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.
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.
[ ... and like. Also the crime. So much of it. ]
I am glad to hear it, truly. If opportunity ever arises, I'd love to hear about your world and its history in greater detail. [ But for now... ] You said everybody who is not a Pokémon is 'human', correct?
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.
...thank you. I have never known what people might think - my existence was secret from the outside world. Fiction depicts the possibility of intelligent AI in both positive and negative lights, but who's to say that any of those stories reflect what would really happen?
[He shrugs a little. Revealing himself had never felt like an option anyway. However it went, he doesn't want that kind of fame and scrutiny.]
I admit that in my own world, a being as yourself would have been wholly unthinkable. Even for an author of fiction such as myself, I would not have been able to conceive of you.
[ Technology only exists for transportation and is otherwise basically non-existent.... ]
Now that I have had time to learn the basic of 'computers', I am certainly intrigued. I mean this as a compliment, of course.
Thank you, I suppose. I think it is easier here - everyone is from different worlds already, meeting new and different species of people whether they had such things before or not.
[Species? Is that what he has, a species? Not really, Turo thinks, if there's only one of him...but it gets the point across.]
And there is the fact that none of you knew the real Professor Turo. I expect that would be unnerving...Arven was certainly upset by it.
[Turo runs a hand over his jaw, and the scruff there. It would've been easier to at least make him clean-shaven, both on the production end and with an eye towards imitating a real human later on. Sooner or later it would be obvious that his beard and undercut never grew, wouldn't it? But this was how the Professor liked other people to see him, even if towards the end they were rather more visually distinct.]
I could manufacture a new face for myself if I really cared to. Given the time and materials, of course. But I think that would be unnerving for me.
[It's true that he doesn't love looking exactly like Turo. But it's still the only face he's ever had; if he changed it, it would still feel like someone else.]
If the face feels like it is part of you, I see no reason to not accept it as such. To those of us here, it is already yours. As you step away from the path he walked, there will be more and more people who see you solely for yourself and have no reason to compare.
However... if you wished to make yourself distinct in a manner that is less drastic, there are still more subtle forms of self-expression available.
[ Said with a gesture back to the shelves upon shelves of goth clothing... ]
[Hm. Yes. That's certainly a mode of expression, isn't it. Turo turns back to the nearest rack, selecting something for the first time largely at random. It's a graphic tee with a cartoon character he naturally doesn't recognize at all.]
Well, I can certainly say he would not have worn any of this...
[ More gives the shirt a raised-eyebrow look. For as much as he has declared this store his personal paradise, the appeal of these little creature prints is pretty lost on him. ]
Now the question is just if you find it enjoyable.
[ In the background, More breathes a sigh of quiet relief.... We can find hotter clothing for you, Turo. We can do it. ]
I am personally fond of this aesthetic [ gesturing to a skin-tight black shirt with a lace back as the nearest example ] but there are a wide variety of styles to be found for purchase around the city.
[ Even if they have to steal and/or mooch off Jasper's gold for it... ]
[ The matter-of-fact way with which Turo confirms this throws More for a bit of a loop. Sure, Turo has not been born organically in the way most others have, but he is in front of him with perfect sentience and attentiveness. How could that not be considered alive? But then, what does More know of robotics? Half his understanding this far boils down to having rocks thrown at him by one. ]
... as much as I'd like to deny it, that may be true. I have always been a bit of an oddity in my own openness towards those whose appearance is difference from mine, but my hopes of the world shifting to such a standpoint more broadly have not yet been realized.
[ Thus, a mental addendum: having one unified tribe has done a lot of good for Pokémon world, but tribal biases can still be invented anew at the drop of a dime. ]
People make humanoid robots for theme parks or exhibitions. They're only meant to look like a person, they're nothing like me in mental capacity. Not really in movement, either, it's more like -
[He moves, for a second, exactly like Freddy Fazbear.]
[ There is an... incredibly blank look at that allegory. More has no idea who Santa Clause is, delibird or no, and he hasn't heard of photographs before coming here. Huh. ]
Yes... There is no accounting for every kind of personality, regardless of age.
