{RP} The S.S. Wishmaker - Tides of Witchcraft

[Neo Emolga]

The Diamond Ladies
Central Park
Affected RPers: @Shruikan (Lucky Luneth gets a front row seat to all this chaos)
@Desolate Divine, , @Chakramaster, @Noblejanobii Yes, everyone. If you aren’t an eyewitness, you’ll certainly hear about it soon enough!

As the Ladies and Victini walked away from the guest room, Jarena had a bad feeling as she looked at her watch. Getting through Central Park in ten minutes and making it to Windjammer Marketplace before they stopped serving lunch seemed impossible. Given the circumstances, however, it was understandable. But she figured just this one time, she’d settle on just getting a bag of chips and a can of fruit juice would be enough for her. There was time to indulge when it came time for dinner when hopefully most of the mess was sorted out.

After arriving at Central Park again, they sat down at an empty metallic picnic table that was bolted to the floor and had metallic seats around it. While Violet focused on greeting fans and signing autographs for a while and Cassandra and Victini sat down on the table itself, Jarena had made a quick dash for the Windjammer Marketplace to grab some snacks to make up for a lack of having lunch. While she was there, she had also brought some berries and canned fruit juice for Cassandra and Victini. When she got back, she saw Violet hadn’t had any luck yet with the nugget they needed. After distributing her gathered food to everyone at the park table, she joined Violet and sat down in the seat next to her.

Any time they were approached by fans and recognized by passersby, Jarena and Violet took the opportunity say hello and sign autographs on papers, shirts, and Pokéballs, though the fans they encountered were disappointed they wouldn’t be able to get Cassandra’s signature as well. As they figured, the allure of having all three Ladies sign the same item made it that much more appealing. Having only two of the three didn’t quite have nearly that same charm.

And after every signing and conversation, both Violet and Jarena took every opportunity they could to inquire for gold nuggets. Some simply said they didn’t have any, others were curious to know why which Violet gave a false explanation about her fictious jewelry hobby, and a few were just confused by the request, feeling nuggets were useless and were just meant to be sold, having no idea what they wanted one for.

“Bloody hell, this is a real pain in the butt,” Jarena grumbled between sipping on her can of fruit juice and between potato chips after having signed thirty autographs. “Come on, there’s got to be someone on this tub that has one. Hopefully we just haven’t found them, yet.”

“Cass wins by default tonight if we can get this before 7pm,” Violet added. “We’ve got less than five hours remaining.”

“Yeah, please don’t keep reminding me how much time we’ve got left,” Jarena sighed. “But at least we know Avery won’t be there. At least not as a human, anyway.”

In the meantime, Cassandra was keeping a watch on all the passersby. She almost fell into the temptation of looking out for any sign of a gold nugget, but the chances of it being exposed in plain sight and out in the open were like winning the lottery. If anyone had one, chances were good they’d have it in their bag or in a pouch, but definitely not out in the open.

“Oh, what an adorable Eevee!” a teenage girl with long brunette hair greeted Cassandra before looking to Jarena and Violet. “She’s really cute, what’s her name?”

“Cinnamon,” Jarena smiled as she signed her name. “Newest member of the team.”

“Aww, she might just be the cutest Eevee I’ve ever seen,” the brunette patted Cassandra on the head. “Hi there, Cinnamon! My name’s Susan! Would you like to sign my Pokéball, too?”

“Vee! Vee!” Cassandra smiled in excitement, trying to put on an affectionate display to appease anyone who might have the nugget they needed.

Susan then presented the Pokéball that was already signed by Jarena and Violet and instead of signing with her name, Cassandra signed with a pawprint after Susan rubbed the black felt marker on the paw pads.

“This is just the sweetest thing, ever,” she remarked, admiring the autographed Pokéball. “Happy to meet you too, Cinnamon!”

“Vee!” Cassandra smiled and cried happily.

“Say…” Jarena smiled to Susan, coming up with an idea. “This might sound like an unusual request, but you wouldn’t happen to have a gold nugget on you, would you? Cinnamon loves shiny objects and loves playing with toy balls, so we’re looking for anyone who might have one. Heck, we’re willing to pay double the asking price of what any mart might give you.”

“Hmm, maybe,” Susan replied, taking off her backpack and checking through the pockets. “Let me check!”

Susan tried to recall if she had found one on her many adventures with her Pokémon. Her hand plunged into the back pocket and rummaged through the many miscellaneous items inside. After a few moments of digging and searching, her hand emerged… clasping the highly desired golden sphere nugget that the Ladies were desperately seeking.

“Oh hey, look at that!” Susan smiled, presenting the gold nugget before them.

They all smiled and Cassandra lit up with joy, which of course Susan simply interpreted as a very happy Cinnamon excited to see a new toy to play with as opposed to Cassandra who was relying on it to transform back.

“Yep, that’s perfect!” Jarena smiled, counting through a large stack of bills before handing the wad of money to Susan. “Thank you so much!”

“Oh, no problem!” Susan replied happily as she accepted the money. “Enjoy!”

And that was when one operative, Doug Henderson, with jet-black hair and black leather attire, had decided to spring into action. He had been watching the Ladies the entire time and found it that it was no coincidence they had been requesting that gold nugget from command. While all the operatives had gotten the call to buy out every available gold nugget they could from any vendor, he realized Susan was just a regular civilian and was completely unaware of what was going down. Nonetheless, he prepared for that and was ready for that possibility.

