#Ghetsis you better start running

[etherfall]

A Father's Anger

[chaos-cousins]

[A video is embedded.

Ghestis looks shocked and angry. "I couldn't have been defeated by some random Trainer from who knows where!"

"Well. You just did."

"What?! I created Team Plasma with my own hands. I'm absolutely perfect! I AM PERFECTION! I am the perfect ruler of a perfect new world!"

"You still lost."

"This cannot be possible... I will not accept this!"

Ghetsis winds up a punch, and just as he's about to hit Ren, a portal opens up, and he sticks his fist through the portal to another, positioned directly in front of his face.

Ren smirks as Ghetsis rubs his face after punching himself. "You really need better aim!"

Ren then starts bouncing on his feet, fists closed, ready for a fistfight.

Ghetsis throws another punch, which Ren dodges easily.

Ren throws a punch of his own, aiming for above Ghetsis's shoulder, when a portal opens, he continues the punch through it, and nails Ghetsis in the stomach.

Ghetsis staggers back. "You—you mere child!"

Ren laughs. "A child, huh? You haven't even landed a hit on me yet! You're getting your ass kicked by a child!"

Then, Ren throws down a smoke bomb, and the room fills with smoke.

Then, you can hear the crackle of electricity, and a scream from Ghetsis, and as the smoke clears, he falls forward, unconscious. Ren stands behind where Ghetsis standing and flicks the safety on the stun gun he was holding back on.

He sighs. "I hope I don't run outta these..."]

[therotatingvillain]

I need to write, so help me hold myself accountable

Welcome everyone to another episode of Riccardo crawls out of his depression hole and makes a way too long post.

A long while ago, when I first got into Pokemon, specifically the Pokemon Villains, I started writing a fanfic with the basic premise of "What if I stuffed the leaders into a mental hospital?". Currently, that project sits at 25780 words, or 42 pages on google docs. No, I don't know how that happened and no, it is nowhere near finished.

Now, why am I making this post and telling y'all about one of the many unfinished projects that I have? Because I actually want to finish this. I've put a lot of work into this project, I've annoyed so many people with it, I want to finish this.

My plan: I will hold myself accountable by posting updates about it, goals I have, what I am struggling with, etc. And hopefully, y'all will help me.

For you to help me, you will of course firstly need to know what this story is even about: Let's answer the typical questions.

What is the setting? We are in a mental health facility run by a psychiatrist named Dr. Matthew Roberts. He has struck a deal with various governments from various regions and managed to have Maxie, leader of Team Magma, Archie, leader of Team Aqua, Ghetsis, leader of Team Plasma and Lysandre, leader of Team Flare admitted to his facility, specifically opened for the rehabilitation of these leaders. Cyrus, leader of Team Galactic, was admitted after being found in a severely dissociated, almost braindead, state. Giovanni, leader of Team Rocket, and Guzma, leader of Team Skull, admitted themselves after Nanu pulled some strings to have Guzma get a spot, and Giovanni had been working with Dr. Roberts for over 20 years already.

Who are we following? Our main perspective is that of Cyrus, who wakes up from his dissociative state and his following weeks/months/perhaps years? in this facility and his journey to get a better mindset.

Anything else? There will be shipping, mainly Absolutecontrol with some background Hardenshipping and Perfectworldshipping. Also trigger warnings for basically everything. Well, that's an overstatement, but we're in a mental hospital, bad things have and will happen.

Right. I suppose this has been it for this post. I'll talk more about this in another post, but right now I have a bitch headache.

Thank you for reading and I hope your interest has been piqued! If there are any immediate questions you have, ask me!!!!! Please! I'm desperate for human connection.

Love you, my wonderful human beings.

Stay hydrated.

[lorekeeper-backset]

You know, I think Cyrus has the dumbest villain motivation in Pokemon. Everyone else's motivations you can kinda see how they came to them (and in some cases they even have a point) or they're so simplistic that you understand implicitly (Giovanni and Ghetsis' only motivations is that they're power hungry evil rat bastards and sometimes people are just like that). Even Archie and Maxie, the two characters' whose plans are the most derided, make sense (in ORAS, at least. I never played RSE). You can see why Archie would arrive at the conclusion that humans fucked up the planet too much and maybe everything would be better off if we just flooded the place and started over. You can see why Maxie would say "Hey, humanity's gonna run out of space to live, maybe we should make some more ground so we don't die from overpopulation."

But Cyrus' motives are, from what I gather, his parents had unreasonably high expectations of him and he preferred machines to people so he decided that emotions were bad and should be eliminated and hey maybe he'll restart the world as its new god. And he's faced with overwhelming evidence that he's wrong. His organization is being torn apart by people whose power comes from the emotional bonds they share with their Pokemon and each other, something he openly admits and points out, and he owns a Crobat which can only be evolved when it forms an emotional connection with someone. His motivation makes no sense.

Actually, wait, I just remembered Turo and Sada's sole motivation was they really, really, really wanted to time travel. Cyrus has the second dumbest motivation.

[coldslaws-gear-station]

That's so me rn as I'm writing N's story which primary consists of going down memory lane, each story with her getting older </3

Here's a sneak peek for you, suffer

Fidgety child, he could barely keep still in his seat as his father dragged a brush through his hair. "Would you sit still for a moment?" Father said coldly, this was around the time father rarely interacted with them outside of these moments, she never understood why he did that, nor why will he ever elaborate on it. They were sitting in front of one of N's pretty table and mirror thingies, vanities, he thinks? Detailed with silver steel with etched in golden detailing, gems spatter across the glimmering surface. N can see father just barely in the mirror, his eyes seem focused, yet tired. "Sorry…" N mumbles, his father continues to guide the brush down his father until it shines with a silky smoothness, it reached to the floor, they had to get it cut in recent days because she couldn't take care of it as well as father could. Ghetsis hums a tune, a soft tune, the deepness of his voice lulls N into a state of comfort. "Daddy?" Ghetsis makes a hum of acknowledgement, braiding his hair so it wouldn't be as much as a pain in the morning, it almost hurts how hard Ghetsis is pulling to make sure the braid is perfect. "Who was that man at our house earlier?"

-💌

he he he. AHHHHHH

I TOLD YOU TO BE NICE TO HER</3

fuck you COUNTER ATTACK

He could plainly see, shortly before the little one had scrambled off to hide inside a stack of colorful tires, this kid is almost skin and bones. His clothes looked torn up, maybe even chewed on. He's comprised almost entirely of sharp angles, save for just the slightest bit of baby fat still in his face. He couldn't be older than six. Laurus shuts the heavy door behind him to better dampen the sound of grunts and agents running down the castle halls and pokémon skirmishing. It still doesn't fully block it out, and that probably doesn't help. The kid is just barely peeking above the stack to look at him. He's shaking like a leaf, his eyes wide, unclipped nails digging into the rubber. He's clearly heard the commotion this entire time.

