J-Meeting

Mason: ...

-Mason squeezes Shaun's hand for a moment, then relaxes.-

Mason: ...I think I'll— I'll be fine. This was... the work of several Legendaries. It's different.

-He exhales.-

-Kai, meanwhile, is still looking around in awe.-

Kai: ...I... can definitely feel it. Its emotions. It's...

-She closes her eyes pensively.-

Kai: ...I have some things I need to think about. Thank you, everyone.

-She gets up and excuses herself from the meeting room, somewhat lost in thought.-

The Walking Mountain, Bottom Stratum

-Dune steps into the room, having swapped back to human form to make sure the measurements on the suit are right.-

Water!Selene: <Hey, bro. Broseph. Brotato. Bromancer Extraordinaire. We got your tubularious tuxedo totally tuned to your... uuuuuh... tone-age. Yeah, that alliterates.>

Garuda: <We hope that the polished Escavalier moltings on the shoulders don't need to be adjusted.>

Dune: Hm... Spiffy.

Water!Selene: <Wooooooo yeah! Put that bad boy on!>

-Dune goes behind the shipping crate before shortly coming back out.-

-The undershirt is Accelgor wrappings, keeping it light and tight to the chest.-

-The jacket and pants are spun Excadrill fur, making them shockingly soft but also highly dust resistant.-

-The shoulders on the jacket are polished Escavalier moltings, and to Garuda's relief, fit Dune's shoulders perfectly.-

-The gloves look just like the pants and jacket, but have Karrablast chitin sewn into the fingerguards. You know, for entirely sensible, civil reasons.-

-The shoes are a mixture of Karrablast and Escavalier moltings. The toes are, of course, reinforced. You know, for entirely sensible, civil reasons.-

-The mask is made of an old Excadrill crest no one could identify the owner of. It is also reinforced by chitin.-

-You know, for entirely sensible, civil reasons.-

Dune: Perfect.

Big Dom: <I TESTED THE EFFICACY OF EACH INDIVIDUAL ITEM MYSELF.>

Rill: <Yada yada, "if looks could kill" joke, look, I just wanna go get some sleep now.>

Ajax: <Agreed.>

Dune: Alright everyone, head to bed. Showtime tomorrow.

-The group all shuffle out with the exception of Selene, who's now swapped types.-

Dark!Selene: <I can feel the angry radiating off of you.>

-Dune adjusts his mask, not seeming to recognize the comment.-

Dark!Selene: <That wasn't an emo remark. That was an honest observation.>

Dune: It's fine.

Dark!Selene: <That's the exact two words you use when it isn't fine.>

Dune: Everything will be fixed tomorrow.

Dark!Selene: <That's the same tone you take when referring to your parents.>

Dune: ...

Dark!Selene: <Sleep, Dune. I'll use Sing if I have to.>

Dune: Yeah. You're right.

The Walking Mountain, Top Stratum

-Deziree flops down onto the bed with the exhaustion of someone who has burned more calories thinking ideas than most people do when mowing their lawn.-

-Meanwhile, the door to her lab clicks as the lock falls to the floor.-

Orre Metaverse

Jose: Aaaaaand that's one more! Good work!

Ludmilla: Jose.

Jose: That's the tone you take when you want to ask a question!

Ludmilla: Yes.

Jose: Well? Ask!

Ludmilla: Do you... know why...

Jose: Hm?

Ludmilla: I've been working with you for a year now, but...

Jose: ?

Ludmilla: I'm supposed to be... developing.

Jose: But you are! You have a Persona, a backup Persona, you can handle anything in Mementos by yourself...

Ludmilla: Not what I mean. I mean... physically.

Jose: Huh?

Ludmilla: I'm supposed to be sixteen years old this year.

Jose: Yeah?

Ludmilla: And I...

-She pats herself in all the areas she hasn't "developed" in.-

Jose: ... Ooooooooooooooooh.

-He tilts his head while putting a finger to his chin.-

Jose: You know, I'm not sure. Perhaps it has to do with your origins.

Ludmilla: You think the School specifically made me...

Jose: ... Missing a few things? Well... They didn't intend to keep you around for very long, did they.

Ludmilla: ... No. They didn't.

Jose: I'm sorry if I hit a bad note on that.

-He reaches into the back of his jalopy and pulls out an ice cream sandwich, still in the wrapper.-

Jose: Here! This always helps cool me down here in Orre.

