FOURTH WALL EVENT [Actions] [Kanto - Celadon City/Route 16]

[firstnothing]

[Things have gotten a little.. odd, as midnight passed. Xemnas hadn't noticed at first, he was asleep and could sleep like the dead if sufficiently - but his Kadabra noticed, and after several minutes of waiting to see if the flash and thundrous crack of sound would repeat itself, went to carefully shake his master awake and relay what he'd seen.

The tent Xemnas had purchased in Goldenrod served well, keeping the late-year chill out (especially with several pokemon taking up residence inside with him), which meant getting on a few layers before venturing outside to watch the sky, and then the surroundings. His own senses were only as good as a human's, but with his pokemon now awake and theirs added to his own it's a little easier to tell that things are going a bit.. weird out here. More than a bit weird, was the landscape different?]

...Let's get moving. Whatever caused that, I don't want to be caught in the open for if it happens again.

[Malice glances at Xemnas, ears flattening back.]

::I have reason to believe we are in a new location, sir. This isn't Route 43.::

[That draws pause from Xemnas, who glances around again, this time looking for more than just shrubs and grass. ... And couldn't find fault with that conclusion. This earns a scowl and a sharp gesture. He didn't recognize the area. He'd never been to Kanto, nevermind being near Celadon City.]

Then whatever's chosen to shift us around like pieces on a chessboard won't find us waiting patiently the next time, will it?

[He sets to disassembling camp; after a moment the pokemon he has with hands begin helping. Time to get the hell out of dodge before anything else weird happened.]

Comments

[islandshore]

You know, Riku, maybe you should slow down. This isn't--

I'm fine, Ace.

[If Xemnas listens closely, he may overhear a familiar voice and one not so familiar voice, the latter of which sounds a bit gravelly, almost as if the speaker's growling her words. As they move closer, Xemnas may spot Riku and a Lucario trudging along, with a Nidoking and Charizard close behind. They're at the very entrance to the Route, just exiting the city.

Though Riku's a bit distracted, he does pick up on the tent after a few moments, eying Xemnas as he works to dismantle the campsite. Was he here this whole time? Riku raises an eyebrow and watches for a couple of seconds before wandering closer. He looks so much like...

Well, he can't get too far ahead of himself.]

So, you been here this whole time?

[firstnothing]

[Quick efforts to tear down a camp and get to somewhere more likely to have emergency services doesn't mean Xemnas isn't paying attention to his surroundings. He may only be an ordinary human these days, but he hasn't forgotten how to be alert.

It helps that he has six other sets of eyes and ears paying attention. Which means Riku and his entourage are noted pretty quickly, and primarily by the bobbling flame that is a charizard's tail.

He stops what he's doing and observes. There's no way he doesn't recognize Riku, for all the trouble he'd caused in his own timeline.. but this one was different. The boy could still be useful, and this.. well, this was the first time he'd had the opportunity to actually meet the boy face to face. Perhaps whatever dragged him here was beneficial, after all..]

Hello, Riku.

[Hey it's that guy! There's an acknowledging nod, though he turns back to his work. Of his pokemon, only the kadabra turns to observe the newcomers with an attentive, unblinking stare. Xemnas, it seemed, was perfectly content to trust the psychic mon's senses in this case.. or he just doesn't think Riku's going to attack him.]

This evening when I set up camp I was about three miles north of Mahogany, if I were truthful. I'm not certain how I got here. .. But it seems fortuitous.

[For him. There's little of his bearing or attitude to suggest malicious intent, just thoughtful interest. He had told Xehanort that Riku might well be an appropriate thirteenth vessel. Might as well see if that was still true.]

[islandshore]

It's kind of a bi-annual thing.

[The words come out casually and with a shrug of the shoulders, as if it's no big deal. For Riku, it really isn't, as he's gone through this song and dance time and time again over the years. Thankfully, Xemnas' prediction is right on the money, as Riku makes no sudden moves. Likewise, his Pokémon remain still, though Slacker the Nidoking whimpers and slips behind Flare due to Kadabra's stare. It's creepy!

And, okay, even Riku ends up pulling his eyes away from the psychic type before long. She's almost as bad as Dart...]

Believe me, getting dropped off in random corners of Kanto is nothing compared to what else goes on. Some people get their powers back, others wind up with tons of Pokémon they never even caught. Plus, there's a whole slew of visitors-- even duplicates of people.

[firstnothing]

Is that so? Are you willing to offer more advice on what this.. bi-annual thing includes?

[It might not be a big deal to Riku, but Xemnas didn't know what he was dealing with and he didn't like that. He vastly preferred being on top of a situation.

With glacial slowness, Malice blinks once, ears flicking back, then turns his attention to his own trainer. Whatever information is shared between them is something they choose not to enlighten others to. When the kadabra returns to his observation, it's with something more like idle curiosity than anything else.]

The world regularly goes mad and no-one thought to make a notice of that to newcomers? [There's a quiet tsk.] How long does this peculiarity last?

[Powers, hm? Xemnas had adapted poorly to being without them. He raises one hand, curious, and calls the Darkness. It responds immediately - and a little too eagerly for his tastes; it's dismissed almost immediately after it begins forming in roiling purple-black smoke. No, tampering with that when his heart was still a new thing would be unwise.]

Hm. Interesting. Are you likewise affected? Lost things returned to you, or friends?

[islandshore]

It's kind of hard to give a blanket description; that's how crazy things get. One thing that's been constant so far is that people usually forget at least some of it. These days, the memories are becoming clearer. I can at least remember some of what happened the last two times this happened, but everything before that? Not a clue.

[He shrugs. Really, he would like to know more, but it's not like he can dig through his subconscious and instantly remember.]

It's usually about three days, though, and after that, all the locals act like nothing changed. There's some serious denial, so I figure they're either trying to forget or it's just too much for them to handle, so they just sort of drown it out.

[As for whether he's gained anything... Riku breaths in and flexes his fingers. Darkness swirls around his wrist, and the Soul Eater forms in his grip.]

...And no, I haven't had lost things returned to me. More like powers I didn't even have yet.

[firstnothing]

How peculiar.

[And not particularly helpful save that Riku's attitude and bearing put the idea on it that this entire phenomenon wasn't particularly dangerous or even terribly relevant for long.

And that perhaps the powers that be of this world tended to erase the memories of those affected.

The Darkness that Riku calls on, and then the eyed blade, is unexpected and interesting; an estimation is shifted around a little.]

Powers you have now, at the least. I suspect it's less you haven't gained them yet than perhaps you should have long ago. It's useful to have, is it not? Is the edge still keen?

[Or is it more like the knives and swords of this place, only sharp if a pokemon has them?]