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 Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2023 2:55 pm
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Halfway from getting his textbook out is when he was told to go to the office. He blinked twice, before packing his stuff up and made his way to the office. "What happened yesterday from the other group? I hope they did not cause another incident that would lead to trouble" Deo would say under his breath, irritated. He would still be irritated as he walked in the office and was told to wait inside. He found a spot inside and stood at attention, unwavering and unmoving, like the king's guard at a palace.
Of course, his mind was shaking. He hated this feeling, like he was in trouble. He remember the last time this happened. He was at the Captains desk after being called in for some improper procedure in a case. It almost... no DID cost him his job at the force, not by termination, but by resignation. If it was those anarchistic members again, he would have to restrain himself. Oh how Deo hates anarchy. Those members who call cops pigs, are no more than swine themselves! But he couldn't let his feelings loose now, Sub was in the room.
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Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2023 4:31 pm
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SubonicXP [Both]“Now before we get started we have a message for our new students, the members of Team Snagem!” The instructors said, calling out the Snagems. Were they in trouble? “All of you are to report to director Clavell’s office. Follow the school maps at various terminals if you get lost. Hopefully we’ll see some of you back here.” They instructed the Snagems, leaving them with that last cryptic message. What was going on? And so suddenly, they just made it to class. And what would Tsuki do? He wasn't an active member of Team Snagem but it would be a chance to reconnect with them, he could even easily sneak away and follow, it wouldn't be hard with so many people filing out of the room. He'd probably even see Sub, who he guessed if was at the academy would be in Uva House, explaining why he didn't see him in Ms. Tyme's class. Though speaking of where is Darts? He is in Naranja House. ----- The Snagems would in time find their way to director Clavell’s office, all of them now standing in it, free to wander around as it seemed Clavell was not in yet, his secretary out front instructing them to just go in and wait. For some of the Snagem’s this was the first time they’ve seen the members of their opposing house in a day or more, they certainly had things to tell their teammates concerning the field trip yesterday. The office itself was unusual as it appeared to be divided in two separate sections with the one nearest the door appearing similar to a lab you’d find at a Pokemon professor’s residence complete with sophisticated machines. On the other hand the back half was a typical office decorated with pictures, diplomas and medals. Was there more to Clavell than his appearance would suggest?
Tristen would end up getting the message once he arrived in his class. He was going to try to make things better from here on; he wanted this to go well, give it the fare shake, after all. Everything would soon be derailed when Team Snagem was called to the Principal's office. He was apprehensive, wondering if Reno's antics caused more problems that would cause ire for the entire team. He would close his eyes, sighing out, getting up and made his way for class.
He would meet everyone else, myself included. Freth and I too end up getting called out of class to come to the office. I was left to wonder if my lessons from yesterday was too much, but I highly doubted it. There wouldn't be any reason to call the entire team on my own actions. There had to be something else. One could possibly hope that I could actually get out of here, but that would perhaps be asking too much. |
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Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2023 8:08 pm
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Reno and Beau had both barely made it into class and gotten settled when they were immediately drafted to go back to the director's office. For Reno, it almost seemed normal that they had apparently done something wrong enough in the span of one day to warrant seeing the director again, especially given the large amount of less even-keeled members had ended up in Naranja House. Now it was just a debate for him over whether Beau had managed to blow up enough terrain to warrant specific callout over what it sounded like had also happened in the mesa or if that scuffle with the Kingambit and the Bisharp army had not been such a random event.
Beau would be on a similar train of thought, although his focus was landing more on what exactly Snagem style Pokemon battling had meant with Reno. Had the lummox decided to start using his left arm as a club or did he decide that it was somehow within the bounds of a normal battle to try and punt an enemy Pokemon?
Either way, both were quick to arrive in the director's office and see the growing crowd of Snagems that was now collecting. Hearing the slightly snippy remark from Cera, Reno would simply stick his tongue out in response before grumbling out a quick, "Don't want me to improvise, don't ask for Snagem-style fighting."
Both Beau and Reno could feel their ears perk up as they heard a distant yelling about breakfast. And they would both do their best to avoid staring out the window as they saw a Rookiedee come flapping past, a few rocks and calls of "Land, you cowardly corvid and fight me mano a mano!" Well, at least Leslie had gotten her spirit back.
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Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 1:37 pm
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Brian had only just settled into his seat when Ms. Tyme said all Snagems were to go to the director's office. What was that all about? Were they in more trouble than they had already been in? Giving a soft sigh, he got up and followed his teammates out of the room, heading for Clavell's office. He remembered where it was thanks to their original meeting, but he still followed his teammates. Upon arriving, however, he noticed it looked more like a lab had been built into the office, with the actual office at the back of the room.
Brian could hear Deo muttering something about not causing another incident that would lead to trouble, and he looked at the large hybrid next to him. "If ye call getting kidnapped by a wild Pokemon, being forced to fight in his 'army' because of some prophecy, and having to fight our way out causing an incident that would lead to trouble, then ye'd be half right," he said quietly. The only reason he knew about the prophecy now was because he'd unknowingly turned his SNAG's translation function on and recorded the Kingsgambit's words. How he'd not realized he'd done it was a mystery that he'd yet to figure out, unless he'd actually done it when he'd started recording as they reached the cave. He wasn't yet aware of what had happened with the other group after they'd been split up.