He made sure Susan was in the clear before moving his move, as he was well aware of the risk and what it might mean. When his window of opportunity presented itself, he sprinted by the table, dashed in, and quickly wrapped his hand on the golden nugget before any of the Ladies realized what was happening.

“Yoink!” Doug laughed and taunted them as he snagged the nugget away. “Sorry, Ladies, can’t let you have that!”

When the Ladies saw that happen, immediately they all wanted his head on a stick. Both Violet and Jarena bolted from the table and prepared to stop him by any means necessary to get the nugget back.

…But it was how they decided to try and stop him in their different ways that would change everything.

“You damn thief!” Violet shouted, sprinting right after him.

Meanwhile, Jarena didn’t care how many people could be possibly watching. Doug’s snotty attitude and the fact he just stole a rare golden nugget they needed for the spell and after they had paid for it merited him being wiped out of the picture completely. She plucked a Pokémon strand of hair from her pocket and prepared casting, ready to nail him right on his leather jacket. The dark incantations were whispered from her mouth as she focused on her line of sight for the spell.

Had she been a second faster or slower, it would have made the difference between landing the Pokémon Transformation Hex right on his jacket… or at least being able to stop herself from landing the hex on Violet’s black leather jacket instead. But no… instead, the hex struck onto Violet’s jacket as she crossed her line of fire attempting to tackle Doug to the ground right on the park path.

Jarena’s heart sank when she realized her hex landed on the wrong target.

“Oh crap, oh crap!!” Jarena exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands in shock. “Violet, get rid of your-!“

It was too late. Violet’s wrist making contact with the sleeve was all it took to trigger the hex. Within seconds, Violet’s body instantly changed from being a human into a Furret, with brown and beige-colored fur all over her body as her form and stature were completely changed. Her sudden transformation into the long, slim-bodied furry ferret Pokémon caused her to stumble to the floor, half buried in a pile of her own clothes.

All the while, there were several passersby that had saw the chase, and a couple of them were even recording it on their phones. Violet’s transformation in front of all of them was a sudden shock and there was gasping among the crowd.

Jarena hadn’t ever felt so sick before.

Violet was deadly silent as she emerged from her pile of clothes, like she was ready to murder someone in cold blood. She knew exactly what happened and she was absolutely not at all thrilled about it. She realized what Jarena was trying to do, but she still felt it was really stupid and reckless, especially in front of all these people watching. She would have had Doug on the ground if Jarena hadn’t done what she did.

Instead, she threw off her clothes and looked back to Jarena, quite fed up with her having so recklessly blown away the remaining sliver of a chance they had at keeping their witchcraft secret. Meanwhile, Cassandra watched the whole incident in absolute horror with her mouth gaping open like it was the grizzliest and goriest horror movie she had ever watched.

“Violet, I’m sorry!” Jarena cried out. “I didn’t mean it! Please don’t be angry, can we just talk this over!?”

”Talk this over.” Violet thought to herself, not at all pleased that she was now an adorable Furret. ”Sure, talk this over why don’t we? I’m a freaking Pokémon now thanks to you, girl! You wouldn’t understand me, you moron, that was the whole point of us using this spell in the first place! But sure, you want to talk? Let’s talk, girl.”

Violet simply used her right paw, dug into the pocket where she kept her own batch of Pokémon hairs, and pulled one out. And she didn’t care if the whole planet was watching, the cover was blown, their Pokémon battling careers were toast, and the day couldn’t possibly get any worse for her. Besides, she was curious to see if they could still cast spells as Pokémon. She had nothing left to lose at this point and leaving Jarena as the last girl standing when this incident was entirely her fault didn’t bode over well for her. No, she wanted payback, regardless of what it was going to cost them. For something as inane and ludicrous as this, it had to be done.

She focused her attention on Jarena’s white t-shirt and made that the target of the hex. With deadly, vengeful focus, she muttered the spidery, cryptic incantation, which surprisingly to her wasn’t restricted by her inability to pronounce words in a human language. After those few short seconds, the hex landed perfectly.

And it wasn’t even a second later until Jarena herself succumbed to the hex, suddenly transforming from her 5’8” human self… down to the form of a 1’4” Buneary. Like her two companions, her body was completely reformed and she was also covered with brown and beige fur, with the fur around her torso and now much elongated ears being fluffy and soft. She crawled out of the pile of clothes she was formerly wearing, now piled on top of her like a camping tent had collapsed upon her.

There was a sudden commotion among the crowd at Central Park, many of the passersby were now watching the whole spectacle unfold in full. The word was going around that the Diamond Ladies were there, but no one at all was expecting this.

“Wow, holy crap!” A male trainer exclaimed, watching and laughing. “Did the Diamond Girls just… turn each other into Pokémon!? That’s crazy!”

“Ha ha, I never knew they could do that!” Another female trainer replied. “That’s actually a great look for them, they look cute!”

Jarena had never felt so humiliated, taking the white t-shirt she used to be wearing and tossed it aside with her paw. She looked up and couldn’t believe how different the world around her looked now that she was so much smaller. And everyone in Central Park was watching her and Violet duke it out witchcraft style. She couldn’t help but mournfully look to Violet, who was still glaring at her. Although Jarena had to admit, Violet looked far less intimidating as an adorable Furret than what she looked like as her angry, usual human self. She could honestly say… she could get more used to this.

