ITT: We are all Pokémon Trainers

Three-way Group Video Chat via a secure line, 2 weeks ago.

Ian Salburg, Nuvema Town, Unova (7 PM) (Background appears to be a well-kept child's bedroom. Ian is dressed in a pink T-shirt and isn't wearing a hat. He has a worried look on his face.)

Thomas Petersen, Levincia, Paldea (1 AM) (Background appears as a dimly lit desk at a hotel room with a cup of coffee in the foreground. Tommy is wearing a dark T. shirt and his eyes are squinted, indicating that he is not a morning person.)

Priscilla Kwan (Saffron City, 8 AM) (Background is a dining room in a luxury condo with a plate of food laid out mukbang style. Priscilla feels refreshed if still a bit unkempt, wearing her pajamas and a silk robe she usually wears in the morning. Steam wafts up from the tea cup on her right hand side)

Priscilla: Ian, I can explain.

Ian: Don't be silly, Miss Priscilla, it's not your fault.

Tommy: What's not her fault?

Ian: Oh crap. I mean, we were... uh... coordinating the um... delivery and it's kind of coming along late.

Priscilla: Unforeseen circumstances involving global shipping in the [Suez Canal] kind of delayed the delivery of the package.

Tommy: Shit, is the canal blocked again?

Priscilla: What? No... is it?

Tommy: Since the Aurabolts fought off those terrorists, that seaway's been incident-free last I checked. But a lot can happen in 4 hours.

Ian: Okay, guys, focus. We have a situation here.

Beat. Tommy pauses and slurps his cup of coffee. Loudly. Priscilla took this time to grab a few spoonfuls of congee.

Ian: Tommy, Miss Priscilla, is this a bad time?

Tommy: I wouldn't have woken up if I knew this wasn't important.

Priscilla: Yeah, no. This is legit. We really need to talk about this. So, we're all familiar with how that thing works, right?

Tommy: All too well.

Ian: Yeah, dealing with the Psi-Stone's shenanigans is kind of a thing we kinda need to deal with every other April. We've gathered enough that we know how to contain it now.

Tommy: I still have the container. It's engineered well. You did a swell job.

Priscilla: And we have a facility in Paldea that's even more secure than the one in Alto Mare. Thing is, that thing should've arrived today, and now it's only going to arrive two weeks from now at best.

Ian: That's way too much time for the School to start detecting it. And it gets stronger every day.

Priscilla: We had it wrapped in a lead box. That should buy us some time at least until it arrives in the P.O. Box at Paldea. Plus, I do recall that it does take a while for a Psychic to know where it is when it's surrounded by lead.

Ian: It kind of reminds me of how I figured out that a tight-sealing lead container can keep its power contained.

Tommy: Oh yeah, you lost it in a small stack of lead and only found it after it started becoming really active on April 1st. How'd you drop it there anyway.

Ian: Yeah, I forgot. Before the 31st I could already sense its general presence, but couldn't pinpoint where it was.

Priscilla: Then we must work quickly. I'll have to scramble to get a security team there on time. The closer it gets to April, the more it becomes a psychic beacon until we get it into the Pollon.

Tommy: I can get to the Mesagoza post office to bring the Pollon in as soon as I can.

Ian: Now I really wished I took the time to make a better-sealed box.

Priscilla: Hindsight is 20:20, Ian. It was more important to get it going at the time. Our lead-lined Paldean facility would be secure enough to hold it, and that's already overkill with the Pollon.

Tommy: We just need to act fast. The School has people everywhere.

Priscilla: Thank you again for alerting us to this, Ian.

Tommy: Couldn't we just, like, crack down on them or something?

Priscilla: It's best we stick to the plan to keep this thing on the down low until the day itself. If we alert the School too much they'll know we're trying to hide something. My assistant tells me of a guy who claims to be a defector but that said guy was the same person who tried to take over Artazon a couple of months back so officially, he's not so much a defector as he is a person who's under house arrest. Can't risk him or any other potential digletts getting information and relaying them to their puppet masters.

Beat.

Priscilla: Speaking of keeping things on the down low, aren't you going to ask for any form of protection? I can have a security detail sent to you.

Tommy: I can handle myself. The Pollon isn't something they would go after.

Ian: You know, we are in a secure line so if we're all gonna confess...

Tommy and Priscilla in unison: Yeah.

Ian: You guys already knew?

Priscilla: I have a hunch but all I know is a guy like him can't be anything other than a superhero. You just give off that energy, you know.

Tommy: I couldn't get a read on her but I knew she had to be one of the Aurabolts. I'm just not sure who.

Priscilla: Alright, I'll come clean. I'm the Jackal.

Tommy: No you're not. I've narrowed it down to Vulpecula or Taipan. By the way, your Seviper is about to shed.

Craig the Seviper peers into the webcam. His colors were milkier than usual.

Tommy: I think that narrows it down, doesn't it?

Priscilla: Well, so long as we're guessing, Peter Parker...

Tommy: Was it that obvious?

Ian: Not gonna lie, it pretty much is.

Beat.

Ian: Now I kind of feel awkward.

Tommy: I was about to ask about your pseudonym.

Priscilla: Were you hoping that "Ian" was a common enough name to blend in?

Ian: Well, it is just [Scottish Gaelic] for "John."

Tommy: I see where the apology from earlier comes from.

Priscilla: Well, we didn't mean to take that long in taking those pirate terrorists out.

Priscilla had finished the congee throughout the conversation while Tommy had finished his coffee. She grabbed the glass containing the silken tofu, which caught Tommy's and Ian's attention.

Tommy: Is that taho?

Ian: What is it?

Priscilla: Oh this? It's dòuhuā, made of soft silken tofu mixed with ginger-flavored caramel syrup. I've heard of taho—I presume it's a related dish.

Tommy: Silken tofu in a thick brown sugar syrup served with tapioca balls. My boss introduced me to it.

Ian: Now I'm getting hungry. Right now I'm just waiting for dinner.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Apr 12th 2024 at 6:30:43 PM

Mild CW: violence

Owen Edmundson's House, Pewter City (June 2022)

AFD 2024

A Cafe in Alola

It had been a fairly uneventful April Fools Day for Kimberly Bond so far.

She was currently in a cafe, eating some hot chocolate and donuts with Ringo and Ozzy— or, rather, Pepper and Johnathon— sitting next to her. The former was happily eating donuts; the latter was reading something on the wall with interest.

Kim, meanwhile, was sitting there, wondering how Ian was doing, along with the rest of her friends. She was just about to dive into another donut when all of a sudden her phone began buzzing.

"Oh?"

She reached into her phone and saw a notification.

"Ah," she said. "It's the J-Team chat."

"Did someone ge' a copy o' your book?" asked Pepper.

"I would not be so sure of that, Pepper," responded Johnathon.

Kim, meanwhile, clicked on the notification, still drinking her hot chocolate— and the second she saw the sender she spit it out of her mouth. Pepper and Johnathon turned to face her.

"Kimberly?" asked Johnathon. "Are you alright?"

"'O is i'?" asked Pepper.

Kim took a deep breath.

"It's 9-Volt," she said.

"...Oh," said Pepper.

"Now it makes sense why you reacted the way you did," said Johnathon.

"What did 'e say?" asked Pepper.

Kim, trying to calm down, took a few more sips of her hot chocolate before eventually putting it back down again.

"He wants to know what happened to Helmsman," he said. "Apparently he turned into a Hisuian Samurott."

"...a wha'?" asked Pepper.

"Hisui?" asked Johnathon, suddenly intrigued. "As in 1800's Sinnoh?"

Kim nodded. "It must be a consequence of AFD's shenanigans."

She pulled out her cell phone.

