Wyndon Stadium

Cof takes the Dark Pulse head on, barely flinching. After all, Dio's species isn't known for its Special Attack.

Cof: <Ian! Evelyn! I haven't seen you two since... the incident. I trust you've been keeping well.>

Before they can answer, he approaches Oshawittle and Axon.

Cof: <And you two look very strong! Let's make sure we have an excellent battle for this big crowd.>

He extends a hand towards each of them to shake on the promise of doing their best. After what seems like a moment of hesitation, he turns towards Dio as well.

Cof: <And you of course, friend. Put it there.>#

He extends another hand.

School Hunting Trip

Vana flushes.

Vana: Look, I need to eat! It's been hours since breakfast, and in case you forgot we grow in all kinds of weird speeds - hence the need for a lot of nutrients.

As if to prove the point she takes what can only be described as an angry bite of the bun she purchased earlier.

Vana: On another note, it looks like your operative is in trouble.

CW: Death

Hoops' Mind, Christmas Day

Hoops opens their eyes and finds themself on the path outside their house. The sun shines through the trees, in a way that it was certainly not doing this morning. This really is a memory then.

They turn and see their younger self, a youth of only five years old, laughing as he runs along the path and up to the house. Bewitched by the apparition, Hoops follows.

Of course, they don't really need to follow, because this memory has been burned into their brain for years, visiting them in nightmares every few nights. But still, they watch it again as they are told the news, and are led, perhaps unwisely, to the room where their mother lies still.

At first they didn't understand. Why were they being shown their mother sleeping? Of course, when she didn't wake up at their touch and voice they realised something was wrong. They never should have been shown this.

Around them, the floor cracks and breaks as they realise what has happened. The present day Hoops realises that this is the break in their mind and go to stop it, but their hands pass through it. The room dissolves... and then once again they are outside the house, and their younger self is running happily home, unaware of what is to come.

Hoops: Oh, no no no...

Just as suddenly as they went unconscious, Halis returns to awakeness, looking around a bit at the aberrant mess their room is in. Normally, it's absolutely spotless at all times, even after hours of activity, but for some reason it looks like it hasn't been kept up appearancewise in quite a while.

Halis: "...I really don't like having to bother them with my problems, but..."

They blast a message to anyone who cares to listen.

Wyndon Stadium, VS Hoops

-The ruby on Axon's forehead begins to glow. A brilliant aura surrounds his hand as he reaches out to shake hands with Cof. Oshawittle bows with respect to Cof, and extends his scalchop to them.-

School Hunting Party

Platinum: Oh, don't worry about him. It's Oingo... this sort of thing happens a lot with him... often when Boingo is involved also...

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

Spikemuth Stadium Stands

Kim: "Oh. She's getting the advantage."

Caboose: <More spinning! Yay!>

Cuddles: (on the floor, weakly) <Yaaaay Hatty...>

Hammerlocke Stadium

(Joel instantly tanks the punches and is barely damaged, letting out a yawn directed at Hakamo'o.)

(Safeguard protects Freddie from the Hypnosis attack, but he still trembles with fear at the glare. He stands up and tentatively faces the Ninetales, holding up his gripper.)

Freddie: <I'm terribly sorry... I- I didn't want to have to do this...>

(And he lets loose a burst of water from the tip of his gripper claw.)

(Finally, Dalt gets hit by the Body Slam, and is left a bit uneasy, but eventually reconstitutes himself and gazes up at the Turtonator.)

Dalt: <Owww... that hurt... Still, though! It is very nice to meet you!>

(He rubs his cheek against the Turtonator.)

Stow-on-Side

(Kim gravely nods.)

Wyndon Stadium

(Dio takes Cof's hand and shakes it.)

Dio: <Hey there! Nice to meet ya! Hopefully this battle ends up being as fun as I think it's going to be~! Name's Dio, by the way.>

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

Wyndon Stadium

As Cof shakes the hands of his three opponents, he gets to work on leaving something a little extra behind. When he pulls away, all three have a set of dirty bandages wrapped tightly somewhere on their bodies - bandages that, however tightly they're pulled, will not come off.

Cof: <Well, sorry there pals, looks like my Mummy ability might have rubbed off on you. You weren't using those abilities of yours for anything important, were you?>

He looks specifically at Dio when saying that last part.

Hoops winces.

Hoops: Sorry. I didn't know he was planning that.

Wyndon

(Dio realizes it.)

Dio: <...oh no...>

(His eyes promptly fill up with terror. Kim immediately recognizes what's going on.)

Kim: "Dio! It's okay! You may not have your Poison Heal ability anymore, but you can still win this!"

(Dio looks down.)

Dio: <I... I guess...>

(beat, then)

Dio: <Yeah... you're right! I can still do this! ...I hope.>

Kim: "I know you can, Dio! Now, hit him with a Night Slash!"

Dio: <Right! Here goes nothing!>

(His claws promptly glow a bright black, and he proceeds to strike at Cof.)

(And then the poison sets in and causes him to flinch.)

