The Gamechanger Files

All that glitters is not golden. And all that’s golden, is not a Gamechanger.

[ganymedesclock]

People who try to tell me things are ‘not that deep’ fundamentally misunderstand me, I am not a fish desperately in search of the ocean, I am a magpie that roves the canons, searching for shiny things to put in my nest. Whether or not it actually is given deep narrative weight by canon itself is of secondary importance to the fact that it has the potential to be interesting, and thus, I covet it.

[tailornorata]

“It’s not that deep”

Maybe not originally, but the ground is soft and I’m ready to dig.

[copperbadge]

“The ground is soft and I’m ready to dig” is the best description of the fanfic attitude I’ve ever seen. 

[the-gamechangers]

OOC

Who should Teacup fight?

[the-gamechangers]

How to Train You Teacup: 2

“No f-f-fair!” Grim shouted as he swooped low to the ground. “We agreed that cheating w-w-wasn’t allowed!”

Teacup smirked, hopping up onto a cloud.  “You never said anything about shooting wings. Now give me your best shot!”

Grim straightened up. “G-get ready, then. We’ll try the p-p-p-parry again!”

Teacup landed on the ground and watched carefully. Grim’s eyes swirled hypnotically, and he launched three rings of magic at her. Teacup jumped over the first two, doing a flip and trying to hit the third, pink one with the handle of her spoon.

Instead of a perfect parry, however, all she got was a rush of fresh headache as she was knocked down by it.

“Oh my g-g-gosh, Tea! I’m s-s-s-o -s-s-sorry! Are you okay? That l-l-l-looked like it h-h-hurt!” Teacup severely wished that Grim’s footsteps didn’t shake the ground when he rushed toward her- or maybe that was just pain from the force of magic slamming into her face.

Teacup lifted her head, taking one of Grim’s fingers as he helped her up. “I don’t get it. Cuphead said this was how I’m supposed to parry! ‘Do a flip and then your spoon will hit it!’”

Grim waved away the little birds flying around her head. “This is the third time t-t-today, Tea. Maybe Cuphead and M-m-mugman skipped a step?”

Teacup frowned. “I made sure they didn’t!” She fired a regular shot at the last bird that stubbornly refused to leave her. It disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Grimm rested his head on the ground with her, spreading his wings in the sun. “Let’s take a b-b-break, Tea.”

Teacup nodded, leaning on his ear. “I’ll just… think about it for now.”

The two enjoyed a few minutes of silence. Teacup thought Grim had fallen asleep, until he flicked his ear at her. “Tea, he muttered quietly, “can you m-m-move? Your sp-sp-spoon’s kind of digging into my ear…”

Teacup reached up at removed her spoon, twirling it absentmindedly. “There you go.”

Grim’s head shot up so fast it nearly knocked Teacup over. “You can t-t-take that out?”

Teacup looked up at him. “Yeah?”

Grim stared at her for a long moment. “And you didn’t t-t-tell me?”

Teacup snorted. “I didn’t think it was that important, Grim.”

A lightbulb lit up over Grim’s head. “Tea! What if this is why you c-c-can’t Parry?”

Teacup tilted her head. “What?”

Grim stood, his wings fluttering excitedly. “Think about it! The b-b-boys parry with their s-s-straws, but their straws d-d-don’t come out of their heads!”

Teacup looked at him. “Or so it would seem.”

Grim waved his claws. “Try parrying while you’re holding your spoon, and we’ll see if that helps!”

Teacup paused, considering. “Okay, but go easy on me.”

Grim readied the ring attack again, this time only produced the third, parryable ring. Teacup swung the bowl end of her spoon at it like a bat, and braced herself.

The world went pink for a moment, and a hearty SLAP! echoed off of Grimm’s tower. Grim cheered, rushing forward and lifting Teacup up excitedly. “You d-d-did it, Tea!”

She grinned, relief flooding through her. “I did it! I can parry now!”

Grim grinned, lifting his head and releasing a burst of fire in celebration. “C-c-come on, Tea, let’s try that again!” He coughed up a little puff of pink fire, and the duo went back to practicing.

[the-gamechangers]

Little Dipper, pt 3

A week.

It had been a week since the phantom had fallen through the Void.

And it still hadn’t woken up.

The last big update Rookie had gotten was that it was a male, three days ago after Shrooms studied every last book that mentioned Phantoms. He had also helpfully informed Rookie that they were attracted to type B humans who hadn’t slept in a while.

Rookie had also left with scouting parties since then, hunting down phantoms and studying them. She thought the overworld was beautiful- other than the water, that was. In the course of the week, she was also growing quite attached to phantoms as a species.

Her scouting party had gone to nearby villages- not that the villagers wanted to speak to them. The most they had gotten was disdainful glares and… well, Rookie didn’t really like to think about what happened after the glares.

The scouts found a witch’s hut, but all the witches there had chased them away with Splash Water Bottles. Rookie most certainly didn’t appreciate being rained on by angry witches. Compounding this was the fact that when they tried to leave the witch, they had instead found a creeper, and quite stupidly, no one had thought to bring an ocelot.

The poor phantom was never going to get better, at this rate.

Rookie followed the rest of her party back toward the Ore Cave, scanning the night sky for phantoms. There were a few circling overhead, but none of them seemed particularly interested in the endermen.

They teleported into a field, and Rookie reoriented herself on the cloud of phantoms.

One dove.

“THERE!” Rookie exclaimed, teleporting toward the treeline frantically. 

She found the phantom biting a human- Type B, no less!- as a zombie swiped at it.

The human slashed the zombie valiantly, and the phantom was nowhere to be seen. From what Rookie had read of zombies, they had rankings- this one was a Stone Rank, evidenced by his shovel. “Leave them alone!” Rookie shouted.

The zombie didn’t bother to look at her. The human grunted and kept her eyes on the zombie. “Or what, oh Great and Terrible- uff!- Enderman? I could call my Drowned buddies and have them destroy you in an instant!” 

Rookie steeled her nerves, striding forward. “You will not. She will tell me about Phantoms!”

The zombie parried away a sword slice.  “I need its loot, so find your own!” He shouted back. The human’s wooden sword shattered into splinters.

Rookie was about to respond, but she suddenly caught a glimpse of lime green closing in through the trees. Rookie knew what it had to be.

“There is a Creeper!” She pointed. “It is behind you!”

“Name’s Morrison, and I think you’re trying to get me killed!” The zombie, apparently named Morrison, shouted.

