voicetesting

[fatalstrikes]

I;

[This place is a little weird, but Yuri’s settled in well enough. He’s in a Pokémon Center currently, sitting on the floor instead of using a chair like a normal person. His Riolu’s sitting nearby, staring at the floor and not really reacting to anything going on around them. Yuri digs around in his backpack for a moment before coming up with an Oran berry.]

Here we go. I guess we’re going to need more food before we set out again, huh?

[The Riolu doesn’t react and Yuri shrugs as if the silence doesn’t bother him any.]

It’s all yours, pal.

[He sets the berry down in front of the Riolu, who continues staring at it listlessly. The Riolu still hasn’t moved even once Yuri’s closed the backpack and dropped it carelessly beside him.]

...You’re a bit of an odd one.

[He stretches his arms above his head before standing up, which is about when he’ll notice you.]

Hey, does your partner act like this too?

II;

[It’s a gloomy, dark day out on one of the routes. It’s the sort of day where you want to stay indoors and maybe take a nap, but that’s not exactly a good idea when you’re out camping like this. It looks like it’ll start storming at any minute, so you might want to hurry and find shelter.

There’s a cave up ahead, and if you approach it you’re going to hear footsteps. Hurried footsteps, like someone’s desperate to get out—]

Hey, look out!

[A Riolu comes running full speed out of the cave and might just slam into you if you don’t move. Either way, a dark-haired man rushes out after the Pokémon.]

Watch where you’re going next time, Ry. Hey there, sorry about him.

[Yuri seems calm enough, but there’s a loud sound from inside the cave and he glances over his shoulder.]

Are they still following us? I thought getting out of the cave would be good enough… C’mon, Ry, let’s pick up the pace!

[It looks like they’re going to hurry off, and the strange shrieking sound from the cave is just getting louder. What do you do?]

Don’t just stand there, come on!

[Sounds like that’s directed at you.]

III;

[Deep in Eterna Forest is the Old Chateau. Maybe you stumbled across this place accidentally or maybe you were trying to get here. Either way, you’re here now, and you’re not alone.]

Strange place, huh? I bet there are some interesting Pokémon inside.

[Yuri’s looking in on the place curiously, one hand on his hip. He doesn’t seem bothered at all by the creepy atmosphere.]

The place might be haunted. It doesn’t look like anyone’s been here for years.

[Without any further fanfare, he’ll just start heading inside. Are you coming along? Are you going to try to stop him? Some other third option?]

Comments

I

[semistableman]

[The pachirisu sitting on the man's left shoulder makes it pretty clear that he's completely lacking a left arm. It looks like there's some kind of metal stump, but that's the extent of it.]

You mean acting like there's nothing going on inside its head? Yeah.

[He rubs at its cheeks, which doesn't actually net any response.]

I don't know what would cause animals to act this way.

[fatalstrikes]

[Yuri notices, but he doesn't say anything about the man's arm. That'd be pretty rude, and even he's not that rude.]

I've never seen any monsters act like this either. Usually they're too aggressive. These guys are really passive.

[He nudges the Oran berry with his foot and it rolls a little bit. The Riolu follows it with his gaze but otherwise doesn't react.]

[semistableman]

[He frowns at the terminology, but doesn't look like he's about to say anything about it.]

Where I'm from, they're pretty afraid of people most of the time, unless they're pets.

I could tell y'why people might act like this, but animals...

[fatalstrikes]

The people around here are pretty strange too. You've noticed that, right?

[He inclines his head a bit towards where the lady is standing behind the desk. She doesn't really look like she's doing anything.]

[semistableman]

How could I not notice?

[That's muttered; something very cold is in his voice.]

's like I said, I could tell you why this could happen to people.

[fatalstrikes]

Could you? Huh.

[Yuri's not entirely sure what to do with that. The words are still just as relaxed as he's been this entire time, but he's aware that something's definitely Off now.]

...So, what's your name?

[It's not a graceful topic change by any stretch of the imagination, but it's out there anyway.]

[semistableman]

Yeah.

[He shrugs, and the creature on his shoulder doesn't even respond to the fact that it slides down his shoulder.]

Name's Bucky. What about you?

[fatalstrikes]

Yuri. Nice to see someone else who's finding all this pretty strange.

[He then glances back down at the Riolu.]

This's Ry. I think that's what he wants to be called, anyway.

[semistableman]

Nice to meetcha, Yuri.

[And just like that, he seems to snap out of whatever darkness he was in.]

I'm not sure what to call 'er, I figure I'm gonna wait until she snaps out of this. It'll take her a while, but she'll be fine.

[He sounds incredibly confident.]

III.

[bloodspent]

[So you know what, sure. This is happening. We're all standing around in a forest and Jake's got his dog with him - it's one of those little boneheaded things with the ribs, and you know what, it might just be the cutest little shit he's ever goddamn seen but that is completely beside the point, now, isn't it - anyway, the point is that he's got his dog with him, and then there's this asshole standing around talking about - ]

Haunted. Really?

[Don't get him wrong, he's coming inside with this guy, just because he doesn't feel like standing around while prettyboy over here gets his face mauled by ghosts or whatever. Because apparently, we believe in ghosts now.

So we're going inside. Jake is carrying his dog underarm like she's a skullfaced football with ribs. Because that's the fastest way to get her to go places and if he needs her to set things on fire, well, she's got an easy way to set things on fire.]

All the creepy shit going on in this place and you come up with "haunted."

[fatalstrikes]

[Yuri glances over his shoulder when he hears the other guy's voice, offering a grin before he moves to push the doors open.]

Yep. Haunted. You don't believe in ghosts, huh?

[It certainly is creepy in here. He's definitely getting ghost ship vibes.]

