there was little time to greet oscar clayton as he joined their party, for as they rode on jayden cross ’s samurott, a clearer voice entered her mind.[break][break]

”she is tied to the one you seek.”[break][break]

never before had she heard darkrai’s words so closely, as though inside her head, and she found her attention pulled towards luka chêne . before she could question it, however, the voice came again.[break][break]

”you are on your own. do not be reckless.”[break][break]

panic spread. she felt vulnerable.[break][break]

”wait—“ but it was too late. they were swirling down, down. there was the slowing of the water, the pulling, flattening… all at once, the reaction of the nosepass made sense. it had been drawn to the electromagnetic field of a black hole.[break][break]

somehow, they made it out in-tact. were they on the other side?[break][break]

were they standing on the horizon?[break][break]

for now, luka chêne was forgotten, as lulu gawked at the holographic landscape, and then her eyes homed in on the monolith. it was like looking at mother nature, every light like the eyes of a god. was this the quantum computer?[break][break]

but the shapes which assembled in front of them, then, were too familiar, accompanied by the face from the device, and the machine she’d investigated with Rowan Wrynn . as though she could practically sense his location, her gaze cut through the crowd to stare down Martín del Mar —just as he predictably brought the familiar device out of his pocket.[break][break]

“future-responsible for the destruction of all universes.”[break][break]

“origin point.”[break][break]

the riddle.[break][break]

”data!” she called out with others. as in, what was potentially supposedly by a black hole.[break][break]

her thoughts went to the meteoroid, and its distortion of spacetime. its mass seemed to be unnatural, or at least an anomaly. would warping it in fact produce a black hole, which would swallow the information of the beginning of spacetime itself?[break][break]

if so, who was this person, and why were they giving them a way back to complete the deed?[break][break]

the porygon began firing before she could further ponder. her porygon-z was deftly tossed out, glitching, and quickly firing back its own tri-attack. her shadows rose up her feet, but they were slow, weakened. her eyes settled on luka chêne again as she did her best to drop into oscar clayton ’s shadow. she had more enemies than just porygon to dodge.[break][break]

pL5HPfKQ

[attr="class","ooc"]

tldr:[break]
• darkrai informs lulu luka chêne is somehow connected to cresselia, then tells her she's on her own[break]
• lulu is turned on by giant computer[break]
• theorizing about black holes[break]
• calls out data[break]
• releases porygon-z, uses tri-attack on porygon[break]
• lulu tries to hide in oscar clayton 's shadow[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-poipole"][attr="class","pkspr pkmn-alakazam"][attr="class","pkspr pkmn-porygon-z"]

what awaits them on the other side?[break][break]

nothing good.[break][break]

"are you okay?"[break][break]

after checking on Eva Morales, he turns to address the other concerns, and, fuck, is there a lot of them to deal with, though none more urgent than the riddle that blocks their path.[break][break]

"we need to move!"[break][break]

different time, different disaster, same words.[break][break]

matias joins the others in shouting out the answer while he also focuses on the targeting porygons.[break][break]

"DATA."[break][break]

poliwrath stands its ground as it fires off HYDRO PUMPS to combat against TRI-ATTACKS and PSYBEAMS, providing whatever cover they can muster.

[attr="class","ooc"]qZZeWuJp[break][break]
- checks on Eva Morales[break]
- guesses DATA[break]
- POLIWRATH using HYDRO PUMP on PORYGONS[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-poliwrath"]

Memo’s so caught up in the feeling of Alex behind him and the grip slowly squeezing the life out of his body like he’s the last bit of toothpaste in the tube that he doesn’t have the chance to direct Gabriel-- but the Salamance takes matters into his own hands. One second he’s struggling to breathe above the water and the next they’re pitching downwards, Gabriel couching his wings to slice through the air as they shoot like a dark through the center of the northern whirlpool.

Those that entered in front of them are vague shapes in the gloom. There’s the shock of wetness from diving in the ocean and the push and pull of the force of the whirlpool-- but after a few moments, it feels different. Strange. Like they’re no longer going forward-- and then the squeeze in his gut where Alex is clinging for dear life really does turn into his body into a toothpaste tube.

He feels like a sock that’s being turned inside out, like a hand has been pushed down his throat and is gripping the bottom of his stomach, jerking forcefully to tug him skin-side-in. At some point, through the pain and the-- the squish, he registers that Gabriel is no longer beneath him, but he doesn’t have the wherewithal to panic. There’s pressure around his midsection that could still be Alex, but it also could just be whatever the fuck is busy spatchocking him like a guinea hen.

Then his feet are on the ground and he’s windmilling his arms out to his side to stop from pitching over. The dizziness and nausea fades, and Alex is there, a comforting weight at his back. Still gripping him around his waist, enough to make his hipbones hurt, but he grips Alex’s arm in turn, white-knuckled, waiting for the stars in his eyes to burst and go away.

They’re in a mess of blue and light and shadow-- what Memo would imagine the inside of a computer would look like, if it were its own world. He rotates his head in a slow circle-- unable to really move because of the vicegrip at his hips-- and picks out a few pink spots that he slowly recognizes as Porygon.

A million questions running through his head, but he tilts his chin back and looks up at Alex. “You doin’ okay?”

In all this craziness, that was the most important step.

His attention is drawn by the logo assembling itself in the air before them; then the pale guy with the wacky hair-- how much does he spend on gel?-- begins to speak.

Most of it might as well be in another language, but the part about future responsible for the destruction of all universes hits him like a rock and makes him clench his teeth.

Feels bad, man.

He looks down at the bar of light flying beneath their feet, wincing at the brightness; then he looks up, with the glare in his eyes still fading, at the dome slowly assembling over their heads. He squints at the riddle, mind churning. He doesn’t have long to ruminate before there’s the characteristic tseew-tseew of lasers being fired.

Someone else-- kyle lopez , but he doesn’t recognize the voice or know where it’s coming from because there’s a lot of shit going on-- says it out loud first. Memo’s mouth moves at first but no sound comes-- then he clears his throat and forces in a painful breath.

“Data,” he answers-- and no, he isn’t just copying everyone, thank you very much-- before managing to extrapolate Shivani’s Pokeball from his belt.

“Did everyone make it through okay?” he asks those in his immediate vicinity, voice still slightly strained. Around them, protects go up, and people start firing back at the Porygon.

Sorry, Alex, he thinks, releasing Shivani into the space directly next to him.

“Run some interference?” he asks, and she nods, phasing out of existence to appear elsewhere on the platform-- a safe distance away from Alex, who she is very aware does not like her-- and fires off a powerful THUNDER at a Porygon.

---

AlCwyhjr

tl ; dr
- memo asks the important questions
- checks on everyone, releases shivani the banette
- answers the riddle with data
- shivani shifts to the far side of the platform and uses thunder on a porygon

Alexei Ivanov et all c:

☉

Unfortunately, Lulu Flint doesn't linger long enough to see the one-fingered salute thrown her way in lieu of greeting. 

When Skyler allows herself to fall into the rushing waters of the northernmost whirlpool, she's expecting familiarity. She's expecting wet clothes and salty brine and, perhaps most of all, gravity.

And at first it seems like the laws of physics have actually made it through, and the universe is as it ought to be-

-only for those humble expectations to be shattered when her descent slows down. Rushing water replaced by an alien setting of digital polygons and binary.

"Where the fuck are we?" It is less a question than a snarl of frustration, set into her face in a frown.

Skyler would've prefered the bottom of the ocean. Hostile it may be, but at least the captain knew what to expect. This though? It sets her teeth on edge like little else does, prompted by memories of Megalopolan tech flashing behind her eyes.

There's no sense to be made of the speech they're given. Concepts like liminal layer, anomalies, updates, origin point... They all sail past Skyler's head like graceful dancers in a ballet show. Much like the riddle too.

The challenge at the end, however, is understood well enough. Especially when the Porygon start trying to microwave them into oblivion.

With a flash of red, Lapras disappears into a pokeball. In her stead appears a small, chunky mass that is cradled in Skyler's arms. Spitting out a curse, Skyler swerves to the side to avoid a beam of Tri-Attack. "Seabutt, Protect!" 

A thin dome is erected around them, though the captain doubts its effetivity in a place that has, apparently, shun all scientific laws. It's as she's dodging yet another death ray that a word echoes from the gathered crowd, repeated over and over again. 

"Data!" Skyler has absolutely no idea what she's doing. Someone must've found something out - and it doesn't hurt to try, does it?

bddmuwCT

TLDR;
- wtf is happening? to angelo vestri  and possibly (?) Locke Jamison
- she hates it here, there's no proper water
- lapras is recalled
- has pincurchin use PROTECT because death beams
- shouts data for no reason other than other people are doing it 
- she's an idiot 

angelo vestri Locke Jamison  

☉

Far be it for him to let his own observations inhibit him even more. [break]
Detail-oriented as he always was, it became abundantly clear that he hadn’t the luxury to be that way that time around.[break][break]

From the sea to the ground, and then to a dome of encasement, everything felt so swift in their transitions, and with a weight upon his shoulders, he could only find himself winded and struggling to gather himself as he and those around him touched down, but in his case, he’d been earthbound not too long after arrival as his companion lighted down with a similar lack of strength. With a low, hissing groan, he carefully slid his way off of the drake’s back, furrowing his brows and suppressing a need to stumble and collapse.[break][break]

Thank Arceus for support, though.[break][break]

As intense and sudden as the nausea was, the weight it brought was soon lifted from his shoulders as what only felt like a galvanizing wave coursed through and by him, and with a quick trace towards the source, he eyed the source and called a simple, relieved, ”Remind me I owe you later~,” between lingering breaths before bringing his gaze up to observe and listen to the voice calling to them.[break][break]