Morrison raised his shovel to smash the human’s head in.

Before she realized it, she had teleported between Morrison and the human. “Leave.” She growled. Rookie stood her ground, smacking the zombie away.

Morrison smirked. “HEY!” He shouted. “Nickajack, Huron! Get a load of this Enderfreak who loves humans!”

Two Drowned appeared- both rankless. One carried a sword, and the other held a trident. “We can trade an ender pearl for good money in the sea kingdom.” The one with the trident muttered, hefting his trident to throw.

The other, and Morrison, grabbed Rookie’s arms to keep her still. The drowned’s perpetually wet skin stung her arm. The human shouted something, but Rookie didn’t hear. She thought she heard the trident sailing through the air-

Sssss… BOOM!

[the-gamechangers]

Little Dipper, pt 2

Shrooms and Rookie both tensed, teleporting to the park. A haunting of endermen stood around the space next to the tallest chorus tree, all shouting various things. 

“We need fire!” “It is wet!” “Flint and steel!” “Quarantine it!” “It is dead!” “The poor thing!” “What is it?” “It hit my head!” “It will destroy us all!”

“ENOUGH!” Shrooms shouted. “Disperse. Rookie stays.”

The circle quieted down, and several off-kilter glances landed a few blocks over Rookie and Shrooms’ shoulders. Several endermen paused in the act of reaching flints and steel toward the poor mob in the center. They all vwoooped off to their various jobs immediately, giving Rookie a good view of the source.

It was clearly once a bright purple bat, with haunting eyes and a long tail, and visible bones with skin attached. It was now emitting smoke, with many burns covering its wings. Rookie had never seen such a creature before. It had an intense smoky scent to it, reminding Rookie of the Drowned that came down for trade negotiations- pearls for corals, if she remember correctly. They had been burned by the sun, but immune to the fire thanks to protective armor. This poor mob was not so lucky.

Shrooms had knelt down to examine it, avoiding the puddle that it had made when it landed. “Struck by lightning. It’s very close to death. We will bring it to the hospital and give it a fighting chance.”

Rookie had a question. “It could recover.” She paused, then in a slightly curious tone added,  Whatever it may be.”

“A phantom.” Shrooms said. “They feed on insomnia. They burn in sunlight. But they do enjoy a good rainstorm.”

Shrooms flicked his wrist, a motion that meant ‘back up, I’m going to do something stupid’. Rookie obliged, and several onlookers winced. They knew exactly what was coming.

Shrooms carefully slid his hands under the soaked phantom, wincing as the water burned his skin. But as a farmer, he’d developed a resistance to the burns, and so he carried the Phantom off to the hospital as fast as he could, grimacing with every step.

[the-gamechangers]

Little Dipper, pt 1

It was storming.

That was what Rookie knew from the pre-scouting scouting party. It was bad enough that water fell from the sky in the overworld- but to have bolts of energy from the sky that could power up creepers and kill even an enderman? Nobody was going out today.

That was fine by Rookie. She had an extra lesson with Shrooms today, anyway. Shrooms was kind enough to help Rookie research humans- why were they so fascinating?

“Type B Humans have been seen nearby. They have a castle across the river. They are the peaceful type mostly. The castle was never finished. We stay out of their way.” Shrooms said. His sheep, Sheepington, was curled up on his lap as he explained to Rookie.

“Type B humans are close.” Rookie said. “We are under their noses. They do not notice.”

“We cannot tell how they will react. They have many tricks. Some respect us. Some carry water that clings to us. It is not worth losing a pearl over.” Shrooms said. “Though there is an old myth you will like.”

Rookie mumbled. “I have heard it before.”

“You have not heard this one.” Shrooms said. “The leaders deny this one with all they can.”

“I am interested.” Rookie said. She took out another chorus fruit and took a bite.

Shrooms buried his face in Sheepington’s purple fur for a moment, then lowered his voice. “The Founders of the Ender Village came from the End. They went to a continent far away. It was cold and the ground was covered in Hard Water. They found the forest. It rained in the forest. They found the desert. The desert was filled with Husks and Creepers. They wanted to give up.”

Rookie knelt down as well, gently papping Sheepington’s ear. “And then they found the ore cave.”

Shrooms shook his head. “A human appeared to them. The human led them to the ore cave.”

“A human led them to the ore cave…?” Rookie repeated, with the rare tone of questioning she wasn’t supposed to use. 

“A human saved us-” Shrooms started, but suddenly there was a commotion in the park outside.

[the-gamechangers]

How To Train Your Teacup: 1

“C-c-come on, Tea, let’s visit the docks! Cala Maria’s been d-d-dying to meet you.” Grim exclaimed as they left the junkyard. “Th-th-the sea’s not very far.” Teacup accepted his hand and climbed up onto his back. “Then let’s go! I’m sure she’s lovely.” Grim nodded enthusiastically. “Cala’s pretty n-n-neat. Let’s go!” Teacup hung onto his ears, watching around for any troublemakers. Inkwell Isle Three was famous for the entrance to the mysterious Inkwell Hell- a place Grim had asked Teacup to refrain from exploring (‘No Grim,’ Teacup had chuckled, ‘I’m completely stupid.’ Grim was rather relieved to hear this despite the dripping sarcasm). Grim had proceeded to explain about the Devil’s Casino. From the way he spoke about it, he seemed to have had a bad experience there, but didn’t say what. Teacup was of the opinion that if he wanted to go into the details, he would. and so she didn’t ask. “Is that a pirate ship?” Teacup asked, looking ahead. There was an enormous ship mostly submerged just off of the bay. It looked like something huge had ripped it in half- much bigger than Grim or anything else. “Cala Maria lives there?” “She sure d-d-does, Tea! She’s a mermaid. So she has the b-b-best stories from all over the globe, from when others cross realms and visit!” Grim exclaimed. He landed on a dry piece of deck with an impressive THUMP. “Cala? Are you d-d-down there?” Teacup slid down his neck, squinting into the shadows under the water. “Hellooo?” The water bubbled up at that moment, and an iritated-looking purple octopus peered up at them. For a moment Teacup wondered if this was Cala Maria, but then a rather human-looking pair of eyes popped up as well. The octopus was apparently actually her hair. Cala grabbed onto the boards near Grim and hauled her torso out of the water, making Teacup realize just how small she was compared to both of them.

“Helloooo, you two!” Cala exclaimed as she brushed her octopus’s tentacles back out of her face. She locked eyes with Teacup, her face lighting up. “Oh, you must be Teacup! You’re so adorable!”

