The Wanderer
Sinnoh League
Cynthia: -As I recall Gaia- And so we have evened the score.
It's a bit nostalgic, I'll admit, almost like I'm 17 again.
-Getting out a Great Ball-
Nudi, your turn!
Nudi: -Appears- <Garchomp...>
Garchomp: <Ah yes, the little Gastrodon that could... This is nostalgic.>
-Baring her fangs-
<Let's see if I can even our score.>
Nudi: <You'll be left wanting!>
Rain Dance!
Nudi: -Summons a rainstorm-
Cynthia: Swords Dance into Dragon Claw!
Garchomp: -Brandishes her scythes as she runs at Nudi-
Dodge!
Nudi: -Ducks under her swings, being a much smaller target than Rampardos or Gaia were, and uses the wet ground to slide under Garchomp's legs-
Ice Beam!
Nudi: -Shoots Garchomp in the back-
Garchomp: <Oh no you don't!>
-She steps on Nudi so he can't move before hitting him with a Dragon Claw… only to find her foot covered in a purple sticky substance as she tries shaking him off-
Ice Beam again!
Nudi: -Blasts Garchomp in the face this time, only for her to manage to fling him in midair-
Surf!
Nudi: -Summons a massive wave, knocking Garchomp back as he lands-
Garchomp: -Digging into her heels- <No, I'm having too much fun for this to end!>
-She rushes at Nudi with Dragon Claw-
Alright, time to end this!
Nudi: -Nods-
-Does the Z-Move dance, arms moving like I'm forming a snowflake-
Nudi: -Creates a pillar of ice that raises him up, as he fires a beam just as Garchomp is about to connect with him, causing a massive explosion-
-The explosion clears, and both mons are still standing, if exhausted-
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
Garchomp: -Takes one step and prepares to attack, only to fall to her knees as the Leech Seed, still going this whole time, saps the last of her energy- <2 for 2 it seems. But remember, if you don't find your way, this victory will mean nothing for you or your trainer.>
-And collapses face down, reverted to normal-
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Chiyo: Yes, Tagg won!
Doc: <Good.>
Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.
The Wanderer
Sinnoh League
Cynthia: -Recalling Garchomp- And so you've proven your mettle as a Champion once again Tagg.
-Nods-
Thank you.
What was she gonna do next, sic Giratina the Second on me?
Cynthia: You already know the whole deal with the Hall of Fame, so I won't bother boring you. But after we get both your teams recorded, I'd like to discuss something that may help you.
-To Cynthia-
Okay.
-Coming out from the door-
Chiyo: -To me- You and your mons were amazing out there.
-Seemingly away-
Thanks.
Chiyo: -Eyebrow raise- You doing okay Tagg?
I'll manage.
Chiyo: It has been a lot, hasn't it? For both of us.
It has.
Chiyo: You know you have people in your corner, right?
Of course.
Route 224, tonight
-Looking at the white rock-
So now, I'm 32.
-Cynthia's words from the battle still ringing in my head-
What am I thankful for? What do I plan on doing with myself now?
-Looking at a piece of paper given to me by Cynthia-
Well, I guess I've got one place in mind.
Edited by rmctagg09 on Jul 4th 2023 at 1:01:48 PM
Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.
Fwomph
The Hamlet, The Weald
The Fungal Witch: Wheeeeeere. Whooooooo?
There is a creaking sound, the fungus infesting the shack is... Growing.
The Fungal Witch: The chiiiiiiild? Half heeeeeeere. Leeeeeeeave.
Water Vellumental Temple
-James the Intelleon is launched by the whirlpool, but swiftly caught by Gale and returned to his pokeball-
Okay, I think we need a different strategy here, a straight fight's not going to do it!
Sunyshore City
-Without a verbal reply, Gale nods and finds a shadow to slip into in pursuit...-
The Weird Pokemart (But Not The Pokaemart)
Oh neat, some kind of secret shop. Might waypoint this for later. Anyways uh... Yeah, my ghostly sales rep here needs something from this shop I guess. Might as well hand it off to me though, so I can stow it properly.
-Options were dwindling. Gale could tell there was probably going to be nothing good that came of whatever the revenant wanted from this shop but she was having a hard time seeing how to twist it in a way that wouldn't piss off one party or another-
Glimwood Cabin, Some Nebulous Now-Ish Timeframe
-Gale's laying on her bed, staring the helmet of her Nightingale suit as it performs a firmware update-
Why don't I have villains?
-She swings into sitting up and thinks over her words a little. Her computer flickers out of sleep mode-
Like... The guy responsible for the Miraculous stuff seems to only be interested in some School runaways, Delta is both Silas' villain and also cooling his heels in police custody and... I mean the closest thing I've had to a personal villain was Tahlia and she and I haven't been antagonistic ever since Gaulthorn!
/Duck/: >Isn't it a good thing to not have someone who wants to hurt you personally?
-Gale stands up and starts pacing while gesticulating-
I've got the suit, that other Henshin thing and that fae-ish contract with you. I'm a Super Sentai and a Magical Girl and just in general a Pokemon trainer. Where's my thematically-tied but personality-diverse squad of quirky villains and maybe one anti-villain to harangue my heroic acts and pit me against weekly monsters?
/Duck/: >Do you want my analysis?
... Sure?
/Duck/: >If there was such a group, either you would disassemble them to remove the threat they posed almost immediately or the rest of the J-Team would get involved and they would cease to be your villains.
-Gale sighs and sits back down-
I just think it'd be neat is all, something to keep me out and about...
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
Some Rando
Kalos Pokemon League
Kendall slowly blinked at Monty as he slowly fell forward, onto his knees before collapsing. He returned his final Pokemon, looking at Wikstrom in disbelief.
"You've not been paying attention, challenger," he chided, shaking his finger. "To the battle, or your Pokemon's condition. Your mind has been elsewhere, and you've only been pushing through with brute force."
