Sen

Persona - The True Self

Sato Hashimoto // Royal Suite, Main Room

With that, the entire team realized there was nothing between them and beating the shit out of the shadow. And so they did. A flurry of magic, personas, and teens flying around with adrenaline overwhelmed the shadow within seconds. A perfected all-out attack! It was hard to see through the dirt flying around, but a part of the shadow evaporated into a cloud of darkness.

As everyone backed away, Sato watched with a indescribable vitriol as the shadow got back up to its feet, two hands on its sword. Before it could even say anything, Sato launched an arrow at it. It was easily deflected, of course, but what the shadow didn't realize was that Chronos was already behind it, swinging its scythe with the full force of a Garula behind it and knocking the shadow forward a good dozen meters. Not too far off from him now, Sato fired a few disabling arrows into its shoulder and its knee as it tried to hopelessly swing at anything. With it on the ground, there wasn't even an attempt to defend itself from the shadow as Chronos rushed forward and slammed the blade of its scythe into the shadow's back, before ripping it into the air and slamming it back down with another Garula. Upon crashing back onto the floor, the shadow faded back into a human form, a perfect copy of the victim.

As everyone surrounded it just in case, Sato took a moment to fix his hair, brushing the hair out from in front of his eyes. He didn't realize it in the fight, but the fatigue was hitting hard... A ringing in his ears dampened all his senses, but when he noticed the knights around them crumbling, the metal clanging against the floor, Sato couldn't help but smile through the headache. People fell out from inside, their style screaming gangs. The blonde girl collapsed.

Another job well done.

---

Sato Hashimoto // GAME-OVER Arcade

JULY 6TH 2015, MONDAY
Afterschool
It took Sato's eyes a bit to adjust to the relative darkness of the arcade. The sun was beaming outside, reminding everyone of how summer was coming up soon, and as a result, exams. It was a weird kind of atmosphere, really... not close enough to study much, but not far away enough to forget about it. It bugged him, even as he made his way into the arcade machine. He checked his phone again; he'd gotten the text just a few minutes after class had ended for the day. Sato had been considered going to the archery range, but this wasn't much of a question. It wasn't an if, it was a when.

Was this their "place" now? Even after having gone several times, Sato still couldn't really remember what any of the machines were, what the colorful anime decals were naming. It was... interesting. How Sato would never have come there if it was up to him, but that was part of the very charm he found himself thinking about every other minute in class: forward, bold, determined. Rash, quick to anger, strong headed. Maybe even single-minded, but it was hard to judge when the opposite was just as bad a color on himself. A negative and a negative make a positive, at least in math.

He was overthinking it again. There was no point in kidding to himself; he knew exactly where the P4AU machines were. It was the only game he'd ever played at the arcade, so it was a guiding beacon in a maze of button-mashing and joystick-slamming. He always felt the thing he always wanted to avoid when he saw Mako. He hated the way he couldn't find any breath, the way he couldn't think. He'd never felt this way before, at least not so strongly.

"Hey," was all that Sato could muster as he walked up to Mako, trying to give a confident smile. It failed to look anything more than wry, though, but he went with it.

"Mako, I... how are you doing? Are you okay, after yesterday? It felt like the longest the team's been in the mirror world..." Sato averted his eyes from Mako, trying not to indulge in the chemicals swimming around in his brain too much lest he go blind in such a brilliant light. At least, that was how he felt. But it was too much to put in words, too much to tell someone, and that was akin to drowning.

Pokemon Chrome

MILFs of Pokemon Chrome

@Amaterasu

I hope you regret this post

Pokemon Chrome

-> @Shadeflare123 @Deos Morran <-
GM: @MechonRaptor

---

The group continued on their way down the route, the ruins slowly starting to rise above them as they got closer and closer. The trees and bushes started thinning out as they approached the carved slabs of rock and rubble, the scientists like insects to the eroded walls of the ruins. The amount of the structure missing was disappointing though, as any clue to the past was a valuable one to the variable horde of researches crawling about the ruins. Novis couldn't remember an awful lot about the Zamak Ruins' hypothesized history and what said researchers were even looking for, but it sure did look cool with its cool grey contrasted with the ocean of muddy green and sand. Apparently there were ruins very similar it in other regions, but Novis didn't care enough to think too hard about that.

