Roxy returned the kiss, quite enthusiastically, Silas watching on. She pulled away with a grin. Silas coughed and Roxy laughed, she looked to Iris and Coil. "Relationships, ain't they fun?"
Silas sighed. "Anyways, we've been busy with other things recently. I am getting close to finding the proper hideout of... well you know. I may need to call upon you for assistance," he told them.
Not A Lawyer
Hammerlocke, Banquet Hall - Halloween Party
-Alice pulls away from Roxy and looks to Silas, her expression becoming more serious.-
Alice: Of course. I'd be happy to assist. Just give the word, and I'll be there at your side.
-She turns to Coil and Iris.-
Alice: As it so happens, dealing with those organisations that spun out of or were adjacent to Cipher is our speciality. I think we might be able to help one another.
Minstrel: Are there perhaps particular persons you percieve to be participating in such pitiless practices?
-Lucius makes a bitter barking noise that isn't quite laughter.-
Lucius: Then it's not really murder, is it? It's self-defence. Manslaughter or some shit. Which honestly sounds worse than murder, but it's not. A proper murder you do have to plot. But hey, half the people we let near us have done worse! If only Cipher had realised that they just need to say they're our friends and make some half-hearted apologies for all that slavery and torture, we never would've stood a fuckin' chance.
-He tilts his head at Kai.-
Lucius: ...Are you sure you're okay? I know I'm a lightweight and all, but I drink a lot, so I'm used to it, whereas you look like shi- uh, shot. Like you've had a lot of shots. That's a thing people say, right?
Circhester Outskirts
-The girl hanging around the edge of town could be any Galarian teen recently released from school. Dark of skin and hair, clad in a black blazer and skirt over tights, she makes for an entirely unassuming figure. Anyone who looks a little more closely might notice that her uniform doesn't match any local school's, or the distinctive shade of her eyes, but why would they? Nobody even gives her a second glance.-
-She doesn't look towards Niobium, should he make himself known. Even so, he hears a voice in his head, sharp and disdainful.-
Bela: ~You're late.~
Edited by Herbert40k on Nov 21st 2021 at 10:23:18 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.
See ya
Circhester Outskirts
-Nio, meanwhile, is dressed exactly the same as the other day.-
Niobium: ~No, you're just early.~
-He stops a good distance away from her.-
~What's our next move, O great mentor?~
I'm done here.
Flying Colors
Hammerlocke Halloween Hall
Kai: ...Mmh. I— I need to be... a forgiving person. It's so fucking easy to do some shit if I'm not. I dunno, maybe that's gonna kill me, but. Mh.
-She notices her hands shaking, and sets down her glass and plate so as to not spill anything.-
Kai: ...Gods, you really are telling me I'm a wreck, huh? It must be bad, if it's coming from you. Heh.
Not A Lawyer
Hammerlocke, Banquet Hall - Halloween Party
-Lucius gives another bitterly-tinged chuckle at Kai's remark.-
Lucius: Heh. You're a better person than I am, in that case. 'Cause that shit that'd be so easy to do? It's on my mind constantly, as of late. Just... I dunno. I can't seem to help the people I love any other way, so maybe I'd be better off removing the source of some of the hurt.
-He shrugs.-
Lucius: Anyway, it's not like I'm in any position to throw stones. I'm a fuckin' mess too, you just can't tell because I've slathered myself in glam makeup and tight latex pants and a shitton of vodka. Whereas you... you always manage to look like you have it together. Maybe it's just because we've known each other for so long that I can tell otherwise.
Circhester Outskirts
-Bela scoffs at Niobium, glancing southwards in the direction of the Hotel Ionia.-
Bela: ~I did a survey of the hotel from the exterior earlier. Dinair is in the penthouse suite, accompanied by an eight-man security team. As unattended minors, we're likely to attract attention if we simply walk in through the front door, but I can easily create a perception filter or charm a convenient adult.~
-She grimaces.-
Bela: ~For some reason, though, the Counselor wants you to take the lead.~
Edited by Herbert40k on Nov 21st 2021 at 10:48:37 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.
Priest of the Temple of Syrinx
Turffield Stadium
(The Eldegoss smirks... and then Bitey suddenly pops out of the ground, knocking back the Eldegoss in the process...)
Bitey: <You're it!>
(...which, thanks to Bitey's Hyper Cutter ability giving him massive attack, is a critical hit, allowing the Eldegoss to slam into the wall. A cloud of dust goes up, and when it fades, the Eldegoss is on his side with swirls in his eyes.)
Eldegoss: (weakly) <W-what?! How in the world...?!>'']]
(Bitey steps backwards upon seeing the fainted Eldegoss.)
Bitey: <Huh...?> (beat, then) <Uh-oh... I think I did something wrong again...>
Ingrid: (smiling) "No, Bitey. You did great."
Bitey: (beat) <I did? Yay~!>
(He jumps up and affectionately bites Ingrid's head, causing her— and the Drifloon watching from behind her— to laugh.)
Ananpi: (beat, then) <...Well! Seems the only crazy strategy that was needed here was 'have an extremely high base attack stat because somehow Trapinch are as strong as Flygon,' am I right? note Thanks for that clarification, offscreen head voice! Anyways! Bitey has- somehow- defeated Milo's Eldegoss, meaning now it's two down, and... how many to go? note Three! Right! Thanks for that, chuu~!>
INGRID ANDERSON HAS DEFEATED MILO'S ELDEGOSS
MILO HAS THREE POKEMON LEFT
Circhester Stadium Stands
Cuddles: <Whoa~! This battle just got more awesome~!>
Braker: "This is intriguing."
Kim: "Something tells me it's about to get even more so."
Spikemuth Entrance
(Kim smiles a bit.)
Kim: "...it's Grohl you should probably thank, really, but."
Braker: "I must admit, though, that 'Pretender' performance had me on the edge of my seat."
Cuddles: <And I can't believe that both Freddie AND Geddy evolved! That was incredible~!>
Kim: "It certainly was, wasn't it? Anyways." (She turns to face Ian and Evelyn.) "I believe you two are next?"
Flying Taxi
(Upon hearing the story, Kim's eyes go wide with shock.)
Kim: "...oh. Oh my. I had no idea that any of that happened. I'm really glad to see that the ritual worked and that Hoops is doing well, but..."
(And then the Hyper Voice.)
Wyndon Stadium
Kim: "Ah. We're here. Well, then."
(She gets off of the Flying Taxi.)
Kim: "Thank you very much."
(And then she heads off to the entrance.)
Wyndon Stadium
(She enters, and finds Hoops there.)
Kim: "...Hoops? Is that you?"
Lee House
(It takes a bit for Braker to rise after the aftermath of the Legendary Facepalm, but eventually, he does, and so do Walter, Cuddles, and Romea. Cuddles in particular is absolutely terrified, shaking and in tears.)
Braker: "Urgh... w-what was that?"
Romea: <Isn't it obvious? He facepalmed.>
Braker: "Yes, I know that, Romea, but... that was certainly unlike anything else I've ever seen before." (he mutters to himself) "First the darkness powers, and now this..."
Walter: <I am... somewhat curious as to how he was able to do that.>
Cuddles: (crying) <...!>
Braker: (turns around) "Cuddles? What's wrong...?"
