Empathic Kid Hero-in-training
Hammerlocke Stadium, VS Raihan
-Raihan's Flygon gets licked by Jagger and shudders.-
Raihan: Now, Sandaconda, use Earth Power!
-Raihan's Sandaconda lets out a hiss and slams his face into the ground, cracking it and unleashing a surge of Gaia's power at Ritchie, Kako and Jagger! Gigalith, though pummeled by the tempestuous vortex that is Ritchie's Whirlpool attack, continues to gather sunlight in his crystals. Ritchie and Kako are thrown into the air by the Earth Power attack!-
Me: Ritchie, hang in there!
Evelyn: Don't give up, Kako!
Wyndon Stadium, VS Hoops
-Oshawittle feels the draconic claws of the newly-evolved Gon rake against him and he is thrown backwards. However, he still stands strong. What knight would throw a battle against a dragon?-
Me: Now, Oshawittle, use Freezing Shell Blade!
-Oshawittle blasts the blade of his Razor Shell with a beam of subzero energy, imbuing it with the power of ice. He then runs right at the Mystic Pokémon and slashes at them.-
Evelyn: Now, Simon, use Calm Mind!
-Simon, still fluffy-looking from the static electricity left behind by Thunder, closes his eyes and clears his mind of stress and anxiety, strengthening his psionic prowess.-
Wild Area, Lost Faith
Me: But you haven't done anything that almost doomed the entire Multiverse... I have.
Stow-on-Side
Me: It's true...
Wild Area, Card Game (School Hunting Trip)
-Suddenly, Radon feels a pain in his head.-
Radon: A-Aaargh!
Platinum: Radon, are you okay?
Radon: I-I'm fine... it's just a small headache. That's all... Sorry I made you worry...
Platinum: Still... You make a good point... What if we're not the last of our models to be made? What would our future versions be like, what powers will they have and would we be there to meet them? How could you not wonder about something like that, Vana?
Stormchaser, Kim's Room
-Ian and Evelyn jump as Kim screams in agony again.-
Me: Kim!
Evelyn: H-Hang in there!
[Ballarat]
-Ian and Evelyn embrace each other as Ian's Meta Nav app resonates with the other instances of the app. Time's moving slowly as reality grows thin. And then, the two of them warp to the Metaverse.-
♪Show me the wisdom of the world... Tell me the secrets of the heart... and the sweet~ mysteries~ of love~...
Wyndon Stadium
Gon: <This little thing is starting to annoy me.>
Hoops: Easy, Gon. Dodge by flying up.
Gon beats her wings and flies upwards, far out of the range of Oshawittle's attack.
Hoops: Now finish him off with another Dragon Claw.
Gon doesn't so much as fly down towards Oshawittle as she just. Lets herself fall, using her wings to keep herself steady in a steep dive, her green imbued claws stretched out before her.
School Hunting Trip
Vana rounds on the other two, suddenly angry.
Vana: I said, I don't care about who came before me and who comes after! Because guess what, none of us should ever have existed in the first place! We're genetically modified freaks of nature, barely more than bacteria in a dish in some lab somewhere, except that bacteria made medicines. All we do is live a life that we don't control, like characters in a video game, for people who don't care about us. So no, I don't care about who comes after us, because as far as I'm concerned our lives never meant anything in the first place!
She turns away from the other two and crosses her arms, breathing heavily from the outburst.
Edited by theoncominghoop on Jan 25th 2022 at 7:35:11 PM
Trans Terminus Homo
Sinnoh, Jubilife City, Tech Expo Interior
The girl at first did not notice Mark getting defensive for her, merely cuddling up close to her Beedrill for comfort and trying to blend out as much of the ensuing chaos around her as possible, hence not noticing the others fleeing, only able to hear their panicked screams, this of course only bringing her to panic more herself, being all but frozen in shock, Fiore the only pillar of strength amidst this sea of chaos - and in the same way, she was his only pillar of strength right now.
Mark's outburst meanwhile caused her to whimper slightly, shouting an anxious 'NO CUSSING, MISTER!' before falling silent once more, managing to at least somewhat calm down once more (as much as possible in this situation anyway).
But when the lights suddenly cut out, it finally got too much for her, causing the young girl to cry out Fiore's name in a panic while clinging onto the Beedrill - in turn bringing the Pokémon to use Flash in an effort to help his trainer in a snap decision. In an instant, Fiore's stingers shone bright as the sun, illuminating his surroundings in almost blindingly bright light - bright enough in fact to quite literally blind Fiore for a few moments, the Beedrill not having thought about shielding his own eyes, having acted purely on instinct to protect his trainer and best friend.
"One may feel fear in the face of danger so long as one banishes fear when danger actually arrives"
Empathic Kid Hero-in-training
Wyndon Stadium, VS Hoops
-Oshawittle is shocked about his Freezing Shell Blade attack missing its target, then Gon descends from above attacking with Dragon Claw! Almost as if on instinct, Oshawittle moves to parry with his Freezing Shell Blade. However, the blade shatters as Gon's claws come into contact with it, and they rake across Oshawittle, throwing him backwards.-
Me: OSHAWITTLE!!
-Oshawittle lands on his back, desperately struggling to get back up. He sees a hallucination of Dot glaring at him as if to say "Thou hast failed to live up to thine promise... Fare thee well, my knight..." before turning around and flying away.-
Oshawittle: -weakly- <D-Dot... my queen... forgive me...>
-Tears stream down Oshawittle's face and seep into the pitch as the last of his strength leaves him and he collapses from sheer exhaustion.-
Me: -extremely concerned- OSHAWITTLE!!!
Evelyn: Ever since Oshawittle's defeat at the hands of Orbito, he has viewed defeat as a disgrace to himself and his queen...
Me: He feels as though he's not good enough to live up to the promise he made years ago...
-Ian calls Oshawittle back to his Poké Ball.-
Me: Rest well, Oshawittle... Dot would most certainly be proud of the effort you put into this battle if she were here.
School Hunting Trip
-Radon's heart skips a beat as the words "not meant to exist" echo through his mind. Another headache strikes him as Ravager and Oingo fly over the Wild Area.-
Radon: Not meant... to exist?
