ITT: We are all Pokémon Trainers

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Newmoon Island

-After the two sequential modes of travel, the traveling group reaches the island meeting spot. Vierr waves to the group from the shore.-

Vierr: Hey! Good to see you again.

Newmoon Island

-To Vierr-

Yeah, under much better circumstances this time.

No popping out from PMD-A after getting sent there by a Glitched Palkia, for one.

Chiyo: Diamond's at the center of the island, I'd imagine?

Zee: -Sizing up Vierr- He looks kinda... scruffy.

Abe: -Getting placed in his wheelchair by Atlas- Don't be rude.

Chloe: -Hanging towards the back- No I agree with Zee, he is kinda scruffy-looking.

Zee: -To Chloe- Honestly I'm surprised you decided to come considering how you think what we're doing is "some dumb foolish crusade".

Chloe: -Huffs- I still do, I just wanted to see Diamond again. And I could say the same of everyone else here, I thought all of us being together like this was dangerous.

Abe: Well that's why we're doing this in the middle of the night on this isolated rock.

Newmoon Island

Vierr: Certainly. He's somewhere on the island, at least; he said he'd offer a sign, but didn't want me to lead you directly.

-Echo, the Mind of Crystal in question, glances to the side toward... something? Nothing.-

Echo: ...That way. Isn't that right?

-Vierr smiles.-

Vierr: And that's why he wanted a Mind with you. Lead the way, Echo.

-Echo starts wandering in the direction she was looking, almost... disoriented? Bewildered? It's an uncharacteristic expression on her.-

Storage Center

-Avery listens to this story-

Avery: ...

That is some fucked up shit, sir.

Avery: I'll get you some clothes, but we really do need to move quickly.

-she goes to get the clothes, moving at a fairly hurried pace-

Edited by memyselfandI2 on Oct 8th 2022 at 8:36:11 AM

The Underground

Owen blinked in shock.

"Whoa...!" he cried. "That was intense, Mark!"

<They're gone,> said Gwana. <For now, at least. I heard them say they wanted a war. Which means...>

Stipax nodded. <They'll be back eventually.>

"And if they are," said Owen, stepping forward, "we'll be there to fight them."

Gwana nodded. <For now, though...> She turned to face Owen. <I think there's something else that you need to do.>

"Huh...?"

Stipax crawled over and tapped his bag.

"Oh, right!" cried Owen. "I still need to catch you!"

He promptly took out a PokeBall and threw it at Gwana.

"Welcome aboard, Gwana!" he cried out.

Gwana nodded and closed her eyes, before the ball opened up and trapped her inside. It fell to the floor and shook three times, before the center glowed yellow.

<ALRIGHT~!> cried Stipax.

"That's number 10!" cried Owen, going over to pick up the ball.

He promptly picked it up and put it away, before turning to face Mark and Owen.

"Alright, then," he said. "Now that they're gone... what do we do?"

THE HASSLEMON INTERWEBS

acerbicAvenger (AA) joined the chat.

AA: Ɛ==3 HƐ==y==3

Everyone joined the chat.

RB: [A] [n[e[w[b[i[e?]

DD: i-it certainly looks like it,

DD: her handle name says 'acerbic' howeovoer, so i am a bit apprehensiovoe to say the least,

DD: i-i do hope she can get along with eovoryone,

DD: and that she does not try to hurt us,

AA: Ɛ==3 Wait, how'd you know I'm a fƐ==mal==3?

RB: [W[e] [c[a[n] [h[e[a[r] [y[o[u.]

AA: ...

AA: Ɛ==3 This is a VOICƐ==CHAT?!==3

AA: Ɛ==3 ...huh

HA: O=(it is a Voice chat)=O

HA: O=(i am blind)=O

OR: ^We^ already set vp the avtomat/c typ/ng qv/rk system, /n case yov are wonder/ng how he has a typ/ng qv/rk desp/te be/ng vbl/nd.v

AA: Ɛ==3 Ah

HA: O=(so um what's your name)=O

AA: Ɛ==3 WƐ==ll,==I==alr==3ady know your Galvantula friƐ==nd==so==y==3ah

AA: Ɛ==3 But it's Gwana

EL: ~Gre^2tings, Gwana. I am Nautilu.~

DO: Crina!

RB: [C[h[a[s[m[o.]

DD: m-my name is teryx,

DB: I'm Saura

FT: [ I am a Stegosaurus! ].asdf

RB: [...T[h[a[t'[s] [S[t[e[g[g[y.]

