ITT: We are all Pokémon Trainers

Techspo- TV Man Fight

(Owen nods, then turns to face Stipax.)

Owen: "Alright, Stipax! Hit that other Galvantula with an Electro Ball!"

Stipax: <Right!>

(He proceeds to load up a ball made up of electricity and shoot it at Webber.)

Stipax: (to Webber) <Why'd you kidnap Banjo, by the way?>

(Nautilu, watching from the sidelines, just shakes his head.)

Wyndon Stadium, Locker Room

Doesn't my sparkling company make up for it, Ever? I'm hurt. :c

-they feel something tweak their ear-

Megan: …well, okay. ^_^

-she hugs them and squeezes their widdle cheekbones, such is the state of her affection-

-but she turns thoughtful with Ever's misdirection-

Megan: -...snickering- Gee, I dunno. I've seen him fight, yeah, but…even in the other world I never saw him pull out that…fireball. Maybe it's new?

-that's some bullshit, is what it was-

Pollen: <...it felt very, very old.>

-Megan starts feeling excited—and begins infodumping, as stimulated Megans are wont-

Megan: I really do think he's the best duelist out of us—like, I'm no great shakes at analysis the way you are? But Abilene kinda stops at the training bit of it before strategy, and I honestly (hee) think I like it when everyone gets to play together better. But he likes focus.

-that sounds good to know, for anyone fighting him-

Megan: And like, martial arts! None of us ever got around to learning anything like that, and like you saw it helps patch up some of Fire's, eheh, glaring weaknesses.

-so, so glaring-

Megan: Although…

-she's just working up a head of steam-

Megan: -with what passes for slyness, on Megan- Hiro personally. And all that fire.

Wyndon Stadium, Stands

Rosa: -sweating sap- <And what…do you think…you hope…to achieve?>

Ribot: ~Well.~

-Rosa's various stems snap, sending him ragdolling to the floor between the rows of seats-

Ribot: ~I'm not wasting time with some buffoon's stalling.~

-not one soul notices-

-Ribot floats over Rosa's rolling gaze, shoving Abilene forward to access relevant segments of her skull-

Ribot: ~Now. We'll do this the easy way, and maybe it won't be the "your Trainer has a stroke in the middle of a crowded stadium" w—~

Abilene: -snarls-

-a crown of Dark thorns smokes on her head-

Ribot: ~Huh.~

-she stabs back—

Ribot: gurk

-and impossibly, she finds a vital organ in a being consisting almost entirely of temporarily-embodied fluid-

-...maybe not so impossibly-

Abilene: -through a pounding migraine- …Lanatus. Let them fly.

-equally unheard is the sound of dozens of tiny wings departing from the rafters, headed for ground level-

Wyndon Stadium, Food Stand Ring

Stand User Joe: …hi.

Stand User Joe: …what'll it be?

-there is certainly not the sound of angry muttering nor quicker-than-average footsteps headed through the throng-

Wyndon Park

Logan: oh I love chaos

-they shake their head-

Logan: You…really do attract some interesting characters. Some of them have gotta be doing an elaborate bit, right? They can't…they can't all be like that, all the time. Right?

-they're grinning-

Addie: -patting Zeal's thumb, sagely- <Come on and help, then. That's the best way to assuage that worry.>

Darmannitan: <And if you're not helpful, there is always the option of expelling you from the project to meet your fate with those problems of yours.>

Annie: Always an option.

-Logan pauses mid-expression, a funny look on their face-

Logan: That…doesn't sound like something I'd say.

Darmanitan: <Doesn't it?>

Addie: <That. Doesn't sound like anything any of our friends would say. Not in context, or even out of it, really.>

Annie: Hm.

-...-

Elliot: Oh yeah. This girl's been sitting at the table these past few minutes.

-there's a slow, painful peeling-away of a filter over reality, when it becomes clear that the violet-eyed, redheaded tween making paper airplanes out of legal notices and subsequently setting them ablaze is not, in fact, an expected part of this conversational unit-

Antimony, Freshman Class Experiment #51: -waves-

Logan: …

Addie: <...>

Elliot: -nom- You told me to let you know?

Wyndon Stadium, lockers

Shoo! I'll have Misery bite you!

Ever: Aheh, yeah. Thing about Fire is it's good for that kind of overwhelming offense, nothing-held back blow-trading. And it's really good against a team of physical attackers.

It is also fire. It's not necessary to let someone build up their big combos and techniques.