Dio: <Ow.>

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

Morata's Mansion, Atrium

-the vortex absorbs the Aura, steadying-

Suiko: -swallows the agglomerate, exhales-

-but Suiko's armor, mid-wince...very nearly cheers at Josette's proclamation-

-she watches the Pokémon emerge: in a better time, she rues, she'd love to have her ass handed to her-

-in a less dangerous situation, on friendlier terms, with—-

Phone: -lights up again, right in Vee's inner eye-

- —fewer friends in grave, grave danger-

Megan: -through blood- ...Stored Power.

Vee: ...huh?

Megan: Substitute me for setup. Burn all the way through to the lower floor, break through the foundations. Right in her direction.

Vee: I-I can't—

Megan: No, you're smelling—Pollen's that deep?

-Suiko inhales heavily—the Leech Seed strikes in the instant of distraction: worming beneath the armor, nearly prying the two apart-

-tethering Suiko to the room-

-Suiko lets out a little cry-

Megan: -hiss- We need to go. Just loose it here, level everything—

Vee: No!! This isn't a battlefield! It's someone's house! That they live in! That we broke into!!

-the aura seeping from Suiko is rancid-

Vee: -indicating Josette, in their shared mind- She's done nothing to us!!

-all anyone outside can see is Suiko's amorphous writhe, posture stiffening in fury-

Vee: Just her job! And defending herself! And being cool...

-she inhales, metaphorically, through her pores-

Vee: -shriek, silent- And are you forgetting that you could die???

Megan: -pained- Daydre.

-Vee readies protest despite it all, casting mental dice for—-

following detached from main narrative

Vee: <...okay.>

-Suiko's head pivots like a Herdier's that's just smelled meat-

Suiko: Found you.

-and, heedless of the many threats levied on both sides, Suiko vanishes with the turn of a cloak, her afterimage vanishing down the Braviary love tunnel-

Vee used Flip Turn!

-as she falls, and falls hard—one hand readies

-blip!-

a Pokéball-

Tripod: -hum intensifying, curious-

Tripod used Barrier!

-the way after them is barred by walls of light-

-the other's where all Megan's dammed life force is rushing to-

Stored Power is readying!

-Megan's Aura and Vee's react acid-and-base, unleashing a tremendous psionic energy-

-it's barely contained in the palm of their hand, held for whatever breaks through first—or whatever awaits them at the bottom of the shaft-

(-...meanwhile, most of what the Leech Seeds up there are getting is backwash^* soylent blue is made of that Gourgeist's friends, but that won't be true for long-)

Suiko is damaged by the Life Fang!

(-not for long at all-)

Wyndon Stadium, Ever vs. Megan - Future?

and many thanks to the incomparable Every memyselfandI for the spaghetti :3c

-they send out Scramble, who takes a picture of them, and turns to Megan expectantly, holding up their camera-

Megan: -quacks, obligingly-

-and what lands on her end of the field is not a Ducklett-

Pippy: -posing- <Voila! C'est moi.> ~v~

---

Abilene: -mutter- His accent is terrible.

---

Megan: -likewise posing- Antimagic Field~

-and the shot may suddenly get kind of terrible as the air goes heavy and sharp with saturated Steel-

Pippy used Iron Defense!

(-not quite hitting where Ever's standing, mercifully-)

Ever: Yeah. Mhm.

-the fingers of their prosthetic flex, maybe involuntarily-

Don't get in close, Scramble. You think you have the advantage, but you don't.

Scramble: <?>

Ever: Ah...Fire Blast, yeah.

Scramble: <!>

-they let out a short whistle, and one of the Dreepy Swarm dives into them-

-reappearing from Scramble's missile port with a click-

Ever: Fire.

Scramble: <!>

-and is propelled at Pippy, bursting into flames en route-

Fire Blast Dreepy: <!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!>

Pippy: <Awww, that's adorabaaaAAAAA>

-did you know that despite their typing, Empoleon are really flammable?-

Pippy was Burned!

Megan: -winces-

Is burning! Whatever!

-he's had the space of about half a second to contemplate a little baby dragon phasing unhampered through a very strange cloud of particulate iron to regret the decisions that have led to this moment-

-and most of what's registering (aside from the eternal flame baby lodged somewhere around his liver) is that the metal he's saturated the air with is also apparently drenched in Empoleon feather oil-

Megan: Um.

Pippy: <Uh.>

Vee: <Huh!>

The field was Burned!

Megan: -a bit shaky- ...we meant for that to happen!

No mind to think. No will to break.

Morata Manor, Atrium

Avery: ...Well, this is going to be a fucked way to die.

-she looks over the side-

...That's too far to fall.

-back to Suiko-

There's no chance you can teach me to be a professional battler in the next ten seconds, is there—

-back to Suiko, we said-

-back to Suiko???-

Did we just get abandoned???

Perspective: <Hiding in the mist. A most ignoble tactic.>

Avery: Aaa.

-focus, Avery-

-you're outnumbered and this person is a very competent battler-

Avery: Oh, fuck it, I'm doing it my way.

-she sweeps her eyes across the room, trying to memorize-

Avery: As you've noted, you can hit me without needing to see me. But! Everything here is really expensive, huh?

