LordCowCow

Team JAA/AJA/AAJ

Professor Cedar looked over at Anneliese with a resigned expression. Having expected the girl to, like her companions, also have more to ask her. However as the girl was quite literally pulled away from the house by Jacklyn all that happened was Anneliese waved at her. "It was nice to meet you! I hope you are able to get out onto the grass more!"

When they met back up with Anima the girl was reading something that the professor had given her. After Jacklyn spoke to her Anneliese followed it up with, "Oh did you get a new book? It seems to be missing a cover though...is that how books are for people who can't afford the whole thing?"

"so there's nothing wrong or weird about a person being an outcast. Got it?" 

After Jacklyn explained the intricacies of outcastism to Anneliese she nodded along. "I understand now. Thank you for teaching me this lesson. Outcast is not a negative trait, I would never have guessed from the way my parents friends spoke of them!"

She grew silent as they made their way through the small town. The daycare off to the side drew one's eye, especially as there was a man out there seemingly chasing after some Pokemon that had stolen his hammer. However if they continued on past it it would be only a couple minutes before they saw the exit of the town and the start of the next route.

Before they got there however Anneliese had one more question for the two of them. "Jacklyn, Anima...are you two perhaps outcasts as well?"

Team QN

As the duo, hearts slightly heavier at the loss of a companion, bellies full of breakfast, and in one case pockets slightly fuller with a stolen Pokemon in tow, left the town they would quickly find themselves on route 102.

It was around the same length as route 101 however the road did seem to curve more than the previous. Despite the warning of the marshy ground it seemed that most of the route was fine. In fact it resembled the previous in terrain very closely. However at around the halfway point there would be seen a large marshy area where the route split in two around it. The center of said area was home to a large stone statue.

Notably as they took their first steps onto the route they would find that it was quite windy. Perhaps it just happened to be a windier day or perhaps the area itself was more prone to high winds. Whatever the case a certain balloon Pokemon would have to pay more attention than usual to avoid being blown off course.

However before they could truly begin their journey down this route they would see something else.

A girl coming from the opposite direction they were who seemed to be heading straight for them.

Fish, Fen, and Fun

If Fen had any idea what an aquarium was perhaps she would be surprised by how the building looked as they approached it. As it stood she had no reason to think it looked any different than any other aquarium however it still was a striking design.

The building itself looked to be a giant penguin statue. It was two floors high though evidentially by the digital map they could download inside many of the tanks and exhibits were actually underground. In fact the upper floors seemed to be mostly gift shops, employee areas, spots for food, and other such places.

After Kelsey paid, insisting on it without letting Fen get a word in otherwise, for their passes they were directed into a tunnel that gently sloped downwards and curved continuously like a huge spiral staircase without steps.

This tunnel itself was part of the exhibit. As the walls looked to be made of some sort of glass and they could see a wide variety of colorful fish on their way to the main portion of the aquarium.

At the bottom of the tunnel they found themselves in a massive underground room. Separated not by walls but by various rectangular and cube shaped sections of the same type of glass with different sea-life inside.

"So, Fen." Kelsey said, slipping closer to stand next to her. "I don't actually know what fish are like where you're from, but I bet there's plenty here you've never seen before. I remember last time I saw this shark that zipped around leaving a rainbow behind it. Think they called it a Neon Shark or somethin'."

Sabrina started up the steps but a nagging thought gave her pause. Should she wait for the others? What if they had gone the other way should she return back and find them? Sabrina had gone off on instinct without giving it much thought but as she took a few steps up she started to question herself.

However just the idea of going back sheepishly after having run off like that was embarrassing enough. She would have to explain why she had just left and, worse, explain that she had gotten nervous and turned back around. That was NOT something a true chosen one would do.

And so she continued up the stairs. After some time she noticed a door on the side leading off to the next floor but, shaking her head, she continued past it. "There is still more up to go and so up it is." she muttered to herself.

Once she reached the top and found another door she decided to open it up and step inside.

It looked like she was at the top of some sort of tower, perhaps of the watching variety. It was somewhat disappointing to the girl as she had expected some sort of treasure or throne room or perhaps she would find the room of a kidnapped princess, ignoring what she had been told of the lack of such things, but instead it was a fairly small tower that didn't have much in it.

Well, besides the hog-like Drengr that was standing in the middle of it and looking at her. The beast-man was holding a halberd and appeared to have been alerted by her having opened the door.

For a brief moment she considered just backing away and closing the door but then she realized that this creature might alert the rest. Which could cause problems for the others still inside the castle.

