Reverie - Ingo Palace

[derailer]

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Pokemon Battle Rules

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The Battle Subway...?

[derailer]

( ♪♫♪ music ♪♫♪ )

The train travels for a bit with nothing in particular happening. But suddenly, in the middle of the darkened tunnel, the train pulls to a stop. There is a long pause. And then an announcement comes over the speakers, again in Ingo's voice.

Attention, all passengers. I am sure you are wondering why we have made an unscheduled stop. I am also wondering this. Here, we pride ourselves on an excellent standard of service. And we do not even ask for very much in return. The very least I deserve is a train that works properly. Is it wrong to want that? Don't you think I deserve that?!

The lights in the train car all go out for a moment. When they flicker back on, someone is standing there in front of you. With yellow eyes and a tattered uniform, it's Ingo's Shadow.

"...How unsightly. This is what happens when you build up too many hopes for yourself. You start feeling entitled to everything."

[hijinked]

[ I will again point out that Lear has never been on a train in his life probably, and thus he thinks maybe this is standard for trains. Maybe unscheduled stops are just how life goes for these people. Sucks to be them--

Oh wait, no, Ingo says this isn't normal.

Wait. ]

Ah--there you are. We've come to assist in the whole memory thing, and.

[ ... Glances at Munna... pauses... nobody else is here... ]

--Yes, yes, you are part of the "we".

[ ANYWAY. Back to Ingo. ]

Regardless, what are you even talking about?

[derailer]

Munna floats between Lear and the Shadow, protectively.

"I suggest you give up on this frivolity. Do you think battling me will give his memories back? Do you know how much he's battled? How much has he gotten in return? Crumbs."

[hijinked]

[ Munna is literally too good for this world. ]

Fr-frivolity?! How dare you! Nothing I choose to do is frivolous, so--!

[derailer]

"You sought challenging battles? Let me demonstrate to you the meaninglessness of this choice, when you are to fail."

Suddenly, the train starts moving again. The Battle Subway has begun.

Ingo's Shadow tosses a Pokeball onto the floor, and out comes a Hisuian Zoroark.

If you choose to fight, choose a Pokemon and send them out in return! Roll 2d6 for the whole battle. Super-effective moves will get +1 and STAB will also get +1.

[hijinked]

[ what the hell happened to that Zoroark-- ]

Tch, fine then! And I will show you just how wrong you are!

[ Anyway, no, obviously that Zoroark is a different region's version, but he sure has never seen it before. By rights, he should probably swap to one of his other Pokemon, but...



Munna's been trying, and listen, Lear has grown enough as a person to recognize that. He's not so sure about this type match-up, but...! All he's ever wanted was to be acknowledged and allowed to show his strength, so surely he should extend this Pokemon the same courtesy.


All of this to say that this arc is about Munna, okay, so Munna he shall use.

2d6+1 (Fairy supereffective) = 11...!

Munna arc superiority apparently ]

[derailer]

Zoroark is so ready to swipe Munna with a Ghost-type move—but Munna moves first, determined to protect Lear, with a powerful Moonblast that obliterates Zoroark's HP! It's a critical hit!

Stunned, Zoroark collapses to the ground.

"Tch...! But I'm not the only one who has something to say about how he conducts himself. This is the Battle Subway. There are six others after me. You don't know what you've gotten yourself into..."

1/3

[hijinked]

[ .............. oh my god??? ]

[hijinked]

[ This Munna.......... is way more impressive than he was initially expecting? Obviously strength isn't everything (he tells himself unconvincingly), but! Wow! Unexpected! ]

So this is your true potential... I suppose I may have underestimated you some.

[3/3]

[hijinked]

...

[ oh right, Shadow Ingo was speaking. ]

Six more? Hmph. That sounds like child's play to me. Move aside, then.

[derailer]

Munna is relieved to be of use. Ingo's Shadow stands aside, sitting down on one of the seats, and gesturing towards the door into the next car.

