forward dating for the birthday boy

[best_laid_plans]

Who: Malik Ishtar & Yuugi Mutou
Where: Ruins of Alph
When: June 4 (forward dated) - ????
Summary: The King of Games takes on yet another ancient puzzle.
Rating: D for d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-duelists
Log:

[It wasn't possible to grow unused to underground tunnels, Malik had discovered. In many ways, stepping into yet another cool, dimly-lit chamber felt like slipping back into an old habit, into a different way of life. Something about his surroundings felt oddly comforting.

That feeling of comfort made him chafe all the more.

Walls. He hated walls, and being blocked away from the sunlight. The skin along the back of his neck prickled; the raised marks of his scars grew somehow cold. He should act today, he thought. He should trap Yuugi Mutou in these absurd little chambers, see how he liked it for a change, mere vessel or no. Yes, Malik's Cofagrigus was back in Goldenrod, busily creating his collateral for the deal with Archer (or so he hoped) - but what was Malik Ishtar if not a master of impromptu planning? Couldn't he handle this much? Why, he'd all but been given the perfect stage!

--Yet if it went wrong, then what? He had too much at stake to risk everything now. It was only a small leap from failing to defeat Yuugi to being publicly denounced as a villain and a criminal across that network - an even smaller leap from there to discovering his Rocket involvement. And should that be uncovered, the Game Corner might be outed, too....

No, Malik had to sit, and wait, and plot, until there was no possible way Yuugi Mutou could defeat him. The day would come. He just had to prepare.]

Well, how's the puzzles? Worth the trip?

Comments

[kingofgamecorner]

[Yuugi turned and blinked at Malik as if he forgot he was there. Something he could surely be forgiven for, right? He'd been bent over studying that wall a while, after all.]

Course- I would've kept wondering if I didn't come. But-

[But, it was weird to end up here like this, without remembering how? It was weird there were no records of half of the last week? That even with the idea to come here spawned from their first arrival, when everything seemed... lighter... Something felt off about this excursion?

Of course, when Yuugi was for it before, he wasn't considering what he knew of his companion, even just to himself.]

-it's too soon to say, though.

[He shook his head and signed for Malik to come closer, frowning at the inscription of a poem on the wall, under the stone puzzle.]

I don't think I know the old Pokémon enough to answer these riddles, but I can try the picture without.

[And doing partly well, if the sections pieced together were any hint. Still.]

I can see why it's not been finished, though. Did you want to take a turn?

[best_laid_plans]

[Note to self: Yuugi does let his guard down when absorbed in games or puzzles. Potentially useful for future plans.

Malik steps closer as indicated, however, peering at the design carved into the stones. Isn't that -]

No reason why we can't collaborate.

Doesn't this tile go here? Or at least, next to that one.

[He indicates what'd make a clean line from one square to the next.]

[kingofgamecorner]

[Yuugi steps over a bit to give him room to work, reaching down to scratch the ear of Isami when the Growlithe notices he's not zoned out anymore, and vulnerable to attention nudgings.

Not that Yuugi's about to look away and miss his chance to grin at Malik's insight.]

Hey, it does! And if it goes there, those two must connect to the other sides...

[He points without stepping back up to fix it himself, but his mind is connecting faster than he demonstrates. Once he hits a mental wall again, though, he voices his appreciation.]

Did you recognize it? Or just notice it? I don't know why I don't try jigsaws with people more...

[Excuse him, Malik. He's both musing over obvious possibilities back home - in, calmer days of course - and trying to make a vague point. While messing with ancient puzzle tablet.]

[best_laid_plans]

Well, they're all kind of similar, aren't they? So whatever it is must be symmetrical.

If that's the case, we need to think of the tiles in pairs.

[He'd be happy to undo your favorite jigsaw puzzle for you, Yuugi!

And melt it.

Or sink it into the ocean.

Oh wait, you stopped that from happening. Curse you.]

That's not the most troubling part of this puzzle, though....

[kingofgamecorner]

-I guess so. Even a Buneary would look mostly "mirrored" on a picture. But if we're looking for matches...

