Aw shit.

Here we go again.

The armored articuno was dead. The enemy army was routed, and the giant pokemon was felled.

He felt a little sick, but at least the battle was over.

He didn't stick around for celebrations, nor the impromptu crowning ceremony.

He would deal with all that later.

He needed a moment to clear his head. Then another to find Hideo Kino and everyone else. And then, to finally make sense of everything going on.

"... None of this is real." He says, trying to shake off the sickness in his chest at the thought of the bird's corpse. Omega looks at him silently, humming as the youth wraps his arms around him.

He found a corner within the pokemon center and fell asleep hugging his Orbeetle.

---

1 month.

A month came and went. A long time. He could hardly believe they were still there. It was the longest op he had ever been involved in.

Skirmishes came to them. A lot. His military training kicked in with a little too much frequency. He didn't imagine the rocket majority was too enthused.

Must've been very weird for the citizens of Ballonlea to witness their soft spoken healer occasionally shout orders to their King and Queens at the top of his lungs.

He didn't feel very saintly on those days. He often wondered how Eva Morales would've done it, oft wondered if he should try to ask her.

He figured he would— once they got out of there. It had almost been a whole month now. So much fighting and healing and protecting and—

— Surely, they were almost done?

Not so. Apparently.

Towards the end of the first month, they found that someone had vandalized one of their damn walls.

"Ominous." He had said, not missing the dripping poison the 'prophecy' had been written with.

If it were to be trusted... they were not far along its timeline yet to be anywhere near close to escaping the memory.

So he didn't trust it one bit.

None of this was real— specially those poisonous words.

"Gonna need some yellow tape, Tsuchi." He said as he knelt down to rub his Ariados under his chin. "Gotta keep the kids from hurtin' themselves. Spider web."

---

1 year.

A whole year. Prophecy 1, Doug 0.

A single year in Galar saw him use his powers more often than 3 in Hoenn.

His job on the battlefield was General. His job off the battlefield was healer.

absalom steel knew that better than most. Doug had become well acquainted with the youth and his sickness in the past year.

The peasants recognized the archetype immediately— put a name to it before he could say anything.

They called him the Knight Hospitaler now.

Ah well— whatever made his job easier.

"It's not funny." He said, slapping his snickering Escavalier upside the head as they stood by the gates, awaiting for Hideo Kino while wondering if genesis aria fox be joining them or not on their expedition.

An entire year had passed, they were still there. He could no longer wait until they 'got out' of the memory. That might be tomorrow, or it might be in 5 more years.

Eris Halla, angelo vestri, skyler, Eva Morales, MATIAS SILPH, Thomas Benoit, maverick noah ryder, Elaine Highland... So many people he cared about had been at the raid. He needed to know if they were okay. He had wasted too much time waiting for everything to end.

"They are tough." Doug muttered to himself, brows furrowing at his own reflection on Bedwyr's shiny armor. "I'm sure they're fine..."

None of this was supposed to be real— But the danger felt authentic all the same.

---

2 years.

Some of his friends were fine.

A whole bunch of them were missing.

It seemed as though only those they had seen at the statue, 2 years before, populated the cities.

He tried to believe that everyone else was free and still in Hoenn, living their best lives— but that only felt him feel isolated.

He didn't want to become a nuisance to Hideo Kino and his new school. The boy was growing up fast, and making friends with everyone.

For his part, he was cordial with all, and even worked alongside a few. fern delaney, mint frost, Violet Fairbanks, whatever their codenames were.

He could get along fine with them all. For the most part.

He would have rather had his old friends, though.

Fighting had become too consistent, too routine. The enemy didn't really grow all that much in strength.

He tried to distract himself from his loneliness with different tasks and projects.

Maximizing efficiency on the warfront with jayden cross and Felix Gallagher.

Playing astrologer at the observatory with Queen luka chêne, Violet Fairbanks and samuel carter.

