#After Lysandre's plan fails...

[kuruna]

i keep thinking about a team flare AU for Xanthos... I think it would have to happen in a scenario where Xan and AZ don't have a bunch of coincidental reunions over the years, where the last time Xan sees AZ until the modern day is when AZ exiles himself 3000 years ago. And because his anger and bitterness towards his brother is still so huge and difficult to deal with he's willing to help Lysandre with his plans though his goal is different (in X it would be "if I have to be punished with Immortality so does everyone else" in Y it would be... Well... "If the ultimate weapon can grant Immortality maybe it can also taketh away and I can finally find peace in death" which is... kind of grim to think about but still 😭)

And thus a scenario where AZ isn't really angry with his brother at that point (Saddened? Definitely. Disappointed? Most likely. But not angry...) despite everything. But Xan is angry and he wishes AZ was angry too because because his Calm Acceptance at this point in time just makes Xan feel even worse. Something like that!

[leggerefiore]

I think itd be hilarious if reader was kidnapped by the evil team leaders only for them to realize reader has SEVERE stockholm syndrome

guessing this is a yandere request...? I added volo

cw: yandere, dark content, kidnapping, uh bad ending ig in a way lol

characters: Cyrus, Volo, Lysandre, Giovanni

🌌Cyrus🛰

☄️ There was nothing but immense shame over his actions on his mind. This was a pitiful submission to woeful human emotions – He wanted to be rid of them, yet the thought of you escaping him made his stomach churn painfully and left him with worse insomnia than he already faced. It was a sickness – A genuine physical ailment that plagued him. His actions were pitiful. He despised them. But, having you in his grasp eased the harsh feeling that ate at his heart otherwise. You were safe. All the irrational thoughts that had plagued his mind faded. He could close his eyes for but a moment and finally rest. When you awoke, he was certain there would be harsh reality to face, but for now, those sickening emotions – his disgusting spirit – were at ease. He swallowed. Something in him dared allow him the ability to lay at your side. Your presence alone was enough to lull him into the sweet confines of unconscious.

☄️ When he awoke, it was to a weight on top of him. His heavy eyes opened. His arms had wrapped around whatever laid on top of him. Warmth soaked into him in a way that felt completely foreign to him. His gaze focused on what was on top of him. You. Your eyes were open and staring into his own bleary ones. Your hands were still bound carefully, but somehow, you seemed not at all bothered by your current situation. Cyrus quickly regained himself and moved you back to lay beside him. A whine came from you as you whined about not being able to cuddle with him properly. What were you talking about—? You should have been horrified, yet you looked more upset that he dared stop holding you to himself. He swallowed. Something was wrong here. You kept whinging so genuinely about wanting to go back to cuddling.

☄️ Soon after, your behaviour showed no faults or waning. You simply acted like this was some kind of normal relationship. He was out of his mind about the whole thing. It was illogical – You should have been afraid and angry, yet you clung to him and treated him like a normal partner. Even when left unmonitored and unbound, you never tried to flee the apartment. It was beyond his understanding. Truly, it should have been everything that he wanted, but the lucidity of the situation made accepting it nearly impossible. You seemed confused about why he questioned you when he did, simply stating that you only loved him. In the end, he supposes that this, too, must be an effect of spirit. His main worry then becomes what will become of you and himself when he finally succeeds in removing spirit. Assuredly, then, you would stay with him even still. It only seemed right.

💫Volo���

⭐️ He felt nothing for his actions. Was he aware they could have horrible consequences? Certainly. Did he care? Perhaps, somewhere deep down. The merchant felt almost certain that he would get away with it. You were an outsider like him. The Galaxy Team would have a few common searches before ultimately giving up and deeming you AWOL or likely dead. He hoped for the latter, but he had failed to set up a proper scene to help better lead them to that conclusion. His decision to take you had been made entirely on the fly. Not his best moment, but he supposed his careful planning, coming into danger alongside you threatening to abandon him, set him off in a way that he had never truly felt before. Simple desperation had consumed him. You had been dragged off to a remote, hidden area of Hisui. It was unlikely that anyone would ever find you, nor would you get away.

⭐️ When you awoke, he had expected you to shout, scream, and attack him, but you seemed to relax instead. He thought your behaviour was strange. There was a chance that you were doing it in order to force yourself to have better control of the situation. He would scoff at that. You were bound quite carefully and in an extremely remote area. Your pokeballs were also taken by him. You were truly st your weakest point. So, when you smiled at him and asked what this was. He felt his mind break a bit. Your smile… Was this manipulation? He pondered what your game here was. Unlike you, he would not allow himself to relax. Whatever act this was… Your seemingly genuine affection and acceptance… He would see through it. Volo was fully aware of many things.

⭐️ … Except how genuine you were being. Your apparent affection and love for him never lessened, nor did it seem forced. Your feelings were genuine. He was bewildered by this. Even when he tested you by leaving you unbound when he “left,” you simply began to household duties or wait for him to return. He was astonished by this. This was not at all what he predicted, but he was supposed to were not the worst possible things. Your genuine love… He could only smirk. Taking you as he had felt so useless now… It was clear that you were not going anywhere. Those foolish concerns felt completely far off from himself. It was easy for him to lose himself in it all. His perfect world… He could feel it so closely when he was with you. The blond could not wait to truly make it a reality. Your shared love would only grow stronger there.

🔥Lysandre🍷

☕️ It was not his best moment. Not by far. There was a part of him that burned with shame, while a larger part simply accepted that this was just how things were going to have to be. He had become frightened. Your refusal to join Team Flare – and even daring to attempt to flee from him – was driving him to extreme lengths. Losing you, such a beautiful and perfect being, was not an option. So, he used his connections and secured you quite easily. His Lumiosian apartment was soundproof, so there was little concern for anything. It was kept carefully locked, too. You would be safe here until he finally used to the Ultimate Weapon to create a perfect world. He would have all your needs and wants tended to, yet he would absolutely make certain that you could not dare escape from him. That was simply something that he refused to accept. Whatever disgust he may have felt for his own actions had to be cast aside in favour of your believed best interests.

