MARCH UPDATE

POSTED ON Mar 4, 2024 2:41:30 GMT

NPC, Lulu Flint, and 2 more like this

It's not everyday you get to have dinner with an alien.

Within a private dining room reserved for only the elite of the elite, you sit across from none other than General Velmos. Truthfully, you knew very little about the man. You weren't around for the Ultra Beast War, so all you've got to go off is a few archived reports and what you've been told by Lulu Flint. Still, everything seems to indicate that his interests align with Team Rocket, and that's good enough for you.

And it better be good enough for him, because you've pulled out all the stops for this one. A song from your own collection, a personal favorite, plays softly over the speakers, though you've long since forgotten what it's called and who made it. A few rooms down, a group of grunts and chefs hustle and bustle around the submarine's galley, rushing to prepare a fitting dinner for both you and your guest. You've even brought back the "formal" attire that you wore at the Rocket Christmas Party, though admittedly, it looks far worse on you now than it did then. You try not to linger on it. You're not here to lament the tragedy of the past. You're here to prevent the tragedy of the future.

Idly, you check your watch. Kitchen staff are running late. The main course was supposed to be here by now, but you suppose that's fine, isn't it? After all, once you've finished starters, that leaves you both time to refresh your memory of all that's happened so far. Two copies of howard slayte's report on the Route 119 incident lie upon the table, one for each of you, that you might refresh your memories of what happened. You don't even touch your copy, though. Even now, you remember everything that happened with such strange clarity.

As soon as he's finished reading, you begin to speak.

"Let's cut to the chase." You look Velmos dead in the eye, watching for any twitch or tic that might suggest a lie. "The Toxic Chain. Seems to infest humans and Pokemon just as easy as it takes hold of Megalopolans and Ultra Beasts. You wouldn't happen to have come across it before, would you?"

shiv

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POSTED ON Mar 10, 2024 20:29:51 GMT

Cillian Quinn, Lulu Flint, and 2 more like this

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Velmos slurps up drool that crowds around the ridges of his palate. His teeth, once broken, have been smoothed over. Supposedly, Rocket benefits had extended its reach to extraterrestrials.[break][break]

As far as Velmos lets on, he's grounded here.[break][break]

"what chase?" The Megalopolan asks. But he's quick to collect the phrase's meaning like the spittle between his fangs. "no idea. toxic chain means nothing to me."[break][break]

Blue, clawed hands flip through his copy of howard slayte's report. He sniffs. [break][break]

Where's the food?[break][break]

"you've seen my people? a community of them?"

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Shred [break]
ty for your patience!

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Rocket Beast

IT IS TOO LATE FOR US. WREAK HAVOC ON THE MIDDLE CLASS.

6'4" height

I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.

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POSTED ON Mar 11, 2024 2:57:15 GMT

NPC, Lulu Flint, and 1 more like this

So, he doesn't know the Toxic Chain? Well, that certainly narrows things down. You'd had a theory that it might've originally come from Ultra Space, considering how it was found with a group of Megalopolans, and how it had no problems infecting Ultra Beasts. But if he says that's not the case, then you're inclined to believe him. Maybe that's naïve of you, but then again, what does he have to gain from lying?

Either way, that's another dead end in your search. Okay... Damn. You breathe a slight, near-imperceptible sigh. Alright. Good to have that bandaid ripped off nice and early. Now, let's hope the rest of this little chat ends up being worth a damn, yeah?

And to that ends, things are already looking up, because Velmos asks you about the exact same thing you wanted to ask him.

"Yeah. There were a group of them hiding out under the swamps in Route 119, using Shiny Machines to disguise themselves. I don't know the specifics, but it seems like they were trying to rebuild some kind of "Quaestor Lucis" using the power of Tera Crystals." You explain, mostly to save him the trouble of reading. "I don't know how many there were, but they had to be in the hundreds. Had a bunch of Nihilego with them, too. They all kept talking about how they wanted to go home..."

It's sad. At the time, you didn't see them as anything but enemies in you way, foes to be disposed of, but now? You pity those poor bastards. All they wanted was to return to their own world. They couldn't possibly have imagined the ugly fate that awaited them.

