Pantsu part 5: The Dreamening

[underwearfortomorrow]

[Dream]

[If you managed to fall into one of Eiji's more pleasant dreams you'll be met with a clear and peaceful night in what looks to be the middle of the Verdant forest. The trees give way to just enough sky to let the full moon shine through.]

[There's a small clearing and a camp set up. You'll find Eiji there tending to a fire and humming while he cooks a few skewered fish. Approach?]

[Nightmare]

[It starts out innocent enough. What you see around you is a small, somewhat weathered few floors of one of Union's towers. It's full of children, running and playing. It shouldn't take you long to realize it's an Orphanage.]

[Eiji is in one of the bigger rooms sitting with a bunch of kids. He's dressed oddly (By which he's dressed like a normal person in Union dresses like) and looks a few years younger. He's regaling them with stories about his grandfather.]

[It seems like a pretty nice dream until you start to smell smoke. Suddenly the place is over come with flames, kids are screaming, and Eiji is frantically trying to help but it starts to get too much. Everything is burning.]

[Locked to Rei]

[He'd been in and out of the strange Dream world a few times this week. He's not surprised to find himself back. While he knows its safer to stay with the trees, he aims to venture out to see if he can find anyone he knows.]


[Action: Real World.]

[Holy shit what the hell was going on. Aka Eiji just appeared back into his bed at the Shrine after a particularly nasty dreamwalk. Hina's startled awake- puffing up and trying to figure out what's going on.]

Comments

[faithfulflame]

I know. It was just a bad dream.

[And a dream that was interrupted for the first time ever, by someone very, very special.]

And besides all that...I found a new friend here. [The little Gastly bobs into view, chittering a greeting laugh.]

[underwearfortomorrow]

[Well that was certainly curious.]

Ah- I see. Is he ...real? Or is he just apart of this strange realm?

[He peers down to get a closer look at the little Gastly.]

[faithfulflame]

He's real. And he...well, we've bonded already. He tells me his name is Sabaeus, and...I get the feeling he's one of those Pokemon I was meant to find.

[A theory she's got, given her views on fate.]

[underwearfortomorrow]

I see. [Who is he to deny that? He gives Sabaeus a friendly smile. He leans up, looking around.]

Do you know who's dream this is? Or where we are exactly?

[faithfulflame]

I haven't a clue, honestly. We could explore a bit, see what we can see, if you want.

Is Hina with you, by the way?

[underwearfortomorrow]

[He looks around. He doesn't recognize anything yet so he nods.] That sounds fine with me. It's better than waiting idly by the trees until we wake back up again.

[To her question about Hina he turns his eyes skyward. Hina is swooping down minutes later and landing on his shoulder. It. is probably interesting to note that Hina is still a Fletchling while she is definitely far over leveled.]

Here she is. Shall we?

sorry for the short tag...wasn't sure what sort of horrors you have in mind

[faithfulflame]

That's what I think too. Maybe we'll find a clue about what is going on.

[She starts off in a random direction, heading towards something she can't see. What will they find? Find out next time on Dragonball Z]

[underwearfortomorrow]

[Eiji lands in step with Rei as Hina settles in the crook of his neck. He's glancing around, keeping an eye out for if things change.]

It's seems to be pretty huge to be effecting the entire city. Have you ever heard of a Pokemon or Enlightened with powers of that magnitude?

[faithfulflame]

Aside from what switched our bodies? No.

[She keeps walking, until the dreamscape gradually shifts. The air is warmer, steamy, almost cloying. And there's a faint light in the distance, like a light at the end of of a tunnel, a tunnel made of fog!]

[underwearfortomorrow]

Was it ever discovered what caused that fiasco?

[He blinks as things start to shift. Ah...what was this? Were they walking into a bathhouse.]

Do you see that?

[faithfulflame]

No...

[She nods, thoughts jerked away from the past.]

And I did, yes.

What do you think? Should we keep going, or turn back?

[underwearfortomorrow]

[He thinks for a moment before nodding his head.]

We won't learn anything if we turn back.

[faithfulflame]

Alright then.

[Rei takes a step forward, and it is indeed a bathhouse. A large, spacious one. A large tub stands at the center, and steam roils all around them. It doesn't look terribly unpleasant, really. Like pretty much any bath.]

How...odd. [She approaches the tub, looking back at him.]

Definitely not one of my dreams. You?

[underwearfortomorrow]

[It's a little too muggy for his tastes but that was probably his typing talking. He approaches the tub to inspect it and frowns, shaking his head.]

It isn't one of mine...

