??? City Approach

(Ozzy is thrown back for a few moments, then studies the approaching Pokemon very closely— only to find that, to his horror, not a single one of them seem to even notice or acknowledge his existence— all of them are headed straight towards the city, with full intent to destroy it to bits. Panicked, he looks down at the people in the city, all of whom appear to be still scared out of their minds— then suddenly is fueled by determination. The tiny Rookiedee proceeds to fly in front of the giant crystal city, spreading his wings out, looking down in terror and panic at the giant Pokemon approaching. He realizes quickly that he has to do something... and very soon he does, turning towards the city and raising a gigantic blue Protect barrier in an attempt to halt the oncoming Pokemon.)

Ozzy: <DO NOT APPROACH ANY FURTHER! I WILL FIGHT YOU ALL WITH EVERY SPARE INCH OF MY LIFE!>

(And then he begins to furiously scratch his claws on the giant Protect barrier surrounding the city, his Attack raising every time he does so, hoping that the giant Pokemon won't knock the barrier down.)

??? Caverns

Kim: (nods) "Ah. I understand now. Thank you for that information, Knight." (She suddenly pauses, then turns to the people in front of her.) "If this is the case... could you please lead us to some kind of city?" (then, thinking to herself) Which reminds me... where is Ozzy right now? I sent him off to find a city, but he still hasn't come back yet...

???Cavern

Des gave Gale a quizzical look, as if to ask her how she knew this.

"Right, yes. Well we find that knowing the enemy is the best way to figure out how to beat them. Now if you don't mind can we go? There's giant Luxray out there."

??? City Approach

-Up on the wall, the defenders of the city are firing arrows into the battle below and discussing among themselves-

Coppercoat Archer: Nice barrier there, saves some chip damage on the walls!

Monoblue Defense Magus: Thanks but that's not mine.

-The rest of the battle seems to be going alright for the humans, between the defenders on the wall and the soldiers in the field they're starting to turn back the tide-

City Defense Archer: Okay hold on, who's casting that barrier then? Please tell me it isn't the bird.

Monoblue Defense Magus: I think it might be the bird. The question is why.

Coppercoat Archer: Probably some deluded Bonder thinking their animal friend can help 'save' Drannith.

??? Cavern

Coppercoat B: Alright cool, come along.

-The group starts walking. It isn't too long before the group reaches the end of the current canyon and come back out onto the surface. In front of them, a fair distance away, is the city surrounding the giant green crystal that is currently under siege-

Coppercoat B: And hey, trainer girl. If noone's told you this before...

-This would probably be the moment where we pan up and show the arc logo-

Ikoria

"Nice logo."

"Anyways we should probably help, shouldn't we?"

Drannith Siege

(Upon hearing the word "deluded", Ozzy suddenly stops dead in his tracks. The Protect barrier stays up.)

Ozzy: (thinking to himself) <Deluded? Kimberly? Great heavens, no! She is far from deluded! She is the kindest and most reliable person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing! She treats all of her Pokemon with respect, dignity and kindness unlike any I have ever seen before! What exactly is this area's problem with Pokemon, anyways? I ought to go and—>

(He suddenly stops and shakes his head.)

Ozzy: (thinking to himself) <What am I saying? I have a city to defend and people to save! Kimberly wouldn't want me to go about attacking innocent civilians! I have much greater problems to solve right about now... and worse yet... they're approaching...>

(He suddenly looks ahead— and sees his Protect barrier starting to fall. Panicked, his eyes widen, realizing the potential danger the people— and the city— could end up in.)

Ozzy: (panicked) <No...>

(And then all of a sudden, he is fueled by a blast of determination, and lets out a cry that echoes throughout the city:)

Ozzy: (fueled with determination) <NO! I AM NOT GOING TO LET ANY OF YOU STAND HERE AND DIE! Come closer, you giants! Rookiedee are hardy little birds, and none of you will be able to stop me!>

(He holds out his wings again, and cries out:)

Ozzy: (more determined than ever before) <NONE OF YOU—!>

(In the blink of an instant, the Protect barrier rises again, more powerful and more protective than before. Ozzy stays there, looking down at the giant Pokemon, ready to protect the people and the city— and then all of a sudden, he looks ahead and notices a familiar person walking towards the city.)

Ozzy: (horrified) <Kimberly...>

Ikoria

(Kim looks up at the giant sign in front of her reading Welcome to Ikoria, and takes out her notebook.)

