Orre - Outskirts

-Gaia nods, as her helmet restores her voice to its usual faintly-artificial contralto.-

Gaia: Yes, I believe we're done here. I don't expect we'll have to inform you once the situation is resolved - I imagine it'll be obvious, when the time comes. And for what it's worth? I hope this is the last we ever have to see of one another.

-She turns on her heel, and in another faint gasp of purple smoke, is gone.-

Edited by Herbert40k on Nov 9th 2020 at 9:31:22 AM

Jackal turned to Miranda, "You look rather sick. Stress from the panic?"

"Stress from a lot of things..." she admitted, "Every time I look back at my old memories of my job, even before pokefutures... I feel terrible, what happened?"

"It's called guilt. You grew a conscience and will have to live with your actions for the rest of your life," Jackal responded. The Lights flickered and he was gone, Miranda grumbled and stuck her head into her hands.

Jackal stepped up next to Gaia, "We're going to need to review this in detail on the ship."

He tapped an earpiece, "Nightingale pack up, meet us in the meeting room. We've got a lot to discuss."

Silas chuckled a bit as Jane walked off, "Quite the friend there you have Tommy. I'll see what I can do about getting Jackal in for an interview."

One of the arrows struck Hayden in the arm, he grunted at ripped it out, "Fascinating."

The Slayer however, released Ranger who sprinted right next to him, and also gripped onto a metal hilt, which ignited a big red blade of energy.

Clutch commented, <Ah yes. The Crucible Blade, to complete his image.>

Edited by EchoingSilence on Nov 9th 2020 at 3:35:27 AM

North Lake

The figure suddenly flipped and corkscrewed, the ghillie suit flying off of him towards Arthur. Now reveled, Domino knocked two arrows with paralyze clothing and let them fly towards Arthur, through the ghillie suit.

The bush that was following him exploded in a flurry of leaves and Cotton brandished his claws, charging Ranger and going for a Metal Claw.

Motostoke Party

Upton: No, I didn't write it—and kind of glad that I didn't now. I was talking about something I wrote a few months ago when I went to Mr. Grant's house the last time. I'll tell you more about it one day.

Beat.

Tommy: Yeah. She's the one, right? Upton will explain.

Upton:Yep. Earlier this year, I had a rather rough encounter with a bunch of professional thieves who tried and very nearly succeeded in stealing my Guzzlord away from me.

Tommy: By the way he describes it, black market re-sellers. Probably some of the elite guys from Sphinx. Quite hard to pin those folks down. If she helped you retrieve them successfully, she must be quite the hero.

Upton: Who's Sphinx?

Tommy: High-level poacher from the Hunter's Guild. He has his hands in every mon-trafficking and illegal goods smuggling ring across the globe from what I've managed to scrape. The only people who can take down his highly trained elites are superheroes.

Tommy gave a friendly, big-brotherly smile to Jess.

Tommy: I'm very impressed.

Upton: This Sphinx guy wanted to take Moloch?

Tommy: You're not familiar with the multitrillion dollar illicit trade in ultra beast thefts?

Upton: I did not know that.

Tommy: Read Jonathan's stuff on that. He's gotten a few death threats from low-level grunts and hunter's guild personnel.

Upton: But yes, you know what we've come here for, Mr. Grant. Shall I leave you fellas together?

Motostoke

Jess: Erm... Thanks.

Robin: ~We were just doing what we usually do, steal stuff back from crooks.~

Jess: To be fair, it doesn't usually turn into an all out fight like that one did.

Spooky House, Oh Basement Gang Mine

-Well, aside from the sounds of Gale scrounging around two rooms over, nothing seems to be happening in the Basement Landing. There's an unopened door to the north, the dead-end Storeroom to the east, the Elevator to the south that might still function and the way Gale went to the west-

Spooky House, Alas Poor Explorers Mine

-Tommy and Jane find themselves in a very incomplete room. The floor is a framework within which has been placed insulation but the actual boards to cover up the insulation were not installed by the time the house was abandoned. For a moment, all is quiet before a howling wind whips through the room (despite its lack of windows). In it's wake, things feel a little shaky. Unfortunately, the only way out of the room is back to the Charred Room from which a new direction will have to be picked-

Tommy and Jane encountered the Angry Being.

Spooky House, Oh Blackbird Mine

-Gale is almost entirely unsurprised when she finds out this house has an armory room. Most of the weapons are rusted or lacking ammunition but she does end up finding a decently sharp axe-

Gale has obtained the Axe.

