Thieves Hideout, last January

-Sinking into the chair, arms crossed-

The game was most likely rigged from the start, they were probably waiting for us to weaken the Shadow before they jumped in.

Battle Academy

-While heading to the elevator-

I'd imagine we have a lot to talk about.

School safehouse, closet

Micro sighs.

Micro: ~Fine, I'll do it myself.~

Micro pushes the door open.

School safehouse, hallway

The group arrives in the hallway, lined with various potted plants. To the right end of the corridor, there are a number of doors. An office can be seen through the door at the end of the hallway. A quiet whimpering can be heard coming from the left end of the hallway, where there seems to be a warehouse of some sort.

Battle Academy

Kuthmal: Oh, yes. There's a lot of context to establish. That's what Hanib says, anyway.

-She waves to her assistants at the front desk. Two teal-haired men, a red haired woman, and a very curly brown-haired woman all wave back.-

Kuthmal: Hold down the fort, Tom!

-One of the teal-haired men shoots her a finger-gun.-

Tom: You got it, ma'am.

-The same strange, psychic hallmarks observed on Kuthmal are noticeable on each of the assistants. They all, also, share strange fire-aspected Aura traces.-

-The elevator doors slide open. A different voice welcomes the group.-

Wuffles: Welcome, Tagg-Doctor. Chiyo-Freefought. Kuthmal-Facultyhead.

Kuthmal: Oh, "Freefought". That's a designation I've never heard him use before!

Sinnoh Safehouse

-she hears her mind say:-

Ramona: ~Yeah, sure.~

Battle Academy

-Observing-

Ludmilla was right, these people do all feel weird.

Chiyo: -Hand to her chin- I think I like "Freefought" a little better, I do enjoy a good pun.

Battle Academy

-The elevator soon starts rising. Despite the glass-and-repulsor-barrier walls, there is nothing to see out of them other than segmented elevator shaft walls.-

Kuthmal: I have to say, when we first met Dr. Mesquite, we weren't sure what to make of the academics of this world - when we worked at our lab, the only one with any real sort of combat experience was Arubeg... though she went by Kali at the time. The rest of us were just academics.

-She has a strangle nostalgic-but-sad look on her face.-

Kuthmal: But that was several lifetimes ago, and in another world, besides. Oh, I'm just talking and talking, I'm sorry. I don't get to meet new colleagues very often!

-The elevator slows and comes to a stop. The doors slide open to a somewhat disorderly office space minus the cubicles. A round table has been set up in the middle of the room, around a set of colorful characters are sitting.-

-There are two empty seats next to one another. The fact that the table is clean in front of them likely denotes them as Tagg's and Chiyo's seats.-

-The chair to the left of them is empty, presumably for Kuthmal.-

-To the left of that is a stern man with purple hair. His aura isn't tinged with fire-aspected Aura like Kuthmal and her assistants, but instead tinged with... smoke-like Obscura?-

-The next person down is a demure young lady in an auburn-trimmed nurse's outfit. Her aura is tinged with a strange mixture of Aura and Obscura - the same tinge recognizable on Kai, but... with an iron-scented chaser.-

-The next is a man with green hair... who is asleep on the table. His aura is filled with refreshing, healing Aura.-

-The yellow-dressed girl further down shakes her head in tired exasperation at her coworker, obviously younger than all of the others with flaxen blonde hair. Her aura is a muddled jumble of Aura and Obscura.-

-The woman next in line has a wild, barely-controlled ponytail of red hair. Even seated it's immediately obvious that she likely stands at over six feet tall. Her aura would be unnoteworthy, were its similarities to Dune's not immediately obvious.-

-Next is a man with deep blue hair and equally deep blue clothing. He sips on some powerfully fragrant coffee with a content smile on his face. His aura is very connective - if one could be described as having an "Oranguru" kind of affinity, it would be him.-

-After him is where the strangeness amps up. The next woman, sipping from her cup of black tea, feels... cold. Not machine-like cold, just very... distant. She sits in black robes that are trimmed with gold, her hair asymmetrically hanging down over her right cheek - black, with gold highlights, to match her clothing. Her aura is entirely inscrutable.-

-After her is a man, fairly normal-looking at first glance. He is old, easily the oldest of the group, his hair long since gone white. He has a monocle in one eye and appears to be reading a treatise on the preservation of historical religious sites. His aura is... uncanny. Almost like it was meddled with by a Legendary.-

