Rise of the Rockets - Game Topic (Pre-Time Skip)

[Parugi]

[the most important topic]

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[holding post]

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[Parugi]

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[flipz]

IC: Lionel Zyther/Alex Zyther

Lionel shook his head. “We can rest at the castle, or even in the vans on the way there. I’d prefer we get on the road as soon as possible.” He looked to Alex. “What about you, Alex?”

“You mean when we get to Lumiose?”

Lionel nodded.

Alex stared at their feet pensively. “I’d… I’d prefer to go with you, Dad.” The Trainer looked to Lucia, missing the crestfallen look on Elaine’s face. “I’d… I’d actually prefer if you came with us, too, Sis. The first time we met we got torn apart by all the craziness in Celadon. I… I don’t want that to happen again here.”

[unknownmercury]

IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon/Emily Lockwood/Belle LaDonna/Alma Mason/Calem Geosenge Cottage, 1:58 AM August 13th

Jared nodded. "So, Lachina to Ambrette, Colleen and Zoe to Anistar, Emily, Elaine, Lockwood, and the Champions to the Elite Four, and the rest of us will be splitting up at the various locations throughout Lumiose." He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Sounds good. Let's hurry up and get out of here."

As he took a step to turn, Lachina took a hesitant step towards him. After a moment of hesitation -- acutely aware of the dozen other people in the room -- she moved forward and hugged him lightly. "Be careful, Jared," she said quietly. "Mercury, watch out for him."

"I will," the duo said softly. Jared patted Lachina's back once, then stepped away.

Emily squeezed Colleen's hand. "You be careful, too, okay? I'll see you when this is all done."

[Parugi]

IC - Lucia Zyther/Olivia Seaton/Colleen Llyan - Geosenge Cottage, Geosenge City:

If Lucia was apprehensive, she managed to hide it. She nodded, offering an encouraging smile to Alex. "We'll be beside you the entire time," she said, gesturing to Jamie. "Both of us."

She glanced at Elaine, though left any concerns she held about the arrangement and the situation as a whole unsaid--those wouldn't do any good right now. The important thing was that they take care of Team Flare however they could. The rest . . . Well, they could sort out later.

"I guess that's it for arrangements, then?" Olivia said, her southern twang quiet, but strong in the tense silence. "The sooner we get goin', the better our chances. So . . . We'd best get goin'."



IC - Quentin “Shift” Dallas/Salha/Jere (Chatot, Banette)/Loup (Alolan Muk)/Ileana (Vikavolt)/Kemp (Klefki, Ninjask)/Trudy (Smeargle, Carnivine) - Streets, Dendemille Town:

Today was a good day.

Shift couldn't help but hum. He spun his cane in his hand, admiring the handiwork of his soldiers. As far as he could tell, the entire populace of Dendemille Town had been neutralized, leaving the treasures and belongings behind each and every locked door ripe for the taking. And the soldiers themselves . . .

He spun and threw out a chef's kiss.

Loup pressed against a door, ushering his Muk to puddle underneath it. The door melted where the corrosive Pokémon came into contact with it, soon breaking it down and allowing its trainer entry; Loup emerged moments later with a filled duffel bag, which he carried on his back as they moved further down the line. Ileana's Vikavolt fed on the power lines, draining energy from whatever buildings still managed to vent out the toxic air. Kemp and his Klefki and Ninjask moved from fallen pedestrian to fallen pedestrian, swiping keys left and right--car keys, house keys, mail keys. Trudy and his Smeargle and Carnivine, meanwhile, were hard at work painting a mural across the sides of several buildings, dedicating the day to the Signs. Behind him, Salha pressed the truck forward, slowly and surely following in his footsteps. Jere rode atop the truck itself, his Chatot and Banette watching for any troublemakers.

Speaking of troublemakers . . .

Shift held his radio up to his mouth, holding up a hand and signaling for Salha to slow. "Pravin," he cooed. "It's been a while. Did you take care of the problem?" The radio responded only with dead static. Shift clenched his jaw. "Damn it, Pravin, if they so much as scratched that dispenser--"

An explosion in the distance interrupted him. Shift stared blankly in its direction, taking a moment to run through his list. With a pointed twist of a dial, he switched channels. "Helge?" he said very, very softly. "What the hell . . . was that?" She too, did not answer. Shift pressed on the transmitter button again, paused, took a deep breath, and slowly released it. He hooked the radio back to his belt and straightened up. "Fine . . . Fine! Fine, fine, fine, fine, fine . . ." He lifted his hat, running a hand through his hair before replacing it. "Fuck it; I'll deal with it myself." He whistled, waving his finger in a circle above him. "Gather up, fellas; we've got some heroes to kill."

[flipz]

IC: Lionel Zyther/Serena/Elaine Alderson/Emily Lockwood/Calem/Jared Winters

Lionel nodded approvingly. “Good. It’ll be good to keep the family together at a time like this.” He pulled out his Holo Caster and began making arrangements. “We should have vans ready within the hour, I’d suggest you all gather your things. I hate to impose even further, Elaine, but could you come with me to pick up the rentals?”

“I’ll do it,” Serena volunteered, noticing Elaine’s unhappy demeanor. “Calem can handle things here.”

“That’s fine. We’ll be back in an hour.”

---------------

Emily shifted a bit in her seat, nervously glancing back at the back row of seats where her new cousins had piled in. That entire group had fallen asleep as soon as the van started moving, somehow even more exhausted than the group she’d been traveling with. She turned back towards the front and scooted over a bit to whisper to Elaine.

“Are you doing alright, auntie?”

The professor shook her head. “No. I’m not.”

“Talk with me, Elaine.”

Elaine sighed. “I… What am I supposed to do here? What am I supposed to feel?” Her gaze drifted back to Alai -- no. Alex. “He’s not my son… that’s… been made clear to me.” She did her best not to acknowledge the ache in her chest that accompanied that admission. “But at the same time… he looks so much like Alain… how I always imagined he’d grow up to be.” She shook her head again, putting a hand across her face and applying pressure to her temples in a vain attempt to ward off weariness. “What even are we to each other? Just a few hours ago I was a lonely, childless widow. Now I have a son again? Apparently a daughter? Xerneas only knows how many more?” The professor bit her lip, struggling to hold back tears. “How am I supposed to be a mother to so many children I never even knew existed?”

“Alex does look like Xander, and the pictures of Dad that I’ve seen from when he was that age,” Emily agreed. “Biologically, I guess, yeah, they’re your kids, if Ezekiel used Alain’s DNA.” The Performer shrugged. “As to how you be their mother… well, I think you’re a pretty great aunt, and it can’t be too different than that. Even if they decide to go their own ways and travel their own paths, they’ll be yours. If you want them to be, I mean.” Emily squeezed her aunt’s hand. “It’s going to be okay, auntie, I promise.”

“I…” Whatever response she had originally had, Elaine bit it back. Worrying was not going to help her, and would only put more pressure on the people who definitely were family. “All right. We should get some rest. We have a long night ahead of us.”

Before she could make sense of any reply, the professor found herself nodding off.

---------------

Compared to the multi-day hike it had taken to reach Geosenge, the return journey was, shockingly, without incident. The dull scenery of the toll roads betrayed little of the treacherous terrain it bypassed, and despite the designers’ commitment to keeping the roads out of sight of the Routes even at cost of detours, the trip was still significantly shorter, the group covering in a day what it had taken them three to traverse on foot. Those few passengers still awake to see it saw the familiar sight of Camphrier, and Shabboneau Castle in particular, bathed in the transient glow of twilight.

Lionel stared at his own castle, brooding.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Calem asked from behind the wheel.

The businessman gave the Champion a suspicious glance, but then his vision chanced upon the vehicle behind them in the rearview mirror, Elaine visibly asleep in the back seat. He grimaced.

“That list you mentioned…” Lionel let out a frustrated sigh. “There was a name on it. Chalmers.”

“Yeah?”

“That’s the name of my butler.”

“I mean…” Calem spared the man a brief glance before returning his eyes to the road. “It’s… possible, I suppose, but given the context…”

“Believe me, I hope it’s just coincidence. But if there’s the slightest chance the castle has been compromised… the slightest chance my family’s at risk…”

Calem nodded. “So we’re confronting him?”

Lionel paused. “That’s…” He frowned, mind having circled back to the point that had vexed him in the first place. “It’s a risk.”

“If it’s a risk,” Jared said, surprising both of them as he stirred from his own slumber. “Then all the more reason for us to be there with you.”

Silence reigned for several long seconds, the van coming closer and closer to the turnoff for the castle.

“…All right,” Lionel finally said.

The van turned into the long, winding driveway, Serena’s van pulling in behind them. There was no turning back now.

[Konuju]

IC: Dahlia Seaton/Klim Prizak - Shabboneau Castle, Kalos
Exhausted as she had been the night before, Dahlia spent a majority of the day's journey asleep, her head resting on her sister's shoulder. If Olivia disliked the notion of being a human pillow she chose not to voice her opinions. The Heroine of Reverse slept soundly, only waking at Olivia's nudge as they pulled into the castle.

"Good evening, sleepyhead." From the seat next to Olivia, Klim regarded his protege with what looked like amusement. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"Don't tell me I slept through the whole battle," Dahlia mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Did we win?"

"Not yet," the former Hero of Reverse said grimly. "You must have been pretty exhausted, though. Tell me, Dahlia, have you ever fought in a battle as big as this?"

"I helped defend Celadon about a month ago, and I fought one of Ford's agents on Two Island. Although I guess he wasn't really Ford's . . ."

"My point is, fights such as these can go on for a long time. You may not notice it as much when you're just directing your Pokémon, but when you yourself are fighting, you're expending a lot of energy. You want to be careful not to overexert yourself, or you'll run out of steam early on."

"Sorry." The response came automatically to Dahlia's lips. "I'll try to do better this time."

"There's no need to apologize," Klim assured her. "But while we're at the castle I'd like to show you a few new tricks that can help you out in a pinch. Some simple yet effective ways of taking out your enemies."

Dahlia nodded, feeling more awake now. She fixed her eyes on her predecessor. "Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me."

Klim responded with a soft smile. "It means a lot to me too, knowing Giratina's powers are in good hands. He was wise to choose you as his next Hero, Dahlia."

[unknownmercury]

IC: Elaine Alderson

Elaine emerged from the kitchen with a bottle of wine, a glass, and a strong inclination to keep to herself. Visions of the past danced distractingly past her eyes, and if she spotted a little girl slipping past her towards the wine chiller, she either failed to register the occasion or failed to care. Either was likely in her current state; not even the sound of Emily chatting with her cousin in the next room managed to pierce through the melancholic haze surrounding her like an autumn haze. She climbed the stairs to the room she’d been given on their previous visit, heedless of the startled butler she passed before closing and locking the door behind her. She sank into a plush winged armchair, the evening sun pouring through the beige curtains and bathing the room in a sepia-toned light -- perfect for her reminiscence of an unhappy past.

Elaine swept into Ezekiel’s study, the lab coat billowing behind her trailing glittering dust from a cave off of Route 9. She spun as her husband called out to her from the balcony above.

“Elaine!” The scientist ambled easily down the stairs to join his wife. “I’m… so happy to see you.”

The Professor scowled. “Boundaries, Zeke. What the hell is so important that you had to call me off of an important dig?”

Ezekiel’s smile wavered, but did not fade entirely. “Well. According to the Lysandre Labs log, it seems your ‘digs’ have moved from fossils to records. It seems Dr. Yarrow had a visitor yesterday -- and imagine my surprise to find out it was you.”

“Ah. Yes, he did call me in. It seems he and Jamie are good friends. Though strangely enough, we ended up discussing one of your latest projects -- Dr. Yarrow is at the center of it.”

“I see. And you just… happened to run into the good doctor. At Lysandre Labs.”

Elaine chuckled dryly. “I’ll admit. I was… curious. About your trusted lieutenant. You’ve been spending so much time with him instead of me, after all.”

Ezekiel raised an eyebrow at his wife’s deliberate hypocrisy, but chose not to comment. “And what did you think of him?”

“Insightful. Courageous. Direct. Your exact opposite, Zeke.”

Ezekiel let out a short snort. “Yes, well, in future I’d much prefer you keep your distance. I’ll deal with Yarrow myself from now on.”

Elaine’s lip curled in distaste. “You say that as if he belongs to you.” It was a tone she was more used to hearing in reference to herself, when the odd colleague spent too long with her in Ezekiel’s presence. “Dr. Yarrow is an adult. You may be his supervisor, but you can’t claim him like a piece of property. He’s not some… puppet to just use for your own ends and just cast aside.” She spun on her heel, fully intending to storm out, but something held her back, made her give her husband one last searching look.

Ezekiel did not fail to catch the questioning expression buried beneath her anger, betrayed by the horrified fear in her eyes. “You know, don’t you.”

Silence stretched out between them, a growing tension Elaine struggled to break. She took one breath, two, trying to start but lacking the right words. At last her fury mounted, and she managed to speak. “Do you actually believe you have the right to recycle our dead son for some sort of sick vanity project?”

Ezekiel walked forward, putting himself in her face. “I only did what you never had the guts to do.”

“What you’ve done is depraved! You disgust me!”

Elaine turned once more to leave, only for Ezekiel to catch her arm in an iron grip. “Elaine. Can you honestly tell me you wouldn’t want to see Alain just one more time? To look into the eyes of the son we’ve lost?”

Elaine shook her head, pulling herself from her husband’s grasp and backing away. “It’s you I’ve lost… it’s you I’ve lost.” Refusing herself any further hesitation, she burst through the study doors, and ran, and ran, and ran…

She’d run that night to her brother, barely able to articulate what had happened through her distress. A few short weeks later, she’d learn of his betrayal as well, along with his death, Ezekiel’s death, Lysandre’s death. Death across Kalos, the death of hope, the death of trust, the death of the future. Her world closed in around her, and like she’d done a decade before, she buried herself in her grief, then buried her grief in her work…

She’d assumed that Ezekiel’s sick dream had died with him. That his experiment had failed, and been buried beneath the ruined wreckage of Geosenge. But that wasn’t right. His work had borne fruit, born it multiple times, and so it seemed had that of her husband’s employer, the man whose mad dream had brought her entire life crashing down around her.

James Cruize had never liked Ezekiel. Had warned her not to marry him. She could still hear him, the day she’d chosen to walk down the aisle, waiting with bated breath for the man she’d been convinced would open up the rest of her life.

”Elaine… Elaine!” “Elaine!”

Something sharp broke into her reminiscence. Blue eyes bored into her own, the messy black hair accompanying them longer than she’d remembered, but still unmistakable. She stared down at her glass and grimaced, knowing that hallucination marked an end to the night’s drinking. She stood and walked to the table beneath the window, watching as the last rays of light across the horizon dwindled into nothing. She closed her eyes and attempted to wile away the imagined image of what her brother would look like were he alive today.

A hand fell on her shoulder.

“Elaine.”

A glass fell from stunned, unfeeling hands, spilling a staining red across the table below..

“We need to talk.”

IC: Dornez Chalmers/Lionel Zyther/Jared Winters/Calem

Others went to sleep for a bit -- It was only 6 in the evening, and the trip to Lumiose would take them less than an hour by car -- but after making a few preparations and ensuring the others were settled, Jared joined Lionel and Calem in finding the house’s butler. The silver-haired man had let Anubis out of his ball, figuring that the fighting type’s presence could only help the situation.

“Oh! You’re back, sir. Very good.” The butler hung up the phone on the wall, devoting his full attention to his employer. “Is there anything I might be able to assist--”

“Cut the crap, Chalmers,” Lionel ordered. “Are you responsible for delaying our investigation of Lysandre Labs?”

The butler seemed startled, then confused. “I… suppose that could be one interpretaion, yes. I’m dreadfully sorry, I hope my failure did not cause any undue--”

“Oh, is that how you’re playing it?” Lionel scowled at his trusted servant. “We’ve trusted each other for the better part of a decade, and you pick now to stab me in the back? To stab my family in the back?”

“Sir?” Chalmers regarded Lionel with increasing concern, scanning the faces of his master’s companions for answers. “I don’t… what exactly do you…?”

Jared and Anubis both crossed their arms. As he spoke, Jared let a bit of Mercury into his voice. “Cut the shit. We found a list in Lysandre’s base of operations. ‘Means of Assistance.’ Had your name on it.”

The butler’s eyes widened. “My--?” Chalmers froze, staring at the phone in horror. He slowly looked back to the three men threatening him. “What… what name did you see, exactly?”

Calem shot the others a glance and decided to play good cop. “Chalmers.”

“Just ‘Chalmers’?” the man asked.

Jared scowled. “Yeah. Just Chalmers. I find it highly unlikely that there’s more than one and we just happened to have issues after meeting you and it’s all completely unrelated.”

Chalmers opened his mouth, but to his surprise it was Lionel who spoke. “No, but ‘unrelated’ is definitely not the right word.”

Calem nodded. “Like I thought. Akamaro Chalmers. Vice-President of Kalos.”

“My brother."

IC: Belle LaDonna/Amelia Zann

Belle didn’t ask as Alma left the kitchen, arms full of an array of food items -- though she wondered what the girl would be doing with a bottle of wine, she also knew Alma well enough to let it slide -- and moved to raid the pantries herself. “Whattaya hungry for, Pond?” she asked, casting a quick glance at her… girlfriend? No, that label was too small, too naive. Lover? Too intimate, too deep a connection even between the two of them. Belle sighed a bit as she had the thought.

Amelia smirked. “If I’m bein’ honest?” She affixed Belle with a wicked grin. “You.”

Belle paused a moment, and then her face turned a deep shade of red as she turned away from Amelia. “Pasta! We’ll have spaghetti!” She fumbled a box of the noodles out of the cabinet, along with a jar of sauce. “Sounds good, love it, yep!”

Impossibly, Amelia’s grin only grew wider. “What’s the matter, Blake? Don’t you want to be my Totino?” she attempted in a Kalosian accent… ‘attempted’ being the key word.

Belle slammed the jar on the counter. “Maybe later, hon, but we’re on a mission right now.”

“Yeah, well maybe I could be your missionair--” Amelia cut herself off at the expression on Belle’s face. “Ah, shit. You okay, Blake?”

Belle grinned a bit, still red. “Really, Pond. Time and a place. We can tango later, when things aren’t so high-stress, alright?”

Reassured she hadn’t crossed a line, Amelia instantly pivoted back to full flirtation. “Ah, c’mon, Blake. Y’all know I consider stress an aphrodisiac.”

A loud gagging noise interrupted the pair before things could go any further out of hand. “Ack. Did not need to know that,” Alex groaned. The Trainer hastened to the pantry, muttering to themself while digging through bags and boxes before coming up with two rolled-down paper bags and carrying them off.

The mood broken, Amelia leaned casually back against one of the cabinets. “Anyway, why’re y’all botherin’ with all that? Ain’t this guy got a butler or somethin’?”

“Probably, but I haven’t seen ‘im, and I make a mean pasta.”

“If it’s as mean as yer Mudbray punch, ah’d better get some herbal remedy on hand t’ dull th’ pain.”

Belle chuckled. “Not that mean, but pretty darn delicious.”

“Well then. While y’all rustle up th’ grub, ah’ll--” here Amelia booped Belle on the nose “--go rustle up some eye candy fer dessert. Don’t go nowhere, y’hear?”

Before Belle could object, Amelia slipped away, vanishing into the house and its many hallways.

“Eye candy?” she said quietly, her voice shaky.


IC: Alma Mason/Alex Zyther

Alma scowled as she double-checked the list. Some things were easy to get -- Lionel Zyther had a prolific liquor cabinet, and a little wine would not be missed, for instance -- but some items were decidedly not. Surprisingly, the skull had been simple enough to obtain -- wealthy businessmen apparently just kept human skulls as decoration in their sitting rooms -- and what she was struggling to figure out was the myrrh. The coin, also, was a surprisingly difficult thing to come by. In this modern age, few carried coins around with them, and the servants of the house did an excellent job at cleaning chairs and couch cushions.

Alma turned, arms full of the items she had acquired, and startled. A small yelp escaped her, and she nearly dropped the wine bottle as she saw Alex standing in the doorway. “Do not sneak up on me like that!” she hissed.

“Sorry,” Alex replied automatically. They raised an eyebrow at Alma’s assortment of abnormal accoutrements, only to raise it higher at the sight of the elaborate chalk-drawn sigils sketched out upon the hardwood floor. “So…” Alex paused awkwardly. “Am I going to have to go fetch the Grumpig’s blood for this, or…?”

Alma scoffed. “No, but if you know where I can find some myrrh, I would much appreciate it. That and the raw ore is all I seem to be missing.”

“Myrrh…” Alex considered the request seriously. “I… think someone gave Dad some cologne with myrrh in it for the holidays one time, would that work?” They thought a few moments longer on the other request, but seemed to come up blank. “If powers were back, I could ask Coralie to make you a diamond or something, but unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be in the cards. Er… what exactly is all this for, anyway?”

Alma chewed her lip, considering whether or not to explain. Finally, she sighed and closed her eyes. “Magic,” she said simply. “I intend to do a ritual to awaken magically.”

“Magic. As in…?” Alex trailed off, thoughts drifting to their green-clad counterpart from another world.

“As in rituals and spells, yes. Like that healer in that other… town we visited.” Alma nodded. “This ritual here is the basic beginner’s ritual to open the way to magic for me. It… does have its problems, however.”

Alex frowned in concern. “Problems like… what, exactly?”

“I will not be able to lie without losing power. I will be bound by oaths that I make. I will be a target of Others, creatures who work beyond mortal senses. Magic will bring me power, but taking that power will mean giving up parts of myself…” Alma sighed. “I need to do it. We need every advantage we can obtain in the upcoming fight. Go fetch the Myrrh. I will figure something out for the ore.”

Alex scurried off with a nod, only to return a few minutes later with an expensive-looking crystalline bottle and two thick paper bags, the latter of which were dropped on the floor to reveal rock salt and charcoal, respectively. “Don’t go into the kitchen,” they warned solemnly. “Anyway, these were the closest things I could think of for ore that Dad wouldn’t miss.” They paused. “Aren’t you supposed to like, burn sage or something for this? Or like, light a candle made from earwax? No, wait, that one’s from Shrek, never mind.”

Alma pointed at the candles ringing the outer circle. “I suppose you can watch. You seemed interested in magic when we met Monsieur Ford.”

Alex nodded slowly. “All right. I have to admit, something about this definitely resonates with me.” The Trainer crossed to the far side of the room, lowering themself to the ground with the help of a conveniently-placed bookshelf.

Alma moved around and began lighting the candles. Once they were all aflame and the light was off, she shifted nervously. “Um…”

Alex cocked their head. “Problem?”

The girl shrugged. “The ritual requires one to be bare for the spirits to take in. I am not a modest creature, but…”

“Ah… and that part’s… unavoidable?”

“Yes,” she said. “It’s symbolic, but symbolism is a big part of this magic. If you wish to step outside, do so now.”

“Yes. Right. Okay. Good.” An extremely flustered Alex beat a hasty retreat out the door, which they closed behind them. The muffled sound of four Pokéballs being deployed came through the barrier, followed by the sound of orders being given and two sets of departing footsteps.

Shadow silently approved, and Alma chuckled as she unlaced her dress. Once the final article of clothing was set aside, she sat in the middle of the circle and lit the last candle. A circle of five circles each with a glyph, set within a circle of six, set within a circle of seven, all drawn in chalk on the hardwood floor. The outermost circles each held bowls, and in the middle set were items.

A dagger, an hourglass, a dreamcatcher, a skull, a coin. In the last circle she set her personal item.

The outer circle held the food offerings to the spirits: molasses, milk, vegetable ash, honey, meat, milk, and a single rose.

She quietly lit the incense she had found, then lifted the ore carefully with a set of tongs from the kitchen. Quietly she held it over the candle flame and watched as it heated up. It was, technically speaking, supposed to be metal ore, but she would use what she could get. Symbolism. If she believed the rock salt would work, then it would.

Once she could see the heat in the ore -- difficult, with salt -- she set it back down. Then, she began to read from the book. Three lines for each passage: one in the base language, probably some form of Latin or somesuch, then a phonetic pronunciation, and then the English translation. For full effect, she used the phonetic translation, using the third passage to understand the words.

At the end of one line, the circle moved, the bowls slid around, the diagram beneath shifted, and a bowl stopped in front of her. Another line, and the circle moved again. Beyond the candle light, Alma saw only the darkness of the room. The bowl holding the incense moved and it slid as if sinking into the floor.

The dagger moved into place, and Alma paused. There were no lines. These were the abstract items, the symbols. She paused as she considered. “Bloodshed,” she said finally. The circle moved again, and the hourglass slid into place.

“Mortality,” she said, quicker. The hourglass shifted, and the dreamcatcher took its place. “Idealism.” The skull shifted in front of her. “Endings.” The coin, shiny and new. “Greed.” The rose. Alma paused again, then nodded. “Deception.”

Then, the personal token slid into place. Something she had taken long ago and held onto, something sentimental. The kitchen knife with which she had murdered her father. The answer required more than a singular word. “The weight of my sins, the representation of everything I am and have been to this point. I… am a murderer, probably a sociopath, someone who takes pleasure in seeing people suffer. But… I don’t know if you’re listening, spirits, Others, but I promise that whatever I may be, I aim to be a damned better person after this. I’ve made friends, I have people I care about now, and I will not let them be taken from me. I am doing this for them, not for me.”

The circle moved, the knife disappearing into the darkness. In its place sat one of the bowls. Honey. She turned back to the book and began reciting again. Each dish passed. Each was an offering, a way of greeting the creatures on the other side of the veil and announcing her presence and her intent to stay. Finally, the dishes were gone, leaving just the line. She kept reading, the English translation firm in her mind.

My word is bound and binding. I ask you to respect it as such. My actions are my own, but have an equal amount of weight. So I pledge.

The line moved, no longer surrounded her but moving in towards her. She sat stock still as the line pressed on her, trying to push her over. She didn’t fall, because falling would mean falling into an endless expanse of inky darkness. The lines began to form a pattern, and it was like floating in space and seeing planets and stars, far off, an eternal cosmic system that she was no joined with.

She opened her eyes. The bowls had scattered across the room, each much further apart than before, each upright. The incense still burned, but the food offerings were gone. As Alma moved to collect them, she froze. Wisps of white floated around her hands, and, as she stopped moving, settled on her skin. She took a deep breath.

This was it. Extra senses, beyond human understanding. She unfocused her eyes, and the spirits faded to the background of her vision. With a soft nod, she began dressing.

[Konuju]

OOC: Jam with Merc

IC: Emily Lockwood/Alex Lockwood
Once again Alex found himself in awe of the castle. "It's weird to think that in a roundabout way you're related to the owner of this castle," he said to Emily as they entered the foyer.

His cousin grinned sleepily as she rubbed at one eye. “I mean, if I’m related to them, then you are, too.” She stretched a bit. “Here, let’s head upstairs.”

"Feels weird to be related to royalty." Alex shook his head as he followed Emily up the marble staircase. "It's all a little too grandiose for my taste."

Emily chuckled. “You’re sure we’re related, coz? Grandiose is sorta my bread an butter.”

"I mean it's nice and all, it's just different from what I'm used to back in Sunyshore."

She nodded, sitting on the bed of the guest room she had claimed last time. “So… Do you think we’re gonna be okay?”

The smile slipped from Alex's face. "I'm not sure, Em." He sat down next to her. "You've got a better idea than me of what the old Flare was like, but from everyone's reactions I can tell they're bad news. Team Liberty has spent years fighting Team Rocket, and if Flare never truly went away we could find ourselves in the middle of another full-fledged war."

Emily chewed her lip. “It will be like it was before they disappeared, then. People will die and disappear, and…” She shook her head. “No. We can’t let that happen.”

"Then we have to nip this in the bud before Flare gets out of control." Alex looked at his cousin. "I know you love hearing my stories from those grand adventures I had with Team Liberty, but war isn't all fun and games. I wouldn't wish what I've been through on anybody. So I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure Flare doesn't start another war."

She nodded again. “I’m gonna run down to the kitchen for a snack and a drink. Do you want anything?”

"Maybe some tea. Something without any caffeine." Alex stifled a yawn.

“Tea has caffeine, Alex.” She stood, making her way to the door. “I’ll get you some warm milk instead. Maybe with honey.”

"Right." He chuckled sheepishly. "Thanks, Em."

Emily opened the door, stepped out, and paused. “Dad?”


IC: Dahlia Seaton/Klim Prizak - Courtyard, Castle Shabboneau
"You're from Olivine, right?" Klim glanced over at Dahlia as they walked through the neatly trimmed hedges in the castle courtyard. The gardener nodded. "How well do you know your Sinnoh lore?"

Dahlia paused. "I know Arceus created the dragons of Time, Space, and Reverse: Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. He also created Mount Coronet, I think? And I remember something about lakes . . ."

Klim nodded sagely. "Do you remember what makes Giratina different from his brethren?"

"He was banished to the Distortion World, right?" Dahlia frowned. "That's why he tends to communicate through mirrors and other reflective surfaces."

"Precisely." Klim strode over to a large fountain that sat in a corner of the courtyard. Intricately carved Dratini rose from the stone base and spewed forth water into the pool below. The former hero seemed to study the fountain for a moment before deeming it appropriate for their training grounds. "As a Hero of Reverse, you have access to the Distortion World whenever you need it."

This caught Dahlia off guard. "You mean all this time I've been struggling with my powers I could have talked with Giratina?" She thought back to the day she met Jared, when Giratina seemed to have abandoned her. "I'm not sure I'm ready for that," she said in a small voice.

"We've got some big battles ahead of us, Dahlia." Klim looked at her seriously. "Having access to the Distortion World could prove crucial if you need to make a quick escape." The man sat down on the edge of the fountain and dipped his hand into the water. "When your hand is below the surface, it is encompassed by liquid rather than air. For all intents and purposes it might as well be an entirely different world."

Dahlia followed Klim's movements, lowering her own hand into the chilly pool. The water seemed to lap around her palm and she felt a tiny current running between her outstretched fingers.

"Focus on this feeling," Klim instructed. "Now, remove your hand and picture that the world beneath the surface is Giratina's domain. Instead of being surrounded by water, when you put your hand back into the pool it will be surrounded by the Distortion World."

The gardener closed her eyes. The trickle of the fountain echoed in her mind. She felt the power of Reverse well up within her. When Klim nudged her, she opened her eyes. A circular portal sat in the pool, through which Dahlia glimpsed a swirling dark blue sky.

Klim swung his leg over the ledge and dipped it into the portal. He smiled up at Dahlia. "Shall we?" One after another, they took the plunge.

A feeling of vertigo overcame Dahlia. One moment she was falling downward, the next she was falling to the side. When the world stopped spinning, she found herself on a rocky outcropping floating in the middle of nothingness. Up in the sky she found nothing but darkness. Over the edge of the cliff, dark clouds swirled far below.

"Ah, it's been a while since I've been here." Klim took a deep breath and let it out slowly, a smile forming on his face. "It takes some getting used to, but it's really quite peaceful here."

"Giratina . . . lives here?" Dahlia looked around. She had heard stories of the Distortion World but she'd never imagined it would look so barren. "Doesn't he ever get lonely?"

Klim nodded slowly. "At times, yes. But what you see here is merely the outskirts of this world. Just like you can't judge a book by its cover, you can't judge a world by the first area you step into. That analogy could have gone a little better." The former hero chuckled to himself. "Imagine if someone traveled to our world for the first time, and they stepped into Hoenn's Mount Chimney or Alola's Haina Desert. Would it be fair for them to judge the Earth as a desolate wasteland? Of course not, and it's the same way here." He wandered into a nearby cave carved into the rock's surface and beckoned Dahlia to follow. " There's beauty in all things, if you know where to look."

At the back of the small cavern, several vines grew in tall, twisting stalks. They were unlike any sort of plant Dahlia had ever seen. "What are they . . . ?" she breathed.

"They're a type of plant native to this world." Klim scratched the back of his head. "I'll admit I never asked Giratina what their name is. I just call them vines."

"Whatever they are, they're amazing." Dahlia knelt next to the plants. "I wouldn't think something could grow in a place like this."

"Life is more resilient than you might think," Klim said with a chuckle.

It wasn't until they had exited the cave that Dahlia noticed the portal had disappeared. "Did it time out or something?" she asked, placing a hand on the wall where the portal had once been.

"Like your other powers, the portal is controlled by you," Klim explained. "It disappeared when you stopped focusing on it. All you have to do is create another one."

While Dahlia was unsure of her ability to make another portal, Klim's calm demeanor gave her confidence. She closed her eyes and concentrated. After a moment she could hear the trickling of the fountain that indicated the portal had been reopened.

"Well that's a relief," she said as she and Klim jumped back through and emerged from the fountain. "As interesting as the Distortion World is, I don't think I'd want to be trapped there."

A serious expression crossed Klim's face. "That brings me to another point," he said. "You can use the Distortion World to escape from a battle, yes. Or, in the case of an emergency, you can use it to trap your enemies."

"You mean banish them the way Giratina was banished?" Dahlia felt the color drain from her face. "I don't think I'm--"

"Like I said, only in emergencies." Klim placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You don't want to upset Giratina by dumping all your trash on his doorstep, but if you're in a real pickle it's good to know your options. Team Galactic's former leader, Cyrus, was banished there several years ago, by Giratina himself."

Dahlia nodded absently, twisting a lock of hair through her fingers. "I just don't feel like I should be the one to decide someone's fate like that."

"That's fair." Klim gave her a pat on the back. "You have a kind heart, Dahlia. Just know that when you're in the heat of the moment you may not have a choice."

The gardener could only nod in response.

[flipz]

-==Elaine Alderson/James Cruize==-

“J… Jamie?!”

“Hi, sis.”

“But… but you’re dead… you…”

A traitorous part of Elaine’s mind reminded her of the previous night’s events. Lysandre, somehow, still lived. If he was alive, then that meant…

“That’s what people think, yeah.” His voice was much the same as it had been twelve years ago. A bit rougher, a bit less cheerful, but still her younger brother’s voice. “And dammit if I didn’t want it to stay that way.” He took the glass from the table and tossed its contents back into his own mouth, drinking the wine like it was a shot. “I would’ve just spent my days laying low at the outskirts of Camphrier, but no. I’m in town doing some shopping and what do I see? A van, with my darling older sister and my daughter inside, driving straight up to Shabboneau Castle.”

He poured more wine into the glass and drank it, slower this time. “So I gotta ask. What’s going on? Why are you traveling with Lionel Zyther of all people? Lounging in his guest room, drinking his wine?”

“He… I…” Elaine swallowed, now cursing the very alcohol-induced stupor into which she’d sought to escape. “We’re business partners,” she said, easily hiding her lie with the truth. “He’s agreed to make use of my research in one of his future products.”

“What, you didn’t get your fill of rich assholes taking advantage of you before Zeke died?” The words were bitter, harsh, punctuated by another drink of wine. “You can’t really trust him, right? He’s Lionel Zyther. He wants to rule the world, I’m pretty sure, and he almost does rule Kalos just because of the businesses he runs.”

Businesses that he took over from another man who wants to rule the world, the traitorous part of her mind reminded her. She resisted the urge to try to physically wave it away from her like an angry gnat. “He’s… he’s not like that. He cares about his family, you should see him with his daughter and his son--”

“He’s a rich man in a nice suit, and he knows exactly what to say to get people to follow him, Elaine. I’ve walked this path, I’ve seen how it ends. Blood and death for a lot of people that didn’t deserve it.”

Elaine shook her head, and immediately regretted it. “Shit,” she mumbled. “Look, Lionel Zyther is a good man. He’s already worked so hard to undo everything Lysandre did, he’s nothing like the man. Lionel… he’s truly admirable.”

James scowled and set the wine glass down. “Holo Caster still works. Lysandre invention. The labs he bought up are back in operation, and I somehow doubt he’s ignoring the data there, the stuff Lysandre collected at the height of his power. And there are some things you just can’t undo, Ellie.” His hand shook a bit, and he gripped the stem of the glass hard. “You can’t put blood back into someone’s body, and you can’t bring them back from the dead.”

Even if Elaine hadn’t been drunk, the last point would have made her sick. “Apparently, you can.” She closed her eyes and pressed her lips tightly together, desperately attempting to suppress the nausea by willpower alone.

James’ head snapped around to look at her again. “What do you mean? What did Zyther do?”

Elaine started to shake her head, but fortunately stopped herself in time. “Not Zyther. Zeke.”

James made a face. The mere mention of the man was enough to drive him to disgust. “What did he do, Elaine?”

Elaine hiccoughed. “I… we have kids. Several of them. I… I had no idea…” Tears left their salty tracks behind as they poured freely down her haunted face. “They’re downstairs, two of them. They’re strangers to me, and yet the boy… he looks just like Alain. Just like Alex. Lionel even named him that. I… I have no idea what to do.”

