Parugi

lol "Approving her being Alex Lockwood's cousin" as if that wasn't entirely you pushing for it. also yeah remade Alex looks fine.

IC - Miyu - Refugee Center, Vermilion City: It took a couple of moments, but eventually Miyu nodded. "Please do," she said, perhaps her first properly-spoken sentence since their arrival. "Aori," she added. "That's a pretty name, too." IC - Tyler McKinley/Thomas Warren - Reflection Cave, Kalos: "Pssh, Sableye? Small fry. I wouldn't worry about them," McKinley said, offering a cocky smile. "Xatu's skilled enough to take on anybody, Dark-Type or n--" "What do you mean?" Warren interrupted. "What do you mean, 'what do you mean'?" McKinley responded. "They're worried about Sable--" "Stop." Warren looked from Belle to Alex. "'When did powers come back'? What are you talking about?" IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron - The Alamo: Approximately twelve seconds after receiving the message, Sonja's Poké Gear rang--a conference call from Kyle to Sonja, Ryan, and Chloe. She shouldered her bag and answered. "I forgot." "Same," Kyle said. "But I think I can convince Bounty to give it to us."

IC - Esen Windred/Kyle Eston - Living Quarters, The Alamo: A long day of work warranted a long bath and a night of rest. A long day of fighting for one's life warranted more than that--several glasses of wine, some therapy, a pill or two to drop into a dead sleep. At present, Esen had none of that, and thus had to make do with a bath and her bed. She couldn't sleep, though, try as she might to drift into her dreams. Even with closed blinds, the clerestory windows at the head of her bed allowed specks of moonlight into her room. They danced with the shadows in front of her, and in those shadows she saw the same creatures she had faced earlier that day--Minotore skulking about, the circular bodies of Magnode. Worst of all were the rippling shadows of leaves, emulating the movements of the Fraygrins that had taken to the field in the final stretch of the fight, their jaws bearing teeth in a dead, emotionless smile. Closing her eyes only made the monsters clearer, more vivid and real. So she didn't close her eyes. Instead she lay on her side, staring at the wall, running over the day again and again. All things considered, Esen couldn't call the events on One Island a failure--they had, after all, minimized their losses and allowed the island's inhabitants to escape. But she also couldn't call it a success, not when their groups had acted so incohesively with one another--when their failure to strategize and work together had gotten someone, possibly two someones, killed . . . Her phone buzzed. Esen reached her hand up beside her pillow, grabbing it. In the darkness, the light from the screen felt blinding; she lowered the brightness, looked at the time--1:30 AM--and then at the message that had arrived from Kyle. Clearly not the only one with sleep problems. . . Esen adjusted her pillow, placing one hand underneath it, and with the other typed her response. Esen couldn't stop a breath of amusement from escaping her lips. A lull in the conversation. Esen frowned, staring intently at the screen in anticipation of another message. When none came, she typed out her own. It occurred to her how that might have sounded as soon as she sent it. Luckily in the dark, alone in her room, there was no one around to see her face redden with embarrassment. Esen pulled her covers higher toward her face, almost covering her eyes. Her heart skipped a beat as her phone buzzed, and she read the initial message. This mixture of warmth, excitement, and apprehension in Esen's chest was something she hadn't felt before. It was almost painful, yet simultaneously exhilarating--a type of suspense that pulled directly at the heart and shortened her breathing. Oh . . . This news was unexpected. It was also strangely disappointing, and Esen could not figure out exactly why. She released the breath she had been holding and rolled back onto her side, eyes sliding half-closed as she read the messages that continued to pour in. Esen turned off her phone screen, setting it back beside her pillow. Though the disappointment lingered in her chest, she felt a bit better. Finally, sleep overtook her. IC - Skye Hall - Infirmary, The Alamo: His room was right in front of hers. Skye hadn't realized it when she had entered her hospital room last night. Perhaps it was the tunnel vision that had set in, or perhaps it was just the stress of the day in general that had caused her to overlook it. Either way, she stood now in the hallway, her door hissing shut as it closed behind her, face to face with the realization that by some stroke of fortune or misfortune, she had spent the night across the hall from Gavin. It had been some time since she had seen him last, and that was a deliberate choice on her part. His words had stung, and she hadn't wanted to face him again--not until she was ready. Whether that would take days or months of years, she had no idea, but she knew that the choice was right and that she would know when she could look him in the eye and give him her response. That was why it was a complete shock to her when she felt herself moving as if on auto-pilot, taking five steps forward, reaching a hand out toward the doorknob, twisting it open, and pushing. Her heart raced a mile a minute, her brain screamed at her to turn around and leave, but her body carried her forward as if of its own accord. However this conversation ended, Skye needed to have it. And she knew that if it didn't happen now, it would never happen at all. Gavin was awake. The sight of him with a tray of food over his lap, and his awkward attempts to use his cutlery with his non-dominant hand, almost sent Skye back out the door. It certainly made her pause. He looked up at her with surprise in his eyes, and an immediate tightening of his jaw--a sign of discomfort that she had come to recognize. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when she raised a hand, pulling the door closed behind her. "Gavin," she said. Righteous fury burned her face in tandem with uncertainty about what she was going to say, but she held her ground. "We need to talk." His expression hardened. "I already told you, I don't want to hear--" "I don't care!" The force of her response shocked both of them. Skye closed her eyes and took a moment to compose herself; meanwhile the silence hung over them both like a suffocating blanket, punctured only by the single metallic clink as Gavin set his fork down on the tray. Skye brought her hands together in front of her chest, taking a deep breath and opening her eyes. "I didn't want to talk to you, either, but I need to, and I don't care if you don't want to hear it. Okay? Please, just let me get it out of my system while I still can." "'While you still can'?" Gavin repeated. His brow furrowed in worry. "Are you . . ." A shift back to furious indifference. "Fine." Skye glowered at him. "'Fine.'" She let the word hang in the air. "You're still mad at me. Fine. I said it last time and I'll say it again, if you need to be mad at me, then I get that. I know I messed up, I know you suffered for it, and even if you don't want to hear it, I am sorry about that--more sorry than you could ever know." She clenched a fist. "You told me I did the wrong thing by going with McKinley, and I agree--I was an idiot to trust him, and everyone is paying for it now. But have you thought at all about why I went with him?" "I know why you went--he fed you a fantasy and you bought--" "When did you get your first Pokémon, Gavin?" "What?" "You heard what I said." Skye took a step forward. "You're five years older than I am. How long have you had Ithes and Dothe?" It was clear from his expression that Gavin did not understand where Skye was trying to take this conversation. She raised a hand to the bridge of her nose, sighing. "You've had them since you were a kid, right? About ten to twelve years?" "Yes, I got them both when I was ten," Gavin said. "What are you--" "I got my first Pokémon last year," Skye said. By now she had arrived at Gavin's side. "Okay? You're twenty-three. You've had thirteen years to spend with your first Pokémon. You've had almost that long to train on the field with Team Rocket, to get stronger, to grow tougher--to deal with the kind of stuff that you've been through. Heck, you lost an arm and you're still . . . you! You're angry, and you're sad, and you're upset at me and everything else, but you're still Gavin, and you're hiding whatever pain you must be feeling a million times better than I could!" She took a moment to catch her breath, suddenly aware of the storm of emotions swelling in her chest. Gavin wouldn't look at her--he remained with his head forward, eyes locked on the door. She stooped down so that she was level with him. Desperation clawed at her insides, but Skye knew that she had to keep calm--the path was clear, and she knew that she had to get to the end if she had any hope of getting Gavin to listen. And even if he didn't . . . Well, she needed to say it all for herself, if nothing else. "Please, just think about that for a minute," Skye said. "I don't have what you or Ethan or Lucia have. I haven't had years to toughen up. I can hardly call myself independent from my family when, up until a few months ago, they were paying for everything for me--my college, my housing, my food--all stuff I've thrown away now to go on these adventures that I can't even say I'm prepared for. I got dragged into that stupid Team Zephyr business because I wanted to make my friends happy, and because of it, I've been tossed into stuff that is . . . way above my head. I've never had to deal with someone threatening me before, or threatening my friends, or my family. I was scared--I'm still scared. I didn't even realize how scared I was until yesterday, when I once again got myself involved in something I shouldn't have, and had to face those . . ." She couldn't suppress a visible shudder. "things." Skye's shoulders drooped. "Do you understand what I'm trying to say? I'm not asking you to forgive me for what happened to you or anyone else, but I need you to understand why it happened. It wasn't something random--it was fear, it was manipulation, and it was a mistake." She grit her teeth, feeling the tears begin to flow down her face. "And, yeah . . . it was my fault. I did what I did and you got dragged into the crossfire. I can't take that back, but . . . well . . . You gave me a chance when we first met, remember? You thought I was stealing comics and stuff, but I wasn't." Skye stared at him. "I know I shouldn't ask, but . . . maybe you could give me another chance. I won't disappoint you guys this time--I've grown, I've seen things, I know how to better handle myself . . ." Skye trailed off. When Gavin did not react, physically or vocally, she wiped a hand across her face and stood up. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have bothered you like this." She turned to leave. As she did so, she felt Gavin's hand closed around her wrist, startling her. Skye stopped, turning back to him. His expression remained locked into one of fury, but when he finally he looked up at her, eyes glistening with tears--the look he gave her told Skye everything she needed to know. Gently, Gavin pulled Skye into a hug, which she returned with fervor. When they finally regained their composure, they separated, allowing Skye to slide back onto the nearby stool. "You guys are so annoying sometimes . . ." Gavin said. "With your . . . emotions and making sense." He rubbed his eyes, offering Skye a forlorn smile. "I'm sorry. I'm angry about what happened, but I shouldn't have taken that out on you. Or Ethan." "You don't need to apologize," Skye said. "I'm just glad you listened." "Let's agree to disagree, then," Gavin said. He looked at her after a moment. "So you fought that blob thing?" Skye couldn't help but smile, nor could she stop the frown that followed. "Yeah." She ran her knuckles across her hand, recalling the previous day--how little she had actually contributed. "I don't really want to talk about it." "Another time?" Gavin offered. "I've got a story of my own about that . . ." "Sounds like a deal." Skye smiled again, but could hardly hide her confusion. Gavin couldn't have had time to encounter Missing Zero since its arrival. She made a mental note to ask Ethan about it later. Clearing her throat, she looked at Gavin again. "In the meantime . . . I wanted to ask you something." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Ethan said you could just get a robot arm. He was probably joking, but . . . is that true?" "Of course he said that." Gavin shook his head. "If I was rich, then I might be able to. But Rocket would discharge me before covering that kind of thing." "Figured that." Skye dropped her eyes down to her hand. "So . . . I told you when we first met that my parents are both engineers, right? Well . . . it kind of runs in the family . . ." She did not notice the expression of interest and apprehension in Gavin's eyes. "My parents do work for airplanes, but my brother . . . doesn't. He's more into that whole . . . robots prosthetic thing. So . . ." She looked back up at Gavin. "I might be able to hook you up, if you're willing to do a bit of traveling with me." "No," Gavin said bluntly. "There's no way--you can't just get me a new arm like that." "Yes, I can, and I'm already doing it," Skye said. "I made up my mind before I even asked you. So . . . it's going to happen." "Your brother won't want to make me a robot arm when he realizes how big of a jerk I've been to you." "We're from Alola, and he's the most hospitable and loving person I know. He'd probably make one for McKinley if it weren't for the whole . . . clown monster thing." "What?" "Oh. Right." Skye scratched the back of her head. "We . . . need to catch you up on some stuff, don't we?" She stood up. "No worries. I'll give him a call, then find Ethan and we'll work out all the important details later." "Skye . . ." "Gavin." Skye placed her hands on her hips, mimicking his tone. "Stop arguing. I'm rich, you're not. This is one way I can help make things up to you. Just let me do this? If you don't want the arm when it's done, then you don't have to use it, but at least let it be an option. Please?" Gavin glowered, but finally sighed and nodded. Skye clapped her hands together, smiling. "Thank you. I'll come by again when I've got the flight details and everything all worked out." He offered a small smile to her. "Thank you, Skye." Skye smiled back, giving him a small salute as she eased the door closed behind her. The door had hardly shut when Skye felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She jumped, turning around, only to discover Ethan right in front of her. "Ethan!" she exclaimed, a broad smile spreading across her lips. "You just missed it--it was amazing, I was so nervous but I got Gavin to listen and I--" "Excellent work, kiddo!" Ethan responded. He grabbed her hand and began walking, pulling her along behind him at a faster-than-normal-for-Ethan pace. "Feel free to keep talking because I'm still listening, but holy cow do I have something amazing to show you guys!" IC - A Girl - Refuge Center, Vermilion City: "Aori . . . Aori . . ." The girl turned her head to Aori, repeating the name to herself and no one. Her dark eyes leveled unsteady with Aori's, cloudy, hardly acknowledging of the girl before her. She blinked, and her eyes lifted. "Aori . . . Hello." Her words came slowly, as if she were uncertain of how to properly express them. "Miyu . . . I am Miyu . . . Miyu . . ." IC - Tyler McKinley/? - Reflection Cave, Kalos: A soft whistle escaped McKinley's lips as he surveyed the extent of the damage to the three ladies and one gentleman currently present. "You all are banged up pretty good, huh? No worries at all." He pulled a Poké Ball from his belt, holding it forward. A beam of light erupted from within, releasing the stoic form of a Xatu onto the field. It was a proud bird, with cleanly-groomed feathers and a remarkable air of health. "My buddy Xatu here is specially-trained for injuries--he'll get you guys at least to the point of moving again." A ball of energy gathered in front of Xatu, which coalesced into a pleasant beam that engulfed each of the four, one by one. A soft sensation like a pillow enveloped them, as the Heal Pulse worked to gradually repair their wounds. Though McKinley did not appear to have actually heard Amelia's question, it was soon answered as the second man approached. Like McKinley, the mirror illuminated his features, casting them in a pinkish light. Even so, it was clear that his hair was a shade of red, close to maroon. He wore a white jacket with red clasps, over a red dress shirt and clever dress pants. "Tyler." He gave a pointed look to McKinley with eyes that matched his hair color, dropping one hand to his hip. "What did you do this time?" "Hey, I didn't do anything--these guys got attacked or something." McKinley shook his head. "Excuse my partner, guys--he's a bit of a stick in the mud. In any case, his name is--" "Thomas Warren," the man said. "A pleasure to meet you."

