Page 10 of 10 FirstFirst ... 8910
Results 91 to 100 of 100
  1. #91
    Cheers and good times! Neo Emolga's Avatar
    Senior Administrator

    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    17,433
    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…”

  2. #92
    The Queen of Shaymin
    Noblejanobii's Avatar
    Site Editor

    Administrator

    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    US
    Posts
    17,593
    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."
    / / / / / / / /
    Avatar by Soggymint
    Double Agents with Suicune's Fire

  3. #93
    P i k a c h u Chakramaster's Avatar
    Administrator

    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Clinging onto Hope
    Posts
    10,851
    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.

    The time is upon us...


    . Pika Pair with the yellow bundle of fluff Chibi Altaria..


  4. #94
    I came in like a wrecking ball... [Desolate Divine]'s Avatar
    Senior Moderator

    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Melbourne Australia
    Posts
    3,473
    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."

  5. #95
    Cheers and good times! Neo Emolga's Avatar
    Senior Administrator

    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    17,433
    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…

  6. This post has been liked by:


  7. #96
    P i k a c h u Chakramaster's Avatar
    Administrator

    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Clinging onto Hope
    Posts
    10,851
    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.
    Last edited by Chakramaster; 06-28-2021 at 10:17 PM.

    The time is upon us...


    . Pika Pair with the yellow bundle of fluff Chibi Altaria..


  8. #97
    The Queen of Shaymin
    Noblejanobii's Avatar
    Site Editor

    Administrator

    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    US
    Posts
    17,593
    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.
    / / / / / / / /
    Avatar by Soggymint
    Double Agents with Suicune's Fire

  9. #98
    Cheers and good times! Neo Emolga's Avatar
    Senior Administrator

    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    17,433
    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.

  10. #99
    Cheers and good times! Neo Emolga's Avatar
    Senior Administrator

    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    17,433
    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…

  11. This post has been liked by:


  12. #100
    I came in like a wrecking ball... [Desolate Divine]'s Avatar
    Senior Moderator

    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Melbourne Australia
    Posts
    3,473
    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…”

  13. This post has been liked by:


Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •