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 Posted: Fri May 26, 2023 7:15 pm
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The next day came as it always has, the Snagems waking up in their hotel rooms, some with excitement for a new day which would bring with it a new adventure, others with dread over the idea of being forced into going to school. The requested Snagems, by the Indigo Alliance, and those that volunteered would find a message on their SNAGs from Sub, who had awoken surprisingly early, to meet just outside the academy in the front yard. According to the time they were suppose to be there, nine in the morning, it looked like the early risers might have time to grab some food from a cart or something along the way, there certainly was no shortage of them.
By the time the team assembled in the yard, receiving all kinds of looks from the student body like yesterday, they would find Sub was already there, not dressed in his signature black getup but a purple one, clearly some type of uniform with an emblem of grapes adorned on it. "If any of you say a word about the shorts I'll feed you to Valdemar." Sub huffed, calling attention to the skimpy schoolboy shorts he was rocking, the shorts riding up above his knees. "There is a hat too but..." He pointed out, holding up the wide brimmed hat for them to see before chucking it like a frisbee, someone's dough-like dog giving chase to it, the student trainer who owned it giving chase to the Pokemon.
"Class starts in thirty minutes and you must be in uniform otherwise you can't attend and risk expulsion. Since there are plenty of hybrids here there are plenty of uniforms modified to any body shape and extra appendages. On top of that as what was explained to me the school is divided into two friendly rival houses, their names combined making the name of the school, Naranja House and Uva House. Naranja House puts emphasis on history and tradition, preserving and studying the ways of the past. Uva House however leans more towards the future with emphasis on innovation and progress. As you can guess the uniforms are color coded for each house and I have been sorted into Uva House." Sub explained, then nudged one of the cardboard boxes next to him with his foot.
"Uniforms are in these two boxes. You've all been sorted into your respective house and I will now name them off, come get your uniform from the appropriate box when I say your name..." Sub said as he took out his SNAG and began to read from it. "First off for Uva House with me; Deo, Reno, Crystal, Tristan, Absinithe, Larrimore, Odd, Aden, Ulla, Cera..." Sub would name off the names for Uva House and motioned for the appropriate box.
"Now for Naranja House; Sol, Monique, Beau, Terashi, Darts, Aile, Amaranth, Leslie, Brian, Clare, Lykas, Leon..." He would then read off the names of Naranja House and pointed to the other box. With that done he pocketed his SNAG and sighed.
"Don't take the houses too seriously, I guess it's some sort of tradition here or whatever. Either way let's get through all this as quick as possible. For us in Uva House our first class is in Battle Tactics with professor Dendra. Naranja House your first class is History, of course, with professor Raifort. Take your uniform and head inside to the bathrooms or locker rooms, get dressed, and then find your way to class. I'm told the staff is particularly helpful but I for one will not need their help. Instead I shall roam the halls and show up late. With that I did you a Paldean goodbye! Or whatever they say here...I like Alola better." Sub muttered the last part to himself before walking off.
The Snagems would be left to do as instructed, that is get changed into their uniform and find their way to class. It looked like this was really happening.
(Try and put some detail in your character experiencing the school, what they see, who they talk to, etc. You're free to have them briefly interact with in-game characters as well. Be sure to get them to class!)
(Note: If your character isn't listed you're free to assign them to either house.)
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Posted: Fri May 26, 2023 7:26 pm
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Posted: Fri May 26, 2023 7:47 pm
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Monique had spent the evening taking in the sights and sounds of Pie de la Escalera ("Foot of the Staircase"), which was the inevitable university party district. It was what Sub Rosa and its kind were to Flower City, but all she was doing was looking around before getting a night's rest in the hotel.
When Monique and the others saw Sub, she did a double-take at the outfit he was wearing. It was a kind of gaudy ensemble centered on a purple collared shirt with the shortest shorts someone could possibly fit on his frame. What is this... "If any of you say a word about the shorts, I'll feed you to Valdemar," Sub's voice interrupted her train of thought. Guess he ain't happy either.
After an explanation, Monique begrudgingly found the locker room to put on her new Naranja House uniform. She hadn't packed many actual clothes for this jaunt—a Zoroark woman needed clean undergarments, more than anything. At least they were comfortable, though she felt like she might be Illusioning a skirt in addition to her human form.
Changed, casting an Illusion, and back outside, the Sheriff of New Po began filing through the hallways, trying to find Raifort's classroom while glancing at the schedule sheet she'd been given to ensure she had the right room number. It felt like one of those pre-Dome movies she'd watch with her moms when she was little, except the hallways were somehow centuries older and she was in her twenties and a Zoroark hybrid. It was enough to make your head spin constantly.
Several moments later, Monique pulled open the door. A woman with purple hair wearing a blue shirt was sitting at a desk in the front, checking her computer, while multiple neat rows of desks filled most of the floor space. As far as classrooms went, this was at least better than the ramshackle "classroom" she was used to from her childhood.
There were posters all over the place, including a big map of Paldea with different-colored pins placed all over it; historical illustrations of various kinds; and, dominating one wall, a timeline of events in Paldean and world history.
After taking in the decor, she saw some of the other Snagems in her house join her, and there were several other people and hybrids she did not recognize. It was time for history class—inside history class, given that she was already 49 years in the past, a fact that looking at the timeline brought home.
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Posted: Sat May 27, 2023 1:17 am
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It would only take Reno a moment to identify exactly how done with all of this structure and rules to adhere to Sub was. And they had even ended up in the same house for this whole debacle? He needed to send Clavell a gift basket or something for this development because it was going to be absolutely perfect for helping to annoy Sub even more than just having to deal with all of this would. Taking an opportunity to look at the uniforms in the box, Reno had to suppress a chuckle. If he knew how fun school could be, he might have actually have tried attending after he recovered from that debacle at Snowpoint Temple. Slipping into a uniform very similar to Sub's, Reno would give a look over the gathered Snagems and the few other bystanders nearby. It would seem they had a runner. Well, besides Aria. Leslie was absolutely nowhere to be seen. Checking his hand for the time, Reno would be quick to realize that he didn't have the time to search for her if it was right about where his first class was. Well, thankfully, he had someone to pawn this off onto for the time being.