-But the last two at the table are by far the strangest.-

-First is the woman. Her teal blue hair brings Mezzo to mind, but her unnaturally pale skin one can't help but liken to a corpse... or a machine. Her eyes, despite being as artificial as the rest of her, speak of deep age and experience. Her aura is almost oppressive, as if the environment around her were amplifying it. It may very well be doing just that.-

-Second is the man. Black hair, black suit, at a glance he'd look like any John Doe off of the streets of Kanto were it not for how casually he was chatting with the strange teal-haired woman, or that his Aura was so tightly contained it might as well be crystalized, kept under such tight lock-and-key that were his body not moving, one could easily mistake him for a piece of furniture based just on aura alone.-

Kuthmal: We're here, everyone~!

-The flaxen blonde jabs the green fellow in the side.-

Therephit: Wake up, you idiot, meeting's starting!

Chazten: Alright, alright, jeez...

Edited by DuneTheWanderer on Jan 21st 2023 at 11:50:29 AM

Battle Academy

Chiyo: -To Kuthmal- In a way that's relatable, I wasn't much of a fighter originally either.

-To Chiyo as we get off the elevator-

They feel strong... all of them.

Chiyo: I'd agree. Somehow we're the most mundane people in this room.

-The nurse and the blonde-

What do you call a person who has powers from both halves of the Spectrum, but isn't a pan-Auric like Vierr? Bi-Auric? Cross-Auric?

-The tall redhead-

Chiyo: She kinda reminds me of Zee, if she kept her hair longer.

She's a Blank, like Dune is. Or at least that's my best guess for the similarity.

-The last two-

His Aura, the Wanderer suppressed his power in a similar way, but this is obviously not him.

-Taking our seats-

So should we be expecting the Galvani-Mortons as well soon?

Edited by rmctagg09 on Jan 21st 2023 at 2:27:13 PM

Having watched their question get a few answers, they got a grand total of... one actual reply. The rest was just memes and people freaking out.

Halis: "Maxi... Eary?"

Strobe processes the information for a bit before suddenly being shocked by this sudden response.

Strobe: <Wait, WHAT!? That can't be right! She's a pop idol, leagues beyond talking to just random people on the internet! Why would she ever talk to you??>

Halis: "Dunno. If someone like her's talking, though, it must be huge."

They start working up a reply.

Battle Academy

-A chute opens up in the ceiling and Dune comes dropping down on a rope.-

Dune: Alright, I'm here! Dezi's not feeling great yet so she bowed out.

-He walks up, and the man in the black suit shaking his head.-

Retek: You know you could have just installed a stairwell, right?

Dune: My office is directly above the Academy, how could I not put in my own Batcave entrance?

-The teal-haired woman stands.-

Angela: It appears we are all in attendance. Then allow me to introduce myself for our guests. I am Angela, Director and Faculty Head of the Battle Academy. These are my Faculty and companions. We are, as Ludmilla has no doubt told you, "Fallers" of a sort. We were approached by Dr. Mesquite during the preliminary stages of the Academy's initial construction, and have since reached an amicable partnership with Dune and Deziree since their return.

-She sits, finished, and looks at Dune.-

Dune: Everybody here knows who I am.

-The red-headed woman cups her hands together in front of her mouth.-

Arubeg: Speech!

Dune: I refuse.

-A few chuckles are shared before eyes wander back to Tagg and Chiyo for their introductions.-

Stormchaser, kitchen, past

Kamon: UGH. Hippies.

Ludovic: (looks smug)

Kamon: Oh, get out of here. I'm tired of looking at your stupid face.

Ludovic: So soon my friend? When you called you were complaining of being over 30 and lonely, which you claimed was the worst possible condition of existence.

Kamon: I changed my mind, the worst condition is drinking with someone who never learned how to do his own laundry. (shoos Ludi out)

Ludovic: What, seriously?

Kamon: Yes! Out!

Ludovic: But where's the -

Kamon: Go! Cer mas!

Ludovic stumbles out, looking confused. Kamon shuts the door on him, then leans back against a counter and takes a massive swig of kombucha.

Kamon: Why're you still here?

Edited by Metanoia on Jan 22nd 2023 at 12:30:48 PM

Stormchaser, past

-To Kamon-

...What do you mean?

Battle Academy

-Speaking up-

I'm Tagg, one of the founders of the Pokédex Extended Fileshare Endeavor, or PEFE for short. People call me leader of the J-Team.

