ITT: We are all Pokémon Trainers

J-Con 22

He shifted back to his human self in that moment.

"Actually, you don't have to stay Pokemon to understand them," he explained. "That knowledge will linger. Forever."

"No, I didn't take on the League, my Pokemon took on the League's teams," he clarified.

J-Con 2021

Draiman nearly hurled.

<That- that looks like it hurts...> he muttered.

"Wait... isn't that technically the same thing?" asked Laurie.

<Well, unless he's goin' out there in his Dusk Lycanroc form, he's not the one doin' the fightin',> said Slipknot.

"...what?"

-HE IS-NT FI-GHTING,- said Hetfield.

"Who's not fighting?"

-KEN-DALL,- Hetfield droned.

"Ohhh! OK, yeah, that makes sense," said Laurie.

They turned around— and promptly noticed Mitchell on the floor, before running over to them in concern.

"Mitchell!" cried Laurie. "A-are you okay?"

Unfortunately for them, they ran so fast that they didn't even notice a picture of a certain chipper, blond-haired, dead sibling of theirs fall onto the floor in direct view of Kendall. If Kendall were to pick it up at that moment, he may or may not notice their very uncanny, albeit coincidental, similarity to a... certain humanized mon of his.

THE HASSLEMON INTERWEBS

???: ALRIGHT SO! LETZ START AT THE 8EG-N-N, SHALL WE? SEEMS PRE-T REAS-N-A 8 LE, IF YOU ASK ME. ANYWAYZ! SO THERE I WAZ, ⱭO-N A 8UNCH OF CR-A-Z CLIFF JUMP-N STUNTS N WHAT-NOT—

RB: [Y[o[u] [d[i[d] [c[l[i[f[f] [j[u[m[p[i[n'] [s[t[u[n[t[s?]

???: AWW YOU KNOW IT! I WANTEⱭ TO SEE IF I COULⱭ JUMP THE HIGHEST CLIFFS POSSI 8-L!

JP: =D(Aren't) (YoU) (worried) (aboUt) (how) (dangeroUs) (that) (is,) (thoUgh?)

???: ⱭANGER? HA! YOU HAVE TO 8E JOKE-N!

RB: [O[h] [b[o[y.]

OR: ^/^ wovld... adv/se aga/nst do/ng vthatv.

???: WELP, I ⱭIⱭ IT ANYWAYZ! AND MAN, LEMME TELL YA, THAT CLIFF WAS H-IIIIII! I ⱭIⱭN'T WANNA RISK IT, THOUGH, SO...

EL: ~You ended up jumping anyways?~ [1]

[1]- ~Oh dear, this is not going to go wel^2.~

???: YOU KNOW IT!

RB: [A[n[d] [l[e[m[m[e] [g[u[e[s[s,] [y[a] [d[i[e[d?]

???: ⱭIEⱭ? PLEASE! I WENT OUT IN A 8LAZE OF GLORY, 8A8-A! IT WAS THE GREATEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE! COURSE, I'M HERE AG-N NOW, AND I STILL N-TEND TO ⱭO THAT!

RB: [Y[a] [m[e[a[n] [e[n[d[a[n[g[e[r] [y[e[r] [l[i[f[e?] [I] [w[o[u[l[d[n'[t] [c[o[u[n[t] [o[n] [i[t,] [k[i[d.]

DD: yes indeed,

DD: i do not mean to interrupt but as your newfound friend and companion i would, highly adovoise against doing any rather dangerous actiovoties,

FT: [Don't jump!].asdf

FT: I'll take you on a rink so we can [go skateboarding] together!.asdfmovie

???: WAIT, WHAT? AWW, MAN, THAT SOUNDZ EV-N COOLER!

DD: well, i will concede that skateboarding is s-slightly more safe,,, so long as you wear a helmet,

RB: [W[h[a[t?] [N[o!] [D[o[n'[t] [b[o[t[h[e[r-] [n[e[v[e[r] [m[i[n[d.] [A[n[y[w[a[y[s...] [A[n[o[m[a[l[o!] [M[i[n[d] [t[e[l[l[i[n'] [u[s] [y[e[r] [s[t[o[r[y?]

HA: O=(um okay uh)=O

HA: O=(if im being honest i don't really remember much um)=O

HA: O=(the last thing that i can remember being able to see were these 2 tyrantrum that attacked me out of nowhere)=O

DD: ,,,!

diffidentDefeatist left the chat.

HA: O=(huh)=O

HA: O=(i just heard a dinging noise what does that mean)=O

JP: =D(Teryx) (left) (the) (Chat) (jUst) (now...)

DO: Well, that's OooOdd! Where's he gOooOing?

RB: [N[o] [i[d[e[a.]

HA: O=(um uh should i go on or)=O

RB: [O[h] [y[e[a[h,] [s[u[r[e.]

HA: O=(okay so um)=O

HA: O=(yeah that was the last thing i remember seeing)=O

HA: O=(and then when i woke up again i couldn't see a thing)=O

RB: [S[o[u[n[d[s] [l[i[k[e] [t[h[a[t] [a[t[t[a[c[k] [w[a[s] [w[h[a[t] [k[i[l[l[e[d] [y[a.]

OR: ^And^ l/kely, what ended vp bl/nd/ng h/m as vwellv.

HA: O=(wait what)=O

HA: O=(t-the tyrantrum killed me?)=O

RB: [Y[e[p.]

DO: HOooOw lOooOng did ya live fOooOr?

EL: ~At the very least, we know neither of you lived to evolution, since neither of you know what the pot^2ery whe^2l method is.~

???: 21 YEARZ, 8A8-AAA! AND PROUD OF IT!

HA: O=(oh um)=O

HA: O=(i mean i dont really know for sure but i think i guess about a day? maybe 2?)=O

JP: =D(...)

EL: ~...~

DO: ...

RB: [...]

FT: ....asdf

OR: ^...^

???: ...YOU LIVED HOW LONG?!

RB: [H[o[l[y] [c[r[a[p...]

JP: =D(Two) (days?!)

OR: ^...well.^ / daresay yov m/ght have l/ved a more vnlvncky l/fe than even vmev.

HA: O=(o-oh dear)=O

HA: O=(im sorry i didn't mean 2 upset you)=O

RB: [N[o,] [n[o,] [w[e'[r[e] [n[o[t] [u[p[s[e[t,] [b[u[t...] [t[w[o] [d[a[y[s?] [T[h[a[t'[s] [i[t?]

JP: =D(That's) (awfUl...) (No) (wonder) (yoU) (thoUght) (yoU) (were) (still) (living) (in) (prehistoriC) (times!) (That's) (all) (yoU) (know!)

HA: O=(y-yeah)=O

JP: =D(W-we) (need) (to) (give) (yoU) (the) (best) (life) (possible,) (then!) (YoU're) (missing) (oUt) (on) (so) (mUCh!)

HA: O=(o-oh)=O

JP: =D(Not) (to) (worry,) (thoUgh!) (We'll) (help) (yoU!)

HA: O=(you... you will?)=O

diffidentDefeatist rejoined the chat.

HA: O=(i heard another dinging noise)=O ' RB: [H[e'[s] [b[a[c[k.]

O=(oh)=O

DD: i do apologize for that eovoryone,

DD: i was,,, startled by the circumstances surrounding anomalo's tragic demise,

DD: but yes,

DD: of course we'll be there to help you with regards to the human world,

RB: [Y[e[a[h.] [W[e'[l[l] [b[e] [y[e[r] [t[e[a[c[h[e[r[s.]