"Beau! Since you're in the same house, you are in charge of the runaway! I gotta go, but good luck!" Reno blurted out, giving Beau a quick pat on the shoulder before taking off without even getting a response from the hybrid. He barely even had to pause for anything as he took off at a dead sprint, only having to slide his way around a younger hybrid that seemed to be there for her first day and looked lost as well. Hopefully once Beau found Leslie, they could both help out this kid. Looked like they were at least in the same house if the orange baggy shorts were anything to go by.
Beau would only be able to watch as Reno took advantage of his slightly distracted state, having been halfway into fashioning his own wing slots in the back of the uniform. Giving up before he even decided to try protesting, Beau would let out a resigned sigh before quickly setting to work finishing up his tailoring job. While he knew some people who would criticize his stitching back home, it was definitely far greater than he had expected to be able to do. Apparently basic sewing was like riding a bike. Turning back to see if he could find Leslie with his superior eyesight, Beau would quickly arrive at the same conclusion that Reno had: she had flown the coop last night. And he was now in charge of the manhunt to find her once class was finished.
Quickly plotting out the path in his head, Beau would look towards the school before stumbling as he accidentally bumped into the ankle biter Reno had spun himself around. "C'mon, kid. Get out of the middle of the road and get to class. Doubt you want to have a late on record." Beau said to the girl, taking a small note of her oversized uniform. Must be a legacy student, using an older sibling's uniform or something. Well, once he figured out where Leslie was, Beau would be happy to help with a little rudimentary tailoring to get the outfit at least halfway to fitting.
And after having been the subject of two light hits in the space of a few minutes, Leslie would look towards the back of her second aggressor before letting out a snarl in Beau's direction. Like things weren't going bad enough for her. Uniform was too big, nobody seemed to believe she was who she said she was, and the worst was now she needed a stepstool just to get anything to eat. She had been fine with the forced haircut that she had gotten from the process, but it was a hard pill to swallow initially after spending so long with either a ponytail or basically a ponytail for her hairstyle. But until then, she would be good with the pixie cut she had now (There was absolutely no way in hell she was going to fully commit to the bit and stick her hair up in that dinky little tied style Mori had). Taking a deep breath as she snatched up her duffle bag, Leslie would stare at the piece of metal that now protruded from her chest. It was oddly comforting to once again have her lungs being pressed down on by heavy metals. It felt weirdly homey. Shouldering her bag of metal scraps, she would set off after Beau for class. Even if she didn't learn anything, she was at least going to fulfill the one compulsion she had in the back of her mind and make herself a hammer. Who was she to fight destiny on this point?
Back with Reno, he would be slipping his way through the crowded halls, taking the fact he needed to rush to the interior courtyard for class as a free opportunity to make sure his reflexes were still up to snuff. And also a decent opportunity to scout out some of the other students as he did so. And from what he could tell, the school tended to skew younger than Snagem's membership but there were a few older students that seemed to be older than the staff. And a few he couldn't figure out if they were older or not. Especially one of the students. The gray blonde hair with a darker streak screamed poor dye job, but was it for darkening his hair or lightening it? His build also didn't offer any hints, given how tall and broad he appeared to be.
Shaking off his one minor distraction during his dash across campus, reno would soon burst through the door into the interior courtyard. Taking a quick look around, he seriously hoped that those other students hadn't been wrong about this Dendra lady and how often she had her classes set to start in this courtyard. Because all it would take was them having class inside today for Reno's entire idea of "beat Sub and use it to grind even more at Sub's displeasure" to be ruined.
As Beau reached his own class and saw the teacher, he would look a little confused at her outfit. If it weren't for all the accoutrements for Legendary and Mythical Pokemon, he would've sworn that this woman was some random laborer just wearing denim for her entire outfit for durability. Turning back to look at the other Snagems coming in behind him, he would ask, "I get we need to learn and everything, but Leslie is gone." He did his best to stop a few of the Snagems to hear his request, hoping that enough context got through on the rest of his statement that he wouldn't need to repeat himself. And as he started up again, he saw the baggy uniform girl stopping to listen as well. That was good. Could use a more local person to help with finding the lesser known hiding spots. "So once we're finished with class, I'm going to need some help tracking down the little runaway before we end up not hitting that little graduate requirement. Sound good?"
Leslie would give a small nod towards the Vivllon hybrid before pushing through to get her spot in the farthest back corner of the classroom. A manhunt to drag Aria back to this school after she had so callously abandoned Leslie there without even a small offer to take her along and get them both free of this oppressive academy? Beau didn't need to say anything more to get her to sign up.
Seeing a nod from the baggy uniform girl before she pushed her way into class to find a seat far in the back, he would nod. The more hands he had, the easier it was going to be with figuring out where Leslie had gone.
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Posted: Sat May 27, 2023 2:01 am
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Out of them, Cera would be the earliest riser of the lot, but it didn't look like she'd be given the choice with the frazzled look on her face. She'd been able to get a Kantonian crepe with strawberries and whipped cream on the way, with the olive Pokemon with her- finally discerned to be something called a "Smoliv"- getting a very slight taste with a tiny piece of strawberry with a little whipped cream on it. Upon catching up with Sub and the others, her heart would sink a little at the discovery that yesterday wasn't some bizarre dream. Furthermore, she noticed there were two uniforms set aside for her; one sized to fit her as is, and another if she decided to transform. Somehow, the shoes looked able to accommodate her longer feet, equal parts impressive and scary.
"I.... we're doing this. We're... uuuugh, fine! Let me get this on, I guess." Mentally grumbling and broadcasting it for all to hear, she'd make a point to finish the crepe before taking the uniforms proper and putting the smaller of the two on. Not being transformed, modesty didn't seem to be a priority, though Smoliv was pretty nervous about just floating in the air until she was dressed. Still grumbling, she'd get Smoliv back to her and start floating towards the academy's doors, barely waiting long enough for Sub to say what class she had to get to.
