While your conversation with Shadow may have shed light on a few things... it's obvious he doesn't think you all are up to the task of saving the universe from Eggman. Which also means that now you're dealing with his test, starting immediately. Some of you may be whisked away with no time to even blink, while others may find themselves wandering the Void aimlessly. Regardless, it seems this week won't be a particularly easy one.
THE VOID
Nothing has changed in the Void. Nothing ever changes in the Void. It's impossible to track the passage of time in here, and your only escape are the rings... though you should be careful with them, as there's far fewer this week. You're free to travel between worlds as you see fit - Shadow won't stop you - but you can be snatched up from wherever you are at any given moment and pulled back into the Void. Maybe don't plan on spending to long anywhere else, because it won't end well for you if you do.
The hexagonal shards will still show you visions of other worlds... but this time they all show the same thing. You'll see worlds - maybe even your own - taken over by robots and Eggman's chroma, reduced to smoldering ashes or being rebuilt in Eggman's image. Your friends, allies, and enemies may even be going about their lives just as listlessly and dutifully, heedless of their surroundings. You may even see alternate versions of yourself among them. Regardless, it seems all these shards have to show you this week are all the possibilities of failure - that other versions of shardbearers in other timelines have already lost.
MINDSCAPES
Shadow's usage of the Phantom Ruby and his own fake Chaos Emerald shard have caused quite the problem for you all - namely, you'll find yourselves traversing each other's innermost thoughts and dreams. Exactly how this mindscape manifests depends on the individual, but one thing will always remain true: you won't be able to find the owner of the mindscape easily.
As a reflection of these inner thoughts, mindscapes can be any sort of place. Perhaps they are a reflection of the owner's inner demons and fear, or perhaps they showcase a bright future they want to work towards. Regardless, this is a dream and one the owner must be awoken from... which means finding them and bringing them back to reality. That's easier said than done when traversing through this dream-like state, where the rules are made up by the owner and you're a foreign being that the dream recognizes as a threat (even if you aren't).
You may encounter familiar places or people within these mindscapes. You may not. You may end up fighting for your life in here... or you may not. Each one is individual, and the experience can vary wildly from person to person. No matter what you face, you must find the owner of the mindscape and bring them back. You must ensure you're strong enough to support them... and protect yourself.
Curiously, you can activate your shared shard power with the owner of the mindscape at any time - or bolster your own power if you share shard colors - even without them being present. Will this make it easier or harder to help bring them back? It depends on the person, your bond, and the mindscape itself...
Waking them up is as simple as convincing them that they're dreaming - that this isn't real and that they still have things to return to - but that may be easier said than done depending on the person... or the mindscape itself. There's no telling what you'll encounter, after all.
SHARDS
You'll find you're capable of more now than you were before. You're really adapting to using your shard powers and fighting with others. Those of you who share shard colors will feel the strength of your shards increasing even more when working together.
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
Given that your allies are being pulled into mindscapes and are unable to break free of their own, your task this week is to help your friends. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are off dealing with their own mindscapes, but whenever they are around, they're adamant about the importance of making sure everyone is freed and prepared for whatever comes next.
ENEMIES
Like last week, you will not encounter any of Eggman's robots. The Void is still free of enemies, though other worlds may possess their own threats. Mindscapes are a bit of a different beast; each one varies, and you may or may not encounter threats of any sort in them. Best be on your guard.
[The third outpost is at the base of the path, in a sparse grassy area that leads to a rocky lakeshore beyond and, in front of the building, a large open cavern mouth. More Tera crystals glitter from within.
Inside, another identical room. The notes read:]
I need more people. More time. That woman walked out not long after the boy was born. I need another set of hands, but could they be trusted? And how long would it take them to even understand? If only there were two of me.
[On a separate page:]
My new assistant has intellect and technical skills to rival my own. A bit rigid at times, but I've got no serious complaints. Productivity has doubled.
We even brought in a second Miraidon via the machine — though this one has proved aggressive.
[When More exits the building, Turo is standing in the cave mouth, watching.]
[ As an author, More cannot help but note the beautiful irony here. A second Turo, or rather: a second child after Arven. A second Miraidon, more aggressive than the first. The human Turo should have seen that the signs of his downfall were written on the wall, and that he himself had put them there.
And maybe he had. Maybe that's what the Paradise Protection Protocol was all about in the end.
More is the last person to talk about casting 'magic' to trigger and impact the world even after your death, but looking from the outside in it all seems just so pitiful.
He leaves the outpost and ah-- There he is. Is it his friend? Is it the human one, crystalized in his friend's heart like a curse? As vexing as it is, More supposes he might not be able to tell at just a glance.
