PEFE!Every: (to Evan) Hm. If you hold still for a second—

Ever: Not the time.

PEFE!Every: Oh, right.

-she heads over to an unconscious Templar, taking a capped needle from her coat-

Every: Emphatically not the time. We're here to distract, not get distracted.

-he sends out Breeze-

Breeze: <Hey! What's going o— Whoa!>

-he dodges a Bite from a Girafarig-

Breeze: <Okay, point taken!>

-he picks up the Girafarig with Psychic and flings them away. PEFE!Every, meanwhile, sends out Sharptooth, who Crunches the startled Girafarig-

PEFE!Every: Um, when exactly do we get to collect samples?

Ever: In a general way it's not a high priority.

PEFE!Every: Why not?

Ever: Well, the other priorities are "not dying" and "getting what we came here for", and they take up more time than you might imagine.

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.

Templar Base

-Pent shadowports into the tunnel and braces himself as he wanders into the devastation, blade in hand and trying to figure out more ideas to make himself look more and more ominous and like some nightmarish shadow-

-Is it weird that he has the words "Your organization and your actions have been judged, and found wanting. The penalty lies on the edge of my blade" in his head?-

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

Team Iron Auxiliary Base

-Scarlette grits her teeth and immediately puts down her book.-

Scarlette: Damn it all! Crew, it's time to stop lazing around in there and get moving!

-An Obscuric hole in her and Lucius's room wall opens, with a number of Ghost-type Pokemon poking their head through.-

Sticks the Trevenant: Wow, finally?

Chantey the Shiny Dhelmise: Aye, it's about time we got back to work.

-Whether Lucius is in the room or not, seven different Ghost-types start filtering out of the hole in the wall, following Scarlette and Gus out.-

Templar Base

-...Nope, still not active.-

Evan: Ugh, does anyone have something I can do something with until this thing works again?

 Templar Base, yesterday 

-Examining the metal-

...Interesting make. Ali? Specimen acquisition time.

Ali: -Smashes one of the walls with a claw, causing a piece of metal to come off, which I immediately grab-

Now, is it in any way derived from Deep Alloy, somehow imbued with Dark Obscura, or is this something else we're dealing with...

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

Templar Base

-Mega!Chrome charges in and slashes at Templars-

-Lina meanwhile sends out a certain Drapion, Houndoom, Umbreon, Pangoro, Krookodile, Zoroark, and Mandibuzz-

Lina: -grinning- Go nuts, guys.

-All the mons cheer and charge in, as does Lina-

-Neon opts for stealth, guarded by Haku and Monty-

Gino: -taps Evan- <Need a claw, nyan?>

Contact Me!

-Several hours after their initial meeting, the Counsellor is transferring items from Shard's cell to their briefcase, while still smiling genially.-

The Counsellor: That's the swabs collected. All we need now is the blood sample.

-He produces a needle and grabs Shard's wrist, even as she recoils violently.-

The Counsellor: Something wrong?

Shard: ...Don't like being touched.

The Counsellor: It'll only be for a moment, I assure you.

-He jabs the needle into Shard's still-tense arm and draws a measure of blood before releasing her, whereupon she draws backwards angrily.-

The Counsellor: There we are. Quick and painless, as I promised. All that remains is to-

-The sound of a phone buzzing emerges from the Counsellor's jacket. He gives a false smile that utterly fails to conceal his irritation.-

The Counsellor: ...Will you excuse me for a moment? I have to take this.

-He steps outside, muttering in a low voice.-

The Counsellor: Speaking. ... What do you mean, an attack? ... We had an arrangement. I expected the other parties involved would intervene, come to our defence. ... No, I understand. I'll finish up here. Thank you for keeping me informed.

-He re-enters the cell and meets Shard with the same false smile.-

The Counsellor: I apologise. Something has come up, so we're going to have to speed things along.

-He reaches into his breast pocket and pulls out a sheaf of papers.-

Shard: ...What are you doing?

The Counsellor: Did you think I was somehow misleading you? I am entirely honest in my professional dealings. Lucille Cain is a free woman, as are you.