EL: ~I can teach you about science and technology of the modern and medieval eras, if you'd like.~ [2]

[2]- ~And also about the pot^2ery whe^2l method, since I have a fe^2ling that undergoing one of those methods wil^2 be rather dif^2icult given your blindness.~

HA: O=(wait what why)=O

RB: [W[e'[l[l] [e[x[p[l[a[i[n] [l[a[t[e[r.] [F[o[r] [n[o[w] [I] [t[h[i[n[k] [w[e] [s[h[o[u[l[d] [h[e[a[d] [o[u[t] [o[f] [h[e[r[e] [a[n[d] [h[e[a[d] [t[o] [E[t[e[r[n[a.]

JP: =D(Alright!)

OR: ^/ndeed. We shovld get off of vherev.

reliableBastille shut off the voice chat.

Everyone barring fineTurtle left the chat.

FT: Have fun!.adsf

Oreburgh City (Owen)

Owen was still sitting on a bench near the Oreburgh City Entrance when all of a sudden, his PokeBalls opened up. In a few flashes, everyone barring Saura and Steggy promptly emerged, and Anomalo once again began running around and feeling everything around him. Stipax, meanwhile, turned to face his Trainer.

"Ah, you're out!" said Owen. "Did you get the Hasslemon things set up for Anomalo?"

<Yep!> said Stipax.

"Well, that's good," said Owen. "You were gone for a long time; did you guys have fun?"

<We sure did!> said Stipax. <But... we did find out some disturbing stuff...>

"But... what?" asked Owen.

"Never mind," said Nautilu. <I believe that we should head over to Eterna to take on Gardenia next.>

Owen nodded. "Right... Gardenia..."

<Who're you gonna use?> asked Stipax.

"Well... she uses Grass-types, so I'll definitely use you... and Saura, of course... probably Steggy, too..."

<What about Chasmo?> asked Stipax.

"He's weak to them... but I could use Nautilu; he knows some Ice-type moves."

<That's four,> said Stipax.

"And I'm pretty sure she'll use six mons like Roark did, so..." He thought for a few moments, glancing over at Teryx, who was shaking like a leaf, before shaking his head. "No, not Teryx... he'd be too scared..."

And then after a few more moments, he snapped his fingers.

"Got it!" he said. "Crina and Eurypedis!"

<Whooo-hoooooo!> cried Crina.

<I would be honored to be used against Gardenia,> said Eurypedis.

<Do you know any Ice-type moves?> asked Stipax.

<I know many coverage moves,> said Eurypedis. <Among them include my Egg moves, Icy Wind and Aurora Beam, along with Ice Beam, Blizzard, Aerial Ace, and Leech Life.>

<You know Leech Life too?!> cried Stipax. <That's great! Owen, he knows Leech Life too!>

"He knows what?" asked Owen.

"Leech Life," said Nautilu.

"Oh! That's great!" said Owen. "Well, in that regard, you'll be a big help! Alright, then! Let's head off to Eterna! Gardenia awaits us!"

<Yippee~!> cried Stipax, jumping around beside his Trainer.

Owen promptly returned all of his Pokemon before eventually heading off for Eterna.

Oreburgh City (Laurie, pre J-Con)

After a bit of travelling, Laurie, Emcee, and D'Autry finally made it to Oreburgh City. Laurie in particular took a look around before sighing.

"Alright, here we are," they said.

<Shouldn't we have fought Gardenia first?> asked D'Autry.

~I think the regular Gym order will suffice for us,~ said Emcee.

"Besides, the Oreburgh Gym will likely be the easiest for us to defeat, since I have D'Autry, Draiman, and Plant on my side," said Laurie.

~I'm assuming you plan on using those three?~ asked Emcee.

"Oh no, I'm planning on using D'Autry, Plant, and you," said Laurie.

Emcee blanched. ~M-me?~

"Well, after you just evolved twice, I figured I might as well," said Laurie.

~Excellent! Great decision, my friend! I promise that I will blow you away in that arena! And if I don't, well... then I'll have been a disappointment! And nobody likes that!~

"Emcee..." muttered Laurie. "You could never disappoint me."

~I know...!~ said Emcee. ~Now, let's head inside, shall we? Who wants a battle?~

"I know I do," said Laurie, glancing up at the sky.

D'Autry nodded, and with that said, Laurie returned Emcee and entered the Oreburgh Gym.

This one's for you, Cole, they thought.

Hulbury Gym Stadium- Pitch

After a bit, Ingrid and Ananpi entered onto the pitch- once again to a massive crowd of thousands of people. Ingrid shrunk back a bit and covered her ears as she entered, before eventually coming face-to-face with Nessa herself.

"Um... hello," she said, slightly intimidated.

Nessa just smiled.

"You must be Ingrid Anderson," she said. "Milo told me all about you. I'm greatly looking forward to this battle."

Ingrid uncovered her ears a bit.

"Oh... thank you," she said. "S-shall we begin?"

Nessa nodded, taking out a PokeBall. "I'd be happy to."

And then she noticed Ananpi.

"Oh?" she asked. "Is that Ananpi? Milo told me about him, too; said he did commentary?"

Ananpi happily jumped down from Ingrid's shoulder.

<Thaaaaat's right, chuu~!> he said.

^note  <You forgot to paint Milo's face in Pikachu paint, chuu~>

<Yeah, I know. But I'm back to do some more commentating~!>

He turned to face the camera.

<And I can promise you all, you'll miss nothing this time, chuu~!>

^note  <So when does this start? The people are waiting!>

<Next post, chuu~! I'll see you all there!>

The Grand Underground- Heracles Battle Game

Heracles ultimately managed to push himself up, then glanced over at Snoop to signify to him that he was free to ask his first question.

Snoop nodded.

<Alright, then!> said Snoop. <Question number one: Which [James Bond] film almost had a theme by [Johnny Cash]?>

Heracles stared at Snoop for a few moments, thinking to himself, and then:

<The one they call Heracles is afraid that he has never heard of the one you refer to as Johnny Cash, nor the one they call [James Bond].>

<...oh, right, you've lived in the Underground your whole life,> said Snoop. <Alright, then! The answer is->

"Thunderball, right?" asked Braker.

<That's right!> said Snoop.

Beat.

<...wait, how did you know that?>

"I'm Galarian," said Braker simply.

<Oh right,> said Snoop. <Alright, then! You're up, Heracles! Try and hit me!>

Heracles nodded, then proceeded to launch out rocks from his arms.

This time, however, Snoop dodged them.

<Not again~!> he cried, launching out a massive burst of fire at Heracles.

It hit.

And burned.

Heracles looked down at his body in mild shock.

<...Oh dear,> he eventually muttered.

Snoop grinned.

<Time for question twoooo~!>

<Oh!>, Chris responds. <Maybe it's better that he doesn't know that yet.>

For his peace of mind, she thinks to herself, he shouldn't know about miracles like that. His poor heart would break.

Meanwhile, Gus keeps a close watch on Mitchell, but then notices Laurie rushing towards them. <Whoa, there!>, he says, interposing himself between Laurie and Mitchell. <I've got this under control. Milord just got a bit too excited today, is all.>

While Gus is talking, Mitchell starts to mumble in his unconscious state.

"Mama," Mitchell snores. "Papa. Big bro Highton. Little bro Lowrey. Sorry for. Being me."

<Heads up, everyone,> Gus relays. <Milord's sleep talking. He'll wake up soon.>

<Thank you for the warning!>, Chris replies.

J Con 22

He didn't really think much of the picture, more concerned with the collapsed newcomer.

Pointing at him from where he sat, an illusory alabaster hand appeared before floating over and gently slapping Mitchell a couple of times.

<Er, excuse me,> Gus warns Kendall. <It might not be the best idea to->

Before Gus can finish, Mitchell sits up, awakened by the gentle slaps from Kendall's illusory hand. Despite the clear signs of discomfort and exhaustion on his face, he forces himself to smile slightly in Laurie and Kendall's general direction.

<-Never mind,> Gus grumbles.

