Fwomph
Hamlet, Crimson Manor
The swarm, recklessly, flies straight into the flames and electricity; much of the miniature insects falling to the floor as the swarm splits in half and regroups into a staggering and sparse figure.
Swarm B: Y̶̮̗̿-̴̘̓̄̄̏̚ỳ̵̯̗̜̔͠ơ̶̬̖̤̙̳̰̜̖͓̎̍̆̈́̀̔ͅȕ̴̡̙͙̤̮̥̮ͅ'̷̡̘̱̝̦̜̻̺̤̹̯̀͋̑̊͑̓͐́ṟ̷͙̼̠̩͎̒̈́́͒̇̀̈́̋̋͠e̶͙̦̿͛̈́͛̇̕͘͘͠.̸͎̖̳̼̏̀͌̃̈́.̵̝͙̝͙̉́̂̑̈͛.̸̬̦̙̯͈̱̹͔̹͕͈̦̰̐̃̍͐͊̑̎̔́̄̃͋͘ ̵̰̣̈̾̈́Y̴͔͓͓̐̆̽̾͆̊̚͘͝͝ơ̴̡͔̬͎̮͙͚̬̥͋u̶̱̦̩̟͋́̀̒̿̔̈́'̵̨̭̖̙͕͎̑̅͊̅͊̚r̸̢̤̤̣̮̜̤̞͎̥̯̃̌͒͘͜e̸̥͙̭̣̱̼̭̠̝͍͍̭͂̊̇̉̇ ̵̨̙̼̯̀͐̈̃͒̽̿͐̚̚̚͝n̸̯͓͂̊͂̅̍̍̃̇͘ǒ̸̖̹͙̲̘͙̽̃̽͜t̶̢̜͖̮̫̥̳͑̏ ̷̲̹̺̪̩̪͉̩͎̗͍̓̊̇̉̔̓̽̊̓̄́t̵̞̲̳̻̏̈́͑̓͝h̴̢̫̻͓̖͕͍̭̮̲̫̝̯̙̏́͜͠a̴̢̹͈̭̖̥̘̰̣̳͂͝ͅt̸̤̮̿̇͂͆̏̽ ̶̛̰̗̤̜̪͈̣̮̤̈́́̓͊̆͘͜ţ̵̢̢̫̝̰̻̫͉͕̼̐̓͜ͅờ̸̹̹͚̹̯͒͋̈́̿̓̐͊̇̅͠ǘ̷̢͉̼̺̝̗̘̲̼̯̐́̃ģ̶̨̲̙͎̤̭͓̟̼͎̯̭̭̒̿̒͛̑̀̉̀͌̈́͘ḥ̷̡̫̩͍̬̦̙͓̲̮͂̍͐̔̓̈́͊͊͗,̴̛͇͙̳̃̋̈́̅͆̾̐̀̊̈́̌̕͜͠ ̸̯̲͔͔̥̮̟̝̃͝j̸̢̪͕͖̪̣̝͙̦͉͔̦̩̾́̏̔̎̅̆̀͑̾̄̏̿͜͜͝͝ú̵̺̩̩̼̝̉́̓̅́͋̾̄͝͠s̵̥͙̦̻͔̱̯̗̘̓̅̑͒̇͘t̷̛̛͓̩̩͇͑̂̄͊̂̍́̌͛̑́̓̾ ̷̢̣͉͉͎͚̑̏̂͂̉͘g̸̯͖̏̀̀̈́̆̎͊ͅơ̷̛͓̥͙̘̐̂̄̽̏̚̕͝ţ̶̗̖͔̒̂̾̆ͅt̸̨̥͉͉͖̳̙͕͖͑̚a̸̰͖̖̘̤̫̺̼͊̂̚͜͜.̸̢̧̼̥̩̜̬͔̗͉̼͋̽͋̒͆̊̿̽̚͝.̶̨͓̬̜̞̭͇͗̆̆́̈́̐̂͑͗̿̐̒̋̽ͅ.̵͔̹̌̆ ̷̛̯͎͙̔́̄̈́̆̀́̅͑̈́̚̕J̷̠̞̹̙̺̬̥̺̝̆͆̃ú̵̥̠̼͎̘̬̺̫͍̘̬̭̥̹̉͆͗̋̓͛́̓̍͂̔͛̐̑s̸̻̣͌̑̊͛̌͆̈́͜͠t̶̮̟̪̬̬͙̖͕͚̬̹͖͌͛̓̓̕͝ ̶̳̫̼̼̭̐͌̓g̶̖̬͉̞̘͈͙̠̼̹̻̖̜͐̑̓͆͗̈̈̌́̈́͛̏͜͠o̴̜̭͚͍̳̱͊̎̏͒̌͆͋̑̓͒̔͗͘͜ṯ̷̡͓̮̦̜͙̦̼́͐͆̿̂̄͘t̷̢̨̨̛͉̤͎̱̤̺̺͕̗̰̣̫͒̑̄̂͗͋͑̿͆̚̕͘͠a̵̳͔̘̘̳̻͊̉̂̚ͅ.̶̭̜̞͓͛̍̐̃͗̎̅́̈͒̎͑͘͝.̵̰̺̭͇̳̞͓͖͎̯̦̹̐͒.̶̡̲͕̫̖̭͕̯̹̳̘̙̀ͅ
Phantom Thieves Textspace
[Balarat], Just Outside The Zagan Manufacturing Plant
-A Pentigan is in casual incognito dress here, scrolling through social media on his phone while waiting to see who turns up-
-There is also a Golbat perched on his hat (a baseball cap currently) which is odd until you remember that Pent owns a Ditto and said Ditto is another Phantom Thief-
Fox's Wedding
Hm... Yaknow it's probably weaker than the Fanatic but it's got the spirit. So I'm counting it. Apology accepted!
-The Automaton flicked her own wings a bit, a few phantasmal feathers falling loose as a purely aesthetic flex-
You're real lucky I don't feel safe attempting to fly with these things right now!
-She summons another Gaster beam regardless and fires it off towards Radon-
J-Team Textspace
To: Ian/Evelyn
Subject: RE: RE: RE: Supervillain Attack
That fills the holes in the puzzle, but you're drifting into a question that doesn't matter as much as you might think it does. If the perpetrator is a Templar and there was at least one Schoolchild in the area, then that's a motive. Anything more complex will require additional information and only barely assists us in stopping him.
The question that helps more readily is how this information helps. If the Templar has the same powers as in the show, then what are the weaknesses and how can we exploit them? If the weaknesses are related to the powers of the heroes, then how can we replicate them?
Wyndon Stadium, past
Kec looks up at the two titanic pokémon. <So, we got them to use Dynamax. Why was that part of the plan, again?>
Hoops looks up at them as well. "Well, uh, you know. They're slower now."