At the forget with genesis aria fox and absalom steel.

Making the kids at Alba Evovae's orphanage laugh.

Helping with the botany work at fern delaney's apothecary.

Getting high with mint frost.

It didn't work all that well, if he were frank. But he could tell you all about why a tauros soldier shouldn't get high off toxic weed in the observatory now.

"... Next." He mumbled within the empty pokemon center, knees up on an empty couch. His Poryphone-Z switched to the next picture. He stared into it silently.

None of this was real.

"Next."

The loneliness however, felt very real.

---

3 years.

He struggles with what to say to a desperate King jayden cross.

The King's lover is bed ridden and sick.

He doesn't really know what's happening, and it's getting to him.

He's not a real doctor.

The magic isn't working. He couldn't tell the other man why if he wanted. He doesn't really understand how his powers work.

He can only lean onto platitudes and assurances.

And by sheer miracle, it works.

fern delaney makes it through, possibly due to Lele's healing. Maybe due to something else.

He has no way of knowing.

He stares at a half written letter while sitting in the corner of a silent pokemon center.

He scraps it after a moment, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Eva Morales can't help him with this. Not from an entire other city.

His shoulders quaked. His teeth grit.

Damn it. Damn it!

"Just tell me something! Anything!" He suddenly shouted as he threw aside the table before him, words echoing in the empty pokemon center.

But Tapu Lele had no response for him. She did not so much as appear.

This wasn't real, but sickness was. If enemy armies didn't kill them, the blight might.

He needed to do something.

---

4 years.

He never would've imagined finding himself under Hideo's tutelage. Or Uxie's?

Whatever. Either way— how times had changed.

After 3 years without studies, he had thought going back to hitting the books would be considerably harder.

But the joke was on him.

There were no books. He had to write his own.

"Wait— say that again?" He stopped his tutor for the upteenth time, dipping his pen into ink before going back to the linen paper, fixing focused look onto the 'man'.

General in the battlefield, healer off from it, and student by moonlight.

He couldn't' honestly say his life had changed much between Hoenn and Galar.

Though he found the study of medicine to be considerably more captivating than Military science, if he were honest.

Despite the much, much broader scope of knowledge he suddenly needed to understand and memorize.

None of this was real— except for this. This knowkedge... it was real.

"Oup." He shivered, feeling a pair of wings wrap around him. He grinned at Lepi, leaning back onto her fur despite the cold. "I'm not sleepy yet. Don't worry."

Next time something happened— he would know what he spoke about.

---

5 years.

Xenon Antheil, the crazy bitch, was back. He wasn't too happy about it, not for a good while.

Queen Rhydia Ver's eccentricities could be alarming, but at least she made the city prettier.

Also, she hadn't (proudly) burnt down his fucking pokemon center.

"Fuck it." He had been looking for an excuse to get away from the dreary building anyway.

May as well take the opportunity afforded to him.

He wanted something less... brown and town-ey. A better view.

He decided his next healing center would be nearer to the forest, just for a change of pace.

He was getting stir crazy with all the fighting and studying and healing and all the other things.

Following a strict schedule in order to tick every box had gotten old. His new companions were nice, much nicer now than they had been years ago, when he had first felt the isolation, but...

He still missed his old friends. He hadn't looked at their photos in ages— not since his phone had died.

Every day, he feared he might one day forget their faces. If only there was a way to preserv—

He shared a look with his phoneless Porygon-Z, the modern art looking pokemon tilting his head.

"... I should talk with Queen Rhydia Ver."

---

9 years.

Over 5 years, his healing center had taken on the shape of a monastery.

Huh. He had left the architecture and style mostly in the hands of the local master builders. He wasn't sure if this was their idea of a joke.

Over the past years, he had gotten impressively good at wood carving. Learnt the basics of sculpting from Uxie, gotten more artistic guidance and advise from Queen Rhydia Ver. Despite her eccentricities, she proved surprisingly forthright in helping him better his wooden sculptures.