"Well, good day to you," Mitchell airily says to Laurie and Kendall. "I must apologize, but I must be more tired than I realized. Really, mistaking a human for a Pokemon; that's a new low, even for me."

Sensing trouble is about to happen, Chris and Gus retrieve items from Mitchell's stroller. Chris obtains a brown paper bag, while Gus passes another water bottle to Mitchell, who accepts it and starts greedily drinking it.

J-Con 2022

"I don't think-" Laurie began, only to be met with a glare from Hetfield.

-DON'T. EV-EN. BO-THER.- he droned.

"...riiiight," said Laurie, turning to face Mitchell and smiling. "It's... good to see you're up, Mitchell."

Eterna City

After a bit, Owen and Stipax finally arrived in Eterna City, where they immediately noticed that construction workers were working on filling a giant sinkhole in front of someone's house. They blinked.

<...was there a disaster or something?> asked Stipax.

"Looks like somebody did some digging here," said Owen, glancing over at the hole. "Thank goodness no one was hurt."

<Should we go down there?> asked Stipax. <It looks fun...>

"Probably later, after we've finished taking on Gardenia," said Owen.

<Okay!> said Stipax.

"Alright, then," said Owen. "Let's go inside."

And with that said, Owen promptly did so.

Eterna City Gym

A few minutes later, Owen entered the room to find thousands of people surrounding him and Stipax once again- and a large grass-filled maze in front of them. After going through it and passing many trees along the way, Owen and Stipax eventually saw and approached Gardenia herself.

Owen paused for a few moments as he glanced up at the audience, before eventually turning to face Gardenia.

"Um... hello there," he said. "You must be Gardenia."

Gardenia turned to glance at Owen before smiling.

"I sure am! Hi there!" she said cheerfully. "Roark told me all about you; I have a feeling that our battle is going to end up being very fun!"

Owen smiled. "As do I."

They promptly looked at Stipax, who jumped down from Owen's shoulder and waved at Gardenia.

<Hi there!> said Stipax.

Gardenia promptly noticed Stipax and squealed.

"A Galvantula?" she cried. "Wow, they're rare around here! Awww, aren't you a cutie!"

She then paused.

"Although... I suppose that means I should start with a mon of mine that can defeat you..."

The Galvantula's eyes widened for a bit, and then Gardenia reached in and took out a PokeBall.

"Alright, then! Let's start this battle!" she said.

Owen nodded. "I'd be delighted to."

BATTLE BEGIN

"Alright, then!" said Gardenia, throwing the PokeBall. "First things first! Come on out, Jumpluff!"

The ball opened, and in a flash of light a Jumpluff, carrying a red and pointy stone, emerged from her PokeBall and glanced around.

<Yaaay~> she cried out. <What a lovely day this is~>

And the minute he saw the Jumpluff, Stipax breathed a sigh of relief. Owen, meanwhile, just smirked, but didn't reveal the obvious fact that Gardenia had neglected to think about.

"A Jumpluff?" he said. "Interesting choice. Alright, then, Stipax! Let's start this battle off! Use Lunge!"

<Right!> said Stipax.

And seconds later, lunge was exactly what he did— right onto the Jumpluff, knocking her down as he nuzzled up to her.

<Gah!>

<Hi there!> said Stipax. <Aww, you're really cute! I—>

And then he noticed the rock.

<Wait a minute, is that a Heat Rock?> he cried, jumping backwards.

The Jumpluff got up, battered by the Lunge move, and smiled.

<It is indeed~!> she said. <And I'm planning on using it right now!>

"Wait, you know what a Heat Rock does?" asked Owen.

<Yep!> said Stipax. <My grandfather told me!>

"...Huh," said Owen. "Alright, then."

With that said, Gardenia's Jumpluff promptly raised the Heat Rock to the sky and turned to face Gardenia, who nodded.

"Alright, Jumpluff!" she cried. "Use Sunny Day!"

The Jumpluff nodded, before she suddenly glowed in a burst of bright orange light. Seconds later, Stipax and Owen looked above them, as the sky cleared and the sun began shining intensely.

Seconds later, the Heat Rock started glowing, and Jumpluff winked over at Stipax, who promptly braced himself for her next attack.

Soon afterwards, though, the Jumpluff began darting around quicker than anyone, even Stipax, could have imagined. Owen blinked in shock, before glancing down at Stipax.

"Dear god, she's fast!" he cried.

<How'd she get so fast?!> cried Stipax.

...and then the realization hit.

<Wait... is that...?!>

The Jumpluff giggled.

<Thaaaaat's right! My ability's Chlorophyll!>

<WHAT?!> cried Stipax.

"Wait, what?" asked Owen.

Stipax promptly turned to face him.

<Owen! Her Ability's Chlorophyll!> he cried. <Her Speed goes up in harsh sunlight!>

"Her speed goes up in— wait, she's got Chlorophyll?!"

Stipax nodded.

"And since she's got the Heat Rock, then that means..." Owen muttered, and then it hit him. "...uh-oh."

"You got it!" said Gardenia. "Let's see if you have any strategies of your own to counter with! Jumpluff! Use Giga Drain!"

<Right away!> said the Jumpluff.

Soon afterwards, she promptly glowed in a bright green light as multiple vines extended from her body and grabbed on to Stipax. Seconds later, Stipax promptly felt his energy leave him, and he let out a scream.

"Stipax!" cried Owen.

Fortunately for Stipax, though...

Stipax grinned and got back up, while Gardenia's Jumpluff smirked with delight.

<Thank youuuu~!> sang the Jumpluff.

<Phew!> said Stipax. <That did less than I thought! ...though that was probably due to me being part Bug-type... Anyways! Let's see if you can take this!>

And with that said, he lunged onto Gardenia's Jumpluff again— and bit her.

<AAAAHH~!>

Seconds later, it was Stipax who was glowing in a green energy as his strength came back to him— and the Jumpluff who was having more of her energy sucked out of her than she had sucked out of Stipax.

"Alright!" cried Owen. "Good going, Stipax!"

Stipax promptly jumped backwards and turned to face his Trainer.

<Thanks!> he cried.

The Jumpluff, meanwhile, groaned, spinning around for a bit.

<Urrrrghhh...>

J-Con 22

"He's got a long way to go," Kendall observed, shaking his head as the floating hand returned to him, sliding over his own hand like a glove before fading away.

He stood up. "I warned you the line between human and Pokemon was incredibly thin for the team," he apologized before turning to head off somewhere.

J-Con '22

Laurie blinked.

"Oh, you're leaving?" they asked. "Alright, then."

<Au revoir, M. Dream!> cried D'Autry.

"D-Dream?!" Laurie cried, blanching.

<Well, the cover did say his last name was "reh-VAY"...> ^note  "Rêver" (pronounced "reh-VAY") is French for "to dream". Laurie is Kalosian-fluent due to having a Kalosian mother, and while D'Autry grew up in Driftveil, he never left the city until he was caught and given to Laurie and never heard the name "Rever" spoken aloud. The first human language he could read (somewhat; he would not know "Rever" and "fever" rhyme) was English, notorious for its tricky spelling; the first he actually spoke was Kalosian. As a result, he got confused and ended up pronouncing "rever" the French way... and completely missed the lack of circumflex on the first "e".

Edited by OPALGARNET16 on Jul 30th 2022 at 11:23:58 AM

Totally not abandoned haunted mansion

-Hailee explores the upstairs of the mansion, coming across a living room-

Hailee: Huh. Wonder what's in here?

-the TV plays ominous imagery of what seems to be some kind of Ghost-type Pokemon, before abruptly cutting to TV static, which then cuts 2 seconds later to a cartoon centered around a clever Bunnelby and a self-centered Quaxly.-

Hailee: What was that about?

-At that moment, the old man rings a bell-

Old Man?: Come down, dinner's ready!

