Wulfenite and OrchidCrowns.
Sterling Spearhead.
Discovery Town Square.
Affected RPers: People who happen to notice an irate screaming Rowlet flying overhead.

“Hang on a sec,” Tiff said as the group ambled down to the training grounds. Light was shining above the bell tower in town square, and enveloped in it was someone who appeared to be Arceus.

Hologrammar saw it, too. “That’s it, that's our way out!” he said confidently. “Must be one of the devs’ avatars. Come on!” He took off like a shot, and the rest of the group rushed to follow.

However, as they neared the bell tower, things changed. Arceus’s speech twisted and distorted; the town changed from idyllic to something out of a bloody nightmare; and the Original One wasn’t a mod, but instead he was proclaiming that anyone who fainted in the game would - would -

“No!” Haruka screamed, making a shocking amount of noise for her tiny body. She jumped awkwardly, clumsily, falling down and landing on Hologrammar, who let out a scream of surprise and fear. Haruka was undeterred; she stood up again and jumped, this time extending her wings and flapping as hard as she could. It was a quiet sound, even to Tiff’s sensitive ears. “No, no, no!” Haruka continued, barely managing to stay afloat with her frantic wingbeats.

“Hey, we all need to remain calm -” Sky began, but before she could continue, Haruka took off higher into the air with a few powerful flaps.

“Haruka!” Tiff howled after her friend, then stopped, clamping her paws over her mouth. She turned to Sky and Hologrammar, glaring furiously, “You two never heard that.”

For a few seconds, neither of them replied. Hologrammar didn’t seem like he was able to at this point. Sky gave Tiff a look. “Her real name, right? I won’t say anything.”

Tiff nodded, tense, and turned back in the direction Haruka had flown. She was going surprisingly fast for someone who had only had wings for a matter of hours. Moreover, she was clearly furious, flying toward the bell tower that “Arceus” had appeared on. Tiff hesitated for a moment, then began pushing through the crowd, trying to stay below the furious Rowlett. “No!” Haruka was still shouting. “This is not happening! I refuse!” She couldn’t reach the top of the bell tower, but she was trying for all she was worth, letting loose a screaming tirade of frustration. “I know someone can hear me!” she shrieked. “Whoever’s in charge of this thing, stop it! Now!”

As long as Tiff had known Haruka, she’d never seen her this angry. Frankly, it was kind of impressive - Tiff could barely even muster up the emotional energy to feel surprise just then. She was about to try to beckon Haruka down, but before she could, she got a pair of alerts on her HUD.

[Friendship request from Sgt_Blueskies (Team Rebound). Accept/Decline?]

[Partnership request from Team Rebound (Sgt_Blueskies: Chikorita, Hologrammar: Poochyena). Accept/Decline?]

The brief flicker of hope Tiff had felt died when she saw that they were just friend requests, not messages from the devs announcing that their awful prank was over. She accepted both, though - it would be good to have friends here, if they really were stuck.

Were they stuck? Someone in real life was bound to notice that something was wrong, come up with a fix. It would take time, but it would be better than… she glanced down at her chest where the gash had been and pressed a paw to it, shaken by how close she’d come to death - actual, honest-to-God death - without even knowing it.

Because Tiff hadn’t bothered to close her HUD, she saw Sgt_Blueskies’s whisper pretty much immediately. <Holo having panic attack; helping him. Meet later? Can team w you/help you out.>

Deep breaths, Tiff told herself, and typed a response. <Unsure. OrchidCrowns is up there screaming at devs, don’t know how she’ll feel when she finally comes down. Will keep you posted.> After a moment, she added, <She’ll probably agree though. Would be good to have more friends.>

There was no response, but Tiff didn’t really want one right then. Sky and Holo seemed nice enough, but Haruka was her first priority. She looked up at the bell tower, where Haruka had perched on a decorative rafter. “Whoever you are,” Haruka was screaming, “I’m gonna track you down and I’m gonna have your eyes for this!”

The bottom dropped out of Tiff’s stomach. Somehow, Haruka’s rage made this feel more real, more solid. For the time being, they were stuck - and any mistake could prove fatal. People, real people who had just wanted to pay a stupid Pokemon game, were going to die.

Tiff managed to find a park bench to collapse on as she watched Haruka spitting obscenities at empty air, waiting for her friend to tire herself out so that they could…

… Well. She would think of something. Hopefully.