"One of you can respond to the message," said Kim. "Preferably you, Johnathon; you know more about this. I... well..."

She glanced around, somewhat nervously. "I'll be on my way."

And with that said, she immediately ran out of the cafe, putting down her cell phone. Johnathon and Pepper glanced at each other, before Pepper shrugged. Seeing this, Johnathon immediately took the phone and began typing, making sure to turn off the quirk settings beforehand.

Owen Edmundson's House, Pewter City

Once again, it was Crina's birthday, and hoping for a repeat of the shenanigans from last year, Owen had returned to his house. Currently he and the Jura6 were all seated at a table, eating a Crina-shaped cake.

All of a sudden, however, Owen's phone began to buzz.

"Huh?" asked Owen.

The Jura6 all turned to face him.

<Oh?> asked Stipax.

<What is it, Owen?> asked Chasmo.

Owen pulled out his phone, and noticing the notification immediately headed to the J-Team chat. He looked over the message for a few moments.

"Not sure," he said, "but I just got a message from somebody named... 9-Volt? And based on the looks of this, they have Hasslemon?"

<They're almost certainly a Pokemon, then,> said Nautilu.

<What are they saying?> asked Crina.

Owen glanced over at the text— and as he began to process it, he slowly brightened.

"Oh!" he said. "Oh, holy crap; this is fascinating!"

<What is it?> asked Stipax.

"You know how shenanigans happen every year on AFD?" asked Owen.

<Yeah?> asked Stipax.

"Well, apparently, this guy's Samurott- "Helmsman", apparently- got turned into this," said Owen, showing everyone the image.

Upon seeing it, the Jura6 immediately crowded around and saw what Helmsman looked like. A few of them— namely Stipax and Nautilu— immediately seemed to recognize it, but the rest of the group were all completely confused.

<What the heck kind of thing is that?!> cried Crina.

<I've never seen that kind of Samurott before,> said Chasmo.

<It looks dangerous...> Teryx muttered nervously.

<Hm,> said Saura. <It appears to be the kind of Samurott I've seen in dreams before. Stipax, do you know anything about what this is?>

<I sure do!> said Stipax. <That's a Hisuian Samurott!>

<What's Hisui?> asked Saura.

<Is that some kind of place in the clouds?> asked Crina.

Owen giggled a bit.

"Nope," he said. "Stipax's right, it's a Hisuian Samurott, and Hisui was basically the 1800's version of what is now modern-day Sinnoh. I've been eager to go there and get a few of the Hisuian forms myself."

<You can go to Hisui?!> cried Stipax.

"Yeah, I've heard there are portals in Mt. Coronet," said Owen. "That and there might be some Hisuian species still out there in the wild. Maybe even fossils of Hisuian mons exist? From what I know, fossils in the Pokemon world take a lot shorter of a time to form..."

<That's amazing!> cried Stipax. <I'd love to meet some Hisuian mons one day!>

"Maybe we will," said Owen simply.

<You plannin' to respond to him?> asked Chasmo.

"Ohhh yes!" said Owen. "And introduce myself to him, too. I don't know anything about him, but he seems nice."

With that said, he pulled out his cell phone and began to send the text out.

The Hitoki House, Eterna City

Similarly to Owen, Laurie had taken a break from their journeying and had returned home for AFD. They were currently on their cell phone, having scrolled through a few videos, and were on their bed along with D'Autry and MC-DC. They'd also seen Rebecca's reaction to a movie trailer, and wrote a text congratulating her on her evolution. All of a sudden, however, the notification came through, and Laurie clicked it.

When they saw the message, they went near-catatonic. They didn't say a single word, and slowly got up to leave the room. D'Autry and MC-DC looked at each other.

<Are they okay?> asked D'Autry.

~I'm... not that sure,~ said MC. ~But fear not, my friend! I'm sure they'll come back eventually! Now... let's have a look as to what's on that phone, shall we?~

With that said, D'Autry and Emcee approached the message— and upon seeing the messager, they looked at each other in understanding.

~<Ohhhh...>~ they said in unison.

~Well, that explains a lot!~ said Emcee cheerfully.

<Should I tell 'em what it is?> asked D'Autry.

~Oh, you don't have to worry a bit, my friend!~ said Emcee. ~I'll tell him! Fellow Electric-types, as it were!~

<Alright then!> said D'Autry. <You go on and tell 'em, Emcee!>

Emcee's red dot turned into a smiley face before they approached the phone and began to respond.

Textspace

SK: Hello there, 9-Volt. You may or may not remember me from Stow-on-Side in 2022. I am Kimberly Bond's Corviknight, Ozzy, in human form as Johnathon Sabbath. Kim is... well... elsewhere right now, but the good news is, I can answer your question. That is a Hisuian Samurott.

PaleoExploration1822 responded to the chat.

PaleoExploration1822: Hey! I'm Owen. Owen Edmundson. Not sure who you are— other than your name— or who Helmsman is, but I do know that's a Hisuian Samurott, a variant of Samurott that lived in the Hisui region, also known as modern-day Sinnoh.

PaleoExploration1822: ...who's Kimberly Bond?

SK: My Trainer. You... haven't heard of her?

PaleoExploration1822: Nope.

telecastMaster (TM) responded to the chat.

TM: Why, hello there, 9-Volt! I've heard about you, but I don't believe we've ever met befo— well, this is rather odd; why are the typing quirk settings off?

SK: I turned them off.

TM: Oh! Salutations, my good sir! ...who are you?

SK: Johnathon Sabbath. I am Kimberly Bond's Corviknight.

TM: MC-DC, Laurie Hitoki's Magnezone! Delighted to meet you, Johnny, but I'm rather curious; why did you turn off the typing quirk settings?

SK: Ah, so you are from another team where they are the default. Well, if you must know, it's rather simple— 9-Volt's from a team where they don't use them, so it's only fair for you to follow suit.

TM: Oh. ...Well, anyways! That, my friend, is a Hisuian Samurott! Laurie has one of those!

PaleoExploration1822: Ooooh! That's really exciting! ...who's Laurie?

TM: They're my Trainer! Unfortunately, they were a bit too... flustered to answer the phone when they saw that you responded...

SK: Yours, too?

PaleoExploration1822: I'm confused...

Soimewhere

-Alphos and Steve have met up here-

Alphos: "It's that time of year again!"

Steve:' "Sure is!"

Alphos: "What will we do this year?"]]

-Steve suddenly frowns-

Steve: "....Actually... I've been thinking..."

Alphos: -frowns- "What is it?"

Steve: "Well, it's just... Are we sure about this?"

Alphos: "What are you talking about?"'

Steve: "We've spent... Hardly a SIGNIFICANT amount of time for beings like us but an AMOUNT of time tormenting this specific universe and specific people in it. And for what?"

Alphos: "Well, that's simple, we... we..."

-they pause-

Alphos: "You're right. I don't know why."

Steve: "See?! We've been going in circles!"

Alphos:' "This.. This is terrible."

Steve: "...What do we do?"

Alphos: "...That, I also don't know".

-The two just kind of pause-

-And stare out into space-

-The yawning, gaping void of space-

Edited by Umbramatic on Apr 1st 2024 at 1:23:05 PM

The old car cruised along the roads, old summer tires squeaking ever so slightly, he’d need to get onto making proper parts for the car… but apparently the workbench and fabricator wasn’t quite ready just yet for that. Hacks was riding shotgun, poking at the screen of the ARC device a bit as Silas drove.

Tae was in the backseat with Snakeye, Blackquill and Bishop had stayed behind at the auto-shop to keep track of everything. Conroy, Conroy was overhead wearing a funny set of goggles, observing the area.

“You all good up there?” Silas asked.

