They had arrived back at this place, or well that is what he would want to think, they were back at the meeting place they had secured in their previous mission. It was far enough away the League wouldn't interfere with them, and in his hand was a source of power that encompassed everything that he could ever want. It was a Primal Shard that would take them a special place within the kingdom of machina, and it was there that he would attempt to uncover this places secrets. There wouldn't be any mishaps like there had been last time, they four of them were far more prepared this time. The music would be stopped before it could affect them, and with that neutralized the rest of it would be trivial.

They would have the communicators he had given them before still, and so he sat down on a rock waiting for them. Hopefully they would encounter far less resistance than they had before. Still that first mission felt so fresh in his mind, the memories etched into his memory, if he had any hope of getting the things he wanted, he couldn't afford mishaps like that. With a sigh he lamented over the overall success they had, but the absolute failure that he had been up until that Corviknight showed up. It was frustrating to him, he hated having his control taken from him, and while it was absolutely out of his control, he still hated himself for it.

Mulling it all over, he wondered about the source of the music, but he knew he wasn't just going to get the answer handed to him, and perhaps on one of their missions he would learn about the source of the strange music that could override human emotions. Maybe in time it would help him calm his own down, and keep him from getting out of hand.

nanette bouvier Makoto Kurumi Cathrine Fisher

Tick, tock, tick, tock... As if in rhythm to the clicks and whirrs of the world around them, Haguru moved in time - the gears of the klinklang turning with smooth and gentle clicks, as the steel-type drifted towards Amor. Atop the horizontal gear, Makoto was perched - seated, their legs idly dangling over the ring that encircled the klinklang. Having flown low, with Kuro's illusions to help obscure them, they hadn't run into any trouble...

... Though Makoto had a feeling that Haguru being a mechanical pokemon themself had helped some. Really, after the incident with Nanette and the volcanion guards - with the her more odd nature - Makoto was curious about whether mechanical pokemon would confuse the guards just as much as a woman with a mechanical demeanor. Not that they were looking to test that theory, unless absolutely necessarily

In any case, they'd speak up once Haguru had landed proper, near Seraphim. "I'm here," They announced their presence - sliding off to stand up proper, and returning Haguru to their pokeball. Kuro, in turn, would be briefly visible as it leapt down from Haguru into Makoto's shadow. "I was told that we'll be taking a slightly different approach, today?" They inquired - something about a crystal, if they recalled correctly, not that they were told much else.

But, at the very least, they came more prepared than last time. Kuro, Tsume, Nobusuma, and Haguru were here much like last time - electric attacks, flight, and illusions were still plenty useful on top of Haguru's more mechanical appearance potentially offering a bit of camoflauge. But in addition to those four, they brought a couple new pokemon - Tsukiko for support, and Oni for a bit of extra muscle. And pokemon aside, well... You couldn't go wrong with earbuds, either; they'd only be affected by the music if they heard it, from what they understood.

And if one ear was occupied by the communicator, and the other by an earbud, then there was only so much else that Makoto would be able to hear, right?

nanette bouvier , Amor Rose , Cathrine Fisher

02 complete

She would be lying if she claimed that returning to the mechanical kingdom didn’t induce in her both dread and excitement. But she could not cower at the thought of danger. She had to boldly jump at it!

Unlike last time, this time she would be more prepared, both in attire and equipment. And so, she would confidently walk toward the small gathering of Makoto Kurumi and Amor Rose (Seraphim). A hand moved up in a greeting wave.

“I hope I am not late.” She spoke with a jesting grin.


OOC:
Location: Mechanical Kingdom
TAGS: Amor Rose Makoto Kurumi nanette bouvier

He would see the two that had finally arrived, a hidden frown framed his face as he noticed that their last member wouldn't be able to join them, which was a bit disheartening he had enjoyed her presence last time. None of this showed however as he waved at the other two with his armored form. His own suit had undergone a bit more of a upgrade since last time. It seemed more armored than before, still sleek, but certain places had a more plated look, making him look even more robotic. They were going to go to a place that was new to them all, and so he wanted to make sure that they didn't suffer any mishaps.

"That is correct." He held up the tiny primal shard that would supposedly take them to a new area within the Mechanical Kingdom. "This is going to take us to a new locale, and I do not know what to expect, other than that there is a place to be powered up with what I can only presume to be steam." From what he had been told at least, that is why he had brought his Coalossal with him this time, it's Steam Engine would come in handy for this particular endeavor.

