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 Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 10:48 am
The group would follow along and put one hand each on Claydol as the Ground/Psychic-type whisked them away. They landed just outside Veridian, but not where they'd thought they would. Hearing Sub's idea, however, made sense to the trio, and they looked at each other. "I'll stay behind this time," she said. "I'm going to stay, as well," Rachel said. "I don't have any reason to go in there, especially as I've only been with the team for just over a year now." Brian gave a nod, putting a hand on each of their shoulders.
"Be careful, both of ye," he said. "If things go south, which I'm sure they will, do what ye can to help the rest of us get out. Amber, try to make use of yer hybrid abilities as much as ye can, alright?" The Froslass hybrid gave a savage grin. "Of course," she said. "I've been training with my Pokemon, and I've learned quite a bit in these last few days." Brian gave a satisfied nod as he turned and walked over to the group going into the 'courtroom.' "Deo, calm down," he said. "Spouting things like that will only make it worse, and we don't need to give them any more ammunition against us."
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 5:31 pm
Crystal and Aile would look at their surroundings, the human raising an eyebrow. They would patiently wait while their leader explained his reasoning, feeling somewhat unsure about it. Crystal would wear this concern on her face, while Aile kept a stone face, head tilting.
“I… think I get it, but..”
“If I had known this was the plan sooner, I would have worn different shoes.”
“You’re going to stay,” Crystal asked the red head, said woman’s green eyes turning in her direction.
Aile nodded. “Yeah. I got a good look at the blueprints for the gym as well, so someone should be on the outside that knows them.”
Crystal sighed, looking Aile over. It felt like she might have been leaving something else out, but wasn’t going to push the issue. “Fine. I’ll be going at least.”
“You could be another way of escape then.”
“WHITE’ll be there. I wouldn’t put it past him to ground me again, especially if he became a pet project of Aether. Still. You have a chance of not being noticed as much.”
Aile raised an eyebrow herself, but shrugged, leaning back against a tree as the ones heading to Viridian proper gathered around Claydol again. Once they all teleported away, the channeller shook her head. “Arceus, I hope you know what you’re doing, Sub.” Her right hand fingered a beat up Great Ball on her belt, trying to figure out what to do next.
—-
Crystal would keep quiet as she walked through the city, hearing all of the jeers and jabs at them. As much as Sub had said to ignore them, it was rather hard when she’d been dealing with… less than positive emotions for quite a while now. Really, it was all she could do to just keep her head forward and just focus on the road ahead. When Lt. Surge finally allowed them access to the gym, the hybrid would take a deep breath and follow, waiting for the next stage of this show to begin.
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Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2025 2:01 pm
Once they were in the forest with the rest of the group, Darts listens to all of the various Snagem groups splitting themselves up into those going to court versus those not going - pros and cons abound. Ogerpon quizzically turned to him, her face hidden behind her green Teal mask as if to ask 'what are we doing?'
He doubted that they were going to let Ogerpon into the courtroom - Cera was going to be enough of an ask alone, and she most definitely had to be accounted for. The gambler didn't like the fact that all or most of their heavy hitters were going to be in the courtroom, the same issue Sub had clearly. And he wasn't going to put her back into her ball - the idea clearly spooked the Pokemon to the very core of her being any time the situation arose, just as it had in Mymay. With so many of the core members of the team heading into danger - yes the teleportation scramblers had a backdoor now, if Blizz's little soiree worked the way they hoped, but if it didn't or if they had another line of defense everyone staying out in the forest right now would be essentially the cavalry... or the remnants, depending.
Plus, as a career criminal himself there was something distasteful to Darts about just handing himself over to the mercy of the courts. Judgment, in his experience, had been anything but merciful to a little urchin running around the streets of Sootopolis. Whether that was a higher power or something else.
