A lone figure wandered through the desert wastes. The cold night was only lit by countless stars and a moon that barely appeared to be a sliver. The complete lack of winds meant no sand was held in the air, thus everything for miles was visible. Despite the chilling temperature, the wandering white fox form had no issues. He had already experienced a cold far worse and paid the ultimate price. No amount of cold would harm him anymore. If anything, he found the chill wonderfully adorable. The world wished to prevent his travel with a tiny bit of cold? Hah! It would take conditions far worse to stop him. From a distance, his white form stood out against the light brown sands, appearing to be a lost ghost traveling through the desert. Indeed, if you looked closer you would find he left no true footprints or trail in the sands behind him, a skill he has learned with this phantom form. Even this dark of a night was still far too bright for his tastes. He quietly muttered to himself. would have preferred a dark cave or forest, but those were few and far between on the mostly lifeless, flat desert continent.
However, he had a meeting to attend, and he wasn't allowed to skip it according to their leader. What would compel their leader to hold a meeting, anyway? Well, it didn't really matter, he supposed. He'd find out soon enough. Shaking his head and shrugging, the inexhaustible ghoul continued. He had something the others needed to hear, so it was convenient. The red and white ghost traveled up the dunes. Not long to go, he knew. Just on the other side, several silhouettes were barely visible, impatiently waiting for their final member to arrive. The air around was silent, with only the occasional breath being barely audible. It wasn't long they saw the ghostly figure lit by starlight. Another minute passed as he slowly descended the sandy hill, reaching the point they had agreed upon prior. Their forms were barely visible in the shadow of the dunes. It hadn't taken long before A fiery purple wisp manifested, seeming to ignore the lateness of his subordinate. The purple soul did not cast any light, leaving everything nearby in shadow. If anything, the area became darker as the spirit seemed to absorb the little light surrounding it.
"Now, we have all arrived. You all know the ultimate powers have been obtained by a group of children. Thanks to the efforts of my second, we have a baseline set for their capability. How were they?" The purple wisped asked, growing brighter for a moment. The poltergeist sighed, shrugging widely. From his posture and gesturing, it was clear he wasn't too impressed.
"They were exactly as strong as I expected, which is to say not at all. At any point we can go and put an end to the four of them. Any one of us could, heh! However, that fifth one, Jake. You know, the human in the body of a Zorua. He's different, unique in more than just his ability to control the minds of others." He stated. The others looked towards him, giving the vengeful monster their full attention. Something like that was quite a compliment from him, and the psychotic undead was not one to praise others lightly. Truthfully, the only other one he had ever openly praised before was their master, and they all praised her and the extraordinary power she had gifted them.
Seeming satisfied that he had caught their curiosity, the Zoroark continued, "With just the normal abilities of a Zorua, he managed to injure me with his illusion. I didn't even realize I was fighting an illusion until he managed to force me to drop it. Hahah, it was crazy! This was just his base abilities, and he was already doing amazing things! However, at that moment I saw something far greater. Hehehahah! I saw the potential of the human. Someone like that we can use. We can corrupt him; we will corrupt him. Thus, we need him alive." This elicited a small gasp from the others. The deranged fox wanted to keep someone alive for once? However, if he was saying this, then the human must truly be something special. Even the ancient purple spirit seemed taken aback by this sudden request. Did he know something they didn't? Whatever may be the case, she knew he was not one to say such things lightly, thus she decided to humor him.
"I have no objections. However, we will need to weaken his soul to begin the process of corruption. If he isn't weakened, his heart and mind will not change, and he will simply become even more powerful." The purple wisp stated.
"Then, allow me my chance to perform." One of them stated. A red bug stood there, arms like a violin bow, and two fluffy feelers in the imitation of a mustache rested just above his mouth. His wings spread out and fluttered. They couldn't lift him very high, but they allowed him to make even more wonderous songs. A quiet mumbling ensued, and none of them seemed against it.
"Very well, Kris." The purple wisp stated.
"I shall not let you down. With my musical abilities and theatrical capability, I shall make friends into foe and turn their world onto its side! And so, I must bid thee farewell." He stated. The Kricketune bowed, greatly pleased they were giving him this chance. With the information known to all and a plan in motion, the seven of them departed in differing directions. The wisp faded into ethereal nothingness, and the Zoroark left, quietly giggling to himself. Traveling alone, the Kricketune was left to his thoughts. He wasn't certain what was so special about this Zorua, but he knew Zoroark doesn't praise just anyone and thus was excited to find out why. The bug rubbed his hands together, creating a loud, shrill noise that pierced the night, steadily changing in pitch. At some point the shrieking noise turned into something haunting, then melodic. With his bodily instrument carefully tuned, he planned on what to do next. It didn't really take him long, given his skill set. This Zorua was in for such a fun time, that much Kricketune knew. The entire town would be upturned if he wished it and wish it he did.
