Straiton City- A Few Days After the Alola Visit (July 2022)
By this point, Kim had returned home to Straiton City once again. For whatever reason, she didn't really feel in the mood to continue with her research. She hadn't checked the comments section at all— and then all of a sudden, while she was in her house writing down possible definitions of certain UBese words she'd found, she suddenly heard a voice.
<KIIIIM!>
"D-Dio?!" she asked.
She turned to see Dio and Gallag enter the room, carrying Kim's laptop computer and laying it out in front of her. Kim laughed to herself a bit.
"Gallag?" she asked. "What are you two doing here?!"
<You need to see this, dude!> cried Gallag. <Somebody left, like, a comment on your UBese theory!>
Kim's eyes went wide. Immediately, she grabbed the computer and opened it up.
"What?!" she cried.
<And that's not all!> cried Dio. <Gilmour left a comment, too!>
"Well, I'd imagine he would," said Kim, "but it's the other comment I'm really interested in."
She scrolled down to the comments section— and sure enough, saw Gilmour's response, which made her smile. Seconds later, she noticed the anonymous comment. After reading it over for a few moments...
"Hm," she said eventually.
<What is it?> asked Dio.
"The person believes that digraphs would be a more effective romanization system for some of the sounds that don't exist in the English language," said Kim.
<Digraphs?> asked Gallag.
"The use of two symbols to represent one sound, like the 'ch' in English," Kim explained.
<Ohhh...> said Gallag.
"...I will admit, the proposal does seem interesting," said Kim. "In particular, I like the proposal of having the 'tl' sound be represented by a C, since as far as I know that hasn't been done in any other language before. Additionally, having looked it up, that X with dots on it? That's a mathematical symbol, not a linguistic one. 'wï' would be far more efficient in that regard. The others, though..."
<You have some issues with?> asked Gallag.
"Not so much issues as... I'll put it in in a reply," said Kim.
With that said, she immediately got to work.
Comments Section
The most notable reason is to make them more accessible for linguists, as "b", "B", and "ɬ" were written with their IPA representations in mind. "ƛ" was romanized as such with its APA representation in mind, although your suggestion of changing the romanization to "c" is one I might follow up on as well. This would split the difference between "C" and "K" making the same /k/ sound. However, writing it as łydïxbük'catüs looks a bit weird to me and would make me think that people would pronounce it as "lli-diksh-bookt-CAT-oos". Therefore, I believe it would be best to split the difference further, changing "ƛ" to "ç". Its glyph, ^, will remain the same.
The second reason, honestly, was to make the language seem more... alien, as it were, on paper. Yes, these are Poipole, but they are still Ultra Beasts. łydïxbük'çatüs looks just a bit more alien than llydïkebük'tlatüs, and even then, the use of the IPA symbols for "ll" and "tl" would, I believe, prevent people from reading said consonant clusters akin to the way they would be read in their respective language.
However, that having been said, I am open to other forms of romanization in which "tl" and "ll" are used to represent those sounds being put out. As I said in the post, this is merely my personal romanization. Numerous languages, such as Chinese, have different romanization methods, in which symbols are often represented with different Latin letters; this is no different from that.
I'm a bit intrigued by your suggestion to "look at all the vowels in a vaccuum"; what exactly do you mean by that? Incidentally, what do you mean by "several of these diarises pairs would be more intuitive in reverse"?
Finally, thank you very much for pointing out the typo— that is indeed /kʃ/. I feel pretty sure I heard a glottal stop in the middle of the two consonants in łydïxbükt'çatüs; although now that you mention it, that word is a typo as well. łidïxbükt'çatüs seems more accurate.
Now that I have responded to all of your criticisms, I have a few questions for you as well. In the midst of my 4.5 hours of eavesdropping, I've been looking for a more efficient way to try and garner new word meanings and possible new words. I'm a bit concerned about actively going up to the Poipole and Naganadel and trying to communicate with them directly, as my UBese knowledge is theoretical and I'm not sure if they would know regular Monese or English. If you have any suggestions in this end, I would greatly appreciate them.
- K. Bond
Sunyshore
-The Corvinight desperately weaves around the attacks, but a few nmanage to graze it-
Murray: "Uh, as much as my omnipotence hates to admit it, we might need more evasive maneuvers..."
Karasutengu: "On it!"
-smoke bomb-
-oh boy that's a lot of smoke. Covers a good chunk of the area. No one can see anything-
Grumpig Officer: ~Ugh... Someone clear this up!~
Jublife
Pavo: ~Yes, J-Teamers! Destroy them!~
-it is then Coil, Iris, and the Noble Elemental show up-
Coil: "This again?"