Her other set of clothes floated alongside her as she adjusted the hat on her for now, not terribly happy about it as she looked around. Even though she looked around yesterday, the academy had a certain elegance to it like the city itself had. Various students were walking by and talking too, some of them with their Pokemon following. The more nervous of the lot, probably starting their classes too, had species she wasn't as familiar with, though. A green cat and some duck with a weird tuft on their head made up a couple of them; maybe they were like the starter Pokemon given to a lot of new trainers in the other regions? She thought about checking her SNAG now that there was some info uploaded, but before she could, she'd hear someone behind her.
"So you are a student!"
Freezing in place as her tail went straight, she'd slowly turn to see who'd greeted her. The same teacher that noticed her yesterday. "Uh! Yes, hi? You're..."
"Sagurao! We met yesterday."
"Right... yeah, I'm not exactly here by choice, I'm just on my way to Battle Tactics I think it was-"
"With miss Dendra, right? It's on the way to my classroom, I suppose I can lead you there."
"I..." The Mew had a feeling she wasn't getting out of this one, the Smoliv she was carrying starting to fuss before an Oran Berry was suddenly put in their mouth.
"There, they're probably a little hungry. Though I'll admit it's weird seeing a Pokemon have another with them like another trainer... anyways! Follow me."
As Sagurao started down the hall, Cera found she definitely wasn't getting out of this. She sighed as she floated after him, her Smoliv happily nibbling on the berry.
---
Aden arrived very shortly after Cera, still hearing her grumble as he took a bite out of the crepe he'd got alongside her. It too had strawberries, but the darker color of the whipped creme suggested a more chocolatey flavor profile. He shrugged as he watched her float off in a huff, looking to the box with the uniforms allotted to Uva House when his name was called. "She's been like that all morning... Uva, right?" The exasperation in his tone laced his thoughts on being lumped into something he wasn't responsible for, but a class on Battle Tactics was something he'd be more agreeable on attending. He'd leave the hat and shoes behind as he grabbed the uniform, resisting vocally considering if the hat would be better used to house a plant and wanting no part of the provided footwear when he had perfectly fine shoes otherwise. His first impression was the clothing was quite light compared to what he was used to. "...guessing these ones might burn if I use Heat Wave a bit too hard," he remarked. "Fun, well I'm sure I'll find the class without too much trouble."
Once he went inside, his first order of business was to find a restroom to change in. Feeling a little awkward about asking, he'd instead consult the terminal in the library, finding one nearby on the school's map and figuring he'd head there. He'd hear someone being a little overly boisterous soon after, followed by a lot of shushing, quickly deciding he didn't want any of his tendencies to run into weird things to come out and get to that bathroom he found.
---
Amaranth had wound up arriving at the same time Aden did, but no quick meal on the way for her. "Sorry, I'm... here." Yawning as she spoke, it looked like she barely slept at all, spending so long at the academy's library last night that it took a message from Cera to get her to go to the hotel and (try to) sleep. Clearly this hadn't panned out, and now her morning would get an extra dash of disappointment at hearing she'd be in Naranja House. Uva's uniforms at least had a color she liked more. She was curious about Paldea's history, so it wouldn't be all bad, she felt. "Was hoping for the purple uniforms, though..." She lamented, taking a uniform out and looking at the orange she was greeted with. She wasn't sure about the hat or shoes either, but not completely against them; she just liked her boots more.
"Er, is there a Paldean goodbye?" She asked, yawning again as she went into the academy to find the first place she could to go change.
Also too nervous to just ask the staff, she considered consulting the terminal as soon as Aden was done with it, bumping into someone shortly after when she went to turn. "Oh, sorry!"
"I-it's fine. New here?"
Seeing the slightest of gestures to the uniform in her hands, Amaranth looked down at it, then to the girl she ran into- apparently not exactly wearing either house's uniform for some reason, though the Eevee backpack was something she wondered if it was available somewhere- and gave a small nod. "You could say that?"
Immediately, the girl pointed into what seemed like a random direction. "There's a couple of bathrooms here. Use one of those." Then, almost as quickly, she'd walk away to continue what she was doing.
"Er. Right, thanks...?" Only slightly confused, Amaranth would take the suggestion, finding a closer restroom to change in. Her trip otherwise wasn't so eventful, lamenting about the Naranja uniform aside, as she'd use the terminal to find the history class instead and get there with a little bit of time to spare.
---
Sol would arrive the last of the four (relatively speaking), finishing the last of a few Pinchitos he got on the way as he heard Sub remark on the shorts. "Please, they look fine. Besides, the purple suits you," he commented, trying to make the best of the situation. The luck in hearing which house he ended up in may have helped, though. "Ah, the same house from last time, too. Though, I do wonder if they factor talons with the shoes..." Upon closer inspection, he'd find that the shoes with his uniform did in fact factor in feet that were more avian in nature. If a bit on the larger side. "Huh. Good to know. Let's see... History, right? Pretty sure I mostly remember where that is. Let me go ahead and get these on, and I'll see you all there. Tchau!"
As Amaranth had already departed before him, it seemed she'd missed learning that there actually was a Paldean goodbye.
For him, his trip wasn't terribly eventful, taking in the sights of the school. Things still felt nostalgic to him, thinking back to the last time he was a student walking down these halls. Granted, the diversity seemed even greater now than before, but it was a welcome bit of progression. He'd find a restroom without too much trouble, only to find Aden just as he'd finished getting dressed.
"You know, I think Naranja's colors would've suited you better, but looks like they got the fit right," he remarked, giving a wave.
"About that, you know these are really light?" Aden asked. "I know you and Blizz are more about the heavier stuff so it doesn't burn."
"Right, just means I'll need to be careful. How're you holding up, though? I know we haven't talked a lot since last month. Still worried?"
"You think?" Knowing there was no hiding that, Aden sighed. "...yeah. Reno and I sparred a little back on the ship, though. Gave me a few things to think about."
Sol gave a nod. "Good, that's good. Well, it's my turn to get changed."