IC - ? - Kalos, Reflection Cave: The man's features were difficult to make out as he rounded the corner--the mirrors behind him served to reflect the light from an opening above, casting him in a silhouette that obscured his features. Still, the shadowy shape of the man could emote as effectively as ever, and it was clear from the toss of his hands into the air that Alma had caught him off guard. "Whoa, kiddo--I yield," he said. His voice was young, calm and smooth--a silk thread spun from a silver tongue. His boot crunched against shards of glass as he took a slow step forward. "Hey--I'm unarmed, just patrolling this area with my partner. Nothing to it." A shift of his head down indicated that he had noticed the unconscious bodies around Alma. One hand changed position, pointing. "Are your friends alright? We can help you out." He took another step forward. The light of the large mirror behind Alma cast the man in a soft, pinkish glow, illuminating his features. He wore a black coat adorned with golden buttons over a bright yellow shirt, which contrasted sharply with the dark brown pants he wore. His short, golden hair lay largely hidden underneath a black bandanna adorned with a golden skull, drawing attention away from his pale, youthful face. All of this served to complement his eyes, which shone with a brilliant golden sheen. "My name is Seth," he said. "But lately I've become better known as Tyler--Tyler McKinley." McKinley offered a kind smile. "On behalf of one John Ford, I offer you the services of the Signs. Now, would you consider lowering the knife?"

IC - Sleight/Eileen Alaric/Bounty/Silvermind/Joker - Hangar, The Alamo: "Elijah!" The process had not taken long; by and large, Sleight's Suit had sustained no notable damage on their mission, thus his personal debriefing had transpired without issue. In short order he had dragged back the curtain on his station, pulling his jacket over his shoulders, and stepped back out into the hangar. Mere seconds afterward, Eileen had enveloped him in a tight embrace, nearly knocking him off of his feet from the force of her greeting. Sleight smiled, kissing her and returning the hug. "Thank god you're okay," she said. "I wasn't sure you were going to come back in one piece." Eileen pulled back. "Are you okay? You weren't hurt?" "I'm not hurt," Sleight confirmed. "Though, I can't say the same for everyone else." He looked around the hangar at the other participants of the mission. "What have you heard so far?" "Not a lot," Eileen said. "Just that someone was killed. I feel selfish for saying this, but I'm just glad it wasn't you." Sleight shook his head, rubbing her shoulders. "Don't." He looked around at the hangar again, taking note of Silvermind's and Bounty's presence. He directed his gaze back to Eileen, lowering his voice. "Where's Levi?" "He's with Joker and her kids right now," Eileen said. "Why?" "There's something I need to discuss with Liberty's and Rocket's leadership--something that happened to Goldhawk during the mission" Sleight said. His tone was a certain degree of urgent that he had tended to reserve for only the most serious of circumstances. The lowered volume of his voice made it very evident that he did not want his words to be heard by anyone amidst the din of the hangar. "Go take over watching them for me--I need Joker here. Do not let anyone into the apartment unless it's me or her. Do you understand?" "Of course." She reached up, kissing him again. "Don't take too long." Sleight shook his head. "I won't." The two stepped apart from one another, Eileen heading toward the exit and Sleight watching her go. Once she was out of sight, he directed his attention to Silvermind and Bounty again. As he approached them, Bounty gave the Shadow Admin of Kanto a nod in greeting. Silvermind hardly seemed to acknowledge him. Sleight didn't care for either action--as he strode past them, he gave a small gesture for them to follow him. "Call Blackskull and Joker. We need to talk." Silvermind scoffed. "Giving orders on Liberty's ground, are we?" "As the only alliance leader returning unharmed from this cluster**** of a mission, yes, I am," Sleight snapped. "We're meeting. Now. This is not something that can wait." It did not take long for the leaders of Liberty and Rocket to gather in a meeting room off of the hangar--most of them, at any rate. Joker had appeared soon after Bounty, Silvermind, and Sleight had filed in. Goldhawk remained in the infirmary under emergency care, leaving Blackskull as the only leader unaccounted for--ironically leaving Liberty as the least represented within their own base. Luckily for all involved, Blackskull's presence was not strictly required for the topic Sleight intended to bring forward. He slammed the Electric-Type Suit's helmet on the table. The near-golden plating had been burned to a deep bronze, chipped and scorched down to the wiring in some places. The electronic visor had cracked, almost melting around the edges. It was not difficult to imagine the damage on the inside of the helmet, nor what anyone wearing the T-04 at the time of its failure might look like as a result of Samurloch's devastating fire. The question was implicit in Sleight's gesture, but he spelled it out nonetheless: "What happened to Goldhawk's armor!?" "Elijah, calm down," Bounty urged. "We're going to get to the bottom of this." "No, I am not going to calm down, Coleman," Sleight said. "This operation hinged on these Suits operating at full capacity. Out of all of them, the T-04 had the least reason to shut down, so why did it?" He looked pointedly at Silvermind. "You were the one insisting on using them. Did you have any idea that Goldhawk was running the risk of using a defective suit--that any of us were?" Silvermind bought her palm down on the table, pointing at the Shadow Admin with her other hand. "Watch it, Sleight," she seethed. "You can dish out all the accusations of treason that you want, but taking them back is another thing entirely." "He does raise a good point," Joker said. "The Electric-Type Suit is supposed to have a self-perpetuating battery; how could it have failed so suddenly--and at such a critical moment?" "How should I know?" Silvermind responded. "Several of the Suits sustained significantly more damage than they should have under particular circumstances; you need look no further than the Psychic-Type Suit to see that for yourself. Without post-mission diagnostics to analyze, I can only guess that there were oversights in the pre-deployment calibrations, or possibly even malfunctions in the production process that we couldn't have caught without putting the Suits out on the field to begin with. It stands to reason that something went wrong in the T-04's development. Maybe there was a crossed wire somewhere and it overloaded itself by trying to recycle its own energy. Maybe the battery itself was defective, or maybe it was just bad luck--I don't know." "So you vouched for these armor sets without accounting for the numerous ways that their deployment could go wrong," Sleight said. "Or at the very least ensuring that we would be aware of the risks ahead of time." "I won't apologize on anyone's behalf for failing to think of every conceivable mechanical failure that we could have run into," Silvermind snapped. "We were pressed for time and needed a solution. The Power Suits were that solution. Don't even pretend that the risks weren't spelled out to everyone who volunteered to use them--we said from day one that our Agents would be right there on the field, the center focus of this mission and therefore the most in danger of fatal injuries. Even with that knowledge, you didn't advocate against their deployment, and I certainly don't remember you helping our research division with safeguard installation. The fact of the matter is that we used the Suits, and because of them, we were able to ensure that everyone else on One Island successfully evacuated--regardless of whatever mistakes our development teams made." "There is a huge difference between an opponent outmaneuvering you, and your weapon malfunctioning!" Sleight's tone suggested he was seconds away from lunging across the table and shaking Silvermind by the shoulders. "This wasn't just a mistake--this was an oversight that may very well have gotten your own leader killed! It's an oversight that turns the Power Suits into a gambling game for the life of whoever winds up piloting one when it is deployed. We cannot expect our agents to pilot them if the defenses meant to ensure their survival can't be counted on to work when we need them to!" "War is a constant gamble, Shadow Admin," Silvermind said. "Sometimes a plan pays off, and sometimes it doesn't. And regardless of Goldhawk's health, or that of Willows, I'd say it paid off this time." Sleight's eyes grew wide--whether out of outrage or shock, Silvermind could not tell. She did not particularly care. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bounty and Joker shifting uncomfortably. She ignored them. "As I said, we saved an island's population at the cost of two of our own. By and large, the numbers say we were successful. You can take that, or you can leave it." "We could have achieved that same result by sending in armed squads," Sleight growled. "No mistakes. No gambles. No deaths." A short laugh erupted from Silvermind. "That's a pretty thought," she said. "You just don't want to admit that I'm right, Sleight. The Power Suits worked, and even if they didn't function completely as intended, there's nothing that can be done but work on making them even stronger. Whether you intend to use them or not doesn't matter to me, because Liberty still will. Meanwhile, you can sit back and watch from your sniper nest." She looked from Sleight, to Joker, to Bounty, and back again. "Anything else, or are we done here?" "I have to wonder how Blackskull is going to feel about the Power Suits after this?" Joker said. Her gaze was cold against Silvermind's, not antagonistic yet certainly not friendly. "I can't say I would be too keen on using them after what happened today, if I were him." "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Silvermind said, returning Joker's look in equal measure. "For now, they're still our best bet against Missing Zero. There really aren't a lot of other options out there." With a small smile, she shrugged. "I think he'll be open to my point of view." She opened her Poké Gear and turned, beginning to walk away. "I would suggest the three of you return to your quarters for the night. We'll have plenty of time to go over our next course of action tomorrow. I'll send for escorts." "There's no need for that, Selene," Bounty said. "I think we can manage on our own." Silvermind paused. After a moment, she shook her head, switching off her comm. As soon as the doors closed behind her, the three Shadow Admins eased back into their seats, exchanging looks of concern with one another. Bounty looked back to the door, and then at Sleight, drumming his fingers against his cane. "That could have gone better." "I don't think any other approach would have turned up different results," Joker said. "I can't tell if she's hiding something, if she's letting Goldhawk's situation get to her head, or if she's simply lost her mind. In any case, she is far too comfortable with the idea of losing Goldhawk. " "Even then," Sleight said. "The bottom line is that she's not working with us, and I'm not sure we can rely on Blackskull to rein her in. With Goldhawk out of the picture, that makes this partnership with Liberty more tenuous than ever--and that puts us all in danger." He looked at Bounty. "You have the most experience working with them. You're going to need to sort this out with Blackskull--without Silvermind's intervention, if you can." "Well, let's not do anything rash," Bounty said. "She's a wild card, but she's still one of Liberty's leaders." "That is exactly what concerns me," Sleight responded. His eyes drifted back to the exit. "She's temperamental, she's got a grudge against Team Rocket, and she has the means to make whatever calls she wants. That's a very dangerous combination." "Can you blame her?" Bounty asked. "No," Sleight said. "I suppose not." IC - Refugee Center, Vermilion City: "Hello . . . Hello . . . Hello . . ." The girl sat with her back against the wall, legs pulled up to her chest and arms wrapped around her knees. Amidst the rumbling conversations of the refugees around her, her voice hardly made an impact. Yet it was a consistent whisper in the crowd that earned her several glances, numerous looks, and a few shakes of the head. Occasionally, well-meaning passerby would stop to check on her. She seemed content to ignore them all. Staring forward, she continued the repetition, muttering to herself that one word over and over and over again. "Hello . . . Hello . . . Hello . . ." IC - Kotahi Village, One Island: in the silence of the beach, where corpses lay scattered in pieces with only the wind to disturb their slumber, we stretched finite yet unseen, as infinite as the sea we reached out with hands of slime and blood and embraced the fallen like family, clasping and dragging them back until they had vanished inside we boiled like bubbles and the wall stretched out, a slow drowning of the land in red the living fled and we took them as prey to feed us the stones and trees and sand and water fed us and we broke them to pieces to sustain us anger, oh child of ours, returned to us and we lifted him up back onto his feet in the depths of our minds we knew the steady spread would crawl us forward into the infinite void beyond, and yet we hunger and so we cast the seeds into the sky like seven stars falling across the night seven seeds to guide the spread and prepare the feast before us we reach ever outward now and we will sate our hunger

IC - All Squads - Goldhawk/Sleight/Jackson Sang/Esen Windred/Skye Hall - Kotahi Village, Helicopters: "Alamo, all Agents are aboard, and we are homebound." Dust clouds spiraled in the wind of seven ascending helicopters, a thin veil masking the last few glimpses of Kotahi as the combined forces of humanity made their escape from the forsaken village. From the sky, one could see the dozens of monstrosities snaking their way through streets and alleys, glowing cords stretching behind them like vines slowly growing to engulf the town, dragging the main body of their origin outward in an ebbing sea of red. As they flew over Kotahi, further along and to the beach, the signs and symptoms of their struggle became more prominent. Untouched buildings gave way first to crumbled walls and scorched stone, then to craters and a massive grave of downed creatures intermixed with the sand and stone and ice that had encompassed the beach. The devastation from the last few moments of the battle came into full focus. A massive chasm had appeared across the sand; from here, multiple Chimerape were finally beginning to claw their way out of the darkness and into the light. Further along, the remains of the stone path that had paved the way forward to Goldhawk's retrieval loomed, the stones cracked and broken from what had come afterwards. Beyond that lay what could only be described as sheer devastation. The earthquake had caused the beach, and partway the stone cliffs into Kotahi itself, to crack and splinter. Sand poured down a web of massive, black rifts in the ground, which had broken open and closed unevenly with the aftershocks of the quake. Mangled pieces of dozens of Missing Zero's Instances littered the surrounding area, all of them caught and crushed or torn apart by the sheer power of the earth beneath their feet. And though more had begun to emerge from the massive wall of red to replace them, it was all too clear that the attack had been effective--the consequences of any human sticking around to witness the carnage firsthand were a nightmare to consider. Most notably of all, however, was what lay in the middle of the web of rifts. His sword was gone, stolen away by his enemies. His armor was cracked, splintered, and broken, destroyed by the ground as it tore itself asunder. The ground had opened beneath his feet, crushing and consuming his lower half, impaling his left shoulder on spikes of stone, and Wrath, the lone Samurloch amidst all of Missing Zero's forces, lay unmoving amidst the rock and sand, head locked upward and staring blankly into the sky. Of all of Missing Zero's pawns, however, it appeared that he had fared the best against the assault, and thus even in his current condition, it was clear to see who he was and what had occurred. Even in what could only be described as death, his unseeing gaze pierced the hearts of those who looked upon him. For better or worse, the helicopters continued onward, leaving the corpse behind them. It was nearly dark by the time they returned. Even so, the Alamo moved in a frenzy. Upon disembarking their transports, medical teams immediately descended on the members of the One Island operation, while maintenance crews worked on transporting the destroyed Instances that had been acquired. Half the team would be cleared shortly, disengaged from their Power Armor and sent to rest. Most others would be carted off for a more thorough check-up in the infirmary, assessing the damage that had sent their monitoring systems into the orange. For two members of the team, the process went differently. There was no saving Theodore Willows from the poison of the Venophage. Despite protests from Ava, he would be taken away to the morgue, his body examined for the effects of the poison in the hopes of learning how to combat it, before being cleaned and readied for his funeral. Goldhawk was another story. He was the first one out. His damaged and scorched armor had hidden the damage to his body during the flight back home. Now in the hands of professionals, however, it was clear for all to see the ugly sight that lay beneath the suit. Urgent shouts cut through the flight deck, and soon, he had vanished into an emergency transport, taken away with the slim hope that he could still be saved. Time would tell if that hope held true.

IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Levi Alaric - Cafeteria, The Alamo: The invitation was sudden and unexpected, and Levi's pale and wide-eyed expression indicated as much--that, or he was experiencing second-hand embarrassment on behalf of Ellen. "U-Um . . ." He glanced at Kyle, lightly wringing his hands together. "Um . . . O-Okay. Thank you, Mr. . . . Mr. Burks." He looked at Kyle again. "Will you, um . . ." "I need to finish up here, and then I can swing by afterwards and bring you home," Kyle offered. "Sound good?" Levi nodded. "Alright. Have fun, guys!" IC - All Squads - Goldhawk/Sleight/Jackson Sang/Esen Windred/Skye Hall vs. A LOT OF INSTANCES/Samurloch - Kotahi Village, Beach: "Drop me off here--I need to retrieve Charizard." With so few--surprisingly few--Instances following them, Esen had no problem complying. She directed Krow down toward the street, where Sleight's Charizard had been left to excavate the area in search of James Arthur--a fruitless task, now that he had reappeared. As they dropped to a few feet from the ground, Sleight slid off of the Honchkrow's back. Esen looked back at him as Krow landed. "What are you doing?" "Arthur and Hikari's Pokémon regained their power." Sleight approached Charizard, placing a hand on the Fire-Type's head. "That must be a sign that we are regaining our strength, is it not?" The scarred beast snorted at Sleight's touch. Whatever Sleight seemed to expect to happen, did not happen. He sighed. "Not now, then . . . but soon, certainly." "Sleight, we're running out of time to get out of here," Esen said. "I don't know how they got their power back, but I don't think it's a benefit that we all get to enjoy." "No, I believe you're right," Sleight replied. "Who all is left to get out of here?" "As far as I know, only the Normal-, Dark-, and Psychic-Type Suits," Esen said. "Everyone else should be back by now." Sleight nodded. "Then we'll do what we can to defend the helicopters until they get here." His comm clicked on. "All injured units, embark on Lyre Play and Echo Order for extraction. Valley Watch and Entry Guard will follow and cover your departure. All remaining units, hold out until the remaining Suits arrive." The Shadow Admin frowned. "And if you're still on the beach . . . Get your tails back here now. This mission is done." Whatever was about to happen made the air crackle with tension. Wrath could feel it even through the fog that enshrouded his head, and the din of attacks chipping away at him like stones striking steel. It made it hard to focus, harder still to defend himself--he could move aside, step away, change his stance to counter one attack, only to find another flying toward his unguarded side. Such was the case with Lance, whose armored pincer smashed into Wrath's own hand, sending his arm back with a metallic crunch that signaled the end of his swordsmanship--at least for now. The broken gauntlet splintered into pieces, and Wrath's blade spun in a tall arc behind him before landing point-first into the ground. A punch to Lance's face with his remaining hand, fueled by rage enough to knock him several yards back, was the only way that situation could have ended. Cathartic or not, Wrath was still unarmed and one-handed against four opponents. And from the looks of it, he likely would not survive whatever James was about to throw at him. That was unfortunate. Fortunately, however, there was an army of Instances amassing around the combatants, and with all the rest of their targets fleeing the scene, they were free to act in whatever ways they could to assist their commander: An Ireknight Skate Jousted its way between Wrath and James, to act as a semi-living shield; four Leopyred charged toward the battle, three launching a mixture of Flamethrowers and Flame Bursts at Lance and James while one's pelt popped and bubbled with fire; a pair of Chimerape willed the ground to erupt beneath Ryan and Tyranitar's feet with Earth Power; and the air around Wrath himself rippled as a Cerebeuron concentrated, attempting to Ally Switch with the samurai, who himself shifted into a defensive stance with Iron Defense. One thing was certain: If Wrath fell here, then the army at his side would ensure that his enemies fell with him.

IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Levi Alaric - Cafeteria, The Alamo: Ah, shoot . . . Kyle wasn't sure when he was going to learn his lesson. In all honesty, he should have shut down his computer ages ago. But the battle on One Island was like a highway accident: Morbid curiosity, perhaps a sense of helplessness, prevented one from simply turning their eyes away, no matter what horrific sights they might see. And so it was that the video feed provided them a first-hand look into the--for lack of a better term--massacre that had become the One Island outing. Once he figured out what to tell Ellen, he would need to figure out how to apologize to Paul for putting him into such an awkward position. Luckily for them both, Sonja stood up. "Those Pokémon have their powers back." "What?" They were still on Esen's P.O.V., and her current position gave them an unimpeded view of the field. Indeed, though it was hard to tell, there was no mistaking that what appeared to be a Tyranitar, a Magnezone, and a Scizor were fighting with the tell-tale signs of moves, matching the same flashiness as the attacks sent flying by Pokémon in the past. But there was something strange at work--their physical forms had shifted into something new, yet familiar. "How is that possible?" Kyle muttered aloud. "We're sure those aren't just . . . more of those things?" They weren't. They were attacking the very creatures of which he spoke--the thing that had wounded Goldhawk. They were Pokémon. The next thing he knew, Torith's face was in front of him, paws on the back of the laptop and standing atop of it. The abruptness of his arrival, and the sudden closure of the device, made Kyle yelp in surprise and almost made him fall out of his seat. The Dark Pokémon yipped at him. "I think that's dog for, 'Enough internet,'" Sonja said. She reached over, pulling the computer out from under the Houndour's paws and away from Kyle. "And I couldn't agree more." "Hey--give it back!" Kyle said. "They were just starting to get things under control!" "Is spying on them helping?" Sonja responded. "From what I can tell, it's just raising all of our blood pressure." From his silence, she could tell Kyle didn't have a good response. She slid the laptop back to him. "You can go back to your room and keep watching if you want, but this isn't the place for it anymore. All it's doing at this point is making everyone worried." Sonja tapped her fingers on the table, studying his face. "I know you're worried about Ray and Esen. But you need to trust that they'll come back. And when they do, they'll be able to tell us more about what's going on than we can guess from observations. Right?" If Ellen was not standing right there, and if Levi were not a mere ten feet away, Kyle would have pointed out that at least two members of the combat party were not coming back--and more might have fallen between the time the screen went black and when they all returned to Four Island. But he could not. Instead, he merely took a deep breath and nodded, grabbing his computer and slipping it back into his bag. "Yeah," he said. "You're right." "Hey." The group turned. Chloe had come back. Had they already scouted out Keturi? "Hey," Sonja replied. "How'd it go?" IC - Ethan Worth - Keturi City, Airport Café: Four Island wasn't what Ethan was used to. But that was okay, because, really, what was he used to? Traveling, that was what. And what difference did it make if it was him traveling or someone else? That was why he had gone to the airport. Usually, one would not do such a thing unless they themselves were flying, and he was not doing that. But he didn't like the idea of hanging around at the Alamo with such a big mission in progress--too stressful. And hanging out with Gavin at the moment . . . Well, that would be contrary to Gavin's wishes. And probably Ethan's well-being. And he certainly did not know anyone else enough to really hang out with them, nor did he know where anyone else was really hanging out to begin with, anyway . . . Truth be told, Ethan was lonely. And airports were good for distracting one from loneliness, given that there were always people around. He took a sip of his tea. Someone bumped into him and he promptly spilled his tea down his jacket. His teacup clattered to the ground. "Ack!" Ethan coughed. "Hey, no prob--" "Gonna be late, gonna be late, late, late!" The man did not even stop to apologize. ". . . problem." Ethan shook his head, wiping off his jacket. With a sigh, he scooted off his seat and bent down to pick up his cup. Something caught his eye. Ethan wasn't sure how to describe it. It looked like a data field that had been condensed into a sphere, with four yellow fins around its edges. He picked it up, standing on his tip-toes. The man wasn't terribly far away. He pushed past the other patrons. "Hey--sir, you dropped your--" The man vanished into the crowd. ". . . ball." Ethan sighed. "Welp . . . Guess I'll have to track him down later." He flipped the ball around in his hands. Perhaps it was his imagination, but it felt as if an immense power radiated from the orb . . . Ethan shrugged and pocketed the ball. He reclaimed his seat, nodding to the barista. "Another tea, please. Make it minty." IC - All Squads - Goldhawk/Sleight/Jackson Sang/Esen Windred/Skye Hall vs. A LOT OF INSTANCES/Samurloch - Kotahi Village, Beach: There was a lot going on. Too much. Too much happening. Too much going on. This wasn't her place. She shouldn't have volunteered. No; if not her, then who else? What would anyone have thought of her if she didn't try to fix what had gone wrong? What would Jamie think? What would Lucia think? Ethan? What about Gavin? He'd lost his arm and she was here and she was doing nothing and nothing had been fixed and she just wanted to go back home-- "Skye. What's the situation on the retreat? How close are we to getting everyone out?" The Bug-Suit Operator--the Fifth Child--the Team Rocket Agent--the former Team Zephyr agent--the girl gasped. Executive Jayron Aaron had to repeat himself. It took a moment. "I--they're getting Goldhawk," she said at last. "That's all . . . Then they're going . . ." That was the plan. The plan was to get Goldhawk and go. Did plans ever go as promised? A crackle on the comm. "Got him, let's go, let's go!" Ray shouted. "On my way!" Esen gripped her Honchkrow's feathers tightly. "Come on, Krow!" If ever a moment had arisen where she needed swift and unquestionable certainty, this was it. She directed him down, straight toward the ground. The Big Boss Pokémon did not even flinch as they fell toward the earth, quickly gaining momentum. At the last moment, he shifted his wings, flying between the edged rocks that Sleight had summoned, following their guiding path toward Ray. The Dark-Flying-Type Pokémon dragged his claws through the sand as they neared, sending a cover of sand into the air. Esen released Noivern behind them, calling the wyvern to join their flight. They slowed upon reaching Ray, allowing Esen to slide off of Krow's back. Without missing a beat, she moved to help him place Goldhawk atop Krow, and then gave Ray a lift onto the Big Boss Pokémon. "Don't wait for me!" Esen ordered. "Go straight to the helicopters and do not turn back!" She cut the air with her hands, summoning a Tailwind around them. "Go!" With that single command, Krow took off flying, carrying his passengers with him. Esen spared no time watching their departure. She moved to the rock wall, peering through a crack between the stones. Executive Arthur, Ryan Hikari, Amanda Zarth, and Sleight remained on one side, continuing to push the samurai off-balance. Moving to the other, she saw Zarth's Magnezone and Jackson Sang, still engaged in combat. She only had one more Pokémon that could carry a person, and as far as she could tell, that person would need to be Sleight--they could not afford to lose another of their top leaders. "Sang, I'm grabbing Sleight and getting out of here," she said. "I'm relaying the message to the other Suits that we need to retreat--now. You two need to get out together." She climbed on her Noivern's back, signaling for him to fly. "Getting on that," Sang replied. He waved to the maybe-Magnezone. "Hey--time's up! Let's get going!" He turned back to the ocean. The Instances had more or less begun to pour out of Missing Zero's hide, probably a result of the massacre that he and Maybezone were inflicting on its forces. As much fun as this was, however, it was time to get going, and no amount of enjoyment would change that fact. He backed away, turning to run--and found himself knocked off of his feet as a bundle of Instances erupted from the ground beneath him. Ground-Types, fittingly. They appeared to have burrowed beneath him while he was distracted. More forces were coming, too. "Great . . ." He couldn't fend them all off. Sang knew this. But he couldn't run with so many so, so close by, either. He threw a punch, knocking one back, stepped aside to dodge a claw swipe, spun around to knock one into the fissure he had opened. A horned head rammed into his back, piercing metal and drawing blood. Sang groaned in pain, drop-kicking the creature. There were too many. Far too many. He moved back. The world was spinning. Why were there so many? A flash of light blinded his assailants. It blinded him, too. Something green stood in front of him, and it took him a moment to realize that Walker had forced his way out of his Poké Ball. The Grovyle couldn't fight--he didn't have his powers back--but he had seen the trouble Sang was in and had emerged to help as best as he could. It didn't take much--he leaped from Chimerape to Chimerape to other Instances that Sang didn't care to recall their names at that moment, a green blur that glowed a soft light and grew larger with each step, a distraction at work for a friend. Sang moved back, squinting against the light. The Grovyle-now-Sceptile danced against the red chaos behind him, a greenish-black silhouette that spun and twirled and slashed and snapped with nothing but the blades and claws adorning his body. There was no power behind it, no true fight in the sense of the world they inhabited, but it was enough of a threat that he managed to clear the space around Sang, managed to knock his trainer onto his back and carry him back toward Maybezone, away from the fight. Sang wasn't sure why his head was spinning--perhaps it had to do with the blood running into his eyes--but he was certainly glad that he wasn't alone. Hopefully Maybezone was following him, like those Instances were . . . If nothing else, these people--these Pokémon--were making Wrath mad. The samurai growled with each miss, with deflection, gripping the handle of his blade tighter and tighter, movements becoming more stilted with each passing moment. He did not need to dodge the rebounded Anchor Shot, instead merely drawing the blade back together and raising it to block Lancelot's Lunge attack. The two warriors locked blades, crossed weapons providing a window through which Wrath could glare. The samurai's mouth opened wide, and a plume of fire erupted from within. The world twisted and distorted in his eyes as the Flattery mixed with its accompanying Topsy-Turvy, lowering his Special Attack and inflicting a noticeable confusion upon him. Something else occurred, as well: A sudden grogginess that overcame his muscles. Wrath shook his head, fighting the sensations of Hypnosis, and averted his eyes to look across the field. A Noivern had descended toward Sleight, picking him up. But that was not the source of the sleep-inducing attack. No; it must have been the woman in the other Suit, focused on him, focused . . . A ball hurtled toward him. Wrath pushed away from Lance, spinning and swinging at the orb. The attack missed, and the ball struck . . . . . . and did nothing. If Ray's Flattery had not confused him by itself, then Amanda's capture attempt certainly would have succeeded. It left Wrath staring, dumbfounded, at the trainer, currently incapable of mentally processing what had just occurred. OOC: Species: Sceptile. Nickname: Walker. Trainer: Jackson Sang. Appearance: No differences from other Sceptile. Personality: A quiet individual who, for the longest time, has focused almost solely on spy work, Walker is an extremely loyal member of Jackson's team. Generally acting as a lookout and using his Grasswhistle attack to signal Jackson to changes to the surrounding situation. Aside from that, there isn't much to say--Walker tends to be pretty stoic, always watching and always observing those around him . . . Ability: Overgrow. Specialty: Though not the strongest or most skilled fighter around, Walker's life of working as a spy has granted him an eye for detecting weak points. This allows him to score critical hits far more easily than normal, granting him an edge in combat. Known Moves: Detect, Agility, Grasswhistle (Egg Move,) Drain Punch (MT'd,) Leaf Blade, Extreme Speed. Mega Drain > Leaf Blade Quick Attack > Extreme Speed

Oh, I'm not. That's why I wanted clarification. : p That's all good, then.

All of those look good, but to clarify, is Shadow immune or just no longer weak to Dark-type moves?