"Hey," Laurus says, maybe too loud. He's still got his officer voice on, he has to force himself to soften his tone. As he steps forward, the tiny zorua kit accompanying the boy growls in warning. Her fur is puffed out in every direction, her lip curled to show off wee little razor teeth. She's hardly a flea compared to his pokémon, but he'd commend her for having the guts to even try to seem menacing. She must really care about this boy. "Hey, kiddo." He starts again. "It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you. Can you come outta there?" He wants to give him all the time in the world, but they need to leave urgently.

[raising-harmony]

Alright listen well and listen closely, you're going to thank me in the long run. The girls are pretty easy, they'll get used to the situation pretty quickly, N is the issue child here.

Let's start off with the fact he bites, touch him he'll bite you, stress him out and he'll bite himself. I'm not sure if Colress packed the necklaces Ghetsis got for him to bite on but I don't think it'd be much help because of how stressed he is. He'll also growl at you, that's enviable. He's also not very good at articulating his thoughts in English that well and I'm sure the stress of the situation is only going to make that worse.

Also, and I can not express this enough, KEEP YOUR EYES ON HIM. He can run away at any point, he's done it multiple times and you live near a forest, if you lose him you won't find him. Pokemon are your best friends in this situation, he feels calm and safe beside them, so it's best to have one of your Pokemon be at his side at all costs to make sure he feel at least a bit of stability and won't completely disappear on you.

And between you and us, far away from the children, when Colress said "a bit of an injury," that was a severe understatement. Can't talk about it much mostly to preserve Ghetsis's privacy but he's fine but your cooperation in caring for these kids is crucial right now and you're quite literally the only one who can do it.

So just keep calm, remember what we've told you, and don't lose them.

That's.. a lot to unpack. Phew.

Biting, huh? I'm kinda surprised Ghetsis would let a habit like that slide. Guess he's more patient with his kids than I thought to give him credit for. I'll check their bags for those necklaces- maybe it won't help now, but I'm sure N'll use them once he calms down a bit. Jeez, they packed a lot. Just how long are they planning on staying?

I'll be honest, some of this I already figured out just trying to get him in the house. He wouldn't budge at all, not even for his sisters. He was real scared of me... Well, he still is. Ryuki thought to try and get Patch- his dragonair, I think you all are familiar already- to entice him inside, but he just wasn't having it. He basically had to be dragged in by the girls, 'cause as soon as I tried to reach for him myself, he bared his teeth at me. Ideals, that gave me a real scare! I didn't think he'd actually go for it, but you're not even the only person on here to try and warn me that he bites, so I reckon I was right to pull away. Once he was inside, he flopped down against the door and just started crying. Patch laid her head in his lap. I feel bad for the kid. I'm not real good with verbal comfort, especially for a little one who I don't know what he's been through, or uh, know at all for that matter. There wasn't much I could do for him.

So, a runaway and a biter.. This is gonna be tricky. I think I still have some child locks from when Ryuki was little, maybe up in the attic. I'll have to go look. At least we have plenty of pokémon he can get along with. Seems like that Colress guy didn't drop off any pokémon with them, so I guess they don't have any of their own for comfort.

Thankfully, the two girls have been alright so far. Anthea introduced herself and the others- she's very polite, actually, but it's not really surprising knowing her father. Always big on presentation, that man. Concordia is a little less forthcoming, but certainly not as bad as her brother. She's mostly been letting Anthea do the talking and is sticking with N, I assume to make sure he doesn't do anything reckless, but she came over to shake my hand and say hello at one point.

And about that last part-- what do you mean a severe understatement? Is he really fine? This has me pretty worried for him. I hope he's alright. I know we have a weird history, but I really have no ill will towards him... This whole situation is awfully concerning. All three of them look downright traumatized, it's just that Anthea and Concordia are managing it better than N is. Did they see whatever happened to Ghetsis..?

Anyways.. I'll take all of this into consideration, thank you. The heads up is greatly appreciated. I'd hate to have to figure most of this out through trial and error.

Just as an aside, though, how did you even know what Colress told me?

[coldslaws]

Coldslaw, bestie, I'm quite literally one of the biggest N likers on this planet, obv I know of his past clairvoyance

So I propose my own headcanon, ever played Mystery Dungeon? Because I headcanon Beta N to have the Dimensional Scream ability. It's an ability that triggers a version through either past or future by touching things, though these visions can vary between only being audio to being able to see and hear

As for Beta Ghetsis, I can imagine he's both unwilling to hurt both N and Pokemon, but feels as if he has to on the former. I feel like after an intense punishment he'd walk into child Bn's room, quiet and still, and Bn runs and hides, freighted that his face alone will start another punishment... Thoughts of his beating earlier where his father screamed he'd never want to see his face again.

"No, please don't run" he'd start, looking down and away from his son's sight, sorrowful. Though even N refuses to look at his father as well, prefering to stay silent. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that to you." "It's okay..." Small and meek, Beta Ghetsis shakes his head. "No, it's not, you do understand why I have to do this, right?" Bn nods, not wanting to upset his father.

"And you do know I love you a lot, right?" "Yes sir." Ghetsis shakes his head, looking up at his son sorrowfully, "You never call me father anymore, why not?" Bn remains quiet. Beta Ghetsis gets up, turning to leave his son alone, he pipes up as he's about to leave. "You're going to hate me when you get older, I know that, I just hope that one day you'll understand and forgive me for what I've done."

i think most n fans are the biggest n likers on the planet. like there's just something about n (autism + gender non conformity + trauma probably. at least in my case) that prevents anyone from liking him a normal amount. if you like n you have to know literally everything about them and have 8 billion headcanons and/or aus. ask me how i know

i actually haven't played mystery dungeon but i like this concept :O i dont think i ever fully set in stone the extent of bns abilities, in my verse it was kinda like, they can't see the future in full, they can only gain an understanding of how the outcome will make them feel. so when bn goes to fight hilbert, he can see that, in the distant future, he's pleased by this outcome. so he assumes he wins and gets his ideal world. imagine their surprise when they get their ass beat. turns out the feeling of being satisfied with the outcome is just because n starts to heal emotionally

GODDDD UGHHH THATS PAINFUL. THANKS. fuuuuck that hurts :( you're making me wanna write so bad rn fr. im kinda tempted to rework bau ghetsis now but also hrmmmmm blows up

you know what really sucks is that if you take this in conjunction with the fact that ghetsis clearly sees his opposition as comprised solely of "evildoers", n will later fall into that category. so not only did ghetsis hurting his own kids for the betterment of the future amount to nothing, not only did their plans fail, but n goes on to be the very evil he was trying to cultivate them to stop. and i think there's a lot you could do with that thought process

[ya-bug-boy]

could you write ghetsis with an oblivious and sweet reader?

Ghetsis x Sweet Reader

Ghetsis is obviously not the best person in the world, given the number of things he was doing. He's technically a manipulator, being able to convince many to do his bidding under the pretense of doing it for the greater good.

