Stormchaser

-Percy tenses mid-chocolate, her eye widening-

Percy: That was Nitrogen. The— the wind one. It must have been? You said she let you go?

Morata Manor, kitchen

Avery: Wait—

Facade: <Ack!>

-she's sent flying back, almost immediately down to the red despite the attack not being very effective-

Avery: Uhh...hey! You want the Pokeball, right?

-she takes it out of her pocket, tossing it out-

-it does not release Marjorie, whoever that is-

-in fact, it splinters away to reveal a different ball entirely-

Presentation: <So much for stealth, huh?>

Avery: (panicked) Get them!

-Presentation does, indeed, swing an arm at Gage's "neck"-

Presentation used Darkest Lariat!

Basement

Optics: <Oh gods.>

-she cautiously peeks out of the elevator-

<Oh gods.>

-doing her best to not draw too much attention to herself, she casts a little curse on Daydre-

Optics used Quash!

Wyndon Stadium, Megan vs. Ever

Vee: -blin's- <...I can't believe that actually worked.>

Megan: -recall, pet ball- Good job, Fraidy.

Vee: <Did you—did you do that on purpose?>

-Megan looks up from her Pokédex's health app and winks-

Vee: -snicker- <I getcha.>

Megan: -beaming- Three options, here.

-Vee blinks, again-

-and...with her, looks to Arc-

-love that kid-

-trained him themselves (more or less), watched him grow big and grow up (more or less), were wrested from the grave by him (entirely unhyperbolic)-

-...tried to kill him, also

Vee: -...wry- <I don't thin' Ever's much for thematically resonant duels in the rain, either.>

-indeed, the rain is mostly fading out-

Vee: <...an' I dunno if I can.>

-she's referring to the vampire ruling, surely-

Megan: Fair. ^_^

In that case—

-she raises her staff to the sky…-

-and the clouds part-

-a battalion of trumpets bleats through the stadium speakers, spotlights raised to the receding overcast, circling the reemerging rays of the sun-

-and a mighty voice from the firmament spake, the weight of the tempest booming from innumerable vaporous tongues:-

Hi, Arc!

-...in Galaran-

Thespi used Thunder! (Sorta.)

-less sure, less strong—but yeah that's frigging loud-

Vee: <...how—> Megan: -serene- I've learned not to question.

(-wayyyy up in the sky, a tiny speck waves a little orb-)

Vee: <But...but Ever gave us that whole speech like five minutes ago.>

-it looks like she's giving a monologue? they cannot hear her-

Megan: ...then I think Thespi's not telling us some stuff.

-Arc becomes a lightning rod-

-the thing about being a lightning rod is you are not supposed to be alive during said-

-Arc wobbles-

Ever: Mmmm...I might let you have this, normally, but...no. Arc…

-they run a few quick calculations-

Skystomp.

Arc: <Oh! Are you sure that's going to work—>

Ever: Yeah.

Arc: <Okay!>

Megan: what :D

Arc's aura is flaring!

-even though the rain has stopped, the field is saturated with water-

-the ground is muddy, the air is humid-

-all of that water starts to condense-

-a note hums through it, and it starts to rise-

Vee: -gasps-

-and Arc sprints up it as it does, because water doesn't start becoming compressible because it's being suspended in the air by hydrokinesis-

-each step sends out a shockwave that transmits the effect, a very literal water table sweeping Arc upwards-

-they say that the sky is water, like the sea-

-certainly, as the steps carry and more and more water condenses into Arc's hammer, there's water coming from both directions, as the sky and ground becomes jaws-

(-Megan's laughing-)

-and then Arc's aura splinters and shatters, and the water is shot through with a webwork of spearing light as the jaws close-

Arc chained Swords Dance and Earthquake!

-and explode-

-Arc rocketing out of the storm towards Thespi-

Arc used Aqua Jet!

Vee: <Heartsong. Meg, P, he's using the—>

Megan: -grinning, fierce with tension- That's new!

-and no more time for awe-

---

-Castform are hyperspecialized-

-leave to others the arts of kinesis and mars, Thespi's domain is the sky entire-

-her hyperspecialty informs her that the air is thick with moisture—and since she has humidity to spare, she molds it without effort into a desired form-

-one of dread and situational versatility-

Thespi: -a sweatdrop with no corresponding gland trickling down the side of her face as she murmurs- <Fini of Hope…>

-perfect-

-anyways, she's about to be curbstomped^* skystomped-

-Empoleon fly through the sea as Talonflame to the sky, but Castform swim like sponges-

-Empoleon are solid metal and Castform...vaguely jellylike bonelessness-

-...is someone yelling? the appropriate response to witnessing a beheading is a horrified gasp—or if one must shout, the name of the victim in question—-

Megan: -hands cupped, again- PK!!

Thespi: -teehee-

-one fraction of a second and about three feet before impact, Thespi bursts alight-

---

Martin: -staring up, adjusting his glasses in wonderment- ...could it be?

---

Thespi used Cosmic Power!

-she can now be likened to butter awaiting a cold knife-

Thespi: -high-pitched- <Kh!>

-at Mach one-

(-...but it must be noted that Galar's Cosmos is dominated by Eternatus-)

(-to this day, that Legend's crushed marrow comprises the majority of Galar's fallen stars, not to mention the radiation of the Wild Area...and the Power Spot in which they stand-)

—chained into Hurricane!

-Arc finds himself flying into a Dynamaxed Thespi's mouth-

-Thespi's face fills the sky above the stadium; her toothless jaws snap shut—-

—into Max Starstream!

-and the enclosure fills with the magnetosphere's captured solar wind-

MAX!THESPI: <...OW.>

-...and several milliseconds later, Arc completes his...arc, delivering his monstrous momentum to some surface or other—evoking an immediate and involuntary ejection the way he came, meteorlike-

MAX!THESPI: -PTUI-

Critical hit!

-the sky begins to leak like a blimp-

Megan's Pokédex: -emits that beep-beep too often heard in Gym battles-

MAX!THESPI: augh augh it's like chewing a Sticky Barb—

Megan: Thespi!!

MAX!THESPI: -collapsing- ?

Megan: What do we say when we're riding into the jaws of defeat??

-...on the very verge of erupting, there's a chuckle likened to thunder-

MAX!THESPI: -combusting, slowly- WITNESS ME.

-her jaws open again—-

-Arc plummets-

Ever: -holds out prosthetic-

-frowns-

-taps the button on their belt, recalling Arc before he hits the ground-

• ◓ • ◓◓◓ | • • ◓•◓◓

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.

Stormchaser

Hoops: I mean, I wouldn't exactly use the term let me go. To be clear I was unconscious at the time so this is a second hand account, but it sounds more like she thought I was dead and forgot to "double tap" as the kids say.

Ray: <Do the kids say that?>

Kec: <They do not. But they're right, she didn't stick around to make sure. I suppose it would have been tricky, a few others had showed up to help by that point.>

Hoops eyes the chocolate Percy is eating.

Hoops: By the way, that hamper is meant to be shared. Just so you're aware.

School Hunting Trip

Vana: Money? You want to give me money? Come on Platinum, I can get that from anywhere. Offer me something I can only get from you.

Wyndon Stadium

Hoops: The ice field will make movement difficult, Primarina hasn't taken any damage at all, and Cof has taken a lot of damage. This isn't ideal, but if I lose to this then I haven't grown at all.

Cof: <Hey boss. Do you want to use that?>

Hoops: That one? Oh, yeah, good idea. Cof, use Pain Split on Primarina!

Cof makes a magic circle with his hands that creates a link between him and Geddy. Half of the damage that he has taken since being sent out is restored, and then dealt directly to Geddy.

Hoops: Now, we have to take the other two down. Start using Hex, and don't stop!

Cof releases wave after wave of malevolent energy towards Oshawittle and Axon, hoping to finally bring them down.

Edited by theoncominghoop on Jan 9th 2022 at 12:24:51 PM

Morata's Mansion

-Odin yelps and prompytly attempts to flee from this new source of pain through whatever gap he can find-

Granty Manor

Owen: ...Actually a couple of questions.-gesturing broadly to Gale, Silas, and Roxy- First off.. How open is your little sup3erhero organization?

Contact Me!