James clenched his fist, and the stem broke, glass scattering across the table. He hissed a bit as shards cut into his hand. “Dammit,” he muttered, and it was unclear whether he was cursing over the glass or the revelation of just what Ezekiel had done. He opened his hand, glass falling onto the table. He shoved the wounded hand under his other arm. “I’m sorry,” he said, and again it was uncertain what he was apologizing for. “I still don’t trust Lionel. The few times I’ve run into him… He’s like a snake. Everything he says, it just oozes out of his mouth like oil.”

James turned and started towards the door of the bedroom. “When are you leaving?” he asked.

Elaine stared confusedly at her brother. “Leaving?”

“I got the message, Elaine. I’m smart enough to put two and two together. You, Zyther, Emily and like eight other kids drive this way not even a day after the broadcast goes out. You’re trying to help, to mitigate the damage done.” He turned to look at her, pulling his hand free from under the arm. He looked down at it and clenched and unclenched it a few times. “The raids start at midnight. When are you all leaving?”

Even in her inebriated state, Elaine managed to affix James with a reproachful glare. “I came up here to forget that part, thanks. And why should I tell you that, anyway? So you can report it to that bastard who ruined my life?”

“So I know how much time I have to pack,” he responded coolly. “News flash, Ellie: Flare left me high and dry when I needed them. I’ve been laying low since then. Twelve years, in a cabin in the woods. Visited Emily and Theresa every once in a while, because Flare didn’t know about them, but mostly just keeping my head down. If you’re dragging my daughter into a fight, and Lionel Zyther is the other adult supervising, then I want to come along. Someone’s gotta watch your back and make sure you don’t repeat the mistakes you made with Zeke.”

Elaine grimaced. “He’s happily married. You don’t have to worry about that, Jamie.”

“I also want to keep an eye on Em. She’s not a soldier.” James Cruize scowled. “Can’t even begin to tell you how pissed I am that she’s involved with this. I didn’t want my kids to have anything to do with Flare.”

“James,” she said, her solemn gaze piercing through her intoxication, “I will die before I let Flare lay a finger on her. I refuse to let her end up like me.”

“Like me,” he said in quiet agreement. With a sigh, he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Immediately, he stopped.

“Dad?” Emily’s voice said from outside the door.



-==IC: Calem/Dorenz Chalmers/Lionel Zyther/Jared Winters/James Cruize/Elaine Alderson==-

“Akamaro Chalmers. Vice-President of Kalos.”

Chalmers sighed unhappily. “My brother.”

That part Calem had not expected. “I’m sorry, your what?”

“Dornez has faithfully served the Shabboneau family since before I even met him. His brother, on the other hand, has been a staple of Kalosian politics for almost as long.”

“And Dornez here thought to keep us from investigating Team Flare because his brother’s got a thumb in that pie.” Jared scowled. “He intentionally cost us days of travel so we wouldn’t be able to stop them.”

Chalmers looked down in shame. “You’re half right,” he admitted. “I… you must understand, I care deeply for my brother. He was always the brighter one, the one destined for greater things. I trust him. So when he asked…” He shook his head. “I should have refused. But I trusted him. Trusted he had planned things for the best, without question.” Chalmers shot a glance at Lionel. “I should have learned better five years ago.”

“Careful,” Lionel warned. “You’re already treading on thin ice.”

“Forgive me for feeling less than charitable when you’re accusing my brother of being a member of Team Flare.”

“Isn’t he, though?” a voice said from the door. As all four men turned around, eyes widened in surprise. Lionel and Chalmers were staring at the man who looked just like Alex. Jared was stunned that the man looked like an older version of Xander. “Dornez Chalmers, right? Your brother’s Aki… something.” The man leaned against the doorframe and brushed black hair out of slate blue eyes, a bit of hair forming up into a cowlick. “Akihari, I think? Worked with him for a bit. Bastard.”

“Who on earth--?” Lionel began.

“My brother.” Elaine was picking her way carefully down the stairs, assisted by a nervous-looking Emily.

“You don’t even remember who I am,” James said quietly. “Prick. Yeah. I’m Ellie’s younger brother, James Cruize, at your service.”

“You’re Xander’s dad?” Jared asked without thinking. James turned his head to look at the younger man.

“Yeah. News of my passing was… greatly exaggerated.”

“Mr. Cruize,” Chalmers interjected, “when you say you worked with my brother, may I presume that to mean…?”

“Team Flare, over a decade ago, yeah.”

The lines of Jared’s face hardened, and he crossed his arms.

“Don’t get so worked up. I ditched them when they ditched me. Kill ‘em all, I say, except…” He sighed, shrugging. “Easier said than done.”

“Apparently,” Lionel agreed. “Ten years’ work, only to fail in the end. What a waste…”

“So it’s true. I didn’t want to believe it, but it seems to be the case.” Chalmers’ impeccable posture dropped, just for a moment. A single second in which he allowed himself to feel the full weight of guilt, of grief. The next moment, he was back to himself -- burdened, but unbending. “What may I do to assist?”

“You,” Lionel said, “are staying here.”

Chalmers nodded, eyes full of sorrow. A trust over a decade in the making had been lost, and would not easily be recovered. “Understood, sir. If there is any assistance I may offer--”

“Info,” Calem cut in. “Tell us everything you know.”

“I… have very little to offer, I’m afraid. The morning after you last arrived, my brother called and requested my assistance in delaying your group. He assured me that Master Lionel was in no danger, but that it was imperative that his guests delay their arrival before they could cause problems. I assumed he found your investigation embarrassing, and wished to dispatch official resources before foreign parties could intervene in the matter. He also asked that I call him back should you return to the castle, which I did after I ran into Professor Alderson upstairs.”

Jared spun on him, and blood red aura formed around his fists. “And did you finish that call?”

“No, I believe I had just been put through to an answering machine when the three of you interrupted me.”

Calem frowned. “Meaning he heard us come in.”

“Fuck,” James said, pushing off the doorframe. “I guess we don’t have time to waste. Zyther, will your vans fit one more?”

“One of the kids can double up.” Lionel frowned. “We need to discuss how we’re splitting up. The others need their rest, but we need a plan before we go out there.”

Elaine shook her head. “We still have some time. If we push them too hard, they’ll break.”

“We may not have a choice.” Calem grimaced. “Okay. We’ll play it your way, Professor, but no more than an hour. After that, we need to plan.”



IC: Amelia Zann/Belle LaDonna/Lionel Zyther

Amelia returned with an armful of hangars, each containing pieces of a few different outfits, the stereotypical shopaholic image completed by a large black cavalier hat accented by a giant black feather perched haphazardly atop her head. “All right, ah got a couple’a differ’nt options here. Y’all got a pref’rence?”

“Um… What are you plannin’ to do with all these clothes, Pond?”

Amelia looked askance at Belle as if she’d lost her mind. “Wear ‘em, of course.” Her eyes gained a teasing glint. “Unless, of course, y’all’d rather I not-wear ‘em…”

Belle’s face couldn’t possibly get any redder, and yet… “I-- uh-- um-- Anything you pick will look fantastic, babe.”

“Hmm…” Amelia considered Belle for a moment, before shifting her focus to the outfits. “…Yeah, this one,” she decided, choosing the black-and-white false-corseted dress with red trim and accenting it with a long leather jacket to cover the open back. “Not sure why th’ kid had these in their closet, but…” She shook her head in amusement, and then, with a flourish, took the hat from her head and planted it atop Belle’s. “A gift for you, mademoiselle.”

Belle cringed at the pronunciation. “Hon, maybe stick with English? Yer gonna summon some eldritch horror or something.”

Amelia smirked. “Fair ‘nough. ‘M halfway t’ eldritch abomination as-is.” The grin dropped, and Amelia frowned for a split second, but she quickly shook it off. “Ah’m gonna put the rest of this back. Save some fer me?” She nodded at the pasta sauce bubbling away on the stove.

“Of course,” Belle said. Turning to the sauce, she picked up a bottle and poured a generous amount of some alcohol into the pot before taking a swig straight from the bottle for herself.

Once the noodles were ready, Belle dished the pasta out onto two plates, and smothered hers in the rum-mixed tomato sauce. Amelia smothered hers in parmesan, and seemed mildly disappointed to fail to provoke criticism from Belle.

It wasn’t long, however, before their solitude was interrupted.

“Strategy meeting,” Lionel declared. “The others are waiting.”

Amelia scowled at the interruption. “What’s the rush, Zyther? We ain’t leavin’ fer another couple’a hours.”

Lionel shook his head. “That’s where you’re wrong. Flare knows we’re coming. We’re leaving now.

Belle sighed. “I’ll go get the kids.”



Alex Zyther/Alma Mason/Belle LaDonna

Silence filled the hallway as Alex quietly mused over the implications of Alma’s magic, Blissie at their side. Out of the corner of one eye they spotted Sylvia -- Oh, right, we should have a chat about that, -- whining and trying to resist the urge to run over to them, but a subtle shake of their head was enough to calm the pining Eevee. Raleigh and Coralie, the two Pokémon closest to the door, exchanged multiple wordless glances at Alma’s chanting, but they respected their Trainer’s orders enough to keep quiet.

What didn’t remain quiet was the sound of scraping against wood that resonated through the floor. A moment of calm was enough to allow Alex to recognize the sound as not being nearly as loud as they’d initially interpreted it, but the noise was still severely out of place. They glanced around the corner toward the other hallways, hoping no one else had heard, but it didn’t seem so; at most they saw a man they didn’t recognize leading Emily and Professor Alderson toward the stairs. They couldn’t hear the trio’s conversation, if they were having one, but even so the sight gave the Trainer pause.

I’m a clone, Alex thought, desperately avoiding the volatile mix of emotions that filled them with. Of… of her son. What does that make her to me? Alex knew the answer, at least intellectually, but that… that wasn’t the real question. They already had a mom, a mom they loved dearly, they didn’t want her replaced.

Alex shook themself of the melancholy thoughts, focusing again on the sounds coming from the room behind them. There was one more sliding sound, followed by talking -- a lot of talking. Something in the Trainer was intensely tempted to attempt to listen in, but a far larger part held them firmly in place, some instinct suggesting exactly the sort of confession Alma might be making. They restrained their curiosity, and a few minutes later, Alma emerged from the ritual room.

Alex stood. “So, uh,” they asked awkwardly. “Magic?”

“Just telling you that it exists makes me culpable for anything you do in relation to it,” she said. “Though I am not sure if Ford’s admission would be a saving grace or not.” She paused, considering, then gave her first oath. “Ask your questions about magic, and I will answer to the best of my ability, for as long as I know more than you do.”

“Oh,” Alex breathed. “This is that sort of magic.” Alex regarded Alma solemnly, trying to think of a good question. “…Thank you.”

“You are a friend, and even telling you this much will make life more difficult for you. I don’t wish you to die at some creature’s… whatever it may have.”

“I… I know I’m really not knowledgeable about stuff like this, not compared to the other Alex -- er, Alex the Green -- but even I recognize how… heavy that kind of promise is. Thank you.”

Alma nodded. “You’re welcome. If you have a question at any time, please feel free to approach me. Assuming I am not otherwise preoccupied, I will answer as well as I can.”

As Alex was opening their mouth, Belle came up the stairs, swaying a bit. “Change of plans, kiddos. Strategy meeting, then we’re heading out.”

Alex exchanged a glance with Alma, then with their Pokémon. Whatever had happened, it couldn’t have been good.

[Konuju]

IC: Alex Lockwood/Dahlia Seaton/Klim Prizak - Castle Shabboneau, Kalos
Alex was surprised at the mention of Emily's father, but he was too tired at the moment to interrupt their reunion. He couldn't recall having ever met that particular uncle, anyways.

And so the Liberty agent idled away in the luxurious room, lazily tossing a Pokéball into the air and catching it. After what felt like an eternity there was a small knock on the door. Without waiting for him to answer, Emily entered with a glass of milk.

"Turns out we're leaving soon," she said as he gratefully accepted the drink. "They're calling a strategy meeting downstairs."

Alex downed the milk before responding. "No time to rest? Maybe I will have something with caffeine in it."

The two headed down into the designated meeting room, where most of the others had already gathered. Dahlia and Klim walked in shortly afterwards.

"Hey, what's going on?" the gardener asked, looking around. "I thought we were going to have a little more downtime, but Jared's message said we needed to meet right now. Is something the matter?"

