[attr="class","angelotag"] parker jones

[attr="class","angelomain"]"i hate you."

There’s a pause as Angelo watches the clerk bustle about behind the counter, one that he commands a beat longer to whet his tongue on a slow sip of coffee.

“Okay,” comes the disinterested response.

Parker’s grumbled spite wounds him about as deep as when one of his younger siblings would pout those same words, like when he refused buying them a gelato from the local pasticceria. There’s a voice, down in some strange misty part of himself, that tells him with confidence that she was lying.

But why should he even care if she did hate him…?

It’s that same assurance that doesn’t make Angelo feel weirded out when she says his name, even though he logically knew he should find it to be. After all, he can’t remember telling her it when they were down in the Ultra Deep Sea.

“Was the last time I checked,” he steps away then, beckoned by the call of his order being ready.

With his brown bag of bagels now safe in his custody and a thanks bid to the staff (boy, did they deserve it after the whirlwind of their patronage) there was really no need for Angelo to stay. And yet he finds himself turning back to Parker, instead of heading out the door like he ought to.

It felt like there were too many threads left dangling in the wind. Tethered to a place unknown.

“Anyway, what’s with the judgemental tone?” He raises a mischievous brow, oblivious to the tension rippling behind the counter from clerks once scorned. “Like Parker Jones is the height of naming sophistication.”

[attr="class","angelopoke"]

[attr="class","angelotag"] angelo vestri

[attr="class","angelomain"]The AQUA Initiative couldn’t organise a drinking contest in a brewery, Angelo is starkly reminded as reckless flames explode around the cavern, sweat beginning to bead across his skin.

Paint is added to further fill in a picture of those he could not fall back on, in the calamity to come…

He flashes skyler dross a dry look out of the corner of his eye, an opinion shared - one they'd voiced between each other prior to today - without need for words.

Detaching a pokeball from his belt, Latios has already faded back into the unseen as the sharp reptilian form of a dragapult emerges and snakes into the air. Golden, slithers of her eyes narrowed in cutting scrutiny at the monstrous remix of suicune.

“Zulu!”

Obeying her masters call, shimmering blue crystals begin to coat Zulu 2’s levitating form. Glass droplets hang like jewels off her water tera crown, jingling as the energy that gathers within her horn hollows releases a hydro cannon, pressure kicking her back. Twin jet streams rushing towards the bastardised suicune and its halo of fire.

“Hey.” Angelo, meanwhile, slides up close to Greyson Connors, getting shamelessly cosy with the elite four behind his protect. “Got room back here for one more?”



► swapping latios for dragapult
► dragapult water tera activates
► dragapult uses hydro cannon on walking wake
► angelo gets close and personal with Greyson Connors behind his protect

[attr="class","angelopoke"]

[attr="class","angelotag"] skyler dross

[attr="class","angelomain"]In just a few short weeks, Pacifidlog would see a sudden rise in traffic coming through their humble, floating town. A colourful cast of visitors arriving from all different walks of Hoenn life, bringing with them offers of assistance as news of the weather alerts spread and a variety of motivations, also.

Nautica’s presence however, was hard to miss.

When they arrived, they came with ships and seaplane docked proudly to the traditional, wooden jetties and two owners with a wealth of experience that only a maritime company could provide.

Yesterday they had gone through evacuation drill exercises with the Pacifidlog civilians and the day before that, suggested measures to keep increasingly aggravated gyarados in local waters had been put to the test. Aside from a misfortunately placed boat and its escapee nanab berries as collateral, it was a success.

Today, supplies would be shipped over to the nearby islands designated as evacuation spots. Stocking them up with non-perishables and equipment, in case of emergency.

“That’s the last of them now. Shouldn’t be much longer,” his voice punctuates the light thud of footsteps on the dock, as Angelo steps away from the loading crew to meet with Skyler. Behind him, his chimecho is helping psychically lift a crate of canned goods.

“Then we can push on to our island of the day,” a folded map is tugged free from his back pocket, held temptingly out towards her with a smile far too innocent to be anything other than enticing. “You’ll like this one.”

On it, she’d find an island and its questionable name circled vigorously.

► mission

[attr="class","angelopoke"]

[attr="class","angelotag"] angelo vestri

[attr="class","angelomain"]We’re being herded like wooloo, he can’t help but think as sharp edges stretch towards their backs, forcing the group to march down the long tunnel beneath Ever Grande’s crust.

Latios had vanished once the space had become more crowded, however Angelo could still sense his presence nearby. Its a comfort while he focuses on the path ahead. He’d rather avoid looking behind or above his head, lest he find the space smaller than he’d like.

Eventually they reach a cavernous chamber, although there’s little time to appreciate the spaciousness when the earth quakes beneath their feet. Loose shards rattling from the glutaral roar.

Stomping towards them comes a creature that Angelo instantly recalls from Row’s search some time back. Although this thing was more dragon than the Suicune they’d sought, and bigger than a fucking truck.

“This the kind of meeting you were hoping for?” He asks skyler dross as scalding water hisses through the cave.

