Screaming ‘I fucking told you so’ briefly crosses Katherine’s mind.
[break][break]
Although she didn’t think the Regirock would make its return this quickly, she anticipated that something like this could happen. She wanted to prevent it. She wanted to prevent having to battle the titan (in this form or the other one) again, but as always, she’s by herself. She is villainized and made a bully, all because…
[break][break]
Well, was there really a reason for it?
[break][break]
”Idiots.”
[break][break]
Worthless idiots. All of them.
[break][break]
“Shoot that thing until it’s dead!” She barks out an order to her exhausted Dragapult, commanding the dragon to utilize its power to blast the titan with a precise DRAGON PULSE. The gravity persists as Katherine makes her way closer, slowly and carefully, treading lightly due to the close proximity to the resurrected creature.
[break][break]
She won't give up.
[break][break]
notes: [break][break]
- not much other than telling dragapult to use dragon pulse against regirock, hoping to dismantle the titan a second time.
[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] @/regirock [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]

“I am?”
[break][break]
Her monotone voice ruins the jest. She sounds almost as though she wants to ruin this perfect, totally-not-scary, night in a forest for them both. ”..You are? That’s, um… Cool.” She almost asks which work. Between running a gym for a while, becoming a member of the elite four, and later joining the aqua initiative, there’s only one thing that she was slightly less proud of.
[break][break]
Her Spectrier still seems to be on the hunt, searching for something… Or someone?
[break][break]
“Well, Danny,” such a terrible way to spell a beautiful name, ”What are you and your Mudslade doing here all by yourselves?”
[break][break]
She always thought she’s strange for enjoying horse riding most at night, but maybe she wasn’t alone in that anymore.

[attr="class","ooc"] DANNY HALL [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]

Katherine’s lips remain pursed despite the urge to yell out ‘yes’ surfacing.
[break][break]
She got here because of her hunch, intuition, and also thanks to Mars’ invite and emails— but that isn’t to say that she could get ahead of herself and trust him with sensitive information. Even if she did trust him - that isn’t to say that Giratina does, and when a god rests within you, hiding secrets is not very plausible.
[break][break]
And as such, she’s careful. Cautious. She treads lightly and reveals only what can further the two of them.
[break][break]
Not her and Mars, but Giratina and her.
[break][break]
“You could say that,” she can confirm his suspicion without giving out too much, she tells herself. “It was brief and mostly harmless,” although it didn’t really feel that way, at first.
[break][break]
“..How did you know?”
[break][break]
She almost assumes that he, too, was visited by Azelf but… Pride gets in her way. She was special, thus, so was the visit. There couldn’t possibly be a bunch of other people in Hoenn who were visited by the pixie trio, right?
[break][break]
Well, little does she know...

[attr="class","ooc"] Martín del Mar [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]

A memory resurfaces at the sound of his words, nostalgia sweetening her mood.
[break][break]
“Something big,” she repeats, her tone hushed into that of a whisper, “How ominous. Should I be concerned?” Sarcasm oozes from her, dripping from words. ”But I suppose that if you’re right, I should take your advice, no?” Killian was a higher-up of Rocket, after all. She had a couple of friends left in the organization, sure, but none of them were at the top of the hierarchy.
[break][break]
A moment of pause, and then a chuckle.
[break][break]
“With a stare?” He got the wrong impression. She was willing to do a lot of things - even kill - but not with a stare. It’s too simple, too fast, and far less amusing than she’d want it to be.
[break][break]
Besides, a man like him? He deserved a proper ritual-- and nothing less.
[break][break]
“It doesn’t.”
[break][break]
A smile.
[break][break]
“We’ll stay in touch then. You’ll let me know if you need something, and I’ll do the same. Sounds good?”

[attr="class","ooc"] Killian Decker [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]

“Sometimes.”
[break][break]
Katherine’s correction comes out casually as though having said something similar in the past. Hell, she probably did.
[break][break]
“It does mean something, Melody. Don’t forget that. You don’t have to prove yourself-- you earned the job by proving yourself,” that’s how it worked, after all. She was qualified for it, so in Kat’s eyes, she earned it. The standards for gym leaders were at an all-time low, mind, but that mattered little.
[break][break]
She’d rate Melody as one of the better ones their region currently held.
[break][break]
“I could go for some boba. I didn’t bring any ground-types with me, but… I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Milk tea wasn’t too pricey, anyhow. “I am holding up fine. Like, honestly… Just fine. I know it’s kind of weird, and maybe I should be… Upset, or maybe even scared, but… I am not.”
[break][break]
She never does, really. It’d be hard for something as fickle as jumping ship to cause that to change.
[break][break]
”I am happy you’re alive, and… Honestly, I am happy kyle lopez is still alive, too. Could you imagine what would’ve happened if something happened to him?” She doesn’t say it outright, but she certainly thinks it: Dahlia could’ve easily forced her into taking Lopez’s job.
[break][break]
How awful.

