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8 days ago
Current dandadan is so peak
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Wtf is wrong with America
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Weed smells like shit and those who smoke it make it their whole personality. I hate it.
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I want to get back into writing seriously but idk how
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going to japan tomorrow
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MENTIONS: Iris [@Serei2477], Bianca [@Majoras End], Mika [@Solace], Astrid [@LuckyBlackCat], Sebastien [@King Cosmos]

Mika’s quip was met with a roll of Hestia’s eyes. The next Kai? That was a long shot. Kid was on the brink of soiling himself. How could someone like that get past all of the Major League Gyms? ”Pfft. As if he’ll ever be a shade of Kai,” she uttered, her tongue laced with contempt. Even though the boy didn’t intrigue her as much as her own challengers did, she turned her pale eyes down towards the stadium as the boy sent out his Zigzagoon.

Of course, the battle began as a shitshow. The boy’s grasp on battling was mediocre, at best. Her eyes pricked when she heard Astrid’s joyful narration, and beneath that, Bianca’s soft critiques. The latter was right. If the boy was smart, he’d have brought along items to use. He was such a green youngster, he probably spent it all on Pokeballs instead. Hestia huffed, leaning back into her chair and pulling out her phone to swipe through her feed. No new notifications, other than the typical post from the news outlets asking where their Champion was. She snorted as her mood soured. It was better to focus on the battle, she guessed, even if it was like watching a Magikarp out of water, flopping helplessly in Iris’ wake.

When she cast her eyes back to the battle, she was surprised to see that the kid had a firmer hold on the situation at hand. Hestia leaned slightly forward and narrowed her gaze at the field. The Galarian Zigzagoon… did the boy intend to Dynamax it? That would be the only way to emerge from the battle as the victor, despite the chances being slim. Her grip on her phone tightened, ignoring the vibrations of an incoming call as she found herself excited over the outcome of the kid’s desperation.

HELP! HELLLLP!”

Hestia flinched. A man had wrenched past the field’s security, his face contorted with bewilderment as he rushed forward. His skin was pale, his mouth was wide, his lips pouring out a frantic screech that stopped the battle in its tracks. The young man’s darkened eyes flicked across the crowd, desperate to catch their attention as security guards lunged forward to grab the crazed man. He writhed in their hold, spluttering in his struggle, as if he was a Primeape that had been caged against its well. It was only when his eyes landed on the gym leaders that he composed himself enough to shriek again.

YOU NEED TO HELP! THEY’RE ATTACKING! THEY’RE ATTACKING POSTWICK WITH… WITH… THOSE THINGS! His voice was hoarse from all of his screaming. The security guards glanced at each other in confusion.

Hestia didn’t waste a single moment. Shooting up from her seat, she roared at the other gym leaders from over her shoulder. ”Move!” It was all she said before she rushed past everyone and towards the entrance.

Postwick was supposed to be a quiet town. Supposed to. But when Hestia emerged from the confines of Iris’ gym, she was met with cries of terror. Several men and women tore past her in the direction of the Slumbering Weald, some yanking along children as they sought sanctuary from whatever was chasing them. Their cries echoed through the small town, rending Hestia’s heart and making it thump wildly against her ribcage. She turned her gaze further down the now dusty roads of Postwick.

Several individuals, bearing tan-colored tactical gear complete with hoods and strange-looking gas masks, walked almost nonchalantly up the road. Multiple large shadows prowled next to them, their piercing yellow gazes cutting through the kicked up debris. Bared fangs glinted in the half-light. What the hell they were, she had no clue. They seemed to have come from another region, another world, perhaps not even their own. The sight of them terrified her, not only because of the look in their eyes and the venom dripping from their fangs, but because she didn’t know what or who they were. The strange men and women, having only caught sight of her just then, pointed their fingers in her direction and barked out a command she couldn’t hear. Two of the monsters, purple and blue ones, charged at her as violet smoke poured out from their maws and nostrils.

