Mr. Hyde

Team Showdown - Skuldafn Cave "It sucks." Isole agreed, making Taiga nod her head. However, jumping in shock realizing it was as if the girl had yet to leave her side. "I think Scarlet is stuck. Might as well keep going though." "Yeah, yeah." Taiga grumbled. The inside of the temple was nearly empty. There were stone columns all around but beyond that there was just a single structure near the middle of the room. Steps that led up to a platform overlooking the area. The floor in that area itself also seemed somewhat different. There were a large amount of massive panels in an almost perfect square. There seemed to be one panel missing and, looking closer, the panels seemed to make up some kind of image that was broken apart. Looking at it put a huge smile on her face. "Hehe. Bingo." She gave Isole a wink. "If you've been a treasure hunter for as long as I have, you see your fair share of tests in a dungeon. You take some stones and make them look like a Kabuto and bam, you're falling through the floor. So stand back Isole, Taiga's got this!" After what seemed an eternity of sliding the floor around, Taiga stood up. She was sweating and panting. "It's not gonna take too much longer! Even a Mankey could do this, given enough time!" It took another eternity before she fell flat on her back, her breathing heavier than before. Her voice quivered, as if almost on the verge of tears. "It's not fair! It's not fair! This puzzle is so hard and stupid! Why do the dragon's have such a dumb test!" She was throwing a tantrum on top of the puzzle, slamming her fists into the top while kicking her legs. "This is annoying! Where the hell is chrome dome!"

"Suppose that's a decent move. Unfortunately for you Bellsprout doesn't have to be fast to fight. Now, Bellsprout, vine whip, straight line!" The vine shot sneakily from Bellsprout's body, shooting right through the rings of static that Mareep had made. Instead of making contact with Bellsprout's body, the Mareep instead tackled head first into the attack, getting whipped in the face, causing him to veer off course and miss his target. Oswald smiled at the fact that the Thunder Wave would eventually hit. The trade off of landing paralysis on an opponent would outweigh getting hit by a singular vine whip. "That was a pretty straightforward strategy, but you're gonna need a lot more than that if you're gonna have a chance of beating my partner and I." Archie turned to face the Bellsprout he had missed, and baa'd in agreement. "If we can't get up close without getting whipped, we'll keep you at a distance instead! Archie, light him up with a Thundershock!" Archie's fur buzzed, as it gathered enough static to shoot the small bolt of electricity at their opponent.

"Jeez." Misu groaned. "How much longer are they going to make us wait?!" She tapped her finger on her arm, looking to the girl beside her as if she had an inkling of an idea of how long the wait would be. The girl put her hands up in a defensive gesture, flinching back. Just then the wall adjacent to them lit up with a screen. Ms. Hitotsume's wily grin contrasted the seemingly expressionless Sharp Shogun. Seeing their teacher's faces on the big screen made Misu's stomach feel uneasy, and that grin wasn't helping any. "Wait no longer students! The time for part two of your exam is right now!" The screen transitioned to a rapid slide show of each pair of students, eventually slowing down to a crawl. On Misu and Lily's screen, that wannabe magician's face came up, along with another student she didn't seem to recognize. It must've been his 1-A partner. Misu grinned. "I know you lucked out partnering up with me, but we really lucked out going up against that dweeb." Misu laughed. "He ain't nothin' special." Lily made a dissatisfied grunt. "We. Are. All. Special!" She stomped the ground with her foot. "And Kibo is no slouch!" She stuck a singular finger in Misu's face. "Rule number one in the hero industry is to never underestimate the opposition!" Misu stared at the finger, and then back to the girl. Her eyebrow twitched, as she went to chomp at Lily's finger. Lily recoiled, as she let out a frightened squeak. The 1-B student could only laugh. "It ain't underestimatin'!" She stretched her arms out. "It's just a matter of facts!" Across all the other rooms, the displays read differently, but it was clear who was fighting who. Valerie and Pip v.s. Yuuka and Yuri Hibiki and Rock v.s. Yuudai and Kabo Herc and Rei vs. Suda and Suzume Diana and Miku vs Katsurou and Perry "And now!" Ms. Hitotsume's voice came out again. "Let's set the stage!" The background of the screen now flickered intensely with many different sights flashing behind the faces of their opponents. It slowed down after a moment, only for it to land on the visage of a snowy mountain peak labeled 'Tundra'. The floor beneath them rumbled intensely. It felt like the whole room was moving with them in it. Lily lost her footing, and fell on her knees from the intensity. Once it died down, the screen that had shown their opponents faces fractured apart. On the other side, the would see the other two. Across all the other rooms, it would be the same. Valerie and Pip v.s. Yuuka and Yuri (Soccer Stadium) Hibiki and Rock v.s. Yuudai and Kabo (Swamp) Herc and Rei vs. Suda and Suzume (Subway Train) Diana and Miku vs Katsurou and Perry (At Sea) "The objective in this competition is to either incapacitate your opponents, or place a pair of dummy Quirk-Neutralizing handcuffs on them." Two pairs of handcuffs were presented to both sides. Misu pocketed hers. "Yo, Magic boy," Misu taunted, "You want me to knock your lights out, or you wanna get cuffed? I'll at least let you choose!" "Yoshino-San! That's rude! You remind me of Omashi." Just then, a cold wave of air hit them, as the room started to tremble once more. Snow seemed to be blowing from what seemed to be the ceiling, as the top of the room had indistinguishably changed to that of a stormy winter sky. Misu's screen seemed to jump from her body at the sudden arctic blast. She was definitely not dressed for the occasion. "This is bad." Misu warned Lily. "It'll take my Quirk a little more time in these conditions to work...we might be at a disadvantage here after all." Lily seemed to smile at that fact. "Serves you right, huh!?" Lily teased, triumphantly. "Whatever! Let's just make the first move!" Misu roared. "I'm gonna send you dweebs flyin'!" Misu went to leap, but her muscles hadn't absorbed enough steam, so she went with a rather direct approach. The snow was hampering her movement somewhat, as she rushed towards Taro. "Grit those pearly whites, Magic Boy!" She said, as she launched a punch towards him. Meanwhile, Lily began to grow many feet taller, as she started stacking her legs ontop of one another.

