| Rio POV |
I swear I was paying attention.
I was trying to follow the PowerPoint.
I even counted how many slides we'd been through (sixteen), how many of them had graphs (all sixteen), and how many I understood (absolutely zero).
But somewhere between "X-Energy Diffusion Patterns Across the Unova Faultline" and a third bar graph that looked suspiciously like a Snorlax, my brain gave up and said:
We ball.
And so, I did what any respectable Lucario-powered semi-divine interdimensional war crime would do.
I left.
Slipped out of the room using the age-old ninja tactic of "just walk like you belong somewhere else." No one stopped me. Too busy watching the latest graph mutate into yet another heat map of doom.
I've survived fights against demigods, May's wrath, and an angry Kirlia. I think I can handle sneaking around a research centre.
…Right?
My 'stroll' manages to take me all the way to a very resident evil looking room, full of dozens of wall mounted screens and about as many of what I can only describe as The Matrix's human pods, except full of Pokémon, at least half of which are halfway into transforming into demonic versions of themselves.
I stare at one of the closer pods, locking eyes with something that looked like a Magikarp, except it had rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth all across its body, not inside it's mouth, nah, that would have been a whole lot less creepier, it would still be horrifying, but at least it wouldn't have had canines and molars in place of red scales...
It blinks at me.
I blink back.
It blinks again — sideways this time. Like its eyelids were programmed by someone who only read half the manual.
"…Okay," I murmur. "That's enough body horror for today."
I turn to leave—
—just in time for a different pod to shudder violently. The screen above it glitches out, flickering between a Galade silhouette and what looks like a twisted mess of metal and bone wearing its skin like a rental tuxedo. The thing inside the pod lets out a sound. Not a roar, not a cry — more like… dial-up internet but angry.
"Definitely not supposed to be here," I say to myself, nodding. "Definitely not staying."
Too bad the door locks behind me with a cheery mechanical ding!
I freeze. Slowly turn around. Look back at the rows of pods. The distorted Pokémon are twitching now. Reacting.
The razor-Magikarp thrashes. The Galade-thing tilts its head.
Suddenly, I'm very aware that I do not have Null, Star, or even our resident phoenix with me.
I'm alone.
And this room is humming with enough X-energy to fry a Tauros steak in five seconds.
"…Okay," I whisper, sliding into a defensive stance. "So I may have accidentally wandered into the X-Men Danger Room on horror mode. That's fine. I've made worse mistakes. Like trusting Combusken to microwave my leftovers."
BEEP.
One of the pod screens flashes red. And I suddenly feel every single one of the Pokémon's' sights lock onto me, their aura's full of malice and hunger.
"Yeah no thanks! I'm out—"
[New Quest Unlocked: Containment Breach]
Objective:
You may have caused a shitload of angy monsters to break out, fix your mistakes.
Optional Objective:
Don't let anyone of them escape.
Rewards:
+1000 EXP
+1 random Item
"Never mind! Lock the fuck in you horror themed punching bags! I've got a cleave with each of your names engraved!"
The air twists. I feel it. That subtle pulse of wrong you get right before a wild battle — or a high-speed collision with a truck. My cursed energy flares on instinct, wrapping around my limbs in wisps of violent blue-black.
Across the room, the pod with the nightmare Magikarp bursts open, glass hissing and warping like it's melting from the inside out. It slithers out, dragging a body lined with bone-spines and gnashing mouth-scales. The sound it makes is like… soggy meat being chewed in reverse.
Another pod hisses. A crooked Pikachu—with spider legs—crawls out upside-down.
"Okay!" I shout, cracking my knuckles. "That's enough cursed biology for today!"
My aura surges, overlapping with the cursed energy and forming a glimmering, unstable halo.
The first horror-Pikachu screeches.
I clap my paws.
I'm behind it in a flash, fist crackling with energy. I don't even yell a move name — I just punch, full-force, launching it across the room into another pod.
