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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Apr 10, 2024 12:51:43 GMT
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Post by Robot on Apr 29, 2018 11:28:04 GMT
"I want to be stuck with you." Mica mumbled softly. Donovan had been the first human friend she'd really had other then Mom and Dad, which made Melody's intrusion all the more painful to her. She couldn't meet his eyes. "I want help too, just not... Never mind, I can't explain it and I'm just being dumb." She dismissed the lump in her throat to the pits of her stomach.
"Come on Melody, we're going to see how far this trail goes together."
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Post by DataNinja on Apr 29, 2018 18:33:27 GMT
Melody hangs back obligingly as the two others talk, safely out of earshot. She looks a little bit concerned as the two talk, but doesn't approach until Mica addresses her. "I'm sorry, Mica," she says. "I can see that me being here has caused problems. I guess... I was so used to just having a good time with Donovan, alone, that I didn't really think of how it would impact another person. I'm sure you understand that seeing someone you have good memories of, when you thought you'd never see them again, is exhilarating... but I still should have at least taken stock of the situation first." She flushes a little bit. "So I'll try to keep that in mind, since you seem to be... good friends. But, uh, yes... let's go."Melody's a lot quieter - and doesn't stick quite as close to Donovan - as the group progresses down the path, leading towards the forest. It's actually a decent distance away, probably nearing a half-hour before the landscape begins changing from the fields and scattered flowers into a more wooded landscape. Then trees are thin, though, and light still streams in from above, the shade merely cooling, and not cold. Perception and Survival, please.
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Post by Breakthelevee on Apr 29, 2018 21:45:46 GMT
Donovan goes quiet, the awkwardness of the situation finally getting the best of him. He just sort of bit his tongue for the rest of the walk, not wanting to upset Mica any more and still not entirely sure of what was the deal with Melody, Mica's words having more of an effect on him then he let on. When the fields gave way to trees, he finally spoke up " So. I forgot to ask earlier. Before you were here, where were you Melody?" Survival is a 9 and Perception is a 3
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6,670 posts
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Apr 10, 2024 12:51:43 GMT
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Post by Robot on Apr 29, 2018 22:47:54 GMT
"It's fine, I'm just being childish." Mica dismisses Melody's concerns with a passive wave. "You have every reason to be excited to see him again, it really sounds like he idolizes you, but he'd never really made mention of how close you two are." Mica turned her attention to the surroundings as they descended into an awkward quiet.
_MAI9piI4d6+4 Survival (Grasslands/Forest Terrain) 4d6+4 Perception (Grasslands/Forest Terrain)4d6+4·4d6+4
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Post by DataNinja on Apr 30, 2018 0:09:26 GMT
"Funnily enough," Melody says, "I was back in Eterna. I tried to settle down for a little while after the League, but... well, I became listless. Didn't feel right being off the road, really. So, I've just been travelling around, doing odd jobs... life of the Trainer, I guess, trying to find something that strikes my fancy. I'd just been thinking of you while in the city, asked around, but, well... quite obviously, you weren't there any more. And then... well, I found myself here." She shrugs.
While Melody says this, Mica notices that, despite being in a forest... there's been a fairly distinct lack of Pokémon noises. It's really very quiet, in fact. There's the occasional call of something-or-other, but, it seems overall... empty. Further in the brush, though barely visible beyond the trees, does seem to be another person. While far away, her keen eyes pick out that the figure's sitting with their back to a rock, just seeming to relaxing in the sun.
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6,670 posts
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Apr 10, 2024 12:51:43 GMT
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Post by Robot on Apr 30, 2018 1:32:44 GMT
"This way. There's another person nearby." Mica perks up like a watching might before hurrying through the brush. The unnatural silence of this place was grating to her senses. She wanted to hear the cries of Pokemon! The natural world had been her biggest comfort her whole life. This place bothered her on a personal level.
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Post by Breakthelevee on Apr 30, 2018 1:52:15 GMT
Looking where Mica pointed, Donovan bit his lip. This reminded him of home. A person resting against a rock in a forest, enjoying the sunlight. Melody. It was a bit more quiet then he was used to, lacking the sounds of Bug and Flying type Pokemon. But still, in the back of his head it reminded him of Eterna forest, and the first time that he met Melody. Glancing around for Beedril for a moment, Donovan took a few steps into the clearing.
