You were successful in repelling the robots attacking the city, but you've been left with far too many questions. For once, Tails doesn't have any answers for you, and a gloomy uncertainty has fallen over your three allies. It probably doesn't help that everyone had a rough time of it last week. A win is a win, but it doesn't really feel like a win when you're not even sure who this unknown threat is...
Regardless, life goes on. Things are a bit different this week in Chicago, however.
THE CITY
You'll need to be careful now more than ever when heading out into the city. Though Eggman's usual robots are still present, their numbers have been cut drastically. Far fewer drones patrol the streets, with only the occasional tank or B33 to be seen. You can still find and fight them, and they will still call for backup, but it seems like you all really have destroyed a lot of them.
But there are the new additions to Eggman's forces. Unlike the white chrome versions, these are here to cause problems. You can find them patrolling sometimes... but usually you'll find them in the city proper, destroying whatever they can. Whenever they catch sight of you, they will stop at nothing to try to pursue you and destroy you.
The city itself is still undergoing changes, with more of that white chrome spreading throughout, as if infecting the structures themselves. The Badniks will still destroy even that, though; it's more like they're mindless machines than carrying out any precise orders.
But in a stroke of good luck, occasionally you'll find that some of the humans recognize the danger they're in. It's only when confronted with a robot - but you might hear a scream, or see them try to run away, and if you save them, you may even be able to get a few words in before they simply return to their monotonous lives. You won't be able to get any truly valuable information from them, but they will thank you repeatedly for helping. They don't seem to realize that they're being controlled by someone else, even if you ask them about it.
VISIONS
If you thought last week was a lot, get ready for the madness of week 4!
You may still have nightmares. You may still be pulled into each others' nightmares (same as last week, if you'd like to play out more of these). Or maybe you'll finally be able to catch a break and get some z's, but even if you are lucky enough for that, you'll still be dealing with everything else.
You may find yourself randomly teleported into the city. This happens at random, and can happen to multiple people at the same time. One minute you may be waking up, the next you'll find yourself surrounded by robots ready to kill you. And yeah, the robots are a feature, not a bug. No matter how it happens, you will always be facing down robots whenever you're brought into the city. Enjoy!
But maybe your luck holds out and you're unaffected by that. Well, there's still the visions to deal with!
There are two different kinds of visions that may happen.
The first are the more minor ones - where you may see the people closest to you (positive or negative). They will appear for others as well, and they will gladly speak with you - though they aren't exactly behaving in the way they should. They will torment you, reminding you of past failures and imperfections, and speaking as though everything is your fault. They will follow you wherever you go, and will only fade when someone else has helped you come to terms with the horrid things they're saying. These visions are a manifestation of a character's psyche and thus are based on their own perceptions of their friends/enemies and their own faults. They're incapable of interacting with the world or the characters, but they sure can insult you!
The second are much larger in scope. No matter where you were, you may find yourself pulled into friend's memory. These memories are one-for-one versions of what exactly happened, though now you're here! Are you playing the role of someone else, or are you just a bystander in all that's happening?
The character having the vision may or may not be aware of you initially, but once they're made aware of your presence, the vision will still play out as the memory would. The only way to stop it - aside from simply letting it play out in its entirety - is to drastically alter the memory in such a way that it cannot get itself back on track. Considering the trauma some of the people in this game have, it might be a good idea to help break them free of it.
Regardless of which happens to you (the nightmares, the teleportation, or the visions), your vision will turn bright red for a moment afterwards - it vanishes quickly enough, but it leaves you with the eerie feeling that you're being watched.
SHARDS
Your powers are growing, and you'll find you're able to defend yourself with your power in some way, even if yours is a power made for support. All characters are now able to fire off a blast of energy in their shard color to defend themselves - this attack will grow stronger in time, but at least everyone should be able to defend themselves (somewhat) now?
As you fight with your allies - particularly those you have a close bond with, positive or negative - you may feel the tug of something in the back of your head; it tells you that you can do more. Together, you can become more powerful. You can use your shards together. Doing so will grant you a new power, or strengthen the one you already have. The more you trust one another, the easier this power will be to use.
