Mezzo: Are you really gonna use the same move over again, even after that? Well, if you're asking for it, I'm open. Now!

-once again, Freya moves on Mezzo's signal to deliver the same kick from behind-

-this time, though, she ends up pinned down as Yew lands-

Freya: <Mmn... not quite what was planned.>

Spikemuth

Yew: -With a cute look on her face- <Another move, you say?>

-Tries Headbutting Freya while she's pinned-

-the Headbutt is a direct hit, knocking Freya out from under Yew-

Mezzo: Don't let her push you around like that. Give her a Crunch!

-Freya leaps onto Yew's back, nibbling furiously at her-

Spikemuth

Yew: -Gets Crunched- <Looks like I'm tits up...> @_@

Go Hendrix!

Hendrix: -Appears-

Let's kick it into Overdrive!

Hendrix: -Starts strumming his chest before sending out electrified sound waves-

Edited by rmctagg09 on Dec 17th 2020 at 3:38:18 PM

Lilycove City, Shoreline

The S³ were quite happy with Tricky stopping Travis, joining her in standing in front of him (though unlike her not looking annoyed or the like... really the most surprising thing was that they were able to stand still for more than a few seconds in the first place).

With Travis in the end coming to his wrong (but at least somewhat understandable) conclusion, The S³ quickly stuck their heads together in a sort of emergency counsel. After a few seconds, the three began grinning and nodded

Meganium: <Right~!>

Tropius: <We need towers~!>

Amaura: <So the castle will be the bestest on the whole beach~!>

Upon having told him their new plan, the three Pokémon giggled happily, Amaura and Tropius beginning to help Tricky with connecting Travis small castle (now demoted to tower) foundation with theirs, Meganium continued work on the main castle.

The dealers set the game and let it run, meanwhile Michael could be seen talking with a few security guards about the people who had come in. A quizzical look on his face as he looked back to the party currently engaging.

Sofia would hear a crackle in her earpiece.

"Ma'am, Murph and I have uncovered some important data, we may have something soon. Everything going right on your end?"

If it seemed too easy, then it soon became clear that it wasn't so simple, as heavy footsteps were heard approaching.

"And so I tell him, "If you want those reports filed, maybe don't make us work 8 hour shifts standing around", and do you know how the guy responds?"

"How?"

"You're a grunt, it's your job to get the taurosshit thrown at you."

"Nooooo..."

"So yeah that's why I transferred over here to this guy. Better benefits and actually takes into account how much of our job is paperwork."

"Still aiming for one of the top 3 however?"

"Dude, fuck yeah I'm gonna try and get transferred to one of the Big 3, the prestige alone!"

The door was starting to open...

Bishop finished sending the message and then darted after Murphy, "What have you uncovered?"

Brimstone Server Room

Torn between getting out and listening to the conversation, Hailey found herself acting on instinct.

By the time the door would open, the only evidence anything was awry was a Great Ball hidden underneath one of the towers.

From within, Kamui attempted still her racing heart enough to listen to the outside, hoping the coast was clear enou -

<I should have checked for security cameras.>

Brimstone Casino, Cleaning/Guard Duty

-After cleaning the tables for the patrons at the casino, Emilie goes down to Sublevel 3 to clean up and stand guard.-

Brimstone Casino, Sublevel 3

-Emilie, with mop in hand and duffel bag on her back, stands guard of the way to Sublevel 4, awaiting any criminal who wants to get at whatever is down there.-

Emilie: -thinks to herself while whistling- If any criminal wants to get to Sublevel 4, they'll have to go through me...

-Beat-

Emilie: Now that I think about it, Rosie never told me what kinds of valuables are down there in Sublevel 4...

-Emilie shrugs.-

Emilie: Oh well... Guess there's another reason why I should guard Sublevel 4, by my blade and ballet shoe.

-Emilie continues to mop the floors of Sublevel 3, guarding the entryway to Sublevel 4.-

Edited by AnimeboyIanpower on Dec 17th 2020 at 10:54:16 AM

Brimstone Casino Floor

-Sofia notices Michael's quizzical look, and looks briefly nonplussed before the call over her earpiece comes in.-

Sofia: One moment. Work call. I need to take this.

-She gets up and walks away, speaking into her earpiece as she goes.-

Sofia: Sofia here. ... Yes, I saw the email. ... No, I don't think we should be issuing a statement. Money makes these allegations go away better than anything, so I would say...

-Her tone changes once she gets out of earshot of any nearby employees, and she lowers her voice to be lost amidst the background hum.-

Sofia: ...apologies. Needed to quickly extricate myself. In terms of our situation, I've managed to acquire a floor plan, but Smith runs a tight ship. I fear that prying any further might tip him off. May I ask what you've found?

Brimstone, the Networks

Murphy: Intricate camera network. Hard for a single pory to take down, but two ought to do it fine. The sublevel 4 loading bay, meanwhile, looks hella sus. Large freight tunnels whose openings lead to zubatfuck nowhere side roads. Plenty of ventilation. It's larger than the other two and seems to have provisions for all kinds of logistical infrastructure. Whaddya have in your basement dungeon, Mike? It's paydirt. We know where the guild is keeping their shit. And by the looks of things, ol' Sphinxy and your trainer's Sworn Rival are frequent tenants.

