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Post by DataNinja on May 11, 2018 1:22:12 GMT
"I'm alive because I cannot die here. Nor can you. As I was indicating to your companion here, all of this... it only exists in our minds." Thrianna gestures around again. "This world, all of it... it's all made from memories and imagination. Mine, all of my kin... and now yours, too. What you are right now are memories of yourselves, and you speak to a memory of me."
"The Glamour, it persists amongst our home. Letting us live lives that we left behind." Her voice has grown wearier, tinged with sadness. "It is potent... but shallow. Anything else, anyone else... eventually it all becomes empty. Here, in this place, truths become lies, and lies become truths."
She closes her eyes at the last line, and the pair of Trainers can feel the world wobbling, fading away into mist... before eventually receding, revealing the pair of them standing inside the recognizable confines of a Temple - Though not in a room with a rippling wall - as a Bonsly and Budew once more. Standing towering above them is a figure still in a dress... however, it's a part of her; not a human, but a Gardevoir. She stares down at you mournfully. "You have come in here from the outside, I know. Does this mean that finally we can leave this place?"
Both Mica and Donovan realize that they're fairly hungry and thirsty. They've probably been in the mental world for a lot longer than it seemed.
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Apr 27, 2024 17:48:03 GMT
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Post by Robot on May 11, 2018 1:53:46 GMT
"It is why we came, but now is not that time. We are gathering all eighteen plates to break the seals on the temples, and to get them away from Axiom. So far we have two, one given to us by Akashi from the Psychic Temple, and a second given to us by Esthia of the Grass Temple. The girl that 'killed' you (Mica physically inserted the air quotes) has the one from the Fighting Temple." The Bonsly scuffed her feet. "Akashi explained it a little, but without the plate the Temple slowly loses what comfort it offers, and it stops sustaining it's inhabitants. We're hurrying... it's only been a week or two.... I'm really hungry." =w= She interjected with a sour expression.
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Post by Breakthelevee on May 11, 2018 2:12:20 GMT
Donovan looked around. Melody was gone. The Professor was gone, still trapped. He knew it was too good to be true. Mica was still here and she was....so accepting of this. Another place that was messing with his mind, making sure that he questioned what was real and what wasn't. What if this was just a memory as well. Mica and this Thrianna could just be figments of his mind as he sits alone in a room. How could he even be sure? Everything felt so real.
He reached down and held his side, no longer in pain but still remembering the feeling of electricity pulsing through his body. "Wait" He says, his mind making a few connections "You said that you live lives left behind. You appeared to us as a human. Did you used to be one?"
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Post by DataNinja on May 11, 2018 2:26:45 GMT
"I see. I do not know these names that you speak of," Thrianna admits, "for I never ventured near any other tribe, back when we were free to roam. But, your cause seems most noble, and your hearts are pure and selfless. I saw that back there, when you did not know the stakes. It is a stark contrast to the apathy that holds most of my kin, yearning for more, but afraid to do anything about it." She sighs. "Chancing withering away for the possibility of freedom at last... that is a risk that I would be willing to take. Right now, we are not living. We are surviving. And unless we do something, we will be trapped until the end of time. I shall give you what aid I can... I doubt that any others will stir. They did not heed the pillars of light, after all."
"I did, of a sorts," she replies to Donovan. "Outside of this structure, my people lived free. We were born or hatched with a power, a gift. To take on the form of a particular Pokémon, whenever we so desired. I do not know what separated us from the creatures who were trapped in a single form... but, upon entering here, we lost that. We became as of them, unable to assume our human forms. And so it has been, for however long has passed. I assume, by all of your questions, that you are not one of us. And yet, neither are you a single-form..."
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Post by Breakthelevee on May 11, 2018 6:48:20 GMT
....Why had none of the other Temple Guardians mentioned that to them? Why is it that every time they go into a Temple they're told a slightly different story. Nothing makes sense anymore, but Donovan wasn't going to fight it. Every time he tried to fight it something bad happened. Maybe if he just....went with whatever was happening, the world would stop punishing them.