-He smiles and drops the papers in front of her, before reaching deeper and producing something much bulkier - a belt of Pokeballs, attached to a gas mask with tinted black lenses.-

The Counsellor: I'm sure you'll be able to find employment in these troubled times.

-Shun, Tara and Dani have all gathered at a bar that is exactly as dive-y as Tara's earlier comments suggested.-

Shun: What did you say the name of this place was again?

Dani: The Spick and Stabbed~!

-Tara groans as Dani lurches her way over to the bar.-

Shun: ...Is that its actual name?

Tara: Not quite, but it might as well be, given the clientele. Your Interpol chums would have a field day if you brought them here. Thankfully, Scar is an old friend of ours.

-She gives a nod to the man behind the bar, who is not so much scarred as one big scar with bits of soft tissue beneath.-

Tara: He doesn't ask questions.

Shun: ...Right.

Dani: Other than how many straws you want with pitchers~!

-She continues trying to catch the bartender's attention, allowing Shun to focus on Tara and her glass of whiskey.-

Shun: ...So why haven't you told her how you feel?

-If life had a backing track, this would be the time for a record scratch. As it stands, Tara simply glares at Shun.-

Tara: Seriously? We're gonna have this conversation now?

Shun: Why not? Even the most amateur detective could piece this puzzle together, and it seems we've been putting it off for long enough.

-Tara sighs, and looks over towards Dani.-

Tara: ...I don't wanna make things any more complicated than they are already, okay? You were in those memories there with us. You know that she didn't have anybody before I came along. I was her first friend, I taught her how to read, I went along with the dumbass supervillain business for her sake... that's a lotta baggage to bring to a relationship. I gotta consider that whole fucked-up power dynamic, 'cause I don't want her feeling obligated to go along with my feelings when it's her own that matter.

Shun: And how can you presume to know her feelings if you never ask?

-Tara gives Shun a harsh look.-

Tara: ...We're talking about the same Dani, right? The one you first met because her supervillain persona was stupidly obsessed with Shingeko? The one who tells me every thought that crosses her mind and I'd say is my closest friend? The one who's never given either of us any reason to assume she's not 100% straight?

-Shun bows his head.-

Shun: ...That... I hadn't considered any of that.

-Tara takes a swig of her whiskey, before her expression softens and she sighs at Shun.-

Tara: Listen, Shun... I'm sorry to bring the whole tone down here, but you've got this to enjoy going forwards. Love's rarely rational, never easy, and it always hurts. Sometimes caring about people means accepting that their happiness comes at the cost of yours, 'cause seeing them happy is worth paying that price. That's your cross to bear.

-She looks over at Dani, and Shun follows her gaze.-

Shun: ...So, you think we should intervene?

Tara: Oh, definitely.

-Meanwhile, Dani is stood atop a chair and table, belting out the performance of her life.-

Dani:
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from yoooooou,
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever dooooooo~
I BLESS THE RAINS DOWN IN-

-She is cut off by Shun and Tara dragging her off of her makeshift stage.-

Dani: YOU'RE SILENCING TRUE GREATNESS YOU HEATHENS

-Elsewhere in the city, a Scizor and an Alakazam are sat opposite one another, deep in conversation.-

Bishop: <...All I'm saying is that it's a question of respect, no more or less.>

Maul: ~Uh-huh.~

Bishop: <I understand that he's going through a lot right now, but at the end of the day, we're the ones who have to shoulder the burden of his decisions. We deserve to have some input.>

Maul: ~Definitely.~

Bishop: <Of course, I considered the route of passive resistance, but I had Omega and Epsilon on hand to assure me that it would not be effective in Lucius's case. Sometimes direct action is necessary. I'm sure that over time he will just... he will...>

-He trails off.-

Bishop: <...I'm sorry, Maul, but while I appreciate the effort you took to arrange this meeting, we're not pretending to be human right now. Your "disguise", as it were, is more distracting than anything.>

-Maul - whose face is concealed by kamina shades and a baseball cap, while his torso is covered by a Alolan shirt worn over a BLUE / SURGE 2008 tee - tilts his head.-

Maul: ~I don't follow.~

-In the room with Scarlette, Lucius jumps out of his bunk upon hearing the alarm.-

Lucius: Wait, seriously? Did they come looking for me this soon after- uh, after they knew we'd kick their ass?