<Yeah, I can see the entire zone from here, there’s an odd… wall around it, it seems to dissipate when we get closer to the edges of the junction. I’ll probably have to return to the car when we want to leave,> Conroy replied.

“Roger that, keep an eye out for goods or anything dangerous up there,” Silas said.

~So… remind me, why do we have to go out here again?~ Hacks asked, looking up from the device. ~We have an antenna, right?~

“It’s old and outdated, only permeates so far into the zone,” came the voice of Tobias over the old radio. “You wanna make some real progress, you're gonna need parts and zone energy. That’s where Roxanne comes in.”

“Speaking of,” Francis began. “Roxanne, we’ve been calling you Roy for awhile, what’s your actual name?”

“Ribeon, it’s Kalosian,” Roxanne replied, sounding a little frustrated. “Been waiting to hear that for a long time haven’t you?”

“Well… Roxy, can I call you Roxy?” Tobias asked.

“No.”

“Roxy, we don't know anything about ya, other than a preference for what wines and bourbons ya like and how ya keep rolling those old Asimov brand cigs. Your life is a mystery, you just showed up one day nearly 30 years ago and got to work, nobody knew more than you about the multidimensional physics tied to this place. It was like you had experience!”

“I did, my family’s been hoping for past etralinks and timelines for a while now. Made that clear earlier didn’t I?” Roxanne replied.

Silas said nothing, Hacks picked out some spots with Conroy for everyone to start gathering resources. He was trying not to think about the implication that some him went exploring the multiverse for a good century or two… and yet part of him in a way hoped that that version of him would be him someday.

The car pulled up next to an odd device, a single glowing golden sphere at the center of it. “There we are, an anchor,” Roxanne said over the radio. ''“Stabilized energy of the zone, these Anchors act as points of reality, and condense it into a form of energy, energy that ARC device needs.”

“Uh-huh… and what happens when I pull it out?” Silas asked.

“Minor destabilization of the area, the forecast is fine however, Perpetual Stability. You don’t need to worry about the instability storms just yet.”

~I don’t like the sound of that,~ Hacks said.

Silas let out a sigh, grabbed onto the sphere, and gave it a yank. There was an ominous drumbeat that filled the air, as suddenly reality seemingly shimmered around them, and the car was surrounded by mannequins.

“Oh good, tourists.”

“Tourists?” Silas said, wanting to poke one.

“Glitches localized to the zone. Harmless really, just don’t run into them and you’ll be fine,” Roxanne commented offhandedly.

Silas sidestepped around the tourists, he swore they changed position when he wasn’t looking. Popping open the door he placed the sphere on the pedestal in the footwell, and watched it vanish in an instant, an ominous droning noise filled the air as it did so.

~I hate everything about this,~ Hacks mumbled. ~Hey, scrapper team, how goes it?~

<Found the antenna!> Conroy's voice over the radio. <Marking it on the map, man this headset is useful!>

Tae and Snakeye loaded the scrap material into the trunk and climbed into the backseat, Silas got behind the wheel and put the car in drive. It was a relatively quiet journey to the top of a hill where the antenna was. Conroy waiting next to it, Silas and Hacks stepping over to pull the control unit out.

“This is gonna spark something,” Silas muttered.

~Absolutely,~ Hacks agreed. ~April Fools picks the funniest ways to start things.~

“And yet… it feels like there’s a purpose behind this one.”

The two yanked the control unit out, and put it into the trunk, Silas stepping into the driver’s seat once more as Hacks gripped the ARC Device. ~Uh hey, there’s a glowing spot on the map.~

Silas leaned over and looked, as Hacks slowly tapped a paw to it… and suddenly there was a siren blaring out over the hills. “Hacks what did you do?!”

“Oh good, you figured out how to open the gateways. Well, just search for the great big pillar of light and get driving, because the Stability of your junction is collapsing,” Roxanne explained.

Silas turned paler than normal, and slammed on the gas, whipping the car about towards a large glowing orange light off in the distance. Conroy had crammed himself into the backseat with Tae and Snakeye, who had taken to holding each other as the car picked up speed. Driving past more tourists, they were soon being chased by weird rolling machines covered in spikes.

Darting past trees, the car rammed into a rock formation and shook, pressing onwards regardless. Hacks staring at the map on the screen, a circle around the gateway shrinking smaller and smaller. ~We’re not gonna make it!~ he cried out.

It passed, and nothing seemingly happened… only then for a red circle to start shrinking, oh… oh that was the bad one.

“Nearly there… nearly there!”

They hit a bump, the car went flying, Conroy, Tae, and Snakeye in the back screaming.

A tingle ran up their collective spines as the car slowed to a crawl, they were back at the auto shop. Silas exhaled, unaware he had just stopped breathing until now. His hands were still gripped around the wheel, he let out a giggle, and then a laugh, he just kept laughing even as he couldn’t uncurl his fingers from the wheel.

Hacks joined in, it was the sort of laugh that only near death could generate. Tae slowly let go of Snakeye, regretting it from all the pins he now had sticking to his body. Conroy cautiously opened a door and flopped out onto the asphalt pavement.

~I hate this place,~ Hacks commented.

“Good, you haven’t been scrambled by the instability, welcome back,” came Roxanne’s voice.

Silas’s frown returned.

April 1st, Part 2

Universe 2

Tot: You know, it's kind of creepy to be watching someone from the bushes like this.

Hoops ignores him. They're posted up outside their childhood home, watching as another version of themself feeds their Luxray in the back garden. That other version looks, well, there's no other way to say it, happy. Even besides the lack of the physical marks, the bandages, the pale skin, there's more energy. Bags under the eyes that Hoops can't remember not having look like they've never even crossed this kid's face, and they laugh easily. They even seem to stand taller.

Hoops: I guess the parents are out today.

Tot: You know, according to the machine, you won the Galar league in this world. Travelled all over the world, but came home whenever you could. Never met up with the J-Team, though. And without going all Wonderful Life on you, that means Xaster never joined either. Just saying.

Hoops: Yeah.

They turn away.

Tot: I thought you'd want to say hi to yourself or something.

Hoops: Nah. They don't need to be worrying about all my shit. It's good to know that there's a version of me that's happy, anyway. Though I do want to do one more thing.

They pull a hood over their head. They make their way through town and observe their parents as they make their way around the weekend market. They're smiling, arm in arm. They buy a snack to bring home for their child. Hoops is about to leave when a little girl runs up to them, and is picked up by her mother. A lump forms in Hoops' throat.

Hoops: Hey, Tot?

Tot: Yeah, you had a sister here. Charlie, they called her. She adores you, wants to be just like you some day.

Hoops: What happened to her in this universe?

It takes a second to realise that Hoops isn't talking about this newly discovered sister. He checks the machine.

Tot: She never ran away, but she still died. In this universe, no-one bothered to mourn her, and it never meant anything.

Hoops: That's good.

They start to leave.

Hoops: Come on. Let's go to the next universe.

Universe 31415926

Tot: I see. So in this universe people worship circles.

Spheal: <Hello, newcomers. You may have noticed that I am circular. I am your god and you will bow down to me and the other circles or face the unimaginable pain of having your bodies altered to resemble the divine form of the circle, as all things must be.>

Hoops: ... Can we go back to the cannibal universe?

Edited by theoncominghoop on Apr 1st 2024 at 7:50:28 PM

Hi Hat Cafe, Rhyme City

-Alphos and Steve are sitting at a table here. The Ludicolo and Milcery are eyeing them oddly. Eventually Pablo Millan approaches them with coffee-

Pablo Millan "Wow, I didn't know there was a convention in town! Y'know, I've always wanted to go to a J-Con myself... What con are you two here for?"

