Wishingmist Falls

[Jackie Cat]

There are places in every part of the world that lie outside the imaginings of those that live far from them. In truth, there are countless real vistas that would sound like a half-remembered dream to the unfamiliar. Look up! Open your eyes! See the uncounted majesties of the earth.

Wishingmist Falls would be a more well-traveled dungeon if it were easier to get to. Instead, its cascading waters are perched high atop the mountains in the northernmost part of the Lucre Confederacy, fed from hidden springs that bubble up through cracks in the rock. Some falls are so tall that they pass through multiple levels of the dungeon before one can spot their origin or end. Wild 'mon here tend to be fae, fish, or in flight, with the apex of the local foodchain certainly being the local altaria, gyarados, and dragonite that roost in the highest levels.

The real allure of Wishingmist, aside from the numerous rainbows that dance across its spans, is in its namesake. Legend states that the first dragon lord was born from the dungeon’s waters, having climbed to its top by ascending the many waterfalls like a ladder to the heavens. The myth has carried on to present day, claiming any person who can ascend to the very peak of the Falls will have their wish granted. This peak is hard to make out from below, as it is generally obscured by the thick mists that form from the spray of countless waterfalls.

Although the trek to the top proves to be too treacherous for many adventurers, the lower falls remain a popular attraction for Lucre's braver and bolder youths – those willing to risk unsure footing and narrow cliff-side pathways in exchange for a chance at lower-grade good fortune, or just a chance to share the dungeon's beautiful sights with a partner or two they wish to court. The pools that form at the lowest levels are filled with the tributes of such adventurous youth, who leave them in exchange for their experiences, and for any river pearls or dungeon-gilt they take home with them.

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Many thanks to @Panoramic_Vacuum for her help with the writeup!

 

[Shadow Serenity]

When Alex had gone to sleep, he'd been thoroughly exhausted. His squad had spent the better part of the afternoon investigating a ghost citing far too close to home for comfort, though the ensuing battle had not been one of the more difficult ones they'd endured. All things considered, a successful rescue mission. That had just left the cleanup and making sure the little town they'd come to defend was still standing; that was the tiring part.

Getting off his feet for the day was something Alex looked forward to. And he wasn't alone in that; Kimiko had crawled into bed and fallen asleep before he'd had the chance to ponder dinner. It was late anyway; with a shrug, Alex crawled in behind her, pulled up the covers, threw his arm around her, and remembered nothing after that save his girlfriend's voice calling his name.

When he next awoke, there was no soreness, no hunger; in fact, he felt like he'd just gotten the best sleep he'd had in months. It was almost too refreshing- no, wait, even before opening his eyes, he knew he needed to cut off that thought then and there. Now they've got me paranoid.

And yet...

Something was wrong - even if that something was not what he'd first imagined. The sound of running water, perhaps? Had he started a shower last night before bed and forgot? Sounded pretty loud for a shower, though. Surely he'd remember that. Opening his eye a crack revealed two different - yet equally startling - puzzles. One, Kimiko was not by his side. Two... was that dirt?

Awareness hit him all at once as he opened his eyes and heaved himself upright, everything from his new, unfamiliar surroundings to his new, unfamiliar body. His first instinct was 'dream' but wrote that off almost immediately. If there was one thing he'd learned from reading, it was that 'it was all a dream' was still the worst possible ending in most cases.

His second thought was, 'I wonder if I can battle with myself?' and immediately shocked himself with a small-but-uncontrolled outburst like a bloody newborn pichu. Not what I meant. He cast about for a proper target, only then realizing he wasn't alone. Servine was not particularly weak to electricity, and would therefore be reasonably safe to test his strength against... if he could be sure it wouldn't fight back. He didn't feel particularly powerful; then again, he was used to gauging skill and strength from afar. He'd never been a pokemon himself before, so what did he know?

He entertained a momentary notion of how he might politely ask to start zapping the grass snake, but the longer he stared, the more it sunk in that something was wrong. The servine didn't look hurt, exactly, but it wasn't moving... and, more importantly, had a shockingly familiar necklace around its throat.

