ITT: We are all Pokémon Trainers

PEFE Depths

"Of course we have a file on you," Whitt says like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "We have one for everyone that we consider... well I was going to say a threat, but a nuisance seems like a better word. The bigger the problem, the bigger the file. And guys like you who have been a part of the J-Team for years? Well, we're really interested in you."

He inhales deeply through the nose as though inhaling some kind of drug. "I can't tell you how much I could reach across this table and kill you right now. The amount that it would help the School... but I digress. You want details? How about we talk about your adoptive father's smuggling ring? Your old band where you let off that black fire? Or how about we talk about Gale Knight?"

Whitt smiles. "Like I said. We have a lot of details. And let me tell you now, that anything you plan to do to the School, against our glorious rise, you should give up now. Because you and your J-Team friends all have people that you love, and we have no shortage of Templars that would be willing to hurt them." As if to illustrate the point, he bites his lip hard enough to break the skin, then sucks up the blood before it can freeze on his chin.

Galar, Wild Area - July 31st

-As a general rule, Galar is a very temperate region.-

-The days when it is not stand out. The locals would refer to it as forty-three degrees - visitors from Unova would say one-hundred-and-ten. It is a damp, humid heat that feels hotter than the thermometer might indicate. Most individuals are sheltering indoors; those who're forced to venture outside in such conditions generally do so in light, loose-fitting clothing, assuming they don't forgo it entirely.-

-Not the young girl currently standing out amidst the long grass, however. At a glance, she appears to be no older than fifteen. Yet despite the fact that it ought to be summer holiday season, she is clad in full school uniform: a heavy grey blazer, stark white shirt, black skirt over opaque tights.-

Bela: ...Why did you run?

Edited by Herbert40k on Sep 7th 2022 at 11:03:18 AM

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

Galar, Wild Area - July 31st

Vana sits in front of Bela. Despite the heat, she is dressed in a thick jumper and woollen trousers, which conceal just how skinny she is at this point. She has less than two weeks left at this point, though she doesn't know this.

"Why?" she asks. "I'm surprised you care, Bela. Why did you stay? I realised I didn't like the person that the School had created, and left to see if I could make myself into something else. As it turns out, I didn't have the time."

A warm breeze blows through, catching the hair of both girls and then carrying on to whistle through the trees.

Galar, Wild Area - July 31st

-Bela's fists clench as Vana refers to her by name.-

Bela: I am Number Four, designation Beryllium. Only Neo gets to- you will refer to me as Four, Beryllium, or nothing.

-She turns away, pacing back and forth.-

Bela: It doesn't matter whether you like the person they made you into or not. What you think, what you believe - none of that matters. The only thing that matters is whether you're a success or a failure. I'm a success. You're a failure.

-She stops, still with her back to the other girl.-

Bela: ...Tell me why I shouldn't kill you. I need a reason.

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

Galar, Wild Area - July 31st

Vana smiles weakly. "I don't suppose you'll accept me not wanting to die as a valid reason. This genetic disorder hasn't, after all."

"Listen Nothing, there are some fine folks working hard to make sure I don't die, and as much as I'd like to put my faith in them I'm a pessimist at heart. So you can either kill me, or let me enjoy this view." She looks out over the Wild Area. "But if you do kill me, do it quickly and from behind."

Vana turns away from Bela, almost daring her to deal the blow. "But," she says. "Since the outcome will be the same either way, why not take this opportunity to make a decision. Trust me Nothing, they're a lot of fun."

Galar, Wild Area - July 31st

-...-

-The wind continues to blow, hot and humid, running through Vana's hair. If she were to glance behind her, she would see that Bela hasn't moved; her expression remains as stoic as ever, even as her purple irises bore into Vana's back.-

Bela: ...I'm not a sadist. I was created without such defects in my character. I will kill you quickly and cleanly.

-...-

-She is still very conspicuously not killing Vana.-

Bela: Unlike yourself, however, I am not preoccupied with the idea of my own death. I'm not going to die. I'm going to graduate. Perhaps if you had dedicated yourself to such a goal, you wouldn't need to place your fate in the hands of others.

-There's the sound of tight-clad legs treading their way through the tall grass, and then the sound of someone perching themselves atop a rock to the left of where Vana is positioned.-

Bela: ...Who are these "folks" you're speaking of? I ought to know our enemy.

Edited by Herbert40k on Sep 7th 2022 at 11:47:51 AM

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

Galar, Wild Area - July 31st

The fact that she is currently not murdered is not lost on Vana. She allows herself a wry smile, remembering that before she knew she was sick she sought to change the minds of some of those in the School's thrall.

"Those folks are the J-Team," she says. "Honestly, they're kind of a crazy bunch. They all live in this bright yellow airship, they're about as cohesive as a group of Yamper at feeding time, and a lot of them are dealing with their own baggage. But, they're good people at heart. They don't care who you are, where you come from, or what you've done - if you're willing to try and be better than you were before, they'll take you in."

She turns, and the light catches the side of her face in a way that both shows off how thin she is, while also showing off all the life that's still inside her. "Doesn't sound so bad, does it Nothing?"

Galar, Wild Area - July 31st

-Bela scoffs, shaking her head.-

Bela: I never stop striving to be better. It is my genetic destiny to be the best of all of us. I will be our class's graduate, because I was created to succeed. I've heard of this J-Team you're talking about. They're nothing more than a collection of truants, dropouts, and failures. I don't understand why you would throw everything away for... that.

-She looks over to face Vana, making eye contact with the other girl for the first time. She notices the hollowness of Vana's cheeks, the dark circles under her eyes, and her own eyes widen.-

Bela: ...You're dying.

Edited by Herbert40k on Sep 8th 2022 at 1:34:25 PM

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

Galar, Wild Area - July 31st

Vana snorts. "Took you long enough, Nothing. But yeah, I'm dying. To be fair, I found that out after I ran from the School."

