Disclaimer: Neither I, nor any authors participating in this work, own any of the properties mentioned in this fic.
Hello, and welcome to the Shin Megami Tensei / Persona Infinite Loops!
If you don't know what the loops are, here is a quick introduction:
Originally started by the author Inortal in this very website, the Infinite Loops started as a complication of snapshots involving characters from various franchises, reliving their lives over and over and over again – and getting into various shenanigans in an attempt to alleviate their boredom. Eventually, spacebattles (the website) got its hands on it, and now the Infinite Loops is a truly massive community project with countless authors, involving just about every fandom you can think of.
And the Megami Tensei franchise – or as it is known in the Loops, the Amala branch, is no exception.
Now; an introduction of the official loop mechanics, paraphrased to be as current as possible:
One person per loop, often the main character, is an Anchor. They are the person who first starts time looping. There may be more anchors per loops for a variety of reasons.
There is at least one Anchor present in any Time Loop snippet, though it may not be the local one.
The standard pattern for a loop is that the Anchor (and whoever else is looping there) come to awareness in a loop at a particular point in the story. From there, events will play out as influence by the Loopers present, acting with the benefit of their foreknowledge, until a predetermined end point is reached or all Loopers have copped it.
To be Awake is to be aware of the time loops (that is, to have gone back in time this time). NOTE: Awake applies only to Loopers – those who know that there's a time loop but are not loopers are called "Loop Aware".
The Anchor is the only character guaranteed to be Awake. Even after other have started looping, it is mostly random as to whether they will be Awake this particular loop.
Crossovers, fusions, and alternate pasts can also take place. It is perfectly possible, for example, to have the characters Awaken into a loop which conforms to a fanfic universe rather than reality, or to Awaken to find that someone from a different Loop has replaced their friends.
Loops do not have to be in a chronological order, but it is strongly preferred that they do not require a mutually contradictory order.
Just about every looper is very, very stir crazy.
Background:
Time loops happened because something went horribly wrong with Yggdrasil, the supercomputer that runs the multiverse, and the Admins running everything put a great deal of universes into time Loops to stop them from breaking any further.
Backups do exist though: in many worlds, other Loops are stored as works of fiction, just in case the Admins need to restore the factory settings of a Branch. Our world, the Hub, is the master backup, and contains every backup of every loop known to exist.
And as you should expect, Amala is the (second) most damaged up branch in the multiverse (No. 1 is the Mega Man branch, for those curious).
Whatever broke Yggdrasil caused the cosmic flaw that made the MegaTen universe – Amala – as messed up as it is. It drove YHVH (the one present in the branch) absolutely mad, and even warped the backups, so that YHVH can be nothing but the tyrant we know from the games. Nocturne especially is one of the most damaged sub-branches in existence. Fortunately for them, the Persona sub-branch managed to escape most of the damage.
Specific info: Current as of July 28, 2020. Will get updated when further changes occur.
Admin: Taira no Masakado
Shin Megami Tensei I (known as "Mainline" branch)
Anchor: Steven
Loopers: Futsuo (protagonist)
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne (known as "Conception" branch)
Anchor: Naoki Kashima (Demi-Fiend)
Loopers: Pixie (also known as Super-Pixie), Hee-Ho, the Rider Fiends
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey (the "Schwarzwelt" branch)
Anchor: Lagdon Alder (protagonist)
Loopers: Arthur
Shin Megami Tensei IV and Apocalypse (the "Firmament" branch)
Anchor: Isabeau
Loopers: Flynn, Burroughs
Digital Devil Saga (the "Junkyard" branch)
Anchor: Sera (soul-bonded with Serph), Seraph (when the two fuse together)
Loopers: Serph, Heat, Argilla, Gale, Cielo, Roland
Devil Survivor 1 (the "Lockdown" branch)
Anchor: Atsuro Kihara
Loopers: Kazuya Minegishi "Abel", all the "Bel" demons (soul-bonded with Abel), Yuzu Tanikawa
Devil Survivor 2
Anchor: Al Saiduq
Loopers: Hibiki Kuze, Daichi Shijima, Io Nitta, Yamato Hotsuin
Devil Summoner – Raidou Kuzunoha games
Anchor: unconfirmed – Stealth Anchor
Loopers: Raidou Kuzunoha XIV, Gotou
Persona:
Anchor: Igor
P1: Naoya Todou, Maki Sonomura, Kei Nanjo, Masao "Mark" Inaba, Reiji Kido, Yukino Mayuzumi, Yuka Ayase, Eriko "Elly" Kirishima, Hidehiko "Brown" Uesugi
P2: Tatsuya Suou, Maya Amano, Eikichi Michina, Lisa Silverman, Jun Kurosu, Katsuya Suou, Ulala Serizawa, Baofu
P3: Minato Arisato / Makoto Yuki, Yukari Takeba, Junpei Iori, Mitsuru Kirijo, Akihiko Sanada, Shinjiro Aragaki, Fuuka Yamagishi, Koromaru, Aegis, Ken Amada, Ryoji Mochizuki (soul-bonded to Minato Arisato), Chidori Yoshino, Elizabeth, Theodore
P4: Yu Narukami, Yosuke Hanamura, Chie Satonaka, Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa, Teddie, Naoto Shirogane, Nanako Dojima, Ryotaro Dojima, Tohru Adachi
PQ: Zen and Rei (soul-bonded)
P5: Joker / Akira Kurusu, Morgana, Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki, Yusuke Kitagawa, Makoto Nijima, Futaba Sakura, Haru Okumura, Sojiro Sakura
Loop Aware Entities: the Fiends, the White, Philemon, Nyarlathotep
Dreaming: Takahisa Kandori
Additional notes:
Naoki Kashima is an MLE for some loops
After the Edit, Naoki Kashima is now a Travelling Looper
Law and Chaos heroes in general cannot loop. Same goes for the humans in the Vortex World.
Reiji Kido, Tatsuya Suou and Jun Kurosu have been Grima Patched to prevent Nyarlathotep from looping.
The Rumour Curse is under Read Only.
Aleph is currently not looping for several reasons.
[Persona 4], [JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]
Yu Narukami's Bizarre Adventure – part 1
Author: GioGio
Yu sighed as he cut down yet another Shadow, for what seemed like the billionth time (Which it probably was, relatively speaking). The rest of the Investigation Team was behind him, dealing with any Shadows that were coming from the sides. Yu pushed up his glasses a bit to keep them from falling from his nose.
It was a fairly standard Loop. If Yu didn't know any better, he would have just assumed that things were just playing out as normal once again, no glaring variations of Fusions.
"No, no, no! That's too average! Hardly deserving to be called a victory pose!"
Ah yes, there was the thing that made this loop different.
Rohan Kishibe then stormed towards him, paper and pens held in his left hand, before he got to Yu's face and said, "If I'm going to make my manga perfect, I MUST give my readers a sense of relief! That the heroes had finally pulled an epic victory from the jaws of defeat! Gah! I'll do it myself!"
Rohan then brought Yu's right arm, which held his katana, and lifted it before bending the wrist so that the blade would be pointing to the ground, he then lifted Yu's left hand and had it placed on top of his right hands palm.
"Dude!" Yosuke shouted, glaring at Rohan. "Don't criticize how we look when we beat up a Shadow! We're not just some freaking models for your manga!"
"Are you just upset Rohan-sensei's making you the quirky comic relief of Pink Dark Boy?" Yukiko asked, making Yosuke groan as Rohan began positioning Yu's head so that it was tilted towards the sky slightly.
"Yeah, I gotta admit, why do we let that jackass hang with us again?" Kanji asked while scratching the back of his head.
"Apparently, he's Senpai's friend." Naoto answered, observing Rohan continuing to position Yu into his desired pose. "Senpai must be really uncomfortable right now..."
"Sensei sure makes some strange friends..." Teddy muttered out quietly.
"You look awesome Narukami!" Chie shouted out words of encouragement, only for Yosuke to snort.
"You're just saying that because Rohan promised to make the chick based on you in his manga the main character..."
Yu sighed as his muscles ached while Rohan stood in front of him drawing on his papers and hearing Chie kick the crap out of Yosuke.
Josuke was seriously going to owe him one for this...
[Persona 4], [Kill la Kill]
Author: TrueZero2
For Yu, it had been a fairly standard Loop, not many major changes.
Well, there was the fact that they had a guest this Loop. One Satsuki Kiryuin, who had looped into Chie's place in the group. Surprisingly, despite the differences between the two of them personality-wise, Satsuki was friends with Yukiko.
Satsuki chalked it up to the Loop Memories. Apparently the two had grown up together, so they had become a rather unlikely pair of friends.
Of course, when it came to rescuing Yukiko from her Shadow's castle…
...
"Yukiko! Where are you?" Satsuki shouted, having charged ahead. She'd left Yu, Teddie and Yosuke behind, charging into the castle. If only this fog wasn't so goddamn thick, and then there was that chill in the air. "I've got to find her. We may only be friends because of what happened before I Awoke… but I…"
"Go on, Satsuki." Someone else said, "'But I' what?"
"An enemy?" Satsuki said to herself, as she turned around.
She had come face to face with herself.
"Enemy? That all depends. Would you say that one of your own worst enemies, is you?" Her doppelgänger asked, with a sickly sweet smile that frankly wouldn't look out of place on Nui.
"What."
"Oh, you didn't know?" Satsuki's double asked, her sweet smile turning into a sadistic grin. "Alright, I'll fill you in. This world gives me a physical form, and I'm you, you see. All those little insecurities, fears, and regrets, I know them all! Boy, you've got some good ones…"
...
"Satsuki! You in… here?" Yosuke asked as the three guys caught up to Satsuki. "Hey partner, is she...?"
"Yes Yosuke, she's sword-fighting with her Shadow." Yu replied, equally confused. Satsuki had pulled Bakuzan out of her pocket, while Shadow Satsuki had changed looks slightly. She was now wearing Junketsu in the same way that Ryuko had worn it that one time in her baseline, and like Satsuki, she was using her own Bakuzan to fight.
"I didn't think this was possible." Teddie added, as the three of them stood there watching a rather intense duel unfolding between Satsuki and her Shadow-self.
...
It took a while, but the battle had ultimately come to an end, and Satsuki had triumphed over her Shadow.
"Heh, you may have beaten me, but I'm you." Shadow Satsuki said, with a grin. "That means I can't die so long as you live!"
"That's right. You are me." Satsuki replied.
"Huh?"
"You're the side of me that I wish I could forget. You're that version of me that I fear that I would have become had Ragyo been able to groom me the same way she had done with Nui. A version of me that would have sacrificed humanity and done it all with a happy-go-lucky grin on her face!"
"So what happens now?"
"I accept that those fears are part of me, and I pray that I never see them realised." Satsuki replied, "Now, if you really are me, then you know why I'm here, why I'm risking my life. A friend of mine is in danger. I will rescue her, and I will not let myself falter here!"
"Dammit. You're a real problem child." Shadow Satsuki said, as her body began to glow, "Just you wait, we will meet again, one of these Loops..."
The shadow's body began to fade, as a new one took her place. It was a figure similar in size and build to her, with blue skin under white that looked somewhat like the normal look for Junketsu, minus the eyes in the shoulders. In place of each eye was five stars on each shoulder. Its arms ended in two blades, similar to her two Bakuzan blades, the shorter Gako formed the left hand, while Koryu was present at the end of the right arm, replacing it up to the elbow.
Finally there was the being's head. It was the same white as the Junketsu portions of the body, reaching up to cover the mouth and nose like some sort of mask, as well as reaching around the rest of its head, forming small horns and leaving only a small section of the face, around its featureless amber eyes, exposed.
"Your name is… Mikaboshi…" Satsuki muttered.
"Lady Satsuki's got a Persona now?" Teddie asked, surprised.
"Apparently so." Yu replied.
This was proving to be a rather different Loop indeed. Yu wondered how Satsuki would react to Adachi being the murderer…
[Persona 4], [JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]
Yu Narukami's Bizarre Adventure – part 2
Author: GioGio
"Yes!" Gyro shouted out loud as he reeled back the fishing rod. As he did that, a humongous fish flew out from the water's surface. "Finally caught the bastard!"
"Holy crap!" Yosuke shouted behind the Italian as he pointed at the fish. "I-I think that's Shichiri's Guardian!"
"Well to me it was a massive pain in the ass to catch!" Gyro announced as he dragged the huge fish up onto the rock he was fishing. "Took me several Lo-a long time to catch the thing, but I finally did!"
"Wait, what was that thing before?" Chie asked curiously. "Lo-something?"
"Oh, it was nothing." Gyro said with a wave of his hand. He then grinned, showing his grills that had the phrase GO! GO! ZEPPELI! on them. "Anyway, lets start a fire! We're cooking' fish tonight! Nyohoho~!"
"I do hope you know that starting a fire on this beach is illegal Zeppeli-san." Naoto reminded, only for Hot Pants (Wearing a dark red one-piece bikini) to shake her head.
"Forget it Naoto. When Zeppeli sets his mind on something he'll follow through no matter how idiotic it is."
