Turffield Stadium Entrance Room, Pre-AFD

Me: It's okay. I can still battle.

-Hatty senses something coming from Will and perks her head up.-

Hatty: <Is... something the matter, Will?>

♪Show me the wisdom of the world... Tell me the secrets of the heart... and the sweet~ mysteries~ of love~...

Halis: <Aw, come on, seriously? If nothing else it figures that a machine or... whatever you are can't even come up with something original.>

The irony of this statement given past experiences is lost on them.

Halis: <Anyway, useless as always, so...>

They immediately make sure they're behind the semi-safe cover of the people who can actually fight this thing, the irritation of their second statement readily apparent in spite of their attempt at hiding it.

Byleth: We seem to have backed ourselves into a sealed metal box dangling in a shaft powered fully by enemy-controlled facilities.

-CRASH-

Byleth: Excellent work. . _.

Distortion World - Shadesden

Again...

Logan: ...huh. Not smart enough to negotiate with...

-they fiddle uncomfortably with their Styler-

Addie: <Well, that seems as good a lead as any. Should we look for where most of these aggressive shadows are coming from?

(-if Lauren doesn't seem to understand this, Logan relays it-)

-look at all those doornails-

Abilene: Absolutely nothing.

-she strokes the surface of one apple, then the other-

-gently running her fingers over the surfaces-

Abilene: -murmur- I mean, Red "Delicious"? What a monster.

-and coaxes two tiny dragon heads out-

Surely his present fate is the most fortunate that could be hoped for…

-one of the Applin turns their eyes toward the body—she takes a finger and guides their eyeflap back to her-

-she opens her purse—inside is nothing but an apparently endless assortment of apples, on shelf after shelf after shelf-

-the Applin sniff—rock their apples, and hurtle headlong into the bag-

Human!Thespi: -hugging- aaaaaaaa you made it!!

Suiko: -giggle- I wouldn't have missed this for the world!

Human!Thespi: -waving a hand, faux-coy- Oh, the world couldn't miss this for us.

Ceal: -snicker- <Does that m-make sense?>

Final Shell - Past

-three Pokemon drift gently "earth"ward from a Legendary's skyshattering departure-

Thespi: <Oooooh that was a big 'un…> @~@

Ceal: <C-can't wait to write a s-song about—> @u@

-there's the sound of a sack full of Wishing Stars hitting the ground-

Megan: -gasp-

Ceal: <—th-this?>

Tripod: -cheery wave-

Thespi: -flippant- <Oh, hello~> :D

-planting her half of a key in the ground, leaning on it- <We're...back from our—>

-Megan scoops the cloud out of the air in a puff-crushing hug-

Thespi: -twirled- <Wh-whoa!>

-grin, muffled- <H-heh, it's good to see you t—>

-Megan whispers something in Thespi's...ear(?)-

Thespi: !

Tripod: -blink blink-

-she looks up at her like seeing the sun for the first time-

-disbelieving, eyes starting to well up-

Thespi: -tackle-embracing back, excitedly- I can't believe—!!

---

Human!Tripod: -bapping everyone- [sh sh sh enough flashback, it's starting]

Human!Thespi: -giddy squee-

Suiko: O

No mind to think. No will to break.

Hulbury Gym

Nessa: You'll forgive me if I hurry things along.

Ever: I wouldn't want to waste your time.

Arc: <...Uh, he is very big.>

Ever: I once watched your mother fight a 50-foot tortilla. You'll be fine.

Arc: <Will I?>

Ever: We can always hope.

Nessa: Drednaw! Max Rockfall!

DREDNAW: <LET'S BEGIN!>

-he raises tremendous legs, with force and speed that simply don't make sense for his size, and brings-

Arc: <Oh boy.>

-them-

Ever: Now.