Spect! The lights!

Perspective: -flipping onto his head- <Sorry, love—>

Avery: You're not Galarian!

-the lights in the room and those nearby are switched off telekinetically-

-there's the sound of footsteps sprinting for the far door from the left-

Morata Manor, elevator shaft

-a voice comes from inside the statue-

Optics: <Hey. I smell you out there. Don't pretend you're not there.>

<...Can you fill me in? I feel like I'm missing stuff.>

Wyndon Stadium—Is it really the future? It's now-ish

Pippy: <SO intentional. ...oof ow ouch my bones—>

Megan: -bolstered- In fact—Pippy!

Metallurgy! >:D

Pippy: -huff- <Y'know, swords hold a pretty specific place in our mythos. The fact that I seem to be covered with them says interesting things, symbolically!>

-nearest him, the iron aura sparkles much as he does when he's showing how pretty he is-

-what happens next is very pretty, too-

<...yeah, not gonna pretend this is anything but revenge.> ^v^

Vee: -giggles maniacally-

-blades precipitate from the ether around steely seed crystal, wreathe themselves in Obscura, and—flaming, heat-softened—propel themselves toward Scramble and the swarm-

Pippy chained Iron Defense into Power Trip!

Ever: Were you not the one I had this talk with? Maybe just Logan.

-Scramble shoots skyward, keeping well out of range of the swords-

I'll admit I didn't expect that...but you did telegraph it. Speed becomes more of an advantage the greater the range. On the other hand...Fire Blast, again.

-Scramble fires down a second Dreepy-

Ever: Swords...I have some swords for sale, if that's your thing, I guess.

Megan: Oh, I know! ^_^

Hiro likes the one you got him, he says it's "spirited". I think I'll stick with my trident—

-she gives the staff in her hand a one-handed twirl; Pippy warily watches the Dreepy plummet-

-and punctuating her remark by failing to snap her fingers- Darn, though, rookie mistake. Save the one-liners…

Pippy: -torn between fight and flight- <Uh—>

Megan: -mutter- Wisdom and courage. Knowledge and determination…

-rubbing the symbol on her left hand with a thumb- ...go. ^_^

-Arbok-quick, Pippy repeats the technique from before to form a burning bat around his wing; Dreepy may phase through metal, but the Obscura lacing through this may be another story—-

-through fire, he attempts to smack the Dreepy back into Scramble rather than spend the time forming a new volley-

-Ever raises an eyebrow-

-Scramble is hit by the Dreepy, who explodes into flames-

Scramble: <!>

Ever: Huh. You okay up there?

-there's an answering click of the camera-

Ever: Yeah, okay.

Megan: Hah! As long as we keep the technique cues to things they haven't seen before—

Ever: Let's...not see that again. Hex.

Scramble: -camera click-

-as all the places where the burn has taken root flare with a sickly green light, shadows of a gaunt and burnt Pippy visible in the edges of vision-

Pippy: <aaaaAAAAAA why don't we resist G h o s t any more—>

Megan: aaaaaaaaa okay okay—

-huff on the exhale, quick- Maximum regret. Do the horrible thing, Pippy.

-Pippy's stopped to drop and roll, more or less, and from his prone position he mutters a curse into the earth-

(-the swords embedded from his earlier strike pulse momentarily with a raw and terrible menace before falling silent-)

Pippy's aura is flaring!

Ever: -blink-

-blink-

-they look around to try and locate things, horrible or otherwise-

-...-

...Okay. Hex again, I guess?

Scramble: -camera flash, round 2, this time with panorama-

Pippy: -as the Dreepy inside him starts beeping on a timer- <...well, that's it, I suppose.>

Megan: I will remember you fondly...

Vee: -blows nose-

Pippy: <Mourn me not—a good captain always goes down with his ship.> UvU

-salute- <Goodbye, Ever! And thanks for the match.>

-Scramble's picture turns out quite nice, the Burn Dreepy providing a lovely backlighting to Pippy's bones amid the mess they've made of the field-

Hex's power doubled!

-and he explodes into shrapnel-

Pippy became Surf!

Rip.

-Megan cries to see her starter as nothing more than a puddle spreading across the Wyndon stadium floor-

-the camera provides a long zoom of her face, a wide angle capturing her Vaporeon patting her cheek to stifle tears of her own-

• ◓◓◓◓◓ | ◓◓◓◓◓◓

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.

Morata's Mansion, Atrium

-Odin cheers and once again attempts to blast the frozen Victoria with an Earth Power-

Contact Me!

Hamlet, The Duke

Oddly Jolly Man: Oh I'm here to converse with this village's Council. I heard some very interesting things about them, especially with how it relates to my business.

He gives a laugh and settles back into whatever seating he has in the back of his carriage.

Oddly Jolly Man: But yes those bandits were a bit of a bother weren't they? How's your own supplies, holding up well?

Slumbering Weald House

-Gale twirls the blade after the parry is complete and stands ready to deal with the next barrage when it comes-

I don't need to know about her to know that what you did is still horrendous. But alright then, enlighten me: What did she do to 'deserve' what you did?