It was as the group was standing there like all the other tourists, soaking in the view of the ruins, that they were at their most vulnerable. Before anyone even knew what was happening, a band of Mankey burst out from the woodwork and rushed the three trainers. Nier started barking at the monkeys before the wild Pokemon could get their hands on anything, but one of them blindsided Nov just as he ordered Nier to use Ember. It leaped onto Nov's shoulders and covered his eyes, and in a blind panic, stumbled backwards. Another Mankey pushed out Nov's legs from behind, sending the teen crashing into the ground. A cloud of dust whipped up from all the commotion, further obscuring the action. By the time Nov could get back on his feet, throwing off Mankey after Mankey to do so, the mugging was already starting to end as some of the monkeys started high-tailing it. Nov let out an angry yell and kicked a Mankey off of Nier's back, the small dog growling with vitriol. "Shove off, you pieces of...!" Nov called out after a particular Mankey that was laughing at them. But as they focused on the taunt, another one of the Mankeys dashed out from behind them again, this time knocking into Nov and swiping his backpack right off his shoulders.

While it dashed away, it pulled out the Fire Stone that he had just stolen acquired and looked at it for a second. It was pretty cool looking, but upon noticing Nov's old sandwich, it threw away the stone and Nov's backpack before scampering off with just the sandwich. Having ransacked all their belongings, the horde of Mankeys scampered off faster than trains, fighting with each other over the food scraps they had stolen. Aiden was still trying to futilely fight back, but Nov just huffed and ran over to the pile of his belongings on the ground. Just as he picked up his backpack out of the sand though, he realized the Fire Stone was missing again. He looked around for a second only to notice a Yamask gliding away into the ruins, disappearing behind the first corner. Normally, he wouldn't have thought too much about it after such a kerfuffle, but Nov couldn't mistake the brilliant gleam of a Fire Stone in the sun. That little thief...!

"I can't believe this! We just got jumped, and that stupid ghost thing stole from us too!" Nov shouted to nobody in particular, gritting his teeth a bit. All the tourists standing around in awe of what happened, taking pictures and muttering among themselves, pissed Nov off. He wasn't sure what the other two were feeling, but he was sure as hell not about to lose something as valuable as a Fire Stone! Running off in impulse, Nov took one step into the ruins before he realized... that he had no clue where the thing went. Luckily, there was a lady standing nearby, scribbling something on a clipboard. With a lab coat and goggles, she certainly seemed like she would know at least something about the ruins.

"Hey, lady," Nov said as he walked up to here, pulling her clipboard away from her face. From a quick glance, the papers were filled with scattered notes and sketches about the Pokemon of the ruins, a scratchy line sliding down from the last word the researcher had written. "Hate to interrupt, but you got any idea where that Yamask just went? It just stole some stuff from us, if you didn't notice. I'd really appreciate some help!"

| Route 13 (Ruin Side) - > Zamak Ruins |

Pokemon Chrome

Charak's the new meme confirmed

Pokemon Chrome

-> @Shadeflare123 @Deos Morran <-
GM: @MechonRaptor

---

"Just statin' the truth, dude." Nov raised his hands in defense as the others decided that it was best to let such a catastrophic failure down gently. "As Roxy said though, the pastries are the shi-- uhh, the bomb. Make some more later, will ya?"

Nov shifted his attention his Pokemon again at Aiden's mention of them, though. "It is kinda amazing how much they love this stuff, though. I wouldn't be surprised if you get a knock on your door from some food company later, since Nier can't get enough of it." At the mention of his name, the growlithe's tail started wagging again and he started looking around for food. With how much all the Pokemon ate, there was practically nothing left, so all Nier could do was stare longingly at the last few leftover pastries on the table with a whine.

Nov smiled as he gave the dog a scratch on the head, but once they all decided to start getting ready to head out-- Aiden dealing with all the dishes, and Roxy cleaning up her Pokemon-- he set the dog down on the ground. Nier went off to go bother Zorex (they seemed to be getting along pretty decently), and as everyone else was dealing with their own things, Nov went back over to where his Drilbur was hanging out, and all that was left was the empty plate. He picked it up and handed it to Zorex, and after walked over to look behind the rock outcropping. Nov couldn't help but smile when he saw the Drilbur passed out in the shade after its meal, but they needed to get going, so he dug its Pokeball out and returned it.

"Yup, all ready here." Novis said as he walked over to both of his partners, hoisting his backpack onto his shoulders. As the team moved out onto the second part of Route 13, Nov couldn't help but notice how much sandier it was starting to get. Before long, they would be in the odd arid hotspot of Chromis, where Ground-types reigned supreme in the sandstorms. But first... they had to get through the Ruins.

| Rest Area -> Route 13 (Ruin Side) |

Pokemon Chrome

-> @Shadeflare123 @Deos Morran <-
GM: @MechonRaptor

---

Aiden seemed disappointed, but not in a shocked way. By the way he talked, Nov assumed that he knew his cooking was inedible trash for humans, but maybe he was trying to get better. Apparently the snacks were a lot better, which Nov assumed was because they were a much simpler flavor than whatever it was they just tried to eat. "It has to be something you're doing that screws it up, dude." Nov said, as he watched Roxy take one of the berry tarts Aiden made. After she didn't throw up, Novis took one for himself and tried it. It was much, much better than the main course, which wasn't too hard considering the Oran Berry tart was actually edible. While pretty sweet, it was balanced out, and the pastry itself was fluffy and decadent. But... why? Why was it so perfect when the other thing Aiden made was the opposite?

"Pretty good, dude." Novis nodded, taking another mouthful. Partly because it was just super good and partly because it was the only food he was getting for lunch. "But unless you guys wanna live off of strudels, until you get this meal thing sorted out, let us handle the main course. I ain't much of a cook, but I know I can make something edible. As he finished the tart, Nov heard a whining from under the table. He peered down, and by his leg, Nier was begging for table scraps. The dog had already finished his bowl, but apparently it was so good that it warranted seconds. Nov didn't want Nier to get sick by overeating, but, with how much of that slop dish they had left, there was no sense in wasting it all, so Nov set the plate on the ground and gave the Growlithe a pet on the head.

"Good thing the Pokemon seem to be lovin' it." Nov said. It only took a few moments before Nier was done and hopped up on Nov's lap. He put the plate back onto the table and pushed it forward a bit. "Well, uh, if that's that, we should prepare to head out soon. The day's still young and we got some ruins to get through, yeah?"

| Rest Area |

Persona - The True Self

Sato Hashimoto // Royal Suite, Main Room

Once Sato was in position, Akane launched an attack on the shadow, and prince countered Akane's persona with its own slashes. It deflected all of Akane's strikes with relative ease, but as it was swinging, it was clear to see that the shadow was sacrificing its grip in order to match the speed of the Kill Rush and then some. As the shadow went for a retaliation slash on Akane, Sato launched an arrow from his bow, and combined with a Garu from Chronos, the projectile lodged itself in the shadow's hand with great force. The power of the hit effectively disabled its hand just enough that the sword flew away from it due to the wind blast. The disarmament plan was a success, and the advantage was shifted to the investigation team.

As Sato was running back to main group to avoid getting picked off by himself, the other rest of the battlefield lit up in crimson explosions as a hawk cry echoed throughout the room. That bird was so weird. Regardless though, it was their time to strike, so Sato resumed his previous position in the formation and prepared to hit the shadow with Hama as soon as the front-liners gave the signal.

Pokemon Chrome

-> @Shadeflare123 @Deos Morran <-
GM: @MechonRaptor

---

After watching the deftness which Aiden portrayed around the kitchen, Nov couldn't help but feel excited about the meal that was being made. It looked so good he had to physically hold himself back from sneaking a bite before it was all done, and it seemed their pokemon felt the same. Nier was practically gravitating towards the dishes that Aiden was setting on the table, the smell like a pied piper. If it tasted as good as it looked, Nov wouldn't blame 'em, but of course, he hadn't even tried it yet.

Aiden put down some bowls of food for all their pokemon, and it was at that moment that Nov realized he still hadn't made amends with his new catch. So, Nov took a step away from the group and tossed the pokeball into the air. "Come on out, Levi!" He called, the red light emerging from the ball and forming the shape of the Drilbur. As soon as it materialized, the mole Pokemon freaked out and scattered dirt at Novis. He wiped it off him with a grin and watched as the Drilbur hid behind some nearby rocks, peering out from behind them with great scepticism. It didn't seem to trust Nov enough to even let him approach, so Nov started his great plan: the fastest way to a Pokemon's heart was through its stomach. Holding the bowl of food Aiden made, Nov was sure that a hungry Pokemon would be able to resist such an appealing meal, and right he was. The Drilbur, though clearly hesitating to do so, rushed out from its hiding place and snatched the food away from Nov. Though it turned away from Nov, it didn't run away again, so Nov just laughed and stood back up. "Sorry about that whole scuffle back there," Nov said, taking a few steps away. "We'll see how you feel once you get some grub in ya."

After that was momentarily dealt with, Novis returned to the main group, making sure he was able to watch for Levi just in case. Sitting down at the table next to Roxy, Nov looked over the huge array of dishes that Aiden had cooked up, complete with garnishes and jams made from the berries and herbs they'd found a few minute prior. "Woah, man, you shouldn't have! This is a lot, dude!" Novis crowed, "I don't even know what half this stuff is." Well, whatever it all was, Aiden certainly made magic in the kitchen. Or, well, at least it appeared so to the uninitiated. Since Aiden insisted they be the first to try it, Novis was more than eager to dig in. Hovering over a plate of almost everything piled on, the aroma... The visuals, the design... It was amazing, truly artisan. Nov took a heaping forkful of it all, and tried it with fervor.

Novis almost choked when he was hit with the terrible realization of the mistake he just made.

It's not that it was inedible, per say. Individually, the flavors were great. Except, it was sour while bitter, tangy, salty, sweet, and bland all at the same time. All of them felt overpowering at once, making a melange of, well, badness. The texture was exactly as it should be, but the flavor didn't match the texture anyway... Did he mix soy and oran berry together? Regardless, Nov was half-way through a single bite and it was a struggle to even stomach that. After a bit of fighting, he swallowed it and started coughing due to the violent aftertaste.

"Sorry, went down the wrong pipe..." Novis muttered. Aiden was looking at them with great anticipation. Novis and Roxy made eye-contact with each other, unverbally expressing the same desperation. Neither wanted to crush Aiden's spirits, and Roxy had already forced out a compliment. If Novis told the truth, it'd just seem like only he hated it... But if they weren't honest, then it would mean they would have to eat more of that cooking abomination. This was a true test of character and moral.

"Look... It's, uh... You tried your best, yeah?" Nov started, but quickly realized that was too vague. He gave Roxy a steeled look before continuing. Hopefully she'd back him up. "It looked real good, but it's... well, putting it bluntly, it tastes like garbage. What exactly did you put in it?"

| Rest Area |

Pokemon Chrome

oh no

Pokemon Chrome

-> @Shadeflare123 @Deos Morran <-
GM: @MechonRaptor

---

"I getcha," Nov laughed to himself. It wasn't that he hated where he's lived, or that he'd never left the town. He was born in Unova and had been out on trips with his uncle plenty of times. It was moreso the feeling of being stuck that he related to.

Of course, Roxy reciprocated the question to be fair.

Nov let out a small sigh as he took a step back from the berry bushes, having decided he had gathered enough for the time being. Closing up his backpack and slinging it back onto his shoulder, he motioned for Roxy to head back. The quicker the better, if Aiden wasn't kidding about quick prep time. As for the question... "I dunno, man. Probably doesn't make sense, but I kinda felt useless back home, y'know? Got in my head that this would make me something. Still not sure, now that we're out here, but I guess that's part of the adventure, huh?" He bit down on his tongue. "Gonna be weird headin' back to Danascus once we're done with everything else. At least it'll be good to see Major again..."

Once they were back at where Aiden was set-up, Nier perked up and ran over to Nov at the smell of the berries. Nov gave the dog a pat on the head before holding out his bag to Aiden. "We got what we could. You can make something got outta these, yeah?" Before Aiden could take any of the berries, Nov slipped one to Nier, and the Growlithe was ecstatic to receive the pre-dinner snack.

| Rest Area |