Hailee: I'm coming!

-Hailee races downstairs, and sits at a buffet table, as Bubbles and Banjo also arrive, with Bubbles having to help Banjo because of his growing pains-

Old Man?: Hmm, your Phanpy and Torchic haven't arrived yet!

Hailee: Eh, I'm sure they'll arrive soon enough.

Old Man?: Well then, I have some special food for you three! Some juicy roast chicken and pork ribs!

-The 'Old Man' uses some kind of magic to place the food onto plates, which then slide to Hailee, Banjo and Bubbles-

Bubbles: Well, lets eat! I'm starvin'!

-Bubbles struggles to eat her pork ribs, while Hailee starts to cut up her roast chicken-

Banjo: Hold on. Does anyone hear something? And does anyone smell... the smell of Ghost types?

-Banjo notices a purple gas emit from Hailee's chicken, and eventually a round, black head thats Banjo quickly realises is-

Banjo: A Gastly!

-Banjo uses Knock Off to swat Gastly away, which in turn, turns the roast chicken into Nugget-

Nugget: What the- where am I?! And why do I smell like roast chicken!

Hailee: Nugget? I thought you were roast chicken!

Nugget: Can someone expl- wait, what?

-the pork ribs turn into Timothy-

Timothy: Wha?! Why am I on a dinner table? Bubbles, what are you doing here!

Bubbles: Uhhh... trying to eat you, I think?

Timothy: You were WHAT?!

Old Man?: Well, looks like our covers been... blown.

-The Old Man turns into a horrific ghost-

Ghost:    No matter. Boys, time for our favorite game - funhouse! You 5 are up, good luck!   

-in a flash of light, the Ghost teleports everyone away, as Hailee eventually wakes up in a different part of the mansion-

Hailee: Where am I? Timothy? Banjo? Bubbles? Nugget? The Egg? ...Anyone?

Edited by ThunderKitty86 on Jul 31st 2022 at 2:44:17 AM

Mitchell steps into the Gym. He notes the decor makes it look like it was the inside of a mine or a mountain cavern, albeit with subtle details that reveal its manmade nature. At the entrance, beside a pair of stone pillars, he sees a bespectacled attendant, who greets him.

"Howdy!", the attendant says. "How's it going, Champ-to-be?"

Mitchell flashes a grin, just a tad too forcefully. Does he know I'm an Unovan?, he thinks, Or, is this just how he greets everyone?

The attendant notices the strain on Mitchell's face, and he chuckles. "That's what I say to everyone," he explains, "so don't you think I'm singling you out, you hear?"

Mitchell accepts this explanation. "So," he says, taking another glance through the Gym, "this would be the Gym specializing in Rock-type Pokemon, yes?"

"Got it in one!", the attendant replies. "But listen. Rock types may have certain weaknesses, but don't think beating them in this Gym will be easy. You don't get to be a Gym Leader without covering for weaknesses."

"Thank you for the advice," Mitchell responds. "Now, then, I'm ready to start the challenge."

The attendant nods, and gestures behind him. "You can start any time," he says.

Half an hour later, Mitchell reaches the top of the stairs. Before him, standing near a soil-filled fighting pit, is a man clad in grey miner clothes, wearing a red mining helmet and a pair of glasses. The man introduces himself to Mitchell.

"Welcome!", the man says. "This is the Oreburgh City Gym! I'm Roark, the Gym Leader!"

"Hello!", Mitchell replies. "I'm Mitchell Rhodes, without any titles."

Roark cracks a smile through his stony exterior. "Modest, aren't we?" he asks. "Anyway, I need you to show me two things in this battle: your potential as a Trainer, and the toughness of the Pokemon that battle with you! Can you do that?"

"Yes," Mitchell responds instantly. "At least, I'll try," he clarifies.

"Good!", Roark says. "Now then, have you beaten any Gym Leaders before coming here?"

"Two," Mitchell says, opening his badge case and showing Roark the Forest and Cobble Badges inside.

Roark nods sagely. "I see," he says. "Then, your opponents will be these guys." With those words, he selects three Pokeballs from the inconspicuous rack behind him.

A youngster climbs up from the lower levels of the Gym, taking a spot on the side of the pit to the right of Mitchell and the left of Roark. Mitchell notices the youngster has a marked air of maturity. That must be our referee, he thinks.

"This battle," the youngster announces, "will be a 3 versus 3 battle between the Gym Leader, Roark, and the Challenger, Mitchell, under standard Sinnoh Pokemon League rules. If the Challenger wins, he will be awarded the Coal Badge and any other rewards the Gym Leader sees fit. Trainers, prepare for battle!" He then looks to Roark and asks "Was that good, Mr. Roark?"

"Yep," Roark says, beaming like a diamond. "Keep it up, and stay impartial, okay?"

"Okay!", the youngster says, before resuming his mature demeanor.

Mitchell, now increasingly nervous, picks out his first Pokemon. He's hoping against hope that they would cooperate. "Ready," he says.

"Ready," Roark says, a Pokeball already in his hand.

"BEGIN!", the youngster shouts.

Roark and Mitchell simultaneously throw their Pokeballs into the pit.

"Go, Geodude!"

"Sprout, Auguste!"

The two Pokemon emerge from their Pokeballs and land in the pit. Each composes itself in their own ways.

The Geodude slams his fists together and assumes a boxing stance. <Come and get some, pal,> he says to Auguste. <Just cause you're Grass don't mean you'll take me easy!>

Auguste breathes deeply to focus himself. <It's just a play fight,> he says. <Just trust Milord, Gus.>

At Kendall's remark, Mitchell involuntarily breathes in while he's drinking, causing him to start coughing. "*COUGH* Consider me *HACK* warned, Ken. *WHEEZE*", he says, before slamming his chest to get the rest of the water out of his oesophagus. "Good luck, wherever you're going."

~Aren't you forgetting someone?~, Chris transmits to Mitchell, gesturing to Laurie.

Mitchell follows Chris's gesture and fully notices Laurie. "O-oh, yes!" he says to them. "Thanks for your concern about me, but really, it's-"

It's at this time that he hears Laurie's exclaimed word. "Dream?", he repeats.

<We have got to get this Kendall fellow to pronounce his full name for us, next time we meet.>, Gus says to no one in particular.

Chris has an idea. <Why not now?>, she asks rhetorically. Before anyone can stop her, she flies over to Kendall and asks him <Before you go, would you pronounce your full name for us, please?>

J-Con 22

"Number 2 of 5000+…" he sighed.

"It's like "reaper", only with a different letter in the middle," he summarized.

J-Con '22

"'Reaper' with a—" Laurie muttered— and then it hit everyone.

"<~-OHHHHHHHHH—!-~>"

~Well, aren't we all silly?~ asked Emcee.

<I mean, to be fair... he never told us,> said Slipknot.

"Ohh, so it's 'REE-vuhr,'" said Laurie. "Like 'fever' without the 'f'."

-HON-EST-LY, YOU SHOULD JUST PUT IN A PRO-NUN-CI-A-TION GUIDE,- droned Hetfield. -THE GA-LA-RI-AN LAN-GUAGE IS SUCH THAT IF YOU WERE TO TELL THEM FIRST, THEY'D SPELL IT WITH AN "A" AND IF YOU WERE TO SHOW THEM FIRST, THEY'D PRO-NOUNCE IT LIKE 'NE-VER'.-

"Never mind someone who can only speak [Kalosian] and Monese," said Laurie, looking down at D'Autry.

~That being said, though, based on the comment before then, I doubt many people ask or even bother,~ said Zoltan. ~After all, he did say that Chris was merely 'number 2 out of 5,000+'.~

-THAT'S FAIR,- said Hetfield. -EV-EN THEN, THOUGH, I DOUBT KEN-DALL WOULD WANT TO DE-AL WITH RE-PORT-ERS CON-STANT-LY MESS-ING HIS NAME UP BE-CAUSE GA-LA-RI-AN HAS STU-PID OR-THO-GRA-PHIES.-

"...wait, who was #1?" asked Laurie.

