Double

World of Light

&

Word Count: 769
Level 8 Roxas: 31/80
Level 6 Ganondorf: 20/60
Exp Gained: +2
NEW EXP Balance--- 33/80 | 22/60

Carnival Town

Sandswept Sky

It wasn’t hard for Roxas to recognize some of the other Seekers. Bowser and his Troop were pretty much impossible to miss no matter what changes they went through. Queen Sectonia was also equally hard to miss as well. The Orsterrans, on the other hand, took him a moment to remember. But he did indeed see them both at the Twilight Town meetup. But there was one particular person Roxas remembered that didn’t seem to be present anymore. And it didn’t take him long to inquire from one of the other Seekers what happened to her. Jesse had apparently decided she’d had her fill of fighting Galeem and took her leave.

It saddened him. Jesse, along with Midna, had been the first Seeker Roxas really got to interact with other than Sectonia. But she had clearly made up her mind, and so she would be missed. The Nobody then also realized that Omori was missing too. But unlike Jesse, he wasn’t gone because he had parted ways. Apparently he had fallen victim to one of the Consuls and the Seekers had no choice but to take him down along with a group of other allies that had previously parted ways with them. Just how strong were these Consuls if they could turn Seekers against one another like that?

And then there was the one new face among the other contingent of Seekers, whom Roxas did not recognize. Ganondorf, the tall cloaked man in dark armor. For a bit he seemed to be giving Roxas an occasional look whose meaning he couldn’t comprehend. But what Roxas could tell about the man was he was practically teeming with darkness. Maybe that was it. Maybe the Gerudo Warlord was being put off by the Light in Roxas’ Heart.

”Hm.” Ganondorf finally said to the lad, ”Another would-be Hero of Light. How… quaint.”

”What’s that supposed to mean?” Replied Roxas with a bit of tension in his tone.

”Nothing to worry thyself over.” The man responded. ”I was merely… remembering someone from mine own world.”

Roxas paused a long before he finally said anything back. ”...Right.” Something about this guy was making him feel uneasy. Maybe it was the obvious power of darkness he was drenched in. Or maybe it was something else entirely. Well, maybe he’d get a little more comfortable around him over time. At least he hoped he would.

”I understand that thou can eliminate Galeem’s influence without using a Friend Heart.” Ganondorf said out of the blue, ”Pray tell, is this true?”

”That’s right.” Roxas confirmed. ”It’s a power my Keyblade possesses, among other things.”

”Interesting,” Ganondorf said. ”very interesting, indeed.”

Roxas had seen that kind of look before, and he shook his head with a smirk. ”Don’t even bother.” He said, seemingly able to guess what the warlord was thinking. ”The Keyblade chooses its master. It’s not something you can just take by force.”

”Naturally.” Ganondorf said with a bit of a deadpan tone. ”Not that I would ever dream of conspiring against my fellow Seekers.” He added, even though Roxas found it really hard to believe that. ”And besides, I cannot imagine a scenario in which I would willingly embrace the Light such as that.”

Later on, both Ganondorf and Roxas were among the Seekers in the Big Top. Frankly, Ganondorf was about to turn around and leave, having little interest initially in playing minigames. But then the Orb Machine was mentioned, and this at last piqued his interest. A machine that could dispense Spirits in exchange for prize tokens? Maybe there was a good reason to take part in these games after all? Of course, the other thing that convinced him to stick around was the sudden appearance of Captain Falcon. The man in question was the first one to accept the challenge and follow Ballyhood through the curtains. Well this meant the Seekers wouldn’t have to scour the town in search of him it seemed. Instead it seemed as if the Captain had found them, albeit by happenstance.

Roxas, of course, had no idea who Falcon was. ”Who was that guy?” He asked no one in particular. And Ganondorf happened to be standing nearby enough to give him an answer.

”Captain Falcon.” He said. ”He was one of the original fighters who stood with us against Galeem in the beginning.” The warlord explained before adding. ”We would do well to add him to our ranks before we leave here.”

Pokémon Kalos Chronicles: Superstars of Friendship Edition

@Crimson Flame
Since Kaylan did his first gym challenge 5 years ago, I'd be curious to know if any of the Gym Leaders were different back then. Like if Clemont and Korrina are teenagers now, would they still have been Gym Leaders five years ago or would their predecessors have been the Leaders at the time?

Pokémon Kalos Chronicles: Superstars of Friendship Edition

@Crimson Flame You can use Dorian if you want. It practically gives me an excuse to use him as Kay's driving force to master Nega Evolution or even Ash-Form for Jiraiya.

