Rebel Island

Lita: "Oh a Gallade. I have one as well. Helvetica be friendly..."

The teen, now identified as Helvetica gave Lita a blank look.

Helvetica: "...Oh ok."

She turned back to Jess.

Helvetica: "Hello. Helvetica is a name and that is the name that has been given to me. What name has been given to you?"

Edited by PhilosopherStones on Aug 8th 2021 at 1:40:47 AM

Rebel Island

Jess: Well, I'm not such a fan of the name I got given so I normally go by Jess. Or are we talking superhero names? I... Haven't thought of one yet.

Robin: <Nice to meet you Helvetica!>

Rebel Island

Helvetica paused then looked up at Lita.

Helvetica: "People can choose names?"

Lita: "Oh yes. If the circumstances warrant it."

Helvetica: "Can I choose a name?"

Lita: "Of course you can. I'll have to alter all of your documents..."

Helvetica stared off into space for about a minute. Lita looked increasingly embarrassed. It was at this moment that Jess and Robin could see something odd about her outfit. On her hands were what looked like grey rubber gloves. Around her wrists were chains and a combination lock for each wrist.

Finally she spoke again.

Helvetica: "I have reviewed all of the names I have heard so far. Helvetica is the only good one so I'll be keeping it."

She turned back to Jess.

Helvetica: "What can you do? Can you do things like me?"

Lita: "Helly that is rude. I'm so sorry Jess."

Rebel Island

Jess tries not to pay attention to the eerie looking glove and combination lock combo.

Jess: Compared to everyone else here I'm not particularly impressive. All I do is teleport and construct the occasional attachment for my [swiss] army knife.

Robin: <I'd say teleporting here from Galar isn't too shabby.>

Jess: That was mostly you. So... What about you?

Rebel Island

Helvetica: "No." He response was blunt. She put her hands behind her back.

Lita: "She'll show you when she's ready I guess."

Lita leans in and whispers.

"She's had a rough go in the life department. This is her first time socializing with people her own age in...I'm not entirely sure. She'll warm up to you I'm sure, she just needs some help."

Helvetica doesn't emote or give any kind of reaction to Lita obviously giving Jess advice.

"Maybe start with something simple. Like Pokemon."

Edited by PhilosopherStones on Aug 8th 2021 at 1:58:34 AM

Rebel island

Jess: Oh, sorry...

Jess teleports away.

Robin: <I'm sure they'll be back. So... Favorite pokemon, I guess?>

Rebel Island

Lita looked a little disappointed as Jess teleported away.

Lita: "I'll go get you registered I guess. You be nice and make some friends, ok?"

Lita walked off to the registration zone, leaving Helvetica and Robin alone.

Helvetica slowly pulled her hands out from behind her back and took an Ultraball out from her hoodie pocket. She held it up to Robin.

Helvetica: "Doug. He is my favourite."

She sent out a Galarian Weezing.

Doug: <Well hoooowdy!>

Rebel Island

Robin: <Ello, nice to meet you! Of course my favourite pokemon is myself. You got any other pokemon?>

Rebel Island

Helvetica: "Only Doug."

Doug: <So this is where lil' Helly will learn how to control her powers.>

Helvetica: "Don't call me that."

Rebel Island, Registration Zone

Lita is currently registering Helvetica. She has documentation proving that she is registering her with Stranger's approval. It seems Stranger is invested in the development of her powers.

Many thanks to the lovely Every and Aster for spagging this with me~

{REDACTED}, Safe House - Past

-Templars, as a general rule, do not get along with Schoolkids.-

-The reasons why are mostly self-evident. Schoolkids resent Templars for not having to undergo any of their hardships; Templars see Schoolkids as inferiors hardly worth bothering with. As such, on the rare occasion that a Schoolkid graduates and gains some degree of autonomy, they tend to avoid their counterparts.-

-Unfortunately, that hasn't stopped a Templar from showing up on the doorstep.-

Neodymium: ~They're here, they're here!~

-she scampers to the door to answer it, Bela following behind at a notably more languid pace-

-As the door swings open, there might just be time for Neo to catch a glimpse of a youngish man in trenchcoat, hat and sunglasses before he sweeps past her, apparently keen to assert authority. It's only once he's allowed himself a few moments to make an appropriately dramatic display of surveying the room that he finally looks down at Neodymium and Bela-

Ferrum: ...So. You two are the brats I'm supposed to be babysitting, huh?

Neodymium: ~That's us! And you're Ferrum the Engineer! I've read about you in the files. Your career is a credit to us all!~

-she salutes, and nudges Bela to do the same, which she very pointedly does not-

Bela: ~...Sir.~

Ferrum: Hmph. Well, at least one of you kids knows about respect.

