They didn't lie, those ens really were deavour.
1. capture/defeat/redeem a ground-type pokemon in a wild, safari, gacha (no trades/gifts). - X1 LEVEL TUTOR

Rotting leaves perfectly preserved between life and death. Ochre eyes staring out into the horizon unblinking. A list of a thousand grudges that can grow no longer. The inevitable and undeniable ruination, left evitable and denied by a simple machine.

You've never been one for schadenfreude, but seeing Elisabeth Fiorelli's bastard of a snail stuck in this trap? It does put a smile on your face. The dark and terrible Wo-Chien, now left powerless. The Ruinous Treasure has been returned to its vault, and left no better than the common Caterpie, or the unassuming Sunkern. The so-called "Gods and Monsters" of the Pokemon world are left no better off than anyone else.

You stroke your chin as you ponder the sight. Hm. You wonder if you'd be able to find PENELOPE LIVY's Chi-Yu elsewhere in this dreaming city? Or maybe, if you looked hard enough, you could track down...

...Well well well, speak of the devil.

"Jayden." You turn to face the man as he approaches, your unfamiliar face contrasted by your all-too-familiar voice. "They got you too?"

---

jayden cross

It feels a little strange, to be back here.

Not that you were ever really "here", mind. From what you've been told, Lesser Megalopolis and Ultra Megalopolis are different places? It doesn't matter to you. Whether it's Lesser or Ultra, reality or a dream, cloaked in sheer dark or bathed in neon light, it's familiar all the same.

And it's no easier to navigate than it was last time. Once again, you find yourself blindly wandering these alien streets, getting more and more lost with every step. Unlike last time, you know exactly what you're looking for, but just like last time, you have no idea how to find it. And this time?The clock is ticking. You don't know when you'll wake up. You need to find her, before--

"--GAH!"

As the horribly familiar spectre of Andrea Vaneau returns to haunt you once more, your eyes go wide and you all but jump out of your skin.

"You! What are you doing here?!"

---

Andrea Vaneau

Taking with jayden cross.

[googlefont=Rubik Burned]Before you know it, the dream ends, and you're awake once more.

Back, trapped within this nightmarish prison. Back, trapped in your husk of a body. Back, with no escape in sight. The Toxic Chain around your neck and yesterday's wounds upon your skin. Part of you wants to shut your eyes once more. To try desperately to return to the dream. To do anything to escape your shackles, no matter how temporary the respite may be.

But it's not all bad, is it? Lulu is still here, beside you. There's others, too, in your ward and beyond it. howard slayte and Grigori Sokolov and jayden cross and Andrea Vaneau and even more besides. None of you are alone. You're all in this together.

Or so you think.

You barely even have time to eat your mochi before some new grotesque spectacle begins. Kyrenai Black, zachary stellar, and Lucia Aldrete are all pulled from their cells, and for a moment, you're simply glad that it isn't you who's being punished. But irony is a bitch, and just as soon as relief comes, it's taken away, and you find yourself being dragged out, too. Made to participate in this "laughing hour".

You don't have it in you to struggle. Not anymore. Not after what they did to Meltan.

The task given to you is simple - Lift the curious boulder in front of you. A strange and misshapen thing, a far cry from the familiar Tera Crystals your peers are made to contend with. Yet your lack of knowledge only breeds false optimism, a foolish hope that it'll be lighter than it appears. Yet, as you make to lift it up, you find that it's just as heavy as it seems to be. No matter how hard you try, you can't get it to budge, but the moment you stop trying, the noose around your neck tightens. You try, and your muscles scream. You stop, and your breath is stolen. You try, and your palm bleed. You stop, and your neck cracks.

And then, the laughter starts.

Mocking, biting, derisive laughter. The speaker decrees you weak, and the raucous uproar can only mean agreement. You try desperately to prove them wrong, to prove your strength, to pick up the boulder and hold it high above your head. Yet, such a feat would be difficult even for a strongman, and you, crippled and burned and with only one arm to spare, are not a strong man.

You glance out among the hysteric faces in the cells. Cillian Quinn. Naomi Sato. Lulu Flint. From underneath your mask, tears sting your eyes. To be vulnerable is one thing. To have your vulnerability laid bare for all to see? To have your insecurities treated as little more than a joke? To have the crumbling façade of Shred Zeppelin torn apart entirely?

You choke back... Something. You hope it's not a sob. But at this point, you know better than to hope.

You're not weak.

You're not weak.

You're not weak.