-Alphos and Steve just stare silently at their coffee-

Pablo Millan: "...Why the long face, you two? You con-goers are usually more lively."

'Steve: "We're not - oh, never mind."

-He takes his coffee and starts drinking it-

Alphos: "We've lost control of our lives..."

Pablo Millan: "Oh really? Hate when that happens."

Steve: "Our actions have no purpose... no meaning..."

-he seems awfully drunk for having only drinken coffee-

Pablo Milan: "Well. Sounds like you two are having a midlife crisis!"

Alphos: "...Midlife..."

Steve: "...Crisis?"

Pablo M Ilan: "Yeah. I had one bad. Lamented I was losing both my connection with my Pokemon, and my musical groove. So I made this cafe to spice things up."

Alphos:" ... Should we like... Make a cafe then?"

Pablo Milan:]] "Not necessarily that... Just something that'll bring back your zest for life!"

Steve: "Zest... Hmmmmmm.... We'll have to find some!"

Alphos: -slams fist on table- "We'll start right away!"

-the two rush out-

Pablo Milan: "Man these fandom guys are getting weirder by the minute."

Edited by Umbramatic on Apr 1st 2024 at 3:32:09 AM

The Car pulled into the shop, another successful drive done, Silas climbed out and began to work with his team on emptying the vehicle. He looked to Hacks with a nod before walking over to the workbench to start fabricating new parts for the car, the next junction they needed to hit, according to the antenna, was full of parts and also very electrified.

He barely noticed when the radio crackled with static and the voices of the other inhabitants returned.

“So, Roxy. Care if we tell your friend there about the Remnants in the zone and how they work?” Tobias asked.

“Only relevant information,” Roxanne replied. “Start rambling and I’ll shut your signal off.”

“Roxanne please we can-” Francis began.

“Want to test me?”

There was a pause, and then. “Okay, so the Paldean Olympic Zone was formed in 1955, it was built around a recent discovery about how the paradox energy within worked. The ARDA researchers of the time hoped to harness it to provide unlimited energy for the world.”

“Eeey Francis! Great job!” Tobias said. “Yeah Francis and I showed up around 1976, a few years after Roxy, or as she was known then, Dr. Roy, came into the zone.”

Silas paused as he was sticking an insulated panel onto the car, he looked to the radio unit and blinked for a moment.

“1955 was when I arrived, along with my Silas. We had been exploring for a while so the whole “time travel” bit for our venture wasn’t anything new… and we saw… potential, me more than him really. We settled in and watched, slowly working our way up, eventually being recognized around 1972. It was fun, made new names to keep ourselves from interfering in history too much. I had been studying a lot about dimensional physics and felt I could help. My Silas, well he was ever the electrical wizard and helped design containment units. Things went wrong and we’ve been here ever since,” Roxanne said almost wistfully.

“So, the remnants then?” Silas asked, finishing up a panel.

“Right, so about some time after we showed up, there was an event called the Mass Hallucination, and after that, random objects around the zone had become… well anomalous. These seemed to be empowered by the Zone itself, almost as if they were Remnants of its power,” Francis explains.

“Tada! Name drop!” Tobias interrupted.

“Right, these Remnants were usually old or innocuous objects, paint cans, a telephone,” Francis continued.

“Oh man, remember the Teapot? Poor gal was never quite the same but the tea that was brewed from-”

“Tobias, please.”

Silas took notice of the tone Francis used with Tobias, something was up between the two. He would never get accused of being observant, he had made some mistakes that had thoroughly quashed that idea but this was a bit more obvious.

“Why am I putting up with you two again?” Roxanne asked.

“Because I have 10 years of poetry ready if you don’t,” Tobias responded slyly.

“No further questions,” Roxanne replied.

Silas whistled. “Yo, guy possibly affected by this thing here. Care to finish up telling me what Remnants are and the effects?”

“Sorry! Sorry! The effect is that they worm their way into your mind, making you more and more obsessed with them, it depends on the Remnant of course… as well as the Car being so inert for so long may have dulled it. The obsessions manifest in different ways, certainly, but there is a common thread among them,” Francis explained.

“Everyone hit eventually goes nuts and goes scurrying off into the Deep Zone,” Tobias finished. “Real shame that it happens.”

Hacks scratched his head a bit. ~If everyone hit goes running off into the Deep Zone, doesn’t that mean there’s something there for them to find?~

There was a pause, Tae leaned over. <I mean, yeah that tracks with me. If all signs point to the deep zone, apparently we need to get into there.>

Another deep pause, and then over the radio came Roxanne’s voice. “Get your car outfitted, we’re sending you to see Colossal Cappy.”

“The what?” came Silas’s response.

Halis: "Mhhh... five more minutes..."

Halis begrudgingly wakes up, feeling something... off about today in particular. Sure enough, where they wake up isn't even their bedroom, but instead a classroom of some sort.

They immediately recognize this classroom, and their expression goes dark.

Halis: "...Nope, nope nopenopenope, I'm out, I'm not doing this, I REFUSE! I already have one crazy AI companion, I don't need another!"

Halis tries to leave, but none of the doors actually do anything, nor do the windows open. A girl with a ponytail in a school uniform (who, pointedly, hadn't existed a moment ago) looks over at Halis confusedly.

???: "Woah there, calm down. What's the matter?"

Halis freezes, very slowly looking over at the one speaking.

Halis: "...Aw crap. Uh... hi? Could you like, maybe... make one of the exits work? They seem to slightly... un-work.

She giggles at their comment.

???: "'Un-work', that's the first time I've heard that one. The exits and windows all work fine, though."

She walks over to one of the doors, opening it as if it was perfectly normal to do so.

???: "See? Not that hard."

Halis doesn't even respond, quickly trying to make their way back out but being stopped by her instead.

???: "Hey, hey, hold on, you walked in here on your own, the least you could do is tell me your name. Maybe I could help you find where you were trying to go?"

Halis: "I-it's, uh... Halis. I was just trying to leave this— er, building, actually."

She smiles, taking one of their hands without prompting.

Monika: "It's ok, Halis. I'll help you find the exit, no problem. My name's Monika, by the way. I'm the head of the school's literature club. It's nice to meet you."

Halis sighs nervously.

Halis: "Oh this is gonna be a long day, isn't it."

Monika: "Something wrong?"

Halis: "Nothing! Nothing at all..."

With that, she begins leading them through the halls, and with Halis not knowing how long this whole thing could take, they can only brace themselves for what might come later...

Alola Route 14

Chiyo: -Walks out with Beremices-

Acerola: -Spotting Chiyo- Welcome back, did you get the pictures you needed?

-Checking-

Yup, that's Mimikyu all right! It's pretty hard to catch it on film, so this is a really great attempt! Which means...

-Presenting a Ghostium Z-

You get this shiny new Z-Crystal! Now I can show you how to summon Ghost-type Z-Power!

-Proceeds to do the Z-move dance, ending with her crouching and raising her arms up like she's an attacking ghost-

Chiyo: -Copies the dance- Okay, got it.

Acerola: Now you can go see Uncle Nanu across the cove for your Grand Trial. As for me, I'm heading back to the Aether House to help out. Gotta show them the strength to protect what matters, right?

Chloe: -Shares a silent look with Chiyo-

Chiyo: -To Acerola- Would you mind having a plus two?

Somewhere in Paldea, today

Iridium: -Crawling around as an East Sea Shellos- <So slow...>

Edited by rmctagg09 on Apr 1st 2024 at 7:24:32 AM

A Fletchling-sized Fletchinder is perched on a certain Quaquaval who is wearing a KH-style dancer outfit.