OR: ^/^ am vEvryped/s.v

HA: O=(i um im anomalo)=O

???: MY NAMEZ CEPHAL-O! NICE 2 MEET U!

AA: Ɛ==3 NicƐ==3

AA: Ɛ==3 Now don't talk to mƐ==,==I==hav==3 somƐ==brooding==to==do==3

acerbicAvenger (AA) left the chat.

FT: Brooding?.asdf

RB: [A[h,] [j[u[s[t] [l[e[t] [h[e[r] [r[e[s[t.]

Veilstone Gym- vs. Maylene

Maylene's Infernape was promptly thrown backwards into the wall, and he soon got up before shaking the water off of him.

<Whooooo~!> he cried. <Say, that was pretty good! Now... watch what I can do!>

He promptly ran forward, before striking Nautilu multiple times with glowing orange fists.

"Nautilu!" cried Owen.

Nautilu promptly got thrown backwards into the wall himself, but when the dust settled, he was still standing— with a somewhat horrified expression on his face.

"Nautilu!" Owen said in relief. "Thank goodness you're alright! I— hey, what's wrong?"

"...He's got a White Herb," said Nautilu.

Owen promptly turned— to see the Infernape chowing down on his White Herb.

<He can talk?!> cried the Infernape.

<Well, I did live during medieval times,> said Nautilu. <Still not as good as Eurypedis, though.>

<Who's that?> asked Infernape, swallowing the White Herb and glowing orange as his stats returned to normal.

<He's a Kabuto,> explained Nautilu. <He's got a lot of coverage moves for Grass-types, and can deal with Fire-types very well.>

Then— he smirked.

<Like this.>

And he let out another Hydro Pump.

Once again, the Infernape was thrown backwards, looking much worse for the wear as a result, but still able to stand. He smirked, then gave a thumbs-up to Nautilu.

<Nice one!> he said. <Though I wouldn't use the same attack twice if I were you.>

Beat.

<You're not holding an item, are you?>

<No, why do you ask?> asked Nautilu.

<Good!> said the Infernape.

And he immediately began to glow a bright blue, before running forward towards Nautilu and nimbly striking him multiple times. Normally, such a move would barely have an effect on the half-Rock Nautilu— but due to him not holding an item, it hit a lot harder.

Nautilu was once again sent backwards into the wall; Owen grimaced.

<That Acrobatics did more than I thought it would...> muttered Stipax. <Maybe you should consider giving us all held items?>

"Maybe..." muttered Owen. "Alright, Nautilu! Quickly, before he gets you! Use—"

But the Infernape wasn't going to have it this time.

<Sorry 'bout this!>

He immediately got in front of Nautilu and struck him, with his whole body glowing orange this time instead of just his fists.

"Nautilu!" cried Owen. "Look out!"

Nautilu barely had any time to react before he found himself pummelled against the wall.

"Oh no...!" cried Owen. "Nautilu!"

He watched, helpless, as the dust settled, and when it faded, Nautilu was lying on his side with swirls in his eyes.

<Note to self: give everyone a beneficial held item,> he muttered.

Maylene's side of the crowd lost their minds.

Newmoon Island

-Headtilt-

Never seen Echo act like before, she's normally a bit more composed than that Chi-

Chiyo: -Is displaying similar bewildered behavior to Echo as she seems to have not heard most of what I said-

...Well I guess that confirms what sort of Attribute she probably has.

Chloe: Tagg, what's going on exactly? Like I know you said you're a Spirit of Grey or whatever when we went over Attributes on the way here.

Soul of Silver, and it beats me.

A weird beacon... It could mean... Hmm...

Newmoon Island

-What Chiyo and Echo both see is a Wyrdeer, but really, nothing is there.-

-Whether or not there is anything there, though, the group follows it down a winding path through the Newmoon woods, before reaching a clearing, in which indeed, someone is sitting alongside a Wyrdeer that does, in fact, exist.-

-Tan skin, Celestica facial features, long black hair tied back into a bun, set in just a way that it covers one of his two purple eyes. The visible eye is somewhat bluer than is typical for Schoolkids, but the individual is unmistakeable to those familiar, as the Carbon of their class — Diamond.-

Diamond: ...It's been a long time, hasn't it? It's so nice to finally be able to talk to you again.

