Reversal Mountain

Lina: -to Rin, cracking knuckles- Let's do that then.

Kass: <Carefully. This is still technically a rescue mission.>

-And the group heads to the summit-

Edited by Umbramatic on Apr 29th 2019 at 4:43:43 AM

Cerulean City

-As is to be expected, Halis likely gets lost in the city streets pretty quickly. There is a door off to one side that looks like the one they and Lucius last visited the Ersatz Alliance through, though.-

Halis stares at the door, remembering what happened last time.

Halis: "...Hm. I know this isn't going to be what I'm looking for, probably, but..."

They open the door, looking around inside and specifically making sure the door stays open behind them.

ersatz, past

Derek: So, that shiny Metang I saw a few weeks ago... It could have been that person... I think I'll refrain from trying anything on for now.

Reversal Mountain

Ann: -As they're going up the summit- So what's going to be up there. Gudrunn? That Glitch thing? Both?

Ersatz Alliance(?)

-The store Halis finds themself in certainly looks like the Ersatz Alliance. At least, as far as one can tell in the darkness. Half the lights are dead, and the other half are flickering on and off. From what little that can be seen, the store appears to have been utterly trashed, and there appears to be some kind of dark, viscous liquid soaking the floor.-

-As Halis looks around, the door behind them suddenly slams shut without warning.-

Halis is taken aback by the sight of this.

Halis: "W-what? This would never happen..."

They look around a bit after noticing the door closing itself, trying to figure out what the source of the odd liquid is.

Halis: "...What even is this?"

Ersatz Alliance(?)

???:    Heh. Wouldn't y-y-you. Like t-t-to know.   

-The whispering voice seems to be emanating from beneath one of the flickering lights, where a faint, vaguely humanoid silhouette appears to be stood motionless.-

???:    Then again, perhaps that's unfair. There's a lot you d-d-don't know. Or haven't f-f-figured out yet.   

Edited by Herbert40k on Apr 29th 2019 at 10:23:37 AM

They glare over at where the voice is coming from.

Halis: "...Hm..."

They try to figure out who it is, but can't.

Halis: "I don't suppose you'd know, then? I'm not denying that I don't know a lot of things, but I'm not stupid, either."

Stormchaser Gym

Me: Here we are... The Stormchaser's Gym... again...

The first thing I'll need to learn is to sneak without making a sound, so...

Come on out everybody!

-I send all of my Pokémon out-

Oshawittle: <Alright, Training!>

Raru: <Yeah. Let's go.>

Mothra: <Training?>

Totoro: -asleep-

Miyako: <This'll be fun!>

Piper: <What are we training for?>

Yuki: <Samui kaze ni, watashi wa modoru...>^note Translation:On the cold winds, I return...

Me: Bird Go.

-A brilliant light shines through the gym as I change into Ian the Pikipek-

-Someone in the Stormchaser's Gym is bound to notice the bright light-

Ersatz Alliance(?)

???:    As a matter of fact, I d-d-do. I know a lot about you, Aria.   

-They place a peculiar emphasis on that last word, almost as if they find it amusing somehow.-

???:    I've been w-w-watching you, you know. For a while now. It was supposed to be C-C-Cain at first, but you... you've proven to be f-f-far more interesting than him. He may not have realised who you are, but I know. I... I want to find out what could be d-d-done with someone like you.   

Edited by Herbert40k on Apr 29th 2019 at 10:31:19 AM

stormchaser gym

-Kat is running on a treadmill watching something on her phone, while Cady is on a rowing machine. Two Meowstic are running around.-

Lena: <Get back heeere!>

Roger: <No way! Oh look, there's someone else here!>

-They approach Ian and his team.-

Lena: ~Hmm... Hiding in plain sight or just not practicing? But I guess not everyone's a psychic type.~

Roger: <Come on, don't harass them!>

Lena: <Hey! I was just thinking out loud. Literally.>

Halis: "Hm? Why did you say my last name, and his as well? Is there something funny about it? That being said, though... Sorry, I'm not taking up jobs right now or anything. I'm already doing other stuff with Luci. Besides, you haven't even told me your own name."

They seem unintimidated by all of this, moreso just curious.

Ersatz Alliance(?)

-There's a faint giggle in the shadows.-

???:    Oh, but you d-d-don't need me to tell you my name. You know it already. After all...   