☕️ So, when you awoke, he readied himself for curses and threats. The worst would come before the better… Yet, you did not. Your eyes stared at him intently while seemingly figuring out your surroundings. Then, you smiled. A genuine smile. One so sweet and loving that he found himself at a loss for words. What… was this? While Lysandre knew that his actions had been for your best interest, he had not expected you to feel similarly. Well, he assumed that was how you felt. You only asked that he unbind you. He did so, readying himself again for a possible violent outburst, but it never came. Instead, you hugged him tightly and mumbled out about your love for him. He was shocked into silence. This… This was not at all a predicted response – especially with how you had tried to run quite literally just before. Part of him remained on edge this was fake, but the other more desperate half just wanted all this to be real.

☕️ Naturally, he tests you to see just how real your actions are. You continue to shock him with how you genuinely seemed to be in love with him. He describes your behaviour patterns to one of those in Team Flare, and they note that you had likely developed Stockholm syndrome. Quite quickly, they added, but your behaviours did align. He felt disgusted yet contented that such behaviours had been drawn out of you. You still refused to join Flare, but he supposed that was alright since now he could protect you more directly. You would be following after him whether you wanted to or not – And you almost seemed to want to if it did not involve his group. He supposed that whatever feelings you held for Flare were pointless since you would be joining him in his perfect world. You were his lover, after all. That was something you had made more than clear in your constant demands for his affection and attention.

🚀Giovanni🐈

🟥 It was easy to arrange and done with little hesitation. Giovanni was quite used to taking what he wanted with little question. So when you, a trainer who started opposing Rocket, had denied him what he wanted. Well, he simply took matters into his own hands. It was a bit of annoyance having to deal with you constantly disrupting his plans and making him look weak to his underlings. You even had the gall to deny his offerings of joining his organisation, stating you were above his criminality. He wanted to scoff. Trying to run from him… How utterly useless that had been. You were taken deep into one of his safehouses as he debated just what do with you when you woke up. Screaming and crying would be annoying to deal with usually, but some part of him was excited to see you at such a low point.

🟥 That was not to come, however. When you finally woke up, you were a bit shocked, yes, but seemingly calmed down once you saw the Rocket boss. You struggled against the cuffs that trapped your wrists to the headboard. He cocked a brow when you asked him politely to unlock you. Giovanni only replied by leaning over you to intimidate you and threaten that you were not in a place to make demands. But, instead, you tried to rain up to meet his lips. The older man was shocked momentarily before chuckling. Oh, what was this? Were you attempting to fawn over a fight or flight reaction. Fascinating. There would be no complaints from him on such things. You could not pull a fast one on him, either. He would be careful to observe just what you were doing and why.

🟥 Though, he was stunned to see you never faltered. This apparent love you felt for him was real enough. You were insistent enough that he let you have some freedoms that he did eventually relent. When he finally did, there were no true escape attempts. At worst, you tried to follow him out whenever you felt that he had failed to give you adequate attention, but it was not really an attempt at fleeing and regaining your lost freedom. He was fully aware of what had happened to you. This was not his first time observing such a thing, but he supposed he quite preferred it when it was someone that he had an interest in over some random target that his group brought in for whatever reason. Due to your strong feelings for him mixed with your desperation to stay near him, it was not hard to convince you to take his offer to join Rocket this time around. Whatever oddities had brought about the situation, he could only be happy that it brought the exact results he wanted.

[wowwforever]

POKEMON EVIL TEAMS RANKED BY HOW LIKELY I WOULD BE TO JOIN THEM

Team Flare

I'm not wearing that suit and I'm not changing my hair. Lysandre is easily the fucking dumbest antagonist and if their plan is successful either they're immortal and I have to live with these losers forever or the whole world dies and I have to live with these losers until I die.

Team Yell

This entire team is centered around having a parasocial relationship with a teenage girl. Also British.

Team Galactic

Similar horrible haircut, bad outfit, and death cult scenario to Team Flare. At least they're like a semi-actual company. I could maybe just go bald and get a regular job after the Poke-government liquidates Team Galactic LLC. But I legitimately think this would be the least fun evil company to work at. Imagine stealing some kids Pokemon but you get chewed out by fucking Galactic Admin Uranus because you forgot to fill out the Paperwork.

The Lame Part of Team Plasma

Okay so to clarify these are the people that actually believe in the Team Plasma shit, which means I'd probably be spit on in the streets while wearing chainmail in New York. Why the fuck would I wear Chain Mail on the East Coast? Do you know how much rust there is? Also I have to become a ginger and worship some green manchild as a monarch. At least they're not a death cult.

Team Rocket

This one is just being a criminal. Like, yeah, you get to steal Pokemon but there's no real advantages except the free gray boots. Probably does not pay well and Giovanni leaving kind of sent them spiraling. Plus they have a lot of Koffings in an underground base so you know there's like lung damage galore. The R stands for Respiratory Distress.

Team Aqua

I don't like the idea of being surrounded by the ocean and I do not like boats and submarines. I would actively join this to sabotage their plan. Also every other evil team has an actual place to put their Pokeballs but this one it seems like the plan is to just shove it in my underwear? ???

Team Star

I haven't actually played Scarlet and Violet because I recently learned I can legally drink. I think this one is the equivalent of a school club? So I'm not actually getting paid to do evil shit. I'd probably just join, like, DnD club or something.

Team Rainbow Rocket

I'd join this one just because I know it's going to fail. I mean, it's got like four people who explicitly just want to end the world in different ways. I'm just gonna join and steal pens and shit until it eventually crashes in on itself for infighting. I'd wear my gay-ass R shirt every june in line with a P, I, D, and E.

The Cool Part of Team Plasma

Fuck yeah. This is the Team Plasma that knows the shit Ghetsis is up to. I'd love to be in on the scheme, plus I don't have to wear chainmail. Downside is I'd probably get murdered or have to murder to stay in, and they have the biggest shot of accomplishing their goal. But Ghetsis is hot so that's a plus.

