Stormchaser door

Kal: Well that's good I guess. At least it'll take them a few more minutes to kidnap us.

Elsewhere on the stormchaser, a kitchen probably

Saffy is grabbing a snack. She looks sad. Kat approaches, also looking for a snack.

Kat: You alright?

Saffy: Yeah, I'm fine. I just... Ya know...

Kat: What?

Saffy: You know when your sister kinda backstabs you then disappears off the face of the earth with most of your money?

Kat: Ok?

Saffy: I wonder what she's doing now...

A warehouse in Mistralton city

Livia is talking with a customer near the entrance. Slate is kind of just standing there.

Livia: Of course! We'll start on it now and you pay the other half when we're done.

Customer: Great! Bye!

Livia waves as the customer leaves.

Livia: Looks like you've got your work cut out for this week.

Slate: <Yeah! We're finally getting a steady flow of normal customers, instead of just your "special commissions".>

Livia: Right, I almost forgot I'm due to do one this evening. You're fine to hold down the fort here, right?

Slate sighs.

Slate: <Yeah, yeah. I know the drill.>

Stormchaser exterior

Stewart: Wow, everyone's a critic.

Beck: Well, they weren't there, mate. Don't get too worked up now. I'd consider it a good day if we never need to prove anything.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Jun 15th 2022 at 12:54:01 AM

Galar

-A feather enters Daisuke's wristwatch-

Pavo: ~Daisuke. I am Pavo.~

Earth Vellumental Temple

-The origami Groudon is flipped up and lands on its back, exposing its underbelly-

Olivia: <Quick, get it now!>

Motostoke, Macro Cosmos Office Building

Daisuke: That voice... This is telepathy. Just like my daughter has...

Earth Vellumental Temple, VS The Earth Vellumental

Evelyn: So I just bash on its belly like bongos, right? Okay...

Edited by AnimeboyIanpower on Jun 13th 2022 at 7:30:32 AM

The Hitoki Household- Cole's Bedroom

Laurie glanced up.

"Yeah... hopefully," they said.

"So... what are you going to do now?" asked Catarina. "You... you could stay here if you wanted to."

Laurie shook their head. "N-no thanks. I think after this... I'm going to do what Cole would have wanted me to do. Take a journey around Sinnoh, introduce Plant to a bunch of stuff... and eventually challenge the League."

~Well, I can't wait to see that!~ said Emcee.

They turned to face D'Autry. ~Think you might want to listen to the GO2 while you're at it?~

D'Autry shook his head. <Much as I'd like to, an' much as I'd like to send off some letters, I think I'll give Laurie some space over these next few days.>

Laurie only got that last part, but they smiled. "Thanks, D'Autry," they said.

Emcee shook their head rapidly, before turning to look down at D'Autry with what would have been a raised eyebrow. ~Well, now! Who are you and what happened to D'Autry?~

D'Autry giggled. <It's happened before, don't worry. Pretty sure the GO2's gonna send me another letter again.>

Then, after a beat:

<...but then again, maybe they won't.>

~Well, that's good to hear!~ said Emcee. ~In all seriousness, though, Laurie should certainly have a break to help them deal with their grief. A bit of a... self-reflecting journey, if you will. The question now is... where should they go?~ They turned to face the camera. ~Audience, you folks have any ideas?~

The Stormchaser

Ollie immediately glanced up upon hearing Aurelia and Vana enter and breathed a sigh of relief.

"O-oh thank goodness... Aurelia! Vana! I-it's so good to see you...!"

And then, after a bit:

"Oh... hi, Tina!"

And then a beat.

"Wait... what's a carnival?"

<I've never heard of that before,> said Uefo.

<You've never been to a carnival before?!> said Mito. <You are missing out! It's really fun! People play games, and win prizes, and->

"Games?" asked Ollie, starting to get more excited. "Prizes?! Well, that sounds fun! ...aaaaas long as no Templars are involved—"

And then he was stopped short by the Irons coming in.

"...oh..." he muttered. "...oh dear... um... hi... m-my name is O-Ollie... um... hi... a-are you guys Templars?"

Stormchaser, Front Door

Aurelia: -gasp- Ollie! How've you been?! You're coming to the carnival too?

Tina: Hey, Ollie.

-Tina then sees the Irons.-

Tina: Hi. Name's Tina. The hyperactive gold-haired cutie is my twin sister, Aurelia.

Meat Palace, far past

-To Lead Monkey-

To secure the path to the Treasure, of course.

Earth Vellumental Temple, past

Ann: -Has Lesia fire a Solarbeam at the origami Groudon's underbelly-

Earth Vellumetal Temple

Kendall cracks his knuckles, pointing down as a shadow cast by the walls of the pit begins to bombard the Ground-type.

"My comrade, capitalizing on a crushing counter to claim cleverness by concurrent consonants in conversation only calls collective consideration to conceit," he remarked, turning to Ian as his assault continued.

Kamui wasn't really paying attention, she was more concerned with channeling as much power as she could into her own Solar Beam.

Contest Combat

Kamui meets Simon's eyes with Extrasensory, her own cascade of pink and purple and red turning to assault the Psychic-type while Helmsman attempted to subsume the Mystical Fire in a Waterfall charge.

Stormchaser entrance

By now Vana is so impatient that she's practically bouncing on her heels. "Okay, okay, more people are coming, I don't care, let's just go! If we don't get to the carnivore soon... uh... we won't get there soon."

She begins to walk away from the ship, not even checking to see if anyone else is following.

Stormchaser

Radium follows Vana. Kal stays back a bit.

Stormchaser

Stewart: Templars? Why would we be Templars?

Beck: Ohhhhh. Wait a moment. Listen Stu, we need to talk for a bit. Come with me.

Stewart turns to where Beck is pointing, but notices that Rusty is following him.

Stewart: Go on, talk to the other kids. They're just like us.

The shy enby steps forward and waves at them.

Rusty: I'm Rusty. That was is my big brother Stewie. He rescued me from the Templars.

If any of them had an electronic device, be it a phone or a tablet, they'd likely receive a message from an unknown sender. Beck returns, followed by Stewart.

Beck: So, children, I remembered that some of you encountered a Templar that had a specific description. Did this templar look like him?

Stewart reaches out to his side and grabs a steel pipe, which seens to have come from a junk heap nearby, out of midair in his left hand.

Beck: And could that Templar do that? I can assure you, children, that they are different people. Stu is on our side. Ol' Stormy here wouldn't let him get anywhere near you if he wasn't. Right ol' girl?

He pats the Stormchaser.