I stood there for several seconds, planning my next move. That white fox was strange, it even used an illusion. What was it, exactly? Yeah, it had to be that. It had to be the ghost, the one that He told me about. Closing my eyes for just a moment, I thought about what to do. There were a lot of things I could try, but I think I had to tell someone about this. I wasn't an idiot, even if the guild saw me as a preious little kid. I just needed more perspective than my own. Who else to trust with knowledge than the guy who would never forget it? That seems perfectly reasonable and safe, right? Aure, let's say yes even though I know the answer should have been an absolute no. I would go to Squared. He was smart and I knew could trust him to keep some secrets, especially if I made him promise. The promise of such a smart toddler would most likely remain intact. Thus, late in the morning, I talked to Squared alone, recounting the information I had. Every last piece of info I knew I told him, which admittingly was not a lot. He buzzed, clearly unsure of what to say.
The darkened bedroom made it hard to read his already mostly unexpressive face, but I could tell he understood. I couldn't tell anyone else, or things could go badly, extremely badly. Who knows how things would change if I just outright told everyone what I thought? If I was right then the villains would shift their plans, and I don't know how much that would change things. If I was wrong then I'd look like a lunatic, not that I don't already, but it'd be worse than it is now. I had to approach things carefully. He headed off to the library to do some research and reading. Star was underground, training his abilities. Nera and Ray were being taught by Ayrill. It was some basic math, so I was mostly exempt from schoolwork. I already knew how to count my ABCs, as I jokingly put it. That earned me a stern look, but it was worth it. Still, I decided to stick with them in case they needed some extra help. Sitting there as toddlers did math was as fun as it sounds. Strangely, it was a bit more fun than it sounds as it was kind of adorable. Eventually it was time for them to nap. I took this time to try reading some of the alphabet. As expected, it looked like gibberish. Ayrill tried to help the best she could, but it would take a lot of time. I was a bit frustrated, but I mostly kept calm.
"You'll learn." She stated in a mostly kind tone. Elements of frustration bled through regardless. I nodded.
"Yeah, though you don't need to treat me like a kid." I stated.
Ayrill nodded, but then added, "You're difficult to judge. You are intelligent, but you still act your current age as well." I let out a mischievous laugh at this. She sternly looked at me, and my smile and laughter faded. She really was mean at times but could also be nice if she wanted. I couldn't tell which of her personalities was more her, either. She was quite scary if you were on her bad side, and I most certainly was, along with Star who skipped classes a lot. I wasn't nearly as bad as him, though. At least I showed up when I had to, I wasn't going to skip out on it if I wanted to learn.
"Hello? Focus." She stated. Oh right, school, ugh. I shook my head, trying to concentrate.
"Looks like... someone has impaled a transparent apple." I stated, looking at Ayrill with a grin. It was quite accurate to describe it that way. The letter was round, with a wavy line near the bottom and a line going through it and out the top, curing near the end. It truly was a crystal-clear apple and stem. This elicited a small groan.
"This is a letter; do you know what it is?" She questioned. She had been teaching me slowly, one letter at a time. This was the first letter of their alphabet. A is usually for apple, but it wasn't an A or an apple despite appearances I couldn't even remember what she said it was called. It sounded like 'fahf' or something, which I repeated. She sighed, shaking her head. The noise she made could not be properly described. In just one syllable, she seemed to inhale while exhaling a word through her nose. It was a noise impossible for a human to make. It did sound like 'fahf', but different enough it wasn't quite accurate enough. I assumed the impossible sound had to do with the impossible biology of the creatures in this world. After all, we all were pronouncing words none of us should have been able to. Some creatures had no lips or throats. Some didn't have lungs and were able to speak. I tried to replicate it but ended up choking on my own spit. Coughing for a few minutes, Azumarill simply shook her head. The alphabet and the spoken language were so different. I had no idea how things could be so different; it made no real sense. While I admit I was a unique case, it was odd to my brain. Words, meanings, even some phrases were similar. Heck, even the alphabet itself was the same but not. The standard English alphabet was understood to mean exactly what it means, but at the same time it wasn't. 'A' meant 'fahf' but also was something else entirely.