Team Magma

This one is because there's 0.0% chance this plan will work but I get to just hang out in these cute-ass hoodies and pet camerupts all day. Look at that outfit, I'd wear that all the time. That being said, would probably have to be a field guy. Their location is in a volcano. I'm gonna get a call that says 'Hey all of Team Magma's leadership died' and I'd have to get a job at like Poke7-11 with a major gap in my resume.

Macro Cosmos

This hardly counts as a villain team because they're just, like, security guards for a company whose CEO goes a lil nuts. This is like if you worked for Virgin Atlantic and Richard Branson decided to summon Satan. No one can really put that on you. You'd probably get paid ridiculous amounts of money for essentially doing nothing. Con is you'd have to live in Galar.

Aether Foundation

Working for the Aether Foundation is like doing an internship at Bell Labs or whatever. The evil shit is probably fixed by the end of the game and I could just go back to researching Rotom electromagnetic applications and have that 'week where we tried to fuck up reality' be a weird company thing we brush under the rug. The con is they have all white outfits so I can't eat spaghetti at work. But even if I left I could probably just use Aether Foundation as a decent enough jumping off point for any career.

Team Skull

Genuinely this is just goofing off with a bunch of scummy weirdos. I can respect that and their outfits are thankfully not skin-tight jumpsuits, but main I'd join because they all kind of suck. With the most moderate competency I could run Team Skull. Also Guzma. He's pretty hot.

[mapleleaftag]

let me tell you why pokespe handled xy so good but the actual games were fumbled into oblivion.

the pokespe manga was NOTICEABLY darker than the game it was based on. that's kind of a given because the original story of xy(which involves a lot of player action) doesn't eggsactly translate well to manga format COUGH COUGH OMORI. modifications are going to be made to one, get readers in, and two, KEEP those readers. in this essay i will--

oh good you read on OK HI IN THIS ESSAY I WILL TELL YOU WHY MANGA GOOD GAME BAD IDK UMMM

and i think this shows most evidently in how the author handles lysandre, the games antagonist, and how it's done LEAGUES better than the games-- simply put, it's show vs tell. the thing about *game* lysandre is that he is supposed to be some sort of twist villain. professor sycamore speaks great about him, diantha is suspicious about him which is supposed to lead the player on, and most everyone outside of those two thinks of him positively because supposedly he's this really, really great guy who descends from royalty! now that i write this out he sounds like the ultimate nepo baby. but that's off topic

now this SOUNDS like a good idea for an antagonist, someone so idolized by the kalos region only to turn their back on it supposedly for the "greater good", so why bad, eggsactly? TELLING AND NOT SHOWING. the first two times you meet him, the first while you're leaving after meeting the pokémon professor, and the second with diantha in café soleil iirc, he takes the opportunity to go on long-winded, obviously sinister sounding monologues. plus he looks like a villain right off the bat so there's no actual room for suspicion. you can make the case these are kids games and this bad writing is to be expected but at least chairman rose didn't talk about the energy crisis and how he'd do anything to help the galar region immediately after loading up the game.

(also can i mention how WEIRD the diantha-lysandre interaction comes across now. like "oh hi lysandre! hi kids, nice to meet you, you might recognize me, i'm a famous actress--" "don't you want to remain beautiful forever diantha." "what")

tl;dr: game lysandre spells everything out, thats bad

ok that was on what makes game lysandre bad, what makes manga lysandre good?

SHOWING AND NOT TELLING! it comes with the acts of cruelty towards just about everyone in kalos that he ends up wronging in his quest to fire up the ultimate weapon, kinda like the games just with extra steps

for one, the fact that lysandre climbs the tower of mastery is removed, and instead HE HAS TO STEAL KEY STONES¹ TO MEGA EVOLVE HIS GYARADOS. he first tries to steal our protagonist, x's key stone, which fails, so he instead steals korrinas.²

second of all, his character comes across much more when he's able to be drawn with different expressions. the most we got in the games were his eyes opening and closing and stuff inferred from dialogue where he yells in frustration. the first frame he's entirely visible(and this is a running pattern with other media using lysandre) he looks IMPOSING. as if he were, in fact³, silently watching over the protagonists, calmly awaiting his perfect chance to strike and enact his plan without anyone getting in the way.

but this balances out because we get to see him act like a regular person, sort of! it balances out his actions of cartoonish evil(such as i think one of the first times he meets the protagonist group, where he NEARLY FEEDS THEM TO HIS POKEMON, but is only stopped by diantha appearing) with acts that show him how he presents himself to other people to maintain his position and social status as being beloved by kalos.

but what are the acts of evil in question? to name a few we get right off the bat

-he makes one of his head scientists brainwash a member of the protagonist group with a honedge and nearly makes her kill her friends JUST FOR X'S KEY STONE

-the feeding kids to his pokemon thing as previously mentioned

-his approval of the essentia project⁴ operated by one of his head scientists

still cartoonishly evil, right? but you at least have to connect in your head once you meet him that woah, this is the guy that's tried to kill x and his friends! he's really evil!

and then he dies but that's kinda minor

tl;dr manga lysandre shows for the most part and tells a lesser amount which is already a massive improvement. bravo pokespe

----

footnotes

¹ - mega evolution is reliant on two things. the mega stone, the thing held by the pokémon, and the key stone, worn on the trainer. he already had a gyaradosite laying around i think much as how he just has a charizardite x, key stone, and accessories to hold either stone for alain lying around in xyz

² - korrina is the 3rd gym leader you face, who teaches you about the tower of mastery(that you need to climb to be certified to mega evolve your pokémon) and is also like 15-16 iirc. where's that post from the gigaleak that explains the characters ages when you need it

³ - only given because i think bulbapedia phrases him like his intention in the games was to act as though he was metaphorically watching over the player's shoulder at all times, closely monitoring where they are. he does this by calling you personally. can you see why that's a little weird and not the best way

⁴ - "xerosic let me get this straight you want to take this small french orphan and brainwash her to do our bidding?" "yes lysandre" "shit sounds like a blast i'm in"

[jadeazora]

I have two headcanon versions of Sycamore: like, one's closer to canon in that he still thinks he can reason with Lysandre and is either kidnapped by him in an effort to spare his friend (lured in by one of their usual coffee dates at Lysandre's Cafe and jumped by the grunts, and the raid doubles as a rescue mission with the Defenders of Kalos helping you), or he joins up with the player and double battles his way thru LysLabs with the player.

