[PKMN OPEN] The Other Side: Ultra Sinnoh [M][IC]

[Dawn]

Foreknowledge and Exposition

Prior to the events of this scene, a massive tear in space-time bisected several well-traveled routes on Main Universe Sinnoh (Illustrated above by the purple lines on the map). This was an exceptionally large and fairly disruptive wormhole because it cut off ground travel to a good chunk of the region unless you were willing and able to brave untamed wilderness and mountains down south. While boats are able to get around it, planes are not because it seems to extend into space. Past the wormhole, a mirror image of the route beyond it exists, albeit in constant nightfall. Although light shines upon the wormhole, it does not appear to illuminate anything past it. Alarmingly, it initially rejected attempts to enter it. Trainers reported losing their footing and being thrown back as if by immensely powerful winds upon attempting to step inside, though no noise or damage associated with such winds was observed. Several powerful trainers including Cynthia attempted to use their pokemon to use their pokemon's overwhelming force to gain entry, but were entirely unsuccessful.

Scientists observing the tear have reported that it also extends beneath the ground. More pressingly, they speculated that the tear didn't lead anywhere at all, and was in fact a two-dimensional image, citing the unnatural lack of any movement within even under extended observation. Grass and trees don't blow in the wind. No pokemon have been observed going about their business. The moon never moves. They concluded simply that whatever they were looking at was likely not real, but had no satisfying explanations for how such a thing was created. The best guess circulating on the news is that it's some sort of spatial painting. This has inadvertently attracted tourists eager to see the seemingly magical artwork before it disappears, with some questioning if it really was Sinnoh they were observing.

3 days after the wormhole first appeared, something changed. Local ex-champion and professional upstart Dawn from Twinleaf Town arrived on the scene to observe the phenomenon only to report that she was not repelled by the wormhole when she tried to touch it. To the shock of onlookers, they too could now step into the wormhole without any resistance. Not only that, but the scene beyond it now showed signs of life, albeit the moon stayed frozen in the sky casting it in eternal nightfall. Evidence of wind was quickly observed, as well as the occasional pokemon going about its business. No one is quite clear on when exactly this change took place, only that it likely couldn't have been more than a couple of hours at most, as people trying to touch it weren't uncommon. The intro part of the post takes place on the same day that this change occured.

Introduction

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It's a cool autumn afternoon on your side of the portal. A small group of tourists are gathered outside the portal to observe, with a few attempting to catch pokemon from the other side in the hopes that they'll perhaps be a bit different from the pokemon of their world, or perhaps as a keepsake. Factory Head Thorton and Dawn are currently being interviewed by a local news channel, with Thorton offering his analysis of the nature of the wormhole and Dawn announcing her intentions to to travel deeper inside and see if she can't do anything about it. Roark decided to check out the portal again after hearing it could now be entered and is currently on the inside of the portal. He has dug up a small patch of dirt and is keenly fingering through it and observing what he finds, presumably comparing it to what he expects. Gardenia approached from within the portal, only to reveal she had entered on the other side of Eterna Forest and found her way to the opposite end of the tear, traveling through a version of Eterna Forest she described as disconcerting, citing that it didn't quite feel like the eterna forest she knew and that she felt as if she were being watched her entire way through it.

You are currently at the section of the tear just north of Oreburgh City on Route 207. The route on the other side of the portal is a reflection of what you might expect, only it's night time so your vision is a bit limited. There's still enough moonlight to observe the general terrain, though. You wouldn't be entirely blind wandering around without a light, though you'd probably feel a bit more confident in your footing if you did. Light still does not leak through the portal for reasons unknown, though once you actually cross over the threshold any lights you bring with you will operate normally.

How long you have been near the tear is up to you. You are invited to establish your presence, interact with any NPCs you'd like, enter the portal for yourself. Obviously there's a bit of an expectation you'll enter the portal eventually--but you're allowed to delay that for a bit if you want to chat with anyone. I may interject out of order with simpler NPC responses. I'll try to label my posts with those fancy purple bars so that people can tell what kind of post they are at a glance. Once everyone is actually inside the portal, I'll do another environment post where I offer you more insight on your environment and where you could potentially go next.

 

[Groc]

Commander Saturn

---

Oreburgh City has become quite busy the past few days, which has made it easy for Saturn to sneak around unseen. It's a welcome change from the strange looks and occasional glares he's received lately, and he's glad for the reprieve. His investigation of Lake Verity hadn't turned up anything useful, but it did put him conveniently close to an actual Distortion portal. He can hardly believe his luck!

Of course, he can't just waltz on up to it and expect to be let in. Which is why he's been scoping it out for the past two days, after managing to procure a discarded hoodie to help disguise himself. It isn't the right size, and he'd had to cut the arms off, but it covers the big "G" on his chest and the hood hides his hair and face from casual looks, so it'll do.

Something monumental occurs while he's watching: Leader Gardenia emerges from the portal! She claims that she walked all the way from Eterna to here, which is a shock to many of the onlookers, but no surprise to Saturn. After all, he's spent more time in the Distortion World than he can count, or maybe not, since time didn't really exist there...

Regardless, if he's going to find a way home, he'll need answers. He pats his leg twice to get Luke's attention. "Time to go. We're going to have a chat with the Gym Leader."

The little Riolu tilts his head in confusion. Of course. Luke was born in the Distortion World, he has no idea what a Gym is, let alone its Leader.

"The woman over there. See her? ...I guess you don't know what a woman is. I really don't want to have this conversation right now, but she's human, like me."

Luke nods, barking happily and climbing up onto Saturn's back. Saturn still has the backpack Luke's Egg was in, and the little guy still likes to ride in it, which suits Saturn just fine.

Making sure to avoid the film crew currently interviewing some people he doesn't recognize, he makes his way over to Gardenia. The way she'd described the forest beyond, not quite right and feeling like she was being watched, perfectly describes how Saturn has felt since arriving here. That fool Roark had happily gone inside already, but Saturn needs to be more cautious. Even if it blows his cover, he quickly approaches Gardenia while she's by herself.

"Excuse me, Leader Gardenia? Can I trouble you for a moment of your time? You must be one of the only people to have passed through such a portal, and I have a few questions..."

 

[Kung Fu Ferret]

(Frederick "Eric " Damon III)
Eric had been staying at a hostel in Oreburgh City for two weeks. He followed his nemesis, a member of Team Rocket by the name of Mordred, to this weird version of Sinnoh, through a mysterious portal, almost a month ago.

He held the locket that was around his neck and opened it up, revealing a photo his old girlfriend Peggy, a beautiful dark-skinned Pokémon Ranger with deep emerald colored hair braided into a bun, and piercing gold eyes. Mordred was the one responsible for her foul and unnatural murder, disguising himself as a fellow Ranger on the orders of Giovanni himself, to obtain intel.

Eric pressed the locket to his lips, and a single tear dropped from each eye.
"One day, I will avenge your death, my love...." He muttered to himself.

Eric noticed that his Snivy, Peggy's former partner, was outside of its Poké Ball, drying Eric's tears with a gentle vine.