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Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2023 10:03 am
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Crystal took the rest of the previous day in stride, giving Hepa some scritches as the class continued on. Once the class ended and she got free time for the rest of the day, she would browse the library, coming across some of the odder inclusions, including a magazine called Occulture. At the very least, it was amusing to her, especially the mentions of odd look alike not exactly Pokémon. She wasn’t going to immediately dismiss it, but more chalked it up to potential Ultra Beasts she might not have seen yet. Ah well. She’d make herself comfortable in her dorm room eventually, mostly getting a bunch of notebooks out as well as some clothes put away, before finding a place to meditate and rest for the night. She was not trusting any beds.
The morning would come and she’d get herself ready again, which really didn’t take long, just making sure she had her personal notebook and some blank ones for classes before making her way to breakfast. Some sweet pastries was all she had before making her way to class, only just settling in fully before all of the Snagems of Uva were called to the principal’s office. Great, what happened now? Seriously, Snagem’s normalcy must be chaos, happening somewhere around them. She doubted it was because of Reno’s antics. While it was unorthodox how he battled, she didn’t think there was inherently anything too bad with that. So, something happened with the other half of the team that stuck around. Light, nothing they could do could result in a standardly normal vacation, could it?
She’d keep silent when she arrived, looking at the others as she took up a spot near the wall. Her face would be calm, but her tail would flick back and forth low, at least until she wrapped it loosely around her waist. Both halves of the team, sans some members. What had happened now, and what repercussions were they going to be saddled with?
And where was Aile?
-----------
At the current point, she’d be sitting in the nurses’ office with Mateo, the hybrid and the human occasionally taking glances at each other while getting checked out. The both of them looked fairly banged up with Aile sporting a black eye and Mateo looked like he had a puffy lip, but they stayed silent as they were both lectured on leaving campus late at night and getting into a fight. Though, by the look that they were giving each other, it seemed like they knew that things might not have been over for them just yet.
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Posted: Sat Sep 23, 2023 9:38 am
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SubonicXP And what would Tsuki do? He wasn't an active member of Team Snagem but it would be a chance to reconnect with them, he could even easily sneak away and follow, it wouldn't be hard with so many people filing out of the room. He'd probably even see Sub, who he guessed if was at the academy would be in Uva House, explaining why he didn't see him in Ms. Tyme's class. Though speaking of where is Darts? He is in Naranja House.
Darts is still in the now-abandoned lunchroom, looking around bemusedly at the students having filed off. Even if he had some idea of where he was supposed to go, the Snagems were no longer there. "Hmmm... something tells me it's class time. This is why I should have paid more attention with orientation." He gets to his feet, brushing some of the crumbs off his jacket as it flaps a little bit under its own power to dislodge the debris, and takes a couple steps out into the hallway and right into the path of...
Tsuki the Lunar Wind Without thinking of the consequences of his disruption, and after snatching Ms. Tyme's hall pass, he dashed out of the class with the fervor of someone who really did need to go to the bathroom. He deathgripped the pass (a piece of laminated paper glued to a clipboard) and made a break to catch up with the others in Director Clavell's office.
Someone else. He never even sees Tsuki coming and the younger Snagem hits him like a Zubat out of hell. Despite Darts' strength the surprise impact and momentum carry both of them upwards off their feet and into the ground, sprawling the Giratina hybrid out in a very undignified fashion as they both hit the ground simultaneously. "Oh man... There go the ribs again..." He grumbles, face down on the tiles of the hallway between them. "Watch where you're... Tsuki?" Bemused at the revelation of who he had just run into, literally, Darts clambers back upright and then hauls the other student up as well with one hand, placing him back on his feet as he had hauled the boy up by the back of his shirt. "Where's the fire?" Small world, this was the student he had met just yesterday, what were the odds? |
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Posted: Sat Sep 23, 2023 1:25 pm
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Atlantis_Darts Someone else. He never even sees Tsuki coming and the younger Snagem hits him like a Zubat out of hell. Despite Darts' strength the surprise impact and momentum carry both of them upwards off their feet and into the ground, sprawling the Giratina hybrid out in a very undignified fashion as they both hit the ground simultaneously. "Oh man... There go the ribs again..." He grumbles, face down on the tiles of the hallway between them. "Watch where you're... Tsuki?" Bemused at the revelation of who he had just run into, literally, Darts clambers back upright and then hauls the other student up as well with one hand, placing him back on his feet as he had hauled the boy up by the back of his shirt. "Where's the fire?" Small world, this was the student he had met just yesterday, what were the odds?
Slam.
Falling backwards from the sudden impact of running straight up into the man from the other day, Tsuki took a moment to recollect himself after suddenly finding himself on the floor. Usually he was more careful than this, but the jumpiness and lack of sleep must have had him on edge or something. He was fine by the time Darts had more or less brought him back to a standing position, and the boy was scratching the back of his head in a ‘haha, my bad’ kind of way. “Oh, hi! Yeah, sorry about that, and no fire I was uh…” The boy looked towards the hall that led in the direction to Director Clavell’s office. “I was trying to actually catch up with you guys after the announcement.” He admitted, definitely not intent on mentioning that he had only needed to run over here was because he had zoned out for a good minute after Clavell’s call for them to go to his office.
