Turffield Gym

(But when the resulting cloud of dust fades... Frida is still standing— and glaring over at Milo's Cherrim.)

Frida: <You... FOOL~!>

(And Ananpi's eyes instantly bug out of his skull.)

Ananpi: <Hooo-boy, folks! This just got good, chuu~!>

(Frida, meanwhile, inches closer and closer to Milo's Cherrim.)

Frida: <Did you really think you could take me out like that?!>

Ingrid: (getting nervous) "F-Frida... what are you doing...?"

Frida: <Well, I don't think you will! In fact...>

(And then she begins to glow in a white light, and she flies up into the air, surrounded by white streaks. Milo's Cherrim suddenly gains a look of terror on her face, and Ingrid beams.)

Frida: <I THINK YOU'LL BE TAKEN DOWN FIRST!>

(And she rams towards Milo's Cherrim, knocking her backwards and into the wall.)

FRIDA THE SHINY ALTARIA

NEW MOVE LEARNED: AERIAL ACE

(Seconds later, another cloud of dust goes up, and when it fades...)

Milo's Cherrim: (weakly) <Awwwww...>

(Frida lands on the ground and smiles, turning to face Ingrid, who immediately engulfs her into a hug. The crowd loses their mind.)

Ananpi: <SHE'S DONE IT! Milo's down to his last Pokemon, chuu~! I cannot wait to see what happens next, chuu~!>

Spikemuth Gym Stands

Caboose: <Huh? Is that Morpeko sick?>

Braker: "No, he's just hungry."

Caboose: <I've never seen any hungry Pokemon look like that...>

Peechee: <THIS IS IT—!!>

Caboose: (beat, glancing over at Peechee) <...Is he hungry, too?>

Hammerlocke Gym

(And then Kim joins in.)

Kim: With our combined might of three

Our passion keeps us warm~

(As she sings this, Dalt, Joel, and Freddie join in on the attack. Dalt immediately dives underneath the ground to avoid the attacks coming his way.)

(Joel, meanwhile, pulls his fist back and surrounds it with ice, sending it out towards Hakamo-o.)

(And Freddie immediately releases a glowing blue barrier in front of himself and his teammates— and then rolls himself into a ball as he lets some of the barrier cover him.)

(And then he starts rolling around, frantically trying to avoid any supereffective attacks.)

Wyndon Stadium

(Dio laughs with delight, gliding over and hugging Kim.)

Dio: (happily) <Alright~! That was so much fun!>

(And then suddenly Cof.)

Dio: <Oh, hello there! Hope you're up for this!>

(And he immediately releases a Dark Pulse straight towards him.)

Stow-on-Side

(Kim glances up.)

Kim: (dully) "Nothing much. Just thinking."

Christmas Day Textspace

Christmas Day, the Stormchaser

(Kim glances upwards at the sky.)

Kim: (thinking to herself) "Well... that's... comforting, I suppose."

New Year's Day Textspace

CW: Thoughts of harm/major emotional distress

Slumbering Weald

Oh, I know who you are. And why you're here. And allow me to stop you right there. Because I just got to do something to Kimberly Bond that none of her friends have the cajones to do.

I got to hurt her.

I got her to see how her friends really see her.

Mission accomplished. Now... to deal with you.

(And seconds later, a Mr. Mime wearing white face paint and red spiral cheeks emerges from the shadows— and lets loose a massive dark spirit from his hand that makes his way directly towards Gale.)

Edited by OPALGARNET16 on Jan 2nd 2022 at 9:15:08 AM

Galar Mountains

You nod and settle back into the affection a bit, letting Palka take most of the attention. Really, this was just a good chance to relax and work through the thoughts of the day.

Hamlet, The Chase

While the woman with the voice of Gale has seemingly vanished after exiting Kamui's sightline, it's not hard to locate the supposed chapel that Luiza mentioned on the other side of the village. The walk is... Peaceful, in a way, but more precisely it's the kind of quietness amid the devastation that portends a hidden threat.

Which is why it's a mixed sight to see a faintly jostling carriage pulled up by the roadside, loaded with bags and tools and sundries tied to the exterior. After a moment the jostling subsides before the back doors of the carriage open to reveal a practically rotund man who partway leans out to look at his surroundings.

Oddly Jolly Man: Oh! Hello there! Surprised to see anyone else out and about.

Slumbering Weald House, Halloween

-Gale flicks the blade she's carrying a little as the villain expounds on their motives-

Really? It took bravery to hurt her? Well hey here I am rebuking your thesis statement cause I'm here to help her and stop a coward like you in the process.

-The sudden Mr Mime was a surprise, but Gale tried to weave around the projectile or bat it aside with the Horseman's Blade-

And you really shouldn't have piqued my interest, because now I'm speculating~

-She smiles and tries to crack off a Gaster-

Illusions? Mindscapes? Legitimate darkness? Who knows! Let's find out~

Techspo, Early December

-The Attendant rummages behind the counter before putting a Point-Of-Sale device and a couple of mini-projectors on the table. The mini-projectors are about coaster-sized though about as thick as a cheap paperback novel. One of the mini-projectors has the picture of a Charizard on the casing and the other has a dark grey Ekans-

QBL/Anansi Attendant: If the university steps up as a commercial buyer then sure. If it's just a student then that's civilian. So, you two gonna pay for the mini-projectors?

Hamlet, Christmas

Well, if you want to explain further at a later time, I am all ears.