-down-

-Arc runs forward, because let's face it, running back won't get him anywhere-

-a wall of stone begins to rise from the ground, gaining height faster than Arc is approaching-

-spearing a full fifty feet up-

-and falling-

-just as Arc strikes the base of it with a Rock Smash-

-the rock behaves as any large thing unexpectedly having its base removed does-

-cracking under its own weight, it simply tumbles-

-Arc flailing slash after slash at it, turning boulders into stones into gravel-

-not that having half a ton of gravel rain down on you is so fun either-

-thumpthumpthump-

-...-

-...-

Ever: Aaaaand—

Arc: <Ow.>

-a penguin pops out of the rockpile, looking slightly dazed but thoroughly conscious, sharpening his flippers against the rocks-

Arc: <I think I don't want to do that again.>

Edited by memyselfandI2 on May 11th 2020 at 9:17:10 AM

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.

I Can't Focus on Three Major Events at Once So We're Doing Battle of the Bands then Luca Solves His Daddy Issues then Contracts

Hulbury, [Royal Court Theatre]

-The outfits worn by the group...clash a bit.-

-At the front of the stage, Liz and Chrissy stand side by side, the former wearing a purple grunge/punk style outfit◊ and the latter in a elaborate black and blue dress.-

-Olivia is wearing a pink and black version of Liz's outfit, albeit with different footwear since, uh,-

-Combat boots really aren't good for dancing-

-At her piano, Gabrielle wears a white dress with gold trim, identical to Christina's in design.-

-Nobody bring up the dead meme it wasn't intentional.-

-Liz clears her throat.-

Elizabeth: "Uh, hi? We're, uh, Sugar and Spice. I know I seem a little shy to be part of the latter half of the band."

-She chuckles akwardly.-

Elizabeth: "Anyway, uh, it's not quite as fancy or original as our competition, but-"

-Christina leans in.-

Christina: "We're sure we can win on the merits of music alone!"

-It's an odd disparity, the short Alolan girl with the purple bob and the tall Alolan woman with the long blonde hair, but it's also an odd synergy.-

-The woman who looks suspiciously like an Alolan Olivia Blazing Sigil and the priestess tense up in preparation.-

-Liz walks to her designated spot a few feet away from Christina, a cord trailing from the odd ukulele she has to an amp.-

-There's a normal ukulele on stage too, with no one to play it.-

-Olivia takes a deep breath and stretches, getting ready like an Olympic sprinter before their race.-

-Gabrielle simply pushes her glasses up her nose and positions muscular arms and delicate fingers over the piano keys.-

-Gabrielle, oddly, begins first, playing a short simple tune to set the mood.-

-A simple piano melody. Only 7 seconds or so.-

-Specifically, the piano solo from il vento doro.-

-Bated breath is held as the crowd's reaction is watched.-

Edited by SwiftSeraph on May 12th 2020 at 11:15:16 AM

"Dang that sure is totally poggers my good bitch"

“That’s pretty cool. I wonder what it would be like if I were on TV or- MOM!”

Mama was up in front of the set, watching intently and gently tapping the screen; it was as if she had no idea why the “little people in the box” kept vanishing and reappearing.

...yeah, she’s not too bright.

Hop on Pokémon Infinite Fusion

Hammerlocke Plant

"... Mistakes were made," Roy summarized. "I think I need Sunny's help."

Vanity City

Rolling his eyes behind his blindfold, Rage and Love removed it and summoned Mercury, who swiftly vanished into the ground.

[Insert Unoriginal Stinger Here]

Turffield Stadium Entrance Room, Pre-AFD

Will: I-I'm okay, really.

However, the question prompts memories in Will. He sees a woman who bears a noticeable resemblance to him standing over him.

---

"Gym Battles are boring? Don't be ridiculous. (the woman shakes her head in exasperation) They're the means to an end. Losing is what they're there for. If they were any good they wouldn't be Gym Leaders. They're the stepping stones, their 'entertainment value' is irrelevant!"

---

Back in reality, Will not-so-subtly makes his way towards Suzie. As he moves, more memories flash through his mind, this time of Suzie sitting in front of him.

