PlatinumSkink

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Mariette

Specialization: Portals, Light
Power: Tentacles
Perks: Gifted, I. Home, Blood M., Overcity S., I. Tourist, H. Handbag, Allies, Aware, A. Direction
Benefits: C. Doom, Reason, Minions, Retrieval, M. Might, Mana Font.
Drawbacks: Quick-T., Mind-Bent, Insomnia, Bane, H. Sapping
Str: 4 Agi: 4 Vit: 4 Mag: 22 Lck: 10

Eli

Specialization: Reinforcement, Darkness
Power: Third eye
Perks: Dual W., Wings, M. Training, Flexibility
Monster: N. Limbs, Devourer, Amorphous, Second Spec.
Benefits: C. Doom, Reason, Takes to Know, Retrieval, M. Overload
Drawbacks: Quick-T., Mind-Bent, Insomnia, Bane, M. Form
Str: 7 Agi: 7 Vit: 7 Mag: 8 Lck: 4

Deni

Specialization: Reinforcement
Power: Twin S., Shapeshifting
Perks: M. Training, Flexibility, Fated, G.o.o. Jail, BigDamn H.
Benefits: Free Agent, Genki Girl
Drawbacks: Alone, also in debt to Crimson Cradle
Str: 7 Agi: 7 Vit: 7 Mag: 8 Lck: 6

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Ronin smiled to Connie and Mia after the thanks for her help, and then she’d spun to confront Hilaria…

Well, who knows if Ronin had any influence on it, but Hilaria returned to normal eventually! That’s a relief and a half. Then Eliza and Maura came down and called to her that it was time to leave.

‘Oh, alright! Things seems to have calmed down, here, anyway, so let’s go! … In just a bit!’ Ronin called, before spinning around to other people. ‘Yes! Let’s exchange all the numbers! You two, too!’ Ronin called for Mia and Connie. ‘Yeah, this one here’s a dependable and nice-hearted if somewhat chaotic girl! If she says the place is safe, then it’s safe!’ Ronin told, smacking a hand onto Raven’s shoulder (from low). That was before Raven left.

OK, number with Connie, at the very least, possibly.

‘Alright, now let’s go!’ Ronin called to Eliza, and it was time to fly, or whatever they intended.

@Majoras End @FamishedPants @BrokenPromise@twave@Ponn

Pokémon: Start

@Eklispe

Now, there’s not actually a physical Gym in Raremine Town. There’s a Gym Leader and a huge gate that says “Pokémon Gym”, with a sign and Gym Guy in front, except the gate leads straight out into the desert as an alternative way to exit Raremine Town into Route 7. Still, it was indeed closed, because there was no Gym Leader available. With that, Dawkin went and asked around for which direction that Kristy had gone. He was eventually directed to a specific section of town with a couple warehouses…

… and found one of them to have been completely and utterly demolished!

demolisher and Pokémon

Pokédex Entry #344 – Claydol, the Clay Doll Pokémon. It’s said to have awoken from a clay figurine of an ancient civilization when a mystic light shone upon it. It is a floating enigma, flying with psychic powers and firing beams from its hands. It sleeps while floating in the air, and even if it comes apart it can reassemble itself with psychic powers.

Kristy stood, in full fighting stance, facing off against two people in black suits and sunglasses looking utterly bewildered.

two foes

‘Ugh, w-we don’t stand a chance…!’ male grunt

‘I-it’s fine! We did our duties! We held them back…!’

‘Hahaha! Of course you’re losing, you’re facing a Gym Leader!’ Kristy said, smiling at them. ‘Now, I may have been too late to prevent you escaping with the Pokémon, but I’ll have the two of you tell me-’

‘Emergency Abras!’ the male called, and the two grunts picked out two hidden Pokéballs that cracked open and revealed two yellow humanoid fox-Pokémon…

Pokédex Entry #63 – Abra, the Psi Pokémon. Due to the strain of Psychic powers, it needs to sleep for 18 hours a day. However, even asleep it can use its powers, which reads the minds of beings close-by and teleports instinctively if it finds someone hostile. Someone wishing to catch an Abra must clear their mind as they approach.

‘-find- NO, WAIT I’M NOT-!’ she called, Claydol starting to use some Psychic power, but the Abras were faster and the two grunts teleported off somewhere. Kristy proceeded to do some wild arm movements in frustration, but ultimately sighed out, and then turned to see Dawkin there.

‘… Well. We found their lair, so we know it was Team Amethyst behind it now. Can put the accusations against the lab-people aside, I suppose. Unfortunately they all teleported away the Pokémon before we could catch them… but hey! Now we can start hunting them down!’ Kristy said with a grin.

‘Eh, now I have Gym Leader duties to attend to. Can’t be away for too long as a Gym Leader, you know? Only one of me, and a whole continent of youngsters that want their badges, hahahaha. Alright, back to base with me!’ Kristy said, putting her hands behind her head and starting to walk back towards the entrance of the Gym, Claydol floating mildly ominously behind following her.

That aside…

Does Dawkin want a sidequest? If not, disregard the existence of this hider. Otherwise…

Now, Kristy had a multitude of miners examining the warehouse where she’d routed the previous Team Amethyst members, and then walked off… but then Dawkin recognized someone passing by. He’d have looked like just any other traveller, if it wasn’t for the sake Dawkin had seen him before.

the guy

Just a guy in red hair, holding a cigarette as he inspected the ruins of the warehouse. Not dressed in the suit Dawkin saw him in last time, he was clad in a slim Hiker Trainer Class outfit, and it suited him terribly. Still, he looked like just any other traveler, and kept walking like he had. He was going to walk through town a while until he entered a visually uninteresting building with no clear purpose other than potentially living inside. The door was unlocked. There was a corridor beyond where the guy took a left and vanished through another door, after which voices could be heard talking to one another, if Dawkin for some reason followed this far.

Fortunately, he’d not seen Dawkin as he passed by. Would Dawkin want to do anything?

And if he’s just gonna send the authorities after the guy he’ll get away because that’s no fun. XD

__________________________

@hatakekuro

Lupin was, mildly put, superior to Donald’s Rattata in every conceivable way, and the battle didn’t last very long. Just Rattata charging headlong to try to crash into Lupin. While Lupin didn’t have much room to dodge left or right, what he did have was more than enough to counter-attack and take down the rat without much trouble.

The second rat noted Lupin coming at him at high speed during Tail Whip and made a squee of panic as it dodged out of the way, but still, Lupin could without issue dispatch this one, too. Not enough experience for a level from these.

Basil was victorious! Basil gained 112 P for winning!

‘S-sir! I lost!’ Donald reported to the king.

‘Hmpf! Fine, then! The bard seems to have some prowess! Mercenary, have at him!’ the king commanded, and then it was Lena’s turn! She nodded to the greeting, and it was on!

Fake Out indeed started with doing some damage, and then Skitty pulled back to Tail Whip. Cecil shot Incinerate at Skitty… and found it did very little damage, Special Attack is a Darumaka’s worst stat. As such, Skitty easily breached through Cecil’s Incinerate’s with but minor singe damage… and then she suddenly got hit with a Darumaka’s best stat, Attack. Skitty simply could not contend with Cecil’s a bit more powerful Tackles. Left with no other option, Skitty started to Sing! … And she hit! Cecil fell asleep!

‘Woah, that was close! Okay, Skitty, Tackle!’ Lena commanded.

Would Basil want to revise his strategy? Lena’s current strategy is going to be Tackle while he’s asleep…!

__________________________

@Rune_Alchemist

Nincada gave a slow little wave as they descended out of view from the bug and closed the lid behind them, and then… and then Claire managed to fall onto her butt right by the open doorway into a new, foreboding environment.

