Stormchaser Training Room

Mason: ...Oh. Yeah. I know.

-The figures in the mist fade-

Mason: I should have died by, like, year 6, myself. Literally only standing here today because I accidentally got Xerneas's attention. That's just how it is sometimes, you know? They expect half of us to just rot away, that's how I managed to convince them I was dead for so long.

-He almost sounds more bothered about the Xerneas part than the dying-by-year-6 part.-

Stormchaser Entrance

Apple-A-Day: -points at self in confusion-

Brie: She means me I think, sorry.

Uh, this is Kai, she's a partner of mine. She's usually bleeding less. Well, not lately, but normally.

I have no idea who this is. Sorry. I'll introduce you once everyone's conscious.

Apple-A-Day: That's fine!

Defiant Wing, Sector 4

... What, precisely, did you have in mind about tossing suns and how does it involve me? That said, I am not above doing a big flashy display. Maybe I can pop Dawnblade Protocol or something. ... Oh you did mean that when you mentioned tossing a sun yeah?

Vali Hospital

-Kitbash didn't need to be asked twice to slip through the door-

Kitbash: Okay, cool. So where's that database you need me to crack open like a tasty egg?

Studio Palace

-Rakash held back from saying anything, merely trying to keep his fundamentally scrappy Thief outfit from looking too ragged-

Rebel Island

Well! I believe it might be a good time for us to rejoin the main tour group then. We can work through explaining everyone's personal situation once we're all settled in, yes?

Studio Palace

".. Yeah, better than just doing violence on him anyway."

(to Joybringer) "I dunno, I guess that'd be a group responsibility? Or at least a job for multiple people."

Stormchaser Training Room, past

-To Mason-

They're terrible, all those School folks, for making you all like that, but I'm sure we can figure something out for those who aren't as lucky, there's one person I know whose work might be useful for fixing this.

Besides, Lex owes us big time.

-Quietly-

Your existence is not a crime.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Aug 9th 2021 at 12:33:29 PM

Rebel Island

Lamb and Sunny tilted their heads in practiced unison. "'Mistress'? Are you mocking me?" Lamb asked.

"It can't be lingering trance," Sunny considered. "If she doesn't want it to have power over her, by this point without reinforcement it wouldn't."

Studio Palace

With no input from Rn'L, Camazotz appeared, the Noivern perching a short distance away from Daniel.

"… I guess he works?"

Stormchaser Kitchen - A Longer Time Ago

Fraidy: <You…>

Fraidy: <You think I'm cool…?> :,?

Megan: I mean, yeah!

Fraidy: -pointing at her own face, streaked with volatile nitrolacrima like mascara- <Even like this??>

Megan: Yeah!! You always—

Megan: -leaning on the counter- ...well, you always gave it your best shot. Even when it was clear you were scared out of your mind.

-Fraidy contemplates this in silence-

-...and as the pause drags on, Megan reaches up (so far up, she's so tall) to reach her head-

Megan: -giving her a noogie- And look at how good a shot you've become, huh? ^_^

Fraidy: -tail flailing- <Hey, hey, watch the fin!>

Megan: Oh! Sorry.

Fraidy: -clutching it- <...I kinda need that to measure the wind.>

Megan: ...that's pretty sweet.

-smilng, softly- It's...kind of something I aspire to.

Fraidy: -blink- <Measuring the atmosphere with your hair?>

Megan: Pffff! No!

Megan: Well, yes, but.

Megan: -kicking a leg- ...faking it 'til I make it. Or even just…

trying, y'know? Again and again. Even if we're scared.

-...-

Fraidy: <W-we…>

Megan: … :o ?

Fraidy: -clenched fists- <We're g-gonna rock the League.>

Megan: :D !!

Fraidy: <We're gonna rock it!!>

Megan: Yeah!!