Eric had the Aura within him, which alongside the fact he was raised by wild Pokémon for a good chunk of his life, really helped him communicate with Pokémon. He's by no means perfect at all. And to the untrained ear, when he attempts to speak in any type of Pokémon dialect, it just sounds like he's saying "Pyroar" and whatnot, as Eric was raised by a pride of Pyroar and Litleo. He tends not show off this particular gift, however, as to not draw attention to himself.

Snivy gave Eric a pep talk of sorts.
"Snivy! Snivy, Snivy, Snivy. Snivy?"
Which roughly translates to "Eric! Listen, I miss Peggy, too. Losing someone you care about sucks, I know! But she'd want you to take action, so the both of us need to be strong for her, okay?"

Eric nodded and smiled.
"Y'know what, Snivy? You are absolutely right! We should ask the news crew about what's going on. " Eric said in human language.

Eric approached Gardenia, and asked...
"Excuse me! Uh, Gardenia? I have a question. Has anybody suspicious appeared out of one of these interdimensional portals? I'm... Asking for a friend. "

 

[Fact Checking Gardevoir]

A lone Gardevoir was standing not too far from the tear, seemingly focused on taking notes on a computer tablet with a touch stylus. Besides being taller than the average Gardevoir, her ability to write might have gathered attention from those around her, if everyone's eyes and minds had not been focused on the tear.

Fact Checking Gardevoir had arrived at Sinnoh a few days ago. She had been searching for a new subject to investigate for her "Fact Checking With You" TV show, especially well known in Hoenn. Overhearing the TV talking about these odd tears through time and space who started to appear around Sinnoh, the Pokémon journalist, ever eager to solve mysteries and join adventures, had enthusiastically volunteered to go.

Taking her usual equipment in a backpack, she had thus taken the fastest means to reach Sinnoh, afraid of the idea of arriving too late. She was now on the job, writing about when this event started, the current situation, everything that could help finding an explanation about all this.

Gardevoir stopped writing a moment when she saw two humans approach Gardenia, one with a Snivy and the other, for some reason, keeping their features concealed. Wanting to hear the incoming exchange, she put her notebook and stylus back in her backpack and silently walked closer, stopping a few meters away to listen.

 

[Dawn]

Gardenia Response

After a bit of being spoken to by curious onlookers, someone who blended in with the crowd a bit less approached Gardenia and grabbed her attention. It was mostly the outfit. She had no previous relationship with the Galactic Commanders, but was at least familiar enough with the group that the fashion gave her reason to pause and consider whom she was being spoken to by. A blue haired man in Galactic regalia. ...Cyrus? No that wasn't right. ...Probably. Wasn't there a commander like that? She always got the names wrong, and now she felt pretty bad about not putting more effort into this. She hadn't exactly expected to have a face to face with any noteworthy Galactic members. Regardless, she had to take another moment to consider why someone affiliated with Team Galactic was approaching her like this. Surely they knew there were police looking for them, right? That being said, there were no police here right now. The way she saw it, a member of Team Galactic being here had to mean one of two things. Either they were involved in this whole space-tear phenomenon and they were here to gloat villainously... or they were just as curious about it as anyone else and were here to investigate. Either way, it occurred to her that she also had questions and they could be answered simply by hearing him out. Unless she planned on wrapping this boy up in some vines and carrying him back to town herself, she doubted anything productive would come from confrontation. Especially when she couldn't a hundred percent rule out that this was a case of mistaken identity.

After a good moment of Gardenia staring in stunned silence and debating how to react, she folded her arms under her chest and regarded Saturn with a neutral expression that betrayed a hint of wariness. "...Sure! I'm admittedly not in a big rush to try and find my way back home." she relented in mild embarrassment. One could get the immediate impression that something about her journey had unsettled her. Before Saturn could ask her another question though, another person jumped to the point and interjected with his own. She also caught sight of a gardevoir approaching and sort of subconsciously made the mistake of assuming she must belong to this nice trainer here. The thought of her being a hit TV star slipped her mind entirely for the moment being, even in spite of the gear she was carrying. She'd passed it off as simply carrying something for her trainer.

"A suspicious person coming out of the portal?" she asked, pondering this for a moment. "...Y'know come to think of it, with everyone poking around inside to see what it's like, would I even be able to tell if someone originated from this side or the other?" she mused aloud, becoming briefly distracted. "...There is Thorton, but I think he's just normally a little odd, no offense." she added with a nervous chuckle. "Roark seems like his usual self." she continued musing. "I did say hi to Dawn! She seems to be in a good mood. It sounds like she plans on heading into the portal and exploring soon. I guess she can't resist lending a hand." she finished, before bowing her head slightly. "--Sorry! I'm not very good at reading people. You just missed Cynthia too. She's usually good at noticing things like that." she bashfully apologized. Finally, she returns her full attention to Saturn. "I did meet a few familiar faces inside the portal though. Anyway, what were your questions?" she asked.

 

[Groc]

Commander Saturn

---

Saturn doesn't miss the pause as Gardenia looks him over, nor her suddenly cautious demeanor. He supposes he should have expected it, but at least she isn't immediately going on the offensive. He'll have to pick his words carefully if he doesn't want to make a scene.

Luckily, another man approaches and starts talking to Gardenia, giving Saturn a chance to think. Of course, he can't help but be somewhat put out by how readily Gardenia answers him. She barely gave him a glance as he immediately started asking questions, and she willingly offered so much information! But it does give Saturn an idea of what's going on, although he might have a few questions for the stranger after he's done with the Gym Leader.

Unfortunately, a crowd is starting to form, starting with an inquisitive Gardevoir. No doubt others will notice if a crowd starts to form around the Leader, so he'll have to wrap this up quickly, especially since Gardenia is now looking at him expectantly.

"Look, I won't lie to you." Saturn lies. "I'm looking for former Team Galactic head Cyrus, and this whole situation seems very similar to the last time he was seen. We don't know much about these distortions, but if you've actually passed through one, you could have some answers. This thing seems big. Really, really big. But where do the edges stop? Is it just the forest in there, or do you think it's bigger on the inside?"

He has to reign himself in, a slight flutter spreading through him. Is it excitement? Or fear?

"I understand if you don't have all the answers, but I would like some information if you have it. Otherwise, I'll just have to go in myself and hope I don't get lost. Again..." He mutters that last part under his breath, and Luke briefly pops out of his pack to offer a comforting pat on the head. It isn't as comforting as the little guy hopes, but Saturn appreciates the gesture.

 

[~Sombra~]

Chapter 1: North of Oreburgh City/Route 207

Where It All Began…​

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Izzy stood behind the group of tourists, watching and listening from a small distance. Turning her head, she saw Gym Leader Gardenia appear from the portal and explain her findings to the people and news crew. There was also Gym Leader Roark, who was currently looking through a small patch of dirt he obtained from the other side of the rift, in hopes of finding something.
Despite being curious herself and wanting to get closer, she didn't want to risk accidentally making skin contact with another person. But… she was wearing clothes that covered most of her skin… and she had her Pokémon with her in case something happened. Glancing to her left, she saw Rook perched on her shoulder, his usual calm dementor in place while observing everything and everyone. Glancing down, she held Nova in her arms, who was slightly wagging her tail, looking at the people with the same curious glint she has.

