Hamlet, The Basement

Running back into the basement hub, it certainly sounds like the grinding mass of birds and whatever that Pent-looking thing is likely is in pursuit and won't be delayed for long...

~Ding~

The elevator is back, a possible route of escape.

Meat Palace, The Escape

-With the running fully in progress, there's time for some banter-

Anthem: <Well, that went well. Surprised he turned so quick once we shut down the machine.>

-Gentleman unfurls back into a pink blob and immediately The Face forms into the shape of some kind-looking thirty-something in a labcoat-

The Face: Strongmen like him tend to go into fight or flight once they lose their lackeys. Simple psychology, really.

-Rakash shrugs-

And it sounded like he was considering cutting ties with the School already. We just gave him the nudge to do so.

The Face: You think the School is going to let that slide?

Anthem: <Depending on how he betrays them, I doubt they can do much about it.>

-For a moment Rakash stumbles and from the movement of his face he's clearly scrunched his eyes shut behind the blindfold before opening them again-

... Let's just get out of here. Someone get the app going.

Unova Court - The Audience

-Pentigan wandered in and took his seat as proceedings began and the defense lawyer decided to shout what was effectively a "go team!" with no regard for decorum. For a moment Pent wanted to despair, but there was two things that pushed him out of that. First was that the evidence was clearly on their side. The second was that a quirky and enthusiastic seeming-dumbass as defense attorney was actually perfect-

-That said, there likely wasn't any harm in tactically uttering something to reinforce that scenario, to make the turnaround of perceived competency both more likely and more glorious-

We are so doomed...

Battle Academy, Dorms, Post-Enrollment

-The girl is sprawled out on the bed, staring at the ceiling-

Elizabeth: Can you stop doing that?

The Owl: Can you stop speaking out of line?

Elizabeth: I'm just trying to get their trust and you censoring me is making us look sus!

The Owl: I am beginning to suspect this plan of yours is specifically to invoke mistrust.

-Elizabeth shrugs and flips herself over-

The Owl: I can and will withdraw us from this plan.

Elizabeth: If they get concerned enough, they'll summon him. Be patient. Given what your masters in the Brass Cartel do, time is clearly not an issue.

Pastoria City Gym- vs. Crasher Wake

Crasher Wake paused for a few moments, before letting out a contemplative "hm" and returning his Kingdra back to his PokeBall. He stared up at Owen, who was busy returning Saura at the same time.

"Huh," said Wake. "Not bad. That Aurorus of yours just evolve?"

"Yep," said Owen. "I didn't even know she could even use Outrage."

"Well, it was good of you to notice my Kingdra's Rest strategy and make use of your own!" said Wake. "I didn't know your Aurorus knew Sleep Talk!"

"Oh, she sleeps nigh-constantly," said Owen. "Anyways... bring on your next Pokemon!"

"Well said!" cried Wake. "In that case, here goes nothing! Go! Ludicolo!"

The ball opened, and in a flash, a Ludicolo emerged and happily began dancing around.

Owen took a look at his PokeBalls for a few moments. Ludicolo was a Water-Grass type, meaning there wasn't much Owen could do to him. Sure, he could send out Stipax, but he wanted to save him for last this time around. His only Flying-type was Rhamphor due to Teryx's release from the team, and he had zero Poison-types.

That being said, though... there was one other team member he could use.

And given how unexpectedly well he performed in the Team Lightning battle... Owen was willing to give it a shot.

Of course, however, he'd need two mons out for this.

He turned to face Crasher Wake.

"Hey, I'm OK with sending two mons out onto the field here, right?" he asked.

"Sure," said Wake.

"That's good," said Owen, readying his PokeBalls. "Because the next mon I have is going to need it and you'll see why."

Seconds later:

"Go, Anomalo! Go, Rhamphor!"

The balls opened, and in two subsequent flashes, Anomalo and Rhamphor appeared on the field. Rhamphor happily looked around, then turned to face Owen.

<Whoa...!> he cried. <A Gym Stadium?! This is awesome! I've never been here before!>

Beat.

<Am I going to take on that Pokemon?> he asked.

"Rhamphor, you stand aside for now," said Owen.

Rhamphor, suddenly noticing Anomalo, immediately realized what Owen was going for and nodded, flying aside so as to give Anomalo the field. Anomalo, meanwhile, was skittering around like crazy and not knowing what was going on.

"Anomalo?" asked Owen.

<Huh?> asked Anomalo, turning his head but obviously not able to look around at anything.

"You're going to be going up against this Ludicolo," said Owen.

<What Ludicolo?> asked Anomalo. <What's a Ludicolo?>

And then the Ludicolo spoke.

<Hiii~!>

Anomalo jolted backwards upon hearing the Ludicolo.

<H-huh?> he asked. <Who was that? Was that a ghost?>

<No, silly! It's me, your opponent! Battle me!>

<Huh? I can't see anything...>

He skittered around aimlessly, eventually falling into the water— but somehow able to swim— before coming up onto the platform that the Ludicolo was on and crawling up on him. The Ludicolo giggled.

<Awww, he's crawling on me~!>

He grabbed hold of Anomalo who began to squirm away.