"Hear me, foul creature! You have the misfortune of running afoul of the legendary Draconis! Face my vast power and tremble!" Channeling her magic before her Sabrina dramatically thrust her hand forward and let loose a stream of fire at the beast.

The boar, having expected her to approach it, was caught by surprise as the fire engulfed it. It snorted angrily at her as it flailed about and dropped its weapon. The creature looked enraged, much like a feral hog, as it charged right for her with its tusks lowered.

Sabrina took a few steps inside as it approached and summoned her scythe. She held it low and met the boar partway, slashing upwards and to the right. Unfortunately the attack did not work as it did in the games as the scythe couldn't get past its metallic armor so easily.

Thankfully she avoided being gored but the boar did push her into the wall. Close enough that she could feel the heat from the beast's metal armor. Struggling, Sabrina managed to raise up a leg and place a foot on the Drengr. With a grunt and a "Get....off!" she used her wind magic. Instead of 'jumping' she pushed herself into the wall, which hurt but nothing debilitating, and she blasted the Drengr backwards where it fell, unmoving, to the ground.

I never watch things as they air so I won't be watching this season stuff for a while

Dungeon Meshi is the big one though. And the Oomuro-ke and Haikyuu movies. There's some others might be interested in both those are the "I will absolutely watch"

Damien was looking quite beaten up. He had taken several heavy blows in his reckless barrage of attacks. And yet he didn't have much to show for it. Lucas had a few injuries but none that seemed to be slowing him down much.

Still the swordsman continued to press the attack without concern for how well it was working. Though he was surprised when Lucas managed to knock aside his blade instead of having to dodge it. He was seconds away from being grabbed by the head and had to roll and tumble away to avoid it.

"Don't think I don't see what you're doing. All I need is a moment opening and this will be finished, boy, and then I can tear apart your new pack with ease."

Damien knew he couldn't waste time replying and simply went in again.

Pan was breathing heavily. His interference had just barely made it in time to help Ryia but he was certainly overdoing it. Having cast so many spells in such quick succession it was almost as though he was running out of air to breath. His vision went black for a moment and when everything came back into view he saw that Cym had been pinned down.

The lycan was battered. More so from the rocks out of nowhere that had struck him every time he nearly struck the girl but there were several scorched patches on his body where the girl had landed hits. Still he had kept the offense on enough that they hadn't been able to land a decisive killing blow and, despite being pelted by rocks, he now had the girl's throat in hand and was prepared to dig his claws into her soft flesh.

Suddenly something flew in towards him and he caught a gout of fire into his face. Snarling he blindly swung one arm and struck whatever it was, sending it flipping off to the side and saved from landing hard on the ground by a gust of wind from Pan. The instinctive spell taking the mage's attention off the lycan and Cym for a moment.

Madelyn and Keres had managed to slow the lycan down enough to stop his attack. However as it was only delayed it still pressed on. And this time the other lycan that had been approaching had caught up. Now Lindow was faced with a lycan coming from the front and back at the exact same time without any time to react.

They would have been upon him in moments, and even he wouldn't have been able to dodge all of their attacks unscathed.

However before they reached him Lindow saw himself covered in a dome of light which the lycans crashed into. The beasts howled in pain as they hit the solid light but it seemed to only enrage them as they brought their claws down against the barrier.

It shattered soon after and the shock of having her spell, which had been hastily constructed and forcibly created, destroyed in such a manner seemed to cause the girl to pass out.

Keres reacted immediately, sending a small wave of water to knock the lycan behind Lindow off its feet. However she wouldn't be fast enough to stop the wounded lycan from attacking again with claw and fang.

Team JAA/AJA/AAJ

“I'll... get out of your hair then, ma’am,”

Anneliese leaned in towards Anima as the girl backed off. "Excuse me but is there something the matter?" She asked. "Did this woman cast some sort of spell? You seemed to be having trouble with speaking properly..."

The girl's attention kept being torn from concern over Anima to curiosity of what the woman and Jacklyn were talking about. Eventually though Jacklyn asked something that drew the girl's attention and she stepped closer.

"well, uh, what's a 'professor' then?"

This, too, was something she was wondering. She had heard the term, and had met Sinnoh's professor, as well as the young woman who was meant to eventually take his place when he retired, but he didn't actually know what it was that they did.

This woman seemed as confused by the question as Jacklyn was asking it. "Huh? I...wait really? Can't believe I'm explaining...well, whatever. We research Pokemon. Usually with some specific focus in mind. For the record mine was the culture of Pokemon. But really that's just a fancy way to differentiate between us in general we all do more or less the same things...well, we're supposed to. For instance I raised the Pokemon used to give to trainers starting out and made sure that the Pokedex was updated for this region." She sighed. "Pain in the neck that was, computers are such a hassle..."

