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Old 03-14-2024, 07:57 PM   #951
Lil'twick
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Jirachi Can't last one more hour

Noel blinked at Jane's awkward question. She most assuredly threw him through a loop on this. Did she... did she know something was off? Considering the way the Lunatone was looking at him, maybe? But, before he could respond, she immediately changed the subject. To his home. And a single name. One that stings. One that tastes like a chocolate liqueur on his lips.

"Ilterendi... I knew a woman. Know? She spoke about the name, and hers. Her affliction. I met her once, during one of my yearly hospitalizations at St. Harmonia Children's Hospital in Castelia..." Noel trails off, staring at the last few shades of the dying sun.

He could remember it so clearly. The strange lady would chat anyone's ear off. About who she was. About what she was. She was only there for one spring. He was perhaps... eight? Nine? Then. It was way before he had made another friend at the hospital.

"Ffion. Her name was Ffion. She said she was a seer. Or was it an oracle? But she would tell everyone about her affliction. Faesight. How she could see the strands of fate. See the past at times. Future others. That she could even pluck these strings... Called them 'narratives.' Like we were just characters in a play. Words on a page," Noel sighed, before looking at Jane.

"That name is the most famous one in Unova. For those who suffer from it. And that it's almost a curse. You're most likely going to get it, no matter what... You'd have to be the luckiest person in the world to not have it, if you were from that family," Noel chuckles, brushing it off. He then felt a pit form in his stomach, and looked at Jane's face.

"But... that strange lady swore on her life she'd see me again. Why did I just...?" he looked down at his hands and they shook terribly.

"The stars... they're slightly off position. Ever since I lost to you. I saw something. A man's hand, reach out when you did. No. I'm just hallucinating all of this. I have to be. Right?" Noel's voice started to quiver. Started to go soft as creeping dread was taking hold. He could feel it; someone was watching him. It sent a shiver up his back.

His eyes widened, and he looked at Jane. Fear had completely taken hold of the man. He felt like he couldn't breathe anymore. Like something, or someone had shoved their hand down his throat. A mixture of emotions was elicited in his brain. One of primal fear. And one of yearning. Who was doing this to him? Why were they doing this time him? It felt so... familiar. And then he could breathe. He hacked up a lung and gently clutched his throat.

"...right?" he whimpered out, looking at Jane in primal fear.

Voyager, at this point, was standing there in shock. Something was wrong. Very wrong. As his trainer convulsed in pain, gripping his neck, the Clefairy erected a Safeguard. A bright white light came out from the Clefairy, covering a ten-foot radius around him. Then, the Clefairy pointed his finger toward Polaris and looked at his trainer. Noel knew what the signal meant. It was almost time to go. He continued to look at Jane, wistfully waiting for an answer.
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You say it's insanity, but
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Old 03-14-2024, 08:43 PM   #952
Missingno. Master
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marion Ette View Post
Katherine blushes profusely at Keith's recognition of Lil' Man's talent, and a clear grin forms on the Galarian Slowpoke's face. In a situation that had made both of them feel so powerless, to hear of their power from someone they so admired was truly validating. As if that weren't enough, Keith voices his view of Corporate's horrible mandate, showing perfect understanding of the situation, and offering his complete support.

"I wouldn't wanna burden you, Keith," Katherine says, patting Lil' Man gently on the head. "I know Jane has her schemes, Pokémon I could catch or people I could talk to, but..." The woman leans in, lowering her voice to a whisper. "If you know anyone who's hiring that's looking for a misfit from Spikemuth and her Galarian Slowpoke that's a real bro at heart, that would mean the world to us. Corporate only gets worse every year, and I'm sick of bending over backwards to make them happy. I cleaned all the dye out of my hair, most of my old clothes out of my closet, tried to stop speaking with an accent, put myself through every single training, meeting, seminar... I can't take it anymore, Keith. I just can't. They're gonna try to put a Shellder on my head next, I bet."

"W e ... w o u l d ... b e ... g r a t e f u l," A slow, reverberating telepathic voice gently echoes in Keith's mind, emanating from the small Galarian Slowpoke on Katherine's shoulder.

Katherine's eyes light with a peculiar fire, Keith clearly striking a shared nerve with his speech on poison types. "People have it completely back-asswards! Poison types help the environment. They eat garbage, sludge, all the toxic shit that's bad for us, they take it out of the world. Without Poison Types, we'd all be neck-deep in filth. People see Poison Types attracted to that stuff and just think garbage in, garbage out. It's so stupid. But no, it's the grass-type girls that they claim to be all about clean environments and pretty smells and whatever, everyone thinks. Fake-ass bitches who would never stoop to the actual dirty work that's required for real change," Katherine snarls this last bit with significant ire, leaving little doubt that she seems to have someone particular in mind.

---

Jane watches Noel jump from the lighthouse, and feels her stomach drop with the man's body for a moment, running towards him briefly in the remote hope she could possibly catch him - for what little it would do, with her lack of strength. The momentary reaction is interrupted by Voyager's psychic power, causing Noel to float down harmlessly. Though Girafarig and Tinkatuff had taken a few steps forward with Jane, eyes wide with concern before the realization occurs, Lunatone's utter lack of reaction betrays their knowledge of Noel's intent.

Lunatone's gaze remains steady on Noel, though the Pokémon reveals little about their thoughts beyond an aura of curiosity. Jane clears her throat - it was true she wanted to talk, yes, but she wasn't quite sure of what to say. She wanted to thank him for his words during the battle, to express that, even if everyone else saw him as a villain, she saw beyond that dismissive assessment, but... How did she phrase it without coming off as flippant or cliche? Besides, there were more pressing matters at the moment, though these, too, are difficult for her to articulate.

"I... I don't know. I guess I was just wondering if you, uh... If you feel like something is... off, somehow. Like - Ugh, how do I say this quickly -"

Lunatone's eyes glow slightly as they turn to their trainer, and Jane's expression turns hesitant. The Lunatone seems to be telepathically asking/requesting something of her, specifically, and whatever it is, she seems reticent to do it. After a few moments of awkward silence, however, the words come forth:

"So, um, you're from Unova, right? Does the surname Ilterendi mean anything to you?"

Meanwhile, Girafarig and Tinkatuff return Voyager's wave, approaching the Clefairy with friendly expressions. They both watch as the Clefairy offers his trainer a Heal Pulse, and the pair of Pokémon look at each other with concern clear in their faces. Much as the two seem eager to speak with the Clefairy, they seem to sense that now is not the time - whatever needed to be said between their trainers, it must be swift, and Voyager would likely need to keep his attention on Noel to make sure he was alright. Even so, Tinkatuff sweeps her hammer with a flourish and bows in a motion of respect to the Clefairy, and, taking the fae's lead, Girafarig lowers his two heads in a synchronized bow himself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lil'twick View Post
Noel blinked at Jane's awkward question. She most assuredly threw him through a loop on this. Did she... did she know something was off? Considering the way the Lunatone was looking at him, maybe? But, before he could respond, she immediately changed the subject. To his home. And a single name. One that stings. One that tastes like a chocolate liqueur on his lips.

"Ilterendi... I knew a woman. Know? She spoke about the name, and hers. Her affliction. I met her once, during one of my yearly hospitalizations at St. Harmonia Children's Hospital in Castelia..." Noel trails off, staring at the last few shades of the dying sun.

He could remember it so clearly. The strange lady would chat anyone's ear off. About who she was. About what she was. She was only there for one spring. He was perhaps... eight? Nine? Then. It was way before he had made another friend at the hospital.

"Ffion. Her name was Ffion. She said she was a seer. Or was it an oracle? But she would tell everyone about her affliction. Faesight. How she could see the strands of fate. See the past at times. Future others. That she could even pluck these strings... Called them 'narratives.' Like we were just characters in a play. Words on a page," Noel sighed, before looking at Jane.

"That name is the most famous one in Unova. For those who suffer from it. And that it's almost a curse. You're most likely going to get it, no matter what... You'd have to be the luckiest person in the world to not have it, if you were from that family," Noel chuckles, brushing it off. He then felt a pit form in his stomach, and looked at Jane's face.

"But... that strange lady swore on her life she'd see me again. Why did I just...?" he looked down at his hands and they shook terribly.

"The stars... they're slightly off position. Ever since I lost to you. I saw something. A man's hand, reach out when you did. No. I'm just hallucinating all of this. I have to be. Right?" Noel's voice started to quiver. Started to go soft as creeping dread was taking hold. He could feel it; someone was watching him. It sent a shiver up his back.

His eyes widened, and he looked at Jane. Fear had completely taken hold of the man. He felt like he couldn't breathe anymore. Like something, or someone had shoved their hand down his throat. A mixture of emotions was elicited in his brain. One of primal fear. And one of yearning. Who was doing this to him? Why were they doing this time him? It felt so... familiar. And then he could breathe. He hacked up a lung and gently clutched his throat.

"...right?" he whimpered out, looking at Jane in primal fear.

Voyager, at this point, was standing there in shock. Something was wrong. Very wrong. As his trainer convulsed in pain, gripping his neck, the Clefairy erected a Safeguard. A bright white light came out from the Clefairy, covering a ten-foot radius around him. Then, the Clefairy pointed his finger toward Polaris and looked at his trainer. Noel knew what the signal meant. It was almost time to go. He continued to look at Jane, wistfully waiting for an answer.
Keith's compliment seemed to mean a great deal to Katherine and Lil' Man. To hear such praise from someone they so admired was validation they sorely needed at this point in time, and that wasn't even getting into Keith's complete and total agreement on the abhorrent nature of the corporate mandate Katherine had been saddled with. Katherine stated that she wouldn't want to burden Keith in that regard, acknowledged that Jane had been coming up with all manner of ideas... but Katherine was just tired of this Tauros shit. She'd done away with her hair dye, gotten rid of her old clothes, tried to stop speaking with an accent, done all manner of training, gone through every meeting and seminar, and she was just fucking done trying to bend over backwards to please those corporate fucks when all they would do is get worse and worse with each passing year. What she did ask of Keith is if he knew of anyone who might be looking to hire someone like her. A slow-paced telepathic voice chimed in, Lil' Man adding that they would be grateful. Keith nodded, seeming to be considering the notion seriously. "...I don't know of anyone off the top of my head who's hiring right now," he stated. "I'll have to ask Gavin if he's considering taking on any more staff here at the Colosseum, but can't give you a definite answer either way just yet, not until I've actually asked him. Either way, if you give me your number, I'll make damn sure that if I find out about any sort of job opening, you'll be the first to know."

