#rift gardevoir

[pokemonbattletournament]

We have Pokémon at Home!

Round 3 matchup 7

Propaganda for Parasol Waddle Dee:

"Parasol Waddle Dee is actually very iconic as an enemy in Kirby Games, only failing to appear in two mainline games. Also, it’s very cute."

Propaganda for Rift Gardevoir:

"She's a Rift Pokemon from Pokemon Rejuvenation, and also makes a surprise cameo in Pokemon Reborn (neither of which are ROM hacks, and are pretty easy to set up for Windows users)!

She has a really cool color palette, angel wings, and has a custom ability called Execution that heals her when knocking out low health Pokemon, and making it impossible to lower her own Attack or Special Attack stats!

Very important to the story, I don't wanna spoil anything about her, but she's very cool and also Neat and this is why the girlies should vote for her I think ^-^"

More info under the cut

More information about Parasol Waddle Dee:

More information about Rift Gardevoir:

[jojolimons]

i will say, nearing the midgame of rejuvenation it does get a little frustrating hitting brick wall after brick wall

[pokemonheritageposts]

Could you do top 10 Gallade cards?

hey, since this is a 5 pokemon line at this point, let's make it a top 15!

this line has so many incredible cards fr

15. Ralts (illus. Yuka Morii, Sun & Moon - Lost Thunder 149/214)

14. Gardevoir (illus. Sanosuke Sakuma, Sword & Shield - Astral Radiance TG05/TG30)

13. Ralts (illus. Midori Harada, EX Power Keepers 59/108)

12. Kirlia (illus. Sanosuke Sakuma, XY BREAKthrough 69/162)

11. Gardevoir & Sylveon GX (illus. Atsuko Nishida, Sun & Moon - Unbroken Bonds 205/214)

10. Gardevoir EX (illus. Mitsuhiro Arita, XY Steam Siege 116/114)

9. Kirlia (illus. sowsow, Sun & Moon - Cosmic Eclipse 81/236)

8. Gallade (illus. Huang Tzu En, Sun & Moon - Cosmic Eclipse 244/236)

7. Mega Gardevoir EX (illus. Megumi Mizutani, Generations RC31/RC32)

6. Gardevoir (illus. TOKIYA, XY Ancient Origins 54/98)

5. Gallade V (illus. Souichirou Gunjima, Sword & Shield - Lost Origin TG19/TG30)

4. Gardevoir EX (illus. Kuroimori, Scarlet & Violet - Paldean Fates 233/91)

3. Iron Valiant EX (illus. kantaro, Scarlet & Violet - Paradox Rift 259/182)

2 (TIE). Ralts/Kirlia/Gardevoir EX (illus. Jiro Sasumo, Scarlet & Violet 211, 212, & 245/198)

1. Gardevoir (illus. AKIRA EGAWA, Sword & Shield - Silver Tempest TG05/TG30)

[pokemanix]

Official Cards featuring NPCs from the Pokémon TCG (Part 4)

Togepi (55) - Scord & Shield: Astral Radiance Machamp V (172) - Sword & Shield: Astral Radiance Mew ex (53) - Scarlet & Violet Promos Mimikyu (75) - Scarlet & Violet Promos Drowzee (210) - Scarlet & Violet Ralts (211) - Scarlet & Violet Kirlia (212) - Scarlet & Violet Gardevoir ex (245) - Scarlet & Violet Skeledirge ex (258) - Scarlet & Violet: Paldea Evolved Pikachu (173) - Scarlet & Violet: 151 Machoke (177) - Scarlet & Violet: 151 Mantyke (189) - Scarlet & Violet: Paradox Rift Vanillish (190) - Scarlet & Violet: Paradox Rift Plusle (193) - Scarlet & Violet: Paradox Rift Minun (194) - Scarlet & Violet: Paradox Rift Steelix (208) - Scarlet & Violet: Paradox Rift Explorer’s Guidance (147 and 200) - Scarlet & Violet: Temporal Forces Explorer’s Guidance (107) - Scarlet & Violet: Prismatic Evolutions Charjabug (169) - Scarlet & Violet: Temporal Forces Excadrill (174) - Scarlet & Violet: Temporal Forces Drampa (184) - Scarlet & Violet: Temporal Forces Poltchageist (171) - Scarlet & Violet: Twilight Masquerade Torkoal (172) - Scarlet & Violet: Twilight Masquerade Cramorant (176) - Scarlet & Violet: Twilight Masquerade Probopass (182) - Scarlet & Violet: Twilight Masquerade Timbur (183) - Scarlet & Violet: Twilight Masquerade Sinistcha ex (210) - Scarlet & Violet: Twilight Masquerade Acerola (54) - Full Metal Wall

[naitaurbusiness]

Definitely, Totally Real Gardevoir Facts

(Made by a Gardevoir for the uneducated)

Due to being Amorphous, if a Gardevoir falls for an extended period of time they squish against the ground like a cartoon. After a few seconds they pop back to normal shape.

Gardevoir dresses are natural parachutes that slow their descent! Gallade do not have this protection.

After creating a black hole, a Gardevoir turns into a Gothitelle.

Also due to being Amorphous, Gardevoir have extremely flexible internal organs.

Much like many other Amorphous Pokémon, Gardevoir are not actually organic nor natural. They are in fact most closely related to mannequins.

The 'default' Tera Type for a Gardevoir is Grass. This is vestigial power left over from the common ancestor they share with Lilligant and Florges.

Gardevoir heart crystals are not well-attached to their body. They can be pushed in and out through the chest without causing any harm. If you find any red, trapezoidal objects, please return them to the nearest Gardevoir.

When a Gardevoir uses Moonblast, they actually teleport to the moon and come back to throw a moon rock at their target. The light is simply there to disguise this.

Somewhere, a Gardevoir is watching you. Give them chocolate to ease the threat.

Does a Gardevoir look concerned for no reason? This is normal and regular occurence. They have likely just seen the universe collapse, as Fairy types are immune to the Dragon type legendaries in charge of space and time. (Exception to this are Gardevoir born in Hoenn before November of 2014, who mysteriously did not develop their Fairy typing before then.)

Being strong empaths, Gardevoir partially sustain themselves on the emotions of others. Positive emotions are more 'filling,' while negative emotions are unhealthy when consumed in large amounts.

The rift above Spear Pillar was created when a group of Gardevoir fought Dialga and Palkia. They all simultaneously created black holes with the help of Giratina, who was banished to the Distortion World for this act.

Shiny Gardevoir are blue because, instead of Liligant and Florges, these Pokémon have various Water Types in their ancestry such as Quaquaval, Milotic, or Vaporeon.

Due to being Fairy types, Gardevoir remember every instance of Dialga has resetting the timeline. Reality is Dragon-type, and we are immune.

Natural green hair in humans comes from Gardevoir ancestry.

Gardevoir always blink manually, just like you are now doing.

Gardevoir do not need to blink, instead they use Life Dew to moisturize their eyes.

Gallade blades can shift forward, instead protruding from the wrists rather than the elbows. This was best documented in the research paper "Assassin's Glade."

If you see a green-haired human, this is a Gardevoir in disguise.

If you ever go to Giahonl, you do not recognize the Gardevoir in the water.

Gardevoir crystals cannot be planted in a pot to grow a Ralts. This is because Ralts require a high-pressure saltwater environment to form.

Gardevoir and Hatterene have a symbiotic relationship where Gardevoir identify sources of strong negative emotions and Hatterene neutralize them. Level of violence involved varies between individuals.

The ability Trace comes directly from Mew.

It's a Gothitelle if it grows up from the ground and a Gardevoir if it grows down from the ceiling.

They're only called Gardevoir if they're from the Gardeaux region of Kalos. Otherwise, they're just Sparkling Hatterene.

When teleporting with a Gardevoir, hold your breath to avoid spaghettification.

Gardevoir are Fairies, and thus are incapable of lying. Everything they say is absolute truth.

[therealeagal]

Poookeeemooon Legends: Arceus

In anticipation of the upcoming Pokemon Legends Z-A, I have been endeavoring to get perfect pokedex completion for every pokemon in Pokemon Legends Arceus.

AND IT IS TAKING SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FREAKING LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG

Good news is, I was already well into the sixties from my last attempt at this monumental task, of which few have ever achieved before because only a pokemon master such as myself has the dedication to see it through to the end, so I had a bit of headstart. Kinda like starting a successful business empire with nothing more than a small million dollar loan from my father. Truly, I am magnificent.

Anyway with 100+ completed, starting from #1 (Rowlet if you were wondering) and going some ways into the 100s, plus a few extras here and there, I'm very nearly halfway there (that fire steel legendary that I forget the name of just at the moment. Magsomething? Volcasomething? Idunno), and then once I finish 100%ing the pokedex, I can fly to Japan, find Kazumasa Iwao, and slap him repeatedly in the face until he apologizes to me for the battle system in this game. Also all the really hard to fill out pokedex entries.

I've cleared all the "Jumps out of trees" pokemon. The hardest to get was bloody Cherrim.

I'm pretty sure I got all the "Jumps of out rocks" pokemon. I'm currently working on Honchkrow, which is a "Super rare pokemon that only appears once in one out of the way spot of one area so you have to leave and come back to reset it" pokemon. Gotta do that TEN BLOODY TIMES.

Very much not looking forward to all the fish pokemon that you have to catch without getting spotted.

