The Poisonous Paradise- Keith's Secret Base

[EpicSquirtle]

Upon Willow's suggestion that they should talk to their trainers about it, Telpo gave a brief nod. "Sounds good to me. Let's get going."
----
In the battle room, Keith remarked about how odd the situation had been with Hazel.
"Umm....yeah." Jake agreed. "I didn't even know I had those..."
"Excuse me master." Telpo's voice chimed in his trainer's head as he floated over.
"I'd like to make a suggestion about our expedition tomorrow. Would it be ok if Keith were to join us? That is if he's ok with that." Telpo asked, his voice echoing in both trainer's heads.
"No Telpo. I already told you I didn't want to.... drag anyone else into my problems." Jake explained.
----
Albus and Hermione gave Tessa a bow, causing the Pikachu to blush even more. Hermione then apologized for making a big deal about it, explaining that she was the first Cosplay Pikachu they had met.
"It's ok. We are umm...pretty rare." Tessa said with a nod.
Albus then asked Tessa if she could learn new moves using special costumes.
"I certainly can." Tessa said. "Meteor Mash, Icicle Crash, Draining Kiss, Flying Press, and....uh... Electric Terrain, depending on the costume."
----
After tearing up a little, Cyanide thanked Pom, explaining that she probably would have gone after them, to make them suffer for what they did. But she realized that Pom didn't want anything bad to happen to her, just like she didn't want anything bad to happen to him.
"I understand. But don't worry, they'll suffer eventually, I'll make sure of that." Pom reassured her. "I just don't want anyone to go about it recklessly, that's all."
----
Frieghya seemed to be sure of the fact that there wasn't any camera's in the elevators, though there was some around this area.
"Well hopefully they haven't spotted us then." Hayai said.
"Anyway..let's get ready! Frieghya I want you to try and find a camera, the closer to the elevator, the better." The Blitzle said. "Also, you need to wear something to disguise yourself, if you're not going to wear a mustache."
"As for you Hazel." Hayai turned his attention to the Eevee. "Can you help lift this box onto my back? It'd be extremely unprofessional of 132 Pizzeria to drag a customer's pizza box on the floor."
Trying his best, Hazel grabbed onto the box with his teeth, before trying to balance it on Hayai's back. After a couple failed attempts, the box managed to stay in place.
"T-there we are. Just try not to move too fast...ok?"

[Missingno. Master]

"What would your Eevee even need a package of fake mustaches for, anyway?" Keith wondered out loud. Before Jake could respond, however, the subject of fake mustaches was pushed aside by Telpo, who telepathically suggested that Keith join them for some sort of expedition the following day. Jake seemed reluctant to allow this, however, citing a refusal to drag other people into his problems. "Well, what's this about, anyway?" Keith added. "If something's wrong, you wouldn't be dragging me into anything- I'd want to help. It'd be completely voluntary on my part."


Tessa confirmed that she could learn Meteor Mash, Icicle Crash, Draining Kiss, Flying Press, and Electric Terrain, depending on which costume she wore. "Wow..." murmured Albus. "But... Mom, I read something the other day- apparently they discovered in Alola that Pichu are able to know Electric Terrain as an Egg move."

"I did read about that myself," nodded the older of the two Weedle. "I wonder if there's any connection between Cosplay Pikachu and this recent discovery..."

"Um, miss Tessa?" said Albus. "Do you have any of those costumes with you? I-I'd like to see you use one of these moves, if it's OK."


Cyanide couldn't help but grin. "I know you will," she said, confident in her boyfriend. "Yeah, I get it- no point in being reckless about it, that'll just get us hurt. So yeah, with that in mind, what say we grab a bite to eat, make sure we both got energy to spare before we continue building your resistance to mind control?" she suggested.


The pizza box balanced quite well on Hayai's back. This did not detract from the sheer ridiculousness of his current appearance.

[Marion Ette]

((This is a separate storyline, continuing from the Bar. To differentiate, I will be using the color LightSteelBlue. Thank you!))

The light fades, and the world comes back into focus for Minerva - though the space has yet to be illuminated, the pale-eyed woman can still make out the basic outlines of Keith's living room couches, the shape of the giant coffee table, and the soft, soothing sounds of the water filter maintaining a clean and healthy environment for the aquarium. Her hand still entwined with Keith's, she fights the urge to collapse on the couch - teleporting was never her preferred method of travel, efficient though it was, as it was considered an unhealthy practice for someone in her peculiar predicament - but, she figured, any unfortunate side effects couldn't be worse than staying in that Bar with Ffion for one more goddamn second. At least she'll watch over Mawile, Minerva thinks to herself.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire, Minerva has no choice but to stay awhile, amidst all these familiar sights and smells, and the overpowering memories that come with them - overwhelming her mind and burning her flesh - the taste of absinthe, his tears on her shoulder, the screams and the laughter - it was hard to say if she was tethering or losing ground, but either way, the situation had left her control, and all that was left to do was to take a deep breath -

"So, um..." How could she even begin? How could years of absence be closed in the span of mere moments? What would remain of her resolve, then, if she gave in now? The path had been set, she thought, but -

"I hear they're considering you for the new Elite Four," she starts, but the attempt at conversation is stilted, faltering. She cannot meet Keith's gaze. "Just like my sister, from what I hear..."

[kawaiiconcept]

Frieghya looked around and spotted a camera she glared at it and fired a swift attack at the lens shattering it. "Hey guys I found one." she looked around for a disguise.

