ITT: We are all Pokémon Trainers

The car climbed the hillside, overlooking a massive wall of… something. Silas wasn’t sure what it was, it was a deep red and it surrounded a massive glowing… thing. His brain couldn’t make sense of it, it looked red and seemed spherical but he knew deep in the pit of his stomach it was something else entirely.

“So… what do I… do?”

“Well there’s really only one thing left you can do,” Roxanne replied. “Drive.”

He looked to Hacks, who made a thumbs up gesture, there really was only one thing left. Press down on the pedal, and drive down the hill. They swung about and around the roads, heading towards the red sphere. “See anything?”

Hacks closed his eyes and let his auric vision do its work. ~Yeah, it’s full of it, aura. So much aura… it’s… coalesced, mixing with something else.~

“All I needed to hear.”

Nitrous boost, and they went flying, straight into the Well.

Silas blinked, opening his eyes, where the hell was he? It looked like… a corridor, a long hallway of old CRT TVs. He took his tentative steps, calling out for Hacks, Bishop, anybody, his voice echoed across the halls but he swore he couldn’t even make a sound. Continue advancing, only thing he could do.

“I’ll be done in just a moment!”

“Come on! They’re just about ready for us!”

He knew those voices, that was Roxy’s voice, and his!

“Come on, I know I always pushed to go to more parties, but this is a little silly!”

“It’s not silly at all. You took the initiative, we got a chance here.”

“Actually thinking of settling down?”

Silas blinked, was… was this what happened with the him that ended up here?

“How are the levels looking?”

“Stable as always. I think we got it.”

“You made the design, it’s going to work.”

“But you’re the one who took the notes. You kept me focused, I wouldn’t be anywhere near as good without you.”

“I know~”

The CRTs flickered, Silas looked into them. Seeing moments in time, what looked to be an older him and Roxy, dancing together. Laughing, playing along and keeping some things hidden as they tried to sell themselves as geniuses. It made a part of him hurt, and yet he couldn’t help but think. What did these two do to this world? Did they have the right to alter its path?

One big TV sat before him, it started to play something. He saw the alternate him run out, mirroring Tobias’s actions, heading into a large building that was just leaking energy. He could barely watch as he saw it happen.

“Where is he?”

“Keep it together… I found him, he’s… in the well!”

Roxanne and Francis, he could still hear them. He started sprinting, down the corridors, there had to be a way out if he could hear them.

“Driver? What are you doing here?”

“Tobias?!”

Silas wanted to argue this wasn’t that strange, he had talked with dead people before. Once more; no sound came from his mouth, he was a passenger here, all he could do was walk forward and find the exit.

“Hey, Francis. Don’t worry, I’m still with ya, those years together aren’t going anywhere.”

“Just… just what happened to you?”

'' “Rightly, I don’t know, but I’m here. And Roxanne, got a message for ya, he says he’s sorry for causing you so much grief.”

Silas could only imagine who that was from.

“Oh and Driver, he says hi. Take good care of yourself, and don’t worry, you’ll be reunited soon enough.”

Silas opened his mouth to ask who he referred to.

“He didn’t say, just that you’d know.”

Silas blinked, and then felt the area shake. “Ya better get moving! Place won’t hold ya for much longer!”

Silas darted forward, pushing his legs hard as he passed a corner and slid down a dirt hill, finding the car. He climbed in, just as Hacks jumped in.

“Where were you?”

~Where was I? Where were you?!~

“DRIVE!” Francis called out.

Silas slammed on the pedal and the car rocketed forward, the Well was ahead, they just had to get out. Push as hard as he could, right down the hill. The ground shook, as rocks began to rain from the sky, Hacks gripped his paws onto Silas. ~FASTER!~

“I’m driving as fast as I can, we have a turbolight engine!”

A rock pillar narrowly missed them. Silas blinked and focused on just trying not to get hit. There was only one jump to hit, he punched the Nitrous one more time.

They went flying into the Well.

Aether House

Chiyo: -Looking towards the west with a serious look on her face-

Chloe: -From behind- I know that look, you're thinking.

Chiyo: -Not turning around- It's been a year since we found out we weren't as thorough attacking the templates as we thought we were, the School attacking us because Brad caught wind of our real plans, returning to Poni and finding the ghosts and Ruthenium.

Chloe: And now you and Tagg have a kid between you.

Chiyo: -Sighs- One that hates me... And I can't even blame her handler for it because she's thinks its dumb.

Chloe: You met her handler? Who?

Chiyo: -Eyeroll- Lydia, who else? Tagg found out shortly before New Year's and told me.

Chloe: What? Why didn't you tell us about it?

Chiyo: Well... You're probably not going to like the answer.

Chloe: How bad could it be? What did she do, blackmail you with Iridium's life?

Chiyo: No, she...

-Whispers in Chloe's ear-

Chloe: What?

Edited by rmctagg09 on Apr 3rd 2024 at 5:28:41 AM

Asado Desert

Upon hearing this, the entire team rushed over to where Poppy was, as she was now hiding behind a rock alongside Lila.

Poppy: Listen up, everybody. This plan might work, but I'll need all your help to pull it off. We only have a few minutes before those Titans get back up again, so in the meantime, I have an idea to explain.

Donut: So, what's the plan?

Poppy: Crusher, Nessa, you two will distract them by pretending to be absolutely helpless, the perfect bait for two Titans.

Crusher: That’ll be easy, I mean, I won't even be acting…

Poppy: Next, Sunrise and Stormwind, you'll be hiding out and doing any additional damage when the time is right.

Sunrise: Sounds good to me, don't worry, Stormwind, I'll be using a variety of moves to make up for the fact you can only use Flying type moves against those guys.

Stormwind: Yeah, yeah, get it out of your system.

Poppy: Meanwhile, Donut, Shroomy, you two will be our main battlers against the Titans while me and Lila take the Herba Mystica. Plan set. We ready, guys?

The Pokemon all exclaimed the fact that they were ready.

Poppy: Alright! That's what I like to hear! Now let's - wait a sec. Where's Shroomy?

She and Lila peeked over the rock.

Lila: You've gotta be kidding.

Shroomy was battling the two Titans all by himself.

Poppy: Right. Well… you heard the plan, guys. Donut… try and snap Shroomy out of whatever’s gotten into him.

Donut: I can sure try. Key word: try.

Everyone then left their hiding spot to enact the plan. Poppy and Lila stuck close to the giant rock, spotting the giant hole that had the Herba Mystica and began sneaking. Crusher and Nessa put on a ‘helpless lost Pokemon’ impression, while Sunrise and Stormwind awaited the perfect time to do extra damage. Meanwhile, Donut ran over to Shroomy.

Donut: Shroomy, what are you doing?

Shroomy: Battling them for you!

Donut: But why?

Shroomy: Not only have I realized our trainer is a selfish brat, but she isn’t even a good trainer

Donut: Excuse me? Poppy was clearly sorry! Why are you still trying to battle them yourself?

Shroomy: If you want something done right, do it yourself? If it wasn't for Poppy, we'd all be much stronger. But instead Crusher's still a coward, you're still distrusting of everyone, and don't even get me started on the massacre that was our last battle against these two!

Donut then had to tackle Shroomy out of the way of a Brick Break by Great Tusk.

Donut: Poppy isn’t perfect. No one is. What she did was wrong, and she's acknowledged that. But if you keep trying to refuse to acknowledge she's changed, sooner or later it will screw you over. If she was a bad trainer, we wouldn't be here, fighting by her side, all of us.

Shroomy seemed to take his words into consideration, before hearing Poppy shout out something.

Poppy: Guys! I got the Herba Mystica! Now let's get outta here!

Everyone heard it - including the Titans, who turned around to face her.

Poppy: …Oh no.

However, what none of them were expecting was for Shroomy to run up and attack from behind.

Shroomy: Not so fast, you titan bullies!

The two Titans fell asleep, which let Poppy escape. What happened next was an idea not even she thought of - a coordinated attack from all seven members.

The attack blew the two Titans over, waking them up.

Crusher bashed Iron Treads’ trunk in a head-on collision, but was then flung up into the air by said trunk. Luckily, Stormwind was there to catch him.

Stormwind: Oh… you're really heavy!