"Oh! I would bear-ry much like to eat fish-sticks!" Teddie shouted as he ran towards the group of three, waving his hands excitedly.
"Gyro seems to be getting along well with them." Yu said with a small smile on his face while he and Johnny sat on seats made out of sand. "Would have thought they would be trying to kill him for his... hobby."
"Ah, Gyro makes exceptions to certain places." Johnny said with a wave of his hand. "He actually likes Inaba. Says it's peaceful."
"That it is." Yu agreed with a nod of his head. "Too bad it can't stay this way."
Johnny frowned at the statement. In this loop, Funny Valentine was indeed the President of the United States. What made it even worse was that he was going to Japan in a month for 'diplomatic reasons'. But Johnny knew that the President would most likely make a stop at Inaba, his goal probably being to capture Izanami and use her power for the prosperity of America. Adachi may have been caught earlier (With Gyro giving him an extra beating for the crap he caused and tried to justify), but President Valentine was a wild card every Loop, with a different Stand and different powers.
"When he comes... we'll deal with him. Until then..." Johnny made a small intricate circle on his right armrest, clapped his hands, and put them down. In a flash of blue light, an arm made of sand grew out from the armrest and went to the cooler several feet away, opened it, and reached in before throwing two sodas which Johnny caught. "...we enjoy the peace that we have." He then handed a soda to Yu, which he took and drank.
Another good thing about this Loop to Johnny was that several people from his baseline were here as well, albeit as teenagers. Still, it was nice to have them around and not be on a race where they were all ready to kill one another for the Corpse Parts.
"Sand Alchemy?" Yu asked, making Johnny shrug.
"Hey, me and Gyro ran into a lot of deserts in the Steel Ball Run, so I thought it would be useful. Besides, I can get sand from anywhere. It's just made of tiny eroded rocks after all. Gyro learned Steel Alchemy, which is a lot less practical than he thought when racing around the countryside."
"You know, you're a lot mellower than you are in the manga." Yu commented out loud, causing Johnny to freeze up.
"...Yeah, I guess I am." Johnny's smile turned melancholic as he looked towards Gyro lifting the Guardian over his head like a trophy. "Gyro may be weird, a pervert, a home wrecker, and someone who tells bad jokes all the time, but... he's my best friend. In one year, we were as close as brothers. That trip across America taught me that I didn't know as much about myself as I thought I did." Johnny let out a sigh. "Without him, I wouldn't have been able to walk. Figuratively, or literally."
Yu nodded in acceptance to Johnny's heartfelt declaration. "Guess we do need others to mature." He then looked back at the beach. He saw Gyro boasting about his catch to Yosuke, Chie, and Teddie while Naoto and Hot Pants looked on. Mountain Tim was trying to be suave to Rise and Yukiko, who giggled at his compliments and looked confused respectively. Kanji was racing across the beach against Sandman (Soundman? Johnny could never get what was the appropriate name to call him by), with the Native American way ahead of him.
"We have great friends, don't we?"
Johnny had a true, pleased, and fulfilled smile appear on his face as he looked at the scene.
"Yeah, we do."
[Persona 4], [My Little Pony]
My Little Persona – part 1
Author: Gamerex27
Yu Narukami Awoke lying in bed. Something immediately felt off. For one thing, he felt much smaller than usual. He quickly thought that he might have Awoken earlier in his timeline in this particular variant.
He was partially correct: he certainly was younger this Loop. However, as he discovered when he tried to get out of bed, that wasn't the only thing that was different.
His shoulders refused to move the way he wanted them too. Grunting, he struggled to get up, waving his limbs vainly in an attempt to get his numb fingers to push himself up.
And, when he got a glimpse of his limbs, he understood why he couldn't feel his fingers. Because, at the time, he didn't have any. In place of his hand was a gray-furred hoof.
Great, the Seeker of Truth thought to himself. This must be Equestria, then.
He skimmed his Loop memories. Apparently, his name here was True Sight (still not as bad as the Sisterhood Complex Kingpin of Steel), and he was still in grade school; today was the first day. Looking behind him, he saw that he was covered front to back in a dishwasher gray coat. According to his memories, there was supposed to be a symbol on his flank called a "Cutie Mark" (he rolled his eyes at this), but he was too young to have one.
He sent out a Ping, and got back around a dozen responses. At least he wasn't alone this Loop (though, since Igor was the Anchor back home, he didn't have to worry about Lonely Loops like some other Loopers).
"True! You up in there!" That was unmistakably Dojima's voice.
"Yeah," Yu said, in a voice that was too high-pitched for his liking. "I just need to grab my books, and I'll be on my way."
"Big bro!" said another voice, most definitely Nanako's. "Come eat breakfast! Your alfalfa browns are getting cold!"
Yes, this was going to be a strange Loop.
...
As Yu took his seat in class, he scanned the rest of the classroom. Several of the peo-ponies looked suspiciously familiar. One of them, wearing Naoto's hat, tipped her cap in their usual signal to tell if they were Awake-and, since she took it off afterwards, all of them were. Yu nodded in turn.
"Oh, great," said a voice behind him, "it's a whole herd of blank flanks. As if the three weren't enough."
Considering how his Loop Memories told him that the phrase was a derogatory term, Yu figured that this must be a bully. Turning his head, he saw a pink filly sneering at him, reminding him somewhat of King Moron from her attitude.
While the best way-in his experiences, at least-to deal with jerks was to ignore them, that didn't mean it was the only solution.
Hey, Bro, Yosuke (here called Second Wheel) said, using a private telepathy spell. I'm not looking forwards to spending a whole year with these girls. You want to stop them before they get started?
Sure, Yu replied. But I think we should let everyone else get a turn, too.
Damn right, we will, Kanji (or Steel Weaver this time) added. I want to shut these assholes down before they can get to anyone else.
Behind Yu, Yukiko snorted, desperately trying to hold in her laughter. Considering how nearly everything in this Loop was named after a horse pun of some kind, it was amazing that Yukiko was able to keep her cool for this long without breaking down into another laughing fit.
"That's a lot of books on your desk, blank flank," said another pony condescendingly. She glared at Yukiko, who gave no sign of noticing them.
Diamond Tiara bumped hooves with Silver Spoon, and sneered again. "Too bad you won't be needing them, since you don't even have a Cutie Mark for reading. Or anything. Your head's as blank as your own flank."
That as the final straw for the black pony: she collapsed into helpless laughter, sliding out of her seat and onto the ground.
Diamond and Silver instantly stopped laughing at her expense, and turned to stare at the other filly. "What's... so funny, blankie?" Diamond put on a half-hearted sneer, clearly thrown off of her game when Yukiko reacted in the exact opposite way she expected.