The topic shifting to Poison-types appeared to have struck some sort of nerve with Katherine, but not in a bad way. She voiced her vehement agreement with Keith's sentiments, and Keith nodded as she asserted that Poison-types were, if anything, beneficial to the environment. "You get it!" Keith nodded. "I mean, hell, I've volunteered to clean up the park in the past, brought along, like, my Weezing, Muk, Garbodor, and Swalot. Park gets clean, and my Pokémon feast like kings. You notice how clean the air is in town? You got my Weezing to thank for that- Gemini, Mustard, Pepper, and Spray feed on any pollutants in the air on a daily basis. Pepper and Spray, being a Galarian Weezing, they're naturally better at this sort of thing, but Gemini and Mustard are no slouches themselves! And you know what else? Poison-types are some of the most loyal kinds of Pokémon you will ever encounter. My first partner is a Weezing, and they're every bit as loyal and trustworthy as any Growlithe or Arcanine or what have you. Been through hell and back with Gemini and Mustard by my side, and I mean that almost literally." He took a few moments to catch his breath, noting as he did the ire with which Katherine had said her latest words. "...I'm gonna guess you know someone like that personally," Keith stated. "Like, OK, Grass-types, clean environments, pretty smells, those are all well and good, but if you're gonna be all about that and then turn around and think Poison-types are bad for the environment... like... no. Just no," he shook his head distastefully.

~~~~~

Gavin observed the conversation from up on the lighthouse, accepting by now his lack of a role within it. Evidently, Noel knew of a relative of Jane's? A lot of what was said about faesight or whatever it was went over the Shiny hunter's head. Strings of fate, narratives, everyone being like characters in some story... he didn't know about all that. He thought that sort of thing went out along with Queen Tsulah. As he mentioned the stars being off position, Gavin looked up in confusion. They looked all right to him. But then, he was no astronomer. He got the feeling Noel was convinced his loss in that battle had some greater driving force behind it than sheer dumb luck, between all this about stuff seeming off ever since the loss, and Noel's consistent dismissal of Gavin's reassurances. He didn't know what to make of it all. Was there really some bizarre cosmic force conspiring to make Noel lose that battle? There really wasn't, of course, but right now, Gavin wasn't sure what to think.

Soon, though, all thought on this manner was swiftly and unceremoniously swept right out of Gavin's mind as Noel began to convulse in pain, coughing like crazy. "Shit!" he breathed. He yanked the Luxury Ball off his belt, and sent out a larger-than-average Shiny Roserade. "Venus, use Aromatherapy," he stated.

"Raaaaade," Venus responded, as a soothing, restorative aroma wafted from her arm bouquets. She aimed them down towards Noel, sending the healing scent his way, as Gavin looked on in clear concern. Noel seemed to be recovering from this coughing fit, but with how severe it had seemed, Gavin didn't want to take chances.
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Old 03-16-2024, 06:44 PM   #953
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All this noise for a hollow cause. The largest heart and an equal belief.

Katherine doesn't hesitate to hand Keith her business card, which, while in the same drab colors and representing the same "MCF, Inc." as Jane, also features an adorable, full-color graphic of a Galarian Slowpoke sleeping on the bottom of the card. Pink and purple stripes complete the look. "We're required to have our work phones on us at all times, so," Katherine chuckles. "For once, that's a good thing. If you call, I'll answer!"

Much as Katherine would never argue with her idol, a playful grin forms on her face as Keith speaks of the loyalty of Poison types, and she feels compelled to argue for her own as the best. "Ain't it the fuckin' truth, mate!! They know who care for 'em, and they'll take your love and triple it - quad, even!" Katherine laughs. "Well, he may not be a full-fledged member of the Poison group yet, but I challenge you to find a Pokemon more loyal than my Lil' Man. Everyone assumes he's lazy, or slow, but he's really the best friend that anyone can ask for. When it matters, he'll get me out of a bind, no matter what it is..."

Katherine nods gravely. "Yeah, our HR Lady is all about Grass Types. And that's fine, right? Nothin' wrong with Grass, especially all those adorable Grass/Poison Pokemon, but if you're gonna turn your nose up at poison types - say you don't allow them in your office because they smell or what-the-fuck ever - it pisses me right the fuck off. Lil' Man hasn't been kicked out of her office yet, but I got this coworker, Johnathan. He's got a Bellibolt and a Clodsire. Bellibolt's allowed in the office, but Clodsire? 'Ew, she's muddy! She smells! I don't want her in here!' Fuck all the way off with that. And his Clodsire is quite possibly the sweetest Pokemon that lives on this Earth, with the exception of my Lil' Man. So WHAT if she leaves a little mud behind? Apparently, grown-ass posh lady Lila is just not capable of handling that. Oh, I'm sorry Keith, I know it's bad to hate people, but I really hate Lila. I hate her so much. She's everything that's wrong with our damn company."

---

Jane grits her teeth as Noel voices a name from her history. Ffion Ilterendi, the Faeseer. Oh, she knew her, all right. Knew all too well.

"I'm sorry you had the misfortune of meeting my cousin," Jane says coldly. "I know Ffion tried to be a good person, but... She could be a lot. A whole, whole lot."

Jane looks up at the sky, sighing. Lunatone's voice echoed in her ears, and the truth threatened to blow her mind clean open, but she wasn't about to show it in her face. "I'm not here to suggest that our battle was anything other than random chance. In this timeline, everything Gavin told you is true. Pure luck. Bad rolls. You know the story. The integrity of the narration is not the issue at the core, and you and I both know it."

Jane's eye turns to Polaris. "The problem is... There's more than one way that this battle could have turned, and while we know how it happened in this timeline... There is another. I don't know why that knowledge was revealed to you, but..." Jane winces, finding her next words particularly painful. "My brother had his reasons, for reaching out to you. Jaycee... He has the Faesight, too. I'm the only one in our generation that doesn't. If you need answers, he's the one to talk to. Not me."

With a drained expression, Jane catches her breath. "I'm sorry I can't be of more help. Whatever it is you need to see... I'm probably not going to be the one to see it with you."

Lunatone floats to Jane with a concerned expression, propping her up. It's clear that this amount of psychic interference is already doing a number on the woman.
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Old 03-16-2024, 07:35 PM   #954
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Jirachi We're on the good side of bad karma

He couldn't feel the Venusaur's aromatherapy. The salt breeze had blown it away, towards Jane. Noel chuckled as the words came out of the girl's mouth. In this timeline, he had lost. There was nothing he could do. Yet, that wasn't the problem. Not anymore. It was the fact someone purposefully did it. And left a mark on the one thing he cared the most about. The stars. The heavenly bodies above. Those spheres of gas and wonder. All of them were minutely out of position now.

"Jaycee... huh. So all of them are like that woman... But you. And you're tearing yourself up by not being special, aren't you Jane? You're the only 'normal' one... huh? But... doesn't that make you special too? How enviable it is... to live life... without an innate problem..." Noel continues to chuckle, coughing up phlegm between bursts.

"I'll find him... don't worry 'bout that... I'll have my words with him... and make him pay..." Noel gets out more sternly, staring directly at Polaris.

"But you, Jane..." he starts off in a whisper, still looking towards the north star. "

You really are special, aren't you? So... please. Keep fighting. We're both on the right side of rock bottom, in our own special, miserable ways. This entire world is full of bullshit. But, the skies keep giving me a reason to go on. I want to see it all. That's why I keep fighting. You have a reason too, deep down. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here now. Why your brother didn't see it fitting you to not win." Noel pauses for a second, putting his hand around his neck. He stifles a cough before continuing.

"So, when you realize what that is... Let me know. But, first-" he hacks up a lung "Honestly girl." More coughing. "We're taking you down to New Bohem. You need to treat yourself."

And with that, he gives a small smile as blood starts to come from his mouth. Oh, he fucked up this time. Still, this was still reversible. He gives Voyager a nod. The Shiny Clefairy nods in return and grabs ahold of his trainer's hand. Each day could be his last. He knew this. That's why he was willing to fight for tomorrow. Until either, he could be freed from his chains. Or see the depths of space. The two then dissipated into light, Teleporting away from the beach as the last specs of the sun disappeared.

Far off on the horizon, a singular figure watched. Their doll-like feet standing on the water, them obscured by the nighttime fog. Looking up, they stare at the stars. Yet another temporal inconsistency. They were all slightly off position now. Usually, stepping through the strands of time didn't leave a mark such as this. They watch the sick boy teleport away.

"I wonder William, how you're enjoying him as a friend..." they whisper, before looking down.

"Gaze into the abyss... and it'll stare back. Very well."

The figure then turns away from the coast, dissipating into the fog. This was perplexing. How did one blessed with Faesight have that much overreach? The Seelie and Unseelie Court most assuredly would've not allowed one such as this to remain. But the damage to the timeline was already starting... and this may be a bigger threat than the Singularity ever was. It would be a matter of time.
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I fill my lungs with everything
You want someone that I can't be
You say it's insanity, but
I say that's my life

Fizzy Bubbles

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Old 03-16-2024, 11:07 PM   #955
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marion Ette View Post
Katherine doesn't hesitate to hand Keith her business card, which, while in the same drab colors and representing the same "MCF, Inc." as Jane, also features an adorable, full-color graphic of a Galarian Slowpoke sleeping on the bottom of the card. Pink and purple stripes complete the look. "We're required to have our work phones on us at all times, so," Katherine chuckles. "For once, that's a good thing. If you call, I'll answer!"

Much as Katherine would never argue with her idol, a playful grin forms on her face as Keith speaks of the loyalty of Poison types, and she feels compelled to argue for her own as the best. "Ain't it the fuckin' truth, mate!! They know who care for 'em, and they'll take your love and triple it - quad, even!" Katherine laughs. "Well, he may not be a full-fledged member of the Poison group yet, but I challenge you to find a Pokemon more loyal than my Lil' Man. Everyone assumes he's lazy, or slow, but he's really the best friend that anyone can ask for. When it matters, he'll get me out of a bind, no matter what it is..."

Katherine nods gravely. "Yeah, our HR Lady is all about Grass Types. And that's fine, right? Nothin' wrong with Grass, especially all those adorable Grass/Poison Pokemon, but if you're gonna turn your nose up at poison types - say you don't allow them in your office because they smell or what-the-fuck ever - it pisses me right the fuck off. Lil' Man hasn't been kicked out of her office yet, but I got this coworker, Johnathan. He's got a Bellibolt and a Clodsire. Bellibolt's allowed in the office, but Clodsire? 'Ew, she's muddy! She smells! I don't want her in here!' Fuck all the way off with that. And his Clodsire is quite possibly the sweetest Pokemon that lives on this Earth, with the exception of my Lil' Man. So WHAT if she leaves a little mud behind? Apparently, grown-ass posh lady Lila is just not capable of handling that. Oh, I'm sorry Keith, I know it's bad to hate people, but I really hate Lila. I hate her so much. She's everything that's wrong with our damn company."

---

Jane grits her teeth as Noel voices a name from her history. Ffion Ilterendi, the Faeseer. Oh, she knew her, all right. Knew all too well.

"I'm sorry you had the misfortune of meeting my cousin," Jane says coldly. "I know Ffion tried to be a good person, but... She could be a lot. A whole, whole lot."

Jane looks up at the sky, sighing. Lunatone's voice echoed in her ears, and the truth threatened to blow her mind clean open, but she wasn't about to show it in her face. "I'm not here to suggest that our battle was anything other than random chance. In this timeline, everything Gavin told you is true. Pure luck. Bad rolls. You know the story. The integrity of the narration is not the issue at the core, and you and I both know it."

Jane's eye turns to Polaris. "The problem is... There's more than one way that this battle could have turned, and while we know how it happened in this timeline... There is another. I don't know why that knowledge was revealed to you, but..." Jane winces, finding her next words particularly painful. "My brother had his reasons, for reaching out to you. Jaycee... He has the Faesight, too. I'm the only one in our generation that doesn't. If you need answers, he's the one to talk to. Not me."

With a drained expression, Jane catches her breath. "I'm sorry I can't be of more help. Whatever it is you need to see... I'm probably not going to be the one to see it with you."

Lunatone floats to Jane with a concerned expression, propping her up. It's clear that this amount of psychic interference is already doing a number on the woman.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lil'twick View Post
He couldn't feel the Venusaur's aromatherapy. The salt breeze had blown it away, towards Jane. Noel chuckled as the words came out of the girl's mouth. In this timeline, he had lost. There was nothing he could do. Yet, that wasn't the problem. Not anymore. It was the fact someone purposefully did it. And left a mark on the one thing he cared the most about. The stars. The heavenly bodies above. Those spheres of gas and wonder. All of them were minutely out of position now.

"Jaycee... huh. So all of them are like that woman... But you. And you're tearing yourself up by not being special, aren't you Jane? You're the only 'normal' one... huh? But... doesn't that make you special too? How enviable it is... to live life... without an innate problem..." Noel continues to chuckle, coughing up phlegm between bursts.

"I'll find him... don't worry 'bout that... I'll have my words with him... and make him pay..." Noel gets out more sternly, staring directly at Polaris.

"But you, Jane..." he starts off in a whisper, still looking towards the north star. "

You really are special, aren't you? So... please. Keep fighting. We're both on the right side of rock bottom, in our own special, miserable ways. This entire world is full of bullshit. But, the skies keep giving me a reason to go on. I want to see it all. That's why I keep fighting. You have a reason too, deep down. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here now. Why your brother didn't see it fitting you to not win." Noel pauses for a second, putting his hand around his neck. He stifles a cough before continuing.

"So, when you realize what that is... Let me know. But, first-" he hacks up a lung "Honestly girl." More coughing. "We're taking you down to New Bohem. You need to treat yourself."

And with that, he gives a small smile as blood starts to come from his mouth. Oh, he fucked up this time. Still, this was still reversible. He gives Voyager a nod. The Shiny Clefairy nods in return and grabs ahold of his trainer's hand. Each day could be his last. He knew this. That's why he was willing to fight for tomorrow. Until either, he could be freed from his chains. Or see the depths of space. The two then dissipated into light, Teleporting away from the beach as the last specs of the sun disappeared.

Far off on the horizon, a singular figure watched. Their doll-like feet standing on the water, them obscured by the nighttime fog. Looking up, they stare at the stars. Yet another temporal inconsistency. They were all slightly off position now. Usually, stepping through the strands of time didn't leave a mark such as this. They watch the sick boy teleport away.

"I wonder William, how you're enjoying him as a friend..." they whisper, before looking down.

"Gaze into the abyss... and it'll stare back. Very well."

The figure then turns away from the coast, dissipating into the fog. This was perplexing. How did one blessed with Faesight have that much overreach? The Seelie and Unseelie Court most assuredly would've not allowed one such as this to remain. But the damage to the timeline was already starting... and this may be a bigger threat than the Singularity ever was. It would be a matter of time.
Keith accepted the business card, smiling a bit at the Galarian Slowpoke graphic it sported, before taking out his PokéGear and entering Katherine's number on the spot. "...and here's my number," he added, showing her his PokéGear number. "Nice business card, by the way," he added.

He nodded as Katherine argued her case for Lil' Man being a loyal Pokémon in his own right despite not yet being a Poison-type. "Oh, I don't doubt it," Keith said at once. "I mean, yeah, he's not a Poison-type yet, but he'll be one someday. But even then, I know good and well it's not just the Poison-types. I mean, hell, Meowth here's as good a friend as anyone could ask for."

"And don't youse forget it," Meowth purred in response.

Keith chuckled, then took a Level Ball off his belt. "And then there's this guy," he stated. "You've probably seen my Heatmor in action a few times, I'm guessing. If you got the time and want to hear it, I could tell you about the day I caught him," he offered. "It was... something else."

Katherine explained that it was her company's HR lady who was all about Grass-types, and had no patience for a colleague's Clodsire. "Oh, that's complete Tauros shit," Keith shook his head. "I got a Clodsire of my own, and lemme tell you, Crossbones is a joy to have around, so I got no doubt this guy's Clodsire is in the same spirit." He nodded gravely as Katherine apologized for her use of the strong word "hate". "'Hate' is a strong word, for sure. But sometimes it's applicable," he stated. "And that Lila sounds like a real piece of work. I can't say I blame you for wanting out."

