Motostoke Stadium

Kim: "Simple." (She grins.) "They let loose with one of the most epic plans ever known to mankind."

Motostoke Stadium

Hoops and their pokemon look at Kim, unimpressed.

"Really?" Hoops says.

<Even for me that's a bit dramatic> Sal observes.

<Be nice> warns Kec. <Maybe we should watch the battle and see if she's right.>

Motostoke Stadium

Kim: (grinning) "Oh, believe me. It's gonna be good."

Motostoke Stadium Stands

-Daisuke watches the battle and thinks to himself "She's gone quiet. That means she's using her first psychic power... I remember that day, well..."

Ballonlea, 9 years ago...

-In one of the houses in Ballonlea, an eight-year-old girl talks to a Hatenna she found earlier about a week before that day...-

Eight-Year-Old Girl: ...And then, he parried my stick and knocked it out of my hand, like THUNK! WHACK! FUH-LING!!!

Hatenna: -still regaining strength- <Wow, Evelyn... That was awesome...>

Young Evelyn: Sure was! I was able to get my stick back and it was back on! Ha ha!

Hatenna: -telepathically to Evelyn- ~I'm glad you found me, Evelyn...~

Young Evelyn: ~Yeah, I'm glad I found you, too...~ Wait... Did you just talk?

-The Hatenna tilts her head and smiles. Evelyn gently picks up the Hatenna.-

Young Evelyn: You did, didn't you? But your mouth didn't move... so how? How did I hear you just now?

Hatenna: -Gasp!- ~You heard me? Even though my mouth didn't move?~

-Evelyn gasps cheerfully and then runs over to a younger version of Daisuke with the Hatenna in tow.-

Young Evelyn: Daddy! Daddy! Look! Look!

Daisuke: Now, now... What is it, Evelyn?

Young Evelyn: I heard this Hatenna speak! But her mouth didn't move!

-Daisuke was surprised by what his daughter told him and almost falls out of his chair.-

Daisuke: Cool? O-Of course it's cool! Th-That means you heard its thoughts!

Young Evelyn: Huh? Hatenna's thoughts?

Daisuke: Of course... Some Pokémon have the ability to communicate without saying a single word verbally, by projecting their thoughts into another's mind... This power is called "Telepathy"... That means Hatenna can communicate with you telepathically...

-Daisuke stops for a moment and thinks before asking...-

Daisuke: Did you say anything back?

Young Evelyn: Uh huh! I returned her gratitude without having to speak! Pretty cool, huh?

Daisuke: -surprised- You mean to tell me that you heard Hatenna's thoughts, and then replied with your own!?

-Evelyn nods happily, as though proud of her achievement.-

Daisuke: Th-Then that means you... you can use Telepathy too?!

Young Evelyn: "I-I'm so proud of you, Evelyn! Go show Mom!" That's what you're going to say next.

Daisuke: I-I'm so proud of you, Evelyn! Go show Mom!

-Beat-

Daisuke: Nani?!

Flashback End

Daisuke: -thinks to himself- She definitely caught me off guard with that one...

Motostoke Stadium, VS Kabu

Me: Alright, Oshawittle! Ready your Razor Shell!

Evelyn: Mirai, empower Oshawittle's blade with Psychic!

-Oshawittle and Mirai nod as they put the plan into motion. Oshawittle readies his scalchop, from the tip a light blue blade manifests and sharpens, ready for use. Mirai's eyes glow a bright pink as it catches Oshawittle's blade in a psychic force, powering it up! The powered-up blade turns pink with a radiant aura of psychokinetic power glimmering in colors like blue, gold and green. The resulting combination grants the Razor Shell properties of a Psychic-type move!-

Me: Now, Oshawittle! Use Esper Shell Blade on Ninetales!

-Oshawittle charges at the Ninetales with a psychic-enhanced sword in hand, ready to strike blow with more than one type on his blade.-

Edited by AnimeboyIanpower on Oct 8th 2020 at 9:08:40 AM

Motostoke Stadium

Geddy: <It's just Esper Shell Blade again...>

Kim: "Yes, but I have a feeling that this time... it'll be different."

Motostoke Stadium, VS Kabu

-Kabu laughs at Ian and Evelyn's strategy.-

Kabu: That strategy again? You should know better than to use the same trick twice against me... Especially when it failed the first time! Ninetales, you know how this ends! Counter it with Hypnosis!