So there is nothing to do but to approach, with a hand outstretched for taking. ]
[He scrutinizes More closely for a moment, before turning to walk deeper into the cave. His lab coat swirls behind him; he's dressed more like Turo dressed upon first arriving, not in any of his newer clothes.]
The cavern path spirals down much like the one above. Water streams down from somewhere high above, down into what seems like an endless open pit below. There's a strange light and iridescence in the air here; the Tera crystals are far more prominent, and seem to make up the entire cavern past a certain point. There's Pokemon as well, but they aren't like the ones outside. These are slightly more kin to Eggman's robots, obviously mechanical with animated screens in place of eyes or faces. These ones...watch More.]
I'm part of the security protocol. I keep all the systems functioning correctly. So don't mess with anything.
[An iron elephant-like thing suddenly curls into a ball and zooms towards More, turning in a wide curve before actually hitting him. Turo continues forward without any interest, not looking back.]
[ More is just busy puzzling over the meaning of 'part of the security protocol'. Does that mean this is just one of many entities taking the form of Turo here, making up the aspects of his artificial heart? Is--
Well, it's not only pointless but also impossible to puzzle out when the next thing More knows, it's elephant attack time.
The good news is that he's been practicing evasive action quite hard this week! So he's not bowled over entirely, his leg is just grazed... and it hurts intensely. He tries to rush on, both to follow Turo and to get away from his Pokémon assailant, but it causes him to mewl in pain pretty pathetically. ]
More is going to continue limping after Turo, but a lot more vigilant of outside attacks now. Maybe... maybe he could try and see if their combined shard power is of any use, should something approach again? ]
Despite my fondness of traveling, I am not here to trespass, you know?
[ It doesn't help with easing the pain in his leg any, but focusing himself on the Ruby energy in the air does give More a good idea of what he can do by drawing on Turo's power as well as his own. A part of him takes extra satisfaction in doing so now that he's been called 'unauthorized' - if he truly did not belong here, would Turo's power respond to him?
More summons a tera crystal shard and imbues it with the word 'protect' to function as a mobile shield against further Pokémon attacks. ]
[The Ruby power does respond pretty immediately! Turo - the one present - does not seem entirely pleased with this; he turns to watch the crystal shard accept its mission and start floating about.]
Yet you're encouraging that. Whatever that is, it was not a part of the original design. It's invasive.
It can be, if it remains in line with the purpose of the machine.
[Having passed by the other research station, they're arriving now at a towering building that's nearly been entirely consumed by crystals. Turo walks up the ramp, and the doors open automatically to admit him.]
Anything else is useless at best and an error at worst.
Just what Paradise does not benefit of a wealth of knowledge and experience...?
[ It's strange, actually, that he still doesn't know what exactly the human Turo meant to accomplish. He supposes a part of him has been too much of a coward to ask. ]
[He half-snarls. Inside, the lab is...a wreck? It's a tiny windowless room filled with clutter and a lot of stone debris from the walls and ceiling. Turo ignores it, pressing the call button for the elevator.]
That's exactly why it was necessary to create this system at all. All of this is just corrupting it further.
For how much this Turo talked about systems, More had become increasingly convinced he was merely a fragment of the robot Turo that was concerned with order and structure. But no, it really is... the real deal. Or at least AI Turo's internalized version of the man, which is about as good as the real deal given the amount of proximity and memory-sharing going on here. ]
Do you mind outlining your vision ever so briefly, for a curious fellow scholar? We still seem to have some way ahead.
[ More doesn't know the term elevator pitch, but he's quite literally asking for one. ]
I've seen the future. It's an entire world full of the same beauty and wonder as this crater. Why should we have to wait in the dull present? I can bring about all those millennia of progress now.
Is that right? Progress is certainly a wondrous thing, but... who specifically would benefit of this?
[ Is it JUST about beauty? More has heard about this world, has seen bits of it. It's been plenty wondrous to him, and above all... peaceful and happy. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
Inside, another identical room. The notes read:]
I need more people. More time. That woman walked out not long after the boy was born. I need another set of hands, but could they be trusted? And how long would it take them to even understand? If only there were two of me.
[On a separate page:]
My new assistant has intellect and technical skills to rival my own. A bit rigid at times, but I've got no serious complaints. Productivity has doubled.
We even brought in a second Miraidon via the machine — though this one has proved aggressive.
[When More exits the building, Turo is standing in the cave mouth, watching.]
no subject
And maybe he had. Maybe that's what the Paradise Protection Protocol was all about in the end.
More is the last person to talk about casting 'magic' to trigger and impact the world even after your death, but looking from the outside in it all seems just so pitiful.