He hi-fived a sculpture of a winged angelo vestri on his way inside.

"... Saint Healer, who's that?" A child had once asked while Doug looked over his health, ridding him of a persistent cough.

"Hmm? My brother. He was real good with maps and flying. Not very funny though." He said dismissively, a small smirk on his lips.

"... So he's, like... A saint of maps?" The child asked innocently, to which Doug absentmindedly shrugged.

"Sure." Saint wasn't how he would describe Angelo but—

Whatever.

"Saint Healer, who's that girl?" Asked another child, this one a small girl with a scratched knee. She was pointing at a statue of another small girl, her hands clasped together whilst a Lion wrapped protectively around her.

"Oh? My little sister." He said simply as he cleaned her wound. "You would've loved her. She got along well with other kids."

"Who's that?"

"My mentor. Bit violent and angry. Meant well, though."

"Who's that?"

"She was like a mother to me."

"He taught me to not judge others without knowing them."

"A man with a heart as big as his body."

"One of the greatest detectives I've ever known. Should stop touching stuff."

"His red eyes were breathtaking. Could've smiled more, though."

"Greatest Captain to ever sail the seas. Couldn't drink to save her life though."

"A man of unbreakable will and convictions."

"Hey—" "Saint—" "Healer—" "Who's that?"

"... A future god slayer I used to know."

A simple question from one of the town's children had somehow become a mythology.

Patron Saint of Navigation, Matron Saint of seafarers, Patron Saint of teachers, matron saint of motherhood...

Blah blah blah.

These people had too much time on their hands.

"I'm not working on a new one right now!" He shouted over his shoulder to a group of kids standing on his courtyard, chipping away at the wood still. "Get back to the orphanage 'fore I tell Fern where you've been!"

The chorus of 'okays' brought a small smile to his lips—

Whoops! Almost forgot!

This wasn't real. Even if it felt like it was~.

"Stop moving." He told his matron bluntly, dragging a snort out of the lounging Tapu Lele. "It's hard enough already, sheesh."

---

10 years.

For all intents and purposes, he was a doctor. A general practicioner with all the knowledge needed, and several years of field experience under his belt.

He even had magical powers.

But he still couldn't do anything for them.

He stood over hundreds of blanket covered bodies. Dead lined up the floors of his monastery from end to end. Of all ages and all professions.

The black knight's work.

No.

Necrozma's work.

This wasn't real. None of it was. He couldn't forget that. Not even for a moment.

Not for an instant.

Because if he let himself believe...

"I..." He stared at the corpses as he slowly sank to one knee, peeling away a blanket to reveal a familiar face, matted in blood.

And now, tears as well.

"I'm sorry."

He can't pretend forever.

When he finally meets the others, he greets them all with a smile despite himself, and takes no weapon for himself.

He has no need for the power that killed his people.

He's the Patron Saint of Healers, and not another innocent soul would be allowed to die on his watch.

---

jQGfhinD

TL;DR:
After the battle
-Feels sick after helping kill Articuno
-Skips on coronations and falls asleep in the pokemon center hugging his Orbeetle.

1 month
-Being a general on the battlefield and a healer off from it.
-Sees the prophecy.
-Uses his Ariados' spider web to prevent kids from getting close.

1 year.
-gets acquainted with absalom steel's illness.
-gets called knight hospitaller by the public, to his Escavalier's amusement.
-visits other settlements alongside Hideo Kino and maybe genesis aria fox.
-misses his friends, wants to see if they're okay.

2 years.
-some friends are okay, most are missing. FUCK.
-feeling alone, he tries hanging out with everyone.
-still feels lonely, and miserable.
-Watches pictures of his old friends on his Porygon-Z phone.

