Circhester

Upton: Well, if you need any help with technology, just contact Mr. Beckett. He's that short man with the bugs who keeps inspecting things.

Phineas: He's quite accommodating. Didn't bat an eyelash when this fellow right here started sparking and flickering.

Upton: You'll be in good hands. It's not as if some demented Evil Addams Family knockoffs decided to stay there. Mr. Beckett would've known about them by now.

Oblivion Wing

Taipan: On a measure between finesse and force, would you like one or the other or an appropriate combination of the two.

Murphy: You can count on us, Jack. Also, it's too bad that none of us apparently has an Electrode. That'd have added a slight element of stealth to this operation.

Wing

Strangers mask-eyes turned from green to red.

"This is where the fun begins. Ready to raise hell, Doug?"

The Galar Weezing just let out a belch in response.

"...Perfect!"

Savai

Des quickly caught the Patagia then followed Gale.

"You and I will talk later. Where to now?"

Striaton City

Kim: "Oh?" (She turns to face Ian.) "When were you last here?"

Striaton City

Me: About five years ago.

-Ian shows Kim his Trio Badge.-

Savai Borderlands

Fine, when we're safely in the next town we can talk about this. For now, we need to get out into the marshlands so I can signal a ride. You might want to get the Pokemon back under wraps.

-Gale starts marching off, expecting the others to follow-

Oblivion Wing

-The Nightingale nodded, rolling her shoulders as she wandered off towards the cargo bay-

Alright friend, ready to roll?

Savai

Des caught up to Gale.

"Oh sorry, wasn't talking to you I was talking to our new friend here."

He beamed and held up the Pokeball.

"Thanks for lending this to me. I hope the little guy doesn't find this too strange."

Savai Borderlands

(Kim turns to face Geddy.)

Kim: "Alright, then, Geddy. You've done more than enough for now. Great work."

(With that said, she returns Geddy back to his PokeBall, before proceeding to follow Gale to the marshlands.)

Striaton City

(Kim looks down at the Tri Badge that Ian is holding and grins.)

Kim: "Ah, so you got the Tri Badge. Wonderful." (She pauses.) "There's no time to chat, though. We have to find the Pokemon Center as soon as possible— who knows how my father's doing?"

(Mere moments later, she feels her PokeBalls shake. Two of them roll off her belt and open, and in a matter of seconds, Orwell and Peechee emerge. The former is still shaking with fear— but the latter is his regular self. Both of them stare up at their Trainer.)

Orwell: (nervously) <K-kimbond...?> (He looks around nervously.) <This is Citistrait... u-unwrong...?>

Kim: "Yes, this is Straiton City."

Peechee: <Horrorshow! I've never viddied this mesto ^note  place up close before! Why are we here again...?>

Orwell: <Y-you speaked that... you speaked that you were going to t-teach me how to batt...?>

Peechee: (pauses for a few seconds) <Oh.... right... I did govoreet ^note  say that I was ittying to have you overcome your poogliness towards dratting other Pokemon...> (His eyes flash red.) <Horrorshow, then in that regard, let's nachinat, shall we...?!>

Orwell: <"N-nachinat..."? W-what are you reffing to...?>

Kim: (immediately translating) "'Let's begin, shall we?'"

Orwell: <Oh... y-yes... of course...>

(He starts shaking.)

Orwell: <L-let's begin... with the torture...>

Peechee: <Bitvas are not like that at all, Orwell. Trust me. They are the most horrorshow veshch in the entire world.>

Orwell: (sniffs) <I... I undo bellyfeel that... >

Peechee: (pauses, then, motioning with his claw) <I'll show you.>

(With that said, he walks off, and Orwell nervously follows him. Kim waves at both of them.)

Kim: "Have fun, you two." (She sighs sadly, then turns to Ian.) "Well, Ian, now that they're gone... shall we head to the center?"

Striaton City

Evelyn and I: Yes. We're ready when you are, Kim.

Edited by AnimeboyIanpower on Aug 20th 2020 at 9:58:23 AM

Pyrite Town

Rose: Ugh, I almost forgot how Orre was in the summer. It's like I'm being deep-fried in my own sweat.

Kai: Thankfully, HQ has plenty of AC, and we're trying to keep out of sight anyway. It's just up ahead.

Rose: Please tell me it's set to 69 degrees.

Kai: Do you expect anything less?

Rose: Nice.

-Clad in their best Marvel Civilian Uniforms — except with completely normal prescription glasses in contrast to Rose's ironically more recognizable sunglasses — Kai and Rose make their way into the lobby of the Faction's headquarters, taking the path of least sunlight beating down on them. Rose finishes the last of a smoothie she'd had on the way there, and tosses it in the nearest trash can.-

-The ground floor of the Faction's offices is, in most respects, a pretty normal reception area. There's a desk, a few chairs, a stack of magazines, the hum of the air-con blowing through the room, the usual stuff. The one thing that does seem out of place is the redhead in sunglasses with her boots up on the desk, grinning at the newcomers.-

Paula: Heeeey! I was wondering if you nerds were ever gonna show up. So, how does it feel to have me running loose, huh?

-Rose stops in her tracks, and stares at her doppelganger.-

Rose: ...How many of you do I have to stuff back in my head????

