At last, the motley team of would-be rescuers were assembled outside the Garden of Stone. Earth, flame and flora, dark magic and psychic power: their energies mingled in the air, a clash of uncertainty and determination. Not even the sun could dispel this tension as it peeked over the Eastern Sea.
Pixel, the Porygon-Z, Techno the Porygon2, and Larry (who never did figure out how to evolve) looked over their chosen heroes with sudden doubt. Their arrival had been disorganised, their formation lazy, and a not-quite-friendly distance now hovered between them. One would think they hadn't rehearsed their positions on the team, let alone synergised a strategy! What a thought to entertain. Of course they had.
…Pixel decided to test this theory. "Attention! All players: present. Rescue operation is about to commence. Will the team leader please step forward!"
Arrowbranch, or AB as the Decidueye suggested others call him, reacted as soon as the words 'team leader' were heard. Sound traveled and was processed fast in this digital reality. His reaction was not to step forward, however. Leader? He didn't want to bother with that role. He was going to focus on the goal regardless of what a 'leader' said, anyways. Instead, he just crossed his arms immediately and glanced with a skeptical face over at the others. They had not really decided on a leader. Or a team name, for that matter. And the bunch of humans he had briefly seen in real life had not exactly been a reassuring bunch (except one or maybe two). But just looking at this pokémon bunch, he was sure that the spot in front of the Porygon was not going to be empty for many seconds.
FCG, on the other hand, had happily greeted every member of the team as they had arrived. She politely repressed a chuckle at AB's landing, then another when the bird Pokémon voiced their peculiar greeting: The last thing she wanted was to risk their chances for a good start in this adventure! While waiting with a smile for the Porygon to speak, she reviewed the team's composition. So, there was her, a Decidueye, a Bonsly, an Arcanine, a Mismagius and an Infernape. Bonsly could be their tank, going in while Decidueye, Mismagius and her would back the little Pokémon up. Infernape and Arcanine could switch between close range and ranged attacks if nee--
The Porygon-Z interrupted her thoughts when they spoke. …
Wait. Team leader? About to commence? No no no no no, the team was not ready at all! What about strategy? The Gardevoir's smile now looked forced as she looked left and right and tried to think of something to say.
Leeroy was thankful, for possibly the first time, that a Bonsly had no visible arms. He was wringing his hands together so fast that it could have been mistaken for a TaiChi exercise. He'd politely greeted the others and hoped that he had been as opaque as possible. When a leader was required he quickly glanced at the others from the corner of his eye. This was easy to get away with, being significantly shorter than the others.
A brilliant idea flashed across his mind. What better way to act like you know what you're doing than to take a leadership position? This was perfect! Just stroll on in with confidence, delegate all the tough decisions, maintain the appearance of someone that really gets things done. If he was the one asking all the questions, then no one would be able to ask him any questions! Genius! He was now leaning forward with anticipation and slowly put one tiny little foot forward before giving a quick glance towards each of his teammates.
Chrissy had spent most of her time with the group just being professional, so to speak, and studying the other teammates once that were all together in-game. But now that she heard the word 'Leader'... Her mind started racing. On one hand, she could easily be the one - she had the confidence and possibly even the
need to boss around other players to perform at her best. On the other hand, the pressure might have been too much to handle, especially if she turned out not to get along with the other players.
She had grown kind of apathetic towards the risks involved with the mission. She was not even that interested in what kind of enemies or items or whatever other thing she might have come across in the Garden of Stone - a place she had already seen way too many times to count. But that was more of a defence mechanism. The desire to succeed was burning within her.
The adrenaline kept rising as her eyes jumped between the other Pokémon. Especially the tiny Bonsly showing signs of… movement. And now her eyes were fixed on him.
Will he really…?