Chiyo: And I'm Chiyo, formerly Iridium of the School's New Century Class, truant for 22 years. Also known as the School's Public Enemy #1.

Battle Academy

Angela: I suppose it wouldn't do to leave not even half of the table named. Everyone?

-Kuthmal gives a small wave.-

Kuthmal: I already introduced myself!

-The purple-haired and uniformed man beside her nods.-

Dosey: I am Dosey, head of logistics. It was with help from both Dr. Mesquite's and your PEFE public files that we were able to create Battle Academy's new Pokedexes, and with Deziree and Wuffles, we were even able to circumvent the lack of Rotom breeding in this region by creating the Pokedex Personal Assistant AI.

-He gives a curt nod to the nurse.-

Doh: I'm Doh, head nurse. I'll admit my medical knowledge was more theoretical than practical before taking the position, but I feel like I've grown into my role. It helps that people in this dimension are just so naturally durable.

-She shuffles in her chair a bit before there's a dull "thunk" and the green-haired man jumps in his chair after having obviously dozed off.-

Chazten: Oh, yeah, right, I'm Chazten. I run the store.

-It goes unsaid that he got that position because nobody thinks anything will get done if they put him anywhere else.-

-The blonde girl - who barely looks college-age - then stands up. She barely gains half a foot in height from doing so.-

Therephit: I'm Therephit, head of both on-site emergency management and, more recently, Auric matters. Documentation of Psychic, Auric, and Obscuric phenomena fall under my jurisdiction now. Thankfully, Ludmilla and Selene have been a great help with the first, though I'll admit to lacking a lot of information about the other two.

-She sits back down and the redhead rises.-

-Oh boy does she rise.-

-She easily stands over two meters tall.-

Arubeg: Arubeg, head of training and, by extension, security. I'm not the academic type, but if you ever want to spar or need work on your technique, come see me.

-She sits back down. The man in blue sets down his coffee mug.-

Desech: I am Desech. I manage the in-house Safari Zone, and negotiate with various breeders as to acquiring normally impossible-to-find species for the student body to catch.

-He nods to the woman with the gold highlights. She sets down her teacup.-

Hanib: I am Hanib. Head of Philosophy and student councilor. I have many questions for the both of you, but they can wait for later.

-The man in white straightens in his seat.-

Amkoh: Amkoh, head of curriculum and student discipline. I will admit to being very... unsure of myself in this new world.

-He curtly stops there. The man in the black suit rolls his eyes.-

Retek: Retek. I handle General Admin and mostly just the Director's gofer.

Angela: They are in our circle of confidence. You may tell them.

-His demeanor changes from casual to professional in the span of a breath.-

Retek: ... If you say so. I'm also her personal bodyguard and troubleshooter, as well as manager of Supernatural Defense. The only reason you haven't noticed four assistant faculty hiding in this room is because Dune said he trusted you.

Dune: Retek also has the stamina of a nuclear submarine. He can go actual days without sleeping or eating.

Retek: I don't make a habit of it anymore.

-That seems to bring him back to a more casual attitude.-

Battle Academy

-Nods-

Then since we've all done introductions, I guess we should get to why we're here today.

Chiyo: Not only to discuss the School, and their current actions, but also what comes afterwards.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Jan 22nd 2023 at 8:18:49 AM

Battle Academy

Angela: Indeed. Arubeg?

-The redhead stands up again.-

Arubeg: Having double-checked the dates, I can safely confirm - the day you all did that last big raid on a School laboratory, we had an incursion. Someone had snuck into the Academy - via the Collective Unconscious. I dealt with them personally, but they appear to have managed to get some minor records out before they were dealt with.

Retek: Which effectively means we've "shaken hands" as far as rival organizations go. We know they tried to get at us from what they thought was a secure route. And they know that we already accounted for that and can counter them.

-He sighs and slumps in his chair a bit.-

Arubeg: From what Ludmilla said, the School already had a bit of interest in Orre before due to her presence, but now I'm thinking we might have accidentally become their number one target. Which is just fine with me, because if we hadn't have done it on accident I would have done it on purpose.

Angela: Indeed.

-She turns to Tagg and Chiyo.-

Angela: For context, the facility we used to be a part of was known as the "Library". From what Dune has said, it can best be described as the "Library of Babel". By using the books in the Library, we would draw or deal with guests on our own turf. And that is what we are best at. I'm afraid most of our prowess loses its edge when we are away from our facility.