3 years
-fern delaney catches the illness, jayden cross is desperate and Doug has no idea what the fuck's going on.
-somehow things get better.
-Doug has no clue if he's responsible for this or they all just got lucky.
-Angrily begs Lele to tell him anything.
-She ignores him.
-He decides he must do something.

4 years
-Doug has been learning medicine from Uxie and Hideo's school.
-General in the field, healer off it, student by moonlight. Literally Hoenn life all over.
-Unmentioned in the post, but I like to think he's been keeping mail contact with Eva Morales.
-Cuddles with his Frosmoth.

5 years
-Xenon Antheil burnt down his goddamn pokemon center.
-Fuck it. Moving to the forest. Bringing over the nice master constructors along.
-... also, learning wood sculpting from Rhydia Ver and Uxie.

9 years later
-Living in a forest monastery now.
-location is filled with and surrounded by numerous wooden sculptures of Doug's friends. See if you can figure out who!
-locals have begun making myths and religious lore out of Doug's vague explanations for them.
-Doug has become a much more able and learned physician thanks to his studies and hard work under Uxie, and no longer relies just on Lele magic to heal others.

10 years later
-But that doesn't save all the people who died to Necrozma.
-Doug struggles to remind himself this is not real.
-Fuck it, it feels real.
-Doug swears to protect everyone.
-Doug foregoes any black metal weapon. He does not trust Necrozma, nor the prophecy written in poison.

-Thank you for bothering with this long ass post.

With Sigurd Holst.

RESCUE

Elinor Anderson, Laurence Anderson, Callan Young

The commotion began, drawing attention and manpower from west to east. He counted the seconds as the red dots moved through the mental map.

Finally, enough had gathered.

"Garo." Doug said as he let a netball drop, a Shedinja appearing behind him and immediately generating a spectral gate around him. "Mega Evolve."

---

The phantom force dropped him several paces across from Callan, his Orbeetle rising in the air as the several with its eyes aglow.

On one end, an Elite 4, on the other, an avatar.

No matter where the Rockets went, nothing but a bad time awaited.

Not that they had even that false choice afforded to them.

G-Max

Gravitas

Gravity suddenly seized them all up without warning, raising them and their pokemon in the air, stunning them all as they found themselves with little to no control, lunches beginning to rise back up.

"Our schedule's tight. Please understand." He said simply to the men and pokemon floating above, tipping the hat to them.

EXPEDITION TEAM EMSD

THE OGS ARE BACK BABY!

CHARACTERS: Elaine Highland, maverick noah ryder, Sigurd Holst, John Sullivan
EXPEDITION #: third time, everyone!
SELECTED PROMPT #s: 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
TREASURES BROUGHT: 2x Direshrooms, 1x Mudball, 1x King's leaf
NOTES: Mega evolution, Z-moves and terastalization accounted for!

RESCUE

Elinor Anderson, Laurence Anderson, Callan Young

"It's done." Came through to Callan Young's comms a moment later.

At the backend of the ship, Doug cuffed the unconscious rocket's hands behind their back, his Accelgor melting into the shadows behind him.

"Well done." He muttered, plucking the rocket's hat off their head. "On my mark."

Moving to stand near the glass windows, the youth put the rocket hat atop his head before releasing an Orbeetle, the psychic bug expanding its senses as it hid behind him, its eyes aglow.

He observed the rockets below silently. A foreign presence reached out to his mind a few moments later— Callan and Laurence Anderson would feel much the same, an unknown entity's psychic call.

A foreign thought; a sudden, seemingly photographic memory. They would find the ship's schematics perfectly replicated at the back of their minds, dots moving about it— the rockets.

Nodding at his Orbeetle, Doug raised a hand to his ear.

"Let's go."

Everyone's doing it

ft. Shalin Nariya

"Sure do." He said, tone vague.

He nodded along to her words, bringing his hands behind his head at her question.

"I guess we could ask. Maybe they'll lend us the equipment?" He said, offering a grin and a shrug.