[-it won't matter much because Yuugi's pulled right in to Malik's comment, turning mostly curious... But, a touch hesitant, to him. (Did he feel the strange tension, too? Yuugi hadn't pinned that on the puzzle.)]

What do you mean?

[best_laid_plans]

The riddle parts.

[He's fixated as per usual on the word - a single word on the far wall. Mister Hieratic Text is used to having this sort of thing in the bag, and he just - doesn't.]

Or the written portion, anyway. Why include two puzzles in the same space, unless they're linked?

[It doesn't help that he's got this sinking feeling said puzzle just says "Escape". Nice. Not ominous at all.

Wouldn't it be a tremendous irony if this place offed Yuugi for him? No, he doubts Johto is that sort of place....]

good news- all around green light!

[kingofgamecorner]

[-huh? There's something else to be solved in this chamber alone?

Yuugi steps back from the panels to see what Malik does - since he himself has an obvious issue with. The view being blocked from a low height.]

...hard to say. Who knows what the builders were going for here. It could be one big puzzle, or a series of them.

[Even if he isn't sure how these two fit in the same one.

But he's happy to come over and inspect the around the word.]

awesome!

[best_laid_plans]

[It's probably petty to be amused you needed to adjust for height, but whatever. He'll be petty. Just this once. Sure.]

I almost want to say it's the English alphabet....

[He reaches out to touch the letters, tracing the grooves to show what he means.]

That doesn't seem possible with our own history of linguistics, but that won't necessarily have bearings here.

woot woot

[kingofgamecorner]

No, this place doesn't really fit anywhere in our world.

[There are many, many reasons for this, starting with the Pokémon present nearby, but the most important factor?]

They wouldn't have puzzles like that in any place this old... Can you read any English?

[He could try, but. Um. Yeah. School studies.]

[best_laid_plans]

You can't?

--sorry.

[He does honestly look apologetic: for a moment there, he'd slipped. He'd shown actual, honest surprise.]

Yes, I've learned.....

[He finishes tracing the letters, to help you sound it out.]

It says "Escape."

[kingofgamecorner]

Ah, it's nothing-

[Nothing but he struggled at English and never thought it'd come back to bite him like this and was it really shocking enough to get that reaction?

That being said, he'll nod through his baffled uncertainty of why it's pronounced that way to ask.]

I'm surprised you can. So, you learned English...

...do you think it means some secret way out or something?

[Sounds iffy with the door out still close by, but he's still prodding the wall around the name lightly.]

[best_laid_plans]

[He twitches his shoulders. Bringing up just how well-traveled he is begs the question of why, and they've done a stupendous job avoiding confrontation thus far.]

I'm good with languages.

As for this one, you're the optimist. We can't rule out it being some kind of warning....

[He'll inspect the wall too, however.]

Here, you return to the puzzle. I'll see if anything happens to the wall.

[kingofgamecorner]

I doubt it... There's no point putting that puzzle out here in the open if they want to keep people out. Someone's bound to solve it.

[Or already has. But he's certainly not looking for a fight, and Malik's suggesting his strong point anyways, so back to the panel!

The wall's left in your capable hands, sir.]

[best_laid_plans]

Well, depends what these ruins were created for. But you've got a point.

[He doesn't like this. He's being reminded too strongly of everything he learned about back home. There's more than one method of keeping a tomb, after all....and more than one way of discouraging intruders.

But he's not about to let this sort of challenge go unpassed, either. And if the ruins prove potentially fatal? He'll manage. Unlike Yuugi's contingent of sheep, he has some real battlers along for the ride.]

careful, yuugi. 4th wall is over.

[kingofgamecorner]

Who knows...

[And asking has him uncertain what to ask, since he's heard more than once this place is a game in some worlds.

But it doesn't matter too much from where he's standing. Either way, there's a puzzle to solve!

And he doesn't realize he's near finished it - or how much time's passed - until he's calling out sudden enough to jar Isami into jolting.]

Malik! I think I've got it!

[best_laid_plans]

[Malik jolts a little too.]

Do you?

[He wanders over to take a look, peering over your head.]

What's it form.....

[kingofgamecorner]

I don't know, it's some kind of shelled bug.