But after everything that happened in Unova, five years after the rise and fall of Team Plasma...he's lost everything. He lost his power and influence, arrested for his crimes. He sits in jail, behind bars, having been taken away by Cheren and Alder.

Being in this position, he's not even able to influence the other prisoners, due to some of them being ex Team Plasma members. They warned the other prisoners of Ghetsis' manipulation tactics.

At first, he's not able to come into terms with his new life. He was in livid denial over his circumstances, holding onto a firm belief that he would be set free but he never was.

Over time, he adjusted a smidge, due to there being a psychiatry ward in the prison.

But what really changed him, was you.

You were his cell mate, having been locked away before Ghetsis ever came there. You were someone completely unaware of who he was or how he even came here.

Oddly enough though, you're the only person who's actually nice to him. You're the only person worth talking to.

Ghetsis is cold to you at first, ignoring you. You often just talked out loud, contemplating about the greater things in life worth looking forward to. Admittedly, hearing your hopeful talks made him soften and had him hoping for better days.

You're really weird for a prisoner. You talk with everyone, you're on good terms with the guard, and you don't seem to frown. He wonders how someone like you ever got here.

For the first several weeks, he didn't talk to you. But at some point, he starts to add questions and little comments to your open wordly discussions. You even made him laugh at some point, something he thought once would never happen again.

He starts to gravitate towards you more after a year of knowing you. He sits with you during meal times and converses with you, finding out that you're more philosophical than you appeared to be, but then again your prison clothes don't help much.

Then one day, he asks why you're here. What could you have possibly done that would warrant you to be a prisoner here.

You explain quick and casually that you killed someone. His eyes widen in disbelief. You? You killing someone? He can't help but to laugh and joke if you did it with kindness.

You didn't kill someone, but that's what the jury decided. What occurred was between you and your friend. They had a shitty partner at the time. You saw them arguing in the parking lot, one of them throwing punches at each other. You ran in there to separate them, holding the partner from behind but then your friend attacked them with a knife.

You tried to save them, you earnestly did. But it was too late. You ran from that scene to look for help.

Your friend betrayed you by twisting the narrative, saying you gave them the knife and encouraged them to do it and had schemed a plan to kill the partner. You running from the crime scene to get help was portrayed differently. Your friend had a phone recording of the two of you taking prior to the event of you getting angry at their partner's actions, to the point where you said, "I'm going to kill him," and it was taken seriously. They completely threw you under the bus in order to get a lighter sentence. Somehow it worked; you think the judge had a part in this.

Ghetsis sits there in a quiet, stunned shock. He asks why you didn't get a lawyer. You couldn't afford one.

He then gets angry at you, asking why you aren't miserable and angry when the world had so wrongfully been cruel to you. He calls you an idiot.

You explain that you're always paired up with cell mates that have a lighter sentence than you and you want them to have a better future than you. You're not a criminal and you don't treat your cell mate like one either.

Being sentenced with the crime you didn't commit, there was no possible hope for you to have a good future. So you tried to encourage those who were your cell mate to just, try to be better, despite what happened to you.

Ghetsis seems to have changed after that, contemplating in silence. He begins to treat you differently. Because of how tall he is, he looms over you. He's never really physically affectionate, but sometimes he'll pat you on the shoulder when he wants you to himself, leading you away from your friend groups.

He talks more often with you. He does more gestures. Somehow miraculously, he got his hands on chocolate for Valentine's Day and saved it just for you.

Your eyes widen and you take a bite of the chocolate bar, savoring its sweetness. He sits next to you and asks if you enjoy it, you nod, smiling sweetly with your eyes closed with your hand pressed to your cheek.

You had a smidge of smeared chocolate on the corner of your lip. Ghetis licks his thumb and wipes it off you before recoiling back at how gentle the gesture he just made was. You're oblivious to the context as to why he did that and instead offer him a bite of your chocolate.

He scoffs, calls you an idiot again, before smiling and reaching for the candy.

[sinnohlunarfestival]

The radios today seem to not be working; something was causing interference with the waves. Online radio stations seem to be having a better chance at things, but unfortunately nobody could get audio either. However, the audio transcriptor seemed to be working, so while people couldn't hear, they could read what was going on.

On top of this the video feed seemed to be working, so coupling this, people were having a grand ol' time watching the last bit of the race.

The final segment of the race was here: THE CORONET TRACK!

Transcript from the Third Segment of the Lunar Race:

Good morning everybody!

I'm Kinsey from Sinnoh Now, coming to you live from the base of Mt Coronet, the final track of the Great Lunar Race! Entirely on land, the goal for everybody is to get to the top! This is a free for all, so anything goes in terms of the way up. Our racers will run, climb and do whatever it takes to get out top!!

Last time King Ghetsis was holding the first place, followed by Hassel with Alistair holding onto third. But how long will these three stay up top? It's anyone's game now at the final leg of the race. We will be following them up via helicopter alongside Goldenrod Radio. Now...let's go cheer on our racers!

*1....2.....3....GO!*

Ghetsis hanging onto his lead, riding on Maryse's back. Team Houndoom has gotten quite the lead. Not to be left in the dust, Ashe, Green and Giacomo are hot on Ghetsis' literal tail! Everyone else is sprinting off from the starting line after them, rounding up the main path of hikers on Mt Coronet.

It seems like the racers have all agree on taking a vertical route up the mountain, rather than taking the safe main roads. You can feel the competitive spirit! Alistair and Daisy are really going for it, as are Ghetsis and Hassel, looking comfortable on the backs of their Garchomps. Giacomo looks pretty queasy from up here, but he and Tyrant are making good headway up the mountainside.

Oh, no. Looks like there's an equipment malfunction again. Just who provided the gear?! This is ridiculous! Rika, Ashe, Yris and Green really need to talk to their sponsors about better safety gear! Looks like Team Luxray is ditching the gear and is going bareback! Good thing her Garchomp doesn't have Rough Skin, or that would be an uncomfortable ride! That's some great leg strength there, hang in there Rika!

Alistair is keeping up his lead, now followed by Rika as they proceed the next part using the main road! Looks like Team Luxray is more surefooted now, Rika speeding along with Sosu right after Alistair and Daisy. Yris is also keeping pace with Rika, running beside her with Juno the Garchomp.

Mt Coronet is known for being pretty treacherous even for the most prepared hiker or mountaineer. We get regular avalanches and rockslides up here. Oh, would you look at that! There's one right ahead. The main path is blocked up with rocks.The Garchomps are showing off their nimble movements across the fallen rocks, but some have opted to try and climb upwards again, slowing down their progress.

Among those who chose to climb vertically is Hilary, who is now considered in first place. Ghetsis has also chosen to climb upwards, Maryse jumping upwards to close the gap between them as quickly as possible.

We are nearing the top of the mountain and our racers are really fierce! Aluwa's been playing it more careful this time. We are seeing a big burst of energy from her and Torque! Brian making up for past segments with him and Chelsea coming up behind Aluwa, followed by Hilary.

