Mesagoza

Iridium: -To Lydia- ...I met someone the other day.

Lydia: -Eyebrow raise- Who?

Iridium: This tall lady, like tall as the Xenon was, with our eyes, but she wasn't a Templar.

-Annoyed-

I think she was one of her Batchmates because she said I reminded her of them. She felt... different from the other ones I met.

Lydia: -Hand to chin- Oh? That's... very interesting.

Iridium: She said it was better that she didn't say who she was, but some people called her... the Last.

Lydia: -Reclining in her chair- Hmm... She's most likely the New Century Class Flerovium, or Ununquadium as 114th Schoolchildren were denoted at the time.

I should be more careful with little Iridium, no telling what whoever Flerovium's master is wants with her.

Iridium: Whoever she is, I don't think I want to see her again, she wasn't mean but she was... scary.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Oct 12th 2023 at 1:29:28 PM

Silas stepped outside and looked about the town, it distorted around him. Whatever was keeping him here was probably aware that he was awake. Quite right you are.

He picked up the pace and started running, he was alone by himself here, no one else around. That had to be by design, whatever was keeping him here didn't want him to get in contact with friends or family. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, no signal, and the contacts list was empty.

He paused. Don't stop now! Keep moving!

"How does this work?" he asked himself out loud. He was a blank, right? Shouldn't that mean that illusions wouldn't work on him? Then again this place felt so real, for all he knew it wasn't an illusion then... He recalled some old mythology from his high school days, the tale of an adventurer who at one point came across an island of lotus flowers who kept travelers there. It had named a popular narrative device... Getting closer!

He felt the ground shift and stumbled to keep himself upright. The sky darkened and in it two white eyes appeared, around him appeared a legion of shadows. "Oh..." Oh...

He ran, he kept running, he wasn't about to get dragged back in, but the shadows were faster. Silas dug into his coat and pulled out his green scarf, he didn't like pulling this trick... but he was out of options. He wrapped it around his neck, and the human faded away giving way to a Lucario.

<You won't get me!> He proclaimed, before kicking extreme speed into gear and darting away... He grinned, always had to-

The shadows caught him, and even worse, they were Lucarios just like him.

A Village, north of the Battle Zone - Today

Zee: -Walks down the main (Probably only) road with Damien in tow- Best to get this stuff done now before the snow season starts in earnest and it's harder to get here.

-To Damien-

You took the walk better than I expected.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Oct 13th 2023 at 10:29:25 AM

Mesagoza J-Con

"The J stands for 'Jane', does it? I see. I would have perhaps preferred the Joltik hypothesis, they are cute indeed! Well said indeed!"

Is their initial response. Miracle🌠STAR proclaims this, as loud as they've been thus far, so nothing shocking anymore. However. They do fall silent for a few minutes more. And then, they raise a hand to the sky- the ceiling, rather, if your eyes were to actually follow their finger to where it points- and says.

"...Very well. If this is where fate has led me. This J-Team shall surely shine brighter, and I shall surely find the inspiration I seek. Yes, a bard singing of their own heroics... I like the concept. Yes! It could work indeed!"

This sounds like it should be a monologue held in their thoughts, doesn't it? But they just said all that out loud. And of course, they even have the gall to ask out loud.

"So! How does one join this 'J-Team'? Surely, this would be the right place to do so!"

Someone stop them please.

Damien: "Hm, well, it's not for a lack of trying, my feet are probably going to be killing me after this is all done."

Trill blinks at seeing how this is going.

Trill: "I... am Not the person you should be asking about that admittedly. I'd uh... try and find some J-Teamers or something and talk with them?"

A Village, yesterday

Zee: Hmm. You'll get used to it.

-Entering a store-

Katya, you guys have any good stuff to trade?

Katya: -An [Asian] woman appearing in roughly the late 20s to early 30s range- Always, as long as your barter's good.

-Looking at Damien-

Who's this guy? You normally come alone.

Zee: -To Katya- That's Damien, he's... staying with me for a while.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Oct 14th 2023 at 11:25:07 AM

Stylus leaped out of the way as the shadows attempted to tackle him, he started tossing aura spheres, flaring his own aura up. Issue with being a blank now, he had to more actively channel his aura up.