It might be good to experiment with these new powers; after all, you never know when you may need them.
TAILS' TASKS
Like last week, Sonic Team is still in need of rings. Rings are still annoying to get. You'll probably need help to get them, but they're worth collecting. So make sure to grab some for Tails!
You may also be tasked with tracking Chaos Energy. Like with tracking rings, Tails will give you a device that can pick up on the signature. You should be careful in approaching, especially if the signature is a large one, considering the three enemies you faced last weekend. Still, Chaos Energy may lead you to more of Eggman's fake Chaos Emeralds, which could prove useful...
Tracking the source down will lead you to one of the weekly enemies with a shard somewhere on its body. It will be much harder to kill than the regular versions of that enemy, and capable of some kind of special power (players' choice). Crushing the shard will weaken the enemy and bring it back down to its normal power level, making it fairly easy to defeat, but if you manage to defeat it without breaking the shard, you can bring it back to Tails for examination.
ENEMIES
Though you can still find the enemies from previous weeks in Chicago throughout the city, their numbers have thinned. Mostly, you'll be running into new faces - robots that don't look anything like Eggman's usuals. They are very rarely actually patrolling or idling, instead focused on destroying parts of the city or attacking any people unfortunate enough to get in their way.
Moto Bugs are... rather cute. They roll around on their singular wheel and can slash with their front claws, though primarily they deal damage by ramming into things at fairly high speeds. They're fairly weak, all things considered, especially by now. They're completely powerless when knocked over or onto their backs. Though one Moto Bug is weak, you will never find them alone - instead, you'll usually find at least 3-5 of them in a group.
Crabmeats are robotic crabs. Where does the meat come in? Unclear. Regardless, they're stronger than Moto Bugs and are capable of both bashing with their massive claws and snipping, and either way they are capable of a good deal of damage if you get hit. They're slower though, which means getting out of the way shouldn't be too hard. Like Moto Bugs, these usually are never alone, often working in pairs.
Buzzers are bees. Did you think we were done with bees? We are absolutely not done with bees. These bees function almost identically to the B33 models in that they're capable of firing lasers from their stingers, divebombing to try to sting, and generally be(e)ing a nuisance. Unlike the B33 models, they do not have a glaringly obvious weak point and are a bit harder to hit and destroy as a result. Though you may rarely encounter only one of these bees out in the wild, usually you'll run into groups of them and they will not be(e) happy to see you.
[And as if on cue, we've got three of those crabs appearing before us! Ain't that the bee's knees.]
...Well, I was hoping we'd be a little more prepared, but how about this? Whoever takes the finishing blow on one of these gets one point; the person with the most points at the end of this wins the little competition, and has to do something of the winner's choosing.
If I win, I'd like to hear what's on your mind. If you win...well, I'll abide by whatever it is you decide you wish.
Deal?
[...we can skip the battle entirely and rng three numbers, whoever gets higher on 2/3 rolls wins (because avrae CERTAINLY wouldn't tie us, right--)]
[OPENS MY ARMS WIDE... I am open to anything, heavy or soft, but if u want Basilio to be the one being fussed over and tended to I am finger gunning at you.]
Ah, it's the glow of self expression, then! I totally get that.
This isn't as extreme of a change, but for me, I know a lot of people don't think facial piercings are attractive, or suit a guy like me, but it's a choice I made when I felt more confident in my own choices, so I think they look good!
Animals that talk are still... quite strange to wrap my head around, much less ones that walk on two legs when they're supposed to be things like foxes and hedgehogs...
[He looks, briefly, kind of insulted by only getting seven points, but... no, he's right. It's not his best work.
[The white rose catches his attention—of course it does, flowers aren't things that usually get left behind for him. It's entirely at odds with everything he's experienced up until this moment, so he chalks it up to a mistake or an accident. Maybe someone brought a bouquet for someone else and one of the roses... fell out? It doesn't make sense, but it's easier to believe than something left for him, even if he wants to keep the flower.
(He's always had a fondness for flowers, even though he never gets them himself.)
Once the crowd disperses, Joker picks up the rose and goes searching for the person who lost it—when he spots Yves, he hesitates for a moment, but he thinks this is the right man...?]