~~~~~

Gavin swore under his breath as an inconveniently timed breeze redirected his Roserade's Aromatherapy. Venus facebouqueted at this development as well. Alright, fine, they get it, they're just observers in this conversation. The Shiny hunter and his Shiny Roserade exchanged looks of exasperation, this fact impressed upon them both, before they turned to observe the rest of the conversation. Jane confirmed that this Ffion was her cousin, and she had a brother with a similar condition known as Jaycee, who apparently reached out to Noel during the battle? Made him aware of a version of the timeline in which he won that battle? Not a difficult alternate timeline to envision, Gavin figured, considering all it'd have taken was Meteor Mash hitting. Alas, Noel was still convinced someone had purposely made him lose, to the point where he believed this to be connected to the stars being out of place. Gavin shook his head. He couldn't conceive of a higher power actively conspiring to make the man lose a Pokémon battle. As for what was up with the stars, though, Gavin had to admit, he was stumped. Certainly something was up with all that, but he had no clue what to make of the notion.

Leaving that aside, Gavin couldn't help but notice Noel coughing more and more. His eyes bulged as blood started to come out of Noel's mouth. Screw being a bystander at that point, he figured, but before he could act on this change of mind, Voyager had Teleported Noel away.

Gavin took hold of Venus, and the Shiny Roserade extended thorny whips that bound the guardrail. The two clambered over the side, and Venus lowered them both safely to the ground. "...What the actual fuck?" Gavin finally said to Jane. "I- well, first off, Jane, you OK?" he added, noticing that her Lunatone seemed to be propping her up at this point. "You need to sit down?"
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Old 03-17-2024, 08:14 PM   #956
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At first, Bianca continued to stare at the PC, wondering out loud how it worked. Helena could taste the uncertainty in her emotions, and wasn't sure how to respond in the moment, instinctively eating away at the nervousness to try and help her feel more at ease. And then, the girl turned to face Helena, practically radiating nervousness, and asked if there was somewhere the two of them could talk alone. She looked downward, and added that Terri had told her about Helena, as well as herself. Assuming, that is to say, that she had the right person- that was her main concern here, Helena realized, she didn't want to seem like a crazy person by asking the wrong person.

Helena's eyes widened with realization. "...so then you must be who she mentioned," she whispered. "Terri Alph, right? About this tall, long black hair with pink bows, no footwear of any kind?" she asked, holding up her hand approximate to Terri's height, which was noticeably shorter than Helena herself- Terri was not what one would consider tall by any stretch of the imagination. "If my assumption is correct, then you do indeed have the right person. Watch this." She then closed her eyes and focused, and through the power within the Shifticuffs she wore on her wrists, she changed into a Banette, eyes still the same shade of blue. She floated in midair before Bianca for a moment, allowing her to take this in, before turning back to human form. "We have rooms in the back, nice and private. Of course we can talk more back there," she said, gesturing towards the nearby doorway leading to said rooms.
Bianca watched as Helena changed, her body shifting into a Pokemon Bianca was all too familiar with: Banette. Bianca's mouth widened into a gasp, looking at the Banette standing before her. Her eyes were still that soft shade of blue, probably the only obvious tell that there was something different about this particular Banette. Helena floated above her, Bianca's surprise still apparent on her face, there were so many things she wanted to say, so many things she wanted to ask --- but she knew it was not the time. She waited, watching as Helena returned to her human form, moving towards a doorway and declaring there were private rooms in the back.

Bianca walked ahead, joined by Helena momentarily. The two walked to one of the rooms and sat at a table, Bianca's mind swirling with questions. But, she figured it was best to start with the more pressing thing: introducing herself.

"I apologize for not introducing myself, I was just so wrapped up in what Terri said." She paused, continuing briefly. "Truth be told... I... didn't choose this form. I just woke up like this." She shook her head. "I'm getting ahead of myself again." She sounded exasperated.

"I'm Bianca... I, uh. I don't remember my surname. It's been a long time." She shifted a bit. "I wasn't born a Pokemon or anything, I left the human world in um," She tilted her head, counting on her fingers for a moment, trying to process time again. "Just before 1950 I think, all this technology is so overwhelming to me..." She rubbed her head. She had received a Rotom Phone after she was found, and the thing still confused her.

"I lived with Pokemon for a long time but one day I just woke up here again, a human again." She paused, "Well, to be honest I have changed a bit. My hair didn't used to be pink." She laughed nervously, trying to find humour in her own situation. "It's weird right? I didn't choose this but I seemingly can't go back, no matter how hard I try."

She stood for a second, closing her eyes, clenching her fists and puffing out her cheeks. For a brief moment, a Skitty tail sprung out of her backside before disappearing again. She sighed, flopping back down.

"It's still there I can feel it..." She murmured, "But it won't stay." She looked down.

"I'm sorry, I kind of just sprung everything on you... what's your story? Terri just told me you guys were... like me. She didn't tell me how."
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Old 03-17-2024, 09:24 PM   #957
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Bianca watched as Helena changed, her body shifting into a Pokemon Bianca was all too familiar with: Banette. Bianca's mouth widened into a gasp, looking at the Banette standing before her. Her eyes were still that soft shade of blue, probably the only obvious tell that there was something different about this particular Banette. Helena floated above her, Bianca's surprise still apparent on her face, there were so many things she wanted to say, so many things she wanted to ask --- but she knew it was not the time. She waited, watching as Helena returned to her human form, moving towards a doorway and declaring there were private rooms in the back.

Bianca walked ahead, joined by Helena momentarily. The two walked to one of the rooms and sat at a table, Bianca's mind swirling with questions. But, she figured it was best to start with the more pressing thing: introducing herself.

"I apologize for not introducing myself, I was just so wrapped up in what Terri said." She paused, continuing briefly. "Truth be told... I... didn't choose this form. I just woke up like this." She shook her head. "I'm getting ahead of myself again." She sounded exasperated.

"I'm Bianca... I, uh. I don't remember my surname. It's been a long time." She shifted a bit. "I wasn't born a Pokemon or anything, I left the human world in um," She tilted her head, counting on her fingers for a moment, trying to process time again. "Just before 1950 I think, all this technology is so overwhelming to me..." She rubbed her head. She had received a Rotom Phone after she was found, and the thing still confused her.

"I lived with Pokemon for a long time but one day I just woke up here again, a human again." She paused, "Well, to be honest I have changed a bit. My hair didn't used to be pink." She laughed nervously, trying to find humour in her own situation. "It's weird right? I didn't choose this but I seemingly can't go back, no matter how hard I try."

She stood for a second, closing her eyes, clenching her fists and puffing out her cheeks. For a brief moment, a Skitty tail sprung out of her backside before disappearing again. She sighed, flopping back down.

"It's still there I can feel it..." She murmured, "But it won't stay." She looked down.

"I'm sorry, I kind of just sprung everything on you... what's your story? Terri just told me you guys were... like me. She didn't tell me how."
Bianca gave a gasp as she witnessed Helena changing form. Helena could taste the awe in her emotions, the surprise, and the undercurrent of burning questions left unasked, presumably out of politeness.

