Prector III

Right, okay.

-Gale gets back to her feet and rolls her shoulders back-

I believe this has been satisfactory for my Captain to join your order and be worthy of your sacred metal?

"I'll help you deal with it when it comes time," Silas told Gale.

<For now, we must get you initiated, your cuirass awaits. You are very right, your good Captain is ready for the Beskar. Please, follow me,> The Armorer said.

Silas shot Gale an apologetic look, and followed the Armorer off, <Haberdasher, please see our guest back to her friends, and look after her. It would be bad hospitality after what you did.>

The Slowking nodded and led Gale back.

Silas and the Armorer stepped into the back of one of the parked ships, beskar ingots stacked up on shelves, a great forge before them.

<Now, before we begin. We will need to sort out your allotment, if you are to start your own clan, you will need Beskar, I believe 4 tons will do.>

"Well that's- wait... 4 tons? You sure you want to part with that many?" Silas asked.

The Armorer let out a soft laugh, <You are but one of us, a Mandacario... well you will be once the forging is done. You aren't from this world I can see that clearly, and you have brought us much. Do not worry we will discuss how much scrap and missiles you owe us.>

Silas smiled a bit and laughed, "You're really planning for everything huh?"

<I must, this is the way.>

Silas nodded as he pulled out some blueprints for space suit design from home, he wanted his suit to be fully protective, "And... the helmet thing. I really don't need to wear it all the time do I?"

<If you were part of this clan, only in front of your other clanmates, but where you are from... you will form your own traditions. It is only natural,> The Armorer explained, <I will give you some required reading on the culture of our kind, the sects and such.>

Silas nodded, stepping over to the forge itself, "So... I form a suit, and then I'm one of you?"

<Not quite, hold up your hand.>

Silas held up his right hand, "What about it?"

<The Beskar requires the blood of its wielder, it is a metal of blood. The Iron in your body will help form the Iron in your armor, it will be you... and you will be it.>

Silas stared, "This is a spiritual thing right?"

<Yes, but taking that step will make you a true Mandacario,> The armorer said handing him a knife, <Will you?>

Silas stared at the molten pit, at the beskar ingots melting... and then took the knife, letting a few drops of blood drip in, "I will, and I am. This is the way."

"-And that's when he threatened to wear our skins," Roxy explained.

The Commune had been listening to her talk about the various ventures the Bolts had been on for the past few hours, Roxy just thankful she had a lot. The Armorer stepped forward, <The path is complete.>

Roxy stared, there was a clinking of metal, and out stepped Silas, wearing a full body suit of armor. It was plated blue, had a T-Visor on the helmet, a set of Lucario like ears, and a cape that flowed in the wind.

Roxy felt her heart beat a little harder, staring at the results, "So... you're one of them now?"

"Yes," Silas responded... sounding pleased, "I am a Mandacario. And we're getting a forge installed into the ship, as well as Beskar Ingots for future suits and maintenance."

The Armor nodded, <The commune helps others of its kind.>

"I can't thank you enough," Silas told her.

Nimbassa

Hazel: I'm good to go.

a shop in Lacunosa town

There's a Frillish here. They seem to be trying to use Psychic to write on a notepad. It's not going well.

Isle of Armor - Le Miracle du Printemps Mobile Vendor, Mystery Store

Castanea: -raises a finger- <. . .>

Sorbus: -side-eye- <. . .>

Lanatus: -unblinking- <. . .>

Abilene: ...Xerneas' teeth, you're serious.

Castanea: -dour- <Oh, perfect. How lovely to know that our world teeters so perpetually on the brink of utter—>

-Abilene pushes her glasses up to pinch between her eyes yet again—this, somehow, silences the susurrus of discussion among her team-

Abilene: ...ah, now everything makes sense. You're J-Team, aren't you.

-it is not a question-

Wyndon Stadium Stands

Evelyn: Wow... This is amazing!

Hatty: <Even though you've seen it plenty of times during your training with Sabrina, it never fails to excite you. Your sense of wonder's as vast as Ian's.>

Evelyn: -starry-eyed- And I can say that with confidence...

Wyndon Stadium, Ian VS Daisuke

-Mothra and Sweetie levitate in the air as a result of the clash of their Psychic attacks.-

Me: Now, Mothra, use String Shot!

Daisuke: Sweetie, use Magical Leaf!