“Buunnn… ee” (“Oh god, Violet, why did you need to do that…?”) Jarena moaned in humiliated defeat, looking herself over, realizing what she had become before she covered her eyes with her new Buneary paws. “Bu…unnn… Bunn-earryy…” (“I said I was sorry! I was aiming for him!”)

“Furr-rr… ret!” (“What the hell were you thinking casting that with this many people around!?”) Violet shouted at Jarena as she stomped toward her, pointing an accusing paw at Jarena. “Furr… urrr… ret!” (“I had it under control and then you shot me in the back with that stupid hex of yours!”)

All while this was happening and unfolding before everyone in Central Park, Cassandra just buried her face in her paws. Just when things were looking hopeful…

“Eeevveee… Veee…” (“Okay, I’m ready to curl up and die now.”) She sobbed with a melancholy voice.

She was ready to accept there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell she’d ever be human again after she saw all that unfold. Whoever was trying to expose them and bring them and their Pokémon battling careers to an end successfully pulled it off and now all three of them were in the same literal boat together.

“Vic-ti-tini!” (“Oh cheer up, Cassandra!”) Victini smiled, patting her fluffy collar fur. “Tini-ni! Vi-vi-tini!” (“I don’t think it’ll be so bad for the three of you! I can see the headline now… ‘Too Cute to Prosecute!’”)

Cassandra looked at him with lowered eyelids, looking quite irritated. She then whapped him in the face with her paw.

“E-eeveeee…” (“I ought to fire you.”)

[[Desolate Divine]]

Jon Drake
Battle Arena
Affected RPers: @Neo Emolga @Noblejanobii @Chakramaster

Avery spoke up via Girafarig, naming an operative for them to tag along with, whilst Jon's phone buzzed with another update.

Operative ID #29843
Violet and Jarena are in central park and have turned eachother into Pokemon! I repeat, Violet and Jarena have turned eachother into Pokemon!

Jon's eyes widened as he read the update.

"Latios!" Jon shouted frantically, "The girls have turned eachother into Pokemon! You want to get those books so badly?! Now is the chance!"

"They are in Central park, almost the dead center of the ship, and the books will be with them! Hell, just grab everything you can carry! Even the clothes!" Jon explained, "I don't care how many holes you leave in this ship, or what the damages are, get those damn books! No half measures!"

Latios let out a cry of joy before going invisible. There was two bangs, the first of Latios leaving a second hole in roof, and the second being a sonic boom from the pokemon breaking the sound barrier.

"The comission can cover my insurance bill can't they?" Jon asked Steven who watched him in horror, as he closed his eyes, to see Latios sight sharing.

Jon felt himself getting motionsick as Latios had kicked it up four gears than normal. The juvenile Pokemon enjoyed a challenge, and being able to let loose.

Latios flew above the ship, finding a large glass roof, overlooking Central Park. Through the glass, he could see a group of people clustered around, three Pokemon. The crowds emotions were a mix of wonder, amusement and fear, whilst the three Pokemon were pure anger and fear.

"Yes..." Jon muttered to himself, "Wait what are you doing..."

Latios turned and flew upwards, like a person stepping back to get a run up.

"You will sink the ship!" Jon yelled, still know Latios couldn't hear him.

Latios cried out happily, before diving downwards, creating another sonic boom.

It all happened faster than Jon could actually comprehend. Latios dove down at full speed, leaving his fourth calling card in the glass ceiling, before using his telepathy to group the bags with the books, and clothes in a bundle on the table, catching it as he dived through the table and the floor beneath, before pulling upwards in the hull and emerging back through the floor and up through the glass ceiling (though not through the holes he made prior)...

It took Jon a moment of seeing from Latios perspective being up in the sky, and seeing the bundle in his hands as well as the two holes in the glass ceiling to realize what had just happened.

"Seven holes..." Jon muttered to himself as he tuned out of the sight-sharing... "He has left seven holes in the ship in one day..."

Latios returned to the arena, ironically through the hole he made leaving, dropping his bounty at Jon's feet.

"They should be a lot easier to detain without these..." Jon muttered, regretting the pep talk he gave the still somewhat immature Pokemon...

[Neo Emolga]

The Diamond Ladies
Central Park
Affected RPers: @Shruikan, @Desolate Divine

And as if things couldn’t get any worse…

A sudden boom in the ship made everyone suddenly jump, and then it was heard again. Cassandra instantly snapped to attention as she tried to follow where the noise was coming from.

And then suddenly there was a crash that came from the ceiling and soon enough Cassandra saw him…

“Vee… veeee!” (“It’s that psychotic Latios again!”) Cassandra shouted.

But there was little she could do about it and the eon Pokémon blasted toward her with blinding speed. Using his telepathy, he snagged up the bags with the Ladies Shadowcraft books, as well as the clothing Jarena and Violet had been wearing before they transformed. Fearing for their lives, Cassandra and Victini leapt from the picnic table just a mere second before Latios pulverized it into pieces, leaving yet another Latios-shaped hole under the twisted metal.

Oh god, the books… he stole the books.

To Cassandra, that was the final nail in the coffin. Everything was gone and she knew their pursuers were about to discover everything they had been keeping as a secret. She just collapsed face-down, her spirits absolutely crushed. Things had gone from bad to worse to absolutely abysmal at breakneck speeds.