Perhaps the best way to describe it was my experience using Spanish. I don't know much, but I knew a couple silly sentences, and still remembered the alphabet from high school. While I'm sure I butchered the Spanish, somehow, they all still understand exactly what I meant. Even when I barely understood it, it was perfectly translated to their ears. I knew the Spanish alphabet, so when I recited it, they understood. Even with the few extra letters in it compared to English and their own alphabet, they understood. The adults and Squared seemed to understand exactly what the extra letters were and how it was used for proper spelling and grammar in spite of the letters not even existing in this world! When I pointed this out, they had no answers. It was just something they knew. I suspect there's more than just a language barrier at play preventing me from learning. I'd probably never understand how to read this gibberish, our minds were just too different. Fifteen minutes of failing to pronounce a single letter, and Ray and Nera woke from their naps, ready for some playtime. Seya watched over us as the two of them played, and I ran around like a lunatic, bored out of my mind. Of course, I managed to fall flat on my face. I expected no less from my unfamiliar body. I'd only been there for around a week at that point, walking was still a struggle at times.
"Are you okay?" Seya asked in a compassionate tone. I know she didn't mean to be condescending, but I still found it annoying. I wasn't hurt. Sure, my body was a bit more fragile than theirs, but it was still much tougher than my human body. It didn't even hurt when I landed nose first.
"I'm fine." I stated a bit too harshly. Seya smiled, patting me on the head. It felt nice again, but I shook my head. I didn't need that from her at that moment. I really was fine, and I made that known. She smiled, laughing a little, but covered her mouth.
"I understand, but you are still a kid. Quite a cute kid as well." She stated, ruffling the red fluff on top of my head. I shook her hand away. I was technically an adult, and this was humiliating. I made my voice loud and clear.
"If I wanted to be embarrassed, I'll do it to myself. I really don't need outside help with that." I stated, smiling. I couldn't honestly stay angry at her; she was too adorable. Pretty much everyone in the guild was cute in some way. Chansey laughed and smiled, rubbing behind my ears. I felt a content smile form on my face. I could almost physically feel my mind drift into a blissful, completely relaxed haze. Another week passed after that. The guildmembers were fully healed, and I finally got the hang of walking for the most part. I was still clumsy, but I was getting less clumsy every day. The other adults seemed to find my failings hilarious, however. It was just after lunch when I felt tired. The kids usually napped then, but I typically stayed awake. This time I really felt tired, though. The entire day I felt completely drained and not hungry, even though I had barely eaten anything. Honestly, I barely ate anything for the past few days, I was just too tired. Seya was worried I was getting sick, though I didn't have a fever. Regardless, she insisted on monitoring my health. Ultimately, I woke up not feeling much better. Continuing through the day, I ate supper and went to bed. Waking up, I was exhausted through the day. This was how the days usually went, I'd wake up a few hours earlier than the others, try to learn a few letters and failing, and sitting around much of the day. Seya insisted I not push myself hard, but I had already been doing that. None of us really knew what was wrong. I hoped it was just some weird sickness that would pass. It was after that discussion that the four others were really bored. Sitting on their play area, they simply sat on the floor. Star and Ray poked at the carpet, Squared stared at the ceiling while floating upside-down, and Nera bobbed her feet to an invisible tune
"We want something exciting." Star complained, picking at a loose piece of carpet.
"Yeah. It's boring to wait 'nd do nudin'." Nera complained, looking expectantly towards the adults. Suggestions were thrown around about activities, but they turned them all down. Clearly life inside the box that was their home was getting boring. Even back at the orphanage they had a large outside area to play in located behind the building. We were let outside for our health, as insisted on by Seya, but weren't allowed to do much but stand around and feel the breeze. A moment passed when a fun idea came to my mind. I had the powers of illusion; I could make the scariest haunted house for them. The other kids smiled and thought it sounded amazing, though the adults were understandably hesitant.
"Don't worry, I'm not a complete idiot. I won't show them the worst. It wouldn't be good for their health, or sanity." I stated, smiling. Star quietly laughed.
"You really think you're gonna scare us that easy?" He questioned. I nodded with the enthusiasm of an energetic puppy on caffeine. He scoffed and told me to do my worst. I had already promised to not show him my worst, so I couldn't. Still, what I was going to show would be enough. Wandering to the extra-large training field Nera runs around, I had the stay outside for the moment. I could control other's minds, and I could make illusions. If I combined them together, I could make them feel a deep sense of fear or lessen if needed. Utilizing the terrifying combination, I formed exactly what I knew would scare them.
"Ready!" I shouted. The four kids nodded, confidently strolling into the room. That's when everything went dark.
