bottlecaplogs | June Catch All! [Open and Closed Prompts]

[Sanji twitches. He's seen alot of weird crap in his time, but he'd. Not expected a whole ass dog to come out of the ground?? These pokémon are something else. His first thought is to spit more fire at it, or a quick attack but-

Oh no, shit, that thing is big. Why is almost everything bigger than him?? And even crazier, their local possessed doll just. Waddles up to it. And...pleads its case? Oh. Right. Ring Spirit is a spirit, so it's probably...oh. Okay.]

Fine. [He mutters this, but doesn't completely let down his guard. Just stands watching carefully, but otherwise doesn't make any sudden movements or uh. Growl. Even when the massive hound leans down to sniff at the Mimikyu...

Sanji keeps reminding himself that the Ring Spirit made a good point. If the skeleton dog didn't attack already, then it's probably...

The houndstone pauses, tail wagging a little when the word "play" is said. Its eyes are hidden, so it's hard to see that it's starting to hone in on the little stick Ring Spirit carries...

A low, dry wuff is all the warning they get before the hound does an odd bowing motion, and picks up the stick, likely taking the whole Mimikyu with it, and swiftly turning to trot off with it's prize.]

OI!! He asked for help to find someone, not to get lost himself! Get back here!!

[Sanji immediately chases after the hound pokemon, shouting over the rattling of its massive skeletal limbs. RS, it may be of note that the houndstone's teeth aren't actually hurting you, at least...not on purpose. If there's a struggle, yea it may hurt knocking into the teeth points. Otherwise...it seems to want to show you something.]

[Anasui wants to protest against the Ring-Spirit. After all, the Houndstone was watching them in the spooky, hostile forest. They could still be hostile all the same. However, he relents since RS is slightly faster than him and is then chatting away. The man huffs, wishing he had arms to cross as he watches the exchange.

He's about to interrupt and ask 'why the hell would it want to play?' when the Houndstone grabs RS' tail. His eyes widen and he scowls.]

Damn it! I knew this would be trouble!

[Without stopping to try and pick up Sanji, Anasui will run after the two ghosts. The Houndstone may have a head start but Anasui is fast.] Get back here, bastard!

[Oh, they're running now? Well, the Houndstone will happily run too! Now it gets to show this Mimikyu stuff AND play! Awesome!]

[ The Ring-Spirit isn't crazy about being picked up by his tail-stick but - oh, his companions are panicking and now everyone's running, that's... as the Ring-Spirit gets jostled by the change in momentum, he calls back to the rest of the team in minor irritation: ]

They're just showing me the way! Calm the fuck down!

[ It's too late now - even if the pursuers decide to slow down, the Houndstone is having fun running! Running away with the stick!!! The other pokemon are trying to catch them but they CAN'T! It's funny!

Eventually the Houndstone stops though, having reached a clearing. They abruptly drop the Mimikyu onto the ground and howl again, wagging their tail. They stay there until just before the others catch up, when the Houndstone bounds off once more... but they've left the Mimikyu behind this time.

The Ring-Spirit, once dropped, glances around and tries to get his bearings as he readjusts his costume. The clearing looks empty... well, there's a strange-looking rock in the center. Is that anything? It's hard to tell without getting closer to it.

Before any of them can go investigate properly, the Ring-Spirit thinks he's catching glimpses of... faint wisps around the rock. Barely visible, almost more a disturbance in the air than something he can truly see... and can he hear whispering? It's faint, unintelligible... familiar. HM. ]

That's a HELL of a way to show you some directions!! [Like he's just gonna let a teammate get eaten?? In front of him?? One wrong move- Ring Spirit is SO tiny...DAMMIT the dog is too BIG too he canNOT keep up with this nonsense-

Anasui is on a similar wavelength. Unfortunately, the guy's stupid bird legs are stupid long, and he freaking takes off like a shot after the dog. Which is good. But Sanji's stubby legs don't stand a chance. The fog closes in...he's keeping his eyes more on the ground, large ears swiveling to keep some sort of track of his allies.