[unknownmercury]

IC: Jared Winters/Emily Lockwood/Belle LaDonna/Alma Mason/James Cruize/Calem

"Short version," Jared said, "is that the butler's brother is working with Flare, and he sold us out. It's entirely possible things are going to kick off earlier, and we need to figure out our strategy before going in. We have one expert in Flare's activities here in the room, so I'll defer to him."

The man sitting at the back of the room nodded. "Alright, then." He stood, brushing black hair out of his eyes. "Lysandre is likely going to hit a few key targets instead of laying siege to the entire city. Lumiose has too many key people for him to try and defeat all of them." He plugged his Holo Caster into the projector on the table, puling up a map of Lumiose.

"Key targets are the president's office -- if the president dies, then the vice president takes over, and that's Akamaro Chalmers. -- Sycamore's lab, because Sycamore turned him down twelve years ago and Lysandre won't let that slide. Maybe Lumiose Tower because if you control that, you control broadcasts throughout Kalos."

"I think there's some sort of gala being held there tonight, too," Lionel said. "A lot of politicians and influential citizens like myself will be in attendance."

"Security for that will be tight, but yeah," James said. "We need to figure out who's going where. I hear that Elaine, Emily, and Alex Lockwood are going to the Pokémon League with Calem and Serena. I'll likely join them."

"Amelia and I are takin' Alma and Alex Z to Sycamore's lab," Belle said. "Sycamore's a friend of hers."

"I also need to go to the lab," Jared said. "So, that's probably more than enough going there. Olivia, Lucia, Jamie, Dahlia, Klim. Probably not all of you need to go help the President. There's also the Looker Bureau and the hospital that are potential targets."

[Parugi]

IC - Olivia Seaton - Shabboneau Castle, Camphrier Town:

A set of table lamps lit the luxurious room, casting a yellow, almost candle-like glow on the walls and furniture. They illuminated the black, four-poster bed with its blood-red curtains and its blood-red sheets and pillows. They illuminated the patterned rug with its blood-red designs mixed with the same designs in brown and black. The white, cloth blinds covering the windows glowed with the light, too, framed by blood-red curtains meant more for decoration than actual use. And the rest of the furniture--the carved dresser, the elegant trunk at the end of the bed, the armchairs with their blood-red cushions in front of the window--these all stood in solemn silence among the light and the shadows looming every which way from the multitude of light sources intermixed with the fixtures and the blood-red and black of the room.

Altogether, a nice room. Well-kept. Lavish. The very picture of comfort. But even that could not assuage the twisted, knotting sensation in Olivia's stomach. She hadn't felt it as much around everyone else; maybe the reality of their current circumstances hadn't quite set in then. It had started to gnaw at her, worse and worse, the closer they had gotten to the castle. Now that she was here, situated in her room, she didn't feel like moving. Her stomach hurt, but she didn't feel like eating. It was late--she was certainly tired--but she couldn't sleep. The bed wasn't even comfortable--soft, yes, but this felt more like an illusion designed to distract her, rather than anything truly meant to make her feel better. So there she lay, back and head flat on the carpet, one knee up with her other foot resting on it, staring at the dark ceiling with its weird, twisty furniture shadows. One hand rested underneath her head; the other, clasping her Pokégear, rested on her stomach, where she absentmindedly clicked the device on and off, on and off, casting brief flashes of light in her vision.

She took a breath and sat up, crossing her legs and closing her eyes, head still tilted toward the ceiling. She exhaled, opening her eyes and looking down at the screen. The name, face, and number occupying the screen made her feel a little better, but not entirely. There was dread there, and sadness. Nervousness. Why nervousness? There was the obvious reason--impending battle, another region on the verge of tearing itself apart, the near-certainty of some sort of death, or grievous injury otherwise--but that still did not encapsulate the full range of what she was feeling.

Maybe it was regret--the last call she had made had been more than a few days ago. Seeing that just made her feel worse.

Olivia glanced at the clock. It was late--very late. Probably not a good time to make a call, but she had to reach out somehow. With a click of a button, she opened the menu on the Pokégear; a second click opened the voice recorder. She started to speak, but stopped, erasing the message and leaning back, staring absentmindedly at her backpack and thinking. Finally, she turned it back on.

"Hey, hon," she said. Against the silence in the room, her voice was like a hammer against glass--loud, intrusive, an interaction that shouldn't happen. She wasn't sure if it was just the nerves or if the room itself disapproved. Either way, she didn't care. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "It's been a while; sorry about that. I really hope you're doin' well. Things 'round here have been . . . kinda crazy, if I'm bein' honest. I'll have to tell you when I see ya next." She fell silent again, letting her thoughts (and stomach settle). "Um . . . So, hey . . . I don't know what all you'n the others've gotten into on your end, but I just wanted to let you know . . . Things around here are headin' sideways, and . . . I'm pretty worried. We've got a lotta people on our side, but this group we're after--Team Flare--they're pretty serious. Sounds like they did a number last time they were 'round, and they're about to do it again. Between them, that blob, everythin' else . . ." Olivia paused, taking a deep, shaky breath, and then ran a hand through her hair. "No, no--never mind it. We'll be fine--that's what you an' I an' the others do, we get through these things. I just wanted you to know that. I'm worried, but we manage. And I'm sure it's the same with y'all--whatever you're facin', you'll get through it." Olivia sighed, wiping her face. "Okay, um . . . Close to the time limit, so think that's it . . . I'll call when it's not so late. Sweet dreams, stay safe . . . love ya, Chloe."

She let the message sit there for a moment, staring off into space as the menu hovered on the screen--"Send?" Finally, she clicked the button, sending it off and closing her eyes. Whatever happened, she really, truly hoped--

Her Pokégear beeped with a message, causing her to jump in surprise. Faster than she could help, she opened it, expecting--unlikely as it was--to see a message from Chloe. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed--guilty as it made her--to find that it was instead a message from Dahlia, telling her of the surprise strategy meeting.

Clicking the device shut, she sighed, before finally pulling herself up, grabbing her backpack, and leaving the bedroom.


IC - Olivia Seaton/Lucia Zyther - Shabboneau Castle, Camphrier Town:

"Olivia, Lucia, Jamie, Dahlia, Klim. Probably not all of you need to go help the President. There's also the Looker Bureau and the hospital that are potential targets."

The Rocket Trainer stood, arms crossed, next to Dahlia, focused intently on the holographic map. It took her a moment to realize that she was even being addressed. When it finally processed, she looked, uncertain, between her sister and the map. It was silly, but it felt like all eyes were on her, waiting for her to make a decision. Finally, she cleared her throat, turning her attention to Jared. "I don't mind checkin' in on the Bureau," she said. "They're international, right? Rocket's probably had some interaction with 'em in the past; might be helpful to cash in on that."

Lucia gave Jared an uncomfortable look, glancing between him and Alex. "I promised Alex that we'd stick together before we came this way," she said, straightening up. "I'll go wherever you need me to go, but it's gonna be with them."

[Konuju]

IC: Dahlia Seaton/Alex Lockwood/Klim Prizak - Castle Shabboneau, Camphrier Town
"I'd also like to go to the Bureau," Dahlia said with a slight twinge of annoyance at Jared for having evidently forgotten that she'd already volunteered. "That detective lady said she'd been captured by Flare once before. I'll do everything in my power to make sure they don't get her a second time."

"I would like to accompany Dahlia to the Bureau as well," Klim said in a remarkably soft voice. "As her mentor, I must see how she uses her powers in battle so that I may continue to instruct her in the arts of Reverse. I hope you understand." He focused his eyes on Jared. If there was any animosity held toward Dahlia's previous mentor, it was well hidden behind that mysterious smile he wore.

Alex Lockwood quickly counted the heads in the room. "Wait a second," he said. "That only leaves Jamie for the hospital if she doesn't go with Lucia and Alex Zyther." Arms crossed, he let out a sigh and glanced over at Emily's father -- the uncle he'd never met. "Are you sure the hospital's going to be a target?" he asked as politely as he could. "I just don't see what Flare has to gain by attacking it over the detective agency or Sycamore's lab."

[flipz]

-==IC: Serena==-

Serena exchanged a glance with Calem, then turned back to Lockwood. “Xerosic,” she answered. “If he survived his surgery, that is. He’s a horrible person, but he has given us information in the past. He’s the reason we even knew to start investigating Flare in the first place. If Flare gets their hands on him…”


Lionel Zyther/Alex Zyther/Amelia Zann

“As I recall, Emma Matiere and her Pokémon are the only ones who actually live in the office. If you’re lucky, you might be able to warn her and move on to the hospital before Flare can get too far. It’s not ideal, but at some point we’re going to have to make sacrifices -- either safety, or coverage. There are only so many of us, so we don’t have the luxury of both.”

“Sorry, Belle,” Alex said, “but I’m staying with Dad. I want to keep the whole family together on a night like this.” They clutched their incubator to their chest, then glanced up at Amelia apologetically. “Well, as best I can, anyway.”

Amelia waved Alex off. “It’s fine, ah get it. Belle an’ I can handle anythin’ thrown at us. Add in Alma an’ this guy, an’ it’s practic’ly overkill. Y’all four got a destination after ya rescue the President?”

“Lumiose Tower,” Lionel answered. “I’d recommend it as our rendezvous point if we manage to clear our original destinations. With the Gym Leader and his family there, along with all the guests, it’s probably one of the better-defended targets, and it’s near-impossible to miss at night. Granted, that also means Flare will have a large presence there as well, but by joining our groups we should be able to break through.”

[minun4]

IC: Jamie Arthur - Shabboneau Castle

Jamie had been thinking about where she should be sent to fight the whole time since they left Geosenge Town. She came out up short; her knowledge of Kalos was too limited to really make a good tactical decision. She only knew two things. One: President was a fancy pants title worn by people like Pierce. Two: That killing the president was something the enemy was likely to send either the most amount of troops or the best troops among them.

"I think I should be going to protect the president," Jamie mentioned. "Presidents are important, right? That feels like where they would spend most of their effort. And I should be sent wherever the fighting is thickest."

[unknownmercury]

IC: Jared Winters/James Cruize/Emily Lockwood/Belle LaDonna/Alma Mason/Calem

"Alright," Jared said, trying not to scowl at Klim's proclamation. Mentor. Klim had barely just met Dahlia. Jared was the one who had helped her get a grasp on her power, had helped her overcome her fear of it. He looked to Lionel. "Still the two vans? Or do we want to split it up by groups?"

The people in the room moved around, shifted so they were standing near the people they'd partnered with while Lionel and Jared discussed travel. James glanced at Alex Lockwood, then at Em. "Who's this guy?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "Dad, this is Alex Lockwood. He's Mom's nephew."

James nodded a bit. "Another Alex? This is gonna be confusing."

"How about the fact that I'm related to all three of the Alex's we know?" Emily said wryly.

Belle frowned softly as she watched Alex Zyther move to stand beside their dad. She felt like the air had been sucked out of her. What had Beauty said? You'll lose them, and you might not get them back?

Belle stepped away from Amelia and Alma. "Alex, wait," she said, taking the younger teen's hand. A minute later, she wrapped them in a bone-crushing hug. "You be fucking careful, alright? If you die, I'll make Alma make you haunt us so I can tell you off."

IC: Lachina Adaon

Lachina took a breath as she watched the waves rolling past the bow of the ferry. An early morning boat ride meant she had gotten little sleep, but she was keyed up enough to be alright with that. As she watched the water, her heart felt heavy. For the first time in a long time, Lachina Adaon was alone.

[Konuju]

IC: Dahlia Seaton/Alex Lockwood/Klim Prizak - Castle Shabboneau, Camphrier Town
"It's nice to meet you, sir." Alex couldn't help but feel a little awkward addressing the man. He was supposed to be family, yet he was a complete stranger. There seems to be a lot of that going around, he said to himself, recalling how Emily was technically related to at least two other people in this room -- even more if one counted Lionel being the adoptive father of both Lucia and the other Alex. It was starting to feel like the whole group was related in one way or another. What were the odds of that?

Dahlia couldn't help but notice Jared's apparent distaste with Klim and felt like she was somehow to blame. Does this have to happen every time I learn from someone new? She wanted to say something to ease the tension, but the aura wielder had already moved on to asking Lionel Zyther about transportation.

Instead, Dahlia looked to Klim. The former hero either hadn't noticed Jared's scowl or chose to ignore it. Was it really a betrayal of Jared's trust to get a new mentor -- and frankly one more qualified for her particular skillset? Was that how Ryan felt when Jared had first started training her? As the others said their goodbyes and made their final preparations, Dahlia silently mulled the question over in her mind.