The finish line is fast approaching. Where is everyone else on the mountain? Everybody split off and made their own path to the top. I can see Alistair and Yris lagging behind on the main road, they both look a little lost. Oh, there's Giacomo! Oh, I think Tyrant is bodily carrying his rider up; looks like poor Giacomo isn't having a good time with heights, especially after the Sky track earlier this week. Oh, hey, another rockslide. Looks like some of the racers got caught up in it; King Ghetsis is with Rika helping to get the stuck racers out of trouble. I can see Blue and Green rushing ahead; they must have made it past before the rockslide happened. The two of them are in fierce competition. Let's see...is anyone getting closer to the top?

Oh, that's one of the pinch hitters, Hilary of Team Bastiodon! I can see him about to crest the top – no wait! Coming from the other side with a huge jump! That's Hassel and Rosso! They're soaring through the air and cutting straight through the finish line ribbon! Hilary has finished climbing the cliffside and has crossed, too. And oh, Green has made it up the main path, coming in third place!

Amazing!

This year's winner is Hassel of Team Mamoswine!

I can see the fans at the bottom of Mt Coronet cheering. Are those Uva-Naranja Academy uniforms, I see? Looks like the school turned out to watch their teacher race! Paldea turned out in support of their racers.

Incredible. That brings the Lunar Race to a close. Tomorrow we will have the winner's ceremony in which Hassel will receive his medal and the passing of the torch may occur between the winning Garchomp and last year's Champion Lopunny. Please tune in tomorrow for the ceremony it's going to be beautiful, held at the illustrious Spear Pillar and handled by the shrine maiden of the Moon Shrine! Hassel will be crowned the Luckiest Man in the World.

This is Kinsey, signing off!

[lovenpeace-pkmn]

offscreen post

[“Thea, can we talk outside?”

“Mhm.”

“Why are you keeping me off the internet?”

“I am not—” Anthea starts, but she cuts off as she sees Connie’s stormy expression.

“Every time I’ve touched a computer today you’ve sent me off to do more chores. This is not normal. Did something happen online today, Thea?”

“Nothing important happened. That bird keeper’s picking fights again. Gray is still in crisis, but not worse than before.”

“Then what are you hiding from me?”

“You’re one to talk about hiding things,” Anthea snaps. “Going behind my back to tell Gray to stay away from me?”

Connie looks taken aback. “I—I was worried about you. You said—”

“I said I was fine, C. I don’t need you to protect me by… …Oh.” She mutters something indistinct that might be a swear word.

“What?”

Anthea sighs heavily and runs her hands over her face. “Fine... All of Rotomblr’s been up in arms today over whether former evil team members and their associates can be forgiven. I was…worried you might be upset.”

“By that?”

“Well…last month when someone brought that up you had panic attacks for days. I did not want you to have to go through that again.”

Connie laughs, a little hysterically. “Anthea, I fell apart over that because he threatened to kill you and then compared us to Ghetsis. I promise I am not going to have a breakdown over everyone who indiscriminately hates Team Plasma.”

“… Perhaps I am just an idiot, then.” She sighs again. “I am sorry. I really did not think this through. I should have just…warned you, huh, instead of trying to hide it from you like you were a child.”

“Ah…I suppose we are both hypocrites. I am sorry too. I was just…scared for you.”

“Is touching okay?”

“Mhm.”

Anthea leans her head against her sister’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’ll try to be better about trusting that you can take care of yourself.”

“I will do the same. Just…promise me you actually will take care of yourself?”

“I will if you will, peace-dove.”]

[silverott-chevalier]

Eavesdrop

-@thatoneguy031 (Guy)

"Hey, guys... what do you think about Guy?"

"... really, Pallas?"

"No, I find myself curious as well. What do you make of him?"

"Hmm... I mean, he's kind of a cool guy, isn't he? Unfortunate names aside. You think he watched Naruto?"

"Maybe? Guess it didn't stick very well though. Otherwise I bet he'd be acting less like Sasuke."

"Anime aside, I think he has potential. He believes himself to be weak now, but to evolve to the point that he has requires some measure of strength in and of itself, no? If anything, he brings to mind a younger version of you, Chevalier."

"Ditto that! He's got all your bad habits about wanting to be strong on his own, but he's not as laid-back. I think he tries a bit too hard though."

"Maybe that's because unlike me, he actually had something bad happen to him BEFORE he started his journey? I don't exactly count my run-in with the Shadow Chikorita as a 'bad thing'."

"But it was definitely bad."

"It still wasn't the reason I finally bit the bullet and became a Trainer. But... you guys are right. I can see him making a lot of the same mistakes I could make, and I don't want him to fall into that trap of feeling worthless for relying on the people around you. ...sheesh, if I didn't know any better, I'd say I'm predisposed to being protective of any Oshawott-line I happen to come across."

"That's because you are-- you didn't exactly warm to that Gen fellow slowly either. But I agree with you wholeheartedly otherwise, Chevalier. And if it helps... I'm sure he sees that same kinship in you."

"Probably. Otherwise he probably would've backed off the second he found out I was a Trainer, even if I am regions, dimensions, AND years apart from him...I really hope he comes out of Ghetsis 2 okay when that happens..."

"Hear hear."

"I pray that his Ho-oh sheds light upon his path. Though... speaking of..."

[cheemken]

You know for the Villain Unova Kids AU I was thinking about their parents and such

Like yeah we got Drayden and Iris already with Drayden blaming himself for part of her corruption. Cause he felt if he tried harder then she might not have ended up the way she did

And idk about Ghetsis cause he’s probably either dead or in a cell

But like what about Hilda and Hilberts mom? Cheren’s parents? Bianca’s mom and dad?

Oh shit Bianca’s dad

Like ya know how Bianca’s dad didn’t want her to go on a journey with the other Nuvema kids cause he didn’t believe she was strong enough to protect herself? Imagine Bianca going home after the six of them are revealed to be the cause of the attacks, and she starts asking if he thinks she’s strong enough now. If he still doubts her abilities just like the rest of Unova. Just terrifying the absolute shit out of her dad

Also how ironic, Bianca’s dad didn’t want her to leave to protect her from the dangers of Unova, yet she became one of the biggest dangers herself

GOING FUCKING INSANE OVER THAT MENTAL IMAGE YOUR HONOUR CNDMNDMDNDMD

Gooooodddddd fucking imagine just Bianca and her father all alone in a dimly lit room in their home, sitting across from each other, Bianca has this smile on her face, her father was unnerved by it. The heat outside was unebarable, Reshiram's thunderous roar heard from within their home, the sound of people screaming ringing in their ears. Yet despite the heat outside, for Bianca's father the room felt so cold.

Bianca looked out the window, watching Reshiram, "there's beauty in the flames, that's what Reshiram told us, do you see it too?" She smiles, voice calm, watching the flames dance outside, burning the trees and houses. "Reshiram never told me I was weak.. he was never one to lie too." She then turns to her father, "what about you, dad? Do you still think I'm weak?"

