ITT: We are all Pokémon Trainers

Paldea, Stormchaser Exterior

-at that, Hiro stills-

Hiro: Ah.

-and as the sharks in this godsforgiven universe are rocket-powered, a fire visibly swells in his posture-

-he clips his Pokéball back on his belt, letting the light fade from his eyes-

Hiro: I believe we've been talking somewhat at cross-purposes. Patience would be appreciated as I clarify.

-he rummages in his Bag, taking his eyes off Whitt-

Hiro: No, I'm not enjoying this cake. Or this tea, or this conversation. This deal isn't sweetened by your very tempting offer, and the thought it could ever be "sweet enough"—

-across the picnic table between them both he lays a broken trident of faded, jagged blue crystal-

Hiro: —insults me.

-he folds his hands again, tilting his head-

Hiro: And that didn't matter.

-he regards Whitt less with fury and more…desolation-

Hiro: Fascinating as your perspective has been on what you think of us, what we feel about you is—secondary. You came to the J-Team needing, or wanting, help.

-he stares-

Hiro: That's all.

-he takes a bite of the cake-

Hiro: The runaways that came to us didn't first charm us with their tragic backstories. Frankly, most of them are assholes—and you all had no small part in making them that way. They might still choose to be assholes, I don't control them.

-he sets his fork down and presses his hands together, pitying-

Hiro: The Truth you've conveyed is you think you're very clever or that I am very stupid, as is your right. But I would appreciate you using fewer words to do so.

-and takes a sip of the tea-

Hiro: So, Whitt the Repentant. What do you want?

Stormchaser exterior

Whitt: (sighs) Well, in truth I was tired of trying to be nice. I felt like I was going to vomit. Yes, well done, Hiro. I am an asshole, and that's not something that will likely change in the future. You ask what I want? The answer is simple. I want everything. I want everything I like to die, and I want everything else to bow down to me in the way that I believe that they should. But, more pressingly, I want to live, and there's a whole lot of people who want the opposite.

He calmly wipes crumbs from his mouth.

Whitt: Frankly, the fact that I'm coming to you at all feels like I'm sticking my face in a bowl of acid, but I was being truthful in that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I want, first and foremost, to destroy the School and everyone who still fights for it. I want to end the life of the man who has encoded in my brain to shut off my lungs with a word. I had thought that these goals aligned with those of the J-Team. Or was I wrong? I had thought that the School starting a war with you was a mistake because it invited retribution, but perhaps I was wrong.

By now he is on his feet, practically shouting.

Whitt: Yes, I am Whitt the Repentant. I am repentant of my weakness, my inability to affect change. Perhaps your J-Team can help me repent, by finally doing something that will strike a blow in this endless war!

Paldea, Stormchaser Exterior

Hiro: There we go. And unfortunately, my world makes sense again.

-he takes another bite of this very good cake-

Hiro: I appreciate the honesty. And I'm sure I look forward to working with you about as much as you do with me.

Hiro: -to the air- Yes, you can quit eavesdropping now.

-and down the Stormchaser's ramp come two people reeking of Electrical affinity, to complete the trio-

-one very small Ranger covered in pep and glitter-

Logan Shockley-Voltaire: Hi!

-and one very tall Psychic in a hoverchair with distinctive purple eyes-

Zayna Idaniká: Gods, why is he here.

Hiro: For help, apparently.

Zayna: He's a dick.

Hiro: He's a Templar.

Zayna: Don't generalize. He, specifically, accounting for his demographic, is a dick.

Hiro: I do watch the news, Zayna.

Zayna: You didn't share a water cooler with him.

Hiro: Might soon.

Zayna: He freezes the nozzle! For no reason! He's a dick!

Hiro: -raising an eyebrow- And your former coworkers after his head.

Zayna: Oh, we do that all the time. Builds character.

-...-

Zayna: And that would be wrong.

Hiro: That I'm not leaping across the table and burning him now is in part by your grace, cousin.

Zayna: -eyeroll- Yeah, remember when you did all the murder? You were cooler when you did murder.

Hiro: Measurably wrong. And I still do murder.

Logan: Moving on—

-they beam at Whitt, looking for all intents and purposes like they mean it-

Logan: Hello, Whitt. It's ice to meet you.

Hiro: To answer your question, your goals of petty vengeance do appear compatible with ours, as long as you're aware several of the people who want to kill you are in our vague friend group.

Logan: -still smiling- I'm doing orientation.

Hiro: He was talking to me. Please don't let our banter fool you; this group is in fact roughly as dangerous as you'd hoped.