Cuddles: (crying, looking around) <D-did he... w-was that... I... I hope everyone's okay...! I just... i-it's just that...>
Braker: (kneeling down) "What is it?"
Cuddles: (sniff) <...I feel so bad for them...! T-they didn't mean to do a-anything wrong! I-it's like they said... t-they wanted to help Kamui, too... a-and now Kamui's sad a-and she's taking it out on them and... and I...>
(Cuddles bursts into tears. Braker goes up and holds him, rubbing his back— and then he hears the officer.)
Braker: "Oh. Yes, we are. I... do apologize that you had to witness that." (beat) "I believe you are right, we should probably be taking our leave now."
(He turns to face the rest of the group.)
Braker: "Goodbye, everyone."
(And with that said, Braker, Walter, and Romea head outside, with Cuddles still crying in Braker's arms- unaware that Kamui has given in and returned herself.)
OUTSIDE OF THE LEE HOUSE
(Cuddles is still shaking and sobbing.)
Cuddles: (through tears) <W-what about Kamui...? A-and Ian...? A-and Evelyn...?>
Braker: (soothingly) "They'll be fine, I'm sure."
Cuddles: <...I... I- I don't want Kamui to hurt them...>
Braker: "I know."
Cuddles: (sniffle) <S-should we... s-should we go back inside...?>
Walter: <I don't know if that would be a wise decision.>
Cuddles: (in tears) <B-but... I... I want to help them... t-they look like they need it...>
Braker: "Cuddles..."
Cuddles: (sobs)
Braker: (pets his back)
Cuddles: <...>
Braker: "..."
Cuddles: (still in tears) <...w-what was that, Lenny...? W-why did Kendall cause an earthquake...? T-that... that scared me...>
Braker: "I know. But it's alright. You're safe now."
Cuddles: (in tears, looking down) <I... I guess so...>
(He takes a tearful glance towards the Lee House— and then his PokeBall.)
Spooky House
Oh... I'll gladly oblige.
(And the room promptly grows bigger.)
Kim's Room
(Kim promptly hears the door behind her lock shut, causing her to jump a bit. She looks around herself for a few moments, and notices two things immediately. First of all, the room is extremely dark. The only thing illuminating itself is a single lamp light sitting on a desk, along with a few pieces of paper, a laptop, and a pair of headphones attached to the laptop. The second thing she notices is a clock on the wall reading 2:00:00. Instantly, her heartbeat starts to get a bit faster, but she shakes off her fears and approaches the desk.)
Kim: (to herself) "A-Alright, Kim. It's fine. You have two hours, that should be plenty of time to accomplish... whatever it is you have to do." (She sits down in the chair.) "Let's see now..."
(Her attention turns to the papers on the desk, which are written with a bunch of symbols and text. There are a few pictures of things on one of the pieces of paper- a smaller piece of paper, a clock, a water bottle— which are, presumably, the things on the paper in that language. She examines the pieces of paper, and instantly her face relaxes.)
Kim: (to herself) "Ah. It's a language of some kind. N-nothing you can't handle, Kimberly, you've done this kind of thing before... let's see what's on the laptop."
(She opens it up, at which point a message glances on her screen.)
So... you claimed to be a "lingual consultant" for the longest time, eh?
(The mention of her self-proclaimed job title causes Kim's eyes to widen.)
Yes... a fake job that doesn't even exist. What a shame. It's a good thing you recognized what you really were- a philologist- before it was too late. But now... I'd like to offer you a chance to redeem yourself for all the lies you told in the past. Your goal is simple. You see those pieces of paper with all that crazy text on them? I want you to decode them. I want you to decode what cannot be decoded, to translate what many have deemed impossible. I've even provided some... music to help you.
You have two hours. Good luck.
(And the clock on the wall begins to count down. Kim mulls over the words for a moment, glancing down at the pieces of paper.)
Kim: "'Decode what cannot be decoded'? What in the world could he possibly mean by tha—"
(And then it hits her, and she looks down at the paper again to find a message reading:)
▼∞ √♠♫ ↨• ♥♠♀■♦:≥√ →Ω:∞√, ▓:∞é♠♫éé☣■√:≥▼! √♠♫ ↨☣ →Ω:∞√ ♥'♠■♦:≥√:≥▼ ♥♠♀■♦:≥√ éé§≈∞♫☣▓:≥♫√é•√:≥▼, ☣√ ☣▼■♦:≥√:≥▼ →Ω:∞√ ¶☣:≥ •∞≈:≥ √♠♫ ♥• •≥ √ééé•♦:≥▼.
(And then, underneath that:)
☣◙☼é∞▼♣ ♫☣§: ∞ •♀ ♫∞♀▓☣♦é§ ▓♠◙≈ ∞ ☣◙Ω♠§ ☼♠é≈-▓≥☼ ▓§ ☣≈☼•♦ •éé☣◙ ■♠☣ √♣☣ •▓♠±☣ ¶•éé ♠♂ √☣♪√ ∞▼ •◙ •é■♣•é♠☼♠☼♦•■♣§ ♂♠♦ √♣☣ ≥▓☣▼☣ é•◙☼≥•☼☣
Kim: "Wait a second... i-is this... is this UBESE?!"
Braker's Room
(Braker promptly hears the door behind him lock, but unlike Kim, it doesn't really seem to faze him all that much. He glances up at the clock on the wall in front of him, which reads 2:00:00, and again, unlike Kim, it doesn't seem to faze him all that much. He proceeds to take a look around himself, and soon sees that he is in a room fashioned to look like a standard newsroom. Braker looks around and smiles.)
Braker: "Well. This test should be fairly easy." (He walks up behind the desk.) "It's news reporting; you've done this before."
(He goes up to the desk and proceeds to pick up a stack of papers, before eventually a teleprompter TV rolls up in front of him. Words suddenly begin to scroll on it.)
Good evening, Braker.
Let's start with the fact that your main priority is the facts. The truth. The uncomfortable truth. You've become so obsessed with telling the real stories, the true stories, that you've forgotten what's really in front of you.
Braker: (smirks) "Have I? Cuddles taught me there's good in the world."
So I have a bit of a test for you. I'm going to have you read off a variety of news stories... about your own Pokemon. Your goal is simple. Identify the truths and the lies.
Braker: "Oh? This should be interesting."
...Well, I hope you're ready for the truths you might find.
(And the screen turns to static as the clock begins to tick. Braker nods.)
Braker: "Bring it on."
Paul's Room
(Paul enters his room and hears the door behind him lock shut. It doesn't seem to faze him all that much, of course, and he flies forward into the room, not even taking notice of the clock on the wall. The room is fashioned similarly to Kim's- there is nothing there, barring a desk, with a radio on it, as well as a Volcarona. A single light illuminates the desk.)
Random Volcarona: <Well, well, well. Paul the Butterfree. Have a seat; I had a feeling I was expecting you here.>
Paul: (slightly confused, flying over to the chair) <...You did? But you're not- you aren't a Psychic-type; you're Bug-Fire.>
Volcarona: <You know what I mean! Anyways. Let's begin, shall we?>
(The Volcarona flies over to the radio and hits "Play." In an instant, "Come Together" by the Beatles starts to play— the first track off of the [Beatles]' famous [Abbey Road] album. Paul lights up immediately.)