She paused as she glanced at Anneliese. "What is it? You look like you've got something to say."

"Oh, well it's just...." Anneliese blushed a little. "I suppose I am simply surprised. I thought outcasts were all short bearded old men or gruff woodcutters or wicked witches with pointed noses and weirdly colored skin..."

The professor stared at Anneliese for a few moments before simply replying, "huh?"

Team QN

“We will keep an eye out for Team Phoenix. But if the champion is missing, how can Pokémon challenges be completed? I would hate for my and Nathaniel’s journey to be cut off so soon.”

"Oh sorry did I worry you! No no that's not it at all. See, our Champion used to go around making sure things were running right and without them, well, things are a lot more hectic these days. But the league still goes on. It just operates like it did when choosing the first champion I suppose. I don't know all the details, never been much for gyms and the like, but if you can beat the Elite Four you can have a crack at becoming the new Champion. Boy, wouldn't that be something. Someone I met at the start of their journey becoming a Champion...." The young man's mind seemed to drift for a bit before an alarm went off.

"Oh! That's right, breakfast, don't want that to burn especially not after you two went outta your way to help. I'll get that set up right quick and you can ask me whatever you want." He glanced outside and shook his head. "I'll have to pack up some for Bobby, he's probably not gonna stop till he's fixed everything that got broke..."

And so the 3DS polls are over!

In 4th place, too much water, Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire!
In 3rd place, too much warping, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
In 2nd place, poor Zygarde, Pokemon X and Y

And in 1st place, it deserved more from me than one tournament and a world of fanboys, Fire Emblem Awakening!

Was interesting how dominant the game was honestly.

On 8/21/2021 at 5:54 PM, LordCowCow said:

I liked this game so I wanna try bumping it and see if it can get going again

A priest, a ghost, and an adventurer walk into a church...

The priest took notice when Lana brought up the dungeon and the monsters within. It seemed that something was troubling him about that. However that was when he noticed the fallen candles and turned his attention to that and he moved over to pick it up.

"I'll...pay for it if it's...broken...no worries..."

When Lana said this he turned back to her and smiled. "No, no need. It's nothing that important nor do I think it's damaged enough to replace." He chuckled again. "A church as small as ours tends to keep dinged up things such as these even when they are far more damaged you see."

He glanced at Anna and noticed the girl's eyes had been wandering off towards the back of the church, where the cemetery was, and he shook his head. "Anna, it's much to late to be playing around in there. You should be heading back home you know."

He paused and looked at Lana. "Well, after you finish talking with your new friend." He said the last word with a hopeful glint in his eyes. "Your mother has been waiting for you to return and I can only keep her from coming to drag you off for so long." Yet another chuckle followed.

The priest, after righting the candelabra, began to go again. He paused next to Lana and said quietly. "I appreciate you talking with her, just be careful not to put any dangerous ideas in her head." He smiled after and then, unless Lana had something to say to or ask of him, would continue on.

Even after he left Farah seemed to not return, and Anna gazed off towards the cemetery with her head tilted to the side.

3 hours ago, yui said:

 

This just feels so wrong. 8/10

Match ends 2/20 5 PM CST

Match ends 2/20 5 PM CST

honestly the best previews are the ones that don't give you information

Match ends 2/17 4:30 PM CST

Match ends 2/17 4:30 PM CST

Thessa looked down the hole where the ooze had fallen down. She couldn't really see much from where she stood. She thought about it a moment and looked around this level. Her eyes settled on a piece of rebar sticking out of the exposed concrete and grabbed onto it. With a heave she yanked the rebar as well as a chunk of concrete close to the end out of the floor.

Now armed with a makeshift hammer Thessa jumped down after the creature into the tunnel below. The sprinklers were on and Thessa noted that the creature had now grown in size. Blocking off the tunnel enough that if she for whatever reason wanted to try and pass it by she couldn't.

Still she could see the round objects inside the thing so she smiled as she approached. "Oh no more of it whatever will I do."

She hefted the rebar up like a baseball, said "Not much room for a home run but it'll work," and swung it at the ooze. She had almost forgotten about the man inside it until she noticed the ooze intentionally put him in the way of the hammer. Perhaps in an effort to block her from hitting another globule. It succeeded in protecting it. Sort of. The hammer struck the man and the globule both and sent them flying out the back of the ooze.

It wasn't perfectly clear but it was clear enough she could see where the two of them landed. She also could see that, as the water struck the globule, it reformed around the man into a second creature.