After hearing about the wormhole, Izzy was curious and wanted to go check it out. After informing her grandparents, she was on her way and traveled to Oreburgh City with her partners, Nova the Eeevee and Rook the Rookidee. The two Pokémon are her most prized family-alongside her grandparents and their Pokémon- but she hopes to catch more Pokémon one day.
Suddenly shivering, she looked around for anything unusual that could have triggered her ability. For it to activate, something or someone strong is nearby or dangerous, which has confused her before since she can't pinpoint the cause yet, but never distrusts her ability.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone with a hood moving closer to where the Gym Leaders were. Another shudder and turn of her head, she saw another person approaching as well. They were both heading towards Gym Leader Gardenia from the looks of it. She would usually ignore them and look for something else to see, but… then why would her ability try to warn her about the two people? Could they be dangerous, or a strong trainer? She didn't know, but she was curious why her ability activated.

She slowly moved around the tight-nit crowd and closer to where the Gym Leaders were, when she shuddered once more. Stopping a few meters away, she saw a tall Gardevoir was also nearby, closer to the Gym Leader and two people than she was. Instead of going forward again, Izzy stayed where she was, choosing to strain her ears to listen to the conversation while looking down at Nova. Why did her ability activate so much?

 

[Fact Checking Gardevoir]

Gardevoir had listened to the conversation, taking mental notes for later, until she heard the hooded man talk about Cyrus. Her suspicion rose. Who was this man and what was he there for? Was he involved in the mysterious tears' apparition?
What if he was a member of Team Galactic?

She had read and watched everything she could find about this team of evil doers, and felt a pang of anger. These humans had claimed they wanted to make a better world, yet they had almost destroyed the world. Their leader's real plan to undo and remake the universe the way he wanted did not make her feel any better.

Spotting a little Riolu pop out of the man's backpack, Gardevoir closely watched it interact with its owner. They seemed to be in good terms, but she knew very well how deceptive appearances could be... She continued listening to Gardenia's words a moment, but kept her questions about this other world for later. Deciding to get to the bottom of it, the Psychic type pokémon looked straight at the man and asked through telepathy, keeping her tone neutral:

Hello, mister! I am sorry to interrupt, but could you please tell me why exactly you are looking for Cyrus?

 

[Dawn]

Gardenia Response

An expression of unadulterated horror could be observed on Gardenia's face as Saturn introduced to her a previously unconsidered possibility, that these tears might be glimpses into a world Cyrus had some involvement with. Was he the presence she felt watching her? The thought made her blood run cold. She wasn't an expert on Cyrus' machinations, but she knew someone like him having the power to create tears like that was bad news for their world. Gardenia took a deep breath and quietly tried to coral that idea aside so she could assess its likelihood later. That being said ... this galactic member had zero reason to lie about not knowing where their leader was. That just left one question. ...Did she want to help him find his leader? Not exactly, honestly. But ... was the alternative sending this boy in there without guidance, to befall whatever fate awaited him? She wasn't sure she wanted that on her conscience. It just didn't feel right, regardless of whatever past he had.

"...There's a whole world in there. I traveled for what felt like days without seeing another tear. But I knew the tear extended down here, so I used my knowledge of our world to traverse that one and found my way to the other end. It wasn't exactly the same as this one, though. I saw pokemon I'd never seen before, some familiar but others not so much. Eterna Forest was... off. Very off. I felt a ghostly presence watching me my entire time there, and it felt a lot bigger than the forest of our world, though I can't tell if that was just my anxiety and imagination working me up to get out of there or not. One thing's for sure; I met a lot of ghost pokemon there. I uh--think I might wait for the tear to close before I go back." Gardenia began to explain, shuddering with discomfort.

"I fully suspect that if I had traveled in a different direction, I could have traveled forever." Gardenia softly added. "One thing in particular that bothered me was that the time of day seemed to fluctuate depending on where I went. When I entered the forest it was the dead of night, like just inside the tear. But when I reached Floaroma Town, it became day. I just... set foot in the town and it was suddenly daytime. I retraced my steps just to check if my mind was being tricks on me, but it turned back to night in an instant. Something about the flow of time isn't right in there. It was as if the world was reacting to my presence..." Gardenia thoughtfully described. "I did see some galactic grunts along the road, but they seemed very intent on ignoring me... Maybe you'd have better luck speaking to them." Gardenia adds, seemingly perturbed by their behavior. "It was almost like their minds were elsewhere, and they couldn't even hear me..." she began again, only to trail off in a troubled fashion.

"If you're going in there, be careful and take a map. It won't be completely accurate, but it's better than going in blind." she added in concern, seemingly disinterested in spiting the apparent galactic member.

Izzy's Sixth Sense

Izzy! One of your shudders feels like it came from the direction one of the smaller girls present, standing at a mere 4'6''. Though given it's Dawn, ex-champion, perhaps you shouldn't feel surprised. ...Though, she doesn't have her pokemon out. Could you have perhaps detected one of them in their balls? Or was it indeed Dawn you were detecting?

"Greetings! Need a coat?" a man asked, stepping forth into view from nearby. He seemed to have noticed her shuddering repeatedly and jumped to the assumption that she must be cold. His tone was rather forward, but he smiled and waited patiently for a response. He looked to be slightly older than Izzy, dressed in casual with a rather fluffy looking jacket on. His hands were in his pocket. He had short, rather messy blonde hair and jade green eyes. He stood at maybe 5'8'' by the looks of it.

 

[Groc]

Commander Saturn, Fact Checking Gardevoir A joint post between Groc and FCG.

---

Saturn watches Gardenia closely, eager to see how she will respond. He plans on going into the portal regardless of what she says, but any help she can provide will be-

Hello, mister! I am sorry to interrupt, but could you please tell me why exactly you are looking for Cyrus?

Aaaand that's not his voice in his head. That's someone or something else invading his mind. He looks around, even as Gardenia haltingly starts to speak. "Who…?"

On your left.

He looks in the designated direction, and sees the Gardevoir from before staring straight at him. He glances at Gardenia, who is now muttering to herself about how vast the forest was, and decides to prioritize the Pokémon in his head over hearing the Leader's story again.

He steps away from Gardenia and approaches Gardevoir. "Was that… you? Are you actually talking to me?"

I am, through telepathy. Rest assured though, I can only send my thoughts to people around me, not read their own. Such ability would be more than useful for my job, undoubtedly, but I digress! Cyrus and his organization's activities and goals have proven to be quite concerning.

"You're telling me." Saturn crosses his arms, thinking back to his prior boss. "When he said he wanted to make a better world, I thought he was being metaphorical."

Maybe someone should have asked him how he was actually intending to do that. So! I would like to know why you are looking for this man.

Gardevoir also wondered what he meant by "We". Were there others with him, sharing the same goal? But one question at a time! With her tendency to be easily excited and her certain… lack of patience, her being carried away was a rather common occurrence. She does her best to keep her composure as she waits to see the man's reaction.

"If you're expecting sympathy, I assure you I have none. Cyrus is dangerous and beyond reason." Saturn doesn't make eye contact with Gardevoir, uncertain of just how strong her psychic ability is. Better to present himself as altruistic and helpful. "He needs to be stopped, before he causes more harm. I don't even know if this portal is his doing, but… it definitely gives me Distortion World vibes. I've become quite familiar with that place, and it's not something to take lightly."