-Wings unfold from behind her, a display of intimidation-

And who are you to be the arbiter of punishment? I have a theory for that one by the way.

Techspo, Early December

-The attendant fishes around under the counter and puts a couple business cards on the table. They seem to have the exact same contact information as in the pamphlet-

QBL/Anansi Attendant: Alright so two mini-projectors comes out to...

-They tap away at the point of sale device and the number 14,316 appears-

QBL/Anansi Attendant: That's each by the way. [Yen].

Phantom Thieves Textspace

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

Stormchaser — Training Room

Kai: And this was where all that started. Megan and Molybdenum made the place collapse in on itself like a dying star to try to kill us.

Vierr: What the fuck.

Kai: And that's a big reason why Stormy's sapient now!

Vierr: What the fuck.

Kai: It's been a long year.

Vierr: Clearly.

-Kai grins.-

Kai: So! While we're here, wanna teach me a thing?

-Vierr blinks.-

Vierr: Did you really just do that big elaborate setup just for that?

Kai: Hehe, yeah. Unless you've got plans, in which case—

Vierr: Sure.

-Kai beams.-

Kai: Sweet!

-She scurries over to the console, setting up a grassy battlefield, and takes a seat cross-legged on the ground.-

Kai: Teach me your ways, mighty wizard.

Vierr: ...Kai, are you okay?

Kai: Am I okay? I'm excited! Why wouldn't I be excited? Getting to learn from a real Aura Guardian, no less~

Vierr: In training, Kai. I'm a student just as you are.

-He sits down across from Kai.-

Vierr: First off, regardless of whether you're panicking about the School or just weirdly eager, you're gonna want to quell that anxious energy of yours.

Kai: Anxious? Who says—

Vierr: I say you're anxious, Kai. And that's going to interfere with your ability to focus. Breathe before we talk about anything.

-Kai falters, but forces herself to slow down and calm her breathing.-

Kai: ...Right. Okay. Relaxing.

Slumbering Weald- Spooky House

(Jigsaw smirks, not even offended by the wings.)

Ooh, you can fly? Do tell me more. Anyways. Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

(He attacks her with a burst of darkness.)

1: She's so relentlessly entitled and desperate for attention it's insane. She literally envied your girlfriend and his Trainer for months in an attempt to get information on Japanese and the like from them.

(And then another.)

2: She snapped at her best friends at the meeting— EVERYONE at the meeting— and hurt all of them in the process. And then she further distracted them all by having a panic attack in the middle of the room.

(And then another.)

3: Speaking of them, her disappointment over them in regards to their actions in this so-called "final shell" was enough to make Ian feel like a monster. Yeah, bet you didn't know about that, did you?

(And then yet another.)

And on top of all of that, she's having the same problem with Kendall's cute little Galvantula that she had with Kendall and Kamui. Even if she's only ever talked to him once. What a shame. Not to mention she has so many mons that she is deliberately ignoring some of them!

(He laughs.)

If I were you, I'd just give up. Honestly. It's no use anymore. Besides, she's already realized this and doing nothing about it. This is her punishment.

But do go on, I'd love to hear your... theory.

Meanwhile, on board the Stormchaser...

Kim's Mind

(Angela should be able to hear the voice of one particular mon running through Kim's head.)

Honestly, Kim. Why are you even here. I told you months ago that you weren't J-Team material, and here you are, proving it time and time again.

(And then, Kamui!Jigsaw hears Angela enter.)

侵入者! ^note  "INTRUDER!"

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

Stormchaser — Training Room

Vierr: So. Let's start with this. What have you learned since the last time we spoke? Since you became a vampire and asked me to help stabilize your Aura.

Kai: ...Ah. Let's see... well, the base of my abilities stem from Aura Transfer, both giving to others and taking from them. You taught me how to slow the loss of Aura from my dependency. Since then, I've... expanded on that.

-They close their eyes, and start focusing, but— -

Vierr: Kai. Don't demonstrate. Explain it.

-Their eyes shoot open.-

Kai: ...Uh. Well, okay, so. I've been practicing with... with where the lost Aura goes. Initially, my intent was to start replenishing myself with just the ambient Aura in the environment. But anywhere but a Nexus, there isn't enough of that environmental Aura to counteract what I'm exerting to reach out and grab it. It always ends up being a net loss.

Vierr: ...You might be able to work past that, with the efficiency training that Chiyo mentioned, but I expect that won't happen for a while. So go on.

Kai: Right. So instead, what I've been experimenting with is blending my Aura with that in the environment. When I'm running low on Aura, it becomes harder to discern, especially when paired with an SEP field. But not so much when I'm properly fueled up. It just makes me bleed out Aura faster, and generate an awful lot of light and heat in the process.

Vierr: That would explain a number of things. Namely your bad habits.

Kai: Wh— what do you mean, bad habits?

Vierr: You've been spending a lot of time on low battery, so to speak, haven't you? To try and hone that particular skill. To hide your Aura.

Kai: I'm totally fine, Vierr, I've refueled.

Vierr: Indeed you have. I'm not denying that. Just commenting.

Kai: Criticizing.