Crusher: I think being Steel and Rock type has something to do with it!

Lila, seeing Sunrise about to launch the next attack, decided to join her.

Poppy: Are you sure about this?

Lila: Heck yeah, I am.

The attacks landed at the same time. Sunrise landed on the ground first - leaving Lila vulnerable to the next attack, which she didn't see coming - no one did.

The attack knocked Lila, Great Tusk and Iron Treads over like dominoes. Everyone was shocked - this baby Lapras summoned an enormous tidal wave out of nowhere.

Nessa: Did you see that! Did you see that! I got them!

Donut: Yes I did, Nessa! That rocked!

Donut and Nessa then high-fived.

Lila: I’m okay! Hey, Donut! Care to do the honors?

Donut: I sure will!

Lila ran out of the way for the final attack. Underwhelmingly, he looked like he was trying to throw up with his head looking at the sky.

Shroomy: …What are you doing?

Donut: Shh! I’m trying to use Draco-

He then noticed that the Titans were about to get up from the Surf attack.

Donut: Ah, forget it.

Donut finally finished the two off.

Donut: Those seven attacks were brought to you by the Pokemon team of Poppy Campbell!

Poppy, standing there, Herba Mystica in her hand, stared at her team. She then dropped the Herba Mystica and ran towards them, celebrating.

Poppy: That… was… AMAZING! Before I can say any more… we better get out of this sun, huh?

Lila: I think we do. I don't know about you guys, but I think I’ve had enough of the desert for one day.

They then all began heading back to Cascaraffa, to their hotel room. Poppy didn't forget to pick the Herba Mystica back up as they traveled back.

Edited by ThunderKitty86 on Apr 3rd 2024 at 4:56:59 AM

More than a century earlier, in Specta Castle

Shout out to Pentigan for helping me spag this

One of the lower rooms in the castle had been transformed into a workshop. Sitting on a daïs is the Marquess of Spectra herself, framed behind by a portrait of her venerable ancestor, while standing just below it is her brother, the self-styled Ghost Lord (a meaningless title for a layabout fop). The Marquess Sirocco stared disinterested at the event going on before her—the machinations of an inventor named Williams, ostensibly from Circhester in Galar but with blood ties to Hisui and Ransei. The Knight siblings hired him to build a machine for them.

A time machine.

Although a botanist by profession, he styled himself an inventor, and unlike many others who claimed that title was actually capable of living up to it. He caught the Knight family's attention when he reviewed the claims of Dexter, the talking Rotom that lived in the electric device the Marquess' brother collected, and concluded that they were true. Dexter, for the most part, had been cooperative, and had assisted his handler in finishing a device that could, in theory, allow them to create a portal to different points in their timeline... or visit others.

Williams finally finished his work, and began to fiddle with the controls.

The younger Knight was intrigued, while his sister stared upon the machine from her throne, disinterested. Of the two, she had spent more of her time consulting with the Rotom, requesting page numbers from her memoir and then noting down pertinent information or correcting errors in her prior work; but now that it was almost time to escort the creature home she was as disinterested as her usual state.

Joseph, as Sirocco's younger brother was usually called, looked on and asked superficial questions. His desire was to one-up his sister. Far from just sending the odd creature back to his time, he wanted a way to keep that door open on command.

Williams: It cannot be done.

Joseph: You said it was possible to keep it self-sustaining. That with the right power source, it can keep working on command without an absurd expenditure of energy.

Williams: In theory, sir. The practical applications of this approach are similar to that of a perpetual motion device. What makes my machine different is that it will eventually stop and need to be refueled somehow, which should be easy if it was already running for at least twelve hours since it'll keep running for many years without needing refueling. But getting it started is the caveat. It needs a lot of power to bring it to that state.

Joseph: We need how many Pikachu to make this happen? That can be arranged. We've got 100 already.

Williams: That's not how it works, milord. They've produced enough power to start it but it can at best remain operational for at least a two-way trip. To get where we are now, the Pikachu exhausted themselves. We would need to rest for several days before they could do it again. I had to wait weeks between my first human trial and today's demonstration.

Joseph: Then we'll acquire 1,200 more afterward.

'Williams: I'm afraid that's not how it works. The energy from a hundred is enough for one excursion, but not the mode of stationary continuous operation needed to reach the point where it self-sustains.

Joseph: Remind me again why this thing even needs so much power?

Williams: It's to keep it in lock step with the Earth. My previous experiments failed to return without a means of tracking the Earth's location and locking it in.

Joseph: Outlandish.

Dexter: And completely true.

Williams: A vindication that has led to my first success. When Dexter made that suggestion, all it took was a little calibration to get it right. The details of which should be in my documentation that I left on your study. We must be patient.

Dexter listened intently to the younger Knight, horrified at the lengths he's willing to go. He decides to do something about it.

Dexter: If I may, young master, might I suggest searching for a different power source. Perhaps in our trip to the future, you may find something capable of generating that amount of energy.

Williams: I've been briefed on those possibilities. Even if you have a continuous source of electric power like those you described, they will instantly be overtaxed past the point of six hours even at optimum conditions.

Dexter: Not a mundane source of electrical energy perhaps, but a psychic one. It may be that you need to think outside the box, Sir Williams.

Williams: Perhaps. I have heard of such anomalies and may have a means of detecting them, though it's still a matter of conjecture.

Joseph: How long will it take? My patience grows thin.

Williams: It's hard to say, to be honest. We don't have a lead.

Dexter knew exactly what he needed to do. In the past two or so years he'd spent with the Knights, he's known enough about the Marquess to understand her lack of patience for her brother's arcane and eccentric interests. The only reason she agreed was, it seems, a means of trying to see if anything profitable can be had from seizing items from the future—the reverse of people who want to travel back to take advantage of the past.

"Yes, they can be stopped here and now," he mused, if they can just be coaxed to go on a wild Altaria chase.

Dexter: I have a lead.

Williams: Go on, Dex.

Dexter: An artifact known as the Spiral Stone gives off immense power of magnitude and should be easy to control. None of the consequences of— never mind.

Williams: Do you have any lead on where it might be?

Dexter: In my time, the 21st Century, it had been active at one point, and it might be achievable to go there and search for its location and use it from there.

Joseph: And where was it the last time?

Dexter: That I don't know, as my databases were not updated at the time. Perhaps a lead exists in the future. The collective knowledge of peoplemonkind has expanded greatly (yet few people care to access it). Who knows what you can find when you hook up to the Internet or do research at the large public libraries of Paldea.

Joseph: If that's the case, then maybe it's time to give your device a test run, Kian.

Williams: She's ready when we are. I must warn you. We've energy for one trip forward and one trip back. It will take days before we make another journey forward.

Joseph: We'll be certain to make it count. Because once we find that coveted energy source, we will have all the time in the world.

He pauses.

Joseph: Would you care to join us, sister?

Sirocco leaned forward in her throne, a scrutinizing glare her only response for a few solid moments before she stood up and walked over.

Sirocco Knight: I will accompany you. Though I am not of the constitution for a grand chase.

She whistles, and the old gravestone hound dwelling by the side of the chair perks up and bounds over to join her.

Joseph: When are you ever, sister. You heard her grace. Start it up.

Kian Williams does as he's told. Dexter smiled. Paldea was, of course, nowhere near where the Spiral Stone was last seen.

Meanwhile, in a parallel universe

A tall, fit guy in a form-fitting bodysuit colored like a Shiny Spinarak waits impatiently at a large empty room. He sent out an alert earlier, but it's been nearly 30 minutes and nobody has responded.

An Arachna-Guy: Ahhhh... Silas isn't gonna like this at all.

Tobi, an Ariados colored like a shiny Spinarak: <Well, Palmer did say he was gonna show.Give him a bit more time. You know how he is. It's all about the presentation.>

An Arachna-Guy: Am I ever glad I took that class in Uni. Otherwise, it'd have gotten pretty lonely sometimes.

Alternate Tobi: <As Paul said, we all get by with a little help from our friends.>

An Arachna-Guy: If we can actually get it. I'm starting to fear the worst.

