School Base Raid, past

Aboard the Stormchaser

-Looking down at the battlefield-

Okay, we need to clear a path so that it's safe enough to land and get everyone inside. Trojan, aim for the most maximal spots.

-And so the Stormchaser fires down upon the base, precise shots in very particular places-

Chaos Team

-Team Nova follows behind Daydre and troublesome-

Textspace, today

Edited by rmctagg09 on Oct 7th 2022 at 7:51:09 AM

Aboard the Stormchaser

Kendall lands post-facepalm, looking down at the base as he felt the wind from his Legendary Facepalm launch off his headphones, which he grabbed before the flew too far.

Behind him, two familiar students blinked into existence as well.

"Wh-"^note What are you two doing here?

"Molybdenum's influence holds true on Megan. Our numbers are far from done being bolstered," Cesium summarized. "Theirs, and the Team's."

"Wa-"^note Wait, you're defecting?

"We're done waiting. It's time we properly defected. Long have we been strategically incompetent, now is time to be actively detrimental." Bismuth added.

"I'm st-"^note I'm still hung up on what you said about Megan.

"Megan will be okay. She is surrounded by those she cares for to bring her back to reality. There is nothing you or Kamui can do, for neither of you have a good enough rapport with her."

"Why-" ^note Why tell me?

"Because you've been worrying about the uncertainty all throughout the raid. It's impacted your ability to fight," Cesium explained, leading Kendall somewhere from Tagg.

Vs. Gabe

"Let him run!" Kamui exclaimed. "9-Volt, get back!"

<No!>

Gabe ran towards the fire.

<Okay!>

He swiftly departed, leaving a parting Sticky Electroweb to make Gabe's fleeing that much slower, hopefully keeping him in the fires more.

"Sunny!"

Stormchaser, With Kendall

In a pink flash, she appeared with her trainer in the midst of his one-sided conversation.

"Ch-"^note Chaos sounds like a real catalyst to your rebellion.

"He was - why couldn't we predict a simple mutt? So many questions. None the School would let us ask. So we had to go out for answers, and in doing so the world opened up to us. A world that we would want to live for, opposed to a School we were raised to die for."

"To-" ^note To die for?! Kamui interjected.

"On cue, Kamui," Cesium nodded. "Yes."

One Brief Explanation Later

"It-"^note  It's rude to keep interrupting.

"Perhaps so, but you won't deny that it's good to keep us in check."

"So-"^note  So anyway, can you keep us updated on Megan?

Cesium nodded and focused, crossing her arms, looking down, as her hair began to float and glow in an invisible intangible wind.

Edited by AbsentCoder on Oct 7th 2022 at 4:56:50 AM

School Safehouse, Firefox

Future!Rikuo looks around sardonically at the charred hallway.

   Future!Rikuo:    <Sure have a funny way of showing that...>

   Future!Rikuo:    -raising his eyebrows- <And you wanna keep working with these guys? You know you guys get kinda fucked where I'm from, right?>

Chaos Team

They're about halfway through the building (by the most direct route possible) when Daydre stiffens and turns around.

To call them bad vibes now would be woefully understating it.

Daydre: "... Uh, you guys keep going with troublesome, I'll be back in a bit."

Without waiting for anyone to respond, she turns and books it in the opposite direction.

troublesome, surprisingly, looks worried. But he continues Bulldozing his way through the building nonetheless.

Counterraid, Megan

Daydre slows when she comes across the trail of destruction left in Megan's wake. Unease sets in the longer she walks, both for Megan's sake and that of the bodies left behind.

She reaches the destruction's terminus and takes in the scene before her.

It doesn't take long for tunnel vision to kick in and lock on Molybdenum. The quiet roar in her mind grows louder, loud enough for any Psychic nearby to hear.

kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill-

Daydre doesn't actually recognize Molybdenum, not really. But the hatred surges forth anyway.