“Actually. I don’t know if you were a member back then,” Tsuki said, having missed the hybrid’s encounter with the Renegade. He might have actually met Darts once or twice before the hybridization. “, but I used to be a member of Team Snagem about three years ago. Then I got arrested and my parents shipped me out here.” He crossed his arms as he remembered that day. It was supposed to be a fun little trek across Kanto to earn some badges and make a bit of a name for himself. The result? One badge, a whole lot of family drama, and a few years of agency just gone. Looking back at the hybrid though, Tsuki wondered if he’d believe him. It wasn’t like he had a SNAG on him anymore to prove that because the damned things bricked themselves when tampered with. Hm. He guessed he could list off some of the bad guys he remembered scuffling with from back then if needed. |
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Posted: Sat Sep 23, 2023 5:27 pm
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In time Clavell would show up, the door to his office swinging open and the uptight man stepping in, almost marching to his desk, not so much as glancing at the gathered Snagems to acknowledge their presence. Once he made it to his desk he slowly pulled out his chair, sat in it, and inched it back up to his desk. Interlocking his fingers and resting his hands on his desk he finally gazed upon the Snagems, sitting there for seconds longer in silence. All this no doubt worried the Snagems, they'd been in trouble plenty of times before and this seemed like another one of those times. Sub stood in front of the group and returned Clavell's stare.
"Are you all making yourselves at home?" Clavell said, breaking the silence. "You seem to be." He went on, his tone plain and without much emotion. "The school is all abuzz over your presence, even more so with yesterday's events. Here just one day and you've already been involved with turf wars, confirming old myths and showing off some rather...unorthodox...battle styles. Some might call this making trouble." He carried on. Yep, this didn't seem to be going anywhere good.
"Now, the reason why I called you all here..." He said, sighing heavily and looking away from them for a second. Here it comes, they are going to get expelled and lose their officially sanctioned status via the Indigo Alliance. "...something extremely important, something I can't let go any longer..." Clavell continued. Just rip the bandaid off already! "...I forgot to inform you of the various paths for graduation here at the academy." He said, meeting their collective gaze again and smiling. Wait, that was it? They weren't in trouble. Sub couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
"There are several paths students may take at the academy, all academically different. Some might take the traditional route of study others focus on getting their hands dirty. Allow me to explain the main paths." He said, clearing his throat before explaining.
-----
Academia: Students stay at the academy and study in their field of interest to earn a degree, the traditional path.
Victory Road: Students challenge the various Gym Leaders and earn badges to increase their Trainer Rank. With eight they may challenge the Elite Four in a challenge to earn the Champion Rank, the highest rank a trainer can obtain in Paldea, unlike other regions there can be more than one champion. Students can also add on the appropriate classes, via Instructor Dendra, to earn a professional trainer's license, good for becoming a teacher yourself, becoming a Gym Leader, or other battling careers.
Path of Legends: Instructor Ms. Raifort is taking on students to help her study the newly discovered Titan Pokemon and the Herbia Mystica, both thought to be just myths but now confirmed to exist. Under her students will be able to earn a specialized degree in Pokeology, Archaeology, Botany, and other related fields. Help the professor unlock the secrets of these strange new things and advance global knowledge!
-----
"...there is also one other path to meeting the Indigo League's requirements of sanctification to keep the team's license to operate publicly." Clavell said with a smirk, pressing a button underneath his desk which caused his office door to audible lock. Were they trapped in here now? What's going on? "You see we have been dealing with a meddlesome group of students here at the academy for the past year, trouble makers, hoodlums, the worse of the worse. They started out small such as skipping class and tipping over trashcans but their antics have just escalated, their numbers swelling. They call themselves Team Star and while we are aware of the students that make up their upper ranks we are unable to touch them for legal reasons, that and they physically hide out in the Paldean wilds." He explained.
"I have reason to believe that Team Star is looking to move beyond truancy, pranks, and general tomfoolery and intend to commit more major crimes, risking the academy's reputation. As chairman I simply cannot allow this. However legally my hands are tied so that's why I turn to the world's most famous mercenaries. Assist me, and the academy, in learning the truth about Team Star and I will personally give you the commendations the Indigo Alliance wants from you. The sooner you uncover Team Star's secrets and disband them the quicker your team can be rid of the academy and satisfy the alliance." Clavell smiled. So to stay clean and legal they have to go back to doing things of dubious legality. Figures. (This is the fourth path: Starfall Street.)
"We'll do it." Sub immediately responded, not even waiting to hear more from the others or ask any other questions. "Send me the information and I'll put together a small group of Snagems to look into it." The Dark One informed Clavell who smiled and nodded in response.
"Good! You will be in contact with the benefactor that has provided us with inside information of Team Star thus far, the mysterious Cassiopeia. For now though..." He said, turning to the Snagems. "...you all have until the end of the day to choose which path you'll take. Go back to your classes, have lunch, and see out the rest of your day. Before the end of the door please go to the front desk and sign up for the proper academic path. Tomorrow you'll take your first step down your new path." He said, unlocking his door with the same button on his desk.
Looks like the Snagems had some thinking to do. For now they had class.
(Your next post can just detail the rest of the character's day and their eventual decision in what path they are taking. New threads will be posted soon for after you declare what path they are taking.)