Anyway I transferred over the character and made the necessary adjustments to backstory to account for Jiraiya not being with him. The Jiraiya CS is still there but he's specifically labeled as "Not in Party".

Pokémon Kalos Chronicles: Superstars of Friendship Edition

Kaylan Osborne

Name: Kaylan Osborne
Nickname: Kay
Gender: Male
Age: 20

Appearance: Tall, dark, and gloomy. Kay stands at around 6'1", though you sometimes wouldn't know it based on his slouchy posture. He's also pretty toned and athletic, despite his choice of attire making that hard to notice. He does wear a tight shirt and slacks that would otherwise show off some of his physique, but he also wears a long black poncho of all things over the top of that which generally hides what his physique looks like underneath. He used to keep his dark hair short, with blue highlights along the combed back top. These days, though, his hair is a bit longer and not quite as cleanly combed. Instead it's usually just lazily tied back into a ponytail of some kind, although the blue highlights are still visible. Once upon a time his previous travels favored him with a bit of a tan as a result of time spent outdoors. That's not the case anymore, it seems, his skin now more on the pale side - as if he's spent some time living as a shut in.

Personality: Kay would call himself a "realist". But most people instead call him an outright pessimist. He's got a bit of a gloomy outlook, typically the first one to question a plan or even just outright poke holes in it because he sees it as foolish or pointless. All this is a far cry from the fiery ball of determination he used to be back when his friends first knew him. He still values his friends and relationships, otherwise he wouldn't have been convinced to go on this journey at all. And yet, when the chips are down and it's time to fight or battle, sometimes you can still see an occasional spark of the determined trainer he used to be. But it's often drowned out by an overwhelming drive to win, and prove something either to the world or to himself that no one but Kay knows.

History: While Kaylan himself was born in Vanville Town, his parents both originally immigrated to Kalos from the faraway Johto region. Among his friends, he was also the one that originally wanted to be a Pokemon Trainer the most. He suggested they all give it a try, but they all had their own interests and passions that eventually made them drift apart over time. But Kay, fiery kid he was at the time, didn't let this deter him. He'd go on a journey and take on the Pokemon League alone if he had to. He began with a Froakie courtesy of the Professor that he named Jiraiya, and left on the journey that would ultimately break him.

It went well for a good while. Kay was able to challenge gyms and win their badges, all the while gradually developing a team of trusted Pokemon along the way. But he did have a rival at the time, a snobby prep school kid from Lumiose City named Dorian Young. Apparently the heir to some Fortune 500 company, Dorian was rich and not afraid to remind the rest of the world of that fact. It also became clear early on that his wealth afforded Dorian a distinct advantage as a Prokemon Trainer, whether it was higher quality Poke Balls or Vitamins that could make his Pokemon stronger. But here again, Kaylan refused to let that deter him. And for the most part, he kept pace with Dorian despite everything. At least, for a while anyway. Everything changed at the Kalos League Conference.

By this point Kaylan hadn't seen Dorian in a while. But he was fully expecting the jerk to turn up at the conference with all eight badges in tow. And sure enough, he did. But it soon became apparent why he had shown up fashionably late. He claimed to have been doing "special training" that allowed him to unlock abilities for his Pokemon that would make them unbeatable. And when the battles began, he showed off exactly what that ability was. His Ace Pokemon - Gallade - had somehow gained the power to evolve into a new form during battle that heightened its abilities in ways Kay had never seen before then. Kay refused to be intimidated and he battled his way past the first two rounds and was paired against Dorian in the third.

And while Jiraiya - now a fully evolved Greninja - fought valiantly, in the end he just couldn't overcome the power of the evolved Gallade and was defeated. In the end, victory went to Dorian. "I told you, didn't I? You never stood a chance. Worthless nobodies like you never do." He arrogantly said, gloating over his victory. Eliminated from the tournament, Kaylan left without even staying to see who won in the end. He was too devastated, both by the loss and by the cruel words Dorian told him afterward.

When he returned home, Kay found himself unwilling to talk to anyone about what happened. He holed up in his room for a while and then one night he and Jiraiya left town without even telling anyone where they were going. Some time after that, Kaylan found himself living in the remote Ninja Village. He followed rumors and stories about the place where People and Greninja both live and hone their skills. Maybe here he and Jiraiya could find some kind of clarity. And it was here they remained. Kay was just over 15 when he first left on his Gym Challenge, and had turned 16 by the time he had returned from his crushing defeat at the Kalos Conference. He remained at Ninja village for nearly four years. Until one day - against all odds - he received a letter.