-he glances around-

Ferrum: So, is big sister about, or is she off somewhere convincing herself she's hot shit 'cause she can boss around some clueless bystanders and get them to feed her grapes?

Molybdenum: -behind him- I'm here, Ferrum.

-standing arms crossed, unarmored save the defensive properties of parental-grade denim-

Molybdenum: And please. They're fully aware they're happy to feed me grapes.

-Ferrum turns to face her, scowling-

Ferrum: Ah, Molly. Still haven't found someone you can compel into giving you fashion advice, I see.

Molybdenum: -unimpressed expression briefly hurt- ...what's wrong with my fashion?

-and she flips her hair over her shoulder (a la some green girl), unaffected- ...I've got better things to do than flounce around in a trench coat like some detective from the 40s. And so do you, so get moving.

-smirk- ...unless you plan on getting your ass handed to you by another kid.

-Ferrum grits his teeth, seemingly about to snap, but manages to hold his temper-

Ferrum: What, was your schedule already full?

-he gives a grin of his own at his own remark-

Ferrum: Lucky for you, I don't plan on sticking around for long. I just need the anklebiters and I'll be on my way.

Molybdenum: -shrug- I've got wheels within wheels, man.

-stepping past, glancing over her shoulder at him- Lots of irons in lots of fires. You know how it goes.

-and pats each of Bela and Neo on the shoulder, briskly and twice-

Molybdenum: Show him what you've got, yeah? All the work of {SAFE HOUSE LOCATION AUDIBLY AND OBNOXIOUSLY REDACTED}-branch labs, for science.

-to Bela- ~All memories in order? Backup helmet stowed and ready?~

-to Neo- ~Mediums fully charged? Didit up for action?~

Neodymium: (to Molybdenum) ~Ready to go!~ (to Ferrum) ~Ready when you are, sir!~

-Bela, meanwhile, looks distinctly less enthused - at least, that's what her body language would seem to indicate, the helmet makes it hard to tell - but gives a nod regardless-

Bela: ~...I'm prepared, yes.~

Ferrum: Good. Then it's about time to ditch this dump. Counselor or one of his lackeys made sure you got your instructions already, right? 'Cause I'm sure as hell not wasting time repeating myself.

Neodymium: (serious voice, rote) ~Follow orders, secure the target, return to School property for dropoff. I've got a little mnemonic for it, too!~

Bela: ~Dork.~

Neodymium: ~Nerd.~

-Molybdenum reaches for the door, but doesn't quite catch the fond, proud smile that spreads minutely across her face at these kids in armor before it emerges. Ferrum does, however - and the smile that crosses his face is much less pleasant-

Ferrum: ...Well, glad to see you kids know your stuff, at least. Care to get us to our destination, then?

-Bela nods, sending out a Gallade, and the trio vanish with a blip-

Rebel Island

Robin: <That reminds me of when Jess first discovered their powers. It wasn't the most destructive case of power incontinence, but them randomly teleporting everywhere did stir up quite a few rumors in our hometown. They're still a bit of a local cryptid.>

A Frosmoth comes flying over.

Dia: <Hi! You're Calibri, right?>

Forest of Focus

-Kai stumbles from suddenly being pulled along, laughing.-

Kai: Wow, eager much?

-She makes an effort to catch up, but still has to pull Kahlia back and get her to slow down a bit-

Kai: You know, it's been a while since I've been on a proper nature trail. The adventurer's life isn't quite what it used to be, and it's a dang shame.

Forest of Focus

-Kahlia giggles - rather uncharacteristically coquettishly, in fact - but does slow down a little at Kai's urging.-

Kahlia: What? I'm excited, that's all. It's like you said, life hasn't had enough adventure in it lately. It's time to take a walk on the wild side! Who knows what we'll find out there - monsters? Treasure?

-She looks back at Kai with a smirk.-

Kahlia: True love, even?

Forest of Focus

-Kai rolls her eyes, still grinning-

Kai: Slow down there, lover girl. That's not what we're here for and you know it. Well, maybe monsters and treasure. But you can't get too carried away, you know.

Forest of Focus

-Kai's exasperation only seems to make Kahlia more amused.-

Kahlia: Hey, a girl can dream, can't she? If there's a time and place to get carried away, it's here. The wind whistling through the leaves, the birds flying overhead, the two of us alone together without a care in the world...

???: Really now? Wouldn't be quite so sure about that last one, chief.