"Hello" is all he manages to say, a warm smile on his face, but his eyes are still flicking through the forest looking for anything out of the ordinary
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Post by DataNinja on Apr 30, 2018 2:02:11 GMT
There's an absence of movement as Donovan enters the clearing. No Beedrill, thankfully. Not even a single one. And the person lays still, eyes closed, just relaxing. But, as he addresses the figure, her eyes flutter open, first showing confusion, then recognition. "Oh, hello, Donovan," Professor Maple replies, calmly. "I don't suppose you have anything to do with this?"
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Post by Breakthelevee on Apr 30, 2018 2:31:52 GMT
Donovan just leaned up against a tree and placed his hands on his temples "this isn't real" The words barely escaped his mouth, just a whisper "this can't be real"
He looked at the professor and narrowed his eyes "So, where are we really? Is this some kind of trick? Lingering effects from when Akashi probed our minds? What Temple is this? Because Axiom took the Professor and no one has heard from her since. And I didn't know her for long, but I know she would have found a way to get in contact with someone if she was free, she wouldn't just relax in the woods"
Looking towards the sky, he raised his voice even more until he was nearly shouting "You hear that, whoever you are? I'm not falling for your tricks anymore. You overplayed your hand!"
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6,670 posts
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92 likes
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Apr 10, 2024 12:51:43 GMT
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Post by Robot on Apr 30, 2018 9:18:57 GMT
Mica tilted her head to one side in confusion. She knew what Professor Maple looked like but had never met her, television was good like that. A little flicker of hope tickled inside of her ears, if it really was Professor Maple, they could save her. That would be even better then finding a plate really. What if it wasn't though? Why was Donovan being so loud? ...Oh.
"Hey, Hey... Donovan." Mica gripped either side of his head and tilted him to face her. He was already pretty tilted, a little more couldn't make things worse. "They seem to be just as confused as we are, try to relax okay? You're here, I'm here, the Professor is maybe here. We don't know what all the plates are capable of. Maybe they can snatch people up from the real world? This isn't the real world though. I have been hearing noises but they aren't from any Pokemon I recognize. I haven't seen anything that isn't a person either. Freaking out won't make this easier and you look like a doofus in front of your girlfriend and mentor.". She gently let go.
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Post by DataNinja on Apr 30, 2018 17:00:42 GMT
The professor gets a severely concerned look on her face. "Are... are you quite alright, Donovan?" She gets up from her sitting position, and brushes herself off. "I'm sorry, I don't know where we are now. And what is an 'Akashi'? That is... something to do with the Temples?" Her face brightens. "Are you saying you managed to get in? That this is a Temple?" She seems to be more alive now, turning about and drinking in everything, invigorated. "Amazing. I never would have expected something like this inside. or even that it was possible. Or are they just gates to elsewhere, I wonder..."
She looks sheepish. "Sorry, just a little excited. And, look, Donovan, I don't have any way to reach anyone. Honestly, I was just happy to be out of that room. Wasn't uncomfortable, but, man is it nice to see sunlight and feel the fresh air again."
When Mica talks, it seems to take her a moment to fully register the two others there. "Ah... wait..." She squints. "Uh, you aren't Desiree and Avani, are you... unless my memory's really bad."
"No," Melody says, looking very concerned as to what's all happening, but seemingly willing to let Mica take charge. "I'm Melody. Who're you? Mica said you were a professor?"
"Yes, I'm head for the Vesperia Lab," Maple says, nodding. "And, okay," she chuckles, "was a little bit worried that I was going crazy."
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Post by Breakthelevee on May 1, 2018 0:49:07 GMT
Donovan slumped up against the tree, sliding to the ground "Mica I don't even know what's real anymore. Everything since Akashi went into my head. I haven't trusted any of it. I talked to my old boss and he told me about a time we saw a Hive Combee. But I don't remember it. I wasn't THERE for it. I don't know how much else I've done that I wasn't there for. Or how much I was there for that didn't happen." His body shook but he kept talking "Mica I haven't known what is real for weeks now but I can't believe this is. I can't believe that we found the professor and Melody at the same time. It's too good to be true and the universe isn't that kind to us anymore." Tears had begun to form in his eyes but he wiped them away.