[flipz]

Jul 17, 2019 22:39:30 GMT -8 unknownmercury said:

IC: Jared Winters/James Cruize/Emily Lockwood/Belle LaDonna/Alma Mason/Calem

Belle frowned softly as she watched Alex Zyther move to stand beside their dad. She felt like the air had been sucked out of her. What had Beauty said? You'll lose them, and you might not get them back?

Belle stepped away from Amelia and Alma. "Alex, wait," she said, taking the younger teen's hand. A minute later, she wrapped them in a bone-crushing hug. "You be fucking careful, alright? If you die, I'll make Alma make you haunt us so I can tell you off."

IC: Alex Zyther/Lionel Zyther/Elaine Alderson

Alex nodded soberly. “I’m already injured,” they reminded her, holding up their still-bandaged hands. “I’ll leave the heroics to the others this time, I promise.”

As the groups gathered in the entrance hall, Alma, Belle, Amelia, and Jared remaining with the Zythers and Jamie, Alex’s eyes widened. “Oh! I forgot, wait just a second!” The Trainer raced back upstairs, the telltale sound of rummaging concluding with them thundering about three steps down the stairs before they were summarily grabbed by a ghostly pale Bliss and forced to descend with caution, a small plastic box in their hands along with the incubator. They made for a downstairs hallway, only to be held in place long enough for the Blissey to pull a pair of the Trainer’s custom clip-on crutches from the closet and unceremoniously attach them to her charge. Sufficiently satisfied her Trainer was not going to collapse on her, she allowed them to scramble off to the computer room with Didi in tow while she herself donned the new Bag of supplies she’d assembled earlier.

Lionel sighed and shook his head. “I don’t suppose I can expect a clearer explanation any time soon?”

All three of Alex’s Pokémon still present exchanged a glance and a shrug. Lionel resisted the urge to groan.

Alex scampered back into the room, now with two cardboard sleeves in place of the CD case they’d had before. “Here,” they said, handing one sleeve to Lionel and one to Elaine. “Mood music for the trip.”

Lionel raised an eyebrow. “Mood music?”

Alex smirked, looking remarkably like Amelia as they did. “It seemed appropriate.”

Elaine’s throat had gone dry with the gift, minor as it had been. “I’ll treasure it.”

Alex gave her an uncertain look, then clambered out the door behind the rest of the group, retreating their Pokémon before climbing in the van.

As she got into the driver’s seat (her brother’s interruption fortunately having let her recover enough to be capable of the task), Elaine regarded the copied CD as if it were some ancient relic from Pokéopolis rather than the circle of reflective plastic it was. Practically feeling the others’ eyes upon her, she hastily inserted it into the van’s CD player and waited for the music to start, wondering if such a song could possibly encapsulate her mood.

As it turned out, it did.

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston (Jaeda, Ruj, Kitheus)/Sonja Baron (Ares, Athena, Neith)/Chloe Hikari (Ally)/Ryan Sanders (Quil, Togie, Missy, Samurott)/Ray Hakuda (Byakuya, Zangetsu, Orihime) - Streets, Dendemille Town:

The wreckage of the truck smouldered in the street. The white dust that had once poured from the back carriage now spiraled in clouds of smoke and ash and flame--a different poison polluting the air, but perhaps more preferable to the alternative. The unconscious Signs littered the area nearby. Slowly, the group rose from their hiding places, observing the final results of their handiwork. The street was a complete disaster, but the threat had been contained, and that was all that mattered.

A flurry of wings filled the street as the Flying-Types descended and joined their trainers, glad to see that they were not hurt.

“Really good job, everyone,” Kyle said at last, patting Kitheus appreciatively. “What next?”

“That explosion didn’t go unnoticed,” Sonja pointed out. “We should go before more of these people show up. Maybe the Pokémon Center?” Athena chirped in response, as if confirming that they should go there. “Ryan and Ray might have a better idea of what’s going on.”

A glance at the white cloud still surrounding them made Kyle pause. “Do you think they’re . . .?” he started to ask, but immediately shook his head. “Don’t answer that. Pokémon Center sounds solid to me.” As they turned and started heading back down the street, he glanced back and noticed Emmerich moving in the other direction. “Hey, you coming or not?”

“You three go ahead,” Emmerich said, approaching one of the fallen Signs. He picked up the damaged rifle that had fallen beside her, inspecting it. “I’ll be right behind you--just want to see what, exactly, we’re dealing with.”

“I can hang back with you if you want?” Sonja offered.

Emmerich shook his head. “No; get going. I’ll be there soon.”

Kyle and Sonja exchanged a look; he shrugged. “Alright . . .” Sonja said. She gestured to Kyle and Chloe, and then gestured for Athena to take flight. “Lead the way.”

They had only been walking for a few blocks when Athena flew back to Sonja's side, followed by a pair of Togekiss. A moment later, two men approached from down the street flanked by a Bisharp, Zangoose, Typhlosion, Samurott, and Mismagius. The trainers' faces were obscured by gas masks, but Sonja recognized them as Ryan and Ray.

"There you guys are!" Ryan waved as he ran up to the group. "I take it that explosion was your doing?"

"It was," Sonja called, slowing to a stop. "We ran into some trouble back there with some Signs, but we're okay. Glad to see you are, too."

Athena chirped happily above them, flying down in a tight circle to land on Ray's shoulder. Sonja smiled, though it was hidden by her own mask. She looked back at Ryan. "Any idea about the situation--numbers, objectives, where they might've come from?"

Ryan shook his head. "I'd wager they've got several of those vans scattered about, but I've got no clue how many. We fought our own group outside the Pokémon Center. Speaking of which --" He pulled a Pokéball off his belt and held it out to Sonja. "-- I was able to get your Amaura patched up before the attack."

Ray glanced up at the bird that had landed on his shoulder, then looked at Sonja in surprise, most of the expression lost behind the mask. "Is that Athena? Did she evolve recently?" The Separatist asked with an excited tone to his voice.

“Thanks,” Sonja said, accepting the Poké Ball and looking down to clip it to her belt. “If you had a truck and we had a truck, then that’s at least--wait, what?” Her fingers fumbled and she just barely managed to catch the Poké Ball as she looked up at Ray in surprise, finally registering what he had said. The Pidove-not-Pidove situated on his arm had, indeed, grown larger, and the feathers around her eyes had turned red in color. The gray, white, and black patterns on her body had shifted significantly. Athena chirruped in amusement at her trainer. “But you were just--when did you--?”

“Maybe she evolved while she was leading us over here?” Kyle suggested. “Either way, congrats! Evolution is always a welcome surprise.” He waved the Poké Ball containing the recently-evolved Lyxek, winking at Ryan and Ray.

“Yeah, but . . .” Sonja trailed off, finally loosing an exasperated sigh. She eyed the bird with a look half-way between judgment and amusement. “I have no words for you.”

"Congratulations," Ryan said with a chuckle. His tone soon turned serious. "With two trucks between us, there's bound to be more, and there's no telling how many people have already fallen under Shift's drug. Any chance Vertrag's come up with an antidote yet?"

With a glance at his Pokétch, Kyle shook his head. “If it’s ready, we haven’t--”

What happened next stopped the group dead in their tracks. A strange buzzing sound emitted from the Poké Balls on their belts. The next instant, red light engulfed every single one of the Pokémon that they had neglected to return--Athena, Ares, Jaeda, Ally, Orihime, Togie . . . As if bound by chains, over a dozen Pokémon altogether suddenly felt themselves pulled back into their spheres of containment, try as they might to fight it.

Wide-eyed, Kyle stared in horror at Kitheus as the Magnezone vanished. His previous semblance of bravado completely melted away as the memories flooded back to him in vivid detail, recalling what had followed the last time this had happened.

“Guys . . .” he breathed, his voice quiet as the group turned toward the incoming source of a low, constant rumbling. As the truck came into view, blocking off the connecting street, Kyle took a step back. And as the man in the familiar white coat, cane twirling in his fingers, bowler hat stark against the surrounding cloud, Sonja stepped in front of Kyle.

It did not take long for him to notice them.

His face twisted in a hidden smirk as his followers spread out on either side of him, guns primed and raised toward the members of Vorhut. Shift raised a hand, tilting his head as his eyes swept over the group.

“Found you.” His voice could not have been filled with more glee and menace if he tried. “See, this is why you don’t go chattering around on an abandoned street. But, I digress. I assume you’re the ones who blew up my trucks.” Shift’s eyes narrowed. “Are you?”

Ryan froze, eyes darting to the Signs members surrounding them. He quickly grabbed Quil's Pokéball off his belt and tried to release the Typhlosion. The ball remained unresponsive. They were outnumbered, and without any Pokémon to defend them they were hopelessly outgunned.

Before Ryan could come up with a response to Shift's question, Chloe spoke up. "No, those people went further down the street." she said, as she pointed behind them. "Might catch them, if you hurry."

Shift’s initial response was silence. But then, he laughed. It started as a soft chuckle, slowly growing into high, incredulous laugh. Some of his underlings joined--a couple sounding just as humored as he was, the others uncomfortable and confused. Finally, he fell silent again, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Very funny, sweetheart,” he said, shaking his head. “Funny thing about me, though . . .” With a step forward, he shifted his cane so that it was pointing straight at Chloe. “The only thing I hate more than people breaking my stuff? Clowns. I loathe a clown.” He glanced at Ryan, then shifted back to look at Chloe. “You’re all looking a little clownish right now. Why don’t we fix that?”

“Don’t let that thing hit you, Chlo . . .” Kyle muttered. “It’s--”

“I can hear you, kid,” Shift interrupted, a sharp statement laced with implicit threat. Kyle recoiled, face paling. The Signs Leader furrowed his brow, leaning in. “Wait a second . . . Wait . . . a . . . second . . .” He tilted his head, lowering the cane. Suddenly, his eyes lit up with recognition.

“Heroboy! Been a while. I’m surprised you’re still kicking. What was it--three doses? Four?” Another chuckle. “I’ve been keeping an eye out for you, you know. So sad that it’s taken so long.” Those cold eyes swept over the group once again. “And you brought more friends this time. Yeah . . . Yeah, it’s coming to me . . . The five of you are pretty big back home, huh? Unova and all that.” His face scrunched up into a smile again. “Lucky me! I’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to totally trash a region. Heroboy here wasn’t much help in answering that for me last time, but maybe one of you could oblige me.”

There was a deadly silence surrounding where Chloe stood - if Shift could see through the masks enough, the criminal leader would see her giving a gaze strong enough to potentially kill even Missing Zero. "Not sure that any of us here would want to." She said, the earlier cheerfulness having nearly entirely vanished. To her right, Ray also became more on guard, though he turned his eyes in Chloe's direction for a moment to make sure everything would be okay.

“Oh, I hit a button, didn’t I?” Shift mocked, planting his cane back on the ground. “Relax, sweetheart. By the time that blob gets to Unova, I’m sure they’ll have forgotten all about that little incident.” He looked around at the surrounding buildings. “Be real with me, though: How am I doing? I thought the dispersal method might be a bit unreliable, but in action--this cloud, the quiet, the effect . . . I can’t say I’ve ever seen anything like it.”

"You're insane." Ryan kept his eyes trained on the Signs Leader. Kyle had vastly undersold just how evil Shift truly was. "Those are innocent people out there. What do you have to gain from all this? Shouldn't you be more worried about that giant blob?"

“Oh, believe me--I am worried. Very worried,” Shift said. “Why else would I go all-out like this?” He tapped his cane, leaning his head back and sighing, as if to gather his thoughts. “The way I see it is, that thing’s on its way here. Who knows when it’ll arrive. Right? So, it’s in my best interest to stock up as much as I can before it gets here. And if a few dozen civilians get hurt in the process . . . Honestly, who gives a shit? They’re food for the thing, anyway, right?” Shift shrugged. “Besides, ‘insane’ is subjective these days. I could call you insane for sticking your nose in my business.” He shot a pointed look at Kyle. “Again. I swear to God, your kind of people never learn . . .” Another shift back to the group at large. “Surely he told you what happens when you break my property?”

"Keep it up and I'm gonna break that walking stick of yours." Once again Ryan tried to send out his Typhlosion, but to no avail. A sickly feeling rose in his stomach, a mix between anger and dread.

"I have no words for you." Chloe clenched and unclenched her fists to try and keep herself from doing something she'd regret. She wasn't having much luck. "People aren't food. And they aren't playthings for you either." The redhead was tempted to take a step forward to teach Shift a lesson, but Kyle's warning rung in her ears.