-He quickly wraps his scarf around the lower half of his face, sends out Falchion, then goes charging after Scarlette.-

edited 13th Dec '17 4:32:53 PM by Herbert40k

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

-Phoenix's team splits up into the aforementioned groups.-

edited 13th Dec '17 4:33:44 PM by redneckphoenix

Templar Base

-Deziree bolts past all the activity and heads to whatever tech center is nearby. She crashes through the glass door to a big, important-looking room.-

???: Greetings!

-Deziree jumps as the thin, tall robot balanced on a movement ball waves at her.-

Robot: I'm afraid your clearance - [ERROR CLEARANCE NOT FOUND] - is not cleared for perusal of the On-Site Research Database. Please, speak to your superiors if you believe this message is in error. Thank you, and academia gloria!

-Deziree blasts the robot with an EMP charge.-

Deziree: Hey guys! I found the squishy bits!

-She tosses out her bag of Joltik, and they go charging across the room, chewing on anything even remotely sending out an electromagnetic force.-

---

-Dune stands square in the hallway as a group of Templars headed by a captain floating a few feet above the ground.-

Charles the Conduit: ~NOT BE HERE! You... you should NOT! BE HERE! This place... BELONG! BEGONE! NOT BELONG BEGONE!~

VS! CHARLES THE CONDUIT!

-Using his wild telekinesis, the Captain pulls a Pokeball from his belt while also unceremoniously clocking one of his subordinates in the head with a chunk of debris. An Exeggutor takes the field as the unfortunate Templar falls over with a concussion.-

-Dune just stares, hearing none of the rambling, before pulling out a Pokeball.-

Dune: Go, Svarog! Time to show them what a Mt. Battle Pokemon can do!

-A big Typhlosion takes the field, his mane flaring to life and his eyes lusting for flames.-

Svarog: <FEEL THE POWER OF TRUE COMBAT!>

Dune: ERUPTION!

Charles the Conduit: ~EEP!~

-The Exeggutor and the Templars behind him quickly throw up Light Screens to shield themselves. The Exeggutor barely holds on, all but one of his heads wincing in pain.-

-The last one is laughing at a joke it told itself last night.-

---

-Ludmilla is now heading towards the barracks, Sandnix the Ghostly Marowak beside her.-

Team Iron Auxiliary Base

-A Templar comes rushing down the hallway at Scarlette and Lucius before suddenly being yanked into the air. His arms and legs are pulled out, stretching rack style, as a young woman, not a few years older than Lucius, comes around the corner. Her eyes are ablaze with a familiar, ghostly energy.-

Miss Prokleti?: Thought you could run away, huh? Well, guess what, dumkopf. You can't run from a Gespenst!

-The Templar is tossed against the walls like a ragdoll before being thrown against the floor in a heap. The flare of ghostly energy leaves Miss Prokleti's eyes, and she recognizes her fellow Team Iron mates.-

Miss Prokleti: Oh! I- uh- I'm sorry you had to see that. I- er- well let's just- ah- you know what I'll tell you later. For now, we have to get to the others at the security station!

-Another explosion rocks the base.-

Natalie sits up. "... Code Black?"

Nurse: "... NO."

Natalie: "Yes."

Nurse: "Absolutely not."

Natalie: "Tough."

Nurse: "..." -sigh- "Fine, but if you die that's not on me."

Natalie: "I certainly don't plan on dying."

Cyrus comes in with actual clothes.

Natalie: "I was about to -"

Cyrus: ~Did you really think I wouldn't expect you to try this the second the alarm sounded? I was half expecting to be ordered in here to knock out the nurse.~

Nurse: "... You wouldn't do that, right?"

Natalie: "... Noooo?"

Nurse: -sighs-

Natalie quickly gets changed.

Natalie: "Alright." -She spins two pokeballs between the matte-black fingers of her new cybernetic arm, tossing one out.- "Nissa, Cyrus, we have lessons to teach."

-The Zorua yawns and takes her usual place on Natalie's head, while Cyrus nods.-

All are significantly abnormal in a normal world... All are significantly normal in an abnormal world.