Edited by DuneTheWanderer on Jan 22nd 2023 at 7:44:01 AM

Sunyshore Cafe

Maurice: "Ugh. Yeah him. I'm his gofer. 'Maurice do this, Maurice do that,' all while he does experiments on Schoolkids he tries to pass off as 'art' all with an unsettling cheerful attitude and big grin. Again the School only keeps him around because he gets results despite being an outsider."

Bubba Gump: <Me? I'm just here for the ride.>

Thieves' Hideout

Flamel: <So we would need to get a lead. Deep into their slimy recesses. But how?>

Celstic Town

'Pavo: ~More fools are engaging... Any minute now the ones I'm looking for will show...~

Outskirts Of Jublife Outskirts

-H. G. Cross dramatically pulls the strange creature off-

-It waves at him with a blobby pesudopod-

H. G. Cross: "...What ARE you?"

???: <Hi! I'm a Meltan. I just came down from the mountains! I've never seen a Pokemon like you before! You seem neat!>

H. G. Cross: "...That sounds. Ever so vaugely familiar. You wouldn't happen to be a Steel type would you?"

Meltan: -stretches its arms way in the air- <YEAH!!!>

H. G. Cross: "...Hmmm."

Sunnyshore Café

Chiyo: -More serious- I'm... familiar with his handiwork, junked one of them. Reminds me a bit of my own "creator", though his plans always seemed a lot bigger than the School. It's why I can't stand needles.

-Leaning back in her chair in a way that makes her necklace frame her bust-

So if you weren't with the School, what do you think you would do Maurice?

Battle Academy

So they're best with a homefield advantage while fighting, huh? I'm not sure if the Academy replicates their original Library enough, but if it doesn't, it says a lot that even weakened they still feel so strong.

-To Angela-

I see. We're both familiar with the CU in our own ways.

Chiyo: I went there once with two... friends of mine, nearly died. Tagg's more familiar with it than I am.

-Nods-

We're in safe company here, so I'll mention it. I'm part of a group of Persona-users, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, who change the hearts of the wicked by stealing the manifestations of their distorted desires, their Treasures. Our most recent major target was the former CEO of Zagan Foods, James Crowley, who died around this time last year. He was one of the School's meat suppliers, though we didn't know that at the time and had targeted him for other reasons.

Regardless, we managed to succeed and take his Treasure, hidden within his Palace, his HQ distorted in the Metaverse into a massive meatpacking facility. Afterwards, he was planning to make an announcement revealing the School's existence to the wider world. Unfortunately, the School was already one step ahead of us and killed his Shadow, killing him as well. I'd rather not get into the details of the immediate aftermath, but apart from the occasional individual mission to Mementos, the Palace of all hearts, we obviously haven't been doing much since.

Chiyo: Uxie said that since our... upbringing tends to suppress our Persona potential, the School has been artificially inducing Templars with Personas, those she called the "Yellow Eyes". Those were probably the guys who tried to infiltrate the Academy.

And well, that's part of why we raided that facility back in September, not only a hearts and minds campaign, but to get back at them for what they did. At least that's why I did it.

Chiyo: -Arms crossed- I wasn't planning to make that speech I'm sure you might've heard, but it felt like the right time.

But, unbeknownst to everyone but Chiyo, her Batchmates, and myself, it was a mere distraction for our real objective.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Jan 22nd 2023 at 10:59:04 AM

Battle Academy

Hanib: A feint. But to what end?

Arubeg: I was about to ask myself.

Dune: A new set of Persona-related issues, huh? Well, at least Ludmilla's not involved. She's already got a vendetta against a Templar with yellow eyes...

-Angela, who has yellow eyes, shifts somewhat uncomfortably in her seat.-

Dosey: Perhaps we should let Doctor Tagg elaborate.

Edited by DuneTheWanderer on Jan 22nd 2023 at 10:33:09 AM

Battle Academy

-To Dune-

Indeed, though I'll admit I'm not too sure about that one.

Ludmilla seemed a bit too familiar about Persona stuff when we talked last, there's the possibility she didn't want to mention that when her parents had been inadvertently gone for so long. I'll have to remember to speak with her privately...

Chiyo: -Hands clasped- I think I'll take over for this part Tagg.

-Serious-

The School considers us, Schoolchild and Templar alike, as little more than tools. But for us in particular, that callousness means we often have something... wrong with us from the start, either because they purposely made us that way, or couldn't be bothered to change an error because we'd most likely get liquidated long before it became a problem anyway. It's what we call, the Curse.

