Silas and Hacks looked to each other, Ferrum, they had visited it once or twice, even considered entering the fights. <Mega evolution, we're very familiar with it.>
~Silas here can even Mega-Evolve,~ Hacks said. ~Maybe some latent leftover from that is fed with it.~
Silas took the scarf off and resumed human form, he clenched his fist once more and the shield pulsed around him once more. He looked to Deziree and said. "Boring that it only works when I'm human huh?"
"I'm with the doctor here Captain, it is boring," Bishop added.
Silas rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, it does also make a bit of logical sense, if some of these are supposed to mimic my pokemon moves, wouldn't that make them redundant then when in pokeform?"
"Captain, your pokemon form does not have a shield projector or the ability to electrify things with a touch. I see this as something that needs correcting," Bishop stated.
Levincia
Deziree: Eh, zapping things is useful, but kinda overrated in most cases, unless you can intuit the amperage and voltage natively. Otherwise it's only really good for breaking magnetic locks, which is pretty useful.
-She does not elaborate as to how or why she would find that especially useful.-
Deziree: Anyway, I'm not a doctor. Yet. Hm.
-She stops and thinks for a bit.-
Deziree: Dune did joke that the only thing that wasn't "Grade A" about me was my cup size, but... Eh, whatever, plans for later. Back on topic, I've got the scans, and it looks like your cybernetics - the ones that do the glowy stuff, anyway - are in fact hardlight, which means they should work against damn near pretty much anything except Ghost Obscura that's properly calibrated, but most Ghost-Types aren't well-trained enough to even know they can do that, so moot point most of the time. As for the reflex booster, I think I know what it is.
-She picks up a piece of some kind of metal cable from her kit.-
Deziree: There's been talk of private projects based around a particular theory that hypercharging the nervous system will allow someone to move and insane speeds, as if the world were moving slow. Yours might be a prototype version of that. Assuming it's the same kind of cybernetic as the others, it could just be replicating the effects of Agility or Extreme Speed. In which case, alright, cool, fine. But if you notice anything weird - headaches, nosebleeds, unreasonable twitching, memory lapses - you give me a call that day, got it? I don't want to take any chances with cutting edge tech.
-She gives a little scowl to herself.-
Deziree: And maybe I can dig into whoever this potential AI might be, before they dig themselves into somewhere they really ought not to be.
"When I said that Bishop has an odd manner of speaking, him calling you Doctor is included. He addresses people based on Naval terms, since I own a ship I'm his Captain, my wife is the Commander, etc etc. Normally you'd probably be an ensign or cadet, but seeing as you're knowledgeable and clearly a senior member, he's been searching for other terms to call you," Silas explained.
~Bishop, what is Dr. Tagg?~ Hacks asked, as to demonstrate.
"The Admiral?" Bishop responded, a bit confused.
As for the bit about the booster. "Yeah I got a theory myself, like I said the idea was covered in Project Holon. I'll keep you updated just in case, I don't wanna go down that rabbit hole."
~You have a therapist you'll be fine,~ Hacks remarked.
"As for Mr. Strings, maybe that nickname will tell us something, why be called "Strings" after all?" Silas commented, tapping his chin in thought.
"Captain, if I may also remind you, the last ability you gained. The Dash system."
Silas blinked at Bishop, and then remembered what he meant. "Oh right!"
He looked to Deziree, and in a blue blink had covered the distance between him and her, before dashing back to the table. "This is the weirdest part. Hardlight is one thing, this? It doesn't feel like teleportation but somehow I'm shunting myself around."
Levincia
Deziree: ... Hm.
-She holds up a finger as she dials on her phone.-
Deziree: Yeah, Selene? No, not done yet, I need you for a practical demonstration.
-With suddenness, time-space warps, as if something had leaped from some fourth dimension back into reality like someone diving into water, breaking the "surface" before being fully immersed in the fluid of reality again. The air, not sure of what to do with this sudden intrusion into it's space, makes a distinct wuh-thoomp!-
Selene: <Hi!>
-The Clefable waves to everyone.-
Deziree: Is it like that? Minus the Clefable?