The Psychic type pokémon is conflicted. On one hand, this man's reason to keep a low profile and his intent to look for Team Galactic's leader are not making her feel compelled to trust him. On another hand, she thinks asking him more questions would not provide significant results. Gardevoir decides she will give him a chance to prove his honesty, and well, she could always keep an eye on him. She gives him a smile.

This I can fully agree with! But I am sorry, I did not introduce myself properly. Where are my manners? I am Fact Checking Gardevoir!

"Nice to meet you, Fact Checking… that's a long name. Uh, I'm Saturn. The new head of Team Galactic, but I guess you already figured that out."

Fact Checking Gardevoir! You know? The one in Fact Checking with YOU TV show?
She would have put more attention on the "Saturn, the new head of Team Galactic" part of his words, had she not been dismayed, no, flustered, at the possibility he might not know her! The star! The most famous Gardevoir in Hoenn!

"Sorry, FCG. I haven't seen it. Don't really watch a lot of TV, you know?" Saturn admits, rubbing the back of his head.

Well then, let me fix this, my friend!
Gardevoir swiftly retrieves her personal microphone from her bag, which would allow her to be heard around as if she was really talking out loud. She turns to the side with a smirk.

Know that it's a fact!
And make it exact!
To protect the world from manipulation!
To unite all peoples and Pokémon with verified information!
To denounce the evils of rumors and lies!
To extend our reach to all regions and skies!

Gardevoir turns back towards Saturn with a theatrical pose and uses a little Dazzling Gleam, not strong enough to have any effect other than encasing herself in a brief flash of light. If their special discussion had not gathered people's attention until then, this was certainly changing, and fast…

Fact Checking Gardevoir!
The truth blasts off at the speed of light!
Open up your eyes now, or prepare to fight!

Saturn realized only too late that he was hearing her voice with his ears and not his mind, and that meant everyone else nearby could hear her as well. He's pretty sure even Gardenia would have noticed that.

"That's… great. Awesome. Why'd I have to talk to a celebrity Gardevoir…" Luke pops his head out of the backpack again, barking with excitement at Fact Checking Gardevoir's spiel. Saturn sighs deeply, facepalming out of frustration as well as a feeble attempt to hide.

 

[~Sombra~]

Chapter 2: North of Oreburgh City/Route 207

Strange Encounters ​

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​

Izzy was confused and panicking internally; another shudder meant someone else strong or dangerous was nearby. She recognized ex-champion Dawn, indeed someone powerful and to be careful around. Although… she wasn't sure if her ability was activated by the ex-champion herself or her pokemon… or maybe… both? She wasn't sure, but she pushed the though back for now and tuned in to the present before she made a fool of herself.

"Oh! No no… It's okay!" Izzy gave the man an awkward smile while lifting one hand wave sideways. Using her other arm, she adjusted her hold on Nova before taking a glance around. Was there other people who though she was cold too? She liked her ability… but one disadvantage is the shudder and it makes it look like she's cold, when she's not… "Please don't let me bother your day! Thank you though, mister!" She quickly swerved around and walked closer to the group of trainers that started her ability's chain in the first place. Once she was a few feet away, she sighed and looked towards the tear, Gardenia's words echoing in her head.

Izzy was amazed by Gym Leader Gardenia's words when she heard her explanation; the Eterna Forest in the tear sounded like the complete opposite of their version- like a haunted forest. The ghostly atmosphere… the strange pokemon… unknown presence… Sudden time change… it sounds like something out of a horror movie! On the other hand, it was chilling; similar to the horror stories she heard about, the strangeness of the tear can either be something good or bad… Just hearing how Gym leader Gardenia describes her experience makes her want to go into the tear and experience it herself.

However, Izzy's attention was redirected when she heard a strange voice nearby, it was soft, but loud enough for everyone in the crowd to hear. She turned her head and saw it was the Gardevoir she saw a while ago, but is now speaking to one of the people, with a mic at hand. Without realizing, she exclaimed louder than she intended,"That voice… the lyrics… could it be… Fact Checking Gardevoir?!" Nova in her arms squealed to Izzy, confused about her trainer's excitement, while Rook simply closed his eyes huffed. "OMG! She's here… what do I do?! Nova, what do I do?!" Izzy lifted Nova up in front of her and gently shook her, trying to share her excitement with her pokemon, but also confused on what to do around someone she admired.

 

[WizardOfOdd]

Adam Halliday
Oreburgh City​

[tab=story6-5][/tab] [tab=poke6-5][/tab][tab=invent6-5][/tab]

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Legwork

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Oreburgh City was a city known for its mine chock full of different minerals and abundance in a variety of archeological exhibits in their museums which had always attracted a certain crowd of tourists every year without fail. However, never in the history of the city that such an enormous amount of crowd gathered inside the town. Most of them came because of the mysterious tear that had suddenly appeared and disrupted ground travel within the entire Sinnoh. Whether it was researchers curious to study the mysterious wormhole, vloggers trying to use the phenomenon to boost their fame, or even an ordinary onlookers that only wanted to see the wormhole up close by themselves, all came with their own reasons.

So did Adam Halliday, he had his own reasons to set foot on Oreburgh. Despite the length of travel needed from his temporary abode in Snowpoint, learning about the portal was not something he should do, but something he must do.

Despite that, it appeared to be not an easy endeavor in the slightest as he wasn't the only one interested in asking the 'authorities' about the enigmatic occurrence that had just happened several days before he arrived. The amount people surrounding them was so ridiculous that it made legwork much more tedious to do.

Well at least, not for the man clad in the high-class black suit made out of cashmere.

"Damn, this is Cyrus? Who the hell is trying to find this kind of guy?" He muttered to himself, his eyes gazing at the search results popping up in his Pokegear browser.

The stern-looking man with soulless eyes which was shown by Adam's Pokegear was apparently some sort of extremist who attempted to remake the universe by harnessing the power of local legendary Pokemon. It sounded so insane that Adam would have called it a plot devised by the mentally ill, well emphasis on the word 'would have'.

After all, if he could clearly hear the conversation that the one who had mentioned Cyrus was having with the Gym Leader Gardenia from a bench at a considerable distance from them, then perhaps the crazy man's idea to reshape the world might be grounded in reality in some shape or form.

It was all thanks to his powers he dubbed 'Even Walls Have Ears' that he had awakened three days after his arrival in this world that was unfamiliar to him. After training the powers he had obtained for four months before his arrival in Oreburgh, he was able to create a remote undetectable field where he could hear noises inside it as if he was there himself.

Adam had a few more powers up his sleeves, but nothing was remotely useful in the situation compared to the ability to remotely tap into someone's conversation without being able to be detected. Thanks to it, he had been able to write details of the conversations inside the Pokegear he owned for record-keeping without having to break a sweat.

"This is insanity personified, how could…" Adam struggled to find the words to describe his emotions at the time as he continued to spy on the conversation between Gardenia and the person who was searching for Cyrus.