YOU'RE NOT WEAK.

YOU'RE NOT WEAK.

But they think you are. They're convinced you're pathetic. A pathetic excuse for a comrade. A pathetic excuse for a Rocket Beast. A Pathetic excuse for a cellmate. A pathetic excuse for a human being. And there's only one way to convince them you're not...

YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST LIFT THIS ROCK. YOU MUST--

---

Lulu Flint
TL;DR - Shred experiences the horrors of public humiliation, has his anxieties exploited so Okidogi can clout farm, but in the process gains a powerful new mental illness.
kEoiQb5z

"Damn."

To be honest, you can't say you're particularly moved by his plight. For all the supposed distance between his people and his homeland, they don't seem to be making much effort to move towards it. No, from what little you've seen of Velmos, he seems all too content to wallow in self-pity and bemoan his circumstances. Better to believe his mission impossible than to actually try and find it so, you suppose.

But you've got little patience and much that needs doing. If all this old soldier has to offer is complaints about today and reminscience about tomorrow, then you've got little else to say to him.

"Well, this certainly has been an..." A waste of time? A pointless diversion? A wild Zangoose chase? "...Enlightening experience. Thank you for your time, General."

With that, you stand up, offer the laziest head-bow you can muster, and make to leave.

---

shiv

• player/ooc name: Raptor
• character tags: Shred Zeppelin Mitsuru Kagami
• dropped characters' tags (if applicable): Don't worry about that
• ic posts for characters: Shred | Mitsuru
• are characters in directories?: Y
• any notes/comments: Just saw Ghostfinch's file on Shiv

"...What?"

Grigori's daughter? No. Surely not. How? And why? And, and, and...

Too many questions flood your mind. You can't even begin to answer one before two more hit you. You try to look for an explanation, but you just can't find it. You try and reconcile the Grigori you know with this Grigori you've been presented with. Grigori, the loyal and kind yet unassuming Rocket Grunt. Grigori, the distant and uncaring and emotionless father.

Your hand slips off Howard's neck and moves to grab your head. Thinking about it makes your brain ache. Like trying to solve a puzzle when the pieces are constantly changing. It just doesn't make any sense. How could it possibly make sense? Your eyes flick back to Howard, your previous anger dulled by newfound confusion.

"Explain."

---

howard slayte

You're not burned.

That's the first realisation you make as you awaken within the idea of Ultra Megalopolis. Something you can feel before you even open your eyes. The smoothness of your skin, the sensation underneath, the painlessness of it all. You've even got your missing arm back! It feels like you've just woken up from an overlong nightmare. Finally, finally, you're whole again.

But eventually, you do have to open your eyes. When you look upon the neon skies and the alien architecture that scrapes them, you can feel something isn't right. And when you inevitably find a mirror in this city of glass and polish, you see that your reflection is not quite your own.

"Fuck me..."

It's just a dream. Another goddamned fucking dream. And when you wake? You'll be broken again. Disappointment hits you hard. It'd crush you, if you weren't crushed already. Instead, it just feels like it's poking against your bruises.

But after a time, that feeling passes, and it's replaced by a more immediate realisation.

"...Shit! Lulu? Where are you? LULU?!"

She's not here. You're not sure how long she hasn't been here, but even a second is too long. So, you kick into gear and begin to search the sprawling expanse. It doesn't take long for you to meet a few familiar faces, and not longer after that to start picking up the finer details. You exchange words with your allies, get caught up on the situation within each of the wards, and even hear that a certain fucking backstabbing piece of shit is here in prison with you.

You keep an eye out for one General Velmos as you search the city. If you find him, and he better pray you don't, then you'll have some strong words for him. Something along the lines of "Oi, FUCKER, what happened to that whole "I'd kill myself" speech you gave, huh? Why the fuck are you screwing us over here? Why're you getting special treatment? And the fuck are you doing with all that mask bullshit, anyway?".

Whether you find him or not, and whether he answers or not, you don't stick around. Instead, you continue to look for Lulu within the gigantic city, like looking for a needle in a haystack. And yet, despite how absurd that sounds, it isn't much longer before you find it.

"Lulu! There you are! I know I look a little different, but--"

You stop. She's crying.

Your eyes flicker to her Houndoom, suspended in some strange display. Then, they drift back to her. To her watering eyes and her tearstained cheeks. For a second, you stand there, unsure of what to do. Then, you discard your thought, and allow your instinct to lead you. Taking a deep breath, you step forward and hug her. With both of your arms, while you still have them.