-Mothra fires a thread of sticky silk from her mouth at Sweetie, who surrounds herself in magical, rainbow-colored leaves which slice through the string shot.-

Me: Use Ember!

Daisuke: Use Drain Punch!

-Mothra's horns flare up and she spits out several embers at Sweetie. Sweetie jumps back after being hit, but then coats her fist in a green aura with yellow streaks spiraling around her arm and lunges at Mothra, twisting her arm inwards as she throws a powerful punch at Mothra, draining some of her energy.-

Nimbasa City

Me: Thanks for the save, Colton.

Evelyn: Huh? Hazel! How've you been?

Wild Area, Bond or Break

???: -voice distorted- Hello, droog^* friend.

Orre Oasis

Radon: Interesting.

-Radon takes a Poké Ball off of his belt and preps it.-

Radon: Now I think it's time to introduce my Pokémon! Come on out, Ravager!

-Radon throws the Ball into the air and in a flash of light, out comes Ravager, Radon's Aerodactyl.-

Ravager: SKREEEEEEEE!!

-Ravager looks around at their surroundings and then back to Radon.-

Ravager: <Is this a battle?>

Radon: No no, Ravager. We're just introducing our Pokémon.

Stormchaser Training Bay

A chunk of psychic force surges through the air and vanishes, to... somewhere. Presumably the future.

Now, Sylvie doesn't think much in the heat of battle. But what she just saw still strikes her as odd. She makes to relay the vision to Daydre...

... And only gets about halfway through when she's KO'd by the Surf.

Daydre's frown grows deeper as she recalls Sylvie. She'd seen Megan with.. someone, but the rest got cut off.

What the hell was that? As if the vibes weren't bad enough already... Should I stop the battle? No, that'd look suspicious wouldn't it?... Who to send out next? Rowan would be a bad idea against two water types..

She eventually makes up her mind and sends out Mr. Bitey, who immediately launches a Sucker Punch at Pippy.

Nimbasa

"I think I'm good."

Stormchaser — Training Bay

-With her new perspective, Myra takes in the situation.-

Myra: (They're not supposed to be here...)

(So why are they? What's the point of this?)

(Everything's clogged. Are they trying to... flood the place?)

(And what's with the rod machine things?)

(...Focus, Myra, focus.)

(Mr. Mime. Kantonian form: the Barrier Pokemon. Galarian form: the Dancing Pokemon. Both forms are known for their barrier abilities — Kanto form creates them out of psychic power, whereas Galar form is more adept at freezing the environment and kicking up ice walls.)

(Neither is especially known for mind alteration. Which means...)

(...The person in the mask.)

(...But the Vow.)

(But I can't just let it happen if they're controlling Megan and her team.)

(The lines are blurred— but the Vow...)

-Kai chuckles-

Kai: Are you implying we're the heels here? I almost feel hurt. Almost.

-The wave bears down on Everest, who is starting to look a bit exhausted.-

Everest: <Rrgh..>

Kai: You doing okay, Ev?

Everest: <Yeah, I'm fine! I just— would like to deal with this lizard!>

Kai: You're doing great, as long as she's asleep she's an easy target. Just keep up the good work!

-Everest chitters, and the shadows dance around Fray again.-

Kai: What I'm curious about though, is...

-She looks like she's about to say more, but a strange look crosses her face as she notices a weird, tingling sensation in the air, like static building.-

Kai: Uh, does anyone else feel—

-And she's drowned out by a deafening crack of Thunder, the sound carrying through the sealed walls into the rest of the airship, centered on a bolt of electricity dancing through the falling sprinkler rain, striking true in the corner of the room.-

Hammerlocke — Past

-Kai rubs their neck uncomfortably.-

Kai: Well... I dreamed that I woke up in a prison cell, stuck in the Rogue suit. The warden was... saying something, but I was panicking so it's all kind of a blur. And the suit's system was low on power, so there was just this constant beeping in my ear, and...

-They shudder-

Kai: Yeah. It was uncomfortable. I still can't sleep with an alarm clock anymore. Which is, y'know, fine when I don't have to worry about when I need to wake up, but. Mmh.

Edited by BittersweetNSour on May 27th 2021 at 2:58:15 PM

Stormchaser, Engine Zone

Hiro: Pretty good hot chocolate.

-siiiip-

-...-

Hiro: -level- Weird, huh.