Phantom Thieves Textspace

J-Team Textspace

Edited by Pentigan on Jan 3rd 2022 at 1:53:17 AM

Hearthome Pokemon Center

Kai: Ohh. Sounds like something you can get pretty creative with, if it extends to anything involving a flat plane of energy? And fire. For the longest time, mine seemed to just be Aura transfer, both in and out. And then I became a vampire, with all the weirdness that comes with. Which apparently includes the burning-up thing? That's literal, by the way, it generates a lot of heat and light. I dunno if it's pyrokinetic, but?

Vierr: Speaking of, you're radiating again.

-Kai squeaks, and stops glowing, looking a bit embarrassed.-

Phantom Thief Textspace

Hearthome Center, yesterday

Chiyo: -To Kai- Shape, size, and texture, those are what goes into my barriers, and not always in the ways you'd expect.

-A barrier turns into an alight disc, and then into a five pointed star. Chiyo noticeably strains a bit more for the last one-

The pyrokinesis comes from raising the internal temperature either on or inside my barrier so in your case it's certainly... possible that it could be considered that way.

-Slightly amused-

But it goes deeper than that, I haven't only figured out the physical when it comes to barriers, but also the metaphysical. We can leave that way once you're ready.

Hearthome Pokemon Center

-There's that starry eyed look again.-

Kai: Oh wow. That's... wow.

-Vierr elbows Kai, and she snaps back to focus.-

Kai: Ahem, right, yes. We can. Right. Uh.

-They chuckle awkwardly.-

Kai: We can get into the nitty-gritty when I'm less of a wreck. Hell of a new year we're gonna have, huh? Total new paradigm shift.

Vierr: I guess I was bound to get dragged into complicated J-Team stuff again eventually. I'll miss the calm, admittedly, but it'll be nice to see some old friends, I guess.

-Kai grins, and gives Vierr a return elbow.-

Kai: The circle is complete. When you left us, you were but the learner, but now, you are the master. Ain't that right, Obi-Wan?

Vierr: Vader was the one who said that.

Kai: I know that, ya nerd.

-Vierr rolls his eyes, but can't help but smile.-

Sinnoh Region, Jubilife City, Techspo Interior:

Chopper would drop his guard after hearing the Beedrill had no desire to fight and explain, <Well that's reassuring I guess...and I was never really in a body cast. I just got into a lot of fights when I was younger...didn't always win them, but they made me stronger every time!>

Meanwhile Mark would unconsciously roll his eyes at the little girl's reply before saying, "If this wasn't a world where 10 year olds can become pokemon trainers I'd ask where your parents are. You end up here all by yourself?"

At the same time, Travis would answer the booth attendant with, "That depends, how much is this gonna cost? Because if this is more expensive than a Pokestation 6, then all I'll be able to afford is a business card...which I know some people in my university would be very interested in having for possible future purchases,". At this point Travis was unconsciously leaning on the counter, resting on one arm.

Hearthome Center, yesterday

-To Vierr-

Join the J-Team, forever will it dominate your destiny.

-Jokingly-

I guess we should head out then, the Stormchaser's a bit better than using Chiyo here as a rainbow battery I figure. Oh right Vierr, don't know if Kai bothered to tell you beforehand but the Stormchaser is sapient now, figured I might as well tell you before you got a big surprise.

Chiyo: Yeah, we should get going, I'll explain more when we get there.

A Hearthome Alleyway

Chiyo: -To those gathered- So, a very dear friend once taught me how to use the Sight to see the tiny holes in the the fabric of reality, and with some effort...

-She reaches her hand out into thin air and focuses-

...Open them.

-A barrier appears before opening out like a door to reveal a rift-

It's good for getting away from say, bands of roving School forces, but unfortunately only works for long distance travel, so no teleport spamming for me.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Jan 2nd 2022 at 11:52:27 AM

Hearthome Center

Vierr: The Stormchaser's what now.

Kai: Oh, heh, yeah, right. She's alive, down to the heart, soul, and mind. She's even got an Aura, fueled by bonds.

-Kai rubs her neck awkwardly-

Kai: She's my safest way of refueling myself, but I always feel bad for not really knowing a way to return the favor.

Vierr: ...Uh-huh. The wonders of this world really never cease.

Hearthome Alleyway

-Oh yeah. Kai's just starstruck.-

Kai: Wowww. That's really cool. You're really, really cool, Chiyo.

-Fan[gender]ing aside, Vierr likewise looks rather impressed.-

Vierr: Oh, that's... that is impressive. An awful lot like the Hyperspace Holes that Hoopa creates with their rings, isn't it?

Phantom Textspace

Hamlet

"…Hello?" Kamui weakly offered. "Look, this place is super-dangerous; weird schmucks out and about. Do you…?" She trailed off, unsure of what she wanted to ask the eerily exuberant elder.

Edited by AbsentCoder on Jan 3rd 2022 at 5:38:01 AM

Morata's Mansion, Atrium

Josette: "Victoria, sautez-vous!"

The Dragalge Victoria shoots into the air, avoiding the Earth Power and retaliating with a Dragon Pulse at the zenith of her jump.

The Blizzard causes Jefferson to shoot out of the floor, ice and snow propelling his blade out of the crack and into the air. He vaults over Suiko's head and tries to hang on for dear (un)life, but his tassels are unfortunately not enough to keep him from flying off. Josette shouts a command and he goes for Pippy again— this time with a Sacred Sword.

The medallion is easy enough to grab as Josette has fallen and thus far failed to get up. The Dragapult is slammed by the double Blizzard— a lesser dragon would probably faint just to that, but this Dragapult has a reputation to uphold. She fires a barrage of her spawn(?) at Fraidy through the squall.

