Double

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.

World of Light

Word Count: 1,530
Level 5 Captain Falcon: 0/10
Exp Gained: +3
NEW EXP Balance--- 3/10

Carnival Town

Sandswept Sky

Carnival Town offered two separate racing events on the whole, and each was very different from the other. The biggest in terms of scale was Big Blue. As its name suggested, Big Blue was a large F-Zero track suspended over the ocean waters of Carnival Town’s harbor. Its size and overall distance was much greater than the comparatively smaller scaled Kart Races held on Carnival Town’s namesake track. This was necessary because of how much faster F-Zero machines were. Big Blue’s size and scale also meant that those races couldn’t be held on a daily basis like the Kart Races could be. In fact the F-Zero race on Big Blue only took place twice a week, whereas the Kart Races could be held regularly every day.

In fact a Kart Race was being held right at the moment. The track itself was versatile and capable of having its course, terrain, and obstacles swapped around once a day so that no two races here were ever exactly alike. Both events attracted its share of colorful racers, but Kart Racers on the whole usually trended toward younger drivers, while the more dangerous and technical aspects of F-Zero machines meant they were for adult drivers only. Of course that didn’t mean there weren’t adult Kart Drivers, in fact a certain F-Zero Pilot was currently fighting to maintain his lead over the pack in that day’s Kart Races. He drove a Kart modeled after the body of his personal F-Zero machine - the Blue Falcon. And although it handled quite differently, its driver wasn’t about to let that stop him from maintaining his reputation as a skilled racer.

That racer’s name was also plastered all over the leaderboards for fastests lap times and win/loss records as well. In the few days he’d been here at Carnival Town, Captain Falcon had already begun making a name for himself. He was already famous in the F-Zero Grand Prix but now that fame and infamy was beginning to follow him into the Kart Races as well.

"Yes!" The Captain shouted out as he managed to successfully corner around a sharp turn. He was being chased down by a few opponent Karts, some of whom were even prepared to fire the items they had grabbed from the item boxes scattered around the tracks as a means to take out the competition. But Falcon himself was more accustomed to the F-Zero Grand Prix in that regard. As such, he often went out of his way to refrain from utilizing such item boxes to his advantage simply because they didn’t exist in the races he was accustomed to and therefore he was used to claiming his victories on sheer driving skill alone. And it wasn’t lost on him that this fact often tended to peeve the other kart racers currently trying to overtake him.

Also “Karts” was probably a loose term to describe the vehicles being used in these races. Some of them were indeed classic style karts, but not all of them. Some racers had their karts styled after motorcycles or four-wheel ATV’s, depending on their preference. Out of the many different racers Falcon had found himself going head to head with, there were some standouts who often gave him the most difficulty. A certain bandicoot girl with a blonde ponytail, a red-furred squirrel with a bit of a potty mouth, a white-furred critter with tiny wings and a red pom-pom on its head, a kid in lime-green clothes with his ears perpetually covered by headphones blasting music, and a large cat with purple fur. But the worst of the bunch had to be the pair of turtles, whom Falcon could only assume were related somehow given they shared a last name. These two “Koopas” had gained quite the penchant for racing aggressively and sometimes even outright playing dirty.

But this, too, was something Falcon was no stranger to. He’d had his share of rival racers in the Grand Prix who also were overly aggressive in their attempts to retire their rivals as a means of eliminating the competition. Though admittedly these two Koopa brothers were quite a bit brazen and sometimes even cartoonish in their antics. But the pack was crossing the finish line and beginning the final lap of the race. And the track for today was designed with sharp corners and at least one loop-de-loop in mind. These corners invariably made for prime spots to try and force drivers off the track or even set traps if one was smart enough to calculate where most of the racers would make the tight turns. In fact one of the first corners contained a slyly placed banana peel that someone dropped during the previous lap that Falcon narrowly managed to avoid. The foul-mouthed squirrel behind him was not so lucky and careened out of bounds. He was unhurt but this set him back irreparably and he was certainly not happy about that fact.

Unfortunately for most of the racers, Morton Koopa’s large size meant it was relatively easy for him to drive through more than one item box at a time and effectively rob racers behind him of a chance to overtake his lead over them. After breaking through some item boxes, Morton started roaring with laughter as he barrelled his way forward a few positions while supercharged by a Power Star - knocking aside Mog and Coco in the process. Meanwhile his smaller brother Larry had just fired off a red shell that homed in on poor Beat and blasted him aside for the Koopa to zoom past. So this now had them setting their sights on the Captain, who was still maintaining his lead at this point.

