fallers_rpg | it's that hat, you know the one

it's that hat, you know the one

Who: Zahra
What: Zahra has been living like a hermit int he wilderness for the past week. It's high time somebody meets them.
When: December 24th-January 31st
Where: Hau'oli City, Route 2, Route 3

A. Drop the Bass (Hau'oli City)
As much as Christmas Eve is a time for quiet contemplation, holiday spirit, and togetherness, it's also a time for teenagers and young twentiesomethings to party their heineys off; and this goes double for the week leading up to New Year's.

But somebody's got to handle the AV work for these venue-busting events, especially with Team Skull having finally made peace with the local populace and thusly able to shamelessly crash parties and tear things up. (Not that they weren't doing this before, but there's less of a chance of a Jenny getting involved now.) And after hanging with Hideo's group of vaguely thuggish bikers for an extended period of time, Zahra does have the experience.

So they're perched in the booth hanging in the scaffolding of whatever party you're frequenting, carefully monitoring the lights, the sound, the mood of the crowd, the DJ, everything... except for their little baby Deino, Obsidian, who's clumsily nipping her way around the booth. Towards their precariously-placed ankle. It would be cute if it didn't send Zahra tumbling from the scaffolding, hanging by a single hand as they struggle to pull themself up. Normally, this would be an easy task for them, but Obsidian is making things a tad difficult as she panics, flailing around and loosening Zahra's grip every time they're close to safety.

With the light and the heat and the noise and the mosh of the party, it doesn't seem like anybody else has noticed. Maybe you should go up and, you know, make sure they don't die.

B. Menacing Katakana (Route 2)
Fishing is an inherently peaceful activity. Sit down, cast your line, zone out while you wait for wild Pokemon to bite. There still long lulls when it's nothing but you, your thoughts, and nature.

And yet, somehow, there's a palpable aura of menace all around Zahra as their line dangles in the water, mind racing with all the information they've gathered about this new world—and the intriguing way its inhabitants battled using the creatures that ruled it. There were competitions, and professional teams, and metagames, and charts to memorize, and and and

Suffice to say, despite the cold weather, Zahra is liable to spend much of their time hunched over the beach, rod in hand as they contemplate uber-tier teams, type matchups, and movepools; their air of intense, almost furious concentration usually more than enough to deter passers-by and even wild Pokemon.

But even if you're normally put off by the suffocating pressure Zahra exerts whenever they're concentrating, when they bark, "HEY, YOU! HELP ME OUT HERE!" as they fight against their rod while something thrashes in the not-so-deeps resisting their attempts to reel it in... well, they've gotten quite used to giving orders in a commanding voice during crisis situations.

C. Trainer Zahra Wants to Battle! (Route 3)
It's a nice day on the cliffs overlooking the deep blue sea off of Route 3. Flying-types are singing, plant-types are blooming... and Zahra is leaning against the rock, tossing a Pokeball up and down as they stare out into the ocean, expression unreadable. That same energy radiates off of Zahra in waves (appropriate for the setting) while they contemplate the water, albeit less intensely when they were reeling in their biggest catch.

Your presence jolts Zahra out of whatever spell they had put themself under, and they turn to you, gentle smile on their face. "I don't suppose you'd be down for a battle? Me and Obsidian need the practice if we're going to pass the trials."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well! That's some impressive flipwork! Katsuya has to give a whistle at the sight, rather in awe at the way they move through the psychic levitation. The awe buys plenty of time for them to do their work- and then shout.

...Woah. That's weird, that almost sounded...

"...f'milliar..?" Katsuya blinks rapidly- but it can't possibly have been Anzu, for a number of reasons. He shrugs at his ponyta- who somehow ALSO shrugs- and ultimately starts heading over. "Eh, prob'bly jus' th' noise...oughta make sure she's alrigh' anyway huh, put y' horn to work.."

"NiIIhhII!" Kaseri agrees. As it is, they rub the back of their head as they come up.

"Uhhh- nice t' meetcha?" he greets as he comes in, looking to the back of them for now. "Who are y' anyway?"

Zahra stays hunched over the panel for a few moments, the "DUEL KING" emblazoned on the back of their varsity jacket standing out amidst the neon lighting of the club. They don't even realize Katsuya has made his way up there until a few moments after he speaks (the amount of focus they're pouring into their task is almost intimidating), but when the metaphorical exclamation mark shows up above their head Zahra turns on a heel to face him.

"I'm Zahra. Thanks forrrrrrrrrrwhat the fuck, Jounouchi? What are you doing here?"

at least that answers one question,

First thought- that's a cool jacket. Second thoughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhuuhhhhhhHHHH?

Katsuya raises his finger. Opens his mouth. Closes his mouth, frowning. Opens again. Closes, settles for what looks to be some mix of shaking his hand and pointing and also not really wanting to and-

"Uhhhhhhhh..." Okay. Okay. He...Thinks he recognizes the face, but this is weird, "...I don'...s'ppose anyone went over like, alt'rnate worlds or anything b'cause...I don' think we've met..?"