The notion was absurd... but no more absurd than he was finding himself right now. With an abundance of caution and the hope that somehow, the 'mon opposite him might understand him, he called out to her. "Kimiko?"

---

The sound of her name from a familiar voice roused the servine from her... state of unconsciousness? She didn't remember falling asleep, the last thing she recalled was something absolutely dreadful happening on the mesa...

Speaking of, she felt awful. Which was noteworthy because that had arguably been her best battle performance so far, and she hadn't even felt tired afterwards! Why did she feel like she'd gone seven rounds against zapdos?

It was a struggle to even lift herself into a halfway upright position, her head ringing and yet alarmingly silent at the same time. She mentally called out to Bee, and then to any other Wayfarer within range (which, theoretically, should have been all of them, right?), and got aching silence in return. Opening her eyes revealed a drastic change in scenery, complete with a bewildered elekid staring at her as if mesmerized.

"Shoo," Kimiko urged, weakly waving a vine at the 'mon - ugh, why was simply moving so difficult? The elekid did not flee, however. Before Kimiko could consider the possibility of it being a feral, it spoke her name again, and left her no room for doubt as to who had spoken. His gaze did not reach her eyes (big surprise there) but only when her tiny leafy hands crossed and came into contact with her necklace did she realize that must be what had his attention.

And then the realization of him being there in front of her really sunk in. It had to be. It recognized her necklace. It sounded like him. It knew her name! And last thing she knew, she'd been on Forlas, far from any malevolent ghosts wishing to conjure up some cruel trickery. The urge to lunge and tackle him to the ground in a constricting hug was strong, but stronger still was her confusion. "Wh- how are you here? Why are you here?! Not that I'm not happy to see you, but... how?"

"Where is here?" Alex - for that's the only person he could be - asked in reply. He gestured vaguely to the large waterfalls nearby and the sparkling rainbow effect they were producing. "Not that here isn't lovely, but... I don't recall falling asleep in mud. What's going on?"

Kimiko paused, overwhelmed and paralyzed by a waterfall of emotion and the question of where even to begin to explain what she'd been doing for the last... however long it had been. Would Alex have even noticed the passage of time?

"Do you remember... years ago, that day in the lab, when we were studying the beautifly? And I asked if you'd still love me if I was a wurmple?"

The elekid rolled his eyes in an unmistakably Alex-like way. "Uh huh...."

Kimiko waved her vines over herself. "Well, um... surpriiiise?"

"...babe, I'm gonna need more context."

 

[Cresselia92]

Of all the places they could have stranded to after that attack from those strange otherworldly creatures (were they Pokémon, again?), Kotone was glad that they ended up in Gateport. The city was beautiful; the sea was clean; the coos of wild Wingull were such a delightful tune. Under any other circumstance, she surely would have been out there snapping photos and having some fun with Lapis — her Marill never missed the chance of playing by the beach and floating aimlessly on the sea, carried around by the waves.

Instead, she was there. Sitting by Silver’s side, in the hospital, waiting for him to open his eyes. He looked fine. He had recovered fine. Then why wasn’t he waking up?

Kotone reached out for his hand and held it tight. It felt warm, comforting, yet so distant. She quietly wondered if he would have snapped at her or something for her gesture — he was always such a grump when it came to physical touches! Gosh, that would have been a nice reprieve from his infinite silence!

Exhaustion swept over her — keeping constant watch of him was definitely taking its toll — and she rested her head on her crossed arms, still holding onto his hand. She watched him sleep, her eyes still shining with relenting hope despite their situation.

“Wake up,” she whispered as she started her descent into unconsciousness. “I want to see you awake again…”

---

Water. That was the first sound that reached her ears when she shook off most of her slumber. Which, well, made sense, since she was close to the sea. It would be weird to not hear water by the sea!

However, it sounded… much closer than she remembered when she fell asleep. And louder, oh, so much louder! Almost as if she could hear every single drop of water splashing and joining together and dripping from walls and…

…Hold on. Was she lying on the floor? Did she fall during her sleep or something? Hm, seemed like it. It wouldn’t be the first time, either.