[faithfulflame]

[As he approaches, something moves beneath the water. A sudden motion, something surging from one side towards him!]

Eiji! Look out!

[underwearfortomorrow]

[He's not as fast as Rei at catching it- though Hina fluffing up twice her size is a good warning. He stumbles back just as the creature bursts from the water.]

[It...doesn't really look like anything- it seems to be vaguely humanoid in shape but its actual appearance Is skewed by the constant running of steaming water over it's form. Beneath the water a dark shadow can be made out, as well as two glowing red eyes. Before Eiji can react it lunges for him, pinning him against the wall.]

AHHRGH!

[faithfulflame]

Eiji!

[Rei's eyes go wide as she rushes forward, hands extended. She calls up flames, the little ones that normally drive away beasts and hurls them at it's back! It doesn't seem to phase it, being a watery monster, so she starts attacking it's head.

And immediately regrets it. She stumbles a pace as her mind slams against a psychic barrier, a Dark Type wall that keeps her powers out. Anger swells in her, as well as pain...and she reaches deep inside for more fire, throwing more Embers and the like at the creature.]

Let him go!

[underwearfortomorrow]

[What sucked about steaming water was that it was really, really hot. Eiji already didn't do well to heat. He hisses in pain as steam rises off of them both and he tries to get his grip on the monster but his hands just go through it uselessly. You know, in addition to burning him even more.]

What do you want!?

[The monster laughs this low, gurgling sound and then turns its head like an owl to peer at Rei. He lets go of Eiji with one hand to make a grab for Rei.]

[faithfulflame]

[Rei is grabbed up, caught by the neck. She tries to scream, but no words come out. Steam billows up into the air all around them, and she struggles, twisting in it's grip!]

Ack!!!

[underwearfortomorrow]

[Oh hell no, you do not attack his cousin in front of him. Eiji practically snarls and takes his free hand to-- not grab the watery arm-- but freeze it. It doesn't do much since he's able to only freeze a very small chunk of it's arm but it startles it at least.]

[faithfulflame]

[And Rei uses that to wiggle loose, slipping free with a burst of sudden strength. Anger starts swelling inside her as she reaches for more fire. Deep, deep down, to the very core of her being. Farther than she's ever gone, tapping reserves of heat she didn't know she even had.]

Let. My. Cousin. Go.

[She grits her teeth and holds up a hand, the flames surrounding it beginning to burn brighter and brighter. She slams it against the creature's arm. Let him go, dammit!]

[underwearfortomorrow]

[Yeah, see, water might be able to combat fire but it doesn't do shit when the heat is so intense it just evaporates the water away. The monster screams in anger and in pain and drops Eiji.]

[Eiji hits the ground and tries to roll out of the way. He catches a glimpse at Rei, eyes going wide.]

[The monster, on the other hand, is now really pissed off. He forms itself up taller than before and roars.]

[faithfulflame]

[And when he lets Eiji go, Rei goes for the throat. She reaches even deeper, calling up more fire. More heat. More anger. More power. Heat shimmers around her, distorting her image, and she slams her palms into the monster's chest. Light explodes through the bathhouse, steam roaring all around them, and the creature is hurled backwards, into the water with a splash.

It bellows, shrieks, and starts to thrash, while Rei stands there watching, eyes quite literally on ablaze and hair dancing with small flames.

The monster begins to surge forward...hand sweeping up to toss water on the girl...who despite the heat probably can't evaporate all of it...]

[underwearfortomorrow]

[He stares, somewhat slackjawed as Rei basically gives the thing a beating. Wow, what just happened? He didn't have much time to think on it more. He gets to his feet as the monster is tossed back into the water. He blinks, wondering if that was it.]

[Of course not. And with that attack Eiji stops thinking and throws himself in front of her. He cries out deep from with in and with a sweep of his arm conjures forth ...a pretty decent barrier of ice. It doesn't hold up well when the water hits, a good bit of it melting on contact, but it keeps the really nasty stuff from hitting either of them.]

[The monster's not happy with that, but Eiji isn't giving it a lot of time to think about it before he socks the thing with an Ice Punch and proceeds to try and conjure enough of his abilities to actually freeze the water. It's going to take a whole lot out of him if he can but he's sure going to try.]

[faithfulflame]

[The wall does block out enough of the wall to keep the creature from dousing Rei, which she appreciates. And his rather ferocious attack sends it flying backwards, crackling and crunching sounds filling the air as parts of it freeze up. It lands back in the water with a snarl, and Rei hammers at it with a concussive burst of heat, not true fire.

That knocks it further below, into the tub.]

Eiji! Freeze it now! Seal it in!