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 Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2023 6:34 pm
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The Articuno hybrid stared down at Aden as he crumpled over to the overwhelming power before him. “Really? I really don’t have the time or patience for those who wants to lie to my face one moment then crumple over when they’re caught. Real juvenile…” he said as his contempt started to rise as much as the pressure Aden was feeling. “Bad liar would be an understatement. Just leading off by asking if I was the gym leader. You have to be joking. There’s not a person on this planet that knows about me and this gym now and not for good reasons. And that’s not getting into the whole coming to this gym last in the gym circuit of all things.” The gym leader then looked on at the other two, knowing at the very least the human amongst them wouldn’t really feel it other than the cold in the gym as did the attendants. The way the other hybrid was acting, she didn’t have the same kind of sensory perception as the one on the floor did. Crazier still, she was standing up to him. He felt it was borderline pitiable. These three really didn’t know what they were contending with, did they?
Listening to them further, how they were initially cryptic, stating that it would be difficult to explain didn’t help any moods either. He stared down Crystal. “Eccentr-…are you serious? ‘Eccentricies?’ Which ones, by chance? Other than the fact that Melemele Island is a tropical, uninhabited hellhole because a red-headed b*****d from Kalos tore the place a new one to near-unrecoverable levels with a Legendary Pokémon known as Zygarde a couple of years ago?” he asked. Apparently the Snagems didn’t manage to save Melemele Island in this reality when Zac fully came into play… “So pray tell, what ‘eccentricies’ do you mean?” With the tone of voice he was carrying, ‘Sundaria’ would need to be careful. He was looking for excuses.
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Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2023 7:12 pm
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Shock would wash over Crystal's face at the news that Melemele here was uninhabitable, slowly fading into frustration. "Melemele. Became completely uninhabitable here?" It was taking everything she had to keep her tone relatively even. Just hearing that one of the places that she treasures and pseudo grew up at no longer existed on one reality made her galactic blood boil. "I was referring to the Wormholes that normally seem to open up in Alola from time to time, occasionally dropping off Ultra Beasts or people called Fallers, someone from another reality that was pulled through one of those Wormholes." She closed her eyes and took one of her hands out to pinch the bridge of her nose, taking deep breaths to keep herself calm. It's not her reality, not her reality, not her reality. There probably wouldn't have been anything she could have done anyways. Focus, especially when there was a bird man who certainly sounded like he was ready and spoiling for a fight. "I can travel the space where those Wormholes exit into, a... space between different realities, if you will. Also called, uninspiringly, Ultra Space." Her hand would move to grab out a couple of old Pokéballs, spinning the shrunken orbs around in her hand as she focused on them for a moment, debating on how much more she wanted to reveal about herself to this Blizzard. While she debated, there’d be one message she’d shoot to the others telepathically, wanting to get them ready in case everything went belly up. ‘Get ready to bolt back to the Lake of Rage. He’s looking for a reason now, and if I'm being completely honest, the stupid part of me is wanting to see how that goes.’
Coming out of her head, she'd ask a couple more questions of Blizzard. "...Were they male or female? From my original timeline, I know of at least two redheads that were notable with Flare at that point. And regardless, please tell me that you, at the very least, punched that b*****d hard enough that you turned their face inside out?" Yeah, there might have been a failing of keeping herself detached from the events of another reality here.
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Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2023 7:46 pm
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"Well, I... don't see Pryce around... and you're dressed like he is," Aden remarked, swearing he could feel the pressure getting even worse, each new increase feeling worse than ever before and threatening to just end him then and there. "Felt like a," he'd stop to cough, barely managing to toss a badge case from his vest pocket. "A safe guess. Feel free to look at that... or shatter it, your choice. The only lies about those is I have 'em all, just... not from here as it were."
So far, the only upside to all of this was the information he was managing to gleam. That this reality's Alola had a totally unlivable island, that this Blizz already seemed more like he wanted to be left alone- and he was ready to add new decor to the gym if it meant permanently shutting up the new voices that drew his ire. Clearly, if Snagem still existed here, they apparently lost the war and lost badly, and he doubted this Blizz would be terribly inclined to have anything to do with them.