Also not looking to Magnemite, which is a "Only appears one fucking time in a space-time rift and only if you're lucky" pokemon. And you just know that 99.9999999999999% of them won't be light specimens even though you need five of those for the pokedex.

I tell you. To be a pokemon fan is to suffer.

Some shoutouts to my main team.

VoloIsADouch the Garchomp. I had to cut the E off the end of douche, otherwise the game wouldn't let me name him. I wish that GameFreak would have allowed me to name Garchomp VoloIsADouche, because Volo is, in fact, a douche. Add that the list of things Iwao should apologize to me for.

Alas, we must work with the tools we have been given. Moving on.

Glam Rock the Hisuian Zoroark. He's my favorite. Because I do so love his hair. Mane. Thing.

Scaryados the Gyarados. I'm very proud of that name. It rhymes. I will admit that it's not perfect, because it should technicscally be Scaryarados, but then it would have extra syllables, so I think it's a good compromise.

Slash Fic the Scizor, which is a very good name as well.

Then there's Divine the Gardevoir and last but certainly least, my starter, Ronin the Hisuian Decidueye. Never really cared for him. Prone to going down to hits he has no business going down to. He should count himself lucky I didn't name him Trash.

You may now praise me for my excellent pokemon skills.

[sheridanvillager]

4, 10, 24

4 - Least Favorite Moment

oohhh. Well, there's a few moments in V13 I didn't like cause I felt they were pointless, like the Deoxys attack in Terajuma, but that was removed in V13.5 so it doesn't really matter anymore. For the moments I still don't like in V13.5 though, there's that part where Adrest explains the backstory about how like humanity killed Arceus and I just... didn't like that moment, personally.

10 - Favorite villain/antagonist(s)

this may sound weird but Dark Gardevoir. When I played through my playthrough, my thought about her was like "SHE'S SO EVIL!" in a enthusiastic way. Like I legit love how evil she is. That being said, her death is interesting and also really sad. Like, she's devoted all her life to her master and yet... her master just straight up did not care about her, she found out the hard way. She decides to help us by making a rift portal to help us go back instead of just leaving us to death, that's really interesting. Clear and Kieran, too. I'm really curious about them. I envy Kieran's hoverboard.

24. Favorite npc/minor characters that barely get screentime?

Kai'ya! Also Volta. I just really love the news and her enthusiastic personality. Also not exactly favorite but it's really funny when Venam is "no lol" at the npc who's like "i'm studying footsteps of pokemon here!!!!!" and just pushes him away

[janichroma]

Hiya jan! What is the name of the song that plays for rift gardevoir's 2nd phase? It sounds really good but I can't find it anywhere

The song seems to be gone from youtube unfortunately. it was a song from glitch, though.

[kokorowoutsu]

-- RP: @skullboneandunown

skullboneandunown:

Razor didn't back down. He slams his now more powerful tail on the ground, and lets out a hiss. 'And what makes you think Donovan, or anyone would let that slide?' He knew he himself wouldn't have a chance, but Donovan? He fought against an omnicidal robot hellbent on purging all life in the multiverse. Granted, that was a team effort, but still. The Primal Beast felt the dark magiks leave his body, a chill in the air as they force Terapagos back into it's slumber. "....Get it done, pests. I will deal with you later." He watches Donovan fall to his knees, spent and in pain....a pain Morgan wouldn't be able to heal completely. Razor and Mewtwo race over to help him up, and his armor disappears. He coughs and speaks to Morgan, although unable to face her at the moment. He hurt too much. "I know you're hurting Morgan. But threaten innocent people, or destroy anything, and it won't just be Zygarde who comes after you." He pauses to try to stand, grunting as he forces himself up. "I'm meant to protect the world from any and all potential mystic threats. Now... now that includes you, if it comes to it." He stares down at his arms, and Mewtwo's blood runs cold. Glowing cracks have formed on Donovan's arms, from his fingertips to his shoulders. Donovan just sighs. "Well.... that's just prime." The Primal Beast can only glare daggers at her as she heals the others, and his blood boils at the mention of him losing his children. He very much wants to rip her throat out, he is the only one here strong enough to actually fight her, but he sneers. "Perhaps. But I won't destroy innocent lives like you would. I can accept that death comes for many, my children included, can you say the same, Morgan?" He huffs and begins to channel more temporal energy. "It will be a minute until I can get them back. You'll just have to be patient."

'I have always been a threat, Donovan. I always will be. I would tear down the sky for what is precious to me.' The one thing she held sacred was her children and her family. They were hers and gods be damned if she'd let her brightest student or even the Primal Beast stand in her way. That being said, she did not look to Donovan, instead letting Mewtwo and Razor tend to him. Her gaze slides to the Primal Beast at hand, her voice quieting and a private link between the two of them coming to the forefront for her voice.

'In all the years you knew me, let alone will know me, have I ever once destroyed innocent lives?' It was an honest question, and if he was going to be a smartass, she would be one back. 'I don't know what you did to deserve this form, but I suppose i'll find out in the future.' That being said, she lays a hand to the barrier. It's unbreakable, untouchable, and it feels like a rift has grown between her and her child... and she suppresses the feeling to cry at this. 'I have seen and accepted death so many times before -- but my children are not meant to die anytime soon. I have seen their ends. This was not foretold.' She pauses. 'And if you tell me to be patient one more time, I will knock your legs right out from under you. I'm still the one who taught you to tear down the sky and control even Arceus himself, or have you forgotten?'

Her tone goes between pain and joking. She can't keep her emotions straight, and for her, a fae, it is difficult to grasp how much she has changed in being a mother. Taking on her Gardevoir form in Monarch phase, she looks to the Primal Beast then. 'Be honest with me, Donnie. This will take more then just a few minutes, won't it? This barrier.' No, it would take a week, perhaps even longer. She despaired to know what laid beyond this distortion. Shifting a bit as she felt Mew coming closer, she could see the despair in his eyes, and let him in on the conversation via a psychic link. 'You couldn't have known. No one could have.' She sighs softly.

[imfluentinfangirlandgay]

Wounded Renegade - Pt 1

Giratina had lost. It was wounded and alone. What was it going to do?

Word Count: 3700

TW: implied thoughts of death

“Giratina, strike her down!”  Volo screamed, pointing at the figure before them. It was definitely Arceus’ hero, judging by the divine aura they exuded. The human girl’s face took in Giratina’s form, her eyes filling with terror as she tossed out a Pokemon - a Gardevoir. Giratina steeled itself, preparing for a long battle. 

It lunged through the Distortion World, creating rifts to its advantage to sneak in new attacks and gain the element of surprise. The girl, annoyingly enough, kept using healing items on her team and reviving them, even as Giratina cut them down. She seemed to have no end to them. It was chipped away, however, until it had to reveal its true form as a last-ditch attempt. It could feel the power surging through its corporeal form, even as its life force was slowly drained by the fight. 

Until it was over. 

And Giratina was not victorious. 

This was odd, it thought to itself as it fled the battlefield. It needed to go, it could not stay, if it stayed, it would face horrible punishment at the hands of its brothers, or much worse, Arceus. How did it manage to get into these situations? First, its jealousy had nearly ripped the universe into pieces, so it was sealed away permanently. Now, after who knew how many centuries or millennia or eons of slowly losing its grip on reality, it returns only to be used as a weapon against Arceus because of the overwhelming affect that Volo had used on it. It was weird. It was like whenever it was around Volo, it was no longer in control of itself, but given some sort of power that made its mind mere clay, molded in the form that the human wished to create. And there was an overwhelming part of it that wanted this to happen, even though it knew that this was wrong, that this was not what it should be doing. 

It continued having these thoughts even as its body was giving away, now that it was no longer in the Distortion World. In its domain, Giratina had a healing ability that allowed it to recover much faster. It did not have this in the physical realm. It had forgotten this. It shuddered, its legs returning to its body as it was no longer able to hold the higher-energy form. It needed somewhere to hide. Now. 

It galloped along the hard dirt and grass, stomping down patches and scaring away the resident Pokemon. It did not care too much. It needed to get away. From humans. 

Ah, there! An outcropping of rock, shading a deep crack in the wall. It was not its once-favorite hideaway spot, but this would have to do until it could make it back to its proper cave. It took flight, awkwardly soaring to the dark patch and melting into the shadows the rock provided, phasing deep into the cave. It could not retain the shadowy form and had to default back to its six-legged physical body, which frustrated it. Its wounds were getting the better of it. It could feel the lasting effects of poison still seeming through its body from the Toxicroak that the girl had. It was not going to last much longer, it thought, as it immediately lost consciousness. 

—-----------

The God of Distortion woke slowly, feeling something was wrong. It did not feel the normal, completely devoid feeling it had upon awaking all the time. Rather, it felt something odd and rather unpleasant. It was… in pain. Yes, that was the word, pain. And it was… not warm. Cold? Was that the word? There was no temperature in the Distortion World, however, so why was it-

“Ho there, passenger. Please remain behind the yellow line while repairs are underway.” 

“BISHHANNN?” Giratina jolted awake at the sound of vocalized human speech. It had been found, it realized, as it flailed around uselessly for a moment trying to get its bearings as the memories flooded back to it. The fight. Volo. Its undignified desertion. Oh, if Dialga and Palkia were to see it now, it would never hear the end of it. They constantly teased Giratina as it was any time they saw it. 

“Hey, now, passenger, you are still in rough shape. Please, may I finish tending to your wounds?” Giratina’s eyes darted around the cave. A human was in the space with it, currently standing with their hands behind their back, watching it curiously. Giratina pierced through the human’s soul with its gaze. It needed to know their intentions. 

