[RP] Spiritwater – Tides of Witchcraft [Archive]

Neo Emolga

04-26-2021, 11:44 PM

The Diamond Ladies
Section B, Heahea City Urgent Care Center, Heahea City
Affected RPers: N/A

“That’s number twenty-seven, already,” Cassandra sighed as she watched an operative who had just recovered walk out the urgent care center. “Whatever they’re doing out there, it’s quite ruthless.”

Things had been somewhat busy at the Heahea City Urgent Care Center for all the operatives and locals who had succumbed to the witchcraft of Agatha’s followers. It was enough to the point where the entirety of Section B, usually reserved for patient recovery, was now designated as a “witchcraft hospital.” And Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet were the only “doctors” specialized to treat these specific “diagnoses.” Meanwhile, the League was only relying on a prayer that this cover-up wouldn’t be discovered by Agatha and her followers.

To disguise themselves from patients who would still recognize them despite their hiding for four years, Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet were wearing medical scrubs and surgical face masks, even though this gear wasn’t necessary for the kind of dispelling “procedures” they were performing. From an outside first glance, it wouldn’t cause suspicion if one of the members of the Shadowcraft Society happened to stumble upon it. Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet would look like normal medical personnel with their attire. They’d have to go inside to find the crates of Shadowcraft reagents and the Shadowcraft spell books that were kept as reference material. The hope was locals and operatives that were afflicted with hexes and curses would go in and receive treatment from the three Ladies, all under the pretense that these three professionals were only given enough Shadowcraft training to perform these procedures due to the special circumstances that were going on… and not that it was the three Diamond Ladies from the infamous S.S. Wishmaker incident four years ago…

While they hadn’t had too many opportunities to use them, the Ladies had their own butterfly Pokémon costumes that would not only help them blend in with the festival antics and other attendees, but it would still conceal their true identities. However, they found they were spending far more time disguised as “doctors” than in their Spiritwater Festival costumes.

In addition to pretending they weren’t the infamous Diamond Ladies, they needed to pay for everything with either cash or their debit cards, and they needed to use cover-up names that the League gave them for this operation. As it was decided by the League, Cassandra was supposed to go by the name Naomi Hart, Jarena was supposed to go by the name Sonia Fairchild, and Violet was supposed to go by the name Sasha Winters. In addition to alternative names, the three of them had been given the call-sign of “Triad.” All of the operatives had been notified that if they needed help in the field and they could still communicate via the radio or at least press “333” on their keypad as the “Triad Panic Request,” they would be right over to cure them of whatever ailment they had, or at least try to take them back to the Urgent Care Center if their affliction required reagents or resources they didn’t have on hand.

Meanwhile, each of them had a completely different team of Pokémon, comprised of mainly Pokémon from adoption shelters that were still trying to get used to their new trainers. Many of these Pokémon came from difficult and depressing pasts from previous trainers that either abandoned them, died, or fell on hard times and could no longer afford to keep them. And while most of them had started to bond with their new trainers, only time and experience could build the kind of comradery that most other trainers had with their Pokémon.

Now that the last patient had left to return to the investigation, it was just the three Ladies and operative Sami Culver. Sami, who had been an operative during the first Wishmaker incident and worked closely with them, was the only support staff they had as she could talk to any Pokémon that had been afflicted so communication with transformed operatives wouldn’t be an issue if they could make it to the urgent care center and identify themselves. While the Ladies would be focused on restoring anyone who had been afflicted, Sami was to keep records of who had been “injured” and what the exact affliction was. The League was hoping they might be able to figure out a pattern and counter it if many operatives were succumbing to the same afflictions. Unlike the three Ladies, however, Sami wasn’t wearing scrubs or her festival costume.

As the Ladies finally got a breather of downtime to catch up with things, Sinnoh Champion Cynthia had arrived. For this whole operation, she had been overseeing the defensive strategy and what they needed to do to keep the League operatives, guests, and Akala Island locals safe.

For now, the only people in Section B were Cassandra, Jarena, Violet, Sami, and Sinnoh Champion Cynthia, who was overseeing the defensive strategy of the operation. Right now, Sami and Cynthia were hoping the peak activity periods of this “witchcraft hospital” were behind it. But if not, they had prepared whatever supplies the Ladies might need for restoring victims back to normal. Jarena was impressed the League had managed to secure a large box of expensive gold nuggets in case they were needed to undo Pokémon transformations, but they were already burning through them. And it was unsettling that Cynthia felt it might not be enough and she was already preparing plans if they needed to get another shipment…

In the meantime, things with the defensive strategy had not been going well…

“Oh, hey Cynthia!” Jarena greeted her as she arrived.

“How are you Ladies holding up?” Cynthia asked, tired but glad to see they had caught up in terms of patients, but also hoping Cassandra and the others weren’t burning out. “You’ve been doing a great job, but the rate these patients have been coming in here is getting concerning…”

“We’re fine,” Cassandra told Cynthia with a tired sigh as she put down her face mask to speak and breathe a little easier. “Still hard to tell if these scrubs disguises are working, though. So far it doesn’t seem like anyone has recognized us, but I still feel like us using Shadowcraft to cure them is a strong giveaway as to who we really are. I mean, I know they get told that we’re ‘medical staff’ that’s been ‘been trained to address these specific needs’ when they show up at the door, but I imagine at least a few of them have figured it out by now.”

“If they have any shred of decency if and when they realize you’re the ones healing them and you’re on the same team they are, they’ll keep you three a secret and they’ll keep this quiet,” Cynthia tried to encourage them, not dismissing the plausible circumstance that by reasonable deduction, they might put the pieces together. “I’m serious, we would be in big trouble without you three helping us.”

Cassandra couldn’t help but nod knowing she was likely right about that. Despite what the patients had been told, the kind of curative spells they were using were not easily learned and there were at least three patients that needed all three of them working together to dispel the curses and hexes that had befallen them. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder exactly what the real goal of all of this was and why Agatha was doing this. Jarena’s theory of “she’s going senile” really seemed to be the only rationale that seemed to fit despite how blunt it was. Still, whatever the reason was, ghost Pokémon were running wild around the island as if all of Akala was haunted, and there were hexes and cursed booby traps everywhere.

In the meantime, as Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet knew, they were on call at all times even if they stepped out of the Heahea City Urgent Care Center. If too many people had become afflicted and the queue was piling up again, the three of them were to be called back to the urgent care center and cure them so they could get back out there and continue the investigation. Jarena was hoping to enjoy some of the festival before the whole ordeal was over, but right now, considering everything that was going on, most of the people on the island were in fear more than they were enjoying the festivities. Already a lot of the events and activities that were planned had been canceled.

“So far we’ve had a mix of everything,” Sami shrugged, looking over the clip board of patient names and the afflictions they had prior to treatment. “Hard to see any kind of pattern, but some of these cases are a real mess. The cursed swimming pool at the Tide Song Hotel still has to be the worst.”

“Gee whiz, please don’t remind me of that one!” Jarena muttered in frustration as she rolled her eyes, removing her face mask for a moment. “I don’t know what was worse, trying to dispel the whole crazy thing or trying to convince those two nutcases that staying as mermaids was a dumb idea and to just let us cure them.”

“I never even knew there’s a Shadowcraft spell that can do that,” Violet muttered, realizing they needed to be ready for anything. “Nothing like that was in the books we went through.”

“There’s at least fourteen other tomes I know of that we’ve never been able to get our hands on,” Cassandra told her, realizing any one of them and then some would have hexes beyond what they were aware of. “I just hope they don’t pull out something we can’t deal with. We’ve already had a few close calls.”

And right now, that was Cynthia’s biggest concern. Though she knew some would disagree, she had given Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet some of the Shadowcraft books that had been the League’s holding archives. And she already knew there were a number of cases that would have gone unresolved if the Ladies didn’t have access to these books as reference. And while some would feel the Ladies still couldn’t be trusted, if they discovered they were alive after all, she felt they had redeemed themselves since the S.S. Wishmaker incident. In her heart, the very fact they were here helping operatives and innocent locals and tourists from these afflictions was already more than enough to redeem them for what happened four years ago.

But she could only hope the others would feel the same way if and when the truth was discovered about the three of them…

HorusMyDude

04-27-2021, 01:01 AM

Ruford McDonough
Lobby, Hano Grand Resort
Affected RP'ers: None

Operative Ruford 'From Dewford' McDonough had not had a good day.

It hadn't been his time experiencing Shadowcraft – oh no, there had been a time a couple years back in Phenac City that lived in his nightmares. Being tranformed into a centaur was no fun, and he had just gotten used to walking on four hooves when he had been turned back. Ruford shivered as he remembered the cold memory, of the harsh 'clip clop' on the cobblestone streets, the flies swaying around his Rapidash tail, walking all over his Rapidash back, sucking his Rapidash blood...

Time to ignore that memory. Ruford had been stationed in Hano Grand Resort, a beautiful place – Ruford had made it his home while he was out here, living off of nice martinis and nothing else. Though he often tried (and failed) to have a woman on his arm, he was on the clock today. Literally, the folks upstairs had him clock his time.

“So we can track your whereabouts,” Cynthia had said, “Enough people have been disappearing as is. The less operatives we lose to this, the better.”

She had looked absolutely exhausted when she spoke, deep rings under her eyes. Agatha was a right witch – both figuratively and literally. So Ruford, instead of complaining that the Man was looking over his shoulder, hadn't said a word. Never mind the fact that the Sinnoh champ could piledrive him into the ground, Royal style. Five days since the Wishmaker had arrived with an army of Leaguefolk in tow – well, Ruford had already been here for a year, and had blended in right and nice. Blend in, had been the instructions.

So Ruford indeed felt rather odd indeed when his 'blending in' costume was a League-provided Lickilicky costume. It was one that employees at amusement parks usually wore, a gaudy thing that had an ominous air about it, like at any moment it could spring to life and start strangling children. Ruford noticed children and smaller Pokemon keeping away from him as he sat on one of the couches in the Resort lobby. Even a Machamp, flexing for a gaggle of tourists, lost his luster at the sight and made a quiet exit.

Almost time for his orders. Ruford took a deep breath, pulling an arm free from the confines of the Lickilicky's hand and looking at his watch. Sure enough, he was getting a call.

His other hand was stuck in the costume, so Ruford used his nose to press the 'call' button. He accidentally hung up. Letting out a curse, he wrenched his stuck arm free – hearing the sound of the costume tearing as he did so, and re-dialed. Of course it came from Steven.

“This is Baron Alberto,” Ruford said, referring to his callsign, “Is this Big Gross?”

“'Big Gross' is not my callsign,” Steven's voice, though crackled and quiet, had an air of tired annoyance, “What's your status, Baron?”

“I'm at the Resort, like you ordered,” Ruford replied, “Keeping an eye out, and all that. Really quiet, Steve. Not the good kind, either. Folks are scared. I mean, I like fish, but I wouldn't like to have a mermaid tale-”

“Let's keep that one on the need-to-know, Baron,” Steven replied, “And use callsigns over the line. Never know who might be tapped in.”

“It's Agatha,” Ruford said, “She's old. Probably doesn't even know what a watch is. She was born, what? Four hundred years ago? People were using muskets when she was a teen-”

“Concentrate, Baron. Keep an eye on the Resort. You're in that Lickilicky costume, right? Maybe pretend to be entertaining. A real mascot. I'll see what I can do about getting you a balloon stand. The more you look like one of the locals, the better.”

“Alola, indeed,” Ruford said, “Alright. When should I head north?”

“In a couple hours. I'm still confirming a few things here. Might need your expertise soon, depending on how the investigation pans out. For now, I need you at the Resort in case anything crops up, or Agatha decides to strike there.”

“Right on, I'll keep my Pokemon on hand,” Ruford said, sticking his hand back into place, “Say hi to everyone up there for me, will ya?”

“...See you, Baron.”

The Hoenn Champion hung up the line. Ruford gave a grim smile at that. The fact that Steven Stone was out here meant the League was really concerned – two Champions at all, and not even in their home regions, meant certain expletives had hit the fan. As Ruford stood up, he wondered what the whippersnapper Champ in Alola was up to.

“Right, entertaining. Fun.”

He began to walk forward, bobbing and almost rolling through the lobby. Ruford sighed in frustration. He didn't have any peripheral vision, and what sight he had was hazed by a black mesh. He was already starting to sweat.

“I could've had a cute Charizard costume, or dressed up with cool ol' wings like those butterfly girls,” he muttered to himself, “But nooo, they had to go with the bargain bin Lickilicky costume that Steven wore at his day job when he was a teen at the carnival.”

He lumbered on, the dark storm, with its shadows seeming like claws and fangs, hugged the island, putting a dour mood on the entire island.

[Desolate Divine]

04-27-2021, 01:06 AM

Jon Drake
En Route -> Section B, Heahea City Urgent Care Center, Heahea City
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga

Jon groaned as he made his way back to the Urgent Care Center, watching his back via Latios' sight sharing to make sure he wasn't followed. Little escaped Latios empathy sense, even invisible or camouflaged Pokemon couldn't hid their emotions from him.

He had been going slightly insane unable to investigate like he used to. Given how recognizable he was, getting to close to targets would tip off the fact that they were investigating them, so he left that to Dylan and Abbee, however couldn't stand waiting in the hotel room whilst they were out. Eventually he discussed with Steven and Cynthia about helping to investigate the sites where people had been hexed, as they all had faith that chances are, a shadowcraft user isn't going to risk being caught by returning to the scene of the crime, and if they did, Latios would be aware of it before anybody.

Whilst he wasn't a shadowcraft user himself, he was still able to help nullify the curses. The infamous cursed swimming pool, he had just returned from, though his back ached painfully. He made his way into section B, before finding Triad, Sami, and Cynthia discussing the amount of hexes they had dealt with so far.

"The cursed swimming pool has been cleansed." Jon said as he walked in, "Do you know how much salt that pool needed? We are lucky they had it on hand, seeing as it was a salt water pool, but we used probably ten years worth, before that reagent you gave me activated..."

"Any leads on where they may strike next?" Jon asked, though having asked before, not feeling optimistic. Whilst Abbee, Dylan and the rest of Jon's squad were scoping out potential sites like the swimming pool, it was guesswork more than anything. Places where lots of people will make contact, but given how many tourists were buzzing around Akala Island, it could be anywhere. Whilst Jon really wanted to have Latios with them, he knew that him being spotted would throw the investigation away at this point, so Latios needed to be with him, and right now, he was probably the best person to be going out to the sights after the fact and trying to resolve the issues there, being informed about who Triad were, but not as recognizable as Steven and Cynthia.

Abbee Strauss and Dylan Squier
Memorial Hill
@Affected RPers: Neo Emolga (Indirectly)
Dylan stood by one of the graves on Memorial Hill, pretending to be a visitor, leaving some flowers by the grave he stood in front of, desperately hoping that nobody who actually knew the deceased would show up. There was a small handful of people visiting various graves as well, and out of the corner of his eye he tried to watch what others were doing. Meanwhile, he knew he had eyes on him, as Abbee, in the form of a Decidueye that she had taken to quite well, was perched in a nearby tree, watching over the people who entered.

Whilst Jon had listed places for the rest of his squad to investigate, Dylan was surprised when Jon told him to figure out on his own where to stake out. Having taken a day or so to think it over, Dylan decided to watch here. His reason being that not everybody who had been hexed was a tourist, and whilst Dylan knew some got caught out in tourist hotspots, such as the lifeguard at the pool that morning, some were being struck who had no reason to be near tourists. Dylan began thinking about places lots of the locals would visit, and this came to mind. He had hoped his theory was wrong, as it was disgusting to curse someone as they mourned love ones, but he had to be sure.

It had been three hours since Dylan arrived, however the sun was starting to lower in the sky and he would need time to travel if he wanted to make it back to Heahea City on foot by sunset.

He coughed violently, giving the signal to Abbee that they were leaving, before noticing a young woman leaving the rotunda nearby, that contained information about Memorial Hill, and a clipboard on a small fold-up table.

Making his way towards it, Dylan had a look at the piece of laminated paper next to the clipboard.

Save our burial site.

For generations the locals of Akala Island have buried their loved ones on memorial hill. It is the one thing that unites us, as no matter how rich or poor a person is, if they were born on Alkala, they will be buried here. Heahea City Council are currently discussing using the site as the location for a Pokemon Research Center, and have used loopholes in protocol to keep this hidden from the public, it only being made known by someone in council leaking the documents proposing it. Please sign to show your support of leaving Memorial Hill as is.

Reading this, Dylan went to grab the pen, before pulling his hand away, just missing being hit by a spectral quill, as a Abbee the Decidueye landed on the ground next to him. Realizing what was going on, Dylan slowly placed his hand near the clipboard. As he inched closer, a purple symbol began to glow to life, though he didn't touch it and activate the hex, whatever it is. One thing he did notice however was a name on the clipboard in fresh ink. The name of the woman who left before him. Possibly an alias, but even then it's a start.

Brianna Levine.

Dylan quickly pulled out his phone, calling Jon.

Jon Drake
Section B, Heahea City Urgent Care Center, Heahea City
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga

As Jon listened to what those working in the hospitals had to say, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket.

Dylan Squier.

"We found something. A curse that has just been placed at memorial hill."

"I'll come straight away, and see if I can bring one of the experts..."

"We also have a name, though it may be an alias. Brianna Levine." Dylan explained.

"Well, I know a bit about aliases and a lot of the time, they tend to have some link to their original name. People tend to be a bit vain at times." Jon explained, "See you guys soon. Stay safe."

Jon hung up, before looking up to face Triad.

"Dylan and Abbee found a curse that only just got placed." Jon asked, "Can one of you be spared to come help me figure out what it is and how to get rid of it?"

Neo Emolga

04-27-2021, 02:04 AM

The Diamond Ladies (Triad)
Section B, Heahea City Urgent Care Center, Heahea City
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine

Shortly after, Jon had arrived, mentioning that the situation surrounding the swimming pool had been taken care of with the reagents they gave him, but it only resulted in more questions about where they might strike next.

“Hey Jon, thanks for taking care of that,” Cassandra told him before she sighed with a shrug. “As for what they might target next, we’re still trying to figure that out.”

“I’ve been taking notes on who has been afflicted, where, when, and how,” Sami informed Jon as she reviewed a clipboard. “There’s not much of a pattern… at least not yet. And I still can’t figure out why they’re doing this.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that right now,” Violet told her as she took a sip of black coffee from her chair in the waiting area. “Agatha and her followers know they’ve got the upper hand at the moment. They won’t start revealing why they’re doing this until the tables start turning on them and they need to act out of haste and desperation. If you want those answers, we need to put pressure on them so they start making mistakes. Panic leads to bad decisions.”

“Yeah but… I think that applies to us, too,” Jarena replied, smiling bashfully.

“Provided no one screwed up yet and blew our cover, they don’t know there’s a formal investigation going on,” Violet replied, sitting back and crossing her legs as she looked to Jarena. “You remember what happened four years ago. We didn’t know who was in on the operation and who wasn’t. That made us make hasty mistakes and you know what followed after that. It’s exactly what we need to do again to them this time. Start taking them out one by one and make it as demoralizing as possible. Start with the weaker ones and work our way up the chain of command. If we can start putting doubts in their heads and can get them thinking that coming here and doing this was a bad idea, we’ll start getting clues and answers when they start acting on impulse rather than strategic planning.”

Jarena nodded, remembering quite well. It all started with their room on the Wishmaker getting broken into, Cassandra acting too quickly, and then suddenly she had forgotten about a hex she put on a pillow that she accidentally touched, causing her to transform into an Eevee. Pressure and hastiness led to a mistake, and it went all downhill from there. Attempts to transform her back were intercepted, reckless actions were made, and it ended up with all three of them as Pokémon with their Shadowcraft books and even their clothes stolen. Even their attempt to run away and cause ruckus was quickly shut down after they were intercepted by a stampede of Pokémon, resulting in them having to surrender.

It was then that Jon had hung up before looking to Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet.

“Dylan and Abbee found a curse that only just got placed,” Jon asked. “Can one of you be spared to come hep me figure out what it is and how to get rid of it?”

“I’ll go,” Cassandra told him before looking to Jarena and Violet. “I’ll let you two know if it’s something I might need help flushing out. Sasha, I think you’re onto something, but like you said, it’s probably too early to tell.”

After Cassandra heard the incident was at Memorial Hill, she decided to change out of her scrubs and put on regular street clothing, this time using a black hoodie to cover her head and hide her face. She felt wearing her costume at a burial site would just be in bad taste, not to mention changing into her Butterfree costume attire took a while. That was for incidents that were close to where the festival was taking place. Or at least what was left of it…

Once she was fully changed, she returned to Jon, also carrying a backpack with her Pokémon medicine and some spell reagents. She figured she likely had enough to deal with whatever needed to be cleansed on Memorial Hill, but it all depended on the curse itself. That, and she needed to be prepared if in case the curse was triggered and something happened. And lastly, she took her radio with her, just in case she needed backup support from Jarena and Violet.

Cassandra knew all too well that trying to dispel curses was like trying to disarm a bomb. She was hoping this would just be a simple one, but she knew all too well that her skills were definitely being tested with this whole operation…

“All set,” she told Jon. “Not sure where Dylan and Abbee found this thing, but lead the way and I’ll see what we can do to whatever this thing is…”

Noblejanobii

04-27-2021, 03:39 AM

Avery Miller & Abital Ecke
Surf Association, Heahea Branch => Urgent Healthcare Center
Affected RP'ers: (possibly Desolate Divine)

To say that this honeymoon was anything short of a disaster was quite the understatement in Avery's opinion. When Abital has jokingly suggested taking the SS Wishmaker for their honeymoon cruise, Avery had thought the idea amusing and accepted. What was it if not a little bit of hilarious irony given the events of their last trip on the SS Wishmaker? Yeah irony was having the last laugh on this one. In a cruel twist of fate, Avery was once against caught up in dealings of Shadowcraft witches. But this time, they weren't alone. Their husband, Abital, had been dragged into this as well, making the situation that much worse.

The two had been doing their best to stay hidden from the mass amount of witches and ghost Pokemon running around the city by taking up residence in the abandoned surfing branch. For the most part, while it had worked so far, that didn't mean their plan was full proof. Abital's current state was very much proof of that. There was a good reason that the witches hadn't come back to the building anyway. There had already been at least one hex placed on it, if not more. While rushing inside the surf shack to seek shelter, Abital had accidentally tripped a hex placed on the entrance of the building. While Avery had initially been relieved that the hex wasn't anything like the Pokemon body swapping one (they still had nightmares on occasion about that incident), they quickly realized that this particular hex was likely worse. Since being afflicted by it, Abital had contracted a serious fever. Avery was doing all they could to keep Abital cool but they knew they needed to get Abital to a medical center sooner rather than later. It just... hadn't been an option to leave yet. Not when it seemed like nowhere was safe from the Shadowcraft witches. Plus, they had other problems.

While the witches hadn't really bothered to inspect the building, ghost Pokemon had, scaring the ever living daylights out of Abital anytime they came flying through the walls. Avery and their team had done their best to dispel them, taking shifts to ensure at least one Pokemon was on standby at all times. But after several days, that was starting to wear on them too. Avery and Abital's Pokemon were starting to get worn out from the large number of battles, and Avery themself hadn't slept in a while, too fraught with worry over Abital's current state. That said, while they were desperate to escape, they weren't without a plan of how to do so.

Avery watched the door to the Surf Association like a Braviary as shadows occasionally passed in front of the door. People, Pokemon, Friend, or Foe? Who was to say. They glanced to the side when they heard Abital groan again. Moving over to their husband, they took the washcloth off his forehead and dunked it into the bucket of water they had drawn. It wasn't the coldest water by any means, Avery had preemptively filled every bucket, sink, and other container that could water that they could find in the event that either the water was cut off, or worse, the pipes hexed. But it was clean, non-hexed water, which was something.

"Rai raichu." (Avery! Avery, over here!) Avery looked over at Abital's partner, Meir. The Raichu was standing towards the back of the shack, guarding a small hole in the wall. Meir had gotten Avery's attention just in time for them to see Gloria squeeze through the hole, the Shaymin returning from doing some recon in the nearby area. Avery had sent her out earlier with one main goal: see if there was a safe area where they could take Abital to receive treatment for his fever. Given how quickly Gloria was rushing back to Avery, it seemed her search had yielded promising results.

"Shay!! Shay shay shay shay min min shaymin!" ("Avery! There's an urgent care center just down the way from here! It appears they're taking in tons of patients by the minute so I think they're on our side. But get this, I just saw Jon on his way there!") Gloria practically shouted as she excitedly delivered the news.

Avery quickly shushed the Shaymin, not wanting to draw the attention of anyone eavesdropping. "That's good to hear about the urgent care center. If the path is clear we should try to make a run for it to get Abital treatment as soon as possible. I don't know how much longer he can hold on like this." It took a moment for the second half of Gloria's message to set in, causing Avery to do a bit of double take at Gloria. "I'm sorry, did you say you saw Jon?"

Gloria nodded. "Shay! Shay Shaymin." (Yeah! I saw him from the bushes heading towards the center.)

Avery rubbed their chin. That made sense then. They had sworn back on the boat that they had seen Jon but just assumed it was a case of mistaken identity. It happened from time to time. But considering Jon had RSVPed yes for the wedding and then not shown up without a word, they had found Jon's "appearance" on the boat to be a bit peculiar. Now it made sense. There was definitely more than meets the eye going on here.

"Right, well, is the coast clear for us to make our way to the center?" Avery asked. Gloria simply nodded again in confirmation. "Then we make our move now. With any luck, we might run into Jon as he gets to the center." Avery opened another one of their Pokéballs, sending out their Rapidash, Daybreak. Removing the washcloth from Abital's head, they hoisted him up off the ground and placed their husband on Daybreak's back.

Abital groaned a little and briefly opened his eyes at the sudden movement. "Are we going somewhere?" he weakly signed.

"Shh," Avery whispered, kissing Abital for a moment. "We're going to a center where you can be treated. Just hold on as tight as you can to Daybreak, okay?" They placed Daybreak's reins into Abital's hands and helped their husband grasp them tightly.

Abital gave Avery the "okay" gesture before resting his head on Daybreak's neck.

Avery looked Daybreak in the eyes, a silent exchange passing between them. Daybreak knew that look on Avery's face. He was to protect Abital at all costs. Avery and the rest of the team could handle themselves for now without Daybreak's assistance. For now, the priority was Abital.

Avery opened the door to the surf association and looked around outside. Just as Gloria had said, no one appeared to be around at the moment. So they'd take advantage of that. Signaling for the others to follow, the small group of Avery, Gloria, Meir, and Daybreak with Abital on his back, began to quickly make their way down the street towards the urgent healthcare center.

[Desolate Divine]

04-27-2021, 04:08 AM

Jon Drake
Heahea Hosptial, En Route to Memorial Hill
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga Noblejanobii

Whilst Cassandra got changed, Jon went around to the back of the hospital where he had left one of the perks of his position as Squad Commander.

Whilst Latios was helpful for transport, he could only really carry one person comfortably, and Jon knew Latios wouldn't always be around on this operation, and Jon didn't want to wear the Pokemon out as glorified transport before he may need to battle. So when Steven let Jon know of the amount of money allocated to his squadron, once Jon had spent the funds on essentials, he also decided to cover himself in case Latios was not available to take him somewhere. He wheeled the Honda Africa Twin motorcycle from behind the hospital building, having left it there that morning, aware that if the situation he now found himself in arose, that would be the fastest way there.

This mission had been the first time in years he had ridden a motorcycle, after Alyssa convinced him to sell his own shortly after they married, when neither of them had a car that was reliable, and there being the innate risks of riding a motorcycle, however it suited this mission more, so given the opportunity, Jon made sure to get his hands on one. This model in particular had plenty enough power, and was designed to handle roads well, whilst still being able to traverse off road without too much issue.

As Cassandra walked out of the building, Jon tossed her the spare helmet. It wasn't the first time he had to take one of the ladies to a scene of a curse.

"You ready?"

Once they both had their helmets on, Jon started the bike, before the pair climbed on, and Jon darted south through the city, making his way towards Memorial Hill.

As they rode, probably above the speed limit, Jon darted past a group of Pokemon and a trainer that he recognized as Avery Miller. Whilst Jon had RSVP'd that he and Alyssa would attend their wedding, he was interrupted by the arrival of the Diamond Ladies and their news which brought this operation into existence, and ended up missing the event. Whilst he had seen Avery once or twice on the S.S. Wishmaker, heading towards Alola, he left them alone, figuring it was probably their honeymoon, and catching up can wait until circumstances aren't as dire.

Pulling the throttle even more, and shifting up a gear, Jon accelerated towards the south gate of the city.

Jon Drake, Dylan Squier and Abbee Strauss
Memorial Hill
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga

It was forty minutes after the phone call when Jon arrived. In that time, Abbee was pretending to be an agitated Pokemon on the rotunda, as Dylan kept passers by away as he tried to calm the Decidueye and send it on its way. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the motorbike in the distance.

When the bike arrived, halting to a stop, Jon and someone else in a helmet that Dylan couldn't identify them through climbed off the bike.

"Over there, on the petition." Dylan explained, "The smarta** wrote her name before she cursed it. She left just before I came over, though Abbee saw her do it, and stopped me from signing it myself..."

Abbee flew down onto the ground, watching the three humans talk, before speaking up, though only Jon and Cassandra could understand her.

"I wanted to tail her, but Dylan hadn't noticed, and by the time he knew something was wrong and could stop people from touching it, she was gone..." Abbee the Decidueye said...

"No matter, it's a lead if nothing else." Jon said, "Cass, any idea what it is?"

HorusMyDude

04-27-2021, 06:01 AM

Ruford McDonough
Hano Grand Resort -> Heahea City Urgent Care Center
Affected RPers: None yet

“Some holiday,” Ruford muttered. The entire atmosphere had changed after the dark storm clouds came in and the hexing had begun. Oh sure, tourists did what they were going to do – children played on the sandy beach, a couple more adventurous little brats dancing in the water. A couple Pyukumuku had washed up on the shore, languishing in agony on the unusually cold sand. Ruford waddled over in his full costume and picked one up, tossing it into the ocean. The entire place felt... off. There was a newfound worry in the people's eyes, and desperate as they were to distract themselves from the current events, occasionally they would whisper to one another. When Ruford had woken up this morning, twenty people had been admitted to the Urgent Care Center. He had a gut feeling that that number had increased a bit today alone.

All the more reason why he hoped Steven could hurry up the investigation on his side, though he didn't say that out loud. He made his way back up the beach, towards one of small bazaars that had been set up outside the resort. They had been built up specifically for the holiday – last year, Ruford had bought one of the souvenirs here – a small paper tag that was said to ward away spirits.

The next day, he had been attacked by a Gastly. So he didn't really put much stock in them. Tourist traps, one and all. Yet perhaps because of the increased supernatural activity around here, people were flocking to the stalls and buying overpriced wards and doodads. Not that he wasn't a believer in such protections – far from it.

Rather, the best defense was a good offense.

Ruford ducked into a small alley, pulling the head of the Lickilicky off and breathing out – Arceus, it felt good to breathe without smelling mothballs! Rummaging and cursing to himself, he freed an arm. He held a Pokeball in it, and clicked the button.

A moment later, Jim appeared – the Kecleon had been crawling on all fours, and stood up on his back legs and stared at nothing.

“Jim,” Ruford said.

The Kecleon didn't respond.

“Jim! Earth to Jim! Jimbo, calling all Jims here!” Ruford waved his hand in front of the Kecleon's face, “Jim!”

Jim didn't respond, didn't even look at his trainer. Ruford supposed that would suffice.

“Alright, this whole place is givin' me the heebie-jeebies something fierce,” he said, “I want you to go all camouflage on me and tail me in case something goes wrong. If a Ghost Pokemon shows up, I give you full permission to Shadow Sneak and wipe its %$# across the pavement. Dig?”

Jim didn't respond.

“Alright,” Ruford said, “Now, if anything happens, you follow me, got it? You find where I'm going – you can track me by scent, right?”

Jim didn't respond.

“Alright, if I end up going somewhere, and you can't find me, go to the Urgent Care Center. Let Cynthia know that ol' Ruford from Dewford got got, got it?”

Jim didn't respond.

“Alright,” Ruford finished. He noticed then his watch was buzzing. Champion Cynthia's face appeared. Ruford clicked the 'answer' button.

“This is Baron Alberto,” he said.

“Baron Alberto, I need you at the Urgent Care Center,” Cynthia responded.

“Why, what's up?” Ruford asked.

“One of our major operatives just went elsewhere. I need to make sure the Urgent Center is at full strength, in case something ends up happening,” Cynthia replied.

“What, the Champion of Sinnoh scared of a couple ghosts and jumpscares?” Ruford chuckled.

“You know it's more than that, Baron.”

“Right, right,” Ruford said, “Sorry.”

“Besides, I want you to see one of the patients. Something's off about the hex that was cast on them that I want you to see.”

“Well, I ain't an expert on all that Shadowcraft business, but alright,” Ruford said, “I'm on my way.”

He hung up, and then returned the pink, hellish dome that was the Lickilicky head to its rightful place, his own crown to adorn. Beside him, he saw Jim go invisible, barely a blur on the brick wall that shimmered subtly as the Kecleon moved beside him.

“Right,” Ruford said, “Urgent Care Center's on the other side of town...”

Oh, Arceus.

“Taxi!” he called out.

One of the banana yellow vehicles pulled up on the street. Ruford clambered in, cursing to himself as he did so – he couldn't even reach for the seatbelt. The driver had an amused smile on his face.

“Hey pal, you just roll in, or Rollout?” he said.

“Ha ha,” Ruford snapped, “Urgent Care Center. I'm entertaining a dying child.”

“Good luck with that, wearing that costume,” the taxi driver laughed. He merged into traffic and began making his way to the destination. Ruford was aware of Jim riding on the outside of the taxi, the Kecleon a mirage that gripped the door and roof. Perfect in case something went down, he could react quickly. It was a matter of minutes before the driver pulled into the parking lot of the Urgent Care Center. Ruford paid his fare and clambered out.

Chakramaster

04-27-2021, 12:19 PM

Jimmy Kendo
Urgent Care Center, Heahea City -> Memorial Hill
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga Desolate Divine

Jimmy let out a long sigh. He had already been stressed out from a few missions. Things were just not looking the best right now. While he hadn't seen them yet. Jimmy knew fresh the Champions posted on site that the Diamon Ladies were here helping undisclosed to manny others due to the circumstances with curses and hazes being found.

While most of these curses and hexes can only be fixed by the reversal spells. Jirachi has his limits. He can only help under certain cases. Much like the curse from a Ninetales they found about a year ago can't be removed by Jirachi's powers. There's likitations to everything.

"Pika. Pika-pi?" (So what do you think, Jimmy)? Pikachu asked.

Jimmy sits down by Pikachu. " I think we need a few moments to rest." Jimmy as he sat down and took a breather. Trying tongather every bit of rest and information so far together.

"We've had cases popping up all over the area so far. Heahea isn't in such a good shape and things could easily go from bad to worse. We've got specialists looking after those afflicts Ed while they are able and who knows what may come next. Honestly I've got a funny feeling for things to come too."

Jirachi used it's psychic power to talk to Jimmy and his Pikachu telepathically as they've trained from a distance.

"Jimmy? Pikachu? I can see our friends!! Yes! Our old friends from years ago! Everyone seems to be gathering to leave somewhere. Cassandra and that guy with Latios. Jon. They're all heading somewhere."

"Thanks for the heads up Jirachi." Jimmy said

"Anytime Jimmy! I'll keep lookout while hidden." Jirachi responds.

Jimmy contacts Cynthia. Getting any updates as he takes one last breather before gathering his equipment.

"Thanks Cynthia. I'll make my way there in case there's any need for backup. I've still got Jirachi hidden away overlooking everything. If you need its assistance send me the word. Until then I'll have Jirachi tailing nearby us at Memorial Hill just in case." Jimmy told Cynthia.

As Jon and the others left. Jimmy found an open area outside. Calling out his Salamance and jumping on. His Pikachu following behind and holding on.

"Alright buddy. Follow behind them as you can." Jimmy said pointing to Jon and the others as they left.

"Jirachi will help keep us safe from curses as he can. Plus my pendant will detect any nearby. So I can help guide us. We will just have to be extra careful."

Jimmy couldn't help but wonder what kind of a reunion this might be. The Diamond Ladies for sure, but it's been 4 years since Jon had last seen Jimmy and his team.

Arriving on scene just as they do. Jimmy climbs off from Salamance. Thanking him for the swift ride and returning him to his Pokeball.

Making his way. He calls over to them as he approached.

"Long time no see both of you. I was filled in on the details.

Alisaie Kendo
Outside of Heahea Urgent Care Hospital
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga

Alisaie had changed into more casual clothing. Trying to fit in with her surrounding area. While not totally trying to stay hidden. She wanted to look just like a guest in a nearby hotel.

"Alright time to focus. You guys remember our goals right? Stay attentive and we can get the supllies we need. Don't take everything. Just one of the herbs should be enough okay, Hoopa? We've got all the necessary berries back at the room" Alisaie kept her voice down talking to her team. "Alright lets go!

Hoopa has used its ability to travel through a ring into a place hidden inside the Urgent Care. Hoping no one else was nearby. It took cover behind some displayed plants. Her Emolga managed to glide to an open window that had been just open enough to slip through.

Meanwhile Alisaie had gone into the building for the Urgent Care. Trying to find anyone she can gather attention from. Luckily most within the building were busy. She had managed to slip by a few others in the building as her Pokémon all seemed to get into place. All she needed was one herb. She was close and she could tell.

Hoopa managed to catch up to her and get her through a few locked doors until she ran into an area where she couldn't get past. Managing to stay hidden from sight; now in what looked to be Section B from what a sign showed.. 2 ladies in surgical gear she could see were just nearby. Seeing off another with a bag that looked to be filled with medical equipment and maybe more. Hoopa then pointed at her bag and where she came from.

"That must be it." Alisaie whispered to Hoopa. She managed to catch a glimpse of movement in the corner where she saw her Emolga. Ready for any signals. They all nodded as she approached the two ladies.

"Excuse me, can you ladies help? I seem to be a little lost." Alissa asked them as she slowly approached. Looking a little embarrassed.

Shruikan

04-27-2021, 02:15 PM

Luneth Tarot
Heahea City
Affected RP'ers: None

Luneth hadn’t thought that much about why it was called Shadowcraft before. She’d only seen a few spells the Diamond Ladies had cast on the Whishmaker, and the minor charms that her and Glimmer had learned themselves. But with this darkness handing over everything, even when the sun was shining, she felt like she understood. At this time of year Heahea city was always a bright joyful place, but now it was a literal ghost town, with only the bravest of festival goers not hiding away in their homes to avoid the ghosts that filled the streets. Many of them had their own pokemon out with them as bodyguards. As it was, Luneth also had Hestia out and following behind her to ward off any ghosts that might think her an easy target.

As she looked around the half deserted streets, Luneth worried about Glimmer. The Shaymin had been assigned to Steven’s team, and was searching for the perpetrators right now, potentially right in the line of fire. Luneth had to resist the urge to call and check up on her, knowing that it could be a distraction and put her in unnecessary danger.

Up ahead a man dressed in a Ecruteak-style Pikachu outfit, (a yellow kimono and a wooden Pikachu mask,) caught her attention. After staggering out of an alley, his head flailing around in panic as if he was being hunted down, his eyes rolled up and he collapsed onto the street. Several of the ghosts wandering the street began to approach him, but Hestia shot a flamethrower at any that got too close, causing them to back off enough for Luneth to safely approach.

She could feel straight away that this was indeed the work of Shadowcraft, and not simply someone who had had one too many drinks. She didn’t have time to try a counter spell here, with all the ghosts roaming around, and she had a feeling that this one was beyond her abilities anyway.

She sent out Circuit, and heaved the man onto the Silvally’s back. The man had only just collapsed, so whatever had hit him must be nearby…

Circuit suddenly bucked wildly, throwing the man to the ground, and lashing out in random directions.

Oh no, not Circuit too.

Luneth quickly returned the flailing Silvally to his pokeball, cursing herself for not being more careful. But how had the hex’s effects spread? She had touched the man too, but hadn’t been affected.

“The mask,” Hestia said as if reading her mind. “It was as soon as his mask touched him.”

Come to think of it, she’d seen a mask just like this for sale at a stall earlier. It had been one of the few places that had remained open despite the shadows and ghosts everywhere.

Luneth sent out Roseli, and quickly explained the situation. The Scolipede grumbled but didn’t move to stop Luneth as she propped the man up on his back, then climbed on behind him to hold him in a sitting position, and making sure that his head didn’t loll into anyone.

Once she was out of earshot of the other civilians, Luneth held the man in place with one hand for a moment, tapping in Cynthia’s number on her comm with the other.

“This is Inari,” Luneth began, remembering at the last moment to use her callsign. “I’m near Heahea docks. A man has just been hit with a cursed mask that appears to have made him go crazy with fear and collapse. I’m taking him back to the med center now. It might have been a one off, but I think I saw a stall selling masks just like it earlier, so it’s worth sending someone over to investigate. Over and out.”

Roseli sped to the medical center at full speed, as Luneth struggled to keep the passenger still. Hold on just a bit Circuit, we’ll get help for you soon.

C0L0R3D

04-27-2021, 06:04 PM

Ozona Reverie
Heahea City
Affected RP'ers: N/A

Ozona was very quiet as she walked though the streets of Heahea. She didn't really understand why all of these hexes and curses had popped up, she just wanted a chance to have a good time battling and then this happens. She wanted a break from all of this spooky nonsense, it was very stressful for her to be honest.no

Riding on her shoulder was her trusty Cincinno, Oreo, her only real stress relief besides from her now released Altaria, and she had a lot of pressure on her mind too to try and keep Ozona happy. Even though she was just a little Normal type, she knew she was helping a lot. With a small flick of her shawl, Oreo patiently clung on to Ozona as she resumed her walking after checking if anyone was around, which they weren't.

Neo Emolga

04-28-2021, 12:27 AM

Cassandra Silvers (AKA Naomi Hart)
Memorial Hill
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine Noblejanobii Chakramaster

Cassandra didn’t want to admit she hadn’t ever taken a ride on a motorcycle before, but she decided to go with it, especially since cars on Akala Island were rare and most of the locals used either bikes, mopeds, or motorcycles like this one. But there were plenty of cases where locals and tourists would ride Pokémon as well, but none of the six Pokémon that she had now were ones large enough to ride and support a human passenger.

After getting her helmet on, she climbed on and held on tight as she and Jon raced through the streets. For a very short moment, Cassandra had taken a glace at something Jon had noticed, and if memory served her correctly, she thought she had recognized Avery Miller from four years ago, but wasn’t quite sure. At least this person reminded her of them. She also didn’t recognize the person they were with, leading Cassandra to believe maybe she was just seeing things and too many people she now saw were reminding her of someone else…

After arriving at Memorial Hill, Jon and Cassandra had met up with Dylan, who had been trying to calm a Decidueye. Once Dylan explained what he had found and who he believed left the curse, Abbee the Decidueye explained further, letting them know she had to give up tailing the suspect to prevent Dylan from triggering the hex. Meanwhile, she had realized Jimmy had been following them shortly after getting off the bike.

“Long time no see both of you,” Jimmy told both Jon and Cassandra. “I was filled in on the details.”

“Hey, good to see you too, Jimmy,” Cassandra smiled at him. “Still, just watch your step and don’t touch anything you don’t need to. We’re still not sure what the nature of this hex is, or why it was put there.”

“No matter, it’s a lead if nothing else,” Jon said. “Cass, any idea what it is?”

Cassandra had moved in to take a closer look, looking at the petition paper. She had seen the purple-colored symbol left besides the name “Brianna Levine.” While Jon and Dylan believed that was the suspect’s name, Cassandra felt it could be a hoax or possibly someone the suspect wanted to frame. It just seemed reckless to leave their real name at the scene of the crime. Still, she wasn’t as concerned about that as the symbol itself.

Looking it over, she felt she didn’t recognize it entirely at first. It bore the marking of an Axtavat Sigil, but the purple glow to it didn’t make sense and the more she looked at it, the more she felt her initial theory about it being an Axtavat hex may not be quite right. Still, reading and identifying curses was not beyond her ability. However, right now, as she looked around while keeping her hood covered over her face, she wasn’t sure who might be watching and listening. She didn’t want to be caught in the act of disarming a curse, because then that could be reported to Agatha’s posse and then she would know there were Shadowcraft witches working on the opposite side. Since she wanted to do this quietly and secretively with the way Akala Island was right now, there were too many eyes everywhere.

She had decided to let out Nami the Purugly and Angel the Swanna. Once the hefty gray cat and white swan Pokémon emerged from their Pokéballs, Cassandra took another look around at the dark shrubs and darkened skies.

“Nami, I’m going to need to you to be terragi while Angel, I need you as an aerotai,” Cassandra told them both. “No time to explain, there’s eyes everywhere around here and I need to concentrate on this.”

The Purugly and Swanna almost gawked as they looked at Cassandra with shock before they looked at each other suddenly doubting everything they had known about her.

“Purr…?” (“How… does a human know what those mean?”) Nami asked Angel, totally in disbelief jargon thought only to be known to wild and feral Pokémon was now being used by this human. “Purr…ruuu… (“I haven’t heard those used since I was a Glameow back in the wild…”)

“Swaa…naa…” (“Me neither, this girl is pretty unusual.”) Angel nodded, looking at Cassandra and wondering if she really was human after all.

“Takiae, please…” Cassandra instructed them as she understood and overheard what they were saying, using the lingo of ‘please pay attention’ that normally only an alpha Pokémon in the wild would use to instruct the pack. “If you see anything out there, I’ve got to know.”

Still bewildered by Cassandra’s knowledge of such things on top of her being able to understand Pokémon speech, they decided to obey her command. While Cassandra approached the petition, Nami kept a lookout on the ground while Angel kept his eyes on the skies, guarding her as they remained vigilant in trying to detect any disturbances in the shadows and in the surrounding environment. When Cassandra arrived, she saw the laminated paper and she looked closely at the list of signatures, seeing the name “Brianna Levine.” Ordinarily, the sigil was invisible and was easy to miss. She realized this had to be a contact-based hex, and she realized Dylan was extremely lucky to have not triggered the curse if it was primed enough to glow from the proximity of his hand being there.

“Nas kama narin…” Cassandra muttered as she hovered her hand over the sigil, trying to read what this other Shadowcraft witch had left behind.

But even in trying to read this Shadowcraft hex, she was getting a mixed feedback, but then shortly after she realized what was going on. Whoever had left this here had created a hybrid of two hexes interwoven together. An almost experimental hex, which got Cassandra wondering how and why someone would set this up.

“It’s like two curses in one,” Cassandra explained to the others. “Whoever left this here managed to figure out how to weave a Zekve and a Koxein curse together. Had you touched that, you’d be one really sick and queasy Shroomish and whoever left this here and hexed you would get to see through your own eyes and watch everything you were doing without you even knowing.”

Cassandra felt she could disarm it, but it would be a delicate process. She’d have to cut the link to the nether first, but she didn’t know if that dark energy was running through the sigil together as one cohesive insignia or if it now had two separate sources like two live wires charged from two separate power units. She figured she’d start with the Koxein portion of the hex, feeling if she at least disarmed that but accidentally trigged the Zekve hex, she could take becoming a Shroomish over running the risk of having Agatha’s followers discover they had a witchcraft hospital to curse and hex to kingdom come.

However, after a minute of delicately dissecting the sigil’s source of power to the nether, she was able to sever the link and disarm the curses as one without having anything trigger. With the hexes dispelled, she was able to easily “clean” and flush off off the inscribed hex marking as if it was never placed there.

“And poof, it’s gone,” Cassandra replied, smiled she learned something out of that. “Whatever they’re doing, they’re getting clever about it. Which… gives me a theory about this whole thing.”

She then looked to Jon, Dylan, Abbee, and Jimmy. While she knew what she was thinking may not be entirely true, she at least wanted to put it on the table as a plausible basis of investigation.

“Agatha and her witchy friends here may be cursing and hexing everyone as part of a training or ‘educational’ experience,” Cassandra theorized, seeing as how this was an experimental hybrid hex. “The other possibility is this is all for research for some really nasty intention. Or both. Either way, I have a feeling they’re using everyone else on the island as lab Ratattas for practice to see what’s most effective and then get everyone in their posse to become an expert at it. I know this because… we did some experimenting with Shadowcraft, too. Back in the wild for the past four years. Shadowcraft isn’t so cut and dry, it’s adaptable, and we adapted it to align with our natural surroundings as a kind of… druidic-like magic of sorts. But it takes trial and error with experimentation. Sometimes it works, other times… odd things happen. Let’s just say I was glad ‘Sonia’ and ‘Sasha’ were still around when I accidentally triggered my homemade ensnaring flower trap spell or I might still be stuck in that.”

Nami and Angel had looked at each other again, perplexed and confused.

“Anyway, I could be wrong, but I wouldn’t rule it out as a possibility,” Cassandra told them. “In the meantime, that Koxein hex gives me an idea. If we could nab one of these witches, lay this ‘wire tap’ curse on them and we… ‘accidentally’ lose our hold on them and they escape, we might see where they’re hiding and what they’re up to. I imagine it kind of works like your sight-sharing with Latios, Jon, although I haven’t tried using Koxein curses myself. I figure it’s worth a try while Agatha believes no one but her own witch friends has access to that kind of spell.”

Cassandra knew she’d need to head back to the urgent care center to brush up that Koxein hex, but she wasn’t worried about that. She was thinking she might have to run this idea by Steven first, as he may have already had his own plans that she was not aware of, and it was likely she hadn’t heard about them yet as she had been busy at the urgent care center. But still, if he gave the plan the green light, she was confident she could master the use of that Koxein hex rather quickly and put it to good use as she felt it couldn’t be too complicated of a thing to learn.

It was trying to catch a living and breathing witch and get them under control long enough to do this hex without them realizing it… that, she knew, would be much, much harder…

Jarena Farrell (AKA Sonia Fairchild) and Violet Radcliffe (AKA Sasha Winters)
Section B, Heahea City Urgent Care Center, Heahea City
Affected RPers: Chakramaster

"Excuse me, can you ladies help? I seem to be a little lost."

Jarena had turned around to see Alisaie Kendo, though she didn’t recognize her. She also didn’t see her go through the Section B entrance, although Jarena would admit she wasn’t watching it all that closely. While she didn’t seem like a threat, Jarena just decided to be a little careful and not openly reveal what was going on here, just in case.

“Oh, hey there, name’s Sonia, nice to meet you,” Jarena told her, using her cover name. “You’re in Section B right now. Did you have some kind of ailment you need resolved?”

Jarena figured if she did, she could point her in the right direction depending on what it was. Section A was still there for resolving the usual urgent care medical procedures that weren’t witchcraft-related. It all depended on what kind of help she needed, if anything at all.

HorusMyDude

04-28-2021, 03:21 AM

Ruford Mcdonough
Heahea Urgent Care Center, Section B
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga, Chakramaster

Ruford listened to the tail end of the conversation the nurses were having as he lumbered in. Some tourist, by the looks of it, while one of the Triad was talking to a tourist asking for directions. He had worked with the Triad a couple times already – helping with a couple of hexed victims and listening as they went over instructions for breaking the various spells throughout the island. He didn't like 'em, not one bit – there was something off about them, as though they were hiding something.

He couldn't place his finger on what though. They were probably pop stars.

He gestured to one of them to follow him as he made his way into the room Cynthia was occupying. The Sinnoh Champion was sitting at a desk she had taken over from a local doctor – a doctor who was now in one of the rooms, his left arm transformed into an Arbok. To say she was weary was an understatement – Heahea was under siege.

“Ruford,” she said.

He popped the head of the Lickilicky costume off, letting out a gasp of air as he did so. He begin extricating himself out of the costume as he gave his report.

“Came here as fast as I could. Whole town's a mess – kept seeing ghosts about the place. Low level stuff, basic Pokemon and whatnot, but there's some really big $%^$ just under the surface, I think. I took a taxi here, and well...”

He gestured as the taxi driver was wheeled in on a stretcher, his face a mess of boils and writhing tentacles.

“Kept going on about a mask he bought at one of the souvenir stands, said it was supposed to help protect him from ghosts and his ex-husband. Looks like he got it bad, though.”

“You think the masks might have something to do with it?” Cynthia asked.

“Well, it's a good start,” Ruford reasoned, “Easy to buy, everyone loves 'em, I guess you could put a nice hex on 'em or something. I don't know, I'm not a Shadowcraft expert.”

“That... makes sense,” Cynthia said, “It lines up with a few of the incidents we've seen thus far. And the reason why I called you here.”

She produced a small mask, “This here was being worn by a small child. The hex wasn't really anything special – just caused the poor kid to burp out fireworks. What I'm more concerned about is the design.”

Ruford glanced down at the old mask. It was a plain mask that you could buy at a party store and decorate, an off-white color that had been bedazzled with pink and blue dots. It almost reminded him of...

“A Blacephalon,” he said, “Well, I'm not surprised. One of those things rolled through here a couple months ago, blew up a small hotel. Was all over the news. Any kid could've seen it and decided it was a cool Ultra Beast, right? Unless you're saying it was intentionally designed as an Ultra Beast – and a Ghost type at that. Fits the theme. Fits making a scene...”

[Desolate Divine]

04-28-2021, 03:27 AM

Jon Drake, Abbee Strauss and Dylan Squier
Memorial Hill
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga Chakramaster

Cassandra managed to dispel the curse which they learnt was more nefarious than they realized whilst Jon felt his phone buzzing, with a call from Steven. Making note to call him back later,* Jon declined the call before it buzzed again.

After it buzzed for a third time Jon received a message.

"Answer the phone Jon!"

Sighing, Jon muttered to the three others there "Principal Stone wants to speak to me..."

Jon answered the call, and heard Steven sounding irritated on the other end of the line.

"Got a few questions for you Jon..." Steven said irritably.

"Firstly, why is the tracking from your phone disabled? Secondly, why has your entire squad disabled their tracking too... and thirdly, why the he'll do I keep getting told to 'ask Jon' whenever I try and ask any of your squad about their activity..." Steven asked, as Jon sighed.

"My entire squad has been ordered not to share information outside of the squad. If any information leaves my squad, it's through me." Jon explained, "What do you want to know?"

"I want to know why you are encouraging insubordination from your squad? I am tied for highest ranking official here, and I can't get a peep out of them, even with threat of punishment." Steven retorted.

"They're doing well then..."

"Goddamn it Jon, answer the question."

"The S.S. Wishmaker s**tshow made it abundantly clear that the League has a problem keeping information to themselves." Jon explained, "I have handpicked my squad and trust all of them, but I don't have the time or authority to comb through everyone involved in the operation. I trust my squad to keep information to themselves, but very few others outside of them. And if my trust proved to be ill-placed, and information leaks, it will be easier to find that leak..."

"So you don't trust me either?" Steven asked.

"If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have contacted you when Triad showed up at my door, let alone let you involve the League. I trust you, Cynthia and Triad, but the League has no reason to have my trust." Jon answered quietly, so nobody outside those closest to him could hear, "I know it isn't certain, but there is a very real chance that had the League managed to keep its operatives under control, and it's information from leaking, we would have covered up what happened on the S.S. Wishmaker and might not be in this mess. The league's failings led to attempted murder, me nearly being framed for it, and an attack on my school that resulted with a gun pointed at my head. Don't pretend the League have any reason for me to trust them, especially since we both have a secret that could wind up with us being court marshalled and thrown in jail for the rest of our lives, and I don't exactly see you lining up to inform the League of it..."

"Fine, I get it, the League isn't perfect." Steven replied, somewhat defeated.

"I will let you and Cynthia know whatever you want to know about what my squad digs up, because I have faith you will trust my instinct and let me keep this information within my squad." Jon explained, "Just like I trusted yours about our green friend..."

"I expect a written report from you every night." Steven replied.

"And I expect you to show nobody and burn it after reading." Jon retorted.

"This had better not blow up in our face." Steven explained, "The league weren't happy that I gave you your own squad, and if there is a disaster that could have been prevented had you followed protocol, it will be my a** on the line."

Jon said goodbye before hanging up the phone, unaware of the new person in the group. After a second he recognized the trainer as Jimmy Kendo as his eyes quickly darted around to see if Jirachi was nearby. He wasn't which meant it was either in its Pokeball, or loose somewhere else, Jon knowing which he would prefer.

"I just gotta send this report... I will forward you three a copy." Jon muttered to Cassandra, Dylan and Abbee, before opening an SMS to Cassandra.

"Cassandra, Eon Squad is under strict order to not allow any intel to leave the squad unless it's through myself. The league have proven they can't keep information from leaking, and I don't want sensitive information in their system after Wishmaker. I know you aren't part of my squad but ask as a friend that you keep this to yourself, other than Violet and Jarena as we need their expertise. I will make sure the people who need to know are told..."

Sending the message and pocketing his phone, Jon looked at Jimmy.

"Jimmy Kendo, it's been a while..."

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

Shruikan

04-28-2021, 08:17 AM

Luneth Tarot
Heahea Urgent Care Center, Section B
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga, Chakramaster, Noblejanobii

Luneth was relieved as the Medical Center came into view. Luckily it hadn’t been too far away. Even from a distance, she could see there was a steady flow of people coming in and out, as more victims of the curses were found. One guy was dresses in a Lickylicky costume, which for reasons she couldn’t define gave Luneth the creeps. It was probably hexed, she decided.

Seeing how many people were here, Luneth was annoyed at herself for not learning more about Shadowcraft healing or curse removal. If she’d learned more at the time then she could be helping people here, instead of just bringing more work for Triad. But as it was she only knew the basics.

Heading towards the entrance she saw a familiar looking Rapidash with a very ill looking man sprawled across its back, before recognising the trainer next to it as Avery Miller.
So Avery’s an operative this time too? Ordinarily she would have approached and helped them, but at the moment she had a body of her own to carry. She settled for a quick wave in their direction, before focusing again on balancing the unconscious man.

Roseli ducked slightly at the doorway, trying not to take up too much space as they entered Section B. Someone else could have probably taken over at this point, but Luneth didn’t trust anyone else with Circuit’s pokeball, insisting on carrying the victims through herself. (Or more precisely Roseli carrying them.)

As she entered the building, Luneth saw three people up ahead. At first she thought they were Triad, but on a second look one of the was clearly not a doctor. The other two fit the bill at least. They looked vaguely familiar, but Luneth was too worried to think about it at the moment.

“Don’t touch the mask, it’s still active.” She said quickly, before explaining the situation, about how the man had staggered out like he was being attacked by some unseen spirits, (as opposed to the very seeable spirits attacking everyone.)
“When my Silvally touched the mask, it affected him too.He went crazy attacking the air. I think he should have calmed down by now, but even so, I’m not sure if it’s safe to let him out in here.” Luneth held up Circuit’s pokeball.
“But the curse removal should work the same for pokemon as people right?”

Chakramaster

04-28-2021, 11:46 AM

Jimmy Kendo
Memorial Hill
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga Desolate Divine

Cassandra had responded to Jimmy and telling him to be careful, watch his step, and as he knew. Not to touch anything nearby. Whatever this curse or hex may be. It's something she had to disarm. With all the crazy sightings and events that have happened so far. He knew there was reason to be cautious.

"Right." Jimmy confirmed as she went to work. Jon was over on the phone. Meanwhile Jimmy made sure to scout there area. Especially so while Jon everyone seemed busy.

Quietly, Jimmy talked to Jirachi.

So Jirachi? See anything? Anything out of the ordinary at all?"

"Other than the weird things we've already seen happening, no. People falling unconscious to the ground, some looking almost like zombies, others becoming Pokémon. It's not good, Jimmy. You all look safe right now. I can't sense any immediate danger close by, but it doesn't mean it won't show up. It's getting harder and harder to tell the good from the bad as some people are even getting possessed." Jirachi told Jimmy.

"Well look after us okay. Be ready to jump in if we all need a quick getaway. Until then, remember to stay hidden. Can't let the enemies know we have you, a Jirachi with us."

As Jimmy finished his conversation with Jirachi. Jon seemed to be finishing with his conversation on the phone.

"Jimmy Kendo, it's been awhile..." Jon said as he looked over to Jimmy.

"Yeah. Four years since we last saw each other huh? Four years is a long time to advance and of course train. Especially that trouble maker you once knew. I already know it was probably on your mind. Lot has happened it seems. Don't worry I've already been queued in on the whole situation. Like you, I've been working here since this whole operation started as well. Everything here just seems to be going from bad to worse. Saw you guys were nearby and I had a few moments."

Cassandra has still been busy working on the hex found. Jimmy looked over as she began speaking to the others.

“It’s like two curses in one,” Cassandra explained to the others. “Whoever left this here managed to figure out how to weave a Zekve and a Koxein curse together. Had you touched that, you’d be one really sick and queasy Shroomish and whoever left this here and hexed you would get to see through your own eyes and watch everything you were doing without you even knowing.”

Not long after she replied back. “And poof, it’s gone,” Cassandra replied, smiled she learned something out of that. “Whatever they’re doing, they’re getting clever about it. Which… gives me a theory about this whole thing.” She looked back to everyone else as she began to theorize on what is happening here with Agetha and her followers. Then an idea of what they could do to try and reverse what she just found on Agetha to be used against her.

"Yeah catching a living breathing witch like that can be pretty dangerous. A few years ago after learning about this stuff myself I had this pendant I wear infused with extra protection. It won't fully protect me from anything, but it can help sense or ward certain cases off. Not like I'm immune to any of this, but it's a sort of....danger sense if you wanna call it that."

Jimmy's phone buzzes. Updates on cases continuing to pile up. Requests for assistance coming up more frequently.

Jimmy let out a sigh. "Never a moment dull moment to rest recently it seems."

Alisaie Kendo
Section B, Heahea Urgent Care Center
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga Shruikan

"Alisaie. Wish the circumstances were better here." Alisaie smiled as she glanced to her Pokémon in the corner.

She thought to herself. "Remember the cue guys. It's now or never. Let's hope they have enough.".

“You’re in Section B right now. Did you have some kind of ailment you need resolved?”

"Unfortunately so. A friend of mine had their Pokémon suffer from a serious injury among all of this chaos going on. It's in a bad shape, but we've got it mostly under control. We just need a revival herb if there's any left to spare. Would any of you happen to have any we could use? I don't have enough time to wait out there in hopes of getting one." She requested of Sonia.

Suddenly someone else had came in the room.

“Don’t touch the mask, it’s still active.” She said quickly, before explaining the situation, about how the man had staggered out like he was being attacked by some unseen spirits, (as opposed to the very seeable spirits attacking everyone.)
“When my Silvally touched the mask, it affected him too.He went crazy attacking the air. I think he should have calmed down by now, but even so, I’m not sure if it’s safe to let him out in here.” Luneth held up Circuit’s pokeball.
“But the curse removal should work the same for pokemon as people right?”

Alisaie suddenly realized what part of the hospital she had wondered into.

"Great, no wonder it wasn't as active as the rest of the hospital..." she glanced around. She stuck close by, but stayed out of the way.

Noblejanobii

04-28-2021, 02:51 PM

Avery Miller & Abital Ecke
Urgent Healthcare Center
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga Chakramaster Shruikan

Avery went on alert as they heard a motorcycle speeding their way. Signaling Gloria and Meir into attacking positions, they waited patiently in case of an ambush. Fortunately, it seemed whoever was on the motorcycle wasn't concerned with them, as the two riders sped on by without hesitation. While it would have been nice to receive some help, Avery understood why they wouldn't stop. It was hard to know who you could trust in this environment these days. "Eth," Avery grimaced a little. They were making it sound like it had been months, not days.

Avery saw several others converging on the urgent care center so it wasn't hard to locate the building. Seems on top of being a human hospital it was also a hex hospital too. Great, that's exactly what Abital needed. Avery moved Abital off Daybreak and onto their shoulders before returning both Gloria and Daybreak to the Pokeballs. With Meir's assistance, they carried Abital inside the hospital and called out to one of the nearby nurses. "Hi, yes my husband needs help. He was afflicted by a hex and-"

"Head to section B. That's the witchcraft ward," the nurse quickly interjected, pointing in the general direction.

"Thank you," Avery said. Abital let out a soft groan before tapping Avery and trying to sign something. "Don't worry about me right now, honey, let's get you treated first. Your fever is getting worse by the second."

Avery and Meir carried Abital to Section B, filling in after a girl and her Scolipede. Seems they had brought in someone too who arguably was also not doing very well. They thought the female trainer looked vaguely familiar but Avery couldn't put their finger on it. The same could be said for two of the doctors currently in scrubs, but Avery couldn't dwell on it much for the moment. They hated to seem rude by cutting in but Abital needed assistance too.

"When you have a moment as well, doctors," Avery said, "My husband was afflicted with what I believe was fever hex a few days ago. I've done my best to treat it until we could make it here but his fever won't break. Any sort of treatment, especially removing the hex, would be appreciated whenever you have a moment."

Neo Emolga

04-28-2021, 09:27 PM

Cassandra Silvers (AKA Naomi Hart)
Memorial Hill
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine Chakramaster

Cassandra had overheard some of the phone conversation between Jon and Steven, and she nodded at almost everything she heard from Jon’s side of the call. It caused her to reflect on the whole reason why she and Jarena and Violet were here in the first place. It wasn’t for the League’s sake, it was to prevent calamities and save innocent people from being afflicted with what they knew would be serious witchcraft. But like Jon, Cassandra and the rest of Triad absolutely couldn’t afford to let their secrets be leaked. She was almost certain Agatha and her witches would immediately prioritize them as targets and Cassandra didn’t want to know what that was going to entail, but she could imagine a fate worse than death might not be such a wild guess after all.

After she had gotten the message from Jon, she quickly replied with an “acknowledged” response.

With regards to Cassandra’s proposal to try capturing one of the witches, Jimmy had offered to help, explaining that his Jirachi-crafted pendant would offer some protection, but it wouldn’t make him immune.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t ask you to go charging in there after one of them,” Cassandra smiled to him. “If anything, it would be us ambushing them and hopefully with a little luck, they’ll never even see us coming. But, before we can do that, we need an idea of where we’d keep this captive of ours contained and make sure they’re harmless behind bars. When it comes to witches, I don’t think there are too many options, but it’s something I’ll need to look into.”

And that was when Jimmy’s phone started to buzz, and shortly after, the phone that Cassandra had been given stirred to life with a new message as well.

“Sasha here. We need you here, got more cases. They’re coming in heavy again.”

“Never a dull moment to recent recently it seems,” Jimmy sighed.

“Yeah, we’d better get back to urgent care,” Cassandra agreed after she told Violet she would get back as soon as she could.

After pocketing her phone, she then looked up at Jon.

“We’re needed back at urgent care again,” Cassandra shrugged, having no idea what to expect there once she got back. “If you plan on staying here, I’ll hitch a ride back with Jimmy.”

Jarena Farrell (AKA Sonia Fairchild) and Violet Radcliffe (AKA Sasha Winters)
Section B, Heahea City Urgent Care Center, Heahea City
Affected RPers: Chakramaster Noblejanobii HorusMyDude Shruikan

Jarena and Violet quickly found themselves overwhelmed as a new batch of patients came in. It started with that girl that had slipped through the entrance, followed by someone in a huge Lickilicky costume, which Jarena wondered if that was part of the curse or if the person wearing it just hadn’t taken it off yet.

Curse or not, she felt the sooner they took it off, the happier everyone might be…

“Unfortunately so,” Alisaie introduced herself. “A friend of mine had their Pokémon suffer from a serious injury among all of this chaos going on. It's in a bad shape, but we've got it mostly under control. We just need a revival herb if there's any left to spare. Would any of you happen to have any we could use? I don't have enough time to wait out there in hopes of getting one.”

“Huh, that’s weird,” Jarena replied, thinking that over. “The Heahea City PokéMart and the Pokémon Center didn’t have anything for that? I mean, most of the medicine and medications here are for humans. You’d probably get better treatment for your friend’s Pokémon at those places.”

To Jarena, it seemed suspicious that this Alisaie would come to the urgent care center for Pokémon medicine. Then there was the fact Alisaie didn’t mention her friend’s name, didn’t mention the Pokémon that was injured, and didn’t describe the nature of the injury either. On that basis alone, she had a feeling she needed to keep the nature of the situation surrounding Section B quiet if in fact this could possibly be one of Agatha’s witches trying to discern where they were curing the hexes and curses. On top of all that, Jarena did find it odd Alisaie suddenly came from nowhere and she never noticed her walking through the door…

“Yeah, I think the Pokémon Center down the road would be better geared up to help your friend out,” Jarena told her, thinking it was better safe than sorry. “I don’t think we have any herbs like that, either. If your friend’s Pokémon is suffering from blood loss, I could give you some bandages and some coagulants in the meantime.”

Shortly after, she had been approached by Luneth. Jarena hadn’t recognized her from the incident four years ago, but Luneth was quick to jump right to the situation.

“Don’t touch the mask, it’s still active,” Luneth quickly explained without even introducing herself. “When my Silvally touched the mask, it affected him, too. He went crazy attacking the air. I think he should have calmed down by now, but even so, I’m not sure if it’s safe to let him out in here. But the curse removal should work the same for pokemon as people right?”

“Yep,” Jarena smiled with a nod, having an idea of what kind of curse that might have involved. “I just need a minute or two with the guy and I’ll see what’s out of place and hopefully flush it out without a hitch. As for that mask, just trash it. Wrap it in a plastic bag and toss it out like it’s poop.”

While Violet was helping some of the other new patients that were filing in with all kinds of varying issues and Sami was tracking the patient names, issues, and case severities, Jarena sighed, really hoping Cassandra would get back soon. They were quickly getting overwhelmed and it already felt as if even just the three of them working together was a pretty severe state of being understaffed, let alone just two of them.

“When you have a moment as well, doctors,” Avery told Jarena. “My husband was afflicted with what I believe was fever hex a few days ago. I've done my best to treat it until we could make it here but his fever won't break. Any sort of treatment, especially removing the hex, would be appreciated whenever you have a moment.”

Jarena hadn’t recognized Avery from the incident four years ago. But with how busy things were getting, every patient’s face and their loved ones and friends were becoming a blur to her.

“I’ll try to get to you as soon as I can,” Jarena told Avery, hoping to offer some reassurance. “Tell your husband to just hang tight, we have some cold water over there by the cooler while you wait. It shouldn’t be too long.”

Meanwhile, Jarena was just hoping it wouldn’t be too long…

Jarena didn’t want to admit that a hex-induced fever wasn’t quite as severe as some of the other cases coming in, unless the victim had passed out and had fallen unconscious or it started turning into something grizzly and supernatural. She knew it was likely the cause of his body trying to overwork itself fighting this foreign presence, which could be any number of things that she needed to look into first upon closer examination. But cases where victims had entire appendages trans-mutated or were suffering from severe mental hallucinations and trauma like Luneth’s Silvally… those were higher on the severity scale.

“Any time you’re ready,” Jarena told Luneth, ready to examine her Silvally to see what was going on.

[Desolate Divine]

04-29-2021, 02:32 AM

Jon Drake, Dylan Squier, Abbee Strauss
Location: Memorial Hill
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga Chakramaster

As Jon said the trainers name, Dylan and Abbee both recognized it from the briefing he gave the pair of them before they joined his squad...

"Remember during your first summer here, when I talked about the responsibility of being a trainer?" Jon asked the pair.

"Vaguely." Abbee said, "That was three years ago, and a lot happened since..."

"Yeah, you talked about how the more powerful a Pokemon is the more the trainer needs to be responsible in their training and behavior." Dylan explained, Abbee shocked he remembered that after all these years.

"You also remember the story I told you, about the trainer with Jirachi the Wishmaker, that was allowing it to be out of its Pokeball from day one, when it's trainer had no way of knowing it was safe to be around people, and how within two days it had used it's abilities to affect people without it's trainers orders or their consent, one of the people nearly being Alyssa..."

Abbee knew where Jon was going with this. It was the end of that summer at the Eon Academy where she met and bonded with Victini who had been her partner since, a year after he parted ways with his previous partner, Cassandra Silvers. Victini had filled her in on the circumstances surrounding that story.

"That trainer was a league operative I worked with on the S.S. Wishmaker called Jimmy Kendo. The reason I tell you this is because I saw his name on the operative list for this mission. Unless something changes between now and then, or he requests a transfer, he hasn't been placed in my squad so you probably won't be working with him directly, but may meet him." Jon explained, "Last time I saw him, I made it clear he needed to get his act together as Jirachi's trainer, and that I would be willing to help how I can but he needs to put in the work. I never did hear from him after that, and neither him or Jirachi have been detained so that's slightly comforting that Jirachi may be better trained. But I am telling you this, so you know to be careful around him, since Jirachi is usually not far away, and until we see with our own eyes that Jirachi is safe, it is to be considered dangerous..."

Jimmy then began referring to a lot happening in he last four years with a little troublemaker, however Jon's somewhat cold expression didn't shift, as Jimmy explained being informed of the situation.

"Well consider this your chance to show Jirachi's progress. Actions speak louder than words in situations like this." Jon said as Cassandra informed him of the need to get back.

"I have a few things I want to discuss on the way, so I will take you back in." Jon said, handing Cassandra one of the helmets, qiickly flicking the switch, powering the Bluetooth microphone and speaker so they could still talk whilst riding back, as he turned to Jimmy.

"I command Eon Squad who made this discovery and one of the rules we have is that intel doesn't leave the squad unless it's via me. The league don't have a good history of containing leaks." Jon explained, "I have ideas on how to respond to this, but they only work if we keep this information on a need to know basis, so I need you to not tell a soul about what you heard here today. I will let your COs know, but want this kept secret for now..."

"I'll see you around, Cuddles." Jon said, before putting on his own helmet and starting the bike. Before he climbed on Dylan walked over, his voice difficult to hear over the sound of the engine.

"Are you going to look into the name?" Dylan asked.

"At some point but I agree, it's probably a red herring, if anything, so I will be dealing with other things first." Jon explained.

"Then can I be reassigned?" Dylan asked, "I think there is more to this than we are giving credit for, and want to make sure it isn't something big before too much time has passed."

Jon thought over Dylan's request for a second.

"Fine, both you and Abbee are reassigned." Jon said, "But I don't want you getting too close. If this woman you saw is Brianna Levine and you get too close it could tip her off since she saw you here. Abbee hasn't been seen in her human form so she is probsbly best to be in the field for this. Let me know if you need anything. CCTV access or anything."