"This is going to get strange, so both of you stay close to me." He would express, and when the other two were next to him, he would activate the shard which transported them to the hidden room in the Kingdom. Of course it was barren, empty, no life to be found, much like the last time they had been there. Small clusters of coal were scattered about, and he would start to look about curiously.

"Let's look around for a moment, make sure it's safe before we go further." He'd express to the other two before scouting out the Engine Room.

TLDR
Prompt 17 Fulfilled!
Amor is making sure there is nothing dangerous in this room.

Makoto Kurumi Cathrine Fisher

Everyone was here now - it was a shame that Nanette, from the previous expedition, wasn't going to be present... But at the same time, perhaps fewer numbers would mean less chance of an accidental discovery. Either way, Makoto would give Cathrine a wave in response to her own - before turning their attention back to Seraphim, with his explanation of the plan.

The idea of a little crystal being able to transport them somewhere else completely... It was certainly a wild thought. It was one thing to have a pokemon with Teleport bringing you from one place to another - but it was another, to rely upon nothing but a shard, something that was unthinking and couldn't be communicated with. You'd have no way of knowing where you'd be brought, or of communicating whether you wanted to go elsewhere.

But all the same, Makoto was willing to go along with this. If Seraphim was willing to trust in the primal shard and going with them, then Makoto reasoned to themself that they had nothing to fear from the teleportation itself. Seraphim didn't strike them as the type to risk himself needlessly. Thus, at his direction, Makoto would step closer to him - gesturing for Kuro to come out and stay close, just incase. "I'm ready."

It was a strange sensation, to be shunted someplace different - in a way that was a bit different, from how pokemon handled teleportation. They were in a hidden alleyway, tucked away near the rift - and then, they were indoors, in an old engine room that was long-since abandoned like the rest of the kingdom. No life to be found, and not even any of the mechanical automatons seemed to be present here - just bits of coal scattered about, some shovels that might've been used to insert the coal into the engine, and the engine itself.

With the transportation finished, Kuro returned to Makoto's shadow - and the thief would let out Tsume, so that the three of them could all investigate the surrounding area. There didn't appear to be anything amiss, at least thus far... "Don't see anything at the moment... We may be in the clear, for now." They spoke softly - sparing a glance towards the other two, to check on them.

Amor Rose, Cathrine Fisher

Cathrine’s quick glance noticed the changes in Seraphim’s Armor. Whether they were proper upgrades of specific adaptations for the mission she couldn’t figure from just a glance. Unfortunately it seemed they would be one person short. A most unfortunate development, but there was naught they could do about that.

Cathrine glanced at their would be teleporting shard. She certainly didn't trust that. At least with a Pokémon you had something living to guide your traversing but that was a rock.

But alas there was little to argue. Their choice had been made, this was their mission. And so she made sure to stick close to Seraphim and Makoto as they teleported. She closed her eyes for a moment, and when they opened once again she found herself within what seemed like an engine room of some sort.

She was quick to begin scouting the place for dangers, traps and even guardians.

OOC:
Location: Mechanical Kingdom
TAGS: Amor Rose Makoto Kurumi

After searching for a few minutes, and seeing no immediate danger he let out a slight sigh of relief. There was no immediate danger to them all at the very least. They were here to get a job done, and that was to power this machine, and see what would become of it. So he took out a pokeball from along his belt, in a brilliant flash of light there was a Coalossal standing in the room with them. The reports he had read had said to use Rolycoly, but that seemed terribly inefficient to him.

"We're going to power this machine, to my knowledge no one has done this yet, so we will be treading into unknown territory. Stay on your toes, and if we get attacked, we protect this room at all costs." There was no room for argument, if they could harness this castle to their advantage, then perhaps in the upcoming war against not only the League, but the Dark Triad, they would have more firepower to use. So his Coalossal stepped into the heart of the machine, and began to heat up. Amor however wanted to see just how far he could push this place.

So another Pokemon was released it was his Charizard, and with a tap of a gem on his gauntlet it would quickly evolve into Mega Charizard X. It's flames were more than ten times hotter than a normal Charizards. The blue flames constantly erupting from it's maw making it more menacing than it usually appeared.

"A controlled fire spin around her." He expressed to his great beast before it nodded, and then let loose a scalding hot Fire Spin that would swirl around the Coalossal heating it up, and sending steam, smoke, and heat through the various pipes, reviving the entire structure if only partially. It was then that a door off to the side of this power room opened up, and he quirked a brow. Not knowing what was there.