<Anomalo! Look out!> cried Rhamphor. <He's got you!>

<Aww, relax, I'm not gonna do anything to him!> said Wake's Ludicolo. <He hasn't even made the first move yeeee—>

And then he noticed Anomalo's glazed-over eyes and his expression faltered.

<Oh... oh dear... that's why he needed an Aerodactyl on the field...>

"Huh?"

Wake approached Anomalo, who was starting to get more and more frantic hearing all the noise surrounding him. It wasn't just the Ludicolo— it was Wake, the crowd, Rhamphor, Owen, the cameras, the sounds of people eating popcorn, food, clicking noises, booing, swearing...

"Oh! Holy crap, he's blind!"

<I... I don't know if he'll be able to battle me if he can't see what I'm doing...> muttered the Ludicolo sadly. <Does... does he even know how to battle? M-maybe I should help him...>

And then the crowd began booing and chanting "BATTLE! BATTLE! BATTLE! BATTLE!" like mad.

And then Anomalo started to cry.

Loudly.

Extremely loudly.

<GAH!>

Wake's Ludicolo immediately dropped the blind Anorith, who skittered away with no sense of direction whatsoever. Immediately, Rhamphor flew into action, flying straight towards Anomalo, picking him up and carrying him back to his platform. Wake's Ludicolo glanced over at Anomalo sadly.

<That's not where Owen is, silly!> said Rhamphor. <Owen's over here—>

And then he noticed Anomalo crying.

<Hey... what's the matter?> he asked. <Is something wrong...?>

<There's too much noise...!> Anomalo sobbed.

<Awww... it's OK, Anomalo...> said Rhamphor. <Do you want me to carry you?>

Anomalo shook his head as best he could.

<OK, then!> said Rhamphor. <I'll just... guide you and warn you of oncoming attacks, then.>

<Speaking of... I should probably do something,> said Wake's Ludicolo.

Soon afterwards, he shot out a burst of water at Anomalo— which both Rhamphor and Owen noticed.

"Anomalo!" cried Owen. "There's a Hydro Pump coming for you!"

<Dodge!> cried Rhamphor.

Anomalo couldn't see the Hydro Pump at all— but he could definitely hear it approaching him. Mere moments before it hit him, he skittered out of the way, and then began running around in circles.

"Alright!" cried Owen. "Great work, Anomalo! Now... use Double Team!"

Anomalo paused for a few moments.

Double Team? What was that?

He thought back for a few moments to the concert he had just been to. For a second there, he had thought for sure he'd be a goner with all the enemies that Rhamphor had said had been surrounding him... and then all of a sudden he had felt his body go numb.

Could that have been it...?

As far as he had known, he didn't end up feeling any attacks for quite a while after that.

He paused for a few moments, summoning the power from before, still with absolutely no clue of where the "Ludicolo" thing wa—

Wait a minute!

He heard something!

Footsteps!

That had to be it!

All at once, he suddenly let out a massive scream— and then felt his body go numb again, just like it had at the concert. He didn't know if he had done it right, but within seconds he heard a voice near him:

<Huh...?>

And then:

"Alright!"

Owen.

"You did it, Anomalo! That was amazing!"

Oh!

He had done it, apparently!

Owen, meanwhile, could see it clear as day on the battlefield— hundreds of Anomalos, all of them looking somewhat confused. Apparently none of the copies could see either.

But that was okay, as long as he was able to still do the move.

Owen took out his Pokedex for a bit and scanned Anomalo's moveset again. He knew he had Double Team and Screech... he knew he had Cross Poison, he'd seen that at the concert... plenty of Bug-type moves, of course... plenty of Rock type moves... wait.

He suddenly saw the last move in the movelist and smirked.

"Stay right there, Anomalo," he said. "Don't move, whatever you do. I've got a plan."

Battle Academy, General Admin

-Roland points at the paperwork on the screen.-

Retek: That's bait.

Angela: That's quite a pessimistic view of a new student.

Retek: Angela, she had a mechanical owl. That was definitely not a dependent.

Angela: ... A fair point.

Hanib: I should like to speak her myself.

-Retek and Angela turn to the woman walking into the room.-

Angela: Hanib?

Hanib: I understand this is normally Arubeg's domain, but there are too many unknown factors as to why she is here. And I daresay, if she is the bearer of, or servant to, great power, I believe myself to be better protected than most of my counterparts.

Retek: Hey now, I'm a lot faster than I look.

Hanib: You are correct. I did not mean to discount your own abilities.

Angela: To be honest, I suspect that I might get the best reaction from her due to my... nature.

Retek: Oh, yeah, huh. Ein did mention something about her feeling "weird".

Hanib: I would not worry too much about that. Ein has seen so little of the world, everything must be weird to her. I suspect, more to the point, that the owl is of concern.

Angela: I second that concern. Which is why I wish to see it firsthand.

Hanib: Also, as you are, you are immortal. That alone has some advantages.

Retek: I mean, technically speaking, we're all immortal since we can come back...

Meat Palace

-Getting out my phone to activate the Metaverse app-

They won't, but hopefully it won't matter.