<SPEED HAS VERY LITTLE EFFECT WHEN THEY'RE EACH A HUNDRED TIMES LARGER THAN ME!> Kec yells.
Hoops swallows. "That might be a conservative estimate. Come on, let's do this, use Iron Tail on Hatty!"
Kec transforms into the steel type and slams his tail into Hatty's giant body.
Veilstone Gym Battle
"Okay," Xaster says, by way of giving himself a pep talk. "Only one pokémon left. We beat it, no problem. This will be easy."
<Uh, Hoops?> Kec looks up from his tablet. <I've been doing some searching, and I found some data on Maylene and her Lucario.>
He holds the screen towards Hoops, who glances at it. "Oh, crap."
"Now, use Force Palm!" Maylene yells.
Lucario leaps forwards, slamming its palm into RiRi before he or Xaster can react. RiRi is sent flying back by the force of the blow.
"Now use Extreme Speed!" Lucario keeps moving, moving so fast that it becomes a blur. Before RiRi can even hit the ground it is there, slamming into him with another powerful blow.
"Metal Claw!" Lucario attacks RiRi once again, slashing at him with the claws on both hands. It lands and kneels, while behind it RiRi is thrown to the ground.
"RiRi!" Xaster runs forwards to check on him. "Are you okay?"
RiRi pulls himself to his feet and nods. <Azu...>
Xaster sighs with relief. "In that case, use Aqua Tail!"
A powerful torrent of water surrounds RiRi's tail as he jumps into the air and brings it down on Lucario.
"Use Counter!" Maylene orders. Lucario takes the blow on its head, then strikes out with double the force and throws RiRi across the battlefield. He pulls himself to his feet, looking even shakier than before.
"That Lucario is so strong..." Xaster mutters. "How are we supposed to beat that." For a second his vision starts to blur, so he gives himself a couple of light slaps on the cheeks. "No, come on, we can't give up now. Use Ice Punch!"
RiRi coats his fist in ice and runs at Lucario.
"Force Palm!" Lucario meets the attack head on, and the two appear to be equal in power, though RiRi has taken more damage and begins to get forced back.
"Bubble Beam, close range!" While still engaged in the lock, RiRi opens his mouth and blows dozens of bubbles towards Lucario. It takes them on the chin, clearly gritting its teeth in pain but not giving up on the struggle.
"Extreme Speed!" Lucario disappears and reappears behind RiRi, slamming first a foot and then a hand into him. RiRi cries out as he is knocked to the ground.
"Play Rough!" As Lucario closes it to strike again, RiRi suddenly lashes out, grabbing Lucario by its outstretched arm. RiRi begins to shake it violently, like a child with a toy that could easily break, and even slams it to the floor a few times.
"Force Palm!" Lucario manages to twist in the hold and place its hand against RiRi's chest. It lets out a blast of energy, that sends RiRi flying back to land at Xaster's feet.
Both pokémon stand up, breathing heavily. Lucario looks at Maylene and shakes its head.
"That's not enough," Maylene says. "You're battling well, but you're not battling with your whole self. If you want that egg to hatch, then that's what you'll need to do."
Xaster looks down at himself. "With my whole self? What does that mean?"
<Azu!> Xaster looks up to see the way that RiRi is grinning at him.
"Yeah, you're right," he says. "We've gotta inject a bit of us into this battle. Use Bubblebeam, do it into the air!"
RiRi throws back his head and releases dozens of bubbles into the air. They hang there, like small lights.
"Now, start to use Aqua Tail!" RiRi puts his tail on the ground and begins to charge the attack. Water swirls around it and him, bursting for a release but not getting one. It becomes a roaring tide behind him, like he's standing in front of a waterfall.
Lucario closes its eyes, sensing the aura of RiRi. It is different than it was before, more in tune with that of Xaster.
"Now!" Xaster yells. He raises his hand in the air. "Go!"
RiRi lets go of what he was holding, and rushes forwards with all the force of his Aqua Tail pushing him on.
Maylene smiles. "Use Force Palm!"
Lucario draws back its paw and begins to charge its aura into the strike. At the moment when RiRi is about to get close enough, it lets the attack go, in a flash of power. But the flash of light reflects off all the bubbles that hang in the air. For a moment, the field is filled with rainbow light, and Lucario closes its eyes reflexively. Its aura is thrown off, and before it can use it to sense the attack, RiRi's tail slams into its midriff.
Maylene watches as her Lucario is enveloped by the water that comes with RiRi's attack. It forms a vortex nearly ten feet high, before it disappears and leaves only a small rainbow behind.
"Lucario is unable to battle!" the referee announces, pointing to the prone pokémon on the ground. "Azumarill and Xaster are the winners!"
"Yes!" Xaster yells, before he and Azumarill both fall to the ground out of exhaustion.
Priest of the Temple of Syrinx
Cobalt Coastlands
CW: blood, gore, death
Laurie, Emcee, and D'Autry ran closer and closer in the direction of the signals that Emcee was picking up, all three of them excited— though for Laurie, of course, it was more a mix of excitement and fear. They hoped that Cole was okay, of course, but there was still that nagging thought in the back of their minds- the thought that somehow Cole didn't make it out alive— the thought that Cole was lost, or brutally beaten by an Alpha Pokemon— the thought that they'd be trapped in the past forever, with no way to get out— the thought that...
The thoughts stopped. As Laurie, Emcee, and D'Autry got closer, they could make something— someone out that was unmistakable. A blond-haired kid of some kind, wearing a yellow shirt. They couldn't see what was on the shirt from that far away, but to them it was all the proof they needed.
"Cole?!" cried Laurie. "Cole!"
They ran forward, their excitement growing larger. Emcee chuckled to themselves.
~Yes...!~ they cried out.
And then, before the human in front of them could even bother reacting—
Something from nearby attacked them, and they fell to the floor.
Laurie's eyes filled up with fear.
"COLE!" they screamed, running faster and faster now towards the human on the other end.
And then they stopped at last and finally managed to get a good look at the human— and their face.
Or, rather, what was left of it.
The human on the floor was blond-haired, with a yellow shirt and yellow shorts— exactly the kind of thing that Cole would wear while they were still with Laurie. They also wore a pair of blue sneakers that Laurie hadn't seen before— though they assumed that Cole had gotten some new clothes now that they were in the past.
Their face, however, was indistinguishable. Blood poured out of their chest, and whichever mon had gotten them had mauled them to the point where there was nothing left of their face except for a gaping, bloody hole.
Laurie and D'Autry both stared down at the human, horrified.
"C-Cole...?" muttered Laurie.
They knelt down and ran their hand over what was left of the human's face. D'Autry, meanwhile, went up to them and sniffed them, trying to get their scent- but all he smelled was fresh blood.