The Houndstone's howl is helpful. And hopefully a sign Ring Spirit was DROPPED...and not swallowed whole. Don't ask Sanji why a skeleton would eat; he's been feeding one for about a month now.

Anyway. It takes him a bit longer, but he catches up. Eventually. Huffing and wheezing, sparks of fire flying from his jaws to cool off.] Hope. It's. Worth. It. Stupid. Mutt. [He plops down next to Anasui to catch his breath, glaring at Ring Spirit, idly checking for obvious injuries. The massive dog is gone by now.

...Sanji'd chew out Anasui, but the bird made the right call. Can't fault him for it; he'd rather not hold him back by being so small.]

[Anasui scowls. He doesn't even grace RS with a response, especially because Sanji does a good job of articulating his feelings too. Anasui does his best to pick up the pace. He's great at sprinting in a straight line but the Houndstone makes too many turns so Anasui can't quite catch up...

But then they're in the clearing and RS is dropped. Anasui is tempted to just run after the Houndstone but he instead pulls on the breaks.]

Damn bastard...

[Anasui frowns and glances around the clearing as he waits for Sanji. He hadn't thought to pick the man up and put him ~~in baby jail~~ on his back and it still doesn't occur to him as his eyes lock onto the odd, cracked stone that gleams through the fog. Unlike the Ring-Spirit, all Anasui could hear is the group's own haggard breathing and all he can see is a familiar, inert stone. His eyes narrow.]

... This looks like a trap. We should smash that stone and walk away from this.

...Why smash the stone?

[ The Ring-Spirit, for the moment, can't figure out that the connection - if it's a trap, leaving makes sense enough... but why break something first?

He's more distracted by the obviously haunted locale though. ]

This place... it's home to a lot of spirits. This particular clearing, I mean. The one we're looking for...

[ The unintelligible whispering grows slightly louder, at least for him. He stops, staring at the keystone. The sounds are so familiar... his own voice drops to a whisper in reaction. ]

...Kul Elna? Did I find you...?

[ He perks up hopefully, taking a step forward. ]

Because it could be dangerous. Like be another dog and eat you for real this time, [Sanji grumbles, finally getting a handle on the situation. Still a little out of breath, but that’ll get better.

Forest’s haunted. Stone probably is too. Seems like something right out of Thriller Bark. Ring Spirit basically confirms it, speaking of many spirits. Sanji’s fur stands up on end. Not out of fear, just the feeling of it. It’s not good.] Yyyyeaaaah this place is haunted as shit, we should-go- dammit.

[Sanji doesn’t know what a cool elna is but it’s. Unlikely to be what Ring Spirit thinks. There’s a pressure in the air, only getting stronger as they draw closer.] Oi. Rings. I know you miss your family but I don’t think it’s gonna be found in a different world. [ He scoots closer to the Mimikyu, ready to grab him if he tries anything too stupid.

They are. Unfortunately. Very close to the stone. The pressure grows, to the point even Sanji can catch faint whispers in the air. Not that he’s focused on that.]

[It seems that Sanji and Anasui are on the same wavelength. Not that Anasui thinks it's a second ghost dog but... yeah. Stone is probably haunted. It looks like something waiting for someone to pick it up and then curse them while they have it on their person. And it looks so familiar too. Anasui is about to vocalise his thoughts to the others when he sees his two teammates step forward. He can hear the whispers too, and one chilling sentence especially sticks out to him.]

Come find me... I'm here...

Idiots! Wait! You're too close!

[Anasui's reasonably far back from the others since he was apprehensive of the stone. Even with his speed, he won't get there in time to stop RS from touching it but even if RS doesn't it's too late. The others are close enough for the creature to spring its trap. The pressure that's been building up around them feels even heavier, oppressive, and despite Anasui's panic he feels sleepy. The Espathra collapses to the floor as loud cackles begin booming around them and streaks of green and violet swirl into view.

A wild Spiritomb has appeared!]

[ The Ring-Spirit experiences a bit of a falling sensation as he loses consciousness, but he doesn't feel himself land... instead he finds himself standing in a misty purple-ish haze, location both different yet indistinct. It loosely reminds him of the mindscape where he and Marik spoke together via the Rod. Huh.

