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by BloodOfPhantoms
A bizarre, great shift in tidings has ultimately caused many aspects of the world to have been altered within the grand scheme of reality, and with it shall arise both sheer success, and utter failure. Who will win, and who will lose? The answers will always vary in any game of life.
Chapter One
Darkened daylight reflected hushedly against the multitudinous drops of water that ran across the surfaces of stained earth. The air was damply cold, with the promise of a cold winter settling into the world that lay before all those which resided there, and made what they would with what they had. The rain poured heavily... Streaks like paint against a canvas... Streaks... *streaks...* ..... ---------------------------------------- Before I could even open my eyes, my body was covered in a drenched wet, and it was no longer the body I had come to know, and accept as my own. Laid before me was what I thought was an abomination; myself, covered in purple and blue colors with what looked like my skin. A wide mixture of emotions covered my thoughts as I humbly awoke to the drizzling atmosphere, only to hear the sharp crackle of electricity against the tree I sat down against shortly afterwards, like a fierce snapping. It made me recoil back, and land in a small puddle collecting in the grassy layers of the forest domain which splashed me even further. Surely, it was more water than I needed, but my confusion went elsewhere. 'This is a *weird dream*', I imagined saying in my mind, but even then I thought... If this was truly a dream, then where was I; and more importantly, what was I? Getting up did not come easy. I slipped once, and fell halfway into the puddle again. *The fall felt real.* Going headfirst into the dirt was always better than the serious pain that follows with the alternative of city pavement, yet all of this was just... Off. First error was over, I assumed, so the second time I had just adjusted myself to rise slower. I instinctively dusted myself off of any water, mud, or anything of the sort that might have gotten on me, and started feeling a bit dizzy from the whole ordeal. The same noise from earlier crackled with a softer intensity as my hand went down my chest and below. I tensed, but relaxed at this discovery, keeping my cool as I experimented with this some more; almost like how a child plays with a toy for the first time. Luckily, it did not hurt me, but instead tingled... so to speak. Eventually, I just stopped suddenly, and allowed my eyes to scan the rest of the forest, as the winds that carried the rain still beat against everything, including myself, with a gradually increasing level of a possible storm that I did not want to get caught in; dream or not. My next thought ironically, was to pinch myself (typical, I know), but in this quiet spot of a clearing with the small space that it had, I was 95.33% sure that whatever else there was, I could venture into it. Being already outside made it far easier than an interior of say, for example, a house, and I could only _hope_ that was true. I wanted to explore this dream. Whatever creations and other madness came my way would just be a step away from waking, and I would be fine. As I walked, I further noticed that despite being extremely vivid in detail, my eyesight was the best it had ever been... period? All of the real-life feelings kept boggling my mind as to what exactly this was; and how I could experience such a thing again if possible, but most of what I was getting from my stroll in the forest was nowhere. I refused to run in the rain, because if I fell another time, I might've woken up. And my first impression of these legs were far from sturdy. Having short legs but long arms, being mostly purple AND having electrical powers made me either feel like some misfit of a god, or a really strange dinosaur thing. Except I wasn't huge like a god or a dinosaur, either. I tried thinking up a sun for the rain to go away (as stupid as that sounds, I did test it), but the more-than-overcast, black and gray clouds still loomed over me like a blight, and covered me and the shaking trees in a repeated, non-stop shower that was about to become far more brutal. ...Maybe? I could never be a weather-man, but it looked bad, and that was all I needed to know. Being lost in my thoughts was enough to keep me lumbering in a straight direction after my first turn into the rest of the wilderness for a long while. Little objects in the way led to a semi-easy traversal, but even with my enhanced vision, it came to no good with the rain that splashed onto my eyes like they were windshields. I started holding one arm up to block away most of the droplets, but it was beginning to get tedious. Like I said, I was getting nowhere, and not even fast. Yet I felt somehow determined. Then... something called out to me. Someone. A voice that sounded male, but young, along with small, squishing footsteps that were coming up close against my hearing. I turned to face them, and saw. *My angel in the rain*
Chapter Two