Paul: <You're playing [Abbey Road]?!>
Volcarona: <Indeed. Your task is simple. Listen to the whole thing.>
Paul: <Oh, that's easy! I'll be able to do that!>
Volcarona: <Yes, you certainly will... a shame that Kimberly Bond never did that for you.>
Paul: (beat) <Huh...?>
(And then the clock starts.)
Sinatra's Room
(Sinatra enters his room, and as the door behind him shuts he jumps a bit in shock, before rubbing his head in annoyance.)
Sinatra: <Dear Arceus! Stop bein' so loud, why don'tcha?!> (He sighs, then looks around.) <Hey, wait a second, where in the name of Arceus am I?!>
(As it turns out, his room is a massive, white, padded isolation chamber, albeit one filled with stuffed animals of Pokemon rather than the real deal. Sinatra rolls his eyes a bit at the toys— and then he notices the massive karaoke chamber sitting in the middle of the room. Instantly, he lights up and runs over to it, before grabbing the mic.)
Sinatra: <ALRIGHT~! Now that's what I'm talking 'bout! Lookie here, a karaoke machine! Perfect!> (he turns it on) <Can't wait to see what songs they have...>
(But instead of songs, a message appears on the screen:)
Ahhh, yes. Sinatra. You really are the pinnacle of not appreciating your life to the fullest, eh? Yes, you may abide by your namesake's best-known song more than anything else, but we'll see just how much that confidence of yours can shatter in an instant.
Sinatra: (immediately incensed) <What was that ya said about Frankie?! What was that ya said about how I live my life?!>
Here's the thing, Sinatra. If we truly want to see if you're living your life to the fullest like you so claim, we're going to need to take away the one thing you love most. An audience. Your challenge? Sing 60 of these little ditties to nothing but a group of stuffed toys. We'll see just how well you fare then...
(And the clock starts, as the message fades out before the screen changes to a more standard karaoke screen. Sinatra glares over at the message.)
Sinatra: <If you're tryin' ta break me, it ain't gonna work, just tellin' ya that right now.>
(He notices the songs in front of him.)
Sinatra: <Now... let's see which one we'll start with tonight.>
Dio's Room
CW: knives, torture, abuse implications
(The door to Dio's room locks shut, and as he goes inside he notices a battlefield standing in front of him. Immediately, he glides up to it.)
Dio: <I get to battle Pokemon?! SWEET-! This is awesome!>
(And then he looks up and sees the massive jumbotron in front of him begin to display words on its screen:)
Yes, we know you find battling fun. But it's a shame, really. All your desires, all of your love of battling, stems solely from one thing.
Him.
Dio: <...what? Y-you mean my old Trainer? I-I'm past him now; I swear.>
Sure you are. Don't think I didn't see what happened after New Year's. You may claim you're past him, but deep down, you're still afraid. So I've proposed a test solely for you. The challenge is simple. You'll be faced with ten Pokemon. And you have to fight them all in two hours' time.
Dio: <Oh! Well, that sounds easy->
All while an old friend of yours is watching you.
Dio: (looks around frantically) <H-huh? W-what?! What do you mean, an old->
???: "Hello there, weakling."
(And Dio's eyes go wide, and he turns hesitantly, shaking, towards the source of the voice— a man, in silhouette, carrying a massive knife. This, clearly, is an illusion of Dio's old Trainer.)
Dio: (shaking his head, fearfully) <H-he... he's not here... y-you d-didn't— t-this is all just an illusion, right...?!>
(And then the man steps forward, grins, and holds the knife up.)
Dio: <GAH-! No... nononononononono—>
Your first opponent will be here shortly. Good luck.
(And the jumbotron's words fade out, and Dio frantically looks between the illusion of his old Trainer and the spotlight in front of him where the opponent is as the clock starts.)
Kaylan's Room
CW: drills, implied head mutilation, humorous torture
(The first thing that Kaylan immediately notices when he enters the room is a massive buffet filled with food sitting there and waiting for him. In the center of it all is, of course, a plate full of marshmallows. Almost immediately, Kaylan lights up and runs over to the huge chair in front of him.)
Kaylan: <Wow...! D-do I have to eat all of this? It looks so yummy...!>
(His mouth begins to water as he sits in the chair and moves closer to the food... and then all of a sudden giant massive braces made of gum start emerging from the chair, binding his legs. This is then followed by the sounds of two ice-cream-cone drills heading towards him. Kaylan looks around, frantic.)
Kaylan: <W-what?! What is this...?! A-am I supposed to eat all this before->
(And then it hits him.)
Kaylan: <Oh dear... this is the SAW drill chair, isn't it? I-I'm going to get my head mutilated, aren't I?>
(And then, as if to confirm it, the clock goes off.)
Geddy's Room
CW: reverse bear trap, illusions of torture
(Geddy enters his room and glances around, somewhat confused as to why he only sees a massive stage in front of him.)
Geddy: <Oh? I... didn't expect it to be so barren in here. Am I just going to sing or something? That doesn't sound so bad, really.>
(And then he notices two doors in front of them. One of them reads DO NOT ENTER. The other one reads ALSO DO NOT ENTER.)
Geddy: <Oh! Well that sounds easy enough.>
So you'd think.
Geddy: (glances around) <Huh? Who said that...?>
(But then he suddenly hears it: activity begins behind the doors. Behind one of the doors, a voice is heard, along with screaming.)
Kimberly Bond's Voice: (screaming like a madman) "HELP ME-!! HELP! HELP!"
Geddy: (alarmed immediately) <K-Kim?! A-are you alright?! I-I'll help you!>
(He goes over to the door— and then hears a cavalcade of voices coming from the other door, along with a blazing fire. Geddy turns his head, and then:)
Kaylan's Voice: <AAAAHHH-!>
Joel's Voice: <I don't think puttin' it out's gonna work...!>
Freddie's Voice: <ELTON...! I DON'T WANT TO DIE—!!>
Boseman's Voice: <...I don't know if even Flash Fire could withstand this.>
Orwell's Voice: <HELP US—!>
Geddy: (now more alarmed) <Oh no... not my friends, too!> (He runs over to the door on the right.) <Hang on...! I'll help you! I- I can help both of you, right?>
(And then he suddenly hears a maniacal laugh, and feels a spotlight come down on him.)
Not this time, I'm afraid. It's either them...
(And then a silly-looking reverse bear trap lands on his head.)
Or yourself.
(Geddy looks around, starting to get nervous from the spotlight.)
Geddy: <H-huh?! W-what do you...?> (and then he sees what's on him in a mirror) <...Oh no...>
(And the clock goes off.)
Freddie's Room
CW: mock execution
(Elton and Freddie both enter the room together, and as soon as he hears the door lock behind him- and sees the clock on the wall- Freddie jumps.)
Freddie: <GAH-!> (He covers his head with his grippers.) <W-we... we can't get out?! A-and we only have two hours?!>
Elton: <It's fine, Freddie! You 'ave me 'ere, don't you? Two hours is plenty of time; we'll get out o' 'ere!>
Freddie: (glancing around the room nervously) <I... I don't know if we will...>
(And then all of a sudden a door opens, and a Dusknoir steps out from it. Immediately, Freddie hesitantly stands in front of Elton, shielding him.)
