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Old 07-31-2021, 06:03 PM   #1
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Annals of Bygone Eras

Within a small library on the shores of Loch Bygone lies a number of stories, recordings and lore pertaining to the residents, visitors and caretakers of the site, as well as related locales. These musings reference the historic events of Rory Straltus, the Manager and Codex, the Remnant Wanderers of Alex Blackhall, and the yarns spun by another unknown.

Contents:

Solemn Sendoff for a Strange Spirit

As people and pokemon flock to Loch Bygone, the circumstances behind Alex's final hours become known at his funeral.

Archivist from Beyond Time's Embrace

Amidst the remnants of Loch Bygone gym, a strange machine begins its next phase as the Manager's truth is revealed.

Last edited by Raves; 03-03-2023 at 08:32 PM.
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Old 07-31-2021, 07:05 PM   #2
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Solemn Sendoff for a Strange Spirit

The rain did not let up much, if at all, following the Swampert raid, as though the world itself wept at the tragedy that had led to the discovery of the former gym leader. Only a few scant hours after the last of the raiders had left the area and the remains had been wheeled to one of the buildings for autopsy did the first signs of Alex's orphaned team show up, as well as a small number of passing Aron and Lairon who saw the extinguished wrecks of the media helicopters and were grateful for the feast offered to them.

Nevertheless, to say that Lapis and her group were stunned would be an understatement, though it was more the arrival of Paine and Asclepius that emotions reached a fever pitch, and a large quarrel broke out, one which inevitably ended in several of the participants breaking down completely.

One week had passed since the discovery, and as people arrived for the occasion, the Manager stood by, silent yet respectful as the coffin lay on the altar. Nobody spoke, or moved much of an inch, until the mech gently stepped forward, with grace unexpected of such a sizable entity.

"Friends. Strangers. Guests. Onlookers and reporters, the gratitude of us at Loch Bygone is ours to profess. Today we are gathered to pay our respects to Alexander Blackhall, known to many simply as Alex," the Manager opened, metallic hands clasped together in mutual neutrality. "We would wish to call upon Lapis, Alex's Dusknoir, to eulogise."

The phantom solemly nodded as the robot stepped aside for the pokemon to slowly drift to the front, and as she gazed upon the crowds, she gave a visible shudder.

"Thank you, Manager...as a denizen of the great beyond, the news of Alex's passing was not entirely unexpected, given the relative fragility of human life, yet the tale of my former trainer is one muddied by a shaky past. From personal understanding, Alex was the victim of a peacekeeping organisation working from the shadows to maintain an aura of tranquility. In truth, the Order he ended up calling unfound family were a group no better than the upper echelons of Team Rocket and Flare, using tainted pokemon and people in efforts to control the populace.

"Alex however always had a strong sense of moral judgment, and was not one to follow in their darksided footsteps. He had a kind heart deep down despite the physical, mental, emotional and psychological abuse incurred, and never once did he wish the same unto his enemies. I am told by colleagues that he had first stepped foot into the lands of Fizzytopia through an iteration of the Arcane Realm, years back, and with naught but a fiesty Chimchar and disinterested Snover managed to release a Lunatone from centuries of tedium guarding a tomb to nothing. This would only be the start of several journeys he partook.

"By far one of his longer trials would be in Cortoza, where he dismantled a splinter group of Team Rocket, and rescued an abused Aipom from their grips, enduring some of the cruellest deterrences and tortures to the local pokemon population. Ultimately, he would find himself drawn to the gym system, and by extension Loch Bygone.

"One could say that Alex felt indentured to the system, yet he took every dynamax threat with utmost sincerity, and this would eventually lead him to the Primal Dialga incident, where he would find his greates challenge, one which would culminate in the end of his colourful life and torment.

"Through the confessions of Asclepius, who was present at the time, we learned of the events that would lead to his death. As Dialga hurtled towards the event horizon of their own creation in defeat, the infamous Raging Goddess of the Saccharine Sweets power spot pulled all involved to safety of our own realm. Alex however had narrowly missed her grip, and as he watched in silent horror, the impact of endless time with the singularity of space created a big bang phenomenom, and he surely would have been reduced to atoms had it not been for the intervention of an unknown cosmic force.