Vierr: Commenting. You're getting indignant about it, because your habits and your conscience are fighting each other.

Kai: ...

-Kai mutters a bit. Vierr gives a sly smile.-

Vierr: How the tables have turned.

Slumbering Weald, Spooky House

-Gale Knight holds her ground, holding her sword up to try and divide the blasts that batter against her. She starts... Laughing-

That's it? I've done worse on my best days. But if my theory holds up, you don't care what others do. You just care about Kim.

-She smiles and leaps forward, blade raised-

You're part of her, aren't you? Her worst, most self-criticizing part. Not sure how you got out if that's true, but it's Halloween; I can chalk it up to spooky magic.

Kim's Mind

Angela: <I know you are but what am I!>

-The spirit giggles and tries to drift through thought towards the source of the voice-

Angela: <Kimmy? This is your wellness check!>

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

Stormchaser — Training Room

Kai: Whatever. If that's such a problem, why don't we work on that, then?

Vierr: Nah.

Kai: Wh...?

Vierr: At least, not yet. Maybe we will, maybe we won't. But you've got more up your sleeve these days, don't you? You weren't just generating heat, you were billowing Auric smoke. Normally you only get smoke — fog, haze, et cetera — when you're working with Obscura. But you're a literal sunshine-and-rainbows Auric, so what's the smoke about?

Kai: ...Right. That's the other thing that seems to be related to Fire as a subtype. I can transfer Aura, but I can also... burn it out of someone. Or burn it within myself.

Vierr: Interesting. Let's start with the former use — what does that do, that you wouldn't get out of a typical Aura Drain?

Kai: More damage at a time, mostly. It's more of a... burst, than your typical Drain Punch. I can still absorb a bit of it, but it's more about the impact.

Vierr: If it's burning, it might also get around the typical Aura resistances and immunities. Have you tried to punch a ghost?

Kai: ...I don't know a lot of ghosts that need punching.

Vierr: There was Ten-Zero, wasn't there? Could have tried it with them.

Kai: ...I could have, I guess.

Vierr: I'm sure you'll get another opportunity. Anyway, the other thing — what does, quote, "burning it within yourself" do?

Kai: ...You know how vampires are known for their unnatural speed and strength? That's how I manage it. Bursts of energy. It's a sacrifice of my own Aura in order to fuel a surge of brute force, or rush of speed, or whatever else I wouldn't have the capacity to do under normal circumstances.

Vierr: I'm seeing a trend. You're quite the self-sacrificing sort, Kai.

Kai: ...I did what I needed to do to survive.

Vierr: Once again, not a criticism. Just an observation. Seeing that pattern tells me what to work on, and I'm not telling you that like a therapist would.

-He smiles again.-

Vierr: Is there more, or would you like to hear what I've been working on?

Slumbering Weald

(Jigsaw laughs.)

Not necessarily. I'm only someone who wants to amplify those traits. And it seems I've succeeded.

(beat, then)

Oh? What have you done?

Kimberly Bond's mind

(Electric shocks can be felt throughout.)

The Stormchaser

(She hears the voice.)

Kim: (shaking, sobbing) "H-huh...?"

Kimberly Bond's mind

(Sobbing. A miniature, ethereal version of Kimberly Bond appears in front of Angela, sobbing on the floor. Another voice speaks to her— except it's not Jigsaw this time.)

Oh, thank goodness you're here. I haven't been able to get these demons out of her mind— they're far too strong—

(And then Jigsaw. Except this time, he's 9-Volt.)

Get out! You're not welcome here!

(Another electric shock.)

The Stormchaser

(Kim screams.)

Edited by OPALGARNET16 on Jan 5th 2022 at 9:11:03 AM

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

The sub jerked a bit, the water in the moonpool rolled somewhat; then came Queen's voice. "Attention all passengers we have come to a stop, we are near our destination."

"Thank you Queen," Jackal said holding up his pDroid and letting Bishop enter it. He turned to Suiko and made a gesture.

"Queen of the Sea, care to take the first steps? We're right behind you, ready to burn the hideout of the monsters that dare hide beneath your waves."

Fox did a bit of a bow, as the moonpool opened properly and water began to slowly enter the chamber.

"Story for later, just know that he's locked up and ready for interrogation," Roxy said with a nod.

"Yes. How are you two enjoying the party so far? Henderson apparently put a lot of work into decorating the place," Silas added.

Stormchaser — Training Room

Kai: ...Sure. I'm curious what you've been up to. Curious what you're learning as an Aura Guardian.

Vierr: Cool. Because my first step was to rethink how I thought about learning.

-He generates a yellow Aura construct rod, and draws a set of three symbols in the ground — the golden-winged heart of Ho-oh, the silver soul symbol of Lugia, and the crystal head-crest of Suicune.-

Vierr: We both know that not everyone is a chosen of Legendary Pokemon. Not everyone is a Heart of Gold, Soul of Silver, or Mind of Crystal. But everyone has a Heart, Soul, and Mind — for our sake, imagine the capital letters.

Kai: How did you get color with a—

Vierr: Save your questions for the end, please.

