Round 5

Prompt - “Turning Unbound”

Gran chuckled sombrely as his oldest friend redressed the bullet wound on his leg. It had been a long time since they’d last needed to patch him up - perhaps never for an injury this deep.

He lay in the medical tent, accompanied by a focused Dora and a downcast Purrmageddon - who had just finished explaining their escapades beyond Hoopa’s unstable portal.

“Well, I’m mighty glad everyone made it back. Now we’re all up to speed - where’s Merriweather?” he asked.

“She talked to Ray for a while after we got back, but now I dunno.” Blue fidgeted. “I think she’s with Hoopa. She’s really worried about them… well…” he mimed an explosion with his tiny paws.

“Is there anything you can do?” Green asked Dora, voice smaller than usual.

“For Gran? I’ve dealt with worse… nothing q-quite like this, but… I’ll manage,” said Dora. “For Hoopa? Their symptoms don’t add up to anything I’ve seen.” Defeat hung heavy on her voice. “I don’t know what’s happening to it.”

Green furrowed her brows anxiously. “Should we go and check on them?”

“Sounds like a plan, kid,” said Gran, “but I can’t just lie here and let ya go in good conscience.”

Dora protested - “Gran, I-I think it’s best you–”

“We got crutches, don’t we?” Gran interrupted.

“I… I suppose,” said Dora. She knew there was no convincing him.

“Then let’s go,” Blue said firmly, taking initiative for once.

The eerie glow of an embryonic dawn that may never break shone over base camp like a looming monster. Grand Aid and Purrmageddon picked their way between the tents and huts. Gran met all queries and comments from the other Pokémon in camp with a solemn “we’ll get back to ya.”

They crossed paths with Merriweather at her announcement stump, away from everyone else. She slinked toward the group with a low tail, expression brightening slightly as she saw them - though the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

“Hey,” she said hoarsely, misty-eyed, “I was just looking for you guys.”

“...What’s up?” asked Blue after a moment of collective silence.

She swallowed. “Hoopa ran off.”

“R-Ran off?” asked Dora.

“I-It’s still in this dimension, I think. It just turned away and kept going, and I couldn’t get it to stop.” Merri paused. “I think it’s trying to keep us safe.”

“But that won’t work,” said Green.

Merri nodded. “I know.”

“So… what do we do?” asked Blue.

“Same thing y’all did before,” said Gran, resolute. “Ask for help.”

“B-but, this is worse,” stammered Dora. “We can’t depend on Hoopa to rescue us anymore.”

“We gotta try anyway,” said Blue, curling his paws into determined fists.

“Merriweather… we’re going to have to–” began Green.

“I know.” The Zorua cut her off harshly before catching herself. “I… I know.”

She gestured to Purrmageddon. “You guys, go and get Team Ice-Breaker. Ray knows what he’s doing, and a bug-type like Mo will come in handy - especially since he can fly now.” Her gaze turned to Grand Aid. “And you, get Team Riders. N-not both of them - but Louise is strong, and he knows Steamroller.”

Gran nodded. “Don’t worry. We’ll take Samantha an’ all the other kids somewhere safe.”

“What about the others?” asked Green.

Merri looked down. “That’s up to them. Feel free to ask around after you speak to Team Ice-Breaker.”

“C’mon then - a wise Delibird once taught me, no time like the ‘Present’,” joked Gran.

Briefly, everyone forgot the situation at hand and shared a smile. Merri piped up - “Is that how you lea–”

SCREAAAAAAAAAARRAAAARGHHH!

She was interrupted by a deafening, piercing cry from somewhere in the woods.

“GO, NOW!” she yelled, unleashing an involuntary Hyper Voice.

The judges dispersed as every head in base camp turned to the source of the screech. A flash of pink hair swished between the trees beyond Merri’s stump. Thunderous crackling energy accompanied more pained howling, followed by a peal of laughter that seemed to shake the whole dimension.

Hoopa brought itself to its full height, its one-eyed head sneering above the canopy. It rounded toward base camp, using four enormous arms to part the forest and march on the camp's centre.

The Tricky Fox jumped upon her former podium, staring down the mythical as it strode toward her. “EVERYONE, STAY BACK! I have to try talking to it first,” she called.

Merri braced against its hammering steps. “HOOPA! IT’S ME! I KNOW YOU, AND I KNOW THIS ISN’T WHAT YOU WANT!”

THUD. THUD. THUD. Hoopa didn’t flinch, its footfalls like the ticking of a booming countdown.

“YOU HAVE ONE CHANCE, STAND DOWN AND CONTROL YOURSELF!” Merriweather screamed.

With a blinding flash, Hoopa launched a pinpoint Signal Beam at her. She leapt from the tree stump, scampering mere inches from the beam as Hoopa’s attack followed her path. It burned a gash into the dirt behind her.

As the beam flicked off, Merri skidded to a halt, turning to face Hoopa. With one overwhelmed sob, she dropped into a battle stance.