Pastoria City Gym- vs. Crasher Wake

<A plan?> asked Rhamphor.

<What is it?> asked Stipax.

"You'll see," said Owen simply.

Ludicolo, meanwhile, took the opportunity to attack. He happily started dancing around, letting loose a burst of pink energy in the process aimed directly at Anomalo...

...except it didn't end up hitting.

Double Team had given Anomalo the evasion boost he needed, and as such the move missed Anomalo entirely.

Ludicolo blanched.

"Alright, it's time!" cried Owen. "Anomalo! Use Aerial Ace!"

<A-Aerial Ace?!> cried Rhamphor.

"It never misses," said Owen. "So the fact that Anomalo is blind won't even matter."

And sure enough, within seconds, Anomalo crossed his claws in front of himself as though he was preparing to use X-Scissor— only for said claws to glow blue instead of green. The X-shape flew forward— directly at Wake's Ludicolo.

And then all the copies did it as well, sending out many, many Aerial Aces towards Ludicolo, confusing him even further. Only one of them- the real one- hit— and it hit hard.

<W-WHOAAAAA!>

Seconds later, Ludicolo found himself thrown back into the wall, dropping the Sitrus Berry he had been holding— and thanks to the supereffective damage combined with the defense drop from Screech, it was huge.

A cloud of dust promptly was released, and the clones faded from the field, leaving only the real Anomalo standing there. When it faded, Ludicolo was lying on his side with swirls in his eyes.

<Awww no... I never even got to use this...> he muttered.

"It worked!" Owen exclaimed. "Anomalo, that was great!"

Anomalo was haphazardly looking around again.

<Huh...?> he asked. <W-what happened? Did... did I win?>

"You sure did, buddy!" said Owen, hugging Anomalo. "Great work!"

Wake smirked.

"Huh," he said. "Not bad for a mon who's blind."

OWEN EDMUNDSON HAS DEFEATED CRASHER WAKE'S LUDICOLO

CRASHER WAKE HAS 3 POKEMON LEFT

Battle Academy

-Angela and Dune both ponder the screen in front of them.-

Angela: I'm afraid I do not see where our disagreement lies.

-Geeta frowns.-

Geeta: You are a new facility, not even a year old at this point. I'm afraid that, no matter how clean your facility is, reputation-wise, I simply cannot agree to a student exchange.

-Dune's lips purse.-

Dune: The teachers at Naranja y Uva Academy have already given their approval. Why do you withhold yours?

Geeta: As I said-

Dune: With due respect, we both know that's a lie.

-Angela's eyes wander between the two of them. Dune doesn't call out lies without purpose... but he also tends to do so when he feels his intelligence is being insulted. Geeta herself huffs indignantly, which, as Angela notices, simply raises Dune's hackles more.-

Geeta: Orre has never been the bastion of education, Pokemon or otherwise, and neither has its student body. We've already rooted out troublemakers recently, I do not wish to have to do so again.

-Uh oh. Angela knew that Geeta had just stepped onto a landmine. Angela closes her eyes, hoping Geeta recognizes the "click".-

Dune: I would kindly ask you to not generalize the students of my academy, especially considering their backgrounds.

-Dune's tone was flat. Painfully flat. Geeta winced, and Angela let out a quiet sigh of relief.-

Geeta: I... apologize. That was out of line. Still, I cannot just accept a new, untested array of students when we have just reestablished stability.

-Angela had an idea.-

Angela: Then why not test each other?

-The two turn to look at Angela.-

Angela: I propose that the two of you hold an exhibition match. Full power. No holding back. Singles or doubles, whichever you prefer. Surely, the Champion - or Master - of a region must reflect the students that study under them, correct?

-Dune's mood immediately brightens. Geeta is less obvious, but still shows a positive trend.-

Geeta: That... is an interesting proposition. I'll consider it.

Dune: I'll be waiting for your message, then.

Geeta: Indeed. I believe that brings our last point to a close.

Dune: Yes, I believe it does. Have a good day, Miss Geeta.

Geeta: You too, Mr. Galvani-Morton, Miss Angela.

Sinnoh, Valley Windworks

Addie: <Ah.> :c

-she looks like she's trying to puzzle something out-

Addie: <Well, if you need anything, I'm on call most days of the week.>

Logan: Hm!

Logan: -chuckle- I hope it's a good colleague. Sorry to say, but most of yours sound like pieces of work.

Logan: But that's my piece. Feel any better?

-they sit, open to whatever comes-

Galar, Wild Area - Dappled Grove

Abilene: ...look, verbally punching each other's lights out is first base. If you'd like more than plausibly-deniable indications that i'm interested, take me out. Throttle me in an alley. Amusement's more than I admit feeling for most people.

Malus: -in her ear- <She's looking at you.>

-she visibly subtly rearranges herself-

Abilene: -snort, with not much vitriol- Don't get too big for your britches, Dame Clownpeasant, impeccably-tailored though they may be. I need not remind you, it is the prerogative of any self-respecting villainess—wealthy patroness, same difference—to joust those noble knights when their high horse starts getting altitude sickness.