Welcome to

Hidden Raremine Base

A hidden base underneath Raremine Town, it’s defended by being officially part of Raremine’s floorplans yet hidden behind the stabilizing metal that forms the city’s bottom. The contents are moderately large corridors, filled with unsavory people hiding our as they conduct their less than honest pursuits, scheming and storing what’s needed for their next ill deeds. Fortunately, one does not need to walk without direction, for places like “cafeteria”, “research”, “teleport room”, “sleeping quarters”, “battle room” and more is clearly outlined by a map on the wall, showing that the place is not actually particularly big. That said, these are hostile environments for any well-meaning Pokémon Trainer in Isson…

‘You’re late, too!’ Claire suddenly found herself shouted at by a female voice.

If Claire looked around to look at the individual in question…

… she looked only like an incredibly generic Lass trainer. Yet, she was down here, surrounded by a couple more trainers who alike herself looked very generic, like they could have been any normal trainer on the streets. Among them was the mystery man, too, who was currently putting on a mask and not bothering to look over at Claire currently. The girl looking at Claire kept talking.

‘Anyways, no time to sit around! There’s a young infiltrator making a mess of our base and wreaking absolute havoc on our base! We need to stop her! Here, wear this so she won’t recognize you later! Come on, we gotta go…!’ she said, handing something over to Claire, before turning and dashing down one of the corridors with her company, expecting Claire to follow. They were heading for the Research section.

Claire obtained Delinquent Mask!

^{You may decide yourself what design it has!}

So, what will Claire do here?

She could follow… or she could head elsewhere and loot, or she could go back out. Yupp.

__________________________

@Savo

Alright, so Cyril eventually travelled through the streets of Pureplain suburbs to where the buildings ended, and a green plain started ahead of him. This was the only parts that remained of the original pure plain that the city was originally named after, when the city was first founded. Route 1.

Route 1

Route 1

Route 1 is a long, flat and grassy route where most trainers get their first taste of the world. From Pureplain you can see the hills of Highhill in the distance, from Highhill the scrapers of Pureplain looms in the distance, the start of the Silent Forest surrounding the Silent Shrine on the side. There is a larger road, a main road used for travelling in and out of Pureplain City, there are plenty of more mature travellers taking that road to get from point A to point B. But, young Pokémon Trainers usually much rather use the smaller path going out into the grassland. This is some remnants of the plain which Pureplain City was named after, although most of that plain is now swallowed up by buildings of people living around here. Small roads branch out, leading to different places where some individuals have made their houses.

There are many safe roads, yet take one step out of it and you’re immediately in tall grass, where you can already see many first-time Pokémon Trainers are challenging their first Pokémon. One could expect Pokémon Trainers to be searching for Pokémon either in the tall grass or the forest on the side, and also battling one another as they can. From the looks of it, there are plenty of young trainers sporting freshly caught Pidgeys and Rattatas. As one approaches Highhill Town, the forest becomes more plentiful, as beyond the town lies a forest.

Through the route also runs an indent, a drain surrounded by walls, seemingly made for the water to gather up inside it. It’s currently dry, whatever cause of that might be. Some trainers appear to be having fun battling inside it, and they’re running around challenging one another inside it. But, the drain also raised interesting questions about what kind of Pokémon or things one might find should one explore it further.

The most common here, as could be seen, are common Pidgey and Rattata, found pecking or scavenging among the grass.

Pokédex Entry #16 – Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. They are docile Pokémon that avoid fighting, kicking up sand in an enemy’s face or using Whirlwind to avoid battles. They have sharp senses of direction, capable of finding their nest or destination from very large distances. They inhabit tall grass where they search and prey on small bugs.

Pokédex Entry #19 – Rattata, the Mouse Pokémon. It has impressive vitality that allows it to live anywhere there is food. It scavenges for food all day and reproduces quickly. Very cautious, it’s ears listen for trouble even when asleep. It’s teeth never stop growing, it will gnaw on things to keep their size in check.

Yet start searching among the tall grass it will quickly become evident at least two more species inhabit this plain, one being a poisonous snake hunting the unlimited amount of rats as well as fiery dogs frolicking or protecting their territory.

Pokédex Entry #23 – Ekans, the Snake Pokémon. It stealthily sneaks through grass to prey on small animals and bird-eggs. When born, it is short and has no poison, but the poison develops and it grows longer as it gets older. When it sleeps, it wraps itself around a tree to safely sleep high up from the ground.

Pokédex Entry #58 – Growlithe, the Puppy Pokémon. Known to be brave and loyal to it’s trainer, but will bark threateningly at anyone entering its territory. It has superb sense of smell and will never forget a smell once it has picked up on it. Through smell, it can sense the emotions of others.

And here, Cyril wanted to train!

Though honestly, the low-level Pokémon around here’s not much of a match against his higher-level Pokémon. There was not a lot of experience hunting Rattata and Pidgey. Still, let’s bash Pokémon around for a bit and obtain at the very least one level for each, and a bit more for the smaller ones. Velvet could bash enough of them to grow two, and with some assistance Cation could train to a more capable level, which we skip over somewhat, let’s get some levels!

Aster grew to level 8!
Mimi grew to level 7!
Velvet grew to level 7! Velvet learned Endure!
Cation grew to level 6! Cation learned Leer!

They’ve all taken generic anime damage from training.

‘Cyril!’ Cyril heard called after him after he’d been training for a bit. It was Chloe, her eyes excited, hugging around the shape of a more than mildly disgruntled Growlithe, which she wasted absolutely no time lifting and shoving the face of at Cyril. ‘I got one! Isn’t he adorable~!’ she called, after which Growlithe growled a bit at him, an unsure little growl that told he wasn’t entirely sure about this yet.

Other than that, Chloe was in an entirely new outfit. She was in an orange jacket, black shirt, slightly redder pants, and… and her colours matched the Growlithe perfectly. As to when she’d actually obtained these clothes, who knows, but they were fancy and modern as well.

Except for this, there was also a Pidgey sitting curiously on her shoulder and a Rattata that was trailing after the Sentret that was stopping next to Chloe as she’d started talking to Cyril. It appeared she’d caught some other Pokémon on this route.

‘And it seems I got some money from catching them, too! Which’s perfect, I can have a look at whatever fashion they might have for sale in Highhill Town when I get the-’ and then she promptly shut up, eyes widening as she looked over Cyril’s Pokémon. ‘AAAAAAAAAAAH THEY’RE ADORABLEEEE-!’ and then she was on her knees having dropped Growlithe and lowered her head to ground-level by Mimi, Velvet and Cation!

‘Hiiii! I’m Chloe, Cyril’s friend, Chloe! Delighted to see you…!’ she called, reaching forth a little hand to greet the adorable Pokémon. Growlithe looked on confunded, Sentret scurrying over to stand next to her trainer, and Pidgey and Rattata were looking on curiously.

Cyril’s next actions?

Suggestions to actions

1. Find Pokémon. There’s searching in the tall grass, and there’s the forest in the left, then there’s the drain…
2. Train Pokémon. With this command, we can jump ahead in time and skip posting about grinding.
3. Seek trainers. There should be some here and there. Note, some may challenge you, regardless.
4. Talk. There’s plenty of young trainers around. There are also houses and travellers. Maybe seek answers to any burning questions you have.
5. Move along. Move along normally, letting any events that may come happen naturally.
6. Hurry along. Intentionally avoid confrontations and try to get safely to the next destination.
7. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result.
8. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you.
9. Area Specific: Descend. There’s a drain. The kids are having a little tournament in it, challenging themselves to fight in a tight area. Perhaps you’d like to try becoming king of the drain? Or maybe you’d just like to explore it.

Connected areas:
Pureplain City. A bit south.
Highhill Town. A bit north-north-east.

