ITT: We are all Pokémon Trainers

Carmot Estate

"I know how to shield my mind," Whitt says, matter of factly. "I once saw Ferrum eat a taco, and for some reason the image is burned onto my brain. If anyone tries to probe me, that's all they'll see. So I don't see that I need to be worried about anything that would come from conspiring with you."

"So, do you want to help me climb?"

Carmot Estate

-Nitrogen tilts her head somewhat, and a wry grin crawls its way across her face.-

Nitrogen: In that case, I'd be honored, Whitt the Frozen. Your wish is my command.

Carmot Estate

"In that case, let's fly," Whitt says. "I trust you have pokémon that can carry us, and I'd like to get somewhere where we don't have to worry about prying eyes."

Carmot Estate

Nitrogen: Yes, sir.

-She gives a salute, on the edge between respectful and satirical, and lets out Grieve.-

Nitrogen: Grieve? Get us somewhere quiet.

-Grieve glances between her and Whitt-

Grieve: <Guess that's an order.>

-He swoops around and under Nitrogen to lift her onto his back, then grabs Whitt with his talons and takes flight.-

Skies

As they fly, Whitt begins to lay out his plans. "We'll need more school personnel on our side. Those who believe in the ideals of the School, but who have been burned by the way it turns on its own members and cannibalises itself. I don't suppose you have any ideas, Nitrogen?"

Skies above Carmot Estate

Nitrogen: Bren the Scorcher. He is the reason I still live to this day, and more importantly, he's respected. Other than him, the School has been careful to keep me separated from anyone else who might have... mutinous thoughts.

Faction Offices

-Alice's smile fades upon hearing Kai's remark.-

Alice: I do indeed recall the aftermath of that encounter. Forgive me if I'm not enthused by the possibility of you both gleefully dancing with death. I find that spending time on the other side of that cold abyss tends to colour one's opinions.

-She pauses, then sighs.-

Alice: ...Perhaps that was too harsh. I know that this is a war we need to fight. I could not in good conscience sit back whilst the School continues its programme of cruelty. As such, I hope to be there with you for those battles, and I hope that your confidence is well-merited.

Skies above Carmot Estate

Whitt nods. "Sounds perfect for us. Speak to him, but keep it quiet. It's important that no-one discovers what we're trying to do yet."

The Hotel

Jean and Tommy find themselves in the reception room on the other side of the hotel they're in. They didn't expect to be back so soon.

Jean: Want to talk in the balcony by the swimming pool area? Nobody really spends time there at this time of year.

Tommmy: Sure. Then once we sort things out we can get back to your birthday party. Who are you going as, anyway.

Jean takes out a red hat.

Tommy: Commandant Costeau. Sweet.

Jean: Which explorer are you going as? Real or fictional?

Tommy: I'll save it for when we're actually there.

They turn to Voyd.

Tommy: Hope you enjoy your stay!

Jean: Don't touch the mini bar. The prices are absurd.

Tommy: I always found the decor of this side of the hotel oddly incongruous with the rest of the hotel.

Jean: Go figure modern architecture.

Tommy: I kind of dig it. Kind of a Castelia City School of Postmodernism.

Jean: I assure you this is a touch more inspired by the new architecture movements in Kalos. You've seen the museum...

And they move toward the other side of the hall.

Celestic Town

The PDA briefly flashed a couple of times, turning into an outline of a porygon showing various error messages, including a few that Halis is no doubt familiar with. One of them, which came on cue when Halis asked for a name, revealed a file name called strobe.exe.

And then they're a pory again. A pory with a lot of flashing visual glitches similar to those Otis had (but a lot more noticeable).

Halis' PDA Pory: Not trapped?! NOT? TRAPPED? I still can't leave the damned device! What are you talking about? I am a form of living malware. My very existence is a perversion of everything held dear by the Computer Gods! I command and demand respect!

Otis: Bitch, I know the Computer Gods. One, they hate me, not you. And two, they have no power here. Only the gods revered by non-digital lifeforms seems to be the only power the folks here ever answer to. Frankly, I'm a little insulted about the power I lost being reformatted into this form.

