"More allies yes, but we also risk running into more pirates," Silas pointed out.

Roxy shrugged, "It'd be worth the effort, the Federation needs all the support it can get."

~How would we convince them to join us?~ Hacks asked, ~We can't exactly trade a lot, we need something to catch their attention and make them listen to us.~

"Right... we need some big eye catch of some sort so we can lay out our points... something like..." Silas paused, before looking at Gale, "...Tossing a sun..."

Oh wow, seems the Captain has plans for you, The Pen noted, Want me to start coming up with ideas or are we going for something more classic?

The door opened with a hiss, right as two Lightwave Grunts rushed in.

"Get in, now!" Delta commanded, "Zatara."

Zatara nodded and tossed a psychic hold, the telekinesis gripping the Grunts and tossing them into the ceiling. There was a groan as the hold dissipated and the two fell to the floor, ~Move.~

Delta darted in.

Jackal paused, "I meant more I leave a note at the hotel we drop him off at, saying we're always watching, we do a thing to let him think that and he never returns."

Bishop sighed, "Captain, the tied to a pole with a reaper is a good idea, he has no combat ability."

Jackal continued a tour, showing off the dorm rooms, the cafeteria, the classrooms, tactical ops, hangars for future vehicles, the offices of the leaders of the Bolts, and finally... the training room.

"These training rooms are variable and based on PEFE tech for simulations, here you'll perfect your skills and abilities," Jackal explained, "You'll be learning a lot while you're here."

Rebel Island

"Fair enough," Lamb offered, replacing her helmet for no apparent reason. "though, in my defense, I didn't expect you to be a casualty. We were all pretty distant from collateral, never mind how I observed your Pokemon materialize after Terra Preta and I made our escape," she reasoned.

"So, it wasn't unsafe to assume that you would make it out safely. And..." she trailed off, gesturing to Emilie standing in front of her.

She didn't acknowledge Pepper, short of a gesture to communicate, "hold off a moment".

[Insert Unoriginal Stinger Here]

Forest of Focus

-Gravity kicks in, causing Ferrum's knife to fall to the ground and Kahlia's boots to come unstuck. Ferrum seems unfazed, however, his mental only sounds faintly annoyed in response to Didit's ping.-

Ferrum: ~Don't need to tell me twice.~

-With a wave of his hand, his Metagross throws itself in front of him, tanking Kai's Drain Punch.-

Ferrum: Hah! I don't know how many of you little bastards managed to slip through the cracks, but there's about to be one less of you once we're done here!

-With Didit's abilities bolstering his own, he hefts his oversized hammer as if it was all but weightless, swinging it at Kai whilst his Metagross aims a similar blow at Avada.-

Metagross used Brutal Swing!

-Meanwhile, Kahlia kicks off her boots and tries to get to her feet, only to stumble again with another grunt of pain. Instead she grabs one of her Pokeballs and sends out a Salazzle.-

Kahlia: Tzimisce, help Kai before she gets herself killed!

Tzimisce: <All comes back to us. Look on my works and despair. Time's arrow claims her due.>

-She opens her jaw, a gout of fire building within... only for a Gallade to dart forward and deliver a slash across her chest, sending her reeling.-

Gallade used Psycho Cut!

-The Gallade's trainer follows after it, expression hidden by her helmet and mental voice eerily calm.-

Bela: ~No escape this time, Ruthven.~

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.

Rebel Island

Noble Elemental: "...No it's fine. This is a great opportunity and I'm glad to have it."

Catty: <We're ready to help the cause Lady Gale.>

Oran OS: I sense... Baggage.

Noble Elemental: "I'll explain later!"

Stormchaser

-Owen is here, petting a sleeping Ein- Mildly distracted by part of him monitoring the Neon thing-

-When he hears a voice from behind him-

Odin: "...Hey."

Owen: -whips around- "...My. My creator? What are you doing here? I haven't seen you since thatbig fight with Cheri-possessed Necrozma and that Glitch..."

Odin: "Er, yeah, you haven't. Largely because I am technically dead and my true form is now a pile of sand."

-He collapses into Sandyghast form and back to demonstrate-

"See this?" -gestures to himself- "Allllllll sand."

Owen: "...Oh. Right."

-Shakes head-

"I guess I can't complain much. This puppet body is largely metal parts with a touch of flesh..."

-His Porygon body pops out of his phone-

"And this is the real me!>

Odin: "Yes, I remember..."

Ein: -Wakes up- <Mmmph. Why'd you stop petting. Wait, what's he doing here?>

Owen/Oran OS: "Huh, good question! What ARE you doing here?>

Odin: "...Uh."

Edited by Umbramatic on Aug 9th 2021 at 1:14:41 PM

Contact Me!

Forest of Ferrokinesis

-Avada is smacked hard by the Brutal Swing, and is left worse for wear. It's fine, whatever, stuff like that happens as a League veteran.-

-Kai, meanwhile, is stopped in her tracks by her attack hitting a different target than expected, and then promptly blinded by Flash. She squints as her eyes readjust, but it's not quite enough time for her to react to Ferrum's hammer, except to tense up in surprise.-

-Thankfully, what might be a spray of viscera is instead a spray of technicolor Aura protecting her, but the sound of crunching ribs is undeniable past the sound of Kai having her breath knocked out of her. As soon as she can process any thoughts beyond (ow), she staggers back to get some distance.-

Kai: (.......more than just telekinetic. Gravity should have made that harder if it was just telekinesis. Dragged a whole Metagross across the field. Magnetism?)

-Kai lets out a breath that might have been a command to Avada, if she were able to form words at the moment. However, the message gets across.-

Avada: ~Paralyze. Got it.~

-A wave of electricity washes over the Metagross, and the gears in Kai's mind turn.-

Avada used Thunder Wave!

Kai: (Thunder Wave. Uses electromagnetism. Maybe we can cause interference...? Or make him several times more powerful. Gotta try though.)