She stands up and takes a step towards Bela. "Regardless, I'm dying because the School didn't build me right. My body grows too fast, and starts to break down. There's no cure, because despite it happening to dozens of us the School never cared enough to look into one. That's what the J-Team are doing."

"I know what you'll say," she continues. "That the School is meant to work like that, and that if you die because of something like that then you weren't meant to succeed. If you get to live, then it means you were meant to live. That way the School is only filled with those who succeed, which means that they're the strongest they can be."

Vana stops in front of Bela. "The J-Team is as you said," she agrees. "Most everyone there is a screwup of some kind. But, they accept the flaws in themselves and each other. I'd rather spend a day in a place like that than a million years somewhere that doesn't allow mistakes."

Galar, Wild Area - July 31st

Bela: ...

-There is no retort from Bela's mouth, but her fists clench in her lap. Eventually, she stands up to face Vana, unable to meet the other girl's eyes this time.-

Bela: ...I'll tell the Counsellor I dealt with you. You... nobody else will be coming after you. He'll believe me. If they look into my mind, they'll know it's the truth. After all, I don't expect I'll see you again.

-She turns away to keep Vana from seeing her face. Her voice remains the same monotone rasp of someone not accustomed to using it.-

Bela: What's happening to you... you said it yourself. It's not going to happen to me. Right?

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

Galar, Wild Area - July 31st

"I can't tell the future, Nothing," Vana says. "But maybe if it does happen to you, the School will do something about it. You were created to succeed, right?"

Then, quietly enough that there is no way Bela would actually hear it, she mutters: "Thank you."

Galar, Wild Area - July 31st

Bela: ...It's Bela. You can call me Bela.

-The blessing (or the curse) that comes with psychic abilities is that you hear everything, even the words that might otherwise go unsaid.-

Bela: Goodbye, Vana. I... I'll remember this. I promise.

-She stuffs her clenched fists into the pockets of her blazer and begins to walk away.-

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

Galar, Wild Area - July 31st

"Hey!" Vana calls after Bela. Without waiting for her to turn, she says: "If you ever decide you want a different life, find the J-Team. Tell them I sent you."

Galar, Wild Area - July 31st

-Bela stops as Vana calls after her, but doesn't turn back.-

Bela: ...Trust me, I know where to find them.

-And she keeps walking.-

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

The GM Household

-Deziree sips from her cup as she looks at the part of the house lovingly referred to as "The Wall". On it are a variety of trophies and memorabilia from the family's various outings.-

-Dune's Pre-Gym Certification.-

-The ball that caught Grandpa Mountain, now safely decommission.-

-The remains of her Snatch Gauntlet, before Deziree blew it up trying to fiddle with it.-

-Ludmilla's Alola badge case.-

-Dune's Kalos badge case beside it.-

-Dune's Mt. Battle certification.-

-...-

-Hm.-

Deziree: ... Huh.

-This latest outing had stirred some thoughts in Dezi's head, and looking at the wall finally gave them a catalyst to form around.-

Deziree: ...

-She pulls out her phone and looks up the entry requirements for leagues, and a (probably very well-payed for) add for the Galar Regional League popped up at the top of the search results.-

Edited by DuneTheWanderer on Sep 8th 2022 at 5:36:54 AM

Veilstone Warehouse

Alex: "...Yeah."

"...Is the J-Team still open? I might want back in. Could do with. Socialization."

Meat Palace

Lead Monkey: <Damn it we're trapped after all.>

See? I told you. Useless.

Lead Monkey: <...Shut up.>

Lavender Town

Olivia: <Oh! I can work with it now!>

-She hovers over the Circle and transforms into the Earth Vellumental-

Olivia: <All right! Shake it like a piece of outdated photographic paper!>

-and does her cheerleader cheer, causing the rock pillar to go into the ground and Lavender Tower to go back to its original height. Olivia goes back to normal-

Olivia: <Well, not bad if I say so myself! Let's go in!>

Contact Me!

Sinnoh, Safe House

Molybdenum: ~I—yes—no...?~

Door's always open. Welcome back, ████.

Molybdenum: ~No, of course I can—do more than I was intended for. But—my design—~

-"Use your words, dear."-

-scientist, Alumnus, Templar—memories rise and illuminate themselves-

Molybdenum: ~This—teaching her—is the best I can do. I know I can't win.~

-her brain's practically shoving that information at PEFE!Every-

Hearthome, Apartment

-Rhoda's not surprised-

-every time she has this nightmare, they turn her down-

-for all her fantasizing of fighting back and winning, of running and laughing,

(-it's funny, though-)

Murkrow: P...pretty...

Murkrow's Attack harshly fell!

(-when she dreams, she never sees her Pokémon-)

Murkrow was immobilized!

Murkrow: <They made you so pretty...>

Noctowl: <Tin's gizzard.>

-she always wondered what she's do, but she never wanted to find out-

Haru: -still barring the way- What-what are you doing? What are you saying?

-or hear that heartbreak in his voice-

Rhoda: ~Come on. I can't cut loose with you in the way.~

Haru: -pleading- Don't lie to me.

(-is Rhoda lying?-)

(-she's going through the motions

-tears aside, Haru hasn't taken his eyes off Tellurium-

-he knows intimately what a Schoolkid looks like when she's encountering something new and...terrifying-

-and when she's about to do something she'll regret for a long time-

Haru: H-hey.

-he stops, looking to Rhoda, even now, because he was about to share something private-

Rhoda: -dazed- ~Go ahead.~

Haru: She didn't have long to live.

Noctowl became cloaked in a harsh light!

-as Tellurium approaches, Haru's Noctowl flares his feathers in a threat display, which is nothing-

-and they remember...-

---

-months ago-

Rhoda: ...how long?