[EpicSquirtle]

"What's it about?" Jake repeated. "It's nothing, seriously there isn't anything you need to worry about."
"I really wish you'd stop lying and pushing others away master." Telpo said before turning his attention to Keith.
"I don't know if my master has told you, but there's been this criminal group going around called Team Catalyst. Jake and Sophie actually think they've found a lead in a near by city, and we're going to investigate it tomorrow." Telpo explained.
"If you're ok with going, we could really use the help, in case we actually do find something."
----
Upon hearing that she could use Electric Terrain, Albus mentioned that it had been recently discovered in Alola that Pichu could learn the move as an egg move. Hermione went on to question if it had any connection to Cosplay Pikachu.
"Really? Umm, that's kind of cool." Tessa said. "It kind of makes one of my costumes a, uh.. real waste though."
Albus then asked Tessa if she had brought some of her costumes, wanting to see her use one of her special moves.
"I think I might, umm..have them somewhere...." Tessa said. "Which move did you want to see?"
----
Cyanide seemed confident that Pom would be able to make Team Catalyst suffer. She then suggested that the two of them could grab something to eat before continuing to train.
"That sounds great! I am kind of hungry." Pom confessed. "I'll follow your lead."
----
Frieghya began to search for a camera, and soon found one. However, much to Hayai's horror, the Eevee had destroyed the camera with a Swift attack!
"No! What are you doing?!" Hayai exclaimed as he walked over to the now broken camera, carefully balancing the box.
"Maybe I wasn't clear enough. We don't want to destroy the camera, that's how we're supposed to communicate with our customer." Hayai explained.
Meanwhile, Hazel noticed that Frieghya hadn't found a disguise, and grabbed another mustache from the package. He quickly ran over, plastering the facial hair on the pink Eevee before she could object.
"I-I noticed you still needed a disguise..." Hazel explained. "D-don't worry, i-it looks fine on you." Hazel said. In truth, she looked even more ridiculous then Hayai or Hazel, but the Eevee didn't want to hurt her feelings.
"Well looks like we need to find another camera..." Hayai said as he began to look around. Let me know if you guys spot any...and don't destroy it this time."

[Missingno. Master]

Hebenon's Teleport proved every bit as reliable a means of transportation as Keith had come to rely upon it as over the years. They reappeared in the living room of Keith's Secret Base, a sight that would be most familiar to Minerva. Keith could not help but smile, considering who he had Teleported here with. The day was one he'd dreamed of for the past five years, without ever truly knowing when, or even if, it would happen. Hebenon, at that moment, hopped out of Keith's hand and Teleported himself into the aquarium.

Minerva spoke up at that point. It was clear that she was at something of a loss for words, making a brave attempt at conversation by remarking on recent events- namely, Keith's nomination for a position on the new Elite Four of Fizzytopia. "Yeah, they're considering me," Keith nodded. Indeed, he was rather astonished at the overwhelming amount of support his nomination had gotten, and there were times when he was rather concerned as to whether he'd be as up to the task as the Trainers of Fizzytopia seemed so convinced he was... but he pushed those thoughts aside. He was more concerned with the here and the now. And right here and now, his mind was more focused on the woman beside him, whose hand he was still holding. "Minerva," he said. He was about to ask if she was OK, but got the feeling that that would be kind of a stupid question. "I get the feeling that whatever that phone call back in the bar interrupted, it had nothing to do with my consideration for the Elite Four, did it?" he said. "Why don't we sit down?" he added, gesturing to the nearest couch with his free hand.



Jake attempted to brush it off as nothing, but Telpo proved this wrong by explaining that Jake and Sophie intended to follow up on a possible lead regarding Team Catalyst tomorrow. He then requested that Keith come with, stating that help would be appreciated should the lead actually head somewhere. "Well, sure, I'd love to come," Keith agreed. "This Team Catalyst can't be up to anything good, and if I can help stop them, then I absolutely want to."


"Ooh..." murmured Albus, thinking this over. "Um... I-I'd kinda like to see Meteor Mash, if that's OK?" he asked.


Cyanide grinned, and led the way out into the hallway, towards the kitchen, though not before noticing the group of Freighya, Hayai, and Hazel. "Um," she said to them, eyeing the fake mustaches on them all, and the pizza box balanced on the Blitzle's back. "...What in the Distortion World are you all doing?"


Meanwhile, down in Stewie's secret lair, an alarm sounded. "What the deuce?!" demanded the Shadow Ledian. He wheeled around, and saw that one of the many monitors on the wall was showing nothing but static. "Camera 12 is damaged. Blast!" he grunted. Much as he didn't want to delay the conversation he was having with Corvus, this was an urgent matter. He rushed over to his computer and worked fast, all four of his hands flying across the keyboard, one of them occasionally moving the mouse. The alarm stopped, but the screen in question still displayed naught but static. "Damnation! It won't respond. Someone must have destroyed it!" exclaimed Stewie. "But who..." And then, a look of dawning comprehension came over his piercing red eyes. "That damnable pink Eevee!" he exclaimed. "Her Trainer is friends with the hat man, no doubt he invited her to the party... Last time she and Cyanide managed to stumble upon this lair, leading to the enhanced security features I've installed..." He started pacing back and forth in midair. "Yes, yes... it's quite impossible for them to reach this lair now...but even still, I would be remiss to not monitor the situation as best I can," he stated. He went back to the computer and went back to work. This time, the static-filled screen changed its display. Now it showed the same hallway from before, albeit at a different angle- Stewie had activated a backup camera.