Platinum: Never mind this bout of Existentialism Poker. Ravager and Oingo have returned.
Ravager: <We found Aurelia!>
♪Show me the wisdom of the world... Tell me the secrets of the heart... and the sweet~ mysteries~ of love~...
Priest of the Temple of Syrinx
Hammerlocke Stadium
(Jagger is thrown up into the air by the Earth Power attack, but lands on his feet, instantly shaking off the dirt.)
Jagger: <Oh, look at that. Someone else needs a licking, too.>
(He promptly goes over and licks the Sandaconda, hoping it'll paralyze.)
Wyndon Stadium (vs. Hoops)
Geddy: <Oshawittle!>
Kim: "Oh no... The plan's not going to work anymore..."
(Beat.)
Kim: "Unless..." (She shakes her head.) "No, I don't think he knows any Ice type moves."
Geddy: <On that note, we still have to do something.>
Kim: "Right. And I know just what to do."
(Geddy nods, immediately getting up onto his back flippers— and the crowd roars.'')
Kim: "I hope you're ready for this, Geddy."
Geddy: <Just say the word!>
Kim: "Here goes nothing! Sound and fury drown my heart, every nerve is..."
Geddy: (immediately releasing a massive bubble at Gon) <TORN APART-!!>
The Wild Area
Kim: (looks down, somewhat saddened) "That's true..."
Stow-on-Side
Kim: "Oh my word... That must have been a massive ordeal for you..."
Jubilife City
Owen: "Oh, don't worry. I took down the Kanto League. I'm ready for this." (He turns to face his team.) "What about you?"
Stipax: <Say no more!>
Nautilu: <I am willing to join.>
Crina: <Ohohohohohoho... you bet!>
Chasmo: <You know it.>
Saura: (yawns) <I guess.>
Owen: (beat) "...I'll take that as a yes." (He turns to face Teryx.) "What about you, Teryx?"
Teryx: (panicking)
Owen: "Teryx...?"
(And then the lights go out.)
Teryx: <GAHHHHHHHHH—-!!!!>
(And then Fiore uses Flash.)
Teryx: <Oh no— oh no— i-it's gotten worse— t-there's an intruder now...!>
(He starts choking and sobbing. Crina sighs, turning to face Mark, Travis, etc.)
Crina: <Can someone go and help him?! We have a battle to get to!>
Hi, I’m oghond, and I’m a Rushaholic. Sorry if I annoy you unintentionally. 😅
Dunsparce Cloud
Morata Manor, Kitchen
-Presentation enters his idle animation-
Morata Manor, Dining Room
-the dust and grit in the air is sodden over by the falling rain-
Avery: Oh...whew...
-Imago looks slightly more irritated-
Imago: <Not as fun like this.>
-irritation bubbles across him in slick billows of obscura, and he aims a headbutt at Marjorie-
Avery: Huh. Do you think we're gonna make it out of here?
Facade: <Oh, for sure no.>
Wyndon League Locker
Cross: <Oh, hungry?>
Ever: (faintly confused) Yeah, of course. I'm not going to go into a serious battle without eating.
-they frown at Pollen-
I'm not sad. My ego's not quite that fragile. I'm very impressed, particularly by you.
Misery: <They've been at a very even keel. No emotions to speak of. It's quite relaxing.>
Ever: Sure, yeah.
Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.
Wyndon Stadium
Gon is distracted and gets hit by the Sparkling Aria, which deals some damage. She rounds on Geddy, upon realising the source of the attack.
Gon: <Now that's a cheap shot.>
Hoops: Use Boomburst!
Gon screams, creating a giant soundwave attack that tears towards Geddy.
School Hunting Trip
Vana: If they found Aurelia, then let's go.
The Eccentric Electric
Sinnoh Region, Jubilife City, Techspo Interior:
Mark instinctively growled in response to the little girl's shouting, "Don't tell me what to do kid, I don't need to hear it...". After hearing Owen answer whether or not his pokemon knew how to battle, Mark would then say with a smirk, "Well that's reassuring. I beat the champions of the Hoenn and Kanto regions back when I cared about being a pro. I may have quit early taking down the gyms in Unova, but it wasn't because I couldn't fight."
Before getting too lost in unconsciously bragging about his prior accomplishments, the lights going out, followed by Fiore using Flash that was way brighter than anyone expected would snap Mark back to the present as he, Chopper, Travis and Tricky would react with equal parts confusion and surprise. While Crina's request for someone to help Teryx would be unconsciously ignored by Mark who at this point was more focused at making sure nobody was about to surprise attack the party, Travis would notice Teryx panicking without actually understanding Crina's request or anything she was saying for that matter and try to approach him with Tricky following close by.
"There's nothing to be scared of here buddy. If anything you're the scariest pokemon here," Travis said, trying to be as reassuring as possible but not having a clue how Teryx would react before Tricky would immediately bark, <Quit being such a baby! You can fly, I can tell you're able to run super fast, and probably know a whole bunch of powerful moves. Seriously, if you quit running away from every fight you'd probably be even stronger than you already are!>
Before anyone would have too much of an opportunity to reply, the countdown that had taken over nearly every screen, display, and projector throughout The Techspo would reach its final seconds. Once the Team Lighting countdown finished its final second, all of the hijacked displays, screens, and projectors would take a moment to sync up before they all began simultaneously playing the same video.
The Broadcast:
This video would begin with a fade in from black to show slow, panoramic shots of various city silhouettes mid day with each shot being separated by different fade ins and fade outs before the last one has an animated padlock being locked with a shield on it, only to be struck by lighting and explode into fragments. While this animation played out, a young adult, feminine voice with a touch of contralto would narrate over it all.
“In a world obsessed with order, we are the forces of chaos!” The voice began before the video would switch over to showing a variety of men and women of different backgrounds walking around with their focuses held on their mobile phones while horizontal strings of numbers and text are written out in the background. “For too long, we have let ourselves become blinded to our surroundings, deafened to the tune around us by, and silenced to the point where many of us have forgotten how to express ourselves when given the chance.”
