Edited by OPALGARNET16 on May 30th 2021 at 9:11:57 AM

Hi, I’m oghond, and I’m a Rushaholic. Sorry if I annoy you unintentionally. 😅

Wyndon Stadium, Ian VS Daisuke

-The beam struggle continues as Mothra pushes herself to gain an advantage against Sweetie and Sweetie does the same to gain an advantage over Mothra.-

Wyndon Stadium, Stands

Evelyn: Come on, Mothra! You can do it!

Hatty: <I certainly hope Mothra's Signal Beam can overpower Sweetie...>

Wild Area, Bond or Break

Peechee: <AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!! OOBIVAAAAAAAAT!!!^* DIIIIIIIIIE!>

Building 898

-Ian and Evelyn followed the others into the gallery.-

Hammerlocke Banquet

Evelyn: Oh. Hello there.

Me: Centiskorch, Orbeetle and Joltik.

Piku-chan: <There sure are a lot of Bug-types around here, aren't there?>

Me: It's nice to meet you all.

Circhester Sky

-Ian and Evelyn fly their broom over the city of Circhester, where they see Kimberly Bond and Braker.-

Me: Brrr... It's kinda c-c-cold here...

Evelyn: W-W-Well we ARE in Circhester...

Me: H-Hey... Look... Is-s-s-s that Kim?

Evelyn: Hey, you're right...

Studio Palace

Joybringer: Alright. Let's switch things up.

-Joybringer touches his right index and middle fingers to his temples and switches between his Personas. A flicker of blue flames surrounds his feet as he does so.-

Joybringer: Sing for us, Banshee!

-A blue flame surrounds Cu Chulainn as he is switched out for Banshee, the teary-eyed Misdreavus-looking girl.-

Banshee: H-Here I am...

-Banshee notices the Reapers that the Thieves are battling...-

Banshee: -to the Phantom Thieves- C-Cover your ears, everyone...

-Joybringer covers his ears, preparing himself for Banshee's attack.-

Edited by AnimeboyIanpower on May 30th 2021 at 9:48:12 AM

♪Show me the wisdom of the world... Tell me the secrets of the heart... and the sweet~ mysteries~ of love~...

Wyndon Stands

Elton: <Come on, Mothra!>

Kim: "The suspense is terrible. I hope it'll last."

The Wild Area- BOB

Kim: (thinking, to herself) How did I know he was going to say that...?

Nimbasa

(Cuddles continues to hug and snuggle Hazel— but then he gets a tap on the shoulder from his trainer.)

Braker: "Cuddles?"

(Cuddles turns to face him.)

Cuddles: <Oh, hi, Lenny! What's going on?>

Braker: "We're going in."

Cuddles: <Yay~> (He turns to face Hazel.) <Sorry about that. I have to go now. It was nice to meet you~!>

(With that said, he jumps on to Braker's shoulder, and he, Walter, and Braker enter...)

Building 898

(The three of them eagerly look around.)

Walter: <Well. This place certainly looks interesting.>

Cuddles: <Wow~! Look at all the artwork~!>

Braker: "Come on. Let's follow them into the gallery."

(And they do so.)

Hammerlocke Banquet

(The Centiskorch just nods.)

Shiny Joltik: <'Ello there~!>

Orbeetle: <Yeah, yeah, there are a lot of bugs out here— did you not happen to notice that one of them is SHINY?!>

(Meanwhile, Paul notices what is going on and decides to fly over to the three other Bug Pokemon.)

Paul: <Hello! What's going on here?>

(The Orbeetle, Centiskorch, and Shiny Joltik turn to face him.)

Orbeetle: (sighs, facepalming) <Nothing, really— except that these two blithering idiots don't even seem to care that there's a Shiny Pokemon in front of them.>

Paul: <Ah, I wouldn't call them 'blithering idiots'. They're Kim's friends, y'know.>

Orbeetle: <Kim? Who's Kim? That the girl with the Chandelure?>

Paul: <That's right. I'm Paul. I'm her starter, y'know; the first Pokemon she ever had. It's nice to meet you.>

Orbeetle: <I know what a starter is; you don't need to tell me!>

Paul: <Okay, then.> (beat) <By the way, you're looking really big for an Orbeetle. Y'know, Orbeetle are— they're usually around 1 inch, y'know, and you're looking more like you're about, I don't know, maybe... 5 feet?>

Orbeetle: (scoffs) <FIVE FEET?! ARE YOU BLOODY SERIOUS?! I'm 4'08, thank you very much!>

Paul: <Eh, close enough.>

Orbeetle: <Close enough?!>

Centiskorch: (wanting to avoid an argument, to Paul) <You like Silly Cobra?>

(Paul blinks, then:)

Paul: <Oh, I love Silly Cobra. Their skits are incredible, y'know— um— do you like Silly Cobra too?>