As a man of logic, hearing how she described the forest that she was stranded on inside the tear made him shiver. Unfamiliar Pokemon? A ghostly presence that she wasn't familiar with? The strange flow of time? Questions started to form inside his head without seeming to stop.

However, he himself that it was impossible to form a proper hypothesis to answer most of his questions due to the severe lack of information.

"Guess I'll have to continue doing this for a bit longer," Adam muttered under his breath, refocusing his attention on taking notes. And sure he was glad to do so as thanks to it he managed to realize that something strange was happening inside the barrier.

The hooded man started to talk to himself, which was quite worrying. Adam had no idea how the inquisitive man had turned into a mental hospital outpatient in the blink of an eye.

Thankfully or actually not, that wasn't quite the case as Adam found out better after hearing an annoying catchphrase coming out from the mouth of a seemingly self-absorbed Gardevoir. It was so annoying that he'd rather hear a Chatot choking on nuts than hear that stupid motto ever again.

Despite the annoyance that Adam felt, the positive seemed to outweigh the negative as thanks to the Gardevoir's attempt to telepathically talk with the hooded man, Adam was able to identify the man wearing the hood was called Saturn and that he was the current leader of Team Galactic. From what Adam had heard from him, he seemed to be the one who knew the most about this dimension-shifting debacle, after all, he seemed to know about how Distortion World works, a concept that he didn't know even existed.

"Well, guess I found my ticket home, but before that…" Adam closed his Pokegear, approaching Saturn close enough to observe him without getting obstructed by the crowd as his light green eyes turned lavender.
​

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​

Party



Adam Wilbur Halliday (Male) | Ability: Telepathy | Camouflage, Psychic, Teleport, Acupressure, Follow Me, Encore

Powerset
'Even Walls have Ears'
Adam has the ability to remotely designate one area at a time as a 'hearing zone' where he is able to project his hearing to that location as if he was there to perceive the noise directly.

5 Strength, 5 Dexterity, 6 Constitution, 15 Knowledge, 12 Willpower, 17 Intuition



Brandt (Pawniard) (Male) | Ability: Defiant | Night Slash, Iron Defense, Scary Face, Metal Claw, Fury Cutter, Slash

14 Strength, 13 Dexterity, 8 Constitution, 5 Knowledge, 13 Willpower, 7 Intuition



Isaac (Blipbug) (Male) | Ability: Telepathy | Struggle Bug, Supersonic

6 Strength, 10 Dexterity, 13 Constitution, 10 Knowledge, 7 Willpower, 14 Intuition

Inventory

Money
₽ 0

In Hand
- 3 Great Ball
- 2 Great Storage Balls
- Silver Ring
- Pokégear

In Storage Balls
- 2 Max Repels
- 5 Fresh Water
- Heavy Duty Flashlight
- 50 pieces of chewing gum
- Thick Winter Coat (secondhand)
- Old Rod
- Pokedex
- Town Map​

​

​

​

 

[Aquacorde]

Bree

Route 207 - Rift ■ SU Link

The tear here was huge.

Bree had seen many a rift since falling from her world into a chillingly familiar one, most no larger than a single human, and had even passed through some of the less scary-looking worlds. At first she had kept to her home island, hoping to make her way back to her world. But the rifts there became few and far between and Bree found herself needing to move further, to chase reports of open rifts to their conclusions- to the big regions of Hoenn, of Kanto, of Johto, and now of Sinnoh.

Bree tapped a signal into her Tropius' neck and he began a wheeling descent, targeting a space some distance from any gathered observers. Her heavy boots hit the ground and Michel was confined to his PokéBall once more. She straightened her olive jacket and checked her pockets- not that there was much to check for. Her only true possessions were housed in the slim brown backpack- the fishing rod and bait case that had kept her and her Pokémon fed through many a world, and her little cell phone that hadn't worked since she left home. She trusted that it would work again if she set foot in her world again.

Whatever was beyond this rift didn't look like home. But she's never known much beyond her own island- perhaps her world's Sinnoh was more similar to the rift version than the one she currently stood in. Who could say without trying?

The girl squared her broad shoulders and stepped into the wormhole.

 

[Kung Fu Ferret]

(Frederick "Eric" Damon III)
Eric had finally succeeded to muster up the courage to enter the tear. Eric called Snivy back to her PokeBall, and counted to three in his head.

He then charged headfirst into this mysterious dimension.
Once he was in, he began falling from the sky. Eric maneuvered himself in mid-air, and aimed to have a safe, superhero landing in what seemed to be an enormous nest for some sort of Bird Pokémon, or at least it used to be their nest, because from the looks of it, it was recently abandoned.

He barely made it to the center of the nest, with only a few bruises, thanks to the sheer amount of discarded feathers.

Eric brushed himself off, and realized he was still pretty high up in a large tree.
Eric grabbed Snivy's PokeBall, and the snake-like Pokémon looked down at the ground for about two seconds, and without Eric telling her to, used her vines to help them both climb down.

As soon as they made it down, Eric thanked Snivy and back into the safety of PokeBall she went.

Eric then notice something moving in the air on its own. A familiar face seemed to be descending from the heavens.

"Peggy?" Eric asked what seemed be a ghost. "Is it really you?"

The ghost of the beautiful dark-skinned young woman in her Ranger uniform was now hovering about nine feet above Eric's head.
The ghost nodded, and began to speak.
"Eric, there is still work to be done. I can sense a familiar malice in this dimension, and we both know who it is." She explained
Eric gasped. "Mordred!"
Peggy's ghost continued to speak.
"Yes. And I can tell you've taken good care of both my Snivy and the orphaned Cubone you met the day that I died."
Both of Eric's Pokémon popped out of their PokeBalls upon hearing their names.
Cubone was disappointed that his mother wasn't there alongside Peggy's ghost, but Snivy burst into tears seeing her old partner again.
"Cubone?" Cubone said, asking for where his mother was.
Peggy's ghost answered "Your mother's spirit is finally at peace, young Cubone. I approached a boy on his Pokémon journey in Lavender Town, and asked him to help your mother to the afterlife. But I chose not to go with her to the land of the dead... Because I wanted to help Eric on his journey, and there is still much to do before Mordred can be brought to justice."
The ghost then slowly began to soar back up to the skies from whence she came.
"PEGGY! MY LOVE! I NEED YOU IN MY LIFE! PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME ALL ALONE AGAIN!" Eric shouted, tears rushing down his face.
"Eric, babe.. I never left. I was always watching over you since I died, and will be until your tasks are completed. I'll explain these tasks some other time. We will meet again, and I'll always love you." The ghost said before zooming up skyward.

Eric wiped the tears off his face, and stood up. "So this is what the other side of the tear looks like. Snivy? Cubone? Return." Eric called his two partners back into their PokeBalls.

 

[Janp]

Dawn

Chapter 1
Route 207

Dawn slowly moved out of the main road and hid behind trees. She doesn't want to meet anyone again. The weird looks from people of Oreburgh City were enough. What is going on? she asks herself. Sleeping Togepi moved a little bit in her arms, but didn't get woken up by people.