Food Stands

PEFE!Every: ...Hm. I'd like...

-she does a quick mental headcount-

Ten hot dogs, two vegan dogs, and twelve orders of fries?

Maggie: "Yeah, well, I will give them tenacity but glad that they're not gonna be doing much in our dimension at least, at least they don't have the proper resources for it unless they went with some other group like Pef's genetic donors did."

A Watchog pipes up.

Scouter: <I admittedly don't like thinking about it, certainly in that universe there's a chance my family or I were some of the first to be used for such a dastardly fate!>

Maggie: "Yeah, not sure if Pokefutures or PEFE brought your family in but it's definitely not nice to think about..."

Maggie turns up the reception when noted that it might be a good idea.

Silas turned to Travis. "Long story, and of course I know more than I let on. When has a mando ever not been secretive and cryptic?"

~Stuff prior to your joining, PEFE related material,~ Hacks explained.

At the two boosting the helmets' audio reception, they would hear voices from the other side. Machinery active, talks of supplies and satellites. Silas would tap the pointed horns/ears of his helmet. "Helmet was built to simulate Lucario abilities, I picked this up sooner than you. Judging based on the sounds, it's not just a vision, it's an actual hole."

Hacks tapped a paw to his chin a bit. ~So whatever PF was up to down here, it kind of made a... localized problem? Wormholes... like the Foxverse incident.~

"I remember reading a book a few years ago that dealt in dimensional mechanics, since we have evidence of the boundaries of existence thanks to stuff like Ultra-Beasts and Fallers. I think what happened here was a resonance cascade."

The tram continued on, a bubble of reality was closer, and Silas in a moment of curiosity... stuck his hand through.

On the other end the armor of his suit became what looked to be a HEV suit arm, Silas pulling his arm back instantly.

SleepyHead: <I'm gonna be safe and... not touch that.>

Ricin: <Same...>

Scouter: <Observation is necessary!>

He sticks his hand in but balks as Foudre seems to put her whole backside in Maggie puts a hand in but gets ready to try and recall Foudre if something happens to her.

Wyndon Park

-Zeal just sighs.-

Zeal: ...This might as well happen. Who's this?

Mount Coronet

Xaster yells in surprise as the three Machop land on the path in front of him. The lead one, which is slightly larger than the others, extends a hand towards him and makes a come at me gesture.

Xaster: Do you want to battle me?

Machop: <Ma!>

Xaster: I'll assume that means yes. How about this - if I win, you show me the way off this mountain.

Machop seems to consider the question, and then nods.

As Xaster prepares to battle, Kec turns to Hoops on the outcrop above them.

Kec: <So, we weren't going to interfere, right?>

Hoops: Putting him in a direct conflict is not really interfering. Sure, I gave those Machop food to do this, but they might have done it anyway. And it means nothing if he can't win.

Ray: <Do you believe that he can?>

Hoops snorts.

Hoops: Frankly I would be surprised.

Below them, Xaster selects RiRi for the battle. His other four pokémon, as well as the remaining two Machop, back up to give the battle space.

Before making a move, Xaster examines the battlefield as Hoops taught him to do. In these types of wild battles, things were different to a pitch, and so it was apparently important to consider terrain.

Xaster: Mountain path, and we have a slight elevation. Cliff face to the right, and line of boulders then a slope to the left. Outcropping above us, be careful of that.

Before he can make a move, Machop rushes at RiRi and hits him with a Karate Chop attack. RiRi is thrown back into the wall, but he manages to move his tail around to cushion the blow.

Hoops: That's new.

Xaster: RiRi! You okay?

RiRi: <Azu...>

Xaster: Glad to hear it. Use Bubble Beam!

RiRi uses her familiar move of bouncing on her tail and launching a stream of cold bubbles towards the Machop. The Machop raises its arms to block, and seems surprised that the bubbles aren't doing as much damage as it thought they would. Hoops sighs, seeing this.

Xaster: Damn it. Use Bubble Beam again!

This time, Machop doesn't even bother trying to block the attacks and just takes the small amount of damage. It then follows it up by grabbing RiRi and slamming him into the cliff face hard enough to crack the stone as part of a Revenge attack.

Xaster: RiRi!

Somehow, RiRi is still standing, but barely. He weakly looks up at Xaster. Xaster winces, and raises his pokéball to return his partner.

RiRi: <Zu... Ri...>

Xaster: You... still want to battle?

