Illusion Guard: All right, cool. Which one?

 Petalburg Warehouse, past 

-Shrugging-

"Inducing."

 Route 4 

Ann: -Is wearing her Go-Goggles-

Illusion Guard: Right, yep, that's one of them. All right.

-The guard clears their throat.-

Illusion Guard: "Oh, no, it seems you have defeated us! I was powerless to stop you! Now only our boss awaits."

-They open the door. Inside, the sound of chattering can be heard. The entire area has an Aura Jammer covering it.-

 Petalburg Warehouse, past 

-Walking inside-

Okay oh great and powerful leader, show yourself.

-The chatter stops, and the lights flicker on.-

-There's not much in the room aside from its occupants, a couple plain old chairs, and a much more ornate throne.-

-Draping herself across the throne is none other than Kai.-

Kai: Ah, Tagg, I was hoping you would make it! What did you think of the new Battle Base? It's a work in progress, of course, this is essentially just a beta version, but I like to think it gets the charm across quite nicely.

-Among the other occupants, of course, is Draca, perfectly safe and sound and not seeming in any way actually kidnapped, as well as Echo spectating from the side of the room-

-Shaun and a cheap Hacks knockoff Luka arrive at the cave not far behind.-

Daydre is here, wearing a winter jacket over her magical girl outfit and shivering. Tabitha piggybacking on her shoulders.

"Hhhhhhh"

Tabitha: <If you're cold, why did you not change before coming here?>

"I haven't been able to find my other clothing (besides this jacket) since April Fool's, were you not paying attention?"

Tabitha: <To be quite honest, no.>

edited 6th Apr '18 9:45:47 PM by Daydre

Megan: -supportively, posing- ✨🌟✨SPACE!✨🌟✨

Dina: ~I'm more of a terrestrial being, myself.~ ^|^

-blink- ~You've seen another Doexys?~

-hand to chin, narrowed eyes- ~Hmmmm, I thought I was the first to take them up on it. Except...~

-shrug- ~Eh, it's probably not important!~ ^|^

Megan: -sweatdrop- Ah.

-to Zinnia- That sounds like an event. Was this other Deoxys also this...

Dina: -wearing human clothes, radiating alien sparkles- ^|^

Megan: -awkward grin- ...friendly?

Logan: -to Ever- Ah, you can call me Logan!

-to Lila- Some mons just want to watch the world burn. Freezerburn, as the case may be.

-listening to the Egg Kids, hearing why- Hm...we can...work with that. Try to help. What happened to him?

Addie: <Ahh.>

-to Ever- <...what are you afraid of?>

Human!Thespi: -raises hand, smiling- I can fly.

Plusle: <And so can we~>

Minun: -nods-

Tripod: -behind them, also nods-

Human!Ceal: I...cannot.

Tripod: -chirps, offering-

Human!Thespi: -to Pent, grinning- Can you hop out of a Shadow Ball? We might be able to get a surprise in, man of mystery~.

-INDEED-

-Megan is here-

-her jacket tied around her waist, wearing a tank top and shorter jeans in the far-from-Sinnoh heat(?), Vee draped over her shoulders in the sudden cold, and wearing...a blue cap with Whismur ears-

Megan: -to Pippy- ...Don't judge me, it's thematic.

Pippy: -grinning, wearing a Whismur-ear headband of his own- <I didn't say anything.>-

Lapis: -wearing a headband with fake human ears on it, hugging her flaming hammer in the cold- BWAAAAH!

-next to her, an ice grenade lies abandoned and lonely-

Megan: Hi, Daydre!

Vee: -purrs-

edited 6th Apr '18 9:55:40 PM by Asterisk395

Route 4 below Zero

Colt had stayed fairly silent, his hands in his pockets, his headphones around his neck - despite the fact that it was cold enough to warrant wearing them to keep his ears warmer - and his jacket zipped up in favor of having his Glitch-killer shirt exposed.

“Wat do, Beep-O?” He asked, puffs of cold coming from his face.