As far as I can tell, neither myself or the rest of my surviving Batchmates have it, but others aren't so lucky. My Curium, for instance, died many years ago from complications of GI cancer because of it. That tube crap they fed us probably didn't help matters either, I remember eating a lot of non-School food made me feel sick for a while, I suspect it's another leash they have on us.

-Looking as if she's looking at something far away before snapping back-

But I digress. Tagg and I go a bit farther back than most people realize, honestly I might not be here to discuss this today without him.

-Deciding to speak now-

Back when I was 10, when I first started my career as a Trainer, I saved Chiyo from two Templars I'd gotten the drop on as they'd cornered her. Then I didn't see her for the next 20 years, until we met again at a session for this therapist organization called the Oasis.

Chiyo: -Smiling- I told him about the Curse, and he decided to take it upon himself to help us.

-Scratching head-

Well, we were already enemies with the School for four years by that point, I didn't want to rescue people just so they'd have a place to die with dignity instead of via Templar.

Chiyo: Either way, I'm still thankful to you for it, for everything.

-To the group-

The School has wanted my DNA to make new and better Templars, since I've killed so many of them over the decades, so I've guarded myself zealously. But the thought of a cure for the Curse was enough that I willingly gave genetics samples to the PEFE for a proof of concept.

But we needed more.

Chiyo: -Nods- So as we raided that facility, we used it as a distraction to get intel on School facilities in Sinnoh, primarily tissue banks. Once Trojan, Tagg's PEFEgon managed to decrypt it, we did a two person raid on one of the banks. They weren't expecting us at all, a tissue bank isn't exactly a place you'd expect the J-Team to hit, so getting the samples was easy.

-Taking over-

We didn't tell anyone else outside a small group about what we were doing, even with the danger of capture or worse. because the consequences of the School finding out were too great, especially when I know there's so many of us with weakened mental defenses or who are just bad at keeping secrets. Not to mention I'd rather not give people false hope if it turns out to be impossible.

Maybe people might not be convinced by Chiyo's speech, but even the most cynical have enough of a survival instinct that an actual working Curse cure would convince them that escaping was warning.

Chiyo: It's good that we did, because if we hadn't, our mole amongst the Templars would've been murdered by Adelinde the Scythe.

Adelinde, she's one of the most dangerous operatives they have, her and Chiyo have a history.

Chiyo: We stalemated, but luckily Tagg and Louise managed to take her out of the picture for now and we got her and the samples out.

For now, that doesn't leave this room.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Jan 22nd 2023 at 12:03:25 PM

Battle Academy

-Angela and Retek share a look.-

Angela: R Corp?

Retek: R Corp.

-Dune, however, now looked even more concerned.-

Dune: Could Ludmilla's low hormones be explained by...

Arubeg: Tethering your human test subjects both psychologically and physiologically? That just seems unnecessary.

Amkoh: Sadly, I can name at least three occasions where that and worse happened back in the City.

Hanib: Indeed. It is little different compared to the wage slavery of J Corp or the time-leeches of T Corp.

Retek: I'm sorry, the what of T Corp?

Dosey: Getting back on track, I do not think anyone here would dare leak a secret as fundamentally sensitive - and, from my understanding of this world's established laws, HIPAA regulated - a piece of information.

Doh: Indeed. The idea of creating clones who are destined to die, but be intelligent enough to contemplate that fact alone is... abhorrent. If you need any of our medical facilities, I would gladly lend them.

-Therephit has gone very pensive. Arubeg puts a hand on her shoulder. After a moment, she speaks up.-

Therephit: If you ever need help running interference against Templars, call me. I can help.

-This pauses the more minor, mumbled conversations around the table, and Dune and Angela share a look.-

Dune: I suppose that's as good a start as any to get into my little secret project for the last few months. Alright, so, you've probably noticed that the faculty are unusual right away, like Ludmilla did. And Arubeg pointed out that they can enter the CU, at least inside the academy.

-He stops himself before continuing.-

Dune: I'm... hm. I'm trying to figure out a way to start this.

Angela: I can begin with the context to our particular situation, if you'd prefer.

Battle Academy

-To the group-

Well, there's definitely a way the Academy can help us, but it's probably better if we hear your circumstances first.

Chiyo: -To Angela- Okay.

Battle Academy

Angela: To make an agonizingly long story short, I am the product of a company whose research focused on producing what we refer to as "Light". Amkoh?