-A second Poke Ball drops, and MGMT emerges.-

Kai: (wheeze) Do— electromagnet— stuff. School's here.

-MGMT tilts his head, then looks at the Psychics present, particularly the one with the big smashy hammer.-

MGMT: We don't need no education...

-He bounds around the field, creating pulses all around Ferrum.-

MGMT: We don't need no thought control...

MGMT used Eerie Impulse!

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Aug 9th 2021 at 3:36:24 PM

Forest of Focus

-a wave of totally incongruous excitement can be detected from Neodymium after Kai gets whacked by the hammer-

-she's just happy to be here, honestly-

Neodymium: ~Didit, keep Ferrum in this! Aromatherapy!~

~Beryllium, stop wasting time! Secure Ruthven!~

-she holds out a hand, a wheel of Light Screens appearing around it-

-she bounces lasers between them, focusing them onto Bela-

Neodymium used Fusion Charger! Bela's Psychic moves were enhanced!

-while Didit waves her arms again, and the air takes on a sharp quality. Not unpleasantly so, but it's a revitalizing scent, like a relaxing candle-

Didit used Aromatherapy!

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.

Studio Palace

-To Jackal-

It's less morally murky at any rate. We should still keep an eye on him though in case his "employers" decide that even as a cheap tool he's still too much of a liability to be kept alive.

Stormchaser Training Room, past

-To Mason-

When we're done with this there's something I needed to talk to you about.

Crown Tundra, today

Galarian Ponyta♀ Ginny: -Pawing at the snow with her hooves for grass-

Tyl: -Singing a song from atop her back-

-Looking towards the south, the Dyna Tree peeking up over the hills as I place the Iceroot Carrot seeds on the plot-

That's one of the places we need to go next.

Cam: <So we just... leave them there?>

Calyrex said they had just enough power to quicken their growth so that we're not stuck waiting here for months only for the seedlings to get eaten by mons like our new horse here.

Muddy: <They said two steeds, do we know who to expect?>

Legendaries, obviously, but some stuff I found in Freezington called them "Spectrier" and "Glastrier", no guesses on who's who here. They used to rule over this place before humans got here, and weren't exactly appreciative of the new visitors, until the King of Bountiful Harvests subdued them, corroborated by looking into the folklore of the local mon population.

Hitodama: <The descriptions said they were haughty and arrogant, and we know they only seem to respect strength, so we should prepare for a fight.>

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

Forest of Focus

-Kahlia cries out as she sees Kai get struck by Ferrum's hammer and go staggering back.-

Kahlia: KAI!

Ferrum: Save your breath, missy. There ain't nobody who's gonna hear you all the way out here.

-He smirks, even as his hammer is visibly weighed down by the pulses MGMT creates - his Metagross seizes up, only to snap back into motion as Didit's sharp scent fills the battlefield, and it slams into the ground to send a wave of earth hurling at MGMT.-

Metagross used Bulldoze!

Ferrum: As for you, little miss the-eyes-have-it, you wanted my undivided attention?

-He stoops to pick up his fallen knife from the ground.-

Ferrum: Well, you got it. Time for a lesson you missed while bunking off: truant or no, a Templar's attention is the last thing you want.

-With a flick of his wrist, he sends his knife flying at Kai, propelled by a simple throw rather than any application of ferrokinesis.-

Kahlia: No!

-Once again, she tries to pick herself up and throw herself at Ferrum - only to let out another cry of pain as she sinks to the ground, clutching her head, whilst Bela advances forwards.-

Bela used Psychic!

Bela: ~I am not wasting time, Sixty, I am exercising caution. Something you hardly need concern yourself with as a backline fighter, but I-~

-She is interrupted as Kahlia comes surging up from the ground, fist glowing with Auric energy, and strikes Bela square between the eyes with a Force Palm-enhanced crack.-

-Bela goes staggering back several paces, helmet bent inwards from the impact. She curses, tears it off, and tosses it aside - and Kahlia's eyes widen.-

-There's a few differences, of course. Her hair is its natural dark colour, with no trace of purple dye. There's the usual purple eyes characteristic of most Schoolkids. But all that aside, it's not every day that you get to look into the face of your fourteen-year-old self.-

Bela: ~...You really shouldn't have done that.~

Edited by Herbert40k on Aug 9th 2021 at 9:16:39 AM

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.

Forest of Fourteen-Year-Old Selves, Apparently

-Kai fumbles in an attempt to catch the knife, but her reaction time is not quite fast enough (and she doesn't quite take the difference in gravity into account), and it sinks into her leg.-

Kai: Gah!

-She digs it out, wincing.-

Kai: ...I-I'm keeping this.

-MGMT is smacked with a plume of earth, and goes staggering.-

Kai: J-just keep it up, MGMT! Keep his powers suppressed as long as you can!

MGMT: No dark sarcasm in the classroom...

-He keeps dancing his Eelektross dance.-

MGMT used Eerie Impulse!

Kai: Avada, next up is the kid in the back! That power-boosting is a serious problem!

Avada: ~I've never seen anything like it. How about we not see it any more?~

-He focuses, locking into the mental processes behind Neodymium's Fusion Charger, and attempts to shut them down.-

Avada used Disable!

-As Bela's face is revealed, Kai's eyes widen as well.-

Kai: ...

-She turns toward Ferrum again, scowling.-

Kai: ...So why bother taking Kahlia back, anyway? It looks like you've already done quite a bit with her.

Circhester Stadium, Gym Challenge Puzzle Room

Dan: Ah, you must be the new Challengers... Well, then, Champions in the making. The puzzle for Circhester's Gym is simple. You have to walk across the floor to the other side of the room.

Me: That's it?

Evelyn: Something tells me it's not that simple.