-Kahlia freezes. Standing in the path are two figures that almost certainly weren't there a second ago - the shorter of the two concealed within body armour and an eyeless helmet, and the taller sporting a trenchcoat, hat, oversized hammer and a wolfish grin.-

??? Ferrum: Nice little spot you've chosen for your evening stroll, here. Calm, temperate, no witnesses - couldn't have picked a better place myself.

???, Yesterday

-Anthony is watching some kind of pool of water, looking unusually somber when Yvan approaches him with heavy wingbeats-

Yvan: <And just what do you think you're doing? Slacking off...>

Anthony: Oh I have good reason.

Yvan: <And what is that?>

Anthony: Today is the anniversary of the day I died.

Yvan: -scoffs- <So? Everyone here has one of those.>

Anthony: <That's when I told my grandkids to take care of each other and be safe. And I've spent my entire time in the afterlife making sure that happens.>

-Yvan pauses, then grumbles a bit-

Yvan: <You and your damn grandkids. Still, I see what you mean... I'll leave you be... Besides, I have someone else to attend to...>

-He flies off. Anthony looks back to the pool of water.-

-Depicted within are Umbra, and Styx, and Locke, and Lina, and Ammy, and Pent, and vasrious others-

Anthony: Stay strong, kiddos. Stay strong.

...I'll be with you.

Forest of Oh Fuck It's Them

-Kai blinks, and is immediately on guard.-

Kai: ...Well, guess we can mark one item off the list.

-eyes narrowing, Aura Sense active-

Kai: So. You must be more of the School's goons, then? Certainly the sort to send a couple of kids and their greasy-looking uncle after us.

Forest of Focus

-there's a third voice from behind Kahlia and Kai-

Neodymium: More than one kid, actually!

-...-

Neodymium: ~Oh, wait, you said that already. Well, uh, the point stands.~

-Didit takes up a position in front of her-

Neodymium: ~Hand over Project Ruthven and nobody gets hurt!~

???, A Safe House Somewhere (Not That One)

-Adelinde is here, sitting on a couch, gently combing the mane of a Galarian Rapidash with a comb made of Psycho Cut-

-next to her is a kid with purple eyes and black hair, very pale, reading an Aurabolts comic-

Nuckelavee: ~I could have helped you with the Dark-type trainer.~

Adelinde: (softly) It was a small room, Kel. You might have hurt more than you helped.

Nuckelavee: ~You seem upset.~

Adelinde: I'm not.

Nuckelavee: ~Phosphorus escaped, though.~

-Adelinde shoots a covert glance at the kid next to her, who gives no apparent sign of paying attention, then goes back to combing-

Adelinde: I doubt she's feeling very pleased to be alive right now. I killed one of her friends, and left another dying.

Nuckelavee: ~Is it going to be a problem, though? You had orders—~

Adelinde: The one I killed was another escapee. Not one on the books.

-Nuckelavee looks up, surprised. Adelinde pauses in her work so as not to stab her-

Adelinde: I'm not sure who, exactly. If I have to trawl through the last twenty years of Schoolchildren trying to tell apart a bunch of pale kids with black hair and purple eyes, I'll be very put out. But it's interesting, don't you think? First Carbon of the Phantoms, then our dear departed Phosphorus, and now whoever this was. There are a number of inconsistencies in our records, and I mean to determine who's responsible.

Nuckelavee: ~Aside from yourself.~

Adelinde: -working at a tangle in Nuckelavee's mane- That would be inconvenient, yes. For now, I think it's best if everyone assumes that Phosphorus is dead for good this time. She's a coward at heart, and will hide out in whatever Rattatahole she finds for herself for some time before she peeks her head out again. This gives me some time to make my own moves and distract from that. Poor Nitrogen can shoulder the blame for the failure to kill her at the con, and with any luck, when she emerges next, I'll snuff her out and nobody will be any the wiser.

Nuckelavee: ~If she leaves Galar—~

Adelinde: And goes to ground completely? She's a city girl, Kel— she needs her candy and her medicines and her mass transit. She needs anonymity— a place where nobody prods too closely at a woman with no face. And as much as she denies it, she needs her friends. She can't run further than we can follow her.

Nobody needs to know anything that occurred.

-she glances at the kid again-

???: You know, when you talk to yourself, everyone can hear it, right?

-that's not the kid's voice. Adelinde looks up to see the house scientist-

Adelinde: Yes?

Dr. Powell: ...I mean, you're pretty openly discussing treason.

Adelinde: Are you going to tell someone?

Dr. Powell: ...Yeah.

Adelinde: -narrows eyes- You think that's wise? I'm in an awfully tetchy mood already, Dr. Powell.

Dr. Powell: I think you're smart enough not to—

Adelinde: -holding out her hand, the comb returning to it- Lutetium.