Class had been canceled last minute, so everything they needed should've still been inside the studio.

"Want me to go talk to the receptionist?" He offered, before winking jokingly. "I can turn on the charm when needed."

Role Reversal

Practicing with Shalin Nariya

Having learned the art of not getting knocked on his ass, now it was his turn to do the ass knocking.

In the most wholesome way possible.

"Gotcha, I'll keep Lani here awake in the meanwhile." Doug said, swinging himself atop his horse and patting her side. "Can't get sleepy if you get your blood pumping, can ya? Let's go for a couple laps!"

There wasn't as much theory to go with attacking as there was defending. Well, there was, but Doug knew for a fact he wouldn't remember any of it unless he practiced a lot more than a single day. Better to just get a feel for it.

He tested the weight of the sword as Rapidash's hooves echoed within the gathering hall, making a few practice swings with the sword. It wasn't quite jousting, but Doug wouldn't be carrying a couched lance into battle any time soon, and he doubted anyone else would. A sword would have to do for now!

After a couple of laps and a much more alert Lani, Doug moved back towards Shalin, resting the sword atop his shoulder as he grinned down at her.

"Well? Ready to taste dirt, Missy?" He said teasingly.

Tapu Playdate

Mission: Vs Tapu Koko, ft. Eris Halla

It didn't matter what anyone said— wherever Koko went, he was the life of the party.

So inspiring his moves were, Tapu Lele eventually joined in on the merriness and move busting, pulling Mesprit along into their musicless dance party with excited glee.

"... I guess they all just dance when they meet?" Doug said, just as confused as Eris. "She did this too when she met Cerebi."

Decompression

Hideo Kino & Eris Halla

"... Wait, what?" Was all Doug could say as Eris began breaking down, alarm quickly taking over as he dropped to a knee in front of the girl.

Someone had tried to kill her? Some might say that happened every other week, but Doug had never seen Eris break down like this. Was it the person responsible for her scar?

He almost grabbed her shoulders— almost. But he wasn't an Eris n00b.

"Who?" Doug asked. "What happened, Eris? I don't know what anyone's talking about!"

RESCUE

The Elinor Anderson project.
Directed by Laurence Anderson, Produced by Callan Young,
Ft. DJ Thomas Benoit and John Sullivan

"She's coming." Doug said at Lars' query, staring at the map before them with a pensive look.

Lele didn't usually do as he wanted, which had him mildly worried about her priorities.

But it didn't matter.

As long as she didn't get in the way— they didn't need a legendary's strength to get the job done.

"How's 'bout Mr. Young and I go?" Doug said, turning to the Head Ranger. "I think Ms. Elinor would 'ppreciate seein' ya in these circumstances."

He turned his gaze over to Callan next.

"Do we know what sort of prisoners are kept here?" He asked. "Any reason we shouldn't free anyone we come across?"

Next, his gaze dragged back to the map, digits fleeting over the two red spots on each end of the upper layer.

"These two are completely isolated from others." In their elevated positions, they were primed to catch sight of any intruder on deck level. "If we can take'em out silently, we could probably deal with the rest without any of 'em even having time to get their pokeballs."

Then they could raise their own racket without worrying about getting too outnumbered.

Doug considered himself fairly capable in a fight, even when out numbered— he liked to think his bouts during the meteor fall were proof enough— but it wasn't his life alone at stake here.

Better to be too careful than too reckless.

PURCHASING

welcome to the poké mart!

3X Salac Berries (50 PD)

HARVESTING

be sure to visit the pretty petal flower shop near rustboro!

3X grepa berries for Gwyar Wledig (+30 PD)

TOTAL

do come again!

150 PD

BALLS ON LEAH

Rusted Shield

The onslaught of sludge came to an end. He collapsed against the barricade they had all been pushing, returning his Orbeetle to its pokeball with a relieved sigh.

Swiping at his dripping chin, he panted whilst looking around at the exhausted people around him.