A 15 foot diameter circular area around the statue jerks and dips down into the floor. It takes a moment to steady, but once it does it continues descending into the bowels of the house at a steady pace. Very... very slowly. Josette shouts something obscene in Kalosian as she sees it go, but she's in no position to follow.

Textspace

It's a while before Witch sends anything else. When something does go through, it's the garbled keysmash of a phone being hastily shoved in a pocket.

Morata's Mansion, Upstairs

Ynos: ".. If this were a real fight I'd probably be commanded to kill you."

He takes a gamble and parkours back and forth up the barriers. The razors cut up one of his legs, but that wound is only a scratch by the time he uses it to try to axe kick Chiyo.

... Tagg, in the midst of his combat breakdown, will likely spy something going down in the basement. The auras of Witch and Yoko have been separated— Witch is on one end of what is presumably a large room, and Yoko is near Morata. All this is a little hard to make out through the auras of dozens of... somethings floating all around the room, though.

His search around the various rooms up here haven't yielded much- two rooms are clearly set aside for Morata and Josette, but they're both fairly clean of anything incriminating. Josette's room (marked by a few spare uniforms in the closet) seems to be used very little. Morata's (masks on the walls, even here. Some may be of historical value but it seems she keeps the most valuable ones elsewhere) does hold two exceptions- a laptop placed on her desk and a small safe bolted into the wall of her closet.

Morata's Mansion, Upstairs - November 1st, 2021

Shamhat: Damn, not a direct enough hit to see.

-Blocks Ynos' axe kick with a barrier, said barrier turning into a sheet to try wrapping Ynos into as Shamhat moves to use Ynos' momentum to try slamming him hard into the floor-

-Noting the numerous Auras below as I try deciding if it's worth taking the masks and in the middle of using Aura Sense to try peering through the safe-

Crud that's a lot of... ghosts I'm pretty sure.

Hitodama: -Appearing from inside my shadow- <Should I get involved with downstairs?>

Not yet, I might still need you up here to burn through this thing.

Hitodama: -Looking at the door to Ynos' room- <What about Ch-Shamhat?>

She can handle herself, she doesn't need to decisively beat Ynos, just keep him occupied, so you don't need to Curse him like Molybdenum.

-Has Trojan connect to the laptop to see if there's anything of note-

Hearthome Alley, January 1st

Chiyo: -To Vierr- Never considered that before, but I can see it, though this is nothing compared to what my friend can do.

-To the group-

Shall we?

Hearthome Alleyway — Two days ago

-Kai nods-

Kai: Yeah, let's.

-She steps through. Vierr does as well, with a bit of trepidation.-

Stormchaser — Today

-Kai is looking better!-

-She's still hanging around with Vierr, like the buds they are.-

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Jan 3rd 2022 at 3:05:51 PM

Grant Manor

Owen: Oh, uh, a double of you, huh.

-pause-

...Well good you got that taken care of! What Gale said, yeah, I'd like to hear more of the full story later.

Morata's Mansion, Atrium

-Odin yelps, attempts to dodge the Dragon Pulse, and also attempts another Shadow Ball-

Techspo

-The woman grumbles and pulls out a debit card-

J-Team Textspace

Phantom Thief Textspace

Stormchaser

-Looking at a letter-

Like these totally bogus notices about this spot being illegal to have an airship parked on, this is public land.

Hearthome City, Yumeko's Shrine

Yuki: <Well, if you must know... the late 19th, early 20th Century wasn't a good time for the [Ainu] people, as the region which is now called "Sinnoh" had been annexed by the [Japanese], and we had been forced to assimilate into their culture. They regarded us as "dirty and primitive barbarians" and denied us our right to hunt and gather, perform our cultural practices, even the right to speak our language... Still, it didn't stop me from following in my father's footsteps and learning how to perform [Ainu] religious ceremonies... Even if I couldn't practice them.>

-Evelyn's eyes widened with shock. She could hardly believe what Yuki was telling her. She then looks at her hands as though to ask "My Arceus... What have I done?".-

Evelyn: Them too?

-Yuki looks over at Evelyn with worry in her eye.-

Yuki: <What do you mean, Evelyn?>

Evelyn: -on the verge of crying- Back on April Fools' Day at the museum where we fought Katsuragi, he described the colonialist atrocities the Galarians had committed on the Ransei Region around that same time... As you know, I am half-Galarian on my mother's side... and I asked if what Katsuragi was saying was true, and I thought it was since he had lived during that time... And now, to hear from you that the other half of my heritage had committed similar atrocities against your people...

-She buries her face in her hands and starts to cry.-

Evelyn: Mike-hekaci... I'm so sorry!

-Yuki jumps back in surprise at Evelyn calling her by her [Ainu] name. She was aware of what the [Japanese] had done, but held little to no malice in her heart towards them. She gently pets Evelyn on the back of the head, in the hopes that that will calm her down.-

Yuki: <There there, Evelyn... It wasn't your fault... The people who live in Sinnoh now aren't necessarily the same people as the colonizers that took my cultural identity...>

Evelyn: -yelling all of a sudden- HOW DOES THAT MAKE ME FEEL ANY BETTER?!

-Yuki jumps back again, startled by Evelyn's sudden outburst.-

Yuki: <Ian, you know Evelyn better than I do, you try to calm her down.>

Me: Me? Okay, Yuki-sama...

-Ian looks over at Evelyn, who is still crying.-

Me: -in a calming voice- Hey... Evelyn...

Evelyn: Hmm?

Me: It's okay... Yuki was just trying to say that since this was long before you were born, you shouldn't have to worry about it making you feel like a bad person... It wasn't your fault. Neither was what the Galarians had done to Ransei...

