4.5th blade [Action; FOURTH WALL EVENT]

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[The first change Veronica noticed was in her hands, specifically the tips of her fingers. The needles; the ones that injected the paralyzing poison that also fought regenerative effects. They were back, sticking out of the tips of her scarred fingers just enough to be noticeable if you were looking right at them.

Everything was back. Her eyes were seeing in infrared again, her muscles were already feeling stronger. The urge to just... jump up and down with joy was not one Veronica felt before, but dammit all if she wasn't excited about this.

She had to get out.

Everything seemed brighter somehow, as she walked down paths and streets, feeling what little snow there currently was crunching underneath her boots. It wasn't that cold, she had her cloak on. She didn't care about it anyways, she was too happy about this.

She wanted to do so much. Breathe fire, jump off a building and land unharmed, fight with any foe and come out on top.

But, for now, she'd settle for slicing through the trees that dotted the random routes like they were butter with the multiple swords the poked out from under her cloak. She'd also even do a little training with her Pokemon. Sword fighting with her Honedge, some hand-to-hand combat with Greninja. They seemed just as happy to see Veronica in such high spirits.

There was also an urge, almost overwhelming, to fight someone. She missed doing that, and there was no way that she'd let this moment go to waste.]

Comments

[darker_alice]

"I am here, for one thing," Alice said, raising an eyebrow at how nonchalantly Veronica seemed to take Alice arriving in such a fashion. Her Poochyena, noticing the other Pokemon, let out a low growl, but did not seem more aggressive than that. Alice already knew Veronica, and somehow the Pokemon seemed to sense that much.

"Keeping yourself busy? You at least seem more familiar here."

[stitchedupbodyguard]

"Uhh..." A blank look greeted Alice. There was no way that Veronica knew who this person was. She'd never been to a mirage universe or something like that. Her Greninja sensed her confusion, and moved slowly to her side.

"Yeah, I have...." Blink blink. It was almost possible to hear the gears turning in her brain. "Have we met before?"

[darker_alice]

That look was unmistakable: clearly Veronica did not know who she was, and that made for a strain in things. It looked as if she would have to play this by ear. She looked down at the strange creature that seemed to be in tune with her, and then back at the woman.

"You are someone I know, in another place," she said. "Perhaps you can help me. Can you tell me where I am?"

[stitchedupbodyguard]

"I do?" She found that extremely hard to believe, given who she was. Although, that may have just meant that this person was an associate of Fran. That was the only reason she could think of that made sense.

Getting onto the point at hand, it looked like another new person was in need of help. "Then, you must be new." She nodded. "Well, it's not an easy thing to explain, but... you're in another world."

[darker_alice]

"Yes," Alice said, with such a severe look of assurance that Veronica was not likely to doubt what Alice was saying. Alice felt every reason to be so adamant: she'd spent enough time in the asylum consumed with doubts to her sanity.

"That's easy enough to understand," Alice said. "It is not the first time I have been moved from one place to another with no notification. It would help to know what the nature of this place is, as well as the creature who is following me."

[stitchedupbodyguard]

"...O-okay then." Alice's adamant nature was a bit intimidating to Veronica. It was an odd sort of feeling, kind of like looking at her own reflection.

Which was indeed very odd.

She didn't understand what Alice meant by that. "Not the first time?" You were very unlucky, girl. Still, she had to do her best to help this person out, it seemed like the right thing to do.

"Well, this is the Johto region. And, that creature with you is a Pokémon." She gestured to her Greninja. "They're the animals in this world, and you're supposed to train Pokémon to do whatever you want them to do."

[darker_alice]

While the stammering was not to her liking, Alice supposed that even a girl like Veronica, who had never met her before, would seem startling. She was a stranger, and who had ever heard of helping someone you barely knew?

"I have a power," Alice said, "although really, I suppose calling it that is a little misleading. Mm. I can, well, I can jump from worlds in my head, and sometimes merge a reality with my own. I've only done it once, and after that, I was whisked away to other worlds without my say so. It is rather frustrating that way."