Iris: "We'll just smack them!"
Noble Elemental: "Be careful guys... They want US, remember?"
Lavender Town Elevator
-The pencils look like they can be broken. Or pushed out from whence they came with sufficient force-
Contact Me!Sunnyshore City, Crime Scene
As the smoke flooded the air, Tony was still rolling on the ground.
It was getting harder to see now, but if there's one thing about Stephen, It's that he always has an ace up his sleeve.
Stephen: <Very clever. You think you can just hide in the shadows and escape? Well you forgot about one thing,>
And Stephen seems to disappear with the fog using a Shadow Sneak spell...
Stephen: <I AM the shadows!>
...only to suddenly appear right behind Karasutengu and co!
Stephen: <Sayonara!>
And he fires a Confuse Ray in retaliation.
Edited by ThanosBoi on Oct 13th 2022 at 6:00:03 AM
Fun isn't something one considers when I watch or read stuff with people with costumes and capes, but that does bring a smile to my face.Sunyshore
-Steven's Shadow Sneak grazes on... Something. He catches something in his tendrils-
-The Confuse Ray catches on something else that falls to the ground-
-From within the smoke a Will-O-Wisp lands right on Ascent's face-
Edited by Umbramatic on Oct 13th 2022 at 6:35:09 AM
Contact Me!Sunyshore City
Savannah: What was that light?
Ascent: <I'm burned.>
Savannah: Burned? A-are you okay?!
Ascent: <Of course not.>
Savannah: Then why are you still flying?!
Ascent: <We're so close! I promise.>
Savannah: Ascent, we have no stake in this! Land, p-please! I-I won't let you hurt yourself anymore.
-Savannah squeezes her more tightly.-
Ascent: <...Fine. Dammit...>
-She gives in to Savannah's request and drops the chase, swooping down out the side of the smoke cloud.-
I'm done here.Sunnyshore City, Crime Scene
Tony has now stopped rolling in the grass and has finally got the snow from the icy winds out of his eyes.
But now he opens his eyes to see smoke literally everywhere.
Tony: Oh Arceus! What the heck happened here?
He then remembers Stephen mentioning going up to fight Karasutengu.
He shouts to the wall of fog.
Tony: Hey Stephen! Whatever you're doing up there, don't give up okay!
Then he sees something fall to the ground, and then he goes toward it and informs the other cops.
Tony: Hey guys! I found something! I think it might be from Karasutengu!
In The Smoke-Filled Air
Stephen hears Tony's words of encouragement and keeps on searching with his tendrils from his Shadow Sneak.
Stephen: <Thanks buddy! I'll try my best! It's still kinda hard to see what's going on though...>
Then he feels his tendrils latch onto something, thinking it might be the Corviknight, he pulls whatever it is back to him.
Stephen: <HAHAHAH! I got you now you big bird!>
Edited by ThanosBoi on Oct 13th 2022 at 8:41:40 AM
Fun isn't something one considers when I watch or read stuff with people with costumes and capes, but that does bring a smile to my face.Battle Academy
-The elevator inside the pillar at the center of the help desk circle slides open, and a happy girl with auburn hair steps out, holding a clip board to her chest.-
Kuthmal: Hello! I'm Kuthmal, and since Retek is busy at the moment, I'll be your guide and intake handler today!
-She looks down at the clipboard and flips through some pages.-
Kuthmal: Mhm! Mhm! Alright, it looks like you're going to be housed in the Moltres Wing! There are still quite a few rooms up for grabs there, so let's head there to make sure you stake your claim!
???
The Principal: ~I find the aesthetics of this creation of yours to have officially gone beyond "eccentric", doctor.~
Dr. Oswald: ~Hee hee hee~ Oh, Miss Principal, you know I always value the smiles and happiness and good smells and happy mind cheeses curdled from the depths of our collective obligation!~
The Principal: ~I think your synesthesia is becoming a problem.~
Dr. Oswald: ~How can you say that, when I create such wonderful melodies and shows with my orchestra of singing machines, when these useless sight orbs fail me! Especially... her!~
The Principal: ~But why is she wearing a dress?~
Dr. Oswald: ~Heehawhee, just wait! The dough of her wonderful pizza yet rises! You cannot rush olfactory perfection, my dear Conductor!~
Lavender Tower Elevator, past
Ann: -Sends out Makoto, who starts slashing at the pencils with Iron Tail-
Newmoon Island
Zee: How's he dodging all of that so cleanly?