IC - All Squads - Goldhawk/Sleight/Jackson Sang/Esen Windred/Skye Hall vs. Chimerape (x2)/Terminite/Maniakoll/Maulice/Fraygrins/Ireknight (x2)/Devagore (x2)/Dramalgon (x2)/Driprown (x2)/Leopyred (x4)/Samurloch - Kotahi Village, Beach: "I'm at about the middle of the field, Esen. I'm retreating back toward the city, we're beginning to be overwhelmed here. What's your position?" A wave of relief washed over Esen. She hadn't realized she had been holding her breath, perhaps anticipating worse news than that. "I'm above the field," she said. "Listen, we need to retreat, but we also need to get Goldhawk out of here. If your Suit's still working, I think I can figure out a plan to get him away from that samurai." "My suit's still working, yeah. A little singed from everything, but it should be enough to either use one of the attack protocols, or to zip in." Ray picked up his pace as he altered his path to run toward where Goldhawk was instead. Sang skidded to a stop in the sand. Just like that, in a brief flash lasting all of five seconds, the Psychic-Type Suit had appeared, grabbed Theo and Ava, and vanished, presumably to safety. The Ground-Type Suit clicked his tongue for a second, before pressing his comm button. "Esen, someone got the Willows already," he said. "Tell me how to help." "You've got me, as well," Sleight's voice cut in. "Just give me the order." "Roger that," Esen said. "Give me a minute while I analyze--stay on the outskirts of the battlefield." The Ireknight's lance missed Lafoyae by a hair's breadth. As if in slow motion, it managed to turn its head in time to watch her fist come straight at it, slamming into it and crushing its skull with a single hit. The Steel-Type's body flew back several feet, twitching for a moment before falling still. The second Stone Edge attack flew toward Samurloch. With expert maneuvering, the Instance sliced through the jagged rocks, splintering them and launching them into the surrounding sand. As it spun around to deflect another volley, Lance slammed into the samurai's side, throwing it off and knocking it back as the stones struck it dead-on. It rolled to its feet, gripping its sword tightly and glaring at its attackers. "Got it," Esen said. "Sang, keep any nearby Instances off of us while we work. Sleight, you're going to get a path ready for Ray--use Stone Edge, bring some rocks up for him to maneuver through with the Ice-Suit's cables. Ray, use those, get Goldhawk, and then I'll extract with Noivern and Honchkrow. Once we have him, head back to the choppers immediately." "Can do," Sleight replied. "Good luck!" Sang called. The ground beneath Samurloch, Lance, Tyranitar, and their trainers rumbled. The Samurai turned, covering its face as rocks erupted from the ground around them. They popped up first at random, then in a pattern, leading from the cliffs near the edge of the beach to the spot where Goldhawk lay. From the cliffs, Samurloch spied a lone suit of armor, hands pressed against the ground--the source of the stones. "Path is ready," Sleight called over the radio. "Go." Samurloch whipped its sword in front of it. The blade unlocked, transforming into a sort of bladed whip. "Enough." The blade shot forward with a roar from its wielder, the Anchor Shot attack aiming to entangle the Shadow Admin of Kanto in a deadly chain. Sleight crouched down, activating the Rock-Type Suit's defense protocol. The attack glanced off of the resulting energy shield, allowing Samurloch to whip around and send the attack flying at Tyranitar and Lance. Magnezone's attack was joined by another as Sang charged across the beach. He dragged his hand through the sand, cutting through the ground with Fissure. A gaping chasm opened, ten feet long and dark within, sending several Instances tumbling in--some dead, some injured--while others fell injured or dead to the Zap Cannon attack. For now, the tide would hold.

IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Levi Alaric - Cafeteria, The Alamo: A lot of time had passed. A lot of things had happened. It was clear from Kyle's expression and the pale color in his face that whatever had transpired while everyone else had been gone had not been good. To his credit, he had hid it well enough that Ellen and Levi had not noticed anything amiss. As soon as Paul asked, however, Kyle couldn't help but shake a little, barely managing to pull his focus away from the computer screen for long enough to acknowledge Paul and Sonja's return. "Are you okay?" Sonja asked. Kyle could only shake his head with a forced smile. "What's wrong?" "Nothing good," he said at last. "I mean, everything went wrong." Just then, his Pokétch buzzed with a message from Ryan. Kyle took a moment to reply in the affirmative, before setting his messaging device down and taking a deep breath to steady himself. "I think this mission was a really bad idea." The explanatory summary that followed, all the way up to the loss of Goldhawk's feed and the subsequent blaze that engulfed him, certainly seemed to support his opinion. IC - All Squads - Goldhawk/Sleight/Jackson Sang/Esen Windred/Skye Hall vs. Chimerape (x2)/Terminite/Maniakoll/Maulice/Fraygrins/Ireknight (x2)/Devagore (x2)/Dramalgon (x2)/Driprown (x2)/Leopyred (x4)/Samurloch - Kotahi Village, Beach: An Ireknight found itself hurtling through the air from Lafoyae's Focus Blast. It crashed back into the beach, its armor pitted and singed from the force of the attack. As it rose back to its feet, the second Ireknight and a newly-dispatched Cerebeuron approached from behind it. While its allies came to its aid, the first Ireknight aimed its lance at Lafoyae, steeling itself and launching toward her with incredible speed, aiming to impale her through the midsection. It glowed with energy, signaling an increase in speed from its attack. Despite some resistance, Jamie's tug launched the Maniakoll back into the air toward her. Instead of attacking this time, however, the Normal-Type Instance wrapped its arms around itself. A mark made of energy materialized in front of it, similar in shape to a "13". It appeared to focus this on Jamie, and a moment later, a similar shape appeared on her breastplate. Almost immediately, two of the newly-summoned Leopyred shifted course toward her, as well as the previously-summoned Chimerape, peppering the field around the Steel-Type Power Suit with fire and earth attacks in a group effort to destroy her. On the plus side, the Maniakoll was now in attacking range. Richard's attack knocked the first Devagore to the ground. It crashed into the sand, immediately emoting what could only be described as tears at the Water-Type Power Suit. Meanwhile, its Nasty Plot hatched in its mind, and the second Devagore approached from behind Richard, charging a Night Daze attack. "This is Executive Aaron speaking. Do not press the advantage. We have at least five people badly injured; we need to use this opportunity to retreat while we still can. I also need someone who can heal poison to assist Dack Majors." "Valley Watch, follow that order. Provide covering fire as you are able." The force of (and surprise of being hit by) Skye's Signal Beam knocked the Fraygrins off balance, giving Sang enough time to turn his full attention to the Terminite. He dug his feet into the bottom of its carapace, and with a yell, kicked off, sending the Bug-Type Instance flying into the Grass-Type. He breathed heavily, holding an arm out to block Skye from advancing. "Fall back." "But . . ." She shook her head. "Yeah, no, okay." As the two Instances struggled to get back up, she held her hands out, tucking her middle two fingers in on each hand. A spray of webs washed over the Instances, slowly but surely cocooning them and slowing them down. She offered Sang an unseen smirk when she was finished. "Nice," he said. The assassin pointed to a spot further up the beach. "Your friends are up there. Let's go." Skye followed him up the beach, skidding to a stop where Esen and Lucia were standing. If she had not heard the fighting over the comms, she would never have guessed that Esen's suit had been damaged--Lucia's healing module had done an excellent job of repairing the damage. Still, there was little cause for celebration. From the looks of it, at least three suits were down for the count, even more were on their way there, and Executive Aaron had ordered a retreat. Even with the sudden appearance (evolution?) of three new . . . Pokémon? They had to be Pokémon. They were turning the tide, but not enough. The question was-- "What do we do?" Skye asked. Esen remained silent, scanning the battlefield. Sang shook his head. "Our best bet is just getting back to the helicopters," he said. "Evacuations should be close enough to finishing that they can handle the rest on their own. Besides that, we got what we came for." "We can't just leave," Esen replied. "We've got two people down that we need to extract and multiple suits afflicted with damage." She chewed her lip, and then pressed her comm button. "Executive Aaron, Essence Ponder is acknowledging your order. I'm sending the Grass-Type and Bug-Type Suits to assist with retreat of the injured." "Wait, what?" Skye looked from Esen to the Instances dotting the beach. "You aren't coming with us?" "Goldhawk and the Willows need to be secured," Esen said. "Our new allies can hold off the samurai and the other Instances while the rest of us work on retrieving our fallen agents. But you two--" She glanced between Skye and Lucia. "--would be better-used helping the others get out of here. Aromatherapy should be able to heal whoever is poisoned, and then you two can focus on defense with Aaron." "What about you and me?" Sang looked elsewhere. "And everyone else you aren't sending away?" "I need you to focus on getting Ava and Theodore out of here," Esen replied. "I'm going to grab the Ice-Type Suit." "And?" "And we're going to get Goldhawk." Esen couldn't quite hide the exasperation in her voice. "I figure between our equipment, we should be able to get in and out in a flash. Now go--we don't have anymore time to waste." She sent out Krow, hopping onto the Honchkrow's back and taking off. Sang watched her go, before nodding at Skye and Lucia. Without a word, he took off in the direction of Ava and Theodore. Skye, meanwhile, hesitated for only a moment before beginning the trek toward Jayron, Dack, and Madison's position. Esen clicked her comm. "Flying-Type to Ice-Type Suit. What's your position?" Whether because of Amanda's survival or Magenezone's arrival coupled with its transformation, the Dramalgon did not appear to be equipped to deal with the Zap Cannon. It screamed with pain, falling to its knees but not quite to the point of destruction. Behind it, the second Dramalgon approached, loosing its own screech as it directed a Dragon Pulse at Amanda and Magnezone. Samurloch vs. Lancelot/James and Tyranitar/Ryan A column of fire, twenty feet tall. A torrent of heat erupting in every direction. The sadistic pleasure of pain unto others, amplified by the screams of agony from the man caught within the flames. Sand crackled and popped at his feet, and at those of the samurai. Specks of glass glittered in the sun, super-heated in an instant and mixing amongst the grains. The samurai grinned. Only when Goldhawk's screams stopped, bringing an end to one source of bliss, did Samurloch clench his fist, ending the personal Ragnarok he had unleashed upon Team Liberty's golden bird. The flames dispersed, smoke clearing and giving way to an unimpeded view of Goldhawk. His suit had turned from a glittering yellow to a burnt gold, completely devoid of the polished sheen it had boasted not but a minute ago. For a second or two, he remained standing--whether out of sheer willpower or because he was too stunned, too injured to register the blinding numbness in his body that demanded death, was unclear. Soon enough, however, he fell, first to his knees and then on his stomach, the LED eyes on his helmet black and lifeless. Was it the same for the man inside the suit, or did he yet linger? This, Samurloch intended to decide for himself. The samurai strode toward his target, a ghastly grin returning to his mask. The suit moved--barely. It shifted with labored breaths, minuscule adjustments that indicated that something remained within. Samurloch stood now beside the fallen man. He flipped his sword around in his hand, shifting it into a reverse grip. With his boot, he kicked Goldhawk over onto his back, exposing the faceless helmet of his prey. Samurloch clicked his tongue. "Disappointing." He raised his sword. A blinding light erupted in the distance. At first, the samurai ignored it. But when two of his Instances fell within seconds of each other, he could not justify ignorance. It was fortunate that he turned when he did. His eyes shifted, a clear display of his confusion, as a red creature shot toward him like a bullet. It wielded its own blade, one composed of light and energy, and it had used this weapon to quickly and effortlessly fell the Cerebeuron and Plite meant to destroy the enemy snipers. Now, it had turned its attention to him. He lifted his own sword just in time to block the attack, though could not halt the force that pushed him back almost a dozen steps from Goldhawk's body. Now he was face to face with the entity, and it enraged Samurloch to realize that he did not recognize his foe. This creature, so much like a Scizor bearing a version of his own armor and yet still something entirely different, pushed off, landing across from him in the sand. The two warriors glared at each other from across the field, both of their armor shining like bloody diamonds in the sun. Samurloch swung his sword back around in his hand, clenching it with both fists. "No human . . ." he growled, giving but a glance to James atop the distant roof. "A Pokémon . . .? Impossible . . ." Flames erupted from his sword. "Destroy you all the same." The samurai raised his sword to attack, only to cover his eyes as another light erupted behind the Scizor. When it faded, another creature had appeared--this one like a Tyranitar. Samurloch grit his teeth. What is this . . .? He swung his blade as a Stone Edge shot toward him, deflecting the attack. Despite his own type advantage, he noted the force behind the attack with some degree of respect for his opponent. But that was no matter. As the pseudo-Scizor and pseudo-Tyranitar approached, Samurloch spun his sword around, before pointing it at his opponents. Flames erupted from it, splitting off into two streams that pursued each of his opponents. OOC: Missing Zero: Summon x6 > Cerebeuron x1, Venophage x1, Leopyred x4 Ireknight 1: Sturdy > Survive Focus Blast; Skate Joust > Lafoyae (+1 Speed) Maniakoll: Unlucky Number > Jamie > Directed help: Leopyred (Flamethrower), Leopyred (Incinerate), Chimerape (Mud Bomb), Chimerape (Bone Rush) Devagore 1: Nasty Plot > Self; Fake Tears > Richard Devagore 2: Night Daze (hold) Dramalgon 1: Stunned Dramalgon 2: Dragon Pulse > Amanda/Magnezone Samurloch: Flamethrower > Lancelot, Tyranitar