The four friends found themselves inside a decrepit old building. The moonlit hall had a single broken window letting in any of the light. The walls were old, cracked and splintering with age. The floor wasn't in much better shape, with the odd nail sticking out from the slowly rotting planks. Walking forward, the door behind them suddenly slammed shut. The sudden explosive sound caused them to jump slightly. Soon after, they smiled and laughed at their friend's tricks. This wasn't so bad so far! Without hesitation, the four of them barely walked forward, splintered floorboards creaking beneath their feet. It was only a hallway, what could be wrong with that? With that thought, a loud snap caught their attention. Looking around, Ray felt the floor give out from underneath him. Faster than he could process, he saw the everything turn to a void. Raising his head, he watched his friends slowly get further and further away. Staring up at his friends, he could only gasp as he watched his friends stare down at him, their eyes wide in surprise. They could do nothing to save him. The world quickly turned dark for him as the floorboard repaired themselves. Before they could even process anything, Ray had gone missing. Shocked, the now trio dug for their friend, only to find a solid rock floor beneath. Ray truly was gone. Taking a few breaths, Star pointed to the open doorway less than ten feet in front of them. With a bit more caution, they walked forward. The room seemed to be a living room of sorts.
Overturned, torn, and ruined furniture sparsely dotted the otherwise barren room. It had clearly been several years since anyone had lived there. A large, broken window sat on the wall to the left. A quiet wind whistled through the broken glass. Walking forward, the group passed the furniture. Something creaked again, causing them to jump away. However, the creaking wasn't from the floorboards. The overturned chair found life, jumping and capturing squared within its form. The others could only watch helplessly as their pleaded for help, growing quieter and quieter until his voice was completely gone. The couch, once tipped on its side, sprang up with vigor, eager to consume their next victim. Screaming Nera ran off, leaving Star to his fate. Brave as he is, Star attempted to punch the hungry couch. However, it had no effect and he soon found himself lost, consumed by the cushions. Nera ran around, trying to get through the house quickly. She entered a long hall once more. A tattered rug lied on the floor next to a flight of stairs. An overturned, broken antique table rested near a shattered vase. Something smelled bad, and not just metaphorically either. Holding her nose, she wandered up the stairs into an identical room, but with stairs behind her instead. Once more she wandered up the stairs to the same result. Utilizing her speed, she continuously ran up the stairs with no luck. When that failed, she began running down the stairs, but found the room repeating more. Harsh whispering voices pierced her skull, dissonant and impossible to distinguish. Soon, however, it turned to just one.
"You abandoned them. Abandoned. Abandoned." The word 'abandoned' echoed through her mind, completely filling her with dread.
"No, I- I was s-scared." She cried. Tears were forming on her face
"Left to their demise. Left by you. Left. Abandoned. Demise." She clutched her head, crying out in terror.
"No! No, I didn't!" She cried, shaking her head furiously in a desperate attempt to get the voices to leave.
"Why did you leave me? You could have saved me." A voice called out. It was the voice of Star. She looked up, noticing a ghostly white form of the Larvitar.
"You could have stopped me from falling." Ray stated, suddenly appearing. His body was pitch black, as if he was a shadow. The only thing visible was two white specks that were his eyes. Her entire body was shaking, her legs barely holding her standing.
"You are the worst friend anyone could have." Squared stated. Squared appeared, looking mangled. Both legs were missing His head was detached from his body, attached only by a few wires. Other wires were hanging from his legs, and the wires on his left leg would occasionally spark. She took a breath.
"You're fake. Not real. Nah real. No. No." She stated, closing her eyes, clenching her fists and shaking her head. The wires within Squared shot forward, wrapping around Nera. Her eyes shot open in surprise. Nera struggled with her bonds, but it was no use.
"We are real enough to do this..." Squared stated. A deranged smile and laughter came from the three others as the wire coiled around her, blocking her vision entirely. The last thing she heard was the deranged laughter of her fallen companions.
Star found himself in a deep red void. He took a few breaths but found he couldn't calm himself. Shaking, he wandered forward. The void suddenly shifted to blue. Star froze. Star clutched his head as a voice whispered in his head.
"Your parents will never return. Never. Never." It stated. Star growled, angered by this. What did they know!
"You are not as strong as you think you weak, pathetic child. Weak. Weak. Pathetic." The voice stated. Star growled and shouted. This was annoying, wasn't he supposed to be frightened? This was angering him, not scaring him! The voice simply laughed in a mocking tone.
"You couldn't beat a couch. Even if your parents returned, what would they say? You would have disappointed them, you're a failure. Failure. Disappointment." The voice stated. He wasn't! Yeah, he couldn't beat it, but that didn't mean anything.