Who could possibly have found him in order to send a letter? Well it turned out to be from one his old friends. André apparently decided he wanted to give the Pokemon Trainer thing a try. He was kidding, right? Now he wanted to go on a journey? Still valuing the old friendships he previously had, Kay set out for Vanville Town. If nothing else, he would tell André in person that he had already taken on the League once and didn't really want to do it again. But then again... maybe he should try again? Either way, Kaylan was going to Vanville empty handed, with none of his Pokémon in tow.

Other:

Jiraiya (Not in Party)
Species: Greninja

Gender: Male

Personality: Loyal to a fault. After already going on one journey with his trainer, Jiraiya has become insistent on staying by Kaylan's side no matter where he goes.

History: He was first given to Kaylan when the latter began his first journey in Vanville Town. Things didn't start out smoothly, and in fact they were almost defeated in the first gym until their bond pulled them through. He's been a loyal and steadfast partner ever since.

Pokémon Kalos Chronicles: Superstars of Friendship Edition

Kaylan Osborne

Name: Kaylan Osborne
Nickname: Kay
Gender: Male
Age: 20

Appearance: Tall, dark, and gloomy. Kay stands at around 6'1", though you sometimes wouldn't know it based on his slouchy posture. He's also pretty toned and athletic, despite his choice of attire making that hard to notice. He does wear a tight shirt and slacks that would otherwise show off some of his physique, but he also wears a long black poncho of all things over the top of that which generally hides what his physique looks like underneath. He used to keep his dark hair short, with blue highlights along the combed back top. These days, though, his hair is a bit longer and not quite as cleanly combed. Instead it's usually just lazily tied back into a ponytail of some kind, although the blue highlights are still visible. Once upon a time his previous travels favored him with a bit of a tan as a result of time spent outdoors. That's not the case anymore, it seems, his skin now more on the pale side - as if he's spent some time living as a shut in.

Personality: Kay would call himself a "realist". But most people instead call him an outright pessimist. He's got a bit of a gloomy outlook, typically the first one to question a plan or even just outright poke holes in it because he sees it as foolish or pointless. All this is a far cry from the fiery ball of determination he used to be back when his friends first knew him. He still values his friends and relationships, otherwise he wouldn't have been convinced to go on this journey at all. And yet, when the chips are down and it's time to fight or battle, sometimes you can still see an occasional spark of the determined trainer he used to be. But it's often drowned out by an overwhelming drive to win, and prove something either to the world or to himself that no one but Kay knows.

History: While Kaylan himself was born in Vanville Town, his parents both originally immigrated to Kalos from the faraway Johto region. Among his friends, he was also the one that originally wanted to be a Pokemon Trainer the most. He suggested they all give it a try, but they all had their own interests and passions that eventually made them drift apart over time. But Kay, fiery kid he was at the time, didn't let this deter him. He'd go on a journey and take on the Pokemon League alone if he had to. He began with a Froakie courtesy of the Professor that he named Jiraiya, and left on the journey that would ultimately break him.

It went well for a good while. Kay was able to challenge gyms and win their badges, all the while gradually developing a team of trusted Pokemon along the way. But he did have a rival at the time, a snobby prep school kid from Lumiose City named Dorian Young. Apparently the heir to some Fortune 500 company, Dorian was rich and not afraid to remind the rest of the world of that fact. It also became clear early on that his wealth afforded Dorian a distinct advantage as a Prokemon Trainer, whether it was higher quality Poke Balls or Vitamins that could make his Pokemon stronger. But here again, Kaylan refused to let that deter him. And for the most part, he kept pace with Dorian despite everything. At least, for a while anyway. Everything changed at the Kalos League Conference.

By this point Kaylan hadn't seen Dorian in a while. But he was fully expecting the jerk to turn up at the conference with all eight badges in tow. And sure enough, he did. But it soon became apparent why he had shown up fashionably late. He claimed to have been doing "special training" that allowed him to unlock abilities for his Pokemon that would make them unbeatable. And when the battles began, he showed off exactly what that ability was. His Ace Pokemon - Gallade - had somehow gained the power to evolve into a new form during battle that heightened its abilities in ways Kay had never seen before then. Kay refused to be intimidated and he battled his way past the first two rounds and was paired against Dorian in the third.

And while Jiraiya - now a fully evolved Greninja - fought valiantly, in the end he just couldn't overcome the power of the evolved Gallade and was defeated. In the end, victory went to Dorian. "I told you, didn't I? You never stood a chance. Worthless nobodies like you never do." He arrogantly said, gloating over his victory. Eliminated from the tournament, Kaylan left without even staying to see who won in the end. He was too devastated, both by the loss and by the cruel words Dorian told him afterward.