The Wanderer
Cascaraffa, past
Kofu: -Recalling Wugtrio- The tides ebb and flow, so now it's time for a raging tidal surge! It's time for the final course, Crabominable!
Crabominable: -Appears-
Kofu: -Pulls out a Tera Orb- Prepare the rigging for a big transformation! My Pokémon's gon' rock the boat!
Crabominable: -Is enveloped in crystal and bursts out wearing a Tera Jewel resembling a gushing fountain-
Kofu: Crabominable, use Ice Punch!
Crabominable: -Punches Del Lurra with a frozen fist-
Del Lurra: -Takes major damage, barely holding on-
Iridium: Del Lurra's not gonna last much longer...
-To Del Lurra-
Try another Trailblaze!
Del Lurra: -Rams Crabominable before getting fainted by their next Ice Punch-
Edited by rmctagg09 on Feb 17th 2024 at 5:37:21 AM
Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.
"I think so?" Silas commented, crouching down a bit to get a better look at Selene. He stood back up and wriggled his fingers a bit, the servos whirring a bit as he did. "It's... something, like I'm pushing myself through a short space. We've measured it as well, it goes 5 meters at maximum for every dash."
~Exactly 5 meters, but combine a few in a chain with the Reflex Booster and he covers quite a bit of distance,~ Hacks commented. ~Selene, do you have any theories as to how this all works?~
No voice to cry suffering
Academy de Naranja y Uva, Lecture Hall
Abilene: Pokéballs.
-today hosts a rather unlikely guest speaker - a green-haired Kalosian woman, severe of expression, holding that typical red-and-white orb up for perusal-
Abilene: We are all Pokémon trainers here, yes? These are not unfamiliar to us. Emblazoned on every building and license and t-shirt these centuries past. Given countless variations by craftsmen and corporates alike. The foundation of our society, if I may be so bold - and if you're attending this class right now, you must know how they center in it as well. Yet why is it necessary?
-she sets it on her table with a resounding tok—that table laden with chisels and paints and—Apricorns-
Abilene: This class, that is. What value is there in crafting these for oneself? After all, what could they cost? ₽2000 at your pedestrian Pokéstore?
-an uncertain titter of laughter-
Abilene: Well, ruminate on it. As today, I teach you a modern approximation of the first and oldest way - before assembly lines, before digitized storage, before pretty paints and buttons and hinges. Come, journey with me. As was taught to me, so I teach to thee—we can make my masters in Johto weep salty tears.
No mind to think. No will to break.
Person, or Idea?
Mitchell is seated roughly in the middle-right of the lecture hall, paying rapt attention to Abilene's lecture.
Looks like a crafts class, Mitchell thinks. Maybe I could make an artsy Pokeball Mr. Hassel would be proud of.
Levincia
Selene: <Oh, that's easy! I call that doing a slip!
-She does just that, a trail of blue energy trailing behind her.-
Selene: <Someone I helped out one time taught me to do that. I think her name was... Bakaris? Something weird like that.>
-She zips right back.-
Selene: <It's honestly a lot harder than doing a full Teleport. Kinda like how it's a lot harder to jog at a slower pace than what you're used to, I guess? But from the sounds of it, you can just fire those things off over and over, which probably means it does it... um... I'm not good at the technical stuff, so, uh...>
-She hops over and grabs a measuring tape from Deziree's table.-
Selene: <So Pokemon that can Teleport will tell you different things about how they figure out where to go, but we'll use their experience as this - a tape measure. You go as far as you need, with certain extreme limitations, and mostly eyeball it with a bit of intuition to make sure you don't teleport into a rock, or a person, or something.>
-She then holds up a ruler.-
Selene: <But your system isn't that smart. Either your brain just isn't telling it the right stuff or it's not made to ask, so instead it just jumps a set distance.>
-Deziree nods.-
Deziree: Ah hah, right. So it's kinda like the teleportation tech that Sylph Co. uses, but instead of teleporting to a second set destination, it's any destination... within five meters.