Teacup nodded. “Yep, that’s me! Uh, hang on, I’m gonna just climb up on Grim here so I don’t have to-“

Before she could finish that thought, Cala reached down, pinched the hood of her jacket between two fingers, and lifted her up to eye level with herself and Grim. “Of course! I don’t want my absolutely precious guest to lose her head trying to talk to me!” She then set Teacup on her own shoulder, which wasn’t quite what Teacup had in mind. Grim, at least, had the sense to be mortified. “Cala! You can’t j-j-just pick people up like that!” He exclaimed. Cala giggled. “Aw, relax Grim! Teacup knows I didn’t mean anything by it! Don’t you agree, Teacup?”

“Heh, yeah, guess so.” Teacup murmured. Despite the complete lack of physical boundaries, Cala did seem completely sincere and kind. “Grim was telling me on the way over that you know all the best stories?”

Cala giggled. “Of course I do! The sailors who come and go from here always have a tall tale to tell. My favorites are from the ones who came from beyond the sea- but you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you, Tea?” She winked as if she expected Teacup to know what she was talking about.

Teacup blinked. “Huh?”

Grim wrung his paws nervously. “Wha-what are you t-t-talking about, Cala?”

“Don’t be silly, Tea! A few months ago I was up by the docks and I saw that glittering golden plane of yours fly over. Then next I hear my buddy Grim’s made friends with a golden mug who just moved here!”

A puff of smoke escaped Grim’s nose, forming into a question mark above his head. “Cala, are you saying Teacup is from somewhere beyond the sea?”

Cala nodded. “Yep! It only makes sense! Now Teacup, what’s it like where you’re from?”

Teacup chuckled nervously. “I’m- I have no memory of flying a plane to get here, I just kinda... Woke up. In my house. On Inkwell Isle One. Are you sure it was my plane that you saw?”

“Absolutely positive! No one else has moved in, and no one else matches the gold aesthetic you’ve got!” Cala exclaimed.

“I’m c-c-confused.” Grim said.

“Me too.” Teacup said. “But now that I think about it, it’s weird that you say that. Grim, do you remember what Ron said about the salvage?”

Grim nodded. “The s-s-s-serial number d-d-d-didn’t turn up with much.”

“4-5-4-6-B.” Teacup said. “Do you know what it means?”

Cala shrugged, jostling Teacup quite a bit. ”Sounds like a mystery, all right. 4546B… Nope, haven’t heard of it. Sounds like one of those planets that Hilda’s always going on about.”

“Hilda?” Teacup asked.

“Sh-she’s into astrology. And astronomy. And m-meteorology.” Grim clarified.

“If it has anything to do with the sky, Hilda Berg will know what and how and why!” Cala giggled. Then her expression turned sour. “Except that bird-brain Wally. No one knows what goes on in his head.”

Teacup groaned. “Agreed. He busted up my plane.”

Cala smirked. “So I heard. Even the cup brothers had trouble with that guy. But not as much trouble as they had with me!”

Teacup gasped. “You were a casino debtor?”

Grim coughed awkwardly. “How about we don’t talk about this?”

Teacup nodded. “Alright, Grim.” She took her spoon, holding it out for balance as she slid down Cala’s arm and went back to Grim. “That means new topic. What about fighting? I’m an absolutely terrible shot. And I can’t parry.”

Grim looked relieved, despite the fact that Teacup couldn’t see most of his face from the top of his head. “I c-can vouch for that. She tries to d-d-double wield shots. It works, kind of, b-b-b-but…”

Cala giggled. “I bet if you can’t get close to your opponent it won’t be very effective.”

Teacup nodded. “I figured out how to shoot Grim down just to make my way work. That counts for something.”

Grim nodded. “Shooting wings should be illegal.”

Cala looked impressed. “Huh, why didn’t I think of that?”

Teacup waved her spoon to catch their attention. Grim caught the sun flare off of it and tensed, doing his best not to try and grab at the dot on the planks. “So? Maybe you can help teach me?”

“Of course!” Cala exclaimed. She grabbed Teacup again, dragging her underwater. Teacup was suddenly very glad that she didn’t need oxygen. “Come on!”

[the-gamechangers]

The Ore Cave

Once Rookie was released from the nursery, she wondered where to go. Someone seemed to have thought of this, however. There was another enderman waiting for her just outside.

“Hello.” She said pleasantly. “My name is Egg. I’ll show you around.”

Rookie stared at a point on the wall lined with emeralds. “Rurgle.”

Egg smiled. “You will get the hang of language. For now, this is the Ender Village. We made our home in this ore cavern when we came to the Overworld. Water kills us. We did not know when we came here the possibility that the Overworld has a specific weather pattern that dumps water from the sky.”

All around them was an enormous cavern. The walls and floors themselves were covered in thick veins of all sorts of ores. Light came from what appeared to be glowing rivers of lava tucked behind huge panels of glass. In the bigger portion of the cavern, there was one fixture in the ceiling that was particularly confusing- a huge, black hole ringed by glowing yellow lanterns. Rookie couldn’t see anything past it. Was it nighttime?

“The Void is the opening to the surface. The Overworld has many resources dependent on water and light. Water kills us. We cannot have these things down here. We must send traders to the surface for these things. We can see if it is raining through the end of the void.” Egg explained. 

Rookie gurgled in response. She hoped Egg knew that it meant she understood.

There were buildings made of any material imaginable- stones of every color, wood, thick blocks of concrete. There was a building with all sorts of books in it, an enormous park of purple trees, and behind it an enormous building with a huge purple cross over the door. A few stalls dotted the park selling all sorts of goods. 

Egg watched Rookie’s face, and seeing that Rookie was getting confused, stopped. “These Chorus trees are very important. They come from the End. We come from the End. They were carried from the end to the Nether. They were carried from the Nether to the Overworld. That green building is the library. The schools are over there. That building with the cross is the hospital. You go there if you get wet. You also bring pets there if they get sick.”

In one corner, tucked behind everything else, there was a huge white building with an enderman’s face over the door. It nearly scraped the ceiling of the cavern. Rookie could see a glowing tree peering up over the top. She gurgled a small questioning noise.

“That is the Temple of Research.” Egg said. “Water kills us. We wish water would not kill us. We are researching a spell to make water not kill us. We are not successful yet.”

Rookie was interested. 