The Steel-type Trainer across from the Unovan could only shrug his shoulders and shake his head. "Perhaps you may need to find some time to center yourse-"
"THAT'S WHY I'M F%#&ING 'ERE!" Kendall bellowed as he summoned a Protect barrier beside himself to punch with as much force as he could, letting the illusory shield push back against his fist before he let it shatter into green shards. "D'you know what kinda betrayal it is fer ya own Pokemon ta pull a prank on ya like my own did? She may nah be 'ere right now, but I dun doubt f'a momen' tha' she knows what's happ'nin' here! She's ta blame fo' all o' dis, n' I'm tireda hearin' fra' you, an' my Pokemon, n' other trainers, an' fra' mah own guilty conscience tha' I need ta "fOrgIVE her"," he said mockingly. "When it was all HER ideah!" He finished with a sigh.
"And I'm not ready to see her anytime soon," he muttered as he turned back around to see all the faces within the lobby staring at him in shock, as the passing glances from Siebold and Malva disregarded but for a stare right back at them.
"... Kendall," Gail started.
Stormchaser, At The Same Time
She looked out the window, resting her muzzle over the top of one of her tails as she sighed at the sun arcing up, its light casting down on her, amplified by the Drought her presence caused.
<He's hurting himself out there,> she sighed as the feed from the television turned off, a blond human reaching over and navigating through the tangle of tails for Kamui's back.
"Then we should stop him from doing so."
<He's not going to listen to us until he beats Diantha,> Kamui observed with a sullen shake of her head. <Least of all me.>
"… There has to be someone here he’d listen to," 9-Volt mused, pulling away as he looked around the room, spotting the 20-odd Pokeballs on the countertop.
<Maybe you if you think he'll listen,> Kamui grumbled.
The Fire-type could only blink in disbelief.
Hamlet, Past
"I don't believe I was asking you to tell me where she might be," she started as she held her hands out to her sides, palms upturned as fire began to whirl around her.
"I was saying, that you will tell me, where she is," she corrected.
Edited by AbsentCoder on Jul 4th 2023 at 11:48:16 AM
[Insert Unoriginal Stinger Here]
Route 121
Poppy and Donut had now reached Route 121, to reach Lilycove City. Donut's speed had allowed for quick travel to this route, and now, they weren't far from their destination.
Poppy: It looks like we're almost about to reach Lilycove! We just need to cross this route to get to where we need to go.
Donut: What an uneventful trip. I hope it stays like this for the whole journey, so nothing can go horribly wrong.
Unfortunately, Donut was about to be proven wrong; something was about to go wrong.
Poppy: Hmm, should I try catching a Pokemon sometime soon? I mean, the more the merrier...
Donut didn't like this idea. He wanted it to always be him and Poppy, but before he could try and object despite Poppy not quite understanding Monese, Poppy's attention was caught by the sound of rustling grass.
Out popped a Shroomish from the grass, who looked almost out of breath.
Poppy: Well, aren't you a little cutie! I've never seen a Shroomish up close before.
Poppy took out her Rotom Phone and scanned Shroomish to get some more information on his kind.
Poppy: Shroomish... Grass-type... knew that already... scatters spores to protect itself... Ah, what am I doing?! This poor thing looks hurt!
Poppy looked around and spotted a nearby Sitrus Berry tree. She plucked off one Sitrus Berry and fed it to Shroomish to help him, which made him feel better.
Poppy: Phew! Shroomish crisis averted! Say, I wonder who or what could've hurt Shroomish...
At that moment, there seemed to be a sound coming from the Safari Zone - a sound of Pokemon running around and panicking, as moves were fired into the air. At that moment, Shroomish got back on his feet, looking determined. Poppy then guessed what Shroomish was feeling.
Poppy: Wait, so you must be from the Safari Zone, until trouble arrived and caused you to flee, but you couldn't help any other Pokemon escape?
Shroomish nodded.
Poppy: Don't worry! I'll help you and the other Pokemon in the Safari Zone!
Donut then glared at Shroomish with an unfriendly look.
Donut: This partnership is only temporary. And don't even think about trying to join once we're done with this.
Poppy raced over to the Safari Zone, and went to the main counter.
Poppy: Excuse me, mister! I'd like to go into the Safari Zone because I've noticed there's quite a bit of trouble happening over there, and I'm here to fix it on behalf of this Shroomish!
Shroomish: Exactly! Get us in there to save the poor, helpless Pokemon and stop the rampaging Pokemon!
Donut: Yeah... what they said.
Guy behind the counter: First of all, the Safari Zone is closed because of the predicament with the wild Pokemon we've found ourselves in. Second of all, I've already called someone suitable for the job to fix this, I'm not letting a kid who doesn't even have a full party of six handle this.
Poppy: So then who did you call?
Guy behind the counter: They should be arriving any moment now.
Poppy then dashed over to the nearby window and saw a few sights. The first thing she saw were Pokemon like Skitty and Seedot hiding from a rampaging Donphan, Rhydon and Stantler.
The second sight was a red helicopter arriving and two adult trainers, one male and one female, in red suits stepping out the helicopter alongside their partner Pokèmon: the male had a Riolu, and the female had a Zorua. The way they dressed looked somewhat familiar to Poppy, but before she could figure out why that was, she could see the two leap into action.
Safari Zone
The two adults in red suits ran over to some nearby Pokemon, as they then grabbed a weird device out of their pockets.
Poppy: Hey, that's like the gadget my brother uses! ...Wait a sec!
The two adults used their device to wrap the wild Pokemon in what seemed to be a blue rope, which soon dissapeared. Then, suddenly, the wild Pokemon leapt into action, grabbing onto the rampaging Stantler, Donphan and Rhydon.