Alternate Tobi: <Oh yeah, that thing has been known to cause multiversal communications disruptions.>

An Arachna-Guy: That means it must be closer to becoming increasingly active. I just hope everyone actually got that message. The last thing we need is to spend eternity in a white void with a bunch of nerds because we failed to prevent another Möbius-class incident.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Apr 4th 2024 at 2:12:53 AM

In a hotel in Cascaraffa…

The sun was setting, and Poppy and her team had been through a lot in the past 24 hours.

Poppy: What a day, huh?

Donut: You can say that again.

Poppy: …Listen, guys. I am endlessly sorry for what I said and did to you. I let my own guilt consume me, and began to see you as tools, and you have no idea the sorrow that fills my body just thinking about that fact. I don't know how I can make it up to you, but if there's a way, I will do it.

Shroomy: Poppy, you don’t need to dwell on any of your mistakes any longer. What matters is now. I see that you're someone who genuinely cares about their mistakes, and that is all I could ask for.

Donut: You aren't alone, Poppy. You’ve never been alone. You’ve had your family, me, and the rest of your Pokemon by your side all this time.

Sunrise: Exactly. And we’ll be here until the day you die… or all of us die. Point is, we’ll be here for you until the end.

Lila: And look at all the good you've done! You may not have realized it - but you practically saved me! And you let all of us travel beyond what we thought was possible!

Crusher: You helped me and Sunrise realise the truth!

Nessa: You helped me hatch! And I get to see the world!

Stormwind: You let me show Titan Bombirdier who's the top bird in the Paldean skies!

Shroomy: See? We'll never abandon you. And if it helps, we'll find that last Herba Mystica to save your brother.

Poppy: You guys… you know what? I think we can have a break from the whole Herba Mystica quest, I don't even know where the last one is! But in all seriousness, thank you. But I think we'll stick to the Gym Challenge for now.

Stormwind: Oh, cool!

Poppy: I've realized that you guys aren't tools at all. You're my friends, my comrades. So I think continuing the Gym Challenge will strengthen each and every one of our bonds. We'll look for that final Herba Mystica when the time comes, but for now, I want to help all of you become your best selves, like you're helping me become mine.

Sunrise: Aw, thanks! I think this calls for a group hug, guys!

Poppy: I think so too, Sunrise.

And everyone was pulled in for a group hug, cementing their bonds and relationships as a team. At first Donut was hesitant, but was eventually pulled in by Nessa, who begrudgingly gave a hug to everyone else - a hug that was half-genuine, half-like Donut felt a great fear in his stomach.

As they pulled away, something entered Poppy's mind.

Poppy: …Hang on. Have I been able to understand you guys in the last 24 hours?

Shroomy: …Huh. I think you have!

Poppy: Well, would you look at that! Tomorrow, we're taking on the Cascaraffa Gym, and then I think I'll give you all a little surprise. Wait and see!

Everyone chuckled, but Donut couldn't help but feel like he wasn't as important to Poppy anymore. Like everyone else was getting all the attention. Like he was about to be replaced - or abandoned.

Soccorat Trial

Louise: -Stops as she's walking- ...Are you following me?

Iridium: -From behind- I'm observing.

Louise: Ugh...

Textspace

Edited by rmctagg09 on Apr 3rd 2024 at 1:05:31 PM

Trill: <You too, Quack Parade! We'll get those sprigs!>

Bombirdier: <Hoho, the gauntlet is thrown~ Let's see how you handle this!>

She then throws a rock at Quack Parade, which he dodges then strikes with an Aqua Cutter.

The GM House

-Dune flops down on the couch, exhausted.-

Dune: Blegh.

-Nearby, in the corner of the room, from a play pen watched over by a tall clay sentinel, comes a little voice.-

Phosphora: Bleeeeeeeh!

-Dune smiles.-

Dune: Bleeeegh!

Phosphora: Bleeeeehahahahahaha!

-The baby claps her awkward baby hands as she crawls over to the edge of the pen, Big Dom silently watching her go.-

Phosphora: Blblbabalb...

Dune: Yes, hello, Phosphora. Dada's home.

Phosphora: Dhhhhhhhhhhha!

-She reaches a hand out and starts flexing her fingers in a vaguely gripping manner.-

Phosphora: Dhhhhhhhhhhdhdhdhd!

-Big Dom tilts his head.-

Phosphora: Ddddddddada!

-Dune immediately wakes back up.-

Dune: ... Dada?

Phosphora: Dhhhadha!

-Dune gets up and goes over to the play pen, reaching down and picking his daughter up with a ginger touch.-

Phosphora: Dada! Hehehehehehehehehe Dada!

-Dune is paralyzed with overwhelming emotions as he just holds his daughter in his hands and rocks her back and forth, holding her close but gently.-

-Big Dom, his duty superseded, phases through the wall to go inform Deziree of her daughter's first words.-

Area Zero

-Sombra takes a deep breath as she closes her eyes and takes in the area-

Sombra: "Mom and Dad said that I’d probably never make it in a dangerous place like this…"

Sombra "Heh. Wonder what they’d think of me now… breaking into a highly secure area…"

-She laughs nervously-

Sombra: "They’d probably still hate me."

-She runs over to catch up with Mithos-

Sombra: "Hey, wait up!"

This admittedly isn’t the OG track, but I like the idea that it kinda sounds like this to Sombra since she’s taking in all the myths and legends she’s heard of this place being real. ^^

Edited by CrobatOfTheStars on Apr 5th 2024 at 3:31:38 PM

West Province Area One, April Fools

Iridium: <Del Lurra, use Rock Slide!>

Del Lurra: <Okay~>

-Slams her tail into the cliffside, sending rocks careening down at Bombirdier-

Textspace

Bombirdier: <Rgh... can't have you keep doing that! Try something more original!>

West Province Area One, April Fools

Del Lurra: -Is tormented- <Maybe you should go home and sleep~>

-She Yawns-

Meanwhile, inside the Pokeballs…

mazingMushroom [MM] started hassling felonyFeline [FF].

FF: Ugh. Why so early, Shroomy?

MM: I'd like to ask you a question.

FF: Well, alright then. Go ahead.

MM: Why do you see Poppy as your 'savior'?

FF: Oh, that's… a really good question.

MM: Are you comfortable sharing it?

FF: Luckily for you, I am. I… wasn't like other starter Sprigatito. I was born and grew up on the streets, starving, helpless. I never knew my parents.

MM: Oh…

FF: I was having to steal to survive, particularly from people's houses. And this one guy, he'd always put on heist films, he was my favorite guy to steal from!

MM: I see. So that's where you got your… scheming ways from?

FF: Sure was. And one day, I got caught and placed in a shelter. And one guy that came across me… He worked for Naranja y Uva Academy. And he gave me a second chance by putting me as an option for Starter selection. Then eventually, I met Poppy. And I no longer had to steal for anything essential. I just had to ask.

MM: Thank you for telling me this story, Lila.

FF: You're… you're welcome.

mazingMushroom [MM] ceased hassling felonyFeline [FF].

Later that day, at the Cascaraffa Gym

Poppy looked at the three Pokeballs in her bag, inside were Shroomy, Stormwind and Lila.

Poppy: Listen up, guys. I've left Donut, Sunrise, Crusher and Nessa away at a little special place. And once we beat the Gym, we'll go join them. Where did I leave them, you may ask? It's a surprise.

Meanwhile, at a nearby water park…

Donut: So, while Shroomy, Stormwind and Lila go to battle at a Gym… I get to go down a slide! Woohoo!

As Donut was going down a slide, Sunrise was riding on Nessa, instead of swimming. And Crusher was using a swim ring to stay afloat.

Sunrise: Donut, if you push me in, I swear!

Nessa: Don't worry! I'll ensure that doesn't happen!

Meanwhile, the other attendees were confused as to why four Pokemon with no trainer in sight were at the water park.

Crusher: Yay! Look at me!

Roxy ran through the halls, following Cylus. She hated this, she didn't know how long things had been since she had been taken out of Paldea. Time was weird, especially when dealing with an organization of Time Travellers.

She had asked Cylus if the Authority was tied to the IDPD at all, the response was a non committal shrug. Still, being chased by beings who thought themselves the authority over all time was... troublesome. Khan fired a dark pulse at some pursuers.

"Trouble?" Cylus asked.

"Always! Why did you have to piss off time travelers?!" Roxy responded.