Evelyn: -sniff- Y-You both really mean it?

Yuki: -calmly- <Of course. After all, the annexation happened over 10 years before I was born. I wasn't aware of it back then...>

Evelyn: And now that you are...

Yuki: <Even now, it hasn't embittered me in the slightest.>

Spikemuth, VS Marnie

Marnie: Now, Morpeko! Use Aura Wheel! Grimmsnarl, use Darkest Lariat!

Evelyn: Hatty, use Brutal Swing!

Me: Piku-chan, use Volt Tackle!

-Marnie's Morpeko surrounds itself in dark energy that manifests as a hamster wheel, while Grimmsnarl surrounds his fists in a shadowy aura of violence. Hatty surrounds her braids in a dark aura of violence, while Piku-chan coats himself in electricity. -Morpeko and Piku-chan charge headlong at each other, while Grimmsnarl and Morpeko end up engaged in a spinning pummel duel.-

Hammerlocke Stadium, Pitch Temporarily in control of OPALGARNET 16's character with her permission

Kim, Evelyn and I: ♪Face our Perfect Harmony!♫
♫We will weather any storm!♪
Me: ♫One for all and all for one!♫
Evelyn: ♫This is but the start of our fun!♪
Kim: We'll stand triumphant under our bright shining Sun!

-As Ian and Evelyn sing, The Gym Trainers' Pokémon attack again! Abomasnow this time attacks with a mighty Wood Hammer, attempting to bring it down on Joel's head. Ninetales rushes headlong at Freddie with a Quick Attack! Hakamo-o is knocked backwards by Joel's Ice Punch and turns his focus onto the Quagsire. The Castforms attack together with a combined energy Weather Ball^note I think someone's been playing too much Club Penguin. targeting Kako and Mirai. Kako, however, surrounds his hands in electrical energy and fires a blue blast of lightning at the Weather Ball. Mirai focuses her psychic energy on the orb and helps Kako throw it back at them. Sliggoo and Turtonator combine their Dragon Pulse attacks and target Hatty, who counters with a blast of Mystical Fire. Pelipper was overwhelmed by the Thunderbolt attack and is unable to battle. Sebastian calls his Pelipper back to their Poké Ball.-

Me: Now's our chance! Ready, you three?

Piku-chan, Oshawittle and Raru: <Ready when you are!>

Phantom Thief Textspace

Stow-on-Side

Me: Oh? What about?

-None of them are aware of the group of Schoolkids on the roof of one of the buildings.-

Morata's Manor, Atrium, 2021

-as far as Inteleon go, Fraidy would consider herself about average-

-but her tools of choice are whatever comes to hand-

Fraidy: <—>

-and her mind works fastest in a blind, screaming panic-

-her keen intellect works thus:-

AAAAAAAAA okay that's enough-

-...going far enough down to translate to coherent thought, her mind works thus:-

In my hand there's the medallion. Down here there's ice. Can't spring. Josette's over there. Pokéballs left…no good.

[[blue:''

There's just a medallion in my hand.

-the cold, hard math embedded in the deepest layers of instinct by training draws her eye toward a ricochet, taking out maybe two, three babies if they're not especially strong babies, a fourth if the way the medallion dents provides a hard enough edge to bounce rather than shatter, leaving just enough of an opening to—-

Fraidy: -watching Megan's phone light up- <—>

-she hurls the medallion with pinpoint accuracy toward its empty slot in the descending statue-

-and is battered, beaten, and ultimately exploded by a horde of furious infants-

-and thus, reputation is upheld-

-you know that feeling when you're busy and you can't check your messages-

-but stuff's happening, and you don't want to stop-

-and worse, there's someone in the room with you that's working with you, who certainly will notice if you do it enough times-

Suiko: -glances down-

-yeah-

-what little of Suiko's face is visible blanches at the last few messages-

-she looks at the descending statue with an eye to flee—not enough to fit, not yet...?-

-...and is roused from the shock by a medallion soaring past a few inches from her nose-

-the Vaporeon acting as her armor psychically jabbing her-

-and a sword, spearing for an Empoleon too slow to dodge-

-Vee shouts and makes to leap off in front of him—and he shoves her back, hydrokinesis buoying her away-

-congratulations, Josette!-

-you've found one of the moves that can reliably cut this Vaporeon in half-

-Jefferson takes him square in the sternum, passing through his defenses like the ghost he is-

Pippy: -groans-

-he slumps over, eyes dull-

-Pippy's no Champion, either-

Suiko: …

-Suiko backs up, trembling-

-her palms sweat, her heart pounds-

-with rage-

(-Megan drops a Pokéball, which bounces and rolls away-)

-so a violet-armored figure rises from the mist-

Suiko: Hello.

-it's holding—a body? a body with heft to it, wearing a ski mask-

Suiko: I am…so very tired.

-it's limp-

Suiko: Of pretending.

-the figure clenches its fingers, and there's a sickening crack—the body oozes, and slumps, and crumbles to ash-

Suiko: ...to hell with opsec.

-the Mist clears around the figure, just off-center of the statue-

-because all around the room, it's condensing into eyes-

Suiko: Do you know what I am?

-purple, glowing eyes-

Suiko: If you don't, good. Stay in this little house, tending the garden, fighting passersby.

-she seems to be unsheathing claws—bright violet, and violent besides-

-she opens her mouth, and the teeth inside are sharp-

Suiko: -rasp- ...but if you'd care to be educated.