Paula: As many as it takes, duh. Do you think I'm just hanging around here for the company? Nah, you've gotta confront me before you get a place here. Can't be any harder than beating a Heatran into submission, right?

-She kicks back, propelling her chair away from the desk, before standing up and fixing Rose with an evil glint in her eyes. Rose just stares, trying to figure out just what in the hell is going on.-

Paula: So, how do you wanna do this? Do you want Kai to stick around so that they can watch this whole sorry affair, or...?

Rose: Your accent's off.

Paula: Whaddya mean? I've fucking buried that awful noble Kalosian stick-in-the-mud way of wording things you used to have.

-Rose crosses her arms.-

Rose: That's the thing, you're too good at the fake one. Too much "actually [Cajun]", not enough "bastardizing my old accent". The fact that you know that much about that in the first place is freaking me the fuck out, but you're not me.

-Kai sweatdrops.-

Kai: Er, yeah, that's Minstrel. He's our resident master of disguise, who I really should have expected to do something like this. Sorry about that.

-Paula(?) looks slightly disappointed, but still maintains their grin as they turn to Kai.-

Paula(?): Gosh, you are good at guesswork. Am I not allowed to amuse myself with such accurate affectations, Kai?

???: Not when it actively interferes with inducing new members, no.

-This voice belongs to a tall, redheaded woman wearing a black suit, who happens to be coming down the stairs and shooting a glare at Paula(?).-

Alice: Would you please...?

Paula(?): Oh, if you insist.

-They duck beneath the desk, and just a moment later a figure wearing all-concealing white garments (bauta mask, ruffle shirt, floppy hat, fancy gloves, etc) emerges.-

Minstrel: Perhaps not a perfect performance, but potentially plausible?

Alice: Ignore him. My name is Alice O'Sullivan. Kai brought you here to meet with me, correct?

Rose: To meet all of you, supposedly. Unless you've got more tests like the Ember Island Players version of myself over here.

-She jabs a thumb in Minstrel's direction, glancing at him with an occasional offput expression.-

Kai: None that I'm aware of, not that it stopped him. Ideally we don't want to make you decide to turn and leave immediately.

Alice: Not yet, at least.

-She smirks, before realising that the situation probably doesn't call for it.-

Alice: Anyway, you've already met Minstrel. He... likes to make an impression. Otherwise, I know exactly who you are, so there's hardly any need for introductions on that front. Shall we simply skip the pleasantries so that I can get around to introducing you to the rest of the team and what we do?

Rose: Oh, thank goodness, I'll gladly skip the pleasantries any day. The rest won't try to find other weird ways to haze me in ways that hit literally too close to home, will they?

Kai: I think you're safe. Not everyone's a theater kid here, only the higher-ups.

Rose: That was so reassuring until it suddenly wasn't.

-Minstrel, despite the mask, somehow manages to look faintly offended.-

Minstrel: Ma'am, may I make it most memorable that there is no man as masterful at mimicry than me in all our multitudes of members.

Alice: To translate, Minstrel is just... like that. I would still be cautious, however. The others come from all walks of life, including those where your name - or, well, your former moniker - carries with it a certain infamy. It is them you will have to win over, not I.

-Rose quietly mulls over this for a few seconds.-

Rose: Mmm. Guess that's literally what I signed up for. All right, then, lead the way, boss.

-Alice smirks again.-

Alice: Good start.

-She leads Rose up the stairs to the first floor, which in contrast to the floor below seems to be laid out more like a military barracks. Nevertheless, the most noticeable thing is a ping-pong table in the middle of the room, upon which a young woman with white hair is eagerly engaging a muscular, brown-haired man while two other people watch.-

Lissa: HA! Yes! Fifteen-love, baby!

Seth: ...That's not what that means.

Val: Yeah, he's right. What it means is that someone owes me a rare Capumon card.

Mook: Awww, c'mon, I didn't know we were playing by Pyrite rules!

Val: We're always paying by Pyrite rules. So that means you gotta pay up, or-

-Her words die in her throat as Alice, Rose and Kai appear at the top of the stairs.-

Alice: ...Hello there, everyone. Sorry to interrupt, but as I informed all of you earlier, our Faction is welcoming a new member into its ranks. May I introduce Rose Jaide.

Rose: No, no, by all means, I don't want to interrupt the game. Don't forget Pyrite rules on my account.

-There is stifling silence in the room for several seconds, save for the sound of a ping-pong ball falling off of the table and bouncing away to freedom.-

Mook: ...Am I crazy, or is that-

-He is cut off by Val punching him hard in the arm and hissing into his ear.-

Val: Dude, shut up! She'll kill you!

-Another few long, agonising seconds pass by.-

Alice: ...So. Welcome aboard.

Rose: ...I've had worse welcomes.

-Rose looks at everyone's faces, and tilts her head at one in particular.-

Rose: Hey, wait a sec, I know that white-haired chick. You're the one who hit on me that one time, right?

Kai: She's the one you recognize???

-Lissa blinks, before her eyes widen.-

Lissa: Oh yeah! I remember you! Sorry it took me a while, it's just... do you know how little that narrows things down? I've hit on my own reflection in a bathroom before.

Seth: Because you were blind drunk.

