[attr="class","test2-tagged"]Adam Shepard

[attr="class","mareep-post"]
persephone's milotic coiled under the water's surface - a series of iridescent figure eights. she watched the light reflect off the pokemon's scales and tactfully pretended to not notice the momentary struggle bailey was having with her wet suit. she herself had little trouble with her own, but only because she had trained for this exact, hyper-specific moment. wet suits were her forte. [break][break]

when her partner was ready, she pondered bailey's question for a minute that seemed to a little too long, her mouth open and eyes narrowed in thought. is there ever an appropriate time to tell someone that her mother died in a diving accident? probably not. [break][break]

instead persephone settled on a "sure," delivered with very little conviction, and twisted her body to dip her legs into the water. they hadn't exactly discussed how they would communicate underwater (does the league even have devices that would make that possible? and if so, why were they not equipped with them?). wild arm-waving would have to do. [break][break]

adjusting her breathing apparatus, persephone dips beneath the waves. [break][break][break]

[attr="class","mareep-lyrics"]
There are still things unseen: the lonely sea, the sky

[attr="class","test2-tagged"]Adam Shepard

[attr="class","mareep-post"]
Any lapse of attention - even if only for half a second - always feels too long. The bomb detonates, a brilliant rupture of colour, blinding and all-consuming one moment and then glimmering the next. A of glass accompanies the streaks of light decorating the night sky, and Persephone's stunned, rigid and motionless. [break][break]

She thinks: I've been here before. The dying city, the beasts, the wormholes, the surge of power robbing her of her senses. [break][break]

When her hearing comes back, Persephone thinks she recognises the clanging sound of metal on wood. She has to squint against the dust and after-images of fireworks to locate the remaining beast. She can make out her Claydol in its tentacle grasp, seemingly slack as though recovering from the attack it unleashed earlier. [break][break]

"Get out of there with a RAPID SPIN!" she calls out, hoping the Claydol can still hear its trainer. Persephone bites her lip as she tosses the Pokemon's capsule into the air with a practiced motion. [break][break]

"I've got you," she adds, with a hint of quiet desperation. [break][break]

At her side, Drifblim prepares and launches a barrages of SHADOW BALLS aimed at the beast's tentacles to prevent it completing whatever abominable action it is preparing. [break][break][break]

» claydol gets smacked around after its HYPER BEAM last turn[break]
» (passage of time permitting) claydol uses RAPID SPIN to loosen nihilego's hold[break]
» perse attempts to return claydol[break]
» drifblim uses SHADOW BALL on the nihilego tentacles[break][break]

[break][break]

[attr="class","mareep-lyrics"]
There are still things unseen: the lonely sea, the sky

[attr="class","mareep-post"]
Reuniclus has done enough. Its screens and protective barriers were, Persephone hopes, of some use, but she needs more firepower and doesn't want to split her focus between three Pokemon, all awaiting commands. Reuniclus shimmers for a moment, huge eyes fixated on her with something like concern, as the Pokemon is returned to its capsule and another equally shapeless and bulbous form takes its place on the field. [break][break]

Almost immediately, as if on cue, the earth begins to shudder and tremble. Persephone can feel the vibrations, in the soles of her feet, and once again latches on to the Drifblim as the duo are raised into the air. As the earth breaks, they join the Claydol. [break][break]

The earth may break underfoot, but that doesn't interrupt the Claydol's natural levitation, allowing it to carefully line up and prepare a HYPER BEAM at the remaining beast. [break][break]

These pieces on the playing field are dispersing, and Persephone's attention is drawn back to the bomb that had been on the lighthouse. She calls for a TAILWIND to stall its descent. Gusts will ripple from below it, as though emanating from the earth itself. [break][break]

She holds her breath and waits. [break][break][break]

» swaps reuniclus out for claydol[break]
» grabs on to drifblim to soar over the earth-based attack[break]
» claydol's LEVITATE helps it avoid the earthen attack[break]
» claydol uses HYPER BEAM on nihilego[break]
» drifblim uses TAILWIND like underneath the bomb pushing upwards so that it's airborne for longer, yes ik this is a stretch[break][break]

[break][break]

[attr="class","mareep-lyrics"]
There are still things unseen: the lonely sea, the sky

[attr="class","mareep-post"]
One moment the clown is there and the next it's case aside like a common Pokemon in a capsule. She saw the ball - oddly-shaped, but distinctly modeled after a Pokeball - fly in and presumably secure the beast inside. [break][break]

Automatically, her head snaps toward the time bomb ascending the lighthouse, and she feels her heartbeat in the cavity of her chest when she sees that it is still there. [break][break]

Gaze swinging wildly from the woman who is - or once was? - Dahlia Goode, Persephone wrangles the desperation from her voice.
"The bomb-" she begins to call out, but cuts herself off when the corrupted commissioner demands attention again. [break][break]

Persephone can recognise an attack's tell without knowing what it will be. She sees the commissioner - the beast? - soar into the air, sees the embedded parts of her grow like a sick parasite. [break][break]

"Do it again - protect us!" she implores the Reuniclus as it repeats the same choreography, summoning the PROTECT and LIGHT SCREEN barriers around themselves and those in their vicinity once more. [break][break]

Without the clown about, the Drifblim's PHANTOM FORCE won't land, but the Pokemon recognises the absence of a target and rematerialises beside its trainer. [break][break][break]

» again covers her e4 colleagues (if possible) + those in the immediate vicinity with reuniclus' LIGHT SCREEN and herself with PROTECT[break]
» drifblim reappears beside her having been unable to land its PHANTOM FORCE[break]
» protecting from the acid rain while watching the time bomb ig[break][break]

[break][break]

[attr="class","mareep-lyrics"]
There are still things unseen: the lonely sea, the sky