Directly behind the nursery was a stretch of land that was not stone, but dirt and grass. All sorts of plants grew on it- Assorted trees, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, and flowers grew where there was space. There was a patch of fungi in the middle which appeared to be on a different kind of soil. Above it, seemingly floating, was a smaller slab of land with several buildings on top.

“Shrooms runs the farm.” Egg pointed. “We grow these crops for the good of enderkind.  We farm mobs on top. The most is food. Some are resources. Some are companions. You will learn the differences. The nether wart is for potions.”

Behind it all, were rows and rows and rows of obsidian huts. Most had some kind of pen or cage on top. Some had small farms on top. Some had absolutely nothing on top.

“That is where we live. You will get a home in due time. You will decorate it however you wish.” Egg said. “Come. You will go to the school.”

The other enderchildren were gathered in front of the big school. Most were eating chorus fruits with glee. Egg produced one from somewhere and gave it to Rookie. “I meant to give you this.” 

Rookie took it, nibbling the fruit nervously. It tasted sweet, then turned sour. Rookie decided she never wanted to eat anything else. “Huoh.” She murmured.

“You will do well.” Egg said. Then she vanished with a quiet vwoop.

Another enderman stepped into the doorway of the School. “Hello. I am Swoop. I am the instructor of speech. Follow me.”

Swoop led the enderchildren into the school, and class was officially in session.

[the-gamechangers]

Drew Grimm and @septnautical‘s Cuddlefish!JJ having a chat! Don’t worry though, she’s friendlier than most reapers. And she thinks Cuddlefish are adorable which is the only valid opinion on Cuddlefish (and Cuddlefish hybrids), of course I’ve been wanting to do this for a while but I never actually did it until now. Anyway, I hope y’all enjoy while I put together more of my own story stuff!

[the-gamechangers]

((Stories get kind of inconsistent with updates from here on out, so I’m going to ask now: If I were to explore a specific character’s backstory in a oneshot, whose story would you want me to explore?))

[the-gamechangers]

Spinning, spinning, spinning.

She didn’t have a name, yet she knew she was spinning. It was warm where she was, like standing in a fire. Spinning in a fire. Around and around she went.

As time went on, she became aware of some things. The world around her was dark, except for a few blinking pinpricks of light. They were predictably patterned- she could count the blinks and tell which wall she was facing. Two long walls, two short ones. Something on the floor.

Every once in a while, a tall black creature with long limbs and purple eyes would come in. It would stare at her for a moment, then move away. It radiated an energy that she wasn’t quite sure what to make of. She wanted to fight it.

The lights weren’t blinking. They were being blocked by something. Some kind of metal bars, all around her as she spun. She could see more clearly now- there were more cages on the floor. A fire burned inside of each of them, and they each contained a smaller version of the purple eyed thing. She was a purple eyed thing. There was a fire below her, as well- the cage must be keeping it in. Keeping her in. She wanted out. How could she get out? Down the room, she heard a strange sound- a pop of some sort, and a purple eyed thing stood there. It was a bit smaller than the one that visited, but it was there. Another pop, another one appeared. Pop, another. Pop, another.

Pop pop pop, she was out of the cage.

The newly born creatures all looked at each other, in equal states of confusion, and some in states of rage. Within moments the room had descended into chaos, everyone fighting each other. She, however, fled to the corner of the room and turned her back.

A terrible screech reached all of their ears, and they all turned to see what was causing it. It was one of them- the bigger ones, standing in the doorway. Their gaze was fixed on the doorframe. “Silence.” They commanded. “All of you, pick a block and stare at it.” She picked a torch to look at. The others seemed to focus on the block above his head, or one of the cages, or one of the other blocks in the walls, or other torches.

The larger continued. “You are freshly born Endermen. You cannot change this. Your weaknesses are water and water alone. You also cannot change this. You are enraged at eye contact, and so we do not make eye contact. Is this understood?”

There was no response. “Of course you understand. You cannot speak, but you will learn soon. You will call me Obdasian. You will follow me to receive your own name, which you cannot change.” With that, Obdasian turned his head around and walked away, and the enderchildren followed, their gazes on everything but each other.

They went out into a large room, and all of the enderchildren winced slightly. The room was fully covered in bluish-white, glowing blocks, making it much brighter than anything they had ever experienced- not that that was a feat, by any measure. There was a gate made of dark bricks by the door, which Obdasian herded the children into. He told them to wait there, and with a POP like the one the children had made coming from the cages, he vanished. Everyone gasped, wondering how he had done that. He appeared at the far side of the room, in a balcony with several other Endermen. “You will now all be named. You will go to that podium there, and we shall name you, one at a time. You will not try to teleport or you will end up with your face in the ceiling, and your feet in a lava pit.” Obdasian said. With the rules in place, they began the ceremony. The children were clunky with the idea of ‘one at a time’, especially since they couldn’t look at each other without fighting. After being reprimanded by Obdasian several times, they finally got the hang of it. She was the last in line. Star, Dark, Stone. As she was waiting for her turn, she found herself becoming bored. Wool. Oak. Flint. She wondered what her name would be. Kindness. Cunning. Steel. It was her turn. “Rookie.”

[the-gamechangers]

tThe old leviathan wasn’t scary anymore. Grimm was bigger than it’s one eye, though she wasn’t sure that it was a leviathan any more. Her primary proof that it was not an organic being was that when she ran into its sides, it made a heavy CLANG from contact with her horn and tusks.

All she got was bruises.

Still, she enjoyed exploring it, and continued it think of it as a leviathan. Recently she had discovered the lockers in its belly. She often wondered if her insides were like this: all sorts of compartments each carrying something important. Some of the old leviathan’s compartments had bottles and bottles of water, but something about them wasn’t right. Some contained fish, but they were almost unbearably salty. Some contained metals, but she didn’t care about those. She left them outside the leviathan and swam off for a new adventure.

There was a forest of Creepvines nearby, and so she darted among the stalks to chase Hoverfish. She was noticing she had to eat more- where a couple of peepers used to sustain her for a day, she was needing to rely on finding whole schools of fish. She preferred spadefish now, and even those were hard to find enough of. As if responding to her grumbling stomach, there was a loud rumble from somewhere above her. A splash echoed through the water, as if something big had fallen into the ocean. Grimm turned, looking toward the source. She barely had time to dodge the mouthful of teeth coming at her. She rolled and turned to face her attacker- a beast almost half as long as her, pale green with purple spines, and a mouth with teeth to rival her own. It’s mouth was much bigger than hers, despite its overall size. She’d seen it on a faded piece of paper inside the old leviathan: a Stalker.