Dan: ...and you'd be right. Y'see, these floors have hidden traps that unwary trainers could fall into if they're not careful, so the real puzzle comes in trying to navigate the floor whilst not setting off the trap and falling in. It can be hard to know if you're nearing one at times, so to make things easier, we give Trainers a pair of Trap Detectors, to let them know when they're getting close so they can avoid it. Here.

-Dan hands Ian the Trap Detectors.-

Dan: Now that you're all set, I wish you the best of luck, Champions in the making!

Me: Thank you. Ready, Evelyn?

Evelyn: Ready when you are.

Battle Outside Hammerlocke, VS Hoops

Evelyn: Now, Kec! Use Iron Tail, but instead grab onto Ray!

-Kec looks at Evelyn in shock, but understands the plan and decides to go for it! His ability activates as his tail glows with a metallic sheen, his skin turns a metallic gray as his type changes from Normal to Steel. He charges at Ray.-

Evelyn: Kit! Use Quick Att-

-Kit tries to hide behind Evelyn's leg, as the increase in electrical output scares him.-

Evelyn: Kit...

Kit: <I'm sorry, Ev... I really am...>

Evelyn: -calmly to Kit- It's okay, Kit. It may look scary, but I have a plan. You don't have to worry about a thing. We'll do this together and it's gonna be great.

Kit: <R-Really?>

Evelyn: Of course.

Kit: <Th-thank you.>

Evelyn: Now let's do this thing together! Use Quick Attack!

-Kit runs through the electric terrain, dancing with the thunder as he rushes headlong at Ray.-

Wild Area, post-Bond or Braker

Me: Huh?

Evelyn: Find something, Mr. Braker?

Rebel Island

-Emilie continues to blush, even as Lamb puts her helmet back on. She uncovers her countenance as it glows red like Lamb's eyes.-

Belladonna: -still a blushing mess- Yes, mistress.

-Beat-

Belladonna: Wait... What the heck did I just say?!

-Levy and Gus break down laughing as the abashed swordfighter ballerina superheroine they call their trainer realizes what they just said.-

Levy: <Hahahaha! Sorry, Em, but that reaction's just priceless!>

Vali Hospital

-Salem follows close behind Delta, dragging Croaku by the arm as he does. Croaku drags the mop against the floor with his other arm.

Somewhere in Unova, with Radon and Alexis

-Alexis smiles almost maniacally as their glasses reflect whatever light is shining in the lab, hiding their eyes from Radon.-

Alexis Forsythe: Ohohohoho! I have been waiting for this day!

Radon: You HAVE?!

Isabelle's Palace

Joybringer: I agree. Someone's gotta keep watch. But who?

Edited by AnimeboyIanpower on Aug 9th 2021 at 6:34:23 AM

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

Battle Outside Hammerlocke [TS]

Hoops grins.

Hoops: Ray, let Kec grab on and get ready.

Ray: <Are you planning what I think you are?>

Hoops: Yep! Can you handle it?

Ray: <Bring it on!>

Hoops: Great, now, ready an Iron Tail!

Ray lifts his tail, which glows in a metallic grey. Kec grabs hold of him and (according to Ian) raises his tail in the air. Kit is racing towards Ray. At the instant he impacts, Hoops yells.

Hoops: Now!

Ray jams his tail into the ground, and the Electric Terrain comes down in one huge bolt of lightning, hitting Kec's waiting tail and passing through all three pokemon before running through Ray's tail and into the ground, dissipating.

Stormchaser

Odin: "...Here's the thing. I have been. An irresponsible creator. I just let you off into the world without any help or supervision whatsoever. That was my bad. And now due to a bit of a wake-up-call..."

-Looks worriedly back in the direction Yvan was-

"...I would like to fix that. I'd like to be around more. And if you need anything, just ask."

-Owen/Oran OS just kind of stares for a second-

-Before their eyes widen and tears come to Owen's eyes-

Owen/Oran OS: "Th-Thank you... DAD!>

-Embraces Odin-

Odin: "D-Dad?"

Ein: <You DID create him. With bits of yourself even.>

Odin: "...Oh."

-Owen/Oran OS breaks the hug, and Oran OS goes back in Owen's pocket-

Owen: "As for one thing you could help me with..."

Odin: ...What is it?

Owen: -blushes- See, there's this girl...

Ein: <...Ah, this again.> -facepaws-

Contact Me!

Forest of Focus

Neodymium: ~Sure you are, Beryllium.~

~Oh hey, that's your face! You shouldn't cover it up, it's a nice face. Do you know you look like her?~

~Okay—~

Neodymium: ~Ack!~

Fusion Charger was Disabled!

Neodymium: (very publically) ~Oh no, oh no, that's my thing, I can't forget that—~

-she wrings her hands-

Neodymium: Didit, Shadow Ball!

Didit: ~Easy, Neo. You'll have to keep your focus under fire if you want to pass your exams.~

-Didit conjures a sphere of obscura and tosses it at Avada with a lazy, but still surprisingly quick, underhand-

-while Neodymium tries something new-

-she sends out a spray of Light Screens, hovering them around Bela-

Neodymium: ~Go for it! I'll make sure your attack lands!~

Neodymium used Catalytic Charger!

Bela's next attack gained the benefits of Laser Focus!

Edited by memyselfandI2 on Aug 9th 2021 at 4:32:31 AM

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.

Rebel Island

Helvetica looked up at the Frosmoth.

Helvetica: "...This moth is talking to me."

Lita comes back, having finished the necessary paperwork.

Lita: "That's that done. There's a tour that's going on right now if you want to catch it."

Helvetica looked up at Robin.

Helvetica: "Where is Jess? I'd like it if she came with me."

School Facility, Undisclosed Location

In a building with stark white corridors lined with heavy duty doors, Schoolkids were having their abilities tested. A figure in dark blue and white body armour, wearing a hood with what appeared to be metallic cat ears poking through, was pacing up and down the hallway. They stood in front of each door and looked intently at what was going on in each room for a minute before moving onto the next. They were observing. They were learning...