Once in the back room, she introduced herself, just as Bianca, having long forgotten her surname. She was not born a Pokémon- rather, she had been sent to a Pokémon-only world, turned into a Pokémon, and this had happened sometime prior to 1950, which signaled Helena's turn to react in surprise. "That long ago?" she remarked, but she did not interrupt beyond that, allowing Bianca to continue. She had lived with Pokémon for the longest time, but one day woke up back in the human world, a human again. Not exactly the same as before- she remembered distinctly, for example, that her hair did not used to be the shade of pink it now was. And, she was certain to make clear, she did not choose this. But regardless, she couldn't go back, and it's not like she hadn't tried. And to drive the point home, she focused hard, and managed to sprout a Skitty tail, but only for a brief moment. She knew it was still there. She could feel it. But she couldn't make it stay. Helena felt for her at once, and tried eating away at her sadness just a bit, just enough to hopefully take the edge off of it.

Bianca apologized for springing all of this on Helena, and asked for her story. She stated that Terri had confirmed that the parallels were there, but hadn't gotten specific. "No, I wouldn't think she would have," agreed Helena. "Terri knows it's my story to tell." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I was born a human, like you," she said. "Though I was not sent to a different world. Rather, I... well, I died," she said. "I... would rather not go into much detail on how I died, if that's all right," she added. "It's not super relevant to the story, and is a bit difficult for me to relive," she admitted. "Now... I came back as a Shuppet. And after so much confusion over some of the ins and outs of living as a Shuppet, I came to enjoy it... well, mostly," she added. "Shuppet and Banette are Pokémon with a bit of a... fearsome reputation, and not without reason, but like... no good person or Pokémon ever has any reason to be scared of me. And yet..." she trailed off, a sad expression on her face. "...there have been many times I had wished to have been reincarnated as a less scary Pokémon. And one time, I had the opportunity to reunite with my old Pokémon and become a Trainer again... but I didn't think a Pokémon could be a Pokémon Trainer. And so I declined. I always regretted it, but would never tell anyone for the longest time."

"Eventually, though, I came across an Audino, and my brother suggested I catch her. I had eventually told him of my regrets, and he was determined to give me that second chance. So I caught the Audino. And then he began planning something with Terri, and they were able to fashion these," she stated, indicating the metal bands around her wrists. "Terri and her Pokémon were able to imbue these with a power that allows me to change between my true Banette form and my appearance in life, which is what you see me as now, though I did kinda dress differently when I was alive," she admitted with a chuckle. "But the thing is, the reason this was able to work is because this is a form I have taken in the past. So, I'm thinking that we can go and ask Terri if she can do something similar for you. It's a different situation to mine, I'll admit, but I can definitely see why she mentioned me to you," she smiled. "I'm about to go on break anyway, I can show you to Terri's house, she lives right here in town," she offered.
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Old 03-23-2024, 11:59 AM   #958
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Yeah, it's been a long night, and the mirror's tellin' me to go home...

Katherine logs Keith's number with such nervous eagerness that her fingers flub the digits a few times, taking multiple tries to enter it properly in her contacts list. Even so, she eventually manages, after a blushing, wordless apology.

"We sure won't, Meowth," Katherine responds to the Scratch Cat's interjection with a grin, mentally noting to herself that she should remind Jane, as a normal-type trainer, that a Meowth would be a great addition to her roster. Then again, how would a Pokémon with such a typically vibrant personality pair with someone as... well, plain as Jane? Something she would have to ponder later, possibly in the lunchroom with the woman in question...

Katherine's expression is one of immediate recognition as Keith references his Heatmor. "Oh, are you talking about Kyle? The Keith-Heatmor with the flaming cowboy hat? Kinda hard to miss him, Keith!!!" Katherine laughs playfully. "I still have a magazine clipping from the Battle at Shadow Clearing Park. I don't usually save that kinda stuff, but seeing an actual Bond in action... I was blown away! It pissed me off at the time that the article didn't really go into detail about how you and Kyle managed to become such a killer pair, but I'd love to hear it from you!"

---

Venus' Aromatherapy is diverted at the last moment by a rush of wind on an otherwise clear night, filling Jane's lungs with its healing scent. Though not the intended target, some color comes back to Jane's quickly-draining face, the psychic revelations flowing through her clearly doing a number on her mental and physical state. Even if she knew the move was meant for the one who needed it far more than she did, she still offers a grateful nod in Venus' direction - Jane at least wanted the Roserade to know that the gesture wasn't wasted.

Bracing herself against Lunatone, she takes in Noel's words. For the most part, she opts to listen instead of speak, internalizing the message to keep fighting, to recognize her own unique worth and importance, and to never lose sight of her reasons to keep going, even when things get tough. Jane was no great psychic, no studied scholar, and no faeseer... but something in Polaris' ever-so-slightly shifted light whispered a warning that tough times were coming, and soon... Beyond what even she could imagine. Even if she was none of those things, she was Janessa Novalina Ilterendi. Patient. Loyal. Steadfast. Beloved by her Pokémon. That was enough. It had to be.

"...I think I would like that," Jane says softly, in response to Noel's offer to take her to New Bohem. Whatever beginnings of a smile that form in her face quickly drop, however, at seeing how his condition worsens. She reaches out to him, shaking, her Pokémon swiftly running in the direction of the young man.

"Noel... NOEL -"

Jane's voice is hoarse, strained - rarely, if ever, did her voice ever register above a monotone indoor-volume nowadays, and the scream is foreign in her throat. Not that it mattered, with Voyager Teleporting himself and his trainer away.

Gavin makes no attempt at hiding his bewilderment, but also his concern for Jane's welfare. "I appreciate it, Mr. Golurkson, but I think I'll be all right. I do not believe Lunatone has anything more to communicate at the moment, so I should have adequate time to catch my breath." Jane pauses, as she gently pats the moon on the top of their crescent. "Though, if I were to ask Lunatone, then maybe..."

Jane closes her eyes, clearly thinking something. Girafarig and Tinkatuff take their places to the other side of Jane as she concentrates; still in full alert from Noel's terrifying symptoms, they are ready to intercede on Jane's behalf immediately if her intention is to use the last of her strength for Lunatone's aid -

Jane's eyes fly open, and she heaves a weary sigh. "Lunatone will not reveal Noel's location to me, and discourages any further involvement. I suppose I should have expected that, but..."

Jane crumples slightly against the rock type, and Girafarig is quick to keep her propped up. "I-I'm all right. I think it's just late, is all. We should probably go home get some rest... Right?"
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Old 03-23-2024, 10:32 PM   #959
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Katherine logs Keith's number with such nervous eagerness that her fingers flub the digits a few times, taking multiple tries to enter it properly in her contacts list. Even so, she eventually manages, after a blushing, wordless apology.

"We sure won't, Meowth," Katherine responds to the Scratch Cat's interjection with a grin, mentally noting to herself that she should remind Jane, as a normal-type trainer, that a Meowth would be a great addition to her roster. Then again, how would a Pokémon with such a typically vibrant personality pair with someone as... well, plain as Jane? Something she would have to ponder later, possibly in the lunchroom with the woman in question...

Katherine's expression is one of immediate recognition as Keith references his Heatmor. "Oh, are you talking about Kyle? The Keith-Heatmor with the flaming cowboy hat? Kinda hard to miss him, Keith!!!" Katherine laughs playfully. "I still have a magazine clipping from the Battle at Shadow Clearing Park. I don't usually save that kinda stuff, but seeing an actual Bond in action... I was blown away! It pissed me off at the time that the article didn't really go into detail about how you and Kyle managed to become such a killer pair, but I'd love to hear it from you!"

---

Venus' Aromatherapy is diverted at the last moment by a rush of wind on an otherwise clear night, filling Jane's lungs with its healing scent. Though not the intended target, some color comes back to Jane's quickly-draining face, the psychic revelations flowing through her clearly doing a number on her mental and physical state. Even if she knew the move was meant for the one who needed it far more than she did, she still offers a grateful nod in Venus' direction - Jane at least wanted the Roserade to know that the gesture wasn't wasted.

Bracing herself against Lunatone, she takes in Noel's words. For the most part, she opts to listen instead of speak, internalizing the message to keep fighting, to recognize her own unique worth and importance, and to never lose sight of her reasons to keep going, even when things get tough. Jane was no great psychic, no studied scholar, and no faeseer... but something in Polaris' ever-so-slightly shifted light whispered a warning that tough times were coming, and soon... Beyond what even she could imagine. Even if she was none of those things, she was Janessa Novalina Ilterendi. Patient. Loyal. Steadfast. Beloved by her Pokémon. That was enough. It had to be.

"...I think I would like that," Jane says softly, in response to Noel's offer to take her to New Bohem. Whatever beginnings of a smile that form in her face quickly drop, however, at seeing how his condition worsens. She reaches out to him, shaking, her Pokémon swiftly running in the direction of the young man.

"Noel... NOEL -"

Jane's voice is hoarse, strained - rarely, if ever, did her voice ever register above a monotone indoor-volume nowadays, and the scream is foreign in her throat. Not that it mattered, with Voyager Teleporting himself and his trainer away.

Gavin makes no attempt at hiding his bewilderment, but also his concern for Jane's welfare. "I appreciate it, Mr. Golurkson, but I think I'll be all right. I do not believe Lunatone has anything more to communicate at the moment, so I should have adequate time to catch my breath." Jane pauses, as she gently pats the moon on the top of their crescent. "Though, if I were to ask Lunatone, then maybe..."

Jane closes her eyes, clearly thinking something. Girafarig and Tinkatuff take their places to the other side of Jane as she concentrates; still in full alert from Noel's terrifying symptoms, they are ready to intercede on Jane's behalf immediately if her intention is to use the last of her strength for Lunatone's aid -

Jane's eyes fly open, and she heaves a weary sigh. "Lunatone will not reveal Noel's location to me, and discourages any further involvement. I suppose I should have expected that, but..."

Jane crumples slightly against the rock type, and Girafarig is quick to keep her propped up. "I-I'm all right. I think it's just late, is all. We should probably go home get some rest... Right?"
Katherine was so enthusiastic and eager in entering Keith's number in her phone that she flubbed the digits a couple of times, taking several tries to input the number correctly. Keith did not bring it up, knowing well the awkward feeling himself. He chuckled sheepishly as Katherine made it clear that she knew of Keith's Heatmor. In hindsight, it shouldn't have surprised him- Kyle was one of his most trusted partners, and one of very few Pokémon capable of undergoing Bond Phenomenon, right up there with Levin Sanders's Gallade, and that one Greninja everyone knows good and well about. While Katherine had saved a clipping from a magazine that talked about the Heatmor, she wasn't thrilled about it not going into detail about how Keith and Kyle became such a team in the first place. "Well, it's one hell of a story," Keith stated. "It all started when I headed out to Aduro Island out in the Cascadia Archipelago- having grown up within easy walking distance of a volcano, I figured it might be a bit nostalgic for me," he grinned. "But yeah- I end up meeting this journalist who had managed to piss off a couple of wild Magcargo. Dude had a good heart, but wasn't exactly one of the great thinkers of our time," he chuckled. "My Nidoking fended the Magcargo off somewhat, until more came along, so we hauled ass out of there pretty quick. Guy introduces himself as Kyle Styles, tipped me off to some caves that were home to valuable minerals and whatnot as thanks, and then went off to investigate a group of Pokémon that he claimed were in need of help. I considered going after him, but one thing he was adept at was running for his life, so I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he'd be OK, and I figured, he gave me that tip, I might as well check it out. What's the worst that could happen, right?" he chuckled. "...so, once we get there, the cave starts shaking, and the tunnel starts caving in," he said, answering his own question at once. "Like, the tunnel was packed with gems, it was insane, and beautiful, but we didn't get to take much advantage of that before the tremors started. We- Meowth was there, too- started heading for the exit, but-"

"-but before we could start runnin', dis big rock landed right behind us, and on pure instinct we ended up runnin' away from it, and further inta da cave as a result," Meowth chimed in. "Not our proudest moment, but considerin' all dat followed, I ain't holdin' it against neither one o' us," he purred.