Beck: Our super blimp will never, ever let anything bad happen to anyone here. Anyone who manages to come near it now is someone you can trust. Now let's get rolling. We're burnin' daylight.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Jun 15th 2022 at 6:18:09 PM

Mitchell rises to his feet, satisfied that Laurie has a plan for their near future. "Yeah," he says, "I'll keep journeying across Sinnoh, too. Who knows? Maybe we'll cross paths again after today." Then, turning to Catarina, he says "I'm still up for staying a night here, unless you'd rather I clear out now, of course."

<Aw, come on, Boss,> Gav says from within Mitchell's arms. <Can't we try some of the food here, please?>

<And I wish,> Chris says from her perch on Mitchell's shoulder, <to see more of this human building. I-if that's okay, Savior.>

Mitchell chuckles nervously. "Sorry," he says. "I don't know what's gotten into these two."

Hitoki Household- Cole's Bedroom

"Oh, no...! You... you can still stay for the night if you want!" said Catarina. "We could make some of Laurie and Cole's favorite foods; would you like that?"

Laurie nodded. "Y-yeah. Yes, I would."

The Stormchaser

Owen relaxed a bit at the Irons' reassurances. "O... okay, then. That's good to hear."

He paused, then turned to face his mons. "So... should we head off?"

<Absolutely!> said Mito.

<Yep,> said Teru.

<Yippee~!> cried Uefo.

Ollie nodded. "A-alright, then. Let's go."

And with that, they headed off.

Earth Vellumental Battle

Kim and Braker turned to each other and nodded.

"Alright, Peechee!" cried Kim. "Use Crabhammer!"

Peechee nodded, then jumped up into the air with his claw glowing with blue energy. He slammed it down on the Groudon.

"Serkis, hit him with a Water Shuriken!" cried Braker.

Serkis nodded, then jumped up into the air and started releasing shurikens.

Edited by OPALGARNET16 on Jun 14th 2022 at 4:20:10 AM

"I'd be honored, Catarina," Mitchell replies. "Er, I mean, yes, I would like that. Not really sure what Gav and Chris would like, but there's always Poffins in a pinch."

Gav smirks and suppresses a chuckle, while Chris blinks in confusion.

Hitoki Household- Cole's Bedroom

"Well, alright, then!" said Catarina. "Let's head downstairs for some food..."

She headed off, followed by Kouchirou and Laurie. Emcee returned to their PokeBall, whereas D'Autry stayed out and walked beside his Trainer.

The four of them promptly headed downstairs.

ABOUT 20 MINUTES LATER...

Hitoki Household- The Kitchen

About 20 minutes later, Catarina and Kouchirou had made a massive feast, filled to the brim with tons of [Kalosian] and [Sinnohian] food- crepes, escargot, chocolate souffles, rice, sushi, and Poffins galore. A picture of Cole Hitoki- a smiling, happy-go-lucky, blond-haired 10 year old- sat on the table. Laurie took a glance over at Cole's photo for a few moments, before smiling sadly.

Catarina, meanwhile, turned to face Laurie as she handed them a ham and cheese crepe. Laurie nodded and took it from her, before putting some of it in his mouth to eat.

"Thanks, mom," they said.

"You're welcome," she replied. "Mitchell, do you want anything?"

Sinnoh, Safehouse

-PEFE!Every and Dr. Tran are watching Neodymium levitate a pen-

-she's gotten better at it-

Dr. Tran: I'm very impressed with your progress. (to PEFE!Every) Was there a specific encouragement you found worked?

PEFE!Every: -poker face-

Dr. Tran: Right...well, good work, Neodymium. Vitals normal, blood work is good, you should be ready for testing soon.

Neodymium: -grins, but does not break focus or say anything-

-possibly these actions are linked-

Dr. Tran: I'll see you in a week?

-Neodymium nods, very slowly and deliberately-

Dr. Tran: ...Right. (to PEFE!Every) Oh, happy Pride by the way.

PEFE!Every: ...

Dr. Tran: ?

PEFE!Every: You have. Pride? Here?

Dr. Tran: Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't we? Weirdo.

PEFE!Every: (watching them leave) I am genuinely flummoxed.

-with them gone, Neodymium promptly drops the pen-

Neodymium: ~How was that?~

PEFE!Every: ...A start.

-nervous giggle, which Neodymium doesn't pick up on-

Sunyshore Outskirts

-Ever paces-

-they are, for the time being, occupying the position of a wandering trainer, waiting for someone to meet their eyes-

-they're a little too antsy to stay still, so as is polite, they are walking a precise, repetitive route, so anyone not looking for a battle has a chance to avoid their gaze-

???: -object collision noise-

Ever: !

???:

Ever: Probably should've rehearsed something, huh. Ever Memito.

???: Ariel.

Ever: Ariel...?

Ariel: Just Ariel.

Ever: You're telling the truth. And more stoic than I am. How unusual.

Ariel: It's been just Ariel for a while now.

Ever: Oh. Congratulations?

-Ariel takes a Poke Ball from her belt-

Ariel: Three vs. three, league rules. Three thousand Poke to the winner.

Ever: Sure, I'd been meaning to go grocery shopping.

-they wait for a response, and do not receive one-

Ever: Sure, okay then. Hm. Solace. Let's stretch your legs some, okay?

Solace: <Mercy me. Fresh air.>

Ever: Oh, it hasn't been that long.

Solace: <And yet. Who's this?>

Ever: Ariel, apparently. She's a bit odd.

-if the comment bothers Ariel, she gives no indication of it as she sends out a Dustox-

Ever: Ha. Fair enough.

Mitchell is impressed by the massive feast before him. It had been a while since he had seen such a variety of dishes presented in such a homey setting.

"I'll have some sushi, please," Mitchell says, replying to Catarina. "Gav, Chris, if you want anything, point to it, okay?"

Gav makes a sweeping motion with his forepaw, while Chris points at the pile of Poffins with her appendage.

"Er," Mitchell says, "I guess Gav's fine with anything, and Chris wants a Poffin, I guess?"

Zangoose Fair Carnival

As the sun reaches the top of its arc in the sky, the Schoolkids and their escorts reach the carnival. It is the best time to arrive, as there are enough people here that they can feel the buzzing energy of the crowd, but not so busy that they'll have to wait for hours in line to get on any rides or get anything to eat.

Vana's eyes immediately land on a large drum shaped structure that is currently spinning at incredible speed. People inside it are pressed against the wall by the force of the spinning. Next to it, a large pendulum swings backwards and forwards, carrying screaming people in a cage. And beyond it is a roundabout that lifts the riders hundreds of feet into their air, and a machine that launches people into the air attached to a couple of bungee cords, and bumper cars, and a hall of mirrors, and a fun house, and dozens of other rides that she decides she needs to check out right now!