At this point the video would start showing various local authorities in a less than favorable light, faceless and superimposed over the masses who were all walking in unison to an unseen destination. “Without realizing the true cost, you've all unknowingly traded your identities for belonging, your voices for security, your true potential for comfort, and for what...mediocrity? A chance for what has been defined to you as 'The Good Life'? What good is stability if it results in sterility? What use is there in trying to appease a world that couldn't care less about your existence and doesn't even bother to learn your name?!”
After a brief pause and another fade to black, a lightning bolt would strike from one corner of the screen to the other before flashing to white and revealing a storm cloud growing above a cityscape. At this point, several people in the animation would start receiving phonecalls with the caller ID being represented as the Team Lightning Logo. The people answering this call would have their eyes and occasionally sunglasses glow yellow in stark contrast to their grayscale surroundings as the narration continued.
“The powers and authorities that demand your compliance have been silencing you for too long! There's a storm brewing from the repressed potential of many that can no longer be ignored! It's time to rise up and listen to the music that's been in the background all this time! Set yourselves free, reclaim your identities, and tell your oppressors that no matter how hard they push, you'll fight back harder!”
The video would conclude with another lightning bolt striking the city hard enough for it to explode and rapidly fade out to white before the Team Lightning logo superimposed itself again with the narrator concluding, “Get ready, it's time to Ride The Storm!”
Techspo Interior Throughout:
The black, white, and yellow hoodie-clad attendees scattered throughout the Techspo would start receiving phone calls, one by one until asynchronous identical ringtones sounding akin to the Codec from the Metal Gear series echoed throughout. All of them would receive the same phonecall confirming that they had clearly been waiting for a while to get. In a matter of moments, the hooting and hollering of various similarly dressed punks, hooligans, misfits and miscreants would buildup loud enough to compete with a Whismur's Uproar.
“It's time to strike Sparks, RIDE THE STORM!” One of the Team Lightning Grunts told his fellow Sparks before several of them started brandishing foldable baseball bats, and cricket bats while others uncapped various colors of spray cans and immediately began running riot. Several Team Lightning Sparks would start tossing neon-lit pokeballs, summoning a variety of electric and common pokemon and commanding them to start smashing/overloading different machines as appropriate. Many attendees would have their confusion turn to shock and fear as several began running around, screaming and fleeing with no idea where to go while security scrambled to call for backup from Jubilife Police. It wouldn't be long before several Team Lightning Grunts would start challenging various attendees to pokemon battles in lieu of being mugged, with some of the guards responding in kind in an effort to protect them and struggle to re-establish order.
While it was quickly becoming unclear just how out of control the situation became, one thing could be reasonably inferred: Things would get a lot worse before they got better.
Edited by ParadoxialStratagem on Jan 26th 2022 at 11:50:42 AM
Living The Fever Dream
Empathic Kid Hero-in-training
Hammerlocke Stadium, VS Raihan
Raihan: Can't let you do that! Sandaconda, use Fire Fang!
-Sandaconda's fangs glow crimson with fire and he clamps down on Jagger's tongue.-
Raihan: Flygon, try and shake it off! Gigalith, have you gotten enough solar energy?
Gigalith: <Just a few more minutes...>
-The whirlpool continues to buffet Gigalith as it continues to absorb solar energy through the intense sandstorm.-
Evelyn: Now, Kako! Use Icy Wind!
-Kako glows with a chilling blue aura and draws a magic circle in front of him.-
-Kako then unleashes a frigid blast of wind at Raihan's Flygon!-
-Raihan's Flygon's wings ice up and he falls to the battlefield and is knocked unconscious by the impact.-
Referee: FLYGON IS UNABLE TO BATTLE!
-Raihan calls Flygon back to his Poké Ball.-
Wyndon Stadium, VS Hoops
-Ian takes out another Poké Ball and throws it into the air.-
Me: Raru, I choose you!
-The Poké Ball opens with a flash of light, and from it jumps Raru.-
Raru: <I'm ready, Ian!>
Stow-on-Side
Me: Yeah... and I bet it was as much of an ordeal to him as it was to me...
-Ian sends out a text.-
J-Team Textspace
From: PKThrill/Ian the Pollyanna
Okay, so crazy thing happened. I had a run-in with a Schoolkid. It wasn't Molybdenum or any of those kooky mind control-types, otherwise I would probably say that there was nothing wrong with me, or that these aren't the droids you are looking for or something like that. It was a pyrokinetic Schoolkid named Radon. He also had flight capabilities, but that was not the freaky part... He looked just like me...
Wild Area (Lost Faith)
Me: Point is, Kim... You were right to yell at me. I was supposed to be better than that, and I wasn't! I acted out on my impulses and because I thought it was funny to pick Izaya up with my mind and make him slap himself a dozen or so times. And GUESS WHAT?! It almost cost the J-Team their lives.
-Ian kicks a rock.-
Me: I'm supposed to be better. You were right to lose faith in me... I screwed up, and it was a big one. The only upside to it was that I got to fight a glitch of the level of power that the J-Team was used to and it felt awesome! But now that I know how badly the cons outweighed the pros, I'm beginning to doubt if it was worth it. And now that you know what happened, I'm also beginning to doubt if you still hold the same image of me as you did last year.
-Ian then clenches his fist, his anger reaching a point where he can no longer contain it.-
Me: And... if you think I'm wrong... If you still believe that I am still the Ian you knew last year...
If you still believe in me...
THEN FIGHT ME ON IT!
School Hunting Trip
Platinum: Yes. We should be on our way.
Radon: -recovering from his headache- Yes, yes. We should be on the trail of Aurelia... Ravager...
Platinum: Oingo...
Radon and Platinum: Lead the way.
-Platinum hops onto Oingo's back and Radon lifts himself into the air and they take flight.-
Ravager: <Need a lift, Vanadium?>
♪Show me the wisdom of the world... Tell me the secrets of the heart... and the sweet~ mysteries~ of love~...
Some Rando
Hamlet Dark Room
"... I am so lost," Kamui eventually breathes, eyes following the Countess as she leaves until Henderson makes his way over.
"Uh... hi?" She offers.
[Insert Unoriginal Stinger Here]
Silas sat before the forge, armor adorned as he stared into the blue flame before him. The forge was alight, a hilt in hand. He recalled his time with the Mandacarios, his general knowledge, and the fact that he was quite likely the only Mandacario on the planet.