RiRi: <Zu!>

Xaster: But... I can't...

A small piece of rock falls from the cliff face in front of him, making a loud clattering noise on the path. Xaster looks up at where it fell from, and sees a small crack going up the rock from where RiRi was hit against the wall.

Xaster: That's it... RiRi, use Bubble Beam on the crack!

RiRi smiles, knowing that his trainer has a plan, and unleashes a stream of bubbles against the rock.

Hoops: What is that idiot doing?

Machop seems similarly befuddled, and watches the Azurill firing his bubbles without making any move to stop him. At first there is no effect, but then the continued pressure has the desired effect, as further up the cliff, a medium sized boulder falls from the mountainside towards Machop.

Xaster: Use Bounce!

RiRi uses her tail to push off the ground towards the falling rock, vanishing from sight behind it. Machop sees the rock coming towards it and is prepared so that with a careful combination of Focus Energy and Rock Smash it is able to break the boulder into pieces.

However, when the rock is destroyed, there is RiRi. He slams into the Machop with his full might, knocking it off balance for the first time. Machop stumbles back and rubs some dirt off its face, grinning. Until the ground begins to shake.

Another reason to check the battlefield in the wild is that sometimes there are other wild pokémon nearby that don't want to be caught up in a battle. In this case, it's a rather perturbed Graveler who responds to the battle with a powerful Magnitude attack that destabilizes the side of the mountain.

Xaster screams as he, his five pokémon, and the three Machop are all caught in a landslide that carries them down the hill. Above them, Hoops and the others are scrambling back to avoid the shifting earth, but it doesn't take long for Hoops to realise what just happened. They peer down the side of the mountain, but see no sign of any of the others.

Hoops: Xaster!

There is no reply.

Jublife City

Dragon Tamer: ...You look familiar. Why is your bird angry at me?

Garchomp: <...It's. Probably nothing.>

Wyndon Stadium, Locker Room

-that gets a laugh out of her-

Megan: Yeah. Yeah! Not like Rain trainers, huh? -that's her elbow-

Wyndon Stadium, Food Stands

-the bland, neutral expression on Joe's face doesn't shift as the dog-dozen order comes through-

Magby: !

-while behind him, a number of Magby go into a fry-cooking frenzy-

Magby: -kazoo doot-

Sous Magby (plural): -resounding doots!!-

Stand User Joe: And would you like Jressing on any of your Jotdogs.

Ramona: -tapping past- shit shit shit shit shit shit shit

Stand User Joe: -bland- We...discontinued that promotional stunt.

-the perfectly normal passerby actually. stops at that one, squinting like she can see through his head-

Ramona: ...good gods, you don't care enough to be fucking with us.

-and does a double-take at the woman in line-

Ramona: -blink-

-glances back the way she came-

Ramona: -blink blink-

-and a slow smile of recognition familiarity spreads across her face-

Ramona: Hehe.

-and an encompassing presence may fill PEFE!Every's mind-

Ramona: ...gods, what a spectacular brain. You sure know how to leave an impression, huh?

Aghamora: -taking her hand- Oh heavens, whatever are we to do? Our prospects in the League are shot! Come, let's drown our sorrows in -food- while they rebuild the arena...again.

Ramona: -brooking no argument, thinking smiles- ~You're coming with me, now.~^* Natu: -borb- ——]

Wyndon Stadium Locker

Ever: Pretty much exactly not like Rain trainers. Focus on shutting him down.

Wyndon Stadium Stands

-PEFE!Every's brain is weird-

-this is for a lot of reasons, among them the eusocial upbringing, the occasional experimentation with highly dangerous psychotropics, and an undiagnosed anxiety disorder-

-but it's also the brain of someone with a lot of experience with telepathy-

-it's thoroughly organic in layout, and valves gate and permit Ramona's access to certain portions-

-they don't look like they'd come down easy, and it's hard to tell what infrastructure might be damaged by forcing the issue-

PEFE!Every: Oh!

-she frowns-

Well, can I get my food first? My team is hungry.

Jubilife City, yesterday

-To the Tamer-

He's a Staraptor, they all just look like that, and I could say the same thing. You got a name?

Where have I seen this person before, I know there's something about them that's escaping me.

Luxray: -Sniffing the air- <Smells like Mt. Coronet's summit, smells like...>

-Eyes narrow-

Hitodama: -Looking between both parties- <Wait what's going on?>

Rampardos: -Head at attention- <Are we battling?>

Gaia: -Neutrally- <No dearie, not yet anyway.>

Wyndon Stadium, Locker Room

Megan: -saluting- You got it, Teach!