Kim: (writing the name down) "Ikoria, was it? Certainly seems interesting, I'll have to remember that."

Drannith Siege

(Ozzy's eyes widen further with terror as he realizes that not only could thousands of innocent people get hurt, but so could his Trainer if she approaches the city— and the last thing in the world he wants is for that to happen. His eyes burn with a desire to protect his Trainer and the people of... wherever this city is... and amidst all the chaos and panic he lets out a single cry that echoes throughout:)

Ozzy: (panicked) <KIMBERLY—!!>

(And then he starts to glow.)

Ikoria

(From far away, Kim hears the cry of her beloved Pokemon, and suddenly gets a glimmer of determination in her eyes as well.)

Kim: "Ozzy..."

(She turns to the rest of the group.)

Kim: (urgently) "We need to run. Now."

Edited by OPALGARNET16 on Jul 11th 2020 at 9:36:47 AM

Savai Surface

-Both of the Coppercoats look incredibly confused by talk of signs and logos but honestly today has been a long day, four of their friends are dead, they can put up with some weird chatter on the way home-

Coppercoat B: Egh, yeah it's going to be a pain getting into the city when it's under attack but if we can get to one of the outer watchtowers we can use the tunnels or elevated bridges to get in.

-Gale finds herself staring at the city. She'd seen it before, in small glimpses and concept art but here she is, taking in the entire view in person. This is why she desires to wander the multiverse so much, to be able to see with her own eyes and explore fully places she has only ever taken in through flat images, words on a screen or at her luckiest wandering in video games...-

That's Drannith, the largest stronghold of humanity on Ikoria. It's concentric walls provide impeccable defense against even the harshest assault by giant and mutated Pokemon and keep vast numbers of civilians safe. Of course, like all cities of humanity, they are incredibly firm in keeping any Pokemon and Bonders outside of the walls.

Coppercoat A: We have to, otherwise the city falls.

Coppercoat B: Alright, let's go.

-The Coppercoats break out in a bit of a run, trying to get to one of the outermost watchtowers, one connected to the main city wall via a stone bridgeway-

Drannith City Seige

-The defenders just kinda look confused by the small bird squawking incessantly before deciding to ignore it and resume their defense using their weapons. Another barrier comes up just behind the Protect, this one looking very similar but with a shimmering, fractal fracture pattern that looks like crystal. The blue magus that spoke previously is the source, working together with other mages evenly spaced along the circle wall to assemble this shield dome over the city-

-The attacking Pokemon start throwing themselves and attacks against the shield, but it's clear that the horde is thinning under the result of the human defenders. But that's when the Diglett pops back up from underground, slamming itself against the shield dome which begins to waver...-

Savae Surface

(Kim nods, then follows them to the city.)

Kim: (thinking to herself) Ozzy... I certainly hope you're alright...

Drannith City Siege

(Noticing the Protect barrier starting to waver, Ozzy- still glowing in the blue light associated with evolution— growls in frustration, desperate for a power surge. And sure enough... it hits him.)

Drannith City Siege- Post-Sequence

Corvisquire!Ozzy: <How's this for a change, giants?! See if you can take on me now that I've reached the next stage of my development!>

Edited by OPALGARNET16 on Aug 24th 2020 at 4:48:09 AM

Delta pounded the roof of the ship in celebration, "Oh that went very well."

He turned to Kitbash, "Extreme? That thing becomes fairly normal in this line of work honestly. You either adapt to it and learn how to make the best of an extreme situation, or you flop."

He sat down and took his helmet off, taking a deep inhale of air, "As for the client. I'm sorry everyone but the Client is currently on a need to know basis, IE, only Sphinx and I know. This shouldn't be a surprise, focus more on the fact that this job should rocket you to the top 50 very soon."

Gamma spoke up, "Hey uncle, Ma'at says we got incriminating evidence."

"Good, send it to the plant within Interpol, give them something to nibble on and keep the focus off of us. They're probably planning to try and spin this to make themselves look good."

Delta grinned, "They should know better by now."

Gamma nodded, "I'm engaging ECM now, we'll be dipping below radar signatures soon."

Delta put his helmet back on, "Any last questions?"

Dropship out from [Dubai]

Salem: I have one... Do you think the news will pick up on our heist and we, or at least, people who looked like we looked here, will end up on anyone's Most Wanted lists? I'm asking because, hey, Life has just begun, and I don't wanna go and throw it all away...