The loud booming cackles are unfamiliar to him though - is. is this not...? No, it has to be them! ]

...Kul Elna? It's me! Me, the Spirit of the Millennium Ring! I've been looking for you!

[ A green smokey wisp fades into view - it resembles an ephemeral skull with a long trailing tail. It's joined by multiple identical spirits, all of them staring eyelessly at the Ring-Spirit. They certainly look like the spirits of Kul Elna to him. (Having been conjured out of his own memory.)

...Aside from their new green hue, of course. And also the fact that their enmity is directed towards him for the first time. The Ring-Spirit suddenly finds himself feeling... uncertain. ]

...Kul Elna?

[ He can think of quite a few very good reasons why his family might in fact NOT be happy to see him.

As the gathering green spirits shriek and rush at the party, the Ring-Spirit merely holds up a shadow-claw in a half-shielding, half-appeasing way. ]

...I can't tell if that means "no we don't recognize you" or "yes, we remember, fuck you"...!

[ He sounds more like he's asking for clarification than trying to put up a (very strong) resistance. ]

Edited 2025-08-12 01:12 (UTC)

Whaddaya think I've been tryin' to tell him-

[...Speaking of things being eerily like Thriller Bark.Sanji manages a weak hiss even as his eyes fall shut against his will. He knows he didn't wear himself out that much running around on stubby legs. And yet, the dizziness sets in and it goes....dark...

His ears twitch as cackling echoes about. Many voices...three? Familiar? His stomach turns. No, no, he left that place...even if it is dark here like...

Dark thoughts are drawn away by oddly conversational words. A member of his crew- no. Just an ally for this mission.

Sanji blinks, getting back up onto his feet- paws- not remembering falling in the first place. He looks over to see- Ring Spirit, surrounded by. Well. Other spirits.]

Is this the family you were lookin' for, Rings? [Even through the weird haze, his fur stands on end. Those voices still refuse to totally leave, and at some angles, those green spirits look oddly like jeering children. Perhaps it's because of that that Sanji steps forward, shoving past chilling ghosts, a growl low in his throat.

Ring Spirit sounds upset. No one deserves this crap. It's that protective anger that clamps down on his own memories, refusing to let them poison the world more.] Doesn't matter why, they're still attacking you. Shitty family reunion- Oi-!! [Sanji snags the mimikyuu and yanks him to the side before letting go and firing off some embers to clear ghosts getting way too close. He bares his teeth, and barks over his shoulder-]

Hey, Anasui! The hell is happening?! We aren't possessed, are we? [It's similar but not quite what he remembers. Fighting ghosts?? Not new. But all his supplies seem to be missing in this strange in between...things just keep getting better and better, huh.]

[Anasui grimaces as he starts 'awake'. He has... no idea what's going on. However, he's pretty good at rolling with the punches so he takes in his surroundings quickly. Thankfully, the nightmare actually has very little to pull from Anasui, and all that manifests is ankle-deep water to accompany the blue-green, hazy world and the dark whispers.

Anasui can recognise an enemy when he sees one (or a hundred and eight) and since Sanji is grabbing the Ring-Spirit, Anasui charges for the biggest mass of the spirits, regardless of the Mimikyu's words. Since he's fought it before, he knows his psychic and his normal moves won't affect it, so he uses Aerial Ace. The spirits wail as they try to dodge it but Anasui is too fast and he round-house kicks them in the face.]

Lock-in already! This isn't the time for idiocy! [However, despite his offensive stance, he's ready to use Ally Switch at a moment's notice. The second the Spiritomb tries to attack an ally, Anasui will take the hit for them regardless of the move.]

[ The strange landscape rocks a little in the wake of Anasui's strike at the clump of spirits - just enough to confirm there's something unnatural about this place, in case anyone was still wondering.

The Ring-Spirit, meanwhile, struggles against Sanji's pull, reaching out for their adversary. ]

Kul Elna, I know you're angry... I'm - I'm... s..sorry... [ (he chokes on the word like it has a foul taste) ] ...but I didn't know where to look! I wasn't sure you'd even come to this world with me! You're not alone now!