"Well it would seem something has happened." He quirked a hidden brow. Seraphim was reluctant to leave this room however. "Are you two okay to scout it alone? We still have comms so if something goes wrong, just send word, and I'll send him over to you." He expressed to the pair motioning to his Mega Charizard. Though he had faith they would be able to handle whatever awaited them easily.

TLDR
Prompt 28 Fulfilled!
Mega Evolution Prompt fulfilled!
Seraphim asks the two to check out the room that opened up when they powered up the facility.

Makoto Kurumi
Cathrine Fisher

With the efforts of Amor's pokemon, the engine in the room is activated - the structure rattling to life from the steampower provided by Coalossal and Charizard alike. The faint whistle from a couple blasts of of steam escaping through the rare tiniest gaps at the joints of the pipes was audible - but everything was functional, it seemed. Gears and machinery began to churn, somewhere out of the group's line of sight...

... And with a rattle, a door off to the side began to slide open.

At Amor's question, Makoto would nod in acknowledgement and confirmation alike - it was best to be careful, stepping in, so... "... Scout ahead, don't let yourself be seen. Tell us if you find anything." They spoke - a command to Kuro, still hidden in their shadow.

Which, in response, it'd begin to move - the blob of shadow that was the little ghost-type splitting away, and sliding across the floor into the room ahead.

And with that, Makoto began to walk - slow, careful, steady, with Tsume at their side. They entered the room - and glancing around, it took but a second for them to realize that it was a factory of some sort. With the engine activated, the assembly lines had rattled back to life just the same - parts being ferried along, and slowly put together by clearly-aged mechanisms. Though it was hard to figure out what the individual parts were for, at least at the present moment.

It would be now that Kuro returned, however - and producing illusory images, the little zorua painted a picture of those familiar mechanical volcanion patrolling deeper within the factory. But, these ones were not the same as the ones outside - it seemed that with the room having been forgotten, these constructs had fallen into disrepair. And though they were still functional, they jerked and spasmed as if only barely held together.

Still - enemies were enemies. And Makoto, humming thoughtfully, opened the comms to speak to Amor and Cathrine both at once. "This looks to be a factory of some sort... My zorua spotted those Volcanion deeper in - but they are half-broken down. We could attempt to fight them head-on, or sneak past them - but I'd like to hear your thoughts, both of you, before we commit to anything." They spoke.

Either path seemed equally viable - especially without the threat of the mechanical corviknight from before hanging over them. But, who knew what else they could end up running into, in this strange factory...? Decisions, decisions...

Fulfilled: powering up the coal engine will help activate a factory room where mechanical volcanion are being manufactured (though they are missing parts and some of the assembly is improper); you will not be able to take a volcanion, but you may encounter dilapidated volcanion that attempt to attack you.

Amor Rose , Cathrine Fisher

She would be lying if she said she wasn’t curious, perhaps that was why she agreed to scouting without fuss.

Alongside Makoto she made her way into the factory. Though once in there, she left Makoto to her own devices as she scouted ahead in another direction. Sneaking past machinery, though none of the living guards. She would soon learn why as the direction she had picked reached a dead end.

By then Makoto’s voice rang through the comms channel.

Cathrine was quick to reply. “Sneaking past might be wisest. A fight could attract more.”

She began to make her way back to Makoto, while doing so she would ask through the comms channel. “Would it be possible for your Zoroark to cast an illusion that makes us look like them?” She remembered Makoto’s Zoroark making them invisible last time. But figured it might be risky in case these ones, broken as they might be, could see through it.


OOC:
Location: Mechanical Kingdom
TAGS: Amor Rose Makoto Kurumi

He'd listen to the findings that Makoto Kurumi had found, and tapping his cheek as Cathrine Fisher gave her input, he would nod at that particular suggestion. It would be smart to blend in with the enemy this time rather than trying to become outright invisible, and since they weren't currently impeded by the music this would be much easier than last time, they were free of the emotion wielding effects. So the two of them would hear that familiar robotic voice pierce the silence.

"I agree with Cathrine, disguise yourself as part of the machinery to avoid detection, since the music can't overwhelm this time, it will be much easier for your skillset this time." He expressed to Makoto. This mission was going far more smoothly than their first one. "The one downside is your sound, do you have a way to sound mechanical? A pokemon to aid you perhaps?" Just looking the part wouldn't be enough, they would have to fully immerse themselves in that role to avoid the specalized detection of the other machines.

Half broken or not, they were still dangerous as far as he was concerned, and so he waited to hear the response. Knowing the time they had until the Mega Evolution expired was drawing near, but it had done it's job.

Makoto Kurumi Cathrine Fisher

TLDR
Amor asks a question nothing crazy.

