Hae-Won, Akravator, and Sheila look around after their Eggs-ing here.

Hae-Won: "...Huh, well that was handy."

Akravator: <Oh, hey, I think this is the Contest Hall!>

Hae-Won: "Well! Perfect place for performers, if of a slightly different variety. Reminds me a bit of the Musical we did."

Akravator: <Hehe, that was a pretty great outfit. Nng...>

He rubs the spot where Adelinde's pink blades nicked him, not too bad of a wound but something he should probably get to the Center for sooner rather than later.

School Safehouse — Sky Scuffle

-Kai smiles, laughing in relief.-

Kai: It was awesome. We've gotta have sky battles more often together.

-Beck seethes as she's struck by the Air Slash, and as Foam appears and puts up a Wide Guard. She teeters in the air, but stubbornness wins out and she maintains her focus.-

Beck: <Another one to die, then? So be— >

Nitrogen: Beck, enough!

Beck: <I'm not done yet—!>

Nitrogen: ENOUGH! I will not die for a lost cause here! We are leaving!

-Beck snarls, but forces herself to relax. The air current blows away the remainder of the Dust Devil and carries Beck down to her trainer.-

Nitrogen: ...I hope you're satisfied. You've made yourselves a lasting enemy.

-She jumps on Beck's back again.-

School Safehouse — Illusion Bois Three

-Mason rolls his eyes at the banter, taking a stance.-

Mason: Okay, lesson one, history. Annoski was one of the most powerful Obscurics to live, known for not only his proficiency in illusion techniques, but also...

-Buffy Crunches down, onto an arm held forward in a defensive position. Obscura ripples across the arm from the point of impact, momentarily preventing the bite from sinking in fully.-

Mason: Barriers.

-However, her teeth break through, filling her mouth with... nothing.-

Mason: Lesson two, basic combat! Don't telegraph your attacks!

-The illusion fades, showing Mason in the same position only a foot further back.-

Mason: Lesson three, misdirection! The best lies are the closest ones to the truth!

-He bops Buffy's head, and her sense of balance goes haywire as Mason's illusions trigger nerves in her ear canals indiscriminantly.-

Mason: Lessons four and five are llife advice! Learn from your elders, and don't underestimate your opponents!

-Corrin snarls as Igor transforms into an imitation of herself, and Roars Nobly at her.-

Corrin: <Is that the best you can do?>

-In the haze, the eerie light coalesces into a huge ball of energy around her mouth, which she spits at Igor as a very well directed Focus Blast.-

Taryon: <This is going swimmingly! Doty, do take advantage of the haze for your own offense now!>

Doty: <Tary.>

-Doty likewise focuses the haze into an attack, a Weather Ball of spinning Obscura aimed at Adam.-

School Safehouse — Firefox

-Bren goes tense. The presence in the Creature's voice, the suppression of his abilities, the Phantom Force against Frumpkin — wiping him out, incidentally — and the impending attack from the Creature all serve to fuel an insurmountable sense of dread.-

-He puts up his guard as the Creature lunges.-

Bren: Stop! Stop. Stand down.

Lavender Town, past

Ann: -To Jackie- It's not that big a deal, but maybe she'll just forget.

Advance Team

Zee: -To Owen- Brad was one of the Templars assigned to our Batch before we escaped. Worked directly under our "creator", Dr. No Heart as basically his shadow. Brad looks so much like him to the point that we wondered if he personally contributed to his template, but nothing conclusive. Guy was pretty terrible, even by School standards, hence the name we all had for him, that and "Dr. Heartless". I still remember the experiments...

-Frowning-

And with our luck, even though he was already pretty old back then, he's most likely still alive, when so many of us aren't.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Oct 6th 2022 at 9:51:27 AM

School Safehouse, Firefox

The Creature does not listen.

The Creature simply brings her jaws down on Bren's guarding arm, crunching down with all its (pretty considerable) jaw strength. Humans shouldn't be able to output that much force.

And then comes the drain.

Bren once again experiences that feeling of his life being sucked away, like blood loss but more... immaterial. It's cold, and uncomfortable, and the sensation is just plain wrong.

The Creature itself looks, for a moment, more energized than it has this entire fight. Behind the veil of Obscura its eyes glow bright red, and it perks up like someone just injected it with caffeine.

The feeling of imminent death just grows and grows until.. All of a sudden it stops.

Ama, jaws still around Bren's arm, snores a little.

...

Future!Rikuo grabs the back of Ama's shirt and jerks her away. Now that she's unconscious, her jaws come loose with only a little difficulty. Bren's probably missing some flesh, and that wound'll definitely hurt in the morning, but barring any... unfortunate circumstances he should keep that arm.

   Future!Rikuo:    <... I know you probably don't think I'm sapient, but, well, if you're smart, you'll catch my drift. It would be best if you left here. I'm not saying this for your sake or anything, let's make that clear, but I doubt it's beneficial for either of us to continue.>

   Future!Rikuo:   -blue eyes flashing- <Unless you want a round 2 with me?>

Chaos Team

Daydre just nods and sends out troublesome.

Daydre: "Alright! Everyone behind the big metal elephantmon! troublesome no matter how much you want to don't hit anything load-bearing on the way out"

troublesome: <( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)>

Daydre: "Do you want to kill us all?? No!"

troublesome: <(｡-人-｡)>

Daydre: "Yea that's what I fuckin thought"

troublesome seems to sigh, then turns around and-

-starts ramming his way through the walls behind them, clearing a Copperajah shaped hole straight through to the outside.

Snowpoint Temple

Daydre: "Well, that sounds like a solid enough lead to me."

Daydre turns to leave.

Daydre: -waving back at the Hisuian Zoroark behind her- "Thanks for the info! I'll come back later with snacks!"

