THE COIN TOSS

"INTENSE? I'LL TAKE THAT AS A COMPLIMENT." Father Winter takes note of the coin toss' result with discerning eyes. He continues to smile, betraying little. "TO LEARN, YOU GOTTA TAKE RISKS. I'LL GRANT YOU WHAT YOU WISH. 'THEY' WILL DO THE SAME."

Father Winter's UNOWN-D floats toward you, void for a pupil and endless sea of black. It dips toward Dominic Grey as it opens up a malevolent storm of umbrage, which surges out from behind the Unown. The cyclone takes Dominic and Dominic alone. Plunged into darkness, he disappears from the cave.

You have LOST THE COIN TOSS. Father Winter intends for you to die in this other realm.

---

INSTRUCTIONS

TO CONTINUE, make a post or several posts detailing your character's adventure into an alternate universe or timeline.

Below this post are prompts that you must fulfill during your post or posts. Although there is no minimum word count, please write something meaningful, whether it is a poetic drabble, a concerted narrative, or an experimental foray into storytelling.

Once you are done, TAG SHIV in #wintry-wagers on Discord or on Proboards. Afterward, shiv will post a small follow up to end your thread.

TAGS: Dominic Grey

☉

i'm twisting allegories now

Dom swallowed hard as the Unown floated towards him, the pinpoint of its pupil seemingly an ever-growing disc. As the edges of the storm drifted out from behind the Unown, Dom had a fleeting moment of regret. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. But before he could open his mouth, before he could unsay the words or un-flip the coin, the darkness enveloped him.[break][break]

He tried to scream, but there was nothing. No sound. No breath to take in. No air fluttering against his face or combing its fingers through his hair. Just all-encompassing nothingness. He realized then, as he stretched out his hands to lay his fingertips against the empty void, that he couldn't see his body. That made some sense. Surely he was in darkness. He pulled his hand back and reached for his own torso to get his bearings. His hands felt nothing. He could feel that he inhabited his body and yet when he tried to confirm that with look or touch… nothing.[break][break]

He realized in that moment that he should be terrified. Certainly, there should be absolute horror flooding him, filling his veins with adrenaline and kicking his body into fight or flight. Instead... well the pattern was becoming clear.[break][break]

Dom frowned. Not that he could see it, but was pretty sure he frowned. Not having a body was going to be very inconvenient. He needed that.[break][break]

As if on cue, the shimmering outline of fingers began to materialize before him. The light spread up his palms and arms, engulfing his shoulders and chest and meeting a similar light coming up from his legs. He blinked, clearly looking at his own body, and touched his chest gently. It was there. Solid and as real as ever. And with his body came the emotions. Fear and confusion came crashing across him like a breaking wave.[break][break]

Overwhelmed, he reached out again. This time, his fingers brushed through soft grass, his palms and knees pressed against solid ground. He blinked, and when he looked up he could see a vast expanse of grassland that spread out in all directions until it married a black sky at the horizon. Winking stars careened lazily overhead, but the grassland was still somehow lit as brightly as if it were daytime.[break][break]

Dom patted his pockets absently, reaching for his Pokemon as if on instinct. He found them empty, and he frowned. If he was going to do anything here, he needed them.[break][break]

A soft bark caught his attention and Dom looked up to see a Lucario a few feet away, walking toward him. If Dom didn't know any better, he would've thought it materialized out of the grass itself.[break][break]

"L-Lynx?" He didn't understand how, but he knew this was his little Riolu. The Lucario's eyes softened in recognition as he reached where Dom was standing, dumbfounded. "Nah, that can't be right. You're a Riolu, bro." Lynx chuffed in a way Dom recognized as a stifled laugh. He extended a closed paw towards Dom. Dom hesitantly gave the Lucario a fist bump, which elicited a familiar eye roll. It was Lynx after all. Lynx huffed, grabbing Dom's arm with his other paw and turning his hand palm side up. Into it, he deposited what looked like a marble.[break][break]

Dom picked it up between thumb and forefinger, squinting at it. Brown and blue swirls looped against each other within the confines of the glass, with one bright streak of red cutting through the middle.[break][break]

Lucarionite.[break][break]

Though he was familiar with the existence of mega stones, he couldn't recall having ever seen Lucarionite before. Yet, as he looked it over, he was certain of what it was.[break][break]

"Where did you get this?"[break][break]

The answer was a growl. Dom looked up and realized Lynx was staring at the sky, his paws balled into fists.[break][break]

don't let me do this to myself

The stars above shifted their stellar dance and, with a start, Dom realized they weren't stars at all. They were eyes. Millions upon millions of eyes staring down at him, circling and weaving across one another on into infinity. He squinted up at them, but the sheer number made it impossible to pick out one from the rest. They were like schooling fish, their eyes the flashing silver of scales meant to distract and confuse.[break][break]