Silas stared at Owen and said nothing. His face slowly grew into a large frown, as he stared at the cyborg before him. "Who told you?" he asked, his left eye seeming to ignite into a blue flame.

Roxy was initially going to comment on Owen, but at her Husband suddenly gaining a glowing eye. "Whoa calm down Sans Undertale!"

Silas blinked as the flame disappeared. "What?"

Vaughn was honestly not shocked, Colt was the first to speak up. ~Seeing the Authority's Hideout, honestly this seems a little mundane.~

"I'm good on refreshments, thanks," Vaughn said.

He tugged a bit at the coat and pointed to the Orange V on his shoulders. "I'm a wanted man, a paradox they're trying to correct. That's all I'm willing to say at this time," he said.

~He picked us up along the way. I was trapped in a time loop before he pulled me out.~

<Hawking and I were part of a portal project that went a bit wrong and we got lost in time.>

"We're all mistakes, the IDPD is after me for that. I'm messing up timelines just by moving."

Silas marched with purpose, Hacks following close beside him. The cool air from the vents flowed, Silas's left eye alight.

~Alright calm down now. We still aren't certain what causes the glowing eye trail thing.~

Silas took a deep breath as the glow faded. "Can you really blame me? I got stabbed with a magic sword and we're just now learning all the effects it has. Glowing eyes, weird white hair thing, and it also has effected my pokemon form."

~I mean we're no longer incredibly similar in mon form,~ Hacks noted.

"Yes as if the bionic arm wasn't enough..." Silas muttered.

Pass through a door, Silas considered he'd need to tell the J-Team about having his hands on Tobias at some point.

Tobias looked up from his meal, his hair still a mess, he smiled. "Oh... it's you. The me I couldn't kill... and you brought him. Want to piss me off today?"

~It's so weird hearing him say all that with a monotonous kalosian accent.~

"He's given into the Kalosian," Silas commented.

"... you fucking idiot, you're kalosian as well. What do you think that indistinct tone of voice you carry is, your actual heritage?"

"Ах да, продолжай оскорблять меня, так ты быстрее вылезешь," Silas responded.

Tobias grunted. "You know eating and taking care of myself would be easier if I had my left arm back. Could we get it reattached? You said you had it on ice and life support so I can get that back now please?"

"Нет," Silas responded.

Tobias's frown got bigger. "What do you want?"

"To talk, to ask questions. Namely about your group of friends, and what the hell was with that sword you made and why it has affected me so thoroughly."

Tobias smiled. "I thought anime hair and a glowing eye would please you? It speaks to the level of maturity you have in your little games of dressup. Fun fact Delta doesn't exist in my universe, nor does the Guild. We took care of that."

Sinnoh, Jubilife City, Tech Expo, Interior

Fiore buzzed around happily as all of this happened, the appearance of the guard more than anything startling the bee.

Fiore: <I-I'm not here for trouble!>

He exclaimed

Fiore: <I'm just here to find new friends>

Saying that, he all but hid behind Owen's team as if flustered that someone would assume that of him.

Meanwhile, the Joltik on the girl danced around happily when Stipax came over (basically completely missing the guard coming over to them), letting tiny sparks arc around as they did so, in turn causing his current resting spot to giggle.

Girl: "Hihi~ Stop that Livio, I told you that tickles~"

In turn, Livio stopped his sparking... for a grand total of about 5 seconds before beginning once more, this time on Stipax' head though, quite obviously happy to be with another mon of his evolutionary line.

Livio: <My name is Livio~ And those are Nadia, Elena, Saturnino and Silvano~>

Saying that, Livio pointed at the Dewpider, Spinarak, Grubbin and Sewaddle respectively - all while continuing his little dance on Stipax.

All the other Pokémon on the girl meanwhile reacted with a mix of trying to assure the guard they weren't out for a fight and making faces at him as he marched off once more.

Fiore meanwhile took the opportunity of the guard going away to come out of hiding, instead taking over for Stipax in comforting Teryx via means of petting (taking great care to not accidentally sting them in the process of doing so).

"One may feel fear in the face of danger so long as one banishes fear when danger actually arrives"

Gale's Mind

Skeletal Aspect: Never got names. All something to someone of course but never got names...

-It paces about, wandering over and nudging a larger gravestone engraved with what appears to be the image of a spaceship and more blurry faces, though these ones seem to be all Pokemon-

Skeletal Aspect: Not every grave here is an actual kill, most are potential...

Kim's Mind

-Angela gives a big puppet smile at the staggered mental Braker before charging in with a Sucker Punch-

Hamlet Christmas

-Gale flinches slightly at Owen's remark before reacting far more strongly to what Roxy says-

Oh what did the Pen do th— oh you mean Silas! Whoa, neat new trick there Captain.

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

Turffield Stadium Lobby

-Emilie notices the Galvantula nuzzling her and she kneels down to pet them.-

Emilie: My my, are you friendly.

Spikemuth, VS Marnie

Marnie: Use Darkest Lariat!

-Grimmsnarl surrounds himself in a dark aura of violence and spins around charging at Piku-chan and Hatty, throwing Piku-chan into the air.-

Me: PIKU-CHAN!

Hammerlocke Stadium, Pitch

-Turtonator grabs at Joel's Protect shield and picks it up, causing the spines on his back to glow pure white as a ton of energy is generated within his body. Kommo-o raises his hand to stop Dalt's attack in its tracks, and shoots the Dog Pokémon a glare that sounds like it's saying "Do I LOOK like I need your power?", before letting loose with a mighty Sky Uppercut!-

Me: Piku-chan, Oshawittle! Use Freezing Shell X-Slash!

Evelyn: Hatty, use Life Dew! Kako! Mirai! Use Psychic to keep Turtonator away!

-Piku-chan makes his tail glow with a metallic sheen as Oshawittle draws his sword from his scalchop and blasts it with a beam of subzero energy, imbuing it with the power of ice.

Oshawittle: <Ready, old chum?>

Piku-chan: <Ready when you are!>

Oshawittle and Piku-chan: <Let's do this!>

-Piku-chan and Oshawittle run to different sides of Kommo-o, nod once, then run up to the Scaly Pokémon and jump-

-Piku-chan unleashes his Iron Tail attack as Oshawittle slashes at the dragon with his Freezing Shell Blade in a X-Formation-

Dual Tech: Freezing Shell X-Slash

-Kako and Mirai make their eyes glow blue and pink as they unleash another wave of psychic energy at Turtonator and pull him away from Joel, fully aware of what move he plans on using next... Hatty focuses her mind and gathers moisture from the air into a rainbow-colored dewdrop with healing properties, which she scatters over her allies, healing them.-

Wyndon Stadium, VS Hoops

Me: Oshawittle! Channel the Hex through your sword and send it back!

-Oshawittle draws his scalchop blade and focuses, waiting for the relentless onslaught of malevolent energy waves to get caught on the blade, which one of the malevolent energy blasts does, imbuing his Razor Shell with a ghostly power. He then slashes at Cof with the Spectral Shell Blade.-

Evelyn: Axon, use Psycho Cut!

-Axon channels psychic energy into his five spoons and spins them around himself, creating a volley of psychic energy cutters to meet the barrage of Hex attacks.-

Wyndon (Lala)

-Lala turns to face Dave and steps backwards in surprise.-

Lala: -thinking to herself- So there is someone there... Can't just let this guy have them...

Lala: -to the Invisible man- You're a time-traveler too? And did he say your name is "Goober"?

Lala: -thinking to herself- Lala, Lala, Lala... How do you get yourself into these sorts of predicaments?

School Hunting Trip

-Platinum nods in understanding and clutches her left wrist. With a twist, she takes one of her golden bracelets off and shows it to Vana.-

Platinum: This is a Hikari bracelet. Gold and I were given these at the moment of our creation by Dr. Azala, designed to amplify and focus our light and lightning powers. The only other person who has a set of these bracelets is my sister. Is this valuable enough?

-Platinum then thinks to herself, I can't believe I'm actually doing this...-

Stow-on-Side

"Florence": It's been nice meeting you again, Ian.

Me: Always a pleasure, Florence.

-Florence skips off in another direction.-

Me: They sure were nice, weren't they, Evelyn?

Evelyn: They sure were.

Wild Area

-Evelyn wanders through the Wild Area, taking in the beauty of the day. She then notices Ian, crying under a tree.-

Evelyn: Ian?