Dropship

Kitbash: See this is why I wear a variety of helmets to every mission. No face photos and some of them are either too ordinary or too based on other stuff to be an identifying mark.

-He taps the side of his current helmet he's been wearing all mission-

Kitbash: Though I do have a few favorites, like good ol' Kellbreaker here.

Drannith Siege

Wall Defender w/ Bow: Look out, it's mutating!

Blue Magus: No you fool it's evolving.

Wall Defender w/ Spear: What, pray tell, is the difference?

-Other parts of the wall are of course laying firepower against the Diglett as the three on this section bicker-

Blue Magus: Evolution is the means by which one Pokemon attains a direct and logical increase in capability corresponding to age and natural growth, mutation is a random sporadic introduction of unnatural traits without the progression of life state.

Wall Defender w/ Bow: Tch, nerd...

Drannith Outer Walls

-It doesn't take long for the group to reach the base of the tower, the Coppercoats taking point as one of them knocks on a seemingly solid section of wall-

Coppercoat B: Lukka's squad, we're four down, one unconscious with three civilians.

-There is a faint click as the wall shimmers and swings inwards. It's a secret door, a combination of actual movable masonry and mild illusion to make the joinery look consistent at the edges. The Coppercoats carefully haul their commander inside and wait for our protagonists to get in before closing the door again. Inside is sparse, merely a stairwell that the two Coppercoats and a third that was already inside begin hauling the unconscious Lukka up-

Watchtower Guard: You're lucky to be on the First Specials, anyone else we would have had to send for permission from the brass.

Coppercoat B: How's the defense going? Also, we need to get Lukka up to hospice and maybe need something for these civilians from Lavabrink.

-Once the group reaches the middle of the tower (a slightly less cramped area with a table and chair and another guard), that secondary guard and Coppercoat A carefully load Lukka into a gurney and begin quite a rapid run across the bridge towards the walls proper-

Watchtower Guard: Pretty typical night all told, walls are holding well. North-three's sending a report that there's a bird helping out with the defense.

-The Coppercoat flinches slightly and nods as he glances out the window. The Watchtower Guard climbs further upstairs to fetch some tea for the likely haggard civilians-

Coppercoat B: Right, I presume that bird's one of your ten eh?

Drannith Siege

(Ozzy continues to stand there, defending the city from the giant Pokemon that are currently attacking.)

Drannith Outer Walls

(Kim blinks in shock and disbelief.)

Kim: "Ozzy... M-my Rookiedee... he's helping to defend the city right now?"

(She looks down.)

Kim: "That's... rather noble of him..."

Down in the Turfdeeps

-with that thread, anything's possible-

-Logan takes Rikuo's emotional seed—the transformation sequence was designed to dazzle; they're projecting a temperance of temper at practically all times—-

-and craft a feedback loop-

-into the Zorua cry they press their eye-sparkle and dregs of home; the echoes recall long-forgotten den memories and the glimmer of clean-picked bone-

-everything becomes that bit more visible as Auras reverberate, the sharp hunger of the combatants gradually overcome by marked interest-

-including the weary pain radiating from the Crawdaunt-

Logan: -grin- Manageable. We can—

-given a bit of breathing room, the Crawdaunt exhales a heavy jet of foam-

(-Rikuo's right, Pokémon typically tread carefully when claws and humans come in the same narration-)

(-but this Crawdaunt really does not look like they're seeing straight at the moment-)

(-they lash out as hard as they can muster towards the largest, most noticeable target—the coruscating light and sound sitting pretty in center vision-)

-and it's large-

-really large-

-dodging it would be like dodging rain without an umbrella-

-Logan interposes themself between the Crawdaunt and Rikuo, Mandibuzz bank and Meowth run for high ground, too late-

When this passes—

(-Addie raises a single finger-)

-it's hard to say what happens next-

-of the assembled Pokémon, none even get wet-

-there's the look of a fluid-condensation right out of one of Megan's fantasies, the feel of panic cleared by dead certainty wrapped in a hug-

-...the sound of fifteen-sixteenths of a Styler battery splintering under one fell blow…-

-and Logan and Addie hitting the far wall, with a static discharge and a shock reverberating through the link-

-everyone stutters, the empathic cloud gone momentarily slack-

-the Crawdaunt with heavy fatigue-

-it's the home stretch, Rikuo, what will you do?-

-as Ever speaks, Abilene's expression goes from disinterest to bafflement to-

-just slightly slack and stunned-

(-Logan's got a [Mona Lisa] smile floating above the blank, eyes flicking back and forth-)

-before sprouting into something more...complicated-

-...-

Abilene: ...I'll only "feel bad" when the occasion arises to truly regret possessing a reach exceeding grasp. Personally, I'm of the impression that such a day will never arrive.