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Posted: Sat Sep 23, 2023 6:15 pm
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The suspense was real for a bit there, but fortunately, we didn't have anything to worry about. I wasn't too surprised he was just telling us all this now, however. The man had a school to run and was probably super busy at all times. He COULD have sent someone to tell us all this, but if he wanted to explain things in person, that was his perogative.
That said, he left us with a decision to make. I'd already graduated from Pokemon Tech some time ago, so I was here on Team Snagem's behalf, not my own. As such, I had to consider which course would best serve that end. I also had some contacts online relying on me to acquire info on the native Pokemon population in exchange for the info they gave me before I arrived, so I had to take that into consideration.
As I've already spent a significant time in higher learning tracks in Pokemon Tech, Acadamia would be the easiest, if the most boring track to take, therefor potentially the fastest. Any research I conduct on the native Pokemon population would be in my free time, however, which would put a strain on that time due to other plans and commitments, so that was out.
Victory Road would be sure to put me in contact with a number of Pokemon I've never seen before, and give me a chance to improve upon (and potentially even expand) my own competitive team. I didn't know what would make a 'professional' trainer's license different from the one I received from Professor Juniper after graduating from Pokemon Tech, but if it increased my chances of my becoming a Gym Leader, It would also likely give me ample opportunity to acquire data from the native Pokemon population. The only downside I could think of would be the considerable time investment of doing three things in one, essentially.
Path of Legends was out right away. I had no interest in the myths, legends, or history of this region, and if the other Titan Pokemon were anything like that giant rock crab Pokemon I fought a few days ago, taking that path would put a LOT of stress on my team. Angeal still hasn't forgiven me for the way that went down.
And lastly, Starfall Street. The most mission-like path to take. While I try to stick to the laws of the land and make the world a better place through Snagem, I'd long since come to peace with the fact that the team's basically a glorified mercenary company, and I suspected that this path would be right up the alley of most of us. The biggest draw to it would be that it'd likely be the fastest path to take, given our experience with dealing with criminals at this point. That said, if Team Star were anything like the other 'teams' we'd faced in the past, it was doubtful that their Pokemon were all that diverse. It was still the fastest way out, and I did have an infant to care for...
While I lost myself to thought as I weighed my options, Absinthe made her choice immediately. "I'm with you, Sub. Let's go beat up some punks."
With that, the two of us headed back to our classes, but the decision between Victory Road and Starfall Street would be one that'd plague my thoughts for hours to come.
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Posted: Sat Sep 23, 2023 6:45 pm
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So the good news was that the team wasn’t necessarily in trouble. I suppose that was a relief, though knowing that all manner of crap happened through the facilities and on a field trip was a whole other matter. Hopefully things would stay on the down-low still. Though honestly? I wasn’t going to hold my breath. Once the meeting was over, being told of the paths that one could take in this facility, Freth, Tristen, and I went back to our respective classes and partaken in the classes assigned, noting to each other to meet up with each other after class at the track and field where the battle classes were at. When we arrived, we took a spot at a bunch of open bleachers, and it didn’t take long for any one of us to get in deep in thought and planning. “So, what are we doing?” Freth asked.
“I don’t know…I mean, all of those things shouldn’t be too hard, right? I guess it’s the matter of how much time we feel like we have.” Tristen said.
“What are you looking at, Tristen?” I asked.
“I don’t know…I kind of want to see into that Academia…but…”
“But?” Freth spoke up, trying to get it out of Tristen.
“I really don’t know what I want to do. There’s…still so much out there that I don’t know about.” Tristen stated.
“This kid is hopeless.” The Hunter spoke up in the reaches of Freth mind. “Just how much does he get out? Honestly?”
“Not a lot…” Freth said, silently. That got my eyes to shift, practically shooting daggers as if to imagine the Hunter was here physically, to Freth as she replied to her resident. I could only imagine what she said and I will admit I am a good deal at fault for it. I didn’t need to be reminded of it.
“What about you, Blizz?” Tristen then asked. “That Victory Road thing sounds kinda like back home with the gyms there.”
“It is a thought and it would give me an excuse to get some of my Pokémon trained that I haven’t been able to do for a while. Though it’s going to feel very awkward being the one taking a gym tour instead of being gym defense. At the same time, I’m left to question why Clavell brought up those Team Star guys…”
“It sounds like a bunch of bullies…” Tristen said, rather dejectedly.
“Perhaps, but it leaves me to wonder why are they gathering steam and why. For that matter, why let it fester until we finally showed up.” I asked.
“There’s no telling.” Freth said. “If they are as bad as Clavell is trying to insinuate, then who knows…regardless of what we do, we’re probably bound to run into them.”
“I’m questioning how smart these Star people are. Or how informed, specifically. Just how well do they know us? Or if they’re aware just what we are in spite of what chaos you all roused up.” The Hunter then chimed in. Freth had to admit that was a bit of an honest question too.
“I’d think they might have heard of us but don’t know us, specifically…that guy that we saw that Blizzard battled at the port thought he might have recognized him from Galar, but wasn’t honestly sure.” Freth said.
“You know, it is really off when I know you’re responding to a fourth person and I can’t see them.” I told Freth.
“I can’t help it.”
“You could try to be telepathic on yourself. Keep it to yourself. And its honestly faster that way.”
“I don’t know how.” Freth said, irritated.
“Aaaanyways…what are you looking at doing?”