-Ludmilla takes the bar of cold and cookie, her face more stony than usual.-

Stormchaser

-Shaun nods, curtly - plants a quick kiss on Mason's cheek.-

-Elizabeth stands up, teetering for a moment.-

-She tries to casually make her way over to Silas.-

Stormchaser, Meeting

Lita didn't say much during the display, but she did feel a little warmth in her.

"Welp...that's that."

She sheathes her sword and turns to leave when her eyes rest on Isbrand.

Timidly she walks over.

"Hey...so..."

Edited by PhilosopherStones on Jun 26th 2021 at 7:21:26 AM

Stormchaser

-Isbrand's eyes flit to the side.-

Isbrand: "Lita. Nice armor."

-She lowers her arm for a moment.-

Isbrand: "Did you need something?"

-She was trying to leave...walking past Lissa...-

-Normally, being pinned between two women is a good time for Isbrand. Not now, though.-

Edited by SwiftSeraph on Jun 26th 2021 at 9:29:09 AM

Stormchaser, Meeting Room

-As the meeting is winding down, neither Lucius nor Alice are making much in the way of movement - the former still content to be puppeted by Ever like the creepy ventriloquist's doll he undeniably resembles, and the latter rather intently watching Kai leave the room but making no effort to follow her.-

-Lissa, on the other hand, has stood up, and made a very grandiose attempt to leave the room in an attempt to avoid any awkward social interactions. Unfortunately, her projected path of movement has led her straight into said awkward social interactions - which is to say, directly between Lita and Isbrand.-

Lissa: Oh, so we're doing this? We're all just finding ourselves in the same room and getting together and saying words to each other like everything's normal? And I'm still talking even though there's not really any meaning to the words I'm saying because having a fast mouth on me is one of my instinctive defence mechanisms and I'm just now realising that I don't think you were even talking to me in the first place and so I've just been making a fool of myself this whole time? Is that what's happening here?

Edited by Herbert40k on Jun 26th 2021 at 3:36:30 PM

Stormchaser, Meeting

Lita cleared he throat and straightened herself up, eyes flicking between Isbrand and Lissa.

"I...uh...I should have been more upfront with you two. I am sorry. I should have told you two something at the very least."

She shifts a bit.

"The armour...it uses some of the tech you built me..."

Stormchaser - The Living Halls

-Kai walks down the ever-expanding hallways of the airship, with no destination in mind.-

Kai: (This is... alive, now. You, the Stormchaser, are now alive.)

-Her senses extend.-

Kai: (You... want to protect. To provide a home. To provide second chances.)

-They run their hand along the wall as they walk, sensing the energy flowing behind it. Feeling the halls arrange themselves, out of normal sensory perception.-

Kai: (We can never take you for granted. You are... the J-Team, the heart and soul and mind of the team, given form. You are us, you're sustained by love and duty and memory.)

-They stop for a moment.-

Kai: (...I've been told, time and time again, I need to let myself rely on my friends more. They can help me survive. I've never wanted to hurt them, though.)

-She focuses on the life of the Stormchaser.-

Kai: (...I've been looking how to reconcile that. I can't help but wonder... Would it hurt you? I want you to tell me if it will. And stop me if it does. I never want to take too much.)

-Around where she stands, the grid between the tiles of the floor light up with faint, glowing raincoat-yellow energy, a net — a network — of life beneath her feet.-

-She starts walking again, and with each footstep, a bit of energy trails along the tile grid into them.-

Kai: (...Thank you, Stormchaser. And thank you, everyone.)

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Jun 26th 2021 at 10:49:50 AM

Wyndon Stadium, Ian VS Daisuke

Me: Piku-chan! Use Thunderbolt!

Daisuke: Orbito, use Light Screen!

-Piku-chan cloaks his body in electrical energy and fires a bolt of lightning at Orbito, striking him perfectly. Orbito's eyes then glow a bright blue, and surrounds himself in a psychic energy shield.-

Me: Not bad. Now, use Iron Tail!

Daisuke: Use Bug Buzz!

-Piku-chan's tail begins to glow with a metallic sheen as he swings it at Orbito. Orbito retaliates by opening his shell and vibrating his wings at a high speed as he makes a shrill, irritating noise, unleashing green sound waves in all directions.-

Wyndon Stadium

-Evelyn and Hatty cover their ears again, reeling from the noise of the Bug Buzz.-

Evelyn: AAAAAAAHHH!! HE'S USING IT AGAAIIIIN!!