Selene: <That's my guess. Pokemon that learn Teleport are super varied, but also, like, they always have weird ways of thinking it out? Like you, Galvani - you could learn Teleport.>
Deziree: Sorry - one of my wedding vows was me promising Dune not to learn that.
Selene: <... Wait, no it wasn't->
Deziree: Anyway, teleport tech is outside my range of expertise, anyway - I'm afraid you'd need a specialist for that, especially for one small enough to fit as a cybernetic.
~Yeah, getting someone more knowledgeable about teleport-~ Hacks began, only to pause.
Silas's eyes went wide, he placed a hand over his chest, feeling along where the scar was. "Uh... we have dealt with one before. I was killed by him in fact, it's why my hair is doing the anime white tips thing."
~Tobias, an alternate version of him,~ Hacks began. ~He had gloves that allowed him to teleport around, and the mechanics weren't anything like regular psychic teleportation either.~
"Do you still have the scans of those?" Silas asked looking at Bishop.
"Of course Captain, forwarding them to the good Doctor now," Bishop's response came.
In Deziree's inbox would be several scans on a set of gloves that made use of extradimensional physics to displace one's self.
"The dash... I did something like that as well, I got my hands on that stupid sword he made to break through my beskar. Long story there but his limitations seemed to be based on calculations, he didn't know how much my beskar added to my mass so it threw off his calculations, hence why he didn't teleport my heart out," Silas explained. He paused for a moment and then said. "Saying that out loud, my life has gotten fucking weird."
~I saw Silas grab the sword, and then just dash forward at Tobias with it. He kept teleporting about but Silas just... cut the distance between them,~ Hacks added.
"I used the sword to cut the distance between us, it was kind of a magic sword... again when did my life get this weird?" Silas muttered, before refocusing.
Bishop floated down beside Deziree. "The Captain and his Aide's rambling aside, think you could make use of the tech of these gloves? Or is this something we should delete and never let anyone else learn of?"
Edited by EchoingSilence on Feb 17th 2024 at 11:33:14 AM
The Wanderer
Cascaraffa, past
Iridium: -Recalling Del Lurra- This might be a risk, but...
Go Bulbal!
Bulbal: -Appears-
Iridium: -Getting out her Tera Orb- Let's Terastallize!
Bulbal: -Is enveloped in crystal and bursts out wearing a Grass-type Tera Jewel-
Iridium: Work Up into Trailblaze!
Bulbal: -Paws the ground before charging at Crabominable with a green aura-
Crabominable: -Takes major damage-
Kofu: Use Ice Punch again!
Iridium: Dodge it!
Bulbal: -Manages to weave past Crabominable's fist-
Iridium: Trailblaze again!
Bulbal: -Tera Jewel flashes as he rams Crabominable-
Crabominable: -Faints-
Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.
South Province Area Three
The next morning, Poppy gathered her team for an announcement.
Poppy: So, everyone, I'm here for an announcement. Last night there seemed to have been an... incident.
The team aside from Crusher then all turned their heads towards Stormwind as they felt if any of them caused it, it was him.
Stormwind: Aw, come on!
Poppy: Anyway, this incident wasn't anything too bad, as we now have a new member of the team! Welcome everyone, your new friend Lila the Sprigatito!
Poppy threw out Lila from her Pokeball, and the others weren't sure what to think at first.
Lila: Ooh! You must be one of those cycle-lizard things I've heard about! You must be really fast! Perfect getaway vehicle!
Donut: Well, I suppose I am fast- wait. What did you just call me?
Lila: You can use Spore! Perfect for making any potential witnesses go to sleep! And you there, you have wings! You can fly bags of money right outta the bank!
Shroomy: What do you mean 'potential witnesses'? You are very strange.
Stormwind: And I thought some of you guys were weird.
