ITT: We are all Pokémon Trainers

Bishop smirked a bit and turned on a hologram, showing Silas's blue mando armor, "The captain is inclined to agree."

"Hey it's made with real beskar," Silas protested.

Wing

"With what?" Kendall and Kamui asked in unison, before noticing the hologram.

"Huh. Wouldn't have guessed. But, what do I know about what we can access anymore? What even is it?" He asked, looking down at his wrist as residual Obscura seeped from his sleeve.

Silas sighed and dug into his bag, pulling out the helmet from the connected hammerspace within, "Long story but those few months I was out of the universe. I was fighting an interstellar war and I met a tribe of Mandalorian Lucarios, ended up joining. I'm one of them now and I have a ton of Beskar."

Roxy smiled, "He also went on a spiritual journey and has become a lot more confident, his strut is now a swagger."

Silas had a small smile, "Well I'm glad you like the change."

Roxy kissed him on the cheek, "The armor I'm wearing is partially made with the beskar, thin layer to help reduce weight."

Lee House, Soda Corridor

A Normal Mouse Cashier: Okay well fine. But it's the last day of this season, we can handle any alterations after okay? Just leave some feedback in the giftshop and we'll take it into account for the next season's designs.

-Gale takes a deep breath once she's sure that the staffers have gone back to talking amid themselves-

Right, these guys are playing with fire and we need to confront their boss over this.

Galar Mountains

You spend a few moments marveling at the appearance of this humble camp meal before digging in with a voracity just slightly informed by your Burst companion.

"Legends this is good."

Kalos Forest

Yeah. If he's managed to paper things up just passively, then we're in a lot of danger...

-Gale hums and fidgets a little ball of obscura, flowing it between her fingertips-

Upside, hopefully it makes my ink powers stronger. But that's a long shot and not a super good upside. We need to figure out how to get back to the castle and stop that paper prince!

Wyndon Stadium

No!

-A crack in the facade of confidence. A single note of desperation echoes out on the mic. James, for his part, barely clings to consciousness as the sonic onslaught washes over him-

... Agent, U-Turn. Live to faint another day.

-James gives a curt nod and rushes in to deliver the switch-out strike-

Okay. This is bad. ... Do I Dynamax now? It's kind of early but maybe we can sweep a couple... Yeah, just need to hype up the crowd...

-Gale gives a small flourish to set her cape flowing-

A close call, but I think it's time to tap into power unseen in this world!

Edited by Pentigan on Sep 30th 2021 at 12:22:16 AM

Wing

Kamui nodded. "That confidence is something every leader needs."

The look Kendall shot back at his shapeshifted Fire-type told them both how thin the Unovan's skin was. "Fancy," Kendall eventually offered. "Can probably do a lot of armor and weapons smithing with it, from swords to guns, if we're going [Star Wars] and, given Roxy, [Mega Man] with it."

"Beskar-tipped- " Kamui started before pausing. "Nah. Beskar drawstring, though…"

Lee Art Shop

As though summoned by the thought, Kendall drew a calling card for the Thieves. "Just tell me what to say."

"I've only got so much Beskar on hand so I'm trying to be somewhat conservative with it," Silas explained, "Keeping it to family and clan only."

"Which means you two can get a set of Mandacario armor if you want, or use it in a fancy new toy," Roxy clarified, "You're part of his clan."

Wing

"Ah, I don't think I'll need more than a few kilos for a sturdier, stronger drawstring," Kamui considered before pausing. "Actually it's probably worth seeing if it'll melt."

"Yeah, I think I'm good too," Kendall dismissed. "I'll keep in mind what's been done with it if I decide against it, but I don't think I need it when I've got Night Slash and Protect."

Kamui's gloved hand smacked the back of her trainer's head. "Maybe he'll feel it next time if I've got a Beskar gauntlet."

Silas put the helmet away, "Beskar melts, it has a higher melting point than tungsten and is notably denser, it is heavier than iron but more durable than Titanium. It's a rare metal and is used to make the Mando armor, or any tools a Mandacario deems necessary."