"P..p...Ponyville...heeee...Steamy Sanctuary...ho...blank...FLANK! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Yukiko beat her hooves on the ground, her eyes already starting to water up out of sheer mirth.
Diamond Tiara's mask of carefully constructed disdain shattered to pieces, replaced by a look of absolute horror. This blank flank was mocking her! "Stop that! Stop laughing at me!"
Yukiko payed her no heed, and she continued to literally roll around on the floor, laughing.
"STOP LAUGHING AT ME!" Her plans thoroughly dashed, Diamond Tiara screamed in frusturation, and stormed out of the classroom, followed by an equally annoyed Silver Spoon.
The room was silent, save for the teacher droning on and on about long division (it was amazing, Yu had thought many times over his countless Loops, how little teachers noticed what was going on in their own classrooms) and Yukiko's laughter. The sound of applause came from nowhere. Yu turned his gaze to see three fillies sitting together, clapping their hooves wildly. The Awake Cutie Mark Crusaders were very impressed.
...
The next day, the pair of disgruntled bullies decided to try again, this time with the gray-coated blank flank.
"You're staring at nothing an awful lot, aren't you?" Diamond Tiara hissed to Yu. He had been so busy fusing Personas in his mind (a trick he had learned from Igor not too long ago), he hadn't been paying attention to the lesson.
"Keep going," the bully continued, "I'm sure you'll get your Cutie Mark for being a brainless daydreamer soon enough. I'm sure it'll be on your flank annnny second now."
Now.
"So," Yu said slowly, without a trace of emotion of any kind, "you're staring at my flank, then."
The bully froze mid sentence. "What?"
"I'm flattered," he continued, "but I don't think flirting is allowed in school."
Diamond Tiara's face turned red, and Silver Spoon subtly scooted her seat away from her friend to avoid her incoming outburst. "H-How dare you! I wasn't-"
"Miss Cheerilee," Yu said, much louder than he usually spoke, "Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are staring at my plot. It's making me uncomfortable."
Not even turning around, the Unawake teacher continued writing on her chalkboard. "Miss Tiara, Miss Spoon, could you please stay after class? I need to speak with you about your behavior as of late."
The bullies stuttered in rage and disdain, before finally falling silent and sulking in their seats.
They glared at Yu for the rest of the class. He didn't care at all.
[Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne], [Harry Potter]
Naoki vs Umbridge: Who do YOU think wins? (NON CANON)
Author: Gamerex27
"You will write 'I shall not threaten to summon a horde of demons to raze the Ministry to the ground', one thousand times, Mr. Kashima. You should be thankful that your punishment is so light: if it were up to me, you would be out of this school in a heartbeat."
Naoki Kashima, the school's Japanese transfer into Slytherin house, grumbled in reply. Okay, maybe he had overreacted to this bitch of a teacher refusing to actually teach magic (which he was always up for learning, as the next power-up could always be the key that got his friends Looping). But, to be fair, she had it coming: no Looper, not a single one, liked Umbridge.
Now?, asked the Demon Soul residing in the back of his mind.
Naoki brushed him off, and reached for the quill. He sat back down at his seat, and started writing. Or, he tried to. He had forgotten that there was nothing to write with.
"Hey, Umbridge?" He refused to give the woman any honoriffics at all. "You have any ink?"
Umbridge twitched at the lack of respect, then put on another one of her patented smug smiles. "The quill is enchanted to supply its own ink, Mr. Kashima."
That set off alarm bells in Naoki's head.
Now?, the True Demon asked impatiently.
No, Naoki replied.
KILL THE BITCH!, said the Fiend. Naoki ignored that one even harder.
He guessed that the quill was cursed somehow, given the residual Magatsuhi his demonic senses picked up on. And since Magatsuhi was extracted directly and painfully from humans, this meant Umbridge was up to some sick, sick things. With a flick of his wrist, the invisible barrier of a Makarnkarn spell sprang into existence.
Naoki started writing. He took special care to write, in English, as neatly and clearly as he possibly could.
Umbridge screamed out in pain, and clutched at her now bleeding hand. "What do you think you're doing, you filthy Muggleborn?!"
As she left the chair and stomped across her pink room of horrors, Naoki could clearly see a phrase carved on her hand. It read "Umbitch is a worthless waste of matter and Magatsuhi, and should be thrown in the trash where she belongs."
"Crucio!" Umbridge screamed. The curse flew across the room at the Japanese boy.
"Protego," Naoki muttered, with barely contained rage. The curse dissolved against the Shield charm. Naoki pointed his finger accusingly at Umbridge, his arm shining with energy at their standoff.
"Blood magic. Classy," Naoki hissed. "Keeping these kids locked up in ignorance, trying to control every single action anyone takes in this school, and actively hurting your students." Naoki's face twisted into a sadistic grin. "Now I don't feel bad about what comes next."
Now? the Demon asked.
"Yeah. Now."
Naoki's Pocket opened, and the room was flooded with blood. Blood as far as the eye could see, from the floor to the ceiling. Blood, filling Umbridge's lungs as she screamed, and ruining every piece of furniture she owned.
And just as suddenly as it had appeared, the blood vanished, without a trace of it ever having been there. Naoki had changed. Gone were his Hogwarts robes and trousers: he was now shirtless, and covered head to toe in glowing red tattoos. A small horn protruded from the back of his neck.
His tattoos faded to blue, and he stood up straight from his crouching position to face his (current) nemesis.
"You," the boy said, with his voice reverbing off of the room's walls, "are nothing."
He lazily raised his finger, and Umbridge's wand turned to ashes in her hand. Instantly, Naoki appeared right in front of her, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her up against the wall.
"I have fought gods, led armies, and mastered magics beyond your wildest dreams," he monologued, as Umbridge struggled to breathe. "I have destroyed the universe countless times, and restored it many more. Though I may seem a child to you, I have fought the hosts of heaven and hell-and won."
Naoki's face shined with savage glee. "You who would wish to control the lives of others." His skin turned pitch black, and his eyes glowed white with energy. "Know that there are some things that you could never hope to control. Like me."
[Devil Survivor 1], [My Little Pony]
Queen of Bel
Author: Gamerex27
"So, what happens in this Loop?" Rarity looked around at the vast city of Tokyo, scowling slightly as that tacky headphones' cord got in her line of sight.
"In a few hours, demons start invading the city like crazy," replied Atsuro, the Anchor of the Lockdown Amala Loop. "People can use these COMPS," he said, holding up a device that looked suspiciously like a Nintendo 3DS, "to summon and control them. Then the military locks down the whole city."