"They would hate you, disappointed in the failure you are. Hate. Dissapointed." It stated. No, this, no. They-they wouldn't right? The voice let out a deranged cackle, startling Star.
"This is why they left you! Because you were so weak! Pathetic. Weak. Failure." The voice cackled. This clearly effected the Larvitar as he clasped his chest, suddenly finding it hard to breath. His eyes watered but no tears fell. The voice let out a sinister laugh, growing louder and louder until the Larvitar grasped the sides of his head, clawing at his skull. Stop it, stop it! No! It's not true! Shut up! shutupshutupshutup! Star suddenly felt an extraordinary chill. He let out a breath, seeing his breath fog up instantly. The chill turned bone piercingly cold, almost painfully cold. A pained gasp escaped his lips as his body clenched in pain. Looking down, he felt he was sitting in a puddle of ice-cold water. Star shot to his feet, wondering where the water had come from. The water started at ankle deep, but soon was knee deep. Star struggled, and tried to run, but everywhere was an ocean of blue water. Soon it was up to his neck. His body wasn't even shaking, his mind couldn't handle the situation. He let out a quiet whimper as two lines of tears finally fell from his eyes. He saw the water turn pitch black few moments before it covered his face. Stat let out one small gasp, unable to make any more sound than that. Moments later, the Larvitar had been completely devoured by the unending shadows.
I don't really remember the events after. Apparently, I had given Squared and Ray a scary finale, and then I collapsed. I had apparently used too much energy and collapsed. It was apparently early morning when I had woken up, judging by the typically scent of breakfast filling the room. Today it just smelled bad. I felt sick and ready to throw up. My head pounded and my body ached. Seya walked into the room, rubbing my head. It felt nice, but then my body arched, dry heaving a few times. Seya looked at me with concern.
"I think I have figured out what's wrong." She stated. I looked at her. She smiled, rubbing my ears again. It felt nice until my body spasmed with pain. I looked at her with as much desperation as I could. She sighed, like how a parent might with a child doing something naughty.
"It's your body. Your body is extremely low in both protein and many other necessary nutrients. You've not been eating healthily." She stated. I mumbled how I was eating what they were. She smiled kissed me on the forehead. I shook away from her. Maybe a toddler in this world would find that reassuring, but to me, bring kissed by a giant pink egg was just weird.
"You aren't treating your body as you should. You're a kid. You have different dietary needs as a toddler and thus need to be aware of that. As a carnivore, you should primarily be eating a meat-based diet until you're older. Nera is fine as her body is made to eat plants, but you aren't. You've been treating yourself as an adult too much." She stated.
"I am an adult." I grumbled. She gently shook her head in disagreement, her smile never wavering.
"You were an adult. Now you're a kid. What you think you are doesn't change who you physically are. A toddler of your age needs a lot of these nutrients you've been skipping out on. That isn't mentioning how you've not been sleeping and resting as you should. You should be sleeping around twelve hours daily, but you've been waking up much sooner and not taking any naps, either." She stated. A weird sad feeling built up in me, causing a lump in my chest. I swallowed, trying to force it down. I didn't think about that, not really anyway. I was too preoccupied with what was going to happen and planning for it. I didn't even think about my nutritional needs. Thinking about my body, well, I shook my head. I didn't want to delve into it until I had to. It'd open a can of worms that I wanted to wait to open when I needed to. The thoughts still lingered on my mind, however. Laying back down, Seya left and returned with a plate full of food. I wasn't very hungry, but Seya insisted. I had to finish every single bite of food on the plate. It was quite difficult to keep it down, but I did. With the amount of food I had eaten, I was feeling lethargic. I was tired and quickly fell back asleep. I had apparently slept several hours, as it was lunch by the time, according to Nera who had been sent to wake me. Seya had apparently carried me to the bedroom. Heading to the hall, me, my friends, and Even, and Rhett ate lunch together as normal. Though Even insisted I ate the meats instead, to my annoyance. Regardless, I relented. I was still an adult under this form, as long as they knew that it would be fine. A sudden realization filled my mind, what happened during the haunted house?
"Hey, I don't really remember what happened during the haunted house thing. I remember part of it, but not all of it." I stated. Even and Rhett looked at each other, clearly afraid of the answer. I looked back to the others, who grinned widely.
"It was awesome." Ray stated, smiling widely. Star rapidly nodded, a bit unusual for the small rock monster. Though, him liking being frightened made sense in a roundabout way, his enthusiasm and wide smile told me he really enjoyed it. They all seemed to have fun being scared, honestly. I guess even in that weaker state I kept them from being too scared.
"Maybe I should do that again sometime." I stated. Even stopped eating for the moment. The others vigorously nodded and cheered. They were all for another round of scaring everyone.