Crystal formed around Alex, shielding him from the blast and as time and space accelerated around him, he would find billions of years of progress pass before him in seconds, before landing upon a copy of our world, devoid of human life and steeped in shadow energy. Asclepius would protect him from the encroaching darkness for weeks as he toiled to find a way back, whereby he found himself facing down the spacial counterpart of Primal Dialga, a warped Palkia which sought to remove him from the world. With the Gardevoir exhausted, he would recall him and cover them, protecting Ascelpius as space would tear around him, and a ripple in the fabric of reality would suck him through.

"His injuries were fatal, yet he found an opening within limbo, to our world once more, and in his final act as the light left his eyes, he would hurl Ascelpius's ball through the window, before he would ultimately fall through a distortion in time and end up in the waters of the loch, one hundred years in the past. It is through autopsy that it was determined that he had succumbed to his wounds rather than drowning, and the shadowy energy effectively exacerbated the decay process.

"Alex fought and died a hero, and in spite of his troubled past, his legacy will be felt by many for years to come. Were it not for his sacrifice, we may be faced with a tear in the fabric of space itself. That being said, Alex was stubborn to a fault, yet every intention his was positive, and though he didn't speak much of his past, he had his hatchets to bury. Above all, though, he was our friend.

"To his few human friends, the ones who could be here and those who couldn't, I thank you from my heart for being here today, and I'm certain Alex appreciates it from wherever his soul lays. Where that is, I must confess eludes me, which as a pokemon known for guiding the souls to the hereafter gives me concerns. Wherever you are, may you know rest, and thank you, Alex, for being there for us.
"

A curt nod from the Dusknoir, and a few other orations from attendants, led to the Manager once more taking the cue. With a motion, the machine watched as four of Alex's teammates bore his pall. Nothung, his faithful starter, steeled his nerves. Mjolnir, the silent Swampert, carefully shouldered his final burden. Caritas, reborn from rubble, her heart ached at this moment. Visha, the tormented shadow pokemon, felt tears running down her face, but remained strong. Together the procession made for a hole in a clearing, a beautifully sculpted tombstone heading the grave. Gently placing his coffin on the spot, the entourage was silent for a moment, before the Manager stepped forward.

"With this oration, we inter Alex to the beyond. Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. Sun and moon, and stars above."

The ropes slackened, lowering the coffin into the grave, and as the Manager left the entourage to give their own farewells, they were approached by the Gardevoir, who raised his hand.

"You didn't know Alex, but I am certain he appreciates what you have done. As for your proposition, we have discussed, and some of us will accept you as our master, so to speak. Others still wish to travel with someone he knew, and some of us wish to start fresh. Myself, I will remain here, to tend to the grave, and to the wounds of those wracked by the power spot."

The Manager stood silent, before bobbing in a nod of appreciation as the overcast clouds finally broke, and a light drizzle started over Loch Bygone, the gods themselves giving tribute to the fallen.
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Old 03-03-2023, 08:30 PM   #3
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Archivist from Beyond Time's Embrace

For one to look upon Lock Bygone at this moment would bring them to the conclusion that the lake had remained completely abandoned years ago, and that there had been no evidence of it ever hosting a gym of any sorts. Indeed, the Power Spot that once stood upon the lakebed had long since died, what little influence of Eternatus dissipated as the Wishing Star's energy left it completely. In fact, the lake itself seemed even deader than before, with not even wild pokemon in the vicinity. The banks of the lake were just as dilapidated, with the far shore, once home to ghosts, no longer in sight and the buildings there having collapsed in their entirety.

As for the structures that former Gym Leader Alex and his team called home, any sign of habituation had all but cleared up, as though the location had never been touched by human hands since it dried up. As far as the records went, the silence of the region's gyms heralded an end to an era of great growth for all. That, of course, led to the discussion on what the plans for the gyms were. As far as the trainers were concerned, they were too busy being distracted by the arrival of Paldean pokemon and the Terastallisation phenomenom to bother with the concept of gyms and raids. Some even scoffed at how trivial these raids had became, glorified sponges of dynamax energy to whittle down, and the last straw of this at the lake was most certainly the Palossand.

"Iron Apollyon."

The one notable feature left at the gym rumbled. It was well over a year ago that the Codex recorded the end of the Palossand, how it attempted to flee, only to be utterly erased from existence by what appeared to the eyes of the humans as some ungodly metamorph of Metagross who deemed their battles meaningless. To those human eyes, yes, but the Codex knew exactly what it was dealing with. Its report to the Manager left the machine stunned.

"Iron what?" A cacophony of voices behind the large robot caught the Manager's attention, but they did not turn to the source, the swirling mass of souls sealed to a large rock resonating.

