Luckily, Lars was familiar with the icy steed, and knew what its favorite treats were. Unluckily, it did jack all to prevent his fate of being eternally bound to it. As the Glastrier galloped off into the sunset with its involuntary rider on its back, Andrea was overcome with RAGE.

"I hate this horse! Why does it keep kidnapping my friends?! Chomper, use Fire Fang!" The draconic cosplayer snarled, baring her fangs, while her pupils narrowed into reptilian slits.

Her Hydreigon went straight for the kill, flame-coated jaws biting down on the horse's neck. Killing it was the only way to free Lars. Soon, the simulation began to change yet again...

Laurence Anderson

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"A-a superhero?!" The eccentric girl blurted out in awe, her jaw dropping at the sight of the heroic cetacean that was definitely not the puny dolphin from before. Meanwhile, Chomper and Finn looked more confused than intimidated by its flexing.

"Well, what are you gonna do with it?" Andrea asked Draco, seeing how his Charizard didn't seem like he wanted to battle it.

Draco Prowler //skipping

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His revelation caused the young PokéManiac to gasp. She was getting exclusive, juicy lore that no other Hoennian was privy to. "That means you and Jalapeño are the same!" She had also adopted her Fuecoco as a baby, after all. Granted, Andrea had never signed any official adoption papers, though not for lack of trying.

"Have you ever tried looking for your birth parents?" The self-proclaimed Fuecoco mother asked, but whether Josh answered that was within his own discretion. The topic of discussion soon shifted anyway, from Halloween costumes to what to do next. There was so much more sightseeing in Sinnoh to do.

"Unless they let my son in too, I'm not going back in there." Andrea firmly stated, hugging Jalapeño close to her chest. "Let's go somewhere else, somewhere where Pokémon are welcome. Or we could just... hang out?" She counter-proposed.

Josh Devlin //sygna drip

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The dragon lover looked mildly disappointed that Doug could not answer her question, but she understood why. Not being part of any VIP groups left her out of the loop when it came to... pretty much everything. It could not be helped.

At the good doctor's own inquiry, Andrea's smile returned. "Oh, it's nothing! I was just thinking that the power of a legendary Pokémon might be the thing that lets me turn into a Pokémon myself. Scientifically and occultly, I've hit a wall, so that seems like the next logical step. I tried asking Jirachi for help about a year ago, but they couldn't grant that particular wish. They did grant my wish for a sandwich, though!"

At the mere mention of food, Chomper's mouths watered. Imagine having Jirachi on speed dial. Unlimited sandwiches!

John Sullivan //mission thread

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Andrea quirked an eyebrow at the younger woman's question. Despite being a simulation veteran, she had never tried to eat the food there before. "Guess there's only one way to find out... Ahhhh~" The Sygna Suit user opened her mouth far and wide, trying to Crunch into her candy apple, only for it to phase right through her like a hologram.

The verdict was in; simulated food was not edible.

All good things came to an end, and soon, the masked ogre revealed its true colors. Infected by the same Toxic Chain that was terrorizing Hoenn, the disguised Pokémon turned against its big sisters. Its club strike was blocked by a Burning Bulwark courtesy of Enteisaurus, eliciting a shriek from the ogre as its tiny body caught on fire.

Staring at the burned ogre with pity, Andrea said. "That should be enough. We don't have to hurt her more than necessary. The simulation's gonna end on its own anyway."

And thus, the mantra that none of this was real repeated inside the girl's head, easing her worries, if only by a little.

Cassandra Kubrick

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The combination of Dragon-type moves caused the Walking Wake to roar in pain. When they were not butting heads, Ro and Chomper made for a pretty good team. Sadly, the epic battle against Suicune's grumpy grandpa came to an abrupt end, as the scenery changed completely to that of the familiar by now Crown Tundra.

Andrea's amethyst eyes widened. "Oh no... Not the horse level again! Anything but the horse level!" Unlike most Hoennians, she was not fond of horse roleplay, and was getting weary of this equine version of the trolley dilemma; kill the horse for the greater good, or spare the horse and doom one of her friends to eternal suffering.

It was then that the young woman remembered that Lars was not just any man. "Think you can befriend it just like you befriended Articuno?" She asked him, pointing at the rampaging stallion. Ice birds and ice horses were basically the same thing, right?

Laurence Anderson

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