"Hey, dad? I know we didn't earlier, but... I wanna see how I fare. Against you. Think that can happen?"
Stopping just short of entering the stall, Sol turned his head and almost laughed. A question he both never thought would happen and welcomed with open arms. "Of course. Maybe not on the premises, though. The academy isn't much for non-sanctioned battles on their grounds, and I'd imagine they'd be even less thrilled about two hybrids fighting. For now, just make sure you're at class on time. Alright?"
"Right."
As Aden left, Sol would go into the stall to change- hat, shoes and all, and finally make his way to Raifort's classroom... and then learn from Beau that Leslie was a no-show. "Hm. For now, worry about the class. First chance we get, though, we need to find her. Maybe send a message to her SNAG?" He asked. "If it's on her, she should see the message."
---
Aden would finally arrive in the open courtyard of the academy a bit after Cera, seeing Sagurao continuing down the hall. "Uh..."
"Don't ask..." Cera remarked, a happy squeal coming from Smoliv now that the berry was eaten.
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Posted: Sat May 27, 2023 2:44 am
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Ulla was up way before her brother Leon could ever wake up. She snuck out of there hotel room to go across the hall. She knocked on the door just loud enough for the other person to hear. The other person didn't even need the knock to know who it was. He opened the door immediately as it was Kazu who was still groggy. "Ulla...you're still too early." "But I'm so excited! I get to make new friends my age! Face new rivals!" "Or just be the bullies new meat. End up being the laughing stock of the school...Have you never been to a school before?" Ulla stayed quiet a bit. As her excitement changed to upset. "Uhm...Leon home schooled me with the Professor. But when Leon left to start his Pokemon journey. It was just the Professor, I tried to go to normal classes. But when I did start attending...I joined Snagem a little after." Ulla said a bit saddened by the memory of it all. Kazu could feel the air change suddenly right when she felt sad.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to lower your optimism!" He said in a panic tone. "That's okay. I know you went through a lot in your school...I'm guessing with that in mind. You'll be skipping out?" Kazu didn't say a word but merely nodded. "I'll watch from afar. I don't want to open old wounds. Not just yet at least."
Later on that day, Ulla and Leon met up with the rest of Snagem as they were all going to attend school. Ulla was a bit shocked that she was separated from Ter and Leon. "I'm not going with you?" "Remember, don't take the houses too seriously. It's just tradition. Now go grab your uniform and get going." Leon said as he pushed Ulla forward as he went to grab his own uniform. The little girl stepped forward and went ahead to the locker room to change. Leon watched as he saw Ulla run off. "Hopefully this doesn't scare her in going to colleges. But...if she's going to be a guardian of the Fairy Realm. Wouldn't she always be learning and advancing?" He questioned.
Ulla made it to the changing room, she looked around as there were some girls still in there talking amongst themselves. She looked at her uniform and took a deep breath in as she got into her uniform pretty quickly. As she was about to put on her hat, she heard the girls laughing and talking more softly. Ulla look towards them as they started to leave. Now with her left in the locker room, she started to overthink. "...W-Were they laughing at me?" Ulla said as she looked at the mirror if she looked funny at all. Could it be her eye color might be two different shades as she can't really see in one eye? Could it be that she's smaller than what her age she should really be? Could it be her overgrown hair that she had to have Leon braid it for her for sleeping too long in the Fairy Realm? Many things were going through her mind as she exited the changing area.
While she was walking the halls, she looked at all the people she passed by. All of them took a glance at her but then went back to their business. Ulla started to just stair at the ground but then bumped into someone as she fell backwards. "Oh! I'm sorry!" An older gentlemen said as he helped Ulla up. "I should've been more careful. Especially with more and more students enrolling everyday. I haven't seen you here yet. My name is Hassel. One of the instructors here! And you are?" "U-Ulla." Ulla said a bit nervous.
"Well it's very nice to meet you." He said as he noticed something a bit off about Ulla. "Are you nervous? Scared?" "I usually have someone walking with me...And I'm nervous to let people down or make a fool out of myself. I missed a lot. But I also changed a lot. I'm not sure how I should act." "I understand. But, don't worry so much about letting people down. What you should worry about is not making the most of your time here in school. There are many things you could learn here. So don't be afraid to stand out, that's what makes trainer's unique." Ulla calmed down as she smiled warmly. "Now that's a genuine smile if I ever seen one. I hope you have a great time at school!" Ulla nodded as she ran off to her first class.
She finally made it to her first class as he looked around to see that it wasn't just kids. It was a mix of many different ages. All of them had a Pokemon out as she looked in her backpack. "Should I take one out as well?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leon changed into his uniform as he kept looking at the shorts. They were way too short that he couldn't even hide how boney his figure really is. He put his coat back on but it just made him look silly. He groaned as he closed his locker and started walking towards his class. As he was, he heard his name being called as he looked around. He noticed Kazu trying to get his attention. "Kid? What are you doing? Where is your uniform?" Leon asked as he walked over to him. "...I don't want to attend. I don't think it's a good idea. Especially after what happened at my last school. Both of them stood quiet as Leon merely messed with Kazu's hair. "That's okay. Just be sure not to let it consume you. Just take this time to change your life for the better." Kazu merely stayed silent as he walked off. "You're not going to say bye to Ulla?" "I'm gonna watch from afar." Leon left Kazu alone as he finally made it to the first class of History.
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Posted: Sat May 27, 2023 8:51 am
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Freth, Tristen, and I would get our own uniforms and find our way off to get changed. We took a quick run back to the rooms assigned to us to get changed hopefully in short order, since we didn’t want to get stuck in the confines of locker rooms or bathrooms. We were pretty confident we could get back in pretty short order. Freth and I started to change into our own respective ones in our room. “So what are the classes we got?” I then asked.
“Battle Tactics.” Freth said.
“So much for a thing being redundant for people in Snagem. Especially for me.”
“I think we’re taking a different class though.” Freth noted. “Tristen got this professor Dendra as a teacher; we got someone else.”