-that's about as far as she gets before emitting one (1) singular cackle-

Megan: Haha no seriously, he's gonna kick my butt.

Pollen: <We moved paaaast this.>

Megan: ...he...might kick my butt!

Pollen: <Getting warmer.>

Megan: That's the opposite of what we want, in context.

Pollen: <There we go!>

Megan: Go what?

Pollen: <You want this.> 8o

Megan: ...huh!

Wyndon Stadium, Food Stands

Ramona: -blinks-

Ramona: -blinks...blinks-

Ramona: Okay.

-so she stands there, PEFE!Every's hand in hers-

-...-

-...-

Ramona: -tapping her foot- ...

-the presence in PEFE!Every's mind is an odd one itself-

-for one thing, likely due to its sportingly competitive upbringing, heavily and repeatedly disclosed memories, painstakingly mapped neural profile-

-it's oddly...familiar, for another-

Ramona: -wriggling in the space provided- ~So. You know Hiro, huh. Also you stuck your hand in what?~

(-Ramona's familiar with familiarity with telepathy-)

(-she would have to be-)

(-but this particular familiarity is...unfamiliar to her-)

-...Ramona grows progressively more skittish with each flash and sizzle in this rather impressively elaborate...hot dog stand routine-

Natu: -...borb?-

Ramona: -eyeing this- ...

Natu: -borb.-

-...Ramona picks a stray bit of bun off the stand and tosses it-

-it bounces off the Natu's forehead, stare unimpressed-

Wyndon Park

Antimony: That's on a need-to-know basis.

-the stress on this last phrase cannot be overstated-

-...also, she's a child-

Logan: -smiling- ...oh. You're one of little Mo's—

-Antimony's Darmanitan slams the table, flipping it into the sky-

-midway through its upward arc it catches ablaze—not that its contents waited that long-

-combusting documents form a pillar ten feet high, raining down all around the gathering-

Logan: -clutching their chair- ...

Emmett: -swallowing- ...rude.

Addie: -raising a claw- <Flammable...?>

Antimony: ...hm.

-she holds out her hand, and the flaming fallout funnels all into it, leaving the ashes cold and dark-

-like snow-

Darmanitan: <I will break your bones and cook your spine if one more word from your horrible mouth so much as suggests she has anything to do with this, hints that she might—>

Antimony: -impassive- I don't want her to get into trouble.

Darmanitan: <She wasn't here, understand?! You're talking to me.>

Antimony: To me.

-two sets of eyes stare as one-

Logan: ...Zeal, this is a Psychic. Zeal, Schoolkid.

Antimony: Charmed.

Edited by Asterisk395 on Feb 21st 2022 at 9:31:27 AM

Wyndon Park

Zeal: Fascinating. What do you do, power-wise? Like, I'm with Gui on a daily basis but I haven't really met any human psychics. Well, I vaguely know a few. But not well.

-He pauses.-

Wait, this is pretty bad, right? Should I be worried? Is it time for Serious Mode?

Wyndon Locker Room

Ever: -thin smile- Yep. Go fuck him up.

...But, you know, in a sporting way.

Food Stands

-PEFE!Every taps her foot a bit-

PEFE!Every: Oh yes, we're friends. I heard you tried to kill him? You should stop doing that.

-taptap-

-she goes a bit red-

PEFE!Every: Oh, I've been using Psychic-types for communication for...ten or more years now? And my last girlfriend was psychic. She's still psychic probably, we just haven't spoken much in the last couple years so I assume we're not dating anymore, you know?

Anyway my point is that I'm pretty used to having people in my head. It's more comfortable than not, really.

-her own mental presence is...somewhat like a fungus-

-it grows on you-

-and it has a way of getting where you'd rather it didn't-

-she collects her hot dogs-

PEFE!Every: Alright, ready when you are.

Jubilife Techspo

-Hailee watches the group begin their battles against the TV Man's Pokemon-

Hailee: So, we just do that, I suppose. Pick a Pokemon, and fight it.

-Hailee looks at the TV Man's Pokemon-

Hailee: Hmm... welp, no time to think about things too hard when there's a gang fight going on. Let's do it, Timothy! Time to fight that Porygon!

-Hailee and Timothy dash towards Byter-

Hailee: Okay, time to show 'em what we're made of! Timothy, Rollout!