He took a deep inhale and looked over the notes, nothing was working. Bishop exited from one of the walls and drifted over. "Everything alright Captain?"
"Hey Bishop, what time is it?"
"It's late is what it is, that's all you need to know."
Silas sighed. "I need to sleep, correct?"
"Yes. Captain you must maintain proper sleep cycles, it is imperative for your health."
"I'm alive and healthy Bishop."
"Captain we cannot be entirely certain, what your counterpart did-"
Silas held up a hand. "I can't get any further tonight and I've hit a block. Usually when I work nonstop, I have clear vision. Here my vision is clouded, I will rest. This is the way."
Bishop had never fully understood his Captain's fascination with this culture, but it seemed important so he did not question it. He looked down and saw what appeared to be an unfinished sword hilt.
"Captain if it is an esoteric engineering problem, perhaps contact your fellow engineers within the J-Team. At least one will be willing to help you solve this problem."
Silas chuckled and stepped out. "Thank you Bishop, good night."
No voice to cry suffering
Wyndon Stadium Locker Room
Pollen: <Well, uh—>
Pollen: <That's not, really, what I...>
Megan: Oh, that is great to hear. ^_^
Pollen: -stammering- <N-no, I don't think your ego's
Pollen: jidskfidaghl
-unusually, Megan sits and waits for Pollen to articulate what she's (rather poorly) trying to say-
Pollen: <I'm fine>
-...or just work through the sheer validation-
Megan: -fiddling with her fingers, affected- We're a "serious battle". 😮
Pollen: <aaaaa>
-in lieu of lungs with which to deep-breathe, Pollen attempts to expel the sudden rush of nervous-gleeful energy through a very loud insectile buzzing-
Megan: -over this- Haha! No emotions sounds kinda relaxing right about now. I dunno if you could tell, but I was like...an inch away from just pounding my way right out of my chest,
Megan: and booking it, once Vee stopped singing the anxiety away.
Pollen: <y-you really should get your heart checked out.>
Megan: -waving a hand- It's fine, it's fine.
-...then she stops-
Pollen: <...>
-really thinks about what she just said, and to whom-
Megan: ...maybe it's not fine. ._.
Pollen: <Mhm.>
-...so she looks at her hands-
-...-
-so she gets down, takes Ever by the shoulders-
Megan: ...when I met you, weren't you getting eaten from the inside out by ghosts feeding on something strong?
Pollen: <Consensually.>
Megan: ...I think the word you're looking for is "willingly".
-brown...ordinary brown eyes-
Pollen: -dour- <This looks like they finished, and cleaned up after.>
-looking right into Ever's with that rare flash of intensity-
(-and she discards a rather limited people-reading proficiency for a rather more specific, rather more honed godparent-of-her-pseudo-penguin-child-reading ability-)
No mind to think. No will to break.
The Wanderer
Oasis
-Walking out-
That was a bit heavy wasn't it?
Chiyo: Yeah...
A few minutes ago
-Having finished telling a bit of a story-
...And that's why we'll be taking a leave of absence from these meetings for the time being.
Chiyo: -Standing up- Things are getting tight and Tagg and I decided it's best to do this now before the School really starts tightening the noose and the Oasis somehow gets compromised.
Now
-Nicky and Kendra are waiting by the door. They haven't left yet-
-Looking between them and Chiyo-
I'll catch you at the Stormchaser then?
Chiyo: -Arms crossed- Go ahead.
-Leaving-
I'll be waiting outside.
-To Nicky and Kendra as I pass by them to exit-
Nice hanging out with you both, need to do more collaborations sometime.
-It's quiet for a bit before Nicky chooses to speak first-
Nicky: -Adjusting her hat- So it seems we'll be saying goodbye again for a bit, huh Chiyo?
Chiyo: Yeah you know the score, I'm not risking another Train incident happening to you guys, especially since it's only a matter of time before the School finds out about Tagg and I. And then things will probably get violent. Also there's tracking back down my other Batchmates, I know Zee's around there at least, don't know about Chloe, she's... pretty good at making herself scarce.
Kendra: Well, obviously we'll end up in Sinnoh eventually, but like Nicky said it's still goodbye for now. Make sure your streak with the School keeps going, no Geralds or Adelindes are going to stop you.
Chiyo: -To Kendra- Of course.
Nicky: Dactyl, take care of Chiyo for us, won't you?
Dactyl: -Spins somewhat indignantly- <I've already been doing that for almost 21 years already. Sword and shield, remember?>
Kendra: -Laughing- So you have.
Nicky: -Clasping one of Chiyo's hands with hers- Just don't overexert yourself, we do much better when we rely on other people rather than just alone.
Kendra: -Doing the same- You and Tagg, two peas in a pod where that's concerned, trying to carry the world on your shoulders.
Chiyo: -Jokingly- I don't know, Tagg does have like a bajillion mons or something like that.
-More serious-
But I'll try keeping that in mind.
-And the three (And Dactyl) share a warm embrace-
Edited by rmctagg09 on Jan 26th 2022 at 12:02:45 PM
Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.
Dunsparce Cloud
Wyndon League Lockers
-Ever quirks their head at Megan as she talks-
Ever: 'Course you're a serious battle. One of the best I've had since...Cynthia, actually, discounting times when I've had to fight for my life.
Er, yeah, heart problems, very important. Get those looked at now before our various clocks start ticking, you kn—
-Megan takes their shoulders-
Um, I don't dislike you, but you do understand that that isn't a League tradition, right—
-ghosts-
Ever: Oh.
Well, I haven't been doing that. The occasional possession by Glimmer but she knows not to eat my soul. Now.
-they frown at Pollen-
Not sure what you're seeing.
Misery: <Oh. You're psychically dead.>
Ever: Oh. Yeah, that'd do it.
Misery: <It's pretty convenient.>
Ever: Haha, yeah...
-they widen their eyes at Megan and Pollen in a "what" sort of gesture-
Cross: <So I'm just going to have to find someone to eat this baby on my own, huh?>
Solace: <Cross, that's a fruit.>
Cross: <Well, we can't know until they grow up.>
-she marches off-
Solace: <...>
-Solace darts after, if only to see how this turns out-
Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.