Cylus let out a snort. "Hey nobody made these guys in charge or anything, they just kind of showed up."

"Well whatever they're up to they've got trouble on hand, things can't get any crazier!"

A portal opened, and two Authority Goons paused to stare at it. Basic protocol said to identify any unknown portals, at least to see if they were Unown portals...

"Hey, you hear something?" Goon 1 said, looking into the event horizon of the portal.

"Yeah, sounds... mechanical," Goon B answered. "I swear there's something in there."

"Dude you have to be wrong, there's no way there's anything mechanical in there! It's a portal, we outlawed portal technology."

"No, no there's something in there!" Goon B protested.

Goon A rolled his eyes and walked over, listening closely. "Kind of sounds like a..."

In an instance a heavily modified sedan went flying out.

"CAR?!"

It landed and skidded around, the hallways large enough to accommodate it. Silas shook his head, he didn't know where he was. He looked at the Remnant, the want to drive it still a niggling thought in the back of his head, but it was no longer overpowering.

~We made it?~ Hacks mumbled, dazed.

"We made it somewhere," was Silas's answer.

"Halt in the name of the Authority!" The two heard, seeing two goons dressed in all black armor before them.

Silas looked to Hacks, and then back to the two... he slammed on the pedals.

Cascarrafa Gym

After a successful battle (given that Poppy had brought three super effective Pokemon to the fight), Poppy had her fourth Gym badge in her hands.

Poppy: Excellent work, Shroomy, Stormwind and Lila!

Stormwind: Good to have the old you back, Poppy!

Kofu: Say, you know what I recommend for trainers who beat me?

Poppy: Oh? What's that?

Kofu: To come eat at my restaurant, of course!

Poppy: Oh! Well... don't see why not? But first I'll have to get the rest of my Pokemon. Come on, guys!

Water park

Poppy was jumping behind the fence to make sure her Pokemon heard her.

Poppy: Guys! I... beat... Kofu... and... now... we're... going... to... a... restaurant!

Poppy became exhausted.

Poppy: I don't know if they heard me.

Stormwind: Luckily, I have an easy solution.

Shroomy: Oh boy...

Stormwind flew up and above the water park, and shouted down below.

Stormwind: Up here, deaf idiots! We won! We're going to a restaurant now!

Everyone perked their heads up.

Sunrise: I expected nothing less. Both in Poppy winning, and Stormwind being Stormwind.

Stormwind: If I didn't add the insult, none of you would pay attention!

Donut: Pretty sure we would!

Kofu Lounge

The other customers in the restaurant couldn't believe their eyes. A Trainer and her 7 Pokemon eating together, with the Pokemon getting their own seats!

Poppy: These noodles are absolutely delicious!

Lila: You clearly don't know what these Poke Puffs are like! Apparently these things are specialties in some other regions!

As everyone ate their celebratory lunch, Donut saw Poppy and Lila sitting next to each other. They had become closer than ever before due to recent events, but due to her being a Starter, it was almost like Lila was becoming Poppy's favourite now. He felt a little sad, almost as if Poppy didn't need him anymore.

Soccarat Trail

Louise: -Soaked, taking shelter from the sudden rainstorm- This rain... it feels funny.

Boltund: -Sniffs the air- <She's coming.>

Iridium: -Approaching their shelter, raincoat hood up and eyes glowing rainbow- There you are.

Ammit: -Is also there, looking miffed about being out in the rain-

Louise: -Eyebrow raise- What in the world are you doing?

Iridium: Observing.

Louise: -She stares back to Aura Sense to find that she's currently glowing with Aura... but the Aura is more of a rainbow color- This rain... it's infused with her Aura. She's been using it to track me.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Apr 7th 2024 at 6:48:46 AM

The GM House

-Deziree sighs in relief as she sits down. Ever since Phosphora started talking, Dune's taken to his parental duties with a gusto. Which, on the plus side, has left her plenty of time to relax. On the other...-

Dune: And this is...

Phosphora: Pupup!

Cun Annwn: <Close enough, I guess.>

Dune: Yes, good girl!

-It's also left her without her husband. Which, she feels, kinda defeats the purpose of being married.-

-"Just find something to occupy your time," says a voice in her head.-

-"You still haven't touched the reformatted Lathophage formula," says another.-

-"Yeah, yeah, I get it, now pipe down and let me think," she responds.-

-She pulls herself back off of the couch and heads to her office. There, she cracks open her lab fridge and pulls out a vial, clearly labeled "Lathophage, 1.3" and thinks to herself.-

-She puts the vial back after a moment and goes to her phone.-

Deziree: Hey. Yeah, it's me. Yep, got a bit of a strange request this time.

-She leans against the window sill.-

Deziree: You got any Pawniard eggs coming, preferably from Paldea?

Edited by DuneTheWanderer on Apr 7th 2024 at 6:16:51 AM

Mesagoza, Barato's (About a month ago)

Tony and his mons arrived at the local Barato's establishment, where Chief Ramirez was waiting for them at one of the tables. He appeared to also be wearing a tourist-like outfit, only he'd have a straw hat on his head and his shirt's design mostly consisted of palm trees all over it. His Arcanine was sleeping soundly under the table without a care in the world. Ramirez smiled as he took off his sunglasses to give Tony a friendly look.

Ramirez: There you are! It took ya long enough!

Tony: Yeah, sorry about that, I sort of overslept this morning.

Ramirez: Eh, it's alright. The time zone here will do that to ya. So, mind if we get down to business?

Tony: Sure. I'm ready.

Tony and co. then went to the table where Ramirez was sitting and sat down. Well, except for Stephen that is. He just floated right next to where Tony was sitting.

Ramirez: Well then, first things first, what are you thinkin' about having here?

Tony: Hmmm…I'm not sure. What's the best thing you've had here?

Ramirez: Everything!

Tony looked dumbfounded for a few seconds before responding.

Tony: Oh. I'm not sure if I'd be able to eat everything here on the menu.

Ramirez just gave out a big hearty laugh and patted Tony on the shoulder.

Ramirez: Oh ho ho! I know kiddo, I was just messin' with ya! Anyhoo, for specifics, I always get the Salisbury steak with the fried fixings.

Tony's mouth started to water as the Chief mentioned the dish, and he instantly wanted to try it out. Stephen looked a bit jealous, as being a ghost didn't really allow him to eat or drink anything sadly. Saul was outright drooling at the thought of sinking his teeth into a steak. He felt like he was owed it after giving up eating eggs.

Tony: Wowie! In that case, I'll have that!

Ramirez: Then it's settled!

Stephen: <-sigh- I wish I was able to consume things besides fear…>

Saul: <Oh! Oh! Tony, can I please have a bite of your meal when you get it? Pleeeeease?>

Tony: Heh, of course Saul! Oh and what about you Autumn, will you want some of my food too?

Autumn just looked at Tony and shook her head.

Autumn: <Yeah, no. I'm actually on a diet. Being a ninja means you gotta be in tip top shape, not indulging yourself like Mr. Egg-Eater over here.>

Saul: <Hey! I thought I told you I left that life behind!>

Autumn appeared to be skeptical of Saul's claims, and she continued to pressure him on.

Autumn: <Did you? Did you really?>

Saul tried not to show it, but he was sweating quite a bit. Still he tried to steer Autumn away from the questions she was asking him.

Saul: <Yep! I've turned over a whole new leaf! Ever since I joined you guys!>

Tony and Stephen then stepped into the conversation. He leaned down his head to come face to face with the two, while Stephen floated down to the ground.

Tony: Guys, let's not make a fuss of talking about people's pasts right now.

Stephen: <I agree. All that matters is that Saul has changed his ways a while ago, and we should all accept that. Isn't that right, Autumn?>

Autumn turned to look back and forth at Tony and Stephen, before looking back at Saul, and closing her eyes, letting out a big sigh.

Autumn: <I…guess you're right. I shouldn't be looking so deep into this. Saul, I'm sorry.>

Saul: <Awww! It's alright, Autumn! I forgive you! C'mere friend!>

He went to give Autumn a big hug, but she instantly backed away.

Autumn: <No…I'm…not ready for that yet…>

Saul then looked apologetic as he meekly keeped his distance from her.