It was surprised by its findings. Most humans, whenever it soul-searched them, had memories and small shades of things past floating in their close vicinity, tagging beside them but not quite touching unless called upon. This being, this man, had almost none. There were several shades floating a distance from him, further out of reach, which were much darker and more formed than the average one, but none were close enough for him to touch. His soul just seemed empty, not exactly dark, but devoid of most things. Like he was missing something, or many things, important to him. 

Did Giratina recognize this man? It felt like something about him was vaguely familiar, but its memory as of late was spotty at best, mostly because of whatever Volo was doing to it. It still needed to figure that out. 

The man watched Giratina. It could feel no animosity coming from him, not like he’d felt with the girl from earlier and from Arceus. “Please, you are still bleeding. I wish to dress your wounds, if you will let me. I will not remove you from this station. Might I be allowed to finish assisting you?” It stared at him for a long minute, trying to discern if there was any amount of ill-intent. It could not bear to deal with more at the present moment. 

But it found none. It really did not have any options either, it found. It strained to melt into shadow, to disappear from this figure. Its mind screamed out to open a portal to the Distortion World, its safe place, where no one could find it or hurt it again. But nothing happened. Giratina stayed stubbornly corporel and visible. It was weak, it could tell. It was swaying on its feet. 

Besides, what did it have left to lose? As soon as Arceus found out what it had done, whether it had been in control or not, it would be thrown back into the Distortion World permanently. Or maybe, just maybe, this time Arceus would decide it had had enough. That Giratina was no longer worth keeping around because of its hailing status over Distortion and chaos. Perhaps it would seek to replace it with another, more obedient being… 

It bowed its head at the man, collapsing with a sigh. There was no point. If Volo found it again, it would simply become a pawn once more for whatever he had planned. If it did not, Arceus would find it sooner or later, and it was simply a dead ‘mon walking. Though technically it already was, what with the ghost typing, it didn’t used to be a ghost before the incident- 

It sunk to the ground in defeat. It had no energy left. It did not flinch as the man brushed his hands along one of its legs, speaking in a loud tone as he applied this poultice or that substance. It could be pure poison, for all Giratina cared. It would be kinder than whatever Arceus had in store for it. 

“I do not know what you got tangled up in, but it looks like they dealt a number on your cab.” The man was chatting as he worked on Giratina’s wounds. “I’ve had quite a few close calls with my partner Pokemon, so thankfully I know how to deal with this sort of thing. I haven’t seen a Pokemon like you around here before. Did you emerge from the rift, too? Was that the noise I heard on Mount Coronet earlier?” Giratina refused to look at the man. It did not want to hear him yell at it or command it to do anything. 

It was so tired. 

“Well, whatever the case, you should not just lay around here and wait to die! I can get you righted and ready to return to your station soon. It would appear you are a ghost type? Or at least a dark type. I think I have something that may help you recover, once I finish dressing these more external wounds. I tend to come into contact with many ghosts out here in the Highlands, and sometimes they drop items that I investigate in my spare time. It is odd, but I feel that I know what many of their purposes are. In terms of Pokemon and how they affect them, I mean. I have not been able to remember much since falling into Hisui…” 

The man continued on as Giratina was slowly lulled back to sleep by his voice. It was loud, yes, but it was constant, a droning hum that reminded Giratina of the sounds that used to help it sleep before it was banished to the Distortion World a very long time ago. 

—------

The next time Giratina awoke, it was dark. It felt marginally better, as its body was beginning to heal from the attack, but it was definitely not back to its normal state. It tried again to open a portal to the Distortion World, but nothing happened. Something was wrong. Had Arceus already known about its wrongdoings and was punishing it? It hoped not, because then that always meant something worse was on the horizon and by now, it was kind of tired of being punished. 

It pushed itself up to a standing position and tested its limbs. They all seemed in working order. That human had bound up every single injury that he could find, oddly enough. Giratina could feel bandages all around its legs and even on its neck in some places where the girl’s Pokemon had used Bite. It stretched, mindful of the bandages. It was unsure that it would be able to put them back on without assistance, and the human was nowhere to be found. Giratina could not help the pang of loneliness it felt at that notion. It should not have, but it did. It… did not think anyone had ever been kind to it like that before. 

It hoped that the man would not want something from it in exchange. Favors always got it in trouble. 

Giratina did not attempt to fade into the shadows yet, as that would remove any bandaging the man had done. It did not want to seem ungrateful. Instead, it moved its legs and emerged from the cave it had hid itself inside of, looking out at the night sky. It was a clear night, no clouds covering the stars or the moon. Giratina laid back down, simply content to watch the sky and hear the sounds of Pokemon in the forest below it. 

Oh, how it had missed this. 

Just having ambient sound, differing in pitch and intensity, the sensation of a breeze on it again, movement happening around it, with physical ground under its body and open, cool air above it. There were interesting things to see and look at and it was refreshing and exciting. It could feel itself thrumming internally, its excitement wanting to build. It wanted to fly, to explore, but it knew that it could not. It was not ready. That, and it could be found by others. It did not want to risk that. 

Instead, it passed several hours by just sitting and watching the sky. It breathed in the moving air and allowed itself to simply exist in a physical plane not of its own making. It was nice. It hadn’t been on this form of reality in quite some time. It had missed this, these sensations it had not felt since the early days of its creation. It did not miss the Distortion World much in times like this, even if it was safer there. 

The moon lazily drifted across the sky, eventually making way for the bright morning sun. The stars petered out, engulfed by the orange and red rays of Solgaleo. The sun rose, and with it a new flurry of activity below Giratina. The ghost and dark Pokemon of night skittered away for the day, leaving behind the grass and flying Pokemon that thrived in the light. It could hear others awakening from a restful night and preparing for a long day of… whatever they did. 

Actually, that was a great question. What was Giratina going to do? It could not access the Distortion World and was too weak to fast travel anywhere. It was too large to move about inconspicuously. It could not change into its sleeker form. It was… stuck. Stuck here, until it figured something out. 

Now, it was not that Giratina was not intelligent or anything like that, but it knew that it had no practice in this area. Problem-solving. After being locked alone in solitary confinement in a realm that bended to your very whim, you eventually lost the need to do things like solve problems and make a plan. This was not its strong suit. It needed to get back to the Distortion World somehow before Volo or Arceus found it. Or the hero. It hoped she would not find it, either. 

Its body made a noise it did not readily identify. A rumbling. What? What did that mean? Was its form beginning to decay? How long did it have left? It mentally searched for the source of the sound, realizing it was somewhere in the middle of its belly. Wait, there was a term for this that corporeal beings used, it knew this. It was… oh, what was it? It hadn’t felt a sensation like this in millennia. 

Hunger. It was hungry! Well, that was simple enough, it just had to seek out food. What did… what did it eat, again? Giratina looked around its spot, trying to see anything it recognized. It had never needed to eat to sustain its form before. A gnawing feeling was beginning to form inside it, in the pit of its belly. Was this why things ate so often? If this what it felt like to have a physical body? 

It stood again, looking around it. The cave had nothing edible in it, that much it knew. It was in a remote location and it seemed that it would need to travel some distance to reach sustenance. It knew this, but… the cave was safe. Food was not. It took a step forward, into the sunlight, and retracted immediately, as if burned. The light was warm and cozy and it gave Giratina a feeling of comfort it had not been afforded in some time, but it could see how its golden bands glinted and attracted things in the light. It was unsafe. It instead retreated into the cave. It would go out at night and retrieve food, yes! All it had to do now was wait until nightfall. 

Giratina laid a bit further back in the cave, out of sight of onlookers that may be hunting for it, watching the sun drift across the sky. It… did not remember this process taking so long. Was it not supposed to move a little faster? How long did a day last? It ruffled its wings and tucked them around its upper body like a cape. It made it feel more secure. 

The gnawing emptiness was growing. Its stomach growled again. Was food really the only way to stop this? It had been harsh on mortals before, it decided. This was just pure cruelty on Arceus’s part. Maintenance of this form was so much higher than in the Distortion World! It watched the sun like a Staraptor, waiting for it to cross the sky and exit to reveal the moon. It had hardly made it directly above the cave before Giratina became aware of something approaching. 

Scraping and loose rocks moved across the rock face on which it resided. Something was climbing up. Giratina stood and recoiled deeper into the cave, its wings expanding and trying to fill space. Bigger meant more intimidating and maybe it could intimidate this creature away! It backed up until its rump his cave wall, and it could barely see out the entrance. 

It was a human. They wore a long coat and a hat, but it was definitely a human. They stood outside the entrance, peering in a moment. Then they entered, just enough that they were in the shade. “Are you still there? I have returned with fuel, if you require it. I wish to check in and ensure your cab is healing as it should.” 

It was the man again! The one from earlier! Giratina felt an unwelcome surge of joy. He had come back! It needed to learn not to trust this easily. These sorts of things were what got it into trouble. 

It put its wings down and slowly emerged a little bit from the cave, allowing its presence to be known. It knew he could see its glowing red eyes. The man bowed to it, clutching his hat in one hand as he did so. “Ah! Hello again, passenger. I was afraid you might have run off. I brought along a variety of different foods, as I do not know what you prefer. If you are alright with it, I might like to check your bandages, as well, and ensure that your wounds are healing. I imagine you are hungry, so let us start this schedule there.” The man slung a large bag off his back and removed its contents, laying them before Giratina. 

