<a href="https://the-sunfl0wer-garden.tumblr.com/" style="text-decoration:underline;">the-sunfl0wer-garden</a>:
<p>Lance, you're so different compared to other beings I have seen lately. (no offense.) Do you know what happened to you...?</p>
“…”
“There are certain things a human is not meant to do.
And now, as far as this world cares, I no longer exist.
Please, young one… be careful.
There are things out there that would eat you alive.”
we figured out a better way to do sprites (instead of freeballing it i edit and frankenstein other sprites together and THEN draw over and recolor it. its proven effective thus far) so heres some kantonians!!
soooo.... whats so special about mr fuji's house then? sure there may be other influences but you did say it could be because its mr fuji's house specifically, why? why is he so special?
“… I could tell you the simple answer- that the ghosts of Kanto know better than to fool around in there. That would only raise more questions, though, wouldn’t it?”
You blink at the man, and quickly nod.
“Well- yeah?? I know it’s a safe place and all, but why would they care about that..?”
Lance manages a slight smile, though there’s an underlying apprehension that clearly makes him hold his tongue.
“… That home is under the watch of… something much more terrifying than the lost souls you’ve encountered.
Even so… it keeps it safe for a reason. Even a being like that has a soft spot for lonesome Pokemon. Damn the rest of us, but…
Even at the worst of times- it must want to keep things like your little friend safe.”
He gestures at Eevee, and you glance downwards at it. It stares back at the Dragon Trainer, nose twitching and ears flattening against its head. You watch as the tiny thing stands and stretches, before turning around in your bag, nestling in facing away from the other.
“… Do you know what he’s talking about, little buddy…?” you ask, keeping your voice gentle towards the clearly upset Pokemon.
<p>soooo.... whats so special about mr fuji's house then? sure there may be other influences but you did say it could be because its mr fuji's house specifically, why? why is he so special?</p>
“… I could tell you the simple answer- that the ghosts of Kanto know better than to fool around in there. That would only raise more questions, though, wouldn’t it?”
You blink at the man, and quickly nod.
“Well- yeah?? I know it’s a safe place and all, but why would they care about that..?”
Lance manages a slight smile, though there’s an underlying apprehension that clearly makes him hold his tongue.
“… That home is under the watch of… something much more terrifying than the lost souls you’ve encountered.
Even so… it keeps it safe for a reason. Even a being like that has a soft spot for lonesome Pokemon. Damn the rest of us, but…
Even at the worst of times- it must want to keep things like your little friend safe.”
He gestures at Eevee, and you glance downwards at it. It stares back at the Dragon Trainer, nose twitching and ears flattening against its head. You watch as the tiny thing stands and stretches, before turning around in your bag, nestling in facing away from the other.
“… Do you know what he’s talking about, little buddy…?” you ask, keeping your voice gentle towards the clearly upset Pokemon.
<a href="https://possiblyfunny.tumblr.com/" style="text-decoration:underline;">possiblyfunny</a>:
<p>Hey, Lance? Why did you react to the mention of Red like that? <i>Is- Is something wrong...?</i></p>
The Dragon Master’s breath catches in his throat, a knee-jerk reaction that only serves to heighten your confusion and concern.
The silence that lingers after that question hangs heavy between the two of you. He refuses to look back at you, refuses to answer aloud for far too long.
It makes your mind wander, as he mulls it over- clearly, he knows many things that you don’t. What exactly about Red would have him go so quiet? After how open he’d been about everything, why was he…?
“It’s nothing against him.”
Lance’s voice cuts off your thoughts. Ah- you’d started to space out. He’s looking at you again, a more somber expression on his face.
“Then what is it? If something’s wrong with MY brother, don’t I deserve to know?” you ask in turn, when he fails to follow up on his words.
“There’s nothing WRONG with him,” he answers quickly, seeming to bristle a bit. “It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“I- I can’t exactly provide a clear answer to you, miss. You and your brother are people that I can’t understand like other things. That’s what unsettles me so much.