Saul: <Oh…whoops…I didn't mean to->

Autumn: <I know…I know you didn't.>

Everything then seemed to be a bit awkward for a few minutes, until a loud Ahem from the Chief pierced the silence. Everyone then shuffled back into their positions, as they all knew they had been dilly-dallying long enough. As if on cue, a waitress from the entrance of Barato's then made her way over to the gang's table.

Waitress: Bienvenidos! What will you all be having on this wonderful day?

Ramirez: Me and the kiddo here will have two Salisbury Steaks, right Tony?

Tony: Yep, what he said!

Waitress: Alright then, it'll just be a bit before those come out.

The waitress then walked back into the restaurant for the time being. Chief Ramirez then looked around to see if anyone else was looking before pulling out an orange folder with the words: "The Murder Of Murkrow" in a red font on the face of it.

Ramirez: Now, while we wait, why don't we get down to business?

Tony and co's eyes all began to light up, with Tony and Stephen in particular starting to become the most excited out of the bunch.

Tony & Stephen: <Ooooooh! What's the new case about?>

Ramirez: I'm glad you asked!

With that, he opened up the folder to reveal a bunch of pictures of what appeared to be Murkrows attacking and stealing things from ongoing trainers and pedestrians.

Ramirez: So, over the past few weeks, we've been getting reports of a rather large murder of Murkrow going around this area of the region on a stealing spree during the night. It didn't seem so bad at first, they just went after sandwiches from unsuspecting trainers who were taking an evening stroll. But then, they started to get more…aggressive. They started to outright attack people in order to cripple them, so that they could steal even more valuable things like wallets, watches, Pokedexes, and even clothing!

The mention of a group of Murkrow shook Saul to the core. On the outside he seemed like his normal self, but inside he was cowering in fear and trying not to show it. Autumn saw Saul's behavior, but she didn't really comment on it at that moment.

Tony: Jeez…that's terrible…

Stephen: <Indeed…how could they do something like that?>

Ramierz: That's what we're trying to figure out. No one knows why they're acting so aggressively…seems rather random if you ask me. But whatever's going on here, it has to stop. Recently, one poor soul had to go to the hospital because he got severely injured due to a brutal attack by those pesky mons. His mons suffered the same fate, and now most of them are recovering in one of the Pokemon Centers around here. If this keeps up, I fear that all of Mesagoza could be in grave danger.

Tony: Arceus…we need to do something about this! But…where should we start?

Stephen: <How about finding out about these terrifying experiences from one of the victims themselves? I'm sure that listening to what happened from their perspectives could give us clues about why these Murkrow are acting so hostile.>

Tony: Good idea Stephen! Hey Chief, why not try getting us an appointment with meeting that person who was attacked recently?

Ramirez: Sure! I'll contact that hospital that's taking care of him to see when he'd like to meet with you guys. In the meantime though, our food should be coming out any minute now, are you hungry?

Tony: Heck yeah I am! What about you Saul? Are you ready to chow down?

Saul didn't hear Tony at all, he was too busy thinking about the murder of Murkrow, and how they might possibly be related to…him. His sweating was becoming a lot more visible now and he was shaking in fear.

Saul: <Could it be? No…those mons can't be part of his gang…they just can't…what if they are though? What if he somehow found out about where I am? What if he's actually here?! Oh Arceus…OH Arceus OH ARCEUS SOMEONE HELP ME>

But then, a Quick Attack from Autumn whacked him hard and snapped him back to reality.

Autumn: <Hey doofus! Someone's talking to you!>

Saul then quickly stopped his nervous attitude and shifted his expression to a fake-looking smile, desperately trying to act like nothing was wrong.

Saul: <Er…actually…I'm not that hungry anymore…I actually need to take a walk for a bit…bye!>

He then left the group in a hurry. Everyone started to get real concerned about him, even as the waitress returned with Tony's and the Chief's meals. As the two ate, at the bottom of the table, Autumn started to pace around a bit, thinking about what caused him to zone out like that. Stephen took note of Saul's behavior, and he had a feeling that everyone talking about those Murkrow must have set him off somehow. Which meant…he knew something. And he and his friends had to find out what.

Meanwhile, as Saul was walking away from Barato's, in the sky, he could've sworn he saw a dark feather floating through the sky…but that just could've been his imagination…right?

Medali

After a few days on the road, Poppy and the team had finally arrived in Medali.

Poppy: So, if what that Gym guide said is true, then the main Gym Challenge is located in the Treasure Eatery! I've heard about this place.

She entered, and picked out seats for Donut, Sunrise, Crusher, and Nessa to sit at.

Poppy: Okay. So while Shroomy, Stormwind, Lila and I do the Gym Challenge, you guys will be right here. I'm leaving my Rotom Phone with you guys so you can watch Miraculous Ledyba while you wait for me to join up after the battle. Or you could watch my battle too, that's a possibility.

Crusher: We'll be waiting!

Poppy nodded. Soon, she was taking on the Gym trainers, gradually collecting hints at what the secret menu option was.

Soon enough, she was facing the Gym Leader himself. She had sent Shroomy to face Komala, Lila to face Dudunsparce, and a Tera-Electric Stormwind to face Staraptor.

While Crusher and Nessa passionately watched Miraculous Ledyba, Donut and Sunrise watched the battle. And he seemed to watch Lila battle with a sense of dread inside him, like he was no longer Poppy's favourite.

Ultimately, Poppy won the battle and the normal badge, and joined Larry and the rest of her team for a meal to celebrate.

Everyone seemed to enjoy it except for Donut, who looked anxious as he ate his food.

Poppy: You okay, Donut?

Donut: Wh-yeah, I'm fine.

Poppy could tell more was going on inside his head that he didn't feel comfortable sharing, but didn't feel comfortable with prying information out of him, so she just left him alone.

Dalizapa Passage

That night, Poppy had set up camp at Dalizapa Passage. Soon they'd have to make the climb up Glaseado Mountain to get to Montenevera, so she had hopes of getting a good night’s sleep. As she was trying to fall asleep, little did she know someone was watching her tent.

???: What's this I see? Something tells me there's a Trainer in there! Perfect target for my pranks...

"Through here!" Barked Cylus, leading Roxy down another corridor. Hayon and Khan trailing behind the two.

"What did you do to piss these jackasses off?!" Roxy cried out.

"Became a paradox, got burnt out by my timeline and opted to go traveling, cause a little chaos!"

"Arceus damn it! How are you anything like my Silas?!"

Cylus grinned. "I'm not, that's the thing with Time Travel."

The Enforcers leapt out of the way as the old car roared past them, while they wanted to intervene few wanted to test being hit with a car. Especially not once the Lucario climbed onto the hood and pounded its fists.

Silas was happy to keep them out of the way, and even better was the fact that he could feel everything working again. Don't use it just yet, everyone was still tired, save it. He turned down another hallway, smashing what appeared to be a water cooler.

Well, this had gone to shit quickly. Helena sighed and grabbed Juliana. "Come on, we got work to do."

The GM House

Dune: And this is?

Phosphora: Dohdoh!

Dune: Nooo, Do-M!

Phosphora: Mmmmmmmm!

Dune: Right! Dommmmmm.

Phosphora: Do... doplplplpmmm.

Dune: You're getting close!

Big Dom: <do not worry about me, galvani. i am quite patient.>

-Deziree gives a thumbs up as she slips past the Shiny Golurk to get to the front door.-

Ms. Fowling: Got your package, boss. One Paldean Pawniard egg. What do you need it for, anyway?

-Deziree slips out of the front door and closes it gently behind her.-

Deziree: Well, Ms. Fowling, it's for a particular project I've been working on for a while.

Ms. Fowling: What, like the mech one?

Deziree: Nope. It's for Project Lathophage.

Ms. Fowling: Okay I know what "phage" means, but the "latho" part escapes me.

Deziree: It means "error". It's my Glitcheater formula.

Ms. Fowling: Wait, what?

Deziree: So you've seen the trio around, right? The Cacturne, Gallade, and Electivire?

Ms. Fowling: Yeah? Wait, is that why all three of them have those sharp, pointy teeth?

Deziree: Yep! And now I'm gonna test my latest formula on a new Pokemon! And while I was putting together stuff for my eventual tour of Galar, I figured it'd be worth a shot to try out a Pokemon I didn't have much experience with but there was a lot of documentation on.