-smirking slightly- You have the feel of a fellow connoisseur of danger—you would know as well as I, then, how little these Gyms represent in the grand scheme of it all. They're next to nothing, and therefore may contain virtually anything.

-toe-tap- Including my little indulgences, hah. Little wonder you've drawn the conclusions you have, presumptuous though they were.

Addie: -cheeky as only her...genus? family? really can be- <Didn't you learn a lesson about advertising too hard not long ago?>

Abilene: -chuckle- Only what was asked-for. Though I'm sure you have something to say about

(Addie: <Oh, actually they haven't aired it yet.>

Abilene: ...excuse me.

Addie: <Yeah, I guess their airtime's all booked up?>

Abilene: ...it's the nation's most popular sport.

Addie: -shrug- <Too many challenges lately, probably.>

Abilene: But I'm cool—nevermind.

-mutter- When they get their heads out of their asses—)

Abilene: ...anyways, I'm sure you'll get a kick out of it. Believe you me, I'm far more circumspect on other battlefields.

-that last set of italics gets another of those manufactured smiles-

But enough about me. What about you? You've gotten my attention, surely—and an inkling of what I'm capable of.

-drumming fingers- Do you have ambition? If I were forced to surmise, I would chalk you down as one of those heroes who sits around and waits for events to provoke a reaction. For how well you wield your wit, what pride you possess. Admirable.

(-Logan's smile's gone a fraction of an inch wider-)

(-taking their current state into account, the effect can only be described as shit-eating-)

-but they've got tremendous empathy for surgical knives, and so only slightly less deadened, they take Misery's braid and give it the appropriately delicate-yet-firm reciprocation of a practiced surgeon-

-metaphorically speaking-

Logan: Someone who appreciates whispering. A delight.

-beam, utterly empty- (Privately, of course.)

-sidelong- While they're busy meeting for the first time, how's being on the team treating you? Just to keep up with the gossip.

-in their surface thoughts, they again consider swapping the red in their uniform◊ with purple—they've certainly been at the gig long enough-

(-Abilene's general aesthetic sadly precludes relevant trans colors, but theirs is surprisingly close-)

(-whether anyone else is witches is up for spirited debate-)

Edited by Asterisk395 on Jul 12th 2020 at 12:56:50 PM

Wild Area

"Uh... you okay?" Delilah asked, concerned. With an outstretched hand she attempted to pull Tom away from Zee's face.

"Good question," Colton nodded.

Edited by AbsentCoder on Jul 12th 2020 at 10:23:15 AM

-"As they attempt to pry Tom off Zees face a rumbling shakes the ground around them."-

-"Right next to where Skye's reading a pillar of red light shoots out of the ground, and causes the blonde woman to stumble back into the lake out of shock."-

Zee: Yes! Finally.

Wild Area

Colton looks at the pillar in confusion while Delilah smirks.

"Oh my. This is going to be fun." She reaches for her collar and tosses a choker to her trainer. By the time he catches it, a Delphox stood where Delilah once did.

"You sure, Sunny? After what we just went through?"

<Hell ye'.>

-"Zee finally managed to tear Tom off his head and toss him at an unfortunate hiker."-

Hiker: Oh, hello little Perserk- OH GOD NO!

-"As Tom mawls the passerby Zee walks over to the den."-

Zee: Alright, let's see what we have here en.

-"Zee promptly sticks his head in the Den and pulls it out frozen and covered in ice/snow."-

Zee: I think it's a grass type.

Wild Area

Sunny shook her head and held a flame to Zee's head to melt the ice and snow. <It's something we'd need Kamui for; she's got Drought, after all.>

"True, but she's still processing everything. We can't get her, but I don't doubt you'll get the job done."

<Should we get more people involved?>

"Oh, and I don't count?"

Hammerlocke

-Evelyn exits the Power Plant and looks around her, after having called all her Pokémon back.-

Evelyn: It feels great to help save the world, doesn't it, Hatty?