Lyra opened her tired eyes and blinked repeatedly to clear her vision. So, she saw… rocks. Yep, a lot of rocks, and waterfalls, and stalagmites, and—wait a sec! That wasn’t the hospital anymore! It seemed a cave, but when and how did she end up there?

Did she sleepwalk there or something? Were there caves close to Gateport? Perhaps she should check her location on her Pokégear…

…which was gone, alongside her belt, and her bag, and her clothes, and why did she feel fur brushing underneath her fingers?

If there was any lingering trace of tiredness, it was now poof, gone! Lyra held out her hand to her face — no, it was a paw now. A brown paw with a pink pad on its palm. She was staring at a brown paw that responded to her impulses. It was definitely hers.

Shocked by this new wave of strange events, Lyra dragged… scrambled… well, moved toward a nearby pond. What she saw staring at her was a bunny Pokémon with pink tufts in the tips of her ears. The amazed round brown eyes stared back at her, while her new nose twitched with curiosity.

“Oh my gosh!!” she cried out, her new paws instantly covering her mouth. “That’s me?! I’m…!”

Lyra was silent for exactly two seconds and a half before she let out a thrilled squeal. She got her face closer to the water to check every new detail of her new body. She focused on her ears, and yep! They twitched and rolled just as she desired! Awesome!

“Sooo cute! And this fur is,” she pressed her new paws against her new pink ‘skirt’ and squeaked again, “so soft and fluffy!” The now-Buneary ruffled her pink fur, and her eyes widened in awe when tiny glitters floated around her pelt. “Oooooh, sparkles~!!”

Lyra had no clue how that was possible, but golly! That was like one of her bizarre dreams coming true! She always wondered how it felt like to be a Pokémon — even though she often saw herself more as a Marill, Chikorita or Eevee — but now she could literally LARP as one! Oooh, if only Ethan and Kris could see her now! What would they think? What would they turn into?

Still, thinking about that weirdness led to questions. “Okay, so, where am I, exactly?”

As soon as she formed that question, a word floated in the front of her mind: Forlas. Okay, good, next question: What was she doing before all of this happened? She was at the hospital, taking care of Silver, and…

“Silver.”

Now overwhelmed with worry, Lyra looked frantically around. But other than the rocks and the cries of distant Pokémon, she was all alone, lost in some unknown cave in Forlas. Her mind raced to make a sense out of everything.

“Let’s see, err… If I’m here, then maaaybe Silver is here, too? Somewhere in these caves?” She gasped, panic flooding her heart as the thought of his sleeping form shook her core. “Is he okay?!”

Lyra reached out for her ribboned hat, glad that at least one thing from her homeland was still with her, and wore the now oversized garment on her head.

“I gotta find him!”

Burning with fresh resolve, Lyra hopped through the corridors of the cavern, crying out Silver’s name aloud to the dark corners of that unknown world.

 

[Namohysip]

"Welcome to Forlas."

That was the greeting Mhynt, the Sceptile, offered as she hobbled closer to the team. "A world where humans don't exist in form, but have no problem becoming Pokemon, apparently..."

A Sceptile that seemed to speak perfect English -- or Unovan, depending on the world of origin. She wore a cross frown on her face and an exhausted look in her eyes. She was glad there was still sun to get energy from, since at the moment, all she wanted was to lay back, plant herself halfway in the ground, and drink the sun for a little while.

Even if she felt burned from the recent encounter.

Her shadow bubbled faintly. It seemed Owen, too, was still recovering.

"Hnnnnnh..."

"Hm?" Mhynt glanced left. Floating in a bubble of water, looking distressed, confused, and concerned, was a Feebas. An incredibly ugly thing that was like a drop of mud in crystal-clear water. She stuck her face out of the bubble and said in a gravely voice, "Owen? Where is... Owen?"

Mhynt blinked, slowly putting the pieces together.

Oh, this is going to be awkward.

Owen decided not to show up for now. One thing at a time.

"Owen is fine," Mhynt said. "You must be... Zena."

The Feebas' sunken eyes turned to Mhynt. Her blinks were... squishy and audible.

"I think we should gather ourselves up," Mhynt announced to Kimiko. "If we're here, that was luck: I think we need to find a few others, too. I can't seem to get into contact with our network... and something about the way everyone is speaking feels different."