[Mmm, yeah, he can see how that was a little culturally-specific.]
Well, anyway. This isn't so bad.
[There's some things here that don't involve unknown cartoon mascots OR fishnets! This is a regular button-up shirt, albeit one that's grey with a print of darker skulls. What's with all the skulls in here?]
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[ ... and like. Also the crime. So much of it. ]
I am glad to hear it, truly. If opportunity ever arises, I'd love to hear about your world and its history in greater detail. [ But for now... ] You said everybody who is not a Pokémon is 'human', correct?
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[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.
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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.
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[He shrugs a little. Revealing himself had never felt like an option anyway. However it went, he doesn't want that kind of fame and scrutiny.]
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[ Technology only exists for transportation and is otherwise basically non-existent.... ]
Now that I have had time to learn the basic of 'computers', I am certainly intrigued. I mean this as a compliment, of course.
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[Species? Is that what he has, a species? Not really, Turo thinks, if there's only one of him...but it gets the point across.]
And there is the fact that none of you knew the real Professor Turo. I expect that would be unnerving...Arven was certainly upset by it.
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[ Real Turo's insane narcissism in creating a perfect visual copy of himself is to blame, truly. ]
I am glad to not have known your creator. Bearing his visage must be difficult for you, but from my individual perspective that face is yours alone.
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I could manufacture a new face for myself if I really cared to. Given the time and materials, of course. But I think that would be unnerving for me.
[It's true that he doesn't love looking exactly like Turo. But it's still the only face he's ever had; if he changed it, it would still feel like someone else.]
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However... if you wished to make yourself distinct in a manner that is less drastic, there are still more subtle forms of self-expression available.
[ Said with a gesture back to the shelves upon shelves of goth clothing... ]
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[Hm. Yes. That's certainly a mode of expression, isn't it. Turo turns back to the nearest rack, selecting something for the first time largely at random. It's a graphic tee with a cartoon character he naturally doesn't recognize at all.]
Well, I can certainly say he would not have worn any of this...
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Now the question is just if you find it enjoyable.
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........no, I don’t think so.
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I am personally fond of this aesthetic [ gesturing to a skin-tight black shirt with a lace back as the nearest example ] but there are a wide variety of styles to be found for purchase around the city.
[ Even if they have to steal and/or mooch off Jasper's gold for it... ]
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[Gesturing at his face.]
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[ More gestures to his horns and then gives Turo a long glance from head to toe. He's extremely curious now, but... ]
But you're right, there is no need to go that far.
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[It’s entirely different from being a creepy mockery of something!]
But, maybe something else. They have other styles, as you said.
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You don't think of yourself as alive?
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[He's not? That may have been the wrong word, though.]
I mean...well, you are what you are. I am an imitation. It's...people usually find things like that creepy, or uncanny.
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... as much as I'd like to deny it, that may be true. I have always been a bit of an oddity in my own openness towards those whose appearance is difference from mine, but my hopes of the world shifting to such a standpoint more broadly have not yet been realized.
[ Thus, a mental addendum: having one unified tribe has done a lot of good for Pokémon world, but tribal biases can still be invented anew at the drop of a dime. ]
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People make humanoid robots for theme parks or exhibitions. They're only meant to look like a person, they're nothing like me in mental capacity. Not really in movement, either, it's more like -
[He moves, for a second, exactly like Freddy Fazbear.]
They scare children.
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Ah, that's... That is truly unfortunate.
[ Please believe him that he's not laughing at robots scaring children, it just looked so dorky... ]
Aren't children the people such events are primarily held for? This seems counterproductive.
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[you know the legendary delibird trainer or something idk]
Most children like it, but some are always going to be shy or timid.
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Yes... There is no accounting for every kind of personality, regardless of age.
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Well, anyway. This isn't so bad.
[There's some things here that don't involve unknown cartoon mascots OR fishnets! This is a regular button-up shirt, albeit one that's grey with a print of darker skulls. What's with all the skulls in here?]
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Not too stark a departure in style as to be jarring, but certainly a difference in that would set you apart.
[ He also doesn't know what's with the skulls specifically, but it's fine. ]
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