(Either option ends up with him, Calem, Serena and Shauna storming the Ultimate Weapon base so he can get the opportunity to try and talk some sense into Lysandre, but still failing since he's come too far at that point to stop between his Holocaster genocide declaration and raising the Ultimate Weapon. There's no going back to how things were before.)

The second headcanon version has tried and failed to reason with Lysandre at multiple points before the story really even begins, and realizes his friend has settled on that path and that he likely can't bring him back. He knows that he's not strong enough as a Trainer to take Lysandre down, but as a prodigy, YOU might just be the key to saving Kalos (even if it results in his ex-friend's death). He still knows it's pretty awful of him sending a child to fight under those sorts of stakes tho, so there's still a fair amount of regret there.

(Canon Sycamore still seems too naive even in Masters that Lysandre can be rehabbed, even tho it mostly comes off that Lysandre is just willing to be a bit more patient now while still being extremely dangerous, and still willing to bring about his ideal world by any means necessary. My 2nd Sycamore is more aware of how ruthless Lysandre is willing to be, and more aware of his eventual plans. The 1st headcanon is still kinda in denial/somewhat oblivious like he is in canon, but tries to be more useful after he learns the truth.)

[ethereousdelirious]

Feveruary Day 3. Caught in the Rain

Summary: Interpol is closing in on Malva, but a fever earns her some mercy

(Not a sequel to Day 1 I just like writing about Malva)

Malva stubbed out her cigarette. Each inhale stung her throat and irritated her nose, which was already runny. She'd been sniveling like a child all morning. Cigarette smoke made Looker sneeze, but the game was no fun when she was sneezing too.

He shifted in his chair, the spring breeze ruffling his hair. “Miss Malva, are you quite sure you would not prefer to have this conversation somewhere more private?”

She watched the remains of her cigarette smoke dissipate into the air. Took a sip of her coffee. Pushed her glasses up. Lysandre had assured her— He'd sworn. “I don't have anything to hide.” And she sat back, opening up her posture like the petals of a flower. “So why would I need privacy?”

Looker ran a hand through his bangs. “Miss—

“You really needn't call me ‘miss.’”

“Malva.” Looker stared at her, his dark eyes hard and focused. “I fear you do not understand the position you are in.”

He paused and she sniffled, her throat still stinging. She understood her position perfectly. Interpol could dig as much as they liked, harass her, freeze her assets. They were chasing a ghost. Lysandre had been very careful. But Looker… He’d always been very honest, and his grave expression meant something. Malva forced herself to laugh. “Oh? Then explain it to me.”

“I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that your man Lysandre—”

“My man—” she began hotly, but Looker raised a hand to cut her off.

“Let me finish, please.” He paused, his face still somber as a grave. “You are thinking that Lysandre was very careful. And he was. You are thinking that he has left no trace of a connection between you and the individual he calls ‘Pachira.’ And that is true. However—”

“Ih'tchf!”

Looker reared back, blinking. “Gesundheit.”

Scowling, Malva dabbed at her nose with a napkin. The breeze danced across her skin, cooling it to the point of discomfort, and a little frisson of a shiver raced down her neck. “I'll thank you to stop wasting my time, pig.”

“Ah.” Looker went very still, his eyes large and dark and unblinking. “I can see that I am striking at a nerve.”

Malva's nose burned. “Ah'tch! Ih'sch!”

“I need to have this talk with you,” Looker said in a low, urgent voice.

The breeze pushed. Clouds blotted out the sun. Looker, for all his insistence, hesitated.

Malva sniffled, not looking at him. Sneezing had failed to dislodge the tickle in her sinuses, and her skin crawled with every gust of wind. The sky only darkened, and dark spots bloomed on the pavement— raindrops. Her nose burned. “Ah'chf!”

“Ach—” Looker ran both his hands through his hair. “You are unwell. We cannot have this conversation here. I knew this was a bad idea.”

Malva dabbed at her nose again. Each raindrop that landed on her arm stung like a puncture wound, and she made no effort to suppress the shiver that ran through her. “What do you suggest?” Better to get this over with. If Looker had any plans to arrest her, he would have done it by now.

He shifted, raising his palms to her. “I assure you, I mean nothing untoward. However, we are quite close to my office. It is also my lodging. It is a private building, and I have some medicine there that might make you more comfortable.”

“And after we have this conversation, I'm free to go?”

Looker pursed his lips. The rain poured down on them. He gave no answer.

—

Looker had tried to give her his coat on the way to his office. It looked surprisingly clean given its obvious age, and it had wafted a sweet cologne smell when he'd held it open to her.

But she'd declined out of spite, and now here she was, coughing and sniffling and dripping all over his linoleum entryway.

He sat her down in a kitchenette and handed her a tea towel. “I have acetaminophen tablets.”

She glared at him, pressing one of her damp braids in the towel. Of course he did. He had towels and a nice coat and acetaminophen tablets and tea and whatever else might make her move a centimeter closer to his side. She wouldn't. Like a wildfire, like everything Lysandre despised, she would take and she would destroy. “Give me two.”

Looker got her a glass of water and two little pills on a saucer. Her glasses tinted them pink. She lowered them. White pills on a white saucer.

“I do not wish to hold this over your head,” Looker said, squirming in place like a caught Caterpie.

Malva coughed. The heat of her breath stung in her nose and sinuses, made her eyes water. “Then—” she gasped, pressing her face to her arm— “don't.”

“You are unwell,” Looker said fretfully. He hadn't sat down. Even now, he paced to and fro in front of the little laminate table.