Laurie shook their head in horror.
"...No... no..." they muttered. "T-that can't be Cole... t-that can't be them..."
They glanced up at Emcee, tears starting to stream down their face.
"P-please tell me that's not them...!" they cried.
But for once, the normally cheerful Emcee had nothing to say. They just stared down at the body in shock, their one eye widened in horror and fear, before eventually, they glanced up at the antenna on their head.
And so did Laurie— and Laurie saw, much to their horror, that it had stopped moving.
Emcee shook their head.
~I...~ Their voice faltered. ~I-I'm afraid...~
Their voice began glitching in and out, with a distinct mark of horror and sadness.
Laurie didn't need Emcee to say anything more.
"...oh, no," they muttered. "No... nonononononono...!"
They took one look down at the body and found that their own was shaking.
Seconds later, they knelt to the floor, tears streaming down their face.
"COLE—!!!" they screamed.
Edited by OPALGARNET16 on Jun 1st 2022 at 8:02:13 AM
Hi, I’m oghond, and I’m a Rushaholic. Sorry if I annoy you unintentionally. 😅
Person, or Idea?
Content Warning: Blood, gore, depiction of death
Gav skids to a halt right near where Laurie, D'Autry, and Emcee paused. Right before them all, lying motionless on the ground, was the remains of a human, freshly killed. Gav is overwhelmed by the potent scent of blood, and he retches.
Mitchell brings up the rear, with his stroller and Christine in tow. The sight of the body, however, causes him to freeze dead in his tracks. His grip on his stroller loosens, causing it to fall to the ground. His face grows pale in shock.
"No," Mitchell says, his feet rooted in place. "No, no, no! This can't be happening!"
Christine lets go of Mitchell and floats over to the body. She sees the fatal damage inflicted on the body's face and chest, and she weeps silently.
Priest of the Temple of Syrinx
Cobalt Coastlands
Laurie began screaming and bawling.
Emcee, meanwhile, turned to face Mitchell sadly, their voice still glitching.
~I- I- I'm afraid... t-that it is,~ they said. ~I- it can't be a-anyone else...~
<N-no... Cole...> muttered D'Autry, shaking his head and sobbing.
Hi, I’m oghond, and I’m a Rushaholic. Sorry if I annoy you unintentionally. 😅
Person, or Idea?
Mitchell clenches his hands and his teeth. "Damn it," he says. "Why here? Why now?" Then, noticing Laurie's distress, he relaxes his hands and puts on a brave face.
Christine floats down to D'Autry and hugs him, sharing in his tears. She says no words, for she feels that they would only make the pain worse.
Gav finishes his retching, then darts his head to and fro, looking in every direction. <Folks,> he says. <whatever got Cole could still be here. Let's be careful.>
Priest of the Temple of Syrinx
Cobalt Coastlands
D'Autry hugged Christine, still sobbing his eyes out.
Emcee, meanwhile, quietly returned themselves. Laurie continued sobbing, then glanced around nervously at Gav's warning to see if the mon was still there.
They weren't. Whatever had gotten Cole had left into the night.
Laurie then looked back through their tears and saw that the portal back to modern-day Sinnoh was still open. They blinked for a few moments as their tears continued to stain their face, then slowly stopped screaming.
"...I... I want to go back to Sinnoh..." they muttered, choking through their tears.
Hi, I’m oghond, and I’m a Rushaholic. Sorry if I annoy you unintentionally. 😅
Person, or Idea?
"Yeah," Mitchell says grimly. "Let's go back." He bites his lip, then asks a difficult question. "Should we take Cole with us? Or, bury them here?"
Christine continues to hug and comfort D'Autry.
Gav checks the fallen stroller and confirms that it isn't broken, then stands on it and catches sight of the portal back to Sinnoh. He prays that the portal doesn't suddenly vanish before they can reach it.
Priest of the Temple of Syrinx
Cobalt Coastlands
"T-take them with us and bury them there," said Laurie, sobbing. "T-they deserve to experience modern Sinnoh one last time."
<I...> D'Autry sniffed. <I can use Dig...>
"True..." muttered Laurie.
They glanced down, trying their best to put on a brave face.
"A-alright, then," they said. "...let's go."
And with that said, Laurie and D'Autry sadly began to head off to the portal back to modern Sinnoh. D'Autry continued to sniffle the whole time.
Hi, I’m oghond, and I’m a Rushaholic. Sorry if I annoy you unintentionally. 😅
Person, or Idea?
"Okay," Mitchell says, as he approaches Cole's body. He carefully lifts the body, slipping one arm beneath the body's knees and the other arm around it's back. As he turns and slowly follows Laurie and D'Autry, he asks Christine "Um, would you take my stroller, please?"
Christine nods, then pulls out the handle of the stroller with her appendages and pulls it up, allowing the wheels to touch the ground. She then follows the group, dragging the stroller behind her.
Gav paces alongside D'Autry and looks concerned. <Sorry for your loss,> he says.
Some Rando
[Balarat] Manufacturing
A Unovan appears in a green blip, landing on the ground below and adjusting his headphones as he approached.
Hamlet, Past
"Have to what?" Kamui pressed, pressing a couple of fingers to her temple before firing off an Extrasensory from where she stood, aiming to press the swarm between it and the wall.
Akatsuki simply fired off another Volt Switch before returning, believing that his trainer could handle it from there.
Contest Hall Combat
With nary a blink from either of the Unovan combatants, Helmsman blinks across the field with Night Slash while Kamui's own Flame Charge intersects his path, twin trails of pitch and pyre intersecting and melding.
[Insert Unoriginal Stinger Here]
Priest of the Temple of Syrinx
Cobalt Coastlands
<T-thanks…> sobbed D'Autry.
The group promptly made their way back to the portal, and Laurie stepped through.
Jubilife City- Modern Sinnoh
Soon afterwards, the group arrived back in Jubilife City. Laurie sighed, realizing that they were about to do the hardest thing they had ever done in their life. They glanced around for a few minutes at the city, then shook their head.
“W-we can't bury them here," they said. "…We need to head to the Lost Tower.”
Hi, I’m oghond, and I’m a Rushaholic. Sorry if I annoy you unintentionally. 😅
Person, or Idea?
Gav nods. He, Mitchell, and Christine follow Laurie and D'Autry through the portal.
"The Lost Tower?", Mitchell asks, still carrying Cole's body. "Is that Sinnoh's national cemetery, or something? I hope it's in walking distance from here."
By this point, Gav had returned to his Pokeball, leaving Christine out to drag the stroller. She rests for a moment on top of the stroller.
Priest of the Temple of Syrinx
Jubilife City
"In effect, yes," said Laurie. "I-it's more common for Pokemon to be buried there, but since the Spirit Games and ghost reincarnation exist they've started burying Trainers there too."