-and remembering it's like one am in a somewhat echoey airship, they both hastily shush each other-

-...and dissolve into giggles together, at like one am-

-the future is bright-

 J-Textspace 

To: J-Team @ Tagg

From: Logan

Huh, I'd better give them a ring. On the down-low, yeah, better not give therapeople more trauma.

@ Megan @ Hiro @ Abilene wyd?

To: J-Team @ Tagg

From: Hiro

...did we never bring up the trait commonality? Oops. Some of them at least lack belly buttons and the like as a side effect of the cloning process they use—presumably it is more difficult to obtain a false one of those, albeit commensurately easier to simply cover it up. Furthermore, all whom I have met save perhaps some escapees have been immensely poorly socialized, resorting interpersonally to a system of dominance not unlike that of Mightyena in captivity. Or certain middle schools, perhaps.

Hiro Alíthea.

'''{lmao nope}, Safe House

-a quiet moment-

-seems like she's not quite home yet-

Edited by Asterisk395 on Aug 9th 2021 at 2:09:56 PM

Rebel Island

Dia: <I'm another of Jess' pokemon. They were wondering if you forgave them but I guess that answers my question. I'll go let them know.>

Robin: <I don't know where they went off to but they'll probably meet up with us soon.>

Rebel Island

Helvetica: "Ok. I hope I see them soon. They are my only human friend."

Lita: "Um...hello?"

Helvetica: "You feed and cloth me despite your best interests. That makes you a parent."

Lita: "Right for the throat..."

They start making their way to join the main tour group.

Silas looked to Bishop, "Well. You are the lead of this operation then."

Bishop stopped giving Queen stinkeye long enough to say, "I will be working as I always do, in the realm of communications. The bunker the Warehouse is held at has to be contained somewhere, and they must communicate to it. So I'll be hidden among your personages and monitoring the communications."

Silas nodded, "Very well. So I'm the point man for the undercover work. I'm gonna need a new shell covering for my left arm."

Roxy smirked, "Sounds like you already know who you are playing."

Silas coughed a bit and then suddenly spoke in a near perfect [Russian] accented voice that sounded older and gravelier than his, "Captain Dimitri Sokolov at your service. Former [Soviet] Sub captain, came out of retirement to begin work in smuggling."

Roxy nodded, "I approve! We're gonna need to work out who else is joining the undercover mission."

Silas nodded and cleared his throat, returning to his usual monotone, "Right. Everyone, pick your cabin and work area, we're gonna be busy. Queen, set us a long course to [Venice], give us some time to get ourselves set up.

Queen smiled, "Of course... captain," she said before vanishing back into the walls of the ship.

Bishop grunted, "Gonna be a delight to work with her again."

Hacks laughed, ~Well. We have a lot of work to do!~

Roxy nodded, "Right, I think we should give Megan one of the Moonpools. Suiko needs a deployment point."

"Agreed," Silas said.

Natalie smiled as she looked over the paperwork, a set of sunglasses resting on her face, "Gabriel, tell me. What happened to Samwise? We never got that report."

"Samwise was an idiot and got himself captured, his power is effectively useless without a clone army to command," Gabriel explained, holding himself curtly. "Any fool could tell that he mismanaged his resources and took on a foe more than ready for him."

Natalie scoffed and shook her head, "Really? It says here you lost Thorium from the latest batch of experiments. Not only that, you lost most of our expensive equipment, 16 elite Trooper clones, and crashed that expensive pod fighter of yours."

Gabriel's expression did not change, he stood there stoic and calm, "I admit that I had underestimated my foe as well, however his turnaround was not calculated. He had a powerful robotic entity assisting him, the footage recovered from the Black Box shows that."

"And your foe... did he show any special powers?"

"I sensed nothing from him, but he resisted my ability to hack his nervous system."

Natalie tutted, "Oh... Gabriel... his visor is tinted. The same reason as why I wear sunglasses."

Gabriel's mouth twitched into a frown, "Are we done? I have more than made up for our loss of resources with our new Dark Troopers. We shall make back what we lost and be more prepared for a round two."