Our eyes met for the first time under the quiet watch of no one, but ourselves. A beast in the shape of a fox, drenched and panting with a light shortness of breath. They stopped in their tracks as I watched them, and while I admittedly did not care much for our little 'stare-down' at the time, my mind had instead shifted to a sole question then. ...What was he? ---------------------------------------- "Hey you-..." The creature spoke in a soft tone, trying desperately to get his words across through the interrupting widespread of pitter-patters; no longer delicate as before. The noise of this was starting to grow, and become more noticeable to the average hearing. Things were changing fast. The Ninetales stared at them with a small, confused look on their face, to which they did not stop staring, even until the very end of their gazes meeting. On the opposite end was a blanker, more monotone stare, with much thought behind it more than expression. The two kept at each other like this until the Ninetales had finally decided to move again, a few steps to where the other had remained completely still. Both lacking nervousness. The trickling silence in the background brought back all tension; deafness falling on even the partially cautious steps placed nearer by the fox. As he drew closer... "...What?" A humble reply came, which led the Ninetales to jump back, quivering in their non-existent boots. "Eeeee!!" He squealed as the 'purple dinosaur looking thing' responded, which led to little consequent reaction from them, but a small blink of the eyes. The blankness of the environment faded in again, yet they still kept gawking at each other; the other's tilt of the head being enough to make the Ninetales speak again. "L-look, I don't really know who you are, or what's going on, but we need to get to a shelter quick," The Ninetales exclaimed, his voice coming off a bit harsher than before, but still holding onto a softer outlook, "this rain is starting to hurt, and I'm not sure how long I'd be able to last out here like this..." Registering this only shortly after, the other turned, and gave a curt nod before scanning around, putting their arm up to see through the rain again. "You're right," He replied finally, taking the time to make sure of his observations, "but there's no 'shelter' anywhere." "Of course there is!" The Ninetales shouted, and started walking off in a random direction, which then proceeded into a sluggish sprint as he visibly grimaced ever so slightly, "There has to be somewhere... you're just not looking in the right places!" The fox's voice started trailing off as he finished his last sentence. The thought process that plagued the 'purple dinosaur's' mind was all but vibrant then and there. A quiet annoyance for this was beginning to grow inside of him, as more stained questions came riddled than clear answers, to which the latter represented just that of a fable. But he had no other choice. Standing there in the pouring rain for too long was no good for either of them; that much could be logically deduced with the snap of a finger, and didn't take a scholar to figure out. Following after a stranger could have been risky, although it really didn't matter in the conditions they were both in. Thus, he started on a quick walk, and tried keeping up with the vulpine entity, mostly relying on sight where his speed and enthusiasm clearly lacked in comparison. The more they kept going, the more the lightning chased, bringing thunder that blasted through their ears like a lumbering, crawling giant that did not stop through its incandescent, long pursuits behind them. "Hey, look!" The Ninetales broke off his train of thought more than the wet ever did, grabbing his attention with a pawed point as he slowly managed to catch up with his awkward speed. Glancing around with exhaustion beginning to build up like the worst of headaches, he simply could not see anything of interest, until he realized where the Ninetales was showing their paw to, his eyes lighting up with a faint glimmer of hope as a result. "Come on," was all the fox would utter before bolting through at an unanticipated increase of speed, while they still followed slower, eventually catching up under the welcoming dryness of a shadowed roof. The foreign coolness of a stony cave and its opening left much to be desired in structure, but it let both of their bodies adjust to a new sense of relaxation from the pounding rain that was splashing down against their backs very swiftly. The Ninetales lowered their head to pant almost as soon as they had entered, doing so heavily this time as the weight of the rain and running left them both needing to take a few stark breaths for themselves. "...Okay, now that the main problem is over, we can finally speak to each other," The Ninetales said with a sigh of relief, turning around to face him, but he was already staring up. "...?" As he came to notice what was above, a shriek made its way into his throat, and with a panicked voice, he backed away slowly. "G-GAH!" Shouting with a great shock, the cave seemed to rumble slightly over the loud echo of the fox's voice, and what forces carried this, caused a bundle of effects, just waiting to be unleashed. And so they were. In what seemed like hundreds, all of the Zubat let out their collective, piercing cries, and flew directly forward towards them from the roof of the cave. The Ninetales recoiled back in fright and closed their eyes as he became enveloped in a whirlwind of Zubats, soon covering him like a swarm. An