"Yes, but you will not be doing that again for a while. You need to recover first." Even stated. I groaned, taking a bite out of the well-made chicken while staring directly at him. The adults were forcing my schedule to be what they wanted. Though I really didn't like this, I knew I didn't have a lot of choice. It isn't like I wouldn't listen to reason or anything, especially when my life was on the line.
"There's that's good." Even stated. I rolled my eyes. I wasn't a kid, I was only doing this for my health.
"You know, maybe I'll put the adults through a haunted house the next time, first. Why limit the fun to just the kids, after all?" I questioned, staring right at even. Even tensed up, clearly imagining the horrors of my mind. What he was imagining was probably far less than what I was capable of. They were in for quite a terrifying surprise, that was for sure. Eventually lunch was finished, and my day continued. Time passed, and the next two days continued with this new dietary plan. It did fix my lethargy. It did quite a bit more than that, it gave me a lot more energy, and made me far hungrier than I expected. I was somehow eating way more than any of the others at that point. I suppose this body really needed the nutrients and vitamins. It was weird, being hungry pretty much near constantly. Lucky for me the guild had more than enough food to support my recovering body.
It was dawn of the next day, having woken up hungry once again. Ignoring my quietly sleeping partners, I walked into the dining room for a snack. Oddly there was no food prepared. Dilen usually made breakfast for the adults, and I would occasionally enter after they were done and snack on the leftovers. It wasn't before they were awake, after all. I thought back to their mission on the airship. They were probably out and had to leave early. I shrugged, wandering into the kitchen. Dilen did not like me being back there, but I really didn't care. I opened the fridge, finding the foods I wanted, and chowing down right there in the kitchen. If he didn't want me in there he could come in and stop me. A strange noise shook me out of my thoughts.
"I didn't actually mean- huh? Not here?" I wondered. I looked towards the entrance to the kitchen. The long rectangular room with several stoves and other appliances was empty besides me. For a moment, my thoughts drifted to the first time I saw the room. It was a caveman's version of a modern kitchen. Shaking my head, I tried to focus my thoughts. It was still too early for me to be awake. Finishing up my meal, staring at the door, I cautiously made my way out. I didn't know what that noise was. When I entered the dining room, I thought I heard singing? Was there a concert going on in the streets? Sounds were barely hearable from up there even on the highest level, so it'd have to be way too loud or exceptionally close. I closed my eyes and listened. It seemed to be coming from the library. Thoroughly confused but intrigued, I quietly crept towards the library. What I saw both surprised and amused me.
A strange red bug with a large mustache was conducting the entire guild and several other random Pokémon. They were dancing and singing in unison. Several Pokémon sitting on the balconies had different instruments they were playing. Drums, strings, apparently it was enough. Why would the guild agree to this? They couldn't have, but here I saw, the guild all singing with musical accompaniment. The guildmembers didn't seem all there. They were staring, mostly unblinking as they sang and pranced around and atop the tables. The red bug turned towards me, revealing his insect like face. His yellow torso reminded me vaguely of a cello or some other string instrument.
"Okay, once mo-Oh. You've arrived early. Well, I suppose practice is over, then. Alright everyone, just as we practiced. To positions!" The bug stated, waving its arms twice above its head. A strange music began playing, not a song which I recognized.
"So now you face him: Musician." They all sung. It was clear some of them had better singing voices than others, as some of them were clearly very off key. I winced at this. Now I saw why there weren't any karaoke nights. Although Cole surprisingly had a pretty good singing voice, but his partner sounded like the smell of rotten milk put to song. The rest were various forms of average.
"You'll face the fury... of the musician. Failure is only to be expected, and you will fall. He'll make it swift, as he stops you. The magic of his music will control, consume, create demise. Because he has the music. Face the music. Face Musician. Face destruction." The guild sang. The bug swung out his arm, bowing deeply before rising once again.
"I am Kricketune, code name Musician. I am one who was gifted with a melodious and compelling song. I have been tasked with bringing you with me. So, we can do this easily, or we can make it difficult. Though I suspect how this play will turn out. The great hero rushes in to save his friends, trying desperately to save them. Calling out to them, trying to get them to see the light once more! But the hero will fail and is forced to slay his own companions to save his own life! Ah, truly a tragedy. So! What will it be? Desperation and guaranteed failure, or accepting the inevitable?" Kricketune questioned. I shook my head. This guy was nuts! Well, no more nuts than me at my worst, but at least I could control my crazy.
"I feel this story will play out a bit differently than you'd expect." I stated. Kricketune let out a quiet laugh, and the other guild members followed suit in a monotonous way.