-To Zee-
It's his power, I'm pretty sure.
Chloe: -Eyebrow raise- How can you even tell?
I've... got a bit of pull with Time, you see. I might not be able to sense the changes directly without certain tools, I'm not a Mind like your friend Diamond or Chiyo and Echo are, but I can tell when it's being messed with.
Abe: Like, Chiyo said you know Uxie but who else do you have pull with, fucking Arceus?
Chiyo: -To Diamond- By themselves, no. The School's rubbed out plenty of both the compassionate and the resolute over the centuries.
-Summoning discs that glow with rainbow flame that match the figurative flame in her eyes as she sends them at Diamond-
But through compassion, even to our enemies, we bring other people to our side, making it that much harder for the School to act. Through resolve, we show that there's worth in our chosen path, no matter the difficulties before us. And of course, I believe that working together we have a better chance than most to finally putting an end to the School.
That's why Tagg's here, why our other Batchmates are here Apart from Chloe, but I'm sure she'll come around eventually., and why we need you as well.
Edited by rmctagg09 on Oct 13th 2022 at 11:17:53 AM
Hugging a Vanillite will give you frostbite.Meat Palace
-The whirring conveyor belt is not quite built to handle outright passengers but because it functions on dream logic it does not buckle under the strain. Confused by the move, the enemies in the Treasure Room do not deign to follow-
Shadow James Crowley: What are you doing you knuckleheads? After them!
-The inside of the conveyor conduit is dark but the pace of the belt seems to be pretty quick, leaving a solid twenty seconds to wait and hope and prepare for the inevitable departure from the belt to come when next it opens into a clear room-
The Face: Okay, that was... Way too close. We need a better exit strategy for when we actually take this guy's Treasure.
-And twenty seconds is enough for a seal to weaken-
-Rakash flinches, eyes scrunched shut as he mutters something under his breath-
Who's Okumura..?
-And then the conveyor belt arrives at the main machine floor-
The Face: Alright, everyone off!
-But Rakash doesn't move, still muttering questions with no good answers-
The Face: Oh come on!
-The Face, being a Ditto, finds it quite easy to shapeshift into something strong like a Machamp and just physically pick up the frankly slightly underweight human and begin running towards the reception area-
Floaroma Town
So what flower am I?
-The tone behind that question is... Well it's sincere and seems mostly just casual curiosity but there is a hint of something under it that suggests that the answer holds some importance-
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.Newmoon Island
-Diamond's smile widens as Chiyo answers.-
Diamond: (That's precisely what I was hoping you'd say.)
-Time returns to its regular pace, and the attacks connect. Diamond is sent sprawling to the ground, is still for a moment... then laughs a bit as he sits back upright, resting his staff in his lap.-
Diamond: I've made my decision. The coin flipped tails. By all means, fighting the School is a fool's errand, with seemingly insurmountable risk. As an Aura Guardian as well as an escapee, I should be playing it doubly safe. But the coin is just a piece of metal, it only means as much as I want it to mean. And you've convinced me. I want to fight for you.
-He tilts his head-
Diamond: I do have to ask, though. As a newly realized Mind of Crystal... do you remember the day Cyrus rewrote the world? Or the days on that branch of time?
Floaroma Town
-A mischievous smirk spreads on Kai's face.-
Kai: Who's to say? I thought you didn't want flowers. Are you changing your mind?
Edited by BittersweetNSour on Oct 14th 2022 at 12:57:50 PM
Sinnoh Safe House
Bela: ~...You think you can improve us?~
-The knives draw back, and there's a strange, choking-like sound from somewhere inside Bela's helmet. It might, to someone completely unfamiliar with the concept, sound vaguely akin to laughter.-
Bela: ~Save your efforts for Neo, thrall. I don't need improving.~
Edited by Herbert40k on Oct 14th 2022 at 10:52:12 AM
Jubilife, Vs. Machamps
He refused to let either opponent of his within striking distance, able to easily see the Low Sweep coming by how the Machamp's leg tensed.
Leaping backwards, his shoes seeming to shimmer as they were grazed, the pitch black on his arm rippled and roiled before it all coalesced on the tip of his finger, a Night Slash that he effortlessly flicked across his vision to strike at both Fighting-Types.
Meat Palace
Riding Ahemait, R n' L bolts, looking back while his Persona refuses to.
Hamlet
Kamui made a noise of disgust before moving to set the doll face-down, only for her attention to turn to the jar. Her vulpine eyes and pyromancy kept the room lit enough for her to see comfortably.