Hatty: <IT EVEN HURTS... THE SECOND TIME!!>

Wyndon Stadium, Ian VS Daisuke

-Piku-chan covers his ears as he reels from the noise caused by Bug Buzz.-

Daisuke: Now, Saiminjutsu!

Me: Piku-chan! Minai!^* Don't look!

-Piku-chan quickly covers his eyes as Orbito looks down at the electric Mouse Pokémon. The spots on Orbito's shell light up and shine a soothing greenish-blue with white concentric circles pulsing towards the center of each spot. He focuses the spot on the front of his shell on Piku-chan, knowing that he can't cover his eyes forever.-

Wyndon Stadium, Stands

-Evelyn and Hatty cover their eyes as well.-

Evelyn: I hope dad stays true to his promise and doesn't try to create an illusion of a Pokémon Piku-chan loves...

Hatty: <L-Likewise!>

Stormchaser, J-Team's Wish

-Ian and Evelyn feel a tingling sensation throughout their bodies and a warmth in their hearts as the Stormchaser gains sapience and the two of them are linked to her. The two of them open their eyes and smile at each other as the glow of their auras fades.-

Evelyn and I: -giggle-

Evelyn: -telepathically to the Stormchaser- ~Konbanwa, Stormchaser-san...^* Good evening, Ms. Stormchaser. I am Evelyn. I hope we can be good friends from now on...~

Me: She understands. I'm sure she does.

Evelyn: So, now what do we do?

Stormchaser

-Star opens her eyes, feeling the 'something' fill the room-

Star: A-Ah...

-she turns, looking at the newly formed J-sigil-

Star: Holy shit...

-And then Every tumbles out of the ceiling-

Star: -sweatdrop- Uh... hi there. Were you there this whole time?

-She notices Logan winking at her, and she rubs the back of her neck-

Star: Erm, well of all the various things on my 'Weird things that I did with the J-Team' list giving an airship a Heart - slash - Soul - slash - Mind wasn't something I expected to add! But....

-She closes her eyes again, trying to Aurically reach out to the ship-

Star: ....It's nice.

Edited by stargirl93 on Jun 26th 2021 at 11:23:07 AM

Hasslemon

Well that was a thing.

Silas was half tempted to pull his scarf on and see the ship's aura, now that it was... alive. Roxy however, "Silas... let's... let's just not question this too hard."

Silas sighed and picked up his helmet, looking at the T-Visor, "Right. We got a lot of work to do. Orre to hit."

"I'll probably stay in the Defiant Wing while you're out and about, nice and cool in there. Bishop can help me run things," Roxy noted, "Plus somebody has to monitor your vitals."

"Right," Silas noted, he started to stand up, when suddenly Elizabeth.

"Oh? Oh hello," He said, tucking the helmet under his arm, Roxy waved.

"Elizabeth good to see you, what's up?" Silas asked.

"I don't think I've properly met her before," Roxy noted.

Shaun would sense a familiar aura behind him... well semi-familiar anyways... this one was... different, wrong.

Stormchaser Meeting, past

-Star might feel a happy feeling in response-

-To Vee-

Yeah so, when I'm done here, back to the Isle, but refreshed.

Rakshasa: <Your airship is weird.>

That's very much the appeal.

Stormchaser

Isbrand: -to Lita- "Ah, that's why it seems familiar."

-Lissa.-

Isbrand: "I caught none of that."

Penny: "She's nervous."

Isbrand: "Not now, Penny."

-She shifts, the hologram from her computer fading away.-

Isbrand: "I'm sure you had your reasons, Lita."

Stormchaser Meeting Conclusion

The two sigh in unison at everything that developed around them.

"So... the halls are alive. That's uh..." he trailed off. "I don't know how to feel about this. The issue we were called in for had something to do with the team as a whole and, yes, I feel we discussed the issue in question well enough, I don't, quite see how this solves it."

Kamui looked down at her sitting trainer's eyes. "With the unity of the team, more realizable through the homely atmosphere the Chaser provides, comes better communication and as such avoiding the same mistake that led to the Fanatic."

"I... think I get it." He allowed. He stood up and excused himself, looking down at him palm in contemplation.

Stormchaser, J-Meeting

Logan: -smile a bit sideways- "Strange but nice" seems like the watchword for a lot of the J-Team's better days. Today certainly is turning out to be one of the strangest and nicest I've had in recent memory.