I continued to go through the uniform, taking note to the shoes, which…weren’t really shoes. Avian feet meant for really weird accommodations. They were stirrups…in a manner of speaking. They came up to nearly our knees, open spot for the front and the back of my foot to come out, with a padded underside. Not too unlike a sandal in that regard. I then took notice to one other thing. “Augh…a tie? Really? Son of a…”
“What’s wrong?”
“I really…hate ties.” I said.
“Do you not know how to tie a tie?” Freth asked.
“Honestly? No. I was taught only one time by teacher shortly before my high school graduation, and I don’t even remember how now for the record, and it was basically the ONLY time I had to wear one like this, and I haven’t worn one since. And I don’t even bother with clip-ons either. They’re…ugh…”
“What’s wrong with them?”
“I feel like I got a god forsaken noose around my neck. I feel like the thing chokes me. I know its there.”
“Even clip-on’s?” Freth said, staring in confusion.
“Yes.”
“Oh my God, Blizzard, you’re hopeless.” Freth was saying, putting on her own tie.
A knock on our own door. I walked over and opened it up, seeing Tristen there. “Tristen? What’s wrong?” I asked. The Manetric hybrid was in his own uniform…except his tie, which he held up his own hand to show me. I stepped back to show Freth, giving Freth a deadpan look of disbelief.
“This is your fault.” Freth said, staring at me.
“ME!? When has he had to go anywhere that required it!?” I asked.
“This coming from the one who likes to be prepared for almost anything.” Freth snapped back. I had no defense against that.
Freth would help Tristen and I with our own ties, and with all of us finally dressed we would make our way off for classes with not a lot of time to spare. We may have underestimated the sheer scope of this place. Tristen in particular didn’t really stop to chat with anyone, though he did notice that he did get a few looks…though he wondered if it was his imagination. New kid in the halls, as it were. This was his first time in a place like this, with people his age taking part. He was looking forward to it just only yesterday, but as he made the hunt to get to Professor Dendra, he felt a wave of…nervousness that he never really realized before. It was only a minute before the tardy chime over the system PA went off. Tristen was pretty certain this place was the right spot. Tristen started to take a little solace in the fact that there were going to be others of Snagem that will be here with him, regardless of the majority’s lack of enthusiasm over it.
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Posted: Sat May 27, 2023 1:48 pm
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Sitting on the edge of one of the various lips nearby, Darts' head perks up as he hears Sub start talking about their assigned houses and uniforms. He hadn't slept too well since they'd gotten here, and that tragic trend had continued into last night. He casts a bleary eye over the food carts, signs promising 'café con leche' and 'café solo' next to the food he didn't need being a constant temptation. He pushed it away. He had managed to stay away from the devil's bean long enough at this point that no amount of tiredness was going to make it happen. ...But it was tempting.
The Giratina hybrid swung his legs up over the ledge and popped himself up to his feet, still lost in thought. He knew that Doc Owl and Crystal had only been doing their best to check in on him, and had concerns. But they didn't understand still. No one could. Even the sight of Sub in funny purple shorts wasn't enough to shake Darts from his melancholy. How long was he going to have to live life like this? Forever? Maybe he should have confided in one of them, but it was too late now. And it was all his own fault anyhow. Stupid, conceited Darts with his...
His internal berating was interrupted by the revelation that they were going to need to put on some kind of uniform. This posed numerous interesting challenges for Darts in particular, as pretty much every unit of clothing would require him to remove his jacket in order to get it on, even the pants due to their suspenders. Hm... The Giratina hybrid is pawing his way through the pile of clothes, and emerges with only a few things - two ties and a puffy looking blue hat.
One quick trip to the bathroom later, and the gambler emerges with one of the orange ties fastooned around his neck, another wound as best he could around his crest like a bandana, the orange material trailing back behind his head in a similar fashion to the hachimaki often seen in movies. The blue hat had no chance of fitting on his head properly, so the hybrid had made some attempts on balancing it in the middle of his crest, secured lightly on one of the more jutted parts near the back of his head. Worn in his case more like a bowler cap than anything else, Darts had to hope it was going to be enough to avoid detention. Not like that stopped me in the past...
Darts' relationship with school was complicated. As essentially a dropout from Sootopolis City, he had no interest in schooling and far too much interest in the comings and goings of street gangs. Maybe this was a chance for a fresh start for him on the educational side of things, but given everything he had going on mentally... maybe not. Finding his classroom without too much trouble, but a lot of odd glances and maybe some whispering, he finds a desk at the very back of the History classroom and slides into it. He was hoping keeping his head down and mouth shut to the best of his ability would let him get through this one without incident.
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Posted: Sat May 27, 2023 5:17 pm
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The first thing I did when I got up in the morning was get in the hotel room's bathroom or a shower and for other natural business. When I got out, the first thing I saw was Keiko sitting on the bed. She didn't look very good, though. At least not mentally, she was as beautiful as ever physically. The way her fur stood up made it pretty obvious that she was tense, though. "You alright?" I asked before sliding my frames on to my face, letting them rest on the bridge of my nose.
Keiko sighed slightly, as she was trying to keep what she was feeling quiet. She didn't deny my question, though. ]"Just... not looking forward to the foreseeable future." she huffed, though she sounded sad rather than angry. The way she said that made it sound like she thought she wasn't going to see me again after she went back home with Yuna.
With a smirk, I sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You say that like I won't take every opportunity I can get to come visit you and Yuna," I told her with a smirk. She turned to look at me, and instantly softened. "Yeah, you're right. This is basically just a job you're commuting to, like your dad," she said snarkilly.
"That's exactly what this is. A job," I assured her. "The only classes I'll be taking are the ones the Indigo Alliance are requiring. The rest of my time will be spent either with my wife and daughter or on freelance work to support Yuna. I'll find the time to study the local Pokemon somehow, but it won't be a high priority."
Keiko smiled, and I started to react to that in a... natural way, before she stopped me. ]"Hey, make sure to spend time with both our daughters. Ulla's staying here, too, right?" she asked.