Poppy: Those red suits... the weird device used to wrap those wild Pokemon but now they've grabbed onto the rampaging Pokemon with no fear... They're Pokemon Rangers! Of course! Why didn't I recognise it sooner!
The Rangers' Riolu and Zorua then also grabbed onto the rampaging Pokemon, as the Rangers then seemed to be prepared to fire another blue rope.
As Poppy, Donut and the wild Shroomish watched the whole commotion, Poppy wondered if those Rangers happened to know her brother. She hadn't heard from him in a few weeks.
Female Ranger: Okay! On the count of three!
Both Rangers: One... two... three... Go!
Both Rangers then fired off another blue rope that binded itself around Stantler, Rhydon, and Donphan. At first they struggled to get out, but soon were calmed down, causing the rope to disappear as it had done its job.
Poppy: Phew! Safari Zone saved!
Poppy continued to look out the window at the two Rangers even as they had finished their mission, but the male Ranger had soon noticed Poppy peeking through the window.
The two Rangers then arrived at the main Safari Zone building, as Poppy saw the male Ranger look at her.
Male Ranger: See? I told you she was Bradley's sister!
Female Ranger: I see.
Poppy: So, you two know my brother? I mean, you are Rangers...
Male Ranger: Yes! He's one of the best I've ever seen. I've got an idea: why don't I take you to see him in the Ranger Base over in Slateport City, where he is? I bet he'll be delighted to see you!
Poppy: Oh, uh...
Female Ranger: Great. Now we're taking kids on board?
Male Ranger: Hey, she's the sister of one of our best agents!
Poppy: I'd love to! I haven't heard from him in weeks, and maybe he can even help me decide what my goal will be.
Male Ranger: Great! Well, everyone aboard the helicopter!
Female Ranger: Ugh. And we parked in the Safari Zone itself instead of like, outside.
And so everyone climbed aboard the helicopter, which soon took off. What no one realised was that the wild Shroomish Poppy had befriended had climbed aboard as well.
Ranger helicopter, later that night
Poppy: I can't wait to see my brother tomorrow... Well, Donut's asleep inside his Pokeball. I should get some sleep too.
Poppy then heard something fall to the ground. She turned around and discovered it was Shroomish, who had followed her aboard.
Poppy: It's you! Wow, you must really like me if you snuck onto a helicopter without me noticing.
The look in Shroomish's eyes told Poppy he was asking for something.
Poppy: So... you must want to join my team then?
Shroomish nodded.
Poppy: Okay, here goes...
Poppy took a Pokeball out of her purse and poked Shroomish on the head with it. She held it in her hands as it spun around three times, before stars appeared to signify the capture. She then gave a smile.
Poppy: Welcome to the team, Shroomy.
The GM House
-Dune and Deziree, groggy from staying up the night before, meander into the kitchen.-
Doomsday: <You know I hate to be the one to bring this up, but maybe we should do an ultrasound to make sure that everything's alright and the baby hasn't grown too big.>
Deziree: Mnhmyeahwhatevgimmecoffee.
Dune: Do not give her coffee.
-Ludmilla hears something. She looks over at the sink, and doesn't find what she heard.-
Doomsday: <Jeez, this is the longest stage 1 labor I've ever seen...>
-Ludmilla looks under the fridge - maybe it was defrosting? Nope, not there either.-
Deziree: I always break expectations.
-Wait a second. Ludmilla turns her head.-
-She finds the source of the sound she heard.-
-*Drip. Drip. Drip.*-
-Ludmilla reaches up and manually turns Doomsday's head toward the source.-
Doomsday: ... <You have got to be kidding me.>
Deziree: Hmwha?
Doomsday: <Have you really not noticed your water breaking?!>
Deziree: I've never broken a bo- hah! Woah!
-Dune is immediately awakened.-
Dune: Wait, what? Water breaking?
Deziree: God, jeez! That hurt!
Doomsday: <I swear to every god who's watching, you're going into stage 2 labor right now!?>
-Doomsday pulls out a whistle and blows into it. The house rumbles to life as all the previously sleeping Pokemon begin rushing about. Big Dom scoops up Deziree and carries her off to the maternity room, Garuda starts immediately calming down Dune.-
Doomsday: <Selene! Gonna need you in there! Millie, you keep an eye on your dad. Ajax, you're the door guard. Cun Annwn and Cu Sith, you're the comfort dogs. Alright people, we've drilled on this, let's get it done right!>
The GM House of Bedlam and Chaos
-Dr. Mesquite doesn't wait for an answer as she enters the front door.-
-She looks over and sees Dune being forcibly sat down, both legs doing the "anxiety jump" as a shiny Golurk keeps both hands on his shoulders. The Sigilyph appears to be trying to calm him down.-
-Meanwhile, the muffled but unmistakable sounds of labor come from across the house.-
-Dr. Mesquite follows those sounds as a Lucario with a peculiar bandana and a Clefable quickly ferry things to and from the kitchen, including hot water bottles.-
-She comes up to the door where the muffled screams of her great-niece-in-law originate and enters quickly while the poor girl - sorry, mother-to-be - takes a deep breath.-
Dr. Mesquite: Alright, I'm here, what's the situation?
-The short doctor - she'd never stood over five-foot-oh a day in her life, heels be damned - looks nearly vertical at the massive nurse in front of her.-
Doomsday: We've started crowning as of two minutes thirty seconds ago, all vitals looking stable minus a slight saturation of oxygen in the blood.
-Dr. Mesquite popped in her ear protection.-
Dr. Mesquite: That's unusual but not unheard of. How's the patient?
Doomsday: In my professional opinion, one of the worst I've ever dealt with. I've been having to remind her that she should only push during contractions, but that sticks about as well as you'd expect.
Dr. Mesquite: Hm. I'll talk to her about that. Anything else?
Doomsday: I may need a splint for her comforter.
Dr. Mesquite: But Dune's out there.