"To you, an indistinguishable mass of impossible, akin to the Missingno. phenomenom of Cinnabar. It has no official name, so we designated it in accorance with New Castelia etymology based on its nature. As Treads represents our discovery and heritage of the wheel, and Jugulis to the neck and its role in support and survival." The Manager rumbled as their form stood motionless, single green eye staring out on the horizon. "Tell me, Council. What do you know of the concept of Area Zero, Paldea?"

The Spiritomb ebbed a little as it considered this, before one of its many voices spoke up.

"It's a fucked up safari zone where creatures from the past and future run around stuck within their walled paradise or whatever. What's that matter?"

"Then you will know of the Iron Paradox pokemon. Some cryptopokologists suggest these creatures are not truly pokemon, but beasts from a divergent timeline. Some speculate that Area Zero lies within a former Dialga Gate and that the reason they exist is because someone was stupid enough to try and open it up."

The Manager continued staring out on the lake. "Our records on Fizzytopia were vast. Expansive. Complete...but not fully archived. New Castelia Library did not expect the arrival of Apollyon, nor what It left. All other records of history were in remote storage. Fizzytopia's was under revision. Millenia of data gathered and recorded: annihilated. Apollyon was repelled, of course, but Its mark was felt."

A small whirring sound and figure appeared on the horizon.

"Wait, does this mean...excuse us for a moment while the Council deliberates." The spectral mass voiced in a cacophony.

"Can I get my sippy cup first?" a much smaller, meeker voice seemed to echo from the Spiritomb, to a few indecipherable murmurs before the ghost pokemon somehow procured a carton of oran juice from nowhere in particular and held it to one of the swirling spirits.

The Codex arrived on the scene, with what seemed to resemble a capsule of some sort.

"Manager, compilation of Fizzytopia (2022) has been completed," the tinny voice of the Codex responded, as the Manager rumbled but didn't move.

"Indeed. The year of departure was 11,308. As New Castelia Archivist, my role is to collate the years of history lost. The only method to do so was to travel via temporal portal to this time period. The world of the future is...different from this. We have had to make sacrifices to get here."

The eye of the Manager dimmed.

"This unit's auxiliary power unit has run dry. Acclimatisation is at eighty eight percent. Not optimal, but time has slipped faster than expected, unfortunately. Activating Temporal Uplink mode. Exosuit HM-00-1138-1010, operator S.K. -00, disengage."

The Council stood there, silent as the machine hissed and leaned forward, primary arms extended out as the light of the eye faded. Steam escaped the structure as the front of the machine opened, and the machine's very shape began to recede and warp as what seemed to be a humanoid figure climbed out, what seemed to be some sort of spacesuit covering their form as they steadily got to their feet as the Codex placed the capsule into the larger machine as it began to whir and hum, and in a flash of light the capsule vanished.

"Destroyer. The designation Apollyon is humanity's tendency to destroy in order to progress. Its true form resembles the Entropic Wyrm, its immense power affecting the minds of humans and causing them to see it for something else. That it found its way to this land...is an omen," the human spoke, voice calm and analytical, yet with a slight edge of hoarseness indicative of wisdom.

The Council simply remained silent, contemplating what they had just witnessed as the figure prodded at their suit's collar. With a small click, the suit appeared to crumble away and dissipate as though it were a hologram, the figure stretching as their labcoat billowed in the dead wind. Sweeping a hand through teal hair, the figure turned to the Codex, which whirred as it clasped its pincer hands and gave a small bow to the human.

Turning to the Spiritomb, the human addressed them.

"Of course, introductions are in order. Professor Sersa Kapok. Archivist of New Castelia Library. One hundred sixty eight, parent of three, grandparent of eleven. And, I suppose, head of Fizzytopia's Gym system through inheritance. Come now, let us discover the region as it is, for the sake of what is still to come, as well as work out something to deal with this Apollyon situation."
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Old 09-03-2023, 05:50 PM   #4
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Choler's Shackle

"Mrr..."

This trip had so far been completely fruitless. The whole thing had beem Kandji's idea from the get-go and aside from a random group of other trainers' pokemon who were clueless on the whereabouts of this so-called sage, and the irritable Minior who seemed oblivious to the fact that it could just fuse new shell fragments from stray pieces of rock together there had been no progress whatsoever. Indeed, the Primeape's patience at this point was very much on ice so thin that it was little more than a veneer on catastrophe's bosom.