-Kai clams up. Vierr taps the first symbol with the construct.-

Vierr: Anyway, you know what a Heart stands for. It's the emotional center. Empathic sense and resonance is, of course, a skill granted by being chosen as a Heart of Gold, but it is also a regular part of the Auric wheelhouse. But it's more than just empathy, more than just emotion. The Heart is also about bonds, the ties that bind. Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, the literal Bond Phenomenon — the connection between Trainer and Pokemon is powerful, and anything that grasps that bond, is often symbolized by the Heart.

-Kai nods.-

Kai: ...Burst Hearts, too. Another ties-that-bind thing, and it has "Heart" in the name.

Vierr: You get it.

-He points toward the second symbol.-

Vierr: The Soul... frequently, it's the most immediately associated with the Auric Spectrum, or at least three quarters of it. It's not quite the full scope, but it's admittedly apt. It's willpower. It's determination. It's defiance. It's pushing past the boundaries set upon you, to reveal the peak of what you can do. The Auric Spectrum is so closely tied with the Soul, because it's such a visible demonstration of bypassing what one expects of human limits.

Kai: ...When the Brass Tower burned, the city of Ecruteak seemed doomed to burn with it. But Lugia took the very storm whose lightning sparked the flames, and turned the rain itself on the blaze in order to protect the city. And then, when all was done, Lugia dove beneath the waves to rest. Ho-oh's continued presence above the city may be more prominent, but Lugia's act of defending their former home with every ounce of their being is how my home survived.

-Vierr nods.-

Vierr: Exactly.

-He moves his focus to the third and final symbol.-

Vierr: And finally, we have the Mind. It is, of course, knowledge. But it's also creativity. It's one thing to know how something works, and another to figure out how to use that information to your advantage. Assessing a situation, picking out details, deciding how to turn the tables in your favor? That's the Mind at work. And so is inventing and innovating on techniques, such as that trick with blending your Aura into the background. That's an excellent exploration of the importance of the Mind in one's own training.

Kai: ...Thank you, I guess.

Vierr: Heh. You know what my problem was, before I was taught about this?

Kai: Oh?

-Vierr sets down the Aura rod. It doesn't fade, even as he starts rubbing his fingers together, generating a small, swirling mote of purple Obscura between them.-

Vierr: I was always so focused on my Soul, on pushing myself past my limits. I never really took advantage of my Mind, never figured out how to balance all these things I wanted to do. But now that I'm no longer trying to do the most of anything, I'm really getting the hang of a lot.

-He flicks the small ball of Obscura toward a figure in the doorway, who yelps.-

Vierr used Shadow Ball!

Mason: Ack! What the hell, Vierr?!

Vierr: Nice of you to drop in, Shadows.

Slumbering Weald, Spooky House

As much as I'm sure you'd love me to spill my guts both metaphorically and literally but a girl's gotta have her secrets ya know.

-She matches the laugh and stabs forth-

But a teaser; I have an absolutely massive case of Protagonist Syndrome. Always need to be at the front, always need to be beloved. That's why I got into social media after all, isn't it?

Kim's Mind

Angela: <Well, I'm here to help! Should I start attacking them?>

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

Slumbering Weald, Spooky House

(Jigsaw is stabbed, and a bit of darkness eminates from him, but he glances up at Gale.)

Yes, but you never did any of the stuff that Kim did, did you?

Kim's Mind

Indeed.

(And then the ghosts emerge— in the forms of Ian, Evelyn, 9-Volt, Kamui, Kendall, Hoops, and Braker.)

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

Morata's Mansion, Upstairs

Ynos: "... Hrm."

Despite everything he's still trying to get to his feet. Chiyo will feel surprising amounts of resistance from him as his body steams with aura, but he isn't able to break the barriers.

Ynos: "I.. can't... not again."

---

The books inside are marked on the front with the words "RECORDS" in big black lettering- though records of what remains to be seen.

Morata's Mansion, Atrium

The Gourgeist glows in the sudden darkness. Josette just.. sighs, and waves at her.

Josette: "... Gage, I don't really care how but please go get Marjory's ball back. I think that girl was the one who took it."

Gage simply nods and starts floating her way towards the sound of the footsteps. Tendrils of shadow extend out of her and feel around the room, looking for items to take.

Victoria isn't able to dodge the attack and the Earth Power knocks her away. It does also shake her out of her frozen state though, and she retaliates with another Dragon Pulse.

Morata's Mansion, Bowels

The statue platform fits into the floor of the basement with the deep, resonant equivalent of a click. Surrounding Pollen (and whoever else is down there at this point) is a big tube of thick glass, with entrances cut out of it in front of and behind the statue.

Beyond the tube is.. chaos. A gymnasium sized blue-grey room with padded flooring extends in every direction around them. Signs of battle— some old, some new— mark the walls and floors. But that's hard to make out around the swarms of Unovan Yamask flying through the area. Somewhere in the crowd is Aislinn, seated on a Galarian Rapidash who's trying her best to dodge concentrated Yamask body strikes. She has Harry out punching away Yamask that get too close, but the press of bodies is making it hard for her to give effective commands.