"Come out!" she says, grabbing her three pokéballs and bringing out Hummy, Spinny, and Feathery. "Okay!" she tells them. "This could be one of the last fun days we get, so we're going to enjoy everything."

At the last moment she realises the potential danger and turns around. "Could the tall one with the steel powers come with me?" She runs off without waiting for an answer.

Carnivàle

Stewart: Well lookie here. It looks just like the State Fair back in Orre. Only with a lot less livestock. Just ain't the same.

He releases an Emboar, Mamoswine, and Grumpig.

Stewart: Y'all enjoy yourselves at the fair. Sorry Momma Sadie. They don't have a livestock pageant for you to sweep all the medals and all.

He pets the mamoswine, who closes her eyes in agreement.

While the others, including his younger sibling, look around, Stewart responded to the excitable Vana's request. He turns to Rusty.

Stewart: You wanna come with me or are you gonna stick around with the others?

Rusty: No thanks. You go ahead. I'll follow along with Mama Sadie and the others.

Stewart: Alright then. Don't go giving Mr. Beckett any trouble now, you hear. Hemo, come with me. Uh, Vana, is it? Wait up!

Meanwhile, the rattata with the device looks at the scene unfolding before him.

Mysterious presence: ~Follow them, Willard.~

Willard: <Yes, master.>

Edited by MasterJayAM on Apr 14th 2023 at 1:02:43 AM

Hamlet, Crimson Manor

It is a matter of seconds for the door at the far end of the room to burst of its hinges and the Countess to stride in. She's looking... Not great, her big royal-era Kalosian ball gown is looking a little tattered and she kind of looks fairly red all things considered...

The Countess: Y̵̯̕o̵̢͠ù̴̞!̶̭̇ ̷̯̈́Y̵̜͛o̸̠̔u̴̇ͅ ̸͂ͅc̴̡̒o̵̤͝m̷̺͠e̴͎̿ ̶̖͝i̶͝ͅn̷̩̚t̸͉̋o̵͙̊ ̶̧́m̸͎͊ỳ̷̳ ̸̛̣h̵͓̃ö̴͔́ų̶̿s̶̡̀ė̴̙,̸̱̆ ̷̝̓è̸͜x̶̳̋p̷̝͐l̶̯̚o̵̟̽i̵̩͐t̴̛ͅ ̴̞͂m̶̢͘y̷̩̎ ̵̢̍h̸̙͝o̸͕͛s̸̮̀p̷͇͂í̴̼t̸͍̆a̴̢̽l̴̡̇ï̵͔ţ̸̐y̶̜͐ ̵͇́a̸͙͒n̴̨͒d̷͉̀ ̵͔̋k̸̟̒í̸̱l̵͎͛l̷͙̒ ̵̳̊m̵͖̎y̸̫̏ ̷̲̿d̷̩̈́ạ̵̃ǘ̷̦g̶̜̍ĥ̸͎t̷̽ͅe̵̲̊r̷͓͂ş̴̎!̸̤͗

''She is fast, able to dart across the room in a single moment and grab Kamui. This Countess is clearly not human, especially with the strength to lift Kamui up to eye level.

The Countess: T̷̗̆o̵̜͌ ̷͎̄D̶̢͝i̷̯͋s̸̞̆t̸͚̚ǫ̷̋r̵̓ͅt̷̲̎i̸̝͂o̴̫̅ň̴̩ ̸̜̐w̵̡̾í̷̠t̴͇̍h̶̲͋ ̴͔͂ẅ̶̝́ḫ̶̊â̵̧ṫ̶͍ ̵̝̓M̵̗͠i̶͖͋ṙ̸͙ã̵͈n̶̹̉ď̶̥a̸͊͜ ̸̤̏w̵̮̅a̵͉͝ņ̵̃t̵̲͒s̸̨̐ ̵̠͋ö̸̟u̵̹͋t̶̤̊ ̶̝̈́o̸̹͝f̷̪̒ ̸͙̾y̶̦̋o̸̺̓u̴̺͆,̵͙̚ ̵͓̓I̵͚͝ ̴͉̈w̷̽ͅị̴͝l̴̢͒ḽ̸̒ ̴̳̏n̵̮͒o̴̝͝t̴̥͆ ̷̞̎l̷̳̈́e̶̼̅t̴͙̀ ̸̺̑y̵͚͂o̸̢͝u̶̲̇ ̶͇̂l̴͍̉e̵̲͂a̵͇̿v̸͔̓ȇ̴̮ ̷̭͋ť̷̥ĥ̷̢i̶̳͌s̵͚̎ ̴̺͑p̴̥͛l̴̖͒ă̷͕c̸̖͛ȩ̶̐ ̶̝͠å̴̞l̷̝̒ȉ̶̟v̵̫͛e̵̼͐!̵̰̂

Better act quickly...

White Forest Clearing, Before [Ballarat]

Meloetta: Mmmmyep, you and Evelyn— hello by the way— and your latent powers. Guess you're here to give me an update on it and ask for some more advice?

-Meloetta finds a little stump to jump up and sit on-

Meat Factory

Well the last time we had a distraction team, the other team just went and circled around to help the distraction team.

-There's a small hint of some moodiness to those words-

So I think the best bet is to just stick together and find the Treasure Room as quickly as possible.

The Face: Seriously, noone's going to say it?

... Say what?

The Face: Pft, whatever, surprised you of all people would pass up the opportunity.

What opportunity?

The Face: Nope, not explaining the joke now. You'll have to figure it out yourself oh mighty Navigator.

... Whatever, our objective is to find a route into the Treasure Room and set up a safe spot there to warp back in once we've set the Calling Card. Hopefully along the way the Palace will give us enough information on pressure points for that Calling Card.

Fox's Wedding

-The Automata panics just slightly as she's lifted, struggling against whatever unseen force is responsible for this telekinesis-

Every shadow, a conduit of her realm! Every spirit in her service, a guide to the living! Every krow and corv, her eye! You are not the shadow's master!

Delta Carrier

-The Nightingale nodded as she heard the comms, then realized a nod could be easily lost in the overall movement of the situation-

Affirmative, sir. We'll make for the server... Just... If things get dicey with your rematch, do not hesitate to call in backup. I know you're deeply into one on one duels but they tend to not pan out well for you.

The Walking Mountain, Upper Stratum

-At the end of the hallway, all Deziree's mech was holding was a handful of metal filings. Parts of the other, smaller, floating mech were scattered behind her for as far as the hallway could be seen.-

Deziree: I know you're still in there.