Fighting through the pressure felt practically impossible, never mind Blizz himself. He wasn't sure if the Blizz he did know could stand up to this. If he could, then how the hell was he going to stand up to either of them?
"Anyway... what she said. We tagged along with her," he added, doubting that anything but their deaths might very well be becoming imminent. As it was, he still wasn't able to get to his feet despite struggling to not only do so, but be ready to fight if he needed to. If he could fight; he still had to remind himself that the only thing truly similar among either Blizz was what hybrid he was, but if this was a sign of things to come...
"Don't think bolting's something I'm doing here. At this rate, you're either dragging me out on a light board or I'm explaining stuff after I click the temporal undo button. Or I'll try and fight him, somehow."
"If you don't... believe any of that, then at least... believe we didn't come here to fight."
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Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2023 8:53 pm
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Reno was going to be the one to say something out of turn and inadvertently let loose the whole dimension hopping thing that had led them to this universe, but it seemed that Crystal was covering that one well enough for the entire class. So that left Reno with a little time to see what he could glean by following the logical threads of everything that had been done and said so far. No reaction to his and Aden's names likely meant they either never joined or something was different enough about them to keep a connection from clicking. Snagem had apparently dropped the ball in regards to multiple incidents they had succeeded at otherwise in their universe. Shadow Pokemon were enough of a major issue that HAZARD was still in existence rather than simply contracting out to Snagem. And all of this had culminated in Blizz deciding to lead the gym here, despite apparently being well known enough that they should have recognized him innately. It wasn't hard to draw the conclusion once it was laid out like that. Whatever Snagem had to work with in this dimension had been ineffective for major preventative action but still enough to at least save something. But whatever had been saved wasn't good for Blizz, so he had come all the way out here to isolate himself. And there were only two things Reno could see as having not been saved to instigate this sort of reaction.
"You aren't fighting him, Aden. He's got nothing to lose and he doesn't look afraid of turning the pain it took to reach that state against us. He starts a fight, you hit the reset while me and Crystal do our best to let that go through. Or there's always the snagem secret technique of running away. But you would be running first for similar reasons."
Carefully palming two Pokeballs, he would pass one over to Harleen as she slid down his back to land on the ground. She would be carrying Nalu and Reno would be carrying Aleister. One Pokemon for if it was a fight and one for if it was time to flee. But Reno wasn't going to accept those as the only options at this point. "You've seen enough fight for one lifetime, if the course of your world is even remotely close to ours and it went as poorly as it appears. We were just told about some bad potentials by someone, so we figured we should check on them. We'll leave right now, if you desire. I've at least got enough to draw some conclusions and we don't need to antagonize you any further, Blizzard." Reno said, doing his best to keep his position beside Aden rather than attempt to move forward beside Crystal. No need to do anything that might make him see them as more threatening than they were.
.....oh hell, no one had said Blizz's name this entire time, had they? Not even the gym attendants from what he could gather. Welp, time to see how this played out.
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2023 9:15 pm
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If one thing if nothing else, despite riddled with anger and resentment for all this time, for some odd reason came a profound sense of focus. He was nigh hyper aware of the various tells, the shifts in demeanor in the three, and so on. Critical thinking was at warp speed from dissecting nearly every word in their sentences, focusing on how to dismantle any and all arguments…or dismantle them if it came to it. Letting on the fate of Melemele in this world apparently bothered the female for some odd reason and it struck him odd as to why. Just as his stature in the gym, there was nary a soul that didn’t know generally about how Melemele is now short of those currently in a coma for some reason. Then comes the reasoning why they ended up lying initially to the hybrid gym leader. They were…from another world? Any other time, he or anyone else in his position would have been quick to dismiss that; a tale too profound to be believed.