"Me either," Keith chuckled. "Took a tumble when I tripped over a Dugtrio that I'm positive tripped us on purpose, and rocks fell onto my legs, while a Torkoal attacked Meowth, so I sent out a Hariyama I had at the time, and had her help move the rocks off my legs, while Meowth tried to tell the Torkoal we didn't mean any harm, because something was seriously weird about how the wild Pokémon had been acting thus far."

"And all dat blasted Torkoal would say is dat da Great One ain't wanted outsiders in his mountain," Meowth supplied. "So we had ta fight back, since it kept attackin', and outta nowhere, dis Doduo comes out and helps me out wit a Peck attack. I was free from the rocks, and Torkoal was taken down, but we needed to move, so I sent out a Tauros I owned back then, got on his back, and began to ride. We followed that Doduo, figuring whoever sent it had to be on our side, and that was a start, at least. I mean, I assumed it wasn't wild, never heard of a wild Doduo in a volcano," he chuckled. "But yeah, I was right- it wasn't wild. We made it into this huge cavern, escaping the cave-in altogether, and there was one Kyle Styles. A pair of Magmar confronting him, and a pack of Heatmor hiding behind him. This is what Kyle had been talking about- the island's locals had been hostile towards the pack of Heatmor for some reason, and he begged for my help in battling the Magmar. So I sent in my Tauros, and on a sudden inspiration, used my Pokédex to scan the Heatmor pack, specifically to see their Abilities. Once I got the readout, I found that their leader had Flash Fire, so I had my Tauros use Role Play to copy it. The leader, of course, was the last one I scanned, and all the others had Gluttony," he added, rolling his eyes at the luck of that situation.

"Meanwhile, I went and asked da pack o' Heatmor wat was goin' on," said Meowth. "And right afta I got da scoop from dem, Keith had beaten one o' da Magmar, and the otha one was suddenly feelin' a lot less aggressive. Tried ta back outta da battle, but dis big boomin' voice rings trough our heads, goin', 'WEAKLING', and a huge boulder falls from da ceilin', crushin' da Magmar."

"And it was no coincidence, either," Keith added grimly. "Meowth told me everything- this 'Great One' that the Torkoal had previously mentioned was the self-proclaimed ruler over all life on Aduro Island, and lived at the core of Mt. Aduro, keeping balance over the island, ensuring the well-being of its inhabitants... but only insofar as those it deemed worthy," he grimaced. "And Heatmor was one of the ones it deemed unworthy. It redirected the flow of the lava rivers to exterminate every single Durant on the island, purely to starve the Heatmor, and was sending servants to hunt down the survivers. I... was... livid," Keith stated through gritted teeth. "Those Heatmor were being hunted down, exterminated, for what crime? For not living off of lava like the likes of Magmar and Magcargo?" He scoffed distastefully. "I took an Iapapa Berry out of my bag and gave it to the Heatmor- it was no Durant, but it was all I had, and I owed their leader thanks as it was- he jumped in and helped out near the end against that one Magmar. And the leader refused it at first, too- he appreciated the gesture, but had no way to split it evenly among the pack, and wouldn't accept anything they couldn't divide evenly among them. But, well, I'm too stubborn to be stopped by that," he grinned.

"Don't I know it," purred Meowth. "So he had me Cut da ting inta five equal slices, which was good enough fer da Heatmor."

"And the Great One, meanwhile, taunted me, challenging me to come to it, if I dared," Keith stated. "I had to pick between two paths- one with fire, and one with smoke. I tried the fire path first, figuring maybe the leader's Flash Fire could come in handy, but it turned out to be more of a mess than we were prepared to deal with. Kyle and his Doduo turned around and went the other way before we did, and eventually we headed that way too. And..." Keith faltered, with an expression suggesting he was reliving a distinctly unpleasant memory. "...I almost wish we hadn't," he sighed. "The smoke was... well... the smoke was Smog and Poison Gas from... from the corpses of many, many Koffing and Weezing. The other tunnel was lined with their bodies, just, constantly spilling out their gases. I... I hate even remembering that wretched tunnel," he murmured. He shook his head vigorously. "...anyways, Meowth knew to cover his mouth, so he was good, and I, well, I'm me, but the Heatmor got poisoned right away. So I sent out my Vileplume, who kept them healthy with Aromatherapy as we went through the horrific tunnel, and the more of the tunnel I saw, the more I grew to despise this so-called Great One. And my opinion of it wasn't high to begin with. Finally, we got out of there, only to come face-to-face with a huge pool of lava, with little rock platforms rising out and sinking back in at random, like some sort of video game puzzle, y'know?"

"I brought my Nidoking back out, and he moved the Heatmor across the pool with Confusion, but this wore him out but good, even with my Vileplume curing his burn from earlier with one last Aromatherapy. I had him stop once he'd gotten the last of the Heatmor across- the initial plan was to move us as well, but with how wiped he was by that point... out of the question," he said firmly. "I withdrew him, and with Meowth on my shoulder, looking behind me, we started making our way across on the rock platforms. And for a while, it was working. And then... the platforms stopped coming. We were stranded in the middle on this one tiny levitating piece of rock. And the Great One's voice sounded once more. It demanded that I feed the lava something of value as a tribute, and then leave the Heatmor to their fate. If I did that, I'd live." He shook his head. "We'd come that far. The Heatmor had put their trust in me. I promised to see this through for them. And Keith Golbatson Masters keeps his promises. I sent out Gemini and Mustard, held on tight, and that Weezing of mine floated me across to the other side. And, well... Weezing might be awesome Pokémon, but they are not a mode of aerial transportation by any means. Still, this was an emergency. And they tried their best, and it almost wasn't enough... but Mustard, the smaller head, bless his skull, had that last bit of strength to hoist us all to safety onto solid ground once more."

"'Safety' bein' a pretty relative term," Meowth added. "Da Great One ain't liked dat choice, and as we made ta walk further inta da cave, da rock platform started ta collapse, and da Heatmor were still on it. Two o' dem weren't able ta make it ta safety in time."

"I tried to grab them," Keith said, tears in his eyes. "I tried-"

"Dere was nuttin' any one o' us could'a done," Meowth interrupted consolingly.

"...I know," Keith sighed. "But yeah... we tried to continue onward, but there was Kyle and Doduo. They were spared from the Great One's wrath, but at a cost- they had to try and stop us. They didn't like the idea at all, but saw no alternative. I had Meowth try and incapacitate Doduo without hurting it, while I tried talking some sense into the guy. But nothing did the trick. He was too scared. He wasn't opposed to doing the right thing, he just didn't think that trying to do the right thing would actually make a difference. In the end, he let us pass without a fight, but wouldn't accompany us. And after that, we ended up in what the Great One called its throne room. It stated its champion would dispose of us, and that was the cue for the single biggest Magmortar I've ever seen in my life to come crawling out of the magma. Like, my daughter has a Magmortar, and it's easily half the size this thing was. I sent that Hariyama back out, and engaged it in battle. Things went pretty good, too- Arm Thrust activated Flame Body, which in turn activated Guts," he grinned.

"...o' course, dis was followed by da tunnel cavin' in, wit Kyle and Doduo still inside," Meowth added.

"Yeah," Keith conceded, his grin fading at the memory. "I asked him- begged him, even- to come with us," he murmured. "We redoubled our efforts in the battle, and the Magmortar went down. And that was the straw that broke the Numel's back for the Great One. It revealed itself to us at last- a gigantic Heatran," said Keith. "It fell down from the ceiling, landing in front of us, and... it made a tendril of lava drag one of the Heatmor into the lava, further punishing our defiance. And there could be no question of who should take part in this- my Weezing learned about the, uh, the tunnel from earlier," he said. "They were suitably outraged, and I couldn't deny them their chance to take this thing on. They weren't doing well at first, and Heatran almost had a chance to crush them underfoot, when the Heatmor leader runs forward, landing a Tackle on Heatran and knocking it off balance, saving Gemini and Mustard's lives. I'd lost count by that point just how many times that the leader of the Heatmor pack had saved us- jumping in against that Magmar, stopped me from walking into those jets of fire, actually got in a Tackle to stop my old Hariyama from getting thrown into a pit of magma, and now this. So I gave commands to both my Weezing and the Heatmor, but Gemini and Mustard were quickly beaten down. And then... Doduo saved our asses again. Somehow, it had survived the cave-in. Managed to wriggle out of the rubble with Kyle's bag before succumbing to its inuries. And in that bag? A Max Revive and a Dire Hit. I used the former on Gemini and Mustard, and the latter on Heatmor, and the battle truly began."

"At first, it didn't seem feasible, but we were doing well, with Heatmor shielding Gemini and Mustard from the Fire moves through Flash Fire, and then landing a Lick attack on that iron plate just above Heatran's face. And then, Heatran ended up paralyzed from the Lick, and I realized at once- there was a weak point there to be exploited, a tiny crack, maybe. I had Gemini aim a few attacks right at that weak point, including a Hyper Beam, and I had Heatmor try and Tackle its legs to make it lose its footing. And this did the trick, the Hyper Beam opened up that crack but good. But Heatran wasn't done- it tried to use Magma Storm to swallow the remaining Heatmor in the lava, promising to let them live if I left the mountain. I didn't believe that lying piece of shit for a second, though, but with Heatmor knocked out, Gemini recharging from use of Hyper Beam, and Meowth not really knowing any big decisive finishing moves at that point just yet, it wasn't looking good. Except... my old Hariyama was still out of her ball, trying to shield the Heatmor," he grinned. "I had her aim a Focus Blast right at Heatran's head, and that did it. The tyrant was felled for good. This was further cemented by all the magma cooling down into solid rock at once- evidently, Heatran's existence was keeping Mt. Aduro's volcanic activity going. The Pokémon were free, they could hardly believe their good fortune," he smiled. "It didn't come without loss, and I do still sometimes see that horrible tunnel in my nightmares, but..."

"...but we did good dat day," Meowth finished.

Keith nodded. "And once the Heatmor leader came to, realized what had gone down, his respect for me was moreso than ever before. The remnants of his pack pushed him over towards me, they knew we made a good team, and so did I. So I made Heatmor the offer to join the team. He was understandably conflicted, of course, but the others insisted that they would be able to take care of themselves now that Heatran was out of the picture. So they shared a heartfelt farewell, and then he comes over to me, and taps the Level Ball in my hand with his claw, and, well..." Keith gave a small smile as he tapped the button on the Level Ball in his hand, causing it to enlarge. "Come on out, Kyle," he said. And the ball opened up, revealing the very Heatmor that had been the current topic of conversation. "Much as Kyle Styles had let fear control a lot of his actions, it had to be said that he had his moments of bravery. Indeed, without him, we likely wouldn't have gotten through this with our lives," Keith stated. "I figured naming this Heatmor after him was fitting tribute. Right, buddy?" he added, turning to the Heatmor.