Doomsday: Not Dune.
-She sticks a thumb over. Dr. Mesquite then notices the Swampert, laying on the ground save one arm raised. Deziree's got one hand wrapped around two of his fingers and is squeezing hard enough to cause noticeable bruising. The Swampert thumps his other fist against the floor a couple of times, his face twisted in abject pain.-
Dr. Mesquite: ... Oh. Well, that's not my area of expertise, so I'll leave that to you.
Doomsday: Right. Also, uh, thanks for showing up. My hands are a little too big to deliver like this, and-
Dr. Mesquite: Don't mention it - pediatrics was my minor before I pivoted to ecology.
Doomsday: That seems like a big pivot.
-Dr. Mesquite puts on her hand-knitted face mask. It shows a big desert with a cactus and the words "Desert Living" embossed on it.-
Dr. Mesquite: Not really. Once you get organic chemistry down, everything else is just credits.
Edited by DuneTheWanderer on Jul 4th 2023 at 10:41:15 AM
Textspace
From: Dr. Mesquite
It is my honor and pleasure to announce on this day, July 4th, 2023, to the parents Derek "Dune" Galvani-Morton and Deziree Galvani-Morton, the birth of their first child, Phosphora Jacoba Galvani-Morton, whom at birth shall be designated female. She is of healthy complexion and responsive, and the health of both mother and father have been maintained through the entire ordeal.
As the on-hand pediatrician, I can safely say that both mother and child will do just fine. Visitations will be restricted to family and close friends, but gifts and well wishes may be sent through the usual channels.
The GM House
-Deziree had never held something she was so afraid of breaking.-
-The maternity room was the quietest it'd been since before dawn had broken. Deziree laid in bed, Dune leaning over beside her, both at a complete loss of words.-
-Sitting in Deziree's arms, cooing now that the distress of the situation had passed, was little baby Phosphora. Dune and Deziree had gone back and forth on the name - Dune was pushing for something more normal, like his. Deziree pushed back that "normal" wasn't normal in Orre. Dune then just frowned because she was right. Deziree offered an unusual but not-nonsensical name. Dune liked that. Doomsday asked about a middle name. Deziree didn't think much of it. Dune, meanwhile, remembered an old friend who he would have invited to be his best man if the wedding had been more involved. Deziree shrugged, but didn't object.-
-But now, the conversations were over.-
-Dune and Deziree just sat there, heads touching, as their daughter wrapped her tiny hand around her father's finger.-
Rill: <Tell me, doc - GAH - will I ever play the piano again?>
Doomsday: <Shut up and hold still, smartass.>
-Ludmilla walks past the two of them into the room, where she feels a familiar but distinct... cocktail of emotions. She can't even begin to sort through them all. Not least of which being the raw, bright, almost luminescent emotions from her new little sister. Even compared to Mom, whose emotions always burned like a Bunsen flame, the tiny baby, not even a day old, shone like a lantern. It was almost overwhelming.-
-Did all babies' thoughts act like this, or...?-
Person, or Idea?
Oliver is knocked away by the Origami Palkia's galaxy-shaped whirlpool, throwing him directly into Mitchell's chest. Both trainer and Pokemon are knocked close to the edge of the platform, but Mitchell finds his footing before he tumbles over.
Mitchell: "Then what do we do? Is there something in this room or in how this Origamimon fights that someone can exploit?"
The Wanderer
Water Vellumental Templar, far past
Ann: Dicot, dodge!
Dicot: -Dodges before firing another Giga Drain-
???, past
Chiyo: -Giggles a bit- Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you there Maurice.
Fight Area, today
Azumarill: <...And then Tagg and Lucius got taken away by April Fools energy and we were without a Trainer for basically the entire summer that year, on his 22nd birthday no less.>
Chiyo: Literally 10 years ago, huh.
Ovis: <I-It sucked, and not just because we nearly ended up sacrificing Fenrir to Toxicroak and them.>
Azumarill: <Whatever happened to those guys anyway?>
Anguis: <If we're lucky, eaten.>
Azumarill: -Ears twitch- <And we're not that lucky.>
-To Chiyo-
<Tagg said one of the Demon Generals they fought was this giant Ninetales with brush powers with a Smeargle mate belonging to the Family of Blood. He said him and Ammy sliced up her tails, he sliced her mate to ribbons, and he disemboweled her after she nearly killed Lucius.>
<So there's a part of me that's always wondered, we've all kinda wondered, that if Ninetales can curse people who harm their tails... if maybe that was why the rest of 2013 turned out... bad.>
Chiyo: Tagg told me about the Ninetales himself, if not every detail, but you guys continue to dance around what exactly happened.
Ovis: <I-It's Tagg's story, and the others don't talk about it either. W-We weren't around for it, Tagg sent us back to the HQ the moment we encountered... Tokarev.>
Anguis: -Serious- <That man's evil, I only saw him once, but that I'm absolutely certain of. I don't know if he knows about the School, but if he found out about your kid, I think there's a good chance he'd->
Chiyo: If he tried that, if anyone did, he wouldn't be a problem for Tagg ever again.
Edited by rmctagg09 on Jul 17th 2023 at 4:51:19 AM
Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.
No voice to cry suffering
Megan: Everyone good?
-in the surprisingly airy tunnels beneath Pastoria, a general chorus of assent-
-Pollen winces in the rocky taupe, raising a palp-
Pollen: <...strategy meeting. Really.>
Megan: Yeah! It's been.
-Megan blinks-
Megan: Time.
-and smiles-
Megan: Since we were in a League anything. Let's plot it out.