Timothy: Woohoo! Never gets old to use this!

-Timothy smacks Byter dead in the face with Rollout-

Timothy: Ha! Couldn't even see it coming!

The Walking Mountain, Somewhere in the middle Strati

-The Lairon blinked in befuddlement. The top half of his sight was blocked by the floor - that, or a very very large hat, and he was fairly certain he didn't wear hats.-

-He wiggled his legs. Despite being upside down, they pulled away from him. Odd. They should have pull towards him, or at least the ground.-

-Unless they were pulling to the ground, he belatedly realized, as fragments of the stone ceiling fell past his face.-

Dune: GO GO GO!

-He couldn't see what was happening, but the Lairon was fairly certain he'd heard a voice quite dissimilar to what he was familiar with. There were the sounds of beams firing, his boss desperately floating to the exit while commanding the workers to save him, all this shortly followed by his boss screaming in terror after being presumably caught.-

-The Lairon zoned out after this point, wondering how to get unstuck from the ceiling without cratering, as well as wondering just what caused him to get stuck in the ceiling in the first place. He was no Aggron, but he wasn't a lightweight, either.-

-He caught the last bits of terrified blubbering as the intruders walked off with his Magnemite boss. He rolled his eyes. Maybe now he'll understand what it's like having to get dragged along by someone you don't like.-

-It was around this point that he felt himself drop just the slightest distance.-

-His eyes open wide.-

-No wait not yet he hadn't figured out how to land safel-

-And then he fell.-

-...-

-...-

-...-

-He slightly opened one tightly shut eye.-

-He'd expected to have hit something by now.-

-He opened an eye to see... a cloud?-

-To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure what a cloud was, let alone seen one.-

-He knew they were soft and fluffy, but those weren't exactly words he was intimately familiar with either.-

-But this pink, round-ish thing with a swirly-doodle on her forehead looked soft and fluffy.-

-Moving her hand, the cloud gently - oh, hey, that's a word he hadn't really known about either! - set the Lairon down on the ground next to a giant hole that had been directly under him.-

-The edges of the hole were still glowing red from whatever made it.-

-The Lairon just kinda sat there, soaking in everything that had just happened.-

-The cloud giggled - goodness, just expanding our vocabulary by an unprecedented (that's another one!) amount - at him, winked, and then flew off through the door that he was fairly certain had been on its hinges the last time he'd seen it.-

-...-

-...-

-...-

-The Lairon wandered off the the mess hall. He was taking lunch early, and with no boss to say otherwise, he was going to take advantage of this opportunity.-

Wyndon Stadium, Locker Room

Megan: -grinning- I'm gonna 🎶literally murder him~🎶

-jazz hands-

Megan: -challenger's stare- But like, on my own terms!

-they're not purple (or gold), but wow, that's a brittle shade of brown-

-...she checks the screen again and flops over-

Megan: ...as soon as he gets back. Where is he? He doesn't usually go on break this long.

Wyndon Stadium, Stands

-Abilene's ill-feeling drips down the wand, sharpening it from Feint Attack to something more deadly-

Abilene: I have…so many complaints to file with you.

Ribot: ~.~.~

-Abilene uncaps a bottle one-handed—she pours the Potion over Rosa's crumpled form-

Abilene: Have you anything to say for yourself before I flay you proper?

-Rosa pulls himself together, growing thorns like Sharpedo teeth-

Abilene: Some. Critical intel, worth the sparing of your hide?

Rosa: <...speak up. Or I'll eat you slow.>

-yes, his mouth parts move…slowly, as if unused to the motion-

-the body language component of Monese is a bit lost on Abilene a good chunk of the time, but through her point of contact Ribot articulates:-

Ribot: -rusty- <...s m i l e.>

-distantly, Abilene becomes aware of muttering all around her-

Backpacker: Oh—oh no—

Girl: Daddy? What's happening?

-oh.-

-he's dropped his SEP field-

-Abilene's treated to the camera-shutter sound effect of a picture taken of the tableau: her with a knife buried in someone's Beheeyem-

(-Ribot contrives to look small and innocent-)

(-and then very, very dead-)

Megan: -sarcastic- …well, I'm not gonna subject myself to the gazes of my (pfff) adoring fans for another moment than necessary. It's paranoid, but it always feels like they're an inch from tearing me apart.

Pollen: <Or turning your skin into a body pillow.>

Megan: …that body pillow is admittedly very soft.

