Mokou Quest 3: Homecoming

[capt. h]

>"Go after her, Cirno! She's friends with you, but is she friends with Explody yet?"

>Our first instinct is to throw Kaguya under the bus, and that has served us well in the past, but I think it's less useful now that we are actually collecting her affection points. With that in mind,
>Belay Laserturtle's command.

> You?re relationship with Kaguya is already confusing enough for that girl; you think blowing her up might hurt your attempts to seduce her.

> You wonder what her problem is. You happen to like a little kink in a relationship.

>"Nue, what do you think a voltorb eats?"

> ?It looks like a pokeball; maybe it eats pokemon? Swallows them whole?? Nue says.

> ?That?s what I do,? Haunter says. ?Say, Kaguya mentioned having a Clefairy-?

> ?No,? you say, cutting him off. This is probably a question for the pokedex.

>"Cirno, Explody needs to go back into its pokeball. And stay there, until we get into battle with the enemy."

> ?Um? Explody really does not like his pokeball?? Cirno says, hesitating, as she takes a ball from her bag. The voltorb sparks as she aims the ball towards the pokemon. ?Now, don?t be like that, Mokou?s just worried you might blow up in her face, alright??

> The voltorb turns to glare at you, making an electronic noise that you roughly equate to a growl.

> ?So I?m going to put you back in your ball, alright?? Cirno says. The voltorb discharges a second time, jolting the ice fairy.

> ?Cirno, maybe you should bring Explody outside for this,? Eirin suggests.

> ?Oh no, I?m sure it will be fine, Explody?s just a little grumpy is all,? Cirno says.

> You are starting to appreciate Kaguya?s apprehensions about Explody.

>_

[O4rfish]

>"Cirno, you're going to put Explody in his ball. Now."
>Go find Kaguya and help her calm down.

[capt. h]

>"Cirno, you're going to put Explody in his ball. Now."

> Cirno looks at you, then at Explody. She shrugs, issuing the command, ?Return!?

> Everything goes white. The white slowly dims away, as the room returns to focus. You hear a high pitch ringing, and little else as you note Cirno?s voltorb is passed out in a small crater where Cirno?s spot at the table used to be. You see a large puddle where Cirno was sitting out of your good left eye, your right eye not working at the moment. Behind the puddle the wall?s been skewered with about a dozen large chunks of ice. Reisen is dazed but apparently unhurt, hiding under the table in the fetal position.

> Frowning, you pick up Explody?s ball and place the living grenade in the ball yourself. You?ll need to have a word with Cirno if she has this little control over the monster.

>Go find Kaguya and help her calm down.

> You are very annoyed at the moment. You think helping Kaguya calm down would not be a bad idea. Although you aren?t exactly sure where she would go. You guess she might go to her computer room if she was done talking for the night, unless she wanted to turn in early?

> You do no wonder for very long, as opening the door to the dining room, you find yourself face to face with her. You can?t hear a word she?s saying, but the grin she?s failing to hide as she says it annoys you.

>_

[O4rfish]

>"I can't hear you Your Highness, but it probably isn't safe here."
>Pick up Kaguya.
>"Excuse me Princess. Let's get you somewhere safe."
>Abduct the princess!

[capt. h]

>"I can't hear you Your Highness, but it probably isn't safe here."
>Pick up Kaguya.
>"Excuse me Princess. Let's get you somewhere safe."
>Abduct the princess!

> You heave the princess over your shoulder in spite of her kicks, waiver to Eirin with your free hand (the doctor sitting completely motionless, eyes transfixed on Explody’s crater), and steal the princess.

> You idly wonder how long it will take for Cirno to “rescue” her. With Nue being forced along as the comic relief character. One day you should really talk to Cirno about pigeonholing all her allies into role-playing game archetypes (something she must have picked up from Kaguya) before Nue tries to kill her. Though you do admit the traitor role is one Nue was born to fill, given her abilities. And personality. And color scheme.

> You contemplate fading to black until morning, by which time hopefully the ringing in your ears will go away. There isn’t much more that needs to be done at Eientei besides plotting a course of action. Galactic’s base is directly above the Moriya shrine, seated upon Kanako’s “Mountain of Faith”, as a fair number of non-believers not named Sanae like to call it. You would think it’d be hard to not believe in a god you’ve had tea with, but from what you’ve heard the Scarlet’s have done a wonderful job of it. A glance towards the mountain makes it obvious that a storm is brewing above it, centered much too perfectly and conveniently to be natural.

> Travelling via Sinnoh takes you through a much less inhabited range of mountain, bitterly cold and infested with dragons if the 3 you and your companions caught are any indication.