Lucario materialized and reached for Category 5. He was ready.

Agrabah

Amaterasu returned herself, leaving Xatu the only one of Colt’s ‘mons out. This is my fate; I’m yours, he mentally sighed as he levitated himself level above the ground and Colt climbed onto his back.

Xatu buckled before recovering.

-Zinnia just gives a sorta noncommittal shrug to Dina-

Zinnia: Eh, they were a mixed bag. Kinda comes with being on a meteor about to destroy the world. But we're cool now!

-She smiles cheerfully, as if this is not an unusual occurrence.-

Zinnia: I was almost an astronaut! But then I wasn't. I travel a lot, though~

Estoc: (to Lila) <Because I could, and because it was funny.>

Ever: It's because he doesn't have very good aim.

Estoc: <Also because of comments like that.>

Ever: Hmm—hmm~! Anyway, the sparkles are magic, and I'd explain but you seem to be talking to a guy and I don't see one standing on this fountain.

-he smiles, and then his grin fades as Rod and Laura say their bit-

Lost kid, huh? That'll be good for leverage, probably.

Though it raises the question of lost like dead or lost like...lost. If it's the former, it's certainly going to be easier to make an appeal to, if it's the latter...well. I'm sure there's something that can be done there.

...Whoa. Okay, that was dark. Maybe let's not.

Freaking bad guys with almost-sympathetic motives. How many other people are going to lose someone they care about over one idiot breaking the multiverse? Hell, all our Fallers have to be coming from somewhere. I'd like to see Multitool factor that into his calculations. Stupid egg.

...

-he realizes he's been staring into space for longer than socially appropriate, and coughs-

(to Rod and Laura) Erm. Sorry for your loss, anyway.

-forcing a smile back onto his face, he turns to Logan-

Ever: Logan. Nice name. Good phonemes.

-Addie-

Ever: ...

-his face briefly goes through a couple stages of grief, before the smile flickers back into place-

Ariados. Death. Heights. Having my will subverted to the ends of others. The usual. Why do you ask?

Pleth: -gives Addie a "see what I mean?" look-

Ever: So. Seeing as you all seem very involved, you should probably see the airship.

edited 6th Apr '18 10:28:20 PM by memyselfandI2

 Petalburg Warehouse, past 

-To Echo-

I guess that would explain where the Aura Jammers and the Illusion aesthetic came from.

-Looking around-

Interesting, I'm guessing you decided to base it around our raids. Though this wasn't quite as shock and awe as they tend to be. What was the full password anyway?

Which means another reunion.

Cynthia: "Sevvy?"

Severa: <Hi, love.>

Cynthia: "Sevvy! You're an adorable tiny plant bug thing!"

Severa: <Yeah, it's ->

She's unceremoniously hoist into the air by Cynthia.

<Hey! Put me down you dork!>

Given that Cynthia doesn't seem to want to do that, Severa just accepts it.

Shocking, I know.

She's currently muttering something about an 'Edelfelt.'

Kai: Indeed, I've been working out the format of this whole thing since our close encounter of the fruit company kind. It's still got its rough edges, but those can be smoothed out in time. Echo, of course, helped with the planning. And the memes.

Echo: The full password, of course, was "Sweat Inducing Training Session."

-They both grin-

 Beta Battle Base, or B3, past 

-To Kai and Echo-

...Having two of the same smile pointed at me is deeply uncomfortable.

edited 6th Apr '18 10:42:06 PM by rmctagg09

-Shaun pokes at the fire with a stick absentmindedly, looking at everyone around him.-

-Jessica, curled up, head on his shouler, roasting marshmallows.-

-Ace, perched in a tree, worn out from all the flying.-

-Various grunts and sounds of breakage from the clearing where Tsunami and Beowulf are sparring.-

-Jamie, curled up into a ball, miniature ice sculptures moving like action figures and dolls.-

-Shadows rippling as Achille entertains Morgan, Jeremy, and the Leafeon with a story woven from illusions.-

-Shaun notices that it appears to be about a Zoroark and a Flareon.-

-The other Eeveelutions, huddled around Jakob (excepting John), asleep.-

-Fluffles, head on paws, staring into the flames of the campfire.-

-Cereza, admiring the stars, Cheshire acting as her pillow.-

-Whispered conversation between Celena and Berry Bubble, the language gibberish to most of the group, yet excited and longing talk of the UB's homes.-

-Heaty and Tsuboi, asleep, their conversation finished.-

-Shaun smiles and runs his hand through Jessica's hair.-

Jessica: "Marshmallow?"