 

[Shadow Serenity]

"Welcome to Forlas."

That was the greeting Mhynt, the Sceptile, offered as she hobbled closer to the team. "A world where humans don't exist in form, but have no problem becoming Pokemon, apparently..."

At the sound of a new voice, Alex turned to find a towering sceptile approaching. She didn't sound hostile, but Alex was quite unused to being this small, and just like that, a new fear was born! (Not that he truly expected the sceptile to step on and squish him flat, but man, was it an unnerving thought.)

Fears aside, she offered an explanation that Kimiko had not. (The question of talking pokemon was surprisingly easy to label as 'ask again later' and bury in this moment; he hadn't considered it at all when Kimiko replied to him.) Though he'd never heard the name before (Forlas certainly did not exist back home, as far as he knew), he was sure she was correct. A quick and to-the-point summary which still left plenty of room for missing context, but for the moment it looked like that was all he was going to get.

"That's Mhynt," Kimiko's tired voice offered as she slithered up beside him. "I... don't recognize that one, though," she added, gesturing at the feebas before looking back down at Alex. "I guess it's not an unreasonable leap to assume that more than just you are, uh... newly arrived here. ...Wherever here is."

"...You don't know?" Alex asked, skeptical.

Kimiko looked at him with tired eyes - even in her new form, he recognized that expression. "Long story. We weren't... here," she gestured vaguely at their surroundings, "moments ago. I think we're still in Forlas, but... it's not a part of it that I recognize."

Burning with fresh resolve, Lyra hopped through the corridors of the cavern, crying out Silver’s name aloud to the dark corners of that unknown world.

"I think we should gather ourselves up," Mhynt announced to Kimiko. "If we're here, that was luck: I think we need to find a few others, too. I can't seem to get into contact with our network... and something about the way everyone is speaking feels different."

"Beetle's been silent for me, too," Kimiko confirmed. "I feel it too; something just feels wrong, and I can't put my leaf on it. I don't want to assume the worst, but I wond-"

"Then don't," Alex interrupted. "Standing around here won't solve anything, will it? Let's get going. Try to find this Beetle and Owen."

"Owen's here, actually," Kimiko noted with a quick glance down towards Mhynt's shadow. "Again, long story. I promise I'll fill you in later. Did any of you hear that voice? It doesn't sound like anyone I know, but if they're calling for Silver, it could be our Silver. I'm thinking we start in that direction and go from there."

Content to let the more savy adventurers take the reins here, Alex simply nodded, but then hesitantly turned towards the feebas. Appearance notwithstanding, the squishy blinks were... something else. "Uh... you need a lift?"

 

[Cresselia92]

Oh wow, that cavern was so mesmerizing! The way the light reflected on the damp and smooth walls in long, ever-moving azure waves, and coupled with the soothing melodies of—(( !! NOISE !! ))

Lyra froze. Nostrils flared up to take in a plethora of unknown scents. Ears bolted upright and swiveled in all directions, knocking her hat over her face, like twin parabolas sorting out sounds for any sign of danger. The Buneary hastily snatched her hat into her paws and looked around in a frenzy, now on high alert.

There was bubbling, waves on a nearby pond, and splash! A Finneon jumped out of the water, its tail glittering in the faint light, and dove back into the liquid.

…Yep. That was it. Yet another false alarm.

Lyra sighed and plopped her hat back on her head, her ears poking from both sides. “Goodness gracious! Is that how prey Pokémon live every single day?” she mused, rubbing her cheeks and nose to soothe her excited nerves. “No wonder they’re often stressed out and jumpy! Gotta give Lapis extra hugs and treats when I return home!”

Once she had calmed herself enough, Lyra resumed her search, her hops swift and agile.

While she was very determined to find her crush Silver before some hostile wild Pokémon found him, there was just a tiny, barely relevant detail she hadn’t considered in her haste: she had no idea what Silver had been turned to. As far as he knew, he could have been transformed into some fish and was resting in the depths of one of those thousands expanses of water, and Buneary were terrible swimmers!