"You aren't truly here currently, is that right? You're over getting your allies? Do you think they'll have the heart to harm them? Do you think they will have the ability to beat them?" He questioned. I laughed. He really was crazy.
"I don't know what kind of old, medieval tragic play you think this is, but let me tell you, this world isn't like that. You aren't the lead. I'd barely go so far as to describe you as a villain. Just a roadblock in the story of the world saving hero." I stated. He gasped, putting his arm to his chest, pretending to be offended.
"You truly think so highly of yourself? Guild members, fight him and knock him out for us." He stated, waving his arms to guide the members. A strange song began playing from him, seemingly compelling them to listen.
"So, if you don't think I'm here, why are you attacking me?" I questioned. He faltered for a moment, as the others did. He turned and bowed.
"Simply, I do not believe you to be a threat to me. Illusion, not an illusion, you cannot best me. Even with the others you are still only children, kids." He stated. I almost told him how the villain underestimating the hero was a classic mistake, but I kept my mouth shut. His failings worked to my benefit at that moment. Looking towards the guildmembers, I started forming a plan when I felt my stomach rumble.
"I just ate. Dang it, stupid body. I'm tired, my allies are dead asleep, and I'm very hungry barely five minutes after eating. I've got, I don't know, a minute or two of energy before we're on even ground, and I'll only grow weaker from there." I thought. Each second counted, I knew. Rushing forward, I was knocked back into a shelf, but didn't impact hard.
"It was an illusion, as expected." He stated, not even turning around. Standing directly in front of him, I got a good look at him. It seemed his arms were the source of this power as they rubbed and tapped together in front of him. I made an illusion of a Zorua head which chomped down on his arm, however in one swift motion he threw it away with surprising ease. He didn't even lose his beat. Physically overpowering him wouldn't work. How would a children's story stop a mind-controlled group of individuals being controlled with music?
"Music. Musical episode, hmm. I think I know what to do. I hope this work. Ugh, it really is my only option since everyone else is either completely asleep or controlled. I can't leave them alone here, who knows where they would go or what they would do." I thought. I jumped on a table, dropping my illusion. He didn't even open his eyes.
"This is where I give a heroic speech before I beat your buggy be-hind." I taunted. His eyes remained closed, confident at his own superiority.
"This body isn't nearly as capable as it could be, though it's somewhat tougher than it was as a human. Still, it's annoying, dealing with it. It raises a lot of questions for the future. It's scary, and... I don't want to think about it. I-" I stated. voice faltering for a moment. I felt a lump in my throat. The guild stood behind Kricketune.
"I don't know what's going to happen. I'm scared. I'll admit it. I m-miss my home, and I'm scared for the future. I don't want to deal with these lingering questions about the future, about who I'll be or what will happen when I grow old-er. Ahem. Whatever may happen, I have to face it, and I will if I am forced to, though I really don't want to. Maybe that's me being immature, sure. Maybe I don't need to worry about it. I'm just a kid, I always have been, and I've never been afraid to admit it. I'm an adult in a kid's body when I used to be a kid in an adult's body. Heh, I'm weird, I know. But I'll face the future with the smile of a child, even as I grow older. Even if I find myself confused, even if I hate what happens eventually, I'll face it. I did it once, and at least now I have some hindsight I can use, so that's a plus. So, yeah. I'm a child, a kid. And you know what, I'm also a goofball, and a wingnut, and a knuckleheadmcspazitron. But most of all, I'm. I'm... I'm!" I stated. Utilizing the full extent of my illusion powers, music began to play. Electric guitars, drums, everything I could ever need for a triumphant song to defeat the villain with.
"I'm a goofy goober, Rock!" I sang. My voice wasn't very amazing, but it sounded exactly as I wished due to my illusions. The Kricketune opened his eyes for the first time, noticing me dance on the table.
"You're a goofy goober, rock! We're all goofy goobers, rock! Goofy goofy goofy goober, ROCK!" I continued to sing. The Kricketune had no idea what I was doing but was clearly letting it play out. Perhaps it was out of amusement, or perhaps he was too stunned, wondering why this Pokémon could outperform the grandmaster of music.
"Put your toys away. Well all I gotta say when you tell me not to play is no way! No! No no freaking way! I'm a kid you say, well all I gotta say is say it again, and then I say thanks! Thanks! Thank you very much. So if you're thinking that'd you'd like to be like me-ee, go ahead and try, the kid inside will set you free! ...I'm a goofy goober, rock! You're a goofy goober, rock! We're all goofy goobers, rock! Goofy goofy goober, yeaaaaaaaah!" I sang. Exactly as expected, Krickitune ordered his allies to capture me at the end of the first section. Oh boy, did I have a surprise for him in store!