Neither of you belong in this world. I can’t see the two of you like I can everything else. Him especially. Only what’s occurred while you’re both within this place. So I’m…”
Lance trails off again. You tense your jaw, frustration bubbling in you.
Breathe, Leaf- in, hold, out, hold. Repeat. Breathe.
Though your attempt to calm only does so much- your next words still coming out with an audible bite:
“Get to the point.”
“I’m SCARED for you!” he finally snaps back, before sighing heavily and pinching the bridge of his nose.
“… Red is NOT someone to be scared of,” you reply while the man regains his composure, “you don’t know him like I do.”
“I understand that well. Don’t assume I don’t. I might as well have a sibling of my own- I know how those things are.”
His walking slows down, and he runs a hand over his face and back through his hair.
“This just… it doesn’t sit right with me. What he said to you back there, to ‘keep going’… He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He doesn’t belong here. Doesn’t know this place, or what lies ahead. And if he does…”
He swallows thickly.
“… I’m scared that he doesn’t have your best interest in mind. You should be going back, not forward.”
“You don’t know anything about him, then,” you spit, glaring at Lance.
“He’s already saved me multiple times! He’s never done or told me anything that wasn’t in my best interest. He LOVES me, I KNOW it-”
“You didn’t seem very sure of that in Mr. Fuji’s home.”
Your words die in your throat.
…
“… But I trust him,” you insist, your voice weaker than you’d wanted it to be.
“I… I trust him. You don’t have to. But I do. And I will never, ever stop. The… the amount of times, that he’s saved me- even just helped me- in weird ways, with stuff he really shouldn’t know… I couldn’t even begin to count. Why would this suddenly be different? Why would he turn against me now?”
You look down, finally breaking eye contact with the older man.
“… So I’m gonna keep going. No offense, but… I trust him more than I trust a guy I just met that’s a weird version of someone who only cared about me as a challenger.”
“…それ以上に君のことを気にかけていたんだ、リーフ。”
“Huh?”
“Nothing,” he sighs, shaking his head.
“I know my words have no sway over you in regards to this- and I won’t be able to travel beyond this void. I’m just begging you- please consider another way. I don’t want you to end up like… I- I don’t want you to get hurt.”
You look up at him again, meeting the man’s pleading eyes. Even though you still feel that bitterness crawling inside of you…
You can’t deny the sincerity in his eyes.
“Well…” you mutter, finally caving just a little.
“If it gives you peace of mind… I’ll be careful. Just have a little faith in me, okay? I’m confident that everything will be alright.”
“… Of course. I… I believe in you. I know that you’re a strong girl- it’ll take more than this to topple you.”
<a href="https://assistant-venusian.tumblr.com/" style="text-decoration:underline;">assistant-venusian</a>:
<p>Hey, Lance... who were those (non-Red) people in the school? Do you know why they were there, and why they seemed less effected by how... corrupted and awful everything is?</p>
“… You must mean the children in Mr. Fuji’s home, right?”
You nod. In return, Lance hums softly.
“Truth be told… This path you walk- it is not isolated just to yourself. It follows you- clings to you, it is yours. But the places you tread through… the spillage of our world to yours, it seems to spread like an infection.
Most people from your home seem to just… Vanish. Gone into some ether, unconscious and left to wait until things are set straight. But it appears that those lucky three found an inexplicable safe haven in Lavender Town.”
He narrows his eyes, seeming to think hard about something.
“… What I gather- there was a nameless Lass who seemed to have been volunteering at that location, a curious Bug Catcher who wandered in as things started to break, and… your brother, was it?”
You nod quickly. “Yes- my brother, Red.”
“RED…” he echoes under his breath. He quickly shakes his head.
“It seems he was there because he was looking for you. Waiting for you so he could… tell you something, I believe.”
You can feel your heart leap for joy- so he did care enough to come and look-! To go out of his way, just for you, despite the danger…!