[Insert Unoriginal Stinger Here]Tobias sat in his cell, he was watched over by jailers associated with the J-Team. He was... an anomaly to the people of this world. He gritted his teeth thinking about it.
The door opened and in stepped Silas, wearing a formal outfit. "Hello Tobias."
Tobias said nothing, just sneered. Silas let out a sigh as he sat down before the glass cell. "Still acting this way? I'm not leaving until you start talking."
Tobias stared at him, and pondered his rather limited options. "...You're dressed up, something formal happening today?"
"Company meeting, sure I can meet it wirelessly but I still have to dress up. Besides, I look good in a suit."
"When do you care about looks?" Tobias asked.
"As if either of us can ask that question, Mr. Floral Pattern Coat," Silas responded.
"You've changed."
"Change is good."
Tobias frowned, he looked down to where his left arm used to be. "When do I get my arm back, or am I getting a replacement like your fancy bionic hand?"
"That'll be up to you," Silas responded.
"What getting it back or when I'm getting it?"
"Both."
Tobias gave him a look. "Where is it anyways?"
"Under watch. I gave it to some trusted people, they assured me it's in good condition."
The scientists stared at the pod, inside was a human arm hooked up to a dialysis system pumping blood through it.
"Why do we agree to this?"
"10 bucks says it's a Pefery project."
"So, we've made some progress. You're at least talking more now," Silas continued. "There's something else I want to try."
"As if I would do what you ask," Tobias commented.
"You did kill me, and I'm being very gracious by not being angrier," Silas responded calmly.
"YOU TOOK MY ARM!"
"You took my eye and ran me through with a weeb blade. Call it even."
Tobias grumbled, he looked to Silas who had dug into his carrying bag and pulled out a patterned emerald green scarf. "Wear this please."
It was deposited through a slot and Tobias just stared at it. He wasn't going to be killed, he knew that much, Silas had spent too much time ensuring he still lived. He let out a sigh and with difficulty wrapped the scarf around his neck.
"There are you-" <-Happy now?> he finished... only to realize that Silas had suddenly gotten taller. Tobias felt a creeping panic run up his body... he looked down at his hand, only to see a riolu's paw. He looked over himself, and then screamed.
"Huh, seems you're pretty much like me then," Silas commented.
???
Dr. Jae-Heon: You have truly... er... outdone yourself this time, Oswald.
Dr. Oswald: ~Yes, yes! Oh, what fun my little creation will have!~
-The doctors, along with a few other colleagues, have gathered around the pod of Dr. Oswald's latest creation.-
Dr. Jae-Heon: You appear to be taking a long time to fully indoctrinate her.
Dr. Oswald: ~The Principal said much the same, but worry not! This prelude will soon turn into a grand overture of fun!~
Dr. Pluto: May I ask why you invited us all here?
Dr. Oswald: ~Why, what good is a show if you have no one to show your show to?~
Dr. Eileen: I would rather be tending to my own projects, if that's alright with you.
Dr. Oswald: ~AND MISS CURTAIN CALL?!?!?! Why, we just have moments until she's done!~
-Everyone else in the room massages their temples as their heads ring from the psychic shouting.-
-Soon, the lights on the pod flash from red to green, and it begins to open.-
Dr. Oswald: ~Ooooooo~ Good morning, my dear~ Would you care to introduce yourself to our guests?~
-There's a short giggle before a young girl, easily in her early teens, steps out from the pod, dressed in heeled ankle boots, matte grey thigh stockings, a flared skirt, a dress-like blouse, and elbow gloves, all the School's signature silver, grey, and white. Her hair is up in three long pigtails held on by glimmering silver ornaments.-
???: Hello everyone~ My name is Angelica, and I'm the Magical Girl of Tyranny~
-Despite the ridiculous outfit and title, nobody in the room could muster up a word.-
Dr. Oswald: ~Oooooo excellent, excellent, dear Angelica~ Now please, if you would be so kind as to allow them a chance to respond...?~
Angelica: Oh, oops~ I forgot I left the Law of Silence on~
-She thinks for a moment before everyone in the room suddenly finds their vocal cords no longer paralyzed.-
Angelica: Nice to meet you all~ Now where can I spread the truth of Law and fight the evils of Chaos?
-The scientists in the room all give a light applause to both Dr. Oswald and his creation.-
Dr. Oswald: ~Why yes, I think I have the perfect first test, someone indeed in need of merriment...~
Stormchaser, Kalspace
Jess and their mum have somehow ended up in the bizarre spatial anomaly that is Kal's room. Jess's mum's Gothitelle is following behind.