Logan: I would like him to trust us.

Hiro: He didn't come here for friendship, or so he says, he came for a shipful of metaphorical dragonfire.

Logan: -handing Whitt a pad- Please tell us about the Templar base. I'm sorry about this.

Hiro: If anything, I expect he finds the retributive urge reassuring.

Logan: Why are all of you like this.

Paldea, Some Time after the fight...

-Red is kicking along down the road, his Charcadet Darmid running around and bopping anything that looks like it might be weak to fire.-

-And then Darmid sees something.-

-A fish.-

-His greatest fear.-

-He bolts back to Red and hides behind him.-

Red: Woah, what's up little guy?

-The Charcadet points, and Red looks.-

-A fish, with sharp angles and pink fins, stares at the pair.-

-Red stares back.-

-...-

-...-

-The fish floats/swims forward.-

Red: ... What?

-The fish continues to stare, as if befuddled by something.-

Red: Wait, hold on.

-He looks down at Darmid.-

Red: Is he trying to do a psychic thing to me?

Darmid: Ch... ar?

-The Charcadet looks over to the fish.-

Darmid: Cadet?

-The fish nods.-

Red: Oh, hah, sorry about that, that ain't gonna work on me.

-The fish tilts his head, intrigued. He sticks a fin to one of Red's Pokeballs.-

Red: What, you want to fight?

-The fish shakes his head.-

Red: You... want to just join me?

-The fish nods.-

Red: ... Okay. Not the weirdest thing I've ever seen.

-He pulls out a Pokeball and the fish bops its nose against the button, letting itself get sucked in.-

Edited by DuneTheWanderer on Jan 13th 2024 at 3:40:10 AM

Stormchaser exterior

Whitt: Ah yes, Zayla, was it? Apologies about the whole water fountain thing, though I have to say that your recollection of my reasons are lacking. I did it simply because it was funny to see people's tongues get stuck to the ice. I'm sure that you understand.

He takes the pad.

Whitt: Now, to business. You're no doubt aware of the templar Gabriel, correct? He has the ability to manipulate the body of his opponents once he makes eye contact with them, but that's not his true strength.

If the others look down at the pad, they can see Whitt drawing a map of the Paldea region.

Whitt: His true strength is the fact that he's a genius. He's essentially creating an army for the School, first with his dark trooper project, and more recently with the bio-engineered clones that were used in the recent attack on Artazon. He also made a drug that boosts the powers of schoolkids way past their regular levels.

He marks a spot on the map.

Whitt: His lair has been here for about a year, and he's got all kinds of stuff in there - probably more stuff that I don't know about either. And since he, to use his phrase, has something of a collar on me, I think it's in both of our interests to shut him down.

It's funny - Whitt is hard to read, but as he describes everything that Gabriel has done, there's a hint of something that might actually be respect.

East Province Area Three

Ever: ...What.

Cornflower: <I have no need of hands.>

<I am a trained knight.>

Ever: What?

Cornflower: <And I am within one standard deviation of mean height. Now—>

Ever: Wait.

Cornflower: <Tch.>

Ever: Play defense. Shadow Sneak, again.

Cornflower: <I want to be clear, I'm not staying my hand out of mercy.>

-but she springs away, keeping her distance from Liliaceae, and stabbing into the shadows again-

Ever: What's your game here...

-they cough, and pinch their mouth shut, nose twitching-

Paldea, Schrodinger's Area

.. Apple Slice is hit straight on by the Charge and goes bouncing backwards.

It's almost funny, actually.

No, not just almost.

Arceus they just keep bouncing—

Anyway eventually Apple Slice skids to a stop near Nanaka and she sighs.

Nanaka: "... I think they're down for the count."

They're.... Well, their eyes are closed, so they're probably KO'd.

Nanaka: "Still got a long way to go... But! Congrats! You.....rrr, what was your name again?"

Paldea, Casseroya Lakeside

petpet

Ama: "Unfortunately for you I'm several red flags wrapped in a trenchcoat. That's what the ex-wife called me last time we argued, anyway."

She shrugs.

Ama: "They say Ghosts come about because of regrets. I'd assume there's parts of you that aren't strong enough to stay, but also strong enough to regret not staying when they try to leave."

...

Ama: "That was a rather confusing way to phrase it, excuse me."

Ama: "Mm. Being conscious of not wanting to become terrible helps. I find the worst things in my life happened because I stopped using my self awareness."