---

"We need to make the Gym Battles something you don't mind doing, and I already know how. Your issue is that Gym Battles are dull because there's not really a "lose" condition, in your mind. So what we do is simple: we make one. No, wait, we make several."

---

Noticing Will's sudden distress and movement towards Suzie, Fuka leans in towards Hatty.

Fuka: I don't know how much of the Long Story you just got, but let's just say Will has a few hangups where the Gym Challenge is concerned. The only reason he's here at all is my mom's a big believer in confronting things head-on and he hangs on her every word.

Edited by sgamer82 on May 12th 2020 at 7:57:01 AM

Turffield Stadium Entrance Room, Pre-AFD

Hatty: <I see... and how long do you think this has been going on for, Fuka?>

♪Show me the wisdom of the world... Tell me the secrets of the heart... and the sweet~ mysteries~ of love~...

Turffield Stadium Entrance Room, Pre-AFD

It's Puri, not Fuka, who answers Hatty's question.

Puri: <For as long as I can remember, and I've been with him since the day I hatched >

Fuka: Yeah, though I think that, until he met my mom, he didn't really know what to do about it.

Fuka flashes back now. Back to her initial journey with Will.

---

Fuka: You did what?

Will: I tricked my dad into signing the paperwork to make Puri my first Pokemon.

Fuka: When he realizes what you've done-

Will: He won't do anything because it means he'll have to admit to my mother I tricked him, and he won't do that. (he gives Fuka a cheeky grin) And she can't do anything because I got my license in Johto, not Galar.

---

Another memory, this one of Suzie standing in front of a much younger Fuka.

Suzie: So then he asks me 'How do you know that Team Rocket grunt won't sell you out?' I told him 'Because if he does, his boss will know he got tricked.' His career in Team Rocket will survive that about as well as he will personally.

Suzie flashes a cheeky grin at this point.

---

In Fuka's mind, the expressions on both boy and woman are mirror images of each other. Fuka smiles at the mental picture.

Hammerlocke Gym Entrance

Gaius: We're gonna need a lot of help.

Takumi: How are we gonna take him on now?

Metropolis Of Vanity

-The purple shadow grows and stretches-

-...Into a Golurk with a castle-turret like head and metal armor-

Golurk: <Gahahaha! The All-Powerful Mayor wants me to clean this mess up! And I will do so gladly.>

-The blue shadows start cheering and taking pictures-

Turffeild Shop

-Sylvestra gasps in delight-

Sylvestra: They're adorable! They'll make such a good addition to your collection!

Galar Mine No. 2

Dave: Getting real tired of this fucking ca-

-Stops to see Mia has stopped-

Huh? What is i-

-Something LUNGES out at Mia-

-Cue angry ball of fighting-

Dave: GETTING REAL TIRED OF THIS FUCKING CAVE

Contact Me!

Hammerlocke, past

Fighting him on his home base would be obviously a terrible idea, we may have to try luring him out somehow, but first the Rite of Flames needs to be removed from the equation so that he doesn't just get back up again after we beat him.

Metropolis of Vanity

Pink: -Has Galen scan-

-Has Mokele Mbembe fire an Ice Beam at the odd Golurk-

Galar Route 6

-Walks out of the Durant nest, Yew's wool laden with Berries-

Perhaps you should put those back.

Yew: <...Nah, there were so many that I doubt they'll miss a couple.>

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

Stormchaser

Tommy: Ma'am, please don't touch that. Tell her not to touch that, please. It belongs to PEFE and we just borrowed it and we're running entirely on their goodwill right now and I don't want any of us to be thrown out.

Gimbal: Thomas, fidget a little less. That's no way to treat a lady.

Tommy: You're a Pokémon now, mom. Could you kindly explain the concept to her?

Gimbal: That's usually the task to the next of kin, honey.

Edited by MasterJayAM on May 29th 2020 at 12:52:37 AM

<Mum, away from the screen. We can watch TV when we get home.>

“Ahaha.. sorry about my mum there. She doesn’t know Galarian at all, so you’ll have to speak Common Conkeldurr if you want her attention. Can’t teach an old Herdier new tricks...”