<...Wait, how many people have asked how your name's pronounced?!> cried D'Autry. ^note  He thinks it's 5000+.

Eterna City- Gym Battle

Eventually, after a bit, the Jumpluff managed to stir herself again and turned to face Stipax.

<Ooohhh, you're not going to get me again~!> she sang. <I'm going to put you to sleep before you can even do a thing!>

For a few moments after that, Owen wished he had brought out Saura.

"W-what?!" cried Owen. "Stipax! Look out!"

Stipax nodded, and then, as the Jumpluff began jumping around and spreading a sleep-inducing powder... he promptly dodged it.

The Jumpluff blinked in shock.

<H-huh?!> she cried.

Owen grinned.

"You know what they say," he said. "If it's not 100% accurate..."

<...it'll fail every time!>

"...it's 50 perce— wait what?"

<Oh, it's 50% accura— ohhh, OK.>

"...anyways... speaking of moves that aren't 100% accurate... Let's try and counter that Ability of hers, shall we? Stipax, use Electroweb!"

<Right!> cried Stipax— who immediately let loose and shot out a ball of electricity from his mouth that soon opened up into a web.

The Jumpluff just giggled.

<Oh, silly you! You just said it wasn't 100% accura—>

And then the web covered her.

<—HE'S GOT COMPOUND EYES HE'S GOT COMPOUND EYES HE'S GOT COMPOUND EYES-->

Owen grinned, having a feeling he had this one in the bag.

"Alright, now finish her off!" he cried, pointing ahead. "Use Signal Beam!"

<Right!> said Stipax.

And then seconds later, he released out a massive multicolored beam of light at the trapped Jumpluff.

<NOOOOOO->

Mere moments later, a massive explosion went up, and strings of electricity went flying everywhere as the Electroweb was torn apart. When it ultimately faded, Gardenia's Jumpluff was lying on her side with swirls in her eyes.

<Well... you sure play a good game...> she muttered wearily.

<Alright!> cried Stipax.

Then, to the fainted Jumpluff:

<You were great~!>

He promptly jumped up onto his Trainer's shoulder again and nuzzled him.

"Great work, Stipax!" said Owen. "You got her!"

OWEN EDMUNDSON HAS DEFEATED GARDENIA'S JUMPLUFF

GARDENIA HAS 5 POKEMON LEFT

Edited by OPALGARNET16 on Jul 31st 2022 at 12:35:07 PM

"Here we go, Auguste," Mitchell says. "Start with a Magical Leaf, please."

"Geodude," Roark commands. "Use Rollout."

The Geodude roars as he curls into a sphere and accelerates straight into Auguste. The Roselia takes the full brunt of the blow, but he manages to roll with the strike and reduce the damage he takes. As the Geodude rolls away-

<Now!>

-Auguste launches Magical Leaves from his head, which home in and strike true on the Geodude.

Roark frowns at this turn of event. "All right, then," he says. "Geodude, return."

With that command, Roark withdraws his Geodude back into his Pokeball. Mitchell, guessing who Roark is about to send out, gives another command to his Pokemon.

"Auguste," Mitchell says. "Whoever Roark sends out, trip them up with a Grass Knot."

<M-milord?>, Auguste asks. <Are you sure?>

Though Mitchell still does not understand Monese, he gets the intent behind Auguste's body language. "It's okay", he says. "They'll be fine."

As this is happening, Roark sends out his second Pokemon. "Go, Onix!", he says.

Out of Roark's Pokeball emerges the gigantic Rock Snake Pokemon, who stands at several times the height of Auguste. The Onix looks down upon Auguste's form, and he slithers forward menacingly.

This turns out to be a mistake. Auguste plunges his hands into the ground beneath him and accelerates the plant growth in the Onix's path, manifesting rapidly-growing grass that binds the Onix and sends him falling. The mighty slam that echoes through the Gym as the Onix makes impact would make it seem like he was beaten in one blow, but for one thing.

This Onix was Sturdy.

Roark smiles wanly. "Almost, challenger," he says. "Now, Onix, use Stealth Rock."

Mitchell's eyes widen in panic. "Quickly, Auguste!", he orders. "Finish the Onix with Magical Leaf! NOW!"

<O-okay!>, Auguste replies, as he scatters charged leaves and sends them at the Onix. The leaves find their mark, but the Onix manages a defiant grin as he faints.

Auguste is too late. The Onix had managed to scatter pointed stones from its body, which now float menacingly around Auguste's position.

Mitchell had heard horror stories about this move, and how it could single-handedly turn the tide of battle towards whoever used it first. He had been hoping to finish the battle without giving Roark a chance to use the move, but now, he would have no choice but to rely on Auguste beating both of Roark's remaining Pokemon without switching out.

Meanwhile, the youngster gives his ruling. "Onix is unable to battle!", he announces. "Leader Roark, please call your next Pokemon!" Without missing a beat, Roark calls out his next Pokemon. To be more precise, he calls out his previous Pokemon.

"Go, Geodude!"

<Time for round two, pal!>, the Geodude says, as confident as ever. This makes Auguste even more uncomfortable.

"Hang in there, Auguste!", Mitchell calls out. "One more Magical Leaf should finish him off!"

"Can he do it in time, though?", Roark wonders out loud. "Geodude, use Bulldoze."

The two Pokemon end up launching their attacks simultaneously. The Geodude is punctured by the charged leaves Auguste fires at him and tumbles to the ground, while Auguste is knocked off his feet by the vibrations from the Geodude's ground pummelling. Both lie still on the floor for a few seconds, but then-

<Urrgh,> Auguste moans as he rises to his feet. <Not my finest moment, this.>

The Geodude, on the other hand, is completely unconscious.

"Geodude is unable to battle!", the youngster announces. "Leader Roark, please call your final Pokemon!"

Roark returns the Geodude to his Pokeball. "Sorry, my friend," he says. "I'll get you a nice treat today for your hard work." Then, with resolve blazing in his eyes, visible even through the glasses he wears, he throws the Pokeball containing his last Pokemon.

"Go, Cranidos!", Roark yells.

A grey, theropod-like Pokemon, about twice the height of Auguste, emerges from the Pokeball and happily greets the Roselia. <Hiya, hiya, howya doing?>, he says. <Let's have a good ol' match, ya?>

<Er, yes, certainly,> Auguste replies, a bit unnerved by the Cranidos' cheery demeanor.

Mitchell is somewhat perturbed by the new Pokemon's antics, so he slaps his cheeks to refocus his composure. "We're almost done, Auguste," he orders. "Hit the Cranidos with Magical Leaf until it's down!"

"Cranidos," Roark cooly orders. "finish that Roselia with a Headbutt, please."

<You got it!>, the Cranidos replies, before charging at Auguste with frightening speed. The full-force strike is enough to knock Auguste unconscious in a single strike.

"Roselia Auguste is unable to battle!", the youngster announces. "Challenger Mitchell, please call your next Pokemon!"

Mitchell is stunned momentarily. True, Auguste had done a great job taking out two of Roark's three Pokemon, but it was rather sudden for him to go down without leaving a mark on the third Pokemon. Resigned to having to play around Stealth Rock and whatever tricks the Cranidos still has, he says "Good job, Auguste. I'll get you something good after this", and he recalls the Roselia. As he does so, he notices two things about the Cranidos.

First, some leaves are sticking out of the Cranidos's skin. It turns out that Auguste managed to launch his Magical Leaves as he was struck by the Headbutt. This will certainly make things easier for the rest of the team, Mitchell thinks.

Second, the Cranidos appears to be glowing with an inner light. Huh, Mitchell thinks. he looks a bit like Christine did when she...she.....oh no.

"Well, now," Roark says. "You didn't tell me you were this close to evolving, little Cranidos!"

Indeed, just as Mitchell fears, the Cranidos is evolving.

<Thank you, Mr. Rever,> Chris says, bowing politely to Kendall. <We'll try to remember if and when we next meet.>

Meanwhile, Mitchell cannot help but overhear what Hetfield is saying about the Galarian language. "Ahem," he theatrically coughs. "You do know there's a native Galarian speaker near you, right? Ah, how do I say this in your tongue? Umm.."

Gus figures out what Mitchell is about to do, and jumps into his field of view, crossing his limbs in front of him. <NO.>, he yells. <DO. NOT. SPEAK. MONESE.>

Gus's aggressive behavior is enough of a hint for Mitchell to abandon his plan. "Okay, okay," he says. "I'll stick to human languages." Then, turning his attention to Laurie, he says "Wait, #1 of what?" He has not overheard what Kendall had sighed.

Edited by AnotherMan on Aug 2nd 2022 at 8:02:05 PM

Stormchaser

Hoops and Vana end up in the Stormchaser's training room. That way they can battle without worry of a member of the School showing up and causing trouble.

"So, how do you want to do this?" Hoops asks, as they take their place at one end of the field.

Vana makes her way slowly to the other end. Luckily, the Stormchaser has provided a chair at her end. "Let's do three battles," she says. "Best of three, but we play all three whatever the result."

Hoops nods. "Okay."

Vana pulls out one of her pokéballs. Hoops realises that they have been doodled on, the way a child might do in the corner of her notebook. The designs are actually quite intricate and beautiful.

"Go, Feathery," she says, throwing the pokéball. It makes it a few feet before falling to the ground, where it bounces once before opening and releasing the Honchkrow inside.

"Okay," Hoops says. "In that case, go Led!" They send her out, and she faces down Feathery.

<We fighting Vana?> she asks. <Weird.>

"I'll let you make the first move," Hoops says.

Vana nods. "Feathery, use Air Cutter!" Feathery raises her wings and slashes them in an x motion through the air. She creates a wave of razor sharp air that flies towards Led.

"Light Screen," Hoops says, calmly. Led creates a glowing wall of force that the Air Cutter bounces off harmlessly.

"Now use Bug Buzz," they add.

Led strikes her wings against each other, creating a low pitched sound that strikes Feathery. She is knocked to the ground, where she lies unmoving.

"You win that one," Vana says. She doesn't seem surprised, or even upset, by the result as she returns Feathery to her ball. Hoops also returns Led.

J-Con 22

He turned back, sighing.

"I’m an author. I get fan mail and business inquiries. They get put into a certain folder and tallied up before getting deleted. I’m up to 5,000 and counting emails. Out of them, none have asked for my surname’s pronunciation. But I have had people in the real world ask me questions, mostly about my book. And so I count those as well. You are the second person to ask me, to my face, about its pronunciation," he summarized. "Out of 5,000-plus people who have read or heard of my book.”

Unova, the Entree Forest

It's a beautiful day out in the woods. The sun is shining, the birdmons are singing- okay, well, no, they're mostly complaining as a handful of trained volunteers take various measurements of their bodies. Not that most of the volunteers understand them, though at least one among them does.

A Rufflet: <Letmegoletmegoletmegoletmego>

Ama: "I told you I'll let you go as soon as I'm done. The more you struggle the longer this will take."

Handler: "What's he saying?"

Ama: "Just telling me to let him go. H- RELAX, I'M NOT GOING TO EAT YOU."

Rufflet: <:{>

Ama: "Arceus above-..."

She suddenly stops and frowns.

Handler: "Something wrong?"

Ama: "No. Hold on, I need to... go to the bathroom."

Handler: "... Alright then."

She takes the ruffled Rufflet from Ama, who gets up and walks off in the direction of the nearest bathroom.

... It occurs to her this is the kind of thing she should follow Ama for, but Ama hasn't actually ever tried to escape her community service so it's probably fine right?

Oh no, what if it was all a ruse to lull me into a false sense of security, Handler thinks.

A ruse that lasted like, three years, she thinks. ...

Not that she doesn't trust Ama or anything but she should probably at least pretend to do her handling duties right?

She hands the Rufflet off yet again and follows Ama quietly.

Silas crawled out of the vents and looked down to the guard patrols below. "So, Miss Strauss has to be around here somewhere."

~I'm picking up a few jammers, fuzzy spots of aura. Seems they don't want to be found.~

Silas had a small smirk beneath his mask as he flipped down a goggle set. "That's why we brought these."

Hacks rolled his eyes. ~You just have to develop new toys.~

Silas crept along and dropped down, Hacks shortly following. With a quick grab they pulled a guard and his serviper into the darkness. Silas applied a bit of force in his bionic arm and then whispered. "Talk."

"Oh... fuck. Hey man, don't hurt me!"

The Serviper was nervous, then it heard Hacks say. ~Try anything, even make a noise and I'm tying you into a Frufrou shape.~

The Serviper's nervous sweat had become a waterfall, Silas pulled the guard close. "Patrols?"

"Just us and some other guys. We're standard grunt fare, honest."

"That's quite a claim."

<We're telling the truth! The heavier guys are downstairs!> The serviper swore.

~They're telling the truth, so he claims.~

"Didn't even see you, not on thermals! How did you do that?" The Guard asked.

"Sorry, trade secret. Now, how do I get downstairs?" Silas asked.

"The Commander has a keycard, he's up in the office. Don't hurt me, please!"

"Don't worry, you're not dying," Silas whispered before applying more pressure and rendering the guard unconscious. Hacks followed with a force palm to the head of the Serviper. Silas rolled his shoulders as he stepped off to a pipe and began to climb it.

~Seems the new camo works.~

Silas nodded, recalling the making of it.

Roxy stared at the outfit. "Silas while I appreciate seeing you in skintight outfits, the hell is this thing?"

Silas grinned as he adjusted the bodysuit. "This is a bit of an upgrade, that bit with Delta being a blank had me thinking."

"Oh Arceus," she responded rolling her eyes. "Really? That's why you haven't slept for 3 days?"

Silas said nothing as he adjusted the outfit. "I call it auratex. It's similar to the material I made for the Rogue outfit, but much better. It not only has improved heat absorption making me invisible to thermals, but I took some aura sensitive materials and layered them through the threading."

Hacks tilted his head. ~Where did you get that idea?~

"Aura is energy right? We can use it, measure it, collect it, turn it into energy drinks, well that means it has properties we can follow. My beskar is dense and diffuses auric energy around it, similar to how it 'bleeds' other energy like blaster bolts. I went through a few iterations, hence all that testing."

Hacks nodded. ~Right, right I remember.~

Silas grinned. "Stealth missions will be easier if we don't get picked up by aurics as well. The man is a bastard but him being a blank gave me some good ideas."

The two approached the roof of the office and peaked in, a singular guard in different coloured armor stood in there on the phone... it was almost too easy.

J-Con

Jonathan: Well, that happened. This is gonna be an interesting column.

Walter: Albright and Petersen would've been all over that.

Jonathan: Yeah, them and their As in monese class. That kecleon just out-Harvey'd Harvey.

Walter: chalk that one up the history books. Or at least the archives.

Jonathan: Indeed. Shouldn't we be meeting up with the new guy soon?

Walter: I've sent him a message already.

Chris's face flushes in embarrassment. <S-sorry,> she says to Kendall. <I hope that I haven't upset you. It's just that, I struggle with human customs.>

Mitchell offers his own opinion on the reason why Kendall hasn't had more questions about how his name is pronounced. "Maybe all those other people," he says, "heard how it was pronounced another way, like from a TV report, commercials, a master of ceremonies, or something like that. That, or they just imagined their own personal pronunciation is correct."