-Ninetales nods to Kabu then turns to face Oshawittle, her eyes glowing a deep red color, as lavender flames manifest at the tips of each of her tails, which dance around and converge in front of the Ninetales' face, then with a howl, the flames turn into lavender waves of energy mixed with red focused on Oshawittle! Oshawittle makes eye-contact with the Ninetales, only to catch a facefull of the lavender energy waves and stop in his tracks, with his eyes glazing over...-

Oshawittle: -slowly falling into a trance- <Oh no... not again...>

Kabu: And Arcanine, use Iron Head!!

-Arcanine's forehead glows with a metallic sheen as he charges headlong into Mirai!-

Evelyn: -telepathically to Ian- ~Ian... NOW!~

-Ian nods and then shouts to Oshawittle.-

Me: Oshawittle! Don't let that foxy temptress sway you! Remember the promise you made to Dot!

Oshawittle: -sleepily- <Dot?>

Me: Yes! Dot! Your Queen! The one you promised to protect! Your Dulcinea!

Evelyn: Now, Mirai! Dodge, then use Misty Terrain!

-Oshawittle's Aqua Jet subsides and he runs back over to Mirai's side.-

Mirai: <That was quite a performance, Oshawittle.>

Oshawittle: <Thank you. And thanks for setting the stage, Mirai...>

-When the dust settles, Ninetales and Arcanine were revealed to have been knocked unconscious.-

Referee: Ninetales and Arcanine are both unable to battle!

-Kabu calls his Pokémon back to their respective Poké Balls.-

Edited by AnimeboyIanpower on Oct 7th 2020 at 5:22:58 AM

Motostoke Stadium

In the waiting room, Hoops and their pokemon are on their feet shouting excitedly. When the announcer says that Kabu's pokemon have been knocked unconscious, they fall back onto their seats, gasping for breath.

<Wow> Led says, summing up everyone's thoughts.

Everyone is silent for a moment before Sal speaks up. <You know, since most of the audience doesn't speak monese that whole thing probably wasn't as dramatic for them as it was for us.>

Smoldering ruins of the Macraul Villa

The Omegas guide the slaves out. A few of the escaping slaves helped themselves to what the Macrauls left behind. Ewan mentally and casually remarks that some of the items were sacred artifacts that have once belonged to the slaves' native people, so it wasn't really theft.

Theodora: A falinks group chooses to go as a unit, much like exegcutes, binacles, and schools of wishiwashi. They're bound together by loyalty as a group, which means they can share balls. I'll go tell him that. If I remember my history correctly, their resemblance to phalanx units was the reason why they were called that.

She turns to Saka.

Theodora: The good news is that the magic from our homeland will be more than enough to heal the falinks. They will be well cared with us, but only if we leave quickly.

Saka: I understand. I wish you a safe journey. If you're ever in [Cyrenaica] again, you will always find sanctuary among the Omegas.

Motostoke Stadium

(Upon seeing this, Peechee raises his claw in victory.)

Peechee: <YES! POBEDAAAAAA—!>

Kim: "For now, at least." (then, turning to Geddy) "But I believe that performance deserves a finale, don't you?"

Geddy: <It certainly does.>

Kim: (smirking) "Geddy... you know what to do."

(Geddy nods, jumps up on the stadium ledge, and begins singing- though not in the way that would put everyone to sleep. Naturally, his voice sounds like the original recording- if Geddy Lee himself was to sing it.)

Geddy: <Hear me, heathens and wizards, and serpents of sin

<All your dastardly doings are past

<For a holy endeavor is now to begin

<And virtue shall triumph at last...!

<I am I, Oshawittle, the Lord of Unova

<A name all the world soon will know

<And the wild winds of fortune will carry me onward

<Wither so ever they blow...

<Onward to glory I go!>

Kim: (grins) "I certainly hope he heard that. Wonderful tribute."

Edited by OPALGARNET16 on Oct 7th 2020 at 5:45:15 AM

Oblivion Wing, Past

-Silas gets a text back-

-There is a knock at the nearest door to the inside of the Wing-

Ersatz, Past

Justice: ...I can understand Pokemon now?

...

...AMAZING! This could be my big ticket! We gotta get to the J-Team and show them this!