Me: -crying- Oh... Hi, Evelyn.

Evelyn: Ian, daijōbudesuka?^* Ian, are you okay?

Me: Īe... Daijōbudearimasen...^* No. I am not okay.

Evelyn: Ian...

-Evelyn sits down next to Ian under the tree.-

Evelyn: You can tell me what's going on. I'll listen.

Me: Arigato, Evelyn-sama...

-Ian takes a breath.-

Me: I think Kim hates me...!

Evelyn: NANI?! NAZE?!^* What?! Why?!

Me: I just overheard Kim talking to Braker about what happened at the Final Shell...

Evelyn: Oh, that?

Me: She was really mad... I could tell. Sh-she even said that she lost faith in me!

Evelyn: -shocked- Hontōni?! ^* Is that true?!

Me: Hai... Hontōni.^* Yes. It is true.

New Year's Textspace

Edited by AnimeboyIanpower on Jan 9th 2022 at 9:21:16 AM

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

Hamlet

"A bento box, actually," she corrected, reaching into her pack only to pause.

"But, yeah," She conceded, shaking her head to dismiss her compulsion to show it off. "Take care."

There would be no further comment if the two ended up in the same direction.

Edited by AbsentCoder on Jan 9th 2022 at 7:33:54 AM

[Insert Unoriginal Stinger Here]

Turffield Stadium Entrance Room

Ananpi: <Awwww, thanks~! What do you think of my Pikachu costume, chuu~?>

En Route to Dewford Town

ABOUT 2 HOURS LATER...

Dewford Town

(Eventually, Neziey arrives in Dewford Town. Axis promptly gets off of her, and looks ahead towards her.)

Neziey: <Alright. Here we are.>

Axis: (takes a breath) "...You sure you want to do this?"

Neziey: <Indeed.>

Axis: (pauses, takes out two Heal Balls) "...Alright, then. Time to get you on my team. BALLKIND ABSTRATII— RELEASE!"

(Neziey nods.)

[S]: STRIFE!

(Seconds later, they throw the Heal Balls in the air— and Letina and Axollo emerge from them.)

Axollo: <Oooohh~! We're doing 2 on 1~!>

Letina: <Yes, and hopefully that means we can execute some combination attacks.>

Axollo: <Alright~!> (beat) <Wait, should we go first or should she go first?>

Neziey: <You two can go first; it's only fair.>

Letina: <Alright, then.> (She turns to face Axollo.) <Axollo, I hope you're ready.>

Axollo: <I sure am!>

Letina: <Very well, then.>

(She promptly turns to the side and starts kicking up some sand— that ultimately hits Neziey and blinds her.)

Neziey: <O-oh!>

Axollo: <Alrighty then! I'll go neexxxt~!>

Letina: <Wait a minute.> (then, to Neziey) <What's your Ability?>

Neziey: <Oh, it's Water Absorb.>

Letina: <As I thought.> (then, turning to face Axollo) <Don't use Water Gun; she'll just absorb it right away.>

Axollo: <OK then!>

(And then seconds later, he pulls out a banana and throws it at Neziey. Neziey captures it in her mouth.)

Letina: <...why did you do tha—>

Axollo: (running towards her, suddenly on the back of a Ponyta) <DISARM HER—!>

(Seconds later, he proceeds to pick up a rock from the floor and throw it at Neziey, hitting her on the head.)

(The move does, however, get her to drop the banana, and Axollo promptly catches it and eats it.)

Axollo: <Mmmmm~! Yummy!>

(Letina looks over at him with a look of annoyance. Neziey, meanwhile, just laughs.)

Neziey: <I must admit, you two have a great sense of strategy.>

Axollo: <Really? Thanks!>

Neziey: <Of course, though, you two are still unevolved, so it should only be fair if I go easy on you two. And yet at the same time not go easy on you.>

Axollo: <Letina? How does that even work?>

(Before Letina can answer, though, Neziey promptly responds to the attacks sent on her by sending out multiple shards of ice directly at Letina and Axollo. Letina, naturally, dodges the move, while Axollo promptly opens his mouth and grabs the Ice Shard attack.)

Neziey: (chuckling) <Oh my!>

(Axis, meanwhile, sees the Ice Shards in Axollo's mouth and giggles.)

Axis: "Really, Axollo? You're going to eat the attack? Alright, whatever works."

(And then Axollo suddenly brightens and turns to face Letina.)

Axollo (muffled) <Hey Letina! I just thought of something!>

Letina: <Really? What in the world could you possibly be—>

(She is interrupted by Axollo spitting out the Ice Shard attack back at Neziey, before turning to face Letina.)

Axollo: <Alright, now you use Ember on them!>

Letina: <...Ember? I... fail to see how this could be useful, but alright.>

(She promptly lets out a burst of flame from her mouth— and the ice shards are suddenly surrounded in fire, rocketing towards Neziey and hitting her.)

(The attack hits Neziey for neutral damage— but knocks her back substantially. Letina blinks, impressed.)

Letina: <...Well. That was actually more effective than I thought it would be.>

Axis: "Whoa...! That was awesome~!"

Neziey: <You two sure know how to work together! Now... let's see what I can do...> (beat) <Got it.>

(With that said, she opens her mouth and releases an orb of glistening light towards Axollo, that spins around his head.)

Axollo: <Huh...? Orion, is that you...?>

Letina: (realizing what move it is) <Oh dear.>

(And sure enough, while Axollo is chasing the orb... his eyes become spirals, and birds appear over his head.)

Axollo: (dazed) <Huhhhh...? I see birdies...>

(If Letina had arms, she would facepalm.)

Letina: <Wonderful. He's even more confused now. This happened the last time, too...> (beat) <Then again, though, he thrives on confusion, so I suppose this is for the best. In the meantime, that was my closest companion, so...>

(She once again kicks up more sand that blinds Neziey's eyes.)

(Neziey coughs. Meanwhile, Axollo is still stumbling around.)

Axollo: (dazed) <Hello pretty birdies...>

Letina: <...Axollo, you're in battle.>

Axollo: (dazed) <H-huh...? Oh, right... battle time... yaaaay...>

(He spins around for a few moments in a circle, and then all of a sudden— releases out a wave of sound on the last word. Letina looks on in slight disbelief— and Axis is shocked.)

Axis: "Wait a second... is that...?!"

(And sure enough, the move's identity is confirmed when it hits Neziey— and all of a sudden her eyes become spirals.)

Neziey: (suddenly dazed) <Huh...? Where am I...?>

Axis: "That... that was Supersonic! Axollo, you just learned Supersonic!"

Axollo: (dazed) <I did...? Yaaaay...>

Letina: <Alright, I think she's been through enough.> (then, to Axis) "I think it's time."

(Axis nods, then holds up a Heal Ball.)

Axis: "Neziey? Are you ready?"

Neziey: (dazed) <Catch... meeeee...>

(Axis grins.)

Axis: "Alright, then. BALLKIND ABSTRATII! RELEASE!!"

(And with that said, they throw the Heal Ball, sucking Neziey inside. The ball falls to the floor, and as Letina and Axollo watch, it shakes three times, and then... *click!*)

Axis: (delighted) "YES!"

(They go over and pick up Neziey's Heal Ball, while Letina grins.)

Letina: <...We got her.>

—> End strife.

Spikemuth Stadium Stands

(Braker winces upon seeing Piku-chan getting thrown backwards.)

Braker: "Oh... that isn't good."

Walter: <Just wait, Braker. You do remember what happened the last time Piku-chan was in a predicament such as this, don't you?>

Peechee: <I swear to Arceus if they OOBIVAT HIM...>

Caboose: <Ooooobiiii—>

Kim: "Faint."

Caboose: <Oh.> (beat) <Yeah, we wouldn't want that to happen...>

Hammerlocke Stadium

(The Sky Uppercut attack sends Dalt flying into the air, and he lands on the ground immediately. He eventually is able to push himself back up, and is hit by the Life Dew.)

Dalt: <Ooooh! Water~!>

Freddie: <Oh thank goodness... I-I thought we were done for...>

(Joel, meanwhile, is relieved.)

Joel: <Phew! Thanks fer that, guys.>

(beat)

Joel: <Alright, you asked for it.>

(And he releases a Toxic directly at the Kommo-o.)