-With a distressed spark, a Rotom shot out of the last remaining diode and slipped into the ceiling light. Deziree's mech fist followed, but it'd already slipped into the wiring before it could connect. The hallway, now flashing and sputtering dimly, was dominated by the image of two red glowing visual scanners.-

Deziree: Oh, mother dearest, your loving daughter wants a word with you~

-Her mech's other hand finally unclenches, and she drops the still unconscious bachelor to the ground before redlining the engines in the direction her sensors indicate has the highest concentration of heat signatures.-

Holy shit she's scary!

That, I'm afraid, is what happens to those of her particular lineage.

What, you're saying being a crazy bitch is genetic?

Yes. But also that isn't some normal mental instability. That is, as the Alakgross named it, "The Light".

"The Light"? The "light" of what?

Inspiration. Her mind is filled with more knowledge at this moment than most humans will ever obtain over their entire lifespans.

That doesn't sound healthy.

Look at her. It is absolutely not healthy. She will need to come down from this manic state soon or she will burn out.

What, as in manic-depressive?

No. When I say "burn out", I mean it in the context of a gas fire.

Coyote: Oh, that's not good...

-He scratches his chin.-

Coyote: I may need to... Intervene...

-A tall, thin, cocktail dress-adorned stranger watches the strange anthropomorph from the corner as she slowly stirs her drink in her hand.-

In Front of the Stormchaser

"You'll all be perfectly safe," A vaguely familiar voice announced before someone with long, gold hair landed a short distance away after a flash of light, pushing up her glasses to look at the gathering. "I've looked through all your timelines. None of them go black at any point," she nodded, pleased with herself.

"Bismuth and I are pleased by your offer, but we have no interest. Exploring your timelines showed us every ride and stall. Anything that can be done there, we've already experienced." With that remark, she blinked away.

Hamlet Past

Grappling for the hand around her neck with one hand, reaching for her pocket, she attempts to strike her aggressor upside the head with the coagulant, and, should it shatter, slash her across the face with it.

Zangoose Fair, Carnival Night Zone

-Aurelia looks around her in awe as the carnival goes on around her. Her eyes glimmer as though stars filled them. Tina smiles as she sees Aurelia happy, only to quickly join her in the awe.-

Aurelia: We're here! So much fun to find!

Tina: I know, sis! It'll be great!

Aurelia: Hikari, Diego! Go!

Tina: Snoozer, Zatanna, Oingo, Boingo! Go!

-Aurelia and Tina throw their Poké Balls into the air and from them appear their Pokémon: A silver-haired Kirlia with blue eyes, Another silver-haired Kirlia with blue eyes... wait, what?-

Aurelia: Diego!

Hikari?: <What? Hikari's good company.>

Hikari: <True, but you don't have to transform into me every time you pop out of your Poké Ball.>

Hikari?: <Okay...>

-The second Hikari glows with violet light and reveals themselves to be a Shiny Zorua.-

-Anyway, where was I? Oh yes. The other Pokémon. A Drowzee, a Gothorita, a Ditto and a Kirlia reading a comic book.-

Snoozer: <Hmm...? Morning already?>

Zatanna: <Hikari? Is that you?>

Hikari: <Snoozer! Zatanna! Long time, no see!>

-Hikari runs over to her old friends and gives them a hug.-

Snoozer: <Hey, Hikari! Missed ya!>

Zatanna: <Missed you too. How have you been?>

Hikari: <I've been great! Met a lot of good people on the outside of the School.>

Zatanna: <Wow... I wish we were there to meet them too.>

Oingo: <I know! I met one of 'em!>

Hikari: <Oh. Hello there. May I ask your name?>

Oingo: <Oh... Sorry about that. 'Name's Oingo. I can transform.>

Hikari: <I see. And I assume the Kirlia with the comic book is named "Boingo"?>

Boingo: -looks up from his comic book- <You assume correctly.>

Hikari: <That checks out. Always nice to meet new friends. I'm Hikari, and the Zorua is Diego.>

Diego: <Hi!>

Zatanna: <Nice to meetcha! Or as I would say onstage... !ahcteem ot eciN>

-Zatanna's hands glow with psychic energy and she conjures a bouquet of flowers to greet Diego with.-

Diego: <Aww... How sweet!>

Hikari: <She's not called "Poké-Princess of Prestidigitation" for nothing.>

Zatanna: <Poké-Princesses, Hikari. Don't sell yourself short.>

Hikari: -giggles- <I know.>

Aurelia and Tina: Who's ready to have some fun at the carnival?

Aurelia and Tina's Pokémon: YAAAAAAY!

Aurelia and Tina: Alright! Let's go!

-Aurelia and Tina head out to see what they want to do first, as their Pokémon follow behind them.-

Fox's Wedding, VS Radon

-Black Sun Radon brings up his Light Screen shield to reduce the damage from Kendall's pitch-black assault. The glitch monsters aren't so lucky.-

╓─────────────╢    RADON    ╟────────────────────────────────────────────────────╖ 
╠══╡ STAMINA ╞═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ 
║██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████        ║ 
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-Black Sun Radon brings Gale up to eye-level and smirks.-