Daydre vanishes. Not as well as Ama, but her form warps and splits like broken glass and she runs up to Molybdenum and she just fucking lunges-

Edited by Daydre on Oct 7th 2022 at 7:54:11 AM

Raid, Hiro

-as flame blossoms through the hall, Adelinde goes on defense. Even she isn't arrogant enough to assume that she can parry a wall of obscuric flames with psychic blades, so she cleaves through the floor, bringing up segments of concrete and bedrock-

-one for her, and one for Lutetium-

-something about her is strange. She's not exactly a slouch under ordinary circumstances, but...she's better?-

-there's normally a little bit of flamboyance to her. She directs her blades with hands or flicks of gaze or breath or whistles, because she's dramatic like that. She holds swords, or creates blades that she can stand on to enhance mobility-

-moreover, as she fights, there are breaks in her pattern. She needs to dismiss one sequence of blades to conjure another, or she'll swing a formation one way, then another-

-Apparently, she's decided she's above all that. She stands perfectly still, arms folded, gaze locked on Hiro, and attacks with a single unbroken storm of blades. Thin, razor-sharp lines connect them, turning them from a directed wall into an inverted fractal bloom, plummeting inwards without end-

-the thing is...-

-   Zone of Truth    is generally an excellent tool against Adelinde-

-the woman really likes the sound of her own voice, and maintaining control of a fight on a conversational level, not just a martial one, so making her unable to lie or even self-delude, when that's how she survives her day-to-day, is an excellent tactic for throwing her off her game. For a Psychic, that's more important than most-

-but Adelinde, right now, isn't talking-

-if you could read emotions, Hiro, you would read a flicker of rage, but it's quietly suppressed-

-there is nothing there but the fight-

-if you could read minds...something in her has broken. Maybe permanently. Maybe she calms down, has a Snickers, and works her way past it-

-but the problem, Hiro, is that it isn't a bad break-

-she has, however temporarily, overcome a barrier in her thinking-

-it can be a very dangerous thing when a Psychic brushes enlightenment-

Edited by memyselfandI2 on Oct 7th 2022 at 5:23:32 AM

Textspace

Edited by rmctagg09 on Oct 7th 2022 at 11:57:04 AM

The Hamlet, The Chromatic Path

The ember spirals past his head as he turns the far corner and for some likely unrelated reason the lighting in the woods returns to the moon-like blue it was before this encounter.

Well, the only way forward is to turn that corner yourself...

PEFE Testing Bunker

-Gale laughs a little at being called a wizard and confidently strides off back towards the Defiant Wing. At least it's a stride until she's out of sightline of the others and then her confidence breaks and she just tries to get to the ship before anyone notices how concerned she's looking-

School Comms Relay

-The Nightingale finishes up her hot chocolate quickly after the one-two punch of the personal comms lighting up with Tagg's warning and then subsequently the School ones lighting up with Chiyo's speech-

Here's hoping they actually get those hearts and minds they wanted. Skeleton Key, grabbed what you could?

/Duck/: >Yep.

-The Nightingale nods and takes the time to unplug the little box and return it to its usual place connected to her suit-

Alright, guess the only thing left is to make sure they get out safely.

-She exits the building, slamming the door behind her and letting a sharp whistle out from her helmet. Needing no further instruction, the giant dinosaur rampaging about the place stops, lowers itself down and lets the Nightingale clamber on-

Get close to the main base, but be careful! We're here to scare them off, not get in a fight!

-Tyrantanoth Rex takes a moment, raises up and roars again. The attempted roar of the Nightingale perched upon his back is lost in the noise, but the meaning is known to both-

Elsewhere in Orre...

-Dune sat at the edge of a still fountain, hands clasped, leaning on his knees, rubbing his temples with his thumbs. He never liked coming to this house.-

Dune: So, just for clarity's sake... You thought about making a machine to revive fossil Pokémon despite that technology already existing, and then you tested it on Pokémon remains that were not Fossilized, and somehow brought back a fully evolved, formerly extinct Pokémon that you couldn't control and it ran off into the desert.

Dr. Kaminko: And then the machine exploded!

Dune: Yes, of course it did.