Her hand snapped to a Pokeball at her belt and tossed it into the air. Lazuli emerged from his capsule with a red glow, already roaring in fury. ”Dragon Cla–”

Both of the Pokemon– if she could even call them that– roared back at her Salamence and vomited up a purple, acrid current of fire. Lazuli grunted and fanned out his wings, blocking the attack from hitting his companion. The smell of searing scales reached her nose as Lazuli screeched in pain, though his talons still glowed with energy as he lashed out at the azure-furred Pokemon. His claws tore into its side and sent it crashing against its ally, and both tumbled to the ground. Hestia’s widened eyes swiveled back towards her Pokemon. Lazuli sagged his neck, wheezing as he lifted his wings. Her blood chilled as soon as she saw the scorch marks across his leg and right wing. Some of the tarnished scales seemed to be even dripping off of him. He let out a half-rumble, half-wimper, his eyes looking down at his trainer with confusion. That was a Fire-type move– how did it do so much damage?! Hestia reached forward in an attempt to soothe him, only to see that the determined duo had risen up from the ground. Their eyes held even greater rage than before, even with the blue Pokemon limping behind her partner as blood poured from the wound at its side. The individuals from before closed in on her with their own monstrosities, their auras bearing ill intent.

”The hell you lot doing back there?!” she screamed into the open doors of Iris’ gym. ”I need your Arceus-damned help over here!”


Smokestep’s fur began to rise as he glanced between Cloudstorm and Stormstrike, his tail lashing from side to side. The tension only rose when another warrior, a reddish tom, fanned the flames with his own input. His ears flattened, maw opening in protest, only become shocked at Redtalon’s rash decision to rush their deputy. Did BreezeClan seriously think that Coyotestar would stand for this?! When she caught wind there was a scuffle–

His thoughts were interrupted when a dark she-cat slammed into his side. Yowling, he stumbled to the ground, but not without scratching Nightwater across her muzzle. He aimed to grapple her so he could pummel her with his back feet, snarling all the while.

Oakpaw, stunned stupid and somewhat helpless, watched the scuffle with wide eyes. ”No! Stop it!” she shrieked, only to be rushed by Scorchpaw. She jumped out of the way of his attack, though unsheathed her claws as she stared at him. ”There’s no reason to fight!”

Scorchpaw hissed at her. ”Mouse-hearted RainClan cat!” he yowled before he slashed her right ear. Oakpaw screeched in what seemed a mix of fury and pain before she went in to bite him on the shoulder.

So much for a peaceful border patrol.


It pleased him to see that Aether wished to accompany him. He had no issue going to the festival by himself, though company was always nice, especially if it was Solstice’s sister. Perhaps he could get him to tell her things she liked and he might get it from the festival. Females liked gifts, right? He liked gifts too. Then again, who didn’t like gifts? Jewelry was the best, but it was even better when they were extra shiny and inlaid with stones so they glimmered and shined when one moved. Maroon found himself ruminating before the frisky touch of the morning wind brushed against his cheeks. He smirked up at Aether as he took off into the sky, looping around and appearing much like a shooting star in the midst of the day. Spreading his large, dark wings, he took off after his companion and floated gently on the breeze.

The festival was a large one, as was everything SkyWing-related. A series of smaller mountains cradled the festival grounds, and many types of vendors rested against the smooth stone. Multi-colored banners and flags swayed from between the stalls, each of their colors decreeing what they had in stock. Maroon didn’t know the meaning of all of them, but he knew that the pale yellow ones were slated for vendors that hailed from the SandWing kingdoms. He had learned to both embrace them and be wary of them; most vendors hyped up their wares as if they were ancient artifacts that had long been buried in the sand and thus tried to sell them for an exuberant amount of gold. The times he had been scammed by them was… very embarrassing. The smell of roast meats brought his attention back to the present.

Maroon’s talons touched down upon the soft ground and he craned his neck to peer around him. Red-hued dragons paced the dirt roads, laughing and swaying their tails, flourishing with their talons, and motioning their wings in excitement. Maroon caught sight of several outsiders, such as several IceWings and one or two SandWings. It seemed like the festival had brought much attention.