The mention of Lian causes her to bristle a little, though more in a 'startled catmon' kind of way, not a 'catmon backed in a corner and trying to bite you' kind of way.

Ama: "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you can smell that."

She sighs.

Ama: "Apparently the School made a child with my genes. I took care of her for a while, before sending her to the Battle Academy. I do not think I'm... equipped, to care for a child long-term."

The petting pauses for a bit.

She says the next words in a low voice, like she'd been avoiding vocalizing them for a while now.

Ama: "... I suspect they used the genome of the vampire who turned me to fill in the blanks, so to speak. That vampire... She's likely still alive, in this timeline."

Paldea, Shroedinger's Area

Red: Name's Red! Not that Red, though. What's yours?

-Darmid gives out a big battle cry, the flames on his little helmet head flaring... before sputtering as he runs out of oxygen, causing him to fall over out of lightheadedness.-

Levincia, past

-The two are currently standing outside the restaurant-

Iridium: -To Chiyo- I... had a question. Before this truce ends.

Chiyo: Sure.

Iridium: How do you... make those barriers?

Chiyo: Oh, those? Same as any other Construct. Of course, they're almost the only things I can make, I've tried but other things do not work for me, I imagine that was something the School instilled. But there's plenty I've managed to expand on within that niche.

It probably isn't wise to tell her that, but...

Iridium: -Frowning- But yours are tougher than anyone else's I've ever seen...

Chiyo: -As if reading her mind- There's things I can do that others can't, and vice versa. The same is true of you, but there's always room for improvement. I didn't start out the way I am now.

-Smiling-

With time, you'll improve.

Iridium: -Feeling a mix of emotions- Weren't we just fighting not too long ago? This is about gaining more intel and because I can't beat her right now, but why...

-To Chiyo-

I think... I'm going to go now.

Before... I don't know...

-As she walks away-

I'm going to train even more, and the next time we see each other 1.0... we'll see who the better Auric is.

Chiyo: -Watches her leave- Be safe out there, my treasure... I'm in your corner, even if you might not understand that.

-And reaches out for her retreating back... before clenching her fist, as her free hand clutches her necklace-

What would you have thought about all this if you were still with us, Curium? If you're not watching me from wherever Tapu Fini summoned you from right now.

Levincia, today

-Following a discussion-

Iridium: Ms. Lydia?

Lydia: Yes Iridium?

Iridium: You said that I looked like her, but you never said that you met her before.

Lydia: So she told you about that too, huh? Well, it wasn't very important at the time.

Iridium: -Eyebrow raise- But 1.0's a truant, isn't she supposed to be our... enemy? Why would you be talking to her instead of fighting her?

Like I should've fought Lian?

Lydia: Technically yes, but that's another lesson for you Iridium. Sometimes it's important to learn from our enemies just as much as our allies, if not more so. After all, you agreed to her truce after your loss, did you not?

Iridium: Technically?

-To Lydia-

I guess that's true.

Lydia: -Snorts- Also, I certainly wasn't interested in getting pointlessly killed in a fight I had no chance of winning.

-More seriously-

You shouldn't be either. There's better things to focus on.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Jan 15th 2024 at 5:19:17 AM

Distortion Realm

It's dark. But somehow Hoops has no problem seeing their surroundings, not that there's much to see anyway. This whole place is just fragments of rock floating in an endless void with no source of light to be found. It would be terrifying, but the church services they went to as a child described a lot more fire, so all things considered this could be worse.

"Okay," Hoops says to themself. "Better start searching." Talking out loud seems like the right thing to do, for some reason.

Of course, searching is easier said than done in a place like this. Hoops jumps from one rock to another, then looks back and has no idea where they were standing before.

Then there's... it. The sense of something lurking deep within that darkness. And they have a pretty good idea of what that is.

"Well. It's a direction, at least."

They start making their way towards the source of the feeling, while they try to ignore the fact that the malevolent force of their entire childhood is in that direction.

"Maybe Giratina is nicer than they say," they suggest. And don't even come close to believing it.

Time is weird here, so they aren't sure if they're going for ten minutes or ten days before they come to a stop with apparently no progress made. If they could even tell distance here.

"I'm starting to think I might not have thought this through all the way."

"Oh, is that right?"

Hoops wheels around towards the source of the voice. They look at the person standing on the rock behind them and sigh. "So what am I supposed to call you? Evil Hoops? Distortion Hoops? Or are you the one I made during my breakdown again?"

The person, who looks exactly like Hoops, shakes their head. "Let's go with Thorn. It's our family name, after all. And it rolls off the tongue better."