The Shadows started firing back, he flipped over a group, they were intent on capturing him... time to correct that.

<Kaaaa-meeeee... Haaaaa-meeeeee... HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!>

He thrust his paws forward and fired a brilliant blue beam, aura storm was always his go to for massive amounts of power. He burned through a big part of the horde, that'd give him some- Watch out!

Stylus felt a chill run up his spine right before he dodged out of the way of another blue beam. They were firing aura storms back, and there were more of him.

<Crap, crap, crap, shit, shit, shit!> he cursed getting back to running. Whatever this place was, seems brute force wasn't going to work here!

Damien just gives an awkward wave.

Damien: "...Yeah, staying at her place. Been more roughing it than I'm used to."

Artazon

"Here." Hoops places the tera orb back into Brassius's hand. "You said I need to give it back, right?"

Brassius looks around the square. It has been a few days since the Whitt incident, and the townspeople are working fast to make repairs. There was a lot of damage, and several people are still in hospital, but the sun has come out again and the ice is almost all gone.

"You know what?" he says. "I watched that move you pulled off - shattering that lance right down the middle. I think you should hold onto that orb."

"Really?" Hoops asks.

"Of course," Brassius says. "If saving a town isn't enough to get one, I don't know what is. And not to mention, if that man comes back..."

A cold wind blows through the square, and Hoops shivers. Whitt hasn't been seen since the incident, but the lack of any body has been enough to convince Hoops that this won't be their last encounter. Not that they want it to be, for another reason.

"Well, thank you," Hoops says. They grasp Brassius's outstretched hand and shake it firmly. "I guess I need to head out soon."

"Right," Brassius agrees. "I'll do as you asked, and ask around for any information that might be able to help you where you're going next."

Hoops nods their thanks and turns away. Down the street, Xaster turns and waves at them. He is in the process of moving some heavy planks as he does, causing Lulu to chide him loudly for dropping his end.

As they walk away, Kec begins walking with them. Hoops looks down. "You sure you can't stay?"

<I wish I could> Kec tells them. <But I have to get back to Unova, for now at least. I know that where you're going...>

"It's fine," Hoops insists. "It's not as dramatic as what we did here, but you're doing good in the world. And this is your passion. I would never take this away from you."

They kneel down and allow Kec to embrace them. <Bring them back> Kec whispers.

"I will," Hoops says. "That's a promise."

They already said goodbye to Xaster. He can do more good here than anywhere else, and where Hoops is going they can't drag him along. As much as they want to. Xaster understands, they think.

At the edge of town, Cof is waiting for them. He has been uncharacteristically silent since returning, and Hoops hasn't asked him about it. He stands now, staring out at the sunset.

"What's the plan here, then?" Hoops asks.

<First we'll need to locate Morrigan> Cof says. <She's our... I suppose key would be the best world. Once we have her, we can get to the place where Led and Sal are. Hoops, I need you to know. That place, it's nightmarish. If you dive in, you might not come back.>

Hoops shakes their head. Bandages ripple faintly. "They went in there for me. While I have even a spark of life left in me, I'm going to do everything in my power to get them back, or die trying."

They turn and stare at the horizon. The sunset casts long shadows that seem to create a world of darkness separate to the world of light. "Led... Sal... I'm coming for you."

Mesagoza J-Con

As Atrin gently holds the egg he was just given, Ecto approaches him, trying to sniff the egg in his arms.

Ecto: <Hello! I don't know who or what you are, but we're going to be friends!>

Atrin and Mimir both seem to smile at that.

Mesagoza, J-Con 2023

Beck turns to Mitchell. Something about him is very familiar, as though he has shown up in the edge of Mitchell's vision while in the Stormchaser.

Beck: My name is Sterling and my tall friend here is Stewart. You look familiar.

Stewart: Howdy.

Stewart, mentally: ~Not gonna tell them your job, innit?~

Beck: ~I've seen this chap before. I think he was completely plastered somewhere within Stomie back when we were in Sinnoh. He still didn't sober up until the battle began.~

Stewart: ~Their Pokémon are looking at us weird.~

Beck: ~Ya think Stew? I am having a mental conversation with a telepath by making my inside voice really fucking loud. Who knows what contorted bollocks our faces are doing while we're doing all this.~

As they do this, there are subtle indications on Beck's face indicating slight agitation directed at Stewart, but Stewart still dons a vaguely happy, serene expression.