Lila: At last! My perfect crew! And once I've achieved my full potential and became a Meowscarada, we can all rob casinos and things for the rest of our lives!
Crusher: R-rob casinos?!
Nessa: We shouldn't rob casinos? We should spread the love around the world! ...Besides, Dad, what's a casino?
Donut: Someplace you shouldn't waste your life in. Now we aren't robbing any casinos, I, for the record, refuse to be put on any wanted posters!
All her Pokemon seemed offput by Lila's... quirky priorities.
Poppy: Okay, that's enough. I'm sure we'll all learn to get along, but for now...
Sunrise: I'll keep an eye on her. If she ever goes too far, well, Fire is super effective against Grass.
Lila: Yay! My first partner in crime! You and I are gonna have so much fun!
Sunrise: I'm gonna be honest. The security they have in the richest casinos... I think you'll get beaten before you reach your first slot machine.
Levincia
-Deziree one of those cheek-puffingly big sighs as she looks over the preliminary data for the displacer gloves.-
Deziree: Holy crap, this is real "parallel tech lines" hours here. Just from a look of it, it... okay, god, how do I explain this... like... you know that old metaphor of folding a paper over and stabbing a pencil through and that's how a wormhole works? It's not, but "lies for children", simplifying something until it's objectively incorrect, stuff like that. Anyway.
-She takes a piece of paper.-
Deziree: Fabric of space-time, right?
-She then takes a scalpel she just happened to have on hand and slices right through, leaving a very long hole the paper. She then pushes the two cut points together.-
Deziree: That's what it does. It doesn't, like... teleport you? Okay it does, but it's not, like, how Psychics do it. It's almost not like how normal tech teleports work either - they just make a "shortcut" between to points in space, where physicality is technically the same and the toggle just collapses the waveform so that you're standing on the other side. THIS is, like... freeform removal of relative distance? This is like that "paracausal" shit that Pentigan was talking about that one time...
-Selene fidgets a little.-
Selene: <M-maybe it's a good idea to hold onto it! Turn it into something more generally useful and less... murder-y.>
Deziree: Yeah... yeah, I guess. Just... don't get caught using it around a Palkia, okay? That little visual metaphor I just did might not have been accurate but it implies that continued use might have unforeseen side effects, and I do not want to be even indirectly responsible for the next Glitch Incident.
"He was one of the worst opponents ever faced. His entire thing was... calculative, every look he made was "determining how far he needs to go to remove an organ". Even just the way he waved his hands wearing those gloves would put something into his hand," Silas explained. "The sword was magic, meant to defy regular rules, well it stopped being magic shortly after it killed and then revived me."
~Still weird, he developed a weapon meant to kill you and just left it in you. Why did it revive you anyways?~ Hacks asked.
"Magic is... fickle, it's why I don't like working with anything magical too much. If you don't define the rules then it can do almost anything. He defined it as being able to cut through my armor, but not much after that. It was... too open."
~How do you know that?~ Hacks asked.
Silas made a face, pondering if he should recount the fact that he had spoken to the magic recently, but opted against it. "Long story, but the magic wasn't without side effects."
~I dunno, regrowing an eye is pretty good,~ Hacks said.
"Said eye glows if I start to experience any intense feelings," Silas countered.
Bishop looked over the scans and said. "Captain, about the eyes..."
Silas looked to Deziree, then to Bishop. "Uh... what is it?"
"Captain there appear to be enhancements attached to your optical nerves as well, nanoscopic scale but they are there."
Silas looked to Deziree once again. "Learning a bunch of things today aren't we?"
The Wanderer
Cascaraffa, past
Kofu: -Recalling Crabominable- Vaultin' Veluza! Yer a lively one, aren't ya!
-Laughing-
You got me good, I tell ya! What a great catch you are! Just like a master fisher, ya held on tight till the last second and reeled in victory!
Iridium: These are a lot of fishing puns...