Meet The New Boss
Morata's Mansion, Basement
Odin: <Okay so the Yamask are gone and->
-Sees Daydre and Emperor-
<...What happened to you two?>
Contact Me!
That's just how it is on this bitch of an earth
morata's Manor, Upstairs
Ynos: "... I suppose you're right."
About what, he doesn't specify.
Ynos: "... Are you going to go to them now?"
Morata's Manor, Dining Room
Marjory: (sing-songy, to Imago) <Personally, I much prefer the rain!>
The water collecting on the floor whips up around her, combining with the dirt and dust Imago stirred up earlier to make—
— that blasts through the room, knocking over furniture, blowing things off the table.
She steps out of the way of Imago, but Crochet ends up hitting her.
Morata's Manor, Downstairs
Tendril scares away a couple of the less injured looking Yamask who floated up in an attempt to grab the mask. They scatter before they can be attacked again.
Under Pollen's care Daydre heals somewhat. She's still bleeding from places, but her breathing is steady so she's probably not in danger of dying. Most of the damage isn't readily visible from the outside, but what is slowly starts to close.
EMPEROR holds her in a bridal carry, an uncharacteristically upset look on his face. He looks at Odin, but doesn't offer any kind of explanation.
Aislinn returns Harry for now and Gaycrus hops over the ruins of the barrier, following Tagg.
Aislinn: (To Tagg, face impassive) "... Yes, I have some... words.. to have with her still."
She glances behind her at the group still in the main room for a second, before turning back and spurring Gaycrus onward.
The room behind the barrier is mostly barren. There's a few chairs scattered around. It seems this room is mostly for viewing the one outside. Two closed doors lead to forward and to the right, respectively.
Burattino and Brighella just look at each other with the unspoken message "we're in trouble later" passing between them.
Edited by Daydre on Jan 27th 2022 at 6:54:03 AM
off the shits
The Wanderer
Morata's Mansion, Upstairs - November 1st, 2021
-Shamhat's eyes seem to be moving through several emotions-
Shamhat: Honestly, what I'd like to do is carry him bodily or maybe send him through a rift to the Union Room, but like Tagg and I discussed, if it's not entirely willing, he might try to go back and Morata might coerce things out of him, and this becomes a problem for everyone. The Stormchaser probably wouldn't let him leave, but I don't want him going from one prison to another...
-To Ynos, releasing the barriers around him as Dactyl releases themselves-
Perhaps.
I guess it's time for Plan B.
-Kneeling down to Ynos' current height as he presumably still hasn't gotten up yet-
Guess I'll make this quick.
-Hugs him warmly but briefly before breaking contact-
Be safe out there, but when you're ready to say goodbye to all this, I'll be waiting.
-Turning to Ynos again as she prepares to exit-
And it's Chiyo, by the way.
-Revealing her face fully-
A giant risk, admittedly.
That's the name I chose after this Iridium left.
-And the mask goes back on as quickly as it went off-
Goodbye for now, Ynos.
-Ynos might notice a piece of paper inside one of his pockets-
Dining Room
Crochet: -Is hit as her X-Scissor connects, but doesn't take much damage- <This is so gross...>
-And immediately follows up with another-
Downstairs
-Looking between the doors, annoyed-
Enough of these games, where the fuck is she hiding?
-Eyes glow with Aura Sense before I deem which door is most likely to hold the target and has Hitodama try melting through it with a Fire Blast-
Stormchaser, today
-Looking down at the ocean-
It's felt like forever since we've really flown this thing, well, except for the occasional flight over Wedgehurst to make sure everything works correctly.
Edited by rmctagg09 on Jan 27th 2022 at 9:45:42 AM
Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.
Fwomph
Hamlet, The Chapel
Henderson: ... Hello. Apologies, but I need to take you up to her castle. It's not going to be pleasant.
He looks around to note that only the weird fungal mass that approximates a person remains in the room besides him and Kamui.
Henderson: When you get there, look for a little box in a room just off the main hall.
Slumbering Weald, Spooky House
Nope, or at least if I was this isn't why it's personal. It's personal because you hurt one of my friends and I just can't stand by that.
-Gale charges in, sword raised-
Besides, if I don't cut you off here you're just going to cause more problems for others.
Kim's Mind
-Angela can't take the hits anymore. It was a valiant effort to fight against such odds but that Thunder saps the last of her vitality and she tumbles out of Kim's mind, fainted-
Techspo, :> Be Emer
You find an instinctual lump in your throat as you watch the broadcast and spot the signs of chaos erupting within the expo building. You try and gulp it down and nod to yourself.
"Alright Pal, hero time."
Hamlet Christmas
-Gale hums a little bit-
Well if you want me to pull rank on him I could mention the Council...
-And then she spots the one walking in-
Oh. Huh. Didn't know you invited her to the party, Captain.
The Meat Factory
-The factory stands alone. Its greystone carapace glistens gently in the un-light on a pillar of stone. Beyond that pillar, the landscape drops into a deep abyss lined with innumerable teeth. The factory churns away, a port on the side releasing a steady stream of what appear to be packages of sausages, burgers and just straight up mincemeat into the the bottomless pit below-
-A sign out front reads the same thing as its real-world counterpart:-
Zagan "Feeding the hungry mouths"
-The next line varies-
Ballarat Facility, Opus Manufacturing Body
-There's a few possible routes of entry: The front door, the ports disgorging product and a number of catwalks that could be clambered up to get to what appear to be windows halfway up the facade-
-Rakash takes a deep breath, summons Gulduar and gets to checking the book-
Alright folks, what's our play?
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
New Jubilife, Techspo
The interruption happens, and so does the speech. Everywhere, including the Geographic Society Tech Booth, all wifi-accessible monitors broadcast the message.
This was also true for the projector following Lowell around.
Lowell: And they call me a [Luddite] for rejecting wireless connectivity. Guinevere, override controls and turn off the wifi.
Guinevere, just barely: I'll try my best.
The porygon's speech device could be heard, but was still drowned out by the speech.
Lowell: Should I leave you to that? Beep once if you need a manual override. Are you holding out alright, Primus?