Newmoon Island

-The Schoolkids, the Schooladults rather, stare for a couple seconds that feel like an hour, before Chiyo finally wills the ability to speak first, the others following with similar degrees of shock that what they see before them is actually real, not just a dream to be interrupted by a lonely reality-

Chiyo: Diamond...

Abe: It's been... so long.

Chloe: We thought everyone else but us was dead....

Zee: But here you are at least.

Chiyo: -Smiling- And it is nice to see you again.

Zee: How'd you manage to escape the School?

Edited by rmctagg09 on Oct 8th 2022 at 12:29:34 PM

Newmoon Island

-Diamond can't help but laugh at Zee's question.-

Diamond: Trial and error. I Rube Goldberged my way out, with a lot of attempts, and a lot of luck on the final round.

-He leans against the Wyrdeer as he stands up.-

Diamond: Adelinde caught on at the last two attempts, though. I don't know if she has a full understanding of how I work with time, but she caught on enough to destroy my safety net.

Echo: ...this Adelinde is like us, then. A Mind of Crystal?

Diamond: I think so.

-He sighs-

Diamond: I like to hope I helped others from our class make it out. I hope I did. At least, gave them the advantage in their escapes. But I wish I could have done more.

Newmoon Island

-To Echo-

Adelinde is apparently one of the most dangerous Templars out there, I met her once, one of the most twisted Auras I've ever sensed, though not quite as fucked up as Constantin. I say "apparently" because Adelinde was apparently under orders not to engage me, and so I haven't had a chance to ascertain how she fights directly except that she's quick and specializes in blade constructs, hence why she calls herself "The Scythe".

I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised she has an Attribute...

She seems to have been Molybdenum's mentor, the Alumnus that enthralled Megan and her mons back in Galar, and I'm pretty sure the teleporter she had with her back at the School base is her most recent protégé.

-Hearing Diamond's explanation of his escape-

Time, you say?

I suppose Diamond is a pretty fitting name then.

Abe: I guess the easiest way to classify Diamond's powers is clairvoyance, but his powers are a bit more... esoteric compared to our own, and probably unlike other precogs you may have encountered in the past. He'd be able to explain it better than I can.

I see.

Chiyo: -As if tasting the words on her lips- So that's what I am... a Mind of Crystal?

-Nods-

Seems like it.

Chiyo: -Thinking- ...So what does that mean for Nicky and Kendra, do they have Attributes too?

-To Diamond-

I get that, but a chance is still better than nothing, and definitely more than what the School would've given us.

Chloe: It means there might be more of us out there, surviving.

Chiyo: -Sighs- Adelinde has caused so much pain and suffering amongst those who've escaped the School, and it's all because I spared her all those years ago, back when she wasn't a threat. I know Percy said I shouldn't blame myself for her choices, including the murders of so many of Percy's Batchmates, but I get reminded every time I see her old injuries.

Nasreen could've died, a lot of people could've died that day...

-More serious-

So she's my responsibility to deal with, permanently if need be, just like so many of the other Templars .

Dactyl: <She wasn't that strong when we fought her, now she's some uber Auric.>

Zee: Let's not forget about Dr. No Heart, Adelinde's hardly the only direct problem we've got. At least from what I heard Chiyo and Tagg's mons fucked his little toady Brad up enough during the raid that he'll need a while to recover.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Oct 9th 2022 at 5:09:31 AM

Newmoon Island

-Diamond gives a hand wobbling gesture-

Diamond: Precog is... part of it, but there's a level of proper chronomancy to it too. See, I don't just predict things, nor are my time powers limited to speeding up and slowing down time. The way I like to put it, is that I refract time. I hope you don't mind if I don't explain too thoroughly—

Echo: (quiet, contemplative) You create branching timelines. That's why Minds of Crystal can tell.

Diamond: ...that is... correct. Yeah. Bingo.

-He gives a sympathetic look to Chiyo.-

Diamond: I guess that's why word spread that I was dead, huh? You caught glimpses of my failed escape attempts.

Vierr: And that butterfly effect's the real reason you keep so isolated. So Minds don't catch on before you have a chance to destroy the bad timeline.

Diamond: Oh, heavens no, not destroying them. The Archwyrm would finish Adelinde's job and smite me on the spot. I'm just... filtering and re-merging.

Eclo Wastes, Orre

-Another sand plume erupts.-

Dune: Keep on 'em, Garuda!