Litwick: -is pet, wiggles warmly- <I wanna see what that does to me when I don't have a brain>

Hiro: -at length- I...can't find my way around this airship on my own.

-on a better day, he might've pursued their bizarre texting capabilities-

Hiro: -eyeing her, semiconsciously taking note of symptoms as they appear- Too...twisted. Takes too long to map. So here is a question, and I hope it sounds as urgent to you as it does to me:

-he reaches for the bottle of poison, letting a drop settle on his Litwick's curious tongue-

Hiro: Where are they now?

(-and he blinks—the moment interrupted by the crack of thunder-)

Stormchaser, Training Room - Now

-you know the saying! too many minds spoils the telepathic suspension of disbelief-

-with every new addition—tangled in the Spider Web, peering at the surroundings—a new spike of panic comes from the invisible individual in the Mime corner-

-pretty normal that they've just been here the whole time, huh-

-astonishingly, Megan barely even pings Misery's strain-sense-

-and the crescendoing dread plateaus—and bottoms out, sharp with intent-

(-Scramble and Diplo may find their curiosity free to wander, suddenly-)

-Scarf'd Pippy is fast—but Sucker Punch is always faster-

-he gets decked in the face- u_u

-the lives Tagg senses are these:-

-his friends, arranged in agreement to his eyes-

-on the battlefield, Megan's traditional starters, blazing a mite or five brighter than they ever have—Pippy's adrenaline made manifest in how his surges-

-Megan herself—not at all where she appears to be, her Aura over by one of the training chamber's large machines-

-and somehow, as he's known all along, the purple-armored figure in the corner—with that void he'd find so familiar from, say, Mason, Neon, Ludmilla-

-and a residue he'd associate with Surtr and his cohort, had they not been banished over a year ago (Dialga's spleen)-

-all of these are perfectly normal, and nothing to be alarmed over-

-his senses are working fine—which is the largest worry, here-

-any other concerns can wait until after he battles Megan -Thunder-




-after taking…three Surf waves flat-footed, Fray's off in a different corner (sunk now deep into Hex-borne nightmare), Pippy's in the center of the room-

-no one on the field is capable of learning Thunder-

Megan: 8O !

-any questions about who launched that or what they're even aiming for are forestalled by a vertiginous perspective twist—as hologram projectors blow, barriers shatter, electricity sinks into the walls rather than bounce through the water soaking into every square meter of surface area-

-...and in the sudden, startled quiet, everyone gets a breath to recalibrate those perceptions, absent the stifling pressure of an epic-tier SEP field-

-no, beneath the holograms this room doesn't look right at all-

-yes, the purple specter in the corner is weird-

-and whatever opinions they form about Megan giggling at this stage are wholly their own-

???: -wreathed in a dozen layers of shattered Screen and faltering hologram, vocoder-distorted- ...you said you could beat them.

Megan: -laughing her head off- I said probably! And you wanted sneaky, right~?

-she takes off her goggles to more effectively grin-

???: -twitching in static, turning helmet from face to face, wary- Sneaky, swift, and certain. All to the end of not getting caught.

Megan: -pfff- You should be less specific! Or more. I can't win if I don't know the victory condition!

??? -Misery, that's barely repressed rage- You are useless.

Mr. Mime: -silently weeping, rubs hands together in an impression of a defibrillator-

G!Mr. Mime: -startles back to awareness, tips hat-

Megan: -bouncing- So it's official? The gig's up?

??? What do you think?

Megan: What do you want me to think? :3

Edited by Asterisk395 on May 27th 2021 at 5:32:03 AM

Hammerlocke, May 11

Brie: Oh. Uh...

-she frowns-

Well, if you need someone to hang around and keep you company, I haven't really got anything on the docket lately. I've got a pretty good internal clock.

Stormchaser, Engine Zone

-the Litwick will find similar results to drinking large quantities of caffeine and taking small doses of hallucinogens-

PEFE!Every: Well, um! I'm not actually sure, but that sounded like an explosion, and I know I didn't set anything to blow up, so they might be somewhere around there!

Stormchaser, Megan Zone

Ever: See? Never trust anyone happy. That's the moral here.

-they recall Scramble-

Misery: <The one in purple is remarkably angry. I may not be with you for much longer.>

Ever: Yeah. That about tracks.

-they call down to ???-

Hey! I'm Ever, it's nice to meet you! Whatcha doin' in our friend's head?