(Freddie and Dalt, meanwhile, go after the Turtonator, with Dalt going underground, and Freddie loading up a Snipe Shot with his gripper.)

Wyndon Stadium

(The Pain Split move hits.)

Geddy: <Oh dear... t-that hurt more than I thought it would...>

(Kim grimaces.)

Kim: "Geddy, we can't give up now! It's time!"

(Geddy nods.)

Geddy: <Right.>

(And with that said, music starts to blare from the stands. And then sirens. And then...)

Geddy: (singing) <In the heat of a summer night

<In the land of the dollar bill>

Geddy: (singing) <When the town of Chicago died

<And they talk about it still>

The Wild Area

(Meanwhile, Kim comes to her decision.)

Kim: (smiling at Braker) "Yeah... that would be a good idea. Do you think you could come with me?"

Braker: "Certainly."

(And with that said, they walk around the Wild Area in search of Ian.)

Kim: "Ian? Where are you?"

Braker: "...Ian?"

(And then Kim notices Ian— and Evelyn. And the former is crying under a tree.)

Kim: (concerned) "Ian!"

(She runs up to him, followed by Braker.)

Kim: "I-Ian?! Are you okay? What happened?!"

NYT

Gale's Mind

Ahhh. I see.

(beat)

Is there anything else I should know about? Say, any... personal failures? Relapses into old behavior, perhaps?

Kim's Mind

(Jigsaw!Braker fades into nothing. Two down. 5 to go... and they're going to be a lot harder to take down.)

The Stormchaser

(Kim's eyes begin to open up a bit wider. She looks over at Braker— who nods.)

Jubilife Expo

(Teryx shivers a bit at Fiore's touch.)

Teryx: (panicking) <N-no— p-please— please don't—>

(Stipax, meanwhile...)

Stipax: <Awwww! Hi there, Livio~! Would you like to evolve one day?>

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

Stormchaser

-Percy frowns-

Percy: Ah. I guess I should have expected it'd be more like that. Don't tangle with her if you see her again, just run. She's had a lot of time to lose her conscience and get good at killing.

-her voice is cold and very controlled-

-which contrasts the piece of chocolate she's putting in her mouth-

...I know that. I'll share it. Don't worry.

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.

Morata's Mansion, Upstairs

Ynos: "I escaped. On the backs of my friends."

By the look on his face, the latter was not a decision made willingly.

Ynos: "We escaped together but the Templars whittled down our numbers until it was just me. I fell into a river and they assumed I drowned for a while. Eventually they figured out I was alive, but."

Morata's Mansion, Kitchen

Gage is distracted by the pokeball, long enough for Presentation to strike her in the 'neck'.

It stretches in an uncomfortable manner, but she seems to be in pain so at the very least it worked..? Though, Presentation will also find some of that pain rebounds back into him.

Morata's Mansion, Atrium

Odin finds an escape!... In the giant hole in the ground left behind by the statue platform!

He falls to the basement below, thankfully avoiding death due to his ghost sandcastle biology.

... Er, hopefully.

Josette just crosses her arms and starts heading for the kitchen.

Morata's Mansion, Basement

The downstairs situation is a building fire and Odin just walked in with a pizza.

A couple of the Yamask turn to face him and advance with malicious intent.

Apparently unimpeded by the rain and cursing, Daydre continues swinging at Pollen. Even as she gets close Daydre continues her attacks, claws getting uncomfortably close to her own face.

When Pollen is finally close enough to remove the mask it's met with... smoke. Weirdly realistic feeling smoke. That Daydre poofs into nonexistence, the sensation of the mask fading from Pollen's tarsi as quick as the illusion does.

The real Daydre, about 90 degrees to Pollen's right, tries grabbing Pollen and slamming her into the ground.

(Between the rain and the Double Team, this may prove difficult).

You hear a small trill of laughter off in the distance. Morata: "Oh, the blood rain is novel."

The illusion aside, Daydre is being visibly affected by all the moves leveled against her. Her movements are notably sluggish as she stabs at Pollen with her tails- one of which is absent, now. Even so she persists, body slick with blood (or "blood").

Pollen is close enough to see the strain Daydre's inflicting on herself to compensate.

---

The cloud of Yamask is gradually becoming less dense.

Morata: "Well, we can't have that."

An Alakazam teleports to her side. A moment later, something almost like a wave rolls through the Yamask. In chunks, they join hands and fall into line, forming a certain shape.

That being a giant hand.

Morata makes a gesture that, once again, sends a ripple through the swarm. And the Yamask come falling down all at once.

Aislinn and her mons gather close together and put up a Protect, but the might of what's possibly hundreds of mons is nothing to sneeze at and that barrier doesn't look like it's going to last very long.

From Somewhere

(Blinks and mutters something about the difference between a villain and a supervillain).

Rowan: <...Hm?>

"Leave me and my movie references alone."

"I'm a little surprised Ever's down one, but I think it's still possible to even things out at this point? Of course, no accounting for surprises. I'm not sure what else Ever has, though that's probably a me thing and Megan's team is much more public knowledge that may also be a me thing so that could bridge the gap? Or I'm completely off in my analysis. Myeh."

off the shits

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

Shamhat: -Hasn't said a word this whole time, wearing a thoughtful expression- You proved a bit too tough for them to kill permanently.

-Looking a bit older than both her biological and chronological ages-

Like I said earlier it was six months for me and my friends before we tried escaping, but I suspect our facility was pretty bad even by School standards. When Gallium... died, we tried to convince him not too but his mind was made up. I don't know how he did it, but he always had this peace to him and he unleashed a power that tore both him and the Templars apart as we escaped. That's the thing I remember most about him more than 20 years later, so many of us that I've met have this inner turmoil churning inside, but not him, and I suspect that's the only reason he could do what he did that night.

-Looking away briefly-

That was the last I saw of him, or the others, for years, for most more than a decade even. We figured we'd make a bigger target together than apart and so we... all went our separate ways from the base. Apart from my Minior who I caught not too long afterwards I was mostly... alone.

-Smiling underneath her mask, but it's not quite reaching her eyes as it normally would-

But enough about me, what happened to you afterwards?

Morata's Mansion, Atrium

-Looks towards the kitchen and senses Avery's struggle with Josette and her team, and below the basement battle-

Shit, we're in a bit of a pickle aren't we?

Hitodama: -From my shadow- <So what will we do?>

-Holding two Poké Balls and an Ultra Ball-

We're gonna need to split.

-Sends out Crochet, Doc, and Kodama-

Doc: <I thought we were supposed to stay out of this.>

-To Doc-

Unfortunately our plan's gone a bit pear-shaped so we'll need to improvise. You all head over to the kitchen and help against the maid.

Crochet: -Arm blades crossed- <And your part?>

-Looking at the hole in the ground-

Heading down to the basement. We'll do a bit of shock and awe on our part to thin out their numbers and get them focused on something else. You think you can handle that?

Doc: -To me- <We've handled worse.>

Tendril: -Is released-

-To Tendril-

Okay, so first we'll-

Morata's Mansion, Basement

-Suddenly, a whole bunch of Tangrowth vines start growing into the room, one grabbing towards a nearby Yamask to slam them into the other Yamask, as the area starts getting greener-

Tendril: -Forms out of a mass of vines in an attack pose and lets out a roar-

Pugh: -Crawls down and starts cheering-

Pugh used Coaching!

The Attack and Defense of all ally Pokémon increased!

Akiko: -Swoops down next and after muttering a brief curse towards the Macrauls, immediately fires Shadow Balls at the massed Yamask-

Hitodama: -Phases through the ceiling and sends out what could technically be deemed a "Shadow Ball", but in practice is more a giant ball of flaming-esque Obscura, at the Yamask-hand-

Ponyta!Ginny: -Is released and lets out a Dazzling Gleam-

Swablu!Tyl: -Flies down while carrying her trainer, Singing all the while-

-Letting go of Tyl-

This situation's even crappier in person.

-Looking around as I use Aura Sense to identify the person in question through the chaos-

We have a lot of work to do.

The leader of the masquerade ball I presume?

Edited by rmctagg09 on Jan 15th 2022 at 7:53:35 AM

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

Wyndon Stadium

Cof takes Oshawittle's strike, which hurts.

Cof: <Damn it.>

Then they hear Primarina's singing.