Letting out a breath Thessa shook her head. "Alright, well that'll be next then." She pulled the hammer back once and swung it horizontally at another globule. This time when she connected she continued the swing to push it off towards the wall on the right. When the globule hit the wall it was crushed between it and the hammer. When Thessa pulled the hammer back she saw the concrete portion was beginning to crumble and she decided to finish it off by hitting it against the floor and breaking it into pieces.

Hefting the rebar she laughed as she backed away a few steps. "How many sport events can I cram into today?" She held it up like a javelin and sized up the ooze.

It was hard to explain but instead of simply reforming the ooze looked to be tightening up and growing more dense as the water cascaded around it. With a sigh she realized she'd need a bit more power to pierce through and reluctantly let a bit more time slip away as she threw it with intense force forward. The rebar struck the globule and pierced it through entirely and broke the last of them inside this ooze.

Match ends 2/14 3:30 PM CST

Match ends 2/14 3:30 PM CST

Match ends 2/14 3:30 PM CST

Match ends 2/14 3:30 PM CST

Team QN

When they returned to the daycare they'd first see Billy, wringing his hands and looking out into the fenced in area with a nervous expression. A bit farther on, inside the fence, they'd see Bobby standing with his hands over his ears.

“Hopefully it is the one that was missing. The thief mentioned something about Team Phoenix and regret, but I only recognize the latter of those things and I do not regret anything about this morning yet besides that it happened at all.”

Billy jumped a bit as they suddenly showed up and turned with a smile. "Oh, good. That should calm her down right quick." He frowned. "I heard of Team Phoenix, but usually just around bigger cities. They're a nasty bunch who think they can do whatever they want just cause no one can stop em all." He sighed. "Ever since Champion Hannah went missing....." he sighed, then shook his head. "But enough about that, y'all should go get that egg to Bobby. Oh and try not to listen too hard."

When they got a little closer they could see the Magmortar. It seemed to be trying to stay awake and struggling to do so. The cause seemed to be the trio of Jigglypuff who were standing around it and singing gently. But even as they watched they could see the Magmortar was trying to shake it off.

Kelsey read over Fen's message again as she impatiently waited for someone to let her in. It made her laugh the first time and it made her laugh this time too. She wondered why it was that this group had caught her interest so much. They weren't the most recent group since hers had arrived. Perhaps it was that their first meeting was a fight or perhaps it was because she was reminded of...

"oh, welcome Kelsey." The girl gave a polite bow saying, "I'm glad you decided to meet up with me today. So uh, did you have anything in mind to check out? Oh, I also just finished with breakfast but you're welcome to anything as well." 

"Yo!" Kelsey responded and walked in without prompting. "I already ate something but I don't mind eating something else too, I was always told I burned too much energy so might be good to pack more in ya know?"

“I’ll see you around,”

"Not having a girl's night then?" Kelsey said. "Well, laters!"

Kelsey made her way to where the food was and began to grab some herself. "As for what I had in mind, there's so much to do and I don't really know what you like. Could go watch some fights at the Arena, or go play some sports, maybe beat up that Adonis guy a couple more times..." She paused. It hit her that all the things she listed were physical or sports related. "Hm." She looked over at Fen. For a moment she imagined someone else standing there, teasing in a subtle way about her choices, and a nostalgic smirk crossed her face for a moment. "Do you maybe wanna go to the aquarium or something?"

Melissa's search for a temple brought her to something unexpected.

It seemed there were four buildings that could be described as a temple. At the north, south, east, and west of the city. Each of them also apparently served as transporters that could send someone to the other layers of the city.

The building itself, whichever she had gone to, was long and oval shaped. With a domed ceiling that had several of some sort of narrow spires sticking from it. The entrance was open, there were no doors and only and open doorway, and she could walk in without problem.

Inside she'd see a long hallway and a tall ceiling, twelve feet from the floor, which had no lights. The only lights seemed to come from open blue flames that were in nooks every half a dozen feet which were between closed doors.

The hall itself was wide, enough for four or five Melissas to walk side by side, and about a dozen people were passing one way or another as she entered. At the far end of the hall, which was quite a ways away, it seemed to open up into a large room.

There were three figures that stood out. Because they were wearing electric blue robes with their hoods down and the lower half of their faces were covered in dark blue masks of some sort of hard material which had scales etched in and seemed to have fanged mouths over where their normal mouths would be. One was standing near the end of the hall, another was walking from door to door and occasionally stopping to let someone in and the other seemed to be checking the fires.

28 minutes ago, yui said:

 

cute?

Bit short for a song but, 7.5/10

Match ends 2/11 3 PM CST

Match ends 2/11 3 PM CST