Team Showdown - Skuldafn "Lord Rayquaza doesn't often speak of such matters. Not...directly. But I did know someone would be coming. I just expected different. Perhaps one of the Disciples. But I suppose there are few of those around these days..." He continued on. "Lysa, start on some food. Make plenty. Once these three are finished they will need it." "Finished with what?" Taiga asked, a hint of nerves emanated from her voice. The elder then led them towards the area they had seen from atop the hill. Where, in the side of a mountain, a circular slab was embedded. On it was carvings of strange, reptilian, beasts. And standing in front of the carving was a muscular Gijinka. An eight foot tall Haxorus. Who didn't so much as flinch as the elder came up with the group. "Keeper. The time has come. These three are to enter the temple." The Haxorus didn't move. But his eyes flicked to each of the group. His brow furrowed and a frown appeared on his face. "Who are you eyeballing, bub!?" Taiga snapped, shaking a fist at the Haxorus. "I know it seems odd but times have become dire. Lord Rayquaza himself has sent these three. I know not what he's thinking but he knows what he's doing." With a slight nod the Haxorus turned towards the slab and, muscles bulging, shifted it to the side. Behind the slab was a hole. With darkness that seemed to stretch on forever. Isole floated up to it, trying to see inside, as Taiga shook a bit from the sight alone. "Can we get some light?" Isole asked. "You will not need it." "Might as well, I guess." It made Taiga happy to see the girl take some initiative. "Well look who put on her big girl britches today! Fufufufu!" Taiga prodded. "I ain't gonna let you outdo me though!" Without another thought, Taiga headed into the umbra. The place was mind boggling, as if the rules of the outside were nothing more than a big joke. Water hung in the air, along with random pieces of land. Stars glowed brightly around them as well, almost within hands reach, but fleeting if you tried to grab them. Even their path made no sense. It was as if they were walking on a beam of light. They followed it diligently. Who knows what would happen if you lost your footing. "What...in the world is this place?" Isole asked. She turned and suddenly stopped. Taiga did the same, realizing that they hadn't traveled any farther from the entrance. Despite having moved along this path for some time it was only several feet away. "What's going on. How have we not moved?" "Why're you askin' me!? This place shouldn't be allowed to exist!" As if to answer Isole's questions, the lights in the distance moved, forming blocky letters. "A single path can only lead to a single destination." "And this path ain't gettin' us nowhere, quick!" Taiga groaned, crossing her arms. "If this world doesn't make a lick of sense, then I'm gonna do the only thing that does!" Taiga turned towards the edge of the light they stood on, and stuck her foot out. "And that's followin' my gut!" Taiga stepped off the path, expecting another beam of light to catch her, but was unpleasantly surprised. Nothing was under her foot, and she sank like a rock into the abyss. She screamed, but realized that wouldn't do her any good here. She couldn't see the bottom to where she was falling, if there was even a bottom to this place. It took so much more falling until she finally got bored. "I hate this place." She grumbled, finally landing on something solid. For some reason she felt like she was just with Scarlet and Isole, but she had also been falling for so long. In front of her was a large stone temple. "I really hate this place!" She yelled, as she entered the temple.

"You're here to learn how to hunt monsters, and you're afraid of a jump!?" Slate looked over his shoulder to see a girl around his age. Her stature was a pale imitation of the hunter guiding them here, but it was leagues above what Slate was able to do currently. He looked at her in awe of how cool she looked, and he couldn't help but feel a little jealousy "If you can't find a way, carve one yourself!" Like a rocket, the girl took off, jumping off the side of the boat and making a clean landing to the same end of the pier that the other hunter had, albeit with not as much grace. Slate gulped. It was a flashy display...but would he be able to make it? "Ah, come on! It's easy! Follow me!" Just as he had heard the voice, he felt his arm being tugged in the direction of the docks. He was in disbelief, his heart was going into shock! Was this what it was like holding hands with a girl!? He'd follow this sensation to the ends of the new world. "LAST ONE TO JUMP IS A DEAD PRAWN!" "Yeah!" Slate shouted, only to come to the realization that the girl had made the jump, leaving him with all of his momentum at the railing of the ship. He hesitated, causing him to fly over the railing. His reflexes were sharp enough to grip onto the ships bow, however. He clenched his teeth, as he clutched to any sort of holding there was for him. It was incredibly hard, with the rain shooting pellets at his hands. With all of his might, he managed to pull himself back onto the deck. When he arrived, he noticed that everyone aboard had already jumped. Slate swallowed the lump in his throat, as the boat began to turn vertical. "No! No no no no no!" He fretted, getting a foothold on the railing, travelling all the way up to the back end of the boat, which now turned it's poop deck to the sky. The pier was just in reach, as Slate closed his eyes and rocketed off the railing in a straight line. He undershot the pier's edge, but managed to get a grip of it with both of his hands. He pulled himself up to the tip, panting and struggling after he managed to do it. He saw the ship as it traveled past the dock, and crashed straight into the side of the mountain, splinters spraying into all directions and into the sea. "That...that could've been me..." "A part of me wishes it was. That was a rather pathetic display, runt. Now get up before I throw you over." "I would, Ms. Hunter Lady...but I'm afraid I can't feel my legs!" The Hunter grunted, as he gripped the boys leg and dragged him to the end of the pier. "Well, looks like you all made it in one piece...well most of you anyways. Let us pray for the ones who didn't make the jump." After a moment of silence, the Hunter turned her back. "Well, no sense dwelling on the scum of the scum! Let's head in!" She turned around, and threw a finger to the sky. "Head's up Hunter Hopefuls! You're about to enter Rath's Peak Academy!"