“Clearly.” Malva took the pills and snatched two napkins out of the holder. She dabbed at her nose. If she'd been caught, then she'd been caught. If the chase was up, so be it. “So make up your mind. Either say what you want to say, or let me go home.”

Looker sighed. He sat in one of the little chairs and leaned over the table, bringing his hand up so quickly that Malva had no time to flinch away before the backs of his fingers touched down on her cheek. His big, brown eyes sparkled with sympathy, his feather-light touch soothing some of the flames burning beneath Malva's skin. “We will postpone this discussion,” he said softly.

He drew his hand back. Malva exhaled through her mouth. “You're to keep— Eh'tsch!”

“Salute—”

“Oh— Just don't.” Malva sniffled and pushed up her glasses. Her body ached at the motion, each effort magnified by an astounding degree.

“I want to speak to you the moment you are well again,” Looker said. “Not a day sooner. And— If you will forgive my saying so, we are still watching you. We will know at once if you try to flee. Trust me when I say it is in your best interests to cooperate with me. Do you understand? With me.”

Malva sniffled. She scrubbed at her face, Looker's words ringing in her head with each pulse of her congested sinuses. Me. Me. Me. “I understand.”

“Good.” He rose and pushed his chair in. “I shall call you a cab.”

He walked away. Malva pressed her forehead to the table.

If she ever saw Xerosic again, she would kill him.

[crystalelemental]

Sorry buddy, I just can’t work for someone as incompetent as Giovanni. Like imagine having no actual long term business plan. Imagine comprising your life entirely of small, immediate goals, but failing the literal second after a momentary ploy succeeds. He took over Lear’s castle for like two hours before a fraction of the total force of Pasio drove him out. His henchmen were cooked to death by Lysandre so he could get Ultra Beast data, which was completely useless because his end goal was Hoopa. Speaking of, he got Hoopa and terrorized Pasio for like five hours that one time, but the split second they stopped Hoopa he just gave up despite having the UBs in his back pocket. He “got one over” on the other villain bosses, which did literally nothing for him except get them all to rally against him alongside all of Pasio. The only thing he won with his mega evolution was a no-stakes battle against some 13-year-olds. This is your boss, bro. A man who only has momentary successes, followed immediately with the proof of why those plans were bad ideas as it all goes to shit. These are the orders you follow.

[cipher-legal-and-ethics-dept]

Ok so. The bestie (shout out to @desertsportshipping) and I were talking about headcanons by other people that I saw floating around in a few posts I read, which mentioned Ardos and Eldes going to university. Now, in our verses we assume there is no university in Orre due to the general state of the region (and if there was it most likely wouldn't be good enough for our prestigious Verich boys), so we started wondering if Greevil could've sent them abroad. Gob suggested Kalos - which is brilliant because the Verich family has a connection to Kalos in my verse, but that's a story for another time - and then I attempted to be funny by saying that Ardos and Eldes hung out with Sycamore and Lysandre.

Well. Fellow rare pair enjoyers will know what usually happens when someone says "wouldn't it be funny if". Anyway, it occurred to us that it weirdly would make sense for Ardos and Lysandre in particular to have known each other (yeah, I kinda sorta immediately jumped onto a ship train again, but you can also make this a friendship arc).

Here's the thing. I feel like Ardos and Lysandre would vibe due to having similar interests and attitudes. They come from wealth (or at least have made it there), they're part of prestigious bloodlines (relatively speaking), they are in positions of power and privilege, they work with/for influential companies and they both have, as we are all aware, a bit of a dark side. Which is a cute way of saying they tried to commit mass murder.

The crux of their relationship, however, would be that Lysandre was still in his philanthropy arc while Ardos... well, I think he either was always like he is in XD - arrogantly disregarding the lives and wellbeing of others and all that - or has been for a long time. Eldes tells us a bit about how his views on things developed while Ardos doesn't, but I think this is a fair assumption since he appears to be almost fanatical and so deeply entrenched in the Cipher mindset.

As we know, Lysandre eventually becomes like Ardos. Maybe some seeds were planted then (I'm not laughing, you are), maybe he took inspiration. Either way, there's a beautiful irony in them most likely breaking up back then, only to end up in the same boat when all is said and done. The potential for doomed yaoi is great.

Doomed or not, there are some fun angles you could explore with this, some of which depending on what your timeline of the different games is. Maybe Ardos and Lysandre (if he survives) could reconnect post-XY and post-XD and actually become better together, seeing how and where they themselves and the other failed. Maybe Lysandre reaches out when he changes his mind on things, resulting in Ardos encouraging him to go through with his plans and later having to deal with the reality that he is partially responsible for Lysandre (potentially) dying, losing one of few people who ever loved him. Maybe they never reconnected, and Ardos later learns of Lysandre's fate and loses his mind; if this happens before the end of XD, it may have played into him giving up when Eldes convinced Greevil not to blow up Citadark Isle, and if it happens after, he may suddenly feel grateful that Eldes stopped him and at least get to reconnect with his brother.

So yeah, these are the thoughts so far. Definitely want to make something happen with this dynamic, we'll see~

I'm here to let you know that Ardos x Lysandre is a thing now and we will be calling it MassMurderShipping.

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk, will explain this later if I don't forget/people are interested

[leggerefiore]

any sycamore soft yan headcanons kicking around? tysm!!

randomly ended up in a Yan mood....

cw: yandere, manipulation, unhealthy relationships

Minors DNI

☕️Yandere Sycamore General HCs🥼

⌚️ To the Kalosian professor – bonds were something deeply important. Those between person to person and pokemon to person. He was utterly fascinated by how they played into Mega Evolution, of course… He had not quite expected to ever find himself so enamoured with another person. You… Someone who had come to him as a trainer with an interest in his studies of evolution. You had brought him many pokemon to study and observe. Nothing felt strange, you were simply a colleague turned friend. Though, something only seemed to fall deeper inside him when you two shared a late evening back and forth over a bottle of wine.