”Well, here we are,” Maroon said as he tucked his wings delicately against his sides. Dragons stared at him for a moment, then leaned over to whisper to one another, though he chose to ignore them. Instead, he turned his bright gaze towards Aether. ”Where shall we head first?”


MENTIONS: Iris [@Serei2477], Bianca [@Majoras End] Holly [@Fabricant451], Mika [@Solace], Astrid [@LuckyBlackCat], Sebastien [@King Cosmos]

One week since Hyacinth’s emergency meeting…

It was strange to see so many of them gathered in Postwick. Not everyone had decided to come and watch the first of Iris’ challengers come to battle her, though it was definitely more than a handful of them. Bianca was there along with Holly, which was nice. Mika was there as well, though that was less of a surprise; he probably came by both to watch the battles and scour the Slumbering Weald for anything interesting. What surprised her was that even Sebastien and Astrid had opted to observe the battles. Then again, it was off-season for them– and if any of the trainers failed too many times during the course of the challenge, then they would be relegated to competing against the Minor League gym leaders the next winter. It was smart for them to come and watch the trainers at the end of the day. As for those in the Major league, it would be absolutely idiotic to not attend at least one or two of their comrades’ gym battles. Attending such things gave them a very early and important sneak peak towards what they should expect in the coming weeks.

Hestia sat on the bleachers near the very front of the arena. She often sat in the front row so that she would be able to see every moment of the battle. How the Pokemon moved, how the trainers gave them orders, if there were any delays in a trainer’s decision making… it was very easily overlooked if one decided to sit in the back portion of the gym. And that wasn’t the only issue with sitting further away from the ring. Other onlookers would often jump up in excitement during the length of the battle, which could block potentially important parts of the battle or large segments overall.

She cleared her throat and sat up straighter, her eyes peering straight into the arena. Iris looked more than prepared to meet her challenger– a young boy with shaggy black hair and crooked glasses. He trudged forward to face the Ghost-type gym leader, albeit a bit too jittery for her liking. It was like he had just seen a… well, a spirit. This drew a little chuckle from Hestia, who cast Mika a sidelong glance with a sneer on her lips.

”This kid’s gonna faint before he even sends out his first Pokemon.”



As for everyone else...

MENTIONS: Fiona [@Psyker Landshark], Sawyer [@Vertigo], Nordrin [@Yankee], Isaiah [@PrankFox]

... the day went about normally. Fiona, Sawyer, Nordrin, and Isaiah carried out their daily duties as they had done for the past week or so. It was stale work, and specifically annoying when they were constantly approached by fervent fans that asked if Ryker had returned yet or not. Hyacinth had told them he was going to do something about the people that pestered them, but as of now, nothing had changed. Yeah, it had been only a week since the “beginning” of the Galar Regional Championship and Ryker’s disappearance, but their constant questioning had probably made it seem like it had been forever.

Yep. The day went about normally, until a very specific phone call from one of Hyacinth’s secretaries. He might have been recognized by the pitch of his energetic voice, which he always carried with him no matter where he went. However, this time young Cane bore a tone that brimmed with panic and urgency.

”Hello, hello! Listen, Hyacinth can’t call you right now. Something’s happened– something terrible! Someone broke into Wyndon Central Laboratory only a few minutes ago, and the cops need help fending them off! They have Pokemon in their arsenal, some of them we haven’t ever seen before! They’re too strong! Hyacinth said to get over there for backup, immediately!”

The call ended a moment after; he probably went off to call the other gym leaders. Obviously, there was no time for chit-chat or questions. They had to move, now.


The cluster of cats cut through the thick-leaved grass as they padded towards BreezeClan's border. It was always somewhat haunting to know that there was never any clear indication that one was approaching the other Clan's territory, save for a spare tree or perhaps a small hill. It was the smell of BreezeClan cats that got to you first, even before one got close to the one or two stray trees that stood tall against the backdrop of the grassy dunes. And if that didn't help, there was always the sudden presence of sand beneath ones paws as they got nearer and nearer to the border, along with the sharp tang of salt in the breeze. Smokestep took all of this into consideration as they walked, the tip of his tail twitching with apprehension. There was a kind of tension in the air that he didn't like, but he shrugged it off as baseless apprehension more than anything.