There were brightly colored fruits of all types, some other foragables, and even some manmade items that Giratina did not identify immediately. It knelt down, allowing itself to become vulnerable. The man sat, cross-legged, after he emptied the sack and watched it expectantly. Its eyes darted over the fruits and it selected one with a bluish hue, gently grasping it in it mouth and laying it before it, nibbling the outside. The flavor was palatable. It consumed it readily. 

It did this with several different foods, figuring out which ones its newly-acquired tastebuds enjoyed and which it did not. It also pushed some of the foods towards the man. It was not going to eat this entire bounty and he should eat the rest so that it didn’t go to waste. The man’s eyebrows shot up momentarily, but he took the offered sustenance and began to eat, too. 

After the meal, it was feeling much better. Giratina stood, flapping its wings and stretching its legs, now with a full belly. It felt sleepy again. Did things need to sleep this often? The human stood as well, stretching his own legs. “It is good to see you in better spirits, passenger! I did not know if you would make it at first. Is it alright if I look over you once more? I know there was a deeper gash on your neck that needed attention, if it is to not get infected. 

Giratina paused and considered this. Did it want this man to touch it again? It was so weak right now, but it also had size on its side. If he tried to do anything weird, it could probably fight him off. He already knew where it resided. It bowed its head, lowering its wings so that he could get a better look at it. 

“Thank you. I promise I will inform you of anything I do.” 

The man’s hands were warm on its body as he unraveled the coverings and applied new poultices and medicines to Giratina. He chatted as he went along, describing in painstaking detail exactly what he was using, where, and why. The god liked it. It had not heard another voice in some time, and it was nice to be talked to again. It did not attempt to reach into the man’s mind, though, to respond. It did not want to frighten him. This man was the closest thing Giratina had to a companion in this world. It listened to the words he said, not understanding many of them, but content all the same. 

“And I do believe that is all I can do for now. I hope my safety protocol meets your standards, passenger. I have duties to attend to, but I can return if you would like me to. You still seem rather reluctant to leave the cave, and I could bring you more berries tonight, to help you regain your strength.” Giratina found itself nodding eagerly, without even thinking. What was it doing?! The man chuckled and snapped to attention, placing one hand on his cap and the other behind his back. “Await for my hasty return to this station this evening, then. I will not keep you waiting. Full speed ahead!” The man then snapped his body into another position, with one hand pointing directly forward and the other held at his side. He began to march off, when he stopped. “Oh, I nearly forgot. Here, I have something for you, if you would like it.” He reached into his satchel at his waist and turned back around, pulling out a cloth. It was faded and deep black with navy blue stripes. “You are incredibly cold. I know it is not much, but I hoped this might keep you warm. Would you like this?” 

How thoughtful, Giratina mused to itself. It did not want to seem rude to this human. It bowed its head again, not anticipating the warm hands suddenly on its neck. It nearly recoiled, but managed to keep itself from flingin him clear into the roof of the cave. A soft sensation settled between two of the rings on its neck, snugly tied. “There. I know it will not do much, but I have no use for it. I will be back later this evening, passenger!” And with that, the strange human marched off. 

What an odd man. Giratina still sensed no ill-will coming from the man’s soul, so it decided that for the time being, it would reluctantly trust him. 

[Next]

taglist: @ruyi-years

[sleepy-bunbun-ace]

after becoming giratina's conduit, emmet starts to notice things that other people wouldn't. like how that police officer in alola is actually a ditto. like how that magmortar is actually mew. like how that gym leader in training isn't from this time.

wait, what?

melli introduces himself as gym leader olympia's trainee when he visits kalos. at a first glance, melli seems like he's from this time but emmet knows better. he notices how much he dislikes poke balls but acknowledges how useful they are, how he keeps using the phrase 'almighty sinnoh', how he sometimes slips up and calls himself a warden, how scared he is of his giant shiny gardevoir. he especially notices how he wears the symbol of a long dead clan due to the colonization of sinnoh.

usually those things can be written off but there's also an air around melli. an air that signals he's out of place in this time. not to mention there's still a lot of residue of the space-time distortion that brought him to this era and the amnesia.

emmet decides to help him. they help him get closer to his gardevoir. they help him get used to poke balls. they give him knowledge about this era. they help him blend in easier. melli may have a chance to go back to his own era, but if he never learns about this era, he won't survive. emmet knows better than anyone that this era, while peaceful, is still veerry dangerous.

melli was not there to see the team flare incident but he was there when the rift crisis happened in hisui.

in emmet's own opinion, melli landed in a much more dangerous era. this era is filled with dangerous weapons, teams who will do anything to get to their goals, devices able to control legendary pokemon. they need to prepare him for the worst.

they're thankful for the appearance change. while the regions are much more skeptical about what almost all of unova is dead set on, the regions still need to hunt them down. it's annoying, honestly.

for now, emmet will enjoy this time of peace as they help melli. they think he'll make a fine gym leader. it's quite unfortunate leader adaman never saw any potential in one of his own wardens.

and if they ever meet again during a crisis where future, present, and past mix together, well it's nobody's business if adaman breaks down when he realizes melli doesn't remember him.

[pokemonbattletournament]

We have Pokémon at Home!

Round 1 matchup 71

Propaganda for Bibliacciary:

No propaganda has been submitted for Bibiacciary yet.

Propaganda for Rift Gardevoir:

"She's a Rift Pokemon from Pokemon Rejuvenation, and also makes a surprise cameo in Pokemon Reborn (neither of which are ROM hacks, and are pretty easy to set up for Windows users)!

She has a really cool color palette, angel wings, and has a custom ability called Execution that heals her when knocking out low health Pokemon, and making it impossible to lower her own Attack or Special Attack stats!

Very important to the story, I don't wanna spoil anything about her, but she's very cool and also Neat and this is why the girlies should vote for her I think ^-^"

More info under the cut

More information about Bibliacciary:

More information about Rift Gardevoir:

[sekizein]

                      WARDEN EMMET CHALLENGED YOU TO BATTLE!

HISUI VERSE INFODUMP

01. a verse where he either arrived in hisui some months after ingo  –  or alternatively, was present when the rift appeared to take his brother away, saving ingo from being nabbed by it with the price of falling through it himself.

02. he is part of the diamond clan, and officially resides at the settlement. he does wander around a lot, and spends his nights in various places around hisui.

03. he’s the warden of a vespiquen. this vespiquen is extremely protective over him, and he often has little combees following him around wherever he goes. their buzzing sound remind him of something he can’t place, and helps him to fall asleep at night. 

04. his main team consists of togekiss, porygon-z, crobat, gardevoir, gallade and a shiny magnezone. he also has a snorlax and a scizor. 

05. an exceptionally talented battler, of course.

06. spaces out from conversations often. very enthusiastic about battles, though.

07. his unsettling aura has grown slightly more strange. 

08. no intact memories, but often has either nightmares or comforting dreams with flashes of what he’s forgotten. feels immensely guilty for not being able to piece them together.

[galaxywarp]

Hello hello hello!!!!!

First question: which Pokemon is your favorite, if you could only choose one?

Second question: do you happen to have the just-spinel portion of the 'dance for me' video? I had downloaded it so I wouldn't lose it but then I lost the laptop 😭

Gardevoir is my favorite Pokémon ever. I just love the thought of this fairy knight tearing open space-time rifts to protect a beloved trainer

Here you go!

[pokemanix]

Official Trainer Class Cards from the Pokémon TCG (Part 4)

Kindler (143, 170 and 179) - Sword & Shield: Brilliant Stars Octillery (TG03) - Sword & Shield: Brilliant Stars Trainer Gallery Gardevoir (TG05) - Sword & Shield: Astral Radiance Trainer Gallery Hoothoot (TG12) - Sword & Shield: Astral Radiance Trainer Gallery Furisode Girl (157, 190 and 205) - Sword & Shield: Silver Tempest Worker (167, 195 and 209) - Sword & Shield: Silver Tempest Passimian (TG08) - Sword & Shield: Silver Tempest Trainer Gallery Druddigon (TG09) - Sword & Shield: Silver Tempest Trainer Gallery Smeargle (TG10) - Sword & Shield: Silver Tempest Trainer Gallery Kricketune V (TG12) - Sword & Shield: Silver Tempest Trainer Gallery Corviknight V (TG18) - Sword & Shield: Silver Tempest Trainer Gallery Corviknight VMAX (TG19) - Sword & Shield: Silver Tempest Trainer Gallery Picnicker (114) - Scarlet & Violet Promo Youngster (198) - Scarlet & Violet Parasol Lady (169, 238 and 255) - Scarlet & Violet: Paradox Rift Paldean Student (85, 86, 230 and 231) - Scarlet & Violet: Paradox Rift Dipplin (170) - Scarlet & Violet: Twilight Masquerade Kieran (218) - Scarlet & Violet: Twilight Masquerade

[midnightbrushandquill]

Linear Alternator: Chapter 2 - Greetings

Tags: non-graphic injury, PLA protagonist is not DPPt protagonist, Gaslighting, its not done on purpose (except maybe volo) but it does happen, Tags to be updated as we go  

Summary: When Ingo disappeared, Emmet lost his spark. Elesa was doing her best, but it wasn't enough. Even as close as they were, she wasn't his brother, and Emmet needed his brother. So she was going to get him back, no matter what.