ear-splitting zap soon broke the noises of the colony and their widespread formation at once, the electricity coming from the source of that who could control it. Having swiped his hand against his chest and motioning it into the center of the flying army in one fast, reactive motion, the Zubat darted away from it with their own faster reaction speeds, almost as if fearing the shot that carried through. It would have connected with some of them, had the bolt been longer in range; but instead, a trio of the many had their wings light up with a white glow, and came at the source with three separate Wing Attack's in split directions. With sparks running along his body however, it would only take one of them to notice for the others to follow suit, and realize that this was not a battle they could win, ultimately causing all of them to collectively flee the cave, the many wings kicking up slight, dusty winds along the cave as they passed through the two with a fleeing exhilaration, and left through the booming of the storm in great unison. The domain was now as it was before, and with a slightly pained opening of his red eyes, it was almost as if the fox had been flinched for the entire time, blinded by fear itself. He turned to look at the one who had saved him, and they still appeared as calm as ever. And silent. Their eyes had not even widened since, let alone hardly even move from place to place during their time together. "DAMN IT, WHY DOES EVERYTHING GO WRONG FOR ME?!?" He erupted, whilst breeding up a scratching growl within his throat before the sudden shout, that carried through even after his eyes had sparkled with a ruby red rage deep inside. The rain was isolated at this point by this louder, reverberating echoed voice along the cave walls; and it was only then that the other's peepers had finally widened in surprise. An uncontrolled, small flame had almost come out of his mouth right after he had shouted, only quenched by his still soaked figure and a renewed panting, this time out of hate, mixed in with the previous exhaustion. It was only after he had watched up again and saw the other staring that he had realized what he had done in full comprehension. "I-I'm sorry!" The Ninetales stepped closer to them once more with slight hesitation, which instantly seemed like a replay of the first time they had met to the purple one... just under different terms. It was almost identical, they realized. Almost. "I didn't mean that to you, I really didn't," He continued in a hustled, apologetic tone that sounded genuinely sincere, then turned back to avert his eyes from the other, walking farther away from them instead. It was just enough to not be seen properly under the dim lighting cutting in from the entrance, "I just have... a-anger issues sometimes..." Shaking his soaked, golden-white fur off from the excess water, the Ninetales eventually looked back to face him with a brisk turn, "As I said, I'm really sorry and-" "It's okay." He reassured him out of nowhere, then went over to sit down against the left side of the cave, doing so with a relaxed demeanor, and seemingly nothing more. "I-It is?..." With a baffled look on the Ninetales' face from the supposedly quick understanding, and the mood of the area becoming peaceful again, the fox gave a sigh of relief, and a warm smile instead. "...Thank you for saying that," He complimented gently while he walked over again, this time without any lack of decision-making, "i should've... umm, really introduced myself before earlier... so my bad on that one, heheh..." A random spark against his skin caused the Ninetales to jump back with an 'Eep!', being especially near in proximity, the electricity bouncing off of their body before dissipating into nothingness once more. "Oh, my bad," He said, also sounding a bit alarmed from his own conductive abilities, "This power appears to be slightly unstable, but it should be fine by now. In case you couldn't tell because your eyes were closed, I had used my electricity to chase off those bat looking things from earlier, and that's probably why it just went off as an after-effect." "A-alright..." The Ninetales stepped back over some more, trusting the individual on his word, "As I was saying, it's really nice to meet you, and my name is Praet! It's spelt *P-R-A-E-T*!" He explained, with a smile, "What's yours?" "Gigxi." For a moment, there was a brief, delicate pause between them. "Well, h-how do you spell *that*?" Gigxi looked at him funny, as if he had asked him a really stupid question, but then understood why he had said such a thing. "...It's-" Stopping for one this time, Gigxi's entire body froze at the seams, his heart skipping a single beat that felt like if it had lasted for a whole minute. Shortly after he was able to breathe again, it was as if he had come out of some form of stasis, his physical and mental states temporarily shut off in some places, but still left active with others. Praet was eyeing him with a deepened curiosity as he waited for the letters to sound out just as he had come out of this, and time, as far as he could notice, started running again. "Well?" The Ninetales asked, patiently waiting for the few seconds that seemed to go by naturally, with the present ticking of the world's very own clock. "...Is there something wrong?"