Almost petrified, he watches as her eyes almost seem to glow amidst the flames, amidst the dim room, it terrified him. His regrets were breaking him from within, almost going on how he should've been a better father to her, then perhaps she wouldn't turn out like that, maybe he really was a bit rough with her. But then again, that was an understatement, too many times he had threatened her to come back home because he never believed she was strong, how she only got that far because of the twins' and Cheren's help, that she became a professor now because of Juniper, not by her own efforts. He was never one to believe Juniper when she said Bianca was a strong trainer despite her appearance. And now, the guilt of it all was eating him alive.

Bianca looks at him and laughs, a dark and hollow chuckle almost drowning out the screams and cries from outside. She stands up, walks across him, goes outside their house. He follows her, albeit terrified, he follows her out and the scene outside their home almost felt surreal. Burnt bodies and trees and houses, people screaming for help, Reshiram was on a rampage. Bianca walked in the middle of it, reaching out for Reshiram, the Dragon crouched down to her level, crooning as he let her run her her hands through his fur. The beauty of it all, a terrifying monster capable of causing heatwaves, caving it at the mere touch of someone people always saw as weak. Bianca turned to her father, that damned smile still on her face, and this time Reshiram was glaring at him, growling as he did.

"you never answered my question, dad," she said, leaning in on Reshiram's head, her hands still on his fur, petting him, "do you still think I'm weak?"

No. No of course she wasn't. But no, those weren't the words that came out his mouth, he begged, on his knees, forgiveness, atonement, understanding, "I was just trying to protect you!" He cried out, desperate.

The smile on her face faltered, replaced by a grimace, eyes once gleaming turned dark, expression unreadable. She spoke, "I never knew telling someone they're weak was considered protecting them." She then turns to Reshiram, "well, what do you think, darling? Is he really telling me the truth?"

Reshiram's voice echoed in her head. He's a liar. This world has no need for people like him.

Feigning to be in thought, Bianca hummed, her eyes still fixated on her father. Then she smiled again, a more sordid feel to it, she gently gave Reshiram a soft tap. With that, Reshiram lunged towards Bianca's father, flames in a flurry as he bit down hard on her father, his screams diminishing by the second, his blood staining Reshiram's fur.

[koffing-time]

TM06:Toxic - How does someone get on your bad side?

TM36:Sludge Bomb - What insults do you use when pushed too far?

TM53:Energy Ball - What gets you pumped up?

Thanks for the question(s)!

TM06:Toxic: well, I'll list 3 things that i think are important, ordered by severity, sort of.

- obviously if you don't respect me as a person. Most common things are being transphobic/aphobic (or homophobic in general), or if people take offense at my appearance. I think this goes without saying...

- if people are unreasonable around Pokémon. No, poison types are not all evil, being in a Room with Coffee will not kill you. You should still be careful and not just go up and touch any Pokémon you see. They deserve respect.

- if you're a Team Plasma apologist... Get out. If you're a Team Plasma member... Run. Fast.

TM36:Sludge Bomb:

Thats a tricky one! I would have liked to be clever for that, but I'll probably just start swearing to all known legendaries, call people some mundane insults like a "fucking idiot" or something. I might start comparing them to Ghetsis or something if I'm really pissed off.

TM53:Energy Ball:

Thats a simple one though. Really good music, if I'm making it myself, it's better.

I apparently also get pretty loud if I'm watching an intense Pokémon Battle on TV. I'm kinda sad Roxie isn't broadcasting a lot of her fights, but she always was more of a Live-Performance person.

[heroftruth]

After nightmares resurface, Hilda and Red have a conversation about trauma / @twilighttheater

“ You were screaming in your sleep.”

It’s difficult to see, a force of power so intense it’s making her squint, hands drawn up in effort to protect her face. Her skin feels as though it’s burning, heat irritating the burns she knows for a fact already exist. There’s a cry of pain echoing from before her, a sound she’s never imagined could come from her starter. It fills her ears, and she thinks she might be screaming too. Cerulean hues snap open, Immediately focusing on the familiar image of Red next to her. She can faintly feel his hands against her arms as awareness of her surroundings floods back, had he been trying to wake her? Hilda’s heart is pounding against her chest, her lungs drawing in breath much too quickly, and her throat feels raw. “I-” She starts, her gaze meeting his, trying to ground herself to reality. “I was?” Had she screamed in her sleep before? Hilda wasn’t sure. “It was the same nightmare again.”

It’s both a blessing and a curse that he knows how this feels, there were times where even he would wake up in terror when he still lived on Mt. Silver. His Sylveon gently trying to wake him to bring him back to reality, and now it was him trying to do the same with Hilda. It hurts to see it repeated, but without that experience he wouldn’t know at all how to even begin. “The one about he who won’t be named?” He asks, though he feels like he hardly needs to. If she doesn’t flinch away from physical touch, he brings her close to him in an attempt to bring her comfort. In his mind it helped to know someone else was there, sometimes even in the presence of someone else, it could feel like everything was miles away when these panics were at their peak. “You’re alright, I promise. You’re at home, the region isn’t in danger, you’re safe with your team, Reshiram, and myself.” To some this might seem like stating the obvious, but bringing her back to the present seemed like the most pressing thing at the moment.

She manages a small nod, thankful how he avoids saying Ghetsis name when asking. Hilda has told him of this nightmare before, it’s the one that reoccurs most frequently after all. But even so, it’s been awhile since she’s woken from a nightmare, Hilda had begun to believe that they were finally getting better. She lets Red move her closer, and she finds herself clinging to his shirt once he has done so. The combination of his touch and voice filling her ears is slowly grounding her, even if it feels like it’s the only thing anchoring her to the present. Her breathing is still too quick, frustration at the struggle to slow it not helping matters. Red’s words are something she can focus on, and even through the panic filling her she can feel Reshiram’s presence in the back of her mind, confirming what Red is telling her. “Percy,” She starts, her voice hoarse as she uses it. Arceus, how much had she been screaming before Red had managed to wake her? “He’s alright?” Part of her wants to rise and check on the Samurott, to see for herself that he’s just fine, but she far to shaken and unsteady to leave her boyfriend’s arms.

He feels awful about not being able to do anything for her hoarse throat just yet, but he didn’t dare leave her be while she was still trying to ground herself back down to reality. He tries to rub her back to further give her some form of calm, and still listens carefully if she tries to speak.

“He’s asleep by the bed, last I checked.” Red looks over to be sure, and sure enough the Samurott is still there… and woken up with concern for his trainer. He tries to gesture for Percy to get closer, to further reassure her that he’s safe and bring her comfort. If he responds, then Red taps on her shoulder to get her attention. “See? He’s right here, same as always.” He tries to smile at her reassuringly, but he’s still understandably worried about her and what might be running through her mind after that nightmare. “…Is there anything you need?” He asks, “I can stay right here for as long as you need me but, if you need me to check in with your team, or at least get you a drink, I can do that. Just say the word and I’m on it.”