"Thorn." Hoops nods. "Sounds like you're trying to be edgy, but sure. I'm guessing you're here to stop me from finding Led and Sal."

Thorn grins. "Something like that. All I know is I'm supposed to kill you, I didn't really ask for the reason."

Hoops looks at the left arm of their counterpart. It appears not to be made of bandages, which is strange. They decide to flex their own arm and prepare for battle anyway. "Sure. Well, I'll just make this quick then and -"

They blink and Thorn is gone. Hoops feels a presence behind them, an instant before something hits them in the back with enough force to crack their spine. They're sent flying through the void until they slam into a floating rock.

"Ow," they moan, pulling themself out of the rock. "I guess it's one of those days, then." Their bones crack as they snap back into place.

Thorn grins up at Hoops. Their left arm has swollen up to double its original size, with muscle so thick that it threatens to burst through the skin. "Don't worry. Once I'm done with you, you'll never have one of those days again."

Orre, Mt. Battle Master's Office

-Dune flips through requests and forms and petitions and- is that a jury duty summons? Why the hell does he have a jury duty summons? Isn't he, like, barred from serving on a jury due to his position? He puts that in the "address later today" pile. And under that is a...-

-Pokemon transplant request?-

-He speedreads through it. Something something "improve biodiversity" something something "unique opportunity" something something buzzwords buzzwords... "Nacli"?-

Dune: Wuffles, name check - "Nacli"?

-One of his monitors lights up in response with the image of, at first glance, a squared, rock mushroom.-

Wuffles: Nacli: A Rock-Type Pokemon native to Paldea that is unique among mineral-based Pokemon in that its bioform is primarily compromised of salt.

Dune: Is the geology of Orre suitable to sustain a Nacli population?

Wuffles: From immediately available geological data, it appears that only a fringe population of approximately 500 individuals would be able to sustain themselves, near the southern wastes.

Dune: Can you acquire more recent survey data?

Wuffles: Yes, but doing so would require petitioning Phenac University.

Dune: Do it. If they have any concerns, forward them to me.

Wuffles: Acknowledged. Followup query: is there any reason you are interested in this species in particular?

Dune: It's a rock-type that is both non-aggressive and non-burrowing. That immediately makes it a much better fit than half of the other species I've been shown.

Wuffles: Acknowledged. Terminating connection.

"Familiar with that feeling as well... unfortunately, all my experience says that the catch comes later," Silas said.

~Oh come on you're just being pessimistic.~

"I got access to Mega evolution, and then I got caught, that's just one thing out of many. Or the fact that my ship has artificial gravity, and then we ended up going through another universe to fight in a war to save the galaxy," Silas stated.

Hacks frowned. ~Okay... two is a bit unusual... oh arceus you have more than two don't you.~

The look on Silas's face, amazingly, said everything.

~Okay so... maybe just be ready for anything,~ Hacks told Halis. ~You never know when or where it may hit.~

"My advice is to continue to live life, it'll only get worse if you're waiting for the other shoe to drop."

Halis looks at Silas confusedly, having zoned out and letting their overactive imagination run rampant before breaking out of it.

Halis: <Shoe? I'm not sure what this has to do with footwear, exactly, but I'll try to keep that in mind.>

They sigh, thinking about things a bit more.

Halis: <Though, I wonder...>

They take the glasses off for a moment... and nothing changes. They promptly return the glasses to their face, deep in thought.

Halis: <Ok, so that does confirm my theory that form changes of this nature are, at minimum, semi-permanent when applied to myself, if not outright permanent. That might also be due to my... unique condition as induced by overuse of these items to begin with.>

They look back up at Silas again, still clearly processing everything that could happen from here onward due to this change.

Halis: <I recall before doing this that I was also looking into Mega Evolution in my previous form, though to be honest I'm probably just going to drop that line of thought since it seems to me at this point that it'd do more harm than good. Shall we simply return to the counter at the front to inquire about how to go about this transaction?>

Silas pats Halis on the shoulder as best he can, and gives an awkward nod. "Yeah, let's."

~Always pay the fae,~ Hacks added.

"Or leave out a bowl of milk."

~I don't think that one is true.~

Halis: <Now I want chocolate milk... hmm, I'll go get some after this, I think.>

Halis remembers that they should be able to Teleport now, being a Kirlia, and opt to try it instead of slowly walking back over to the counter...

...Only to end up sitting on the literal countertop, giving a nervous smile to the Zeraora currently acting as a clerk.