Pokémon Breeder: -quiet- As best as I can tell, months. Maybe a year, if you're lucky.

Rhoda: ...I'm not that lucky.

Haru: -croak- Please...is there anything we can do?

Pokémon Breeder: -running a hand over their scalp- Look, your Audino did an amazing job. You—raised him right. But after enough starts failing, even the best can only put so much back together.

Pokémon Breeder: ...it might be longer. If you went to a real hospital, saw some professional—

Rhoda & Haru: No.

-Lady snarls. The Pokémon Breeder doesn't seem put-off, but...sad-

Pokémon Breeder: ...alright.

-they don't ask any more questions-

-they carefully don't watch [the moment] 3

Rhoda: ...months.

-she, slowly, cracks into a grin-

Lady: -growl?-

-Rhoda's incredibly lucky-

Rhoda: I didn't expect this much. Don't cry—don't cry, Haru. The months belong to us. Let's make the most of—

---

Rhoda: —it.

Haru: She'll die anyway, before too long. I won't tell anyone, then. I can't, I have nowhere else to go.

Nowhere?

Haru: You don't have to do this. It'll happen without you. Just—let it happen. Please.

Rhoda: ~She won't buy it. Haru, love, she killed everyone she could have loved. She won't care.~

Haru: Then fight! We can fight this—

Rhoda: ~I can.~

-she shoulders past the shelter of his arms, wheeling up-

Rhoda: ~...we knew I'd have to leave you. We'd be okay.~

Haru: -choked- Not like this. Not—

-yes, like this-

-even if he only outlives her for minutes, she wants him to remember her like this:-

Rhoda: ~You promised. Find someone new. Be happy.~

-words fail him-

Rhoda: ~You have your whole life ahead of you.~

-so his mind screams like he knows someone will hear-

Haru: A week! A few days! Just let her die on her own time!

Rhoda: ...in my own way. For my own reasons.

-her knuckles creak-

-remember this:-

Rhoda: -to Tellurium- ~I can't beat you. I know a couple of failures won't beat you. But come on.~

-she still hasn't let go of his hand yet-

Rhoda: -mutter- ~...take my arm, success. Rip the thoughts from my head. Take my life, damn it, and much good may it do you. Take me apart.~

Murkrow: -squaaawk, behind Tellurium- Staaaay a while, pretty pretty?

Murkrow used Quash!

-wicked emotion backwashes in the Charm, pinning Thuban in place with her quarry-

-...right as Rhoda's Lady, partner most loyal, lunges fangs-first for Tellurium's throat-

Mightyena used Sucker Punch!

Rhoda: -Miracle Eye clouded with cataracts- ~But if you take him, I'll make you kill me. To the Warp with your easy.~

GO!

Edited by Asterisk395 on Sep 9th 2022 at 6:24:21 AM

No mind to think. No will to break.

Sinnoh, Safe House

-PEFE!Every digests this all, very thoughtfully and carefully-

-she then draws a scalpel from her coat and hurls it at Neodymium-

-who deflects it without looking-

PEFE!Every: Your design parameters were woefully understated, and certainty is the enemy of progress. Neodymium couldn't do that when you left today. Imagine what I could do with you, given time.

Hearthome Apartment

-Tellurium listens to the story, fists clenched-

Tellurium: Am I— Am I supposed to feel sorry for you, that you couldn't hack it? Am I supposed to be impressed that you found some human to live with?

...Get out of my head.

-Murkrow, Lady-

Tellurium: Better.

Thuban: <Hmm, you know—>

-Tellurium twists, Lady's teeth sinking into her shoulder and driving her back against the door-

-Thuban winces as he's Quashed-

Thuban: <We probably could have thought this through better.>

Tellurium: You're new, so I'll let you learn. This isn't the first escapee to pick up a few Dark-types for self-defense when we come calling. They send Bren because he can burn them, and the reason they send me—

-her eyes shimmer blue-

-and she grabs Lady by one leg, loosing a spiral of blue flame-

Tellurium used Dragonbreath!

-this is what's familiar to her-

Thuban: <Let's just...organize.>

-he closes his eyes-

Thuban foresaw an attack!

Edited by memyselfandI2 on Sep 10th 2022 at 7:09:46 AM

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.

Pyrite Town

Duking: You want to put what in the windmill?

Deziree: Look, I know what you're thinking, and I assure you, no, we can't just put her back where she came from, that's all the way in Ransei.

Duking: I- Okay, Deziree, look. Pyrite Town ain't a big place. People are gonna talk. People are gonna know. She's not gonna be safe here.

Deziree: That's the thing, though. She will be.

Duking: What are you talking about, Deziree.

-Ignoring Duking's deadpan skepticism, Deziree produces... something. The Pyrite mayor has to squint.-

Duking: A thermos?

Deziree: Ye- wait, no! It's a scanning unit you would see on any old surveyor drone. Magearna hooks herself up to this, and she'll be able to tell if anything's coming at all for a whole three hundred meters! On top of that, because the windmill falls under the purview of "historic heritage sites", Dune can send any of his crew from Mt. Battle to handle disturbances, upkeep, and garrison it to allow constant supervision, on top of Magearna herself being skilled at machinery and able to provide what is essentially free maintenance and potentially upgrading the windmill on top of all of that!

-Duking purses his lips.-

Duking: That's all well and good, but I'm more concerned about trouble being attracted to the town. We're not Ecruteak, nor are we Snowpoint. We don't just have the historic immunity that other towns do when it comes to Legendary-related landmarks.

-Deziree slaps a flier down onto Duking's desk.-

Deziree: What if I told you we can make that history?

-He picks up the flier and puts on his reading glasses for a moment.-

Duking: ... Galar?