"LAND HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" A crew member wailed from atop the crow's nest. Thunder boomed, the timing almost drowned out his triumphant roar. The sea was restless, as the storm above them churned the waves into something scarier than an enraged Lagiacrus. The storm seemed to never end, since they had left port from the mainland. The rest of the ship's seamen cried tears of joy, shooting their fists into the air. The journey to Alcoria had been a complete success! Although, one look at the haul of the ship would indicate that this journey had been quite the arduous one. However, the peril wasn't over yet. The dock hovered above the crashing waves, so that the crests seem to lick the underside of it. "All personnel," The captain roared. "Prepare to make landfall!" A collective 'Hurrah' rang through the ship, as they alerted their precious cargo to start hauling ass. Slate sat alone in his room, on the verge of losing his lunch, when someone kicked his door in. The hinges flew off, and the door cracked him right in the side. "Yo! Get your stuff together, recruit! We're about to make landfall!" Slate flung the door off of his body, only to give the man a confused, albeit still sickly, look. "What? Aren't we going to set anchor at the dock?" The crew member stood there for a moment, before bursting out into laughter. "Get yer' gear together, and get on the deck! NOW!" Slate jumped up from his bed, and did just that. He didn't like the sound of what was about to happen, but he was sure that everything would turn out alright. He hiked his Iron Katana over his shoulder, and his other belongings were stuffed into a bag. It was hard, and he hadn't really acquired his sea legs, but he somehow had made his way topside. His face was being bombarded with rain, and hail. His hair hung, drenched, in his face, as he swiped it back. There, he could see the rest of the students who had made the journey with him. Some of them were stumbling, as the ship rocked violently, while others stood there ground. Even some of the ship's crew had a hard time handling the motion of the ocean. However, the Hunter that had made the journey with them stood among those that were firm in their stance, even with this type of setting. It was so cool that she had that strength! He tried his best to keep still, but to no avail. The constant crashing of waves against the ship had made him fall on his ass at least seven times since he had gotten onto the deck. "Prepare to jump!" The Hunter roared, as the ship had found itself at the top of a cresting wave. The wave was travelling quickly towards the dock, but was quickly losing steam. "Jump." Slate squeaked. Suddenly, the crew member's laugh rung through his mind. "JUMP!?" He screamed. Before he could react, the lead Hunter had already, fluidly, burst into a run. She jumped onto the ship's railing, unfazed by the ship's rocking. As soon as her feet made contact, she once again bounded straight into the air. With the wind at her back, she made it to the complete opposite end of the dock with grace. "Jump now, if you want to survive! This is your entrance exam, newbies!" "Ah...so this is where it ends for me..." Slate crumbled into himself, clutching his sword.

Team Showdown - Skuldafn "Right, hand chosen...you were, weren't you." Her eyes looked over them with a hint of doubt. She was used to this glance, however. "As for his birth....I don't know if birth is the right term. He was created through the spirits of the world that Arceus gathered to form into beings. The great dragons known as the Creation Trio, as well as Lord Rayquaza. With them they bent the world into a form and gave it life. This place was the first that was made. And the first populated. We Dragons are the first people, you know. Everyone here is descended somehow from them. Supposedly there was another tribe formed off in the mountains. But they have since been wiped out." "So that's why he ain't got no manners! No one ever spanked him hard enough, huh?" Taiga put her hands behind her head and leaned back with a huge grin. "Well, I guess we're kinda similar like that, huh? Fufufufu!" She started to walk normally again, when she scratched her head. "So you're just gonna skip over that last part huh? Seems pretty strange that a whole tribe goes missing...ya'll wouldn't happen to be the cause of it would ya now?" It probably was a rude way to ask if they had committed genocide, but she was curious. After all, this place seemed very much holier than thou. "Your followers are not very talkative I see." "I do all the talkin' round here anyways! I gotta big mouth, and I only use it for three things! Eating, Chomping, and Yelling! Fufufufu!" After a bit more walking, they had made it to what seemed to be the Elder's residence. Lysa's knocking summoned him to the door, an old decrepit dragonite, hunched over in old age. "He sure looks the part." She snarked. "I have been told Rayquaza would send messengers. I cannot say I expected this." He looked at each of them. His eyes were sharp, but still friendly, as he gazed at each. "So very young..." "Well, we can't be all old and wise like you now, can we gramps?" Taiga said, placing a hip on her fist. "Rayquaza asked us to do some communing with you...you wanna tell us what that's all about?"

Team Showdown - Skuldafn Taiga waited patiently, as the Druddigon seemed to buy her story. Well...not that it was a total lie or anything. She tapped her foot, as she saw a Dragonair Gijinka approach the team. She was rather beautiful, and the guards seemed to take orders from her. "Lady Lysa!" The Druddigon said. "But, the elder..." "My father is communing with the spirits." the girl said. "I decided to come see the strangers myself." She looked at the three and shook her head. "Stand up straight, I will not have anyone enter our city bowing and scraping." With a gesture for the guard to remain at his post she started her way back up the steep path leading towards the mountains. Taiga stood up straight, cracking her back. "Thanks Lys." She said with a sly grin. As they walked past the guards, she couldn't help but swing them a look their way. She pulled her eyelid down, and let her tongue hang lazily over her jagged teeth. "Buh-bye, boys! Keep any low-lives you see out, would ya?" The path curved towards the right, then left, leading them between a pair of mountain peaks, until finally they ended at the top of a hill. From their position they could see the entirety of the city. All of the buildings were made of stone and were without roofs. The city itself was nestled between more mountains. Surrounded on all sides except for a single path by the menacing landmarks. From here, they could see another part of the city. It seemed to be a cliff face, adorned with carvings of ancient figures. It was truly a sight to behold. However, the uptight nature of these Dragons was quite the counterweight. "This is Skuldafn, it is a place that not many of non-Dragon origin have seen. I will bring you to the elder if you wish but remember. If you come here to cause any trouble even the weakest among us would be more than a match for any of you." She said with a tone that irked Taiga. "I'm sure, I'm sure." Taiga waved the suggestion of her being weak out of the way. "We were hand chosen by his Greenness for a reason you know. Don't assume I'll start trouble." She then leaned forward, looking up at the Dragonair with a wink. "Well...not too much at least. Fufufufu!" They seemed to be approaching a large building as they walked, probably where the elder resided. "So Rayquaza was born here, huh? Who were his parents?" Taiga asked. "I thought he was always in that dang tower."