Freddie: <L-look out, Elton...! I think it's out to get us...!>
Dusknoir: <...You're both here?>
Elton: <We sure are! 'Ello there, Dusknoir! Are you up for a ba'le?>
Dusknoir: <No... but I would like to see you.>
Elton: (glances over at Freddie) <A-are you sure?>
Dusknoir: <Yes. I'd like you outside.>
Elton: <Oh... okay.> (He goes over to the Dusknoir, and Freddie's eyes promptly widen.) <'Opefully it's a ba'lefield... wouldn't really want it to be anything else.> (He waves at Freddie.) <Bye, Freddie.>
Freddie: (running up to the door as it closes) <No! NONONONONONONO—!>
(But it shuts before he can grab it. And then locks. Freddie's eyes grow wide, and he immediately heads to the window— but it shuts before he can look outside. On the wall, the 2-hour clock starts, and Freddie starts shaking.)
Freddie: (starting to panic) <They... they're not... please tell me they're not...>
(And then, he hears it.)
Dusknoir: <Alright, we have a few final questions to ask you...>
(And Freddie's eyes shoot open as they realize what they are about to do to Elton.)
Orwell's Room
CW: psychological torture
(Orwell enters his room, and much like Kim and Paul, doesn't find much, save for a movie theater seat, a bucket full of popcorn and candy, and a massive telescreen, along with headphones.)
Orwell: <A telescreen...?!> (beat, then with delight) <Am I viewing a record?! This is tripleplusgood! I uncan pause to start!>
(He promptly sits down in the movie theatre seat and grabs the bucket full of popcorn and candy- before noticing the headphones.)
Orwell: <Oh? Earsounds? This is going to be funful!>
(And then the film starts, and the following words appear on the screen:)
The following film does not require a warning. Your test is simple. We will play 1984.
(And the minute he hears the name of the film, Orwell's eyes go wide.)
Orwell: <You are—?!>
And your challenge is to watch all of it.
Orwell: <Oh, that is-> (and then it hits him) <Uh-oh...>
(He then looks around, and WE ARE WATCHING YOU posters appear out of nowhere, all of them with the face of a Grumpig— and a Boltund— on them. Orwell notices the Boltund, and his eyes go wide.)
Orwell: <D-Dalt...?! No... no, this uncan be... he uncould have grouped the—>
(And then the movie begins to start— and the clock goes off. Orwell's face slowly turns to face the screen with a look of abject horror as a single word appears on it:)
1984
Joel's Room
(Joel enters the room and doesn't even flinch when it locks. He looks up at the clock on the wall.)
Joel: <Hmmmm...?>
(He shrugs his shoulders and continues onward— before eventually coming to what appears to be a huge maze, filled to the brim with needles.)
Joel: <Hmm. Don't think this looks too bad, to be honest.>
(He begins to enter the maze, and the clock begins.)
Dave's Room
(Dave and Gallag both enter their room, and glance around— only to find a massive battlefield in front of them.)
Gallag: <Woah... Why're they puttin' us in a battlefield, dude? They know we don't like to fight.>
Dave: (gravely) <Aye... unless they're tryin' sometin' on us.>
Gallag: (shrugs) <Ah, well. Guess I'll just sit here if that's the case.>
(And then a jumbotron is lowered down in front of both of them. Words suddenly appear on it.)
So... we've got two pacifists in the same room, do we? Wasn't expecting that. Well, whatever. I can still do this with two of you. Your challenge is simple. I've arranged a series of puzzles for you two to solve. Get them right, and you're free. But get any one of them wrong... and you're going to have to be forced to fight.
Gallag: <What?! H-how are you going to make us do that, dude?!>
Dave: <YA BLOODY FLUTE WOT DA HELL IS WRONG WIT' YA! YA KNOW WE DON' LIKE TA FIGHT, DONTCHA?!>
Like I said. Forced to fight. You have no choice. You have two hours; the puzzles will begin shortly. Good luck.
(And the screen changes to a loading screen as the clock goes off. Gallag turns to face Dave with a look of horror.)
Gallag: <I... I don't think I like the sound of this...>
Dave: <Neither do I. But lucky for you! I'm good at this kind o' thing! I'll be able to solve these easily!>
Gallag: <I hope so, dude, 'cause I don't think I could.>
(Dave just glares over at the screen, ready.)
Ozzy's Room
(Ozzy immediately flies into his room, not even noticing the door locking behind him. In front of him, he sees a complete mess of a room, with things scattered everywhere. He shakes his head.)
Ozzy: <Oh, for the love of Arceus note ...>
(He flies over to the room and begins to clean up all of the garbage that is on the floor, before he hears the TV suddenly turn on.)
Ozzy: <What was that?!>
(And the following words appear on the screen:)
Well, I'm sure you've figured out the test by now, haven't you? Clean up this very messy room... or so you'd think it was that simple. You see, there's one thing I forgot to mention. Two things, actually. One, there are hidden Goldbug codes everywhere, and you'll have to find and solve them, and two...
(And then seconds later, "Crazy Train" begins to blare. Very, very, VERY loudly. Ozzy immediately glares at the TV.)
...we'll be blaring music directly into your ears. Good luck.
(The clock goes off, and Ozzy starts shaking his head.)
Ozzy: <Are they really that stupid...?!>
(He starts to fly over to a corner of the room and begins to clean up the massive amount of garbage there.)
Dalt's Room
(The minute that Dalt enters his room, he catches a scent, and begins sniffing at the air and at the ground relentlessly.)
Dalt: <Is that... is that STEAK-?!>
(He happily runs forwards, delighted as all heck, and then he hears a familiar voice on the other side of a door in front of him.)
Kimberly Bond's Voice: "Dalt~!"
Dalt: <Kim~!>
(The door opens, and what appears to be Kimberly Bond steps through the door, carrying a massive juicy steak. Delighted, Dalt wags his tail and begins jumping up in the air.)
Dalt: <You're okay! I knew you'd make it out of there alive! Is that steak for me~?>
("Kim" sets down the steak and goes over to pet Dalt.)
"Kim": "Awww, aren't you such a good boy...?"
(And upon hearing this, Dalt tilts his head.)
Dalt: <Yes! I am a good boy! I- wait... can you still understand me?>
"Kim": "Okay, Dalt, I have this big, juicy steak for you!" (She takes out a knife and fork.) "Let's eat!"
Dalt: <Yay! Steak time~!!>
("Kim" is just about to start cutting into the steak with a knife and fork when all of a sudden, her phone begins to ring. Frantically, she takes it out.)
"Kim": "Oh, no...! I forgot!"
Dalt: <Huh? What's wrong?>
"Kim": (to herself) "I have a two-hour meeting at the Trainer's School that I have to go to!" (She turns to face Dalt.) "I'm sorry, Dalt, I'll see you later. I have to go now. Don't eat the steak until I get back, okay?"
Dalt: <Okay~!>
"Kim": "Alright, Dalt, bye~!"
(Dalt sniffs at "Kim"- and then tilts his head in confusion. "Kim" runs out the door and locks it, and soon afterwards, the clock begins to strike. Dalt looks up at it, and then over at the steak.)