Deziree: And sponsored by Galvani-Morton Mechanics... and, potentially, by the incorporated entity that is the township of Pyrite.

-Duking looks up at Deziree, who is now doing a cocky one-armed lean onto his desk with her eyebrows up and a less-coy-than-she-thinks smirk on her face.-

Duking: You know Dune won't be accepted to a general league challenge with him being the acting Mt. Battle Master again, right?

-Deziree waggles her eyebrows.-

Duking: With the problems that have visited your house over the last couple years, I don't think Ludmilla-

-Deziree's eyebrows waggle more aggressively.-

Duking: ... Really now.

-Deziree's eyebrows stop waggling as she just smiles.-

Duking: You?

Deziree: Me.

-Duking sighs as he very carefully weighs the options.-

Duking: ...

Deziree: ...

Duking: What do you get out of this?

Deziree: Aside from the pride of a league win, the satisfaction of helping a dear friend, and potentially advertising my garage to foreign investors and markets?

-She coyly inspects her nails.-

Deziree: Mmmmmm... nothin'.

Duking: ... Hm.

The Underground (Owen)

Despite Chopper's best efforts, though, Stipax promptly jumped down off of Owen's shoulder and immediately beat him to it, digging as much as he could into the dirt. Owen blinked.

"Stipax?" he asked. "What did you find?"

And then the realization.

"...holy crap that thing actually works..."

He looked on as Stipax continued digging, and soon afterwards, something fell out of the wall and landed on the floor. Owen approached it as Stipax stopped digging, and eventually noticed that it was a golden-colored spray bottle. His eyes went wide.

"Whoa...!" he cried. "Stipax... this is..."

Stipax stopped digging, and went over to join his Trainer.

<It's a Full Heal~!> he cried.

"What's that doing in the walls of this place?" asked Owen.

<I don't know...> said Stipax.

"Any Fossils?" asked Owen.

Stipax jumped down from his Trainer's shoulder and checked the hole he had made before shaking his head.

"Oh..." muttered Owen. "Well, regardless, a Full Heal is still good. Let's see if we can find any Pokemon here too— Eurypedis and the rest could use some other team members. Especially Anomalo. Even if he can't see them."

Oreburgh Gym- vs. Roark (Laurie)

At this, Roark grinned, taking out another PokeBall.

"Alright, then!" he cried. "Let's see how well this 'MC-DC' can take my next Pokemon! Go, Onix!"

He tossed the PokeBall into the air, and an Onix promptly appeared from it in a flash of light, staring over at Laurie for a few moments.

Laurie, meanwhile, nodded.

"Well, then," they said. "I suppose that given your next mon, choosing them was a mistake. But even so... given their evolution, they've probably learned a lot of new moves, so I'm willing to take that risk! Go, MC-DC!"

The ball opened after Laurie threw it into the air, and in a flash of light, MC-DC the Magnezone emerged.

~We-e-eeeell, hello, ladies, gentlemen, and enbies!~ they cried, immediately causing both Roark's and the Onix's eyebrows to raise. ~It's absolutely delightful to be here tonight at the Oreburgh Gym, especially after an evolution as incredible as that!~

Laurie blinked.

"Wait, how did you...?" they started.

~Plant told me,~ said Emcee. ~Anyways! I've got a tough adversary tonight, folks, but you needn't worry! This Onix will go down easily!~

The Onix smirked.

<It'll be harder than you'd think,> said the Onix. <You can't use any of your Electric-type moves and you're 4x weak to me.>

~Ahhh, but you have no Ground-type moves!~ responded Emcee cheerfully. ~Meaning I can very easily dooo... this!~

Seconds later, their magnets started glowing, as did their third "eye". The eye promptly closed, and within seconds a triangle appeared on with three points, glowing in red, yellow, and blue colors. The triangle began spinning faster and faster, and eventually came shooting out of the center of Emcee's targeter— directly towards Roark's Onix, who was promptly knocked backwards.

Laurie looked on in awe for a few moments, stunned by Emcee's newfound power.

"Woah..." they muttered. "That was Tri Attack...!"

Emcee turned to them, smiling.

~Oh-ho-ho, you betcha!~ they said.

Hulbury Stadium- vs. Nessa (Ingrid)

For a few moments, Amity and Nessa's Golisopod just stared at each other, before eventually Golisopod sighed.

<Alright, look,> he eventually said. <I don't know how to perform a single move of yours... but if you want to, I could teach you one.>

<Ohhh~?> asked Ananpi. <The opponent's teaching Amity a new move? This is something that I'm sure no one here expected, chuu~!>

^note  <Neither did you, chuu~!>

Amity stopped. <Y-you will?> she asked.

The Golisopod nodded. <'Course, the only problem with that is... I'D HAVE TO ATTACK YOU FIRST—!>

With that said, he suddenly began glowing with a green light and immediately began to head straight towards Amity. Instantly, Ingrid's eyes went wide.

"Amity!" she cried.

Frantically, Amity proceeded to do the only thing she knew how to do— she went invisible. The Golisopod blinked and stopped his First Impression attack, caught off-guard.

<W-what?> he asked. <No! You weren't supposed to go invisible! Is that honestly the only way you know how to defend yourself?! LET ME ATTACK YOU!>

Amity turned visible again, before glancing down at the ground.

<W-well... um... see, that's the—> she began— only to be interrupted with a First Impression to the face that promptly knocked the Drifloon back.

<G-GAH!> cried Amity.

She soon found herself knocked against the wall, while Nessa's Golisopod started laughing to himself all the while.

<Ohh... you didn't like that, did you?> he asked.

<N-no...> muttered Amity, trying to push herself back up.

<Good,> said Nessa's Golisopod. <I'm betting that your friend and Trainer who you apparently just reunited with didn't like that either.>

Amity glanced up at Ingrid, immediately noticing the concern in her eyes.