Dr. Kaminko: My best invention yet, if I do say so! Inconvenient at every level!

Dune: And now I have to go and capture a Pokémon flying wild that's powerful enough to disrupt the still-fragile ecosystem Orre is finally starting to develop.

Dr. Kaminko: Oh, I hadn't even thought of that! How delightful! This is much better results than my Robo Trainer project!

-Dune, very slowly, looks back up at the hunchback old scientist.-

Dune: ... Would you care to elaborate?

Dr. Kaminko: Well, after the massive success of Robo Kyogre, I had the idea to make even more Robo variants! At first I thought that Robo Trainers would never work...

-His face twists in a scowl.-

Dr. Kaminko: And I was right! The Robo Trainer was so polite, so nice, and such a good sport that the whole project was a complete failure!

-Chobin pops out of the nearby house's front door to report the progress on the house's repairs. He notices a permeable aura of danger, praises Dr. Kaminko's bravery to himself, and then ducks back inside.-

Dune: And what... pray tell, did you do with this Robo Trainer?

Dr. Kaminko: I shut it off and threw it out! No reason to keep it around, especially when it started asking what things like "pride" or "love" is!

-Dune is now standing.-

Dune: Show me where.

Dr. Kaminko: Oh, I don't have time for that-

Dune: I'm not asking.

The Underground, Secret Base:

Initially unsure how to respond to Lyndis' obviously worsening psychotic episode, Mark would eventually say, “Alright look, it's just a pokemon battle, not the end of the fucking world...one that could have been avoided if one of your cronies wasn't trying to spy on me or my friends. Just pay up and fuck off, and we'll be on our—-”

Lyndis would suddenly interrupt while digging through her bag, “You punks think you can just walk up in here, pick a fight, completely wreck my base, and have the nerve to demand money?! GO FUCK YOURSELVES!” Immediately upon Suddenly Shouting, Lyndis had swiftly thrown an inactive yellow-neon pokeball towards Gwana, which Mark noticed and prompted proceeded to block, catching it in the palm of his left hand before calling her out, “The hell is your problem?! Even 1st day trainers know better than to try and steal—-”

“Mark look out!” Travis warned upon seeing Lyndis suddenly start rushing towards Mark with hostile intent, preparing to throw a sucker punch in the form of a haymaker. Mark however was in tune with his surroundings enough to react with insanely fast reflexes, would reward Lyndis' aggression by not only ducking the attack, but instinctively following through with a low sweeping kick. The Team Lightning Charger would find herself falling face up, legs giving out from the counter-attack before hitting the ground which Mark capitalized on by stomping his other foot onto her sternum and grabbing Lyndis by the collar as she reflectively arched up upon being stomped on.

Mark would glare straight into the eyes of the mask, his green eyes briefly burning even brighter than the mask somehow, “I've beaten up psychics tougher than you. I don't even care about money at this point, I demand to know why the fuck you and your team of degenerates think they can get away with vandalism! What are you hoping to gain?!” He demanded with a guttural inflection before overhearing some of the Team Lightning Sparks clamor as they regained awareness.

“Wouldn't you like to know? Team Lightning does what it wants, whenever it wants to! We answer to no authority!” Lyndis defiantly replied, attempting to spit in Mark's face but forgetting she was still wearing a mask. Mark would reward her defiance with a swift punch to the face that knocked her out and was tough enough to crack the marowak skull itself, which scraped Mark's knuckle and caused him to briefly mutter some profanities while waving his hand in mild pain. Mark would then take the mask off Lyndis and callously toss it aside like he had defeated a luchadore and ended their career, revealing the face of a psychotic young woman about Mark's age who was seeing stars at this point and already had a bruise forming on her forehead.