Roxy shook her head with a smile, "He's a nerd and fully in this."

"It's part of my culture now, I was adopted into the Way of the Mando."

Bishop rolled his eyes, "A Beskar pullstring, seems interesting. Though the Captain could also make a medium tool that adjusts to your own auric signature."

Silas shot Bishop a look.

Roxy sighed, "Anyways. He's got the Mando thing, I wanted something for myself, especially since Bishop has been running calculations on the likelihood of us uncovering ancient ruins ala Metroid are-"

"Statistically high, not probable but still significantly high," Bishop responded.

Wing

"Better to have and not need, eh?" Kendall considered. "Yeah, I remember Kamui having that conversation with Pent about… their… decision to make a [2B] costume. This is that in reverse, innit?"

Kamui, meanwhile, was lost in thought about what she could do with a drawstring made of Beskar.

Wyndon Stadium

-Emma scowls in annoyance from the counter-sparkles-

Emma: <Perhaps we need a change of strategy.>

Neon: "Right! Psychic!"

-Emma blasts the Togekiss with mental force-

Stormchaser, Chiyo Zone

Jade: "Ah! Ehehe, yeah, I guess I'm new..."

Please don't be weird, please don't be weird, please don't be weird...

???: "I'm here because the people here seem... helpful. Plus this weird airship is surprisingly cozy. Not that I have really anywhere else to go."

Jade: Oh no she's got a weird monotone is that a red flag

Kalos Forest

-Ther tree creaks-

-A good impact will probably knock it over-

"Yep, always good to be prepared. It's why we made those mech units, we've got them stored off at one of our bases for now, they're only really useful for space," Roxy explained.

"Not because the Captain can't handle being second best to his wife in the cockpit of one," Bishop stated, "Clearly not."

Silas... stuck his tongue out in indignation at Bishop, Roxy laughed, "Hey I'm good. But Hacks really makes those drone weapons work."

Silas sighed, "We're getting a bit out there. Roxy's got a new suit of power armor for use outside of the Bolts, much like I've taken to wearing my Mando armor now instead of just dressing up as the Jackal for everything... its... us in a way. My team is ready for anything, and we've handled quite a bit."

Bishop nodded, "Now if only you could get Hacks to do your aura storm move."

"The Kamemea? It's not too hard, the technique is in condensing your aura and the ambient aura around you to a critical point before releasing it."

Roxy sighed and shook her head, shooting Kendal and Kamui a look of amusement.

Wyndon Stadium

Irritated at the Psychic energy halting her motion, a Mystical Fire built up in Pandora's mouth, arcing to encircle and close in on the Hatterene.

Wing Armory

Textspace

Outside

"Ah, you're not exactly wrong," Kamui comforted. "Seriously, Andreas is dope and I'm kinda envious."

"That he is," Kendall allowed, conjuring an illusion of a scale model no bigger than his head to float a short distance beside him.

And then the discussion of the Aura Storm reached their ears.

"So, like Overheat?" Kamui compared, pausing to grip Kendall's shoulder and shake her head as he relaxed his shoulders and the reserves in his jacket stopped flowing.

Edited by AbsentCoder on Sep 29th 2021 at 1:52:08 AM

J-Textspace

Orre, Somewhere In The Desert

-Ludmilla blows the dust off of the old, white TM disc.-

Gelert: <Are you sure that thing still works?>

Ludmilla: The guys at Realgam said it does.

Gelert: <Millie, those are conmen.>

Doomsday: <Technically being a casino owner is not exactly "conning" someone, since it's not like they have any confidence in you.>

Gelert: <Semantics!>

Ludmilla: Alright, let's see if this works. Doomsday?

-The Blissey jumps to attention as Ludmilla applies the TM.-

*BZZT!*DOOMSDAY learned SECRET POWER!