[attr="class","ooc"] Melody Miro [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]

A mere touch is all it takes.
[break][break]
Giratina's blessing radiates from within Katherine, from the serpent's lair and where the Renegade rested. As a result, the suit undergoes a series of changes to better fit the Malevolent's standards. It’s first washed by a deep silver, outlined with threads of iridescent, obsidian fabric. Metallic, golden threads are weaved across the canvas of Katherine’s outfit, each and all made to better embrace her figure and curves.
[break][break]
Small, glittering ruby gemstones could be seen here and there, forming patterns of sorts. The end result is dazzling, yet still packed with sinister undertones.
[break][break]
Fitting, isn’t it?
[break][break]
“This is fun,” she’s grateful they didn’t have to do a photo shoot before the mission, though. Wearing clothes for the sake of wearing clothes and not taking pictures was a refreshing change.
[break][break]
“Don’t lie to them, Melody Miro. They don’t pull these suits as well as we do.”

[attr="class","ooc"] @aqua2 [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]

“Me.”
[break][break]
Katherine spares a glance at her horse, blinking a couple of times. “Well... Us, actually.” The Specrtier neighed in agreement, locking eyes with the fallen man. A smile takes to her lips before she realizes that the blunt force of his fall might’ve hurt more than expected.
[break][break]
Should she feel bad?
[break][break]
“Are you okay?”

[attr="class","ooc"] DANNY HALL [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]

The nuzzling Dedenne draws Kat’s attention momentarily, eyes resting on the pokemon’s stuffed cheek pouches before Melody feeds it a berry. Cute. She really did seem to get along with all of her pokemon.
[break][break]
”I hope I am right too.”
[break][break]
She wouldn’t make a promise she can’t keep— and this certainly was one. Frankly, a war between the League and Rocket was… Inevitable. A matter of time. Soon enough, it will erupt and Hoenn, as a whole, will be the one to pay for it.
[break][break]
”I… I know it’s tough now. It’s probably going to be this way for some time, Melody, but things will get better. Not just in Sootopolis, but across the entire region.” She wasn’t speaking with a forked tongue because she did believe that things will go back to normal. Soon, hopefully.
[break][break]
“I… I don’t really know how to do that myself, to be honest,” that was hard to admit. ”But I trust in the League and in Dahlia to lead us through these times until Hoenn is fully recovered. You should too. You’re a Gym Leader for a reason.”

[attr="class","ooc"] Melody Miro [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]

“Weird...”
[break][break]
Both Sableye and Mimikyu follow after Katherine when she steps back, just enough so the branches stop chasing after them. She watches the Guzzlord munch on some of the branches quietly, humming in thought.
[break][break]
Until Priam disrupts her.
[break][break]
“Hrm… I mean...” It wasn’t like she was scared but at the same time, she did have her doubts. A tree capable of reviving people and attacking others wasn’t the most welcoming plant. “..Sure. What’s the worst that can happen?” It sounds as if she’s only slightly reluctant. A single step forward brings her closer, and her pokemon follow in tow.
[break][break]
“No. You two stay back. I’ll do it myself.”
[break][break]
Sableye utters a hiss before Katherine continues to make her way towards the tree. Any branches that seek to halt her advance are ignored, the malevolent shifts into anti-matter to evade their hold. And once she reaches her destination?
[break][break]
Another step forward is taken, to see if she can peek into the tree. Was it really hiding something inside..?

[attr="class","ooc"] priam conrad [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]

Not even the slightest of Grim Neighs is uttered amidst their spine-chilling trip. They appear without so much of a warning, for the ghost's steps carry no sound.
[break][break]
By the looks of it, Katherine wasn’t riding the Spectrier as much as she happened to be seated on its back as it made its way into the forest. It does not ask for permission nor does it wait for directions. Instead, it decides for them.
[break][break]
The devil’s hour often marks the time for mischievous Pokémon to reveal themselves, and tonight was no different. Lurking in the shadows, they moved just as silently as the pair did. But a single person dares to break that unspoken oath, DANNY HALL.
[break][break]
His voice attracts both Katherine’s attention and her horse’s, who changes courses nigh instantly to chase after the source of the shout. The Spectrier remains silent, unlike its rider.
[break][break]
“Boo!”

[attr="class","ooc"] DANNY HALL [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]

“Countless, if I had to say. They are just Pokemon after all. Aliens, but like… Still just pokemon.”
[break][break]
It was hard to wrap one’s head around the concept, but it made sense now, after multiple encounters with their kind. They were what they were. ”I… I didn’t even know they captured all of that. I had no idea people knew what it looked like, but… Yeah. It’s gone. I am sure it’s gone. It won’t come back.”
[break][break]
It can’t. They were lucky the last time, but next time? Who’s to say luck alone will be enough? Those creatures, unlike the Ultra Beasts she encountered, were as far away from normal Pokémon as realistically possible. Hoenn cannot prepare for The Hunt. No one can.
[break][break]
”I am sure we don’t have to worry about the Ultraspace anymore, too. I mean… We’re better prepared now, and they don’t have the element of surprise anymore. If they were to show up again, we’d be ready.”
[break][break]
Who was she lying to? Melody or herself?

[attr="class","ooc"] Melody Miro [break]

[attr="class","pkmnparty"]