Halis: <Oh, uh... I apologize... I found what I was looking for on my first try, and didn't think my first attempt at using Teleport would end up directly in front of you like this. I was expecting to show up in front of it, not on top.>

They look back towards the ground behind the countertop, realizing they should probably stay where they are so they can actually see who they're talking to.

Trill: -to Iridium- "Yeah! It's what I've been looking for with this..."

And then they watch the Work Up combo.

"Whoa, okay, that's cool! Think you can pull off something like that Quack Parade."

Quack Parade: <I'll give it a shot!>

Trill: "Okay, Work Up to Water Gun!"

The Quaxly manages to get a boost of energy which splashes the Klawf with water! She seems to have taken decent damage between the two... nonetheless Quack Parade was not ready for the continuing stream of rocks kicked up by the Klawf and falls down.

Quack Parade: <Ooof... we'll... get em... next time...>

Trill recalls him then looks ready to send out someone else.

Sunyshore Salon

Hm, cute gimmick. Flamel, you can take the fire. Don't worry about catching me in the blast.

-Gale rolls her eyes and retrieves a Pokeball that she wordlessly opens to unleash Jammer-

Magnet Rise, chain into Gyro Ball.

Jammer: <No targets noted, confirm?>

Confirm, just maybe avoid the mirrors.

-Jammer complies with the buff into attack command, the already levitating (but not ability Levitating) Pokemon emitting a further levitation field of magnetism before starting to spin out of the Dive bubble rapidly with no clear objective other than not hitting the mirrors-

Sakura Genetics Raid

-It should have been simple. Fire escape up a few floors, crack a window on the highest floor that still has openable windows, start from there. This was infiltration stuff, the thing that both as Pent and Gale they had trained and performed countless times-

-Why was it so hard to commit? Come on, get in there. Your friend is legitimately in danger we need to act fast-

-The Nightingale tried to shake off the reverie and made for the fire escape-

Paldea, Casseroya Lakeside

Vee: <Sucks t' suck. I'm inta those kinda trenchcoats. Which, y'know, you know.>

-she tries picturing a Megan that isn't, and gives up halfway-

Vee: <Mm...settles it, then. I ain't ever regretted anythin' in my life and I ain't about t' start now.>

-...she runs her tongue over her teeth, slow-

Vee: <'s good t' remember. I'm always me. Even when I ain't.>

-she burbles, gesturing toward contentment-

Vee: <Couldn' really smell her, as such. They don't tend t' smell like much. Even Neo's room still tastes mostly like space. Don't ask.>

Vee: <But this kid...>

-she tilts her head, wondering how best to express this-

Vee: <...she's in the backbeat 'f your heart.>

-she emits a gentle ba-bump, ba-bump, with a smaller echo behind-

-and keeps it up even as her face falls-

Vee: <An' that relation...would be incidental, t' that.>

-she chews over the implications-

Vee: <...damn. What're the odds?>

-she briefly flashes bittercold-

Vee: -bristling- <Assume we're keepin' 'er far away from this timeline's Daydre, eh?>

-she emits a nyafarious little chuckle-

Vee: -grin, slow- <We're in luck. We happen t' know a distinguished vampire hunter with at least one kill on her belt.>

Vee: <Well, our belt. But she gave us the belt.>

-for the first time in months, she projects some of that old bravado-

-...-

Vee: <...actually, do ya know Abilene? You didn' mention two ex-wives.>

Paldea, East Province Area Three

Phone!Wisp: <Same trick. Back foot.>

Damn it.

Abilene: What's wrong, Memito? Frightened of a little sprout?

Liliaceae: <Hey!>

Abilene: Press in. Don't allow her any leverage.

-regrettably, shadows remain faster than:-

-Cornflower's blades emerge from the voids left behind, jarring her movement-

-whittling her down-

Liliaceae: <Ghk—!>

-and however scrappy she may be, she is still a Petilil-

Need one clear shot...

Liliaceae: <Well, what if you—urk—want something better than swords?>

-the pistols erupt—but not in Abilene's customary Bullet Seeds-

-the space around Liliaceae becomes a wild dervish of sweeping lasers-

-she twirls, parrying wide swaths of shadow in her reckless advance-

-...too-wide-

(-physical attacker indeed—the beams are diffuse, for all their intensity-)

Abilene: Control! Remember control!

Liliaceae: <Mrrr...>

-another moment lost to focus; another moment filled with blades-

-but the Solarbeam(?) salvo takes on an odd...weight-

Only one move in her arsenal that's really worth a damn, here.