Then, one detached. And another. And more followed in a single-line stream. It was only then that Dom could tell they were Unown, like the one Father Winter possessed. They came in a staggering variety of shapes, ones he'd never seen before and wouldn't have been able to commit to memory even if he wanted. As they rocketed down, Dom realized they were heading straight for him. Lynx side-stepped, shifting himself into a familiar battling position between Dom and the oncoming stream.[break][break]

"We can't fight that many," Dom called out, but Lynx stood firm. The first in line crashed into the Lucario with enough force to send a shockwave that shoved Dom backward. He staggered, barely keeping his feet. In his hand, the stone grew hot. "Shit, shit, shit. I don't know how to use this." Lynx crossed his arms defensively as the Unown rocketed into him one after another, crashing into him with explosive force. Dom grit his teeth, his fist clenched around the Lucarionite. He didn't know how to use it, but he needed it to work.[break][break]

Blinding light suddenly enveloped Lynx. Dom squeezed his eyes closed instinctively, but when he snuck a peek, he was surprised to find that, although the light was bright, it didn't hurt his eyes. The glowing form of Lynx shifted beneath the cocoon of the glare, taking on a slightly different silhouette. Then the light pulled in, as if taking a steadying breath and, alongside Dom, exhaled. A dome of white energy propelled out from Lynx, swirling into a massive size faster than Dom could comprehend. The Unown that were caught in its path shattered like glass and dissipated into dust, though it passed over Dom with little more than a rustling of the wind.[break][break]

Dom whooped in victory as the form of a mega-evolved Lynx finally settled into view. "That's it, that's the stuff!" Lynx glanced back, grinning mischievously. He flexed, pulling his arms into his side as the stream of Unown rallied and began their assault again. They wheeled into him, now attempting to circumvent the Lucario entirely to get to Dom. Lynx leaped and dove with all the grace of a ballet dancer, crushing each one in turn with one Force Palm after another. Even so, he was starting to tire, and the surge of Unown only grew stronger, faster, more intent on getting to Dom.[break][break]

Lynx glanced back as an Unown nearly zipped fully around him. Dom could see the worry in his eyes.[break][break]

Run.[break][break]

Dom flinched. It wasn't just a feeling, that was a voice inside his head, telling him to go. Lynx pivoted, delivering another powerful Force Palm, panting.[break][break]

Please, run.[break][break]

Dom's voice caught. "Lynx, I can't. I can't leave you alone." But it wasn't Lynx, was it? Not really. Even from this distance, Dom could see that the edges of his form were blurry, almost incorporeal. And Lynx wasn't a Lucario. Not yet. Dom bit his lip, his heart thumping hard against the inside of his chest. He ground his teeth, willing his feet to move. He needed to run.[break][break]

And suddenly he was. The grassland flew beneath his legs faster than should have been possible as he sprinted away from the Lynx-that-wasn't-Lynx and the stream of angry Unown. Glancing back, Dom could see that the flow of Unown from the sky had formed an angry, swirling tornado. Its bulk crashed down on where he'd left Lynx, and the flashes of distant explosions was enough to make him turn away. Moments later, the sound caught up to him.[break][break]

The massive cyclone of Unown seemed to have finally begun to affect their population. As Dom ran, he could see shifting gaps in the sky where untold numbers of Unown undulated apart from one another before crashing back together.[break][break]

He squinted up at these gaps as color peeked through them. They were almost like windows, but the more he looked, the more he saw things he didn't recognize. Here and there were fields and forests with Pokemon wandering lazily through them, Pokemon unlike anything he'd ever seen. There, he could see a sprawling city filled with people, but they weren't people. He couldn't pick out what was different about them, only that—even with the brief glance—he knew they weren't human. Here he thought he saw himself, dressed in all black, frowning as he ticked shipments off a list.[break][break]

When he turned his eyes forward again, he realized that the horizon was rushing up to meet him, as if it were a fixed point in space, a wall that he could reach out and touch. All around him, the blades of grass flickered and glitched, moving out of time with his body. The very air around him felt heavy and unnatural.[break][break]

while the crown hangs heavy on either side

Just as suddenly as he'd begun running, Dom was standing still. He stumbled and reached out to catch himself as his brain caught up to the fact that he was no longer moving. As he threw his arms out, a gentle hand caught his wrist and steadied him. When he finally found his feet and looked up, the softly smiling face of an older woman was there to greet him.[break][break]

"Nona?" Dom couldn't believe his eyes.[break][break]

"Hello, Nickyboy."[break][break]

She was just as he remembered. Aged from her years working in the sun, with a kind face but an air about her that told you not to step out of line. Her hand fell away from where she'd caught his wrist and he felt a pang in his heart. He didn't want to let her go. Not this time.[break][break]