-the room abruptly takes a turn from chilly to freezing-

Suiko: -hiss- I am here for someone. Someone very much like me—I don't care about your little theft. I don't—

-she stammers, shrieks-

Suiko: —but you won't stop me. You can't stop me. And if you know what's good for you you will get OUT of my WAY!

-Suiko drags her claws through the air and, to all appearances, rips a hole in space-

-a vortex opens in front of her, sucking heat and light and life right out of the room-

(-and with all the weight of Pokémon and Trainer perfectly in sync, Vee attempts to devour the fight right from the hearts of Aegislash and Dragapult-)

-Pollen's Pokéball bounces—presumably through the opening, but wherever-

Pollen: -pop- <...>

-she glances up, consternated, at the unmistakable sound of her Trainer bluffing her ass off-

Pollen: -staring- <...>

-...probably-

-but she shakes her head—she's got a job to do-

-Pollen tries to flit further in, flexing compound eyes looking for Daydre's familiar Aura-

(-behind her, outside the pit, arrow-shaped puddles glow slightly all about Avery's feet-)

(Hurry.)

Macro Cosmos Public Office

-someone returns to the reasonable suggestion that adventurers are like the worst kind of tourist-

-crowding out local contenders, trashing the hotel room parking space, inviting all sorts of malign actors to come and beat them up using some kind of spontaneous, contagious brain-virus-

-the regional administrator listens, very carefully-

Molybdenum: Hehe.

Edited by Asterisk395 on Jan 3rd 2022 at 6:27:00 AM

The Cubicle Wooloo, Wyndon, New Year's Day

The pub was closed for a holiday meeting with the family. Goran, his brother and two of his cousins—Spiro and Rikard—at the bar. Before them were 4 servings of their favorite drinks. Flying around Spiro was his yanmega, Sparks.

Goran: Gentlemen. You're probably wondering why you all are here.

Spiro: This better be important, Goran.

Rikard: Nikola and I are only on shore leave for the remainder of the week.

Goran: Patience, cousins.

Nick: My girlfriend and I plan to re-evaluate our poly arrangement and I don't want to be too wasted tomorrow when we talk about it.

Rikard: My fiancée and I have ring fittings to do early tomorrow at the jewelers at Orochi Plaza.

Goran: Oh, yeah.

He slides a cocktail to Rikard.

Goran: Congratulations on your wedding plans. By the way, Rick, grandpa wants to know why you didn't tell him about Aunt Stephania.

Spiro: I sent you the email.

Rikard: Well, you were mainly at HQ and by the time Nick, grandpa, and I were on the same boat we had bigger fish to fry.

Nick: Not the words I would use.

Rikard: My apologies.

Rikard stared at Nikola with his eyebrows raised. They can't exactly be open about the content of the ship he and his grandfather were in.

Nick: But yeah, we had to contain this critical issue in the ship and we had to postpone the talk. Next thing I knew, we were at the [Thames] and Rikard told me we needed to be in the bar for the talk.

Goran: Yeah, you need to retire that rustbucket.

Rikard: Alright, hurtful. But enough small talk. What's this really about?

Goran: Wait, where's Tommy?

Suddenly, Tommy knocks on the window carrying a big stack of pizzas. On his back was a kabuto, Shinji.

Tommy: Pizza time!

Rikard opens the door for him.

Spiro: Andy Pandy's here. So spill.

Spiro's Kantonian meowth, Iroh, jumps on his lap.

Goran: So, as you all know, we made a pact to secure each of our financial futures so we wouldn't have to go bankrupt like grandma and grandpa nearly did. And also that we had to make it from purely legitimate, non-shady means.

Rikard: Aye.

Nick: Yep.

Spiro: That was unanimous.

Goran: Tommy, you're on thin ice for profiteering off the slandering of a superhero.

Tommy: Uh, yeah. He he he. Can't help an editorial position and all.

Nick: Cut him some slack, bro. We all know that. And about the short squeeze from last year. We ruled that it wasn't unethical to fleece money off crooked rich guys.

Goran: Not the reason. Anyway, a few days ago, someone in this room may have invested in NFTs.

Spiro, Rikard, and Nick gasp dramatically with an audibly offended tone, while Tommy looks on all clueless.

Spiro: That wasn't me.

Goran: Like, you're being totally defensive right now. Which is why I'm bringing out the drinks.

Rikard: Oh, so you're trying to truth serum us into admitting whether we were involved.

Nick: Bro, it wasn't us. Rick and I can't invest in NFTs. Our accountant has it out for them and wouldn't approve of any contributions made to funds that have them.

Rikard: But we've nothing to hide.

Rikard finishes his cocktail and picks up another one.

Rikard: I gotta pace myself, though. Tom, did you get the B vitamins like we asked.

Tommy: Right here.

Rikard: Good.

Tommy: Wait, did you say NFTs?

Nick: And for that matter, how did you know that someone here invested in an NFT in the first place? Are you spying on us using the wi-fi?

Rikard: That's another can of shuckles, if you ask me.

Tommy: Well, see—

Goran: Relax. Your weirdly-colored porygon told me about suspicious activity tied to a blockchain here a few days ago. And all 5 of you were the only ones staying at the pub in the past few days. I keep a tight rein on my computer systems now since a few dinguses tried to hijack my system to mine BerryCoin. I ain't about to do Captain Planet dirty like that, and I expect nothing less from my own kin. But only 4 of you showed up so I can only do so much.

Nick: Someone tried to use our computers for blockchain shit again?

Spiro: Heh, nerds.

Tommy: Like you're the one to talk.

Spiro: You were saying something, Tom?

Spiro takes a sip of his drink mix of choice.

Tommy: Oh that. Well, my fund manager Tim was here the other day. You remember him right?