Lutetium: ...

Adelinde: If you're pretending to read a book, turn the page every so often.

Lutetium: ...

Adelinde: Look at me, and speak. Determine what I want you to say. That's what you do, right?

Lutetium: -eyes very wide-

Adelinde: Oh. Was that the last one? What's your thing?

Lutetium: Teleport specialist. Trick, Ally Switch...

Adelinde: Oh. That's...something, I guess.

-Lutetium breathes out about half of a sigh of relief-

Adelinde: (briskly) Are you going to place a report?

Lutetium: Uh, to whom?

Adelinde: To the Counselor, I imagine. We're encouraged to, you know. If you feel as though you're acting erratic, if you perceive someone else to be...if you want to raise a case against me, it would be your word against mine. I would never even know what you said.

Probably.

-the tines of the comb flicker out, and reappear, clean-

Lutetium: ...

Adelinde: Dr. Edmund Powell miscalibrated weights during routine ability testing. Act upset if you are, don't if you aren't, I don't care. But have your story straight. I've been keeping an eye on Dr. Powell, I can handle the medical end of things.

-Lutetium nods-

Adelinde: -returns to combing Nuckaleevee's mane- Make yourself some dinner. You need food, I assume.

Lutetium: You don't want anything?

Adelinde: I have more interesting pursuits at the moment, I think.

-while Lutetium (rather eagerly) leaves the room to go do other things, Adelinde sends off a handful of blades and platforms into Dr. Powell's room, retrieving a laptop and a few other items-

-she gets to work-

Edited by memyselfandI2 on Aug 8th 2021 at 6:23:47 AM

Forest of Focus

-Ferrum chuckles at Kai's remark.-

Ferrum: Reputation precedes us, does it?

Kahlia: Wait, you're sure they're with-

Ferrum: In that case, then, you know the kid summed things up nicely. I dunno how you got caught up in this mess, and I don't rightly care. The fact is, you know who we are, and that means you've made yourself an issue whether you wanted to or not.

-Two things happen at once - he sends out a Metagross whilst a knife comes flying out from beneath his coat, stopping just an inch shy of Kahlia's throat.-

Ferrum: Still, there's no fun if you don't at least have a chance. I'm a big believer in fair play. So I'm gonna give you to the count of five to give up, try to run, or put up a decent fight. Sound good? Here goes. Five.

-Kahlia's eyes widen, and she turns to run - only for the hobnails in her boots to remain stubbornly fixed where they are. She lets out a cry of pain as she falls, ankle twisted at an unnatural angle. Ferrum simply smirks.-

Ferrum: Four. Three.

Forest of Who Could Have Foreseen This

-Five seconds to assess the situation.-

Kai: (Telekinetic. Controls a blade. Metagross. Common factor is metal.)

-Four.-

Kai: (No idea what the kids are like. Two-tone speech? The other one's quiet. Is silence part of their thing? Or just not speaking up?)

-Three.-

Kai: (Think quickly, dumbass.)

-Two.-

Kai: Hey, hey, hey, hold on, pal! Out of the two of us, you're really going after the failed experiment? I'm right here. I'm not even hiding my eyes.

-Rainbow Aura radiates around her, with primarily prominent warm hues.-

Kai: I'm the one you should be most interested in. Take note, kids.

-Avada's Pokeball drops out of her pocket.-

Kai: Gravity!

Avada: <Are we doing this again?>

-And she drops down like a sprinter, bracing herself against the sudden change in a fundamental force of nature, before they rush toward Ferrum with Aura burning along their hand.-

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Aug 9th 2021 at 1:27:25 PM

Forest of Focus

Neodymium: ~Oh! Good! Two for one!~

-she staggers slightly as the Gravity comes into effect-

(publically) ~But you probably should hide your eyes actually!~

(privately) ~Helping Hand!~

-Neodymium spreads her arms like a conductor, and two Light Screen panels spring up in front of Kai-

-she points and fingerguns, and harmless lasers shoot from her fingertips, bouncing off the screens-

-and back towards Kai-

-Didit, meanwhile, sends a psychic ping to Ferrum-

Didit: ~End this quickly.~

Stormchaser

-In a quiet room, Odin, looking like this◊, is looking in a mirror-

Odin: "Glad I managed to get the Obscura to shape properly. Classic look. Good for when I'm not a pile of sand. Or a sandcastle-themed superhero.

Yvan: -suddenly from right behind him- "I find the pile of sand most fitting."

-Odin yelps and collapses into Sandygast form on the spot-

Yvan: "Told you."

Odin: <Ugh... What did you want?>

Yvan: "Why you already know! You saw that creation of yours running around the Stormchaser, did you not?"