⌚️ His feelings changed. Your smile made his heart race. The professor was not unfamiliar with love. No, not at all. He was a romantic at his core, living up to whatever unwitting stereotypes came around about Kalosians. You were simply beautiful to him. The kind of beauty he felt his old friend would ramble endlessly about. He was desperate, perhaps egged on by said friend's sudden madness and disappearance. (Whatever logic could enter his mind when he considered the rubble survivability went out the window when he concluded the most obvious result.)

⌚️ You were far too precious to him. The horrible loneliness he felt after that event – Something he was too afraid to acknowledge. Many around him found his failure to prevent such a tragedy to be too much to forgive. You stayed, though. Your presence was a constant in his laboratory. The greetings you gave warmed his bleeding heart. He felt so lost. All he wanted to do is apologise over and over again for his failings… Then the turn on his research as others in the community viewed Mega Evolution as cruel to the pokemon afflicted by it. Your support became far too much for him.

⌚️ Everything was fine. You were with him. Your relationship changed. There was acceptance by you to fully embrace the romantic shift. You moved in. He was not alone in the dark of his apartment in the early morning when his thoughts haunted his head. Your body was there beside him. Desperately, he would cling to you and attempt to push the thoughts of his failures from his head – the eerie visage that haunted his mind of Lysandre lying underneath – He had to stop himself. You were there. Everything was fine. He was contented. Your body held against his own was an actor that he so desperately needed to cope with the guilt that suffocated him.

⌚️ Then… it came. You were a trainer. A talented one. A wonderful one. All day and night the professor would sing your praises. Where he lacked, you prospered. Your smile as you spoke about facing hard battles and coming out on top was beautiful to him. Though, it led to disaster. One day, he found you waiting on him to get back from a meeting he had with another researcher. You had caught his hands after he entered the apartment, grinning at him sweetly. You spoke; your words haunting him. An invitation… An invitation to compete in a foreign region's league. You were excited, ready to rise to the challenge. It would only be for the season, but he felt his heart drop. No, no, no… The last thing he wished for was to lose you. Even temporarily. What if something happened while you were over there? What if he was unable to help? What if you met someone…?

⌚️ It was then, he thought of something immediately. Tears welled in his eyes as he hugged you tightly. Desperately, he needed you to stay. You felt like the only thing holding him together. “Dear…” his voice was low, “… I… I was intending this for a better moment, but…” He fell to his knees, “Won't you marry me? I adore you far too much…” You seemed taken aback by his reply to your plans, especially as tears escaped his eyes. Though… You did not seem inclined to deny him. Nodding, he rose up to embrace you again. “… I… I want to get married before you leave… please…”

⌚️ One thing led to another – each time, your plans got delayed further and further until they were not simply feasible. First the wedding, then a proper honeymoon, then needing your help with his research. It all kept coming. You simply turned the offer down to aid your now husband. Though, slowly and patiently, you were finding yourself more and more annoyed with his demands. But, any time you attempted to protest, he would break down. Words about what happened to him and how he felt utterly useless forced down your feelings as you attempted to comfort him.

⌚️ Mentions of foreign leagues dissipated. It was far easier to keep yourself in the Kalosian league, working yourself into whatever position you desired most. Sycamore entirely supported you there, even tagging along to whatever part of Kalos you wandered off too. The memories of his less than stellar moments were forgotten in favour of the happiness of your relationship that was shared. Though, it went unknown just how much the professor truly adored you. Violence was not in his nature, nor was it needed. He wanted you happy, after all. Your happiness could be achieved in Kalos, alongside him.

[realm-sweet-realm]

Each of the Pokémon villains learn they have six months to live. How do they react?

Giovanni: the news that he’s dying puts into focus where he’s succeeded and failed in life. On one hand, he’s made Team Rocket much more powerful since he inherited it from his mother, having control of a gym among other things. On the other, he’ll most likely never have a positive relationship with Silver now, so he won’t be able to keep Team Rocket’s leadership in the family much longer. He always thought he’d have time once Silver was older and wiser. Ultimately, he wraps up whatever projects he currently has on the go, passes his position on to his wife, and tries to enjoy his wealth while he still can.

Silver: Silver is a tough kid and has had to be very independent, but at the end of the day, he’s 16, and this is going to hit him hard. He’d look for support wherever he could find it, most likely with his relatives.

Maxie: angry and terrified, especially at first, but makes pretty levelheaded decisions about it. Passes on his organization to a trusted underling and retires to spend time with his loved ones, get his affairs in order, and check things off his bucket-list.

Archie: welp, he has nothing to lose now, time to carpe some diems. Commits some dangerous acts eco-terrorism because he can, calls up Maxie to tell him exactly how he feels about him (whether that be love, hate, an offer to fight in a Denny’s parking lot, or all three), generally tries to fit as much life into his remaining time as possible before his health declines. He tells no one until late in the game so that his last time on earth won’t be full of pity for him.

Cyrus: was looking up “extend lifespan using legendary Pokémon” before he left the doctor’s office. Tells his team, but only in the context of “and that’s why we have to chain up Xerneas (or whatever he thinks will work) to make me immortal, it’s an annoying setback, I know.” Once that fails, he would struggle immensely to accept his death, both because he has lived a pretty unhappy, meaningless life and because it means that he will never see his goals come to fruition. Nonetheless, he prepares Saturn to take his place. His commanders make sure he doesn’t have to go through it all alone.

N: Utterly devastated. He’s so young... he’s experienced so little... there are so many things he wanted to do and see. Finds someone he truly trusts to help liberate Pokémon and prepares them to take his role, then takes Anthea, Concordia and his Pokémon and goes off to see what he can of the world while he still can. If he has to fight Ghetsis to do so, then so be it. His impending death would bring up all kinds of feelings of bitterness in him that he was denied so much and that so much of his short life was in service of Ghetsis’ lies. Nonetheless, he’d face death with a great amount of serenity.