First the Koopalings tried getting on either side of Falcon and slammed their Karts inward against him, only for the F-Zero Pilot to slam his brakes and cause them to miss and slam into each other instead. Falcon then hit the gas and steered around the stunned Koopalings, but it wasn’t too long before they were tailing him yet again. This time Larry shot another koopa shell, but it was green and therefore wouldn’t home in on its intended target. This allowed Falcon to safely dodge the green shell, resulting in it wildly bouncing around the track barriers and eventually blasting Morton, resulting in the two beginning to bicker with one another. Moments later, Morton busted out an item of his own. This one temporarily transformed him and his Kart into a banzai bill that blasted through Larry and would have slammed into Falcon as well if he hadn’t managed to veer out of its path. But at the very least this now put Morton in the lead where he now threatened to take first place and put an end to Captain Falcon’s current win streak. That was until the Captain spotted something blue blur past him.

Yep, it was the dreaded Blue Shell. Someone farther behind must have managed to obtain one and fired it off. And since Morton was the one in the lead now… “Oh come on!” The Koopa bellowed out when the spiky blue shell circled his Kart and then slammed down on him with explosive force. This completely grinded his momentum to a halt and resulted in Captain Falcon zooming past him and eventually past the finish line as well. He may have gotten a little lucky at the end, but Falcon’s win streak still remained intact for the time being. Incidentally, Morton and Larry’s aggressive antics backfiring on them resulted in rest of the pack managing to overtake them and leave them both in dead last, and arguing with each other over whose fault this was.

The Captain, meanwhile, brought his Kart to screeching halt and watched with satisfaction as the leaderboards updated to include his latest lap time records as well as the additional points to his win/loss record. Overall a pretty good race, he thought. And he still hadn’t needed to resort to using those item boxes yet, either. Though he had to admit that particular ending did involve some good luck on his part, but as far as he was concerned that was all just as much part of the game as one’s driving skill was. Sometimes you really did need something a little extra beyond pure skill, and this definitely seemed to have been one of those races.

Ah, but the Kart Races were not the main thing that drew Falcon to Carnival Town. No, that would be Big Blue. But the next Grand Prix race scheduled for that track wasn’t until later that evening. As such, Captain Falcon still had plenty of time to kill before it was time to head over to what he considered to be the “main event”. Given the time, he decided he’d break for lunch before continuing any of his escapades on the racetrack. In fact he may just look around at what some of the other games Carnival Town had to offer as well. He had to spice things up, somehow, after all.

World of Light

Word Count: 547
Level 6 Ganondorf: 17/60
Exp Gained: +1
NEW EXP Balance--- 18/60

Gerudo Town

Sandswept Sky

The Warlord now found himself back in the royal palace. After returning from Clair de Soleil, Ganondorf didn’t have much else planned for his stay in Gerudo Town. As such, he figured the remaining time was probably best spent resting and maybe washing the dirt and grime of the Under off of himself and his equipment. To that end he was told of the Bath of Tefnut but was also advised that it was a public bath and reserving it for private use on short notice was likely not going to be possible.

But that did not mean that Ganondorf was without a means of bathing. The Bath of Tefnut was the public bath in Gerudo Town, but the royal palace also possessed its own private bathing quarters within its walls. Normally it was reserved specifically for the Chief’s private use, but Lady Riju was willing to lend its use to the Gerudo King. And so that was where he now found himself, bathing in the hot waters of the Palace Bath. His armor and cloak were being washed and laundered in the meantime, while his weapons were currently being held in the guard barracks by Linore until Ganondorf was ready to go and pick them back up.

While he bathed, Ganondorf went back over what Asgore had said in his head. About the world having multiple iterations and the people inhabiting it living out multiple reincarnations. Of course, the land he hailed from was no stranger to beliefs involving reincarnation. Even the prophesied Hero of Time was said in some legends to merely be the reincarnation of an ancient Hero hailing from an order of knights that lived in a monastery in the sky. The actual validity of those legends were still in question, but the point was, Asgore’s words about people simply reincarnating may not have been as utterly foolish as the Warlord had initially dismissed them as.

”Bah.” Ganondorf grunted in frustration, ”None of it makes a scrap of sense to me.” He muttered. As much as he hated having to admit when something was too puzzling for him, at least here he was alone in private where no one would actually hear him make such an admission. ”...Damnedable old goat.”

But after a bit longer, Ganondorf was informed that his armor and clothing were ready for him. As such, he exited the bath in order to dry off and redress himself. It certainly was nice to now be free of all the dust and muck of that accursed Under. Of course, he knew inevitably he would have to return if only to destroy the clocks located there. But even so, he imagined that wouldn’t be for a while yet, so he could enjoy the cleanliness for the time being.