When he returned home, Kay found himself unwilling to talk to anyone about what happened. He holed up in his room for a while and then one night he and Jiraiya left town without even telling anyone where they were going. Some time after that, Kaylan found himself living in the remote Ninja Village. He followed rumors and stories about the place where People and Greninja both live and hone their skills. Maybe here he and Jiraiya could find some kind of clarity. And it was here they remained. Kay was just over 15 when he first left on his Gym Challenge, and had turned 16 by the time he had returned from his crushing defeat at the Kalos Conference. He remained at Ninja village for nearly four years. Until one day - against all odds - he received a letter.

Who could possibly have found him in order to send a letter? Well it turned out to be from one his old friends. André apparently decided he wanted to give the Pokemon Trainer thing a try. He was kidding, right? Now he wanted to go on a journey? Still valuing the old friendships he previously had, Kay set out for Vanville Town. If nothing else, he would tell André in person that he had already taken on the League once and didn't really want to do it again. But then again... maybe he should try again? Either way, Kaylan was going to Vanville empty handed, with none of his Pokémon in tow.

Other:

Jiraiya
Species: Greninja

Gender: Male

Personality: Loyal to a fault. After already going on one journey with his trainer, Jiraiya has become insistent on staying by Kaylan's side no matter where he goes.

History: He was first given to Kaylan when the latter began his first journey in Vanville Town. Things didn't start out smoothly, and in fact they were almost defeated in the first gym until their bond pulled them through. He's been a loyal and steadfast partner ever since.

I know the Pokemon is fully evolved. For balance purposes, I'm willing to have Kaylan have no Pokemon on him at all to start with so that Jiraiya can rejoin him later, if such a compromise is preferable.

Pokémon Kalos Chronicles: Superstars of Friendship Reboot Interest Check.

Obviously for the sake of balance/fairness, if a trainer is challenging the league for a second time, they would be pulling an Ash Ketchum and committing to starting fresh with a new team. Minus perhaps their original starter as the sole holdover from the first team.

Pokémon Kalos Chronicles: Superstars of Friendship Reboot Interest Check.

I think it'd be kinda funny if one these older characters is a washed-up trainer who took on the League Challenge once before, lost, and is now having another go at it.

World of Light

Word Count: 630
Level 5 Captain Falcon: 3/10
Exp Gained: +1
NEW EXP Balance--- 4/10

Sandswept Sky

Carnival Town

For the time being, Captain Falcon was in one of Carnival Town’s many food courts peppered throughout town to give tourists and other funseekers a place to rest and enjoy meals. In his case, Falcon was in the food court just outside the racetrack entrance. He was currently chowing down on an order of tacos from one of the many food vendors. It tasted pretty good, but it simply didn’t compare to the bundled tripe that Captain Falcon considered to be his favorite.

Then he overheard some talk about falling objects crashing onto the edge of town. Falcon wasn’t entirely sure how he could have missed something like that. For a moment he considered investigating the rumor, wondering if maybe it represented some kind of potential threat. But the murmurs also went on to claim that the objects were merely some new visitors having come to enjoy the fun and games, so the Captain decided that looking into it was probably not necessary. Other than that, the conversations going on at various tables weren’t of any real interest.

After finishing his lunch, Captain Falcon went to pay his tab only for the vendor to insist that it was on the house. This wasn’t too uncommon, given the celebrity status of most of the racers, so Falcon thanked the vendor who he assumed was a fan and offered an autograph instead of payment. To this, the vendor was happily willing to accept. Signing autographs had long since been second nature to the F-Zero Pilot, so signing this one took him no time at all. After that exchange, Captain Falcon went on his way.

He considered returning to the racetrack, but paused with some hesitation. He’d honestly not done much here other than racing. And the more he thought about it, the more he started to think that maybe he should give himself a break from the racetrack for a while. There were other ways to enjoy oneself in Carnival Town, and Falcon didn’t see any reason why he shouldn’t go ahead and see some of those other games for himself. From what he understood, Ballyhood’s Big Top was the place to go if one wanted to take part in some competitive minigames against - or in some cases alongside - other visitors. And so it was there that the F-Zero Pilot went.

The Big Top wasn’t hard to find. It was the only circus tent in the entire town, and it was a massive one at that. So spotting it even from a distance was quite easy. He went through the opening flaps in time to catch the tail end of the explanations for how the games and Orb Machine worked. He also noticed a slew of visitors who appeared to be looking to take part, and absolutely none of them looked familiar to him. Were they the ones who came down in the falling objects? Maybe they were, and maybe they weren’t. It honestly didn’t matter to Falcon either way. As far as he was concerned, these people - no matter where they came from - were the competition.