Lissa: No, because I'm a legit snack! Anyway, it was Rose, right?

Mook: Actually, her name's-

-He's cut off once again by Val punching him in the arm.-

Mook: OW! What the hell, dude?

Val: Again, don't say it! Maybe Alice has been hypnotised or been blinded by her horniness like Lissa and we just need to wait till we're out of the room to snap her out of it.

-She coughs and turns to Rose.-

Val: Uh, yeah, nice to meet you for the first time, Pau- Rose. Paurose. That was my father's name. Whom you happen to remind me of, for no reason. Wow, does anyone else need to water their Lotad, or is that just me?

Rose: Dear fuck, does everyone who ever worked under Alexiel suddenly turn into a clown? This is just ridiculous.

-She sighs in exasperation.-

Rose: Look, I know the Donphan in the room is real scary, but you don't have to play dumb with me. I used to be Paula, the bratty teen who Ardos made an Admin because I was the one who had the balls to go up and catch Orre's Heatran. That's me. Alice knows that, Kai knows that, and you two definitely know that. And if you don't know, now you know. Sorry for the surprise, white-haired-chick.

-There is a long, long moment of silence.-

Lissa: ...Wow. I really need to reevaluate my taste in women.

Seth: But you're not going to.

Lissa: No, you're right. I'm not going to.

-Seth shakes his head before stepping forward to face Rose.-

Seth: If I may? I am not a philosopher. I have always done what I am ordered to do. Once I believed in Titan's cause, so I followed him. Now I believe in Alice and the causes she fights for, so I follow her. Such aimless convictions may be used for good, or turned towards evil, as yours and mine once were. But I am willing to accept you as an ally, now that we are in service of the same goals.

Rose: ...Mm. I dunno if 'aimless' is right, I was just power-hungry. But I appreciate anyone who's willing to say literally anything directly to my face, so thanks.

Val: ...Okay, that includes me, right? Because if we're being honest here, then I want that insurance, because I'm not as trusting as Jacked Spock over there.

-She gives a long sigh.-

Val: You and I were both just awful before we hit twenty, right? We wanted to be on top, in charge, and didn't care who we had to hurt to get there, just so long as we had that feeling of power. Obviously, you got way further than I did, and I... I dunno. Maybe I woulda turned out just like you if I'd had more authority and more people to abuse than a couple of Pokemon and whoever happened to end up on Cipher's bad side from day to day. But... being honest here, dude? You were terrifying.

Mook: Yeah, honestly.

Val: Like... I've worked under some bad bosses, and you went waaaay further than they ever did. You got real into it. But... well, I'm here now, and so are you. I dunno if that's proof of anything. Maybe I'm just giving you reasons to tear Mook and I apart once you're off the leash.

Mook: Wait, what?

Val: Point is... well, I dunno what my point is. That teeangers can be monsters when you give them that kinda career opportunity? No shit. Thing is... I was a monster way back when, and even then, I was terrified of you. That's probably gonna take a while to get over.

Rose: Good, because you really, really shouldn't. I don't... expect to suddenly be all buddy-buddy with anyone in this room. Like I said, I prefer people who'll call me out on my shit to my face, because getting that out of the way is going to make working with me a lot easier. And I don't think anyone would believe me if I were to just suddenly walk in and beg for forgiveness, so I'll spare you that. What I'm here for is to be a source of information, and all I'm asking is to not end up dead in a ditch in this town that I terrorized while I still have things to offer.

-Kai, who has been standing back quietly for a while, finally steps forward, nodding to Rose.-

Kai: I proposed the idea of her joining somewhat pragmatically. She was an Admin, and therefore she has information and connections exclusive to the higher ranking members. I currently consider her a friend, so I can vouch for her trustworthiness, but by no means do I expect everyone to do the same.

Rose: Yeah. I've got a few leads to offer today, unless anyone else has any personal misgivings to bring up.

-Alice smiles, and folds her arms behind her back.-

Alice: Excellent! Then welcome to the Faction, Rose. Rest assured, we will make good use of the information you provide, as well as the talents you have to offer us - and as a member of the Faction, I can guarantee that we shall keep an eye on you in return.

Val: Wait a minute... this was your plan all along, wasn't it, you motherfu-

Mook: Waitwaitwait, I'm confused. What's the redhead lady's real name again?

-Rose gives Mook a deadpan look.-

Rose: ...Just call me Rose from here on out.

Alice: Rose it is, then.

Mook: Oh, phew. Then I guess she isn't planning on pulling out intestines through our-

-He's cut off by yet another sharp punch to his arm.-

Mook: Ack! What the fuck, man?

Vall: Sssshhh! Don't give her ideas!

-Rose rolls her eyes, and digs out her phone.-

Rose: ...Anyway, like I was saying, I came prepared with some info today, in case y'all were planning on auditioning me rather than having that guy at the front haze me. Do you want the thing I know for certain first, or the thing that takes a bit of rumor-chasing?

Lissa: Let's go with the thing you know for certain. Rumor-chasing usually means I have to sleep with people to get intel.

Seth: You know, you don't have to-

Lissa: No, no, I'm gonna.