“Honestly? Considering that stuff I saw in your battling yesterday, that whole crystal stuff, maybe taking up that class with that Raifort person might be in order. Maybe get some insight just why Paldea is the way it is. Maybe find out about that crater that you were wondering about, too, since Sol doesn’t seem to know that much himself and he’s from here.” She said. “That said, its as Tristen said…what would be the fastest for us to get through so we can get on with our lives.”
“Honestly? I can’t possibly imagine that Team Star being that much of a threat.” I said. “Honestly, they’re no Cipher or Flare. Find out what’s their malfunction and fix it, and move on.”
“They might be that of Team Skull, tops…” Tristen spoke up.
“Yea. Gym challenge might be the next thing up after that…if we were that hell bent and didn’t want to clean up a mess that should have long since been done, then probably we could breeze through the gym challenges and be done with it if we weren’t concerned and just steam roll the places. Of course, the main hangup would probably be whoever their elites are.” I said, though albeit speculating if nothing else.
“I kind of doubt they’ll just allow us to plow through them easily. If they’re anything like back at home, Blizzard, I’d imagine they’d take your experience into consideration. I would only think the reason they’d put on any manner of kid gloves is if you bothered…I don’t know…bringing Torchic, Mudkip, or Cubchoo into their gym as opposed to say Weavile, Typhlosion, or Porygon-Z.” Freth retorted.
“Fair point.” I conceded.
“And if the gyms are tied into this school, then they might know you’re coming anyways, and will be told about what your background.” Tristen then said.
“Then the long way to go would be the academia and the legends route, presumably.” Freth said. “Nothing like that I’d imagine would be done in a day.”
“Well, neither would the gym tour, but…” I said, shrugging.
“No, but I’d think you’d be done by the end of the week as opposed to what those two would be.”
“So, I suppose at the end of the day, what do we want to do?” I asked. “Frankly? Honestly? I want to just go home already. If that be the case, then I suppose deal with Star and be done with it. Find out what’s going on, battle whoever needs to have their complacencies kicked, and go home. Sure, its not going to get some of my Pokémon really any experience in the matter and I have complained about that for a bit and…I’ll be frank, hated myself for it, but at the same time, this was supposed to be a time off for everyone and because of a stupid mishap beyond my control, once again I find myself ready to crawl back into my own bed. I…honestly want to wash my hands of this place. Maybe come back here on my own terms some other time, but as for now, I am overly frustrated and want out.”
I then took notice to Tristen, looking towards his feet a bit dejectedly just then. “What is it?”
“I…still kinda want to do the Academia.” Tristen said. “Maybe I can figure it out as I go along. I never really had anything like this and if everyone is distracted doing whatever, maybe I can actually do my own thing.”
I looked over towards Freth for a moment, and she gave a shrug. I looked back towards Tristen. “You really want to do that? You sure?” I asked. The boy would nod in affirmation. I leaned back onto the bleachers behind me, thinking for a moment. “Longer way it is then. I’ll see about that gym tour.”
“I’ll find out what’s going on with this region.” Freth said. “So Ms. Raifort it is then.”
I then perked up, taking note across the field and stared in a little surprise. Doc Owl made his way through the doors and started his way for the bleachers. I had to admit, with all the going-ons between the Snagems since class started and with him cooped up in the medical department, I nearly forgot that he was here. “So, how goes the vacation for you, Doc.”
“Oh, relatively uneventful.” Doc stated. “I do say, however, the poor girl in the office is something else. She has been trying to get a teaching degree to be part of the teacher faculty here, but apparently has failed every time she took the test despite her best efforts. It’s not that she doesn’t know the material she’d be expected to teach, its actually…teaching it. She tries to keep in good spirits, but the Ralts and Hatenna that she keeps in there with her are too overly perceptive to it and are really messing with them. I’m seeing if I can’t try to help the young girl as I am here. Speaking of being here, I’ve heard about the team having a meeting with Director Clavell today.”
“Yeeaah, its what we were talking about before you showed up. We might all be out here for the long haul depending on how this goes.” I said. “At least for some of us.”
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Posted: Sat Sep 23, 2023 11:12 pm
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Clavell’s words spun in Monique’s head all day like one of those old pig roasts Mama Kehla used to talk about. Of course, she hadn’t experienced one herself, but she got the idea.
She wasn’t exactly warm for Raifort’s “Path of Legends”; history class engendered weird feelings because, by her clock, she was living in history already. And if she was going to get badges from anywhere, they were going to be from Alola first. The thought of studying was alluring—after all, there was much about this time and reality she did not know. Getting to a baseline understanding of things a woman her age should know in this time might actually be a productive endeavor.
But the way the director talked about Team Star piqued her interest and her mistrust. “Troublemakers, hoodlums, the worst of the worst”, Clavell said. That was how people in Flower City talked about New Po folks, at least when they didn’t have her assets and they weren’t patrons of Sub Rosa. It awakened her suspicions. And her instincts. She was the sheriff of a whole “town of thieves”, in their eyes. She wasn’t sure if she could trust this Clavell guy. For all she knew, these were people marked by the academy for who knows what reason.
***
“What was all that about?” ChiChi asked Monique at lunchtime.