"Shhhhhhh... It's okay... It'll be okay... We'll get them back."

Her Houndoom. Your Meltan.

"And when we do? We'll all leave here. Together. Just like I promised..."

---

Lulu Flint
TL;DR - Shred wakes up with his DDD body from HIT HOENN THREAD IMMORTAL ONEIROS, and scours the dream city looking for Lulu. In doing so, he gets caught up on the critical information in a variety of intriguing Dream threads. Using this information gained, he looks for Velmos and proceeds to ask him the tough questions about HIT HOENN THREAD CHAIN OF COMMAND. Then he find Lulu and hugs her :ureshii:.

"Well, uh... No." You admit, rubbing the back of your neck. "I haven't seen her since everything that happened in the Silent Icelands. Haven't worked up the nerve for it. Yet."

But with this mug by your side? That'll all change. You can see it now - You walk into the laboratories, stride straight up to Lulu Flint, and slam this bad boy down in front of her. Bam. INSTANT romance. Even parker jones, in all her scientist-wooing wisdom, would be jealous of such a raw display of "rizz". People will talk about your unprecedented act of courtship for aeons to come. Howard'll probably end up having to write a whole book about it and its consequences, and it'll probably end up being his thirteenth reason. But, hey, if that's the cost of progress? Then so be it.

"Bitchin'."

You stash the mug away and look around the rest of the container. Between the two of you, you've managed to unload about... Ten percent of it? Fuck that. You've stumbled upon enough cursed objects for one day. You're calling it quits.

"Alright, I'm off." You declare, making for the exit. "I'll send for some grunts to help you finish things up here. If anything comes up? You know where to find me."

Asleep, on the couch in his office, and probably using the one-of-a-kind pelt of some long-extinct Pokemon as a blanket.

---

howard slayte
No Catches.

The two Pokemon clash with intense speed, and both are sent skidding from the force of the impact. Had it truly been Raikou and Suicine battling it out, then the lightning might have beaten out the rain.

But they aren't, are they? No, draconic ancestry runs deep in the blood of these Paradoxes, raw and savage and primal and fierce. Even the forces of nature are but trifles to them. Instead of falling, both Walking Wake and Raging Bolt alike stand tall. Yet, his has lost its fighting spirit, while yours is eager to finish its hunt.

Perhaps the gym leader knows that, too, as he reaches for another Pokeball and sends out a Walking Wake of his own. The two stare each other down, yellow eyes regarding each other with suspicious and disdain. Two predators, competing against one another to be apex.

Yours is the first to move.

Waters fills its mouth from the edges of its teeth to the back of its throat. It overflows, pouring through its fangs and trickling down its chin. Then, the water is superheated, boiled and boiled until it is so searingly hot it cannot remain as it is. Then, with a breath of contempt, your Walking Wake releases a Hydro Steam, aiming to scald enemy, trainer, and mount all at once.

---

Josh Devlin

Relax. Relax? You're getting bombarded by Genesect from all angles, and he wants you to relax?! You'd have snapped at the Underboss for that stupid comment, if you weren't busy fighting for your life.

Your Cyclizar soars down the highway, ducking and weaving between futuristic traffic, narrowly avoiding the attacks as they come. At this point, you're not even convinced you're actually steering this thing. It just seems to be moving on its own, following some invisible path through the chaos, as though being led by some hyper-advanced routing system you can't even begin to understand.

As you pass by a truck with a familiar name emblazoned on the side, yet more hostile Pokemon crash and tumble out onto the road, and things only get more and more hectic. This is a HUGE pain in the ass, and it's only getting bigger with every passing second. You need to get out of here.

"Shedinja!" You grit your teeth as you grab a Pokeball, tossing it up to release the eponymous bug. "Get us the fuck out of here!"

"ꂦ ꀎ ꓄ ꂦ ꎇ ꌗ ꀤ ꁅ ꃅ ꓄ ꂦ ꀎ ꓄ ꂦ ꎇ ꂵ ꀤ ꈤ ꀸ"

The husk sinks down, vanishing from sight as it skulks into some nowhere nook in this dense metropolis. Then, with an Ally Switch, Theo is whisked away. Now floating where he once road, it repeats the process a second time, and before you know it, you're away from the highway and right next to Beckett.

The first thing you do is take a deep breath. Then, you complain.

"Arceus wept... What the fuck, man? We've barely been in here for a minute! Why the fuck does it even start like that?!"

---

THEO BECKETT