Halis' PDA Pory: You there. With the green hair?

Louis: Who, me?

Halis' PDA Pory: No, the one who imprisoned me! Your continued belittling of my power is insolence even I cannot forgive. But since you acknowledged that I am retro-cool, I shall spare your life. Now, would you kindly turn this device's Wi-Fi on so that I may lay waste to all technology in your feeble world.

Austin: It already is.

Halis' PDA Pory: Oh, come on!? How many Gs are in this thing.

Austin: Too little to make it useful for anything too large to get out.

Louis: Except maybe imprisoning a super-virus.

Halis' PDA Pory: Well, at least I still have my dignity.

The porygon sprouts two extra polygonal structures on their head, making them look more like a lagomorph than the typical anseriform shape taken by most Porys.

Halis' PDA Pory: This can't be. I am the most powerful form of malware to ever exist. How am I trapped here? I go into an unprotected device and I couldn't even get myself out.

Herbie: Yeah, those are the rules, though. They trapped you in that thing. You are honor-bound to serve them.

Otis: As we serve the Young Lord Macraul.

Louis: I told you a thousand times not to call me that.

Herbie: No, just 845 times, including just now.

Louis: Well, since your trainer doesn't consent, I guess we can't do the transfer after all. Halis, sorry for wasting your time. I'd love to make it up to you somehow. Tell you what. I'll get you a coffee and a ride back to the Stormchaser. Kinda owe the kid a favor, too. We'll take my flying car.

Louis shrugs. In his mind, it was probably in the best interests of everyone if Halis kept the porygon glitch malware monster that lived in their PDA.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Apr 24th 2023 at 1:47:03 AM

Skies above Carmot Estate

Nitrogen: Can do.

-She guides Grieve away from the nearest city — Lumiose — and in a general southward direction-

Nitrogen: In the meantime, I have a mission of my own that your help would be great for, if you're up for it.

Faction Offices

-Kai's expression falters a bit, but she sighs and manages a softer smile-

Kai: No, you're right. She is someone to take seriously, and making it out to be fun is a disaster waiting to happen. But... the confidence does feel a whole lot better than the terror I had before. Knowing we can handle it takes the stress away.

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Nov 18th 2022 at 11:12:19 AM

Halis: "Hmm... belittlement? A feeble world?"

They clear their throat, walk over, and grab the PDA with more force than they usually would.

Halis: "Sorry, but I also don't appreciate someone not seeing the world for what it is: a beautiful, chaotic mess worth keeping around. As for your power? It means nothing to me. I've fought a being of mythological proportions that threatened to consume the world's light without a second thought, and given the chance, I'd do so again, gladly. Do you think one single Porygon, no matter how mighty their code might be, is enough to threaten me? Especially considering you're at my mercy in my PDA, not the other way around... so please, let's get along and be friends, ok? We can work on the whole 'laying waste to all techonology' bit as we go~"

Given that they maintained their rather cheery demeanor throughout that whole speech, there was a shocking amount of menace in it, indicating that they probably didn't appreciate the poorly-planned intimidation attempt. Their attention changes back to Louis, having contemplated the offer.

Halis: "Sure, a ride sounds fun! I don't like coffee, though... doesn't taste right to me for some reason, like I'm drinking a really badly-made poison."

Celestic Town

The Porygon was taken aback by the sudden change of tone.

They can't really deny the gravity of what Halis was saying. They were, of course, there to witness it. And those words, from such a kind voice, seemed all the more threatening.

Halis' PDA Pory: Ohhhhh fine. I yield.

The others have been paying attention. Meanwhile, the bunny-shaped Pory keeps flashing the words strobe.exe now and again. It's almost like you can nickname them that or something.

Otis: Oooh, I like them.

Herbie: Dayum, Halis. You scary. They sounds like how you described your dad.

Louis: No, there's a certain twinge of affection in Halis' intonation. My father never cared enough about me to add it there.

Herbie: Bummer.

He responds to Halis' question.

Louis: Eh, we'll figure something out. You'll love this café and froyo place I've been going to. So, Austin, you know what you're getting?