"...What the deuce?" Stewie said, laughing as he saw the group in the hallway. "False mustaches and a pizza box? That's their big plan? They look bloody ridiculous!" he cackled.

[kawaiiconcept]

Frieghya removed the mustache "Cyanide thank goodness! I have a feeling our shadow buddy is up to no good. We were going to try to get down there with these disguises ,not my idea, please tell me you and pom can help."

[EpicSquirtle]

Keith seemed to be on board with Telpo's idea, stating that he would love to come.
"But we don't know if it will actually lead to anything." Jake replied. "I umm....don't want to waste your time on something so trivial....."
----
After thinking for a bit, Albus asked if he could see the move Meteor Mash.
"Meteor Mash? Ok I'll grab my costume." Tessa said before walking over to her trainer. After asking for her costumes, Jake pulled a small case and handed them to Tessa. The Cosplay Pikachu ran back over to Albus, before opening up the case, revealing five tiny costumes.
"See? So for Meteor Mash...I'd want...my Rock Star outfit." Tessa said as she picked out the costume. She quickly slipped into the cool looking outfit, before turning to face Albus once again.
"Alright...umm...watch this." Tessa said as she began to channel the power of her outfit to use her special move. A metallic energy enveloped her fist, which also began to glow! The Cosplay Pikachu then swung her fist into the open air, leaving a trail of star shaped energy behind her.
"There you go, Meteor Mash." Tessa said with a smile once the attack was finished. "Did you have anything else in mind?"
----
Cyanide began to lead Pom to the kitchen, but stopped upon stumbling into the strange scene that was Hayai and crew. Cyanide question just what the trio were doing, something Pom was equally as interested in.
Before Hayai or Hazel could explain, Frieghya spoke up, stating exactly what they had been planning. The Blitzle was about to agree, but something caught his eye. Another camera, and most likely a working one. Their foe could have heard everything that Frieghya had said!
Even if they didn't, Frieghya hadn't exactly been the most helpful. Though the Blitzle admired her spirit, she had constantly been dragging down his plans. Now was a good time to lose her. Knowing his luck, the Ledian had already watched the entire scene unfold.
But there was a chance he hadn't. With nothing to lose, Hayai began to create a cover story.

"I don't know what you're talking about?" Hayai feigned confusion. "I was just trying to help deliver my pizza to my customer. While I must thank you for helping me, I really must finish delivering this pizza." The Blitzle continued. "Why don't you continue to have your mustache party somewhere else?"
Hazel seemed confused at Hayai's sudden change of tone, but figured it must have been part of his plan.
"Umm....y-yeah, come on Frieghya, let's have our........mustache party somewhere else." Hazel said. "You're free to join us too." The Eevee added, this time addressing Pom and Cyanide.
Watching the scene unfold only left Pom more and more confused. He decided not to say anything. Whatever was going on, it had to be some sort of cheesy play or something, right?

[Missingno. Master]

"I got nothing going on tomorrow anyway," shrugged Keith. "Besides, what if it's not nothing? This could go either way, and I'd like to be able to help if it turns out to be a good lead."


Albus watched in awe as Tessa donned her rock star costume and pulled off an awesome Meteor Mash attack. "Amazing!" the young Weedle declared. "Umm... maybe Icicle Crash next, if it'a OK with you?" he requested.


Cyanide looked bewildered as Hayai came up with a cover story that trumped even his fake mustache in terms of outright ridiculousness. And then, following the stunned silence, Cyanide spoke up. "...You really are stupid, aren't you?" she demanded of Hayai. "I know it's you, Hayai. You're not fooling shit with a fake mustache- you look ridiculous, by the way- and some pizza box from Pansear Pizza Parl- 132 Pizzeria?" murmured Cyanide, reading the box. "Huh. Never heard of it. But anyway, do you seriously think this crap's gonna fool anybody, let alone a dangerously crafty Shadow Ledian?"

"Sadly, yes, he really does," said the pizza box.

[kawaiiconcept]

Thankfully Cyanide had said what Frieghya could not "Thank you Cyanide for saying that. I know its hard to hear but its true. I'm sure you mean perfectly well. Cyanide how do you suggest we handle this situation." she turned to her friend still aware of the blitzle.

[EpicSquirtle]

Keith explained that he had nothing to do tomorrow anyway, and that he wanted to help if it turned out to be a good lead.
"Are you really sure it's not a bother?" Jake asked. "B-because I don't see how it wouldn't be...."
----
Albus seemed quite impressed by Tessa's display of Meteor Mash! The young Weedle quickly requested Tessa to show off another move, this time, Icicle Crash.
"Icicle Crash? Umm...sure why not." Tessa said as she began to take off her rock star outfit. This time, the Cosplay Pikachu began to put on a beautiful dress and bonnet.
Once she was in her outfit, Tessa once again began to channel the power of her outfit in order to unleash a special move! The Cosplay Pikachu unleashed a strange icy mist, away from any Pokemon that might get hurt.
The mist suddenly thickened, creating a giant icicle, which shattered upon impact with the floor, sending shards everywhere.
"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" Tessa exclaimed, hoping none of the Pokemon were hurt by the raining shards of ice.
"I guess I didn't really think that one through...." Tessa muttered. "Don't worry I-I'll help clean it up! Umm...I don't know if they make Pikachu sized brooms though..."
----
Cyanide seemed less then pleased with Hayai's plans. The Umbreon first called the Blitzle stupid, saying that he wasn't fooling anyone with his mustache, along with calling him ridiculous among other things.
Much to his horror and confusion, even Frieghya and the pizza box agreed with Cyanide.
Upon hearing everyone's harsh words, Hayai started tearing up.
"Y-you know what? I-I'm just trying my best." The Blitzle stammered, his usual cheerfulness completely absent from his voice.
"I just wanted to help...to be able to support those in n-need. B-but I see my help i-isn't appreciated, so I'll just go!" Hayai shouted, tears streaming down his face. "H-how about you f-figure a way down the e-elevator by yourself!"
Without another word, the Blitzle ran off, away from those who had hurt him.