"...Problem is, they were all infected with the Toxic Chain, every single one of them, and it was messing with their brains. Ended up spreading their sickness to a bunch of the investigation team, too. It was a real pain in the ass, but long story short, we left and came back, and now they're gone. Trust me, I've looked. Couldn't even find a scrap of evidence they even existed. My guess is they moved shop, but fuck if I know where they went."

You lean forward, resting your elbow upon the table and your chin upon your hand.

"Funny thing, though: They didn't take kindly to the mention of your name. In fact, they called you a traitor. Know anything about that?"

shiv

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POSTED ON Mar 18, 2024 3:00:47 GMT

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"the quaestor lucis is a symbol of lost hope. we've lost contact with every vessel we've built with our with our hands and teeth, every single one we've launched past the ultra-beyond."[break][break]

velmos slams his fists on the table. though he bares snarling teeth, his neutered fangs are more like deep sea scales than deep sea teeth.[break][break]

"some of our kind have viewed the generals' alliances with your people as treasonous." the megalopolan says. "we are doing what we need to survive. if we could leave we would. if we could return to a home instead of eternal darkness, we would."[break][break]

his hunger aimed for more than just flesh and bone.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Shred [break]
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Raptor

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December 25th

Spikemunth

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Monster

Rocket Beast

IT IS TOO LATE FOR US. WREAK HAVOC ON THE MIDDLE CLASS.

6'4" height

I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.

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POSTED ON Mar 18, 2024 5:39:08 GMT

howard slayte likes this

"Alright, alright, I get it! Cool it on hitting the table, man. I don't know how much they're paying you, but it probably isn't enough to fix it."

Hell, even your paycheck would struggle to cover it. It's made of, like, ebony, or bocote, or something similarly expensive. Arceus forbid the Underbosses eat off anything that costs less than four digits. They'd probably have carved it out of diamond if the budget allowed for it, but fortunately for good taste, it didn't.

That aside, you mull over Velmos' words. They're certainly enlightening, in a sense of the word. Sounds like the general's had a rough go of it. Maybe you can pick his brain a little, see if it leads you somewhere you wouldn't expect?

"Suppose--"

You're interrupted by the dining room doors swinging open, and a harried group of wait staff roll in a cart. You glare daggers at them as they push the cart up to the table. You're not mad, per say, more so disappointed. Not only are they late, but they have no sense of timing, too. As they prepare to serve, you make a mental note to adjust your tip accordingly.

For Velmos, Kantonian wagyū beef, imported from Team Rocket's own premium farms. Cooked medium rare, with a generous helping of peppered sauce poured overtop. Served with a side of gnocchi and garlic butter mushrooms, and accompanied by a glass of red wine, sourced from... Well, you don't know where, but you "borrowed" it from howard slayte's office, so it's probably good.

"Thank you for dining with us tonight. We do hope you enjoy, General."

And for you, a modest soup.

"U-uhm, Beast Shred, do we get paid now, or...?"

"SUPPOSE," You begin again, dismissing the well-dressed grunts with a wave of your hand. With that, they make their quick exit. Only once the door fully shuts behind them do you continue. "That you were in the same position that they were. You're alone, without the backing of Rocket nor the League. Your plan to return home, which you've been working on for weeks, months, maybe even years, has gone awry. You have to start everything over again, except now, you don't have secrecy on your side. The world knows you exist. Some of them are even looking for you."

Some. "Some". """Some""". Probably just you.

"All you've got is your people, your Pokemon, and your ambition. What's your first instinct? What would you do in that situation?"

shiv

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POSTED ON Mar 26, 2024 5:40:04 GMT

Tempest Quinn and howard slayte like this

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velmos takes his time to answer. he has to. like carvanha, he tears into the slab of meat with his hands. his teeth. there is no sign of them having been dulled in the frenzy.[break][break]

droplets of sauce fly in the air like ultra wormholes.[break][break]

"i'd kill myself." velmos says. he's satiated some, but violence lingers on his lips. "but not without taking someone down. a final meal."[break][break]

the megalopolan laughs and severs another slab of wagyu.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Shred [break]
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GOD

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December 25th

Spikemunth

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Monster

Rocket Beast

IT IS TOO LATE FOR US. WREAK HAVOC ON THE MIDDLE CLASS.