Ghetsis: does not take it well at all. He’ll never take over Unova now and doesn’t care what happens after he dies, so he goes completely mask-off and abuses all the power he currently has to the greatest extent his heart desires, possibly causing Team Plasma to fracture or himself to go to jail in the process. Woe be upon any that are nearby when he chooses to lash out. Stops mentoring N or spending any time with him at all during this period.

Lysandre: like Cyrus, he looks into extending his lifespan by supernatural means, but he gives up on it faster. Makes sure that his team will be able to complete his plan without him, but not until after he’s dead. Why would he want to deal with the inconvenience of society being restructured if he won’t live to see it restabilize? Let everyone else deal with that while he enjoys the world as-is.

Lusamine: throws herself into her work as hard as possible to try and bring back her husband before she dies, probably to the point of making her health decline even faster. After she can no longer work, nihilego abandons her because she isn’t useful anymore, but the poison is still affecting her mind. Becomes even angrier and more demanding as her health declines, demanding that someone, anyone on her team find a way to prevent this.

Guzma: doesn’t tell anyone at first, but Plumeria realizes that he’s acting different pretty quickly. Makes sure that his beloved team, especially the younger members, will be doing well after he’s gone and that they will look after his Pokémon. They make sure to show Guzma the time of his life in exchange. He’s upset about dying young, but at least he’s made this wonderful organization where disillusioned people have found their place, and he’ll go out surrounded by friends. That makes him feel better about the whole thing.

Piers: withdraws and goes into a depression after hearing that he’s going to die. Teaches Marnie all he can about being a gym leader and generally spends time with her, puts a little work into some album he’ll never finish now, and puts on a good concert or two, but also spends a lot of time in bed, feeling guilty that he’s not making better use of his time.

Rose: handles it very well, all things considered. Steps down as chairman, gets his affairs in order, makes sure that Bede will be looked after, and enjoys all that Galar has to offer. Unleashes Eternatus towards the end as a very unwelcome parting gift.

[its-whitetomorrow]

OK, guys, but what if... assuming the episodes actually aired and the original plan wasn't immediately flashed down the toilet and put into jeopardy (with Ghetsis actually introduced as the mysterious leader of Team Plasma, the hero being mentioned and Team Plasma debut in their original uniforms). Whatever shape and form it would take, I doubt they would just suddenly act and pretend Team Plasma were always just black uniformed ones, like they did in that short coronation flashback of Episode N, something they could only get away with because they never aired the lost episodes.

Also, don't forget B2W2 actually included two Team Plasmas, with one being the old uniformed reformed version. While I doubt they would be willing to overcomplicate things with too large cast of characters/two differently uniformed Plasma agents (...on top of Team Rocket already being villains of the series), I guess they would be able to easily transition to the second Team Plasma following the failed plot of the original one.

Let's say the episodes aired and perhaps we even get to see the original writers' plan unfold with a second (or third?) BW Plasma appearance (or N appearance in a lone episode?) before the word gets out the plans have changed. At this point, with one episode alone, they could just work in new elements that push it in a whole different direction, with BW Team Plasma falling apart for one reason or another, N disillusioned, maybe an early hint of Colress (just show some Looker investigation into a hidden lab, like they used to do with him for Galactic, and, if those two episodes had aired, Looker would have been set up for an inevitable return in relation to Plasma) and the true evil face of Plasma (black uniforms) revealed, perhaps with Ghetsis' face revealed for the first time. Then they're out of the picture along with Ghetsis, to regroup (kind of like Giovanni himself was out of the picture for a long time in Unova) until they return after the league. Plus, they would have the time to also take care of Team Rocket and get them out of the picture before they have a whole B2W2 based arc, although yeah, possibly Operation Tempest wouldn't exist as it exists now. But for Plasma stuff shown before their actual B2W2 arc truly kicks off - it would just go in place of some of these boring fillers that we got, no? Say, the Black Stone episode. Or damn. Team Vanillite! I don't think it would have been that terrible and perhaps more sense/nuance for the following B2W2 plot than what we got in Episode N - with this totally out of whack Reshiram/Ghetsis backstory told to us in 2 seconds.

That being said, the finale at the league that incorporates parts of both BW1 and B2W2 would have been sick. Jumping to conclusions and speculation, Lysandre bragging to Alan about the end of the world and putting him down on his knees did felt kind of like it could have been Ghetsis at the overview of the league revealing the true face of Team Plasma to N, with mind-controlled Pokemon possibly wrecking havoc on the city. But it's more along the lines of whether it was an egg or the chicken that was born first. Whether, at some point, they truly entertained such scenarios and there was a real chance for it during Best Wishes if only there wasn't as much meddling (and mother nature's meddling). Or whether it was something that Tomioka conceived (or suddenly realized, just no shit) only after the fact and when Best Wishes was already over.

By the way, the Japanese editions still show the previews and/or Ash flying off to investigate with Juniper, right? This gotta be the best part in all of this. LOL.

Unpopular Opinion Re:Pokemon

So, after a long time and a lot of hard work, we finally have the scripts to the legendary lost Best Wishes anime two-parter, “Team Rocket VS. Team Plasma!”  We’ve got the whole story.

I wish the 3/11 disaster had never happened…mostly because so many people would still be alive today and so much damage to Japan would not exist, but also because these episodes could have aired. And I wish the staff’s original plan for the overarching story for Best Wishes based on the Black/White games could have come to pass, as it would have been amazing.

However, in the end these wishes are hollow Ideals, and we have to face the harsh Truth. And part of this Truth is that Game Freak passed on doing a Gray version in favor of doing Black 2/White 2, which means the staff’s plan was going to be scuttled regardless of whether the 3/11 disaster transpired or not. They would’ve done Episode N and just placed Reshiram putting a halt to N’s coronation in the present day rather than two years prior. So that’s why….

….I’m kind of, sort of glad that “Team Rocket VS. Team Plasma!” never aired.