IC - Dramalgon vs. Amanda Zarth - Beach, Kotahi Village: Telekinesis and Ice Beam worked in sync to halt the first Dramalgon in its tracks. It screeched in discomfort at the Ice-Type attack, raising its arms in front of its face and clenching its claws together. A strange glow engulfed its form, shimmering light that appeared to etch a strange pattern into its scales. When the light subsided, it cooed, lowering its arms. The Ice Beam attack no longer seemed to damage it, nor did it appear to be affected at all by the telekinetic field around it. It took two steps forward, protected by its Armor Scales move, and unleashed a powerful Draco Meteor attack upon the Psychic-Type Suit's operator. OOC: Dramalgon: Armor Scales > Self (Damage Adjusted: Immunity Ice, Immunity Psychic. x4 Weakness ?, x4 Weakness ?) IC - Venophage vs. Theodore Willows - Beach, Kotahi Village: Theodore Willows had every right to be creeped out. The Poison-Type Instance scuttled like a massive bug toward its target, the light of the sun glittering off of its carapace in a sickeningly dazzling display of purple and white. Its long legs clicked and cracked with each movement, almost like they were breaking and healing and breaking again with each step it took. With hardly a glance, it shifted into a zigzag pattern that allowed it to sidestep a frantic Sludge Bomb attack from Ava. The target continued his uncertain steps backward, raising his hands and launching a Moonblast attack at the Venophage. This the Poison-Type crouched under, coming to a sudden stop. Theo noted that the Venophage was in the perfect position to pounce. It did. A muffled shout emanated from its target, though it did not pay heed to what Theo said. The Poison-Type Instance landed heavily against him, crashing into him and slamming him into the ground. Its thick body-tail combination whipped against the sand, sending a spray of rocks into the air like a crystalline mist. Theo struggled against it, desperately grabbing at its thin legs. When this proved to be fruitless, he lifted his hands in front of his face, charging his gauntlets with energy. A flash of crystal against the sun, soon followed by a sharp pain in his abdomen, interrupted him. Theo looked down at his stomach. The three-pronged tail of the Venophage had pierced a soft spot in his Power Suit. He could hardly utter a word before the Venophage shrieked, and the crystal it bore began to empty of the fluid inside. Immediately, Theo's body burned, and burned, and burned. His muscles convulsed, his mouth foamed, and he screamed out in agony as the Poison-Type's Fatal Injection attack did its work. It did not take long for him to fall limp, body twitching from the aftereffects of the poison, nor for the Venophage to crumble into the sand soon after. OOC: Venophage: Fatal Injection > Theodore Willows Theodore Willows: Deceased IC - Goldhawk vs. Samurloch - Beach, Kotahi Village: This thing is fast. Goldhawk could barely keep up with Samurloch's movements. Somehow he had managed to avoid getting hit thus far, but he was not sure whether that was by sheer luck or if the samurai was simply toying with him. Either way, he could feel the heat from each swing of the flaming sword as it glanced past him, only making him more and more aware of how much trouble he would be in if the flames actually managed to ignite the Powder still clinging to his armor. At the very least, he had one surefire way of protecting himself, which he had managed to use to his advantage several times already. As the sword passed by him, he managed to smack his hand against the Samurloch's armor, utilizing Electrify to replace the flames on the sword with electricity. Though this only last for a few seconds at a time, it proved enough of a help that he could spend less time worrying about the blade and more time analyzing his opponent's movements. He was very hopeful that the IMC was able to gather something useful from his video feed. As he watched Samurloch's actions, he noted that this particular Instance was certainly not just another pawn like the others. It moved exactly in time with him, analyzing him just as he did it, and seemed to grow more and more frustrated each time he struck it. Still, it did not change its actions, still repeating the same swinging blade attack that it had been using from the beginning. He couldn't help but wonder what it was thinking. Did it intend to draw this out, keep him occupied until he had worn himself down and could no longer dodge its attacks? Or was it simply testing his abilities? Goldhawk wasn't sure of the answer. But one thing he was certain of was the fact that he needed to actually fight back. As he sidestepped another swing, he clenched his fist. Electricity gathered around his gauntlet, and instead of smacking an open palm against the shoulder of his opponent, he took a swing. The Thunder Punch connected, appearing to surprise and briefly stun the samurai. It recovered quickly, however, and responded by taking a horizontal swing at him, which he leaped back to avoid. He hit a wall. Goldhawk cursed. Of course--it had driven him back up the beach, toward a rock wall. He had nowhere to run now. Goldhawk crouched, watching for the swing. Samurloch raised its blade above its head, and then brought it down. Goldhawk rolled in the opposite direction. The blade cut through the rocks. The Liberty Leader raised a hand. One solid shot would send a mudslide down on his opponent, giving him at least a little bit of time to breathe. He activated Zing Zap. . . . Nothing happened. Goldhawk's eyes widened. His eyes fell to his hand. What . . . ? He looked back up just in time to see Samurloch leering at him. Had the samurai done this? No--something else was wrong. It took Goldhawk a moment to realize it, but when he did . . . The constant buzzing from the battery on his back had ceased. The status markers for his allies had disappeared. His own status indicator was gone. His HUD had completely vanished. The Suit . . . The Suit had deactivated. "Calling any available reinforcements!" he shouted into his comm. "I repeat, calling any available reinforcements!" With nothing powering it, the message did not go through. Goldhawk stared in horror at the samurai. It leered back at him, mask shifting into what could only be described as a smirk. It raised a hand, pointing two fingers at him. A red glow surrounded Goldhawk from below, prompting him to look down. He was standing on a massive symbol, blood red in color. The samurai smiled. For the first time, it spoke, its voice a low, raspy growl, with which it uttered two words: "Inferno Fury." Flames erupted in a massive geyser from the symbol, engulfing Goldhawk. It ignited the powder on his armor, creating an explosion that only magnified the damage to Team Liberty's Leader. Goldhawk screamed. OOC: Wrath: Inferno Fury > Goldhawk

Patient Interview: 'Lily' [Date: November 27th, 2015] [Time: 1:52 AM] [Room ID: Seashell] [interviewee: 'Lily'] [interviewer: Archivist Booker Samir] {Archives Note: The proceeding recording was composed following the discovery, pick-up, and transportation of Subject 'Lily' to Team Liberty's Alamo base. Subject was initially discovered conscious but unresponsive by Field Agents Anders Wayward and Monica Lynch at 8231 Marsh Street, Petalbug, Hoenn during a midnight reconnaissance of a suspected Team Rocket outpost on November 25th, 2015. Upon arrival, the hilltop outpost appeared to have been abandoned for some time, overgrown with ivy and moss and clearly damaged from environmental effects, despite earlier reports of movement that week. Subject 'Lily' was the only remaining entity on-site, unharmed yet clearly unwell.} {Archives Note: At the time of this recording, Subject 'Lily' had been held under Team Liberty custody for approximately 49 hours. During that time, several physical and mental changes were noted. While subject eventually regained consciousness and was moved to the Seashell Room for investigation into her situation, subject noted intense discomfort from even the most basic of movements, including speaking and movement of the eyes. At 26 hours following subject's retrieval, subject's skin began to pick up a greenish tinge. Multiple markings and growths similar in shape and color to water lilies were noted to have appeared on subject's torso.} [sound of Seashell Room's door creaking open, groaning as it shuts.] Good morning, ma'am. [Agent Booker Samir's voice speaks from a distance, growing louder as he approaches the table. A chair scrapes against the ground.] [A gasp at the noise.] My apologies. [Agent Samir appears to lift the chair, moving it forward and taking a seat. It clinks against the ground.] You caused us a great deal of concern--we weren't sure if you were ever going to wake up. [silence] I'm sorry--you must be very confused right now. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Booker Samir; I'm an Archivist for Team Liberty's Information Documentation and Archival Sector. It is my job to interview and record notes regarding persons of interest to Team Liberty. Usually that just means getting an idea of who is working with us or for us, but sometimes we get someone more . . . unusual. Does that make sense? [silence. Agent Samir's following response suggests a nod, or other form of acknowledgement.] Great. [sound of paper shuffling] Well, with that being said, I should tell you--you've been out for about two days now. We are sitting in the Seashell Room of Team Liberty's prison district in the Alamo. It is currently November 27th, 2015. The time is currently 1:52 AM--you look confused. [inaudible] I'm sorry? N . . . November . . . twen . . . ty . . . s-seventh . . .? . . . Yes, it is currently November. S-Sea . . . shell . . . [inaudible] . . . [Note: Subject appears to be uncertain of time and place.] Right, ah . . . Let's start with something simple. Can you tell me your name? M . . . my name . . .? [silence] L . . . Li . . . [sound of coughing] 'Li'? You're trying to speak your name, correct? [subject appears to nod] Is it . . . Lee? Lila? [scratching of pen on paper.] Lily--was that a nod? Here, drink some water, please. [silence, interrupted by a slight sloshing and gulping sound.] Lily? I thought so. [Note: Subject confirms via head nod that name is Lily.] Do you remember your last name, Lily? N . . . no . . . [inaudible] I'm . . . L-Lily . . . Just Lily, then . . . [Note: Run search of missing 'Lilys' in Petalburg area?] How old are you, Lily? [inaudible] I'll need you to speak up a bit, Lily. Do you remember your age? I . . . I was . . . nine . . . But you aren't nine now. When were you nine? I . . . November . . . eleven . . . November 11th? . . . November of 2011? [inferred nod] That would make you thirteen years old now, Lily. Does that sound correct? [Pause; scratching of pen on paper.] Lily, thirteen years old . . . That gives us something to work with. [Pause] We found you in Petalburg, Lily. Does that sound familiar? I . . . I do . . . don't know . . . [inaudible] I'm sorry? I didn't quite catch that last part. Where . . . where is she . . .? She? Who are you talking about, Lily? Who is 'she'? The . . . the director . . . She's [inaudible] . . . isn't she . . .? There's no 'director' here, Lily. It's just us. [sound of a chair crashing to the floor] DON'T LIE TO ME ANYMORE! [buzzing sound, followed by the door creaking. Agent Samir's voice shifts in volume; he appears to have turned away.] You stay right there--I'm not in danger! [Agent Samir's voice returns to normal] Lily, I need you to calm down. No one here is lying to you. Please, sit back down. [sounds of heavy breathing. Something drops to the floor.] You can sit down there--I'll join you. Okay? [sounds of Agent Samir lifting his chair and moving it.] What are you worried that I'm lying to you about, Lily? [silence] Please, tell me. Th . . . the tests . . . Tests? They . . . test me . . . they do it . . . to test me . . . The director? [Note: Director is negative figure related to Lily. Conducts 'tests'.] What does the director look like, Lily? [inaudible] . . . see her face . . . She's secretive. I understand. [Pause] Why does she test you, Lily? . . . Th-they . . . want us . . . to win . . . [inaudible] be . . . powerful . . . smart . . . What kinds of tests do they do to you? [silence] . . . What did they do to you, Lily? . . . the knives . . . the . . . [inaudible] . . . My Petilil . . . my Petilil . . . ['Lily' begins sobbing] Momma . . . Momma . . . [Agent Samir sighs.] Let's get you back to the hospital, Lily. I think you need rest . . . [Pause] I am so sorry for what happened to you. {Archives Note: Approximately six hours after her interview with Agent Booker Samir, Subject 'Lily' passed away from complications related to the plantlike growths across her body. Coroner's report noted the cause of the green tinge to 'Lily's' skin as a pigment bearing a 93% match to Pokémon-produced chlorophyll and a 7% match to subject's own DNA, along with total transformation of 'Lily's' inner organs into a material similar to bark. It is with great unease that the coroner also noted that 'Lily's' final moments were likely spent in a great deal of agony.} {Archives Note: A follow-up investigation into the hilltop outpost on November 30th revealed the remnants of a laboratory beneath the surface of the house. Data-mining of salvageable computers indicate that the lab remained in use until a catastrophic failure on November 25th at approximately 6:53 AM. Multiple corpses identified as Team Rocket Agents were found within the base and the surface structure, hidden by the sudden growths of ivy arising from that same day.] {Archives Note: As of July 31st, 2017, no further subjects bearing similarities to 'Lily's' condition have appeared since subject's passing. Team Liberty is left with many questions as to the origin--and the potential danger of spread--of said condition.} [End interview recording]

IC - Sonja Baron - Conference Room, The Alamo: The door closed behind Lohe. Sonja sighed, looking at Paul. "I'll head back with you." IC - Echo Order - Sleight - Kotahi Village, Main Street: "Permission granted," Sleight said, taking the pod. He cast a glance around the area, and then released his Charizard. "I'm trust you to continue the search for James Arthur--whatever you can find of him. Keep an eye out for us--we'll be leaving soon enough." The Fire-Type nodded, nuzzling against Sleight's armored hand before beginning the arduous process of shifting through debris in search of James's body. Sleight turned back to Amelia, gave her a nod and then stepped atop her Magnezone, taking a moment to steady himself. "Ready when you are." Just like that, Amanda had vanished, and Sleight was off. IC: Lyre Play/Moment Record/Essence Ponder/Tier Climb/Valley Watch/Entry Guard - Goldhawk/Esen Windred/Skye Hall/Jackson Sang vs. Minotore/Phantashade/Chimerape/Sinystal/Terminite/Maniakoll/Fraygrins/Venophage/Ireknight/Devagore/Plite/Cerebeuron/Dramalgon/Samurloch - Kotahi Village, Beach Boosts would only help so much here. As Lafoyae approached, the Ireknight shifted into a defensive stance. With her first punch, its lance expanded outward, umbrella-like, shining with defensive energy. The King's Shield took the brunt of the Close Combat attack, saving the Ireknight from any damage whilst simultaneously draining attack power from the Fighting-Type Suit. The Grass-Type Suit's repairs worked surprisingly quickly, healing the Flying-Type Suit as if it were a living creature. Esen nodded her thanks to Lucia. "I'm not sure there is a better way to hold them off," she admitted. "Either we kill one and get two more until they overwhelm us, or we incapacitate them and then Missing Zero pulls the plug and replaces them, anyway." She frowned. "What I don't understand is why it doesn't just send out a larger force to begin with . . . Why play hydra like this?" Before Madison's eyes, the Phantashade's head exploded. It had no time to react to the damage, no time to even indicate that it had been hurt. Its grip on Madison loosened, allowing her arms to spread further outward and tearing its chest into pieces. As she flopped back into the sand, the Ghost-Type's body crumpled to the ground in front of her, completely motionless. Then the Lava Plume enveloped them, burning what remained of the Ghost-Type . . . Bright light enveloped the Maniakoll, burning it in a way that felt like it was being cut and stabbed a thousand times. The Normal-Type maneuvered itself so that its feet met Jamie's chest, and kicked off, launching itself into the air where it might as well have been floating in space. It summoned energy around itself, which it launched in the form of a Tri-Attack. Devagore grinned. It twisted in the air, out of the way of the Sparkling Aria, and thrust a hand forward, casting a Tormenting barrage of mental energy upon Richard. It cackled all the while. As the flames from Dack's Lava Plume cleared, the Sinystal appeared again. It had remained standing, even though smoke poured off of its body in torrents and it was clear that it had been Burned. The crystals across its body all appeared to have cracked or shattered in the explosion, suggesting that it was a lot more damaged than it let on. It set its sights on the recovering Dack again, raising its arm to launch a ray of light energy at him. Before it could, Jayron's Aura Sphere attack struck it, blasting a hole through its chest and felling it. As if in retaliation, the Dramalgon approached. The sounds it made as it ran reminded one of a baby, almost cooing and crowing at Jayron as it stomped its way through the sand. Its jaws opened in a childlike grin, and with the full force of its body, to aimed to crush Jayron with a Dragon Hammer attack--and, as it happened, the newly-arrived Amanda as she teleported into the picture . . . Elsewhere, the newborn Fraygrins had settled its attention on Sang. As he continued to batter its ally Terminite with Ground-Type attacks, aiming more to keep it at bay than to destroy it, the Grass-Type shuffled towards it on its many vines. Sang noticed it just in time to leap back, dodging the Vine Whip attack it had launched at him, before finding himself in a grapple with the Terminite, which had taken the opportunity to try and latch on to him with Leech Life. Seeing the commotion, Skye ran forward with a yell, shooting at the Fraygrins with a Signal Beam to distract it. From their perch, Entry Guard and Valley Watch and switched into complete fire-at-will mode, carefully picking targets to try and debilitate them with damage. With the current situation on the beach, that was really all they could hope to do to help. Unfortunately, two Instances were left completely unattended to address the snipers' threat, and more were already emerging from Missing Zero to replace those that had fallen. The group of snipers aimed for the approaching Cerebeuron. It possessed a much larger size than the Plite accompanying it, making it an easier target. With a shout from Graves, eight shots rang out, bullets flying through the air directly toward the Psychic-Type. The shots never landed. The arms of psychic energy extending from the Cerebeuron's main body moved forward, casting a net of telekinetic power that caught the bullets midflight. Without a sound, or any indication that it cared what it was doing, the Psychic-Type turned the bullets around and launched them straight back at their origin points. Both teams ducked, all but one agent managing to avoid any injuries--Lennon shouted in pain as a bullet passed through his shoulder, causing him to collapse. The Instances were not yet done, however. Moving forward, Plite raised its hands, gathering energy into its palms. The resulting Moonblast cascaded across the top of one building, badly searing if not outright killing the agents of Entry Guard. Theo's distraction didn't take. Samurloch spared but a glance at the decoy before directing its attention elsewhere; in its place, the Venophage that Ava had claimed as her opponent leaped into action, dodging away from her Acid Spray and toward Theo and placing itself between him and the samurai. It loosed a gurgling hiss, and with it, a Sludge Bomb attack. Behind the Venophage, Samurloch started up the beach, not toward Theo but Goldhawk instead. Its eyes narrowed at the continued scuffling between the confused Minotore and the Chimerape it was pummeling. Without so much as a glance, the samurai raised its sword and swiped diagonally to its side, slicing both Instances' umbilical cords in half. Immediately, they stopped moving, dropping dead to the ground; immediately, four sigils appeared to replace the fallen Instances. It paid no attention to these, nor to the Instances that now moved toward the city. Its eyes remained fixed on one point, and that was Goldhawk. The Liberty Leader could sense it, too. He breathed deeply, straightening up and turning to face the samurai. He could feel its stare burning into him like a hot poker, concentrated into a single spot. Had he believed it, Goldhawk might have sworn that the creature glared directly into his soul. Whether or not that was the case, he glared back, matching its gaze with his own despite the visor covering his face. It came to a stop several yards away from him, head bowed slightly though it continued its glare. Never once did its mask-like face shift, instead remaining frozen in that perpetual half-smile, half-scream of rage and glee. Goldhawk crouched slightly, gloves sparking with energy. In response, Samurloch gripped its sword with both hands, bending its legs and holding the blade parallel to the ground, pointed at its opponent. The samurai loosed what could only be described as a hiss. Flames engulfed the blade. Great. Goldhawk clenched his fists. This will be . . . difficult. True though that may have been, the two remained staring at one another, watching, waiting to see who would make the first move. From a distance, they might have looked like statues, utterly motionless markers in the sun. At last, without warning, Goldhawk dropped his hands, launching electricity into the ground and supercharging a small area around them with Electric Terrain. He moved back, dodging out of the way of Samurloch as it came at him first with a lunge, and then a series of swings, constantly keeping him on his toes as he tried his best to avoid losing a limb. OOC: Ireknight: King's Shield > Lafoyae/Close Combat (blocked) Phantashade: Destroyed Maniakoll: Tri-Attack > Jamie Devagore: Dodge > Sparkling Aria; Torment > Richard Sinystal: Destroyed Dramalgon: Dragon Hammer > Jayron Fraygrins: Vine Whip > Sang (missed) Terminite/Sang: Grappling Skye: Signal Beam > Fraygrins Entry Guard/Valley Watch: Combined fire > Cerebeuron (failed) Cerebeuron: Psychic > Entry Guard/Valley Watch Plite: Moonblast > Entry Guard Venophage: Sludge Bomb > Theodore Minotore: Destroyed Chimerape: Destroyed Goldhawk: Electric Terrain Samurloch: Attack > Goldhawk Missing Zero: Summon x8 -> Chimerape (x2), Driprown (x2), Maulice, Dramalgon, Ireknight, Devagore