"NHIIIHH!" A pony has shoved her way in.

"Oh shit, righ'! Oi, you got any injuries or anythin', Kaseri here's got a healin' horn."

For a few moments, Zahra thinks that Katsuya's reaction is the regular Jounouchi-brand foolery.

Then he opens his mouth and Zahra's hopes of finding somebody from their world are dashed.

"I, uh. Was there an orientation? Wait, were people supposed to find me?"

whoopsy daisy

"Oh! Thanks, I'm good." They ruffle Kaseri's ethereal mane, smiling. "What species is she?"

"Ehhh, don' worry abou' it much, I jus' got dragged t' the nearest folks w' info by a guy w' a metal arm after gettin' outta a forest...anyway, tha's Kaseri- she's a 'Ponyta', fr'm Galar." And she Loved the attention.

"Nyhh..." He glances toward that puzzle. "So...uh...you from like...th' future or somethin', or..." He frowns. "...Should I he watchin' my mouth, 'cause normally tha' thing's on Yugi's neck, w' one or th' other floatin' around..."

hey jou guess what your counterpart Really can't do in Zahra's world-

It's strange, actually. Now that Katsuya is close enough to get a good gander at Zahra, he gets the distinct sensation that he should be seeing double, but he's not. There's something about Zahra that's part-spirit, but it's all mixed up with human-ness in a way that he likely hasn't seen before. An odd feeling, for sure.

"Hmm." Zahra looks Katsuya up and down, squinting. "Hmmmm. Yeah, you're probably right. You might know me—er, sorta me—better as..." They mumble something, tugging at their collar uncomfortable. Rhymes with Zu, maybe?

"Nyyhhhh..." Oh, oh no, this is just confusing and also going to give him a headache, oh no-

"An...zu...?" Wait- "O-Oii! Wai', what would you be doin' w' the puzzle though, Yugi's never withou' tha' thing..! Heck, 's th' other Yugi' even alrigh' w' tha', can he ev'n come out th' same way..!?"

What we have here is a Spectacular failure to communicate,

"What the hell are you talking about, Jounouchi? Yugi never even touched the- wait what did you say about alternate universes"

"Yes, that would explain it." And there's the apparition of Noa casually floating near Zahra, leaning against an invisible wall, and is that a... bucket of popcorn in his hand?

"I said there's alternate ones, like ones where I don't have t' deal w' as much spooky shit annnnnn-" OH!

OH NO!!

OH!!!! NO!!! "NYYHHHHHHIHHHIHH-!" SKEDADDLING BACKWARDS NOW, "YOU!"

HIM!

"WHAT TH' HELL!"

WHY!

The ghostly Noa claps a hand to the side of his cheek in mock surprise. "Oh, dear. It looks as though someone's seen a ghost!"

"Ha ha, very funny kiddo." Zahra's thought echoes through Katsuya's perception as they speak to Noa.

Noa crunches on some popcorn. Where... where did he get those 3D glasses from? "Don't mind me, just watching the show."

"Hey, are you alright?" Zahra reaches towards Katsuya to steady him, genuine concern on their face. "You look... look..." Their brow furrows as something burns in their breast pocket. "Wait, hold on a moment." Zahra takes out their deck, rifling through it until they finally find what they were looking for: a glowing Ra card. "What the hell do you want, you feathery bastard?"

my they sound crabby,

"No shit I've seen a ghost, yer s'pposed t' be up in th' heavens 'r whatever w' yer mom!" And, that aside-

"T- Jus' talk aloud..!" That's making this all worse!!

Kaseri nervously whinnies, horn glowing as she nudges her trainer's hand. It...does help as the blond groans, slowly steadied and hopefully helped to sit.

And then.

That.

"Aw hell, y' got those guys here too..?" Whyyyyyyyyyyyy...

"Waitwaitwait, you can see Noa?" well that sure is weird,,,

"And yeah, unfortunately." Zahra crosses their arms, scowling at the card in their hand. They were really, really sick of these fuckers. (Except Slifer. Slifer was chill.) "I don't want to let them out of my sight just so some dime-a-dozen villain with delusions of grandeur can steal them for whatever nefarious plan they're cooking them up. It's happened twice already. And destroying them doesn't work either.

"I've tried."

"What, an' th' me you know can't!?" On the one hand, all of this seems to be proving that there's no weird time anomaly involved. On the other, this is a MESS. "How come I'm th' 'me' stuck w' all th's crap..!" he whines, holding his head. Mannnnn...

Ah.

But then...then she says something...perhaps a bit disturbing, at least to his own ears. He stiffens, practically locking up at the words, drawing back in either fear, disgust, or...something. Something he doesn't even completely feel on his own, more like a distant memory, a knowledge of what should and should not be, a,

"D...dest... ...look I get keepin' 'm outta other's hands man, tha's a great way for others t' get iced by th' three but..." But...