“We have a bit of an odd arrangement,” Monique explained, not wanting to provide particulars. Her meal was a pulled pork sandwich, the pig roast metaphor obviously continuing its rotisserie. “Snagem always seems to have an odd arrangement, anyway, but I’m kinda used to that. However…” She paused and took another bite. “It looks like it’s going to involve me being away from the academy for a bit while keeping up with my classes remotely.”
There was a brief moment of silence before the Lucario woman answered. “That’s intriguing. Special mission?”
“You could say. Anyway…” Monique sighed, really wanting to talk about something, anything else for a moment. “Did you consider any other schools before deciding to enroll here?”
“Well, graduate programs in dance are rare. I had a classmate attend a school on the Unovan coast called Blueberry, but they are so fanatical about battling and fighting. That’s not for me…” ChiChi let out a sigh and a self-deprecating chuckle. “There are lots of universities and they all have their specialty. Lumiose VI produces great thinkers and philosophers. Saffron Tech produced the founder of Silph. And Orre State… You met Professor Corviknight?”
Monique shook her head.
“I did a visit there and got to hear him speak. It was everything you could possibly imagine. And I say that cuz he said it, like, 20 times. After that, I wanted something that was traditional, balanced, but not in the home regions. And Uva-Naranja is an authority in dance.”
“How does a Corviknight even get to Orre, anyway?” I asked. “I’ve been there, girl. There ain’t many Pokémon from Galar there.”
ChiChi shrugged. “Well, it is Phenac City, I guess.” That was somewhere Monique hadn’t been yet. Her visit to Orre had taken her to Pyrite and The Under, not the capital.
***
This whole Starfall Street business was all that Monique could think about in her afternoon class of home economics. The teacher was a guy named Saguaro whose aesthetic, Monique thought, was severely restrained by him not being in that ammonia world. The guy looked like he was halfway to trying dresses if society—and his facial hair and physique—would let him. The guy even had a Jigglypuff in the room.
The lesson on the five key tastes and how they were not unique to Paldea—Pokéblocks, Poffins, even curry—was probably not going to stick at the rate Monique was thinking. Her decision was made.
After class, the sheriff of New Po made the call. The attendant nodded after she merely said, “Starfall.”
She’d sleep that night soundly. She felt bad to be leaving ChiChi, but this just wasn’t a task for dancers. It was a task for Snagems.
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Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2023 3:22 am
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Brian couldn't help but wonder just what was in store for Snagem now. Clavell was just sitting there, watching them, for what seemed like an hour before he finally spoke. When he did, he seemed like he didn't want to be speaking, but Brian could tell he was just trying to draw out the suspense. Good grief, just get to the point already! he thought, disliking drawing the meeting out any longer than necessary.
Hearing about the 'graduation paths' they could take caught his attention. Hmm, Victory Road was pretty straight forward, beat the Gyms and take on the Elite Four. That wasn't anything new, and not something Brian was interested in at the moment, despite hearing that there could be more than one Champion in Paldea. Academia was also out, despite how much he still needed to learn to become a certified Breeder. He just couldn't see himself sitting in a classroom all day while his teammates were out and about learning about the region. That left two options.
Starfall Street. Admittedly, it sounded like something he would do. There had to be something going on behind the scenes for this Team Star to suddenly come out of the woodwork, so to speak, some underlying reason as to why they were acting like this. Still, even that wasn't enough to pique his interest, despite how much Sub seemed to want to take the team down. That left just one option, and the one Brian had decided upon.
The Path of Legends. This was the one that had caught the ebony-haired trainer's attention the most. Learning about history and legends had always been a hobby of his, but something he'd not put much effort into with all the activities the Snagems had been up to in recent weeks. Now that he actually had a chance to focus on doing so, this was his choice. Perhaps this could help him with his dream of becoming a breeder, or perhaps it could also help him find new ingredients for the recipes he'd come up with. Hearing about the strange 'Herba Mystica' had piqued his interest in more ways than one. Not to mention the Titan Pokemon that had recently been encountered. How did they get so large, and were they anything like the Titans from Alola?
His thoughts were interrupted by Clavell saying they had the rest of the day to decide which path they would choose. He wondered what path the rest of them would choose, and he wasn't surprised to hear Abby voicing agreement with Sub. He almost felt sorry for anyone who went up against the pair. Hearing Abby's voice, however, reminded him of something, and he sent her a message via SNAG.
TerashiLeonGoken Hey, I've got something to give ye when ye've got time.
After they left Clavell's office and made their way back to their classes, Brian tried to focus on the schoolwork, but his thoughts kept straying back to what Clavell had told them. There was one thing he wanted to do before they returned to Johto, and that was something he wasn't going to leave Paldea without doing: he had to get his hands on a Pawmo, or its pre-evolution. Speaking of which, he really needed to see if GRAY had managed to update the Pokedex to include Paldean Pokemon, so he could do some research on where Pawmo and its evolutionary line could be found. He found that he could no longer focus on the classes, so once they were done for the day, he went to find an attendant and give them his answer. This done, he made his way back to his dorm and went to bed, thinking of what the next day would bring.
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Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2023 6:44 pm
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Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2023 10:53 am
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As Clavell arrived and silently walked to his desk, each of the four had a profound, deep understanding of the greatest existential threat of all. It wasn't delusional, maniacial "heroes." It wasn't world-ending threats, not by means of Ultra Beast or heat death or what have you. It wasn't even the fear of your friends and family meeting untimely ends in any manner of ways that might come to mind. No, it was being told to go to the director's office and have someone staring at them in either indifference or like a disappointed parent. Not wanting to assume what Clavell was going to say, they each waited for him to speak first.