Wyndon Stadium, Stands

Ramona: …that's neat.

That's neat? What, are you two? This isn't anything new to y

Ramona: ~Well, I'm sorry about that. There's more than a few people I haven't spoken to in awhile that I sure would like to.~

-the comfort's getting to her head-

-but eventually, the entire lack of purple text dawns on her-

Ramona: ~Wait you're. You're just going along with this?~

-or…one supposes dusks. it sinks in, and everything gets just a bit harder to see-

-she pokes around. she knows PEFE!Every's watching her do so-

-no tricks, no traps—at least none here-

Ramona: -exhales-

-well, that's cool-

-as soon as PEFE!Every picks up her order, she turns to dart off with her-

-she stumbles—she is now surrounded by Natu-

-more to the point, her charted path between those Natu shifted the moment she made to move—as if via...precognition, or something.-

Aghamora: Could you please…not?

Natu: -stares-

-she presses psychically. they press back-

Further Natu: -gaze-

-she offers a fry?-

-...-

-she nudges the closest Natu with her foot. it tips easily, rolling onto its side-

Natu: <...>

Aghamora: Shoo.

Various Natu: <......>

-and the Natu let out an unearthly wail-

-whatever her name, Mo (and Mo alone, probably) staggers-

Ramona: -trudging forward through a massive headache, just shy of booting them- ~Well maybe I'll stop trying to kill him when—~

Ramona: -booting them- ~—he stops trying to oh fuck~

-her weird pager thing combusts in her hand-

-singed, she flings it back—and Hiro catches it, in the hand not clutching a Natu-

Hiro: -coldly furious- Let her go, Molybdenum.

-a woozy Arcanine, a…Typhlosion, and the same expression he wore

~Ribot, you need me to finish negotiating.~

Ramona: Oh, I see. One little win and you think you're better than me.

~Rendezvous! Assist!~

Ramona: -wiggling her handholding hand- Won't even let me say hi to your pretty little friend. Possessiveness isn't a good look, you know.

Hiro: That's still such a weird filler phrase.

Ramona: I think it suits me.

Wyndon Park

-Antimony and Logan both stare at Zeal, the former with bland disbelief and the latter with a very politely restrained glee-

Logan: -murmur- Yeah, you're gonna do great.

Antimony: …I take advantage of the Votum link to enhance my abilities and processing capacity past that available to an ordinary human. Magnified under duress. My divided—

Darmanitan: -snort- <I make fire.>

Antimony: I was getting to that.

-an intimidating silence stretches out…until it's thin enough to see through-

-Addie starts coughing from all the ash in the air-

-Logan flicks their gaze over to Zeal, alarmed-

Logan: …I wouldn't say it needs to come to Serious Mode.

-the remains of the table crash down, some meters away-

-oddly, no one in the park really takes notice-

-so…absent a table, Logan brushes some of the ash aside, tidying a spot to sit on the ground-

Logan: So. Why are you here?

Antimony: Hm.

-the Darmanitan stares at Zeal while Antimony's human eyes lock with Logan's-

-Logan blinks, amiably-

Wyndon Park

-Zeal glances back and forth between them.-

Zeal: Um... are you going to answer? Question mark?

Edited by AZealousIndividual on Feb 22nd 2022 at 4:28:02 AM

Wyndon Stadium Lockers

Ever: Haha, that's the spirit.

And that is a good question.

-they have a bad feeling about this and also everything-

Stands

PEFE!Every: Hi, Hiro!

This, uh, happens from time to time. I'm in very high demand.

-...-

-is she compelled???-

PEFE!Every: I'm sort of interested in knowing what's up here, and being kidnapped is historically my best move.

-she wiggles a bit-

The last time I got access to School research, I made some very interesting things, you know!

Mount Coronet, beneath landslide

Xaster tries to sit up, but finds something is on his arm, and that it hurts. Probably not good. He looks around, but there is no light, and he can't see anything. Panic begins to rise in his chest and his breaths come in short gasps. He has never been good at small spaces, and this is far worse than a cupboard in his parents' house that he can just open whenever he wants.

Xaster: Salut? Is anyone there?

He hears a shuffling noise, and a moment later there is a small flash of light that comes from ChuChu's cheeks as they light up with electricity. It lasts for just a moment, but it allows Xaster to get a look at the situation. He and the pokémon are in what seems to be a small pocket beneath the landslide, which is hardly even big enough for him if he were sitting up. His five pokémon seem fine, but one of the three Machop is caught from the waste down below the debris and the others are trying to pull it out. Xaster's arm is the same, and he cannot move it.