“Rest assured, the one responsible and those who followed him are no more. We made sure of that at Black City in the Unova Region. To be frank, I personally made sure I made the man died screaming.” At least Flare was no more…as he would let on. “But we’re getting off the topic…you’re telling me right the hell now that you…are from some other whole universe. That you, in particular…” he said, addressing the Solgaleo hybrid. “…got the capabilities to do so and you brought two for the ride.” As he looked at Reno and Aden once more, and as much as he wanted to scoff at the idea, finding it a worse lie than what they lead in with, he honestly couldn’t. Reno still looked vaguely familiar and Aden, now that he given his name…and stating he’s from Agate Village…it was…near baffling. On top of Crystal’s reaction to Melemele, even though she shouldn’t have any attachment to this place, he was left in a position he couldn’t honestly believe he was in. “I certainly did not need today…” he would simply state, now having to rub his eyes in frustration.
“Alright…say hypothetically I believe that, against my better judgment.” He then told the three. “You mentioned that you were told about bad potentials. What does that even mean? Why are you here right now risking drawing all manner of ire out of me, let alone risk a trip through this ‘Ultra Space’, just to see this place, and risk possibly running into your own counterparts here, which I’m sure would just go over well. Honestly, Aden? Sol’s kid? I’m guessing your father either had a different choice in wives or the Ho-oh was that overbearing because here Aden’s almost a mirror image. Ho-oh visage and all. And unless I am mistaken…” he then looks over towards Reno. “You’re a girl here. Rena. Penchant of getting roughed up. Which…considering your prosthetic, you’re no stranger to doing that yourself. She’s a fighting type channeler…no prosthesis…yet. Last I heard, anyways.” he’d explain, though at the tone of voice, not that he’d care for updates either.
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2023 10:41 pm
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"Okay good, we're not dead yet..." Reno and Crystal probably would've heard the sudden, relieved tone of Aden's thought; whether he intended to keep the telepathy channel open or not, but it was safe to say he was assuming the worst just a moment ago. The pressure, however, hadn't lessened up and he still wasn't exactly going anywhere in a physical sense. But the important part is they hadn't ended up in a fight, regardless of how wafer-thin the ice underneath them was. Or how thick, depending on how one interprets things.
"In our defense... I got kicked in here," Aden remarked. "We didn't choose it like some con... some cosmic convenience store for a bag of chips." He paused at the revelation he was presented with, struck with some memories of a particular run-in with a bunch of Unown, how the versions of himself- his doubts at the time- he had to fight took on both extremes. One much like the Aden that was described to him, the other where the Celebi part had won out in the genetic lottery. Let alone the forms he'd ended up in during the ordeal, even if it was all a dream of sorts. Maybe. He tried not to think about the implications of Unown even now.
Regardless, he gathered it was safe to say he existed in this reality. Same for Sol, and in the same form he'd recognize. Though he'd wager that's where many of the similarities end. "...yeah, still his kid where I'm from too. You can guess what hybrid mom was. And the potential thing..." He paused again, struggling to find a way to explain it that wouldn't likely end in a scenario where warning the very person that becomes a monster creates the very monster in question. He wasn't quite sure if there was a way to avoid that, not at this kind of point. "...worlds ending, realities ceasing to be. Stuff like that. Feel like you'd get a better answer from the two not keeling over from pressure."
Aden maybe needed to work on his cross-reality conversational skills, even if he was managing to keep a stable enough breathing to not need to break every sentence to keep catching his breath.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 7:06 pm
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“Good. Glad to hear Lysandre’s been sent to the coldest part of Hell here.” Crystal’s gaze stayed on the two Pokéballs in her hand, spinning them around each other in her head as she thought. “Pretty much what Aden said,” she’d agree, tilting her head slightly. “We came to grab my notes that I’ve taken on every reality I’ve been in, which I stored within Ultra Space itself. Because, if I’m honest, I don’t think time properly functions within Ultra Space. It’s weird. But it also means that the simple, inexpensive notebooks I get don’t deteriorate nearly as badly as they would within any reality, especially since… Some of them I’ve had technically for hundreds of years now.” She shrugged, deciding to put away the Pokéballs for now. She was certainly curious about her counterpart here now, but knowing where this reality’s Crystal stood was a little less important than just trying to leave this reality safely.