Jess's mum: Rose, are you sure we're still on the ship? We seem to have arrived in some sort of garden.
Jess: I think we're in someone's room?
Jess's mum: As I said earlier, I don't think this ship likes me very much...
A Frillish flies over.
Radium: <Hey Jess! What are you doing here? Who's the lady with you?>
Jess: Hi Radium... This is my-
Jess's mum: I'm Rose's mother. My daughter was just showing me around your stormchaser when we somehow ended up here.
Radium: <Huh. I wonder how that happened. Kal's actually not doing too bad for once, so their room should be contained within their, well, room. Follow me, I'll get you out.>
Radium leads them down some paths. They eventually arrive in a clearing where Kal is watering some plants.
Jess's mum: So, this Kal person created all of this? It's less coherent than something a Gothitelle like Ada could summon, but still...
Kal: You know I can hear you, right?
Jess's mum: Oh no, I'm so sorry for thinking out loud like that! I love this little garden thing you have going on here.
Kal: How did you get here? Is there another entrance I need to close off?
Radium: <No idea. Pretty sure it's just stormchaser weirdness.>
Jess's mum: Indeed. We'd just like to know the way out of your room.
A shadow emerges behind Kal.
Kal?: Who are you? Why are you here?
Jess's mum: As I've explained already, I'm Rose's mother. Although, you probably know her as Jess.
Some of the plants Kal had been tending to grow taller and thornier.
Kal?: You're lying. I remember you from somewhere. Why do I remember you?
Jess's mum: Well, I certainly don't remember you. Can you please just let us out of here?
Radium: <Can we talk about this later?>
The thorns inch closer to Jess's mum.
Kal?: Why talk later? We have her right here!
The thorns shoot forward. Ada distorts the space between them, and the vines morph into some sort of wall.
Ada: ~What a cute trick. Reminds me of when I first evolved into a Gothorita.~
Construct!Kal grumbles.
Kal?: Fine then. I'll show you. I'll show you both by destroying you here and now! I bet your precious Magnesium could never do this!
They levitate the now wall-ified vines into the air and shatter them into a thousand tiny shards. They send them flying towards Ada, who responds by causing spikes to erupt from the ground below construct!Kal's feet. They appear to stab right through them and they disappear, only to reappear behind Ada.
Ada: ~They never told me you could teleport.~
Kal?: Technically not having a physical form has it's perks.
The construct and the Gothitelle continue to duke it out with assorted constructs. Jess, Jess's mum, Radium and Kal stand on the sidelines watching.
Jess: What the hell is happening?!
Kal: I don't know! They're just like that sometimes?
Jess's mum: Well, how about you get that other you to stop trying to kill me and my Gothitelle before you run out of energy and end up like your Frillish over there?
Radium: <I have an idea, but you'll need to call off your psycho Gothitelle.>
Jess's mum: Excuse me? My translator is currently occupied, can someone tell me if Radium just said something useful?
Jess: She's telling you to get Ada to stop, mum.
Kal: I can open up the door, you guys just need to get through it.
Some of the air shatters like glass to reveal the stormchaser hallway outside.
Jess's mum: Ada, stand down! Kalosium's been kind enough to open the exit!
Ada runs over, blocking a volley of absurdly sharp paper birdmons and sending back a fast moving ball of wood. She looks somewhat disappointed at having to stop fighting.
Kal?: So, you're letting them go? I can always rely on you to take the cowardly way out. Now go, and stay out!
Stormchaser hallway
Jess, their mum and Ada are flung out of the room with a harsh wave of telekinetic force. Violet is standing outside.
Violet: Woah, what happened to you guys?
Jess's mum: Karen needs to raise her kids better.
Violet: Karen who?
Jess's mum: I thought that was what you young folk called obnoxious entitled women around my age. I was attempting to imply that whoever brought up that Kal person did an awful job at it.
Stormchaser, Kalspace
Kal: What was up with that?
Radium: <Yes, we'd been on a good streak until this point.>
Kal sighs and changes the number on the "days since other Kal attacked random strangers" board in the room back to 0.
Kal?: Listen. She wasn't just some random stranger. I need to show you something.