"We're staying." He says by way of answer to his Legend's inquisitive look. "Somebody has to stay behind with the rear guard in case anything happens. If they need us in court for anything, they'll definitely send someone to come get us." Figuring that was that, Ogerpon crossed her 'sleeves' and leaned up against a nearby tree, in a nigh-imitation of her trainer's classic lounging position. Darts just hoped the people heading into that courtroom, Sub in particular, had enough evidence to get them off the hook without any.... complications.
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Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2025 4:10 pm
Leslie, Aria, and Beau would be with the group as they prepared to teleport into the Viridian Forest, although only Aria was actually dressed for any sort of an effort to give a glimpse of a better image with a reasonably well-cut maroon dress top and black pencil skirt. While she could have certainly leaned more into her actual image for what she does for entertainment, it wouldn't be the greatest way to try and guarantee a proper image for the group. Especially given how much things had apparently twisted for their image in the time since SWIPE had officially entered the picture. For Leslie and Beau, they would both be in their usual attire as they prepared to leave. Which meant there was a small girl carrying a hammer that weighed a ton and a bug man dressed in some mildly scorched outdoor gear were now going to be along for the ride to really help sell their image. Mostly as a pack of violent and careless criminals but it was an image.
Breathing out a huff, Aria would already be contemplating how much work ambushing the pair and making them at least put up the facade of respectability for the five minutes people would pay attention to them. And as they landed in the forest, she would begin drawing out a Pokeball to let out her Carbink to dazzle the two before this attempted makeover ambush. And would halt herself as she heard the direct mention of leaving some of the group behind in case things go completely lopsided. Looking around for a moment, she would carefully tuck the Pokeball back before anyone noticed too directly what she was about to do.
"Yeah, I'm staying back. I managed to do that trick with my hammer once, I am not using this exact second to see if I can do it again from way further away." Leslie said, shuffling herself over to where Darts and Ogerpon were kicking back.
Beau would look around for a moment before sidling over to join this group as well. "With how much stuff has been switched around, I'd rather not be there to be exhibit A in case they somehow think I blew up a children's hospital or something."
Giving a nod, Aria would take off alongside Sub and the rest of the chosen plaintiffs, with the thought of one thing being missing. Where exactly was Reno?
-----
As the group was slowly working their way past Surge, they would find themselves one person larger. A man in a black suit with an orange silk dress shirt and a strange comma-patterned teal tie had rejoined his team. "I'd say things were better yesterday, but that was mostly because its a lot harder to identify us as singular people instead of a larger group." Reno brought up to those near him, flexing a glove-covered left hand. He was certainly glossing over exactly how much of his time the day before had been spent looking over his shoulder to see the SWIPE spooks stalking him across hill and dale alongside the greeting his old friend had given him. But there was no need to bring down the mood any more than it currently was unduly. Taking a glance around as the crowd began to crush in more, he would reach down and let his Wynaut hop up his arm and scramble onto his shoulder to take one of her more typical perches.
Apparently, having a bright blue target made things a lot more interesting for some of the more ornery rabble-rousers, as one of those predicted Tamato Berries came sailing towards Reno's head. Rolling his eyes, Reno would give it a moment before 'accidentally' stumbling and allowing the berry to go sailing past into the crowd on the other side of him. It wasn't exactly rocket science to figure out the maneuver to use. He had been sitting for a while with some of this other Pokemon out to determine who would be liable to do something, where it would be coming from, and what he could do to minimize the damage.
Everything after this, there would be no predicting. He just had to hope that everything that the group had done would manage to sway things in their favor.
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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2025 4:46 am
"...Excuse me?" Sol spoke up when they all touched down, recognizing the forest and the general distance they were from the city itself. Sub's explanation was quick to confirm any suspicions he might've had, and he certainly wasn't going to fault trying to find some kind of out even now. The biggest concern he had, should this go as feared, was how long they'd be able to keep running. Sooner or later, things were bound to catch up to them, but to tell Sub any of that would be preaching to the choir. He hoped.