They glanced up at the sky.
"It's near Solaceon Town," they said. "Shouldn't be too far from here. Let's go."
And with that, Laurie and D'Autry headed off.
SOME TIME LATER
The Lost Tower
"...Well, we're here." Laurie turned to face Mitchell. "Y-you can give me the body now."
THE HASSLEMON INTERWEBS
telecastMaster (TM) joined the chat.
FF: Ah, Hello There, Emcee. We Were Ju5t Talking To Plant And Introducing Our5elve5 To Him.
TM: OH-GREAT—
TM: I'M-SURE-YOU'VE-FOUND-SOMETHING-THAT-YOU'RE-JUST-DYING-TO-TALK-ABOUT—
SS: soo... dIId yoouu hAppen ttoo fIInd tthatt "coolle" persoon tthatt yoouu keep 6ooIIn6 oon Aboouutt?
TT: ƐO-oh, [Y][Es]... h-ho[W] is [Co]le? Did [Y]o[U] f[In]d [Th]em?>
TM: ...
TM: ...they're dead.
TM: —-
TM: THEY— THEY'RE WHAT?
FF: ...oh. Oh, my. That— that is awful.
SS: ...well, dang. Wasn't expectin' to hear that today.
TT: ...oh my... oh no...
SS: ...hAAn6 oon A secoond, hooww doo yoouu knooww tthAAtt tthey're deAAd?
TM: We saw it happen directly in front of us. One second Cole was there; the next second they'd been mauled by a Pokemon. Likely an Alpha. T-their whole face was torn off... it was awful.
TM: ...WELL. THAT IS... CER-TAIN-LY HO-RRI-FY-ING. MY SIN-CER-EST CON-DO-LEN-CES.
FF: Hetfield, do be serious about this.
TM: I AM. I DROPPED MY TY-PING QUIRK JUST LIKE THE REST OF YOU DID. THIS IS HOW I NOR-MAL-LY TALK. DO NONE OF YOU EV-EN BO-THER TO PAY A-TTEN-TION?
SS: Oh, dang, that's awful.
SS: You... you don't suppose we shouldn't all be there for the funeral? When's it happenin'?
TM: Right now. Laurie's over at the Pokemon Tower as we speak.
TT: W-we'll be there when they put the body into the ground.
TM: IN-DEED.
FF: I certainly will be.
SS: Yeah, same. Never really got to know this "Cole" person, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be mourning 'em. 'Sides, I'm sure that D'Autry's devastated about this.
TM: Oh, he is. He's sobbing right now.
TT: Aww...
FF: Poor thing.
SS: Yeah.
TM: ...
TM: ...Well, it's almost time.
Striaton City
<IT'S HAPPENING~!!> cried Elton.
"It sure is," said Kim. "...Don't know who I want to win, honestly."
And then Kamui and Helmsman made their moves.
"...Well, this is getting off to a fun start," said Kim.
Edited by OPALGARNET16 on May 31st 2022 at 8:46:21 AM
Hi, I’m oghond, and I’m a Rushaholic. Sorry if I annoy you unintentionally. 😅
Anyways Here's Darude Sandstorm
November 2, 2020. NVU-Max Lair
The Justicar only smirked at the intruder in front of him.
"I sent him on his merry way. He left only this as a parting gift." He held up his sword, showing Des's blood covering the blade. There was a flash and he quickly parried the oncoming sword swing.
Lita didn't waste time. Her HF blade hadn't had cut through the sword like she expected. No matter. She dropped the sword to her side, stepped forward and made a follow up cut. Both blades locked, steel grinding against each other. Through her visor her enraged face stared back at the man who just murdered her father. She wasn't sure what he had meant by 'sending him on his merry way' but she didn't care at the moment.
The Justicar only chuckled as he toyed with his new foe.
"Aw. The daughter I see. Another degenerate like your father, eh?" psychic energy surged forth from him. However, his assailant kept approaching. There was a downwards parry, followed by a sheath and then a cut across his chest. Her arms were all a blur to him. He backpedaled a bit, holding the tip of his sword out to create some space. The front of his cassock had a cut in it, however there was no visible damage on his now bare skin.
Lita held her sword up above her head, the tip pointing at the Justicar. She slowly shifted her feet as the pair circled each other.
"Impressive. You actually forced my hand in that exchange. Rarely do I have to resort to my powers like that. I think I've had my fun, though." he summoned up some pyschic energy and projected it through his arm. He visualized crushing the young woman's windpipe in his grip. But when his psychic influence reached out to her, it dissipated just an inch in front of her face. That can't be right, he thought.
Lita was on her adversary again. His attempt at using his psychic abilities had failed him, and he was unsure as to why. She leapt forward with a flurry of slashes, her blade hitting true. Yet, each time her sword made contact with his body it felt like it was bringing up against a solid block of iron. His clothes in tatters, the Justicar just stood there, still smirking.
"I see now. I'll have to make an actual effort in this fight." psychically the 'holy man' summoned up a solid gold Pokeball. As he did, Lita engaged a switch on her left hip. A Pokeball strapped to her lower back moved along a track and fixed itself to a port on her back.
The Justicar slowly floated up into the air, his eyes pink and glowing. Dynamax energy from the surroundings flowed in and around him. He held his sword in front of his face, the decorative hilt opened up to reveal a mega stone.
The Pokeball on Lita's back opened up and out came Thundercracker the Vikavolt. TC fixed himself in place and began routing electricity through the robotic frame of Lita's suit. Her blade ignited in arcs of blue lightning. R. Mika pulled up beside her, building up electricity as well.
Aura Interface complete. Power output at 100%.
"Thank you." Lita whispered to TC through her headpiece. They stood and watched as a dark cloud swirled in front of them, the Justicar at the center of it all. His Pokeball grew bigger and bigger as it gathered the ambient Dynamax energy while his sword shone, outputting mega evolution energy. A shockwave radiated out from them, and the cave was blanketed in smoke and dust.
"TC, I can't get a visual!"
Sonic detection indicates a massive object right in front of you. As if on queue, a pair of massive red eyes shone through the smoke. It was followed by an equally massive roar as the smoke cleared, revealing a huge shiny Mega Evolved Metagross. The Justicar was atop him, resting his hands upon the pommel of his sword.
"You might think of me as just a tyrant, but I'm only doing what comes naturally to me." the Justicar called out from atop his vantage point. "Let's see how you fare against my dear Excelsus. Now then, let's dance!"
To Be Continued...
GIVE ME YOUR FACE
like christ, but with more nails
Route 209, past
Channah: Of course he did. He's such a bleeding heart sometimes. No, make that all the damn time. (rolls her eyes)
There is no disdain in nature, there is no humiliation.