-Dune, gripping the Sigilyph like a bike, is unperturbed by the sand, though the lack of visibility is irritating.-

-Thankfully, it's not a problem.-

Hisuian Braviary: <HAHAHA! YES! GIVE CHASE, YE DEMONS! NIP AT MY HEELS! FOR TODAY YOU FACE GREATER PREY THAN YOU KNOW!>

Candace: <This guy is way too loud!>

-The Braviary shoots another pulse of telekinesis at the ground, causing another sand plume.-

Dune: Remember to keep your distance, Candace! This guy's obviously psychic!

Candace: <Yeah, I know the drill.>

-Big Dom, shining chrome from stacks of Rock Polish, falls in next to Garuda.-

Big Dom: <I CANNOT APPROACH. HE APPEARS TO HAVE SOME MANNER OF FORESIGHT.>

Hisuian Braviary: <HAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!>

-Another sand plume.-

Dune: We've been at this for almost an hour. I thought raptors weren't supposed to be persistence predators.

Garuda: <This one is strange, even by our standards. We may need to rethink our strategy.>

Dune: Yeah, much as I hate to say it, you're right. Alright, pack it up guys.

-The formation peels off, and the Braviary cackles with delight.-

Dune: I'd tell Kaminko how much of a pain in the ass this is, but I don't want to give him the satisfaction.

-He sighs.-

Dune: I just hope Dezi is having a better time with that poor robot than I'm having here.

Sinnoh School Safehouse, Hiro Zone

-it'd be nice to honestly say they've prepared for every eventuality-

Tea: -yelps- <Ack!>

-hm-

-the Alíthea and his team are summarily buried-

-she can sense him in there; with those injuries to her legs, his Arcanine isn't running fast-

-is it over?-

-everything in the Zone seems to go monochrome, the only splashes of color the pink of Adelinde's blades, and the violet of her and Lutetium's eyes-

-one flash, and the pile of rubble's white-hot-

-another, and the debris explodes outward in a dome-

-something caught the ceiling before it could crush them: pillars of matter, thick and amorphous-

-eyes a solid, burning white, Hiro hovers, suspended on the Icarian wings of wax spiderwebbing around him-

   The Lorekeeper: We're going to try and kill you now.   

-camouflaged within the molten debris as it passes, flames flicker to life—laughing Litwick pull free and streak toward Adelinde, endeavoring to bore holes through her-

Counterraid, Megdre Zone

-Ramona's eyes widen-

Megan: Aw. 😊

Zen: ~...this is deeply concerning. Can none of you see this is deeply concerning?~

-Megan's eyes waver, unfocused, and she stumbles back against a wall, getting out of her way-

Megan: I love you too.

I know you do. (You shouldn't.)

Daydre's got this. Daydre's great.

-seeking comfort, she thinks again about the face she made at Megan's too-revelatory slip of the tongue, that other raid-

-the way Daydre's reserve just falls away in combat, an old resolve rising to the fore-

-the memory of seeing her in the Final Shell, indomitable—quick, clean commands dismantling everything before her-

-the...intensity...of being the mask's undivided focus, held in her grip, completely, breathtakingly unhinged-

-her pain dulled, she hardly feels the anxious spike of the memory of her hands around her neck-

Ramona: -grin- ...heyyy, Ama —.

Megan: -eyes widen-

Ramona: -pressing her fingertips together- Y'know, I've loved to test whether this piggybacks off human connections, too.

(-she eyes the Looplet's bleed, eyes narrowing-)

Ramona: -as Daydre goes for her throat, arms wide- On a scale from one to ten, how do you rate your faceblindness?

-she leverages pronoun ambiguity to try and make Daydre think Ramona's trying to redirect her murderous rage toward Megan...-

-but catches Daydre's wrist, trying to hurl her into a mess of sparking wiring exposed by one of Megan's stray attacks-

-these are all fairly offensive actions, wouldn't you say?-

-to continue a prior discussion, when she has half a mind to it, Ramona's influence is...subtle-

-due to a quirk of her efficiency, not one of her usable abilities even do the basic eye glow thing—a source of ridicule among her peers (when she had them)-

-so she might revel a bit in the violet double-helix that flares over her head when Zen Mega Evolves themself-

-their form and stance is different—their astral limbs and ribbons highlight with glowing nerves, their face reflects not calm serenity but cold, artificial dispassion, their head cocks to hear the whispers from the human they've taken as their master-