Stewart: Sorry if we're making y'all feel uncomfortable. You kinda look like an old friend of mine.

He nods sagely. Beck didn't need to be psychic to know what was going on. Stewart's body language gave an attempt at being approachable and non-threatening.

Stewart: ~Right, Mr. Beckett, I know what you're thinking.~

Beck, mentally but only Stewart can hear because he's not a telepath: ~Why are you not giving her a brochure?~

Stewart: ~They might still be with them. I can't risk it, for both her and my friends at the Oasis. We're not like PEFE; we gotta stay on the downlow.~

Beck: ~She does seem at least interested in talking to you. Couldn't you work off that?~

Edited by MasterJayAM on Oct 15th 2023 at 11:40:45 PM

J-Con, far past

Iridium: -To Stewart- An old friend of yours?

-She seems to be staring right through Stewart. The effect is potentially slightly unsettling-

Is he a Batchmate of 1.0's?

Village, past

Katya: -To Damien- Zee's been living out here for like decades now, but this is the first time she's never had someone living with her before.

-Smiles a bit-

I should probably be congratulating you both.

Zee: -Frowning- I don't know what you're implying.

-Desiring to change the subject-

How about we get to trading?

Katya: -Laughs a bit- One second, I'll need to bring the stuff out.

-She heads into the back-

Zee: -To Damien once she's pretty sure Katya is out of earshot- Katya and her family, they were some of the first people I met when I found my way to this place running from the School. Probably wouldn't have survived for long during those first few harsh winters without their help, her people have lived around here for like, thousands of years.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Oct 16th 2023 at 5:13:34 AM

Damien: "...Er, yeah, let's... move on to something else, please."

-listening to Zee after she gets out of earshot, whispering back- "Hm... used to the area and helped you survive, eh? I suppose that's... interesting. Suppose you learned to survive well from them, then."

Village, past

Zee: -To Damien- They tried getting me to stay at first, but I figured it probably wasn't the best idea with how you guys aren't exactly the most respectful of other people's life choices.

Lydia: -Wearing a winter outfit, if a bit more expensive looking than the sort you'd normally see around the area- Hello, you must be Zee.

Zee: -Hand goes to her axe- You. I know who you are, Lydia.

-Snorts as she sizes Lydia up-

Chloe was right, you are preppy. Sticking out in this place like a sore thumb.

Lydia: -Hands up- You can relax, I'm not here to fight you, it wouldn't go well for me anyway. Nor does the School have any idea I'm here.

Zee: -Hand not removed from her axe, but she hasn't drawn it yet- Then what are you here for, fencesitter?

Lydia: -Smirks- Oh, just to talk with you, and your literal kept man over there, on neutral ground. I'd have gone to your home, but I'm sure you would've made me into mulch.

Zee: -Arms crossed- You'd guess right, Templar.

Does she have a Field up? That'd be the only reason why she'd be bringing this up here of all places.

Lydia: -To Damien- We'll start with you. Okay Damien, how would you say you feel about so-called regular humans?

Edited by rmctagg09 on Nov 7th 2023 at 8:26:51 AM

South Province Area Two

Poppy was exploring the province, which had a bunch of Pokemon she was familiar with, as well as ones she'd never seen before, and scanning them on her Rotom Phone.

Poppy: So that Pokemon's called Smoliv! Cool!

Crusher, who was let out of his Pokeball for the day (Poppy had begun a new bond-building exercise where she'd let one of her Pokemon out of their Pokeball on a specific day), was walking beside her.

Crusher: Yes... No Grass moves on me, please...

Eventually, the two came across a peculiar sight - a Happiny had somehow gotten itself stuck up a tree, as its friend clamoured for help to get it down.

Poppy: Oh, don't worry, Happiny! I'll get you down from there!

???: No need, trainer girl! I, the amazing Undecided-name, will rescue this poor Happiny!

Poppy turned around upon hearing the Pokemon's cry - it was a Wattrel.

Crusher: You know, I don't think she can hear you-

But Wattrel was already swooping down to the tree to grab Happiny.