Meanwhile, the crowds in the park had been fleeing from the absolute pandemonium caused by Latios, thinking he had completely lost his mind and was still attacking. Jarena and Violet were quite sure they knew exactly why Latios was there and had already finished his business here, but the rest of the crowd could have mistaken the blasting through walls to be shots fired from a battleship directed at the S.S. Wishmaker. But the three girls figured they knew what Latios was really there for: to lock them into a rut they couldn’t get out of. Whoever was the trainer of that Latios now had leverage over them and had all the evidence they needed to deliver a knock-out punch to their battling careers. Although they knew those were already obliterated once all three of them became Pokémon themselves.

The sudden interruption was enough to get Jarena’s and Violet’s distain off of each other. Though Violet still wasn’t thrilled about it, she could sense Jarena, though it wasn’t the best choice, didn’t at all mean for that outcome and would have reconsidered her actions if she had known what would result from it. Meanwhile, Jarena felt the same way about Violet’s reaction, thinking she’d be pretty pissed if she came close to catching that Doug punk only to be hit by friendly fire at the worst possible moment. While Central Park was virtually abandoned, the three Ladies gathered around to do a damage assessment.

“Furrr… ret-ret?” (“Godammit, how the hell do we get out of this one?”) Violet growled bitterly.

“Veee…” (“We don’t…”) Cassandra muttered in defeat, still with her head down and buried in her paws. “Eeev-veee… Eeevvveeveee.” (“This is it, they got us. Welcome to the first day of the rest of our Pokémon lives.”)

“Buunnn… unn…” (“Well, it was a nice ride while it lasted.”) Jarena sighed as she sat down besides Cassandra. “Bunn… unn… earry…” (“Kinda didn’t want to grow up to be a wrinkly old lady anyway.”)

Violet and Cassandra just looked at Jarena with an unamused look. That wasn’t the silver lining they were expecting and hoping for.

Shortly after, Victini had joined them, still wearing an optimistic smile that almost implied nothing was wrong and this was just another fine day in the neighborhood. Cassandra looked at him for just a moment, and then went back to burying her face in her paws again.

“Ee-veee… ” (“You again.”) Cassandra muttered unenthusiastically with her Eevee head down half-buried in her collar fur. “Ee-veeee-veeee…! Eve-veeee…?” “I thought you were supposed to bring us victory! Did you get completely drunk behind the wheel today or what?”)

“Vic-ti-ti,” (“Ah, don’t fret!”) Victini smiled, still with a bit of a skip in his step. “Vic-tini-ini! Vic-ti-ti-Ini! Vict-ti-ti!” (“Hey, sometimes it’s only after you’ve lost everything that you’re free to do anything! See this as a brand-new opportunity, like a fresh start and a clean slate! Victory doesn’t mean just winning battles!”)

“Furr-urrr…” (“Yeah, everything worked out so much better like this.”) Violet muttered sarcastically. “Furr-urr-furrett… Ettt…” (“You know, I’ve always wanted to trade all my prize earnings, fame, and social status to become this furry slinky Pokémon. What a deal.”)

“Victi-ti-inini!” (“Oh, don’t be like that, silly!”) Victini grinned, thinking he could cheer up Violet. “Vic-i-ti-ti-victi!” (“I’m sure you’ll look back on this day a few months from now and will be just laughing about it! Dust yourself off and just try turning over a new leaf in life!”)

After Cassandra picked herself up from the ground, she sighed. As much as she hated to admit, Victini was right, it was all they could do. There was no telling what the operatives, the Champions, or what all her former fans would do, but she, long with Jarena and Violet, had to deal with it one step at a time and hope there was at least something good that could be worked out of this.

At this point, Cassandra had given up on the fame, the fortune, the titles, and the recognition. She just wanted to hold on and preserve what little scrap of happiness and satisfaction she could get out of all of this.

[[Desolate Divine]]

Jon Drake
Battle Arena -> Wherever the girls end up
Affected RPers @Noblejanobii @Chakramaster @Neo Emolga

Last chance for dialogue before Jon leaves.

Once the initial shock had worn off, with Steven's permission, Jon took what Latios had retrieved with him to him and Alyssa's room, calling out as he left.

"Keep the other operatives looking for nuggets. We still need at least nine of them." Jon explained, "I'm going to go and round up some stray Pokemon."

Jon left the arena, making his way back to he and Alyssa's room. Stuffing the clothes in the bag with the books, Jon placed it in the cupboard with a note on top.

Alyssa, if you find this, please don't open the bag. I promise I will explain everything to you as soon as I can, but don't open the bag.

Whilst Jon was mostly worried about Alyssa finding all the clothing the three girls were wearing hidden in their room, and thinking the worst, he still wasn't 100% sure what the books were, but had a more important task. Jon didn't know whether the girls would scurry and hide, and based on the strong emotions they would probably be feeling, Latios served as the best way to find them. Whilst Jon considered bringing cages, he figured between Latios and himself, they could carry the mostly small Pokemon.

[B @Neo Emolga, feel free to choose where they go, if anywhere. I will leave it vague and just have Jon find them where you put them.[/B]

After a stern talking to about using doors, Latios turned invisible, and began carefully flying around the ship, looking for the three small and somewhat helpless Pokemon, whilst Jon waited on one of the balcony's watching from Latios' perspective. It didn't take long for the emotion sensing Pokemon to tune in on where the three Pokemon were. Latios waited, watching the trio whilst invisible, as Jon made his way towards where they were. However when Jon was around the corner, he heard a voice in his head. An unfamiliar one.

"Wait."