Kofu: Now it's time to hand over yer Gym Badge! And let's get a reel good photo together usin' one of my favorite poses.
Iridium: Uh, okay.
Cascaraffa Gym, a few minutes later
Iridium: -Arrives back at the receptionist area to find...-
-To Iridium-
There you are my apprentice, I figured you'd come back here so I thought I'd just wait here to congratulate you directly. A lot of Trainers maybe get around one to two Badges before they pack it in, and the guys who are a little better tend to hit a wall around the three or four Badge mark, but you managed to defeat Kofu, so I'm not too worried about your continued progress.
Iridium: -Nods-
But I'm not the only one who's here to congratulate you.
-And with me is-
Iridium: -Slightly surprised- Mr. Hassel?
Hassel: Dr. Tagg is correct young Sally, if you keep up with your training, your trajectory will only go upwards from here. You have strong potential, and as a member of the Elite Four, if you make it far enough, I look forward to testing you myself at the Pokémon League. But keep up with your studies as well, as both Dr. Tagg and I could tell you, a well rounded education increases one's chances of success.
Edited by rmctagg09 on Feb 19th 2024 at 4:28:57 AM
Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.
Meet The New Boss
Levincia, Past
Noble Elemental: "I can sense the weak point but can't quite place it... I think we're getting close though!"
Coil: "I think our Pokemon are sensing something too..."
Iris: "I've got an inkling of what it is... Go for the arm!"
Coil: "...Which arm?"
Iris: <...Just hit both I guess!"
Noble Elemental: "A sound strategy for sure."
Mezagioza
-The Growlithe head tilts.
Growlithe: <Destroying... Carpets?>
-Beneath her floof her eyes widen-
<Sounds.... Fu->
-she shakes her head-
<No, no! What kind of dog do you think I am?>
Nero: "...Forgive Jeanne. She's a bit... Persnickety, umu."
The Outskirts Of Cascarrafa
-There is a young woman in a purple dress and hat here-
-She looks a bit down in the dumps-
-But someone may notice her-
Outskirts Of Medali
-There is a boy here-
-He's very pink-
-He's looking up at the crater-
-He may be approached-
Sunyshore Building, Past
Flamel: <Oh I can certainly do that.>
-The fireball lets out a very loud BAM as it splits into countless smaller fireballs, all aimed at the mirrors-
Autumn Mountain
-Olivia transfooooooooooooooooooooooorms-
-She becomes the Water Vellumental and BLASTS the lake back to full water capacity-
-She then changes back to normal-
Olivia: <Ha! How do you like that,Bobby? That's a looooooooooooot of water, huh? Now we can hop on the boat and follow the streamer!>
Bobby: -eyes sparkling- <That was the coolest thing I've ever seen! Sorry I doubted you, ma'am. I can't believe how many awesome new memories I'm getting today.>
-Olivia looks around at the assembled J-Teamers-
Olivia: <So... Which of you knows how to drive a boat?>
Edited by Umbramatic on Feb 19th 2024 at 10:45:15 AM
Contact Me!
The Wanderer
Autumn Mountain, far past
Ann: -To Olivia- Not me.
Cascarrafa - Kofu Lounge, past
Iridium: -Eating from her House Special Hot Pot- It sure was nice for Mr. Kofu to make this on the house.
-Eating my Dandan Noodles-
Well, he was pretty impressed by your battling skills too, also I'm pretty sure the seaweed you gathered for your Gym Challenge went into your dish.
Iridium: Dr. Tagg, I had a question.
Shoot.
Iridium: -Curious- Were you ever anyone's apprentice?
-Laughs a bit-
Well no, not in Pokémon battling anyway, everything I learned that I didn't read about from books I learned through trial and error. But you, you've got a natural knack for Pokémon training from what I can tell, what we've been doing is more refining your already present natural talents.
I guess you could say it runs in the family...
The world has many possibilities within it, and we'll see where your journey ends up leading you.
Iridium: -Taking in the words- Hmm...