He leaves the outpost and ah-- There he is. Is it his friend? Is it the human one, crystalized in his friend's heart like a curse? As vexing as it is, More supposes he might not be able to tell at just a glance.
So there is nothing to do but to approach, with a hand outstretched for taking. ]
I've come to take my friend home with me.
[ Even if it surely won't be that simple. ]
no subject
Systems are compromised. You don't have administrator access. [He tilts his head.] I'm not sure what this is, exactly. Some sort of virus?
no subject
This is not a sickness. It's... I could not tell you how precisely I have been able to come here, but you can trust that I mean no harm.
no subject
We'll see. Come along, if you're coming.
no subject
Of course. Lead the way.
no subject
The cavern path spirals down much like the one above. Water streams down from somewhere high above, down into what seems like an endless open pit below. There's a strange light and iridescence in the air here; the Tera crystals are far more prominent, and seem to make up the entire cavern past a certain point. There's Pokemon as well, but they aren't like the ones outside. These are slightly more kin to Eggman's robots, obviously mechanical with animated screens in place of eyes or faces. These ones...watch More.]
I'm part of the security protocol. I keep all the systems functioning correctly. So don't mess with anything.
[An iron elephant-like thing suddenly curls into a ball and zooms towards More, turning in a wide curve before actually hitting him. Turo continues forward without any interest, not looking back.]
no subject
Well, it's not only pointless but also impossible to puzzle out when the next thing More knows, it's elephant attack time.
The good news is that he's been practicing evasive action quite hard this week! So he's not bowled over entirely, his leg is just grazed... and it hurts intensely. He tries to rush on, both to follow Turo and to get away from his Pokémon assailant, but it causes him to mewl in pain pretty pathetically. ]
W-wait, just a moment--!
no subject
Keep up.
no subject
More is going to continue limping after Turo, but a lot more vigilant of outside attacks now. Maybe... maybe he could try and see if their combined shard power is of any use, should something approach again? ]
no subject
That is why unauthorized entry to the crater is forbidden.
[There's another research station coming up, but he seems like he's going to just keep walking right past it.]
no subject
[ It doesn't help with easing the pain in his leg any, but focusing himself on the Ruby energy in the air does give More a good idea of what he can do by drawing on Turo's power as well as his own. A part of him takes extra satisfaction in doing so now that he's been called 'unauthorized' - if he truly did not belong here, would Turo's power respond to him?
More summons a tera crystal shard and imbues it with the word 'protect' to function as a mobile shield against further Pokémon attacks. ]
no subject
Yet you're encouraging that. Whatever that is, it was not a part of the original design. It's invasive.
no subject
'Invasive' is a rather restrictive phrase. It's adaptive. Your being responds to outside stimuli and adjusts to the situations it faces accordingly.
Surely that's a benefit?
no subject
[Having passed by the other research station, they're arriving now at a towering building that's nearly been entirely consumed by crystals. Turo walks up the ramp, and the doors open automatically to admit him.]
Anything else is useless at best and an error at worst.
no subject
[ Not that it's surprising, exactly, for the most automated part of Turo he has seen this far. ]
What purpose is that, then? To support Professor Turo with his project?
no subject
[What else is there?]
no subject
[ It's strange, actually, that he still doesn't know what exactly the human Turo meant to accomplish. He supposes a part of him has been too much of a coward to ask. ]
no subject
[He half-snarls. Inside, the lab is...a wreck? It's a tiny windowless room filled with clutter and a lot of stone debris from the walls and ceiling. Turo ignores it, pressing the call button for the elevator.]
That's exactly why it was necessary to create this system at all. All of this is just corrupting it further.
no subject
For how much this Turo talked about systems, More had become increasingly convinced he was merely a fragment of the robot Turo that was concerned with order and structure. But no, it really is... the real deal. Or at least AI Turo's internalized version of the man, which is about as good as the real deal given the amount of proximity and memory-sharing going on here. ]
Do you mind outlining your vision ever so briefly, for a curious fellow scholar? We still seem to have some way ahead.
[ More doesn't know the term elevator pitch, but he's quite literally asking for one. ]
no subject
I've seen the future. It's an entire world full of the same beauty and wonder as this crater. Why should we have to wait in the dull present? I can bring about all those millennia of progress now.
no subject
Is that right? Progress is certainly a wondrous thing, but... who specifically would benefit of this?
[ Is it JUST about beauty? More has heard about this world, has seen bits of it. It's been plenty wondrous to him, and above all... peaceful and happy. ]
no subject
no subject
Has Arven ever asked for this? Has he ever indicated this will give him happiness? Even once?
no subject
He'll understand when he sees. It will all be worth it then.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)