Rarity could take it no longer: she tore those accursed headphones off of her head, dropping them to the ground. "Is there any way to cut this short?" she asked. "I think I felt my sister's Ping, and I want to track her down before she gets into any trouble."
Atsuro grimaced at this. "Then she's probably replacing Naoya-that's the older brother of my buddy you're replacing. He's the reincarnation of Cain, and he made the Summoning Program as part of this gambit to get revenge against God." He removed a drone from his Pocket, tweeting a command to it through his COMP. It flew off, presumably in search of Sweetie. "To stop the lockdown, you have to beat all the Bel demons, and then kill Babel to become the King of Bel. Otherwise, the whole city gets destroyed, since that's the only way to get rid of the lockdown. Well, the best way; Yooho gets mad when we take the more unorthodox methods, since they lead to more explosions."
Rarity quirked her (thankfully real this time) eyebrow. "Bels?"
"They're a bunch of demons that were the pieces of this big demon, killed thousands of years ago. They've all got Bel in their name, and whichever one kills all the other Bels can become the King."
Suddenly, Rarity groaned, holding her head in her hands.
"What's wrong?" Atsuro asked.
"I know why I'm here now," Rarity groaned. " It's another Gag Loop. My full name is Rarity Belle."
The Anchor tried to stifle his laughter, and failed. "Yeah, that would explain it," he said after composing himself. "You're replacing Kazuya, who's the reincarnation of Abel, and since he's a Bel..."
Rarity Belle sighed again, face palming. If only she could Ascend this Loop to just end it now. This was going to become annoying. Especially if she couldn't find anything better to wear than the mind-numbingly plain clothes the Loop saw fit to put her in.
...
Author: GamerA
It was the start of another loop, and Rarity was busy sewing the decorations for the Summer Sun festival. Oh, sometimes she would just pull a set out of her Pocket and get to work on something more interesting, but right now, she happened to be in the mood for simple busywork.
She was snapped out of her trance by the sound of the front door, and began to rattle off her usual welcome as she took in the new arrivals: a familiar seeming local shepherd and some of his flock. "Hello, Welcome to Rarity's boutique – ah, if it isn't Dolly and Sweaters coming by for a visit again. I must admit, I wasn't expecting you at this hour, Mr. Bell."
"Hello, Rarity," "Sweaters" the pinkish sheep said, a sigh audible in her tone. "Dolly," with a more purplish tint, was busy squealing over some of the outfits she had on display, while the fourth sheep, whose distinguishing feature was a simple white hat, was standing at the shepherd's side. The shepherd himself was a navy blue stallion with a black hair and mane, and a cutie-mark of a tower with a bell on top.
"Yes, well, I had something I needed to check up on," "Shepherd's Bell" responded, producing something for her to look at. "First, I wanted to get your advice on this."
Playing along for the moment, Rarity looked at the trinket. "Hmm, I haven't seen one of these in a while. Wood, carved and colored into the shape of a mistletoe decoration, attached to a nylon string. And if I'm not mistaken... it was mistletoe wood to begin with." She looked back up at the stallion. "Normally I'd say it was completely the wrong time of year to be showing this off. But you just wanted to see if I recognized it, didn't you, Abel?"
"Thought of you the minute I Awoke," he confirmed, "Alright. We can all speak freely now."
"Finally..." "Sweaters" relaxed, "It's bad enough being called Sweater girl or Yoohoo. It's worse being named that way."
"Yes Yuzu, I remember," Rarity responded. "Now Abel – I may go on calling you that? - What really brings you here? Your world was a trial, with several tricks Atsuro didn't properly prepare me for – but I have endured worse."
"Might as well. I was just seeing whether absorbing several demons had any permanent effects on you," Abel said, smiling off to the side, "That sort of thing can be dangerous in the wrong circumstances, you know."
"Just a drop in the bucket, I assure you. It did however give me some of my own Loop powers back for the lockdown's duration," Rarity answered, "Enduring our siblings was much worse. I wasn't expecting Sweetie Belle to be an unrelated rock star."
"Well, I didn't know she was a singer!" Atsuro defended himself, "...But I guess I should've remembered. Naoya was my idol on top of everything else, and has some big shoes to fill. If I'd thought for a second, I'd have known he was the same as always."
"How did you deal with everything?" Abel asked, "Atsuro wouldn't tell me that part."
"Well, first I fought Beldr on schedule. Then I convinced Remiel to let me fight Jezebel early - no point leaving that priestess at risk. But after that...I got into a heated argument with the border guards," Rarity admitted, "Pointing out that they were making that cult look like heroes in comparison drove some of them over the edge. After that... Things escalated quickly. Fortunately after my brief career as an alicorn lightning rod, everyone was more inclined to match wits instead of blades with me."
"Hmm, Maybe I should try something like that next time."
[Persona 3], [Pokémon]
Gotta summon 'em all
Author: [UKNOWN]
"Ok, this is ridiculous." Aigis, Anti Shadow Weapon, and Persona user said, looking at her... extremities, for lack of a better word. "I get I must be an artificial Pokemon, and Ryoji a Dark-based one... But why Ms. Mitsuru had to be a Lickitung?"
Minato, her "Trainer" for the loop, shrugged. "Have you felt how hard that tounge hits? And Lickitung can learn some Ice moves, so..."
"I get it... But you must explain me why Junpei is an Aipom."
Minato looked at her, a deadpan look in his face. "Do I even have to answer that?" he shook his head. "Now come on, Yu said he'll be in Viridian by tomorrow."
Aigis nodded, and floated alongside her friend. Being a Rotom had some good things, after all.
[Persona 3], [Pretty Cure]
No title
Author: [UNKNOWN]
Tsubomi Hanazaki couldn't believe it.
She was losing.
Since she began looping, she had gotten stronger, even reaching the levels of the Legendary Cure Angel.
And now, she couldn't access all that power, only a fraction of if, and only to dodge the attacks of the Desertrian.
It looked like he Apostles discovered how to make the Cures unable to transform. Tsubomi tried a lot of transformations, from Goku Uniforms, to other Cure artifacts. She even tried using the CQC Space Enchancer she gained when she replaced that Nyarlatothepian. Not even one worked.
Tsubomi saw her friends. They weren't awake, and as such, they were trashed by the monster. Dodging more attacks, she though on ways to purify the Desertrian.
"I can't use my ID, and if I use any of the techniques Ranma taught me, I'm risking the Heart Flower..."
She thought too much, and forgot to pay attention to the battlefield. That proved fatal, as the Deserrian caught her in his arms, and tossed her to a wall.