Orre Outskirts

-While Gale was silently listening throughout the whole meet-up, once it was time to leave and retreat to talk among the leadership proper she decided it was time enough to quip-

Actually did that once before I met you. Unfortunately aside from an interesting bit of backroom poker with a colorful cast that adventure ended up... Lacking. I wouldn't mind doing the high class secret agent against supervillain thing again sometime...

-And with that, she shadowports back to the ship-

Motostoke Party

Tommy: Small steps type who got lucky. Well, we all gotta start somewhere.

He winks at them in a "I'm totally not a superhero myself seriously" sort of way.

Upton: Is it really luck or skill?

Tommy: Bit of both the first time, usually. Once you're properly equipped though, luck wouldn't be as much of a factor.

Upton: Tell that to the Last Laugh.

Tommy: In Arachna-Guy's defense, the Last Laugh got lucky.

Angry Being Room

Tommy: I've got you covered. Run!

Jane: But what about?

Tommy: Fred and I have got this. We'll be right behind.

Jane runs back to the direction they came, with Tommy and Fred close behind. Upon returning, Jane impulsively moves south, a decision, neither Tommy nor the pokémon contest. They follow her. The two sensitives didn't even bother trying to read the room for danger.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Nov 9th 2020 at 6:07:49 PM

Motostoke party

Jess: Yeah, I guess. I'm assuming the people you're talking about are from Unova or something, because I really don't keep up with international news.

Robin: <I guess there would be a few superheroes here. This is the j-team's party after all...>

Motostoke Stadium Entrance Room

Kim: "Oh, you know, they go on adventures, catch Pokemon, fight off a bunch of strange entities... the semi-usual fare."

Motostoke Party

-Evelyn runs back to Kim.-

Evelyn: Well? Is there karaoke? If so, I know what song I'd like to perform...

Spooky House's Basement

Evelyn: Now that we know something big's about to happen, the only question to remain is "what"?

-In that moment, Ian reflects on what Meloetta said to him...-

Flashback, White Forest, the Meeting with Meloetta...

Spooky House's Basement (After the flashback)

Me: Something big...? Well, whatever it is, if its intention is ill, even if we are not ready to face it, we should stand and face it regardless.

Motostoke Stadium Lobby

Me: Essentially, they put their lives on the line to fight bad guys and Glitches of World-Ending power to protect this world!

Evelyn: -excitedly- That's right. And I helped them fight a BIG Glitch that threatened the Multiverse as we know it!

-Daisuke, overcome with worry at the fact that Evelyn had fought a multiverse-level threat, faints.-

Oran OS Lair, Eons Ago

After seeing the Calling Card on his Feed, Owen crushes a convenient cup he happened to be carrying at the time.

Owen: So it's these Phantom Theives that have been messing with my programming?! I've been focusing on the wrong guys? I need to get all propgrams on finding aned taking down these Phantom Theives now?

Ein: <But sir... What if they're leading you into a trap?>

'Owen: You know what's going on here as much here as I do. If they're trying to attack my code, my processes, my MIND, they are fighting on MY terms. Especially if I prepare... The firewall.

[[ac: Activating chimeraantivirus.exe... ]]

The Metaxerse

-Something shifts and whirs within Shadow Owen-

   Shadow Owen: Do your worst...   

Near Best Berry Headquarters

-Everyone is here-

Flamel: This location should allow us to get to the Treasure faster.

Julius: Well... Let's do this?

The Wing, Eons Ago

-Neon is trembling in excitement-

Neon: Y-yes! Heck yes!

Let's start with my other obligations

Best Berry Proximity

-Pentigan, Susan and a Tropius that is probably Shift are here, doing a few stretches before the upcoming battle-

Susan: Yep, who wants to tap the bookmark and get us in there?

And now, back to our feature presentation

Spooky House, Oh Howl-Fled Mine

-Jane and Tommy et al charge straight into... Some kind of antique surgical lab: White tile walls and floors kept clean (at least before the dust set in), one of those old strappy gurneys, tools scattered about the place, you get the idea-

-There's a fair amount of dirt on the floor for some reason but it's easy to shake off. The only other exit from the room is a door heading east-

Tommy and Jane encountered Grave Dirt but succeeded on the roll.

Spooky House, Oh Revelatory Mine

-Gale continues her effectively solo exploration of the house, ending up in what for all intents seems to be a kitchen. Cowering in a corner is a young girl in a tattered old dress. Gale takes a step back once she notices, her face flashing into a look of concern-

Oh, hello? Are you okay?

-The girl looks up at Gale and an overwhelmingly loud crow of a Corvi echos through the room-

The Girl: B-behind you...

Gale has obtained The Girl. The Haunt has activated.

"W-wait no, pause the film!"