Wattrel: What a shame! Guess I'll just have to show her my heroism without wor-

Wattrel, who was no longer looking where he was going, then crashed into the tree, causing Happiny to fall over.

Poppy managed to catch it, but then fell on her bottom, as Happiny leaped out of her arms to reunite with its friends, and ran off with them.

Poppy: Well! All's well that ends well, I suppose...

Wattrel then fell on her head.

Poppy: Oof! Hey, I could've saved Happiny just fine without your 'help'.

Wattrel: Hmm. Well, I needed to appear in front of you sooner or later. Because I'm in need of a Trainer, and you look like the perfect fit for the job!

Crusher: Poppy doesn't need an arrogant Pokemon like you!

Wattrel: Oh, really? Well, I'm willing to bet she's got one of those Tera Orbs, to help me achieve my true power!

Crusher: A Tera... what?

Wattrel: Yeah, a- you don't know what a Tera Orb is? Don't tell me she doesn't have one.

Crusher Judging by how I don't know what a Tera Orb is, I don't think she has one.

Wattrel: ...Well. That's a bummer.

Everyone then stared at each other awkwardly.

Gabriel looked over a Terastal Crystal from behind a secured partition, pondering what powers it held and what were the secrets of its origin. It hadn't been an easy grab, Area Zero was a tightly regulated zone that nobody could get in but research had still been done. Getting even this singular piece was very worth the cost...

And the cost was a little lighter thanks to Sakura.

"To think," he muttered to himself. "This one little piece is a reality bending paradoxical battery, things that can't or shouldn't exist can with this, typings can be altered..."

A menial looked up at him. "Sir?"

"I don't understand a thing about it!" Gabriel exclaimed, a more dramatic part of him coming out. "And yet everything here speaks to the incredible nature of what it can do! The moment I can crack the code as to the how and why is the moment I take our understanding higher!"

"All that work for such a small piece," came the voice of Mr. Strings. "What will Moscovium do with it?"

Gabriel said nothing for a moment, and collected himself. He took a deep inhale and then said. "It matters not, I have yet to complete some proper study of it, we'll be experimenting with her units soon, Samantha assures me she's ready to start properly testing the new clone builds."

"Good enough I suppose. I've got news on The Jailer, still functioning at 100%."

Gabriel smiled. "Good, the Jailer is vital."

"Jailer?" Isaac asked, having stepped in.

"A project of mine," Strings explained, before leaving.

Isaac turned to Gabriel. "And Miles, that other clone you made?"

Gabriel waved his hand. "An experiment, I keep myself busy, I have to, innovation waits for no one."

Isaac had been thinking about that, he hadn't seen a lot of innovation, just a lot of plagiarism. "And what if somebody investigates us?"

"If Circhester were to come here, all that would be found is what I've always said I have been doing. Developing weapons and forces, it costs nothing and thanks to The Company I have more than enough resources. Keep busy, keep ahead..."

Gabriel paused a bit. "Speaking of which... Investigator, you've been surprisingly inquisitive yourself recently."

"You made me to be smart enough to find Akira, questions are a natural part," Isaac answered.

Gabriel looked over the templar, so he did... he'd have to correct that.

Edited by EchoingSilence on Oct 18th 2023 at 10:57:15 AM

Paldea Base

Victor: "One second..."

-continues typing for a good amount of time-

"Oooooooooooone second..."

-Continues typing for longer before finally stopping-

"Okay you can go!"

The Chiyo Zone

-Maurice is wet but only because he is now sweating nervously-

Maurice:' "Well, you see, they know something about me the School wouldn't like, us. And I know something about them the School wouldn't like, which is that they're part Obscuric. So they can't Rattata me out without me Rattataing them out."

Artazon

-There is silence for a second-

-Then two bolts of electricity shoot out at the pair-

Levincia, past

-The civilians, naturally, are scattering and panicking-

'Pavo: ~....Oh excellent, this one's got more punch than expected..... Yes! Draw those J-Teamers in!~

Water Vellumental Temple

-When Ann activated the Magic Circle, Olivia started to change-

-She folded. Creased. Rearranged Untill she took the form of the origami Palkia-

Olivia: <How do I look? Am I dignified and cool like the Water Vellumental? Oof, I actually feel EXTREMELY well hydrated, I - I- I'm overflowing! Stand back!>

-She starts heaving and shuddering-

Naranja Y Uva Academy

-Clavell finishes his explanation to Locke-

Locke: "So let me get this straight. The crater in the center of the region radiates magic crystal energy. And those orbs slurp up that energy and spit it out on Pokemon to change their types and give them funny hats?"