"... That happen often?" He asked a man sitting besides him, gulping at the response.

He had wondered how they would create legends before— naive, in retrospective. Surrounded by the victimized folk of Galar, in such horrific circumstances, the only way for them to fail was to do nothing.

"... Everyone." Doug said as he stood up, collecting himself and his breath before clapping his hands. "Listen up."

He raised his hand in the air, it glowing a bright, luminous magenta. Without warning, its burst outwards in a shower of pink petals.

All whom they touched, they healed, brushing aside exhaustion and disease as the youth spoke.

"The King of Bountiful harvests sent us to help y'all." He said to the men, his eyes aglow as they shifted from pure black to cyan and pink. "Bring me all yer injured— all yer sick. I'll give them the aid they need."

Pokemon healing was surely impressive to the peasants. But he wagered witnessing their fellow man perform feats of magic would stick with them even more.

---

He touched base with Hideo Kino and luka chêne to let them know of his plans before moving on, inviting absalom steel and Lucas Holden to join him in his efforts as well.

Which efforts? Cleaning up the abandoned pokemon center. In the time between attacks, he decided to try and make the pokemon center useful again, washing out whatever sludge had crawled inside its walls by freezing and then telekinetically taking it out with his Frosmoth and Orbeetle, along with whatever help he received from others.

It seemed appropriate, given the role he had taken upon himself.

All the cots and mattresses inside had been moved from the back to the front, laying them on the floor before the healing machine he was not even sure still worked, for the injured and sick of Ballonlea to rest upon while he worked on them.

He tried to channel as much of Eva Morales as he had in him as he treated the folk. The people didn't need a layman like him, they needed a saint.

"You'll be okay." He said softly as he cradled a villager's hand, healing scales dispersing into their system—

And then a horn suddenly rang through the town, sending fear lancing through the villagers around him.

He rose to his feet, turning towards the people around him.

"Look after each other." He said, before sending out Bedwyr and Tsuchigumo, his Escavalier and Ariados. "And you guys, look after them."

He turned towards the door.

"Be back soon!"

---

There were two enemies threatening the city. A titan, and an army. Neither the kind that should be left alone.

League Comms (Hideo Kino, luka chêne, absalom steel, Lucas Holden):

John 'ere. Gonna go deal with the army— keep in touch and speak up if yer in trouble!

Standing atop scaffolding behind the barricades the villagers had built, Doug nodded at his Orbeetle, before sweeping his arm over the silhouette of the army barreling towards them.

"Let's make 'em all an easy target!" He said, snapping his digit. Yet again, his Mega Orbeetle's eyes seemed to glow before a Psychic Terrain expanded outwards. "Good job. Now— Put 'em in the air!"

G-Max

Gravitas

---

iv8QkxA0+10

TL;DR:
-Demonstrate his healing powers in a fancy way to the villagers that had been holding the barricades.
-Tells them to bring all the injured and sick in town.
-Clears up the Pokemon Center in the time between attacks with the help of his pokemon and maybe allies.
-Turns it into a medbay for the people
-Spends his time healing folk until the attack.
-Joins the battle against Articuno and his army.
-Psychic Terrain + G-Max Gravitas Vs the Army.
-Holy f-ck balls batman SALAC DAT SHIT AAAAH
-Sadge 2nd salac.
-daily salac till 40+.

Overcome

Nice to meet'cha, francie myrtle!

At the suggestion, he gave his instructor a wry look.

"Ya wanna sneak up on Gojira?" He reiterated the plan as he heard it, lips flattening into a concerned line as he brought his hands together, a ponderous look on his face. "... Let's do it!"

The way his braincells would just take vacations during fun times would've been concerning if it weren't the only relief provided to his poor mind in these times of crises.

He crouched low besides Francie and leaned in conspiratorially, whispering lowly while sending dirty looks at their disobedient mons.

"What'cha got in mind?"