Route 1, known Pokémon

Common:
#16 Pidgey
#19 Rattata

Uncommon:
#23 Ekans
#58 Growlithe

Rare:
#1 Bulbasaur

Pokémon: Start

@Typical @Gardevoiran

‘A-and me as well!’ Vivia declared, frowning and clasping her hands a bit as she said, even though she stumbled over her words. ‘I can’t stand by when I know this is happening. I’ll surely grow stronger and make a difference. Allow me to see this through!’

Azelf took a moment to gaze at Eryn as she made her declaration, and then over at Skylar as he made his, then finally at Vivia. The legendary Pokémon took a moment to consider, until the light of Beheeyem’s hands shone and the memory of spoken words manifested in their minds as if they’d just been said, even though they had not.

Excellent.

Azelf dove, pulling Beheeyem along on the trip, and arrived in front of Eryn. Then, a new memory formed.

A path was given to her. Two paths to the same destination, where the girl was being held. one was through Worldedge City. At the bottom of the Industrial District, there was a factory that wasn’t quite as abandoned as it appeared to be. The facility was manned, but nobody would expect an intruder from that direction. Security was lax, partly because having security there could alert people to the factory in the first place. However, heading through that direction meant having to traverse the entity of the base in order to reach the girl. It could turn into a more difficult route.

An alternative route was through Mt. Strength. In the bottom of the giant mountain was a hidden tunnel, directions to which Eryn now remembers, which leads into an underground maze. Heading east within said maze leads to an elevator, but said elevator is under heavy protection due to the powerful wild Pokémon that can be found in the maze, among other reasons. Breaking through that protection could turn out to be a difficult battle… but if she got through and used the elevator then she’d be just a single room away from the girl’s location. She could be snapped up and they’d be out of there before they could rally a response.

She should be wary of telling the Pokémon League or adults about this. The memory cautioned her that there was no telling who might be on their side. In fact, Azelf’s kin had assured them that at least one person in the Pokémon League is definitely in on it. _{This is to ensure you take on the job yourself and don’t just leak the info, so, like, please don’t come up with loopholes for telling the authorities anyway. Can still tell other players about this, though, heh.}

This all said, she could take her time. The individuals holding the girl was working from a mistaken assumption. They would not make progress in a long while. Eryn had time to grow more powerful, until she was finally ready. _{The plot will wait for the players.}

When Eryn refocused on reality again, she’d find that she had something in her hand.

Eryn obtained the Crystals of Willpower!

A couple red jewels, or crystals apparently, gathered in Eryn’s hand, bound together.

Azelf drifted back, and faced all four of them, now.

I will remain guarding this dormant form, sleeping underneath the center of the lake. The Beheeyem alters the minds of those who I do not wish to enter, making them leave and never come back. Unfortunately, should they obtain what they desire, only the gathered power of the crystals will be able to contain them. Should they learn of me and my kin, we will be targeted for these crystals. Hence why we have distributed the crystals to humans instead. Now go, grow strong, and then when you are ready, complete our request.

And that should do. Azelf now let go of Beheeyem, and spun up into the air and back to floating by the dormant Palkia.

This was when an Abra teleported in, sitting nicely in front of them. Clearly, the intended way out.

Vivia looked a bit tense, looking over to see if the others had anything to say.

Oaken was presently analyzing Eryn, his arms crossed, gauging her current reactions and such.

Eryn and Skylar’s reactions?

__________________________

@hatakekuro

Pokédex Entry #215 – Sneasel, the Sharp Claw Pokémon. It scales trees and ice by punching its hooked claws into surfaces. Naturally vicious, it gangs up and cooperates to lure away the parents while another steals the eggs, which they then eat, though frequently betray their packmates if they can get the food for itself. It uses the shroud of night to conceal its actions.

New Pokémon caught! Basil earned 750 P!

Would you like to give a nickname to Sneasel?

With that aside, Basil headed out onto Route 1! He had all these adventures that would take him far and high that he could look forward to… but let’s start with his Pokémon taking him one level underground for a Pokémon tournament!

There was a bunch of kids having battles centered around a single individual, a youngster that looked way too smug about himself. The first person to lock eyes with Basil and his Pokémon was an even younger youngster, staring wide-eyed at him.

‘My lord! My lord! An invader wishes to partake in the tourney!’ the young boy said, looking with wide eyes at the smug boy.



‘Hmpf, another kid wishing to prove himself worthy of the princess’ hand in marriage,’ the boy said, with a completely straight face, despite being significantly younger than Basil.

‘Iiiiiiiih!’ A tiny girl at his side made a fake-terrified noise and hid behind the “lord”.

‘Very well! Knight Donald, your king commands you to go and test the might of our new challenger!’ the youngster king said, pointing forth at Basil.

‘At once, my lord!’ Donald said, turning around to face Basil and his Pokémon with a nervous smile. ‘O-OK! I, Donald, will knock you all down!’

preschooler Knight Donald would like to battle!

For these battles, keep in mind that you're fighting inside of a decently tight drain!

Donald’s Pokémon and tactics

Pokédex Entry #19 – Rattata, the Mouse Pokémon. It has impressive vitality that allows it to live anywhere there is food. It scavenges for food all day and reproduces quickly. Very cautious, it’s ears listen for trouble even when asleep. It’s teeth never stop growing, it will gnaw on things to keep their size in check.

TAAAAAACKLLEEEEEE…!

Pokédex Entry #19 – Rattata, the Mouse Pokémon. It has impressive vitality that allows it to live anywhere there is food. It scavenges for food all day and reproduces quickly. Very cautious, it’s ears listen for trouble even when asleep. It’s teeth never stop growing, it will gnaw on things to keep their size in check.

Tail Whip… then TAAAAAACKLLEEEEEE…!

Both Rattata have Run Away as their ability, which won’t help.

Should he be able to beat the knight, he’d then be faced by a notably older young lady in a green outfit.

‘These kids are so cute, aren’t they? Anyway! I’m a mercenary hired by the king to repel invaders! So you’re not going any further~’ she told, smiling happily.

picnicker Mercenary Lena would like to battle!

Lena’s Pokémon

Pokédex Entry #300 – Skitty, the Kitten Pokémon. It lives in holes in trees of forests. It easily becomes fascinated with things and chase them, and it commonly seen chasing its own tail. While popular due to perceived cuteness, it is very difficult to earn a Skitty’s trust and friendship.

Will start with Fake Out for free damage, and then one Tail Whip, and then Tackle! Should things look dire, she’ll try Sing! Warning, somewhat higher level!
Normalize will not play a role.

After that, the “princess” herself approached Basil, looking at him with wide eyes and a tiny little blush.

‘I-I’m happy, but I’m gonna repel you now!’ she insists.

preschooler Princess Melody would like to battle!

Melody’s Pokémon

Pokédex Entry #16 – Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. They are docile Pokémon that avoid fighting, kicking up sand in an enemy’s face or using Whirlwind to avoid battles. They have sharp senses of direction, capable of finding their nest or destination from very large distances. They inhabit tall grass where they search and prey on small bugs.

She’s going to Tackle. Exclusively.
Tangled Feet will not play a role.

Pokédex Entry #427 – Buneary, the Rabbit Pokémon. It rolls up its long ears, then unrolls them with great force to slap enemies. This attack stings enough to make adults jump and crush boulders to dust. It uses its ears not only to attack, but also to sense danger--they stand straight up when it senses a threat. Its fluffy fur lets it sleep in warmth and comfort on cold nights.

Defense Curl, then Pound!
Klutz will not play a role.

… Basil and co’s strategies?

__________________________

@Savo

‘… Yeah. So it is. Thank you for the sentiment,’ Johannes would nod at Cyril’s words, but otherwise didn’t have much to add, really. Johannes didn’t seem like the most active of talkers. Still, he’ll be around here if so desired. Then a couple of Pokémon showed up and Cyril had that conversation with them. When they were “caught”, the Pokédex lit up.