"We were born normal humans. Axiom did something that allows us to enter into the sealed Temples. We still aren't entirely sure why. But if you entrust your Plate with us, at least you'll be safer if Axiom finds her way here." His little form attempted a shrug "The world is a very different place. But we will make sure you can see it with your own eyes"
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on May 11, 2018 12:26:32 GMT
Mica's eyes were the size of small saucers and shining brightly at this news. Humans had once been so much more then they are now, the idea left her with strange feelings of vindication for the years of weirdness she'd been bullied for. "I've dreamed my whole life of becoming a Pokemon!" She blurted out before hopping excitedly around Thrianna in circles. "The girl in the armor used lots of special stones and caused an explosion, and then we could come to these places where we were!"
Mica was progressively speeding up, and it was starting to get dizzying. "The Plates are elementally charged, and feel kinda like rock too!" Her next turn is too sharp and she wobbles into Thrianna trying to stop herself. "This thing that happened that everyone was scared of, that they needed the plates for, it made a bigger divide between humans and Pokemon. In the Temples, humans can't exist. Outside, we could cause everythings not Grass."
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Post by DataNinja on May 11, 2018 16:23:26 GMT
"I see," Thrianna says, nodding at Donovan. "If the other in the Glamour is also coming, for the same reasons... I would trust the two of you with it more."
"Oof," she rubs her leg after Mica topples into her. "Well, I guess that one person's nightmare is another's dream," she chuckles. "But, yeah, I can take you guys to the Plate. I know where it is, at least. No idea what it can do, though. Nobody who knew made it. Every once in a while there's some speculation, but all we know are that sometimes there were light shows from it. So, uh, I hope you know what you're doing."
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on May 12, 2018 0:03:18 GMT
"Sorry Thrianna, I got carried away." Mica apologized sheepishly, catching her breath. "We'll make sure to run far and fast, if we ever see it signal like that again. I-" She cut herself off briefly. "Even though this was painful, I think it was a very important test. Please take us to the plate?"
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Post by Breakthelevee on May 12, 2018 0:25:12 GMT
"We will keep it safe, just like we have with the other two that have been entrusted to us" He looked at Thrianna, waiting for her to lead the way "We just need to touch the Plate and then we'll be gone from here, as will it"
He looked at the Gardevior, his eyes filled with a deep sadness "And please promise us that you will be careful should Axiom show up"
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Post by DataNinja on May 12, 2018 0:35:44 GMT
"I will," she says to Donovan. "If there is a chance to once more have a full world surrounding me... I will not squander it fruitlessly."
With that, she leads them through the Temple, twists and turns going past confusingly. The stone looks almost organic, like it would be part of nature, yet still unnatural. Occasionally, the group passes another Pokémon, who almost seem to be sleepwalking. None pay attention, and Thrianna ushers the group quickly past.
Eventually, they arrive at a room with a plinth in the center, similar to others that they've seen. Glowing pink runes adorn the walls, floor, and ceiling, and there is a similarly coloured plate set atop the plinth. Thrianna steps up to it, reaching to bring it down but stops. She turns around and instead picks up first Mica, and then Donovan, giving a light kiss on their foreheads before setting them in front of the plate. "Thank you, both," she says, "for giving me hope. For showing me that there are still those who care."
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on May 12, 2018 0:52:55 GMT
"I don't really like goodbyes." Mica complained softly, blushing up at Thrianna. "So this will just be another hello we haven't had yet. Thank you for being okay, we learned something really important we didn't know before. It... It was really important to me, but I feel like you knew, somehow." She gently nudged Donovan, and then turned her back to give him some privacy with her, looking up at the plate.
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Post by Breakthelevee on May 12, 2018 1:34:53 GMT
"Farewell" Donovan says with a half smile "I'm glad that we met you. We'll meet again in the outside, I'll make sure of it"
Reaching out, he touched the Plate with one of his vines, and waited to see what happened next
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Post by DataNinja on May 12, 2018 1:58:30 GMT
Thrianna nods, smiling at the two as the Temple begins to fade away. As is almost familiar at this point, Mica and Donovan find themselves outside in the warm spring air, before the pink plate in Donovan's hands begins to glow and shoot beams of light in the air. It's clear that more than the short time they experienced was spent in the mindspace, though, as evidenced by the pair's continued hunger and thirst, and the fact that the sun is looking to just about to peek over the horizon. From the pinnacle of the Temple, the two have the best view around, though. You get two milestones! Oh, and a Fairy Plate, of course.
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on May 12, 2018 2:37:16 GMT
"That could have been worse." Mica said quietly, as she sat back against the cold stone of the temple, likely still wet from the night's chill and the first dew of morning. Watching the sunrise with Donovan was a nice touch. "Where do we go from here though? I have one more day with Elisha, that I should do at least, before we move on." She distanced herself a little from him, whether consciously or not, eyes sliding from the plate in his hands back to the horizon.