With the rift closed, Rei really thought things were starting to get better. He hadn't seen Ingo for three weeks now, which shouldn't have been abnormal, given the circumstances, but then, normal circumstances didn't include everyone seemingly having forgotten his existence, did they? And if Ingo had never existed in Hisui, then who is the real warden of Sneasler, and how come Rei is the only one who cant remember her?

First || Previous || Next

On AO3

“Dusknoir, shadow claw!"

“Chandelure, protect. Eelektross, thunderwave. Shut down Dusknoir.”

"Don't let him Gardevoir! Psyshock that eel!”

The Dusknoir burst out of the shadows stretching from the seats of the car, stopping inches short of Chandelure's glass to glance harmlessly off her conjured shield of energy. Eelektross was not so fortunate. Waves of psychic energy rippled off of the opposing Gardevoir and slipped underneath Chandelure to strike the electric type, a physical impact despite their metaphysical origins. It was a smart move choice, taking advantage of the species' lower defences, but Eelecktross was still relatively fresh. He powered through the hit, spots already sparking with an electric charge that flashed across the battlefield, sparks finding purchase to dance across the ghost’s hulking form.

"Now Chandelure. Shadow Ball."

"Shit!" The trainer across the car, still dressed in her waitress uniform, swore, flinging a hand out "Lime! Switch with Mousse!"

Gardevoir shifted, part speed, part teleportation, and the arrangement of pokémon on the opposing side of the field flipped. Gardevoir took the Shadow Ball meant for her partner and went down, a red flash accompanying her disappearance back into a pokéball. 

Emmet grinned at the slip in the names. "You are getting serious." His voice could not nearly match the loudness of his brother's, but Emmet knew how to project, and his even tones cut across the field of play anyways.

"Always Mr. Emmet." Roe's fingers slipped Gardevoir's ball back onto her belt and grabbed the one next to it. Her last pokemon. Emmet had the advantage, but it wouldn't take much to even the field.

Muk joined Dusknoir on the field, and the next few moments happened in a flurry of movement and quick instructions. 

"Will-o-wisp."

"Dodge it! Acid armor!"

"Thunderbolt."

"Trick Room!"

Something imperceptible to the human eye shifted in the battlefield, Roe's slow Dusknoir, weighed down even more by its iron ball, now the fastest thing on the field. 

"Shadow sneak!"

"Protect. Full coverage!"

"Flamethrower! Get around that shield!"

"Don't let them through Chandelure. Eelektross, discharge."

Electricity crackled across the field, rippling over Chandelure's shield harmlessly, but flashing through the opposing team. They both held on, Dusknoir looking worse for wear, much like Chandelure. 

Roe, in response, splayed her fingers and called out only a single order. "Shadow Sneak!"

Dusknoir seized, still crackling with electricity, Muk did not. Emmet called once again for Chandelure to throw up a shield, but the effort of protecting both herself and Eelecktross caused her to falter, the attack striking true. Chandelure fell, replaced by Haxorus. 

The rhythmic sway, and persistent clacking of wheels, undercut the fierce battle unfolding inside the car. For new challengers, the movement was often distracting, a novelty for which there was no place to acclimatize to except for on the subway itself. The battle subway, to Emmet's knowledge, was unique to Unova (that fact was a little sad, but also something Emmet was proud of; emotions were rarely simple after all). 

By the time most trainers made the qualification to challenge one of the super lines, the constant movement - the back-and-forth sway, acceleration, deceleration, the centrifugal pull that accompanied turns - became just another facet of the field of play; no different from a pokémon kicking up a sandstorm, or calling for rain. The best trainers, the ones that often provided the most serious battles, learned to incorporate the peculiarities of a moving battlefield into their tactics.

Roe's eyes flicked to the windows of the train, watching the way the lights of the tunnels flashed by, something by the way of anticipation in them. Emmet had only a moment to realize what she was doing before it happened. Knowing the movement of the subway over the various lines almost by instinct, he shifted his stance to accommodate the pull just before the turn properly started. Roe reached with one hand to grab the ring above her head for balance, pointing with the other across the field, following the momentum to where Haxorus had just stepped up to the plate.

"Now, Mousse, Fling!"

Emmet felt a surge of pride, even as the iron ball that weighed the ghost down rocketed across the field, momentum pulled further by centrifugal force. Haxorus didn't have a chance to react, the strike nearly knocking her flat with the force of it. She caught herself, sliding back nearly to where Emmet was standing.

The projectile dropped to the floor of the car with a clang and Emmet felt like his grin would split his face. Across the car, Roe let out a delighted shriek as the subway pulled out of the turn and back onto a straight track.

The moment of elation between the two trainers passed in less than a moment, the ongoing match calling to their attention. With that heavy hit, the sides were almost even. Eelektross had already taken a few hits, still looking better than Dusknoir. Muk, the second most recent addition to the field, was worn down by the burn of Chandelure's last offensive action.

Roe didn't need much to secure victory, but neither did Emmet, and he had the ability to target the entire field at once.

"Eelecktross, Gastro Acid on Haxorus."

"Oh no you don't, Mr. Emmet! Pudding, poison jab; take Haxorus down!"

Emmet called for Haxorus to dodge, but to no avail. The dragon type staggered against two heavy hits. For a moment, Emmet was sure she would fall, but with a sideways glance, she caught herself, pushing steady, ready for his next instruction. 

"Good job Haxorus." She looked more than pleased at his clipped praise, "Now, Earthquake."

Both trainers hooked fingers around the rings above them for stability as the car (and only the car) shook, the energy contained by the safety system.

Two flashes of red signalled the end of the match. Roe's exuberant smile matched Emmet's as he thanked his team for the effort and launched into his script.

"You're still too strong for me." Roe shook her head as soon as he was finished, settling into a seat across from him. "I really thought I had it this time."

"It was a close match. I was not expecting that move with the turn. It was verrry smart. I got lucky."

"You noticed! It wasn't enough. I bet I could out-cook you any day of the week though."

"I am Emmet. You work in a Café. There is no contest."

"I'm in culinary school now too!" Roe laughed, accepting Emmet's nod for the friendly response it represented, "Eventually, I'll have that Café I want, and then you'll have to bring your pokémon by!" Emmet nodded again. Roe, making no further attempt at small talk, settled down for the ride to Gear Station. 

The opening of train doors heralded the flood of trainers off the last super double of the evening. Pokémon trainers, victorious and defeated alike streamed onto the platform and out into Gear Station proper, to swipe trainer cards against the automatic terminals, or speak to the depot agents directly about streaks and battle points. Battling was done for the day, but the business of the subway carried on.

Emmet walked the length of the train, his call of "Last stop, Gear Station. Please gather your belongings and depart. Last stop Gear Station." echoing down the cars even as Cameron's voice crackled over the PA system with the same message. Emmet checked his Xtransciever before every car, ensuring the flag for an active battle was not set. The announcement notifying their approach to Gear Station had gone out well in advance of their arrival, and while it occurred far less often on the Supers, there would still occasionally be a battle or two still in progress upon arrival. The space past the line designated for trainers to stand at was safe, of course, but protocol still dictated not entering an active battle car without the proper notification to the occupants within.

Sure enough, two of the cars still held active flags. With a swipe of his fingers, Emmet routed the car numbers to Cameron and diverted around them via the station platform to clear the other cars. He finished his initial pass, depositing a few discarded items to the bin behind the employee door for transfer to lost-and-found later, and doubled back. One of the battle flags had cleared already, and as he swept through that car (empty of items, trainers and pokemon), he watched as the second one also toggled off. His already considerably long stride lengthened, and within moments, the doors of the last occupied car were before him.

Emmet shepherded the remaining two patrons off the train with a wave and smile. He stepped out of the doors of the last car, and with a click of his radio, a spoken “all clear,” and a projected “stand clear of the yellow line,” the train was pulling from the station, on its way to the depot.

A mixed wave of relief and melancholy flooded his system as the lights of the train disappeared around the bend. The departure signified the end of a long work day, mostly battles, interspersed with paperwork and emails (or was it the other way around?), and he was relieved to not have to be stepping onto yet another departing circuit in a few minutes time.

"Attention passengers. The Super Doubles are now closed."

Emmet loved his job, he really did. Not everybody got to confidently say they were working their dream job after all, and even fewer got to develop said job nearly from the ground up. Pokemon battles and trains! Was there anything better? Not even his brother's gym had that (the city had denied that particular proposed redesign; something about the city's image and preferred theming). But it was still a relief when it was said and done for the day; everyone had their limits after all.

"Please see an agent to update your BP and streak. Automated terminals are also available before you leave the platform."

At the same time, there was always a part of Emmet that wanted to call up another train and announce extended hours. Could he ever truly be tired of pokémon battles? Emmet didn't think so.

"Thank you for riding the Battle Subway."

Clasping his hands behind his back, Emmet rocked forward, heels lifting off the tiles, as he made the requisite announcements. The complicated end-of-day emotions bled out through the balls of his feet into the ground, chased away by familiar words and routines.

His Xtransciever, muted except for the inter-office lines during the workday, buzzed. Emmet looked down, finding the notification to be one of several messages from his counterpart.

Cilan: (18:00) Singles line arrived at station. Performing final checks now.

Cilan: (18:05) Line is clear. Clocking out until inspections.

Cilan: (18:05) How is your end?

Cilan: (18:07) Cameron says you have some overflows?

Cilan: (18:08) Should I tell them you're running late?

Cilan: (18:08) I'm telling them you're running late.