Edited by QuantumMelody29 on Oct 14th 2022 at 10:16:14 AM
I used to plug my deviantart here but turns out the link was too long.Meat Palace
-Immediately heads for the reception area-
Newmoon Island
Chiyo: -To Diamond- I do remember, when the skies turned red. Our escape and meeting Tagg played out the exact same way there, but as for everything that changed.. that's probably a story for another day. I do remember that there were less Templar attacks compared to the years in this universe, I guess between Hoenn flooding and Sinnoh getting Distorted it hit the School about as hard as it did everyone else.
After the timelines split if it weren't for Dactyl also remembering I think I would've just dismissed what happened as just a weirdly vivid weird dream. Funny thing that, when I first went to the Oasis, they said its origins kinda had to do with that, when psychologists had people mention the same things with enough detail that it couldn't just be dismissed as a delusion, but the strongest catalyst was more than a decade ago when there were all the disappearances with the Shards.
Hugging a Vanillite will give you frostbite.Stormchaser, several days post raid
With Hoops now out of the infirmary, both they and Xaster have decided that it's time to get busy again. And both have come to a realisation that they need to talk to the other about something. Meanwhile, Kec has his own dilemma.
<Are you going to tell them about the letter?> Vul asks.
Kec shakes his head. <I don't think there's any point yet, I haven't even decided. And this doesn't really feel like the right time, you know?>
Hoops and Xaster sit at the table together, eating dinner. "I need to talk to you about something," the both say, in perfect unison.
Xaster nods. "You first."
"No, you."
He sighs. "Okay. Well, you know how I took on Byron on my own?"
Hoops frowns. "Yeah? And you won."
"Yeah, I did. And I kind of started to think, I wasn't strong enough to join in with the raid. I don't think I'm ready to really fight with the J-Team, like you are. So, I've decided that I need to complete my gym challenge and get stronger. And I think I'll get strongest if I do it on my own."
He sees Hoops' surprised expression and begins talking about twice as fast. "I mean I love travelling with you and I'm glad for everything you taught me but I think that if I have to work stuff out -"
"Xaster," Hoops cuts him off. "I wanted to tell you that I'm going to Alola."
Xaster stops talking, dumbfounded. "What?"
"When I fought Gabriel, he managed to take control of me," Hoops explains. "And even once I got control I wasn't able to capture him. That means I still have a long way to go. I went to Alola nearly a year ago, and we saw how they live differently with pokémon there. I think Alola and its Island Challenge might have the answers that I'm looking for."
Xaster nods. "Makes sense."
They both pause. "So, I guess that's it then," Hoops says. "We're going our separate ways."
"For now," Xaster agrees. "But we'll see each other again soon. And we can try long distance."
Newmoon Island
-Diamond nods.-
Diamond: I remember it very clearly. I was still in training as a Guardian at the time, and as such, I helped do what I could to stave off the Distortion.
-He glances at Echo, who is pensive.-
Diamond: How about you? You are the other Mind here, what do you remember?
Echo: ...I remember the event. My counterpart, though, did not make it to the primary divergence point. The memories cut off in her teenage years.
-Diamond nods again, a solemn look on his face.-
Diamond: Such is the nature of tweaking with time. One of my likely genetic sources, a man by the name of Volo, bonded with Giratina to disrupt time and space for his own deicidal desires, the effects of which still ripple throughout the world. And there are... other temporal divides, that I sense from time to time. Occasionally severe enough that the course of fate upends itself — the third rise of Cipher seemed to produce one such, back in 2013.
-He sighs.-
Diamond: No single horror scene can cause something like that. Something like the new timeline that spiraled from that period can only generate from several levels of disruption on a divine level. Envenomed hearts, red haze over souls, eruption within minds.
Echo: It created J-Dan. I knew something about the J-Team had gone awry at the time, I just didn't fully understand what, or where and when. It makes sense now.
Newmoon Island
-Looking at Echo-
Channah had that face back at the Ultra Megalopolis when we figured probably Ira succeeded in sacrificing her. I can think of how that came to pass for Echo, none of it good.
-Speaking up-
2013... That was a bad year, and not just because of what happened in Orre, what I did. Sometimes I wonder if slicing off that Ninetails' tails cursed Ammy, Lucius, and I, especially me because I was the one who actually made the killing blow.
Chiyo: What happened... exactly?
-To Chiyo-
That's a story I'm not exactly ready to share in mixed company, even if Echo here already knows it. But so many terrible things branched from it. Lucius and Alice were murdered because the perpetrators wanted revenge by proxy because their partner was amongst those I killed. Echo decided to stick to her plans with Illusion after what I did, and that led to perhaps my worst enemy gaining the power and followers he needed to form his new neo-fascist Team once Illusion collapsed atop Mt. Sorbet.