GIVE ME YOUR FACE

Forest of Focus

-Ferrum continues advancing towards Kai.-

Ferrum: You should know the drill by now. Can't have the obsolete model running around making the new and improved version look bad, can we? Not that I oughta need explain that to you.

-He raises an eyebrow, then smirks.-

Ferrum: ...Unless, of course, you ain't who you say you are. Was wondering why you hadn't tried to pull any fancy mind shit yet. Which means there really isn't any reason for me to hold back. Staff might still have some use for a failed experiment, but some random schmuck like you? You sealed your fate the moment you decided to get tied up in this mess.

-He takes another swing at Kai with his hammer whilst his Metagross hurls itself at MGMT, propelled by psionic energy.-

Metagross used Zen Headbutt!

-Bela, meanwhile, gives an annoyed frown at Neo's remarks as she steps closer to Kahlia.-

Bela: ~I'm aware of the resemblance. Focus on the immediate threat.~

-Tzimisce tries to blast the Gallade with a Flamethrower, but goes down after another Psycho Cut and doesn't get up again. Kahlia looks up at Bela, tripping over her words.-

Kahlia: You... you don't have to do this. I promise, I used to be like you, that's why they're sending you after me, but there's a way out, a way to a life that's better than-

-She is once again cut off by her own screams as she goes down, clutching her head.-

Bela used Psychic!

Bela: ~Stop talking.~

-She grabs her counterpart by the throat, purple eyes meeting reddish-brown.-

Bela: ~I'm nothing like you. I know my purpose. You? You've already served yours.~

-And with that, she pulls her hand back, fist clenched, as an assorted collection of memories is ripped from Kahlia's mind.-

Edited by Herbert40k on Aug 9th 2021 at 12:53:02 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.

Forest of Freaking Out A Bit Right Now

-For all Ferrum's monologuing, Kai's attention is a bit more focused on what Bela is doing.-

Kai: KAHLIA!

-Eyes wide and frantic, she catches the hammer on the swing, hands glowing with Aura.-

-It pushes her back a bit, and probably is going to hurt a lot tomorrow, but for now?-

-It's adrenaline time.-

Kai: MGMT, Avada, focus everything on stopping Beryllium!

-MGMT is knocked out of his dancing groove by the Zen Headbutt, and is looking a bit beat up, but manages to get back to focus. Avada takes the orb of Obscura, and is not looking good, but hangs in there for just a bit longer.-

MGMT: Teacher, leave those kids alone...

Avada: ~We don't take kindly to memory thieves, you know.~

-MGMT slithers over and, with a flip, smacks Bela's hand away. Avada attempts to focus on the collection of memories itself, particularly on trying to psychically return it to Kahlia.-

MGMT used Knock Off! Avada used... Psychic, I guess!

-With the objective set for her team, Kai turns her attention toward Ferrum again, eyes filled with searing anger.-

Kai: Some fancy mind shit you've got, if you believed that for that long, huh? It took me moments to figure you out.

-Keeping one hand gripping the hammer, she brings the other up toward Ferrum's neck.-

Kai: Did Molybdenum tell you who shut her down? Who left her unable to do anything but panic and escape while Megan did all the damage? It was me. And I know how to shut you down, just like poor Sixty over there.

-The Aura Drain starts, burning like fuel through an engine.-

Kai: I told you, I'm the one you should be worried about.

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Aug 9th 2021 at 8:35:06 AM

Forest of Focus

Neodymium: ~Aaah! Beryllium!~

Didit: ~Relax! We're managing! Assist Ferrum!~

Neodymium: ~We need to help her first, though! Psybeam that Eelektross!~

Didit: -sighs- ~Your funeral.~

-psychic power gathers between her horns, a scintillating beam firing off at MGMT-

Didit used Psybeam!

-while Neodymium flails her hands out, dozens of Light Screens popping up all over the battlefield-

-including a bubble around Avada, muffling the psychic interference-

Neodymium used plain old Light Screen!

Edited by memyselfandI2 on Aug 9th 2021 at 6:57:15 AM

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.

The Wild Area

(Axis, Tekkan, and Puxiki all look around the Wild Area— and then the grass in front of them rustles. Axis' eyes widen, and Puxiki jumps up exciteably.)

Puxiki: <Axis! Did you hear that? I think it's a Pokemon~!>

Axis: (chuckles, with a slight hint of sarcasm) "What else could it be? The [Spanish] Inquisition?"

(And almost immediately afterwards, Axollo the Shiny Mudkip jumps straight out of the bushes, in full Inquisition garb, excited as anything...)

Axollo: <NOBODY EXPECTS THE—>

(...only to be suddenly grabbed by the beak by Letina, who pulls him back.)

Axollo: <Hey!>

Letina: <Don't.>

Axollo: <But... it was supposed to be fun!>

Letina: <That was not fun. That was just silly.>

Axis: (chuckles) "But very unexpected. I—" (beat, it hits them) "Wait a second... you're both Shinies."

Axollo: <Yep! We sure are! Sorry about that; I wanted to surprise you!>

Axis: "Well, you certainly did; I'll give you that. I must say, I do enjoy Silly Cobra."

Axollo: <Yay~!> (then, to Letina) <See, Letina? I told you they'd enjoy it!>

Letina: (rolls her eyes) <Let me handle this.> (She bounces up to Axis Hunter, Tekkan, and Puxiki, and then:) "We've come here to battle you."

(And the very sight of a talking Shiny Torchic causes Tekkan, Puxiki, and especially Axis to look on in disbelief.)

Axis: (stunned) "Y-you... you can-- you're a...!"

Letina: "Yes, I am, in fact, able to speak your language. I have studied up on many classic novels and have analyzed them to the point of complete comprehension; is that a problem to you?"