Hoops: Oh, not good. Cof, can you get off a move off before you fall asleep?

Cof: <One, maybe.>

Hoops: It's a risk that will make Cof even more vulnerable, but I need Axon off the field. Use Curse on Axon!

Cof is drowsy, but he manages to raise many hands and rake them across his own body. Dark energy spills forth, creating a necrotic binding around Axon to whittle away at his vitality. Of course, Cof had to pay a lot of his own health to do it. He then falls asleep from the effect of Sing.

School hunting Trip

Vana: Wow, you went from zero to all the way. For some snacks. Respect. Go on then, take your pick.

Stormchaser

Hoops: I'm not really one for running away. But if I do run into Nitrogen again, I'll tell her you said hi.

They frown.

Hoops: To be clear, if it's about the School, then I have my own reasons to go against them, and it's more than just payback. I don't plan on running from that reason.

Morata's Mansion, Basement

-Vee, seeping into everything, feels Daydre's weakening- Vee: -empathetic- [ -<...oh no.>-]

Pollen: <Uh, she's not looking too—>

Suiko: -still struggling to move, limbs limp or twitching- Put me back together.

-Vee lets out a pained snarl—pieces of Megan click or squish unwillingly back into place-

Pollen: -illusion'd- <—fuck.>

-she goes to dodge the sneakstrike—-

-as it turns out, weighted down by blood does not a nimble R Ibombee make-

Pollen: -bzzzZT??-

-she's clawed down and steadily perforated-

Suiko: !!!

-Megan's Pokémon lets out the pained squeal of the imminently-ripped-to-shreds-

-Megan, instinctively, lashes out and-

Suiko: !!!?!!

-punches-

-Daydre-

-in the face??-

Suiko: ...sorry

Vee: -sniffing for the real one- <<No time.>>

-Pugh's Coaching sinks in—with all the aptitude of Crasher Wake's own pupil, pain lancing through her side^* Vee: <<No you do not get to "give up",>> -Vee tells Megan's screaming insides- <<keep fucking going—>>, Megan tries to-

-flip Daydre-

Suiko: sorry

-pin her-

Suiko: s-sorry

-and wrap her legs around her legs and her arms around her neck and head and her-her Vee around her claws to try and choke Daydre out-

Suiko: sorry sorry sorry oh frick aaaaaugh

-she's in rather a lot of pain, some of it physical-

-Vee sees Tagg storm into the blood-flooding basement like the wrath of the heavens themselves-

Vee: <...>

-she slams her will against the walls of the world, and lastly tries—whether or not Megan has any kind of secure grip—to drag Daydre and her human out of it-

Vee: -mutter- <No more show for you, lady.>

Vee used Dive!

-and vanish into the tide of blood, she hopes-

Pollen: -somewhat stabbed, abandoned- <...>

Pollen used Nature Power!

-speaking of the tide-

Nature Power became Muddy Water!

-the fluid in which she's slowly submerging blasts away before it can fill her spiracles-

-she tries to dash something against the walls—with them out of the way, she doesn't care what-

---

-they observe the hand-

Tripod: -...-

-and the Alakazam Teleporting beside Morata may find a Magnezone Teleporting behind them-

Tripod: -hiiiiiiiiiii-

-...jury's out if this in rain is accurate enough to hit what it wants and no more, or if it's just…big enough to hit its target for sure-

Tripod used Thunder!

-for starters.-

Tripod: -iiigh voltage-

-but the accumulated negativity in this basement of horrors meets the positive vibes of Morata's glee, slamming together right around where the Alakazam is-

Wyndon Stadium, Ever vs. Megan

-they give Thespi a cautious moment to stabilize-

-...she does not seem to be stabilizing-

-Megan makes a very neutral face like "please send out your next Pokémon before she collapses under the weight her own drama-

MAX!THESPI: -singing a swan song, very loudly-

Ever: -slight sigh- Oracle.

Oracle: -Oracle- <Do I actually get to do anything this time?>

Ever: Yeah, yeah.

-Megan contemplates the successive Water-types...and the skyful of Thespi gradually shifting to gray-

Megan: All out…

-she rubs her left thumb over the back of her right hand-

Vee: -wide-eyed- <...really?>

Megan: I'll be honest, I care a lot less about the title than the general opinion of the person standing in front of me.

-nudge- Or, y'know.

Vee: <You fucking sap.>

-by way of answer, Megan looks over to Ever's side of the field-

Megan: ...y'know, you were right about this being kind of a blunt instrument.

-and tilts her head back-

Megan: -loudly- Get over it, Thespi.

MAX!THESPI: !

-Castform, as noted, are not generally the most powerful abominations of science-

-certainly they weren't devised for power or focus, or durability, or speed,-

-or stamina, or any feats of dexterity, which overall tend relevant to any field of battle-

MAX!THESPI: 😢

-so as the tragedy of this strikes her all at once, she turns to what Castform were created for-

MAX!THESPI: 😭

-large-scale atmospheric monitoring and experimentation-

-and cries Megan a river-

MAX!THESPI: 😂

-and gets over it-

Thespi used Max Deluge!

...I'm curious how much hydrokinesis got passed down to Oracle.

Ever: Ech. Rain…

-they hold out one hand, and flick their fingers-

-the Deluge plunges towards Oracle-

Oracle: <I could've shown off for Fraidy, you know.>

Ever: Yeah. But this seems more sound.

-Oracle spreads his arms-

-the Deluge hits him, full-force, sweeping him off his feet-

-he disappears under the wave-

-and then, as the wave crests and breaks, there's no Inteleon there-

Ever: I should thank you for this trick, admittedly.

-mingled horror and glee spreads across Megan's face-

Megan: -looking up- Thespi—

-rain starts to fall-

Megan: —look out b—

-and Oracle appears out of the falling droplets, the rain accelerating to boost the speed of his fall, as he stabs at Thespi with his tail-

Oracle used Dive!

-pressure being force divided by area, this is more than sufficient to puncture Thespi's membrane-

MAX!THESPI: <hrkgl>

Megan: -exhales-

-and high in the sky she slowly explodes—not into fire, as most Dynamaxed Pokémon do, but into water-

Megan: -cupping her hands around her mouth- Hey, Ever!

-she waves her right hand, extended right up-

Megan: Wanna meet my new Pokémon??

Vee: -snickers-

Ever: Obviously yes.

Megan: -laughing- Then go—You!

-she snaps those fingers-

-again, something flashes on the back of her hand-

-and the tremendous amount of airborne water begins to wind itself around Oracle-

Ever: Don't involve me in this.

-they wave their hand again-

-streams of the water start to peel away, rotating around Oracle and concealing him-

Oracle used Aqua Ring!

-astonishingly, there's no resistance-

-in fact, there's...less than usual-

-as if it's pouring into a deep, dark well-

"You": -a lilting little chuckle- <Itadakimasu.>

-the Aqua Ring darkening, red and black- <...and y'know, my fins can tell when it's gonna rain…>

-the camera angle zooms out, here, from the Inteleon in the sky and the food dye-stain spreading about him—Megan, sea-blue Vaporeon about her shoulders, fist upraised, exultant, Ever

-in an instant, all is sound and fury-

-thunder without lightning-

"You" used Hyper Voice!

Edited by Asterisk395 on Jan 10th 2022 at 2:50:40 PM

No mind to think. No will to break.

Stormchaser

Percy: So everyone keeps saying.

...

It's futile. But I guess good luck.

Morata Manor, Kitchen

Presentation: <Hey! Party foul!>

Avery: Keep her off her game!

-three separate Presentations appear, each of them biting at Gage-

-only one of them is real, but it's the kind of thing that's hard to tell before they connect-

Presentation used Fire Fang, Shadow Clone Style!

-Avery, for her part, picks up Facade and runs for the door to the dining room, efforts somewhat impeded by the fact that she stops every five feet to breathe-

Basement

Optics: <You people and your drama.>

-she tries Disabling Daydre. She's not really sure what it'll hit, but on the other hand, it'll probably accomplish something, right?-

Optics: <...I should really have popcorn for this kind of thing.>

Wyndon Stadium, Ever vs. Megan

-sound conducts well through water-

-this is bad news for Oracle, who does not have the option of turning into water and allowing the sound to conduct through him-

Ever: Hold…

Oracle: -grits teeth-

-folds crest down, compresses-

-and bursts into red light-

Oracle used Baton Pass!