"If your observation skills are that low it's your problem not mine. I think you'll find that we're getting plenty of experience. If you think you're so strong then it's my job to teach you a lesson." The boy nodded to himself, letting loose his own pokemon, a Bellsprout. Oswald bit his lip a little. This would be an awkward fight. "Alright, let's start this with Growth. Let's overpower this guy and move on!" Even so, he believed in Archie. "Growth, huh? You like to assure your own strength. But what good is it if you can't even move?" Oswald flung out his hand. "Archie, use Thunder Wave! Let's stop him before he can even make a move!" Archie baa'd, as the circles of electric energy all shot out towards the Bellsprout. "Now, stick close behind the Thunder Wave! Follow through with a tackle!" The Mareep nodded, charging behind the attack that it had already launched. "Overpowering my clever strategies, and my partner? That's one tough cookie you're trying to crack!"

One more ring of flames to go. She was panting incessantly now, as she took another swig of the water that was keeping her in the fight. She launched a roundhouse kick, boosted with her quirk, in a vain attempt to squelch the flames with the pure air pressure. However, the flames were too far away from her, as the merely danced with the breeze. She frazzled her hair, growing more and more upset. It felt like she was going to explode! "Wait..." Misu thought for once. Explode. She'd never thought of exploding...she'd only ever expelled her mist through her skin in lazy streams. But not unlike a tea kettle, if she kept the steam inside, and let the pressure build up...it finally clicked! She smiled to herself. "Not bad Misu." She stood in the center of the ring again. She visualized her body as a tea kettle, corking the spout shut. Her pores closed as tightly as possible. Nothing was going to get out. Then, she fired up her Quirk, boiling the water in her body, and letting the steam rise to the surface. With no where to go, it built under her skin. She grit her teeth, as she could feel the heat and pressure burst against her skin. "Not yet, Misu. Hold out for a little while longer." She'd need to do this as efficiently as possible...she really only had one proper shot at this. She'd reached her boiling point long ago, when she finally decided top let her pores loose, flexing outwards even, helping the steam escape at rapid speed from every exit it could escape. A loud boom could be heard in the room, as the steam erupted from her. The fire never stood a chance, as the wave of moisture washed over it, killing it in an instant. Her knees buckled, as she fell to the ground. Her mind was fried. It hurt like a bitch. The celebratory bottle of water emerged from the floor, a small reward for the giant task. Misu didn't turn it down, rather she gulped it down with all the strength she had. Misu looked to the door she thought she had come through. It didn't open. However, she could here the chamber depressurize from the other side. The door on the opposite side of the room had opened. "Good grief...what freakin' gives?" "Oh...did I mention there's another part to all of this?" The sly laugh at the end signaled that there was more hell to go through. She grabbed her coat, and swung it over her shoulders. She didn't even put her arms through. She walked through the door, only to be met with a similar room. This one, however, looked to be about five times as big. Across the room, she could see another girl...however this one looked rather dainty and frail. "Ah...oh dear...I'm sorry to intrude on you..." The girl bowed before Misu. Her eyebrow raised with confusion. "Eh? So what, do I have to kill you now?" The girl leaped back, her eyes widened with shock. "K-k-kill!? Are you a villain?!" The speakers turned on in an instant. "Please do not kill Ms. Orchard, Misu. For this next part of your test, you'll be entering mock battles with a teammate from Class 1-A. It's best to get to know each other immediately...we'll be opening the other side of the room soon." "Hm...tag teams, huh?" Misu cracked her neck. "Fine by me. She'd be too easy anyways." The girl across from her swiped the sweat from her brow, relieved at the fact that she wouldn't be fighting such a scary girl. "So...who the hell are you, and what do you do." The girl leaped back again. "Hello. Nice to meet you. My name is Lily Orchard." Her formal speaking was starting to piss Misu off. "My Quirk allows me to duplicate any part of my body at will, on any part of my body that I wish. If I make too many, it spreads out my nervous system, and doesn't allow me to react to things well." She demonstrated her quirk by making multiple arms and hands that extended towards Misu, in a creepy display. Misu knocked the gangly protrusion of arms aside, and shivered. The girl seemed off put, and retracted her limbs. "What is your name, and Quirk?" Misu looked to the girl, and tilted her head upright, screaming over her head. "The name's Misu Yoshino! My Quirk is Steam Engine. I boil the water in my body, and pump it into my muscles. And now it can explode out if I want it to!" Misu placed her hands on her hips and roared. "Pretty badass, right?!" The girl shook her head in agreement, but rather sheepishly. "I like forward to working with you Yoshino-san."

"I'm trying to tie this vine to this rock. Then when that... Machinedramon... comes in here, we can push this off and ram it with these, which will hopefully at the very least slow it down, maybe even knock it over." "Are you off your rocker?!" Todd exclaimed, throwing his hand to the side. "Fighting that thing is suicide! We're all gonna die here!" His fist rattled against his leg, shaking with fear. Pix looked at it with a strange look. "Are you scared, Todd?" She asked. "You'll just come back as an egg! It'll be okay!" Todd's head swung over to meet her gaze. "That's not how humans work, you idiot! We die. There's no starting over for us!" He looked back to the entrance, waiting for the monster to burst into the auditorium to kill them all. "We're definitely screwed..." He had reserved himself to his fate, when a voice wailed through the space. "AGUNIMON!!" Todd looked up, to see that another one of the students had transformed into some strange armored being. Pix gripped Todd's pants, and shook them with excitement. "That's the Legendary Warrior of Fire! Agunimon! He'll definitely save us!" Todd was too distracted by the sight, and stood there staring angrily. He was pitiful. A strange glow broke him out of his sulking, making him turn to face what was making it. Three strange devices, finding themselves in the hands of students that weren't him, shined brightly. They were obviously important, and he hadn't been able to grab one for himself. "Those are digivice!" Pix said, shaking his pant leg again. "They signify a bond between a digimon and their partner!" Todd looked to the digivice, and back to Pix. If only he had been a little quicker on the draw. Maybe their...bond...wasn't strong enough yet. Todd groaned, and picked up Pix in his arms, holding her against his chest. She struggled to get out of his grip. "HEY! What do you think you're doing! You're acting weird all of a sudden!" "Shut it." Todd grunted, pounding Pix on the head with a closed fist. "I'm trying to strengthen our bond." Pix rubbed her head, visibly on the cusp of tears. "F-f-fine." She gave in, and let her ears flop over Todd's arms. "We'll let the others handle this...and if we make it out of here...we'll get a digivice too."