(She promptly glances up at the shocked Axis with a Disapproving Look.)

Axis: (holding up their hands defensively) "N-no! Not at all! I was just... surprised, that's all."

Letina: "...That's understandable. I don't believe there are many humans who have run into a talking Torchic. Let alone, for that matter, any talking Pokemon." (a pause, then) <If you'd like I can switch back to Monese for the benefit of your other two Pokemon.>

Tekkan: <Well, we would appreciate that, but we can understand [English] and other languages per-fectly fine!>

Puxiki: <Yeah, it's okay! You don't have to worry about it. I'm Puxiki, by the way!>

Tekkan: <And I'm Tekkan!>

Letina: <I see. Greetings to both of you.>

Axollo: (excitedly) <Hello there! It's really nice to meet you both!>

Puxiki: <Hello~!>

Letina: (beat) <A brown Jigglypuff. Interesting. Odd, but interesting.> (then, another beat as she glances up at Axis) <They're your Trainer, I'm assuming?>

Axis: "I am indeed. Axis Hunter. Delighted."

Letina: <Greetings. I am Letina. My... partner is here is Axollo.>

Axollo: <Hello!> (And then he sees the shirt.) <Hang on... you're a Homestuck fan?!>

Letina: <Aaaand here we go, you've invoked him.>

Axis: "Well... yes, I am— I mean, I've been a pretty big fan of the series for years, but I didn't imagine—"

Axollo: <That's so cool! I like Homestuck too! Who's your favorite troll?>

Axis: "I have two. Nepeta and Feferi."

Axollo: <Hey~! That's my favorite troll too!>

Axis: "Which one?"

Axollo: <Feferi.>

Axis: "Figures; you're pink. And Water-type. And excitable. I'm willing to bet you type with tridents, too."

Axollo: <You'll see~!>

Letina: <Anyways. As I said before, we are here to battle you in the hopes of our capture. Are you willing to partake in battle against us?>

Axis: "Are we? Absolutely."

Tekkan: <100% certainty guaranteed!>

Puxiki: <Well... I'm not really into battling, but... I guess I'll do what I can.>

Letina: <Very well, then.> (She turns to face Axollo.) <Are you ready?>

Axollo: (getting into a battle stance) <As ready as I'll ever be!>

Axis: (nods) "Tekkan?"

(Tekkan nods and gets into position.)

Axis: "Puxiki?"

(Puxiki does the same thing.)

Axis: "Very well, then. In that case..."

[S] : STRIFE!

(Axis grins over at Tekkan as the battle begins.)

Axis: "Alright, Tekkan! Let's start this battle up! Use Agility!"

Tekkan: <Will do!>

(Tekkan promptly glows in a pink light and begins darting back and forth, raising his Speed stat to absurdly high levels.)

Axis: "Alright. Now, Puxiki! Use Defense Curl!"

Puxiki: <Alright.>

(Puxiki promptly rolls into a ball and glows a bright silvery color, raising his Defense.)

(Letina looks on with intrigue.)

Letina: <Hm. Status moves. I like it. I suppose I should counter with one of my own, then?>

(She promptly turns around and kicks up a barrage of sand into Tekkan's face, blinding him momentarily and causing him to cough.)

Tekkan: (coughing) <Hey...!>

(Letina smirks.)

Letina: <Axollo?>

Axollo: <Right!> (He promptly picks up a rock and throws it at Puxiki with his tail.) <CHARGE...!>

(The rock hits Puxiki, but Puxiki's round body allows it to be easily knocked off, hitting Puxiki for a small amount of damage.)

Puxiki: (giggles) <Hee-hee!>

Axollo: <Awww...>

(Soon afterwards, both Tekkan and Letina start glowing in a pink light, and their Speeds promptly go up.)

Tekkan and Letina: (in unison) < Oh? You have Speed Boost, too?>

Tekkan: <Well, this will certainly be interesting! A Shiny Torchic with her Hidden Ability?> (whistles) <Axis, you might just be the luckiest Trainer alive, my friend!>

Axis: "Well... I don't know about that..."

Letina: <Anyways... your next move?>

Axis: "Ah, yes. Of course. Alright, Tekkan, it's time! Use Swords Dance!"

Tekkan: (as swords appear around him) <Presenting the all-new attack booster: SWORDS DANCE—!>

(He spins around in mid-air for a few moments, as the swords that just appeared around him cross each other and his Attack sharply goes up.)

(Letina looks on, somewhat worried.)

Letina: <Oh dear.>

Axis: "Alright, Puxiki! Hit Axollo with a Sweet Kiss!"

Puxiki: <Will do~!>

(He promptly runs forward— and kisses Axollo square on the cheek. Seconds later, Axollo's eyes turn to spirals, and he starts walking around in a circle.)

Axollo: (confused) <Huh...? Whaaa...?> (to Puxiki) <Are you an angel...?>

Letina: <Oh sweet Arceus, now you've made him even more confusing. I must admit, though, that was a very interesting strategy, and I commend it.>

Puxiki: <Awww~! Thank you~!>

Letina: (with a smirk) <Now... time to fight back.>

Puxiki: <W-what?!>

(Letina promptly turns directly towards Puxiki— and then opens her mouth, letting loose a small flame from it that hits Puxiki.)

Puxiki: <O-ow!>

Letina: <Consider it revenge for confusing my friend. Then again, though, confusion will make it easier for us to be caught...>

Axollo: (still confused and doing a silly walk while singing to himself) <I'm a Conkeldurr and I'm okay, I sleep all night and I work all day...>

Letina: (pecking him) <Axollo. Snap out of it.>

Axollo: (momentarily stirred) <H-huh? Oh, right... battle...! Yaaaay...!>

(He promptly proceeds to open his mouth and releases a stream of water that he intends to aim at Tekkan— but due to Tekkan's speed, the Ninjask avoids it entirely.)