I gave her an odd look. Was she? I vaguely remembered seeing her on a ship... then I remembered that the ship I was thinking of was the cruise liner that took us to this region. I didn't recall seeing her after that, but yeah, she must have come with us. "...yeah. I'll keep an eye on her," I nodded.
Before I could say anything else, both of our SNAGs went off. "That's my cue, I imagine," I remarked before taking my SNAG out of my bad and reading Sub's message. "Sure enough. I'll message you when classes are over," I told Keiko before grabbing my bag, dropping my SNAG into it, hoisting the strap over my shoulder, and heading out.
~*~
Halfway on the way to the entrance to the school, I ran into Absinthe toting a backpack. I knew we were headed in the same direction, so I didn't speak up. It didn't take her long to notice me, however. "Hey, I know we're in a hurry, but we didn't get much time to talk last night-" she started.
"Is this about your social media project?" I asked, having remembered what she was trying to say for the most part. 'Honestly, I think it's a good idea. Making tutorial videos about how to deal with the Shadow Virus, infected pokemon, and hard to raise Pokemon, that sort of thing. Giving that kind of knowledge to people who don't have access to or can't afford higher education is a good idea. I'd say you might want to focus on getting the basics down and getting your face out there first before worrying about showing off the local Pokemon," I offered.
"Yeah, I figured Aria would be too busy acting as the team's face. That, and she'd be more focused on the fame than helping people," Abby assumed.
"I don't know here all that much, so I couldn't tell you," I shrugged. We moved on in silence for a bit, but as we neared the locations the other Snagems were gathering at, I realized something. "Just know that I have other responsibilities, so I won't always be available."
"Yeah. Yeah, fair," Absinthe nodded. And with that, we'd made it to the rest of the group, got assigned our 'house' (which if it was anything like the frats in Pokemon Tech, I wanted nothing to do with it), and got handed our uniforms. I opted for the Spring uniform - long sleeve white shirt with orange flannel pants and suspenders, though I kept my tie on instead of wearing the one that came with that outfit.
When I came out of the changing room, I caught Abby wearing the Uva Summer outfit, shorts and all. I couldn't help but snicker, but she didn't seem amused, though she wasn't angry "Laugh it up, nerd. I make this look good."
I shrugged and took my place amid the rest of the team.
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Posted: Sun May 28, 2023 8:55 am
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[Uva House - Battle Studies Class]
A portion of Uva House was now assembled in the school's courtyard, the Snagems having just been here yesterday when they were introduced to Director Clavell. Standing on the battlefield the students would wait for their teacher to arrive a woman named Dendra. "Osu! Good morning, class!" A black haired woman called out to the assembled students, those familiar with her responding with 'Good morning miss Dendra'. Following behind the black tracksuit wearing woman was a Medicham, the Pokemon giving the students and a wave of its own.
After taking her place in front of the group she would glance over the students and smile as she took notice of the Snagems. "I see we have some new students with us today! The heroes of Team Snagem! What a treat!" Dendra declared, excited to see the group, the students murmuring and carrying on once it was pointed out who the newcomers were. Sub, who was standing in the far back of the group, however wasn't receptive to the compliment in being called 'heroes', he was too busy still stewing over being here in the first place.
"Welcome to Battle Studies, Snagems, I'm instructor Dendra and this here is my pal Medicham!" She said, gesturing to her Pokemon who responded with a bow. "I'm a Fighting type specialist and battling is my game! Nothing better than a red hot battle and I love to see my own fighting spirit passed on to others. Though I'm not sure what I can teach such a talented group of trainers like Team Snagem but I do hope you'll take away something from my class. Now that I've introduced myself why don't you each introduce yourselves to the class! Tell us your name, your favorite type if you have one, tell us about some of your Pokemon and if you had to use only one who would it be, and any achievements you have as a trainer such as badges, tournament victories, and so on. And if you new kids have any other interesting info to share about Pokemon and battles please do! I'm sure Team Snagem has much to say about battle!" Dendra was clearly excited to have the Snagems with her. Sub however kept quiet, waiting to see how the others responded first, or rather was just putting it off because he didn't want to be here.
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Posted: Sun May 28, 2023 9:15 am
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[Naranja House - History Cass]
Some of the students of Naranja House, including some of the Snagems, were now seated in classroom 1-A, awaiting for the history teacher to arrive. The other students would talk amongst themselves about the Snagems, their arrival still a hot topic. Any conversations would be cut short however as a purple haired woman entered the room, the class immediately falling silent as the woman walked up to the table at the front of the class, pushing her glasses up and spoke. "Greetings, my little students." The woman said, the non-Snagem students responding with a 'good morning miss Raifort'.
"I'm told, and now see, we have some new students in our class. Welcome, Team Snagem." The woman greeted them, the students whispering as they finally realized who the new students were. "I'm instructor Raifort and I clearly teach history here at our humble academy. That said I don't think that stresses enough how absolutely enamored with history I am. I'm obsessed with history, particularly the history of our great region of Paldea. Myths, legends, stories of all kinds, I wish to unearth every bit of information concerning what once was that I can. It is this passion that drove me to teach, hoping that maybe if I pass on my passion to others they could help me uncover more from the fog of times gone bye." Raifort carried on, she was certainly passionate.
"I suppose before officially start class the new students should introduce themselves. Snagems, please stand up one at a time and give us your name, the region you come from, a little bit about the history of your homeland that you're familiar with, any historical points of interest you've seen in your region, your first Pokemon and if you've ever encountered a legendary Pokemon and what it was, or maybe one you wish to see one day. The last part really interests me, if you can't tell from my accessories." Raifort chuckled softly, pointing out her Articuno necklace by tapping on it. She also had a Lunala belt buckle, Marshadow hairpin, and Tapu Koko shell bracelet.