Xaster: Fuck. This is a problem. Uh, ChiChi, BuBu, ToTo, can you try and help with getting the Machop out?

The pokémon reply in the affirmative, and based on sound Xaster assumes that they're trying to shift some rocks.

Xaster: Be careful, guys. If you move around too much, these rocks could fall and crush all of us.

One of the Machop retorts something that sounds like a challenge, even if Xaster cannot understand it.

Xaster: If you get us killed, I will get revenge on you in the afterlife. ChuChu, RiRi, can either of you find my bag? I think I have a torch in there.

Some awkward blind rummaging later, a torch is switched on, bringing the space into a dim light. Xaster turns it on his trapped arm and winces. That's a lot of debris, but at least he can feel that his arm still exists under there. The breaking bones could be dealt with later. The others have made no progress in rescuing Machop, and have to stop when the space starts to shake.

Xaster: Okay, if anyone has any ideas on how to get out of this the I'd love to hear them.

There is no reply from anyone, with everyone looking at Xaster to solve the problem.

Xaster: Oui, didn't think so. Wish I had a ground type, but I guess we'll just have to muddle our way through, as those Galarians say.

ToTo: <Pi Pi?>

Xaster: Well, to summarise, we're in a small space that threatens to collapse on us if we move too much. On top of that, there's probably a limited air supply in here, and there is a chance that we all suffocate to death in a few hours. I also have my arm trapped, no way to call for help, a torch that will run out of battery soon, and very little food. If anyone has any last regrets, say them now s’il vous plaît.

One of the Machop, the one who battled Xaster before, responds to this invitation with a long winded monologue that Xaster imagines would be very emotional if he could understand any of it. Certainly his pokémon seem enraptured by it, sitting watching the fighting type with expressions of awe. When it is done, the Machop go and sit together and close their eyes. Soon they are sleeping.

Xaster: Well, that might be the last thing they ever do. At least they went out as friends.

Xaster: Guys, what are we even doing here? On the mountain, I mean. No, actually, I mean trying to get these gym badges? It was never what we wanted before, so why go for it now? Are we just giving up on contests.

He laughs.

Xaster: Well, I suppose it doesn't matter much now anyway. We don't have a lot of air left, and -

He is cut off as all five of his pokémon suddenly jump on him in an embrace. They tell him how they feel, but their actions are enough.

Xaster: Yeah. I love you guys too.

There is a rumble around them, and the rock above them suddenly splits open, revealing sunlight. Hoops is standing there looking down on all of them with a concerned expression that quickly shifts from relief, to concern at the broken arm, to a look of boredom. Gon, Kec, Sud, and Pol can be seen behind them.

Hoops: So, you're still alive then.

Xaster: How...

Hoops: I have thirteen pokémon that took on a pokémon league championship, and a bandage arm with inhuman strength. It only took this long to find you.

Xaster: Right. How did you even know I was in trouble?

Hoops: Well... you see... (rolling a 2 on deception) it was the weirdest thing, I was watching a livestream of some Shinx, and then the camera jerked up to the background where there was this landslide, and I saw you get caught up in it. And I thought if you died it might cause me legal trouble since I abandoned you out here, so I came to find you.

Kec: <Real smooth.>

Xaster: ...

Hoops: ...

Xaster: (rolling a 1 on insight) Well, that was sure lucky.

Kec: <Seriously?>

Hoops: It sure was! Now come on, let's get all... three, seven... nine of you to the hospital.

Obsidian Peak, Tram Ride:

"First I learn Mandos are real, and now Resonance Cascades? Crazy how many of my favorite games and shit turned out to be real," Travis remarked, both amazed and unsure of what to think about the time bubbles and everything else going on. Before he could think of what he was going to say next however, Tricky would jump upright and start barking at the sight of everyone putting parts of themselves into the time bubble.

"It's okay Trickster! They're fine, settle down!" Travis tried to reassure, with Tricky reluctantly agreeing to be quiet once she saw everyone appeared to be fine. "I have to wonder if you'd be trapped if you completely dove into one of these time bubbles though," He then wondered, keeping a healthy distance away from the time bubble and wondering what, or more precisely when he was observing.

Morata's Mansion, Atrium

Aislinn: (As she starts making her way outside) "Oh, for sure. I'm certain it far outpaces the things I've heard in terms of age."