The most recent one read:

Cilan: (18:10) Emmet I think your brother is about to squeeze himself into a black hole unless you answer your messages.

Emmet sucked in a breath through his teeth. While they tried to be punctual, delays still happened (likely more than Emmet cared to admit when it came to pokemon battles). Usually, his brother had the utmost understanding for the unpredictability that could come with public service; Arceus knew that the gym service schedule could be wildly flexible at times. Emmet had certainly been late on a line due to delays by far more than 10 minutes before. The anxiety Cilan's message spoke to his brother exhibiting was out of the ordinary.

He pulled up the Xtransciever settings, clearing airplane mode from his personal line. Although he refused to let his smile slip where he stood in view of the remaining trainers waiting for terminal access, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the screen. Public network coverage could be spotty sometimes in the tunnels, even with the network extenders Emmet had installed a year or so back (and hadn't that been an expensive project), but it was usually good on the platforms. Sure enough, after a beat as the watch's second receiver flicked on and found the network, Emmet's notifications lit up with messages.

He ignored almost all of them. They could be addressed later. Instead, he pulled up his messages from his brother. Like with Cilan over the work line, he had missed a few.

🚃🚃 Up-train 🚃🚃

(16:15) We will be departing Mistralton for a 17:55 arrival at Gear Station via the Brown line. We will meet you in the main hall at our regular locale.

(17:59) We have arrived. Let me know when you are officially off shift and have received these.

(18:00) See you soon Emmet :}

The one at 18:00 was the most recent message. Nothing about them, nor the ones from their brief conversation at lunch (the one where Ingo had admitted to only waking up less than an hour before, and Emmet had teased him about being an old man, sleeping in the middle of the day), seemed anything out of the ordinary.

Bowing his head away from the crowd, Emmet focused on typing out replies to both Cilan and Ingo. From the corner of his attention, he caught the approaching green of a depot agent.

"We got this boss if you want to head out. You're supposed to be on break now anyways, right?"

Emmet flashed the agent a quick smile and nod. "Yup! It is inspection Wednesday."

The agent quirked a return grin. "Then get out of here boss. Get something to eat. We'll see you in two hours."

With a nod of thanks, Emmet alighted from his position and turned for the stairs. The crowd on the platform had all but cleared, leaving no need for his long stride to cut through it, but that truth fell away the moment he stepped off the top of the stairs and into the main concourse. Even with the battle circuits closed for the day, the dinner hour crowds mingled with rush hour commuters to fill the station with people. Emmet navigated all of it with expertise, intermittently cutting straight through crowds with his determined stride, and weaving around people like a basculin navigating the current. Soon, the crowd thinned out and gave way to a semi-secluded side hall.

Stepping around the corner of the hall and out of the crowd, Emmet was immediately greeted with the distinct clicking of dress shoes against linoleum that was the sound of his brother very much not running in the station.  He spun to meet him, his brother's purposeful walk closing the gap even as Emmet planted his feet firmly.

Ingo crashed into him at speed, a Grapploct emerging onto a Galarian beach; his arms wrapping tightly around his chest and squeezing the air out of him. "Emmet," the voice at his shoulder had a tight waver to it, "I missed you."

"I am Emmet," he quipped, tapping Ingo's shoulder blades in a plea for him to loosen up, "I missed you too, Ingo. You are hugging me verrrry tight."

His brother froze, and then, as though suddenly aware of exactly how tense his muscles were, he eased back, pulling away to meet Emmet's eyes. "Ah, my apologies."

"It is alright." Emmet patted his brother on the shoulder, grinning. "It is nice to be missed. I just like to be able to breathe while being so."

Beyond Ingo, further into the corridor, Skyla and Cilan appeared to be deeply engaged in a conversation. Cilan had already shed his coat, it hung over one arm, revealing the vest and dress shirt beneath. Skyla glanced over briefly, and upon meeting Emmet's gaze, flashed him a bright smile, before flicking her eyes to Ingo's back with a veneer of worry.

The moment was over as quick as it had arrived, and Emmet redirected his attention to his brother. "Is everything alright?"

His brother gave a small shrug, frown made even deeper by thought. "Seeing you in person hit me quite harder than I expected. I apologize if I hurt you in any way."

"Of course not. You could never. I was just surprised. It has only been a month, and it is not as though we did not call."

For a moment, Ingo looked… sad? Sad and confused. "A month? I- yes, sorry Emmet. I am not entirely certain what came over me. For a moment, it felt far more like years since our cars had been connected to each other." He paused, letting out a breath before smiling in that way only Ingo did, the one that was more in his eyes than on the rest of his face. "I had a very odd dream this morning, and it appears it has been derailing me more than I first thought."

Emmet nodded along, his worry melting away at Ingo's explanation. "Jetlag," he accused, reaching to the pokeballs on his belt. "You do not need to apologize to me, Ingo. Speaking of being missed," he pulled out Chandelure and Haxorus in one hand, Exadrill in the other. "They will be verrry excited to see you." He tapped Chandelure's ball, which shook slightly as Ingo took it, "Lunar, in particular, missed you. She was jealous that Rack got to go with you."

"I did not cross tracks with as many trainers as she would have liked," his brother chuckled, "I am sure she had a far more enjoyable time working with you on the subway." He depressed the button on the center of the red and white ball, and Chandelure burst free with a ringing cry. She spun to face her trainer, and the moment they locked eyes, he seemed to lose himself again. "Chandelure…" he breathed, voice quiet and reverent; a man dying of thirst catching their first sip of water. Lunar gave another, louder cry in response and the moment was gone.

Emmet turned away while his brother greeted his pokémon, first to gauge how much attention they were drawing from the crowd in the concourse (not as much as he had expected), then to see if Cilan and Skyla had finished their conversation. They had. Emmet only had to signal them with a nod for them to join the twins, Skyla stooping to grab Ingo's carry-on bag, which had sat abandoned on the ground where Ingo must have been waiting up until then. Swinging it lightly as she walked, she bumped it casually into Ingo's side before joining him in greeting the ghost type. He slipped a hand back to take it from her without looking, sliding the strap up over his head and onto the opposite shoulder.

Emmet looked on in dismay. "Ingo. What happened to the carry-on from the luggage set I got you on our birthday last year? The one with the wheels?"

Ingo looked over at him and adjusted the lay of the strap. "It is at my apartment. The rest of the luggage set is in use, but I only have two hands with which to pull them. Besides, this particular bag was a gift from the Kalosian designer who does all of Fantina's dresses. They're very popular in Sinnoh."

Emmet eyed the sleek, black and violet bag. He was by no means an expert, but he knew more about fashion, and interregional fashion icons, than one might expect. "It is not sparkly enough to be from Fantina's designer." He had also met Sinnoh’s Kalosian-born, ghost type gym leader at a conference once. Her choice of ensemble had nearly blinded him.

The look that Skyla and Ingo exchanged could only be described as impish.

“That’s because you’re not looking in the right spot, Emmet!”  Skyla unclipped the front flap of the bag, flipping it up to reveal the underside of glittery, light purple, fabric, “Behold!”

Emmet was not prepared to win against his brother and his brother's best friend when it came to fashion. He accepted his defeat and wisely decided to move on to the reason he had focused on the topic of Ingo’s bag in the first place. “Crossbody bags are bad for your posture. Against safety protocol. You will injure your back using one too much.”

“Ok, but counterpoint! He looks really good with it. Paparazzi would have a field day if they caught him with a roller-”

Cilan, who had not said a word since the two pairs had merged into a singular group, chose that moment to speak up.

"Um, crowd's clearing a bit. Emmet and I need to be back here in," he paused, illuminating the screen on his Xtransciever, "Just shy of two hours. Were we going to grab dinner? Skyla and I were thinking that artisanal pizza place on 7th."

"Yup! Ingo is going to drop his bag at our apartment first though. So he is not carrying  it all evening." Emmet pivoted to the new topic, fixing his brother with a look that said he was not done with worrying about his health (someone had to, after all).

Ingo did not protest, pointing instead across the concourse. "Very well. Let us direct our tracks in that direction."

"Let's cut across to the offices first, if that's OK. Emmet and I should, um, leave our coats and hats here."

"Oh, yeah! Good idea Cilan." Skyla strode forward, one arm looped around each of her fellow (even if one was a former) gym leaders, "Two gym leaders, and the subway bosses? We're probably going to draw attention even without you two being in uniform."

"Indeed. Those coats are also far too heavy for the weather. It would not do for either of you to overheat."

Emmet, at the point of their v-shaped line, gave a sharp nod of agreement, already redirecting in the direction of the offices, resolutely refusing to shed his coat until behind the 'employees only' door, and out of view of the public. "You are not one to talk though, Ingo, you are wearing all black."

"Ah, one might assume, but I think you'll find, if you look closely, that the shirt is actually purple."

"Still."

Two detours, and a short walk later, the group of four was settled down at a table mostly obscured by a half-wall covered in fake foliage.

Chandelure had refused to leave Ingo's side, since being released at the station. As much as she did nearly all of her battling with Emmet these days, he could not deny that she was still Ingo's pokémon. The restaurant, thankfully, was friendly to un-balled pokémon, so she was left to gleefully hover around his head as the group discussed the menu.

"I can't believe we're not getting real Nimbasa pizza." Emmet grumbled cheerfully, staring down at the familiar menu as though he had never seen it before. "I don't think this place knows how to spell 'Alolan'."

