the dark triad member is tired, but holo does not let the taunting, the questioning, pick away at her. she complies as much as she is willing—plus whatever else lulu and naomi are able to push out of her.[break][break]

"you have my cooperation." she says. "my plans for the mineral vein were to warp it away from your world. anywhere else. it didn't matter."[break][break]

a flurry of laughter rushes into the air as naomi speaks of her world being spared.[break][break]

"i'm not disappointed. not allowing me to warp the mineral vein has doomed you to a worse fate. none of you listened to me."

LULU AND NAOMI BOTH HAVE TWO MORE QUESTIONS TO ASK (FOR A TOTAL OF FOUR QUESTIONS) BEFORE HOLO IS RESCUED.

[attr="class","ooc"] Lulu Flint Naomi Sato[break][break]

the sweetest scent wafts through their space in littleroot, though it is swiftly replaced with the miasma of smoke. charred wood. bruises and blood.[break][break]

despite its speed, the combined flames slam into velmos' kartana. paralysis dooms it. dooms it to fall, and as the origami ultra beast careens toward the earth it is swept up by the recall of a beast ball.[break][break]

"what is a torchic?" the megalopolan mutters. the adage fails on his ears.[break][break]

the naganadel is able to parry the urshifu's blow, but before the battle can continue, a nearby building smashes into a catastrophic barrage of bricks.[break][break]

the battlefield is divided briefly, but briefly enough to allow time for redirection and escape.[break][break]

"we'll meet again." velmos says begrudgingly.[break][break]

he flies off on his naganadel as the battle of littleroot wages on.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Eris Halla Kazimir Wynter [break]
KARTANA KO'D.[break][break]

+100 MP (BATTLE COMPLETION)[break]
+50 MP (BATTLE PARTICIPATION)[break]
+50 MP (OWN PKMN KO'D)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break][break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-kartana"]

velmos licks the blood from his lips—and the trickle of megalopolan ichor from his kicked nose.[break][break]

"then you two have no conviction. you don't even know what you're fighting for." velmos says. "you all fight with cut strings."[break][break]

the mega evolved ALTARIA and TYRANITAR manages to catch the stinger of his mount with stone and fiery breath. shrieking, the ultra beast is rocked. velmos hangs on with gritted teeth.[break][break]

adhesive guck oozes out from the damaged stinger, and the injured ultra beast carries its owner through the smoke and flames of littleroot.[break][break]

perhaps one day, he'll face them when they have a better idea of what they're fighting for.[break][break]

if this region still exists by then.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Noah Camus Hailee Jacobs [break][break]

+50 MP (BATTLE PARTICIPATION)[break]
+50 MP (OWN PKMN KO'D)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break][break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-naganadel"]

velmos is struck by the blaziken's fiery kick. it singes his flesh, but his skin is thick and durable. made strong over generations of megalopolan survival.[break][break]

his hands manage to grab a hold of the blaziken's leg and with a snarl, he bites the pokemon's foot.[break][break]

meanwhile, velmos' poipole swerves through thrown stones. as if navigating an asteroid belt, the alien threads the needle the best it can. adhesive goo slows several rocks, but finally, it is struck by the STONE EDGE.[break][break]

it forces the immature ultra beast to the ground, causing it to faint.[break][break]

velmos withdraws from the blaziken. he wrinkles his nose, face burning and wet. he does not clean the blood from his lips. his chin. recalling his poipole, he sends out his naganadel with a tap of a beast ball.[break][break]

"you two think you can make a difference here?" the general scoffs.[break][break]

the naganadel swerves in between his legs and lifts him to become his airborne mount.[break][break]

"you're impeding your world's progress. you know little of what you defend."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Noah Camus Hailee Jacobs [break]
poipole faints/velmos struck/summons naganadel to prepare for escape.[break][break]

+50 MP (BATTLE PARTICIPATION)[break]
+50 MP (OWN PKMN KO'D)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break][break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-naganadel"]

the poipole manages to avoid the HYPNOSIS, but is unable to take advantage of its previous attack. the SLUDGE WAVE collides with the tyranitar's EARTHQUAKE in putrid greeting.[break][break]

velmos bares his chipped fangs not in a smile, but in a scowl.[break][break]

"sleep?" the megalopolan lowers his hips, feet digging into the earth. "try that again."[break][break]

across the leveled field, the alien runs. he dashes straight for Hailee Jacobs. his teeth are still bared, drool collecting in the corners of his lips.[break][break]

his poipole swerves toward Noah Camus in order to distract him. another GUNK SHOT aims for him rather than his tyranitar.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Noah Camus Hailee Jacobs [break]
poipole uses GUNK SHOT against noah; velmos rushes toward hailee.[break][break]