"U-umm that was a little h-harsh." Hazel said as he peeled off the mustache. "I-I didn't think it was a-amazing but it was a plan." The Eevee said before turning to the talking pizza box, which had fallen after Hayai's exit.
"I-I haven't seen a talking pizza box...before. U-unless.......are you a Ditto?"
Meanwhile, Frieghya asked Cyanide if she had an ideas on how to handle the situation. Though he had been silent for some time, Pom finally decided to speak up.
"Wait so you're trying to get to a secret lair through an elevator?" Pom asked. "If that's the case, maybe we could use my trainer's Rotom to help us out." The Ambipom suggested.
"It could easily take control of the elevator, allowing us to reach our destination."

[Missingno. Master]

"I'm positive," Keith assured his friend.


Tessa, now wearing a beautiful dress, unleashed Icicle Crash. She hadn't planned on the icicle shattering so forcefully, however- shards of ice rained down all over. Fortunately, Aragog, Albus, Hermione, and Scorpius were all able to avoid damage. "No harm done," said Hermione.

"Yeah," added Scorpius. "I'll help with that. C'mon, I'll show you where the brooms are at," he offered to Tessa.


Hayai did not react well to the (admittedly blunt) criticism, and ran away in tears. Cyanide sighed at Hazel's words. "I get he's your friend, but that plan probably would've gotten you all killed, OK?" she said. She then grinned at Pom's suggestion. "Ooh, now that's a good idea," she said. "Better than posing as pizza delivery Pokémon."

Meanwhile, at Hazel's question, the pizza box Transformed into a shapeless purple blob. "Yep," replied the Ditto. "Name's Jack. But right now, I think I'm gonna go talk to mustache guy real quick," he added., before Transforming once more, this time into a Blitzle (albeit from memory, so the stripes looked a bit off), and heading off after Hayai.

[kawaiiconcept]

Frieghya nodded "that sounds like an awsome idea Pom." She nodded as Jack headed off after the distressed blitzle.

[EpicSquirtle]

Once Keith reassured him that it wasn't a bother, Jake began to relax a little.
"Well....okay then I guess you can come along. But feel free to cancel at any time if you need to."
His work done, Telpo floated back over to Millicent, letting Jake sort out the details.
----
"Ok, it turns out Keith is going with us on the expedition after all." Telpo confirmed to Millient and Willow.
----
Much to Tessa's relief, it seemed no one had gotten hurt. The intimidating Drapion even offered to show her where the brooms were.
"That would be great. T-thank you" Tessa said.
----
Cyanide explained to Hazel that Hayai's plan probably would have gotten them all killed.
"O-oh...ok." Hazel replied weakly.
Everyone seemed to be on board with Pom's idea, now they just needed to retrieve the Rotom.
"I- I guess I'll go grab him." Hazel said before running up the stairs towards the battle room, for the third time that day.
----
Once upstairs, Hazel managed to get his trainers attention once again.
"So you want Arthur now?" Jake asked. "I mean..sure I can get him....and I'm happy to help....but are you hosting an event or something? You seem to be making a lot of....requests."
"I-it's nothing. This is my final request. I p-promise." Hazel said with a nod.
Jake once again began to fish into his bag, before pulling out another regular Pokeball. From the ball emerged the Plasma Pokemon, who quickly zoomed around the room, before stopping in front of Jake and Hazel.
"Why have you called me from the depths puny citizen?" Arthur asked the pair.
"Umm...A-arthur...I...no we need your help....getting down an elevator." Hazel explained.
"An elevator? is that all you've called the demon crusher for? Well....what's in it for me?" The Rotom asked once more.
"Umm...y-you get to crush demons? The elevator l-leads to a d-demon's lair.
"Hmm quite a worthy cause for a chosen one such as I! I accept your proposal, guide me to where we must be!" Arthur exclaimed.
Hazel gave a brief nod, before guiding the Plasma Pokemon to the rest of the group.
----
Once back with the group, Hazel decided to introduce everyone to the Rotom.
"E-everyone this is Arthur-" The Eevee began before being cut off.
"I am not Arthur! The Rotom exclaimed. "I am the super awesome mega plasma demon crusher!"
Pom simply shook his head at the plasma Pokemon's antics. It seemed they had lost one nutcase, only to have another join.
----
Hayai, unaware that he was being followed, headed straight towards the elevator. The Blitzle managed to hit the "open" button with his head, and soon the doors opened, revealing the cursed elevator's interior.
"I-I know it's in here somewhere!" Hayai exclaimed as he entered the elevator and began to bash his head into one of the walls.
"Let me in! Let me in!" The Blitzle repeated, continuing to hit the wall over and over again.

[Missingno. Master]

"Thanks, man," Keith replied. Already he was thinking about what Pokémon to bring along.

"Excellent," smiled Millicent as Telpo relayed this news to her.