-And then my thoughts grow hazy-
Another one huh...
Iridium: -Confused- Dr. Tagg? You zoned out for a second.
-To Iridium as my senses return-
Sorry about that, let's get back to eating.
Cascarrafa Outskirts, today
Chiyo: -Noticing the distraught young woman and approaching her- What's wrong?
Edited by rmctagg09 on Feb 19th 2024 at 11:55:17 AM
Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.
No voice to cry suffering
Academy de Naranja y Uva, Lecture Hall
Abilene: First, the humble Apricorn. Unassuming. Delicious. Round. We begin with the basic variety, Brown - brighter hues bear additional properties beyond the scope of this tutorial. The sampling on your desk is hands-on.
-to each, a selection of three is allocated-
Abilene: Feel them out. For Pokéball-crafting, several properties are desired. Uniform roundness, for aerodynamics and proper ricochets. Solidity—they should not begin hollow. If scavenging yourself, fresh off the vine is better than off the floor—if a plant is not growing, it rots. Spots on the exterior bely deeper decay within.
-students turn theirs to and fro, with expressions ranging from boredom to interest-
Abilene: Nothing special at first glance, are they? To the casual observer, their most notable property may be sheer durability. Sound warning.
-she hands it to her Breloom, who seals it in a vise-
Abilene: While fresh, Pokémon cannot reach the nutritious fruit within. Try though they might...
-the bang of the Breloom's punch sends a dozing student sprawling out of her chair-
Carmen: <...>
-but little else-
Breloom: -fist sparking with electricity- <...>
-Abilene counts down on her fingers: five, four, three...each number punctuated by a blow of different variety and increased force, but equal avail-
Abilene: -removing her earmuffs- They must wait for it to decay to access its treasures.
-she accepts the unscathed Apricorn back from a dejected shroom-
Abilene: This durability is essential for what we intend to create.
-with ungloved hands, the pampered Kalosian noblewoman(?) twists the cap off that Apricorn and pries it in half-
Abilene: Imagine if any old chip could send your creatures spilling hither and thither.
-she repeats the feat on the next Apricorn on her desk, scooping out a fruity hemisphere to toss to her Pokémon-
Abilene: T'would be terribly inconvenient.
No mind to think. No will to break.
Person, or Idea?
Mitchell's eyes glance at the boat, then the newly-filled lake, then back to the boat.
Mitchell: "So that boat's our way forward? *sigh* If Heighton was here, it'd be a cinch to pilot it."
Oliver: <Cheer up, Professor! A bit of gumption will help you learn quickly!>
Mitchell kneels down and pets Oliver's head.
Mitchell carefully handles the three Apricorns laid out on his desk, testing them for the qualities Abilene described. His focus split between listening to Abilene's lecture and feeling out the Apricorns, he misses the meaning behind the "Sound warning" part.
In short order, he selects one of the three Apricorns, holding it gingerly in his right hand. He returns his full attention to Abilene's lecture just before her Breloom punches the vise-bound Apricorn.
BANG
Mitchell flinches from the loud noise, instinctively tightening his grip on his Apricorn and clenching his teeth.
Dragons, that's loud!, Mitchell complains in his head.
It is only then that he notices two things: the earmuffs Abilene is wearing, and the Breloom readying an electrified fist at the vise-bound Apricorn. Acting quickly, he places the Apricorn in his right hand next to the other two on his desk and plugs both of his ears.
Once the Breloom had finished punching and Abilene removed her earmuffs, Mitchell unplugged his ears. Though his ears will still ringing from the initial sonic impact from the Breloom's first punch, he was able to comprehend the rest of Abilene's lecture.
As he watches Abilene's Apricorn-coring technique, Mitchell reaches to the lowest-quality Apricorn on his desk with his left hand and holds it in a Krabby grip. He would have tried twisting off the cap of said Apricorn with his right hand, but he hesitated, waiting for explicit permission to attempt it.
Day 101
AZ lowers his bowl of finished stew to the ground and breathes in deeply. "That was quite a meal," he says. "You have some talent."