Dalt: <That's weird... that didn't smell like Kim...> (he shrugs) <Ah, it's fine, right? It's not gonna be that long! I will wait here and not eat the steak, because I am a good boy!>
(beat, he finds himself staring over at it, and lays down sadly)
Dalt: <It looks so good, though...>
Peechee's Room
CW: Ludovico Technique
(Peechee enters his room— and sees an entire plate full of chocolate chip cookies in front of him, along with a TV screen. His eyes instantly go wide, and he runs over to the cookies in excitement.)
Peechee: (happily) <Peecheens?! Zammechat~! I can't wait to—>
(And then all of a sudden he finds himself being grabbed, thrown in a chair, and having headgear strapped to him— which promptly forces open his eyes. Soon afterwards, words appear on the screen in front of him, and a Porygon begins to come into view.)
Not yet, Peechee. First things first... we have to clear all of those violent thoughts out of your brain.
(And Peechee's eyes promptly glow red at this.)
Peechee: <WHAT'S WRONG WITH KOPATTING BITVAS?! DID YOU SERIOUSLY MESS THAT I ACTUALLY WANTED TO OOBIVAT ANYBODY?!>
Then we'll feed you the cookies. For now, though... I'd say it's time we give you... LUDOVICOOOOOOO-!
Peechee: (incensed) <WHAT?!>
(And then the images fade out, the Porygon pushes the tray of cookies over to Peechee... and videos of Yamper and Skitty playing and Ludicolo dancing appear on the screen as the clock begins counting down. Peechee stares at the screen in front of him in confusion for a few moments, and then:)
Peechee: <...I don't mess this is how the Ludovico technique works...>
(He immediately takes a few cookies and puts them in his mouth.)
Gilmour's Room
(Gilmour enters the room and glances around nervously, not even saying a word— before eventually he sees multiple glowing purple eyes emerge out of the darkness. His eyes go wide, and he starts shaking and looking around, as multiple Galarian Yamask float over to him... carrying a set of [Zener] cards. Gilmour relaxes slightly- but his eyes still fill up with fear as the clock begins to count down.)
Gilmour: <T-this... this is... exactly as I feared...>
Boseman's Room
(Boseman proceeds to enter his room and, upon looking around, doesn't really seem to find much.)
Boseman: <Well. This is intriguing.>
(And then:)
???: <I beg to differ.>
(Boseman immediately turns and finds himself face-to-face with... himself. He blinks.)
Boseman: <...Well. It appears that whoever was speaking to us beforehand can make doubles of ourselves. Why are you here, other me? I hope you're not looking for a challenge.>
Second Boseman: <Oh, I certainly am. I'm here to challenge your very name.>
Boseman: <...I guarantee you that whatever you say to me, I'll already know.>
Second Boseman: <Oh, will you now?>
Boseman: <Indeed.>
(The clock goes off.)
Second Boseman: <We'll see about that.>
Jagger's Room
(Jagger and Strummer enter the room— and find themselves face-to-face with illusions of all of Kimberly Bond's other Pokemon. Jagger looks around and blinks, then:)
Jagger: <Already?! Man, you guys must have solved those puzzles quick!>
(The clock starts going off.)
Strummer: (glancing up at the clock) <Something's goin' on 'ere...>
"Elton": <Oh? Why would you say that?>
Strummer: <I don't think the clock would go off as soon as we entered the room...>
Jagger: <Ahh, don't sweat it, Strums. This is going to be GREAT-!! Everyone's here; I get to play pranks on all of you, and the best part of all?> (he smirks) <I GET TO GO FULL THROTTLE-!>
(And everybody cheers. Jagger immediately stops short.)
Jagger: <Wait, seriously? You guys are... you're happy about this?>
"Joel": <Of course we are. We love your pranks.>
Jagger: <But... I'm going full throttle. I'm going to hurt you all since I know for a fact that you're probably all just illusions.>
Grohl: <Illusions?>
(beat, then)
Grohl: <Yeah, that makes sense.>
Jagger: (beat; he turns to face Strummer) <Okay, Strums; you were right; something is definitely fishy about these guys.>
Strummer: <Told ya.>
Grohl's Room
(Grohl enters his room and glances around for a few moments. The room itself resembles Floccessy Ranch- and just that fact alone is enough to have Grohl's eyes light up. Happily, he runs over in the direction that he thinks his family is in— only to suddenly have a giant cage lowered down over him.)
Grohl: (frantically looking around) <Huh...? W-what's happening...?>
(Seconds later, the clock starts, and Grohl hears voices from far away.)
Cobain's Voice: <Grohl...?>
Courtney's Voice: <Where are you? Did he run off again?>
Grohl: <Mom?! D-Dad?! I-it's me! Grohl! I-I'm an Ampharos now~!>
John's Room
CW: guns
(John enters his room and immediately sighs as the door behind him locks.)
John: <Why in the world did I ever decide to get pulled into this.>
(He looks around— and suddenly sees a red dot appearing on him.)
John: <GAH!> (He tries to ignore it.) <What in the bloody hell is that?!>
(And then he looks around and doesn't see a source.)
John: <And more importantly... where is it coming from?>
(Seconds later, a giant Power Point presentation is lowered down in front of him, and words appear on it.)
Hello, idiot.
John: <OI! Don't call me an idiot; you're the bloody idiot!>
We've made observations on your personality and past, and we heard that you are wicked smart. Via this knowledge, we have comprised a test that you and your infantile and inconsequential little brain cannot possibly be correct on. If you somehow manage to pass- which I doubt- you can go home free. If you don't... it will be your doom.
John: (scoffs) <Seriously. You think I'm infantile and inconsequential. You do realize that I'm an Orbeetle, right? Bring on the quiz, because I am not going the way of my namesake anytime soon.>
...Very well, then. You'll regret it.
John: <You're going to be the one who regrets underestimating me.>
(The clock goes off, and the red dot starts moving all around the room, while John merely glares over at the presentation.)
George's Room
CW: abuse
(George enters the room— and the first thing he notices is that it bears a striking resemblance to the set of [Only Connect], barring the very obvious lack of host or contestants. He glances around for a few moments, and then eventually sits down in one of the chairs. After a few more moments of looking around the empty room, he hears a pinging noise, and looks down to find an electronic tablet in front of him— likely the same ones used on OC to alert contestants of puzzles. However, rather than there being a puzzle on the tablet, there is instead a message- conveyed in George's usual brevity.)
TEST: ONLY CONNECT SEQUENCES ROUNDS.
(George nods steadily— and then he sees the second line.)
LOWER ELECTRICAL CAGE.
(And George's eyes go wide, and he looks around the room, with the fire on his tail flaring in anger. Soon afterwards, a giant electrical cage is lowered down onto George and locks him, trapping him inside. George looks around, flaring up his tail in an attempt to burn it. It doesn't work.)
George: (realizing what is going to happen if he gets a sequence wrong) <...Oh no.>
(He glances down at the tablet, and the clock goes off.)
Ringo's Room
(Ringo bounds into the room, immediately catching sight of the massive TV in front of him.)
Ringo: <Whoa...! Tha' thing is 'uge!>
(And then- it begins buffering.)
Ringo: <...Huh? W-what's goin' on?>
(After a few more seconds of buffering— words appear.)
So... we heard you wanted to learn Electroweb.