Natalie nodded, "You may leave."

Gabriel turned and marched out, Natalie sighing as she leaned back... "You can come out now."

In an instant in walked a blonde haired man, "Well, that was pleasant," the man said in a cool and calm voice, "Some Templars can be so moody. Perhaps he should take up calisthenics, always helps me destress every morning. Some basic morning exercises always help keep my head clear."

Natalie laughed, smiling a warm smile at Akira, "Really? That's your advice for his moody attitude?"

Akira smirked and shrugged, "At least he didn't go to threatening you or trying to downplay his failures."

Natalie shook her head, "Not the worst Templar we've ever had to deal with. Remember Goliath?"

Akira nodded, "I remember the hole I left in his head. He was marked for termination due to trouble anyways... though threatening a radiant beauty such as yourself was a step too far," he said, taking Natalie's hand and kissing it.

She smiled, "Flirter, trying to charm me huh?"

"Oh I would never dare dream of it," Akira said, "I have already completed my tasks for the week. We have a genetic stock of sequence proteins on a way to one of our drop points, we'll be capable of growing more soon enough, should we desire."

"Could always count on you," Natalie said, "Oh, just remembered, if you could. There is a new assassination assignment ready."

Akira quirked a brow, "Oh?"

Natalie handed him a ledger, "Please drop this off to Fenrir if you could. Someone's a bit too close to the truth once more."

Akira smiled, "Of course. See you soon," he said before vanishing.

Natalie smiled and sat up, she had numbers to crunch, at least before the next appointment.

Rebel Island tour

Jess and Dia teleport behind Helvetica.

Jess: Hi again.

Hades Submarine, July 5th

-Alice nods at Silas.-

Alice: I suppose I had better get to work on my own disguise, then. You know where to find me if you need me.

-She stands up and begins to make her way to her own cabin.-

{REDACTED}, Safe House - Recent Past

-Upon arrival, Bela lets out a long breath, seemingly rather relieved that Molybdenum appears to be absent. Ferrum, on the other hand, couldn't seem to care less - instead he immediately marches into the next room and telekinetically slams the door behind him, a series of loud and profane curses audible from the other side.-

Bela: ...

-She turns to Neodymium.-

Bela: ~...Yes, I got it. Most of what we need, at least. It will take some time to sift through the memories and extract the necessary information, but our mission was a success.~

-Her mental voice is perfectly level, and yet she seems to have forgotten that her face is no longer hidden by her helmet, since her expression looks considerably more conflicted.-

Stormchaser - Today

-Kahlia has presumably been brought aboard to convalesce, most likely by Brie and Apple-A-Day, and she may or may not be sharing a room with Kai while she does. Either way, she is only just beginning to come around to something approaching semi-consciousness.-

Kahlia: Wha... where...?

Edited by Herbert40k on Aug 10th 2021 at 7:41:40 PM

Rebel Island, past probably

Noble Elemental: Uh, yeah! There's still a lot of cool stuff to see...

Catty: <I want in on the rtraining room...>

Oran OS: If only I weren't laying low... I'd check out the computers!

-He is oblivious to the act Bishop would smack him in ten seconds flat if he tried anyway-

Stormchaser, now probably

-Owen has Odin and Neon assembled in front of a large computer screen containing his own Conspiracy Board-

Owen: Okay so Alonya -

-He points to a chibi Alonya with hearts around her-

- is missing. And according to this ship our main potential lead is -

-He points to a far rougher approximation of Mason surrounded by question marks-

This dude. So we oughta find him, but I feel like we should find leads among the rest of the J-Team as well.

Neon: Maybe what happened to her is what happened to everyone else?

Owen: ...Everyone else?

Neon: Yeah. There were some people in the J-Team that were better friends with me thanm others. But one day they just... Vanished. Even I was kind of off doing my own thing until this School stuff happened. A few showed up for that meeting but then kind of vanished... again. A good chunk of the J-Team is missing. All their Pokemon too, except Odin here.