PEFE!Every: Dr. Tagg is collecting samples! And he's my boss, I can't just—

Ever: I imagine he'll let it slide this once. Anyway, unlike you he's quite capable of taking care of himself.

-he and PEFE!Every have claimed a corner near some of the unconscious Templars, and are currently dealing with a Templar, who is fielding a Mr. Mime and Jynx-

Ever: Man, fuck conservation of ninjutsu. I've fought a Latios, one psychic soldier shouldn't be this much of a pain in the ass.

PEFE!Every: Conservation of what now?

Ever: Never you mind. Breeze, keep that Jynx pinned down. ...And you know what, the Mr. Mime too.

Breeze: <I was gonna say, you have so little faith in my abilities.>

-his eyes glow bright, and telekinetic force clashes between the Memitos and the Templar-

PEFE!Every: Should I—

Ever: Most definitely.

PEFE!Every: Sharptooth, get him.

Sharptooth: <Such an interesting departure from the ordinary course of affairs. Humans attacking Pokemon, Pokemon attacking humans.>

-he grins, as always-

Sharptooth: <Sounds excellent.>

-he charges for the Templar, who summons psychic blades, slicing at the Krookodile-

PEFE!Every: Okay, we seem to have things under control. I'm going to—

-and she and Ever are both hit by a Psybeam from a Meowstic lurking off to the side-

-a girl whose arm is no longer in a sling, riding a Dragonite, approaches the falling helicopter-

Brie: Hey! Do you need any help? I mean, I'm going to assume you do if you don't say anything, but I guess this could be according to some plan you have?

edited 13th Dec '17 4:42:47 PM by memyselfandI2

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.

Templar Base

Once Colton and 9-Volt's combined efforts forced a reasonable number of grunts to bail, they went deeper into the building.

They had to stop from time to time to address some more persistent grunts and their team, but who knows if they would get halted by a more egregious force, or re-encounter someone on their side. For now, nonlethal incapacitation.

[Insert Unoriginal Stinger Here]

Psyche grins, locked in intense psychic combat with a Templar, while disorienting his Gallade with teleporting. Her mind are currently out causing untold havoc. ~Cmon, this is pathetic, y'all needed training just to get your asses handed to you~?~ She teleports, landing hard on top of the Gallade, pinning him to the floor.

"If I am to be met with disrespect, then I must first love myself with a fierceness no fool can take away." - Vraska, Gorgon assassin

Team Iron Aux Base

Scarlette: What? Why would a bunch of crazy psychic people be after you? We've been fighting these creeps since before I joined!

-She watches Miss Prokleti handle the incoming Templar, and nods when she stops going crazy-ghosty.-

Scarlette: We're fine. Just part of the job. Which way?

Templar Base — Team Destruction

-The Omniband beeps and turns green.-

Evan: Thanks for the offer, Salamence, but don't worry, I've got this! Time to go Armbeetle!

-He twists it, then slams down on the device.-

-Moments later, a Buzzwole flexes in his place.-

Armbeetle: {Oh yeah! Now we're talking! You creeps want a piece of this bug?}

-He starts doing everything he can to cause damage.

-Lucius blinks at Scarlette's comment.-

Lucius: Wait, you have? Then they're not...

-He trails off upon seeing Miss Prokleti deal with the approaching Templar, which also causes the other Templar charging down the corridor to fall to his knees.-

Lucius: ...Wait, hold on, who are we fighting right now?

Ratbag the Coward: Oh, definitely not me, your greatness! You have nothing to fear from poor old Ratbag, oh no. You and I, we can help each other! We can work together to make sure Ratbag rises to-

Lucius: Okay, good talk, but that really doesn't answer my question or anything else at the moment.

edited 13th Dec '17 4:57:12 PM by Herbert40k

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

-Shaun sighs and returns to the ground, his mons by his side.

Shaun: "I'll get Beowulf to heal us up."

-He releases the Ralts, who sets about tending to wounds.-

---

-Shaun's by Dune. He and Beowulf are dealing with a Templar and his Alakazam.-

-Well...-

Beowulf: <Quit hiding and fight, you coward!>

-He says this while blipping around, Trying to hit the Alakazam with Night Slashes and Thunder Punches while the Alakazam themselves teleports and throws Psycho Cuts.