Quack Parade: <You think we're ready for the Open Sky Titan?>

Trill: <Probably after today. Might want to get back to a more comfortable size and assume Sally wants back to a more comfortable speed.>

West Province Area One

Iridium: -Riding on Struthie, though she might be barely visible on the Espathra's back- <No way, let's do it today!>

The car pulled into the junction, a sickly glow everywhere, under the gaze of a large red glow, a singularity at the center of the town.

<Okay we made it.>

“Yes we di- WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!”

Silas and Hacks looked over themselves, Stylus stared at his paws, then at the console and steering wheel… and then down to the pedals.

<Arceus damn it!>

Harold groaned. “Crap, I’ve gotta drive us?”

<Oh no… what are the others like?> Stylus asked looking back, only to see Tae and Snakeye as normal looking as ever. <...huh?>

<Dunno what happened Hoss,> Snakeye responded, just as confused. <Maybe check the Arc Device and see what it says about the current junction?>

Stylus leaned over, as Hacks was climbing out of the passenger seat. The device read two conditions for the junction.
Perpetual Stability
Driver Swap.
Fantastic…

Stylus climbed into the passenger seat, a little annoyed, he was starting to like driving the- oh no it was happening. He looked over, Harold was miffed as well and grumbling how he liked being the navigator as he gripped the steering wheel. Harold blinked and took note of Stylus’s worried expression. “What?”

<It’s happening. We’re getting moody about being shuffled out of our usual spots.>

“N-no… no we’re not. We just got used to how our system worked and we-”

<Hacks I like driving the car and I’m upset that this condition makes it so I can’t drive. I think we’re both affected.>

Tae blinked as a look of horror crossed Harold’s face. <Well shit you two are kinda fucked then huh?>

“Not helping!” Harold barked.

<Hoss and Boss? Y’all may wanna get rolling, the sooner we scrap this here spot and deal with Cappy, the sooner we get to getting ya two untangled from this here station wagon,> Snakeye pointed out.

With that in mind, Harold floored the pedal and the car took off, there were a few points to hit with the scrappers, though the hazardous environment and toxic fields made it difficult. Stylus however was happy to step out and work out some pent up frustration by literally punching old wrecks apart.

Avoiding the occasional abductor, the team continued scrapping what they could, eventually reaching a large crater, where the red glow of Colossal Cappy sat. Stylus looked up at it and his ears flattened somewhat. <Uhm… something supposed to happen?>

“I’m with him, hey Roxy ain’t there supposed to be… something about this?” Tobias asked.

“Hrm, seems you aren’t quite close enough. There’s a bridge that leads to Cappy directly. You’ll need to lower the gate there to get access,” came Roxanne’s response.

<The sooner I’m not short anymore, the better,> Stylus remarked.

“Oh come on we all know you like being a Lucario,” Harold said with a smile. “You just wanna get back behind the wheel because we’re going crazy.”

Stylus didn’t respond and just climbed back in. The car was on the road once more, rounding a bend up a hill, approaching an old Arda tower. Harold looked out over the road ahead, the bridge was barely held together and part of it seemed to be floating, Snakeye was looking at the tower.

“So, Roxanne, if they hit Cappy, what will happen?” Francis asked. “Will it be… safe?”

“Who knows!” Roxanne replied, rather excitedly by Harold’s judgment. “That’s what we’re here to find out, I’ve got the equipment all rigged up and ready to measure the results.”

“Stylus, wanna get the tower?” Harold asked. “We’re not gonna be going anywhere else without it.”

<On it,> Stylus replied, stepping out of the car, heading up the stairs and punching through a blocked off door.

As he ascended the steps to the control board, his thoughts were mired in the nature of the zone, why they were here, and the fact that it was concentrated April Fools day energy. Was AFD similar to the paradox energy of Paldea? Couldn’t be it, otherwise he would have been in his Paldea rather than this alternate one. So what was the catch, why was he here?

Perhaps he had to look at it another way, what was the narrative link? The universe had a sense of humor after all, so what was the big joke here?

There was the lever, pull it and open the gate, and then jump over the railing back into the car. Harold looked at Stylus and asked. “Do you need to do it that way?”

<Benefit of fighting type and metal bones,> Stylus responded with a grin. <Alright… punch it.>

Harold looked to the back seat. “Hold onto your butts.”

He slammed on the pedal, the backwheels burning before the car shot off down the bridge. Avoiding tourists and keeping an eye out for anything else, he wasn’t an expert driver or anything, hell he liked vehicles the least of the team. The hazard sensors were picking up a build up of the toxic fields, enough that they’d start stripping the parts off the car itself.

Closer and closer they got to Cappy, the gas tank barely holding enough fuel left as they approached the iris of the red glow. “Come on… come on…”

They hit a ramp, and flew right into Cappy itself.

Silas and Hacks shivered a bit as they resumed their normal forms, back in the safety of the shop. The two looked at each other, let out a laugh, and slowly stepped out of the car, Tae, Snakeye, and Conroy following.

“You okay Captain?” Bishop asked.

“Peachy,” Silas responded.

<I’ll get some tea brewing,> Blackquill said wandering off to go find a kettle and a hotplate.

~When did we get tea supplies?~ Hacks asked.

“We went digging around the shop while you were out, the food is still edible surprisingly enough,” Bishop answered. “Perhaps the zone’s instability is a preserving factor.”

“You learn to live with it,” Roxanne’s voice came over the radio once more.

“Roxanne, what were you thinking?!” came Francis’s voice. “Cappy nearly killed them!”

“Oh hush, Silas is hardier than that. Besides, we got a signal from the Remnant. We just need to triangulate and…” Roxanne replied.

“What?” Silas asked.

“We got the signal back,” Roxanne replied. “You’re not going to like where it came from.”

“The very center of the zone itself…” Francis muttered. “Arceus…”

~Well, great,~ Hacks muttered. ~So we have to go there?~

“Hey hey it won't be too bad,” Tobias interjected. “Ya got us, don’t worry we’ll get you in safely!”

Hacks somehow doubted that.

Trill: <Huh, alright, then. Let's give it a go!>

They fly off as Quack Parade runs to an area with what looks like swaddling sacks rolling down a big cliff and a giant Bombirdier at the top.

Silas and Hacks were overlooking the layout of some blueprints, new panels needed to be made and scavenging from the Zone hadn’t exactly been “easy” to handle for the most part. Blackquill had taken over duties prepping rations and potions for the journey into the Zone, and Silas could smell the canned food cooking. He wasn’t certain if it was the weird time frame they were stuck in, the fact that he had barely eaten before AFD hit, or if it was just the smell… but he was hungry.

He set down the blueprints and wandered over to Blackquill’s station. “What do we have?”

<Mostly just old soups, Grant-dono,> Blackquill explained. <Still, a meal is a meal, and sustenance will help you weather this day.>

“Feels more like several days already,” Silas muttered, sitting down on a makeshift bench, as he grabbed a bowl and some old spoons.

“Hey sitting down to eat? Smart plan, gonna need the stomach for what we’re about to tell you next!” came Tobias’s voice over the radio, Silas let out a sigh a bit. “We figure since the next zone we’re having you investigate is a swamp, we need to talk about the Mass Hallucination Event.”

<Mass Hallucination?> Conroy asked.

“Conroy, what did we say about the Chatot Exposition?” Silas remarked.

<Only if I’m wearing a bandana and we’re doing a sneaking mission,> was Conroy’s response.

Silas stared at his noivern, who had the most stoic expression on, it had to be mockery. He let out a sigh and said out loud. “Alright hit me then, Mass Hallucination, what is it?”

“Francis?”