Oh, is that so? I confess, I did not anticipate such a favorable reason for confrontations...
[ He's from a world in which it is extremely common to spot dead bodies in the street, so everything he hears about Turo's society seems... a lot more fantastical than connections to moon magic, honestly. ]
[Man, why does everyone here treat him like a normal person... It's weird being acknowledged so often, even if he knows that Viktor understands what it's like better than most.]
If you insist...
[He huffs in what's almost a laugh.]
The durability will be nice, with all the fighting they expect of us. Not having a leg get broken easily will be nice.
[Turo's surprised, though far more by the latter part. He goes on to explain:]
Crimes using Pokemon certainly do happen, of course. Sometimes they're very serious indeed, considering how powerful some Pokemon can be...but war is quite rare, for that same reason. They have happened in the past, but all records indicate that they were...truly devastating on all sides.
If it does get damaged or broken, just come to me and I will repair it.
[Taking out a more carefully constructed prosthetic, Viktor set himself to attaching and adjusting it with a small screwdriver.]
I studied this sort of thing for a time in the Academy, partially in case I ever needed to replace my own. I did not expect the skill to see actual use after all this time, so I am grateful to be of help.
Then the people of your world learn from their mistakes more easily than those of mine. Though Euchronia has maintained a strenuous peace since the official end of the Annex War, the fighting had still been going on in isolated locations until quite recently.
Perhaps. Or it may just be a matter of what may take notice. Pokemon know that human wars are devastating, too, to everything around them. It's not unheard of for the rarest and most powerful to appear, to keep the peace.
[Their methods for doing so may vary! Not the sort of being you wish to have as an enemy.]
But - yes, that is true. Everyone except myself, I suppose.
[ On the one hand, More feels incredibly validated in his theory that having a singular united tribe would in fact get rid of most issues in society! It's the world he's always dreamed of, without tribal differences, without discrimination!
On the other hand, it's kind of hard to be openly triumphant about the matter when that addendum follows right after. ]
You are in good company when it comes to that, now. Though even if you were not... I do not believe it should make a meaningful difference.
[Dorothy kind of beams at that a bit at that, once that's out there.]
...I think that is it, yes.
[She does look over at Fukuda after she says that, though, and she finds herself smiling at that, too.]
I think they do suit you, I'm in agreement about that. Really, humans could stand to be a little less judgemental about how people wish to present themselves--but it's the confidence you exude that really sells it. Everyone should be happy in what they wish to present themselves with, after all.
I've struggled with finding a reason for doing much of anything past this. I've been so focused on revenge for so long, I...never really thought of what might happen after. If anything would happen after. But I...
I know I want to fight for you all. What comes afterward, though...I don't truly know. I'm still too harsh to forgive the humans of my world for their crimes, but...I fear if I go back there now, all it's going to amount to is nothing.
[Dorothy looks out to the dance floor again, watching them all have fun and...she knows she shouldn't. Part of her knows she shouldn't, but...
She looks to Viktor, briefly.]
...I want to protect this precious world, I think.
I think...for now, that is not a terrible first step. Large a goal as it may appear at the moment, it is a foundation for whatever may come next. That is to say--if we succeed in this, we may yet find any number of possibilities waiting on the other side of it. Perhaps even a path where we do not have to cause more damage than we rectify.
[He tilted his head slightly in consideration, shifting his weight as if testing his metal-braced leg. Well...it was just a dream, so-]
The less time I spend on thinkin' about how unreal it is, the easier it gets for me to deal with it. [ it's called being willfully ignorant. ] Especially since there's probably even weirder stuff out there that we don't even know about.
[ this poor sad clown mans... no worries. ]
Out of ten; it's not too bad. A lot better than what I can do in my current state.
[ you know. the whole...broken arm thing among his other injuries that i'm not going to think too hard about. ]
[Is he stuck in an illusion, then? In madness? It's hard to tell with Gyles reacting seemingly normally to him when everything around them is in such disruption.]
I don't mean to interrupt. But I hope Hune would forgive me if I could speak to you in private for a moment.
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