Dylan nodded as Jon climbed on to the bike. Once Cassandra was ready, they departed heading back to the hospital.

Jon Drake
En Route to hospital
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga

As they rode back, Jon spoke o Cassandra via the Bluetooth helmets.

"The people who you have treated so far, if the hexes they were affected by were hybrids like this one, where they are now eyes for the targets, would your treatment have cleared that too? Or is it likely that it could have slipped by if you didn't know to look for it?" Jon asked, "If we can't say for sure that they are not compromised, I will need a list of names of all the people you three have treated..."

"I have the beginnings of an idea... But it means not treating these people for this hidden hex." Jon explained, "I think we are pretty safe in saying our targets don't know that we are aware of them being able to spy on us, and if we treat them, that gives away that we do. I will talk to Steven and Cynthia, but I think that we leave this connection as is, give them false information, and use it to lay a trap for whoever is on the other end, or maybe even see if you three can figure out a way to tap into it, and see what comes out the other end..."

"If we go ahead with this I will make sure they are all transferred into roles that are safe for prying eyes to see." Jon said as they rode into Heahea City, "But what do you think?"

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

Shruikan

04-29-2021, 01:18 PM

Luneth Tarot
Heahea Urgent Care Center, Section B
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga, Chakramaster Noblejanobii HorusMyDude maybe?

A few more people came in, including Avery, but Luneth was still too distracted to pay much attention. The cursed guy was carried off to be treated, and at the doctor’s ready, Luneth released Circuit. Though he wasn’t carrying anyone anymore, Luneth kept Roseli out anyway, in case it was necessary to subdue Circuit. Luckily the Silvally wasn’t thrashing around this time, instead moments after being released, Circuit quickly collapsed to the floor, head propped up at an awkward angle by his helmet. Luneth wanted to remove it, but wasn’t sure how the curse spread, and didn’t want to get herself hit by it too.

Luckily the doctor seemed to be familiar with this curse, and how to remove it. As they worked, Luneth studied the her, at first trying to pick up on how the spells worked, but she quickly got distracted by her voice. Something about her sounded really familiar. And now that Luneth was paying attention, with what she could see of her face, and with the magic too… Something clicked in the back of her mind. Jarena?

Looking again, it was almost definitely Jarena Farrell. And the other doctor with her, treating the other patients, she looked very much like Violet Radcliffe.
Luneth opened her mouth, only to catch herself before saying anything. The Diamond Ladies were presumed dead, so they probably wouldn’t appreciate their cover being blown. The others in the room might not know who they were after all, so she tried to rein back her excitement. But she felt so relieved. She’d never really believed they were dead, but having confirmation that had indeed survived the fire was still wonderful.

She watched anxiously as Jarena? finished the curse removal. Circuit would most definitely need a rest at the pokemon center before going back into action. Which reminded her, she needed to go check on the mask store from earlier.
“Thank you so much!” She said to Jarena, trying not to grin. “And if there’s anything I can help with here, let me know."

Noblejanobii

04-30-2021, 02:59 PM

Avery Miller & Abital Ecke
Section B, Heahea City Urgent Care Center, Heahea City
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga Chakramaster Shruikan
(Jarena bunnied with permission)

“I’ll try to get to you as soon as I can,” Jarena told Avery, hoping to offer some reassurance. “Tell your husband to just hang tight, we have some cold water over there by the cooler while you wait. It shouldn’t be too long.”

"Of course, I understand. Please handle the more severe cases first," Avery responded before heading over to a nearby bench and setting Abital down. They were well aware that a high fever probably didn't really compare to the folks who were coming in foaming at the mouth or with extra limbs. Avery could agree that those definitely seemed like cases that warranted a higher priority. They just hoped the doctors wouldn't wait too long, since a fever, especially one that had already lasted several days, wasn't any laughing matter either. If Abital's body temperature got too high, he could start to have seizures and possibly even brain damage, though in the latter case Abital would have to reach a temperature of 108 degrees Fahrenheit, which wasn't something any normal fever reached without outside influence. But, then again, with wasn't a normal fever either.

Avery walked over to the water cooler and fetched a bottle of cold water. Helping Abital sit up, Avery made sure he drank a little water before letting him lie back down to rest. They poured a bit of water on an available wash cloth and set it down on Abital's head, hoping it would help to lower the fever's temperature some. Meir sat down on the floor in front of the two, watching his partner with concern. "Rai rai?" (Will he be alright?) Meir asked.

"I think so," Avery answered quietly, "The cold water will help him hold on for a bit longer. Plus the doctor said she'd get to us soon so you don't need to worry." Avery reached out and scratched Meir behind one of his ears. "You've been a huge help these last few days. We should get you to a Pokemon center if we can. You deserve to get treated too with all the damage you've sustained from the fights against the ghost types."

"Rai rai. Raichu!" (I suppose that's true. I just want to protect Abital!)

Avery chuckled. "I can understand. I feel the same. But for now we've done all we can do, so now we simply have to wait."

Avery watched as Jarena and Violet set to work on the other patients, removing hexes and helping treat some of the more severe symptoms that the many patients in the ward faced. Eventually, Jarena did make her way over to Abital as promised, dispelling the hex rather easily. Abital visibly relaxed as the fever broke once the hex was removed. Still a bit out of it, Abital weakly signed "Thank you" to Jarena.

"He says 'thank you'," Avery quickly translated, in case Jarena didn't know sign language. "And thank you from me as well. I really appreciate all you're doing here to help people."

Neo Emolga

05-01-2021, 02:58 AM

Cassandra Silvers (AKA Naomi Hart)
Memorial Hill
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine Chakramaster

To Cassandra, it was strange to her how four years ago sometimes felt like a lifetime, and other times, like it was only yesterday. After Jon handed her the spare motorcycle helmet he had, he mentioned he had his own personal team, Eon Squad, while the Diamond Ladies now had Triad as theirs. And at the same time, she could see these two individual teams existed for similar reasons and had numerous similarities.

Eon Squad and Triad were both willing to help and support the League’s intentions to help the people and Pokémon of Akala. But neither of these two teams trusted the League, especially since both teams had sensitive information neither of them could afford to have out in the open and they had seen what had happened to trust the first time during the S.S. Wishmaker incident.

“Hell, I feel every bit of that,” Cassandra nodded in agreement, sighing that this had to be the way of things. “For the same reasons, it’s why the Diamond Ladies still need to be ‘dead’ to both Agatha’s posse and to the general pubic. And as far as the League is concerned, we were never here. And I’m not doing this for them, either. I’m doing it because I knew innocent people who want nothing to do with Shadowcraft were about to get hit with an ungodly plethora of hexes and curses because a certain old hag suddenly had to go on a power trip. Normally I’m not one to snitch, but she would have turned this whole place into monster island in less than a day and everyone here would be stuck as abominations for life.”

She then put on her helmet, ready to head back into town while hoping things hadn’t gotten too busy at urgent care without her.

“I’ll see you around, Cuddles,” Jon said to Jimmy, calling him by his Pachirisu nickname.

“Later, Jimmy,” Cassandra casually saluted him. “See you back at the clinic.”

Shortly after, Jon had a conversation with Dylan and Abbee, reassigning them to look into “Brianna Levine.” While Dylan and Abbee felt the name was a strong lead into the investigation, Jon felt it was more of a red herring, and Cassandra was more inclined to agree with Jon on that front. To Cassandra, if Brianna Levine really was the name of the witch that left the curse there, it seemed incredibly stupid and reckless to leave her real name at the scene of the crime. And considering the complex nature of the curse, Cassandra was inclined to believe this witch wasn’t dumb and would do something like that. Still, if Dylan and Abbee wanted to pursue it, Cassandra wasn’t going to tell them otherwise, but she could foresee it being a dead end, foreseeing “Brianna Levine” being a false name or someone totally unrelated to the incident that this witch wanted to frame.

After both Jon and Cassandra got back on the motorcycle, they headed back to the urgent care center.

Cassandra Silvers (AKA Naomi Hart)
En Route to Heahea City Urgent Care Center
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine

As Jon drove through the dirt paths, he spoke to Cassandra through the Bluetooth speaker embedded in the helmet.

"The people who you have treated so far,” Jon asked as he drove the bike, “if the hexes they were affected by were hybrids like this one, where they are now eyes for the targets, would your treatment have cleared that too? Or is it likely that it could have slipped by if you didn't know to look for it? If we can't say for sure that they are not compromised, I will need a list of names of all the people you three have treated..."

“Sami’s been keeping records on everyone that’s been treated at urgent care, though the three of us make sure everything’s purged out before they leave,” Cassandra informed him as the motorcycle traveled down the dirt road. “Shadowcraft leaves traces when it affects a victim. Kind of like gunshot residue when firing a gun. And like GSR, it’s invisible to the naked eye, but can be seen through special means if you know how to look. Really only a trained witch can sense it, while to ordinary people, the affliction looks ‘natural.’ But yeah, we don’t let anyone go unless they’ve been fully cleaned, and sometimes it means they have to stay overnight if it’s a particularly tricky curse and we have to do some homework on the damn thing.”

“I have the beginnings of an idea…” Jon stated, thinking out loud as the motorcycle made its way through a path slightly overgrown with grass and weeds. “But it means not treating these people for this hidden hex. I think we are pretty safe in saying our targets don’t know that we are aware of them being able to spy on us, and if we drive them, that gives away that we do.”

Cassandra couldn’t help but sigh at that, feeling a little anxious. In fact, she was already getting a bad feeling Agatha’s Shadowcraft Society was aware someone was treating afflictions by now and there was a “traitor” in their midst. In fact, Cassandra was already mentally preparing a contingency plan in case the urgent care center was attacked, or someone in Triad was hexed themselves. With how busy they were, it was all too easy to overlook something critical and become distracted.

“I will talk to Steven and Cynthia,” Jon continued, “but I think that we leave this connection as is, give them false information, and use it to lay a trap for whoever is on the other end, or maybe even see if you three can figure out a way to tap into it, and see what comes out the other end. If we go ahead with this I will make sure they are all transferred into roles that are safe for prying eyes to see. But what do you think?”

Once they had arrived back at the urgent care center, Cassandra got off the bike and handed the helmet back to Jon. She found it a bit easier to speak once the helmet was off.

“It’s risky as hell, but it could work,” Cassandra replied, still feeling the only way they were going to be able to turn the tables on Agatha was by taking a few chances. “I’ll let you know if and when we have a ‘candidate’ that got afflicted with a Koxein curse, or at least something similar to that. I’ll clean off everything else so they don’t feel a thing otherwise and you can keep watch on them after that, but by then, it will definitely confirm to Agatha’s posse that we have a witchcraft hospital if they don’t know already. And I wouldn’t put it past them to try attacking our urgent care center as a kind of hazing ritual for her initiates. If that happens, I may need your help in both being a pain in the ass to whoever is attacking us, and to relocate the hospital if we find ourselves unable to defend it. If we need to move, I think the infirmary on the S.S. Wishmaker is a start and would be safer and more secure, but it’s small, it’s more of a trip for patients to reach, and we’d need to expand it at the rate things have been going. But again, that’s if we get attacked and it’s too much to deal with.”

Cassandra still felt it wouldn’t be Agatha’s true intention to completely dismantle the witchcraft hospital, but she felt Agatha might see value in making it a distraction and attempting to learn more about what Triad was up to and who it consisted of.

“Don’t worry about me, I’m not afraid of these hexes and curses,” she told Jon bluntly. “Agatha and her band of geeks and freaks could turn me into a monstrously obese Skuntank with a Lilligant flower on my ass, I couldn’t care less and we’ll find a way to gut it and wipe it off. And I know everyone else in Triad feels the same way. It’s the rest of these people that are freaking out from supernatural crap they’ve never seen and felt before that I’m more concerned about. When people panic, they do stupid things, people get hurt, and people start impulsively talking too much to save their own hide while others get thrown under the bus.”

There were two things she absolutely didn’t want to see happen. One, she didn’t want her secrets getting out. She had already seen what that could do when “Karma” leaked her darkest secrets to the media and what the consequences of that were. But for now, that had become buried, thankfully, but she couldn’t let it come back to haunt her, Jarena, and Violet once again.

The other thing she couldn’t afford… letting one of them get captured. She was confident they could deal with these issues and eventually find a solution in time through reading and practicing more advanced witchcraft, but the minute it became a sensitive hostage situation… she knew it would definitely be serious trouble.

“Thanks for the ride,” she smiled, at least thankful there wasn’t a line a mile long outside of the urgent care center. “If you need me, you know where to find me. And I’ll tell Sami to send you her latest report. She may not quite understand everything that’s going on, but she’s been keeping pretty detailed notes while we fill in the blanks with the exact spells we think were responsible. I’d say a good 70% of them we’ve tacked down. But there’s still some weird and grizzly ones that escape us every now and then.”

She then headed back to the urgent care center, hoping things hadn’t gotten too intense while she was gone.

Jarena Farrell (AKA Sonia Fairchild) and Violet Radcliffe (AKA Sasha Winters)
Section B, Heahea City Urgent Care Center, Heahea City
Affected RPers: Chakramaster Noblejanobii HorusMyDude Shruikan

Thankfully to Jarena, Luneth’s Silvally wasn’t a difficult case. After running a diagnostic check with an Insight spell to see what exactly was the issue, it made sense to her that the Pokémon had been afflicted with a Naxarus Hex, one that makes the victim perceive horrid hallucinations and be unable to separate what was real from what was just nightmarish illusions only visible to them.

Such a hex could be purged with something that the Ladies had learned over time while in Starglade. Normally, the body’s immune system didn’t know how to flush out these kinds of witchcraft afflictions, but the Ladies found it could be done the way they used to dispel their own hexes when they didn’t need something booby-trapped anymore, via an Annul spell. This would first remove the hex-inducing effect so it wouldn’t trigger again. The next step was to restore the victim to their natural state in a similar way to using a sample of their original DNA and then remove the hex with the well-known Affliction Reversal Spell. If the affliction was minor, they could do it without the nugget. If their entire body was transformed, chances were good they would need one to fuel the spell. And if the affliction was extremely severe and no trace of the victim’s DNA remained, they needed to upgrade it to Nox Purge spell, which actually required them to delve into the victim’s soul, discern their true form and nature, and then carry that into the spell that would ultimately return them to their natural state. Usually, however, this required all three Ladies working together to pull it off. And thankfully, it only happened twice so far.

“All set,” Jarena smiled to Luneth, giving the Silvally a friendly and comforting pat on the side. “He just seems some rest and relaxation now. I think a good night’s sleep should do the trick.”

“Thank you so much!” Luneth thanked her. “And if there’s anything I can help with here, let me know.”

“If you find a great coffee place, let me know!” Jarena laughed, assuming Luneth didn’t know anything about Shadowcraft. “Ah, no worries, it’s crazy witchy stuff we’re dealing with here and it can get weird at times. Just let us know if you need help again.”

With that resolved, Jarena knew she had other patients to attend to. As Violet was treating some of the other patients, Jarena headed over to Abital, who was still under the heat of the fever.

“Hey there, thanks for waiting!” Jarena smiled to Avery and Abital, kneeling besides Abital. “Just relax, I got this covered.”

Abital’s feverish hex wasn’t something too complicated as she figured it was likely the result of a novice witch using a Nexrul hex. Jarena had already dispelled two such hexes before already, and they were quick and easy to remove with just an Annul spell, but if left untreated, they could last months and really wear the body down. Jarena knew he would still be tired and it would take about an hour for the fever to die down once his immune system realized the foreign witchcraft contagion was not even there anymore and it could stand down.

“There,” Jarena smiled, feeling that was a breeze compared to some of the other things she’s dealt with. “You should start feeling better in about an hour, but keep drinking some nice cold water to cool down and a nap might help, too.”

He had given her a hand signal, which Jarena didn’t quite recognize, but then Avery explained it for her.

“He says ‘thank you,’” Avery translated for Jarena. “And thank you from me as well. I really appreciate all you're doing here to help people.”

“Hey, my pleasure!” Jarena smiled. “Best part of this job is seeing people smile again. Stay safe out there, but if something crazy or weird happens and you need our help again, just come on back. We got you covered!”

Just then, Jarena had noticed Cassandra had returned, and she was curious to see what she had discovered out in the field with Jon. Meanwhile, Violet was wrapping up her treatment on her last patient. She was looking tired as well, but she was relieved to see the patient queue was nearly cleared up again, at least for now.

“Good to see you back, Naomi,” Jarena told Cassandra, using her cover name, as the two ladies joined up with her. “What’s the scoop?”

“I’m convinced this is just a pre-game show to something bigger,” Cassandra told the other two. “Jon’s Eon Squad buddies found a hybrid hex. A melded Zekve and Koxein. I was able to dispel it, but it could have gone really badly and I’m still not 100% sure how they really function, if it’s as one or if they’re just two separate curses woven together into the same sigil.”

“Eww,” Jarena grimaced. “Didn’t even know that could be done.”

“It can, but it has me thinking this whole thing Agatha has arranged is for either training or research,” Cassandra explained her theory. “Sami has the official log of ailments and afflictions and I’ve told her to forward a copy to Jon, but we’ve seen things on all ends of the spectrum so far from easy curses to stuff I wasn’t sure we were ever going to dispel.”

Jarena and Violet were already well aware of which ones she was referring to. There had already been four cases with victims that were so badly hexed, cursed, and transformed that they felt they needed to pull off a miracle to cure them and might have to prep them for bad news that they may have to live with their affliction.

“We’ve been lucky,” Violet replied as she thought it over. “They’re trying everything to see what we can dispel and what we can’t. We’ve nailed everything they’ve thrown at us so far, but it’s only a matter of time before they land on something we can’t cure.”

“Yeah, and watch them go nuts with it once they realize what it is,” Jarena frowned, having a bad feeling about that. “Time really ain’t on our side on this one. Eventually they’re going to get lucky.”

“And that’s even if they let us continued uninterrupted,” Cassandra grimaced a bit. “I foresee some kind of attack on this place any minute now. Surely by now they’ve noticed their victims flocking to this place and coming out with a clean bill of health.”

Jarena and Violet remained silent as the harsh realty had sunken in. Meanwhile, Cassandra knew if they were going to try and turn this battle around, more had to be done to push the Shadowcraft Society back and away before they got especially brazen.

They didn’t want to find out the hard way exactly what they’d have in store for that kind of discovery…

Chakramaster

05-01-2021, 04:19 AM

Jimmy Kendo
Memorial Hill
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga Desolate Divine

“Yeah, we’d better get back to urgent care,” Cassandra reponded back after Jimmy mentions things are still looking busy.

"Well consider this your chance to show Jirachi's progress. Actions speak louder than words in situations like this." Jon mentions.

“We’re needed back at urgent care again,” Cassandra shrugged, having no idea what to expect there once she got back. “If you plan on staying here, I’ll hitch a ride back with Jimmy.”

"Oh don't worry there. Four years to train is much better than a few hours. You should already know it doesn't take a day to train a Pokemon. Especially those more unique and well..."special." Jimmy said to Jon as he shifted attention responding back to Cassandra.

"I have a few things I want to discuss on the way, so I will take you back in." Jon said, handing Cassandra one of the helmets, qiickly flicking the switch, powering the Bluetooth microphone and speaker so they could still talk whilst riding back, as he turned to Jimmy.

"I command Eon Squad who made this discovery and one of the rules we have is that intel doesn't leave the squad unless it's via me. The league don't have a good history of containing leaks." Jon explained, "I have ideas on how to respond to this, but they only work if we keep this information on a need to know basis, so I need you to not tell a soul about what you heard here today. I will let your COs know, but want this kept secret for now..."

"Yeah I've advanced in ranks I don't need to hear all the the same speeches. All my CO's right now are confidential and classified right now, sorry to say. I'm techinically not even supposed to be here, but Cynthia and Steven both reached out to me before most others were contacted and brought in here.
Probably arrived around the same time as you. I'm sure we've just been busy. I'll tell you, I've signed one too many NDA's honestly." Jimmy says scratching his head. "Cause trust me. There's more here going on than we know already. I just got a bad feeling of some things to come. So watch yourself out there. I don't feel anyone is truly safe here."

"I'll see you around, Cuddles." Jon said, before putting on his own helmet and starting the bike. Before he climbed on Dylan walked over, his voice difficult to hear over the sound of the engine.

“Later, Jimmy,” Cassandra casually saluted him. “See you back at the clinic.”

"I've got one quick stop to make before I make it back to the clinic. It's on the way, but I shouldn't be long. Be safe everyone" Jimmy offered his best. "Keep in touch."

As they left. Jimmy took a moment to check in with the messages he was receiving. Nothing out of the ordinary stood out. So he checked with Jirachi.

"Think you can give us a lift, Jirachi?" Jimmy said as he looked up.

"Got it, Jimmy! Right to where I am right?" Jirachi said telepathically to Jimmy and his team.

"Yeah, let's meet back up first. We can discuss more once I get there." Jimmy stated.

"Alright, buckle up you guys! Not like you...have seat belts." Jirachi chuckled.

They began to glow before disappearing. Being teleported to their next location.

Alisaie Kendo
Section B, Heahea Urgent Care Center
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga Noblejanobii Shruikan HorusMyDude

“Huh, that’s weird,” Jarena replied, thinking that over. “The Heahea City PokéMart and the Pokémon Center didn’t have anything for that? I mean, most of the medicine and medications here are for humans. You’d probably get better treatment for your friend’s Pokémon at those places.”

"Unfortunately no. All the shops are totally sold out of anything necessary for major healing. Most higher end potions and medical herbs, gone." Alisaie offered in response.

“Yeah, I think the Pokémon Center down the road would be better geared up to help your friend out,” Jarena told her, thinking it was better safe than sorry. “I don’t think we have any herbs like that, either. If your friend’s Pokémon is suffering from blood loss, I could give you some bandages and some coagulants in the meantime.”

Suddenly the discussion was interrupted by another person coming in.

“Don’t touch the mask, it’s still active,” Luneth quickly explained without even introducing herself. “When my Silvally touched the mask, it affected him, too. He went crazy attacking the air. I think he should have calmed down by now, but even so, I’m not sure if it’s safe to let him out in here. But the curse removal should work the same for Pokemon as people right?”

Suddenly the room was bustling with activity. Giving Alisaie the hint to give the signalfor them Pokemon she had ready to hide and move out from the room. Leaving her alone for the time being.

After some time she gave a sigh. Looking to the group as the other lady she saw from earlier had come back.

She mutter's to herself, "well this was a big waste of time.". Speaking out loud again. "Thanks for your time. Sorry to have bothered you. If you need any extra help, be sure to reach out to me!" She says as she places her card on a nearby table. Giving them her contact info before making her exit. Outside the doors Hoopa had wait hidden to give her and himself a quick escape outside to where her other team members were.

"Well sorry guys that was a bust." sighing she rest against the wall as she looked out wondering what her next step would be.

"Ugh, why did I have to take this stupid vacation when I did. I knew it would be nothing, but trouble."

C0L0R3D

05-01-2021, 07:19 AM

Ozona Reverie
Heahea City
Affected RP'ers: N/A ((But I'll get to that))

Still walking around the city rather quietly, if not aimlessly, Ozona was just looking for something to do now. Sure, there was literal curses and hexes in the air, but that apparently wasn't enough to quell her satisfaction. The best she could do at the moment was just strolling around, giving Oreo an occasional scritch on her chin every now and again. But in all honesty, Ozona was very curious about what a hex would do to one of her Pokemon, but also concerned at the same time.

((Could we find a way that Ozona could slip into interactions with everybody else? Like, I'm just thinking Oreo or any other member of her team gets affected by a hex / curse, but whatever works best is fine too.))

[Desolate Divine]

05-02-2021, 02:59 AM

Jon Drake
Heahea City
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga SlickSlack

"No stress." Jon said as Cassandra got off the bike, "Keep me posted if anything comes up, and if you think this place is compromised, let me know and I will see about getting you transferred somewhere well equipped that is a bit safer."

Once Cassandra entered the building, Jon found his stomach grumbling. It was 2:30pm and he still hadn't eaten lunch. Putting the bike into gear, he took off, trying to find somewhere to get a meal, eventually finding a trailer selling kebabs, stopping the bike there. He ordered some food, before finding a seat on a bench nearby, digging into his late lunch.

As he did, he noticed a trainer walk past that seemed familiar, though he struggled to think of where. He hadn't battled her before, but had seen her battle. Suddenly it clicked.

"Hey, were you the one who battled Ethan Caldwell in the quarter-finals of the first High Seas Tournament?" Jon asked, "I battled him the round after..."

Dylan Squier and Abbee Strauss
Departing Memorial Hill -> Eon Squad Villa
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga

After Jon, Cassandra and Jimmy left, Dylan called out his Flygon, which carried him back to where they were staying in the villa they had rented on the outskirts of Heahea City, as Abbee flew alongside him. When they arrived, Dylan opened the door to Abbee's room, as her current form lacked the thumbs to grip and turn the handle, as she made her way in, emerging a few minutes later in her human form, wearing some loose fitting, comfortable clothes.

"Feather." Dylan said, gesturing to her hair, which had a Decidueye feather sticking out, before she quickly removed it from her jet black hair.

"So what's the go now?" Abbee asked, "You said Jon reassigned us?"

"I asked him to." Dylan explained, "Cassandra reckons that there isn't much point in following up the name, and Jon reckons it may be a red herring, trying to throw us off, but I figure there are enough of us trying to find these curses before people get hurt, that there isn't much harm in making sure they are right. If this is a fake name, or someone else, with the information we have access to, it shouldn't be too hard to find out one way or another."

"So what next?" Abbee asked.

"I'm going to make up a list of intel I want Jon to source for us." Dylan explained, "I'm currently thinking the guestlists of all the hotels in Heahea, but I doubt it will be that easy..."

Abbee thought for a moment, humming to herself.

"I wish I had have thought of this a half hour ago..." Abbee said, "All these curses require ingredient right? I know the spell to turn me into Decidueye needs a few things, including a DNA sample, and the spell to turn me back needs water, my DNA and a nugget..."

"You think if we knew the ingredients we could track her down?" Dylan asked.

"It would narrow it down if nothing else..." Abbee said, "Think about it, it is a hybrid spell. Two spells in one. Chances are she needed reagants for both, and maybe more to bond them. If there is anything uncommon there, we can at least narrow it down, and pair that with CCTV footage, and we may be able to get a shortlist to work through..."

Abbee pulled out her phone, sending Cassandra a message, opening with her handle.

"Naomi, it's the Murkrow. We are chasing up our friend who left the gift for us back there, and figure if we knew what was used to leave it, if you catch my drift, we can narrow down who it is. Any idea what sort of items would have been required to put that together? Preferably anything less than common, that we won't find at a corner store? Also, say hi to our mutual friend for me, and let him know I miss him."

Victini had been by Abbee's side since the first summer of Eon Academy, the two meeting and bonding there. When Cassandra needed help, Abbee gave Victini her blessing to work alongside her, however she did miss having him around...

"Now we wait..."

C0L0R3D

05-02-2021, 07:57 AM

Ozona Reverie
Heahea City
Affected RP'ers: Desolate Divine

Upon having somebody notice her, Ozona walked over while Oreo perked up significantly. Slightly brushing some of her electric blue hair away from her eyes, Ozona began to talk. "Huh? Oh, yeah, that was me. Even though I lost, heheh...and if you were gonna ask about my name, it was Ozona. And my partner here is Oreo." She explained, lightly scratching her Cinccino behind its left ear, causing it to basically purr in contentment. At the same time, Ozona really wished she could have won that quarter-finals battle, but it was certainly better then nothing now she thought about it.

Neo Emolga

05-02-2021, 07:36 PM

Triad / The Diamond Ladies
Section B, Heahea City Urgent Care Center, Heahea City
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine Noblejanobii HorusMyDude Shruikan Chakramaster

With a break in the incoming patients, Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet decided to have a late lunch, mainly consisting of salads. For Cassandra, it was a quick and easy meal and it was easy on the stomach as when it came to dietary habits, she was still in a bit of a transition from switching from the diet of an Eevee to the diet of a human. Meals like this, along with fruits and vegetables, were a good and easy way to meet midway. Things like burgers, fries, and pizza were not something she felt ready to take on quite yet…

After finishing her lunch and after getting Abbee’s message, Cassandra tried to think about what went into Zekve and Koxein curses. They weren’t complicated and the reagents weren’t too far out there, but it did require her to look up the contents in the Xethen and Zeketh tomes, which Cassandra was very thankful the League had at least retained and not destroyed.

Had they burned these books like she originally feared they would do, it would have made things a lot more difficult for her…

As she found out, Zekve curses, intended to perform clairvoyance on the victim’s mind and see what their eyes were seeing, required the burnt ashes of a lily flower and a pinch of stardust. They were relatively easy to obtain, but they required someone to intentionally go out of their way to obtain them and likely weren’t things they had just laying around on their spice rack. As for Koxein curses, they were similar to the Pokémon transformation hexes that Triad had used during the S.S. Wishmaker incident, but the difference was they only worked for fungus-like Pokémon and they were slightly more complicated with reagents, but they came with the bonus of making the victim extremely nauseous and dizzy. As she found the exact spell, it required a ground up sample of the Pokémon’s body, talcum powder, pumice powder, and it required the caster to draw the curse sigil with a rod or pen made of yew wood. Cassandra definitely didn’t think that curse was worth all the extra trouble when she, Jarena, and Violet simply relied on single Pokémon fur strands to get their transformation hexes done, even though it left their victims as perfectly healthy Pokémon. The tradeoff was the sickness induced by Koxein curses could last months and there really wasn’t any medicine for it, so it would leave the victim unable to speak to humans, but also unable to do anything but be sick the entire time. Meanwhile, curing a victim of both a Zekve/Koxein hybrid curse was something Cassandra knew would definitely take the three of them to cure if someone had become afflicted with this.

Cassandra had decided to take pictures of the pages two hexes were covered on and sent them to Abbee with a follow-up reply message.

“Hey Murkow, it’s Naomi.

I’m attaching the detes on the Zekve and Koxein curses, but in short:

Zekve: lily flower ashes, stardust
Koxein: Pokémon sample (needs to be a fungus/mushroom Pokémon), talcum, pumice, yew rod (needed to draw the hex symbol)

They’re not too hard to obtain, but trying to get all of these on Akala might be hard. Whoever did that hybrid hex likely already has all these reagents with them.

As for my old friend, I’d love to say hi, but it’s gotta be brief and I can’t be seen with him by other people unless it’s a really dire life and death emergency. It’s nothing against you or him, but you know why.

Take care and let me know if you need anything else.

~Naomi”

Cassandra still had her doubts that Dylan and Abbee would find anything, but she wouldn’t deem it impossible. But in the meantime, the discussion at hand did get her wondering about spell reagents. In order for Agatha and her Shadowcraft Society followers to do all this, they would likely need a very large and varied stockpile of reagents stored somewhere. She figured it would likely need to be about 500 square feet of storage space, although that estimated amount was climbing with the more variance she found in their spells.

She began to think… if they could find where that “reagent warehouse” was and destroy it, it would severely cripple Agatha’s efforts here and they would quickly run out of materials needed to cast some of their nastier spells. It was to the point where standard Alola law enforcement could effectively shut down the entire operation and they would already see positive changes in the daylight and weather patterns. But as things were right now, even the police were afraid of what these witches could do to them and the things they could turn them into.

On top of that, if the reagent warehouse was destroyed and all stores on Akala were given the order to discontinue all sales on any materials that could be used in spells, Cassandra could see that becoming the knock-out punch they might need to turn the tables. But she knew that of list potential reagents would be very long and it would be difficult to communicate to all the store owners still operating on Akala.

It all came down to trying to figure out where they might have this warehouse.

“You’ve been kind of quiet,” Jarena told Cassandra, noticing she hadn’t spoken a word since lunch. “Everything okay?”

“Spell reagents…” Cassandra thought out loud, cluing Jarena on what she was thinking. “Considering everything we’ve dealt with, they’ve got to have a lot of them on hand. Like, a whole warehouse of them and very nicely organized.”

“Yeah, wow, didn’t even think about that,” Jarena replied with a nod. “I mean, right, if I don’t label like every darn thing and take what I want in advance and know exactly what I want to cast, it’s a heck of a mess and it’s tough to improvise. And you know me, I’m… not the most meticulous of witches… back when we were really going to town on hexes and stuff. I just stick with fun, easy stuff.”

“You said yourself it sounds like they’re doing training and experimental research,” Violet referred to Cassandra’s earlier discussion. “Combine that with the caliber of what they’re casting, the upkeep, and the sheer variance of it, they’re grounded at a permanent location and would not be able to relocate their base of operations.”

“Oooh,” Jarena smiled impishly. “I like where you’re going with this! So if it’s a permanent location, chances are good Agatha didn’t just buy this place for the occasion. So how do we find this joint?”

Cassandra wasn’t quite sure, but she knew it would likely be a place that used to be abandoned, but would now be seeing plenty of activity. Problem was, in order to really have surveillance on everything on the island, she would need access to high-level military satellite technology to authorize its use. But she knew the warehouse would absolutely have to be on Akala, and they would have needed to stockpile it very thoroughly before this attack.

“We’d better talk to Steven about this,” Cassandra told the other Ladies. “I think we’re dealing with a series of buildings here. These witches need places to sleep, eat, bathe, and if training and research is involved, they’ve got to have places for that, too. There can’t be too many forgotten about places on Akala that check all those boxes.”

And the more Cassandra thought about it, the more she felt going on the offensive rather than the defensive…

[Desolate Divine]

05-03-2021, 02:33 AM

Dylan Squier and Abbee Strauss
Villa, Heahea City
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga

Cassandra quickly sent back the list of ingredients, however her response to Abbee's comment about Victini confused her. Victini was with Cassandra... Or at least he was supposed to be...

"Damn it..." Abbee muttered as Dylan looked up.

"Victini wanted to stay with Cass for this mission, and I said he could leave Mossdeep with her." Abbee explained, "Well, he isn't with her because it would draw too much attention, and she thinks he is with me..."

"Where is he then?" Dylan asked, as Abbee passed her phone to him to show the message, including the ingredients list.

"Probably trying to be some sort of superhero, sitting on a building with some gargoyles watching over her..." Abbee said, "Once he sets his mind to something he will do whatever he can to make it happen..."

"Of all times for him to run off..." Abbee began.

"Go find him now." Dylan said, as he began searching something on the laptop.

"But what about finding Brianna Levine?" Abbee said, "She's already seen you, but not me..."

"Which is exactly why you should be the one to go to the hospital and find Victini and not me." Dylan explained, "I'm just gonna check out some pawn shops for the stardust, just in case. I doubt she will be there so it should be fine."

"And if she is?" Abbee asked.

Dylan tapped on Darkrai's Pokeball.

"She will go to sleep..."

With that, the pair prepared to leave, both heading in their separate directions.

Jon Drake
Heahea City Streets
Affected RPers: SlickSlack

Bunnying done with Neo Emolga's permission.

Jon's suspicions were confirmed when the girl introduced herself as Ozona, and her Pokemon partner as Oreo, and confirmed that she had battled Ethan. Moreso however, he was surprised she didn't seem to recognize him especially since he had been the one to mention the High Seas Tournament. The days he spent on the S.S. Wishmaker travelling here was spent with people asking him to sign Pokeballs and posters, but also snide comments, and guys trying to impress their girlfriends by picking fights.

"Hey, Ethan was a tough opponent. No shame in that." Jon explained, "I'm Jon Drake."

Before Jon could say any more his phone buzzed as he got a message from Steven.

"Triad has sent me a list of reagants for the spells they have encountered so far, and thinks that they may be on the island, stored in bulk in some sort of warehouse or something. You mind assigning some people to investigate it? This could break their entire operation."

Jon quickly sent a thumbs up emoji, before pocketing the phone, curious to find out why Ozona was here. Whilst he didn't suspect her of shadowcraft any more than any other civilians he may encounter, it was odd that a competitor from when shadowcraft became public would be here four years later.

"So what brings you to Akala?" Jon asked...

C0L0R3D

05-03-2021, 07:36 AM

Ozona Reverie
Heahea City
Affected RP'ers: Desolate Divine

Being a little curious to the question, Ozona actually had to think for a moment about why she had came to Akala. The idea came back to her pretty quickly, much to her relief. "First of all, nice meeting you then, second of all, it had to be the fact I heard there was another tournament going on...or was I mistaken about that? Well, if it wasn't that, then it's gotta be because of the Spiritwater festival! I've been looking into it for a while now, and I feel good that I've made it....but then all of this spooky nonsense showed up and....yeah....you get the idea."
Ozona had sighed a bit mid sentence, but still kept a relatively easygoing composure whike she talked, probably to make sure Oreo didn't worry about her.

[Desolate Divine]

05-04-2021, 12:49 AM

Jon Drake
Heahea City Streets
Affected RPers: SlickSlack

Hearing that Ozona was here for another tournament, as well as to see the festival wasn't unusual, and didn't cause Jon to suspect her any more or less, though he did take note of her name, figuring it wouldn't hurt to run a check on her later.

As he finished his lunch, he cleaned himself up with a napkin, before speaking to Ozona.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, but I'd best be off." Jon said, as he fitted his motorbike helmet, "I'll see you around. Maybe in a tournament somewhere."

Making his way to his motorbike, he started it up, before heading to the opposite end of the city, where the customs office was located, riding further and further away from the hospital...

Abbee Strauss
Heahea Hospital
Affected RPers: None

Abbee entered the hospital, however found her phone buzzing, with a call from her older brother Tyler coming through. She sighed, as she looked around, finding an empty room off to the side, before answering the call.

This summer would have the third anniversary of their father's death, and most years Abbee spent it with Tyler, and this year was supposed to be no exception. However when the mission came up, and Abbee couldn't tell Tyler about it, it caused problems to say the least, particularly since Abbee had no idea what to tell him, opting to apologize, and say "Something came up..."

"Hey, how're you doing?" Abbee said casually, hoping this wouldn't be another arguement.

"Abbee, why are you in Alola?" Tyler asked, causing Abbee to groan, unsure of how he figured it out. He knew nobody here, and she had turned off her phones tracking. Or at least most of it...

"Did you get into Dad's phone just to stalk me?" She asked in shock.

When she was growing up, one of the conditions of having a phone was that until she turned 18, her dad was able to monitor the location. She was fifteen when he passed away and after that she lived with Tyler, who didn't feel the need to track her location. And whilst she was able to disable it on her end, she never did. Whilst he had been gone, it still to a degree felt like he was watching over her, and she didn't have the heart to disable it. The fact Tyler had gone and used that to find her hurt...

"I did, because you aren't giving me a straight answer!" Tyler retorted, "It's the anniversary of Dad's death this week, and the best you can tell me is 'something came up'?"

"Tyler, I don't have time for this."

"It's more than about Dad!" Tyler said, "I have seen on the news all week that people are trapped on Akala, and now I find out you're in the middle of it? What's going on? Is it a coincidence that you're there and being secretive about it whilst all of this is happening??"

Abbee groaned, wishing she wasn't having to deal with this on top of Victini being missing...

Dylan Squier
Pawn Shop, Central Heahea
Affected RPers: None

Pawn shops were few and far between in Heahea city. Only three existed, however they were the one place where trainers could offload their stardust easily. Having already spoken to the owner of the one closest to the Villa, Dylan went to the next closest one, closer to the hospital.

He walked in to the well lit shop, that had an assortment of items, from TVs, to computers, to bicycles, to jewellery. The store itself seemed mostly empty, with only one or two people, looking at the guitars than hung on the walls. He made his way over to the counter, where a middle aged man stood, greeting him with a smile.

"What can I do for you?" The man asked, as Dylan discretely got his League ID badge from his pocket, and placed it on the counter.

"I have a few questions, if you can spare some time..." Dylan said.

"Damn, they're recruiting you younger and younger these days..." The man said quietly, as he looked around to make sure nobody was listening in, "This something to do with all the shadowy s**t keeping the ships here?"

"Can neither confirm nor deny." Dylan explained, "I'm looking for someone who I know had some stardust by no accident, and figure if they got on Akala, it was probably from a place like this. Anyone bought any from you in the last few days."

Surprise emanated the man's face, as he replied.

"Normally, I'd laugh in your face, since Stardust is something that most trainers find on the trail and never get around to selling. I probably have people selling it to me once a week, but that's all that happens, and I pass it on to manufacturers when I have bought enough of it." The clerk explained, "But last night, I had someone come in and buy what I had of it, and it wasn't cheap either..."

"A woman? Silver haired, but still fairly young?" Dylan asked, remembering what he saw of the person leaving Memorial Hill the day before.

The man nodded, as Dylan continued.

"How did she pay for it? With a card?" Dylan asked, though not optimistic.

"No, cash."

Dylan scowled. Whilst each region had its own currency, and serial numbers were automatically recorded in ATMs and banks, tracing a cash trail wasn't impossible, but was difficult, and considering the fact that Jon and probably everyone else above him thought this was a waste of time, it was time he didn't have. He'd need to find more, but what...

"You haven't deposited the cash yet have you? Or given it to someone else?" Dylan asked.

"If it were anything else, I'd say you were s**t out of luck..." The man explained, "But not many people pay in $100 bills here, so you're lucky..."

The main opened the register, extracting four $100 bills, as Dylan got his card out to transfer that amount from his bank.

"I know she paid with two of these. I couldn't tell you which, but it might help..."

Dylan thanked the man, before taking the cash, and leaving the store. As he walked down the street, he rounded a corner, stopping abruptly when he found himself face to face with a woman who appeared to be in her late twenties, with silver colored, ash-blonde hair, and peircing white blue eyes, that stared directly into his with a slight grin.

"We finally meet..." the woman said, "I'm Brianna, and I just want to talk..."

Neo Emolga

05-04-2021, 02:11 AM

Triad / The Diamond Ladies
Heahea City Urgent Care Center, Heahea City
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine Noblejanobii HorusMyDude Shruikan Chakramaster

Cassandra had just notified Steven regarding their thoughts about the potential of destroying Agatha’s reagent warehouse, which Cassandra felt had to be fairly large to store everything they needed to cast the complex and wide variety of spells they were unleashing upon Akala’s current inhabitants. She mentioned that it was likely these Shadowcraft witches she had called in had to be in a fairly large and permanent establishment that likely was abandoned. Since the island wasn’t very large, there weren’t too many places where they could hide. Cassandra also figured it couldn’t be too much of a dump, either. She tried thinking like the enemy. Since she was a witch herself, if she had joined up with Agatha, but saw the place she had prepared to live and work in was a dilapidated pile of garbage, she would definitely have second thoughts about sticking with the plan. She figured she would have had to make it at least somewhat bearable to give up whatever they had been doing prior to this gathering.

Once their standard shifts were over, the three Ladies had changed back into their normal street clothes and gathered around the breakroom table with their cups of tea. After the discussion they had earlier, they wanted to talk over possible leads on Agatha’s warehouse. While they had easy access to a tourist’s map of Akala, it only showed the tourism hotspots. Only the southern half of the island was featured, save for a few scarce tourist travel hotspots like the Wela Volcano Park, a guided tour of the Lush Jungle, and the Fossil Restoration Center. It didn’t clue them in on any of the natural off-the-beaten-path locations or any of the private residential areas.

“It almost seems too obvious…” Violet muttered, looking at the map.

“Huh, really?” Jarena asked. “Could be anything nestled around this whole rock and we only have like half the map on this. Where do you think it is?”

“Here,” Violet replied, pointing to the abandoned Thrifty Megamart on the map. “This would have everything they need, including ghost Pokémon. If that isn’t their main base of operations or their reagent warehouse, then they have to be using it in some form, or at least extracting its stockpiles.”

Jarena and Cassandra both looked at it, and while the tourist map didn’t provide much detail, it did mention that it was closed to the public and warned against trespassing due to the presence of ghost Pokémon. She was curious to know why it was abandoned, but she figured asking the locals might yield some answers.

“Well, would certainly have lots of ghosts and supplies for them to work with,” Cassandra stated. “If it really is their warehouse, it could very well be defended like a military base. Hexes could be all over the place like a minefield.”

“Yeah, but we could try taking a look at it from a distance, somewhere like one of the stores on Royal Avenue,” Violet suggested. “Or at least ask one of the offensive line operatives to scout it. If there’s any kind of activity there, we can-“

But then, suddenly they were interrupted by Sami, who appeared to look very gaunt with an ashen face. She had stumbled into the breakroom, almost shambling about like a zombie. Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet were suddenly shocked that they almost didn’t recognize her at first.

“Guys, I… I don’t feel so good…” Sami moaned, looking more ashen by the second.

“Oh crap, she’s been hexed…” Jarena muttered, backing away a bit from her. “Sami, hang on, we’ll…”

And then, Sami had just stepped back once, and right before the three of them, her skin and clothing had hardened and she had completely turned to stone. Her flesh and body had become like granite, and her last expression of dismay and weariness had become her last permanent expression before she had become like a statue.

And then a sudden voice of alarm pierced into their heads…

<Ladies, if you can hear me, RUN! RUN OUT OF THERE NOW!!>

“W-was that Victini…!?” Jarena exclaimed.

“You heard him, let’s move!” Cassandra shouted.

The three of them had bolted out of the breakroom, already having a strong idea they knew exactly who was attacking them. As they entered the main waiting area, they weren’t sure who was still around, but they had to pass the message.

“Everyone out!” Cassandra shouted to everyone that was within earshot, passing Victini’s message along. “Run for it, we’re under attack!”

A sudden crash of broken glass was heard behind them, but Cassandra didn’t waste a moment to turn around to see who or what it was. She already figured whatever was responsible was out to get them and destroy their witchcraft hospital. She quickly dashed for the exits, feeling terrible that there was nothing she could do for Sami, but if she stuck around, she knew she would be a victim of some terrible hex or transformation, also.

Cassandra had felt her phone vibrate with a call, but all she could focus on was racing out of the sliding doors and through the streets, sprinting away from the scene of the attack as Jarena and Violet were closely behind her. She wasn’t surprised she heard screaming coming from other people as well as sounds of more commotion.

The best hiding place she could find was under the dock pier. Once the three of them jumped off the dock and got to cover onto the wet, sandy ground, she was able to take a peek at what was going on. And she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Holy crap, that’s Giratina…” Cassandra muttered at the sight of the nearly fifteen-foot-tall ghostly dragon, totally in disbelief Agatha had a legendary like that under her control.

It had already done extensive damage to the urgent care center, smashing the windows and tearing holes in the walls and the roof as it let loose a shrieking howl. A few brazen trainers were trying to fight it with their Pokémon out in the street, but out of the shadows came groups of ghost Pokémon and several hooded figures, revealing only their stern mouths muttering spell incantations. They appeared to be like dark monks, and as they stepped forward besides the hulking ghost dragon, Giratina.

Those who were trying to resist were hexed and brought down where they stood. One older male trainer and his Incineroar were suddenly turned into bronze statues while a teenage female trainer and her Clefable were suddenly enveloped by explosions that looked like fireworks before they mysteriously disappeared, leaving only char marks where they once stood. Both those that resisted and those that tried to flee were dealt with the same, their bodies transformed into helpless forms unable to fight back.

Just the sight of it was enough for Cassandra to hide behind the pier again while hoping no one saw her. She could only hope she could undo what had been done to all these people and Pokémon, but if they had destroyed the spell reagents they needed, it was going to be close to impossible and she might be forced to choose who got healed and who didn’t if there weren’t enough supplies left for everyone.

She really didn’t want to make those kinds of choices…

“Oh god, it’s bad…” Cassandra muttered as she turned around. “They might have just essentially killed that girl and her Clefable…”

But she was suddenly greeted with an eerie silence from Jarena and Violet. She had turned out of the corner of her eye and saw Jarena had been struck by a hex herself. Suddenly purple and green flower petals were sprouting out of her waist along with green leavens laden on top of them as her skin was starting to turn green. She had fallen to the wet, sandy ground on her rear, suddenly shocked at what was now growing out of her.

“Cass, she’s afflicted!” Violet shouted, trying to suppress the hex, “Help me stop this thing before it overtakes her whole body!”

As she could see, some hex that had struck Jarena was now rapidly turning her into a flower as more leaves tore through the back of her shirt and her long hair had turned pink like that of a cherry blossom as a few more flowers and leaves bloomed in a headband. Cassandra quickly joined Violet, unable to undo the hex, but she tried her hardest to at least stop the hex from fully transforming her. With the both of them focusing together, they managed to suppress the curse’s hold over her and managed to suppress the transformation just in time before it had fully overtaken her body and reduced her to nothing but a giant flower.

“Ohhh man…” Jarena muttered, looking over her newly-formed leaves and flowers, “oh mannn, this is bad. This is really bad. These guys are out of our league!”

“Jarena, are you… alright?” Cassandra asked, unsure of how she was feeling at the moment.

“Uh, no, not really…” Jarena replied, still looking bewildered at her leaves and purple flower petals. “At least I’m not… totally a bouquet, you know?”

Before long, a familiar face had arrived, one that Cassandra could easily say she long missed. Carefully approaching, Victini had joined the three ladies, but he quickly realized Jarena had been hit with a hex.

“Victiti…” (“Normally I’d say ‘hey, great to see you again,’ but this reunion situation kinda sucks…”) Victini told the three of them, unable to take his gaze off of Jarena’s floral affliction. “Vic-tini-ni…” (“It’s a disaster out there, when I suddenly realized Giratina was heading toward where the three of you were working, I tried to move as fast as I could to warn you.”)

“It’s… all good, little dude,” Jarena told him, sighing. “We’re still alive. Kinda. I mean, this is something we can fix, right?”

“We’ve undone worse than this,” Violet told her, though trying not to get her hopes too high. “Problem is what we need is getting ripped to shreds by Giratina at the moment. Our books are still in that place, too.”

Cassandra hated to admit it, but Violet was right. Jarena’s affliction was deeply ingrained and now her body was now much more like a flower than a human, which meant they would definitely need reagents to reverse it. While Cassandra and Violet were somewhat confident they could perform the spell again after having performed it quite a few times and memorized it out of repetition, they were going to need at least a star piece to power the reversal curative process. Too much of her had been changed to try working without it.

“Can you at least walk?” Violet asked, wondering if they might have to carry her.

Struggling to get up on her transformed stem-like legs, Jarena initially struggled to get back up, but after a bit of stumbling and balancing, she was able to stand upright and maintain her balance while being able to move around.

“I… think so…” Jarena replied. “Man, this feels so weird…”

“Vic-ti-tini…” (“As much as I know you want to get the stuff you need to cure her and the others, I think we’d better run out of here before they sweep the area.”) Victini suggested. “Vi-ti-tini…” (“Come on, I think I know a way out.”)

“Okay…” Jarena nodded. “Lead the way, little dude.”

As the rest of the urgent care center and the people and Pokémon in the streets were being attacked and fighting a losing battle against Agatha’s witches and her Giratina. She wasn’t sure how many were out there, but she was confident there were at least ten, leaving them outnumbered and without much in the ways of reagents to attack with.

Still, Cassandra couldn’t help but notice that a few strands of Nami’s fur had clung onto her t-shirt. It wasn’t much, but it could save her and the others in a pinch. As the four of them headed north toward the Tide Song Hotel, they tried to use as much cover and concealment as they could, though most of the havoc was happening in Heahea City in and around the urgent care center. But Cassandra had a bad feeling as they moved further and further away from the center… and further and further away from the reagents they needed to cure Jarena’s affliction…

“I don’t think we fully stopped it…” Violet whispered to Cassandra as she was just out of earshot from Jarena.

“I have a bad feeling you’re right…” Cassandra quietly whispered back. “We only slowed it down. I think she’s only got until about 10pm tonight before she fully turns.”

As Cassandra looked back to Heahea City now being terrorized, she didn’t care what it was going to take to shut this witchcraft terrorism down…

…even if it meant she would need to reveal who she truly was…

[Desolate Divine]

05-04-2021, 02:41 AM

Dylan Squier
Heahea City -> En Route to Hospital
Affected RPers: None

Dylan's hand quickly reached for his Pokeball as Brianna said "I wouldn't do that..."

As his hand touched him, he felt his hands sting violently, looking down and seeing a series of glyphs, illuminated on the Pokeball.

"I just want to talk..." Brianna said, before snapping her fingers, and a green circle of light appeared on the ground around them, though seemed to be invisible to those outside. The glyphs spun around them slowly, with an eerie glow.

"Is this a threat?" Dylan asked, as Brianna smiled.

"No, just a way of making sure we can trust one another..." Brianna explained, "What's your name?"

Dylan retorted giving his alias... Or so he thought...

"Dylan Squier." He said without realizing, before he raised his eyebrows. This spell they were entwined in was forcing him to speak the truth...

"Nice try." Brianna said, "Don't fret though, I am equally as afflicted by this as you are. But I think you will want to hear what I have to say."

"After what we have been dealing with from your group, why do you suddenly want to talk?" Dylan asked, suspicious of the woman in front of him.

"I am no ally of Agatha, nor loyal to her cause. I have only seen harm come from large groups of Shadowcraft wielders clustered together, and want you and the League to do what you can to stop them..." Brianna explained, "You are working for the League aren't you?"

Dylan remained silent, as he could not lie, however his silence was confirmation enough.

"In the interest of fairness, my name is Brianna Levine. I am a Shadowcraft wielder." Brianna explained, "Though I do not ally myself with Agatha, and have no intention of allying myself with the League. However, I do want the League to have a fighting chance against her, so am willing to offer some wisdom when I feel like it..."

"If you aren't affiliated with them, why did you leave a curse at Memory Hill, like they have been doing all over the city?" Dylan asked, as Brianna grinned even more.

"Because I wanted you to find it..." Brianna replied, "That hybrid curse I left was far from the first of its kind placed here. Agatha and her coven have been laying them everywhere, and if I hadn't have left one as obviously as I did, you and your little Diamond friends wouldn't have had a clue until it was too late..."

"So you were tipping us off..." Dylan asked, curious how he knew about Triad's true identity, though trying not to confirm it with his expressions, until a grim thought crossed his mind.

"Too late for what?" Dylan asked.

"That hospital you and your friends are running?" Brianna began, "Agatha has noticed, and I am not sure how much longer it will be there..."

Dylan's eyes widened as he rushed past Brianna towards the hospital, pulling out his phone.

He called Abbee however the line was busy. He swore before calling Jon who also was unable to answer. Finally he called Cassandra, and whilst the phone dialed, nobody picked up...

"S**t..." He muttered as he ran, hearing screams in the distance...

Abbee Strauss
Heahea Hospital
Affected RPers: None

As Abbee tried to reason with Tyler, she heard the crash of broken glass, before screams peirced the air from the hallway next to her.

"Abbee, what's that?" Tyler asked, as she hung up the phone. She could hear incantations, of voices she didn't recognize, causing her to lock the door, and ready a Pokeball, remaining silent as the building shook, trying to figure out her options. If she tried to escape now, she could get caught up in what was going on, but as far as she was aware, the building could be levelled...

She noticed a missed call from Dylan, a few minutes earlier. Suddenly it buzzed again as Dylan's name appeared on the screen. Declining the call, she sent him a message.

"The hospital is being attacked, and if I talk, they might hear me. Locked myself in a room, however will be seen if I try and escape. Get backup..."

Dylan Squier
Heahea City Streets, near hospital
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga

Dylan rushed down the streets, calling Abbee, this time with the call being rejected, which made him more anxious. He rounded a corner, and found Triad, as well as Victini, however Jarena seemed affected by some sort of curse.

"Are you alright?" He shouted, as he felt his phone buzz with Abbee's message. His stomach dropped as he read the message.

"Abbee is trapped inside..." Dylan said, as he grabbed a Pokeball from his belt, looking at the building in the distance, and the giant Pokemon that seemed to be using it as a scratching post...

C0L0R3D

05-04-2021, 07:16 AM

Ozona Reverie
Heahea City
Affected RP'ers: Desolate Divine (Briefly)

Watching as the person she encountered left on a motorbike, Ozona realised that she should probably get some extra training in, just in case there actually was another tournament. She briefly considered training Snowdrop up, but she realised how suspicious it would be to casually have a Suicune in the streets. But as Johto was on her mind, she knew just who to call for this. Ozona quietly instructed Oreo to hop down from her shoulder and then let out Butterscotch, and the timid Ampharos flinched a bit before realising that he had just been called out. She lead the two over to a secluded but sturdy looking area before talking.

"OK, Ori, I want you to have a friendly spar with Butterscotch. Help him grow more confident, if you would."

The Cinccino nodded and waited for her trainer to back away before lightly starting to use Tail Slap on the larger Electric type. Knowing he had to defend somehow, the anxious Ampharos began using Thunder Shock instead of a Discharge like in the Lacross Cup. Mostly because this was a friendly match to help him improve his fighting skills. In all honesty, Ozona was just happy to see the two collaborating like she had asked.

[Desolate Divine]

05-04-2021, 10:34 AM

Jon Drake
Heahea City Port
Affected RPers: None (yet)...

As Jon left the customs house, he felt his phone buzz, signalling a call from Steven.

"What am I in trouble for now..." Jon said as he answered.

"Are you trying to get us thrown in jail..." Steven asked quietly, but quite irritably.

"Elaborate..."

"Don't think I didn't see through you recruiting Peter Miller to Eon Squad..." Steven said...

Jon had never met Peter prior to this mission, however he was one of the first Jon recruited for Eon Squad. When Steven had been detained by the Military, Cynthia had approached her friend Peter who knew his way around the League and Government networks to track him and arrange contact and a jailbreak. Whilst Jon hadn't met him, he knew Peter's skill, as well as his ability to keep his mouth shut would come in handy.

"Whatever do you mean?" Jon explained, "And you shouldn't be using names over this line..."

Steven cursed at his slip up before continuing.

"I checked the League's sighting records on our mutual friend, and see Peter has had the last few on the Eastern edge of Unova, and moving towards here..." Steven explained, "Getting our mutual friend involved in this should be a last resort."

"I agree," Jon explained, "But I'd rather not risk what we know is possible if our mutual friend is seen near us. Once it makes an appearance, I will swoop in and capture it. It's been long enough, and that way I don't have to be reserved about it."

"You remember why you had to capture it in the first place, don't you?" Steven asked.

"I'm not saying I will put it back where I found it just yet." Jon explained, "But do you think I'd use it if I thought it weren't ready?"

"If you get caught, I'm denying all involvement..."

"Good..."

Jon hung up the phone, sighing at how often Steven was feeling the need to berate him, before noticing a missed call from Dylan. Before he could call back, Steven had called again.

"What?" Jon asked irritably.

"There is an attack on Section B. Most of the people inside have evacuated, however operatives are unaccounted for, and there is a Giratina tearing the building apart. One of yours is stuck inside..."

Jon swore as he hung up the phone, quickly assessing the situation, now noticing the faint sounds coming from the direction of the hospital, which were too quiet for him to notice over the phone call earlier.

Whilst Latios could get there in minutes, Giratina might be too much for Latios and his other Pokemon. Except for one...

Jon let Latios out of the Pokeball, tossing his helmet onto the motorbikes handlebars, and starting it, before climbing onto Latios' back, directing the Pokemon to fly them as high into the air as they could without the air being too thin. Once they were above the clouds, Latios stopped ascending, as Jon removed the black Pokeball he had hidden inside his motorbike jacket. He pressed the button, as a massive light emerged, manifesting in the form of a large, serpentine dragon, seven meters from nose to tail.

Rayquaza roared.

"Why have you summoned me here, and not on the Island?" Rayquaza asked, Jon able to understand him from his time as a foul-mouthed Altaria.

"Because right now, we have a problem Latios and I can't solve on our own, and we will deal with the consequences later..."

Rayquaza sniffed the air before growling...

"You know what I'm talking about?" Jon asked.

"It's odour disgusts me..." Rayquaza said through the growl.

"We need you to give it hell, and we will join the fight as soon as we can without tying us to you in the eyes of witnesses." Jon explained, "When the fight is over, fly up higher than any Pokemon can reach. If the military decide to investigate, it will take time to mobilize. Latios should be able to reach you with telepathy, so when it is safe, I will send him up with your Pokeball to retrieve you..."

Rayquaza nodded, though its growl remained. It always got this way around other Dragon Types, it only being so calm around Latios due to the latter's ability to detect emotions, and the pair bonding over that understanding.

"Send it back to whatever s**thole it came from..." Jon said, as Rayquaza let out an excited yet agitated roar, shaking the windows of the buildings below, and darting towards the hospital.

Jon and Latios descended, before Jon thanked his luck the running bike hadn't been stolen, and put on his helmet. If he arrived right after Rayquaza, it would cause people to ask questions. Instead, he road the motorbike back, breaking every speed limit along the way. As he did, he used the voice control on his phone to start a phone call in his bluetooth helmet.

"It's me." Jon said to Peter, "Check the CCTV footage from near the hospital. You will know what I need you to do..."

Just a note as I know most people haven't read Eon Academy:

Jon possesses Rayquaza illegally. The only people on Akala who know Jon is in posession of it are Abbee, Dylan, Steven, Cynthia, Cassandra and depending on how Neo handled it, maybe Violet and Jarena, all of whom are sworn to absolute secrecy. The League doesn't know Jon has it.

Chakramaster

05-05-2021, 12:06 AM

Jimmy Kendo
Dimensional Research Center (Deep Unground)
Affected RP'ers: NA

As Jimmy and his Pikachu arrive after being teleported by Jirachi. They walk into the next room. The room is filled with computers and monitors watching every section notable of the city and surroundings. Hoping for any leads to finding their next target or Agetha herself. The room is huge and circular in shape. Almost like a large dome. The computers on the inner part from the middle while the screens and monitors are mostly on the outer portion. Circling the entire room. In the center, Jirachi. In it's "Wishgranting" pose as they began to calling it. Focusing on keeping it's power as focused as possible. About 5 other operatives around the room Jimmy had gathered to help keep this room running.

"How's things looking, Jirachi? Any updates?" Jimmy said as he walked toward the center.

"Jimmy! Glad you're back safely! Sadly no, nothing yet. I'm sorry." Jirachi said looking a little saddened. Pikachu jumped up to a closer edge near Jirachi.

"Pi! Pika pi! Pika-chu!" (Don't worry Jirachi. I'm sure something will show up soon. Let's just hope it's nothing that bad. Things are only going from bad to worse.") Pikachu said trying to keep Jirachi together.

"Yeah don't let it get to you Jirachi. Don't overdo it though. We need you her with us helping out as much as possible my friend. Speaking of. Besides the one group I've told you about to help keep watch over. You know who I mean. We have another." Jimmy says as he nods to Jirachi. Queuing to the wishmaker who through telepathy.

"Got it! Wow it's like we're getting all our friends together again. As happy as it sounds. We didn't train all this time for me to go giddy as I was those year ago. You're really caring and kind trainer. Thank you, Jimmy." Jirachi said as he scratches his head.

"Well if it weren't for Pikachu here too. I doubt I could've been even half as good of a trainer. It's thanks to you both and our entire team."

Jimmy shook his head. "Anyway Jirachi. Check in on some of the surrounding areas and Urgent Care. Jirachi nodded before getting back in place. Closing its eyes. "Alright team." Jimmy says looking to the few agents he recruited. Each at their places ready.

"Cameras 3, 8, 11, 21, and 25" Each focusing in the areas on those cameras. Jirachi using each camera as a catalyst to use it's psychic powers to search the areas more thoroughly. Machines setup to check status or fluctuations through "waves." Before long, the area starts to shake. Each camera shakings with the fluctuations going wild on each, but one more so in particular.

"The Urgent Care..." Jimmy and one of the other agents said.

"Dear Arceus...is that...!"

"Cameras 23-27 now!" Each camera focusing now on the Urgent Care and it's surrounding areas. Catastrophe wherever they look. Some people now even trying to fight back. Others running for their lives."

"Jirachi quick. Please tell me are-" Jimmy was cutoff as Jirachi knew exactly what he was about to ask."

"They are safe, for now. Except I can faintly see...something is wrong with one of them. Not entirely themselves, but they are okay. Another friend is back with them too. For now they seem to be heading north."

They were not appearing on the screens. Jirachi was using his connection to them from the past to find them.

"What about your power? We still haven't got a real connection to the outside yet have you? So you aren't at full strength?" Jimmy asked Jirachi.

"No. If I could just get a connection to the stars I could get more power. Perhaps even use my secret weapon, but until then I'm still in a weaker state. Thanks to your training though I'm far off from needing sleep. So long as I can stay in control." Jirachi nodded.

"Good. Pikachu and I are gonna go back out and do some more scouting and maybe meetup with anyone who may need some help. Keep in touch?" Jimmy asked.

"Will do!" Jirachi said as he went back into focusing.

"Let's go, Pikachu!"

"Pikaaaaa!" (You don't have to tell me twice!) Pikachu said as he followed quickly behind Jimmy.

Jimmy and Pikachu took the lift back out. Taking them to the alleyway nearby the Research Center. Keeping themselves away from being too out in the open. Checking around the corner he looked closer at the direction of the Urgent Care.

"Arceus...this is awful." Jimmy said as he and Pikachu saw the gigantic monster that was Giratina.

"We just need to be quick, quiet, and stay away from being in the open too much. Think you can keep up, Pikachu?"

"Pika! Pika-pika!" (Hey, I'm the one that trained YOU to being faster!) Pikachu said as they both moved off. Trying to keep away from Giratina and any of Agetha's followers sights.

The streets filled with Agetha's followers. Pokemon fights everywhere and more witchcraft craziness happening no matter where they looked.

"Alright this may be a little harder than I thought." Jimmy said as they stuck to staying as concealed as possible.

Alisaie Kendo
Outside of the Urgent Care Center, Heahea
Affected RP'ers: NA

"Ugh, could things get any worse?" She said as Alisaie and her team rest outside. She called most of them back into their pokeballs except Hoopa.

She began walking off as a sudden explosion rang out. The ground shook and all havoc began letting loose in the hospital. A window nearby shattered and glass shards began to fly toward Alisaie. Before she could react. Hoopa jumped in front of her and opened one of his rings and the glass shared flew through those. Protecting her.

Sighing a relief. "Thanks Hoopa!" Hoopa let out a big smile and cheer.

"Think you can get us to the end of the street there buddy?" She asked him.

Hoopa nodded and threw one of his rings in front of them as she rand through with him. The hospital far behind them now. As she looked back she saw something disastrous.

"No way...is that...a legendary Pokemon? Why is it attacking the hospital?!" She moved a foot forward before stopping. She knew it was bad, but running headfirst into danger wasn't her thing. She was more the "get in and out" type of girl. Exactly why she never wanted more with joining the league or any special scouts.

She looked toward the docks nearby and saw the three ladies from earlier.

"Well looks like those nurses or whoever they are got away. It's a start, but maybe I can catch up and find out exactly what the heck happened back there." Alisaie said as she began to tail behind the ladies. Keeping her own cover as Hoopa stayed nearby in case they needed any quick getaway. Once the ladies left the cover of the docks. She loosely followed behind. Noticing one of them looked noticeably different.

"Just what in the world is happening?!" She thought to herself.

Shruikan

05-05-2021, 08:09 AM

Luneth Tarot
Heahea Pokemon Center
Affected RP'ers: N/A

After the curse on Circuit had been removed, instead of going back to patrol Luneth made a beeline to the Pokemon Center. Circuit was still weak, and she needed her team at full strength before venturing out again.

The center was quieter than usual. With the ghosts roaming the streets, there were less battles going on. Most of the patients were here from fighting said ghosts.

Luneth sat by waiting as they treated Circuit. Part of her felt that she should be out investigating the curses again, but she pushed that aside. Running into a curse she didn’t understand is what got her here in the first place. She’d gotten lucky this time, but if anything similar happened again, she might need Circuit’s help.

The reality of the situation was starting to weigh on her. Before she’d only seen Shadowcraft used for cheating battles, at worst being turned into a pokemon. But here Agatha wasn’t messing around. These spells were designed to cause direct harm, and it was practically a miracle that they hadn’t run into a curse that Triad were unable to break yet.

There was very little she could do. Glimmer was out hunting down the culprits, most likely on the other side of the island, while she was just reacting to the chaos, unable to do anything more that slap a bandage on the wound.

At first Luneth had been annoyed when Glimmer wouldn’t let her come too, insisting that Luneth be assigned under Cynthia with the defensive. But now she understood. Deep down, Luneth realised she was too scared. If she came up against one of these witches, her life would be in danger, the kind her pokemon wouldn’t be able to protect her from. And she wasn’t prepared for that. She’d just put everyone else in danger…

Once Circuit was fully healed, Luneth had resolved to go after the mask store. That at least she could safely help with. This time she was prepared, so no more accidents. However, before she had taken more than a few steps, she hear a crashing sound followed by a deafening roar. Oh no. It had come from the direction of the med center. If something had happened there…

Luneth’s legs froze as she saw the monstrous form attacking the center. Even from a distance it was unmistakable. Giratina. Does Agatha have this much power? Even without witchcraft she could destroy us…

Her first instinct was to rush in and help evacuate people, but her body had other opinions, leaving her frozen with fear at the sight. If it was just Giratina it would be fine, but there was no way an attack like this would be alone. There would have to be Shadowcraft witches too, and if she rushed in then she’d probably end joining the patients herself before she could do any good. Unless… If they didn’t notice her, then maybe…

Luneth quickly ducked into an alley, looking around to ensure no one could see her, then, arms shaking, cast the incantation. Her body began to shrink, snow white fur sprouting up, ears growing, until where a human had stood instead was an Alolan Vulpix.

As a Vulpix again, she felt a bit calmer, but she still moved shakily as she climbed out of the pile of clothes. As far as she’d seen, the witches seemed to be targeting humans over pokemon, so maybe this way she would go unnoticed. She tapped one of the balls, releasing her Ditto Flan, who she tasked with protecting the other’s pokeballs while she was gone, before taking a deep breath and darting back out into the city.

In her Vulpix form, everything seemed much bigger. The looming shape of Giratina in the distance was near gigantic, as though it had dynamaxed. She was just going to scout the area, Luneth told herself. She wouldn’t have to get too close to Giratina, just check out the situation. It then occurred to her that she had left her comm back with the rest of her stuff. She briefly considered going back for it, but she knew it would be using time that she might not have. She’d almost reached the med center by now. So she’d just have to hope that if she needed to contact someone there’s be another agent who could understand her there…

Noblejanobii

05-05-2021, 04:08 PM

Avery Miller & Abital Ecke
Section B, Heahea City Urgent Care Center, Heahea City
Affected RP'ers: Everyone in the vicinity of the urgent care center

After Jarena healed Abital, Avery moved the couple into the general waiting area where they both took a moment to rest. Avery was out like a light, having not slept in days, and Abital rested right alongside them, his body still recovering from the fever. Avery didn't rouse again until they felt a sharp electric shock run through their body, jolting them awake. Avery rubbed their eyes and blurrily looked at the Raichu that was roughly shocking their leg. "Meir?" they mumbled, "What's wrong?"

"Rai! Rai raichu!" (Something's coming! I can feel it!) Meir said quickly.

"Everyone out!” Cassandra shouted to everyone that was within earshot, passing Victini’s message along. “Run for it, we’re under attack!”

Avery quickly looked up at the sound of a familiar voice before looking down at Meir. "Something? What do you-" Suddenly all the glass windows in the back of the building erupted at once and the cry of a Pokemon echoed through the air, sending a chill up Avery's spine. The Sinnoh native didn't need to be an expert to recognize it, albeit it was a cry they had only heard in museums about the legend itself. Panic suddenly gripped them as they roughly shook Abital. "Babe, I'm sorry, we gotta go now."

Abital, who was now more or less awake from the combination of Meir's shock, the loud noises, and Avery's shaking, nodded in agreement, and stood up quickly. He scooped Meir up into his arms and grabbed Avery's hand, fleeing the building with his spouse. Hexes were flying every which way as witches and Pokemon caused chaos to break out in the center and among the occupants. Abital ducked as a hex flew their way, instead striking someone behind them, turning the poor person to start spouting out pink bubbles. He felt a pang of guilt but rushed forward anyway. Now wasn't the time to focus on others.

Abital opened his styler and launched the capture disc towards a nearby rampaging Mudsdale. Quickly capturing and calming the horse, Abital climbed atop its back, allowing Meir to sit in front of them. "Ah! Good thinking!" Avery said as they tossed a Pokeball into the air, sending out Daybreak again. Once they had mounted the Rapidash, Avery and Abital began to flee further north towards the Tide Song Hotel. After gaining a bit of distance, the duo slowed down to catch their breath, stopping near the fountain outside the hotel.

Abital looked back towards the Giratina in the distance, the look of guilt obvious on his face. "Abital." The ranger looked over at his partner. "It's okay," Avery said, "We're safe and that's what matters." Abital began to sign something in protest but Avery reached out and grabbed one of his hands. "Abital, stop. I know you want to help, it's in your nature. But you wouldn't have stood a chance with those witches, okay?" Avery sighed and added, "Trust me, I've dealt with this stuff before. It's... not fun." Avery pressed their forehead against Abital's. "It's going to be okay though. We'll get through this."

They pulled back after a moment and Abital quickly signed "Where do we go now?" It was a fair question, given neither was sure if the Tide Song Hotel was a safe spot. But if not there, then where? The two looked at a nearby sign directing visitors towards Route 4 and Paniola Ranch. "Perhaps the cover of nature would be a good option?" Abital added.

"I guess, but we don't even know where these witches are coming from. How do we know if that direction is safe?" Avery retorted, grunting a little as they scratched an inch on their neck. The two continued their discussion by the fountain quietly, hoping to make a decision soon while most of the chaos was on the urgent care center.

Neo Emolga

05-06-2021, 01:01 AM

Cassandra Silvers
Heahea City
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine Noblejanobii Shruikan Chakramaster

Just when Victini and Triad were thinking of making a run for it and getting away from the mayhem, they had encountered Dylan.

“Are you alright?” Dylan shouted in alarm.

“We’re okay…” Cassandra replied, referring to herself and Violet before looking to Jarena. “We managed to slow down her curse, but… it’s still progressing.”

“Oh, well… crap,” Jarena replied, realizing the curse wasn’t broken and was still running its course. “So that’s why I grew another leaf.”

After Dylan had checked his phone, he looked incredibly sick.

“Abbee is trapped inside…” Dylan reported to them, clutching a Pokéball as he looked back toward the urgent care center that was being ransacked by Giratina and Agatha’s followers.

“Yeah, but how the hell are we supposed to get to her?” Violet asked, looking at the situation like it was suicide to head back to where they were originally running away from.