Hearthome Contest Hall

Sienna: Haha! Thank you all for an amazing turnout!

Actor: ...Who are you?

Sienna: Uh, don't worry about it.

School Safehouse — Sky Scuffle

Brie: Well, it might be the lingering hypoxia talking, but I am definitely satisfied and I can't wait to do this again.

Kai, Kai sweetie, can you get us back to the Stormchaser? I can't really see straight.

School Safehouse — Sky Scuffle

-Nitrogen blinks, taken aback slightly, then scowls and directs Beck away.-

Kai: Yeah, we'll be back in shortly.

Stormchaser

-Upon reentering, Kai leads (or carries) Brie to a room to recover in.-

Kai: So I have stuff to say but I don't want to Jynx myself, so... getting it out of the way, are you hurt? Hypoxia aside, any significant, hospital-grade injuries? Do we need to get you proper medical care or anything?

School Safehouse — Firefox

-Bren breathes heavily as Ama winds down to sleep mode.-

Bren: ...I cannot, in good conscience, allow knowledge to be lost by my own hand. Great minds are too often snuffed out. Books are far too flammable.

-He once again cauterizes his new wounds.-

Bren: I am, above all else, a teacher. I just want to watch the world learn, and preserve the knowledge of that technique for years in the future.

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Oct 6th 2022 at 11:38:47 AM

Stormchaser

-Brie giggles a bit, taking deep gulps of air-

Brie: Uh, I mean...some bruises, my neck hurts, a little singed. Nothing I can't walk off. Something up?

Stormchaser

-Kai gives a bright smile.-

Kai: That's a relief. Can't remember the last time we had an unambiguous victory, no hospitalizations necessary. It actually feels like we've won this time. It feels good to be on top for once.

-Kai pauses, momentarily starts to rethink their wording... before shrugging and grinning as if to say "nah, the innuendo stays"-

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Oct 6th 2022 at 11:54:02 AM

Stormchaser

-Brie blushes a little-

Brie: Heck yeah.

-...-

...So she was really cool, right? It's not just me?

Stormchaser, Y-squad Room

-Percy and Apple-A-Day tumble to the ground-

Apple-A-Day: -wheeze-

Percy: Oh gods.

Lacuna: <I'll go locate a healer.>

-they sprint away-

Percy: I— where are they going?

Merry: ~Finding someone to fix the damage, I think. If you want my professional opinion, they aren't going to last that long.~

Percy: I...okay. Okay. Merry, go find me something to eat or drink.

Merry: ~And your friend?~

Percy: I'll keep them here.

-as Merry surfs away, Percy places their hands on Apple-A-Day's shoulders-

-they patch damaged tissues, resolve a pneumothorax and pump the pierced lung, eliminate toxins released from other injuries-

-it's something they haven't had to do in a long, long time-

Percy: I've got you. I've got you...

Stormchaser, Ever's Room

-Ever curls up in one corner like an injured cat-

-sends out Misery-

Misery, a Grimmsnarl: <Oof.>

Ever: Oh, well.

-Misery plucks the knife out of the mess of hair at his chest- <Look at that. Apparently I'm good for something other than annoying my other self.>

Ever: Naturally. Though as loath as I am to indicate anything less than good cheer at whichever one of you I get to interact with, I could really use some Life Dew.

Misery: <Ha. You'll be the first to know, I'm sure.>

-he slaps Ever's back. Ever makes a noise like a squeaky toy-

Stormchaser

-Kai looks thoughtful for a moment.-

Kai: ...I'll admit, my opinions are somewhat shaped by the circumstances I met her and she tried to make me a Missing Person. But you two do have very similar tastes, murder aside.

-They grin.-

Kai: It was fun, which I think she probably takes the greatest offense to.

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Oct 7th 2022 at 12:14:26 PM

Raid, Hiro

-fresh off the warning, Hiro stalks through the halls, listening to Chiyo's voice-

Hiro: -mutter- Good on you. Really.

-wiping his face- Hope it gets through to them.

Parfait:    -sniffing the air-   

Hiro: ...

-they've worked together long enough; he can read the signs-

Hiro: She's already here.

-he draws his fire into himself, recalling Litwick to an organized mass-

Parfait: <Aw, Ever.>

-Hiro's blood runs cold-

Parfait: -sniff- <Ah, there goes—Percy. And her partner.>

-she's indicating completely different directions-

-Hiro sends out his Pokémon, clutches his family's Cherish Ball, and taps Truth-

Hiro: -hiss- ...a whole point of learning to fight was to try and avoid coping with this.

-it's True-

-it's been too long since he fought the School with anyone, in force-

-and this, he tells himself, is why-

(-the worst day of his life—-)

Hiro: L—Mission Control.

Addie: <"Here.">

Hiro: -gaze searing through stone- She's picking off the stragglers.

Addie: <..."We know. Ever's back. And—">

Hiro:    -exhales-   

Addie: <"We're keeping tabs. Tending wounds. Try and bunch up with someone, safety in numbers.">

Hiro: Just let me know where she hits next.

-the Truth he wrestles is this: he won't make it to anyone-

Stormchaser, Logan

Logan: Now if you'd help out?

-they glare up at their sprawling relationship web, carted all the way from their room-

-specifically at, in the midst of its glowing, multicolored threads, the purple bead they take to represent Adelinde-

-which hasn't twitched-

Logan: Really, anything.

-frown- A little ire, some new interpersonal frustration, just—no indication of who her next target will be?

-...-

-they close their eyes, suddenly hollow-

Logan: ...because she doesn't care about them.

Not as nemeses, or threats, or challenges to her ideology. Or opponents, really.

Zayna: ~I could've told you that.~

Logan: She does care about some people. I can see it. But everyone here, they're just—

Inconvenient.

...just...

Leverage.

Target practice.

-amidst the returning J-Teamers, Logan gets a call-

Pollen: -entering the call- <Logan, I'm sorry! We couldn't keep the Sun laser going! This freaking wind—>

Logan: -keeping their voice soft, not faint- It's fine. You did everything right.

Pollen: <But—>

Logan: Go to her.

Hiro: Wait.

-they stop-

Hiro: Every's Teleport disruptors.

-still emitting empathic instructions through their Capture bonds, Logan rests their forehead on a cool bit of railing-

Logan: Latias' tail feathers, Pef.

Hiro: I haven't studied them enough to sense them, yet. Every School facility I've visited has Looked ambiently weird.

-...Logan recognizes the catch of his 'running' breathing pattern-

Addie: <"If you're going to be busy soon, I need something to work with quick, Hiro.">

Hiro: Megan should have left a big enough crater that I doubt any (disruptors) survived. Rendezvous point?

-Logan moves to the window-

Addie: <"About that. What is she doing down there?">

Hiro: Hopefully something cathartic.

Counterraid, Megan

-Vee goes flying, skipping ass-over-teakettle over wall, ceiling, and floor-

Zen: ~...~

-and watching her go, Zen sinks to one knee, trembling-

 Aqua Collar 

Ramona: ~Like, honestly. Settle down for a nice evening in and get called right back out again. How am I going to explain all this?~

-she gestures, broadly, to the various prone forms littering the hallway behind Megan, and behind herself, and all the way back to the crater still letting snow in-

Ramona: ~Well. I know how. Still.~

-Megan's on the ground with Pippy, tearing up-

Pippy: -whispering, urgent- <I'm fine. I'm fine, it's just a scratch.>

-"you're fine", he's pleading, trying not to think of the blood on his Blade-

-she barely hears it-

-the crash from the trance's burning confidence, the fear, the regret-

-it's overwhelming-

Megan: Fure noctis.

-Megan feels her fear ebb away, locked in a box in a room in a construct in a lobe she can't even see-

-she can scramble to her feet, neither the anticipated pain in her torso nor Pippy's terrified sob even worrying her-

-...nor the barely-there sensation of Ramona's attention sharpening to interest-

Ramona: -murmur, mental- ~Oh, we're still getting use out of that.~

-she chuckles, satisfied at a job well done-

Megan: R-Rampage!

'''Ramona: -stepping forward- Renegade.

(-Megan knows, intellectually, why that's a bad thing but as she is, she can't be fucked-)

Ramona: ~Knew it'd help.~

-their lips are forming the last syllables when Vee crashes back into the scene, trailing Aura, fury, and a tide of suppurating night-

Vee: <<GET UP!>>

Zen: ~Get up.~

-she can subsist on stolen Aura; the stuff she generated herself slams into her partner, buoying him to his feet-

-Pippy body-blocks Zen's Power-Up Punch barrage^* 37 Empty Palms Shake The Pillars of Heaven!, the lifeforce buffer funneled through the Blade to injure him back, without thought-

Zen: -gritting teeth- <How—cheap—NO!>

-and Zen's opponents fire a joint Hydro Pump at Ramona, their combined will funneling it into a familiar beam-blade of metal-shearing death-

(-Megan shouts, dismayed-)

-Ramona backhands it into a wall-

-pressurized water shears through foundations and structural elements alike, sending paper and glass flying through unoccupied rooms-

-the technique depressurizes with a bone-shaking thud far away, flooding a lab to bursting-

Ramona: -shaking out her wrist- ~Are we done?~

Edited by Asterisk395 on Oct 7th 2022 at 11:56:27 AM

Upon 9-Volt landing and the zap, Gabriel started to reassess his situation. Especially in his ear as he heard reports that the base was falling.

He needed to retreat, he had a attack-pod fueled and ready for him and awaiting... he just needed a solid distraction. He looked to Hoops and smiled.

"Hoops, be a good puppet and keep your allies away from me."

With a push he commanded Hoops down below, the damaged Darktroopers turning their attention to Hoops as their flamethrowers stopped... before turning to Hoops.

Gabriel rushed to the pod, he would escape, he always did.

"Hey he named himself after the Archangel from the Inferno, I figured I'd do something similar!" Rory protested.

At the sight of Krypton charging at him full force, Rory quickly digs into his pocket and pulls out something... with a sudden crush he is enveloped in a bright light as he shouts. "FUCK YOU!"

Blue wisps of energy would emerge as two large metallic wings appeared, and attempted to slap Krypton aside.

<There we go. Pull the trigger!>

Rory stood and cracked his knuckles. "Come on dead weight!"

Battle Academy

"Mr." Wes: Alright, class, that should be it for today's class on Orre's geography. This next half hour is your own time - finish your notes, finish your worksheets for tomorrow, whatever, just don't be overly disruptive to everyone else around you.

-Xavier was still astounded that Rill's name was an actual, legitimate geographical term. For some reason, that just blew her away. Oh, but she'd finished her worksheet long before the class was over.-

Xavier: Can we, like...?

"Mr." Wes: Yes, if you've already finished, you may turn your worksheet in and go relax in the courtyard. Just don't bother any of the other classes.

-Shouldering her backpack and sliding behind her classmates in the auditorium, she drops her worksheet in the wall slot and heads out.-

-This all felt... intensely surreal, still.-

-A giant modern academy, built into the side of Mt. Battle...-

-A combination glass-and-forcefield containment for part of a natural... what did Mr. Wes say...? Magma tube? Ah well, that wasn't really part of today's lesson, so at least she won't feel guilty about forgetting.-

-Miss Arubeg and Mister Desech having a one-sided argument again...-

-A Metagross hovers past, muttering to itself about something as its "Deziree Galvani-Morton Pokemon" credentials badge flashes under the lights...-

-A small clay fragment hopping down the hallway towards her...-

-...-

-Wait, what?-

-Quickly slipping between her legs, Xavier looks around, confused, as Miss Therephit comes skidding around the corner.-

Therephit: Stop that Pokemon!

-Wait, that was a Pokemon? Xavier spins around to see a small noodly ghost pop out of the clay fragment and frantically attempt to open a nearby supply closet.-

-Xavier, however, knew exactly what to do.-

-Setting her stance, squaring her shoulders, and readying herself...-

-She leaps at the weird Ghost-Type and grabs its clay home. Using her momentum, she wrenches the weird noodle ghost off of the door, causing it to panic and retreat back into the shard of clay, where it squirms to try and get out of Xavier's arms.-

Xavier: HAH!

-Therephit comes to a skidding halt in front of her.-

Therephit: Thanks for that. This little guy was accidentally included in a sample of Galarian geological samples for today's classes.

Xavier: But I just did geography today, and we didn't talk about clay.

Therephit: Geology and geography are two different things.

Xavier: They are?!

-Therephit just shakes her head in bafflement.-

Therephit: Whatever. Look, this little guy's wild, and he's not from around here. Normally I'd hand him off to Desech, but he's getting chewed out by Arubeg. Again. You want him?

Xavier: Uh... What is he?

-Peepa's familiar cuboid avatar springs to life from Xavier's pocket.-

Peepa: He's a Yamask! Specifically a Galarian variant, which is Ground-Type on top of its normal Ghost-Typing. Galarian Yamask are bound to their individual carved clay tablet, and though there are many rumors and folk tales regarding the relationship between Yamask and their tablet, the exact relationship isn't surely known. Also, unlike regular Yamask, who evolve into Cofagrigus, Galarian Yamask evolve into the regionally unique Runerigus!

Xavier: Oh. Huh.

Therephit: Oh, would you look at that.

-Looking down to where Therephit was pointing, Xavier notices that the little clay tablet is no longer squirming, instead resting gently in her arms.-

Therephit: I think he likes you.

-Curious, Xavier pulls out an empty Pokeball and gently taps it against the tablet. The ball opens and sucks in the Yamask and, without any shaking whatsoever, immediately clicks.-

Therephit: ... Wow. He must really like you. I've never seen that happen before.

Xavier: Weird.

Therephit: Everything in this facility is weird. So weird, that weird is normal. We just happen to hit more varied points on the grid.

Xavier: On the what?

Therephit: You'll learn about that in math class.

Upon seeing the caped human turn and rush to his escape pod, Gav dashes in pursuit. Using a Quick Attack, he lunges in an attempt to snag the human's cape.

Chris, meanwhile, sees Hoops about to get roasted by the mechanical monsters. Taking a page from the allied Sylveon's playbook, she quickly descends and deploys a Light Screen around Hoops and herself. Her will to protect her ally is just enough to overcome her terror at the sight of the unnatural things about to attack her.

<Oh, no you don't!>, Vasilissa cries, as she switches to a Flame Charge and rushes towards the mechanical monsters, aiming to interpose herself between them and Hoops.

Mitchell looks up from behind his cover, witnessing the events unfolding nearby. Before his mind has time to think, his body moves on it's own. Yelling with inarticulate panic, he runs at the crowd of mechanical monsters and attempts a shoulder tackle on one of them.

Vs. Brad- Aftermath

And upon hearing that it was a Templar, Braker and his whole team stopped short.

"...She's right," said Braker after a moment. "Strong as we may be..."

<It would be a grave mistake to take on two Templars at once,> Walter agreed.

<Well, aren't I silly?> said Bindi, winking.

Chernobog and Heracles found themselves nodding in agreement.

<The School has already recieveds enough damages today...> hissed Serkis.

<Well, then, what are we waiting for?!> snapped Romea. <We need to get out of here!>

And on cue, two things happened.

1- Braker and his team found themselves transported—

Inside of the Stormchaser

—to the inside of the Stormchaser, after which Braker immediately returned the rest of his Pokemon save for, naturally, Walter and Caboose. Seconds later...

<Lenny~!>

Braker, Walter, and Caboose turned as Cuddles excitedly ran down the stairs to meet them before jumping into his Trainer's arms.

"Cuddles!" said Braker. "How are you?"

<Please don't ask about me,> said Cuddles, shaking his head. <The more important question is how are you? You were the one out there battling Templars, after all...>

Braker laughed a bit.

"Awww. I'm fine, Cuddles, thank you for asking," said Braker. "Serkis and Romea did the best they could, and I got to Mega Evolve Heracles for the first time."

<You did?!> cried Cuddles. <Oh, I wish I could have been there to see that! The battle would have been a bit... much for me, sure, but seeing Heracles Mega Evolve would have made it all worth it!>

"Kendall Mega Evolved Roy, too," said Braker.

<He did?!> Cuddles exclaimed. <May I guess the Reverian cue he used?>

<That's the thing, actually,> said Walter. <He didn't.>

Cuddles' eyes widened. <W-what...?>

Braker nodded. "He's abandoned the practice, it seems. It's likely that he believed that his old call-and-response cues were silly and unbefitting of his more efficient personality, and as a result he decided to abandon them."

<...Oh,> said Cuddles. <Well... that and he was fighting a Templar. I doubt he'd want to use a cue when fighting a Templar~!>

"Yes," said Braker. "Though I think the former option is far more likely."

And then— tremors. Immediately, Cuddles' eyes went wide, and he ran off to hide under the table, during which he promptly started shaking with fear.

"Cuddles?" asked Braker. "I-is everything okay?"

<Oh— oh dear...> muttered Cuddles. <Tha— that's loud... that's really loud... C-could it be... another earthquake again...?>

Braker glanced out.

"It's not an earthquake," he realized. "It's a Legendary Facepalm. Kendall got one last bit of damage output on Adelinde before she even entered."

Vs. Brad Aftermath

And #2— the shock wave from the Legendary Facepalm promptly erupted all throughout the battle arena, sending its only occupant- Bindi- up on her tails. She let out a shriek of delight from the rush of adrenaline, barely hurt despite the massive shockwave.

<WHOOOO-HOOOOOO~!> she cried out. <Gee, this is fun~! Mr. Grayshirt should do that again!>

And with that said, she began immediately doing backflips on her hand-tails.

<Well, toodles~!> she cried. <I'm goin' back to Ingrid!>

Vs. Gabriel

And he was gone.

Benny and Ingrid glanced up at the sight in front of them, before Benny in particular glanced down at 9-Volt- and even more pointedly, Hoops. He walked up to 9-Volt and saluted him.

<Your strong showing in battle and your sacrifice shall not go in vain, lieutenant,> he said. <I'm almost certain that the Commander has been informed of your exploits. Thank you.>

A glance towards Kamui and the rest of her team.

<The same thing goes for you as well,> he said. <You and your whole team.>

A glance at Hoops.

<Of course, there is still a far more pressing matter,> said Benny. <How is Hoops?>

And then— the flamethrowers hit.

<Mayday! Mayday!> cried Benny. <Somebody put out the fires and destroy those mechas!>

Ingrid paused for a few moments, before an idea hit her.

"Bitey!" she cried. "Now's your chance!"

She threw the PokeBall forward and Bitey emerged from it. It took him only a few moments to look up at the giant robots before his eyes lit up and he began jumping around like a lunatic, causing the ground to shake.

<Oooh~! Giant robots! Yay, yay, yaaay~!>

MEANWHILE...

During the Circhester Battle...

Ananpi, thinking quickly, dodged the Stone Edge immediately before sending out an Electroweb at its user.

And then— he started tingling.

<Oh! Pause it~! I'm getting a message from myself, chuu~!>

Everything promptly turned gray. (This is solely for the benefit of the audience.)

^note  <Hey! Psst! Me!>

<Yeah, me? What is it, chuu~?>

^note  <The base is coming down, chuu~!>

<Really?!>

^note  <Yeah! Bindi got the commander, chuu~! And Benny got Gabe!>

<Holy moly! That's amazing~!>

^note  <And that wasn't aaalll~! There was another Galvantula there too~!>

<Another Galvantula...? Y-you... you mean...>

^note  <Yep! 9-Volt was there, chuu~!>

<Yippeee~! Yay, 9-Volt~! Yay, Benny and Bindi! Yaaay, Ingrid~! I can't wait to see them again!>

^note  <Me eithe— hold on, something's happening.>

<What...?>

Everything returned to normal— and Ananpi noticed the Burst Heart happen.

<Well, then~!> said Ananpi. <I think the doctor's going down soon, don't you?>

The Underground

Gwana smirked upon seeing Hunter finally go down— until she and Stipax both saw Lyndis prepare to kick Hunter.

<W-what?!> cried Stipax. <Why on Earth would she do that?!>

<She's a sore loser, that's why,> said Gwana. <What an idiot. They haven't disbanded yet. They're not done for yet. I know it. They're going to come back eventually. And when they do... I'll be there. Waiting for them.>

And then they saw Lyndis go Limp and Livid and start maniacally laughing like crazy.

"...oh no," muttered Owen.

<...is she okay?> asked Stipax. <Why is she laughing like that?>

Veilstone Gym- vs. Maylene

Maylene, practically having been swept off her feet by the double whammy of Dig and Fire Blast, returned her fainted Heracross, while Owen returned Gwana.

"Dear Arceus..." she muttered. "I wouldn't have expected a Cubone to be that strong. It's rather commendable, actually."

Owen nodded. "Well, let's just say there's a very tragic reason as to how she got that strong and leave it at that."

Maylene nodded. "Right. In that case, then..." She pulled out a PokeBall. "This next mon of mine should really be powerful for ya! Go! Infernape!"

She threw the ball into the air, and in a burst of blue light an Infernape appeared holding a White Herb in his hand. He looked over at Owen and grinned, waving at him.

Owen, meanwhile, nodded, knowing exactly which Pokemon to send out next.

"Alright, then!" he said, taking out a PokeBall. "You've got an Infernape, do you? Well, here's my next mon! You're up, Nautilu!"

The ball opened up, revealing Nautilu standing on the other side. He glanced over his opponent for a few moments, while the Infernape turned to face Nautilu and grinned.

<Well, hi there!> he said. <Nice to meet you!>

Nautilu blinked, somewhat surprised by the Infernape's friendly nature.

<Um... hello...?> he asked. <Aren't you going to attack me, or...?>

<Nah,> said the Infernape. <You can go first.>

Nautilu blinked again.

<O...kay, then?> he said.

He promptly opened his mouth up and released a massive Hydro Pump, knocking Infernape backwards.

Edited by OPALGARNET16 on Oct 7th 2022 at 1:38:11 PM

"Senator, I must insist this is a bad idea!"

Senator Sven Anderson adjusted his tie. "This is a new thing, as the one helping run this Region, I have to find out more."

Anderson was a large man, nearly 7 feet, years of college ball would do that. He stood at the entrance of the facility, quirking an eyebrow behind his face as he proceeded to adjust his glasses. "It's a simple investigation, all goes well and we'll leave it be."

His Aide still looked worried. Anderson however was undetterred, and had a big grin on his face as he thought about what this could mean for the future of Orre.

Stormchaser

Brie: Well, if she tried to kill you, I'm definitely going to have to have words with her. I don't sanction that sort of thing.

-...-

...But a Delta Stream! I've wanted to try that out since they discovered Rayquaza could do that, and it was totally worth the wait.