TK had her arms crossed over her chest, glancing over at her other teammates. She hadn't been one for pleasantries, only having given them a curt nod of acknowledgement. She didn't really have anything against any of them — except for the Decidueye, who rubbed her the wrong way for some reason — but it wasn't in her nature to really open up to talk. Even with the guild she regularly played with, she hardly did more than awkward small talk here and there between matches.
Even still, a team was a team. This wasn't about shooting the shit and making friends. Whatever their reasons, they were all here for one very specific purpose. Nothing else really mattered, just like how everything would melt away once the fighting started and the fists started flying.
Upon hearing the Porygon-Z talk about who was going to step up to the plate for being a leader, TK uncrossed her arms and strode forward confidently. However, it seemed the Bonsly was trying to step forward and claim the mantle for himself. Admittedly, he was making an admirable effort to seem confident, but there was a slight jitteriness to his movements that gave him away. While still moving forward, she moved over to the left to get closer to the Bonsly and get into his personal space. She'd see for herself if the little guy would fold or let her take the reins.
Humphrey was the last to arrive to the meeting, and as such tried to give his greetings to the players quickly, even if his greetings did end up being shorter than what he would have liked. Barely two minutes after he arrived the Porygon-Z asked them who was their leader, and Humphrey froze up. While he was never much of the leader type in general, he worried that if no one volunteered that the others might pick him to be the leader, a position he desperately did not want to be in. After all, the Porygon had already assigned him as the designated bag carrier, having spawned a large, overladen saddlebag over his back, strapped securely but uncomfortably under his belly.
To his relief, both the Bonsly and the Infernape stepped forwards for the position of leader. He was intrigued by what might happen now that two people had volunteered for the role. Would they let both of them share the leadership role or would the rest of them have to vote to pick one as their leader, or possibly something else altogether?
Leeroy's heart dropped. As he'd moved forward, the most intimidating Pokémon of everyone present had confidently swaggered towards him to take the leadership spot. It wasn't a big deal to him, he knew he wouldn't have been a great leader. It takes more than faux motivational speeches to succeed as a leader, and that's about all he could have managed. But to back down timidly was a sure-fire way for him to be looked down on by everyone here. How could he dismiss the situation and try to ease the tension between these titans of the game?
"Ohhhh nice! Yeah this is all yours TK, you got this. An absolute beast like you in charge, they may as well just hand us back the girls now."
Arrowbranch merely rolled his eyes at the display.
All yours?
Bonsly probably forgot to look up. Chrissy was still eyeing him, and she was not happy with that sudden turnaround. He went from being the first one to consider the possibility of leading the team, to nonchalantly praising the next volunteer and making it seem like everyone in the group was already on board with this. To his credit, TK did look like a good option and Chrissy would have been fine with 'losing the leader spot' to her. But not so fast. Not without having a say.
So she swapped places with Leeroy before he could do any more damage. With Ally Switch, she teleported precisely to his location, and as a side effect, transported
him three or four Bonslys up in the air.
Leeroy fell to the ground from quite a height for such a small Bonsly. Thankfully, being made of rock, it did more damage to the soft ground underneath. But he felt the shockwave shoot up his body, slightly enhanced from the shock of what just happened to him.
That's not quite what I had in mind. But I guess it's no longer my problem now. He thought to himself. Hoping that he'd not made himself look too much of a clueless little tree, he nervously hopped on the spot, trying to shake off the damage, physical and emotional, of being flung about like that.
"Heavens above!" Pixel tooted, breaking out of character when its precious recruit dropped from the sky. "Let's have a little less of
that in our strategies, hm?" it suggested with a short, jittery laugh.
AB now raised an eyebrow at the sudden unannounced antics of the Mismagius, still not interested in joining in whatever was going on here, but at least keen on judging how stupid or smart his companions' ideas were.
Completely unfazed by the side effect of her trickery, Chrissy had her eyes on the prize. "Gotta say, you look fit for the job," she said, rising from beneath and getting right up against the Infernape. "So, what kind of strategies do you like? What do you have in mind for us?"