-focusing in and condensing, until they don't resemble rays so much as blowtorch bayonets-

Well, two. But for want of that opening...

-and she tries cleaving through Cornflower's blades to crash into her guard proper-

Paldea, Stormchaser Exterior

Zayna: He's a diiiick...

-Logan nods noncomittally—whether or not they are familiar with Gabriel seems to be more than they're willing to let on-

-Hiro raises an eyebrow-

Hiro: Cute.

Logan: -concerned- Were you on those drugs, then? Are you okay?

Hiro: The bodies left behind were emptier than even the School's usual fare—it wouldn't surprise me if he availed himself of the whole gamut.

-the pair of them eye Whitt drawing a map from (presumably eidetic) memory rather than...asking for a map, with reluctant respect-

-and mull over the implications of a facility stocked with that...-

Logan: -eventually- ...and miscellaneous. Thank you for telling us. Will you come inside?

Edited by Asterisk395 on Jan 15th 2024 at 2:33:10 PM

Stormchaser exterior

Whitt: Why, how gracious. I would love to come inside.

He stands up and waves to his picnic blanket.

Whitt: Would you like me to bring it inside, or shall we leave it to the local wild pokémon.

Distortion Realm

Hoops wraps their bandages around a floating rock. With a scream of effort, they throw it at Thorn as hard as they can. Thorn holds out their engorged arm and easily catches the rock.

"You're pathetic," Thorn says. "You don't really think that you can stop me with that, do you?"

Hoops uses the rock to swing around and deliver a two footed kick to Thorn. It barely staggers them, and they swing the rock around towards Hoops. It collides with another rock, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

When the dust is blown away by the ghost winds, Hoops has vanished. They hold tightly to the bottom of another rock, breathing heavily. This is not how they expected this fight to go.

"I can see you!" Thorn yells. They appear in front of Hoops, their arm already swelling to its muscled appearance. They swing at Hoops' chest, who barely manages to block it with bandages before their chest is caved it. They scramble away, with Thorn only a few steps behind. But then Thorn is in front of them. Hoops gets a brief look at their arm - a horrifying skinless black thing with many joints and a curved claw on the end - before its appearance changes back into the muscled one and they swing at Hoops.

Once again they're thrown into one of the floating boulders.

<You are not doing well> Tot observes.

"You can talk to me from inside your ball?"

<Yeah. Turns out there was a button to do that this whole time.>

"Well I don't suppose you have any ideas?"

<Have you tried grabbing him?>

A yell tells Hoops that Thorn is coming in for another attack. They roll out of the way and then lash out, wrapping their bandages around the doppelganger. "Mummy Prison!"

Thorn strains against the bandages, but appears unable to break out. "The pathetic thing is, you thought this would work," they taunt.

Hoops grins. "I think it is."

Thorn shakes their head. "You clearly haven't been paying attention to my abilities."

Hoops' eyes widen as they feel something. Their bandages explode into rags as something cuts through them in an instant.

"Oh no," they say. They look at Thorn, and finally see the full picture.

Thorn's arm appears metallic, and has over a dozen blades emerging from it. As Hoops' eyes scan up their body, they see that the neck has a similar metallic appearance, leading to an eye that appears cybernetic in nature. Then the arm changes back into its muscled form, and the around the neck and lower part of the face becomes a smooth, amphibian one. The eye is pure white, with a swirl pattern in the centre.

And it changes again, into the many-jointed one. Thorn's face seems most affected by this one, with the mouth bursting open to reveal a set of mandibles, while the eye grows into a red, compound one.

"This was your fault," they say, speaking clearly despite the lack of a mouth. They move too fast for Hoops to see and appear behind them. "These are the ones who you left behind."

Gabriel grumbled, he waited, tapping his fingers. A large screen before him, he hated the dual nature of this but it was necessary. The betrayal of Mr. Strings, the poor audit, and the escape of his only Blank had not left him in a good mood. Moscovium as well, so much of that Tera Research went down the toilet.

Suffice to say, he was short tempered right now. Even worse was that Sakura Genetics, his firm that was supposed to provide his resources was... was... it was difficult to even admit it. Was removing him from his position.

On the call came a handsome man in his mid 50s, thick but nicely cut beard, salt and pepper hair, green eyes that almost glowed. This was Alan Abraham, the "face" of Sakura over the past few years, after the old CEO had stepped down. Gabriel never had been the chief executive, too much attention, he kept himself to side roles with enough power.

"Abraham," Gabriel said, forcing an outward calm exterior.

"Gabriel, good to hear from you," Abraham said with a smile. "So... I believe you got the memo."