"Know your place. We shall see if you remain so cocky until the end."

[cultfavorite]

. . . Ah. It's you. Hello, Ingo.

[You know, Ingo. "Ingo." Other Ingo. Saturn approaches him without hesitation and stands in front of him, arms crossed.]

[derailer]

"What do you think you're going to find here? A magical button to press to retrieve all of his memories for him?"

[cultfavorite]

[He shrugs. Sharpedo air-swims up next to him, watching, uncertain how he's supposed to react to this scene.]

Probably not, but stranger things have happened. These places aren't governed by logic. Perhaps I'll have to have a Pokemon battle with you in a pool of blood, and when I win, you'll hand me a Nanab Berry, and eating it will transport me to a room containing said button, along with representations of everyone Ingo knows in the form of little paper dolls. That would be on par with the way these things work.

[derailer]

He rolls his eyes.

"So don't engage with that nonsense in the first place. Leave now and stop living in a dream. If you insist on staying, I will have to stop you myself."

[cultfavorite]

Ha. I missed you too. But you still don't understand that the dreams of humans are as real as anything else in the world . . . "that nonsense" is what makes us who we are. Sharpedo!

[He bursts out suddenly with that last part, pointing, and Sharpedo air-swims into position. Here we fucking go!]

[derailer]

"Zoroark, go!"

It's a Hisuian Zoroark that he sends out. Time to put Sharpedo to the test! Roll 2d6, plus any modifiers for super-effectiveness or STAB!

[cultfavorite]

[WHAT IS WITH THIS ZOROARK. This doesn't look like Zoroark?! But it does?!

2d6+2 (Dark supereffective plus STAB) = 11]

Zoroark . . . ?! That?

[stirtheblood]

Heeeeh...?

[Vicious is startled to see 'Ingo' again, but he quickly puts on a defensive grin, with slightly more teeth than necessary.]

What, that's what ya think the problem with that is? Havin' too many hopes?

[derailer]

He is not keeping his cool for this reunion, already breaking his veneer of stoicism when he responds.

"Tell me, then! Tell me what the real problem is! Tell me why I'm broken!"

[stirtheblood]

[That actually cools Vicious down a bit from defensiveness into confusion.]

Huh? Who says you're 'broken?'

[derailer]

"I don't need someone to tell me what I can feel in myself. You're on a non-functioning train right now. It doesn't even matter... Whatever the many causes are. Something broken can't be so easily put back together again! I accept that I'm broken. But he doesn't! He's right back where he started, living out a delusional fantasy where he can be 'normal' if he tries hard enough! What a hollow pursuit."

[stirtheblood]

[There is a lot going on here. Vicious can at least parse that this Ingo is a different Ingo than the one in the announcement, but he can't tell exactly what he's talking about.

So, he just addresses the part that seems obvious.]

Well, you're both wrong. Ain't a matter of you bein' broken... It's the world that's broken. 'Least it is if the world workin' right right means that ya just need to do all the normal, right things and you'll get what ya want in return, 'cause you "deserve" it.

That just ain't how it works. Don't sit back and expect the world to hand ya things. And don't sit back and expect the world to not hand ya things, either. If ya want somethin', ya gotta reach out and take it.

[derailer]

The Shadow considers his argument, but wherever he tries to go with it, he ends up at the same frustration he had when he parted ways with Vicious before. It's almost as if he's an unsustainable existence and already lost the argument with the real Ingo before. But he can't give up that easily!

"Do you know why that philosophy works for you? It's because you keep your expectations low. What you want are short-term whims. If you started ripping the world apart, you would only do it for tasteless vandalism."

He pulls out an old-fashioned Pokeball.

"...I'll take you up on those short-term whims. You came here in the first place because you wanted to battle, didn't you?"

[stirtheblood]

You sure seem to know a lot about me.

[Vicious shrugs, and moves to face the Shadow from a few paces away.]

Well, you're right about that last thing, at least.