WEEK 5

[shardmods]

Your fight against Infinite didn't go as expected. You've now seen what the false Chaos Emeralds are capable of and how their powers can be used by someone accustomed to that power. Though Infinite is no longer a threat, Eggman certainly is - and you're in no position to return to Chicago to try to take him down right now.

Focus on recovering and regrouping; you're going to need a plan to oppose Eggman from here on out.

THE VOID

Maybe you've grown complacent over your time in Chicago. You won't be seeing the city this week. Tails is adamant that it isn't safe to go back and insists that you remain here, within the Void between worlds. It is a still, silent abyss of nothingness, broken up only by gemstone-like shards that serve as platforms or obstacles, with very little else to see.

Gravity doesn't work properly within the Void, meaning you can float and even zip around at high speeds once you've figured out how it works. You can also stick yourself to shards no matter what angle you're at, resulting in walking upside down or otherwise getting stuck to one without being able to escape. Thankfully, this wonky gravity only applies to the Void itself, and you'll naturally come to master it as you spend more time here.

There are some shards that are shaped differently from the ones you can use as platforms, however. These are almost hexagonal, with a dark center that may flicker whenever you approach one. If you're lucky, the surface will flicker like water and show you images of another world - usually you will see Chicago and the robots rampaging through the city streets - but occasionally you may see glimpses of your home world or of other worlds. No matter what you do, you cannot interact with these visions. Since they do seem to be water, punching them will do no good; your hand won't even get wet, as it will go through and dispel the image entirely.

Settle in, it seems like you'll be here for awhile. Oh, and try to ignore that unnerving feeling of being watched - there's no escaping it when you're in the Void, after all.

RINGS

There is one bright spot in being stuck within the Void, and that's that your colorful little pals have rings. If you've been diligent about collecting them from whatever ridiculous places they've ended up in, you may even have a good amount! Though it will take a day or so for the rings to actually work, as the week goes on, you'll be able to world hop to your heart's content.

Which yes, means you could absolutely go home. Be mindful of your mission and just how long you spend there, because you will need to return eventually, right? Though time may work differently in the Void, it mostly works the same between worlds. Try not to spend more than a week back home.

But there is something a bit strange about world hopping; you can't really control where or when you'll end up.

You may arrive back in your home world at the wrong point in time entirely, either in the past or the future. You may end up in an alternate reality of your world (canon AU or fanmade AU) or you may even end up in someone else's world entirely! You all aren't used to using rings just yet, so it makes sense that there's some confusion.

Two of you attempting to use a ring together will have more success... but even then, failures can still happen and you can still be sent to the wrong places.

You may visit any world to exist except any Sonic worlds. Worlds where Sonic shows up as a cameo (Super Smash Bros, for example) are fine. Which yes, means I am barring you from visiting Sonic Underground, you'll have to forgive me.

SHARDS

Though you're stronger now than ever before, your power pales in comparison to Infinite's, let alone Eggman's. You're going to need to be much, much stronger if you want to stand a chance of fighting back. Maybe it would be worth it to visit a world full of monsters to practice using your shards.

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

Rings can only be found in certain worlds, which means your worlds are safe from them. This does mean there are only a limited number of rings, however... so please keep this in mind when world hopping! This week, Tails does not have any tasks for you aside from continuing to train and develop your shard powers. Oh, and to stay safe, of course. Please don't get yourselves killed in some other world.

ENEMIES

Surprisingly, you will encounter none of Eggman's robots this week. The Void remains still and silent for the whole week and your worlds are free from Eggman's influence. You're welcome to beat up any enemies native to your own worlds, of course.

NAVIGATION

Comments

[akademise]

[ A few years ago... Though More as he is now is presumably only a few months old, he doesn't feel it. Even when his memory was lacking, he'd always had the sense that there was something there, a rich life that shaped him. Even being a remnant, there is still a clear continuity here. ]

I imagine memories must feel quite different when they contain your own feelings and decisions, rather than merely records you had no impact on...?

[tworo]

They do. I have records of his thoughts and feelings as well, but even so...they do not feel the same to think back on as my own memories. Deliberate, on his part. It was a bit of a dangerous game to play.

[Turo actually suspects that there was an early testing phase that went poorly, surrounding that whole thing. After all, if he really thought he were the Professor, he would not have just obediently followed orders that whole time.]

[akademise]

Yes, he certainly took an... interesting gamble, in making you.

[ More has no desire to meet the real Turo and taint his perception of his own Turo's face by association, but it does sound like it would be kind of intriguing to grill him about what the fuck he was trying to accomplish here. ]

Still... what an interesting place I am in, judging your creator for his intentions in having made you, while also owing him a debt of gratitude for continuing down his strange path anyway. It allowed us to meet, after all.

[tworo]

[Turo smiles, slightly uncertain but...touched, despite himself.]

Maybe it didn't all turn out so badly after all.

[There's a bit of a rustling, and he reaches out to lay a hand on More's arm to silence him, before...well, that thing sure looks like a ghost! It seems fairly timid right now, peering from behind one of the lower piles of stone.]

Oh - hello, there.

[akademise]

[ More immediately goes quiet, but he can't help giving a little delighted gasp at the sight of this little fellow.

Look at it... it seems so shy...

More isn't sure if Pokémon understand smiles, but he gives it a smile anyway. And then holds out his hand just a tiny bit, as if inviting a cat to sniff because... well, he's a cat owner, okay? ]

Don't be scared, little friend.