Black Sun Radon:    Ä̴̜̬́̂͠n̷̡̙̗̰̉̆̚̚d̸̢̲͎̐ ̵̬̱̠́̓́̀ͅn̴͉̎̈́̕ë̸͚͈͔́i̶͖̝̽t̶͖̅͋̏ḩ̴̖̞͑̈͛ḙ̸̡͕̟͌̐͒͘r̶̦̓̃̋͠ ̴̥̠̋̅̚ǎ̷̤̗͜r̶̫̈́͜ë̴͈́͝ ̸̬͝y̶̧͖͂̔ͅo̵̙̘͙̍̈̈̇ű̷͔̌̏̍.̸͕̬̓̋̔͜.̷̝̬̦͒.̸̖̮̘̲̓̈́ ̴̖̾̓́̓Ḅ̸̖̎͑̾ṵ̶̝̼̅̋͘ẗ̷̳̜͉͎́͝ ̷͓̱̐͠t̵̠̖̠͚̎̓h̸̝̗̠̏̓ạ̸̰̒̈́̚t̶͇͓̆̈́ ̴͇̎c̸͖̜̆͆̌̔ͅā̵̗̺͑͋̎n̸̢̳͛̏̓͝ ̵̤͍̤͐̇͜c̸͕͓̲̖̋́̚ẖ̵̡̹͊͊̾͝a̷̗͍̋͗͑̀ṉ̷̼̱̠̊̆̕ḡ̷̦̻̩̳̓̕ẹ̶͓̞̻͐̈̆.̵̲͇̾.̵̥̫̈́.̸͉̃̾̕ ̵̬͔̞͐̐I̸̦̳̖͐͆͛ ̸̖͋̾̏͝h̶̗̭̙̃̋͠à̶̭͚̭͛̓͠v̸̨̟̗̤̚ę̶̛͔̪̱͘ ̶͓̟̝́ś̵̺͇̽e̷̱̤̩͂̂e̸̟͓̙̠͛͊͐̌n̷͍̝̅̉̇͜ͅ ̷̢̙͇͐͆̈́̓ẗ̷͓̪̣̼́̃̽h̸̭͚̻͌̄̉̌ͅȅ̶͖̿̒̀ ̶̢̛d̴̛̼͌a̶̞̩̻̾r̷̪̻̓k̴̞̫̲̳͑̿́̉n̸̳̞̳̋̄̒̈e̸̘̼̒s̵̩͍̭̻͋s̸̥̯̭̈͠ ̸̢̞̪̝́̐̓̊i̷̙͙̣̎͋͗͝n̷͔̳̻̓̇̈́̈́ ̶̟̉y̷̠̰̦͋̂o̴̟͔̾̊̈́u̵͉̙̽̄͠ŗ̴͎̈̏ ̷͈̒ḫ̶̡̛͠ḛ̷͈͝a̵͙̒̊͂͊r̸͇̰͕̉̾́t̷͖̜̜̳̐̏͝.̸̮̃.̶̟̳̳̻͑̚.̶̲̀̅ ̶̥̼̌̎̋T̵̢̹̣̜̃h̸̻̫̔͂̕ͅě̴̠͙̎̈́͐ ̷͉̲̦̀̽͊͊ͅb̷̪̔̇̊͝i̶̻̪͙͑͑̚t̸̥͍͕͌ẗ̷͍̣̹́̒ẹ̴̌͝r̷̠̮̳̎̿́n̵̡̜͎̅̓̕ͅę̷̛̏͊s̶̼̻̙̞͌͝s̷̟̘̻̍ ̷͖̬̻̃̉̎͜͝ǎ̶̯͎̎ͅn̴̯̈́͊̑ḓ̷͍̓̎͑̏͜ ̷̘̱̬̠͆͌́r̴͎͇͊̿͌e̴̯̯͛̃̃͠s̴͉̟͐̓̇̏e̶͇͋ͅn̶̡̝̤̾̐ͅt̴̰̃m̷̬̱̀͐̚ẹ̵̌͒̈́n̸̗̪̾t̸̺̥̹̮̎͐͛ ̵̯̱̩͗͐̎y̵̨͎̦̒ȯ̵̡͔͒ú̸̳̗̳ ̸̹̱͚̫͒ḥ̶͉͙̯̀ạ̶̭͛̎͌͝v̷̥̞̓̃ͅe̶̝̋̑ ̸̧̻̦͍̔̒f̵̕ͅe̸̗͉̔̊̓̔ľ̷̨̖̣̺t̴͔̔̆͛̎ ̵̭̀̈́̚o̵͙̯̎̎͆͂v̷̡̧̗̈́̆͆e̵͉̪͔̝͗͐r̴̨̮̜͚̈́̔ ̷̗̈́̑ͅt̷̟͉̥̏̌̇̌h̷̖̍̽̏ē̸̤͔ͅ ̶̡̘̿͊̾͝ȳ̴͍̰̰̒e̷̼̾a̸̬̙͑̐̿r̷̞̞͔̅s̵̢̕.̷̣́͐̀.̴̠͗ͅ.̸͈͔͋̅͋̚ ̵̮͗̓̈͝I̶̟̝̒ ̵̺̫͒̓h̵͕̒a̵̼͗v̷̬̠̦͑͋͗͠ě̸͎̽̽ ̷̠͌̔s̴͕̤̺̽͋̏e̷͚͇̐͆͆n̶̨͓̖̓s̷͓̏ę̶̱̥̒̉̌ḓ̸̬̮͔̿͗ ̴̢̛i̷̜̾͝t̸̪͛͛͛͠,̸̗̔̎́ ̸̛͒̉ͅa̸̜͛͂n̶̘͆d̶̠͕̲̔̾̕̚ ̴̟̪̯̈́I̷͇͎͚̝̍ ̵͖̠̰̀̂͆͠ö̸̺f̸͇͍̽̐͋̃͜ͅf̸̢̨̬̹͂̃͛̋ë̸̘̙̲́̍r̷̤͚̹̾̋ ̴̢͉́͊ă̸̈́ͅ ̸͕̲̫̗̄̔l̴̡̩̄̽͛͜ị̴͆̓̀t̵̛̲t̴̲͓͍́͛͘l̸̤̓͘e̶̢̬͙͓͂̚ ̶͔̦̬͍̈̂p̴͍̻̜͐r̵͖̂͋o̴̳͊̚p̶̝̯̔̽̃ơ̶̜̿̀s̵͖̊͑͝ì̸͙͇͓t̶̤̤̓͋̊̌͜i̴̲̼͑ö̸͖͓̥͐̕͝n̷̮̭̕.̵̲̇͗.̴̨̺̭̗̽.