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Posted: Sun May 28, 2023 11:57 am
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Posted: Sun May 28, 2023 12:00 pm
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Eventually, Absinthe and I had to split up, the young Deathrage following the purple-clad Snagems to what looked like a courtyard of sorts, while I and my fellow orange-clad Snagems headed toward the classrooms. I took my seat, and smiled, trying to look pleasant to any of the locals that looked my way. Most people knew the organization I was a part of after everything that went down in Orre, but this region did only recently join the fold of the Pokemon League, so I couldn't know for sure how much the locals knew about us, though they had to at least know our group's name after our most recent mistake. Thanks, Larrimore. At least that's what I wanted to say. I could have done more to lighten that situation if it weren't for the grogginess I felt at the time. Eh, no, that's an excuse. I SHOULD have done more to lighten the situation back then.
Before I could mentally beat myself up any further, the teacher appeared, greeted the classmates she was familiar with, then greeted us before asking us to introduce ourselves. Given the things she wanted to talk to us about, she either was indeed serious about her passion for history, or it was all an act. But even if it was, I'd learned the merit of playing along from the teachers I had to deal with in Pokemon Tech. I started to speak up, but caught my throat as she gestured to some of her jewelry. i couldn't help but cringe, as I didn't understand why people were so desperate to worship legendary Pokemon. Their rarity doesn't make them worthy of ruling humanity. Sure, they're powerful, but...
I shook my head at myself, swallowed my pride, and stood up. "Terashi Neil Toumei. I'm from Unova," I told her. I caught myself at the 'history of your homeland' bit, as I struggled to decide on what to choose. Would the Kalosian War be too recent? I did everything I could to learn about Unova's history after I graduated from Pokemon Tech, because how could I trust an outside source to have that kind of info. Still, nothing else was coming to mind right away.
Fortunately, I didn't have to wait too long before something came to mind that was too perfect to not use.. "Unova has a rich history, and I think the best example I can use for that is the Relic Castle inside Desert Resort. It was once a giant city that was used as the heart of an ancient civilization. The means with which that ancient civilization got founded is often considered mythology, so I'll just move on." For a second, I considered letting Samurai out of his ball, but seeing as nobody else had Pokemon out, I decided against that. "My first Pokemon was an Oshawott, and I have no interest in legendary Pokemon," I said flatly. I left it at that, letting other Snagems speak up in my stead.
~*~
Absinthe felt a little uncomfortable as she took her place among the students in the courtyard. Sure, she knew this was a better opportunity than she was ever going to get, but given the fact that she joined Team Snagem basically to get away from Trainer's School in Johto, well... she didn't know how to feel now that she was being sent back to class. Granted, this wasn't Johto by any means.
Once the teacher showed up and asked specifically just the Snagems to introduce themselves, Abby spoke up. "I'm Absinthe Deathrage. Yes, that's really my full name, and you can go visit my dad in Johto if you don't believe me. I'm... Absinthe stopped herself. She didn't think she had a preference when it came to Pokemon types, as she only cared about strong Pokemon. But, she had to realize that most of the Pokemon she had were Fighting-types, and even if she wasn't intentionally catching (mostly) Pokemon of one type, the evidence had to point to something. "...I guess I tend to favor Fighting-types, myself. Angela's my Blaziken; she can be moody sometimes but she's good to me. Then there's Palladia, my Machamp; she acts macho, but she's a sweetheart. Then there's Broly, my Breloom; he keeps to himself, but he's a good bean. Then there's Fluffy, my Bewear. Don't mess with her. She watches out for me, but she doesn't listen. I recently caught a Scyther, but I haven't had time to spend with that one, so I don't know much about them. There's no way I could pick just one of my Pokemon," Abby asserted, then kept quiet. She didn't have any badges of her own, nor did she have any competitive history. The only thing she really had was the team, so there was no point adding anything else to her intro.
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Posted: Sun May 28, 2023 12:04 pm
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Aile tilted her head as she listened to Sub calling out the names for each group. She wasn’t sure why there needed to be any houses at all at this point, but whatever. The more annoying thing was the fact that there were uniforms once again. Why couldn’t she go to a school that didn't require uniforms for once? Seriously. She just wanted to be comfortable while she was bored in school. Wait, they were supposed to pass their classes, right? s**t… She couldn’t even properly space out. Dammit all. She was mildly jealous of the other members in Uva now. Battle Tactics sounded quite a bit more interesting than History to her. Whatever. Her straw had been dealt for her, now she had to deal with it. She’d grab the ensemble she was going to wear and head off to find a restroom to change.
Her search for a restroom or locker room wound up with her crossing paths with one of the teachers, though not one she was expecting. This person’s most notable features were brown fur of two different shades, the lighter bits appearing more fluffy than others, and on their forehead was a small motif of a golden full moon with two small gray clouds obscuring it slightly. Following that, the new student would take in the other attributes of this person: that they were female, had graying hair, and wore a warm expression on her face as Aile ran into her. “Oof! Oh, I… Uh, sorry, just trying to find a place to change, pardon…” Something unnerved her slightly, despite the kind face the Ursaluna hybrid wore. And she at least knew it was Ursaluna for the Pokémon half instead of some sort of Ursaring variant, considering she had one herself, brought back from their misadventures in Hisui. But, why was a hybrid of one showing up here? And how old would they have been in that case, considering the species should have been extinct by now? Not to mention, she still looked relatively youthful overall.So what?...
“Not a worry my dear, you did seem rather preoccupied. The nearest restroom should be just a few more doors down. Also, um… might you need any assistance, considering your, ah… condition?” The hybrid woman still bore a kind look on her face, maybe slightly pitying her.
“Um… Maybe the tie, honestly. Are you sure, though,” Aile asked as she took a couple steps in the direction of the restrooms.
“My planning period is the first period, I have plenty of time, my dear. Now, go get ready, because time is not a luxury you have.” She crossed her arms before waving her off with one of her hands. “I’ll be waiting here for you.” With that, Aile would hurry off, with the teacher tilting her head in thought.
It would take Aile closer to ten minutes to change into her new outfit, being orange pinstripe pants with suspenders, a white dress shirt, and a gray dress jacket with orange trim that remained unzipped. And thank Arceus that it had a zipper this time, she was about to murder the person who required button up shirts, as well as whoever thought they needed this many buttons. Running with one arm now certainly gave her an appreciation for more things that would be simple with two. The teacher would give Aile a once over and nodded, shrugging off the fact that Aile still had her boots on instead of the offered dress shoes, as well as no hat. “So, just need the tie then?” Aile nodded and held the solid orange tie out for the teacher. Taking it, she would begin to work, starting to talk while she did.