-Pippy leans over-
Pippy: -whispering- <This is how we used to do it.>
Pollen: <Meh.>
-Thespi, laboriously, raises one of her weird cloud orbs-
Thespi: <Ngh—instead of the way we usually do it?>
-Megan blinks-
Megan: The way we—
Thespi: <Enter challenge, veterans chew up scrubs.>
Vee: <Hey. That's our hometown you're dissing—show some respect.>
Thespi: -cheerfully- <No!>
Vee: -cackling- <That's m'girl!>
-Megan flushes-
Megan: B-besides, isn't it more fun this way?
-Pokémon silence-
Vee: -in the back- <Woooo!>
Megan: -pointing at Vee, pointing back- It's like winning twice!
Pippy: -squriming- <And we might need it…>
-he halts at Ceal's throat-clear…the most imposing laryngeal exhortation among their cohort*
-and after dramatic pause for effect…-
Ceal: -smug- <W-we've saved countless worlds upon worlds.>
Pippy: <Technically we were just present for that happening.>
Vee: <Ha ha, we nearly died so many times.>
-Megan claps her hands-
Megan: Alright, you get to go first.
Ceal: -deadpan- <Yesss.>
-Megan throws her arms wide, immediately stubbing her fingers on the tunnel walls-
Megan: -eventually, bright- I want to show you guys off! Full costume, full drama, the works.
-she takes some chalk and starts drawing around the stub marks-
Megan: I was a Gym Trainer here for years, y'know. Crasher Wake hits hard and fast, but once he gets excited that's pretty much all he does. Ceal, I'll need you to blow past his Politoed and wear at his Kingdra next—don't let the bubble-popping get to you. You've got way more juice.
Ceal: -tuskily- <W-will it be h-hard~?>
Megan: Politoed? Eh, he's just a rain setter.
Pastoria Gym, past
"They don't really do much."
-Megan shields her eyes from the spray-
Primarina massively resist energy attacks. Their blubber's not only thick but otherworldly, it absorbs it better than dragonscale.
-not only of water, but electrical sparks-
...that, uh. Has still gotta smart.
Crasher Wake: Woo!
-her old mentor watches the crashing lightning with unrestrained delight-
Crasher Wake: Gwah hah! Where did that come from?
Megan: Well...you interrupt a lightning bolt...the charge is still there.
But you...knew that. Right?
-Crasher Wake grins that same open, guileless grin at her-
-and their Politoed and Primarina wrestle their way to surfacing-
Ceal: <Ghk—!>
Politoed: -croak- <Don't think I can move, boss.>
Crasher Wake: That's fine, that's fine. You can still sing~!
Megan: Not if we can help it.
-she removes her earplugs from her ears-
Megan: Tether.
-Ceal's eyes flash:-
-and thanks to some unfathomably sexy tutor, the Politoed's thought processes are laid bare before her-
Crasher Wake: Liquidation~
Megan: Heterodyne!'
in case Youtube breaks this at some point: Dark Crafter, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
-Wake's Politoed croaks out the rising notes of a scale, the Rainstorm all around them bending in audience-
- —and Ceal matches the pattern, changing the sound-
-silencing the choir-
Politoed: ?!
-he changes the song—Ceal shifts theirs, in time-
-the rain falls, unaffected-
Crasher Wake: Oho?
Megan: -theatrically- We've rendered you powerless!
-she sweeps an arm out through the rainfall-
Megan: By matching our wavelengths to yours, we've canceled the effect of your Move!
-moonlight gathers above Ceal's head-
Crasher Wake: -grinning- Sounds mighty complicated.
Megan: Uh, thanks. It—is?
-he claps, and…seems to wonder at the echo-
Crasher Wake: -to his Politoed- Louder!
Megan: wait what are you doing
-the sound of nothing intensifies-
Megan: -bemused- Primarina song is stronger than even Drizzle-morph Politoed. This won't—
Crasher Wake: Anything's possible with spirit! Louder!
-the sound of nothing escalates-
-Ceal pauses for breath, and frogsong booms through the Gym-
-waves lurch, the sky curdles, and a pillar of rainwater crashes down right over Ceal-
Ceal: ♪—!
-it seems to lens around her, her song driving it back—-
- —and Politoed bursts from the pool, right in front of her-
-nothing happens again, much more intensely-
Politoed: —!
Ceal: …—!!
-they grapple, water trickling down their faces-
-and the pillar of water gathered by Politoed's Liquidation crashes on them both-
-deep in the pool, the speed of sound is about five times that in air-
-the reverse of the above is true: Ceal canceling Politoed's song means Politoed's cancels Ceal's-
-song and anti-song meet, point-blank-
-and this time, when they bob to the surface, they make no move to continue fighting-
Megan: -wide-eyed- …
Crasher Wake: Gwah hah hah!
-he almost does a jig, and screw poolside safety-
Crasher Wake: You have gotten stronger!
No mind to think. No will to break.
The GM House
-Deziree, who had been asleep, pops awake. Gently, so as not to disturb the baby.-
Dune: Nnnnwhat is it, dear?
Deziree: I sense... that I'm being referenced obliquely.
Dune: Again?
Deziree: Look, I can't help it.
Dune: What'ver you say, dear.
Deziree: You know, we should really go to actual bed.
Dune: Nnnnnope. Dooms wants you on an oximeter, and I'm not goin' to bed alone tonight of all nights.
Deziree: Man, you're not fun anymore.
Dune: Whadyamean, I'm the funnest dad in the world.
The Wanderer
Textspace
From: Tagg
That's great.
Well that's one potential paradox taken care of.
Edited by rmctagg09 on Jul 4th 2023 at 1:02:24 PM
Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.
The GM House
-Dune and Deziree had not thought of it prior, but as it turns out, having a psychic around who can sense when the completely naked natural urges of a baby would turn towards loud screaming or a smelly accident is something that all households should have.-
Ludmilla: Mom.
Deziree: You sure, Millie? I can handle this one if you're a bit tired.
Ludmilla: Mom, you're the one who just went through childbirth. Now gimme my sister and let me feed her.