<I... I don't think she did...> she said.

<Exactly,> said the Golisopod. <You wouldn't want me to go after her, would you?>

Amity's eyes instantly went wide.

<...wait... what?>

The Grand Underground- vs. Heracles (Braker)

Heracles nodded. <Very well, then.>

With that said, he immediately stomped on the floor, causing it to shake and sending an Earthquake directly towards Snoop.

It hit.

Snoop instantly hit the floor, before grinning over at Heracles.

<Great hit~!> he said, somewhat dizzily. <Alright, time for question two on your end!>

Heracles nodded. He paused for a few moments, before eventually saying:

<What is the speed of light?>

<Easy,> said Snoop, standing back up. <3x10^8 meters per second.>

Heracles smirked. <It appears the one they refer to as Snoop is well-versed on his scientific knowledge.>

<That was too easy of a question,> said Snoop. <My turn!>

He promptly opened his mouth and sent out a massive burst of fire at Heracles.

It hit, knocking him backwards.

Heracles got back up, and grinned.

<Alright, question three!> said Snoop. <What is the condition of holding conflicting beliefs resulting in stress and potential further mental health issues?>

<The one called Heracles believes that would be what is known as cognitive dissonance,> he said.

<Ding-ding-ding!> said Snoop. <One more question to go and you'll be caught!>

Hi, I’m oghond, and I’m a Rushaholic. Sorry if I annoy you unintentionally. 😅

The Underground:

Chopper was initially surprised by Stipax not only volunteering to help dig through the dirt, but also the stunning ability the Galvantula had in excavation. <Woah, where did you learn to dig like that?!> The Machoke would ask in curious amazement. Undeterred, he would continue to assist with the digging effort even if his efforts only helped to a minor extent.

Travis would initially scoff facetiously at Owen's remark. “What, you thought it wasn't going to work?” He would ask, initially pleased with the success of his invention before quickly showing an air of subdued disappointment as he would then say, “Not exactly what I was hoping to find....but to be fair Full Heals are quite useful, and they're not cheap either.”

Mark would concur, “Yeah it adds up when you stockpile dozens of them with full restores. Fucking extortionate...”.

“It's like the old saying goes: 'Finders keepers', and I guess you've earned this Owen,” Travis would concede, seeing no reason to have a Full Heal that he didn't find himself before his attention was directed towards odd pinging from his Valuable Detector. After making a weird, confused facial expression/contortion Travis would report, “Uhh guys, the other signature I'm picking up's started moving...and it's heading right towards us?”

Living The Fever Dream

Eclo Canyon, Temporary Transplant Protection Zone

-Dune can barely hear himself think over the vicious chewing sounds from all around him as Aron and Lairon, as well as a few new Aggron, chew and dig in almost every direction.-

Dune: I SEE YOU GUYS HAVE MADE YOURSELVES AT HOME!

-The Aggron lets out a rumbling laugh, one of the few things that can not only cut through the noise, but almost seems to be louder because of it.-

Aggron: <Indeed! We no longer need to ration ourselves! We can eat until our bellies burst! This is wonderful!>

Dune: JUST BE SURE TO LISTEN TO THE FORMER MINERS! YOU DON'T WANT TO CAUSE A LANDSLIDE DOWN HERE!

Aggron: <Don't worry, we're not so ravenous as to bring the whole canyon down on top of us!>

-He then turns to the work crew behind him.-

Aggron: <ENOUGH EATING, GET TO CLEARING! I DON'T WANT TO BE TRIPPIN' OVER NO SLAG, GOT IT?!>

-The crew acquiesces, grumbling slightly as they slowly shuffle to clean up their tunnel opening of debris. The noise, thankfully, abates as well.-

Dune: Okay, good. Also, don't touch that facility you guys passed on the way here. That's slated for a different habitat.

Aron: <Did someone say "slate"?!>

Lairon: <Slate?! WHERE?!>

Aggron: <Knock it off, sod-for-brains! Get back to clearing! We need stockpile rooms!>

-He turns back to Dune.-

Aggron: <Don't worry, that place didn't smell right by us anyway.>

Dune: Alright then. I'll check by in a week then - you guys keep doing what you're doing.

Aggron: <Sure thing! Say hi to the Mistress when you see her!>

-Dune sighs. At least they're not calling Deziree their "Empress" or "Goddess" anymore, but this is still super weird.-

The Underground (Owen)

<Oh, that's easy,> said Stipax, turning to face him. <My father taught me how. I'm... a bit confused as to why I still can't use the move in battle, but that doesn't really matter to me. After all, I still have Lunge, so...>

"Alright, then!" said Owen, picking up the Full Heal and putting it away. "Looks like this is mine, then! It'll certainly be useful if any of my mons in the future end up getting hit with a status condition like Nautilu did against Roserade."

And then he paused at the last statement.

"Wait, what do you mean there's something moving towards us?!"

He glanced down at the floor, along with Stipax, and saw that sure enough, there was, in fact, something hidden in the dirt that was clearly moving towards them. Stipax jumped down off of his Trainer's shoulder and looked out in confusion.

"I-is that an earthquake?" he asked.

<Or... is that a Pokemon?> Stipax finished.

Their answer came seconds later when something proceeded to burst straight out of the dirt directly in front of them.

That something was a Cubone.

The Cubone in question jumped down onto the floor and started pointing their bone at every single person and Pokemon in the group. Immediately, Owen raised his hands up in the air.

<Alright, which one of you did it?!> the Cubone asked— revealing herself to be a female in the process.

"W-what are you attacking us for?!" cried Owen. "W-what's going on?!"

<Quit playing dumb,> snapped the Cubone. <You know full well what this is about.>

<W-we have no idea!> Stipax said. <Honestly!>

The Cubone's eyes narrowed.