Orbeetle: <Are you serious. Are you bloody serious.>

Centiskorch: <My Orbeetle friend and I love Silly Cobra.>

Paul: <Oh! That's wonderful!> (He turns to face the Shiny Joltik.) <What about you?>

Shiny Joltik: <Well, I've— I've ne'er actually seen Silly Cobra... ta be completely honest with you.>

Orbeetle: <You WHAT?!>

Centiskorch: <Well. Seems like we need to get you to a marathon.>

Paul: <You've never seen Silly Cobra?!>

Shiny Joltik: (looking down, a bit saddened) <No... I ne'er really got the chance to.>

Orbeetle: <HOW HAVE YOU NOT SEEN SILLY COBRA?!>

Shiny Joltik: <Well... it's a long story.>

Orbeetle: <Oh, good. I have little time to listen to long stories.>

Centiskorch: (glares at him)

Orbeetle: <What?>

(Meanwhile, Kim is watching this whole interaction with a grin on her face.)

Kim: "Dear God, you three are a riot to watch."

Circhester

(Kim looks up at the sky and notices Ian and Evelyn.)

Kim: "Ah, there they are. Perfect timing." (she gestures to them wildly) "Ian! Evelyn! Braker and I need to talk to you!"

Lumiose City

(Eventually, after some time, Braker, Walter, and Cuddles get off the train and arrive in Lumiose City. They look around for a few moments, before Braker takes out his video camera and microphone.)

Braker: "Alright. We're here."

Walter: (looking around) <Odd. I don't see any evidence of a rogue Greninja anywhere.>

Cuddles: <Me either...>

Braker: "Strange. Perhaps one of the locals knows what is going on..."

(And seconds later, a newspaper flies down onto the floor. Intrigued, Braker picks it up— and when he reads the headline, his eyes go completely wide. The headline reads: ROGUE GRENINJA STRIKES AGAIN; CURRENTLY HIDING OVER 200 GALARIANS IN LUMIOSE CITY. Walter and Cuddles see the headline and are caught by surprise, too.)

Braker: "200 Galarians?!"

Walter: <Well, we're in the right place... but where in Lumiose would a Greninja hide over 200 Galarians?>

Cuddles: <And why?>

Braker: "No idea. But maybe..."

(He quickly takes out his phone and takes a picture of the newspaper headline, then heads straight to Hasslemon.)

HASSLEMON INTERWEBS

PI: *NEWSPAPER ARTICLE*

PI: Any idea where a Greninja would hide 200 Galarians in Lumiose City?

renewedPhilologist (RP) joined the chat.

RP: Dear God...

Studio Palace

(The Consultant immediately covers her ears— but Triton doesn't.)

Triton: Don't worry, Banshee. I won't be affected in the least. (He turns to face the Shadow.) As for you... how DARE you attack one of her fellow thieves?! You're going to pay for this!

(And he rams towards the Shadow, his Trident glowing and shooting out a ball of water towards it.)

Edited by OPALGARNET16 on May 30th 2021 at 11:03:02 AM

Hi, I’m oghond, and I’m a Rushaholic. Sorry if I annoy you unintentionally. 😅

Yew manor

Radium: <Well it's certainly the biggest house I've seen in like ever.>

I used to plug my deviantart here but turns out the link was too long.

Polity Orbit

Whole place is dead... Doesn't mean we won't see any robotic guards but... Yeah.

-Gale breathes deeply and closes her eyes-

I have no clue what awaits us down there... But I'm ready to confront it.

Studio Palace

It's time for an all out attack!

-Rakash said, looking about ready to leap into action before hesitating and holding back. He was a Navigator, he wasn't supposed to be a combatant, no matter how much his role was starting to chafe-

Building 898

-After about a minute of waiting, the doors opened up and the staffers funneled the waiting crowd into...-

Lee House, Front Lawn

-Past the wall was what appeared to be the front yard of an actual house. And yet, given the obvious walls around the location and the lack of natural light in this dimly-lit scene, this was clearly still inside the warehouse. Set up near the steps leading onto the front porch was a little stage where someone was standing; A man in his late 20s, dressed in a business suit that was inexplicably a dark purple rather than a more traditional and with the same logo for A Normal Mouse taking the form of a neon-colored pin on his front pocket. His hair was slicked back and he was wearing a pair of small round sunglasses in an almost glowing shade of magenta-

Franc Harri: Artists and aspirants, I welcome you to Lee House. This installation has been the work of our teams of talented independent artists, our gracious sponsor and of course me. After all, I'm the one who brought all our artists together as A Normal Mouse and came up with the concept behind what you'll see here today. But of course, normally this is when all you folks would see a video of my little opening speech. But I'm here so heck, we'll do it live!