"What sort of region do you think Korova will turn out to be? I've always wanted to try visiting someplace tropical like Alola, but I get the hunch this isn't quite that sort of region." Oswald rubbed his chin, contemplating on the question. "Well, what's stopping this area from being tropical? As I recall, we've had to take a boat to get to multiple islands...it'd be strange if it became any less tropical." "Hey, you losers over there. I recognize you, you were on that boat from the other regions too right?" A boy in glasses spoke. "Looks like you haven't been here long, are all the rest of the groups that far behind? We were just about to head out but what do you say we have ourselves a little battle? Since we're all here for the same thing why don't we find out who's the strongest right now?" Oswald looked around him, Kanon, and Naomi, only to point to himself. "Are we the losers?" Oswald smirked, as he rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, but I didn't seem to recognize you guys...you wouldn't stand out from a crowd to me." He sighed, realizing this was how it was going to be with most trainers from the expedition, as it were. He brought out Archie, who erupted with a cry. "If you're up to the task, by all means. Blazing through the region won't get you any experience, like the one's behind us!"

Team Showdown - Sky Palace/Skuldafn "I guess that might be nice if it was possible. But I don't think Captain would do it. He doesn't like being tied down to someone...it's why he ran off with Rayquaza's ship in the first place." She paused. "Forget I said that." Taiga's grin was as big as the sea. "No. I don't think I will. Fufufufu!" She laughed, into the night. The next day, they were summoned before his greenness once again. "This will be the most important of the tasks I've given you. I have no way of knowing how you'll be received or what difficulties you will face." He made a simple gesture and a swirling twister appeared in the middle of the room. "Enter and I will send you on your way. You are to go to Skuldafn, the land of dragons, and my birthplace. There you will speak with the elder and enter the Temple located in the mountain at the end of the city. Not even I have stepped foot inside of that temple but you must enter it, face whatever dangers you may find, and awaken the Legends slumbering within." "Yeesh. Land of the dragons? Hope they aren't as uptight as you are. Fufufu!" She bowed to Rayquaza, winking to him, before entering the twister with the others. When the swirling gale left them, they seemed to be in front of some sort of ruin. Pedestals stood to the side of one another, adorned by nothing in particular. In front of them, there were two Druddigon guarding what remained of the place. "Strangers, you have arrived unannounced in the territory of Skuldafn, turn around now and you will be spared." "I can't believe Rayquaza dropped us right in front of them like this. What was he thinking?" With the casual namedrop, the two narrowed their eyes. "You speak of Lord Rayquaza so casually? Either you are very brave or very foolish. What connection do you claim to have with the great Lord Rayquaza? Speak carefully, strangers, we will not tolerate any blasphemers." Taiga smiled to the two and waved them off, as if to say 'I got this'. She bowed before the two Druddigon and smiled. "We are but humble servants of his Greenne-...his Highness. He has demanded that we seek council with your Elder, for guidance with the upcoming battles he faces." It was the performance of a lifetime, and it almost made her empty the contents of her stomach. "As you could plainly see, his almighty Twister is what brought us to Skuldafn."

Misu watched as the circles of fire danced around her. She could feel her eyebrow twitch with frustration. The jacket she used as part of her 'Hero Costume' was thrown into the corner of the room. To avoid getting too hot, she'd taken it off. Taking the first circle of fire would be easy for her, but the more she'd blow out, the harder it would be to extinguish the outer rings. She took a breath. The heat had long since started making her sweat, but she wasn't losing as much water thanks to her quirk. If she didn't do something soon, however, she wouldn't have anything much to use to dispatch the flames. But if she could get rid of this first ring... "CHYAH!" Misu's anger was brought to the surface, along with a burst of stream from the pores of the exposed areas of her body. The constant spray of vaporous water was enough to combat the smallest circle of fire, quenching it without much hassle. However, letting loose a continuous flow of steam like that made her dehydrated as hell, even with her ability to quickly absorb some of the moisture back into her skin. Her quirk was better at keeping the water inside her body, not letting it out like a super soaker bargain sale. As soon as she was about to bark at her teacher, a square tile from the room's floor peeled back, and a bottle of water rose from the abyss. Misu quickly grabbed the bottle, and started taking small sips from it. She could feel the water rushing to every cell in her body. It tingled a little bit, but she was used to the feeling it. Hell, she kind of even liked it. Once the bottle was half empty, she put it down on the floor. She cracked her knuckles, and prepared a wide stance. "CHYAAAAAAAAAH!" With another yell, her steam came out once more. This time, her steam lazily pushed against the ring of fire, evaporating as if it hadn't even tried. She stopped, as she saw her efforts with her technique were futile. She took another sip of her bottle, while visualizing every pore in her body. She could feel them open and shut, by her command. If she was going to do this, she'd need to do some quick training.

As Kanon would have it, she lead the trio to the Mayor's office. Oswald slammed a fist into his hand. Of course! If anybody could do something about that weird statue, it would be a figure of authority, like a mayor! He reprimanded himself, whilst at the same time silently giving props to his teammate. "We figured out why all those Skrelp gather up in a dangerous spot. There's this strange statue under the water that they seem drawn to. I'm not sure what can be done about it, but that's why I wanted to let you know." "Ohoho, is that so? I had an INKling that there was something going on there, ohoho!" The man said, leaning back in his leather chair. "Sounds very FISHy if you ask me, OHOHO!" A laughing fit soon followed which was cut short by a coughing fit which ended with the mayor being red in the face and teary eyed. "Oho no." He muttered. "Well, in any case, that sounds like a job for the Professor, not me! I have to run this city I don't have time to mess around with some kind of historical thingamagic. That kind of stuff is up to the League and, well, what with the Champion gone missing I suppose it just will have to be put on The List." "Well darn...and the professor is all the way across the shore." Oswald scratched his head. They came to another dead end. "Well then, it looks like we'll have to find the champion. If he's gone missing, then that can't be anything but trouble!" Oswald thanked the Mayor for his time, and decided to head outside. Once in the open, he scratched his chin. "Maybe I should've asked him about Team Phoenix..but he doesn't seem to knowledgeable of the goings on around here." Or was he just Ignorant. Oswald sighed nonetheless. "We should probably just start trekking forward again. I'm sure we'll find someone who knows what to do."