Clavell: That's not UNtrue..."

[Locke: "..Cool. Anyway, what do I have to do to get my orb back again?"

Clavell: "Take the classes for it!"

Locke: -with the same intonation as the "i'm not at a beach this is a bathtub" guy- "What do you mean, I don't even go to this school!"

Clavell: It's still a requirement Everyone needs to learn the proper use of a Tera Orb.!"

Locke: -sighs- "You know what, fine. But on one condition."

Clavell: "...Yes?"

Locke: "....Untie me please?"

Clavell: "Oh, right, sorry..."

-He proceeds to do so-

Mezagoza

-There is an oddly familiar blonde girl in red here-

-She may be near an Atrin-

Mesagoza

Atrin notices the blonde girl, and despite having only looked for a moment, a moment is enough for Ecto!

Ecto: <Is that a friend? I like friends! I'm going to say hi to the friend!>

Ecto runs over to the blonde girl, trying to jump up on her, panting happily.

Ecto: <Hello! My name is Ecto! I have just met you and I want to be your friend!>

Atrin runs up, still being careful with the Pokémon Egg he's holding.

Atrin: I'm sorry about that! He's really friendly.

Stormchaser, Many months ago, Interrogation Room

This is Part 1 of a massive Spagpost with Master Jay AM that was months in the making. A huge thank you to him for working with me on this!

It's not everyday when you hear the news that a secret organization is making clones based off of genes from body parts, but this was the truth that Igor laid out for Tony and Tommy. Though the other people in the room had prior knowledge of the group, this was Tony's true introduction to "The School." The ones the Gene Pirates did their work for. The true masterminds of these dastardly deeds. So now that Tony had a proper name, he could finally get into the meat of things.

Tony: Now, Igor, it's my prime concern here to keep you in our grasp and make sure The School you're talking about doesn't get to you. I don't know much about this evil group of wackos, but still, that makes them even more dangerous in my mind. I've had my fair share of dealing with criminal gangs and organizations with my partner and best buddy, so I think bringing him out would help us to figure out what to do. What do you think, Tommy?

Igor stared at Tony straight in the eye, his pupils dilating as he raised an eyebrow. His jaw dropped slightly, and for a moment it appeared as though he needed time to parse exactly what was happening. He managed to clear his throat just as a concerned Tommy was about to get a word in.

Tommy: Whoa, that seems a bit risky.

Igor: Are you for real?

Tommy: Yeah, he's new.

Tony: Well, I did start working with y'all not so long ago. You gotta appreciate my enthusiasm, man!

And he gives off a dumb smirk to both of them, Igor in particular.

Igor: You're no veteran yourself, Nancy Boy. Your handlers may be loath to admit it, but the School's got the J-Team on the run and have pretty much evaded detection for centuries. We've got people in high places and many in plain sight. I can barely vouch for anyone's safety at this point; you'd really think that you can stand a ghost of a chance at taking down a centuries-old clandestine organization that you've only heard of just now? I'm pretty sure you're the one biting off more than you can chew here.

It's then that one of the Pokeballs on Tony's belt begins to shake, and pops open. A Misdreavus emerges from it, glaring at Igor with fierce intensity, but also at Tony too. First he floated just in the way of Igor's face.

Stephen: <Excuse me? First off, you do not call my best friend and partner here "Nancy Boy." Like Tommy said, he's new to working with all these people, so give him a break!>

The Ditto masquerading as a man glowered at Stephen, his eyes following the Misdreavus while raising an eyebrow. It was both a look of exasperation and a flex at how good he was, given that he was a Ditto who can do convincingly expressive human eyes.

Igor: I could not have been more clearly talking about the more senior of the two humans. I mean, come on. He looks like a metrosexual dime store [Scott the Woz].

Tommy: Not the first time someone brought that up. Sticks and stones.

And then Stephen floated all the way back to Tony, also in his face.