She can't be sure, but it seems she once again crossed the border between two worlds. This is what? A 4th time this happened? First time, she didn't even notice. But there is this weird vibe about other worlds. If they are worlds. She isn't really sure, but she could not come up with better word for them. She was sent to the first world by Cresselia. It was a sad world. It had a lifeless vibe. Even weirder, she was no longer on the island. Hopefully, the captain can take care of Pokémon Eggs she left behind.

But she didn't stay in that world for long. One moment, she was exploring ruins of Eterna City, the next moment she was in a different version of Eterna City. It looked a lot like the Eterna City she knew and loved. But it was different. The style of the buildings, streets and even people's clothes were completely different. Everyone looked at Dawn with suspicion. She didn't feel great in there. Even Togepi kept crying.

She left the city and must have slipped into another world soon after. But the biggest shock came shortly after she got to Oreburgh City. She saw herself! The person that looked exactly like her. But everyone called her a "Champion Dawn". It's crazy, she thought. But it was just a confirmation of what she thought. These really are different worlds. Something really weird is happening. And from what she heard, something happened just outside the city.

"What should I do, Cresselia?" she whispers to herself as she goes back on the main road. She's getting hungry. She will have to approach someone sooner or later. Better check up what is going on.
​

 

[Dawn]

Izzy's Brief Response

Izzy has no trouble losing the man who approached her, his misplaced offer giving way to a silent confusion as she left him behind to pursue her own interests. It was unlikely he'd ever figure out the truth on his own. One could only imagine what conclusions he must've came to. Needless to say, he isn't following her or anything.

Fact Checking Gardevoir Reaction

Gardenia was briefly surprised by Saturn's mid-conversation distraction, given that she hadn't observed what caused it. However, it didn't take her long politely listening in to realize what was going on. In turn, a murmur spreads throughout the crowd as people begin to become aware that the gardevoir among them is not just any gardevoir. People began to gather around, biding their time for a moment before reason gave way to passion. A fan stepped forth and called out for the Fact Checking Gardevior's attention with a "Gardevoir!!" And then, chaos broke loose. Each fan began to compete with each other in an attempt to to get some precious attention from the TV star, forming a miniature mob that rushed not only Fact Checking Gardevoir, but anyone that had been speaking to or close by to Gardenia previously in an effort to get to the aforementioned star.

Nearby, a clueless Dawn who had been a bit distracted by her own show time blanched as the ground underneath her feet began to tremble unexpectedly. Hmmmm... Was that really the earth shaking or was that just her own anxious trembling? The camera crew that had been interviewing her began to drift toward Fact Checking Gardevoir, however the more mature member of the crew quickly guided the camera down toward the ground. "Airing another station's show sounds like a good way to get fired." he softly warned. He hadn't observed for long enough to know for certain whether this was a syndicated show or a solo encounter off the job. The answer to Dawn's question came in the form of a shove as two frenzied fans tried to get around her but couldn't because they were too close to each other, leaving them without much space to maneuver. Dawn, being very small, was immediately knocked wildly off balance into another charging fan, who barely noticed her existence as they crashed through and over her in their single-minded fixation, trampling her underfoot. Thorton was similarly assaulted by the crowd, yelling something over the shouting crowd about the crowd's energy being out of control as he struggled to get through the mob, getting mashed between quite a few people in the process. Though he at least managed to remain standing. By now there were enough people calling for attention and shouting that it was difficult to pick out individual voices. Though if one tried, they might be able to pick out some choice fan questions for their favorite gardevoir. I imagine all the fan squeals must be quite distressing to Adam in particular, who might find it rather hard to gain any useful information with all this racket all of a sudden.

There is... one escape route that the crowd isn't coming from, for anyone who doesn't enjoy the idea of being trampled or hounded: the tear itself. Whether the crowd was bold enough to chase them into the tear remained to be seen, but so far they seemed to be... attempting to stay on this side, with only a few getting shoved over the edge, but quickly attempting to retreat to more familiar ground.

New Environment: Inside the Tear

For those who have just stepped into the tear--Bree, Eric--and for those whom are about to flee into the tear... The world inside the tear is a good bit colder. It feels a bit more like a moderately chilly winter night. It is night time on the other side. However moonlight illuminates the landscape, allowing one to see their surroundings--albeit with a lack of clarity--well enough to get a vague idea of what was around them. People or pokemon with more specialized eyes adapted for the night would probably be more comfortable though, as the lack of clarity might make one prone to stumbling on debris they hadn't noticed for exmaple. And of course a flashlight or other proper light source could do wonders for those present.

Roark kinda waves at the two firstcomers who took initiative before becoming distracted by the crowd, a perturbed look on his face. He had assumed they weren't entirely interested in his research and probably didn't want to be bothered. He was also unsure if he ought to get out of the way in case that crowd barreled in, though the thought of losing his spot and having it be tramped was distressing enough to him that he held his ground for the moment being.

You can see the silhouette of Cycling Road against the sky, a pertinent clue that could lead one to route 206 for the observant. So at the very least, you weren't ... completely lost, not immediately anyway. A distant bark of a pokemon can be heard, far enough away that not even those who could see in the dark could see its source. However, there is a light source visible in the distance. It is not flickering like fire, but solid like an electronic light.

Cresselia's Response

Medieval!Dawn receives a response from Cresselia in the form of a day dream! It's more of a brief lapse into her thoughts to be greeted by the warm, comforting presence of cresselia, accompanied by a new, intuitive understanding of what Cresserlia wanted her to do. It was as if the thought had been gently implanted in her head using dream logic, standing out as if she'd just thought it herself a moment ago, even if she hadn't. This ... vision, let's call it, needed no translators and did not rely on an ability to understand Cresselia's actual speech--though it's entirely possible Dawn had learned to understand that to some degree as well. Cresselia's message came in three parts:

Offering clarity. Cresselia acknowledges that you appear to have been displaced into what feels like another world. She isn't a time or space pokemon; she doesn't travel dimensions or anything like that which might grant her extra insight. So she doesn't really understand what has happened to you any better than you do. However, she does find it pertinent to reassure you that your world is not gone. It still exists, and luckily for you dreams don't seem to be limited by distance, allowing her to receive your prayers and answer them even when you are so far apart.

A warning. Cresselia has sorta vibe checked the world beyond the tear and concluded that it does not reflect any signs of her influence. She describes the realm as being full of those who sleep but do not dream, and finds it quite unsettling. That is to say, if an alternate universe Cresselia ever existed on that side of the tear, she's likely gone now. Whatever fate befell her, Cresselia is concerned it may befall you as well.

A request. ...None-the-less, Cresselia has asked you to be her eyes and ears as you enter that world. She wishes to correct what she feels to be a great injustice and has offered you as much protection and guidance as she can offer. You suddenly find yourself faced with the promotion from a servant of Cresselia to a champion of Cresselia should you accept. Her instructions are to offer comfort and take care of those in need--more or less the usual kindness she'd ask of her followers. Happy people were the most likely to have good dreams after all. She also requests for Dawn to travel the world within to get a better idea of its nature, and she makes it clear that your devotion will be rewarded.