>_

[O4rfish]

>Let's put Kaguya in her bedroom.
>"I'm going to find somewhere to sleep. In the morning we can decide where to go."

[capt. h]

>Let's put Kaguya in her bedroom.
>"I'm going to find somewhere to sleep. In the morning we can decide where to go."

> Your hearing begins to come back, as you can almost make out Kaguya saying something about a guest room down the hall. She?s frowning, with one eyebrow bent up.

> You decide to throw all caution into the wind and actually take her up on her offer (if for no other reason than this day has already dragged on far too long). Yeah, could get you killed, but that?s pretty routine after the thousandth time. You chuckle a bit, realizing that a thousand is much too conservative after this many centuries.

>?

> You wake up the next morning to Cirno bouncing on your stomach. She has your bag in one hand, and the pokeballs containing your pokemon are on the floor next to her.

> ?Up and at ?em!? Cirno says. ?It?s not like the end of the world will wait for us!?

> You are surprised you were not stabbed in the night. You feel refreshed. Fighting your temptation to melt Cirno, a glance outside shows a cloudy day, except immediately around Utsuho?s sun. Whether the clouds near Utsuho are being deliberately kept at bay or that?s a natural effect of the mini-sun you can only guess. Although you cannot see the original sun through the clouds, the fact that the clouds are lit across the horizon instead light only radiating outwards from Utsuho?s sun indicates it is currently dawn. That would give you a couple hours of true sunlight before the sun passes behind Sinnoh.

>_

[O4rfish]

>Wonder if there are parallel universes where Cirno is cute.

[capt. h]

>Wonder if there are parallel universes where Cirno is cute.

> No. You cannot imagine such a universe right now. Maybe you?d feel differently after a cup of coffee.

> You strongly consider melting the brat, right here, right now, and continuing without her. Kaguya might thank you, which would be terrible, but at least it would get Cirno out of your hair.

>_

[O4rfish]

>"Cirno. I need a fried English breakfast. Does Eientei have black pudding?"
>Try to get up.

[capt. h]

>"Cirno. I need a fried English breakfast. Does Eientei have black pudding?"

> ?Um? is that like chocolate pudding?? Cirno asks.

> You doubt Cirno could find England on a map, let alone tell you what an English breakfast is.

>Try to get up.

> You push Cirno off your chest and stand upright, starting the morning with a small yawn and a big stretch.

>_

[O4rfish]

>"How about natto and rice with tea then?"
>What do we typically do during the morning?

[capt. h]

>"How about natto and rice with tea then?"

> ?Ew?? Cirno says. ?Yeah, they have that.?

>What do we typically do during the morning?

> You don?t admit it to Keine, but your typical morning involves you standing up after a night of sleeping under the stars, regardless of whether said stars happen to be visible. You have accidentally drowned yourself in your sleep/buried yourself alive this way once; immortals should never sleep anywhere that could ever have a mudslide. You chalked that one up half to naivety, half to longevity; anything that can go wrong will go wrong if you live long enough. And no, there is no breakfast in this routine; left to your own devices, you often neglect yourself to an extreme that Keine finds downright disturbing.

> If you?re sleeping in Keine?s cottage (this happens frequently; Keine doesn?t like letting you neglect yourself), your routine involves a hearty breakfast, a shower, and a set of clean clothes. Keine is very adamant about the breakfast issue.

> (Would you like to skip the descriptions of breakfast, showering, and finding clothes and skip ahead to your party being packed up and taking the first step out of Eientei?)

>_

[O4rfish]

>Y

[Dumanios]

>Skip scene.

[capt. h]

>Y

>Skip scene.

> Fed and clean, you say your goodbyes and depart Eientei. By some miracle, Cirno is not a puddle. You currently have Nue, Cirno, and Kaguya traveling with you.

> You look up at the large storm obscuring the peak of Youkai Mountain. You believe your destination is immediately above Youkai Mountain.

> You debate how you want to get there. Flying halfway between the worlds would leave you blind due to the think cloud cover. Going via Gensokyo means meeting up with the Moriya shrine gods and their army, which could be a good thing considering your plans. Then you?d have to ascend through the eye of the storm.

> If you go to Sinnoh then across to the Galactic base, you doubt you?ll meet anyone friendly. In fact, you doubt you?ll meet very many people at all on the route; the weather on the Coronet mountain range is much less forgiving than Youkai Mountain?s. Although there will probably be a few more pokemon on Coronet than in Gensokyo.

>_

[O4rfish]

I think we should go via Youkai Mountain.

[capt. h]

I think we should go via Youkai Mountain.