Axollo: (confused) <D-did it work...?>

Tekkan: (with a laugh) <Nope! Missed me!>

(Soon afterwards, both Tekkan and Letina glow in a pink light once again as their Speed Boost activates.)

Axis: "Excellent. Axollo's confused. Now... it's time to finish off this battle! Tekkan, use Air Slash on Axollo this time!"

Tekkan: <Right!>

(He promptly flies forward, before slashing Axollo and knocking him backwards with a powerful slice of air.)

Axollo: (as he is thrown back) <Oh noooo~!>

(Axollo promptly hits the ground, and a small cloud of smoke goes up. When it fades, Axollo is still standing, but a bit dizzy.)

Axollo: (dizzy) <Oh, thank Orion... I'm alive...>

(Letina rolls her eyes, before turning to face Puxiki.)

Letina: <Don't think you'll get to attack first this time, Puxiki. Speed Boost has activated twice.>

Puxiki: <Oh no...>

Letina: <Take this!>

(She is promptly cloaked in a burst of flame, running directly towards Puxiki and hitting him back.)

(Puxiki is still left standing, though, and smirks towards both of them, while Letina's eyes grow wide as she realizes what Puxiki is planning to do next.)

Letina: <Oh dear.> (then, after a pause) <Well, anything for a capture or two, I suppose.>

Axis: "Very well, then. I hope you two are ready to be caught."

Letina: "I will admit your battling skills are impeccable. Pun not intended." (beat) "I feel ready to call you my Trainer."

Axis: "And I feel ready to call you my Pokemon. Axollo?"

(Axollo is still stumbling around.)

Axollo: (still a bit confused) <What...?>

Letina: <Puxiki will sing us to sleep and then Axis will catch us.>

Axollo: (beat) <We're going to be caught...? Yaaaaay~!>

(Axis smirks.)

Axis: "Very well, then."

(They promptly reach into their bag and start to pull out two PokeBalls— but then decide otherwise, pulling out two Heal Balls instead. They then motion to Puxiki, who nods, and then begins to Sing:)

Puxiki: <Niji no mukou mitsuke ni ikou

<Ima hajimaru...>

(The performance of the opening lines of "Heart wo Sagase" reach the ears— or equivalent— of Letina and Axollo, both of whom promptly fall asleep.)

(And with that in mind, Axis promptly nods.)

Axis: "Alright, then." (They throw the balls.) "BALLKIND ABSTRATII! RELEASE!"

(The Heal Balls hit the mons on the head and open up, sending Letina and Axollo straight into them. Seconds later, they hit the ground, shake three times, and then— *click*!)

Puxiki: <Alright~!>

Tekkan: <That's two Shiny Pokemon for the price of one— absolutely free!>

Axis: (smiling) "You bet it is!"

—> End strife.

Circhester Stadium- Stands

Kim: "Well. A minefield of both rock and ice. This should be fun."

The Wild Area

Braker: "I'm not sure. It sounds like it's some kind of Pokemon..."

Kim: "The question is which one."

Rebel Island

(Upon seeing this, Howie and Tommy giggle to themselves. Pepper, meanwhile, gives Kamui a thumbs-up upon seeing her gesture— and then giggles himself upon seeing what Belladonna has just done. And then it hits all three of them:)

Howie, Tommy, and Pepper: (to themselves) "Belladonna's a lesbian?"

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

Forest of Focus

-Kahlia falls to the ground as MGMT breaks Bela's grip on her, along with the mental connection. Bela herself goes staggering back as Avada's effort to stuff Kahlia's memories back in meets with... some success? It's hard to tell, given that memory-stuffing is hardly an exact science, especially when some have been absorbed already and there's a Light Screen in the way.-

-Ferrum would be trying to intervene, except he's somewhat distracted by being drained like a juicebox.-

Ferrum: Urk!

-He drops his hammer and slams his palms together to create a shockwave of telekinetic force - severely weakened by MGMT's interference, but still enough to break Kai's grip. He falls to his knees, gasping.-

Ferrum: So... not just any random schmuck, huh? You're the one who brought golden girl Molly down a few pegs? Wish I could've been there to see that... won't save you, though, you're too much of a pain to-

Bela: ~Ferrum. We should go.~

Ferrum: Huh?

Bela: ~I have the memories we need. Everything else is secondary. N- Sixty is in a state of panic and we're facing an opponent of a calibre we did not anticipate.~

Ferrum: You don't give the orders, you little vat-grown frea-

Bela: ~The Counselor would be displeased if we wasted assets here.~

-Ferrum hesitates for a moment.-

Ferrum: ...Fine. Get us out of here. But we're not done with you yet, Eyes.

-Bela nods, and her Gallade blips the group across the battlefield to Neo's side, before all of them disappear with a second blip - leaving no trace of their presence but Ferrum's discarded hammer, and Kahlia lying in the dirt, motionless and semi-comatose.-

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.

Forest of Fleeing The Scene

-Kai is blasted back, and staggers.-

Kai: N-no, you won't get—

-They get away.-

(-MGMT is knocked out by the Psybeam beforehand, and Avada isn't looking too hot.-)

Kai: ...I'm not... done with you... either...

-She pants, clutching the hammer to keep herself upright, and she turns to go help Kahlia. However, she finally starts properly processing pain again, and collapses as soon as she attempts to take a step with her stabbed leg.-

Kai: ...A-Avada... get us back, please...

-Avada nods, breathing heavily, and-

Blip.

Stormchaser Entrance

-deposits everyone, hammer included, in front of the airship-

-and then he passes out.-

Some AU, ???, Postwick

Des took Jovi by the reins and slowly walked out of the church. Guards in black body armour lined the walkway leading up to the door but they were standing at ease. One, who appeared to be a captain, was talking quietly with the "Justicar". The captain kept making side glances at Des as he passed, becoming increasingly wary. Des made it to the end of the walkway, just where the row of guards ended, and sat upon Jovi's saddle, placing Pria gingerly in his lap.