Ms. Fowling: Are you... sure that's a good idea?

Deziree: Oh come on, I may only have rudimentary trainer experience, but I know how to get Pokemon's respect!

Ms. Fowling: Alriiiiiight, if you say so...

-The two of them wander around the outside of the house over to the garage entrance.-

Deziree: Trust me, Franky, it'll work out beautifully.

Ms. Fowling: Please don't call me that while I'm on the clock, ma'am.

Deziree: Oh, alright.

Socarrat Trail

Louise: -Across from the campfire- It's dumb, following what that Templar says, she's just going to get you killed. What are you going to do if they succeed and end up making some even bigger, better Iridium or something like that?

Iridium: -Simply crosses her arms from the other side of the campfire, leaning against Ammit- It won't.

Louise: -Snorts- Not fucking likely squirt.

-Both suddenly twitch-

Louise: What was that?

Ammit: -Getting up and immediately putting herself between Iridium and the intruders- <Get behind me.>

Louise: -Standing up and brandishing her bow, eyes glowing with Aura Sense- Who's there? And what do you want? Come out now. Don't think you can hide in the dark, my Sight could make me nail a Flabébé from the other side of a football field, even in the dark.

???: -From the treeline, flanked by other figures, their purple eyes barely illuminated by the fire- We could ask you the same thing.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Apr 9th 2024 at 12:08:45 PM

The GM House

-Crk!-

-Crack!-

-Kr-crack!-

-The Pokemon Egg shatters as a little Pawniard stretches, and lets out a strange combination of a war cry and yawn.-

Deziree: Well hello there, little guy!

Pawniard: <Stab?>

Deziree: No no no, not me. I'm Deziree.

Pawniard: <Stab.>

Deziree: No, not stab.

Pawniard: <Stab!>

-The Pawniard rears back to lunge right before an ominous feeling washes over them. They've only been an autonomous being for a short time before their instincts clarify that the feeling is that of fear.-

Deziree: ...

Pawniard: <... Not... stab...>

Deziree: There you go!

-The feeling dissipates, replaced by a new feeling - respect.-

Pawniard: <Boss?>

Deziree: Yes! There are some other details in there, but yes.

Pawniard: <Not stab boss.>

Deziree: Correct. Here's a treat.

-She hands the Pawniard a poffin. He stares at it for a second before nibbling on it.-

Pawniard: <... need salt.>

Deziree: We'll get that later. In the mean time, what do I call you...?

Pawniard: <Stab?>

Deziree: No, that's... hm. You're smarter than that, right?

-The Pawniard, despite having only hatched, nods sagely.-

Pawniard: <Hm. Yes.>

-He finishes the poffin while he thinks.-

Pawniard: <Rend?>

Deziree: Oh- hm. Yeah, you know what? That'll work. Hello, Rend.

Pawniard: <Hello, Boss.>

-Outside, as Dune is doing some off-day relaxing...-

Ajax: <Dune? There's a Pokemon here and I do not know what it is.>

-Dune lifts his head off of his hammock pillow. A Pokemon Ajax doesn't recognize? But he could name almost a thousand of them off the top of his head.-

Dune: What's this now?

-Dune carefully extricates himself from the hammock and walks over, working the stiffness from his legs. As he walks, he sees a small bustle forming around the Tyranitar.-

Ajax: <It appears to be a Grass-Type, but one that I am unfamiliar with.>

-He lifts up a dry, brown bundle of... branches?-

Dune: ... Huh?

-Dune squints. Wait, that looks a lot like a...-

-Dune grabs the ball of dead weed and holds it in front of his face.-

Dune: Alright, which side is your face?

-The ball remains silent.-

Dune: I know what you are, Brambleghast, even if they don't. Spill the beans.

Brambleghast: <Okay okay, jeez! You've got my right flank in your hand right now.>

-Dune turns it so he can look it in the "eyes".-

Dune: Just what the hell do you think you're doing in Orre?

Brambleghast: <We just follow the winds, man! Honest!>

Dune: All the way from Paldea? Unlikely.

Brambleghast: <What are you, a cop?>

Dune: More like a highly-capable conservationist. Spill the beans before I get my Typhlosion.

Brambleghast: <W-whoa, easy there, no need to bring a Fire-Type into this! Some guy didn't double check his cargo before setting out, okay?>

Dune: Tell you what. You can get a cushy gig away from the fire-breathing Durant if you can pick out exactly which ship you rode in on.

-The ghostly weed would've choked at the implication that there were fire-breathing bugs around here if it were physically capable of doing it. Its voice becomes very strained.-

Brambleghast: <Yeah. Sure thing. Can do.>

Edited by DuneTheWanderer on Apr 10th 2024 at 7:31:59 AM

April 1, [Puerta del Sol] Mesagoza

Shoutout to Pentigan for spagging this with me.

A device appeared in a flash in a somewhat inconspicuous alley close to a public square near the Mesagoza Central Post Office. Out of the machine's door came out two figures, both dressed as people in suits from the late 1870s. They were followed by a Rotomdex. On the open door was another figure, who chose not to venture out yet.

One of the figures, dressed in a dark suit, waved around a steampunk-looking device. The other looked around, curious at the surrounding area. The area they were in was largely deserted, littered with dumpsters, windows, fire escapes, and the occasional HVAC system.

Dexter, the Rotomdex: Finally! Welcome to the 21st Century. I hope you enjoy your stay, however brief it may be. Do not hesitate to ask me questions as I am very acutely familiar with my native time, though we may be one or two years ahead of when I fell in.

The figure in the lighter beige suit, Joseph Knight, looked around. His sister, following behind and carrying the slightly upset by the travel hound, simply took the time to breathe in the air of a new era.

There was a lot less coal smoke than any of them were used to. A sign nearby in the Paldean dialect of the area said something about reducing air pollution.

Joseph: It certainly looks as though it hasn't changed much. It definitely smells of Mesagoza.

Sirocco: A commendable cleanup effort, at the very least.

Dexter: Trust me, young masters, the future has certainly changed. It just so happens we landed pretty close to a historic district that was preserved somewhat to resemble the way things were in the 19th Century. Electricity certainly helped make it possible.

The beige-suited young man points at a random machine.

Joseph: That's new. What does it do?

Dexter: Oh, that is an air conditioning unit. It is connected to an elaborate device meant to draw heat away from the interior of a building and bring it outside.

Joseph: And how is it powered?

Dexter: Electricity.

The Rotomdex was keen on answering the time traveling visitors' questions of this time as a distraction. As far as he knew, there was nothing of their interest here save for the token novelties of the future. But as he regaled the younger noble with tales of how modern HVAC systems worked, the darker-suited figure, Kian Williams, noticed his machine beeping.

Kian: Sir, I've picked up a signal.

Dexter: Say what?

Joseph: Excellent. Where is it coming from?

Kian: The post office, sir. That way.

He points to the prominent building on the other side of the square. Dexter was mortified by the sight of it. He knew it wasn't always used as a post office.

Joseph: Good. Dear sister, our plans come closer to fruition. Say, Williams, how much energy does it take to get the machine inside that building?

Dexter: It's walking distance, my lord. Do you think that's wise?

Kian: That won't be an issue. I had a separate battery installed for local teleportation. I anticipated we would need it.

Dexter: Wow, you thought of everything. You really were the genius your grandson's memoirs said you were.

Kian: If only my stipend reflected that.

Joseph: We'll be sure to reward you handsomely for your contributions to our efforts. Well, as they say in Ciudad Meseta, vamos!

Kian: Right away, sir.

The group re-entered the machine. After all, why bother trying to get in the building when they can just shuttle their time-travel device a few meters forward and bypass the need to be let in?

April 1, Also Mesagoza—in some dingy hideout warehouse

Priscilla and Tommy were tied up—quite literally, in this case. In this metaphorically sticky situation, they were restrained in nylon ropes, their heads having been previously covered in sacks after being knocked unconscious. They've since come to, and find themselves before an intimidating trio wearing supervillain disguises.

A lean baby-faced young adult man, a tall woman in a suit of armor, and—some distance from them—a masked man in an overcoat hunched over what could only be charitably considered a "laptop". This jolly figure kept typing happily into his slapdash portable device.