Primus: I can continue to speak, Viscount. No modifications are necessary.
Lowell: Good. Let it be known that my decision to eschew wireless technology's omnipresence was a good move.
After hearing a beep, he flips a switch. The feed stops, allowing the porygon within to reboot.
Guinevere: Thank you, sir.
Primus: My Lord, we should leave. We cannot guarantee your continued safety while we remain indoors.
Lowell: Very well. But the booth? My inventions are still there. Are there any communication lines, though? Hard to coordinate an evacuation of personnel and assets without a comm line.
Guinevere: None that haven't been hijacked.
Lowell: Then let's split the difference, shall we? Get me back to our booth and I'll see to the evacuation of our booth and its contents personally.
Guinevere: Right this way, sir. My device still has the map in it's cache.
Lowell: Lead the way.
Elsewhere, Shutter was dealing with a thornier situation. His phone had been hijacked, and no attempts to block out the wifi could be done.
Shutter: Gimb, hear me out. I want you to move to Lucille. She's in my backpack.
A garbled sound of protest comes.
Shutter: Gimbal, I know what you just said. Get in the camera and possess it. It's the only offline device we currently have that can't be hijacked.
Gimbal does so. Once the rotom had fled his smartphone, Shutter quickly turned it off before he could hear any more of the fake deep nonsense. He unzips his backpack, upon which pops out a very old DSLR camera in the colors of a rotom.
Gimbal: <Are you happy now?>
Shutter: Just be glad I took that class so I didn't need the speech device to understand you. Now, where did you say the still-working payphone was in? Unbelievable. I'm reduced to analog.
Gimbal: <Forget about that. Let's get back to the booths and get everybody out.>
Shutter: What do you mean 'everybody?' Everyone left hours ago. It's just me and– oh no. Flash!
He immediately starts running toward the door.
Gimbal: <Damn it! Wait for me, you dunderhead.>
Wyndon, Lala
Polly Ponpon's attacks hit PC, who seems convincingly struck enough to fall over. The emolga looked on and looked at Little Polly Ponpon with an expression that seemed to say 'good work'.
Meanwhile, the psychic presence seems to try to comfort Lala. "Don't worry. I'm a friend." The mental presence seemed to say. What little else is obscured, apparently by the presence of an unseen psychic pokémon lurking in the shadows. The presence wouldn't need any further introduction, as one superhero landing later is a guy dressed in tights colored and patterned after a shiny ariados.
Lala would probably be somewhat perplexed. Didn't Arachna-Guy work in Castelia City? This is a question Dave himself is also asking. Goober seems pleased—almost to a giddy degree—as though he's meeting an old friend. Or has been overcome by the sensation of meeting a childhood hero.
Arachna-Guy: So, ma'am. Is this man bothering you?
Dave: What are you getting at, exactly?
Arachna-Guy: I am going to say this only once. Let
Dave: Look, you costumed bozo. Where I'm from, wisecracking meatheads in tights who think they can fight crime only exist in fiction. And you don't know what you're getting yourself into.
Arachna-Guy: Well, that's too bad. Where I'm from, being a friendly neighborhood crimefighter is a perfectly acceptable line of work. And I don't need to. You mess with innocent bystanders, you answer to me.
He turns to Lala.
Arachna-Guy: I've got you covered, ma'am. You and that other fella he's antagonizing.
Dave: Dude, he's wearing a balaclava. Shouldn't that clue you in that something's not what it seems?
Arachna-Guy: Oh, pointing out villain tropes to try to sway me. Says the guy who has glowing red eyes. Well, me and my partner here will make sure you don't try any funny business.
A spinarak wearing a pair of triangle shades lands in front of them.
Dave: Very cute. I've got a spider, too.
He tosses out a ball and releases a galvantula.
Dave: How ironic. Joystick, sic 'em.
Edited by MasterJayAM on Jan 29th 2022 at 10:31:41 PM
Empathic Kid Hero-in-training
Wyndon, Watch Out! Here comes Arachna-Guy!
-Lala hears the psychic presence tell her it is a friend, and nods. She then looks up and sees Arachna-Guy make the scene.-
Lala: I know you! You're Arachna-Guy!
-Little Polly Ponpon nods to the Emolga, smiling.-
Lala: Don't worry about me. Goober's the one who currently needs help. But, if you want me to stick around and help out, I'd be more than happy to. Name's Lala, by the way. Mind if I get a picture of you after the battle's done?
The Meat Factory
-Ian and Evelyn release each other from their embrace and Evelyn looks Ian up and down to see that he is now the veiled, hoodie-wearing, Phantom Thief looking like he jumped out of a [Shantae] game, Joybringer.-
Joybringer: I would assume that, since we don't want to attract the wrong kind of attention from this guy, the best option would be to enter through anywhere that isn't the front door. Then again, I haven't been in the kaitou biz as long as you, Rakash. Truth be told, this is my first major palace heist. Also, as far as I'm concerned, they might be anticipating something like that.
Evelyn: Shame I didn't bring [Girl Scout] cookies.
Joybringer: And on that note, do Shadows eat?
Edited by AnimeboyIanpower on Jan 28th 2022 at 11:38:26 AM
♪Show me the wisdom of the world... Tell me the secrets of the heart... and the sweet~ mysteries~ of love~...
School Hunting Trip
Vana: I'll take a ride. And don't call me Vanadium.
A Rundown Bar in the middle of Nowhere Particular
-A young man, dressed in black with almost garish teal and red highlights walks in. The smell of stale beer, the flashing of a barely-screwed-in-flourescent lightbulb, and the sound of Johnny Cash playing from a truly vintage jukebox and all the static that entails, are his only greetings.-
-He walks up to the bar, taking a seat next to the only other patron there - a curious looking man with two large, black feathers on his hat.-
Coyote: You're a difficult one to find.
Feathered Man: Just how I am. You, on the other hand, are practically the talk of the town.
Coyote: Oh yes, don't I just know it.
Feathered Man: When are we seeing Act 3 of your grand magnum opus, by the way?
Coyote: That will all depend on your answer to the offer I'm about to make.
Feathered Man: Stop trying to build suspense and tell me already.