She continues to draw in deep, even breaths, trying desperately to slow it back down to normal. It isn’t until Red rubs her back that it finally starts to slow, and she starts to feel more grounded in reality. Hilda continues to cling to him, not moving until she feels him tap her shoulder. Once she looks up she can see the water type having moved closer, his head resting against the edge of the bed. A hand reaches out towards him, her thumb running against his muzzle. The feeling of the soft blue fur against her finger tips is the last confirmation she needs that her nightmare is nothing more than a memory, that she and her team are safe. Hilda pulls her hand back after a moment, her frame practically giving way into Red’s arms. “Just hold me, please?” The request leaves her lips without a thought. She’s feeling progressively calmer, the adrenaline fading at last. Red always seems to know just how to pull her back when the nightmares rear their ugly head, but she doesn’t want to leave his hold yet. “I haven’t had one that vivid in so long.”

He’s glad to see that she’s steadily calming, reality is coming back to her but the effect of the dream isn’t gone. But so long as he could help it he was going to be sure it didn’t come back to haunt her, nodding without a word to her request as he pulls her closer to him to simply hold her in his arms. “So long as I’m around, you’ll never go through this alone.” He speaks softly, continuing to rub her back every now and again. “I know I can’t make it all go away for you, but I’ll always be here to help you up whenever it shows its ugly head again.” “You’re much stronger than these nightmares too you know,” he adds with a smile. “All of that has nothing on your strength and willpower.” He hopes to put her focus onto something else, maybe it will ease her more to remind her of her power over these night terrors. But for the most part he was planning on simply being affectionate, giving her a forehead kiss while she hid herself away from the world with him as her shield. She’ll be back up to face it all again shortly, but for now he’s here and won’t let anything touch her.

She relaxes into his hold, a sense of safety washing over her in his arms. It’s taken her so long to let herself be vulnerable in someone else’s presence, that she doesn’t have to be that hero any longer. Sometimes still she still has to remind herself that it’s okay to let Red in, that she doesn’t have to suppress what she’s been through, but it keeps getting easier. He’s supported her since the day the first met, encouraging her to learn to put herself first for once. The tension she’s been carrying in every muscle since waking fades away with his voice and embrace. Hilda knows she’ll have to leave his arms eventually, and at some point she’s going to need to talk about this nightmare; after all, even if they have lessened in occurrence she’s got to continue not running from them. But for now she’ll let herself be in love’s arms, let herself be present in this moment as he kisses her forehead. “I just wish they would stop,” She starts after a moment, her voice quiet. “I’m tired of reliving it. I know I did everything I could, but I still feel so guilty.” She doesn’t know if that part of her will ever stop wondering what would have happened if she’d voiced her concerns that Ghetsis was holding more power sooner, if she’d been quicker to act when he’d tried to attack her, if she’d stayed in Unova maybe she could have helped prevent some of his destruction when he’d come back.

“Shh. You have nothing to feel guilty about.” He replies in a reassuring, yet to the point manner as he continues to hold her close. “Everything that happened? It wasn’t your responsibility to handle, but you took it on when no one else would. That is a huge undertaking, especially for a teenager just trying to live her life.” “You did an incredibly selfless thing, protecting your region and taking on these issues. But you’re not a hero in a story Hilda, you’re a human with her own life to live and you’re allowed to make mistakes. You’re also allowed to have these feelings over everything you’ve lived through.” He sighs softly, “and I know that it’s exhausting, but you’ll survive this too as you always do. But… in a bit here, let’s talk about that reliving it you go through, okay?” “I’m going to help you figure this out,” he insists. “Then…maybe a day will come soon when you won’t feel like you’re living the past everytime that memory crops up again. It’s not going to be an easy road but… you’ve got this, and even if you don’t I’ve got you.” “I won’t let you fall, I promise.”

She knows he’s right, that the responsibility that fell onto her shouldn’t have been her’s to shoulder in the first place. She’d become a piece of Ghetsis scheme during her journey, a distraction, but also the crack in his plan that destroyed the whole thing. She doesn’t have to put how that pressure felt into words because Red already knows, he’s felt it himself.

It’s still hard to process that she doesn’t have to be this hero. Even though she holds the title of hero of truth, even though she was the person who took down Team Plasma initially- she is still Hilda first. While the guilt and trauma are no longer as prevalent in the light of day, she still wishes she could feel more like that trainer she was before the castle. That girl that trained everyday, that lit up in battle, that wanted to explore everything. In the past year she’s felt more increasingly more steady, a little more like how she used to be, but it’s still there. “Okay.” Her response is soft, Hilda’s not sure where he is going with suggesting they discuss it, but she intends to listen. “I know you won’t.” She starts, taking a moment to draw in a deep breath and just feel his arms around her. Hilda feels calmer now, more centered in reality. But even so, she doesn’t want to leave his embrace just yet. “I don’t know how to, but I don’t want I want to feel like I’m stuck in those moments anymore.” Even though she may be moving forward, sometimes a part of her feels like it was left behind. “My mom had me see a therapist when I was a kid for awhile after my dad died. I’m not sure if it would help with this but it has crossed my mind a few times.”

He’d been trying to figure out how to delicately bring up such a subject to her, but Hilda managed it herself without even realizing. Relief washes over him thinking of how this shows she’s likely to be receptive to it, that was the only way it was going to help her in the long run: if she could cooperate with a professional to help her navigate through this trauma. They could help her much more than Red could, as much as he wished he could do more. “…I think that would help a lot, actually.” He gently suggests, “I used to see one on occasion for what I went through, and they’re still around for emergencies. They couldn’t walk me through everything but… they did give me a solid start with sorting out my thoughts and putting me on the right track. If you think it could help you then… I’m sure they could do that for you too.” He smiles despite the trouble before them, he’s feeling a bit more optimistic with this idea on the table. “I was going to bring it up sooner but, I know how hard it is to trust someone you don’t know well with your most heavy thoughts.” He sighs lightly remembering how familiar that struggle felt. “But… it can really be for the better, and if you think you can do it then I think it would help you.” “Just so long as you’re making this choice for yourself,” he insists. “I’m never going to outright tell you what you should do, but I am going to tell you when I think it’s worth your time.”

She finds herself relaxing at his words, tension fading from her. As towering of a thought talking to a complete stranger about all she had endured was, she knew working with a professional was the right call. She was ready to move forwards, and it was thanks to Red and her friends support that she felt so. It was time to take more control of her life again. “I want to,” Hilda starts, a small sigh slipping through her lips. “Not just for me, but my pokemon too.” For Red as well, he’d supported her and helped her navigate this far already. She wanted to keep following all the advice he has given her. She was getting passed all that had happened, and wanted to keep doing so.

After a moment she lays her head against him, nuzzling her way closer before letting her eyes fall shut.. “I’ll start looking online at some therapists near us later today. Right now I really just want to be here with you.” Even though the reason for this embrace lied in the nightmare that had woken her, his arms were still her favorite place to be. “Hey Red? I love you.”