"Servant, Lancer will be your opponent today!" As Lancer dashed to close the gap, a wide grin couldn't help but creep against his cheeks. He hadn't partaken in a duel in quite some time, that he had almost forgotten to parry the attack aimed for his center. Saber gripped at his hilt, and drew it in an instant, his sword clashing against the staff with a clang. Her power was great, as he could feel the reverberations run their way up his blade, to his hilt, and straight into his arm. This would be a truly great warm up for the war to come. Taking a look over to his Master, he caught sight of her magic. At first, he stared in awe, only cringing slightly at the sight of how spooky it seemed. It must've been only a second he had taken his eyes off the battle, but it would be rude not to give Lancer a greeting as well. He turned back to meet her fiery gaze and smiled. "And Saber, yours!" With some effort, he deflected the attack entirely, and adjusted his blade to be in a more favorable position. "¡Vamos, Lancer! Let us dance!" Saber retorted, stepping towards her and thrusting his sword at her chest.

As each of the student's entered their own room, Ms. Hitotsume couldn't help but let out a giggle. She walked down the hallway, past all the training rooms, and made for a door that hid itself at the end. Inside was a microphone, and several monitors. They had various angles on each student. They seemed eager to get started, so she sat down in a wheeled chair that rested before the microphone. She pushed her glasses up her nose, and cracked her knuckles. One by one, she would give each of the student's their own designated task. "Ufufufu..." She laughed ominously, as she bent over to grab the microphone. She tapped a button, before her voice rang in their room. Misu paced around the room. Her patience was starting to wear thin, as she figured the other students were trying to figure out whose room was whose. Well, whatever they were doing, it was probably a better idea to psyche herself up for her test! What would she have to do? Destroy some concrete?! Destroy the whole room? She didn't realize, but her muscles had pumped themselves full of steam at the thought of letting loose. She let her eagerness get the best of herself, as she ran up to the opposite side of the room, and launched a wicked punch straight into the wall. A loud boom could be heard, but the room didn't even vibrate. She retracted her fist, revealing that the wall hadn't even been so much as scratched. She flipped her hair, and bit her lip. "Tch...not like that was full power or nothin'...just testin' the waters!" She rattled her fist in the air, her teacher was probably watching. As if on queue, a speaker could heard turning on. "So strong, Ms. Yoshino!" Ms. Hitotsume's voice purred through the speaker. "Would you like to test your strength against an actual object?" With a grin, Misu pounded her fist into her palm. "Hell yeah! Gimme the strongest thing you got in here, and I'll shatter it to pieces!" Laughter could be heard before the speakers cut off. It was only a moment before Ms. Hitotsume came back. "Ms. Yoshino, darling, we'd be here all day if that were your goal...actually...maybe it'd be forever. You aren't getting out of this room until your task is complete." Misu looked to the way she came back, only now noticing that the exit wasn't even visible anymore. "What the hell kinda training is this, teach?" She growled. "Don't worry dear! It's just motivation. I'm not that sadistic." A flash of light erupted from the floor of the dark room, prompting Misu to shut her eyes. When she opened them back up again, she could feel the heat of a roaring fire around her. She was circled by a blazing wall of flame. "What the?!" Misu jumped at the sudden sight. "Your task today will be simple...just put out the fire that surrounds you." Eventually three larger rings erupted outside of the initial ring around Misu. "Or should I say, 'fires'." The teacher laughed again. "For every ring you extinguish, I'll give you a bottle of water to drink...but if you use it to try and put out the fire, you'll be expelled from U.A." Misu grit her teeth at the ultimatum. "How am I even supposed to do that?!" Misu roared to the ceiling. "Figure it out...heroes always find their way out of a pinch." Was all Ms. Hitotsume said, before the feed cut off. This time, she didn't come back. Misu looked to the ring of fire surrounding her. Her brow was already starting to sweat from the heat. "Damnit..." Misu groaned. She looked at the fire surrounding her, and then to her open hand. Clenching it tightly, she grit her teeth. "I'll get out of this damn room!"

"Hey. Are we done now? Can we go to bed yet?" "Yeah, yeah, sleepy head. We're done now." He conked her on the head with a light fist. "But no going to bed yet. Don't you know what time it is?" "You kids sure are something. Hey, I've got to head back to the shop. Be sure to bring the equipment back before the end of the day. And hey if you want to bring more Poke maybe you'll find something else to get your interest." With a wink, she strode off. Oswald couldn't help but scratch his chin at the last thing the Clerk had said. "Is she...selling herself?" He thought allowed. He shook his head, not continuing that trail of thought. "Why am I so wet?" Oswald looked to Naomi, only to shake his head again. "We were in the water, remember? You should dry yourself off before you get a cold." It was like he was a babysitter. This wasn't supposed to be part of his investigation. After a moment to let everyone to dry, he continued. "Anyways, let's go back real quick to return the stuff we borrowed...don't wanna keep lugging it around with us, now do we?" He smiled, before taking hold of Naomi's hand. "C'mon! It's this way, remember?." If he didn't drag her around, she'd surely get lost, or caught on another hook. They returned the gear promptly, and left once again. "Is there anything else here for us to do, Kanon?" He looked at the girl. "I was kinda wondering what else that clerk lady was offering, but you can take Naomi wherever." He didn't dare look beside him. "She's asleep, isn't she?"