Deziree: Alright, alright.
-The handoff was gentle enough that a glass of water wouldn't have made a single ripple. Ludmilla holds up the formula bottle and it doesn't even take a second for baby Phosphora to latch onto it.-
Deziree: So, like, is it obvious when she starts thinking "hungry" thoughts?
Ludmilla: It took a couple of feedings to figure out which "color" meant what, but, yeah. Imagine a fireworks factory exploding, and depending on the biggest flash, that's what she wants.
Deziree: Jeez. Wait, am I like that?
Ludmilla: I mean... kinda? You're more like a shuttered lantern. You're really "bright", but it's only visible when you really go all-out.
Spamton climbed out of the bag and stepped on the counter. "AH! Jacred you [Little Sponge], how's business? Booming? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Me? I'm still on my [Epic Journey out soon] to reach [[HEAVEN]]! My friend here is helping me and needs to make purchase of a specil [2 FOR ONE DEAL!!! BUY NOW!]"
Spamton turned his attention to the materials, and pointed to a gemstone. "That's it! That's the [Limited Offer] I need!"
He looked back to Gale. "Feels good to help out the [little guy] doesn't it?"
The GM House
Dune: Thanks for the heads-up, Garuda.
Garuda: <To be fair, it is fairly hard to miss now that Ludmilla has pointed out just what thought means what.>
-Dune sits in the family room, leaning back as Phosphora sucks on the formula bottle.-
Dune: So, if the baby is, to put it how Ludmilla did, "an exploding firework factory" and Deziree is a "shuttered lantern", what's mine like?
Garuda: <You should already know how I'd answer that.>
Dune: Well, that's the case for most psychics. But you always had a weird backdoor into my brain - always images, never words.
Garuda: <That would take a long time to explain in terms of what stimuli were safe to use at the time, but for me, personally?>
-The Sigilyph mulls over the question for a moment.-
Garuda: <It's like reading an SCP document.>
Dune: ... What?
Garuda: <You know how you don't need to understand the words to understand the tone of a discussion? It's like that. But not really because I can read more than your tone of thought. But also not a whole lot more.>
Dune: ... Uh huh.
Garuda: <You asked.>
Dune: I guess I did.
Garuda: <She is experiencing stomach discomfort.>
Dune: Yeah, I caught that from her wiggling. One sec.-
-Pat. Pat. Pat. Burp!-
Garuda: <It has passed.>
Dune: I should hope so.
Curious Mind
Wilma's House
Wilma: Follow me outside.
Wilma leads the way outside, Atrin, Mimir, and Orchard following behind.
Wilma: Orchard. Come closer to me.
Orchard does as she says. Wilma bends over, and whispers some words into the Appletun's ears.
Wilma: As I said. Breathe. Let it flow through you. Show me the power, not of your own, but of the bonds you've forged with your trainer. Leave the tragedies behind, and destroy whatever blocks the way to your own future!
As Wilma speaks, Orchard takes a deep breath. Then, her eyes glow a blue color. A small meteor seems to form in the sky above her!
Mimir looks between the two, and relays a message from Orchard to Atrin's head. Not one of the pain of her previous trainer, but a new image. Of A young man in glasses picking up an Applin outside of Nimbasa City.
Atrin and Orchard both smile at the memory.
Atrin: Orchard! Do it! Draco Meteor!
The meteor fully forms, and strikes down on a nearby rock! Wilma smiles as this happens.
Wilma: It seems I was right.
Druid Dude
Desmond and Morgan: Daaaang!
Morgan: That's a nice start. I bet once you practice it, it'll become much more powerful.
Desmond: Isn't there a drawback to it though?
You piss off the Venom T-Rex. Roll initiative.
Person, or Idea?
Note: Spagposted with MasterJayAM, with additional contributions from TheAbsentCoder.
The second person in Tenor's hot seat was Neon. They had the appearance of a male adolescent, though several conversations prior confirmed them to only partially identify as male and seemed to not really prefer male pronouns in Galarian. Dr. Circhester's notes all addressed them as male almost exclusively. Notes on the dossiers provided to Tenor—created by one Dr. Forsythe—suggested addressing Neon by they/them pronouns unless the subject themselves suggest otherwise.
The dossiers themselves tended to use "they" for all pronouns regarding the subjects.
Unlike the grammar school appearance taken by Helium, Neon wore an outfit that was quite casual in comparison: cargo pants, a hooded jacket over a plain T-shirt emblazoned with a large blocky number 10, all of which were in neutral tones.To top it all off, their hair was styled (if it could be generously called that) in a floppy style associated with surfers or "edgy" live-action kids show characters from the late 2000s.Their face seemed friendly enough to suggest this as well. They weren't smiling when they entered, but the face they wore wasn't unintentionally unsettling or insulting as it was kind of hard to place neutral.
All in all, they resembled some marketer's idea of a broody bad boy.
"Hello." They said in a pleasant-sounding baritone. It was very clear why Helium thought to introduce themselves in this... especially after it became clear what his actual voice sounded like.
Subject 2021-010, Codename Neon
Observers close to the subject report the presence of brief eye strain and headaches. The worst case was that of temporary blindness and debilitating pain consistent with cluster headaches from a member of the security staff ordered to attack the subject during a surprise defense test. Further investigation on the subjects' apparent control over lit electrical and electronic devices has been approved.
"Hello, Neon," Mr. Tenor said, noting their attire both in his head and in his notepad. He'd be lying if he had said that look didn’t give him a twinge of nostalgia for his childhood days, but that was something to reminisce about another time. He reminded himself that this important business comes first.