“Oh, lord . . .” Shift sighed. “Look, kids . . .” The condescension in his voice could not have been more clear, considering he wasn’t that much older than they. “This isn’t new to me. That--” He wagged a small, black device with a blinking red light at Ryan. “--isn’t going to work, so you might as well stop trying. As for your ‘lectures’ or your ‘lack of words’ . . .”

He started to pace, flicking the device through his fingers. A spark of recognition ignited in Ray's mind. His eyes widened as he was positive he had seen all of this before - he just needed to recall where. . .

“Look, here’s the long and short of it: You’re not clever. You’re not smart. Anything you can think to say to me, I’ve already heard it dozens of times, from--”

It was Shift’s turn to be interrupted as Kyle suddenly fell into a coughing fit. He raised an eyebrow, watching as Kyle, hand shaking, pulled his inhaler from his pocket and plugged it into an intake port on his mask. As the coughing subsided, Shift began to move forward, slowly, hands holding his cane behind his back and a look of curiosity on his face. He came to a stop as Sonja stood staunchly in front of him. “Excuse me, sunshine.”

“Over my dead body,” she said, the venom clear in her voice.

“I can arrange that,” Shift said, his tone flat. “You’re lucky I haven’t yet.”

“I know what you did to him last time,” Sonja said, her voice shaking with barely-contained rage. “And if you touch him again, or anyone else here, that blob will be the least of your worries.”

Shift sized her up. His eyes flickered past her to look at Kyle. “I’m just curious,” he said softly. “I would like to have a look.”

“Sonja,” Kyle said. “I-It’s fine.”

“See? He gave me permission,” Shift said, shoving past her. He raised a hand to his group of soldiers, lazily calling back to them. “Anyone else steps out of line, blow out the entire group. Don’t care if you hit me--we’re all basically dead, anyway.”

Kyle gave him an incredulous look as Shift stooped down. The Signs Leader might as well have been contemplating a painting with the way he was looking at the Liberty Agent, eyes semi-squinted and a hand on his chin. Wordlessly, Shift reached forward and pulled the gas mask off of Kyle’s face, forcing the Liberty Agent to take--and hold--a sudden, painful breath. Shift watched him struggle for a moment as he tried not to breathe in the poisonous air. After a few moments, he seemed to have found whatever he was looking for, as he planted the mask back into position. Kyle took another deep breath, coughing as Shift rose, spun on his heel, and started back toward his fellows.

“See? All is well,” he said after a moment, breaking the silence that had fallen over the group. “Much like a doctor must check on his patient’s symptoms, so, too, must a chemist confirm a chemical’s effects.” He spun around again, swiping a finger through the air across all five members of Vorhut. “Miracle of miracles, the boy’s got a bit of time left on his clock. I wonder if you’re all so resilient? Care to test it out?”

Ryan had never felt so powerless. Any action he took against the Signs' psychotic leader would result in a hail of bullets. His army of Pokémon rested on his belt, any one of them capable of snapping Shift's neck, yet they were all trapped in their own Pokéballs. He could do nothing but stand there, the fire in his eyes burning him up from the inside. It was torture.

"Not on your life." Chloe hissed, as she continued her glare at Shift. Ray felt just as helpless as Ryan did - never had he wished that he'd had the power suits more than right now. When they all got back, he'd have to look into being able to have some way to fight even without powers in some shape or form.

Shift stared at Chloe for what felt like an eternity. Finally, he shrugged. When he spoke, his voice was as calm and even as if he were commenting on the weather.

“Well, that’s just a fucking shame.” He turned his head. “Salha, I think we’re done here.” He waved. “See you on the other--”

A light arced across the sky and descended.

Whatever witty pre-mortem statement Shift had intended to end on went unfinished as the light rocketed across the sky above, blinding all who saw it even through the cloud covering the city. The speed at which it flew shook the streets below it, clattering some nearby glass windows and setting off a number of car alarms that blared into the empty street. Its passage was swift and brutal, here one moment and then gone the next. Though they heard no crash at first, soon they heard . . . something. Or perhaps they felt it in the ground beneath them.

Either way, Shift was distracted. He whipped his radio up to his face, pressing down on the receiver. “Everyone report in,” he barked. “All eyes on the lookout for whatever the hell that thing--”

“Boss!?” A panicked voice crackled over the radio--distorted, filled with static, but clear with panic. “Boss, something--hit the Manor! I don’t--damage is bad--”

“It hit the Manor!?” Shift repeated. “We just saw it over Dendemille, Piet, how the fuck could it have gotten to Laverre?” There was no response. “Hello!?”

“I don’t--wait--investigat--oh g--boss, there’s something insi--”

A second interruption occurred in more direct fashion. As Shift yelled into his radio, leaving his squad to focus on Vorhut, a single shot rang out from a nearby rooftop. A spray of blood exploded from Shift’s arm as the bullet tore through it, simultaneously eliciting a yelp of shock and pain from the Signs leader. The radio clattered to the ground, its casing shattering against the concrete. A second shot rang out as he moved behind cover with Salha, hitting Loup in the throat and sending the Signs Agent to the ground. The rest scattered for cover, one firing at the suspected location of the shooter.

A part of Ryan wanted to run up to Shift and punch him in the face, but he knew the Signs' distraction wouldn't last forever. "Everyone, fall back!" he cried. He paused only briefly next to Kyle to make sure he was alright before leading the charge away from Shift.

Chloe nodded as she began to follow the group away. As they passed by the truck, however, she paused for a moment. The psychic girl focused for a moment as she used her psychic powers to grip the truck. For catharsis, even though she didn't need to, she decided that it was a very good idea to mimic the movements of a suplex, as she lifted the truck into the air and then let it ungracefully fall to the ground afterward.

It was a spectacle to behold. The truck crashed against the pavement, the impact instantly putting a stop to its continued, billowing cloud. It was not quite an explosion, but the glass, powder, liquids, and other debris coupled with the decimated body of the vehicle left what might as well have been an exploded carcass. The landing had the additional effect of crushing Kemp underneath, thinning out Shift’s group even further.

It was enough to satisfy Chloe, at least for now. She turned and followed after the others, though she cast a glare back at the location Shift had last been seen in as she ran.

It served as well as a sign for Emmerich, who fell back from his post and hurriedly made his way back to street level. Blood poured down his face from a graze, but all in all, he had to consider the skirmish a success on his part.

“Forget them!” Shift screamed. “Fallback to base--we’ve got a situation to deal with!” As Salha helped him away from the street, he threw an enraged look at the truck, and then lowered his voice to an animalistic growl for Salha to hear. “Leave some groups behind--I want this town torn apart. Whatever it takes to find them.”

[flipz]

---[Detective]--- (North Boulevard, Lumiose City, Kalos, August 12th, 2017, 11:17 P.M.)

The van screeched to a halt as Elaine spotted the alleyway the others had described to her. Ordinarily the City of Light was a nighttime jewel of Kalos, but with the power outages caused by the disruptions in the wake of the loss of Pokémon power, many of the streetlights had been dimmed or even extinguished entirely. The result was a city covered in a consuming darkness only interrupted by pools of eerie bluish-green, barely enough to see by on the larger roads. The alleyways, like the one the Looker Bureau was situated in, were even worse.

Elaine looked to the group she was letting off, making eye contact first with Klim, then Olivia, and finally Dahlia. “Be safe,” she warned them.

Once their last goodbyes were said, she and the others drove away, leaving the trio to brave the darkness alone.

[unknownmercury]

---[Sycamore]--- (Sycamore’s Lab, Lumiose City, Kalos, August 12th, 2017, 11:14 PM}

The van drove in tense silence, nobody speaking as they made their way into the city. Jared was focusing, and traces of silver light flowed around his fingers, occasionally swirling and becoming deep red. Belle tried to ignore that. At present, she was clinging tightly to Amelia’s hand, practically squeezing the life out of it. Four people going into the lab, and one of them didn’t fit. Alex had been an essential part of the group for so long. Not having the kid around now broke Belle’s heart.

Alma was more stoic as she looked out the window. She hadn’t had any time to really prepare, to do some basic rituals to consolidate power and get the spirits used to her. Anything she did tonight would have to be grand and sweeping in nature to avoid issues later, and . . . Grand and sweeping were likely to get people hurt. She was facing the dilemma of an early mage: nothing prepared. No summons, no wands, no magical items. She had only the spells in the book that could be done quickly. She took a deep breath. It would have to do.

The van stopped on the street, and the group piled out. Jared frowned. “Door’s open.” Open was probably not the right word. The door had been annihilated, splinters of wood littering the doorway, the hinges twisted and broken. “There’s a light on upstairs. Let’s hurry.”

As they crossed the threshold, they could hear the faint sound of voices up the stairs, and then a loud splintering sound. Jared cursed, and Belle was surprised to see him move so quickly for the stairs. The youngest member of the group (Not counting Alma, of course. Actually, maybe not counting Amelia, either, depending on how one counted) seemed to be the most at home in a high-risk situation like this. He hurried up the stairs before Belle had even begun to move.

[flipz]

---[President]--- (President’s Office, Lumiose City, Kalos, August 12th, 2017, 11:31 P.M.)

An ordinary person couldn’t just walk into the President’s office. There were appointments, and protocols, and background checks, layers upon layers of bureaucracy and security before a citizen could have even a chance to meet with their nation’s leader.

Lionel Zyther was not ordinary people.

A thumb drive and a vial -- that was all it took for security chiefs and secretaries alike to usher the man past, barriers parting before them as if struck by a Brick Break. Even Alex, raised amongst riches, couldn’t help but be concerned at the sheer ease of their father’s passage.

“It’s not just me,” Lionel explained to his entourage as they rode their third elevator. “It’s this.” He indicated the items he held in his hand. “Morty’s known for months I’ve been experimenting with nanotech. When Elaine and I made our breakthrough last night, I sent out word right away. He’s probably been waiting for me to show up all day.” Lionel frowned, recalling another business partner he’d been planning to meet. He made a note to call him later, hoping the man wouldn’t get caught up in Flare’s machinations before Lionel could warn him of the danger.

“So, er,” Alex said, “what… exactly is it?”

Lionel smiled with satisfaction. “At a larger scale? A Power Suit.”

“Sorry, a what now?”

“Haven’t you seen the news?”

Alex shook their head. “We’ve… been out of service range.”

“Ask your sister. She piloted one on One Island. Of course, the comparison isn’t one-to-one. For one thing, this is internal, compared to the original’s exoskeleton model. For another, this model isn’t really intended for full combat, more along the lines of self-defense.” He indicated the vial. “In there is an array of nanoscale machinery, designed to allow possession by certain species of Pokémon. Rather than trying to replicate their powers, this device is intended to allow the user and their Pokémon to act in tandem, using their own body as a conduit for their partner’s powers. Elaine was most excited about the use of Recover, as I recall.”

Alex nodded along, understanding for the most part. “But… what about powers? They’re still out, aren’t they?”

“True,” Lionel admitted, “but she and I had success testing with some of her stored moves.” The businessman frowned. “Of course, with Elaine at the League, I can’t exactly show that… but then again, that’s not the main reason we’re here, now is it?”

Alex nodded again, lowering their gaze to the floor. They’d been useless the last time they’d faced down Flare -- no, worse than useless. As strongly as they felt they needed to help, it seemed uncertain whether they’d manage anything better this time around. They spared a glance back at Jamie and Lucia, hoping the two Rocket agents would be able to handle the enemy more effectively than they had.

[unknownmercury]

---[League]--- (Kalos Pokémon League, Kalos, August 12th, 2017, 11:58 P.M.)

The Lockwood-Cruize family (plus Calem and Serena) rode with only the noise of the CD. James glanced down at the player, but didn’t say anything about it. He turned his eyes back to the road just in time to see the gates of the League part before them, opened by a code from Serena’s Holo Caster. The van slowed as Elaine searched for a place to park. “We think six people’s actually gonna be enough?” James asked. “If they’re planning to take on the entire Elite Four, they’ll send in enough fire power that four adults and two kids aren’t likely to make much difference, especially since none of us have one of those fancy… what’s the word? Mega Pokémon.”

“That’s assuming none of the Elite Four are already on their side,” Calem reminded them.

Serena nodded. “As much as I don’t want to believe it’s possible…”

Emily made a face. “Thank you for that lovely reminder,” she said. “It’ll really suck if WIkstrom or Drasna is working with Flare.”

Elaine tried her hardest not to flinch. “I… I mean… maybe if they’re traitors, it’ll only be them?” The forced hopefulness in her tone rang hollow even to her.