Spiro: You have a fund manager now?

Tommy: The GameFilch stock rally made me a lot of money. It was too troublesome to manage that stuff by myself so I hired a guy. He used to work for Orochi and now works for Clavis. I told him about my concerns with investing in Best Berry since he recommended the stock and after hearing about my reservations he offered to pour through the entire portfolio for companies and assets I'd rather not own a stake in. Those ugly samey Rillaboom portraits were brought up since he considered adding them at the time, but I told him not to.

Nick: He opened the marketplace website?

Tommy: Oh, yeah. Like that shit was hideous. Hard no.

Spiro: So that's what you were talking about.

Tommy: Yeah. The following day, he even mentioned that Clavis Mutual was no longer offering blockchain-related investments so we don't have to worry about that anymore.

Goran: Good to know. Drink up.

Goran offers Tommy a Humilau Iced Tea.

Spiro: You better do as he says. The sooner we all get in that candid tipsy state the sooner all of us can focus on sobering up. This is good, by the way.

Goran: I take great pride in my dry martinis.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Jan 25th 2022 at 5:46:20 PM

Chateau d'Avarice, past

Runaway: -stern- Don't call me Paula. That's the other one. I'm the Runaway.

-relaxing-

Runaway: ...If I were Paula, I'd probably give some comment about love at first sight being so romantic, but yeah no, Ben wasn't the one, clearly. Good on you for realizing that. Verax wasn't either. Good eye candy, though.

-She browses her memories a bit.-

Runaway: ...Everyone needs something to be honest with. That's not always about baring your soul — mind, et cetera — and telling them everything. Someone who understands that you need your secrets, y'know?

-scratches idly at a record of ███████-

Runaway: A lot easier to talk about some stuff if you're not being told you need to.

School Hunting Trip

Platinum: Alright, Oingo. You know what to do.

Boingo: <If Oingo jumps off the building, something bad will happen. I'm sure of it.>

"Florence": Leave it to me, Platinum.

-"Florence" jumps off the building, and floats gently to the ground. Unfortunately, a wind catches them and slams them face-first into the wall of the building their trainer and her allies are on. Oingo then slides all the way down to the ground and fixes up his disguise.-

Boingo: <Called it.>

Platinum: By the way, Vana... What's with all the snacks?

Spooky House

You're here to help her. How pathetic. How well do you really know her?

(He dodges the Gasters, but his projectile is hit by the Horseman's Blade.)

Clearly not as well as you thought, considering what I just put her through.

Jubilife Expo

(Stipax breaths a sigh of relief.)

Stipax: <Phew! That's good. For a second there I was getting worried.> (beat, then, to Owen) <Hey, Owen!>

(Owen turns to face Stipax.)

Owen: "What is it?"

Stipax: <You think we should introduce her to the rest of the team?>

(Owen pauses for a sec, and then...)

Owen: "Ohh! You're saying we should introduce her, right?"

Stipax: <Yep!>

(Owen promptly takes out the rest of his PokeBalls and throws them into the air.)

Owen: "Alright, then! You're all up!"

(In five flashes, the rest of the group- Nautilu the Omastar, Crina the Cradily, Chasmo the Bastiodon, Teryx the Archeops, and Saura the Amaura, who is still asleep- appear. A few of them glance around at the Expo, but the minute that Teryx sees Chopper...)

Teryx: <A... A MACHOKE—?!>

(He frantically flies away from Chopper to huddle away in the corner. Immediately, Stipax goes over to him to comfort him.)

Stipax: <Nonononono! It's okay! He's friendly!>

Nautilu: <Also, you do realize you're part Flying-type, right?>

Teryx: (shaking) <I... I'm also part Rock...!>

(Stipax pets him.)

Spikemuth Stadium Stands

Caboose: <Yay, spinning~!>

Kim: "Ohhh... this is fun."

Cuddles: <I'm getting dizzy...> (faints)

Hammerlocke Stadium

(Joel immediately dodges the Wood Hammer and smirks.)

Joel: <Sorry. You'll hafta do better than that.>

(And he promptly releases poisonous gas at the Abomasnow.)

(The Quick Attack hits Freddie, knocking him slightly backwards, but not hurting him that much. Instantly, Freddie starts to cry, and glances up at the Ninetales.)

(And then Dalt emerges from underneath the ground, striking the Turtonator.)

Dalt: <Oh look it is a giant Turtonator. Hello, Turtonator!>

Stow-on-Side

Kim: "You know. What happened a few days ago with... him."

Morata Manor, Atrium

Avery: I'm working on it!!!

-she's done a few tricks involving careful contortionism, but something about trying to feed parts of yourself through heavy machinery is offputting. Imagine that-

Come on, come on...

Wait what do you mean to hell with opsec, we need opsec

-Avery sends out a Malamar-

Foul Play!

Perspective: <Well, this is a right kerfuffle, isn't it.>

Avery: ...Are you Galarian now?

Perspective: <I'm workshopping it. Give it some time.>

Avery: -hiss-

Perspective: <Ah. Yes. I'll get to it.>

-he broadcasts, to the Dragapult, a tremendously intense message of "slam yourself headlong into the ground. It'll be fun, don't you think?"-

Wyndon Stadium

These events occur following the final raid on the Campus Palace.

Thank you to Aster for the spaghetti!

-it's been a while since the last round of League matches-

-lots of things have happened in the meantime-

-but here we all are-

-Ever slouches out onto the field-

-they've gotten a new outfit and it's somehow weirder than the last-

-the left side is an Aqua Grunt uniform, and the right side is a Magma Grunt uniform-

-their trainer number is stenciled into the extremely weird hood/bandanna combo-

Darrin: interesting choice. Abby, does your weird friend have a duality motif about them?