Austin: My doctor says I'm not allowed to take caffeine yet so just a froyo would do.

Louis: You're gonna love containing malware. They're all the joys of keeping water types but without the expense of maintaining an aquarium. A bummer, really. I heard that wigletts are a joy to watch in a tank.

Austin: What are you going to call 'em?

Edited by MasterJayAM on Apr 24th 2023 at 1:40:47 AM

Battle Academy

Arubeg: What do you think?

-Ludmilla taps her chin while looking at the Hisuian Braviary through the glass of its enclosure. Arubeg can't help but notice that she fidgets while thinking in the same way Deziree does.-

Ludmilla: Honestly, he's a lot more open to the concept of being fossil revived than most. I suspect its because he thinks he's in the afterlife, but that's just a guess.

Arubeg: For all my knowledge of languages, the way he speaks is less like a person and more like a preacher.

Ludmilla: Or a prophet.

Arubeg: Come again?

-Ludmilla stops tapping her chin and instead starts wiggling it at the glass in tempo with her words. Arubeg notes that this is something that Dune does.-

Ludmilla: If what I suspect is true, our Braviary here has some Xatu in his bloodline, in which case some unfocused future scrying might be a common occurrence. Or at least strong enough to shape his personality a little.

Arubeg: So you're saying he's genetically predisposed to sounding like a raving lunatic?

Ludmilla: ... Well, yes, actually.

Arubeg: Interesting. Sorry I'm not a whole lot of help in this study. The only mental powers I'm familiar with were ones used strictly for military and security purposes.

Ludmilla: Don't worry about it.

-There's an awkward silence for a moment.-

Ludmilla: Is, uh, Yoon-hoo alright?

Arubeg: Yeah, he's up and around again. He says he'd never been laid on his ass like that before, and considering he's one of my staff, that's saying something.

Ludmilla: Uh, thanks. I've been training a lot lately.

Arubeg: I could tell you that myself. You carry yourself like a Fixer.

Ludmilla: I'll take that as a compliment.

Arubeg: Take it as you will. I just know that in this world, with the School running around, there'll always be a new nastiness to stamp out, like bugs scrambling about when their rock gets overturned.

Ludmilla: That's a pretty apropos comparison, if I'm being honest...

Arubeg: ... That fact's bugging you, isn't it.

Ludmilla: I'd rather not talk about it now.

Arubeg: Alright, fair enough.

Halis contemplates the thought for a minute... in fact, a minute exactly, not one second over.

Halis: "Well, if you're gonna keep flashing your filename at me, then that's what it'll end up being. Your name is Strobe, since calling you Strobe.exe makes it sound like you're from some tryhard edgy fanfic."

They sigh.

Halis: "That being said, being a person's hard work. I need to relax for a bit..."

After securing the PDA, they start twirling around, the scarf veiling them before slowing down and eventually stopping to reveal a Lopunny, doing a bit of a stretch afterwards.

Halis: <Can't just keep half of myself to, well, myself after all. Wouldn't be fair to anyone. Oh, don't worry, I'll turn back when we get there, just feels weird staying in one form for too long, especially the human one.>

Faction Offices

-Alice shakes her head.-

Alice: There is no need to apologise. We all cope in our own way, and I should not scorn efforts to maintain enthusiasm in the face of danger. As with so many resistance movements throughout history, we need the belief that we can overcome anything at our core.

-She places a hand on Kai's shoulder, and - should they allow it - pulls them into a close embrace.-

Alice: I am not afraid of many things, Kai Amarin, but I am afraid of losing you. That may be the singular neurosis you have to tolerate. That, and the flying thing. Besides the aforementioned, though, I am the model of psychological stability in every aspect.

-She allows herself a smirk.-

Edited by Herbert40k on Nov 18th 2022 at 5:26:14 PM

Celestic Town

Strobe: I'm not doing it on purpose. But fine. What do humans have against this so called "edgy," anyway?

Otis: Beats me. I tell them about my true form back home and they laugh and think I'm trying too hard to look cool and intimidating.

Herbie: Because you are. You guys have a lot more in common than just being megalomaniacs out to destroy and conquer but never can.