Indeed, confirmed Willow. As of late, Keith has been doing a lot to eliminate the threat of Team Rocket. I'm confident he'd be a big help against this Team Catalyst.


"No problem," grinned Scorpius. He led the way over to a nearby closet- the door was neatly hidden in the wall, and the Drapion produced a few brooms. One was the perfect size for Tessa, so it was that one he handed her, while keeping the other one for himself. He led the way back over and started sweeping up the ice.


Cyanide raised an eyebrow as the Rotom introduced itself as the "super awesome mega plasma demon crusher". "...Riiight," said Cyanide. "So can you control the elevator or what?"


Jack came across the elevator. More specifically, he came across Hayai ramming into the elevator repeatedly. "Ah, OK, the stripes go like that," he muttered before walking into the elevator. "Hey, dude, take it easy, you're just gonna hurt yourself doing that," Jack said to Hayai. "Look, what you got to understand about Cyanide is that she doesn't sugarcoat anything. Tells it like she sees it. Look, we weren't trying to hurt your feelings, but what you gotta realize is that you were kinda in over your head there, trying to find a way to outsmart Stewie. The guy's as crafty as they come, he's not easy to trick, and he's no slouch in battle, either. We get you were doing your best, and believe me, we appreciate that. We said what we said because we didn't want Stewie killing you, that's all."

[Marion Ette]

Originally Posted by Missingno. Master

Hebenon's Teleport proved every bit as reliable a means of transportation as Keith had come to rely upon it as over the years. They reappeared in the living room of Keith's Secret Base, a sight that would be most familiar to Minerva. Keith could not help but smile, considering who he had Teleported here with. The day was one he'd dreamed of for the past five years, without ever truly knowing when, or even if, it would happen. Hebenon, at that moment, hopped out of Keith's hand and Teleported himself into the aquarium.

Minerva spoke up at that point. It was clear that she was at something of a loss for words, making a brave attempt at conversation by remarking on recent events- namely, Keith's nomination for a position on the new Elite Four of Fizzytopia. "Yeah, they're considering me," Keith nodded. Indeed, he was rather astonished at the overwhelming amount of support his nomination had gotten, and there were times when he was rather concerned as to whether he'd be as up to the task as the Trainers of Fizzytopia seemed so convinced he was... but he pushed those thoughts aside. He was more concerned with the here and the now. And right here and now, his mind was more focused on the woman beside him, whose hand he was still holding. "Minerva," he said. He was about to ask if she was OK, but got the feeling that that would be kind of a stupid question. "I get the feeling that whatever that phone call back in the bar interrupted, it had nothing to do with my consideration for the Elite Four, did it?" he said. "Why don't we sit down?" he added, gesturing to the nearest couch with his free hand.

Minerva groans and rolls her eyes at the mention of the earlier phone conversation in the bathroom. "What, you mean when Lora called?" Responding to Keith's offer to sit down, she gently tugs his clasped hand in the direction of the couch, leading him to sit alongside her. Minerva's scowl intensifies as she attempts to mentally replay the words exchanged between her and Lora, wondering how much of it Keith had heard or, more importantly, how much of it he understood...

"The Lacunosa Nightwatch only offers membership to a particular kind of person, Keith. Lora is absolutely, positively not that type... but she and Cal have been together since long before the Watch cast an eye on me, and she makes it her business to get into our business. It's like her fucking job description - Lora, Warrior of Worriers, Damsel of Distress - she called to state the obvious, basically." Minerva snorts, her voice taking on an overly embellished, sarcastically informative tone. "Did you know, Keith, that it might be dangerous to go into a country writhing in the throes of total anarchy by yourself? Golly, gee! Thanks for that brilliant observation, Lora! I'll be sure to put on my helmet and kneepads next time I go back to my homeland, and look both ways before crossing the body-littered street..."

Minerva laughs bitterly. "Oh, and she asked if I had seen Ffion yet, because - of course - she's worried about her, too. As if I give a shit." Minerva shakes her head. "Why Cal would send her, of all people, straight into this mess..."

[Missingno. Master]

Keith sat down beside Minerva. It was clear that whatever that phone call was about was not exactly to her taste. Indeed, she explained about the Lacunosa Nightwatch, about Lora and Cal, and about how the former had called back in the bar to relay the painfully obvious to Minerva. Keith couldn't help but chuckle as Minerva gave an over-the-top, sarcastic demonstration of how blatantly obvious and decidedly unhelpful said call was. "My goodness! I never would have guessed!" he replied. Minerva then went on to explain that Lora had also called to ask if she'd come across Ffion yet. Keith had to admit, he too was wondering as to why someone would send someone like Ffion to the Fizzytopia region, given said region's current state of chaos and anarchy, considering that, based just off of what Keith had seen of her so far, she had an attention span shorter than Murray the Taillow, spent a full minute staring intently at the empty space next to Keith, and selected booze based solely on how pretty the bottles were. He simply shrugged to convey this, before speaking up once more. "Hey, speaking of Ffion, what was she going on about earlier, asking you if you told me something?" he asked. There was nothing accusatory about his tone of voice- far from believing that Minerva was withholding details intentionally, he felt confident that had there not been a series of interruptions back in the bar, whatever Ffion had alluded to Minerva might have already told Keith by now.

[kawaiiconcept]

Frieghya jumped up, excited to have a good plan.