Crowd Aftermath

...Speaking of which. Now that the crowd has sort of converged on a smaller area, Medieval!Dawn might notice a small girl with rather familiar blue hair laying on the ground, sticking out now that she'd been left behind. What I'm going to refer to as Prime!Dawn is sitting up with some mild difficulty and snatching her beanie, which came off during the scuffle, to shake and bat at it in an effort to free it of dirt. She had a rather goofy looking bootprint on her face made out of damp dirt and debris that she wasn't quite aware of. A wistful sigh escaped her. She makes something resembling an attempt to stand up, but barely gets off the ground before she wobbles and falls back down. Whether she just needs a moment to let the disorientation fade or if she got hurt and can't get up period isn't clear, though she isn't exactly freaking out or calling for help, so one might surmise she's waiting to try again.

A very flustered Gardenia has managed to free herself from the crowd, brushing herself off and wriggling her stomped feet around a bit to make sure everything's still in working order. Decidedly satisfied, if not a bit sore, she turns to observe the crowd from a safe distance. Sure she could've probably used her pokemon to break it up, but she'd have to smack a few people to do it and she wasn't sure if it was worth it.

Meanwhile Thorton is sandwiched between several people trapped in the crowd, just kinda riding along with them wherever they bring him. As it turns out, he was a fan of Fact Checking Gardevoir and was in no rush to get out of there. He's idly waving at Fact Checking Gardevoir with the crowd, shouting something about her show being very educational. While FGC and him had very different approaches to analysis and research, he couldn't help but appreciate her work.

Some of the less fanatical fans and the camera crew had stayed behind and were now watching in awe, but most of the crowd had gotten caught up in the excitement.

 

[WizardOfOdd]

Adam Halliday
Oreburgh City​

[tab=story2][/tab] [tab=poke2][/tab][tab=invent2][/tab]

​

Inside the Portal

​

"Let's see what secrets you hide," Adam murmured under his breath, stealing a covert gaze at Saturn with his now lavender-colored eyes while utilizing the journalist Gardevoir as a distraction.

But before he managed to gain the information he seeks, a shrill voice shattered the perfect scenario he had initially envisioned to pieces.

"Gardevoir!!"

The scream thankfully didn't come from inside the barrier he had set up, otherwise, there was a slim chance that his eardrums might burst… Or perhaps not because he was using his powers to hear? Anyhow, despite not knowing the answer to that question, the scream was infuriating enough for Adam to turn his sights toward the person responsible for it, only to be greeted by a sight that was so absurd to imagine.

Adam was not so amused as he gazed upon the crowd forming around the Gardevoir, and before they managed to shout inside his sound-tapping barrier he snapped his finger removing the barrier before intrusive noises could blow up his head.

Oh, what a wise decision it was. Not even five seconds had elapsed since he canceled the barrier and the crowd had turned into a mob that started to let out noises loud enough to send him back to his therapist's office if he had let the barrier stand any longer… If his therapist still existed in this dimension, it is.

Sadly, there was nothing Adam could do other than to mark the Gardevoir as a major red flag to avoid and suspend his investigation of Saturn as a mob more loud and feral than bargain hunters in the morning of Black Friday had formed around the area.

"...Guess, it's time to traverse the other dimension." Adam gazed at the portal reflecting a relatively dark area with his eyes that now had turned back to light green.

As the ground around him shook due to the sheer hysteria of the masses, Adam didn't waste any time pulling out a Pokeball while walking away from the commotion. He pressed the button unleashing a red metallic Pokemon from inside of the ball, it was his partner, Brandt the Pawniard.

As soon as he got out from his Pokeball, Brandt immediately put both of his arm blades behind his back as he stood solemnly, awaiting his trainer's order.

"We're going in, there's no telling what's inside, so let's be cautious," Adam warned his Pokemon with urgency in his voice as he pulled out a flashlight from his Great Storage Ball.

Brandt bowed, obliging his trainer's request like he always did for the last twenty-seven years.

While it was a shame that he couldn't get more information before entering the portal, there was no use crying over spilled milk. Perhaps he would be able to glean more information about the alternate dimension if he entered it himself, and so he walked toward the portal, entering it albeit with a slight issue from having to 'slightly' push the obnoxious fans of the Gardevoir away in order make his way toward the portal.

There the sight that awaited him and his partner couldn't be more different than what he had initially thought of. It was so… Ordinary.

Other than the fact that the area almost felt as chilly as the nights he used to spend at Snowpoint despite the lack of snow or even any notable signs of it being the winter season, Adam didn't find anything out of the ordinary as he scanned the open area with the help of his flashlight.

He couldn't feel the ominous presence he felt when he was plunged into the mysterious forest when he had first stranded which was a piece of good news, but at the same time, he wasn't so sure where to start with how the dimension had nothing looking out of place in the slightest.

"That road… Are we… In Kanto?" Said the man looking at the silhouette of what appeared to be a long road looming in the distance.

However, despite the brief window of hope he had about the road being Kanto's own cycling road, he quickly remembered what Gardenia had said to Saturn about her experience inside the very same portal he just entered. Although it wasn't the one she was familiar with, Gardenia was positive that she had traveled through the Eterna Forest, which immediately dashed Adam's hope since if there was anyone most familiar with the forest, the gym leader of Eterna City would be one of the best bet to be that person.

Adam then started to ponder about what he should do next, but the screams of adoration from the other side were enough for Adam to click his tongue and marched away from the vicinity of the portal with his sturdy black hiking boots that he had traded his branded shoes away for back at Snowpoint. It was a lopsided deal, but beggars can't be choosers, and with no items left worth trading for the boots, at least the ones he didn't care to lose, much to his chagrin.

As he pondered where to go inside the chilly dimension, he couldn't help but notice a white light shining from afar. It wasn't the moonlight, and it wasn't the white light emanating from the ceiling of stars hanging above the night sky either.

"Did someone set up a camp there?" Adam muttered, putting his right hand through the sleeves of the black winter coat he just pulled out of his Storage Ball.

While he preferred to act alone and solve this mystery by himself instead of relying on others, the topics of time and dimension shifting were not his forte in the slightest. And with little to no options left as he was in an alternate dimension of the region he knew less about than his seasonal interns, he decided to dirty his hands and find out more about the current dimension he was in, as he approached the source of light with his partner in tow.
​

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​

Party



Adam Wilbur Halliday (Male) | Ability: Telepathy | Camouflage, Psychic, Teleport, Acupressure, Follow Me, Encore

Powerset
'Even Walls have Ears'
Adam has the ability to remotely designate one area at a time as a 'hearing zone' where he is able to project his hearing to that location as if he was there to perceive the noise directly.

5 Strength, 5 Dexterity, 6 Constitution, 15 Knowledge, 12 Willpower, 17 Intuition



Brandt (Pawniard) (Male) | Ability: Defiant | Night Slash, Iron Defense, Scary Face, Metal Claw, Fury Cutter, Slash

14 Strength, 13 Dexterity, 8 Constitution, 5 Knowledge, 13 Willpower, 7 Intuition



Isaac (Blipbug) (Male) | Ability: Telepathy | Struggle Bug, Supersonic

6 Strength, 10 Dexterity, 13 Constitution, 10 Knowledge, 7 Willpower, 14 Intuition

Inventory

Money
₽ 0

In Hand
- 3 Great Ball
- 2 Great Storage Balls
- Silver Ring
- Pokégear

In Storage Balls
- 2 Max Repels
- 5 Fresh Water
- Heavy Duty Flashlight
- 50 pieces of chewing gum
- Thick Winter Coat (secondhand)
- Old Rod
- Pokedex
- Town Map​

​

​

​

 

[Groc]

Commander Saturn

---

While Saturn expected Gardevoir's spiel to gather some attention, nothing had prepared him for a full-blown mob. In their haste and fervor, the crowd of apparently crazed fans even trample some poor girl, and rather than help her, the camera operator and reporter simply look away. Considering that this is exactly the kind of interaction he'd been hoping to avoid, he attempts to slip away from everyone.