-and in exchange, Ever sends out-

Spaghetti: <You have spilled water all over the battlefield.>

Ever: No, You did that.

Spaghetti: <I most certainly did not!>

Ever: Not you. You.

Spaghetti: <You are being nonsensical, and I disapprove of nonsense.>

Ever: Oh, just wait for an attack.

Megan: ...hm.

-the spreading cloud buzzes like a thousand punch-drunk Combee, then resumes falling as rain-

Megan: ...aw, I don't wanna damage an antique.

-cracking her knuckles- "You", let's be gentle.

-individual drops bounce en masse off empty air to direct themselves into Spaghetti's spout-

-now, the human LD 50 of water is 90 grams per kilogram of body weight, but water intoxication can take place with as little as one liter ingested in an hour-

"You": <Psst. Move over.>

-...absolutely none of this applies to ghosts-

"You" used Toxic!

-I don't know why I brought this up-

Ever: Antique? I got this pot for twenty cents at a flea market. Check this out.

-they snap their fingers, and the pot detonates-

Megan: ...how many of those do you go through?

-inky black tea spills in every direction-

Spaghetti used Shell Smash!

Ever: Essen.

-and turns green-

Spaghetti used Giga Drain!

"You": -yowls-

Ever: Setting clocks is all well and good, but...

Megan: -watching a Drain- Oh, yeah, no, it was just, uh…

-she grasps for a turn of phrase, before deciding her perfectly normal Vaporeon getting Hoover'd into a puddle rather takes priority-

Megan: "You" know what to do. ^_^

"You": -tasting very much like pain and blood and fizzy exuberance- <I-I sure as fuck—>

-her Shell Bell in the middle of a now-unshelled Spaghetti gives a little ding, and wherever the sound touches—the rain, the soaked earth, the fluid now woven between individual tea-leaf fibers—flares into a roiling boil-

"You" used Scald!

"You": -shrieks, gleeful- <Never learned how to make TEA—!!>

Megan: -hand clenches, watching- …

(-to be honest, she's feeling a bit like she's boiling from the inside out herself-)

Vee(?): -on her shoulder- <"Heya, Meg, why so down? Take that frown and go to town!">

Megan: Haha. Thanks, Vee.

Vee(?): <"It's the least I can do! Also the most."> u_

(-it just isn't the same-)

(-she...may have underestimated Vee's role in keeping her focused and not...dwelling on the past few minutes-)

Megan: -winces-

(-y'know, like most medication-)

Spaghetti: <Oh! Yes! Very important, to get tea to the proper temperature! I do like you, ominous water formation.>

-they don't seem to acknowledge the fact that they are rapidly evaporating-

Ever: Mmmm. Yeah, okay, wrap this up quickly I guess. Stored Power.

-they turn to Megan-

Are you…uh…

-above them, the tea glows red, and then explodes-

Ever: (completely not paying attention) Doing okay?

Megan: -stammers, watching Spaghetti go- Y-yeah. You know me…! Peachy keen.

-to them, still, quieter- I've got this. We've got—

"You": -grinning up at a hideously massive blast wave- <This goes out to an educator we know an' love!>

-Megan looks at her, rocking back on her heels-

"You": -leaking shadow- <A little ditty we like to call…>

Megan: -a snicker despite her nerves, shouting as loudly as she can muster- Ramona, frick you specifically!!

Ever: -beams, if a little awkwardly-

"You": -Slasher Smirk, crushed into the dirt, red and black- <And thus.>

-ever since being remade, this Vaporeon has been red and black-

-granted, being literally made of Obscura doesn't in and of itself grant the same resistances as one who wields it as second nature; certainly she isn't immune to the sensation of her molecules splitting under the strain-

-but perhaps there's a perk or two for those searching for such—-

-these are the thoughts that occupy "You" as she's surrounded by her own tooth vapor-

"You": -can be heard laughing as she's flattened by the force from the cloud of vapor she's become-

-condensed-

-...the ablative power of vapor, granted, is slim-

-but heated thus, pressurized thus, infused with shadow as the evolutionary advantage permitting common Pokémon to resist predation via conventionally undeterred Ghosts—-

Vee—as if it's any surprise—used Hyper Voice!

-the field of micro-incisors floating around and through Spaghetti detonate like flashbangs-

Chained into Bite!

-actual ablative power in question—Vee-injurious in their own right, burning body mass to achieve the effect—-

- —but visibly shredding the brewing psychic maelstrom through vantablack waves-

[...]

Megan: ...so yeah, I'm doing pretty okay. ^_^

Ever: Good, yeah, excellent. But…

-they place a finger to their lips-

-as the Hyper Voice spreads out through Vee-

Spaghetti: <We have now broken bread with each other! And also of each other, which is admittedly a touch unorthodox. Decorum must be observed!>

-the spreading ink turns green once again-

"You": -gasps- <Oh, I'm nothin' if not poli>

-and very abruptly, the battlefield is rendered silent, activity snuffed-

Megan: -wide-eyed, hand outstretched- Wait—!

-even past the boundaries of Vaporeon and Polteageist-

'''Ever: Sorry.

Spaghetti used Giga Drain.

-what Vee says next is, of course, drowned out by virtue of being muted down to her brainwaves-

-...she's wearing an eye patch that looks like an ordinary Vaporeon eye-

-which allows the wink she shoots Ever to come across loud and clear-

-she cocks her head at Megan, and s-

Vee fainted!

Megan: …

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.

Stormchaser

Hoops: I'll decide what's futile. And when I prove you wrong, I'll come and tell you about it because you look like you could use a boost.

They let that declaration stand for a second.

Hoops: So, uh, in terms of getting a room here, is there someone I should talk to about that? Is there rent? Is there like a chore schedule? Bathroom schedule? Communal areas, areas that are off limits?

Morata's Mansion, Basement

-Odin lands with a THWUMP, reducing himself to a large pile of sand-

-He slowly reforms and looks around to get a bearing on his surroundings-

Grant Hamlet

-Owen backs away from the other three slowly, waving his hands-

Owen: "Woah, easy, easy! I was just at the Riolu Rebels base, It was why I was asking about Bishop, and - Look, I know I'm just digging myself deeper but I want to help! I have a 'super suit' now and I wanna use it to help you guys I wanna make amends from my Best Berry days and stuff!"

Contact Me!

"Somebody mention my name?" A voice called out, as down from the ceiling descended Bishop, glaring daggers at Owen.

Silas sighed. "Bishop, relax. We'll hear him out first. Besides I helped kick his ass in the Metaverse, I know about his little nanobot plan."

"Very well Captain," Bishop responded. "If you'll excuse me, I'll get back to serving drinks."

Silas looked back to Owen and gestured. "Continue, you want to be part of the group? We have a revolving door of access."

Sinnoh Region, Jubilife City, Techspo Interior:

<My name's Chopper, I don't know if my trainer's going to change my name or not now that I'm no longer a Machop though.> Chopper informs Chasmo before taking notice of all the new pokemon being summoned by the little girl and laughing to himself after noticing the struggle to comfort Teryx.

Meanwhile Tricky was simply noting what was going on while mostly keeping to herself...at least, she did for a while before acting on the urge to scratch her neck with one of her hindlegs, unconsciously building up static in the process. When she was done the Manectric would sit upright and stare at Travis expectantly, prompting him to reply while petting her face with both hands and somehow not shocking himself, "Don't worry Tricky, we'll get moving again soon,"

Noticing this, Mark then suggested to Owen, "This friendly get together is nice and all, but could we take it somewhere else like wherever Travis was suggesting? This prompted Travis to clarify, "You mean the Devon Corp booth right?" with Mark confirming what was said, his eagerness to keep moving not rooted in a lack of interest, but rather the eye of security figuratively burning a hole in the back of his head.

Sinnoh Region, Jubilife City, City Streets:

While the massive, crowded line of people that had been waiting to enter The Techspo had long since dissipated, one noteworthy individual and their Hitmontop had stayed behind. While he seemed more determined than ever to earn as much money as he could breakdancing, once he knew nobody's focus was really on him anymore he started casually strolling around the block while keeping his attention on the Poketch HQ. To a casual viewer, he would just appear to be taking cityscape pictures on his phone, his real motives were far less innocent than they seemed. Not long after a chiptune-styled ringtone would start going off, only to be almost immediately cut off by the breakdancer who clearly expected this call.