His initial words didn't instill much confidence that this was going to be a pleasant meeting.
"In my defense," Sol remarked. "I- wait a second. Old myths?" He thought back to last night and how he wanted to confirm he wasn't misremembering one of the myths. "You mean those might be real?"
"Okay, yeah, the music was a bit much," Aden conceded at the remark about unorthodox battling styles. "But most of us fought fair. Other than Reno. But I'm not sure fair's a word he knows."
"Gonna just echo what Aden asked earlier, what did you all DO in Naranja yesterday?" Cera asked, feeling like somehow she was one of the only ones to not cause some sort of trouble.
"Look, we slipped up yesterday, but that doesn't mean-" Amaranth cut herself off as Clavell continued speaking, not wanting to interrupt him further. Finally, when it was mentioned that he'd forgotten to bring up other paths to graduation beyond simply attending classes, all but Sol would have something to say about it.
"What."
Sol, on the other hand, couldn't help chuckling as he crossed his arms and waited for Clavell to explain the paths available to them. "I feel like I should've said something myself," he added. "But last thing I'd want is to give information without making sure it still held true. Though, in our case I guess we don't need this given under the guise of the academy's Treasure Hunt. Unless that's a bygone era?"
Shortly after that was when another path began to be mentioned, and the clicking of the office's door locking gave enough context to tell each of them this was information staying behind closed doors.
After he finished, Cera couldn't hide the incredulous look on her face. "...you're telling us," she spoke up. "To keep our standing with the alliance. We have to do the thing that put them at odds with us in the first place." Much as she wanted to sigh, the whole thing was oddly funny. Even when a vacation's attempted, the team can't avoid business. "Whatever, I'm sure we'll have our answers for you tomorrow."
---
They'd each return to their classes after that, not missing much by the looks of it. But the dismissal for lunch came quickly too, the four of them taking a table to discuss as they ate.
"So, what're we thinking here?" Aden spoke up, finding the silence of the others and the ambience of other students deafening. "Because... I was kinda thinking about going for the gyms."
"Going for an encore of Johto?" Sol asked. "I'll admit, it's the path I took the first time here. You remember the badges I showed you, how I said I'd eventually show you the region they were from?"
"Yeah, they spurred me on after everything in Ecruteak... so they're Paldean badges?"
"Of the time. I really wanted to get that Champion rank myself, but I fell short of the goal."
"Well, what's stopping you now? You have like, infinite time kinda."
Sol fell silent for a moment. He couldn't say Aden was wrong, and the idea of giving it another shot had been on his mind almost as soon as he found himself walking through the academy's doors again. Clearing his throat, he'd try to divert the topic a bit. "A-anyways, if those myths are really true, I want to look into them. I was trying to check out a couple of books that I remember talking about them, but someone else has them for now. One thing at a time and all that. What about you, Cera? I know the academy must be a bit odd, even compared to starting out at the Ranger School off in Almia."
"I made the choice to do that," Cera spat back. "We got dragged in this, the uniform's weird-"
"You didn't have the same thoughts about the Ranger uniforms," Sol commented.
"Oh, yeah, I remember you really admiring the jacket," Aden added.
"...s-shut up. Besides, the weird part wasn't going there. It was trying to pass as a hybrid around people that didn't already know I was a Pokemon and would've probably kicked me out if they did. And they didn't have an instructor that seems like they really want me in his class."
"Oh, was that the one who followed you to the field yesterday?" Aden asked.
"Yeah, him. He doesn't seem bad or anything, just... anyways, I'm not sure. I need to think. I can't see going after gyms and we'll probably already have a few heavy hitters helping Ms. Raifort. Any ideas, Ammy?"
"Uh!" This whole time, Amaranth had zoned out concerning the conversation, caught up more with trying to search things on her SNAG than contributing to the discussion or eating the sandwich in front of her. "Sorry. I... I don't know, I'd like to see what the academy has to offer. I've gotta know more about these," she said, looking at the ball she stashed the hammer in and the other artifacts that weren't likely to have anyone worried about exposed weaponry. "Ms. Raifort knows about Channelers herself, and I'm sure she isn't the only one. I want to find out everything I can and I'm sure the team's library would have a lot of stuff, but... maybe learning from the academy would be nice."
"Right, if you ever went anywhere like this, you wouldn't remember any of it still..." Cera replied. "What about that, by the way? Still no luck?"
Amaranth would just shake her head. "Not really, since that time in Citadark Isle..."
"In that case... Cera, whatever you decide, I'm sure it'll be fine. Worst case, I'm sure Sub would appreciate the help in his 'studies'," Sol spoke up, keeping the topic about Team Star as hush-hush as possible. "The rest of us can finish classes for the day and handle sign-ups. Oh, and Amaranth? Turns out that Rock Channeler you and others dealt with in Galar's a student here too. She helped us out with that Klawf yesterday."
"...o-oh." Suddenly, Amaranth had a feeling her introduction yesterday was even more in poor taste than before. "Guess I can finally get her artifact back to her. And ask her about it, see if she'll confirm what I heard at the port."