-her own high horse...sauropod? crashes to earth, not two feet away-

Abilene: ...or begins to stray. Sapinda, what was that aim?

Sapinda: -crowing, a cluster of Maranga spliced to her throat- <I am triumphant!>

Malus: -eats a leaf from Abilene's hair-

Hamlet, Past

Still warding off the beast with a Fire Blast primed in her palm, with shaking steps she backs into the elevator, looking at the button and mashing the buttons with Extrasensory to close it right the fuck now.

Unova Courtroom, Day 1

In unison, Kamui and Kendall fall face-forward onto the table and rail, unable to believe the unprofessionalism on their side of the bench.

"Defense motions for a mistrial on the grounds that his lawyer is incompetent," Kendall whispered to himself.

Pastoria City Gym- vs. Crasher Wake

Wake proceeded to return his fainted Ludicolo almost immediately, while Anomalo was returned on Owen's side. Owen didn't even need to think about what Pokemon he planned to use next— because said Pokemon was already on the field.

He turned to face Rhamphor.

"Alright, Rhamphor," he said. "You ready to get up there?"

Rhamphor nodded, flying forward almost immediately.

<Yippee~!> he cried. <Another battle!>

"HAH! Sending out the seeing-eye mon, are you?" asked Wake. "Well, then. Might as well send this one out next!"

He loaded up his next PokeBall and then threw it.

"Go, Huntail!" he cried.

In a flash, a Huntail emerged from his PokeBall— and immediately both Rhamphor and Owen noticed that there was a Focus Sash around the mon's neck. The two of them looked at each other and both of them knew: they needed to knock it off.

<Hello there!> said the Huntail.

Rhamphor turned to face the Huntail, waving at him.

<Hi!> said Rhamphor.

"Alright, Rhamphor!" cried Owen. "Let's start this off! Use Dragon Dance!"

And Rhamphor obliged, happily dancing around while mystic blue energy swirled around him.

The Huntail grinned.

<Alright, then,> he said. <Biting time!>

With that said, his teeth suddenly glowed a bright white color, and he swam over to Rhamphor before biting his wing from above, causing Rhamphor to be thrown back a bit.

Despite the Crunch move, however, Rhamphor remained basically undeterred.

<Whoaaa~!> he cried out. <You're pretty strong! Think I'll have to take that Focus Sash off of you, though!>

Soon afterwards, he opened his mouth, letting loose a draconic burst of air out at Huntail. It not only succeeded in throwing back Wake's Huntail, but also did exactly what Rhamphor had wanted, knocking the Focus Sash off of the Huntail and preventing him from using it.

It also succeeded in doing something else, as moments after the dust faded, Wake's Huntail found himself surrounded by electricity on all sides.

<Alright!> cried Stipax. <He got the paralysis on him!>

Rhamphor smirked, realizing that now that he had the speed advantage... there was only one more move left for him to use.

<Alrighty!> he said. <Let's finish this off!>

Moments later, his fangs began to glow with a yellow burst of electricity, and he proceeded to fly forward towards Wake's Huntail— and bite him.

He held the Huntail in his mouth for a few more moments before noticing something and letting go. Instantly, Wake's Huntail, now swirly-eyed, fell to the floor.

<Urrrrf...> he muttered.

Owen, Stipax, and Rhamphor all stared out in shock.

"...Well," said Owen eventually. "That was quick. Nice job, Rhamphor."

Rhamphor grinned.

OWEN EDMUNDSON HAS DEFEATED CRASHER WAKE'S HUNTAIL

WAKE HAS 2 POKEMON LEFT

Archaeology Department National Museum, Lumiose City, late December

A green-haired man in a suit, scarf, and jacket enters the hall. The Celtic exhibit he was invited to inspect was to go on tour, and not only had he been brought on for his experience with Celtic artifacts, he was also the representative assigned by one of the corporations gleefully endorsing it. Tronci Motors wanted brand recognition and to tie themselves with some of history's most esteemed metalsmiths.

Louis was also versed in Celtic history, as was expected for a Kalosian noble with an expensive education and a family tied to antiquities. They were especially drawn to anything made by the ancient inhabitants of Kalos, the [Gauls].

As he passed through the walls of artifacts and replicas from various , he challenged himself mentally to identify the items. Quizzing him on it was a porygon from his watch.

Herbie: Alright, what's this one, then?

Louis: Oh, this one? A sword from the southern regions of modern Paldea now called falcata, a name the Paldean [Celts] certainly didn't use. Well-preserved and well ornamented hilt that was remarkably well preserved. The weathered blade could be from gradual corrosion but the date and location implies it may also have experienced some action. Bit of a stretch, but some of my university pals think it's one from Hannibal's forces.

Herbie: Well, the Mountain Kalos location and the date kinda lines up. Wait, what are they called?

Louis: We never knew. I don't speak Ancient Paldean. What I do know is that if they say falcatus in [Roman] sources they probably mean those swords over there from Celtic [Thrace]—Galatian.

He points to another case.

Herbie: It still amazes me that you can tell all these things apart by looking at them.

Louis: I dunno about that. This is all just quite surface level. What I'm really good at is identifying Kalosian Gallic ones. Before I settled with the [Funkos], I used to look at all the Celtic stuff my family had. They always seemed to know where to dig them up.