-The man on the stage rolls his shoulders back and tilts his head a little to the side. His eyes fully hide behind the sunglasses that glint in the lowlight-

Franc Harri: When you autopsy a house, what organs will you find? I welcome you all to this old, old house amid the old, old trees—

-The person who was on the chunky cellphone outside flinches a little, something Gale takes notice of but says nothing about-

Franc Harri: —for the last time in our twenty-twenty season. After tonight, we'll be undergoing a short period of renovation before coming back with new worlds, new stories and a fresh set of mysteries for the new season. So for the last time, I ask you four questions that I want you create an answer to: Who killed the radio star? Where is Sarah? What flows through him? When is she the most beautiful?

-As the last word leaves his lips, the front door of the house facade opens and the interior lights flick on one after the other-

Franc Harri: Explore well, artists and aspirants.

-And with that, he steps off the little stage and slinks off into the darkness. Though given the glasses and pin, it's easy to see that he's stepped away a little and has started having a quiet conversation with a staffer off to the side. The far end of the porch would theoretically be a decent place to eavesdrop on them. Gale gives a glance between where Franc has walked off to and the front door, where the person with the chunky cellphone has stepped off to the side to examine of all things the wood paneling of the facade-

Hey guys? I'm gonna go talk to the cladding fan, alone. You guys start exploring, maybe split up into groups?

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

Silas sighed, "Get your hands on some environmental gear, we can maintain human form for this at least. Atmosphere might not be breathable."

He picked up his helmet, "Bishop take us down."

"Of course Captain," Bishop responded.

The ship shook a bit and began its descent.

Arthur pulled his helmet on, and picked out some environmental gear for his team, "What will we see down there?"

"The ruins of a modern age," Haydeb responded.

The Wing landed, the airlock doors hissed, Bishop popped out, "I've landed us near the strongest power source Captain. Activity will best be tracked here,"

"Thank you Bishop," Silas responded pulling on his helmet, checking the settings before checking Roxy's life support pack, "What's the environment?"

"Frozen and dead, trace amounts of radioactive isotopes in the air. Prolonged exposure would be dangerous but our suits will more than protect us for the time we are here. Maximum exposure would occur within 120 hours."

Roxy nodded, "Right. So the place is dangerous... what is the Rebellion's history with this planet? Why is this place so important?"

Silas tilted his head a bit as he helped her secure the helmet on, "Perhaps the world being dead is the reason why it is so important. What better location to hide something?"

Roxy gave a thumbs up and walked off to some art exhibits.

Lee house

Hazel seems uninterested in Franc's conversation and heads into the house alone to look at exhibits.

I used to plug my deviantart here but turns out the link was too long.

Lee House

Kamui initially gives some gentle applause before Colton gently places a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head and walking in with her.

"[American Gothic], was it?"

"Yeah, I'm getting that, too."

[Insert Unoriginal Stinger Here]

Yew Manor

Hayley: Well, it's pretty big even for this neighborhood, though I think the Van Darns next door have a bigger house. , though don't expect anything teen-friendly from this decade. We haven't had a kid here since me. All my stuff's the stereotypical girly girl things from the 2000s.

Scott: Kitchen's fully stocked, though. Though I may need to ask about any food allergies. Oh, we're here, Professor.

The professor wakes up.

Professor Yew: Make yourselves at home.

Polity, within the Wing

Upton couldn't keep his biomass within the suit no matter how hermetically sealed it was. The group elected to stay behind until they could figure out the suit thing. Shutter earlier told the group that he was available to go alone if needed. But until then, they had a quandary to figure out.

Shutter: Can't you just manifest as a human being... as a ditto?

Upton: That is actually quite difficult. I can't quite re-manifest as me as a ditto. How do you not remember this? You were there!

Shutter: I try not to. No, like, another person?

Upton: Yeah, haven't actually tried imitating another human yet. Wanna give it a try? I would need to observe you. I didn't really want to try it out for that reason. I know why that's necessary and even I think that's creepy. If you'd volunteer, we can just use a selfie.

Shutter: How long would you need to stare?

Upton: Humans are kinda difficult without practice. I needed to stare at several selfies to attempt my own human-shaped form and that was a disaster because of the whole chimera thing.

Shutter: Hoo boy. And now I remember why I chose not to remember. You got yourself a volunteer. Phineas will take the selfie and we'll experiment. You're gonna have to look at your own results first, though. Eeeeh.

Yew manor

Radium: <Woooaaah!>

Radium rushes out of the car to look around the manor. Kal is still asleep.

I used to plug my deviantart here but turns out the link was too long.

Yew Manor

Hayley: They're still asleep, Scott.

Scott: Eh, we'll bring them up to their new place. Let 'em rest. It'll help them fight off the virus faster.

Pueltown, yesterday

-Eating ice cream-

Would you say it's been a good life Doc?

Doc: -Also eating ice cream- <Well it's basically my only life, but yes.>

Fair, but good.

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

Isle of Armor, Tagg

Abilene: ...I mean, I could have told you that that's what they'd become.

Sorbus: -chiding- <...Abilene, be polite.>

Abilene: They are an assortment of rabble!

Castanea: <We are dealing with a principled man—>

Abilene: -waving her arms- Rabble given the power of committee, influence of [Atlas], and a conga line of targets that they're meant fully to crush under their heels. Wasn't this result obvious?

-pushing her way to her feet- Besides—an assortment of individuals you rarely see and barely know, the provenance of whose relation to you you scarcely grasp—which comes together for raucous gatherings toward a common end before atomizing the moment it's time to call "cleanup"?

Abilene: -rapping her cane on the wood- That's family, wanderer! You don't abandon family!

-growl- No matter how much you'd like to.

-she turns sharply away, leaving her Pokémon to awkwardly reach for the spread of her stuff-

Abilene: -hiss- Glitches and gods are footnotes to that.

-...but she doesn't walk away-

No mind to think. No will to break.

Isle of Armor, past

-To Abilene-

They failed what we're supposed to stand for, and I failed what we're supposed to stand for. We've been doing this for more than a decade now, and I've been basically the guy everyone looks to ever since I started organizing our group meetings so that we'd stop getting kicked out of basically every hotel in Hoenn. But that day, I failed my duty as de facto leader by allowing things to reach the level they did.

Like, we're not cops-

-The "cops" is said particularly scornfully-

And I have no desire to be one, but we have to be better than what happened at the Final Shell.

I have not abandoned them, but seeing everyone is... hard. Because whenever we see fit to come together again as the J-Team, which will happen someday, we've become too important to the world's fabric to truly disband without a replacement, none of our contemporaries I've been in contact with could take our spot from what I can tell, it will come up.

And if what little I've gleaned from Salvador's future between his words and those time traveling fascists is correct, the world kinda goes to shit without a J-Team or similar group to keep the more authoritarian and rightist libertarian forces out there in check, government entities or not.

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

Wyndon Stadium, Ian VS Daisuke

-Mothra exerts a grand amount of power and pushes the Hyper Beam back at Sweetie, which causes an explosion.-

Wyndon Stands

Evelyn: Yatta!

Hatty: <Mothra overpowered Sweetie!>

Evelyn: You know what that means, right?

Wyndon Stadium, Ian VS Daisuke

-When the smoke clears, Sweetie was revealed to have been knocked unconscious by the blast.-

Referee: Sweetie is unable to battle! Mothra wins!

-Daisuke calls Sweetie back to her Poké Ball.-

Daisuke: You did well, Sweetie. You deserve this rest. -to Ian- I must confess, I was right about you. You never give up, even in the face of someone older, more experienced, dare I say, better than you... Looking into your eyes, I can see the heart of one who fights for what's right, who believes in themselves, their friends, a better future worth fighting for, and most importantly, love.

-Daisuke chuckles.-

Daisuke: Honestly, kid... We're not so different after all.

Me: Oro? How do you gather?

Daisuke: Think about it... We both believe in our Pokémon and ourselves... Our senses of wonder haven't faltered, even though you've faced greater hardships in your journey...

Me: ...and we both care for Evelyn in our own way.

Daisuke: My sentiments exactly. I tip my hat to you. One legend to another. Now... let's finish this fight!

Me: I couldn't agree more!

◓◓◓◓◓• | ◓◓••••

Me: Mothra, return for now.

-Ian calls Mothra back to her Poké Ball.-

Daisuke: Blasty! Come on out!

Me: Oshawittle, I choose you!

-Ian and Daisuke throw their Poké Balls and from them come Oshawittle, Ian's Oshawott, and Blasty, Daisuke's Blastoise.-

Hammerlocke Banquet

Me: -sees the Shiny Joltik- Aaawww... so smol... and fluffy... May I pet you?

Evelyn: It's nice to meet you all.

Lee House

-Ian and Evelyn applaud Franc Harri's speech and enter the gallery proper.-

Evelyn: Wow...

Me: I agree... To think, so much creativity could fit in a building like this.

Evelyn: You'd think it uses just a little Galarian Sci-fi technology.

Me: And did he say "worlds"?

Evelyn: I believe he did.

Wild Area, Bond or Break

Peechee: -promptly calms down- <My sincerest appy-polly-loggies...^* apologies I got a malenky^* bit carried away... So, I have to thank you again for pomogaing^* helping me with my Hasslemon rooshka^* account. But what does unclockworkRakoobrazz mean?>

Palace of the Maiden's Heart, VS Daniel and the Reapers

Joybringer: An All-Out Attack? Sounds fun, count me in!

-Banshee starts crying and lets out a screech in an attempt to stun The Reapers.-

Circhester

-Evelyn brings the broom she and Ian are riding in for a landing in Circhester to say hello to Kim and Braker.-

♪Show me the wisdom of the world... Tell me the secrets of the heart... and the sweet~ mysteries~ of love~...

Wyndon Stands

Elton: <YES! MOTHRA WON!>

Kim: "And now it's Water-on-Water... I wonder what's going to happen next."

The Wild Area, Bond or Break

Kim: "'Mentally unstable crustacean.' In other words, you."

Peechee: (coming out of the bushes) <I'll priznav ^note  admit to that! Horrorshow, Kim! Absolutely zammechat!>

(And he joins the others.)

Hammerlocke Banquet

Shiny Joltik: <Oh? Of course!>

(He jumps up into Ian's arms. The Orbeetle, meanwhile, scoffs.)

Orbeetle: <Seriously? The Joltik's all they care about?>

Centiskorch: (to the Orbeetle) <They'll get to you soon, probably.>

(And right at that moment:)

Kim: "So... what's your favorite skit?"

(And the Orbeetle and Centiskorch turn to face her, and all the Centiskorch says is one word:)

Centiskorch: <Lumberjack.>

Kim: "Ah. Yeah, the Lumberjack Song is great."

Orbeetle: <FINALLY! Thank goodness you asked! It's the fresh fruit skit.>

Kim: "Fitting." (then, with a smirk) "Suppose he's got a bunch?"

Orbeetle: <SHADDAP!>

Paul: <Suppose he's got a pointed stick?>

Orbeetle: <SHADDAP!>

(Paul giggles, and the Orbeetle laughs a bit. The Centiskorch, meanwhile, just smiles. Kim pauses for a few moments, then turns back to face the Shiny Joltik.)

Circhester

(Kim nods, then runs up to Ian and Evelyn.)

Kim: "Ah, there you two are. Hello there. I'm about to go in to Circhester for my Gym Battle against Melony. But before that... Braker and I have decided to have a battle, and we're in need of a referee. Would either of you like to referee?"

Lee House

(Braker nods, while Walter applauds the speech. Cuddles happily jumps around on Braker's shoulder.)

Braker: "Well... I know the answer to the first question at least."

(He enters the gallery proper and follows Ian and Evelyn, all the while singing quietly to himself:)

Braker:

HASSLEMON INTERWEBS

PI: So? Any ideas?

RP: Let me think... probably the museum?

PI: Of course... thank you, Kim.

Lumiose

(Braker puts away his phone and turns to face Walter and Cuddles.)

Braker: "I just talked to Kim and she suggested the museum."

Walter: <Then that is where we will be headed next.>

Cuddles: <Yay~! I can't wait~!>

(And with that said, they head towards the museum.)

Hi, I’m oghond, and I’m a Rushaholic. Sorry if I annoy you unintentionally. 😅

Polity Surface

-The Nightingale is amid the group, as much as possible trying to stick to the shadows in some kind of approximation of her preferred stealthy approach. Her voice rung out clearly on the team comms from within her helmet-

Maybe whatever led to this place being desolate is the inspiration for them? I wouldn't be surprised to see horrors committed in the name of preventing an overestimated threat...

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

Hammerlocke — May 11

-Kai smiles, and lets out Holly.-

Kai: All right, you know where.

Holly: <I've got to start charging for my taxi services.>

Blip!

Pyrite Town

-And poof, there they are.-

Kai: So! I dunno if you've been to Pyrite Town before, but if not welcome to Pyrite! There's exactly one place here that's worth visiting here, and it's...

-They gesture at the office building they arrived in front of.-

Kai: Right here. Well, and the Colosseum, but that's not the goal today.

-They start to head inside.-

Stormchaser — It's a Training Bay, not a Draining Bay

-Kai's vampiric efforts are impeded by a sudden cloud of Liquid Ooze.-

-Kai's vampiric efforts are not prevented by the cloud of Liquid Ooze.-

-It's easier to process what happens when moves like Absorb or Leech Life absorb Liquid Ooze. The user drinks the poison, and suffers the typical consequences of drinking poison.-

-When Liquid Ooze is drained aurically, things get weird.-

-Kai lets out an agonized underwater scream as the Tentacruel toxins seep into their arm, lacing its way up their skin and their bloodstream. Unfortunately, this means they have no more air in their lungs, and they realize exactly that the second it's too late.-

-Fight or flight kicks in, and they see Molybdenum escape through the portal. With the walls quickly closing in, and the target escaping, they immediately make their way to and through the portal.-

-Avada briefly mentally kicks himself for forgetting about the Safeguard, but give him a break, there's a lot going on. In fact, there's bigger problems than the failed attack, or even the Beeheeyem at all anymore. Because he's about to get folded into a hyperspacial null value, and that would be very bad.-

-So he just Teleports over to the portal and yeets himself through.-

-Myra, meanwhile, is delighted when the pipe-breaking works! And un-delighted when it's blocked off by Psychic Terrain.-

Myra: (...That's annoying.)