Cathrine would suggest another application of illusions - but rather than making oneself invisible, it'd be to disguise them. To make oneself appear mechanical, in fact. Seraphim agreed with the idea, suggesting having another pokemon to help in the matter - and Makoto, mulling it over, couldn't help but think back to their fourth compatriot in the previous expedition. nanette bouvier . The strange girl was almost like a mechanical doll herself, in her mannerisms and movement - and it had been enough to confuse one of the guards, during the foursome's escape from the castle.

Perhaps they could employ a more convincing version of that, to sneak by the dilapidated volcanion in plain sight - the thought clicked into their head, and they couldn't help but smile to themself for it. "I think I can manage that," They spoke - a hint of humor in their tone. They didn't just think - they knew. You either could or couldn't, when it came to a good heist - trying to quibble inbetween just risked being caught.

And well, they were better than that.

Once Cathrine had arrived, Makoto would gesture to Tsume and Kuro both, to get the foxes' attentions, and brought out Haguru for good measure. "Conjure up a disguise, I want us to look like we're just as mechanical as the other creatures here." They directed the foxes - and glancing to Haguru, they added "Move in time with the kingdom's machinery - help us keep rhythm, and make plenty of mechanical noise to go with it." A controlled Shift Gear would likely help in that matter.

With Makoto's pokemon working together, the two had their disguises - and Tsume as well, by extension. The only ones who didn't need to disguise themselves were Kuro, who simply remained hidden in Makoto's shadow while it did its magic with illusions, and Haguru, who was already plenty mechanical. Though it took a moment to find the right rhythm, Makoto made sure to only move and step in time with each click of the klinklang's gears - helping contribute to the trickery.

And once satisfied, the group began to move - deeper into this mysterious factory, and towards the guards ahead. Indeed, much like Kuro described, these volcanion were not the same ones outside - even the older and more battleworn guards on the outside looked pristine, compared to the stuttering forms of these forgotten beasts. Though a few would cast their attentions at the group - watching, judging...

... After a few tense moments, the attention would fall away - as these broken volcanion seemed to regard the group as just a part of the kingdom, just like everyone else. They instead would return to their normal patrols - watching over the assembly lines, to ensure that the factory was in order.

Once Makoto was out of earshot of the mechanical beasts, they let out a heavy sigh of relief. "It's a relief we won't have to fight any of them, assuming the disguises can hold up." They mused to Cathrine and Seraphim both, unable to help a slight chuckle to help release some of the tension in their muscles.

Fulfilled: 02, 07

Amor Rose , Cathrine Fisher

Cathrine felt a small bump to her ego as her suggestion was considered and accepted. But no more than that as she focused on what came next.

Makoto’s Pokémon created the illusion, even adding sounds to make sure it was believable. And so they made their way past the guards and their hearing.

“Yeah.” Cathrine admitted while letting her gaze wander. The factory seemed old and decrepit, as much in disrepair as the guards who kept it ‘safe’ and yet it was moving, building. And from the looks of it, what it was building were more decrepit guards.

“I wonder just how much of this is automated.” Cathrine mused as they’d be on their way.

OOC: Head empty.
Location: Mechanical Kingdom
TAGS: Amor Rose Makoto Kurumi

The functionality of this place seemed to be fine for the moment, and so he simply waited in that room as his Coalossal fueled the furnace, and the two girls went off to scout with their disguise. The two of them sneaking around would be much easier than with all of them, and with this he could just have Ogun rush in to help should they need it.

Several minutes passed, and he figured they had been exploring for almost half an hour before he rang them on the comms. While this was shorter than their last venture, he knew that prolonged exposure to this place wouldn't do them any favors, and while their new ear protection did drown out the music, it wasn't going to be permanent in the slightest. Something could cause it to fail, and then they would be in this place surrounded by enemies that they had little hope of dealing with en masse.

"While it is a bit shorter this time, I think we should count our blessings, and leave you two. Nothing has gone amiss in this particular adventure so far, but we shouldn't push our luck. So let's had back, and make a report on our findings for this one, and then we can relax, and come back. I am curious to see what secrets this castle holds." He'd explain his logic to the two, they had accomplished a lot during their short stay he felt.

They had found a new room, found a Volcanion factory, they had scouted the area, and all in all they now had valuable intel to use on their next venture here. Every bit helped, and he would make sure that they didn't let it all go to waste. Of course the robotic ninja was also thankful that there hadn't been a need to fight this time. This was exactly how he had hoped that their first foray would go.

Makoto Kurumi Cathrine Fisher

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