As a child, he was often told of "the glorious past" of the Kalosians that didn't involve the first and second empires or the kingdom and its colonial possessions. It was a glory that even preceded the crown. A time before they too were under the boot heel of another power, and one that resonated with the Macraul clan far more than most Kalosians already did.

"Our ancestors, the [Gauls]," was a common turn of phrase for the Kalosian people. The early [Celtic] civilizations were a point of pride for Kalos and excavations from this largely forgotten yet glorious tribal past were as a result popular. Many of the artifacts were quite well preserved, recovered from swamplands or found buried in hills where [Celtic] fortress towns, oppidia, had once stood.

But as Louis knows too well, most Kalosians today are far removed from their [Gallic] ancestors, to the point that the speakers of one of the few surviving languages connected to those people, Yantrezhoneg, were historically treated with disdain and dismissal. When they were conquered, many of the [Gallic] families adopted [Latin] as their language when speaking with others outside their homes and only spoke their mother tongue at home. Eventually, the old tongues were mostly abandoned, and the [Latin] dialect they spoke evolved into Kalosian 2,000 years later.

Louis could still speak that language. And not merely the modern forms it survived in. In university, he was often praised by his peers for speaking the old [Celtic] tongue with a strange fluency that matched those of professors. This wasn't a tongue anyone had any business knowing so casually as very few fragments of it survive.

His own explanation for it was something everybody accepted; his family were obsessed with the [Gauls] and they had a sizable collection of [Gallic] artifacts in their home collections, a few of which were "generously" loaned to the museum. It seemed to make sense that Louis, a clever child as he was already, would've picked it up from his family.

It was partly true. His family harbored many dark secrets, some of which weren't as open as "his father hires supervillains and master thieves to steal artifacts he can't buy." Deep in the iceberg of the Macraul family secrets is that their family has been directed by a sinister being from the distant past, who had once been the daughter of a Gallic chieftain. A warrior princess turned immortal noble directs the fate of her mortal descendants to sate her thirst for power. He once affectionately called her granny.

The exhibits filled him with pride as well as a sense of longing. As a disowned Macraul, he was cast aside for not following the party line. This left him with only two blood relatives to interact with. But the rift between him and his clan began way before that, centuries ago. Part of the reason why he spoke ancient Gallic in the first place was that it was one of the few ways he could try to bond with Grandmother.

Herbie: You okay there, buddy?

Louis looked kind of morose as he stared at an assembled reconstruction of Gallic warrior armor in a Plexiglas case. His reflection appeared where the head should be. He didn't respond.

Herbie: That armor seems about the right size for you. You ever think of cosplaying as a barbarian prince.

Louis: Never call them that again.

Herbie: Sorry, bro.

Louis: It wouldn't feel right if I did.

Herbie: The design has been in the public domain for 2,000 years! If your family were to take onus with it,

Louis: ...they can literally bend the world backwards to copyright it. And you'd think denying people that because it'd offend my father for me to wear something from our distant past is one thing. It's just... I just don't think I deserve to wear it.

Herbie: It's a family thing, isn't it?

Louis: Pretty much.

Herbie: Let's keep your mind off it. Where'd you say this stuff was going on tour?

Louis: Sinnoh, actually. We'll be back there in a few days.

He sighs.

Louis: You'll never guess where it'll be exhibited in.

Herbie: Oh, shit.

Louis: The Hotel Sylvestra. And not the one in Jubilife, too.

Herbie: Oh, come on. We were just in Celestic Town.

Louis: Hey, I don't mind. Lumiose City just doesn't feel like home anymore. And there's a charm to a medium-sized city with a 5-star hotel plopped in there by a family with too much money.

Herbie: Your family has terrible business sense.

Louis: To be fair, that is classic billionaire supervillain behavior.

Herbie: You mean they all act a little like [Elon Musk]?

Louis: Hehe, "little." You're funny.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Jan 18th 2023 at 1:48:59 AM

Pastoria City Gym- vs. Crasher Wake

Crasher Wake, for a few moments, stood there, just as stunned as Owen, Stipax, and Rhamphor had been, before silently returning his Huntail. After a few moments, he spoke, all while Owen returned Rhamphor back to his PokeBall— and knowing full well which mon he would use next.

"...that was fast," Wake said. "Your Aerodactyl's strong, lemme tell ya."

"Thanks," said Owen. "Believe me, I'm just as shocked as you are. I had no idea he was that strong. Even so, though... I think my next mon might just be stronger."

"Oh, really?" Wake said, laughing. "Well, then, in that case... I know just who to send out! Go, Gyarados!"

He took out and threw a PokeBall, and in a flash of light, a massive Gyarados appeared. Owen smirked.

"A Gyarados, huh?" he asked. "Alright, then! Let's do this, Gwana!"

He threw his PokeBall out, and in a flash, Gwana appeared. She stared directly into Gyarados' eyes, and while she could feel her attack dropping a bit due to Gyarados' Intimidate, it didn't faze her in the least.

<A Ground-type, huh?> growled the Gyarados.