"Attempts" being the operative word. The unruly masses are sweeping anyone caught in their path into or under them, and even his recently attained sixth sense, normally a wonderful tool for avoiding attention and slipping past people, wouldn't allow him to pass through. His only option seems to be the tear, which was his original goal anyway.

Before he can avoid the mob altogether, someone grabs his shoulder, shaking him roughly. "Hey, buddy! You were talking to Gardevoir, what did she say?" A particularly excited fan attempts to glean any information they can from Saturn, but he can't allow himself to be slowed.

The jostling fan somehow manages to dislodge his hood, and Luke has retreated into the backpack for safety. Saturn hears the hoodie tear slightly, giving him an idea. A small blob of Distortion darkness forms in his hand, similar to an Aura Sphere, which he brings to his chest and allows to run across his body, tearing the already weakened hoodie to shreds. He uses his powers to fling the now wrecked garment into his assailant's face, tightening the straps on his backpack to keep Luke with him as he rushes toward the portal.

"Is that a Team Galactic outfit?" "Hey, that's Saturn!" "I know him, he was on the news!" Several voices speak up as Saturn's admittedly flimsy disguise is removed. He may have had his uniform redesigned, but for branding purposes it was still similar to the original look, and apparently enough to out his identity to the crowd. He doesn't stick around long enough to find out how this mob will react, throwing himself into the tear and the chill of night within.

He immediately feels the energy around him shift, and his Distortion powers are more easily called upon. Whether that's due to proximity to the Distortion World or just adrenaline, he can't say. The whites of his eyes shift to a shadowy purple as he uses Foresight, colors becoming inverted to his eyes as objects seem to be outlined in white against the darkness. The technique allows him to see the auras of living creatures, but also serves as a form of night vision, once one gets used to it. This way he won't trip over anything in the dark, or be snuck up on by anything as he makes his way deeper into the forest.

He can see several other people entering or already inside the tear, but he makes no effort to approach them. His breathing becomes more labored at the idea of being back in the Distortion World, even if he's not certain that's where he is. It may be his only way home, but the thought of being lost again or even trapped permanently has him rightfully on edge.

Soft paws touch his shoulder as Luke emerges from the pack again, sensing his distress. The little Riolu huffs out a soft bark, reassuring his trainer that he's still there, and Saturn forces himself to remain calm, more for Luke's sake than his own. "I'm okay, buddy. Let's take a look around, shall we? If we get to the high ground, we should be able to get our bearings."

If this Route 206 is similar to the one from his dimension, there should be a way onto the bridge visible above them, leading straight to Eterna City and the forest beyond. Saturn starts moving, sticking to the shadows and staying out of sight for now.

 

[Fact Checking Gardevoir]

Fact Checking Gardevoir held her pose a few more seconds for the show, then lowered her arms as she saw some people gather around. She turned to smile at them, and used her microphone to speak:
Ah, there are people here who know me after all! Hello, everyone! Indeed, I have come here to check the facts about these mysterious tears! But, no worry, I have some time for autographs. Now, if you form a line-
"Gardevoir!!"

In an instant, the interested crowd turned into an out of control mob. Gardevoir went speechless for a few seconds as she witnessed this, then waved her arms in the hope of calming everyone down.
Please, I know you are all excited, but there is no need to be hasty! Please, do not push!
But her voice, even enhanced by the microphone, had no effect, and they were too many for her to try sending her thoughs in their minds. The Psychic type Pokémon made a face and started sweating.

Oh oh... This did not go as planned... What do I do? What can I do!?
Watching the mob getting dangerously close, she backed away. Getting squished or trampled by all of these overexcited fans was definitely not what she came here for! It was at this moment that she managed to hear someone say "Saturn".
Saturn? Do they mean- Wait, is that hooded man actually Saturn, of Team Galactic!?
Looking briefly behind her as she stepped backwards, Gardevoir spotted the blue haired man cross the tear.

If he is involved with these phenomena, I HAVE to follow him and find out how! ... And hopefully, after I cross this tear, the fans will calm down!
Gardevoir had been unable to understand much of the crowd's words, since they were all shouting at once, besides a few here and there, like something about her show being educational. She raised her microphone again:

Oh! Uh... Thank you, thank you! Now, I am sorry everyone, but I realized I should not stall entering the tear much longer! I promise I will come back! Stay tuned! Gotta go!
The Pokémon smiled awkardky and turned on her heels before fleeing- hastily crossing the tear.
Once at the other side, she shivered in the colder air.
Err... maybe I should have brought my winter coat...

The area was quite dark at first, with the mysterious switch from day to night, but Gardevoir could still see well enough not to desperately need the use of the Flash move, not to count some people around might be bothered by a sudden light.

Sadly, she could not see Saturn anymore as she looked around.
Hmm... a Cycling Road. And would that be Roark? Oh! I wonder what is emitting this light...

Gardevoir put her microphone in her backpack and took a moment to think. With a contented smile, she settled on investigating the light source. Hopefully, this was where the shady Galactic leader went! Heading towards it, she felt her excitement rise. It was time for a new adventure!

 

[Aquacorde]

Bree

Rift Interior - Route 207 ■ SU Link

A shiver ran through her large frame the instant Bree crossed the distinct line between worlds. In the eerie chill, insulating fur began to tuft up along her skin, as much as she begged it not to- but no, that wasn't the way. She took a deep breath and let out a slow exhale, for a count far longer than any normal human, and with some semblance of calm willed the fur from her face and hands. Under the moonlight, it would be enough- enough that notice wouldn't be taken, enough to awkwardly return the wave of some man fiddling with dirt. A scientist? Maybe a scientist was the right kind of person to ask for help. She hasn't had much opportunity to do so, and the times she has- well. Talking to people was difficult, especially when they were immediately distracted by fur crawling up her neck.

Powers weren't exactly common in her world, but they weren't uncommon either. Hers, she'd been told all her life, were to be some of the strongest. But the weaker powers, the partial morphs and the empaths and the channelers- they weren't strange to see on a daily basis, even in a town as small as hers.

Other worlds seemed to be far less diverse.

So she hesitated. And her hesitation in speaking to the scientist made enough time for a spirited commotion to break out on the other side of the rift (for now), and others to push their way across. Bree's eyes darted wildly from newcomer to newcomer and settled warily on the crowd. Will they come as well? She still wanted to speak to the scientist, but he and his dirt patch were too close to the mob for her comfort. Bree's heavy boots shuffled backward, her hands gripped the straps of her backpack, and her eyes stayed fixed on the crowd even as her nervous steps took her further from the boundary.