<A Galvantula... so you are affiliated with them after all...>

Oreburgh City- vs. Roark (Laurie)

Laurie and Emcee looked on for a few moments as the dust cloud in front of them began to settle, before they were promptly greeted by both good and bad news.

The bad news was that the Onix was still standing, something which instantly caused Laurie to grimace.

"...dang it," they muttered. "Onix has Sturdy; I forgot."

The good news, though, was that said Onix was glowing orange, with fire coming from them. At this, Emcee immediately chuckled with delight.

~Oh-ho-ho, but that Sturdy will soon quickly be negated, my friend!~ they said.

Laurie glanced up— and saw that the Tri Attack burn had hit. Instantly, their face shifted to that of delight.

"Alright!" they cried. "You got 'em! Great work, Emcee!"

Emcee grinned. ~Why, thank you!~

Roark grimaced.

"I've got to do something, then... you're stronger than I expected for someone who's going up against their first Gym..."

His face suddenly turned to resolve, before he nodded.

"Right!" he cried. "Alright, Onix, use Bind!"

His Onix roared, before heading straight towards Emcee and immediately wrapping them up.

Unfortunately for Onix, it barely made a dent in Emcee's body.

At this, Emcee chuckled.

~Oh, I am truly sorry, my friend,~ they said, ~but that Bind of yours isn't going to do a thing! Admirable move though. Now... you'll be burned in 3... 2... 1...~

And sure enough, seconds later Onix glowed orange and roared in pain as the burn surged throughout their body. Seconds later, they fell to the floor, and their eyes promptly turned to spirals.

Immediately, Emcee found themselves freed from the Bind, smirking.

~Aaaaand he's down!~ they said.

Laurie grinned.

"Alright!" she said. "Great work, Emcee!"

Emcee smiled.

~Oh, thank you kindly, Laurie!~ they responded, floating up to hug their Trainer.

LAURIE HITOKI HAS DEFEATED ROARK'S ONIX

ROARK HAS ONE POKEMON LEFT

Hulbury Stadium- vs. Nessa (Ingrid)

For a few moments after Golisopod's taunt, Amity glanced backwards towards her Trainer.

No.

No, she didn't want anyone to hurt Ingrid. Her Trainer. Her friend.

She turned back to face Golisopod and shook her head.

<N-no...> she muttered, horrified. <No... of course not...>

Ananpi looked over at Nessa's Golisopod and almost dropped the mic in shock.

<Hold on,> he said. <You wouldn't actually break the Vow... would you, chuu~?>

<No, of course not!> snapped Nessa's Golisopod. <It's just a hypothetical! I'm just trying to rile her up enough to use Payback, that's all!>

Ananpi breathed a sigh of relief.

<Phew!> he said. <Well, that certainly was a close one, wasn't it?>

^note  <It sure was, chuu~!>

Golisopod nodded, then turned back to face Amity.

<Anyways... like I said, you wouldn't want me to go after her, would you? You wouldn't want me to hurt her...?>

Amity shook her head, floating backwards.

<No... n-no...>

The Golisopod approached.

<Well, I would,> he said, going up to Ingrid and loading up a First Impression. <As a matter of fact, I might as well do it now if you so desire.>

Ingrid promptly stepped back, her eyes going wide with fear.

Amity looked on, horrified.

She couldn't even bear to watch.

The last time a Pokemon had come at her friend like this... the last time...

<Aaaalright, hold up! You think it's time, chuu~?>

^note  <Time? Time for what, chuu~?>

<Finally get a chance to show the whole world a bit of what happened when Amity kicked it, chuu~?>

^note  <Oh! Sure thing! Seems like the right time to do it, chuu~!>

<Alright, then! Flashback time?>

^note  <Flashback time!>

<Let's go, chuu~!>

FLASHBACK

Eterna Forest, 2016

CW: quick flashes of Amity's death.

^note  <CW? What does that mean, chuu~?>

Content Warning, chuu~

^note  <Ohhh. OK.>

Flash 1

A young, blond-haired girl and her Swablu are walking through Eterna Forest, along with a black-haired girl who is dressed up in a detective outfit, reading a book on paranormal activity.

Flash 2

Suddenly, a Pokemon appears in front of them and begins attacking the young blond girl.

Flash 3

With no hesitation, the black-haired girl jumps up in front of the girl and her Swablu, and starts hitting the mon with her book.

Flash 4

The mon doesn't listen.

It immediately lunges on the black-haired girl.

Flash 5

The Swablu and the blond girl watch in horror, before the girl runs away. Meanwhile, the Swablu attacks the Pokemon as best she can, causing the Pokemon to flee.

Flash 6

The blond girl looks back— and the black-haired girl is on the ground.

Hulbury Stadium- vs. Nessa (present day)

Amity's eyes went wide with horror as the flashbacks to that day came straight into her brain. She looked on, horrified, as Nessa's Golisopod raised his arm to the sky.

And then seconds later, that horror turned to anger.

And that anger manifested.

In a matter of moments, without even thinking about what she was doing, she felt the rage coursing through her body, and she found herself going up to the Golisopod and shooting out her tassels at him and hitting him dead-on from behind—

<NO!!!>

—and then a burst of darkness emerged, knocking Nessa's Golisopod backwards for double the damage he had inflicted on her.

AMITY THE DRIFLOON

NEW MOVE LEARNED: PAYBACK

Ingrid looked on, stunned and amazed.

"Whoa..." she cried. "That was..."

Amity paused for a few moments, then glanced over at the Golisopod. In an instant, her anger faded, and was replaced by horror and confusion. She looked down at herself— and saw her whole body was surrounded by an aura of darkness.

<My word...> Amity muttered. <I-is this...?>

The Golisopod pushed himself up, before smiling over at Amity and giving her a thumbs-up as best she could.