Des: "You said I could go anywhere, right?" He shouted back to his counterpart.

Justicar: " Could, not that you will. I do have a schedule to keep. But I'll give you some time to admire my world." He shouted back. The captain next to him started making his way towards Des. "Although you still count as a considerable security threat, so I will be sending my best captain, Captain Reedus, along with you."

Des looked down at the heavily armed guard.

Des: "Only if he can keep up with me."

He flashed a cocky smirk and cracked Jovi's reins. She sped off into the rest of Postwick. Looking back he expected the Captain to be running after him, weighed down by all of that combat gear, but was met with disappointment when he saw Reedus gaining on him, riding an Arcanine.

Ruining my fun.

Pria looked up at Des with concern.

Pria: <What's going to happen to us?>

Des: "No idea."

It didn't take long to get to Postwick proper. Everything seemed fine to Des. People were milling about as if everything was normal. Buying food, smiling and greeting each other, walking their Pokemon. They didn't even make a big deal of his arrival or the arrival of his "escort" shortly after. Des looked over at Reedus and found a pair of pale blues staring back at him. No, staring through him.

Des: "So, come here often?"

Reedus: "Do not converse with me, heretic. I have my orders. I will follow The Justicar into the depths of Distortion if given the chance. I will not kill you but don't think for a second I will stand idly by and let you spread your heretical falsehoods to these people. I have been ordered to not kill you, but I will hurt you if you pose a danger to the citizens."

Talk about commitment. That sounded rehearsed. I think he was workshopping that on the ride over.

With a shrug, Des guided Jovi through Postwick. The townsfolk all greeted him with a smile and a wave. They never greeted him verbally, but he wasn't outright rejected either. A young girl, no older than 5, ran up to him. She looked at Jovi intently.

Des: "Oh. Hello. You can pet her."

Des didn't have to turn around to know Reedus was giving him the "kill you eyes" again.

Hesitantly the girl stretched out a hand and lightly brushed Jovi's neck.

"She's so pretty. I've never seen a Rapidash like this. The ones we have look like cotton candy. What's her name?"

Des: "Jovi."

"Pretty name. Wait here." The girl rushed off towards a group of people. From where he was perched Des could see her talking to a young woman, either her mother or her sister. The girl was telling her something and pointing in Des's general direction. The woman seemed wary at first, but relented and handed something to the girl. She rushed back and produced two things for Des; a berry and what looked like an effigy of Arceus' symbol, made out of twigs. Des pictured the golden one around his counterpart's neck.

"For Jovi and for your soul."

Des: "Thank you. I never knew apples were good for the soul." He let out a little chuckle and expected the girl to do the same. She never laughed. She just stared up at Des with a blank smile, as if she didn't get the joke but was trying to be polite. Des cleared his throat. "Right. Thank you again."

As Jovi slowly strolled through the rest of the town, Des considered the trinket he had just been given.

I should have asked her about the Darkest Day. It might have been too risky.

At the outskirts of Postwick, Reedus's Arcanine suddenly sprinted ahead and blocked off Des's path. Reedus removed his helmet, revealing sweaty blonde hair.

Reedus: "Watch what you say. The children here are innocent. They don't need you confusing them." He produced a lengthy dagger. "I will shove this in your back if you slip up again."

GIVE ME YOUR FACE

{Wouldn't you like to know, weatherboy}, Safe House

-Neodymium appears mid-yelp-

Neodymium: ~...~

-she pats herself down for injury, and checks Didit for same-

Didit: -is literally unharmed, gives her the most deadpan goat stare-

Neodymium: -pokes Bela- ~Did you get it?~

Stormchaser, en route to the door

Apple-A-Day: I'm fine, really! A hero doesn't let a little concussion get them down. Also, I've always been a fast healer.

Brie: You seemed pretty down the other day.

Apple-A-Day: I mean, I don't feel great, but I had a nice talk with Percy and she sort of helped me out? I should return the favor.

Brie: Okay, well, I'm still going to keep an eye on you, and I really think you should take off that mask—

Apple-A-Day: Ma'am, it is a secret identity. You have privileged information. I'm not just going to share it with everyone on this ship no matter how much you like them. I'm just here until my head stops hurting, and then I'm going back to Hammerlocke to do the hero thing.

Brie: I...

Apple-A-Day: -folds arms-

Brie: Sure. Okay. You're still not weirder than the person I thought you were, to be honest.

Apple-A-Day: It's not weird! It's heroic!

Brie: -raises eyebrow-

Apple-A-Day: ...It's not weird!

Brie: Let's just go take that walk.

Apple-A-Day: Yeah, sure.

-they head outside-

-...-

-...-

Brie: Kai! Other person who I promise I'm not ignoring but whose name I don't know!

Apple-A-Day: Is this normal?!

Brie: Lately? Kind of! C'mon, stay with me...

Apple-A-Day: We should really clean those cuts—

-Apple-A-Day produces a roll of bandages from a pocket somewhere on their costume,

Brie: We'll get them to Amanita, she has most of the healers in the group....come on, help me.

Apple-A-Day: Of course!

-Brie sends out Halcyon and attempts to help up Kai, while Apple-A-Day goes to help Kahlia, Halcyon assisting with both-

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.

Stormchaser Entrance

-With whatever consciousness Kai has left, she blearily blinks as Brie comes into view-

(-alongside... an apple??? She's pretty sure she's hallucinating that one.-)

Kai: Oh... Brie...

-She seems to relax a bit as the two attend to their injuries-

Kai: My hero...

-And she conks out as well.-

Stormchaser Training Room — Nebulous Timeframe

Kai: Right, then. Good luck with the learning, shadow boy.