He turned his head to see that Hawkshadow had approached, blinking warmly at his words. "Thank you. And personally, I can't wait for them to leave the nursery. That's when you get to see their true personalities shine," Smokestep smirked and flicked his tail dramatically. "StarClan knows that RainClan needs more energetic cats with sticks in the mud like Coyotestar and my brother prowling about."

Meanwhile, Oakpaw was very much preoccupied with Stormstrike, her eyes wide as she kept up with the larger tom despite the longer grass pulling at her paws. "I smell salt, and water... the ocean! Maybe some rock, too, and--"

"What are you doing on our territory?"

A line of shadows crested the hill right in front of them. Smokestep raised his eyes towards them, narrowing them in the face of the sunlight. Five BreezeClan warriors had appeared at the top of the hill. He immediately recognized Cloudstorm among their number. The larger tom's muzzle was wrinkled slightly as he scowled down at Stormstrike. "I had hoped that the deputy of RainClan had a better head perched upon his shoulders."

Smokestep growled, padding forward and standing next to Stormstrike. "What are you even talking about, you hare-brained fleabag?"

"I asked a question," Cloudstorm snarled, taking a step toward them. His claws glinted in the dim sunlight. "What are you doing on our territory, Stormstrike?"

Scribing scrolls... well, that sounded boring. Then again, Aether always seemed to be involved in doing such things for Finch. Maroon felt sorry for the poor fellow. If he were in his talons, then he would certainly die of sheer boredom. When the other dragon gave him tentative interest, the prince's smile grew. Tenderly, he began to guide him back out into the corridor. "Well, I heard there was a festival in the valley of the nearby mountains. I was wondering if perhaps you would like to join me." He made sure to honey his words as he craned his head down towards him. "I think it would benefit your well-being if you were to spread your wings for a while. If anyone were to complain, then you can say you were merely accompanying me."

It was the perfect plan. Not only would he have some company on his escapade, but he would also be able to garner some intel on Solstice if he touched upon all the right places. Even if he couldn't, festivals in the SkyWing kingdom were always lively and brimming with both food and drink. It would certainly be a fun time.

"What say you?"

MENTIONS:

In a matter of moments, the meeting had lost most of its diplomatic backbone. Most of their number were outraged that they couldn't do anything. Others remained silent for the most part, sweltering in their chairs as they mulled over the words spoken at them. Some of them had even left the room entirely, Bianca, Isaiah, and Nordrin included. Hestia simply sat there, her knuckles burning with furor as she glowered at Hyacinth. The chairman remained ever stalwart in the face of a storm of mixed reactions, his features never betraying a wrinkle of anger or irritation. Instead, he turned his gaze back towards the people that remained.

"I would like to remind you that there will be severe punishment slated for those who do get in the way of the investigation. I can't allow any of you to get in the way of the police's work. Arceus forbid that we're dealing with a particularly malignant adversary. Who knows what could happen?" Hyacinth said. Then, with a slight huff, he brushed off his sleeve from imaginary dust before he clasped his hands behind his back. "Relay this information back to the ones who've left. It's important that they know this. Other than that, you may leave."

Hestia still couldn't believe it. To be a sitting Psyduck in the middle of this whole mess... her skin already prickled with apprehension. All she had to do was sit and wait. That was easy enough. It had to be easy enough. She had to do this not only for Ryker, but for the rest of the gym leaders. Chairman Hyacinth cleared his throat at the head of the room, adjusted his glasses, then made his way around the table with a simple: "Farewell, and stay safe."

That was the queue for them to leave. Hestia stood, her bones stiff with muffled fury. Her eyes avoided the glances from the other leaders, if they even bothered to look at her. She couldn't bear to meet their gazes. She was the mere shadow of Ryker, and yet she was all that was left of him at the moment. Yes, she was a mere shade of the one who overcame her. But now, she was something different. She was meant to be more, especially when she was currently the highest rank among them. After a long moment of thought, she lifted her head and swung her gaze around the room at the rest of the leaders. "I'll be taking my leave. If you need me, I'll be a call away."