"What are you doing here?" He said, glancing over his shoulder to where he thought he'd left Lynx. There was nothing there—could he really be surprised?—no swirling vortex of Unown, no massive explosions. "I don't think it's safe here."[break][break]

"Of course it's not safe. When has that ever made a difference?"[break][break]

Dom bit his lip. Direct as ever, that was his Nona. "You have to leave with me."[break][break]

"I have things to tend to. Much too busy, you know that."[break][break]

"But Nona—"[break][break]

"You didn't need to take me last time, why is this time any different?"[break][break]

"Because I can actually help you this time!"[break][break]

"Can you?"[break][break]

He flinched, searching her face for some kind of sign. Nona just smiled—confident, gentle, completely unbreakable. Or at least that's how she seemed. Dom's brow furrowed. "No, I'm not losing you again."[break][break]

Nona sighed. "You take too much responsibility for other people's actions, Nicky. Always have."[break][break]

"I know, but—"[break][break]

"You can't contol what I do any more than you could control what those Rockets did. The only thing you can be responsible for is yourself and your choices."[break][break]

He reached out to grab her wrist. This was his choice. As soon as his fingers made contact with her skin, they passed right through. Her form began to grow fuzzy, first at the point of contact and then spreading up her arm and across the rest of her. Her gentle smile never wavered.[break][break]

"Wait, Nona! I can't do this!" Dom clutched at the mist of her dissolving form.[break][break]

"You can, Nicky. You have to."[break][break]

And just like that, she was gone again.[break][break]

give me one last kiss while we're far too young to die

Dom felt the lump form in his throat. Gritting his teeth, he pushed it away. Nona was right, he had to get out of here. He looked around the expanse of soft grassland, the Unown wheeling as infinite stars overhead again. Every time he'd wanted something, it had appeared for him, so now that he wanted a way out, why wasn't there anything but grass?[break][break]

A breeze picked up, comforting and just perfect to cool his agitation. The sound of babbling water reached his ears and he turned to find a crystal clear stream not five feet from where he stood. It looked refreshing.[break][break]

Dom's brow furrowed. No. He wanted to leave.[break][break]

Despite the lack of a sun in the sky, the shade from the massive trees that suddenly appeared was welcome. Their boughs hung low over Dom, almost grazing the top of his head, leaves shifting and whispering in the breeze. A pair of yellow eyes blined down at him from the branches, and Dom recognized North's form hidden among the shadows. There was a nudge at his elbow and he looked down to discover Mags nuzzling her broad head between his arm and side. He couldn't help but smile as he turned and scratched her forehead. As he did so he caught sight of Nova and Lynx (a Riolu again, as was right) sitting in a cute campground, tending the fire. One of the tents unzipped and he saw Matilda Greenlaw poke her head out and wave. Just beyond was Auora, sitting on a shoreline with Lotus.[break][break]

Dom felt his shoulders relax. It was all here. Everything he wanted was here. Why would he need to leave? What was out there for him but disappointment and struggle? He turned his face towards the sun, squinting at the blue sky—had it been like that before?[break][break]

Just beyond the haze of blue, he could see a tumultuous swirling.[break][break]

Eyes.[break][break]

Millions and millions of eyes.[break][break]

Dom squeezed his eyes shut. "I need to go home." He held it like a wish, a butterfly cupped gently behind the cage of his fingers. Don't crush it; don't hold too tight or you'll suffocate it.[break][break]

When he opened his eyes, he was alone again, a small speck in an endless grassland below a dark sky. He took a steadying breath. One shape, distant and fuzzy, detached itself from the winking stars above. Dom tensed as the Unown drifted lazily down towards him, wobbling in large loops. It finally stopped before him, hovering a few feet away, staring with its shiny black pupil. There was a moment of stillness as the two beings waited for the other to act. Finally, the Unown spun and a simple wooden door materialized behind it.[break][break]

Not one to forget a threat, Dom looked up to the sky again. No more Unown left their abode; instead they had all stopped their wheeling and shifting. The millions of eyes sat still and unblinking. Watching.[break][break]

Dom clenched his fists, steeling himself, and in doing so remembered the Lucarionite he still held in his hand. But when he uncurled his fingers, he found the stone had been replaced by a single empty Pokeball. The Unown between him and the door rotated lazily, almost an inviting gesture. Gently, Dom tapped the Pokeball against it, squinting against the light that spirited away the Pokemon.[break][break]

He looked at the Pokeball for a moment, feeling the weight of the eyes above staring down at him. As he pushed it into his pocket and reached out to turn the handle on the door that would take him back to his dimension, he couldn't help but ask himself:[break][break]

Had he really gotten what he wanted?

[break][break]

+ shiv[break]
- mega stone found and used: lucarionite[break]
- assassins: escaped[break]
- unown report words used: horizon, stellar, wish.[break]
- dom is attempting to catch unonwn-z.

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[attr="class","credit"]milky