bravenewworld

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002

[action, Entertainment District]
[It is high noon.

The people of Union bustle about the Entertainment District, ducking into the Lucky Punch for a quick game of slots or checking out the upcoming programming scheduled by the Theaters. All is as it should be. All is as it should be... save in a single, silent street. Those who enter this small avenue will find that some sort of horrific mass carnage has struck - bodies lie sprawled on the ground, deathly still where they have fallen, arranged haphazardly as if struck down by some unseen force. Their eyes are closed, their bodies are still, and....... their mouths are snoring.

...They are asleep.

The only movement here comes from a Swadloon, idly shuffling along the ground and occasionally poking at some of the sleeping citizens. Here and there, if some unfortunate soul happened to have been consuming lunch at the time of the incident, the Pokémon will push them aside and quickly grab their food, returning to the side of a young boy with blonde hair leaned up against a building before beginning to eat.

Within about 5 minutes, the victims will slowly return to their senses. Grass Whistle isn't the most effective sleep-inducing move out there, but it's certainly suited Swadloon's purposes.]

[voice]
[Later that day, an apologetic voice speaks out.]

Um....

I'm sorry about what happened at lunch. I didn't realize... I just thought he was having fun.

But, um, just in case anyone doesn't know... if you see a Swadloon trying to play music with a leaf... you should probably stop it.

((Feel free to have been put to sleep or to stumble on the scene!))

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[Jet happens upon the scene just in time to see the pokemon returning to the boy's side with it's haul. It wasn't that hard to put two and two together.

The lanky teen knelt down a respectful distance away, the Fletchling on his shoulder chirping a greeting.]

Hey, now, that's not very nice. Kinda dirty of you, in fact.

[But Jet's smiling because it might be dirty, but it's crafty.]

[The Swadloon barely acknowledges that it is being addressed.

...It stares at the teenager with an uninterested expression for a moment or two before swallowing a bite of its food and shuffling a little closer. Swadloon passively leaves a quarter of a sandwich at Jet's feet before shuffling back towards its cache next to the slumbering Lucas.

...It appears to be trying to bribe him.]

[Jet stares for a moment, then outright laughs. He'd never been bribed by a pokemon before.

He settled on the ground where he was as Ikarus hopped from his shoulder and began pecking at the bread; if Jet wasn't going to eat it, she sure wasn't going to pass it up.]

Naw, you don't need to bribe me, I'm not going to tell on you. Well...I should probably at least write a note or something to let your friend know. Not that the sandwich thing, but the putting people to sleep thing.

[His chin came to rest in his hand as he watched the other pokemon but something occurred to him that had him digging in his coat's pocket for a small sour berry that he offered to the Swadloon.]

Go on, Ikarus doesn't need so many, she'll get fat.

[Being rewarded for stealing food!! Swadloon's eyes light up at this. Maybe you can be its trainer instead of this kid. He's kinda too nice. And boring.

It will quickly shuffle forward again to snatch at the berry.

And it thinks Lucas will probably figure out what happened on his own so there's no need to hasten that conclusion.]

[Jinxie has a sleepwalking problem even when there isn't a mischievous Grass type Pokemon playing a leaf whistle, so it's hardly surprising that it's happened to her again. Her usual forehead charm is nowhere to be found, and her Duskull is floating around looking for it while Jinxie herself shambles through the city streets like some sort of zombie.]

Cuuuurse youuuuu...

[Swadloon calmly munches on its ill-gotten goods as Jinxie wanders in. There comes a few awkward moments when it simply stares at the shambling girl.]

...........S-Swadloon........

[It had not bargained on its incredible abilities being able to turn people into zombies. With a look of alarm on its face, it scoops up its food and shoves it all behind it before bouncing forward...

And shooting a String Shot at the zombie.]

[Which, of course, only serves to cause her to shamble even more slowly.]

Cuuuuuuuurrrrrrrse...

[You could hardly fault Swadloon for thinking she's a zombie, though. But unfortunately, now Dokuro thinks its friend is being attacked, so it flies out to interpose itself between Jinxie and Swadloon.]

Skuuuulll...

[oh god a zombie and a ghost was this the universe's way of punishing it for theft it renounces theft forever it will go be a monk in a monastery look it already has robes and everything]

Swadlooooon!

[String flies everywhere as the creature spits in every which direction in a panic.]

Duskull!

[Dodging left and right to try to avoid the string, it inevitably gets caught up in the mess. Temporarily blinded by the sticky film, it gets turned around and crashes right back into Jinxie, jolting her awake.]

H... huh? Dokuro?

[Lucas, in the meantime, is slowly stirring from all the commotion. When Swadloon notes that its trainer seems to be awakening, it quickly flees and shoves itself behind the boy.

.........Lucas slowly blinks awake.]

Huh?

[.........Oh. A ghost and a mummy. Cool.]

Aaaaaaaaaahhhh!

[Still disoriented as she shakes off the effects of the sleep, all Jinxie can do is scream right back. Dokuro thinks this is hilarious and floats up on top of her head to roll around up there, getting the webbing in her hair.]

Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!

[Swadloon can be heard screaming from behind Lucas as well and after a bit Lucas will flop over as the Pokemon pushes him forward.

Lucas does not appreciate this.]

W-What.... Why is all this food here? Are... Are you going to eat us?!