"Mor, Heatmor!" Kyle nodded in agreement.

~~~~~

Venus gave a smile and nod of her own in response to Jane's. The Aromatherapy might have been blown off-target, but at least it wasn't wasted. She would gladly take that.

Jane, meanwhile, stated that she thought she would be OK, attributing her weariness to psychic communication from her Lunatone. She then made to ask Lunatone something, but soon confirmed that Lunatone would not reveal Noel's location, and was actively discouraging further involvement. "Well, shit," Gavin frowned. "Hope the dude's OK, he was looking pretty rough near the end there. Then again, I'm gonna guess your Lunatone knows more than we do on the matter, lotta Psychic-types tend to be like that. Friend of mine's got this Swoobat who's very much in that kind of spirit." Jane then stated that she was all right, even as she crumpled a bit against Lunatone's body, and that she should probably go home and get some rest, that it was just late. "...my concern is you don't look like you're up for a walk of much of any length," Gavin stated. "You look about ready to collapse. Unless Lunatone's packing Teleport or you got someone you can call for a ride home, or something like that, I'm thinking you should at least sit down for a bit before heading out. I could help you to the Pokémon Center if you'd like," he offered.
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Old 03-24-2024, 03:58 PM   #960
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The Midnight Sky is the road I'm takin'.

Katherine and Lil' Man are enraptured by Keith's story, chock full of danger and daring - of victories and tragedies. In Katherine's expression in particular, it's clear that her emotions are along for the ride as the tale is told, from a slight laugh at Keith's initial description of Kyle Styles not exactly being one of the greatest thinkers of our time, to glittery-eyed imaginings at the gem-filled caverns, to a horrified anger at The Great One's ruthless selectivity when it came to those it chose to protect, to sheer horror at the indescribable tunnel that Keith had been forced to go through. Katherine could not even imagine how difficult that must have been for Keith, and what's more, to have witnessed the deaths of so many people and Pokemon along the way... None of whom deserved the fates they suffered. Despite this, Heatmor had been a constant companion to Keith, showing unwavering bravery and compassion, even refusing to take food while starving without sharing it with his pack. Finally, Keith ends the tale by revealing the subject himself from his Pokeball, and Katheine practically jumps up and down with excitement.

"...Wow! That's really all I can say. Kyle, Keith told me the story of how you two met, and... Honestly, I wouldn't have believed it if it came from anyone else, or if I hadn't witnessed the power of your Bond firsthand. That's.... Wow, I'm sorry, I wish I had something better to say, but just... It's so impressive!!!" Katherine blushes, clearly frustrated at herself for not being more articulate, though her animated eagerness speaks volumes in itself. She then turns to Keith, her expression a little hesitant.

"Er... I'm sorry, but I have to ask, though maybe I don't want to know the answer... What ended up happening with Kyle's Doduo? I know i helped you at the very end, but was it saved? Is it still out there?"

As Katherine asks this question, Lil' Man's booming, yet gentle telepathic voice echoes in the minds of all those who are near him:

"W e ... s h o u l d ... c h e c k ... o n ... J a n e ."

Katherine pats Lil' Man on the head. "Sure thing, bud. Keith, Meowth, Kyle, I really wish we could talk longer, but for Lil' Man to interrupt like this... It's probably important." Katherine extends her hand for Keith to shake, while Lil' Man turns around and similarly extends his tail, in the Galarian Slowpoke equivalent.

---

Jane nods in response to Gavin's concern for Noel. "Yeah, I hope he's all right, too... He..." Jane trails off, though it's difficult to tell whether her lack of focus is due to simple fatigue, or something troubling within her mind.

Gavin offers Jane to walk her to the Pokemon Center, and she considers this a moment. Lunatone was not packing Teleport, unfortunately, but as far as the ride home went, there might be a way not to impose on the kind folks of the Coast any more than she already had while also ensuring that she could make it home safely.

"If you don't mind, Gavin, would you walk with me back to the Colosseum? As I recall, my coworker Katherine was in the lobby talking with Keith, and she'll likely still be there. I know she wanted to take me out to celebrate, but..." Jane sighs. "Hopefully she won't mind just, y'know... Taking me home. Maybe she'll agree to brunch tomorrow, or something." A pause. "...She does like bacon."
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Old Yesterday, 04:26 PM   #961
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Katherine and Lil' Man are enraptured by Keith's story, chock full of danger and daring - of victories and tragedies. In Katherine's expression in particular, it's clear that her emotions are along for the ride as the tale is told, from a slight laugh at Keith's initial description of Kyle Styles not exactly being one of the greatest thinkers of our time, to glittery-eyed imaginings at the gem-filled caverns, to a horrified anger at The Great One's ruthless selectivity when it came to those it chose to protect, to sheer horror at the indescribable tunnel that Keith had been forced to go through. Katherine could not even imagine how difficult that must have been for Keith, and what's more, to have witnessed the deaths of so many people and Pokemon along the way... None of whom deserved the fates they suffered. Despite this, Heatmor had been a constant companion to Keith, showing unwavering bravery and compassion, even refusing to take food while starving without sharing it with his pack. Finally, Keith ends the tale by revealing the subject himself from his Pokeball, and Katheine practically jumps up and down with excitement.

"...Wow! That's really all I can say. Kyle, Keith told me the story of how you two met, and... Honestly, I wouldn't have believed it if it came from anyone else, or if I hadn't witnessed the power of your Bond firsthand. That's.... Wow, I'm sorry, I wish I had something better to say, but just... It's so impressive!!!" Katherine blushes, clearly frustrated at herself for not being more articulate, though her animated eagerness speaks volumes in itself. She then turns to Keith, her expression a little hesitant.

"Er... I'm sorry, but I have to ask, though maybe I don't want to know the answer... What ended up happening with Kyle's Doduo? I know i helped you at the very end, but was it saved? Is it still out there?"

As Katherine asks this question, Lil' Man's booming, yet gentle telepathic voice echoes in the minds of all those who are near him:

"W e ... s h o u l d ... c h e c k ... o n ... J a n e ."

Katherine pats Lil' Man on the head. "Sure thing, bud. Keith, Meowth, Kyle, I really wish we could talk longer, but for Lil' Man to interrupt like this... It's probably important." Katherine extends her hand for Keith to shake, while Lil' Man turns around and similarly extends his tail, in the Galarian Slowpoke equivalent.

---

Jane nods in response to Gavin's concern for Noel. "Yeah, I hope he's all right, too... He..." Jane trails off, though it's difficult to tell whether her lack of focus is due to simple fatigue, or something troubling within her mind.

Gavin offers Jane to walk her to the Pokemon Center, and she considers this a moment. Lunatone was not packing Teleport, unfortunately, but as far as the ride home went, there might be a way not to impose on the kind folks of the Coast any more than she already had while also ensuring that she could make it home safely.

"If you don't mind, Gavin, would you walk with me back to the Colosseum? As I recall, my coworker Katherine was in the lobby talking with Keith, and she'll likely still be there. I know she wanted to take me out to celebrate, but..." Jane sighs. "Hopefully she won't mind just, y'know... Taking me home. Maybe she'll agree to brunch tomorrow, or something." A pause. "...She does like bacon."
Kyle nodded as Katherine explained that Keith had been relating the story of how they met to her, and nodded again, more understandingly, at her apologies for not having something better to say. "Heat Heatmor," he responded. The story did tend to leave folks speechless, Katherine was hardly the first one to not really know what to say.

Then, however, she turned to Keith, asking about the Doduo that had been so instrumental in their victory. At this, the Heatmor bowed his head somberly, and Keith gave a heavy sigh. "If there had been anything I could've done for it, I would've in a second," he replied. "But unfortunately, it used up the very last of its strength getting out of the cave-in to give us the bag, and even if i had any manner of medical supplies left at that point, it still would've been too late. That heroic act was the last thing that that Doduo ever did in life," he said sadly.

"Mor," Kyle sighed, nodding at Keith's words. He remembered that vividly. Not a day went by that Kyle didn't mourn the lost members of his old pack, but losing the journalist and his Doduo was heartbreaking in its own right, too. The Heatmor's namesake and his Doduo were not the brightest bulbs by any stretch, nor were they the bravest, but they had come through in several key points in that adventure, and he felt it was not an exaggeration to suggest that without them, the outcome would likely have been far more grim. And so Kyle wore his name with pride to this day, he and his Trainer alike in agreement that it was fitting tribute.

This, however, was not possible for them to discuss further at the moment, as Lil' Man suggested they check on Jane, transmitting his telepathic voice to all nearby. Keith nodded understandingly. "I believe it," he said at once, shaking Katherine's hand and Lil' Man's tail in turn. "It was great to meet you two, and I'll get in touch as soon as I learn of any sort of job opening you might be interested in. Or hell, even just to talk if that's cool," he added. "But yeah, if Lil' Man's that insistent that you check up on Jane, I ain't gonna keep you from acting on it," he stated. "Hope all's well with her, and hopefully we'll see you around town again."

~~~~~

Jane considered Gavin's offer, as Lunatone did indeed not know Teleport, but in the end decided on the reasonable course of action of reuniting with her friend and asking if she'd take her home. "Sounds like a plan," Gavin nodded. "Katherine- that's the one you got Keith to sign the photo for, yeah? That's cool, she actually got to meet the man," he grinned. "But yeah, let's move," he added. "Venus, be ready with another Aromatherapy if necessary, just in case," he added.

"Rose, Roserade," Venus nodded, keeping an eye on Jane as Gavin led the way down the streets of Sludge Wave Coast.
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Old Yesterday, 06:17 PM   #962
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It was early in the morning on Route 1, where Ethan and three of his Pokémon had just tumbled out of an Ultra Wormhole. Wherever their travels had taken them previously was almost certainly a story worth hearing, but right now, it was where they ended up that was their chief concern at the moment. Ethan's PokéNav wasn't picking anything up for whatever reason- maybe interdimensional travel didn't quite agree with it? In any case, they saw buildings, and where there's buildings, there's civilization, and so there they headed. Presently, the road they walked shifted from a dirt road to a smooth pavement, and the walls of trees on either side abruptly gave way to a sprawling seaside town. A nearby signpost proved most helpful;

Spoiler: show


Most helpfully, the sign included a map of the town of Sludge Wave Coast, according to which Ethan was currently on South Crossbones Avenue. And the ocean this town overlooked was labeled on the map as the Sea of Fizzytopia, a big clue to Ethan that he was indeed in a land with which he was familiar. And the map noted several landmarks- the Starmie Cryptopokology Research Laboratory on the northeastern area of town; Sludge Wave Colosseum, which was very blatantly the massive building highly visible at the end of the street; but above all else, Ethan's eyes would surely have been drawn to the closest landmark; the Pokémon Center. Considering part of his motivation for venturing this way was to see if he could get his team a checkup, this seemed like a natural first stop.

As Ethan made his way into the Pokémon Center, he could see that someone was already ahead of him in line. The purple jacket wouldn't be familiar... but the cowboy hat sure would. "...all right, Keith," the woman behind the counter was saying (and with a voice Ethan might find very faintly familiar, at that!). "Your Pokémon are fighting fit!"

"Thanks, Helena," said the man with the hat, as a Normal Form Meowth climbed nimbly onto his shoulder. "Sorry to make you so busy this early in the morning. Maribel was training with her Drednaw, kinda woke us up, and I figured, I wasn't getting back to sleep, might as well train with her. And I bet she'll be in here before long as well, Drednaw's been improving by leaps and bounds."

"I bet," Helena chuckled good-naturedly. "Maribel's brought some of her Pokémon in here recently, and they're all getting much stronger, Drednaw included."

"Yeah, and dat big lug's got a real set o' chompers on her," Meowth remarked. "Ain't neva thought dat neck o' hers could stretch dat far eitha- eh?" he murmured, turning around. As he spotted Ethan, he tensed up a bit, eyeing him warily.