Amkoh: The Seed of Light Project was the magnum opus of my old friend and colleague, Ayin. By focusing the spiritual catharsis of each of us in the Faculty - formerly known as the Sephira - as well as his own, he sought to create a power by which the broken system of the City we used to live in may be broken by giving the power to influence one's own fate to the masses, so that they may break the cycle of life and death perpetuated by the Head, the ruling powers. However... at the end of that project, one person was left unaccounted for at the closing of the curtain. That was Angela.

-Her face is impartial and calm, as if she had already revisited this matter many times already.-

Amkoh: The Seed of Light was supposed to infuse the City for seven days. Angela, however, stopped it and absorbed a great portion of it, with only a few days having properly suffused into the city. This, we first thought, lead to a phenomena known as "Distortion", where people under great personal, philosophical stress would spontaneously transform into monsters. However, as we discovered, this was an intended side effect caused by a tainting factor in the Seed of Light Project.

Angela: Her name was Carmen. She is the human upon which my intelligence and body were both originally based. I can still only speculate as to why, but she sought to twist humanity into a perverse mental reflection of itself, as if that somehow would have been an improvement over the purgatory of City life.

-Most of the faculty are fidgeting uncomfortably, with Hanib, Amkoh, and Therephit being the exceptions.-

Angela: I was Carmen's puppet for some time, recollecting the Light, thinking it in my best interest. However, by refusing Carmen's demand to keep it for myself, I broke her influence over us. Shortly after, agents of the Head banished us from the City. They merely sought to throw us to the Outskirts, the wastelands beyond the safety of its walls, but through some confluence, we arrived in your world.

-She sighs.-

Angela: However, even though I wished to get rid of all of my Light, someone stopped me from doing so.

Retek: You're welcome, by the way.

Angela: I didn't want to be rescued.

Retek: Hey, I didn't spend almost a week fighting that cloud-headed freak just for you to up and disappear on me like that.

-The two fall into what can best be described as "friendly, barbed banter" as Dune speaks up.-

Dune: Basically, all of the Faculty are - or were - made of this Light, as channeled by Angela. There bodies are real, but suffused with what attributes they had while they wielded Light-related powers. Deziree theorizes that the Seed of Light was essentially concentrated CU energy, almost like a Philosopher's Stone, but for mental energy rather than alchemy or chemistry.

Therephit: One of those powers, some of us can still tap into.

Dune: Not yet, Tiph. Let them go first.

-Therephit crosses her arms.-

Leonard Braker appears with permission from OPALGARNET16

Celestic Town, Inside the Hotel Sylvestra

Jeff: Honey, are you alright?

Sara: Physically, yes, but there's a lot more going on than we're seeing. I can feel it. You know a mother's intuition, right? Add aura spectrum sensing powers and you can see where this is going.

Jeff: Yeah, I see that now.

Sara: I should've gone with them. Arceus, I can feel as though Tommy stepped outside and is doing something foolish.

Jeff: Yeah, that does track. The giant monster Appletun rampaging outside with the supervillain would be something he'll be all over. And don't think I haven't spotted him trying to work while on vacation. And someone seems to be enabling him.

Judge Sanchez: It came up in conversation. It was quite fascinating.

The Hotel Sylvestra, Petersen-Sanchez suite, days ago

Both Tommy and Judge Sanchez were watching a video recorded by Jon and Leonard a few days back. Onscreen was a disheveled Kantonian-Galarian man named Daisuke Promoneau giving a testimony. He one of the victims of the so-called "amokization" phenomenon that had been going around the past months.

As Leonard Braker had been instrumental in subduing his villainous form, he was also called in for an interview.

Tommy: The events were consistent with the other reports surrounding previous amokizations. They always involve being granted reality-altering obscuric powers. This interview kinda helped cement what we know about those events.

Judge Sanchez: Is that really what it's called?

Tommy: Yes.

Judge Sanchez: As in the term from the television show that Miley likes?

Tommy: The very same. Hey, it's not as if Chacripan Bleu and Cocylaque aren't real, either.

Judge Sanchez: Peculiar. Defictionalization seems to be trending these days. Though we're hardly ones to judge. We have Arachna-Guy.

Tommy: Hehe. Yeah. Anyway, though given that one of our own ended up being enthralled by them it calls into question whether they were all conscious decisions. If Daisuke's account is to be believed, amokization happens when people are under a lot of emotional turmoil, a state that would make an outsider overpower them mentally with ease. What do you think, sir?