Right after this was when Ballyhood zoomed through the gap in the curtains, beckoning all who was interested to follow behind him. Well, Captain Falcon had long since made his mind up and was quick to step on up, announcing his presence to the others in the tent in the process. "In minigames or on the track… Captain Falcon ALWAYS plays to win! So good luck to all of you fine folks." He told the other people there with a smile and thumbs up, "Because you’re gonna need it to beat ME."

World of Light

Word Count: 2,601
Level 8 Roxas: 28/80
Exp Gained: +3
NEW EXP Balance--- 31/80

Northeastern Skies

Roxas still had a bit of time after helping Midna with her problem, and the first thing he wanted to do was check out what would be his living quarters for the foreseeable future. His room was, ironically, Room 13. Given what these Lost Numbers seemed to know about all of them, Roxas couldn’t help but wonder if that was on purpose or not. Did they know enough about him to know how much of a connection that number actually had to him? Ah well, no sense in overthinking it.

Once there he let Scamp out of his Poke Ball so the two of them could look around the room and relax for a spell. During this time, Roxas changed out of his monochrome outfit again and back once more into his other casual outfit. He really didn’t want to look dressed for battle if the plan was merely to go down there and have some fun and celebrate. But unlike last time he was sure to stow his black outfit into the large main pocket of his trainer bag along with his gauntlets and mask. At least then they’d be handy if he happened to need them for anything.

But no sooner had he changed his clothes did he hear a knock on his door. Wondering who would possibly be visiting him, Roxas walked over and opened the door in order to answer. “Alola!” greeted the stranger standing before him. He was a man probably in his thirties and with quite the sun tan. Of course his age was hard to tell when he had platinum white hair, pulled back in what looked like some kind of bun or ponytail. Also his face was clean shaven save for the goatee on his chin, whose color was mostly white but also seemed to have bits of darker black mixed in as well. The old white lab coat he wore seemed to suggest he was a scientist, but he had to be a pretty casual one with the blue jeans, sandals, and tank top he wore underneath it.

”A…lo…la?” Roxas asked with confusion on his face.

“Oh, my apologies! Where my parents are from, ‘Alola’ is used as a way of saying hello and goodbye, you see.” The stranger clarified, “But where are my manners? My name is Koa.” He said with a big grin.

”Oh, uh, my name’s-”

“...Roxas.” Koa said, “I’ve heard. And I’ve also heard that you’ve got a Pokemon with you.” He leaned over and looked past where Roxas was standing and spotted Scamp in the living quarters. “Tell me, Roxas, have you learned much about Pokemon since meeting your Yamper, there?”

”Well,” Roxas said, ”we sort of only just met today. So… I guess I haven’t learned much yet.”

“Not to worry.” Koa said with a warm tone, “Everyone has to start somewhere. Anyway, I wanted to meet you because I’m something of an expert on Pokemon, you see. I’m a Professor, and I study Pokemon for a living. But as you can imagine, being in this world doesn’t exactly give me many chances to meet Pokemon Trainers, at least ones who aren’t under Galeem’s influence anyway. If you’d like, I’d like to share something with you that I think you’ll find most useful.”

”Sure.” said Roxas, ”If it’ll help me take better care of Scamp.”

“Of course, of course!” said Koa with some excitement in his voice, “Follow me if you will, both of you in fact.”

And so Roxas and Scamp followed Professor Koa to the ship’s Laboratory, which was only located a couple of levels down and surprisingly close by. Within the Lab, Koa showed Roxas his work area. There, the Nobody saw all kinds of sketches, diagrams and formulas related to Pokemon and their abilities. He also saw a recurring symbol that was essentially the letters “VN” in certain places. But he had no idea what any of it meant.

“Welcome to my little slice of the ship’s lab.” Professor Koa said, “As you’ve learned by now, some people in Galeem’s world were born here, and thus have no trace of his influence. Well, as it so happens, there are also Pokemon who were similarly born here to parents who were brought from their original native regions. Like your Yamper, there. See how he shows no trace of Galeem’s influence?”

”Huh?” Roxas asked, then looked closely at Scamp and finally realized it. ”Hey you’re right, he’s not Galeeming! So he’s an example of new life too?”

“Correct!” Koa confirmed, “Or, as I’ve coined it, Vita Nova! Or ‘VN’, for short.”

Oh, Roxas realized, that’s what the VN in his formulas meant. But for now, Koa continued his explanation.