IC - Sonja Baron - Conference Room, The Alamo: "Well, if that's all," Sonja said. "I would suggest heading to the Command Center and seeing if any Executives are available in place of Goldhawk." She glanced at Olivia. "And maybe stick with someone who can--" Keep an eye on you and make sure you're here for what you say you're here for . . . "--make sure you don't fall asleep in a random hallway."

IC - Sonja Baron - Conference Room, The Alamo: "I seriously doubt it," Sonja answered. "Ford has made it out to be a one-of-a-kind trick. Even if it isn't, it took him years to put one together--I don't think anyone with the knowledge to do make another one or put on that ritual would be able to anytime soon."

IC - Sonja Baron - Conference Room, The Alamo: "Okay . . ." Sonja sighed, glancing at the clock on the wall, and then at Paul. "This might take a while, and I don't know many of the details from those who came in later, so . . ." With Paul's help to fill in the gaps, Sonja more or less relayed the entirety of what had occurred regarding and inside of the Egg-- how and why it had appeared, how Ford had brought the Children there on the eve of July 31st to prepare the ritual, how the others had tracked them and arrived just in time to witness the brink of the ritual's success. How Ford had actually convinced them to stand down with his warnings of a greater threat to the world, and how unfortunately that had turned out for all involved thanks to McKinley's betrayal. Finally finished, Sonja took a deep breath. "Long story short, the Egg brought Missing Zero to our world, and thanks to us, nothing has the power to even attempt to resist it," she said. "Except for the Team Liberty and their Power Suits, which are another matter entirely that I know basically nothing about. Any questions?" IC - Echo Order - Sleight - Kotahi Village, Main Street: "Roger that," Sleight responded. "Any signs of Arthur or the T-13 from your position?" IC - Lyre Play/Moment Record/Tier Climb/Valley Watch/Entry Guard - Goldhawk/Esen Windred/Skye Hall/Jackson Sang vs. Maulice/Leopyred/Harpreak/Minotore/Fraygrins/(Phantashade)/Chimerape/Sinystal/Terminite/Maniakoll - Kotahi Village, Beach: attack hit attack hit attack hit attack failed failure attack failure damage done damage low health low endurance low strength low bleeding bleeding bleeding chest bleeding embrace demise embrace woman Phantom Force deactivate return beach back beach destroy target devour devour devour target arms locked embrace woman fangs bare Soul Eater attack As they had done upon entry, now Madison and the Phantashade traversed the void, returning to the chaos of the beach. The Ghost-Type Instance, arms wrapped around Madison in its efforts to drag her out of the Phantom Plane, now used her close proximity against her. Shadowy tendrils pulled its hood back from its head, revealing a cycloptic, skull-like head. With a ghastly hiss, its jaw unhinged to an unnaturally wide degree, spilling forth purple tendrils that lurched in grotesque motion toward Madison's helmet, and it lowered its face toward her own . . . Neither the Terminite nor the Minotore took the Spore attack. As the Fighting-Type Instance bore down on them, Esen activated her jets, launching herself into Goldhawk to throw him out of the way of the Superpower attack. As she did so, the Minotore threw a hand forward, catching her boot and squeezing down on it, before hurling her away. Esen yelled in pain as she crashed into a set of large rocks. Though her head spun, she was relieved to find that she had at least been saved from a broken ankle by the durability of the suit mixed with its inherent resistance to Fighting-Type moves. Even so, her left boot jet was not so lucky--her HUD flashed with a damage warning indicating that it would not be safe to use. For the moment, all she could think to do was summon a Tailwind to help Goldhawk, who was busy dealing with the situation by himself. He rolled to his feet, glancing at the indicator for his now-enhanced speed, and turned to face the Minotore. Between it, the Chimerape lurking beneath his feet, and the Terminite watching his every move, he wasn't entirely sure that he had the situation under control. Still, he would have to do what he could with what he had. The Minotore, he noted, was already paralyzed, and from its sudden, jerky head movements, it appeared to be confused, as well. That would be his main tool right here--finding a way to circumvent Missing Zero's connection to its Instances in order to turn them against each other. The ground beneath him rumbled, and he kicked off--not a moment too soon, as the Chimerape's claws erupted in an explosion of dirt beneath his feet, primed to impale him. With his dodge, they met only empty air. There was little he could do attack-wise against a Ground-Type, but human-wise . . . He watched from the rise of the Instance from the ground amidst the sand and rocks. When he saw his opening, where it--as if in slow motion--had cleared the ground and almost floated in midair, he kicked, hitting the Chimerape squarely in the midsection. The force threw it backward, straight into the Minotore. The Fighting-Type roared, consumed by its blood lust, and clawed relentlessly at the Ground-Type, which, in turn, tried in vain to continue its assault on Goldhawk. The Liberty Leader sighed, choosing not to question the implications of how confusion could affect Missing Zero's agents. He grunted in surprise as a soft material struck him in the back, erupting into a cloud around him. Turning, he found the Terminite focused squarely on him, crouched low to the ground. It appeared to have launched another Powder attack at him, though aside from that, it did nothing. He primed a Thunderbolt in retaliation, though was interrupted by the arrival of Lafoyae and Sang, the latter of whom took the liberty of hitting the Terminite with a Bonemerang as he landed from his jump toward the beach, knocking it back. "Sorry we're late!" he called over the comms. "I already said that," Esen replied, prompting a jealous curse from Sang. "Focus," Goldhawk snapped, as a report flashed on his screen. "Evacuations are almost complete--we can begin retreating shortly." There was something oddly entrancing about the strange, jerky movements of the Maniakoll. It seemed to dance around Ray's Icicle spear attack, and when Jamie's Anchor Shot latched on, it almost looked as if the Normal-Type Instance had allowed the attack to hit, so as to utilize the pull back toward the Steel-Type Suit as a source of momentum with which to counter through a spinning, twirling Double-Edge attack, to make use of the damage already accumulating on its form . . . If it could, the Sinystal would probably have mocked Dack. Instead, it raised its large, boulder-like forearm, blocking his Flamethrower as it charged toward him. It drew its other arm back, and then when it neared, spun its massive, heavy body around, aiming to--for lack of a better term--pulverize Dack with a Rock Wrecker attack. Richard's attack was well-timed. The Leopyred had just started forward, its flames beginning to expand outward, when the second Sparkling Aria engulfed it. It had already begun to drain its own power, eliciting a small explosion, when the attack hit; thus, it instead collapsed inward, flames and water mixing together to burn its own body to a smoldering crisp. To Jayron's surprise, his Dragon Tail worked--but perhaps not in the way that he expected. Instead of striking multiple somethings and scattering them to the wind, the storm of feathers vanished, and his attack instead came into contact with four larger, almost metallic feather-shaped blades that seemed to have been hidden behind some sort of illusion. Perhaps a trick meant to force the target into staying in one spot, while the real danger hurtled toward them? In any case, the Dragon Tail attack deflected the Harpreak's Fiend's Feather attack, sending the four blades right back toward the Flying-Type Instance. It dived out of the way, but could not fully avoid the attack, which tore through its left shoulder and partially severed its wing. The damage sent it into a free fall toward the beach, which it could only hope to try and correct. Too late, however, it crashed into the ground, where it twitched for some time before falling still The Fraygrins might have expressed surprise if it possessed the capability to do so. Instead, its smile never wavered as the Moonblast tore into it, raw energy burning the very fibers that composed its body. Not even the Sludge Bomb, which rapidly ate away at its plant-like limbs, ever brought a frown to its face. It simply grinned, and grinned, and grinned, all the way to its grave. Back toward Missing Zero, the Maulice erupted into a sudden shriek as its umbilical cord detached itself, drawing back into the sigil from which it extended out of Missing Zero. The Ice-Type lay unmoving. With four more Instances down, eight more sigils appeared. At the sight of them, Goldhawk let out a curse. "They just keep on coming," he muttered. "It'd be one thing if we had our Pokémon to help us, but without them . . . There's no way this can keep up." This was perhaps the biggest deployment of new forces seen yet, and Goldhawk could already tell that the IMC was whirring with activity as it used all available sensors to scan the new Instances. The first to appear was another Fraygrins, replacing the one that had fallen to the Willows. After it, an overgrown bacteriophage emerged, completely purple in color with four long, thin legs that did not look like they should have been able to support the weight of the thick crystal composing the middle portion of its body. This, the IMC designated as "Instance 014, Venophage, Poison-Type," deducing its Typing near-instantly. Next, something akin to a human appeared--a knight, to be exact. It wore a cowl and bore armor ending in skate-like wheels on its heels, and it brandished a lance that appeared to be attached to its right arm. A designation popped up after a moment: "Instance 017, Ireknight, Steel-Type." Fourth, another human-like creature. Whereas the previous Instance resembled a knight, this one took on a form closer to a demon. Its legs were not human, but more akin to a goats, with talon-like hoofs at the bottom of its feet and a pointed tail spreading from the base of its spine. Bat-like wings spread from its back, granting it flight, and it smiled a mischievous grin like that of the Fraygrins before it. "Instance 002, Devagore, Dark-Type." After that, a small, pink creature emerged, contrasting the demonic appearance of the Instance before it. Though it bore angelic, feathered wings and bore a diminutive stature, it was clear from its blank face and the leech-like mouths on its hands that it was nothing to be trifled with. The IMC seemed to recognize this, designating it as, "Instance 005, Plite, Fairy-Type." The sixth Instance was difficult to describe. It was a massive, brain-like thing. From its base, which appeared to be protected by some sort of bone-like armor, dozens of tentacles drooped toward the ground, writhing together in chaotic symmetry. Two arms that appeared to be made of pure energy extended from openings in this armor, granting it some degree of similarity to a living creature. "Instance 015, Cerebeuron, Psychic-Type." The seventh to emerge was more familiar . . . sort of. It was clearly a dragon, bipedal, with wings like those of Salamence and a head eerily similar to a Sceptile. Yet, looking at its face, one could tell that there was something . . . off. The creature's expression was vacant, dreamlike, as if it were blissfully unaware of the horror of its very existence. It grinned as it approached, cackling with sounds like the laugh of a baby. "Instance 003, Dramalgon, Dragon-Type." Finally, something larger emerged. This hulking creature bore no umbilical cord, signaling that it was something special compared to the other Instances around it. It was a samurai in everything but the truth of its existence, clad in red and black armor and staring out at its fifteen opponents from behind a nightmarish, blood-red mask. In its hands it clutched a notched sword, which it dragged along the ground behind it. Its eyes bore something inside of their core--perhaps not contempt, but something that indicated that this was not just another mindless instance, but instead something that had emerged with a purpose, a purpose that it would pursue until it had been felled--and which it would pursue until it had destroyed everything standing before it. Unlike the others, the IMC could not get an immediate read on it. All it could provide was a suggested name based off of input from the researchers currently operating it: "Samurloch." OOC: Phantashade: Phantom Force (deactivated); Soul Eater > Madison Minotore: Distracted Chimerape: Incapacitated Terminite: Powder > Goldhawk Sang: Bonemerang > Terminite Maniakoll: Double-Edge > Jamie Sinystal: Rock Wrecker > Dack Leopyred: Destroyed Harpreak: Destroyed Fraygrins: Destroyed Maulice: Destroyed

IC - Sonja Baron - Conference Room, The Alamo: Though she wasn't interested in Lohe's personal complaints about the methods to his employers' operations, there was one thing she couldn't help but smile at. Well, at least the Alolan government isn't as snobbish about their procedures as Plasma . . . "Okay," she said aloud. Her eyes drifted around as she tried to figure out the best way of broaching the conversation. "So what exactly are you looking to find out? Obviously the situation as a whole, but what do you want me to start with--Ford? The Egg? The Children? McKinley?"