<Yep, that's Payback,> he said. <Nice work, kid. Now... I'm out!>

Seconds later, he returned himself back to his PokeBall as his Emergency Exit ability activated. Amity happily waved at him.

<Thank you so much, Mr. Golisopod!> she cried.

Ananpi, meanwhile, stopped dead in his tracks for a few moments.

<Well, folks! I don't think anyone was expecting to see that today, chuu~!> he chirped. <That was... a very unusual way to get someone to learn Payback— and also a bit of a morally compromising way— but it worked nonetheless! The question now is... now that Amity's learned a new move and now that the Golisopod's returned himself, who will Nessa send out next, chuu~?>

^note  <And who will Ingrid send out next, chuu~?>

<Yes, that too. Anyways, the answer... will be revealed in the next post! See you then, chuu~!>

The Grand Underground (vs. Heracles- Braker)

From the sideline, Cuddles, Walter, and Caboose watched.

<Ooooh~!> cried Cuddles. <This is getting extremely exciting~!>

<It's a bit boring for me,> said Walter. <I already know the answers to all of these questions.>

<So do I,> said Cuddles. <But that doesn't make it any less exciting! Lenny's newest Pokemon is at stake!>

<...I'm still confused about 1 not being a prime number,> said Caboose.

<Alright, then... Here. Answer this,> said Cuddles. <What are the only factors of 1?>

<...1 and itself,> said Caboose. <But... that's true of every prime number, isn't it?>

<Yes,> said Cuddles patiently, <but 1 is itself.>

Caboose paused.

<...sooo, if 1 is itself, then that means its factors are 1... and 1,> he said. <But... they're the same thing!>

<Exactly,> said Walter. <They're the same thing, which means 1 only has one factor. Prime numbers have two factors: 1 and itself.>

<...but since 1 is itself... then it can't be prime!> Caboose realized.

Walter nodded, smiling. <Exactly.>

On the battlefield, meanwhile, Heracles smirked.

<One more before the one they call Heracles is caught?> he asked. <Alright, then. But the one called Snoop need not be so hasty to end this, for the one they call Heracles will not go down easily.>

Snoop shrugged. <Sure thing.>

Heracles nodded. <Very well, then.>

He promptly sent forth a few rocks at Snoop— which hit.

And knocked him backwards.

Heracles smirked as Snoop stood back up, albeit this time looking a bit worse for the wear.

<Alright, then!> he said. <Your turn, Heracles! Third question on your end; what's it gonna be?>

Heracles nodded. <Very well, then.>

He paused, then after a moment—

<What is the method of thought motivated by taking actions that provide the most benefit to the greate—>

Without missing a beat, Snoop responded:

<Utalitarianism.>

Heracles blinked, caught off-guard by how quickly Snoop had responded, then smiled.

<Indeed. Well done,> he said. <The one they call Snoop may use his next attack.>

Snoop nodded.

<Alright, then,> he replied. <And assuming you don't dodge it or get the question wrong, this is also my last attack! Here goes nothing!>

With that said, he promptly ran up to Heracles and proceeded to tackle him to the floor. Hard.

<Got you!> said Snoop. <Alright, last question... What is the verb used to describe a person or thing being thrown out of the window of a building?>

No response.

<...Heracles?> asked Snoop.

No response.

<You have ten seconds...>

At that moment, Snoop felt something touch his shell. He glanced over to see Leonard Braker looking over him with a somewhat amused smile on his face.

<H-huh...?> asked Snoop.

"Snoop?" asked Braker. "I... think you might want to get off of him."

Snoop did... and saw that Heracles was now lying on his side with swirls in his eyes.

<...the one they call Snoop has defeated the one known as Heracles with a slamming of the body...> muttered Heracles weakly.

Snoop turned bright red with embarrasment.

<Oh... oh dear... I am truly sorry, Heracles...>

Striaton City (1 month after Jubilife)

For the past month since the Jubilife contest and its aftermath, Kimberly Bond had done basically nothing but go through the motions. She still hadn't found a Trainer who she wanted to trade Gilmour to— she couldn't trade with either Ian or Evelyn, and she didn't want to trade with Braker or Kendall. She was still extremely torn up about what had happened with Jigsaw a few months prior, and in the wake of having heard about what happened after the Jubilife Contest, she... didn't really want to speak to Ian and Evelyn at the moment. Not because of their actions, but because the aftermath of the Jubilife Contest left a bit of a bad taste in her mouth.

So for the next few days, Kimberly Bond did essentially nothing of note.

She watched television, talked to her Pokemon, thought about Jigsaw, and the like. It was, to put it bluntly, boring. But it was all she could do besides talk to Leonard Braker— the one person she had that she could still call a friend.

Besides Kendall, of course, but even then she knew that if she wanted to text Kendall, she'd eventually find herself wanting to text 9-Volt.

Even if she knew she couldn't text 9-Volt anymore.

Not for a long while, anyways.

Striaton City (2 months after Jubilife)

It was a month before someone finally spoke up.

Kimberly Bond was sitting on the porch of her house, glancing up at the sky for a few moments, before she heard someone approach her from behind.

<Oi! Kim!>

<Hey there, Kim! You wanna talk to us?>

Kim turned- and saw Elton and Dio standing there. She smiled and motioned for them to sit down next to her.

"Ah. Hello there, you two," she said. "You... want to talk to me, you said?"

Elton and Dio promptly sat down next to her, and the latter nodded.

<Yeah, I've... I've been talking to Paul,> he said.

Kim's eyes widened.

"Y-you have?" he asked.

Elton nodded. <'E's a bit concerned about you. You 'aven't really done much of anythin' since Jubilife... since the League, even.>

<Yeah, is... is everything okay?> asked Dio.

Kim sighed.