"What, and blow their social standing when they've already made us all out to be no better than Ein? I'm fairly sure they'll be ready for us as you said, no trap required to do that unless they decide to collar us hybrids again," he remarked afterward, stepping forward. "Regardless, there's no avoiding this trial even if I tried to. Not without damning the lot of you for it."
"...they'll want me too, I'm sure," Cera said as she looked up at the trees. "The three of us are entertwined with everything else, and if I'm not there, they'll probably come hunting me down. It's better if I just go and not add that risk. Ammy, I'm sorry, but..."
Amaranth's tense stance hadn't gone unnoticed when they were in the forest instead, convinced this was going to be yet another thing to blow up in their faces spectacularly. She understood the intentions, the plan made sense, even if it still felt half-baked to her. Any second now, she was practically expecting SWIPE agents to already be aware of what they were doing and come out of hiding to drag them all in. "Fine," she finally said, sighing and leaning against a tree. "I'll wait in the wings. Don't keep them waiting."
Sol and Cera would make sure to be teleported with Claydol as they were thrust into the city proper, both of them keeping silent. Much as hearing the remarks continued to sting, reacting to it was overall pretty worthless. And if they did, chances were it'd be used against them for one reason or another and neither one was keen on giving up that kind of ammunition. They'd glance at Lt. Surge for a second, unamused at his remarks as they simply kept walking.
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Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 8:59 pm
"As much as I'd like to stay in the forest to be recon. I should probably go. Having the next Herald hide behind wouldn't look the best." Ulla commented as she stepped forward. Once they were teleported to Viridian City, the Fairy Child looked around as there were more people in the city than usual. The sudden booing and scorn words didn't phase the young girl, it was the stares and the emotions everyone was giving off.
"Ignore them."
She heard Sub say as the group started walking. As they made their way to their destination, Ulla couldn't help but look at the crowd's faces. The one's she payed attention to the most was the young trainers. Some of them were disgusted, while others were confused. "...Did the whole world forget the good we've done?" She asked as she looked around to see any familiar faces. Leon...I hope you're okay...I hope you remember me... She said as she clenched her fist and held her head up high.
The Fairy Child understood her task. She can not waver or falter this time. Ulla was determined to prove their innocence by all means.
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Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 11:17 pm
The cavalcade of Snagems being escorted through the streets of Viridian had to look for all the world like the most motley crew possible. Equally motley, less in visual appeal than in the walks of life they represented and the places they had come from, were the spectators, who had flocked to this place and now got perhaps the best glimpse they'd ever get at the people and hybrids of the hour.
She could hear the cat-calls from the crowd. Her outfit was simple, but her body alone seemed to agitate the men. The insults, hurled by way of very loud mouths and even handmade signs, ranged from garden-variety—a sign where the middle letters of "SNAGEM" had been crossed out to read "SCUM"—to the intensely personal, at least where she'd been. "******** you, whore!" "Go back to your own world before you ruin ours!" "Say 'Alola' to jail, girl!" "Gonna shapeshift out of this, huh?"
Even though Viridian wasn't the biggest population center and its buildings weren't that big, either, the energy of so many people focused on Monique and her compatriots, a constant rolling boil of invective, made her feel as if in a colosseum or the amphitheater at Medali, broiling under a hot, bloodthirsty Klieg light. Soon, the seats would be filled, a select few by lottery in the courtroom and others by terabits per second of fiber connectivity, satellite trucks ready to send sound and pictures tens of thousands of kilometers into the air so they could bounce back and rain down on however many regions in the world there were, to be dissected endlessly by pundits from Hauʻoli to Hulbury.
Monique was no stranger to the stage. At least the stage with a pole on it.
She was no stranger to the spotlight, though hers glowed a soft, blushy pink, not a harsh, 4000K "daylight".
And she was no stranger to being a misfit. No child of New Po could ever be anything but.
It was time to channel all that. Perhaps, given what the Snagems knew about how altered the world was, it was futile. But somewhere, somehow, there had to be a fault in their words. After all, nobody believed the Dome could break.
Until Guzzlords broke it.
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