"People in your age haven't really discovered cooking yet," Hoops responds. "So of course most of the stuff I know how to make would taste good to you."
AZ nods. "Yes, my age. It's quite a tale that you spin, I'll give you that."
"All true," Hoops insists. "Every word."
"And was the part where you assaulted this Zack Nolan character entirely necessary?" AZ asks.
"Completely."
"And for that matter, you began the story close to a decade before it actually began. It contained many parts that you couldn't have been there for - and for that matter, much of the way it was told was rather disjointed. Jumping very quickly from character to character."
"Blame Tot," Hoops says, gesturing to their roosting bird. "He insisted that it was the only acceptable way to tell the story. No idea why."
"Right." AZ crosses his arms. "You spent a hundred days attempting to attract my attention. Why?"
"Because I need your weapon," Hoops says. "The ultimate weapon that I told you to create is probably the only thing that can generate enough energy to send me home."
"Right. And do you even know how such a thing could work?"
Hoops doesn't answer that.
"Regardless, it's not as if I have any intention of building such a weapon," AZ says. "My brother, the king of Paldea, is the one that started this war with his wish to control Kalos as well. I am confident that this tantrum of his will fade in time."
"Right," Hoops answers.
At this point, there is a rustling from AZ's robes, and an oddly coloured Floette emerges from some hidden fold and floats up to sit on his shoulder.
"Ah, you're awake my dear," AZ says. He feeds her a stray crumb from his meal, and doesn't react at all to how Hoops has stiffened.
"That Floette of yours," Hoops says. "She seems like a special friend."
"Yes," AZ agrees. "There are so many who see pokémon as only weapons for war and work, but I love this one very much."
Hoops grunts an answer.
"Why can't we tell AZ about Floette, if he can know about everything else?" Hoops asks.
<Because she needs to be killed> Cof says. <Whatever we change in the past, that is something so large that it cannot change. Which means AZ can't know that it will happen.>
"I hate to disappoint you," AZ says, turning his attention back to Hoops. "But as I do not intend to build this weapon that you speak of, it obviously can't be used for your purposes. I hope that you find some other way to your home, whether that be another time or not."
Hoops has prepared for this. "One year," they say. "Return to this cave exactly one year from now, and tell me that you still have that same conviction."
AZ hesitates for a moment, then nods. "Fine," he says. "You are, at least, too interesting to only meet the once. I hope that since you no longer need to wait for my arrival you will travel as well. Perhaps you will also not hold the same conviction when we meet again."
He steps out of the dark cave and into the light. Hoops watches him go silently, until Vul comes up behind them and licks their good hand.
<Are you okay?> he asks.
"Not really," Hoops says. "I wish we could do something to prevent what he's going to go through."
Veronika
Outskirts of Medali
A young woman with scarlet colored hair wearing a faded red hoodie with horns approaches the pinkish boy. She stares at the Great Crater with him. ”It’s so full of mystery, isn’t it?” She smiles.
”To tell the truth, I’ve always kind wanted to see what’s in there. If it’s even possible to get in…” She then looks over at the pink boy, appearing slightly embarrassed. ”O-Oh dear. I’m rambling over here and I haven’t even introduced myself.” She extends a hand. ”My name is Sombra. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
you will seeeeee, that all the people are wonderful~
No voice to cry suffering
Academy de Naranja y Uva, Lecture Hall
-as she prepares to launch into the next segment of her lecture, a Rotom phone floats up and whispers in her ear, indicating Mitchell-
Abilene: -murmur- Yes, if you like, you may follow along.
-she taps the side of her BlackGlasses, taking a third example in hand-
Abilene: When coring an Apricorn, one starts with the cap - attempt to remove it in one clean twist, like so.
-pop-
Abilene: The space left behind will be filled by the ball's "button". If the placement is poor, for shape or size, inform me - intermediary steps may be necessary.