Jon stopped dead in his tracks, unsure at who the voice was. After a moment, Jon felt himself forced into sharing sight with Latios again, who was hovering above the Pokemon, the three girls all with an aura of deep blue. Absolute despair. Meanwhile Cassandra's Victini was still a bright and happy yellow.

"Latios?" Jon thought to himself. Latios hadn't learnt how to speak telepathically yet. This was the first time anything like this had happened.

"Talk first."

Jon sighed at this. Whilst all the myth's described Latios as an empathetic Pokemon with a compassionate heart, Jon had never really seen it to this extent. Latios was sensing their despair, and empathising with them.

"They are targets. Don't forget that." Jon thought back.

"People first." Latios responded, "Talk first."

Jon sighed as Latios showed him an image of himself as a child, pretending to sleep when his dad came home drunk, hoping he wouldn't come into his room. A memory. Latios must have been seeing bits and pieces of Jon's mind when they were sight sharing.

"Fine, I will talk to them." Jon replied, "It's not like they can escape this ship or you anyway..."

"Yay."

"If I end up as a Pokemon, I am kicking his a**..." Jon muttered to himself as he turned the corner, and found himself face to face with the three Pokemon. Latios returned visible behind them, attempting to block their escape.

"If you ladies don't mind," Jon explained, "I'd like to talk..."

[Shruikan]

Luneth Tarot
Central Park
Affected RP'ers: @Neo Emolga @Desolate Divine


Luneth was surprised to hear that someone had broken into the diamond ladies room. “Oh no, it must have been one of those stalker fans. I hope everything gets sorted out and Cassandra feels better soon.”

After “Cinnamon” and the Zorua started growling at each other, the ladies took their leave.

“You really don’t like that Eevee, do you?” She said petting the Zorua’s head. “Ok, let’s get back to finding your trainer then.”


Luneth wandered the central park, asking everyone she met about the Zorua, but no-one knew anyone who had lost one.
She needed a break, maybe Zorua’s trainer was on a different part of the ship by now?

Luneth decided to rest at the picnic area. She’d planned to eat at that Shaymin Cafe, but with the Zorua search going on it would have to wait. As it was she just grabbed some snacks out a vending machine and settled down to plan her next move. She laid her map out on the table, mentally checking the places she’s searched. She’d checked the teen area of the Youth Zone and Central Park already. Maybe her Zorua’s trainer was training in the Battle Arena?
As she finished off her crisps, She saw in the distance the Diamond Ladies were also taking a lunch break, or at least trying to between all the fans asking for autographs.

Just as Luneth was about to leave, everything started to happen at once. First, the Diamond Ladies appeared to have bought a toy or something from a girl, when a man all in black stole it. Violet chased after the thief, almost catching him, but then seemed to disappear, leaving a Furret in her place. The the Furret glared at Jarena, before seeming to chant something, and Jarena turned into a Bunneary!
Luneth found herself grinning widely. That was magic! Real honest to goodness magic! And people could turn into pokemon! Oh, but the Diamond ladies probably didn’t want to be pokemon.

The Zorua took advantage of this moment of distraction to kick away from Luneth’s hold, dashing away after the thief. Luneth wasn’t sure if it was going after the thief to try and catch them, or if it had recognised it’s trainer. She really hoped it was the former.

Before she could go after them, a blur shot down from the ceiling like a cannonball, smashing through the glass ceiling. People stated panicking and fleeing the scene, and Luneth was buffeted as she pushed against the flow, trying to see if the Diamond Ladies were ok.
Upon pushing through the crowd, Luneth saw that the Ladies bags and clothes were gone. That wasn’t just a random attack, it was cover for another thief, Luneth realised. But why were the Diamond Ladies being targeted? This was certainly more than just a rabid fan.

As everyone fled the area, Luneth reached for her bag and tossed out two pokeballs, releasing a Sky Forme Shaymin and a Volcarona.
“Glimmer, go quick and see if you can find where that Zorua went. He was chasing a man all in black who just stole something, and might need backup. Hestia, come with me quick.” The Shaymin nodded, then shot off in the direction Luneth indicated, while the Volcarona hovered slight above and behind Luneth, blocking any sneak attacks.

As she approached the former humans, she saw that Cassandra’s Victini was with them now. Why would one of Cassandra’s pokemon be here without her? No, that doesn’t matter right now.
“You need to get out of here,” she told the pokemon. “That stalker of yours seems much more dangerous that I thought. You need to go warn Cassandra, unless she already knows. Either way, Me and Hestia can escort you safely back to your rooms or wherever you need to go.” Luneth gestured to the Volcarona that was floating over them, glancing around the whole area for any sign of another attack.
“Come on, it’s not safe to stay here.”


- - -
Same timeskip thingy as Desolate Divine's post. Luneth goes along with the ladies to wherever it happens. (Whether they want her to or not :P)
- - -


“So, um…” Luneth looked like she was trying to be casual, but it was obvious she was exited. “Can that pokemon spell work on anyone? And do you pick what pokemon they’re turned into? Can you do any other kind of magic? Oh, please don’t tell me that this was just a trick and it isn’t really magic.”