-The good news is, she doesn't have to worry about being spacially rended (lowercase) by the folding halls of the airship! The bad news is, not everyone has that luxury, and she knows it!-

-Rather than follow through the portal, Myra opts to jump back into the system in an effort to hamper — if not halt — the collapse of the room, to give everyone else time to act.-

Wild Area — Distant Pool

-And out flops Kai, followed by Avada. Kai spends a moment coughing and sputtering, trying to get to solid land.-

Kai: ...Finally. So cough cough Megan! Still up for that dramatic cough entrance?

-They try to snap their fingers, but the Tentacruel poison makes their hand too shaky.-

Kai: ...Give me a sec.

-sn— s— sna— sn— there we go, snap!-

-.........-

-There's the faintest buzzing in the distance.-

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Jun 1st 2021 at 6:12:19 AM

Lee House, Front Lawn

Daydre nods and walks off, sorta following along with Roxy.

off the shits

Pyrite Town, Faction Offices - May 11

-As they step into the lobby, Kai and Brie are greeted by... Brie!-

-Well, not quite Brie. She's a little taller, and her eyes aren't quite the right shade of green, and she's presenting herself with a grandiose bow that seems quite out of character.-

Brie(?): Salutations! Sight unseen, I'd suggest this is something of a superb simulacrum, shouldn't you say?

Edited by Herbert40k on Jun 1st 2021 at 3:00:17 PM

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

Pyrite Town, Faction Offices, May 11

Brie: Yeah, I've been to Pyrite. Not a fan, I'll be hone—

-Brie-

Brie: ...

...

Oh. You're, uh...that uh, person from the wedding. With the, uh, the disguises and the alliterations.

Hi again!

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.

Faction Offices

-Kai short-circuits as the second Brie appears.-

Kai: ..........

-amarin.exe has encountered an error-

Kai: ...I really should have anticipated this.

-They clear their throat, face thoroughly red.-

Kai: Hello, Minstrel. How long, exactly, have you been planning... this?

-They gesture at the imposter Brie's entire outfit.-

Pyrite Town, Faction Offices - May 11

-The false Brie grins at her source material.-

Brie(?): The very same! I consider it quite complimentary that I have continued to be contained within your consciousness for such a considerable chapter of chronology. It is a pleasure to be presented with your presence in particular!

-She turns to Kai.-

Brie(?): This is a spur of the moment, spontaneous semblance! When you mentioned to Ms. Manager that you were motioning to manifest here, I meditated to myself: "Minstrel, mayhaps you might make a marvelous mimic of her most mesmerising mate?" And thus it was so. She speaks of you in several situations, after all!

-She takes another grandiose bow.-

Brie(?): Before you ask, the mistress of the house is upstairs. I gather that she is galled at this given juncture, but perhaps your presence will palliate this problem.

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

Stormchaser, Training Bay

(-Tagg, indeed, Protects himself without issue-)

-with Myra suppressing the room's regenerative functions, Magtail—despite self-extinguishing, and how everything's soaked, growing back, or both—manages to melt a rather tight hole in the hull between the hall and her side of the room-

-but in response to the damage, the room starts contracting faster-

-Ceal looks like they very much want to sing right back, for territorial pride if not tactical necessity—but their Throat remains as Chopped as it was several seconds ago-

Beheeyem: -to Just- ~Value, nothing. We all submit to the whims of a superior—and thrive when we do know our place.~

-and he. stops, genuinely befuddled by Ever's apparently sincere request to have a chat??-

-to the room at large, eventually- ~...well? Get them.~

Beholder!Vee: -delighted- <Arc? Is that you, kiddo? Haven't seen ya in weeks!>

-beneath her eye, the water mostly filling the room fights Just's advance, Azure's escape-

Beholder!Vee: -peering down- <You're healthy, right? Been eatin' enough? This shouldn' sting too much, hold still—>

-a whole dozen tentacles spear down, toward Ever through Arc, incisor-tipped and hydraulic-fierce and-

-missing, with half an inch to spare on any side-

-Just pierces her defense, Azure's shockwave hits—the Beheeyem shrieks in pain, and Vee remembers-

Wild Area, Storm Chasing

-Megan has more than enough muscle to contest Daydre's escape, which of course is why she just kind of lets go-

Molybdenum: What the f—

-it's not nice to hold someone where they don't want to be, when you're maybe dating-

Megan: Oh!