"I didn't know you needed a slice of grease for it to be real pizza."

"I don't think this one even has cheese on it, Skyla."

Beside him, Cilan frowned and reached down to scratch between the ears of Mash, his Stoutland. "Sorry Emmet, I, um, thought you'd like this place. I know it's not the street place we usually go to, but with the group of us, I…" he trailed off.

"Nonsense Cilan. There is no need to apologize. This is a common station for us. If Emmet is truly looking to be obtuse, he can direct his ire towards me. I decided I could not handle much grease today."

"I am Emmet, I am not being obtuse."

Skyla leaned across the table to swat Emmet's arm. "Yeah, he's just being a brat instead. Honestly Emmet, thirty is too old to be bullying your co-worker!"

"Cilan is a friend, not just a coworker. I am not bullying anyone. I just think a place that spells Alolan like that can't claim to serve Nimbasa-style Pizza."

"Would it kill you to order your Alolan monstrosity in peace?"

Emmet flashed Skyla a teasing grin. "It would, actually, yup!"

"Dragons, you're insufferable!" Skyla stuck her tongue out at him from across the table. "Ingo, tell your brother he's being insufferable!"

Ingo, who had crossed around the table to stand next to Cilan, and had drawn him into a loud conversation about singles battle tactics, looked over at the mention of his name. He was saved, however, from having to respond by a waitress coming by to take their drink order.

Emmet, determined to have the last word instead, fixes his brother with eyes dancing with mirth. "You are asking the lightning to put out a fire it started, Skyla. If I am insufferable, it is because I learned it from the best."

Ingo, back in his seat, shared a look across the table with Cilan. They both wisely decided to let the statement stand, and pulled their menus closer.

Two minutes later, the waitress had departed, and the group (minus Emmet, who would, in fact, be ordering his "Alolan monstrosity" as Skyla accused), were considering the options in earnest, determined to be ready upon their server's return. Skyla pointed out the calzones to Ingo, even as he and Cilan discussed the merits of splitting a pizza that is one letter off from sharing its name with a cocktail.

Sipping at his juice, Emmet smiled and reached back to ruffle the feathers of Rut, his Archeops. They should do this more often, he decided, sipping at his berry juice, maybe it should be tradition for them to go out for pizza anytime one of them comes back from a trip! Considering then, the number of trips Skyla and Ingo make between them for their non-league jobs alone, Emmet added the proviso of ‘personal trips only.’ Not that they take many of those, between the four of them. It’s not like they can’t have pizza at other times.

“Are we ready to order?” Cilan cast a glance over the group, Emmet giving him a nod that is mirrored by Skyla.

Ingo hesitated, before also nodding, tapping at the menu before him as he placed it solidly on the table. “If you are agreeable to splitting Cilan, I believe I will have their summer salad.”

Emmet blinked, flipping open his own menu to check it. Didn’t Ingo have a problem with the summer salad here? He could have sworn…. He found the entry in the menu, and glanced up, sharing a look across the table with Skyla even as Cilan asked, “Really?”

Ingo gave a firm nod.

“Uh, Ingo?”

“That salad has pickled radish in it.”

Ingo looked between the three others at the table, confused. “Yes? Is there an issue with the pickled radish here? I do not recall as such.”

“Because you never eat it. Ingo, you do not like pickled radish.”

Ingo looked up at the three of them slowly, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he settled, drawing back and crossing his arms. “Right,” he uncrossed his arms to scrub at his face before once again folding them defensively, “I’m sorry, Emmet, you are correct.” He didn’t sound like he believed it.

For just a moment, a feeling settled in the pit of Emmet’s stomach, something that manifested as nausea, but felt more like untethered dread. But then the uncertainty coiled around his brother eased, and the feeling with it. Ingo straightened up. “The Garden then,” he said, his volume once again normal, as though the moment preceding had not been in the least bit out of the ordinary.

The remainder of their dinner was pleasant, and uneventful. Soon enough, Cilan and Emmet needed to depart en route back to the station. Skyla joined them for her own trip back home, and as Ingo split off from them with a wave to return to the apartment, Emmet was once again sure that everything was as it should be.

                                                  ⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

The August sky over Jubilife was clear and cloudless, the previous day’s humidity cut by the storm that had blown through overnight. A light breeze swept in off the waters of prelude beach, cut only slightly by the hills and walls surrounding Jubilife before roaming through the streets. The breeze, and the brief respite from summer's humidity, was welcome. Even though the temperature hadn’t hit the peak of the summer heat, it was still quite warm, especially for someone who had spent the better part of three and a half weeks in the northern most stretches of the region, where ice formations persisted year-round.

Gripping the edges of her jacket, Elesa flapped it a couple times, trying to catch the breeze as it crested the hill where the training grounds sat. The movement directed cool air across her face, sending her braids tumbling, but pulling a smile to her face at the sensation.

"You're making me hot just looking at you, Warden." The voice of Jubilife's security captain came from just to her left. "I can't imagine how bad it'll be in a week or so when the temperature really ramps up. Would it really kill ya to take that jacket off?"

Elesa smiled brightly at the red-haired trainer. "Something like that." She didn't elaborate. It wasn't that she didn't like Zisu - she did - but she hadn't actually known the woman long. Despite meeting a couple of times in passing, they had only begun talking in earnest after Lord Electrode's quelling. The forced closeness of working together could only do so much, especially after recent events. Zisu hadn't said anything about it yet, but Elesa wasn't about to press the issue by over-sharing, especially not on her first day back in the village.

"I'll manage," She said instead, "Besides, Calaba says the signs call for a mild summer."

Zisu laughed. "Is mild how we're going to put it?"

"I thought we were talking about the weather."

Zisu gave her a long look. "Of course! I was just thinking that the storms have been pretty fierce lately." The subtle nod she gave towards the roof-top balcony of Galaxy Hall gave truth that their conversation was, at this point, only on the surface about the weather. "As long as we don't have a repeat of that sudden, ah, pirrie, we should be fine."

Elesa's ability to follow the conversation stuttered at the use of a world that was unfamiliar to her as it seemed to be for Zisu. "Pirrie?"

Zisu shrugged, giving Elesa a strange look. "A squall?" She corrected, pausing for Elesa to nod her understanding. "One of the Professor's words. I thought you spoke Galarian, Warden."

"Not like that, apparently!" Elesa laughed.

Zisu laughed as well. "Well at least that's one clue for ya! 'Not from the same place the Professor picked up that word from!"

"A negative is better than nothing, I guess." Elesa paused, giving her own subtle nod to the balcony. "About the weather though, do you think we're in for another squall like the last one?"

The look on the other woman's face was more of a soldier assessing a security threat than anything to do with the consideration of weather.

"I think that storm front has blown over, or is at least lying low." She finally responded, "It shouldn't be blowing anytime soon, if he's smart. The last time ruffled a lot of feathers."

Elesa nodded her understanding. "Afraid the flock will leave for safer skies?"

Zisu mumbled something like "Fear is what caused the problem in the first place." She turned to face Elesa directly, a heavy frown on her face. "Why are we talking circles around each other… Elesa? I can still call you Elesa, yes?"

Elesa met the other woman's eyes. She paused, just a little too long. The recent actions of the Galaxy team had hurt the trust the two had formed, but…

Getting hurt didn't mean you stopped trying. Elesa couldn't claim to truly know much about herself, but something about that rang true.

"Of course you can, as long as I can still call you Zisu, Captain."

Zisu barked a laugh. "Alright, point taken! It's good to have you around again. I was worried you only showed up to the festival to be polite."

"I showed up to the festival for the fashion."

"Should I start worrying you're going to leave us to work for Anthe?"

Elesa laughed, "And here I was worried I'd have to beg her for a job… That you wouldn't want me here anymore."

"Now why on earth would you think-" Zisu cut herself off with a grimace, "Sorry, of course you would think something like that, what with all that mess with Rei."

Elesa's smile dropped at the mention of the skyfaller. "Is he alright?" She asked, "Irida said your medical team wouldn't even let her see him before the festival… It seemed like every time I turned around to try and find him there, he had disappeared."

Zisu shrugged. "Pesselle wouldn’t let anyone outside the medical team see him, other than the survey team of course. From what I heard, the poor boy pretty much collapsed and slept for a week after getting back.”

Elesa pursed her lips, trying her best to shake the rising guilt that she should have been there to help. "Was he that injured?"

"Not that I heard. Some bruising, wrenched his ankle bad enough that he's still limping a bit."

"I thought I saw him walking strangely at the festival…"

"Pesselle cleared him for that at least, but he's supposed to be taking it easy. I'm no medical expert, but I suspect the exhaustion just caught up with him. Ya see it sometimes, with soldiers - not that I'm saying Rei is one - sometimes they push themselves so hard that the moment they're in someplace comfortable, and mildly safe, they just… crash." Zisu let out a shaking sigh, and ran a hand down her face. "I hope he felt safe at least. We… I did wrong by him, with all that happened. Could have done more. Should have done more, really. I know you two have become close, I should apologize, for not doing-"

"I'm not the one you should apologize to." Elesa cut her off, staring out of the empty training ground gates, and down Main Street. "I don't know that I even have room to judge; it's not like I was any help to him at all, when it came to it."

"I know, I know. Cyllene was pretty strict about not overwhelming him at the festival, and trying to find the right time after that…"

The two women were silent for several moments, the only sound in the training ground that of the wind playing with the branches of nearby trees. Elesa broke it first. "Where is he, anyways?"