The Wanderer
Route 209, past
Chiyo: -Eyebrow raise- I'd think wanting to help others would be an admirable trait, even if he can hardly guarantee that.
-Noting that the ground in front of them seems oddly scorched, save for some withered flowers-
Was this where-
Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.
Empathic Kid Hero-in-training
Wyndon Stadium, VS Hoops
Hatty: <Ha ha! You forget: I'm not a Fairy type!>
Evelyn: Hatty, use Max Flare!
Me: Piku-chan, use G-Max Volt Crash!
-Hatty surrounds herself in a shimmering crimson aura and fires a blast of crimson, orange, blue and violet fire at Kec, while Piku-chan discharges electrical energy from his body, firing a bolt of lighting into the storm of Dynamax Energy, dropping three lightning bolts on Kec.-
Oreburgh Gym, VS Roark
Roark: Rampardos, use Iron Tail!
Me: Oshawittle! Dodge with Swords Dance, then Parry with Razor Shell!
-Roark's Rampardos makes its tail glow with a silver gleam and he swings it at Oshawittle, who, with sword drawn, dances hypnotically and steps out of the way of the swing, raising his Attack in the process.-
-When Rampardos comes back around with his Iron Tail attack, Oshawittle parries the attack with his own, engaging the Head Butt Pokémon in a sword fight.-
Roark: Very impressive, Ian! Now, FACE RAMPARDOS' HEADBUTT!
-Roark's Rampardos headbutts Oshawittle while the Sea Otter Pokémon is focused on the sword duel.-
Me: Hang in there, Oshawittle! Use Hydro Pump!
-Oshawittle, slightly stunned by Rampardos' Headbutt, shakes his head to recover before spitting out a massive stream of water at Rampardos.-
Jubilife Contest Hall, Evelyn and Kendall
Marian: And Kendall is off to a strong start!
╓────────────────╢ KENDALL'S POINTS ╟───────────────────────╖
╠══╡ STAMINA ╞══════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║████████████████████████████████████████████ ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
╓────────────────╢ EVELYN'S POINTS ╟───────────────────────╖
╠══╡ STAMINA ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║████████████████████████████████████████████ ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Evelyn: I'm easy come, easy go... Simon, use Focus Punch! Hatty, Magical Leaf!
Hatty: <Little high...>
Simon: <Little low!>
-Hatty jumps high into the air, summoning a flurry of rainbow-colored leaves which she launches. Simon focuses on Helmsman's charge, his fist glowing a bright blue. Some of the leaves from Hatty's attack surround Simon's focused fist as he throws a potent punch at Helmsman.-
Marian: And Evelyn's start is just as strong!
╓────────────────╢ KENDALL'S POINTS ╟───────────────────────╖
╠══╡ STAMINA ╞══════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║████████████████████████████████████████████ ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
╓────────────────╢ EVELYN'S POINTS ╟───────────────────────╖
╠══╡ STAMINA ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║████████████████████████████████████████████ ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Fox's Wedding, VS Black Sun Radon
-Now, the thing to know about the second phases of bosses in video games is that the boss becomes stronger and faster than they are in the first phase. This holds true for Radon in this phase, as his strength, speed and reflexes have heightened. In the second before the Gaster Blaster beam hits Radon, he summons a Light Screen shield and holds it out, reducing the damage he would have taken from the Unchained Automata's attack and the Ouránio Tóxo attack invoked by Sylveon.-
╓─────────────╢ RADON ╟────────────────────────────────────────────────────╖