-they look up at the J-sigil, and they seem...content-

Logan: It really is good to be back, huh? It's such a mess, and it's so chaotic, but...in all the infinite multiverse, I've never encountered anything quite like it.

Vee: -grin- <Hot dang. Say hi to 'em for me, yeah? I wanna fight 'em.>

Pollen: -flitting up- <Vee, no. Hi, I've been sent to keep an eye on you. Repeating, Vee, no.>

Vee: <They're so pretty, though...>

Pollen: <I don't even know what you're talking about and—no.>

-back to the Isle-

Vee: -smile, wry- <I'd ask if we can join you, but I dunno if Megan will go for it, t' be honest. Now that our room's actually friendly, I don't thin' she'll wanna leave for another week at least.>

Pollen: -not really believing what she's saying- <It could happen!>

Vee: -she taps the side of her nose- <Don' underestimate me, Poll. Call it pointy...teeth...>

-...a nose that wrinkles a bit, confused- <...intuition.>

-...sniff, sniff-

(-Pollen knows that expression—she refocuses her various lenses, casting her senses deep into the oh goodness gracious that's a lot of light-)

Vee: <Is someone...?>

Pollen: -horrified- <...Draining the Stormchaser...?>

Vee: <But there's no—there's no—Pollen, you know Genius Loci, how much could this resist—?>

Pollen: -flat- <This thing looks like it has enough juice to subvert a leyline, and it feels obstinate enough to do it.>

Vee: <But not even a hint of...complaint...>

-she stops-

-lifts her tiny Vaporeon foot-

-and boggles, at the telltale gleam of Aura saturating the ambient chill around her-

(-love and approval "pulses through the ship, hundreds of threads spinning a yarn with her string woven inextricably through, sustained and surrounded and shining'' with life-)

Vee:

-...is she crying-

Pollen: <um>

Pollen: -awkwardly, to Tagg- <So, how about that weather, huh?>

-...-

<This Ranger I know raced a lightning demon and lost, haha. All the way from...tundra, to the Isle! It was pretty sick.>

-... :x-

<You're weird, and you like weird stuff, so—maybe it's—the kind of thing you'd wanna check out...?>

-... ¦•-

Vee: -sobbing- <I love this fucking airship—>

Stormchaser

Elizabeth: -to Roxy- "Oh, uh, Silas and I are...work friends."

-Silas - and only Silas - feels a voice brush against his psyche.-

~Hey, Jackal.~

Elizabeth: "So, uh, I heard you mention Mediums..."

-She pulls out a dagger in an elaborate sheath and pulls out the weapon. The pearl inlaid in the hilt is cracked, and the blade is broken off an inch past the guard.-

Elizabeth: "I'm...in need of a new dagger or two..."

Castelia City, Outside Shaun's Apartment

Shaun: "This ice cream is the only damn reason to stay in this city..."

-He pauses, Casteliacone in hand, as the hair on the back of his neck stands up. And not from the chill of the ice cream.-

-Shaun's gut feelings are usually right.-

-And right now...fear. Dread. Something's wrong.-

-Shaun tilts his head and looks over his shoulder, owl-like.-

Stormchaser Meeting, past

-To Vee-

Damn, guess I'll need more people to visit for training.

-To Pollen-

Thunder demon, huh? Guess I'll have to check that out once I'm done training Rakshasa.

-Sensing the Aura draining-

Kai? Well, I guess it helps.

So, my out there theory worked, and in ways I didn't quite expect. What happens now? Who knows, this might be so much white noise, or the biggest change in my life since I gained the ability to speak to Pokémon.

Kaizone, past

Brie: Yeah...it's awful to be alone when you're under that kind of stress. I was glad people were there when I woke up.

Stormchaser, meeting room, now

-Hesperid is fluttering around, Brie trying to catch her-

Hesperid: -buzzes yellow-

Brie: ...Is that normal?

Amanita: Do I look like I know anything about Yanma?

Brie: Aren't you from Azalea?

Amanita: Yeah, but Bugsy was never really popular with the family.

Brie: ...Hm.

Stormchaser, Heart

PEFE!Every: I sterilized the area first! If they didn't like it they should have listened when I told them it was gonna happen.

-meanwhile, from behind Megan, there's a quiet voice-

Ever: Sorry. Had urgent matters to attend to. But we should probably talk.