[ His voice is quiet and thankfully just naturally soft and sonorous. ]

[tworo]

[The Pokemon is clutching its mask tightly as it peers out - and yes, it certainly does appear to be carrying some sort of death mask, but you know what let's just not worry about that right now! After a moment, it does inch out a little to peer at More more closely.]

A Yamask. The Unovan variety - pure ghost.

[Turo's voice is also quiet. He's holding very still, afraid to startle it.]

[akademise]

[ Well, More did want to meet ghost Pokémon because he felt a sense of kinship with the concept, so... ]

What a darling creature...

[ He stays still, hand slightly outstretched but not reaching any more as to not spook it. How can he signal to it that he doesn't mean it harm?

Maybe this... Very quietly, he starts humming. It's just a common lullaby from Euchronia, the first soothing melody to come to mind. ]

[tworo]

[Ahhhh...that's nice! Yamask comes out a little more, eventually ghosting over to lay a shadowy tendril arm on More's finger. It feels...sort of soft? Insubstantial, except that it is very much touching him.]

Oh, it likes you.

[akademise]

Oh...

[ This is the greatest moment of his life-- Well, okay, maybe it's not that. But it IS the highlight of his last few weeks. ]

Hello, little one. [ His tone is sing-song, because it seemed to like the music. ] Is this your house?

[tworo]

Yamask!

[Could mean anything, but it seems happy! Turo's just watching them interact now, looking a bit fond.]

[akademise]

[ It could mean anything, but More is going to take it as an affirmative. ]

Then I do hope we are not intruding terribly.

[ Talking to animals creatures like they are people is a time-honored tradition, but it comes especially easily when you've been imprisoned for months and only had a cat for company. ]

My friend and I were just appreciating your humble abode. And what a joy it is, to find the inhabitant present.

[ He is absolutely never going to move his hand again. He is holding hands with a Pokémon. His life is currently complete. ]

[tworo]

[Yamask trills happily and bobs up and down, then turns away to greet Turo as well.]

Hello. You have a very nice place.

[It takes its mask into its hands, then, and polishes it lightly before turning it about to show to them.]

[akademise]

[ Right hand now tragically freed, More can bring both of his hands together in a gesture of joy and astonishment. He's not sure how much Yamask can understand their speech, but body language seems like a good bet for communication. ]

How pretty! It must be very precious to you?

[tworo]

[Yamask is delighted! It bobs up and down in a nod. Turo speaks up quietly:]

A Yamask's mask is very important to them. Sometimes, it shows the face they had in their last life...though that's not always the case.

[akademise]

[ Their face in their last life... Well, that's... a little more ghostly than just being born a ghost type, huh?

More gives Turo a grateful nod for explaining and then turns back to Yamask. ]

Is that you, then? I also had a past face, you know. But I was reeaally old and wrinkly-looking. Nowhere as handsome as this.

[ Talking about his own past death when you're chatting with an adorable creature is fine. ]

[tworo]

Mask?

[It tilts its head a little, questioning.]

I suppose you might say we remember something of our past lives, too. [It's not such a direct parallel, for Turo, but he does have the memories of a whole life he did not live. That makes it a little bit like a past life, right?]

[akademise]

[ More gives a nod confirming that - they're three very different type of specters, but nevertheless! ]

I have no image to show you, but I used to be a king in a faraway land.

[ This is nicer to say when he can tell it to Yamask like he's telling a fairytale to a child. ]

[tworo]

Ya!

[Hm! Pokemon don't usually care for that sort of thing, but it is sort of interesting!]

I... [He doesn't know if "used to be" is exactly something he's comfortable with.] There was a Pokemon professor, once. Do you ever see those out here?

[It shrugs a little and gestures in a direction down the mountain.]

[akademise]

[ The more they talk the more More gets a feeling for just how much language capacity these creatures possess. It's impressive!! ]

So there's a settlement not far from this place? Do you get other visitors sometimes?

[tworo]

Yama mask.

[Shrug! Like, sometimes, maybe?]

Hiking's a common pastime in my world. People probably come for the climb up the mountain.

[akademise]

I certainly see why. Even if travel were not already the second biggest passion in my heart, seeing a land as wondrous as this would surely make me wish to wander.

[ Pokémon World Utopia... ]

[tworo]

I always wanted that, too. I used to watch people traveling on security cameras.

[Is that - More probably knows what those are by now, right?]

The same view of the same places every day, but it was still like living vicariously a little bit. [...] Arven and his friends were out on their Treasure Hunt, when I called them down to the Crater.

[akademise]

[ Thankfully, More has spent enough time around Tails to understand the camera concept pretty well by now. ]

Once we've fulfilled our duties, you'll be able to go on your own informal version of that Treasure Hunt. Camping somewhere in the wilderness and watching the stars... There's nothing quite like it.

[tworo]

I'd like to think so. I'm a little nervous about how it's all going to work...

[He holds up his hand, the one with the shard in it.]

I think this might be what's allowing me to continue functioning even though I'm away from the lab. But if we have to give them back... [Or maybe it'll just stop working one day. Any number of things could happen. And that's all assuming they survive and move on in the first place, though...he doesn't want to bring up his doubts about that.]

[akademise]

[ More looks momentarily alarmed by this. ]

I cannot imagine that Tails, bright child that he is, would ever allow you to leave here without something to keep you powered.