Abilene: How should I know? I only spent, what,

-...mumbles- months in a forest with them. If they'd like to dress up in distinct halves of a sexy ecoterrorist for Halloween, that's their business.

Henri: -hands steepled- ...no, see the stitching?And the...fabric. Very weather-resistant, not polyester.

-musing- I think those are genuine.

Abilene: .

Abilene: what

Henri: That is some impressive both-sides-ism.

Darrin: -munching a single popcornn- either that or they're an aggressive spoils-taker

-Megan, meanwhile, peeks out of her end almost shyly—rather than the hooded anti-ensemble of the last match, she's decked out further in a tank and shorts with the Ranger emblem and her own number, the remaining substance of her armor in the form of shiny bangles and knee/elbow pads, distinctive Empoleon hues on full display-

Henri: And isn't that—

Abilene: shut

Henri: -grinning- I'm just saying, you could introduce us—

Abilene: -crossing her arms- Ten years old. What happened to Aunt Anna's vase.

Henri: Shutting up.

Megan: -waving- ...golly, Ever! Didn't expect to see you here.

Vee: -draped over her shoulders, resting her chin on Megan's head, mouths- (<No spoilers.>)

Ever: Yep! Big surprise, we're all very shocked to be here.

-they smile at Vee-

Totally blindsided.

Vee: -wink- <Totally.>

(-it comes out sounding like a "nya"...or perhaps a "vya"-)

Megan: -rubbing a Vee under the chin- Wow, you really didn't go easy on Every, though, huh?

-Ever shrugs-

Ever: I mean, I've got the team I've got, for one...I was curious if she'd notice, and she did. If she hadn't...maybe I'd have let her win? But she did, and I'm not just gonna give her the win because she's academically interested in getting it. You know?

Megan: Oooh, I get that. Back in Pastoria, I never knew where that line was, y'know? But then, the mook Trainers never were the point of the Gym. :P

-she's resting her hands on a staff laying across her shoulders—passing through Vee because that's just how they roll-

Megan:...speaking of which, I'm not sure how hard to go on this one. I'm sure you won't give me the win if I'm obligationally interested in getting it.

Ever: (dryly) If you don't try and win, you won't.

Megan: -laughing- Fair.

-and something sparks in her eyes- There was that whole talk about it being okay to want things, huh? I'm a halfway decent Trainer?

Ever: More than halfway decent.

-nothing sparks in their eyes whatsoever-

-it's debatable, frankly, that they're even watching the stadium-

The critical thing here, I think, is that you enjoy yourself. That's all this is about in the end. But if you're actually planning to take home the championship...yes, I am going to insist that you do whatever you can to claim it, and I have no interest in losing to any less.

-Megan frowns at them for a moment—a rather contemplative look she's been giving them a lot the past few weeks, when she thinks they haven't been looking-

-and the expression breaks, laughing again, sharply-

Megan: -grinning, sincere- I'll do my best to be an interesting diversion, then.

-and she lifts her left hand, twirling her staff in her right to plant in the earth-

Megan: -showing them the back of that left hand, in its half of her fingerless gloves- I watched all your Championship matches, you know. Didn't get to apply that research much back in the Wild Area…

-grinning- And I never got to pay you back for Glimwood, huh?

(-she notably omits the weeks she's spent in mind control risk vector/relapse screening since her match with Abilene-)

-Vee purrs where she's wrapped around Megan's neck...and someone sufficiently keen-eyed and knowledgeable would notice the glow she subtly draws from Megan's core-

-a triangle shining through the glove, sketched in glowing blue- Let's see what we've learned. For fun, yeah?

-she throws her hand up—-

-and it's hard to tell the difference, but the Pokéball in the sky was not in her hand when she started the motion-

-Ever watches Megan's opener-

-smiles very slightly-

Ever: New times, new team, new strategy.

-they take a Pokéball from their belt, expanding it to full size and letting it roll between their fingers-

These speeches are so much easier when you have a gimmick to lean on. The world changes irrevocably with each step forward. Strength won't hold it in place. Speed won't outrun it. Brains won't help you predict it. You'll get through this on your adaptability and your bonds with your team, or you won't get through it at all.

Okay, yeah. That sounds good, I think.

Megan: -blinks-

Megan: -scuffs heel- ...dang, that's pretty awesome.

-and a wide, mostly plastic smile spreads across her face as she recites:-

Megan: Splish splash! I feel like a Ducklett in all this wet! And when one feels like a Ducklett, one is happy! c=

Ever: -raises eyebrows, slight laugh- What the heck.

Textspace

Morata's Mansion, Atrium

Victoria takes the hit this time but doesn't seem phased... Until the Blizzard filling the room hits her. She struggles to move, but it seems she's stuck in place.

The medallion ping-pongs between various babies until meeting its mark. The Dragapult looks mad for a second, but seeing as Fraidy has fainted she calms, satisfied.

... Though not for long, given the Bubble Drain and Foul Play headed towards her.

She and Jefferson, both having been worn down already, faint unceremoniously (the Dragapult knocking her head on a wall on the way down).

Josette narrows her eyes and strains to get up. She, finally, is able to stand again, clutching her back and slightly hunched over. Taking an attack from a pokemon isn't the greatest for normal humans, and this woman's pushing 70.

It shows only very slightly on her face, but this does seem to be a novel and somewhat intimidating experience for her.

Nonetheless, she withdraws another pokeball.

Josette: (cold, unamused) "You'll educate me? It's so nice to learn new things at my age."