Mega!Zen: <<Submit.>>

-Pippy and Vee sag-

-Vee, of course, is still fighting-

-but Megan's Pokémon exerted themselves tremendously today, under the commands of an uncharacteristic taskmaster-

-she lunges, and summarily gets blown to bits-

-when those bits start lunging, sprouting teeth and claws, they're snatched out of the air and crushed...-

Pippy: -to EMPEROR, momentarily- <Hey.>

-he holds out his armblades, crafted to an Empoleon's dimensions-

 Aqua Blade 

Megan: -sad noise-

Pippy: <...please kick their asses.>

Mega!Zen: <No.>

-those hideous blades are embedded in the ground like the trash they are, regrettably intact-

Mega!Zen: <No, you, finally, will fight me like a mon.>

Mega!Zen: -to EMPEROR- <Grant me the challenge I seek.>

 Not Harmful At All 

-this doesn't remind her of anything-

-this doesn't remind her of anything-

-...-

(-she's going to rip this mind to shreds-)

Molybdenum: -fingerguns- Aw, were you expecting me? I should've worn my good braincells.

-looking around- ...I doubt you'll be picky, though.

-she reaches out and hooks a finger into the train of leading to that mask, that mask, that grants this berserker power-

-inoffensively, of course-

-just being social-

-and in the interest of being social, she steps closer to the foxy aspect, looking her up and down-

Molybdenum: Mmm. Baakwu. Can I call you Baakwu?

-smiling, all sweet- What were the circumstances of your birth?

School Raid, Gabriel, past

Hoops tenses in mid-movement as they see the Dark Trooper fly towards them. Then Chris manages to knock it out of the way, and once again the way is clear for them to go after Gabe. They push themself forwards...

The damaged engine on the Dark Trooper falters, sending it into a spin. It veers towards the ground suddenly, towards Kec and the other pokémon. Hoops sees it all happening in slow motion, but unlike when they have felt this way before, they can do something.

They speak to Vas. "Get far away from it."

Then they move towards Kec. Time stretches to its furthest point, as Hoops tries desperately to get there before the Dark Trooper does. Kec looks up and sees his trainer coming towards him. They look like a demon, and yet...

Please Hoops shouts in their mind. Just this once. Let me save you!

The Dark Trooper explodes in a burst of flame and force, and filling the room with smoke. Kec opens his eyes and sees nothing.

<Is this death?> he asks.

<No> Vul says. <We're still alive. I can still smell the crumbs in Ray's fur.>

<You told me you had removed them all!>

The darkness shrinks away, along with the bandages that had cocooned them and protected them from the blast. Hoops stands over them, breathing heavily, their bandages on fire, and holding a resolute expression.

"You okay?" they ask. The pokémon nod.

Hoops turns towards Gabe, who is now far out of reach, and stairs him down. They are a terrifying sight - this barely half human creature, wreathed in flames. They point at Gabriel. "The School is no longer superior," they say.

Then they collapse.

Battle Academy, Orre

A girl walks up the path to the Academy. This is the place she was told to come - she checked the address several times, and it's not like there are other large mountainside facilities around here.

Chew holds onto her head, looking around at the scenario. She's not used to the hot weather, and so has been quite tired since they arrived. Apparently she'll get used to it soon. Daria gives her a quick scratch, then steps up to the front door. Well, nothing to do other than knock.

So she does. Hard.

Counterraid, Megdre

Despite everything, Daydre is still a relatively normal human.

She's had combat training, sure, but it doesn't measure up to a lifetime of intense, life-threatening competition.

In some ways she's a poser- she's had life or death experiences for years now, but she wasn't born into them. Despite everything she hasn't had to kill yet.

Daydre: "You're not allowed to call me that."

For the briefest second she wavers, expecting some kind of sensory screw- but it never comes. Instead is something much more physical.

Daydre is thrown directly towards the exposed wiring.

EMPEROR is not having a particularly good time.

He's strong, sure, but going up against a mega-evolved mon on his own is still a bit beyond his purview.

He's been alone against insurmountable odds before, though. He hasn't always prevailed.. but he's confident in his ability to survive. His eyes flick to Pippy for a second, noting the position of the Aqua Blades- he knows better than to take his eyes off of his opponent for long, though.

He grunts as the damage from the wiring goes to him, trying not to show how much it hurts.