She ducked again as it came back at her, and this time it went for her tail. She pulled away as fast as she could, and the Stalker flung itself toward her instead with a loud snarl. She screamed back, shocking herself with how loud it was- the sound was almost demonic, as if it had come from a creature much bigger than herself.

The Stalker broke stride, turning and swimming away as fast as it could. Grimm puffed up in pride- surely that counted for something in this scenario. She wondered if the old leviathan would be proud of her. Then she remembered she was starving, and went away to find more food.

Her hunting wasn’t very successful, however. She returned to the old leviathan quietly, and hungrily. To her complete surprise, she discovered the Stalker stealing the metal. It seemed more at peace when it wasn’t trying to eat her. As a peeper swam past, the Stalker snapped it up quickly. Grimm was so enraged that she wanted to eat it instead. After all, it was a bit shorter than her… suddenly, she had an idea.

She scrunched up her face, trying to remember how she had done the terrible roar from before. It occurred to her that she had never had to do such a loud screech before. Maybe if she yelled as loud as she could… She sprang up, planning to attack from above. The stalker was busy collecting metals, and too lazy to notice her shadow.

She yelled as loud as she could, it coming out more like a loud screech than the bellowing roar she had done earlier. Luckily, the intended effect was the same- the stalker turned, looking for the source. Grimm dove toward it, slamming her face into a space in it’s spines as hard as she could. It was at that moment that Grimm realized that she had not thought this part of the plan through.  Normally, a bite was all it took to kill her prey, or a deep scratch from her claws. But the stalker’s hide was thicker, it’s bones tougher, and it’s teeth currently raking into her arm like saw blades.

Grimm heard that incredible, terrifying roar again, and this time it was completely unintentional. She raked her own claws against it’s soft belly, and it released her arm. Yellow blood clouded the water. Grimm realized she couldn’t flee- the Stalker had the scent of her blood, for certain.

The Stalker came at her again, and in that moment she felt her tusks push back as she screamed in fear. As it came closer, her tusks pushed forward, clenching around it’s head before it could bite down on her face. The Stalker screamed as well, and this one was clearly a screech of pain. Grimm had had no idea her tusks were so strong; in a moment of clarity, she applied a little more force, and…

CRUNCH.

Grimm smelled more blood, and the stalker stopped fighting. She shook her head, trying to release her grip, but the stalker just flopped around unhelpfully; it’s jaw completely slack, and blood still oozing out of it’s wounds. She was still staring directly into it’s throat, which was still an unpleasant sight. Shakily, she settled to the ocean floor, reaching up to pry the stalker away from her tusks. She took a deep breath and tried to relax- the action released the fish and it fell to the sand.

Grimm rested her back against the cool side of the old leviathan. “I did it, mom.” She muttered. “I killed it. Did you know my tusks can crush Stalkers?”

There was a mechanical creak as the old leviathan settled.

Grimm took that as an answer. “I’m going to eat this thing, now.”

The old leviathan didn’t object. Grimm thought about saving some for her, but decided against it and tore into the Stalker victoriously. It tasted better than anything she’d eaten in a while.

[the-gamechangers]

“This isn’t a plane, it’s a scrap heap!”

“C-c-come on, Ron,” Grim said softly, “you’re a p-p-professional mechanic, surely it’s fixable.”

“I have never seen a plane like this before, much less fixed one!” Ron declared, turning to Teacup. “Young mug, where did you even get this?”

Teacup frowned. She’d never really thought about where the plane came from, just that she had it. “It was a gift.” She said quietly. “I’m not sure who sent it.”

“NOT SURE?” Ron exclaimed. “How do you not know who gave you an entire plane?”

“P-p-please calm down, Ron. It’s not like T-T-Teacup wanted Wally to shoot her d-d-down...” Grim pointed out.

After a moment, Ron sighed and climbed up onto the pancaked engine block. “You’re right, Grim. I think I’m up to the challenge. If I can find a serial number on this thing, then I can figure out what it’s supposed to look like and fix it that way.”

“Are there any other mechanics around?” Teacup asked.

Ron thought a moment. “There’s two that I know of: Dr. Kahl and Werner Werman.”

Teacup smiled. “Good! Why don’t you see if they’d like to help us?”

Grim nodded. “Great idea Tea! Three heads are b-b-better than one!”

Ron shrugged. “In the meantime, you two go find out if someone knows who sent you this plane. Djimmi might be able to tell you, or maybe Hilda Berg. If you get desperate you could always try the casino lackeys who are out of a job.”

Grim paled. “The casino lackeys?”

Teacup echoed him, confused. “The casino lackeys?”

“Oh yeah, those guys who worked under King Dice. They come around every once in a while looking for sympathy, but I always tell ‘em to scram.” Ron shrugged.

Grim nodded. “O-o-oh, okay, th-th-thanks.”

Teacup nodded, wondering what Grim’s shift in demeanor meant. “Alright, then. Grim, you wanna take me to see Djimmi?” Grim picked Teacup up, and they left. Teacup was already used to riding on Grim’s back or head when they went somewhere together. She was so small that she had to dash continually to keep up with him on foot, after all.

“Hey T-T-Tea? I don’t really know how to s-s-say this without s-s-sounding like a s-s-scaredey dragon, but can we maybe not ask the c-c-casino lackeys?” His wingbeats were shaking as he asked. Teacup nodded. “We don’t need them. I think Djimmi will be help enough.” She patted his ear reassuringly. “Th-th-thanks, Teacup.” Grim said. “Where should we land?” “As far away from Wally as possible. That way my Roundabout can hit him directly in his stupid face.” Teacup chuckled. The two landed at Sugarland Shimmy and got some sweets, then headed across to Djimmi’s pyramid. Teacup knocked first, and was greeted by Djimmi’s booming voice inside. “Enter, but only if you dare!” Teacup glanced at Grim, who simply rolled his eyes and entered. Djimmi was sitting in the middle of the single room on a magic carpet, his eyes closed. The room was darkened with a single spotlight on himself, and the walls were covered in photos of Egyptian pyramids, as well as various shelves full of artifacts. The back wall was a projector screen with a looping video of a pyramid with a labyrinth around it. “I’ve been expecting you.” Djimmi said calmly. “What answers do you seek?”

“You have n-n-not.” Grim replied. “B-b-but we were hoping you might know something. Have you met Teacup?”