Judge Sanchez: I would consult an Auric spectrum scholar for that before I can pass fair judgment. This certainly is fascinating to ponder. And you think this might be related to you and Harvey's investigation.

Tommy: Call it a hunch. They're after the J-Team specifically. And word on the street is that the J-Team are getting involved with some sort of murderous cabal whose descriptions match what we've been investigating all this time. They field auric spectrum people, and a villain who uses obscuric constructs seems right up their alley.

Judge Sanchez: I see.

Tommy: And don't think I'm working on just the hunch. Harvey and I have collected a lot of evidence pointing to this. I just didn't bring a lot of them with me because of "Work-Life Balance." But if you'd like—

Suddenly, Jeff comes in. He doesn't seem to be happy with what they're doing.

Jeff: Guys. You're working. What the— we're on vacation, you two. Can't you both give it a rest?

Judge Sanchez: Do not worry too much, Jeffrey. Thomas and I just had a conversation on mysteries and he piqued my interest with one of his cases.

Jeff: Save your excuses, dad. I want the two of you ready for dinner later tonight. You honestly need the mental break. If you keep letting work seep into your lives like this, it's gonna drive you nuts. And I can't have two nervous breakdowns happening in my family simultaneously.

Celestic Town, Inside the Hotel Sylvestra

Judge Sanchez: The monster and the villain commanding it do track to the so-called sentimon followed by Thomas' cases. Perhaps he moved to investigate further.

"Investigate what?" Said a familiar voice. The Petersen-Sanchez family spot Tommy, Miley, and the Mitchells arriving at the [Celtic] exhibit hall. Miley immediately ran toward her mother and father. They may notice that the family is multiracial; Tommy and Miley's mother were White, whereas her father was Black Latino.

Tommy: Miley's safe. And we've got company. Meet the Rhodes family.

Sara: Thank Arceus you two are safe. For a moment there I thought you were doing something foolish outside. Odd, it almost feels like you're still out there.

Tommy: Cousin, you think me foolish to go outside where it's dangerous, especially when my own family is still under threat. It's probably just your imagination.

Sara: That sounds... weird coming from you.

Sara turns to the Rhodeses.

Sara: And hello, Rhodes family. We're the Petersen-Sanchez family. My name is Sara, and this is my husband Jeff.

Jeff: Ret. Sgt. Jeffrey Sanchez, formerly of the Castelia City Police. Likewise, my father, Judge Raymond Sanchez.

Judge Sanchez: A pleasure.

Sara: And my mother.

Aunt April: April Kirby-Petersen, a pleasure.

Sara: Tommy's my paternal cousin. My mother and father raised him alongside me when his parents died.

The Rhodes family might notice an unconscious man in one of the benches, attended by a worried teenage boy. They aren't like the Petersen-Sanchezes at all, as both had green hair. The older man, in his 60s, was unconscious, with injuries patched up first-aid style. The younger man, dressed impeccably in a suit, fidgets around.

Sara: And these are members of the family that owns the hotel, the Viscount Lowell Macraul and his nephew Gaspard.

Gaspard: Bonjour, and I apologise for the way you've arrived here. I assure you, lady and gentlemen, that this does not happen often.

He quickly turns to Tommy.

Gaspard: My brother? Is he with you?

Tommy: I haven't found him.

Judge Sanchez: Thomas, we should tell him.

Tommy: Tell him what exactly?

Judge Sanchez: Sorry, I assumed you've figured this out as well. You told me a few days ago of a phenomenon related to the sudden appearance of villains powered by obscuric constructs and a process you called amokization.

Tommy: Uhh… yeah... why?

Judge Sanchez: When you went looking for Louis, he was in a state of emotional distress, wasn't he?

Gaspard: What are you trying to say, Sieur Raymond?

Judge Sanchez: Judging from the circumstances, there is a chance that your brother may be the brainwashed villain outside.

Gaspard sat down in shock.

Tommy: Well, you heard him. We should go to the bunkers until this all blows over.

Celestic Town, Outside

Red Delicious: You shall take back those words, insolent cur! Nobody compares the Dread Red Delicious to some pretentious Uncanny Valley cosmic horror film! Joyeux anniversaire, mon ami, because it just might be your last!

In his anger at the comparison, Red Delicious fired two more blasts, one at the injured Nightingale and one at the defiant Mitchell. He paused briefly upon hearing the words attack of conscience. Although brief, this would give both Mitchell and Nightingale an opening for a rather devastating attack on the armored villain himself, a potentially fatal miscalculation.