Owen: A good... Chunk?

Odin: I will say... In my Pokemon form I had a Trainer, and I had a superhero gig on the side where I had a boss. I have heard from nreither the Trainer nor the boss in over nearrly a year.

Owen: ...So what you're saying is. Whateever is happening to them could be happening to Alonya too?

Neon: Probably.

-Owen suddenly gets really in Neon's face-

Owen: Tell me the identities of everyone that's gone missing. If we can unravel this, along with our existing clues...

...Then we may just find Alonya.

Edited by Umbramatic on Aug 10th 2021 at 2:06:48 PM

Stormchaser Medbay

-Kai is there!-

-She's... still unconscious. And not looking great.-

-But she is breathing, at least, so that's something?-

-MGMT is coiled up at the foot of the bed, and looks at Kahlia as she awakens.-

MGMT: Memory, all alone in the moonlight

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Aug 10th 2021 at 3:20:06 PM

Hades Submarine

Shaun: -in a flawless [Russian] accent- "Da, wonderful idea my friend. I actually have quite a bit of [Russian] blood coursing through my veins. Need a better name than the one I used at J-Con...Ivan Sokolov?"

Jessica: "I like it. 'Grace of Arceus, bird of prey'. Hmm...I kind of want to be part of the undercover group."

Shaun: "You sure? Stealth isn't really your-"

-Jessica crosses her arms and stares daggers at Shaun.-

Shaun: "I mean you're great, and I love you."

Jessica: "You are Dimitri's son, the young blood to help him as you struggle to live up to the family name. And I'm Mia Valentine, your-" -switching to an Angelan valley girl voice- "fiancée from Angela, who's, like, kinda vain and prissy but she's really good at the smuggling and you like totally think she's super hot and I used to be your secretary at an old office job and then we got fired for inappropriate relations-"

Shaun: "Alright, by Palkia, I get it. But that isn't a bad cover."

Ballimere Lake, today

-Looking around carefully-

I know I saw Tyrantrum around here, and I'd prefer not to tangle with them. Their vision's so good, they'd see us long before we saw them.

Doc: -Looking at the Dyna Tree- <Wow, those fruits are even bigger up close.>

Yew: <We'd have to take a cart to carry one of those for eating.>

Doppler: <I am not sure that eating them would be the best idea.>

True, they may not be meant for mere mortals like ourselves to devour. Like, maybe Victini could eat from them without issue, but I'm not sure about any of us.

Stormchaser, Boy, this Room is Getting A Bit Crowded, Huh?

-Kahlia is met with two (2) green heroes staring at her in consternation-

-one of them is dressed like a Flapple-

-the other has sideburns that respond to her emotional state-

-it's really just one of those days-

-also there's a Purple present, directing a Galarian Slowbro and Slowking-

Applause: <Ah. You're finally awake.>

Quickdraw: -jabs him- <Are you feeling okay?>

Stormchaser Medbay

-Tragically, Kahlia doesn't speak Monese.-

-Even if she did, though, she probably wouldn't be able to make out the words. Turns out that having a decent portion of your memories ripped away and then awkwardly reinserted tends to cross a few wires in the brain at the detriment of learned skills.-

-It also doesn't do wonders for one's emotional state.-

-Which is probably why Kahlia's first reaction is to scramble backwards and back herself against the headboard, an Aura Sphere building in her hand as she looks between the three conscious humans - or rather, two conscious humans and one human-sized Flapple.-

Kahlia: I... who are you? Where have you taken us? I'm n-not afraid of you, you know! I broke out before, I can do it again!

Edited by Herbert40k on Aug 10th 2021 at 9:03:25 AM

Stormchaser, Medbay

Applause: <Oh good, she's still reasonably cogent.>

Quickdraw: <She doesn't seem to understand us, though...>

Applause: <Most humans don't. Ours is unusual in this regard.>

Quickdraw: <What if we—>

Amanita: I really hope I don't have to explain to you two why trying telepathy on someone whose mind was just attacked is not a good idea.