"Meowth? What's up?" Keith murmured. As he turned around to look, he saw the man at last, his eyes lighting up with recognition. "...Ethan?" Keith chuckled. "Is that you? Wow, it's been too long! And Jaws! Looking good, buddy," he added, with a nod to the Garchomp he used to own. "Well, heh, welcome to the town of Sludge Wave Coast," he smiled.
“Well if it isn’t Keith! I thought Jaws sniffed the air in a peculiar way, as did Jumango…” as he noted something funny, it seems all but one, his Garchomp had stayed by the trainer’s side…

“Crap…” the man looked around the room as if in search of something or someone, “It looks like Jumano has escaped me, if I had to venture a guess, he probably went out in search of food with that nose of his maybe he smelled someone baking or cooking something…hopefully he doesn’t come to inconvenience anyone…” the man sheepishly said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Looking at him now, he was about a day or two without a good shower, the job he had been on for the last couple of months seemed to do a number on him, he presented the staffing girl, who he knew only by some article of information he had secretly obtained in search of his brother, a folder of a girl that had come back to life, as he understood it, this was Keith’s sister, though long departed, that had come back as a ghost Pokémon and somehow found a way to be physically part of their world once again, a phenomenon that intrigued the man that sought out his dear departed brother.

The man unclipped his belt, three other Pokéballs before placing them on the desk, among them, two Pokémon that belonged to him but one…he had just caught through his journey in the jungle, having dodged traps and fought off things he couldn’t even comprehend if he tried. “…whatever you do, don’t open that one last Pokéball miss.” The man presented them before petting his Garchomp, “Go on boy, you be good to the nurse as you would with Liza.” He said as Jaws smiled, he liked it when he got pats on the head regardless how big and old he was getting.

“Forgive me, it seems my Jellicent Diego is also missing, you wouldn’t happen to have a library or the like around do you?” It was the only explanation the man could figure for his water ghost jellyfish to be missing…that or he decided to look out to sea, being an old pirate captain back in the day Diego loved the sea air and it had been two months since they had been around any kind of water.

It didn’t take long for Ethan to notice the lemon chiffon cat seating on the Poison Type’s shoulder, eyeing him as he did, the man didn’t have anything against the cat, having only been around the cat for a short venture to find shelter on another person’s base- helping one another escape during a storm, as the man made himself comfortable on one of the waiting room’s sofa cushions he said, “Well Meowth, cat’s got your tongue? You seem like you want to say something to me, so why not go ahead and say it? Let the truth set you free, like a Pidgey in flight.”
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Old Yesterday, 06:52 PM   #963
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“Well if it isn’t Keith! I thought Jaws sniffed the air in a peculiar way, as did Jumango…” as he noted something funny, it seems all but one, his Garchomp had stayed by the trainer’s side…

“Crap…” the man looked around the room as if in search of something or someone, “It looks like Jumano has escaped me, if I had to venture a guess, he probably went out in search of food with that nose of his maybe he smelled someone baking or cooking something…hopefully he doesn’t come to inconvenience anyone…” the man sheepishly said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Looking at him now, he was about a day or two without a good shower, the job he had been on for the last couple of months seemed to do a number on him, he presented the staffing girl, who he knew only by some article of information he had secretly obtained in search of his brother, a folder of a girl that had come back to life, as he understood it, this was Keith’s sister, though long departed, that had come back as a ghost Pokémon and somehow found a way to be physically part of their world once again, a phenomenon that intrigued the man that sought out his dear departed brother.

The man unclipped his belt, three other Pokéballs before placing them on the desk, among them, two Pokémon that belonged to him but one…he had just caught through his journey in the jungle, having dodged traps and fought off things he couldn’t even comprehend if he tried. “…whatever you do, don’t open that one last Pokéball miss.” The man presented them before petting his Garchomp, “Go on boy, you be good to the nurse as you would with Liza.” He said as Jaws smiled, he liked it when he got pats on the head regardless how big and old he was getting.

“Forgive me, it seems my Jellicent Diego is also missing, you wouldn’t happen to have a library or the like around do you?” It was the only explanation the man could figure for his water ghost jellyfish to be missing…that or he decided to look out to sea, being an old pirate captain back in the day Diego loved the sea air and it had been two months since they had been around any kind of water.

It didn’t take long for Ethan to notice the lemon chiffon cat seating on the Poison Type’s shoulder, eyeing him as he did, the man didn’t have anything against the cat, having only been around the cat for a short venture to find shelter on another person’s base- helping one another escape during a storm, as the man made himself comfortable on one of the waiting room’s sofa cushions he said, “Well Meowth, cat’s got your tongue? You seem like you want to say something to me, so why not go ahead and say it? Let the truth set you free, like a Pidgey in flight.”
Ethan recognized Keith, and apparently, so did Jaws and Jumango. Keith chuckled at the mention of the Munchlax- he was also that Munchlax's original Trainer, but ended up parting ways with him when the Munchlax attempted to eat Keith's Chespin doll, during a point in time when Keith was... particularly broken up over the loss of she who had made that doll for him. But for now it looked as though Jumango had given Ethan the slip, and probably in search of food, would be the smartest guess. "Well, this early in the morning, it's entirely possible Rose would be up and cooking breakfast," Keith speculated out loud. "Her house isn't far from here, either. She can hold her own, though, it'd definitely take more than a hungry Munchlax to get the better of her. Or even a hungry Snorlax- has Jumango evolved, or no? I don't think you said?" he added.

Ethan then handed his Poké Balls over to Helena with the explicit instructions to not open the last one of the bunch. Helena nodded seriously in response. "Understood," she replied. "And worry not, they'll all be fighting fit in no time," she added with a smile. "Come on, Jaws," she added as Ethan encouraged him to go with her. "It's me, Helena, remember me? I haven't seen you since I was still a Shuppet. Uh, speaking of which, sorry about letting your Teddiursa get into the honey last time," she added to Ethan sheepishly. "I didn't really think much of it- when I was alive and I had a Teddiursa of my own, Teddy would always be fine with the occasional helping of honey." Then, she blinked as something else Ethan said registered with her. "...this Liza, does she happen to own an Audino named Jessie, wearing a nurse's cap with an Audinite set in it, just like Delight's hat here?" she asked, indicating her own Audino.

"Oh, you think it could be the same Liza you gave Joy to?" Keith asked. "Which would also make it the same Liza I had that double battle against, with Hermione and Ariana," he added, reminiscing. "That was a fun battle," he smiled.

"I don't really know for sure, but well, that's why I'm asking," Helena stated, shrugging.

Ethan then mentioned that his Jellicent was also missing. This one Keith rememebred, it having been brought out in a battle he and Ethan had been having in the latter's Secret Base long, long ago. "Well, I actually do have a library at my place," Keith stated. "So Diego might very well turn up at the house. Of course, we're also right by the sea, so there's that to consider," he added, with a glance off to the east. "If that's the case, he might well encounter Tom- he's now the captain of the Banette's Revenge, and a seriously seasoned sailor. Quite the story behind how he came to live here in town, too, if you wanna hear it."

However, Ethan first turned his attention to Meowth, who had been looking somewhat wary of the man, and put the feline on the spot, asking if he had anything to say to him. Meowth looked over at Keith, who gave him a look in response. Relenting, Meowth nodded. "...alright, I gotta admit, ova da years, I ain't had da best feelin' about youse," he admitted to Ethan. "Nuttin' concrete ta justify dis feelin', just kind of a gut ting, y'know? But... I dunno, afta you and Keith bein' friends fer so long, raisin' each otha's Pokémon so well, youse helpin' us out when dat Slaking was goin' outta control... I tink I was wrong about youse, and I'm sorry," he exhaled.

Keith patted Meowth on the back, smiling approvingly. Then, his eyes lit up. "Ooh, speaking of raising each other's Pokémon," he added. "I got a few Pokémon who might like to see you again." And he plucked a Poké Ball and a Luxury Ball off his belt, and tossed them into the air. From the Luxury Ball emerged a Ledian- not a Shadow Ledian, as he once was, but a normal Ledian, eyes a soft blue instead of a piercing red, body a vibrant red instead of a sinister dark grey. And from the Poké Ball appeared a Blastoise. The Ledian eyed Ethan, his expression one of recognition. "Led ledi, Ledian," Stewie stated, bowing to Ethan in equal parts greeting and apology, because there was a non-zero chance that he, way back in his days as a Shadow Ledyba, had caused Ethan no small amount of grief.

The Blastoise was far less subdued in her reaction. Her eyes lit up as she saw Ethan. "BLAAAAST!" she rumbled, ambling over and pulling her original Trainer into a surprisingly (and thankfully) gentle hug.

"Stewie and Chance are both doing really well, as you can see," Keith grinned. "And last I saw, so was Batrach- that Unfezant's still roaming the world as far as I know, but sometimes I'll hear a little something about a female Unfezant being spotted, wearing half a Poké Ball on a string around her neck," he smiled. As he spoke, he took out of his bag the top half of a Poké Ball and gazed at it. "But yeah, how's it going, Ethan, what have you been up to? I got more than a few of my own stories in that regard, but guests first," he stated, taking a seat across from Ethan.
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Old Yesterday, 07:39 PM   #964
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Forgive me my weakness, but I don't know why -

Katherine nodded solemnly at Keith's confirmation. She thought she heard as much, but had hoped she was somehow mistaken - that somehow, the story could be different. Still, one would never wish to go back and change what occurred. Without Kyle and Doduo's sacrifice, Keith, Meowth, the Heatmor bearing Kyle's name, and countless more Pokemon on Aduro Island would almost certainly have lost their lives in their stead. It didn't matter if they were the brightest, the most righteous, the most courageous, or otherwise - nothing changed the fact that Kyle and Doduo saved lives with their efforts, and those efforts cost them their lives.

Katherine might have contemplated this sad, yet noble truth more deeply, were it not for Lil' Man's interruption. They shake hand and tail, respectively, with Keith, both showing clear reluctance to go.

"Oh, the pleasure's all ours, Keith, Meowth, Kyle! We are so happy to meet you all, and believe me, Lil' Man and I would be over the moon to hear from you again! We'll definitely visit as soon as we can~"

As Katherine withdraws from the conversation in a manner highly reminiscent of the famously slow Pokemon on her shoulder, she finally makes her way out on to the street, where she sees a familiar woman approaching...

---

Jane nodded in confirmation. "Yes, the very same. She seemed quite pleased with the poster, I think. Overall, a satisfying conclusion." Jane intentionally omits Katherine immediately requesting a similar poster of the businesswoman with her Girafarig and Tinkatuff; somehow, it seemed disrespectful to the man whose autograph she'd recently obtained, to be considered even close to being an equal, even if Katherine saw no issue with doing so.

Jane makes a point of walking close to Roserade, just to make her life easier in the event her support was needed. Lunatone takes Jane's other side, watching her carefully. Girafarig follows directly behind Jane, with Tinkatuff leading in front, in the event that they needed to intercept in either direction. Jane's pace is slow, but steady, and eventually, the group approaches the Sludge Wave Colosseum, where none other than Katherine and Lil' Man are walking outside, right in the path of Gavin, Jane and their Pokémon.

"Oi! OI! Jane! You all right, there, luv?" Katherine bounds over to Jane, immediately cupping Jane's face in her hands, lifting it, scrutinizing her gaze. Lil' Man waves his tail in greeting, while also examining Jane. The analyst, lacking the energy to fight Katherine's examination, looks back sleepily, and Katherine immediately clicks her tongue in disapproval.