After saying this, Mitchell retrieves a pamphlet for J-Con that he had obtained earlier and unfolds it, revealing a map of the convention's grounds. "Now, where would they sell books authored by J-Teamers?", he mutters, tracing his finger to and fro across the map.

Unova, the Entree Forest

Ama: Oh great, she's following me.

... Oh yeah, Ama is probably pretty good at noticing people tracking her, huh?

Ama: ... I doubt I have the time to deal with her. Oh well, hopefully she knows when to keep to herself-

Ama: "HEY. I know you're out there. I could sense your killing intent. You know you've got a noticeably different presence than the wildmons out here hunting, right?"

Handler: -hiding behind a tree- "???"

Ama: "I don't have all day. If you came here trying to kill me or whatever nonsense you might as well get it over with."

The silence stretches long enough that Handler starts wondering if Ama is okay (probably not), when a blur darts out of the bushes.

Ama simply tilts her body a little and avoids the tackling figure. Her own silhouette blurs, and the surroundings become a confusing mess of sights and sounds that don't line up with each other. The blur hits a bush five feet away from itself, Ama appears and disappears at random intervals, footsteps mark themselves in the grass only to disperse into smoke.

With a resounding smack Ama reappears, holding... A child. By the neck.

The child looks about 10, with shoulder length black hair and soft purple eyes. A white stripe trails its way down the right side of her bangs. She's dressed in a slightly ratty looking grey t-shirt and cargo pants.

She looks remarkably similar to a younger Ama.

Handler: "Is that.. a child?"

Ama: -turning to look- "Stand back-"

At Handler's intervention the child rears back with a foot. A pinkish-purple stiletto blade forms out of the toe of her boot and she kicks Ama in the side with all the force she seems able to muster.

Ama winces and drops the child, who scampers off into the brush like a Wimpod that has the light turned on them.

Ama: "Augh-! Why did you follow me?!"

Handler: "In- in case??"

Ama: "IN CASE OF WHAT?"

Handler: "I DON'T KNOW! I'm still supposed to be monitoring you!"

Ama: "That's... Okay, fine, I can't argue with that."

Handler: "..."

Ama: "..."

Handler: "Do you.. need medical attention?"

Ama: -deadpan, bleeding- "What do you think?"

Edited by Daydre on Aug 1st 2022 at 9:02:15 AM

J-Con— Braker's Section

At that moment, while Braker, Walter, Cuddles, Caboose, and KL-RY were walking through the convention, Braker suddenly recieved a text from his phone.

"H-huh?"

<What is it, Braker?> asked Walter.

"I'm not sure..." he muttered— and then he got a look at the message. Instantly, his eyes widened.

<Hm?> chirped Cuddles. <Is something wrong, Lenny?>

"...It says that some people from Geo Soc want to see me," he said.

<WHAT?!> Cuddles exclaimed.

<Geo Soc?> asked Walter.

<Who are they?> asked Caboose.

~I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF JI-O-SOO-SHU~ said KL-RY.

<Geographic Society,> said Walter.

<They're a major magazine publication known for making nature documentaries~!> said Cuddles.

<Ohhh! OK, never mind, I've heard of them!> said Caboose. <But... what would they want with someone like you? Aren't you a news reporter?>

"Well, I applied for a job there a few months ago..." muttered Braker— and then it hit him.

All of a sudden, he started running off frantically, in the direction of the Geo Soc people. Walter and Cuddles glanced out for a moment, then ran after Braker, with Caboose and KL-RY in tow.

<Lennnyyy~! Wait up!> cried Cuddles.

<Where are you going?!> yelled Caboose.

J-Con— Geo Soc

Eventually, Braker made it to where Johnathon and Walter (the executive) were standing, and took a few breaths, before eventually standing up and extending out his hand.

"Leonard Braker," he said. "Thank you so much for your patience. I... believe this means you recieved my letter, so this is.... this is, what? An interview, or something?"

From behind him, Walter (the Wobbuffet) and Cuddles arrived, alongside Caboose and KL-RY.

<What's going on?> asked Cuddles, turning to face Walter. <Is this an interview, by any chance, or...?>

<Well, if he ran off that fast, there has to be a good reason for it,> said Walter.

J-Con— Laurie's Section

"Not sure," said Laurie, subsequently opening up their map.

Eterna City- vs. Gardenia

Gardenia looked over at her fainted Jumpluff for a bit before eventually returning her to her PokeBall.

"You did great, Jumpluff," she said. "You deserve a nice, long rest."

Soon afterwards, she put the Jumpluff's PokeBall away and turned to look at Owen.

"Well, your Galvantula certainly is powerful!" she said. "But he'll be no match for my next mon!"

With that said, she took out another PokeBall and threw it out.

"Go, Sunflora!" she cried.

In a flash of light, a Sunflora appeared- with a blue scarf wrapped around her neck. Owen and Stipax looked on, in shock.

"Is that... is that a Choice Scarf?!" cried Owen.

Stipax nodded.

<Sure looks like it,> he said. <And it's still sunny...>

They looked at each other.

"Think she's picked Solar Beam?" asked Owen.

<I think so too,> said Stipax.

Owen nodded. "Stipax, you stay off to the side. I have another mon I want to use."

Stipax nodded, and then jumped over to the side. Owen, meanwhile, took out another PokeBall.

"Alright, this one might surprise you, but I'm still going with him!" said Owen, throwing the ball out. "Go, Eurypedis!"

The ball opened, and Eurypedis emerged from it, staring at the Sunflora with a smirk on his face.

<Oh, hello there!> said the Sunflora happily. <Ready to get yourself taken down~?>

Eurypedis just sighed, smiling.

<Ohhh... what a shame it is that I'm faster than you,> he said.

Seconds later, he started glowing in a light blue light, and soon afterwards, the sunlight faded as clouds began to come together.

Seconds later...

The Sunflora looked on in dismay as the hail came pelting down on to her, realizing that due to the weather change her Ability, Solar Power, as well as an instant Solar Beam, were negated.

<No... no, no, no!> she cried. <Oh, I wish I didn't have this Choice Scarf on me... Well, at least I'm not losing HP!>

Eurypedis smirked.

<Your ability... it must be Solar Power, then?> he asked.

The Sunflora nodded. <Yeah... but it still doesn't matter! I still have the type advantage~!>

Soon afterwards, she opened her mouth and proceeded to charge up energy for a Solar Beam.

Owen nodded to Eurypedis.

"Alright, then! Great work, Eurypedis!" he said. "Now, let's take that opportunity! Use Blizzard!"

And at that last word, both Gardenia's and the Sunflora's eyes widened.

"B-Blizzard?!" cried Gardenia.

<Oh dear...> muttered Sunflora. <But... B-Blizzard in a hailstorm... ALWAYS HITS!>

And sure enough, seconds later, Eurypedis opened his mouth and released a massive stream of snow out at Sunflora.

<GAH—!> cried the Sunflora.

"Sunflora!" cried Gardenia.

A cloud of dust promptly went up, and when it faded, the Sunflora was lying on her side with swirls in her eyes. Owen, Eurypedis, Gardenia, and Stipax all blinked in shock.

<Dang it... I never even got a hit in...> the Sunflora muttered weakly.

"...Well," said Owen. "That happened."

<...I did not expect that I would retain the strength from my past life upon my revival,> said Eurypedis.

<Well, I wasn't expecting you'd be that strong!> said Stipax.

"Um... anyways... nicely done, Eurypedis...?" asked Owen, a bit nervously. "That's... two in the bag, I guess..."