[EpicSquirtle]

"......Yeah.....umm..n-no problem." Jake replied weakly upon Keith's thanks.
"I-I guess I should... tell you the name of the place we're going too...huh? It's called....umm...Hagane City. It's apparently not to far from down town...."
----
Both Millicent and Willow seemed happy to hear that Keith was going to be accompanying Jake and Sophie, Willow stating that she was confident that Keith would be a big help.
"I think so as well." Telpo said with a nod. "But enough about that...is there anything else you've been up to?" The Abra asked Millicent. "Besides the P1 Grand Prix of course."
----
Scorpius guided Tessa over to a hidden closet, where Tessa's worries about broom sizes were revealed to be for naught. Grabbing the small broom, Tessa scurried over to the mess, trying her best to put the shards into a pile.
Once she had gathered all the ice she could see, she turned to the Drapion.
"So...umm...is there a dust pan I could...use?" The Pikachu asked. After a moment she spoke up again. "Oh! There's probably one in the closet right? I didn't even think of that. I'm so dumb sometimes....."
----
Arthur seemed very confused when the guests in front of him didn't cheer upon his presence. Instead, one of them had the audacity to cut his speech short, asking if he could control the elevator or not.
"I was getting there!" The Rotom exclaimed. "It'd be wise of you not to cut a legendary hero's speech off. But I'll let you off the hook just this once." Arthur continued.
"But yes, I can control the elevator you speak of......obviously." He said as he began to check out his surroundings, before spotting what he was looking for.
"I'm assuming you mean this elevator? Very well...follow me peasants!" Arthur exclaimed before zipping off towards the elevator.
"I know he's a bit, umm, rude, but he's our best shot." Pom said to no one in particular.
"W-well what are we waiting for? L-let's go." Hazel said as he began to make his way towards the elevator.
----
Hayai nearly jumped out of his skin as a voice spoke to him, telling him to take it easy.
"Who goes there?!" The Blitzle exclaimed before whirling around.
"Oh...another Blitzle? Umm...w-what do you want?"

Jack explained to Hayai that Cyanide didn't sugar coat anything, and that the group wasn't trying to hurt his feelings. The Blitzle had been in over his head, and that they didn't want Stewie to kill him.
"I-I think I get it. Maybe I was being a bit reckless...but I j-just wanted to help." The Blitzle said with a nod.
"Hey wait! How do y-you know what went down? I was the only Blitzle in the group!" Hayai exclaimed. "Have you been spying on us?! You're probably working for Stewie, aren't you?! Answer me!"

[Missingno. Master]

"Hagane City?" Keith murmured. "Alright, yeah, I think I know where that is," he nodded.

Millicent shrugged. "Not a lot aside from the usual- training, battles, that sort of thing. I'm actually getting really good at Grass Knot now- Willow's been giving me some tips."

I knew that move when I was alive, added Willow. Millicent's a fast learner, too.


"I got it," said Scorpius. He reached back to the closet with his tail claws, and grabbed a dustpan from within. He started to sweep some shards of ice into the dustpan. "And I forgot the dustpan too, don't forget, so it's just as much my fault."


Cyanide narrowed her eyes at the rude Rotom, but did not argue with it- Pom was right, the Electric/Ghost-type was their best bet for getting the elevator down to Stewie's lair, and so she followed as well.


"Dude, relax," said Jack as Hayai became suspicious. "I wouldn't spy for Stewie if he paid me. And believe me, he's offered." He then Transformed into the same pizza box he had been posing as. "Look familiar now?" he asked. "I overheard something about pretending to deliver a pizza to Stewie, figured this was a good way to get to blast a Firestream into that smug bug's face." He Transformed back into a Blitzle. "Name's Jack. I'm Keith's Ditto. Good to properly meet you, Hayai," he said.


Stewie grinned evilly as he monitored the situation. "Well, well. A Rotom, hmm?" he murmured. "They really think it'll be that simple to get to my lair?" He gave an evil cackle. "Oh, the perks of a paranoid girlfriend- I don't know if I'd ever have thought of half the security measures I have in place if it weren't for that beautiful, vile Pawniard."

[kawaiiconcept]

Frieghya tagged eagerly along occasionally firing a swift at a camera.

[EpicSquirtle]

"Yeah...apparently it's known for it's..uh, incredible research lab. According to what Telpo told me, the city is named after...the founder of the lab." Jake explained. "But umm, I guess we need to figure out...a place to meet up, huh?"
----
Millicent explained that she hadn't been doing much, besides training and battles, and that she had been getting good with Grass Knot. Willow had even been giving her tips.
"That's nice that she's helping you out like that." Telpo said.
"To be honest, I actually haven't done much training in a while." The Abra confessed. "I should probably get on that once I get home, what with Team Catalyst and all."
----
Scorpius grabbed a dustpan, sweeping some the shards into it, before reassuring Tessa that he forgot the dustpan as well.
"I guess....but you were helping me out." She said. "The least I could have done was to get that..."
----
Hayai didn't seem to calm down even a little once Jack told him to relax. It wasn't until he had revealed himself as Jack, Keith's Ditto, that Hayai calmed down.
"Oh....sorry for jumping to conclusions." Hayai apologized. "It's good to meet you too, Jack."
----
Having reached the elevator, Pom opened the doors (which had shut sometime during Hayai's conversation), revealing Jack and Hayai to be inside.
"Hayai? What are you doing here?" Pom asked. "I thought you were done with trying to help?"
"Of course not! Justice never sleeps!" Hayai exclaimed, his statement made only more ridiculous by the fact that he was still wearing a mustache.
"Rightttt, you do know I'm the only hero here......right?" Arthur asked.
"Nonsense. Though I may have been temporarily set back by some...unfortunate circumstances, I'll stand by everyone as a defender of justice no matter what!" The Blitzle exclaimed.
The Rotom waited for everyone to gather around the elevator before speaking once more.
"So is everyone ready? Don't come crying to me if you're not as prepared as I to fight the demons that lurk below!"

