"Sophist? Yeah, I don't see why not." The young woman nodded. She most assuredly knew what that word meant. Totally. No, she did not try to sneak a peek at her phone and look up the definition online. She was smarter than that.

In response to her fringe internet theories, Dr. Doug proceeded to spit... a bunch of speculative drivel, frankly, but it was speculative drivel backed by science and an actual PhD. Humans did possess their own unique skills--some inherent, some learnable--same as Pokémon. Instead of slapping a Technical Machine on their heads and calling it a day, they had to waste countless hours and funds in some university.

"I see..." The bedridden PokéManiac cupped her chin in deep, ponderous thought. "When I wear my Sygna Suit, I can Crunch just like Chomper does, but it's not like I couldn't bite stuff before. Then again, I can also Fly, which I definitely couldn't do before. Is it possible that humans possess latent Pokémon traits that Infinity Energy can awaken? And if that's the case, at what point in our evolution did we trade off those traits for a higher intelligence and creativity?"

And more importantly, was there a way to reverse that evolutionary shift? To reject modernity and go back to Mankey? One thing was certain: She was not getting her answers out of an online message board filled with even bigger lunatics than herself.

Finally, Andrea made up her mind. "I'm gonna read up on our world's history. I need to find out what made our species diverge. Was it the advent of the Pokéball, or was it something else... Would you happen to know any good historians?" She asked the dashing doctor.

John Sullivan //mission thread

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"A-another one?!" The dragon-costumed girl blurted out as Lam's Togekiss joined the fray. They had only just managed to defeat his Terastallized Altaria after it had taken out half their team, and now they had to deal with a second Fairy type.

Without access to Chomper's game-breaking move, this was gonna be an uphill battle...

"TRAINER MOVE: SPECIAL SHIELD!" The young PokéManiac quickly reactivated her Sygna Suit, generating a blue barrier that reduced the impact of Noivern's slashes of air. Simply guarding was not enough, though. If they wanted to catch up, they needed to go on the offensive.

"Chomper, use Fire Fang!" Andrea shouted HASTILY, as her signature Hydreigon tried to bite into Togekiss with flame-coated jaws.

lam logan, Josh Devlin //traditional 4v4 doubles

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POMF~!

Before her Pokémon could react to the impending danger, Andrea was tackled to the ground by the selfless brute. Normally, the landing would have been rough, but a pair of bouncy things cushioned his fall. For a split second, Draco might have gotten a taste of what Heaven felt like.

Left in a compromising position with a well-built man hovering over her, the dragon maiden did not appear flustered by the close proximity or by his lack of a shirt, staring back blankly instead. "I'm OK, thanks for the save... Can you get off now, please?"

While Helios snickered like a gremlin at their perceived chemistry, an overprotective Chomper saw the male human's advances as a threat to Andrea's purity. The shiny Hydreigon exuded a menacing aura, as it loomed behind Draco, eyes glowing with animosity.

Draco Prowler //skipping

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Lulu's pleas for the building to remain intact went unheard in the absolute chaos that unfolded. Several Unown fainted, and were promptly returned to their Pokéballs. The rift in reality that briefly appeared served as the perfect distraction to allow the DRK Triad to make their escape.

"This isn't over! Glory to Arceus!" In a remarkable display of speed and athleticism, the black-clad grunts scaled the steep cliffs of Area Zero like ninjas, disappearing from view before the Hoennians could pursue.

"Shoot, they got away!" Andrea cursed family-friendlily. Landing back on the ground, the Sygna Suited girl panted heavily, weariness from overuse of Infinity Energy setting in. "Well, at least we gave 'em a beating they won't forget!" She remarked with a cocky grin.

With timing reminiscent of a Saturday morning cartoon, the steel wall that had been torn off the building dropped behind her with an unceremonious thud, now a crumpled mess.

[player]https://file.garden/ZXZrnWMYuz15frfJ/HOENN%20MUSIC/MYSTERIOUSCRY1.mp3[/player]

Suddenly, a familiar cry echoed from deep within the cavern, causing the flamboyant cosplayer to quickly dart her head around. "'Agias'? That sounded... like Kora!" The girl mused aloud and without context.

THEO BECKETT, Lulu Flint

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"It was decent. I'd give it a 75 out of 100." Which was much higher than what anyone challenging her Gym had gotten. When it came to the quality of sandwiches, Andrea could be an unforgiving judge.

The young PokéManiac rubbed her chin in turn, contemplating the intriguing theory shared by Dr. Doug. "Hmmmm, no." She bluntly rejected it. "In earliest recorded history, Pokémon and humans are referred to as separate tribes. Humans are the only mammal on Earth, whereas every Pokémon capable of breeding that we know of lays eggs. We don't have Moves, nor Abilities. You also can't catch another human in a Pokéball to make them your pal. Furthermore, in the oldest known myth--the Original Story--humans aren't mentioned once. However we came to be in this world, we were not created by Arceus... One theory suggests that we came from outer space!"

Said theory had been posted 10 years ago on 4chansey.org by an anonymous user, and had since circulated the internet almost as much as a certain excerpt about Vaporeon.

John Sullivan //mission thread

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Andrea looked disappointed when the aquatic 'hero' scurried away. "Aww, what a shame... He didn't even put up much of a fight." To be fair, it would be hard for any Pokémon to match Helios in a contest of strength.

That wild Hydreigon, however, came close enough. It took several hits to bring its health down to the point it was ready to submit to Draco's will. That was definitely one way to 'catch' a Pokémon.

"Amazing! She'd be a fool not to join your team after seeing that!" The dragon fanatic remarked, somehow being able to tell the Hydreigon's sex at a glance. Was it because she trained one of her own?

A wave of subzero coldness was suddenly fired at them, causing her eyes to widen. "TRAINER MOVE: SPECIAL SHIELD!" The Sygna Suit user exclaimed, producing a blue energy barrier that petered out the attack. "Get 'em, Finn!"

Bolstered by her JOLLINESS, her Garchomp quickly Dug into the ground, reemerging directly underneath the Sealeo, and striking it with a Dragon Rush. The aquatic mammal fell on its back with dizzy eyes, a ball soon to be thrown its way.

Draco Prowler //attempting to catch sealeo

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