The hit was really powerful, but Tsubomi managed to stay awake. However, she was too tired to continue dodging the attacks. Closing her eyes, she wished that next loop would be easier...
When she opened them, she was still in the wall, while the Desertrian was paralyzed by... velvet-colored chains?
"Hey! Do you need help?" She heard someone shout. weakly, she turned to see the person who had shouted...
It was a blue-haired girl, with male-like clothes. At her side, a blonde girl, who looked like a robot. And at her other side, a white-haired woman, with blue clothes that resembled the ones used by flight attendants.
"Y-yeah..." Tsubomi answered. "But be careful... don't destroy the Heart Flower..."
"Heart Flower? What's that?" the white-haired woman asked.
"Searching on Hub Database... Heart Flower. One of the many objects that shows the dreams and hopes of a person in the Pretty Cure Loop." the blonde girl said.
The blue-haired girl pondered "Then using Megidolaons or Almighty spells is out of the question." Whatever she had said, it seemed that didn't make the white-haired woman happy.
"But we could use Piercing attacks, can't we?" the blonde said.
"Maybe... let's give it a try." The blue-haired said, and retrieved a gun fron her Subspace Pocket, as two blue-glowing cards appeared in front of her and the white-haired woman. Meanwhile, the blonde girl set herself in a position.
She knew now who they were... And smiled when she heard the shout the three gave.
"PERSONA!"
[Persona 3]
Classic de-railing
Author: Joy22
Minato groaned, the buzzing feeling that signify the start of a new loop finally faded, and he wake up...strapped...to a cross?
Ikutsuki was ranting about the Fall and Aigis was pointing her guns at them.
Oh.
He remembers this moment. Ikutsuki was about to sacrifice them to Nyx, he reprogrammed Aigis to restrain SEES to do so.
Fortunately, they managed to reach out to Aigis. But alas, Kirijo Takeharu was killed but not before wounding Ikutsuki, and the madman chose to commit suicide rather than facing Koromaru.
Minato stared at the scene before him, Ikutsuki was still ranting. Good.
He reach deep into his psyche, where myriad of beings swam in the his sea of souls. You see, after a few loop Minato realized, he barely scratched the surface of his Wild Card ability. Yes, even when unlocking the Universe Arcana. On those loop he manages to gain Personas that he didn't knew existed.
He finally found him, and his presence filled Minato's mind.
"Oh shut up, you whiny poof!" Not one of his best insult, but hey, he stopped ranting.
Ikutsuki wondered what gave Minato the gall to insult him, when he had them at his mercy.
"Hercules." Minato muttered, he didn't need Evoker, not anymore.
A massive, muscular arm backhanded Ikutsuki, breaking his nose and knocking his gun out of reach.
A faint 'click' sound reminds him that Aigis haven't overcome his reprogramming. Fearlessly, he reach his hands to her cheek, pulling her to him... and smashing his lips to hers, tongue exploring her artificial one. Ignoring the gasp of SEES (Takeharu didn't gasp, he's too stoic. But his expression said all) he withdrew, looking at her face.
She was back.
He smiled, putting his lips near her hearing component "Aigis, knee-cap him."
A cry of pain was heard, along with a gunshot. Aigis didn't even bother questioning his action.
Aside from Ikutsuki moaning in pain, the Tartarus was filled with utter silence, which was broken when Koromaru finally arrived, looking confused.
Minato smirked, if only he brought sunglasses and toothpick...
[Persona 4], [Strange Journey], [Nocturne], [Persona 3], [Devil Survivor 1]
Status NON-CANON (?)
Authors: crankers, Zap Rowsdower, Gamerex27, jxz
Yu called out to all of the other protagonists. "Okay, new game. What is the stupidest anthropomorphic personification you have ever fought?"
A man in Demonica armor raised his hand.
"When I was invading the Schwartzvelt, I had to fight Kanbari, Japanese God of Toilets. He wanted revenge against my crew for the poor treatment we were giving to our on-board lavatory."
Naoki sighed, leaning back in his seat. "I thought it was a normal baseline run at first. You know, see the whole world get blown up, see all my (human) friends die horribly, fight angels and demons for the umpteenth time."
He took a sip of saki, wincing at the taste. "And then I found out that, instead of Japan, we were all in Rapan. As in, the music. Figures, since my Loop has some weird thing with music. I hate to admit it, but that...singing power I nabbed from the ponies actually helped out a lot. Instead of your usual, fun fights, I had to engage all the demons I fought in dance-offs and rock battles."
"Hey, wasn't the sun in your Loop shaped like..." Yosuke started.
"Yeah, Kagatsuchi looks like a disco ball. So, rather than literally beating the living shit out of him, like I usually do, I had to challenge...urgh...High-No Rapgasuchi, Rapanese god of The Beat, to a rap battle." Naoki poured himself more booze. "Now, if you excuse me, I have to drown out the True Demon. No, it was not funny: it was annoying. Stop laughing."
Minato sighed. "I was Awakening in the end of my normal loop. You know, dying, then becoming the Seal... I Awoke after fighting Ryoji."
"And?" Yu asked.
"Let me finish. As I was saying, I Awoke after fighting Ryoji, he takes flight... And a big bowl of spaghetti with meatballs came down the sky."
All the Wild Card's eyes' opened wide. "You surely don't mean-"
"Yes... Nyx was the sister of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. And no, I'm not even sure how that was even possible."
"Though she was delicious." Aegis said. At the odd looks, she replied. "Hey, I was a cyborg that loop. I could eat, ok?"
Kazuya-or, as he was sometimes called, Abel-pushed the pause button on his phone's music app. "You know how I always end up fighting the Bel demons? Sometimes they're replaced by other stuff with -Bel in their names."
"The fifth day of the lockdown, I didn't fight Belial-I fought the personification of Mexican Peppers and Spices in a Tortiella Shell."
The room was silent for a moment.
"Wait," Chie said, "so it was... a giant taco?"
"Yep," Kazuya confirmed. "I figured out how to summon it by fusion the next day, and guess what it was? It was called Taco Bell."
Groans sounded from throughout the room, as humans, demons, robots, and all combinations of the above fully grasped the implications of this terrible pun.
"Why the hell does Yggdrasil keep doing this shit?" Kanji asked,a scowl on his face. "Like, last Loop, I was just a floating kanji symbol-as in, the alphabet. And no one friggin' noticed!"
"I guess," Yu said, a smirk on his face, "it just likes bad puns."
[Persona 4], [Fullmetal Alchemist], [Blue Exorcist], [Trigun], [JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]
Revenge Is A Dish Best Served With Awesome
Author: GioGio
Tohru Adachi backed up, coughing and bleeding from multiple bullet wounds, blunt force trauma, and that magical crap the Personas produce.