-Rose snorts in amusement.-

Rose: All right, then. So, like Kai mentioned, I do have connections I haven't formally severed, even if I haven't actually made any contact with them. One, though, is a Dr. Damien Bunansa, from R&D. After Cipher, apparently he's gone off and built his own following, after a name change. Now he's known by the name Cid — and he's leading Team Iron, who I'm sure Alice and Kai at least are familiar with.

-Alice;s expression contorts into a grimace.-

Alice: ...Indeed I am. I've been aware of Cid and his petty, genocidal ambitions for a while now. You're offering me nothing new by telling me that. What I don't know is anything about the man himself, or those who follow him. With one prominent exception. I know they're feeding off of the resources they inherited from Cipher and Mobius, but is there more you can give me? Something we can use to really hurt them? You seem quite proud of your former status as an Admin, you must have some grasp of the logistics behind Cid's organisation.

-Rose frowns.-

Rose: I mean, sure. I have a grasp of the organization. I also have had about a day of prep time for this, only for the big point to be something that's apparently more common knowledge than I thought it was. I'll get you deeper details when I have more than just the notepad app on my phone on hand.

Alice: Very well. Though if Kai didn't already mention as much, it's worth noting that we are spies, or something close to the idea. I expressed interest in recruiting you because I felt the information you could provide might help a lot more people than you've harmed. Please don't prove me wrong.

Rose: Alright, alright, I get it, bad start. The other thing, then. So, you know well that I was the only member of the organization to personally use a Legendary Pokemon, unlike Cipher's previous exploits with the Beasts, the Kanto birds, and XD 001. However, after I got you-know-who, there was talk amongst the R&D department about data obtained from Team Plasma's research — either via negotiations or theft, I never heard the result. Point is, before the organization went kaput, there were ideas floating around about a Genesect, which never came to fruition.

-She pulls up a few news articles.-

Rose: That said, there've been sightings of some sort of— forgive the description— aggressive purple Roomba. That's a quote, by the way. Some weird purple machine showing up in one place or another, wandering without an apparent purpose, and suddenly getting up on two legs and blasting stuff out of unexpected, minimally-provoked rage before immediately going into hiding. It's the outbursts that make me think it's not just any old cyborg bug made of stolen tech that we've got on our hands.

-Alice looks over the articles, giving a thoughtful expression as she does.-

Alice: ...That is undoubtedly concerning. And you say such a thing may have potentially wandered out of your labs, or been the brainchild of one of your alumni? In that case, I believe we have a responsibility to start chasing it down - alongside our other projects, of course. What do you say?

-For the first time since she entered the Orre region again, a smile crosses Rose's face. She extends a hand.-

Rose: I'd say I should have led with that. I'm looking forward to working with you on this.

-As the others watch, Alice clasps Rose's hand and grins in return.-

Alice: As am I. On this, and many other things to come.

Savai Borderlands

Hey, no problem Des. Carrying around some spares in case I find a new friend is just a good trainer thing to do yaknow?

-She flashes a smile and leads on, trying not to show what she's feeling in this moment-

-She's silent for most of the rest of the march, her eyes scanning the horizon for threats and their destination. The group passes from the rolling hills of the Savai into a mostly flat marshlands known as the Indatha; The landscape is strikingly different, an expanse of swampy plains broken up by clusters of twisted, helical trees that cradle the triome's blue crystals. It's surprisingly quiet out here, though with the amount of haste Gale's trying to have it's very likely the local Pokemon are dangerous and nocturnal. Eventually, she glances skyward and smiles-

Alright, so I don't actually know the proper way to signal them, but I guess I just gotta grab their attention. This is gonna be cool.

-And with that, Gale breathed in deeply to tap into the power in the land around her and simply created a flare of obscuric illusion that shot high up into the air-

Striaton City

(Kim nods.)

Kim: "Good. Then in that regard..." (She looks down, somewhat nervously and sadly, before nodding.) "I think I'm ready to see my father."

(And with that said, she heads towards the Pokemon Center in Straiton.)

Meanwhile, at that very moment...

Unova, Route 2

(Peechee and Orwell step onto the tall grass of Unova's Route 2: one of them emboldened and ready for battle, the other nervous as anything. Orwell nervously fiddles with his claws, internally fighting with himself.)

Orwell: (to Peechee) <A-are you... are you plussureful that this is going to work? I fullwise think that batts are torture...>

Peechee: <Oh, I am absolutely certain.>

Orwell: (gulps)

Peechee: <Now...> (He points towards something shaking in the tall grass.) <You viddy that there?>

(Orwell turns ahead. The grass shakes in front of him— and an adorable Lillipup turns to face him and Peechee. Instantly, Orwell lights up with happiness and runs towards the Lillipup.)

Orwell: (in delight) <A proleyorkpoke~!!>

Peechee: (blinks)

Peechee: (to himself) <Well. That backfired... that Lillipup's too cute...>

(Orwell, meanwhile, happily waves his claws at the Lillipup.)

Orwell: <Hello, cuteful proleyorkpoke! My primename is Orwell, and I am a waterlobsterpoke who speaks fullwise in Newspeak! This is my watercrabpoke comrade Peechee! He is teaching me how to batt... but there is unway that I could ever batt you! You are doublepluscuteful~!>

(He proceeds to hug the Lillipup, before Peechee chuckles nervously and taps Orwell on the shoulder.)