“We’ve been inundated with other Ultra Space travelers and Fallers recently, and with everything that’s happened to our reality, we want as much information as possible for Snagem. Our Snagem, at the very least. Grabbing my journals is just the simpler way of going through my memories, instead of me trying to rummage through my memories of hundreds of realities and getting them crossed here and there. I might potentially have the lifespan of a star now, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have the trappings of a mortal otherwise.” The hybrid shrugged again and brought out a couple of malasadas that somehow managed to make their way into her bag. “This reality was an inadvertent stop, but necessary once Aden was Pele kicked here. By the way, malasada?” Yeah, he might have still been suspicious and potentially angry, but she was starting to feel a bit hungry again. Or tired, up in the air on that one. And it would be rude not to offer the pastry before eating one herself.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 9:58 pm
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Reno would look between the two of his compatriots as they resumed once again dancing around the central issue, which is precisely what got them into this thin ice situation to start with. It was almost impressive to see them immediately going back to what had been so ineffective previously. Sighing as he knew that he had to be the one to do something slightly painful in order to keep things from devolving any further for violence against them, Reno would turn to face Blizz. "Prosthetics. Got a robot leg to match the robot arm I currently do not have on me." Pulling up a pant leg to show off the mechanical limb, he would realize he was stalling on doing the thing he had just said he was going to do. Hopefully it worked like a band-aid, where ripping off quick was the best.
"As for the bad potentials, I'll be straight up instead of the pie in the sky stuff my compatriots listed. Somebody came in from another another universe to try and kill our version of you for, quote, 'being a threat to life as it existed' unquote. Rather than just take the word of a crazy lady who popped in to assassinate someone, we decided to gather some information and check it out ourselves. Didn't intend on this world in particular, like they said, but here we are." Reno said, giving a slight shrug at the end. "And between our Blizz and what the crazy lady described, you land somewhere in the middle. I can guess why but I'd rather not dredge up anything painful for you. So, I'm a fighting channeler here? And female? Interesting. Especially since I'm a psychic channeler. Not that it means I don't fist fight like her, but still."
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 10:24 pm
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 11:10 pm
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The hybrid would merely shrug when her offer was rejected, eyes turning to Reno as he bluntly told Blizzard the specific reason why they decided to come visit. She did not like this at all. ‘Have you NOT heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy, Reno? I don’t want this to go even faster, maybe, for the love of the Light!’ She was frustrated now, nervous, tired as well, especially when they were accused of trying to manipulate the timelines, when she knew for a fact that what they were doing here was tame. “... Fine. I’ll gladly take an out that avoids a violent confrontation.” She’d bend down and help Aden up, putting his arm over her shoulder to support him. “I’ll have you know, though, that I don’t believe we’re trying to ‘cheat fate,’ as you called it. Trying to learn from other realities now, maybe, prefferably with as little footprints elsewhere as possible. But, I at the very least, want to protect the friends that have helped me dearly. I wouldn’t be standing here with my own mind... mostly intact without them, and I want to do anything I can to protect them. And if you think this is interfering, then just imagine an entire organized group devoted to making sure realities play out in a certain way.” She’d start to head to the door after that with Aden in tow, but turned her head around one more time. “I’m… sorry… for whatever wound up happening. However, I do wish the best for you from here on out. For what little that’s probably worth from a random, uninformed stranger.” She’d note as she opened the doors that she never did ask about the Crystal from this reality. However, getting to leave without any major confrontation was a win, so she wasn’t going to push her luck any further than she probably already did.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 11:27 pm
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2023 1:03 am
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2023 8:18 am
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The three left, two of which on their own two feet, and all tried to speak to justify themselves to the embittered gym leader to which as far as he was concerned, once again assuming they were true to what they said, they understood nothing. This was not their reality. They didn’t know him like they possibly thought they did, the years prior that led up to what made an extremely powerful, yet extremely broken hybrid. Their words fell on deaf ears. All he cared was that they left immediately. As they left from his sight, he winced hard. That longing he had. An old wound that was opened up from the thought of one distinct possibility. His one long breath to try to compose himself trembled. He wanted to break down. He would stop, however, when he looked back still seeing the attendants of the gym still there, wondering if something was going to happen. The one that he left back in his office as well started to show up with a phone in hand. “Sir, do…I still need to call?”