Looking back up at the professor he shrugged, all of his energy gone "Akashi was a Xatu that read our minds. And shared knowledge about the Temples and what is inside them. I've been in three now. Fighting, Psychic, and Grass. The Fighting Temple was a massacre and Axiom made away with the source of it's power. Professor, I saw death for the first time there." His voice cracked for a moment "Desiree and Avani couldn't handle it. They're travelling on their own now, just doing the Gyms and having a good time. Me and Mica though....We have to save everyone. We're gonna open the Temples for everyone. We're gonna free them all. Each Temple is filled with a tribe of Pokemon of a specific type. They were at war and locked themselves up to survive a disaster. But once we left the Psychic Temple I stopped being sure of my own memories. And then the Grass Temple...." Donovan went quiet and shook for a moment "We saw death again. Death and Madness. But this time...this time it happened because we were there. I can't stop seeing it when I close my eyes."
He looked back up, his eyes red "So I can't help but have a hard time believing that something good is happening after we made it through the door into a Temple. Because as far as I know, yes. This is the inside of one. Every one has been different so far. "
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6,670 posts
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92 likes
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Apr 10, 2024 12:51:43 GMT
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Post by Robot on May 1, 2018 1:56:57 GMT
"...It has been a really stressful couple of weeks." Mica admitted softly, scuffing a foot in the light layer of greenery. "I didn't even get to meet Professor Maple before I started my journey, I was getting punched in the head by talking Pokemon before I even had my trainer's license." Mica confirmed Donovan's story as best she could figure. "I think though, that the only reason nobody I know got drawn in here, is you're it Donovan." Mica scratched her chin gently.
"I could be wrong, there's probably more to explore, and we still haven't seen any exits, but Mom and Dad are gone. Gram and Gramps weren't my first home, and things always felt kinda weird. All my friends were Pokemon." Her hand gravitated to the back of her head, bunching and tugging at her hair while she thought. "Melody and Professor Maple are both people you're super comfortable with, I feel like that might be important, and we should keep looking. Even if it's hard." She knelt down beside him, and slid an arm around his shoulders. "I'll carry you again if I have to. I'm scared and upset too, but we can be scared together, later. I promised Sensei I'd let it out."
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Post by DataNinja on May 1, 2018 2:15:30 GMT
"Oh, gosh, Donovan..." Melody says, reaching out a hand towards him, but then glancing at Mica and seeming to think better of it. She looks at her hand. "I'm real, though. I'm here. You remember all those times we had together, and I do too. That hasn't changed... has it?" There's concern in her voice.
"That's a heavy burden that you bear, Donovan," the professor says. "That the both of you bear. Death is hard, and you both have chosen a path that means you might face it again. While what you've discovered is wonderful, being able to actually enter, finding those who lived here before... it's amazing... but you've set a difficult task upon yourself, especially for ones so young. It's a lot to take in." She looks off into the distance for a few moments, just taking in the surroundings. "From what it seems... you have a lot of people relying on you. That's something that not everyone is cut out for. I'll help if I can... but it seems as if you know more now than I do about the Temples. I was just guessing about how to maybe open the door."
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Post by Breakthelevee on May 1, 2018 2:58:12 GMT
Donovan buried his face in his hands before standing up, his eyes back to normal, a determined look on his face "Right. I'm fine. And you both seem to be real. So we need to focus. I'm sorry for being a distraction." He looked at Mica and offered a hand "I'm sorry I keep being a distraction. I'll carry myself forward on my own two feet from here on out. I just want you by my side while I make my way forward"
Reaching into his bag, he pulled out the large green Plate "Professor. Have you ever heard of anything like this? It has all of the power of the Grass Type in it. It brought life to the inside of the Temple that we took it from. Actually taking it has put us on a time limit to get the rest of them, which is part of why I'm panicking so much at being trapped. I can't handle the thought of not freeing them."
He looked closely at the Plate "But I'm rambling. I've noticed I do that a lot these days. Anyways, this is what Axiom was searching for. There are 18 and she has one at least. We have two. We need all 18 to break the seal on the Temples. Also, Professor" He looks up and slightly smiles "Axiom used some sort of machine and the stones you had to get into the Temple. So you were on the right path. It just didn't work quite like she expected, instead the explosion gave us the key to entering. Only those present when the machine blew up can do it. So Axiom, Mica, Avani, and Des. And myself of course. But if you're really you, then we have someone who can help us with information. No one else seems to believe us, which, I don't really blame them." He traced his hand over the Plate as he spoke "I'm hoping this Plate can lead to our freedom as well. I just need to learn how to harness its power. Bringing them back into the world brought about changes on a planetary scale, unless my memory is just that unreliable. So, we just need to figure out how to activate it, and maybe we can get out" He looked up, the determined look still on his face "Does that make sense?"