Peechee: <Okay, Orwell... that's enough. I wasn't ittying to have you bitva that Pokemon, anyways.> (He points towards a Purrloin ahead of him.) <I was ittying to have you bitva... that.>

(Orwell sees the Purrloin in front of him and pauses.)

Orwell: <A... an ungoodcatpoke...?>

Peechee: <Yes.> (He turns to Orwell.) <Govoreet me... do you have any moves?>

Orwell: (nervously) <Moves...?> (he looks down, then, completely terrified) <P-plusgood... truthwise... I have unbatted prewise... I unknow if I even have any moves...>

Peechee: (furious, Suddenly Shouting) <YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOUR OWN MOVES ARE?!?! HOW POOGLY ARE YOU OF DRATTING?!?!>

(Orwell, terrified, flinches back in fear. Peechee, realizing that he's scared Orwell, blinks, and his eyes stop going red.)

Peechee: (sheepishly) <...my sincerest appy-polly-loggies. ^note  apologies I didn't mean to creech ^note  scream at you like that...> (He sighs.) <Here. L-let's not bitva the Purrloin yet... you still need to find out what your moves are first...>

(He pauses, and then-)

Peechee: <I know.> (then, menacingly, as his eyes glow red) <Bitva me.>

Orwell: <B-BATT YOU?! N-no! I... I unwant to torture you!>

Peechee: (switching back to cheerfulness) <It's horrorshow. ^note  fine I don't mess ^note  think that bitvas are venail.>

Orwell: <B-but what if you... "snuff it"?>

Peechee: <...that's the whole messel ^note  idea of bitvas, Orwell.>

Orwell: (horrified) <T-to kill other pokes?!>

Peechee: (cheerfully) <No. Just to vred them. They won't actually be oobivated.> (then, menacingly) <...unless they deserve to be oobivated, that is...>

(Orwell breaths a sigh of relief.)

Peechee: <Anyways... let's do this. Open your rot.>

(Orwell blinks.)

Orwell: <My... my what?>

(Peechee puts a claw on Orwell's mouth.)

Peechee: <This thing, silly!>

Orwell: <Oh! You could have just speaked "mouth".> (He opens his mouth.)

(Peechee nods.)

Peechee: <Horrorshow. Now... do you feel anything back there?>

(Orwell sticks his tongue in the back of his mouth and shakes his head.)

Orwell: <I undo... plusungoodwise...>

(Peechee blinks- and then realizes.)

Peechee: <Oh, wait... you're a Corphish... actually, open your rooker.>

(He points to Orwell's claw. Orwell, somewhat nervously, opens it— and in the span of a few moments, a barrage of bubbles emerge from it, hitting Peechee and knocking him back. Orwell's eyes suddenly grow wide, and he looks down at his claw in stunned disbelief.)

Orwell: <PEECHEE—!!>

Indatha

(Kim looks around, utterly awed by what she is seeing.)

Kim: "Well... this is nothing short of incredible..."

Striaton City

-Ian and Evelyn follow Kim into the Pokémon Center.-

Since we got interrupted by that server data move last night Crow and I decided to turn the rest of the conversation into a spagpost.

Glimwood Tangle, last night

Tagg: -To Maggie- I want to figure out that Galarian Rapidash's deal, I've asked the people around here, they say it's lived in the Glimwood Tangle about as long as anyone can remember, there's even some folktales involving it with Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men.

Maggie: Oh, interesting, yeah. I admit I'm kind of curious about that Rapidash too, like… the Tangle seems like a good place to be secretive and all but also if they're in some folktales... that definitely would be good to try and find out more about.

Tagg: So while we could take the Corviknight Taxi back to Hammerlocke so we can start moving to Circhester we won't be doing that yet.

-With slight trepidation-

I did want to talk with you about someone though.

Maggie gives a nod.

Maggie: "Right, that makes sense."

Se then pauses for a bit before continuing.

"Someone… yeah, we can talk about whoever this is."

Tagg: -Looks around before scanning the area with Aura Sense- Okay, I don't sense them or their mons nearby so... I've been kinda worried about Channah lately. So not too long after we reached Galar we kinda got into a fight after we ran into this jerk who I thought was bothering her and she had to drag me away from because as it turns out she's been getting jealous when I interact for too long with other people in her eyes, mainly because I'm basically the only friend she's got. Ended with her bursting into tears and apologizing for fighting with me.

-Sounding reluctant to continue but still speaking-

Then we talked about the next day, after talking it out she said she was super afraid of losing me and that she didn't know what she'd do when I died.

-Deep breath-

I love her just as much as Sol, and I don't want to break up or anything like that, but I know I can't be her whole world, that's just unhealthy for both of us. So I suggested that she'd try making friends with more people than just me since I figured that would help with that and she promised she'd work on that, but I didn't exactly expect I'd be doing this whole Gym challenge thing mostly solitary, according to scuttlebutt a good portion of everyone's still in Hulbury or Motostoke even after all these months. Like I've been kinda avoiding most of everyone past my obligations since I'm still kinda pissed about what went down with Izaya last December but still.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I feel that for her own sake she needs to make at least one friend As opposed to people she just tolerates for my sake, which is a ridiculous amount of people let me tell you. who's not me and I need some help making that happen.