“Vic-tini…” (“I can’t believe I didn’t realize she was here, but there’s so much interference…”) Victini winced.

To Cassandra, stealth was out of the question. Sneaking around would devour too much time and every second that passed was resulting in more and more damage. They had to make their move quickly.

“Dylan, keep a watch on Jarena,” Cassandra told him. “If we can get our hands on a star piece, we can sure her affliction, but if she gets struck by anything else on top of what she has already, we may not be able to fix it. In the meantime, I’ll look for Abbee and Violet, see if you can find that star piece.”

“Vict-tini-ni…!” (“I can guide you to where they are, but there’s a few witches out there that you’re going to have to deal with. I think maybe it’s time they’ve had a taste of their own medicine!)

And that gave Cassandra an idea.

“Violet, snipe at least one of them out with a Pokémon transformation hex,” Cassandra advised her. “Steal their cloak and their reagents and pretend you’re one of them. I’ll do the same, that should allow us to get close enough to save Abbee and get some of those curative materials.”

“Aww man, I want to join in on that,” Jarena replied with disappointment, realizing she couldn’t due to her current hexed condition. “Definitely taking a raincheck on assimilating their ranks, though!”

“Ok, let’s move,” Violet replied to Cassandra as Victini followed them from a distance, covering for them both.

As they moved quickly and quietly through the streets, they kept a lookout for any straggler witches that had broken off from the main group. In the meantime, Cassandra was appalled at how many victims they had claimed with all sorts of afflictions. She had seen one trainer and their Azumarill reduced to a melting pile of wax while an elderly woman had been turned to wood, frozen in a look of despair as her own Delicatty wept at her feet, unable to comprehend what had become of their trainer.

It made Cassandra furious.

Meanwhile, Agatha’s witches were slowly marching through the streets as if they owned Heahea City, now. So far, it looked like they hadn’t been met with much formidable resistance, but Cassandra saw that as an opportunity to strike at their overconfidence. One of them had strayed away from the group, looking for more victims. And as soon as she was no longer in sight of her compatriots, Cassandra took a stand of Nami’s fur and decided it was time to let them have it.

Laying the Pokémon transformation hex on the witch’s cloak, she had only realized a hex had been laid upon her when it was too late, and within seconds after an expression of shock, she had been transformed from a human to a Purugly, and her cloak and all of her belongings had fallen into a pile on top of her. She had climbed out of the pile, completely bewildered at her new form before Cassandra laid the knock-out punch on her, using a pinch of dust from the ground to induce a lethargic and bewildered curse upon her.

Cassandra had quickly snagged the cloak away, along with the belt of pouches and packs that the witch had been using. As Cassandra quickly threw the cloak and the belt on, the now transformed Purugly looked at her.

“Purr…” (“You… you’re… Cassandra Silvers… aren’t you?”) she asked her.

“No,” Cassandra replied, tearing into one of the pouches that was labels as ‘ashes’ before grabbing a pinch of the black powder, “I’m your worst goddamn nightmare.”

It was then that Cassandra used the ashes to induce a third curse on the former human witch, flushing them with blindness and bewildering amnesia in their lethargic Purugly form. Once she had been incapacitated, Cassandra drew the hood over her head, and slowly walked into the main street, acting as if she was one of Agatha’s own.

She then headed back to the urgent care center, hoping to find Abbee. While she couldn’t see him, Victini watched from a distance.

<Oooh, you messed her up BAD! Well done! Okay, I think I know where Abbee is. She’s locked herself in one of the storage rooms that was near the Section B waiting area. Thankfully, they don’t know she’s there.>

Cassandra couldn’t see him, but she nodded softly to show she heard him. At this point, she knew where she needed to go and she remembered the room that Victini talked about. As Victini left to go find Violet, Cassandra headed toward the urgent care center’s entrance. Not too far off was Giratina, but then all of a sudden, she had seen Rayquaza suddenly lash out at Giratina, striking him from behind with a powerful Outrage attack. Giratina had stumbled forward, never expecting such sudden, powerful force. In alarm, Agatha’s witches had turned to see the commotion, never expecting Rayquaza here of all places…

Oh man, Jon, you’re taking a big risk here… Cassandra thought to herself. I hope you know what you’re doing.

“Girraaaaaa!!” (“It’s you…!”) Giratina roared at Rayquaza. (“Thought I’d never get the chance to annihilate you myself, and yet here you are like a sacrificial offering.”)

“Raaa!” (“Woefully mistaken as always…”) Rayquaza snarled back at Giratina. (“Though I suppose that’s how it’s always been with the way you blunder about things.”)

As the two of them suddenly fought ferociously as the thrashing could be heard all over the city, Cassandra used the valuable time Rayquaza had brought her to go for Abbee while she still had the chance.

When she had found the storage room, she threw aside the wheel chair and oxygen tanks that had fallen in front of the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. She grimaced, but she quickly looked around to make sure no one was listening, and knocked twice on the door.

“Abbee, it’s me… Cassandra…” she told her, knowing she would recognize her voice. “Come on, we need to get the hell out of here.”

Violet Radcliffe
Heahea City
Affected RPers: Shruikan

After making sure Cassandra knew where to go, Victini headed toward where Violet was, who had stealth-attacked a second witch and left him lost, dazed, and confused. Violet was able to flush his mind with delusions and left his mind unable to comprehend what was real and what was part of the convincing nightmare he was living in. After finding a loose strand of fur that had been from a previous Pokémon-related incident back at the urgent care center, she had turned him into a Bunnelby before swiping his cloak and reagents for herself. After putting the cloak on, she felt she looked very convincingly like Agatha’s witches, but she kept in mind that any operatives out there would also mistake her for an enemy.

She wasn’t too worried about that, as it seemed as though there wasn’t much left in the ways of defense for Heahea City.

Shortly after, she had seen Rayquaza and Giratina battling as well, ferociously attacking each other, though it seemed as though there were no trainers to command them and were fighting on their own accord.

Violet decided to head into the damaged urgent care center, heading for where the reagent storeroom in Section B. Things were broken, thrown about with chairs and papers everywhere, along with pieces of the walls and ceiling. Still, thankfully most of the storeroom was intact, and Violet was able to quickly find the Star Piece she needed to cure Jarena’s flower affliction. But she decided to go for more, as she felt this may be the last time she had access to these. She took her backpack and filled it with star dust, pearls, mushrooms, and all the other items they would need as curative reagents.

And then, she headed back to where the books were kept. They were still there, and Violet quickly packed them into her backpack as well, although now it was very stuffed and heavy, but it was the maximum she could hope to carry.

“We’re not supposed to be in here,” a voice spoke behind her. “If you’re looking for the infidels, they’ve already left the premises.”

Violet had turned around to see one of Agatha’s other witches, seemingly falling for her disguise. But Violet decided to play along with it.

“They left a large amount of reagents behind,” Violet informed him. “We would do well to hold off on demolishing this place until everything has been extracted for our own purposes.”

Violet was hoping perhaps they would reconsider leveling the urgent care clinic, not just for the sake of the witchcraft victims, but also for the regular patients that needed treatment.

A sudden tremor was caused by Rayquaza slamming into Giratina, causing the ghostly dragon to stumble back and break a portion of the back wall down.

“We won’t be able to reason with the two of them…” Violet replied to the other witch. “Let’s move.”

She then headed to the exit as the other witch followed her. She was hoping she might be able to pry some vital information out of him, but right now, she needed to get out of there before one of these massive draconic legendaries flattened the whole building…

And that was when she had passed by a snow-white Alolan Vulpix. While it wasn’t too uncanny to see one here, Violet could swear there was something familiar about her…

[Desolate Divine]

05-06-2021, 12:07 PM

Dylan Squier
Heahea Hospital, Exterior
Affected RPers: I think only Neo Emolga

Cass quickly came up with a plan, however Dylan made one observation.

"You aren't going to get near them in the open like this without being seen. You need a distraction, I just don't know I can provide enough of one..." Dylan began, before a draconic roar that he wasn't expecting to hear just yet pierced the air, before a green blur slammed into Giratina, the pair began fighting, though Rayquaza seeming to have the upper hand. Whilst Giratina seemed to have good defenses and resilience, Rayquaza outclassed it in both speed and sheer attack power. As Rayquaza roared angrily, Dylan recognized the Outrage attack it was about to use.

"That will do..."

Whilst the witches were occupied with Rayquaza, Dylan sprinted forward, pelting a pair of Pokeballs into the air, the one in his left hand between him and the witches, and the one in his right as far as he could, past the main line.

The closer one opened first, revealing a silver and gold Metagross. Those watching didn't notice however the second one, as the Pokemon emerged, and in a split second melted into shadows.

"Hey, hags!" Dylan shouted, "Come get some!"

As one or two stepped forward, pelting curses at him, and sending their ghost type Pokemon towards him, Dylan felt the metal chain around his neck pull, as Metagross used its magnetism abilities, ripping pieces of sheet metal from the wreckage of the hospital towards it, one of them smacking a witch in the back of the head, and knocking her to the ground, blood starting to pool from her head.

By changing the polarity of its own magnetism, in addition to its telekinesis, Metagross was able to use the large sheets of metal to shield itself and Dylan from curses, occasionally launching them at targets.

Whilst this happened, behind a pair of witches surrounded by a group of four Pokemon, what could only be described as liquid shadow erupted from the shadow cast by the building next to them, taking form as the Pokemon Darkrai, who then charged up an attack, releasing a bunch of nefarious looking red and black orbs, each hitting a Pokemon, causing them to fall asleep, and start having nightmares".

"Dream Eater..." Dylan called out, as Darkrai began to draw the life force from its sleeping enemies...

Abbee Strauss
Heahea Hospital, Interior
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga

As Abbee quickly tried to brainstorm a way out, she had no clue how. The only thing she could think of was having a Psychic type detect the consciousnesses of people who may be outside, to allow her time her escape well, however Victini was not with her. She could try and time it herself, however had no clue how many witches or Pokemon were outside, and the element of surprise was her best chance of escaping unharmed.

She heard footsteps approaching the room quickly, before a pair of knocks, scaring the life out of her. Had she been found?

"Abbee, it's me... Cassandra..." Said a familiar voice, "Come on, we need to get the hell out of here..."

Knowing Cassandra wouldn't have been able to do that if people were around, she quickly opened the door, where Cassandra waited on the other side...

"Thanks, I didn't want to blow that hiding spot until I knew the cost was clear." Abbee said, as the pair made their way towards an exit, "Victini is the only Psychic type I have to detect if the coast was clear, but he was AWOL, so I wasn't sure it was safe..."

Shruikan

05-06-2021, 07:33 PM

Luneth Tarot
Heahea City, outside the Urgent Care Center
Affected RP'ers: Just Neo Emolga I think?

There were a lot more witches that Luneth had expected. It was practically a full scale assault on the city, with Giratina merely being a distraction. By this point the witches had taken over the nearby area, picking off any stragglers that the came across. Luneth winced and tired not to look at any of the victims as she passed, but she was sure their screams would haunt her.

There were several trainers fighting back, but overall they were doing very little to step the tide of Shadowcraft spreading through the streets. She wanted desperately to help stop them, but the witches numbers were just too many. She could probably take down one, but the instant she attacked she’d become a target for all the others. For now her best advantage was going unnoticed, she’d just have to wait for the right moment to strike, and until then she’d cling on to the hope that when the dust cleared, all the curses could be reversed.

A shadow passed overhead, as yet another godlike pokemon appeared. For a moment Luneth thought that the Rayquaza was working with the witches too, but when Giratina began to attacked, she realised it must have been sent, whether by a trainer or Arceus. Either way it was distracting not only the Renegade pokemon, but several of the witches as well, giving many people an opportunity to get away.

Even so, the two gods’ fighting was leaving almost of much carnage as Giratina attacks alone had. A wall crumbled as Rayquaza’s attacks pushed Giratina backwards into the hospital building. She just hoped that no-one was still in there.

As if on cue, two witches left the building in a hurry. Luneth’s ears drooped as she realised that if there was anyone left inside, they’d have been cursed by now, and without Triad there was nothing to be done for them. She hoped Triad had made it out safely. If not, then there was little hope left.

Luneth realised with slight panic that the two witches were heading her way. Her heart nearly stopped as one of them looked straight at her, but she forced herself to continue moving normally, and thankfully the two continued on their way.

As they passed by, a thought suddenly occurred. They thought she was just a normal Vulpix. This would be the perfect opportunity to tail them. Even if they didn’t return to base, maybe they would let slip some other info. She knew it was incredibly risky, and her heart beat faster just considering it, but she knew that they might never get as good a chance as this. She’d have to fight back her fear and go for it.

Heart practically in her throat, Luneth padded after the two witches, avoiding her instinct to stay hidden and instead following them out in the open, hoping they’d think she was just a stray pokemon looking for some food.

Neo Emolga

05-09-2021, 06:39 PM

Cassandra Silvers
Heahea City, Urgent Care Center
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine

Understandably so, Abbee had made it clear she didn’t want to leave the storage room until Cassandra had made sure the coast was relatively clear. Victini had been her only link to the outside, and without a psychic Pokémon to give her that insight, she would have been going out blind, which was deadly in this scenario.

“He’s covering us from a distance,” Cassandra explained to Abbee. “Follow me and we’ll try to make it back to someplace safe.”

Cassandra’s first thought was to possibly board and find refuge on the Wishmaker cruise ship. They were going to have to make use of its infirmary eventually, but they definitely needed to get the operatives to regroup on this.

For now, she headed back to where she had left Jarena, although in the distance, he had seen Dylan fighting the witches with his Metagross. He was taking a risky move, but on the other hand, he was having them focus on him rather than Jarena.

For now, she decided to head back to where Jarena was. All she could do now was hope Violet had been able to find what she needed to undo Jarena’s curse…

Violet Radcliffe
Outside of Heahea City
Affected RPers: Shruikan

Violet hadn’t realized the white Vulpix was in fact Luneth, but then on the other hand, it had been four years since she saw her the first time that way. With everything that had happened, history had become a blur to her. But where her memory was slightly triggered as an ambiguous moment of deja vu, it was due in part that the last Alolan Vulpix she had seen since this one was in fact also Luneth, back on the S.S. Wishmaker. Starglade and the surrounding area never had seen the likes of one before.

As she headed away from the conflict between Giratina and Rayquaza, she needed to pry as much information as she could out of this other witch. But she knew she needed to do it carefully if she wanted to avoid suspicion.

“Why are you not taking anything?” Violet asked the other witch, feigning a look of irritation. “Do you realize how valuable this all is? At least take what you can carry, these kinds of reagents are hard to come by.”

“We have plenty already,” the other witch scoffed. “Trying to haul all of this back to the Megamart is only going to slow us down and it’s a least a few miles of walking from here to there. I guarantee you’re not going to make the whole trip carrying all that with you without having to take a break, and we have no time for that.”

“I’ll manage because I know it’s only a matter of time until we run out,” Violet replied, trying to act like one of Agatha’s own. “These kinds of attacks are costly and this does nothing for us but serves as an expensive show of power. They’ll just keep throwing numbers at this problem until we have nothing left to fight with.”

The other witch looked at her curiously. They had broken off a fair distance away from the commotion around Heahea City and were now safe and away from any of the other witches.

“You don’t have much faith in Agatha’s plan, do you?” the other witch asked her.

“No, I don’t, and coming here was a mistake,” Violet replied with feigned frustration, hoping she could play this correctly as she remembered Agatha’s dream message. “This isn’t about us, it’s solely about her. This should have been an opportunity to grow and enhance our skills and instead all we’re doing is harassing tourists and locals.”

“They were undoing our work here,” the other witch reminded her. “We have defectors among us, that’s the only explanation. Don’t you remember our orders? The whole purpose of this attack was to find them and figure out who they are. Remember, we need them alive.”

Already, this conversation had clued Violet in on several interesting developments, but now she was really curious as to what exactly Agatha was planning for them…

[Desolate Divine]

05-10-2021, 06:37 AM

Abbee Strauss, Dylan Squier and Jon Drake
Outside Heahea Hospital
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga

As Abbee and Cassandra fled the hospital, avoiding getting in the crossfire of what Abbee now knew to be a battle between Giratina and Rayquaza, with witches and their Pokemon wreaking havoc among the civilians there, they saw in the distance Dylan, a few meters behind his Metagross who was levitating sheets of metal from the trashed building, using them both as offensive weapons, and shields to protect from stray spells. Meanwhile, amidst the chaos, a black shadow was materializing before disappearing, launching various attacks, and leaving in it's wake numerous sleeping witches and Pokemon. Darkrai...

As Abbee reached Dylan, before anything could be said, the sound of a motorbike became louder, as Jon arrived. He took off his helmet, before saying over the noise of the engine, "Where the f**k did Rayquaza come from?!" before giving Cassandra a sly wink.

With Rayquaza keeping Giratina occupied, Dylan's two Pokemon were doing an admirable job of holding off the attackers, however were losing ground. He hoped however with Jon's arrival that maybe they could turn the tides of this battle.

Jon tossed a trio of Pokeballs, containing Jolteon, Latios and Nidoking.

As Nidoking used Earth Power to cause pillars of stone to erupt from the ground, acting as cover, Jolteon remained at the same distance as Metagross, supporting with electrical attacks. Jon gave Latios however a more specific instruction...

"Find which of the witches seem to be scared." Jon explained to Latios, "I would be surprised if all of them were without fear, and let Darkrai know to target those ones. Hopefully the sight of it coming for them will be enough to scare them off."

As Latios turned invisible, and flew into the fray, Jon turned to Abbee, Cassandra and Jarena.

"Get her somewhere safe!" Jon said, gesturing to Jarena, "We can hold them off for a while, maybe even scare them away, but it will do no good for you to stay here! Abbee, protect them!"

Abbee nodded, before tugging on Cassandra's sleeve.

"Come on, we need to find somewhere safe for you to treat this, even if just for now..." Abbee said to Cassandra.

Neo Emolga

05-11-2021, 01:32 AM

AGATHA
Heahea City
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine

The Agatha that the League was now trying to hunt down would never be recognized. The truth was under normal circumstances, that Agatha would have been long dead simply from failing internal organs due to old age.

Instead, a charismatic, 22-year-old with long well-conditioned black hair and an attractive figure walked down the streets in a prideful strut while wearing her witch cloak, not even with the hood up. She had been a living testament to the kind of raw power that Shadowcraft had, with her agelessness being just one among many.

She had arrived in time to see the mayhem, and it brought a smile to her face as witches and ghost Pokémon had driven the locals and tourists back to their homes and guest rooms, now even more entrapped on an island they couldn’t escape from neither by air or by sea.

She had also seen Rayquaza fighting her own Giratina. The two Pokémon were violently clashing, both of them having taken a serious beating, but Agatha’s arrival had sealed Rayquaza’s fate. After opening a vial of Arcanine blood and smearing it on her hands, she had used the dark reagent to stasis-lock Rayquaza into place, frozen in animation as Giratina had struck the snake-like dragon several times with a Dragon Claw attack. When the spell ended, Rayquaza had collapsed onto the ground with a heavy thud like a bag of potatoes.

For a brief moment, Giratina was a bit irked, suddenly realizing the battle had been tampered with.

“Girrr-rraaaa!” (“I had him under my control, Agatha! You didn’t need to interfere!”) the ghost dragon legendary roared, desiring to achieve victory on her own.

“Your disheveled appearance tells me otherwise,” Agatha replied, not even making contact with Giratina. “We’re not here for honor, may I remind you.”

Giratina sighed with a “humph,” understanding that while what she said was true, it would have been more fulfilling to snag a victory on her own without a helping hand. Still, when it came down to it, they didn’t care about the details as long as they got what they wanted when they wanted.

Meanwhile, Agatha had seen the urgent care center had taken significant damage and while it wasn’t completely destroyed, it was rendered unusable. However, the area had been completely vacated and most of the civilians had fled. Only those that were hexed and severely cursed remained, some as statues of varying material, others completely transformed into helpless states, and the remainder were effectively dead as their bodies had been destroyed in one way or another.

“So who was behind this witchcraft hospital?” Agatha asked Igor, one of the other witches that had arrived earlier. “Tell me you found them.”

“We don’t know,” the older male witch replied, sighing hard. “They’re not one of our own.”

“Of course they’re not one of our own!” Agatha shouted back at Igor, irked by the pointless and obvious response. “The whole point of this attack was to destroy this hospital of theirs and eradicate whoever was behind it. But enough of the games, I want everyone back at the stronghold. Make yourself useful and tell everyone to leave this pile of rot and head home.”

“Hmhm,” Igor replied, preparing to send the word out. “As you wish.”

To Agatha, while she was content that the urgent care center had been ravaged, she didn’t want to show her satisfaction and let the other Shadowcraft witches feel fulfilled by only accomplishing half the objectives. She knew very well there were other witches out there undoing the affliction work and while she wanted them eliminated, also, it wasn’t as direly important as getting the urgent care purged out. But for now, she was convinced the opposing witches were long-gone from the premises, simply due to them being outnumbered and outpowered

One of Agatha’s other witches, a young female named Willow with light-brown hair, had approached Agatha with her report. Besides her was a Mismagius wearing an impish smile.

“Their witches were disguised as doctors,” Willow told Agatha, letting her in on the details. “That’s why we didn’t identify them at first as they fled alongside the other medical staff. We initially thought they would attempt to defend the urgent care, but instead they had fled the area. There’s rumors that a few of them were hexed, but we’re not sure if we got all of them.”

“Forget about them for now, Willow,” Agatha replied. “After today, these people won’t even think of emerging from their homes and rooms. Let them rot, it will simply buy us more time.”

Afterword, Agatha had signaled to Giratina to follow with a simple wave hand gesture, leaving Rayquaza’s beaten and bruised body on the ground. Agatha had no interest in killing Rayquaza, all she needed was for the snake-like dragon to know his place and understand he had no power here.

And by Igor’s word and Agatha’s command, the Shadowcraft Society had headed back up north, leaving within the shadows the same way they had arrived…

Triad (The Diamond Ladies)
Tide Song Hotel, Akala
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine Shruikan

After Violet had spotted Cassandra heading back, she had decided to part ways with the other witch, having gotten what she needed out of them. When they had let their guard down, Violet had turned them into a Blitzle and wiped their memories before flushing them with sleepiness. Effectively, they wouldn’t remember the last conversation they had and most likely wouldn’t even remember the attack.

Once the three of them had united, Jon had used his Nidoking, Jolteon, and Latios to defend their position, but it wasn’t long until the witches and their ghost Pokémon companions had withdrawn away from the attack.

“Get her somewhere safe!” Jon told Cassandra, referring to Jarena’s condition. “We can hold them off for a while, maybe even scare them away, but it will do no good for you to stay here! Abbee, protect them!”

“Come on, we need to find somewhere safe for you to treat this, even if just for now…” Abbee side to her.

Though it seemed the commotion was slightly dying down, it was still far too early to make any assumptions about it being over.

“Yeah… let’s go,” Jarena replied, getting up on her ‘feet,’ “Tide Song Hotel… it’s not too far, right?”

“The lobby should be safe,” Violet replied, helping Jarena up. “But we’d better go now.”

After nodding, they had cut across through the back of town and headed to the large hotel. As expected, there was no one outside as everyone had taken up shelter from the attack. And with the way things had gone down, it seemed like that was not about to change.

From the looks of things, Cassandra could easily say this year’s Spiritwater Festival was more than canceled. It was a total dismal failure. In the meantime, as they walked, Cassandra and Violet had taken off and stashed way their cloaks, thinking they might need them later if they wanted to try and infiltrate the ranks of the enemies.

Once they had made it through the double sliding doors of the front entrance, they had seen others were taking refuge in here as well. Many guests and locals had retreated to the hotel lobby, some of them trying to deal with curses of their own, but thankfully, these cases were mild and hadn’t rendered them completely helpless.

They had gathered around an unclaimed bench and café table that was originally intended to be for a Jirachibucks Coffee, but it had been closed since the attack had taken place.

“I recovered some of the reagents from the urgent care,” Violet told Cassandra. “I also got our books back. It should be everything we need to restore her, but…”

“Yeah, I know,” Cassandra nodded. “Something we need to do first.”

“Ohhh man, I think I know what you’re talking about,” Jarena replied with a grimace, having had enough experience with this herself. “This thing’s still trying to turn me into a flower, and you only delayed it, which means… you gotta let it finish its job before you undo it, don’t you?”

Cassandra nodded with a frown, and then sighed after.

“Yeah, there’s no stopping it until the hex completes,” Cassandra confirmed. “Once it fully transforms you, we can start trying to dispel it, but trying to do it before that just resets the hex only to have it begin again.”

“Ugh, just like a fire that keeps burning until there’s nothing left to eat up…” Jarena sighed, looking over all the leaves and flower petals that were covering her body.

“That’s… an accurate way to put it…” Cassandra replied. “Might be better if you just close your eyes instead of watching it happen…”

Jarena then stood up and moved away from anything that might get “caught” in the mess. Closing her eyes, she then looked down.

“If this doesn’t work, just… please plant me somewhere nice and cozy,” Jarena muttered, keeping her eyes closed. “Maybe a spot that will get plenty of sunshine once this is all over, you know? That’s be cool but yeah, it’s been awesome hanging out with you two. We had some good times. Wish you guys the best… just in case this is goodbye…”

“Jarena…” Cassandra muttered sympathetically.

Violet didn’t want to mention this would be extremely difficult for her and Cassandra to do alone and there certainly was possibility it may be too much for them. Wanting to show Jarena she was at least somewhat optimistic, Violet had readied a beach towel to wrap Jarena’s body if and when the transformation back to her human self was successful. Meanwhile, Violet braced herself for what was going to be an exhausting battle against this floral curse.

“Ready?” Cassandra asked, preparing to pull the suppression off of the floral curse’s development.

Jarena simply nodded.

With that, Cassandra had removed the suppressing effect Violet and herself had laid upon the curse, and it seemed it was all too eager to begin taking over the rest of Jarena’s body. Her arms had become like branches, and her hands had transformed into buds that quickly blossomed into lily flowers. Before long, the flowers surrounding her neck had become bigger, and eventually, all that was left was her face, which was quickly melded into the stem that had once been the rest of her body. Before them now stood a nearly six-foot tall flowering plant with flowers that were far bigger and more vibrant than anything that would normally occur in nature.

Within less than a minute, it was impossible to tell she had once been a human…

Violet had laid out all the necessary reagents they were going to need for this transformation back. Once Cassandra had confirmed the curse had run its course and finished its dark and dirty work, she prepared everything they would need for a Nox Purge spell.

“We’ve never done this just with two of us…” Cassandra told Violet, taking a deep breath. “I hope we don’t walk out of here looking for a shovel…”

“You know how to do this,” Violet reminded her. “Only think about doing it and forget about the possibility of not doing it.”

Gathering all of her focus, she prepared and had drawn out all of her energy for the Nox Purge.

“Ein estos calataki corest-tol…” Cassandra and Violet chanted in unison, reciting the spell’s incantation. “Ero-sta shi dy-danivan…”

Holding the Star Piece in her hands, Violet allowed it to burn and be consumed as fuel for the incantation. She would only get this one shot, and trying to cheat the spell with a second Star Piece would only overload the spell and could potentially kill all of three of them in the process.

Quickly, both of them felt the exhausting strain of the spell, but as Jarena’s body had begun to glow and begin the restoration process, they both fought on, pushing to forcefully purge out the floral curse and use Jarena’s soul as a catalyst and as a conduit to restore her to her true form.

The strain nearly resulted in both Cassandra and Violet suffocating, fighting to keep the spell strong because if they broke down and stopped, it would all be for nothing. But working together, they had managed to fight through it all the way to the end… but just barely…

It had gotten to the point where Jarena had to quickly wrap herself with the towel, as both Cassandra and Violet had collapsed just a second after the spell had been fulfilled… and Jarena was restored back to normal.

“Holy crap, you guys did it!” Jarena exclaimed at first, but suddenly became very alarmed at their condition. “Are… are you alright!?”

Both of them were on the floor, wheezing and gasping for breath as their energy, oxygen, and vigor had been completely tapped out dry. But Cassandra nodded, unable to speak quite yet, but wanted to show she’d at least not faint and pass out.

After three minutes of lying down on the tiled floor of the hotel lobby, trying to catch their breath, Cassandra and Violet were able to sit up again, still woozy and tired, but at least able to breathe normally.

“And that’s why we need to stick together…” Cassandra muttered, finally able to speak again…

[Desolate Divine]

05-11-2021, 06:56 AM

Brianna Levine, Jon Drake and Dylan Squier
Heahea City
Affected RPers: Any operatives. If they wish to be present in the meeting Jon is discussing, have them be approached by Steven or Cynthia about it.

Brianna walked towards the site of the attack, where Dylan stood, returning his Pokemon to their Pokeballs, and a man she hadn't met before, but recognized was talking. Agatha had left, taking Giratina with her, as Jon made his way towards Rayqauza, with a standard Pokeball. Seeing her approach, Jon said to Dylan, though seemingly to justify what he was doing, "Rayquaza is hurt, and I am not going to be able to get it the help it needs if I don't catch it."

Hearing Jon's lie, Dylan turned, his eyes widening when he recognized the woman coming towards them.

"How did you know they were going to do this?" Dylan asked irritably, "And why did you wait until it was nearly too late to tell me? People died here, when we really needed more time to empty the building before all of this."

"What's going on?" Jon asked, before looking around to make sure nobody was coming to throw their own Pokeball at the frozen Rayquaza, before walking closer, "Dylan, who is this..."

"Brianna Levine." Dylan muttered, "I was looking into her, and she approached me. Told me that she isn't with them, and that she left that curse so we would be onto the fact Agatha is doing the same thing to spy on us. Then she warned me this was about to happen..."

"And how did you know?" Jon asked, staring the young woman down, "If you aren't with them, how did you know what we were doing here, and that they were going to attack?"

"I have my methods, which I will keep to myself for now..." Brianna said to Jon, rolling her eyes slightly, "Whilst I don't empathise with Agatha, and think the geriatric hag should have had the decency to die decades ago, I don't particularly want to jump into bed with the league like you have..."

"In that case, then we have ways of getting that information..." Jon growled, before stepping towards her, "People died here because you waited too long to let us know."

"And less died because I warned Dylan who was able to provide backup..." Brianna sneered, before raising a hand, and contorting the fingers on it, as a white streak of light twisted around them, "And I have ways of making sure I keep my secrets..."

Jon stopped in his tracks, understanding the threat Brianna was making.

"I am not your enemy, Mr. Drake. I'm not your friend either, but the last thing I want is Agatha to do as she pleases, uncontested, so you're lucky that I might feel generous enough to offer my own services and intel, only when I feel like it." Brianna explained, "Make an enemy of me, and you will be fighting a war on two fronts. Or simply stay out of my way, and I will throw you some scraps when I think you deserve it."

Brianna looked over at the petrified Rayquaza, before speaking again...

"And as a sign of good will to that statement..." Brianna said, before clenching her first, as the white light grew and brightened, and she launched it towards Rayquaza, who instantly began to move, and roar.

"Where is the desecrator?!" Rayqauza was shouting through the roar. Realizing that Rayquaza still thought it was in battle, Jon lobbed a standard Pokeball at it, almost thankful for the fact it was weakened by the battle with Giratina. There wasn't a better time. If anyone asked Jon why he captured it, he would have both the reason of posessing another Legendary Pokemon, as well as the desire to get it healed by a Pokemon Center to fall back on, and enough time had passed that him capturing it wouldn't be indicitive of the deceit he, Steven and Cassandra had partaken in nearly four years earlier.

Jon was silent. Whilst he was thankful for Rayquaza recovering, he also didn't trust completely that Brianna hadn't done another hybrid curse, turning Rayquaza into a glorified camera. He would have Cassandra give it a look over when things had died down. Dylan was the first to speak up.

"How come you didn't need to use some sort of incantation?" Dylan asked, curious, having not seen that before.

"Sound is just air pulsing at certain frequencies. If an incantation were necessary, couldn't a spell be accidentally triggered, or why doesn't a recording of the incantation trigger it?" Brianna asked, almost mockingly, "The only thing really needed is a focused thought, however that presents a risk as thoughts are hard to control. If I told you not to think about that girl who was with you at Memorial Hill, your first thought is to think about her. The words act as means of focus. You can tell that to your friends..., if you think it can help them."

"In terms of making sure this doesn't end with such a cheap shot again..." Brianna said, gesturing to where Rayquaza had laid before, petrified by Agatha's magic, "Tell your friends to open their Zeketh tomes to pages 216 and 384. They might find something helpful there..."

Brianna turned to leave, as Jon spoke up.

"What do you stand to gain here?" Jon asked, "If you were here for reasons that weren't selfish, you would have told Dylan about the attack earlier, and not let these people die. So you obviously have something to gain from all of this..."

"Right now, does it matter?" Brianna asked, not even turning around, "At the end of the day, the only reason more people didn't die is because I warned Dylan, and Agatha got what she wanted. If I had have said nothing, and Agatha had wanted to do more, it would have been much worse. My motives don't matter because without me, you're powerless. You can either accept the help I want to offer without asking questions, and stand a fighting chance, or you can refuse it, because you don't know what I stand to gain, and get wiped out when Agatha decides keeping you all alive is more trouble than it's worth."

Brianna left, as Jon felt a presence in his head.

"Should I tail her?" Latios asked.

"Don't. As much as I hate it, she has a point, and she seems to know more than she lets on about everything." Jon replied with his thoughts, "I really don't trust her, but right now we have bigger problems, and if leaving her alone helps us solve them, we will cross that bridge when the time arises..."

Jon checked his watch, seeing it was nearing 3pm, before calling Abbee.

"You alright?" he asked, as Abbee answered the phone.

"Yeah, we're doing okay, a bit shaken up." Abbee said, intentionally not using names, "Our flowery friend is back to normal, but it took a bit out of the other two."

"Glad to hear you're okay." Jon said, "But unfortunately there won't be much time to recover. We have information, and need to discuss it. Stay with Triad, and help them do what they want or feel like they need to do. If they're gonna help people with curses, help them. If they want to sleep, because of how exhusted they are from fixing the floral issue, then watch their backs. But at 6pm, I will be breifing Eon Squad on what we have learnt, and want you to bring them with you back to base. There will be other operatives so they may want to be incognito. Understand?"

"Completely."

"Also, can you let them know to look at Zeketh Tome, Pages 216 and 384, when they can." Jon explained, "I have word that it could give us a fighting chance against Agatha and Giratina, next time she rears her head..."

Jon ended the call, before contacting Steven over message.

"Eon Squad has intel, that could be beneficial. We will be meeting at Eon Squad HQ tonight at 6pm. You and Cynthia should be there, and bring any operatives you trust."

A few minutes later Jon got a response.

"Acknowledged. Will be at HQ at 6."

Abbee Strauss
Tide Song Hotel
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga

Abbee ended the phone call, before addressing the Diamond Ladies, who were still recovering from the effort of restoring Jarena.

"Jon has assigned me to help you three however I can this afternoon, even if it's just watching your back. But at 6pm, there is a meeting at Eon Squad HQ, to figure out next steps, that he wants you three at. Though other operatives may be there, so you might need disguises." Abbee explained, "He also said that there might be something helpful on pages 216 and 384 of Zeketh?"

"Also," Abbee said, turning to Cassandra specifically, "If you do run into Victini, can you let him know I really want to talk to him? Before we left, he asked my blessing to partner with you for this job, and I presumed he did, because he left and didn't come back, however I only realized he wasn't with you when we spoke this afternoon. That's why I was at the hospital this afternoon. I figured if you told him no, he might be trying to be some sort of guardian angel to you without you knowing instead..."

"I'm not mad or anything." Abbee said solemnly, "I just wish he had have been honest with me..."

Noblejanobii

05-11-2021, 03:02 PM

Avery Miller & Abital Ecke
Outside the Tide Song Hotel => Tide Song Hotel Lobby
Affected RP'ers: Maybe Desolate Divine and Neo Emolga

As Avery and Abital quietly discussed what to do, they watched a Rayquaza clash with the Giratina that attacked the Urgent Care Center in the distance. There was no going back there, they supposed. This left them with the options of either fleeing towards Paniola Town or back to the ships.

"It's probably safer for us to head more in-land," Abital signed to Avery. Avery looked back towards the ship reluctantly. They hated to leave it behind but Abital had a point. They started to sign a response when they spotted something flying towards them. It didn't take them but two shakes of a Yamper's tail to realize what it was: A Witch.

Having spotted the two stragglers, the male witch dived towards them, preparing a hex. As he began to say the incantation, Avery shouted, "Meir, Thunderbolt let's go!" Despite not being his trainer, the Raichu followed the command without hesitation. Electricity crackled across his cheeks before a large Thunderbolt arched through the air. The witch quickly dove out of the way before launching the incomplete hex, hitting Avery square in the chest. Meir launched another powerful Thunderbolt at the witch, missing again, but it was enough to make the witch retreat for the time being.

Avery slid off Daybreak's back and collapsed on the ground, groaning in pain. They had experienced the effects of Shadowcraft before, they remembered it well from their time on the Wishmaker several years prior, but something about this was different. They weren't sure if it was because the hex was incomplete or perhaps it was just one of the intent side effects, but either way their body felt like it was on fire.

Abital quickly rushed to their spouse's side, grabbing their hand and squeezing it. "Are you okay?" he signed quickly as he examined Avery's body.

"Yeah," Avery grunted, "I think so." They quickly covered their mouth as a wave of nausea hit them. "No, never mind, definitely not." They retched to the side, only coughing up bile given they didn't have much of anything on their stomach at the moment. They gasped for air as their stomach continued to twist and turn. This felt so much worse than the hex they had been afflicted with several years prior. Was this what Abital had been feeling the last few days with that other hex?

After a moment, Avery felt all their strength get sapped away as their body grew hotter and hotter. Abital was currently holding them up, trying to keep Avery's eyes open as panic began to set in. They weren't sure what Avery had been afflicted with but it couldn't be good given how their spouse was reacting to it. As they continued to lightly shake Avery, they happened to glance down at their partner's legs and froze. Had... that been there a minute ago?

"What's wrong?" Avery whispered, noticing the look of shock on Abital's face. Abital looked back at Avery before making the sign for "horse." Avery furrowed their eyebrows. "Horse?" they asked in confusion. They followed Abital's gaze down to their legs and felt their soul about leave their body when they realized the lower half of their body had been replaced with the lower half of a horse. "Oh great," Avery said with a groan. They looked at Abital again and added, "Guess this makes the honeymoon a bit awkward, huh?"

Abital glared at Avery and began to sign angrily, fussing at their spouse for cracking jokes at a time like this. "This is serious! We don't know if this is the extent of the hex's powers! What if you start growing tentacles next or something?"

Avery chuckled and held up their hands. "Okay okay, sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood a bit. I promise it's not that bad." They looked down at their lower half again, moving each of their hooves as they did. "Based on the hooves and tail, my guess is the hex was supposed to turn me into the Pokemon I was dressed as, but given it wasn't completed, it only half changed me." Not the worst Pokemon to be half transformed into, they supposed. Keldeo was supposedly a legendary Pokemon after all. Still, what was with these witches and turning Avery into water types? Granted, it had only happened twice, but the odds of that couldn't be very high.

"What do you want to do now?" Abital signed, noticing that by now the fight had died down. There was a brief moment of peace, which would be the opportune time to flee if not for the fact that Avery was both not feeling great AND half Keldeo.

Avery sighed as they looked around. They weren't sure how far they could walk, but they couldn't stay in the open like this. "Let's head into the hotel for now. Once I feel a bit less dizzy we can head to Paniola Ranch." They paused then added, "Maybe then I can horse around a bit."

Abital leveled a hard glare at Avery, trying to hide the small smile cracking at his lips from Avery's pun. Even in times like this, puns were the ranger's greatest weakness. They stood up and released the Mudsdale from their control, prompting the horse to gallop towards the aforementioned ranch. Abital then helped Avery to their feet, the coordinator needing help as they got used to their new sense of balance on four legs instead of two. Using Daybreak as the other balancing block, the small group moved inside the Tidesong Hotel and collapsed in the lobby, taking a bit of a breather.

Neo Emolga

05-12-2021, 03:04 AM

AGATHA
Thrifty Megamart, Akala
Affected RPers: N/A

Unknown to Alola law enforcement, recently Agatha had the once-abandoned Thrifty Megamart reorganized and cleaned up, but away from prying eyes. Anything that could not be made useful was destroyed or removed, leaving anything else that could serve as food supplies or as reagents. At the same time, Agatha had commissioned Nicodemus as the quartermaster. He was a shrewd old man, slightly possessive and unhinged, but nonetheless effective at doing his job and excellent at punishing others who didn’t do theirs.

Once Agatha and her followers had returned, they were greeted by the various ghost Pokémon guards that were always lurking in the shadows. To Agatha, it felt like home, at least for now. For her, this was all just a temporary setup, like a camping trip.

“We lost a few out there,” Willow reported to Agatha, looking dour that they had taken losses and causalities. “Six missing and at least three confirmed dead.”

“Versus how many of theirs?” Agatha countered with her own question, smirking devilishly. “Willow, time is on our side, not on theirs. Their stupid festival is ruined, their citizens and tourists are now far too afraid to come out as the streets are littered with our victims. And their witchcraft hospital is ruined. The only chance they had at stopping us has been completely eradicated.”

From behind a store shelfing unit that was now being used as a kind of “reagent library,” a Gourgeist had emerged, looking fondly at Agatha. Agatha had kneeled down before the pumpkin-like Pokémon, stroking her long pink hair.

“And exactly where did that Rayquaza come from?” Willow asked, never thinking she would actually see it one day. “Agatha, I don’t think this is the end. This festival of theirs may be ruined, but they’re going to regroup and try again.”

“I never said they wouldn’t,” Agatha chortled as she stood up to allow the Gourgeist go back to playing with the other ghost Pokémon. “Of course they will. I would be disappointed if they gave up. I always enjoy seeing one’s escalation of commitment drive them to ruination. What matters most is we keep them on the defensive, and if we keep them overwhelmed, afraid, and demoralized, it should be very easy.”

Willow had fallen silent. While she admired Agatha’s confidence, she still wanted to be cautious. Something wasn’t right, and the fact they now knew there were Shadowcraft witches working against them made it clear not everyone was in on Agatha’s plan.

“Who do you suppose are the traitors?” Willow asked. “The ones that heard your call but decided to work against you and the rest of us?”

“Understand this, Willow,” Agatha smirked. “Our power grows daily, while theirs weakens. While they tend to the weak and pathetic, we grow in strength. All we need is three days. Three days and we become the new gods. The way it should be, with humans controlling more power and force than even legendary Pokémon could obtain. Their obedience to us will never be questioned.”

Willow had nodded. It was what brought her here, what caused her to become a witch. Despite having some control over Pokémon, the truth was, most Pokémon could outright slaughter their trainer and many humans with the power and might they had. Humans, frail, weak, and vulnerable without their weapons and technology… they would be no match for their own Pokémon if they ever turned on them. But unlike weapons or devices, this felt like true, innate power.

But with the power of Shadowcraft harnessed by them, talented and highly skilled witches could potentially bring even the legendaries to their knees, bowing in servitude.

After all, Agatha always felt Pokémon should serve their human masters loyally. But in order to hold that and command that, Agatha had to obtain power overwhelming and make it abundantly clear that humans, specifically the Shadowcraft Society, were to be respected as gods above gods…

But for now, they needed time. And such a thing could be bought for as long as her enemies cowered in fear, questioned their morale and goals, and remained ignorant of the truth…

Triad (The Diamond Ladies)
Tide Song Hotel, Akala
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine Shruikan Chakramaster

Through Abbee, Jon had informed Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet that there was to be a meeting among Jon’s Eon Squad at 6pm, along with any other trustworthy operatives. But she had also mentioned the Ladies were going to need disguises, and with the recent events that had just transpired, scrubs were now out.

“The on-call room was crushed,” Violet told Cassandra and Jarena, still wrapped in her beach towel. “Our clothing is now buried under heaps of concrete. Not worth digging out at this point.”

“Uh, yeah… though what about our costumes?” Jarena asked, thinking that might still be a viable option. “We left them by the supply closet. Did those survive?”

“You sure you still want to wear those?” Violet asked. “This festival’s gone totally to hell.”

“Well, what else am I going to wear?” Jarena asked, shrugging with a silly smile as she kept herself tightly wrapped with her beach towel. “Although we really should talk to Jirachi about getting that place fixed up.”

Cassandra wasn’t so sure, but on the other hand, if Jirachi could do it, it would prove they could still make a recovery. Still, as Cassandra knew, Jarena had to put on something, and if her Beautifly costume was the only thing she had available, they’d have to go for it.

After a quick trip to and back, Cassandra and Violet had managed to retrieve their butterfly Pokémon costumes. Until they could find Jimmy and Jirachi and request a reconstruction of the urgent care center, they needed to stick with these for now.

After using the hotel bathroom to get changed, Cassandra had emerged in her Butterfree costume as Jarena came out in her Beautifly costume and Violet came out in her Vivillon costume.

“Hey, sure beats wearing scrubs, eh?” Jarena asked Cassandra and Violet, flapping her large colorful wings playfully with her hands. “Was getting sick of wearing those!”

“This wasn’t at the top of my list, but it’s not at the bottom either…” Violet replied, still feeling a bit silly and awkward.

By now, it had given Cassandra and Violet enough time to recover since the last Nox Purge spell. Being able to do it with Jarena’s help now would make the process less of an absolute taxing experience, but there was still significant strain for the three of them regardless.

Once they had made it back, Cassandra had taken out the Zeketh tome that Abbee mentioned earlier, recalling that she needed to review “something helpful” on pages 216 and 384. While Jarena and Violet looked on, she had reviewed what Jon had been referencing.

“Expavescimus Charm…” Cassandra read the words on page 214. “Looks like it redirects spells at the attacker…”

“Ah yeah, in the past we just skipped that one,” Jarena recalled. “Yeah, never thought we’d be on the receiving end of spells when we first saw this. Needs some dust from a broken mirror and some mashed up feathers from some unevolved flying type Pokémon. That shouldn’t be too hard.”

“There’s Wingull feathers all around the beach,” Violet recalled. “Those will definitely suffice. Mirrors should be common as well.”

Cassandra nodding, knowing this kind of charm would not be at all hard to prepare. She had yet to cast it before, but it didn’t look complicated and the reagents were easy. Not only could they use this to protect themselves, but they could also use it to protect their frontline attackers and civilians. It would force Agatha’s followers to think twice about what they were hitting their adversaries with if they kept finding themselves on the receiving end of this magic.

She then turned to page 384, noticing a luxum patibatur curse, one that would cause the victim to hemorrhage energy. It would require them to get some human blood, ginger, and paint thinners, but it wasn’t impossible. But it would require them to hunt down those materials specifically. Meanwhile, the second spell was a simul spell that needed ashes of burnt paper that prior to their incineration, needed to have two overlapping handprints in red ink. Then Cassandra realized this was exactly how the hybrid spell was created. It was easy to overlook at first when she originally sought direct affliction spells, but some creativity made her realize the power of this spell itself.

“So essentially you could hybrid this Expavescimus Charm and Luxum Patibatur curse and not only does it make the caster’s curse bounce off, but it also drains them for attempting it.” Cassandra confirmed.

“Dang, that’s… next level stuff…” Jarena replied. “Someone did their homework.”

“Jon obviously has some plans with this,” Violet replied. “I don’t know who informed him of this, but if we try this, we’re going to need to get those reagents ready. Most of them should be easy, but it’s going to need a shopping run.”

Cassandra nodded, knowing it might be something they would need help with…

“Also,” Abbee told Cassandra, “If you do run into Victini, can you let him know I really want to talk to him? Before we left, he asked my blessing to partner with you for this job, and I presumed he did, because he left and didn't come back, however I only realized he wasn't with you when we spoke this afternoon. That's why I was at the hospital this afternoon. I figured if you told him no, he might be trying to be some sort of guardian angel to you without you knowing instead. I’m not mad or anything. I just wish he had been honest with me…”

“It’s complicated…” Cassandra sighed, still feeling very tired from the Nox Purge spell. “Understand that he just wants to help and he wants to keep everyone happy. It’s hard given the situation we’re in and how we left things off four years ago. Abbee, you know how ugly things got. Nothing we tried made amends.”

<At least not yet!>

The three of them had looked around, quite sure Victini was hiding somewhere, but they could not see him.

<You know what I think? I think it’s time to quit pretending you’re dead! Things are much nicer when you know you’re aliiiiiveee!>

“Victini…” Cassandra muttered, not sure where he was telepathically talking to them from. “We do that and there’s going to be speculation everywhere about the three of us. We can’t afford that when we need everyone’s help.”

And that was when Vicitini had revealed himself, proving he was much closer than they thought, hiding in one of the potted plants next to them. He emerged with a smile on his face, happy to see his old friend again, this time up close.

“Vic-ti-ti…” (“Cass, it was four years ago.”) Victini nudged her playfully. “Vict-ti-ti-ni…” (“That was the old you. The new and improved you is out there fighting the good fight, curing these afflictions, and being an awesome life-safer to these innocent folks! You think someone who you save from being a stone statue is still going to think badly over you for stupid stuff four years ago? Nah, I think not!”)

“I really don’t know…” Cassandra replied, looking away.

“Vic-ti!” (“I dare you to try it!”) Victini playfully teased. “Vic-tini-ni!” (“Show those people the new you! If it doesn’t work, then hey, go hide as Pokémon again for a while. But I betcha you won’t need to do that. Come on, be brave! Be yourself! The real you!”)

Cassandra thought it over, not sure about what she would really gain out of it, but she had to admit trying to hide this way wasn’t working too well. And it wasn’t so much as bravery as much as it was wondering was it really true that time could heal wounds. Coming clean with honesty after cheating was one thing and it didn’t do what they were hoping it would. But saving lives and giving people new hope in a desperate time like this was something else entirely.

However, before Cassandra could answer, someone else had entered the Tide Song hotel lobby. They had turned to look at who it was and Cassandra could swear she saw Avery with another male. And Jarena had recognized him as the one she cured earlier, relieving him of his fever.

There was just one major difference about Avery now. All three of them saw Avery’s lower half was that of a Keldeo, making Avery look like a half-human, half-horse centaur.

“Whoa, is that… geez, what happened to Avery?” Jarena asked with a look of surprise on her face.

“Looks like the kind of thing that happened to you…” Cassandra muttered, recognizing it as yet another curse. “Something feels off with it, though. It’s… incomplete.”

“Oh boy, yeah, we know what that means…” Jarena sighed, looking away and recalling what had happened to her just a few minutes ago. “Man, we’ve got our work cut out for us. How many people and Pokémon out there do you think we need to cure?”

“Too many,” Violet replied, knowing that number had to be in the dozens, if not hundreds.

She knew it would take weeks and weeks of heavy stamina-draining spells to restore everyone to normal, and that was even if no one else was afflicted during that time. But for now, they decided to try and do what they could.

They could help Avery for now, but in terms of everyone else, they were going to need help. For that, Cassandra had pulled out her phone, and decided to send Jimmy a message.

Hey Jimmy.

It’s Cass. Not sure if you heard, but the Heahea City urgent care center was nearly destroyed by Giratina in Agatha’s attack and a lot of the materials we need got buried or destroyed in there. If your Jirachi friend can pull it off, we need some of that wish power help right now. See if Jirachi can reconstruct the urgent care, because not only do all these witchcraft victims need a place to get better, but so do the people with regular ailments. Otherwise we may need to use the infirmary on the Wishmaker and that’s only got a fraction of the space that we need.

We’re at the Tide Song Hotel right now. There’s also another thing we might need Jirachi’s help with, but one thing at a time. We’ll fill you in on the detes later.

Hope to talk to you soon.
~Cass

With that taken care of, Cassandra, Jarena, Violet, and Victini had approached Avery, who had fallen due to being unable to walk very well on their four horse-like legs. Cassandra felt the three of them showing up in these silly butterfly Pokémon costumes might make it difficult for them to be taken seriously, but she quickly decided to throw that thought away. There were still plenty of others that were wearing costumes simply because they weren’t ever expecting this to happen this afternoon.

“Hey there, Avery,” Cassandra greeted them. “We saw you walk in and we figured you might need some help with those extra legs you now have…”

“Long time no see…” Violet told them.

“Yeah, about this curse…” Jarena smiled sheepishly to Avery, knowing how this kind of incomplete affliction worked. “I think you probably already guessed it’s an incomplete spell you got hit with and you were only half-transformed. We can dispel it, but that only works if we let the curse complete. Otherwise it’s kinda like using a mixing bowl to bake a cake when it’s already got half of an unfinished pancake batter in there and you’re not allowed to let food go to waste.”

Cassandra had to admit, Jarena had a knack for coming up with fitting analogies.

“Yeah, it’s like that…” Cassandra informed Avery. “I think this transformation was trying to turn you into a Keldeo, but whoever was casting it was using a direct contact spell instead of a hex implant, and they got interrupted halfway through. We can restore you, but it means we need to complete the Keldeo transformation, and then we can work on getting you back to your normal human self.”

“Victini-ni!” (“It’s painless, we promise!”) Victini told Avery optimistically with a smile. “Vic-tini…” (“But it may feel really weird for a second…”)

“If you’re ready now, we can handle this however you want,” Cassandra offered. “But if you need time to think it over or just mentally prepare yourself, just let us know. Anytime you’re ready, really.”

Shruikan

05-12-2021, 08:25 AM

Luneth Tarot
Tide Song Hotel
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga

At least her plan seemed to be working. The two witches she was following were talking openly, already revealing that they were going to the Megamart, and the reason behind the attack.

At the latter bit of info Luneth’s stomach twisted. So the reason they’d attacked was because of the hospital itself. Not much chance of setting it back up again until it was all over. And if they were this angry at people using Shadowcraft against them, what would happen if they found out about her or Glimmer?

There was a crash followed by another roar. Head whipping round, Luneth saw that Giratina had won against it’s enemy. So even another legendary wasn’t enough to stop them… How could they possibly stop these witches?

Trying not to think like that, she turned her gaze away from the hospital ruins, just in time to see that one of the witches attacking the other with a barrage of spells, leaving only a sleeping Blitzle in their place.
What had happened? Luneth was ready to run if they turned on her next, but thankfully the witch seemed only interested in her former companion. Had this been punishment for spilling all that info earlier? Still, she hadn’t targeted Luneth yet, so she could still tail her a bit longer.

It was when she met up with another witch that Luneth realised what had happened. The witch she had been tailing was one of Triad, and had seemingly thought of the same plan as she had.
In most situations Luneth would have been annoyed that she risked her life for nothing, but as it was she was just glad that Triad had survived. Or at least two of them…

It took her a moment to recognise that the half flower person being helped along by one of the witches (Cassandra?) was Jarena. Luneth cried out is dismay at how bad a condition she was in.

She spent the short journey in silence, not wanting to disturb Triad, while there was no one else in the are could speak pokemon to explain to.

They headed for the Tide Song Hotel. Luneth briefly thought about picking back up her clothes and pokemon, but Agatha’s witches might still be on the prowl, and a bunch of pokemon would be more likely to be overlooked that a trainer would.

Once at the hotel, Luneth jumped onto a sofa and breathed deeply. She was out of danger temporarily at least. Now she had time to think properly, without looking over her shoulder every moment.

She couldn’t go out and pick up her Pokemon, or spell reagents. So for now she was stuck as a Vulpix, though honestly that was more of a plus than a downside.
If she could borrow another agents comm, she could call up hers and tell them where she was, but Triad were indisposed, and she didn’t know any other agents who could speak pokemon aside from Avery and the guy with Jirachi, neither of which were here right now.

She was stuck here, powerless to do anything, and unable to even communicate with the few people who could.
She hunched herself up and rocked back and forth, trying not to panic.

It’ll all be fine, she told herself. Everyone will be fine. The curses will be lifted and everyone will go back to normal. Everyone will make it out of this alive. Her pokemon were safe, the witches wouldn’t find them. And if they did, they’d ignore them.
Everyone would be fine. Everything will turn out ok in the end.
If she kept telling herself this, maybe she’d believe it.

Glimmer
Route 8
Affected RP'ers: N/A

Glimmer grumpily marched back to the motel. She spent all day following up on a lead on a potential Shadowcraft witch, only to find out that it was just some festival goers cosplaying.

As Steven filled her in on the situation however, her annoyance changed to worry. While she had been chasing red herrings, Agatha had struck home base. Heahea had been overrun by Shadowcraft witches, and now Glimmer had been requested to attend a meeting about some intel.
She was slightly surprised that Steven trusted her enough to invite her. Maybe he just needed as many witches on his side as possible? She didn’t think too much on it though, distracted by everything else she head learned.
As soon as the call ended, Glimmer dialed on Luneth’s number. After a few moments, she heard the high pitched voice of Flan. That was not a good sign. Luneth must not be carrying her comm with her.

“What’s going on back there? I heard about the attack on the med center. Is everyone alright?”

Glimmers heart sank as she heard the reply. “Luneth left after some of the witches a while ago, but hasn’t come back yet.”

“I might be in the area soon, if she gets back call me, otherwise I’ll come pick you up.”

She cut off the call. She hoped Luneth hadn’t done anything stupid, but there was nothing she could do for her right now. Now she needed to get to the meeting site. If Steven had called her specifically, then it must be important.

Normally she could just fly there in a breeze, but the haze of Shadowcraft seemed to be interfering with the sunlight enough to block her Sky Form even in the day. Plus, her spiritwater costume was too much to carry in that form, and silly as it was she didn’t want to have to abandon it just yet.

So, she’d need to travel on land. She’d never learned to drive, why would a Shaymin need to operate a motor vehicle after all, so even if she “borrowed” a vehicle, it wouldn’t do her much good, and the other operatives she’d come here with were still on duty here, so she couldn’t get a lift back from them either. Roseli or Circuit would have come in helpful right now. Well, assuming Roseli would deign to carry her anyway.

She really hoped that there was a cab service willing to take her near Heahea. She wasn’t looking forward to the prospect of having to hike halfway across Akala on foot…

Chakramaster

05-12-2021, 11:25 PM

Alisaie Kendo
Heahea City -> Akala, Tide Song Hotel (Outside)
Affected RP'ers: NA

Alisaie managed to keep her distance. Following the Triad as they made their way. Knowing they had got away, but couldn't help feeling something was off about them.

Managing to stay hidden and away from trouble. She noticed they split off for a short time. Having had a plan of sorts of their own. One of the ladies having started to succumb to a sort of transformation spell from all these villains attacking the city. Though she know trouble could brew at any moment. She didn't really want to make her way back to this place, but what choice did she have?

Alisaie took her time and wait where she know she would be safer. She tasked her Hoopa to use it's rings to keep a sort of camera system on each point of the building. Giving them sight to when and where they leave along with which direction. Some time passed and they say them making a break for it.

She saw the direction they started heading.

"Looks like they are heading toward the Tide Song Hotel. Guess we should fancy our way there as well." She said as Hoopa called it's rings back. Opening one again to leave a path right for the hotel. She knows she'd beat them there, but this would also confirm her suspicion if they really were heading there or not.

Not long later the group arrived as Alisaie thought. Still keeping her distance and hidden as much as possible. She kept an eye on the hotel. Trying to keep herself hidden for now.

Time passed and she noticed someone else going in. Someone she thought looked familiar.

"huh...could that be?"

Jimmy Kendo
Heahea City -> Tide Song Hotel
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga Desolate Divine Shruikan

"ugh, another?" Jimmy muttered as he noticed another group of the witches along the street. Picking off anyone who so happened to be caught outside.

"Anything we can do about these, Jirachi?" Jimmy whispered. Keeping his voice down around the corner from these witches in hopes they didn't hear or notice him.

"No. These have some of the higher level protection. Taking them out would put me in too weak of a state to keep things running well here." Jirachi spoke to Jimmy and his team telepathically.

"I hate leaving things undone. Just keep this location on the list. We wanna repair everything we can once this situation is resolved."

"Yoooooou got it boss!" Jirachi cheered as Jimmy's phone vibrate to signal he got a message. He made his way deeper into cover. Making sure the coast was clear before checking his phone.

"It's Cassandra...what's going on? Hopefully nothing too troublesome."

"Hey Jimmy.

It’s Cass. Not sure if you heard, but the Heahea City urgent care center was nearly destroyed by Giratina in Agatha’s attack and a lot of the materials we need got buried or destroyed in there. If your Jirachi friend can pull it off, we need some of that wish power help right now. See if Jirachi can reconstruct the urgent care, because not only do all these witchcraft victims need a place to get better, but so do the people with regular ailments. Otherwise we may need to use the infirmary on the Wishmaker and that’s only got a fraction of the space that we need.

We’re at the Tide Song Hotel right now. There’s also another thing we might need Jirachi’s help with, but one thing at a time. We’ll fill you in on the detes later.

Hope to talk to you soon.
~Cass

"Well nothing too bad it seems...for now at least. So they're at the Tide Song Hotel. Let's make our way there. We can officially hand over a few items to them for protection I meant to give them earlier. Thanks again for these Jirachi. I'll be sure everyone gets one." Jimmy said with a smirk as he thanked Jirachi. Making his way carefully as possible to the hotel.

"So we're going to see all our friends? Yay! It's been so long! Let me know when I can come play again. Ha ha ha!" Jirachi laughed.

Jimmy chuckled, "Heh, very funny. Don't worry. You'll get your fun soon enough too my friend." Jimmy said.

After some time. Jimmy had made it to the hotel.

"So this is the place. Hopefully won't be too hard to find." I'll guide you Jimmy. Their energy is enough to give them away." Jirachi told him. Pikachu jumped off from Jimmy's shoulder. Walking alongside him now as they enter the hotel. It wasn't long before they found the ladies and other operatives in the hotel.

"What in the world happened here?" Jimmy said. Recognizing Avery and seeing their current condition.

"Seems things around here have gotten a little more serious. I got your text, but lets take care of some issues here first. Then we can talk more on current situations. After that, I'll get Jirachi in contact with you and we can see what can be done about the Urgent Care Center. I'm sure Jirachi can use his powers to even hide it like our base. Without his power no one will have any direct access to it. It's....a plan he came up with. I'll go more into it soon, but let's take care of these issues. Let me know if I can help somehow." Jimmy told them.

Jimmy glanced around. Taking in just how dire things were as everyone was gathered here. "Man, I wish we could do more....but I feel powerless..."

"sorry Jimmy. You know I can't grant wishes like that. Be more direct!" Jirachi joked while chuckling.

"haha, very funny." Jimmy said as his Pikachu ran up beside him. Ready to help and be part of any discussion needing to be made.

[Desolate Divine]

05-13-2021, 02:28 AM

Abbee Strauss
Tide Song Hotel
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga Noblejanobii

Abbee was relieved when she hears Victini's voice in her head, however minutes past, as Victini only spoke to Cassandra, and didn't even acknowledge that she was there. To anybody watching, Abbee may as well have been a complete stranger. She felt her heart sink into her chest, as the Pokemon she considered a partner for the last three years, her best friend, didn't even look at her, only even revealing himself to try and make Cassandra feel better, nothing to do with her being worried that he had not been honest with her, and not made contact, or that she was worried about him.

It wasn't jealousy. She understood Victini had a long history with Cassandra, and had given her blessing when he asked to team up with her again for this mission, especially given how dangerous it could be and how she only had new and most likely inexperienced Pokemon. It was more the fact that Victini had been with her just as long, and now that Cassandra is around, she may as well not even be there. As if she only meant something to him when the person he actually wanted to be there couldn't be around, and now that Cassandra was, Abbee was just a blurred afterthought.

Feeling worse by the second, she was almost glad when someone she didn't recognize but the Diamond Ladies had, showed up with a nasty looking curse, taking their attention.

When she was certain she wasn't seen, Abbee made her way towards the bathroom doors by the nearby wall, entering the ladies bathroom, and standing by the sink, in front of the mirror.

The thing that scared her most wasn't if Victini wanted to stay with Cassandra after this. She was aware when she gave her blessing just how likely that was. It was the nagging thought that this encounter had proven so far, that when that happened, Victini would go, and forget about her...

She started to cry as she hunched over the sink...

Dylan Squier and Jon Drake.
Heahea Hospital Attack Site
Affected RPers: None

The force that attacked didn't leave unscathed themselves. Though more civilians were harmed or killed than them, they had arrested four, that Dylan had put to sleep, with two currently being pursued, and three dead, one killed by a stray hex, and two by Dylan's Metagross during the scuffle.

Jon searched the bodies, trying to find any sort of clue, however there was none. Only odd ingredients that he presumed they used for their spells. Whilst he did this, Dylan spoke with the police who wanted a statement. Whilst law enforcement were aware of his role with the League, Eon Squads policy on intel still stood, and Dylan told them he was on his way to rendezvous with Abbee when he saw what was going on, and didn't mention anything about Brianna. The police left him, as he looked over the scene.

As Jon searched the last of the corpses, he heard Latios' voice in his head, the Eon Pokemon still hidden, observing to cover their backs.

"Jon..." Latios said, before sharing his vision, showing the different emotions he saw in the people around him including himself. He was confused, and a lot of people were scared or angry, but one person was emanating stronger than anyone else. Dylan, emanating panic.

Jon looked over and saw Dylan staring at the corpses that were killed by his Metagross. One had a caved in head, the other with an inch wide gash from her neck down to her torso, from a sheet of metal that Metagross had been manipulating.

"Dylan..." Jon said, as he got up and walked towards him. He was pale, and unresponsive. "Dylan!"

Dylan looked over at Jon, making eye contact but not saying anything.

"Dylan, you did the right thing..." Jon said, walking past and grabbing him by the shoulder to try and turn him around.

"They had families. Or friends. Someone who cared about them..." Dylan said quietly, "Someone who has lost someone today. Darkrai put the others to sleep, and maybe they will change their ways. But I didn't give them the chance. How is that right?"

"Brianna was half right with what she said. More people didn't die, not because she warned you, but because you took action. You did something difficult, and now more people will be able to go home again than otherwise." Jon explained, "I agree, life is important, and we don't have the right to decide who gets to live and who gets to die. But if someone thinks they have that right, and the only way to stop them harming others is to end their life, that is completely on them. Not you. That is the result of their decision..."

Dylan remained silent, as he turned to look back at the corpses with Jon quickly stopping him.

"Abbee was in there, and had no clue when it was safe to try and escape. She got out because Cassandra cleared a path, and Cassandra cleared a path because you got their attention and covered her back." Jon said, "If nothing else, you did what was needed to get Abbee out safely..."

Whilst Dylan understood what Jon was saying it didn't alleviate his conscience. Trying to change the subject, he spoke up.

"What now?" Dylan asked, "You mentioned a meeting this evening?"

"I'm not 100% sure yet, but if what Brianna told us is actually helpful, I think we need to go on the offensive." Jon explained, "Find where these rats are hidden, and burn it to the ground..."

"You want me to see if I can figure out where that is?"

"No." Jon said, "You were right to look into Brianna, and it has left us with more questions. If nothing else, we need to figure out what playing into her hands means for us long term, whether or not she is a threat or a stuck up pain in the a**... Do you have any leads?"

"I have some bills she used to buy supplies." Dylan explained, "If they're legit, then I might be able to trace their path back to an account. It's a long shot, but if we can even just trace her movements the last few days it might reveal something, even if this doesn't give us the details we hope."

"Then follow that through but keep the fact you are investigating her a secret." Jon explained, "She is right, we wouldn't have done as well as we did today without her warning, and assuming there isn't anything nefarious hidden in what she did to Rayquaza, I can't deny she is helping us, so we don't want to antagonize her. But we won't be stupid about it either."

"I'll see you back at HQ." Jon said, before firing up the bike, and putting on his helmet. Dylan nodded as he began trying to figure out next steps. He still had a few hours before the meeting and wanted more than a potential dead lead with these bank notes...

Neo Emolga

05-13-2021, 03:15 AM

AGATHA
Manager Office, Thrifty Megamart, Akala
Affected RPers: N/A

On a table in what used to be a back office for the Thrifty Megamart, Agatha, Willow, and a gaunt, older witch by the name of Gail had been looking over an open Shadowcraft tome, one by the name of Anexeth, the last of its kind. Meanwhile, various other reagents, chemicals, and ingredients were scattered about the workbench. Meanwhile, hovering over the Anexeth tome, a dark, vortex-like anomaly constantly swirled around and around like a shadowy, floating whirlpool slowly gaining strength and power over time.

“How are things progressing?” Willow asked, hoping for some positive answers.

“Enlighten me as to what these things are exactly,” Gail had asked Willow and Agatha, putting her hands on her hips in frustration. “Keeping in the dark does us no good.”

“I’ll tell you,” Agatha replied as she took a sip of tea from a cup she kept nearby. “But I don’t want a word of this reaching outside or there’s going to be hell to pay. I’m sure you already know Steven and Cynthia are on this island attempting to end our insurrection and put an end to this incantation.”

“But they don’t even know what it is,” Willow shrugged, thinking the League wasn’t a severe threat and even had their own inner conflicts.

“These ignorant buffoons can still disrupt the Netherlink even if they don’t know anything about it,” Agatha replied with a scowl. “The last thing I want is for them to charge in here like a stampede of unhinged Tauros and destroy this arrangement. It’s taken me seven years to gather all these reagents and gather all this together at precisely the right time. We have only one chance at this.”

Gail had sighed, confident that the League was doomed to fail, but still, she could understand why Agatha would be severely irate if seven years of her hard work was destroyed in only five minutes by an oblivious mob. But the way Gail had seen it, chances were unlikely they’d be able to make it around the traps that had been laid and the hundreds of ghost Pokémon they had as defenders.

“So what exactly is this Netherlink?” Gail asked, wondering what this spell was really about. “You’ve been safeguarding the truth about this from most of us.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard the expression ‘knowledge is power,’ correct?” Agatha asked her as she emptied a vial of Serviper venom into the swirling vortex to nurture its progress. “What lies buried in the nether is knowledge. Millennia of knowledge. You see, when a creature dies, be it human or Pokémon, their knowledge is not lost, but gathered into the nether. Imagine, if you will, all of that knowledge could be yours.”

“You would know… almost everything…” Gail replied, taken back a bit at how much the collective experience of the deceased would amount to.

“And it goes beyond even that,” Agatha replied. “Not just the knowledge of the dead, but also their abilities, their characteristics, their strengths. You see, what the dead once had would no longer be lost. It would be ours to use again.”

“It aligns with Spiritwater,” Willow informed Gail. “The dead are the most restless during this time, and it’s why we’ve been able to seal a pact with these ghost Pokémon.”

But it still confused Gail. She knew Agatha was a very talented ghost Pokémon trainer, but she didn’t see what benefit any of these ghost Pokémon got out of it.

“So what’s in it for them?” Gail asked.

“You see, sometimes the answer to a complicated problem is a simple solution,” Agatha replied, monitoring the progress of the vortex and its growth. “They want Alola. Many of these ghost Pokémon are mischievous and restless, but they were also very bored prior to our arrival. Risk of getting captured by trainers make the premise of torturing the locals and the tourists unappealing, but now, they have us to help them not only dismiss that fear of capture, but to also enjoy ravaging the locals. And now you know why they are so amused at our work.”

“I shudder to think this is all for their entertainment…” Gail muttered, avoiding eye contact.

“I despite the weak, Gail,” Agatha replied, almost sounding like a growl. “Our feeling is mutual, so it doesn’t even feel like there’s a price to pay. We need this power to reform this world. No longer will we have the ignorant, the weak, the gullible, or the foolish among us, festering like parasites. Those who can survive the Netherclysm would be deemed worthy enough to serve, while those who don’t, let them become the dust, the rock, the foliage, or the ashes they were doomed to become, however the Netherclysm decides. And what scraps of knowledge or experience they have, it will become ours to be put to better use.”

Gail nodded, now understanding the Netherclysm would be the most powerful spell they would unleash, intending to envelop the entire world with it. It would essentially kill many that would be unable to endure its dark magic, and many of the survivors would be rendered into monstrous abominations. But she wasn’t concerned about the monsters that would be created, as many of them would have short lifespans due to their grotesque and twisted mutations not suited to adapt to nature. But the strong, charismatic, intelligent, and the worthy would survive, likely rendered into new creatures of power and splendor that could prove their worth and strength. Ultimately, it would be up to them to decide and judge who among the survivors was worth retaining in this new, refurbished world they would create from the slough of ignorance and weakness as Agatha and her Shadowcraft Society would instill themselves as the new gods, judges of what was to be and what would not.

“Good,” Gail nodded, now wearing a dark smirk. “I look forward to it…”

“Three days…” Agatha smiled, looking into the swirling vortex with her now youthful, energic eyes. “It will all be so… beautiful…”

Triad (The Diamond Ladies)
Tide Song Hotel, Akala
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine Shruikan Chakramaster Noblejanobii

Out of the corner of Cassandra’s eye, she had noticed a snow-white Alolan Vulpix entered into the hotel, before jumping onto a sofa to take a moment to rest and get away from the chaos that was happening just outside. As Cassandra couldn’t help but take a glance at her, Victini had perched himself on her shoulder, very reminiscent of old times.

“Vic-tini-ni!” (“Ah, you noticed her, too!”) Victini smiled, nudging Cassandra’s shoulder. “Victini-ni!” (“Take a guess, you’ve met her before! Come on, guess!”)

“I… uh, I don’t know,” Cassandra shrugged, trying to recall the last time she saw an Alolan Vulpix. “I don’t recall seeing one at Starglade, but we got plenty of visitors there and it… became a blur after a while.”

“Vic-ti!” (“It’s Luneth, silly!”) Victini nudged her again. “Vic-ti-tini!” (“She was with you during Jirachi’s… playtime, remember?”)

“Oh geez…” Cassandra replied, suddenly remembering. “Come on, give me a break here, that was four years ago and… quite a bit happened that day.”

Still, it got Cassandra wondering what Luneth was doing here, and why she was an Alolan Vulpix again. For a minute, Cassandra was wondering if, like the three of them at one point, Luneth had decided to just live out her life as a Pokémon, detached from human commitments and endeavors. But with her being here now in this hotel, it got her thinking maybe that wasn’t the case after all.

“Vic-tini…” (“There’s something you should know about her…”) Victini playfully whispered in Cassandra’s ear. “Victi-nini…” (“She took a liking to your witchcraft back on the Wishmaker. Let’s just say you inspired her to follow in your footsteps. See, you still have fans after all!”)