Stephen: <And Tony, what are you thinking?! You know you can't just barge in their secret base, or evil lair, or whatever the hell they're at and try to take them down. We barely even know anything about them! I thought you'd learned your lesson after you tried to save that Popplio from Team Skull back in the day!>

Tony's dumb smirk started to fade away, and he started to look a little sad.

Tony: Oh…yeah…I'm sorry Stephen…I'm just really disgusted by what this "School" is doing…and I guess I let my emotions cloud my vision there.

Stephen floated a little backwards, then he looked down, before sighing.

Stephen: <No, it's alright…I know sometimes you can get a hero complex…>

Drake popped up from Tommy's scalp again upon hearing Stephen. This whole "kid tries to be a hero only to bite off more than he could chew" was hitting a little too close to home for a certain someone.

Drake: <Gee, doesn't that guy sound familiar, eh, big guy?>

Tommy rolled his eyes and chuckled a bit. These are the growing pains of a young do-gooder. Tony'll get the hang of it all eventually. And speaking of the latter, he was already eyeing the floofy spooder mon that he still didn't know the name of, squeeing internally.

Igor: Well, aren't you going to his defense?

Tommy: No, that's pretty much an accurate summary of how things are going. Until just now.

That last line had Igor sighing. He noticed that Tommy, far from bowing his head in shame, seems to be smiling—rather creepily at that. The sly look on his face, rather unbefitting of his previous goody-two-shoes demeanor, made the Ditto wince. Tony was really enjoying that Igor's smug facade was finally starting to crack.

Igor: Ugh, then why does it seem that neither of you are going to relent?

Tony: Oh Arceus, this is becoming priceless.

Tommy: Okay, first off, you're clearly confident in PEFE's ability to protect you, otherwise you'd be clamming up expecting them to rescue you.

Igor: Oh, I've given up on that months ago. But yeah, airship's gonna keep me protected for some time. I thought it could be infiltrated when I recognized one of our scientists come in.

Tony and Stephen's eyes immediately stare straight back at Igor, looking very much intrigued as soon as he mentions "the scientist."

Tommy: Wait, one of them got in?

Igor: I recognized their voice when I heard her, but she was always seemingly out of earshot. I tried going to them but every path I took kept bringing me back to my quarters. Every time. This ship's got mojo you haven't even begun to comprehend. The next of our scientists managed to muscle his way as close as he could, but could never enter the ship itself.

Tommy: I've been here a couple of times. You get used to it.

Igor: Whoa, really?

Tommy: Yeah. Didn't know it actively kept hostile intruders out until just now, but that bit where the ship is actively messing with intruders so they cause no harm, that I can believe.

Igor: I have so many questions right now.

Tommy: Also, we're the one's asking the questions here.

Igor: Come on, you're not thinking of actually baiting me so you can get at the School. They will eat you alive. And don't think they'll leave a body behind. Anyone as ballsy as the two of you probably have gene sequences they'd like to have.

Tommy: Okay, that's creepy. And all this clone business is reminding me of a bad comic book. Or a cheesy dystopian Young Adult book marketed to people my niece's age. You got any other ideas, Tony?

Tony and Stephen pondered for a bit. They both knew that charging headfirst into a random School base was off the table and way too risky. Plus, using Igor as bait would probably make The School want to snuff him out as quickly as possible if he ever showed his face in their presence again, as he's already pretty much one loose end to them. Everyone had to think smart here, and the two finally came up with a better idea to go forward with.

Tony: Okay, so maybe me and Stephen need to get to know the School more so we can find more ways to take them down. Maybe another lead of some sorts, like another person who works for them.

Stephen: <Don't worry Igor, we don't mean your boss. But since you did mention some other scientist wandered in and you tried to talk to her. Is there any way you could tell us more about her so we can investigate into her further?>

Igor: I doubt you're getting any leads on Dr. Coleman. She's... well, she's something else. Last I checked she encountered a J-Teamer she took interest in, which I learned turned out to be another Templar. Apparently the Templar was uncooperative and later defected. I have no clue where she is now, but she's mostly found in her gardens tending her various cultivars of exotic plants. And also she mostly focuses on Templars, further down our pipeline.