Djimmi cracked an eye open, smiling wide when he recognized the dragon in front of him. His carpet lifted, and he seemed to recline in midair. “Grim Matchstick! You’re right, I wasn’t expecting you-” He pulled a pipe out of somewhere and lit it, puffing out a quick smoke ring, then pointed it at Teacup. “-And I most certainly did not know about you. Allow me to introduce myself properly, I am Djimmi the Great.” Teacup slid down Grim’s back and onto the floor, as close to him as she could get. “Teacup. Just Teacup.” She held out a hand for him to shake, and he obliged by pinching her hand between his fingers.

“What can I do for you, Teacup?” Djimmi asked. “I can do it all- grant wishes, tell fortunes, see the future perhaps? I should warn you, unfortunately I cannot read palms accurately- It’s hard to practice when everyone either wears gloves or has paws. And the wishes follow the basic rules- you get three, no killing, no forcing someone to love you, no raising from the dead, and no cancelling a Soul Contract.”

“Alright, Djimmi.” Teacup said. “Are you able to see into the past, then?” The genie seemed genuinely surprised. “The past?” “Yep. I need to know the identity of an anonymous gifter.” Teacup said. “I’ve got a plane in the shop that’s so foreign the mechanic doesn’t know where to start. The plane was sent anonymously.” Djimmi nodded. “So you need to know who sent it, from where, and how it works. Wouldn’t it be easier to ask if I can just fix the plane?”

Grim puffed out an exclamation mark of smoke. “Hey, that’s actually a r-r-really good idea!”

Teacup coughed. “I guess you’re right. Okay, then I guess I wish that my plane was fixed- should I be concerned for how you interpret that?” Djimmi shook his head. “Not one bit.”

Teacup smiled. “Thank you!” Djimmi held up one finger. “Because I can’t fix the plane at all.”

Grim and Teacup both stared at him in disbelief. “What?” Grim sat up, readying a fireball. “Listen here, you said-“ “Hold your fire, Matchstick. I can’t fix it.” Djimmi said. The screen behind him flickered to an image of Teacup’s plane, with Ron, Werner, Dr. Kahl, and an enormous robot all sorting through the plane parts. Djimmi waved his hands, and magic swirled around them. The same magic appeared on the plane, causing the pile to glow lightly. Then, all of a sudden, the glow turned a bright golden color, and Djimmi hissed as the spell backfired. “It won’t let me, see? There’s some kind of magic blocker on it. Powerful one, too.” Teacup frowned. “Someone… didn’t want my plane to be fixable with magic?” Grim, also confused, tilted his head. “Why would someone d-d-do something so w-w-wasteful? Seems like a d-d-dumb thing to use magic for.”

Teacup frowned. “Unless they wanted that plane to stay broken for some reason.” Grim frowned at her. “Why though?” Djimmi blew a smoke puff. “They wanted you to find something in it.” Both Grim and Teacup looked up. “What?” Djimmi shrugged. “It’s not a completely wild theory. There’s something on that plane someone wants you to know about. It’s like a trap in an old pyramid. And if my crystal ball is not mistaken, you, Teacup, are certainly in for an adventure.” The crystal ball began to glow, showing a series of images: a fearsome sea monster, an abandoned laboratory, a mighty tower shaped like a chess piece, a creature with black blood spouting out of it, a ball of blue light, and a golden block. 

A beautiful tree with an enormous egg nestled into the branches and pink leaves. It appeared to live within some kind of cave, on and island poking out of glowing blue water. Strange blue... birds, possibly, flew about the tree serenely.

The last image lasted only an instant before the crystal ball burnt out: a figure standing in a bright doorway.

“Who was that?” Teacup asked, turning to Djimmi.

“Probably your anonymous sender. Looked human to me, I’d check out Dr. Kahl or Sally Stageplay if I were you.”

Grim thought a moment. “B-b-brineybeard, too.”

Djimmi shrugged. “He doesn’t fit the profile, but hey, you can try. Why don’t you two see if Ron’s made any headway yet?”

Grim and Teacup agreed, and bid him a good day. Back at the shop, Dr. Kahl and Werner Werman were both going through the plane scraps.

Ron raced up to Teacup excitedly. “Good news! I found a serial number! Bad news, I ran it and I got back nothing. So, Teacup, does ‘four-five-four-six-B’ mean anything to you?”

[the-gamechangers]

Scout’s purpose as a Trico was considerably lessened with her new armor.

Usually, armor was made of a strange, dark metal imbued with magic. It went across the back like a saddle, and had a helmet. Scout’s armor, in comparison, was made of a combination of the magical metal and gold- making it very heavy, and very flashy. Hers covered her near completely: she wore it on her legs, on her stomach, and across her back and neck in addition to the helmet. She hated the helmet. She could hear the Master’s voice, and it wasn’t fond of her.

She was nearly not alone. Silverfoot, the big Trico who had brought her to the armory, wore similar armor to hers. There was no gold in his, however; this was the key difference in their armor, as he could truly soar. But he was confined to “Scout-sitting” instead of Collecting or some other job due to his closeness to the terrible Master-killing curse.

Scout was quite alright with that. The Nest was lovely, and she enjoyed exploring and finding barrels. Silverfoot, too, enjoyed the lack of responsibility in watching Scout- he told her stories of his adventures outside of the nest, and taught her how to avoid trouble. Scout was rolling in a puddle while Silverfoot stayed close on a platform above. “You would love the ocean.” He said rather suddenly. Scout rolled to her feet with a head tilt. “What is the ocean?” Silverfoot stood up, hopping down to stand at the edge of the puddle. “It is a place far away from here, at the end of the land. Beyond it is a stretch of water to the ends of the earth, and that is the Ocean.” Scout jumped up. “How far could the end of the land be?” “You would cross the land for seven days and seven nights, until you felt as it you could never fly again. Just beyond that point is where the ocean lies.” “Is it pretty?” Scout asked. “It is beautiful.” Silverfoot said. “One day, Master willing, I shall take you there.” “Master willing…” Scout murmured. “How would I get there? My armor is too heavy for me to fly.” Silverfoot shook his head. “Little Scout, that is a matter of time. Your wings are still small, and you are quite little. But given time and practice… I believe wholeheartedly that you may be able to fly, even with that armor.” Scout hunched up. “How would I?” Silverfoot simply flapped his wings. “You would train yourself. It is the same as the Tricos in the mines and armories. You do not think they were pulling around those enormous carts at your age, do you?” Scout pawed at the puddle, watching the ripples. “I suppose I did not.” Silverfoot shuffled in place proudly. “Then it is simple. As the Tricos of the armory train to pull carts, you will train to fly. As they start with small carts, you will learn to run.”