[Marion Ette]

Originally Posted by Missingno. Master

Keith sat down beside Minerva. It was clear that whatever that phone call was about was not exactly to her taste. Indeed, she explained about the Lacunosa Nightwatch, about Lora and Cal, and about how the former had called back in the bar to relay the painfully obvious to Minerva. Keith couldn't help but chuckle as Minerva gave an over-the-top, sarcastic demonstration of how blatantly obvious and decidedly unhelpful said call was. "My goodness! I never would have guessed!" he replied. Minerva then went on to explain that Lora had also called to ask if she'd come across Ffion yet. Keith had to admit, he too was wondering as to why someone would send someone like Ffion to the Fizzytopia region, given said region's current state of chaos and anarchy, considering that, based just off of what Keith had seen of her so far, she had an attention span shorter than Murray the Taillow, spent a full minute staring intently at the empty space next to Keith, and selected booze based solely on how pretty the bottles were. He simply shrugged to convey this, before speaking up once more. "Hey, speaking of Ffion, what was she going on about earlier, asking you if you told me something?" he asked. There was nothing accusatory about his tone of voice- far from believing that Minerva was withholding details intentionally, he felt confident that had there not been a series of interruptions back in the bar, whatever Ffion had alluded to Minerva might have already told Keith by now.

Keith listens intently to what his love has to say, before posing the big question on his mind - what was it that Minerva had to tell him? Minerva's shoulders go limp as she leans forward, heavy with the weight of what she has to convey.

"Right... The Grounding. It was a method developed out of necessity, mostly by Cal - though Ffion had significant input, believe it or not." Minerva shifts in her seat uncomfortably. "You must know about Lacunosa's history - the giant walls built to keep out the terrors of the night, and those who cower behind them when the sun sets, claiming it to be simple tradition. Before the Nightwatch was formed, the most mentally sound, emotionally stable trainers and Pokemon across Unova and beyond would be selected and brought to Lacunosa to serve in the original 'Night Guard.' No one will say much to me about what happened to them, even in my second year of the Watch, but..." Minerva stares up at the ceiling. "...Those who survived really have no life to speak of. Their minds are utterly broken. The only survivor who maintained some semblance of functionality was Cal. And even when that didn't break him, they needed to test him - needed to find out why he didn't crack - and it was nearly too much for him to bear. He had to find a way back to himself. This is what we call The Grounding, and it is required training for the Nightwatch. He believes that, in the extreme, and with some psychological and medical modifications, it could bring someone like me back to humanity, or something close to it. It sounds like a dream come true, but..." Minerva sighs. "There's a catch. Well, a few catches."

Minerva pauses, as if steeling herself for the explanation. "The first is five years of required service to the Nightwatch, of which I have served two. This is the price of the lessons, the procedures, all of it - it doesn't even cover half of my debt to them. Seems a far bargain, until you realize that when I started, there were fifteen of us, and only five remain." Minerva bows her head, an action signifying a sort of reverence for her fallen comrades. "The second is the experimental nature of the treatments - if they work, it will mean that I will no longer be overwhelmed and emotionally controlled by unimaginable grudges, but I will also lose my ability to speak and understand Pokemon language... any supernatural abilities of any kind, really... and I will grow old, likely to die a natural death... more than likely far earlier than a typical human. If I can bear children, I will not be able to see them through their development into adulthood."

Minerva takes a deep breath, which shudders slightly. "If it doesn't work... if the grudge is quelled, but I am not sufficiently human to survive without it... I will simply vanish. It's a lot of ifs and maybes. But you have to understand, Keith. I almost killed you. I almost killed my own sister, and she will not speak to me anymore. I have lost her, and I don't deserve you. I am trapped - I am trapped in this cycle of vengeance, and death, and undeath - I cannot continue. It needs to end, one way or another. And the last rampage I went on... It was how I ended up with the Watch in the first place. They had been sent to do away with me - and if I relapse completely, it will be Ffion who -"

At this point, Minerva curls up, head rested on her knees, arms tightly around her legs. She seems to be trying to take deep breaths, but her body is shivering.

[kawaiiconcept]

Frieghya stood up straight making herself look as powerful as possible and nodded.
Kawaii waited for a break in the conversation.
Cerno raised a wing "Exscuse me" he said loudly addressing the cosplay pikachu.
...
OoC:lets assume all other pokemon I had out were recalled.

[Missingno. Master]

"Yeah," Keith nodded as Jake suggested they work out a place to meet up. "Hmm... well, this place isn't too far from town, we could just meet up here," he suggested. "I'm guessing you noticed the Pokémon Center downstairs- Helena could heal up our Pokémon if necessary before we leave, help make sure we're ready. Unless you had a different idea?" he added, his tone of voice suggesting that if indeed Jake had a different idea, Keith would like to hear it.


"Hmm..." murmured Millicent. "You know what- why wait?" she said. "Hermione and Scorpius were thinking about letting Albus battle today, why don't we ask them if Albus could go up against you? I've seen him train before- he's definitely inherited his father's fighting spirit, so I think he'd make a good opponent for you."