“That guy just beat up the boss, get him!” One of the Team Lightning Sparks shouted after he and several fellow grunts recovered from Gwana's Earthquake. No stranger to uneven fights, Mark would proceed to deliver a beat down to any Team Lightning Spark that challenged him, demonstrating both the fighting experience he gained from a rough upbringing and what he had learned from his time at The Machastery. One Spark would attempt to lead with a roundhouse kick, only to get intercepted and flipped onto his back and stomped on. Another would attempt to throw a clearly-telegraphed punch, causing Mark to not only side step out of the way, but also take control of his target and dislocate his arm before delivering a kick to the knee that made him collapse and writhe in pain, effectively incapacitated as his focus was now entirely on trying to fight through the pain.

A third spark who proved herself to be more craven than her cohorts would attempt to throw several objects towards Mark, who dodged all of them and at one point even caught an Xbox-inspired gaming controller before throwing it back at her directly into her face. A fourth attacker would leave themselves wide open for a groin kick, followed by an uppercut right into the jaw the moment he bent down, and a fifth Spark in a particularly oversized hoodie would have their hoodie pulled over them halfway as part of a disorienting tactic before Mark rapidly pummeled his chest like a punching bag while his opponent struggled to handle the punches while putting his hoodie back on all the way. He would fail both of these attempts as Mark would then grab his opponent and spin him around before throwing him into another rushing opponent hard enough to disable both of them.

“This guy's almost as much a fighter as his Machoke! Go for his weaker friends!” One of the Sparks said before making a bum rush straight for Travis, intent on targeting his weak knee. “Woah dude I'm just a spectator, take it easy!” Travis insisted, backing away while frantically trying to select unseen commands on his Poketch that he had mapped out well enough to go off of memory before Haxx would start spamming crank calls that distracted the remaining Lightning Sparks with loud default ringtones that overrode their individual user settings, including the Spark going after Travis who tried to silence their phone, only for Mark to take advantage of his distracted state with a one-two low sweep, face punch combo. He would look over his shoulder to see another goon heading after Owen, only to use the inactive pokeball he caught from earlier and toss a curve ball right into his eye, causing the rushing grunt to fall flat on his face and slide a bit with momentum into a wall.

“Alright tough guy you've made your point! Here's your money, the base is yours now, just leave us alone!” One of the few remaining sparks said after witnessing several of his teammates get beaten down. The rest of the goons would gathered their wounded comrades and toss wads of money towards Mark as disrespectfully as possible, and in a matter of moments the Team Lightning goons would vacate the premises, but not without the last Team Lightning Spark threatening, “This ain't over! You wanted to start a war with Team Lightning, well guess what? It's on!”

Veilstone City Gym:

While Travis had left to buy more snacks with Tricky accompanying him, Mark and Chopper continued watching the battle. After noticing the matchup between Nautilu and Infernape, Mark had already concluded who the obvious victor of this battle would be, but continued to watch out of curiosity. “Aaaaand yet another big mistake. Never let your opponent move first, especially when they have the type advantage. Unless she's banking on Revenge and the Fighting beats Rock matchup, this makes no sense,” Mark would comment before witnessing the Hydro Pump attack. “Well this mistake wasn't as bad as it could have been, we'll see how hard this gym leader is actually thinking here soon,”

School Safehouse — Firefox

-Bren understands the look Rikuo is giving him, but not the words.-

Bren: ...I think... this is not the ideal place to hold a civil discussion. I hope to meet again, under less mutual pressure.

-A barrier of dull flames rises from the ground, following him as he turns to leave.-

School Safehouse — Illusion Bois

-As the battle draws to a close, Mason lowers his guard. The Twilight Haze remains, though.-

Mason: ...

-The walls tint a gray hue, and the sound of steady white noise hisses from them, muffling sight and sound.-

Mason: ...I don't take prisoners. I've escaped too many prisons, metaphorical or literal, to sanction that. But I can offer you freedom.

Textspace

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Oct 8th 2022 at 4:27:04 AM

Raid, Hiro

-Hiro can't read minds, and is no Logan at reading people-

-but he's grown very, very good at twigging to sudden changes in people that might get him killed-

Hiro: No.

-and of course he knows what the Gates are, and the knowledge burns him up-

Hiro: In what value system of mine does looking like an enlightened killer parse as "not terrible?"