Applause: <...Well, just in case there's someone who doesn't understand why—>

Quickdraw: <Hush, you.>

-Brie looks a bit more concerned by the hostile Auric, meanwhile-

Brie: Hey! It's alright! You're safe here. My name is Brie Madrigal, I know Kai. She brought you here to protect you.

Apple-A-Day: And I'm Apple-A-Day!

Brie: They sure are.

Apple-A-Day: If you need anything, I'm around.

-they give Kahlia a thumbs-up-

Stormchaser Medbay

-As sounds start filling the room (aside from the overpowered jukebox singing the dulcet tones of Cats The Musical at the foot of Kai's bed), she starts twitching awake.-

-The first thing she sees is purple.-

Kai: ...Kahlia...? Thank goodness, you made it out...

-She doesn't quite realize she's saying this to the wrong purple, because she's still processing the waking world, alongside a whole lot of pain in her chest and leg.-

Stormchaser Training Room

-Mason chuckles sadly.-

Mason: From a literal standpoint, it definitely is a crime. I'm just not the criminal committing it.

-He sighs.-

Mason: ...I do appreciate the sentiment, though. Thank you. I'd... like to see my classmates make it in the world, despite everything. Even the weird ones like Phoenix.

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Aug 10th 2021 at 4:10:59 AM

Stormchaser Medbay

-Upon hearing both Kai's voice and Brie's name, Kahlia seems to calm down somewhat, taking a couple of deep breaths as the sphere of energy building in her hand fades.-

Kahlia: Brie... Brie, Brie, Brie...

-She repeats the name a few more times to herself, as if trying to remember where she's heard it before, then looks over at Kai.-

Kahlia: Kai... Kai's partner, right? I... she's okay... thank the Tapu, at least she's okay...

-She looks back at Brie and Apple-A-Day, her Deerling-in-the-headlights look giving way to mild confusion at Apple-A-Day's presence and attire.-

Kahlia: ...You still haven't told me where we are.

Stormchaser Medbay

Amanita: (to Kai) Well, she did, but wrong purple. I'm Amanita, we met at the wedding, remember?

-Brie nods slowly-

Brie: That's me, yeah. Sorry we're not meeting under a better circumstance.

Apple-A-Day: See, that's why this costume is useful. It's impossible to be scared or scary if you're completely baffled. I banish fear with my very presence. Uh, you're on a ship called the Stormchaser, communal property of the J-team. I know, I was confused too.

Stormchaser Medbay

-Kai blinks, and squints in an attempt to focus on Amanita's face.-

Kai: ...oh, right...

-...-

-She remembers precisely how much champagne she'd had prior to said meeting, and the subsequent impression she made.-

Kai: ...oh right.

-She hears Kahlia and Brie's voices, and attempts to sit up to look at them.-

-That turns out to be a very bad idea, and she doubles over in a coughing fit before laying back down, trying to catch her breath.-

Stormchaser Medbay

-Kahlia looks concerned at Kai's current state, but focuses on Apple-A-Day, blinking in confusion.-

Kahlia: The Stormchaser... right, I remember that name. Or at least, I think I do. Kai mentioned it, didn't she? Or did she...?

-She groans and clutches her head.-

Kahlia: Urgh, I don't know. I can't think right now. Everything's mixed up, it's so... so...

-...-

Kahlia: I... I remember... the other me... what did she do to me?

Stormchaser Medbay

Amanita: Look at this way, there's nowhere to go but up.

You are gonna want to relax, though. You've got broken ribs and your leg's pretty sliced up, and there's only so much Heal Pulsing you can do in a day unless you want me to drag Every from wherever she's hiding and do that horrific thing she does. So...you know, try and take it easy for a while.

-Apple-A-Day looks to Brie in confusion. Brie doesn't seem to have a much stronger grasp on the situation-

Brie: Other you? Can you elaborate on that?