<That's right,> said Gwana. <And don't you dare think I'm gonna go down easily. I've got plans for you. Let's just leave it at that.>

<If you're planning to use Electric-type moves on me, I've got this,> snarled Gyarados, showing her a Wacan berry.

Gwana smirked. <Like that'll stop me. Bring it on.>

Gyarados laughed. <Ha! You've got some fight in you!>

And with that said, he began twirling around in the air, glowing with a burst of purple energy.

<...Hm,> said Gwana simply.

She didn't waste any time hitting her chest multiple times with her bone. Gyarados' eyes widened in horror.

<She— she's got what?!>

Gyarados stood there for a bit, and then smirked.

<Well. Not that it'll matter anyway,> he said. <You do realize you just cut your HP in half, right?>

Gwana nodded.

<...Huh,> said the Gyarados. <You're risky. I like you.>

Instantly, he performed the same Dragon Dance that he had done before.

Gwana didn't even bother to wait before attacking. She shook her bone a few times, and within seconds multiple giant boulders fell down from the sky and hit Wake's Gyarados, nearly crushing him and succeeding in throwing him back against the wall for massive damage.

Gwana just stood there and smirked.

Stormchaser, Ludmilla

Ynos: "... Ah."

Ynos: "I was called Osmium. I didn't get along with most of my... classmates very well, though."

He sighs.

Ynos: "I go by Ynos now."

Stormchaser, Chiyo

Aislinn's expression stays static throughout Chiyo's explanation, and as she processes this information.

Aislinn: "It does not surprise me to hear that he's being used. You have my sympathies, though I don't think there's much I can say about your origins that can't be said better by others."

Her expression softens, and then stiffens again in quick succession.

Aislinn: "But I'm not going to just forget what I saw. His life story may be... horrific, but I still can't find it in me to look the other way for what he's done. I doubt it was only me he was involved with over the years, either. Until the day that my feelings subside, or the day that he's... I hesitate to say 'earned' forgiveness. Until the day he's free of his ties to Morata, I will avoid him. You have my word that I will not antagonize him or try to make his life worse, but I do not want to be involved with him."

Stormchaser

-Ludmilla blinks.-

Ludmilla: That... appears to be a common trait among Osmiums, apparently. I'm looking for my own. Her, and my Bromine. My Cesium apparently got away with Oz before the class liquidation, and now I have to find her now that I've found him. And... she's not exactly easy to get along with. For me, in particular.

-She sighs.-

Ludmilla: Between Oz not wanting to have a thing to do with me, and Bromine being able to make themselves practically invisible, this has not been an easy thing to deal with.

-She shakes her head.-

Ludmilla: But I'm ranting. Sorry. Picked that up from my mom. You're from the same class as Chiyo, right?

Pastoria City Gym- vs. Crasher Wake

When the dust finally settled, and despite the massive amount of damage, Gyarados was still standing, albiet far worse for the wear.

He smirked.

<Oh, you know Rock-type moves?> he said. <Nice. Keep that up; you won't have to see me at my full power.>

Gwana glared at him.

<You'd just be holding back,> she said.

Gyarados laughed, flaring up with a draconic aura once more and twirling around.

<Would I?!>

Gwana, incensed, immediately clenched her fist, allowing the electric energy she had collected from her use of Lightning Rod to coalesce around it. Seconds later, she jumped up into the air.

Gyarados smirked.

<Finally!> he said, eating the Wacan Berry.

That didn't matter one bit to Gwana, who instantly struck with a Thunder Punch, which still succeeded in giving Gyarados big damage and knocking him into the wall once again.

Another dust cloud went up as Gwana jumped back down into the floor. When it faded, Gyarados was still standing, far more bruised— and far more angry. He glared over at Gwana with a look so intense it could have killed everyone there- but Gwana didn't even flinch.

<I warned you,> he said simply.

Seconds later, his tail began to glow a bright blue color, and he swung it into the water, causing ripples that directly hit Gwana, knocking her backwards into the wall for even bigger damage.

"Gwana!" cried Owen.

<Uh-oh...> Stipax muttered. <Gwana had the Belly Drum advantage on her side, but Gyarados had the Dragon Dance advantage...>

And then the dust faded, and for a few moments it looked as though Gwana was done for.

She was slumped over on the floor, her head down, barely even responding to anything. Owen, worried, ran over to Gwana, with Stipax by his side.

"Gwana!" he cried. "Please... please tell me you're alri—"

But he suddenly found himself cut off as Gwana raised her bone to silence him. She then steadily pushed herself back up, now glaring over at the Gyarados as if she wanted to kill him right then and there.

<...Don't you DARE think that's going to stop me,> she said.

The Gyarados floated backwards.

<Do you know how long I had to suffer in the underground, while my mother and father were killed in front of me?> she began. <Do you know how many opponents I took down in order to survive? In order to make absolutely sure that nothing like that would ever happen again? To atone for my mistakes? Hundreds. Thousands, even. I've grown stronger than you'll ever imagine. And this man...>

She pointed her bone at Owen, causing his eyes to widen in shock. While Owen still couldn't understand anything Gwana was saying, he had a feeling that she was talking about him in at least some regard.