-A shape rises out of the viscous liquid coating the floor, forming something that vaguely resembles a Weezing with dozens of screaming, misshapen heads.-

Metus:    I thought I told you to REMEMBER IT!   

Stormchaser Gym

Me: Alright, team. We're gonna be practicing for a big job today!

Piku-chan: <Yeah!>

Raru: <It'll be a raid on Macraul Manor!>

Yuki: <Dare da?>^note Translation: Who?

Oshawittle: <The Macrauls beeth a family of collectors who have something that belongeth to Voyd, the Necrozma we doth fight back at Mt. Moon.>

Mothra: <Seems important...>

Me: Indeed it is, Mothra. We'll be training to take back Voyd's Z-Crystal, so we'll be playing a game of hide-and-seek...

Only this time, I'm the one who shall be hiding and you all have to find me!

Piper: <Sounds like fun.>

Me: Okay... get into a position where you think you can see me, and when you see me, attack!

Piku-chan: <Are you sure?>

Me: I can handle it... Now, let's get down to business... to outsmart the Macrauls!

Me: Get into positions, 'mons! Your current target is Ian the Pikipek! He will disappear somewhere and you cover your eyes and count to 20... All of you! And don't fire until you see the wink of his eye!

-I spin around three times and hide somewhere in the Gym-

All my Mons: <1... 2.... 3.... 4.... 5....>

-Totoro snores as he counts-

Halis suddenly leaps back a bit, somewhat expecting this to happen, though not in that matter.

Halis: "Sorry, I don't remember the name of people who rely on intimidation to get what they want... especially when they don't even answer my own questions!"

They're contemplating removing the scarf just so they can fight back, but realize that's a bad idea and hold off on it, instead trying to look around a bit for directions to escape from.

Ersatz Alliance(?)

-The voice in the darkness goes back to being soft and faintly giggly.-

Metus:    It's Metus... not that I n-n-need to tell you that. It'll be b-b-burned into your mind soon enough. After all, you and I... we're g-g-going to do great things together. This w-w-whole world is going to know who we are soon enough...   

-The door behind Halis remains firmly locked, and many of the gooey, malformed Weezing's heads begin to laugh instead of scream, creating a nightmarish cacophony as thick, smoky shadows pour from its mouths, filling the room.-

Halis: "As if I'd listen to you. You aren't Luci, and you never will be... ugh, what is this, Smokescreen?"

They cough a bit and try to bat away the oncoming smoke, though to no avail.

Ersatz Alliance(?)

-Unfortunately, trying to bat away the smoke only seems to make it thicker until it becomes almost like tar in the air, filling Halis's vision and lungs until there is nothing but the darkness they're drowning in, suffocating, unbroken and unending...-

-...-

-...until they hear a familiar voice far off in the distance.-

Lucius: Kid? Kid! Talk to me, kid? Are you okay?

Reversal Mountain

Des is tailing behind the gang, with Debbid on his shoulder.

"So you mean to tell me that took on the lot of 'em single handedly?"

<Bwah!>

"I do not believe you. That's crazy talk."

<Bwah bwah!>

"Pssh, Simpson's did it."

They catch up to the group.

"So what's ahead exactly?"

Halis just lays on the ground, coughing a bit. They can't see Lucius, but they can hear him.

Halis: "...L-luci...?"

Cerulean City - TS

-Despite his body's protests, Shaun fires an arrow at Soul Arrow, chain trailing behind it. Should it hit, the arrow will go through the Lucario and embed itself in the ground.-

???

-There's a sigh of relief somewhere in the darkness, before Halis is given a gentle shake as Lucius speaks again, louder than before.-

Lucius: Oh thank Arceus, you're alive... are you okay? What on earth happened to you?

Halis reaches out toward Lucius, still unable to see him clearly.

Halis: "...It was them again."

They cough again.

Halis: "I should have... should have fought back when I had the chance, but I didn't. I'm sorry, Luci..."

???

-By now, the darkness is starting to fade, although all Halis would see if they opened their eyes is the fuzzy outline of Lucius against a blurry background.-

Lucius: "Them"? What do you...

-He trails off. There's a few seconds of silence before Halis feels themself being picked up, Lucius's voice now far more subdued.-

Lucius: ...C'mon. Let's get back to the Center.