Angelo takes a breezy step back out of the way of the following breaking swipe. Directing his tailwind to encircle around the chamber should give the Aqua member’s and their pokémon a spring in their step. Especially when there are spiny twin tails, whipping out towards them.

Flying in close to his patron, Latios’s outline becomes dipped in bioluminescent. TELEKINESIS spreading towards the ancient-looking suicune to seize its body.

► angelo uses his TAILWIND to boost ALL ALLIES speed/evasion to dodge the attacks
► latios uses TELEKINESIS on WALKING WAKE

[attr="class","angelopoke"]

[attr="class","wownewtag"] Gunner Graves GIDEON GRAVES

[attr="class","wownewmain"]In his one small act of mercy before they lit the moon on fire, Angelo reaches out to grab the adolescent kartana. Thankfully, it chooses not to slice his fingers off as he tucks its thin, paper body into the safety of his jacket interior.

“It’s a good a plan as any!” Angelo follows up from GIDEON GRAVES ’s apprehension for a plan that, actually, he thought was kind of resourceful. Badass. “I’ll keep them off your backs!”

As Gunner Graves encourages his brother to rig together a makeshift flamethrower out of severed celesteela limbs, Angelo dashes over to Shrike.

Hopping onto her back, they take off. Using their aerial advantage to pick off the lurching aliens before they could reach the brothers.

There was only so many they could burn however, when they crawled like an unending swarm of locusts. “Guys? Don't keep me in suspense, how's it lookin'?” He calls down.

Its there, from the air, that Angelo spots something shimmering in the distance. Roaring flames casting an orange glow over the dull grey surface of the moon, that catches on an object metallic and square, dug into the lunar crust.

[attr="class","wownewpoke"]

[attr="class","angelotag"] Eris Halla

[attr="class","angelomain"]Crinkles appear between Angelo’s brows, eyes narrowing as a sparkling crystal is innocently cradled between two small palms.

Slowly, narrowed eyes never retreating from scrutinising Eris, he reaches towards his pack. Lifting it, he gives it a brief shake. Listening as the cuts of rock he’d mined clatter together.

Before one or two drop out of a hole in the bottom…

“Huh,” despite having his haul lightened, it comes out as a surprisingly impressed sound.

“You weren’t faking having a headache, were you?”

Improvising, Angelo shrugs off his jacket and wraps the remaining rocks up in a bundle. Then stuffs it in the bottom of the bag so it wouldn’t fall out the bottom.

“Because then I’d be seriously impressed.”

Terrible influence, who's this?

In the end, Angelo does end up poking the organ with the end of his pickaxe. Eris could consider it a gift for her trickiness. Even if the furious, earth quaking rumble that erupted around the cavern was enough for them to (unwillingly) lessen their load as they hightail it out the Ultra Deep Sea.

► lessen the load (+100 points)

[attr="class","angelopoke"]

[attr="class","angelotag"] parker jones

[attr="class","angelomain"]Refusing to change his mind on bagel choice, as if doing so was conceding a loss (and fuck would he ever to Piss Girl), Angelo does his best to make his breakfast bearable. A tricky task, given that blueberry was the dogshit option.

In the end, to balance out the sweetness of the dough, he orders it with cured gogoat cheese and a drizzle of combee honey on top. It’s the best he can do with the limited options but hey, he’s unfortunately been subject to Skyler’s cooking. If he could survive that then this would be a breeze.

Speaking of, skyler dross would be the true winner this morning. She’d have scored herself an asiago with egg, cheese and a generous helping of bacon for breakfast; bagel shop drama not included.

Its honestly an upsetting contrast.

With his steaming black coffee in hand, Angelo casually stands off to the side as he waits for his order to be rung up. Parker joins him soon after and the two wait beside one another, their earlier ‘conflict’ bringing with it the promise of an awkward, tense silence.

He takes a sip, and completely breaks it.

“Good choice with the asiago,” Angelo says, just the slightest too smug around the edges to be a compliment. At least, not one for her.

After all he’d ordered the exact same thing. Just he’d ordered his first.

[attr="class","angelopoke"]

[attr="class","angelotag"] Caleb Harcourt Zev Harcourt

[attr="class","angelomain"]“Later,” he repeated, hand clapping against Caleb Harcourt’s shoulder in return. His smile made no hint that he had no real desire to commit to the promise. “Let’s get the hell out of here first before everyone wakes up.”

Behind him, Latios and Latias’s forms shimmer into view. Their ticket to freedom. Only ruby eyes narrow, scrutinising the ranger as if looking straight at his dark secrets.

Finally, the legendary sinks low enough to let Caleb climb onto his back when a small bow is presented. Although whether he was appeased by the respect, understood the sense of urgency or was begrudgingly bullied into it through telepathy with his pilot, was debatable.

Probably all three.

“You can thank me when we get back to the mainland,” he grins towards the blonde, hopping onto Latios in front. “I like whisky. Circhestian.”

Latias floats forward then, honey eyes fixed on Locke Jamison’s friend warmly, welcoming him to climb onto her back.

Only Isaac Merlo is snatched away before he has a chance.