[He looks around, and then up (sorry for any hair in the face) to catch a look at Malik, before fidgeting to the side. To give him room.]

Maybe it's not around any- Uh-

[Is the ground shaking or the floor moving?]

[best_laid_plans]

...

[Something's very, very wrong here.

Malik draws a PokéBall on practiced instinct (it helps he keeps them where the Rod used to be) and throws a glance at the wall, then around at their surroundings. What's moving? Are they about to --]

--I won't say I told you so.

[If you fall to an untimely death, he will at least have gotten in the last word.]

[kingofgamecorner]

[-would taking a moment out of his panicked scramble to give Malik a look for that be too much? Probably... But Isami grabbing his leg (and biting him some) in a failed try to keep him up slows his own fall, buying the time.

And then he's tumbling a blessedly short distance in the dark after Malik... And Malik's likely going to take the brunt of Yuugi's fall as a result. And his little dog, too.

So, somewhere among pitch black soon after.]

...no, I don't remember a warning, about this...

[That said, he's going to be reaching for PokéBalls himself, as soon as he can get an arm free.]

-are you okay?

[best_laid_plans]

[Double oof, then. Before he can even let that Pokémon out.

He switches PokéBalls after some squirming around: it's dark. It's too dark. He can't....

He calls out Vulpix.]

--I'll be fine. You, make a flame.

[He sounds tense, almost worried.

Vulpix spits a little tongue of flame - then jumps up onto Malik too, shivering (and probably bumping against Yuugi as it curls into a foxball). It doesn't like being underground.

Doesn't that just figure.]

[kingofgamecorner]

[First order of business? Scooch for some room. But there is a wall there and a Growlithe sniffing all over him worried as a mother hen, so he's not so far he misses the second little hot house coming out.

Or Malik's tension.

And he's getting some blind blinks for it. Did he know or notice something he didn't? Or was he that rattled? It was hard to imagine...

But, he's not helpful mulling. So he pulls his own PokéBalls, first three- And then two, when he imagines the mother of the trio out in this place.]

Ichiro. Niko.

[No orders needed. The second they're out? Two fairly useful flashlights. But they are flickering quite a lot, until Isami barks them into line.

And now, current order of business? Eye Malik in the light.]

[best_laid_plans]

[So the sheep are useful. How about that. Malik tries to free himself from the pile of adventurers (both fuzzy and otherwise), eyes adjusting quickly but no less uneasy. He'd expect traps in Egypt, but Johto?

So, Yuugi. Malik looks troubled, mostly. Lost in thought. But there's a strain on his face that looks like it could be frustration.

Since it can't. You know. Possibly be fear.]

[kingofgamecorner]

[-Yeah, he's noticed. And Yuugi doesn't remember him looking this bad with even towering Muks and "Rockets" attacking him. And this seems more... Something. Real.

Come here, mareeps. He needs to point Ichiro... to Malik?]

Stick with him, okay? We'll both need your lights.

[And as another fluffy scurries over (leaving his sister futilely headbutting Yuugi's leg for not picking her for random task) Yuugi finally gives Malik a look again. With all the uncertain.]

Can you move? We need to see where we are.

[best_laid_plans]

I'm fine.

[He climbs to his feet, wincing slightly: landing hurt, and he's not accustomed to going on adventures. But he's been through worse. And right now, he needs to push everything else aside in favor of getting them out of this.]

Have them focus the lights on the walls. There won't be more inscriptions if this is just a trap. If anything's written, there might be an alternate way out.

[Looking up, he tries to gauge how far they've fallen, and their chances of exiting the way they came.....not good, huh.]

here's your tag giftbag from the birthday kid.

[kingofgamecorner]

[Nope, not good at all. And after grimacing at the obvious fact, Yuugi looks down at his prodding Mareep and pats her to get her attention.]

Did you hear that, Niko? We need you and Ichiro to walk along the walls with us.

[There's a pause of, will she do it or not, before she scampers to the closest wall with a "maaa!" to her brother, telling him to light up his tail more too, from by Malik.

And then the light spreads more.

And Yuugi stares.]

...that... Are those Pokémon? Or, letters...?