Ringo: <You did?! How in the world did you learn that?> (then, after a beat) <You're not stalking me, are you?!>
Oh, don't worry. We heard it from some old friends of yours. So here's the test. We have footage from Hammerlocke taken especially for you, and all you need to do is study that footage and learn at least one new Electric-type move out of the endeavor. Of course, though... you'll need something to practice it on, so... here you are.
(And then... multiple blue eyes start shining through the darkness.)
Galvantula #1: <'Ello there, pipsqueak.>
Ringo: (immediately growing determined) <What in the world are you lot doin' 'ere?!>
Galvantula #1: <...I think you know why.>
Ringo: <Well, it doesn't matter now! I 'ave a Trainer, 'er name's Kimberly Bond, and she's the best Trainer anyone could ever ask for! Certainly far be'er than any of you will ever be!>
The footage will begin shortly. Good luck.
Galvantula #2: <I don' think 'e'll be able to learn it.>
Ringo: (glaring over at them) <We'll see about that, won't we?>
(He turns to face the TV screen, and the clock goes off.)
(The door locks. Awaiting Hiro and his mons is what looks like an absolutely massive escape room. In the center of the escape room is a computer with the words ANSWER 1, ANSWER 2, and ANSWER 3 on it. There is also a radio plugged into a wall, along with four pictures on said wall. One of the pictures is of an Emboar, another of a Rapidash, another of a Torkoal, and yet another of an Arcanine. Finally, in the four corners of each room there is a message written in what appears to be some kind of cipher. The group are free to explore the room. The two-hour clock has started. Good luck.)
Edited by OPALGARNET16 on Nov 21st 2021 at 6:00:10 AM
Hi, I’m oghond, and I’m a Rushaholic. Sorry if I annoy you unintentionally. 😅
See ya
Circhester Outskirts
Niobium: ~Then lead I shall. Stay close.~
-He sets off toward the luxurious hotel.-
~I assume I don't even need to ask, but I do hope you have backup plans at the ready for when I fail.~
-He walks backward for a few steps to flash a cheeky smile at Bela.-
I'm done here.
Flying Colors
Hammerlocke Halloween Hall
Kai: ...Mmh.
-Kai sighs.-
Kai: ...Lucy, could I pick your brain for a moment? It's about stuff from... years ago. Back in the day. I dunno if you'd even still have the insight about it these days.
Not A Lawyer
Hammerlocke, Banquet Hall - Halloween Party
-Lucius nods at Kai.-
Lucius: Sure. Like you said, I dunno how much help my drunk ass is gonna be, but I'm always happy to try and help out an old friend.
Circhester Outskirts
-Bela responds to Niobium's grin with a disdainful scowl.-
Bela: ~Naturally. This is hardly my first time out on assignment.~
-Nevertheless, she follows Niobium along to the hotel, the lobby of which hosts a very bored-looking receptionist idly petting a Skwovet that seems to have appointed itself as chief sentry.-
Edited by Herbert40k on Nov 21st 2021 at 12:20:27 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.
The Wanderer
The Foundry, yesterday
-Walking down a ramp, Hitodama lighting the way-
Chiyo: -Forming barriers around her ears- How much deeper are we going to go?
-Ears glowing with Aura-
Should be about here.
-Calling out-
Mithas? I know you're in here.
-A particularly weathered looking Metagross comes out of the shadows-
Mithas: <Come for another upgrade for that airship of yours Tagg?>
Not this time, no six-mile wide space rocks to deal with again, for now at least.
Mithas: -Looking behind me- <You've brought visitors.>
-Beat-
Right. Guys, this is Mithas, once Head Artificer of this Foundry. My friends here...
-Pointing to each one-
Are Chiyo, Nicky, and Kendra.
Chiyo: -Sincerely- Charmed.
Kendra: -Pulling out the piece of Deep Alloy- We were told that you might be able to help us with this.
Mithas: -Taking it with telekinesis- <A mere trifle like this? A trivial endeavor, but it's not like I really get much work these days. Follow me.>
-They then start moving deeper into the facility-
Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.
See ya
Circhester – Hotel Ionia
-Nio walks straight up to the reception.-
Niobium: Um... excuse me...
I'm done here.
Flying Colors
Hammerlocke Halloween Hall
Kai: Heh. Old friend. Weird thing to hear now.
-They grab another cookie while they ponder what to say.-
Kai: ...When you... were the Auric Avenger. Like, in the very beginning. How did you manage to keep the secrets all in order in your head? When it was just you and Gaia, before you knew who Shingeko was behind the mask.
Not A Lawyer
Hammerlocke, Banquet Hall - Halloween Party
Lucius: ...Honestly? I have no idea. I could tell you I was some master of mental compartmentalisation, but in reality I was just a dumbass teenager, and I got by on dumbass luck. Plus I tended to let people in on my secret pretty quickly. Shingeko was way better at that shit than me. Had a better ass, too.
-He chuckles, a noise that manages to be both wistful and bitter.-
Lucius: If we're being real here, you're probably better off asking Alice, even if we're not on speaking terms any more. I don't even know who's running around in the Avenger identity these days, except for the fact that it sure ain't me.
Circhester, Hotel Ionia
-The receptionist looks disinterestedly up at Niobium, idly letting a bubble of gum burst in her mouth before speaking.-
Receptionist: Can I help you, kid?
Skwovet: <If you've lost your parents, then don't worry! These eyes will help you locate the remains in a timely manner!>
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.
Flying Colors
Hammerlocke Halloween Hall
-Kai gives a somewhat wistful smile.-
Kai: Shingeko really was the best of us, huh? Talk about a real hero. Wish I knew what they were up to these days, I think they're the one I'd get advice from above anyone else. Heart to Heart, and all.
-They lean against the snack table a bit.-
Kai: ...Latest version of the Avenger doesn't seem to be real active these days. Heard they showed up once, but then disappeared again. Maybe the mascot hero life wasn't for them.
See ya
Circhester – Hotel Ionia
Niobium: Er, well... it's just...
-He tilts his head to the side and closes his eyes.-
I have this Nickit as a partner, right? But he's really mischievous and I think he snuck off in here. I really want to find him before he can bother anyone. Have you noticed anything that might help me track him down?
I'm done here.
Empathic Kid Hero-in-training
Circhester Stadium, VS Melony and Gordie
Evelyn: Hatty, use Max Starfall!
Melony: Lapras, use Max Lightning!
Me: Piku-chan, tails up! Then use Max Steelspike!
Gordie: Coalossal, use Max Quake!
Evelyn: -telepathically to Ian- ~Ian... time to do the floaty thing!~
Me: -telepathically to Evelyn- ~Right!~
-Hatty chants a spell while glowing a radiant pink. With the spell, she calls several star-shaped light blasts down from the heavens which strike the area surrounding Gordie's G-Max Coalossal. After that, the starlight converges on the center and explodes into another pillar of light that blasts Coalossal for a decent amount of damage! Lapras summons a bolt of lightning which is fired into the air. The electricity from the bolt stirs within the clouds of the Dynamax Storm over Hatty and Piku-chan's heads. Piku-chan raises his tail and makes it glow with a metallic sheen. He raises his tail to the sky, attracting the Max Lightning to him. He then turns around and slams the electrically-charged iron tail into the ground, raising a barrage of electrically charged steel spikes in the general area of the Gym Leaders' Pokémon, knocking Gordie's Coalossal off-balance for a moment. When Gordie's Coalossal regains his balance, he stomps his foot against the ground, setting off a tremor that rocks the stadium (and possibly even all of Circhester) to its core. Ian and Evelyn take note of the oncoming quake and surround each other in a psychokinetic field that gently lifts them into the air.-
-The magical energies of the Max Starfall attack seep into the battlefield, cloaking it in a pale pink mist that shimmers with the light of the aurora veil draped over Lapras and Coalossal, causing it to glow in all the colors of the rainbow. Truly a sight to behold.-
Spikemuth
Me: Indeed we are.