Mama began leaning on her daughter, hugging her loosely. Clara merely sighed and supported her.

Hop on Pokémon Infinite Fusion

Hulbury Gym

Nessa: Your Prinplup's looking tired.

Arc: <Am not!>

Ever: A bit, yeah.

Arc: <Come on!>

DREDNAW: <DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY.>

-spare gravel and dust kicked up by the impact swirls around the field-

A sandstorm appeared!

Arc: <Rrgh...can't wait to evolve. Gonna eat this stupid storm.>

Nessa: So you can parry Rock-type attacks. But that's not my only option.

-she points-

Second attack, for everyone out there counting! Max Geyser!

-once again, Drednaw stomps the ground-

-this time, instead of stone, water bubbles up-

-and then surges, rapidly flooding the area, picking up dust and rocks and Arc-

Ever: Ice Beam!

Arc: <Oh Palkia—>

-he launches a stream of cold into the heart of the geyser, forming a single disc of ice in the middle of a massive whirl of water-

-of course, ice is a lot less dense, and as the makeshift floe slams into him, he clings for dear life, staying on top of the wave as it crests-

-and then he keeps firing-

-ice forms, and water splits around it, more ice forming along the edges of the constructs in crystal seeds-

-and as it grows, it goes from converting the water to directing it, sprays in every other direction-

-until Arc is at the top of the arena, atop a massive tree, made entirely of ice-

Nessa: ...Huh. That's new.

Arc: <...I think I'm done.>

Ever: I'd agree.

-they recall him, and send out-

Spaghetti: <Ah. Finally, my chance to demonstrate— Oh. Hm.>

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.

Byleth: Would more stealth be remiss? If we could sneak down and destroy or disrupt an essential ritual component...

Mimikyu!Sothis: -internally- Oh! Ask about—

Byleth: ...are there any equal powers that could oppose it, in this world?

Abilene: -smile- Aren't they just.

-her expression slips back to stern after a beat-

They'll serve well, I think, and far better in an apple I've grown myself.

-she feels around for the originals to crush, but they've tumbled into the bag with the wyrms-

...hm.

Ceal: -bated breath, listening with intent-

Thespi: -smug- <We're gonna—>

Tripod, Ceal: -shhh!-

Suiko: Nice outfits…

No mind to think. No will to break.

Hulbury Gym

Nessa: ...Well, interesting tactics or no, you're down to one. And I'm afraid I do have one more trick up my sleeve. Drednaw, use—

Ever: I'd hold that thought if I were you.

Nessa: ...

-creak-

Spaghetti: <Oh.>

-creak, crack-

Spaghetti: <I see there's prior claim on spectacle.>

-crack, crunch-

Spaghetti: <I think I'll hang out underground for a moment, shall I?>

-they dive into the field, as that whole tree of ice simply gives way-

-as Drednaw steps forward, he's forced back again by the tumbling shards of ice, some of them the size of his head-

-it just keeps falling-

-getting...bigger?-

DREDNAW: <...OH dear.>

-hm-

Nessa: ...Well-played.

Ever: Much appreciated.

-Spaghetti floats out of the ground again, eyeing the devastation-

Spaghetti: <Whew. That'll be forever to clean up, you know.>

Ever: I work with what I've got, Spaghetti.

Spaghetti: <Get something better. Anyway...we have a fight to win, hm?>

Drednaw: <Don't think it'll be easy just because I'm not Dynamaxed!>

Spaghetti: <That's not why I think it'll be easy! I think it'll be easy because you're a slow physical attacker, I'm a ranged fighter, you can't fly, and I know Giga Drain!>

Drednaw: <Oh. That's a convincing case you make.>

Spaghetti: <Make this neater for all of us and roll over now?>

Drednaw: <Never.>

Spaghetti: <Hmph. If you're expecting respect, you've come to the wrong Pokemon.>

Nessa: Go! Crunch!

Ever: Giga Drain!