To say the least, Cassandra was surprised, but she had recalled how Luneth seemed curious and interested about it before. While Cassandra had felt it was a mistake at first and warned her not to go this route, things had changed. It got her wondering… maybe she could lend her powers to help in some way.

Softly, Cassandra had approached the white Vulpix, not sure if she should reveal the fact she knew who she was, but she decided it would be pointless to keep it hidden.

“Luneth…” Cassandra softly spoke to the Alolan Vulpix. “It’s me, Cassandra, but… don’t mind the Butterfree costume. Listen, I may not know all the details as to why you’re here, but… I’ve been told you learned a few tricks since the last time you met us. Truth is, the three of us would seriously welcome help in getting these witchcraft victims healed and restored. The three of us trying to handle it all on our own is nearly killing us.”

“Amen to that,” Violet muttered. “No way in hell am I doing another Nox Purge with only two people.”

“Sure don’t blame you on that one…” Jarena casually agreed.

And then, the sliding hotel doors opened, and the three of them quickly turned to see Jimmy and Jirachi had arrived. Cassandra had let out a sigh of relief, thankful that nothing had happened to either of them and that it appeared Jimmy had gotten her message and her request for help.

“What in the world happened here?” Jimmy asked, looking at Avery’s centaur-like state.

“It’s a mess, Avery’s just one victim among many…” Cassandra sighed. “What you’re looking at is a half-transformation. Right now, Avery is only halfway transformed into a Keldeo, likely the result of a witch that was interrupted in the middle of casting and not able to fully complete the spell. But yeah, look around, there’s dozens of other cases we need to fix. It’s going to take us weeks unless we find another solution.”

“Seems things around here have gotten a little more serious,” Jimmy replied. “I got your text, but let’s take care of some issues here first. Then we can talk more on current situations. After that, I'll get Jirachi in contact with you and we can see what can be done about the Urgent Care Center. I'm sure Jirachi can use his powers to even hide it like our base. Without his power no one will have any direct access to it. It's....a plan he came up with. I'll go more into it soon, but let's take care of these issues. Let me know if I can help somehow.

“Thanks, this is already a major help,” Cassandra replied. “But like you said, while it would be awesome if Jirachi could reconstruct the urgent care center, we need some way to protect it and defend it from it getting destroyed like that again. I mean, knowing Jirachi, I think the sky’s the limit, but we need to get creative about how we handle it, because the witches we’re dealing with are diabolically clever as well. We need… ideas.”

“Man, I wish we could do more…” Jimmy muttered, glancing around at all the people and Pokémon that were using the hotel lobby as a shelter, too afraid to step outside now. “…but I feel powerless.”

“Sorry Jimmy,” Jirachi tried to comfort him with some humor. “You know I can’t grant wishes like that. Be more direct!”

“Ha ha, very funny,” Jimmy replied as his Pikachu ran up beside him.

“Dude, we need all the help we can get!” Jarena exclaimed cheerfully with optimism. “Like Cass said, we need to get creative. Wild. Unpredictable. Just let your imagination get freakin’ nuts and make it something these witches won’t ever see coming! Nothing is crazy or naïve, we can find a way to do it!”

“Oh boy, here we go…” Violet muttered, rolling her eyes.

“Vi-ti!” (“Oh come on, it’ll be fun!”) Victini told her with a quirky smile, brushing off her irritation. “Victini-nini!” (“You know you enjoyed it last time! Don’t deny it! I know I saw smile on that Furret face of yours!”)

“And here I am in this ridiculous Vivillon costume…” Violet shrugged. “I swear, the things I go through…”

While Cassandra could understand Violet might not be too keen on weaponizing Jirachi’s imaginative “playtime” like creations, she could see it being an effective counter to the supernatural forces that Agatha’s witches were wielding. It was worth a shot, and she knew she needed something to strike back with that Agatha would not understand. In this case, keeping Agatha’s witches away from Heahea City and away from the Urgent Care was something they desperately needed to avoid any more incidents. In this case, the best offense would be the best defense.

“It’s true, we need everyone and anything they can think of,” Cassandra replied. “We can cure a few people, especially the ones that have been left completely stricken and helpless, but the rest of us… we may need to fight back… cursed or not cursed, however we can. Expect anything and refuse to be afraid of it. They want us cowering in the corner.”

“Victi!” (“We need to find one of those witches and make them talk!”) Victini exclaimed. “Vic-ti-ni-ni!” (“We got to know where they’re hiding! It may seem harsh, but… I think we should go with cruel and unusual punishment. Like a hex piñata! Dump boogers on their head, cover them with glitter glue and rainbow feathers, or… I know! Turn them into an ice cream sundae snowman with all kinds of fun and crazy toppings! Hey, chocolate, anyone!?”

“What a crew…” Violet replied, shaking her head as she didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh.

Cassandra had just shrugged, but after taking a look around, she realized something. Abbee was suddenly missing. With the arrival of Luneth, Jimmy, and Jirachi, she had lost track of her and didn’t realize she left.

“Did… anyone see Abbee leave just now?” Cassandra asked, looking around the lobby to see if she was around.

“I uh…” Jarena replied, suddenly realizing it too. “…yeah, where did she run off to?”

But then, Victini looked a bit pale, and then felt a bit guilty inside. He had hopped off Cassandra’s shoulder and onto the ground, looking toward the bathroom doors.

“Vic-ti…” (“Eh, I think she took things the wrong way…”) Victini muttered. “Vic-tini” (“I made a mistake, got a little caught up in our sudden Wishmaker Family Reunion here. Don’t tell her I said this, but I think she took it personally when I rushed over to you and wanted to catch up on old times and… well, so much happened at once that I missed saying hi to her too.”)

“I guess this two trainers thing isn’t working out…” Cassandra muttered, looking toward the bathroom door, figuring Abbee was inside having a breakdown. “Problem is… I don’t know what to do about this between me and her. I can’t say I even know her all that well…”

“Vict-ti…” (“Yeah, I don’t think this is working…”) Victini replied with a bit of a frown. “Vic-tini-ni…” (“Can’t have your cake and eat it, too. Maybe… when she comes out and feels ready to talk again, we need to have a chat…”

The way Cassandra saw it, she thought the only way this could get resolved was have Victini himself decide and make the ultimate decision as to who would be his trainer and companion. But right now, it felt too much like her and Abbee were like divorced parents that were sharing custody of a kid, rather than as a shared companion.

[Desolate Divine]

05-13-2021, 03:56 PM

Abbee Strauss
Tide Song Hotel Bathroom
Affected RPers: Sorta none, sorta everyone else in the lobby

Abbee attempted to dry her eyes, and compose herself before she attempted to head back into the lobby. Technically she was assigned to be helping Triad, and she was hardly any help now. She still felt the pain in her chest, however figured that focusing on the task at hand would distract her from it. But before she knew it she found herself teary again.

"I've upset you, haven't I...?" said Victini's voice in her head.

She wiped her eyes before chuckling to herself.

"Why ask?" She replied with her thoughts, "If you're poking around in my head to ask this, you already know the answer..."

Abbee was mostly joking with that statement, not being cruel or snide. That sense of humour was what caused her and Victini to click as well as they did over the last few years. She heard a slight chuckle in her thoughts.

"Can we talk?" Victini asked.

"Sure, but I'd just about die of embarrassment of anybody saw me like this..."

"Then I take it you don't have an audience in there?" Victini asked.

"It's empty. You can come in..."

A few moments later, Abbee heard the door creak, as light footsteps made their way towards her. She was still hunched over the sink, looking down, and on the ground in her vision, walked Victini, who looked up at her somberly.

"I'm sorry..." Victini said via Pokespeak, which Abbee had only been able to understand in recent weeks.

"What for?" She asked, jokingly. She was struggling to piece together her emotions to some logical explanation, and figured if she wasn't certain about what was going on in her head, how could he be, and therefore what is he apologizing for?

"Good point..." he chuckled weakly, "If I had a clue, we wouldn't be in this mess would we? So tell me, what's going on? Because you're not usually the sort to let something like this get you this down. Is it because of Cassandra?"

"No!" Abbee said quickly, not wanting Victini to think she held any sort of ill will, or resentment towards Cassandra. After hearing the truth of what happened on and after the S.S. Wishmaker from Jon and Victini, she felt nothing but respect for the Diamond Ladies for the way they turned over a new leaf.

"I'm not mad, and I'm not jealous. I'm just..." Abbee began, before struggling to articulate exactly how she felt, before groaning to herself in frustration at this verbal block she faced.

"You know what happened in the weeks before I met you right?" Abbee asked, knowing Victini knew the answer. He nodded solemnly.

"I lost my Dad, completely by surprise. Mum had been gone for years, and Tyler and I weren't exactly close so Dad was all I had, and he had been ripped from me, and I had no clue that when he dropped me off at the Eon Academy that that would be the last time I would ever see him." Abbee explained, "That week I went back home for the funeral, I had never felt more alone. I was with Tyler, and long term, I was going to live with him, but he and I barely knew a thing about eachother. We had an easier time talking to complete strangers than one-another. After the funeral, I went back to Mossdeep to finish the summer, because the people there felt more like family to me than my own brother did, and I wanted just another week or two before I had to go back to feeling alone. Then you came along, and even after we went home after summer, I didn't feel alone anymore..."

"When you asked me if it would be okay for you to team up with Cassandra again for this mission, I knew that there was a chance that you would want to stay with her when this is all over. And as much as I knew I would miss you if that happened, I wanted you to do what would make you happy. I even released you from your Pokeball, so that the choice would be completely yours...."

Abbee wiped her sleeve against her eyes.

"I was okay with it, because I knew that whether or not you were with me or Cassandra, the bond we had was real, and would persevere. Even if you were on the other side of the planet, we'd always be friends. That our time together meant something." Abbee said, "Then I find out that Cassandra didn't take you on to her team, weeks after you originally left, and instead of being honest with me about it, you left me in the dark. I locked myself in a storage room, because I had no way of knowing whether it was safe to get out, and needed you then..."

Victini remained silent hearing this. Abbee wasn't trying to condemn him, but just trying to explain how she felt about this, and he understood that. It just sting a little.

"Then, after hearing me ask Cassandra to let you know I want to talk to you, you don't even let me know you are there, until Cassandra started talking about how difficult their situation was after the Wishmaker incident, and it was to convince her to come out of hiding. After that, it was more catchup, and I may as well have been a complete stranger, or not even there at all..."

"Abbee..." Victini began, however Abbee continued.

"I'm not angry, and I'm not jealous." Abbee repeated, before taking a brief second to think over her next words.

"I was okay with you teaming up with Cassandra, maybe even staying with her after all this is over, because I believed that our bond would survive that. But then, all this happens, and in a few short weeks, it looks like it is completely gone, that the last three years were nothing..." Abbee said, starting to tear up again, "And all of a sudden, I'm fifteen again, having just been orphaned, alone in the world again, and terrified by it..."

Victini jumped up onto the counter, now closer to eye level with Abbee, who could now see he was teary himself.

"Why are you crying?" She asked jokingly through tears.

"Because of how dense I've been..." Victini retorted back, joking equally through his own tears, before attempting to hug her, however his short limbs made that very difficult.

"I'm sorry." Victini said, "I've been so distracted by what's going on, and wanting to help Cass out, I didn't think enough about how I was treating my other best friend..."

Abbee smiled a little hearing him say that.

"Thank you. It really means a lot..." Abbee said, "And if when this is over, you want to stay with Cass..."

"Abbee, it's-"

"Just keep in touch when you can." Abbee said, "Now and forever. Let me know you're happy, safe and doing well. Let me know you still think of me amidst whatever crazy adventures you get up to. That's all I ask..."

"If..." Victini said, "I decide to stick with Cass, you have my word. Even if I have to learn to read and write, or send a messenger Pidgey..."

Abbee laughed at the thought of Victini attempting to type an email on a public computer with his little arms, before noticing her reflection in the mirror.

"Goddamn, if I don't clean myself up, people will think Alola's fate is in the hands of a pair of cry-babys..." Abbee said, as she picked Victini up, placing him on her shoulder, before trying to clean up her damp eyes.

"If anyone asks about the red eyes, we tell them we were smoking in here..." Victini said, nearly falling off Abbee's shoulder as she jolted with laughter.

"Somehow, I think people would trust a pair of cry-babies more than a pair of stoners to keep the island safe..."

Once Abbee and Victini were content that they weren't going to attract too much attention to what had went down in the bathroom, they both left, trying to slip back into the small crowd that had gathered in the lobby...

Noblejanobii

05-13-2021, 04:28 PM

Avery Miller & Abital Ecke
Tide Song Hotel Lobby
Affected RP'ers: Desolate Divine Shruikan Chakramaster Neo Emolga

As Avery collapsed onto the floor, Abital frantically looked them over to ensure they were okay. "I'm fine, I promise," Avery said quietly. "I'm not used to walking on four legs, that's all." Abital began to quickly sign something but stopped when Avery cupped their face. "Hey, I'll be okay. Maybe we can find someone who knows how to reverse this."

Meir suddenly went on alert, electricity crackling from the Raichu's cheeks as he got into an attacking position. The spouses looked over at the Raichu to spot a trio of women in butterfly costumes approaching them. They looked... familiar somehow.

“Hey there, Avery,” Cassandra greeted them. “We saw you walk in and we figured you might need some help with those extra legs you now have…”

The realization suddenly hit Avery like a goddamn eighteen wheeler. They knew that voice. "C-Cassandra?" they stuttered out. They quickly stuck out their hand towards Meir. "Easy, buddy, they're friends." The Raichu glanced back at his trainer's spouse before standing up and letting the electricity dissipate. Despite their butterfly themed costumes, Avery knew it was them. It might've been several years but they knew the Diamond Ladies when they saw them. It was a bit weird seeing them in costume but Avery was in no place to judge given it was their costume that got them horse legs in the first place.

“Long time no see…” Violet told them.

"That's an understatement," Avery responded with a laugh. It had been four years since Avery had last seen them in person. Avery had heard about the fire that supposedly killed them and had always hoped that in reality the girls used it to disappear but hoping and actually seeing it to be true were to very different things.

“Yeah, about this curse…” Jarena smiled sheepishly to Avery, knowing how this kind of incomplete affliction worked. “I think you probably already guessed it’s an incomplete spell you got hit with and you were only half-transformed. We can dispel it, but that only works if we let the curse complete. Otherwise it’s kinda like using a mixing bowl to bake a cake when it’s already got half of an unfinished pancake batter in there and you’re not allowed to let food go to waste.”

“Yeah, it’s like that…” Cassandra informed Avery. “I think this transformation was trying to turn you into a Keldeo, but whoever was casting it was using a direct contact spell instead of a hex implant, and they got interrupted halfway through. We can restore you, but it means we need to complete the Keldeo transformation, and then we can work on getting you back to your normal human self.”

"Oh goody," Avery said with a laugh. "Do I get water powers this time since I can already understand Pokespeech?" they joked.

“Victini-ni!” (“It’s painless, we promise!”) Victini told Avery optimistically with a smile. “Vic-tini…” (“But it may feel really weird for a second…”)

“If you’re ready now, we can handle this however you want,” Cassandra offered. “But if you need time to think it over or just mentally prepare yourself, just let us know. Anytime you’re ready, really.”

So they could dispel it? That made sense. It was a bit of a relief to Avery, if they were candid. They weren't exactly keen on spending the rest of their days as a centaur. Still, the Ladies offered to give Avery a moment to think it over and took the time to go speak with some others.

Avery felt a tap on their shoulder and glanced over. Abital quickly signed to Avery. "Who are these ladies?"

"A-Ah right." Avery adjusted how they were sitting and began to sign to their husband. "They're old friends from the Wishmaker. These are the Diamond Ladies, the ones that initially I was hired to help track down and arrest on suspicion of using Shadowcraft."

A look of alarm came over Abital's face. "They're the ones that turned you into a Pokemon?" Abital signed frantically.

"Yes," Avery confirmed, "but you don't need to worry. They've changed their ways. I witnessed it first hand," they signed.

Abital paused and looked over at the Triad. He vaguely recognize Jarena as at least looking similar to the doctor that had healed him at the clinic. Had it really been she? If so... perhaps they were trustworthy. Abital turned back to Avery and shook his head to indicate he wasn't sure what to make of this.

"I know, it's okay. It's a lot to take in." Avery reached out and pulled Abital into a hug. "Just take my word on this, we can trust them," Avery whispered.

Abital sat in silence for a moment longer before nodding, indicating he trusted Avery's decision. He quickly kissed Avery before standing up and walking over to the Triad. He wasn't sure how to approach them without startling them but there wasn't much he could do about that. Abital gently tapped Cassandra on the shoulder and, once he had their attention, gestured towards Avery. "They're ready now," he signed, unsure if they would be able to understand.

Shruikan

05-13-2021, 07:55 PM

Luneth Tarot
Tide Song Hotel
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga, Chakramaster, Noblejanobii, Desolate Divine, anyone else in the hotel

“Luneth.”

Luneth was startled out of her trance at the sound of her name. She looked up to see a lady in a Butterfree costume. How had she recognised her in Vulpix form?

“It’s me, Cassandra, but… don’t mind the Butterfree costume. Listen, I may not know all the details as to why you’re here, but… I’ve been told you learned a few tricks since the last time you met us. Truth is, the three of us would seriously welcome help in getting these witchcraft victims healed and restored. The three of us trying to handle it all on our own is nearly killing us.”

“Vul-”(”I-,”) Luneth gulped. “Vulpix, vul vulpiiix vul.” (“I’m not sure I’d be much help. I don’t know much Shadowcraft, only the really basic stuff. The most powerful spell I know is the one you used on the Wishmaker, to turn the people back from pokemon. And I don’t even have any reagents with me, they’re with my clothes and pokemon in a back ally somewhere.”) Luneth took a breath to steady herself. “Vul vulpix” (“But I’ll do whatever I can.”)

The witch she’d overheard had been after the Diamond Ladies because they though they were defectors. If she helped out, she’d be a target too. But this way she could fight back at least.

The Luneth watched as a new person entered the hotel and the ladies went over to talk to him. He looked familiar, but at first Luneth couldn’t place him, until she heard Jirachi mentioned. He’d dyed his hair, but he was definitely the same trainer from the Wishmaker. He even had his same Pikachu with him. Luneth was ashamed to realise she still didn’t know his name, but she was pleased to know he was there and safe. And maybe Jirachi’s power could help protect everyone.

Cassandra also mentioned Avery being there, which caused Luneth to look around. She hadn’t noticed Avery before, but she hadn’t exactly been the most aware of her surroundings. Now she looked she could clearly see a half Keldeo centaur Avery. Luneth wasn’t sure if they were really unlucky, ending up cursed right after getting help for their spouse, or lucky that neither curse was that bad, considering some of the spell thrown around today…
She lightly pawed at Cassandra’s leg.
“Vul? Vulpix vul vul?” (“Is there anything I can do to help with Avery? I’ve done pokemon transformations before, though not like this one”)

Neo Emolga

05-14-2021, 12:57 AM

Triad (The Diamond Ladies)
Tide Song Hotel, Akala
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine Shruikan Chakramaster Noblejanobii

After it had been a while since Victini had quietly walked into the bathroom to console Abbee, the two of them had emerged, with Victini perched on Abbee’s shoulder. While Cassandra didn’t fully know what kind of conversation the two of them had, she had a pretty good idea, even without the details.

As Cassandra thought about it, she felt what had just happened was a simple misunderstanding. It wasn’t Victini’s fault for getting carried away with this reunion. It had been four years after all. But in the end, the way Cassandra saw it, Abbee was Victini’s trainer now. It wasn’t fair to her to keep plucking Victini away like this, old friend or not. And at the same time, Cassandra hadn’t realized the emotional and personal bond that Abbee now had with Vicitni was particularly strong. Stronger than she originally thought.

She knew she had to let go.

For real this time. Even if it meant turning down Vicitni’s offers to help or chat, because as she had seen, even just chatting with Victini one on one was enough to affect to affect Abbee emotionally. In the end, Cassandra knew it was her decision to live as an Eevee in Starglade that resulted in this, and she understood the cost of doing that was abandoning everything she had in that previous life. The little money she had left, her last few personal belongings, and most of all, her own Pokémon, and that included Victini as well. On top of all that, she had a new team of Pokémon now. While she appreciated all the guidance and help that Victini had given in the past, she knew she needed to count on Gale, Angel, Nami, Berri, Marche, and Ace instead. All six of them had come from difficult and troubling backgrounds with previous trainers, and they needed her care and attention, also.

“Vic-ti…” (“Hey, Cass, I just wanted to say something…”) Victini told her as he looked to her from Abbee’s shoulder.

“I know you want to try to make this a cooperative thing,” Cassandra replied, knowing it was in Victini’s nature to try and make everyone happy. “But it can’t be. We had a good run, but you’re Abbee’s Pokémon, now. She cares about you and she needs you. We’ll always be friends, but we can’t be partners. Not like we used to.”

Victini sighed, looking a little downcast.

“Vic-tini…” (“I really don’t like choosing like this…”) he replied, frowning a bit.

“I want you to fully be Abbee’s partner from now on,” Cassandra told him, laying it down in a firm and solid tone to show she meant it. “It doesn’t mean we need to start acting like we don’t exist to each other anymore or go to extremes to avoid each other because that’s not necessary, but you belong to her and she belongs to you. A bond that strong… you can’t let anything or anyone come between that. Not even me.”

Victini was silent, looking down and unable to look into Cassandra’s eyes. Thoughts were swimming around and around in his head, but he understood what Cassandra was saying.

“Vic-ti…” (“Okay…”) Victini replied, softly nodding after thinking everything over. “Vic-tinini…” (“I’m Abbee’s Pokémon, the fat lady has sung.”)

“Thanks,” Cassandra smiled to him. “I know I don’t even need to tell you to be good to her. You already have been.”

Cassandra could see he was starting to get a bit teary-eyed, but she knew this had to be the way of things.

Shortly after, Abital had gently tapped Cassandra on the shoulder to her attention, gesturing toward Avery. While Cassandra didn’t quite understand the sign language, the motions and the gestures were enough to give her the insight to understand it meant Avery was ready.

“Thanks, we’ll take it from here,” Cassandra told him as Jarena and Violet had gathered around Avery.

For this spell, it was slightly different, as the reagents had already been spent to start the spell, it was just never completed, like a cake batter that just needed more mixing. Still, there was something on Jarena’s mind that she couldn’t quite understand about this whole situation.

Luneth had lightly pawed at Cassandra’s leg, and she had looked down to see the Alolan Vulpix wanting to get her attention.

“Vul? Vulpix vul vul?” (“Is there anything I can do to help with Avery? I’ve done Pokémon transformations before, though not like this one.”)

“Yeah, I’ll admit I haven’t done this one before either…” Cassandra replied as she flipped through one of her Shadowcraft tomes. “We usually used the transformation hex method, laying the hexes on objects after using hairs and fur strands acquired from pretty common Pokémon. This one’s… different.”

“So… riddle me this,” Jarena asked Cassandra and Violet as Violet got a spare beach towel ready. “Why turn Avery into a Keldeo? Isn’t that like… a really super rare Pokémon?”

“Don’t overthink it,” Violet replied, simply preparing to get the transformation reversed. “I saw someone got turned into a hunk of diamond out there on the street. They don’t care.”

“Yeah, but… how did they get a sample of Keldeo, and why use it?” Jarena asked curiously. “I mean, with all the other common options you have for Pokémon to turn people into, why use one like that instead of say, a Ratatta or Pidgey?”

Violet wasn’t sure, but right now, her concern was trying to figure out exactly which spell the original caster had started. Unlike Jarena’s flowery transformation that persisted on its own until it was completed, Violet’s original assessment was that this half-Keldeo transformation was completely stopped. If it wasn’t continued, Avery would be in this centaur state permanently.

Meanwhile, Cassandra realized this, also, but she hated bringing up bad news like this after she had originally said it would be promising they could resolve this tonight.

“I… was wrong, I don’t think we can continue from where the original caster started,” Cassandra told the others. “For one thing, I don’t know what exact spell they used, where they left off, and if the reagents they were using had already been consumed, or if they were only spent midway.”

“Couldn’t we just Nox Purge her?”” Jarena asked.

“Seriously?” Violet sighed, looking tired. “Cass and I nearly killed ourselves trying to do that for you. We haven’t even had a fifteen-minute break since the last one.”

“Yeah, but we got Luneth here, now,” Jarena told her. “I mean, if she pitches in and the strain is distributed among the four of us, that shouldn’t be so bad.”

Cassandra nodded and felt that was a good idea, but she still felt very spent from having to undo Jarena’s curse and that not even a four-way distribution would be enough to make it bearable for them, at least not right now. She then looked at her phone, seeing the time was about 6pm. After thinking about it a bit, she then looked to Avery.

“This is going to be a little tough…” Cassandra told Avery and Abital. “I thought we could continue the transformation and then simply undo it with an Affliction Reversal spell like what we did on the Wishmaker, but it’s not that easy. We don’t know what spell they used and we don’t have anything like that in the tomes that we have, so the only option we’ve got is Nox Purge, which is very effective and would resolve this, but it’s very demanding. We can do it for Avery, but we already had to do it for Jarena just a few minutes ago, so we badly need some recovery time or it’ll choke us in the middle of casting. Come tomorrow morning, with Luneth’s help, we should be able to do it for you without a problem. Ideally, a good night’s rest for all of us would probably be the best way to handle this.”

“We’re going to need time to teach Luneth how to do this if she doesn’t know already,” Violet added to that. “Besides, it would be damn good if she knows. The three of us can’t handle all these victims.”

Cassandra knew it meant Avery would need to spend the night as this centaur form they now had, but Cassandra saw it as the only option. Otherwise it meant a suicide mission trying to take whatever books Agatha’s witches had and hope the spell they were looking for was in a tome they had but the Ladies did not. The risk was far too great.

“Let’s just grab some dinner, if there’s… anyone still cooking stuff, that is,” Jarena asked, not sure if any of the restaurants or food vendors were still working due to the current crisis. “I mean, I’m cool with just fruits and veggies from the market stand, but I know most folks here probably aren’t keen on a… well, Buneary diet.”

“Might be best for now,” Cassandra replied, nodding. “I think we all need a refresher after what happened today…”

[Desolate Divine]

05-15-2021, 01:56 PM

Abbee Strauss
Tide Song Hotel
Affected RPers: Everyone and nobody in particular but Neo Emolga and Shruikan

It didn't take long for Abbee and Victini to be noticed, however it was to be expected when Victini spoke to Cassandra from Abbee's shoulder, allowing Abbee to hear the entire exchange.

What she wasn't expecting was for Cassandra to cut the tie with Victini as trainer and partner, so to speak. She made it clear to Victini that Abbee was his trainer now, and he needed to stick with her. Whilst it shocked Abbee, and she knew it couldn't be easy, she understood why Cassandra did it. Victini liked keeping everyone he cared about happy, and if there was a chance he could somehow be shared between the pair of them, he would take it, no matter how slim, and avoid making the hard decision until he had to. Cassandra what Abbee didn't have the strength to, for his sake. She felt a twinge of guilt at how happy she was to hear Cassandra say those words. Victini accepted it with his usual humour, however was teary.

As Cassandra's attention focused to the task at hand, Abbee tilted her head to rest against Victini's frame on her shoulder, before raising her arm, giving him a scratch behind the ears.

"Hey..." Abbee said quietly, "She will be okay. I haven't known her long, but she already is one of the strongest people I know, and I'd bet in part she has you to thank for that..."

"Thanks..." Victini said quietly, as he attempted to dry his eyes.

"When they're ready, let's find something to eat before the meeting." Abbee said, "You can have as many desserts as you'd like, as long as they don't reappear if things get intense."

Victini laughed, remembering a training battle they had with Jon, after Victini and Abbee went out for lunch, where he overate. The look on Jon's face was priceless when Victini's Death By Chocolate Sundae and Apple Cinnamon Pancakes made a reappearance on Latios' face after a sluggish V-Create...

When Jarena mentioned getting dinner, and Cassandra agreed, Abbee chimed in.

"Lead the way." Abbee said, "I'll watch our backs until our appointment this evening."

When the Vulpix that Triad had been talking to was unoccupied, Abbee made her way towards her, crouching down, and speaking quietly as to not be overheard. She had heard the conversation about the Vulpix's true nature before.

"If you don't mind, you should probably come to this meeting tonight too." Abbee said quietly, "Jon might be a little peeved that I invited you without clearing it by him, but if Triad trust you, and you can help them with Shadowcraft, it's worth you being there as well..."

"You're brave." Victini said, "Risking the wrath of Jon..."

"You didn't hear him talk about when you guys went to catch his little green friend. Short of Alyssa, he trusts nobody more than he trusts Cassandra, not even myself and Dylan, though that's more due to inexperience and youth." Abbee replied, "If Cassandra trusts her, and she can help, Jon shouldn't be too mad..."

If you want your character present at the meeting, have them be invited by Steven or Cynthia. Jon is big on keeping information secure, and Abbee isn't going to allow herself and Triad to be followed there by anyone who isn't invited to it. This is purely for keeping in character.

Jon Drake
Streets of Heahea City
Affected RPers: None

Wanting to investigate further, Jon had spent the last hour or so riding around the streets surrounding the attack site. Whilst Giratina was easy enough to hide in a Pokeball, the group of witches who attacked wouldn't be as difficult to hide, short of teleporting to the site of the attack. Even if they didn't come as a group, or weren't in their cloaks, with enough time and intuition, one could gain an idea of their movements.

Riding around, he had a small tablet mounted to the handlebars of his bike, looking for security cameras in the nearby streets. On the tablet was a map, that he would mark with the locations and rough viewing angles of the cameras he saw.

As he did this, he thought more about Giratina. Knowing from experience, the only way to hide a Pokemon like that would be with an unregistered Pokeball, which in and of themselves were highly illegal. If Giratina was in a Pokeball, it would have to be unregistered, otherwise the League would be aware of who it is registered to and where it was been scanned by PCs and medical equipment. Of course there was also the chance Giratina used some interdimensional travel, however he wouldn't know until he saw the security footage of Giratina appearing. If Giratina was in an unregistered Pokeball, they could potentially get some leads, but it would be tricky.

Jon felt his phone buzz, and saw a call from Alyssa on screen.

"Jon, are you okay?" she asked, trying not to sound worried as she did. Jon knew that she didn't want him to know just how worried she got. She knew he wanted to do what he could to help in the situation, and figured that if he was too worried about his wife at home freaking out over his safety, he was more likely to slip up. That didn't stop her from worrying though.

"I'm fine. You saw the hospital?" he asked.

"Yeah, and I saw your friend getting involved." Alyssa said, "Then it just went down. Is it okay?"

"They used a cheap trick, but I think it is better now..." Jon explained, "I showed up a few minutes after my friend, and by the time I was there, Dylan had them on the ropes."

"How is he doing?" Alyssa asked, having become quite fond of the young man that had lived with them for the last three years. She viewed him as a mixture of younger brother and foster son.

"It's hard to say..." Jon sighed, "In the fighting his Metagross killed two of the witches, and he took it pretty hard. If he hadn't have intervened a lot more people would have died, and the fact he knew what was happening was because of a hunch I dismissed but he followed through. He has a good head on his shoulders, and his instincts are on point. It's just a matter of making sure he doesn't doubt himself and his own conviction..."

Alyssa sighed, sad to hear that Dylan was struggling a bit with what he had to do.

"How's Lili?" Jon asked. Amelia, he and Alyssa's three year old daughter was at home with Alyssa. Even if they didn't have kids, Jon wouldn't have wanted Alyssa here. She came on the S.S. Wishmaker, having gotten herself a media pass, and Jon wasn't in a position to stop her without giving away the job he was working, and it terrified him, thinking back to the potential danger to her. He was glad that Alyssa didn't come, and had reason to hold down the fort.

"She just woke up from her nap." Alyssa said, "I'll go get her."

A few moments later, Jon could hear Alyssa in the distance, telling Lili Daddy is on the phone. After the sound of the phone being fumbled, Jon heard the familiar voice of his daughter on the other end of the line.

"Daddy?"

"Hey Lili..." Jon said, now wishing more and more that Agatha had have stayed in whatever decrepit crypt she crawled out of, "How're you doing?"

"I'm... okay..." she said, though Jon wasn't convinced, "When are you coming home?"

Hearing this pained Jon. Since Amelia was born, Jon had run the Eon Academy, meaning he was always a few minutes away from her at most, even bringing her along to the sessions he ran there. This was the longest he had been away from her.

"As soon as I can, and not a moment longer." Jon said, "I know you and Mummy are waiting for me, so I won't dawdle. I just... have some things I have to do here first..."

"What things?" Lili asked, "You're not battling, because you aren't in the TV..."

Jon chuckled, realizing she was too smart for her own good.

"No, I'm not battling, I'm just helping a friend out." Jon explained, "I will tell you all about it when I get home."

Thinking about what happened at the hospital today, and the people who got caught up in the battle, and wouldn't be going home again, Jon felt a wave of pain wash over him.

"I love you Lili, forever and always." Jon said, "Don't ever forget that..."

"I love you too Daddy." she replied, "Please come home soon..."

Amelia handed the phone back to Alyssa, who Jon quickly caught up on the days events, before arranging another time to speak, so that Alyssa would know when to expect an update, and know not to call and risk blowing his cover by doing so. As the call ended, Jon sighed, wishing he could be anywhere but here. The last thing he wanted was for Alyssa to lose her husband, and Amelia to grow up without her Dad. And Jon really wanted to say thanks but no thanks when Cassandra approached him, and Steven recruited him for the mission. But he also knew that Cassandra took a chance on him and answered his call three or four years ago, and the threat she described had the potential to reach him and his family in Hoenn. He couldn't sit by and do nothing, when he stood a decent chance of helping.

Realizing that he needed to get moving if he wanted to get this map fully marked before the meeting, he shelved the thoughts haunting him, replacing them with a fierce determination to resolve this conflict as soon as he could.

"Stay alive, and deal with this s**t. Then you can go home..." He thought to himself.

Dylan Squier
Eon Squad's Villa
Affected RPers: None

Dylan had made his way back to the Villa that served as HQ, as there they had the computers and database access to investigate.

Pulling out the four banknotes that he had received from the Pawn Shop before meeting Brianna, he quickly inspected them to make sure there weren't any dead giveaways that they were counterfeit, and when he was mostly certain they were legitimate, opened up the Alola Treasury Database, a gargantuan list of all bank notes that are in circulation.

When governments first proposed keeping a database of all banknotes a few years ago, there was a lot of debate whether the effort was worth the reward. However with the amount of illegal weapons and unregistered Pokedex's, healing machines and Pokeballs in circulation, the debate ended up siding with creating the database which in and of itself took years to get to a viable level. All the banks had to have their ATMs modified to scan the serial numbers on the banknotes and record the accounts they were entering and leaving via into the database, and whilst incomplete, the $100 note section still had over a hundred million entries.

Doing a quick search Dylan established that the four notes were from three different accounts. Two of them from two individual accounts and the other two from a third. This third account however, Dylan soon realized, was actually withdrawn using a prepaid card from the Kalos Postal Service, as part of a $1500 withdrawl. Whilst a name had to be registered to it, little was done to verify that the person who listed their name as Steven Stone when buying this card, was actually Steven Stone, and sure enough the name associated with the card was a dead end.

"Hey Peter..." Dylan called out to the person sitting by a computer at the other end of the room. Peter was a League Data Analyst, however, known to few, with Jon only finding out when Cynthia recruited him to help figure out what happened to Steven when he went missing a few years earlier, Peter was an expert of sidestepping digital walls and finding out things he shouldn't. Whilst Dylan knew Peter didn't like to be interrupted, he also knew Peter understood how important the work they were doing was. There was an unspoken agreement, if it's important, to talk to him, but if it isn't let him work.

"What's going on?" Peter asked from across the room, knowing if Dylan were speaking up, it must be important.

"The Kalos postal service, is it government operated like in Hoenn, or private like in Sinnoh?" Dylan asked.

"I think it's government operated..." Peter replied, before doing a quick search, "Yeah it is..."

Dylan quickly attached the card number of the prepaid card that the bank notes had been withdrawn using.

"This card has a fake name attached to it, which is a dead end, but I doubt this chick has heaps of them. It would be too difficult to manage..." Dylan explained, "But if I got some details of other transactions it was used for..."

Whilst Dylan could contact the Kalos Postal Service with the information, it would take too long, as well as Brianna has shown she knows more than she should, so if going off the books could reduce the risk of her finding out, he would rather take it.

"And if it's government, I should be able to sidestep into the database?" Peter asked, "That's what you're thinking?"

"What I'm relying on, actually..." Dylan retorted. Peter chuckled, before speaking up.

"Give me fifteen minutes." Peter explained, "Get me a coffee and it may become ten..."

Dylan nodded, making his way to the kitchenette nearby, and preparing the coffee machine. Once he had a cup ready for him, Dylan made his way back to Peter, handing him the cup.

"I emailed you the transaction history." Peter explained, surprising Dylan at how quick he was, "If she has another card, it will be near impossible to find. I already checked for other cards under that name and there were none."

"You've already done plenty." Dylan explained, "She is cocky, and cocky people slip up eventually. This should be enough to find her..."

Dylan made his way back to the computer he was working on, opening the emails, and finding the transaction history. One stood out to him though.

Crown Harbour Hotel.

Dylan quickly googled it, figuring the hotel probably required a card as security, finding it was on Akala Island.

"S**t..." he thought to himself as he read through the page, "It's nearly $700 a night to stay here..."

Whilst his immediate response was to use the leagues authority to get the information from the hotel, he decided against it. This was the sort of place celebrities stayed at, and he wouldn't be surprised if the hotel would notify high profile guests of any inquiries about them. Whilst Peter could attempt to hack their system, it was not his expertise, and a place like this needs security for client confidentiality. He looked back at the transaction history, for anything he could use to find her. After a few minutes, he noticed a recurring transaction from a year earlier. A bottleshop in Kalos, always $84.47, or some multiple of it, multiple times a week.

His mind raced as he put together the pieces. This consistent sort of transaction implied it was one item being purchased. Dylan figured she had a weakness for alcohol, and based on her hotel choice, money wasn't an issue.

He opened the website for the chain, and spent the next hour scouring the website for items stocked by the bottleshop listed in the transaction, that cost $84.47. By the end of it, he had a list of five items, a white wine, a red, two types of tequila, and a single malt scotch. Reopening the tab for the hotel, Dylan quickly found the Room Service menu, and cross-referenced the drinks list to the five he found, finding they shared the white wine and the tequila.

A plan began to hatch in Dylan's head. Whilst Brianna seemed calm and collected, her transaction history implied a slight dependence on a certain type of alcohol, his bet being the white wine, as she would be extremely drunk every night to drink a whole bottle of tequila on her own between the transactions listed in the year earlier. If he could get eyes on the waiter handling drink orders for room service, and keep an eye out for the white wine being ordered, they might be able to get more information about Brianna.

"Gotcha..." Dylan said to himself, as he began fleshing out his plan...

Jon Drake and Dylan Squier
Meeting Room of Eon Squad HQ, Eon Squad Villa
Affected RPers: Anyone coming to the meeting

Dylan sat to the side of the room, as Jon stood by the front, and a few of the other Eon Squad Operatives began to filter in. The room itself had been emptied of standard furniture, replaced with chairs to seat anyone coming, with a projector and screen behind him. Eon Squad itself had Jon and ten operatives. Throw in Steven, Cynthia and Triad, that puts this meeting at over fifteen people. Jon had set up twenty five seats, not sure who Steven and Cynthia would invite, trusting they would show discretion about it. The clock was sitting at 5:45, with the meeting due to start at 6.

"Let's see if we can deal some damage..." Jon said quietly to Dylan, who nodded in agreement.

Shruikan

05-16-2021, 08:08 PM

Luneth Tarot
Tide Song Hotel
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga, Desolate Divine, @anyone else in the hotel

Luneth was dismayed to find that the Diamond Ladies didn’t seem to know how to cure Avery. What had at fist looked like a simple spell turned out to be deceiving, and it seemed they’d need to use the stronger Nox Purge spell to cure it.

Luneth had heard of the Nox Purge in one of her tomes, but had never bothered to learn it, due to needing multiple witches together to power it, which she now regretted. Now it would take time to catch her up on it. She made a vow to learn all the healing spells she could once this was over. But either way, the Ladies were too weak to try it right now, so unfortunately reverting Avery would have to wait.

Jarena suggested finding somewhere to eat, and the others seemed to agree. However, Luneth was still wary of going back out so soon.

“Vul, vulpiix?” (“Are you sure it’s safe to go out there? The witches could still be around…”) Luneth began, before a girl who Luneth didn’t know spoke up.

"Lead the way. I'll watch our backs until our appointment this evening."

Luneth hadn’t noticed her before, but the girl had Victini on her shoulder. Assumedly this was how she knew the Diamond Ladies. Was she Victini’s new trainer? He must have needed one after Cassandra “died” after all. And if Victini had agreed to it, she must be strong.

As she was distracted, the Diamond Ladies, (no wait, Triad, she mentally corrected herself,) left the building. Luneth still wasn’t convinced it was safe enough yet, but she decided that she would rather be with them than alone here. Just as she was about to go out after them, the girl with Victini crouched down and spoke to her.

"If you don't mind, you should probably come to this meeting tonight too. Jon might be a little peeved that I invited you without clearing it by him, but if Triad trust you, and you can help them with Shadowcraft, it's worth you being there as well..."

Luneth’s first thought was Jon. If this was the same Jon she thought it was, getting him peeved was not on her top 10 list of things to do. But on the other hand, she was curious as to what this meeting entailed. It was probably something important, if it warranted dragging Triad away from their medical work.

She nodded to the girl. “Vulpix” (“Alright, I’ll be there.”) She probably couldn’t understand the words, but the nod should get the meaning across.

As they walked after Triad through the near deserted streets, Luneth studied the new girl. “Vul, vulpix.” (“Hey, Victini?”) she said after a while, trying to get the legendary’s attention without making too much noise. She tilted her head towards the girl. “Vul vulpix, pix vuul? Vul?” (“Can she understand pokemon speak, or did she just figure me out from overhearing stuff? Oh, and what’s her name?”) she added almost as an afterthought.

Glimmer
Heahea City > Eon Squad Villa
Affected RP'ers: Desolate Divine, anyone else at the meeting.

After several attempts, Glimmer finally managed to find a taxi willing to take her to Heahea.
The guy driving was kinda crazy, but he didn’t mind driving into a potential magic war zone so beggars can’t be choosers. She made sure to give him a generous tip as he dropped her off at the city outskirts.

She was cautious at first, expecting to see witches wandering every street, but thankfully it seemed the commotion from earlier had died down. Now it was mainly ghosts again. Those she could handle.

After quickly checking in with Flan again to confirm their location, she rushed over as quickly as she could without drawing undue attention to herself, collecting the pokeballs and clothes left behind. She tore a blank page out of Luneth’s notebook, and wrote one word on it, Gracidea, before pinning it down underneath a dustbin. Not a perfect plan, but the best she could do with what she had. Luneth would know what it meant, assuming it was still there when she returned.

She hoped that Luneth simply hadn’t had the opportunity to return yet, and that nothing too bad had happened too her. Without the comm she had no way of finding her. She tried to force down the knot in her stomach. Maybe someone at the meeting would know what had happen to her?

Speaking of the meeting, it was almost time. After slinging Luneth’s bag over her shoulder, she rushed back to the meeting point. She had expected an apartment or abandoned warehouse or something, but when she arrived at the specified location, it turned out to be a rather large villa. Huh, amazing what you can do with league funding, she thought. She wondered how much renting this place cost? Or maybe one of the champions owned it themselves? Hopefully not, that would make it too obvious to work as a hideout.

Glimmer quickly glanced at her watch. 5.50. Despite the detour she’d made it in time. As she approached she had to resist the urge to look over her shoulder. She had taken as many precautions as she could on the way here, and she was pretty certain no-one had tracked her, but now was not the time to let up. If she was being watched and she made a point of checking, it would clue them in that something was going off here. So instead, she walked calmly up and entered the building as casually as she could, like she was going to a fancy Spiritwater party. Well, she was dressed for the part at least.

There were already about a dozen operatives there, but she didn’t instantly recognise anyone, though that wasn’t much of a surprise, as she’d mainly been working a solo investigation so far. Even so, she felt a little uncomfortable being alone among all these strangers, and began to feel a bit self conscious that she was still wearing her Spiritwater costume. She briefly tried to lean against the wall before finding her costume’s wings got in the way, and settled for standing awkwardly next to the doorway, willing the meeting to start soon.

Chakramaster

05-16-2021, 09:44 PM

Jimmy Kendo
Tide Song Hotel, Akala
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga Noblejanobii Shruikan Desolate Divine

Cassandra replied to Jimmy. “It’s a mess, Avery’s just one victim among many…” Cassandra sighed. “What you’re looking at is a half-transformation. Right now, Avery is only halfway transformed into a Keldeo, likely the result of a witch that was interrupted in the middle of casting and not able to fully complete the spell. But yeah, look around, there’s dozens of other cases we need to fix. It’s going to take us weeks unless we find another solution.”

"I thought I recognized them. Avery huh? More are here from the past than I thought." Jimmy said as he had taken some time to look around now that he had a chance. Everything had gone from one disaster to another. Leaving many trapped here. Unsure of what to do next or what may turn into their fate. Like their very own world ending scenario being played out right in front of their eyes. "Hopefully this is something easily dispelled..." Jimmy said looking to Avery.

Looking around more Jimmy noticed an Alolan Vulpix make a slight glance to him. "An Alolan Vulpix." Jimmy mutters to himself. "I wonder if it belongs to someone, but...somehow it looks familiar?" Jimmy didn't recognize it, but it just looked so familiar to him.

Replying to Jimmy again on his statements about Jirachi. Cassandra responds to Jimmy, “thanks, this is already a major help,” Cassandra replied. “But like you said, while it would be awesome if Jirachi could reconstruct the urgent care center, we need some way to protect it and defend it from it getting destroyed like that again. I mean, knowing Jirachi, I think the sky’s the limit, but we need to get creative about how we handle it, because the witches we’re dealing with are diabolically clever as well. We need… ideas.”

While Jimmy seemed to phase off into thought as he talked with Jirachi a moment. A moment later Jarena helps to cheer Jimmy up. “Dude, we need all the help we can get!” Jarena exclaimed cheerfully with optimism. “Like Cass said, we need to get creative. Wild. Unpredictable. Just let your imagination get freakin’ nuts and make it something these witches won’t ever see coming! Nothing is crazy or naïve, we can find a way to do it!”

“Oh boy, here we go…” Violet muttered, rolling her eyes.

“Vi-ti!” (“Oh come on, it’ll be fun!”) Victini told her with a quirky smile, brushing off her irritation. “Victini-nini!” (“You know you enjoyed it last time! Don’t deny it! I know I saw smile on that Furret face of yours!”)

“And here I am in this ridiculous Vivillon costume…” Violet shrugged. “I swear, the things I go through…”

"Speaking of....did I tell you those costumes are pretty nice! Very creative and imaginative." Jimmy chuckled. "Jirachi actually created one for me. Told me it was the best costume anyone had seen. Why do I get a bad feeling about that?" Jimmy kinda scratched his head after that one.

“It’s true, we need everyone and anything they can think of,” Cassandra replied. “We can cure a few people, especially the ones that have been left completely stricken and helpless, but the rest of us… we may need to fight back… cursed or not cursed, however we can. Expect anything and refuse to be afraid of it. They want us cowering in the corner.”

“Victi!” (“We need to find one of those witches and make them talk!”) Victini exclaimed. “Vic-ti-ni-ni!” (“We got to know where they’re hiding! It may seem harsh, but… I think we should go with cruel and unusual punishment. Like a hex piñata! Dump boogers on their head, cover them with glitter glue and rainbow feathers, or… I know! Turn them into an ice cream sundae snowman with all kinds of fun and crazy toppings! Hey, chocolate, anyone!?”

“Did… anyone see Abbee leave just now?” Cassandra asked, looking around the lobby to see if she was around.

Jimmy wasn't sure of anyone new he hadn't met just yet.

"Sorry, I don't know who you're talking about. I know I'll probably get an introduction sooner or later. In fact, give me a few moments. I gotta make a few updates.

Jimmy took a moment to step away. Making a few messages by text to Steven. Encrypting his message using a code and feature setup by his team and Rotom for a one way connection to Steven and back to Jimmy only.

"Hey Steven,

It's Jimmy. I've made it to the Tide Song Hotel here in Akala. I'm sure you heard already about the attacks on the Urgent Care so I won't be taking your time on that. I'm met up with a few others and here to help at the hotel as needed. I've still got our star looking out for others in our disclosed location. I've still got his package to hand out to others. I've got a plan to help out using these that'll help in rebuilding a base of operations for Triad and helping keep others a little more protected. If there's a way I can hand these out to others here to make sure they each have access to the building and that extra form of protection. If there's any way else I can help while I'm here let me know.

Thanks.

-Jimmy

Jimmy sent the message as another message came through. From someone he hasn't seen in a long time.

"Been a long time, brother. Good to see you still being the good guy as always huh? Don't worry about me I'm nearby. I won't do anything like that time you last saw me. Using mom's Celebi to trap you in that time loop. Don't worry though. I don't have it with me. It is mom's Pokemon after all. That's all in the past! I've got my own mythical Pokemon now. Maybe I'll introduce you. Doesn't look like you have one yet huh? Poor Jimmy. Well I've got my eyes on you. See you for now."

"Geez why now. Suddenly she's gone for years and now she shows up out of nowhere? Great. Perfect timing in fact."

Pikachu looked up in curiosity. "Pika-pi?" (Who was that)?

"My sister. Someone I wasn't hoping to see again for some time. Not until she made it up to me. I hope she's not up to no good again. Or we might be in some more trouble." Jimmy said looking to Pikachu as his phone buzzed once more.

"Ugh again?" He said as he checked. It was a response back from Steven.

"Ah good then. Glad to hear there's no new major incidents on your side. I don't think we can accept more on our plate than we already have. It's been one thing to another here. Sorry we've been wearing you out here too. As you've seen though things are more than most of of can handle.

On that note, there is a meeting planned. I'll be sending you the details in the same encrypted message that'll tell you where to go.
So look out for that location text after this message. While you are there you can hand out these items you mentioned in a prior discussion. I'll look forward to a proper explanation as to what you plan to have them do soon. If they'll give everyone who has one even a little more protection again these curses and hexes or anything I'm clearing that here and now. Same goes for how you plan to have the Urgent Care issue resolved without it being targeted right away again.

Oh and Jimmy? Just to let you know Jon will be having his own discussions here in this meeting. Just as a reminder he is not and will not be a commander to you under any circumstances. Nor is anyone else. You still have your own engagements here. We still asked you to come in on this mission as a special request only. So don't let anyone discourage you and no one can change that fact. You are not obligated to follow anyone's orders unless it comes from myself or Cynthia. Much like he has his own team he commands. We understand your position as well. We just need all the help we can get right now. You and Jirachi are just a big asset. So thank you again for helping here and coming when you did. I hope you understand we appreciate all of your help.

Will be in touch soon."

-Steven

"Well that was a bit more than expected." Jimmy says looking to Pikachu. "We're gonna stick around Pikachu. We have something to attend soon." Jimmy says looking to Pikachu. "You get that too Jirachi?" Jimmy talks to Jirachi through the communication link Jirachi keeps with him.

"Yup! Loud and clear Jimmy! At least now you can give my gift to everyone!" Jirachi sounds cheerfully through to Jimmy ringing in his head.

"Ah yeah and we're gonna need your help soon. Can I count on you, Jirachi?" Jimmy asks. "It will take you showing up here for a brief moment, but I want you to go back to being hidden right after. I don't want our enemies knowing we have a Pokemon like you on our side. It could be detrimental. So for now save your energy. We will need a little more than usual in a short while. I don't want it exhausting you though. Think you can handle it?" Jimmy asks him.

"Awww, fiiiiiine. I'll visit soon as you tell me. Then go right back to staying here where I am. Don't worry. I've got enough energy to still last for days! You remember what we mapped out over the last 4 years what'll drain me right?" Jirachi asks.

Jimmy nods, "Yup. Alright. Will keep in touch. Keep up alert until then okay Jirachi?"

"Got it! All eyes focused ooooon target!" Jirachi says as he cuts the telepathic communication for now as Steven's message and location came in. Leading him to where they needed to go for this meeting as they made sure their gear was all still with them. They set out to make it to the location in time.

Neo Emolga

05-18-2021, 12:56 AM

AGATHA
Manager Office, Thrifty Megamart, Akala
Affected RPers: N/A

“There,” Agatha spoke, sprinkling on more ashes into the vortex. “That should be enough for it to grow well into the night.”

Meanwhile, Willow simply watched as the vortex seemed to consume the reagent and speed up for just a moment before going back to its usual pace, seeming to endlessly churn the shadows floating in midair.

As she watched, she could hear voices, whispering and chattering in a spidery-like language. She couldn’t tell if they were even speaking in English or if this was some other cryptic language altogether, but trying to make sense of it all was like trying to navigate a labyrinth while completely blind. But many of the words sounded like hisses and unsettling echoes.

“Who are these voices we’re hearing?” Willow asked Agatha as she prepared to leave and close up everything for the night.

“The dead, of course,” Agatha smiled back. “Simply, they’re whispering, trying to speak beyond the veil of life and death, but there is too much interference, and the nether is not strong enough. Not yet, however. As time marches on, you will hear their secrets. Some will try to bargain with you. Or warn you of things to come.”

Willow found it somewhat fascinating, but at times, haunting as well. She wondered if the dead had anything in particular that they wanted to tell her. Or if she had something they wanted as well.

Once the two of them had left the room, Agatha commanded several of her ghost Pokémon to watch over the room as she replaced the hexes on the door, as if securing and tucking in a child to sleep well into the night.

Willow had decided to leave for now to prepare dinner for herself, while another witch, a young male named Aaron, had approached Agatha with a status report.

“So far no signs of the rogue witches.” Aaron told her. “We’ve been watching Heahea from a distance, but none of the afflicted civilians have been tended to. Those that were still capable of moving took shelter, but the thoroughly afflicted that had become immobile still stand where they were hit.”

“Good,” Agatha replied, smirking.

“Good?” Aaron asked, looking puzzled. “We’re trying to catch them in the act of trying to reverse the affliction. Our ambushes are getting tired of waiting.”

“Good as in they’re likely overwhelmed,” Agatha snarled back at Aaron. “That means there are very few of these rogues and our attack so far has left far too much for them to handle and now they’re forced to choose who gets healed and who sits with their afflictions. They’re under far more pressure than you are just because you can’t handle being bored for some time.”

Aaron grunted in frustration at her reaction, but he decided not to press it any further. To him, she had a point, but he wanted to find them and catch them in the act so he could interrogate them and find out who they were and why they had gone rogue against Agatha’s direct orders.

Still, he could take pleasure in the fact that it was clear they were fighting a losing battle. The only thing Agatha needed was time and once she had it, she and the other witches would become unstoppable. No human, Pokémon, or machine would be capable of bringing them down, and they would be free to reforge and recreate everything as they saw fit.

“We can handle it, Agatha,” Aaron replied. “But I would enjoy the pleasure of dealing with one of them personally…”

Triad (The Diamond Ladies)
Tide Song Hotel, Akala > En Route to Meeting Room of Eon Squad HQ, Eon Squad Villa
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine Shruikan Chakramaster Noblejanobii

After looking at the time, Cassandra knew they needed to be on their way to attend Jon’s meeting. With so little time and with no time to wait for cooking service, Jarena has simply bought three pre-made sandwich wraps and three bottles of water from a kiosk that was still open. They wouldn’t have time to eat it here, but they could possibly have it later during the meeting or after they got back to their room.

After leaving the hotel, Cassandra felt bad about having to leave Avery as a centaur all night, but at least it was a bearable affliction for the most part. Once the three of them had stepped out into the empty streets, it wasn’t long until they had gotten swift reminders of the more thoroughly afflicted. Still, as the night was getting darker, they still tried to keep under cover despite their colorful and eye-catching butterfly Pokémon costumes that Violet was regretting for subtlety’s sake.

Some of the victims they passed on their way to the villa, like the stone statues and Pokémon transformations, were ones that Cassandra knew she could heal in time once it was safe. But there were some that seemed far beyond recovery. One female trainer and her Lopunny were broken into shards and pieces like they were nothing but ceramic smashed on the concrete, while another trainer was almost fully melted into a pool of purple, still-bubbling ooze. Had it not been for the trainer’s half-melted face, she wouldn’t have been able to tell it was once a human.

“Even at our worst… we never did stuff like this…” Jarena muttered solemnly as she saw the sights of the ‘killed’ victims on their way to the Eon Villa. “This isn’t magic. This is murder.”

“Going easy on them would be a damn mistake,” Violet told Jarena and Cassandra. “Not one we can ever afford when it comes to spells. When you deal with murderous scum like this, you hold nothing back and let them know what this kind of hell feels like.”

“No…” Cassandra disagreed with Violet. “None of us should stoop to their level. We made a pledge to use Shadowcraft for healing, to prove there’s good to it. Maybe… with Jirachi’s help, we can save some of these other cases of extremities, but that’s going to be a longshot and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re beyond what we can do together. But when it comes to Agatha and her posse, keep them alive and breathing in one way or another. Neutralize them however you’d like to make sure they’re no longer a threat and can’t cast anymore spells, but I refuse to be like them with how they destroyed these people and Pokémon.”

Jarena nodded with that, but Violet had her doubts.

“They’re already a step above our league…” Violet reminded her. “You saw yourself what happened to Jarena. They nail Luneth and all three of us at once with something like that and this island is doomed. You sure you want to go easy on them for virtue’s sake when they’re doing this?”

“I know what you’re saying, but first, let’s see what Jon has to say tonight,” Cassandra replied, understanding Violet’s points as well. “It’s a delicate situation, but I’ve already done enough in my past life to have regrets and I don’t want to add more to it…”

Violet remained silent for now. While she didn’t entirely agree and felt it was suicide to take this war too mildly, she did want to be able to live with herself afterword. After passing by the splintered remains of a young boy Pokémon trainer and the remnants of his Growlithe, she felt sympathy and then anger, but she understood that she couldn’t allow that rage to turn her into an abomination as well.

With the Eon Squad Villa just up ahead, they decided to make a dash for it as the meeting was only a few minutes from starting.

Triad (The Diamond Ladies)
Meeting Room of Eon Squad HQ, Eon Squad Villa
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine Shruikan

By the time Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet had arrived, Cassandra had seen it was already 5:59 with only seconds to spare. While seats were provided, Cassandra figured there was no way they were sitting down with these giant butterfly wings on. And at the moment, they were the only outfits they had. All of Jarena’s other clothes were buried in the rubble of the urgent care.

Cassandra had noticed the rest of Jon’s Eon Squad were there, and considering the situation, while Cassandra trusted Steven, Cynthia, and some of the League’s members, she felt if anyone was going to make a difference in this situation, Jon’s Eon Squad would be it.

The room had been slightly turned upside down with furniture being moved out of the way and with a projector screen put up. Meanwhile, the only one that Cassandra had recognized besides Jon’s crew was Luneth. She had arrived sooner than they did, which Cassandra figured was due to the fact they had taken a few minutes to grab dinner. When they were going to eat it, they didn’t know. An even bigger question that Cassandra thought about was where they would be spending the night. The on-call room had been their place to stay, but with it destroyed, she knew she’d have to look into booking a room somewhere.

Meanwhile, Cassandra had seen that most people weren’t wearing costumes anymore, which made her feel a bit silly and out of place, but she decided not to feel ashamed about it. Her only concern was her possibly being recognized due to the fact she stood out now, but she took a bit of comfort in knowing if Jon trusted them enough to be here, she could trust them enough to respectfully keep the truth hidden if they suddenly put the pieces together that these three lades dressed as butterfly Pokémon were in fact the controversial Diamond Ladies that everyone thought were dead.

After sighing, she decided to push the thoughts of it out of her mind and simply wait for Jon to start the meeting.

[Desolate Divine]

05-18-2021, 04:08 AM

Jon Drake, Dylan Squier and Abbee Strauss
Eon Squad HQ Meeting Room
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga Shruikan @Anyone who arrives late.

As they made their way to the meeting, stopping to get lunch, Abbee heard the Vulpix she had spoken to earlier try and get Victini's attention. She then asked if Abbee could understand Pokespeak, and what her name was.

"You can call me Abbee." She said to the Vulpix with a grin, answering both questions.

They arrived on 5:59, with Jon, Dylan, Steven, Cynthia, the rest of Eon Squad and a few faces she didn't recognize that she presumed the Champions invited, all ready to go. She quickly made her way over to Jon.

"Cutting it a little fine aren't we?" He asked her, half joking.

"A minute early is still early." Abbee retorted, "Between us the Vulpix is actually a witch as well that Triad know and trust to help them. I figured we could use all the help we can get, and if Triad can bring themselves to trust them, they must be pretty safe."

Jon shifted uneasily, however understood her reasoning. She was probably right.

"We'll get the meeting started soon. Do you mind taking notes? In case anyone shows up late?" Jon asked. Abbee nodded, grabbing a large notepad and a pen from the table nearby, before making her way to only remaining empty seats at the back of the room, ready to take notes.

"Its 6pm now, so we will get started." Jon said to the crowd of people in the room, "We are meeting because too much has happened in the last twelve hours, and we need to make a point of communicating what we have come across in that time, and from there, plan our next steps."

"Before we go any further, there is one thing I want to make abundantly clear. Eon Squad has a policy that intel does not leave the group through myself, even to other operatives. The League have let information slip before that has caused issues, and I want to see that avoided, especially with people already dying today…" Jon explained, "I proposed the same thing to Steven and Cynthia with regards to this meeting, and given the fact that the enemy knew where to strike, they have agreed. The only people with authority to share this meetings information with anybody outside of this room will be Steven and Cynthia. I will be under their authority with that as well."

There were murmurs from some of the people invited to the meeting by Steven and Cynthia as Jon said this.

"If this level of confidentiality is too much for anybody here, leave now." Jon continued, "But realistically this just means you can't share any of this information with anyone outside of the room. It is not to be stored on any sort of shared server, and not to be told to your coworkers who aren't here over a beer. Are we clear?"

When there was a general agreement from the crowd and nobody walked out, Jon was content.

“In that case, lets begin.” Jon explained, “My main reason for calling the meeting was to get the accounts of different people, hear their thoughts, hypothesis’ and conclusions, and see if we can put these pieces together into a bigger picture, and come up with a counterattack from there. And I mean exactly what I say when I say counterattack. But we will get to that later…”

“The last few days, I have had Eon Squad tasked with attempting to find curses left by our targets before they were triggered. In the meantime I have worked with Triad in order to dispel the stronger curses that remained even after being tripped.” Jon explained, before pressing the button on the clicker in his right hand, “This morning, Dylan Squier and Abbee Strauss located this, and got a slight glimpse of the person who left it.”

On the screen appeared an image of the clipboard that had been cursed, with the glyph containing the curse visible.

“Dylan contacted myself, and I travelled alongside Naomi Hart to the site, where she identified the glyph, which turned out to be something new that hadn’t been apparent until now.” Jon explained, “This glyph is a hybrid curse. The first of the curses is a standard Pokemon transformation spell like what was used on the S.S. Wishmaker, and that we are now equipped to handle. The second however would turn the target into a walking security camera for whoever left it…”

There were murmurs, as Jon continued.

“Next to the glyph was a name, which we at first thought was a red herring, however Dylan Squier had a feeling there was more, and decided to follow it up. I will let him share his findings…”

Dylan went pale, as Jon stood aside, and he realized everyone was waiting for him. However after a few seconds, when he realized there was more important things than messing up a public speaking gig, he seemed to be okay.

“Brianna Levine was left on the petition next to the glyph, and with Jon’s permission, I started to investigate her, starting with a list of reagents Triad had forwarded me for the curse to be used. The easiest to trace was stardust, as it is high value with little personal use, so nine times out of ten ends up in a pawn-shop.” Dylan explained, “There aren’t many in Heahea city, and after a little digging I found the one that claimed to have sold Stardust to someone who fit the description that morning. They paid cash, so I paid out the clerk and got the bills used to pay for it from him. After that I left, and I was approached by the target outside the store. Brianna Levine.”

Jon clicked the clicker, showing security camera footage of Brianna speaking to Dylan, however her face was blurred.

“We believe she is using some form of shadowcraft to prevent her likeness being recorded.” Dylan explained, “When she approached me, she told me she only wanted to talk, and placed a hex on the ground that forced both of us standing within it to speak the truth. She didn’t ask me any questions outside of my name, however seemed to speak a lot herself, so we believe it was to try and earn some trust from us…”

“Firstly, she told us that she wasn’t affiliated with the group of witches who we have been clashing with, though doesn’t want to be affiliated with the league, and that she left that glyph with the intention of us finding it, to make us aware that our targets have been doing the same thing.” Dylan said, intentionally leaving out the fact that Brianna knew who Triad really were, as not everyone here did, “The biggest concern however was that she knew about the attack on the Hospital before it happened. She warned me with almost no time to spare, so I left her to provide backup at the hospital.”

“Rayquaza has been migrating towards Alola over the last couple of years, and shortly after Dylan arrived, Rayquaza attacked the Giratina Agatha was using to attack the hospital, at a guess, as some form of territory dispute.” Jon interjected, “However one of the witches used some sort of spell to immobilize Rayquaza, whilst the witches fled.”

“That’s when Brianna showed up again.” Dylan continued, “She then reiterated that she has the ability to help us, if she feels like it, and restored Rayquaza back to normal, before Jon captured it himself to get it treated, and possibly even use it in the battle against Agatha.”

“Do you really think you can have Rayquaza trained and suitable to battle Giratina again under your orders by the time that situation arises?” Asked one of Steven’s invitees.

“I can guarantee you that there isn’t a single person on this planet who can handle Rayquaza better than myself.” Jon explained, “If you want to contest that, wait until we aren’t dealing with this s**t…”

“Brianna basically came to reiterate that she isn’t siding with either us or Agatha, and has her own reasons for being against Agatha, so will help when it aligns with her own goals, and to prove that in a way, gave us two peices of information to pass on to Triad.” Dylan explained, “The first was in the form of two page references to a spell tome in posession of Triad, though I am unaware of what the pages are referencing. The second was another peice of information to pass on to Triad.”

Facing the three witches, Dylan continued.

“I noticed she restored Rayquaza without using any sort of incantation.” Dylan explained, “When I asked her how, she told me to tell you that incantations at their core is just vibrating air, and in the same way a recording or similar sound wave doesn’t trigger a spell, the incantation is not necessary. It is the thought that matters and the incantation exists purely as a means of directing focus and making sure the spell works as intended. She told me to let you know. Maybe it will allow you to do your work more discreetly, or respond quicker than you would normally?”

“I confronted her about waiting until the last possible second to tell us about the attack, and that the reason so many people died was because she waited.” Jon explained, “And if she is willing to let those people die, her reasons for helping us are almost certainly for her own benefit, not the greater good, which she didn’t deny.”

“Instead, she told us that the only reason more people didn’t die is because Agatha did what she wanted, and she warned us at all. That on our own we stand no chance, and we can either question her motives, lose her help and potentially fight a war on two fronts, or we can focus on the big problem at hand with Agatha, accept her help, and cross the potential bridge of conflict with her when we get there.” Jon explained.

Cynthia looked at Jon with great concern. The last thing they needed was another witch posing a threat to the stability.

“And what do you think of that?” Cynthia asked.

“I hate to admit it, but at the time, I partially agreed with her. We had civilians die, and they could have easily killed more. The only reason they didn’t was because they decided to retreat, when they really didn’t need to, and she gave a warning so that Dylan could help fight them back.” Jon explained, “Ultimately, it comes down to what those page references, and whether Triad are able to use those references to help us. We are going to investigate her of course, but we will keep our distance, and focus on dealing with Agatha, since the death toll is only going to increase, and if Brianna is able to keep that a little lower with her occasional input, then I think we should cross that bridge when we get there. Of course that is with Steven and Cynthia to decide…”

“As much as I hate leaving a potential threat like her unchecked, if it means we can deal with the confirmed threat with less casualties, then I think we focus on Agatha for now, and deal with Brianna when we absolutely have to. We won’t tell her a damn thing, but won’t bite that hand either…” Steven said, “That’s assuming that the page references she gave are actually helpful?”

“Only Triad can answer that, and I will let them do that when they share what they have found out.” Jon explained, “Dylan Squier and Abbee Strauss are assigned to investigate her, and Dylan already has some solid leads, so I will leave that investigation with them.”

“Triad?” Jon asked, as he took a seat, “What did the pages say? What do we need to know before we plan our next move? And what do you need from us?”

Chakramaster

05-18-2021, 10:36 AM

Jimmy Kendo
Eon Squad HQ Meeting room
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga Shruikan Desolate Divine

Double checking the location. Jimmy confirmed it was the right place. He focuses to connect with Jirachi again. Making sure Jirachi can read him telepathically. "Aliright Jirachi. Add this to our list too. We're gonna need this on our teleport list too. Just in case"

"Got it! You know the process by now, Jimmy" Jirachi told him through his telepathy.

Jimmy walked in. Making it just before the meeting had started. "6pm right on the dot. Least I didn't miss anything" he said nodding towards Cynthia and Steven.

Jimmy made sure to keep quiet and pay attention. More than any of them know he's been focusing on evidence and gathering information. Links he may not be aware of are vital pieces that may prove more worthwhile. Soon enough he'd have to let the others know too.

They began mentioning about the curse seen earlier. He recognized it. Back at his own base setup. The team and Jirachi still had it and other focus points being processed and analyzed. Jimmy just couldn't help, but to think there was some connection somewhere.

Jimmy then focused in on the witch that spoke with Dylan. Listening carefully to what they think about the situation with her. Though he knew he'd be explaining it soon enough. He knew Jirachi was helping to focus in on any vital information the could use to make any connections. But ONLY what was necessary for the mission as per requested by Jon. Just as Jimmy had taught Jirachi over the years. The listen and respect others even if they aren't his trainer. Only under circumstances.

"Don't worry Jimmy. I'm only marking down things absolutely vital like you told me" Jirachi connected with Jimmy telepathically and him alone using their personal radio communication Jimmy had yet to give anyone. Waiting to hand out the gift Jirachi made to give everyone there that Steven approved earlier.

Focusing back on the meeting. They mentioned Rayquaza. Jimmy couldn't help but to question the validity of what he said when Jon mentioned there wasn't a single person on the planet besides him that could handle Rayquaza better than himself. Jirachi let out a little snicker through the communication with Jimmy.

"If only you knew Jimmy." Jirachi laughed. "But that's not for now or us to know."

Jimmy couldn't help but to question it more. Did Jirachi see something and not let him know?

Jimmy focused back in. His Pikachu sat calmly and quietly on his shoulder. Paying attention to anything imperative to the mission at hand. He couldn't help but to wonder more about this one particular witch. If she was t on any particular side. Then who was she? And why did she only do what "she" wanted? It couldn't help but to just catch Jimmy's eyes and stand out.

Snapping out of his after Cynthia spoke her part. Jon spoke up again

“Triad?” Jon asked, as he took a seat, “What did the pages say? What do we need to know before we plan our next move? And what do you need from us?”

Jimmy looked over to them as he took a moment to pull a bottle of water and snack from his bag. Not having had anything since early that morning he felt he needed it before he had to say anything and give out his gift to anyone that wanted it.

Neo Emolga

05-19-2021, 02:15 AM

AGATHA
Manager Office, Thrifty Megamart, Akala
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine

“You wouldn’t dare!” Willow shouted at Nicodemus. “What the hell is wrong with you!?”

Willow’s shouting could be heard throughout most of the Megamart, and it was definitely enough to get Agatha’s attention. She had confronted the two of them, wondering what had caused the commotion.

“Tell me this is something important,” Agatha growled at the two witches. “Details. Now.”

“Through my ongoing research, I have discovered a means to accelerate the Netherclysm spell,” Nicodemus hissed with a smile. “Additive reagents, to be precise. Very rare, but very effective.”

“And what are these reagents?” Agatha asked, taking an interest in this proposal.

“Eon blood, specifically,” Nicodemus flashed a gnarled, toothy grin. “The blood of Latios and Latias combined. It would resonate well with the nether energies the spell needs to feed upon. Their blood, the vital fluids of brother and sister legendaries… would be a banquet, my liege.”

Agatha then looked to Willow and could understand what the commotion was about. She knew Willow happened to be the trainer of Latias, and she was especially fond of her.

“How much sooner would this accelerate the spell?” Agatha asked, wondering what Nicodemus had uncovered in his research.

“At least a whole day…” Nicodemus smiled. “But we would benefit more the sooner it is added to the Netherclysm’s feast…”

“This is insane!” Willow shouted in dismay. “I’m not going to hurt my own Pokémon to bleed. Especially not Latias!”

“Barely a sacrifice,” Agatha countered in a firm tone, losing her patience. “You draw out as much as Nicodemus needs and nothing less. Pokémon exist only to battle, and they’re no strangers to bleeding. Draw it out in the apothecary room and stop wasting time about this.”

“But we don’t even have Latios with us,” Willow replied, trying to justify her lack of compliance. “Don’t you need both of them? This could all be for nothing!”

Agatha’s patience with Willow was growing thinner and she already despised the fact she questioned her judgment and authority. Normally, Willow had been compliant and obedient throughout most of what had transpired, but this was a major deviation from the traits that Agatha had liked about her. Now, her lack of cooperation was becoming a serious problem.

“We already know Latios is here,” Agatha growled at her. “And with him is none other than Jon Drake. Aaron and his scouts had spotted him during the attack in Heahea.”

“Indeed, I had been made aware of this as well,” Nicodemus grinned. “I wouldn’t have brought it up otherwise if I didn’t think it was possible to get our hands on his blood.”

“You really expect to get Latios’s blood?” Willow asked, thinking that was absurd. “Jon would murder you if you tried.”

“Oh, I welcome him to try!” Nicodemus laughed maniacally. “I do. I most certainly do. But he is just but a simple man. Now, prepare the bloodletter. I have something I need to take care of first, but I’d better see you in the apothecary once I’m done. Because, as you well know, human blood has its uses as a reagent, too…”

Willow bowed down and nodded, although miserable and regretful about what this was driving her to do. As Nicodemus shambled away back into his chambers like a zombie walking, Willow sighed and made her way to the makeshift apothecary that had once been one of the back storerooms. She had decided she had already taken a few bad steps to getting on Agatha’s bad side and she really couldn’t afford to deviate much more if she didn’t want to be branded as a traitor.