-Daydre decks Molybdenum solidly across the faceplate, and Megan turns her attention to more pressing matters-

Megan: -to Hitodama- That's exactly what I wanted to talk about! :D

-spears hovering around her, she sparkles with vivacity- Have you ever thought about how weird the weather in the Wild Area is? :o

-the Mist seems to hiss at the Sunlight, receding slightly- -before freezing in place-

Vapor!Vee: <...Megan. We gotta go.>

Megan: -blink- Huh? Oh yeah, we should probably get started, huh! Thespi, take over exposition—

Vapor!Vee: <N...no, no. No, we have to leave.>

Megan: -headtilt, pointing at Daydre- But we haven't beaten them yet.

Vapor!Vee: <There are more important things.>

Molybdenum: -on the ground, blocking more Daydre punches with huddled arms- !

Vapor!Vee: <We...we promised—>

Molybdenum: What—where is this coming from? Ow! You serve m—!

Vapor!Vee: <I>

---

-back in the Stormchaser training bay, Vee's tendrils tighten around her son and her friend-

Beholder!Vee: <I...I…>

-but not very much, and not very hard-

Hiro: -treading water below the ceiling, spluttering for breath- Vee—   what do you owe?   

---

Megan: Oh Vee, don't you want to see what we've been working on together? :c

Vapor!Vee: <I—keep you safe—>

Megan: When am I safer than when you're with me? ^_^

Vee: <I—I promised—>

Molybdenum: -scream- You serve her!! You promised to serve her, who serves ME!

Megan: -frown- I don't think that's how we work.

Vee: <contracted—indebted—promised, I—>

---

Beholder!Vee: <A life—for a life—>

-she's distracted—Diplo comes back into existence to land the coup de grace-

-the Beheeyem shrieks a Terrain-empowered Synchronoise, nearly silent—and on instinct Teleports out-

-fizz-

-...yeah.-

Hiro: -gasp- Pay it now! Pay it here!

-he sees Sunlight on the other side-

-and launches a Shadow Ball—a Pokéball within—toward it, last-ditch-

---

-the light of Truth illuminates the veil separating there and here-

Megan: -smile- C'mon, Vee. Let's go.

Pippy: -strained, grin- <Waiting on you, partner.>

Beholder!Vee: ''<I— I—> ''

-the world shudders-

Thespi: -mutter- <Between the idea and the reality...between the motion and the act—>

Vee: -snarl- _<I^I _V^V_o^o_w^w_e^e_d^d>

-and Molybdenum seizes the hilt-shaped medium on her belt, spearing Daydre with an incorporeal blade that sets her pain receptors on fire-

Molybdenum used Psycho Cut!

Molybdenum: -roaring- Shut the gate!

-and Pugh comes flying through, picking up where Daydre left off-

Fray D. <...>

-she comes up for air-

---

—-and the truthfire splashes against an unbroken bulwark, the gates all shut-

<<I Vowed.>>

Kraken!Vee: <...oh no.>

-one can see in the quiver of her frame how she denies denial, shoves past guilt, drops a roadblock right into depression to skip headlong and wholeheartedly into sheer bone-fricking rage-

Hiro: -bangs against the contracting walls, out of breath-

-dazed, Vee lends the whole of her current mass to holding off the room's collapse, which has...about as much effect as a Beautifly on the price of Moomoo Milk in Unova-

-and then she gets to work-

Vee used HM 07 Dive!

-one, everyone can breathe again-

-two, everyone can move again-

-three—she pulses with someone else's heartbeat—chasing the fading connection to reopen a Magnagate-

---

-the mist falls silent-

Pippy: <...aw.>

Megan: …

-and again her eyes go blank-

-Molybdenum angles her pain-blade through her, and Megan doesn't so much as twitch-

Molybdenum: -body armor shattered- Activate your contingency NOW.

Megan: -biting something hard enough to bleed- Okay. ^_^

-Molybdenum turns back to Pugh with her psi-blade, and Megan sets into motion-

-her team's Iron Defense and Acid Armor, combined—blue-black metal from a nearby bin molds itself to her, forming into her familiar scale mail—with Vee's Bell on its collar around her neck and her blue core Z-Crystal nested over her heart-

-there's a snap behind her-

Megan: -to Kai, grinning- I'll show you mine if you show me yours.

-and, largely ignored in favor of Mo (except for Kai, who is not looking...particularly disruption-ready), Megan settles in a stance immediately opposite Pippy-

Megan: -whisper- My prince.