“How does learning to run help me learn to fly?” Scout asked, her little wings stretching.

“It builds your strength. Once you can carry the weight of your armor, then you can learn to climb. Once you can climb, then you can jump. Once you can jump, you can glide, and once you can glide, you may fly.”

Scout nodded. “That makes sense. Where should I run?”

Silverfoot looked about, spreading his own wings. “You should run to the end of the field and back- that will be a good start.”

Scout was already a mediocre runner- a bit slower than most, but faster than another Trico might be in her armor. However, she did have one great disadvantage- her armored feet had little traction on many surfaces. And so when she turned, she slid slightly, losing her balance and falling on her side most ungracefully.

She looked up to find Silverfoot running toward her, stopping and sliding as well but keeping his balance. “Are you injured?”

Scout slowly pushed herself to her feet, ignoring what felt like the taunting of the Master in her head. She wouldn’t be flying anywhere, anytime at this rate. “I am unharmed, Silverfoot.”

“Excellent. Would you like to continue, or do you wish to rest?” He straightened himself up, puffing out his chest and holding up his wings. 

Scout, subconsciously, did the same. “I wish to continue. I am to run back across this field, correct?”

Silverfoot nodded. “Indeed you are.”

“Then I will run.” Scout took off again, back the way she came.

[the-gamechangers]

After her latest brush with the murderous little thing- the ‘colossus killer’, she called it, TCK had decided to go around and check on the other Colossi to make sure they were okay. Malus was unhappy with her, but that was a given- Malus didn’t really like her anyway. Their relationship was tense at best, not that they ever saw each other to begin with. The colossi who hadn’t been attacked weren’t affected terribly- Dirge was convinced that he could have killed the Colossus Killer, as well as Celosia and Cenobia. Most others were indifferent. Phaedra had forgiven TCK for nearly smashing her weak spot, but was sad that the “weird creature” (Phaedra’s words) was gone. Gaius wasn’t mad at TCK at all- even after she told him what had occurred on her way to him. Talking to him about it had made her feel somewhat better- mostly because he had to kneel down to speak to her properly, which looked funny to her. None of the colossi seemed to have much of a sense of humor, she had noted. She wondered why that was. TCK finally reached the arena of Quadratus- the second colossus that had been attacked. She simply jumped down into the pit- she had never seen anyone down here until after Quadratus had been killed. “Hello? Quadratus, art thou near?” While she expected Quadratus to emerge from the water, she felt his aura reaching out to her from behind her. She turned, but there was no one there. “Where art thou?” “I am behind the wall, Colossus Keeper. Thou art very close.” TCK went to the furthest wall, finding that Quadratus’ aura was indeed behind it. With her shield, she gestured to it quizzically. “Why art thou there?” “It is not my choice, Colossus Keeper. I am forced to stay hidden until the human and his horse come down here. Only then may I break through the wall to battle.” TCK tilted her head. “Whose choice is it, then, if not yours?” Quadratus huffed from the other side. “It is the choice of Dormin. Who else would have such control over us?” TCK pushed her confusion directly through the door at Quadratus. “Pardon me for my ignorance, Quadratus, but who is Dormin?” Quadratus’ aura came back as surprised. “How could thou not know, Colossus Keeper?”

TCK shrugged. “I simply do not. I am the Colossus Keeper, not some kind of Colossus Scholar. Who is Dormin?”

Quadratus sighed. “Speak to Malus. He would know more about Dormin than I.”

“I fear that Malus dislikes me.” TCK said. “He wouldn’t speak to me if I asked.” She took a step back, examining the wall. “Art thou... bored in there? Would thou be able to walk free if the wall crumbled without thy interference?”

“What doth thou mean, Colossus Keeper?” Quadratus asked.

TCK pulled her arm back, smashing her sword into the wall. It cracked a bit. “Thou may not be able to break this wall thyself without that Killer nearby, but I can break it all I wish.” She swung her sword again. “This, Dormin... could not punish thou for an event thou did not cause.”

“I thank thee, Colossus Keeper.” Quadratus said, as the a hole crumbled out of the wall. TCK worked quietly after that to destroy it. Soon the foundation of the wall crumbled as well, and TCK’s efforts were rewarded- she dove away, rolling on her shield to avoid debris.

Quadratus stepped out, shaking his whole body as he did. He resembled a bull to TCK- but more importantly, his aura was happier.

“Come this way, Quadratus.” TCK said, leading him up the path out of the pit. “Perhaps we could set the others free- the Colossus Killer would not find them so easily if we did.”

“The Human has his ways of finding us, Colossus Keeper. But, should thou insist... I myself would start with Valus or Avion.” Quadratus said as he knelt down. “Climb upon my back, little one. Thou art very small, and thy steps are as well.”

TCK vaulted herself up, sitting upon his shoulder comfortably. “I am grateful.” She said, as Quadratus climbed up out of the pit.

[the-gamechangers]

Zero’s heaven was in Dai’s abandoned workshop late at night, but it certainly didn’t feel right. She knew that her primary objective had to do with a certain planet: 4546B. But first she needed to find that planet, and a possible way onto said planet. To do that, she needed Alterra resources- Dai’s resources, really, and every moment away from such resources made her circuitry feel like screaming.

Zero somewhat understood why her sender had started her out on three legs- it was easier to build into her existing chassis than two. At least she had finally figured out a set of proper appendages that fit- two legs and a tail made from an old electrical cord. Zero was also understanding that she had the ability to write her own software- no self destructive sequences, or anything that interfered with her primary objective; she was probably going to need to learn and adapt on the planet.

She unplugged herself from the wall, creeping from her own makeshift hideout in a far corner of the raw materials storage to sneak out to Dai’s workshop. She had equipped one of her fingers with a deployable lock-pick, and gained enough knowledge to tamper with the security cameras when she was out and about. She knew the map of the Alterra HQ, but her primary objective was easier accomplished without switching workshops each night.

Besides, Dai was no fool.

Zero opened the door to Dai’s workshop, quietly allowing the camera interfaces to go back to normal live footage of the hallway instead of a looped footage of empty hallway. She walked to Dai’s desk and hauled herself up onto their chair (Dai had left out a little box for her to use as a step stool), turning on her oculus light to see what they had left ‘lying about’.