"'Sup?!" He began, with the other side of the conversation inaudible to anyone else nearby. "Ya found what you were looking for? Dat's great...Yeah...Yeah I've been lookin' around, it's a beautiful night I tell ya...Sure...For sure...Yeah man go right ahead, traffic's finally died down and the night's still young...Yeah it'll be easy...They have no idea...Aiyt cool, have fun with dat...Should be a blast..."

It was right after that moment the breakdancer would hang up his phone and start swiftly walking as far away from the Poketch HQ where the Techspo was being hosted with his Hitmontop following close behind. After weaving past several pedestrians and the occasional cyclist, the breakdancer would text the pictures he took to various unknown callers before locking the screen off, quickly checking his surroundings, and disappearing into an alleyway, muttering to himself, "Tonight's going to be a hell of a night."

Edited by ParadoxialStratagem on Jan 10th 2022 at 4:12:48 AM

Living The Fever Dream

Morata's Mansion, Upstairs

Ynos just nods.

Ynos: "I didn't see many other escapees after I left either, but that was probably for the best."

He shifts under the barriers.

Ynos: "... It's... not very interesting. I lived on the streets for a couple years, fighting off Templars. Just when I was starting to think I was at my limit, Morata found me. And the rest is as you see. I've been with her ten years at this point. I'm not so easily extricated."

Morata's Mansion, Kitchen

Gage takes a wild guess and rushes at Presentation with surprising speed. Sadly she guesses wrong and Presentation gets a bite of ghost pumpkin. Gage hangs on with the life force she drained from the others, but that was a significant blow.

It is at this point that Josette makes it to the kitchen. She tsks— this isn't exactly a great matchup for Gage— but she'll make it work.

Josette: "... Unless she's decided to hide in the pantry, she probably went to the dining room. Pershore, follow her."

Josette's shadow shivers and dispenses some kind of dark shape that fades into the floor.

Pershore used Phantom Force!

Morata's Mansion, Basement

The punch is enough to briefly stun Daydre. That moment allows her consciousness to worm its way back up the massive gulf of rage currently occupying her mind.

Daydre: -Gasps for air, much in the way people in movies gasp when they wake up from a bad dream-

... Brief is brief, though, and a second later control is a distant dream again.

And then Suiko flips her.

If Daydre were able to respond she'd probably say "oh no it's fine you're fine" but, well.

She thrashes about as much as you'd expect from her right now, trying to get free. The chokehold forces her to cough up blood, but given how much of the blood rain she's inadvertently swallowed it's only sort of her own.

Tails lash out and grab hold of the floor in an attempt to keep her from being dragged into the Dive— and it looks like it works until Optics' Disable kicks in. One of the tails vanishes. The balance of force is thrown off just enough— other tails slip and the two of them are swallowed up.

Morata frowns, disappointed. She has other things to worry about now, though.

---

... Like Tripod!

Morata: "Oh dear, how did you get in here?"

The amount of shock present in her voice is thoroughly inappropriate for what she just said. That is to say there's none.

Her Alakazam crosses crosses his spoons and puts up a Protect, the Thunder forcing him back slightly.

Morata: "I'm not muuuuch of a battler, so I do hope you don't mind if I don't play fair.

...

Morata: (Putting her hand over her mask's mouth in mock shock) "Oh wait, I forgot I don't care."

She sends out a Cofagrigus and a Dusclops.

Morata: "Brighella, Burattino."

... The two mons rush forward with a Shadow Claw and Fire Punch respectively.

---

The Brutal Swing, Shadow Ball, and Dazzling gleam picks off pieces of the hand and the "Shadow Ball" scatters it entirely.

Aislinn breathes a sigh of relief as Gaycrus and Harry allow their Protects to shatter.

Aislinn: "It's a right mess I've gotten you all into, that I know."

Yamask rain down, some managing to divert their courses from the ground. Others succumb to Swablu-induced sleep, and are washed away by Pollen's Muddy Water.

Without commands from their trainer, the Yamask seem less organized than before. They still attempt something approaching a formation though, the just about 70% of them left clustering into a ball that rolls around the field.

... And that is about the extent of what Odin sees.

Edited by Daydre on Jan 10th 2022 at 10:32:06 AM

off the shits

Dewford Town

(Axis promptly reaches down and grabs the Heal Ball, before taking out their Pokedex and scanning it. Instantly, information appears.)

SPECIES: LAPRAS (SHINY)

NAME: NEZIEY

GENDER: FEMALE

NATURE: GENTLE

ABILITY: WATER ABSORB

MOVESET: SING, LIFE DEW, ICE SHARD, CONFUSE RAY, WATER PULSE, BRINE, ICE BEAM, RAIN DANCE, PERISH SONG

Letina: <She knows Perish Song? That will be interesting.>

Axis: "Yep."

(And then, a beat:)

YOUR HASSLEMON HANDLE IS geoselenicAuthority (GA) AND ==YOUR VOICE IS VERY SMOOTH AND FLOWING MUCH LIKE A RIVER==

Axollo: <"Geo-" what?>

Letina: <Geoselenic. Related to the earth and the moon.>

Axis: "But... she's not a ground type."

Letina: <I'm sure it'll be explained soon. For now I think we should head into the Dewford Gym.>

Axis: (nods) "Right."

(They promptly return both Letina and Axollo and start heading for the gym.)

MEANWHILE IN THE HASSLEMON INTERWEBS...

geoselenicAuthority (GA) entered the chat.

GA: ==Hello there==

AC: Ah! I'm pre$uming you're Neziey (TM)?

GA: ==I am==

AC: Wonderful! I'm $o happy you could join our team!

CA: @> Me too! <3

CA: @> Now we can get to Mauville quicker! Yaaay~! <3

GA: ==Yes, hopefully==

CC: right_now_axis_is_going_to_battle_brawley_period

CC: i_know_i_will_be_going_up_against_him_period

CC: who_else_will_qstmrk

GA: ==Is "qstmrk" "question mark"==

CC: yes_period

GA: ==I see==

CA: @> I can go upppp~! <3

AC: Oh? But I thought you hated battling!>

CA: @> I can still sing his mons to sleep, though! =@:D <3

AC: Ahhhh~! That's fair!

AG: ψψ everyone ψe're @bout to go inside ψψ

CC: this_is_it_period

GA: ==I wish you luck==

CC: thank_you_neziey_period

Dewford Gym

(Axis eventually enters the Dewford Gym, to find a massive audience— and Brawley waiting for them.)

Brawley: "Alright!" (He grins.) "Another challenger! I've been waiting for this! So... who are you, exactly?"

Axis: "Axis Hunter. I came to battle you."

Brawley: "So you defeated Roxanne? Sweet! Alright, then!" (He takes out a PokeBall.) "Let's see what you're made of!"

Axis: (takes out their own PokeBall) "Right!"

Jubilife City Expo

Chasmo: <Heh. Nice to meet ya.>

Owen: "...Yeah, I think that would be a good idea."

Stipax: <But... how are we supposed to get there?>

Chasmo: <Easy!> (He turns to face Mark, Travis, and the rest.) <You guys can get on my back; I'll take you there!>

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

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

Shamhat: -Neutral expression- I fought Templars, and Alumni, basically everywhere I went. Got good at it, to the point that there were long stretches of time where they didn't chase after me because too many of their people were coming back injured, or not at all.

Like Boron...

Couldn't risk non-escapees getting hurt or worse, especially after a certain...incident, so I didn't really get close to anyone else. Ran into one of my old Batchmates around a decade ago I guess around the same time you entered Morata's service., and we stayed together for a bit, but then she, my Curium, was taken from me. Not by the Templars, but by the Curse, cancer had her leave me alone save for my Pokémon again.

-Clutching her rainbow necklace-

I also did odd jobs, one stint at a Burger Monarch if you can believe that They were a bit sad to see me go when I noticed Templars sniffing around, they felt I was a main attraction., but I noticed the way people would look at me, and well, a lot of my living was made around a pole or on my back if you catch my meaning.

