walking on sand; he could feel it, but he could no longer see the sky. ❝I've never named any other Pokemon with this name, so it's yours. Dewdrop, are you here?❞ Killian then noticed that his voice started to echo and things were getting even colder. He shivered and embraced himself in an effort to stay warm. Please tell me this is right, please please please.
ooc > a good night's sleep made me realize...whoops, they're still in the dark!
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Killian
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Player Character
Posts: 95
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Nicholas Tuason
OOC Username: Peony
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Post by Killian on Jun 2, 2023 18:49:57 GMT 9
He called out their name over and over, inhaling the mist and letting it frost his insides. All other voices faded away, and when he looked down, he realized that there were no more footsteps surrounding him. The trainer continued on, willpower driving him more than anything else, and the more he trudged through the misty sands, the more he felt like he was wandering into a dream.
A dream that eventually showed a tiny shadow in the middle of nothing at all.
❝Who are you?❞
It was cold. The desert was so cold. ❝I've been looking everywhere for you.❞
The figure stirred and seemed to be facing him. ❝Do you know me?❞
Killian struggled with his words, partially because he couldn't stop shivering, but also because it felt like he was in the right place. ❝I don't. That doesn't mean I don't want to help you, Dewdrop.❞
Silence enveloped them; a suffocating one that made his ears ring. ❝Dewdrop...is that my name?>
❝Is that okay?❞
<...I was never given a name.> the voice somehow seemed more solid in his mind, more real. <I like it. Are you taking me away from here?>
❝Yes. It's time to wake up.❞
<Ah...> the figure began to move closer to where Killian was standing. Before long, a little water spider had emerged from the fog. From there, the mist suddenly lost its opaqueness, slowly disappearing into the sky and into the sand. It didn't take long before the trainer was able to see the sky once again, still that beautiful 5AM color he had learned to admire.
<I dreamed so many things. Happy things.> the Dewpider said, <But something didn't feel right, and I couldn't leave. Trainer, I would like to wake up now.>
Killian would crouch down and offer his hand. Dewdrop crawled onto it without hesitation. Truly, they felt weightless. There was no way they would've been able to leave footprints in the sand. ❝Me too, let's go back home.❞
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C0D13
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Bug Maniac
Administrator
Posts: 1,826
Trainer Class:
Player Name: C0D13
OOC Username: Ladybug
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Post by C0D13 on Jun 4, 2023 18:35:04 GMT 9
As Killian and Dewpider stand together on the dune, the sun pulls free of the endless dawn. Morning light spills across the sands, bleaching the black sand to an endless expanse of grey.
"It is time to wake," says Seta from somewhere nearby, "and return together to land of the living."
"You have passed the Trial of Sand."
The monochrome light spreads over Killian's skin, and there is a flash of vermillion. You find yourself back in the hall you started in. Back at the crossroads.
Red gates fill the sky, and Seta is nowhere to be found, though his words echo in your mind long after you leave the halls.
"Nothing leaves the Everworld unchanged."
Dewpider has been added to Killian's box.
Dewpider has learned Synchronoise! |
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