(sighing) "I'd like to learn more about it, but I doubt that'll be easy... What I'd give for a good, trustworthy info source on it."

"The she I'm referring to was my mother's Hatterene. The day the mask was stolen... She usually monitored for strange incoming thought patterns. Something distracted her and in the time it took her to reorient Morata's thugs had made their way into the forest."

Does she look a little guilty?

Aislinn: "We weren't able to flee, mother went to fend them off... By the time I saw her again, she was dead and Melida had vanished."

She gives Thespi an odd, contemplative look before she responds.

Aislinn: "*sigh* I think I'd rather my home have not fallen apart in the first place, but I guess this is better than the alternative..."

The thought of having children seems to make her go like, a fraction of a shade paler.

Aislinn: "... I'm... probably a bit of a ways out from that. I don't even know who I'd have them with, and finding a person who won't walk out on me like my dad did is a gamble."

Aislinn actually stops walking when Tripod's question is posed. Whether it was translated or not... she gets the gist.

Aislinn: "...I don't think anyone's ever asked me that before. What would I do, indeed?"

She starts walking again.

Aislinn: (Taking a deep breath) "If the mask were ever destroyed, or brought to a place I couldn't go... I suppose I'd be done."

What she means by done sort of... hangs in the air.

Macraul Safehouse

EMPEROR: (chipper as his wounds are treated) <It was a common enough topic in the colony I lived with! It was an issue occasionally, because well... Things happen, and the corpses go much more slowly in the cold.>

Sylvie, who's somehow managed to fade into the background until just now, stares at him.

EMPEROR: <Dealing with them could be a point of contention. We weren't usually hurting for space, but leaving corpses around isn't... the best for morale, let's say!>

He watches the ensuing exchange with concern on his face. When an appropriate amount of silence has passed he speaks up.

EMPEROR: <... So, er, forgive me for being out of the loop but where did she end up? Nowhere bad, I hope.>

Despite her unconsciousness, something about Daydre is aware enough to jerk slightly when given the aura shot. This might complicate things given it's an injection, but she doesn't continue moving after that so it's probably fine.

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

-To Aislinn-

There's someone I think I could ask about your mask, they're literally the most knowledgeable being I know, but I'm not sure how soon it'll be before I see them next.

-As we approach the outside-

Doc, Kodama, go pick up Avery and her mons.

Doc: -Nods as he moves to do so-

Chiyo: -Thinking aloud- A purpose? Well, I was "born" for a purpose, but I left that behind decades ago, sometimes it's better to just make your own I say.

-Slightly uneasy-

I didn't... know my parents, if you could call them that, but after seeing and hearing about... everything between you and what Ynos said about that terrible night, I might not have known your mother, but I feel like she would've wanted you to continue living on, regardless of whether or not the mask is still around. That's my advice to you, Aislinn.

-To Aislinn, speaking up-

You know since I've entered my 30s I've been thinking about that a lot more, but for you, regardless of if or when you ever do, make sure you're having them because you want them, not just for the sake of watching over the mask. Like Shamhat said, I'm sure your mom didn't just have you to continue your family vigil. And shitty parents are kind of a dime a dozen amongst this group so you'll be in good company.

And I'd know plenty about being burdened with "purpose".

-Aside-

But even without adding children into the mix, seems there's someone else whose stuck by you this whole time, and I'm not just referring to your mons.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Feb 22nd 2022 at 12:16:24 PM

Maggie's hand on the other side wasn't covered by the HEV suit, it was covered by a labcoat and a fingerless glove. Foudre and Scouter would remain unchanged. Khan blinked and stepped forward, reaching a paw in... to his shock his paw actually appeared on the other side.

Silas tapped a finger to the chin of his helmet. "So, we can interact with the time bubble, and even see what appears to be an alternate timeline of sorts."

~Best bet is that this place has a localized alternate timeline going on, presumably it shifts based on who enters. We're here now so obviously if we enter the timeline we'd shift to fit with it and it'd shift to fit us,~ Hacks theorized.

"And you base this on what?"

~Experience with alternate universe shenanigans.~

"Reading a bunch of books about time travel don't count."

<If I may catch your attention,> Khan noted. <We need a proper name for these... bubbles.>

Silas looked to Khan, then to the bubbles. "Translation Zones. I think that may work, Maggie these do fall under the concept of 'translation' don't they?"