Coyote: I propose a trade in favors. You have something that you want stolen, but can't. I have something that I want delivered, but can't. I do believe we may be able to come to an accord.
Feathered Man: What makes you think I got something I want stealing?
Coyote: It doesn't take a nose like mine to smell that your beer's been sitting there for at least three hours, completely untouched. Not to mention that you are dressed far too tastefully for a night of drinking.
Feathered Man: Klugscheißer. Fine, you think you can get it?
Coyote: I already know where it is. I simply have to acquire it first.
Feathered Man: And in return you want me to deliver something? Not exactly my purview.
Coyote: Admittedly, no... but troublemaking is, isn't it?
Feathered Man: Depends on the troub- wait. This wouldn't have to do with your little project, would it?
Coyote: Steal my thunder, why don't you. Yes, it has to do with the star-crossed couple in that monument to all of the Alakgross' hubris.
Feathered Man: You can go there, so why not do it yourself?
Coyote: Incorrect assumption. I cannot go there. I can observe, as I have been doing. It appears that by doing so I, to put it as the old scientist did, "collapse the waveform" and realign our timeframes. Unfortunately, however, it is not within my purview to interfere with ongoing narratives through my own direct intervention, at least not without... abusing loopholes.
Feathered Man: Lemme go back to my old question then. What kind of troublemaking?
Coyote: Why, the kind where the evil mother who abuses her children is humbled, of course.
Feathered Man: Hmm... Not gonna lie, that kind of troublemaking without having to be around to witness the aftermath would be a nice change of pace.
Coyote: Excellent. An agreement, then?
Feathered Man: Ja. Ein Abkommen. You get me that amulet, I get you that package inside.
Coyote: Then I'm off.
Feathered Man: Without a drink first?
Coyote: I am an artist, trying to make art, and art waits for no vice save itself. Do be sure to drink responsibly before I get back, I would be quite mortified if you jumped the gun before getting your end of the deal.
Feathered Man: You're a real Fotze, you know that!?
Coyote: Can't hear you, going to steal from a wizard!
No voice to cry suffering
Wyndon Stadium Locker Room
mention of suicidal ideation
-Megan makes a punched-out wheeze at the Cynthia comparison, in this place, by this person-
Megan: -somewhere between helpless and chiding- Ever, you are cute, but I think right now that'd cause more problems than it solved.
Pollen: <wait what>
Megan: -going red- ...seriously, I know, dork.
Megan: Ignoring the words leaving my own mouth right now, you...
Megan: You...
-...-
Megan: You really think so?
-she blinks at the words that, despite her best efforts, are the ones still leaving her own mouth-
Megan: No, no, we're talking about...
Megan: ...golly.
-buh-
Megan: ...I guess Mix was there too, if augh not now!!
-Megan's overjoyed, furious litany of "focus focus focus" goes on under Cross's departure-
Pollen: <Hey, I never said I didn't want to eat your babies! I just thought first I'd help you make s—ugh, I've been hanging around humans too long. Megan, if Ever lives, could we visit a meadow or something? Springtime bacchanal waits for no m...>
-Pollen stills at the taste of her own foot in her mouth- Megan: -stricken- ...
-that'll do it-
Megan: -careful, uncertain- ...I'm not really sure how to articulate how much I get how little this feels like a problem. Partly because everything going on, mostly because you don't feel anything.
-she chews over her words, disliking the taste-
(-she's not thinking about how you probably fight worse when your head's a mess-)
(-not at all about how she only claimed victory over a Mesprit-forsaken husk-)
Megan: The thing is.
(-...she's thinking about it-)
Megan: The thing is, psychically dead usually leads into actually dead.
-she grimaces in a "this" sort of response-
Megan: And...sorry if this comes off as unreasonably flirty, but I don't want you to die?
Pollen: <...to be fair, they're very good at not dying.>
Megan: How much longer will they want to live?
-miserable- Inertia only carries you so far. Eventually, you start slowing down.
Pollen: <...>
Megan: ...eventually, I started slowing down.
-Pollen looks away-
Pollen: <...can we Revive someone who'd be better at this? I might actually be the worst choice here.>
Megan: ...if you wanna go eat fruit—wait no that's not what I mean. Help me out?
Pollen: -quiver- <okay,>
-Megan takes Ever by the face-
Pollen: <...in the interest of helping, I don't think that's better.>
Megan: Ever, I don't want the same for you.
Pollen: <oh you're still going, okay>
-her hands are hot to the touch—she's been running warm since everything got sealed inside her-
Megan: What's up?
Morata's Manor, Deep Down - past
-whether EMPEROR follows the confrontation or stays here, back from it, Pollen keeps pace with him to continue her ministrations-
Pollen: -tight- <...so.>
-she's not losing this one she is not losing this one-
-not this time-
Vee: -stirs-
Pollen: <—>
Pollen: <Oh fuck.>
-she glances around for Vee's Pokéball—probably Teleported away with Megan. typical-
Pollen: <We-we don't talk much, do we? I, I'm not sure "dripping with blood" is much of an icebreaker—not like you, EMPOLEON, are an ice-breaker, but—hi.>
-something to quell her with—what could possibly.-
Pollen: <...you're very made of metal.>
-oh. of course-
-mistakes-
-Vee's eye snaps open—rather than halving, Pollen's panic redoubles-
Thespi: <Now where would she go...>
-Omen's map may or may not concur with the result of Tagg's Aura Sense-
Ceal: -to Burattino and Brighella, smug- <...y-you are, of course, still w-welcome to try and s-stop us.>
-she smirks-
-Tripod just sort of hovers ominously behind Aislinn-
Tripod: -the quietest scare chord, punctuating-
-it's just one of those days-
Edited by Asterisk395 on Jan 29th 2022 at 12:08:31 PM
No mind to think. No will to break.
Dunsparce Cloud
Morata Manor, Dining Room
-Imago is strong. Stronger than any other member of Avery's team, for sure-
-but, like...not that strong-
-two super-effective attacks from a champion-level Pokemon are more than enough for him, and he's knocked unconscious-
-Avery, who has taken cover behind the pillar she was using for support, looks not much better off-
Facade: <You're running out of Pokemon.>
Avery: I'm literally out of Pokemon. Perspective and Imago are down, Optics is who-knows-where, Presentation is off fighting that maid, and Misdirection is...where is Misdirection?
