El felt it as much as they heard it - the ground thudding as something large was charging in what they thought to be in their direction. Their gaze snapped up from their belt to try and identify what they were hearing -- just in time to see the third nihilego creeping up on them..! Before El could so much as jolt away or the nihilego could reach them though, a large torterra slammed into the ultra beast - the characteristic spikes of the ground-type stabbing into its soft body.

The nihilego let out a bloodchilling shriek as it was impaled against the wall, tentacles writhing wildly. Luminescent blood(?) flowed from the wounds inflicted - and it would attempt to strike its tentacles against Ceres' shell, as if searching for any soft bits that it could try and inject its toxin into. This search would prove to be in vain though, with the awkward placement putting it well out of reach of the unprotected parts of Ceres' body.

El, meanwhile, stumbled back and away from the torterra - their back pressing against Bibidi's own, alarm clear in their expression. "A-Augustus..?!" The name escaped their lips unbidden, as they initially mistook Ceres for their father's torterra. But it took but a blink for them to realize that this torterra was different - younger, less battleworn, with fewer sharp angles to her shape. This was not a brutish juggernaut of a beast, but a steady and stalwart defender.

A warning voice would ring out, though - snapping El from their thoughts. Not wanting to wait to ask any why's, what's, or how's, they'd immediately duck downwards - dropping to their good knee. Bibidi, too, would react quick - ducking downwards, but also pushing the two nihilego upwards with Telekinesis to give Duster a clearer shot.

And overheads, the two could hear the whistle of a Bonemerang flying through the air. It slammed into one Nihilego, before ricocheting into the other - sending both ultra beasts reeling back. One of the beasts seemed to decide it had enough - backing away from the group, though it didn't dare turn its back on them. The other, however, stood its ground - glimmering lights forming as it prepared a Power Gem--

-- Only to earn a strike to its cap for its efforts, from a leaping Isaac. Stunned and perhaps bewildered, it would reel back - the Power Gem fading - before the two decided to cut their losses and leave. The third nihilego, meanwhile, would decide to fire off an Acid Spray at Ceres in an attempt to force her back, so that it could pull itself off of her spikes - making its retreat...

Only when the three ultra beasts had disappeared into the dark of the Ultra Deep Sea, did El and Bibidi finally relax - the trainer slumping back against their Alakazam with a heavy sigh of relief. "Th-thanks, that... That was something..." They murmured - glancing to their savior, before carefully pushing themself back up to their feet. A young man with a black skull mask covering their face - though it was a bit tricky to make out the exact details, given the low light conditions of the tunnels. They initially weren't sure what to make of him - initially wondering if the mask was some sort of cosplay or vigilante thing...

... But then their thoughts drifted to that of Rocket - a group of people who were no strangers to hiding their own identities. This thought prompted a sense of alarm and unease, which made their heart skip a beat (though, it was hard to say how much of it could be blamed on Rocket, and not on the Deep Sea itself.) Unsure of what to make of this other person, El's grip on their cane tensed slightly, as they asked "Who... Are you?"

Bibidi, however, had a better idea of things. The other person's mind - the feel of it was unmistakably familiar, especially as she reached out her mental presence to brush up against Isaac's own mind. She wouldn't - couldn't - ever forget her former trainer, and would express as much in the form of a sense of recognition, greeting, and thanks all conveyed upon his mind.

Isaac Merlo

Things were getting hectic. A bit more hectic than one might expect.

League and Rocket both showing up at once was bad enough - but there was also talks of a rift in Granite Cave, one that was expanding- which was pretty damn concerning all things considered..! Dewford was wrapped up in chaos, and civillians were evacuating to safety, to avoid being drawn into the crossfire... At least, aside from those who were sticking around to try and help.

El was one of those civillians, much to Bibidi's chagrin. The alakazam wasn't happy that they were sticking around in what was quickly becoming a warzone - but there were those who needed help. People who had gotten separated from their loved ones, be they human or pokemon, amidst everything going on. And El, being the kind heart that they are, was incapable of turning their back on those who needed help.

However, what had started as a search for someone's pet zigzagoon had quickly turned into something else, when they had begun searching the outskirts of Dewford - perhaps a little closer to Granite than they should've. One moment, they were calling for Ziggy to come out... And the next, the space around them seemed to warp - twist - before they found themselves falling... And then nothing.

When El had come to, it was to a worried Bibidi watching over them, in some sort of strange tunnel. Scattered through this dimly lit cave system - wherever they were - were pools of dark water that appeared more than just a little foreboding. And it was as if gravity itself behaved strangely, for the sheer fact that they were able to float through the air as if it were water. Was this the result of the rift? It must've been - else there weren't any other explanations that they could find for this.