<This man has made me stronger than you'll ever believe,> said Gwana. <I took the Belly Drum risk. I took the Aqua Tail risk. And now... now...>

She finally lifted her head, staring down Wake's Gyarados with a murderous look.

<I'm going to take you down,> she said.

From behind Gyarados, Wake applauded, very much impressed.

Owen's eyes widened in shock, stunned by Gwana's evident resolve.

"Whoa..." he muttered.

<She's about to go all out now...!> Stipax cried.

And for a few seconds, that looked to be what Gwana was about to do. She raised her bone in the air, as if to deliver the final blow— only for her vision to suddenly be blinded by a piercing blue glow coming near her. The Gyarados and Wake both noticed it too, with the former floating back with a look of absolute shock on his face. Owen and Stipax glanced down at the platform in front of Gwana, right near where the water in the pool was, and sure enough, standing there in front of Gwana was a glowing blue pottery wheel.

The audience in the stands absolutely erupted.

Gwana, meanwhile, stared down at it in confusion.

<The heck is this?!> she asked. <How's this going to help me?>

<Gwana!> cried Stipax. <You're about to evolve!>

<I'm about to do what?!> she snapped.

<Step on the pottery wheel!> Stipax instructed. <After that you'll get covered in clay and all you have to do is form your own body into that of its evolved form from the head down!>

<Form my own-?! Like... I evolve myself?>

<Yep!> said Stipax. <Don't worry, I'm sure you'll figure out what to do once you're on there. If you do it right, it shouldn't take long.>

Gwana hesitated for a few moments, then stepped onto the pottery wheel.

Seconds later, her body flashed blue, and she started to spin around on it.

<W-whoa...!>

Seconds later, she felt the spinning slow down as something began to cover her body. She closed her eyes as it traversed to her head, and Owen, Stipax, Gyarados, Wake, and an audience of about 5,000 people watched in awe as Gwana slowly began to be enveloped in clay.

The audience screamed with delight, and seconds later, "EVOLVE" by Shinedown began to play in the background and blare throughout the stands.

A trail near Veilstone City, One Chilly Winter Morning

"Take a hike, they said." A whiny, angry teenage boy voice muttered. "It'd be great exercise they said." Said voice came from what appears to be a 14-15 year old wrapped tip to toe in bright yellow and deep black winter gear. He wasn't apparently hiking so much as pedaling a wheelchair with all-terrain wheels fitted on it. Accompanying him was much taller, older young man clad in a sporty orange athletic winter sports jacket. The younger teen wore a tuque, while the older fellow had an earflap hat. They were followed by a rattata and an emboar.

"It is great exercise," responded the older teen. "Mosey on over here with Pyra and I and getcher self warmed up."

"Of all the truants I could've been paired with, I had to be paired with the jock of 2010."

"Hey, the guys at PEFE said you needed someone to train you and I happened to be a licensed physical therapist and a decently skilled amateur personal trainer. And newsflash, I'd know if you're in actual overexertion."

"This can't be normal."

"It absolutely is."

Bickering aside, their vibes seem approachable enough, even quite friendly if you pay attention enough.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Jan 9th 2023 at 6:13:51 PM

A trail near veilstone

A girl who looks around 12-13 is visible in the distance, apparently ordering her pokemon to attack a berry tree. None of the berries are coming loose.

Pat: Fine, I'll just do it myself then!

She hurls a Moonblast at the tree, but all it does is singe some of the berries. She hears someone in the distance and turns around, noticing the people with the wheelchair approaching. She picks up what look like a pair of DIY walking sticks from the ground and quickly hobbles over to the hikers.

Pat: Woah, what's that chair thingy? Why does it have pedals like that?

Winter Trail in Veilstone

In that brief moment, the shorter, wheelchair bound boy—Austin—had caught up with the taller, more athletic able-bodied one, Stewart. Meanwhile, Stewart had already assembled dried tinder and had his Emboar, Pyra, light it into a campfire.

Stewart: Better pace yourself, boy. You don't want to be sweating in this weather. Come rest by the campfire.

Austin, panting: STEWART!

As Austin tried to catch his breath, he and Austin notice the approaching young person. They were already aware of their previous predicament, but had come to collect themselves before greeting.

Stewart: Howdy! If you're looking for some grub, we've got plenty. Come on over and warm yourself. It's chilly in these woods.

He hears Pat's gleeful curiosity on the wheelchair.

Stewart: Hey, Austin! They're talking 'bout your fancy wheelchair. Go ahead and tell them all about it.

Austin: Alright. See I got this chair from my therapist. My legs can't support me standing up and walking for too long. The pedals let me exercise my legs and stuff so they can get strong enough to let me walk for real.

He pats the rim of the wheels.

Austin: The wheels let me go off pavement and travel up trails and hills.

While in conversation, he notices something about their new companion.

Stewart: Hiking off-road is good exercise for him. What brings you to this trail this fine winter afternoon?

Edited by MasterJayAM on Jan 9th 2023 at 6:38:17 PM

Winter trail near Veilstone

Pat: I was just out looking for berries. I'm not too hungry, though. Not supposed to take food from random strangers, you know.