[abbyandhanako]

Abby’s Reasoning

Hugh, Nate and Rosa sat with Abby and Mark in the Eeveelution Sanctuary Mark was running, Rosa gently pet a Sylveon who purred in response.

“It’s nice you came here, Rosa.” Mark said to her, smiling.

“Yeah, It’s been a long time!” Rosa responded.

Hugh looked at Abby and Mark, then opened his mouth.

“I know you hated the grunts who stole Hana’s Purrloin…wait, Wesker, but why?” Hugh asked Mark.

Mark was quiet for a couple of minutes.

“I almost died because of them…” Mark said quietly, “It happened after my sixteenth birthday.”

Nate looked surprised and somewhat horrified.

“Well, let me tell you, I wrote a letter to my aunt and uncle about this incident so…” Abby said as she and Mark turned to eachother, “Mark had a Glaceon and an Eevee at the time he joined Team Plasma back then, I was 15 at the time, before Mark was 16, I spent days trying to find either a Thunder, Water or Fire Stone for Mark, His Eevee, Flareina evolved into Flareon on his birthday, the sages were surprised but were sort of happy for Mark.”

“Even Ghetsis?” Rosa asked in surprise.

“He didn’t really mind Mark…” Abby said, “In fact, he found him tolerable since Mark doesn’t do anything to ‘annoy him’….He was really pissed off with bitch and fuckface.”

Abby smiled at the memory of Mark showing his newly evolved Flareon to everyone and even remembered Annie and Gerald taking a picture.

“The next days, what T.K had told me, when Mark was playing with the twins in the hall, then they both showed up…..”

“Donna and Cletus?” Rosa asked.

Both grunts nodded in response to Rosa’s question.

“Yeah, you probably know this since they both spent the fucking time bragging about what they did, they came to Mark and one of them began ranting how Mark was treating his Eeveelutions like toys and would be better off in the wild, both Flareina and Glaceino were born in a faraway region, then the other chimed in about how Team Plasma was on a mission to liberate Pokémon all over Unova, Mark told them that Flareina and Glaceino weren’t toys and he loved them more than anything, what Donna had done next made me sick…”

The three quietly waited for Abby to continue.

“If T.K and Mark are to be believed, she ordered her Frillish to use Constrict, T.K walked into Mark being squeezed by Frillish while Cletus was forcing the twins into a cage.” Abby said, “T.K defeated their Pokémon with his Jellicent and Glameow, as a last laugh, Glaceino used Ice Beam on Cletus at point blank range.”

Hugh looked down to his feet, he did smile a bit at Cletus having his face frozen by a Glaceon.

“I thought T.K was a jackass….” Hugh said quietly.

“He is a jackass, but even an asshole like him has standards.” Abby said to him, “But Lord Ghetsis was about to approach so they left for now, Thankfully Mark wasn’t badly hurt by Frillish’s Constrict.”

Abby looked down, her face seething with rage and anger.

“The next day, Mark was asked to take care of some Pokémon and wouldn’t be back for an hour, this was long enough for Cletus and Donna to come into his dorm and take Glaceino and Flareina, Mark was left frantically looking for the twins, T.K caught them trying to take his Glameow from his room.” Abby said, “He punched Cletus in the face and was about to punch him when Lord Ghetsis stopped him, He chastised T.K for punching Cletus, This was long enough for Cletus and Donna to get away….”

She looked at Mark with sadness in her face.

“Mark was crying and panicking when he found T.K and Ghetsis, Mark was starting to breathe awkwardly and crying about how he couldn’t find the twins anywhere…..” Abby said, remembering the ordeal, “I ran over to try and help Mark, he clutched his chest and his arm….”

“That’s horrible!” Hugh yelled, “They did the same fucking thing to my sister and now did the same thing to their fellow grunt?!”

“Hugh….they weren’t my fellow grunts, Sage Ghetsis absolutely despised them….” Mark responded to Hugh’s rant, “He put his foot down and refused to defend them when it came to this and Cletus’ Deino attacking Frieden.”

“Annie and Gerald, Rosa’s aunt and uncle and her mom’s friends were walking by when they saw what happened, they agreed to take Mark to the infirmary and me and Annie kept in contact via text.” Abby said, “She let me know Mark was being admitted for observation, T.K called 911 which was rare in the castle but upon realizing why, the sages including Ghetsis agreed.”

Abby remembered other grunts offering to help them find the twins including Ryoku and Bronius’ subordinates.

“Me and other grunts were in panic and we were frantic because if the twins couldn’t be found or worse, were found dead, Mark may go downhill, we were actually pretty lucky because not long after we had given up hope…I got a call from Alicia…” Abby said, her eyebrows furrowing as she said the next part, “It turned out Donna and Cletus had taken the twins to a room designated for Pokémon healthy enough to be released into the wild.”

Nate and Hugh were in absolute shock and outrage at that the fact Donna and Cletus hated trainers owning Pokémon outside Unova’s regional dex so much that they would try and release a grunt’s Pokémon.

“Alicia was in the back but she recognized them and called me to let me and T.K know they were there….” Abby said, “There was a disciplinary hearing for stolen property and larceny aswell as the harm this did to Mark, what pissed me off the most is when Lord Ghetsis and Sage Giallo, who was Donna and Cletus’ commanding sage asked them why they did it…..”

Abby looked down, shaking as Mark gently squeezed her hand.

“Their claim was ‘So they can liberate Pokémon without those rare Pokémon that they shouldn’t have!’ The other sages were absolutely horrified including Ghetsis, in fact I never saw Ghetsis that pissed off with someone….” Abby seethed, “Rosa’s mom actually saw him yank at his own hair and breathe in and out to try and calm down…”

Rosa then began to speak:

“They bragged about it to several grunts including me and my mom, I think this is when I learned not everyone in Team Plasma cared about Pokémon….” Rosa said quietly, “It was a disturbing reality to face as a young child, Hana told me that they never cared about Pokémon and were hypocrites.”

Abby looked at Rosa before she and Mark turned to Nate and Hugh.

“Mark woke up after a few days thankfully, the doctor that arrived here did a lot stress and blood tests, He said Mark had suffered something called ‘broken heart syndrome’ which he currently is on medication for so it doesn’t happen again, when Lord Ghetsis asked if this could have killed Mark….” Abby said, her voice beginning to shake, “The doctor said ‘yes’…..It was very close to a heart attack which is absolutely scary, Mark was deemed mentally unfit for Pokémon liberation missions that point forward.”

Mark began to speak.

“When my mom found out, she slapped Donna and Cletus hard and yelled that her first child was taken away from her and now they wanted to take me away from everyone…” Mark said, then turned to Hugh, “Hugh, when your dad read the letter, He told me and mom what they did was inflict intentional emotional trauma on an already mentally vulnerable person.”

Hugh looked down, shaking angrily that the grunts who stole his sister’s Purrloin did a lot worse than he thought.

“Those two bastards can go to fucking hell, I thought Hana hated me because of them and they nearly killed somebody.” Hugh said, he couldn’t help but not blame Ghetsis for his refusal to defend them against the charges Mark’s family had filed against them.