But she couldn’t give up! She knew he was somewhere, and she was going to find him, no matter what! So she began calling again, waiting for her voice to bounce on the walls of the gigantic cavern and, hopefully, receive some answer back. She dove into another path, raised one ear, and—(( !! NOISE !! ))

Before her new instincts blocked her again, Lyra shook her head to focus and swiveled her ear in that direction, her nose twitching analytically. No, that noise was different, less grating to her hyper-hearing. It was… they were… voices.

Lyra clapped her paws enthusiastically, an immense relief washing over her. “Oh my gosh! People! Or, well, talking creatures! Maybe they live here, or they’re friendly, and they could help!”

Energized by this new discovery, the Buneary bolted toward the voices. By the stars and heavens, she wasn’t alone anymore!

 

[Butterfree]

Jean woke up from a comfortable haze, feeling a little funny in some way she couldn't quite put her finger on. Her ear twitched at a buzzing of insects, the sound of running water.

She was lying in grass. Grass? She was outside. Her eyes snapped open, hands flailing to feel the ground she was on, and immediately something felt different. Up into her field of vision and--

Paws. Real Vulpix paws. And if she crossed her eyes, she could see an actual Vulpix snout. She scrambled to her feet with strange new instincts, looking around at herself. She'd turned into a real, perfectly normal Vulpix! And she'd been transported to some strange and beautiful new world, one that she felt certain was named Forlas. It was just like in the Mystery Dungeon books, where kids that everyone underestimated would wake up in a wonderful new world of talking Pokémon, where they would discover their true talents, forge powerful friendships, and save the planet! She let out a squeal of delight.

Was this a dream? In books, people would always pinch themselves to make sure. But she wasn't sure how to do that with Vulpix paws. She looked around for a moment, at the water cascading down the rocks and flowing by in a spring. Maybe, if she was a real Vulpix, now she was super-weak to Water? She dipped one paw in and felt a cool sting. Nothing horrible, but it was probably enough to prove it wasn't a dream, right? How hard were you supposed to pinch yourself? She wasn't sure, but she was a bit bored of this anyway. She was a Vulpix! She was itching to see what she could do, not just sit here trying to make sure it was real. (Her dad talked a lot about the importance of distinguishing what was real, but Jean only sometimes entirely followed what he was talking about.)

She took a deep breath - some strange, tingling memory of alarm came with it, but she couldn't place it - and then exhaled it in a way that felt right, and--

Well, she imagined a huge plume of fire, but it was more of a little burst. But still! She was breathing fire, for real! This was the best thing ever. She giggled in delight, jumping in her new lithe body and trying to strike a cool pose as she landed. It was a bit clumsy but she'd work on it!

If only Will were here too. He'd get to be a real Meowth, and no one would even be mean to him. But she didn't see him anywhere. Was there anyone else? In the Mystery Dungeon books, the hero always woke up with a partner who'd become their best friend. Will would still be her best friend, but maybe here she could make a Pokémon best friend.

"Hello?" she called, bouncing up onto the rocks. "Is there anyone here? I'm Jean and I'm from another world!"

 

[Namohysip]

Mhynt waved casually, but then turned her attention back to the initial pair.

"Owen is here?" Feebas asked. "Where? That makes more sense, I--I had a feeling he'd be here? Or at least, I felt him calling out to me..."

Mhynt, I don't know how long we can keep this up.

Well, we are keeping it up for a little longer.

"Owen is resting," Mhynt lied. "But I'm... sure he'll be happy to--"

"Oh! Mhynt! I almost didn't recognize you," the Feebas said.

"...You... know me." She shook her head.

Then, Jean's voice caught her attention. She waved, surprised at how everyone seemed to be speaking the same--or, close enough--language for the most part.

"This way," she called.

Jean? That... sounds familiar, but... mm. I don't think I ever met a Jean...

"Do you happen to know who might also be here?" Mhynt asked. "We seem to be coming in pairs." She glanced at the Feebas. "Mostly. My name is Mhynt."

"I am Zena," the Feebas in the bubble of floating water said before dipping back inside. She kept part of her body against the edge of the bubble to hear the air.