OWEN EDMUNDSON HAS DEFEATED GARDENIA'S SUNFLORA

GARDENIA HAS 4 POKEMON LEFT

Unova, the Entree Forest

Being a vampire in an aura nexus means Ama is more or less a normal person right now, so at the very least she won't die. Probably.

... Needless to say she's receiving first aid and will need to visit a hospital at some point, but she's mostly just cranky right now.

Ama: "I'm getting too old to be stabbed in the side..."

Handler: "You can't be that old right?"

Ama: "I'm 42."

Handler: "You're 42?"

Ama: "Yes? Why would I lie about that?"

Handler: "No, it's just older than I expected you to be. And yet younger at the same time..."

Ama: "How old do I look to you?"

Handler shrugs.

Handler: "..."

Handler: "So that girl..."

Ama: "... Yes?"

Handler: "She kinda looked like you."

Ama: "Where are you going with this."

Handler: "Uh... Do you have any kids you forgot about?"

Ama: "Oh for fuck's- No. No I don't. Even if I did, the likelihood they'd end up in this timeline is small."

Handler: "Right, right."

Handler: "So... where'd she come from?"

Ama: "I have a guess, but I sincerely hope it's not what I think it is."

Handler: "Mm."

Ama: "What I don't understand is why anyone would want to bother killing me. I'm not wanted in this universe. And if they already had enough of my DNA to make her why would they bother...? Not like my genetic code is worth a lot, anyway."

Ama: "Ugh. This is going to be a headache isn't it."

Stormchaser, training room

"Go, Spinny!" Vana sends out her next pokémon. She chirps happily.

"Sno," Hoops says, throwing the pokéball. "Come out."

Vana holds out her hand. "Use Fairy Wind!"

"Icy Wind."

Both pokémon release a powerful wind full of their respective elemental energies, which clash and create a blast of force. Vana covers her face and struggles to remain standing. Hoops doesn't react. When the winds fade, Spinny lies unconscious on the ground.

Vana wordlessly recalls her pokémon. "This is fine," she says, her voice unnaturally still. "I expected this."

Hoops recalls Sno. "Do you want to keep going?"

Vana nods. "I do. Hummy!" She doesn't throw a pokéball, but her Porygon Z seems to materialise out of nowhere.

<.. / .— .. .-.. .-.. / ..-. .. —. .... - / ..-. —- .-. / -.— —- ..- .-.-.-> it tells her, and she nods in thanks.

"Okay," Hoops says. "Go, Sal." They send out their third and final pokémon.

"Use Pysbeam!" Vana yells. Hummy flies upwards, charging its psychic energy. It releases it in a rainbow coloured beam that moves surprisingly quick, striking Sal and sending him flying.

He lands in front of Hoops. "You okay?" they ask.

Sal nods. <Never better.>

"Good. Now then, use Flamethrower." Sal tips his head back as he gathers flames in his mouth, before releasing them in a white hot stream that strikes Hummy in the chest. Hummy falls to the ground, but is able to struggle back into the air. Then its eyes become crosses as it falls into unconscious.

Despite her fatigue, Vana is able to make it to Hummy in time to catch it. <.. .——. — / ... —- .-. .-. -.— / .. / -.-. —- ..- .-.. -.. -. .——. - / -.. —- / -... . - - . .-. —..— / ...- .- -. .- .-.-.->

She shakes her head. "You did fine. I mean, I was never supposed to be a battler after all, was I?" She forces a smile as tears well in her eyes and begin to run down her cheeks. "I guess this is something that I can work on in the future."

CW: Mild self-loathing themes

<Yahoo, yahey!>, the newly evolved Rampardos celebrates. <I'm even stronger now!> He pauses, as a thought comes to him. <Wait, I'm bigger now, too. How'll I fit inta my fav cubby-holes now?>

Roark's stony demeanor collapses as he becomes more of a doting father-figure to the Rampardos. "Now, now," he says, "we have a Gym battle to finish, my Rampardos. Can you focus on the other guy for now?"

<Yes, sir!>, the Rampardos replies, cutely saluting his Trainer.

Meanwhile, after getting a pointed look from the youngster referee, Mitchell calls out his next Pokemon. "Soar, Esmeralda!", he cries.

The Staravia emerges from her Pokeball and flies over the battlefield. Unfortunately for her, Stealth Rock stones fly into her, wounding her terribly.

<Ouch,> Esmeralda chirps. <Master, what is this nonsense?>

"Sorry," Mitchell says, knowing of Esmeralda's pain from the look on her face. "I forgot about the rocks."

<Pray that is all you forgot,> Esmeralda responds. <Now, your orders, please.>

Roark issues his command first, before Mitchell can give his own. "Rampardos," he says, "Use Leer,"

"Uh, okay," Mitchell responds, briefly out of sorts, "hit him with an Aerial Ace, Esmeralda!"

Roark's Rampardos cast a chilling gaze at Esmeralda with his baleful red eyes, causing her nerve to falter. Yet, this is not enough for her to break off her attack, as she flies with tremendous speed and strikes the Rampardos with three nearly-simultaneous hits. Though all three blows strike true, the Rampardos is barely fazed by the attack.

<Hey, that kinda tickled!>, the Rampardos laughs. <Do it again, come on!>

As Esmeralda pulls away, she sighs in disappointment. Mitchell, meanwhile, slaps his forehead in self-disgust. "Dummy," he mutters, "Rock resists Flying, remember?" Suddenly, he remembers something. "But not.."

"Wait for it, Rampardos," Roark warns his Pokemon. "That Staravia has to come close sooner or later."

"Esmeralda, Quick Attack!", Mitchell commands. "Aim for a blind spot!"

<That's better,> Esmeralda replies, complimenting her master's quick recovery. She then accelerates into a dive, preparing to knock the Rampardos off balance with her attack. However,-

"Now, Rampardos! Headbutt!"

Roark's command is immediately followed, as the Rampardos turns and smashes his head directly into Esmeralda's beak. The shock from the blows knocks Esmeralda to the ground, but only staggers the Rampardos for a moment.

<Whoa, nelly!>, the Rampardos says. <That kinda tickled, birdy! Shame yer Normal hits don't do diddly to Rocky types like me!>

<So it was,> Esmeralda wheezes in reply, before slipping into unconsciousness.

"Staravia Esmeralda is unable to battle!", the youngster announces. "Challenger Mitchell, please call your final Pokemon!"

Now, Mitchell is even more frustrated than before. What was he thinking, using Normal type moves against a Rock-type? He recalls Esmeralda into her Pokeball, muttering his apologies as he does so, and moves to select his final Pokemon. Intellectually, he knows that calling Edmond would be the safest choice, on account of his type advantage over the Rock-type Pokemon. But, two things changed his mind.

The first thing was the attendant's warning.

You don't get to be a Gym Leader without covering for weaknesses.

If there is any time for Roark to reveal his countermeasure for Fighting types, it would be here and now.

The second thing was a note he read that morning, addressed to him by an unexpected party.

Against such an earnest plea, Mitchell cannot offer any resistance. He chooses his Pokeball and tosses it into the pit.

"Appear, Rebecca!"

Edited by AnotherMan on Aug 4th 2022 at 5:57:28 PM

The Commander was out and Hacks opened the elevator. ~Here we are, straight down?~

"As if there's any other direction?"

The two climbed in and let it descend. Silas pulled out a tranq-pistol from his belt and checked the ammo supply. "Just in case we need a few long ranged options."

Hacks frowned. ~We need to get some proper mons with sleep moves.~

"I'll think about it, for now. We make do with sleep powder darts."

The doors opened and the two vanished into the darkness again, a hallway ahead. "Safe house huh?"

~We got Bishop on hand, as well as Conroy. We'll be fine.~

Silas nodded and cracked a ball open, as the noivern stretched. <We breakin and entering?>

Hacks nodded, Conroy grinned. <I'll keep an ear out, let's move.>