Mason: That was so close to earning a "thank you".

-Kai snickers as she heads out.-

Mason: ...So, Tagg, you wanted to talk?

-A few vague forms appear and disappear throughout the haze, not true illusions so much as practice reshaping the mist.-

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Aug 9th 2021 at 11:04:17 AM

Some AU, ???, Postwick

Des as sitting atop Jovi and blinking at his "handler" who had just threatened to stab him in the back for making a dumb joke.

Des: "At least buy me a drink first. Geez."

Reedus muttered something under his breath that almost sounded like "degenerate" to Des. Des suddenly remembered how that priest reacted to the mention of Dialga and Palkia.

Des: "Hey, since I've got your attention, could you tell me about the Darkest Day?"

Reedus looked between Des and his knife, seemingly considering how much trouble he would get into if he just stabbed him right then and there. Luckily for Des he sheathed his weapon.

Reedus: "You are lucky we are out of earshot. Citizens would not be able to handle someone not knowing the foundational stories. I suppose it is my duty as a paladin to educate the ignorant."

Reedus launched into a rather grandiose retelling of the Darkest Day story as the pair made their way to the Wild Area. A lot of the details lined up with what Des was familiar with. Surprisingly Zamazenta and Zacian were still in the story, and referred to by name, but certain details about them were different.

Reedus: "And so, our Lord Arceus blessed the brave Bolthunds with divine arms, which were extensions of Arceus' own divinity. Arceus, through his newly created champions Zacian and Zamazenta, defeated Eternatus and sealed it into the Distortion, thus saving Galar from ruin and uniting the souls of pagans underneath his merciful rule."

Des had a hard time processing what he had just been told, but the conclusions he was drawing were not pretty.

Des: "Ok, thank you for the nice story, but can you tell me about the Forbidden Beas-"

Des couldn't get his question out before Reedus' Arcanine knocked Jovi over with an Extremespeed. Des landed hard on the ground and was immediately pounced up. The Arcanine's massive paw felt heavy on his chest and his face burned from the hot breath coming out of the Arcanine's massive, fang-filled mouth.

Reedus: "I should kill you where you lie. I have my orders, but I was never instructed to bring you back in one piece."

Ok. This is bad. How did I do that thing on Ikoria?

Des felt the weight on his chest get heavier as the Arcanine pressed down on him. He growled in pain as his internals were slowly getting crushed.

H-he's going to break something!

Helplessly he looked over at Jovi, charging towards them with Pria on her saddle holding the reins.

Pria: <Get off of him right now!>

They were blasted back by a Whirlwind, fired by a Pigeot.

Des could see the darkness on the edges of his vision. He was beginning to fade away. He couldn't think straight. He couldn't recall how he did that track on Ikoria. The trick that let him tame that weird winged Incineroar thing. If he could only tap him that power again.

Just as he was about to lose consciousness when images flashed in his mind. The Ozolith. The shard he broke off of it. What looked like a stream, flowing out of him and into the temples of the Arcanine. There it was. The eludha.

The Arcanine lifted its paw and staggered back, bucking wildly. Reedus tried desperately to hang on.

Reedus: "Hey woah! Take it easy! What's gotten into you?"

The Arcanine roared and cried to the sky, as if it was feeling the pain it had just inflicted. Des coughed and wheezed for air, rolling over onto his side. He coughed up a bit of blood onto the ground.

"Interesting..."

Through bloodshot eyes Des looked up to see the Justicar, floating down on his audacious looking Metagross.

Justicar: "I always thought you let your auric potential go to waste. Could I have been mistaken?"

The Metagross landed. The Justicar looked to his captain. The Arcanine had seemed to calm down and was now curled up, whimpering. The captain was trying to console him, all the while giving Des the "I will suffocate you in your sleep" look. The Justicar then turned his attention back to Des.

Justicar: "You've seen but a fraction of my world. What do you think?"

Des couldn't quite find his voice yet so his response was to spit blood in the Justicar's general direction.

Justicar: "Charming. It might seem odd to you, possibly terrifying, but the children born in the last five years have only known peace and security. I have had to make a lot of moral compromises to achieve this perfect world, but those are the sins I'm willing to bear."

He clutched his pendant and closed his eyes. To Des he almost seemed to be getting brighter.

Justicar: "Our Lord Arceus has a plan for us all. As his chosen soldier I will enact that plan through any means necessary." He opened his eyes and lowered his head, staring menacingly at Des. "And you, my ignorant counterpart, will have a very important role to play. Reedus, bag him up. And I don't want to see a scratch on him this time."

Des had a million choice words he wanted to spit out but couldn't. The world slowly grew black as he heard the footfalls of Captain Reedus coming to collect him.

To Be Continued.

GIVE ME YOUR FACE

Stormchaser Training Room, past

-To Mason-

Met another Schoolkid the other day when I visited this place associated with a group called the Oasis, not part of your Class though, she's slightly older looking than I am She looked around 14-16 back then so I guess she's probably around 34-36 or just generally mid-30s biologically, turns out I had an encounter with the School when I was a kid and inadvertently saved her from capture or worse.

-Dead serious-

She said you guys are basically made to be whatever age you look like upon creation so that you can start testing quicker, and because of that if you manage to get past your mid-teens biologically, Schoolkids tend to have all sorts of issues. Said someone she knew from her old Batch died of an aggressive cancer, for instance. I didn't know if you were aware of this or not, so I didn't want to just make it the entire J-Team's business before I could determine that.

Like I said to Chiyo, something needs to be done about this, we want to save people so they can have more comfortable lives, not merely give you guys a better place to die than presumably getting dumped into a ditch or river somewhere.

Crown Tundra, today

-Gets an odd sense of foreboding-

I may want to swing back to Galar proper for a bit before continuing with this quest...

Edited by rmctagg09 on Sep 16th 2021 at 2:50:09 PM

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.