-They grab Jigsaw by the stubby arm- despite their protests- and drag them into a clothes rack-

-...-

-...Wherever they went they aren't coming back for now-

Metropolis Of Vanity

-There is an unholy screech, a swan song if you will-

-And Odetta explodes-

Flamel: <...We really need to bail.>

Royal: RETREAT!

-they exit-

Silas opened the door and saw Neon, all the thoughts and worries came rushing back to the surface, but he pressed them down as hard as he could, he had other duties to attend to here. First and foremost was to correct an issue, and finally get over something that had been plaguing him.

"First, good to see you in good health... second," he took a deep breath, "I'm sorry. How I dismissed you wasn't fair and didn't give you a decent shake, I pride myself on being a good leader and in that instance I was not."

Motostoke Stadium, VS Kabu

Me: Oshawittle, can you still fight?

Oshawittle: <Of course I can, my friend!>

Evelyn: Mirai... Can you still battle?

Mirai: <Of course, though I may need a quick rest...>

Evelyn: Then you have earned that quick rest... Return.

-Evelyn calls Mirai back to her Poké Ball.-

Persephone In The Past

Kai: More or less. Vierr's a showoff who uses that technique to walk on walls, but it's a lot easier if you're going more or less in the same direction as gravity. Little adjustments for the sake of making the environment feel more natural, y'know?

-They take a few steps, and now that attention has been brought to the methods they're using, Gale might notice the faint wisps of blue Aura swirling and disappearing each time they lift a foot to take a step. As well, their gait is noticeably more steady than how they normally walk on solid ground, almost gliding across the floor.-

Hammerlocke In The Present

-Kai is quiet for a few moments, thoughts visibly racing through their head, before they nod slowly.-

Kai: ...Y-yeah. You're making sense so far. I think I'll... have my own thoughts as well, but I'll save them for when you finish.

Macraul Villa, Past

Alright, let's see...

-Gale carefully steps around until she locates the one with the fanciest helmet (which she assumed, based on the long-standing assumption about fancy hats, was the leader). Without saying a word she offers the Pokeball and the desperate bargain is understood. The leader accepts sanctum and seven companions follow-

Alright. We should probably get home... I would like to thank the Omegas, not simply for what they have done but for what they have already done before and what they will do long after we have left.

-She gives a warm smile and bows-

Persephone Station

-Gale laughs a little under her breath once she notices-

Mystic grace amid the boundless sky...

-She follows, though of course the darkness of her own energy infuses each step-

Vain Dancefloor

Anthem: <Yep! Let's go!>

-Rakash shrugs and hands the book back to his Persona as the group scarpers-

Space Walk

-Kai grins.-

Kai: I have to form my reputation as a timeless figure of mystery somehow, don't I?

-They begin to trail a slow path around the facility — not for any particular destination, but merely to allow Gale the opportunity to practice.-

Persephone Station - Wedding Day

-Compared to the other gifts on display, the wrapped-up bundle of papers left by Alice during an interval of relative sobriety probably looks a lot less sexy. Nevertheless, it's there amongst the gifts, accompanied by a device that looks remarkably like a tricorder and a note: "Call me when you need me. <3"-

-Also there's a blender. And a crockpot. Those seem to have been Lissa's contributions, judging by the attached card addressed to "Dear Whoever".-

Hammerlocke - Now

-Alice nods back at Kai.-

Alice: Understandable. Forgive my hesitation, this sort of conversation is... not my strong suit.

-She's silent for a few moments, swirling her wine, before she eventually picks up her trail of thought.-

Alice: ...I am hesitant to use the word "aromantic" to describe myself. I am still not certain if I can be labelled by that banner. After all, my affection for you is romantic, to the best of my knowledge. Nevertheless, I find myself hard-pressed to commit to the trappings of a relationship. The current... arrangements I have with Silas and Roxy - and Lissa, on occasion - are much more to my liking. And yet, despite my happiness for my friends and my awareness of my own feelings, the occasion still evoked within me a yearning for something akin to what we used to have. Does that make sense?

Persephone Station

-Gale tries to keep pace, doing pretty well. As they pass the gifts table she slips an envelope from her pocket and places it on top of the stack-

See I just get it from being bi and doing crime. Well that and a cloak of otherwordly shadow and feathers. It's just a lot of cool stuff.

Space Walk

Kai: I can always get behind a dramatic cloak of mystery, but alas, my days of crime are over. And of being bi. Did I mention to you yet that 'lesbian' feels more right to me these days?