-the    burn    subsides-

-but the blades do not, and he sidelines what intel Ever provided in favor of not going immediately to pieces-

-the expedient route to dealing with a storm of knives is to not meet it on its level-

(Tripod: -Teleports out with the sliced-up limbs, leaving them to their fate-)

-they appear on the floor below, in the midst of the sinking Zone—directly beneath Adelinde-

Hiro: She didn't respond at all to that reminder.

-his troubled state verges on anguish-

Hiro: She's actually learning. She's better than she was before.

Hiro: I'm scared.

-the Archivist's inner Light is coaxed free, shining as a blacklight on the surroundings-

   H?Typhlosion: Aid me, little Wisp.   

   H?Typhlosion: Give me a binding bottle.   

-Wisp crackles in a circle, spreading sparks-

-Electroweb is a poor substitute for a magnetic shaping like Zekrom's, but they make do-

-from directly beneath Adelinde, a blinding beam carves through the floor, targeted with Sight that pierces walls-

-now if Adelinde got any read on them, it might occur that neither of them are natural killers-

-they have other hopes, other dreams, actual lives-

-they're not committed-

Hiro: -eyes opening wide, pointing-    There.   

-Hiro has striven for the Gates and never achieved them-

Hiro: -unfurls a piece of plotter paper, a Litwick Sign writ large upon it-

-but he had relatives who did-

Hiro: -and he burns it all up-

-he vanishes in a cocoon of wax, leaving defense for the moment to his allies-

Counterraid, Megdre

Molybdenum: -sigh- Now.

Molybdenum: ...well, I was gonna ask you about your feelings, but I think getting trounced takes the fore. When I say "squiggly wiggles", does that kill your pain—

-unfortunately for Molybdenum, Aura Disruptors, even failing ones, also block whatever sixth sense gets people stiffening at killing intent-

-mid-trying-to-bite-Zen's-face-off, Vee's olfactory Aura Sense kicks in, and her nose all but liquefies and retracts into her snout-

Vee: -faint- <Mesprit's mercy.>

Zen: -wrestling her- <What is that. What is—>

-it bolts by them-

Zen: <Molybdenum!>

-their call draws her attention in time, so-

-she doesn't completely eat shit when Daydre strikes her, flinging her across the room-

Megan: ...Day?

-Daydre's presence is the last straw-

-the Disruptor's Waveform generator bursts from its socket, components scattering across the floor-

Molybmona: -hitting the wall- Gah!

-joined by body armor shards-

Megan: -unpained- Aw, y'r wearin' that cloak I made ya.

-her partners behold Daydre in her feral state, bristling with shadows and rage-

(-free to sense that, Ramona's pupils dilate-)

Ramona: -fight-or-flight prickling-

(-not in a month did she manage to cultivate the kind of ire flooding her senses right now-)

(-not from—-)

Megan: -sincerely- You look cute. c:

(-this weirdo-)

Pippy: -facewings-

-so Zen punches him in that wing, and Vee bites them-

Ramona: ~Who the frick are you?~

-she investigates, and examines-

Edited by Asterisk395 on Oct 9th 2022 at 2:10:30 PM

Textspace

Chiyo has added Vierr to Truancy Gang: Too Cool For School

Edited by rmctagg09 on Oct 8th 2022 at 4:56:02 AM

Gabriel paused... and an angry glare crossed his face. "I do not have time for you!"

He drew his psychoblade and let the blade of psychic energy ignite. "I will be taking my leave, why couldn't you be a good little puppet and do your job and distract them!"

Gabriel shunted a mental command, and the dark troopers ceased... the one in best condition however activated its jets and flew up, right at Hoops as Gabriel rushed for the pod. "I will not be taken so lightly!"

The dark troopers's eyes began to flicker... as a beeping was heard... and the beeping was getting louder and faster.

"Take me and risk the explosion or get out and let me go, I didn't want to have to play this card!"

Rory, still in burst steps forward. "Give us a chance and we'll get you out. Nobody is gonna be locked away, and nobody has to die."