-Maggie takes that all in and lets out a breath-

Maggie: "Okay, right, agreed with you that that doesn't sound the best and especially not good for a relationship, let alone a poly one."

"Friend-wise, though... yeah, that might be kind of tough. Didn't you and her kind of become friends and more than that through persistence and being alone after a while? Or was it the emotional vulnerability that happened because of that? Are you asking if I should try getting to know her better or you thinking something else? I do think she's pretty nice of what I've seen of her but I mostly remember like... getting caught up in stuff that happened thanks to Big Savings."

Tagg: Well if Channah was who I dated first I don't think she'd be down for a polycule, which is her right, if Sol didn't want one I would've handled it like I handled things with DS back in Kalos.

-Sighs-

Her life hasn't exactly been the greatest, and her role models from what I could glean haven't exactly been the greatest either, so she doesn't exactly open up to people easily. I'd go more into detail but it's probably better if she feels comfortable enough to tell you herself, or she directs you to me.

-Pacing-

Took months for her to really start opening up, and even when she did she tended to clam up extra afterwards. So I guess you could say I was very persistent in trying to get the one person I was hanging around when I basically said "fuck the J-Team" the first time to feel better since I can't help but try helping people, so both of those things I suppose. Feels really weird to be in this position because I'm normally in her position, but I guess that's how I was able to reach her in the first place.

-Still pacing-

Like I've been inside her Mindscape, I know why she is the way she is, she was worse off before I did so and faced off against her Mindscape aspect equivalents to my Cynic and Nihilist, so we've definitely made progress.

-Beat-

Also even if that stuff wasn't a factor I could kinda tell she needed someone and she's just really afraid of getting hurt despite the face of apathy or annoyance she shows people who aren't me. Just wish she'd show more of the better aspects of her nature to people besides me, I guess. Get her a support system composed of more people than just her boyfriend because I'm afraid that if something happened to me she'd just revert to how she was before.

You don't need to feel obligated to do so, but If you want to try befriending her, be my guest I'll try to nudge her on my end, but just like you can't force a romance you can't force a friendship either, but like I've already said, she doesn't open up easily so don't expect much progress right away. Though you'd probably find an easier time than Echo did Her depression makes her Aura kinda hard to read, we've known each other long enough that I can interpret it better than I used to, but it's still not exactly easy.

Sorry, I'm being a little rambly right now but I'm sure you understand why I've been so concerned, I've been holding this in for months.

-Maggie listens at the end and gives a nod-

Maggie: "Yeah, absolutely. That is within her rights. Makes sense it could have gone that way."

"And right, okay. I'll see if I can give it a shot. You're right, you can't force it on either of our ends, but if I feel something click I'll definitely see if I can't pursue it further. Hopefully if not me then maybe she can try being friends with someone else?"

"And it's okay, rambling is fine. Like... hey, you needed to let it out and it helps me get a better understanding of the situation and well, makes me wanna see if I can't befriend her more too? Definitely nice when you see the parts of someone they keep on guard more because you know each other... It feels pretty special."

Tagg: -Hands in pockets- Well, here's hoping things'll work out.

[[CW: blood and gore]]

Striaton City, Pokemon Center

(Kim runs into the Center with extreme urgency, desperately concerned for her father's state of being. A Nurse Joy and her Audino are standing in a waiting room, looking at something with concern. As Kim gets closer, she can see what it is they're looking at: a man, about 40 years of age, with black hair, a ranger uniform, and a 2112 pin, hooked up to a bunch of breathing tubes. A large bloodstain is in the center of his chest. Kim grimaces, realizing this is her father, DAVID BOND— and that he could possibly be near death.)

Kim: (horrified) "Sweet Arceus..."

MEANWHILE...

Route 2, Unova

(Horrified by what he's just done, Orwell runs up to Peechee.)

Orwell: <P-PEECHEE! A-are you... are you plusgood?! Please speak me that you are plusgood!>

(Peechee groans and stands up, before looking over at Orwell and smiling.)

Peechee: <That was absolutely ZAMMECHAT! ^note  wonderful I didn't know you could use Bubble Beam! That was a direct tolchok! ^note  hit Now, viddy? Am I snuffed? Am I poogly ^note  scared of you?>

(Orwell looks down at his claw, amazed, then shakes his head, still nervous.)

Peechee: <Exactly! I kopat this! All Pokemon kopat this! Bitvas are simply a way of getting stronger; they're not venailing ^note  torturous !>

(Orwell blinks.)

Orwell: <T-that was scareful... I thinked you were dead...>

Peechee: <Nope. In fact...> (his eyes glow red) <I MESS I'M GONNA TOLCHOK YOU WITH MY OWN NOZH!> (then, cheerfully) <Figuratively, of course.>

Orwell: <That's a relief... pause...> (his eyes grow big) <ARE YOU GOING TO FAINT ME IN A UNIHIT...?!>

Peechee: <Nope. No Guillotine. I know many of the same moves as you, so...> (He opens his claw and aims it at Orwell.) <HERE'S MY BUBBLE BEAM—!>

(And with that said, bubbles emerge from his claw, hitting Orwell, and knocking him back— and then all of a sudden, Orwell surprises himself. Upon being hit with the move... he giggles. Peechee glances at him in confusion.)