“The mass hallucination was an event nearly 20-30 years ago that swept the entire zone. Just one day everyone is relaxing trying to enjoy themselves, then boom! Voices, vivid images, even smells and feelings overtake everyone for nearly an hour!” Francis began. “And just as soon as it hits, it passes and everyone is left to pick up the pieces.”

“Cryptic,” Silas said.

“I saw so many cryptids…” Tobias muttered. “What’d you see Francis?”

“A pit, a pit in the center of the world filled with plenty” Francis replied. “Roxanne?”

“Nothing,” was her response. “Nothing at all.”

There was a long pause, just before Tobias asked. “Nothing…”

A click, the radio shut off, and suddenly it was just Roxanne once more. “Don’t want those two to hear this. Yes, I heard something. A voice, your voice in fact… well the voice of my Silas at least,” Roxanne said suddenly. “Just… speaking to me after the accident. I didn’t quite clearly hear what he was saying,”

Silas said nothing, he heard a deep breath come from the radio before. “There’s a bedroll somewhere around there, get some sleep, you’ll be heading out to the swamps. Tobias and Francis have some plans for your little hunt.”

There were swamps here?

West Province Area One

Iridium: <Okay Struthie let's go!>

Struthie: -Sprints ahead in the direction of the Bombirdier-

Trill and Quack Parade head up as well, dodging the packages rolling down until they make it up to the Titan.

Bombirdier: <Well, today's already been weird enough, guess I've gotta deal with people challenging my turf here too.>

The car rolled through the mud, off road tires squealing as it did, the swamp was here. Silas leaned back in his chair and sighed, as he felt the car shift as Conroy took to the skies once more. “So, place your bets, is this swamp poisonous?”

~Our luck can’t be… no it could be that bad,~ Hacks admitted.

“Alright, there are 3 murals here, left by “The Painter”. Poor gal got hit with a remnant, a paint bucket and became obsessed with painting things, things that came true in the end,” Tobias explained.

“Travel around, gather what resources you can, and scan the murals located on the map. Simple enough, we might be able to explain what they do,” Francis added. “I got an idea about them, something about them.”

“Well, can you tell me about the Painter then?” Silas asked, taking the car off the road. “If she painted them and they’re so significant, what was she like?”

“She was a poor out of work painter who moved here from Kalos. Apparently she had been suffering from a major art block for a few years and came out here looking for inspiration. One day, a remnant found her, an old paint bucket. With it, she began to paint murals, some of which ended up coming true. It was like she was possessed, experiencing visions of the future.”

~So like the clairvoyant move then?~ Hacks commented.

“We’ll see soon enough, you should be coming up to the first mural now,” Francis said.

Indeed the car had, Silas put it in park and got out, whistling for Conroy to get down with the scanner. The mural before the group was of a blue doorway on a hill, opening up to a void of black inside. Silas tilted his head, even Conroy did so as he landed.

<What do you think it means?> Conroy asked.

“Life has many doors?” Silas remarked.

~Whoa… Silas pull on your scarf,~ came Hacks’s addition. ~Seriously, just pull it on and use aura vision.~

Silas did as he was told, and in an instant everything already felt different, he didn’t need to use aura vision to feel the intensity of what was radiating off of the mural. He still closed his eyes and let his lekku float, pushing a bit and sensing the aura radiating off the mural, this painting was in a way… alive.

Conroy finished the scan, and pushed the goggles up his face. <This place is so weird.>

<It’s the concentrated April Fools energy, it has to be,” Silas said, taking his scarf off.

“You’d be onto something there,” Francis’s voice came over the radio. “I’ve been tracking the flow of energy in the Olympic Zone ever since we moved to Paldea.”

<I have to ask,> Tae interrupted. <Why is it called the Olympic Zone?>

“Because originally Paldea was going to hold the Olympics back when Arda was first formed,” was Roxanne’s answer. “Now stop stalling. Francis, Tobias! You got the scan, care to actually inform him?”

Silas shook his head and got back into the car, heading off to the next mural, Francis was heard shuffling through some papers before. ''“Here we go! The Inverted Door!”

A sound of a shiver and Tobias was heard. “I’m… staying out of this one. Just know, if you ever see it, run away from it.”

“The inverted door is an anomaly in the zone that takes the appearance of a simple blue door frame, anything that walks through it is inverted inside out.”

“I saw some poor hikers pass through it once, no further comment.”

Silas grimaced at the thought as he pulled through the bog, avoiding some exploding anomalies. He didn’t remember what the big floating rock ones were called, but he hated how they shot out tendrils to crawl towards you, it was unsettling.

“Just don’t interact with it and you should be fine. What’s the next mural you’ve found?” Francis asked, hoping to move on from the Door.

“Looks to be some form of ape pokemon?” Silas responded. “I think it’s an ape.”

~Rather large one,~ Hacks noted.

“Hey you found one of my favorites, Sasquatch!” came Tobias once more.

“Sasquatch… as in that old cryptid myth about Bigfoot?” Silas asked, a little incredulous.

“Oh don’t get him started!” Roxanne shouted. “If we were to go over every single cryptid he thinks is in here, we’d never leave!”

“Hey if you’re implying that you and some version of our Driver there went on wild adventures together about a century ago in your time, I don’t see how meeting Bigfoot is an impossibility!”

Silas sighed and finished the scan, there was only one mural left. Back into the car and on for another drive, he pinched the bridge of his nose, he was tired. Tae leaned over and spoke. <Hey, look like you’re beat, wanna trade places and rest in the back a bit?>

“Not a lot of space back there for me,” Silas pointed out. “With the fuel tanks and everything.”

<Scarf.>

Silas didn’t disagree with that, and quietly swapped seats, pulling on his scarf to fit into the back. <Need a scarf?> he asked.

Tae said nothing and took the wheel with ease, pressing down on the gas pedal and getting the car rolling. It was a quiet ride to the other end of the swamp, though the scarf quickly ran out and Silas was left uncomfortable again. “I hate it here.”

“You get used to it,” Roxanne replied. “We all have our reasons for staying here.”

<What’s the reason for Tobias and Francis?> Tae asked.

“Tobias stayed, so I stayed,” Francis said. “We ignored the evacuation order and we’ve had 10 years together here.”

“No regrets?” Silas asked from the back seat.

“None,” Francis admitted, sounding genuinely happy.

Silas leaned back and looked to his team, who shrugged as well. Tae stopped the car, climbing out with Silas as well. Conroy landed on the hood and scanned the painting.

The picture was of a large colourful afternoon, with UF Os everywhere over everything.

“Ah the great pileup,” Tobias said. “You think they’re out there?”

“Who? Aliens?” Silas asked. “I know they’re out there, I owe one a few favors.”

“Excuse me?” Tobias replied incredulously. “You owe one some favors?”

“Long story, Roxanne can back me up.”

“Ah, Ziltoid. Little weirdo, loves coffee from Earth way too much. Says we have the best coffee in the Galaxy,” Roxanne said in a jokey tone.

“... I don’t know if I can believe you,” Tobias said.

“Regardless of the wild adventures these two shared,” Francis interjected. “I ran through all the murals, there’s something in common with every painted mural. They have numbers in them!”

~I don’t see any!~ Hacks protested. ~What numbers?~

“You need the equipment for it, Roxanne take a look.”

“Oh my… well that’s interesting,” was the only thing she said.

Silas groaned, he knew this would involve another road trip soon enough.

''“A lab, hidden in the Mid-Zone. Best to prepare yourself.”

Rhyme City

-Alphos and Steve are conversing here-

Alphos: "Okay so to solve our midlife crisis we need zest. Where can we get zest?"

Steve: "Zest, zest... I've got it! The Herba Mystica that grows near the Great Crater of Paldea! That's the zestiest stuff there is!"

