Amiga!

Meeting Yuina Higashi for the first time.

"What are you trying to make things less awkward for?" He asked with a laugh. "I asked, lass. No need to apologize!"

She was an incredibly considerate lass. Even though she had listened to his problems from earlier, she seemed convinced her own, much more urgent issues were somehow unimportant.

"You are the brave one, missy." He said with a smile, shaking his head. "I might've forgotten bits and pieces of my old life, but I knew exactly who I was when I woke up."

And say what you will of his formative years, he did not doubt for even an instant that there were plenty of people who would have taken his current circumstances for themselves if given the chance.

"You woke up in knowing nothing, and yet here you are. Still fighting." He stepped, looking her up and down. "Pretty darn brave, if you ask me."

He placed both hands on his hips, brows furrowing as he thought deeply of what he should do.

"... Would you like for some help finding out who you are?"

AW SHIT

Here we go again.

The entire chamber quakes, and a revolting sense of dejavu hit him as the years of living in Hoenn he thought half-forgotten came back full force.

People were dead before he could even shout his surprise.

Any hopes of helping the impaled guards had been thrown out the window the moment the platform they were sitting on was upturned with a surge of power, throwing them all off into the deep, dark depths below.

Somehow, he doubted that was part of Callan Young's decor.

He doesn't get enough time to feel scared for his life— he feels her familiar presence even before he sees her, Lele's psychic grip wrapping around him.

Though she does not stop his descent just yet, her presence alone was like a soothing balm for his rushing brain, giving him the breathing room to think.

He wouldn't make it back to the guards in time to save them; those that hadn't died immediately would be going into shock right about now... they were a job for kyle lopez to hopefully fix at this point.

So what could he do right now?

'The commissioner!'

Everyone else could be trusted to handle themselves in high stakes situations— but the commissioner was not a field agent.

'Lele!'

He feels his matron react before he's done asking her to. Perhaps feeling the same kinship with dahlia goode as her siblings appeared to, the Tapu was quick to find the commissioner amongst the falling group and grab her, pulling the woman towards herself and her avatar.

"Ya okay, ma'am!?" He asks over the roaring winds.

It takes a while before they land. There's caverns around them that he's not familiar with on any level once they do, but that's not of immediate concern for him. Plenty of others could take care of that. As soon as they land—

'Gotta help everyone!'

"Any o' y'all injured?!"

---

TL;DR:
-the guards are impaled? guess I'll he—
-Fall to my death*. Not cool.
-Saving dahlia goode cuz she's the only one that ain't street certified.
-bolded thought: Gotta help everyone!
-If anyone landed on their ankle, now's the time for ur quick fix!!!

Stamp Collecting

Hello again, luka chêne

What silence? What hanging in the air?

Luka voiced a terrible, no good, very bad joke-pun, and Doug immediately, inelegantly lurched forward, a pig snort rocking his throat while he struggled to keep from spitting out his mushrooms.

"Hrkgh-hwahaha! That's freakin' terrible!" He cackled, voice raspy as he banged his fist against his chest. "Criminal, even. Darn near killed me!"

At least someone found it funny.

And the conversation, somehow, only got funnier the longer he allowed Luka to dig her own hole.

"You could make a ditch with a plastic spoon, jeez." He teased as the pinkette attempted to save face— much too late for it to have any effect.

"The head rangers are pretty hot though..." The youth conceded with a hum as he tipped back his head, imagining the two mighty men, muscularly struggling in an all out tug-o-war... while Raziel Beckett stood off to the side and watched the idiocy unfold.

"Seems 'bout right." He quipped with a snort, smiling over at Luka before winking. "No need to worry, Ms. PR manager. Good gentlemen don't kiss n'tell. I'll take the fact you're a pervert to my graaave."

---

prompt: reference a tug-of-war contest

AN AQUA ASSEMBLY PT. 4

The latest installment in the franchise.

He released a low exhale in the otherwise silent room, Eva-quaza's little mask off moment having left the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

Leave it to the exes to up the tension in the room, am I right? Haaa...

He was beginning to wonder how much control the weather trio's avatars truly had over themselves, let alone their patrons.

He really didn't feel like backtalking Eva while she was... possessed or whatever by the temperamental god of meteor nibblers, but something she had said stuck with him.

He had known he would regret whatever came after this meeting the moment he opened his mouth and the end-rocket vomit came flowing out.