Alarm jolts through the pilot, eyes widening briefly as a chain suddenly snaps around the man. Yanking with the sort of ferocity that he’s surprised didn’t shatter his spine into dust.

“Go! I'm fine! Just, go, damnit!” Then he was gone. Disappeared down into the depths of Sootopolis’s belly, where the shadows - and hope - pooled opaque.

Behind him comes a desperate scream. Immediately, Angelo’s hand snatches back to grip Caleb’s shirt into a fierce bunch. Expression just as iron forged.

“You heard him, Caleb. He said he'll be fine!” His voice barks, unwavering as he lies through his damn teeth. They both know Isaac wouldn’t be. “We don't have time for this!”

Caleb’s plea goes ignored, the eon pokemon already taking off into the starlit sky towards the jagged edge of Hoenn’s famous crater city.

They don't go back. Angelo would not risk himself or the eon duo getting trapped in the belly of the beast, not for him.

Here’s hoping Isaac Merlo could cheat the odds of the draw.

► flying away from sootopolis

[attr="class","angelopoke"]

[attr="class","itemcolstr"]

[attr="class","angelotag"] Eris Halla

[attr="class","angelomain"]Angelo looks over at Eris for a long, blank-stared beat. After all, it feels like she’d presented him with a puzzle that had already been filled in.

Then his lips split into a grin, on the cusp of agreeing out of both morbid curiosity for the ramifications of an organ poke on a colossal horror and humouring her. “You want me to touch it, don’t you?”

He doesn’t get to give it a go.

Instead, darkness seeps in the corner of the room and claws of gloom begin to scrape against the smooth edges of stone. Angelo can imagine the sound of nails on a chalkboard, dragging away shards of sanity.

Claws stretch towards his ankles, loom over his head as if it wishes to swallow him into an enclosed cocoon of nothing. However out of the corner Eris cradles her head, wrapped up in her own trauma as she stands protectively in front of her little ralts. So stubborn.

They both couldn’t lose themselves…

“Yeah. Me too, kiddo. Me too.” His hand rests upon her shoulder, acting as a firm tether to the real world in which they occupy. No matter how grim and dank it was in the Ultra Deep Sea. “Let’s get out of here. I could do with some fresh air,” its a lie for her benefit, mostly.

Transforming into its sky form, Sprout shifts into a canine shape and takes into the air above their heads. With a defiant yip, beads of bright energy fly into the dark corners of the cavern, SEED FLARE bathing the nightmares with light.

Angelo gives Eris an encouraging pat on the shoulder and a distraction. “Still, I bet I got more rocks than you.”

► battle a memory (+50 points)

[attr="class","angelopoke"]

[attr="class","angelotag"] angelo vestri

[attr="class","angelomain"]That’s two for two on him plunging towards his doom in an Aqua related gathering.

Only instead of the remains of a beheaded king, this time they leave behind a chamber filled with terastal crystals needles and guards dangling off their tips like morbid Christmas ornaments. Yawning darkness waiting to catch the assembly of initiative members in place of Sea Hoenn’s blue.

By the time the rocky eruption slams into the suspended platform, their roundtable shattering apart, Angelo’s hands have instinctively reached towards skyler dross .

Fingers dig tightly into thighs conveniently lounging over his lap before gravity has a chance to steal her away. Angelo scraping the curve of her waist up towards him as their entangled bodies are violently thrown into one another and tossed into the familiar sensation of a free fall.

Wild, golden curls whip Angelo in the face and wind howls mournfully in his ears, yet his heart races in something far from fear - alive.

Up in the tallest heights of Callan Young 's rapidly crumbling chamber, invisible shapes shift into a dive.

Sensing the swift approach of Latios’s presence, a TAILWIND stirs like silk weaving around the Nautica pair. Opposing wind flow slowing their descent enough for a flash of silver and blue to slip beneath, granting them a comfortable landing onto the dragon’s feathered back.

Their landing is a smooth one.

Angelo slips off Latios's back, hand resting on the stretch of his long neck in wordless gratitude before the dragon lifts higher. Out of reach but not out of each other's sight.

While ruby eyes look observantly down the tunnel, he turns to Skyler. Tease uttered low and riding on the coattails of adrenaline. “Can always trust in you to take advantage of any opportunity to jump into my lap, Dross. It's seriously impressive.”

It lasts about as long until he clocks onto their surroundings.

Internally, a rock in Angelo’s stomach sinks and settles as cold as the luminous icy glow of the tera shards around them. Far from being a fan of enclosed, underground spaces.

And yet he still finds the call of adventure whispering into his head, curious: where does this tunnel end up?

“I’d hope not, too. Would be bad for business if heights got me rattled.” There’s no sign of unease when he turns to face the familiar company of PENELOPE LIVY , both councilwoman and pilot experts at the art of a coverup smile. “Just the twice that it's happened while me an' Sky have been with you all, then? Promise its just a coincidence.”

► angelo uses a tailwind to steady their descent so latios can catch him and skyler. they land safely. talking to penny.
► thought: where does this tunnel end up?

[attr="class","angelopoke"]