As they were about the round a corner, a man stepped out in front of them, asking to talk in a way that seemed to signify that not talking wasn’t an option. Wait, he wants to talk to pokemon? Does he know who they really were?
A quite growl from Hestia confirmed that there were surrounded, as a Latios had snuck up behind them. Was that Latios what had caused the cannonball effect earlier? It would certainly have been fast enough…
“Were you the one who attacked the Diamond Ladies back in the park?” She said, reaching for her other pokeballs as Hestia faced the Latios.
“I won’t let you hurt them.” She said, sounding a lot more confident that she was feeling. Luneth had trouble winning against trainers without legendaries, but maybe this guy only had the one pokemon? Then she could win by attrition, or at least get everyone away while it’s distracted…

[[Desolate Divine]]

Jon Drake
Wherever Neo Decides
Affected RPers: @Shruikan @Neo Emolga

Before there could be a response, Jon was surprised to hear a human voice pipe up.

"Were you the one who hurt them?" said a teenage girl who stood out, "I won't let you hurt them."

"F**k, nothing's ever easy." Jon muttered to himself, before pulling out the ID he, like all the other operatives was provided by the Pokemon League Integrity and Fairness Division, "I'm part of a group who have been investigating these trainers, recruited by Steven Stone himself. I don't want to harm them, and really hope they come with me willingly, especially since they can't change themselves back without us right now, and they have turned six people that we are aware of into Pokemon already, but before they come with me, I really do just want to talk. When I do take them into custody of the League, you have my word we will be respectful of them."

"And if Latios here had been attacking them earlier, they wouldn't be here." Jon explained, "He was simply gathering some evidence for me, and caused a bit of a scene. I was watching the entire time, and he meant them no harm. So please don't interfere. You're welcome to stay and listen, but please let me do my job."

"Now ladies, can we talk?"

[C0L0R3D]

Ozona Reverie
Battle Stadium
Affected RP'ERS: Anyone nearby

After a shorter then expected walk, Ozona had reached the stadium to quite a huge commotion. Oreo grabbed into her trainer's leg to make sure she wasn't separated even if her shawl didn't make her stand out enough. Ozona had no clue what was going on, all she had came to do was train.

"Wow... What even went on here?" She questioned, and she just felt her partner grip on tighter and for good reason. She hadn't been in crowds this big since watching the PWT back in Unova. And even then it was pretty scary.

[Chakramaster]

Jimmy Kendo
Battle Stadium
Affected RP'ers: @Noblejanobii @Desolate Divine @SlickSlack

Both Avery and Jimmy listened to the discussion. Not much they could add anyway without the help of Avery's Pokemon to help transmit our words through its psychic abilities. It was true though. As things were it didn't look good for the ladies right now. Even if we had been struck by their hex. They're scared now....and it's showing. So more than likely they may try and throw more tricks at us.

Jon asked, looking towards both Avery and Jimmy, if they had anything else to add. Avery turned to their Pokémon to signal it so she can begin to speak to them. Explaining they also have a hairbrush to use for when the time comes to try changing them back. That even they were worried with their abilities. They may try throwing illusions at us to fool us. That we may need to share lesser known facts about one another to help prevent such from happening. They shared a fact about their earring being a gift from their father. Avery then looked to Jimmy asking if he had anything else to add.

Jimmy nodded and looked up to them. "Well as spiky as my hair was. I'm sure some of my clothes, my comb or even my hair brush may have some of my hairs in it too. Yeah I use a hairbrush too. So we could potentially use that when time comes to change us back. As far as little known secrets to share. Maybe that I wasn't the one that got lost and saved my little brother when we were young. It was actually the other way around." He said looking a little saddened.

Jimmy listened to the discussion about raising a legendary. Truly it must be a real task. Though nice as it was being around those that knew of their situation, it couldn't last. They knew that. Jon explained how he couldn't stick around them. Especially after telling his wife he was gonna make sure we got back to our trainers. Don't wanna blow our cover that easily now.

Avery chimed out, at first in Pokespeak before her Pokemon began to translate again for them to the humans.

"Reach out to Celestinia Veres! I think she'd be happy to assist us." Avery said to them. Though Jimmy didn't know her. He trusts in his team here. Their situation might not be the best, but it's all they can do for now. As they explained that. Jon seemed distracted as he grabbed his buzzing phone before looking surprised and shouting to his Latios.

"Latios!" Jon shouted frantically, "The girls have turned eachother into Pokemon! You want to get those books so badly?! Now is the chance!"

Jimmy himself chuckled to himself. "I guess the tables have turned, but we have to leave this to them for now. Not much we can do like this." Jimmy thought before looking himself over once more.

In just a brief flash. Jon's Latios disappeared from sight and with a loud BANG. Creating a sonic boom sound.

Jimmy looked covering his ears with his paws thinking, "I may have slightly better hearing as a Pokémon now, but I don't think even as a human it could've been much louder." Jon and his Latios made headway to capture the Diamond Ladies. Was this it? Were they finally about to be captured and locked up? Were we finally about the be able to get back to our human forms? For now we could only wait.

"Pa-chi. Pachi-ri. Pachirisu?" (So Avery. Where is this person you said could look after us?). "Chi-ri-su. Pachirisu?" (We can't just go on our own like this. Would be a lot to take in don't you think?) Jimmy says to Avery.

A loud clank sound came from a corner as Jimmy looks to the sound. A vent cover had come loose and a Pikachu has come crawling out with a Rotom.

"Risu! Pachiri. Pachiii-ri-su!"(Hey there you are Pikachu! And you got Rotom with you! Glad you two are okay!)

"Pika Pika! Pi-Pika Pi-Pikachu. Pika-Chu? (Jimmy! Glad to see you finally. Now I won't be stuck with this pain in the tail. Guess you'd understand that reference we Pokemon have now huh?)