What a name. Jah-toe. Odd. "A Poke-ay-mon, you say? And you train them? I admit, I have not had a pet for myself in a long time. They are rather curious though: what do they do? Can they talk?"

[stitchedupbodyguard]

Veronica's eyes widened a little at Alice's admission of her own powers. The abilities the bodyguard possessed were one thing, they were scientifically sound. Alice's powers sounded like they were nothing short of a fantasy.

But, then again, she was in a world full of fighting monsters.

"Ah, Yeah... you train them for just about everything. But a lot of people use them for battling."

Why, she'll never begin to imagine. "No, they don't talk." Greninja. Greninja muttered beside her, prompting Veronica to glance at him.

"But, they do understand you pretty well."

[darker_alice]

Alice was well aware what she was talking about was hard for anyone to take-in fact, she was pretty sure she never told Veronica that information before. It was only in this situation where it was applicable.

"Battling? That sounds surprisingly barbaric. These creatures look...primed. And you are close then, you and your companion?"

It looked too smart just to call it a pet.

"Do they now?" She looked down at the one following her, which now seemed to be growling a word...Poochyena!

Alice wrinkled her nose. "Poochyena?"

[stitchedupbodyguard]

"Yeah, it is... a little." She was of the same mindset when she first arrived here. "But, that's what people do around here, for some reason. Pokemon take up some people's entire lives here, I suppose."

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's probably what it's called. There's a machine I can check to see if that's what it's really called too."

[darker_alice]

"And the Pokemon are fine with it, then?" Alice looked down at her own (was it hers, really?) and certainly did not seem to see any hesitation on his part when it came to the idea of fighting an enemy.

"A machine?" Alice raised an eyebrow. "Really? Please do: it wouldn't hurt to know what this Pokemon can do."

[stitchedupbodyguard]

"They seem to be." She shrugged her shoulders, her Greninja got into a fighting stance, as if to provide proof for the point.

At her request, Veronica rummaged around trough a bag she had been carrying around, eventually producing her Pokegear. She turned it on and started flipping through it.

"....Here." She reaches the page on Poochyena and hands it to Alice.

[darker_alice]

"Interesting." What other word was there for it, really? Animals that fought each other, and the trainers who helped make that happen. Was the whole world built to accommodate this sort of thing?

Alice took the book though, and started reading up on the Pokemon, than glanced down at him.

"So. If I were to help him train, I suppose he should fight other Pokemon. How strange. Who decided these battles?"

[stitchedupbodyguard]

"Uhh, you do. Sorta. If your eyes meet another trainer's then you two have to battle until either your Pokemon faint or theirs do." Another shrug, which was becoming a very well used gesture for Veronica.

"There's more people here that wont do that now though, so you don't have to."

[darker_alice]

Alice blinked, taking this in, seemingly lost in thought. Her Pokemon seemed agitated, sensing her confusion, seemingly trying to help her to kill her indecisiveness. Alice, however, still did not seem to be taking to any action right at the moment.

"If there are people who do not want to have their Pokemon fight each other, what do they do on this world?"

[stitchedupbodyguard]

Veronica's gaze briefly went to Alice's Poochyena. She's seen many Pokemon before that always tried to help their trainers. It was the sort of bond that always surprised her a little.

"Well, some people don't train Pokemon at all and do other things. If you wanted to, you could become a Pokemon breeder. Their jobs are pretty easy."

[darker_alice]

Alice's interest was peaked. Granted, she saw no real reason to NOT train Pokemon, if this was what the world required, but what would one do after that? Was there any adversity in this world, or was it merely a way to fight Pokemon and simply exist throughout the day?

Her Poochyena rubbed awkwardly against her, so she at least knew he understood she was accepting the strangeness of this world.

"They just...allow Pokemon to procreate, I imagine."

[stitchedupbodyguard]

"...I don't actually know how they do it, actually." Another, long shrug from her. "Apparently, all Pokemon come in... eggs, no matter what they are."

[darker_alice]

"Eggs?" Now Alice looked dubious. "I suppose someone would have to look into such things. Sound like a bit of hassle to me."