Otis: Yeah, but I reconsidered that path in life. Something about getting beaten by angry children and a pair of angels after... you did stuff.. kinda makes you rethink your life. Even just a bit. But don't think I've gone soft. That just means when I rule, it will be less unpleasant.

Herbie: Can't be any worse than the guys who call the shots now.

The group witnesses the transformation

Louis: Oh, you can do that, too.

He reaches into his shirt collar (not the easiest of tasks since he's wearing a checkered tie) and pulls out a necklace.

Louis: This only ever really affects me during a full moon, really. But I keep wearing it at all times anyway since I could never keep track of lunar cycles. I turn into a combusken.

Herbie: Yeah, looks like you found a kindred spirit.

And they hop onto the car where the large corviknight has been stoically and patiently waiting. The indeedee helps Austin get in.

Louis: Hop on!

They take the offer gladly, making sure to salute the Corviknight before finding a place to sit and setting the PDA down next to them.

Halis: <Well, good to know you can understand me when I do this. It's not something reliant on the moon or anything else, it's more... well, to explain, I was a human by default before a bunch of stuff happened, I found a magic scarf that let me transform, and basically now this is my actual default form. If you took it away from me for some reason while in human form, I'd get put into this one, which is fine by me.>

They inspect said scarf.

Halis: <Always clean and spotless, and fashionable too... it's become more a part of me than just an accessory, honestly. It's more like a symbol of where I came from and where I'm going.>

They look over to Louis.

Halis: <I'm sure you have something to symbolize your own journey, as well. Everyone does, even if they don't realize it right away.>

Skies above Kalos

Whitt smiles. "Ah, so you want to do a little bit of... what do the kids say these days? Tit for tat. Sure, what is it that you want me to do?"

Faction Offices

-Kai hugs Alice back tightly-

Kai: Guess I'll just have to tolerate it, then. And keep living. It takes a lot to kill any of us, you know.

-She grins-

Kai: Besides, Nitrogen struggled with two of us. The three of us together? She doesn't stand a chance. As long as we outnumber her, we're golden.

Skies above Kalos

Nitrogen: Well... the trouble I faced at the safehouse was one of being outnumbered. While Amarin was alone the first time until some guy with a hoverbike zoomed in out of nowhere, she had someone with her from the start this time. Brie, her name was. Like me, she seemed to favor dragons, particularly Flying-type ones.

-Nitrogen frowns.-

Nitrogen: She's also completely nuts. No sense of self-preservation, and no Auric abilities to back it up. And Amarin just sat there with this dumb heart-eyes look on her face as she watched her girlfriend leap off of her Pokemon a hundred feet above the ground.

-She glances down at Whitt.-

Nitrogen You're a cryokinetic. You're very suited to helping me single her out and eliminate her.

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Nov 18th 2022 at 2:58:01 PM

Celestic Town, aboard the flying car

Louis: That sounds fascinating. I'm not sure what mine could be. It might be this pendant, if I could narrow it down to something. See, my dad collected rare forms of blaziken. Rare breeds, color mutations, you name it, he has them. He had a coop of them in my childhood former home in Kalos.

He looked longingly at the sun stone.

Louis: Like me and my siblings, my mother could also transform into a Pokémon every night. She turns into a blaziken. Sometimes it feels like we're just another part of dad's collection. But she didn't mind transforming, not like me. Thought it made me a freak. We never did see eye to eye much, my folks and I. They all seemed to like my other siblings better. And I didn't mind much either. My little brother loved me; I got along well with some of my cousins, and one of my uncles was like a second father to me.

Once everyone was safely in and buckled up, Louis gestured to the corviknight and off they flew.

Louis: Over the years I kinda figured out that something was just off about the way we lived. There weren't a lot of other rich people who liked us and most people just kind of feared us. Most of all, they feared my grandma. We get the good looking genes from her, and she aged really well. But she was also very scary, and everyone in our family did what she said. Which was fine if they were more like my dad who collected expensive things and hired supervillains to get them when they couldn't rely on money and intimidation.

He sighed. This was visibly a very painful memory.