"You want strats, eh?" TK smirked and punched her fist into her palm. "I got all the strats we need right here. Me and my fists! I got plenty of experience leadin' the way into a fight, and I can keep the heat off the support and long-range attackers. That's all ya really need."
The Mismagius shook her head. "Alright, that's cool and all… but you only seem to care about leading yourself. See the difference?" A quick look to the others was granted before she continued. "If I'm not part of your plans, I won't get anything from your leadership, and I won't accept that. It's simple."
FCG had looked at Leeroy, TK and Chrissy's reactions with uncertainty. Would the team accept a leader right away? Unable to find anything constructive to say, the Gardevoir had elected to stay back and watch how this would go, but that changed the moment the Ghost type Pokémon asked about strategies. Excited at this opportunity to be useful, FCG stepped forward. She stopped a second in befuddlement when TK exposed her "strategy".
THAT was her strategy!? Shaking her head, she quickly gathered her thoughts and resumed walking, a finger raised. "Well, I
do have a good strategy in mind!"
"Yes?" Chrissy turned around to face Gardevoir, curious to hear what she had to say but at the same time wary of facing another challenger.
"Leeroy goes first, and AB, you and me are behind him to back him up. Humphrey and TK take our flanks so they can move and shift between ranged and close combat whenever needed! Before going in though, Leeroy uses Stealth Rock, so that any foe coming in will take damage! TK, AB and you start with one Nasty Plot, and I with Calm Mind. Then we switch to offensive moves depending on the situation!" The Psychic type Pokémon concluded her words with a confident nod.
TK scoffed. "I don't
have a Nasty Plot to use, genius. You want to support me —" She quickly glanced over at the Mismagius, then added with a sigh, and Leeroy, and Humphrey, that's all good. Great, even. But if
you wanna lead
me, then ya gotta do it right."
"You don't—wait, no. I don't want to lead! But I do know a thing or two about strategies so I could still be the team's strategist, or advisor if you prefer! Ok. The
others can use Nasty Plot while you go in melee with Leeroy!" Gardevoir replied, earning herself a facepalm from Chrissy.
Leeroy stopped for a moment and thought really hard.
Stealth Rock? What's a Stealth Rock..? Leeroy decided to keep quiet when it came down to strategy, lest his companions found out that he was woefully unfit to be part of such a journey. He smiled at the Gardevoir, who smiled back at him, and nodded, confidently.
At this point, AB couldn't help but letting a loud, drawn out groan escape him, surely easily heard by everybody else.
"Look," he said, eyes on the three girls. "I'm used to going through this game solo, and it's working well enough even though I'm a bit of a glass cannon. I get that miss princess over here might be used to being in guilds where she gets to dictate what moves others have, and that lady witch over there prefers everyone catering to her personal whims, but let's face it: we're not a well oiled group, we're a bunch of separate supposed stars who each have our own strengths, and we're almost completely unknown to each other. So, how about we see what our focus and strengths are, decide who goes first and who stays back, test it out in the first encounter and then regroup and change whatever didn't work?"
With all the talk of strategy going on, Humphrey realised that he should probably chime in. "Hey, I've got Helping Hand for when someone else's attack needs to hit harder." Humphrey then shifted his weight nervously.
AB gestured approvingly with a wing in the Arcanine's direction. "Now that's more like it, see? Big Doggo helps. Probably also breathes fire." He pointed to himself next. "Shady Owl shoots Grass arrows
from afar and can Spirit Shackle enemies to the spot sometimes." He went on to point to TK and Leeroy. "Ape Strong punch bad guys up front, and Small Stump uses his head. Literally. They're naturally the front line."
Lastly, he turned to the magical girls again, back to a grumpy, almost bored look that his Decidueye face compounded brilliantly. "Now do you guys have anything useful to contribute, or are you going to meditate on calm minds and nasty plots or swap places with the rest of us unannounced the whole battle?"