Hoopa’s grin remained. It twisted an arm, the ring on its wrist slipping into the air behind its shoulder. The hoop formed a small portal, its partner materialising behind Merriweather - she turned toward it, mortified, as Hoopa’s other arms followed. She was surrounded by Hyperspace Fury.

Four fists collided as Merri leapt over the onslaught, dashing up Hoopa’s forearm and through the portal behind them. She snarled, swiping at their neck with a Sucker Punch. It winced furiously at the impact. She landed at its feet, engulfed by a white glow.

Those who rushed to join the fight took pause as Merri’s body pulsated, shifting and morphing until she took a new form upon two legs.

Merriweather evolved into Zoroark, standing to face base camp’s tormentor with a defiant expression… but its smile only widened.

She plunged her claws into the ground and snared Hoopa’s leg with a Grass Knot, dashing beneath it to strike its calves with newly-learned Night Slashes. It grunted, crashing to one knee, twisting to fire back with Shadow Ball. The blast engulfed Merri’s face. She coughed as her vision darkened. She shook her head, whirling, expecting a new attack from behind - when an arm snatched her from above, lifting her by the throat.

Merriweather writhed in Hoopa’s clutches, but her limbs were soon bound by its enormous hands. It lifted her to its good eye, observing her closely.

“Please,” wheezed the Zoroark, hardly above a whisper. “I don’t… understand…”

Hoopa didn’t grace her with a response.

It tossed her through a Hyperspace Hole, spitting her out high in the sky. Forming a barrier of portals before the onlookers, it watched her plummet. She shrieked, turning wildly in the air. Unable to dodge, she suffered a well-aimed Signal Beam.

She landed on her old announcement stump, splintering the wood upon impact.

Her breathing was shallow. Merriweather survived… but had been knocked out.

Hoopa retracted their portals, spinning their hoops on their index fingers before flinging them out on all sides, revealing gateways to a variety of new dimensions. Its smile beckoned the crowd, as if to ask: ‘who’s next?’

And so began the end.

This description of events may be altered to suit your story, so long as Hoopa turns Unbound and acts aggressively toward the others in base camp.

It is up to you whether Merriweather evolves and/or gets knocked out at the beginning of the prompt.

Prompt Details

Purrmageddon couldn’t make any signs, but we real-world judges still have notes for you to keep in mind.

Magic and Bullets

Gran and Hoopa both have compulsory updates to factor into the final; Merriweather’s evolution update is optional.

Anywhere and Everywhere

Hoopa’s ability to make portals seems to have been renewed tenfold in its new body - so feel free to have your finale happen across several dimensions. By default, these are still intended as Pokémon-only dimensions - but, given it’s the final, that limitation needn’t bind you!

The Djinn Pokémon

What made Hoopa turn Unbound? Is Merriweather right about their true wishes, or are their violent acts on purpose? What does this mean for the tournament’s prize “tickets” to the human world - or for those who came from other dimensions Hoopa normally can’t reach - or even those from ones it normally can? That’s all for you to decide!

Home, Sweet Home

As Hoopa's pocket dimension, base camp may see some... strange side effects as a result of Hoopa's new form and behaviour. What this means for it is up to you!

Rules

You must show your characters and the other ‘finalists’ combat Hoopa as it turns Unbound. The resolution to this situation - and if there even is one - is up to you. You may include dimensions of your own making, and/or revisit dimensions from previous rounds.

Finish your story as you see fit.

With that said, regardless of how open-ended this prompt is, please ensure your opponent's characters are as prominent as they would be in any other entry.

Please keep in mind our regulations for the final -

• You may show:

  • Your characters and judge NPCs: endure any fate.

  • Your opponent’s characters: evolve, learn new moves, and sustain minor injuries.

• You must ask permission from a character’s creator to show:

  • Your opponent’s characters and any spectators (including ex-competitors): sustain major injuries or die.

…And the tournament in general (please note; some rules that are typically here no longer apply in the final) -

• Do not edit your entry after the deadline. If you wish to make slight changes (which don't alter the story, just its presentation), you have two options; make a separate version or make changes after judging is complete. We prefer the first! Don't make drastic changes as this becomes confusing - if you'd like to write an alternate version, feel free to do so, but the canon the tournament follows will always be in line with official submissions. Breaking this rule will result in a 0/5 for Rule Adherence and possibly disqualification.

• Be communicative with your opponent (and anyone else who has questions about your characters)! Please email us if your opponent doesn't respond for a long while and it disrupts your entry's creation - we'll take this into consideration.

• Characterise the Judge NPCs how you like whilst obeying the info on their refs.

Besides the rules listed here and on our Rules page, other rules have all been slackened. We don’t encourage having your characters, for example, learn moves outside of their species’ move pool (unless for a strong narrative reason), but doing crazy stuff is on the table if that’s what suits you! 

Good luck, wherever you are.