He had entered the TV after those Investigation Brats finally figured out his game. He had intended to lure them in, extend his fun for just a bit, before killing them all. Then, the fog would go down on Inaba and turn everyone into Shadows. Finally ending Adachi's boredom with living in the shithole town.
Unfortunately, those other dumbasses that Namatame kidnapped and threw into the TV were more of a problem than he had thought.
"Where do you think you're going!?" Edward Elric yelled as he slammed his hands onto the ground, creating a stone hand that slapped Adachi towards his feet. "We ain't done with you yet!"
"You brat..." Adachi groaned out in pain. "Didn't your mom tell you to respect police officers?"
"You don't deserve to be a policeman!" Alphonse yelled out in anger while the rest of the IT nodded in agreement.
"All you are is a lame-ass thug!" Yosuke declared, making Yu smirk. Always count on Yosuke to say the awesome line while beating down Adachi.
Adachi growled in anger as he whipped out his gun...
Only for a gunshot to ring out before Adachi's gun flew out of his hand.
"I don't think its a good idea to point guns at children, friend." Vash the Stampede pointed out as he holstered his gun. Adachi was now panicking as the IT drew closer.
"I say we beat the crap out of him some more." Rin Okumura growled out as he began to unsheathe his sword, his tail swishing and blue flames coming off his body in anticipation. "Asshole deserves it for the crap he's done."
"But if we beat him up more, he could die." Chie pointed out, making Adachi nod frantically in agreement.
"Right! Besides, you wouldn't just keep on beating a heavily wounded guy who's surrendered right? It's unfair!"
"Oh really?" Josuke Higashikata asked before his Persona (Though he kept calling it a 'Stand') Crazy Diamond appeared behind him. Adachi then noticed all his wounds closing and his energy returning to his body. "Okay then. The way I see it is this: If I heal you back up, then we beat the shit out of you, it would make this a fair fight." Josuke's eyes gained a dangerous glint that made Adachi almost wet himself. "Wouldn't it?"
"Yeah, your right." Yu said in agreement while he and the other members of the IT smirked as they then closed in on Adachi.
Adachi could only whimper out one thing before he got the most brutal ass-kicking in several universes.
"I hate this town..."
[Shin Megami Tensei IV]
Samurai vs. the Loot Generator
Author: Gamerex27
In the Traveler's Bag, you find:
• a scroll titled "What It's Like to Be a Sorcerer"
• a time-infused glaive of undeath
• a plain robe made out of rapiers
• a mind-banishing tower shield of the ghost
• a dusty grilled pheasant
• a voodoo monocle of deceit
• a wind-eating ruby of kings
• a potion of fire
• a pile of 398 assorted coins of gold and platinum
Isabeau lifted the sharp, metal robe into the air, tilting her head slightly. "How...would one wear this?" she wondered.
"It's quite simple, Master," Burroughs said. "You just need to put it on. Of course, you'd probably die from doing it, but at least you can wear it!"
At his fellow Samurai's side, Flynn brought the gemstone close to his face, inspecting it. "Hm. It appears as though this artifact nullifies Force based spells. This will be useful, especially if someone tries to kill me again."
The Anchor glared at him. "And had I not killed you in those Variants, you would have murdered everyone in Tokyo with a black hole, or torn Mikado to shreds just to spite Merkabah. I refuse to let the Baselines of those Variants come to pass, as they lead to the senseless massacre of innocents."
Ignoring his companions, the Unawake Walter lifted the grilled meat into the air. "Who leaves perfectly good food in the middle of a dusty dungeon?"
His fellow Sleeping Samurai prodded at the eldritch polearm with his sword. "Among all of this strange treasure, food is your main concern?" Jonathan reached down to grab the spear, but decided against it. "I doubt that touching this artifact would lead to anything good. Perhaps I'll just let one of my demons hold it."
...
Author: inc1013
"I cannot help but feel that Masakado is trying to deliver a message to us." Isabeau stated.
"Perhaps that thrice damned tree is making yet another pun." Flynn responded as he watched one of his non-looping compatriots rock back and forth in the fetal position.
"The Megami says she has Recarm. DEAD! The Lady says she has Magakarn. Hehe...dead. Dead in four; death is four. Nothing matters child, I drink your tears as they taste of defeat. It is a rich sweet liquor you see. I drink all your tears. A deer, a skeleton, the death bells, It matters not how death comes. The shots and shield will not save you this time around child. Your breaking of the torture breaks my fun.
"Weep now, and weep eternal for you shall taste the muck. I enjoy your misery good child and it is a boon to damn your luck. Weep for the patient which you fail to cure, and weep for the township, which cannot endure! Weep for your allies as you see them fall... And weep for yourself, as you fail them al-."
Walter would have continued had Flynn not cast Dormina.
Ignoring his unconscious compatriot-as well as avoiding the divine looking set of maps that Walter had touched before his bout of insanity-Jonathan sifted further through the ashes of the once mighty demon.
"How is it that this spear remains moist?" Asked the Luxuror.
...
Here's what they found
In the Demon's ashes, you find...
• a wet longspear
• a dull sapphire of dawn
• a holy atlas of misery
• a polished pair of mittens
• a mirrored amulet of the labradorite golem
• a vial of void
• a pile of 122 assorted coins of copper and silver
[Nocturne], [Pokémon Mystery Dungeon]
Pokémon Mystery Demons
Author: Gamerex27
Naoki Kashima Awoke lying on his back. And immediately sighed in relief, because instead of the city of Tokyo, he saw a forest.
"Good." He got to his feet, and stretched, yawning as his back cracked. Even though he had gotten over his...problems..., going through the Apocalypse over and over again wore him out, even if he had the chance to restore the world to normal at the end (for one day, before the Loop started again).
"Morning, Squirtle. Hey, do you want to try using that Ghost Trap on Gengar this..." the approaching salamander-esque creature trailed off mid sentence. "Annnnnnd he's not here. You're an Anchor, then?"
"Wait, you're a-" Naoki chuckled. "Pokemon. You know, back when I was a kid... I always wanted to be a Trainer. To be in Pokemon. To be a hero in another world, hanging out with all of these fantastical creatures and fighting evil. Back before all of the stuff I went through in my baseline, and reality bashed my head in with a 2x4. Which game is this? Red and Green? Crystal? Emerald?"
"Uh...none of those, unless this is another post-apocalyptic Variant. Have you...noticed you're a Pokemon too?"
Blinking, the usually-a-demon looked down, and realized that the Charmander was right. Blades instead of hands, two-toed feet, and covered on more blades near his head and chest...