-Reality in the house gains VHS scanlines as in the kitchen time pauses-

Black Velvet Cinema

-Kimberly Bond. You are aware that this is not the place you were in but a moment ago. You're in the lobby of a theater: Dilapidated, desecrated, darkened. The only smell is burnt popcorn and aged whiskey and the only light that illuminates this room comes from the theater proper. You hear a voice from that direction-

The Girl?: Oh player mine, come here. We need to talk about this.

Motostoke Party (post-Betrayalplot)

Kim: (hears Evelyn) "What? Is there karaoke? O-oh... yes. Yes, there is. You can gladly go first."

(She motions towards the karaoke machine.)

Motostoke Stadium Entrance Room

(The second that Daisuke falls to the floor and faints, Kim, Geddy and Peechee run up to him in concern.)

Kim: (horrified) "Oh dear Arceus—"

Geddy: <A-are you okay?!>

Peechee: <Please! Govoreet ^note  say something!>

Black Velvet Theatre

(Kim suddenly pauses and looks around, starting to get panicked again.)

Kim: "Um... Rever? Ian? Evelyn? W-where... where are you...?! What is happening...?!"

(She finds herself walking forward towards the strange girl against her will and starts to panic.)

Kim: "W-what's going on...?!"

Edited by OPALGARNET16 on Nov 9th 2020 at 6:33:45 AM

Black Velvet Cinema

-The theater proper looks just as disused as the lobby, though it seems to still be functional. Projected on the screen is an image presumably shot from the perspective of The Girl, showing Gale Knight and over her shoulder a darkened specter. VHS scanlines cross the projection. Seated in the stands is that same girl, though here she is dressed in a different outfit; a vintage cinema usher's garb done all in black-

The Girl: O-oh! Sorry for a little residual control... Hi. Uh... I guess you have questions? S-sorry, my manners have decayed over time... Welcome to the Black Velvet Cinema, I am the Attendant. My boss used to be here too but that hasn't been the case for decades...

Motostoke Stadium Lobby

-Daisuke comes to after having fainted.-

Daisuke: -to Geddy- I will be...

-Daisuke rights himself and brushes the dust off of himself.-

Daisuke: Evelyn. I'm sorry I have to do this, but you're coming home right this instant!

Evelyn: Dad, please don't. I've made some great friends on my journey.

Daisuke: -calmly- I know you don't want to, but you've got to understand that some things are just too dangerous for a Pokémon Trainer to take on alone. Multiverse-level threats are one such thing.

Evelyn: But, Dad... I wasn't alone! I had my Pokémon and Ian by my side...

Me: Right! Evelyn helped me immensely when we battled The Fanatic, and that was before we truly met! If Evelyn could fight a Glitch capable of destroying and recreating the Multiverse, she can take on anything! And if you think I'm wrong, then... then...

Then I'll battle you to prove that your daughter's in good hands!

-Daisuke's ears perk up when Ian says the word "battle" and then chuckles.-

Daisuke: Heheh... I can tell you REALLY care for my daughter, so I accept your challenge, but I will be giving you an ultimatum.

Me: I'm willing to hear it.

Daisuke: Here's how it will go down. It will be a six-on-six Full Battle at Wyndon Stadium after you earn five Galar Badges. If you win, I will allow Evelyn to stay with you on your journey... But if I win... where did you say you were from, again?

Me: Nuvema Town, in the Unova Region.

Daisuke: Ah, I see you've come a long way to get here. So, if I win, Evelyn will be going home to Ballonlea, and you will drop your journey and return home to Nuvema Town. Your parents must be worried sick about you.

Me: I accept your challenge, Daisuke-sama! Subete Eburin no ai no tame ni. ^Translation All for the love of Evelyn.

Daisuke: -chuckles- Sore de, watashitachiha torihiki o shimasu.^Translation So, we have a deal then.

-Ian and Daisuke shake hands, agreeing on the deal.-

Daisuke: Wyndon is at the far north of Galar. The Stadium will be where we'll have our battle. Remember, as soon as you win your fifth Gym Badge, you know what happens then.

Me: I won't forget.

Daisuke: Good. Because I'll be waiting for you there.

-Daisuke runs out of the Stadium, as though in a hurry to start training.-

Spooky House

-Ian and Evelyn feel a chill run down their spines.-

Me: Something big's happening...

Evelyn: ...and we'll stand to face it...

-Beat-

Piku-chan: <Hey.>

Hatty: <Where's Kim?>

Motostoke Party

-Evelyn is startled by Kim's offer.-

Evelyn: M-Me? I-I know you wanted to do some karaoke. Much more than me. So, go right ahead, Kim! I won't mind!

Spooky Basement

Colton looks at where Kim used to stand with mild intrigue. "Eh, she'll be fine." He proceeds to the kitchen, attempting to rub the scanlines out of his eyes.