Once she had stepped into the apothecary, Willow’s nose was immediately assaulted by a plethora of strange odors from the many vials, flasks, and bowls of herbs, oils, and other bizarre reagents placed upon the shelves, tables, and workbenches. The dusty and poorly-lit room was filthy from all the use of reagents and lack of etiquette in cleaning up. With a heavy heart, Willow had taken Latias’s Pokéball, primed it for release, and summoned the Eon Pokémon before her. Within seconds, the red and white draconic jet-shaped Pokémon suddenly materialized from the white light. She levitated above the ground, looking at her surroundings to see the unkempt apothecary around her.

Normally, Latias was a happy, cheerful, and optimistic Pokémon, but lately things had been hard for her. She was happy to see Willow, but the look on Willow’s somber and regretful face said this wasn’t a happy occasion. Normally, Latias wouldn’t peer into Willow’s mind out of respect for her privacy, but now she had a bad feeling…

<Willow, what’s… what’s going on? This place is a mess.>

She could hear Latias speaking to her telepathically, like they had communicated several times before.

“They need your blood,” Willow told her, being as up front and as honest as she could be with her. “Turns out it’s a powerful amplifier reagent for the one big spell they want to cast.”

<Netherclysm, isn’t it…?>

“Don’t let anyone know I told you about that… please…” Willow whispered, checking over her shoulder to make sure no one was within earshot. “They’ll kill me if they found out. Or worse. But yes, they need your blood… and your brother’s blood. Latios.”

Just the mention of her brother’s name got her on the alert, but then… she felt a presence. She hadn’t sensed it before while she was in her Pokéball, but now that she was outside of it, she could sense him… nearby. On this very island. She then looked back to Willow.

<Exactly how much blood do they need?>

“I don’t know…” Willow muttered, looking downcast and almost in denial this was happening. “It sounds like… they want a lot. Everything they’re doing is all for this spell and from what I’ve seen, no sacrifice is too great…”

<We should just go. Forget this place and let’s just go back home. There’s something wrong with all of this!>

“I know, but we can’t leave…” Willow replied, shaking her head. “They’ve entrapped everyone on the island. If I run, I’m dead. I swear, I never should have come here…”

Latias felt terrible about the whole situation, but she knew it wasn’t Willow’s fault. She had remembered the way Willow described this whole excursion, and at first it sounded like a way for Willow to learn and amplify her Shadowcraft powers. But now it had taken a very dark turn, and cutting ties and getting caught would be fatal. But at the same time, Latias knew they couldn’t stay here. Even if she wasn’t a psychic Pokémon, she could just sense this place was brimming with dark, unholy ambitions, the kind that Willow was not expecting to have to deal with.

Instead, Latias had closed her eyes, sensing through the expanse of space. Her connection to her brother was strong, and now… she needed his help. More than ever. It didn’t take her long to pinpoint his location once she focused on her psychic power.

<Latios… brother, if you can hear me, please. I’m here… and we need your help. They’re…

…they’re preparing something truly horrible, and… it involves me… and you…>

Triad (The Diamond Ladies)
Meeting Room of Eon Squad HQ, Eon Squad Villa
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine Shruikan Chakramaster

After Jimmy and his Pikachu had arrived, Jon had started the meeting with a strong opening that he didn’t want anything confidential to leave this meeting. Already, they had suffered numerous casualties, and there was still possibility that some of their darker secrets could be compromised if things weren’t taken seriously. The whole time, Cassandra was hoping people would take her seriously… even if she was dressed as a giant Butterfree. At this point, with the whole festival having gone to hell, she wouldn’t mind wearing something else…

Jon had covered what his team had been doing, getting to the details regarding the curses and the hybrid left behind by Brianna. Upon a closer investigation, Jon had revealed that it seemed Brianna was following her own motives, not allied with the League or with Agatha. The matter of getting her help was a question, as Jon was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

“As much as I hate leaving a potential threat like her unchecked, if it means we can deal with the confirmed threat with less casualties, then I think we focus on Agatha for now, and deal with Brianna when we absolutely have to. We won’t tell her a damn thing, but won’t bite that hand either…” Steven said, “That’s assuming that the page references she gave are actually helpful?”

“Only Triad can answer that, and I will let them do that when they share what they have found out.” Jon explained, “Dylan Squire and Abbee Strauss are assigned to investigate her, and Dylan already has some solid leads, so I will leave that investigation with them.”

“Triad?” Jon asked, as he took a seat, “What did the pages say? What do we need to know before we plan our next move? And what do you need from us?”

“Yeah, we looked into this,” Cassandra replied, trying to pretend she wasn’t in costume. “Page 216 of the Zeketh tome goes into details regarding a spell called the Expavescimus Charm. It redirects spells back at the one who casted them. The reagents aren’t too difficult to get, either. That simply requires a broken mirror to be ground up into dust and mashed-up feathers from an unevolved flying Pokémon. The three of us figured those should be easy to acquire as well, as Wingull feathers are easy to find on the beach and should suffice for the spell.”

“The other spell mentioned on page 384 is called Luxum Patibatur, a curse that causes the victim to hemorrhage energy,” Cassandra further explained. “Reagents for that include human blood, ginger, and paint thinners. Should be relatively easy to acquire. Now, the method to turn these two into a hybrid, which the three of us never delved into before, is known as a Simul spell, which needs ashes of burnt paper. Before that paper is turned into ashes, it needs to have two overlapping handprints in red ink. All this together leads up to a hybrid spell that would not only redirect a spell back at the caster, but it would also make them bleed out their energy.”

“Sounds pretty brutal,” one of the other attendees replied. “Would be nice to see them get a taste of their own medicine. If every one of us was protected by this…”

Cassandra nodded, knowing that while that was the case, it wouldn’t be the knock-out punch they were likely hoping for. To her, it almost seemed too easy, and she knew that while Agatha was evil, she wasn’t stupid.

“It’s a start,” Cassandra replied. “You could take out several of Agatha’s followers with this if every one of us received this before we attacked them, but they would catch on and would know what to be on the lookout for. Once they find out what they’re dealing with, dispelling it would soon become standard protocol, so it has to be a supplement to other strategies and we need to be dynamic in how we handle this.”

“As in other hybrid protective spells?” Cynthia asked.

“To an extent, yeah,” Cassandra nodded. “Having ‘defused’ a hybrid spell myself, they’re tricky to disarm and it bears the risk of setting off one spell as you try to disarm the other. On a good day, a good six or seven of Agatha’s pawns will get wiped from this. The others will see these redirects happening and will hold their fire until they’ve been able to identify the reason and come up with possible countermeasures. But it would likely still mean we’d have to face their Pokémon while they try to discern the means to disarm this hybrid and work around it.”

“And you don’t think it would take them a while to figure it out?” one of the attendees asked.

“It could, but it’s like having a Pokémon team of only fire types or only water types,” Cassandra explained further with an analogy. “You can’t have everyone bearing the same strengths and weaknesses.”

It had led up to another question. And as Cassandra thought about it, while she didn’t trust Brianna, this hybrid spell was a starting point and was a piece of sound advice that they needed to go deeper and get creative. She had to think of other possible combinations to use with Simul and use those against Agatha and her followers. Instead of everyone having the same protection, she felt diversifying the protective spells and wards would keep Agatha and her followers guessing who was protected with what. Wasting precious time trying to discern what protections their enemies had and then scramble trying to undo them would cost them precious time and would make them lose the fight.

“Right now, reagents are the big challenge,” Cassandra told the group. “Diversifying is key, but we can’t go overboard to the point where we need mountains of reagents. So my thought is having this protective redirect spell be one among five that we can use the next time we confront Agatha. As for the other four, we’ll need to delve into the books to come up with some useful options for this situation. What I thought might also help is varying the nature of our attack.”

“As in…?” Steven asked, wondering where Cassandra was going with this.

“Some of us can attack as human trainers,” Cassandra proposed. “Others, those who are a bit braver, can be transformed into Pokémon and attack on that front, leaving Agatha and her followers guessing who is the trainer and who are the actual Pokémon. Not to mention there are far more spells made to transform humans than there are spells to transform Pokémon. And then there’s other transformations and traits that can be utilized. For those who are really brave open to the idea, preemptively transforming someone into say a pixie, a lycanthrope, or a mermaid, for example, complicates things for the other side. It forces one transformation spell to have to overwrite another. Sometimes that’s possible, sometimes it’s not, or sometimes it can be difficult and doesn’t take the first time. Given, a number of us have already been hit with spells like this and haven’t been cured, yet. Quite frankly, it’s better to keep them on if they’re bearable enough and you can still move and fight with them. It’s very easy to transform a human and most of these spells were made to do just that. But if they’re already something else, there’s a solid chance the spell may fizzle trying to transform a human when the target is not that at all.”

“This sounds bloody crazy…” One of the operatives muttered.

“I’m not denying that,” Cassandra replied. “I’m not even expecting most people to be open to some of these extremes, but I’d rather survive as something outlandish and inane to better our chances of winning this battle than be killed as a human in some horrific and unnatural way like some people experienced this afternoon. Besides, I wouldn’t transform anyone into something that we can’t undo later. This is all temporary until we’ve won. But it’s your choice, and I don’t even mind providing a list of options once we’ve worked out what we can do with reagents that I think can be within our grasp of obtaining without too much trouble.”

But with that said, Cassandra knew it was, at best, still a proposal. She could see from the looks on Steven’s and Cynthia’s faces that they weren’t so sure about this, but they weren’t about to trash the whole idea as it could very well be the least costly option, especially if everything they would do would be dismissible once the war had been won. Ultimately, Steven decided how best to react to this.

“I might need to see your list of what all of our options are, first,” Steven replied before settling on this strategy. “I’m hoping this doesn’t require us to go to extremes… but we’ll do what we must do…”

Cassandra could understand his thoughts as she knew this was something they had never considered before. But she knew that if they wanted to win against someone who could do what was once thought to be impossible…

…they would very well have to go to extremes…

[Desolate Divine]

05-19-2021, 12:32 PM

Latios
Above Eon Squad HQ
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga

Creative License with Neos Permission

As the meeting happened, Latios resumed sentry duty, remaining invisible above the villa, ready to reach out to Jon if anybody approached with nefarious intentions. Whilst people could disguise themselves, their emotions were on display for him. Whilst it wasn't an exact science, as not any angry person meant harm, the different mixtures of feeling people displayed to Latios allowed for educated guesses. Someone displaying anger and contempt together was liable to be a danger.

"Latios… brother, if you can hear me, please. I’m here… and we need your help. They’re…

…they’re preparing something truly horrible, and… it involves me… and you…"

Latios jerked around, looking everywhere for the source of the voice in his head. The voice was feminine, but he didn't have a sister... At least, not one he knew of. Whilst Latios didn't keep track of time the way humans did until he met Jon, Jon estimated that Latios would be roughly twenty years old based on his size and, as Jon put it, 'maturity or lack thereof'. Fourteen or so of those years were with Jon, and at a guess based on Latios' size in his own memories, Latios left Southern Island two years before he met Jon, though he couldn't remember why. He didn't remember a great deal of the first four, give-or-take years of his life. Only really learning to communicate with telepathy in the last four years, he learnt that most creatures, people or Pokemon can't remember their early days. But he'd know if he had a sister?

The presence in his mind lingered for a second as the message faded, and Latios had a sense of familiarity, and now that he was having it, he recalled having that same sense many years earlier in a tournament, distracting him and losing the battle.

Feeling the consciousness that had scraped his own start to fade, Latios used his own telepathy to jump on it, trying to strengthen the link, and figure out its source. Jon would not approve of such a risky manoeuvre during a mission, as it could be a ploy from Agatha, however he knew it wasn't. He had felt this sense of familiarity well before Agatha was in the picture, and there was no way she could have mimicked it so perfectly...

As Latios dove into the consciousness, the familiarity grew, as he suddenly remembered something from before he left Southern Island, as well as experiencing someone else's memories, causing pieces to come to together.

He was still small, barely even two feet tall, sitting alone under the shade of a tree on Southern Island, trying to stay out of the storm that was billowing outside, and stay dry himself. However, more important than that, was the white and red egg, a little under a foot tall, he huddled around, trying to keep it warm.

Latios didn't know his mother. She had left long before, as she knew her time was nearly up. She had told the native Pokemon of Southern Island her story, and the cruel luck of Legendary Pokemon. The reason those that can breed are still so difficult to find. Very rarely can they reproduce, it usually taking years, and when they are able to, it usually took too much of a toll on them to live much longer. Because of this, most Legendary Pokemon grow up alone, with no parents, and the cruel cycle continues.

He had hatched a year earlier, and been told by the other Pokemon what became of his mother. Laying not one but two eggs took all the strength she had, and not wanting her offspring to hatch, only to find her decayed body, she left. The Pokemon presume she died somewhere in the ocean between Southern Island and the Hoenn mainland. She had left one other message.

"Look after each other."

Latios was the first to hatch, and hear the story. He stayed by the egg, only leaving when absolutely necessary, until two years later, the egg hatched, bringing Latias into the world. From then, the pair were inseparable, as only they truly understood each other.

The next two years, they both grew, Latios reaching four feet tall, and showing a natural talent and creativity for psychic abilities, limited only by his own physical strength he harnessed to use them. Latias was three feet tall, still too young to be able to use these abilities, however starting to learn how to refract light, to change her appearance to anything she wanted, at the time though, she only knew the Pokemon on the island. Whilst they could both fly, Latios quite quickly given his age and size, leaving the island wasn't possible. Latios could potentially make it to land before needing rest, but Latias wouldn't have been able to make it.

This however all changed, when Latias heard strange noises coming from the beach of the island, early one morning...

"I'm telling you, my source is legit, there is this gem that is supposed to be on this island. They call it the Soul Dew?"

Latias couldn't understand the voices, however was curious, wondering if new Pokemon had arrived on the island. Latios was still asleep, and not wanting to disturb him, she made her way towards the noise, curious to see what Pokemon had found their way here, and how.

She made her way out of the home her and Latios had built in the trees, and found three, strange looking Pokemon, nearly twice her height, and standing on two legs. She had only seen flying and water type Pokemon on the island, so this was new. They all looked slightly different to one another, which was odd for Pokemon, yet still all seemed similar.

She cried out, greeting them, catching them by surprise.

"Is that... A Latias?" said one of them "I heard rumors they were here, but didn't think it was true..."

"She'll fetch a better price than any gem..." said the other, as he slowly moved his hands to his waist, "Go get the net from the boat..."

Feeling uneasy, Latias slowly backed away, however the strange Pokemon noticed, before throwing a strange object in front of her. It exploded, revealing a black Pokemon with yellow markings the same size as her. It had red eyes, and looked at her intently.

"Mean Look." Said the stranger, causing the four legged Pokemon in front of her to glare at Latias. Suddenly she felt paralyzed, as if she were too terrified to even flee, as the other stranger returned with a large metal tube, before pointing it at her.

There was a boom, as both the strangers staggered, as if shoved by an invisible force, as a white and blue blur darted out from the trees, tackling the four legged Pokemon in front of her.

She felt the presence of her brother in her mind, telling her to flee, but she couldn't.

"Just our luck, there is one of each, and they're too young to do any real damage..." Laughed the stranger who summoned the black Pokemon.

"Surrender..." said the black Pokemon, before darting towards Latios. It slammed into Latios knocking it back, as Latios prepared to lift it using his Psychic abilties, however the Pokemon seemed unaffected.

"Quit wasting time, and capture it!" Said the stranger to the one with the tube, who pointed it at Latias. A moment later there was a bang, as Latias found herself trapped under a weighted rope.

"Brother!" she called out. Latios looked back in horror, before taking another hit from the black Pokemon. Roaring in anger, Latios lashed forward with insane speed, gripping his jaws around the black Pokemon's neck, and forcing them shut, as a loud crack pierced the air.

"Umbreon!" Said the stranger, "You'll pay for that!"

Latios turned to face both of them, tossing Umbreon's limp corpse towards them, his eyes beginning to glow. This time he focused his telekinetic abilities into a smaller area, instead of spreading it in every direction. He had learnt the neck was the weak spot on the black Pokemon. Maybe it was the same with these strange Pokemon.

The stranger with the tube saw Latios, quickly darting behind a nearby tree. The other wasn't fast enough. Latios focused all of his psychic power into a concentrated blast, aimed at the strangers neck. There was another loud crack, whilst the stranger was blasted backwards, alongside his Pokemon and thrown off the edge of the island.

Fatigued from the psychic attacks, but not willing to give up, Latios darted to the other stranger who had emerged from its hiding place, and mauled it between its neck and shoulder, causing one of its arms to go limp. It screamed in pain, before smacking Latios hard over the head with the metal tube, knocking Latios unconscious.

Latias watched as the stranger threw Latios to the ground.

"He is too much of a liability to bring along... Caused too much trouble..." The stranger said, "But you, I think you will behave yourself..."

The other Pokemon of the island had already fled, and as the stranger gathered the net that bound Latias, tying it off and taking it back to the boat it used to arrive, Latias could only cry out desperately, hoping her brother would wake up and rescue her. She continued to cry as the boat departed, leaving Latios alone on the island.

Latios awoke hours later, alone on the island, with no memory of anything that happened before. He was too young to understand that this wasn't normal, nor was there anyone around to tell him. He knew he existed, and was on this island, but nothing more.

Over the coming days, Latios felt drawn to the sea north of the island and what was on the other side. He eventually found the courage to leave the strange island, and see what was on the other side. Eventually he reached it, finding it full of other Pokemon, and strange creatures that they called humans.

After a few close calls due to Latios' ignorance, being saved by the local wild Pokemon who understood something was wrong, they informed Latios of how special of a Pokemon he was, and that humans would want to capture him for no other reason than wanting to have a special Pokemon. If he wanted to survive, he would have to avoid humans. And he did just that.

The next two years were spent wandering Hoenn, learning about the world around him, and avoiding humans, as almost any he was unfortunate enough to run into would try and capture him. And whilst he wasn't opposed to being friends with a human like some Pokemon did, he certainly didn't want to be friends with one who only wanted him for some sort of status he held, and had no choice in whether or not he held it.

After two years wandering the Hoenn mainland, Latios met a strange human. He was being attacked by another Pokemon, under the orders of their human friend, when another human intervened, allowing him to escape. The human who attacked him was angry, but the human who helped didn't seem to care. He barked back just as ferociously until the first human left.

Latios wondered if this was the sort of human he wanted to be friends with. Curious, he watched the human from a distance, however he was unsure if this human wanted to be friends. Maybe he just wanted to help and that was it. In order to be sure, Latios came up with an idea. Latios would let the human see him, and point towards where the island he came from was. That way if the human did want to be friends, he could come find him.

Latios tried it, before returning to the island, waiting to see if the human would arrive, however he didn't. Latios returned to the mainland, trying to find this human, and when he did, did the same thing. He pointed to the south, where the island was, crying out, before flying towards there. He waited and still the human didn't come. Latios wasn't sure if the human just didn't care, or was dense, so tried six more times, when finally, the human arrived at his island. However, he had one more test for the human. He wanted to be friends with someone strong, and the human had to prove it.

And he did. The human proved his strength to Latios, who then let the human capture him in one of their strange capture balls. That was how he became friends with his now best friend Jon.

Latias on the other hand, was taken by the human, and when they reached the mainland, locked in a cage. Her psychic powers hadn't manifested yet, and eventually the human gave her to another human, in exchange for a black case that the other human seemed to want very much.

The human she had been given to lived in a large house, out the back of which was dozens of glorified cages, each containing fake mementos of the original homes of the Pokemon inside them. Whilst she hadn't seen most of the Pokemon, she came to understand that they were rare. Their coloring was different, or they were a type that only lived in certain places. And a couple of them, the human said were like her. Legendary.

She was placed in a cage, where she would spend the next two years. She grew, and soon after learnt how to use her Psychic abilities, as well as mastered the ability to turn invisible, or make herself appear differently, however the grounds outside the cages were patrolled by Pokemon that were trained to fight, and she knew she stood no chance of defeating them if she had to.

The time in the cage was made slightly better by the friend she made in the cage next to hers. It was a Charmander, which according to the other Pokemon there were uncommon, but not enough to justify this. Not that anything could justify it. However this Charmander was black. Being prisoners together, the two developed a strong bond. However as time went on, the light in Charmander's eyes dimmed slowly and slowly with each passing day. Eventually, Charmander stopped getting up in the morning, just laying in the same place it had slept, not wanting to talk to or see anyone. Until one day, Charmander just didn't wake up. It had just lost the will to live.

Latias realized at this point that if she didn't escape, she would die like Charmander. And if she did, she would never see her brother again. So she planned an escape.

By the time she reached that point, she had become strong enough in her psychic abilities to destroy the lock containing her, however didn't. She couldn't escape the Pokemon guarding her, and didn't want to give away the fact she could break out until she knew it was possible. She had also not let any of the Pokemon guarding her see the illusions she could create in her place.

The Pokemon that guarded her weren't treated much better. They slept outdoors, rain, hail or snow, which worked for her. She waited until she could see one struggling a lot in their sleep, having a nightmare. She pressed her consciousness against its own, and began to see what scared it, taking note of it.

After this, every night for weeks, when that Pokemon slept, she would press herself against its consciousness, and force that same image from the nightmare. When it was finally time to enact her plan, she waited for that Pokemon to be the one guarding her cage, before using her ability to change her appearance in the eyes of those around her, turning her into the monster of that Pokemon's nightmare, before blasting the cage door open.

The terrified Pokemon fled, as she darted through the door, seizing freedom. She wanted nothing more than to try and free the others but knew she couldn't do this now, and would just get caught if she tried. Instead she promised herself she would return one day, and free the other Pokemon there.

Latias returned to the island, however found it empty. When she arrived back in the mainland, she made herself appear human, and tried to track down Latios. It took nine months before she did. She was in the city the humans called Lilycove, when she felt the familiar presence of her brothers mind. She followed it into a stadium, making her way through the crowds to see Latios, now nearly six feet tall, battling against an Incineroar. Behind Latios at the end of the field was a young man in his late teens, directing Latios, as he fought the Pokemon opposite him.

Latias, still disguised as a human, walked through the stands, going to the seats closest to the human directing Latios, which were empty due to being in Incineroar's firing line. Whilst she wanted to wait until the battle was over, she had already waited nearly three years, and couldn't wait a second longer. She reached out to Latios' consciousness with her own, seeing Latios jerk at the contact, and swing his head around, looking at her, though the emotion he felt, and the look on his face showed he didn't remember her.

Suddenly, Latios was hit hard by Incineroar, knocking him back towards his trainer. He groaned in pain, and tried to go back into the battle, before his trainer spoke up.

"I resign." the trainer said, "Latios is hurt."

Latias hadn't noticed the harsh bruise that had already manifested where Latios was struck by Incineroar under the wing.

"You alright?" she heard the trainer say to Latios with a gentle voice, "What happened out there?"

Latias watched, realizing that Latios had found someone he was safe with. He seemed genuinely happy with this trainer, and was now safe from people capturing him to be part of a collection, or worse, part of a private zoo...

Latias left, listening to the commentator refer to Latios' trainer as Jon Drake, taking note of the name. She wanted to be able to know he was okay.

Latias travelled Hoenn, trying to find a safe place to call home. The island was empty after the disaster that had occurred there, and she didn't want to live in isolation, away from other Pokemon. Within a few weeks she found a place to call home in the depths of Meteor Falls, where she remained undisturbed for a few months.

However, one day, she heard the sound of footsteps in a nearby cavern. Human footsteps. Remembering the last time this happened, she froze with fear, unable to move, as she saw a light coming from around the corner. The footsteps grew louder, until a human walked around the corner, and stood facing her, holding a lantern. She was in her late teens and looked shocked to see her. Latias prepared to fight, however stopped when the human spoke.

"I'm sorry, is this your home?" said the girl, "I stumbled across these caverns and wanted to explore. I didn't mean to intrude..."

Latias eased a fraction. The girl didn't stare at her with that aura of greed or possessiveness she had seen in most humans who saw her in her true form. The only other one who was the same was Latios' trainer, Jon.

"To say sorry." the girl said, pulling a wrapped sandwich from her pocket, and removing the plastic wrap. She placed it down at her feet, before saying goodbye and leaving.

Latias looked at the food left for her, and realized for the first time around a human, she felt the same way Latios must feel all the time. Safe. What if this human could be to her, what Jon is to Latios?

Latias picked up each half of the sandwich, before following where the girl had gone. When she caught up, she cried out, getting the girls attention, before handing her half of the sandwich. That was how Latias met Willow...

Willow had already beaten the gym challenge in Hoenn, however didn't get past Victory Road, instead pursuing whatever interests she had at the time. Her and Latias were inseparable, becoming even closer when Latias learnt to communicate telepathically with her.

As the years passed, Willow helped Latias keep tabs on Jon Drake, and by extension, Latios. She watched in horror at the footage of Latios seemingly attacking civilians on the S.S. Wishmaker, and breathed a sigh of relief when Jon revealed they were investigating allegations of witchcraft, and her brother was really some sort of spy doing good, and not a destructive maniac. Willow also watched these events with great interest, discovering the existence of Shadowcraft, and beginning to partake in it herself. And life was good.

Until Agatha came into the picture. A vision that Willow received, given to all Shadowcraft wielders, summoning them to Alola. Willow had gone hoping to learn more of Shadowcraft, and was now in too deep, and Latias was now also at risk...

"Latios… brother, if you can hear me, please. I’m here… and we need your help. They’re…

…they’re preparing something truly horrible, and… it involves me… and you…"

Suddenly, it all made sense to Latios. Those missing years, and that feeling of familiarity. The calling to fly north to Hoenn...

Now he just had to tell Jon...

Jon Drake, Abbee Strauss and Dylan Squier
Eon Squad Meeting Room
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga, Chakramaster Shruikan

Jon was curious to know the effects of the spells Brianna had referenced with the page numbers, and hearing this, he was almost excited. Rayquaza only lost against Giratina because of a cheap shot from a witch. But with this protecting it...

This cemented his stance on Brianna. She was in no way their ally, and they weren't going to compromise their mission or safety to get her assistance. But if she kept giving them advice like this, they would take it warily. They needed all the help they could get to beat Agatha...

Cassandra began describing other plays which in theory would work, but would be uncomfortable to say the least. He trusted her when she said she wouldn't transform someone if she didn't know she could transform them back, but naturally the other operatives were apprehensive. He sighed quietly to himself at what he was about to do.

"She's right. We can have actual Pokemon who know how to fight other Pokemon holding off their Ghost Types, and have people who volunteer to become Pokemon giving hell to the witches. If their magic is ineffective, they are human, and a flamethrower will still burn them..." Jon said, before hoping his own confidence would inspire others to be willing to try something out of the box, "I volunteer to temporarily become a Pokemon. My own team are trained in how to battle without my direction, and Latios can act as a central hub for communication between myself and them. Rayquaza is an exception, but I have faith I can get it trained reasonably will if I have a little time to spend with it..."

Jon waited, hoping at least one other would volunteer as well...

Noblejanobii

05-19-2021, 10:24 PM

Avery Miller & Abital Ecke
Tide Song Hotel Lobby
Affected RP'ers: Anyone still at the hotel (which I don't think there is anyone)

Avery felt their heart sink a bit as Cassandra delivered the news that they weren't sure what sort of spell Avery had been hit with, so curing them right away wasn't an option. They'd need to use a special Nox Purge spell, which wasn't possible at the moment due to how draining it was. Given they had just performed it on Jarena, they wouldn't be able to perform it again until tomorrow. It was disappointing news for sure, but not something Avery couldn't accept. "I understand. No need to strain yourselves on my account. One night as a centaur won't kill me. It'll just take some getting used to." Abital didn't seem quite as at ease with this decision as Avery was, but Avery knew this was simply because their husband lacked an understanding of how Shadowcraft worked. They'd have to explain it to him later.

Avery and Abital watched as pretty much everyone in the lobby filed out to head somewhere else. "Any idea where they're headed?" Abital signed to Avery. Avery shook their head. Even though the Triad had just mentioned dinner, they had a feeling that wasn't where they were headed.

"Let's follow them," Avery said quietly. If there was something going on, they wanted to know about it. Unfortunately, this was a lot easier task said than done. While Avery and Abital initially were able to trail behind the Triad, Jimmy, and the others, between Avery's constant stumbling due to their lack of familiarity with their centaur form and possible supernatural forces at work, the duo quickly found that they had lost the group and were now alone in the streets of Heahea City.

"So now what?" Avery asked Abital in exasperation. It seemed that for now the witch attacks had stopped so at least they could potentially enjoy this moment of respite out in the open.

Abital tapped his foot in thought before gesturing to a lone open kiosk. Avery cocked an eyebrow at Abital, glancing down at their own lower half, before looking back at Abital, causing their husband to snort. He simply signed in return, "I'm sure it's not the weirdest thing they've seen today."

"You have a point there," Avery mumbled. The newlyweds walked over to the kiosk and made their orders. It was a bit of an awkward process since the clerk didn't know FSL (Fiore Sign Language), or any signs for that matter, so Avery had to translate. While normally not a problem, when you're suddenly 7 feet tall, this means you're now usually taller than the kiosk window itself, leaving them in a bit of an awkward position as they tried to bend over to speak with the cashier. Still, just as Abital had said, the service worker didn't seem at all bothered by Avery's half-horse form. Either that was a testament to the hell of the day, or perhaps the food industry at large, but nevertheless it was a relief to be able to grab some dinner while they were here.

Taking their food with them, the duo sat down at a table near some grass. Avery wasn't exactly made to sit in a chair so they simply knelt down in the grass like they had seen Daybreak do many a time. Both spouses made short work of the sandwiches they had ordered. Neither had had a proper meal in days since the chaos started, so these sandwiches seemed like the best things ever for the time being. By the time they had finished eating, Avery had an idea of what to do next while they waited for the others to hopefully return from wherever they had gone.

"I think it might be worth getting used to moving around in this form more. Namely learning how to gallop and potentially carry you if need be," Avery said.

Based on his expression, Abital didn't seem entirely opposed to the suggestion, but he did have some questions. He quickly signed, "But if they're just going to Nox Purge you tomorrow, what's the point?"

"No offense to the ladies but..." Avery hesitated a moment before shrugging, "I don't fully trust that they're going to cure me tomorrow. They'll cure me eventually, I know them well enough to know that they'll get around to it before they disappear again. But there's something much bigger going on here right now, and I don't want to get in the way of it. This Nox Purge ritual seems to take a lot out of them, and I'd rather they conserve their energies on doing whatever it is they're planning rather than fixing My Little Keldeo over here."

Abital rubbed their chin and nodded slowly in agreement. It did seem better to prioritize people in much more dire situations. They had tried to ignore the broken statues and piles of goop they had seen on the way here, but those images weighed heavily on both Abital and Avery's minds. The girls needed their strength for the big battle, and it didn't seem right to demand they fix Avery now when presumably their condition wasn't life-threatening. The operative word there though was presumably. There was no guarantee this spell couldn't backfire in some way and potentially kill Avery somehow, which is what Abital was really worried about. "Promise me then that if you start to feel different, anything at all, you'll tell us so we can get them to cure you right away."

Avery smiled and pat Abital's arm. "Of course. We haven't even been married a week yet, you're not getting rid of me that easily."

"You sure you're okay staying like that for longer than a night though? It can't be comfortable," Abital signed.

"Bah, it feels more normal by the second," Avery responded with a cocky grin. "Besides, when's the next time you're gonna be able to say you went horseback riding on the beach with your spouse as the horse."

Abital's expression fell flat and they glared at Avery. "Not funny," they signed simply.

"Incorrect, I am hilarious. Now come on, probably better to practice back closer to the hotel where we can wait for the others to return."

Avery and Abital made their way back towards the Tide Song Hotel. Standing out in the roundabout in front of the hotel, Avery sent out the entire team. Since the majority of their team consisted of Pokemon with hooves, it made sense to learn directly from them. Abital took his seat on a nearby bench and let Gloria rest in his lap, the little Shaymin not being able to help much in this situation. They both watched in amusement as Avery tried to take directions from their team, though the process was chaotic at best.

"You need to lift up your front left leg and your back right leg at the same time!" Daybreak chastised.

"I'm trying! I'm not exactly used to having an extra set of limbs," Avery retorted.

"Just take your time," Knautia said, "You've gotten the hang of walking and trotting. Cantering is the really tough one for most young horses, and you're practically a foal for all intents and purposes. So just take it slow."

Daybreak nodded. "Come on, another lap around the roundabout," he commanded.

Avery let out a huff in exasperation and tried to canter again around the fountain, with Knautia, Mint, and Acacia following behind and beside them.

"You're doing great!" Acacia cheered. "Keep it up!"

"Yeah! You can do it, Boss!" Mint bleated.

Shruikan

05-20-2021, 07:51 AM

Luneth Tarot
Heahea City
Affected RP'ers: Desolate Divine

Before Victini could reply, the trainer had, saying that she was called Abbee, which made Luneth even more curious about her. Had she been turned into a pokemon in the past, or was she able to speak pokemon from something else? She had some many questions she wanted to ask, but she didn’t want to distract Abbee while the traveled. Who knew then they might be attacked out here? So she kept her questions for later, and focused on the journey in silence.

As the traveled, Luneth tried not to look at the remains of victims that now lines the streets. She felt sick to her stomach at the thoughts that anyone could do things like this, and terrified that it might happen again. She just spent the trip staring at Abbee’s heels to avoid having to see what had happened. As such, she hadn’t realised they’d arrived until they were at the doorstep.

Luneth Tarot & Glimmer
Eon Squad Villa
Affected RP'ers: Desolate Divine, Neo Emolga, Chakramaster, anyone else at the meeting.

More people had filed into the room, Glimmer was starting to get impatient for the meeting to start. She needed to get out there and find out what had happened to-

Before she could finish the though, a familiar Alolan Vulpix had walked in with an unfamiliar girl. Well, speak of Giratina.
Glimmer barely managed to hold herself back from running over, but still walked briskly, quickly scooping the Vulpix up.
“Vul?” (“Glimmer?”) Luneth said eyes wide with surprise. “Vulpii-” (“But aren’t you-”)
“Shh, we’ll talk after the meeting, ok?” Glimmer said quietly. “I’m sure it’s a long story on both our ends.”

Making her way to an empty seat, Glimmer awkwardly sat down, taking up a chunk of space from the adjacent chairs thanks to her outfit’s wings. Luneth sat on her lap, looking to any who didn’t know like she was just one of Glimmer’s pokemon.

As the sat waiting for the meeting to start, Luneth was acting unusually subdued. Glimmer wondered what had happened to her while they were gone, but like she’d told Luneth, it would have to wait until after the meeting was done. However, she settled for nudging Luneth and motioning to her bag, whispering “pokemon” to the Vulpix.
Upon seeing it Luneth sagged with relief, though she still looked more sad than usual. At least her team had stayed safe from Agatha’s witches. She wouldn’t make the mistake of leaving them alone again this mission that’s for sure.

The meeting began, Luneth stared intently at the speakers. Determined to take in everything that was said here and not get distracted like normal.

Upon mentioned a Hybrid curse, Glimmer leaned forward with interest. She’d experimented with alterations to existing spells, but hadn’t even considered that you could fuse them together like that.
Followed by the fact that the caster of said Hybrid could cast spells without incantation and Glimmer was hooked. If this witch that was helping them, maybe they could teach her how to work Shadowcraft like that too.
However, as the kept talking, her face fell into a frown. While Brianna had helped save people, she had knowingly held back and let people die when she could have warned them. She’d have to have a really good explanation for that if she was ever going to work with her.

Next a representative of Triad stepped up. Glimmer was glad to see that she wasn’t the only one wearing an unwieldy outfit still.
She outlined what Brianna had told them. Glimmer was glad to hear that they knew how to make hybrid spells at least.

They suggested using hybrid protection spells alongside turning some operatives into pokemon as protection. Glimmer was impressed. It seemed like a solid plan. Luneth didn’t look so sold on it however, but didn’t speak up against it.

Glimmer noticed Luneth winced as Triad mentioned the victims from earlier. It had been bad enough on her seeing the remains of some of the people on her way here, but Luneth had probably seen the actual spells being cast. Unlike the other trained agents here, she obviously hadn’t got over it just yet.

After they were done speaking, the man who had set up this meeting, Jon Drake, had offered to go along with the plan and be temporarily turned into a pokemon. He seemed to Glimmer like he was used to leading people, though there was something up with the way he talked about the Rayquaza that didn’t quite fit. Sure someone like him would know how long and hard training a legendary was, yet he was confident he could do it in a matter of days, if not hours? She wasn’t going to call him out on it though, and risk jeopardizing the plan, but maybe she could ask Rayquaza themself later…

Glimmer stood next. More so that other operatives, She would be suited to this plan. She wasn’t exactly inexperienced at battling as a pokemon, having fought in many leagues by now. True, most of her fighting experience was in sky form, and with the Shadowcraft laying like an oppressive aura over most of the island the sunlight could get cut off at any moment, leaving her relatively defenceless, but it was still more than pretty much anyone else in the room.

“I volunteer as well. I’ve been under the affect of similar spells before, and I’m not afraid of them. I can probably be more help as a pokemon at this time.” Well, it wasn’t a lie, exactly. Just omitting that she naturally a pokemon herself, and was in fact under such a spell right now, just in reverse.

Neo Emolga

05-21-2021, 03:21 AM

Willow
Apothecary, Thrifty Megamart, Akala
Affected RPers: N/A

As she waited, Willow tried to think of all her options. The pros and cons of everything, but nothing seemed like a good choice. Her mind kept running in circles, and her inability to decide just kept falling back on “I wish I had never come here.” But nothing seemed to suffice for an exit strategy.

Suddenly, her thinking was rudely interrupted as Boris had walked into the room through the creaky, wooden door. Boris, another one of Agatha’s witches and currently serving as an apprentice to Nicodemus, was a lanky, acne-ridden male with unkempt dirty-blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. His black cloak was already a frayed mess despite having only just received it a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, a rather plump and overfed Morpeko was perched on his shoulder.

“Wha… what are you doing here?” Willow asked Boris.

“Fillin’ in for Nico, that’s what,” Boris chuckled, flashing his crooked teeth. “He’s busy, told me to take care of guttin’ your… whatever the hell her name is, for some blood.”

“Latias,” Willow corrected him. “And you’re not gutting her for anything. It’s simply a donation. I think just a pint would be enough, it’s the same amount a human would donate.”

Latias still didn’t like the idea of having blood drained, but if it helped Willow avoid trouble for the small price of some momentary discomfort, she was willing to do it for her, even though she still didn’t like the sound of this Netherclysm spell for the little she knew about it. However, the way Boris reacted to her correction did not give her much hope in terms of avoiding trouble.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Boris replied mockingly as his Morpeko also imitated a cynical face. “Does widdle Latias also wanna cute Band-Aid with little pink Jigglypuffs on it, too?”

“Don’t be an *******, Boris,” Willow warned him. “We’re being more than generous with this. You get a pint or you get nothing.”

“I get as much as a damn well please,” Boris replied, unfazed by her warning. “Ain’t your order, either. Now step aside and shut up.”

Latias had withdrawn a bit more into the corner of the room, really not liking the situation. There wasn’t much room to move around, and already she was precariously close to knocking over shelves that held many bottles and vials of reagents.

“How much are you taking?” Willow asked.

But Boris didn’t answer as he prepared a surgically sharp metallic bloodletter rod and hooked it up to an unsettlingly large glass collection jar connected to a tube. Between that and the fact it looked like Boris wasn’t even going to apply disinfectant at the insertion site, it was more than enough to clue in that Boris didn’t give a damn about Latias’s welfare.

“I asked how much are you taking!?” Willow asked again, growing angry.

“I thought I told you to shut up,” Boris told her, approaching an anxious Latias. “You’re either deaf or dumb. Probably both. Heh, heh, definitely ugly, though.”

Guess you’ve been a stranger to mirrors, lately…

But what made Willow snap was the way Boris had approached Latias, looking like he wasn’t just going to inject the bloodletter into her, but ruthlessly stab her with it instead. As Latias’s anxiety quickly escalated to panic, Boris began to growl.

“Hold her still, why don’t you?” Boris asked Willow, annoyed that she was just standing there.

Willow used the opportunity to cast a spell, not for Latias… but for Boris himself. Boris wasn’t even caring to listen to what exactly Willow was casting and just expected her to be an obedient servant to the cause. He was more enthralled in having this dark opportunity to harvest a legendary’s blood, and prove his worth to Nicodemus for his own self-gain. He had a feeling this was an initiation task, and he had to prove himself heartless enough to deceive his own ally for the sake of the “art” as Nicodemus called it.

He, however, failed to fully deceive Willow…

Just before he had impaled Latias with the bloodletter, Boris felt his hand suddenly itch. He stopped for a moment to scratch it vigorously, but then his whole arm began to burn, followed by his leg, and then his face. It became so intense that he dropped the bloodletter, causing the deadly instrument to clang to the tiled floor. He only realized he had succumbed to a spell when it was too late…

“Erghh, what the f--k are you doing!? Boris shouted, suddenly violently raking his skin as it began to boil, bubble, pop, crack, and peel off.

“Protecting my Pokémon from soulless monsters like yourself,” Willow told him in a dark tone.

Boris’s Morpeko grew furious at this attack on his trainer, and lunged toward Willow as he prepared to sink his teeth into her neck with a rabid fury. But the fat Morpeko sailing through the air made him an easy target for Latias, who had furiously swept through the air with her claw, striking him in the back with a powerful blow. The furious strike had thrown him into the wall as a last squeal of pain and agony left his lungs upon a devastating impact, never to inhale another breath again…

He limply plummeted to the floor, rolling over once before blood pooled around his lifeless body and dripped out of his gawking mouth.

By now, most of Boris’s skin had dissolved, rendering him into a horrific abomination of blood and exposed muscle tissue. He could no longer speak, but instead simply turned to Willow, hissing, as if to suggest he would try to haunt her from the dead if he could. And then his lifeless body crumbled to the floor with his blood and vital fluids pooling around his mangled, dissolving corpse.

Latias looked at her claws, wincing a bit that she had to use them to take a life, but as her trainer protected her, she protected her trainer.

“I wish this hadn’t been necessary…”

“I hear you, but we need to get out of here…” Willow told Latias, already feeling extremely anxious. “I… have an idea, but we’re only going to get one shot at this…”

Willow then quickly explained what her plan was, and Latias had agreed. They didn’t have too much time before someone noticed Boris’s dead body. Willow was just hoping that by the time they did, both of them would be long gone…

As part of Willow’s plan, Latias let out a cry of pain, a shrill and haunting howl that carried out through the Megamart. Then, making her move, Willow headed out the door, trying to look as pale and as ill as possible. But she held the door open just long enough for Latias to swiftly exit while cloaking herself to be invisible. No one saw her leave as Willow slammed the door to the apothecary, trying to best to feign shock and dismay, although her current level of anxiety was making it rather easy to put on a convincing act.

“I can’t watch…” Willow wept. “I… I can’t watch! Why her!? God damn it, why!?”

The witches that had seen her fleeing from the room and heard her weeping were all under the same deception. All of them thought Willow had left the room in a panic, traumatized by the bloody and gruesome sacrifice of her Latias to Agatha’s cause for the Netherclysm spell. But all of them were unaware that the one who was supposed to conduct the extraction of Latias’s blood was now dead behind the closed door.

They all thought Willow was either too weak or still too loyal to the cause to have done what she did…

The whole time, as Latias deftly made her escape, Willow headed out the door of the Megamart, looking traumatized and in need of fresh air and time to be alone. It would buy her time as they all thought Boris was taking his time drawing out Latias blood, which as they knew was a time-consuming process. By the time they discovered what had truly transpired, Willow was hoping to be far away.

She had made distance away from the Megamart, using the cover of buildings to keep herself out of sight. The night sky was also helping her with her concealment. Her only problem was figuring out where to go exactly, but anywhere away from Agatha and her dark assembly of witches was at least a start.

She had lost track of Latias, but she felt she wouldn’t be too far behind and she had the feeling she may have been watching her, hidden in the sky with her cloaking ability.

Willow knew she wouldn’t be able to escape from the island, but it all came down to if she could put her life in the hands of the League… and fully betray Agatha. After she closed her eyes, deep in thought, she knew she couldn’t go back. And looking around at the atrocities that Agatha’s witches had unleashed upon innocent people and their Pokémon, what they did was unforgivable.

For now, she decided to hide at the Pokémon Center on Royal Avenue. She had taken off her black cloak and stuffed it into a nearby bush. She was done with Agatha and her band of witches…

She was about to make another dash toward Heahea, but then she turned around and saw the grinning face of a Gengar. Agatha’s Gengar.

“Garrrr…” (“Going somewhere?”) he sneered with a dark grin.

Triad (The Diamond Ladies)
Meeting Room of Eon Squad HQ, Eon Squad Villa
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine Shruikan Chakramaster

Cassandra was a bit surprised Jon was willing to volunteer to temporarily become a Pokémon, especially considering how things were four years ago. But, she figured his time as an Altaria likely convinced him that it wasn’t so bad, had plenty of utility, and as Cassandra wasn’t afraid to admit, was actually considerably fun. Although now, it had her wondering just which one of the 894 Pokémon Jon was willing to become.

“I volunteer as well,” a voice behind her had stated. “I’ve been under the effect of similar spells before, and I’m not afraid of them. I can probably be more help as a Pokémon at this time.”

Cassandra didn’t recognize the nearly six-foot tall lady behind her, standing beside the Alolan Vulpix that Cassandra knew was Luneth. As she looked at her face and long black hair, she didn’t know who she was, but decided if she knew Luneth, she could trust her.

“Oh please tell me we’re doing this,” Jarena smiled to Cassandra with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Don’t see why not,” Cassandra replied, smirking a bit. “Plus it would solve our issue of not having real clothes at the moment.”

“We’re going to need the immunity to ghosts anyway,” Violet replied, siding with the idea since it gave her a good reason to get out of the Vivillon costume. “Considering Agatha and her followers likely target humans and the most powerful, fully-evolved Pokémon as a priority, it should give us first strike advantage in most cases.”

“Yes!” Jarena smiled. “I mean, yeah, totally makes tactical sense.”

With that addressed, Cassandra felt right volunteering as well.

“The three of us opt in to become Pokémon as well,” Cassandra told the group. “We have some familiarity with this, but if there’s any other volunteers that are thinking about this and want to know what it involves, let me know, I can go into details later.”

And then, there was another point that Violet wanted to mention.

“Offhand, before we were attacked, I was looking into where they might be possibly hiding,” Violet told the group. “Signs seem to point toward the north, but I concluded Agatha and her followers need at least some sort of base of operations, something that has been out of sight for a while. The Thrifty Megamart to the northeast may be a possibility given it was known to house ghost Pokémon that Agatha is known to have an affinity for. The other basis is that the leftover material that was left behind could be used as spell reagents. It would explain how Agatha and her followers are able to diversify in their spellcasting.”

“Given, it may not be the only site that Agatha is using,” Violet told them, avoiding eye contact with any of the other operatives. “It’s also possible she may not be using it at all. Worst case, if we secure it and find she’s not there, it’s at least one less place she could use. But at this point, it would be in our own interest to start shifting away from the defensive strategy and move toward closing in on them.”

Cynthia nodded, understanding where Violet was coming from. While it seemed having the Ladies as “doctors” was helping the operatives and civilians, it was only a temporary measure against the floods of witchcraft victims. They were going to need to shut down the main source of the problem before it kept escalating to becoming beyond something they could remediate.

“I understand what you’re saying,” Cynthia nodded. “I think it would be best if you transfer to Steven’s team.”

“And put them on the offensive line?” Steven asked, not sure about that. “If we lose them, we have no one to cure these witchcraft afflictions!”

“That’s if you lose us,” Cassandra replied. “You won’t. We’ve been through more hell than you could imagine and we’ve gotten a better idea of how these witches operate. If you really want to protect Heahea and all these other towns and tourist traps, then let’s keep them out and constantly on the defensive.”

Cynthia nodded, and then looked back to Steven.

“We can’t stick with the same losing strategy,” Cynthia told him. “Unless you coordinate an offensive drive into Agatha’s territory with this lead that Triad has given us, then Heahea will be under fire again with more people and Pokémon dead. We need this chance and to make best possible use of it.”

“Fine,” Steven replied, feeling outspoken. “But I don’t want you venturing off on your own. We can’t afford to lose you.”

“That’s fair,” Cassandra replied. “Then if Jon’s willing, I purpose a joint operation between Triad and Eon Squad to take things to the offensive frontline.”

Though Cassandra didn’t want to openly admit it, she trusted Jon more than she trusted Steven. Jon, though he still networked with Steven, didn’t solely depend on Steven and the League and put the lives of himself and his family in the League’s hands. If all went to hell, Cassandra was convinced Jon would still have an exit strategy and it would work. Steven, on the other hand, while knowledgeable in terms of Pokémon battling, knew next to nothing about Shadowcraft, and she could see it in his eyes why he was struggling with trying to organize this offensive strategy. She knew he wouldn’t step down as the offensive coordinator for this whole operation thinking he would find a way to swing this around, but she wasn’t convinced it would be in ample time and not before heavy losses were suffered in trying to learn how to deal with the Shadowcraft. She honestly felt the rest of Steven’s operatives might be better suited to support from a distance, as being on the frontlines wasn’t working for them.

She didn’t mention her past experiences working with Jon, but she felt if there was anyone she had strong synergy working alongside with, it was him…

Chakramaster

05-22-2021, 09:05 PM

Jimmy Kendo
Eon Squad HQ, Meeting Room
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga Shruikan Desolate Divine

The members continued to discuss what needed to be done. Between the witches and anything else important. That included Brianna. A witch that seemed to be following her own rules and game. Triad had come up with something to share with Jon and the others it had seemed.

“Yeah, we looked into this,” Cassandra replied, trying to pretend she wasn’t in costume. “Page 216 of the Zeketh tome goes into details regarding a spell called the Expavescimus Charm. It redirects spells back at the one who casted them. The reagents aren’t too difficult to get, either. That simply requires a broken mirror to be ground up into dust and mashed-up feathers from an unevolved flying Pokémon. The three of us figured those should be easy to acquire as well, as Wingull feathers are easy to find on the beach and should suffice for the spell.”

“The other spell mentioned on page 384 is called Luxum Patibatur, a curse that causes the victim to hemorrhage energy,” Cassandra further explained. “Reagents for that include human blood, ginger, and paint thinners. Should be relatively easy to acquire. Now, the method to turn these two into a hybrid, which the three of us never delved into before, is known as a Simul spell, which needs ashes of burnt paper. Before that paper is turned into ashes, it needs to have two overlapping handprints in red ink. All this together leads up to a hybrid spell that would not only redirect a spell back at the caster, but it would also make them bleed out their energy.”

“Right now, reagents are the big challenge,” Cassandra told the group. “Diversifying is key, but we can’t go overboard to the point where we need mountains of reagents. So my thought is having this protective redirect spell be one among five that we can use the next time we confront Agatha. As for the other four, we’ll need to delve into the books to come up with some useful options for this situation. What I thought might also help is varying the nature of our attack.”

It seemed like they found a way to counter many of these spells and hexes. Jimmy thought that may be good, but that's be a lot of people to cover at the same time. Like Cassandra wanted. Jirachi could restore the urgent care. Giving them enough of their resources back for whatever they may need. Jimmy still had his plan to discuss as well. Just waiting for the right moment to speak up. Then one thing Cassandra said stood out.

“Some of us can attack as human trainers,” Cassandra proposed. “Others, those who are a bit braver, can be transformed into Pokémon and attack on that front, leaving Agatha and her followers guessing who is the trainer and who are the actual Pokémon. Not to mention there are far more spells made to transform humans than there are spells to transform Pokémon. And then there’s other transformations and traits that can be utilized. For those who are really brave open to the idea, preemptively transforming someone into say a pixie, a lycanthrope, or a mermaid, for example, complicates things for the other side. It forces one transformation spell to have to overwrite another. Sometimes that’s possible, sometimes it’s not, or sometimes it can be difficult and doesn’t take the first time. Given, a number of us have already been hit with spells like this and haven’t been cured, yet. Quite frankly, it’s better to keep them on if they’re bearable enough and you can still move and fight with them. It’s very easy to transform a human and most of these spells were made to do just that. But if they’re already something else, there’s a solid chance the spell may fizzle trying to transform a human when the target is not that at all.”

It sounded like a plan, but not everyone was for it at first. Some even chiming in saying it sounded crazy. Thing is, we all knew that very well. Most of us here knew exactly what we were getting into coming here. Some of us didn't and are along for the ride now. Though even Steven knew that we had to do what we must. Even if it comes to the extremes.

"She's right. We can have actual Pokemon who know how to fight other Pokemon holding off their Ghost Types, and have people who volunteer to become Pokemon giving hell to the witches. If their magic is ineffective, they are human, and a flamethrower will still burn them..." Jon said, before hoping his own confidence would inspire others to be willing to try something out of the box, "I volunteer to temporarily become a Pokemon. My own team are trained in how to battle without my direction, and Latios can act as a central hub for communication between myself and them. Rayquaza is an exception, but I have faith I can get it trained reasonably will if I have a little time to spend with it..."

Well this was a bit unexpected for Jimmy to hear. Jon volunteering to become a Pokemon himself. Soon after another stood up. Volunteering themselves.

“I volunteer as well. I’ve been under the affect of similar spells before, and I’m not afraid of them. I can probably be more help as a pokemon at this time.” Jimmy didn't quite recognize them, but it was another to the forces needed for a team. She also had that familiar looking Alolan Vulpix with her.

“Oh please tell me we’re doing this,” Jarena smiled to Cassandra with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Don’t see why not,” Cassandra replied, smirking a bit. “Plus it would solve our issue of not having real clothes at the moment. The three of us opt in to become Pokémon as well,” Cassandra told the group. “We have some familiarity with this, but if there’s any other volunteers that are thinking about this and want to know what it involves, let me know, I can go into details later.”

Looked like Cassandra and her team were about to join the fray as well. Cynthia thought if that were the case they needed to transfer to Steven's team and fight more on the offensive line. Steven and Cynthia fought this out. He was right to a fact though. If we lose them and very powerful key against this enemy would be out and we wouldn't have much in line to help cure anyone. Sometimes we gotta use unexpected tactics to take a pivotal piece. Thing is, the first to make such a move could be a game changer.

"Ah why the hell not. I volunteer as well." Jimmy spoke up. "I've been a turned into a Pokemon as well. Even had a few years of training as one too. So I can help this team out."

Jimmy also thought this would be the perfect time to get what he needed said out.

"I do have one question. Regardless of being transformed. We would still have to watch out for other such as hexes placed no? While a direct spell would be something that could easily be redirected when cast. If they placed an indirect spell or hex it could still take effect right? Without that direct connection they could still get through. Though I do have an idea to get through that."

Jimmy pulled out a bag from his gear. Pulling one of the items from it.

"This is a special star piece. It's imbued with special psychic energy and a form of wish energy. Not many know other than Steven, Cynthia, and a select few others here that I own a Jirachi. It's location is at our own HQ which is anonymous for good reason. I feel if our enemy got ahold of the fact a Jirachi is here it could become a target."

Jimmy took a breath for a moment. "Back on topic. These special star pieces have a few special powers that it grants you. It helps to detect nearby fluctuations in shadowcraft power and alike. So if a hex or spell is placed in an area, target, or object. This thing will shake and glow to make sure you are aware."

Jimmy point to his thunderstone pendant. "I had mine imbued into this pendant. Best part about this is it can also work as a radio connection with Jirachi himself. He can keep track of anyone that has this and their surroundings. So if anyone around here doesn't have access to a psychic Pokemon and needs one. This star piece will give you that ability to connect with Jirachi through his telepathy as if he were there right beside you."

Jimmy looked to Steven before speaking out again. "Steven, I know you were looking forward to an explanation about how I planned to help rebuild the Urgent Care as I mentioned. Well, this is how. We've been using these to help mitigate Jirachi's power. While he has a direct connection to whatever he's connecting with. It takes less time for him to focus. So using any of his powers have been like many of us taking a breath of air. Simple as snapping your finger."

Jimmy grabbed one of the piece and held it to himself. "We plan to have the Urgent Care Center restored totally. Though it will appear completely destroyed still. Anyone with these will have access to the real one that we will have rebuilt using Jirachi's power. It will be a place hidden deep underground and hidden from any shadowcraft abilities to detect. Only those with one of these star pieces will be able to enter and even detect it."

Jimmy placed the star piece back in the bag. Holding it out for anyone. "I understand not everyone will want one and that's your choice. If you would like it you can use this for your own protect. I had Jirachi help craft these to help mitigate his power and help protect everyone on this island at any cost. So if you'd like one we have enough for everyone here and more. Before coming on this mission we gathered as many star pieces as we could muster. Having known Jirachi can focus his powers on these ever since training him. So this is our gift to everyone. Protection, safety, and more. Anyone can talk with Jirachi or request for help. It can easily work as a walkie talkie if needed as well. It just takes communication with Jirachi to connect those you need to talk with." Jimmy held out the bag.

"So anyone that wants one you're free to take one. It'll offer some protection against these witches, offer you a place to enter in case we need an emergency meeting place, and Jirachi can teleport you if need be to central places we have posted. Though right now the places you can teleport are limited for now." Jimmy said nodding to Steven. "But for now that reasoning is being held classified to avoid any leaks whatsoever. Speaking of, Jon." Jimmy looked to him.

"I know that you wanted everything in this room left here and here alone and to that I can assure you it will stay, but these star pieces do have direct lines with Jirachi and Jirachi alone. So even though he is not here. He's always listening through these. They also work as listening points. So he can hear our surroundings, see our surroundings, and more. So for that I apologize, but can assure you no one else can hear. Jirachi has been trained over these last four years to do what's right, what's requested, and better improve our lives. Everyone's lives. The information here is still secret and of that I can assure you." Jimmy nodded to him hoping he would understand.

"There's more information I can disclose on Jirachi and what we are planning on our side, but I think I've over spoke." Jimmy said as he looked around for anyone that may want to have one of the star pieces and that may have had any questions on his side.

[Desolate Divine]

05-23-2021, 12:36 AM

Jon Drake, Abbee Strauss, Dylan Squier
Eon Squad HQ
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga Shruikan Chakramaster

More people began to volunteer to be transformed including Triad who proposed a joint operation with Eon Squad to take the offensive, which Jon approved very quickly. Then Jimmy began to speak, and Jon began to feel uneasy the more got revealed. Whilst access to a safe place, and warning of spells was something that could definitely help, Jon began to have more doubts at the fact that Jirachi was constantly able to listen in. These sorts of operations relied on a food chain. At the top was Steven and Cynthia, below them were the people who reported directly to them, such as squad commanders like Jon, and those with talents or gifts that they act independently such as Triad or Jimmy, and then their subordinates, Jirachi being a subordinate to Jimmy. With what Jimmy proposed, not only were their thoughts now not private, but if Jimmy were to give everyone of of these Star Pieces, in terms of information, it would put Jimmy and Jirachi at the top of that food chain, and based on what Jimmy said next, though Jon had his suspicions of it the moment he mentioned Jirachi being telepathically linked, Jon had little faith in.

Then Jimmy mentioned Jirachi had been listening the whole time, acknowledging that the information was supposed to not leave that room and that he had been broadcasting it to Jirachi the entire time. Even if this wasn't a big deal, he had to make a big deal out of it. There were people invited to the meeting who had grumbled and groaned at the secrecy of it when Jon mentioned it. If Jimmy has brought up the fact in front of everyone that he has been broadcasting to Jirachi and there isn't some sort of reaction, his words will seem empty as a commander, and keeping the operatives from sharing this highly sensitive information will become a lot harder.

Jon slammed his fist into the wall next to him, creating a loud bang, causing a few people to jump up from their seats.

"I know you wanted this information to not leave the room, but instead of telling you Jirachi was listening in before when you said it, I have been leaking information to someone not in the room the entire time. Hope you're okay with it." Jon said with a much too calm sounding voice, paraphrasing what Jimmy had said, "That's basically what you said, right? I've known about you having Jirachi since the day you got it, and you know that. You could have told me that Jirachi was listening in before the meeting, and in all honesty, I would have been okay with it. You had no reason not to. You waited until all the sensitive information was on the floor, and not only that, even if Steven and Cynthia knew that this was going on, you, as a trainer with the natural authority that comes with training a Mythical Pokemon, revealed you were going against Steven and Cynthia's orders for secrecy, in front of every other operative here, some of whom I know are on the fence about whether to follow the protocol for secrecy, and now have seen you break it..."

Jon turned to face the group of operatives.

"Everybody here, look me in the eye, so there is no misunderstanding..." Jon said, his voice firmer than before, "Jimmy Kendo might have already broken protocol, or he might have had prior permission from Steven and Cynthia, and it just looks like he did because he ran his mouth when he shouldn't have. I don't know, and I will be having a good chat to Steven about what has happened here later. But regardless of what he has done, do not take this as any sort of indication that we are not as serious about keeping this information classified as I said we were at the start of this meeting. Regardless of which squad you are in, if anybody leaks information, they will have me to deal with, and my current idea is to use leakers as bait to lure out Agatha and her ilk... Am I understood?"

There was a quiet murmur from the group in front of him, before Jon spoke up again.

"Am I f**king understood?" Jon shouted angrily, as the group (of NPCs) called out yes.

"Good. Follow the rules of this meeting and we won't have an issue." Jon said, back to his more firm voice, before turning to Jimmy, "As for you Kendo, I speak on behalf of all of Eon Squad when I say we will not be accepting your Star Pieces for a multitude of reasons, practically and personally."

"Practically, if Eon Squad is to form the front line offensive, then us being in possession of a key to our the only sanctuary, and a telepathic link to a Pokemon that can grant wishes, and is a central hub of information for everyone in possession of one, is foolish. If one of us is captured or killed, and found with it, this whole operation is jeopardized. Instead, you are better off finding a secure place to hide one, where if any of us from Eon Squad do need to access it, we can without risking keeping it on our person." Jon said, "Additionally, you said you have spent the last four years training Jirachi. Four years ago, Jirachi's biggest issue was doing what it wants, regardless of what you, the trainer who has authority over it, wants. It took people, my own wife included, prisoner, planning on turning them into Pokemon so they could all play. Alyssa escaped, and whilst Jirachi only turned the people in that room who wanted to be turned into Pokemon, at least two people outside of the room, one of which was a dangerous prisoner, who had luck been on his side, could have escaped, into Pokemon without their consent."

"I told you four years ago that I thought you could train Jirachi well, Kendo. I guess I was wrong, because back then Jirachi's problem was it didn't follow the rules it should have, and now you have come here, four years later, and have that same problem, when the two highest authority people in this operation, Steven and Cynthia have demanded information doesn't leave this room. I don't believe you have trained Jirachi, I think Jirachi has trained you..." Jon said coldly, "And in that case, I don't trust either you nor Jirachi with the ability to listen in on my squad's thoughts, and having instant access to any information we dig up. If you want any information from Eon Squad, you have to get it from me or one of our shared superiors..."

There was an uneasy murmur from the crowd. Jon wasn't trying to discourage them from taking up Jimmy's offer. The benefits of it were great. Warnings of potential danger, as well as sanctuary were something that would be game changing for this operation. But they needed to know the flip side of it completely...

"Meeting adjourned..." Jon said quickly, "Eon Squad and Triad, remain here so we can discuss offensive measures. Anybody who would like to transfer to Eon Squad and be on the front line, remain as well."

Whilst Jon normally preferred to have the sorts of conversations he just had with Jimmy one-on-one, the fact Jimmy had mentioned Jirachi listening in, and the only people in the room who knew for certain whether or not he was breaking protocol being Steven and Cynthia, it was necessary to make an example. He couldn't have other operatives thinking because Jimmy allowed Jirachi to eavesdrop, they were able to tell their drinking buddy without there being major repercussions.

Two of the operatives that Steven and Cynthia invited, approached Jon, wanting to transfer and fight on the front line, which he approved. They had seen him lead at his angriest, so knew exactly what they were getting in to. Jon waited as the rest of Eon Squad approached, for Triad to join him, as well as any other operatives who may have wanted to join Eon Squad to wander over, and those who weren't, to leave. Steven approached him during this time.

"Jon-" he began, though Jon had a hunch what this was about.

"Later." Jon said, not wanting those around to hear this conversation. He had done what he had to to keep the information secure, and if Steven tried to justify what Jimmy had done now, it would undo what Jon had just done, "We will meet later and talk through everything then..."

Steven nodded, before leaving the room with Cynthia.

As Abbee wandered over with Victini on her shoulder, the pair spoke telepathically.

"Was Jon like this back on the S.S. Wishmaker?" Abbee asked, "You were technically on the receiving end during the first part, so you probably know best."

Jon had usually kept a level headed demeanour at the Eon Academy, and when someone did need to be given a hard lesson, it was usually privately. She had never seen him blow up at someone publicly.

"It's hard to compare. He got violent on board, but that was usually in response to what he perceived to be an immediate danger. He beat a data analyst who leaked information that destroyed the planned cover-up before they could even start it, to get information out of him, and when Lance attacked Violet and Jarena during Cass and Avery's match, Jon beat Lance senseless, which in all honesty, is a good thing. He couldn't do anything himself from a hospital bed. But those times were a mixture of anger, protective instinct, and his own messed up childhood." Victini replied, "This is different. Jon is now leading a team, and being trusted by the highest authority in this operation gives a slight authority to some of the lower-downs outside of his squad. But maintaining that authority can't be easy, especially if someone publicly steps over it, and I think that's why he spoke the way he did. But he's the best person to answer that..."

Abbee and Dylan made their way over whilst Jon waited for the others to join him, and those not involved to leave.

Brianna Levine
Heahea Outskirts
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga

Brianna watched the seemingly abandoned building from her vantage point on a nearby hill. The sun was setting, and she used the exaggerated shadows to remain undercover, hidden largely from view. That being said, it didn't matter too much. Even if she was found by Agatha herself, she had means of using Shadowcraft Agatha could only dream of. It would however hinder her own goals, so remaining hidden would be preferable.

She watched as a witch in her late twenties left the Abandoned Mega Mart, attempting to use the nearby buildings for cover, as she removed her cloak, hiding it. Brianna smiled to herself, realizing they had a deserter.

However, unbeknownst to this young witch, a shadow tailed her, most likely a ghost type. Whilst Brianna didn't want to see the League wiped out, which was the most likely scenario, she didn't want the fighting to end just yet, and a deserter could give a bit of an edge towards the League to allow the fighting to continue.

Leaving her hiding place, she made her way towards the young witch, hoping to catch her follower off guard...

Neo Emolga

05-23-2021, 08:29 PM

Willow
Royal Avenue Pokémon Center, Akala
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine (Brianna)

For the time being, no one at the Thrifty Megamart had suspected anything was wrong. Meanwhile, Willow knew she wasn’t out of the clear quite yet. It was getting much darker and she was hoping to make it further south before anyone realized what had happened. She was also hoping they wouldn’t suspect it was her, and that maybe they would need to conduct a further investigation to see what had happened to Boris. He was, after all, in a room full of reagents, and mishandling them could have potentially resulted in his grotesque death.

Willow had looked upon the Gengar, sneering at her. She had already flinched a bit from seeing him completely out of the blue, but she tried to remain composed and stand her ground.

“Leave me alone,” Willow snapped at the Gengar. “I’ve had enough hell for one day and I’d rather be by myself right now.”

“Gennn-garrr…” (“Your cloak… why did you remove it?”)

“Because it’s hot outside,” Willow replied, looking at him in the eyes. “Black fabric absorbs heat and we’re not exactly in the arctic tundra here, buddy. Give me a break. I’ll put it back on when I’m ready to head back. Like I said, I just need some time alone. Go pester Igor for a while, I’m sure you’ll get more entertainment out of him.”

Despite Willow acting a bit out of the ordinary, Agatha’s Gengar didn’t suspect anything major was wrong and decided it wasn’t worth pestering her some more. Especially when he felt she was right about taunting and teasing Igor and the thought of doing it again to him made the Gengar chuckle about what new things he could do to harass the rather irritable wizard. And he could agree with her about the heat. It was nearly 40C and they could literally see the Wela Volcano Park spewing out even more heat from their current location. Not to mention Agatha never bothered to repair the air conditioning in the Thrifty Megamart. None of them were even using electric power and the few appliances that needed them, such as the refrigerators for some of the perishable reagents, were powered by a generator in the basement.

He had decided to leave and head back to the Thrifty Megamart. Once he was gone, Willow waited for one more minute before getting back up, taking the black cloak, and running a fair distance away from the Pokémon Center before stuffing the cloak in another bush well out of eyesight. She knew if that Gengar came back and saw the cloak was still there, he would know she was lying to him. Him potentially coming back here to see if she was still here and making the assumption she eventually made her way back would buy her precious time.

The trip down Route 6 would be a long one, but she soon heard a comforting voice call out to her, speaking to her mind.

I think the coast is clear. There’s a few ghost Pokémon around, but they’re wild and shouldn’t slow us down. I’m right above you, I’ll let you know if I see anyone and…

And suddenly she was cut off. Willow didn’t know what happened, but then she sensed she wasn’t alone.

Willow, there’s… someone approaching you…

Willow looked around, relying on her sight and hearing to detect them. She sensed them, but couldn’t make out who they were. She didn’t recognize them as one of Agatha’s witches, but then again, Willow could freely admit there were witches on the island that were Agatha’s followers and she had yet to meet them as well.

“Who… who are you?” Willow asked the shadowy figure, her hand lightly hovering over her pouch of reagents, just in case she needed to quickly defend herself.

Triad (The Diamond Ladies)
Meeting Room of Eon Squad HQ, Eon Squad Villa
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine Shruikan Chakramaster

Jimmy had volunteered to become a Pokémon as well, which Cassandra had figured would be the case considering he didn’t even need her powers to become a Pikachu, which she knew would be his Pokémon of choice. He had then asked if they, as Pokémon, would need to watch out for other hexes.

“Some yes, some no,” Cassandra told him, knowing it would be a little complicated to go into specific details. “Some hexes are specifically designed for each, but I think Agatha and her followers would likely prioritize wiping out human trainers first.”

“I do have an idea to get through that,” Jimmy explained.

He then went into details about the star pieces he had, imbued with psychic and wish energy that was derived from Jirachi’s powers, who was currently at an undisclosed location for his own safety. Besides being able to detect Shadowcraft presences, it allowed the bearer to communicate with Jirachi himself.

Jimmy then came up with a plan for the rebuilding of the Heahea City Urgent Care, only it would be hidden underground, open to only those with star pieces. Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet looked at each other with a bit of doubt in the plan, as they knew the Urgent Care needed to be open to anyone that had been afflicted, operative and civilian alike. And there were still a lot of civilians that needed both medical and spell cancelation treatment.

“Won’t be too much help like that…” Violet muttered quietly to Cassandra.

“Yeah, I’ll talk to him later,” Cassandra replied, knowing what they really needed was a rebuilt Urgent Care, but also with a better way to defend and protect it from Agatha’s witches.

Jimmy then went into details regarding how Jirachi was now currently listening in on the conversation and was privy to the details, for which Jimmy preemptively apologized for. Cassandra couldn’t help but wince for a moment, knowing that was a big mistake and was definitely not a good idea prior to Jon’s meeting.

“Bro…” Jarena muttered to Cassandra and Violet, making a nervous wince. “Really should have gotten Jon’s a-okay before doing that…”

As expected, it was enough to set Jon off, and Cassandra was not surprised he punched the wall, startling half the attendees with the bang it created. In the meantime, Cassandra had nearly forgotten she had healed Jon’s hand during an incident four years ago on the Wishmaker, and she was half-expecting to have to heal it again if he wounded it badly enough.

They weren’t surprised when Jon had scolded Jimmy for his mistake, and then addressed the group of operatives to not undermine his role as commander and to keep all information secure.

“Am I f**king understood?” Jon shouted angrily, which everyone called out yes, Triad included.

Jon then explained how he wouldn’t be taking the star pieces, making it clear that it could easily lead to an information security breach if one of them was captured and it was discerned what the star pieces were for, also mentioning how he had his doubts about Jirachi’s compliance and Jimmy’s ability to maintain control over the situation considering what had occurred four years ago on the S.S. Wishmaker. Back then, while Cassandra was relieved they had found a way to deescalate and defuse the situation before anything alarming happened, she could understand why Jon wasn’t leaning toward giving Jirachi the benefit of the doubt this time, especially after Jimmy had disregarded Jon’s authority and broke protocol.

Cassandra didn’t like the idea of choosing sides when it came to her allies, but she knew if she was going to be working closely alongside Jon and Eon Squad, they were going to need to respectfully decline Jimmy’s offer as well for the same reasons Jon had mentioned. On top of that, after Jon had agreed to form a joint operation between Eon Squad and Triad, Cassandra felt it would be in bad taste to go against her new commander’s authority and undermine it by taking the star pieces away without addressing Jon’s concerns about them. On top of everything else that had happened, she felt she still owed him a favor.

“Meeting adjourned…” Jon said quickly. “Eon Squad and Triad, remain here so we can discuss offensive measures. Anybody who would like to transfer to Eon Squad and be on the front line, remain as well."

“You got it,” Cassandra agreed, sitting tight for now.

While the other operatives had gotten up from their chairs and left, Jarena looked to Cassandra and Violet, looking iffy about the whole situation and how things went down between Jon and Jimmy.

“Well, that could have gone better,” Jarena sighed. “Sounds like something that would have been nice to have if… well, something… I dunno…”

“I wouldn’t rule it out totally,” Cassandra replied, trying to keep optimistic about it. “Let Jon and Jimmy talk it over later, paint over the ugly parts, and maybe they can compromise on how these things should work.”

“Jimmy needs to work on his conversational tact and diplomacy…” Violet stated, looking off to the side.

Jarena was staying hopeful that this was just a simple misunderstanding and hopefully Jimmy wouldn’t get discouraged, even if he needed to take these star pieces back to the drawing board in terms of development and what they should and shouldn’t do. Meanwhile, Cassandra understood why Jon’s reaction was as serious as it was. They had already seen humans and Pokémon essentially murdered in ways they had never seen before and this was a situation even the military would have difficulty with. They needed to be careful and consider every decision carefully. One bad mistake and it could be the end for Akala, and Cassandra had a feeling that may not be all if they failed in trying to stop Agatha and her followers…

As those that weren’t asked to stick around had left, Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet patiently waited for Jon to discuss the next plan of action for offensive measures and work out the details. Things were going to be different on the frontline and Cassandra knew she was going to need to prepare for it accordingly. Besides the hex that Brianna had introduced them to, she was trying to think of what else might be effective as the remaining four options, taking inspiration from Brianna suggestion and building on it to deploy an effective strategy that should help them turn things around.