Brimstone, near the Poker Tables

A modest-looking, frumpy staff member dressed in red and black approaches Michael. Previously, he may have received a message about a brief staffing shortage after several of their janitors reported sick because of a case on acute solosiasis.

Rosie: Mr. Smith, we have a phone call for you from your club partners. It appears that they have a special order for storage for the event later tonight.

Brimstone Server Room

-Midna darts across the floor and slips under the same tower as Kamui's ball, gently pulling it out of sight.-

Brimstone Networks

Murphy: And dig this, Bish, check out the stuff they have here.

Murphy surreptitiously sent an encrypted file to Bishop's location. Upon a rather quick deencryption, it should reveal the rather damning contents of the loading bay on Sub-Level 4.

Much of the storage bays were pokémon in suspended animation and eggs. A few notable assets stored there include:

• Two (2) Pedigreed Cufant Eggs, in a climate-controlled incubator, taken from Galar
• A medicham taken from a Hoenn monastery, frozen
• A shiny zoroark taken from ZoroPark in Unova, frozen
• What appears to be a man frozen mid-transformation into a growlithe, taken from [data expunged]

Various implements and tools belonging to the guild were also stored there, as are data farms and hard drives containing terabytes of research.

Murphy: I told you, paydirt.

Edited by MasterJayAM on May 17th 2021 at 5:54:09 PM

Motostoke Stadium

The pink-haired woman leans past Hoops and offers her hand to Ian and Evelyn.

"Nice to meet you both. I saw your battle earlier on - and Hoops' as well - you're all truly impressive trainers," she says.

Hoops coughs awkwardly. "Guys, this is Anna. I bumped into her on the way here, and apparently she's sitting with us now."

Motostoke Stadium

Evelyn: It's a pleasure to meet you, Anna. I'm Evelyn. And this is Hatty.

Hatty: <Hello, Anna!>

Me: Nice to meet you, Anna. I'm Ian, from Nuvema town. And this is my buddy, Piku-chan.

Piku-chan: <It is very nice to meet you, Anna.>

Motostoke Stadium

Anna looks directly at Piku-chan. "It's very nice to meet you as well, little Pikachu," she says, with a thin smile. "And Hatty, you seem lovely as well." She mostly ignores Ian and Evelyn.

Motostoke Stadium

(Kim smiles.)

Kim: "Ah, perfect. We've been waiting for you, Hoops. And Sud, it's delightful to meet you. You're not the first Shiny I've seen; for that you'll have to go to Hikari." (She pauses.) "Same with Anna. Delighted to meet you. Kimberly Bond, lingual consultant, at your service. Anyways, I suppose I might as well go onto the pitch, and based on what I saw from both your challenge and Ian's challenge, the puzzle is to simply catch or defeat Pokemon."

(She turns to face Peechee.)

Kim: "Which should be rather easy." (She takes out Geddy's PokeBall.) "Geddy, you can return for now. I don't need you yet; Peechee can handle the entire gym challenge puzzle on his own."

Peechee: (grinning) <YES—!!>

(Kim smiles, then turns to Ian and Hoops.)

Kim: "Well, then... shall we?"

(She heads out onto the pitch.)

Edited by OPALGARNET16 on Dec 17th 2020 at 6:11:13 AM

Motostoke Stadium

Me: Showtime, Kim!

-I follow Kim into the challenge, recording it.-

Motostoke Stadium

Hoops turns to Evelyn. "Hey Evs, why is Ian recording Kim's challenge?"

Anna listens intently for the answer.

Motostoke Stadium

Evelyn: Funny you should ask. He's been doing this since Turffield. Ian's recording Kim's Challenges so Kim can show Colton how she's doing when we catch up to the rest of the J-Team. A sort of method for comparing notes.

Motostoke Stadium

"Wait, who's Colton?" Hoops asks.

Anna butts in. "You're members of the J-Team? That's incredible."

Motostoke Stadium

Kim: "Colton Kendall Rever- rhymes with "fever". Writer of the Prax Obscura. One of my idols, if I do say so myself." (She pauses.) "But enough about Rever, I hope you're excited for this."

Motostoke Stadium

Hoops grins. "Oh, don't worry. I'm definitely excited to see this. I need to see how you battle so I can beat you one day?"

"Beat her?" Anna asks.

"Oh yeah," Hoops confirms. "In order to be the strongest, I'll need to defeat everyone eventually. That includes Kim, and Evelyn, and Ian."

Anna smiles approvingly.

"Now, good luck mate," Hoops says.

Motostoke Stadium

Evelyn: -laughs- Ian and I are already a force to be reckoned with so far, so beating us won't be easy.

Hatty: <Regardless, shall we get going?>

Wyndon, December 23

It was the eve of Christmas eve, in the mid-afternoon, and all throughout Wyndon Town people are happily going along their merry way as the holidays approached. There's nothing quite like Wyndon at Christmastime.