Raid, Hiro

-cut yourself some slack, Hiro-

-you may not be in time to help anybody-

-but you'll at least be able to intercept Adelinde-

-you have seen her fight a couple times. She likes to play with her food. There are gaps in her blade patterns, or she'll hold off between attacks to chat, or threaten, or taunt-

-that is not in evidence here. The green flash of the teleportation hasn't even faded all the way before it's replaced with pink, as she simply fills the corridor with blades-

Battle Academy

-Angela's brow furrows.-

Retek: Angela? Something happen?

Angela: We have a guest.

Retek: More goons?

Angela: No. According to Dune, he's a local politician.

Retek: Oh. Barf.

Angela: Have Binah go on alert.

Retek: ... Oh. That kind of politician.

Angela: He's not here with any directly hostile intent, but I've already informed Dune anyway.

Retek: Think he'll believe that Dune's out in the field right now?

Angela: Considering that he spent four straight days out in the desert last week, would anyone question him being off in the middle of the desert?

Retek: Point taken. Let me go greet our guest.

Angela: Gebura will also be there.

Retek: ... You're shaken. What is it with this guy?

Angela: Something about him reminds me of the City. I will be down to join you shortly.

Hae-Won: "Well she may not be able to tell you who I am, but I can tell you who I am! Hae-Won Choi, street performer and dragon tamer extraordinaire!"

She leaps on top of Sheila's back, surprising the Turtonator but in a way she's grown to accept, and strikes a pose that looks like it would be better with the Fraxure but he's kinda rubbing his wound and gives a half-hearted pose where he is.

Hae-Won: "...Wait, right, we better get Akravator to the Center."

Edited by CorvusAtrox on Oct 7th 2022 at 1:26:22 PM

Hearthome Contest Hall

Sienna: Oh! Yeah. Definitely. They are not looking in great shape.

-new lease on life in tow, she follows Hae-Won to the center-

Stormchaser

Kai: Aw, thanks. Not wanting me to be killed means a lot to me.

-Her smile gets softer seeing Brie's excitement.-

Kai: Yeah, that was pretty amazing. You were literally in your element. I hope she isn't making too many nemeses, we'll definitely have to fight her again.

-They think for a moment-

Kai: Wonder if the Stormchaser has a Delta Stream in the training room? Though it's not quite the same as the real deal.

A school safehouse somewhere

Chase V teleports over.

Chase V: I took as much as I could before the place got overran!

Dr Coleman: Okay, I'll tell you where to put them later, we're all busy right now...

chaos team, flashback

Hazel, Evo and Florence approach Chase, who is still stuffing as much as he can into pockets and bags.

Evo: <Ooooh, what's all this stuff? It'd be a shame if it got destroyed, wouldn't it?>

Hazel: Yeah, you're right.

Hazel sends a shadow ball at a test tube full of something. It smashes on the floor. Chase finally notices them.

Chase V: So, I finally run into some of you guys. I'd love to kill you all but as you can tell I'm quite busy.

Hazel: How about we give you a hand with those?

Hazel blasts Chase and the things stacked around him back with an Ominous Wind.

Florence: Yeah, we can help clean up!

Flo tosses some seed bombs in with everything else.

Stormchaser medbay

Micro is curled up on top of Chase II. He no longer has a knife stuck in his eye and now sports a bandage covering it. Chase is stable, but hasn't woken up yet. Most of one of his arms is wrapped in bandages. There's also another bandage around his other leg.

Suddenly, he wakes up.

Chase: Aaaagh!

He panics and flails around briefly. He stops just as quickly, realizing where he is and also that he will probably hurt more if he keeps flailing around.

Micro: ~You're awake!~

Chase: ...Where are we?

Micro: ~This person from the j-team found you and took us back to the stormchaser.~

Chase: Wait, isn't that the j-team's airship base?

Micro sighs.

Micro: ~Yes.~

Chase: That's great! There are so many truants on here! I'd just need to bring one of them back, then they'll finally respect me!

Micro: ~I don't think you're really in the position to capture anyone right now...~

Chase: You're right. But I won't be like this forever! Once I'm back up and at it, I'll get one of them!

Micro facepaws.

Counterraid, Megan

Pippy: <...that, that has to be a lie, right. She's in our heads, we missed...>

Vee: <I can feel myself trickling through half the building, P. She can't—I hope she can't fake that. Fuck.>

Zen: -arms crossed- ~My Trainer is the pinnacle of what humanity can be. Do not underestimate her.~

Megan: ...Every upgraded her.

-somehow, Megan can tell Ramona's smiling-

Ramona: -mild- ~I just want to talk.~

-Megan's Pokémon flare their feathers or frills, growling warning-

Ramona: ~Look at how far you've come! Sure, what you did to me was kind of pointless, but didn't I say I'd help you get things done?~ -she gestures at the all the rubble, armor...the Exclusive Items Megan crafted for her team-

-Zen scowls, held at bay by the Collar-

Zen: -cringing- ~Fure noctis!~

-Ramona raises an eyebrow—don't ask how anyone knows—but obliges, their fear slinking to a deep, dark corner of their mind-

Ramona: ~Because whatever she might say—~

-she thumbs up at the intercom, Chiyo's speech ongoing-

Ramona: ~—we improve people, here.~ Megan: N-no you don't.

Ramona: -leaning in- ~Is that what you really feel? Deep down?~

-Megan's's face...-

Megan: ...I...

don't know.

-Pippy and Vee glance back at her, alarmed-

(-despite everything, despite herself, the corners of her mouth are ticking up...?-)

-and pivot frantically back to Ramona, guarded against a sneak attack that...doesn't seem to come-

Megan: -trembling- I don't...know.