Pokédex Entry #440 – Happiny, the Playhouse Pokémon. In imitation to Chancey, it carries a round white rock in its belly pouch. If it gets along well with someone, it will sometimes give that person the rock, but may throw a tantrum if the rock isn’t returned. Often a bit inattentive, it can trip people as it likes walking close to their legs.

New Pokémon caught! Cyril earned 1000 P!

Would you like to give a nickname to Happiny?



Pokédex Entry #427 – Buneary, the Rabbit Pokémon. It rolls up its long ears, then unrolls them with great force to slap enemies. This attack stings enough to make adults jump and crush boulders to dust. It uses its ears not only to attack, but also to sense danger--they stand straight up when it senses a threat. Its fluffy fur lets it sleep in warmth and comfort on cold nights.

New Pokémon caught! Cyril earned 500 P!

Would you like to give a nickname to Buneary?

And that would do!

Now, then. They approached the random Shinx just hanging around… which looked up at Velvet with a confused little look.

Sincerely, this Shinx isn’t going to stand a chance, do as you like with him, heh.

If you decide to capture him…

Captured

Gender: ♂
Type: Electric
Personality: (Up to player.)
Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: (Up to player.)
Level: 2
Moves: Tackle
Ability: Guts, increases power when afflicted with a status condition.
Held Item: None.

New Pokémon caught! Cyril earned 750 P!

Would you like to give a nickname to Shinx?

That done with! What will Cyril do now?

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

With the help of Celia and Raven, Hilaria was knocked aside just enough that Ronin could slip Faith out of there. After that, there was a soul sword coming, and Ronin definitely made an effort to avoid it if needed. Her hands were working her Reinforcement magic to try to heal Faith the moment she had the opportunity, Connie didn’t need to request a thing. Still, she grinned as Connie and Mia appeared, looking all worried.

‘Oh, you’re her friends, too? Excellent! You’re in good hands, Faith!’ Ronin called with a large grin as she and Mia cooperated to stop the bleeding and at the very least stabilize her, Ronin somehow grinning the whole time as she focused on healing every little injury she could find with her moderately weak Reinforcement magic. Not grinning because she was enjoying this, more out of principle. Everything is going to be alright, she had to believe.

‘Alright, you look after her? I just became friends with her recently, I don’t know where to take her. Myself, I have more people to save,’ Ronin then said, standing up and drawing her sword, turning to face Celia and Hilaria, who’d been cut by the giant spirit sword. Given that the horrors appeared to have been defeated, if they just could calm THIS situation down, the park should be safe once more. Ronin flashed a happy smile to Raven, if she could, and then headed over. They were going to need to get their legs healed!

Of course, that all depended on how the two were doing in their monstrous metamorphosis.

If they were still raging, even without their legs, then Ronin couldn’t approach. Specifically, Hilaria had been the one to attack everyone. Deni didn’t actually know anything about Hilaria, but in case Hilaria looked like she was still going to attack…

Well. Deni didn’t really have anything to help. She kept a “safe” distance, reaching forward to see if she at all could use Reinforcement magic on this distance to help resolve the damage. Probably not. Still, it was all Ronin could do to take a deep breath and start shouting.

‘Come on, you little tantrum-throwing bitch! Do you really think you raging around like that’s gonna solve anything!? Come on, you’re a fighter! You’re better than this! Set your foot down, get your sanity back in order and face your problems like a woman! Got it…!?’

Would it work?

Probably not.

Worth a shot?

Hell yeah.

And now keep her sword and all the magic in her body charged for heck of a quick getaway in case that just made her angry.

@FamishedPants @BrokenPromise@Majoras End@twave@Ponn

---

&

So, then Amaryllis suddenly showed up breaking through the wall. Eli gave her a surprised stare, and Mariette blinked up at her, mouth slightly open, shocked that Amaryllis had somehow found where to go to find her. She was… here to save her, was she?

‘I… want to escape,’ was Mariette’s simple answer.

Then Nuncio appeared, and, a bunch of talking apparently happened, none of which Mariette was very concerned over. The almanac was taken, but Mariette didn’t care. She just wanted to go home. Her arm hurt. Anyways. Run was it? Eventually anyway. Mariette wasn’t going to consider the command twice, even with Sammy on her.

Mariette launched her tentacles, in the opposite direction of Vermin Killer. She intended to use them to knock away any wolverines that came for her, two of her tentacles gripping around Sammy and Eli to take them along, intending to pull herself away from VK and form a portal on the opposite end of the room where she wanted to simply fall through and end up in a random apartment 500 meters away, from where she’d then be able to take herself further if successful. She was relatively aware the sudden appearance of her bane could stop her escape attempt, as such she pulled tentacles over her head to attempt to break the wall even if it should appear.

She didn’t know what Amaryllis was going to do. She didn’t know what Nuncio was doing. She was only vaguely aware of Sophia forming barriers and then chains shooting in to do things. Mariette currently didn’t concern herself. Right now, she just wanted home.

@BrokenPromise@ERode@Crusader Lord

Pokémon: Start

@hatakekuro _@Savo

Whatever Basil may have expected to come out of him running his mouth like that… Dorian responded with a light chuckle.

‘Hoho. I believe you misunderstand. What is your perfect self, if not simply the best version of yourself?’ Dorian asked the young trainer, a slight smile on his lips. ‘I seek the Pokémon with the potential and drive to seek to become their perfect selves, and help them attain it. I believe you will find that none of my Pokémon are treated unwell or driven past the harmful limits of what they’re capable of. No need to worry,’ he said, intent on easing whatever thoughts might have occurred to Basil. Now, then. About the matter of eggs.

‘I believe you’ll find Pokémon eggs perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. They’re unlikely to crack, will keep themselves warm and all you need to do is be there when it hatches. It helps the process if you can keep it warm in the meantime, some Pokémon have an ability that will keep it warm from within their Pokéballs, but otherwise, I believe you should have no issue simply carrying it around. Good luck, young trainer. I hope to see you back in Pureplain City to challenge me eventually,’ Dorian told Basil before he left, and that’ll be that.

After that, Basil was free to be on his way. He travelled through the streets of Pureplain suburbs to where the buildings ended, and a green plain started ahead of him. This was the only parts that remained of the original pure plain that the city was originally named after, when the city was first founded. Route 1.

Route 1

Route 1

Route 1 is a long, flat and grassy route where most trainers get their first taste of the world. From Pureplain you can see the hills of Highhill in the distance, from Highhill the scrapers of Pureplain looms in the distance, the start of the Silent Forest surrounding the Silent Shrine on the side. There is a larger road, a main road used for travelling in and out of Pureplain City, there are plenty of more mature travellers taking that road to get from point A to point B. But, young Pokémon Trainers usually much rather use the smaller path going out into the grassland. This is some remnants of the plain which Pureplain City was named after, although most of that plain is now swallowed up by buildings of people living around here. Small roads branch out, leading to different places where some individuals have made their houses.

There are many safe roads, yet take one step out of it and you’re immediately in tall grass, where you can already see many first-time Pokémon Trainers are challenging their first Pokémon. One could expect Pokémon Trainers to be searching for Pokémon either in the tall grass or the forest on the side, and also battling one another as they can. From the looks of it, there are plenty of young trainers sporting freshly caught Pidgeys and Rattatas. As one approaches Highhill Town, the forest becomes more plentiful, as beyond the town lies a forest.

Through the route also runs an indent, a drain surrounded by walls, seemingly made for the water to gather up inside it. It’s currently dry, whatever cause of that might be. Some trainers appear to be having fun battling inside it, and they’re running around challenging one another inside it. But, the drain also raised interesting questions about what kind of Pokémon or things one might find should one explore it further.

The most common here, as could be seen, are common Pidgey and Rattata, found pecking or scavenging among the grass.