+50 MP (BATTLE PARTICIPATION)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break][break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-poipole"]

cotillard is unaware of rosmontis' traumas. of the flip side of his people's invasion of hoenn. at least, that appears to be what is communicated by his indifference.[break][break]

perhaps, he has numbed sympathy in favor of survival.[break][break]

his KARTANA clashes with the SALAMENCE's DRAGON CLAW. talon against sharp edge. they clang in mid-air, meeting each other in stunning swordsmanship.[break][break]

velmos sees the corrupted ninetales emit flames. as a general of the megalopolan army, the man does fold under pressure. the pressure instead, cuts his decisiveness into a concise, swift point.[break][break]

"KARTANA, take the THUNDER WAVE!" the ultra beast cries and lets itself be battered back by the DRAGON CLAW in order to take the PARALYSIS.[break][break]

the WILL-O-WISP lands, but the BURN can not co-exist with the kartana's electrical shackles.[break][break]

"and yet you're finding it difficult to take me down, are you not?" velmos replies. "let's see how you fare against another."[break][break]

he throws another beast ball, which bursts open to unveil his sleek, alien dragon.[break][break]

"NAGANADEL, cover for your ally with TOXIC." the dragon roars, clawing the air as it extends its stinger to spew poison at their opponents' pokemon.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Eris Halla Kazimir Wynter [break]
kartana PARALYZED; naganadel summoned to TOXIC[break][break]

+50 MP (BATTLE PARTICIPATION)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break][break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-kartana"]

the death of navy's gyarados brings a grin to cotillard's face. should he have been closer, should he have had the gall, he would have devoured it.[break][break]

but his stakataka is felled by melody's cobalion. the cubes fall apart, scattering individually across mount pyre's grounds. [break][break]

recalling the ultra beast into a beast ball, the megalopolan scientist flees.[break][break]

"don't waste your time on me." he says. "you have a meteoroid incoming, don't you?"[break][break]

the fog rolls in, obscuring the tragedy of kohryu.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Melody Miro Michael Navidson [break]
stakataka is HIT; uses HEAVY SLAM, trying to hit any Pokemon or trainer beneath it.[break][break]

+200 MP (TIED OUTCOME)[break]
+50 MP (BATTLE PARTICIPATION)[break]
+50 MP (PKMN KNOCKED OUT)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break][break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-stakataka"]

"funny coming from the league." cotillard laughs at the two. his old voice is airy and throaty in the higher tones. "last time i heard, you were waging war with another world."[break][break]

the SPIKY SHIELD performs its function. a curious sight to the megalopolan. from what he gathers, the cobalion should not have been able to learn such a maneuver.[break][break]

several more stakataka blocks scatter from the gyarados' WATERFALL. parts of the STAKATAKA descend toward the ground.[break][break]

"HEAVY SLAM, my ultra beast!"[break][break]

the blocky creature does not fall. it dives.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Melody Miro Michael Navidson [break]
stakataka is HIT; uses HEAVY SLAM, trying to hit any Pokemon or trainer beneath it.[break][break]

+50 MP (BATTLE PARTICIPATION)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break][break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-stakataka"]

the megalopolan is unaware of what cobalion is. unsure of its origins, nor is he privy to the full might of a gyarados.[break][break]

still, the scientist is keen-eyed enough to not let his guard down.[break][break]

"understand that we fight on a land sullied by the blood of my comrades." cotillard says. "you call it the ultra beast war? i call it the culling of my people."[break][break]

in the air, the stakataka continues to rearrange itself. like angry Lego-clouds, groupings of blocks swarm toward each hostile pokemon.[break][break]

some blocks scatter upon each strike, while others resist with a PROTECT.[break][break]

however, the scientist is quick to motion other cubes with his index and middle stuck together. to raise the stakes, he directs a swarm toward navy himself.[break][break]

he smiles at melody, but his eyes lean toward the league detective. "ROCK TOMB, stakataka."[break][break]

and the blocks swarm toward him attempting to encase him like a coffin and if successful, will attempt to lift him up.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Melody Miro Michael Navidson [break]
stakataka is HIT/PROTECTS; uses ROCK TOMB on NAVY.[break][break]

+50 MP (BATTLE PARTICIPATION)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break][break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-stakataka"]

the mountain rumbles beneath their feet like a draconic stomach. several STAKATAKA cubes are struck by the EARTHQUAKE and EARTH POWER, their cyan eyes blinking in frantic pace.[break][break]

however, other cubes from its upper body exchange places with the others struck below in a bastardized, megalopolan version of thesus' ship.[break][break]

"MAGNET RISE." the megalopolan scientist commands.[break][break]

like a UFO, the ultra beast begins to hover above the steep slope.[break][break]

"EARTHQUAKE them back." the stakataka stomps, forcing a fissure to quake beneath the league's pokemon. "you think you have a chance against an ultra beast? do not make me laugh! hah!"

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Melody Miro Michael Navidson [break]
stakataka is HIT; uses MAGNET RISE & EARTHQUAKE.[break][break]

+50 MP (BATTLE PARTICIPATION)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break]
+10 MP (IC POST)[break][break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-stakataka"]