IC - Sonja Baron - Conference Room, The Alamo: Sonja bit the inside of her lip. Right--the One Island mission. The entire reason they had all gone to the cafeteria to begin with. In retrospect, it wasn't surprising that there were not any Leaders available at the moment--they were all too busy worrying about everyone else going out and fighting Missing Zero head-on. "Executive Seaver would usually be responsible for taking care of accommodations," she said after a moment. "I'm surprised she didn't have anything set up for your arrival--I've always heard that she's one of the most organized people in Team Liberty. Did she know you were coming?" IC - Kyle Eston/Levi Alaric - Cafeteria, The Alamo: Perhaps his memory was faulty from the seven or eight months since he had last seen her, but this was a side of Ellen Burks that Kyle couldn't remember ever witnessing before. She had made such a quick turnaround from the start of their meal--from a barely-responsive husk of herself to . . . Kyle wasn't sure if the best comparison right now was her old self, or if she had surpassed that and completely rebuilt her resolve into something new. Whatever the case, Chloe's words echoed in Ellen's own, and it was clear that she was taking them to heart. After taking a moment to compose himself, Levi nodded. His breathing remained short, coming in sudden hiccups, but amidst the sniffling, it was clear that his panic and fear had passed--at least for the moment. From what he had observed, Kyle was certain it would return again, and it probably would not take very long for it to do so. He was starting to understand what Eileen had told him about Levi's temperament: Whatever troubled the boy was something deep, and it wasn't something that he had come to terms with. Until he did, he was bound to remain the same, frightened child. And Ellen, too, Kyle reminded himself. While it was good to see her picking herself up, he wasn't convinced that she was out of the woods yet. Both she and Levi had taken part in something unthinkable. To believe that this single conversation would mark the end of either of their trauma . . . It was a recipe for disaster, waiting to happen. He made a mental note to mention this to everyone else in private. Until then, however . . . "I'm here for you, too," Kyle said. "That's why your mom asked me to keep an eye on you. And that goes for you, too, Ellen. You both have been through a lot--even this conversation's probably been a bit much. Just remember that you don't have to process or think about everything that has happened all at once--take it in bits and pieces." He cast a glance at his computer, thinking back to some of the troubling experiences he had personally witnessed. "Believe me when I say that it makes it easier to come to terms with everything." Levi nodded again, easing back into his seat at the table. The cafeteria had more or less emptied out by this point. He looked at the laptop. "Do you think they're okay still?" "I hope so," Kyle said. "Not sure whether I want to check or not, if I'm being honest . . ." Levi fell silent. He looked at Kyle with a shy expression. "M-Mr. Kyle?" he said. "Can I play with Torith again?" With a small smile, Kyle responded by picking up Torith's Poké Ball and releasing the Houndour again. Immediately, the Dark-Type dog yipped at Levi, running to the next table over and wagging his tail at him. Levi ran after the dog with a laugh. Kyle couldn't suppress a grin from watching them. He looked at Ellen. "Hey, if you've got Terry with you, maybe the four of you could play." IC - Tier Climb/Echo Order - Sleight/Jackson Sang - Kotahi Village, Main Street: Sleight stared at the piece of machinery in Ray's hands. "That's from the Normal-Type Suit?" Ray nodded. "And there's no sign of the rest around?" A shake of the head. Sleight activated his comm. "Sang, Belrose, proceed to the beach to provide back-up. Until further notice you are under Goldhawk's orders." "Yes, sir," Sang replied. With a wave to Lafoyae, he headed off, taking but a moment to regain his composure. The Shadow Admin of Kanto switched channels. "Zarth, report your Suit's operational status." He switched his outgoing comm off, looking back to Ray. "Head to the beach--we'll keep looking for him." IC - Phantashade vs. Madison Morrow - Phantom Plane: follow followed target missed target followed Phantom Force plane target followed darkness followed target machine followed no woman followed follow woman fight fighting woman Ghost woman woman followed Shadow Claw attacking claws strike damage chest damaged Shadow Claws chest damage chest retaliate fight back woman Shadow Claws attack back Ominous Wind attack attack attack attack IC - Essence Ponder/Lyre Play - Goldhawk/Esen Windred/Skye Hall vs. Maulice (x2)/Leopyred/Harpreak/Minotore (x2)/Fraygrins/Phantashade - Kotahi Village, Beach: From their position, Entry Guard and Valley Watch had taken cover, in anticipation of the Icicle Spears hurtling toward them. They did not need to worry. Dack's Flame Burst attack melted most of the spears in the air, sending but a drizzle into the wind. With a call from Graves, the two groups took aim at the Maulice again, opening fire. A volley of sniper rounds tore into their targets, blasting significant chunks of snow and ice out of the malevolent snowmen. It was enough to destroy the connection points of one of their umbilical cords, causing one Maulice to drop to the ground, completely lifeless, while the other slumped over and attempted to recover. Massive wing beats propelled the Harpreak several feet backward, out of the way of Jayron's Dragon Pulse attack. It screeched again and kicked off into the air, where its new elevation gave it a wide angle with which to fire a storm of sharp feathers at Jayron's position. There was every possibility that Theodore Willows had made a mistake in harassing the Grass-Type Instance. Without a single utter of a sound, the Fraygrins turned its rose-tipped arms in front of itself. Though it had taken longer to charge with the lack of direct sunlight, the beams of pure solar energy that shot forth were strong enough to shake the very earth underneath it. The attack struck the ground on either side of Theodore, slowly closing in on him in a continuous explosion of light and sand as the Fraygrins turned its arms inward . . . Richard's Sparkling Aria might have charmed any other opponent. Leopyred could not appreciate it, however, particularly not when said Sparkling Aria enveloped its body and significantly damaged it. Still, Fire could not beat Water, and so it resorted to something else: Praising the sun. Leopyred's fiery mane burned bright for several moments, before rising into the air and creating what could only be described as a miniature sun that intermingled with the rain, casting bright light upon the parts of the beach that were not covered by clouds. Essence Ponder's arrival was well-timed. Lucia's Razor Leaf attack enveloped the non-paralyzed Minotore, distracting it from its charge at Goldhawk. Not long after, Esen, having taken to the sky, dropped dead-center upon the paralyzed Minotore, driving it into the ground before flipping off of it and coming to land by Goldhawk. "Sir," she greeted, giving a small salute. "Sorry we're late." "You're forgiven," Goldhawk answered. He took aim, noting a surge of power in his attack. A purple indicator had appeared next to the Bug-Type Suit's icon, signaling that Skye had connected and boosted his Suit using her own. He called upon the Electric-Type Suit, his gauntlets crackling with electricity as a loud boom erupted from the sky, before a powerful Thunder attack crashed into the healthy Minotore, completely frying it. The other recovered from its temporary stun. Upon seeing the lifeless body of its brethren, it roared, its eyes turning a mixture of black and red. Its muscles bulged as the belt around its waist surged with energy, boosting its physical attributes to the limit. Soon all it could see was a blood-red fog, through which two figures stood out. It bellowed again, and charged at Esen and Goldhawk with a Superpower attack, each step erupting in explosions of sand beneath it. With two Instances down, four more summoning sigils appeared. The first two Instances to appear were ones that had been documented during surveillance on Two Island--a strange, monkey-like creature deemed Chimerape, and a golem made of combined rock and purple crystal called Sinystal. The other two were new. It was clear to tell that one was a Bug-Type, as its green and black carapace mixed with its bloated, multi-legged, tick-like appearance served as a dead giveaway. The other was not so easily determined. The Instance's body was thin and human-like, appearing as if it were wearing a grayish-white full-body suit. Yet it moved too fluidly, too strangely to be anything truly living--if anything, it was like a doll given life, mocking the very concept of life itself. It did not take long for the IMC to process names for these new Instances. The message flashed across all active Suits' screens: "Instance 001, Terminite, Bug-Type. Instance 013, Maniakoll, Normal-Type." Soon, their targets became clear, as well. The Terminite and Chimerape charged toward Lucia and Goldhawk, respectively, with the former launching a bundle of Powder at Lucia and the latter digging beneath the sand in its trajectory toward the Electric-Type Suit. Meanwhile, the Sinystal turned to Dack, immediately producing a purple crystal and hurtling it toward him, while the Maniakoll--though eyeing the tower where Entry Guard and Valley Watch lurked--moved to attack Richard with a Sonic Boom attack. OOC: Phantashade: Ominous Wind > Madison Maulice 1: Incapacitated Maulice 2: Destroyed Harpreak: Fiend's Feather > Jayron Fraygrins: Solar Beam > Theodore Leopyred: Sunny Day > Beach Skye: Bug-Type Suit Boost > Esen, Lucia, Goldhawk, Jamie Esen: Sky Drop > Minotore 1 Goldhawk: Thunder > Minotore 2 Minotore 1: Paralyzed; Seeing Red > Max Attack, Speed, Defense, Confused; Superpower > Goldhawk/Esen Minotore 2: Destroyed Terminite: Powder > Lucia Chimerape: Dig > Goldhawk Sinystal: Element Dust (Poison) > Dack Maniakoll: Sonic Boom > Richard

IC - Kyle Eston/Levi Alaric/Sonja Baron - Cafeteria, The Alamo: Sonja nodded toward the cafeteria exit. "Right this way." She gave a look to Kyle as she passed by, though he couldn't quite figure out what she was feeling. Was it uncertainty? Suspicion? Whatever it was, she looked troubled. As she disappeared through the door with Lohe, Paul, and Olivia, Kyle glanced first at Ellen, and then at Levi. "Never a dull moment . . ." he repeated. With Levi still wrapped around his waist, all he could really do was pat his hand on the kid's shoulder. "Hey--let's go somewhere quieter. I feel like it's gotten pretty noisy in here." Finally, Levi peeled himself away from Kyle, stepping back and rubbing his arm against his eyes. They--and most of the rest of his face--remained red from crying. "I'm sorry . . ." he said quietly. "I know I shouldn't cry . . ." The conference rooms weren't particularly far. Sonja held the door open, allowing the others inside and never taking her eyes off of Lohe as he passed by her. She followed after them, making sure to pull the door closed behind them--as well as locking it in case any curious parties decided to come snooping around. She didn't speak until she had taken a seat, sitting on the edge of the table with her arms crossed. Her eyes remained on Lohe's face. "So," she said. "Before I tell you anything--how come you didn't go to Blackskull or Silvermind? Last I heard, both were still here. I'd think they'd be able to make time for someone from the Alolan government." IC - Essence Ponder - Esen Windred/Skye Hall - Kotahi Village, 2nd Street: Sound traveled easily in Kotahi Village. Already, echoes of battle carried over from the beach, signaling that other groups had arrived and engaged their enemy. Esen turned south, and then looked back the way they had come. In her peripherals, she saw the Fighting-Type and Psychic-Type suits turn green again. "What should we do?" Skye asked. "They could be hurt back there?" "We need to go to the beach," Esen answered. "Two of suits caught in that blast came back online just now. It must've been a temporary disruption." She glanced between the rest of her unit. "They'll be fine--let's just make sure that they can get some time to recuperate before they have to fight again." She headed south again, followed a short moment later by Skye. IC - Tier Climb/Echo Order - Sleight/Jackson Sang - Kotahi Village, Main Street: From a pile of debris in the middle of the street, a bronze-colored arm erupted in a spray of rock and ash. It felt around for a hold, and upon finding one, proceeded to pull the rest of its body out into the light. Sleight shook his head as he emerged, trying to clear the ringing from his ears. Although the Rock-Type suit had cut the damage from the Leopyred's attack in half, the concussive force alone was still enough to make the Shadow Admin second-guess his current health. When his scanners had stabilized, he allowed himself a moment to breathe a sigh of relief. "Tier Climb, Echo Order," he called over the radio. "Report status." Several yards away, another pile shifted as Sang dug himself out. The Ground-Type suit bore more obvious signs of damage from the Pyrrhic Victor attack, but nonetheless remained operational. Sang gave a shaken thumbs-up. "Let's not do that again?" IC - Lyre Play - Goldhawk vs. Maulice (x2)/Leopyred/Harpreak/Minotore (x2)/Fraygrins/Phantashade - Kotahi Village, Beach: So the battle both began and resumed. Goldhawk clenched his hands, prompting electricity to crackle around his gauntlets. "Aim to distract, not to destroy," he called over the comms. "At least not until back-up arrives." He looked to the skyline of Kotahi Village. Atop two buildings, he saw the flash of light on rifle scopes. "Entry Guard, Valley Watch, we're relying on you for cover fire." "Understood, Goldhawk," Captain Graves responded. "Ready when you are." Goldhawk switched comms. "Homestead, any updates on these new Instances?" "Affirmative, Goldhawk," the IMC technician answered. "IMC has scanned data patterns and produced the following results." Images of the three new Instances appeared on the screen. "Instance 006, Minotore, Fighting-Type. Instance 009, Phantashade, Ghost-Type. Instance 010, Fraygrins, Grass-Type." It's getting quicker and more capable at data-gathering already . . . Pushing the thought aside for now, Goldhawk turned back to the battlefield, observing the damage so far. Ava's Gunk Shot flew toward the Harpreak. The Flying-Type Instance noticed the incoming attack and rolled through the air to avoid it, catching a wing in Jayron's Twister attack. This sent it into a downward spiral toward the beach, which it recovered from just before striking the sand. With an ear-piercing shriek, it flapped its wings, launching dual blades of wind at its attackers. Likewise, the Phantashade dropped downward as soon as it saw Dack aiming for it, vanishing into its own shadow. While initially appearing to be a Shadow Sneak attack, the darkness soon vanished, with not even the umbilical cord offering much of a clue as to where the Ghost-Type had disappeared to--or where it planned to emerge. That left Theodore and his face-off against the Fraygrins. As he approached, the Grass-Type's head and rose-like hands spun in careless circles on its body, grinning all the while at their opponent. Its plant-like body twisted and turned, and the roses on its upper vine-arms began to glow dimly, drawing in what little sunlight now reached the beach through Richard's rain cloud. That left the Leopyred, Maulice, and Minotore to deal with. Goldhawk activated his comm. "Apollo, you have a type advantage over that Leopyred--use it," he ordered. "Entry Guard and Valley Watch, focus one each on those Maulice. Aim for the eyes." He set his own eyes on the approaching Minotore. "I'll slow the Fighting-Types down." He thrust a hand forward, sending out an electric pulse at the Minotore. The weak electric waves enveloped their bodies, successfully paralyzing one yet seeming to only annoy the other. A frown spread across his face as Goldhawk readied himself for their counterattack. While one struggled to move, the other Minotore loosed an angered huff, raising its larger arm and taking aim. A blast of pure energy shot toward Goldhawk, which exploded in a shower of sand as it struck the ground where he had stood a moment before. Around them, gunshots echoed as the two teams of snipers took aim and fired at the pair of Maulice. All eight shots aimed true, striking the Ice-Types in the eyes and eliciting groans of what could only be described as pain. Even blinded, however, the creatures moved to counter the assault, hurtling Icicle Spear attacks into the air that gradually curved back down to earth toward Valley Watch and Entry Guard's positions, raining pointed hail down upon them. OOC: Harpreak: Air Slash > Jayron/Ava Phantashade: Phantom Force > ? Fraygrins: Solar Beam > Theodore Goldhawk: Thunder Wave > Minotore (missed), Minotore (hit) Minotore 1: Paralyzed Minotore 2: Focus Blast > Goldhawk (missed) Maulice 1: Icicle Spear > Entry Guard Maulice 2: Icicle Spear > Valley Watch

IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Levi Alaric - Cafeteria, The Alamo: "Never a dull moment for us, is there?" Kyle muttered. Throughout the entire exchange thus far, he had remained relatively quiet, considering whether or not to join in on the poaching investigation. After a moment, he looked up. "Seriously, though, Ryan, Ellen's right--if you guys want to go try to investigate in Keturi, we can talk with this guy. It's not a problem." He glanced at the computer screen again. "I'm still not sure you're going to be able to find anything useful, though. If I knew where to start looking for information, I would have already." Further down the table, Sonja couldn't help but stare are Ellen as she spoke--and, in fact, had been unable to tear her eyes off of the younger girl throughout the previous conversations. Sonja hadn't been sure what to say to help her through her trauma over Ford, and with a pang of guilt, she realized that she hadn't reached out to anyone else involved--Ellen, Levi, Ray, Skye, or Sophia--since they had returned to Four Island. Ellen, Levi, Ray, and Skye were one thing--they at least had friends or family to lean back on. But Sophia? With James and Quincy both gone, and McKinley turned traitor, Ford was one of the the only two people left who could speak to her on familial terms, and he was imprisoned away from her. So that just left Sonja . . . "I'll stay, too," Sonja said, in an attempt to distract herself. "I was as much a part of it as you were, Ellen, and I was with Ford for a little bit longer. You don't have to place that burden on yourself." She looked at Levi, offering a small smile of encouragement. "You up for it?" That backfired. Immediately, Levi panicked. "D-Do I h-h-have t-to?" he stammered. His hands clutched the table tightly. "I-I d-don't k-know if--" "Hey," Kyle jumped up, darting to the other side of the table and placing a hand on Levi's shoulder. "Deep breaths, pal--just calm down. You don't have to talk about anything if you don't want to." To his surprise, Levi turned around and threw his arms around Kyle's midsection, digging his face into his stomach with deep, shaky breaths. Kyle looked helplessly at Sonja and the others. "Sorry," Sonja said. "I didn't think--" "No, it's alright," Kyle said. "Er . . . Yeah, if you all want to get going, I'll take care of him . . ." IC - Tier Climb/Echo Order - Sleight/Jackson Sang vs. Maulice/Leopyred/Magnode - Kotahi Village, Main Street: One, two. The Aura Sphere exploded against the Maulice's chest. Its jaw snapped in time with an angry growl like icicles ringing in a snowstorm. Sleight stepped forward, slamming his fist into the ground. Energy rippled across the ground, erupting into stone spikes that impaled the Instance from below. It went limp, breaking apart from the impact. One, two. Lancelot's corkscrew punch sent the Magnode into a death spiral toward the ground. It slammed into the earth, impacting the ground into a small crater. The Electric-Type buzzed angrily, its magnet-like appendages spiraling around. It floated up, taking aim at James again and preparing to launch a powerful Thunder attack at him. At the last moment, Sang appeared behind it, driving a Bone Club straight through its body, causing it to collapse to the ground in pieces. One, two. The Leopyred moved. Seven opponents, one Instance. One instant, one move. Steps in front of steps in front of steps. Flames grew brighter and bigger, erupting around the Leopyred into a self-contained nova. As it neared its opponents, the Fire-Type Instance exploded. Its Pyrrhic Victor attack expanded outward, quick and powerful, with force enough to shatter windows and scorch the sides of the surrounding buildings and roads for half of a block. Sleight shouted something; he and Sang created walls of stone and earth to protect from the attack, but even their defenses shattered, leaving the street covered in ash and debris. IC - Essence Ponder - Esen Windred/Skye Hall vs. Leopyred - Kotahi Village, 2nd Street: A storm of petals encompassed the street, blotting out the sun and running across the Leopyred like a massive shredder. Green blades sliced and cut from every direction, severing through water and flame and straight to the black core of the Instance. When at last the attack had passed, the leaves dissipating into the wind, the Instance stood in the street, no longer moving and bearing the thousands of slices of evidence of what had occurred. Without a sound, its flames burnt out, and the blackened creature beneath collapsed to the ground, its body cut to pieces and its umbilical cord eviscerated by the attack. Essence Ponder slowed to a halt, taking a moment to catch their breath and observe the damage. Finally, Esen activated her comm. "Leopyred down and ready for extraction," she called. After deactivating her comm, she tapped the back of her hand against Lucia's shoulder, nodding at her and Jamie. "Good work. Let's keep moving." With that, they took off again toward the beach. IC - Lyre Play - Goldhawk - Kotahi Village, Beach: Normally, beaches inspired awe through the beautiful sunsets and rhythmic cascading of the ocean against the sky, or the Wailord breaching the surface for air in an explosion of ocean spray. But this beach inspired awe for none of those reasons. Instead of the pink and blues intermingling through the light of the sun, a rolling, bubbling pink and red wall broiled over the edge of the sand. It rippled and undulated unnaturally, like a living, breathing something that spread three stories high and outward across almost the entire beach, blocking the view of the southern islet. Four symbols shone on its surface, from which four umbilical cords extended, stretching into the city--and, presumably, to the Instances engaged with the other Liberty-Rocket-Plasma forces. "What's the plan of attack, sir?" Theodore said. "Just hold down the beach for as long as possible?" "Essentially," Goldhawk responded. "We'll move back into the city if we need to, but for now, our aim is to keep them as far south as possible until we get word that evacuations are done. The longer we can do so, the more data the IMC can gather and compile on Missing Zero's Instances. And if we can get a couple of those Instances back to Four Island . . . I think R&D would have a field day." The comm crackled with activity. "Leopyred down and ready for extraction." "This is Homestead, dispatching retrieval units now," the Alamo responded. "Goldhawk, half of the strike team's statuses just turned orange," Bounty said, a hint of alarm clear in his voice. "We can't get a radio connection with Tier Climb or Echo Order." Goldhawk swore. "Tier Climb, report." The comm buzzed. "Echo Order, report!" Still nothing. He switched back to the main comm channel. "Everyone--" He turned back to Missing Zero, eyes widening. "Stay on your guard--and get ready to fight!" The previous four symbols had disappeared, severing the umbilical cords extended from them and leaving them to lie in the sand. Eight new ones soon replaced them, all varying in color. Soon, more Instances emerged. Two more Maulice clawed through Missing Zero's surface, landing heavily against the sand though soon straightening up. They were joined by a Leopyred, which leaped into view and landed expertly on its feet. These were not a welcome sight by any means, but it was the other five Instances that stirred unease within the group. Fourth to emerge following the previous three was an Instance already documented from the invasion of Two Island--a Harpreak, which loosed an unearthly screech as it burst forth and took flight. Closer to the base, two minotaur-like creatures lumbered forward, their massively-oversized right arms dragging along the ground behind them. Elsewhere, something akin to a bundle of vines appeared. It sported a massive, flower-like head bearing an unsettling, toothy grin. Finally, a ghost-like creature materialized. A wheezy hiss escaped its lips as it surveyed the field below it, finally moving away from its mother and out into the world.

IC - Kyle Eston/Levi Alaric/Sonja Baron - Cafeteria, The Alamo: Aspen's arrival interrupted Levi's attempt to answer Dahlia's question. With her attention elsewhere, Levi deflated in his seat. He glanced at Kyle, whose eyes were glued to the screen in front of him, and turned his own attention to the video feed. IC - Goldhawk/Sleight/Jackson Sang/Esen Windred/Skye Hall - Kotahi Village, One Island: James's interference was fortunate, as the Magnode dropped back from its chase. But that still left the Leopyred, which was clearly a concern to all three of Esen's allies. In spite of the effects of Richard's Soak attack, which had caused the Instance's flames to recede close to its body (still much too bright to make out anything of its base) and created a sort of watery coat around it that boiled and bubbled with the thing's inherent body heat, the creature still possessed an unknown number of Fire-Type attacks that could easily tear down half of Essence Ponder. "EP-3, do you have a plan to get these things off our tail?" In response, Esen activated her jets, spinning around and launching a Hurricane attack over her team's heads and at a building behind them. The force of the wind caused the stone walls to explode outward, launching a barrage of rock at the pursuing Leopyred. Though clearly damaging it, it wasn't enough to destroy the Instance. In response, the Fire-now-Water-Type picked up its pace, the flames on its back erupting in an Inferno that rushed toward Essence Ponder. "EP-2, block that!" Esen called. "Everyone, if this village is going to get destroyed anyway, then use it as a weapon!" Three Instances now remained on the main street: a Leopyred, the Maulice, and the Magnode now hellbent on destroying James Arthur. There was much to consider in regards to battling them. For one, the Leopyred appeared to be reevaluating the situation, opting to stay back and observe rather than approach and attack. It contrast, the Magnode's magnets erupted outward, and it buzzed with angry energy as it floated toward James. The electricity surrounding it coalesced into a web-shaped burst directed straight at the Normal-Type Suit. Meanwhile, Amanda's plan to distract the Maulice had a flaw: Lafoyae Belrose. The Rocket Assassin crashed into the Maulice, sending both into a tumbling scuffle. The Ice-Type's bodily composition belied its abilities, as it rolled itself and Lafoyae over. When it had somewhat managed to pin her down, it opened its maw, preparing to bite down with Ice Fang. It was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a boulder that slammed into it and knocked it away several feet. "This is EO-4," Sleight called. "Three of the four Instances are tied up on our street. Expect a delay in our arrival at the beach." "Oh, would you all stop with that ridiculous call sign nonsense?" an irritated voice called over the comm. "I swear, you spend more time identifying yourselves than you do actually fulfilling the mission objectives." "It's protocol, Vert," Goldhawk responded. "Perhaps you could learn something by following it for once." "Or perhaps you could streamline your user experience by listening to someone who knows what they're talking about, sir," Vert said. "I'm remote activating visual comm mode for all eighteen suits. The status screen running down the left side of your HUD will highlight whoever is talking from now on so that you don't have to waste time butchering your own protocol. You're welcome." "I won't argue with it," Sang said. He drew his arm back, taking careful aim and launching a Bonemerang at the flying Magnode. "Never really made sense to me why we were doing that, anyway."

IC - Kyle Eston/Levi Alaric/Sonja Baron - Cafeteria, The Alamo: "I didn't realize Ford was from Kalos," Sonja muttered as she read the list, ignoring the conversation around her. "Pollux, Grimoire, fairy tales. Got it." She folded and pocketed the list for safekeeping. "Alright. So we're going back to base tomorrow." "You know where it is?" Kyle asked. "No, not exactly," Sonja admitted. "But we'll find it." "If you say so . . ." Kyle shook his head. He noticed Levi absentmindedly staring at Sonja. He looked troubled. "What's wrong, bud?" "N-Nothing . . ." Levi fell silent. After a moment, he spoke up. ". . . Is Team Liberty going to take my book?" "Why would Team Liberty take your book?" "Miss Adams gave it to me," Levi said. "So it was hers. And they took Mr. Ford's cane. So I'm just afraid they'll take my book because it was hers . . ." IC - Goldhawk/Sleight/Jackson Sang/Esen Windred/Skye Hall - Kotahi Village, One Island: Amidst the group's arguing, the approaching Instances geared up for their attack. As they reached the end of the block, the Electric-Type Instance fell back, allowing its three allies to continue forward several more feet before coming to a halt. The Fire-Type Instances planted themselves firmly where they stood, before each let loose a wobbling column of fire at their enemies. Recognizing the Flame Burst attack, Sleight moved forward, throwing his arms outward and activating Wide Guard. An energy field encompassed himself and his allies, upon which the fire dissipated into nothing. "EO-4. We're using EO-3's suggestion," Sleight called. "Reconfigure to transport groups. Over." Esen couldn't help but growl in frustration. Between the infighting and radio protocol, they were wasting more time than they were actually utilizing, and Sleight's shield wouldn't hold for long. She activated her comm. "EP-3. Now that that's figured out, can we focus on the mission?" "LP-3. Affirmative, EP-3," Goldhawk said, clearly sharing her frustrations. "Our objective is the southern front of Kotahi Village--move the fight away from the LZ so that we can retreat if necessary. I suggest we split up and approach from separate streets." "Affirmative," Esen said. "Essence Ponder, regroup and follow me--EP-1, EP-2, provide cover for EP-4." She headed off, turning east and hurrying down the next street over. At the sight of their movement, one of the Fire-Types took off after them, followed by the Electric-Type. "Echo Order, remain here--we'll move south down this street," Sleight ordered. He contacted Valley Watch and Entry Guard. "VW-1 and EG-1, hold fire until further orders." "Lyre Play, head west," Goldhawk called. As he headed that way, he pressed his comm. "Goldhawk to Homestead." "Homestead acknowledged. Go ahead, Goldhawk." "Report status of Index Mother Console." "The IMC is active, sir," the technician responded. "Access T-02's scanner and all Suits' visual records and get us proper designations for our new targets." "Affirmative. Please hold." There was a brief pause. "Indexing complete. IMC designations are as follows: Instance 004, Magnode. Instance 007, Leopyred. Instance 012, Maulice. Designations processed and updated for all Power Suit Units, along with the following: Instance 008, Harpreak; Instance 011, Chimerape; Instance 016, Sinystal; and Instance 018, Driprown." "Appreciated, Homestead. Goldhawk out," Goldhawk said. He switched back to his all-comm channel. "LP-3. Indexes have been updated with designations for our targets."