His disappointment was palpable. Knowing that he had been trying to manipulate her all along painted their relationship in ugly shades of brown, yet Andrea could not bring herself to hate him.

“There IS a way to be on the same side.” She said, strokes of her wide-eyed idealism shining through. “The League and Rocket should work together to defeat the DRK Triad once and for all! We should have enough clues by now to start cracking the case, and with illeana reyes and Palkia, we have access to whatever dimension they might be hiding in.”

THEO BECKETT //mission thread

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Andrea was among the people waiting outside, her Shiny Hydreigon unnerving many people in the lobby with its intimidating presence. A pseudo-legendary being kept out of its ball was a rare sight, after all.

Why did the League want to take away their Pokémon now of all times? Was this their idea of peace and security: Turning Hoenn into another Kanto?

Navy, Illeana, and Doug were about to question the councilman. Those were important people. They were allowed to have a say in the future of the region. She was not. She never had been.

All she could do was hope that this was a prank made in extremely poor taste.

“Don’t worry, Chomper. They’ll never be able to separate us…” The young PokéManiac whispered comfortingly to her menacing dragon, while gently petting its black fur.

FERNANDO SILPH, Navy, illeana reyes, John Sullivan, Noel Parker

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“That’s Pon. She’s my friend!” The young PokéManiac casually replied, while the diminutive ogress repeated her signature, jovial cry of “Pon!”

After having crippled one of the combatants, Jigglypuff’s billion-year-old ancestor sang a song; not its descendant’s famous lullaby, but a foreboding requiem instead.

Tick tock, a clock ticked towards certain doom. Three turns remaining.

“Gotta finish this fast!” Andrea said, before pulling a Full Heal out of her cleavage (yes, you read that right). “Use this on your Weavile.” She said, handing the medicine to Kouji.

Kouji Matsubara

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Sure enough, Okidogi was also buried in a grave of sand. Being temporary manifestations, this imaginary iteration of the dastardly trio sported paper thin defenses.

Fezandipiti was the last enemy left standing. With a flap of its wings, the avian retainer blew a gust of immobilizing pheromones towards the group. However, Ogerpon was far too angry to be affected.

“PON! PON!”

The cocky bird was ensnared by a bunch of vines. Any attempt to escape only tightened their ruthless grip. Thorns dug into flesh, eliciting pained squawks.

Seeing the face of one of their former tormentors in agony made Andrea realize that there was no reason to fear them. They were pathetic creatures. Disgustingly pathetic.

“Tear his wings off. Make him suffer.” The young woman ordered with a stone-cold expression, her unprecedented sadistic side making her sound almost like a deranged Rocket member.

There would be no mercy. Only forsake.

Johanna Joy //mission thread

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Even with all the speed boosts, the deer was still faster, but Enteisaurus was tankier. By now, the behemoth’s fur had grown resilient to electricity, and it was able to fully heal itself with another Morning Sun.

“Slow and steady wins the race…” Andrea muttered, focusing on the opponent’s next move. Soon, the two paradoxes’ respective field boosts should wear off. That would be a prime opportunity to go for a big move.

Gwyar Wledig //traditional 1v1

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Ah, another beautiful day in the Vaneau family ranch, filled with dozens upon dozens of adorable Pokémon that Andrea treasured like family--such as her son, Jalapeño the Fuecoco. It was days like these that made her grateful to be the daughter of Breeders.

“Hmm? What’s this?” A poster. It sported the League’s official logo. Probably some kind of PSA to stay indoors, avoid hot places, and drink water. In fact, Andrea read its contents while taking a long sip of water…

“PFFFFFT! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT??!?!??!”

@tags

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“Chomper, attack that weird-looking Jigglypuff! Fire Fang!” The trainer of dragons ordered. Unfortunately, her partner’s flame-coated jaws could not pierce the Scream Tail’s own barrier, whereas the dazzle of the latter’s gleam was super effective enough to beat the Hydreigon within an inch of its life.

With her ace Pokémon badly hurt and boasting abysmal chances against a confirmed Fairy type, Andrea had to resort to something with more of a neutral matchup…

“PON!”

A green blur descended upon the Scream Tail, conking it on the head with an Ivy Cudgel. The pink puffball staggered backwards, feeling woozy.

“Thanks, Pon! You’re the best!” The eccentric trainer said to the strange Oni-like creature that had just entered the fray. “We haven’t won just yet, so stay on alert!” The girl added with a resolute look.

Kouji Matsubara

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From heaven to hell in the span of a few seconds. Something blew a gaping hole through the cave wall. Once the dust had settled, a wobbly, round figure waddled towards the duo…

It was a Jigglypuff.

No, a Scream Tail.

“THAT’S what’s been making all that noise?!” Andrea exclaimed in a fit of incredulity, having halfway expected something bigger and more menacing.

With his epic maneuver, Kouji managed to pull the girl and himself out of harm’s way before the ensuing uproar could hit them both. A second uproar was deflected by a SPECIAL SHIELD courtesy of Andrea’s Sygna Suit.

“How about we stop fighting each other and take that thing on together in order to live?” The Hydreigon-costumed woman proposed, all the while trying to keep the barrier up to the best of her ability.

Kouji Matsubara

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The Oni’s star-shaped pupils dilated and her tiny mouth watered. She swiped the sandwich off Nomi’s hand and eagerly devoured it, gluttony prevailing over fear.

“Mmmm… Pon!”

Henceforth, the Visionary would be considered one of Ogerpon’s friends.

If only making friends with other Rockets could be as easy. “A few weeks before the stuff in the prison went down, I ran into Elisabeth Fiorelli.” Andrea sheepishly explained. “I tried to peacefully get her to NOT steal a poisoned Crystabloom for her own twisted purposes, but in the end, we ended up fighting anyway…”

It had not gone down exactly as she described, but deflecting all blame from oneself came naturally for most people--herself included. Besides, there was nothing either of them could do to de-escalate the faction conflict at this point. The powers that be wanted that war to happen, and so it would.

The eccentric cosplayer cocked a curious eyebrow at the older woman’s next statement. “‘Other ways’? What do you mean?” She inquired.

Naomi Sato

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The appearance of a certain floating eyeball caught Andrea by surprise. “Wow, it’s an Unown!” She wondered if Naomi Sato had something to do with it. Whether a coincidence or a deliberate work of fate, that singular Unown seemed to have chosen Draco.

“That Pokémon is very, very, very special, so make sure you treat it with lots of care!” The young PokéManiac advised him. She didn’t really know what that care entailed, since she wasn’t even sure if Unown needed to eat. She was confident that Draco would figure it out as he went, though.

At his last question, the draconic cosplayer smiled brightly. “Me? I’m not looking for anything specific right now, just the next adventure!” She jovially replied.

Of course, in time, her searches would get more specific, and the dream of a fun, carefree adventure all the more distant as the entire region got thrust into war…

Draco Prowler //skipping

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