Garden of Delights [Flowey November Catch-All]

[friendlyflower]

Who: Flowey & Akechi, Ren, Fireheart, Siffrinx, maybe more?! And maybe YOU!!!
What: These violent delights are awesome I wonder how they end (Quests, arguing, emotionally charged cat brushing, training...) 
Where: Southern Forest Tunnels, Canopy Low-Tier Housing, Training Grounds
When: Throughout November
Warnings: Pokemon battling (violence/injury), mentions of blood, allusion to Pokemon death. Flowey's typical warnings (child death, depression, depersonalization, unreality).

Comments

[truthdecided]

[Oh... That fur. Akechi looks away to hide a grimace.]

I may know who it belongs to.

[He shuffles over, picking up a clump of the fur in his talons.]

There was an Alolan Ninetales some months ago. While I can't guarantee that it's her, we should bring a sample back for further examination.

[The blood is a deeply worrying sign.]

[colorsflyinghigh]

[... Oh. That's...

Ren has to look away. He can't help it. It's not that graphic, all things considered, compared to what he's seen here, but... still. That's not... that's not good.]

Let's keep going, [he says regardless, his voice even. Leaderly.] We may find other clues yet.

[friendlyflower]

[Oh. He forgot until now, but...] Wait, I remember her! We showed up around the same time. And there was also...

[He needs a moment to think.]

... There was also this bat who was a real piece of work. As far as I know, he never made it up.

[He shudders.] Be on guard. He was strong and merciless. Doesn't bode well for her.

[truthdecided]

...You believe he may have harmed her.

[It's not hard to read between the lines. Fortunately, Akechi is an old hand at keeping his guard up.

So, careful and quiet, he makes his way forward.]

Ren, can you try to follow the scent?

[colorsflyinghigh]

[Ren gives a quick, steady nod. Steadier than he feels, at least.]

Give me a moment.

[He steels himself, and sniffs the bloody fur, taking in the smell. Smells... like blood. But also something else, and he focuses on that, lifting his head and sniffing the air.

...

...

It's faint, but he thinks...]

That way. [His head jerks towards a tunnel that goes deeper into the cave.]

[friendlyflower]

Buddy, the only reason I made it out alive is because of my craftiness. [By which he means: he begged for his life like a coward. He's much stronger, now, but he still finds himself shivering. To be reborn only to nearly die horribly at the hands of someone far worse than himself...

... Ren snaps him out of THAT awful memory. He hops along, trying to pay attention to the vibrations of the earth. Along the way, he hops in something wet--]

EW! [It's bloody vomit. He hops out of it and rolls around, trying to get clean. The pool is too small to have been from the Ninetales... but there are bloody paw prints from the Ninetales as well. Ren's tracking seems to be working.

Once Flowey has cleaned himself enough, he adds, aptly:] It's still mostly fresh. Either this was recent or something's weird about time here.

[truthdecided]

...Which begs the question of why the Noibat would vomit blood.

[Akechi glares down at the mess, expression sharpening.]

We can't rule out temporal anomalies, however, particularly here...

[colorsflyinghigh]

[Ren doesn't like this. Ren doesn't like this at all.]

... If he were a bat, and he was as bad as Flowey says... he may have attacked the Ninetales, and tried to drink her blood. I doubt she'd take it lying down.

[But that doesn't explain the freshness. The smell is sharp and metallic; pungent in Ren's nose. He doesn't like the way his stomach churns at the smell, either.]

There are legends about powerful Pokemon... do you think there's a Pokemon that can manipulate time?

[And if so, why?]

[friendlyflower]

... You know, Akechi makes a good point... for once. [He needs to do at least a little teasing to alleviate the tension.] There's a big distinction between perception altering and reality itself altering. As in, did the fog make people think time was passing slower or was it ACTUALLY passing slower?

If it's NOT a matter of perception, then that's... well. REALLY troubling. The way the forest 'glitched' when we were making the expedition. The way the stars themselves change each time you look. It's almost like the world is...

...

Breaking.

[And if the boys follow the pawprints, they wind up back where they started, no matter how much they think they're on a new path.]

[truthdecided]

...Well, this certainly lends credibility to your theory.

[Here they are, back at the start. It's far from a pleasant sign.]

So, what shall we do? Turn around? See if we can find the trail again?

CW: impending panic attack

[colorsflyinghigh]

[The world... breaking. That's... it's uncomfortably close to Yaldabaoth. Ren doesn't like it. He doesn't like it one bit.

Not to mention, the way everything keeps looping around, like some fucked-up version of Mementos. Is that how the people who disappear get lost?

He's not feeling so well all of a sudden. He remembers a brief encounter with Sumire at the start of all this- and Futaba- god, Futaba- that's his sister. His sister may be lost thanks to this- this anomaly- what if she also got- what if she's hurt?

His mouth feels dry. His head hurts, and his joints ache. Worse than usual.]

I... [he sounds quieter than usual. Tense. He wants to keep looking, but- they weren't here. This isn't where they were lost. If he wants to find them, then...

His voice comes out stronger when he speaks up again. Like a leader.] We have to leave. Now.

[Who knows what'll happen if they stay much longer? What if they get lost in this anomaly as well? He can't lose Akechi too- and he hasn't know Flowey for that long, but- he can't- he can't-

He's already dug the Escape Orb out of his pack, ready to slam it down. They have to escape. They have to escape.]

[friendlyflower]

Wh-- Ren? [He didn't expect him to take it that badly. (Maybe this is harder on people who can care about others.)]

... Probably nothing more to find. Akechi, come on.

[truthdecided]

[Ren's reaction, so severe and extreme, draws Akechi instantly to his partner's side. He even disregard's Flowey's prying eyes to preen him. Something small. Something grounding.]

Yes. We might as well retreat for the time being.

[He nods at the orb. Go ahead, Ren.]