Chiyo: That Constantin guy, right?
-To Chiyo-
Correct. He's more like you or your Batchmates than Aurics like Vierr and I, his old mentor/abuser actually used to be a School scientist before he decided to work alone. I guess he must've done "good" work for them since he was allowed to just walk away, that Orlando Rosa. And so he made a runaway into a white supremacist, and a predator in every sense of the word.
-Shakes head-
But enough about Constantin for now, it's not that relevant. From what Echo's saying, something happened back then to birth J-Dan, probably not what I did, but something else. Perhaps the death of a J-Teamer, a number of us nearly died, I can see in their home universe the "nearly" being cut off entirely.
Acuity Cavern, this evening
-Walking inside with Chiyo-
Uxie, we've arrived.
Uxie: -Appears- <I've been expecting your arrival.>
-To Chiyo-
<So now we have finally met in person instead of just in dreams.>
Chiyo: We've both got some questions. I guess the first would be, has the speech I made actually... done anything regarding the School?
Uxie: <It has only been more than two weeks since you made your speech at the base. I can say that it has had an effect on those still under School custody, but it will take time for you to see what form it will take.>
-To Uxie-
The second, well...
-Pulling out the item in question-
What would you know about this mask?
Uxie: <The mask guarded by Aislinn's branch of her and Daydre's shared family that you are currently guarding is a very dangerous artifact, as I'm sure you noticed when Morata Macraul made her wear it.>
How did it come to be?
Uxie: <Well, that is certainly a story. You two had best be prepared.>
Chiyo: If it helps them be at peace, I'm ready.
As am I.
Uxie: -Nods- <Well then, let us begin.>
Hugging a Vanillite will give you frostbite.Newmoon Island
Diamond: Any and every action, and inaction, can be a catalyst. That, friends, is the true core reason I invited you here in isolation — more than simply avoiding the School's eyes. The ripple of tampering with time is dangerous, and it's a hazard you need to be fully aware of if I am to follow your cause. More than any direct combat ability, I am able to assist on a wide scale to maximize your chances of victory. But just as you, Chiyo and Echo, could see both sides of my coin, so can Adelinde, and who knows who else among the School can as well.
Vierr: Didn't you use a failsafe in your escape?
Diamond: I did. But a Mind among the School seeing false realities firsthand, is more dangerous than simply being tracked. Because that kind of threat can make them take drastic measures.
-He looks around at all those gathered.-
Diamond: The easiest way to take down the School, the reason the School has been exterminated in so many other worlds, is not because of hope and resolve. The easiest and most common way, is them succumbing to their own hubris, experimenting with the Berserk Gene and earning Mewtwo's ire. I would like not to see that here.
Edited by BittersweetNSour on Oct 15th 2022 at 4:21:48 AM
Acuity Cavern
Thanks to Daydre for giving me the info for this.
Uxie: -Forehead gem emits a light that shows the image of a Zoroark- <Yan Yu was a Zoroark who lived in what is now [China] around what you would call 220 BCE, more than 2,200 years ago. It was a turbulent time shortly before the rise of the first emperor, the era of Warring States.>
Chiyo: You mean like in Dynasty Warriors or [Romance of the Three Kingdoms]?
-To Chiyo-
Not quite, that's following the end of the Han into the Tang, this Warring States era was following the Spring and Autumn Period.
Uxie: <That is correct. But the events surrounding Yan Yu's life is not quite as important to this narrative as what happened afterwards.>
-Another image, a montage of a woman with somewhat of a resemblance to both Daydre and Aislinn and a Zoroark, presumably Yan Yu, fighting soldiers and bandits side by side-
<War came to the village of Luo Ya and Yan Yu, and so they fought to protect it, but unfortunately, Yan Yu ultimately was slain on the battlefield by their enemies.>
-The image shifts to Luo Ya mourning over the Zoroark's corpse-
<Trainers as you would understand them didn't exist in this era, even though the Vow did hold sway, but the loss of Luo Ya's partner hurt her all the time. And so, falling into a deep depression with the loss of one of her oldest friends, she decided to have her friend live on.>
-The image shifts to Luo Ya doing some sort of ritual with what appears to be bone ash and metal-
<Using Yan Yu's bone ash, and a tough, near indestructible Aura-reactive alloy, she created what would later be known as the Oracle Mask.>
A Deep Alloy variant, maybe?
-To Uxie-
But there's more, isn't there?