Chapter Three
"313," The number rattled out of his mouth like the rolling of dice, and came with a surprised, confused look forming upon the Ninetales' face as he heard him speak it. "3-1... 3? What...?" Praet asked Gigxi with a tilt of his head, "...What do you mean?" Gigxi appeared to have been stuck with that strange calm again, which really seemed to be his default expression. He stared forward at the opposite cave wall, remaining in his seated position. "A bunch of numbers just popped into my mind, and..." As he eyed Praet, he also looked like if he was staring right through him, and onto something else, "that was one of the first of them which I could remember seeing." "Uhm... okay?" The Ninetales responded, bewildered as ever, but curious, "D-did you see anything else?" As he was asked this, his eyes looked like they were in a thoughtful daze, before he soon responded, "There were too many to remember all," Gigxi stated, "But other than 313, I think... 41, 62, and... 9?" Funnily enough, both of them, as it happened, did not show in the slightest any true comprehension of what they were talking about. It happened like a mystery, and stayed like a mystery. And the whole affair reaked of a hidden foulness. A short silence came between the two, followed by him just walking for a few steps, before pausing and looking back at Praet. "You know..." Gigxi sighed, "They do say that the greatest darkness, in turn, produces the greatest light." Praet then became alerted, and retorted back in mild confusion, "...So? What does that have to do with anything?" "I believe... despite this going against all my preconceived notions of scientific reality... that there are certain things being revealed to me now, at a..." Praet raised a brow, as Gigxi seemingly stared into nothingness, directionally up at the ceiling of the cave they were in. "...At a trickling pace." "Huh," Praet said, "Well... that's good for you, I guess." "If my guess is correct, then that should be good for you, too." "Oh... really?" Praet responded. "Yes, really." "Well... then, we should probably leave here as soon as the rain clears up then— in order to avoid anymore issues." The Ninetales spoke, going over to the side of the cave and laying down with a sigh to rest, "I need to... I need to take a break." Gigxi too, decided to make his way over to the side of the cave to rest his body. Electricity still crackled along his form, the once-yellow hue now transforming into a ripe blue as he raised it up above his face in examination, flexing the hand back and forth in some form of examining curiosity. "The numbers that speak to me..." He begins to explain, "They tell me that we are both... not from here. That I knew, but..." Praet raises his head and the rest of his body upwards. "...But only for me," Gigxi elaborates, "And they further explain to me that I am... a 'Toxtricity'— whatever that means. One of the... the 'Low-Key Form', while you are... well, just a 'Ninetales'." "A... A Ninetales?" Praet questions, look astonished but fairly unsurprised, "W-wait... am I...?" He speaks in a bit of fatigue, yet borrowed interest. He lifts himself up, and begins walking in a line, back and forth repeatedly. "That sounds... just like a Pokémon... you know, from one of those top franchises? B-but I...!" Suddenly, Praet began to freak out and hyperventilate on the spot, "But I was just home a minute ago! I came home from work at the office, greeted my brother and sister and... and...!" "And then you fell asleep that very evening," The Toxtricity nods, "Hmm... yes, that would be what these numbers are telling me..." "W-what's with these numbers, anyway?" Praet walked over, and then leaned himself over slightly to eye him straight. Gigxi could only look at him with an unenthused, blank expression plastered with slight concern, and a poker face. "You've been talking all kinds of weirdness about them... but I don't see a thing! Have you gone mad?!" Praet shouts, his voice echoing firmly against the cave walls. "Maybe," He eventually nods, "And quite possibly so, with about a 100% chance of success, I would say." "What...?" "See, the truth is Praet... I don't even know what you yourself just spoke about," The electricity on his body appears to cease somewhat, and he continues, "We both came from being humans... that I'm sure, but I have *no idea* what this Pokémon thing is you're even speaking about— like, not even the faintest clue." "...But didn't you just say—" Gigxi interrupted, "These numbers explain information, where it seems like my brain has naturally adapted somehow to interpret them as I hear them... and as a view them, somewhere, in my mind." He says, "They go far beyond words... but their interpretations sometimes come out all at once, where it's hard for me to make out exactly what they're saying." "See, I come from New York... and you— well... I don't even know where they're saying you came from." "Opals." Praet says, looking away almost shyly, "It's a small island that not many would be accustomed to... so I guess it might make sense that you wouldn't know about it." "Yeah but see..." Raising another brow, Praet eyes and waits for Gigxi to finish speaking, "I've literally studied geography on an expert level, and memorized practically the entire world up until... whatever this is," He remarks. "...And I still haven't a clue as to what you're saying." "Because as far as I know... 'Opals' doesn't even exist."