Pokédex Entry #16 – Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. They are docile Pokémon that avoid fighting, kicking up sand in an enemy’s face or using Whirlwind to avoid battles. They have sharp senses of direction, capable of finding their nest or destination from very large distances. They inhabit tall grass where they search and prey on small bugs.

Pokédex Entry #19 – Rattata, the Mouse Pokémon. It has impressive vitality that allows it to live anywhere there is food. It scavenges for food all day and reproduces quickly. Very cautious, it’s ears listen for trouble even when asleep. It’s teeth never stop growing, it will gnaw on things to keep their size in check.

Yet start searching among the tall grass it will quickly become evident at least two more species inhabit this plain, one being a poisonous snake hunting the unlimited amount of rats as well as fiery dogs frolicking or protecting their territory.

Pokédex Entry #23 – Ekans, the Snake Pokémon. It stealthily sneaks through grass to prey on small animals and bird-eggs. When born, it is short and has no poison, but the poison develops and it grows longer as it gets older. When it sleeps, it wraps itself around a tree to safely sleep high up from the ground.

Pokédex Entry #58 – Growlithe, the Puppy Pokémon. Known to be brave and loyal to it’s trainer, but will bark threateningly at anyone entering its territory. It has superb sense of smell and will never forget a smell once it has picked up on it. Through smell, it can sense the emotions of others.

Now, what would Basil do here?

Suggestions to actions

1. Find Pokémon. There’s searching in the tall grass, and there’s the forest in the left, then there’s the drain…
2. Train Pokémon. With this command, we can jump ahead in time and skip posting about grinding.
3. Seek trainers. There should be some here and there. Note, some may challenge you, regardless.
4. Talk. There’s plenty of young trainers around. There are also houses and travellers. Maybe seek answers to any burning questions you have.
5. Move along. Move along normally, letting any events that may come happen naturally.
6. Hurry along. Intentionally avoid confrontations and try to get safely to the next destination.
7. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result.
8. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you.
9. Area Specific: Descend. There’s a drain. The kids are having a little tournament in it, challenging themselves to fight in a tight area. Perhaps you’d like to try becoming king of the drain? Or maybe you’d just like to explore it.
10. Familiar Faces: Chloe. Chloe’s chasing a Growlithe. Could alwaus potentially be greeted.

Connected areas:
Pureplain City. A bit south.
Highhill Town. A bit north-north-east.

Route 1, known Pokémon

Common:
#16 Pidgey
#19 Rattata

Uncommon:
#23 Ekans
#58 Growlithe

Rare:
#1 Bulbasaur

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

WOADIDYOUSEETHATIJUSTCUTADRAGONINHALFWAITREALLYDOIACTUALLYHAVETHATKINDOFPOWERWOAHIMAFRICKINBADASSDRAGONSLAYERDENIWOHOO

Ronin gently sheeted her sword on the other side of the dragon’s head, her expression barely able to keep moderately cool, as she turned to Nightwing to make sure she was alright and not had died for some reason. Except, she quickly didn’t have time for that, for now she looked back to see where Faith was, and-

‘-!’ Ronin did not have the time to think another coherent thought before she’d taken off at a dramatic speed, charged by her own Reinforcement magic. She basically threw herself with all her might to grab Faith and pull her away from the beast currently trying to feast on her, a highly inefficient Reinforcement barrier trying to fit itself in-between them to give her the needed time.

[@people at the park]

---

So, Mariette was about to fire at Hyun Long… when her awareness picked up that she was being fired upon. Immediately she dropped, except what was actually happening was the portal on the ground-floor of the nearby building rose to bring her back, and at the same time she was opening a portal to block the incoming vines… except she failed somehow, and it caught some part of her, pulling at her, but instead of pulling her off the platform she’d already headed a bit of distance down the portal and was pulled into the side of the midair doorway, opening additional portals to block herself from being pulled over the edge. She grunted in pain before a blast of light burned the vine off her, and she descended into peeking at the scene.

Except, somehow, she was caught anyway and her arm was burned off. Somehow.

---

‘… There are evil-looking magic crows looking at me!’ Eli suddenly stated, looking over at the rooftop of the warehouse, lifting her slime-hands to raise Reinforcement barriers around her, just in case.

---

‘There are evil-looking magic crows looking at Eli!’

Mariette heard in her ear. Her mind was barely functioning right now, though, too busy dealing with massive pain. Out of sheer desire not to let Eli get kidnapped, a portal opened directly underneath Eli leading to right beside Mariette, intended to recover Eli. She needed Eli’s healing anyway.

Thanks to gravity, Eli seemed to be falling through the portal to Mariette’s side. Though she seemed to get hung up on something as only half of her body came through the portal before bouncing up, like a convict hanging from a noose. With a flustered sound, Eli fired something, then she and a wolverine tumbled through the portal. It had a hold of her neck and it wouldn’t let go. Even as blood poured out of its rib cage, it thrashed and attempted to drag Eli further away from Mariette.

That was when it happened. Doors opening up, shutterings lifting , sewer lids sliding away. Wherever a wolverine could come from, there was one. Eli hadn’t been able to notice them before, but the area was now suffused in magical energy. The wolverines were the minions of a magical girl.

Everyone knows about the honey badger, but the wolverine, sometimes called a glutton, is no slouch either. While wolverines don’t boast the same defensive abilities, they can get twice as big and can run quite a bit faster too. While a honey badger can run at about thirty-two kilometers per hour (twenty miles per hour), a wolverine can run forty-eight kilometers per hour (thirty miles per hour) and blow past them. But what really makes them dangerous is how powerful they are for their size. They have huge appetites and often chase big game like moose, caribou, and mountain goats. They are also capable of fighting other vicious predators like wolves and bears. Inuit natives of Alaska reported that a half-ton polar bear once crushed a wolverine to its chest, but then dropped dead when the cradled beast tore out its heart. Clearly they were dangerous without magic. There were five wolverines now.

Five wolverines, and one man.

”Face off.”

— Vermin Killer

”Mariette? Not who I was expecting to run into.” Only Vermin killer’s coat shrouded everything but his head and an arm, which was on something in his coat. ”Though it was a chance encounter I was prepared for.” The crows swarmed overhead, circling in the rain. It was hard to tell how many there were. ”It was only a matter of time before Asengav threatened Mint operations.” He stopped walking, but the wolverines only inched closer. ”Though perhaps even a vermin can be spared, so long as it is useful.” He grinned. ”You will tell me exactly what happened here, as well as identify everyone you worked with. If I am satisfied, you can help me with a job and I’ll let you go.”

When Eli fell down, her arm had transformed into a sawed-off shotgun for close combat blasting, just the thing to ram up the chest of a creature trying to kidnap her and then fire. Being slime, being bitten in the “neck” didn’t exactly hurt her, but she was panicked regardless as she fell to the floor. She gave an alarmed yelp as the wolverine still pulled at her…

Except, that’s when an explosion of tentacles burst out into all directions from a very much not-in-the-mood Mariette. Tentacles struck out against the approaching wolverines, and two utterly pierced the closest one holding Eli and ripped it apart to pull Eli close, Eli herself startled at Mariette’s ferocity. Underneath a portal was opening for them to escape across town, while Mariette glared threateningly at Vermin Killer and her still-fine hand wielding her hand-mirror glowing up with a Light-magic blast. The eyes warned that should he try something, she’d blast him. She was in no mood for negotiation.

Vermin killer countered by whipping something out of his coat that flew in her direction. She felt her mind being stabbed with shards of glass, and held her head to keep the pain at bay. All of her portals disappeared in an instant and her tentacles recoiled in their advance.

‘KAH!’ ‘M-mistress!’

