they have their own means of entering this particular distorted universe, which is a blessing considering the rise in league security. crown and ianthe are dropped as soon as the light dies down; the primal crystal goes inert and leaves nikkari and his companion alone in...a dungeon?

"so you said you've been here before," he remarks to her as he moves forward, curiosity getting the better of him. 

the machinery is like nothing he's ever seen. he's read the reports, of course, but seeing it in person is an entirely different experience. both his vulpix ears are flicking intermittently, hearing music their master can't, and only crown paws at her ears in distress. 

"i can see why you wanted to come back."

Yumi Hasegawa

17: using the primal crystal pilfered by ZEV HARCOURT, BRYAN DELAROSA, PRIAM CONRAD and LEVY ALINSKY, teleport directly into the castle's dungeons to discover a coal engine room. the engine is dormant and may require particular pokemon to power it again...

☉

he's not yet laid eyes on kaori, or other shadow pokemon, for that matter. so interest sparks instantaneously and he hungrily watches the pensive indecision on the creature's face as it deliberates on whether or not to adhere to its mistress. 

soon after her departure comes the sound of screeching metal and then silence. crown and ianthe tilt their heads, but otherwise don't react to the noise, too busy sniffing about their surroundings for anything useful.

"keep an eye out behind us," he instructs the vulpix and they pad in unison as the rockets move on from the prison room. 

metal bits, some of them still sparking, lay scattered about moth-eaten carpets. upon the walls are matching tapestries on tall ceilings adorned in mechanical gold filigree. he crouches to sift through whatever kaori had broken, but he quickly loses interest. 

at the far wall, framed by velvet curtains, is an oil painting.

"fascinating. there are humans here?"

Yumi Hasegawa

26 examine worn down paintings of an "original color magearna" held by what appears to be a small, regal and unidentifiable girl in the mechanical kingdom's castle.

☉

he abandons the painting in lieu of the castle's window. stained glass lay on the stone, covered in a thin layer of dust. he peers outside and is, quite honestly, taken aback by what he sees. a world of machinery, like something out of a steampunk novella. 

while the ultra crater had proved intriguing, this is something else entirely. and suddenly he finds himself hungry for all the other rifts there are; all the other possibilities in every other world. 

ianthe and coronabeth stand at attention too, heads cocked similarly to kaori's. 

he hears it too. 

several hundred feet below, shapes move. oh. startlingly quick shapes that lumber with purpose through the portcullis. he clicks his tongue to the two vulpix and looks wryly at yumi. 

"i know we probably ought to go away from the whimsical noise, but eh, what's that saying about curiosity and the cat?" nothing bad, surely. 

Yumi Hasegawa

☉

he can think of several dozen reasons for why not, but several hundred more for why yes. so it's with vigor that he turns away from the fantastical sight and goes to follow after yumi. 

ianthe shares the same sentiment as kaori, but coronabeth is more than happy to lope down the grand staircase, softly yipping in time with the music box lullaby. 

"a whole lineage of royalty, it seems," he comments, palms sliding on the stone rail. he walks two steps down the grand staircase and, bemused, holds out a hand for his companion. 

"would you do me the honor of accompanying me to this dance?"

Yumi Hasegawa

☉

they always lived comfortably, the hect family. no scrimping for spare change to feed themselves. no needing to worry about where they may sleep for the night. some of the people who worked under, and even around him, weren't so lucky. 

but he could never fathom what it might be like to live so lavishly. he has a penthouse in lilycove and yet as he dances with her, he thinks about her dynasty. what she wants to build and later leave behind. every graceful flourish, every press and nudge to guide her way across the floor, is a falsity in which he plays a part in that vision. 

grasping at a future he's only just begun to speculate, but want after all the same.

when their dance is interrupted, he lingers there, breaths lightly quickened from the exertion. and then he releases her; that music-box dream shatters in an instant and he turns his attention to the next captivation. 

ianthe and crown work together to take out the rest of them and when the deed is done, he examines the wreckage. 

"they're all...mechanized pokemon," he says, fascinated. 

Yumi Hasegawa

🗺️ NIKKARI HECT's interest in other worlds, his battle prowess, or his relationship with YUMI HASEGAWA must be explored in some way.

☉

as soon as she points them out, he wonders how he could have missed it before. the doors themselves are a work of art, lovingly crafted with thousands and thousands of gold-plated gears. bits and pieces of them are silver and as he stoops down to inspect, fingers running along the nuances in the metalwork, he feels scratches. 

the empty socket is a depress in the door and, following yumi's gaze, he toes around the mess on the floor. ianthe paws once at a piece near his heel and he picks it up, blinking in surprise as he beholds a small klink.

it's cold to the touch, which doesn't surprise him, but the fact it doesn't open its eyes makes him feel as though nothing is in the creature, so to speak. and when he fits it into the door, he almost expects it to wake. 

instead, there's a satisfying kerchunk and the mechanism whirls, depresses and the door unconfigures itself. past the threshold is what appears to be a study and behind a half-rotted curtain, another portal home. 

Yumi Hasegawa

02 use the klink line in some way.

☉