Spaghetti: <Mhm!>

-as Drednaw charges, building up a surprising head of steam, Spaghetti flicks tea into the air in an arc. It lands in the grass around Drednaw, which grows instantly, blackened and thorny vines twining around him-

Drednaw: <Hey! Let go!>

Spaghetti: <What possible reason would I have to do that?>

-the vines thrum with life, gradually turning back to verdant-

-as Drednaw looks increasingly exhausted-

-before finally slumping over in place-

Spaghetti: <Well, personally I feel great.>

Drednaw fainted!

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.

Hulbury, [Royal Court Theatre]

-Liz begins playing, the sound of metal strings filling the air.-

-Piano follows, Gabrielle falling in line.-

-Olivia begins her dance, a simple flow for now, following the music relaxedly.-

-Christina begins singing.-

Christina: "♫We've been getting crushed beneath the pressure/

Will of fate is heavier than ever/

It has made a hostage of all our dreams/

Never can escape, and never running/

And we still are desperately struggling/

Ever now, persistent I will be!♫"

-Olivia picks up the pace, shifting from the flow of a river to the force of an ocean tide.-

Christina: "♫And all the shards of our hope/

Still, ever close/

Lost in the rubble beneath/

This hope, I swear to find/

With my two hands, in time/

Swear, I'll be changing the world/

You will see!♫"

-And the focus in the air shifts. Christina still leads the band, but-

-Even as she strums her way to the crescendo, Liz levitates a vial of golden liquid from her pocket.-

-Olivia's hands inch closer to her choker with every movement, set to clasp it right as Christina continues.-

-Gabrielle, admittedly, just continues vibing on the piano.-

Edited by SwiftSeraph on May 12th 2020 at 1:23:23 PM

"Dang that sure is totally poggers my good bitch"

Battle With A Vain Fortification!

Anthem: <Castle golem. Cool? I'm gonna go with cool. Eris!>

-Shift rolls their eyes and melts into Mimic who immediately goes in for the first chomp-

[An Unspecified Streaming Platform]

-The camera clicks on to show Gale sitting on what seems to be a campsite out on Route 6-

Heeeeeeey guys. Sorry for the lack of content it's just been a real time-and-a-half recently for me...

-She sighs and nudges the camera over to view the pot bubbling away on the campfire and Maxwell attending to it-

Tonight's curry is uh... Kinda a weak one on the spice front but it's got potatoes and 'chik in it so it should end up alright. I'll probably put a teapot on afterward and try out some of these samples those Paul Tea folks sent. Oh, right I'm sponsored by them too.

-She turns the camera back to face herself-

So... Yeah okay I'm gonna be honest with you lot because I hope you can understand. I'm falling back into the hero thing. Next thing I know I'll be considered a 'J-Teamer'...

-She loses her composure for a moment, lashing out at the wall of the tent she's sitting in but doing no real damage before she calms down-

Don't get me wrong I love the Aurabolts stuff, I don't have quibbles with that but they just... I keep getting dragged into situations where people are getting hurt and I can't do anything except be another sword in the situation.

-She glances aside at her laptop with the chat and lets off an annoyed scoff-

Even if I could 'spec into healer' that wouldn't help. I'd still be in the middle of combat with people around that aren't prepared or too fated to be able to help and I'd just... Maybe feel worse if it was my job to keep them safe.

-There's a specific distasteful remark that causes her to shove the chat away and go back into staring into the camera-

Gonna meet up with the filming crew tomorrow in Stow. If you're in the area drop by okay?

-The stream sputters out-

Route 6 Campsite

-Gale sits silently for a few moments, head in her hands as she tries to prevent herself from breaking out in tears-

I should of told them... It'd just encourage them but I need to let them know...

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

Silas grumbled, "Good grief," he muttered as he crushed his mask.

Knight manifested, in a ridiculous pose of sorts and let out a laugh before saying, "Yare yare daze. Golurk huh? Ghost typing. Well, we got plenty of moves to smack this thing around."