╠══╡ STAMINA ╞═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Black Sun Radon: I̵̛̞̘̹͇̰͌̅̉̎̾̎̽͛̽̿̕t̵̛̛̪̬̤͔̙̝̰͕̫̲̲̣̏̓̐̊̅̍̀̍̚̚͝ ̵͈̤̜̗̼͕̙̻̃̇͛į̸̢͚̟̫͓̥̱̬̙͉̮̰̻̹̄̏̆̂́͊̔̿̄͝s̴̹͕̄̅͂ ̸̧̢̣͉͙̘̫̫̻̭͙̃̈́͊́p̴̢̛̹̣̟̩͋̊̐̽͐͐̄͋͐̊o̴̢̽̀̇͒i̶̜͆ņ̷̟̃́̎͝t̵̬̪͉̳͈̤̹͔̳̄̄̑͘͝ͅl̴͕͓̠̈͊̅̈͑̄̀̌̒͑͌́̕͝e̶̠̞̙͚̘̲̥̝̮͑̉͐͛̑̒͗̈́̀̚͠ͅs̴̪͖̓̀͠s̷̛̫̘̑̏͊̃̀̏̋̄̋͌̌̾̓͘ ̵͖̫̩̱͒̿̊̓̃̓ͅt̵̢̝̲̠̝̯̫͎̰̍̿̈́͑̕o̷̡̨̨̧̱̫̖̣̰̲͖̊̄̅̊͗͠ ̴̘̦̲̰̟̹͊͆̌͂̆̀̆̀͘͝͝f̶̮͔̻͖̠̳̀̊̈́i̷̠͇̼̲̺͚̳͓̻͉̐͑̉̄͊́̇͗͒̊̐͝͝ͅg̷̡̧̺̙̱̝̥̠͙͉̜̺̻̣͊̂̏̈́̓̎̎͗́̀̄̔͑͒͠ḥ̵̨̨̛̬̱͙͍̖͇̳̣̲̭͑̊̆̽͒̓ͅt̸͎͍̙͇͚̖́ ̸̧̧̛̛͙̹̻̗̤͔̮̖͕̥̜̈́́̒̍̓̈̉̏́̐̑͝a̷̢̡͙̻̺̭̰̼̜̼̟̟͕̠̲̎̎̓͝g̸̛̫̰̖̖͒͒̇̽̏̑̅͆̉̇̚͝a̵̘̬̙̎́̇͑̿̅͋̕͜į̵̨̧̖͎̹̱̦͙̠͕̠̜̺̲̂̉ñ̵̢̝͎͙̍͐̓̿̾̎̿s̷̡̻͎̏̓̌̈̌̓̚͝t̷͈̭̫͚̎̒̍̈̋̐́̇͝ ̷͈̩̥̼̪̑͂̍̓͆̚m̶̞͋͒̉͂̀̄̍̕e̴͎͖͓̹͎̭͙͕͇̻̘̫͓̫̒̀̔̃̀͘̚͠͝!̷̲̫̮͍͐̾̊̇́̅́͆̾̔ ̵̡͓̖͉̝̳̱̣͖͎̤̄̊̆̀̊̇͌̊̓͑͂̈͠͝T̷̛͚̤̫̤̆̎͑̒̎̎̀͒́̀́͘õ̸̡̤̟̮̫͆̽́̂̂̕ ̶̡̛͕̱̟̼̣̰̰͚͓̱͉͚̈́͒̌f̴̠̜̹̑̆̎̈́͗̏̽̇̊͠ị̷̡̛̖̖͇̯͍͓̱̰͎̗̽̍̐̍̀́͂̈́͂̃͘͝g̸̨̛̩͓͕̘̮̩̩̝̾̔͂̎̑̆̈́̔ḧ̸̥͚͖̼̗̰́̔͐̇̋̀͊̇̔̉̾͌̃͒͊ͅţ̷̛̠̥̦̟̬͔̺̘̞̞̲͖̱̓̀͋̈́́̓͛́͘̕ ̵̰͖̬̜̗̆̎́̿̎͘͜ͅạ̵̏́̾́͘ḡ̴̡͙̳̬̞̥͑̎͆͊̐̔̉͆́ḁ̴̢̢͉̣̯̥̗̤̹͙̪̹̼̀̓̃̂͗̚͜ĭ̸̭̈́̈́̓n̷̮̠̙̯͚͍̼͍̹̓͌͑s̷̢̨̭̫̳͚̟͈͚̓́̈́̂͌͒̃̈́͋͐̅͝͝t̸͎͉͈̓̐͛̃͂͠ ̸̼͚͎̞̂̋͛̀̾̑̿̒̂͘t̸͍̊͋̐͘h̴̘̭̐̒e̶̝̿͗ ̵͚͓̞̟͙̪̯͑̊̆͛͒̑̔̏̈́̋̈́́͑͜͝͝d̶̲̄̎͆̈́̏͐̿̌͊̽̕͠ǎ̶̡̡̱͍͉̝̬͚̬̙̹͇̺̱̕ŕ̴̢͚̭̤͙̬̫̞̝͎̟̬̃͋͆̉͂͑̏̾̚͝k̴̼͒̈́̓̾͗͠n̶̤͇̰̗̲͍͖̳̜̩̗̜̭̼̗͗̎͛͒̀̾͛̚e̷̬͊͌͋͛͑̈͋́́̀̔̕ș̷̡̼̣̮̙̲̺̫̘̼̼̔́̉̑ş̸̢̞̮̥͎̜͖͔͕͎̩̝̊̍͒̔̌̍̉̈̋͗͋̈́͂̚͜͝ ̷̢̢̝͕͖̘͖̺̯̙̳̠͕̽̀́̂̂ͅỉ̴̝͙͕̹̕s̷̠̣̗̱̜͈͓̳͖̈́ ̵̤̤̒̏̓̂͆͒̐͗͊m̴̯̻̹̣̰̳̻̬͇͒̒͌̈̈́̅͒̋̍͋͗̒͝e̸̩̩͖̋̓͑̐͂̉̓̋̓͐̄̌̿̔a̴̝̾̒̾̒͊͠͠n̷̹͇͈̞̮̱͓̥̱͕̰͈̳̒ͅi̷͖͍͗̐̓̄̈́̈́̀ͅn̴̬̦̖͙͙̬̼̱͍̟̳̗͍̠̒̏̎͆̆̄̌̐̓͆̒̉̄g̶̡̧̰̯̗̹̹̖͙͉̤̱͖͇͗͂̌͘̕ͅl̸̨̡̨̼͓̟̻͍͉̣͉̩͑̀̒̊̄̑̀̉̏̉̄̍͝͠͝ͅͅe̵̘͕̯̜̘̟̣̠͉̰͈̋͐̀̀͛͂̊̿͌͋͆̄͒͘͠ͅs̴̺̮̀̌̓̏͐̃͊͐̂̿̉́͝s̵̨̬̞̼͚̤͇̮̬͎̪͔̜̲̓̉̂͊̈́̒̈́̅̾͌̔̅̊̂!̷͎͈͍̜͙͕̄̉̀̃̇͂̅̊̑͗̿̌͛͜͝ ̴̛̼̯͎̗̭͈͚̒̏̔͆̊́̿̊̿̑͘͝ͅT̶͙͍̭̽̈́̅͐̇͐̐̇̚H̴̡̠̩̤̭̯̖͕̩̮̻̥̠̿̈̇ͅE̵͎̫̝͕̖̪̩̍̓̽͑̂̓̒͜ͅ ̵̡̝̘͍̫̯͉͉̥͍̉̅Ď̶̢͔̈́̏́̍͛͊̓͆͋͘̚͝Ą̵͚̪̙͉͉͂R̷̻̾̎̑͂͑̀̏͝K̷̨̢̜͉͇̜̙̗̍̽̄̔͛̀̀Ņ̴̨̨̢̻̝͙͙̹̋̃̓̆̈́Ȩ̴̛͓͕̘̍̆̈́͊̀S̵̱̰̖͛̚Ş̷͍̻̼̺̬̯̼͊̓̑̏̈́͜ ̸̨̨̡̛̼̩̭̤͔͉̬͓̗̫̘̑̋̂̀͛̂͠Į̴͉̤̣̰̬̺̟͈̘̭̠̲̘̐ͅS̸̢̥̠͙̺̆̍͋̓̀̏͂̂͐́̂̈̊͠͝ ̷̢̩̞̠͓̮͔̯̪̱̦͔̻̻̓̓͑̒͘E̸̡̨͉̠̲̗̯̼̖̖͔͓͑̂̔̄̃̑͆̕̚͜͜T̷̡̡͚̳̱̗̺̹̩͉̬͖͑̎̊̂̃͑̾̎͌͋E̷̢̢̖̗̟͈̮̰̠̭͎̮̦̽̆͑͗̔̽͝R̸̤̹̬̬̿̏̀͑̈́̍̀̕ͅŃ̴̳̱̱͈̺̱͚͙̰͎ͅA̸̟͕̳̣̭̗͚̗͔̗͙̾̊͑̎͆̈̽ͅĻ̷̙̯͇̜̱̹̝͓͔̜̩͈͔̬͆̾̊͘̚!̶̧̧̨̜͕̤̤͙̝̱̾̈̎̂́̽̀̕͠
-Radon raises his hand as if to invoke the Cataclysm, summoning a pitch black orb of wicked flame, which he then crushes in his hand, wreathing it in glitchy dark fire.-
Black Sun Radon: A̶̲̣̠̻̞̘̩̳͉̟̋ͅn̶͓̞̉́̆̾̏̂̐̅̿̋͆͠d̸̗̔̓̑͋͌͛̌͋ ̶̡͎͎͕̝̥̲̀̀̃̓͗̆̊̋̇̉̈́̿̓͝Y̴̢̧̯͈̱̣͙̲͖̙̫͗̈́͑͌͘Ȯ̸̧̭̪̘̎Ũ̶͎̦̫͖̑͐ ̸̧̡͍̜̩̒͝ȧ̵͈̱͎̗̙͓̮͈͑́́̒̋͗͛̈́̕̕ŗ̴̹̖̠̥̝͖̗͍̞͔͍̭̿̏̏̊̒̌è̸͙͔́͑̂̈ ̷̢͇̬̘̟̗̣̬̜̫̺̺̯̔̍͌͂̔̑̉̀́̌͐͑͐̈́̽M̶͑̇͌͋̋̃͆͜͝E̵̡͖̹̩̺͕̥͔̒̀́̐͑̾̊̅̄̉͗̍́̕͜͜R̵̤͑̊͌̅̀͆̀͒̔͛E̴̢̒̀͛L̷̡̢̤̯̥͔̭̯̮̮͇̦̂̈̈́̋̀̎̍̕̕̕Ỵ̵͈̭̹̦̤̈́ ̷̧͇͓͉̝̥̖̘̼̫̳͈͚̓́̀͑͋̃͝Ẽ̴̤͉̰̓̆̌̈̕͠͝P̶͕̗̼̖͙̟̥͂̀̅̔͐͘H̷̛̛̳̥̥͎͛̋̀̚Ȩ̷͚̯̥̺̺̙̮͑̋̄̈́͗̅̑͂̈́̕͜͝ͅM̷̢͙̘͎͎̎͜Ȩ̴̧̨̛̳̣̭̘̻͎̺͓̟̟͎̂̓̀͊͌͂̒͌̑͝R̸̛̛̟̝͇͍͙̖̥̱̠͂͂̈́̀̎͜ͅA̴̱̪̰͑̍̓̇̒͂̽ͅL̶̳͕̣̰̥̦̫͗̇̔͌̽̆͊̈́̇̔̚͝ͅ!̴̥͖̣̖͕̙̪̺̺̩̤̤̃̒̓̉̋̍̏͗̆̋̕!̸̘̤͔͒͒̈́̏͑͐͐̄̄̍̒̽̚̕͝
-Radon sics his Glitch Monster army on the Magical team.-
Me: PSYCHIC "I LOVE YOU" PULSE!
-Ian fires a heart-shaped blast of psychic energy, mixed with The Power of Love at two of the Glitch Monsters.-
[Ballarat], outside the Zagan Manufacturing Plant
-Ian and Evelyn appeared.-
Me: Okay. We're here.
Evelyn: Ready when you are.
Edited by AnimeboyIanpower on May 31st 2022 at 2:19:04 PM
♪Show me the wisdom of the world... Tell me the secrets of the heart... and the sweet~ mysteries~ of love~...
Some Rando
Vs. Radon, Fox's Wedding, Past
"Hey." Kendall's voice is soft-spoken from the darkness covering the alleyway, hard to determine the source but definitely quite close.
"Watch this."
With a swipe of his finger, and arc of darkness forms, flying forwards and striking a portion of the army, and which point the lingering darkness is cast down a second time, the smoke fanning out and collapsing down on the army.
"You know not the unleashed hell you bring upon yourself," he warned. "You bring my domain to your battlefield, where everything I have spent countless hours researching, practicing, teaching, is at my disposal. You are lost in the darkness you bring upon yourself. You will be patch-"