"Er, I've got one more question, dad, if you know. The director said about there being a Champion rank? As in, more than one?" Sudden as it was, Aden almost forgot to ask about that burning question ever since that was mentioned.
"Oh, right. The other regions generally recognize one Champion, something I always found odd by comparison. In Paldea, that title's treated more like saying they're one of the strongest trainers in the region instead of the strongest of the region. Most regions stick to the Indigo League's interpretation of the title, since even if one attains it, they're given the option to decline and let the current Champion retain it instead. Though I'd wager Blizzard knows more of the inner workings of that league, given his status- if anything, I imagine I've largely said stuff already known."
"Huh..."
Though talks would go on slightly longer, eventually the bell would ring and send everyone back to their classes and eventually sign-ups for the path they opted to take. Despite taking more time to think, Cera still didn't have too much of an idea, wondering if she could just make a last-minute decision in the morning. For now, she'd be the first to retire to one of the dorms... and immediately lament how plain it looked compared to her room back in HQ.
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Posted: Sun Oct 01, 2023 12:40 pm
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Tsuki the Lunar Wind Slam.Falling backwards from the sudden impact of running straight up into the man from the other day, Tsuki took a moment to recollect himself after suddenly finding himself on the floor. Usually he was more careful than this, but the jumpiness and lack of sleep must have had him on edge or something. He was fine by the time Darts had more or less brought him back to a standing position, and the boy was scratching the back of his head in a ‘haha, my bad’ kind of way. “Oh, hi! Yeah, sorry about that, and no fire I was uh…” The boy looked towards the hall that led in the direction to Director Clavell’s office. “I was trying to actually catch up with you guys after the announcement.” He admitted, definitely not intent on mentioning that he had only needed to run over here was because he had zoned out for a good minute after Clavell’s call for them to go to his office. “Actually. I don’t know if you were a member back then,” Tsuki said, having missed the hybrid’s encounter with the Renegade. He might have actually met Darts once or twice before the hybridization. “, but I used to be a member of Team Snagem about three years ago. Then I got arrested and my parents shipped me out here.” He crossed his arms as he remembered that day. It was supposed to be a fun little trek across Kanto to earn some badges and make a bit of a name for himself. The result? One badge, a whole lot of family drama, and a few years of agency just gone. Looking back at the hybrid though, Tsuki wondered if he’d believe him. It wasn’t like he had a SNAG on him anymore to prove that because the damned things bricked themselves when tampered with. Hm. He guessed he could list off some of the bad guys he remembered scuffling with from back then if needed.
"Announcement?" Darts asks, shifting his eyes back and forth. "Boy I hope that's good news, let's get in there!" With that he yanked the young student (and himself) into the office to hear the announcement with the others.
SubonicXP In time Clavell would show up, the door to his office swinging open and the uptight man stepping in, almost marching to his desk, not so much as glancing at the gathered Snagems to acknowledge their presence. Once he made it to his desk he slowly pulled out his chair, sat in it, and inched it back up to his desk. Interlocking his fingers and resting his hands on his desk he finally gazed upon the Snagems, sitting there for seconds longer in silence. All this no doubt worried the Snagems, they'd been in trouble plenty of times before and this seemed like another one of those times. Sub stood in front of the group and returned Clavell's stare. -- Looks like the Snagems had some thinking to do. For now they had class. (Your next post can just detail the rest of the character's day and their eventual decision in what path they are taking. New threads will be posted soon for after you declare what path they are taking.)
Darts listens to the various declarations of people and their paths in a row. Despite all of the options, each somehow was more confusing and uncertain than the last. The Victory Road path, while interesting, was something Darts had already done - winning a couple sets of gym badges in his time wasn't outside his comfort zone and on top of that going down that path had the potential to lead him into conflict with hidden unknown interests that might anger the Dragon Clan. Academia had never been the gambler's strong suit, but maybe that was the best option in order to hone up his weak points. In the end, he decided on the Path of Legends. As a legendary hybrid himself, he had to walk the path named after him. He was always looking towards the past in order to figure out what that meant for the future, and armed with the information he had revealed to him in the void between worlds maybe that would help him put those demons to rest. Speaking of...
Blizzard120 I then perked up, taking note across the field and stared in a little surprise. Doc Owl made his way through the doors and started his way for the bleachers. I had to admit, with all the going-ons between the Snagems since class started and with him cooped up in the medical department, I nearly forgot that he was here. “So, how goes the vacation for you, Doc.” “Oh, relatively uneventful.” Doc stated. “I do say, however, the poor girl in the office is something else. She has been trying to get a teaching degree to be part of the teacher faculty here, but apparently has failed every time she took the test despite her best efforts. It’s not that she doesn’t know the material she’d be expected to teach, its actually…teaching it. She tries to keep in good spirits, but the Ralts and Hatenna that she keeps in there with her are too overly perceptive to it and are really messing with them. I’m seeing if I can’t try to help the young girl as I am here. Speaking of being here, I’ve heard about the team having a meeting with Director Clavell today.” “Yeeaah, its what we were talking about before you showed up. We might all be out here for the long haul depending on how this goes.” I said. “At least for some of us.”
He sidles up towards the Blizzocule, almost awkwardly hovering at the margins as he listens to Blizz and Doc Owl discussing the current state of his vacation. He was waiting and hoping to go unnoticed long enough to catch the good doctor and get a bit of a private word in. |
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