Pippy: -mirror- <My knight.>

-they giggle-

-mist curls around them, friendly-

-a dewdrop drips from the one of the ring of spears into a Raid Den, and the Z-Crystal begins to shine-

---

Vee: -whimper- <Right now, Megan honestly thin's she can't hurt any of you. You're "out of her League", haha. Prove her—prove her right!>

Vee: <Mo...Mo really hates you, Hiro. Any of y'all she'd be glad to see dead, but you she fuckin' loathes.>

Vee: -tunnel completing- <But—last. Last, you gotta know this. You gotta know.>

-room far, far too tight—new arrivals or escape through Magtail's hatch, the time is now—-

Vee: -pained- <She's been like this for a month. We didn't start with you.>

Vee used Dive!

---

---

-Molybdenum fumbles for a Premier Ball on her belt with her free hand, spearing at Pugh with her psi-blade—and she screams when the portals all reopen-

-Hiro descends, a blaze of fury—let's back up-
-six seconds ago, Megan and Pippy stand on opposite ends of the henge, looking for all the world like they await their destiny—or the apocalypse-

-they mirror each others' actions, twirling closer and closer, tracing each others' shapes-

-stepping from stone to stone onto the table where the mist funnels down-

-the henge bursts alight—spotlighting where their hands(?) meet at the Gem-

Megan & Pippy: -in unison- Grant us the power...>

-Megan tips back over his wing, he plunges the Z-Dagger back into its seed crystal-

Megan & Pippy: -shout- —to revolutionize the world!>'

-and sprouting from her chestplate is her trident, singing with the stones—Pippy tugs it free, and it's tipped with luminescence-

-those spears plunge into the dens with the sound of a drop hitting clear, still water—and in the light of Galar that ripple becomes a drizzle becomes a deluge-

-the circle of stones, massive Damp Rocks—Stealth Rocks—aglow with charge, rise and begin to orbit, faster and faster, amplifying:-

-the Water Gem on the altar, saturated with white Mist—bleeds and beats and breaks into a blinding blue-white beam flanked by one from each of the Dens' mouths, rocketing skyward—-

-and V__ ascends-

Z-Max Rain Dance!

-the monsoon that springs into being is tinged a familiar purple-red-

Fight! vs. Suborned Skybreaker Megan Nguyen!

(-...most bizarrely of all, Hitodama's summoned Sun is still here—bubbling steam like a coal dropped in a beaker, melting and dripping to earth beneath the deluge, but persistent-)

(-Hiro bursts through the rising stones and the Fire Blast he commands is instantly snuffed—and Chowder yelps, met with watery Stealth Rock blasts-)

(-all the new arrivals, actually, are met with watery Stealth Rock blasts-)

(-What will you do?-)

Isle of Armor, Tagg

Abilene: -profoundly bitter- Fuck cops.

-which she dwells upon until Tagg makes his proclamation of leadership-

Abilene: -tapping a toe- ...meet a Legend on the side of the road.-

I don't know whether to pity or fight you. Your sense of responsibility is admirable I suppose, but from the sound of it you truly must learn how to delegate.

Sorbus: <Said one brassica to another?> :P

Abilene: -brushing herself down- I fancy myself a nice kale. High in iron.

-she listens to the wind whistle through the trees for a bit-

Abilene: -begrudgingly- I suppose, in the Final Shell you and yours were the bulk of the bodies in the thick of it. The vast majority, truly.

Sorbus: <The world turns on.> ~_~

Castanea: <The world turns on.> -_-

Abilene: …ever towards peril.

-and in a very, very rare moment for her, she considers maybe not being vaguely to pointedly unpleasant toward an unfamiliar individual in particular, for personal reasons-

Abilene: -like a prerecorded greeting card- You and yours, at least, are. Much the least intolerable of various of those contemporaries.

-she presses her lips together, considering a bit more deeply-

Abilene: If they are growing beyond your control...if you can hardly stand the sight of them, consider.

Abilene: -not quite hesitant- Consider finding some of like mind and principle to yours among them? Surrounding yourself with frie—with a core of allies does wonders for the mind. Diverse specializations and more minds than one renders impossible tasks—less so, perhaps.

Sorbus: <Surely not all of them discomfit on sight?> :o

Abilene: Company. Split Atlas' burden in twain—management is a group activity.

-she thinks back to the Shell—she didn't exactly get a good tally of everyone there, but she remembers more voices than his speaking out against the beatdown-

Castanea: -crossing his arms- <Please, before this occurs again. Speaking personally as well as professionally, I would rather not fight that ur-Glitch again.>

Sorbus: <That's the benefit of killing things! Your enemies get replaced with fresh new enemies.> ^-^

Castanea: -cactus-dry- <It tends to be poor subordinate-management ethos.>

Abilene: -sigh- Your minions get replaced with fresh new minions. Until you run out of prospective minions.

Edited by Asterisk395 on Jun 2nd 2021 at 4:58:28 AM

No mind to think. No will to break.

Yew manor

Kal wakes up in a bedroom. They yawn and look around, wondering how they got there.

I used to plug my deviantart here but turns out the link was too long.