Peechee: <Orwell? Why are you guffing?> ^note  laughing

(Orwell, still giggling, looks up at Peechee again.)

Orwell: (laughing) <H-hit me with that move repeatwise! Those bubbles tickled!>

(He suddenly pauses.)

Orwell: <Pause... they tickled... they undid hurt...>

Peechee: <Exactly! Viddy? Bitvas are twenty to one! ^note  fun >

Orwell: <Plusgood... I unknow if batts are fun, but that move was surewise fun!>

Peechee: <Do you want me to tolchok you with it again?>

Orwell: <Yes!>

(And then all of a sudden, Peechee gains a smirk on his face.)

Peechee: (menacingly) <Oh, I don't mess so.>

(Orwell's eyes widen- and mere seconds later, he watches in shock as Peechee's claw turns metallic. It's not Guillotine, though- it's Metal Claw, but poor Orwell can't tell the difference yet. Desperately, he hides away, shaking as Peechee's claw comes down— and then stops. Confused, Orwell looks up- and sees that Peechee's Metal Claw attack has been stopped by a giant blue barrier that Orwell inadvertantly raised. In delight, Peechee laughs, reverting back to normal.)

Peechee: <Horrorshow! That was exactly what I wanted to sloochat! ^note  happen >

Orwell: (blinks) <W-what is this?>

Peechee: <That's Protect!>

Orwell: (stunned) <I... I can use Protect...>

Striation City Pokémon Center

Me: Dear Arceus! Are you okay, Mr. Bond?

Suiko: what

wait, what

-that weird fog around Suiko seems to deepen-

that is...not supposed to be possible, oh dear

...is it possible to go deeper? I think I'm gonna try to go deeper...

-the mist seems to hiss and spit-

Suiko: -at Lamb, shrug- Stoicism, fair enough.

-flowing down to the hold- We'll commit this wretched course. See you on the other side.

-farewell salute- Captain.

-Suiko seems to have clambered out a porthole(?) onto the hull-

(-or, if that's impossible, she shifts and squelches impatiently-)

Striaton City Pokemon Center

(Terrified, Kim turns towards the Nurse Joy staring out the window at her father.)

Kim: "Excuse me, Nurse... that's my father, isn't it? Is he going to be alright?"

(The Nurse turns to her.)

Nurse Joy: "You're Kimberly Bond, aren't you?"

Kim: "Yes, I am."

Nurse Joy: "Yes, that is your father. He was mauled pretty badly by the Krookodile, and we don't know if he's going to live or die, but we're going to do the best we can to keep him alive."

Kim: (desperately) "Please... may I see him?"

Nurse Joy: "Of course."

(She opens the glass window, and Kim runs inside the room where her father is. Tentatively, she looks down at him.)

Kim: "Father?! A-are you alright?!"

MEANWHILE, AT THAT VERY MOMENT...

Route 2, Unova

(Stunned, Orwell drops the Protect barrier he's put up, and Peechee's claw stops glowing metallic. He looks over at Orwell and smiles.)

Orwell: (still surprised) <I unhad a thought that I could use Protect...>

Peechee: <Horrorshow, you can! Not all moves are physical, you know. There are status moves, too. Of course, you're a Corphish, so I don't mess you have any of them besides Protect...>

Orwell: <That... that undoes matter!> (then, nervously, after a bit) <W-what move was that...?>

Peechee: <Metal Rooker. Er, Metal Claw is what the oranges ^note  people call it.>

Orwell: <Oranges? I undid know you had fruits!>

Peechee: <No, no, no. Kim is an orange, her pee is an orange, her em ^note  mother is an orange...>

(At that moment, the meaning clicks for Orwell.)

Orwell: <Oh—! You are refing to a proleperson!>

Peechee: <Yes, I am.>

Orwell: <Plusgoo-> (he suddenly pauses, and his eyes grow wide) <HER PATPROLE!>

(He runs back towards Striaton City. Peechee, seeing him, follows.)

Peechee: <Orwell! W-where are you ittying?>

Orwell: <Back to Citistriat! Kimbond's patprole could be in pluscritful danger! We need to go to the pokecent!>

Peechee: <B-but what about the bitva lessons?>

Orwell: <Batting can pause! Let's go!>

(With that said, he heads towards the Pokemon Center in Striaton City, and Peechee follows him from behind.)

Striaton City Pokémon Center

Me: -to Nurse Joy- Is there anything we can do to help with his recovery?

Glimwood Tangle

-Ever salutes Abilene and Megan lazily-

Ever: It can be nice, getting to mediate bugs. I've been doing it for some time now.

Mix: <It can be nice, petting Leafeon. :3>

Ever: Yeah, but that's axiomatic.

Mix: <Pay attention to me. >:|>

Just:

Mix: <Uh, not you maybe. Healthy six-foot separation please.>

-...-

Misery: <Hm. That's a tall order. I've spent my life existing 100% of the time, whereas he's spent his existing 0% of the time. By any metric, his existence at all represents compromise on my part.>

-she tugs thoughtfully at one of her braids-

<I'll take it under advisement, I suppose.>

Chirchester A

Mog: Great! Thank you!