Monster Hunter, Babe Slayer

Team Showdown - Sky Tower "I...don't be ridiculous." Isole muttered, not looking in the girl's direction. It kinda stung, but Taiga thought that would be her answer. "You can't possibly care that much. You didn't know me that long...you'll get tired of all this soon anyway." "Doesn't matter how long you've known a person! What matters is what ya've been through together!" Taiga grinned, lifting up her meat into the air. She lowered it to take another bite before responding to the other part. "I'm a Sharpedo, you know? We don't tire out easily! We gotta keep movin', or we go bonkers! Fufu!" Her feet waddled close to the surface, kicking up some water towards Isole. "I'll never get tired of this!" "Why do you want to get rich, anyway? Not that it matters I guess." Taiga crossed her arms, as she pondered the question. What did she want to do with all that money again. She thought long and hard about it. "Well...at first, money was a means of survival. Money bought me food, food filled my tummy, and I wouldn't tie with a full stomach. Growing up alone...it was rough...and money was hard to come by as a little Carvanha...but I got by. Either with people's generosity, and stealin'..." She looked up into the steamy lights. "That's how Taiga the Terrible was born. Stealing all the time got me into fights...fights got me stronger. If I was stronger, I could steal more." She laughed. "If I was the strongest, I could steal all the treasure from Kyogre, and never go hungry again." She looked back to the water. "But ever since I started chasing...with you and chrome dome...it made me happy. It wasn't the money any more." She smiled. "So maybe, I can give all the money to Gijinka who were like me!? Scared and afraid in the world, not knowing where their next meal came from! If I can make a place where they feel strong and full, I think that'd make me happy!" She rubbed her hands together. "And then, I'll have an army of terrible tyrants at my beck and call! That way, we can get even more money! Fufufufu!!!" She settled down after laughing a bit. "It's just an idea that popped in my head some time ago..." She rubbed the back of her head. "And if you'd ever wanna help me run a place like that...I could definitely use some help...Maybe your sisters and Captain too!"

"Whatever it is, it's probably what's drawing all the Skrelp here." Kanon's answer was short and sweet, and made a lot of sense. It was an obvious depiction of a Pokemon too...it gave him an off feeling. "Heck if I know." The clerk responded. "Looked like some kinda religious thing. Kinda surprised that there's something like that that no one's talked about. Makes you wonder how many secrets we still don't know...Think I could charge people to view it? Ooooh I bet I could make it a tourist spot. But maybe we can cut some corners on that bit." "As long as you give tourists a disclosure and get a signature, probably..." Oswald said. Although, he kinda had a bad feeling about this girl doing such a thing...maybe it would be a test for upcoming trainers? "The real question is what we should do now that we know it's there, right?" "Huh? Do something? Nothing to be doing I think. Could give the Professor a call. She might wanna take a look. But not like we can take it outta there." She paused and seemed to notice something. "Hey does your friend usually do that?" Oswald looked over to see Naomi's face inches away from the waters surface. He shook his head, as he swam over to her, and used whatever momentum he could to get the girl back in a proper position. "Seriously?" The question prompted to Knight. "The current probably rocked her to sleep, huh?" He shook his head, as he pushed the girl's inner-tube towards the shore. "Well, probably best to get away from whatever that thing is, huh? My head still feels kind of light."

We are live as an OOC people!