Watching from a glass-covered balcony at the other end of the room is Morata herself. Or what can be safely assumed to be Morata, anyway. Green hair, blank face mask... Her gaze pierces through the clouds of Yamask towards the elevator. With a wave of her hand the Yamask part, forming walls and a clear path towards her. Oddly, a cluster remains. it bulges occasionally, a if something is trying to escape. Aislinn is finally able to rest, her and her mons breathing heavily. She looks back at Suiko with a grimace.

Morata: "Oh, another guest. I was wondering when you'd get here. I figured there'd be more of you.. I find it hard to believe that one, even as foolish as she is, would only bring one extra person."

... A glance at Aislinn.

Morata: "This ought to be interesting, though! You know the feeling you get when you get a new toy, and immediately want to try it out? This new mask of mine... has some fun little effects. As risky as it is, I just had to see it in action. And you provide the perfect lab Rattata."

She claps her hands together.

Morata: "Oh! Dear. I'm monologuing. I've always wanted to do that, but you look rather impatient so I won't go on for much longer. Have fun!"

Morata snaps her fingers. The cluster of Yamask in the center of the room disperse, and...

... Well there's Yoko. She doesn't look particularly happy. Nine tails of Obscura swirl out of her lower back, and she's slightly hunched over. She looks between Aislinn and Suiko with no sign of recognition in her eyes. And, most importantly, she's wearing the mask they all came here to get.

Aislinn tenses up, preparing to have Gaycrus dodge.

Without so much as a warning, Yoko lunges at her.

From... Somewhere

Someone's watching Megan's match on TV. She's upset she couldn't be there in person, but... circumstances.

"She's as good at making her moves look cool as ever..."

Rowan: <...Does that make them more effective, though?>

She kinda bats at Rowan.

"Shush."

"I have to wonder if losing Pippy this early was part of her plan, though. Given how long he was able to endure last match. Then again some of those tactics weren't the most league sanctioned. I guess we'll see."

off the shits

Stormchaser

Mallory: So, here's what I don't get.

Percy: Oh. It's you.

Mallory: Yeah, who else?

Percy: I assumed it was the creepy blue one with the ghosts.

Mallory: No, I think they're in Wyndon for a battle right now. Anyway, supposedly I'm part of this School thing.

Percy: I think we've established that beyond a doubt.

Mallory: So why am I not telepathic? Or telekinetic?

-Percy stops her meditation, letting the cloud of lightning around her recede-

Percy: What?

-she puts on a hat, covering her obscura eye-

Mallory: I'm supposed to be psychic, right? And I've got my super dying powers.

Percy: And I thought my powers were annoying. Yes, what's your point?

Mallory: But psychics are usually— you know, able to do more than the one thing.

Percy: Well, so-so. Normal psychics are. But you're not a normal psychic, so it's really a moot point.

Mallory: You know, actually that refers to a point that would be brought up during formal discussion—

Percy: Firstly, you're wrong, and secondly I'm kind of feeling the urge to test out those super dying powers of yours. You came to me, Mallory.

Mallory: Oh, I think my name might be Tin?

Percy: Yeah, but do you want people calling you Tin?

Mallory: ...My current legal name is Mallory Anterior Mystery.

Percy: Yeah, well, we Schoolkids aren't given much of an education on what a normal name looks like. One of many ways they make sure we can't readily hide.

Mallory: But...Anterior?

Percy: Honestly? Tracks with the you I'm talking to.

Mallory: Harsh!

Percy: Look, I don't know psychic stuff the way I do obscuric. But it's entirely plausible you just weren't built to express telepathy or telekinesis. Luck of the draw, so to speak.

Mallory: That bites.

Percy: Doesn't it just?

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.

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

...She's totally got that mask on.

Hitodama: -Reports-

Okay, we're gonna need to crack that lock, and then we might need to go downstairs.

Hitodama: -Shoots a small but concentrated jet of flame at the safe's lock-

---

-As Ynos tries struggling, another layer of barriers forms over the ones currently surrounding him-

Shamhat: -To Ynos- You're going to hurt yourself even more long before you manage to break these. If.

-Sitting back down in the chair she's just righted-

You are so very damned stubborn, and not just because of your powers, but I respect that.

Chiyo, since there's a bit of a lull in your duel, we've got an issue.

I felt the flare just as I subdued Ynos, was it-

Yeah, Morata forced the mask onto Daydre, and she's currently rampaging in the basement.

Well I'd like to help you help them, but unfortunately if I turn my back on Ynos without a guarantee he'll probably just go fight alongside the maid or something, and I can't maintain the barriers and fight at the same time.

I could Thunder Wave him, but I guess that has the issue of you having to open the barriers enough to get through and potentially give him an opening to escape.

Did you find anything?

Records of the mask collection and also some... interesting photos.

Huh?

You might have a fan is all I'm saying.

...Gross, but money is money I suppose. I'll just have to put it towards repatriation projects or something else she'd hate. Anyway, time to see if I can finally convince him to stop trying to fight me, or if I'm gonna need to send Dactyl out.