> You decide to go via Youkai Mountain.

> Your hike is uneventful, although annoying due to the company you keep. As you approach the base of the mountain, you start to be pelted by hail. This is more irritating that anything, the wind is light and the visibility isn?t all that bad under the cloudline; you could easily fly in this weather. The fact that no one is flying is suspicious; you?ve seen crow tengu guards scouting from the skies in much worse weather than this during times of peace, let alone the apocalypse that faces them now.

> The easiest way up the mountain is via the road by the river. You?ll pass through the Kappa village, followed by the crow village. You are approaching the Kappa village; the layout reminds you a bit of the Shire from ?Lord of the Rings?: underground homes built into the hillside with great wooden doors, lined along both sides of the river. All the houses face the river, as though it?s the village?s main throughway. The first house?s mailbox states it?s occupant as ?Nitori Kawashiro?, unlike the other houses it has a respectable entranceway facing the main road in addition to one facing the river opposite the house. You know she has a strong interest in technology and significant engineering skills, she and Keine have consulted each other on several technologies that have wormed their way into Gensokyo such as the Internet and Cell Phones.

>_

[O4rfish]

>"Should we see if Nitori's home?"
>Knock on her door.

[capt. h]

>"Should we see if Nitori's home?"
>Knock on her door.

> You knock on Nitori?s door.

> After a moment of silence, you hear someone yell, ?I?m coming, I?m coming.? This is followed by a loud crash and a thump.

> ?Are you alright?? Cirno asks.

> Nitori yawns, ?Yeah, fine,? as she opens the door. She has large bags under her eyes, and she?s slouching in a stained sweat suit, minus her trademark hat. The room behind her is filled with computers, pokeballs, and spell circles.

> ?Oh, hello Kaguya,? she says. ?And you?re with Mokou. Huh. Anyway, Kaguya, I?m putting all your orders on hold. Have some massive Moriya security contracts and the like. You know, fate of the religion and all that.? She adds with a chuckle, ?Fate of the world too, but my clients consider that secondary.?

> ?Aw, I was so looking forward to 3G. Are you sure you can?t put this saving the world thing off?? Kaguya says, half-jokingly.

> ?Afraid so,? Nitori yawns, with a slight grin. She asks Kaguya, ?Eh, wanna come in for coffee? Catch up on events? I really need a coffee break right now.?

>_

[O4rfish]

>Kaguya: "Sorry, I can't. Helping Mokou save the world is much more important than catching up with friends other than Mokou. N-Not that Mokou and I are friends!"

[capt. h]

>Kaguya: "Sorry, I can't. Helping Mokou save the world is much more important than catching up with friends other than Mokou. N-Not that Mokou and I are friends!"

> ?Being friends with Mokou is hardly anything to be embarrassed about,? Nitori says. ?I doubt even Aya would care if two grannies started meeting for tea.?

> ?Good luck,? Nitori yawns. ?The Moriya Shrine declared the whole mountain a no fly zone. Can?t get into details, ya know, non-disclosure agreements, everything is need to know, blah blah blah.?

> You?ve decided there?s little reason to stick around here, you are in a hurry to save the world. You don?t think the no fly zone will be a big deal seeing as the road to Moriya was built with non-fliers in mind. The next destination would be the tengu village, if you decide to continue up Youkai mountain.

> Cirno adds, ?Why are you embarrassed about befriending the pyromaniac anyway??

> Kaguya replies, ?I?m not, because we?re not friends.? You kind of want to pry her on the matter.

>_

[O4rfish]

>(back to Mokou) "See you later Nitori."

>Fly up the mountain while discussing battle formations and theme songs.

[capt. h]

>(back to Mokou) "See you later Nitori."

> Nitori nods, closing the door.

>Fly up the mountain while discussing battle formations and theme songs.

> Ignoring the no fly zone, you decide to fly up the mountain.

> Nue has powerful illusion magic. You know she can make her trident invisible, and you?d hardly be surprised if she could do the same to herself. She can also make an illusionary army.

> Kaguya can whimper behind protect everyone with the Salamander shield, but outside of her impossible items her primary talent is minor time slowing. She can slow down projectile attacks so you can have more of them in the air at once, and then speed them up all together.

> Cirno can do a lot of things with ice, from what you?ve heard about her. You have every confidence she?ll suggest the fire and ice combo, which would be slightly more effective than throwing a bucket of water on the opponent.

> ?So about our theme song,? Cirno says, breaking your train of thought. ?Go Go Power Rangers??

> ?I think Points of Authority is pretty appropriate, considering some of our histories,? Kaguya says, giving you a sidelong glance.