"Passion is great! Excellent! Every hero needs it. But beating him down here isn't heroic in the slightest. Even if you don't care about being a hero, well, I do. You can do what you want but when I see someone aiming to beat down someone not doing anything wrong." She pounded her fist into her open palm. "I'm not gonna just sit by you know." Misu's grin was wide as she looked at the display. "You know I've wanted to have a go 'atcha! That ain't nothin' but a temptin' offer!" Misu said, mirroring the pose, as a puff of steam erupted from the collision. "That's cute and all, repeating the things you see on television, but I think you forget that one of our classmates is in the fucking hospital because of what 'you thought was right'! You don't get to throw a pity party for yourself after messing up like that and someone calls you out on it!" He stepped up to Yuudai. "And you certainly don't get to punch someone in the face because you don't like what they say!" He then turned to Misu. "And you. Why are you even here? You clearly don't want to be a hero, all you're doing is giving us with actual purpose a bad name." He said, shaking his head. "If all you care about is beating people up, you're no better than a villain. The fact that they let you in is an embarrassment!" "What do you know about me?" Misu turned to him, rattling her fist. "I got my reasons! And I ain't gotta explain nothing to you!" "At least one of you has some sense of how brutish this whole situation is." He said, before he started making his way towards the bus door. "I've had enough with you all. If there's anything in those heads of yours, you'll stay here." "Second...I didn't throw a pity party, as you claimed Suda. If you want a pity party, watch a soap opera. Third...I punched you because of one reason. That being: I refuse to have my actions be criticized, especially by another Hero in Training. If I want to be criticized, I'll wait until the media talks about how I've done something...after all, they're great at that..." "Huh?" Misu looked at the boy with a dumbfounded expression. "Geez...you got somethin' you wanna get off your chest, loser?" She sat down in her seat, and kicked up her feet. "And I thought I had anger issues...when I punch people, it's for a good reason! Heh!" She snickered, before letting her hat cover her face. "Now, wake me up when we get back to school." In about an hour, the bus driver had returned with Suda in tow. It was an awkward ride back to the school, but they had to take it to get back home. “I am blessed to have the chance to become a hero, sensei. I don’t think I would be able to embark on this journey if you had not showed us the path,” Katsurou said, pausing for a moment before continuing, “I hope you and Scarlet Skeleton will be able to work together again.” Spring Lock could only laugh. "I don't think so, kid." He perked up at the thought of something. "Oh! Don't worry about me telling the school what you did. I'll just report that we couldn't find anything in the forests besides animals. We don't need you all getting kicked out for thinking you did the right thing." He then turned to Katsurou with his hands pressed together. "Also, please don't tell the others I said any of this! They think I'm cool, right?!" "Do twins usually have Quirks that are related somehow?" "It's likely. Quirks are, after all, just something genetic correct? And there's no two people in the world more genetically similar then twins, so it would stand to reason that their quirks are similar if not the same." Ms. Hitotsume's fingers shot in the air. "Bingo! Bingo! That's exactly the case. Your genes have all the impact on what your quirk is, so it stands to reason that certain lineages will contain certain quirks! Twins would understandably have extremely similar quirks!" She winked at Yuuka. "You've been studying hard, I see! I must be an awesome teacher." "Haha, well hoo wee too bad some of us have quirks that can't really get better am I right my lads?" "Oh?" Ms. Hitotsume purred, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sure I can find a way to..." She licked her lips, "push you to your limits...I'm sure of that." "Right!" The little bat girl responded. "Like, um... hmmm... like Herc! He's crazy strong, and sturdy too! He can stick to walls too, and is really big. It doesn't get much better than that, right? He really hit the Quirk jackpot! Dunno how it could get much better than all that in one bundle." "Bingo! Right again! Herc is very strong! However," Ms. Hitotsume took a pen out of her purse and scribbled on a napkin. She showed the student's a crude drawing of different beetle species, "Herc may have abilities even he isn't aware of. If you think you know everything about your quirk, then you are dead wrong." She crossed her leg, as she sat back, looking at her drawings. "I'm sure you've done this and that with your quirk thinking that there's no way it could do more. But you're dumb kids. You probably tie your shoelaces the same way everyday too. But there are so many more possibilities if you put your mind to it." A waitress came to the table and placed the bill in front of Ms. Hitotsume. "Do you accept the National Heroes Bank card here?" The waitress frowned as she shook her head. "Riiiiiight...run for it!" Ms. Hitotsume instructed her students to follow her onto the bus. "Send the bill to U.A.!" She laughed, as they boarded they all boarded the bus. A few days of boring classes had gone by, enough time to give the kids with major injuries some time to rest before returning. For Misu, it was hell. All she wanted to do was punch something. After school, she was too busy studying to beat up the local gang members. She stared at her math homework, frizzling her hair at the thought of calculus. "Why'sa hero gotta know this stuff!" She roared. Everyone in the house could be heard hushing her. She scribbled down her answers furiously throughout the night, pounding away at her calculator. The next morning, she woke up with major bedhead, but tamed it as best she could. On the news, another lab was broken into. Misu rubbed the back of her neck. Was it that one dude's fault? Her father could be heard typing away, saying that these lab break ins were certainly suspicious. "What's even more suspicious is that we haven't heard about hero activity surrounding it! I smell a conspiracy!" "Just make sure that story sells, pops..." Misu sighed, as she walked out the door. The walk to school was annoying, as thugs could be seen snickering at her uniform. If she pummeled the crap out of them, she'd just be late again. And if she was late too many times, it'd probably spell a suspension, or worse. She groaned, as she grit her teeth and bore it. Once she had arrived to class, Ms. Hitotsume greeted her. For once, the lady was early. Once everyone had arrived, she clapped her hands. "Alright you bums! I know you're all excited for what I have in store for you today!" She started writing on the board in rather large letters. When she was done, it read 'Extreme Quirk Testing'. "I've only gotten a taste of your quirks, and how they function! But today, I want to see you go all out! So let's go!" She lead the students to a facility separate from the school. In a creepily white building, there were multiple doors that lead into a dark room, lit only by neon green lights on the wall, and blue light on the floor tiles. "Here we have the Training Facility! Virtually indestructible rooms where we can simulate many different scenarios! State of the art technology, all at my disposal to tortur-I mean train you!" Ms. Hitotsume stuck a tongue out at the students. Misu could only smile, as she always had wanted to go all out like never before. Thugs broke too easily, but if the stuff in that room was indestructible, she could really let loose. "Now please select a room, and we'll get started with how far we can push your quirks!" "Hell yeah!" Misu pumped her fist in the air, before choosing the room closest to the students. She walked in, and was greeted with the cool neon lights, before the door shut behind her. The air compressed as the door closed, making quite the seal. Her toe tapped impatiently, as she waited for her specific training to begin.

Team Showdown - Sky Palace "I...don't know." Isole responded. "I've always just thought it was a place to be...until I left." She squirmed around in the water, as if to reply with just that, "it feels weird not having them around." "I know what you mean...I don't know what it'd be like without you guys either..." Taiga looked at her with a smile. "Do you feel the same way about me? About us?" She rubbed her arm a bit, looking down towards the water. "It's okay if you don't...maybe it was just a feelin'..." "As for Articuno it's just...I'm tired of fire." Taiga laughed, lightening the mood. "Don't worry! I'm sure she'll just throw rocks at you instead! Fufufufufu!" Taiga stopped, as Magearna started to talk about the next mission. "Well...I don't know for sure...but it's just..." She looked to the side. "I don't think we have much time. He told me that the Godslayers were getting more desperate and aggressive. They were so careful before about where they attacked, who they attacked, when they attacked. But they have increased their attacks recently. He believes that...we'll have to take the fight to them soon or it will be too late. Whatever mission he sends you on...I think it will be the last." "Well, we better enjoy what little time we have to relax until then, huh?" "Agreed!" Taiga roared, taking another bite out of her meat and chewing it with vigor. "We'll kick some major ass, save the world, and get paid!"

Story Welcome, Hunter Hopefuls, to the untamed continent of Alcoria! Here, you will be attending the newest Monster Hunting Academy, Rath's Peak! Built into the side of the continent's tall, cliff face, the school is bombarded by the waves of the ocean, and incredible trunades! Learning here will be no easy feat, but what better way to start your hunting career than to learn from such a harsh environment! Alcoria is still a mystery to the Research Commission, so they will be learning just as much from your studies as you! Our first investigation target? The World River, of course! A giant river that stretches two cities wide, and spews out the side of the cliff. It's said that this river is the only one on the continent, and Monsters from all around fight over the multiple territories that it flows through. As students attending here, you will be assigned a partner, and head out on missions at the behest of the Research Commission! With your help, however, maybe we can unravel the mysteries of Alcoria and the World River! Applications Accepted Apps Quest Board Monsterpedia