But not all is well in Fair Wyndon Town! Across the [River Thames] from imposing Rose Tower was Orochi Plaza, an imposing eclectic industrial-themed structure that stood out in the skyline of the Wyndon Financial District. Not because it was tall in particular, but that it was weirdly shaped.

Outside were protesters confronting a black limousine, waving angry placards and the Ursaring-spangled flag of Angela. "Rights for the contractors! Enough corporate greed!" They yelled. Members of the Wyndon Police stand by.

It was not Orochi they protested but a different company, a startup called Gruber. From Angela to Kalos, they operated an alternative taxi and carpooling service reliant on contracted motorists. In faraway Angela, the Regional Congress approved a legislation that gave the company and its competitors unbridled license to undercut its contractors. The protesters called Gruber the new Pokefutures.

The limousine let out a dapper middle aged White Galarian man, with slicked black hair and a deathly, otherworldly pallor to him. He moved through the building, darkened overcoat and all, like a creepy sadistic teacher in a boarding school. He had a commanding presence. The valet, greeters, and other staff nodded and bowed in respect and fear.

All eight of the company's divisions held headquarters here, but one name above all else represented the Eight-Headed Ekans in this structure. This was what the imposing executive was looking for, emblazoned in a large stone modernist waterfall at the center of the hall.

Faust. An ominous name for an investment group that held the lion's share of the building's floor space (51% of the floor belonged to Faust alone. 30% went to all seven remaining divisions, and 19% went to other tenants). Within were exchanged sensitive financial documents that decided the fate of debtors individual and institutional alike.

Some would say Faust Capital was little different from the cold, almost dystopian building it was housed in. Interspersed within were the bespoke and eclectic, almost inviting interiors of its offices and guest spaces. It felt so on-brand. Faust Capital took great pride in being "a bank like no other," low-interest borrowing, high-interest savings, generous venture capital offers. It all seems too good to be true sometimes, and yet somehow it is.

He looked around. Orochi's financial division loved fountains. Everywhere were water features. The reception chamber itself was surrounded by a pebble-shaped pool teeming with shiny goldeen. A shishi-odoshi served as a corner piece focal point.

Doink.

The black-clad man made his way to the reception hall at Orochi. He approached the desk of the secretary.

Orochi Secretary Tiffany: Faust Capital greets you Happy Holidays. Welcome back, Mr. Ricketts. We've been expecting you.

Mr. Ricketts: Charmed, Ms. Tiffany. Inform your superiors of my arrival. We have much to discuss.

Orochi Secretary Tiffany: Why certainly sir. Mr. Vile will be with you shortly.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Apr 17th 2021 at 9:08:02 PM

Motostoke Stadium

Kim: "Yes. We shall."

(And with that, she steps onto the pitch.)

Motostoke Gym Puzzle

(Kim enters the room, followed by Peechee, and smirks with delight.)

Kim: "Well. Considering that I only need to get 5 points to move on to the challenge, this should be fairly simple." (She turns to face Peechee.) "Peechee, you're on."

(Peechee immediately steps forward, brandishing his pincer, and he calls out to the grass in front of him:)

Peechee: <Zammechat! COME TO ME, YOU MERSKY POKEMON! I'VE GOT A NOZH AND I AM NOT POOGLY TO USE IT TO SHIVE ^note  slice OFF A FEW SHIYAHS! ^note  necks >

(Seconds later, the grass in front of him shakes. Peechee readies his claw, and almost instantly, two Salandit and three Vulpix emerge from the tall grass, all willing and ready to fight. Peechee jumps up into the air and lets out a scream, before striking down all five of the Pokemon one by one with a Guillotine move.)

Peechee: (screaming) <SNUFF! SNUFF! SNUFF! SNUFF! SNUFF—!!>

(Meanwhile, from behind, another Litwick- a male one- is watching the Kingler take down everyone with intrigue. He pauses for a few moments, before speaking in an awed tone and a thick African accent.)

Litwick: (in an awed whisper) <Such power... Many times before I have watched my comrades be brought down by challengers... the other two certainly were excellent. But never before have I seen power like this...>

(He focuses intently on Peechee.)

Litwick: (still awed) <Guillotine... a one-hit knockout move. Now that is rather impressive. I suppose I shall have to see just how good this trainer truly is... and how much she cares about her Pokemon.>

(Meanwhile, all five of the Pokemon fall to the ground, fainted. Peechee breathes heavily for a few moments, before raising his claw in the air with delight.)

Peechee: <POBEDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!!>

(Kim smiles.)

Kim: "Excellent work, Peechee. You may return." (She takes out his PokeBall and returns him.) "And those are my five points. I might as well go on from there."

(She turns to face the referees, all of whom are staring at her in utter disbelief, but allow her to go through. She gives them all a grin, before entering the challenge pitch, fully prepared to face Kabu in battle. The Litwick, meanwhile, steadily follows her from behind, just as Dalt had done before in Turffield— except rather than excitement, the Litwick's face displays pensive thought and consideration.)

Edited by OPALGARNET16 on Dec 17th 2020 at 9:07:52 AM