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As per usual, it shouldn't have come as a surprise that there was little to nothing in the apartment to eat. Yet another reason why Alexandria did the work that she did. Her 'father' was no one to her, not even the person who raised her, he shouldn't get credit just because he married her mother when she was with her next child. Her mother... tried, but did she really? Her earliest memories were full of struggle and strife, did she even have a childhood to look back on? Her siblings, they didn't deserve the hand they were dealt, it wasn't their fault, but damn it if she wasn't tired of feeling like she was the only one doing anything worth anything to at least keep them above water in a sinking ship.[break][break]
"No, I don't have any of my Pokemon with me," Alexandria answered as she walked down the next isle in the grocery store, her siblings chattering and flitting around her like a pack of Poochyena. She was prepared to fill up the apartment with food while she was here, and then some, but that would come later.[break]
"No, you can't come with me, you're not allowed," she huffed, they had so many questions, all the time, it was really the same series of questions every time regardless, so she pretty much had the answers down.[break]
"Because that dick doesn't do anything except put you guys in a hole you can't dig out of. That's why I go away," Alexandria returned, sparring no view on her feelings towards their 'father'. He was a worthless human being who couldn't even afford to suck down the air he was breathing.[break]
"Do you want the food I'm getting you or not? Yeah, that's what I thought, go put that crap back," she snapped, just because she was filling up the cart didn't mean they could add in whatever crap and junk food they wanted. They were going to take what she was giving them and they were going to like it.[break][break]
Nothing like quality time with the siblings, and getting them out of the apartment for just long enough for her mother to get herself together.

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Filling up the kitchen cabinets and the pantry with everything brought back from the store, Alexandria figured they'd be good for a week or two so long as her siblings didn't go ape shit over it all and her 'father' didn't make a mess of things. She knew it would only be a matter of time, he would demand the food in the kitchen be his for being such a good provider and doing all of the work outside of the apartment, his delusions ran deep, and Alexandria was about fed up with it all. He was the first step, and as if right on queue, like her thoughts manifested his presence, he came in through the door.[break]
Alexandria turned to meet his gaze, sharp, cold, calculating, and almost immediately the demands began. Where has she been, what kind of lazy daughter does she think she is, a failure, when he's been doing all of the work. She should be contributing, and making more of herself, he was getting worse and worse with his projecting. Because nothing could be his fault.[break][break]
"Get out," was all she uttered at first. It was a simple demand, one he could have easily complied with, instead he doubled down on how little she did to contribute to the family.[break]
"Get out, now," she repeated again, only out of the kindness and generosity that she was willing to extend, and it was already running thin. Her mother tried to protest, but Alexandria stopped her with a look before turning her attention back to her 'father' as he refused, berated, threatened, and dared to approach her. She didn't move, and she didn't flinch, his words were empty, and she knew they both knew that.[break][break]
"I haven't made any threats yet, but you and I both know that only one of us can make good on what we say," Alexandria spoke evenly, never breaking her eye contact, but he persisted still, calling her every name in the book, calling her a liar.[break]
"A liar? Am I? Do you want to test that? You're running out of chances, do you really want to take that gamble," she challenged, she was stern, and she caught him in his advances, he didn't make another step forward.[break]
"Good, that's what I thought. You're worthless, everything down to the air you breathe is a debt that you're going to carry alone. Get out, and never think that you can come back to this family again."

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The first obstacle was out of the way, and no one was going to intervene, no one was going to change anything. That useless waste of a human being was gone, and Alexandria knew that he wasn't going to come back. He wouldn't dare. Her mother worried though, then the worry turned to anger, how dare she come into their home like this and upend everything? And for what? A personal vendetta that she had against her family that she wanted to ruin them all? Alexandria had no right to disappear for months and months at a time only to barge in and change everything. And yet...[break]
"Or what? You want me out too? What do you think that's going to do? You work so damn hard and for what? That prick to take it all to his bookie and that's just supposed to be okay," Alexandria countered, she knew, she knew that's why they never had any money, why SHE was doing what she was doing so that they didn't end up out on the streets.[break]
"Is that what you think I've been doing? Just giving you hand outs? What, do you think I feel sorry for you? Yeah, you know what, maybe I do, because you've never been able to get your life together, and that only meant that I had to do that faster than I needed to. I grew up, made something of myself," Alexandria argued, now she was raising her voice, she was angry. She had one reason why she was here, and her mother was screaming at her about how she'd ruined everything.[break][break]
"Just shut the hell up. You know what, if this is what I get for still being involved here, then this will just make all of this easier. I came here today to give you all of the money that you need to pay your debt, I started savings for the kids, and enough to get you a down payment on a house," Alexandria shot back, and while it was shocking, happy news, she almost spat it at her mother, she was done with this whole thing.[break]
"Don't you dare argue with me. Sure, call it charity, you should be fucking thankful anyway. You have the choice here, you can take this and actually do something with your life, benefit the kids, or you can ruin everything. But leave me out of it. I've already done enough."