"Ah, don't sweat it," said Scorpius as he continued to sweep. "It's no big deal, really. Besides, this room we're in? It's the Battle Room. It's seen way worse than a misfired Icicle Crash. Speaking of which, thanks for showing my boy those moves those costumes let you use," he added. "Little Albus loves learning, just like his mother. Though when it comes to battling, he's a lot like me," he added with no small amount of fatherly pride. "In fact, you may get to see this later on, if anyone here will agree to take him on in a battle."


Jack nodded as Hayai apologized for jumping to conclusions. "Don't sweat it, man," said Jack. "Just remember something- wanting to help is always a good thing. It's just, you gotta be smart about how you do it, y'know? Make sure you know what you're up against, think your plans through, make sure they at least got a chance of working." It was about then that Pom opened up the elevator doors. The not-Blitzle raised an eyebrow at the rather rude Rotom, but raised no questions about it.

"Fuck yeah, I'm ready," Cyanide nodded. "Any time I can get one over on Stewie, count me in."

"OK, whoa, whoa, hey, time-out real quick," said Jack as he resumed his usual purple bloblike form. "We're doing this now? We ain't seriously going down to Stewie's lair right this second?"

"That's the plan, yes," said Cyanide. "Why?"

"Because the guy isn't quite alone down there," said Jack. "Vinny had me get Stewie out of the PC in the first place-"

"You did what now?" demanded the Umbreon.

"He called in the favor," retorted Jack, allowing his bag of Quick Powder to poke out of his gelatinous form for a second. "I owed him. I'm sorry, are you suggesting I shouldn't have made good on a debt I owed someone, let alone owed that particular Camerupt?"

"...Alright, you got me there," conceded Cyanide. "Yeah, when Vinny calls in a favor, it's really, really not in your best interests to refuse."

"Stewie's currently meeting this Honchkrow and Seviper down there," Jack explained. "Real shady types. Even Vinny seemed to have respect for them. Moreover, Vinny made them promise they wouldn't disturb the party, and you know how he is about enforcing promises that are made to him," he said to Cyanide.

"The Ditto's got a point," stated Cyanide. "I'm all for kicking some Shadow Ledian ass, but even so, Stewie with backup, that's not a nice thought, and if Vinny really is gonna make sure they don't bother anyone... what do you think?" she asked, directing her question more to Freighya and Pom than anyone else.



What Minerva was about to convey was not easy for her to speak. That much was clear to Keith even before she'd opened her mouth. He listened intently, as he always did, as Minerva explained. First, more about Lacunosa. As unrelated to the question as it might have sounded at first, Keith listened nonetheless, knowing it was very likely important and relevant background information at the very least. He'd heard about Lacunosa Town, true enough, even if he'd never actually been to Unova. One of many stories he'd heard from Grandma Masters in his youth- Lacunosa Town was surrounded by big walls, constructed with the intent of keeping out some manner of horrible beast what ate humans. The forerunner to the Lacunosa Nightwatch involved the bringing in of mentally sound and emotionally stable Trainers and Pokémon to guard the city, and it apparently ended quite badly for most involved. Cal, apparently, was the only survivor who wasn't a broken shell of his former self, and this merely prompted people to test him, find out why that was. This testing was too much for him, and he'd found a way to become himself again, a method known as The Grounding. It was, Minerva revealed, a potential method of bringing someone like her back to humanity, or at least something close enough. And of course, like with all things that sounded too good to be true, it was.

The first part consisted of five years of service to the Nightwatch. Minerva had served two years of this already- it was basically the price for the rest of the procedure. And speaking of which, there's where it got intense. Keith kept hold of Minerva's hand all throughout this, for she was steeling herself for this part. The second part was highly experimental. If it worked, Minerva would be human again. Pretty much completely. No longer victim to the grudges that plagued her, albeit with something of a shorter life span than the average human. It sounded good, but Keith noted Minerva's use of the word "if". The implication that the methods could fail, and that if they did, the consequences would be dire. And indeed... there was a chance that this would not work. If the grudge was gone, but Minerva wasn't human enough to no longer require it to sustain herself... she would vanish. Keith blinked back some tears by this point, at a loss for words. Minerva went on to explain why this was so important for her, in spite of the risks. She had almost killed two people very dear to her. She no longer wanted any part of this vicious cycle, with the vengeance, the death... she wanted none of that anymore. It needed to end somehow.

As Minerva curled up on the couch, Keith put an arm around her, trying desperately to comfort her. Indeed, the promise of Minerva being freed from her grudge, allowed to live the human life she deserved, Keith was all for it. But the risks... The thought of Minerva simply vanishing forever was, quite frankly, horrifying. At least over the last five years, he hung onto the hope that she would regain her memory and return to him... If this failed, Keith wouldn't even have that. But then... this wasn't about him, was it? It was about Minerva, about the chance she deserved, and she was all for taking the risks in order to live the life she deserved... no matter how scared he was about the worst-case scenario, he could not, and would not, so much as dream of denying her such a chance.

"...It's a scary thing to think about," Keith finally said. "But what I know is... being human again, having the chance to live again, free from your grudge... you deserve this chance. I... I admit I really wish the risks weren't so dire... but if this is as important to you as I think it is- no, as I know it is... I- I don't know if I can be of any help to you in this, but if I can, then I want to be," he stated. "I... I want you to have the chance to live the life you deserve. Maybe even get to reconcile with Marion." He gently hugged Minerva, trying to comfort her, to be there for her.