-Doomsday's fur is now all standing on end.-

Doomsday: <Well, it worked, but it had some... residual.>

Gelert: <Oh it can't be that ba->

-The Lycanroc is hit by an arc of static from Doomsday's fur, paralyzing him on the spot.-

Gelert: <Un... pleas... ant...>

-Ludmilla facepalms. Doomsday just laughs before she busts open a Secret Base in a nearby rock face.-

Doomsday: <You've lived way too long with this family to earn ANY sympathy from me for not respecting a half-decent static charge!>

Edited by DuneTheWanderer on Sep 29th 2021 at 3:48:33 AM

"Not overheat per say. It's a big beam move that involves firing a concentrated amount of aura, it takes a bit to charge it and you need to maintain focus to prevent it from blowing up in your face. I've taken to chanting to channel that focus," Silas said.

Hacks leaned in, ~So you claim! I'm still certain it's because you watch too much anime!~

Roxy laughed, "We still need to find somewhere for you to demonstrate."

"Not on board my vessel, that's a recipe for disaster and we got it fixed recently, I don't want to go through that again."

Bishop rolled his head a bit, "Don't worry Captain, we may hit an area soon."

Silas looked to Bishop, "Bishop... where are we going?"

"We're docking with the Stormchaser Sir, I think it's about time we check up on the rest of the team and-"

Roxy pinched the bridge of your nose, "You want to see if Echo is there and if she can help you turn the cargo bay of our ship into a hangar bay..."

Bishop said nothing for a solid minute, before, "Captain I may have a design you may like of a fighter ship that's not a pod fighter mech that you may-"

Silas, rather uncharacteristically, "BISHOP!"

Wing

Kendall and Kamui stagger alike, the illusion of Andreas fading into black.

"Solar Beam, got it," Kamui corrected weakly.

"Or Focus Punch," Kendall offered. "We'll find out soon."

He looked back and Silas and Roxy, startled at the former's facade breaking. "Y-you okay?…"

Silas sighed and waved to Kendall, "Sorry about that," he said, his typical monotone resuming.

Hacks however was smiling, ~Don't mind that, he can show emotion, he just needs... a good push.~

"Captain I still fail to see your point, logically we are advancing and our ship needs better storage, if we could outfit the cargo bay into a proper storage and hangar, we could be more effective in our missions, both for the J-Team and for Asimov," Bishop protested.

Roxy rolled her eyes, "Bishop here is undergoing apparently a theoretical state in Porygons called "Rampancy". He's... different from when he first appeared."

"I am still concerned with the good of the J-Team and the crew, morals still have meaning and generally I do want life to be good for others," Bishop pointed out, "It's just that certain actions I feel are illogical and damaging in the long run as-"

Silas shot Bishop a rather harsh glare, Bishop went quiet, "I will resume proper navigation," he said before vanishing into a wall.

Wing

"That's a new one on me," Kendall admitted. "I mean, back in my 9-to-5 I never really worked with Pories, so what do I know?" He admitted. "But, I really hope it doesn't lead to a [2001] scenario," he comforted. "More in the 'I'm sorry, I can't do that' sense rather than the 'The only way to save the world is to destroy humanity' sense."

Kamui stepped away as Kendall rambled about his things, replacing her helmet and becoming Lamb again. "But, yes, even if we don't know what we'd use the storage for, it pays to have more. Though, would it come at the cost of more expensive maintenance? How would we even expand storage without compromising integrity? I mean, considering mechs like Andreas, they probably have their own storage but…" she shrugged.

Giant's Cap

Cof: That's up to you, witch girl. The important thing is that they choose to sleep, but how you get them to that point is up to you. Remember, if you don't manage it in time... well, have you ever seen Scanners? Basically that.

Glimwood Tangle*

Hoops* grabs Evelyn and pulls her through the doorway made out of trees. As they do the forest melts away into light, and a road of snow stretches out before them with a small campfire built by the edge of the path. It sputters against the cold, but refuses to go out.

Hoops*: Huh. Apparently this is the place where my dad first left me for a week to prove that I could survive in the wilderness. I doubt the stuff here is going to be pleasant.