Priscilla: Malacostra.

Malacostra: I see my reputation precedes me, Miss Kwan. Gurl, you look really pretty. What makeup do you use? And your twink companion's real easy on the eyes, too.

Tommy: <clicking noise>

Priscilla: Don't try to flatter me. What are you up to?

Salem: Nu uh, we'll be doing all the talking here, your hotness. See, you had something that belongs to us. And you're going to tell us where it is. Or the pretty boy gets it.

Tommy glowered at Salem as the latter did a punching motion with his hands, his expression being a combination of staring daggers and "I can't believe this moron got the better of me."

Priscilla: The hell are you talking abou—hey, you're the guy who framed Ian from that one heist in [Dubai]. And also the guy responsible for two heists in the museums in Wyndon.

Salem: Guilty as charged, pretty mama. A little Pidgey told us that you were up to something a little magical, and I wanted in on the action

Priscilla: Wait! You were the guys responsible for the brief data breach we had to patch? I thought that was someone else.

Tommy: You managed to briefly hack one of the world's most secure intellectual institutions using that piece of junk?

Priscilla: Try not to diss the bad guys, Thomas.

Salem: Hey, they don't let people in the Hunter's Guild for being a dummy, you know? When you're an arch-villain, you gotta surround yourself with talent. My sorcerous ways were enough to get you knocked unconscious at an opportune time.

Beat.

Tommy: You knocked us out with magic?

Salem: Shut up, poindexter, I'm gloating. Kitbash, if you please.

The man at the laptop stands and turns. He's wearing a helmet, a cut-price costume piece styled after the Nightingale helmet but studded with various bits of electronics to attempt to make the otherwise inert eyes flash red.

Kitbash: Yeah as the one guy around here who knows the tech, it was pretty easy to find my way in. You should probably run a defrag if slash when you get back to the office.

Priscilla: We did that already. Ratio.

Salem: Have your tiny victory. That little hole Kitbash found in your security didn't last long enough to let us have your security codes or account numbers or all those other goodies we'd like to steal, but it did clue me in that you were up to something with that pink stone. The one that's always quite powerful close to April Fool's Day. And don't worry, he'll find another vulnerability sooner or later.

Meanwhile, Malacostra had been rummaging through Tommy's things while the latter looked on in stunned silence. She took out a wand-like object.

Malacostra: You mean this kid's toy looking thing?

Salem: Yes, that. I recognize the glint of the pyrite. I see my younger Doppleganger used my old lantern as a veneer. So unassumingly understated, yet so brilliant. I do have to commend him for his artisanship.

Malacostra: There are no ports in this thing.

Tommy: Why would we put peripheral ports on a magic wand?

Salem: That is irrelevant. With its power channeled properly, we won't need peripherals. A quick little zap of Kitbash's supercomputer and we can bring the world's computer systems to its knees. And trust me, a lot can happen in 12 hours.

Malacostra: Hey, Kitbash, didn't you say you'd only need 4 hours to bring the world's computers to their knees when you've supercharged that thing with stone magic?

Kitbash: Give or take any hardware issues and— yaknow, it's best if I don't explain. People tend to explain when I freak out— ... Scratch, reverse, etcetera.

Salem: What he said. Now tell us where the piece is.

Beat. The expression on Priscilla's and Tommy's faces betray an unwillingness to cooperate and an overall uncharacteristic lack of fear toward their captors.

Salem: Were you expecting me to expound on all the little details, punks?

Priscilla: Yeah, this sounds like the reason you're not telling us the details was because there were no details.

Salem: Ha! Don't think I'd fall for that old trick. I'm not about to blurt out the full working details of my Evil Plan.

Malacostra approached the duo, brandishing a drill attachment on her left claw hand.

Malacostra: We have ways of making you talk.

Suddenly, one of Malacostra's grunts came flying through the doors and straight into Kitbash's slapdash portable supercomputer. The grunt was immediately shocked, leaving him unconscious. This was followed by another grunt who crashed into the boxes behind them. And another that laid unconscious on Malacostra's feet.

Salem: Tell me you have another one of those.

Kitbash: ... Okay, five hours. One extra to reassemble that.

Salem: Yeah, this can still work out. Mistress, now would be a good time for you to do something.

A Familiar, Very Pentigan Voice: So who ordered the king crab and— oh I'm so sorry. Wrong order, I think you lot ordered the ass-whooping?

Priscilla: Arachna-Guy? But— why does he sound like—

Tommy said nothing, but the expression on his face indicated that if he could shrug awkwardly, he would.

Malacostra: That's Queen Crab for you, wiseguy. Alright, what's with the new color-scheme, punk? And why do you sound different? I swear you were doing a Pentigan impression right now.

The spider-suited hero in the doorway to the room shrugged. Though the mask likely hid it, there was a bit of a smirk on his face.

The Slateport Spiderman: No no, Arachna-Punk is an entirely different guy.

Tommy would've said something, but both his prudence and that feeling at the back of his head told him otherwise.

Which was just as well, because another hero joined in, his entrance marked by yet another grunt and the barraskewda she released crashing unconscious onto Salem's feet. He didn't wear a super-suit so much as he wore a mask and a punkish ensemble that resembled a hybrid of a shiny Ariados and Vikavolt, which also happened to be functional armor. He walked with an arrogant swagger.

Arachna-Punk, in a heavy Galarian accent: That would be yours truly. And after I told you not to get started without me, huh, Slateport?

Priscilla noticed that this very Galarian vigilante's voice sounded eerily familiar.

The Slateport Spiderman: Hey, speak of the Ghost Lord and he shalt appear. Yeah sorry, didn't want to leave the hostages waiting yaknow.

Malacostra: Oh, good. Company. Now it's an even fight.

Meanwhile, Tommy and Priscilla hopped slightly out of sight of the very distracted villains. Priscilla whispers snark onto her companion's ear.

Priscilla: Hold the pancake batter.

They snickered.

Malacostra reached out to her pockets, releasing a truly gigantic Crabominable that charged at the duo with an ice hammer.

Malacostra: I trade in Herba Mystica. I only need one to knock you chucklefucks out. I've dealt with a similar foe before. Wears tights, cocky, likes to do some of the hitting himself, but even he had to rely on his strangely overpowered spinarak from time to time. What? Does Peter Parker not need Bailey Briggs to bail him out?

The Slateport Spiderman: Besides, I think—

Something shifts about the Spiderman's stance as he stares down the approaching ice crab. Momentarily, a bit of water seeps from the neck of the suit as the hammer makes impact... To oddly little effect. In retaliation he follows up with what for all the world looks like the move Counter.

The Crabominable is sent flying back, only getting its footing back after a brief moment of dizziness.

Salem, from the sidelines: Yo, what the fuck!

While he sputtered in disbelief, Salem felt around for his Pokéballs, trying to go for the old overwhelm tactic. While Malacostra's Herb-fed crabs were formidable, he wasn't about to take his chances. Only problem is, they weren't there.

The Crabominable tries again, this time going for a brick break.

The Spiderman audibly chuckled; a Fighting move? He could take that easy enough and work on dashing across the arena shedding water and threads to try and tangle the titan crab.

The Slateport Spiderman: —this fight's starting—

The increasingly frustrated Crabominable mounts an iron defense in an attempt to ward off the Slateport Spiderman. Malacostra's expression as one of her top fighters gets pummeled by a man in tights without any Pokémon. From a distance, Tommy and Priscilla looked on in fascination. The former couldn't help but feel impressed, even if he had witnessed something like this before.

With the trap set, the Slateport Spiderman simply had to execute. He took his opportunity, a run turning into a slide that practically glided over the surface of the water he had been setting up, crossing to the other side and plucking up one end of the spider threads.

The Slateport Spiderman: —and ending—

He pauses a moment... And electricity flows unbidden from his hands, passing down the threads and across the surface of the water. Upon being shocked, the Crabominable falls unconscious, unable to battle, much to the consternation of the Crustaceous Queen of Crime.

The Slateport Spiderman: —way quicker than expected. See, told ya.