-her Aura-IFF tints red, then back—how can she know? How can she really know these feelings are hers-

-so Megan reaches into her Bag and switches on an Aura Disruptor-

Ramobdenum: -slowing her saunter to a halt- ...

Zen: -suddenly bereft- <...what...?>

-they and Vee both grimace—the former in horror, the latter in expected discomfort-

-Molybdenum is unreadable-

-and to that, Megan...does not feel any lingering affection-

-nor encouragement at Ramona's presence or approval-

-or longing for the productivity she can achieve, under her-

Megan: ...hah! Not so tough without your powers, now, huh, M-Mona.

-for sure-

-Molybdenum smiles at her, and this one's not convincing-

-if she were narrating, she might say something about how she never needed to be good at it, when it's so much nicer to just tell people she is-

-but this is Megan's show now, and she reads fear-

Megan: R-right. Let's go.

(Zen: -pulsing, enraged- <...what...?>)

(-Megan registers the burning-out whine of a Disruptor overwhelmed by a Pokémon's Aura, seconds from failure-)

(-whatever-)

Megan: -smirks...?-

Molybdenum: -takes a step back-

(-Megan brought spares—but she was a warrior in the world she doesn't remember, and before that a Swimmer trained by a Region-renowned wrestler —all she needs is seconds-)

-she stalks forward, reveling in throwing her plain human fist at Ramona's smug face-

-Molybdenum grabs her punch, slams her elbow into her sternum, and flips her over her shoulder into a pile of debris-

-and twists Megan's arm, and plants a heel on her injured stomach, and presses til the armored boot swinging up at her skitters off course-

-and doesn't even go for the smoking Disruptor, already failing containment—distantly, Zen calls up his Aura, barraging anew-

-...-

-...-

Megan: ...that's not fair.

-Ramona raises her eyebrow, grinding her heel down-

Megan: -quietly- You're, like...the limp nerd of Psychics.

Molybdenum: -disdainful, glaring down- So you thought all you needed to beat an Alumnus was one cheap trick?

-and she starts stomping-

-the particular sizzle of Megan's daily anxieties might be familiar to Daydre, by now-

-funfact: the distinction between an Aura in a Disruptor field and an Aura that's gone is to most senses nil-

Raid, Hiro

Hiro: -no time to scream- —

-she certainly intends to cut him some slack-

-on any other day—if she'd arrived two minutes sooner, with that opener—he'd already be back-shelf Pokémart salami-

-but here, his senses are extended as far as they'll go, and even if he weren't hoping she'd appear before him, instead of anyone else-

-he'd still have this charged to a hair trigger:-

-the Eruption disintegrates a narrow circle of blades, searing a track through the impenetrable bladestorm-

-the giant Typhlosion released, and Hiro, emerge unscathed-

-Tea, on whom he's mounted, has her legs sliced by dozens of blown-apart blade shards-

-Curry and Parfait, beside them, the blast only partially shields-

-they hit the ground, and a moment later, so does an arm and leg-

Hiro: -stiffening-

   H?Typhlosion: -drawing herself to full height- This will be an awful day for someone.   

-Hiro doesn't look-

-not "can't"—but Adelinde will eviscerate him-

-not "won't"—he owes them witness, but they want him to live-

-so he simply, in the manner of Truth, forcibly accepts it and moves on-

Hiro: -exhales, belaying grief and rage for nerves-

(-it helps, just a little, to trust-)

Hiro: -swallowing hard- Adelinde. You look terrible.

-he stretches his hands to his sides, flame like wax dripping to the floor-

Hiro: Nuckelavee doing okay?

-a Ghost Zone saturates the hallway—the seed stock for an Eerie Terrain or the like-

-but the Typhlosion flickers, and it ignites-

Stormchaser, Logan - a moment ago

-Logan is frozen, their web glittering overhead- Mute. Us. Now.

-it's not clear which of their allies does it; all they know is that it's done-

Logan: -to their team- Go.

-a Rotom and Magnezone Teleport into the hallway, taking the place of the injured Cinderace and Emboar now deposited onto the deck-

-a man in red-and-white Nurse's scrubs takes a sharp breath, then sets to inspection-

Eric: ~It's—clean. If we can get the limbs soon, if they're intact enough, they should be simple to reattach—~

Curry: -in shock- <...a, ah,>

   Parfait: -furiously clear- <Get me back to my Trainer right now.>   

-raw reality washes over the proceedings—Curry passes out in simple self-defense, Logan feels tears prickling at the corners of their eyes-

Eric: ~...no.~

-he's a paramedic.-

Eric: -human guise dissolving, to various Pokémon- ~I need slings for size 3 and size 5 humanoids, disinfectant, needle and thread~

-Parfait snarls, her usual even keel just ash-

Logan: He's going to be fine.

Parfait: <On what grounds, Idealist? By what logic?>

Logan: -getting down, holding the Styler's earpiece by her ear- Everything's fine eventually.

-Parfait lets the back of her head hit the deck, and listens-

Safehouse vs. the Illusion Bois

Oganesson: Well, what did you expect? We ''are'' just kids.

Krypton, midway through attacking Rory: He does have a point.

Oganesson: Less talking, more arm detaching.

Igor's dot eyes are fixated on the incoming glow emanating from Corrin's maw, as if trying to process it. The electroweb, however, makes contact, stopping any of Igor's attempts at evasive maneuvers.

Igor: Ah, phooey.

Corrin would probably think that look is hilarious, as Igor failed to copy her face exactly and it resembles a 90s-era smiley more than anything else. Especially after it starts contorting in various cartoonish ways as the blast hits him.

After the dust clears, Igor was spent, and his imitation of Corrin's form dissolved in a magenta mass before plopping down on the ground with a thud. As a human. Meanwhile, Krypton was sideswiped and sent flying by Rory's new burst form but not before taking control and landing with some grace and awesomeness, completely unharmed.