Jimmy looked questionably at Pikachu an Rotom. Half laughing as if it were a joke. Pachirisu? (Pain in the tail?) He questioned the Pikachu.

"Rooo-tom!" (He means this!) the Rotom said before hovering behind Jimmy and reaching an arm out shocking Jimmy's tail. Making him jump and fur stand out after being shocked.

"Paaaaa-Chi!" (Yeee-ouch!). Jimmy looks to Rotom while holding his tail that had been shocked. Then Pikachu in frustration as Rotom laughs.

"Ro-Rooo-TOM?!" (Get it? Pain in the TAIL?!) the Rotom says while still laughing

Pikachu looking to Jimmy in frustration asking. Pika Pi. Pika Pika?(Now do you dunerstand what I've tried telling you all these years?

They were reunited. It still didn't solve the question...where do we go next. We're Pokemon. It's not like we can do much in assisting the other operatives....could we? Jimmy wondered as he noticed someone else arriving at the Battle Stadium where they were.

[Noblejanobii]

Avery Miller (They/Them)
Battle Stadium
Affected RP'ers: @Desolate Divine @Chakramaster @SlickSlack

Avery rubbed their head a little as they tried to process everything that was going on. This was all moving rather quickly. But at least that Latios had somehow managed to nab the evidence we needed on the Diamond Ladies. It seemed the end was in sight once and for all. Now all that remained was rounding them up and turning back human. Those were much easier said than done though.

"Pa-chi. Pachi-ri. Pachirisu?" (So Avery. Where is this person you said could look after us?). "Chi-ri-su. Pachirisu?" (We can't just go on our own like this. Would be a lot to take in don't you think?) Jimmy says to Avery.

Avery shrugged a little. "Bui bui, zel. Buizel bui bui." ("To be candid, I'm not entirely sure where exactly on the ship she is. That's why I was hoping one of the humans could call her. I just know she's on the cruise ship.") Avery began to swish their tails again, trying to think of a solution. Maybe Steven could call her since Jon was long gone by now.

As they mulled it over, Jimmy's Rotom and Pikachu crashed in. Well at least they were reunited. That crossed another item off the list. Avery smiled a little. Must be really nice to be reunited with his Pokémon after being so worried about that. Avery subconsciously pat Gloria, wanting to express their appreciation for her as well.

It was then another trainer showed up, seemingly hurrying their way in from the concourse outside. Ah that's right. With Latios practically divebombing the central park, a lot of folks had probably fled from the area. Still this posed trouble. They couldn't exactly speak to Steven with this other trainer here. And worse, what if this trainer tried to catch them? Avery wasn't keen to find out if this was a possibility or not.

[Neo Emolga]

OOC: Just going to stay they’re still in Central Park, they didn’t stray too far away from the site of the incident.

The Diamond Ladies
Central Park
Affected RPers: @Shruikan, @Desolate Divine

The Ladies were at a loss for what to consider doing next. There was no way to get off the ship and no matter where they went, it seemed like there were eyes upon them at all times and no where to run to, especially after the kind of scene that was just created. Without a doubt, they had been in dicey situations before, but nothing even close to this extent.

In the meantime, they were convinced they were never going to be human again. Without the books they needed to know how the Affliction Reversal Spell worked, without any samples of their previous human selves left, and with not a single golden nugget in sight, they had abandoned hope of ever returning to the lives of riches and glamor they once had.

After a hard, desolate sigh, Cassandra was about to try thinking about what would happen next after the ship docked tomorrow. Where would she go, do, what would become of her and her friends Jarena and Violet? She never felt this lost before.

It was then that Luneth had approached them, and they had turned to see her, a bit surprised she had not run off with the others, but it seemed she realized the coast was clear and Latios was no longer in sight.

“So, um…” Luneth approached them, still captivated at what had transpired earlier. “Can that Pokémon spell work on anyone? And do you pick what Pokémon they’re turned into? Can do you any other kind of magic? Oh, please don’t tell me that this was just a trick and it isn’t really magic.”

Cassandra didn’t know what to say, and all she could do was sigh, shrug a bit, and look downcast again, as if to imply to say “don’t make the same mistake we did,” though there was a part of Cassandra that was wondering if perhaps Luneth herself wanted to try being a Pokémon for a while. But with their pouches of fur strands swiped from them, the only strands they had on hand were their own, so it would leave Luneth with the limited choice of Eevee, Furret, or Buneary. But in the meantime, Cassandra couldn’t answer Luneth’s questions, at least not in a way she could understand.

It was then that Jon had approached the Ladies, and they looked up, having no idea who he was.

“If you ladies don’t mind, I’d like to talk…” he told them.

“Eeevvv veeee… eeeee…” (“Oh god, then go ahead and talk!”) Cassandra frowned. “Ee-veee veee…!” (“Really, tell me how much of this you understand, I’m a Pokémon, can’t you tell!”)

“Vic-ti..” (“You know…”) Victini told her, still wearing an optimistic smile. “Vic-tini-ti!” (“I have telepathy and can let him know what you’d like to say!”)

Before she could consider his offer and if she really even felt up to striking a conversation with him, Luneth stepped in.

“Were you the one who attacked the Diamond Ladies?” she asked, reaching for her Pokéball. “I won’t let you hurt them.”

She’s… trying to defend us?