Alphos: "Perfect! Let's go! "

-blip-

The Depths Of Area Zero

-the two blip in here-

Steve: "Okay, the Herba Mystica should be around here somewhere-"

Alphos: "Steve, look!"

-There before them, is an entire garden of Herba Mystica-

Steve: "Jackpot!"

-The two rush over and start gathering up armfuls of Herba Mystica when suddenly they hear a voice-

'???: "Just what do you think you're doing?"

-the two look up to see... Rika?-

Alphos: "Isn't that that lady from the local Elite 4?"

Steve: "What's SHE doing here?"

Rika: "I come down here for a routine survey, go into a cavern I haven't seen before, and find two unauthorized intruders! First those kids from Narnja Y Uva and now this!"

Alphos: I think she's mad."

Steve: "Now now Ms. Rika this is all a misunderstanding-"

Rika: "Clodsire, get 'em!"

-Se sends out her Clodsire-

Alphos: "Okay that doesn't look too sca-"

-Is met by a Clodsire to the face-

-Steve screams-

-The Closdsire leaps for him-

-Things quickly devolve into the two being chased by an angry Clodsire-

Rika: Yes! Yes! Get 'em Cloddy!"

???: "That's enough."

-everyone freezes-

-Geeta enters the cavern-

Rika: "La Primera! I found this new cavern full of Herba Mystica and caught these two intruders-"

'Geeta: "I'll handle this."

-to Alphos and Steve-

"Exactly what were you two doing here, in the middle of one of our routine inspections of all things?"

Alphos: "Please ma'ams we need the zest of these Herba Mystica!"

Steve: "We're going through a midlife crisis! Without it we'll waste away!"

Geeta: "Midlife crisis? Hmmmm...."

Rika: "Are you really taking these weirdos seriously?"

Geeta: "They do seem to be in need... in a sense."

Rika: "La Primera you need to stop being so... Soft. Where's the woman physically incapable of holding back been these last two break-ins, huh?"

Geeta: "Then I have an idea, I suppose..."

-Steve and Alphos gulp-

Alphos: "W-what is it?"

Steve:' "Please don't hurt us...."

Geeta: "You can have some of the Herba Mystica you found in this cave. It's quite a remarkable discovery and you deserve a share of it."

-Steve and Alphos cheer-

Geeta: "However, as penalty for breaking and entering into Area Zero, you are sentenced to a year of community service for the Paldea League."

-Steve and Alphos pause-

Alphos: "...A year? That's barely anything at all!"

Steve: "And it gives us time to find our purpose... and plan for NEXT April Fools!"

-they cheer-

Geeta: -chuckles- "Well, all's well that ends well."

Rika: "...I don't understand you sometimes, La Primera."

Near Mezagoza, Paldea

-Locke is laying on a sun chair with sunglasses. Midas is doing the same, chest and all, next to him. -

Locke: "Quiet day, huh."

Midas: <Sometimes those are for the best...>

The car pulled up to the large wall structure, a singular door awaiting the adventuring party inside. Silas let out a deep breath and looked back. “Are we all good? Got all the resources we need?”

<We all good hoss, this thermosap stuff gon’ be real good for armored plating,> Snakeye replied, holding up a chunk of the red crystalline mateerial.

<Yeah, we all want out soon enough, just get in there,> Tae replied. <I’m scrunched up here with Conroy!>

<Not my fault I’m an unusually largely sized noivern!> Conroy replied.

“Hey, behave yourselves or else I’m turning this car around.”

That shut them up, Silas smiled a bit and pressed on the gas, entering the wall. The hallway itself was… worrying to see, the numerous doorways that lead to labs all locked off. What was ARDA doing in here? Drive further and enter a large quarry section filled with tourists, as if the worry wasn’t enough.

~Damn, more of them,~ Hacks muttered. ~They can’t just be animated mannequins, they have to be something else. There’s something wrong with them.~

“Sense anything with aura vision?”

~I’ve tried, but it’s like looking at a dead TV channel, nothing but static,~ Hacks explained. ~There’s something about them but the Zone itself prevents me from observing them. Mark 1 eyeball is good and all but not great.~

“Smell anything?” Was Silas’s next question.

~Ha ha. Lucarios aren’t scent hounds, we’re more sight hounds than anything, extrasensory sight hounds even,~ Hacks explained. ~It’s why our aura vision is… well vision.~

Silas gave Hacks a quick scratch behind the ears, smiling a bit to at least have a sense of humor going. They’d need everything to get through this place, but he could feel it, they were approaching the end soon enough. There were only so many more stops, there was something deep in the zone and this was to find it, he knew it in his bones.

It was confirmed when they entered the last room, a massive containment sphere hung over everything, research stations set up everywhere. Silas parked the car and motioned for everyone to get out. It was a large circular center, falling into a deep pit, water pooling in the center, chunks of ice floating. Best he could tell, it was for… something, perhaps energy generation? The toroidal structure reminded him of old books of V-Reactors during the mid 20th century.

“Good lord, this is what ARDA was hiding?” Francis asked.

“They were always sneaky bastards, this isn’t surprising,” Tobias said, Silas could almost hear him scratching at his chin. “Hey use the scanners on what ya can, there should be something in here. Place like this is hiding the big secret.”

<He’s right!> Conroy called out, catching everyone’s attention. He had dived into the center onto a platform and had already scanned something. <It’s a weird waveform!>

“It’s a signal, get other scans, gather what you can from there!” Roxanne ordered, suddenly very invested. “If I’m right, this will lead us to the center of the zone itself!”

<What’s in the center?> Tae pondered. <Somethin’ big?>

“The Well…” Francis mumbled. “Roxanne do you really think?”

“I know, that’s how we get Silas and his team out.”

“Care to involve the people in that little plan?”

There was a pause and then. “You’re right, I’m sorry Silas. The Remnants are tied to the Well, the waveforms that Conroy is scanning match our scans of the Remnant, they also match something radiating out of the Deep Zone itself, the Well. A pit of limitless energy, concentrated from the Paradoxical nature of the Crater, as well as all the AFD energy coalesced here. Whatever pulled you here is interested in sending you to the Well.”

“Well that’s comforting.”

He rubbed his face, just a few more spots to hit, it was nearly over. Neeeearly over…

“Aw… crap,” came Tobias. “Bad news everyone, the path leads through the wall.”

Hacks blinked. ~The wall?~

West Province Area One

Iridium: -To Bombirdier- <We're gonna beat you and get your Herba Mystica just like all the others!>

-Grabbing a Poké Ball from Hammerspace-

Go Del Lurra!

Del Lurra: -Appears-

Edited by rmctagg09 on Apr 1st 2024 at 1:30:16 PM

“The Wall is an old structure, the very first line of defense against the expanding outcropping of the anomalous nature of the zone,” Roxanne explained. “All the gates are sealed, to keep whatever is in there in, and everyone else out.”

Silas clasped his hands together, wringing them a bit as he overlooked the desolate hillscape he was on. “Right, so, what’s the plan then?”

“We have to charge the gates themselves, that LIM Shield installed in your vehicle will help protect you from the elements while on the move. Francis, Tobias, and I will be working on our end as the instability hits, monitoring the power fluctuations needed to get you to past the wall itself.”

Hacks grinned. ~And then we’re in the home stretch, just push a little further and we’ll be out no problem.~

“We grab everyone from the Auto shop, gun it to the Well, and leave.”

Silas and Hacks looked at each other, and smiled, this was how they left April Fools Day. In essence it had felt more like April Fools Week more than anything, but all the zone drives, everything, it was time! True it’d be a little disappointing to not drive the car any- no that was the Remnant talking, focus!

“Ready?” Francis asked.