As soon as they finish their sentence, the sky fills with booming voices that layer on top of each other. "What if I'm not good enough." "What if I can't really grow into my own person." "What if they really just tolerate me." And dozens of other doubts that become a chorus of no self confidence.

Hoops*: Huh. So this is my crippling doubts, represented physically by the time when I felt most hopeless. Excuse me a minute.

They let go of Evelyn's hand and fall to the ground, curling up into a ball and hugging their knees.

"That's the scary thing," Silas noted, "He's still dedicated to making our lives easier, still organizes my schedule, and helps me out. I genuinely believe him when he says he wants to help. He's just... acting different, less restricted by ethics, his end goal is still a greater good, but I worry about what he'll do to get there."

Roxy spoke up, "As for the cargo bay, I've read up on this stuff. We can't increase the Wing anymore in size without complications, however the Stormchaser is rather eldritch. It is far larger inside than it is outside. Bishop wants that technology to be used on the cargo bay to improve storage capacity."

"That said, I'm worried about inviting that technology in as my ancestor used to say, "Life has a sense of humor", and we're well aware of it now," Silas added, "I'm worried that adding on another upgrade is gonna invite troubles and the Wing doesn't have the same protection ward the Stormchaser does."

~So we're trying to reel him in a bit,~ Hacks said.

Wing Hold

Lamb nodded. "What the Team did to make the Stormchaser "eldritch", as you described, was quite an undertaking as well. Sure, it already seemed to have infinite capacity, but it only became truly infinite with Uxie's assistance, didn't it?"

Kendall paused his ramblings, an idea visibly crossing his mind.

Silently, he reached into a Shadow Smear, drawing his infinite backpack. From within he reached in, up to his shoulder despite the pack only going up to his knees. With a bit of effort, he drew his Nameless Longsword, looking at Silas with a look that said, "oh yeah."

"But it's not technology," he conceded, returning the blade to the backpack and slinging it over his shoulders. "It's an enchantment from that store with the stupid name I came up with."

Kalos Forest, August 31st

Makoto: -Slashes at the branch with Iron Tail-

Wyndon Stadium, September 16th

Hendrix: -Is hit as he waits for the next mon to appear

Stormchaser, yesterday

Chiyo: -To Jade and ???, smiling- Well I'm Chiyo, and you two are?

-??? and Jade may notice the color of their eyes-

Stormchaser, today

Circhester

Kim: (smiles) "Well done. I would expect nothing less from them."

(And then the "IT WON'T STOP FLUSHING!" happens. Everybody giggles, even Walter, and Braker focuses his camera on Stonjourner.)

Spikemuth Gym Battle

(Kim grins.)

Kim: "Alright, Dio! Let's finish this up! Use Slash!"

Dio: (nods) <Right!>

(He promptly raises his claw into the air, and then turns to the Toxicroak.)

Dio: <Alright, Toxicroak! Time for you to GO DOWN-!>

(Marnie's Toxicroak just smirks.)

Toxicroak: <Heh... What are you going to do to me, huh? You've been obviously scarred for life; I can see it on your face; there's no way you could possibly—>

(But he is eventually cut off by the sight of a glowing white claw coming straight towards him and slashing him in the face, before eventually grabbing him by the neck and throwing him down to the ground. All the while, Dio is looking down at the Toxicroak with a glare on his face. A cloud of dust eventually goes up from where the Toxicroak was thrown, and as Dio's claw stops glowing it, he stares down at it in shock.)

Dio: <W-whoa... What was that...?>

(Meanwhile, Elton, Freddie, and Jagger all look on.)

Freddie: (unable to believe it) <That— that wasn't Slash...>

Elton: <That was...!>

Jagger:    <Ohohohohohohohoho~! Peechee's gonna LOVE this~!>   

(Kim, meanwhile...)

Kim: "Holy crap... Dio, I... I think that was Guillotine."

DIO THE GLISCOR

NEW MOVE LEARNED: GUILLOTINE

(Dio looks on in shock, as he realizes what this means.)