W-what? No!

[Jinxie stumbles backward, falling right on her rear as she finally extricates Dokuro from her hair and starts to peel off the webbing.]

What happened... I remember feeling sleepy, but then everything went all hazy.

...T-That's.... Um. ....Actually, that's what happened to me, too.

[Lucas glances down the street now at the people in various stages of confusion and wakefulness.]

Wait...

What's going on here?

[He tries to stand up and puts his foot in someone's bento. Hurrah.]

Dokuro, did I fall asleep again?

[Dokuro nods back at Jinxie as it finishes wiping the string shot off its face, making grumbly noises.]

...He says it was Swadloon.

Swadloon...?

Swadloon was...

[He glances down at his Pokemon, who nonchalantly looks away.]

You were... you were whistling a song for me, rig --

[.........]

Dozer!

[Dozer the Swadloon looks wide-eyed and innocent at the tone of accusation.]

You put the whole street to sleep?!

[Lucas glances back towards Dokuro to verify.]

[Dokuro confirms with a nod, sticking its tongue out at Dozer.]

Oh... oh no... w-was I sleepwalking again?

[Another nod, followed by Jinxie going white in the face.]

[Dozer receives the nastiest look Lucas can summon, which isn't very, before he gathers up the delinquent Swadloon with a sigh.]

I'm really sorry about that....

Um. ...Is that something that happens a lot, though?

[Dozer jumps in at this point to scream that she wasn't sleepwalking she was a hideous zombie.]

Only when I lose my...

[Jinxie reaches up to her forehead.]

...my charm! Where is it? Oh no, this isn't good...

...Your what?

[Dozer did you eat it]

Can I help you look? It's probably my fault it got lost somewhere...

Uh-huh. I need to wear it all the time to keep from being possessed, so it's very important.

W-Wha... Really?

[Lucas seems surprised. Dozer mumbles something about how she really is an undead monster see.]

W-Why are you possessed? What are you possessed by? ...It's not your Pokemon, is it?

No, Dokuro can't do stuff like that.

[Look at him, so innocent with his adorable little skull face.]

I'm not sure. I just know when I fall asleep without my charm on, I sleepwalk and say strange things.

Um...

[Lucas pauses awkwardly at this point.]

Maybe... you should have someone look at that. I mean, if you really are being Cursed by a ghost, that's not something you should just hope goes away...

[It sounded vaguely psychosomatic though. Not that Lucas knows what psychosomatic means.]

A-Anyway, we'll help you look. What does your charm look like?

[Yup, completely psychosomatic. Jinxie's just weird.]

M-maybe... I have a friend who might be able to help. I think.

[But yes, changes of topic are good.]

It's a rectangular piece of paper with writing on it.

[That sounds like every piece of paper Lucas has ever seen, but...]

OK. If you fell asleep around here, it can't have gone far, right?

...Dozer!

Come over here and help us look.

It should look kind of like this, except with different markings.

[Thankfully, Jinxie's always got some charms up her sleeve, so she shows him one.]

Dokuro, did you find it yet?

[Dozer shuffles along the ground and doesn't help look more than it stares suspiciously at Jinxie as if expecting her to try to attack Lucas at any moment. The rest of the street has largely returned to life by now, and with the exception of a few people missing their lunches, they've returned to their business.

Weird things happened sometimes in a city of Pokemon.]

Maybe you should keep a few of the same on you, just in case...

That one is special, though. It's not like the other ones. Papa made it for me.

[Which is the other reason she's so worried about it.]

Ohh...

[Lucas suddenly understands. ...He searches a little harder now as he scours as much of the street as he can.]

...'loon.

Huh?

[Dozer has returned to its cache of food. There is a piece of paper stuck to some jam.]

...................Um. Is that -- ....

My charm!

[Yep, looks like they found it. The jam is a little unfortunate, though.]

I wonder if I can clean it off...

H-How did that...

[Never mind. He doesn't really want to know.]

I'm sorry about the sleeping. ...And the charm. .......And the jam. Um. Is there anything I can do to make it up...?

[Jinxie shakes her head, sticking the charm back to her head. The jam aids in this endeavor.

...She'll wash her face when she gets home.]

No, it's okay. You helped me look for it, that's enough.

[Lucas stares at Jinxie for a few moments after she's finished applying her charm.

......OK then.]

Well - I'll make sure Dozer doesn't do anything like that again.

[Dozer whistles innocently.]

I guess Dozer was a better nickname than I thought...

But, um -- if you want to stop by the Medical Center sometime, maybe some of the doctors can run some tests. I think we have some Ghost experts around...

Can doctors really do something about possession?

It can't hurt to try, right?

I mean, we do have people who are Cursed by Ghosts sometimes, and they come out OK. There might be something they can do for you, too.

I'm not really an expert on that type of thing, but I think it might be worth trying.

I guess I could try.

Well... Let me know how it goes, then.

[Lucas smiles.]

My name is Lucas, by the way. It's nice to meet you.

I'm Jinxie. Nice to meet you, Lucas.

OK -- I have to run, now, but please do let me know if things go well!

[Lucas will smile and nod before scooping up Dozer and turning away with a wave.

......

An awkward turn back, a scooping up of all the trash Dozer had left behind, and now he is gone for real.]

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