It explodes on impact.
Glass rains down like confetti.
"Containment breach my ass," I growl. "This is pest control."
The Magikarp charges, maw stretching wider than physics should allow. I duck, slide under, and uppercut it so hard its scream cuts out mid-gurgle.
More pods start glitching open. Limbs. Eyes. Extra limbs. Too many eyes.
"Is that all you horror movie rejects have to show?"
I look over the 50 or so different Pokémon, ranging from a winged Caterpie to an electrocharged Garchomp with 4 extra legs.
"Okay... Maybe there's more of you than I'd like."
Do I have any wide area attacks? Divine arrow would do the job, but I'd rather not burn the building down... Didn't Sukuna have a way to make his dismantle stronger? Uh, chants? Right?
"Well, wouldn't hurt to try." I close my eyes briefly as I try to feel out my innate cursed technique, I ignore the stampede rushing towards me as I feel the cursed energy rushing through me, for the first time, I don't use any abilities with he system's help, but rather move as something deep in my soul commands me to.
"Dragon Scales" I put my paw forward, ready to wave the space apart.
"Repulsion" I feel the world around me shift, as if warry of what's to come.
"Twi—" I stop myself just in time, if I continued... forget this lab, the whole city might have gotten diced...
"World Cutting Slash." I lightly move my fingers to the side, the Pokémon in front of me along with the wall... and another room... and another... and... Okay maybe this wasn't a good idea?
The entire middle row of mutated Pokémon — along with several tons of reinforced wall, floor tiles, and an innocent vending machine stocked with Poképuffs — are bisected in a perfectly clean diagonal line.
For a moment, silence.
Then, everything that got sliced explodes like someone rage-quit the simulation.
I stare at the yawning cleave in the facility wall. Through the hole, I see:
Another hallway
What might have been a meeting room
Someone's office (RIP to their framed family photo)
A janitor's break closet
And finally, the outer barrier wall of the research compound, which is now missing a large chunk and probably someone's vacation request form.
A distant scientist scream echoes from across the compound.
May's voice rings out somewhere behind me:"RIIIIIIIIIOOOOO—"
"Oh C'mon! You're not even sure that it's me..." I whisper.
I turn back toward the remaining horrors.
They… hesitate.
Some drool acid.
One explodes on the spot out of sheer intimidation.
"Okay," I mutter, cracking my neck. "Now that the city's about to fine me for collateral damage, I'm going full exterminator."
My aura lights up in spiked overlays, distorted by the lingering effects of Sukuna's technique. It buzzes with lethal clarity.
"Step right up, freaks. Everyone gets a piece."
[New Ability Acquired: Prince of Curses]
[+50% to Cursed Energy Attacks +100% to cursed technique learning speed]
A mutated Metagross lunges.
I dodge sideways, palm slamming against its chassis.
Cleave.
Two halves clatter to the floor like junkyard leftovers.
I quickly finish up the rest of my little crusade, and I stand at he front of the room, taking in the carnage, and the whole bunch of X-energy I'm trying my best to vacuum.
From behind me, a door slams open.
"WHAT. THE. HELL. DID. YOU. DO?!" May shrieks, completely out of breath.
"Hey!" I call out. "I'm fixing the infestation problem!"
Zap.
"OW! You don't even know if they were supposed to be like that!"
"They were biting each other, May! With their eyes!"
Kirlia levitates into view, aura flaring. The second she sees the carved-up hallway and the shredded wall three blocks away, she just sighs. Loudly.
"You're lucky you're cute."
"Does that mean I'm off the hook?"
She charges another zap.
"I'll take that as a maybe."
Word Count: 1500
MC: A cleave for you, A dismantle for you, Oh! A Divine flame for you! Everybody gets something!
I suddenly regret letting you be be Sukuna, Would have been easier to just give you sans undertale's powers or smth...
MC: Too late Bitch! NOW GIMME MY DOMAIN!