Edited by memyselfandI2 on May 27th 2021 at 1:39:30 AM

Stormchaser, far past

-To ???-

...Some advice, SEP Fields don't really work on people who can also use them. Figured your masters ought to have taught you that.

Pugh: <Wait, can I punch them now!>

...No.

Isle of Armor, past

-To Abilene-

There is no J-Team right now, but that's not incorrect.

Wyndon Stands

(Elton and Kim flinch back a bit upon seeing Mothra get hit with Drain Punch.)

Kim: "Ooh... that had to have hurt."

Elton: <Still, though! Mothra's still alive!>

Nimbasa City

Braker: "Hazel?" (He blinks.) "Who's Hazel?"

The Wild Area, Bond or Break

(And Kim immediately smirks, knowing just from the word "droog" who it is.)

Nimbassa

Hazel: (to Braker) I'm Hazel. (To Evelyn) I've been pretty busy, but doing fine.

Orren Oasis

Deuterium: Well, folks, you've already met our Farfetch'd.

Protium: His name is Dinner.

Deuterium: Right, let's meet the rest of the crew.

Deuterium releases two other Pokémon from their balls. One of them is a truly colossal, ominous-looking shiny Gyarados. The other was a hungry-looking Feraligatr. She growls at the newcomers.

Deuterium: This girl right here is Ripper. She's a nice girl once you've met her. She's quite protective of us, so do forgive if she's aggressive the first time around. Calm down, Rip, they're friends.

She stares at Deuterium and Tritium and sees the conviction in their eyes. Protium tosses her a chunk of mutton.

Deuterium: And this big guy's Redford. We go way back.

Protium: He was tough even as a magikarp.

Deuterium: But he's a big softie once you get to know him.

Lacunosa Town Shop

An elderly man who walks on crutches and his two caretakers—a red-headed woman and a burly, gruff-looking man— enter, followed by their Pokémon: an obstagoon, alakazam, and zoroark. The appear to be looking for something or someone.

Young Woman: Uncle, are you sure about this?

Old Man: I've a feeling our lead will be here. Trust me.

Young Woman: I do, Uncle James, it's just we've been searching for these people for years now. Your old employers do have a habit of getting to them before you do.

Young Man: I agree, professor. You're getting old and I don't think we can keep doing this. We've taken it upon ourselves for too long, eh. Maybe we should wait til PEFE gets back to us.

Young Woman: They and their J-Team allies seemed to have a better track record of rescuing those children.

Old Man: And we will discuss matters with them once they respond. But it won't sit well on my conscience if we don't even try to secure one when we have a chance.

Young Woman: Well, you're right. And Uncle, please, shouldn't you consider getting a wheelchair by now?

Old Man: I can still walk, Hayley. We'll have that discussion some other time. Now please, help me scan for them.

Young Woman: Yes, Uncle James.

Alakazam: ~I sense someone who might be seeking our help, Professor. It's the frillish.~

He turns to the frillish.

Alakazam: ~It's okay, small one. We're here to help.~

Edited by MasterJayAM on Jun 9th 2022 at 6:13:30 PM

Orre Oasis

Vana: Well, Hummy isn't technically my pokemon - I never actually had any pokeballs, so I couldn't catch him. But...

She brings out what looks like an incredibly old looking phone. She flips it open and whispers into it.

Vana: Hummy, if you can here please come.

A small wavy line appears on the screen of the phone, which then becomes three-dimensional and takes the shape of a small Porygon.

Hummy: .... . .-.. .-.. —- / . ...- . .-. -.— —- -. . / .. / .- — / -.. . ... .. —. -. .- - . -.. / .- ... / .... ..- — — -.—

Edited by theoncominghoop on May 28th 2021 at 10:50:58 AM

Lacunosa shop

Radium: <Huh?>

The Frillish abandons her attempts to scrawl a message in the notebook and turns around to face the newcomers.