Stormchaser, Meeting Room

-Lissa seems somewhat taken aback at how genuinely contrite Lita appears to be, but also appears keen to maintain a certain level of angry energy.-

Lissa: ...Right. Well. We're agreed on that, at least. Not that I've been, uh, great at communication myself. 'Cause I don't usually do that stuff, y'know? The whole business with relationships and everything. So you should consider yourself grateful that I was willing to do it for you in the first place! Not that we're, erm, doing it any more. At least, I don't think we are. Are we? Ack, see, this is why I don't do this shit to begin with!

-She wheels around to jab a finger at Isbrand.-

Lissa: And you!

-...-

Lissa: I actually forgot what I wanted to say to you. But rest assured that it was suitably scathing! It might even have been vicious! So yeah, fuckin' keep that one in mind, why don't you?

Edited by Herbert40k on Jun 27th 2021 at 11:58:44 AM

Lee House, Subwhere

-The presence amid the feathers lets off the sensation of a shrug-

Nocturnal: Perhaps, perhaps then... Could I do more to tilt the scales?

-It seems like back at the observatory dome a couple of tourists have come up and are watching the video on the laptop-

Lee House, The Forest

-It's easy to get back to the portal in. The platforms seem to guide so readily back towards the place of entry with very little in the way of awkwardness-

-On the other side of that triangular wall of light, the safety of Lee House's artificiality awaits-

Stormchaser Meeting

-Pentigan lets out a bemused little 'huh' and nods-

A noble endeavor. I, meanwhile, must get going back to Angela. But I believe a little bird is preparing for her Championship run.

-He flashes just the smallest hint of a wink before stepping back-

It's a step in the right direction. Maybe I'll come back to the Team fully at some point, keep me updated on the School.

-With a little flourish, the shadows twitch and he's gone-

Kaizone — Past

-Kai nods-

Kai: Yeah. I was trying to stay awake to be that, but it turns out getting injuries like this takes a lot out of you, and laying on the ground is real inviting when the fighting's over.

-She tilts her head curiously-

Kai: What about you, though? You said you had a supervillain problem? Certainly looks like you're handling it a lot better than I did.

Textspace — Now

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Jun 27th 2021 at 6:43:11 AM

Textspace - Now

-There's something of a pause before Kai gets a reply, almost as if her recipient wasn't expecting such a message, but when it does come through it comes through almost instantly.-

-The next few messages take longer to arrive, and the typing notification pops up and down several times. Eventually, though, a stream of words is finally sent.-

Stormchaser, Soul

-Pollen watches Pent go-

Pollen: <He's...trouble, isn't he?>

Vee: <Eh? Mysterious odors aside, smelled like things were calmin' down.>

Pollen: <You don't get to the center of that many stories without being trouble.>

Vee: <Like we've experienced a middle-of-th'-bell-curve number of superstandard life experiences?> .P

Pollen: -throwing her palps in the air- <It's different.>

-something...seems to occur to Vee, then, that knocks the angle of her head down a few degrees-

Vee: -...to herself- <...Uxie, my sense of scale is fucked.>

-...and she glances up—blinks rapidly twice, at that most recent self-demonstration-

Vee: -to Tagg- <How...>

Vee: <Exactly did you get a...a job? As Mount Coronet's gofer? Or, I guess, uh—>

-she scratches at her eyepatch, today's embroidered with a ring of text reading "I'm J, I'm gay, I'm ready to play"-

Vee: <A quest?? Do you call it a quest?? Are you like a mythical hero on a...? Az—uh, shit, nonspecific exclamation of emphasis, did you—>

-fizzing- <...walk up to the Hall of Origin I suppose, see a-a sign posted saying "Help Wanted", and volunteer??>

-Pollen gives her a really weird look-

Pollen: <That's. That's not how any stories start.>

Vee: <You'd better yet used to Legend lore, Miss Turner, you're livin' in one!>

Pollen: <what>

Hiro: -nodnod- Fair enough.

Logan: What? No.

Hiro: I'd expect the production of creating life is one long enough to give some inkling of what it entails.

Logan: Uh.

Hiro: -shrug- Obviously I'm making some assumptions here.

-Megan does not yelp or scream or jab her elbow back-

-nor does she hurl a penguin blindly behind her, drop a Smoke Ball, or flip her friend and mentor into the newly sapient ground-

Megan: -without turning around- -Yeah, we. Probably should.

-it's a close dang thing-

Megan: Where to?

Textspace

-There's a brief pause, then one more text comes through-