[bloodspent]

[Oh, he's getting vibes. Not ghost-ship vibes, though, more the sort of vibes that happen before some hot Asian chick offers you...well, not nearly enough cash to warrant seeing half your dudes get all melty.]

Spend enough time taking your chances with the living and you'll stop being afraid of the dead.

[It's sharp, said with no sense of irony. Exactly like you'd expect from...an edgy fifteen-year-old, probably. Sorta like he just discovered Marilyn Manson.

But again, not the point.]

[fatalstrikes]

Oh yeah? Those are some pretty bold words. Don't tell me you really believe that?

[He sounds totally amused by that and he'll head for the stairs without waiting to see if Jake's coming. He'll pause for a moment to pick up his Riolu before he goes, though.]

[bloodspent]

[Nah, he's coming. Good to see that you're joining him on the stupid pet express, though; clearly, we carry around our Edgelord Sparkledogs^TM like men.]

Never had much reason to believe otherwise.

[fatalstrikes]

[Might as well, tbh!! There's no telling how long it'd take them to get up the stairs otherwise...]

I haven't met many people who'd believe something like that. So I'm guessing you won't be afraid of any ghosts we happen to run across?

[Let's find out what's behind door #1! He'll push it inwards and poke his head in to check it out before entering. There's a lot of dust and cobwebs in here but sadly(?) no ghosts.]

[bloodspent]

[...........................]

Are you. Looking. For ghosts.

[is that what we're doing. is this what his life has become.]

[fatalstrikes]

Maybe.

[Door #2! There's a creepy painting in here, but no ghosts.]

[bloodspent]

[...That's the sort of thing that he normally just throws his hands in the air at, but he's not gonna drop his fucking firebreathing purse poodle. So you're getting the left hand in the air in the most exasperated gesture he can manage while being, you know, one handed and carrying a puppy.]

Okay, I was under the impression that the ghosts were an unfortunate side effect. Like. A problem? Not the whole mission.

III!

[anythingforyou]

[Truth be told, Camilla was honestly going to look for another charming darling to add to her collection; her Skorupi is currently sitting on a shoulder as she starts to walk toward the manor herself, and Yuri's words manage to give her a start when she turns to look at him.]

Goodness! I would be careful if I were you. I thought you were a ghost yourself, for just a moment...

[If nothing else, it gets some good natured laughter from Camilla. She's going to follow him along inside, as her Skorupi plays with some of her hair while she does. It's certainly a dusty building, but it looks like it could have been glorious at one point or another...]

I do wonder...if there are any darling Pokémon in here, is that simply what one's ghost turns into when they pass on? In this world, of course...

[...Morbid question of the hour, beautiful. If nothing else, she's definitely not disturbed as she starts to walk up one of the staircases.]

[fatalstrikes]

[That gets Yuri to glance back and grin before pushing the doors open. It's dark, dismal, and dusty in here... It doesn't look like anyone else has been inside in a long time.

He'll follow as Camilla starts up one of the staircases, tipping his head a bit as he considers her words.]

Good question. It'd be pretty strange to die and wake up as a Pokémon. Could be kinda fun, though. Being a ghost doesn't seem all that bad, you could scare people pretty easily.

[He seems completely laid-back about all of this...]

Wanna check what's behind door number one?

[There are plenty of rooms up here to check through, so let's see what they hold!]

[anythingforyou]

Mmm. As long as we don't wake up as listless as everyone else, of course. It would be quite fun to play a trick on someone you once knew!

[He's. He's not the only one. It's fine if it's just theory, right? Totally fine. It's not like there are any actual people ghost in this world.

Gods, this place is dusty, though. Camilla finds herself attempting to hold in a sneeze as some of it tickles her nose, though by the time he asks his question, Camilla finds herself unable to hold it in. Poor little Skorupi gets knocked on the floor in the process, and she scrambles to pick the poor thing up.]

...Of course. Perhaps we might be able to find something out about just what happened to this sweet little villa, hmm?

[Or maybe items on the ground. Because people just seem to be prone to losing a lot of valuable items, for some reason.]

[fatalstrikes]

[Poor Skorupi... It's probably fine, though, and Yuri pauses for a moment to make sure Camilla and her Pokémon are okay before pushing the door inwards.]

Who knows what we'll fine? Could be interesting.

[Inside are several old pieces of furniture covered in cloths, and also dust. A lot of dust. Yuri wrinkles his nose and steps into the room, his Riolu following behind him.]

Guess the ghosts couldn't be bothered to clean up...

[anythingforyou]

[Oh gods, it's worse than the villa itself! Camilla finds herself covering her face a bit as she walks in close behind, taking stock of the room. She doesn't even want to touch these damned things...]

They wouldn't even be effected by it...of course they wouldn't bother to clean. How incredibly rude. One should at least try to clean up for guests...

[Camilla is going to walk a little further into the room itself, though, trying to peer under one of the cloths to see just how old the furinature actually is, but...

...Huh. She finds herself shivering, the slightest bit. When did the temperature drop...?]

Goodness, it's quite drafty in here...you feel it as well, don't you?

[fatalstrikes]

[Yeah, he feels it. Yuri glances around looking for the source. There aren't any open windows or anything like that in here...]

Strange, you'd think a draft like that'd come from an open window.

[He'll move towards the door to look out into the hallway, but there doesn't seem to be anything amiss out there either. Huh...]

[anythingforyou]

[Brr. Well, there doesn't seem to be anything under that cloth, so Camilla moves on to the next one...]

Hmm...you don't suppose we have any company in here, do you? A darling that may not want to make itself known...

[It seems legitimate enough to her, at least. Camilla starts to rummage through a bag, looking for something. What she manages to pull out is...a Poke Doll?]

Perhaps they're lonely.