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Handing over all of the paperwork for all of the financial work that Alexandria had done for her family, again she reiterated that no questions could be asked. None. She could not and would not say where the money had come from or what she had done to get it, that would defeat the purpose of everything that she was doing here. Her mother tried, and protested still, but at every front Alexandria stopped her and reminded her that she would be making a very poor choice. What she did with the money after all, after she was gone, was not her responsibility and not her problem. In fact, that was the entire point of this.[break]
"Alright, whatever you do from here is on you. This is the last time you'll hear from me or see me," Alexandria mentioned, and the room fell silent. Her siblings gaped, and her mother blinked furiously, but Alexandria knew she heard her. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.[break][break]
"No, you don't have anything to say because there's nothing that you can. You have done nothing for my life except make me feel like I still had ties here because you can't be bothered to fix yourself, and you're hurting the kids," Alexandria explained flatly, it was clear that she'd been planning this for a long time now.[break]
"Now, I have done everything that I can to try and help, I even got rid of that dead weight for you. I have no responsibilities to you, or to them. It's your bag and your bag alone to carry," she elaborated, though she didn't feel like she needed to do so, it wasn't her mother's business, it never was. Now she was gaping, her face was turning red, but it was hard to tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. She was trying to guilt Alexandria, screaming at her about how this looked to the kids, what this meant to her as a mother. But, at this point, that wasn't her problem.[break]
"No, I have no guilt, in fact, this absolves any of it. I've given you everything that you need to have a life without me in it. And now, I can have a life, and my work, without compromise, without ties, and without feeling like I owe anyone except myself. I've built a life, and I'm moving on. You're going to have to do the same now," she spoke, freeing herself in that moment from having any lose ends and unnecessary ties to a life that never benefitted her, a life that would have only dragged her down if she had let it. She was done, and with nothing else to say, and nothing else she needed to say, Alexandria left, closing the door on a mother and her children, and making sure that it was shut tight.

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[attr="class","TRAINER"]

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Make the kingdom safe again? How? And with... what? It was like being tossed into the deep end of a pool of pitch black goop, zero information on how to fend for oneself and zero information about what kind of environment they were being thrust into... It seemed like the only objective was, don't die? And just run around until... Something happens?[break]
It was vague, but at least there was an objective?[break][break]
Safe from threats[break][break]
And to keep something safe from threats, tools and resources were necessary? So... go out and find those, go out and find something? Oh, and don't die.[break][break]
The Dream Ball was received, the prompt clearing as soon as it was confirmed, and then the second prompt, naming her the Naive Time-Lost Space Cadet... Well that wasn't very nice...[break]

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"Wait, what does that mean," she muttered, that was so pointless? And why did it need to be so rude about it too? At this point though, she had wandered into the forests, the prompt screen having been her focus for the time being, and then she was lost in the middle of everything, exposed, out in the open.[break]
There were howls, cries, distant screams in the surrounding area, and flashes of dark, dreadful attacks in the distance. It was like the forest itself was alive, but it was clear that it was the Pokemon that had flocked here, the ones that had been called dangerous, the ones that were threatening the castle. There was a snap in the trees, the sound of something breaking a branch, and then a deep, mostrous growl as something leaped out and landed with a heavy thud. A very large, very imposing canine with burning red eyes and deep blue stripes snarled with dripping fangs, ready to attack.[break][break]
Just as it was thought that she would have to start over, the creature's attention was caught by movement that wasn't hers, that shadow... It ran away from her as if it had stepped out from behind her and ran straight for the blood thirsty Pokemon, catching its full attention. It slashed with bare claws and gnashed with its teeth, but this shadow leaped from the ground and right onto the back of this creature like it was second nature. There wasn't much time, it was distracted...[break]
Using the gift from the king, the Pokemon that would have torn her to bits was caught in the pink pokeball, and then, another prompt...[break][break]

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[CONTINUE]