“Lord Ganondorf.” one of the Gerudo Guards addressed him when he exited the bath quarters, “Lady Riju is preparing to have her afternoon lunch, and she requests that you join her. To discuss a few further details concerning the Consul and the situation with the Bandit Hordes, of course.”

”Of course.” Ganondorf answered, ”Let us not keep the Chief waiting then. You may lead the way.”

World of Light

Word Count: 870
Level 8 Roxas: 22/80
Exp Gained: +2
NEW EXP Balance--- 24/80

Skies of Dystopia

It was a relief when the Virgin Victory managed to escape above the storm clouds. That relief was very short lived, followed by a whirlwind of “Oh crap!” that was itself followed by a completely different iteration of “Oh crap!”. The first Oh Crap was when the Moebius emerged and it became clear that the ship was not going to get away from him in its current state. The second Oh Crap was when the other ship suddenly appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. No one had any idea if this was friend or foe, so there was no telling if the Seekers’ situation was improving or getting worse.

All fears were alleviated when the fighters who emerged all took on Z, meaning they were no friends of the Consul in question. All the better when they managed to route him and allow their collective escape. A few of the Seekers recognized Dante the triplets, although Roxas did not. But he then heard a voice that could easily have been a third Oh Crap, albeit a positive one in this context - as Tora came bounding out to join the others, and he wasn’t alone. Unless his eyes were playing tricks on him, Roxas also spotted the familiar form of Poppi accompanying him too!

”Tora! Poppi!” Roxas exclaimed with excitement as he pulled off his mask and clipped it to his hip. Hugs and reunions were had by all. For once, the Seekers actually did manage to catch a break after enduring a conga line of disaster after disaster. Needless to say, the fortune of Poppi’s return was very very welcomed. ”You did it, Tora! You saved her!” Roxas happily said to Tora, ”How'd you do it?”

"It thanks to Organization member, meh" Tora explained. "She retrieve Poppi spirit from valley of ruin. Friends all aware that spirits are data, yes? It seem like for artificial being like Poppi, experiences get written to spirit as well as memory. So after Tora make new body, Poppi spirit give everything needed to bring Poppi back!"

The answer gave Roxas a pause. The Organization did this? Knowing them there had to be some kind of strings attached. But frankly, he was too glad to see Poppi again to worry about that right now. If this was part of some scheme, they could cross that bridge when they got to it.

Poppi didn't know what to make of her situation herself, nor the frank discussion of her artificial nature, but she seemed every bit as grateful as Tora that things turned out for the better. "For me, it like dreamless sleep," she mentioned. "By now, whole experience in Valley of Ruin feel more like nightmare than reality. But now Poppi awake, and glad to be back."

”I’m glad you’re back, too.” Roxas told Poppi, ”Both of you!” And now, with the danger seemingly passed, Roxas figured it was safe to let Scamp out of his Poke Ball, and so that’s what he did. ”Come on back out, Scamp. You still haven’t met everyone yet.” The Yamper appeared out of the Ball’s light and barked its usual cry of “bow-wark!” then scampered around in circles, clearly energetic and excited by all the new faces around.

The happy reunions also came with some serious talk. Mostly about Alcamoth, as Midna asked about it once she returned from inside the ship. In addition she also inquired about the strangers who were accompanying Dante - the Lost Numbers, as they called themselves. And they’re explanation honestly left Roxas wondering something, a question he was certain was on everybody’s mind in some shape or form. Or if it wasn’t then his pointing it out would certainly pique people’s curiosity.

”Wait, but… if you were born here in Galeem’s world,” Roxas spoke up, unable to keep himself from asking this, ”then what happens to you when this is all over?”

Dawn and Cirrus exchanged a look, the latter wearing a sardonic expression that quickly got turned on Roxas. "Beats the hell out of me," the man told him. "Dawn here thinks we might get pulled into the world our parents came from. Of course, that wouldn't turn out well for those of us whose parents came from two different worlds, now would it?" He shrugged, his gaze listless. "Me, my bet's on ceasing to exist. But hey, what can you do."

His sister sighed, unable to sugarcoat the situation.

Their answer was… about what Roxas expected, and he looked down at his shoes. It was one thing to want to fight Galeem and put the worlds back how they were. But could he still do it if it meant some people had to disappear along with this world? Roxas was no stranger to being made to disappear in order to help another. He had to do it once himself. At the time he was angry about it, feeling like the choice was being made for him against his will - and he wondered if either Dawn and Cirrus were feeling the same.

”I’m… sorry.” Roxas finally said. ”I probably shouldn’t have brought it up.”