Chapter Four
I could never go back there. Not today, not ever. My memories from that place are already fading, as was instructed... as was told. The night's air is cold. The forest, even colder. It's moist, but it lacks warmth. Bittersweet, I saw the carnivores lapping at another's dead corpse. A Luxio. He or she is dead now, at least. That's why I used the term, 'bittersweet'. But I don't have to explain myself to you. Why should I? You wouldn't even care. You're twisted, just like the rest of them. You like to feed, and devour upon corpses. Upon others. How are you listening to this...? You're in my head, YOU'RE IN MY HEAD— ---------------------- Prisca screamed. The Midnight Lycanroc was far from stable. Moreover, she had a very rude temper. She held at her head with both paws. And screamed. *And screamed*. And cried. Her eyes clutched tightly. Her body tensed... There was no redemption. And just like that, her haunting memories were gone. The Lycanroc's red eyes opened with surprise. And something was watching. Someone. Persons. A Conkeldurr stepped out from the shadows of the trees. The malice in his grin unmistakable. A Scovillain from the right, and a Mightyena from theirs, soon follow. They laughed at her. And slowly, she laughed at them. Cackling. Whispers between her breath. The full moon loomed. ---------------------- "Your parents must be really disappointed in you," an adult, feminine voice shoots out from the campfire, crackling along its core, "You're like a parasite to their bank accounts." So came the voice from a Zoroark, her blue eyes casting a glint on the Toxtricity over the flames. Meanwhile, next to her atop one of the two logs was a girl in the form of a Scorbunny. The youth kicked her legs about, paws leaned back, simply enjoying life and the banter throughout. "Well, I..." Gigxi spoke, before carefully keeping quiet to himself. "And you there," Rebecca continued with the assault, already leaned forward, "High school dropout is what you said?" "You're sick in the head... maybe you two were meant for each other after all," she continued, "Your lives sound like horseshit." Praet, the Ninetales' face flustered and worsened with each detail she gave. He was not keen towards judgment. Not in the slightest. "...And what about you then, miss 'high-and-mighty'," he went on with a small hiss, "What's your story?" Rebecca chuckled, as she eyed away from him calmly, "Oh, me?" "Yes, you!" Praet growled, getting up from where he sat and going closer to the fire. "None of your business, kid," she snickered, "And besides, we're still trying to figure out how all of us don't know where you're even from." "DON'T shift the topic!" Praet growled, edging closer with flames growing within the pure reds of his eyes. "There's no place called Opals!" Tulip, the Scorbunny laughed, blissfully and sweetly, "None none none!" "Yeah, because you're a liar, Praet," Rebecca teased, "Not an island, not a continent, not a place in the world." Praet growled, and continued to growl. Louder, and more boisterously. He stepped into the fire, but was stopped. Gigxi's hand remained present on his shoulder, after getting up from his sitting position atop the log. "I think you've annoyed us both enough," he commented, his eyes showcasing a hint of disdain towards Rebecca, "We're leaving." Praet looked up at him, a bit shocked by the sudden touch, but smiled a little at the gentle gesture. "You *can't* leave." Rebecca reminds them, with a chuckle. "You're stuck here... with us. Tulip and I. Boo-hoo!" she gestured, rubbing at her eyes in a show of fake tears, then laughing, "But don't worry... you'll get your fix. After all, weren't *you* the one looking for answers?" Directing the question to Gigxi, he paused for a moment, then responded. "It's a dream," Gigxi stated, "From a franchise, as we've worked out, that only Praet has heard about." Rebecca's red claws tap against her cheek idly, widening her stretched grin across her face's features. "That's not true," she chuckled some more, "And I've only been telling the truth... so far, at least." One of Gigxi's brows raised at her words, before his expression became stern. He carefully considered his thoughts again, while fire remained embedded along his hand. It felt... nice. But it was just the kind of thing that was distracting him, and his thought process. Just then, a rustle came from the bushes, redirecting all of the group's attention towards the unfamiliar sound. There's a strange noise coming from the leaves. It grew, and resembled a laughter that inched, and remained. It kept. "*The wind grows*," Prisca stepped out, bloodied, bare, and in the open, a long slice amongst flesh bleeding from her forehead into her right eye, "And you're next." "*You're all next. You're all dead. We're doomed!*"