 

[Shadow Serenity]

"Owen is resting," Mhynt lied. "But I'm... sure he'll be happy to--"

Kimiko shot Mhynt a mild, curious glance, but kept quiet; she already feared she'd let slip something she shouldn't have, and that thought was only reinforced by the sceptile's continued hesitation, even despite the feebas apparently expecting to see Owen.

"I'm sure we could all use a little rest," Alex offered, sensing something amiss but being entirely clueless. "The two of you, at least, look like death." Another subtle questioning look.

"Later," Kimiko insisted quietly as another voice reached her - different than the first. So that was two others within shouting distance, possibly three if Silver himself was nearby, too. As much as Kimiko wanted to get moving and figure out where the blazes they all were, it made sense to hold still long enough for the voices to gather in one spot... assuming they were friendly and/or also lost. This Jean, at least, seemed keenly aware of how she was in another world. Curious, but perhaps she'd done this sort of thing before.

"Kimiko," the servine said, mostly for Zena's benefit. She glanced down at the silent elekid, to find him staring in Zena's direction. The feebas was doing that floating-water-bubble thing that she'd seen Kari's lumineon doing once. Kimiko bit back a flash of frustration; it took forever to train Ariel how to pick that trick up, even with her touch of psychic powers. Then again, she reminded herself, beings summoned to Forlas managed to adapt to their new forms with surprising ease; herself being the most obvious and irrefutable evidence. That settled the bubbling annoyance enough to swallow.

"And that's Alex," she added upon focusing back on the present, the elekid glancing back towards the conversation upon hearing his name. "As for who might be here... well, this one's mine." She extended a vine and pat Alex on the head, drawing a grimace onto his face. "And I dearly hope he's the only one drawn here from my world. I also swore I'd heard someone calling for Silver, so we can probably safely assume whoever that was is an ally. I don't know a Jean, however; we'll have to ask her. Assuming both of them with their... partners, that makes four? But then... where did everyone else go? I was right next to Odette, and I don't see her anywhere. I know Koa was nearby, and weren't Archie and Nova with you?"

Alex shot her another look. "Your... our world? How many others here do you already know?"

"...That isn't even half of them."

 

[Cresselia92]

"Hello?" she called, bouncing up onto the rocks. "Is there anyone here? I'm Jean and I'm from another world!"

The new voice made Lyra stop on her tracks, ears twitching and eyes blinking in bewilderment. There was someone else from another world? Was it her own? Also, that Jean wasn’t speaking Tojohnese, but Galarish. Unovan variant, from what she could tell.

Quickly dusting off the language skills she had mastered in Gateport, Lyra was about to reply when…

"This way," she called.

Oh! That was where all those other voices came from, and it was an entirely different direction! Thankfully it didn’t sound too far, but she still couldn’t judge distances properly with her new heightened hearing.

Lyra tapped her chin as she looked back and forth at the two different ways, gauging her options. The lone voice was much closer to her than the others, so maybe it would have been best to find the solitary, if not lost, Jean before uniting with the group that was gathered somewhere else. After that, she could have inquired with the others about Silver’s whereabouts, assuming he wasn’t with them already. If not, well, they could have figured something out.

With a decision taken and a few speedy leaps — wow, Buneary’s legs were so springy and athletic, she loved that! — Lyra reached the location of the lone otherworldly wanderer and spotted the unusual presence: a Vulpix, definitely not a species normally found in damp and cold caverns, just like Buneary weren’t. Lyra had no doubts about it: that was the girl from another world. Was she another human who had been turned into a Pokémon by the Deity with the Golden Voice?

Well! There was only one way to know for sure: time to make a new friend in a new world!

“Hi there!” she greeted as she hopped closer to the other Pokémon, waving a paw enthusiastically while holding her hat with her other paw. The Buneary stopped at a short distance from the Vulpix, beaming her most fluorescent smile. “Nice to meet another traveler from another world! I’m Lyra~!”

Lyra… there was something strange about the way she pronounced her name. It kinda didn’t sound like how she always spelled it but it still felt like her own? Probably an oddity of Forlas or something, but she didn’t mind that at all. If anything, she personally found it very cute!