EMPEROR: <I try to be humble about my abilities! I cannot say whether I will grant you what you desire.>

EMPEROR: <but for my trainer's sake. i will try.>

Daydre gets up, relatively unhurt. What is and isn't an attack is a little blurry when the surroundings come into play, but the impact at least seems to have gotten to her.

Even with her singleminded focus on murdering the person in front of her she knows better than to repeat the same trick she just used.

Her form flickers, but it looks like Daydre is just walking straight forward again.

Daydre's Mind

Baakwu leans forward, balancing herself by placing her elbows on Daydre's bed.

She's... well, she looks like Daydre. With a few differences, of course, but the face and body type is there. Her hair is long and white with pale red tips, floating around her like a drowned corpse's. She's wearing a short, sleeveless cheongsam made primarily of some matte teal fabric. Similarly teal fur covers her arms, reminiscent of opera gloves, and her fingers end in claws.

Baakwu: -laughing- "That's my name, don't wear it out. And wouldn't you like to know?"

She smiles wider, revealing uncomfortably sharp canines.

Baakwu: "The others don't seem to like me much, though, and I've been lonely. So maybe I'll tell you."

The trail winds a little. Daydre's mind isn't exactly the most organized, though maybe that's to her benefit right now. If followed long enough, it leads where Molybdenum is hoping, though.

Or maybe not.

The gist of it seems to be that the mask is currently in Tagg's possession, and Daydre isn't actually sure where it is aside from that. Some snatches of conversation pass by, another person (some weirdo wearing girly clothing and a cape) mentioning that fact offhand during some inane conversation or another.

Baakwu: "I was always here. The others just don't like to think about me. Some incident or another caused me to gain cohesion, though, and here I am."

Battle Academy

-The elevator doors pop open.-

PA: Hello, and welcome to Battle Academy! Your biometrics are confirmed and on-file! Please, step into the elevator, and it will take you to the main Academy courtyard.

-Well, it said "elevator", but really it's more like a meeting-room sized lift. You could do a pacer test in this thing.-

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Orre...

Dune: Yeah, I said "bounty".

-Retek scoffs over the phone.-

Retek: Is it really that big of a problem?

Dune: If my intuition is right, then yes. At the very least, for me.

Retek: ... Well, alright. I'll let Arubeg know. Still think it's insane you want the kids going after a giant psychic bird that even you couldn't catch.

Dune: Powers like that always have rules. I mean sure, I could just hit the thing with a boulder thrown from half a mile away, but I think this is both much simpler and a potential point of growth.

Retek: I dunno, you don't get a lot more simple than chucking a boulder at something...

Dune: Right, Mister "Interdimensional Armory Gloves".

Retek: Hey, my weapons are simple!

Dune: And you've got nine of them.

Retek: Twelve if you consider the guns different weapons in the same set.

Dune: Uh huh.

Meanwhile, back at the GM House...

-Deziree is going to fucking strangle Kaminko the next time she sees him.-

Deziree: The man invented a fucking heuristics processor with scrap from his lab and he just tosses out a perfectly good and potentially sapient robot...

Vinegar: His minion is a creep, too.

Twitch: We outclass him by miles when it comes to being minions! Plus, our boss makes things that actually work!

Deziree: I appreciate the words of support, girls, but I... think we might not have the means to fix this.

-She looks down at the opened robot torso, sans legs and one arm. The head is mangled from being thrown down a cliff.-

Deziree: Not without taking apart something I legit don't know how to put back together.

Twitch: Well, shit.

Vinegar: What about BA? They've got stuff three years more modern than what we've got here.

-Deziree taps a finger to her chin. And then a realization hits.-

Deziree: Oh. Oh shit. Angela.

-Twitch and Vinegar look at each other in confusion.-

Deziree: Secure the Robo Trainer and get it loaded into my hovertruck. I've got a call to make.

Anderson was smoking a cigar and staring at his watch. "For such an important change, it sure is taking them awhile to actually meet with me."

Anderson's aide looked a little nervous. "What do you hope to see sir?"

"Faculty, staff, important behind the scenes things needed to actually run a school," Anderson answered. "I'm just interested in seeing how this whole thing runs, if it works I won't interfere. Built it with their own hands and all."

"You have a confusing philosophy sir."

Anderson grinned. "It's the only one that makes sense, the philosophy of might, ancient stuff relating to pokemon themselves. You have a disagreement, duke it out and prove yours mightier. It's how we pick out champions and how a few politicians got into power is it not?"