“I learned everything I know about Pokemon from my mother and father, who were both Pokemon Professors with ties to the Source Engine. And so I went ahead and decided to study Pokemon just like they did.” Koa explained, then after a brief pause he continued. “I took a particular interest in studying Pokemon that were like me, born in this world as new life. I took to calling them VN Pokemon in order to distinguish them from their Source Engine counterparts. I also began to theorize that VN Pokemon may be capable of certain abilities that the normal Pokemon are not.”

”How so?” Roxas asked with piqued curiosity.

“In the world of my parents, Pokemon are able to inherit moves and abilities from their parents. And they’re also capable of evolving in certain ways based on the Regions they are native to. As such, it is likely only natural that some Pokemon born in this world likely have their own unique capabilities as well. Unfortunately, I only have so much data for my research. That’s where I’m hoping you will come in. I’d like you to try and find some other VN Pokemon out there in your travels and help me gather data on them.”

”You mean like a research assistant?”

“That’s one way of putting it. But it’s more like I’m asking you to further yourself as a Pokemon Trainer. Try to catch some of these VN Pokemon you find in the wild so that I can study them and gather more data. They’ll be well-taken care of course, so no worries about that. What do you say?”

”Sure.” Roxas said, ”Scamp could probably use some friends, anyway.”

“Excellent, that’s the right attitude to have!” Professor Koa said, “And to help you in this endeavor, I’d like to give you something.” He dug around in some drawers and eventually fished out a device that looked like some kind of phone with a touch screen, “This device is called a Rotom Phone. It’s a phone modeled after the Pokemon known as Rotom. You can use it to give me calls or send me messages. It even has a camera for taking pictures! But most importantly, it has the Pokedex feature.”

”Poke…dex?”

“That’s right. It’s sort of like an electronic encyclopedia containing all kinds of data about Pokemon that a trainer would find most useful. It will automatically record the data for Pokemon you see, and even more data for Pokemon you catch. That data is then transmitted to me for study, of course.” Koa then revealed a little bonus to the gift, “It also comes in different color cases, pick whichever one you fancy.”

”Um…” Roxas looked over the color options and then found the one he wanted. ”I like that one.” He pointed to a silver and white case.

“Nice choice.” Koa said. After attaching the case he handed the device over to Roxas, “Here you go. All yours now.”

For Roxas

Rotom Phone

After this brief little meeting, Roxas and Scamp soon found themselves in the vehicle bay where they learned of the rather scary-sounding method they would be dropped off. Thankfully Sandalphon was willing to go first to ensure safety. Once that was confirmed Roxas hesitantly climbed inside one of the frighteningly named hellpods. Scamp jumped into his lap, but Roxas decided he’d be safer in his Poke Ball and recalled him for now.

”Here goes nothing.” He told himself as the pod closed and they began to be launched one after another. When his turn came up, he couldn’t stop himself from yelping in surprise. He certainly bounced and banged around a bit in his pod as it plummeted down to the earth where Carnival Town awaited.

Carnival Town

Sandswept Sky

Roxas’ pod crashed a few doors away from where Midna’s pod had crashed. But after he got out, Roxas became a bit too enamored with fiddling with his newly acquired Rotom Phone to notice the confrontation going on between the Princess and the dark man she was talking to. But after a few moments he finally noticed her waving at him and returned the favor. Then he had the sense to let Scamp back out of his Poke Ball.

He then decided to try out the Pokedex by having it record Scamp’s data. ”Yamper, the Puppy Pokemon.” Roxas read aloud. ”This Pokemon is very popular as a herding dog in the Galar Region. As it runs, it generates electricity from the base of its tail.” Roxas then glanced up at Scamp who was looking at him with his tongue hanging out, ”Herding dog? No wonder you were in Port Meridian. There were lots of farms and stuff around that town, right?”

“Bow-wark!” Scamp answered, though obviously Roxas didn’t know exactly what he was trying to tell him.

When the Yamper barked, the familiar noise elicited another bark from just down the street, albeit one with a much ethereal timbre. When Roxas looked over, he saw the source right away: a spectral dog with rounded, blobby features and round, blazing white eyes. This Polterpup darted through the air instead of running, and the moment he reached Scamp he offered a play-bow, inviting the Pokemon to engage in a game of chase. Of course, the ghostly beast’s owner came running after him, and she looked almost as extraordinary as her pet. She appeared to be a tan catgirl, with short, fluffy white hair that hung over one eye, not one but two tails, a stylishly short dark blue jacket, shorts, and not that much else, with two handles stuffed into her belt full of pouches and a metallic case slung across her back. Of course, the most stunning thing she wore was her infectiously cheerful smile, making for an altogether lovely lady.