Templar: "You will never win!"

Shaun: "I beg to differ."

-He dodges the Templar's psychic blade while attempting to get in a good strike.-

"Dang that sure is totally poggers my good bitch"

Templar Base

-Pent just quietly attempts to slip past the Captain and follow one of the other teams-

Gah, no going full Ghost Lord regalia isn't gonna work... Anubis mask?

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

"Say if you're wondering about treasure. Of course! What castle would this be without jewels, gems, and gold? It's got lotsa treasure!"

Jester smiled and summoned a chest, pulling out of it, a ruby the size of a tangerine.

The helicopter is fortunately in relatively good condition. It won't be flying again soon (okay, probably won't be flying again ever given that it looks like it would probably be cheaper to buy a new one than fix it. But both occupants are alive. The helicopter is crashed on its left side (facing towards the front), the floor at a ~60 degree angle to the ground. The tail of the helicopter is somewhere in the sand twenty or so feet away, and the rotor and engines are completely detached and nowhere to be found. The area around the left door looks like it's been torn off, along with parts of the top where the rotor and engines presumably used to be located. Oddly enough, the door itself is face-up in front of the helicopter, with what is presumably a corporate name and logo on it but not one that actually exists in this universe. The AU!Natalie is leaning on the frame of the helicopter, while Malik is kind of slumped against what used to be the floor of the helicopter.

AU!Natalie: -coughing- [German]"No, no I'm fine but-"[/German] -she cuts herself off, reorients herself, sits down, and realizes Brie was talking in [English], albeit with a rather heavy [German] accent.- "No, I think I'm fine but -" -cough. Lots of kicked-up sand from crashing in a desert- "Malik - the pilot - her arm is broken, I think."

Malik: -Also with a somewhat lighter [German] accent- "It definitely is."

She looks around. "So where... where are we, by chance?"

All are significantly abnormal in a normal world... All are significantly normal in an abnormal world.

-Ever and PEFE!Every are Psybeamed, thoughts flashing through their heads-

The pain of a bite, and reaching for a breath you can't find.

Knowing what's around the corner, and that survival has come down to luck.

Breeze: <Sharptooth! Quit picking on the human and deal with that cat!>

Sharptooth: <Do you really think you give me orders?>

Watching your city burn, realizing you failed it.

Standing over the body of an augmented Houndoom and realizing that the people who were supposed to protect you from it left a long time ago.

Breeze: <Don't make me kick your ass, Krookodile!>

Sharptooth: <But the Templar—>

Your mind cracked open like a nut to serve a machine.

Being held for weeks with nobody to talk to and nothing to do.

Breeze: <Mon trumps human! Good rule of thumb!>

Sharptooth: <Ugh, fine!>

Every bone in your body shattered.

Drowning in a wave of acid.

-Sharptooth tosses the Templar away and rushes the Meowstic, tackling her into the wall with a Crunch-

-the Psybeam stops. PEFE!Every is curled up in a ball, while Ever is staring into space, looking like someone ripped the heart out of his chest-

-the Templar, seeing a clean path to the two of them, rushes in-

-Brie blinks, and does indeed switch to [English]-

Brie: Uh, you're in Unova. Atlantis, puedes—

-Atlantis nods, and goes to help the two out of the helicopter-

Brie: Outside Nimbasa, to be specific.

edited 13th Dec '17 5:22:38 PM by memyselfandI2

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.

Templar Base

-The fighting continues-

-Yomi spits a Toxic at Charles the Conduit-

Contact Me!

Channah: Oh jeez, formal wear I bet. -sighs- Alrighty then.

Just to finish that

There is no disdain in nature, there is no humiliation.

 Templar Base, past 

Tyto: -Has pinned several unconscious Templars and their mons to the ground with Spirit Shackles to their shadows- <Hah!>

-Using Aura chains to fling a Templar into a wall-

You know, for super powerful psychic supersoldiers, they sure have been going down pretty easily. Which means either these guys were the rejects only good at flinging at weaklings... or we've got something real nasty coming our way, and not just the guy Dune's fighting over there.