Shamhat: -To Ynos, having kept her eyes on him this whole time- Can we have a conversation, or is this going to go into Round 3? The choice is yours.

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

Stormchaser — Training Room

Kai: Oh, hey, Mason.

Mason: ...Hey. Wanted to see how you were doing, after... y'know. Breakout day.

Kai: Oh, uh. I'm doing fine. Barely made it out alive, but thankfully I had someone here to rescue me.

Mason: I sure know how that is.

Vierr: I'm teaching Kai some stuff. Want to join us? Even if there's no real overlap in ability, you'd make an excellent example.

Mason: Are you gonna keep throwing orbs at me?

Vierr: -grins- Only if you annoy me.

Kai: The orb didn't even explode. And you threw it. You never used to be able to do projectiles.

Vierr: Never got in the mindset to do it properly. It's not much, but does it have to be?

Mason: ...Guess not. Especially if you've also got an Aura construct and a minor illusion going at the same time.

Kai: Ohhh those are illusions. Wow.

-Vierr shrugs, and waves away the drawn symbols.-

Vierr: I'm not a great artist. Anyway, come on, sit down and join us!

Mason: Fine, sure.

-He sits down, forming a circle with Vierr and Kai.-

Morata's Manor, Basement - Oh Fuck

-someone lunges out of the elevator shaft, hand ablaze-

Suiko: -snarl- Where is she?! Give her back, or I'll blast this whole

-someone passes the glass, sees the Yamask, recognizes the person they contain-

Suiko: !!!

-and staggers to a crashing halt-

-the power dissipates in her hand, the purple bleeds from her gaze, fury flees her expression like water sublimating in the desert-

Suiko: no.

-surrounded by enemies, and she's only got eyes for…-

Suiko: no no no no no

-well, the person her armor's reverted to the color scheme of-

Pollen: <...Meg—Sui—you. What's-what's going on? Where are we?>

(-such a good monologue, gone to waste-)

Pollen: <Wh…what should I d—>

(-Suiko's not listening to anything at the moment-)

-Daydre lunges-

Suiko: NO!

-even though Aislinn's on a horse and she's on foot, Suiko lunges to try and get between them-

Vee used Quick Attack!

Vee: <fuck fuck fuck fuck>

-and she—at a loss—tries to grab Daydre's wrists before (Mesprit, are those claws) she can claw anyone's anything vital-

Suiko: -whimper- Hey. Hey, it's me, everything's going to be fine…

-Vee eyes the tails—her eyes, the power she smells, the ghosts and the rage and everything but in this moment specifically the tails—nervously, splitting her own to meet their count-

Wyndon Stadium, Ever vs. Megan - Honestly That Sounds About Right But Time Is Weird (Dare I Say It's Not Real)

Megan: ...anyways.

Ever: Megan...what the fuck.

Megan: -retrieving another Pokéball, winking- Let's play ball.

Ever: What, no, what the fuck just occurred—

-she slips the ball into Vee's mouth, holding her in both hands like a bazooka—-

-Vee's color shifts from muted grays to bright teals in a rapid charging-up sequence, and she fires it up toward where Scramble hovers-

Pollen: -pop, splutter- <That is so unpleasant—!>

-Lunar Thrust!-

Pollen used Moonblast!

(-Pollen makes the lighting terrible-)

Scramble: -squeak-

Ever: Yeah, that's...nah. U-Turn.

-Scramble dives to meet Pollen-

-knight vs. dragon, the age old conflict-

-though admittedly, it's not often that the knight is a tiny bug, and the dragon is the ghost of a not-quite-lizard-

-and then the dragon nopes out, redshifting out of existence with a (Bug-typed?) burst of energy-

Pollen: -largely unharmed- <hweh>

-replaced with a centipede who looks a little confused to be so high up-

Just: <...Oh, hey Pollen! Long time no s— ow!>

-the flames around her keeping the Moonblast from really having a lot of effect as she does a 21-point landing-

-not quite as stylish as 3-point, oh well-

Ever: ...No, really, what the fuck?

Megan: -brightly- Well, you see—

-a schwing of metal on metal-

-the dozen or so swords embedded in the earth meet three dozen more coalescing from the ether, springing up—and diving down—flash-quick, toward the joints in Just's carapace-

Pippy's Stealth Rock!

-Pollen's hurled her needle on a thread to join the lot, hooking around one's hilt-

Just: <Hey, wait, that's—>

<...Ow.>

<Okay. Ow.>

-she wobbles-

Ever: ...Well, I did say to do whatever you can to win, so I suppose I had this coming.

Megan: ^_^

Megan: -to herself, watching Pollen amidst all the iron- She'll...she'll be fine.

-Pollen touches down-

Megan: Prob...ably.

-and scoops up some of Pippy's remains-

Pollen used Nature Power!

Pollen: -tracing that same triangle symbol- <Ashes to ashes—!>

Nature Power became Hydro Pump!

-an aqueous Pippy-morph springs forth to strike at a pinned bug-

Just: <...Well this is just anticlimactic—>

Just fainted!

Edited by Asterisk395 on Jan 6th 2022 at 1:34:56 PM

No mind to think. No will to break.