-Shrugs-

I don't think it was shameful or debasing to have done so, I needed money to survive, when you have no identification it's hard to get more "honest" work, and it's not like the School gives us a sense of shame where that's concerned anyway. What it could be, however, was dangerous, less dangerous than it might've been if I didn't have powers, but still there. So I'm pretty glad that I have better methods of getting money now, at least behind a screen I mostly get to control who sees and what I want to do.

-Brief wink, half-jokingly-

Of course as a fellow Schoolkid I might just give you a discount if you'd like.

I said I'd talk less about me but here we go...

-More serious-

Your "master" doesn't seem like one for charity, so I'd be surprised if she just found you in an alleyway and took you in out of whatever slivers of goodness might be in her heart. But I understand that things are tough for you, I just think you're better off living than just surviving. As I said earlier, if you'd allow me, I know people who could help with that.

Morata's Mansion, Ground Floor

Doc: -Hearing the battle up ahead- <We need to get her focused on us!>

Crochet: -Running on ahead- <On it!>

Kodama: -Disappears-

Kodama used Phantom Force!

Morata's Mansion, Basement

Akiko: -To Hitodama- <How'd you come up with that one?>

Hitodama: -Thinking back to a battle in an ancient graveyard- <I just had a bit of inspiration.>

Ponyta!Ginny: -Seems to be looking at Gaycrus with interest-

-To Aislinn-

I've-we've been through worse.

-Seeing Masked Daydre as I throw an ofuda at the mask-

...This isn't even the first time this year I've had to deal with something like this.

-Noting the erratic behavior of the Yamask-

Sloppy, almost helpless without their trainer giving commands. Okay guys, let's clear them out!

Tendril: -Sends out vines to lash the Yamask ball-

Akiko: -Uses Thunder Wave-

Hitodama: -Eyes glowing- <Now for the    curse.   >

Hitodama used Hex!

Pugh: -Decides to start rushing in Morata's direction-

Tyl: -Fires a Dragon Pulse at the ball, before starting to glow-

Edited by rmctagg09 on Jan 12th 2022 at 4:34:35 AM

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

"So, what do you wish to know?" Tobias asked, placing his hand on his chin.

"Why did you come here? To Our Universe?" Silas demanded. "Surely it can't have all been about killing me."

"Oh it was, that was the reason I stuck around. Killing you, the aberration seems that deviation from our baseline has kept you alive. Bully for you," Tobias responded.

"Baseline?"

"Every universe I've ever visited, if there is an us, they follow a similar pattern. Unemotive, Hacks by our side, not good with people, interest in space. The universe and the timelines are built on constants and variables, certain things just seem to happen," Tobias answered.

~Huh... is this similar for everyone?~ Hacks asked.

"If there exists an alternate version of any of my friends, they often follow a similar baseline. We are deviations, you in... well your Silas went on steroids and got married, me because I don't have my brother anymore," Tobias said, his eyes looking away.

Silas sighed. "Okay with that in mind, I'm notable among the team yeah. I provide fancy new toys and trips to the black if needed. But I'm not that important, why not go for someone else? Like Dr. Tagg or Echo? What about Ever?"

Tobias stared at Silas for a moment... and began to laugh. He laughed very loudly, his voice echoing in his cell. It was more unsettling than the one Silas had, Tobias outright slapped his knee and finished.

"Oh my Arceus? Really? That's what you think we are?!"

Silas stared at Tobias confusedly. Tobias held up his hand and began to speak slowly. "Killing Ever is more likely to get me killed, killing them is out... plus we're not some invading force. No I came here originally because Kai asked me to. She didn't demand, she didn't order. She just said, "Hey Silas can you check out the Other Universe? See what's up?" and that was it."

Hacks and Silas were staring at Tobias intently. "We're not some invading force, we're a group of friends, we have no organizational structure. Kai asked me to grab our Shaun was because he's a bit of a wild animal and it's a serious social faux-pas. You are thinking like a naval man, captain, we're just a group of people who want to hang out," Tobias explained.

"We're just some friends doing our best to make our world better, like you claim to do."

Sinnoh Region, Jubilife City, Techspo Interior:

Chopper gave an incredulous look upon hearing Chasmo's suggestion before pointing out, <I don't know how strong you are, but even if you could lift everyone here I don't think everyone could fit on your back...>. At that moment Travis would start leading the way with his manectric companion by his side, who only stopped briefly to suggest to Stipax, < I'd suggest the tried and true method of walking. It's worked for me so far,>

Mark and Chopper would follow behind after letting Travis gain some distance, with Mark turning to ask the little girl, "I'm sure your pokemon want to hang out with their new friends more...so you coming with us or what kid?"

Living The Fever Dream

Turffield Stadium Lobby

Emilie: It's very well made.

Spikemuth, VS Marnie

-Piku-chan, stunned by the sheer force of Grimmsnarl's Darkest Lariat, continues to rise into the air. Marnie's Grimmsnarl smiles a devilish smile as he waits for Marnie to give the signal.-

Marnie: Now, Grimmsnarl, use Spirit Break!

Me: PIKU-CHAN, USE MEGA PUNCH!!!

-Grimmsnarl does a menacing pose, surrounding himself in a dark pink aura, then looks up at his target and jumps to charge at them. When Piku-chan comes to, he sees Grimmsnarl charging at him and rotates his body before launching himself off of the air, curling his right hand into a fist...-

Grimmsnarl:    <WATASHI WA SHINEN... SHINENZU!!!>^* I WILL NOT FAINT... NOR SHALL MY DREAM DIE!!   

Piku-chan: <HO-OH...>

-Piku-chan pulls back his fist and lets loose on Marnie's Grimmsnarl with a full-power punch.-

Piku-chan: <PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH!!!>

-The two attacks connect, however, Piku-chan's punch pushes Grimmsnarl back as golden flames trail off of his fist.-

Hatty: <PIKU-CHAN!!>

-Marnie's Grimmsnarl lets out a roar as the aura of the Spirit Break explodes. Piku-chan simply smiles as the fae light engulfs his body.-

Outside Spikemuth

-From the Toxicroak-shaped hole in Spikemuth's ceiling, a dark pink light starts to shine, getting brighter and brighter with each second until it explodes into a Pillar of Light that shoots through the ceiling and into the skies over Galar.

A View of Earth from Outer Space

-In the area on the planet where Galar is, a faint pink light can be seen for a few seconds before it fades.-

Hammerlocke Stadium Pitch, VS Kommo-o

-Turtonator lets out a roar as Kako and Mirai throw him into the air, where Turtonator is hit by Freddie's Snipe Shot, causing him to let out a massive surge of energy, creating a massive explosion!

Turtonator used Explosion! Turtonator Fainted!

-Turtonator then hits the ground, unconscious. Camilla calls Turtonator back to his Poké Ball.-

-Kommo-o clangs all the scales on its body and lets loose a mighty blast of sound at Ian, Evelyn and Kim's Pokémon.-

Kommo-o used Clanging Scales!

-Raru, Kako and Mirai stay perfectly still as the sound waves don't affect them. Piku-chan, Oshawittle and Hatty, however, are thrown backwards.-

It doesn't affect Raru, Kako or Mirai...

Wyndon Stadium, VS Hoops

-The necrotic binding Cof inflicted finds its way around Axon, whittling away at his vitality. The poison inflicted by Toxic Spikes does not help matters either. Evelyn grabs her kimono over her heart and worries if there's any backlash to losing a battle after invoking the spirits of Love to judge one's heart for Mega Evolution. However, with all the time she's spent with Ian, it's a risk she's willing to take.-

Evelyn: Axon! Get in close to Cof and use Shadow Ball!

-Axon nods and conjures an orb of shadowy energy between his palms. He then takes it into one hand and lunges at Cof, thrusting the Shadow Ball at the Coffin Pokémon.-

Wild Area

Me: No... I'm not. I'm not okay.

Stow-on-Side

Evelyn: As I was saying. You don't have anything to worry about... He cannot hurt you anymore.

Me: We won't let him.

School Hunting Trip

Platinum: What snacks do you have, Vana?

Stow-on-Side, Ore wa Oingo. Henshin dekiru~^Translation My name is Oingo. I can transform.

-"Florence" hides behind a building and breaths a sigh of relief before shapeshifting into a Flygon with a blue right eye and flies up the wall to reunite with Platinum, Vanadium and Radon.-

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