...

What's an [ADDAMS FAMILY]?

Howard: -starts humming the theme tune-

New Circhester 1

Merlin: Glimwood Tangle. It's... where I was born. And ironically also where I was sealed away, in the dark times.

Fou: <It was still better there! Why did we have to leave, huh?>

Ersatz

-Justice eventually finds an icy necklace...-

-And puts it on-

-Fwoomp-

Jigsaw: <...Oh no.>

Ersatz

Hazel: Yeah... Those ones. I've not seen one of those icy necklaces before though, nice.

Violet: I should really get one of them things sometime.

-A sliver and blue Chimecho escapes her pokeball.-

Copper: <Oh, it's this place again.>

Edited by QuantumMelody29 on Aug 21st 2020 at 9:19:38 AM

Striaton City Pokemon Center

(The Nurse Joy shakes her head.)

Nurse Joy: "Don't worry about it; we've got it under control."

(Meanwhile, Kim's father opens his eyes and stares over at his daughter.)

David: (weakly) "Kimberly..."

(Kim breaths a sigh of relief.)

Kim: "Thank goodness, you're alive... I got the news over the phone; how in the world did you get mauled by a Krookodile? Didn't you have all of your Pokemon with you?"

(David chuckles weakly.)

David: "Well, actually, I had decided to leave them all with your mother in Striaton for the day while I went out to explore the Alolan jungles. Heard some stuff about these things called Ultra Beasts... mainly, that they spoke some odd language that couldn't be understood by anyone unless they took a special class or something, and so I decided to research that. In hindsight, I should have brought my Pokemon with me, because I ended up taking a detour and..." (He motions to himself.) "Well... you know what happened. The Krookodile starting tearing through my shirt and through my flesh. The doctors say I was lucky that he didn't reach my heart, otherwise I would have died."

Kim: (intrigued) "A separate language for Ultra Beasts... interesting... I might want to catch one someday to investigate..."

(She suddenly notices that one of her father's arms is missing and promptly puts the pieces together right then and there.)

Kim: "Sweet Arceus... the Krookodile chomped your arm off..."

David: "Yeah. Good news is, though; I'll end up with a robot arm, so..."

(And mere seconds later, Peechee and Orwell burst into the room, desperate to see Kim's father.)

Orwell: (in horror) <Kimbond!>

Peechee: <H-how is your pee? I-is he horror->

(And then they suddenly notice the sight in front of them and gasp in horror.)

Orwell: <T-this is... this is double- no, this is tripleplushorrorful!>

Peechee: <H-his rook's been razrezd off... and he's krovvying ^note  bleeding from his brooko... ^note  chest >

Orwell: <What is he refing to...?>

Kim, David: (in unpracticed unison) "His arm's been ripped off and he's bleeding from his chest."

Orwell: <Oh.>

Peechee: <...wait, you govoreet Nadsat?!>

David: "What would you expect? I read A Clockwork Orange and Kimberly's my daughter. But yes, I had my arm ripped off and drew a lot of blood from that Krookodile attack."

Kim: "Oh, by the way, father... this is Peechee." (She holds up Peechee.) "He's a bloodthirsty Krabby who speaks fluent Nadsat. I caught him recently."

David: "Bloodthirsty...? I don't think he's all that bloodthirsty to me..."

Peechee: (suddenly shaking and growling) <THE KROOKODILE WHO CAUSED SUCH A HORRORSHOW ORANGE TO LOSE HIS ROOK IS ITTYING TO SNUFF IT—!!>

David: "...and now I see exactly what you mean."

Striaton City Pokémon Center

Me: It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bond. My name is Ian and this is my buddy, Piku-chan.

Piku-chan: <Nice to meet you.>

Evelyn: And I'm Evelyn. Ian and I are friends of your daughter.

Hat?: <A pleasure to meet you.>

Striaton City Pokemon Center

David: "Delighted to meet you. David Bond, at your service." (He extends his left hand- his right arm has been cut off, after all.)

(Meanwhile, Orwell looks over at David, absolutely horrified by what he is seeing in front of him. He turns to Peechee.)

Orwell: <I... I can unbelieve this... that groundungoodgavialpoke teared his arm off...>

Peechee: <This is exactly why that merzky prestoopnik ^note  filthy criminal needs to be locked up in the barry place ^note  prison as soon as possible. He vredded my trainer's pee— so now we must make him pay.>

Orwell: <With money?>

Peechee: <No. We need to utterly obliterate him. Mess ^note  think about it; what if he vreds Kim?>

Orwell: (shakes with fear) <I... I can unstand to view Kimbond getting hurted...>

Peechee: <Exactly.> (he turns to Orwell) <So, now that you know how twenty to one bitvas are... do you mess you can make a giant merzky Krookodile faint?>

(Orwell looks down, then nervously nods. Peechee grins.)

Peechee: <Horrorshow.>

(And with that said, Peechee and Orwell leave— but not before Peechee turns to Ian.)

Peechee: <If you need us... we're ittying to make that merzky Krookodile feel vred like he has never felt it before.>

Striaton City Pokémon Center

-Ian and Evelyn shake David Bond's hand.-

Me: Just a question... Which Ultra Beast were you looking to research when the Krookodile attacked you?