6'4" height

I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.

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POSTED ON Mar 31, 2024 17:24:47 GMT

shiv and howard slayte like this

You feel like you're learning a lot about Velmos, and very little about your quarry. At first, you'd imagined him as this enigmatic stranger from another world, wreathed in mysteries and rare wisdom. Now? Deprived of an army to command and a mission to fulfill, the general is a gun without a firing mechanism. A prop, meant to be kept on a wall or within a case, to be shown off but never used.

A trophy of Team Rocket's participation in the Ultra Beast War, and little else.

As he savours the finest meat Kanto has to offer, you glance down to your watery soup. Fuck it. You barely have appetite to begin with, and watching this dog show Poochyena scarf down a five-star meal has put you off what little remained. If you keep going one-by-one trying to figure out what he does and doesn't know, you'll be here forever. Time for a lightning round.

"Alright, I'm going to list off names, places, ideas, concepts, just about fuckin' anything, alright? Raise your voice if anything I say rings any bells... 'Raise your voice' as in say something, and 'ring any bells' as in you know it."

With that, you take a quick sprint down memory lane, flick through the report, and clear your throat.

"Tera Crystals, Hisui, Blood Moon Ursaluna, the Gigaton Ball, Route 119, a bird a monkey and a dog, weird psycho drug herbs, mochi, a Gigaton Pokeball, Space-Time Distortions, diamond tattoos, Cyllora, Spencer Modell, Desiree Bloom's 2023 album Shimmering Butterfly, Doug...? Fuck, man, anything. I'm not picky."

Well, you are, but considering how badly this conversation is going? You'll take what you can get wherever you can get it.

shiv

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POSTED ON Apr 14, 2024 3:46:10 GMT

freya morningstar, Lulu Flint, and 1 more like this

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shred lists on and on and on, while velmos gnashes, gnashes, and gnashes. though he may be alien, there is something familiar and elucidatory about the way he too, has an adam's apple. it bobs with every swallow. juts out like a hatching sneasel's claw pressed against a blue vitelline membrane.[break][break]

velmos only answers when shred finishes.[break][break]

and when he is satisfied enough from his meal.[break][break]

"cyllora? they're alive?" velmos says. "thought they died in the war."[break][break]

steak juice dribbles down his chin. he wipes it with a finger—and licks it clean, pale tongue lapping up knuckle and nail.[break][break]

"they could've been a general, but they're a rusher. always trying to take the easiest route before it all blindingly backfires on them."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Shred [break]
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Raptor

GOD

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December 25th

Spikemunth

Northeast

Monster

Rocket Beast

IT IS TOO LATE FOR US. WREAK HAVOC ON THE MIDDLE CLASS.

6'4" height

I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.

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POSTED ON Apr 16, 2024 23:00:12 GMT

Lulu Flint likes this

Something about watching Velmos eat makes you viscerally uncomfortable. Watching his throat shift and bulge as it forces down mouthful after mouthful of meat. With a shake of your head, you push you soup to the centre of the table and lean back in your seat.

Arceus, you'd kill for a cigarette right now.

Luckily, your spray-and-pray approach to interrogation seems to have borne some fruit, even if it's only a single grape from a withering vine.

"Cyllora, huh?" You murmur, rubbing your chin. Frankly, it's a small miracle you even remembered that name to begin with. You would've thought it was just some average everyday Megalopolan name, like John or Frank or Jane or Frankette. For it to be a big player, big enough for Velmos to bother remembering them... Well, it has to mean something, right? "You think they might've blundered into the Toxic Chain? Or did they get themselves infected intentionally to try and get back home quicker?"

You're not sure how that second one would work, but given that seems to be the MO of the Megalopolans, it makes the most sense to you. Though, now that you think about, it does raise an different, completely unrelated question.