-Shaun shakes his head. Jessica smiles and pops the sugary treat into her mouth.-

-Her body is warm, the crackling fire is calming, and yet...-

-Shaun should feel calm, happy. But the two Poké Balls in his bag are just at the edge of his thoughts, not forgotten, yet not focused on.-

-And other things fill his brain too. Memories, fears, worries...-

-No, everything will be alright. It has to be.-

-He's not gonna let anything stand in the way of his happiness.-

-But nothing threatens him, for now. A moment of peace admist the thundering storm which is his life.-

-So he puts an arm around his girlfriend as she roasts marshmallows. He gazes into the fire, losing himself in the hot, inviting depths of the blaze.-

-The world does not exist outside of this bubble.-

-This bubble is his whole world.-

-She stares at the ceiling, unable to sleep.-

-Why?-

-She hasn't been able to shake the feelings of foreboding that have followed her for a while now.-

-Maybe it started when an eldritch horror attacked her town as she walked home with groceries.-

-Or maybe it was when her nerdy Kadabra was sucked into an alternate universe where humans and Pokémon were one and the same.-

-And then there was Lanakila, with the Mew-slash-man and the evil Ninetales and the indoctrination of innocent women.-

-There was the time when she went on a tour of an old animation studio and fought another abomination and its offspring, unable to rescue those it had trapped and killed.-

-Maybe it was when the sky shattered.-

-Or was it when she was walking and a bean-loving, reality-breaking Bulbasaur(?) joined her.-

-And then the video game character turned into a Pokémon, and whatever the hell happened six days ago.-

-Even the Primarina on her bed, the stalwart companion she's always had, yields no comfort.-

-Of course, this envokes memories of her trials, which extended to more than the ones where she fought Totems.-

-Tapu, she has to deal with all the recent bullshit, her powers, and her sexuality?-

-Not to mention her inadequacy and lack of fulifillment.-

Fuck you too, universe.

edited 6th Apr '18 10:54:17 PM by SwiftSeraph

-Logan beams at the compliment-

-and then yes, Addie-

(Mane: -to the side, flinches, and tries to hide it-)

Addie: -feeling the discomfort- <...ah.>

Logan: Holy heck, Ad', what'd you say to him?

Addie: -not actually mentally linked at all- I am WORKING ON IT

Addie: -staring at Ever's face- <...it looks like there's some pain there.>

-she thinks-

<...It's possible that the best thing might be to accept that there will be some reticence in this continuing partnership, with one of the partners. Strike a balance, be patient. There're lots of kinds of relationships for lots of sets of people, and this one might need some time and space.>

<Paradoxically, this itself might be a way that you become more comfortable with each other. Forget Mega Evolution for now, and focus on each other.>

-to Ever- <Still, maybe make an attempt to be a bit more open every now and then, if only to her. You're bound together by the Vow in your own way, and for this partnership to succeed, there needs to be some give. And by all means, try again at some point, after some time has passed. The results might surprise you...or so I'm told.>

-Logan waits until Addie's said her piece, then says theirs-

Logan: ...the airship.

-grinning, wryly- You wouldn't happen to be J-Team, would you?

Mauville

Amos: <I can. Guess I'll take Copper.>

Aladdin: <Hm... okay, cool. I think that's enough everyone can fly in some way...>

<So, with that in mind, let's get going.>

Jones: -to Pent- <Oh, could I hitch a ride with you or it one person only? Just so someone else is less crowded.>

Once everyone's all handled, Carpet takes off, asking others to follow.