Armstrong adjusted his glasses. <Well you can't make an omelette if you fret over every egg.>

~Not helping,~ Raiden said.

~It Really Isn't,~ Gabriel added.

Sinnoh School Safehouse, Hiro Zone

-the moment the blades stop meeting resistance, Adelinde cancels them-

-casts out with her mind-

Lutetium: Are they—

-Adelinde conjures two large, flat blades, moving herself and Lutetium in opposite directions as the Fire Pledge carves through the floor between them-

-she places her hand on the still-red-hot floor-

-blades spread like webbing-

-cutting out studs, support beams, and rebar-

-yeah, she just drops the ceiling on Hiro-

Textspace

Deep within the facility, close to wherever Avery is in.

Somewhere within the chambers, the echoes of a hacking cough, the whimpering of a subadult male human in pain, and the telltale sounds of abandoned equipment being brought down by clumsy motions of someone who has never walked before.

Also within this vent is a rattata with a device strapped on them. The device allows them to speak a human language.

Rattata: My name is Willard. I need your help. My master is somewhere within the facility and is calling for my assistance, and I fear I cannot do this alone.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Oct 8th 2022 at 3:20:36 AM

Facility Vents

Avery: .

Facade: <.>

Avery: Uh. That is what I'm here for, technically. What's up?

Vents

Willard: Follow me.

And he scurries off to the direction of the banging sounds and coughing.

Storage center

Once they get there, Avery and co. will spot a teenage boy around the age of 16, of medium height and a scrawny build, and messed-up wet hair. He has been occupying a pool of amniotic fluid. He is angry, unable to stand for very long, still has some fluid in his lungs, and most notably, he is naked.

Willard: Ordinarily he'd be happy about this, as he's been trying to look for his physical body for several months now. But he appears unable to help himself up. He will need physical help to leave the facility, and I am but a Rattata.

Astatine: Will? Willard? Is that you? Good. Did you get help yet?

Willard: I have.

Astatine: The door's unlocked but I haven't the strength to get out. Or do much of anything.

He throws a massive coughing fit.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Oct 8th 2022 at 4:21:56 AM

School Safehouse, Firefox

Future!Rikuo makes a noise between a scoff and a laugh.

   Future!Rikuo:    <Yeah, sure buddy. I'm sure my trainer will have a few choice words for you next time you meet.>

Future!Rikuo watches Bren to make sure he's really gone before slinging Ama across his back and walking away. The Haze eventually goes with him, returning the hall to its original color.

Counterraid, Megdre

The hand that dealt the blow to Molybdenum bleeds, shards of armor embedded in skin. But Daydre doesn't seem to be in a position to care.

Distantly, she comprehends what Megan is saying.

Thanks!

She pulls a new-ish looking dive ball from her belt. EMPEROR pops out and takes in the situation.

EMPEROR: <... You're->

Daydre: "Help them. I'll deal with this."

EMPEROR: <This doesn't seem wise.>

Daydre smiles. It doesn't reach her eyes.

I'm really grateful that you made it for me! It's really cool!

Normally, Daydre would fuss about type matchups and tactics and the wisdom of sending out what's ostensibly her ace first, but. But.

Without issuing further commands, Daydre simply walks up to Molybdenum. The Deflect Looplet prevents her from feeling the worst of the Extrasensory, damage shunting off to EMPEROR (who shudders, but walks it off).

I wish I could show you how much I love you.

But it can't stop what's not an attack- simple probing and investigating? That's idle curiosity, not something harmful.

Not harmful at all.

Daydre reaches for Molybdenum's neck.

Daydre's Mind

Memories flit by in a facsimile of Daydre's room on the Stormchaser.

Megan smiling. Megan laughing.

Megan, freshly back from her multiversal journey. Oh the relief, the happiness, the joy in that moment.

Megan hurt. Megan crying.

Megan after the events of the Wild Area, trying to act like things were normal.

The person whose face Daydre never saw, that mystery person who caused Megan so much pain.

Megan, bleeding as Daydre sunk her claws in. The give of her loved one's flesh.