̸̨̬̮̩͒ ̵̝͍̪͊̈́Ḯ̶̪̈͛f̵̱̜̖̜͊̿̐ ̴͖͍͎̣̌y̸̺̿̊ǫ̴͕̪͇͊u̵̗̳̓̿̚ ̴͇̬̗͎͌͂j̴͚̝̠̗͘o̶͍͑͠ī̷͔̱n̵̰͑͗͋̕ ̴̹͇̹̽̋̐͂m̸̛̞̰̈́e̷̡̅͆ ̵̆͂̈ͅo̶̧̓̑̀͠n̸̹̏ ̴̲̜͙̂̇͘t̶̜̜̪͋͝ḧ̸̳̺̯͇́ę̷͗͋ ̴̢͍͓̈́̒D̴̮̣̐̒͋̐ả̵̬̐̌r̶̪̣͂͛͝ͅḵ̷̭͆ ̵̺̺̪̽̕ͅS̶̯̣̑í̷̙̖͕̲͂d̵̞̓ë̶͇̭́͘,̶̻̹͖̍̃ ̵̧͎̕I̷̼͑̀̕ ̸̹̬̐̈̏w̸̳̦̟̅͝i̵̗͕̅͘l̸̘͑̒̕l̴̫͛͊ͅ ̸̩̼̳͌͐͗̍g̶̦͂̈́ï̷̢̘̳̼̆v̶̗̐̑̚͜͜e̶̜̝͓̮͒ ̷̭̂ỹ̸̩̹̥͝͝ö̶̢̳͉̆u̷̪̘͑ ̸̦̈́̈̀t̷̘͚̆͋̓ĥ̶̛̗̱e̸͖̲͌͒̄͝ ̵̬̰͓͙͗̌̃͘p̴̬̞̟̿̍̾͝o̸̲̹̼͗̕w̸̯̮̰̩͒̅̀e̷̟͕̿̋̈̿ͅr̵̀̉̌̈ͅ ̷͕͓̭̓̚ẙ̷̦̳̻̃̈́͜ō̶̞͍͓͂͋͠u̵͖͋̀̄̆ ̴̨̧͌ṅ̷͕̩̟͎ȩ̷̧̙̏́̓͘ê̸̙͚̙̋͋d̴̖̟̙̰͒̊͊͐ ̵̟̳̄ͅt̴̬͉́́̇ō̴̟̜̑̓ ̵̠͚̮̼̌t̴͙̒ȧ̵͖̤͇̑k̶̺̑̏͜ę̵͕̏ ̶̜̏̈́̔̔r̸͎̭̗̮̆͐e̵̱̥̖̔v̸̙̭̔ḙ̴̜̝̯́ņ̷̡̥͚̆̿͆͠g̸̞͉͍̫̀͘͝e̷̩͌ ̴̧̡̞̊̆̚͠ö̴̡̲́̉n̴̫̅̾͝ͅ ̶̼̞̊̂̕ṯ̶̛̯͖͐͛̚h̶̪͊o̷̙̗͓͍͊͝s̴̢͕̲̾̽͜ẹ̸̓̊̕ ̵̬̖͇̮̀̏w̶̘͔͖̓h̷̤̟̚ǒ̵̪̓ ̴̨̱̥͍̊̓͗ḥ̸̙̺̜́͊̈́̂a̷̛̱̲͈͐̄v̸͕͉͚͠e̸̝̔̃́ ̶̟̫̯͚̊͛͌́w̶̰̝͐͒̚r̶̻̣͉͛͛ờ̷͕̘̣͋n̵͍͛̑g̶̠͒e̶͔͗̉͘d̵̫̈́ ̴̜̺̺̮̽y̵͇̞̼͆̍̌ọ̴̧͓̍̉͑u̸̖̹̬̿̋.̸̲̠̭̆͑̄.̶̼̾̂͆.̶̢̘͕̈́ ̶͎̭̄̎̑̚Ī̷̦͉͉͓ ̶̨̤̒͆w̸̡͈͉̌͐͠͝i̵̻̣̎l̴̳̥̝̖̈̈́l̷͇̳͒͌̅̐͜ ̶̣͖̲̓͝ḙ̷̝͔̫̂͠v̸̥̩̟͉̌̇̚e̵͔̮͋̈n̵̳̘͓͒̉̄̏ ̶͙̯̎̋a̷͖͇̹͐̚͜͝l̷̨̧͙̻͒l̵̖̍ő̷͔̈́ŵ̸̰̘͆̆͘ ̷͉̔͜y̶̧͈͗͛͠ő̴̜͖͛͝u̷̯͐͒̇͆ ̸̫̺̰̩̈t̵̯̊̊͊̏o̷̜͚͖̔͠ͅ ̴̥̀f̸̜̄͘o̷̙͔͎̹͆͐ŗ̵͇̹̑̉m̶̫̞̔͌̂ ̵̨̧̤͚̈͛͘a̴̭̓̐̔ ̷͈͊̐ṉ̶̨̌͋͆̄e̶̱̝͛͐ẃ̴̩̻̌́ ̷̳͊̋̀J̴͍̏-̸̢̡̻̐̆Ț̵͇̖̩̓̿̃e̸̡̽͒͝ã̸̤̯͌͋̔m̴̟͇͕̬͋,̵͉̳̩͕͊̃ ̵̧̲̖̀a̸̡̜͕̖͒͐̂l̴̹̖͇̗̓l̴̻̬̿͒̄ͅ ̸̗͓̟̀͌̀ỷ̸̝̄o̴̤̞̓̏̄̚ǔ̵͔̝̝̉̈̈́͜r̸͓̬̅ ̷̧̜̱̋͊͠ǫ̴͔͇̜̃͌͘w̸̙͠ǹ̶̡̟̬̳͠,̶̧̳͚̐ ̶̝̣͌͆͜w̴̲͚̆ͅi̸̞͕̼͎̒t̶̢̮̣͚̄ẖ̷̢̒͊o̶͖͇͓̖͛ů̵̡̙͎̻ț̷̠̹̝͝ ̷͎̤̾̄͋Ã̸̪͖̈́̈́N̴͉̎͋Y̵̠̞̽͐Ǫ̷̨̭̯̒͝N̴̩̏͋͘Ě̵̡̧̦̬̑̊̾ ̸̤͖̱͐ţ̴̦͉͓̈h̷̟͐̀a̶͕͇͌̐ṭ̶̥͈̆ ̸͔͙̎́̎͝ẙ̴̟̀̊̃ó̸͕͍̫̲͆̍ű̵̞̮̘͋̕ ̶̧̨̟̒̀̿͌s̸͖̘͉͉̔ë̷̮́ẹ̸͑̄͗̑ ̵̭̬̯͔͋̿̚̚a̷̠̎ś̴̝̜̈́ ̷̧͖̮̖͊̈́͐t̸̫̅̄̐͘o̵̧̦̯͔̽ǫ̷̘̟̻̊͌̚ ̸̠̺̽w̸͉̠̍e̴̢͍̖̖͛̿̚a̵̞͒̍́k̷͙͈̔̅͂ͅ ̴̘̦͌̈o̶̞̲̽̄r̵̳͊͐ ̴͙̣̎͘͝ȩ̷̲̿m̶͓̈̉̆ò̴̦̪͜t̴̰̝̪͖͗̐̈́͠ỉ̴͎̻͕̀ö̵͔͘n̵̹͈̘̄̇͝a̴̧̳̠̋̕l̵̙͇̯̓͊͊͠l̷̢̫͎͕̅͗y̸̡̢̭͆̎͑͝ ̵̦̪͖̮͛̓̍ű̷͎͛n̶͍̋s̶͈̗̟̤̈́t̶̩͊̊̀a̶̗̲͌͒̕b̷̼̾̂̃́l̸̹͙̹͚͊ȩ̶̣̺̼͆͝ ̸̛̱̰͖͙̂̓͘t̷̜̻̽͌o̸̗̎ ̸͈̙̆̀͠b̶̰̒ę̶̻̓̋͘ ̸̣̗͈́̓̊c̴̜͑͛ą̸͖̮̜̌̒̾̐p̵̱̟̈́a̶͔̻͋̒̍ḅ̴̥̱͉̐l̷̲̯̹͒e̶̙͚̅͛̚ ̶͓̗̻͚̈́̈́̐o̷̧̘̺͌͠f̸̡̡̗̆̿̋͝ ̵̡̦̗̠̒̐͠͠ṣ̶̼̈́̒a̵̧̱͕̓͊͘v̴͍͘i̸͔̼͆̊̒ñ̴̯̹̙̈́͊g̵͚̟̙͒̇͜ ̶̢̯̠̾̉̌͊ţ̴̨̝̙̾h̴͎̩̬̃͌̓̍ẹ̵̡̧̕ ̵͇̗͐̒ͅw̴̮̚ó̸͉̘̑r̶̠̫̲̃́̀l̶̜̈ď̸̛͈̺̎͝.̴͔̼̜̒͌̊.̵̜̜̀͋̀.̶̺̰͖̎ͅ ̷͉̈́̔̅̊͜ ̶̤̱͕͇͒̈̆̒A̴̳̘̓́̉͗s̷͓̱͇͋̈́ ̵̱̦͚̏̇̀ͅf̴̠̆̓̓͗o̵͚̦̿̒̈́͋r̴̞̞̐ ̴̫̩͗y̸̬̳̻͐̌̌̂ͅò̵̘̭ù̸͎͌̕ŗ̸̬͈͛͠ ̴͍̳̆g̶͎̞̍̂̕i̴̬͓͍̓r̵̡͇̰͓͛̒͘l̴̨̤̯̘̑͑f̵͈̞̰̗̊r̷̗̽̀͘̚i̸̝̯̺̙͊͝e̵̪̖̳̓n̴͚̪̻͕̊̑͝d̶̘̙̻̞͛̏̈́̏,̸͂ͅ ̷͖́̕y̵̤̯͐ͅò̶̹̹́͛͑u̵͇̟͔͑͌͂ ̷̊̍͘͜m̸͓̊̇̈a̸̤͌̏̿ỳ̷̢̛̭͕̬ ̶̗̝̲̪͂b̷̯̆͋̇r̴̨̲̐͋̈́͠ì̸̟͕̠͖̌͑̋n̵̛̜͈̲̎ġ̴̲̈́͝ ̷͍̩͒̍͌ĥ̸̙͆ê̴͚̘̓̀͋͜ṝ̷͙̖̦̍̅͝ ̶͍̣͊̕ͅị̴̼̝̱͌͋n̷̖̼͎̺̈́ţ̵̢̟̊͛̚ō̴̻͉̦̅͊ ̸̢̮͕͍̈́̏ö̶̡̟̯́̋u̷͔̤͐̉́r̴̗̠̈́͂ ̶̭̦̋̑̈́n̸̤̱̋͘ḙ̸̢͍̥̎ẇ̵̭̝̈́͘ ̸̲̙̠̊̐̿̽w̶̢̰͖̮̾͌ò̸̱̼̌̀̀ͅȑ̵̢̲̘͜l̵͎̣̘̻͂d̷̲̦̯̿̄͜ ̶̯͑̍͝o̶̳͈̞̹͆r̷͎̄ḑ̵̙̪̓e̸̼͈͘ͅr̸͙̪̓̒ ̴͕̈̊a̴̧̪̩̫̽̍s̸͙̓̐ ̸̢̢̥̼̍̽͒͠w̷̨̞̞͓̍̽̆̌ė̴̟̿l̴̪̚l̸̼̃̍ͅ.̴̭̲̞̓̊̾̅.̷̼̿̍̑.̷͔̇͊̔̈ͅ ̵̶̼̗͉͍̪̜̽͌͂̉͒̓ A̵̗͖͒͜n̸̻͕̾d̴̞̙̝͐̉͑ ̶̧̡̭̮͘ỷ̴̘̚͝ō̸̡̹̖̳̈̍ṳ̴̩̓ ̴̥̓b̶̰͝o̸͚̓̇̈ẗ̸͉̪͖̰́h̴̢̅ ̵̳̱̼͚̓̓w̵̮̠͋̏͜ͅi̴̹͙̘͇̋l̸̡̹̇l̴͕̠̯̟̐́̓ ̷̡͚̯̲͋͘g̷̢͜͠e̸̛̱͈̐̉͜t̷̞̖̣͖̉̌̽ ̸̯͒̓̎̿ͅt̵̛͖̗̑ơ̴̞̜̂̏ ̵͙̠͖̄͐r̸͕̩͈̕͠u̴̡̻͌͆͑̏ḻ̴̡̳̭̆͝e̵̛͔̫̊͠ ̸̛̻a̵͚̤͉͚͗̃͂š̷̥̭͉̞̀ ̶̧͉̝̩͛̑q̵̨͇̑̍ù̸̯͖ḛ̵̣̫͛e̵̺͓̮͆͆͠n̸̜̬̆͆s̶̨͕͂̊͠ ̶̺̀͠ơ̵̦̥̘v̶̬̳̫͋̎͂̈͜e̴͚͙͒̓͛r̶̥̟̎͂̐ ̵̛̙̞̰̰̇a̵̼͗̓͐n̷̲̈ͅ ̶̛̠̹̓̚e̴̮͐͋̊̈t̶͇͔̹̤̚e̴͚̖͚̩̐r̷̪̞͛͐n̸̺̙̩͐͑̓͘a̸̻̯͇̜̒͒̀l̷̢̺̹̣̐ ̴͓̆̿͜ẁ̷̼̠̟̾o̸̧̰͒̒r̸̪͖̱̩̓̊l̶̲̑̂̆d̷̪͚͗͊ ̴̫͖̟̍ȍ̶͇̓̒̊f̵͎̹͑̿͘ ̸̫̲̤̣̓͌͝d̶̛̛̞ͅa̴͔̱̤̿̾r̴̞͙̩̞̽͊k̵͚̐͜n̷̙̤̝͍͂̄͌͐ẹ̸͊́̃̏s̶̰̤̹̈͆̕s̵̱̙͖͔̈́́.̸̡̙̟̰̍̏.̷̻͈̊̉.̸͉͇͚̳̄͋̅   