"I... I don't know," she muttered. "I mean, aside from Braker, I don't really have anyone I can talk to anymore. In the wake of the Jubilife drama Ian and Evelyn haven't responded to any of my texts, Kendall's probably still off doing his own thing, and Vincent..."

She stopped herself.

"No, no... I can't think about them anymore," she muttered to herself. "I need to find something that I can do. I still haven't found anything. I still don't know what I can do with my life."

<...well, you're from Unova,> said Dio. <You could take on the League. Surprised you haven't ever done that, since it's in your home region.>

Kim sighed.

"I could... but then again, that's something everyone's been doing."

<So was the Galar League, an' you took on that,> Elton pointed out.

"True, but if I'm going to make my mark and set my own path amongst the J-Team, I can't just follow everyone else. I need to find out if there's something that I can do that I can take hold of and seize."

<...huh...> muttered Dio.

<Hm...> said Elton.

Kim paused for a few moments, then stood up.

"Elton, Dio," she said. "I have a ton of work to do."

Elton and Dio glanced at each other.

<Work?> asked Elton.

<Aww, sweet!> cried Dio. <You going along with the New Dawn's Dreamers thing still?>

"Nope," said Kim, grinning. "Linguistic work."

She headed off.

"Don't talk to me," she said. "I need to see if there's anything that I can latch on to."

And with that said, she shut the door behind her.

Elton and Dio glanced at each other, concerned.

<Is... is she gonna be okay?> asked Dio.

<Ah, she'll be fine!> said Elton, patting him on the back. <Don't worry! She'll find something eventually!>

<Yeah... but what?>

Striaton City (3 months after Jubilife)

3 months later and still nothing.

She was starting to give up by this point. She still hadn't found out anything she could do that was exciting for her. For a few moments she thought about talking to either Braker or Vincent himself about this— particularly the latter, as she knew he had a lot of experience with her exact issue— but she decided against it.

She couldn't talk to Vincent anymore. She knew exactly how he would react already. Besides, she'd already made a commitment to no longer revolve her life around her relationships.

She had to find something.

But ever since Jigsaw... she couldn't. Not without thinking that whatever she could do, it had already been done before.

...wait.

Jigsaw...

A flash of inspiration suddenly struck her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper— one with very horrifying, but still intriguing memories. She unfolded it and saw outlined on the paper, the task that Jigsaw had given her that Halloween night.

Translating UBese text.

As far as she had known, it had been impossible before then. She wasn't sure if Jigsaw had spoken to Ultra Beasts personally. She wasn't sure if this was even UBese that actually existed. She wasn't sure if Jigsaw had been lying to her this whole time; if this was just a language of nonsense that he had invented.

But whatever it was... whatever it meant... she needed to know.

She had to know.

Immediately, she headed straight to her computer, and began to look up countless searches.

UBese language grammar

Nothing.

UBese word meanings

Nothing.

llydikebu:ktlatu:s

Nothing.

Ultra Beast audio files

Nothing.

UBese theories

Nothing.

She got more specific:

UBese linguistic theories

Nothing.

Her eyes widened in utter disbelief.

And all of a sudden— the idea came to her.

Straiton City (June 10, 2022)

She immediately ran outside, letting every single one of her Pokemon out of their PokeBalls. Instantly, they all turned to face her.

<Huh?> asked Geddy.

<W-what's going on?> Freddie asked.

<Did you find anything?> cried Elton, with excitement.

<Wo' is it?> asked Ringo.

Kim glanced down at all of her Pokemon, before a grin of determination spread across her face.

"You had best prepare yourselves for an incredible journey," she said. "Because once I find someone or something who has the necessary tools required to take us there..."

A glint in her eye.

"We're going to Ultra Space," she said.

Edited by OPALGARNET16 on Sep 13th 2022 at 12:57:37 PM

Hi, I’m oghond, and I’m a Rushaholic. Sorry if I annoy you unintentionally. 😅

Veilstone, elsewhere

-Seigbert and Storm are absconding with the drive when they hear a voice-

H. G. Cross: "Stop right there!"

-H. G. Cross approaches-

Storm: -rolls his eyes- "What do you want?"

H.G. Gross: "I want that hard drive full of J-Team dirt! My organization needs it more than your two crummy asses."

Seigbert: "No way! We got it fair and square."

H. G. Cross: "Well then we'll just have to settle this with a POKEMON BATTLE!"

-He sends out a Copperajah; Seigbert sends out Krampus and Storm sends out Cregga-

Copperajah: <Say, why are we fighting?>

Cregga: <Your Trainer is trying to steal something our Trainers are using to thwart the J-Team!>

'Copperajah: <But... my Trainer wants to thwart the J-Team too! Shouldn't we be working together?>

Krampus: <...You know as much as I love a good fight you have a point.>

Storm: "...What's going on?"

Seigbert: "Why aren't they fighting?"

'H. G. Cross: "Va Ruta! Fight them!"

-Va Ruta, the Copperajah, points at their opponents then to H.G. Cross, then touches her feet together-

H. G. Cross: "...Wait, you want us to work together?

Storm: "...I guess we both have the same goal basically."

Seigbert: "Ooooh, good point!"

Va Ruta: <Yes! That's what I've been saying!>

H. G. Cross: "...Alright then. We'll work together. But that means I get a look at the contents of that drive!"

Storm: "...Deal."

Seigbert: "Sure!"

Cregga: <Another one... Wonder how he's gonna fit in.>

Krampus: <With that ridiculous Dialga outfit? Perfectly.>

Contact Me!

Meat Palace

...Just as expected.

We'll hold him off as long as we can-

Pink: -Has Galen casting barriers as the others attack the Shadows-

Lavender Town, past

Ann: -Follows behind Olivia-

Veilstone, past

-To Alex-

Always is, with current events we could probably use all the help we can get.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Sep 12th 2022 at 10:19:30 AM

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.