"I'm happy to see you here," he continued. "Before we start, be aware that that gadget over there's probably recording us." He motions to the tape-recorder-like device on the table, then adds "I'm assuming you know that already, but the people listening may have some unkind things about assuming anything." With that out of the way, Mr. Tenor gave out his first question, wondering if that dull ache in the back of his head was just his imagination or one of those side effects mentioned in Neon's dossier. "Let's say you were meeting someone for the first time. How would you describe yourself to them? Any particular qualities, special considerations, et cetera et cetera, in your own words?"
"I'm no one special." Neon said, completely devoid of any irony. In a high school setting, someone like them would've enjoyed some modicum of popularity. In theory at least.
The intercom came on.
"Uh, Neon. Please be a bit more descriptive." Said Watson from the other side. "They're not in the room with me. You can talk about yourself without getting heckled."
"Ooooh kay..." They responded. Unlike Helium, whose face soured upon hearing Watson, Neon didn't exactly show any visible sign of being angry at the interjections of their interviewer's assistant. "I mean, if you want to know about abilities, I do things with light and how it's perceived by anyone whose eyes aren't vestigial. People, Pokémon. As long as their eyes work. I can give them a headache by manipulating the light sensitivity of their optic nerves. It hurts enough that I could incapacitate them for a little while. I've used it in defense once and it worked okay. Oh, and I can manipulate light directly."
After saying that, they grab a large torch they've kept out of view until that moment and flashed it at a wall to the left to Mr. Tenor. The light started off diffused, then soon appeared to converge into a point without any further manipulation of the torch's controls. Soon, it began to take on the appearance of a very hot laser, all within a span of at least 15 or 20 seconds.
By the time Neon turned it off, it had left a small burn in the wall.
"Don't worry; it's not a load bearing wall and I didn't do much damage. And I can't make it into a full cutting laser yet. At least not while I'm not synced with the others." They added. "You should see what Argon can do."
"And don't worry about that dull aching you have at the back of your head. If I wanted to give you a headache you'd feel it somewhere in your optic nerves. It apparently feels like a really acute migraine, as the security guy who I tried it on described it. He tried to hit me with a pickaxe." They said all this with a strangely chipper self-effacing tone. They follow up. "You should ask Watson for an acetaminophen tablet. That'll take care of it quickly."
Mr. Tenor was visibly impressed at Neon's light show, and not at all subtly alarmed by their knowledge of his headache. He quickly jotted down a note for the medication he'd ask Watson for later.
"Thank you for the practical demonstration," Mr. Tenor says, turning his attention back to Neon. "I must say, that's a rare thing for anyone to have. Ah, look at me, getting ahead of myself." Changing tack, he asks something new as he scribbles down more notes. "When you're not training or being instructed, what do you do? Anything that comes to mind, that you're okay with sharing, will do."
Neon paused for a bit. They knew that Watson was watching and anything they said could be used against them.
"I'm apparently old enough to drive." They responded, a shy smile forming on his face. " In my recent spare time, the doctors allowed me to learn how to drive and a few other things related to vehicles. I can drive a manual transmission vehicle pretty decently. I've also spent a bit of time learning about how vehicles work. It makes it easier to resume driving when they occasionally break. I usually drive four-wheel vehicles to haul the doctors or my companions around, but I do know how to drive those two-wheeled motor vehicles. They're especially fun to ride."
"I see, I see," Mr. Tenor said, clearly interested in what Neon provided. "There's a fair few careers you could get out of those skills and interests. Auto mechanic, test driver, racing pit crew, stunt double, maybe even head of a car dealership." He then tapped his pen to his temple, as if a thought came to him.
"Yeah, I guess that's promising. A career in motor vehicles." They meekly responded. There was a hint of excitement in that prospect. An attentive listener could pick out their subtle marks of irony in a lot of what they say, but not whenever Neon describes vehicles. They cannot hide their interest in motor vehicles, no matter how dryly they try to describe it.
"If you don't mind me asking," Mr. Tenor continued, "I was wondering if you could tell me what you enjoy most about vehicles." Glancing at the tape-recorder-like device, he quickly adds "Of course, if you'd prefer not to say here and now, we can put a pin on that bit." His expression was a mixture of interest, concern, and something murkier, as if a Klinklang was spinning in his head.
"Oh no, it's fine." They replied. There was an unrestrained eagerness to their tone of voice that was not there before. "It's nothing that can get us both into trouble. Vehicles you can travel on are exhilarating. When you're traveling really fast in a two-wheel vehicle, you feel the wind in your hair, that rush of adrenaline in your veins. It's invigorating. Especially since when I'm on the wheel or the handles, I'm in control. I decide how we go somewhere, not any of the others. It just feels so... so..."
The word they'd have said was "liberating," but they stopped themselves before they could say it.
"It's a happy feeling. That's all there is to it, Mr. Tenor. Especially when you get to tell the others to shut up and sit tight. It's the privilege I get for being the only one of the group who knows how to drive."
"Wonderful!", Mr. Tenor exclaimed, leaving his planned question about Neon's licenses to a scribbled margin in his notepad. "Speaking of that privilege," he continued, "let's imagine for a moment that you're driving, and you get your pick of whatever music you want on the vehicle's sound system. What's your preference, DJ Neon?" His smile was now showing a hint of teeth to it. It's clear that he had an idea, rightly or wrongly, of how Neon would answer.
"Prog rock, prog metal, and grunge, mostly. Anything loud with a fast tempo that I can play on blast while driving really fast. Hey, that rhymed." Neon responded. "I tend to listen to grunge to make me feel better. [Nirvana], Clamperl Jam, those other two. And maybe [Blur] sometimes. When I'm going for a leisurely drive or just want to feel pumped for some reason, Liquid Tension Experiment and its ilk does the trick. But in high adrenaline situations I can leave the playlist on shuffle and it'll keep me in the zone, if you know what I mean."
"Oh, I get you loud and clear," Mr. Tenor said, scribbling down special notes on his pad. note "Right, before we wrap this up," he resumed, "one quick reminder. This program I'm going to run with you and the other Nobles, it ain't a textbook, rote memorization thing. It's going to be tailored to fit all your needs as they come up."