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

This is an opportune time as the upholstery starts catching fire from stray wiring sparks.

AU!Natalie: "T- thank you." She nods to Atlantis in thanks

Malik: [German]"... I don't think that's covered by insurance, boss"[/German]

AU!Natalie: [German]"Probably not. What... even happened?"[/German]

Malik shrugs.

Meanwhile, one Templar is discovering why it's a bad idea to fight people who can crush your windpipe single-handedly (mostly through pain) from Cyrus and another why it's a bad idea to underestimate an unevolved pokemon via Dark Pulses from Nissa.

Natalie punches one in the stomach, crumpling the armor in and knocking the wind out of one, bringing her elbow up and slamming it into his chin, sending him falling back, unconscious. "Pneumatically-powered martial arts are incredibly effective, seems."

Cyrus flings the now-unconscious templar into another one coming around a bend in the hallway. ~We should find the others.~

Natalie nods. "We really should."

All are significantly abnormal in a normal world... All are significantly normal in an abnormal world.

-the Templar charges the Memitos, a blade of psychic energy sprouting from their palm-

-they slash it down at Ever-

-and find something grabbing their wrist-

PEFE!Every: I'd hoped to test this under better conditions, but this will do.

-despite the fact that she has no real physical strength, the surprise factor slows the Templar down long enough for PEFE!Every to pull a small injector from her coat and fire it into the Templar's wrist-

-the Templar lets out a pained yelp and lashes their arm out. They're significantly stronger and easily break away from PEFE!Every, slashing their blade across her face and knocking her to the ground-

Templar: Seriously? That Psybeam didn't put you down?

PEFE!Every: Like I've never experienced pain be—

-the Templar hauls her to her feet, and drives the psychic blade into her sternum-

-there's only one problem, it's not there any more. It's a strong blow, and PEFE!Every crumples to the ground, gasping, but she is distinctly un-impaled-

Templar: What the hell?!

-it takes them a while to say this, because of the time taken to realize that they're unable to communicate telepathically anymore. Their voice is raspy from disuse-

Templar: What was in that syringe?

PEFE!Every: Drapion venom. They hunt psychic mons, and their venom is adapted to disrupt expression of psychic abilities. Don't worry, it should only last...a few hours?

-she grins sheepishly-

PEFE!Every: I was sort of hoping I wouldn't have to physically fight you after administering it, though.

Templar: Today's clearly not your lucky day. You thought we only needed our abilities?

-they pull a knife and stab down at PEFE!Every, who protects herself with her labcoat-

Templar: This really isn't your area, is it?

-they kick PEFE!Every in the side. The labcoat, while fairly impervious, doesn't override the laws of physics, and PEFE!Every is knocked onto her back. The Templar places a knee on her throat to pin her in place, raises their knife-

-and is tackled by a Weavile-

Jab: <Unusual but fun!>

-and he dispatches the Templar with a Night Slash-

Jab: <Uh, it doesn't count as Vow breaking if they're made in a tube, does it?>

PEFE!Every: Sources differ.

-she sits up with some effort-

PEFE!Every: That took you too long.

-Ever is holding out Jab's Pokeball, still standing there. His expression is blank and his cheeks are tear-stained-

Ever: Sorry. Psychic attacks and I have a long history. Are you alright?

PEFE!Every: Head wound. Looks worse than it is.

Ever: Good, then we need to keep moving.

-meanwhile, Sharptooth finishes dealing with the Meowstic, and goes to assist Breeze. With his opponents distracted by being tackled by a Krookodile, he knocks the Mr. Mime and Jynx out with a series of Shadow Balls-

Brie: Uh, Atlantis, maybe put that out before it spreads?

Atlantis: <On it.>

-she fires an Ice Beam at the flames to quell them-

Brie: So, uh...whoever you two are, what happened?

edited 13th Dec '17 6:04:50 PM by memyselfandI2

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.

AU!Natalie: "I... I can't seem to remember"

"... Now that you mention it I can't seem to remember much at all."

Malik: "We... we... weird, I can't either."

AU!Natalie: "... Concerning."

All are significantly abnormal in a normal world... All are significantly normal in an abnormal world.