"Destryoin' 'm..? Tha's..." He shakes his head slowly, the action coming to him only partly with deliberation. It is as if he were in two places at once, were two people at once- the feelings of one, influencing the other. "Man y' can' jus'..."

There is a rumble in the air, and he can feel it, like a Heart,

"There, there." Zahra rolls their eyes, but the affection in their voice is genuine. As much of an imbecile as their Katsuya was (and as much as Atem horribly traumatized him whoopsy daisy), he was still their friend. "I think every Katsuya out there in the multiverse is horribly unlucky in their own special ways. It balances out, yeah?"

"And... well, it's complicated." Zahra maliciously flicks Ra's card as they think. "Each of the Gods are fundamental personifications of magic that are crucial to maintaining the balance of nature, but in their current forms their power is... diluted. Balanced, yes, but twisted. Channeling all of that back to Horakhty would both remove her seal and purify their elements, allowing for a less volatile spirit to manifest itself that also won't fall prey to people such as Dartz as easily."

what,

"Hahaaaa, I dunno abou' you, but th's feels a lil' more than unbalanced..."

And.

Uh.

He crosses his arms, raising his brows. He almost argues. Almost.

Except for just a moment, his eyes unfocus. They go blank, staring off...and then he's back.

"...Huh." Huh. "...Tha's...weird." There's little explanation, except-

"...Tha's real differen' from home..."

"Plus when we finally figure out how to do all that properly without any unfortunate side effects, I get the added bonus of watching bitchboy here," they flick Ra's card for emphasis, "vanish from the world forever."

Even looking at the card brought Zahra back to when they were standing on the sidelines, watching Marik's twisted alter ego scorch their beloved again and again and again without hesitation. It's a wonder that more spite isn't leaking through their voice, really.

"Eeeehhhh...." Katsuya looks...conflicted.

His eyes flit from Zahra to the card, to Zahra, to...well. "...Righ'. Sorry, jus'...I get tha' 's differen'," however it is, he doesn't really care to say for now, because HOOOF! Getting into that is just a whole Other barrel of fish, "...but tha' jus' feels..."

...

"...weird...'s weird t ' hear... ...I mean, don' get me wrong, Ra's def'nitely a brutal guy, I got torched by 'm twice..! Jus'...y'know..."

It's Super Duper Weird to hear positivity in making Ra go poof.

The card in his pocket feels warm, somehow- as if to say, 'Thank you for your Support'. Aww.

"Eh. He might be different on your world. I don't know." Zahra narrows their eyes, glaring at the card in their hand before putting it back in their deck. "But I'm never going to forgive him for what he did. Although..." to be fair he's why they're them at all in the first place, "no, actually. Still.

"Fuck that guy."

Deciding that this conversation needs a change of topic and fast, Zahra fiddles with the AV panel a bit more before asking, "So what brings you to a place like this, anyways? You were always a punk, but you never struck me as the party-hardy type."

"Ah...Ahahahaa..." That laugh is Way too nervous and WAY too high pitched- "Y-YEAH...I'm guessin' he mus' be, aha..!"

OHHHHHGEEZE-

"Nyh- Oh, uhhh..." Katsuya pauses. On the one hand, he's pretty damn sure his counterpart for...Zahra here (at least getting their name right isn't hard) is...not dealing with visions and stuff. On the other he definitely showed his hand already.

On the OTHER, that was only for seeing...spirits? Maybe?

"Jus' followed Kaseri, nothin' big," he says, like a Liar,

"That makes sense. She's a psychic-type, right?" With no reason to doubt his words, Zahra kneels down to give Kaseri scritches.

oh wow that mane is fluffy,

"Who's a good little precognitive horsie? You are, you are!"

"NIIHIHI~ Niiii~!" The ponyta responds quite positively for the most part, mane shining and glistening all over. And then-

'Precognitive'.

Kaseri stops. Kaseri turns and stares at Katsuya, who flinches like he's gotten his hand stuck in a cookie jar.

No! No, don't you dare rat him out you horrible horse-

"...is there something you're not telling me, Katsuya?"

Zahra doesn't pause in petting Kaseri. While their voice is as light and friendly, there's an undercurrent of "Mazaki Classic" in there. Just enough to be intimidating.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-

"Nyhhh..."

"NIIIIHIHIII!"

"...It wasn' a lie tha' she led th' way?"

NO!

Zahra knows that Katsuya knows that they know that he's lying. But you know what?

They'll it drop. It's clear that he doesn't want to talk about it, and they aren't nosy enough to bother him about it.

"Well, thank you, Kaseri. Without you, I'm pretty certain I would've been Monster Mash'd into the hospital." Fishing an Oran Berry out of their bag, Zahra presents it to the Ponyta, smiling. "Here!"

Phew. The relief is evident, even though he tries to hide it when it feels like Zahra's looking. Katsuya rubs his head, his ponyta happily taking the berry with a whinny.

"Heh...got tha' righ'! She's pretty good w' th' floatin' thing!" It's what got him in trouble, yes, but she's Still Good At It.

it's that hat, you know the one

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