-she feels over the exterior of the demonstration Apricorn-
Abilene: Next, examine the shell's grain. Find a line passing from the opening to the tip and back, centrally placed and as straight as can be. This is, of course, the easiest method to shape the ball's two halves.
-missing what she seeks, she frowns, and takes what looks like a cleaver from a stand nearby-
Abilene: If you fear for your upper-arm strength, deny it - the working of Pokéballs is the charge and curse of humanity.
-she cleaves it in two, again with decent ease-
Abilene: -tilting her head- Or rather, I suppose, those who would be Trainers.
-she picks at the seam until she can separate meat from shell-
Abilene: Unless you have another use for it, it is customary—and courteous—to gift the fruit to a creature to whom you are grateful, or are courting for partnership.
Breloom: -munching- <Appreciate you too, boss.>
-Abilene's ears go ever so slightly red-
Abilene: Save the juice - a fraction of a cup or so. We will have use for it.
-she pours the remaining liquid out of the various half-shells into a waiting beaker-
Abilene: And speaking of which: the stone.
No mind to think. No will to break.
Levincia
Deziree: HOW HAVE NONE OF US BEEN SMITED BY SOME DEITY YET?!
Selene: <Don't correct her about the "smited" bit, it'll only make it worse.>
Deziree: So many weirdo wacky systems that were never supposed to interact with one another shouldn't be this stable! You-
-She jabs a finger at Silas.-
Deziree: -alone have enough weird stuff going on to be the subject of either a Sci-Fi novel or a religion! OR BOTH!
Selene: <Woah Dezi, too far.>
-Deziree collapses into a metal folding chair the workshop had lying around.-
Deziree: Yeah, you're right. It's just... fuck, man, and I thought being the clone of some orphaned Alakagross experiment left in a pocket dimension was fucking weird.
-Her gaze goes unfocused.-
Deziree: ... Is this what acclimatizing feels like?
-Selene goes over and pats her old friend on the shoulder.-
"I mean, the stuff from the Foxverse is working just fine, it's all above the table stuff. Just health implants meant to encourage cell replication and all," Silas said. "That stuff is safe."
Hacks furrowed his brow. ~Yeah but that's not the issue. The issue is the Holon stuff, made by Mr. Strings using information borrowed from Gabriel and your brain.~
"Well, they are stable, and interacting with each other, properly it seems," Silas shrugged, before turning back to Deziree. "My family has a motto. "Universum sensum humoris habet," the Universe has a sense of humor. You gotta learn to roll with it, life has a way of throwing funny curve-balls at you."
"Captain, back up. The good Doctor just commented about being a cloned experiment?" Bishop pointed out.
Cue all 3 looking at Deziree quizzically.
Levincia
-Deziree's expression is partially hidden by her goggles.-
-So she takes them off.-
-To say she looks indignant is an understatement.-
Deziree: Seriously?! They only work as a human?! But why?! That's so boring!
-She tosses the scanner onto the table.-
Deziree: And I didn't get any good data. Okay, hold on...
-She takes off her glasses and starts massaging her temple.-
Deziree: Jeez, alright - so assuming there isn't some weird extenuating circumstance between now and a minute ago when the cybernetics did work, that would mean that the power source is human-only. At least for the hardlight features. So...
-She starts pacing, tilting her head back.-
Deziree: Not Tera... not Gigantamax... Maybe Z... maybe Mega...? Wait.
-Her eyes open.-
Deziree: Hold on, I have an idea.
-She double checks the results from the scan.-
Deziree: Okay, I'm seeing results very similar to Mega Evolution energy... Z-Move energy... and... Huh.
-She scrambles with the tablet.-
Deziree: Synergy Energy? Where the hell is Ferrum?
-She taps the tablet against the side of her head.-
Deziree: Wait, that would mean... the cybernetics are feeding on the human-side of the energy link between Humans and Pokemon used in Mega Evolution. And Z-Moves? Are they the same, just with a different catalyst...? Whatever, questions for later.