Facade: <Stealing from the pantry.>
Avery: . . .
Facade: <...Really hope they get that stupid mask.>
Avery: It was a good run.
Wyndon League Lockers
Cross: <Oh! Here! You can help, then!>
-she holds the fruit out to Pollen-
-...-
Ever: What. I'm totally feeling things. Got all those feelings riiiight up in here— and you are holding onto my face now. What is going on. Is this an intervention?
Um! I appreciate the concern a lot! And the occasional pelting me with small objects until I eat or sleep or whatever.
But I'm okay! I just had a really good and exciting battle that actually made me think for the first time in a long while. Sorry, Pef. Things are good! I'm good.
You're still holding onto my face. Your hands are really warm. Have you noticed that? I think you should get that checked out. Have I mentioned the importance of heart health?
I'm glad you're not dead, by the way. I don't know if I've ever said that and I feel like mostly it goes without saying but I do think it's one of your best qualities. You're very alive and I appreciate that about you. So if you ever need a spin let me know 'cause I'm pretty good at giving people advice, haha.
But I'm fine! Really. I've been like this for a while probably. And I want to live very much. Plus, you know, things trying to kill me is like. It's an interesting challenge. I'd be embarrassed if someone managed it.
So I'm good. Super good. Yeah. Just tired a lot. Everyone gets tired, it's part of growing up. Do you know I'm twenty-six now? Officially stopped growing and started dying.
...
Now, I know that you could look at all that rambling and conclude that I'm actually deeply depressed and worried. But I think that would be counterproductive. Besides you can't be sad when someone's squishing your cheeks. It's like, a law of nature. Right up there with Flying beats Fighting.
Misery: (to Megan) <Don't you ruin this for me.>
Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.
Morata's Mansion, Basement
-Megan watches Daydre slip through the cracks-
-ram headlong into the iron tower of her Starter, clawing away-
Megan: -heart snapping in quarters- ...
-and finally, get swatted across the room-
Megan: ...
-finally, her failure is complete-
(-no, not slapping, Megan, only a very novel application of iron and salt (water) and strength to cursebreaking-)
-...-
-Akiko heals her-
Megan: -startles, ripping her tooth out of her hand-
-the wince of pain is kind of lost in all the rest-
Megan: -scrambling back, cough hack, to Akiko- what are you doing
-the puddle that was Vee absorbs and nullifies the spread fluid...-
-healing on her own terms, starting to stir-
-slowly-
-Pollen darts up from where she was very, very much faking being knocked unconscious-
Pollen: <oh fuck oh fuck>
-she sees Megan's aster freezing out, cowering from the modest watering Akiko offers, terrified—-
-through the perception-warping haze of EMPEROR's sheer Steel, she registers Daydre's awful state-
-terrified—-
-Pippy unconscious, Vee unconscious, -terrified of herself-
Pollen: <...<
-she screams up at the ceiling:-
Pollen: <Ceal!>
-performing the insect equivalent of stomping her foot- <Ceal I know you're watching, you'd better get your ass down here and—>
Omen: ~Hello.~ [[red: •
Pollen: -through gritted mouthparts- <Get them the fuck out of here.>
Omen: ~That is not prophesied—~ [[red: •
Pollen: <I will stab you through your core.>
Ceal: <D-don't be mean to him.>
Tripod: -agreeing whirr-
Thespi: <...wow. Everyone's fucked up.>
Megan: -trembling- I have—I have to see her, I can't—I can't,, don't let me—me...-
Omen: ~...~ [[red: •
Tripod: -chirp?-
-...-
-and Megan just absolutely leaves (is removed from) the middle of a raid-
Pollen: -chittering chitin joints- <...alright, my turn.>
Thespi: <Who died and made you leader?>
Pollen: <Hopefully no one??>
-Thespi floats past her, following Tagg-
Thespi: -as she passes- <Relax, sugar, we've got this.>
-Ceal and Tripod follow Thespi, gathering strength-
Pollen: ...
-she screams, buzzing-
-and flits over to where EMPEROR's holding Daydre, or tries to-
Pollen: <Ugh, Pokédex Pokédex...I know Psychic moves, all of them know Psychic moves, Empoleon know a little of everything good grief stay away—>
-and she struggles to figure out how to apply wads of soggy pollen (and Pollen) to lessen the harm of whatever the frick's all happened to Daydre-
Wyndon Stadium Locker Room
Pollen: <Midwifery is such a tasty profession when it's in season.>
Megan: i hadn't put any thought into this since gaining monese and i'm not about to start now
-she shakes her head-
-she's taken off the armor parts of her costume and compressed them into a uniform ball, which she passes back and forth between her hands while holding conversation-
Megan: -rubbing the back of her neck, squeezing orb- Yeah, huh? I didn't expect it either—I guess they've gotten strong when I wasn't looking.
Pollen: <lol>
Megan: -giggle- Gosh dang, but your stuff is brutal, though. You actually incorporated some of my tricks! Really well, too and gosh dang, Mix is scary. Old guard's got so many tricks, swords...
-she smiles at them, all warm-
-...meanwhile, Pollen tries to maintain her half of their end of the conversation-
Pollen: <...>
-tries, opening and shutting her mouth a few times, staring at Ever...-
Pollen: <...okay, this has gone on long enough. What the fuck, Ever?>
-Megan blinks, opening her mouth for some form of reprimand-
-...but finally remembers how gruff this bug is, and settles for-
Megan: ...what, specifically, the
Pollen: <fuck> ?
Megan: Thank you.
Pollen: <Well, it's the-the...>
-she stutters in the way only bugs really can-
Pollen: -with a concern that mostly comes out sounding like anger, because Pollen- <Well, why're you sitting there all sad like that??>
-the confusion clears from Megan's eyes, revealing worry-
Megan: -frown, turning to them- ...have you been eating? I've been a bit too...distracted
-hospitalized-
Megan: lately to come by and sit on you. Misery, have they been sitting on themself?
-Pollen still can't blink-
No mind to think. No will to break.