"I see." They responded. Neon nodded sagely as they said this.
Mr. Tenor then leaned forward slightly, his elbows lightly resting on the table.
"So, if there's anything you think you need or want added to this program, you can let me know. Any time, any place."
"I'll make sure to let you know immediately, Mr. Tenor."
"Excellent, Neon." Mr. Tenor extended his hand for a handshake. "I know we'll make a good go at it."
"Thank you, Number 10." Said Watson from the intercom. Let Argon know it's her turn to enter."
"Okay." Neon said curtly. They turn to Mr. Tenor, responding with a handshake. "Thank you for your interest, Mr. Tenor."
"You're welcome, Neon," Mr. Tenor said, "and thank you for your interest, as well." He then leaned back in his chair and waved farewell to them.
Curious Mind
Wilma's House
Orchard exhales after using the power, and seems slightly weaker. But she still looks back at her trainer and smiles, before running over to him for a hug.
Atrin: You did great, Orchard. Nice one!
Wilma: It seems it was for the best that fate led you here. Now then, may I ask what your next destination is?
chaos catby with a flannel shirt addiction
Wilma's house
Kris: Impressive.
Soul: <It really wasn->
Soul gets soundproof barrier'd again.
Kris: We're heading to Veilstone, right?
I used to plug my deviantart here but turns out the link was too long.
Curious Mind
Wilma's House
Atrin: Yeah, Veilstone. Wilma, thank you so much for all you've done. We won't forget this.
Orchard bows her head to Wilma, as Mimir seems to give a wave with his small hands.
Edited by etran12 on Jul 7th 2023 at 9:18:40 AM
Ranger Helicopter, The Next Morning
Male Ranger: Up you get, sleepyhead!
Poppy: Wha- oh! That's right! I'll be seeing my brother today!
Poppy had forgotten where she was for a moment, before everything came rushing back to her head.
Male Ranger: Exactly! And here we are, right in front of the Slateport Ranger Base!
Poppy stepped out of the helicopter to see a building, which was made of steel with grass on the roof.
Female Ranger: To the right of the entrance, thats where the Ranger dorms are. You'll see your brother's name on the door to his room.
Poppy: Thanks!
Ranger Base, Slateport City
As Poppy made her way inside, she had to make sure everyone knew she was visiting her brother so they wouldn't think she was an intruder or anything.
While she was finding her way to her brother's dorm, she also felt a shaking in her purse. She lifted the flap to see Donut, whose unhappiness that Shroomy had joined the team was being emphasised through the shaking of his Ball.
Donut: How dare you be in a Pokeball right next to mine! It was going to be me and Poppy, but no! You had to come along and ruin everything!
Shroomy: You sound like fun.
Poppy eventually found the door with the name "Bradley" on it - the name of her brother. She knocked on the door, and heard footsteps. Then, her brother opened the door.
Bradley: Okay, okay, I' here- Poppy? Is that you?!
Poppy: Yes!
Bradley: Oh, wow! Spinner, come look at this!
A Buizel that was sleeping on his bed had come to greet Poppy - he was Bradley's partner Pokemon.
Bradley: Come inside!
He then shut the door behind them, as Poppy looked around his room filled with posters.
Bradley: So, you got any clue what you wanna do?
Poppy: Nope, sorry...
Bradley: Right. Well, how's your team coming along?
Poppy: Oh, could be better...
Poppy then brought Donut and Shroomy out of their Pokeballs, where they had been deep into an unfriendly staredown. They continued this until they realised they were somewhere else, turned around, and saw Bradley, which they tried to present themselves formally, while trying their hardest to not return to actively despising one another.
Bradley: I'm not seeing some good chemistry here.
Poppy: Indeed. Donut's not the greatest with new members...
Bradley: Hmm. No goal figured out, an unfriendly team dynamic... I don't know much about battles since I solve Ranger missions by utilising my Capture Styler, but if you wanna give battles a shot, why not head out to Route 110 and train your Pokemon against each other? They can get stronger- and blow off some steam by the looks of it, too...
Poppy: Great idea! I was planning on seeing a Contest, but maybe I can watch some videos on like Battles vs Contests and all that. It was nice seeing you again!
Bradley: You too, sis! If you need anything, just give me a ring.
Poppy: Okay!
Poppy then exited the Ranger Base and headed for Route 110. Meanwhile in his room, Bradley sat on his bed, talking to Spinner.
Bradley: You know, Spinner, I haven't had any missions assigned in a while. I mean, I've proved I'm capable of high-stakes missions - I'm not forgetting the Electrode incident anytime soon - but it's only a matter of time before my next mission comes in...
He looked at the Ranger App on his phone. Sooner or later he was going to get a notification on a new mission.
Sinnoh League
Gaia!
Gaia: -Appears and starts pelting Garchomp with Overgrow-boosted Seed Bombs- <We have no plans of just kneeling and accepting defeat.>
Garchomp: -Grins- <Good.>
-She attacks with a Dragon Claw-
Protect!
Gaia: -Summons a barrier to block-
Garchomp: <Always with the barriers, all of you.>
Gaia: <Can't have a good offense without a defense.>
Garchomp: -Rushes at Gaia-
Gaia: -This time stands still to take the Dragon Claw, before grabbing one of Garchomp's scythe arms in order to fling her away, seeding her with Leech Seeds all the while-
Garchomp: -Landing on her feet- <A fine trick, but it won't save you from me.>
Cynthia: Swords Dance into Dragon Claw!
Garchomp: -Slashes and faints Gaia-
Garchomp, the Ultimate Menace
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Doc: <Only one left.>
Chiyo: Come on Tagg...
Edited by rmctagg09 on Sep 29th 2023 at 4:30:26 AM
Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.