Clicks the release on the ball, sending out a Super Size Gourgeist.

Josette: "Unfortunately for both of us, I cannot step aside. I would be a poor excuse for a maid if I couldn't... clean up, as it were."

... Drops another ball behind her, into the mist.

It, too, opens, but whatever it releases phases into the floor before it can be seen.

Josette: "I will not be cowed."

The Gourgeist spins, and a variety of vitality draining seeds scatter around the battlefield and take root.

The elevator descends...

Textspace

It's minutes before Witch responds again.

Morata's Mansion, En Route to the Basement

.... Man this thing is taking a while. The sounds of battle have faded overhead, so it seems they're pretty far down at this point.

Pollen will see a lot of auras ahead and below her, Yoko's surrounded by a swarm of other things and just barely recognizable. The familiar red and purple chrysanthemums look... brighter than usual, though. Judging by the distance they're nearly there.

Morata's Mansion, Upstairs

Ynos lacks any sort of midair propulsion and is caught handily in the barrier. He's flung to the ground and Chiyo probably hears something crack.

...

It takes a second before he moves again. Unfortunately, he figures that Chiyo's not gonna fall for him playing dead so he struggles up beneath the barrier.

Meanwhile, the laptop seems to have high res images of many of Morata's masks— some that Tagg will have seen and some that don't look very familiar. The ones Tagg hasn't seen look.. much older.

The other contents of the laptop are pretty irrelevant— baby photos of freshly hatched Unovan Yamask, lawnmower repair bills, a folder of r e d a c t e d . There is probably more if you search more closely, but most of the folders are labelled something esoteric and guessing the contents isn't so simple.

Inside the safe is several small book shaped somethings. ... They're probably books.

...Deep within the house, Yoko's aura is flaring.

Morata's Mansion, Upstairs - November 1, 2021

Shamhat: -Visibly grimaces upon hearing the crack- I'm sorry Ynos, I said I don't like hurting people...

-And more barriers start appearing closely around Ynos to try limiting his movements and preventing him from attacking-

But please stay down. I'd prefer we get back to talking like this didn't happen.

-Masks-

We've hit the jackpot where that's concerned, Dr. Nakamura will definitely be happy with this.

-Copies-

How many people has she left bereft in her avariciousness for masks, I wonder? What depravities hide behind the mask of Morata Macraul?

Hitodama: -Peering inside the safe and looking at said book shaped objects- <Anything else worth taking?>

-Going back to the folders-

r e d a c t e d, what's in there?

-Takes a brief look... and gets way redder than you might expect I'd be able to get-

Okay there's nothing of use in that folder where our mission is concerned, this woman is the epitome of horny on main between this and that Braviary statue.

-Feels the flare-up from downstairs-

...Don't tell me she managed to put on that mask.

J-Textspace

Edited by rmctagg09 on Jan 4th 2022 at 5:53:19 AM

Hearthome City, Yumeko's Shrine

Yuki: <Sā, atashi wa doko ni imashita ka?^* Now, where was I? Ah, yes. As a teenager, I carried what I knew about the [Ainu]'s belief in kamui...>

-Ian and Evelyn start laughing.-

Yuki: <What's so funny?>

Me: Oh, it's nothing, just...

Evelyn: ...we know a Ninetales named "Kamui".

-Yuki then remembers Kendall's Ninetales and starts laughing.-

Spikemuth, VS Marnie

Me: Push forward, Piku-chan!

Evelyn: Hatty, don't let up!

Marnie: Ye got this, Morpeko! Show 'em what yer made of, Grimmsnarl!

-Piku-chan exerts more energy and begins to push Marnie's Morpeko backwards slightly. Hatty and Grimmsnarl's pummel duel continues, but Hatty appears to be gaining a slight advantage.-

Hammerlocke Stadium, Pitch

-Abomasnow gets blinded by the toxic spray and the poison starts to work its way through the Frost Tree Pokémon's body and starts to weaken it. Hakamo-o prepares to attack Joel with a mighty rush of punches. Ninetales looks into Freddie's tearful eyes, and returns the sorrowful look with a glistening red glare. Turtonator gets thrown into the air by Dalt's Dig, but follows into it with a Body Slam. The Castform switch from Weather Ball attacks into a team attack of Hydro Pump, Flamethrower and Blizzard targeting Dalt, Joel and Hatty. Mirai does a jeté^{Ballet tip} A jeté is a jump in ballet where the ballerina starts on one foot and ends on the other. over Hatty and uses her psychic powers to stop the attack in mid-air.

Me: USE DELTA FORCE!

-Piku-chan, Oshawittle and Raru, empowered by Kako and Mirai's cheer, surround The Gym Trainers' Pokémon in a triangular formation, Piku-chan sparkling with electrical energy, Oshawittle bursting with the energy of his Ice Beam and Raru surging with the Psychic energy of his Psychic. The three Pokémon form a Circle of Friendship and start to float in midair as Piku-chan links his Electric energy through Oshawittle, Oshawittle links his Ice energy through Raru and Raru links his Psychic energy through Piku-chan, forming a triangular link as they unleash the pent-up energy in a vertical beam aiming at the opponent's Pokémon. The Beam glows in a bright gold, blue and pink color before dispersing and the three Pokémon float gently to the ground.-

Stow-on-Side, Unaware of the School Hunting Trip

Evelyn: Still worried about Jigsaw?

Wyndon Stadium, VS Hoops

-Ian and Evelyn smile as Hoops sends out Cof to battle.-

Me: Hehey, Cof! Been a while!

Evelyn: How have you been?