Zisu looked surprised. "The survey team went out to the fieldlands this morning. I would have thought you'd have run into 'em on your way in!"

"Oh! I took the long way around. I was-" avoiding as many Galaxy camps as possible, she couldn't finish the sentence. "We must have just missed each other."

Zisu didn't call her out on it. "The long way, huh? No wonder it took you so long to get here then."

"Are you calling me late?"

Zisu shot her a tentative smile. "You said it, not me."

The tension broken, their conversation shifted into far less serious topics. As the afternoon stretched on, several members of the security corps showed up to train with their pokemon, and Elesa fell back into a rhythm that felt natural in a way she could not explain. Not for the first time, she wondered who she had been, before Hisui’s vast expanse had found her, but those thoughts fell away as one of the guardswomen approached to ask her about type matchups. Nobody mentioned the red sky, except in passing to each other, and nobody asked her about her own connection to the now absent rift. She wondered if, like Cyllene with Rei, Zisu had ordered them to avoid the subject.

As the afternoon wore down, Zisu called for a pause in the activity at the training grounds to grab something to eat, or for people to head out to their own duties. As the Security Corps members filed out, Zisu pulled Elesa under the shadow of the dojo’s eaves. “Wait here, I’ll grab us some grub, and we can eat away from the crowd.”

Elesa nodded in agreement, and Zisu departed with a wave.

Before long, she had returned, and the two of them settled against the wall of the dojo to eat. The initial flurry of replenishment soon died down, however, and Zisu struck up a conversation. “I heard from Wenton that the survey team came back not too long ago. If you want to go see Rei, I can handle things here."

Elesa looked up at the taller woman, and then continued her gaze upwards, towards where the sun still sat in the sky. "There's still daylight to work with," she started.

Zisu was having none of it. "Don't you worry about that Warden. I can more than handle things here for the hour or so until sunset. With all likelihood, the place will be empty anyways, with the shift change and all."

Elesa frowned. "If you're sure… I don't want to-"

"If people want to complain, they can complain to me! I'll order you to take a break if I have to, Warden."

Swallowing one last bite of her meal, Elesa nodded. She stood, brushing the dust off the back of her shorts, and adjusting the fall of her coat. "I'll see you later then!"

Zisu waved her off, and she left the otherwise empty training grounds, making her way down the main street towards Galaxy Hall. In front of the turn off to its main doors, she paused. It was hard to determine where Rei might be at this hour. He didn't spend a lot of time in his lodgings, to her knowledge, preferring to hang out in Professor Laventon’s office, at the pastures, or out at Prelude beach, when he wasn't at the training grounds.

He certainly hadn't been to the training grounds today, and prelude beach seemed a little far to walk if he was still healing from an ankle injury. His lodgings, situated almost right next to the imposing building that loomed over the town, seemed quiet from where she stood. She was about to head for the pastures when a voice from her left caught her attention.

"Warden! Looking for someone?"

Turning, she spotted a man in the Security Corps uniform, a Dustox at his side, waving to her.

“Oh! Yes…” She kept a firm smile on her face as she fought to remember the man’s name. She was almost certain they had met before but… She was forced to give up, lest she let the silence stretch far too long. “Sorry, I can’t quite recall your name.”

The man laughed, but whether it was to ease the tension, or because he’d taken her statement as a joke, she wasn’t sure. “It’s Beauregard, Warden-” a Kalosian name, her mind provided, without any sort of context for why she would know that. “-and you’re… Elesa, right?” She nodded. “Who are you looking for, Warden Elesa?”

She took another quick glance in the direction of the pastures before fixing her entire attention on Beauregard. “Rei. I’m looking for Rei. He’s… I heard he was back in the village.”

Beauregard nodded and thumbed a hand over his shoulder. “Oh, sure. He headed into the Hall with Akari earlier. Haven’t seen him come out yet, so he should still be there.”

The smile Elesa returned was far more genuine. "Thank you Beauregard!"

The guard returned a salute. “You’re very welcome Warden, feel free to head right in. Miki won’t give you any trouble.” He nodded towards the guard who had just taken over his duties for the next shift. Elesa gave a nod as well. She was familiar with the woman, and her Staravia. The training grounds saw a lot of them both.

Giving the man and his Dustox a wave, Elesa did just that. The first thing that caught her eye was that Captain Cyllene’s desk was empty. It was, of course, turning into evening at this point, and Elesa’s personal interactions with the Captain of the Survey corps had been minimal, but the understanding she had gained from Zisu was that the swordswoman was prone to working late into the night. The doors to the office, too, were still open, where Elesa would have expected them to be shut tight if no-one was inside.

Stepping just inside the office, she rapped her knuckles against the door-frame. Two things happened simultaneously: Cyllene’s call of “Just a moment.” sounded from the doorway of the left-side door, and hurried foot-steps from the right-side door resolved into the form of Akari, who let out a startled “eep!” upon seeing her, and firmly shut the door to the medical ward.

Elesa was left still staring in confusion at the closed door when Cyllene’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Ah. Warden. You’ve come at a poor time, I’m afraid.”

Elesa gave the closed door one last look - as though it alone could answer all her questions - and turned to face the survey captain. “Is everything all right?”

Captain Cyllene stepped fully into her office from Laventon’s next door. The professor himself hovered in the doorway behind her, watching Elesa with wide eyes. In a less concerning situation, the dichotomy between Cyllene’s unflappable poker-face and the professor’s complete and total lack of one would have made her laugh. As it was, it simply made her nervous, especially when Cyllene’s response to her question was. “A situation has arisen that we are dealing with. Nothing that we can share at this time.”

Elesa debated the merits of pressing the issue, particularly with the way the professor was watching her. If it had just been the professor, she may have done it, but with Cyllene heading the conversation…

“Well… You’ll let me know if I can help?”

Cyllene gave a stiff nod.

“I’ll just get out of your hair then. I came looking for-” she was cut off but the muffled sound of raised voices coming from the right-hand door. The interruption lasted only a few sentences before the voices became quiet and non-disruptive again.

“Looking for Rei?” Cyllene’s voice once again interrupted Elesa’s thoughts about what might be going on in the medical ward.

Elesa nodded.

“He is, at the moment, unavailable, but I will let him know you were looking for him.”

Elesa, while focused mostly on Cyllene, watched the professor out of the corner of her eye. The man, not nearly as schooled in concealing his emotions, cringed at the Captain’s words.

Elesa got the distinct impression that Cyllene would not, in actuality, be telling Rei she had stopped by.

“I see…”

Irida had been concerned, when neither she, nor Adaman, had been allowed to see Rei during the week prior to the festival, that the Galaxy Team had been isolating him; that Kamado, despite having offered an apology to Rei at the top of Mount Coronet, was still planning something. Eventually those concerns must have eased, even if they were not fully gone, given that the region was once again in a state of peace. The idea that Cyllene was acting to keep Elesa away from Rei tugged at those same concerns. For a brief moment, Elesa wondered if Irida hadn’t been correct, but…

Her conversation with Zisu earlier had suggested that Rei’s seclusion had a reasonable explanation - that it had been with his health in mind, and to the best intentions. During that time, the Survey Corps had been an exception to an otherwise blanket exclusion. Rei was also still recovering from whatever had happened at the Temple of Sinnoh - a series of events that Elesa was still unclear on, despite the overwhelming personal significance they seemed to hold whenever she thought about it. It was far more likely that Cyllene was trying to protect her corps member, in his recovery (even if she couldn’t understand how keeping her away could do that).

These thoughts passing by her in the brief moments her gaze locked with Cyllene’s own, Elesa gave the captain a slow nod. “I’ll get out of your hair then. Good to see you. Captain, Professor.”

There was one other possibility, if Pesselle’s management of her medical bay was anything like that of the Pearl Clan’s healers in their tent. In her own experience with them, visitation was kept to the discretion of the patient where possible, unless it was important, or could not be avoided.

It was very possible that Rei did not want to see her.

“I’ll be in town for the next while. He knows where to find me.”

“Indeed.”

Elesa retreated out into the hallway. Two steps away from the front doors to the hall, the sound of a door opening came from behind her, down the hall to her left. A female voice hissed, “Rei!”

Elesa turned. Standing, braced against the door frame to the medical ward, right ankle elevated and wrapped in bandages, was Rei.

The skyfaller stared at her with wide, searching eyes. There was something uncertain and heavy in the way he clutched at the door frame, before he drew inwards, and became hard, entirely unreadable and closed off in a way that was entirely unfamiliar to Elesa.

To her memory, Rei had always been open with her. Despite their relatively short period of association, there was something about Rei that spoke more to the parts of her that were missing than anything else in Hisui. He had told her once, over a plate of potato mochi, that he felt the same about her. Something about that connection had given her insight, made him readable to her, even when it seemed no one else could.

Now? He was closed off, withdrawn. Unreadable in all but the very fact he didn’t want to be read.

“You’re her?” his voice was rough, the words almost spat in her direction.

“Rei?” Elesa’s concern echoed with that of Akari’s as she drew up beside him, hand hovering just above settling on her teammate’s shoulder.

“You’re-” he cut himself off, flicking his eyes up to meet hers. He held her confused gaze for only the briefest of moments before one hand pulled off of the wood it was clutching and pointed directly at her.

“Fight me.”

“I- What?”

He let out a long, shuddering exhale, but kept his focus fixed in her direction. “Our eyes met. That means we have to battle.”