Evelyn: Shall we get into uniform?
Me: Once we find a changing room, yeah!
Turffield Stadium, Lobby
-Emilie continues to watch Ingrid's battle on the screen, and ponders how she'll handle the Gym Battle.-
Wyndon Stadium
Evelyn: Hoops! It's been a while!
Me: How've you been?
Lee House, Shock of the Legendary Facepalm
-Ian and Evelyn pick themselves up and brush the dust off.-
Me: Yes, we are J-Team. We were trying to find Gale when you showed up, I have lots of questions, and we WERE very much on our way out! Let's go, Evelyn!
Evelyn: B-But what about Gale?
-Ian stops. He knows he wanted to help find Gale, but did not know how to go about it. He unclenched his fist and his body began to shake. He was already bearing the weight of Evelyn knowing his identity as the Phantom Thief Joybringer, Gale's disappearance, the attempt and failure to charge the portal, and Franc Harri up and leaving on him... He couldn't handle any more stress...-
Me: -painfully- HOW SHOULD I KNOW?!
-Evelyn gasps in shock.-
Me: IF I KNEW HOW TO GET MS. KNIGHT BACK, I PROBABLY WOULD'VE DONE IT BY NOW, BUT I DON'T!
Evelyn: Ian... please calm down...
-Ian falls to his knees, almost on the brink of tears.-
Me: I-I just don't know... I mean... we can't just leave her... We have to get her back somehow... but how?
-Ian covers his face, as he realizes that this is how he felt the last time a friend of the J-Team's went missing...-
Me: My stars... It's just like Macraul Manor... Hahaha...
-Even though she doesn't understand what happened back at Macraul Manor, Evelyn shakes her head and uses her telekinetic power to lift Ian back to his feet. She then hugs him in an attempt to calm him down.-
Evelyn: There there, Ian-kun... I don't know what you've been through before we met, but I'm sure Ms. Gale will be fine... Come on. Let's get out of here.
-Evelyn takes Ian's hand and leads him out of the art gallery.-
Forest of Focus
Aurelia: You're most welcome.
-Aurelia follows Mog and Odin.-
Hulbury
-A silverish-white haired girl wanders through the port town of Hulbury. She's wearing what appears to be half a seifuku with a red undershirt, half a lovely golden sun dress, white and gold boots, and golden bracelets not unlike those of an Amazonian superheroine. The sunlight shines reflected from her mystical purple eyes with star-shaped pupils in them. There is a mysterious air around the girl, and she is open to interaction if the price is right.-
Meet The New Boss
Hammer-locke Horror Halloween
Coil: "Uh... Pmacro Pcosmos, Ppokefutures, and Pthe Pschool."
Iris: "Great now you've got him doing it."
Coil: -blinks- "Doing what?"
Contact Me!
Wyndon Stadium
Hoops looks up to see their friends and smiles.
Hoops: It's been a while, hasn't it? I feel like I should start by apologising for making you all worry. I should have been more careful. And now...
They hold up their left arm which looks at first glance as though it's covered in bandages like it always was, though more of the flesh is covered. The bandages then unfurl and form a long rope that coils around Hoops, quivering gently as though ready to combat danger.
Hoops: On the bright side, only half as many itchy scars than before.
Hulbury
Vana stands at the edge of a building, watching the schoolkid from around a corner. She knows that her plans need allies, and the best way to get them is through lies, which she regrets. But it's the only way.
She steps out and approaches her.
Vana: You're Platinum, correct?
Stormchaser
Xaster wanders the hallways of the Stormchaser, bored. Practice is done for the day and his pokemon are all sleeping, and he just wants someone to talk to.
Edited by theoncominghoop on Nov 22nd 2021 at 9:24:33 AM
That's just how it is on this bitch of an earth
Morata's Mansion, Closet
Beyond the closet is a large, circular room with off-white walls and white tile flooring. The second floor is visible from here, connected to this one by two sets of grand stairs curved against the walls across the way. There's a couple doors to the right and left of the storage closet's, and dominating the center of the room is an approximately 15 foot tall statue of two Braviary in a courtship spiral.
Far in the distance, behind the mating Braviary statue and connected to the main chamber by a foyer, seems to be the front door.
Aislinn and Daydre, who've followed behind this group, approach with the others. Aislinn peeks through the open door.
"... Hm. I don't see a way down from here, but maybe it's behind one of those doors.."
Morata's Mansion, Dining Room
As he looks around, Tagg will probably spot a flash of something white tucked into one of the potted plants.
???
"... Oh, huh. I'm guessing this is where they met? Or something otherwise important happened."
Campus Palace
Huli-Jing is pelted with disks.
"Ow, ow.. Fuck, ow!"
Daze looks between the way out and the others. She's inclined to listen to Suiko.. But she can't just leave everyone else behind.
"... Mmh."
Huli-Jing backs up Azumi-no-Isora with a blast of vision obscuring... obscura.
Edited by Daydre on Nov 22nd 2021 at 9:43:58 AM
off the shits
The Wanderer
Morata's Mansion, November 1st
-Noticing the white object-
...Wait.
Chiyo: You see something?
Yeah.
We're possibly being watched...
-Scans the area with Aura Sense-
The Foundry, past
Mithas: -Hammering at the Deep Alloy with a spoon shaped instrument- Once I was one of the best shipbuilders in the world, my ships used for all type of purposes. But now, we have been laid low by our own hubris, and here I am here making simple trinkets for humans. If some of my comrades were still around, they'd be aghast.>
Nicky: And what use would you have for us? As in humans.
Mithas: <We would've likely found use for you as Aura Hounds.>
Kendra: Aura Hounds?
Mithas: <If we needed something that couldn't be done by one of us, or was too dangerous, we'd use human Aurics for it. Humans like you, others that have since died out, we weren't very picky. Far quieter than having us poke around unclaimed Aura Nexuses.>
-Hammering-
<Sometimes they'd use you for bloodsport, never cared for that stuff myself, but it was there. Seeing how far they could push the limits of Aura using a more "expendable" species than a Beldum or Abra, still huddling around their campfires, the Vow not even a twinkle in monkind's eyes.>
Chiyo: -Arms crossed, aside- Like Tagg and I were saying earlier, it all sounds very... School-like. But the Alakagross eventually paid for all their actions to my understanding, and the School seems to be on the same trajectory.
Edited by rmctagg09 on Nov 22nd 2021 at 10:36:58 AM
Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.
No voice to cry suffering
Halloween, Hammerlocke
-Logan watches that next Shadow Cannon go off, wincing-
Phoebe: <Come onnn send us in we've stolen better from worse!>
Addie: -fur bristling, also watching- <I'm not sure you have.>
Logan: -thumping their head- Come on, Logan, Capturing fails, information's incoherent, we've got Trainers—
-flames of justice-
Logan: ...Hiro??