Serena grimaced. “That’s… still a tall order.”

James shook his head. “Nah, Lysandre wouldn’t leave it to chance that much. If one or two of the Elite Four were in his pocket, he’d back them with enough soldiers to outnumber the rest of the League two to one, at least. That includes proteges, guards, and any trainers who might just happen to be hanging around the League. We’re looking at twenty agents, bare minimum.”

“Everything you say just makes things worse,” Calem observed.

“Life gets worse on its own,” Elaine found herself saying. “Entropy is a universal constant. All we can do is push back against the inevitable.”

[Konuju]

IC: Dahlia Seaton/Klim Prizak - Alleyway, Lumiose City
It took a long moment for Dahlia's eyes to adjust to the darkness. Another for her to will her legs to move. All senses were on high alert, and power churned within her like Beautiflies in her stomach. She felt like the slightest noise would make her release her pent-up energy in a devastating blast.

A hand touched her shoulder. "Save it for the real fight," Klim said in a low voice. She heard the sound of a Pokéball opening and suddenly a Dusknoir stood in front of the group. "Moriarty, would you do a bit of scouting for us?"

The Dusknoir nodded and disappeared into the alley's shadows. He returned a moment later, beckoning the group forth.

Doing her best to swallow her fear, Dahlia inched forward, straining her eyes to see the Detective Agency in the darkness.


IC: Alex Lockwood - Pokémon League Entrance, Kalos
Alex listened quietly to the others speculate on the loyalties of the various Elite Four members. He let out a sigh -- one that very nearly turned into a yawn, given the time of night. "Look, for all we know, none of the Elite Four are with Lysandre," he said when he found a pause in the conversation. "It's good to be prepared, but there's no use fretting over the unknown. After all, worrying just means you suffer twice."

He looked at each of the others in turn: Calem, Serena, Elaine, Emily, and lastly James. "If they happen to be with Lysandre, then we'll deal with it when we get to them, right? Don't waste your energy on all these what-ifs. Save if for the real fight."

[Parugi]

IC - Colleen Llyan - Geosenge Cottage, Geosenge City:

It was torturous, sitting at the cottage, with nothing to do but wait. All the others had gone, leaving just Colleen and Zoe to their task. Given that Zoe was still sleeping, however, Colleen might as well have been on her own. If she could, she might have tried to get some sleep herself. Right now, though, sleep was the least of her concerns. She doubted she'd be able to rest if she tried--the buzz and dread of coming battle weighed too heavily on her. Instead, she preoccupied herself on the cottage porch by focusing small amounts of her Aura into miniature spheres, sending them buzzing off into the distance, where they left soft streaks of gold that faded into dusty sparkles.

She had just grown tired of this, rising to her feet and stretching, when she sensed two figures approaching from the sky, followed a short distance behind by another pair. Cautiously, she leaned over the porch railing, watching as the trainers--two women--and their Flying-Types descended toward the lawn. They came to land on the grass, sliding off of the backs of their Pelipper and Talonflame and searched around. One of them waved to Colleen; she gave a careful wave back, moving forward to meet them. Luckily, the distance between them gave her ample time to read the pair's Aura. What she found allowed Colleen to relax a little.

"I take it you're our Sky Trainers?" Colleen asked.

"That's us," the older of the two confirmed. She held out a hand, which Colleen shook. "Moira. This is Yvette." The latter gave a friendly wave. "Calem gave us a rundown of the situation; said there'd be two of you going to Anistar?"

Colleen nodded. "Me and Zoe, my sister," she said. "She's resting right now. Come on in--I'll go get her and make sure she's ready" The Liberty Agent started back, leading the two trainers inside.

As they made themselves at home, Colleen made her way to where Zoe slept. She gently knocked on the door, and then entered. When the younger Llyan did not stir, she approached the bed, gently shaking her by the shoulder. "Hey, sleepyhead. Time for us to go."


IC - Lucia Zyther - President’s Office, Lumiose City:

For the most part, Lucia remained silent. She couldn't help but give her father a half-concerned look as he spoke about his project. It was impressive, certainly, as were the Power Suits, but she couldn't help recalling exactly how Team Liberty's particular mission had transpired. Even with full-body protection--and essentially functioning as fully-powered Pokémon themselves--they had still lost one of their own, suffered several injuries despite the Suits' protections, and been left with one of Team Liberty's leaders in critical condition. Thus, she wasn't entirely sure what to make of the knowledge that these nanobots would serve a similar purpose without the same outer defenses.

She shook her head, forcing herself to focus. The situation at hand was bringing back several bad memories from the last few weeks, the very thing she and Jamie had intended to take a break from by coming to Kalos. Dwelling on those thoughts would help nothing and no one.

"So," she said at last, looking around at the hallway décor. "Which way to the President?"

It sounded like a joke now that she said it out loud. Hopefully it wouldn't be the last funny thing tonight.


IC - Olivia Seaton - North Boulevard, Lumiose City:

Dahlia and Klim moved forward at a slow, cautious pace. Olivia did not. First, she sent out Shade, greeting the Weavile with a somber nod as the Sharp Claw Pokémon stretched his claws and arms. Together, they moved past Klim and Dahlia, leading the way down the dark alley. A few feet in, she slowed, holding up a finger and listening. With a wave of her own, Olivia started walking again. These Flare Agents were likely dangerous, true, but they weren't ghosts, and Shade would pick them up a mile away.

"City sounds normal," she said after a moment. "I think we can throw some caution to the wind for now--Flare'll be on their way whether we slink or not, so let's try to keep ahead while we can." Olivia glanced at her Poké Gear. "Maybe keep an eye for any police we can grab, too. Might be worthwhile to get an alert out if we can."


IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Emmerich Coleman - Main Room, Vertrag:

The elevator door hissed open, allowing the five trainers within to spill out into the main hallway. As soon as they were in the clear, they pulled off their gas masks, treating them with various degrees of emotional turmoil. For her part, Sonja managed to keep her cool, holding the mask limply at her side as she leaned with one hand against the hallway wall to catch her breath. Kyle slid down to the floor, fumbling with his own for a moment before tearing it off and dropping it to the ground beside him. He closed his eyes, taking shallow breaths and silently thanking Vertrag's ventilation systems.

To look at him, Sonja would have sworn that Kyle seemed thinner and sicker than he had previously, but she wasn't sure if this was just from the stress of the situation or a lack of closer observation on her end. She moved over to him, feeling his head. "You're burning up," she said. "Are you okay? You didn't breathe any in, did you?"

"I-I don't . . ." he said. "Might've been . . . a small amount . . ." Sonja helped him find the inhaler in his pocket, allowing him to breathe. This helped immensely; he almost immediately settled back into a regular breathing rhythm. After a moment, he gave Sonja a weak smile, clutching the device to his chest. "T-Thanks."

She barely had time to say "You're welcome." At that moment, the elevator door opened again. Much like before, Emmerich burst out of it, breathing heavily and tearing off his mask, keeping one hand pressed to the wound on his head. Startled, Sonja immediately ran forward to help him, though he waved her off.

"Are we all accounted for?" he asked, answering his own question with a quick headcount. "Anyone hurt?" He glanced at Sonja, who crossed her arms at him. "Anyone aside from me?"

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan Sanders - Main Room, Vertrag
The moment his gas mask was off, Ryan took a deep breath of fresh air. He made it through the hallway to the small kitchen area, where he unceremoniously tossed the mask onto the counter. Then he threw Quil's Pokéball at the ground. The Typhlosion emerged in a burst of flame and roared at the no-longer-present Shift. At the same time, Ryan slammed a fist onto the counter.

"That was a complete disaster," he said, grimacing as his knuckles throbbed against the smooth, black surface. "We've got Ford's entire base at our disposal and we couldn't do a darn thing." Ryan turned around to look at his five teammates. Aside from Emmerich and to an extent, Kyle, no one had been physically harmed. But the looks on everyone's faces ranged from exhaustion to defeat. The encounter kept replaying in Ryan's mind, and he had a feeling he wasn't the only one. "If he'd wanted to, Shift could have killed us right then and there," he said bluntly. "He was toying with us, and we were completely powerless."

Ryan slid down the counter and buried his face in his shaking hands. Now that they were out of the situation, the stress hit him like a truck. "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to form our own group," he said quietly. "Goldhawk or Sleight would've had some contingency. They'd know exactly what to do in that type of situation. We're just a bunch of kids playing in Ford's sandbox, pretending we can be heroes or something."


IC: Zoe Llyan - Cottage, Geosenge City
"Is it morning already . . . ?" Zoe groaned as she opened her eyes. Collie was leaning over her, trying to prod her awake. She was in a bed, but it wasn't her own bed back in Vier Village. No, it was much too comfy and warm, inviting her to sleep a little longer. The room was different, too. The walls were made of wood, not the painted plaster she was used to. How had she gotten here? Last she remembered everyone had been talking about splitting up for . . .

The mission!

Suddenly full of energy, Zoe bolted upright -- and smacked straight into Colleen's head. She flopped back down on her pillow, clutching her throbbing forehead. When at last the pain subsided, Zoe tried once again to get out of bed, more carefully this time.

She and Collie had been tasked with going to Anistar. Out of all the cities in Kalos, Anistar was by far Zoe's favorite. It also happened to be where her aunt and sister's mentor lived. Well, they didn't live in the city proper, but it was close enough. Today was like a dream come true for Zoe. A mission with just her and her sister to visit family and save the world. "I'd better brush my teeth."

[flipz]

---[Detective]--- (Outside Looker Bureau, Lumiose City, Kalos, August 12th, 2017, 11:21 P.M.)

The Bureau door was the first sign of anything wrong.

On any other night, the forced intrusion could have been written off as a random burglary, or perhaps at worst an attempt by a foolish, desperate criminal to destroy the evidence of their indiscretions. On this night, however, in this place, owned by this person -- no. This was no random raid. Emma Matiere had been targeted for her involvement a decade prior, and no amount of rationalization could deny it. Team Flare demanded a price; the question now was if it had yet been paid.

Or perhaps, it was another question: were they ready for the answers they’d find?



---[President]--- (President’s Office, Lumiose City, Kalos, August 12th, 2017, 11:49 P.M.)

“This way,” Lionel announced, leading the way through the eerily silent corridors. Most nights, the presidential office would still show significant signs of life even at this late hour, as aides and assistants scuttled about keeping tabs on the late-night developments that would invariably inform the daytime decisions of their employers’ offices. This night, however, had been consumed amidst the lights of Lumiose Tower, the charity gala a thinly-disguised summit of Kalosian political leaders gathered to informally address the current crises befalling the world. The President alone, a newly-reelected official still supporting an image of hardworking impartiality, remained behind, an image of longsuffering dedication to the wellbeing of the Kalosian people at any personal cost, while his fellow politicians pursued policies and politics amongst glamor and luxury. No doubt the next few weeks would be filled with declarations of new policy and the introduction of myriad bills meant to address the global crisis, to establish the tone of Kalos’ response and its direction in the immediate future. This night was meant to be a time of great portent in modern Kalosian history.

Was it any wonder, then, that Lysandre had chosen to claim it for himself?

Lionel led the group down hall after hall, elevator after elevator. Ten minutes later, they reached an immense yet simply-ornamented oak door, the antique moulding around its edges the only real indication of decadence and importance. The Zyther patriarch reached for the handle, much as he undoubtedly had many times before.

“Are we ready?”




---[League]--- (Kalos Pokémon League, Kalos, August 12th, 2017, 11:59 P.M.)

If only… if only. The phrase to define Elaine’s life. Now Em’s cousin was suggesting she abandon it.

…Perhaps he was right. Perhaps now was the time to move forward.

Visitors to the League by foot would be greeted with the sight of the looming cathedral rising above them as they ascended from Victory Road and walked the long, sloping path cutting across a majestically manicured field. By contrast, the path from the parking lot was patently anticlimactic -- a simple footpath cutting through a copse of trees and splitting to access both the visitor and staff entrances, less than a minute’s walk from the decidedly mundane parking facility. But then, that was the nature of Kalos, a juxtaposition between the picturesque and the profane, a land of both beauty and ugliness. It was, perhaps, fitting, that such a nature was reflected in one of the region’s most beloved landmarks.

…Or, perhaps, Elaine was merely overthinking things as usual. She stepped toward the visitor’s entrance doors and swiped her Professor’s keycard in the slot. The light blinked green, and she laid a hand on the door handle.

“Are we ready?”