Uxie: -An image of the mask, the oversoul of something over it- <As you already know, the Mask has an Aura signature of its own. Along with the ash and metal, pieces of Yan Yu's own soul were bound to the mask in its creation process. Combined with the grudge Yan Yu had for her killers, she became what is often referred to as Hatred and Malice incarnate.>
-And the oversoul becomes a mon I do recognize, if more from books than direct experience-
...A Hisuian Zoroark.
Chiyo: Hisuian Zoroark? I've kinda heard of them before but you'll need to explain.
A Zoroark variant formed from one dying with a serious grudge, Normal/Ghost-types instead of Dark, and far more vicious. With the encroachment of colonization on Sinnoh in the late 19th Century they're a lot harder to find now than they were around 200 years ago, but they still exist in the more remote reaches of the Sinnoh North, like Sinnoh's Bergmite population.
Chiyo: So then what happened afterwards?
Uxie: <Similar to the Auric Artifacts that Tagg and many of the J-Team have encountered over the past decade, and as you're already familiar with due to what happened at Morata Macraul's manor, any Auric, human or Pokémon, who wears the mask will gain a boost to their abilities but at the cost of losing higher reasoning and being overtaken by rage due to Yan Yu's presence inside the mask.>
-To Uxie-
Yeah, that tracks from what happened with Daydre.
I should probably check on her, see if it left any real lingering effects...
Uxie: <It may only truly work while being worn, but be aware, even holding it for too long as Aurics risks its power influencing you like the Orange Amulet did Lucius, Duke, and many of its other bearers.>
-Image shifting to a number of women holding Oracle Masks, a lot of them bearing at least a passing resemblance to either Daydre or Aislinn, if not both-
<Knowing the dangers of the mask in the wrong hands, Luo Ya's descendants guarded it for centuries, even long after the exact reason why they needed to guard it beyond its effect on Aurics who wore it had been lost to the mists of time. While there were times the mask managed to fall into the hands of others, Luo Ya's descendants would always manage to recover it.>
-The image shifts to just a woman bearing a strong resemblance to Daydre with a Ninetales, and another bearing a strong resemblance to Aislinn with the mask-
<The family's branches remained closely intertwined for all that time, but then around a century prior to today, they split. One, the branch ending in Daydre, took the descendants of Yan Yu. Rowan, her starter, is one of them. The other, Aislinn's branch, took the mask, as it was deemed safer in their hands due to their lack of Aura sensitivity for it to latch on to, as well as Daydre's branch having personal reasons for not wanting to bear responsibility for it.>
I may have some inkling as to why...
Chiyo: -Looking down into the water of the cavern in thought- And then Morata found out about it, somehow, and had some sniper kill Aislinn's mother when she refused to give it up.
-To Uxie, looking at the Oracle Mask, a ofuda emanating sealing energies covering it-
Is it possible to safely commune with Yan Yu? See if we can maybe put her to rest properly this time?
Uxie: <It is possible, but you will need a conduit of some kind in order to do so. Regardless, even if she's willing to speak with you, it will not circumvent the mask's curse, it is still dangerous for any Auric to wear it.>
-Nods-
Okay, got it.
Edited by rmctagg09 on Oct 14th 2022 at 1:19:37 PM
Hugging a Vanillite will give you frostbite.

Arceus have mercy, Machamp Minor is on fire! He's rolling on the floor to try smothering the flames, howling in raging pain! (or is it painful rage?) Will their tag team buddy be of any help stopping the fire?
No! Machamp Major is sent flying by the hot-handed newcomer's Fake Out! Down he goes, landing on an exceptionally sturdy table! If he isn't feeling the hurt now, he will in the morning!
But what's this? Now they're both springing back to their feet! Major's bruised, Minor's singed, but both are diabolically smiling!
"Ah, a fellow Unovan!" Major laughs. "Let's see if your head is as hot as your hands!"
Minor gets Major's attention, pointing out the Corviknight suddenly flying around the room. Way to go, Minor!
Major grins. "Good, good. I get the beasts, you get the bird. Deal?"
Minor gives a double thumbs up with their left hands. They're looking mighty pleased!
"Ooh, yeah!", Major affirms. Then he turns and slowly walks to the two humans opposing him. "'Will I hit you?', please," he scoffs at the Unovan's earlier question. "That's for me to know, and you to-"
Oh! Major cuts himself off and whips his left leg at his opponents' shins! It's a Low Sweep!
And what's Minor up to now? They're leaping in the air, winding up a Thunder Punch right at the Corviknight's noggin!