[ The spirits wheel around, wailing discordantly, preparing to strike again... though who at isn't immediately clear.

What is clear is that the Ring-Spirit isn't going to be much help, combat-wise. ]

[The world around them rumbles with Anasui's actions and attacks, and Sanji groans mentally for a moment, immediately accepting it as normal world behavior. After all, Luffy kicking enemies around shakes the ship all the damn time, and then Usopp and Franky will yell at him for it and...

For a moment, the area really does resemble the brig of a ship. Why the brig? Well. Family reunions were stressful like that, right? (No.)

The screeching spirits reeeeeally sound like jeering kids. They need to not get caught, so despite Ring Spirit's protests and resistance, Sanji keeps pulling him back. ] Quit it! They're not listening; you keep this up and you'll get hurt, you idiot! Or killed!!

[The shadows get closer, wailing and lurching around Anasui's large form. Some look as if wanting to lash back at what hurt them, but others fearing him, aiming for the smaller targets. The emotional discord in both of them, the nightmares they can pull on, are particularly tantalizing for its dream eater ability. ]

If this is your family, then- then they don't deserve you. Not finding them shouldn't warrant trying to kill you, right?! Look, we're fucking under attack, you gotta move- shit!! [A hand lurches out of the shadows, as if reaching to strangle Ring Spirit. Sanji's not having it, leaping to the side with the mimikyu gripped in his teeth. It's a narrow miss, but something else gets ahold of one of Sanji's tails and yanks, making him yelp and drop his precious cargo for a moment. Mocking laughter intensifies around them. He swipes at the voices, to little effect. ]

Cut it out! What do ya want!? [He shouts, spitting fire at the loudest section of voices, which recede only briefly. So many voices...He doesn't get a clear answer, but there are whispers of being trapped. The stone. Stone walls? No. Imprisoned...in...? What? Bound somewhere where...they could cause no more problems-

His head feels heavy at the thought. Shame, disappointment of others, being locked away where no one would find him. Them. Which...? A phantom helmet weighs him down. He shakes his head, snarling and standing resolutely over Ring Spirit.] Anasui! How do we get outta this mess!?

[Anasui has never backed down from a fight and has no 'trauma' for the nightmare to pull that aligns with what the spirits are doing to the others. The world shaking around them is unfortunately normal Anasui too (stupid Stands and their stupid abilities) but the weirdness of this place is just enough for him to keep his shit together. Still, it's disorientating and the Spiritomb can take advantage of their current states - it moves faster and hits harder than it would in the waking world.

As Sanji tries to talk down RS, the Espathra jumps up and uses Aerial Ace again to kick the spirits in front of him. The spirits hiss and pull away as Anasui lands on the ground and shouts back at his teammates.]

For fucks sake! Is now the time? Just attack already! [Anasui's not sure if he's directed that at RS and his apologies or Sanji trying to talk the Mimikyu down.

However, any other insults or words he has disappears when he hears Sanji's yelp. Immediately, the Espathra's head whips around and he looks at Sanji. With a flash, Anasui uses Ally Swap to swaps positions with the Vulpix so it's his tail feathers in the shadow's grasp.]

The only way is to knock it out! Fight through the drowsiness! Hit it with everything you have!

[ The Ring-Spirit is in his own little world, overcome by the daunting degree of comprehension he's experiencing about how everything he'd ever hated the Pharaoh for - well ok not everything, societal inequality had nothing to do with Zorc probably - but specifically everything done to his family, in a way that all really s the Great Evil God's fault isn't it? And if he now is that same god, then - and then Anasui's annoying voice manages to cut through all those thoughts if only because their own grudge is completely unrelated.

The Ring-Spirit peers up at Anasui, who is suddenly beside him now - weird, he could have sworn that the other guy, Sanji - wait, what's Anasui saying? ]

..."Drowsiness"?

[ What "drowsiness", he's not... is. is Anasui suggesting all this is a dream...? Does that mean this is just another one of those nightmares, like what had plagued the Ring-Spirit for that first week or so after his initial arrival here?