Silas struck a pose and Knight (despite the lack of a visible mouth) almost seemed to grin before rushing over striking with his sword.

Knight used Metal Claw

The Mimic Crusader was struck back, it stumbled a bit, the Mimic Hacks firing off aura spheres.

"Doesn't seem like this thing is very smart," Silas noted.

~If it was as smart as you, then we'd be in trouble,~ Hacks commented with a grin.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Silas commented, as the Crusader swung its sword at him, being blocked by Silas quickly raising his greatsword.

Hacks took the opportunity to punch a hole right through the Crystal body with a brick break, and miraculously a hole similar to it appeared in the Mimic Hacks.

The crystal crumbled to the ground, and Silas relaxed, "Ow... my body is sore."

~This has been rather strenous, we've been down here for hours now.~

The treasure chest was free for someone else to grab it.

Hammerlocke

"We're going to need more numbers," Roy considered. "Or some way to deal with his blinding speed. I think I know someone who knows Trick Room," he considered.

Vanity City

Mercury ruptured the ground under the Golurk's feet with Dig while Rage and Love processed his odds.

And inadvertently Snarled, hurting his throat in two seconds flat.

[Insert Unoriginal Stinger Here]

stormchaser kitchen

-Gwen is baking another cake. Danny walks in. There's a Blipbug on his shoulder.-

Danny: Hi!

-Gwen turns around.-

Gwen: Wait, who's the Blipbug?

Blipbug: <My name is Nick.>

Danny: Yeah, I caught him the other day.

Gwen: So you have a pokemon now? Cool!

I used to plug my deviantart here but turns out the link was too long.

Turffield Stadium Entrance Room, Pre-AFD

Hatty: <I see. I know you'll be fine. I believe in both of you.>

-Hatty smiles sincerely at Will and Fuka.-

♪Show me the wisdom of the world... Tell me the secrets of the heart... and the sweet~ mysteries~ of love~...

Old Ruins

-Without a word and definitely without a sound Gale drifts towards the treasure chest. After the fights today she felt like she deserved this...-

Stow-On-Side, Market

-Back in her element as it were, after food and sleep and the companionship of her team had calmed at least some of the strain that had overcome her. Now she was here, in the marketplace carefully chopping away at an array of vegetables she and the rest of her sponsor's filming crew had purchased from the local stalls. Beside her was a few pieces of specialized gear for today's meal: A very large commercial hotplate and atop it an almost ridiculously large wok. She tiredly glances up from her chopping on a cue from the camera man, allowing herself a moment of peace to prepare for the stream to return from the pre-recorded shopping footage-

Hey, welcome back guys. So yeah we got a lot of good stuff from the folks here and I'm currently prepping the veg because here in Stow-On-Side you've got this big kind of community bazaar kind of feel here in the market and that's why this meal we're doing is part of that. It's dead simple, a stir fry with all this produce and meat and some powerful spices from our sponsor to give the flavor the kick it needs.

-She puts on a mostly genuine smile as she sets aside the finished batch of carrots and starts work on the next vegetable-

So yeah that's the theme, street food that doesn't take much effort and is easy to share. Because as I told you guys, drop on by if you're in the area because I'm making a big batch and giving out freebies. And hey, I get to meet some of you lot!

-With a bit of a forced twirl she checks the wok again and starts dumping in the chopped veg followed by a reckless dusting with an assortment of powders from various phials (as she called them) supplied by the spice company-

Mmmm! Give that a few minutes to finish browning off the meat and soften the veg and it'll be ready to start getting served. And as always the team has put together a version of this recipe you can cook at home so check the command if you're unable to drop by. I'm gonna attend to the stir-fry, the stream's gonna go on ad break and that should give local fans time to turn up. Love ya.

-With another, warmer smile she waits for the camera light to flick off and when it does her face snaps to a more neutral expression as she steps over to the wok to stir it with a blank stare-

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

Old Ruins

"Cash money!"

Des blew past Gale and popped that sucker open.

"This better be worth it! :D"

GIVE ME YOUR FACE