Addie: -text notification- <Says it isn't him.>
-Beat-
Addie: <I...think. I'm not reading all this in active combat. (A house?)>
Logan: Fine. Go.
-they trace a half-circle with one Styler, then the other—then jab the one in their right forward, the Plusle and Minun clinging to their sides sparking through the Fire Spin toward APEX's back, lightning-quick-
-the former attempts to thieve anything that even looks like a Drive-
-the latter presses a gentle, mildly circuit-frying kiss to the exposed hardware-
-amplified by Logan's-
Logan: I still don't recognize that voice...
-uh, experience with kissing, one supposes-
Logan: -inhale, exhale- Okay. We can kill Lissa later* but for now let us help you. Look! She's offering herself up, but she's not going to roll over and take it as long as you're threatening her—
-they glance between Lissa herself and Adal's Trainer-
Logan: -blink- ...person she flirted with once? Let's go with "friend".
(-the bunnies strive to remain behind the cannon's range of motion and out of reach of the claws, for all the good that'll do them-)
Spooky House
-said team glances at each other; they seem to take the "good luck" for what it is-
-and after a mostly silent discussion, they move-
Parfait (the Emboar): -goes to look at the corner closest to the picture of the Arcanine-
Fritte (the Rapidash): -trots to look at the corner closest to the picture of the Emboar-
Chips (the Torkoal): -goes and looks at the corner closest to the picture of the Rapidash-
Tea (the Arcanine): -lolls her tongue, seeming happy to be there-
Curry: <Uh...I guess the last corner's for me?>
-she goes-
-Hiro sits in the center of the room next to Tea, two Pokéballs in each hand-
Morata's Mansion, Excuse Me
-it's hard to tell, but Megan's eyes might be sparkling through the holes in the mask-
Kappa (ϰ): Awesome.
-...the the ski mask, over which she's placed her giant glasses-
-apparently-
Vee: -near-sneezing- <Tha' explains why I always wanna lick it up. Don' thin' I'll be able t' smell so well in this mess...>
Kappa (ϰ): Explains where all your new colors come from, though :o
Vee: -sniff- <There is that.>
Kappa (ϰ): -to Avery- Oh it took me Too Long to really realize nighttime isn't pitch black, and until then I just dressed in—oh I ramble too! I know a guy who can make his Obscura white and that's all, it's kinda neat—
-she snickers- seeing it makes it pretty obvious the color's not a common occurrence though, yeah.
Vee: -half-serious- <I don' thin' "fragile shells" really block sound.>
-and thus, they arrive in the atrium-
Kappa (ϰ): .
Vee: ..
-...-
Megan: -pulling off her mask- Oh wow...
-her glasses fall right off—Vee catches them before they hit the floor, and Megan doesn't even notice-
Megan: -presently- ...so you know how after you learn Monese all birdsong mostly sounds the same...?
Vee: -mouthing- <What the fuuuck.>
Megan: Yeah literally
-nor does she quite notice their companion team come in—Vee does, for the both of them-
Vee: -to Daydre, from within the invisibility- <Oh yeah uh...cousins team takes one, us team takes the other?>
-she skitters down Megan's arm, clawing an ancient Pokétch from beneath her sleeve and clicking its one (1) button- <If heads is left and tails is right...>
-she taps the app-
rolling...
-it speaks, aloud:-
-...-
Vee: <...probably should've decided which of us is the first result beforehand too. Uh I guess>
Megan: :o
Vee: -blink- <Hm.>
-she's lost in the craftsmanship-
No mind to think. No will to break.
Meet The New Boss
Morata's Mansion
Odin: <...That is a. Er. Um. Lovely statue.>
???
Dregidraco: <Hmmm? Oh yeah! This IS where he met the weird fairy! What were you trying to find out about them again?>
Edited by Umbramatic on Nov 22nd 2021 at 10:34:23 AM
Contact Me!
Bishop chose to ignore Gale's barbs. "Captain I have tracked the enemy flagship. The Battle network reports that Metanet is now at the next beacon."
"Roger that," Silas's voice came. "We're following now. Be prepared everyone, if it isn't dead then it certainly has switched tactics."
The Hades drifted silently through the waves, the caterpie drive worked like a charm. Queen directed it forward, grinning to herself as they approached the zone.
Jackal stood at one of the moon pools, loading himself up, ensuring Tae was ready as well. He turned to his team and looked over everyone there. "We're approaching the target zone soon, everyone ready?"
Silas quirked a brow beneath his helmet. "I've had a few run ins with the last two. Heck my little group got formed fighting them."
He took his helmet off and looked them right in the eye. "We have information we could share. Alice could as well."
"Yeah we even have a few names of notable individuals. One of whom we've met a few times, Dr. Elizabeth K. Tonio," Roxy added.
Fwomph
Defiant Wing
Alright. Calling two to one odds on them teleporting guys over here to fight us instead of this round being us going to them again.
-Gale put her helmet back on and braced for the jump-
The Hades, [Mediterranean]
-The Nightingale was mid idle animation next to her now docked Magikarp sub when the call for the approach came in and she approached the moon pool-
Ready. Presumably because you haven't mentioned it before my suit is rated for both space and oceanic usage?
Wyndon Stadium
-Angela wobbles, both the lace and actual ectoplasmic quasi-fabric that comprises their being looking ragged. Which is normal but I mean in a way that seems like she's on her last legs-
And thus, the final bow approaches. It was a wonderful two years spent travelling these lands and challenging their best, I will miss it so.
-Angela stays in the open, firing off a Shadow Ball-
Hammerlocke Halloween Party
Yeah... Sorry for uh, using it as a costume. I know I wasn't the worst of the monsters in that place but I can go construct up a different costume if this is dredging up bad vibes.
Lee House, Aftermath
-And so that house built as art sat, vacated of all but one person claiming to be police-
-In the next half hour, two sets of trucks will arrive: the crew of the first one (their livery, branding for the Gatr-Gulp energy drink) will get into a fight as they reclaim the technology that was rented out-
-The second, marked as Aegis Import/Exports, will tend to the injured supposed police officer and lacking the anomalous artifacts they were tasked to claim will take whatever documentation they can for analysis-
-Neither of those groups will find trace of Gale Knight. And it wouldn't be until a week later when someone would-
A Ninetale's Location, June The First
-It'd been a week since Gale Knight stepped into a rogue portal in the art exhibit Lee House and vanished. There'd been no contact yet, neither from the Nimbasa Police nor from Gale herself. And yet... Tension in the air, a sort of growing psychic hum that was about to boil over-
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
Hammerlocke Halloween Hall
Kai: What, you plot your murders? Usually they just happen when they're already trying to kill me. Which, I mean, good for them, I know I'm too good to be true, but.
-She sets down the glass and takes another bite of a cookie.-
Kai: (through a mouthful of cookie) Leas' they could do is have some fuckin' real moral righteousness, right? Plenty of ground for them to stand on, yet somehow every time they catch me in goddamn moral Paficilog. Pacfrog.
-She takes a moment to attempt to not stumble over her own words.-
Kai: Pacifidlog. Fuck. You get the metaphor. No ground. Too much water. That.
Edited by BittersweetNSour on Nov 21st 2021 at 11:25:56 AM