The wailing spirits regain the Ring-Spirit's attention, but he's been shaken from their complete hold over his mind. He readies his tail-stick hesitantly. Ready to block, but still not willing to strike back. He's not sure if this is real or not anymore... he won't attack his family, but... ]

I'm... look, if you're really here, Kul Elna, I get why you might be mad at me - I do - but I'm not your enemy... I don't want to fight you! And... and also these other two had nothing to do with any of it!

[ The spirits meanwhile react with some confusion and annoyance at Anasui's use of Ally Swap, swirling through the air as they try to reorient themselves. Where are each of their three opponents exactly... They want to fight the two with that delicious trauma, not the one who just keeps kicking them! ]

[One moment Sanji is in place getting his ~~hair- no they need to take the helmet off for that but it's still so heavy and cold and- no-~~ tails pulled, the next he's at the entrance of the brig- the. Not the brig, there are trees. What the fuck-

He whirls around, and Anasui is where he was. The shock of this stirs him to anger, which. Well, it helps clear the haze of the illusions well enough. He didn't ask the stupid bird to take hits for him, what the hell!? Oh now he's pissed. ] Well we can't exactly kick illusions around can we?! [Then again the thing grabbing Anasui now should be solid enough. Sanji can't risk burning him though.

Hit it with everything you have...well. He's not that kid anymore. No matter what these ghosts are trying to throw at him. His eyes narrow.

Sanji uses quick attack on the shadows nearby, hitting as hard as he can, biting down. It's not super effective, but it causes pain, shock, the world shaking more around them, the screams of his own siblings fizzling into something more alien, unknown. He doesn't give it time to figure out what happened, playing into the spirits' disorientation and skittering back to the trees again. ] Look, Rings, I get this is family of yours, or something like it. But if they ain't listenin' sometimes you gotta make them listen to ya, right? Show them ya mean business and maybe they'll stop throwing this mind fuckery at us!

[Anasui doesn't even notice that Sanji's pissed off at him. Right now, he's focused on the enemy, and is doing his best not to not turn around and kick RS. RS' reluctance to fight is really starting to piss Anasui off but it seems like the Mimikyu freeing himself from the Spiritomb's clutches has taken away some of the Spiritomb's power over them. More helpfully, Sanji has also broken out of his stunned state and is fighting.

The Spiritomb flinches with the force of Sanji's bite, wailing out angrily. Anasui takes advantage of the opening, yanking his full body forward. Some of his gold and white feathers are pulled out but Anasui doesn't even wince. He just pivots and glares at the Spiritomb. This thing had hurt him pretty badly the first time he faced it... They need to finish this thing off quickly before it recovered and attacked again. Before it could do worse.

Something inside Anasui bubbles up, the urge to hurt and cut deep into the creature's souls. Following instinct, Anasui summons his powers and shouts in a disarmingly charming cry.]

"You're a coward! You hide behind illusions, dreams and tricks because you're weak, aren't you? Well, something as pathetic as all of you doesn't stand a chance against me!" [As Anasui shouts, a beam of pink soundwaves surrounded by hearts and musical notes fires from his mouth straight at the opponent. The Spiritomb yells, not at all used to being hit by a super-effective move. It tries to dodge the move but the Disarming Voice is almost impossible for it to avoid.

The dreamscape shudders violently but Anasui doesn't let up. He's so done with this thing!]

"Stay down or else!"

Edited 2025-09-24 15:47 (UTC)

June Catch All! [Open and Closed Prompts]

npc hot potato time I see ha...um. Hope this direction is alright lmao

I'm chill with it! khsfddhdfs LMAO

perfect! lol

yippee! we have arrived at quest destination! at varying speeds

YAY! Be my guest to start prodding it too! Anasui's too sus unfortunately XD

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this is precisely 1 month late, I'm so sorry,,,

NO WORRIES it makes me, a slow player, feel much better lmao welcome back!

Yeahh!!! Wb both yall

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love Anasui telling them to lock tf in (warning: implied One Piece spoilers)

Anasui was arrested in 2008 and that's when 'lock in' was starting to get popular so... XD

[cw: jumbled ref to plurality-adjacent soul-fusion]

being angery does in fact help sometimes

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