The attack on Adam, however, hits Hassium.

Adam: ~108, Why?~

Hassium: ~Because you're already down and out. I can take it.~

Oganesson: Oh, bollocks. Looks like the time for derring do has passed. How are you holding up, Jordan? Bird armour's new.

Krypton: Give me a break. I was not expecting that.

Oganesson: I know right. He kind of strikes me as an all talk no action kind of mouthy douche.

Krypton: Kinda like you sometimes.

Oganesson: Hey!

Krypton: Just sayin'

Oganesson turns to his ear phones. He receives a message he's been expecting since he arrived at the battle zone.

Oganesson: About time you spoke up, Charles. Listen, I need those coordinates, we're right about ready to make a tactical retreat to the pods and—

Charles the Porygon: Yeah. about that Oggy. I never got them.

Oganesson: You what?!

Charles: Yeah. Never did. I did a bit of recon after and it seems that Dr. Cassander just left like a while ago.

Oganesson: Without us?

Krypton: Criminy. What does that leave us? Does that mean we have to fight our way out?

Oganesson: Don't think we can count on a speedy getaway either. Adam and Igor are pretty much grounded.

Bella limps back to Oganesson's side, injured and in pain, but still willing to defend her charge.

Ciara: Well, it seems we don't have much of a choice now, don't we? I take it you'll be taking us prisoner now.

Amora: <Attempting to parley? Whitt is gonna have your head.>

Ciara: ~There's no point anymore. Even if we could retreat, Circhester's probably going another direction. And he isn't going to take well to Igor and I failing.~

They look at the near-unconscious Igor and proceeded to pick up the pokéballs belonging to her companions.

Ciara: Of course, this means I'm now in charge of them. Stand down. We're through here. Hassium, Adam, Amora, return. You've suffered enough.

Igor pulls his head back up.

Igor: Say what.

Ciara: Face it, Igor. They left us. It's time to parley.

Igor: Well, fuck.

Ciara: And you are familiar with how failure-intolerant the School's higher ups are. Effectively, you've already been abandoned.

Igor: You're gonna try and catch me, are you?

Ciara: "Try" assumes a chance at failure.

They toss a ball at Igor, who disappears into it.

The illusion Oganesson casts dissipates.

Oganesson: The fuck are you gonna do to us?

Krypton: Now might not be a good time for this, but I feel that there's someone else here.

Rory and Mason would feel that presence as well, and it's coming from within the wires.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Oct 9th 2022 at 7:21:35 AM

School Raid, Gabe Fight

Trapped within their own body, Hoops can only watch as their allies do everything they can to stop them from being burned alive.

That's funny. Why did I think of them as allies? Shouldn't they be my friends? Am I really still pushing people away, even after all of this time?

Anyway, it doesn't matter. They won't want to be my friend now. Or even my ally, probably. This was our chance to catch a powerful templar, and I wasn't even useless. I was less than useless; I was actively getting in the way. I should have listened, I should have been able to resist this control, I should have been able to do anything but have to be saved again!

Why am I always being saved? Ever since I was young, it's been one person after another saving me. Mum, Kec, Evelyn, Cof, Xaster, the rest of my pokémon, and now this. And after all that, what could I even do? I couldn't help in this raid. I couldn't keep myself from hurting my friends. I couldn't save Vana. So what was the point in saving me all of those times. I'm just wasting their time and effort!

They manage to see out of the corner of their eye, Gabe running towards his escape pod.

Everyone fought hard here today. And if he gets away, then what was it for? I have to stop him. But I can't even move.

<Can't you?>

Cof?

<Yup, I'm all in your head. Let me tell you, it's the second smallest thing I've ever had to crawl into.>

How?

<I dunno, a lot of the things about me don't make sense. After all of this time on this planet, I'm as much an eldritch abomination as I am anything else. So, why shouldn't I be able to talk into your mind.>

Huh?

<Point is, kid, I gave you some of my power. Now, if I'm something super old with weird powers, and I give that to you, a human, what does that make you?>

I... don't know.

<Exactly. No-one does. Even I don't know how your power works. And neither does that well dressed templar fellow. So, why should whatever he's doing try to hold you?

Hoops frowns internally.

Why would that make any sense?

<I don't know. But the way I see it, you have two choices: either you don't try, and you let everyone else save you. And I'm pretty sure that they will save you, you run with a pretty effective crew. But, the second option is that you manage to save yourself.>

Hoops latches onto that feeling. Save myself. They see Gabriel once more. Save myself and win.

To the outside observer, the change is rather sudden. One second Hoops is standing motionless, unable to do anything to protect themself from the flames. Then their arm becomes a mass of writhing bandages twice the size of them. It pushes them into the air, out of the path of the flames, and then grabs onto the ceiling and floor to pull them towards where Gabriel is.

By the time they land in front of Kec and their other pokémon, the bandages completely cover their body. The only gaps are a slit through which they lookout with glowing red eyes, and a hole in the cloth for their mouth. A mouth that has become cracked and pale, as though left and dehydrated for many years.

Kec takes a step back. <Hoops? You in there?>

They've all seen this before, when Hoops first became this mummy form. This time seems different, though.

Hoops speaks through the dry lips. Their voice sounds rough, like their throat is made of sandpaper. "It's me. I still don't have control of my body, but I have control over these bandages. I'm sort of having to puppet myself harder than Gabriel can puppet me."

They look at the space where Gabriel ran, then to their three pokémon. "Shall we?" They set of in pursuit, a crawling mass of ancient cloth.

<Um...> Vul mutters.

<We shall discuss this later> Ray tells him. <For now, let us pursue the young Mistrum.>

So now it's just a question of whether or not this thing that is basically Hoops is able to catch up to Gabriel before he reaches his pod.