He couldn't even stomach killing a single man, and yet had chosen to be the first one to argue for targeting rocket. 10/10 moment on his part, the commissioner must've been wondering if he been talking out of his ass last time they met almost 3 months prior.

But— sticking to his gutless guns and deciding to be a pacifist in a war room wouldn't solve any problems.

Rocket was never going to leave on its own. The attack on Sootopolis was never a matter of 'if'— only when.

"Hoooh..." He breathed out, smoothing the hairs still standing on end on his forearms. "W'all who feel the same as doctor Morales are justified in doing so. Innocents may— will die if we take action. They will die if we don't."

He breathed out slowly.

"But having those feelings don't absolve us from responsibility. Contracts or not." He said. "S'I sees it... if we see the decisions made here through, we share the responsibility. 'Just following orders' don't cut it."

They could speak up. Walk out. Refuse to follow the orders, risk something, risk everything—

If it truly was something they stood against, surely it would be worth the punishment.

---

Stars Above

Spending time with Eris Halla

Doug was completely lost as to what she was talking about, but upon giving Mesprit another, closer look, he finally saw the cracked stone his writer had known nothing about.

"Oh." He said simply, before gently leaning over to Eris to hand Jirachi over. "I dunno yet. Gotta first see if it's even an injury."

For all they knew, it was an external implement, like the red and blue orbs for Groudon and Kyogre.

"Awright." He said, popping open his case before springing up to his feet . "Ms. Mesprit— may I approach for a quick medical check up?"

Clamperl Diving

"What the hell is this beach?" He said in wonderment as he stared at the teeny-tiny piece of crystal held between his digits, grinning widely.

"Finally! After all the plastic! A real treasure!"

jvcCzlaC

HAUL
#- Date, Roll, Prize
01- August 1st, 79, Salac Berry
02- August 2nd, 1, Pokeball
03- August 3rd, 92, Tera Shard
04- August 4th, 82, Devolution Stone
05- August 5th, 52, Clamperl
06- August 6th, 59, Blue Shard
07- n/a
08- August 8th, 92, Tera Shard
09- August 9th, 27, Level tutor
10- August 10th, 87, Z-crystal
11- n/a
12- n/a
13- August 13th, 10, pokeball
14- August 14th, 28, Level tutor
15- August 15th, 30, Level tutor
16- August 16th, 68, Incense
17- August 17th, 43, Egg Tutor
18- August 18th, 32, TM tutor
19- August 19th, 35, TM tutor
20- n/a
21- August 21st, 57, blue shard
22- August 22nd, 79, Salac berry
23- August 23rd, 49, ability capsule
24- n/a
25- August 25th, 35, TM tutor
26- August 26th, 06, Pokeball
27- n/a
28- August 28th, 95, Mega Shard

AN AQUA ASSEMBLY PT. 4

The latest installment in the franchise.

He slowly turned to look at MATIAS SILPH, hands gathered together on his lap.

Did he really need to add the back-hand to that compliment?

---

Strays

'ullo, freya morningstar~

"Yeah, well—" He snapped his umbrella sharply to the side, throwing off the thick coating of ash. "It hasn't been for a while."

Kneeling down, the youth popped open his case, producing a box facemasks and holding it up to Freya.

"A single day won't do any permanent harm— but it sure ain't comfy." He said, offering a wry smile as he snapped the case shut, before slowly rising to his feet.

"I've started looking into it recently." He said. "I haven't had the time to pay a proper visit to the Hoenn Weather institute, so for now, all I've got is what their articles online say."

He turned his gaze over to Mt. Chimney.

"For whatever reason, the radius has been growing. Somehow, the researchers in the weather institute didn't notice this change in patterns until the near eruption back in August 2021, though."

Perhaps because they had changed history in the past, just ever so slightly as it may be, according to the report?

"I can't imagine the silent ice plains are helping, either. Hoenn's a tropical, volcanic island area. It should be impossible, and the mingling of hot volcanic air and cold winter air is causing all sorts atmospheric effects."

He paused, before snorting.

"But that's just what I read. I ain't a climatologist. I'm just a physician."

He shook his head, before releasing a low sigh.

"In any case though... As you said, the people living here believed they were out of the ash's reach. Until they weren't.

Nothing about the city was ready for such an event. Not the homes in which the people lived, not the warehouses were foods were storaged... too many things were unprepared for these developments.