Cassandra could agree that the best way to protect Heahea was to drive Agatha and her followers away from it. Playing on the defensive meant Heahea would constantly be under assault, allowing more innocent people and Pokémon to be in harm’s way.

To her, already one time was more than enough…

Noblejanobii

05-24-2021, 06:29 AM

Avery Miller & Abital Ecke
Tide Song Hotel Lobby
Affected RP'ers: N/A

As Avery continued to practice cantering with Daybreak and the others, Abigail began to work away on his ranger styler. Since arriving in Alola, Abital had used his styler to capture a few Pokémon here, especially since the chaos broke out. While this provided him some temporary aid in the form of transportation or protection, capturing Pokémon with a styler had other benefits that were more long term.

Pokémon Rangers as a group worked as ecological protectors amongst other things. As a result, while they did occasionally work together to stop bad guys from exacting their evil vengeance on various regions, most of their day to day work actually had them doing a lot more wildlife focused work. This meant that every ranger’s capture styler also doubled as an information gatherer. Whenever a Pokémon was captured by a ranger, their current health profile was registered in the styler’s database as well. This meant that Abital could still view the health profile of the Mudsdale they had captured earlier even after releasing it. In addition, each captured Pokémon was also automatically chipped. This allowed rangers to track the current locations of those Pokémon based on satellite GPS. While normally this was meant to track the migration patterns of various Pokémon, in this situation it could serve a different purpose.

Abital opened his ranger database and quickly flipped through the pages of the most recent Pokémon he had captured until he came to the one he was searching for: A Shuppet. Abital shivered a little at the sight of the ghost, still not very fond of the Pokémon’s big yellow and blue eyes as well as its wide spooky grin. Taking a deep breath, Abital selected the page and began to look through the Pokémon’s profile. The Shuppet had been healthy upon capture, euphoric actually. It made sense. Abital had captured it right before the big attack began, when the Shuppet had been terrorizing some of the festival goers, so the Pokémon was likely part of the “first wave” before the witches launched their big large scale attack.

Still, given that Abital had released the Shuppet almost immediately upon calming it, that meant the ghost Pokémon had plenty of time to return and regroup with other ghosts. He hadn’t mentioned it to Avery yet but Abital felt like it was part of their duty as a ranger to assist in this situation. And now that the curse had been lifted from him, Abital didn’t have much of a reason to not do so any longer. He only hoped he could convince Avery to join him in the meantime, since he felt it would be unwise for the two to separate, especially when no one else was around to accompany them.

Bringing up the Shuppet’s tracking profile from the last few days, it didn’t take long for Abital to figure out where the Shuppet’s main base of residence was: the Thrify Megamart by Wela Volcano Park. Abital had a strong suspicion that was likely where the Shadowcraft users were based then, given the Shuppet had returned to that area several times in the last few days.

“Whatcha looking at?” Avery asked, peering over Abital’s shoulder.

Abital jumped a little in surprise before sighing with relief when they realized Avery wasn’t a ghost. “The tracking data for that Shuppet I captured on our first day here,” he signed. Abital quickly explained what he had discovered before posing a question to Avery. “I want to assist in combating the shadowcraft users. I think this might be a stronghold. Would you be willing to accompany me in doing some recon and possibly taking them on?”

“Recon? Absolutely. But taking them on? Definitely not. We need backup if we’re going to do that,” Avery answered firmly. “We’ve been lucky with what we’ve been hit with so far. I’ll take horse legs any day over a pile of goop. Having backup in some form would benefit us a lot since otherwise I doubt we’d be able to take it on by ourselves.” Avery chewed their lip in thought before suggesting, “Cassandra and the Ladies are supposed to come back here by tomorrow at least to undo my hex. We can ask them when they come visit, assuming we don’t have to move my then. How does that sound?”

Abital rubbed their chin before nodding in agreement. Sounded like as good an idea as any. Given Avery had much more experience with Shadowcraft than Abital did, he trusted their judgement on a plan of attack. So if Avery said they needed backup, then they needed backup. What form that would come in though would have to be seen.

Chakramaster

05-24-2021, 07:26 PM

Jimmy Kendo
Meeting Room Eon Squad HQ
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga Shruikan Desolate Divine

Jimmy had said his part that needed to be said. It was the honest thing to do and right thing to do given the circumstances.

Jon wasn't happy about any of it.

"As for you Kendo, I speak on behalf of all of Eon Squad when I say we will not be accepting your Star Pieces for a multitude of reasons, practically and personally."

Jon had then began to go off reasoning as to why he wouldn't and still didn't trust Jimmy or especially Jirachi.

"I told you four years ago that I thought you could train Jirachi well, Kendo. I guess I was wrong, because back then Jirachi's problem was it didn't follow the rules it should have, and now you have come here, four years later, and have that same problem, when the two highest authority people in this operation, Steven and Cynthia have demanded information doesn't leave this room. I don't believe you have trained Jirachi, I think Jirachi has trained you..." Jon said coldly, "And in that case, I don't trust either you nor Jirachi with the ability to listen in on my squad's thoughts, and having instant access to any information we dig up. If you want any information from Eon Squad, you have to get it from me or one of our shared superiors..."

Moments later Jon let those go that were no longer needed. "Meeting adjourned..." Jon said quickly, "Eon Squad and Triad, remain here so we can discuss offensive measures. Anybody who would like to transfer to Eon Squad and be on the front line, remain as well."

Hearing all this made Jimmy take a deep breath. Not moving from where he was. It finally made him realize what needed saying.

"Jon...I've held this in. Four years now. I've let you hold a spotlight to yourself for this long without saying anything, but in times like this someone has to shed some light on bullies like you." Jimmy had taken a more serious stare towards Jon.

"Sorry, but I won't be leaving. You really have to learn Jon. This whole thing isn't about you. You may command your own squad, but you are not and never will be MY commander. You sit on facts of the past, but you never learn. You gave me time to train Jirachi. You haven't even met him and yet you judge on something you haven't even seen. You're pathetic Jon. A commander should know better than that. Otherwise you're going to just lead others to their doom. A real leader assess a situation without false assumptions. It shows your weakness. You'd sooner attack others just to make yourself look better no matter who they are. Here's a hard lesson Jon. You can't live through life busting holes in everything just to make a point! You just end up making yourself look like an a**hole."

Jimmy continued. He didn't care who else was around or heard. He'd about had enough of Jon and constantly being his punching bag.

"You constantly talk about how I couldn't train Jirachi. Well he's fully trained whether you believe that or not. A "commander" such as you should know, but you can't be willing to accept the fact someone like me can train a Pokemon like this. I don't care what you believe about me. You can't just make ***** up and accept it as fact! That's the worst thing a leader can do, "commander." Think Jon! Like I said back 4 years ago. No one can't train such a special Pokemon in the matter of hours. Not even you. It takes time....and we had 4 years. 4 Years to learn every thing we could about Jirachi and his unique abilities. These tons more to learn. Legendary and Mythical Pokemon. No matter their power. Have so much more potential than any of us know. It's a part of what makes them so hard to train."

Jimmy took a deep breath before continuing. "No one man you ever hold the spotlight Jon. You can't beat others up to show you're the best for the job. It shows your real weakness. If you can't work as a team and accept others offering help. Then you shouldn't even be a commander. Stop belittling others and accept the fact that others even offer help in the first place. Times like this we all need to work together. Not fight just to show your command!" Jimmy had shouted as he continued to stare.

"Never once did I tell anyone the had to do this or that. Everything was offered and yeah there's things about what I said that sound flawed, but did you ever ask what those counters were? If they could be adjusted? Time and time again you assume things about me just because of Jirachi and how it acted. FOUR YEARS AGO! Stop living in the past Jon. If you don't. The past can come back to haunt you. More than you know."

Jimmy looked around at the others. "Look everyone. I don't know about you, but I'm here to help everyone. Not just me, not us here in this room. Everyone. What's going on here is bigger than the ego we have here in this self righteous pri*k we have here trying to get a hard on by showing he has the biggest fist here. He can't scream and punch a hole in the wall and they just walk away. No! We all have to work together here as a team. If we don't we ARE doomed to fail. Every little bit here can help."

Jimmy took a moment to turn back to Jon. "Look, I don't care whatever beef you have with me. No matter how much you look back on things. Time moves on and we all grow up. Are you so willing to protect your own dignity rather than work with others for the safety of everyone? I never once tried to take over anything of yours. Eon Squad or anything of yours. So why is it you're so against me when you base everything you know about me off baseless facts about Jirachi you know nothing about over the last four years. It's time to man up Jon. Not everything is about YOU. You need to learn to work with others for the better of everyone. Not everything is solely about you here. Wake up and smell the da*n roses!" Jimmy shout once more.

Jimmy took another deep breath. "I need some air." Jimmy said before walking outside.

Shruikan

05-24-2021, 08:45 PM

Luneth Tarot & Glimmer
Eon Squad Villa
Affected RP'ers: Desolate Divine, Neo Emolga, Chakramaster

Triad mentioned their new plan. They were to go on the offensive, strike at the Megamart, where the witches were thought to be.

At the though of fighting the witches Luneth started to feel sick. “I don’t think I can do this…” Now she’d seen firsthand what Shadowcraft could do to people, and while she wanted to stop the witches, she knew now that she just wasn’t brave enough for the front lines.

Seeing her discomfort, Glimmer stroked Luneth’s head soothingly. Whatever those Witches had done must have been bad for Luneth to react this badly just at the thought of them. However, unlike Luneth the thought instead motivated Glimmer even more.

A vaguely familiar man spoke up. “He’s Jirachi’s trainer” Luneth whispered helpfully.
The trainer pulled a star piece out of a bag, and proceeded to explain that they had been enchanted by Jirachi to warn when Shadowcraft was nearby, and also acting as a direct telepathic link to Jirachi. Luneth’s ears perked up at that. Communicating with Jirachi sounded very useful. And as he spoke on, he planned to rebuild the urgent care center too?

Not everyone seemed to share Luneth’s enthusiasm however. Jon practically punched a hole in the wall beside him, before he verbally ripped into the trainer, who apparently was called Jimmy. Going after him over not informing anyone of Jirachi listening in until now.

Woah,overreaction much? Glimmer thought, as Jon continued yelling. Does he distrust Jirachi that much?

She did have to admit that Jon had a point about the Star Pieces though. If one got captured, Agatha would have access to who know how much power and info, let alone a key to one of the only secure safe houses. However, if Jirachi could sense things through those Star Pieces, couldn’t he just cut off their power if they fell into the wrong hands? Ah, but maybe Agatha could track them or reactivate them or something. She was very powerful, much more so than Glimmer had first thought.

Before Glimmer had a chance to voice her thoughts, Jon had moved on from complaining about Jimmy leaking info to 4 years ago when Jimmy and Jirachi had first met.

Glimmer frowned. Jon seemed like he was still holding a grudge from 4 years ago. While not mentioning Jirachi at the start had been a mistake, she felt Jon was taking it too far. From what he said his wife had been put in danger by Jirachi, so it was understandable. But he also seemed to think that Jirachi hadn’t changed in those intervening years. After all, if he knew that Jimmy was Jirachi’s trainer, did he really expect them to not have built up a psychic link by now? Jirachi listening in should have been obvious to him.

She folded her arms and huffed with annoyance, but otherwise stayed silent. Better to let them cool off first instead of inserting herself into an irrational argument. However, by the time the meeting was adjourned, her opinion of Jon had fallen considerably.

Jimmy wasn’t taking it though. He gave Jon a piece of his mind, essentially fighting back with every thought the Glimmer hadn’t vocalised herself, before storming out.
Luneth’s concerned gaze followed Jimmy as he left the room, but Glimmer was now preoccupied by her next decision.

When Jon said that those who were going to be transferred to Eon Squad were to stay for the next meeting, Glimmer was torn. Working with Eon Squad seemed like the best course of action, she hadn’t exactly got very far on her own investigations after all. But could she work under Jon? From what she’d seen here, though he had some good leadership qualities, was also rash and quick to anger. He seemed like the type to lead through fear. But if he could get the job done…

At the same time Luneth was confused. She wasn’t sure if she should stay or go. She wasn’t part of Triad, but she wanted to help them with spells. But now it looked like they were going to be on the front lines, which she couldn’t do.

Glimmer crouched down to bee at eye level with the Vulpix. “Ok, you’ve probably guessed, but I’m going with Eon Squad.” Luneth sighed inwardly. She didn’t want Glimmer to be in such danger, but she knew trying to talk Glimmer out of it was pointless. There was no way she could just sit by and watch as more lives were destroyed by Agatha and her witches. But having witnessed it herself, Luneth knew that she would just be a hindrance if she went with them. So instead she just nodded. “Just come back safe, alright?”
“Promise” Glimmer said with a smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

* * *

As Glimmer headed towards Triad, Luneth looked over at the doorway Jimmy had just walked out though
She glanced guiltily over at Abbee, who was over with Jon already, before slipping outside.
She quickly caught up with the Jimmy. From what she remembered from the Wishmaker he could understand pokemon, so she luckily didn’t need a translator.
“Hi there! Been a long time since we last met” She said, tying not to startle him. “You probably don’t remember me. I was there with you and Jirachi on the Wishmaker before.”
“Anyway, I think you plan was good. You were right, and Jon just went off the handle there. But even if Eon Squad aren’t going to use them, all the other operatives working on the defensive could really benefit from having those star pieces. You should give them out to Cynthia’s teams.” She smiled up at Jimmy.
“I’m willing to work with you at least.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Glimmer had walked over to where Triad and Eon squad remained.
She motioned at the apparent leader of Triad, the one wearing the Butterfree costume, to get their attention. “Luneth wanted me to tell you that she still wants to help with your magic, but she can’t go on the front lines. So she’ll be waiting outside for now.”
She turned to look at the rest of the group. “With that out of the way, I should get it in the open that I can do some Shadowcraft too. Everything from the Initiator tome at least, along with a few others.”
Oh and I’m really a Shaymin as well. She added mentally. Yeah, I think I’ll keep that bit of info to myself…

Neo Emolga

05-25-2021, 02:00 AM

Triad (The Diamond Ladies)
Meeting Room of Eon Squad HQ, Eon Squad Villa
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine Shruikan Chakramaster

It was then that Triad had seen Jimmy’s reaction. And it wasn’t what she was expecting, but it quickly became apparent Jon had pushed him far beyond his breaking point, and as a result, Jimmy had scolded Jon in return, criticizing him on demeanor and questioning his leadership. The whole time, the three of them were silent as the whole experience was surreal to them, but despite what followed in Jon’s reputation, Jimmy stood his ground and refused to be intimidated.

Dude’s got balls, I have to say…

Then, Jimmy looked to everyone else, explaining that he just wanted to help, emphasizing that working as a team meant more than throwing weight around. But before he headed out, he urged Jon to stop living in the past, and that it was more about the team than his leadership.

Once he had walked outside, it caused Cassandra to question her next moves. She looked to Jarena, who watched Jimmy head out the door, and look sympatric for what just happened.

“I… I can’t do this…” Jarena winced, looking to Cassandra and Violet. “Things can’t work like this.”

“Jarena…” Violet muttered.

Cassandra fell silent, thinking hard for a minute. She knew Jon had distrust in Jirachi, but it seemed bitter to keep it for so long, as Jimmy had said. And it made her think about herself. If Jon held such a strong distrust for him and Jimmy, was it possible he felt the same way about them? Especially after having cheated and tried to make a run for it four years ago? She had a feeling maybe he didn’t trust them as much as she would have liked. It was causing her to have second thoughts about this joint operation in the first place.

It was then that Glimmer had approached Triad.

“Luneth wanted me to tell you that she still wants to help with your magic,” she explained. “but she can’t go on the front lines. So she’ll be waiting outside for now.”

“Yeah… I’ll talk to her…” Cassandra replied, feeling a bit of a lump in her throat.

For a moment, there was a bit of silence, and then Violet looked to Cassandra for direction.

“How do you want to do this?” Violet asked Cassandra.

“We don’t,” Jarena interjected. “I don’t like this, something about it stinks. I don’t want to hear about what happened four years ago with us, either. I thought that was the whole reason why we left and stayed in Starglade in the first place. Not to get reminded about that and get old dirt dug up. If Jon is bringing up this hate for what happened with Jirachi four years ago, he’s going to do the same with us. Count me out.”

“He just wanted to help…” Cassandra looked toward the door that Jimmy had walked out of. “He didn’t mean any harm. That dude’s never hurt anyone…”

Unlike me…

It made her feel sick to her stomach. She didn’t like what had gone down either, and Jon bringing up old sins and misunderstandings had her concerned, even beyond those times they had worked together. It was as though she had a feeling maybe he didn’t trust them after all and the cheating and deception they had done was this grotesque sin that could never be washed or forgiven. Not if he had demonstrated himself to not be the forgive and forget type. But she also felt that Jon was under immense pressure, not just because of the nature of the threat, but because of what he had at stake to lose. Even if her assumption was wrong, it seemed Jon needed space to make his own choices and only take the risks he was comfortable with. She knew, working with him would mean she’d have to adopt his standards of decisions, rationales, and acceptable risk.

“Maybe we should reconsider this arrangement, Jon…” Cassandra told Jon, looking toward the door as she felt a ping of disappointment in what had happened. “Seems like you need your own space and your own team to work out your own plan of action. If what happened four years ago is still a concern about who you trust today, then the three of us should work on a different front.”

Cassandra then headed for the door, with Jarena and Violet closely following. Prior to coming here, she thought things might have worked, but it felt too reminiscent of what happened back on the S.S. Wishmaker. And she was already getting that same feeling she had when the three of them were constantly under watch from the League because of that lack of trust that they would come around.

As the door closed behind them, they found themselves outside. Cassandra sighed, knowing this wasn’t a situation that was going to be eased over anytime soon.

“I want to talk to Jirachi,” Jarena requested. “Jon doesn’t trust him, but I want to give the dude a chance. Because that little dude saved our tails four years ago. I trust him and I think he could really help.”

“We need to make our own call about this,” Violet told them both. “Like you said, we’ve heard what Jon has in mind and as we saw, it’s his way or the highway. Let’s talk to Jirachi, find out whose plan sounds like what we want to go with more. But if we go with Jon, don’t be surprised if old sins get brought up again. Cass, I think he trusts you, but I can’t say the same for the two of us.”

“It’s true, Jirachi came through for us, too,” Cassandra replied. “We never would have paid off the debt without him and would have been left broke and homeless.”

“And hated,” Jarena replied. “Insane how it took everyone believing we died before they stopped bashing us on social media.”

And there was that, too. Cassandra’s wish to find happiness when it seemed like all the shadows of hate and despair were closing in on them. They found a new home, a new identity, and distance away from what brought them anxiety. The way Cassandra thought of it, Jirachi was definitely someone they could trust. And while Cassandra wanted to trust Jon and for him to trust in her, what happened between him and Jimmy was starting to give her doubts. In the end, she felt he had Eon Squad to manage and she knew he would have his hands full with that.

As Cassandra saw Jimmy in the distance, she decided to approach him, although she knew he was still hurt over what just happened.

“Hey there,” Cassandra casually greeted him in a friendly voice. “Listen, you’re right, I don’t think it’s fair for anyone to judge you or Jirachi when you haven’t been given that fair chance. That’s why we’d like to talk to him if you’d be okay with that. He really came through for us four years ago.”

“So… tell me more about these star pieces,” Cassandra told him with a friendly smile, curious to learn more about them. “What else can they do?”

[Desolate Divine]

05-25-2021, 06:52 AM

Brianna Levine
Heahea Outskirts
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga

Brianna had almost reached the witch when she called out, asking her to reveal herself. Brianna smiled, as she stepped out of the shadows of the nearby trees into the dying sunlight, her silver hair now extremely visible.

“Trouble in paradise?” Brianna asked, not waiting for an answer, “I can tell a deserter when I see one…”

“Don’t worry,” Brianna said, “I’m not with Agatha, or the League. That being said, I do think that if someone wants to leave that hovel that she has you all holed up in, they should be able to, and when I saw a ghost following you figured I’d help out. Though you seem to have sorted that out on your own…”

Brianna turned to leave, making her way towards Heahea City, her watch reading 6:30.

“If you want to stand a chance at surviving after leaving, have a chat to Jon Drake with the League. He seems to have a fondness for strays…” Brianna called out, “Otherwise, I hope you like the idea of this place being your grave…”

Brianna left, leaving Willow to wonder what the hell just happened…

Jon Drake, Abbee Strauss, Dylan Squier
Eon Squad HQ
Affected RPers: Chakramaster, Neo Emolga, Shruikan

Dylan watched in shock as Jimmy exploded, unloading all his frustrations on Jon, who watched him, eyebrows raised. When Jimmy finally finished his tirade, Jon spoke calmly, before Jimmy stormed out.

"If that's all you have to say about what has just happened, then it's painfully obvious that you just don't get it..." Jon said calmly, as Jimmy walked out of the room.

Jon watched as another person approached Cassandra, claiming to be a witch affiliated with Luneth. Whilst Jon's concern immediately spiked, hearing Luneth's name helped him put the pieces together. The witch Abbee had mentioned being trusted by Triad. Jon only met her once, back on the S.S. Wishmaker. It had been his job to track her down and get her to agree to secrecy for the sake of the coverup that ended up being destroyed.

Abbee watched in shock at the whole thing, as Victini sagged with disappointment. This was the last thing he wanted to see.

"Maybe the bad blood is for the best." Victini said, trying to be optimistic, "They are just too different to be able to work together and trust one-another..."

"They both yelled as much as each other..." Abbee replied with her thoughts.

"They could not be much more different." Victini explained, "Jimmy is the sort of friend you want to have when everything is great and there is peace. He is optimistic, and sees the best in a situation. He dreams big and thinks about what could go right. Jirachi is even more like that. Unfortunately, he can tend to overlook smaller details, and that's what seems to drive Jon mad. Stuff like waiting until they had already shared classified information to mention Jirachi listening, or the fact that hiding the Emergency Treatment Center makes it inaccessible for the people who actually need it. Stuff that wouldn't be a big deal under normal circumstances."

"And Jon?" Abbee asked. She had known Jon for three years now, and whilst he wasn't afraid of voicing his disapproval, it was usually in a calm manner. But as Victini said, these weren't normal circumstances, and he had more experience with Jon in these sorts of circumstances.

"Jon shoulders a lot of responsibility right now. He has his family back home who need him, you and Dylan here, and then the rest of Eon Squad, and one bad decision could lead to people dying on his conscience, and will say and do what he has to to try and keep the others from being killed. He is the sort of friend you want to have when times are tough, because he will see the potential for things to go south and do whatever he can to minimize that. They are just too different."

"So how is this bad blood good?" Abbee asked.

"Because it means they won't be compromising themselves to work with each other. Their strengths are detrimental to each other. If they aren't working together, Jon won't be shooting down Jimmy's ideas that may just work over the things he may have overlooked, and Jon won't be having to worry about Jimmy overlooking something, and someone he is responsible for getting hurt. Teamwork is great and all, but not all the time. They will be at their best by leaving each other alone and letting them do their own thing…”

As Abbee processed what Victini had said, Cassandra had approached Jon.

“Maybe we should reconsider this arrangement, Jon…” Cassandra told Jon, “Seems like you need your own space and your own team to work out your own plan of action. If what happened four years ago is still a concern about who you trust today, then the three of us should work on a different front.”

Jon sighed to himself, as the trio left. He didn't blame them for being cautious of him not trusting them.

“Do what you think is right.” Jon said, “The three of you would be an asset in Eon Squad, but if you think your skills are better used elsewhere, then I trust your judgement…”

As they left Jon turned to Eon Squad. It was 6:30pm. Jon instructed those who had just joined to gather their belongings and move into the Villa. Dylan and Abbee were assigned to keep investigating Brianna, and Jon assigned four of his squad to look into the Thrifty Megamart.

Steven returned at 7pm, and he and Jon entered a private room to talk about what had just transpired.

“We gotta talk about what happened during that meeting…” Steven said.

“What’s there to talk about?” Jon asked, surprising Steven with how much he meant those words.

“I don’t regret what I did.” Jon explained, “If it had been anywhere else, I definitely would have preferred to have had that conversation in private. But there were other people there, some of which had made it clear they weren’t okay with the level of secrecy we were demanding, even when it comes to other operatives. He could have mentioned Jirachi listening in when I first brought up the confidentiality, I would have forwarded that to you, and you could have okayed it. But instead, intentionally or not, he undermined my authority over my own squad, and yours and Cynthia’s authority. Because of that, I had to make it clear to everyone in the room that we mean business about keeping things secret.”

“I know, I get that. He had my permission to have Jirachi listen in, but only we knew that, and he should have mentioned it earlier when you asked, or waited until after the meeting and told you privately.” Steven replied, exasperated, “But shooting down his proposition about the star pieces and bringing up what Jirachi did four years ago…”

“I didn’t tell him to scrap the idea. I just said it would be foolish for us on the frontline to have it. It has the potential to be great, having some sort of HQ that only we can access, and instant communication. But if Agatha got a hold of the key, it would be a massacre. By all means, have those working behind the scenes run with this plan. And as I said, even if we have access to one of the keys, but didn’t keep it on us, that would be great. But I’m not going to support his idea to the letter, ignoring the oversights like that, to spare his feelings…”

“That still doesn’t justify slandering Jirachi, and him by extension…” Steven replied, “He and Jirachi have been an asset the last four years to the League…”

“So was Lance…” Jon replied, “Every bit of power and authority he had came from the League, and look what happened there…”

“Jimmy isn’t going to become Lance-” Steven contested.

“I am not saying he is Lance 2.0.” Jon explained, “I am saying that usefulness to the League shouldn’t cause you to overlook character flaws. Even with myself. I have proven myself useful to the League, but does that mean you will look past what I have done? Beating Lance and Matt senseless, refusing to fully cooperate with the league? You’d be stupid not to consider that…”

“What are you trying to say?” Steven asked irritably.

“I mentioned what Jirachi did because after four years, the first time I work with Jimmy, in this meeting, he essentially does what he likes, regardless of what is expected of him.” Jon said, “I have been given no reason to think anything has changed. Just his word, which lost a lot of value when he pulled the stunt he did tonight with Jirachi listening in. And now, he is offering for people to use Jirachi’s power to go to some hidden base of operations, and have their thoughts broadcasted to Jirachi. Why do I have any reason to believe that anything has changed, and that this won’t turn into that locked room on the S.S. Wishmaker, when Jirachi all of a sudden wants to play? If Jimmy wants to put people at his and Jirachi’s mercy, regardless of whether it is good or not, they need to know the risk. And if Jimmy wants me to trust him, and Jirachi by extension, he has to prove it. Not with words, but with action. Tonight was a chance for him to do that…”

“Still-”

“What would you have done in my place Steven?” Jon asked.

Steven was silent.

“If I didn’t do what I did, we run the risk of planning an attack, and Agatha knowing, because one of the operatives thought nothing bad will happen if he goes and tells someone else from his squad over a beer tonight. Really, I did you a favour by being the token a**hole, so you and Cynthia didn’t have to be…”

“What about what Jimmy said?” Steven asked, “His rant about you being a bully and a self righteous p***k?”

“Do you agree with him?” Jon asked, “You’ve known me for over ten years, and in all honesty, are my best friend. If anyone knows me well enough, other than Alyssa, to tell me whether or not what he said is true, it’s you. Am I a bully and a self righteous p***k?”

Steven was silent.

“No…” Steven sighed, not liking the situation, “You did what needed to be done when he mentioned Jirachi listening in, in front of everyone. You made the right call about Eon Squad not taking the star pieces, and given your own experience, you did what you thought best with Jirachi’s past. It is just messy…”

“It is messy. But mess we can contain and control is better than mess we can’t.” Jon said, “And to answer your question, about what Jimmy said, I am not too phased. He can’t see what is wrong with the situation, and the easiest alternative when you can’t see that is to blame the person who can.”

“He might say the exact same thing about you…” Steven retorted, half joking, as he stood to leave.

“He could. But actions speak louder than words.” Jon said, “But Steven…”

“Yeah?”

“He and Jirachi do have potential to make or break this operation, hopefully make it.” Jon said, “But that won’t happen if the League is constantly trying to make us work together. He has written me off as a… well, you heard him. If we disagree about something, he will go against me, regardless of who is right and wrong, because in his mind, I am his enemy. Your best bet is to not try and have us work this out while we are dealing with Agatha. There is too much at stake to waste time trying to resolve differences. There is plenty enough to do without us having to cross paths and butt heads.”

“I’ll let you do your thing.” Steven replied, “Let me know what I need to know, and ask when you need help.”

Jon nodded as Steven left.

Latios
Above Eon Squad HQ
Affected RPers: @Charkamaster Neo Emolga Shruikan

Latios waited above the building, remaining invisible as was his sentry duty. He hadn’t been in contact with Jon during the meeting, as to follow the rules that Steven and Cynthia had set about keeping information private. His instructions were to only contact if there was a concern, so Latios had been waiting eagerly to tell Jon of his revelation about his past and his sister.

He noticed someone leave the building below, exhibiting rage and nothing but. Latios quietly descended, remaining invisible, unsure if this anger was indicative of a threat, before recognizing the person. Jimmy Kendo. He continued walking, as Cassandra, Violet and Jarena emerged from the building. Latios floated towards them, about to reveal himself, before he heard them speaking.

“I want to talk to Jirachi,” Jarena said. “Jon doesn’t trust him, but I want to give the dude a chance. Because that little dude saved our tails four years ago. I trust him and I think he could really help.”

“We need to make our own call about this,” Violet replied to the pair of them. “Like you said, we’ve heard what Jon has in mind and as we saw, it’s his way or the highway. Let’s talk to Jirachi, find out whose plan sounds like what we want to go with more. But if we go with Jon, don’t be surprised if old sins get brought up again. Cass, I think he trusts you, but I can’t say the same for the two of us.”

“It’s true, Jirachi came through for us, too,” Cassandra said. “We never would have paid off the debt without him and would have been left broke and homeless.”

“And hated,” Jarena replied. “Insane how it took everyone believing we died before they stopped bashing us on social media.”

Latios halted making himself visible.

“Jon, what have you done…”

Latios left quietly, presuming the meeting had ended, though not well by the look of it, entering the building to find Jon.

Abbee Strauss and Dylan Squier
Crown Harbour Hotel
Affected RPers: None

It was 8:30pm when Abbee found herself dressed up and sitting alone at the bar of the fanciest hotel on Akala Island. She had ordered a drink, thankful that Alola had the drinking age of 18, instead of 21 like other regions. That being said, the menu here was expensive, and she hoped that she wouldn’t be here too long. Whilst she had inherited a large amount of wealth from her father’s estate she didn’t want to spend it so flippantly.

Victini stood on a rafter above the room, watching over Abbee, maintaining a telepathic link between her and also Dylan, who waited in the bathroom next to the lobby. The plan was simple actually.

Victini had used his uncanny ability to wander around unnoticed and spent some time watching the service desk in the kitchen, where room service orders came in and were processed. Taking note of the uniforms that were worn by the staff who worked in the hotel, he located a storage room full of them, stealing one that would fit Dylan. Dylan took it, before hiding in the bathroom, whilst Abbee waited in the bar, hoping to attract the attention of someone that wasn’t a man too old to be hitting on her. She wasn’t lying when she told them she was waiting for someone. That person was Brianna Levine.

She was staying in the hotel under an alias, and if they found out what that was they might be able to learn more about her. The only lead they had was an affinity for a certain wine the hotel stocked. Peter, Eon Squads computer genius, had given Dylan a discreet flash drive that when plugged into a PC, would transmit the screen to Eon Squad HQ. However Brianna knew Dylan, and the operation would be out the window if she knew he was here.

But, she had mentioned knowing of Abbee to Dylan when they spoke. The plan was for Abbee to be waiting in the bar, waiting for someone, for Brianna. When Brianna eventually shows up, as she seems to love being smug about how much she knows and how little she is going to tell you, Abbee would keep her occupied whilst Dylan, disguised as a hotel worker, would plant the flash drive.

However it had been forty minutes, and so far nothing.

“Come on Brianna…” Abbee thought to herself, as she twirled the straw around her drink…

Jon Drake
Eon Squad HQ
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga

The clock read 9pm, when Jon finally decided to send Cassandra a message. He had held off, knowing that emotions were high after the meeting, and they were with Jimmy after they left. Latios had overheard their conversation, about whether or not Jon thought the same about them and their mistakes as he did about Jirachi and told Jon. Granted what Cassandra had said as she left implied that pretty heavily.

’Hey, it’s Jon.

I didn’t get a chance to clear things up, and just wanted to apologize about before. Latios overheard you guys talking on your way to see Jimmy, and made sure I knew about it, if you know what I mean. He takes after me…

Don’t think for a second I don’t trust the three of you, because I don’t trust Jirachi after what happened back then. The difference between what you three did four years ago, and what Jirachi did, is that the three of you have given me more than enough reason to trust you. You followed your end of the deal to the letter when I offered to vouch for you to the League, and I know the reason you never took Alyssa and I up on our offer to help after Wishmaker was so we wouldn’t get caught up as collateral. Cass came to my aid at a moment's notice, with not much intel to go on, and the three of you kept a secret that could have ruined my life had it come to light. Your actions were proof enough that you weren’t the same people you were before Wishmaker.

I haven’t seen Jirachi or Jimmy for four years, and had no reason to think anything was different but Jimmy’s word, and honestly I wanted to believe that things had changed and I could trust them now. But what happened tonight, the fact he didn’t mention Jirachi when I brought up the confidentiality until after we had both shared sensitive information, well, I realized I couldn’t take Jimmy just at his word. I brought up what happened four years ago, because based on what had just happened, I thought relying on Jirachi came with the same risks that it did back on Wishmaker, and believed that people deserved to know that before making that decision. I couldn’t have it on my conscience if I said nothing, and something happened because of it. Really, I want to be able to trust Jimmy and Jirachi, but their actions need to speak that.

This isn’t some long winded way of trying to get you guys to join Eon Squad. The three of you would be a major help, but I know that you three have earned my trust, and understand your talents and where you best fit into this whole mess we have found ourselves in better than I ever could. If working with Jimmy and Jirachi is how you think you can make the biggest difference, or something else entirely, I completely understand and would rather you do that. If there is anything you reasonably need from myself or Eon Squad, say the word, and we will be in touch as well, to get those protection charms sorted before we give Agatha hell.

Watch yourselves out there.
Jon.’

He pressed send, before finding himself back at work, looking over the landscape surrounding the megamart...

Neo Emolga

05-26-2021, 02:59 AM

AGATHA
Thrifty Megamart, Akala
Affected RPers: N/A

Nicodemus had looked dourly upon the aftermath of what had become his apprentice, Boris. Standing beside him was Agatha, still in her artificially youthful state, looking at least three generations younger than Nicodemus when in truth, she should have been dead from natural causes by now. But she too, had looked upon the bloody remains of Boris, barely even noticing the dead Morpeko lying dead in a sickly pool of his own blood.

“Fool boy…” Nicodemus spat at Boris’s remains. “You useless, rotting pile of-”

“Why did you let him draw the blood?” Agatha scowled, interrupting him. “That incompetent buffoon you call an apprentice couldn’t complete a simple task without getting himself killed and now let that Latias get away! We need her blood for the spell! This was crucial, it shouldn’t have been done by this bumbling idiot!”

“We don’t need the blood, Agatha,” Nicodemus replied, hissing through his crooked teeth. “The spell can be completed without it. It will just take longer.”

“I want it done as soon as possible!” Agatha demanded. “If anything happens to the Netherclysm spell because of this delay, I’m holding you personally responsible.”

Nicodemus gritted his gnarled and crooked teeth and growled a bit, irritated that his proposed solution to helping Agatha complete the spell faster was now being used against him like a liability when he could have remained silent to keep himself off the hook. However, he remained quiet, knowing challenging her would have been unwise and fatal.

“Willow… where is she now?” Nicodemus asked Agatha, looking past his shoulders with his shifty eyes. “The Latias specimen may have returned to her. Once I have one of the initiates clean up this fool boy’s molding carcass, I will perform the bloodletting myself. And this time, it will not fail.”

“And why do you think I know where she is?” Agatha asked him, growing impatient. “Ask one of the sentries. I have enough to do and I can’t keep watch on every witch on these premises all by myself.”

“Fine,” Nicodemus snarled. “We’ll find her and get her back here. And in the meantime, I will assign some of my underlings to hunt down the brother. We already know who he belongs to. Jon Drake is just but a normal man, but we will end him if we need to.”

“Do whatever you must,” Agatha told him in a dark tone of voice. “I want results, not excuses.”

She then turned around and left as Nicodemus looked angrily upon Boris’s remains, still lying splattered about the tiled floor while his blood-stained skeletal remains lay in a misshapen pile.

“Damn you…” Nicodemus barked at the corpse, lashing his pitted tongue like a whip. “Now look at what you’ve done, you stupid, stupid boy.”

It was then that Aaron had entered the apothecary, having heard the news about Boris being found dead, but curious to see the aftermath for himself. After walking into the pungent apothecary, he saw for himself what had become of Boris, and his immediate reaction was to snicker.

“Good riddance,” Aaron chuckled with a dark smile. “He got what’s coming to him.”

“And you think you could do better?” Nicodemus asked him, looking dubious at Aaron.

“I overheard your conversation with Agatha,” Aaron told him, smiling impishly. “I can get that Latios while you focus on that Latias.”

“Fine,” Nicodemus replied. “If you’re confident you can…”

“Not so fast,” Aaron replied quickly. “I have my own demands. I help you, you help me. Besides, if you do me this favor, I should have an easier time getting that Latios for you on a silver platter. Win-win, right?”

Nicodemus’s eyes narrowed in scorn, but he decided to see what the bargaining table was going to involve.

“What is it that you want?” Nicodemus asked, looking into Aaron’s eyes.

Aaron had pulled out his Shadowcraft Kammo tome and had casually and quickly flipped through the pages. Once he found the exact page he was looking for, he put it down on the old table, and pointed to the Endkath spell on the 372th page. Nicodemus looked at it, skimmed over the details, and his brow furrowed, looking back at him as though he had become an abomination.

“You’re mad,” Nicodemus insisted with a hiss.

“You want Latios’s blood or not?” Aaron asked, unfazed by Nicodemus’s commentary and opinions. “Endkath’s reagents are hell to come by, but I know you have them somewhere in this pisshole. Ever since I laid eyes on this spell, I’ve wanted it more than anything, but it was always the goddamn reagents that held me back from using it.”

Nicodemus thought over it for a minute. Winning over Agatha’s favor with the blood of Latios and Latias would empower him to a higher role when the advent of Netherclsym had come and Agatha’s power would become godlike. But now, Agatha felt it was as if he had a debt to pay for presenting this opportunity before her, but failing to actually deliver on it. And if it meant letting Aaron have the Endkath spell he so craved… well, Agatha did say he had the authority to do whatever he must, costs and consequences be damned.

“Fine,” Nicodemus replied with a hiss. “But you bear the consequences of that spell alone. That’s one that can’t ever be undone and will change your life forever, boy.”

“I know that,” Aaron replied, wondering why Nicodemus bothered to warn him when he felt he knew more about that spell than he did. “I want the spell, not a lecture. The sooner, the better.”

“Then you shall have it,” Nicodemus replied, still feeling he was a fool to make such a dark payment. “And all that comes with it…”

Willow
Royal Avenue Pokémon Center, Akala
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine (Brianna)

Brianna had stepped out from the shadows of the trees, smiling. Willow didn’t recognize her, but she knew if she had wanted to strike her down, she would have done so already. Besides, even if she was one of Agatha’s witches, there was nothing that tied her to Boris’s death…

…at least not yet.

“Trouble in paradise? Brianna asked. “I can tell a deserter when I see one…”

Willow was silent, hoping no one else was listening, or it would be the death of her. She could feel Latias close by, but right now, she decided to give Brianna the benefit of the doubt. Mainly because if she wanted to end her, she would have done the dark deed from the shadows when the opportunity was there for her. It was clear there was another motive at hand.

“Don’t worry,” Brianna said. “I’m not with Agatha, or the League. That being said, I do think that if someone wants to leave that hovel that she has you all holed up in, they should be able to, and when I saw a ghost following you figured I’d help out. Though you seem to have sorted that out on your own…”

“They’re not who I thought they were,” Willow replied. “They have something… ungodly going on in there. I thought this would be an opportunity to learn more from the experts, but what they really wanted were servants to do their dirty work.”

Brianna had prepared to leave, but Willow still had questions for her. But, given Brianna’s sly-as-a-fox demeanor, she had a feeling a great many of those would go unanswered.

“If you want to stand a chance at surviving after leaving, have a chat to Jon Drake with the League,” Brianna proposed. “He seems to have a fondness for strays…”

The name sounded familiar to Willow at first, but it took her a moment to recall where she had heard it before. But then she remembered… the first Pokémon High Seas Tournament winner, the one who exposed the Diamond Ladies’ schemes, and the founder of the elite Eon Academy.

Now she remembered…

“Otherwise I hope you like the idea of this place being your grave…” Brianna warned her.

“I have no intention of-”

But before she could finish, Brianna dashed back into the shadows, seemingly leaving no trace of herself behind, as if an illusion the entire time. It was as if she had skipped into the wind and became one with the breeze and the shadows, leaving no clue she had been there. Had it been any later of an hour, Willow might have thought she nodded off into a daydream and imagined the whole thing.

Jon Drake… that reminds me… doesn’t he…?

He’s my brother’s trainer, Willow.

Willow almost gasped, looking up into the sky, but still noticing that Latias was invisible and no where to be seen. Besides, the night sky was getting darker, and she was running out of time. She didn’t think she could make it to Heahea before she would need to stop for the night. But with there being limited shelter along Route 6…

Do you know where he is? Are you able to connect with him?

We can make it there if you ride on my back. But let’s both go invisible. They’ll never see us that way!

Invisibility spells were not cheap, requiring crushed diamond dust as one of the reagents, but in this case, Willow felt it was worth the cost to strengthen her chances of escape. She didn’t know Brianna, but she did know Agatha, and that alone convinced her to take Brianna’s warning seriously.

Willow had taken the small, nearly-empty vial of diamond dust, and cast an invisibility spell upon herself, using up the last of the reagent. Soon, not even her shadow could be seen as she had become cloaked like Latias herself, as if she was never there. Once the spell was completed, Latias gently approached her, and Willow reached out with her hands, feeling for Latias’s neck as she couldn’t see it. Once she lightly touched it, she mounted herself on her back, and the two of them flew toward the Eon Squad Villa as Latias traced her brother’s presence.

Willow
Outside Eon Squad Villa, Akala
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine (Jon/Latios, kind of)

Once they had arrived, Willow had dismounted, and waited a short while for the invisibility spell to fade. She knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to sneak up on Jon while invisible, and while she only knew limited pieces of Jon’s past and reputation, she felt he couldn’t be worse than Agatha.

Besides, she had to tell someone about Netherclysm. Something about it had to be done before Agatha would become the queen god of a much darker, morbid world after the weak and elderly had been purged, and only those chosen to survive would be reformed into whatever this society of witches saw fit.

Meanwhile, Latias had turned to look at the Eon Squad HQ, and for just a moment, she saw her brother, Latios, make himself visible before entering the building. It had seemed he had something else on his mind and had not seen her, but even just catching a glimpse of Latios filled her heart with joy. Even with dark skies looming overhead and shadows creeping around them as the daylight faded, she was elated to see him again, alive, well, and looking so much stronger than the last time she saw him. She was happy he had found a trainer that helped him find his potential, and gave him a safe and happy home, even to the point of naming the whole villa after their species. It was proof Jon truly cared for him and realized he was a very special Pokémon.

My god, it’s been so long! Look at this place!

But something happened when she looked into his aura, expecting it to be bright, vibrant yellow. Something had suddenly made him uneasy, causing it to go blue. Latias had then looked out to the field, detecting the auras on the other people out there. She could only faintly make them out due to the distance, but there was unease and anger among them as well. When she realized this, she had withdrawn a bit, realizing something abnormal must have transpired recently.

“Isn’t that…?” Willow whispered, having seen Latios for just a moment as well.

Something’s up… I’m not sure what, but it might be best if we wait for a moment. There’s tensions among these people. One of them is especially angry…

Willow wasn’t sure what exactly was the reason for it, but she assumed it was due to Agatha’s recent attack and felt anyone on the receiving end of such a devastating and merciless assault like that would be emotionally wrecked. She hadn’t been part of the attacking group herself, but she had heard from the others that they had done significant damage and “made a good example” of the tourists, locals, and League operatives. Those words had not settled well with her, and not knowing the specifics was a concern. She had a suspicion they had done something cruel and horrible to them, and what she and Latias were looking at now had to be the emotional aftermath of such a terrible attack.

“Came at a bad time, didn’t we…?” Willow asked, sighing that it would complicate things.

Seems so. As much as I would love nothing more than to see my brother again…

“We’ll come back in the morning, that’s all,” Willow comforted her with a smile, rubbing her neck gently to ease her anxiety. “It’s getting late anyway and I’ve got some thinking to do.”

Willow knew if she was going to explain the details of Netherclysm to Jon and his followers, she needed no distractions or interruptions and she needed a clear and level head. After narrowly escaping the watchful gaze of Agatha’s followers, she felt it might be best to come back when the turmoil settled and everyone had a good night’s sleep to clear their minds out of the emotions.

Willow then headed toward Heahea City, knowing it would be easy to find a hotel to spend the night at. Once she had time to rest and figure out how she was going to explain what the League was up against, she would be back and give them the details…

…the intel that would make them aware just how dire the situation truly was…

Chakramaster

05-27-2021, 12:57 AM

Jimmy Kendo
Outside of Eon Squad HQ
Affected RP'ers: Shruikan Neo Emolga

Jimmy had made his way outside. Taking time to himself to cool off. He's never been one to speak out against anyone. It takes a lot and even then it's been hard, but he had to let it out. Lest he hold it in and end up exploding and losing hope. He couldn't just give up. Not after what all has already happened here. He just needed to gather his thoughts. Get a better chance to explain everything next time. Making sure everyone understands what he and Jirachi are trying to do for everyone's sake.

“Hi there! Been a long time since we last met." A voice said as Jimmy had been lost in thoughts. “You probably don’t remember me. I was there with you and Jirachi on the Wishmaker before.”

Jimmy had looked around before gazing down at an Alolan Vulpix that spoke to him.

“Anyway, I think your plan was good. You were right, and Jon just went off the handle there. But even if Eon Squad aren’t going to use them, all the other operatives working on the defensive could really benefit from having those star pieces. You should give them out to Cynthia’s teams.” She smiled up at Jimmy. “I’m willing to work with you at least.”

Jimmy couldn't help, but smile back. "I think...I recognize you now. You were there. During that time Jirachi had his playtime weren't you? Then again before we all left. The gifts for Jirachi...you were the one that gave him those too right? He seriously enjoyed those" Jimmy asked as he chuckled a bit. "Thanks again for all of those."

"Anyway, thanks for the vote of confidence. It's dark times like these we need a little light to keep our eyes open. I was hoping to pull more in with these since they can offer protection to everyone, but I think the timing was bad. I jumped ahead wanting to help protect as many others as possible." Jimmy clutched a fist before mumbling quietly. "dammit". Looking slightly to the side.

"I'd gladly take any help I can get here. Lemme just explain a little-" Jimmy was interrupted. Not noticing someone else coming up.

“Hey there,” Cassandra called to him in a friendly voice. “Listen, you’re right, I don’t think it’s fair for anyone to judge you or Jirachi when you haven’t been given that fair chance. That’s why we’d like to talk to him if you’d be okay with that. He really came through for us four years ago.”

To Jimmy's surprise. His voice had reached even Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet. They had made their way to Jimmy wanting to explain their thoughts.

“So… tell me more about these star pieces,” Cassandra told him with a friendly smile, curious to learn more about them. “What else can they do?”

Cassandra seemed interested in learning more about the star pieces he presented.

Jimmy took a breath with his eyes closed before explaining further.

"I appreciate each of you entrusting me here. I know given the circumstances a few moments ago things are the best right now. I can explain anything you want to know about these star pieces I tried to present." Jimmy said as he looked around.

"Honestly, these star pieces are a bit more complex than explained. They are fit to the user that holds them. Yes, that means so long as you hold one. You can potentially connect with Jirachi. They can even be modified to meet certain uses." Jimmy tried to clarify. "That means if you have need of something, Jirachi can potentially help provide. The limitations of these pieces are as limitless as Jirachi himself. Although Jirachi is trained to ensure the safety of everyone. He won't do anything that could potentially harm anyone. Meaning no random Jirachi play time or anything that will somehow affect our reality."

Jimmy looked around. Trying to hold a bit more confidence. "To alleviate any thoughts. If someone were to lose these star pieces and one of these witches somehow get ahold of one. That's one reason why Jirachi is constantly watching these. All connections and power to that piece will be severed. All traces of any power of links to Jirachi cut out completely. Making it a useless piece of decoration."

"If anyone is concerned about anything on these. They can be modified, so don't worry there. These only work as a catalyst. As I said. They are only as limited as Jirachi's own power." Jimmy once again looked to everyone around him.

"That being said I know many may be concerned about Jirachi and how it is now. As like Jon's Latios, we've got Jirachi hidden. For exactly the reasons everyone else may think. If these witches found out a Pokemon like this were here. It could become a target with Jirachi having the potential to grant wishes. If you are willing I can get everyone there. If you hold onto one of these star pieces you can communicate with Jirachi. His psychic link to these pieces and the user will be able to tell friend from foe. Feel free to take one and communicate with Jirachi. If you'd like, we can also go there. Fair warning, the first time you teleport via these you could be a liiiiittle disoriented. " Jimmy tried to warn them.

"These star pieces do work as warp points. Using his power he can teleport anyone with one to a centralized location if need be. Such as where he is in our own base. If anyone feels things about these need to be adjusted we are totally welcome to any advice. More than anything we want to be here to help everyone and make sure you're all as safe as possible." Jimmy tried to confirm with everyone before explaining a bit more.

"That's why we added a little more protection. So that we can detect any indirect spells or hexes before setting them off on ourselves. Jirachi works as an eye in the sky using his psychic powers. It doesn't make him any more powerful. He, much like myself and Pikachu. Are all willing to risk our lives to help save others. Even if it's costs us our very lives." Jimmy looking a little more grim with a serious tone.

"Even if saving someone costs us our lives. We've done our part in saving others. I couldn't be more grateful in knowing that."

"So. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Specifics or anything you want. Or I can take anyone who wants directly to Jirachi to prove how he has changed. I'm sure he's eager to see some friendly faces." Jimmy tried to enlighten the others. "If so, just say when. We can also make any necessary adjustments to these there. To fit whatever everyone thinks is best for everyone."

It wasn't much for now, but it was all Jimmy had to offer. Whether anyone believed him or wanted to work with him. It was up to them. He's not a forceful person and never has been. Though he does still wish in his mind. Everyone could better work together. Teamwork in coordinated efforts work better than a team disorganized and against each other.

"I do have...one more thing to say about Jirachi, but out here in the open isn't safe. Only one other person knows about this as they're the only person I've trust it with since we researched it together." He paused a moment before stating, "Steven. He is the only other one that knows of this secret."

quick note: the wish Jimmy was making was only in his heart and mind. Jirachi isn't reading on that nor is he granting a wish like that. So this affects no one other than it's just something Jimmy was thinking to himself.

Neo Emolga

06-03-2021, 12:57 AM

Triad (The Diamond Ladies)
Meeting Room of Eon Squad HQ, Eon Squad Villa
Affected RPers: Chakramaster Shruikan

Once Luneth and Cassandra had approached Jimmy, asking about the star pieces, his demeanor had significantly improved. As Cassandra thought about it, she knew Jon had a very difficult time trusting Jirachi, but mainly due to his lack of connection with the wish-granting Pokémon. His power, to the wary and doubtful, seemed almost like madness that would doom the entire world, but Cassandra knew Jirachi wouldn’t do such a thing, and had a pure heart. But for Jon to see it, too, he’d have to open his heart to him. Something like that might take time…

Jimmy had explained how the star pieces worked, making it clear it depended on the user that held them. But as long as they were connected to the star piece, they could connect to Jirachi. And Jimmy had also made it clear that Jirachi’s mishaps of playtime were a thing of the past. Truthfully, Cassandra wasn’t worried about that, although time was a resource they were running out of. Meanwhile, Jimmy had also made it clear that Jirachi was hidden for his own protection, as Cassandra knew the last thing they’d want is for Agatha to put mind control on Jirachi and use his power for evil. As a result, they had to keep the star pieces and Jirachi’s involvement a secret. But as long as they had the star pieces, they could work as a conduit for wishes and whatever other requests they might need.

“Can’t make it too obvious we’re making wishes…” Violet confirmed, taking one of the star pieces and looking it over. “Especially not in front of Agatha herself.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Jarena agreed, taking her own. “Maybe we need a cool code name for him. Hey, I mean, we have one, too! Maybe we can call him… ‘Lucky.’”

<Hey, I’m cool with that! Also, hi there! Good to see you again! Or at least chat to anyway!>

Cassandra could hear Jirachi’s voice in her mind, channeling through the star piece as a conduit. She couldn’t help but smile, as she felt he definitely had a very cheerful and optimistic composure when it came to just about everything and anything.

“Might be good to have a quick chat with him,” Cassandra told Jimmy, interested in seeing Jirachi again. “I’m pretty sure he’s changed since the last time we met him, but it would be good to connect since we’ll be working closely together.”

“Yeah, it’s been so long!” Jarena exclaimed with a smile. “And so much has changed since then, yeah.”

“Interested to see how this teleport works anyway,” Violet added to that. “I can see us making use of that considering what we saw happened this afternoon.”

Cassandra nodded, knowing it would be very helpful to escape dire situations or if they needed to help someone. But she wasn’t quite sure how exactly it worked, or what its limitations were. Questions began to come to mind, such as if she could teleport only to what she could see, to anywhere on the island, or possibly even anywhere in the world, although she definitely didn’t intend to do that unless there was a good reason to.

“I think that’s a good idea,” Cassandra replied before looking to Jimmy. “I think we’re all eager for a meetup with your friend there, even if it’s just to catch up on everything that’s happened.”

Not to mention Cassandra felt if she had a face-to-face conversation with Jirachi and really established a strong connection with the mythical Pokémon, she might be able to convince Jon there was nothing to worry about and could vouch for his trustworthiness.

(OOC: Will address Jon’s message at the end of the next post).

Chakramaster

06-05-2021, 05:52 PM

Jimmy Kendo
Outside of Eon Squad HQ
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga Shruikan

The group listened in as Jimmy had explained the idea behind the star pieces he explained earlier. This time trying to be a little more descriptive. While at the same time being open to changing things up if needed. Cassandra and Violet even looked them over.

“Can’t make it too obvious we’re making wishes…” Violet confirmed, taking one of the star pieces and looking it over. “Especially not in front of Agatha herself.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Jarena agreed, taking her own. “Maybe we need a cool code name for him. Hey, I mean, we have one, too! Maybe we can call him… ‘Lucky.’”

Right after Jirachi himself made his presence known to the group.

<Hey, I’m cool with that! Also, hi there! Good to see you again! Or at least chat to anyway!>

Jirachi used his telepathy to show them how he's connecting to everyone that has these. It was like an open channel to everyone. He could make it direct lines if absolutely needed too, but this wasn't one of those times.

“Might be good to have a quick chat with him,” Cassandra told Jimmy, interested in seeing Jirachi again. “I’m pretty sure he’s changed since the last time we met him, but it would be good to connect since we’ll be working closely together.”

“Yeah, it’s been so long!” Jarena exclaimed with a smile. “And so much has changed since then, yeah.”

“Interested to see how this teleport works anyway,” Violet added to that. “I can see us making use of that considering what we saw happened this afternoon.”

They seemed to be okaying the fact they'd like to see Jirachi. Jimmy knew he could trust them at least. After what happened four years ago. Then again when he ran into them while he was stuck in his Pikachu form with amnesia. Out of nowhere the 3 ladies everyone had thought dead in that fire. Had been living secretly as Pokemon.

“I think that’s a good idea,” Cassandra replied before looking to Jimmy. “I think we’re all eager for a meetup with your friend there, even if it’s just to catch up on everything that’s happened.”

"Well if everyone is okay with it then. I can have Jirachi teleport us to the base. I can explain more about the teleportation and more things in-depth where things are more secure. Just in case we have any eavesdroppers around here. It's not worth the risk. Besides, 'Lucky' would be more than happy to see some familiar faces. I'm sure." Jimmy responded giving a slight smile back. Overall just starting to feel better now that he felt more trusted again. At least until he can make sure everyone understands his and Jirachi's intentions are pure and to help better everyone's odds here.

"First thing. You don't even need to really focus or anything. If you want to teleport. Jirachi can connect with you through telepathy. If you need anything you just need think it. You don't think we spent the last 4 years goofing off did you?" Jimmy chuckled. "No. Jirachi has mastered being able to use his telepathy. It's a story for once we're safer, but for now. If you truly want to see Jirachi. I'm sure he'd gladly okay it." Jimmy looked to the group

"Of course! I'd gladly accept any friends! More the better! Especially in times like these. Just be prepared! Your first jump is usually the worst. Anytime after you know what to expect. Just say the word and if you want tell me you are ready! I just hope I can be of much more help soon. I don't want to feel like a burden to any of you. So please allow me this chance to show you my last few years of Jimmy training me." Jirachi gave out his speech before preparing anyone there who wanted to travel to the base. Seeing Jirachi and anyone else that wanted an explanation that was there in the group with them.

"Oh and we do have provisions at the base. As it is getting late. The base was setup with anything we could need. Food, water, beds. So anyone is welcome to stay the night. Maybe we can use this as a chance to regroup too. Get in contact with anyone or discuss our next steps." Jimmy explained to the group.

"So whenever you are ready. If you all still wish to speak with Jirachi. Just let him know and he will teleport us to the base. Jirachi will then approve and unlock the room to see him. Just...brace yourself. Teleporting the first time may just disorient you for a few moments. If you are all ready." Jimmy nodded.

Neo Emolga

06-05-2021, 08:05 PM

Triad (The Diamond Ladies)
Dimensional Research Center (Underground Base)
Affected RPers: Chakramaster Shruikan Desolate Divine

After getting instructions from Jimmy on how to use the teleportation feature and that the underground base had what they needed in terms of utilities, Cassandra decided to give it a try. For now, the urgent care center reconstruction would have to wait, but for the time being, it was almost better for them to resolve the issue of Agatha and her witches before trying to take on restoring everyone back to normal. As Cassandra knew, afflicting people with curses was much faster and easier than curing them, especially if the incident needed a Nox Purge. On top of that, they were drastically outnumbered, and it meant there was no way they could keep up with the demand.

Clutching the star piece in hand, Cassandra focused her attention on teleporting to the base, though she didn’t know exactly where it was or what it looked like. And then as Jimmy warned, she was suddenly whisked away in a brief flash of light and found herself in a waiting room sort of setup that was similar to a doctor’s office, but left with the feeling like she had been flung furiously into a dream and it left her feeling dizzy, just shortly after Jarena and Violet had been carried over to the base as well.

“I think I might be sick…” Jarena replied, feeling really dizzy. “Oof, that’s a trip…”

“Yeah, it has that riding a roller-coaster with your eyes closed sort of feeling…” Cassandra nodded, although the disorientation was already fading.

Cassandra had looked around, not sure where she was or just how far underground they were, but it at least felt safe and secluded with its large metal doors. Like it was the one place where despite Agatha and all her powers, she would be extremely unlikely to ever find this hidden, secluded place. And on top of that, she had a feeling she may never know it existed in the first place even once all was said and done.

<Hey, you’re finally here! Hang on just a little sec, I’ll get the door.>

Shortly after, the two large metal doors behind the three of them had unlocked with a clicking sound, and then both of them opened. Curious and amazed, the three Ladies entered into the large circular room filled with rows of computer screens and consoles, although the room was empty for the moment, save for Jirachi who was securely kept behind a glass barrier.

“Hey, long time no see!” Cassandra greeted Jirachi as she stepped into the room. “Hope you’ve been keeping out of trouble!”

“Kinda!” Jirachi laughed. “Sorta? Nah, I’ve been good, I promise! Also, nice costumes! They’re cute! Yeah, we’ve been using this as our home away from home. You can too, if you’d like!”

“Might have to take you up on that offer,” Violet replied with a nod as she crossed her arms. “Agatha’s groupies attacked Heahea and that Giratina messed up the urgent care center. The on-call room was where we were staying.”

“Ugh, yeah, I saw all of that…” Jirachi sighed, slouching a bit as he recalled the incident. “But we can rebuild it! We have the technology! Ha ha, I’ve been wanting to say that for a while now!”

Cassandra couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, but she nodded, thankful that it wouldn’t have to be rebuilt the traditional way. However, it was all in a matter of the timing, now.

“That would be great, but we might need to take a raincheck on that,” Cassandra replied. “At least until it’s safe and we can ensure it won’t be attacked like that again. As Jimmy told us already, we’re going to do our best to ensure no one finds out you’re here. So our plans are to keep the wishes mild, only requesting what we really need and to make sure it doesn’t involve anything too outlandish.”

“Of course!” Jirachi smiled cheerfully. “And I know just the thing!”

“I’m listening…” Jarena replied with a very curious smile.

Cassandra was curious as well, and from the way she saw things, Jirachi was harmless and simply a jovial ally that could still be relied upon even if his methods weren’t serious or quite as traditional. While the spirited and optimistic wishmaker Pokémon may not quite be Jon’s style and method of doing things, she was confident it wouldn’t be a problem. She did recall that Jon was very, very reluctant to even try becoming a Pokémon, and what she understood was Jon was not the kind of person to take chancy risks or let anything ride on a gamble, seeing pessimism as more of a precaution. She took him for something that was very meticulous about very set strategies, planning, and only improvising where needed.

“Make your wishes look like spells!” Jirachi laughed. “Those witches will be so confused and they’ll think you know magic they’ve never heard of! Just mentally picture what you’d like and say a few funny words of gibberish and stuff! Oh, and spell ‘Lucky’ on the palm of your hand to make it look like spellcasting! I’ll take that as my cue!”

“Pfftt!!” Jarena laughed, giggling at the impish nature of Jirachi’s wish-making strategy. “That’s too funny. And no reagent cost either.”

“Nope!” Jirachi winked. “It’s going to drive them craaaaazy! Now, while I’ve gotten better at granting wishes, it still kinda makes me a little sleepy and big wishes knock me out like taking Benadryl pills. But I’ll let you know if I’m hitting my limit.”

It was giving Cassandra some ideas. With Jirachi’s help, she felt that element of unpredictability was invaluable and would give them precisely what they needed to disrupt Agatha’s plans. She wasn’t sure if it would make Agatha delve into her books again to see what she was missing, but anything that delayed her or caused confusion among her and her followers would make it difficult for her to respond accordingly. That lack understanding and being able to improvise would be the edge they needed, especially to make up for Agatha having far more power in terms of the number of witches they had on their side.

“Sounds good, though for now, we just need a place to sleep for the night,” Cassandra told him with a friendly smile.

“Oh, that’s easy!” Jirachi replied with a smirk and a casual shrug. “You’ll find the living area connected to the other room you were in before. Everything you might need is there! I recommend the ice cream sandwiches, they’re delicious!”

“And here we brought salads with us!” Jarena replied with a goofy look on her face. “We look so old school.”

Come tomorrow morning, Cassandra figured the first thing they’d do after waking up was return to the surface. Following that, she was thinking they might try reusing their Pokémon forms. The way she saw it, Agatha and her followers would not do well against a mysterious Eevee with unexplainable powers. But before she thought about it too much, she decided she would talk it out further with Jarena and Violet in the morning.

Once Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet had eaten their salads for dinner and prepared beds for themselves, Cassandra had noticed she had gotten a message from Jon. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but she opened it and began reading, and it looked like he had written quite a lot.

Hey, it’s Jon.

I didn’t get a chance to clear things up, and just wanted to apologize about before. Latios overheard you guys talking on your way to see Jimmy, and made sure I knew about it, if you know what I mean. He takes after me…

Don’t think for a second I don’t trust the three of you, because I don’t trust Jirachi after what happened back then. The difference between what you three did four years ago, and what Jirachi did, is that the three of you have given me more than enough reason to trust you. You followed your end of the deal to the letter when I offered to vouch for you to the League, and I know the reason you never took Alyssa and I up on our offer to help after Wishmaker was so we wouldn’t get caught up as collateral. Cass came to my aid at a moment's notice, with not much intel to go on, and the three of you kept a secret that could have ruined my life had it come to light. Your actions were proof enough that you weren’t the same people you were before Wishmaker.

I haven’t seen Jirachi or Jimmy for four years, and had no reason to think anything was different but Jimmy’s word, and honestly I wanted to believe that things had changed and I could trust them now. But what happened tonight, the fact he didn’t mention Jirachi when I brought up the confidentiality until after we had both shared sensitive information, well, I realized I couldn’t take Jimmy just at his word. I brought up what happened four years ago, because based on what had just happened, I thought relying on Jirachi came with the same risks that it did back on Wishmaker, and believed that people deserved to know that before making that decision. I couldn’t have it on my conscience if I said nothing, and something happened because of it. Really, I want to be able to trust Jimmy and Jirachi, but their actions need to speak that.

This isn’t some long winded way of trying to get you guys to join Eon Squad. The three of you would be a major help, but I know that you three have earned my trust, and understand your talents and where you best fit into this whole mess we have found ourselves in better than I ever could. If working with Jimmy and Jirachi is how you think you can make the biggest difference, or something else entirely, I completely understand and would rather you do that. If there is anything you reasonably need from myself or Eon Squad, say the word, and we will be in touch as well, to get those protection charms sorted before we give Agatha hell.

Watch yourselves out there.
Jon.’

Cassandra nodded, getting a better idea of where Jon was coming from. She knew it might be difficult to remediate things between Jon and Jimmy, but she felt it wasn’t necessary for them to be chummy, just as long as they understood they were on the same side and that’s was really counted.

As it started to get a bit late and Jarena and Violet had fallen asleep after a long and exhausting day, she decided to write a response.

“Hey Jon,

I think what happened tonight was unfortunate. As much as I’d like for us all to have a do-over of what I think was a bad misunderstanding and misinterpretation and handle it the right way, the most we can do is just move on.

We had just connected with Jirachi and you can take my word for it, I truly feel he’s clean and knows what he’s doing and I can vouch for him. Jimmy and his methods probably don’t align well with what you have in mind as the meticulous strategist, but it’s fine, we’re all on the same side here aiming for the same goal. We all saw what Agatha and her cronies are capable of. Rather than taking stabs at our differences from our methods to what we think works best, let’s just target what we’re all here to do. Take her and her damn posse out. No half measures, as you like to say.

Jirachi has some interesting ideas that give us a lot of flexibility, but I get that you haven’t warmed up to that kind of proposition given what it means entrusting Jirachi with. I don’t want to go too into detail as what we have is only part of a plan and it’s too late tonight to revisit it. I’ll admit it’s not flawless and it may end up dead in the water, though I can honestly say I think it’s worth a try and good precautions and preparation were met to ensure any possible consequences can be dealt with. And four years ago, Jirachi also did things for us that no one else could do and they were things he didn’t stand to gain anything from personally. To me, that’s what friends do.

At the same time, I know Eon Squad is in good hands, though earlier there was another incident between Abbee and I concerning Victini. Thankfully we resolved it and I told Victini he needed to let go of me, but what that whole misunderstanding looked like is still fresh in our minds. So my thoughts are it might be too soon for Triad and Eon Squad to have a joint operation, but if you need us, we’ll be there to help however we can. We’re all in this together, that’s what counts.

All the best, Jon.
Cass”

With it getting later and Cassandra’s eyelids feeling heavy, she decided to turn her phone off, put it aside, and close her eyes to sleep. Ever since that Nox Purge spell she had performed for Jarena, her mind and body had been craving this kind of rest…

Chakramaster

06-06-2021, 05:16 PM

Jimmy Kendo
Dimensional Research Center (Underground Base)
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga Shruikan

The others seemed convinced and ready. The others seemed to take his advice. He could only hope they followed it since he can't read their minds himself. Each of them in a blink were taken right to the base Jimmy had setup.

“I think I might be sick…” Jarena replied, feeling really dizzy. “Oof, that’s a trip…”

“Yeah, it has that riding a roller-coaster with your eyes closed sort of feeling…” Cassandra said. Though to Jimmy he could tell this effect wouldn't last long for any of them. They each seemed tougher. Especially knowing what happened four years ago and what each of them went through. He couldn't imagine what all they'd been through the last 4 years either.

Jimmy looked around. Making sure the others were gathering themselves okay while making sure nothing else was off. Just in case. Jirachi would already know they were there. Just as he expected. Jirachi responded to them.

<Hey, you’re finally here! Hang on just a little sec, I’ll get the door.>

The doors to the next room opened for them. Revealing the main hub Jimmy had setup. As the others gazed around. Jimmy made his way to the center. Where Jirachi was at. Jimmy looked over one of the computers where Jirachi was at.

"How's everything looking Jirachi? Any updates?" Jimmy asked as Pikachu jumped off onto the metal desk by them holding the computer.

Jirachi turned to look at Jimmy. "Sadly no. In fact, things are only looking worse as time goes by." Jirachi confirmed with Jimmy as he overlooked the computer. Looking over anything Jirachi had seen using his psychic abilities.

Jirachi had then noticed the others behind Jimmy as Cassandra greeted Jirach.

“Hey, long time no see!” Cassandra greeted Jirachi as she stepped into the room. “Hope you’ve been keeping out of trouble!”

“Kinda!” Jirachi laughed. “Sorta? Nah, I’ve been good, I promise! Also, nice costumes! They’re cute! Yeah, we’ve been using this as our home away from home. You can too, if you’d like!”

“Might have to take you up on that offer,” Violet replied, nodding as she crossed her arms. “Agatha’s groupies attacked Heahea and that Giratina messed up the urgent care center. The on-call room was where we were staying.”

“Ugh, yeah, I saw all of that…” Jirachi sighed, slouching a bit as he recalled the incident. “But we can rebuild it! We have the technology! Ha ha, I’ve been wanting to say that for a while now!”

They knew Jirachi could repair it. Jimmy even prepared an idea, but knew they'd have to take precautions just as any.

“That would be great, but we might need to take a raincheck on that,” Cassandra replied. “At least until it’s safe and we can ensure it won’t be attacked like that again. As Jimmy told us already, we’re going to do our best to ensure no one finds out you’re here. So our plans are to keep the wishes mild, only requesting what we really need and to make sure it doesn’t involve anything too outlandish.”

“Of course!” Jirachi smiled cheerfully. “And I know just the thing!” Jirachi since being trained love to try and offer his ideas and insight. They might not always be what needed to be done, but he'd learned to say it rather than just doing it. Doing his best to help was what he was taught and he couldn't help, but offer. Even if some ideas were still mildly childish.

"I’m listening…” Jarena smiles back curiously.

“Make your wishes look like spells!” Jirachi laughed. “Those witches will be so confused and they’ll think you know magic they’ve never heard of! Just mentally picture what you’d like and say a few funny words of gibberish and stuff! Oh, and spell ‘Lucky’ on the palm of your hand to make it look like spellcasting! I’ll take that as my cue!”

“Pfftt!!” Jarena laughed, giggling at the impish nature of Jirachi’s wish-making strategy. “That’s too funny. And no reagent cost either.”

“Nope!” Jirachi winked. “It’s going to drive them craaaaazy! Now, while I’ve gotten better at granting wishes, it still kinda makes me a little sleepy and big wishes knock me out like taking Benadryl pills. But I’ll let you know if I’m hitting my limit.”

Jirachi still knew his limits. Over the years Jimmy had put forth the training they did to learn Jirachi's limitations. How much he could take and how much it took to wear out Jirachi. What kind of wishes use more energy and make Jirachi sleepy quicker.

“Sounds good, though for now, we just need a place to sleep for the night,” Cassandra said with a smile.

“Oh, that’s easy!” Jirachi replied with a smirk and a casual shrug. “You’ll find the living area connected to the other room you were in before. Everything you might need is there! I recommend the ice cream sandwiches, they’re delicious!”

“And here we brought salads with us!” Jarena replied with a goofy look on her face. “We look so old school.”

Jimmy had made sure to mention before the others left.

"You're all welcome to whatever you may need here. Food, water, resources. Jirachi can even help produce some resources here if we need them. So tomorrow before we leave you need only ask. I also feel I need to describe a little more about these star pieces before we go tomorrow. Just to make sure everyone understands to use them given a moments notice. Sleep well tonight everyone. I'm sure we will need it." Jimmy tells the group before turning to Jirachi and nodding.

"You okay to keep watch or should I while you rest?" Jimmy asked.

"No I'm good! You need rest more than me. You've been up way too long! Get some sleep Mr!" Jirachi said before smirking.

Jimmy nodded before looking to Pikachu. "Well lets get some sleep for now. Jirachi is gonna keep watch". Jimmy let out a large yawn as Pikachu jumped down to follow behind Jimmy to a bed in one of the open rooms. After the events of the day. It wasn't what any of them were expecting.

Alisaie Kendo
Outside of Heahea City
Affected RP'ers: NA

Alisaie had kept watch over Jimmy as much as possible. Unbeknownst to many of them. She had Hoopa. A Pokémon that could use its rings to open portals leading anywhere they wanted. Another demo soon, the other side of the world, almost anywhere. It was her partner in crime. Like the perfect partner for her in what she loved doing.

"So, let's gather our thoughts here." She said as Hoopa stood by her. "Jimmy and some other group met up. Jimmy looked frustrated before others came around them. They looked at something in their hands before they disappeared? How could they just disappear like that? I didn't see any Pokémon around them that had anything that could teleport them. Hmm..." She thought as nothing came to mind. Muttering to herself. "Jimmy must have more tricks now than I thought. That or one of his friends."

Alissa looked around. Gazing into the sky as it continues to just stay a more pitch black around her. Light continuously fading.

"We need to find shelter for now. Hoopa? Mind finding a nice room for us?" She said smiling at Hoopa.