Dio: <Then... that means...>

(He turns back to face the Toxicroak, who, predictably, is lying on the ground with swirls in his eyes.)

Toxicroak: (weakly) <You got me...>

(Marnie looks on in shock, then smirks, while Dio's eyes light up.)

Dio: <I... I won...>

(And then he grins— and then laughs as it fully comes to him.)

Dio: <I WON~! WE DID IT~!>

(Delighted, he glides over and hugs his Trainer, who smiles, and then hugs him back. After a bit, Dio pulls out of the hug, and then:)

Dio: <WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY—!>

KIMBERLY BOND HAS DEFEATED MARNIE'S TOXICROAK

MARNIE HAS THREE POKEMON LEFT

Hammerlocke Stadium Entrance Room

(The man at the front stares at them.)

Man at entrance: "T-Together? A triple battle?"

Kim: "Indeed. We made it this far, so we figured "why not"?

(The man at the entrance blinks for a moment, then nods.)

Man at entrance: "Very well, then! I'm sure that Raihan will be very interested by the news of his first triple battle. You may go and get changed into your uniforms in the changing room, and then head to the vault for the Gym mission."

Kim: (nods) "Right." (She turns to face Braker.) "Braker, you can stay here."

(Braker nods, and Kim heads for the changing room. The man at the entrance suddenly turns to face Braker.)

Man at entrance: "Oh? Are you here for the Gym Challenge, too?"

(Braker shakes his head.)

Braker: "No, I'm here to record it for newscasting purposes."

Man at entrance: "Ah." (beat, he notices Cuddles) "Your Galvantula is very cute."

Braker: "Thank you."

Cuddles: <Hello! My name is Cuddles~! Would you like a hug?>

(beat, the man doesn't speak Monese)

Braker: (translating) "He wants to know if you'd like to recieve a hug."

Man at entrance: "O-oh! Certainly."

Cuddles: <Yaaaaaay~!>

(He promptly jumps up into the entrance man's arms and hugs him. The man promptly hugs him back— and the instant he does...)

Man at entrance: "My word... he's so soft and fluffy..."

MEANWHILE IN THE CHANGING ROOMS

(As Kim is busy getting changed, she turns to face Ian and Evelyn.)

Kim: "So, Ian... Evelyn... this is it. Our last Gym Battle before the League."

(She smiles, and then looks over at them.)

Kim: "I must ask, will you be in attendance for the League Battles?"

Ersatz Alliance

(At this, Ingrid's face falls a bit.)

Ingrid: "Oh. So you don't have anything." (she pauses) "Well then, in that case, I'd be delighted to try on something for fun."

Silas pulled out his pDroid and clicked it on, the ever familiar holographic display appearing, he scrolled through and brought up blueprints, "This is what Bishop proposes. He says "only this and no more" but I swear he wanted to keep far more technology from the Parallel World."

The diagram showed the improved space of the Wing via the spatial generator, the cargo bay was neat and cordoned off, with clear roads past what looked to be a hangar section with docking slots for the Mechs, as well as a space for a rover and what looked to be a space for a fighter.

Roxy's power suit clicked and hissed as she climbed out, "Yeah, it's... pretty weird."

"Power generation wouldn't be a problem apparently, as those generators work off of background radiation of existence, the "ambient noise of Arceus," as Bishop put it," Silas explained, "I honestly do want this, but I know how my life goes. If I get something nice, useful, and makes me happy, then something else is waiting around the corner to sucker punch me when I'm not looking."

Roxy sighed, "So, we're in a bind and are trying to ease Bishop off the idea."

Hacks rolled his eyes, ~Honestly while I get your position, I say at least do it.~

Wing

"Honestly, given how half the J-Team's shenanigans go," Kendall started. "We're going to have one big consequence from the thing, with the rest of the Team pitching in to clean up the mess," he added. "And by the time it's over we're likely gonna have more than the goodie we started with.

"Consider when the sky ripped apart," he started, reaching into his pocket. "I got this little trophy of the whole thing." He drew his Beast Ball.