Nadia slowed down as she neared Roxas, sizing him up at a glance. It didn’t take catlike eyes to notice that the boy’s own lacked Galeem’s light, and if that fallen hellpod belonged to him, he sure hadn’t distanced himself from it. A unfortunately timed run-in with that rampaging pink bull, El Odio, had delayed most of her team’s arrival here, but it looked like she’d managed to catch the newcomers after all. With Chucho and Scamp helping to break the ice and get everyone’s attention, both sides were converging on this location, a relatively nondescript street dividing a row of houses and a sandlot where a shade tree hung over market tents and some jumbo cacti wandered around.

“Well hey there!” Nadia began, crossing her arms as her tails flicked back and forth. Out of everyone present, including Geralt, she only recognized one person: Blazermate. So it looked like introductions were in order. “Made some new pals, Matey? Well, welcome one and all to Carnival Town! I was half-expecting more Consuls, but if you guys are actually friendlies, we’re gonna have one serious oomfiesta on our hands!” Snickering, the feral spun her forearm around to add extra pomp and circumstance before performing a big, theatrical bow. “The name’s Ms Fortune, Seeker extraordinaire. To whom do I owe the purrleasure?”

”Huh?” Roxas was initially confused at how she introduced herself. ”Seeker? But I thought we were the Seekers?” He inquired hesitantly. But after a moment it finally hit him. ”Wait, the other team!” With the gargantuan amount of things that happened the last few days since that Rush Hour incident in the Metro, Roxas had almost forgotten all about the other team of Seekers that took a separate train than he and his group had. ”I’m Roxas.” He finally said, ”I think I met some of you back in Twilight Town before we all went down to the metro. Never thought we’d run into you guys here of all places.”

And then he heard Scamp’s familiar bark, ”Oh, over there is Scamp. He’s my Pokemon.” He explained, while also noticing that Scamp and Chucho had begun to play and chase each other around in circles. ”Looks like those two are friends already.”

Nadia paused for a moment as she wracked her brain trying to remember everyone from the rendezvous she also attended in Twilight Town. In fairness, a lot had happened over the last few days. So many new faces came and went that everything tended to blend together. Plus, any number of the people who’d briefly glimpsed could have fused into someone unrecognizable since then. Giving up, she focused on what lay in front of her. “Yeah, they’re really waising the woof,” she agreed, not-so-subtly sneaking in some terrible wordplay. She aimed her smile on Roxas. “That corg of yours is really cute, man, I wanna pet him so bad. But how crazy is it that we managed to meet back up here of all places? Guess that means we can all enjoy a day off together!”

She turned her attention to Roxas’ companions in an effort to spot any more familiar faces she might have missed. While she saw a middle-aged guy with glasses, a big old guy with glasses, a nondescript office worker, a big redhead, and a bright-eyed angel, some of her friends were definitely not here. “So where’s Sakura, Susie, Peach, and Geralt? I know I got one peeper covered, but ‘eye’ don’t see ‘em anywhere.”

”Sakura and Karin stayed behind in Midgar after we defeated the Guardian there.” Roxas explained, ”It’s kinda complicated, but the Guardian turned out to be the source of electricity for an entire city. With it gone, the city lost all its power, so Karin wanted to stay behind and do what she could to help the people there. And Sakura wanted to stay with Karin.” He paused briefly and then continued. ”Susie stayed up in the airship we all just dropped down from. Said she wanted to check out its technology. You’ll see her again when we’re ready to leave, I’m guessing. And Peach…” He trailed off into a hesitant pause here. Which was a sign that what he was about to say wouldn’t be good news.

”It’s complicated.” He finally said. ”She’s not gone or anything but… she’s… not exactly herself anymore either. And I’m not talking about spirit fusion either. There was this thing in Midgar turning people into monsters, and Peach, she… she…” He trailed off again, looking like he didn’t want to go into any more of the gory details. ”But Geralt’s still with us. Right over there, in fact!” He hurriedly said to change the subject. He gestured over to where he spotted Geralt standing, figuring the Witcher could speak for herself.

Already somewhat shocked by the news about Peach, Nadia stared, not comprehending, at the tall lady with armored but still relatively modern clothing, her white-orange hair exceptionally long and her complexion neither grizzled nor ghoulish. “Huh…?”