"Pawniard, right?" Naoki looked at his currently-dull foreblade. "Gen 5 was never released in my baseline, so I only ever got to play it once, in the Hub."
"Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm Charmander." The Fire Type stuck his paw out in greeting.
Raising a hairless eyebrow, Naoki stared at the other Pokemon's paw for a moment. Slowly, he placed his blade in Charmander's paw. "I don't think shaking is a good idea, since, well, I'd probably cut your paw off by accident. Naoki Kashima, from the Amala Loops."
"So," he said, looking around, "what's there to do here? I take it the world is in danger, and only I can save it?"
"Uh, sort of. We do need to save the world, but we always help Squirtle do it. We could just fly up to Rayquaza early and fix the natural disasters before they get started."
"Nah, I think I'll do the baseline for once. Last time I took a Loop off the rails, I ended up in Eiken."
...
"Don't worry, Pichu! We'll get your brother back, safe and sound!"
"How the hell do you..." Naoki muttered, oblivious to the conversation in Town Square. Currently, he was struggling to tie the Pecha Scarf Kangeskhan had given them somewhere on his body, while not slicing it to ribbons with his handblades.
"Need any help with that?" Charmander whispered.
"No, no, I can do this." Swearing under his breath, the Pawniard tried again and again to tie down the Pecha scarf, only to poke hole after hole in it by accident.
"Team Go-Getters, is on the-"
"Not so fast!" From seemingly nowhere, Ekans appeared and shoved Chikorita out of the way, with Medicham and Gengar close behind.
"These chumps wouldn't know how to rescue a Pokemon out of a paper bag!" Gengar said, smirking. "Team Meanies will take care of this! We'll get your-"
"Wait."
Freezing, the Ghost Pokemon slowly turned around to face whichever idiot had interrupted his speech, followed by everyone else in the Square. "What?!" he hissed.
"Can...can you say your team's name again?" Naoki asked, his face twitching, and his Pecha Scarf falling to the floor, as he tried to process what he had heard.
"Pay attention next time, squirt! We're Team Meanies, the best Rescue Team around!" Medicham said boastfully.
"Right. Hang on a second; I'll be right back." Still twitching, Naoki walked out of the square, and went out of sight behind a nearby tree.
"AhHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! REALLY? Team MEANIES?! TEAM MEANIES?! What the fu-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
He carried on for about a minute. The Pokemon in the square traded a few confused glances, and Gengar's smirk slowly faded, and was replaced by a furious frown.
Another minute later, Naoki finally walked back into the square, still chuckling. "Okay...Okay. That was hilarious. Now, what's your real team name?"
"W-we told you, you imbecile!" Gengar sputtered. "We're Team Meanies, and there's nothing funny about that!"
For a moment, the square was silent. Then, Naoki broke down laughing again, beating his blades against the ground.
"S-Shut up!" Medicham kicked the little brat, but this didn't stop him: he simply kept on laughing and laughing, at their expense.
"R-R-Really?" Naoki said as he got up, wiping tears from his eyes with the tip of his blade. "Team Meanies? That was the best you could think of for a team name? That's the name that will strike terror into the hearts of feral Pokemon? That's the name you think the Pokemon of this town will cheer when you save Pokemon?"
"What, were you pressed for a deadline?" he asked mockingly. "Did you procrastinate before the deadline for your forms were due, and you just picked the first name you thought of? And you picked a name that blatantly says that you're evil? Were "Team Skull," or "Team Murder," or "Team Bond Villains" taken?"
"Do any of you really think," the boy added, whirling around to face the befuddled gaggle of concerned Pokemon, "that hiring a team of losers who outright admit that they're evil in their names will lead to anything good? Can you really put your faith in these clowns? Hire them to find a lost little boy? For all you know, they'll just put him up for ransom the second they find him, and then eat him once you pay up!"
No one spoke for a few seconds after the stranger's rant. Eventually, Whiscash found his voice.
"Regardless of your personal opinions, Pawniard, there's no reason to deny Team Meanies the chance to help out with this mission," the elderly Pokemon said, with a tinge of...something to his tone. "If they want to, they can help find Pikachu."
"Fine," the Dark/Steel type snarled, "but ask yourselves this. If they attack other teams in broad daylight...what will they do when no one's looking?"
With that, Naoki turned around, and walked out of the square. Exchanging a glance, Chikorita and Charmander hurried after him.
...
"That was uncalled for," Chikorita told him, barely keeping the anger out of her voice.
"Really?" Naoki leaned back, dropping the whitstone he was using to sharpen his blades. "They outright call themselves-snerk- Meanies. And the way they act, there's no way they're not evil in the end. Why not nip the problem in the bud by turning the whole town against them? It's not like they can change: they're not even Looping!"
"Because they didn't do anything wrong yet," the Grass-Type growled. "And besides, what you did back in the Square was just rude, and it made us look bad in front of the whole town!"
"And they're not really that bad," Charmander added, absentmindedly inspecting the berries Auntie Khangeskhan had given them. "I mean, Gengar even buries the hatchet with Squirtle in Baseline. With how that works out," he added, "we wouldn't be surprised if he started Looping!"
"Okay, if they aren't so bad, why are they creeping up on us right now?"
Without even looking, Chikorita stamped her paw on the ground, causing a massive wall of thorns to spring up in Team Meanies's path. "Just because they're jerks now," she said, over the yelps of pain inflicted by the various thorns and brambles the villains ran into head-on, "doesn't mean they can't change for the better! Pokemon aren't static, Naoki!"
'Look," Charmander started, "I didn't want to bring this up...but Pikachu told us about you. About what happened when you Looped into Equestria for the first time. About what happened when you hit your nadir."
"If you're worried about me going berserk again," the demon muttered, "don't. I've already gotten over that, and I've dealt with my Shadow. It won't happen again."
"Still," Chikorita said, "being cynical about everything will get you nowhere! Just...give them a chance! At least try to see if they can't be redeemed. To see that, just this once, we can change things for the better-without resorting to hate or violence."
The Demi-Fiend was silent for a moment.
"Fine," he said, crossing his arms, "but if you're wrong, I'll kill that asshole myself."
Well, this is it for the first chapter. These ones go quite far back; they were written in 2014. I'm trying to keep it around 10.000 words per chapter - good length but manageable.
NOTES:
If I have marked an author as [UNKNOWN], that simply means that I could not find a snippet's original author. It's not someone with the username [UNKNOWN].
The ... mid paragraphs are mini line breaks. The site's formatting doesn't allow for continuous dashes or stuff like that.
Next chapter: Sovereign's New Groove - part 1