Motostoke Stadium

Hoops wanders back into the lobby, holding a large paper bag.

"Was that Daisuke leaving?" they ask. "Well, anyway, I got you guys pasties since I figured you'd be hungry. Didn't know what you liked so I got a breakfast one, cheese and pickle, sweet potato, cheeseburger... a few others... I think this one has Slowpoke tail in it somewhere. Oh, and I have some made for pokemon as well."

They hand out pasties to anyone to wants one.

"So, my challenge is in fifteen minutes. I hope you guys are ready to see a show."

Sal leans in to Kec. <What's happening?>

Kec sighs. <Hoops has been reading a self help book on making friends. The chapter last night was about treating them to things and being cheery.>

Motostoke Stadium Entrance Room

Kim: (smirks) "Well. This should be fun. In all seriousness, though, I certainly hope you win. I can't imagine my journey being as fun as it is without you or Evelyn."

(And then she notices Hoops enter with the pasties.)

Kim: "Ah. Hoops. Delighted. Thank you very much for the pasties." (She pauses.) "Is that one sweet potato?"

Cinema

(Kim looks up at the screen in front of her and gets shivers down her spine.)

Kim: "Oh dear Arceus what are you doing to Knight?!"

Motostoke Party

(Kim smiles.)

Kim: "...Oh. Thank you, Evelyn. That is... very kind of you. Very well, then."

(With that said, she goes up to the machine in front of her, scrolls through the list, and finds "Rainbow in the Dark". Almost immediately, she smirks, knowing full-well of who she should send out.)

Kim: (to herself) "Excellent."

(She takes out a PokeBall and throws it into the air.)

Kim: "Red alert, Dio!"

(In a flash of light, Dio emerges, and the first thing he notices is the karaoke machine in front of him. Happily, he runs up to it in delight.)

Dio: (delighted) <Is that... IS THAT A KARAOKE MACHINE?!>

Kim: "Indeed it is."

Dio: (noticing the song) <IS THAT "[RAINBOW IN THE DARK]"?!>

Kim: "Indeed it is, and you are going to sing it."

(Dio squeals in delight and hugs his Trainer.)

Dio: <EEEEE~! Thank you— thank you so much—! THIS IS AMAZING~!!>

(Kim smiles.)

Kim: "You're welcome, Dio. Now... go show them what you can do."

(With that said, Dio nods confidently and grabs the mic, before waggling his tongue and crying out to the entire room:)

Dio: <ALRIIIIIIIIIGHT~! WHO'S READY FOR SOME ROCK AND ROLL~?!>

Black Velvet Cinema

-The Girl (The Attendant) traces Kim's look towards the frozen image upon the screen and shudders-

The Attendant: No, no I'm not gonna hurt her! The Phantom's just supposed to snatch up the... There's a girl in that room that looks like me and the spooky guy's supposed to grab the girl and vanish to uh...

-She pauses, scrambling to find some booklets-

The Attendant: And even if it was a... I wouldn't hurt anyone— well I wouldn't let it stick. Oh worried mine, I just wanted to make a horror flick— play a game—? both? Even if someone died it wouldn't be for real... But you're scared for real aren't you? That's no good, I screwed up, this would of worked if my boss was here...

Cinema

(Kim's fear starts to subside as she hears the last few words.)

Kim: (now curious) "Your boss...? Who is your boss?"

Black Velvet Theater

The Attendant: Nyarl— n-no no no wrong name. He is The Director. He used to run the show around here, making films with his little mortal stars but then they beat him up with their jung-souls and he went somewhere else and left me here! After all I did for him and he did for me, I'm left here...

Black Velvet Theatre

Kim: (confused and terrified) "Nyarl? Jung-souls?"

Circhester Gym, past

-Walking towards the center of the arena-

Another day, another battle.

Gordie: -Also walking- Hey there. The name's Gordie. I admit I feel a little bad for doing this to a Gym Challenger, but...

Really?

Gordie: ...Is what I would say if you were some greenhorn, but I know who you are, so I'm going to use this match to show the crowd that my Pokémon are unbeatable!

Edited by rmctagg09 on Nov 9th 2020 at 10:40:04 AM

Spooky House

Me: I hope nothing bad happens to Kim...

Evelyn: Me too...

-Ian and Evelyn turn to Colton as though they think he knows what's going on.-

Me: Colton? Do you know what's gonna happen?

Black Velvet Cinema

The Attendant: T-that's all history. I'm sure there's more important things than my boss and the whatevers that trashed his plans. Liiiiiike for instance, the fact that I am screwing up so hard and I need your help...