That mask.

If only she had that power now.

Surely, she would be able to achieve....

Well. Whatever it is Daydre thinks she could do with it... Its appearance is something Molybdenum would recognize from Celeste's mind.

And in the center of that vortex, a smiling foxgirl.

Baakwu: "Well well well. Looks like someone's paying a visit!"

Textspace

Edited by rmctagg09 on Oct 8th 2022 at 6:48:09 AM

Textspace

Storage Center

Avery: Um.

-she covers her eyes with a hand-

To honor your delicate human sensibilities, I will provide a censor.

-Facade places an illusion of a nice suit over Astatine-

Avery: Uh, okay, up you get.

-she gives Astatine her arm-

We're going to need to move pretty fast, there's someone teleporting around trying to kill us. What's...your deal?

As all but one of the Dark Troopers cease functioning, Mitchell tries to catch his breath, only to promptly lose it at the sole active Trooper rising through the air. Judging by the steadily louder beeping he hears in the room, he can guess what sort of "card" Gabriel had just played.

"A bomb?", Mitchell splutters. "What is wrong with you, you-, never mind. Chris, get that thing away from Hoops! Vas, get Hoops out of the way! Gav, wherever you are, get back here now!"

<Understood,> Chris replies, focusing an Extrasensory pulse at one of the Trooper's jets on it's right side. She aims to send it off-course, leaving it without enough time to course-correct back into Hoops' way before it detonates.

<Way ahead of ya!>, Vas responds, stimulating her body with Agility and charging up to Hoops' position. <Mr. Bandages, you need a lift?>, she calls out to Hoops.

Gav, having missed his attempt at catching Gabriel's cape, hears Mitchell's call, deciding on the spot to run back and abandon his pursuit. He doesn't like his odds of survival against a human who somehow has a psychic space sword straight out of a Pokestar Studios summer blockbuster. <On my way, Boss!>, he squeaks, using a Quick Attack on the approaching Dark Trooper's head as soon as he gets close enough.

Storage Center

Astatine: Hmmmm. Snazzy. If your airship is still where I last saw it, I should be able to get us out of here. My name's Astatine, by the way.

He points to the opened capsule with life support and leftover amniotic juice, which has the label 085 on it.

Astatine: Dig this, my mind was literally uploaded into the circuits of this place when I was born. I've been stuck in the wires trying to get back to my body, but they eventually hid it here were I couldn't get at it. I'm surprised it's actually still alive. I've lived as a disembodied consciousness in the networks for almost a year now.

Willard: He called out to me one day and promised me food if I served him. I've followed him ever since.

Astatine: Eventually, I used the Internet to get me and Willard to the J-Team, and I've been in the wires of your living airship for the past few months. We're bros.

Willard: Your compatriots were very generous and understanding. The custodian even gave me this device so my master and I could speak to humans.

Astatine: Didn't have a lot of power, though. Going through the wires was more my element. I joined an earlier raid in the network to disable everything. Ever since then I've been opening doors, turning off alarms and mining data. The Stormchaser should have them all by now.

Willard: When he found his body again, he jumped at the chance to take one more thing from his old captors. Unfortunately, he has spent his entire life as a presence in the walls and barely 8 hours as a living being.

Astatine: Not gonna lie. I hate it in here.

Willard: You will learn to love being corporeal, master.

Astatine: I have no energy to speak of. It's like being trapped in that device, only it comes with pain.

Willard: I take it that you're just hungry, master. Perhaps we should guide our rescuer out.

Astatine: Good idea. I know this place like the back of my hand—not literally. There should be some real clothes I can wear in that one utility closet close to the exit we're passing by. We can grab it and not rely on a censor once we're done.

And Astatine then starts pointing at a door with a utility closet. Ordinarily this would be opened from the other side, but it's already been unlocked.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Oct 8th 2022 at 5:10:06 AM

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Edited by rmctagg09 on Oct 8th 2022 at 8:22:57 AM

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Edited by BittersweetNSour on Oct 8th 2022 at 8:40:11 AM