World of Light

Word Count: 1,031
Level 6 Ganondorf: 18/60
Exp Gained: +2
NEW EXP Balance--- 20/60

Gerudo Town

Sandswept Sky

”So, this Magog Cartel and their railroad pose another threat to the tribe?” Ganondorf asked the chief. The two were seated at a dining table in the palace that contained a spread of delicacies native to Gerudo Town. Some of these were treats that Ganondorf had not partaken of in a very long time, and so getting the chance to have some Gerudo dining was something appreciated. But the meal itself was technically secondary. There was more than just the Bandit Horde that Lady Riju wanted to inform him of, as was evident now.

“I believe they might.” The young chief responded, “Though so far they have only expanded as far as Al Mamoon, a city to the northeast of us. But if we ignore them for too long they may encroach on Gerudo Town in the future.”

”If I may be so bold,” Ganondorf said after a sip of wine, ”I believe the solution may be to extend our borders.” He suggested. He knew what this would entail and was prepared to explain himself further. ”Gerudo Town is defensible, but also a small hold compared to the foes thou art describing to me. But if you were to expand thy land and power…”

“That would require an army.” Riju countered. “We have many warriors here, but not an army on the scale you would need.”

”I hath built armies once before, I am confident that I can do so again.” Ganondorf replied. ”In my era, the Gerudo were not the only tribe inhabiting the desert. Other tribes lived in its most remote regions, back then I needed only to bring them under my banner. Perhaps I can do so again in this era? If the neighboring tribes united under thy banner, then the army we need could be raised. And then we would be able to deal with the bandits once and for all, and oppose the Magog Cartel should they challenge us in the future.”

“A bold strategy…” Riju said with a contemplative tone. “...can you pull it off?”

”Not so long as the Consuls remain in power. Any progress we make, they would likely find a way to unmake. So eliminating the Consuls who rule over the Sandswept Sky needs to be my first priority. Only after that can the tribe truly increase its strength in the region. Thou spoke to me of Consul X already, but I have no doubt there is another behind the Bandit Horde or the Cartel. Sooner or later they will have to be eliminated.”

“And that task will fall to you and your company… the Seekers, was it?” Riju asked.

”Indeed.” Ganondorf confirmed. Right around then was when he heard Nadia’s message on his linkpearl. And a few minutes after that was when Primrose arrived, having been let in by a Guard. She delivered to him the linkpearl he had requested earlier and took her leave afterward.

“Is that the gift you mentioned to me earlier when we first sat down?” Riju inquired.

”As a matter of fact, it is.” Ganondorf said and presented the linkpearl earring to her, ”This earring is called a linkpearl. The members of my company all possess one, and I as well. Simply wear it upon thy ear and squeeze it and thou will be able to speak to myself or any of my companions even when we are far apart. You may use it to communicate with me if the need arises.”

“Is that right?” Riju said as she took the earring and looked at it more closely. Then she added, “Most interesting. And useful by the sounds of it. I’ll be sure to keep it handy. You have my thanks.”

”Nay,” Ganondorf said shaking his head, ”it is I who must thank thee. For letting me spend some time in my ancestral home and for opening thy doors for my companions so that this alliance could be made. But now I believe our time in Gerudo Town hath run its course for now. We must away to our next destination, but I shall return post-haste once I am able to. I bid thee farewell.”

“Farewell and good luck to you.” Riju said in response.

With that, lunch ended and Ganondorf took his leave. He stopped at the barracks to pick up his weapons from Linore, but then after that he made his way back to the station to meet back up with the other Seekers. Once again they took the Yellow Line in order to reach their next destination.

Carnival Town

Sandswept Sky

With how lively and colorful this area was compared to everywhere else he had been, Ganondorf basically stuck out like a sore thumb with his dark armor and pitch black shade cloak. Not that he was really paying much attention to that. Similar to the Koopa Troop, he too had spotted the vaguely familiar name of Captain Falcon on the scoreboards.

It was Bowser who described the Captain in question. The description was more or less accurate, although Ganondorf was convinced his punches were stronger still than the Captain’s. Regardless, the Captain in question had been a skilled combatant nonetheless and so the warlord agreed that they should recruit him if they were able to. But seeing as Bowser neglected to provide a physical description of the man, Ganondorf decided to supply one now. ”Just look for a man in dark blue clothes and a red helmet that masks his eyes. That is what he looks like if memory serves me.”

Of course, Ganondorf was also not entirely thrilled about the idea of recruiting even more Koopas. The three they already had were already troublesome in their own right so the thought of increasing that number to five was nothing short of groan-worthy. But bolstering their ranks was unquestionably necessary, so Ganondorf would just have to grit his teeth and put up with it for the time being.

The warlord took another look around at the bright colors and heard the music playing from everywhere, ”...I miss Gerudo Town already.” he muttered with a sigh.