Sylveon sent another screaming shower of sparkles into Radon, a heart-shaped detonation behind Radon should the projectile make contact.
"Stop down there; I'm trying to be epic!"
Contest Combat
An evil idea crossing Helmsman's mind, he points his blade at Simon, wind visible on the hilt. Without needing further guidance, a few wisps of flame joined the wind, fanned flames creating an inferno as Helmsman threw it towards Simon, Kamui using the chance to let her Drought shine on her Shiny coat.
[Insert Unoriginal Stinger Here]
Person, or Idea?
"All right," Mitchell says. "I'll follow your lead."
With that, Mitchell and Christine followed Laurie and D'Autry.
"Very well," Mitchell says, offering Cole's body to Laurie. "I can help with the burial, if you want."
Christine senses the presence of ghost Pokemon nearby, and she is fearful of their possible approach. Her appendages grip the stroller as tightly as they can.
"If there's nothing else. Prep yourselves, we'll be hitting the Delta Carrier soon," Silas said.
Roxy grinned. "The inevitable confrontation, finally here."
Bishop nodded. "Captain, I also have further details about the target."
Silas quirked a brow, Bishop continued. "Rocketman said he attempted to get his hands on a [Soviet] Supercarrier, the experimental sub class right? He failed because there were only two and one was in scrap parts."
Silas realized suddenly what Bishop was saying. ~So that's how he's remained hidden!~ Hacks noted.
"This just means even more reason to capture the damned ship."
Wyndon Stadium, past
<Shit!> Kec yells, frantically running around to dodge the attacks. Somehow, either by luck or by the grace of Arceus, he manages to avoid taking any hits head on, but the force that the attacks create wash over him. He stands now in a crater in a destroyed stadium. <I'm beginning to dislike this plan!>
"Just a bit more!" Hoops says. "Use Shadow Claw!"
Kec becomes a ghost type and rushes forwards, Piku-chan and Hatty in quick succession.
Veilstone Gym
Maylene returns Lucario to its pokéball and goes to speak to Xaster. "That was an amazing battle," she says. She holds out a hand, in which she is holding the square shaped badge. "This is the Cobble Badge. You earned it."
Xaster takes the badge. "Thank you." He releases ChuChu and BuBu from their balls and shows them the badge. "Check it out, guys. We won a Cobble Badge."
"Xaster!" He only just has enough time to look up before Hoops throws their arms around him. "You did it! I wasn't sure you could, but you did it!"
Xaster wriggles out of his friend's grasp and looks at them. "You're actually happy that I won? I'm surprised."
A tiny bit of colour creeps in Hoops' cheeks. "Yeah, uh, well. I guess... well, anyway, I suppose this means I can't call you a weakling anymore." They look around awkwardly. "But, you're still way weaker than me. You need to keep me around as a teacher, don't think you can go off on your own just yet."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Xaster assures them.
Maylene coughs. "I hate to interrupt, but..." she points towards Xaster's egg, which is glowing brightly. "It looks like you connected to your aura."
Xaster runs over to the egg, which is beginning to crack open. The shell turns to light and fades away, revealing a small blue pokémon with a canine head. It looks up at Xaster. <Ri...lu?>
"Aww..." Xaster says. "She said hello. You want to join the team, little one?"
<Rio.>
"Well, that's a yes." He holds out a pokéball, and Riolu taps the button. The red light pulls her in, and the ball shakes a couple of times before it clicks to signify that the catch has worked. "Welcome to the team, LuLu."