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Choosing to continue brought them all back to the castle, it was said that trouble was still out there and they couldn't stop their quests yet, they must continue to play this game, in this place...[break]
They must travel to a dungeon off somewhere being said that's where the shadow Pokemon were coming from, and defeating the evil within would put a stop to all of this? Another timer, another inventory update, a set of items? Items that didn't seem particularly useful, to her, why couldn't she get something to help herself? She didn't know how to work with the Pokemon that shook and fought against the pink pokeball she had used...[break][break]
Venturing out into the woods again, choosing to release the canine that would either be her triumph or her downfall, she had no other options. This thing was the only thing that could help go through a dungeon if that's what they were supposed to do to fight some monster... But were they supposed to do it alone?[break]
Nearing the entrance of this dungeon, the pathway clear to where this challenge was, she could swear standing just up the path, closer to the entrance like they were waiting for her was a figure that looked... Almost exactly like her, standing there with a Metagross. That... Couldn't be right? Or was it because of that weird 'power' she was supposed to have here, was this that shadow? It did look like her, but also kind of not... It was hard to explain... There was a coldness, and emptiness in the figures eyes as she regarded Invi and the Arcanine. She said nothing, instead heading into the depths of the dungeon. A team of two perhaps...[break][break]
Stepping through the threshold, it was like the landscape changed entirely and they were now scaling up a winding mountain path that had a towering, snow capped peak at the very top. The trek was scathing, the ledges steep and sure to kill you if you fell off, but it all seemed... Familiar? The faint, biting cold as they climbed higher and higher, the thinner the air got, and then a rumbling roar that shook the very mountain top and caused snow to tumble down from the undisturbed peaks.[break]
Coming face to face with a towering, gaint Hisuian Typhlosion, the two dreamers and their shadow Pokemon faced off against the ghost type that threatened to burn the whole mountain top. Invi had little choice but to break the red card she had been given to try and give the canine a boost since she herself could do nothing to face the gargantuan Pokemon, and the two Pokemon gave what they could to defend the mountain top.[break][break]
After crunches and earthquakes and purple flames that fizzled out surrounding them all, the battle was over, but at what cost? What was the whole purpose of this, was the kingdom truly going to be safe after this? Invi wasn't sure... especially as a broken yin-yang medalion made it into her inventory...


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In this place, it seemed like there was no version of their perils that would make this place safe, that would make the kingdom stable again after everything that had gone on... No sooner had the majority of them returned from these dungeons that they were supposed to brave, rips in the very fabric of this digital world itself plagued everything and threatened to tear it all apart...[break][break]
And so, what else were they supposed to do, except jump head first into one of these portals with what should be a key only each of them has on them, and destroy whatever lay on the other side...[break]
Was that right? That no matter what, it was supposed to be destroyed? It seemed... A grave order, but the objective was given, there was nothing else that could be done...[break][break]
Finding a rip in the world, just as the king said, Invi was able to open it just enough with the item she'd received at the end of her dungeon and found herself... In a city?[break]
It didn't look familiar, and it didn't look kind either, it seemed broken down, desparate, old apartment buildings and run down businesses... In a way, Invi felt sorry for this place... But as the Arcanine that came with her through this place broke free of the Pokeball that contained it, she too was overcome with a feral sense of loathing, that this place needed to be destroyed, obliterated, like this place meant nothing other than grief and pain...[break][break]
Doused by flame and searing ice, entire walls crumbled and nothing but ravaged landscape... Invi looked out to the field of destruction and knew that the objective was complete... She heaved a heavy breath, a release of sorts, the Arcanine returning to her with a panting maw, eyes dripping with a need for more, but they were finished here... There was nothing left.

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Returning to the castle... It didn't seem like any action they took at the behest of the king actually did any good. In fact, the castle seemed to be falling to shreds, the fabric of the world falling apart in front of their very eyes... And yet, the king still bid them all for a purpose that seemed futile, and was even more excited in spite of the pieces breaking apart around them...[break][break]
A notification came up at the words of the king, signifying a memory, a keepsake of some kind... If they were to open it of course. This whole journey seemed strange, it was hard to really keep tabs on what was going on, what was supposed to be meaningful, and what was strictly the agenda of this digital world, but that didn't stop her from opening the given book. It did have an expiration date after all...[break][break]
The castle disappeared entirely, the surroundings changed, and thrust into the midst of glittering ice and snow, she was standing within the confines of a snowy valley, shrouded by impossibly tall mountains and an endless white sky...[break]
Looking around, blinking heavily against the stark white snow, she moved to take a step, but found that she couldn't, her leg was badly injured, likely... From a fall? This was... Familiar... And she turned at the sound of crunching snow, heavy foot stomps approaching... And there, towering above her in heaving breaths that plumed from the frigid air was large blue dragon... A garchomp.[break][break]
They were there in that moment for what felt like an eternity, as if they were both studying each other, trying to understand what they meant to each other in this moment. She wasn't a threat, but was she prey? Would this creature lay its claws upon her and end her suffering? It was difficult, given its imposing size and stature, that it wasn't bent on killing anything that approached, but either it was smarter than it appeared, or took pity on the fallen figure before it... For instead of gouging through a feeble frame by comparison, instead she was picked up into the claws of this creature and through the blistering snow, for miles it seemed, she was laid down in the cold again, where off in the distance she could see tents, and a fire...[break][break]
And then the dragon was gone, back into the depths of the ice and snow within the mountains.

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Everything was quiet... Broken... The world was disappearing with every passing second, as if it had never been here at all. This whole adventure, this call to the castle within the realm was... For nothing?[break]
Or... maybe not for nothing... But, what was it all for anyway? What did any of this mean, why were they here at all? And what was going to happen to this place when everything was gone, when it was all over?[break][break]
The king bore no further missions, no takeaways for them to press on, instead even inventories were emptied, no footprint of any of them having ever traipsed through the kingdom. There was a single item instead, their last recollection of having been a part of this venture, a wish...[break][break]

Strength...[break]
The strength to press on, and keep heading towards the future, in spite of what the past may bring...

[attr="class","frannpoke"]