The three Ladies were a bit surprised. But Cassandra figured it was only because Luneth didn’t really know the full truth of what was going on here, and what they had really been using their witchcraft for. Cassandra got to thinking that Luneth might have seen their display of witchcraft as just very fantastical recreational use when really they had been using it to cheat and gain an unfair advantage in Pokémon battles, to the point where it got them to where they hit the big leagues and win battles they wouldn’t have otherwise.

And it was then that Jon had pulled out his ID, showing his membership to the Pokémon League Integrity and Fairness Division and explaining what he had come to do and why. As the Ladies had discovered, a whole investigation had been in operation the entire time they were here, and it clearly explained why their room had been raided and why the Latios had been giving them a hard time.

“Now ladies, can we talk?” Jon asked them.

Cassandra knew her options were extremely limited. Latios had swiped their Pokémon away and all they had were themselves as three normal type Pokémon with nothing for battling experience, so fighting was out of the question. And they had nowhere to run to, as Latios could easily chase them down in an instant and literally had no qualm about ripping the ship to shreds to get to them. In fact, if Cassandra and Victini hadn’t jumped out of the way, he might have torn them to pieces when he dashed into the table they had been standing on just a moment before throwing themselves off. But hiding wasn’t an option either, even if Latios was out of the picture as there were operatives everywhere. It was the three of them up against an army of humans and Pokémon that they couldn’t fight and run from on a ship that was in the middle of the ocean.

Cassandra knew there was no other option but to surrender, but before she did and told Victini to relay the message, Violet looked to her.

“Furr… urrr…” (“You know the damn League will take everything away.”) Violet muttered to Cassandra. “Urr… furrr… ettt… urrr… ” (“You know what they’re going to do. They’re going to make everyone hate the sight of us, and we’ll never be let even close to a Pokémon battle.”)

Cassandra nodded, still looking downcast. She was well aware of that and now she was regretting going that far to collect that much attention and fame, just from how quickly she realized it could flip to the polar opposite. Every trophy they ever won, every time fans cheered their names, and every acclaim to fame would be driven toward the opposite direction. Smears, blame, ridicule, and harassment were all they could look forward to. And they would be left broke with crippling debt from the lawsuits the League would impose upon them. And who would even hire them to collect trash and scrub floors? Everyone would just see them as liars and cheaters. But they understood that what they did was wrong and unethical, even if there was no actual law in existence specifically regarding witchcraft. Still, the League had its own rules about unjust spectator interference and foul play, which they knew would surface sooner or later trial after trial in what they knew would be an agonizing, spirit-crushing ordeal.

“Buunnnn… nnn…” (“Oh man… just thinking about how much it’s gonna suck…”) Jarena sighed, shivering a bit. “Bunn… earrr… ryyy…” (“It really makes me want to almost-“)

“Evee… vee…” (“-never want to go back.”) Cassandra interrupted her.

Both Violet and Jarena looked at her, a bit taken back at first for saying something brazen like that. But when they really stopped to think about what Cassandra said, what sounded absurd one second… became questionable… and then possible… and then sensible…

…and then understandable.

“Bunn…” (“Never go back…”) Jarena stated again, letting it settle.

Leave it all behind. Let the Diamond Ladies fade into myth and obscurity. If they never returned to being human, the media would have nothing to smear and no one’s image to spoil, the League would have no one to sue and slander, and the mobs and crowds would have no one to attack and lash out at. They would just be gone, and that was all. Their human selves would have a tarnished name and a miserable future that would forever be defaced in Pokémon battling history… but only if they returned to being human.

As far as the three Ladies were concerned, their now Pokémon selves had a clean slate, a fresh start, a new outlook on life that could be a peaceful one, just as Victini said. There was no one out there that would find a reason to hate an everyday Eevee, Furret, and Buneary that simply traveled the world on a new path, free and unbound by civilization and society’s expectations of them. At the same time, the League and anyone participating it would never have to worry about them playing dirty tricks or deceit ever again. Life would go on. Peacefully. For everyone.

And now Cassandra understood why Victini was the Pokémon of victory.

“Furrurr-et…” (“It’s… really not so bad.”) Violet told herself and the others as she looked at her paws.

“Eeve… veee…” (“It… it can be nice.”) Cassandra told her, finally able to smile, but just a tiny bit as she looked to Jarena and Violet. “Ev… veee…” (“Just us, on the road together.”)

It was then that Cassandra nodded, and then looked to Victini. And then she whispered into his large pointy ear, and as she spoke, he nodded with a curious smile before even he was taken a bit back by surprise, but he really liked her proposal.

And it was then that he reached out to Jon’s mind, connecting to him with telepathy as he smiled.

<Greetings, Mr. Drake! Hopefully this message from yours truly, Victini, finds you well!

The Ladies have agreed to undo the Pokémon transformations on your operatives! Well, provided you can provide them with the necessary reagents, of course! And yes, they’ll need you to give them their books back for a temporary amount of time as they haven’t quite memorized that spell they need!

In exchange for that, they want you and the League to drop all charges, never mention their names again, let them walk off this ship unharmed, unidentified, and unconnected with the Diamond Ladies, and not attempt to hunt them down again as they remain the Pokémon that they are now! You and the rest of the League won’t ever have to worry about them cheating or using dastardly dirty tricks to disrupt battles and tournaments ever again, and the Diamond Ladies simply go down as an urban legend and no one knows what happened to them. Everyone wins!>

Now it all came down to how Jon and the League would decide…