Tony and Stephen frown at this news, hoping that Dr. Coleman would've provided a good lead to start digging into more info about the school.

Tony: Oh. Well, might as well keep track of this info anyway, every piece of knowledge counts!

Stephen: <I agree. You better get your notepad and get to jotting stuff down. There might be more juicy things coming up.>

Tony does so and gets his notepad and pencil from his pocket, immediately writing everything Igor said so far from memory. And readies himself for whatever comes next.

Tommy: The heck's a Templar?

Edited by ThanosBoi on Oct 20th 2023 at 9:38:52 AM

Levincia, Past

The shadows ripple and roil, the sunlight burns brighter. Two presences appear, one human, one vulpine, from opposite ends, the human coming from below to deliver a Night Slash to the Sentimonster as a bright Solar Beam descends from above, guarded against should its target not escape in time.

<Mata?!^note Again?!> she barked in evident annoyance as she landed, her ashen fur shining in the sunlight as the figure in the civilian crowd seemed to vanish into black mist.

"I am tired of cowards with no strength of their own turning my allies evil for lulz!" Kendall barked as he held out his hand after landing once more, holding out three fingers as swirling pitch black began to spin faster and faster.

He threw the Throat Chop Chakram towards the Sentimonster to cover his retreat, hopefully giving Kamui time to prepare another Solar Beam in her Drought.

Water Vellumental Temple, far past

Ann: -Immediately steps aside-

Chiyo Zone, past

Chiyo: -Hearing Maurice- Like Vierr?

-This time if Maurice was to attempt probing Chiyo's mind he'd be met by the mental equivalent of a crystalline wall-

Alright.

-She removes her fingers from Maurice's chest-

But that's not likely to last forever, so you should watch your back.

Halis: "..."

Completely alone, Halis meditates inside the temple's ground floor. Most people would be bothered by the cold, far too much to concentrate to such a degree. For Halis, though, the relative quiet combined with the chilling temperatures make it ideal for this type of inner focus. They can't help but feel an odd presence, though they can't figure out just what that might be.

They suddenly jump a bit, looking around.

Halis: "W-who's there?"

Silence. Absolutely nothing. They shake their head, resuming their routine and hoping nothing's actually there... they're so jumpy at the moment due to that, that even a simple message from their PDA would probably be enough to set them off.

The Hamlet, The Weald

The combination, flame and toxin, strikes deep (one may say, super effectively) upon the mass. It withers, it burns, it collapses in on its air pockets until laying there in the center of the cabin is the offered jar it has ingested, along with another, amid the crumbling, powdery remains.

And across the woods, the fate follows. Without the heart the choking otherworldly fungus crumbles to ash and powder. Perhaps in the spring new and less malignant growth will fill the vacated niches of life within this Weald. But for now, it is silent and still among the trees.

Levincia City

-It screams, this amalgam of bird species, it screams with pain but it does not fall. How can it, the beast is as inexorable as death. The attacks are deterrent, but before long it has wheeled around for another divebomb-

-And somewhere in this city, the flesh stands suited and silent, learning the horrific sensations of mere living as its promises both to itself and to the source of this strength play out-

Civic Area

No clue. Other than it having 'genetics' in the name. Maybe it's an Umbrella ersatz?

-Okay getting pelted by masonry was a change in strategy, one that Pentigan was not quite geared to do much more than try and weather with grit and holding the sign as a shield-

Okay, I guess it's beam time.

Stylus stumbled over, taking the scarf off, watching as the shadowy figures changed back to human along with him. "Okay... okay so their form is tied to me... got it." There we go, get thinking.

He looked up and saw the darkened sky, and the two white lights staring down at him. "Okay... some kind of hallucination of some sort, dreamlike state... gotta be."

It made the most sense to him, would explain how he didn't remember getting here, the peaceful landscape, the dreamlike retirement. That left the question, why keep him like this? What about his body, where was it? They couldn't have disconnected his consciousness from his body, and shoving his brain in a jar wasn't something possible... at least he hoped it wasn't physically possible. LOMBOTOMITE!

He shook himself over, everything still felt real, even his lack of a left arm. He looked over the bionic... so odd to think that it was so normal now... and yet it still felt distinct from his old organic hand. He had to be still connected to his body, which meant that whomever was keeping him here needed it for something.