Odin: <...Yes, but I'd rather not interfere->

Yvan: "Too bad! You're interfering because that's your next mission! From here on out you're going to help take care of him! Should help you learn some responsibility for who you create, hmm?"

Odin: <...Fucking. Fuck. Fine. You're my boss. Whatever.>

-He resumes the form he was in earlier and storms out of the room-

Yvan: "Oh this is going to be good."

Rebel Island

-Gale's face scrunches up a little and she sighs-

I'm sorry if I'm stuffing up this first impression. I just hope that all of the Rebels will be capable of using this space to safely come into their own as heroes.

Stormchaser Training Room

Welcome to our little circle of trust, Mason. As you might have just noticed, Kai dug up a TM that has some tenuous connection to the Twilight that afflicted Sinnoh all those years ago. We need someone capable of Tutoring it safely while we ascertain just how close to the real deal it is.

Stormchaser Training Room

-Mason raises an eyebrow at Ever-

Mason: Yeah, that's me. You're...?

Kai: Ever Memito. A dear friend.

Mason: Oh. Scarlette's arm bud. Right.

Kai: And my bud beyond arms.

Mason: Aren't we getting distracted?

Kai: Right! Like Pent said, we're entrusting this with you. It's only fitting that it ends up with Annoski's bloodline again, right?

Mason: ...Not certain if "bloodline" is quite the right term for a test tube kid. But... yeah.

-The move finishes running its course, and the fog fades. A bit of Twilight that Mason was manipulating manages to linger a bit longer, but fizzles out as well.-

Mason: ...I'm gonna need some time with this, I think. But I can do it, no sweat. It's what I'm made for, after all.

Kai: It'll be here.

-Mason smirks, turning the simulation back on.-

Stormchaser, Training Room

Ever: G'luck.

I should...probably be training. Or something.

-they leave via the broom closet-

Stormchaser, Y-Squad Room

-the Y-squad is still sleeping off the hospital fight-

-well, Percy isn't-

-and Mallory is uncomfortably wandering the halls of the Stormchaser and trying to figure out why it feels vaguely hostile-

-but Avery is asleep, Percy is sitting next to Apple-A-Day's bed, and Apple-A-Day has, after washing their costume, put it back on-

Percy: Alright, Apple. Riddle me this.

Apple-A-Day: It's Apple-A-Day.

Percy: Yeah, I'm not saying all that. What's got you so down, aside from the impending threat of death?

Apple-A-Day: Supposedly we're safe here.

Percy: Yeah, that and an unreasonable sum of money will get you a cup of overpriced and bad-tasting coffee. But everyone else seems to believe it, and I'll admit I was impressed by the Slowbro and Slowking. Very effective healing work.

Apple-A-Day: How are your ribs?

Percy: Thoroughly uncracked. How's your head?

Apple-A-Day: Feels like it's stuffed with cotton. Better than yesterday, though.

Percy: Mmm. I felt like that for months the first time I crossed blades with Adelinde. You're doing comparatively well.

Apple-A-Day: I only got hit on the head, though. Not stabbed in the chest, or cut in half, or anything like that.

Percy: You got hit on the head by an extremely well-trained fighter with an academic interest in causing harm to people. So give yourself some credit.

Apple-A-Day: I don't feel...credible?

Percy: Have you tried taking off the Flapple suit?

Apple-A-Day: I feel worse without it.

Percy: Is this about what Adelinde said? If you didn't notice, she's sort of a terrible person. Not that I'm an expert on dads or anything, being as mine was a syringe, but I'm sure yours is pleased that you're doing your best to help people...or whatever.

Apple-A-Day: That's the thing. Am I? I put this costume on because...well, it's attention-getting. Cop's gonna go after me, not some homeless bloke. Mugger's gonna be too surprised to do anything. Even your average costumed supervillain...I mean, they have weird gadgets and stuff, but that's sort of made up for by the fact that it's hilariously cool? I'm good at running and I'm a decent trainer and that's pretty much all you need.

But someone like that? How am I supposed to ever feel like I'm doing something that helps anyone when there are people like that in the world?

Percy: You stood up to her when it counted, didn't you?

Apple-A-Day: ...Can't you just let me convalesce in peace?

Percy: Nah. Electric Terrain rules, and anyway, I owe you.

-...-

Percy: Now for fuck's sake, take off that mask. I know what your face looks like and it's perfectly nice, Nasreen.

Apple-A-Day: Not so loud!

Percy: The room's soundproofed, I checked.

Apple-A-Day: I sleep better with the mask anyway!

Percy: You're so weird.