There were notes stuck to their computer: “finders keepers”, as well as the password, “0000”. Scattered pieces of titanium were lying about, which Zero happily gathered. She found some copper wiring as well- that might be important. She set to work with her hands to fix up a suitable solution for her tail, and logged in to Dai’s computer. They had left a third note on a pad of paper- “Aurora crash: planet 4546B.”

While Zero tinkered with her hands, she poked around the Alterra database. Then it occurred to her to pull up some news about the crash instead- there were fewer firewalls that way. She was immediately dismayed to learn that the planet was more or less completely water- it didn’t take half of a biological brain cell to know that water and electronics didn’t mix well.

“New chassis suggested- could be recognized from somewhere else” was also written on the desk paper. Zero wrote a quick note under it: “waterproofing?” and continued to deal with the details of the planet. The Aurora had been shot down due to an alien weapon made to enforce a quarantine of a deadly disease. This information had been provided by the only survivor of the crash: a man named Ryley Robinson who had survived everything despite the extraordinary circumstances. The more Zero learned, the more she was starting to wonder if she shouldn’t just talk to the man himself. She found Dai’s email account and sent them an email (from themself). She knew that they looked through her search history to find out what she was researching so they could add their two cents. She also knew that as an engineer, Dai would technically have a need to speak to a crash survivor to tighten up emergency supplies and vehicles. However, what she was asking would require a little more than just an email with vague clues. No, she was going to have to meet Dai face to face again.

[the-gamechangers]

Patch hadn’t completely given up on the mystery of her shiny yellow fur, but she felt had memorized every available word on ‘strange’ morphs.  At four years old, she was quickly developing an affinity for space and space travel. Parker and Kyra were confused but supportive of this- their educational paths would differ, but their friendship, they felt, would be the same, no matter what.

The big stone building in the village center served as the library, so Patch and her friends had decided to go there to study. Parker found a book on fighting techniques and movesets, while Kyra settled down with something about the Mega-Council. Patch sat across from them, on top of the table. “I’m supposed to address any concerns brought to me with some level of concern and quick thinking if I’m going to be on the Mega-Council.” Kyra grumbled. “So both of you, tell me how your life sucks and I’ll try to come up with a good answer.” Parker, bored of having to read about fighting and then not being able to fight, smacked his head on the desk. “My head hurts.” Patch stifled a giggle. “Let’s see… how about, ‘do not apply brute force to your cranial area in the foreseeable future?’” Kyra asked. “You’re thinking on your feet, not becoming some kind of Poké-thesaurus.” Patch pointed out. “My turn! Oh Wise and Kind Elder Kyra, whomst has solved all of the world’s most pressing problems, and shaken paws with Mew themself… themselves? And calmed the rage of the mightiest storm with a single glance-“ “Get to the point, or I’ll apply brute force to your cranial area in the foreseeable future.” Kyra grumbled. Patch feigned offense. “My word! Such language from a Council member is unheard of! It’s shocking! It’s disgraceful! Anyway, I can tell you’re about to Force Palm my face in, so my problem is that I don’t know what to read.”

Kyra rolled her eyes at the dramatics, but pondered Patch’s request anyway. “Go find that big thick book on legendary Pokémon and read it.” Parker lifted his head. “Or fight me outside!” Kyra gave him a death glare. “Go back to applying brute force to your cranial area for the foreseeable future.” “Yes, Wise and Kind Elder Kyra.” Parker murmured in a fake disappointed voice.

Patch hopped down from the tabletop. “Come on, Parker. I need some muscles to carry that huge legendary Pokémon book.”

“On it, Renowned Scholar Patch!” Parker exclaimed, jumping up to help.

“Give me another problem to work out in the meantime.” Kyra mumbled. “Make it a hard one so I’m not just sitting here with the answer while you two search.”

Patch giggled. “Well, Wise and Kind Elder Kyra, what must one do to shake paws with Mew?”

Kyra’s glare melted into a sigh of acceptance as she slumped on her stool. “I’ll write down the details of how I did it while you two look... Renowned Scholar Patch and Famous Guardsman Parker.”

“Famous Guardsman? You believe in me that much?” Parker asked over his shoulder.

“Knowing you, you’d accidentally brute force your way to the top of the guard after getting lost on your way to make a poffin.” Kyra said, waving her paw dismissively. “Now shoo, I’ve got a story to fake remembering.”

Parker and Patch soon found the Book of Legends, bringing it back to the table where Kyra was waiting. Patch hopped back up onto the desk to study. “So? Do you have the story straight?”

Kyra studied her notes. “Narratively, it’s a mess. But you wouldn’t know either way, so here goes.” Patch, admittedly, had zoned out while reading. Something about the legendary Pokémon of Sinnoh had captured her attention. She was only brought back to reality on the end-

“And that is how one may shake hands with Mew themeslf.” Parker clapped, almost immediately getting shushed. “Bravo, but maybe don’t count on a dimensional rift to get you on the Council.”

“Not planning on it.” Kyra said. “I’ll do a more manageable task to get their attention, like studying hard. Give me another problem?”

“Uxie.” Patch murmured. “That is a- wait, what? Uxie isn’t a problem, they’re-“ Kyra started. “The Legendary Pokémon of knowledge. They created the concept of knowledge, and can bestow knowledge on those they meet.” “Cool!” Parker exclaimed. “Why is this a problem?” Patch bounced in place. “Not a problem, a solution! Because, if I can find Uxie, maybe I can finally get some answers about… my existence!” “Patch… I know you have this feeling that you’re part of something huge and grand, but…” Kyra peered over, scanning the page. “Uxie can also erase people’s memories just through eye contact. Is that really worth what you’re suggesting?” Patch re-skimmed the entry. “Okay… Maybe don’t make them mad, and they’ll help?” Parker and Kyra tilted their heads thoughtfully. “That’s your master plan?” Kyra asked. “Sounds awesome, I’m in!” Parker exclaimed abrubtly, and immediately getting shushed again. “Parker!” Kyra exclaimed. “You’re endorsing this?” Patch tapped the page curiously. “They’re found near Lake Acuity.” Kyra sighed again. “Give me a few days and I’ll set up a proper course so we don’t die on the way. You two, start training-we might have to wait until we’re Lucarios to take such an intense journey.” Patch nodded. “Unless we work hard!” “If it comes down to it, I’ll fight Uxie for you!” Parker exclaimed. “Thanks, you two!” Patch exclaimed. “You guys are the best friends ever!”