"Y'look like shite," she says with a bit of a laugh. "No wonder Lil' Man's worried about you." She turns up to Gavin, and gives him an enthusiastic wave. "Oh, HEY! Mr. Golurkson! Great announcing today, as always!!! Never miss a match if I can help it!"

With this excited greeting out of the way, she turns back to Jane, looking into her eyes once again. "Right, so... I'm no medic, but I know psychic burnout when I see it."

"Psychic burnout...?"

"Mm, yeah. Used to get it a lot when I first got Lil' Man, ages ago." Katherine points to the Lunatone floating beside Jane. "That the cause, I wager?"

"Y-yeah... How do you..."

"I just sense it," Katherine shrugs. "Live long enough with a psychic, and you get used to it. First few months are rough as hell, though. You should go to the pharmacy tomorrow. There's some over-the-counter stuff you can take that helps. Get the bottle with the little Psyduck on it - that one's the best, I've found. OH, but don't get the one with the shiny Psyduck - it costs extra and doesn't really do anything that the other version doesn't. They just change the color of the pills and flavor 'em, but they're just as gross, sorry to say."

"O..okay... I will. Thanks, K -"

"HEY!" Katherine catches Jane as she swoons forward, collapsing in Katherine's arms. This lapse in consciousness only lasts a moment, and when Jane comes to, she does so with her face completely red, immediately straightening herself up and brushing herself off self-consciously.

"Oh... Oh, I'm so sorry, Kath, I -"

Katherine simply laughs, and wraps an arm around Jane's shoulder. "Let's just get you home, eh?"

"B-but you wanted to celebrate... I... I would feel bad if -"

"Feel bad if you collapsed like a drunk before you even had your first sip of beer? Yeah, I'd feel like shit if you did, too." Katherine snorts. "We'll go some other time. Actually, y'know what? We can get pecha berry mimosas at Egg So Cute's tomorrow for brunch! Their bacon is the best."

"B .... A .... C .... O .... N....." Echoes in everyone's minds, as Lil' Man licks his lips.

Jane smiles weakly, leaning into Katherine's shoulder. "Yeah... I would like that."

Katherine waves again to Gavin. "Sorry to cut it short, man, but this girlie needs her beauty rest," she says, tilting her head in Jane's direction. "Hey, Gavin! Feel free to meet up with us at brunch tomorrow! Egg So Cute's is a big place, so I'm sure they'll be room for as many people and Pokémon as you wanna bring."

With the open invitation given, Katherine guides Jane towards home.

((EXIT - JANE, LUNATONE, GIRAFARIG, TINKATUFF, KATHERINE, LIL' MAN))

Last edited by Marion Ette; Yesterday at 07:46 PM.
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Old Yesterday, 09:31 PM   #965
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Originally Posted by Marion Ette View Post
Katherine nodded solemnly at Keith's confirmation. She thought she heard as much, but had hoped she was somehow mistaken - that somehow, the story could be different. Still, one would never wish to go back and change what occurred. Without Kyle and Doduo's sacrifice, Keith, Meowth, the Heatmor bearing Kyle's name, and countless more Pokemon on Aduro Island would almost certainly have lost their lives in their stead. It didn't matter if they were the brightest, the most righteous, the most courageous, or otherwise - nothing changed the fact that Kyle and Doduo saved lives with their efforts, and those efforts cost them their lives.

Katherine might have contemplated this sad, yet noble truth more deeply, were it not for Lil' Man's interruption. They shake hand and tail, respectively, with Keith, both showing clear reluctance to go.

"Oh, the pleasure's all ours, Keith, Meowth, Kyle! We are so happy to meet you all, and believe me, Lil' Man and I would be over the moon to hear from you again! We'll definitely visit as soon as we can~"

As Katherine withdraws from the conversation in a manner highly reminiscent of the famously slow Pokemon on her shoulder, she finally makes her way out on to the street, where she sees a familiar woman approaching...

---

Jane nodded in confirmation. "Yes, the very same. She seemed quite pleased with the poster, I think. Overall, a satisfying conclusion." Jane intentionally omits Katherine immediately requesting a similar poster of the businesswoman with her Girafarig and Tinkatuff; somehow, it seemed disrespectful to the man whose autograph she'd recently obtained, to be considered even close to being an equal, even if Katherine saw no issue with doing so.

Jane makes a point of walking close to Roserade, just to make her life easier in the event her support was needed. Lunatone takes Jane's other side, watching her carefully. Girafarig follows directly behind Jane, with Tinkatuff leading in front, in the event that they needed to intercept in either direction. Jane's pace is slow, but steady, and eventually, the group approaches the Sludge Wave Colosseum, where none other than Katherine and Lil' Man are walking outside, right in the path of Gavin, Jane and their Pokémon.

"Oi! OI! Jane! You all right, there, luv?" Katherine bounds over to Jane, immediately cupping Jane's face in her hands, lifting it, scrutinizing her gaze. Lil' Man waves his tail in greeting, while also examining Jane. The analyst, lacking the energy to fight Katherine's examination, looks back sleepily, and Katherine immediately clicks her tongue in disapproval.

"Y'look like shite," she says with a bit of a laugh. "No wonder Lil' Man's worried about you." She turns up to Gavin, and gives him an enthusiastic wave. "Oh, HEY! Mr. Golurkson! Great announcing today, as always!!! Never miss a match if I can help it!"

With this excited greeting out of the way, she turns back to Jane, looking into her eyes once again. "Right, so... I'm no medic, but I know psychic burnout when I see it."

"Psychic burnout...?"

"Mm, yeah. Used to get it a lot when I first got Lil' Man, ages ago." Katherine points to the Lunatone floating beside Jane. "That the cause, I wager?"

"Y-yeah... How do you..."

"I just sense it," Katherine shrugs. "Live long enough with a psychic, and you get used to it. First few months are rough as hell, though. You should go to the pharmacy tomorrow. There's some over-the-counter stuff you can take that helps. Get the bottle with the little Psyduck on it - that one's the best, I've found. OH, but don't get the one with the shiny Psyduck - it costs extra and doesn't really do anything that the other version doesn't. They just change the color of the pills and flavor 'em, but they're just as gross, sorry to say."

"O..okay... I will. Thanks, K -"

"HEY!" Katherine catches Jane as she swoons forward, collapsing in Katherine's arms. This lapse in consciousness only lasts a moment, and when Jane comes to, she does so with her face completely red, immediately straightening herself up and brushing herself off self-consciously.

"Oh... Oh, I'm so sorry, Kath, I -"

Katherine simply laughs, and wraps an arm around Jane's shoulder. "Let's just get you home, eh?"

"B-but you wanted to celebrate... I... I would feel bad if -"

"Feel bad if you collapsed like a drunk before you even had your first sip of beer? Yeah, I'd feel like shit if you did, too." Katherine snorts. "We'll go some other time. Actually, y'know what? We can get pecha berry mimosas at Egg So Cute's tomorrow for brunch! Their bacon is the best."

"B .... A .... C .... O .... N....." Echoes in everyone's minds, as Lil' Man licks his lips.

Jane smiles weakly, leaning into Katherine's shoulder. "Yeah... I would like that."

Katherine waves again to Gavin. "Sorry to cut it short, man, but this girlie needs her beauty rest," she says, tilting her head in Jane's direction. "Hey, Gavin! Feel free to meet up with us at brunch tomorrow! Egg So Cute's is a big place, so I'm sure they'll be room for as many people and Pokémon as you wanna bring."

With the open invitation given, Katherine guides Jane towards home.

((EXIT - JANE, LUNATONE, GIRAFARIG, TINKATUFF, KATHERINE, LIL' MAN))
Katherine was slow to withdraw from the conversation, but eventually did so all the same, leaving Keith, Meowth, and Kyle in the lobby. "Well, she's nice," Keith remarked.

"Yeah, once she got all da fangirlin' outta her system, anyways," Meowth replied.

"Hey, the best of us gotta get that kind of stuff out of our systems," Keith retorted. "I still remember when I met Roxie. I still cringe when I think about some of the stuff I said at first," he chuckled.

"Mor Heatmor," Kyle stated, glancing at the door.

"Kyle's hopin' her friend's OK," Meowth translated.

"Same, honestly," Keith nodded.

"Ya got any jobs in mind fer her, anyway?" Meowth added.

"Nothing comes to mind, but I'll be keeping an eye out," Keith shook his head. "Next time I see Gav I'll ask him if he's hiring here, and I might as well check with Helena, see if she could use a hand at the Pokémon Center. Ooh- I wonder if Tom could use another hand for the crew of the Banette's Revenge..." He continued on in this manner, racking his brain for some way to help out his new friend.

~~~~~

"Glad she liked it," grinned Gavin. And with that they made their way down the streets of Sludge Wave Coast. The procession was a slow one, but with Jane in such a condition, it felt necessary. Jane had made a point of walking close to the Shiny Roserade, and Venus took note of this and paid careful attention to the woman's condition, just as ready to spring into action as Jane's Pokémon were. Gavin brought up the rear, walking behind Girafarig (not too close to the tail, though- he knew Girafarig tails had a tendency to lash out and bite at times), keeping a watchful eye out himself. Eventually, they made it to the Colosseum, and Katherine and Lil' Man were already making their way outside. Katherine was quick to give her frank assessment of Jane's condition, eliciting a slight chuckle from Gavin. Katherine then waved to Gavin, complimenting him on the day's commentary. "Heh, glad to hear it!" Gavin replied with a grin. "Some damn good battling today, too, and lemme tell you, nothing like a match that comes down to the fucking wire to make for great commentary. I'mma definitely ask Marv for a copy of today's TV footage, that's going in the personal collection!"

With attention back on Jane, Katherine identified the culprit as psychic burnout. Gavin nodded knowingly- between Dudley and Phenac, he was no stranger to this. He nodded even more vehemently at the assertion that the bottle with the Shiny Psyduck wasn''t worth the extra cost. "I second that. Hell, I third, fourth, and fifth it!" Gavin chimed in. "Fucking shameless pharmacy fucks, that shit's nothing but a super effective critical hit Giga Drain straight to the wallet- SHIT!" he blurted out as Jane randomly lost consciousness. This, however, was only momentary, and Katherine caught Jane in her arms, eliciting a sigh of relief from Gavin. Following this, Katherine made the extremely reasonable decision to take Jane home, brushing off the reminder that she'd wanted to go out and celebrate, stating that they could go out to brunch tomorrow instead, saving Jane the trouble of suggesting that herself. Did somebody say bacon???

Gavin nodded as Katherine apologized for cutting things short. "Hey, no offense taken, you just get her home safe," he stated. He grinned as the invitation to brunch was extended to him and as many people and Pokémon as he felt like bringing. "Well, shit, can't turn that down!" he replied. "I'll talk to some buddies, see who wants in, and see you there!"

With all that arranged, Katherine and Jane took their leave. Gavin watched them walk away. "Whew," he remarked. "Damn eventful day, huh, Venus?"

"Rose rade," Venus nodded.

"Yeah... alright, let's get in there," Gavin added, turning to the Colosseum. "I wanna catch up to Lynn before she leaves for the night. After hearing about that fuckwad Jane works for, suddenly I'm thinking Lynn's long overdue for a nice raise." With that, he led the way into the Colosseum, and proceeded to make his receptionist's whole day with this decision.
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