Mariette cried out in pain as the shattered mirror cut into her sixth sense that she used for her portal navigation got cut, and she fell into her knees with any portals she was forming cracked open at the seams, while her tentacles jolted like pained limbs, writing shadows around her. Reacting instantly, the completely unaffected Eli jumped to place herself in-between Mariette and the Vermin Killer, aiming her gun-arm at him and her other arm shapeshifting into a reinforced shield to protect her mistress, but her expression was panicked, she knew she couldn’t protect Mariette if Vermin Killer actually attacked.

”It was hard to get much out of Justine’s castle after it was destroyed, but we were able to divine how the inside of the castle looked. Did you know she had shattered mirrors in all the hallways?” Vermin killer adjusted his hat. The crows descended to his position, surrounding him. It remained to be seen what they would do. ”Let me tell you what happened here. You aided some magicals in a raid on one of our strongholds. They killed one of the magical girls on guard and stole resources that didn’t belong to them.” He gazed towards the blood stain where the wolverine used to be. ”In addition to this, you’ve killed one of my underlings. I can appreciate when vermin bites back, but this does not bode well for you.” He fret his brow and turned back to Mariette. ”But I’m not a heartless person. I’m willing to forgive this if you help me. The Dreamscape Almanac, I require it for a time. After which it shall be returned to you.”

Mariette raised a pained glare at him, very much irritated about having to experience this setback. Still, the price he was asking for… the Dreamscape Almanac? What could the Mint possibly want such a thing for? Still… that was a cheap price to pay. She’d already had the contents of the Dreamscape Almanac copied, for an entirely separate reason, so she’d effectively be giving up nothing by handing it over, her own copy still in her library. She hardly had a choice in this situation.

‘… Eli, go retrieve it,’ Mariette said eventually.

‘Kh…’ Eli made a less than pleased noise about the command to leave her mistress side. But… ‘… Where is it?’ she eventually asked, because she honestly didn’t know.

‘The shelf with books in my room. You’ll find it decently quickly,’ she said. She then glared at Vermin Killer. ‘Would you… put that away a bit? I can’t send her home while you’re pointing it at me…’ Mariette grunted out at him.

The Vermin killer didn’t budge an inch, but a crow hopped next to the shattered mirror. ”Nothing funny, please. It’s not the only one I have.” One of the wolverines crept closer to Mariette, but ultimately kept its distance. The crow picked up one side of the mirror and tugged at it, pulling it further away from mariette. ”Far enough?”

Mariette nodded, and with some pain she then opened a portal into her Interdimensional Home on the floor, and after a last worried look at Vermin Killer Eli jumped through, after which Mariette rerouted the portal to a wall in the adjacent building, not wanting a link to her most important place manifested near a would-be enemy.

The portal girl then stayed silent, crouched as she was still feeling intense pain, her tentacles lying dormant around her, but not extinguished. If she was ambushed after handing the book over, they’d be her only defense. Except Eli, of course. A number of seconds later, she switched the portal again and Eli came through, holding the book in her slimy hands.

‘… This, was what you wanted, correct?’ Mariette asked, grabbing the book from Eli with her good hand, offering it forward for her attacker, her expression still irritable.

Pokémon: Start

@Gardevoiran @Typical

Oaken gave Skylar’s reply of that it was up to JoJo a quick, slightly frowning stare, and then chose not to particularly comment on it. ‘Very well,’ he simply said, and then moved on. He then later kept a decidedly unamused expression as he ignored Eryn’s taunts after he forced his way past the Beheeyems, his expression looking even frownier than usual. Eryn then turned to a slightly surprised Vivia, and…

‘Er, well, as long as I’ve known him, at the very least? I first got to know him when Jacques first gave us our Pokémon, which was a number of days before you started, but I haven’t really had that much interaction with him. He’s not exactly seeking contact with other people, and he’s frankly a bit intimidating, so… haven’t really talked that much to him…’ Vivia admitted, looking a bit ashamed of this.

Anyways! Later!

With Palkia towering over them in the background, and the floating Azelf before them, the willpower Pokémon looked to Skylar when he spoke, but didn’t yet give any acknowledgement, though its eyes clearly went to the crystals around his wrist. It took a bit more time, then…

‘Azelf,’ the Legendary made a curt statement, and then, from somewhere nearby, a Beheeyem flew in and placed itself underneath it. Azelf gently wrapped its tails around Beheeyem’s protruding head, the crystals on the tails starting to glow. In turn, Beheyeem’s eyes turned blue, after which the Beheeyem raised its arms, and the tips of the arms started blinking with varying colours. It was using its Psychic powers that could be used to tamper with minds… but not with a hostile intention.

First Azelf’s eyes turned to Vivia on their right, Beheeyem’s arm following, the girl shuddering a little with an unsure expression. But with a bit of time, the girl’s shudder went down, and instead she looked… a bit defeated. She nodded solemnly, and then took a step back.

Azelf then turned to look at Skylar, Beheeyem’s arm moving to direct themselves at him. From there…

In Skylar’s mind

You did well. Your decisions and drive to continue were impressive, and your vigour carried you all the way to the end. However… you did not follow the rules of the trial.

There was a gesture within his memory to JoJo, who still resides beside him.

Intended or not, your mind was stabilized from indirect support from your Pokémon. The trial was intended for me to see how you’d act when your backs were against the wall, but you were always aided by the knowledge that Teleport would save you should things go sour. How would I know now that, when confronted by a situation where Teleport would only save yourself, you’d still act with the safety of the world at heart?

My kin may have chosen you for your good heart, but I will reserve the right to pick for myself.

Here, Skylar was allowed to a response. Regardless, after that, Azelf turned its eyes towards an exceedingly frowning Oaken. It took a couple of seconds, but…

‘I protest that sentiment,’ Oaken said, perhaps abruptly to the others around. ‘I always take the direction I figure has the highest chance of success. Should all other options have been tried, I would have attempted even the unconventional and riskier paths, without fail. But until the more reliable paths have been tried-’

He equally abruptly stopped talking, Azelf still looking at him. Oaken frowned harder and harder as he did. Eventually…

‘Hmpf,’ Oaken crossed his arms and turned to look directly at Eryn. Of course, she was next.

Azelf finally turned and looked at Eryn… and remained as such for quite a number of seconds. Finally, the Beheeyem started working, and…

In Eryn’s mind

You are the only one who came here not knowing what the end-goal was.

You yet have an opportunity to turn back.

Give the word, and I can send you on your way to continue your Pokémon Journey. We have numerous trainers working on our mission already, you’re not needed. The memory of this meeting can be removed, so you do not dwell on it in the future. You can live the adventurous life you hoped for, and with all likelihood be happy and successful…

On the inside of her mind, Psychic powers stirred whatever imagined scenes of a Pokémon journey Eryn might have had within her memories, prioritizing the most positive of mental images…

The alternative would be…

… Then flashed a brief image, definitely not one of her memories.

There was a girl. Eryn’s age, or perhaps a little older. She had long, flowing blue hair, her eyes shut for she was unconscious, floating within a container of water within an unknown building. Around the container with the girl were metal doors, no sign of outdoors as all lights lighting the room were of artificial nature. There were instruments connected to the container with the girl, gathering data and displaying it as a blur in the background. Around in the room were numerous masked men dressed entirely in white, Pokéballs at their belts, standing as if guarding the girl within the container.

The girl had an aura that Eryn now could recognize. Something about the girl said… “Legendary”. There was some connection between the girl and the legendary… and someone was trying to get to it.

Help us save her?

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

‘Oh, yeah, of course! I’m Ronin, at your service!’ Ronin said with a grin to Faith’s asking for her name before they encountered Raven. And…

Hm? Some of the things Amber here was saying didn’t match Deni’s knowledge of her. Not in the least in the name she gave for herself. Eh! Whatever! There was probably a perfectly viable explanation somewhere! Until then, Ronin was just gonna grin!

‘And I’m the Tiny Ronin! Now, excuse us, we’re in a slight bit of a hurry…!’ Ronin called, before turning and dashing again, hopefully with Faith, keeping these barriers they were running on stable for both of them was a lot trickier if they weren’t running in tandem…!