FCG's head turned towards the Decidueye when they groaned. The more she listened to the Bird Pokémon, the more irritated her expression grew. First, the Infernape scoffed at her, and now this one came in! Assuming she meant to dictate anything? Doubting her usefulness? Calling her "Miss Princess"? The nerve! Yes, the team needed a strategy to agree on, THAT was why she was suggesting hers! The Gardevoir's mood had truly turned upside down at that point, and she threw a glowering gaze at the Bird Pokémon.
"I will have you know,
Grumpy Pants, that the moves I mentioned ARE parts of the very best movesets for the related Pokémon in PokéWorld Plus, so
sorry if I assumed those picked for this important mission had great chances to know them! As for my own contribution, I happen to have Psychic, one of the strongest moves of its type, and Dazzling Gleam, Fairy type, to hit two opponents at once, both S.T.A.B.!"
AB blushed at the implication that his choice of moveset wasn't optimal and started to quip back: "My moves are—"
…but a small voice within him reminded him that he might be on camera for more than his forgiving followers right now, so he somehow managed to rein himself in quickly.
"Urhm. Yeah, there you go," he said instead, although voice not entirely steady. "Miss Princess shoots magic from afar. Lady witch-hat?"
Lady Witch-hat had her eyes glowing at the chance of snapping back. She was able to keep calm and listen to the others without interrupting them - in part due to the fact that her Ally Switch didn't seem to be that well received - but now that she was given the spotlight, she was going to use it to the fullest. She dramatically fixed her imaginary glasses before replying to AB, loud enough that everyone could hear her. The slightly echoed, eerie effect on her voice that was apparently part of the Mismagius experience only worked further in her favour.
"You got me! Almost right on everything! Lady witch-hat sure loves everyone catering to her personal whims. Lady witch-hat loves swapping places with you unannounced the whole battle. And yet Lady witch-hat is actually
not used to play this game solo, but with a pretty good team."
She went through her current 'team' once again, now that she heard everyone talk, and… yeah, none of them would really work as a leader she'd be happy to follow. She floated around to get their attention and made her next, big move. "I'm a supporter with all sorts of niche moves - sorry Gardevoir, no Nasty Plot - and if I am here today it's got to be because those moves and strategies have a lot of potential. But if you want to get some use out of me instead of, you know… get flung around without warning, we'd better coordinate each other. Since Pixel here has been waiting enough, just let me go forward. I won't be breathing down your neck all the time, I won't waste too much time with motivational speeches I'm not even good at, but I sure believe that I know what I'm doing. You have ten seconds to object. Nine, eight…"
"Great," AB grumbled and went back to crossing his arms. "You want to be responsible for us, fine by me."
FCG grunted at AB's nickname for her, then took a deep breath to calm her mind. Now was not the time to make a scene. Three players in need were waiting for them! Chrissy seemed best fit to lead the team, being used to teamwork as well as more bearable than the fist loving Infernape and Grumpy Pants… The Embrace Pokémon nodded approvingly at the Mismagius.
TK clenched her hand into a fist and scowled at Chrissy. Where the hell did she get off being all high and mighty with them? TK knew damn well how to lead, how to throw herself into the thick of it, how to rally her teammates, how to best crush her enemies. She didn't need any lectures on it by the Mismagius. Based on the reactions she'd seen from everyone else, however, it was clear that TK wasn't really winning anyone over to her side. The team that had been assembled here was very different to the one she was used to playing with. They didn't respond well to the swaggering and brute force that she usually did.
Maybe if this was a brand new group that she was going to play with for the foreseeable future she'd let Chrissy have it. She very much
wanted to. Prolonging this, though, was going to waste even more time and take away from everything that she and everyone else needed to do.
Curse her soft spot for the helpless.
"Fine," TK grunted. "You can lead. Long as you can recognize that we ain't on that kumbaya shit, you can bet your fucking ass I'll be the best damn fighter you've ever seen!"