“Tea?” Mark asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

“Yes, please.” Rosa said in response, Mark went into the kitchen, Hugh let out an ‘oof’ when an Umbreon landed on his lap.

“So, that’s why?” Nate asked Abby.

“I have a multitude of reasons including Wesker being stolen from Hana and them kidnapping Flareina and Glaceino but they are other reasons that I won’t discuss…” Abby said

[dispatches-from-the-lorecord]

Colress’ seasons-long scheme to get one up on RR vs Reese’s absolute refusal to be involved in any plot, go!

[February 7, 2023]

{Haji:}

So tldr Rainbow Rockets got Colress seriously messed up. It's not the only reason, but one does have to wonder how a guy who told Ghetsis to his face how much he hated him and possibly systematically tried to murder him ends up working for the guy again.

And the answer boils down to r e v e n g e

But like I said, that's painting things way too simple. Looking at my timeline and family trees a lot happened between Ultra Sun and Gauntlet Red and a big part of that is Colress' fault. He is keenly aware of this and every attempt to "remedy a grave miscalculation" has only seemed to make things worse.

So Ultra Sun being our vanilla run, the RR episode happened and members were scattered around the world but that started off trouble with things like Soul Silver we see Rockets looking for their lost leader, by Dual Red and Blue oh look they found him. The Archie and Maxie from Flora are more nutso than usual because they're the "this totally worked before..." pair from RR too. So on and so forth.

Between this and Necrozma stuff leading from US to RUM (another error of judgement, he gave Roark the fusers after witnessing the capture. Did he tell anyone? No. Because it was interesting at least until it became personal. Not that he knew Roark was in there, just seeing what Necrozma was capable of) he's finally starting to realize this isn't just bad, but the apocalyptic stuff people built the -cough- "Vault White" to escape from is becoming tangibly real. And worse, one of those being RUM seems to be breeding more "monsters" so to speak with the new and much more organized under Grimsley RR have started making their move in the global takeover during the chaos.

There's still previous RR floating around but people like Cyrus and Ghetsis are smart enough to play the long game unlike some of their more impatient allies who've already been taken out. But this time, Colress is plotting while also waiting because the long game is fun in a way

So then we get to Gauntlet and it seems the professors have been planning for this too. Could blame the cycle, but it could be they've also been given the heads up by someone with more intimate knowledge on the situation in creating The Dex. This cursed thing that seems to have a life of its own as it grows and changes with each new host, absorbing information on multiple journeys in a relatively short period while the professors sit back in mild horror to realize every kid who's touched this thing has been put in danger. Before you could say it's just coincidence that Dex holders are Chosen first who happened to be setting out and need a dex for the road. Here its a debate if somehow giving someone the Dex ends up drawing the Voices to it. Especially since again, this Dex is uh.... Warped. And it's the same one each time. :tppS:

(fun note: Elm wants nothing to do with this, and while he's glad Dippy turned out okay, he's still going to be over here judging the others for encouraging this.)

{Trollkitten:}

And then you have Reese, who doesn't get the Pokedex and thus his title of Main Character gets pushed onto his rival instead

{Haji:}

Yeah. :Jebaited:

{Trollkitten:}

...to be honest, I think his rival was the better choice regardless

{Haji:}

Which brings us to Reese...

Actually back up for those who don't know.

So in Gauntlet, as implied, part of the gimmick was that we were supposed to be able to transfer all of our catches from game to game. Something went wrong in Platinum where this screwed us over in the Nation Dex (because we technically already had one?) And then further broke when it didn't work at all in Blazed Black 2 so we joked that our rival must have taken off with it since Bianca offered both Reese and Yang a Dex when they got their Pokemon iirc

I would say this is where things get weird, but we're way past that point :tppLUL:

So at the beginning of Blazed Black and Volt White (or maybe just the sequels. I haven't checked in a while) with Juniper showing up for the introduction but then saying this may look like Juniper but it's Drayano using her to say welcome

{Newbie:}

it is in fact a thing with Blaze Black and Volt White 1, yes

{Haji:}

In my lore, Yang was the one who received the mystery pack saying he got a letter and a device saying it could help him in his personal desire to go after Team Plasma. He showed it to Reese and they both got sucked into the device where they've been in stasis in Dream World for like five years or something before they wake up to find the world has gotten weird. Like it's had its soul sucked out of it and somehow they're the only ones who were spared. Or at least until they start finding others who are "awake" enough to realize things aren't right. Yang thinks they're inside the device since that's the last thing he remembers and Reese is all like... Cool. Then Yang can go be protag and he'll just hang back and play side kick while checking out all the features. :3

Meeting Colress doesn't set off any warning flags, but Colress is quick to pick up that Reese has the Voices and after his "trial run" with Aqua to take out Ghetsis, Colress is careful and curious to study both boys as things play out. It's obvious by the time Frigate happens that Reese is the better fighter of the two and Colress is both bitter and delighted to utilize this weapon to fulfill destiny and whatnot because that's what Chosen do~~ EXCEPT REESE WON'T DO IT

This confrontation is somehow simultaneously going exactly to plan and not going to plan at all filled with a lot of "HOW FUCKING DARE YOU" "NO, HOW DARE YOU!" emotions as Colress has found out how to spur Reese into action. The same way he finally got into action. Make it personal.

Yang has no idea what he's caught up in |D;;;

He's lucky he didn't get killed

Honestly, only reason he's not dead is because Nia showed up

{TrollKitten:}

I imagine that in Colress's position, I'd be frustrated too

{Haji:}

Colress was the ~mysterious benefactor ~ Yang signed up with, Colress has legit planned on going after Lana and Grimsley himself if he had the power to do so, but he ends up infiltrating Team Plasma to try to get the boys to go after them by pursuing him. Is this a bad idea? If course. Colress is aware he's full of bad ideas by this point but in this case it's worth it if only to get the intended result

And he is obsessed with power and can't decide if Reese is only so strong because of the Voices or if it's because the love for his friends and teammates (despite the calls to get rid of some of them) fuels him to only get stronger.

But with all of the collected Chosen in the area at once, this can't fail right? :pogsire:

I mean... He's right in that Grimsley is destroyed and the RR is officially dead in the water, but now we have the problem of these power houses turning on each other. It all works out but sheesh

At least by the time Gauntlet X comes around, the world isn't "fixed" but it's in a far better state than it had been

Honestly not sure if the Colress of Volt White 2 Redux is at all related to this one, but if he is he's at least had the chance to breathe a while and enjoy having his family back after Stars released everyone from their own accidental prison. This Ghetsis isn't RR, but miiiiight be the disgraced gym leader from RW2. Colress is just curious more than anything, but I still honestly think these two are new by that point. (Or unrelated timeline shenanigans because so close to Scarlet and Violet) :tppLUL:

But yeah! Reese is not at all happy about being someone's pawn and ready to go Void on anyone in the manipulation game between Colress and the RR

(and by that I mean Dark Void)