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Post by Breakthelevee on May 12, 2018 6:23:42 GMT
"First we eat" Donovan says over the rumble of his stomach, as he reaches into his bag and pulls out some dried fruit and granola, and holds it out towards Mica. Most, if not all, of the usual excitement was gone from his voice, but he didn't sound sad. His hand rested on the Fairy Plate on his lap, wondering what changes they had brought this time. He watched the sun slowly rise up in the distance and was glad that it was still the same. No matter what, the sun would rise on a new dawn and they would continue their journey. No matter what.
He looked back at Mica after taking a bite "We can spend a few more days here if you like. I can try and find work around town or something to build our supplies back up. We should head for the next gym....Even if it feels weird to not go straight for the next Temple. I know I say this every time, but I don't know if I'm ready for another one just yet" Unlike before he didn't break down crying, or really seem too emotional at all. Just...tired. "I need to get stronger in case we see her again, but for real this time.."
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on May 12, 2018 11:00:42 GMT
"I am running low on Pokeballs, and bandages aren't enough for the kind of trouble we've been running into. If I were to scrounge around, I might be able to find us some berries and apricorns too." Briefly she considered the idea of remaining in one spot for a little while. It felt like a lot longer then it had been, riding the emotional roller coaster they had. "We can't take too long, but another two days to rest and recuperate wouldn't be a bad idea."
The girl's chewing slowed, and her eyes wandered to the tops of the trees, away from the sunrise and Donovan in their entirety. "So, Melody huh? She seems nice."
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Post by Breakthelevee on May 13, 2018 0:31:16 GMT
"It wasn't real" Donovan says flatly "It's exactly like you said, I just had rose colored goggles. You were right from the first moment you entered. She wasn't real. Besides, I don't know if what I remember with her even happened. She might not really exist. I don't know anything anymore except what is front of me now"
He hands rested on the Plate still and he slowly extended his fingers to cover as much of it as possible "Look, I lived a whole different life before I came here to Vesperia. But that doesn't matter now. What happened in the past here doesn't matter either. The only thing that matters is the future. The future we're going to make for every stuck inside of these damned Temples." His tone was completely mismatched with what he was saying, even he didn't believe himself anymore "But yeah, she seemed nice"
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on May 13, 2018 12:31:43 GMT
Mica scootched closer to Donovan, mouth still partially full of granola. "Well, I'm real." She pressed her forehead against his. "I might not be a strong grass trainer, or a flower princess, or have known you for very long... but I could try to be those things for you, if you'd like me more for it." Why was this so hard? She was so direct about everything else in life, and she couldn't just tell him. She huffed softly and swallowed her mouthful.
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Post by Breakthelevee on May 14, 2018 0:04:05 GMT
How had he not noticed before? Deep down he had, but had just tried to ignore it. He wasn't sure what would happen, even if he liked her too, especially since they couldn't handle the Temples alone. They couldn't just try it and then go their separate ways if it didn't work out. They were a team.
His breathing sped up as he argued with himself on what to do. After a few moments of silence, their heads still touching, he reached a hand up and cupped her chin, moving her face up so they were looking into each others eyes.
"I like you just fine as you are" He whispered the words before moving in and kissing Mica, their lips meeting for just a moment before he pulled away.
He looked back at her with a small smile, though inside he sighed, unsure of if what he was doing was right. He liked Mica, sure, but part of him....most of him...was just going through the motions, doing what seemed to be the proper response. Like he told himself, he was done fighting. He would just go with whatever was happening.
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on May 14, 2018 0:11:59 GMT
It wasn't really what she'd expected. It didn't taste like anything. Really it just felt like putting your mouth on anything (which Mica admittedly smushed faces with Pokemon often enough that this was no different). Still, the interaction left her feeling slightly giddy even if Donovan didn't seem very into it. It had been a really hard night. "I didn't like who you were in this Temple. You were trying to fight how Enya taught us without any of the oomph behind it. You should fight how Donovan fights." She poked him in the middle of the forehead twice, before rising and starting down the side of the temple.
"That or start training under Elisha with me. If you're going to throw yourself at somebody, at least figure out where to grab them." She gave him a goofy grin, and started off towards town.
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