> Nue smiles widely as she adds, ?Gaslamp Funworks summarizes the three of you pretty well.?

> You don?t think you are familiar with any of their choices, although you?ve heard of power rangers at least. You?d be surprised if they even knew each other?s choices, although you suspect all their choices make for terrible theme songs.

> Ahead you see whiteout conditions as the air becomes unnaturally cold, dropping 20 degrees in 200 yards. In the weather ahead you doubt you?d be able to find the Tengu Village if you were standing in the middle of it, however, you should to be able to walk the road up the mountain if you?re careful.

>_

[O4rfish]

>"It probably doesn't matter what our theme song is, unless someone's going to sing it while we're fighting or trying to intimidate someone."
>"Looks like we're walking from here. I'm going to get real upset if this snow gets between us and Coronet."

[capt. h]

>"It probably doesn't matter what our theme song is, unless someone's going to sing it while we're fighting or trying to intimidate someone."
>"Looks like we're walking from here. I'm going to get real upset if this snow gets between us and Coronet."

> You take the road, as Nue dons a scarf on her disguise.

> You ignore Kaguya?s barely audible complaints as you press forward through the howling winds. Melting the snow under your feet so you can at least feel the road, you lead the group forward.

> As you press on, you discover a hulking figure only once you?re almost on top of it. The figure is a couple feet taller than you and is as wide as it is tall. Cirno takes out a pokedex and aims it at the figure. The pokedex calls it ?Abomasnow, the Frost Tree pokemon?.

> The pokemon is standing motionless.

>_

[O4rfish]

>Poke inventory

[capt. h]

>Poke inventory

> Your inventory violently explodes upon being poked, displaying all quest relevant personal data.

> Your inventory is as follows:

> 10,500 p. The conversion rate is 100 P = $1.
> 10 pokeballs
> 2 premier balls
> 6 potions
> 2 antidotes
> 1 burn heal
> 1 oran berry
> TM 23 Iron Tail
> TM 51 Roost
> TM 78 Bulldoze

> 1 makeshift fishing rod. It's really more of a stick with a thread attached to it.
> 1 ferry pass. This will get you back and forth between the regions known as Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh, Hoenn, Unova, and Orre.
> 1 Pokedex
> 1 cellphone, with several numbers programmed on it.
> 1 town map. You can pick up the town map for each region in any pokemon center. Your current map covers Kanto and Johto.
> 1 firestone
> 1 metal coat
> 1 torn shirt. You should really get that looked at.
> 1 spare pair of red pants.
> 2 gas masks - plus the masks you passed Nue and Kogasa
> 1 galactic uniform
> 1 rocket uniform
> 1 Mini-Hakkero, which Marisa is not getting back no matter how much she begs. You can perform normal and strong sparks with it, which you decided to call Fire Spark and Phoenix Spark respectively.

> You are currently wearing a red longcoat, a white shirt, and your signature pair of pants.

> Your phone contains numbers for the following people:

> Oak
> Elm
> Yukari
> Cirno
> Kaguya
> Marisa
> Alice
> Patchouli
> Nick
> Sanae
> Jasmine
> Keine
> Kogasa
> Reimu


> Your party includes the following pokemon:

> Haunter
> Ponyta
> Charizard
> Lucario
> Registeel
> Ditto

> In your PC boxes you have the following pokemon:

> Beedrill
> Scyther
> Kingler
> Magikarp
> Seadra
> Fearow
> Koffing
> Koffing
> Koffing
> Weezing
> Golbat
> Golbat
> Crobat
> Aerodactyl
> Dragonite

>_

[O4rfish]

>Summon Charizard and Ponyta. See if they can stand up to this weather.

>"Maybe we should call Sanae, let them know we're coming. "

[capt. h]

>Summon Charizard and Ponyta. See if they can stand up to this weather.

> You summon Charizard and Ponyta. They immediately melt the snow around them. Your charizard lets out a low huff, shaking the water off its nose. The weather?s clearly got your Charizard in a bad mood. Your ponyta doesn?t seem to mind the snow as much, or at least as much as Kaguya. You suppose it?s more accustomed to snowstorms from when it lived in the wild.

> Charizard might be annoyed, but neither pokemon looks like it?sin any immediate distress.

> Cirno's pokedex continues: ?It blankets wide areas in snow by whipping up blizzards. It is also known as 'The Ice Monster.'"

>"Maybe we should call Sanae, let them know we're coming. "

> ?What?? Kaguya yells over the wind. The weather conditions make it very difficult to hold a conversation. A text message might be preferable.

>_