Hatty: <Sure does.>

Evelyn: I think I should head to Hulbury for the next Gym Challenge, what about you, Hatty?

Hatty: <In my honest opinion, I think you should probably stay away from Hulbury until the time is right.>

Evelyn: What do you mean by that?

Hatty: <Well, for starters, Ian and Kim are there. If either of them says something out of place, the post-hypnotic suggestions might act up again...>

Evelyn: True, but most of those suggestions are gone. For instance, Kim, Supervillainess, Amaterasu, Ammy, Girlfriend...

Hatty: <Colton?>

-Beat-

Hatty: <Nothing?>

Evelyn: I guess all the suggestions are gone now...

Hatty: <Must've been the tension of the Surtr fight... Keeping Champion level trainers off the backs of the others, trying to stop a brainwashed Magical Girl from becoming a human sacrifice, maintaining your balance...>

Evelyn: In the heat of the battle, I forgot the final suggestion!

Hatty: <So I guess you can go to Hulbury now!>

Evelyn: Yeah! Let's go, Hatty!

-Evelyn hops onto her broom and flies to Hulbury.-

Zee: Well, cause of this thing called the law, we need five people to go in. If we don't Skye gets a fine.

Skye: I what now?

Zee: Don't worry though, when people notice this light they'll flock to it like Fromoth to a lampent. . . That is not a fun site to witness.

Wild Area

<Yeah, people coming it so they can say they brought down some massive lad, fighting with everyone else in the party to try and capture it.>

"How do you know so much about this?"

<Roy looked into it when he was looking through the back of that book.>

"That was a year ago! D-Maxing has only been around for six months!"

<The hell are you talking about?>

"I'm not going crazy, am I? When we were dipping from Hammerlocke the last minute played back for me, like we were three blocks ahead and then we weren't!"

<The hell are you talking about?>

Skye, nervously: A-are you alright?

Zee: Yeah. Everyone knows that Dynamaxing has been around for thousands of years. It's one of the reason the wankers of the past yeated Arceus out of our churches and got rid of Most of the national fucking Dex!

Skye: Alex, you're gonna have to let that go.

Zee: Never!

Wild Area

"No, ever since the sky's been patched, everyone's been acting like D-Maxing's been a thing since forever. No! It hasn't! What the hell is an Eternatus?! And why was everyone but me able to recognize it? I've been watching documentaries after work for seven years, and January was literally the first I've ever heard of that thing. I'd say I'm being gaslighted if your confusion wasn't so sincere.

"I asked about it in February and have not gotten a single answer! Not even an unsatisfactory one, just... radio silence." He trailed off.

-"Skye looks at Colton nervously while Zee simply shrugs."-

Zee: Yep, I remember when I first went crazy. It was in a Mc Donald's ball pit. I caught ma Silicobra there.

Skye, to Colton: W-would you rather stay out here? I'm not going in, so-so you won't be alone?

Wild Area

"No, I've been able to process that this is a thing now. I just can't accept everyone saying how long it's been around.

"Besides, I've already gone in." His body faded before quickly coalescing. "I'm kidding, I'm not so stupid to go in when it's just us."

<Isn't the limit 8? Four trainers, four 'mons?>

Wild Area, Post-Ikoria

(At that moment, Kim is resting in a chair, surrounded by her Pokemon— to be specific, she is surrounded by Orwell, Kaylan, Freddie, and Joel. She looks ahead— and all of a sudden sees a glowing red den in front of her. Realizing what it is, she approaches.)

Kim: "Ah, someone's started up a raid battle. That's nice."

(Upon hearing the words "raid battle," Orwell and Freddie both start shaking uncontrollably.)

Freddie: (terrified) <R-R-RAID BATTLE—?!>

(He immediately runs away to hide. Orwell, meanwhile, clings to his trainer in terror.)

Orwell: <No... no... n-not a raidbatt... a-anything but a raidbatt...! Raidbatts are torture!>

(Kim blinks.)

Kim: "Oh, no, it's fine. You won't be going in."

(Freddie and Orwell both breathe a sigh of relief.)

Kaylan: <But then... who will?>

(Kim points to Kaylan, who instantly lights up.)

Kaylan: <Me?! Oh, thank you so much, Kim! I can't wait—!>

(And with that said, Kim picks up Kaylan, and the two of them head off into the den together.)