Hoopa hovers to her before throwing a ring in front of them as it enlarges. They step in finding themselves in a very open and luxurious looking room at one of the fancier hotels.

"Perfect! Thanks Hoopa!" Alisaie says as she looks around the room. Finding the kitchen. God had even been stored here for whoever might be staying. "I guess they had this room prepared for anyone that might be staying. Guess we'll leave them a big thank you card." She said before checking the sink.

"Hmm, running water. Guess we could use a shower, dinner, and a nice bed tonight." She looked to Hoopa once more. "Tomorrow lets focus on Jimmy. Find out what he's up to if we have to. Once we find him. Don't let him escape our sights. He's hiding something. I can feel it. Along with everything else going on. I'm gonna come to a conclusion. If we have to. Open a portal to our home outside of this place. We have a key to anywhere thanks to you Hoopa. For now let's enjoy a night of luxury. Thank you Hoopa!" She said before giving him a slight pat on the head.

[Desolate Divine]

06-07-2021, 03:00 AM

Abbee Strauss
Crown Harbour Hotel Bar
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga (Indirectly)

It was nearing 10pm, when Abbee noticed someone sit at the bar next to her.

"For someone trying to be covert about investigating me, you're really not doing a good job..." said a woman's voice, sounding smug, as Abbee turned to see Brianna Levine sitting in the seat next to her. She ordered a glass of wine, before Abbee replied.

"Maybe I instead just wanted to talk..."

Brianna grinned before snapping her fingers, and a circle appeared on the ground surrounding both her and Brianna. This is what Dylan described. The circle that forced him to tell the truth. And her as well.

"In that case, what's your name?" Brianna asked, "Don't worry, nobody outside of the circle can see it. To everyone else here we are just two friends catching up."

"I don't have to say..." Abbee said, taking a risk. Dylan tried to lie, but the circle forced him to tell the truth. But what if it wasn't that simple? Instead of it forcing whoever is in it to tell the truth, but instead prevented them from lying. Technically Abbee was being truthful by telling Brianna she doesn't have to say.

To her surprise, it worked. The words came out as she intended.

"Besides, it seems you already know who I am..." Abbee added.

"Dylan has made his way towards the room service computer. Keep her busy."

"So you've worked out the flaw in this little trick of mine." Brianna replied, "But you're right. I know who you are Abbee. The orphaned daughter of battling legend, Richard Strauss."

Abbee hated that word. Orphan. However she thought over what she knew of the spell that was affecting her and Brianna, and the rules she understood they were following. There had to be a way to use this to her advantage. Especially since if there was, Brianna definitely knew it.

"How do you know who I am? Or who the Shadowcraft users that are working with us are?" Abbee asked.

"I had my reasons for investigating Jon, even before he showed up on Akala." Brianna explained, "I investigated his activities on the S.S. Wishmaker, and the Eon Academy. I know you and Dylan were among the first students he had there, and have helped run the place since then. Really if I didn't have reason to, I wouldn't have known who you and Dylan were when you all showed up on this island."

Brianna lowered her voice, before continuing.

"As for the identity of those of us who have sided with you..." Brianna said, "Well let's just say the only ones that I know are close enough with someone like Jon, or the League themselves, supposedly died in a fire three or four years ago..."

She knew...

"Don't worry, Agatha doesn't know, I'm certain." Brianna said, "And the League with their little friends have a chance of being a real thorn on her side if they play their cards right. I won't give Agatha anything..."

"Why do you hate Agatha so much?" Abbee asked, "Not that it's unjustified, but this seems to be much older history than what has happened on the island..."

"My mother once was part of a coven of Shadowcraft users. They were her family." Brianna explained, "Except my mother left before I was born. She knew that darkness and darkness only breed more darkness. She went into hiding, and when I was young, was hunted down by the people she once considered family, and killed. She hadn't betrayed them, or done anything to wrong them. Only chose to follow a different path. So I hunted every one of them down that I could..."

"And now, Agatha is creating something equally disgusting here, and I want to see it wiped out." Brianna said, "Now I have some questions for you..."

Abbee's guard was immediately up, as Brianna asked the first question.

"How did you know to find me here?" Brianna asked.

"Someone else did, and asked me to speak to you." Abbee replied, making sure every word that came out of her mouth was truthful. She was technically. Dylan knew before she did, and though he explained it to her, Brianna didn't need to know that much. As long as she didn't lie, the charm wouldn't force her to speak the truth.

"Dylan's done it, and is hiding again." Victini said telepathically.

"And how are the League going to respond?" Brianna asked.

"We don't have enough information to react just yet." Abbee replied, "We are still need to figure out some more things."

Thankfully the spell was satisfied with the level of truth she used. Whilst they were planning a counter-attack, she wasn't lying when she said they couldn't react just yet, and that they need to figure out some stuff. Brianna however seemed satisfied.

To Abbee's surprise, Brianna grabbed a nearby napkin, and a pen from her bag, and began scribbling some notes, before passing it to Abbee.

"Jon will have a visitor soon enough. One who once was loyal to Agatha, and now understands the gravity of the situation. Jon will want to hear this person out. However, I know you operative types and these witch types tend to be a little too defensive without some encouragement, and you will get nowhere trying to discuss anything." Brianna explained, "Give this to your friends, and they will be able to use the same spell that lets us be honest with each other..."

Abbee cautiously accepted the napkin, as Brianna finished her drink and went to stand. Before she left the circle, Abbee had to test her theory.

"Your reasons for being here..." Abbee said, "Once Agatha is out of the picture, will they put yourself and the league at odds?"

Before Brianna could respond, Abbee quickly added something.

"If you give me anything that isn't a yes or no answer, I will assume the answer to be yes."

Brianna's eyes widened, before she stepped out of the circle, and faked a smile dripped in venom.

"Smart girl..." Brianna replied, "Be careful or it may get you killed..."

Brianna left, and a few minutes later, Abbee left the bar as well, walking outside the hotel, and finding herself in a fast food restaurant where the reconvened with Dylan and Victini.

"It's all in place?" Abbee asked. Dylan nodded.

"Did you find out anything interesting?"

"Quite a bit actually. I think we definitely got the better deal from that chat." Abbee said, "I will explain it properly when we meet up with Jon..."

Jon Drake, Abbee Strauss and Dylan Squire
Eon Squad HQ
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga (Indirectly) Shruikan

Jon had seen Cassandra's response and left the conversation at that. He wanted a reason to trust Jimmy and Jirachi, but between Jirachi's actions back then, and Jimmy's own tonight, he didn't have that reason yet. If Triad wanted to work with them, and they proved themselves to them now, maybe he would trust them too. Until then, he had his own squad to manage, and if something did go wrong with Jimmy and Jirachi, that wasn't on his conscience.

It was 11:30 when Dylan and Abbee arrived back. They had left for Dylan to find more intel on Brianna, planting a bug in the room service computer of the hotel she was staying in, whilst Abbee acted as means of distracting her. Abbee quickly asked Jon if the three of them could talk privately about what had happened.

"So the bug is in place?" Jon asked.

"It is. We are monitoring every room service order, and should be able to narrow down some names based on Brianna's taste in wine." Dylan explained, "She even drank some at the bar when she was talking to Abbee."

"Sound's like we're on the right track." Jon replied, "How did the conversation go."

"You were right. She did the spell that forces you to tell the truth." Abbee explained, "But I think I've figured out how to make it work to our advantage..."

"You didn't give her any information?" Jon asked, slightly concerned at how casually Abbee was talking about this spell.

"Nothing that anybody with half a brain couldn't predict." Abbee explained, "The charm forces you to tell the truth, only if you attempt to lie. You can say things that are technically true, but leave out a key piece of information, and it not trigger. She asked how I knew to find her there, and I told her someone else knew and asked me to come speak to her. I didn't tell her that the someone else had told me how they found her, or why I wanted to speak to her, outside of just getting information."

Abbee pulled the napkin with the notes on it out of her pocket and handed it to Jon.

"Whilst she was under the spells control, she told me two things. Firstly, that someone who was originally here with Agatha, but now understands the gravity of the situation will be coming to you tomorrow to talk."

"A deserter?" Jon asked.

"Sounds like it." Abbee explained, "Then she gave me the napkin and told me that written on it is the same spell she used when she spoke with myself and with Dylan."

"Triad aren't here, but we have someone else who is competent in Shadowcraft who should be able to handle this." Jon explained, "I will give it to her in the morning."

(OOC: Shruikan, you can bunny Jon into giving this to Glimmer, and asking if she'd be able to pull off the spell, and if she can do that during a meeting he is having later.)

"There is one other thing." Abbee explained, "And this is big."

"Oh yeah?" Jon asked, curious to hear what Abbee had to say.

"You can get the truth out of them and prevent them from using the methods I mentioned before to hide it." Abbee explained, "You ask a yes no question, and let them know you will assign one of those two answers to any answer they give that isn't yes or no."

"You tested this?" Jon asked, impressed at how quickly Abbee thought on her feet.

"I asked her if her own reasons for being here will put her at odds with the League once Agatha is out of the picture. And told her anything she says that isn't a yes or no, I will take to be yes." Abbee explained, "She walked out of the circle and left the bar. Told me I was smart, and it will get me killed..."

"I knew it..." Jon muttered, "She might be offering to help us, but she isn't in our corner..."

"So what now?" Dylan asked.

"We don't approach her at all, and we don't give her any information." Jon explained, "If she wants to offer help in exchange for something, she has to make that offer to me. Sad truth is that so far she has actually given us a way of fighting back, but I don't know what she is planning once Agatha is out of the picture. Keep investigating her, but don't make contact."

Dylan nodded, before Jon spoke again.

"It's late, and it's been a huge day." Jon said, "Let's all get some rest..."

Shruikan

06-07-2021, 02:16 PM

Luneth Tarot
Outside of Eon Squad HQ > Dimensional Research Center (Underground Base)
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga, Chakramaster

Luneth was surprised when Triad came out after Jimmy too. She’d thought they’d side with Jon, and try to keep to the original plan. But she would be lying to say she wasn’t happy that they had.

Jimmy explained how the Star Pieces worked in greater detail, then offered one to everyone. Luneth couldn’t help but think that if Jon had heard this explanation he might have had less reservations about using them.

Luneth took the offered star piece, holding it awkwardly in her front paws. It rattled a bit when she first touched it, probably reacting to the transformation spell she was under, but quickly went still again. If she was going to keep this, she’d need to ask for a string or chain so she could wear it without needing bags or pockets.

After Jimmy explained how the teleporting worked, Triad were quick to try it out. It was incredibly strange and slightly unsettling seeing three humans teleport away like they were Abras, one blink and they were gone.
Luneth gripped the Star Piece tighter and closed her eyes, concentrating her thoughts on teleporting after them. There was a flash bright enough to be visible through her closed eyelids, not unlike when Jirachi had wished her into a pokemon form the first time, followed by an intense dizziness. She barely refrained from falling over, but the effects passed quickly.

Opening her eyes, she saw that it had worked. She was in what looked like a secret government base from a movie, filled with consoles and screens, though eerily no people.
She started to head after the others, settling after a few wobbly steps on her back paws for kicking the Star Piece along in front of her like a football.

She stayed relatively quiet as Triad spoke with Jirachi, not wanting to interrupt anything potentially important. Jirachi at least seemed cheerful just like before.

As he spoke to Triad, he suggested making the Wishes look like spells.

"Vul, Vulpix" (“Oh, that’s a great idea!”) She piped up, before shrinking back down again quickly, trying not to distract too much. Hiding Wishes as spells would both work to hind Jirachi’s existence, but also make them seem like a greater threat. They could even give them to non-witches to make it seem like they had a bigger army of magic users.

When Jirachi mentioned Ice Cream Sandwiches Luneth’s stomach grumbled. Ice cream was good any day, but as a Ice Type her desire for cold food had increased tenfold. She shook her head, no now wasn’t the time to get distracted.
As Triad went off to eat, Luneth stayed with Jirachi for a few minutes.

“Long time no see! Good to see you’re doing well.” Luneth smiled up at Jirachi.
“So um… Do these come in pendants?” She lightly kicked the Star Piece again. “It’s kinda hard to carry like this, what with no pockets or hands.”

Neo Emolga

06-08-2021, 01:30 AM

OOC: Starting the next day.

AGATHA
Thrifty Megamart, Akala
Affected RPers: N/A

As if driven by some dark energy, Agatha had little sleep during the night, but still seemed animated and showed no signs of wearing down as she had watched and brooded over the Netherclysm spell slowly progressing. The disfigured witch Igor had soon joined her, grinning at the sight. All the while, the dark vortex continued to grow as it hovered above the table, having doubled in size.

“What are you so happy about?” Agatha asked him with a scowl.

“It’s all going to plan, isn’t it…” Igor smiled at her. “By tomorrow night, nothing will stop us. Soon…”

“Not soon enough!” Agatha shouted back at him. “When it has completed, only then should you be smiling.”

“Heh heh, worried it won’t finish?” Igor asked her, finding it somewhat amusing. “They know nothing about it. You would do well to learn patience.”

“Don’t lecture me…” Agatha snarled at him as a warning. “I’m not about to let my guard down for them to discover some weakness in our plan. They’ve brought regional champions here with that very intention and they’ve gathered many elite trainers to interrupt our work here. And on top of all that, we’ve already confirmed there are Shadowcraft practitioners on this island that are working against us rather than with us.”

Igor nodded, though he still felt Agatha had all the reason to be optimistic at the current advantage they had in the situation. In less than 48 hours, the power they would have would allow them to become unstoppable. And all they needed to do was defend the Megamart long enough for that to happen.

“There’s a flaw somewhere…” Agatha told him. “I feel it. I want watchers in the shadows, because the attack upon Heahea wasn’t enough. We need something more.”

Igor had recalled that Nicodemus and Aaron had some plan, but he didn’t know all the details.

…

Off in the makeshift apothecary, which had been cleaned of Boris’s remains with the corpse of his Morpeko removed, Aaron had met with Nicodemus. Reluctantly, Nicodemus had gathered the reagents needed for Endkath, a spell even he had his doubts about. However, Aaron looked upon the assembly of components like a child anticipating opening Christmas presents.

“I see you haven’t given this any second thoughts,” Nicodemus told the young witch as he looked upon his dark keenness.

“Never,” Aaron grinned. “Once it happens…”

“I want you to uphold your part of the bargain as well,” Nicodemus reminded him. “Hunt down that damn Latios and Latias. I don’t care if you kill them, but we need the blood of both of them to amplify the Netherclysm’s speed. So make sure there is enough of their corpses left for us to be able to harvest it.”

Aaron just chuckled, looking back to Nicodemus with confidence.

“Should be simple once I have Endkath,” he smirked.

“Keep in mind you’ll likely need to murder Jon Drake, his followers, and I anticipate you’ll need to kill Willow as well,” Nicodemus advised him. “You would do well to ensure you know your enemies before you engage them.”

“Willow?” Aaron asked curiously, knowing she was one of their own. “You don’t think she’d allow us to have Latias’s blood?”

“No,” Nicodemus replied in a cold tone of voice. “In fact I already have my suspicions she has already acted against us. Boris was killed with a flesh disintegration spell that was not the work of Latias, although she had a part in the act in slaughtering my apprentice’s Morpeko. Meanwhile, Willow wasn’t in her chambers last night and she’s nowhere to be found now.”

“Does Agatha know?” Aaron asked curiously.

“Not yet, but she doesn’t know about us using Endkath either,” Nicodemus told him. “That’s why I need you to make good use of this. The only thing I need is the bodies of Latios and Latias intact so that I can draw their blood. Who you kill and what you destroy is completely up to your own discretion, but I recommend not showing them any mercy.”

To Aaron, it was like getting an invitation to the best party ever, and all he had to do was just fulfill one simple request. It even allowed him to be creative…

“Now then, enough waiting…” Nicodemus continued, preparing the components. “Let us begin…”

Willow Scalera
Eon Villa, Akala
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine (Jon/Latios)

After spending an almost restless night at the Pokémon Center, Willow had gotten up with the dawn, using the little available light to make her way toward the Eon Villa that she had been at just last night. Though she was invisible, Latias was still nearby, keeping watch for any witches or ghost Pokémon that might be lying in ambush. With her help, she was able to keep out of sight of several of the sentries that were around.

In the meantime, Willow couldn’t help but look at the skies, never allowing the sun to show itself as the dark gray and murky violet clouds blotted it out of the sky. As a result, every day started gloomy and barely provided sunlight. But before long, she had arrived at the Eon Villa, still remembering what Brianna told her. She had some doubts, but she was prepared with a Plan B in mind in case she needed to escape.

All the while, she had nothing on her that suggested to anyone she was a witch, but she knew once she came face to face with Jon, she’d have to reveal the truth. She knew it could cost her everything, but she was hoping she could get past his doubts with some honesty, with Latias by her side to reach out to her brother that was also Jon’s entrusted Pokémon partner, and reminding herself that she needed allies now at this critical time. But if it didn’t work, she couldn’t blame herself for not trying.

Reluctantly, she had approached the front doors. When she pressed the doorbell, she knew there was no turning back now, but she knew for her sake, Latias’s sake, and the sake of quite possibly every living being, she could not return to Agatha. She needed to be stopped.

“Hello?” She called out, not sure if there was anyone inside awake at this hour. “Is anyone there!? I need to-!”

But she stopped herself from revealing too much, suddenly checking behind her shoulder to make sure nothing was around her. After all, just yesterday she had come face to face with one of Agatha’s Gengars. While nothing behind her in the tropical bushes and trees seemed to imply a stalker, she knew she couldn’t be too careful.

“I need help!” Willow pleaded, keeping it brief and obscure to prevent suspicion from anyone watching.

Latias had been watching from the skies, hovering by the rooftop while cloaked in her invisibility. While she didn’t detect any phantasmal watchers, there were still many shadows in the darkness, and she knew psychic Pokémon like herself could not mentally gaze into the darkest and most shadowy of places. All it took was one Sableye in an opportune place and it could compromise everything.

[color=red]<Latios, brother, if you can hear me and you’re there… that young trainer by the door is my trainer. Jon may not know her or trust her, but she risked her life to protect me. Numerous times.

There’s things she knows that Jon needs to know as well…>

All the while, Willow was hoping whatever had transpired last night was forgotten, at least for the most part. In the meantime, she only knew a few things about Jon and she had yet to see the master Pokémon trainer face to face. Taking a deep breath, she kept in mind that she needed to be open and not attempt to advise Jon on how to deal with this situation, as she figured he would have his own plans. Willow didn’t know if those plans might involve her, but even if all she did was give him the details as to what Agatha was truly trying to accomplish and what was at stake, it was already a major step in the right direction.

Triad (The Diamond Ladies)
Dimensional Research Center (Underground Base)
Affected RPers: Chakramaster Shruikan

“Sleep well?” Cassandra asked.

“Could have used some nice fluffy pajamas,” Jarena shrugged with a silly smile. “I’m sure Jirachi would have happily provided those. This Beautifly costume was totally not meant to be slept in, although wearing it while sleeping gave me a really fascinating dream!”

“I couldn’t even turn over,” Violet replied as she brewed a cup of coffee for herself. “Whose idea was this anyway?”

“I don’t want to wear out Jirachi to any degree if we don’t need to,” Cassandra shrugged. “But yeah, I thought these would have been okay to sleep in, but not quite. The wings are… well, like you said. They don’t work out in bed.”

“Next time go as Whimsicott, Cinccino, and Dubwool?” Jarena asked with a curious smile.

Violet just shot Jarena “that look” of suspicion before turning back to Cassandra. Right about now, she was looking for any reason to change into something else, although they didn’t have much of a wardrobe to work with.

In the meantime, they had gathered in the kitchen and while Cassandra set the table for breakfast, Jarena started making pancakes and waffles for everyone. While she may have been a Buneary for a handful of years, she hadn’t forgotten how to make great breakfast food. All the while, Violet was jotting down notes and

“Once Jimmy and Luneth wake up and we’ve all had breakfast, we’ll go over the plan,” Violet told the two of them. “We need to get in close to the Megamart, but we can’t risk a full-on assault. For now, get intel on what they’re doing in there. Though I haven’t dismissed the possibility there could be nothing going on over there at all.”

“We’ll go as Pokémon just in case,” Jarena smiled, liking that idea as she finished a few pancakes and added them to a stack. “Changing back to human may be tricky with no nuggets nearby, but maybe Jirachi can help us with that, though we’d need some new clothes, too. Teleporting a few of those should be easy enough. Once we’ve made it back, of course.”

“Remember, we’re scouting for now,” Violet agreed, reminding Jarena not to get too carried away. “Jon’s crew and the League will want to know what’s going on there if we find something. We survey the area, probe inside if we can do it safely without being detected, identify key targets, and head back. Don’t get tempted to raise hell.”

“I knooowww…” Jarena rolled her eyes, feeling she could manage that easily. “Though we should take a few of our Pokémon with us. You know, many hands make light work, right?”

“We have something Jon and the others don’t have,” Cassandra agreed. “Four years of experience knowing how to behave and blend in with other Pokémon, but with the capability of understanding human technology in addition to knowing how to deal with Shadowcraft. Just whatever you do, don’t send in your Pokémon alone. You should still lead them because they don’t know a hex sigil booby trap like you would. But they can at least watch your back while you work.”

For now, Cassandra figured Jimmy and Luneth might have their own ideas on what they could do for this scouting mission. She had a feeling Jimmy might not be too keen on working with Jon, but she still felt everyone would benefit from having the intel on Agatha’s operations. It would allow them to come up with a plan of attack and make sure they strike in the right places where Agatha’s operation had a weakness.

But they would definitely need to make it clear they would need to be careful. Very, very careful…

[Desolate Divine]

06-08-2021, 01:59 AM

Jon Drake
Eon Squad Villa
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga

Bunnying done with Neo Emolga's permission.

It was early when Jon awoke. Whilst he didn't quite get the eight hours of sleep he'd have liked, given how late his meeting with Dylan and Abbee went, he got enough when assisted by a slightly unhealthy dose of caffeine.

"Jon, they're here..." Said Latios' voice in his head.

"They?" Jon thought back, somewhat concerned. Brianna had mentioned someone deserting and finding their way here. But this implied there was more than one.

"My sister, and her trainer..."

Having their thoughts paired for the purpose of communication meant little was hidden between Jon and Latios during those times. Latios felt Jon thinking about calling for Glimmer to use the Lie Prevention spell Brianna had provided them with, and Jon felt Latios' sadness at having to treat his sister with such scepticism.

"I will let them speak freely and unaffected by the spell on two conditions." Jon explained to Latios, "Firstly, you sight share with me the entire time so I can see their emotions as well. Secondly, there is to be no telepathic communication between our side of the room and theirs. We can't risk any intel escaping through a telepathic link. If your sister's trainer wants to hear your opinion, myself or your sister can translate. If your sister wants to speak to you, it can be verbally. Agreed?"

"Agreed..."

"Bring them to the meeting room. I will be waiting there..."

Jon made his way to the meeting room, whilst Latios flew towards the front door, turning visible and opening it with telekinesis.

Latios cried out verbally, though the only people in the building who would understand were Jon, Abbee, Latias, and unbeknownst to Jon, Glimmer.

"Jon will see you now, however has asked in the interest of security we only speak verbally." Latios said to Latias, who whilst invisible, Latios could still see the aura representing her own emotions. "Please let your trainer know."

Whilst it pained Latios to have to be so formal and stoic towards his sister, he knew that this was a risk. It had been many years since he had last seen her, and time can change all things. If Jon trusted this trainer and Latias, then he would be a bit more open.

Latios lead the pair into the meeting room, which Jon had placed a Do Not Disturb sign on the front of, where Jon stood at one end sipping a coffee. He had been tuned into Latios' sight sharing and heard what Latios said, as well as could see Latias' presence.

"I'm Jon Drake." Jon said, as he eyed the pair cautiously, "I'd appreciate it if Latias could turn visible, that way I don't need to worry too much what she is up to..."

Neo Emolga

06-09-2021, 01:03 AM

Willow Scalera
Eon Villa, Akala
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine (Jon/Latios)

For a while, there was silence. Willow was beginning to think she had come too early, in which case she was beginning to ponder if she should just head back to the Pokémon Center and kill time in the waiting room. But she knew if she risked that and was discovered, Jon would never know what was happening, and that would cost everything to everyone.

All the while, Latios had been conversing with Latias. For a moment, she admired his politeness and could tell Jon had been training him well as both a battler and in terms of manners.

<Thanks, it’s good to hear from you again. Although I wasn’t expecting it to be under these kinds of circumstances…>

Then, Latias had looked to Willow, still waiting by the front door, unsure what to do next if no one opened the door. But then, the lock had been disengaged, much to Willow’s sudden surprise.

<I think we’re good. They’ll see us now in the waiting room.>

Willow nodded, and then reached for the handle. At this point, she felt she this may be the last bastion of hope she could put all her faith into. In her eyes, she felt Agatha and the others had betrayed her, willing to sacrifice Latias just to speed up the ungodly Netherclysm spell.

After opening the door and stepping inside, Willow and Latias had seen Latios. For a moment, Latias was almost overcome with emotion, ready to embrace Latios with a friendly hug after not having seen him for so long. But the look on his stoic face spoke for itself that this wasn’t the time for that. For a moment, Willow had recalled what Latias had seen just last night, and began to feel maybe she was wrong and whatever was troubling Jon and Latios had not worn off at all. Even to the point where the presence of long-lost family finally reunited was simply no cause for celebration. Instead, Latias’s wild eyes and cheerful smile had sunken into a saddened frown of disappointment, followed by a sigh.

Latios had led them to the meeting room as Willow looked around, her eyes surveying the villa’s décor and furnishings. It didn’t take them long to arrive at the meeting room, which appeared to be off-limits for most visitors. Upon arriving and stepping into the room, Willow had laid eyes on Jon, sipping coffee. She had seen him before on television, but this was the first time she had met him face to face.

“I’m Jon Drake,” he spoke, introducing himself. “I'd appreciate it if Latias could turn visible, that way I don't need to worry too much what she is up to...”

Willow had turned to around, and nodding, letting her know it was okay. While Willow knew only limited details about Jon, she knew he was skilled enough in handling Pokémon that he could win high-stakes elite tournaments and run an academy that was already growing quickly in reputation.

Latias had agreed to Jon’s request, removing the cloaking around her to reveal herself. To the naked eye, it seemed the red and white jet-shaped avian dragon Pokémon materialized out of thin air. She tried to smile, hoping to lend some optimism to those around her, although lately things had been very anxious and stressful. Ever since they had come to this island, it was as far from paradise as they could imagine despite the tropical environment around them.

“Thanks for inviting us in,” Willow told Jon, knowing it was going to be tricky to earn his trust, but she felt the fastest way to do that was reveal everything. No lies, no holding back the details.

“My name is Willow. Willow Scalera.” She had then taken a deep breath, not sure how Jon was going to take this, but she decided to at least try. “You probably don’t know me, but I’ve definitely heard your name multiple times and have seen some of your battles in action.”

“There’s things you, the League, and anyone else that’s up against Agatha… things you all need to know,” Willow continued, hoping she wouldn’t be tackled to the ground once she revealed how she came to be here. “For a while, I was working for her. Agatha, through some spell I have yet to learn, broadcasted some kind of Shadowcraft rallying message in the form of a dream to all Shadowcraft witches, promising power and opportunity for all those that came to Akala Island to help her. As someone who has been using Shadowcraft for a few years to unravel its mysteries, opportunities to learn and help a former Elite Four member were once in a lifetime chances. Against my better judgement, I decided to come, hoping it would be a chance to learn more powerful Shadowcraft.”

“You’re probably wondering just why I had gotten into this in the first place…” Willow shrugged, knowing to the outside observer, practicing dark witchcraft looked nefarious in nature. “Well, there were a few reasons. Power, for one thing. The ability to have powers like a Pokémon without being one for my own personal protection. But no matter what, I always made sure I controlled it rather than it controlling me and I reminded myself to always use it responsibly and in moderation.”

“…And Agatha does anything but use it responsibly and in moderation,” Willow sighed, looking away for a moment before turning back to Jon. “I thought this would be like a school, or a training camp. Somewhat like the Eon Academy you run. But it’s not like that at all. It’s a pyramid scheme with Agatha on top, standing to benefit the most if what she’s trying to do comes to pass. She’s made herself unnaturally young, younger than even me. And the things she and her followers have done are atrocious. What happened to the people in Heahea… I never thought this is what I’d be seeing by coming here. I swear, I had no part in that, and when I learned what happened, I wanted nothing more than to leave. And then… and then they tried to sacrifice Latias. They wanted to extract her blood for an ungodly spell called ‘Netherclysm.’”

Latias had then closed her eyes, and spoke telepathically to Latios and Jon.

<It’s true. Willow knows more of the details to this grizzly spell, but they want Eon blood to speed it up. We need to make sure that doesn’t happen, or it’s going to be a lot of bad news.>

“Agatha would torture me for eternity for telling you this…” Willow told Jon and Latios, knowing what she was about to reveal would make her a prime enemy of Agatha and her followers. “Netherclysm is… to put it simply, an almost apocalyptic spell of extreme magnitude. It stems from a conduit channel called the Netherlink, which is a means to inherit the knowledge of the dead. Yes, everything, including their powers, abilities, and talents, which translates to a godlike power that surpasses legendary Pokémon many times over. Agatha has been spending the last seven years gathering the reagents, research, and support to make this spell possible. She also waited until Spiritwater was in its prime state, allowing her to seal a pact with these many ghost Pokémon who enjoy nothing more than this unchallenged freedom to harass and be a nuisance to everyone.”

“Agatha plans on using Netherclysm to reform the world,” Willow revealed. “In truth, she should have passed away from old age years ago, but now, she wants to use it and become one with it to turn herself into a self-proclaimed ‘queen god’ to purge out the weak, crippled, and helpless. Those who survive the first wave of this dark global transformation would live to serve, although many would be swept away to become simply dust, stone, ash, or whatever lifeless material the Netherclysm decides. And those lost would be dead, losing their knowledge and memories to the Netherlink to become Agatha’s to use at her discretion.”

“Most living creatures, humans and Pokémon, would not survive Netherclysm,” Willow explained. “The dark magic would envelop everyone no matter where they tried to hide, and even those that survive might do so only to become mutants and abominations, intended to be killed off or sacrificed if their short lifespans didn’t wipe them out first. The rare, ‘lucky’ few that survived past that might become new creatures, as long as Agatha felt they were strong, beautiful, intelligent, and worthy enough to preserve as she decided. But in the end, she would be the one to judge how this new, dark world would be, deciding what should exist to serve her and what should be sacrificed…”

“We have less than 48 hours to stop this spell from happening…” Willow told Jon, letting him know the urgency behind stopping this spell from coming to pass. “Agatha’s followers believe they will inherit some of this power and reign as Agatha’s subservient demigods, but I have my doubts most of them will get anything out of this. What you see around Akala Island… the dark skies, the wind currents and waves stranding everyone here, and the horrific things that were done to the people and Pokémon of Heahea… this isn’t even the tip of the iceberg if this spell completes.”

“They have small safehouse outposts scattered throughout Akala, but they’re currently using the Thrifty Megamart as their main base,” Willow told Jon, revealing their location. “That’s where Netherclysm is being prepared in the back manager’s office room. However, it’s heavily guarded, there’s hex traps everywhere, and there are ghost Pokémon always on patrol, lurking in the shadows. No human or Pokémon is going to stumble upon it accidentally. They’ll make sure of that.”

Willow tried to think of something they could do to solve this problem, but she shook her head after a sigh.

“This may sound absurd, but the best way of stopping this spell is… simply tear down the whole building,” Willow told Jon, knowing this might come across as very blunt and brute force thinking. “The hex traps that are scattered around the perimeter and interior are like landmines. They can be brutal, if not fatal, if one makes contact with one of them. But disrupting the surfaces they are inlaid upon destroys them. It would mean ripping open the earth around the building, almost to the point of churning it like butter to ensure every hex trap is disrupted and destroyed. And it would also mean crumbling the entire Megamart to dust, which won’t be easy given the size of it. But… as you probably guessed, you would also have to face the entirety of Agatha’s legion of witches and Pokémon as they try to defend it, and they would ferociously defend it even beyond death. The cost would be heavy, but I just don’t see a way to safely enter to reach where Netherclysm is being prepared. Even a Pokémon or trainer willing to embark on a suicide mission would have difficulty with it.”

After taking a deep breath and sighing, Willow looked to the ground, deep in thought. She knew she had now completely betrayed Agatha by relinquishing this critical information to Jon, who would most likely be the greatest threat in the war against Agatha. His skill, knowledge, and influence was regarded highly among even Pokémon League Champions. And while there were still those that questioned his methods and means, there were very few that doubted his ability, or felt there was something nefarious about his end goals.

“I know that was a lot to take in…” Willow told Jon, knowing she had been explaining a lot for the past few minutes. “And I understand if you don’t believe all of it, but I want to help you. Agatha betrayed me, wanting to sacrifice Latias with the intention of also going after Latios just to make this horrible travesty come into being a day sooner.”

“I trust Latias with my life, and if her brother can trust you, then I feel you’re my best chance at stopping Agatha’s horrific plot…”

[Desolate Divine]

06-09-2021, 08:35 AM

Jon Drake
Eon Squad Villa, Meeting Room
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga

Jon listened as Willow introduced herself, though seemed unaware he knew that she was originally with Agatha before she mentioned it, listening carefully, and taking notes of questions he wanted to ask, whilst monitoring both her and Latias' emotions through Latios' sight sharing. Whilst he could generally understand basic emotions that Latios saw, he didn't have anywhere near the level of finesse and understanding Latios did, this ability being innate and completely natural to him. To Jon, Willow seemed sincere in her information, which was supported by the emotions Jon could see, though didn't understand as well as Latios did. Jon would occasionally use his thoughts to point out different auras he wasn't familiar with, and Latios would reply telepathically translating what Jon saw. Regret being the main one, and shame being prevalent, as well as a sense of drive. None of these would make sense if this were a trap. However, just because Willow was sincere, this didn't mean it didn't have the potential to be a trap. Willow could just be a pawn...

"What do you think?" Jon asked with his thoughts, "Can she be trusted?"

"I think she is sincere." Latios replied, "But I know I have a slight bias, so will be okay if you think there is something up."

"No I agree. I think she is telling the truth." Jon replied, "That isn't to say she might not be being used, however I'm not going to throw her out and let Agatha capture her and Latias. Even if she is a pawn in something more sinister, there is not much we can do now but be prepared for that possibility..."

As Willow finished, Jon looked at his coffee cup.

"I was just going to offer you a coffee..." Jon replied, light-heartedly to what Willow had said, though truthfully, what she had just described terrified him, and he knew he needed to remain calm if he were going to try and think of their next steps.

"In all seriousness, I was told you were coming, and where you were coming from, before you arrived, but this isn't what I expected..." Jon said, as he leant back in his chair trying to process all he had heard.

"I believe you. Granted, at this point, I'm not entirely convinced you might not have been followed, or allowed to get this far for something neither of us are aware of, however, this information is vital, so it's worth that risk." Jon said, as he looked at Latias. He had never seen even a photo of one, though Latios did show Jon a few memories he recovered, granted Latias was much smaller then.

Latias was two feet shorter from nose to tail than Latios, and seemed to have two thirds of Latios' bulk. Whilst her features seemed a little less intimidating, her eyes seemed to show a sense of maturity. Jon had heard that Latias tend to mature faster, and based on how long it took Latios to understand that there were better ways around the S.S. Wishmaker than making his own doors, he was inclined to believe it. However, given what Latios described seeing from Latias' memories, that sense of maturity could be the same he found at a young age, due to difficult and painful circumstances.

"I have a few questions of clarification." Jon explained, "I have the beginnings of an idea, however don't want to dedicate too much time to it if we can establish now that it's dead in the Spiritwater."

Jon asked the questions, not following up with any that may come forward from the answers until he asked all his initial questions, taking notes of what Willow said.

"First question, is how did you find this place? We don't exactly publicize we operate out of here." Jon asked, though having a hunch he knew the answer. Latios had mentioned last night sensing Latias on the island. Jon's hunch, that he hoped was correct was that Latias sensed Latios here, and there wasn't some giant sign that Willow could have found without Latias, and that Agatha could potentially find.

"Next, what else does Agatha require to perform the Netherclysm?" Jon asked, "Is there any way we can delay it by making sure she can't get something she needs?"

Once Willow answered that, he asked his next question.

"Do you suspect there are others like you? Those who didn't realize what they were getting in to, and if given an opportunity to defect, would?" Jon asked, "I'm all for levelling the place, and leaving it as a smoking crater, however if there are people who are victims in and of themselves, I'd rather avoid harming them if I can get away with it..."

"Does Agatha have any Pokemon other than Giratina that could potentially take Latios and Latias down?" Jon asked, "In a real fight, Latios can handle himself against nearly anything. Giratina could be a pest, but on its own, I may be able to deal with it. But if there is anything else as strong as it, or even stronger, then we need to account for that."

"Do you know if Giratina is kept in some sort of Pokeball, or whether it remains in another plane until it is needed?" Jon asked, "This could make or break any plans we have."

"Lastly, does Agatha have any means of locating Latios and Latias via some sort of telepathy, even in short range? And if she can, do you know of any way you can use shadowcraft to hide them from this ability of hers?" Jon asked.

An idea was forming, and if it worked, it could give them the upper hand, and the chance to play Agatha for the senile fool she was...

Chakramaster

06-12-2021, 12:02 AM

Jimmy Kendo
Dimensional Research Center (Underground Base)
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga Shruikan

Before the next day

Luneth had agreed that hiding wishes as spells were a good idea. "Vul, Vulpix" (“Oh, that’s a great idea!”) She piped up, before shrinking back down again quickly.

As the ladies left. Luneth stayed with Jirachi.

“Long time no see! Good to see you’re doing well.” Luneth smiled up at Jirachi.

“So um… Do these come in pendants?” She lightly kicked the Star Piece again. “It’s kinda hard to carry like this, what with no pockets or hands.”

"Oh yes of course!" Jirachi said looking to Luneth.

Jirachi looked to the Alolan Vulpix. The star piece floating and glowing briefly before the appearing again. Affixed to a string now to be worn as a pendant.

"If that doesn't work I can make it into whatever you want! Just ask me through telepathy. You can talk to me whenever you want with this on you. These help me to use my powers without exhausting much power. So these work as a catalyst....I think that's the word Jimmy used." Jirachi told Luneth. Giving off a friendly smile.

"Just let me know if you need anything! I'm so glad I can finally help out everyone! Feel free to whatever you may need here before we all need to head out again." Jirachi said happily.

The next morning

Jimmy had awoken from his room. Gathering his things before heading out. Triad had already been up. They had even made a cup of coffee.

"I see you're all early risers here too. Better to get an early start. Especially in cases like these. You know Jirachi can get you some new clothes if you like too." Jimmy stated.

"I think it might be best if we wait on Luneth as well, but anyone else have thoughts? I'm glad there's a few I could help give these star pieces to. I just hope we can show others we're here to help." Sighing a moment as he didn't want to mention anything specific and cause anymore trouble like the night before.

"Main thing. Don't worry too much about wearing out Jirachi. He will let everyone know if he starts getting worn out. He's not like he was 4 years ago on the Wishmaker. He can do a lot more and last a lot longer. These star pieces? They help bolster that even more. What took a good hour of him using his powers then would take nearly a full day. With the star pieces it'd probably be close to maybe 3 days at a minimum. Just don't go too overbearing to start. Once everyone is here. I'll tell you all something more. What we are trying to help to do to maximize Jirachi's power and help end this madness happening here. It may even be enough to help restore everything here and everyone." Jimmy said confidently.

"For now I think we need to stick in groups. Better than splitting up. Jirachi should still be in the main room. If he noticed anything special he will know. Seeing as it's been quiet it's probably been the usual. The town slowly turning more and more to chaos and people and Pokemon alike falling to these witches." Jimmy said slowly shaking his head.

"If you all plan on turning into Pokemon. Feel free to ask Jirachi. He can turn you into almost anything you could want without the need of reagents to turn into and then turn back from. Once you do turn the star piece will automatically be on you somewhere. More hidden the better." Jimmy says as he shows his pendant.

"My pendant here is what turns me into a Pikachu. As well it's been infused with a star piece thanks to Jirachi's power. So it looks normally like a thunderstone, but doesn't have the power of one. When I turn into a Pikachu, it looks more similar to a megastone bracelet tied around my left arm next to my paw. This was Pikachu's idea." Jimmy told Triad as he looked off.

"Lately, Pikachu has been more quiet. I think I put too much attention into Jirachi for this mission and he's...not been too happy with me. So I plan on taking him wherever we go today and tag team with him. I also need to be sure to get one of these star pieces to Steven with an extra for Cynthia just in case. He wanted to report and I gave it to him. If anything I could use Jirachi to get one to him, but unless we use direct contact it could be slightly risky. Unless he meets with us. Steven is the only one I talked with on this as he knows more about Jirachi being from Hoenn." Jimmy continued to ramble before catching himself.

"Sorry, didn't mean to keep going on like that. Until we're ready. Feel free to help yourselves to any food or gear we may need to prepare for the day." Jimmy said as he went over and started making eggs and bacon. As well as pulling out some fruit cups from the cooler.

Neo Emolga

06-16-2021, 02:10 AM

Aaron
Royal Avenue, Akala
Affected RPers: N/A

It was unlike anything Aaron had ever dreamed.

Endkath.

While he hungered for this kind of power, he wasn’t at all disappointed in the results. Nicodemus had come through, likely because he felt he needed to fulfill what Agatha mistook as a promise for what Nicodemus had only intended to be a plausible benefit. Now, to be on good terms with Agatha, he needed the bodies of Latios and Latias, and trying to get them himself was going to be very difficult, especially considering the owner of Latios was Jon Drake, a name with prestigious reputation behind it.

But now, he had the dark energies and power surging through his veins and spiking through his nerves. On his skin were now a series of jet-black markings like tribal tattoos while his eyes were now a crimson red. All the while, a dark and sinister smile was on his face.

He felt unstoppable.

There was only just one minor concern.

He had been hoping for the element of surprise and he thought the power could be unleashed at his own discretion. But as time passed and as the power kept building within him, he realized he would not be able to retain his human form for much longer as it could not contain the raw, dark power that was filling his vitals to bursting.

He continued to walk further away from the Megamart, convinced he would return with the corpses of Latios and Latias as his trophies, intending to surprise everyone and win the admiration of what he would do and what he would become. He was convinced even Agatha would be impressed and the citizens of Heahea and all others on Akala Island… if they weren’t afraid now, they would definitely be afraid when they beheld the monstrosity he would soon become.

Within the hour… he was hoping to make his move…

Willow Scalera
Eon Villa, Akala
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine (Jon/Latios)

Willow knew it would be a lot for Jon to think about. She wasn’t sure if he would be skeptical, confused, or frustrated by it all, but all she and Latias could do was just see how he took it and go from there.

“I was just going to offer you a coffee…” Jon replied to lighten the mood. “In all seriousness, I was told you were coming, and where you were coming from, before you arrived, but this isn't what I expected...”

“I know, it’s a lot…” Willow sighed. “Prior to coming here, I didn’t think Shadowcraft was even capable of some of the things we’ve all seen. As much as I wish Netherclysm was completely fake, I’ve seen what it looks like as it’s undergoing the casting process. And nothing about it looks promising or like it’s the work of prosperity and good fortune.”

“I believe you,” Jon replied. “Granted, at this point, I'm not entirely convinced you might not have been followed, or allowed to get this far for something neither of us are aware of, however, this information is vital, so it's worth that risk.”

“Latias and I did what we could to ensure we didn’t have anyone following us,” Willow told him. “There are Shadowcraft spells that work like tracking beacons, but I made sure neither of us had anything like that. Besides, if they knew about us being here, both Latias and I would probably be dead by now.”

As the meeting went on, Jon had told Willow he had questions, and she nodding, expecting he would have many given what she had put before him.

“First question, is how did you find this place? We don't exactly publicize we operate out of here,” Jon asked her.

“It was me who detected Latios was here,” Latias had explained, speaking instead of using telepathy. “They were preparing to take my blood and I tried to telepathically broadcast to see if there was anyone I could reach out to for help. And that was when I felt the connection with Latios, my brother. I hadn’t sensed it before while being in a Pokéball, but after being out of it and trying to contact anyone within range, I felt his presence. We were reluctantly willing to go with a reasonable blood donation at first, but when it became clear they were going to kill me, Willow killed the reagent quartermaster’s apprentice to save me. And we managed to escape shortly after.”

“And there was someone else…” Willow told Jon, only wishing she knew more about the mysterious woman she met for just a short moment. “I don’t know her name, but she knows you. She liked to slip in and out of the shadows, and she had distinctive silver hair. She mentioned she wasn’t with Agatha or the League, but I’m certain she’s a Shadowcraft witch like myself. She told me if we were to have any chance of surviving, we needed to find you, Jon Drake. After remembering your televised battles with Latios during the Pokémon High Seas Tournament and hearing news about the Eon Academy, when Latias told me you and Latios were here, she told me where to go, tracing Latios’s presence along the way. But without that guidance, I don’t think anyone would have found this place by accident.”

Willow wasn’t sure how Jon was going to take her response about the mysterious woman, but she had disappeared before Willow even knew her name. She wanted to know more about who she was, what her motives were, and why she was only an observer at this point, but she decided not to dwell too deeply on it.

“Next, what else does Agatha require to perform the Netherclysm?” Jon asked, “Is there any way we can delay it by making sure she can't get something she needs?”

“At this point, what it mostly needs is time,” Willow replied. “Agatha made sure she had all the reagents she needed before anything had even begun, and most of them were used to initiate the spell. The remaining reagents were placed besides the developing Netherclysm vortex to be added at specific time intervals. Agatha wanted me to prepare them, like a nurse prepares surgical equipment for a surgeon. But she lied to me and told me the spell was to communicate with the dead and cross over into some made-up nether dimension. No, it’s something far more than that. If I had known the truth, I would have-!!”

“They would have killed you, Willow,” Latias interrupted her, having seen how things transpired there while connecting with Willow’s emotions. “And it wouldn’t have stopped it, only delayed it.”

“You’re right…” Willow sighed, looking away for a moment before looking back to Jon. “Yes, there are three more reagents that need to be added. The crushed skulls of a Hydreigon are to come next, to be added roughly when there are exactly 24 hours remaining. The last two get added at the very end when the Netherclysm vortex has fully matured into its prime state. And those last two reagents are… the eyes of Necrozma… and heart of Eternatus. The Hydreigon skulls would be difficult but not impossible to replace. Those last two, however… there’s no replacing those, and I can’t even imagine what must have been done to obtain them. Destroy those and there’s no hope for Netherclysm at all. The spell will collapse upon itself if those last two reagents aren’t added soon after it reaches full maturity.”

“Do you suspect there are others like you?” Jon asked. “Those who didn't realize what they were getting in to, and if given an opportunity to defect, would? I'm all for levelling the place, and leaving it as a smoking crater, however if there are people who are victims in and of themselves, I'd rather avoid harming them if I can get away with it...”

Willow nodded, understanding Jon’s concerns. She tried to think hard, wondering if there were any others like herself that might be having second thoughts about coming to Akala.

“I don’t know, honestly…” Willow admitted, trying to think about the situation. “I’m sure they’re aware of the attack on Heahea City and I hope if there is anyone like that, they are preparing to abandon the situation, but… it’s difficult. Agatha is obscenely powerful and so are many of her followers. Igor does a lot of her dirty, nasty work and enjoys it, Aaron and his team are her scouts and surveillance, while Nicodemus is serving as her reagent quartermaster. Gail handles a lot of the additional tasks that Agatha herself just doesn’t have the time for. I know all of them and all of the witches that participated in the Heahea city attack wouldn’t dream of betraying Agatha, especially given what she’d do to them and their Pokémon if she found out about it and caught them. But I just don’t know if there are others that would act against her if they felt there was a chance they could stop her and survive…”

“Does Agatha have any Pokémon other than Giratina that could potentially take Latios and Latias down?” Jon asked, “In a real fight, Latios can handle himself against nearly anything. Giratina could be a pest, but on its own, I may be able to deal with it. But if there is anything else as strong as it, or even stronger, then we need to account for that.”

“Agatha owns Marshadow…” Willow nodded with a bit of a grimace, knowing Agatha would despise her even further for disclosing that she possessed that mythical Pokémon. “Beyond that, she exclusively focuses on ghost Pokémon, which also serve her as her sentries and hidden agents, giving her and the other witches information about what the League is doing and what the civilians and tourists have been up to. They already know most of the people have hunkered down and they’re hoping to keep the League and everyone else on the defensive, long enough to complete Netherclysm without interruption.”

Willow knew it was going to be difficult to have the League muster up the courage to take the fight directly to Agatha after what happened in Heahea, but she knew they had to, someway, somehow, regardless of the cost. She could understand why they were afraid, but something had to be done before it was too late.

“Do you know if Giratina is kept in some sort of Pokeball, or whether it remains in another plane until it is needed?" Jon asked. “This could make or break any plans we have.”

“Agatha keeps both Giratina and Marshadow in Pokéballs,” Willow confirmed. “I don’t know the exact types, however. All I know is she’s used them to deploy Giratina and Marshadow. At first I didn’t know why until later when I found out what happened at Heahea City…”

“Lastly, does Agatha have any means of locating Latios and Latias via some sort of telepathy, even in short range?” Jon asked. “And if she can, do you know of any way you can use shadowcraft to hide them from this ability of hers?”

“I doubt she does, or she would have found out about us escaping and I’d probably be worse than dead right now,” Willow replied with a bit of a grim look on her face before looking a bit more optimistic. “It’s not to say they’re not on the lookout for both Eon Pokémon, but I don’t think they have the means to track them that way…”

Willow knew Agatha didn’t have any psychic Pokémon, but that didn’t rule out the possibility that other witches among Agatha’s followers had them. Trying to pinpoint where Latios and Latias were wouldn’t be easy, but she wouldn’t rule it out as being impossible. Part of her was thinking it would be wise to keep them away from the Megamart, even if she and Jon fought on the frontlines.

Still, she wanted to know what Jon’s thoughts were, just in case he had some clever ideas of his own that they could implement…

Triad (The Diamond Ladies)
Dimensional Research Center (Underground Base)
Affected RPers: Chakramaster Shruikan

After Jimmy had discovered his coffee, he had greeted Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet as they sat down to have breakfast.

“I see you’re all early risers here, too,” he said. “Better to get an early start. Especially in cases like these. You know Jirachi can get you some new clothes if you like too.”

“We were thinking that…” Violet muttered, rolling her eyes.

“Well, if we’re becoming Pokémon soon anyway, no sense getting a whole outfit for a few minutes before wearing fur a few minutes later,” Jarena giggled.

“I think it might be best if we wait on Luneth as well, but anyone else have thoughts?” Jimmy asked. “I'm glad there's a few I could help give these star pieces to. I just hope we can show others we're here to help.”

“I think they just need time to warm up to the idea of having Jirachi’s support,” Cassandra told him with an optimistic, reassuring smile. “Too many people are wary about and think too hard on the ‘be careful what you wish for’ thing, but the longer people spend time getting to know the little guy, the cozier they’ll be.”

Cassandra knew Jimmy was likely thinking about how Jon acted, but she decided to leave his name out of it. She was confident Jon could change his mind about how he perceived Jirachi, but she knew he was the kind of person that would need proof first. Especially since they had gotten off to a bad start, but she felt if she showed Jirachi’s power was effective and trustworthy, it would help to bury some of the bad blood between them.

“Main thing,” Jimmy explained. “Don't worry too much about wearing out Jirachi. He will let everyone know if he starts getting worn out. He's not like he was 4 years ago on the Wishmaker. He can do a lot more and last a lot longer. These star pieces? They help bolster that even more. What took a good hour of him using his powers then would take nearly a full day. With the star pieces it'd probably be close to maybe 3 days at a minimum. Just don't go too overbearing to start. Once everyone is here. I'll tell you all something more. What we are trying to help to do to maximize Jirachi's power and help end this madness happening here. It may even be enough to help restore everything here and everyone.”

“Really?” Jarena asked, looking very curious. “I mean, like… what’s to stop us from wishing to become legendary Pokémon ourselves?”

“Sensibility,” Violet told her with a bit of a frown. “Remember, we’re trying to go incognito here, at least until we’re in the clear. Eevee, Buneary, and Furret work because they’re not Pokémon Agatha and her followers would drop everything to try and catch. Show up as legendary Pokémon and you’d better hope you can break out of a Pokéball after being ruthlessly attacked by every Pokémon they’ve got on hand.”

“For now I think we need to stick in groups,” Jimmy recommended. “Better than splitting up. Jirachi should still be in the main room. If he noticed anything special he will know. Seeing as it's been quiet it's probably been the usual. The town slowly turning more and more to chaos and people and Pokémon alike falling to these witches.”

Cassandra nodded, knowing right now, it was eerie and vacant back in Heahea. She imagined the streets with all its victims still left in their bizarre and traumatized states would still be out there. Meanwhile, those that were still conscious and able to escape regardless of whatever had befallen them had taken refuge by now. The only ones now remaining out in the open were all those that were either killed by the Shadowcraft or still left alive but unable to help themselves. Cassandra couldn’t help but think of Sami, who was still a stone statue likely half-buried in the rubble of the urgent care…

“If you all plan on turning into Pokémon,” Jimmy continued, “feel free to ask Jirachi. He can turn you into almost anything you could want without the need of reagents to turn into and then turn back from. Once you do turn the star piece will automatically be on you somewhere. More hidden the better.”

“Can’t see why we shouldn’t go with our usual trio!” Jarena beamed with a smile.

“Unless…” Violet replied, suddenly looking away. “One of them might recall what that particular trio might suggest.”

“You’d think they’d link the sight of an Eevee, Buneary, and Furret with us still being alive?” Cassandra asked Violet, beginning to ponder about it. “Despite it being four years?”

“Furret is a species that isn’t native to Alola on top of it,” Violet remarked. “We’re used to those forms, yes, but it’s risky if someone recognizes it and makes the connection to what happened on the Wishmaker four years ago. They already know they’ve got Shadowcraft practitioners working against them. It’s a low chance, but I don’t think it’s worth the risk when it’s something we can circumvent by going as other Pokémon.”

To Cassandra, it was a matter of just choosing other Pokémon to go as, ones that were more likely to be found on Alola and wouldn’t be up to anything suspicious.

“You’re sure this star piece would be hidden?” Cassandra asked Jimmy, wondering if the sight of it might be a factor to consider as well.

“My pendant here is what turns me into a Pikachu,” Jimmy explained. “As well it's been infused with a star piece thanks to Jirachi's power. So it looks normally like a thunderstone, but doesn't have the power of one. When I turn into a Pikachu, it looks more similar to a megastone bracelet tied around my left arm next to my paw. This was Pikachu's idea. Lately, Pikachu has been more quiet. I think I put too much attention into Jirachi for this mission and he's...not been too happy with me. So I plan on taking him wherever we go today and tag team with him. I also need to be sure to get one of these star pieces to Steven with an extra for Cynthia just in case. He wanted to report and I gave it to him. If anything I could use Jirachi to get one to him, but unless we use direct contact it could be slightly risky. Unless he meets with us. Steven is the only one I talked with on this as he knows more about Jirachi being from Hoenn.”

“Hmm…” Cassandra muttered, thinking it over.

“Sorry, didn't mean to keep going on like that,” Jimmy apologized. “Until we're ready. Feel free to help yourselves to any food or gear we may need to prepare for the day.”

Jimmy then proceeded to make some eggs and bacon, and while it was cooking, he had grabbed a few fruit cups from the cooler.

While Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet had breakfast and coffee, they tried to work out the details regarding how they were going to go about doing this plan.

“I still say let’s stick with what we know,” Jarena smiled after swallowing a bite of her pancakes. “We know how to act natural as our usual trio! Besides, Agatha and her peeps probably don’t know and don’t care what Pokémon are natives and which ones aren’t! And yeah, having that ghost immunity… seems nice, you know. Especially when ghosts are all over the place now.”

“For a lack of being able to come up with alternatives, fine…” Violet shrugged, hoping not to regret this decision later on. “I just hope this doesn’t backfire on us.”

“Better to be unseen by any of them anyway,” Cassandra figured, letting both of them know between bites. “Their Pokémon have no clue who the ‘Diamond Ladies’ are and if all goes according to plan, their Pokémon and whatever other ghosts they’ve got around the place have no chance of recognizing us. And Shadowcraft witches of their like doesn’t seem like the type that pay too much attention to video steams. Especially ones over four years old.”

Once they had finished their breakfast and cleaned the dishes, they had decided it was time. The three of them had been wearing their butterfly Pokémon costumes for over twelve hours by now, and even Jarena was looking forward to getting out of hers.

“Let’s rock and roll,” Jarena smiled.

“Say Lucky,” Cassandra smiled as she lightly held onto her star piece. “We’d like a ticket to the surface and could we get one order of Eevee, Buneary, and Furret to go?”

<You betcha! I’ll even include fries with that!>

And before Cassandra even had the chance to say thanks, suddenly she felt like she was whisked out of her body, flung a million miles a second, and then was suddenly lying in the grass, wondering if she was even on the same planet. It was a bit disorienting to her like waking up from a very long slumber, but when she looked around, she tried standing up and she was back in her familiar Eevee form. After looking behind her, she had seen Jarena now as a Buneary and Violet now as a Furret, just waking up from being rapidly transformed and teleported to the Akala Island surface.

And as promised, there even was a fresh brown paper bag with fries.

“Daaang, Jirachi, you really know how to make roller-coasters feel like yesterday’s news…” Jarena remarked, trying to knock the slight dizzy feeling she had as she looked over her brown and puffy beige fur. “But hey, great to be back, beautiful, and Buneary!”

“Can barely see the star piece,” Violet remarked with a smirk of confidence, finding it very easy to tuck the pendant into her Furret coat to the point where it was buried and almost impossible to make out even up close. “Think we’ve got everything we need now.”

“And hey!” Jarena grinned as she chewed, “these fries are delicious!”

[Desolate Divine]

06-16-2021, 12:45 PM

Jon Drake
Eon Squad HQ, Meeting Room
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga (Willow/Latias)

Jon listened to Willow's answers, and whilst some of them were concerning, particularly how close Agatha was to succeeding, some were also comforting, such as knowing Agatha on her own couldn't track Latios and Latias telepathically, any better than any trainer with a decent bond with a Psychic type could.

"The silver haired woman is a witch called Brianna Levine. We have been investigating her, and she has told us the same thing. What we do know is she has her own motives, and we don't know whether they are worse than Agatha's. Unfortunately, she has made it abundantly clear how powerless we are against Agatha without her help when she chooses to offer it, and one of my operatives managed to trick her into admitting that her own motives will put her at odds with us eventually, so we can either accept the help she offers and risk creating a situation even worse, or reject it, and have more people die..." Jon muttered, "I was hoping that you being here means we are playing less into her hands, however if she sent you here, I don't even know any more..."

"Right now, I have ideas. Ideas which could make up a plan, but it is far from polished enough to enact it, though I know time won't be on our side, so we may have to come up with something, and commit to it sooner rather than later..." Jon muttered, as he attempted to organize his thoughts.

"I am thankful that if nothing else, Agatha has no simple way of tracking Latios and Latias. And this gives us some advantage. They are wanting them to speed up this Netherclysm spell, however if they will succeed within forty-eight hours, and Agatha is impatient and foolish enough to take a stupid risk and succeed a day earlier, it means we know what they are after, and roughly speaking when to expect them." Jon explained, "My idea is that we launch our attack on them whilst they make their move trying to capture Latios or Latias... Don't get me wrong, they will be nowhere near the action, and at no more risk than they are now..."

"If Latios and Latias are invisible and trying to remain hidden the only way they can be detected is by smell and with telepathy, however even then, we can fix the smell part, and telepathy isn't likely. From what Latios has shown me, a persons mind is almost like their voice, in that sure, you can recognize the voice of someone you know if they speak to you, but if a person has never spoken to you, and you heard their voice, you wouldn't know who they are." Jon explained, "In the same way, unless a psychic type connects with Latios and hears a thought that identifies him, they have no way of knowing who he is. And if Latios hasn't telepathically made contact with any of Agatha's crew, it should be the same. They are safe in that regard, as long as they can control their thoughts..."

Jon turned to Latios.

"You can usually tell if someone is listening in to your thoughts right? As if something is touching your mind?"

Latios nodded, as Jon grinned.

"From now on, if you ever feel anything enter your mind, I want you to sing on repeat the Super Sylveon Smile Squad theme song until they're gone, and focus on absolutely nothing else..." Jon explained, "I get it's hard to not accidentally think about the one thing you're not supposed to think about, but do you think you could pull that off?"

Latios thought it over before nodding. Jon turned to Willow.

"I have a three year-old at home who loves it when Latios watches TV with her..." Jon explained, "And of all the shows she watches, Latios seems to have a fondness for that one. But the point remains. Latias, if you want to make sure your thoughts remain your own, you should probably think of something similar to focus on at the cost of all else."

"My thinking is this. A few years back for an operation the League were going to use a Zoroark and its illusory powers to try and trick some people into believing a certain fabrication. Whilst we didn't end up going through with that plan, the League did see value in Zoroark trained specifically for that purpose, and spent some time raising a group of them. I'd say we borrow a few to set up some illusions. Mainly Latios hanging around somewhere that we can fight from and ideally set some sort of trap. The other thing is to find some way to convince them you have found a way off the island, or anything to make sure they don't think you've come and warned us." Jon explained, "Ideally this illusion of Latios will draw out their biggest hitters, Giratina, Marshadow, ideally both of them, and anything else disgusting they have hidden, and keep them busy. Between having them chase the fake Latios, and some operatives making life difficult, and a Rayquaza illusion to keep them on their toes, they should be a bit less prepared for when we take that opportunity to destroy the Megamart..."

"If nothing else, what you've told me about Giratina and Marshadow being in Pokeballs gives us another edge. When Giratina appeared, I scoured the League's database for any trainers known to have caught Giratina, and got no results, whilst means that Giratina mustn't have been caught with a standard Pokeball. Otherwise it would flag it as being captured to the League, and we'd be able to see it's history with healing and such at Pokemon Centers." Jon explained, "If Agatha has them in Pokeballs, they have to be unregistered ones, which means that these two Pokemon have none of the protective measures that standard Pokeball's have to prevent trainers from capturing other trainer's Pokemon. The Pokeball won't automatically release it upon detecting the Pokemon's signature is already linked to a Trainer ID, because that Pokemon's signature isn't linked to anything. Really, other than whatever measures Agatha has used to protect them, there is nothing stopping us from throwing a Pokeball at either of them and possibly capturing them, just like any wild Pokemon, and no wall or barrier is completely impenitrable. I think we can figure out a way to get past whatever measures Agatha has placed to protect them..."

"I wouldn't go as far as to call this a plan yet, but it has the beginnings of one." Jon explained, "But there is something we need to be clear on. Any element of surprise we have hinges on Agatha not knowing you came to us, so we need to figure out a way to convince her you haven't, and soon, and you cannot be seen by any of the enemy. So we have two options. The first is we place you under Eon Squad's protection as an informant, which means that you will remain here and we will ensure your safety, whilst attempting to work together to stop this old f**k from succeeding. The second is we detain you and do what we need to to have you cooperate, which means means you will remain here anyway, just in a smaller room with s**tier food and less freedom."

Jon smirked.

"Both options involve you staying here and us working together. But for this to work, I need you to trust me and what I am fighting for, and follow instructions. If tell you to jump, you ask How high." Jon explained, "The decision is yours. But I know which option I'd rather you pick..."

Jon turned to face her.

"So what's it gonna be?"

Noblejanobii

06-17-2021, 04:33 PM

Avery Miller & Abital Ecke
Tide Song Hotel Lobby
Affected RP'ers: N/A

Abital tapped his foot impatiently as he and Avery waited in the lobby of the Tide Song Hotel. Abital had been up since the sun rose, his impatience and anxiety over fixing Avery's condition causing him to not sleep very well. Avery, on the other hand, had managed to sleep for a few more hours. Being a centaur was apparently rather exhausting for them. They probably needed more energy to work the larger body and extra legs, Abital supposed. It explained why Avery's appetite was so much larger today too, the coordinator having devoured several meals' worth of food from the small kiosk near the hotel that was still running for some inexplicable reason.

Abital checked his watch again and frowned. 8 AM. The Ladies had said they'd be here first thing in the morning, but perhaps this was a bit too early. "They're going to be late," he signed to Avery.

Avery rolled their eyes. "I don't think punctuality is their main concern in the middle of a Shadowcraft apocalypse, honey." Abital huffed and leveled a glare at Avery. "Look, I'm just saying, don't get so stressed out about it. Daybreak and the others coached me all afternoon yesterday. I can at least walk, trot, and canter effectively. I can stand to wait a while before they change me back." Sure, being a centaur wasn't their ideal form, but obviously the Diamond Ladies had to be here on some serious business if they came out of hiding for this. It didn't make sense to waste their time and energy on curing them. That could be saved for later as far as Avery was concerned.

Abital searched Avery's face for any sort of indication that their spouse was lying, but quickly found none. Still, just because Avery was okay with it, that didn't mean Abital's fears were alleviated. "Is it spreading?" they signed.

Avery's face scrunched up a little and they looked at their hooves. That was their only hesitancy around waiting too long. The curse was still slowly spreading. It had just barely reach above their hips yesterday, but now up to their mid-stomach was transformed. It was slow, but it was still growing, meaning they were operating on a limited time table. "It's nothing to worry about," Avery said, earning another glare from Abital. "Don't give me that look. Let's just go find the witch that did this and then I can stomp them to death with my hooves!" Avery added as they slammed their fist into their palm.

Abital rolled his eyes but signing, "If you insist."

"You said you had a plan, right? With tracking that Haunter you caught before?" Avery asked as they messed with their green and purple hair.

Abital nodded and pull up the status again for Avery to see. "They like to use ghost types. That Haunter has since returned to the Thrifty Megamart on the other side of Paniola. If we make our way in that direction, we might be able to find them and find the witch that did this to you. But..." Abital paused before continuing to sign, "it's dangerous. They could also catch us first and do a lot worse to us if they find us."

"Yeah I'm well aware," Avery said grimly, thinking about the goo piles and rubble littered outside the hotel, all former humans. "But, if no one else is going to help us, or keep us in the loop about what they know, we might as well take matters into our own hands. It's obvious the League is up to something to stop Agatha, so we'll just chip in where we can."

Abital quirked an eyebrow at Avery. "You're not upset because you weren't kept in the loop, are you?"

"I mean it's not like I was an operative during the last big Shadowcraft operation. It wouldn't kill the Ladies, Jimmy, or Jon to throw me a bone of some kind, especially since at least the former two know I'm here, and I'm pretty sure the latter does as well," Avery responded in a bitter tone. "I guess four years just isn't enough time to deem me trustworthy, even though we invited both Jimmy and Jon to our wedding. The Ladies didn't even bother to send a sign that they were alive, something I apparently was the last person in our little ragtag crew from four years ago to find out. I guess the battle I had with Cassandra didn't mean as much as I thought." Avery let out a sharp huff before saying, "It'd just be nice to be included, since it feels like I am horribly out of the loop and have been left behind."

Abital pat Avery's side and signed, "I wouldn't be too hard on them. There's probably a good reason why they didn't invite us into whatever is going on. I doubt they just neglected to bring us up at all despite our offers to assist how we could. That'd just be stupid."

Avery clicked their tongue and shrugged. "I suppose that's true." Avery looked at the door to the outside before saying, "So first stop, Paniola Town, right? We probably shouldn't wait too much longer then. We'll be wasting daylight."

The two made their way outside of the hotel and headed towards Route 4. As they reached the entrance to the route, Avery bent down to allow Abital and Meir to climb onto their back. Since their practice with their Pokemon, Avery was able to move quicker than either their husband or the Raichu, It made more sense for them to carry the other two than for all three of them to try and walk together. Once they were secure, Avery began to trot down Route 4, doing their best to keep to the shadows as they moved closer towards Paniola Town. A soft breeze blew through the otherwise quiet route on the crisp early morning. It was unnerving how quiet the island had become in a matter of days, but Avery supposed that the apocalypse would do that. And it was only get worse, they assumed. They had no idea what dangers awaited them as they traveled further towards the belly of the beast, but they had to be prepared for whatever hexes and other evil machinations were thrown their way.

Shruikan

06-18-2021, 10:24 AM

Luneth Tarot
Dimensional Research Center (Underground Base)
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga, Chakramaster

At Luneth’s request the star piece floated for a moment, before a string appearing from it, turning it into a pendant.

"Just let me know if you need anything! I'm so glad I can finally help out everyone! Feel free to whatever you may need here before we all need to head out again." Jirachi said with a smile.

Luneth quickly looped it over her neck, tucking the pendant into her fur. While it was mostly covered, the red colouring made it it stand out through the snow white fur like a bloodstain.

“Thanks so much! I’ll be sure to let you know if I need anything else. Oh and if there’s ever anything you need help with, feel free to do the same and call me.”

* * *

That night she had trouble getting to sleep. Whenever she began to drift off, her dreams would be plagued by nightmares of Shadowcraft witches and shattering statues.

When she woke up from a particularly bad one, it took her a moment to remember where she was. As she calmed herself from the nightmare, she looked over and was alarmed to see how late it was. Her fitfully sleep had led to her oversleeping!

As she padded into the the main room she saw that everyone else was already up. Jimmy was making breakfast, while Triad were discussing their plans.

She walked over to the coffee maker, before remembering that she couldn’t work it so easily with paws. Frustrated and still half asleep, she felt the pendant around her neck. Let’s try this out then.
Luneth focused on the star piece around her neck. “Jirachi, can I get a little help here?”
She got a response almost instantly. “Can do!” With a slight pop, a cup of coffee appeared on the table where Triad were talking. After sending a mental thanks, Luneth went over to sit with the others, casually lapping at the coffee but otherwise sitting in silence.

As the coffee began to kick in and she could think more clearly, Luneth started to mentally kick herself for wasting Jirachi’s power like that. Who knew how much they’d need the wishmaker’s help later?

Luneth didn’t feel very hungry, especially recalling the nausea from teleporting. She really didn’t want to do that on a full stomach. But she did need something to eat, so she sneaked a bite of Jarena’s pancakes while she wasn’t looking.

She gathered from the context that Triad had been discussing their next move, and they’d were deciding whether to take on to same forms as before, or use new ones in case they were recognised.

It seemed that they were going to scout out the megamart. That was good, she could do scouting. Especially with the new Jirachi powered emergency exit.

Luneth joined them as Jirachi teleported the group to above ground. The sick feeling wasn’t quite as bad the second time, but she was still rather queasy upon arrival.

It was strange seeing them as pokemon again. It was like she’d been teleported back in time to the SS Wishmaker, only if you replaced the playful children with murderous witches.

She looked around to try and get her bearings, the but landscape was unfamiliar. Not that she’d ever been the best at navigating in the first place.
She fidgeted with her pendant. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was forgetting something. But whatever it was couldn’t be that important, right? Best to keep focused on the mission.
“So, um, which way to the megamart?”

Neo Emolga

06-20-2021, 03:04 AM

Willow Scalera
Eon Villa, Akala
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine (Jon/Latios)

Jon had informed Willow about Brianna and her warning about Agatha, to which Willow felt there was truth in her testament that without help, Agatha would prevail. He also revealed that his plan was to keep Latios and Latias hidden and safe, keeping them away from the frontlines considering their value in getting the Netherclysm spell completed faster. Though Willow knew, if Agatha wanted that goal pursued, she wasn’t going to attempt it herself. She’d send someone else to do the job, be it one of her subordinates or Pokémon.

Jon had revealed his plan involving Zoroark, using its illusion ability to take on the form of Latios to draw out anyone and anything tasked with trying to obtain his blood. Willow had mixed feeling about the idea, thinking it would definitely deceive Agatha’s witches and their Pokémon, but it would mean putting a Zoroark up as bait, which would be risky for the dark fox’s welfare. But, given what was at stake, she felt some risks like this might be necessary.

Lastly, Jon made it clear that the element of surprise was dependent on Willow not revealing she had defected and could not be seen by any of Agatha’s followers or her Pokémon. As Willow immediately suspected, that involved remaining at the Eon Villa until the whole ordeal was over with. And Jon had given her an offer, work with him and help him and his team however he needed, or be cooped up and confined.

“So what’s it gonna be?” Jon asked.

“Had me sold on Option 1 as soon as you mentioned it,” Willow replied. “Truthfully, me being on the frontlines at this point would be a death wish, so for all our sake, let me help you however I can from here. I don’t know who this Brianna Levine is or why she doesn’t want to lend a more direct support for you and your team, but I can do that for you with whatever resources you’re willing to use. Whatever it takes to stay alive, really. I may not have as many spells memorized as Agatha and I may not have the kind of reagents on hand that she has, but with the spells I do know and with whatever materials you have on site that you’re willing to be used as reagents, I can make it possible.”

“Chances are good your Zoroark trick will work since you’re not known to have a Zoroark of your own, but this trick will work likely once and only once,” Willow told him. “Agatha isn’t omniscient, but she won’t make the same mistake twice once she learns how certain people behave, although right now she doesn’t know you’ve been made aware Latios is a target. She knows you wouldn’t leave Latios out in the open and undefended. This Zoroark… if you want to convince Agatha and her followers it’s really your Latios, they’re going to want to see you besides him, treating him and talking to him the same way you would treat your Latios, so do whatever you can to put on a convincing act. It would make sense not to be on the direct frontlines, but at least leave yourself open enough to be spotted from afar during the attack. I can’t guarantee Agatha will put Giratina and Marshadow into action, but it’s your best chance.”

“In terms of fighting them and capturing them, you’re likely the best person up for the task, but I may be able to help with this,” Willow offered. “If you have any flat stone tiles or stones with an even level surface that you can carry with you, I can plant a Xin Vertigo curse on the flat sides, and you could then carry that tile or stone with you to the confrontation. You could then throw or plant those into the arena where you battle them, and they will work like disguised anti-personnel land mines. If anyone steps on those, it will severely mind-warp them. I haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing it myself, but I’ve heard it feels like ‘your brain’s been yanked down your throat while the world around you implodes on your eyes.’ I imagine no Pokémon or human would be able to deal with that easily. There are other hexes I could use on these tiles, but I think Xin Vertigo would be the most effective.”

“But sure, let me know what you’d need for whatever plan you and your team have in mind,” Willow offered.