"Yes," Gabriel responded, he had to keep his answers short, keep himself in control, though he wanted to scream.

"Oh don't look so down, smile a bit!" Abraham responded raising a glass of champagne. "Heck, I even set up a little backdoor just for you, in case you ever need it!"

Gabriel said nothing and just stared ahead, this wasn't the only thing. They didn't just make contact just for this.

"I heard you lost access to a fountain of technological knowledge, this true?"

There it was. "Yes... he left."

Abraham quirked a brow and shrugged a bit. "Left, couldn't make him stay, what with that freaky eye trick of yours?"

"He had no nerves of which to speak," Gabriel said, forcing himself to take control. "Though I doubt he'd care much for your board meetings and negotiations."

Abraham said nothing and downed the champagne glass, setting it aside. "Fine, did you at least get some useful information?"

"The machine he used recorded some ideas, we can use those... how is your daughter?"

Abraham paused, and let out a laugh. "No... you don't get to pull that card."

"Oh?" Gabriel said, starting to smile. "I was just concerned is all, after all the job she-"

"Gabriel," Abraham interrupted. "We're preparing our own things, if you ever want to work with us, more directly. We're open. I was calling to let you know you have a better position now. This... "School" thing of yours, it doesn't sound very tenable long term."

Gabriel rolled his tongue in his mouth, he chose not to say anything for a moment. "So... you're not removing me permanently?"

"One of our founders? No, noo... we need your guidance and wisdom regardless!"

Gabriel could live with that, still... he had no intent to leave just yet. "What's your plan Abraham? Still working on that... private project?"

Abraham smiled, and cut the call. Gabriel grumbled, he had a backup plan, fine, he could live with that. It never hurt, to have an exit.

Stormchaser

-Selene groans as she rolls over. What did she do last night?-

-She then falls off of the bed she was on.-

Selene: <Ooooooowiiiiiiie...>

-She lays there for a second as she tries to defrag her brain.-

Selene: <I sent to talk to Millie... and then... uuuuuuuuuuh...>

-A voice from the other side of the room derails her train of thought.-

Oddly Friendly Voice: For a fairy, you can really put them away, huh?

-Selene covers her ears. Having Clefable-level hearing with a splitting hangover - oh, yeah, that's the word she was looking for - isn't a great combo.-

Oddly Friendly Voice: Ooh, sorry. In my defense, I did suggest having a glass of water last night...

-Selene turns to glare at the voice - an oddly red Morgrem sitting on the counter of the room's little kitchenette.-

Selene: <Oh, right. You.>

Oddly Friendly Voice Sanguine: Mornin'.

Selene: <You've got five seconds to tell me why you decided to get me so drunk I... uh... fuck it I can't metaphor right now, you know what I mean.>

Sanguine: Can't a guy just get to know one of the weirdest Fairies around?>

Selene: <Four.>

Sanguine: Okay, okay, no need to be hostile. Look, I heard from a drinking buddy that you and one of the other jokers have been messing with the School. But our discussion turned into a meal and, well, it's in my nature to party.

Selene: <"Lol", said the scorpion. "Lmao.">

Sanguine: ... What?

Selene: <Nevermind. So, skipping all of the embarrassing stuff I did, what are you gonna do to help?>

Sanguine: Who said I'd help?

Selene: <That's a bad thing to say to a hung over Clefable within Meteor Mash distance.>

Sanguine: Alright, alright, jeez. The last keyword you need is actually two. "Twin Cities".

-A piece falls into an old dusty puzzle in Selene's brain.-

Selene: <... Ah hah.>

Sanguine: I'll let you get back to your recovery. See ya!

-He disappears into portal that releases a thick haze of floral scent that makes Selene's nose shut itself off in protest.-

-Sanguine nods to himself. He wasn't usually one to muse on what people did while they were drunk, but man...-

-She could not shut up about her boyfriend.-

-He shakes his head. Trying anything with that one would just be stepping into Nocturne's territory. And he didn't need that kind of buzzkill.-

East Area, Province Three

Ever: There.

-the Solar Beams make contact-

-but even so, it's a Solar Beam-

Cornflower: <I could use a direction!>

Ever: Fire, physical, strong as you can make it!

-Cornflower deflagrates-

-she's at the center of quite a lot of solar power, between the harsh sun and the Solar Beams aimed at her-

-add in the dry air, the scattered seed husks, and the ambient grass energy-

-the field ignites-

-she doesn't bother with a guard— she meets Liliaceae's charge head-on-

South Province Area Three, past

Iridium: Bulbal, again!