‘Woa-!’ Of course, this meant Ronin and Faith were likely just out of the pathway of Ampodryl’s sea of soul’s beam, Ronin staggering to know it was firing right behind them. Whelp. Just a bit slower and they’d have been pulled along with that! However, their target was the dragon, the one that was targeting the Beacon group…

There was a bunch of other things going on right now, too, but Ronin focused on was straight ahead!

The dragon had summoned a bunch of spiders that swarmed the air. Ronin grabbed onto her sword, and dashed forward, intending to protect the Beacon people from it…!

‘Alright, let’s stop this thing from attacking the others…!’ So, Ronin leapt into the air, blade prepared, intending to slice some spiders!

… Except, as she was flying, the spiders she was intending on cutting were dying from seemingly nothing due to Nightwing’s curses! Instead, she was flying in an attack-pose towards the dragon’s giant head!

‘Uh.’

Numerous things occurred to Deni at once. This was Faith’s patron, right? She wouldn’t be pissed due to Deni attacking this thing, right? On a different note, this was a patron, right? What business did Deni have attacking this sort of thing? She’d likely be swatted aside like a fly. However… it also felt like fate itself had somehow put her here, like it had directed her into this perfect attack position. Who was she to argue with fate? After all, it was she herself that had picked to be Fated during her Smug contract…!

‘Tiny Special…’

The little samurai whispered, closing her eyes a little and just tuning everything to her Martial Training…

‘RONIN QUICK DRAW!’

Ronin drew her sword with a flash of light and sliced at the neck of the dragon, intent on being carried through and land on the dragon’s back after having gone through the neck of said dragon, sheathing her sword again upon landing. … If it worked or not, that remained to be seen, but right now, she just really wanted to try doing one of those cuts…!

---

‘Okay, what the hell went wrong?,’ Jelena asked, looking a bit crushed. ‘There were two of them, three of us, we had a massive ambushing advantage and they somehow still thoroughly defeated us.’

‘The trickster foresaw our attack and neutralized it. As simple as that,’ Freya replied. ‘It is likely nothing we could have done would have changed the outcome, as long as he was on the scene.’

Esther accompanied them, the silent tree-monster adding no additional words to the conversation, for she never spoke. All three of them had minor cuts on them from Kimble’s last attack, which they’d been unable to completely defend against.

‘…’ Mariette stared at them where they had gathered, inside a hall of their horror-gifted dark mansion. A mirror with an opened portal was open on the side of the room, allowing Asengav to hear their conversation.

So, it was worse than what Mariette had feared. If it ever came to an actual battle with the forces of Penrose, it was likely that they’d just be annihilated. Maintaining a low profile was the right choice. That meant no murders, no real public operations, no kidnapping anyone to attract attention. The only reason to appear in-town was to defend their operations and to make friends. The more friends, the more likely someone would show them sympathy later on. … What a crooked operation.

‘It is of no matter,’ Mariette said, breathing out. ‘The loss of the White Coin is of minor consequence. As fascinating as it would have been to investigate, we do not lose anything by not acquiring it. Instead, let us consider this a test-operation of our new jewels and magical traps and devices. From such a perspective, this has been a glorious success…’

‘And yet, all these resources spent, and you still fail to bring the one meaningless thing that you set out to obtain. What does that say about you as a leader?’

Mariette and the other three turned to look at the entity that had appeared. Floating in the air was an elfin, green monster-girl floating in mid-air… Lea.

‘Hmpf, how pitiful you look right now, Mariette. Fortunately for you, I took the liberty of obtaining this trinket that you could not obtain, to make sure Asengav’s resources were not wasted,’ Lea told, lifting the White Coin between her fingers, and Mariette couldn’t help but wince a bit.

‘How did you obtain that?’ Mariette asked.

‘You made everything far too complicated for yourself, Mariette. I simply approached a patrol and asked them to give one to me,’ Lea replied, and turned towards the portal that led eventually to Asengav, bowing before it. ‘As you heard, my lord, I obtained for you what Mariette could not. Do see fit to forgive her for this failure, let her learn, so that she could in the future do better…’

It was bare for all to see what this really was. It was Lea presenting proof to Asengav that Lea was the superior one of the two. Still, Mariette found herself… a bit irked.

‘You… fool,’ Mariette breathed out. She quickly got a sideways glare from Lea, and also Freya looking on in light surprise, Jelena looking like something exciting was happening, and Esther who was not reacting.

Mariette was well aware that this was an attempt of Lea’s part to curry favour with Asengav. It wasn’t even her fault. Her Hoarder mental pollution meant she wanted all Asengav’s favour for herself, in addition to a lot of other things. It was true that Lea went above and beyond to obtain additional power for Asengav. But… this time…

‘By asking this of them the same day as my attack on the park, you’ve given Beacon your face and appearance. You’re fairly well-known in the Overcity, so if they go and ask around they’ll be able to identify you as the mouthpiece of Asengav, which in turn identifies the attacker as me,’ she said, breathing out. ‘You’ve given them a clue that could lead them to me, and with that I might lose whatever few allies I might have in-town. The White Coin was not all that important. As long as everyone kept secret, they never needed to figure anything out…’ she told, and eventually sighed.

‘Hmpf. You exaggerate,’ Lea told. ‘You are already alone. You have no friends in town. Any that you do have is a single conversation with Beacon away from being your enemies, after how you handled the crisis with Justine. We’ll let Asengav decide who was wrong or right.’

A couple of seconds went, and the attention of the individuals in the room was drawn to the mirror… which promptly shut. Asengav was frankly outrageously disinterested in this matter. Far too minor and petty for him to concern himself with. Only reason he’d been paying attention at all was because he could spare a millionth of his conscience while the rest of him did more important things.

‘… Hmpf,’ Lea made a displeased noise, and then threw the White Coin over at Mariette. Mariette in turn opened a portal, let the coin go inside the portal and then fly up from the floor, until gravity had slowed it down enough to the point where she could naturally grab it out of the air herself.

‘Make sure your next operation does not fail. Neither lord Asengav nor me takes failure lightly…’ With those words, Lea turned around and floated out of the room.

‘… Grr,’ Freya made an irritated noise.

‘What’s the matter, Freya?’ Jelena asked immediately, slightly concerned.

‘… The trickster tried to seduce me with feelings of comfort and belonging. It didn’t work, of course, but it’s left my beast-half in a bad mood. I need to devour someone to sate it…’ Freya replied, teeth starting to bare themselves.

‘Then go and do so, in any world that isn’t the one we just came from,’ Mariette ordered.

‘… Will do…’ Freya said, and slank away. Left behind, Mariette turned around and started focusing to reopen a portal into Penrose again…

Slithering down a corridor, in the meantime, Freya was retrieving her phone from a pocket somewhere, clicking in a number and then bringing it to her ear.

‘Could you do me a favour?’ she asked mission control on the other side. ‘Tell me what you can about this… “Aurelio”.’

---

‘… Uh, okay,’ Eli replied to Nuncio, a little surprised. So, if he wasn’t allowed to stay in Mariette’s Interdimensional Home, then he didn’t need help at all? That struck Eli as weird, but there was a very simple explanation that answered that mystery rather efficiently. If Nuncio was actually an agent of an unknown enemy that wanted to breach into Mariette’s home for an unknown reason. If he couldn’t get into the Home, then there was no point in getting help from them. So Eli determined, deciding it was probably for the best they kept Nuncio out of their Interdimensional Home perpetually.