"...Actually, why are you even still here? All of you, I mean. Can't you just head back to your dimension through the Ultra Wormholes like everyone else does? Why go through the effort of making a big ship in the first place?"

shiv

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POSTED ON Apr 18, 2024 3:47:01 GMT

Cillian Quinn and Lulu Flint like this

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"i can't see how this 'toxic chain' could help them get home, but if it did, then cyllora would." velmos says.[break][break]

his meal is almost gone. should there have been any bones, toothpicks, or inedible garnishes, they too, would have been devoured.[break][break]

velmos lifts the plate. licks all the juices clean with his pale, blue tongue. it is a miracle that there is not a jaw-shaped chunk of ceramic missing from it.[break][break]

"we don't have the means to make ultra wormholes. if we could, then of course we'd do that." velmos sneers. "but returning home also means returning to our deaths. ultra megalopolis is a failed state filled with men driven mad by the darkness."[break][break]

as the plate lowers, curiosity dangerously lines velmos' eyes.
[break][break]

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Raptor

GOD

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December 25th

Spikemunth

Northeast

Monster

Rocket Beast

IT IS TOO LATE FOR US. WREAK HAVOC ON THE MIDDLE CLASS.

6'4" height

I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.

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POSTED ON Apr 21, 2024 10:16:44 GMT

howard slayte likes this

There's a strange look in Velmos' eyes, though it doesn't take you long to parse what he wants.

"There's no seconds." You state bluntly, though you do gesture towards your pitiful bowl of pitiful soup. "But if you want my leftovers, then go nuts... As in, you're free to eat them, too."

As it stands, though? You've got plenty to chew on, but little to swallow. Despite your best efforts, you've dredged up plenty of insight into the Megalopolans, and yet more nothing on the Toxic Chain. A dangerous parasite, a whole mob of missing Megalopolans, a plethora of witnesses, and yet, all you've got are theories and conjecture. But despite your ever-building frustrations, there's no more point on probing Velmos over it.

You glance away from the conversation and towards the clock. You've still got a few minutes to burn before you're ready to call it quits. So, might as well indulge a little personal curiosity until the time's up.

"Well, who says you need an Ultra Wormhole? There's Pokemon who can screw around with time and space like that, right?" You ponder aloud, stroking your chin as you do. "Say, Palkia, or Hoopa, or one of those types. Couldn't they just rip open a tear or portal or something and let you all march back at once? Hell, with that kind of power on your side, you could probably even reclaim that Ultra Megalocity of yours, too."

...Well, you doubt Palkia's avatar would ever deign to help Team Rocket's allies, and you don't have the slightest clue of where Hoopa and Kyurem went, but still.

shiv

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POSTED ON Apr 26, 2024 8:18:19 GMT

howard slayte likes this

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promptly, velmos grabs shred's bowl. within seconds, the leftovers are gone. any dried broth on the bowl's edge is licked and scraped off. any speck of undissolved seasoning is melted against velmos' blue tongue.[break][break]

"ultra space plays by different rules." velmos says. "if those pokemon you have mentioned can make portals... yes, might be possible, but from what i have learned, ultra space is unique. it lives between all other worlds. we have worlds within it. like my city. my home."[break][break]

the alien sets the bowl down with a clang.[break][break]

"it might not be as simple as tearing a hole." velmos says. "it never is."
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Shred [break]
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December 25th

Spikemunth

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Monster

Rocket Beast

IT IS TOO LATE FOR US. WREAK HAVOC ON THE MIDDLE CLASS.

6'4" height

I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.

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POSTED ON Apr 28, 2024 22:56:33 GMT

NPC likes this

"Damn."

To be honest, you can't say you're particularly moved by his plight. For all the supposed distance between his people and his homeland, they don't seem to be making much effort to move towards it. No, from what little you've seen of Velmos, he seems all too content to wallow in self-pity and bemoan his circumstances. Better to believe his mission impossible than to actually try and find it so, you suppose.

But you've got little patience and much that needs doing. If all this old soldier has to offer is complaints about today and reminscience about tomorrow, then you've got little else to say to him.

"Well, this certainly has been an..." A waste of time? A pointless diversion? A wild Zangoose chase? "...Enlightening experience. Thank you for your time, General."

With that, you stand up, offer the laziest head-bow you can muster, and make to leave.

shiv

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