The quick attack itself makes contact with the monster Appletun, which—predictably—starts to lose its balance. More so since it tries to brain the Corviknight with a dragon pulse.

The bigger they are, the harder they'll fall.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Sep 24th 2023 at 11:29:43 PM

Battle Academy

Chiyo: -To Angela- So in a way, you're like us then.

''

-Continuing-

So yeah, I guess we'll go to what you can help Chiyo and I with. When Uxie told us about the Yellow Eyes and how they worked, she said that in the weeks and months to come, we should expect more to mutiny.

Chiyo: I don't know how many of us School creations are out there, but even if we just count those still in the School's custody it's a lot.

When the School finally collapses, where are all these people supposed to go? The Stormchaser may have effectively infinite space, but that doesn't mean they'll all want to hang with us, nor should they need to.

Chiyo: The majority of us lack legal identities, and our knowledge of the outside world is restricted. It makes us particularly susceptible to those with ill intent, anyone who wants to take advantage of Aurics with nowhere to go. I only have an identity because the Oasis has a former forger on staff, but it's obviously not a working plan for everyone

-Adding-

To say nothing of whatever remnant groups might sprout in its wake. Most likely run by those who had problems with how the School did things, but not that their thesis was flawed from the start.

Chiyo: -Nods- The surviving truants will also start coming into the light now that they don't have to worry about the School either pressganging or murdering them anymore.

-Getting out some papers-

It's too big a problem for the J-Team or Oasis or PEFE, or any other group on its own.

Chiyo: We think our best bet is something akin to the LILA Act, but for Schoolfolks.

But getting there's dangerous, I suspect even more dangerous than our plans with the Curse cure, because we'd have to figure out how much we want the greater world to know. That's why we're coming to you first, you've got both the right sort of connections and a place that's mostly safe from School incursion.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Oct 9th 2023 at 8:02:33 AM

Battle Academy

Amkoh: It would be unconscionable to deny such a request.

Angela: In that we are in agreement. Part of our initial mission statement was to act as a haven for those from exploitative backgrounds, and this situation is no different. If anything, acting in direct defiance of our philosophical antithesis would be our default response.

Retek: We've already managed to reach out to a few other Schoolkids independently. Ludmilla's Cesium and a younger Strontium are already on the books, and we've got an agent in the field looking for a Bromine.

-Dune turns to Tagg, a big, proud smile on his face.-

Dune: There you have it. Can I pick them or what?

Dosey: I will say that having a large influx of record-less students might cause some logistical, or worse, political problems down the line.

Dune: You leave that to me. I brought this plan in promising to help exploited children forgotten by the system. Not just Orre's, but everywhere. I get this deal with Naranja Y Uva down, and we'll already be a step closer to cementing ourselves a good name.

Therephit: Anyone who tries to harm them will deal with me.

-Despite her young age and small stature, her statement has a bite of steel behind it.-

Sunyshore Cafe

Maurice: "...Dr. No Heart? Man I've heard some... things about that guy. None of them pleasant."

-Looks down a bit-

"And... I dunno. The School's all I've known. It's part of why I've never left. Also, I dunno, I talk shit about Victor, but I admit I wasn't just assigned to him completely arbitrarily, I was created for him to be his assistant. They were like "we need a Templar assistant for this guy", were like "he'll do" and yet despite being a overall a creep Victor basically raised me anyway. He's like... my adoptive dad..."

Bubba Gump: <...Getting philosophical, aren't we?>

Celstic Town

-The Noble Elemental, Coil, and Iris finally show up-

Iris: I'll concentrate Ice attacks on the Appletun!

Coil: "I'll focus on the apple guy!"

Noble Elemental: "I'll... Provide support I guess!"

Pavo: ~Yes! There they are at last! Get them!~

Jublife, Outside The Hideout

H. G. Cross: "...Say, could you join me? You could prove useful."

Meltan: <Oooh! I like being useful!>

H.G. Cross "You just need a name... How about Segiri like the retro game Xenoblade Chnnicles 3 ?"

Segiri: <I like it!>

H. G. Cross: "Exxcellent." -extends a Pokeball- "Now get in this."

-The Meltan taps the ball and is sucked in, and it wobbles three times and clicks. H. G. Cross stows it away-

'H. G. Cross: "Now where was I again? Oh right. Seigbert's parental troubles...