"Great, now that's decided, let's go! Let's go!" Leeroy's anxiety levels were starting to rise once again with talks of "optimal this" and "expert that", he just wanted to get in there and get things done at this point. Now the team looked to have settled on a leader; he was nervously bouncing on the balls of his little feet, repeating his own expertly crafted plan in his head.
Just hit the first one really hard. Just hit the first one really hard. Just hit…
Chrissy continued her countdown all the way, but it was mostly to buy time and adjust herself to her new role. For all her big talk, she didn't expect things to end up this way, and that became even clearer to her when she found out that… talking to Pixel was making her needlessly nervous. A team leader wasn't just a strategist or a coordinator, but also the motivator and — in this case — the public relations manager. A few bad questions from Pixel could mean trouble for her, only a few minutes since taking up her position. But nevertheless, they had waited enough. And they were likely going to do most of the talking anyway.
"Here we go. And don't worry Pixel, I'll use my skills with more care when we're in."
The three Porygon watched the spectacle unfold with flustered bewilderment oddly present on their immobile faces. That did not go as expected. All Pixel wanted was for one player to stroll up smoothly to the call of leader, demonstrating that they had, in fact, some semblance of a plan—which included electing a leader
before the last minute. This was looking increasingly like one of those adventure reality TV shows that the humans enjoyed so much. Humans were such inscrutable creatures.
...Unless, that was exactly it! This show of levity was expertly improvised, their way of asserting confidence over the situation. These players were acting out for the camera. Pixel's eyes suddenly seemed to sparkle. What professionals!
"Stepping up is user: brilliantchristal! Commence applause. This member of guild: Technoblast serves with the heart of Cobalion. A necessary quality for leading a team into near-certain doom and bearing the responsibility of their lives. Brilliantchristal, on behalf of your team, do you have any last words to share with the world before your perilous expedition?"
On cue, a Masquerain drone hovered down from the sky and narrowed in on Chrissy, her team waiting expectantly around her.
And wait they did, because the now dead serious Mismagius remained silent for quite a while, somewhat surprised by that kind of welcome but certainly feeling the weight on her shoulders… or hat. That comment about bearing responsibility, well, she could really do without.
"So? We are an interesting group, we are still a bit new to each other, but we're all here no matter how many times we were told that this was going to be extremely dangerous. What I'm saying is," she looked closely at the drone while speaking, "we are
determined to succeed. We will do our best!"
The Gardevoir listened closely as the Porygon spoke. Noticing one's sparkling eyes, she grew confident in the team's ability to succeed in their mission despite their less than stellar start. FCG looked at the Masquerain's camera with a new smile as Chrissy concluded her speech, and raised an enthusiastic thumb up for the occasion.
Applause was shortly lived, for the mouth of the dungeon yawned with a sudden, conspicuous wind, as though to inhale its visitors. Leaves shifted restlessly to beckon them in. Their movement flickered like holograms, and the cameras turned to static. The Porygon shared a knowing glance.
"Should you meet with dire circumstances, trigger your Rescue Badge for emergency evacuation," Pixel reminded for the final time, nodding toward the gleaming, winged emblems that were pinned to the scarves and bandanas of every member. "However, badges have not been trialled and safety is unassured. Only trigger them if
all else fails."
"Your human vessels are under optimum care," tooted the Porygon2. "Do not fear. The world is with you, Players."
"Beware the mysterious wind," Larry beeped ominously.
"Good luck!" they unanimously cried.
As the last cheers faded, the heroes set their path on the hypnotic entrance to the Garden of Stone. They could delay no longer. The dungeon urged them to trespass into its depths, and together, they finally obliged.
Before they vanished, Pixel uttered one furtive request:
"Please… save Mother."
Become your favourite Pokémon and embark on an adventure like no other in PokéWorld+, the latest in virtual reality! Explore vast lands, master your element, battle against other players, or rally your allies to loot dungeons and take on powerful AI! Your guild awaits, Player! Let nothing stand in your way!
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