His mood was not being helped by Firn's snarky attitude, the Snorunt clearly not a fan of having to be lumped in with the goody-two-shoes dolphin. The Tree Grove's other residents didn't have much more of a clue either, though that one Drampa at least seemed to sympathize with the plight and pointed out that there was a couple of unusual pokemon who hailed from some woodland a good few miles away from the Mother Tree, and so the entourage departed the grove, but not before asking Enji who had wandered in to keep an eye out for their trainer. The Tinkatink was certainly eager to do so, having wanted in the grove to search for some different bits of metal to repair her pick as it kept getting chewed on.

The huffing pig monkey regardless was on the verge of a full-blown meltdown by the time their group reached the forest outskirts. It stood out for sure, being a coniferous wood with orange leaves, a combination that wasn't all too common. Giving a slight tremble, Kandji ventured forth as Firn and Bracken trailed behind, the Finizen a bit uncomfortable with the surroundings.

"Grass pokemon..." he murmured, taking special care where those aqua jets went as the snow cap pokemon waddled near them. "Type advantage aside, if I get stuck anywhere I'm a sitting duck."

"Then maybe you should hurry up and rub that paint off already," the Snorunt retorted, to the piscine pokemon's surprise and Kandji's grunt of confusion. "Hide it all you want to, but I saw you fight alongside that purple blob thing against that sleazy Hypno, and I saw that light show you put on. You evolved. Straight up. So quit the denial."

The dolphin could only stare daggers at the ice type, but eventually sighed and rubbed at their chest, scraping off flecks of paint over the red heart symbol eblazoned on their chest with some humdrum embarassment. A low growl from just behind the pair put the feeling of dread in their hearts as the Primeape's temper finally reached boiling point.

"...when the hell did this happen? Why was I not invited?"

"Uh, well-"

"You're a fighting type. It was a psychic type. Can't make it more obvious you woulda got bodied," the Snorunt quipped back, before swiftly realising her mistake the instant the Primeape's fist made contact with her face. Bracken could only zip out of the way and dart to the dazed ice pokemon's side as Kandji's patience finally gave out, and with a guttural shriek the pig monkey began to rampage through the forest, blinded by rage.

The two of them sat there wordlessly, having saw this coming for a while, but unable to stop it. Kandji stormed through the bushes, slamming fists into trees and uprooting small bushes as he raged aimlessly, and blind to the world around him.

"Ow...shouldn't have piped up..."

---

"Hmmm?"

"-and it just threw me over the bush when it caught sight of me. I couldn't do anything!"

"Hmmm. Take shelter, little one, it seems our surprise guest is about to arrive."

The scuttling of several tiny feet as the Wurmple scarpered the clearing was not lost on the creature as it watched the rustling of bushes and the screeching of blind anger. It was of little wonder then as the bundle of fury burst forth from the bushes, the Primeape heaving and snarling as he entered a natural clearing with a sizable tree a few dozen yards before him.

Nestled in the boughs of the tree sat a Jigglypuff. Or at least, something that appeared to resemble a Jigglypuff, if Jigglypuff were the size of Wigglytuff and sported a hairstyle resembling a swishing tail. The large Jigglypuff gazed at the pokemon with its amber eyes, small fangs protruding from its slight smile. Kandji's rage-blinded eyes caught them, and rage decided that it would beat the stuffing out of the glorified balloon.

He screamed as he stormed for the tree, in hot pursuit of the puffball, but before he could cross halfway the Jigglypuff gave a small clap with its nubby hands. Before he knew it, the ground itself seemed to steam and swirl with a strange mist, and the terrain itself warped in the same position. Still the fighting type was not deterred, nimbly leaping up the branches ready to batter the Jigglypuff, and as he readied his fists the creature gently dropped down, causing Kandji to overshoot the mark and tumble off the branch, shrieking as he rolled down the trunk.

Crumpling to the misty soil, he jumped up just as quickly before facing his adversary, the giant Jigglypuff remaining silent but hovering above the ground slightly. Rushing the pink pokemon once again, the fairy merely wiggled its arms in a metronome, focusing on the limbs before stopping with a smirk as its mind found the exact move for the situation and as the ape leapt for a mighty cross chop the Jigglypuff's body seemed to take on a fluffy texture. The fists landed upon it, yet the cotton guarding the Jigglypuff seemed to bolster its physical defence to nigh impenetrable levels. The Primeape wasn't stopping, assaulting the pokemon with blow after blow, yet the mysterious Jigglypuff simply floated there and took it, eyes locked with the Primeape as he screamed at it. Thrashing around furiously, the Primeape's anger boiled fervourously as the puffball merely clapped its hands, an encore performance demanded, which served only to provoke its ire further.