His eyes shifted through the clearing in an attempt to catch sight of the source (wherever they may have even been) before finding himself glancing towards one Porygon, and then another, and then the rest as their eyes shifted towards those present. His eyes shifted towards the prompt that appeared in the process, and instinctively, he took multiple takes between it and the creatures surrounding them before finally allowing the words to properly process.[break][break]

”It can’t not be data, right—?” were the only words he could muster before the first beam was fired, and then the number of others that followed. With widened eyes and a curse under his breath, he moved quickly to evade the beams that landed closest to him, watching and processing quickly as those nearby cast forth their barriers, and after just a moment of noting as such, he turned to the wyvern by him.[break][break]

”Orion! Hurricane!” he shouted, only sparing a glance over his shoulder to confirm he was as covered by a nearby barrier as he could be. ”Kite them, group them up— whatever!”[break][break]

jJrsbYEX

[break][break]

---

[break]

TL;DR

• late to the party oop. manages to recover. shoutout to MARISOL SIMONE
• listens to the voice + reads the riddle; answers with data
• takes advantage of the protect/wide guard/etc. being used around him for cover
• noivern uses hurricane up at the porygon above. main intent is to drag as many as possible in to lighten the psybeam + tri-attack output + group however many together for easy access

@cc[break]
notes

☉

"hm."
[break][break]
landing on 'solid ground' once more, greyson takes stock of his situation. all around him the dozens of voices quieted as the view-screen opens, revealing... a somewhat familiar face.
[break][break]
for a moment his face was a mask, but it fell apart quickly. his cheeks, nose, and even eyebrows twitch and quirk, confusion twisting his expression like a marionette testing their strings. the spark of anger, the very same one that'd ignited on the 'darkest day' and has since lay dormant inside of him, kindled to life.
[break][break]
he turns a cold gaze upwards, resenting this man. greyson was positive this stranger felt like they'd done a good deed. how smug he must've felt to tell the condemned they 'had a chance.'
[break][break]
it was a joke.
[break][break]
when the screen disappears and a riddle appears, greyson understandably tenses. his eyes go back to the watchful guardians, the porygons, as if expecting the other shoe to drop.
[break][break]
it does.
[break][break]
while voices rise to answer the strange riddle, some in confidence and others clearly 'following the trend', he stays silent, voice low as he directs his delphox.
[break][break]
"burn them, if you can." one of the porygon's attacks hit a passing block, disintegrating it into bits of 0 and 1's, but it doesn't stop there. it told him enough.
[break][break]
"keep moving. don't rely on your attacks to hold them back, either. if they do, however, try to help those distracted in one way or another. and— " he adds the last part more sternly, a command he would not have disobeyed. "—don't die."
[break][break]
the task would've been a lot on most pokemon — not autumn. he'd spend hours and days on expanding her power, her techniques, to the point where she could focus on multiple things at once with little error. it'd be useful here, as the attacks meet her MYSTICAL FIRE, her attention already shifting to another nearby.
[break][break]
beneath his feet the platform scans them, and greyson only tosses a casual glance downwards. it's enough to nearly force him to stumble, a trickle of fear washing in as his feet take on a more ghostly appearance.
[break][break]
but not now.
[break][break]
later.
[break][break]
he had shit to do.

[attr="class","notes"]@cc

[break][break]

eM4f21yd

[break][break]
⤷ gets upset at how casually this unknown figure talks about declaring worlds as hopeless.[break]
⤷ lets the others answer the riddle while he directs his pokemon to defend against the attacks with MYSTICAL FIRE.[break]
⤷ keeps them both moving just in-case the attack doesn't work to stop the projectiles.[break]
⤷ notices his shoes being 'uploaded' or 'scanned' like a copy machine and is freaked out, but focuses on surviving first.

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

[attr="class","illeana"]

[attr="class","illeana b"]

[attr="class","illeana i"]the growing trend lately is not knowing what the hell is going on.

this is no different.

she's too distracted by the sight of her shoes beginning to shift out of existence, translucence making her eyes go wide. that's... not normal. not in the slightest. and where the fuck are they?

who's this person? why are they talking? prattling on about chances and anomalies and oh shit, those are attacks.

time to breathe, to collect herself, to have a coherent thought is lost among chaos.

while people shout answers, she focuses on the volley of attacks. they're quick, locked on. watching things being deleted from just a single attack is an unfortunate circumstance she'd like to avoid at all costs.

and as a porygon fires a tri-attack at her, she scowls. "protect," comes in the form of a quick snap. the salamence snarls, irritated. the shimmering veil of protect rises and the scientist is quick to step behind it, choosing to shield while other attacks fly to put the porygon out of commission.

Mfivde7r
cyberchase conundrum.

tl;dr |
- wtf
- lets everyone else answer the riddle
- salamence uses protect for itself and illie