Hammerlocke

Kai: I... think I understand, yes.

-They stare into their own glass for a moment.-

Kai: ...I know that... when we broke up, it was during a very bad time. Carmilla still had me in her clutches, I was dealing with the mess with Kahlia, I was probably overworking myself in my efforts to keep a positive public image as a newly titled Frontier Brain, I was also stressing about how I could assist your Faction and coming up short, and the entire time, I was panicking about trying to make absolutely certain there was no possible way my involvement in a polyamorous relationship could come across as prioritizing one branch or the other. And... now a lot has changed.

-They take a drink.-

Kai: I won't deny that I'm deeply familiar with that yearning feeling. A year of falling into reclusive habits will make anyone lonely, and it turns out that's what my heart falls back on. But... I dunno. I'm anxious about rekindling, even if I'm under less stress than I used to be. Which is why I feel so stupid about suddenly kissing you like that, as a means to an end or otherwise.

-we continue from [1]-

Circhester

Brie: ...Look, I was maybe convinced for a second there, but you're laying it on way too thick.

Apple A Day: -patient apple stare-

Brie: -patient Brie stare-

Amanita: So I don't mean to be difficult...

Brie: ... (less-patient Brie strain) Yes?

Amanita: Whoever this person is, they haven't made a single joke about apples and cheese.

Brie: ...

...

...

-...-

-they look back at Apple a Day, who has taken the opportunity to skedaddle-

Brie: what the hell

Circhester Gym

-PEFE!Every looks faintly offput-

Melony: You rely heavily on pre-planning, don't you? I don't intend to make it that easy for you.

-Scorch looks back towards PEFE!Every-

PEFE!Every: There's a mistake in your—

Melony: Ahem.

PEFE!Every: There's a mistake in your strategy.

-she signs something, Scorch nods and turns back, inhaling-

Melony: Surf.

-and Scorch whips around, his tail bursting into flames and sending a sweeping arc of fire towards Eiscue-

-in the same moment that Eiscue turns half the hailstorm into slush, sending it surging towards Scorch-

-the Surf extinguishes the Flamethrower, turning into a cloud of steam as Scorch lets out a yelp and scampers away from the remaining water-

-the steam rolls out across the field, and Scorch backpedals uncomfortably-

This isn't going remotely well...

Persephone Station

Oh good on ya! Always good to refine definitions and reappraise how they apply.

-Gale makes a soft 'oh' and turns on her heel-

Guessing me being the stylin' raven thief gal more often than not helps that old crush eh?

Space Walk

-Kai giggles, blushing and glancing away.-

Kai: Don't be ridiculous, I have no idea what you're talking about.

Persephone Station

Kai Amarin, you can't hide such things from me. I know that no matter what sexuality you have embraced you are first and foremost a disaster~

Space Walk

Kai: Pssssh. I'm the epitome of mysterious, ethereal grace and dignity. I've never been a disaster in my life.

-The mysterious, ethereal grace and dignity is somewhat undermined by the bright red blush and big grin on their face.-

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Oct 8th 2020 at 8:21:38 AM

Hammerlocke

-Alice nods at Kai, and takes a sip of her wine in return.-

Alice: That is eminently reasonable. I will reiterate that I hate to see you feeling guilty about the whole affair. After all, the feeling is reciprocated and the gesture was both appreciated and enjoyed. But I appreciate that such anxiety is not always something that can be countered rationally.

-She gives a small chuckle as she stares into her drink.-

Alice: ...It's almost amusing in a way, isn't it? We're both happier, more whole people than we were a year ago, and yet we keep falling back on the same old anxieties. You'd think that after so many variants of a similar conversation we'd start to get better at it.

Silas picked up the tricorder device and the papers and just smiled, Roxy gave a grin as well. As for the crockpot and Blender, "Honestly Bishop and I wanted to strip stuff like these for parts to see if we could make a heat ray out of them."

"I'd watch that happen," Roxy admitted.

The union room portal opened, and out stepped Silas and Roxy, wearing what looked to be touristic outfits, carrying bags. Silas stretched and then kissed her, holding her close, "That was a lot of fun."

Roxy sighed wistfully and held him, "Yes."

"But we're home now."

"And the vacation is done."

Silas nodded, and then remembered, "Oh and before we do anything else... did you really take those photos?"

"Yep. It's a beautiful place, I want to share where I can!"