Then Eli blinked, because her Third Eye detected portal-magic, and there was only one person that could use portal-magic. Except, it was in mid-air, and-

---

‘…’ Mariette stood in mid-air on a portal, her hands gently embracing bunny as she stared through portals placed at various angles at the ongoing combat against Hyun Long. This “monster queen” was occupying a good percentage of the capable fighting force of Penrose, and with the roof breached Mariette’s sight could finally reach the inside of the rave after Eli’s departure from it… and it annoyed her. Ascendancy and dark/monster girls alike had been killed. Could you all stop attracting attention to Penrose for once…?

‘You are occupying an unacceptable amount of Magical Girls that could use their time for something more beneficial,’ Mariette stated, lifting one hand with a hand-mirror to direct at the monster queen. ‘So that they may be free to engage other problems in this city, I command you to fall.’

And with that, Mariette blasted a single, powerful blast of light at the monstrosity that was gripping hold of Sophia’s ship. It was angled so that she’d only hit Hyun Long and miss the ship should the monster-queen dodge. Should she still be stuck, Mariette would engage with more beams of light from various angles directed by portals to attempt to peel the queen off. Regardless, Mariette was now ready with portals and beams of light to defend and/or assist her allies should they be attacked.

This, of course, was another game. Mariette wanted to be known as someone who defended this town. She wanted people to see her as an ally. Amaryllis was already here, and could confirm it. She wanted the rest to see her do this, too. Beacon, among them.

@Ariamis@BrokenPromise@ERode@FamishedPants@Flamelord@Crusader Lord@twave

Pokémon: Start

@Gardevoiran @Typical

_{Random music I listened to while writing.}

Oaken looked over Vivia and Skylar with a bit of perplexion and a bit like he was bothered. Because, like, _{‘Tsk, this was supposed to be my trial to conquer, what are all of you doing here?’} he muttered, frowning looking over at the Beheeyem blocking the path instead. Meanwhile, Vivia looked mostly surprised, but also relieved.

‘…’ Oaken was quiet for a second as he gazed at Eryn after she asked if she was forgettable. ‘You aren't particularly remarkable, appearance-wise. If we hadn’t battled, I don’t know if I’d have put you on my mind,’ Oaken eventually replied, because that was the truth to him.

‘Er, well, it was a decently brief encounter…’ Vivia said, looking a decent amount guilty about it. ‘But, I’m really happy you’re here! I… it’s been such a trial, haaah…’ she sighed out about it.

‘Hm. Male Ralts. Are you going for Gardevoir or Gallade?’ Oaken asked Skylar with slight interest… before shaking his head. ‘Nevermind, let’s get through this first,’ he said, resuming looking around for an exit, his eyes landing on the flooded path south. ‘The path with Beheeyem is blocked, but we have two Mr. Mimes handy, that cannot be coincidence. We’ll need to make them create a box around us so that we’ll be able to travel underwater. I presume that using the help of native Pokémon is intended…’

And around there was when Skylar suggested walking past the Beheeyem. Oaken frowned and gazed at him. Vivia was also paying attention, and… a bit of air got caught in her throat like a cough which was actually the first tone of a laugh from a closed mouth which she immediately felt guilty for, Skylar’s 4 senses joke sort of getting her. Anyway, Eryn agreed, and…

‘Stop that,’ Oaken stated with a frown. ‘Beheeyem are able to break down the mind of someone within their range. We can’t take that risk, we must find another way!’ he called, stepping forward to try to stop them from crossing…

The approached Beheeyems awoke, the lights on their arms blinking something fierce as Skylar and Eryn approached… yet, just as Skylar had predicted, they did nothing as they squeezed past them. They did nothing whatsoever, and they were free to pass. Vivia was quick to hurry after, still giving the Beheeyem a worried look as she passed. The Mr. Mimes also followed, for some reason.

‘…’ Oaken glared at them. ‘Irritating. There’s a difference between a test of willpower and a test of recklessness,’ he declared, before walking to join them… when the Beheeyem actually properly blocked his way, placing themselves in his way and holding their arms blinking in his direction. This, however, just made Oaken glare at them harder.

‘Oh, so did I fail the test because I insisted we don’t take the shot? I’m going to call your bluff. There’s a risk you’ll use your mind power to break me down now that I know what’s going on? Fine. Do it if you so please. But I’m not stopping here. Get out of the way,’ he demanded, physically reaching forward to push the Beheeyem aside… and they let him, allowing themselves to be moved as Oaken pushed them aside with his hands, breathing out in relief as he stepped out after the other three.

‘Let’s keep going, already,’ he requested, and walked on.

Now, during all this time, the water level at their feet was steadily increasing, actually pouring out of the room they were heading for. The path turned left, and they could follow the path forward to a vast chamber. However, with each step, the hostile presence that they’d feel earlier became stronger and stronger, a pressure on their minds as they got closer to the opening ahead of them. Yet, the will that had guided them here in the first place also made itself known, saying they were almost there. Just advance, straight ahead. Through the bright opening that was before them, like the light at the end of the tunnel.

The room was immense, with a glowing spot in the roof above them, pillars of ruin spread across the inside here. There were the ruins of what appeared to be control panels, but they felt like they belonged in a completely different world. There was what appeared to be windows in the very front, but they were shut, walls shut over them. There was water all over the floor, and the water came from…

The first thing they noticed when they entered the room was not the surroundings. It was the giant standing straight, water pouring from the cracks in its makeup, the giant stood on two legs and had two smaller, clawed arms. It had two great shields for shoulders, glowing jewels embedded in them, from which more water was currently pouring. It had an elongated neck, ending in a draconic face, unwelcoming in its expression. Its skin a steely grey, with purple lines strewn artistically across its body and tail. Its whole existence extruded a pressure on them that was apparent even now, like forcing them to acknowledge the form’s massive power.

‘Woah… I can’t believe it… it’s…’ Vivia said, her eyes wide behind her glasses as she looked upon the being before her.

Of course the wannabe Pokémon Professor would know what this was. For any who’d taken part in education in the Pokémon World, there was little doubt what this giant was.

You Stand Before

Pokédex Entry #484 – Palkia, the Spatial Pokémon. A Legendary Pokémon. Legends speak of how Arceus created Palkia and Dialga simultaneously, giving them the power to create and control space and time respectively. Palkia is the master of space, its total control over the boundaries of space enable it to transport itself to faraway places or even other dimensions. Typically residing in another dimension making it very hard to study, it’s widely considered a deity in the mythologies of the world.

… The massive legendary was dormant. There was no light in its open eyes, there was no movement in its great limbs or tail. It stood as a statue, yet its hostile pressure still acted upon those who had arrived inside the room. Yet, something was a little different. On top of its head sat a small little spot of blue…

The water promptly stopped pouring from the towering Legendary Pokémon, for the small blue form suddenly lifted, making an arbitrary lap around the dragon’s elongated neck before flying forth and presenting itself before the gathered humans, gazing at them analytically.

Pokédex Entry #482 – Azelf, the Willpower Pokémon. A Legendary Pokémon. It was born from the same egg along with its kin, Uxie and Mesprit. Known as the “Being of Willpower”, legends speak of that with its emergence it gifted humans with the gift of willpower, allowing humans to overcome adversity and rise to prominence. It can separate its spirit from its body, allowing it to scout far from its home. It’s able to enter other beings, and from there it’s completely in control of that beings desires and ambitions, and able to remove all will from an attacker.

From the feeling that came as it gazed upon them, it was clear Azelf was the source of the guiding will, compared to the Palkia’s hostile will that would rather they leave.

‘Finally,’ Oaken breathed out in relief. ‘We’ve passed your test of willpower. What say you?’

Vivia is mostly just gawping at this point.

Does Eryn or Skylar have any particular reactions?

Map

Blue dot - Entrance.
Actually maybe kinda orange/pink dot - Eryn.
Dark green dot - Oaken.
Purple dot - Skylar.
Cyan dot - Vivia.
Pinker dots - Mr. Mimes
Big dot - Palkia
Light Blue Dot - Azelf