Hestia was upon Lazuli's back within the minute. The winds of travel wiped her hair back into the vicious current that swirled among the skies, and from behind her blurry vision she could see the faintest hint of Hammerlocke.

MENTIONS:

What’s going to happen next? What would be the consequences? These questions, along with a flurry of more, were thrown at the chairman’s direction. Hestia watched as Hyacinth removed his glasses from the ridge of his nose in order to wipe the lenses with a pale-colored rag. It was odd to see the man so calm after such a disaster had happened, but then again, she didn’t remember a time when he showed much emotion– not even when he was fuming. He was the type of person to express himself through words and not through action, and while this made him easy to deal with most of the time, right now it only made her more anxious. She bit the inside of her cheek as Hyacinth’s gray eyes once again swept over their number.

”The details of the abduction are still hazy, although it seems that whoever did take Mr. Sutherland also took his Pokemon along with him. There’s no sign of his Pokemon anywhere in his residence. Not even his Pokeballs.” Hyacinth cleared his throat before continuing. ”Yes, there’ll likely be an uproar in the face of canceling the opening ceremony, but I went along with the safest course of action. Going forth with the opening ceremony might have put many more individuals at risk and I didn’t want to take the chance. Thankfully, we’re prepared to receive whatever backlash that’s aimed at our organization in response, so you needn’t worry about any of that.”

Hestia cupped her hands and stared at the table. Her vision became misty as her mind raced with thoughts.

”Unfortunately, the police have little information on the situation as of now, so I ask that all of you remain in close contact with one another. Reach out to each other often to check in or board with one another if you want, I don’t care as long as you stick together. I can’t afford for this to get any worse,” the man continued. ”As to what happens next… I've decided that the tournament will continue as usual.”

Her rampaging thoughts were cut short. Hestia’s head snapped upwards as she stared at the man with wide eyes. ”Hyacinth, sir, how are we supposed to compete if we don’t even know what’s gonna happen?”

Hyacinth sighed heavily before he finally positioned his glasses back on his nose. ”We can only hope that we can find Mr. Sutherland in time for the championship match.”

”But–!”

”If we cancel the entirety of the competition, then we’ll never recuperate from such a financial travesty. Besides, I’m certain that this is what Mr. Sutherland would want us to do, wherever he may be.” Hyacinth affirmed. For the first time in the whole meeting, his features darkened as he narrowed his eyes at the number before him. ”That leaves the final matter. I don’t want any of you interfering with the investigation. All that I ask is that you lot carry out your duties as proper gym leaders. Is that understood?”

Her cheeks glowed a rosy hue as she ducked her head. She couldn’t believe this. They had to pretend that nothing was wrong until they found Ryker. That was, if they found him. Her hands quivered slightly as her fingers dug into each other.


Maroon's eyes hardly left Solstice, even when Aether echoed her words on the topic of pit fighting. Pit fighting, pit fighting. Oh, right, sometimes his mother, Emerald, had dragons fight in the pit, though it wasn't to the death. In fact, even the weakest contenders had at least one sponsor under their wing. But the SandWings made the Tainted fight until their blood drenched the sands at their talons. It sounded entertaining... but on the other claw, very barbaric. He didn't want to be known as a dragon who watched other dragons disembowel each other for fun. That would leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth.

The prince blinked when Solstice slipped between the two of them and left the barracks before he could even muster a goodbye. His heart sunk deep into his diaphragm. If only he paid more attention! He could have given Solstice something as a farewell gift. Maybe one of his rings? Maroon thought for a few seconds before movement flickered in the corner of his eye and he realized that Aether was still there. Oh, right. Solstice's brother was still here. There would be entertainment at hand, at least. He smiled down at the paler dragon as he stretched out a wing and wrapped it around his shoulders.

"Aether, you're looking well. What do you have planned for today?"
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