Priest of the Temple of Syrinx
The Lost Tower
Laurie shook their head. "No, thanks. I... I already have a Ground-type Pokemon with me. It's fine."
They took the body and turned to face D'Autry. "Come on, then. Let's head off into the tower."
They did.
MEANWHILE...
THE HASSLEMON INTERWEBS
II: ...Hellø? Anyøne heᚱe?
II: ...Whø's <øle?
II: Wait, ðey'ᚱe dead?!
The Lost Tower- Interior
The second they did— five flashes of light came from their backpack. Soon afterwards, Emcee, Hetfield, Zoltan, Slipknot, and Draiman emerged from their PokeBalls. Laurie blinked.
"G-guys?" they asked. "Y-you're here?"
~We figured we'd come for the burial and funeral,~ said Zoltan. ~Even if we'd never met this "Cole" person you speak of, we'd still heard about them, and should pay our respects.~
The rest of the group all nodded.
Slipknot, meanwhile, took notice of the body's mauled face and recoiled in horror.
<Dear Arceus, is that them?!> they cried out.
-IT APP-EARS TO BE,- said Hetfield.
<Holy crap! They've been torn to smithereens! What the heck could have got them?!>
~We never saw it,~ said Emcee. ~But even so... now that we're all here, I'd say it's time.~
Laurie nodded sadly. "Yeah..."
They turned to face D'Autry. "Alright, D'Autry... use—"
<Wait!>
They suddenly found themselves interrupted by another bright blue flash. Plant appeared in front of them, before running over to Laurie.
"P-Plant?" asked Laurie.
<I... I saw the messages on Hasslemon!> said Plant. <I wanted to pay my respects, too... e-even if I have no idea who this "Cole" person was...>
Laurie smiled sadly. "Thanks, Plant. Of course you can stay."
They glanced down at the body, then sadly nodded.
"Alright, D'Autry," they said. "It's time,"
D'Autry nodded, then went over to a piece of open land. His claws began to glow a bright white.
"You ready, D'Autry?" they asked solemnly.
D'Autry nodded.
Laurie took a breath, barely managing to choke back tears.
"...use Dig."
Outside of Wyndon Stadium- Post-League Training (during Hoops' battle, pre-Kendall battle)
By this point, Kimberly Bond had gotten some much-needed training. She'd taught her mons a ton of new moves, she'd given them plenty of new items, she'd experimented with some new strategies, and she was more or less set for the first battle of her League.
The only thing left for her to do now... was see how Ian and Evelyn were faring.
So she headed back.
Wyndon Stadium
And the second she did, she was met with two Dynamaxed Pokemon and two glowing Trainers.
She paused.
"...When in the world did this happen?" she asked.
Underground
Braker nodded, putting both of the PokeBalls away. "Alright, then. We've got a clear path through to the Grand Underground. Figure the best thing we could do now is head over and see what we can find... if anything."
<Alright, then,> said Walter.
<Yippee!> cried Caboose.
<To the Grand Underground we go~!> said Cuddles.
And then, after a beat:
<A-and do watch your step, lest you run into any... traps on the ground...>
He began whimpering.
Grand Underground
Fortunately for Cuddles, there were no traps to be found in the Grand Underground.
Even more fortunately for Cuddles, what was to be found in the Grand Underground were a lot of treasures... and a lot of Pokemon.
<Whoa...!> cried Cuddles. <So much treasure~!>
<So many Pokemon!> cried Caboose.
<Look~! There's a West Sea Gastrodon~!> cried Cuddles. <Just like Charon!>
And then, after a bit—
<...wait a minute, could this be where Charon's parents lived?>
<Maybe,> said Walter. <We'll have to find that out later, though. For now... let's see if we can't find any more Pokemon. That is what we came here for, after all.>
<I can't wait to meet new friends~!> said Cuddles.
<Me either!> said Caboose.
<A-assuming you don't try and steal from them, as you did when you met us...> said Cuddles somewhat sheepishly.
<Ah, they'll be fine! I only steal keys and treasures!> said Caboose.
And with that, the group headed off.
Oreburgh Mining Museum
20 MINUTES LATER...
20 minutes later, the woman emerged, with two of the newly-revived Fossilmons— namely the Kabuto and the Cranidos. Owen and Stipax glanced up, before the latter saw both Fossils and ran over.
<They're here~!> they cried. <Hello there!>
"Awesome!" said Owen. "The new mons are here! Thank you so much for them; I'll take good care of—"
And then they paused.
"Hey, wait a minute, where's the...?"
"The Anorith?" asked the woman. "Oh, don't worry, the Anorith's revival was a success, it's just that..."
"Yes...?" asked Owen.
<What is it...?> asked Stipax.
The woman smiled a bit sadly as she placed down the Kabuto and Cranidos, both of whom began looking around in abject confusion.
"Well... you see... the Anorith's blind," she said.
Owen and Stipax glanced at each other in shock.
<"They're WHAT?!">
Hi, I’m oghond, and I’m a Rushaholic. Sorry if I annoy you unintentionally. 😅
Person, or Idea?
Mitchell watches Laurie and D'Autry enter the tower. He chooses to remain outside for the moment, to give Laurie some privacy for Cole's burial. He observes the tower for a brief moment, then clasps his hands together, closes his eyes, and bows his head. Wordlessly, he prays for the repose of Cole's soul, and he prays for aid and succor to come to the hearts of Laurie, their team, and all others hurt by Cole's passing.
Christine lets go of the stroller and watches Mitchell's actions. <What are you doing, Savior?>, she asks.
As if on cue, Gav pops out of his Pokeball and addresses Christine. <I think he's praying,> he says.
<Praying?>, Christine asks. <What's that?>
<I'm not really sure,> Gav says. <It's like, you think really hard about wanting something good to happen to someone else, but it only works if you do it in secret. That's what Boss told me, anyway.>
<Is it like a wish?>, Christine asks.
<Actually,> Gav says, <yeah, it is like a wish. Wonder why Boss didn't phrase it that way.>
Christine nods understandingly, then proceeds to mimic Mitchell's stance. Wordlessly, she wishes for Laurie's group to find peace, and she wishes for no ghosts to haunt herself or the people she just met.
Gav wanly smiles, then peeks into the interior of the tower. He thinks he can see the shapes of Laurie and their seven Pokemon inside. He considers calling out to them, but decides against it, as he does not think a sudden disturbance would help with the grim proceedings ahead.
<That's our cue,> Gav says, leaping off the stroller and chasing after Laurie and the others. <Come on, Boss, let's go!>
Mitchell quickly zips up and locks the stroller, before picking it up and running after Laurie's group. "Hang on, we're coming!", he yells.
Christine is still clinging onto Mitchell, this time for dear life. She resists the urge to scream in panic.