Lies, Yarne is still is in Slateport or something, thus, not here.

Spiral, however, is.

Maggie, who is distinctly not wearing a coat, looks at Daydre.

Maggie: "I mean, too bad you can't find your other clothes, but that said, a e s t h e t i c."

The cave here seems a bit smaller than the ground entrance, if still roomy. Just inside are a Primeape and a Lickilicky who seem to be sleeping, but the group's activity seems to wake up the Primeape.

Primeape: <Ngh... humans... what are you doing here?...>

edited 7th Apr '18 5:10:14 AM by CorvusAtrox

<Huh. Well if you ever wanna become one->

"Silas..."

<Oh right.>

Silas takes off his scarf and Hacks takes off his, both returning to regular form.

Silas stretched, "And I heard about that, there were quite a few threads on it on Truthnfiction."

~You read that website way too much.~

"Alternatively I don't read it enough."

~I'd say the other.~

Silas rolled his eyes, "Anyways, pleasure to meet you Zinnia."

Agrabah

Hm... Sure I can try bringing along a passenger. Let's see...

-He stands in some decent enough shadows (most likely one of Jafar's old haunts in the throne room) and waits-

Hold on tight and uh... Try not to perceive too hard.

-As the others depart, so does he with his 'guest' for this transit-

Route 4

So we're all about that blending, so presumably we should look for the place that's the most half-and-half between desert dust and frosty peaks.

-Zinnia raises an eyebrow-

Zinnia: That old website? You could have checked, like... the news.

-Kai chuckles-

Kai: Sorry, couldn't resist. Anyway, I don't suppose you're planning on backing out of a challenge now, are you?

-She rights herself on the throne, and stands.-

Pippy: <...I did not know there was a Deoxys on that meteor.>

Megan: ... -almost no idea what he's talking about- •-•;;

Pippy: <...Was that big green thing a Mega Evolution?>

-a bit overwhelmed- <...I think we fought that. Fake-that. It's a bit of a blur.>

Vee: -murmuring- <It sucked tremendously.>

Dina: ~Hmmmm, I...~

~Am not majorly in the space program, so I couldn't say if that was one of ours.~ ^|^;;

-to Silas- ~It's so cool that you're an astronaut, by the way!~

Logan: -to Lila- yes! But I saw some vaguely sorta familiar faces and started talking and now I'm helping.

...she is very young. And this seems like...a concerning situation, to put it mildly.

A potentially world-ending catastrophe-frick, to be blunt.

...eh, she's on a plane back home soon and it's in the conversational stage and I don't want her to be lonely until then.

Wanna come along?

-with an electric crackle, Tripod and the bunnies (ironically not the band name here) take flight and follow, Thespi and Ceal clinging to Tripod's antenna-

(-a perceptive listener might hear the Drama Club singing "A Whole New World" under their breath-)

Main Quest: Magic Mirror

Subquests

edited 7th Apr '18 9:55:04 AM by Asterisk395

-as Addie speaks, Ever's smile becomes a little strained, the fingers of his right hand tapping out an increasingly fast beat on his hip as he glances back and forth-

why am i being dragged by a squirrel what's with that manectric why do i talk to interesting strangers why did i get out of bed today and how do i change that situation

Pleth: <She may have a point.>

Ever: Thank you, Pleth.

-he coughs-

Yep, J-team. I've been trying to dramatically reveal this since you mentioned being willing to help, but fate seems to be...contravening my efforts.

-he blinks once, listening to Logan and Lila's conversation, and then snaps his fingers sharply. The fingers on his left hand specifically, making a very loud noise and a flare of pink-

Ersatz Alliance? It's on the way.

-and he steps back into the fountain, his foot dropping further than should be possible as he slips down a trapdoor that probably wasn't there earlier-

Pleth: <...Uh.>

Estoc: <That seems on-brand.>

Mauville

-points at an alleyway-

This place is super weird.