"Impressive song, but you will never best me." He stated, raising his arms, eyes still closed. The solo kicked in here. A floating human riffing on the guitar floated above me, kicking off the solo. It wouldn't take long before the guitar began to glow blue. The Kricketune seemed curious about this, as one eye lid was slightly open. Launching a laser at Even, it hit him directly in the head. He took a step back, shaking his head.
"Wh-what happened? Uh?" He wondered. Even's jaw was agape as he stared unblinking at the most bizarre sight ever: a floating human playing an electric guitar which was magically glowing blue and that fired blue lasers which was freeing the others from being mind controlled by an evil musician cricket. Kricketune's song faltered for a moment as he let out a gasp.
"No. No! I won't lose here!" He stated, attempting to reassert control over the others. A strange harmony occurred as our two musical pieces clashed, battling for control. It was too little, too late for him however, as I had already broken their minds free. At that point I was simply messing with him.
"I'd- I'd best go." He stated, rushing off. I was far too exhausted by this point to chase after him. The illusion dropped and I collapsed, mostly drained. I stared at the guild members and let out a big, toothy smile before I fell asleep once again. By the time I had woken up, it was lunch, judging by the smell. That didn't make any sense to me, unless they kept me sleeping in the library or the infirmary, which also wouldn't make sense. I opened my eyes and noted my companions resting beside me. Star was closest, followed by Ray, Nera, and then Squared. Apparently, the adults had brought me down some food so I didn't have to travel anywhere. I was grateful for that, since I was completely exhausted. After eating, I stretched my limbs and wandered out. Even, Rhett, Seya, and Dilen were standing around, talking. I waved.
"Oh, Jake. Thank you for saving us. Again. Your little concert was quite spectacular, I must admit. Not quite my genre, but it certainly beats listening to the sad noise that Even calls singing." Dilen stated. Even looked down, somehow blushing through his fur. I would complain about that being biologically impossible, but I had just fought a cricket in a musical battle to free my allies from mind control, so anything was on the table at this point. I made a mental note to redefine my definition of impossible.
"I'd compare it to dumpster water given voice." I responded. Even looked up, seemingly offended. The others genuinely seemed to enjoy that comparison. Even Cole let out a single laugh.
"Cole, you actually sang pretty well. Better than any of the others, anyway. Too bad you don't speak much, much less sing." I stated. Cole looked to the floor, embarrassed by the compliment. I stretched my limbs, feeling a bit tired still. I bid them farewell and returned to my sleeping companions. I laid down, thinking about things.
"If I'm going to be stuck here, maybe I can ask Seya a bit about that. Sure, it's probably years away, but I want to know the abridged version. Who knows, maybe it'll not be as bad." I thought. Later that day I did ask, finding it was likely to be just as bad, if not worse due to my mind being vastly different than normal. Getting these feelings off my chest did help me feel a bit better, at least, if a bit embarrassed. Ultimately, I wasn't feeling very happy about this, but I'd do my best to deal with it if the time came. Who knows how this'll work out! Well, hindsight would help with part of it, and I'd just have to endure the rest. Thinking about it, I kind of found it funny. My distant future was always going to be a train wreck, and I was almost excited to see how bad it was going to be. Until them, I smiled, knowing I was still going to be a kid for a long while.
The Kricketune calling a meeting was unexpected. Most expected he would be too afraid to confront the others after his failure. The waxing moon was shining bright, illuminating them far better than in their previous meeting, though it managed to remain unnaturally dark in the presence of the Light-Eater.
"Speak." The wisp commanded. The Kricketune bowed.
"As you are all aware, I have failed in with my objective to bring the Zorua to us. However, over the course of controlling the guild, I learned some interesting information. One of our sneakier companions surely knows about this, but the rest are certainly unaware, as was I." The musician stated. A malicious grin formed on the musical bug's face, and he rubbed his hands together. The quiet shriek of his natural instruments disturbed any silence there may have been. He initially was dreading the next time the seven of them would meet, but it seemed was going to have a bit of fun after all.
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
First thing's first: the "song" the guild members goes with "Upper Steam Cave", beginning at around 6 seconds. Second thing's second, this is growing into my largest story ever. I have no idea how or why, it just is. From a small project I'd abandoned completely to the longest thing I ever wrote... life's weird. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the mess that I call "The Great Cliché Adventure"! Read, Review, Relax, have a bagel or two. I don't know, as long as you're having fun, then I'm having fun.