The shadows kept approaching him, he stepped back and hit one of the cliffs to the running river below. The shadows paused, Silas blinked and then had a slight grin. He needed to know what he could do, this was his brain right? It is.

Which means he couldn't die. You can't.

The shadows were there to hold him down, bind him. Control you.

Well... Rien n'est risqué, rien n'est gagné. You have this!

He looked over to the running waters below, and tossed himself over. Leap of faith, that's all this is.

Silas only had one work before he hit the rocks and the rapids.

"HELL!"

You got it pal. The Pen responded summoning a large gaster, and firing. Judging based on how the attacker had responded before-

The Attacker seemed to have a muscle spasm before the beam struck them, sending them flying into a wall. They stood up slowly and twitched, a few cracked shards from the motorcycle helmet's visor trickled to the ground. It looked up, an singular blue eye visible in the hole in the visor.

It twitched some more, the eye seeming almost dead, the Attacker rushed again, the Pen firing more Gasters.

Hey buddy, got any big move ideas? We probably wanna send this thing flying!

The attacker dropped the sword, hands outstretched, ready to wrap around Pentigan's throat.

Naranja y Uva Academy

-Iridium and co are walking towards an office-

Ammit: <You're sure about this? Why would he help us?>

Aurum: -In their usual shoulder spot- <Gotta admit I have to agree with Ammit there.>

Del Lurra: <I think it's worth a shot, all he can say is "no".>

Iridium: He doesn't need to know what it's for.

-Opens the door-

Are you Dr. Tagg?

-The Trainer in question and his mons stare at Iridium and her mons for a couple seconds that feel closer to several minutes-

Gras: -Looking between Iridium and I- <Hey, doesn't she look like-

Hitodama: -Proceeds to give him a Look™️-

Gras: -Shuts up-

Ammit: -Notices-

Del Lurra: -Seemingly vacant Wooper facial expression gets near-imperceptibly more focused-

-To Iridium-

See, normally I'd tell you not to call me that... but I'm a teacher now and it's sorta necessary, so that's me.

-Focused-

Sally, right?

Obviously an alias...

What do you need?

Iridium: I want... to be your apprentice.

-Eyebrow raise-

Really?

Iridium: I need to get stronger, so I can beat... a certain person, my greatest rival. You're supposed to be, like, one of the strongest Trainers in the world, and I know you have powers, or at least that's what people say.

-Trying to formulate a response-

Well, uh-

Iridium: -Puppy dog eyes- Please, I've already got a Badge, so I wouldn't be dead weight to you or anything.

-She pulls out a Bug Badge-

Ammit's not even that far away from evolving.

Ammit: <Yeah!>

Aurum: <It's a good bet.>

Iridium: So please.

-To Iridium-

Where'd you learn to speak Monese, I can tell you're understanding more than just your mon's vibes, and you're not using any sort of telepathy right now.

Iridium: Uh... I could always understand it, the people at my... old school didn't get why.

Makes sense, considering the timeframe of when my template would've been harvested.

-Leaning back in my chair-

Well Sally, you drive a hard bargain, consider yourself officially my apprentice.

Iridium: Yay!

-More serious-

Thank you, I will not waste this opportunity.

-She and her mons file out and we wait until she's far enough away that I'm pretty sure she wouldn't be in earshot, before letting out a very audible sigh-

So that's her, huh? Just like me, surrounded by Pokémon.

Hitodama: -Doing the Chandelure version of an eyebrow raise- <You know she's going to use whatever you teach her to try fighting Chiyo, right?>

-Leaning back, but more seriously-

Yes, but there's no way "Sally"'s going to be a serious threat to her at this point no matter how much training I give her, and I don't plan on sabotaging the training.

Hitodama: <For now, but what happens when she gets older? The Fuecoco and the Paldean Wooper she was with... they noticed things.>

-To Hitodama-

I'm sure they did. I'm still not telling her our relation as of yet.

Hitodama: <I figured you wouldn't. Just make sure there's no unforeseen consequences like with Muddy and Cam.>

Not a bad kid, even if we weren't related. If we form a relationship, even a simpler one, it makes things simpler too.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Dec 18th 2023 at 4:47:12 AM