Battle Academy, At Another Time

-The doors to the elevator slide open. Out steps a fairly average-looking man in his thirties, with short black hair and a suit that looks snappy until you take a closer look and see he's wearing it somewhat loosely. At his flank is a woman at least a head taller than him, a massive, fiery ponytail her only attempt at taming her wild red hair. She has scars on her face and an attitude of absolute steel as she walks in the red uniform denoting her as head of Combat Training.-

Retek: Good day, sir. I'm Retek, Head of General Administration and assistant to the Academy's director, and this is Arubeg, Head of Combat Training. How can I help you today?

Anderson dropped the cigar and smothered it underfoot. "I'm Senator Sven Anderson of Orre, I'm here to inspect this new "academy" of yours. My aide insisted on sending regular site inspectors but those bean counters honestly can't appreciate a solid project built from the ground up."

He had a smirk and adjusted his glasses, the light catching in the lenses. "Passion for a project is important."

Newmoon Island

-After hearing Diamond's explanation-

Simulated timeline creation and merging... interesting.

Chiyo: -Shakes head- It wasn't that, or at least, not completely. Boron's dead, and I was forced to kill her. Curium died to the Curse. Apart from everyone else here, I never met anyone else, so I could only assume the worst because I'm sure they wouldn't have stopped with Boron if any of the others were still with the School.

Chloe: There was 114 of us originally, now there's 5 of us here and maybe some folks elsewhere, but most of everyone else is most likely either dead by Templar or by the Curse.

Abe: -A hand on Chloe's wrist- And that's why we're doing this, so no one else has to suffer like we have.

Chloe: I still think it's a suicide mission to fight the School, defending against Templars is one thing, but this, this is something else.

Zee: -To Diamond- So uh, did you summon us here just to have a reunion because of Chiyo's speech, which is fine, it's nice to see you again too obviously, or was there something else you wanted to talk about?

Edited by rmctagg09 on Oct 9th 2022 at 8:20:34 AM

Battle Academy

-Retek gives a smile that is, legally speaking, not technically defined as a smirk.-

Retek: I assure you, sir, few are more passionate about this project than our Director. She is finishing some paperwork at the moment - would you like to meet her up at the courtyard?

"Of course," Anderson said clapping his hands together. "If you could take me there, that would be very appreciated."

The aide went to speak up, Anderson raised a hand. "You can go, I'll call you when I need you."

"Sir is it-"

"It's fine. I'm in no danger, it is a school after all, any school that's dangerous doesn't last long."

On The Road To Sunnyshore City

Ah, What a lovely day here in the vast countryside. The sun is shinning onto the beautiful fields that provide home for many pokemon alike. There's simply nothing that could go wrong on this delightful day-

-suddenly a taxi driving like crazy zooms by startling some Starly on the road.-

Oh wait, nevermind.

You see this cab happens to be transporting Tony Lopez and his Misdreavus, Stephen. Why are they going so fast anyway? Well, let's find out shall we?

Inside The Cab

Tony: Let's go man! My client is on the line here! SNAP SNAP!

Stephen: <You know when you said you wanted to live your life in the fast lane this is not what I had in mind here!>

Tony: Well Stephen, sometimes you gotta take things literally you know. And besides, this is going to be our first client, and I want to make a good impression.

Stephen: <I don't think having your taxi driving around like a madman is making a good impression.>

Tony just rolls his eyes, then checks his watch and his eyes widen.

Tony: Oh...CRAP! We're going to be late!

Stephen: <Oh Arceus...here it comes...>

And then Tony let out a command that couldn't ignored.

Tony: DRIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!!!!!!

Taxi Driver: OKAY! You don't have to shout at me!

And then he hit the gas, and they went like hyperspeed.

Everyone: <AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!>

Edited by ThanosBoi on Oct 9th 2022 at 9:41:24 AM

Near the Storage Center

Astatine: Thank you for everything. Now let's get ourselves out of here. So, we'll need to turn left then walk straight, the door at the end is already unlocked.

And this goes on presumably for the entire trip. All the while, Avery will notice that Astatine is actually trying to walk on his own, which should take part of the load off. That said, he had been physically stuck in a pod and isn't all that heavy to begin with.

Willard follows right behind them, stopping here and there to sense if any danger is present. Astatine mentally states that the chances of them getting cornered by anyone is low since most of the staff and templars have already left, and based on the reports he mined earlier, the templars don't even think use the maintenance corridors anyway.