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6,670 posts
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92 likes
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on May 1, 2018 12:12:17 GMT
Mica similarly drew out the psychic plate, nestling it alongside the grass one. "This is the first opportunity where we've had access to these inside of a Temple." She patted the balls at her hip, before releasing Morganite. "We already know they are physically capable of altering reality. They created the Temples, protected the clans, and their presence outside of those bubbles changes things about the world. The only people that even remember otherwise is us." She leaned down and stroked the Bulbasaur's crystal, taking a knee with her plate. "It might not be so simple as just being able to use them Donovan, you might need the right type of Pokemon too. Elisha was explaining about auras, and the plates calm Pokemon. Maybe they have one too?"
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Post by DataNinja on May 1, 2018 17:33:36 GMT
"No," the professor says, shaking her head, when Donovan shows her the Plate. "I've never see or heard of anything like it before. So... if you're looking to me to help activate them, or whatever, then I'm afraid I can't help you. If what you say is true, about the changing, then that's terrifying, though. I trust that you wouldn't misuse it... but not everyone is so altruistic."
Maple peers at the plate, listening to Mica as she nestles the second next to the first, but isn't able to say anything before the two begin to glow. It doesn't even last for a minute, but a pillar of light shoots up from the pair, green and purple from the Grass and Psychic Plate respectively, reaching far into the sky.
As the pillars hang there, there don't seem to be any other effects besides the spectacle. But, off away in the distance, visible above the treeline, the group sees another pillar shoot up into the sky, this one orange, before all three fade away. The green and purple plates lie inert on the ground, not doing anything else. Morganite takes the opportunity to look up at Mica and rub against her.
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6,670 posts
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92 likes
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on May 1, 2018 21:42:22 GMT
"There is a third plate here." Mica smiled, relieved. "We have some idea as to the way out at least, we just need to head in that direction. Weird that the fire plate would be in a forest like this, we should be careful." Mica considered her Pokeballs for a moment before lavishing Morganite in a little more affection. "I'm ready to look into it when you are Donovan.". Mica announced, stowing her Plate in her bag once more.
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Post by Breakthelevee on May 2, 2018 0:38:47 GMT
"Mica that isn't Fire" Donovan says with wide eyes "We need to run. As far away from that light as possible." He quickly put his Plate away as well, his breathing quickening as he began to semi frantically look for a way to escape
He stopped and calmed down, realizing he needed to explain himself "I've seen that light before. In the Fighting Temple. That means that there is a very high chance that is Axiom. So we need to get as far away from here as possible, since she's gonna be coming for the source of the light."
Pointing deeper into the woods he rested a hand on his belt before releasing Dandelion next to himself "Dandelion should be able to sense her mind if she comes for us, at least if he's on the lookout. Mica, you're a bit better in the woods then me, will you take the lead? Getting deeper into cover is gonna be our best bet. Melody, will you stick in the middle? You're a stronger trainer than me so I want you to keep the Professor safe. She can't fall back into Axioms hands, not now that we have this chance. I'll hold up the rear and do my best to keep watch and get rid of our trail. And I'll hold her off if she finds us" Gone was his fear, at least visibly, replaced with determination
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Post by DataNinja on May 2, 2018 1:05:56 GMT
"A forest actually makes a decent amount of sense for Fire," the Professor says. "While people think of fire as a destroyer, it's also a renewer, a bringer of life. Fire is what helped us first cook and light without the aid of Pokémon. A forest fire can clear away the old growth in a forest to help the new thrive, where the old stagnated. It would make sense."
When Donovan mentions Axiom, though, she pales. "What? Are you sure? Here? Now?" She shakes her head, seemingly at herself. "Of course you know better than I, you've done this before. Better safe than sorry, anyways."
"Axiom?" Melody asks, with some confusion.
"You don't want to meet her," Maple replies. "We can fill you in later, but, for now, getting out of here is probably the safest bet. I'm not meeting her again, if I can help it. I can't imagine I'd be lucky enough to escape like this again... or maybe I would. I'll be damned if I know how this all works."
"Ah, alright," Melody says, turning to Donovan. "Are you sure that you don't want help? If this is someone that you don't want to meet that badly... do you really want to be facing her by yourself?" There's trepidation in her voice. "I don't want to lose you again this soon."
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