Bulbal: -Charges, attempting to knock Klawf over-

Levincia, today

-Walking out of the Gym-

Man, that felt like a Galar League match except twice as annoying.

-Only to see-

Iridium: Hey Dr. Tagg, did you just beat this Gym?

-To Iridium-

Yeah, gotta keep my team in shape and all that.

Lydia: -Also there- Hello Dr. Tagg.

-Neutrally-

Lydia.

Iridium: I'm gonna do this Gym too.

This Gym? Ah shit.

-To Iridium-

Kiddo, do you understand Iono's whole deal?

Iridium: Uh, vaguely?

Well Sally, there'll be thousands if not millions of people tuning in. You sure you want that many people knowing your face?

Like my shitload of enemies...

-It's then that Lydia and I share a look of surprising understanding-

Lydia: I'd agree with Dr. Tagg, perhaps we should skip this Gym for now.

Can't have the School catching wind of all this.

Iridium: -Disappointed- I get your point but... I've already got two Badges, and we're already here.

Hmm... perhaps it'd be worth it to go with a disguise of some sort.

Lydia: What do you think Sally?

Iridium: -Thinking pose- What sort of disguise?

Edited by rmctagg09 on Jan 16th 2024 at 5:45:04 AM

Distortion Realm

"The ones I left behind?" Hoops asks. "What does that even mean?"

Thorn sighs. "Cof has vast powers, you know. When you went within his body to be healed, he gave you his mummy powers because that was all that he had to give. But if you had both wanted, he could have given you the power from any pokémon who volunteered it. That's the power that I wield now." They flex their fingers. "Of course, this place is the Distortion Realm - you're fighting your own mistakes. The only powers that I have are those belonging to the pokémon who you didn't bring with you. Call this their... resentment."

They grab Hoops around the throat. As they do, their arm changes again, growing coarse black fur and claws from the ends of their fingers. Their eye glows yellow as the fur spreads up the side of their face, creating a more bestial appearance.

"And this is what resentment feels like." They release a powerful electric shock. Hoops screams as they try to pull away, but don't have the strength to do so. Thorn keeps shocking them for several seconds, with Hoops screaming all the time, until their limbs fall slack and they hang limply within their grasp.

"No," Hoops says. "Have to..."

Move! Come on, body, move!

Nothing responds. Not even the bandages.

"Don't worry," Thorn says. "You wanted to see Giratina? I'll take you to him."

Paldea, East Province Area Three

Phone!Wisp: <Guard drops.>

Abilene: Far too late for that. Sleep Seed!

-in Sun-fueled bullet time, Liliaceae dispels a beam, leveling its source at Cornflower's face-

-Cornflower ignites, and wisps of smoke spew from the barrels of Liliaceae's guns-

Liliaceae: <?!>

-unfortunately unsoporific-

-Cornflower charges, and with a split second left, Liliaceae decides to double down-

-the remaining blowtorch saber, specifically, doubles in size and intensity-

-she drops her spent pistol to grip the other twice as tight-

-and in lieu of their coup de grace, throws up sparks with her beam and Cornflower's entire body-

Liliaceae: <W-well…>

-she digs for a pertinent remark-

Liliaceae: <I've got a direction for you—>

-she's a meter back from where she started talking-

-she digs in her heels—it makes exceedingly little difference-

Phone!Wisp: <Then the ground she's standing on explodes.>

-rather than batting Cornflower's blades aside, she's driven backward through several meters of Fire Terrain-

-Abilene draws her sleeves over her face—the dust blowback sweeps past her-

-...-

-a little hand reaches the lip of the crater-

Liliaceae: <...you.>

Phone!Wisp: <She pushes up—glares angrily at Cornflower, pauses, and looks at you.>

Abilene: …

Abilene: -nods-

Liliaceae: -to Cornflower, wibbling- <...good game.>

-…and her head falls back into the trench of a skid mark left behind-

Phone!Wisp: -floating over- <...yep, out cold.>

Abilene: …tch.

-she pulls out Liliaceae's Fast Ball, walking over herself-

Paldea, Stormchaser Exterior

-Logan gives Hiro a quizzical look-

Hiro: -shrugs- It's good cake.

Logan: Oh, no need for that! We've got this.

-they whistle, and an uncountable mass of Joltik streams from the Stormchaser's ports, pours from the vents, webs up Whitt's offerings, and hauls it to parts unknown-

Logan: -beaming- Come on, then! Your room'll be ready.