Several minutes passed, with Kandji seemingly doing little to the Jigglypuff as it calmly countered every one of his techniques. For his screeching, it merely ignored it with a smile and a flex to increase its bulk. For the close combat and close quarters strikes, it matched his blows with its own, sapping some energy with each one. Eventually, Kandji's companions caught up, and could only watch from the scrubland at the sight before them.

"That's a fuckin' massive Jigglypuff," the Snorunt whispered to the water type as he merely gave a small shake of the head.

"Not a Jigglypuff, that's why," Bracked quietly responded, waving a fin at the pink creature. "Well, depending on what books you read or hear about. Some call it a super-old one, but the dex says it shouldn't exist."

"Old? Five pokedollars that's our so-called sage then."

The sage simply gave a small nod before catching the Primeape's fist as his anger continued to boil on, raging incessantly as he tried in vain to beat up the Jigglypuff.

"No, that will not work," the sage softly replied, serving only to provoke the chimp further. "Let not your physical form strike, but your spiritual form."

This only made the seething pokemon huff, and drawing fist back, something clicked in the Primeape's mind. Angry, angry, angry. But how to use anger? Spirit? Like ghost? Ghost punch? Ghost punch. Angry ghost punch. The pokemon's inner rage filled his fists and it lunged forth, but once again found itself thwarted by the Jigglypuff's wisdom, though its smile faltered slightly as the spiritual energy from the punch seemed to seep into it.

"Again, but put more spiritual power into it."

Another punch, another block.

"Once more, with more energy."

Thrust. Block. Thrust. Block. Thrust. Block.

Kandji's hateful stare seemed to be fading as exhaustion slowly started to set in, and the fighting type took a breather and a step back, grunting as he did so. The Jigglypuff simply waited, before suddenly giving a tremendous scream that burst from it like the boom of an exploding bomb, startling the spectators and blowing the pokemon back into the bushes as he cried out, the force of the attack landing a surprise critical blow. He shakily got to his feet as the Jigglypuff hovered there.

"Your spiritual power is there. You just need to tap into it. Only once you can break the shackles holding it back can you find the desired peace," the sage replied before the Primeape could comment, and as it gave another knowing smirk, the Primeape staggered forward, eyes no longer full of hate or anger, but consideration.

My rage is due to it being bound to myself. I must...release it. Release it...so both of us can be free.

CRRRRK.

Bringing a paw to his wrist and the shackle it bore, the ghostly energy within seeped into the shackle as it began to splinter, and as it did so the fighting type was taken by a luminous glow as its form began to change. A twist, and the bracer crumbled to dust as his fur darkened in tone, wisps emanating from his head and body growing a little. Raising arm back, the glow faded as Kandji lunged forth, the Jigglypuff once again catching the fist, but this time the pokemon gave a small "puff!" as the sage was thrown back, smile going from confident to confirming.

"Then it is done," the fairy pokemon ceded as the mist dissipated, before leaping back to its bough leaving the newly evolved pokemon to himself as he huffed, blindness lifted from his rage as he rubbed his freed wrist. A rustle caught Kandji's attention, before his two companions sheepishly waved at him, awkward grins on their faced as the red-eyed pokemon stretched and yawned.

"Hrm...going to take some getting used to, this," he grunted. "Feels like a weight off my shoulders, yet the same time I feel both angry and calm. Should probably head back before Enji starts trying to dig up the tree."

---

The trio returned and were surprised to find out that not only had the Tinkatink been well-behaved, but that Talitha had returned from her day trip and that the child had a new toy to play with. The fighting pokemon raised a quizzical finger, before the woman explained that Alli had somehow landed a perfect throw on a hoopstick game and ended up winning a ticket to a claw machine, which then resulted in the youngster successfully grabbing a pokeball from it.

"...and I suppose that is how we ended up with Cudgel here," she concluded as the Raven pokemon towered over the group, plucking a couple of slightly dented feathers out of its chest and dropping them to the ecstatic blacksmith pokemon as the young boy cheerfully hugged its leg. Yes, it seemed to be a day of growth and gains, though why a whole-ass Corviknight was one of the prizes in the glorified rigged gacha was beyond the mother.
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