Lance looks down at you, as your expression must’ve visibly lit up at his remark. His own reaction to your joy is… unreadable, though.
“Well… my point,” he continues, “is that it was no quality of the children that has saved them from this place- but some other force keeping the building itself safe. It could be several things, perhaps a mix- Fuji’s home was always a well respected safe haven for all lonesome things, after all. I don’t think even the worst of souls would violate that. But…..”
He trails off, seemingly unsure of how to continue.
“… Your brother is something very special, don’t you think…?”
<a href="https://possiblyfunny.tumblr.com/" style="text-decoration:underline;">possiblyfunny</a>:
<p>Question for Lance!</p><p>What is this place? And are you... <i>okay?</i></p>
“By ‘place,’ do you mean the realm you’re fallen into, or the void we’re in…?”
You look down sheepishly, meeting Eevee’s eyes. The poor thing is looking around warily, hair standing up straight. You can tell it’s confused, too- even less understanding of this all than you are. It’s a question that both of you have been plagued by, so…
“… Could you explain both?”
The Dragon Master nods.
“To the best of my ability…
This void is the simpler one to explain. It’s a sort of… in-between area, from what I’ve gathered. A dark place where nothing exists, while reality readies the next location for people like you. I do not, however, think we are SUPPOSED to see OR enter it…”
He hesitates for a moment.
“… But things don’t work how they were meant to. Not anymore.”
“Not anymore…?”
“Well- that lends itself to the other half of the question,” he mutters, covering his mouth with his free hand, “but I’m not sure where to even begin.”
You stare at the man, trying to will away the dread that you feel at both his hesitance, and the aura of concern that radiates off of him, punctuated by the song quieting to a near whisper. The silence is more unsettling than the music- you hate how much emptier it makes things feel.
“You said… you said I’d 'fallen’ here, right..?” you ask. You hate the slight tremor that enters your voice.
“What did you mean by that?”
“… You’re quite observant. I can only imagine how far that trait has taken you,” he remarks, smiling sadly.
“When I say 'fallen,’ I suppose… It’s the best way to describe what’s happening. For lack of a better word, every step you take here is a step farther and farther down a Bunnelby hole, leading from your home straight into ours.”
Lance turns to look straight ahead, closing his eyes. A regretful expression.
“This world… it lies far below your own. Not just beneath the Earth, but buried below- what I think, at least- is reality itself. It’s like our universe exists in layers, and this… this, is the deepest one. Colorless and forgotten, inhabited by ghosts reduced to shells of their former selves.”
That crimson gaze lands on you again, shimmering in a way you would mistake as tears welling up if all of his bloody tears weren’t the exact same.
“I hope you can find it in yourself to not hold those poor souls’ malice against them. Kanto is not what it used to be, nor its residents. It would be so easy to ignore the reality of this- to forget and live blissfully in ignorance. Many, aside from I, have somehow lost that knowledge time and time again. And it would stay that way, if not for….
…
… I don’t want you to worry about me, young trainer. Please, save that energy for yourself. You’ll need it.”
<a href="https://assistant-venusian.tumblr.com/" style="text-decoration:underline;">assistant-venusian</a>:
<p>Question for Ghost! What would you like <strike>us</strike> me to call you?</p>
That question seems to strike the figure- it looks back at you, seeming almost saddened by the question.
“I… I hadn’t realized how… unrecognizable, I had become,” it mutters, staring down at itself, words trailed by a somber melody…
“I suppose it’s fair karma, though. I didn’t know you, so it’s a bit silly to expect you’d know me… especially like this.”
The corruption surrounding the ghost’s face seems to clear slightly, if only for a short moment. It offers you a warm smile as it properly introduces itself…
Though the words he speaks sound almost robotic- as if the figure were reading off a script.
ALT
…
For a brief moment, not unlike an instance during the time you’d met a ghost of Hazel, you feel as though you’re watching yourself from the third person.
ALT