Arachna-Punk: The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

And to hammer the point home, Arachna-Punk brandishes the rest of Malacostra's Pokéballs. Alongside it were Salem's and Kitbash's balls as well. He sneered at the upset Salem as he tossed the Pokéballs up and down as a taunt, while the perpetrator—an oddly colored Spinarak—climbed up his shoulders and did a Luke Skywalker salute.

Arachna-Punk: Looking for these, witch?

He fired a polymer from one of his gauntlets, swung it around like a sling, and sent it flying up the skylight.

Salem: Welp, I'm out of ideas. How about you, Kitbash? Mal?

Malacostra: I think quoting Lord Tan's 35th Stratagem is our best recourse.

Priscilla: I've memorized those by heart and fail to see how many more chain stratagems you can pull off.

Malacostra: Well then, 36th it is.

Kitbash: And they call me the nerd...

Malacostra opened a jetpack and a pair of wings from the back of her suit, called back the Crabominable, and signaled Kitbash and Salem to grab onto her suit.

Malacostra: Hold on tight, boys, we're blasting off again!

And they flew off, hitting the skylight along the way.

Priscilla: Shouldn't you, you know, go after them?

Arachna-Punk: Why worry? They're not going far.

Kitbash: Shh, we just need to hover out of sight for a bit so we can go back for our balls.

Salem: How many times do I have to say that we're not supposed to mention all of our plans to the good guys!

A popping sound is heard from a distance, which was drowned out by the yelling of three villains and the deploying of a parachute.

Priscilla: So you're just gonna let the cops book 'em?

Arachna-Punk: Point. Leaving them to the authorities might not be the best idea. But we've bigger fish to fry.

Tommy: You're telling me. They keep getting out.

Beat.

Tommy: Are they all out cold?

Arachna-Punk: Wait.

He punches a semi-conscious henchman still present in the room.

Arachna-Punk: They are now.

Priscilla: Good. This helpless civilian act was getting on our last nerve.

Priscilla cuts off the ropes using a hidden blade. Meanwhile, Tommy just appears to rip them off by shrugging. Arachna-Punk's body language betrayed that he couldn't help but feel impressed.

Priscilla, brandishing the previously hidden blade, which appears to be some sort of bizarre multitool: Never leave home without it.

Tommy: I'd thought they'd never leave. Say, Slateport. It's been awhile. What brings you and him here?

Priscilla: You've met?

Tommy: April 2020 in Galar. The other guy's new, but he sounds familiar.

Arachna-Punk: So, Palmer, is he the local arachnid-hero in this reality?

Peter Palmer, Slateport Spiderman: Seems that way. I got caught up in a little dimensional cross-over before the Society happened.

Arachna-Punk: I see. A pleasure to meet an old friend of Peter's then.

Tommy: Tommy Petersen, Arachna-Guy, nice to meet you. Wait, what's this about a society?

Arachna-Punk: Sterling Beckett-Kwan, though my foes and allies alike call me Arachna-Punk. The missus calls me Beck. And this is my spinarak Tobi.

The alternate Tobi nods politely at the two freed captives.

Tommy: That's where I've heard that name before! I have so many questions.

Priscilla: Me too.

Alternate Beck: Your other self put a ring on this finger. But that's a story for another time. We've been called here for something important.

Beat.

Arachna-Punk: You are still a superhero in this dimension, are ya?

Priscilla: Oh, absolutely.

Arachna-Punk: You both better suit up then! We'll explain along the way.

April 1, Mesagoza Central Post Office PO Box room

A few guards and mailroom workers and their Pokémon laid unconscious as the Knights and their entourage perused the room. The beeping on Kian's seeker device grew louder as they walked through the boxes until they stopped at a specific box.

There was no glow otherwise associated with it, but the machine says it should be there.

Kian worked to open the deposit box. Besides being a master inventor, he was also good at picking locks. Technology may have moved forward, but Kian quickly worked out how to get around it. He took out the box contained within. It was heavier than anticipated, as though it was wrapped in a layer of lead. He opens it and shows the glowing stone to the Marquess and her brother.

All the while, the beeping of his sensor device grew increasingly loud until it finally gave out.

Dexter: That isn't the Spiral Stone.

Kian: I'd be more surprised if we did find it in a search that's been less than an hour. But its properties are fairly similar. I can probably hook it up within the hour.

Joseph: We have what we came for. Send us back to Spectra Castle and work on incorporating it in our device.

Kian: We won't need to. It can all be done here.

Sirocco: Right, well while you two get the device powered, I'm going to find that library Dexter promised. Come fetch me when we're heading home.

Kian: Of course, milady.

Dexter, sighing: Set a course for the Biblioteca Nacional de Paldea.

Just as he closed the box and prepared to pocket it, it was immediately shot off his hands by a stray beam. Kian immediately scurried to pick it up, avoiding further beams in the process.

Kian: Was that... amplified light?

Joseph: A what?

From a distance was a seemingly male figure wearing the garb of one of the post office security guards, with tousled messy hair and, upon closer inspection, a deceptively placid and somewhat androgynous face. As they walked forward, their purple eyes became easier to spot. They twirled a flashlight around, which fired what appeared to be short beams of burning light at the group's feet.

Dexter: Schleiss, the Purple-Eyed People of the urban legends. They're real.

Joseph: Poppycock.

Androgynous guard, in a very kind baritone voice: I see you're not from around here, but that doesn't matter. Thank you for finding the stone for me. Now would you kindly hand it over. No one has to get hurt.

Joseph: Who do you think you are, boy? Do you have any idea who I am—

Kian: My lord, I do recommend not talking with the timeline's natives in this matter.

Androgynous guard: I already know who you are. You were very easy to read. You want that stone and its power. Well, I'm sorry, but it's power belongs to The School.

The group suddenly felt a steadily increasing pain in their optic nerves. Save, of course, for Dexter, who was just paralyzed with fear.

Freshman Neon: They call me Number Ten. And I'm not some pretender riding by the coattails of a distant genetic relative. Do not call me "boy" and stay out of my way.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Apr 27th 2024 at 3:43:35 AM

Paldea, Montenevera

Hiro: -blink- Hiro Alíthea.

-Hiro takes the slip of paper, stares at it for a couple seconds, and burns it-

Hiro: I'll pass word along. Discreetly.

Stormchaser, later

Hiro: -knock knock- Percy, I found another one.

Stormchaser, also later

Hiro: -fingerguns- We didn't try to kill each other this time. Possibilities include me improving or him being a cooler, more rizzless Ghost boy. Than you.

Stomchaser, yet later

Hiro: -knock knock- Logan, tell that friend you aren't telling me about about her wayward brother-analogue. HMU if RSVP.

Paldea, now

Hiro: Via approved channels.

-he tries smiling and mostly ends up conveying how he feels at the moment-

-but that hope does seem to please him-

-with a moment of rumination, he takes Moss's pen and a slip of paper of his own, and scrawls something in his own neat, angular script-

Hiro: -handing them back to him- If you need help, set this on fire.

Cubone: -looking up at him- <...>

Hiro: Yes, I have a phone number. Ever since I pissed someone off,

-he categorically refuses to purple-highlight her-

Hiro: I get bombarded with spam calls. And evoking existential dread in cold callers often isn't noticeable against the existential dread commonly associated with being a cold caller.

-he pauses for three-quarters of a second-

Hiro: In addition to being immoral.

-he fingerguns, and curses his friendgroup-

Hiro: …there's shelter I could offer, but I'd describe it as the shelter of a shieldwall. Close, but very in harm's way. If you and yours are fine out here…

-he looks around at Moss's stand-

Hiro: …I won't try and jeopardize it. But this burner phone should be good for a couple months at least, and that Tag will as long as you keep it and the wax dry.

-he ponders him for another long moment, drawing his cape around his now-shivering chest-mounted Cubone-

Hiro: Be safe, Moss.

Paldea, Secret Cave Near Casseroya Lake

-Abilene swings in, grocery bags underarm-

Abilene: Greetings, soggy ne'er-do-why is Megan on the floor.

Pippy: <Hi, Abilene!>

Vee: <Eh? 's a holiday thin'. April Fool's.>

-the three of them ponder the hippo and her loving, lackadaisical stupor-

Abilene: …

Vee: <...>

Pippy: <...>

Slowpoke!Megan: -yawns-

Abilene: …but it's the 10th.

Slowpoke!Megan: :?