<How does the charge work?> Conroy asked. <I mean if it involves the car.>

“I’ll handle this, there are spark towers along the roads of the zone, they’re hooked into the Gate. You follow the towers and as your car moves it generates an electric charge. The charge hits the gate, it opens,” Tobias commented. “Simple.”

“Right,” Silas said, shifting the car into gear and slamming his foot on the pedal. The car took off roaring, he didn’t know if it was sentient or not, but he could feel it was ready for this as well.

Explosions rocked the road, more and more were dangers that seemed intent on blowing the car to bits, the armored panels held, though that didn’t stop Conroy, Tae, and Snakeye from clinging to each other. Silas laughed a bit, and then let out a “WHOO!”

That caught everyone off guard, it was the stress. He was ready to get out of here, the Olympic Zone was nothing like the Paldea back home, and he wanted so desperately to just be there.

“Charge climbing past 40%!” Francis called out. “It’s not climbing as fast!”

“Shit, Francis you got this from here I gotta check something!” Tobias shouted.

That wasn’t good, Silas for a moment wanted to stop, but he couldn’t, he couldn’t physically move his foot. The car, the Remnant, had a hold on him, it wanted to keep going. Hacks tried to pull himself away from the Arc Screen, but he couldn’t let go.

The car had wormed its way in, the two could only finish this.

“Tobias where are you going?!” Francis cried.

“40%, we’re not climbing fast enough, the power grid isn’t holding! Roxy, will that help our driver?”

A pause, and then. “No, it won’t. At the rate he’s going if the Grid doesn’t reach 100 then Silas will smash into the wall, along with the remnant, and we’ll be farther ever.”

“You heard her! Somebody has to do this!”

Tobias, the instability, you’ll never make it! Please just get back here, we’ll figure something out!” Francis pleaded.

Silas was helpless, he wanted to turn around, find some way to the midzone. He couldn’t let go of the wheel, he couldn’t turn around, all he could do was go forward. Something within him burned, he wasn’t going to just let it run like this… there had to be something… some way to save Tobias.

They passed the second checkpoint, halfway there, charge still building up further and further. Francis desperately pleading for Tobias… there had to be some way. Some way to get to Tobias and save him, and charge the gate.

His mind ran through every scenario he could think of, the burn across him getting stronger… maybe… maybe the ARC device and the antenna at the shop could link him back to-

“I’m… I’m sorry Francis. The instability hit… We’re too late. Tobias I’m… I’m so sorry.”

Roxanne had just dashed all possibilities. Silas ripped his hand from the wheel and pounded at it, frustrated with his powerlessness.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I was never a big science guy like you two, but… I was happy to help. Francis these past 10 years have been the best of my life,” Tobias said. “I’ll love you forever.”

“I love you forever,” Francis replied, audibly choking back tears. ''“The grid is 100%, the gate is open.”

Hacks let out a frustrated growl, he looked to the ARC Device, and opened a portal. ~Let’s… let’s get back to the shop. We need to collect the others.~

“Francis, I wanted to-” Silas began.

“Save it…”

Stormchaser Arena, April Fools' Day

Kendall looked at the messages sent to him in response to the image sent, humming in contemplation as he looked over at Helmsman exploring his new shape and abilities. He swung his blade, a Night Slash coming from it instinctively that Kendall recognized as having a lot more power behind it thanks to his own progression.

"Dark-type," he noted as he looked at the antler resting on the bleacher beside him from his Legendary form, sending another message while he picked it up.

"… this could be a good focus."

Textspace

Edited by AbsentCoder on Apr 2nd 2024 at 9:02:03 AM

Textspace- AFD

TM: You're very welcome, my good sir! I— wait, is this Kendall now?

SK: I believe so.

PaleoExploration1822: Oh! This is someone new?

SK: Yes, it's his Trainer.

PaleoExploration1822: Oh! Hi... Kendall! I'm Owen! Shame your Heat Rotom had to leave; I kind of liked him.

SK: ...

TM: ...Should we tell him?

SK: I'll just let Kendall sort this out. Farewell.

sabbathKnight (SK) left the chat.

Alola Cafe

After some time, Kim returned and looked over at Johnathon.

"How was it?" she asked.

Johnathon paused for a few moments.

"He seems to have taken the news rather well," said Johnathon. "However..."

"Yes?" asked Kim.

"...someone else responded, and they believed 9-Volt was a Heat Rotom."

Kim paused as she realized what had happened, and then subsequently burst out laughing.

Silas sat on a chair, head in his hands, Arceus damn it he wanted to try and- he didn’t know Tobias or Francis very well. He didn’t want either of them dead, he looked to the screen of the ARC Device in the car, Roxanne sitting there.

“Francis… about-”

“We could have stopped this. We could have done something different,” Francis muttered.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, something! Maybe that way Tobias wouldn’t have-”

“He volunteered to go out! You couldn’t have stopped him, the power grid needed someone on site and he chose to take that risk!” Roxanne replied. “Hate me all you want but there’s still work to be done!”

''“Is that your solution, just keep working, forget like it happened and don’t look back?!”

“No! Don’t forget, never forget what he did. But we have to keep moving, otherwise his death means nothing, he wanted to get us to the center of the Zone. To find what’s there, to find the well. When I lost my Silas 37 years ago, I had to keep working, because otherwise his sacrifice was meaningless.”

A pause, and then. “I’ll miss him…”

“And that’s okay, I’ll miss him as well. I could never admit it, but his little conspiracy theories always… made me laugh.”

Silas coughed a bit. “I didn’t know him, I don’t really know you, I only know how much you meant to each other. I’m… I’m thankful for what he did. Know that if I could have turned around to save him, I would have.”''

“I’m not upset with you,” Francis said. “Come on… we’ll get you out of here.”

Silas said nothing, Roxanne lit a cigarette and took a drag, before shutting off her camera. “Francis and I will have a more dedicated talk, once we get you free of that car.”

Silas nodded and looked at the Remnant, this was it, the final stretch. Past the Wall and into the Deep Zone, to the Well. “Blackquill! Can you put together one last meal?”

<Aye, Grant-Dono. I’ll gather the best ingredients I can from this hazard zone.>

“Good, one last meal, then we’re packing up. We’re leaving.”

Soccorat Trail

Aurum: -To Iridium from her shoulder- <The mons here are pretty tough, tougher than you might be able to handle on your own right now. You sure we shouldn't just turn back?>

Iridium: The Field means they're not noticing us. Also, if I want to beat her, I can't just run away.

Aurum: <I don't know, sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. That's been my motto for the past several centuries.>

Iridium: Yeah well-

-Hears a "thwipping" sound and immediately heads behind a nearby small boulder-

Aurum, did you hear that?

Aurum: <Course I did.>

-The two peer on the other side of the boulder to see-

Louise: -Lets an arrow fly as it hits its target- Okay, now for another one.

Iridium: -Eyes narrowing- It's that Templar from the other day.

Louise: -Turning to the boulder Iridium and Aurum are hiding behind- ...I thought I heard something, but it's just you, squirt.

Aurum: -Sweatdrops-

Iridium: -Revealing herself fully- I'm not that short.

Louise: If you're looking for Chiyo to get a rematch, she's not even in the region right now.

Iridium: I wasn't looking for 1.0, but it doesn't matter, next time we meet, I'll win.

Louise: Okay, if you think you can do that, let's see how far you can pull back this bow.

-She hands Iridium her bow-

Iridium: -Takes it- You'll see.

-She starts pulling, and pulling and pulling... but she fails to get it that far-

Louise: Yeah that's what I thought, your arms are too scrawny to pull something that's not a Construct.

-She pulls back her right sleeve to show her developed arm-

Not like mine.

Iridium: -Arms crossed- Muscles aren't everything.