“So then, judging by the state in which you were wandering around, can I assume you’re one of the batch of foreign exchange students from that world renown mercenary group?”
“Huh? I mean, yes, but how-”
“You know the faculty are informed when we get new students, right? We learned about the information, and the fact that some of you all might not be exactly cooperative when it comes to taking these classes. I do hope you won’t be one of those students, my dear.”
“Uh… I’ll try, madam.” Something felt off about how she described the team as a bunch of mercs instead of the famous Team Snagem. Something about that left an impression in the back of her head, though she wasn’t sure what it meant. Also, it did sound almost like a threat, or at least some pressure added to, at the very least, not be someone who would be disruptive to the class she was in.
“Good, good.” Finishing up the tie gently. The bear hybrid would straighten it before taking a step back. “Now then, where is your first class, so I can help you get there without being late?”
“History, with, uh-”
“Professor Raifort. She’s the primary teacher here that teaches History, it’s something she’s rather passionate about, as you’ll see,” she chuckled. “You’ll want to go to the second floor, take the second left, and you’ll be able to find her classroom from there. Now, considering my teaching subject, I doubt I’ll be able to have you in my classroom, but I do hope to see you around some more. Maybe even teach you still, if the fates decide.”
“Right, maybe, thank you either way, Professor…?”
“Right, I never did introduce myself, did I? Ussuri. Professor Ussuri. And your name, then?”
“Aile.”
“Well then, Miss Aile, I wish you the best of luck here.”
With a wave from Professor Ussuri, Aile would be off, rushing as she saw how much time she had left. Barely zipping up her jacket before getting to the classroom, she’d enter the room, almost exactly at the tardy bell rang. Taking a seat in the middle of the room, where she could find a seat, she got out a notebook and pen as Raifort began class. And then she asked for introductions. Damn. Did she have to talk about herself some more? Fine… Standing up, she’d go ahead and introduce herself to get it out of the way. “Hello, my name’s Aile. I’m from Kalos, and I believe there was a civil war around three thousand years ago in my region. There’s a series of stones just south of Geosenge Town that are said to be gravestones of Pokémon from that battle. And as for Legendary Pokémon ....” She shifted a little bit before continuing with a sigh. “I might be in possession of Hoenn’s Regirock,” she uttered, notably at a much smaller volume than before. She wasn’t sure how much people had forgotten, but it was something people could look back and find, so she figured that she should be honest about it. Not that she enjoyed boasting about it, though. As soon as she was done talking, she’d sit down, hoping someone else would jump up and chime in. Take the attention off of her, please.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crystal tilted her head in confusion as Sub listed out the members of each out, mildly disappointed. From everything that Sub had said, she would have loved being in both Naranja House and going to that History class. However, it was how it was. She’d grab her own uniform from the box and found herself a locker room to change into. Her outfit change would be fast, stuffing her shawl and skirt into her white backpack. However, as she looked into the mirror, she frowned. This was one of the reasons why she wore the gigantic shawl and the long shirt. With the button up shirt, purple tie and purple shorts akin to Sub’s, her body was much more open to view, and she wasn’t as much of a fan of it. She was much more bulky because of her new body, and it wasn’t because of any sort of fat. No, she was more muscular and she looked less feminine than she had before Galar. And she disliked that. From people that knew the species family, and even some other hybrids of her species, she was looked at oddly, with her being the only known female hybrid of Solgaleo, as the female evolution of Cosmoem should have been Lunala. The best looks she had gotten were those of curiosity from them, and she’d gotten worse a bit more often, at least unless they started to know her. She brushed it off superficially for the most part, but she didn’t really like the idea of taking off her shawl and skirt now unless she was fighting physically. Considering that’s how she looked feminine, she was now trying to figure out how to make herself look at least a bit more feminine, looking at different ways to style her hair, something she hadn’t done in ages, since it didn’t like to cooperate really.
Finally deciding to braid her hair on the side, she’d manage to finish it just as she heard the tardy bell go off. “What?! Light blind me” she growled, shaking her head as she bolted out of the locker room.
Ignoring scoldings from a couple of teachers about no running in the halls, she made her way back to the courtyard just in time to hear Dendra ask the Snagems to introduce themselves. Welp. “The name’s Crystal,” she’d start once she found an opening, waving once. “I don’t know if I have a favorite type as much as I find ancient Pokémon interesting nowadays.. Some of my cornerstone Pokémon include an Espeon, Charizard, and a Sigilyph. If I had to choose one?.... Bleck, I don’t know if I can answer that. Demon Wing and Apolla have been with me since the start of my journey. ANd that’s about it for me, at least.” The hybrid shrugged, dusting herself off from the running.
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Posted: Sun May 28, 2023 12:18 pm
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In the courtyard, Deo was towering over almost everyone. He shirt was already starting to strain over the mass of muscle that deo had over his entire body. Deo would raise his hand to wave "Hi! My name is Deo of Snagem and I am happy to meet all of you!" He felt happy to meet people and potentially other hybrids that attended the academy and was interested to learn more about the pokemon that was here and how to battle better too. "I would like to say that my favored type of pokemon is electric, and I served in the Sandgem Police department before I joined SNAGEM. I was a captain before I... became a hybrid." The moment of pause was him biting his tongue as he knew what happened. Something else happened before he became hybrid, after the time in the police. He wouldn't say much, but it did haunt him. Knowing that he was almost fired for taking the law into his own hands, it was enough for him to quit. He has no time for due process, when the law is being broken and due process takes its sweet time, that time could be costly in lives or precious seconds to stop a situation before it gets worse. He knew he had to do right, but now he is a snagem, the time of obedience was over. He wanted to do right, but now he could. He just hoped his temper would not blow. Not again, and hopefully never again.
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