Teleporting didn't appear possible, however - at least, not back to Dewford. Though Bibidi attempted, it was as if some boundary was blocking the way - not that she could exactly explain what the block was. But that left only one option - and that was to start moving, in the hopes that the two of them could find a way out on their own... Which was easier said than done, given that this was completely unfamiliar territory. For now, El decided to go for an old tried and true - which was to follow the wall on their right, and stick with it until they hopefully found some way out.

At the very least, it was quiet here. Or at least, it started as being pretty quiet. Though there was nothing to be seen here, after awhile of walking around, El couldn't help but feel... Unsettled. As if they were being watched by something, not that they knew what. It had started as a tingling feeling, but bit by bit was growing stronger. No matter how often El looked though, they didn't find anything - nor could Bibidi sense any other minds in the vicinity. They couldn't figure out if that fact made things easier, or harder, to cope with.

But then, as El rounded a corner, they spotted something - just for the briefest of seconds. The tunnel ahead branched into two paths, and as they noticed it, they had caught a glimpse of something heading down one of the tunnels. Was that another person? A pokemon? "Hello?" El called, as they picked up the pace to try and catch up with whoever they saw. "Is someone out there?" There was no response, though. And as El rounded the next corner, they'd soon become aware of why.

Because they'd find themself face to face, with a pair of nihilego. The jellyfish-like ultra beasts would turn to face El - and near-immediately began advancing, letting out otherworldly whispers, tentacles outstretched--

-- before Bibidi interfered, using Psychic to hold the two beasts at bay. The Alakazam could immediately tell that these were not normal pokemon, however - even the surface layers of these two nihilegos' minds being completely alien to her. It was difficult enough to hold them back even, having to invest every bit of her focus to prevent them from pushing through by brute force alone.

El, alarmed, was immediately checking their belt, wondering who to bring up against the two nihilego. These were something that El didn't recognize at all - not their typings, nor what sort of attacks they'd use, or even their natural behavior. No books that they'd read had ever spoken of anything like this - and safe to say, they were more than a bit frazzled in who else to bring out to back Bibidi up. Do they bring out Behemoth, for the muscle? Akero, for support?

Unbeknownst to El though, there was one more nihilego in the area. One that was creeping up behind them, drifting ever-so-silently... But that wasn't all, was it?

Incorporated realm's feelings of paranoia + ultrabeasts


Isaac Merlo

Akero whistled gently as she drifted about the room - looking at the patients gathered here. Her voice was a melodious one, the sing-song tones it had drawing the attention of a few children. Their wide eyes, awed expressions - it was plenty for the Togekiss to turn her attention towards them - and as one reached up to try and pet her. She cooed happily in response - landing and opening her wings wide, as if to offer a hug.

When embraced, Akero would gently wrap his wings around the child in turn - softly whistling to them. It was okay, see? He'd keep them safe from all the big scary things, so that they could keep smiling and being happy!

OOC for my own sanity buuuuut~

- #3: "Do you believe in astrology? What's your star sign?"
- - El's sign would be The Ram - or in real world terms, Aries. They don't necessarily take stock on astrology - but they do find it interesting to learn about, nonetheless.

- #13: "Pick a genre: lost world or science fiction."
- - El would go for lost world, most likely. They tend to vibe with more fantasty-esque genres and themes, rather than scifi/futuristic.

POSTDORMITUM SIGN-UPS

ULTRA DEEP SEA SKIRMISH

CHARACTER: El Sunderland [break]
FACTION: League; Civ[break]
PARTICIPATING IN BATTLES?: Y[break]
DO YOU WANT A BATTLE LARGER THAN A 1v1?: N[break]
PREFERRED PARTNERS?: N/A[break]
PREFERRED OPPONENTS?: Isaac Merlo ; SIBLING PVP SIBLING PVP-[break]
POKEMON TEAM (6 MAX): Pictured Below[break]
NOTES/COMMENTS: someone help this poor ranger-in-training they're so lost-[break]

The route took one heck of a turn - and El, well... Safe to say, they were bewildered beyond belief. They were pretty sure most people don't just sacrifice themselves to a volcano in front of a random stranger who just happened to flirt with them, right?

It was bewildering enough that they weren't sure what to pick - whether to try to stop him, or to just let it happen, or what. Bibidi would end up being the one to help them choose - the two deciding to try to save him. This didn't seem like the sort of thing that a sane person would do, after all - and maybe they'd get an explanation, if anything???