"Well, I'm no statesman yet, so..." He said, rolling back his sleeves. "I'll just undo the damage to their health. Much as I can, anyway."

EXTRACTION #1

With freya morningstar

"A royal's just a guy with a fancy crown. They ain't really obligated to do anything— but y'all still did your best." He said with a shrug and a easy smile. "An hey! You Circhester Royals lasted 20 years with no coup attempts. Can't say the same back in Ballonleah!"

Xenon Antheil was... a character and a half, jeez. He wondered what she was up to now.

Unfortunately, the time for reminiscing was over. Seemed like the clock ran shorter with every visit.

"On it!" He said, shoveling the rest of the treasures they had freed from the veins into the cart, before whistling sharply to bring back to his side his Escavalier and Crustle.

"All done on my end— Let's skedaddle!"

---

• Escape with your full load. Receive 1 CURIO.

Update

well, well, well. Hello again, Isaac Merlo

"Of course. It's both moral and pragmatic to do so." He said, leaning his head onto his palm as he turned his gaze over to the crowd, letting his eyes roam over each smiling, laughing face.

"If you truly regret your mistakes, it's not enough to just stop making them." He said.

Whether he meant Isaac himself, or it was just his sentiment, he didn't say. Instead— he switched on a dime.

He stood up with a grunt, streetching his arms over his head before past the table, gesturing for the other to follow with a grin.

"Anyway— You any good at the ring toss game?" He asked, looking over the other young man's missing eye. "I'm guessing not; the Lack of depth perception can't make it easy."

He tapped at his chin, before deciding to stop dancing around it.

"Say. Dunno if you get this question often, but— how did you lose your eye?"

---

ticket: reference the dugtrio-ring-toss game.

Stars Above

Spending time with Eris Halla

A single word was still more than zero. Progress had been made!

Turning his gaze over to his phone, his face morphed with curiosity as he turned his gaze back to Eris, then to Mesprit, before tilting a brow.

"Do you mean like... Hypothetically?" Because Mesprit looked fine to Doug.

As he had not witnessed the darkest day in Sootopolis for himself, he did not know about the loss of the gems... visually, that is. He had read some of the witness reports.

But that was over 21 years ago.

"Yeah, I would do everything in my power to bring her back to full health." He said with a confident nod.

night life fever

Switch, ON! It's NIIIIGHT Time, Kazimir Wynter!

"We can ask them once we have them in custody." Whether that would work was another matter. If nothing else, perhaps they could try to deduce something out of the stolen goods.

As the conversation moved on to Doug's... totally ethical experiments, the youth could only snort at Kaz's 'question'. Nice to know he was trusted this much.

"You might gain a regen factor for very brief period of time." He said with a snicker, spinning the syringe in his hands with a hum. "Either that or some indigestion."

There was definitely not enough there to cause the kind of damage the likes of Kouji Matsubara and fern delaney had experienced. There wasn't enough to do the kind of 'surface-level' healing he had regularly employed before Goodbye Galar.

But that was the point— learning to what was needed to make it work smarter, not harder.

"No worries, Pokkenger— I wouldn't be testing this on you if there were any risks to your health." He said as he slowly moved around Kaz. "I've got rockets for that. Anyway, turn around for me, please. Oh, and help me get off the top layer of your armor."

A little advanced community service oughta teach them the error of their ways!

"Your injuries aren't too severe— for someone getting into fist fights immediately after a car crash." He said. "But that's better for this test— this is a low dosage. I'm gonna be administering it directly to your spine. This might prick a bit, but don't worry."

Amiga!

Meeting Yuina Higashi for the first time.

He could see the change in the mood from a mile away. Everyone in Hoenn had a story to tell, and it seemed he was about to hear Yuina's.

"Amnesia?" He muttered, cocking his head as his brow furrowed.


Yuina's was an unusual story. Though Galar had come with some memory loss for those involved, complete loss of memory hadn't been reported from any of those present. But even if it had— Yuina had woken up in Petalburg's woods, several hundred miles away from the ancient tomb.

Before he could get too lost in trying to figure the puzzle out, however— he realized Yuina was getting... teary-eyed.

"Oh dear." He muttered, paling as he noticed the tears beginning to gather at the corner of his eye.

Reaching into his top, the youth produced a white handkerchief from the inner breast pocket, offering to her whilst schooling his face back into a hopefully encouraging smile.

"Take... your time?" Crying was... healthy, right?