Triad (The Diamond Ladies)
En Route to Route 4
Affected RPers: Chakramaster Shruikan Noblejanobii

It had taken a bit of time before Cassandra could get her bearings as to where they were, but after finding the road and a sign post, she was able to figure out they were near Route 6, a small distance away from the Lab, but far enough to not make it at all obvious that’s where they were just moments ago.

That was when Luneth had appeared, still as an Alolan Vulpix. It did get Cassandra wondering just how long she had been like that, as she had yet to see her back in her human form since the moment she came onto the island in the first place.

“So, um, which way to the megamart?” Luneth asked.

“It’s toward the east,” Violet recalled. “We’ll head up north along Route 6, go along Royal Avenue, and at the end of that should be the Megamart. We should make it there by noon.”

“Uh…” Jarena interjected, looking a bit concerned, “…yeah, I think we forgot something. Weren’t we going to help out Avery with their extra legs problem?”

“Oh damn, I almost forgot…” Cassandra muttered, looking regretful that she hadn’t remembered her promise. “With everything that happened yesterday…”

Instinctively, she thought of sending Avery a text message to let them know she was on her way, but then she realized she didn’t have her phone on her.

“Don’t sweat it, let’s head over there now,” Jarena replied, still feeling optimistic. “Hey, it’s still early in the morning, so they’re probably just having breakfast. By the time they’re done…”

“Up to you if you want to come along, Luneth, though we could use your help if you do,” Cassandra told her. “A four-way Nox Purge for this would be less exhausting than the three of us doing it alone, but it’s your call.”

“It’s in the other direction, though…” Violet remarked, looking dour. “We perform a Nox Purge on Avery and by the time we walk all the way to the Megamart, it’ll be well into the evening and all of us will be dead-tired. Trying to do a scouting mission like that in the dark is suicide.”

It didn’t leave Cassandra with many options. She had to decide whether to abandon the scouting mission or abandon Avery, and she really didn’t like having to make that choice. Instead, she had put her paw on her star piece pendant and focused on reaching out to Jirachi, feeling his help might make both of them possible as long as they didn’t feel too tired after the spell.

“Hey, ‘Lucky,’ could you take us to where Avery is?” Cassandra requested. “They’re probably in the lobby of the-“

<Hey there! Actually, my sources tell me Avery and that Abital dude are on Route 4, heading toward Paniola Town. I can take you there right now! Just let me know if you want to gently appear in front of them, or surprise them from behind!>

They decided not to wait…

Cassandra didn’t think they were that late to the point where Avery and Abital didn’t want to wait any longer, but then again, they hadn’t agreed on a specific time, and now Cassandra felt that was one detail that should have been included. Without her phone and now as an Eevee, her communication options were severely limited.

“Gently in front of them would probably be ideal,” Cassandra replied.

She wasn’t sure why they wanted to go to Paniola Town, but she decided she wasn’t going to ask to find out. Thankfully for her, this time the teleportation was brief and not as hectic as the last voyage had been. As they found out, it felt more like softly floating toward the destination, feeling as if like a levitating spirit before arriving on the road just before Avery and Abital. Cassandra imagined they had no idea what was going on, but she figured Avery would recognize the Eevee, Buneary, and Furret. Although she wasn’t sure if Luneth had followed along with them and had asked Jirachi to come along…

“Avery!” Cassandra called out in her Eevee form, looking up at the half human, half Keldeo humanoid.

Cassandra raced to Avery and Abital on all fours. By now, she had been quite used to both getting around as a human and as an Eevee to the point where it simply felt natural in both states, as if switching from riding a bike and walking on foot. Jarena and Violet quickly followed behind her, and Cassandra imagined Avery would recognize them, but Abital would have no clue what was going on.

Once she had caught up to them, she then tried to catch her breath.

“Didn’t expect to find you out here, but we should be able to undo that centaur issue you’ve got,” Cassandra offered. “That is, if you still want that fixed and didn’t change your mind since last night…”

Noblejanobii

06-20-2021, 04:30 AM

Avery Miller & Abital Ecke
Route 4
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga and potentially Shruikan

Avery trotted quickly up the route; Abital clung to them with one arm wrapped around their waist while checking their location on the map on the styler in the meantime. In order to proceed through the route they had to leave themselves out in the open for parts of it, something that made Avery really uncomfortable. While they were more used to being a centaur, they weren't entirely confident in their ability to fight or run away in the event they were attack. A pit had formed in their stomach, and the more they thought about it the worse it got. Maybe they should have stayed longer at the hotel.

"Still going the right way?" Avery asked quietly. Abital tapped Avery twice with one of his fingers. That meant yes. "Got it," Avery answered before picking up the pace a little. They began to climb a small hill when they felt Abital suddenly grab them tightly, causing Avery to halt. "What? What's wrong?" Avery asked, looking around frantically. They quickly spotted what was wrong. They were a Drifloon floating in the air a ways above them. Normally a rather innocent sight but not when the Shadowcraft apocalypse led by one of the world's foremost Ghost trainers was going on.

Abital aimed their styler in the air and launched their capture disc. They signaled to Meir as they began to circle the Drifloon in the air with their capture disc. The Raichu leapt off Avery's back and released an electric shock into the air, temporarily paralyzing the Drifloon. With the troublesome balloon frozen in place, Abital was able to successfully complete the capture and bring the Drifloon to their side, at least for now. The Drifloon floated down beside the group and looked at Abital expectantly. Abital looked at Avery and quickly signed, "Perhaps we could get some information out of it about that base. You think you'll be able to understand it as well as you can your own Pokémon?"

"Shouldn't be a problem," Avery answered with a shrug. "What should I ask first?"

Before Abital could respond, a sharp "Eevee!" pierced the air. It didn't take long for the ranger and his partner pokémon to spot the incoming group of pokémon. Electricity began to crackle from Meir's cheeks as he waved his tail in the air threatening while Abital aimed his styler at them, preparing to stop any oncoming attack before it started.

Thankfully for the ladies, Avery intervened before Abital and Meir could attack them. Unlike the other two, Avery had recognized the sound of their own name, even in PokéSpeak. They knew that voice well even if had been four years. "Hey stand down Meir!" they called to the Raichu. Avery twisted around best they could and swatted at Abital. "Don't launch it's okay, they're friendly!" they said quickly.

Abital lowered their capture styler and gave Avery a confused look. "How do you know?" they signed.

"I've met them before. You have too." Avery turned around to the trio and knelt down a little awkwardly, hoping to make their height difference not so significant.

“Didn’t expect to find you out here, but we should be able to undo that centaur issue you’ve got,” Cassandra offered. “That is, if you still want that fixed and didn’t change your mind since last night…”

Avery scratched the back of their head awkwardly and shrugged. "Ah yeah sorry about that. I knew we shouldn't have left so early, but I was feeling a bit impatient especially after Abital told me that they think they figured out the location of one of Agatha's bases. We wanted to get a closer look before they changed locations or something. Figured it'd be a way to chip in and maybe get my lower half cured without having to-"

Avery stopped when they felt a sharp tap on their shoulder. They looked behind them to see a somewhat huffy Abital. "Care to tell me who exactly you're revealing our whole M.O. to?" he signed.

"Oh! Right, sorry. You met them all yesterday, briefly. These are uh..." they paused, "actually I don't know if I should say your names aloud. Probably want to keep your presences a secret still, don't you?" Avery turned and quickly finger spelled each of the ladies' names to Abital (except for Luneth, if she came along, since Avery was not familiar with her).

Abital's eyes widened in recognition. He bowed quickly and signed an apology.

"He says he's sorry for being so aggressive. We're all a bit on edge and unlike me, he can't understand you, so he didn't realize who you were," Avery translated. "Now with that cleared up," Avery rubbed his arm, "You said you'd need to do a Nox Purge to turn me back, right? Didn't you mentioned it'd take a lot out of you though? That's why we waited until this morning to do it." They frowned. "The fact that you're back as Pokémon doesn't exactly bode well. If anything it confirms my suspicions that you're here to deal with this whole mess." Avery crossed their arms and looked over their shoulder, "You're not gonna like what I'm about to say," they said with a smirk.

"Then don't say it," Abital signed back with a flat look on their face.

"Since you're definitely here on important business, I'd rather you not waste your energy fixing me. There's bigger fish to fry, and the main one on the menu should be Agatha, not me." They clicked their tongue and looked in the direction of Paniola Town. "Abital's Ranger Styler tracked a Haunter he captured earlier to the Thirfty Megamart by the Battle Royale stadium. If we cut to route 6 through the town we should be at that supposed base pretty quickly. We could send in Gloria or one of the local Pokémon to scout around, or something." Avery sighed a little. "It's dumb and dangerous, but we just want to help out somehow if we can."

Abital nodded silently in agreement. It might be their honeymoon but this was no time for them to just sit idly by and watch the whole world go to ****. Especially not when they could help.

"So put a pin in turning me back for now. The curse is still spreading but it's moving pretty slowly, so we have time before I fully turn into a Keldeo. In the mean time, let's see if we can help you kick Agatha's tail."

Chakramaster

06-20-2021, 03:42 PM

Jimmy Kendo
Dimensional Research Center (Underground Base) > En Route to Route 4
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga Shruikan Noblejanobii

As the morning meet went on. Triad and Jimmy discussed a few thoughts on their minds. One being how Jirachi's power can work. Jimmy even explained how long Jirachi's power can last before he tires our now.

“Really?” Jarena asked, looking very curious. “I mean, like… what’s to stop us from wishing to become legendary Pokémon ourselves?”

“Sensibility,” Violet told her with a bit of a frown. “Remember, we’re trying to go incognito here, at least until we’re in the clear. Eevee, Buneary, and Furret work because they’re not Pokémon Agatha and her followers would drop everything to try and catch. Show up as legendary Pokémon and you’d better hope you can break out of a Pokéball after being ruthlessly attacked by every Pokémon they’ve got on hand.”

Jimmy nodded. "Exactly. We can't go too crazy. The more power put into it the more power that Jirachi will exhaust. Right now, it's an resource we can't waste.

Once Jimmy explained if they planned on turning into Pokemon again. Asking Jirachi was probably the best idea.

“Can’t see why we shouldn’t go with our usual trio!” Jarena beamed with a smile.

Jimmy couldn't help but wonder though. If they now had the power to sense unstable sources of hexes and shadowcraft with their pendants. Could these witches and other shadowcraft users do the same if they got close enough to them? Would they be able to tell the difference between someone using it and someone that's been transformed by their spells? It was enough to cause concern. So he'd have to bring it up.

Everyone finished their breakfast as they discussed more. Even Luneth had woken up and joined them with breakfast. She didn't look like she had gotten much sleep to begin with though.

Once everyone was done cleaning up and ready. They gathered what essentials they knew they would need. Then, upon Triad speaking to Jirachi. Everyone was ready and teleported up topside. Jimmy had even changed into his Pikachu form. Already ready to go. While Triad still looked like they weren't totally used to the teleporting still. They will get used to it after another time or two.

Now a group of Pokemon are above ground ready to jump into action.

"Hey Jirachi. Make sure Pikachu is down there and prepared to join us soon as he's rested."

"Sure thing Jimmy! Once you guys are ready for the scouting. I'm sure he will be awake and ready to go too." Jirachi ensured Jimmy.

It was then Jimmy noticed the brown paper bag with the scent of french fries as he told Triad he would give them. He couldn't help but chuckle at how Jirachi still liked to play, but at least it's better than it was those 4 years ago.

Once everyone gathered their bearings.

“So, um, which way to the megamart?” Luneth asked.

“It’s toward the east,” Violet recalled. “We’ll head up north along Route 6, go along Royal Avenue, and at the end of that should be the Megamart. We should make it there by noon.”

Jimmy thought back. "oh yeah, I remember seeing them like that back then too. Too bad we couldn't have helped back then, but I didn't wanna come right out with this plan as prying ears were everywhere. Jirachi can make this simple enough though. Especially since he's met Avery before."

They all seemed to agree. It was best not to wait here on catching up with Avery. More help we can get the better. It was then Jimmy had to agree. He nodded and decided he would follow the small team we still had so we wouldn't lose focus. He can also provide one of the pendants to Avery and their new partner in case they wanted this as protection as well.

The team seemed agreed that they couldn't wait. We had to jump on this.

“Hey, ‘Lucky,’ could you take us to where Avery is?” Cassandra requested. “They’re probably in the lobby of the-“

Jirachi immediately jumped in as a response.

"Hey there! Actually, my sources tell me Avery and that Abital dude are on Route 4, heading toward Paniola Town. I can take you there right now! Just let me know if you want to gently appear in front of them, or surprise them from behind!"

“Gently in front of them would probably be ideal,” Cassandra replied.

"I'll join them as you know Jirachi. Personally I think it's best if we all stick together for now. Be sure to mark this area we're at though. This way you can teleport us right back here assuming it's still safe once we're ready." Jimmy told Jirachi as those that wanted were taken to Avery's location.

While Triad was explaining to Avery and their partner. Jimmy stepped away a moment. Luckily it looks like Avery stepped in after recognizing the Eevee before the Raichu with them attacked.

Speaking to Jirachi telepathically on a connection only they can hear. "Hey Jirachi. Remember earlier I got a message from my sister right? Think you can reach out to her? I think we could use her help here. If she's as good at stealth as I remember her being. Her skills could come in real handy here."

"Another friend to add to the team sounds like the best kind of idea to me! If she starts to cause trouble I can always help use my power to let her know you are the same little brother to her as you use to be." Jirachi let out a small laugh.

"You're right there. Anyway. Since I'm gonna be in this Pikachu form for awhile. Think you can handle sending the message?

"On it!" Jirachi said as the connection cut.

Jirachi searched using Jimmy's phone contacts. Finding the traces of who he wanted and found 'Alisaie' and her location. Trying not to totally scare and startle her. He spoke gently as to not frighten her.

"Helloooo? Hello there! I sure hope I'm not starling you. You are Jimmy's sister correct? Alisaie? We don't have much time, but Jimmy needs your help. He and his team need your assistance in scouting the megamart. Would you be willing to help? Don't worry I'm not a ghost! I'm a friend of Jimmy's. I'm sure he will introduce me to you soon as he can." Jirachi tried his best to get her attention. All they could do was wait.

Alisaie Kendo
Heahea Hotel Room

Alisaie had woken up. Prepared a small breatfast from some fruits and shared with her Pokemon. Soon as she prepared for the day. She thought she was ready, but a voice appeared to her.

"Helloooo? Hello there! I sure hope I'm not starling you. You are Jimmy's sister correct? Alisaie? We don't have much time, but Jimmy needs your help. He and his team need your assistance in scouting the megamart. Would you be willing to help? Don't worry I'm not a ghost! I'm a friend of Jimmy's. I'm sure he will introduce me to you soon as he can."

"Who?! Where are you? How can I trust someone I can't see? Especially with everything going on?" Alisaie let out. It's true. With everything going on. How can you trust a mysterious voice you've not heard before?

It was then Jirachi took a moment to share a vision through telepathy of Jimmy and their current location.

"Jimmy is currently in his Pikachu form. They can't afford to be seen out in their human forms. Pokemon right now are much less suspicious. It could very well be just a normal Pokemon or a human that was transformed into one by one of these witches. So they wanted to be sure to go in hidden as they can be. If this isn't enough though." Jirachi then showed her a vision of Jimmy's Pikachu. Still sleeping.

"Now there's a Pokemon I recognize. It's Jimmy's Pikachu....so." Alisaie thought for a long moment. "okay, I think I can trust you. For now. Your said they were heading to the megamart right? Is that what they needed scouted? Then take me nearby. I'll get right to it." Alisaie told the voice.

"But they aren't heading there quite yet-" Jirachi couldn't finish his thoughts before Alisaie jumped back in.

"No need for that. I can get things done before they even get there." She says confidently.

"Okay, but I'll let Jimmy know too so he can expect you." he told Alisaie. "It's great to finally speak to you even if it was just through telepathy." Jirachi told her.

Alisaie gathered her things as she tells this mysterious voice that she's ready.

"Alright, do I just go there or...?" She questioned.

"Nahhhh, I got this. Just hold still aaaaaaaand. We're off!" Jirachi tells her as Alisaie's body glow for a brief moment before she was whisked away.

[Desolate Divine]

06-23-2021, 01:54 AM

Jon Drake
Eon Squad HQ
Affected RPers: Neo Emolga Noblejanobii

Jon nodded at Willow's thoughts on the matter, as his attention was pulled from the conversation by his phone buzzing.

Unlocking the phone, and putting in his authentication key to the decrypted messaging app, he opened the message to see it was from Ford, one of the four Eon Squad operatives he had investigating the Thrifty Megamart. Specifically watching Route 6 to see who is going to and from there. Ford had arrived in the early hours of the morning, finding a vantage point where he could blend in, and taking note.

Specifically, the message was a photo, of a person, what looked like a Centaur, and an Eevee, Buneary, Furret and Pikachu. Upon zooming in, he recognized the Centaur as Avery. Whilst the only members of Jon's squad who knew Triad's identity were himself, Dylan, Abbee and he presumed Glimmer, that wasn't the reason for the message, but more so the centaur making their way down Route 6.

"Sorry, I gotta send a message quickly." Jon said to Willow as he opened up his standard messaging app, and located Avery's number from the RSVP message he had sent months earier.

"Avery, it's Jon. I apologize for keeping my distance, however had hoped to keep the pair of you from getting caught up in this.

One of my scouts has spotted you and your company, and I have a pretty reasonable idea where you're all heading.

Can you please inform them of the following;

-Eon Squad has located a deserter, who has provided the following intel
-The Megamart is littered with mine-like traps that are fatal. If you are going there, go with extreme caution.
-Endgame is within 48 hours, however they will accelerate it by 24 if they get what they are after. We currently possess it, so they will come for us sooner rather than later.
-Endgame is bad. Apocalypse-level bad.
-Deserter has agreed to help. Using Wrecking-Ball's abilities, among other things, I am certain they are genuine. Will discuss this more later.

I will provide more details when there is a more secure method of doing that. If you still think there is benefit to infiltrating the Megamart, be extremely careful doing so.
Avery, please delete this message as soon as you have passed on the information.
Jon Drake."

Turning to face Willow, Jon continued.

"It's a good thing you came early. None of the other operatives are awake yet." Jon explained, "I will inform them of your cooperation when they awake. For now, follow me, and I'll show you to your room here. I will get in touch with my commanders, and let them know of what you have told me."

Neo Emolga

06-23-2021, 03:14 AM

Willow Scalera
Eon Villa, Akala
Affected RPers: Desolate Divine (Jon/Latios)

After Jon had addressed something urgent on his phone, which Willow decided it would be wise not to pry into, he looked to her.

“It's a good thing you came early,” Jon told her. “None of the other operatives are awake yet. I will inform them of your cooperation when they awake. For now, follow me, and I'll show you to your room here. I will get in touch with my commanders, and let them know of what you have told me.”

“Understood,” Willow nodded.

Jon had then taken her upstairs to a small but cozy guest room, which to her seemed more welcoming than a hotel room as it had a clean white carpet and a queen-sized bed with forest-green bedsheets. Meanwhile, there was a flat screen TV on the wall with a blu-ray player and a wide collection of movies to watch. The décor also seemed to be flower themed, as though springtime was the whole basis behind the interior decorating.

Wow…

Willow couldn’t help but feel appreciative of Jon’s hospitality, giving her a place to stay that was far better than the lowly, beat-up bedroll that Agatha had expected her witches to use. In truth, Willow had only expected to be dealing with that arrangement for a short time, but it seemed indefinite until Agatha had gotten what she wanted. Netherclysm.

“Thank you…” Willow told Jon, not sure how else to show her gratitude. “I appreciate this… a lot. At first I was worried you wouldn’t believe me and I wouldn’t know what to do to keep Latias and I safe, but… I’ll do whatever I can to protect you, Latias, and her brother Latios. You have my word.”

OOC: Avery’s transformation reversed with Noble’s permission.

Triad (The Diamond Ladies)
Route 4
Affected RPers: Chakramaster Shruikan (maybe) Noblejanobii

For a minute, Cassandra was a bit regretful she and the rest of Triad had been so quick to jump back into their usual Pokémon selves, as Abital hadn’t expected it and was caught off guard. Had Avery not interrupted, they would have been battling Meir the Raichu. Abital had apologized in sign language, having Avery interpret it for them, making it clear that it was a misunderstanding. But then they had given the Ladies the rundown of the situation, offering to put off the treatment if their scouting mission involved going after Agatha.

“The transformation is still going?” Cassandra asked, looking a bit taken back as her Eevee head tilted to one side in perplexment.

“Seemed frozen last time we checked,” Violet recalled, standing upright on her Furret feet to allow herself to look at Avery’s body. “Not the case anymore, it’s progressing gradually.”

“Yikes… we’d better take care of that,” Jarena remarked, looking a bit sheepish as she lightly backed away a bit on her Buneary feet and covered her mouth with her paws. “I know what that feeling is like… it sucks. Trust me, you don’t want this just… swallowing you up like that. It’ll haunt you for a while if you let that happen.”

As Jimmy had joined the members of Triad, Cassandra wasn’t sure if Avery was aware they had come into contact and now had Jirachi’s star pieces. She looked around, not sure if any ghosts were watching from the shadows, but she needed to be extremely careful. While she didn’t see any in the immediate vicinity among the trees, shrubs, and clusters of rocks, there were still plenty of shadows for prying eyes to hide. If even one ghost heard her mutter Jirachi’s name, it would be a disaster.

“When it comes to using Nox Purge, we have a helper that can give us what we need to work around the cost of performing that spell, but…” Cassandra broke off, looking around and squinting her Eevee eyes to see if anyone was watching and listening, “well, I can’t say too much. Let’s just say his name’s ‘Lucky’ and you know all about him from the last time we met.”

“Yes, we have intentions of scouting the abandoned Megamart, hence us looking like this,” Violet told Avery as she looked up them, crossing her arms before looking east. “Ideally, we’d like to get the perimeter investigated, take a look into any rooms that have windows, and see what we’re dealing with to see if this is what they’re using as their home base.”

“And if you or your Pokémon see anything that looks important, chances are good it should be blown up,” Jarena smiled impishly, winking her Buneary eye. “But hold off on that for now, we’re not planning on attacking anyone or anything. Not yet, anyway! Well, hopefully we don’t have to…”

Cassandra then looked to Jarena and Violet, giving them a reassuring smile.

“Alright, Ladies, let’s get Avery back on their own two feet again,” Cassandra encouraged both of them. “Ready?”

“Roger that,” Jarena smiled.

“Do it,” Violet confirmed.

Focusing their attention, Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet had performed Nox Purge enough times back at the urgent care center to know it completely by heart now. While it didn’t require reagents, it did require heavy exertion on those involved with the casting, although now with the three of them working together, it wasn’t teetering on the edge of impossibility like the time only Cassandra and Violet were performing it alone to save Jarena.

Using Avery’s soul as a catalyst to serve as a restoration basis for their true form, the Keldeo half of her body had melted away into a fading white glow, which had reformed back into two human legs. Once Avery’s legs were restored back to normal and all of the magical remnants that Avery had been afflicted with were purged, the Nox Purge spell concluded. Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet were left feeling like they had just finished a two-hour aerobic workout, but it wouldn’t be long before they were able to catch their breath.

“Ah there…” Jarena replied with a smile after taking a few seconds. “Now you can wear those cool sneakers of yours again!”

“Whew…” Cassandra remarked, happy to see Avery back to normal again. “I think after a little break we can ask ‘Lucky’ to take us to the Megamart.”

And it was then that Cassandra had heard Avery’s phone buzz…

Aaron
Route 6, Akala
Affected RPers: Chakramaster Shruikan (maybe) Noblejanobii Desolate Divine (Jon & Brianna)

The power growing within him couldn’t be contained any longer. He had badly wanted to make an epic entrance and scare the wits out of Willow and Jon once his scouts had spotted them and reported their location to him, but he had run out of time.

As for Aaron’s scouts, Tanya, a short but stocky female witch, Cole, a stoic male witch, and Vic, a lanky and scrawny male witch had reported that they hadn’t seen any signs of Jon, Willow, or even anyone else that the band of witches was trying to find. In fact, they hadn’t even seen any civilians the whole morning.

But after giving their report, they noticed something different and odd about Aaron’s body and the way he was composing himself in front of them, constantly fidgeting and twitching, but smiling as if he was enjoying the experience of descending into madness.

“Aaron, what’s going on with you?” Tanya asked, looking puzzled at. “You’re acting a bit weird. Everything ok? You’ve been fidgeting around a lot.”

“And what’s with those markings on his arms and hands?” Vic asked. “Never seen that before. What kind of spell is that?”

Aaron just bowed his head down and smiled. He was out of time and this wasn’t about to trigger under what he was hoping for as ideal circumstances, but he could at least have some dark fun with these scouts.

“Sure, I’ll show you… a neat trick.” Aaron told them in a dark, shadowy voice.

“Aaron, what the hell…?” Cole asked, knowing that was not Aaron’s usual voice.

Had Aaron’s attempts to keep the shadowy power contained resembled a balloon filling with water, that balloon would have just exploded.

Suddenly, shadowy tendrils of dark, negative energy had started to surround his body and soon intensified. The scouts were suddenly aghast, backing away quickly before Aaron’s body suddenly began… to change.

His skin had darkened thoroughly to a deep, dark purple color as it suddenly began to grow and change shape. His feet had changed to pointed talons as his hands and arms had become ridged wings. His cloak, unable to contain his growing body, had been shredded to pieces as his neck extended outword while his head had changed shape into a three-pronged trident-like shape. And shortly after, pale-blue ridges had appeared on his back as a pronged tail sprouted from his rear.

Such was the result of Endkath, turning its recipient into an unhinged Shadow Lugia, born from a nightmarish spell that involved the sacrifice of a Dragonite’s heart, ashes of Gracidea flowers, and Lugia’s blood…

Aaron had enjoyed the experience of his transformation up until he realized not only did it change his body, but it had corrupted his mind. He had assumed he would keep his mental state and personality intact and use the power of this transformation as he wished, but instead, it had flushed his mind with darkness, corrupting his memories and personality. And at this point, all he cared about was power and using it to make the world and everything around him into nothingness. To have as much destruction as he could unleash was all that was on his mind right now.

His ungodly skreich of blood-thirsty anticipation echoed throughout Akala Island…

“Oh my god… Aaron, what did you do!?” Cole shouted.

Aaron. To him, it was a stupid name at this point. A useless, human name that failed to capture just how terrible and magnificent he had become. No, he wanted something far more darker than that.

“HELLSHRIEK!!” He screamed at them, bestowing a new, infernal identity upon himself.

To Hellshriek, Cole might as well be some useless, wriggling Weedle that would never amount to anything. But then he decided maybe Cole would have a use after all. Instead of abandoning him for his lack of utility, he wanted to see just how much a Shadow Storm would splatter his body all over the path.

After unleashing a horrendous gale of infernal devastation upon Cole, entire trees and bushes were vaporized and obliterated as even the ground was thrown violently into the air. The force was so powerful that not only was Cole’s body nearly wholly destroyed and annihilated, but Tanya and Vic, who were at least twenty feet away from the blast site, were nearly reduced to nothing more than a macabre red mist that was sprayed upon the ravaged and splintered trees…

He had grinned at the aftermath. At this point, he barely even remembered who Agatha was. No, now he was the one in control… and insisted that the world should become a much darker place as he adored the idea of possessing a world of ashes, his dark trophy prize…

Chakramaster

06-28-2021, 09:25 PM

Alisaie Kendo
Near the Megamart

Alisaie in a moments notice. Had been teleported by non other than Jirachi, but she still didn't know exactly who she had been talking to or what the goal was. She was disoriented, but had the strength to fight back.

"Okay, whoever you are. Start filling in some blanks!" She said shakily. Trying to regain her composure and balance as she stumbles to her feet. Why are we near some rundown marketplace? Exactly who are you and most importantly...." She says before squinting and shaking her head as she begins to question. "Did you say my brother...Jimmy Kendo is in his." She pauses a moment before making a face into the air. Thinking whoever is talking to her might be able to see her. Whether they are invisible or just some figment of her imagination. "In his...Pikachu form? Since when the hell can my brother turn into a Pikachu? I saw him as a human not too long ago?" She says in a slightly louder voice.

"To answer your questions: A) The megamart you see in the distance is where we know these villains are. Whatever schemes they may be hatching. Well, from intel most of them are harbored in there.

B)"Right now my nickname is "Lucky." Don't worry, I'll show myself to you soon enough. Like your Hoopa.
I'm a friend. Jimmy told me about your family's backstory. Let's just say, he finally found his match along with Pikachu. We're all besties!

and 3)" Jirachi says while chuckling. "Heheh, those words rhyme. Oh yes! Jimmy can change into a Pikachu at will now! So long as he keeps his pendant on. He can freely change back and forth thanks to me! Do you wanna be a Pikachu too!?

Alisaie quickly responds, "Bloody...NO!" she yells.

"Aww, fine. Be that way. You'd be so cute with a heart shape tail though."

Alisaie glances around for this voice or whatever it was talking to her to see.

"Okay pipsqueek, Lucky, or whatever you are. Tell me now just where is everyone else? I thought they were supposed to be here. Or do I need to handle things alone?"

"Oh Arceus no! It's far too dangerous! Please don't put yourself in harms way. Truth is...Jimmy needs you and your Hoopa. He has a plan to help get things back to normal. It just involves using your Hoopa and his rings. He can open a portal outside of this island right?"

Alisaie glanced to the side as she nods. "I was hoping to keep that a secret in case we got into trouble, but I guess you're a little smarter than I thought. But how is that gonna help anyone? It's not like we can run away and rescue everyone from the island. We've gotta do something about these..." She's cut off as Jirachi interrupts .

"It'll help us unlock my full power according to Jimmy. Right now my powers are blocked off. Limiting my potential. It's why I helped to create star pieces that are attuned to my power. Giving me a focus point so it limits my power usgae.
According to Jimmy. If we can use your Hoopa to create a portal to the Observatory...assuming it's not been taken over too. Use another ring to connect to the stars. The southern part of the Big Dipper specifically. Then a third ring to me. It should unlock my hidden powers. Giving me enough potential to change everything back to the way they were here. I might just be able to save those that were so brutally killed if we're lucky. And by my codename I will do my best! So....will you please help us?"

Alisaie paused. Looking to her Pokeball as she called out Hoopa.

"Well it's not like I had anything else planned today. Tell me where to go and I'll do whatever I can to help." She said as she pat Hoopa on the head.

Jimmy Kendo
Route 4
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga Noblejanobii Shruikan

Jimmy had finished talking to Jirachi. Rejoining the group while Jirachi talked to Alisaie directly. The others had seemed finished working to transform Avery back into their original form. Worn out and needing rest. They decide to wait before going any further. Needing time to gain some energy back before pressing onward.

"Hey, good to see back on 2 feet again. What about all of you? Need something to get your energy spurring again? Candy, chocolate, energy drinks? Whatever you may need just ask ah...Lucky! He can provide what you need. Just think and picture it in your mind. Simple as that." Jimmy said as he tried to offer his best to get everyone back in shape. Also trying to buy time until he hears something back on his sister.

"Jimmy!" Jirachi called to him.

"Ah, speaking of." Jimmy continues talking through telepathy.

"She's near the megamart and agreed to help out. She wasn't very happy and she didn't wanna turn into a Pikachu like you said. She would've looked so cuuuuuute! Heheh."" "She's got her Hoopa ready to go whenever, but wants more answers from you. So whenever everyone is ready I can get things done!. Jirachi paused a moment before asking Jimmy sincerely. "Jimmy....are you sure this will work? Are you sure you want to risk this?"

Jimmy nodded. "It's always been about trying to help others Jirachi. That's the best part about doing the right thing. It doesn't matter what's in it for you. It's about seeing the joy on others faces and the happiness beaming from them as they express just how happy they are. Whatever happens. So long as we do the right thing and return things to normal no matter what it costs us. I think we will be fine. Just take care of the others and try your best to keep watch over Pikachu too."

Silence between the two went on. Before Jirachi broke the silence. "Okay Jimmy. I believe in you. I'll do my best! Assuming this plan truly unlocks by third eye. I'll do whatever I can to protect everyone. Even those who have already fallen!
I'll try to rescue them with all my power!"

Jimmy gives off a smile before looking to the sky and letting off a sigh. "Thank you Jirachi. I'm counting on you and Pikachu both."

Jimmy looks back to the group. Toward Avery. Knowing he has to explain the star piece to them as well. Not knowing if now is the right time, but....how many more chances would he get.

Noblejanobii

07-26-2021, 09:51 PM

Avery Miller & Abital Ecke
Route 4
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga Chakramaster Desolate Divine

Avery noticed when a Pikachu joined the little circle, quickly deducing that this was likely their old pal, Jimmy. They nodded their head a little as the Triad spoke, not seeing much of a reason to interject as they spoke. Fortunately it seemed there was some sort of secret "benefactor" for the Triad that would allow them to cure Avery of their affliction much sooner than they had anticipated. They did address the benefactor by name, just calling him "Lucky", but from context clues, Avery could tell what, or rather who, they meant. Abital, on the other hand, was completely lost, giving Avery an inquisitive look. Avery quietly signed the word "star", hoping their husband would catch their drift. Abital furrowed his brows in confusion before the realization struck him. He started to finger spell the true name for "Lucky", but Avery quick grabbed Abital's hand to stop him. "Sorry," they said, knowing it was impolite to do such a thing, "we don't know if anyone in Agatha's team can read signs. But yes, that's who it is." Abital nodded in understanding, realizing the mistake they almost made.

As Abital tried to ponder what having a wishmaker benefactor could mean for them, Avery turned back to the ladies and nodded. "I'm fine with changing back then. It'll make it easier to scout around the base then." Standing back up, Avery got into position and closed their eyes as the Nox Purge consumed them. The Keldeo half of their body melted away in a fading white glow, leaving with their own two human legs again. Fortunately, unlike the last time they had been forcibly changed into a Pokemon, Avery was still wearing their kimono, so they were at least somewhat covered once the transformation was complete.

“Ah there…” Jarena replied with a smile after taking a few seconds. “Now you can wear those cool sneakers of yours again!”

Avery couldn't help but laugh at Jarena's remark. "Indeed. Fortunately I packed some extra clothes just on the chance I was able to transform back," they responded, digging those clothes out of their bag and sliding on a pair of pants plus the aforementioned sneakers.

“Whew…” Cassandra remarked, happy to see Avery back to normal again. “I think after a little break we can ask ‘Lucky’ to take us to the Megamart.”

Avery started to respond in agreement when their phone buzzed. Unlocking the device, Avery saw their was a message from Jon. It seemed he was finally aware that Avery was caught in the mix of things and was trying to loop the fellow trainer in, which was much appreciated. They weren't sure how Jon had figured it out but they supposed that sneaky Latios of his could have easily spotted them while zooming around the island. That invisibility trick of his was quite useful for surveillance no doubt. Avery's eyes grew wide and they felt their blood start to run cold as their eyes skimmed the checklist that Jon sent them. That... didn't bode well. That didn't bode well at all.

They knelt down to Jimmy and the Triad and let out a long sigh. "It's from one of our mutual friends," they explained. "He requested I inform you of the following:
-Eon Squad has located a deserter, who has provided the following intel
-The Megamart is littered with mine-like traps that are fatal. If you are going there, go with extreme caution.
-Endgame is within 48 hours, however they will accelerate it by 24 if they get what they are after. We currently possess it, so they will come for us sooner rather than later.
-Endgame is bad. Apocalypse-level bad.
-Deserter has agreed to help. Using Wrecking-Ball's abilities, among other things, he is certain they are genuine. Will discuss this more later."

Avery swallowed roughly after reading the list allowed, deleting the message as Jon ordered. "So that's fun?" they said somewhat awkwardly. "Should we still proceed as planned or-"

Avery stumbled a bit as the ground beneath them began to heave. Landing on their hands, they waited as the shaking quickly ceased. "Is everyone alright?" they asked quickly, trying to survey the group. Abital, who was now lying on his back, gave a thumbs up before pushing himself into a sitting position. After checking on the others, Avery tried to look around for what the cause could have been. "Was that some sort of earthquake? Or maybe an aftershock of some sort?" they asked, hoping maybe one of the others would have more information.

Neo Emolga

08-14-2021, 08:50 PM

AGATHA
Thrifty Megamart
Affected RPers: N/A

As Agatha had gazed into the slow but steady progress of the Netherclysm’s maturity, she felt a sudden dark presence, and then heard a shriek, followed by a thunderous rumble. The vibration had caused some of the surrounding furniture and glassware to rattle before it suddenly stopped. She was rather irked by it, as it came close to knocking everything over, which would have badly disrupted the spell’s progress.

“What in grim’s name is this now?” Agatha muttered with contempt, not familiar with this disruption.

At first Nicodemus was caught off guard by the disturbance as well, but then he put the pieces of it together. Aaron. Endkath. It seemed the transformation had occurred right on time, as expected. He could only imagine what the League would be thinking when they saw Aaron eviscerating them as an ungodly Shadow Lugia.

“Something to keep the nuisance under control, my liege,” Nicodemus grinned wickedly. “Let’s just say Aaron volunteered to buy us some time.”

“By doing what exactly!?” Agatha snapped at him, doubting his use of the word ‘control’ was appropriate. “You and him were to get me the blood of Latios and Latias. How is this… whatever that racket out there is… part of that plan!?”

“Endkath, my liege,” Nicodemus snickered.

Haughty as she was, Agatha didn’t like to make her ignorance of things she didn’t know about apparent. But when it came to her underlings acting outside of her dictation, it was a reason to be concerned and it overruled her desire to appear to be aware and knowledgeable of everything and anything.

“And what on earth is that?” she questioned.

“The Aaron you once knew is no longer human… but instead a Shadow Lugia,” Nicodemus grinned. “I imagine he’s unleashing havoc upon the League at this very moment.”

Agatha had looked at him, wondering what exactly had gone into this obviously complex spell she hadn’t been aware about, and there were few spells that fell into that criteria. She had returned her gaze to the dark vortex of the Netherclysm before one of the other witches, Onxia, a gaunt female with scars on her face, had rapidly entered the room in a panic.

“Agatha!” Onxia shouted as she barged through the door. “Come quickly, we’ve got serious trouble! Some hideous Pokémon just outright murdered Cole, Vic, and Tanya! Everyone on Route 6 is being attacked!”

“It can’t be…” Nicodemus muttered, gritting his teeth in disbelief.

“You idiot!” Agatha shouted at him. “If you weren’t so critical to this operation, I’d smite you down right now!”

Only then did Nicodemus realize that he had made the wrongful assumption that Aaron’s Endkath transformation would only change his physical state but would still retain his human persona. But now it was clear that his mental state was no longer the same, either. Such an abrupt and chaotic transformation now resulted in Aaron acquiring an extreme amount of power… and now no longer recognized enemy from ally as his mind had been washed clean of most of his human memories and instead plunged into dark desire for destruction of everyone and everything. In his haste, Nicodemus had not delved enough into the true nature of this spell, sacrificing critical insight and understanding of the spell in the interest of time and rapid response.

Goddammit…

“I’ll deal with him…” Nicodemus growled, confident he could use his wits to put a quick end to the problem.

“No…” Agatha muttered with distain. “I need you alive. Send Amethyst after him. Alone.”

Amethyst…

She was the one witch Agatha had brought in as a Plan B in case there were critical matters of concern that required Amethyst’s assistance. And for good reason. While Amethyst respected Agatha and only Agatha, her reputation for being cruel, sadistic, and wicked were well known, and she hated working with others, often incapacitating them to “steal the show” and claim the glory. There were many that regarded her as obnoxious, and her levels of power were on the brink of uncontrollable. The whole time, she had been kept in isolation, with most of Agatha’s forces thinking she would never be deployed for any justifiable reason.

But after all that had happened, Nicodemus wasn’t about to object…

“…Very well…” Nicodemus replied. “I’ll let them know to… unleash her.”

At this point, Nicodemus could only see this as a win. Either Amethyst would butcher the abomination that Aaron had become, or the now unruly Shadow Lugia would murder her…

…at least one of his problems would come to an end…

Triad (The Diamond Ladies)
Route 4
Affected RPers: Chakramaster Shruikan Noblejanobii

It would be a lie to say the Nox Purge spell hadn’t taken some of the wind out of Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet, but they tried to hide it. Cassandra figured if they just kept it slow, they would be fine. And she felt the nature of the mission, which was to be stealth operation in the first place, was going to require them to take it slow, be steady, and be patient. It meant they would have plenty of time to catch their breath.

“Hey, good to see you back on two feet again,” Jimmy told Avery before turning to the former Diamond Ladies. “What about all of you? Need something to get your energy spurring again? Candy, chocolate, energy drinks? Whatever you may need just ask ah...Lucky! He can provide what you need. Just think and picture it in your mind. Simple as that.”

“Mmm, what toppings should I get on my pizza?” Jarena thought out loud, fantasizing all the possible options. “Or… heck, why not just skip to a nice ice cream sundae?”

“Come on, we’ll be fine,” Violet muttered, looking suspiciously at the daydreaming Buneary. “Junk food isn’t going to help us catch our breath. Athletes don’t follow-up a training workout munching on sugary crap.”

“Aww, you’re no fun…” Jarena flipped her paw as the irked Furret walked away from her. “Ever hear of ‘treat yo self?’ Hmm?”

Cassandra just sighed and smiled as her Eevee ears drooped before rolling her eyes. Soon after, Avery had shown the message that Jon Drake had sent, describing the details that Eon Squad had located a deserter, and that the Megamart was not only heavily guarded, but the surrounding area contained a figurative minefield of hexes and affliction traps. He then mentioned what he had dubbed as Endgame, an “apocalypse-level bad” that was to occur within 48 hours, with the potential of being expeditated if “they” had acquired something that Jon currently had in his possession, but didn’t make too clear in case the message was electronically intercepted. Lastly, he had explained that this deserter had agreed to help, and that “Wrecking-Ball” had verified that they could be trusted.

“So that’s fun?” Avery asked as Triad as Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet looked concerned about the intel that Jon had come across. “Should we still proceed as planned or-“

And then there was a sudden tremor, followed by a hideous shriek. All of them had suddenly recoiled, not sure what had been the source of the ungodly disruption, but after regaining their bearings, Avery had looked to the rest of the group.

“Is everyone alright?” Avery asked quickly. “Was that some sort of earthquake? Or make an aftershock of some sort?”

“No idea…” Cassandra muttered, trying to delve into her knowledge of spells and rely on her long Eevee ears to hear anything that might give her a clue as to what the commotion was. “Never heard that kind of noise before. It sounds… ferocious.”

“Yeah, no kidding, it… sounds pretty bad…” Jarena added, looking a bit sheepish. “You know, about what Jon said…”

“Sounds like I was right after all,” Violet stated in a cold voice, narrowing her eyelids over her black beady Furret eyes. “Whatever the hell this Endgame thing is, that’s where it’s happening, and that’s likely where we’ll find Agatha. Maybe whatever that was… is part of Endgame…”

“Wow, so… holy crap, guys, this is our chance to save the world!” Jarena exclaimed excitedly.

Both Cassandra and Violet looked at her and rolled their eyes, sighing.

“We’ll still go to the Megamart, but we’d better wait for backup,” Violet told the others. “And something else is out there, and we’d better find it before it finds us. We’ll follow the source of the noise, but for all our sake, stay out of sight and stay in cover.”

As Cassandra led the pursuit, she relied on her hearing to follow the loud noises that were created from the thrashing. Whoever or whatever this thing was… Cassandra knew it definitely didn’t rely on being subtle and stealthy…

Hellshriek
Royal Avenue
Affected RPers: N/A

Unaware his wanton path of devastation was being followed by Cassandra and the others, Hellshriek, with a rapidly fading recollection that he was even Aaron or a human in the first place, had sought out nothing more than destruction, to flaunt his powers, to soak in the fear and screams of his prey, and prove there was nothing stronger than him, and that all would bow down and despair before him before murderous termination.

What was left of his mental state was a deranged mess of factual knowledge he had acquired as a human, but with the personality of a ferocious monster with its heart shut down and locked into a sickly black void of unconscionable wrath. To him, if it moved, he wanted to kill it. If it could burn, burn it. If it could collapse, destroy it.

Unmake it all…

Had Nicodemus deployed Hellshriek closer to Heahea City, it would have been the League that would have had to deal with the unhinged abomination he had created. But by the warlock’s misfortunate chance, the most appetizing path of immediate destruction had directed his attention toward the very opposite of Nicodemus’s intentions…

Back toward the Megamart…

Some of the lesser witches that had been involved with the attack on Heahea City had attempted to stop Hellshriek using their spells and their Pokémon, but they were slow and quickly slaughtered in a similar fashion to Cole, Tanya, and Vic, with very little having any observable effect as both human and Pokémon were reduced to unrecognizable remnants of their former selves. In the panicked flight of those that had witnessed their brethren being obliterated and in his hunger of pursuit for more slaughter, Hellshriek’s path of destruction had been directed toward the establishments around Royal Avenue as the fleeing witches had attempted to make their way back to the Thrifty Megamart for help and cover from their superiors.

As soon as the Royal Avenue Pokémon Center had appeared in the horrific Shadow Lugia’s eyes, he grinned wickedly. His dark imagination had savored the idea of leveling it with a murderous Shadow Storm, wondering if he could level the entire structure in one, chaotic attack of screams, slaughter, and anarchy.

And then he made his dark imagination a reality.

The same gale of chaos that he had murdered Cole with was unleashed upon the Pokémon Center, wholly consuming it in an infernal gale of shadows and screaming winds that shredded the building. Windows were broken, bricks were ripped, and the white walls, red paneled room, interior furniture, and the people and Pokémon inside were swept into the hellish cyclone of crushing dark despair before the rubble, fragments, and entrails of all that had been inside were thrown into the air before coming back down… raining down upon all of everything that was on Royal Avenue… leaving nothing but a grotesque crater and twisted remnants of what used to be a Pokémon Center.

Upon looking at the macabre aftermath, Hellshriek wished for more… to see the entire world unmade in this same grizzly way… and for him to sit upon a throne of ashes that served as testament to him being the king of death.

Neo Emolga

09-27-2021, 11:32 PM

Spiritwater’s End

Agatha, despite her precautions, was silently confident she would complete Netherclysm in its entirety before the League or anyone else for that matter was even aware.

Nicodemus, however, had gone too far in his attempts to gain Agatha’s appeasement, unleashing an uncontrollable terror that he had underestimated and had no control over. He simply assumed Aaron would have all the dark physical power he needed to cripple the League and anyone who stood in their way. But he never counted on the Endkath spell corrupting Aaron’s mind. After he saw what had transpired, Nicodemus couldn’t understand what the purpose of Endkath was. What good was a spell like that if it made the recipient completely mad and consumed with a lust for destruction? But only then did he realize that such a dark abomination of a spell was meant to destroy one’s enemies from within, and was never meant to be used in an attempt to empower one’s allies…

Hellshriek, as a Shadow Lugia, unleashed all hell on Agatha’s followers, killing the witches and their Pokémon with wanton, murderous desire. Even Amethyst, one of Agatha’s most cruel and heartless witches, was only able to wound and cripple Hellshriek before she was obliterated herself. It took a combined but exhausting team effort on behalf of Agatha’s followers, as well as Giratina and Marshadow, to finally bring the abomination down, but not at great cost. While the Thrifty Megamart had been spared, serious structural damage was done and two dozen of Agatha’s followers were dead, including Amethyst. In her anger and to make a statement, she had ordered for Hellshriek’s head to be removed, not only to ensure he was fully dead and wouldn’t spring back to life by some dark, unholy power, but as a statement and message to anyone who thought of going up against her and her band of witches.

Brianna Levine, however, had been taking careful note of what she had seen and heard and had witnessed the entire incident unfold. After suffering heavy losses from Hellshriek’s strike, Agatha and her followers were vulnerable, and there was an ample open window for Jon and his allies to possibly deal the deathblow to Agatha’s efforts. But that window of opportunity would not last for long.

She needed to alert both Jon, the League, and Cassandra’s team as well. Coordinating the attack with limited time to prepare was going to be their biggest challenge, but it was either now or never as she had concluded. Agatha was now like a king in check, and if they were careful and meticulous about how they played this advantage, it would mean everything… and possibly saving the entire world from Netherclysm.

Brianna decided to first inform Jon and the rest of Eon Squad of what had become of Hellshriek and the crippled state Agatha was in. If they attacked now while Agatha and her followers were trying to recompose themselves, it would make all the difference.

Willow, at first at crossroads of whether to truly trust Brianna or not, decided to heed her warning and advice. Working with Jon Drake, Abbee Strauss, and Dylan Squire, Willow had drawn a quick map of the compound, also relying on Latias’s memory for guidance and verification and laid out what kinds of Shadowcraft defensive measures were in place. She had pointed out all the traps and caution areas that she was aware about, although considering the nature of Hellshriek’s attack, not all of them would be intact, but she had no true way of telling what threats were still active. All she could do was take it as if everything was still dangerous.

Jon, deciding to handle this as tactfully as possible, decided he and the rest of Eon Squad would attack and use Willow’s map as a basis while Steven and the League’s compatriots would provide support in the assault. But it left one variable out. Triad, as well as the rest of the teams with them, including Jimmy, Luneth, Avery, and Abital. Jon had decided to make this a two-pronged assault, with him and his team striking down any surviving witches and their Pokémon into submission while Triad would find Agatha and put an end to whatever monstrosity Netherclysm consisted of.

In a way, Jon intended to finish the work that Hellshriek had started, only he didn’t intend on killing any additional witches or Pokémon unless he and his team had to. After all, with all the damage they had done, if they were to have any hope of lessening their sentences and punishment, forcing them to undo the damage they had done would be a start, if they were wise and realized there was little hope of them succeeding.

Brianna had warned Jon that Giratina and Marshadow, while slightly worn from the battle with Hellshriek, were still capable of fighting, although this was the one chance that Jon had to catch them in a weakened state. And Jon knew they needed to be removed from Agatha’s clutches if they truly wanted to make sure she would be unable to turn the tables around and make a comeback.

However, with Triad now as Pokémon and with Jon not having direct contact to Jimmy, Avery, or Luneth, Willow had decided to rely on Latias to find them and notify them of what was going down. Jon’s Latios would be the invisible surveillance for the main attack while Latias would inform Cassandra and the others about where Agatha and her most dangerous witches were hiding, as well as where Netherclysm could be found in hopes that it could be destroyed.

Using her psychic powers, Latias was able to track down where they were and once she found them, she was able to relay Jon and Willow’s message. What was supposed to start as a scouting mission had now become a do-or-die situation. Triad would need to stop Agatha at all costs. However, given the situation, Agatha would attempt to defend Netherclysm and its dark progression as it was the forefront of her nefarious mission. Triad knew they could not stop both of them at the same time, and they anticipated Agatha being an absolute nightmare to handle.

Cassandra’s message to the others was clear. Triad would focus all of their effort on stopping and suppressing Agatha, hoping to dispel and strip down her powers to the point where she was unable to fight any further, at that point Cassandra had intentions of having Agatha stand trial and very likely rot in prison for the rest of her unnaturally long life. Meanwhile, Luneth, with her insight on Shadowcraft, and with the help of Jimmy Kendo, his Jirachi, and with Avery and Abital, would carefully but thoroughly dismantle and destroy Netherclysm however they could. As they knew, it was unlikely Netherclysm could be swiftly and easily destroyed. So much dark, negative energy had gathered in one location. Not taking it apart carefully could see off a massive, catastrophic chain reaction that could potentially obliterate the entire island. Agatha, with her hands full in trying to deal with Triad, would not be able to defend the Netherclysm ritual at the same time.

Once both teams had arrived, Jon, Eon Squad, and the rest of the League had deployed their Pokémon and attempted to make best use of the situation that Agatha and her followers were in. Many of the witches and their Pokémon were already injured while those that weren’t quickly found themselves overwhelmed and outnumbered, barely able to get their Pokémon deployed in time before they took heavy fire. Many of the witches tried to cause Jon’s frontline to be stricken with various curses similar to what was done on the siege of Heahea, but Jon and the League had the power of numbers and a fighting force in rigorous shape while Agatha’s side didn’t even have a moment to catch their breath from Hellshriek’s devastating attack.

Nicodemus had realized his foolish decision was now costing them everything. He had attempted to call his witches to fall back and defend the Thrifty Megamart. However, Eon Squad and the League had worked around the compound’s Shadowcraft traps, and only then did he realize that there had been a traitor and informant among them, given Jon and the rest of Eon Squad insider knowledge about the countermeasures they had. Fields that had hex traps all over like a minefield were directly ignored while the few unprotected routes that Agatha’s followers used exclusively had become main targets for the assault and were easily seized. Though he was seething with rage, he knew this and the timing of their attack couldn’t be coincidence. There had been agents in the shadows working against them.

In the meantime, Triad, Jimmy, Avery, and Luneth had managed to track down the location of Netherclysm with Latias’s help, building as it lay tucked away in the manager’s office. Triad knew, once they started dismantling Netherclysm, Agatha would dedicate all of her destructive energy toward them. Instead of recklessly throwing everything they had at the dark ethereal apparatus, Luneth had advised that they dismantle it carefully and slowly, much like untying a massive knot as opposed to slashing away at it. Jirachi and Glimmer had attempted to use their power to suppress the chaotic ethereal discharge while Luneth used her Shadowcraft to carefully deconstruct it, much like carefully defusing a bomb. Where they could, Jimmy, Avery, and Abital pitched in, although once it had become known to Agatha and her followers that Netherclysm was being tampered with, they had switched over toward using their Pokémon to protect the others, covering them from the enemy witches and their Pokémon followers, all with the mission to defend the site however they could.

Agatha, ready to unleash her full fury upon Luneth and all those attempting to dismantle Netherclysm, had not noticed the hidden Eevee, Buneary, and Furret just waiting for her arrival. Despite all her dark knowledge, even she had not known that a witch could still cast spells even while in Pokémon form, having never attempted it herself. As a result, Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet were able to get the first strike on Agatha before she had unleashed certain fates worse than death upon Luneth, Jirachi, and Glimmer.

Almost immediately, Agatha found herself shadow-stitched by Cassandra while Jarena had cast silent scream upon Agatha as well, rendering her mute and unable to speak while the shadow-stitch kept her immobile. Attempting to make Agatha weak as well, Violet had cast blood plague upon her, siphoning the energy and vigor from her body.

But it had become apparent that despite these crippling spells, Agatha was aware her attackers were attempting to keep her alive rather than outright kill her as they had the chance to take it. And she was able to identify the sources of the spells, although she was not expecting her assailants to be Pokémon, and especially not seemingly helpless and arguably cute and simple Pokémon such as Eevee, Buneary, and Furret. But her assumption had cost her the opening play, but it didn’t guarantee her defeat. Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet did whatever they could in their power to weaken Agatha and strip her of her dark magic, although even with the three of them working together, it was only just enough for them to keep Agatha suppressed. But the three of them knew they needed to buy Luneth, Glimmer, and Jirachi, as well as the others defending them as much time as possible. Even if they couldn’t completely stop Agatha, keeping her busy and distracted was enough as long as it could last until Netherclysm was entirely destroyed and could not be started again.

With Jirachi as the captain, Luneth was his navigator, telling him how to use his wish power to sever ethereal links, dismantle the nether connections, and gently pull apart the complex construction behind the Netherclysm. Despite Agatha’s rage, Triad was keeping her suppressed while Jon and Eon Squad’s assault was keeping the rest of the witches and ghost Pokémon busy and preoccupied with defending the Thrifty Megamart. Nicodemus’s attempts to get the defending forces to reassemble and get back to formation was failing with more than half his force either killed or injured by Hellshriek or incapacitated from Eon Squad and the League giving them no quarter. As Jon put it, nothing about his attack force was displaying only “half measures.” As soon as opportunities presented themselves, Jon, Abbee, and Dylan used their battling prowess to rip into Nicodemus’s defensive line. And to further his dismay, Giratina and Marshadow were quickly overwhelmed from all directions by entire raid parties of Pokémon and were soon captured in Pokéballs. To him, it now looked like the deathblow strike was burrowing into the heart of their entire operation.

Meanwhile, Agatha, trying to undo the dispelling and crippling spells that Triad had persistently tried to lay down on her, was just barely able to break free of the Shadowcraft curses and attempted to strike back at Cassandra, Jarena, and Violet, but their small and nimble forms made it difficult in ways that she had not faced before dealing with humans. Even she soon realized the value in transforming one’s self to become an unsuspecting Pokémon like the three of them had become. But in her distracted frustration, she had not seen Brianna and Alisaie come up from behind her. Brianna had inflicted Agatha with numerous mind lapses, attempting to make her unable to remember how to cast Shadowcraft spells with this mentally-crippling amnesia. In a last ditch effort, Agatha attempted to use her adrenaline-level Shadowcraft to destroy Luneth, Jirachi, and Glimmer, but Alisaie had distorted her vision, and suddenly Agatha lost sight of her target, as if thrown into a distorted shadow labyrinth that only existed in the hallucinations and delusions of her mind. Though physically she was only about a hundred feet away, with Alisaie’s shadow labyrinth inflicted on her mind, she may as well have been galaxies away.

With five against one, Agatha was beyond overwhelmed and now she found herself physically, mentally, and even spiritually crippled and unable to defend the Netherclysm from being completely dismantled. Even her fellow witches, the few that remained, sacrificed everything to try and stop them, but Jimmy, Avery, and Abital intercepted all of their assaults using their own Pokémon and spent much of their energy to stop them. Eventually, the last of them and their Pokémon had fallen, and Agatha’s mission had failed like a deceased Tauros in the middle of the desert as the Mandibuzz descended upon the feast.

Agatha decided she would not allow anyone to delve into her darkest secrets, and confirmed that if she couldn’t have them, no one would, and that they would die with her. With her mental freedom barely hanging on by a thread, she had decided she would rather die in the fastest way possible, using just a sliver of Shadowcraft magic to trigger a destructive brain aneurism in her head. Rather than let the intruders break into her house of dark knowledge, the door was shut, and the vast dark libraries of her shadowcraft knowledge were plunged into the black void of death.

All they had left was Agatha’s body, and she had died just moments before Luneth and Jirachi had finally dismantled the last few pieces of Netherclysm. Now that it was safe, Luneth had destroyed and shattered the only remaining fragments and pieces, ensuring no one could ever pick up and continue Agatha’s work.

The War is Over

The survivors of Agatha’s campaign were forced to surrender. Some were more cooperative than others and realized the mistake in joining Agatha on Akala, while others were more stubborn to no avail. But in the end, Jon and the League had given them an ultimatum: undo the damage that was done to Heahea and those cursed by the attack, or suffer the consequences. While some of the witches outright refused and were quickly restrained and incarcerated, others had already realized the mission was hopeless and had decided to at least alleviate whatever sentence they were bound to face by cooperating. In a way, Steven and Cynthia were pleased with the fact that Triad wouldn’t end up having to work until exhaustion for months on end to restore everyone that was afflicted back to normal. There were even several civilians revived that were given up for dead due to their nearly wholly destroyed outcomes.

Among them, Nicodemus was the least cooperative, attempting to at least salvage whatever he could by keeping his dark secrets shut, thought not to the extent that Agatha had gone to. Jon had confronted a suppressed and restrained Nicodemus surrounded by allies of the League. Jon’s demand for Nicodemus’s cooperation to destroy the reagent storehouses was simply answered by Nicodemus laughing and spitting at Jon. And he quickly learned the severity of that mistake after Jon’s fist had fractured Nicodemus’s jaw and ripped out five of his teeth, making Nicodemus’s already hideous grin even more horrendous. While it took longer to trace down every last safehouse and storage cache that Agatha and her followers had prepared due to Nicodemus’s lack of cooperation, there was enough Shadowcraft aptitude in Cassandra, Jarena, Violet, Brianna, Willow, Alisie, and Luneth to trace every last remnant of dark reagents so that they could be safely and thoroughly dismantled. Only reagents that would be helpful to the recovery effort were preserved.

As for the recovery effort itself, what would have taken months for Triad to do alone was resolved in just a few days. Triad, Luneth, Alisaie, Willow, and Brianna everything they needed to purge and destroy the most vile of Shadowcraft magic Agatha and her posse had prepared. Meanwhile, while Jon had taken Giratina into his stead, Willow had taken Marshadow, feeling confident she could set the wayward ghost on the right path.

Very little of Agatha’s dark possessions were preserved as the truly dark and most wicked of her dark magic was destroyed and incinerated. Never would there be another Endkath or Netherclysm created. All the notes and records for those two wretched spells, in addition to many other horrendous dark works, were destroyed with their dark knowledge forever cast into the void. Much of the darker side of Shadowcraft had died that day while the branch of it that was used to heal and restore had been preserved.

Although the Spiritwater Festival was officially over based on the Alola calendar, simply having Akala back to normal with clear, sunny skies was enough for festivities to be held for another three days. The Alola Coast Guard had detained the last of Agatha’s uncooperative followers while the civilians, tourists, and members of the league were free and encouraged to come out of hiding to simply celebrate life once again.

Although understandably so, there were a few individuals who simply “had more than enough vacation” and were all too eager to go home.

New Beginnings

Rumor circulated that “Triad” was in fact the Diamond Ladies, and it didn’t take people long to see the resemblance once their involvement had become known. But much to public shock, after Cassandra confirmed it, she wanted to make something else known to all.

She wanted to start over.

While it was impossible to some degree, she had a new team. While Victini, Ninetales, Espeon, and Hatterene were long gone, she had her Frosmoth, Swanna, Purugly, Lilligant, Sandslash, and Ampharos now, all Pokémon that were either abandoned by their trainer, or their trainer had died with no one to take care of their Pokémon. The question remained. Could this team go from a darkened and melancholy past to a new beginning of glory? Cassandra believed the answer to that was yes and she wanted to prove it.

She wanted to make this new team the best it could be despite each of them having a difficult history and background. By now, after her efforts, only the most stubborn about her cheating and only the most ruthless were unwilling to forgive her despite everything she and Jarena and Violet had done for the people of Akala. But the way Cassandra saw it, those kinds of people weren’t worth the time and effort to try and appease.

Instead, she had decided to enroll in Jon’s Eon Academy herself, hoping to learn from the one who decided to give her and her friends a second chance not just at Pokémon battles, but at life itself. And while her situation would be different from new recruits, she wanted to know more about how the experts battled, and from what she had heard about Abbee, Charlotte, Dylan, Chris, and Justin. She wondered if, League permitting, she could enter the tournaments again, only this time with an all new gameplan.

Jarena found herself at crossroads, disappointed that Cassandra wouldn’t be joining her to return to Starglade and help the injured and sick Pokémon there. But as she thought about it, Cassandra’s decisions made sense. And Jarena realized that if she did go back there, her new team would have to be abandoned yet again, and just the thought of that made her sick to her stomach considering what had become of her old team and how she felt terrible letting them go like that. Despite how she enjoyed being a Buneary, she couldn’t do that and didn’t want to go down that path anymore.

Instead, she decided to follow in her friend’s footsteps, but with a different mission in mind. While she wanted to see how good she could become with the help of the Eon Academy’s advice and guidance, she wanted to win as much money as she could to help Pokémon wildlife conservation projects and to help Pokémon adoption clinics get the funding they needed to keep their operations going and find good trainers and good homes for all their Pokémon.

Lastly, Violet had decided at first to let Cassandra and Jarena do their own thing at Eon Academy and she would focus on a career outside of Pokémon battles. And it almost seemed to take hold for a few months before it struck her as being far too painfully boring and ordinary to tolerate given the fame and the whole world she had seen prior to this point. At first she thought she could get personal satisfaction by being a financial advisor, an investor, and real estate agent, but it was pale and shallow compared to the fanfare of what she saw before.

Her path led her back to her connection with Cassandra and Jarena, though she decided to use this new education at Eon Academy to see what she could truly be capable of. Maybe she could be a gym leader, or possibly one of the next Elite Four if the League was willing to let bygones be bygones. To her it seemed more compelling and intriguing than simply filling out spreadsheets on a laptop. Either that, or if she couldn’t find her way back to the League due to her past, she felt there was opportunity in law enforcement. She felt they could use someone like her and she liked the idea of bringing criminal scum down.

Meanwhile, Willow had decided to support Jon Drake’s efforts in providing protective support for Eon Academy, feeling that even though the worst offenders of Shadowcraft were gone and in prison, remnants of Agatha’s army may one day surface and find their way to Mossdeep, but she wasn’t anticipating that anytime soon. At the same time, her coming to Mossdeep would allow Latias to be reunited with her brother after many long years of separation.

Only time would tell what would be in store for all of them, but they could agree that the dark chapter to Akala’s troubled Spiritwater festival could be closed and was simply just a memory that would no longer hurt anyone else…

[Desolate Divine]

09-29-2021, 02:45 AM

Use of Neo’s characters done with his permission.

Note: Abbee and Dylan’s Epilogue is absent, as there are elements of their characters I wanted to explore in Spiritwater, however given it fizzling out, I don’t want to rush it. Will explore their characters and paths more in Eon Academy, and probably wind up with their epilogue’s there. As for Brianna, I need to rethink some of her plans. But all will be explained. Eventually…

Jon Drake

Eon Academy

Six Weeks Later...

Six weeks had passed since the end of the Spiritwater Crisis. Since it came out that the Pokemon League, assisted by First High Seas Champion Jon Drake, and the presumed dead Diamond Ladies had played a part in preventing a Shadowcraft apocalypse, Jon’s phone had blown up. Mostly Chris, one of Jon’s first students, asking if the rumors were true, that Jon had acquired another Legendary Pokemon?

Jon was surprised however, by how good the publicity was, and not just for him. Considering #BurnTheWitch and #F**kJonDrake was trending around this time four years earlier, the turnaround was still unexpected. As was Cassandra confirming that Triad, the mysterious group of Shadowcraft wielders that had helped avert disaster, were in fact the Diamond Ladies, and alongside Jarena, and a few weeks later, Violet, decided to join Jon at the Eon Academy. Joining them at the Academy, was Willow, a member of Agatha’s coven who realized the danger she presented, before defecting alongside her Latias partner, that Jon’s Latios had loved being reunited with, it being many years since the siblings were together under peaceful circumstances.

Whilst the Eon Academy’s true asset was its summer program, this year having been the fourth before Jon had to cancel it in light of the tip off of Agatha and her call, during the other nine months of the year, the Academy was much quieter, with the occasional schools spending a week there during the school year, and it being mostly used for making improvements to the site, or planning the next year.*

Having heard their desire to enrol at the Eon Academy, and heard their goals and hopes for what the future held, Jon reworked Dylan’s position from the first year that he stayed at the Academy, being an intern of sorts, with the year spent training and growing their skills, alongside helping to prepare for the next summer, where they would work as interns themselves to put the skills they learnt into practise on helpless and unsuspecting teens. After which, they could choose to stay and continue, or follow their path elsewhere, depending on how they felt afterwards….

It was mid-afternoon when Cassandra found herself waiting out the front of the locked battlefield, with Jon cutting it awfully close to being late for their training session, which she had picked up quite early was out of character for him. She pulled out her phone to double check he hadn’t cancelled and instead found a text from Alyssa.

”Sorry he’s late. Come to the house, and you’ll see why…”

Cassandra didn’t have to knock on the door for Alyssa to let her in. She was waiting, and stifling a laugh. She put her finger to her mouth, gesturing for Cassandra to be silent, and led her through the house, towards the lounge room. Sitting on the couch as Super Sylveon Smile Squad played fruitlessly on the TV, was Jon, head resting back, mouth hanging open, and asleep, as Amelia, Lili, as he called her, sat next to him, equally catatonic to her father, resting against his arm.*

“She’s barely left his side since he got back…” Alyssa whispered, trying to not laugh. “It’s starting to catch up with him…”

“She definitely takes after her Dad…” Cassandra replied.

Hearing the chuckling, Jon began to stir, however he and Alyssa’s three-year-old remained sleeping, as Alyssa picked her up to put her into her bed.

“I can reschedule, if you’ve got other things to do?” Cassandra asked, half joking.

“No, it’s fine…” Jon answered. “I love her to bits, but if I have to hear that theme song, or the magic being the friends you make along the way, one more time, I think I may lose it…”

An hour later the pair were in the stadium, Cassandra’s Ampharos battling Jon’s Jolteon. After a long and tiresome exchange between the two electric types, intentionally chosen to prevent Cassandra from relying on type advantages, Jon pulled Jolteon back, figuring that they were passing the point of diminishing returns. As he took a breath, he looked up, and stifled a laugh.

“What’s up?” Cassandra asked, as she called Ampharos back.

“I’m just sorta surprised that in the four years I’ve been at this place, I haven’t had to repair any Latios shaped holes in the ceiling…” Jon answered. “If he keeps behaving himself, I might have to stop calling him Wrecking-Ball…”

“Well, if he wants to, there is another similar shaped Pokemon who could make finding a suspect confusing…”

“Yeah, don’t tell him that…” Jon laughed. “I don’t think he realizes, and I’d hate for him to start again, especially after a beer or two…”

“Latios trying to take the tome, and leaving the hole in the chapel wall was what confirmed that you guys were onto us,” Cassandra laughed. “You should have heard Jarena! ’I swear, if I find out whose Latios that was, they’re toast!’”

“I would have been turned into a Dunsparce?” Jon asked, remembering the first conversation.

“A Dunsparce that felt like they were under the influence of a cocktail of recreational drugs…” Cassandra joked, before noticing Jon missing a Pokeball. “Latios off with Latias again?”

“Yeah, they’re pretty inseparable these days,” Jon answered. “I’m hoping they get it out of their system before next summer, because we are already breaking records for registrations…”

“How many?” Cassandra asked, this being the first she had heard of the numbers.

“One hundred and eighty and counting…” Jon answered. “I’d put half of it being the coverage from Akala, the other half being that the staff have a total of eleven Legendary Pokemon between them, and kids are hoping to be able to see them in person…”

“Wait, what?” Cassandra asked in shock. “We’re nearly a year off and that many kids are registered?”

“I know, I’m gonna have to build more lodges…” Jon laughed. “If the numbers keep increasing, I might need to think about buying the nearby land, or even opening another campus somewhere else…”

Cassandra thought over what Jon had said about Legendary Pokemon, particularly two of the three in his care.

“How’s Rayquaza doing?” Cassandra asked. “He took a bit of a beating bringing down Giratina and Marshadow…”

“He’s recovering well. I can actually let him out of the Pokeball now and not worry about being thrown into prison,” Jon laughed.

“I never got around to asking, since he kinda made an appearance out of nowhere when Giratina first showed up, but is he…” Cassandra began, feeling slightly embarrassed at having to classify a Pokemon with such a harsh label, having lived as one herself, and having done more damage before that than most Pokemon do.

“Safe?” Jon asked, as Cassandra nodded. “I am ninety-nine percent sure. I have taken him somewhere far from people every few weeks since we caught him, with the exception of a period of time when I was under government scrutiny, and in that time, he hasn’t given me reason to believe he will hurt anyone. He is proud, and wouldn’t go back on his word to us…”

“But all that time, he hadn’t been around other people until Akala...” Cassandra asked, more finishing Jon’s own thought, than questioning it. Jon nodded.

“Occasionally Dylan would tag along, as well as Chris, one of the interns who earned my trust, and could keep a secret. And after the Deoxys incident, Charlotte would come most of the time and we’d alternate between working with Rayquaza and Deoxys, but yeah…” Jon explained. “Until Akala he saw a total of four people since we captured him. And I am certain enough that he has calmed down and is safe, but until I see it for sure, I’ll hold onto him. It was the same with Latios. I kept him away from people until I knew he was safe, but even then, I had to make sure...”

“So you’re going to release Rayquaza eventually?” Cassandra asked. She noticed Jon’s face darken a little.

“Not as soon as I want to…” Jon answered. “I might start competing again, because it's not fair to Rayquaza to be kept in a Pokeball all the time now that he can be let out without any repercussions. Especially since I will need to hold off releasing him a little longer… But I need to hold onto him until Giratina is safe…”

Cassandra shuddered at the mention of the Legendary Pokemon. Rayquaza struggled to restrain it, and Jon was lucky to have been able to capture it himself. Jon still hadn’t let it out of the Pokeball.

“I don’t know Giratina’s nature outside of the influence of having Agatha as a trainer…” Jon explained. “I will train it at the same place I trained Latios and Rayquaza, but Rayquaza is the only Pokemon I have that can restrain it, and keep it in check, and it could take years before Giratina can be released without the risk of it rampaging…”

“And what if it is never safe?”

“Then for its own sake, I hope that it learns to appreciate my company…” Jon said solemnly. “I really do want to set it free one day, but I can’t take any chances…”

Cassandra brow furrowed over the conversation. Whilst she did want Giratina to live a normal life like other Pokemon, however, seeing the damage that Giratina did, and the people it hurt...

“But maybe things will work out,” Jon added, sensing the hopelessness permeating the conversation. “We thought that we needed to hex Rayquaza to force him into a Pokeball, when really, we were able to earn his respect. I don’t know how, but maybe I can earn Giratina’s?”

“Maybe…” Cassandra replied, though wanting to change the subject. “Aside from taming a potential demon, what does the future look like for you and Alyssa? All we’ve talked about until now is what the three of us are wanting.”

Jon laughed.

“Really, I just want to live a normal-ish life,” Jon answered. “Not a nine-to-five, but if I can go the rest of my life without another mission like Akala, then I’d be pretty happy. Maybe I’ll compete again, and defend my title. Maybe I’ll stay here and teach. Kind of taking it a year at a time, you know? Alyssa is slowly getting back to working as much as she was before, so maybe I’ll end up as a trophy husband, and spend my days looking after Lili...”

“If you start competing again, and the League lifts my ban, we might end up facing each other again. Granted on a more equal footing…”

“Well if you want to beat me, then stop stalling,” Jon teased. “You gotta be able to beat me here before then…”

Jon sent out his Scizor, as Cassandra grinned, remembering its battle against her and Victini. Jon guessed what that smile was about pretty quickly.

“For months after he got here, Victini wouldn’t stop talking about how he owed Scizor one for that fight…”

“Did he ever get it?” Cassandra asked.

“I’d always Baton Pass Scizor out when Victini appeared,” Jon said with a grin. “Partly to wind Victini up, and also because I think that Victini could probably put Scizor in hospital for a few weeks now…”

“Who’s stalling now?” Cassandra asked as she readied a Pokeball.

“Point taken…”