Pat looks at Austin's wheelchair and frowns.

Pat: This thing is really cool. I dunno why you'd want to walk everywhere though when you can ride something like that. It just hurts.

She sits by the campfire, looking vaguely concerned about something. The Golduck comes running over, with the Stantler walking behind more slowly.

Burghley: <Did someone say free grub?>

Pat: This is Burghley and the Stantler over there is Noel.

Stormchaser, Ludmilla

Ynos: "Oh, I always assumed it had to do with me being the class punching bag."

...

Ynos: "That was not an off-color joke, one of the doctors said that to me once."

He clears his throat.

Ynos: "Er, no. I believe I was 'born' after Chiyo. As far as I'm aware I'm... a sole survivor. I suppose I should find some kind of dark humor in the fact that my tormentors were likely liquidated, but... It makes me more sad than anything."

His hesitation at "sole survivor" is wistful, in a way.

Stormchaser

Ludmilla: Yeah, some of mine were told that if they killed me, they wouldn't be liquidated. You... uh...

-She motions to herself.-

Ludmilla: Can guess who won out there. Some of them got out while the getting was good, though.

-She takes off her glasses entirely and massages the bridge of her nose.-

Ludmilla: You know, I'm not entirely sure what I expected when I asked the ship to let me talk to another Schoolkid, but now I'm just making myself depressed.

Stormchaser, past

Chiyo: -To Aislinn- I don't expect you to, but that's the thing. Despite everything I told you, about his poor self-worth and his precarious situation, when I asked him about what happened that night, Ynos refused to follow Morata's orders to kill your mother that night. It wasn't just inadvertent, it was a choice he made.

Unfortunately, despite your mother's appeals to his better nature, Morata had a contingency. The gunman who made the killing shot.

-Leaning into the bulkhead some more-

I don't know why if she even suspected Ynos wouldn't be willing to kill her that she waited that long to call them in, but I suspect it was about control. So that Ynos would learn that there was no point in trying to countermand her orders, so he'd see there was no other option than being her tool.

-Audibly angry for the first time this whole conversation-

She's so vile, that Morata Macraul. She robbed you of your mother, uses Ynos as her tool, and openly flaunts her wickedness. Ruining lives just for fun. As I already mentioned, I didn't have any parents, the closest things being the templates I was derived from. Closest things I had to that, was the couple that took me in before the School murdered them a few years after I escaped because they refused to give me up, and to make sure, like Ynos and the sniper, I "knew my place". I made my first kill that day, out of rage.

-Calming down-

It's terrible, what she's done to both of you. I don't know if I hate that Macraul as much as you do, but I never thought I'd personally despise a person that much that wasn't in any way School-affiliated.

I guess I see a bit of myself in both of you, that's part of why I'm so very invested.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Jan 9th 2023 at 7:34:02 AM

THE COURT

Jared: Whew! Sorry, had to get that out of my system. Prosecutor dude you go ahead.

???

-Pavo is observing the Luminose activity-

Pavo: ~Hmmmmmmmmm...~

Meat Palace

Lead Monkey: <I'll - oh, someone else is on app duty, okay.>

Stormchaser, Ludmilla

Ynos: "We can discuss something else."

...

Ynos: "So... how about that weather?"

He makes an expression that can be... described as a smile. If you tilted your head and squinted a lot.

Stormchaser, Past

Aislinn's expression softens again, though this time it sticks.

Aislinn: "The impression I got of her was that she likes... playing with her food. But as soon as it becomes boring to her she wants it over and done with."

She sighs.

Aislinn: "I don't think I ever thanked you for helping get the mask back. So I'd like to formally say... Thank you. For your sake, I will try to be more understanding of Ynos."

Pastoria City Gym- vs. Crasher Wake

Unlike what happened with Saura, where the clay had covered just about everything except for her feet, the clay for Gwana covered her completely, presumably due to her being a Ground-type rather than a Rock-type. Owen paused for a few moments. As far as he knew, no one had ever told Gwana about the pottery wheel evolution sequence before, so this would be completely new for her. For a few moments he stood there, wanting to help or say something, but ultimately just decided to let her evolve herself in peace.

He motioned to Stipax, who jumped down and proceeded to watch the evolution, while Owen himself closed his eyes, begging to himself that this would work.

Ah, who was he kidding? He'd seen this before; he knew how it went.

She'd be fine.

Stormchaser

-Ludmilla tilted her head and squinted. Not, like, out of disbelief, but mostly out of confusion.-

Ludmilla: Honestly, anywhere but Orre in winter is too cold for my taste.

Doomsday: <AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!>

-Thump! Thump, thump, thmp, thmp thmp thmpthmpthmp.-

-A Blissey has just fallen out of a ceiling porthole(?).-

Ludmilla: Oh, hello Doomsday.

Doomsday: <This ship is intelligent and it is belligerent.>

Ludmilla: This is Doomsday. She's my Blissey.

Doomsday: <Aaaand your certified health specialist, I'll have you know!>

Edited by DuneTheWanderer on Jan 9th 2023 at 9:56:52 AM