Radium: <I promise I wasn't trying to steal the book! I just need to try and find someone strong enough to help my friend.>

Lacunosa Shop

Alakazam: ~How can we help.~

Obstagoon: <You sure about that, mate? The professor needs to look for someone as well.>

Zoroark: <I don't see anything reason why we shouldn't help The professor and his family will never let harm come to any innocent.>

Alakazam: ~Trust me, Darkholme, helping this frillish may be the lead we need for that.~

Zoroark: <You think their friend might be the person we're looking for?>

Alakazam: ~I've a feeling. And the professor and Hayley know this, too. And even if it weren't, if we can save one life today, we've done some good even if we couldn't find them.~

Obstagoon: <Lead us to them.>

Edited by MasterJayAM on May 28th 2021 at 6:22:02 PM

Lacunosa shop

Radium: <Are you sure? My friend's situation is pretty... Weird. And your trainer looks super old, no offense. Wouldn't want anyone to get hurt.>

Nimbasa City

(Braker promptly turns his attention to Hazel.)

Braker: "Ah. Greetings. My name is Leonard Braker." (He looks down at Walter.) "This is my Wobbuffet, Walter."

Walter: <Pleasure.>

Braker: "By any chance, would you like to-" (his phone suddenly dings) "-oh, hang on."

(He takes it out, and sees a message on Hasslemon:)

HASSLEMON INTERWEBS

FS: can i hug her~

FS: pleeeease~~

Nimbasa

(Braker chuckles a bit, then puts away his phone.)

Braker: (to Hazel) "Excuse me. One of my team members would like to meet you."

Walter: (to Braker) <Let me guess, Cuddles wants to hug her.>

Braker: (to Walter) "Yes."

(He takes out a PokeBall, and Cuddles the Galvantula emerges.)

Cuddles: (sees Hazel) <Yaaaaay~ Hello there~! My name is Cuddles! Do you want a hug?>

Lacunosa Store

Obstagoon: <Don't you worry about a thing, little jellyfish. The professor's much more powerful than you think. And if he needs help, he has his family and us to help him out.>

Zoroark: <They may have a point, though. We may need to consider whether the professor or his niece will be the one to approach them. We do have to consider the professor's disabilities.>

Alakazam: ~Now, the professor and I considered that, Darkholme. I'm getting on in the years myself, but I never let my body get in the way of what my mind can do. And Logan says it best. We know the professor and I can't do this alone. We're doing this as a team.~

Zoroark: <Whatever you say, Cerebro. Let's certainly hope we'd be enough help for them.>

Young Man: Uh Professor?

Professor: The frillish will lead us to their trainer, though they have doubts.

He points to his crutches.

Young Man: Oh. Ask them if there's a road there. If it's too steep—

Professor: You're going to tell me to wait in the car, Scott?

Scott: No, I was gonna suggest that Logan and I carry you up the terrain or bring the wheelchair.

Professor: Very well.

The professor turns to the frillish.

Professor: ~We know who your companion is. Lead us to them.~

Edited by MasterJayAM on Jun 9th 2022 at 6:15:42 PM

Nimbassa

Hazel is slightly taken aback by the Galvantula's sudden appearance. She'd forgotten how much friendlier the people here seemed to be.

Hazel: Erm... Sure, why not?

Nimbasa

Cuddles: <Yaaaaay~>

(He promptly jumps onto Hazel and gives her a warm fuzzy hug, nuzzling her as well.)

Lacunosa shop

The Frillish sighed.

Radium: <I guess I won't be able to find anyone else though, so you'll have to do. But can you guys at least tell me who you are first?>

Nimbassa

Hazel looks awkwardly at cuddles.

Hazel: Erm, thanks?

Edited by QuantumMelody29 on May 28th 2021 at 12:38:17 PM

Lacunosa Shop

Professor: ~My name is Professor James Patrick Yew, academic and longtime scholar of the Auric spectrum. I happened to be a powerful psychic myself, as is my niece Hayley. This is her husband, Scott Howlett and our pokémon: Cerebro, Darkholme, Logan..."

He lets out a lucario.

Professor Yew: ~And Bryan. From what my companions and I have read from you, we know that they are, in fact, a schoolchild. I should know. Some of my research was used without my consent to create later batches of them several decades ago.~

Cerebro the Alakazam: ~Your thoughts were vague on their exact predicament, only that it appears to be dire. Tell us what danger they're in.~

Edited by MasterJayAM on May 28th 2021 at 7:43:39 PM

Lacunosa shop

Radium: <I dunno if I should be telling you in the middle of a shop. I'll fill you in on the way there. Oh, I'm Radium by the way.>

-Radium gestures for them to follow her and starts floating out of the store.-

Nimbasa

Cuddles: (blinks) <What's wrong?>