Louis: One day my parents and I had an especially bad argument. I don't want to talk about the details, but that's when they cut me off and threw me out. But what stung more was that my uncle was there, and he didn't even step in to defend me. I acquired the pendant long before that because I really didn't feel like turning into a bird once a month. True, it was painful. I was suddenly poor and soon found myself working odd jobs in Angela and later Galar. But I came to accept that I was free. As long as this stone was on my neck, I will never turn into a bird.

Austin listened intently. He could relate heavily to the desire to be free.

Louis: It hurt that my family rejected me, for a little while, and it still does, but I'm not a little cage bird any more. I don't have to live by stupid, evil rules. I have my little brother and my cousin Abilene, and as far as I'm concerned they and my pokémon the only family I really need.

Herbie: Awwww. Chief, you're making me run blush.exe.

Louis: Yeah, it's also why I'm drawn to you guys. Glitches and malware are damaging and dangerous, but unlike regular malware, rogue porygon-lines are living beings. Maybe if I picked you guys up and gave you another place to live, you wouldn't bother people and they wouldn't be forced to go to the methods they'd usually go.

Herbie: Yeah, getting this second chance after all the computers I broke and consigning my dad to work in anonymity because of all the damage I did. It means a lot, mon ami.

Louis: Heck, everyone but my parents deserves a second or third chance. Ain't that right, you two.

Strobe and Otis: <mumbling sounds>

Louis: Collecting weird shit is what my family likes doing. But mostly, we're known for our green hair. I mean, not all of us do. I've a cousin with brown hair and an uncle with blue hair, but the green shade's pretty distinctive. You wouldn't happen to have relatives who were green-haired Kalosians, would you?

Edited by MasterJayAM on Nov 19th 2022 at 7:33:01 AM

Skies above Kalos

Whitt laughs. Unlike the laugh of a normal person, which would have some kind of mirth in it, Whitt's laugh is as cold as the rest of him.

"Oh, Nitrogen. Frankly my dear, you should have led with that."

Faction Offices

-Alice lets out a faint chuckle at Kai's words.-

Alice: You're entirely correct in your assessment. It was silly of me to even worry in the first place, when the two of you are as capable as you are.

Kai: As I attested! You agonise always, Alice. Allow yourself an acceptable allocation of acclaim and accolades, hardly hindered by hearsay~

-Kai brushes up against the back of Alice's neck - only for her to grab their wrist and twist it until it's pinned in a rather uncomfortable position.-

Alice: Minstrel. Not that I don't appreciate the attention, but now's hardly the time.

Kai(?): Ack! I-I-

-Alice wheels them around to face the other Kai in front of her.-

Alice: What do you think, Kai? I'm not sure they got your eyes quite right. Wouldn't you say?

Faction Offices

-Kai frowns as their imposter shows up, and they narrow their eyes.-

Kai: Hm.

-They lean in closer, squinting to get a better look at the other Kai's eyes, hand to their chin.-

Kai: ...Actually, the eyes are pretty good. Your left contact is rotated a bit, so the pattern looks off, but just get it back into proper position and you've got it. However!

-They lean back.-

Kai: You started the gray streak a bit too far up your scalp, and it looks pretty obviously dyed rather than gray from stress. The texture's all wrong. And I hate to be all "the scar's on the wrong side", but you got the part of the drain scar under my jaw wrong.

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Nov 18th 2022 at 6:09:40 AM

Faction Offices

-Kai(?) gasps, and clutches their free hand against their chest.-

Kai(?): You claim these are contacts? Decry my do as dyed? You wound me, wunderkind! Besides, I believe I beget a break. I had merely a moment to make my mimicry before you marched in.

-Alice almost looks like she might let herself laugh, until the implications of Kai(?)'s statement set in.-

Alice: ...Kai and Brie arrived here at least half an hour ago. Nobody else has entered the building without-

-Her phone suddenly pings.-

Edited by Herbert40k on Nov 19th 2022 at 9:35:31 AM

Faction Offices

-Kai is momentarily confused, before they check their phone.-

-There's a forceful knock on the office door, and Kai gives the sigh of "oh boy here we go"-