It came as a surprise, when El found vanessa rosiello suddenly falling back to just before them. With Sonikku's placementin the qualifiers, they had almost expected her to be firmly closer to the lead! Yet, they weren't necessarily complaining - they were up a place, and the hope was there that they'd be able to gain some more ground (or air, perhaps?) in this race!

Which, the next obstacle looked to be a series of rings they had to fly through - something that almost felt like that out of a videogame, with the bright colors they sported. As those ahead of them darted through each ring, they'd direct Akero through as well - laughing happily all the whilst!

"It's a shame that these rings don't give you speed boosts," El mused to Akero with a chuckle - the togekiss giving a cheery chitter in return, that almost sounded like a laugh. Wouldn't that be an exciting obstacle? Although, then again, given how many people were in this race... Being suddenly rocketed forward was probably asking for someone to accidentally crash into one another, so it was probably for the best.

But they were coming up on the inversion - and as if preparing themself for it, they'd tighten their grip on her reins. This was gonna be interesting..!

BYD2pvyb

Speed: C (2) // Endurance: B (3) // Reaction: B (3)

Ah - it seemed like the majority had something else in mind. El couldn't help briefly scratching their cheek in a sheepish fashion, as if they were actually there, as Farhan whisked them (or the player character, perhaps more accurately) away to the cablecar ride. And posed for them was the question, of what kept a relationship alive.

And well... The clearest answer to them, really, was communication. Too many things could go wrong, simply because you weren't honest and up front - and that wasn't even solely with romantic relationships. Isaac Merlo was the first person who came to mind, as someone that they should've tried to communicate more with.

So far, so good! Certainly, maybe El was closer to the back of the pack than they were the front - but the race had only just started, and neither they nor Akero were out of it yet! Glancing over their shoulder ever so briefly, they could see the others who were right on their tail, a Salamence and a Talonflame, though it was only Alexei that they could recognize out of those immediately behind them.

But, they couldn't let their attention stray for long. Glancing back ahead, El would spot the next obstacle coming in fast - a number of twists and turns that were sure to daunt any unprepared racer. But, they trusted in Akero and his maneuverability. "C'mon, you can do this," They encouraged - adjusting their grip on the reins. "Let's go!"

Responding with an eager keening trill, Akero would twist her way into the first couple of turns, appearing simply joyous to be here in the first place!

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Speed: C (2) // Endurance: B (3) // Reaction: B (3)

This definitely seemed like a steamier route than the prior ones that El had been playing lately - and they didn't necessarily mean the fact that this was set at a hot spring! Right from the start, they were facing an older man clothed in only a pair of swimtrunks - and well, El couldn't help the slightest flush at the image presented. The options seemed geared in a more romantic direction, too - unless they were someone with gastrointestinal problems, or someone who needed 'good luck and cash'...

... Though, that last option did seem a bit curious. Certainly, these otomes were probably made with you answering as closely as you can to what you'd actually do in such a situation in mind... But well, they were fond of roleplaying games, and exploring through different options as well.

I need some good luck and cash, stat. Where would this take them..?

With no more time to talk, El would have to rush a little - with Bibidi's aid - to settle themself into Akero's saddle. They're someone with many hopes - although the main one on their mind, as they find and grasp the reins, is that Josh Devlin will be willing to talk, and will recognize what - who - they're looking for...

... But as Akero chirrups beneath them - wings fluttering with excitement - El can't help but blink, before smiling softly down at him. "Let's do this, buddy." They speak softly and encouragingly, running their fingers through the fairy-type's crest. "You'll do great, I know you will - we did great getting this far in the first place."

Akero, happy to feel the positive and encouraging feelings coming off of El, would trill in response - readying himself for the race to come. And Bibidi, giving the two one last mental brush of her own in encouragement, would return to El's pokeball - ready to come out if need be, but otherwise not about to interfere with the race.

The countdown was tense - everyone was likely looking to start with a bang, the second the race started. It was hard to worry too hard with Akero gently cooing, however - even if El's eyes did remain locked on the countdown. 3, 2, 1...-

And GO!

Alongside the other competitors, El takes off on Akero - the Togekiss whistling in joy as he takes to the air. Following the right angle turns, El joins in the whistle with a delighted laugh as they hang on to the reins for dear life - even if there are straps on the saddle, to help keep them from falling off. Even if Akero isn't the fastest, he moves like a breeze - the only thing keeping him from twirling about as he pleases being the fact that he has a passenger.

The coming obstacle was sure to put that maneuverability to the test, however - El angling low to Akero's back in preparation. One way or another, they were going to do their best..!

Taking the Reaction path
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Speed: C (2) // Endurance: B (3) // Reaction: B (3)