He would take a few seconds, closing his eyes, took another deep breath which did nothing for his mood right at the moment. He was trying to avoid lashing out at the attendants; they did nothing wrong. He would check his watch on his arm, sliding up his coat sleeve to see it. Mid-afternoon, it seemed. “No. But…just…everyone, call it early today. Close up shop. Don’t worry about the Pokémon, though, I’ll deal with them shortly. Though if anyone sees those three again anywhere near here, call HAZARD. They’re not any good news.” He said, returning his hands to his coat pockets, pulling his coat in tighter around him. It did nothing.
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Once the trio found their way outside, Aden would notice the power spike hadn’t subsided, but had only gotten gradually worse since Reno’s earlier comment. Furthermore, all three would notice that what was a nice, clear, sunny day turned dreary in the short time frame they were in the building. Clouds overhead was starting to build thick and the temperature had dropped a fair bit. This evening was going to get cold really fast in this reality’s Mahogany Town.
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2023 8:08 pm
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Getting out of the gym, Aden quickly noticed, wouldn't be enough for him to be totally able to move. If anything, it felt like he'd instead tried to start a fight with Blizz after all. He hadn't, he could tell that from the fact that he didn't have a frostbitten limb from taking an Ice Beam or something. But he'd still get a taste of exactly what kind of power he would've dealt with if he had; apart from the pressure, he noticed the weather took a nasty turn and it was cooling off even more. A cold snap would be putting it mildly, and he was certain it'd get much, much colder after they left. One would think the group caught the ire of an Articuno proper rather than a hybrid.
"Crystal, I'm sorry, I..." He finally said, the weight of the last while starting to crush him in a fashion no amount of pressure could hope to replicate. "I screwed up. I screwed up bad. Assuming there's an outcome where what I think's about to happen... doesn't start happening, Reno and I just doomed everyone here. There's gotta be some way to fix this, rewind the conversation, make it like it ddidn't happen- ugh, no." He stopped himself from saying much more in the moment, knowing that it wouldn't change that this timeline would still exist; if things truly were headed to oblivion, any and all of them would ultimately converge in the same spot, the same outcome.
It didn't prove to help set him at ease. The most to come out of him that Reno and Crystal might hear was "...dammit..." under his breath. He needed to be ready for next time, if there was one.
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2023 8:45 pm
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Crystal stared at Aden as he spoke, finding their way to the northern road as quickly as she could. Those clouds were not a good omen, and despite not reacting to the cold like a normal human, she could in fact feel the temperature dropping. “Aden… This… This isn’t the outcome I was worried about, if I’m honest.” The hybrid’s gaze would be up at the sky still as they walked, pausing once they got to the needed road. “There’s been a few realities I left that ended on the cusp of a bad ending. And if that hunter was right…” A giant sigh would escape Crystal’s mouth as she created another lightboard, one large enough for the three of them. “I think all we did was expedite this one.” One of the malasadas in Crystal’s hands would be thrown at Reno at that point, grumbling. “I still wouldn’t have mentioned all of the fine details like that, though.”
Once everyone was on the board, the board would take off to the Lake of Rage, any attempts at subtlety gone. “No, my biggest worry now is that we’ve created a divergent line where he tries to find a way to jump to another reality. And winds up being successful. If he’s this powerful now, he could wreck any number of other realities if he’s not careful. Or doesn’t care, one of two.” She shrugged as they arrived back at where they left the hoverbike, with the lioness lowering the lightboard down to the ground completely.
“Reno, just get that thing on here.” As she ordered Reno, Crystal knelt down and widened the board to the point where it looked like a large platform. “Get ready to head out as fast as possible. We’re leaving, going home, and then I’d be more than happy to continue to help process this. Provided we’re not jumped… I shouldn’t be passing out when we get back.” She’d consume the last malasada as waited on the others to get situated, keeping an eye on their surroundings. Hopefully there wasn’t any secret plans to follow and jump them. However, all bets were off at this point.
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