   S̴͈͔̊́̀ö̸͙̭͖́̾͊͊,̴̰͍̓̚ ̶̳̰̽͋͘w̶̝͋̋̆̕h̸͙̆a̶̞̦̟̅̂͂t̵̞̭̩̊́̆ ̵͔͈͖̯̿̋̋w̷̤̜͊̉̂͊ĭ̵̩̱͖̮̀̂l̸͈̃̕l̴̯̞͈̐͜ ̴̢̛͐̀ǐ̷̱̗͂̀͛ẗ̶̺́͝ ̴̦̬́̀͐̄ͅb̶̨͍̉̽e̸̞͗?̶̢̭̞̅̈́̍ͅ   

White Forest Clearing, Pre-[Ballarat]

Me: Actually, yes.

Evelyn: After the incident back at the art gallery in Nimbasa City, I also awakened the power of Persona and assumed a Phantom Thief identity of my own.

Meat Palace

Joybringer: I'm in agreement, Rakash.

Witchling: There's both strength and safety in numbers.

Jubilife Contest, Evelyn VS Kendall

Marian: WHAT A WONDERFUL DISPLAY OF POWER FROM BOTH SIDES!

╓────────────────╢ KENDALL'S POINTS ╟───────────────────────╖ 
╠══╡ STAMINA ╞══════════════════════════════════════════════╣ 
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╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

╓────────────────╢ EVELYN'S POINTS ╟───────────────────────╖ 
╠══╡ STAMINA ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════╣ 
║████████████████████████████████████████████              ║ 
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Evelyn: Simon! Use Psychic! Hatty, use Magical Leaf!

-Simon meets Kamui's Extrasensory with a blast of psychic power, while Hatty surrounds herself in a flurry of rainbow-colored leaves which she launches at Helmsman, hoping to disperse the Waterfall.-

Marian: AND EVELYN WORKS HER MAGIC YET AGAIN WITH A STUNNING COUNTER!

╓────────────────╢ KENDALL'S POINTS ╟───────────────────────╖ 
╠══╡ STAMINA ╞══════════════════════════════════════════════╣ 
║████████████████████████████████████████████               ║ 
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

╓────────────────╢ EVELYN'S POINTS ╟───────────────────────╖ 
╠══╡ STAMINA ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════╣ 
║████████████████████████████████████████████              ║ 
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Somewhere, a while ago

Siri (through Eva's phone): New message! New message!

Eva: Eh, I'm sure it's nothing. I'll check it later.

Slightly less long ago but still a while ago

Eva finally gets around to checking her phone.

Eva: Magical girl squad? When did I join that again?

Merah facepaws.

Merah: <Don't you remember? That glitch thing from two years ago?>

Eva: Oh, right. Sounds like something's going down, let's go fight it!

Merah: <Shouldn't you bring your transformation thing if you're going to fight another glitch?>

Eva rummages through her pockets to try and find her fidget slime.

Eva: Dangit... Where did it go?! Did I throw it away?

Fox's wedding, Radon fight

Eva runs in, triumphantly carrying a pocket sized tin of slime.

Eva: I found it! What's going on?

She only notices the fight now.

Eva: I'm really late to this, aren't I?

Merah: <Get on with it!>

Eva: Okay, okay! Ambiguous phrase!

A green glow emanates from inside the tin. Eva opens it and holds it up. The green glow makes its way out of the pot and surrounds her. She starts spinning rapidly as she transforms into a black outfit with neon green details. There are two small cannon looking things on the gloves on her lower arms, which were definitely there last time she transformed.

Eva: So... What did I miss?

Zangoose carnival

Kal looks around suspiciously at all the people.

Radium: <So, where do you want to go first?>

Kal: Home.

Radium: <Let's go over this way then!>

Radium leads Kal over to some rides.

Stormchaser, Hiro's Room

-Hiro nods, grimacing-

Hiro: -shaking out his hand- I didn't spare her. She attacked me, I burnt her up, then Adelinde arrived and there wasn't time for anything else.

-he takes a seat, drumming his fingers on his knee-

Hiro: …and once we staunched the bleeding, turns out Ever Memito brought her back with us.

-he pinches the bridge of his nose-

Hiro: Odd as some might think in reference to me, I do have qualms about executing someone helpless as a general rule. I mostly brought her up in relation to evidence that the School hasn't managed to steal many Idanika techniques. The expectation that she'd mean something to you wasn't there.

-he peers out from around his hand-

Hiro: …honestly, the inciting factor in that statement was a feeling very much like amusement, if dark, that…

Hiro: -pressing his fingertips together, looking her up and down- …well, someone I'm assuming is Adelinde killed too many people we know, years ago. Then that the specific actors assigned to deal with us, after all this time, are to my awareness largely the same. Despite the options available.

-he inhales-

Hiro: …and if I come off as too familiar, I hope to tell you that that weighs more into my perception of common ground than any circumstance of genetics. I don't believe you owe me anything in particular for that, nor I you.

-he looks at the ceiling-

Hiro: Solidarity's a good word, in fact.

-he focuses his gaze back on Percy-

Hiro: …it does sound strange to me. I'm the product of where I came from more than anything. By choice, when it comes down to it.

Hiro: I'm alive, my family lives in me, and as long as I'm able, I'll keep the flame burning.

-he cracks a smile, fragile-

Hiro: I'm not confident we can. The whole…edifice…has been taking for longer than either of us has existed.

Hiro: When I was young and stupid, I tried storming the School with my team. We were strong. We had allies. People died.

-he stares down at his phone-

Hiro: On both sides, and the School kept going. To be confident we can come out of this unscathed just feels…naïve.

-past it, to the ship-

Hiro: ...I hope the J-Team stands in solidarity when it becomes apparent it won't be a victory lap. I don't have much investment in saving Templar, either, but if they've decided they aren't expendable alongside to either of us, I don't yet see any reason to stop them.

-...and finally the gaze of the Litwick staring at him from the floor-

Hiro: -smiling, just slightly- …one thing I learn-herited being talking a great deal with very little provocation. Tangent aside, I understand deciding what matters. No offense taken.

-so he lifts the Litwick to the level of the table and nods to Apple-A-Day like "yes, this level of bluntness is actually kind of nostalgic, it's fine" before turning back to Percy, curious-

-...and stares at her for a solid fifteen seconds, unblinking-

Hiro: -finally- …I've fought other School people around your apparent age, but they all seemed to be Auric or Psychic, bar you and Mason. The Nitrogen you mentioned wouldn't happen to be…a big fellow, gravity manipulation, liked crushing people in landslides?

-he makes a soda-can-crushing motion with his right hand-

 Celestescape 

-did we say Pokéballs? We meant crates-

-crates slide into place in the room, where they belong-

-the crate that bursts into flame (now why would you do that, you forgetful little thing) crumbles to ash and drops a load of charred, cracked-open Apricorn to ping across the floor-

Nondescript Crate: <..." -burrows deeper into the stacks-

Bugn't: "Allies? Adversaries? Tell us. Once upon a time…>

-they're ravenous-