Don’t get me wrong! The executives in Japan not allowing the full episodes to be released in any capacity in favor of remaining Lost Media just because their events no longer line up with subsequent canon is stupid. They have lots of grown-up viewers who understand the facts and still won’t mind…heck, probably lots of kids as well! However, the episodes not being broadcast and being relegated to a nebulous space in Japanese canon ended up working to the series’ advantage when Tomioka and the other writers were freed up to recycle elements from them. Most specifically, in the Operation Tempest two-parter, which is honestly an even better pair of episodes than “Team Rocket VS. Team Plasma!” and I just have a hard time imagining them in any form other than the one they’re in now. If not for what transpired with “Team Rocket VS. Team Plasma!”, we might have never been blessed with this scene:

Pikachu using a giant Electro Ball on a nuclear space rock just doesn’t hit the same way that him using it on Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket whom Ash had never faced up until now and whom had always doubted Pikachu’s abilities when Jessie, James and Meowth talked them up. Pikachu doing it to save not only the entire Unova region but also Meloetta, a character that we’ve come to love and care about, is also far more dramatically satisfying.

Really, I’m more sore about how the show’s third year turned out due to Junichi Masuda’s Gen VI-related meddling (since it really should have been something more like this) than I am about “Team Rocket VS. Team Plasma!” and the intended arc it was setting up. As great as it would have been to see, it just wasn’t in the cards and, unlike said Gen VI-related meddling with the third year, I don’t believe that Best Wishes suffered all that much from its removal.

Tl;dr - I’m honestly kind of cool with this as all we have now.

[cheemken]

Villain Diantha au

Prologue: The Plan Failed 

The rumbling of the earth, quite a sound she had to admit, watching the headquarters of former organization Flare be broken down bit by bit by her beloved pokemon. What a sight, she had to admit, watching the once powerful weapon recreated by Lysandre be destroyed alongside the secret headquarters, alongside the head of Flare himself. Oh, what a thought, toying with the ring he once bore, running her thumb over the stone in the center of it, humming a soft and quiet tune to herself, waiting for her darling pokemon to be satisfied with his deed, destroying every bit of the headquarters, of the weapon, of him, and as soon as he's done, well of course he'd be rewarded handsomely. 

What a waste, she had to admit, putting her trust on Lysandre. Alas, he was defeated by those trainers from Vaniville, a young and spunky bunch they are; new trainers, they started their journey a month ago from what she's heard from her brother. The pokemon they used, their strongest pokemon, was a gift from her brother, oh sweet betrayal, yet she couldn't fault her brother for it. She could never fault him for anything. Yet, curiously, she pondered over it, how those young trainers could easily defeat Lysandre. Were they strong? No, of course not. Young trainers—  inexperienced trainers like them couldn't just beat someone with the power of Mega Evolution. With the power of Yveltal. But somehow they did. They did have Mega Evolution on their side too, they had Xerneas. What a bunch they are, that boy managed to get those himself. 

But maybe Lysandre was just weak. 

Perhaps. No point in looking back on it, the plan failed, he failed, and she has no room for failure in her plans. Finally, Yveltal was done, flying over to her, gusts of wind in his wake, he leaned down to her after he landed, crooning so softly, so ever softly as if he wasn't the embodiment of destruction, and he bowed to her every will and command. What a good boy. 

"Very good, my darling," she cooed, reaching out to give him a soft pat on his beak. The pokemon crooned more, leaning to her touch. She rubbed his beak, blood stained her own hands, it made her smile. "Very good indeed." Although he was covered in dust and rubble, that was an easy fix, he'd have a feast for himself later. Perhaps she should've left her plans in the talons of Yveltal rather than the hands of Lysandre. Perhaps it wouldn't have failed. Arceus, how she hated that it failed, they were so close, so very close, and yet even as simple as that promise he made he couldn't keep. 

Oh, but what would her dearest brother say? He loved Lysandre, she knows. But her darling brother is too good for him. Too perfect for him. Lysandre does not deserve her brother, and it's a good thing he's dead now, lest it really would've been her own hands that killed him.

Shaking her head, she scoffed at herself, she needn't think of him anymore. What a waste of space in her own thoughts. Instead she looked back up at Yveltal, its own cyan eyes glowed amidst the destruction. How beautiful. "Come now, my darling. We must leave, there's a trainer waiting at my throne." And as the pokemon cawed and crooned, it bowed before her, such a good boy, and she recalled him back to the purple capsule like ball. The Master Ball. Calling out her own Hawlucha, the pokemon already knows what its mistress wants, and such it carried her back to the league, leaving behind remnants of a failed plan, of a dead man. 

She'll come back soon, she's sure one of her Elites would, what a lovely surprise that'd be, she can't wait! But for now… well… she has to do her Champion duties. Time to show that trainer from Vaniville that even with his own Mega Stone and with Xerneas, he won't be able to beat her.

[a-tale-of-legends]

I just thought of this with my last reblog. I feel like many of your OCs would be furious at Rose and Oleana.

Oleana and Rose, specifically Rose, are implied to have mentored Leon since he was 10. They've also been planning at least for months to revive Eternatus. And Leon was a pivotal part of their plan to control it.

Not that they ever told him. Then Rose publically blamed Leon for the Darkest Day to get the blame away from himself and to show Leon where the problem is he needs to 'solve', when it got out of control.

These two adults Leon used to trust used and betrayed him. They're the reason he was possessed, that he and Eternatus and the other kids were hurt.

And Leon, even if he did it in a patronizing way, wanted to give children and teenagers a normal and safe gym challenge.

Oof, yeah, my oc's would be pretty upset.

I think the most vocal of them would be Jin and Dante. Of course, all of them had experiences where some adults have failed them, but Jin and Dante know that personally.

Steven only helped when he realize that the situation was much bigger than he expected. And even then, Jin did most of the work, almost drowned and gained a fear of the legendary that inevitably chose them. And no ever really talked about that! So Jin bottled up whatever anger they feel just to keep a good image. So when hearing about Rose and Oleana, how they bascically forced Leon to take care of their problems that they themselves caused, I think it would be one of the few times they visibly and verbally shoe their anger.

Dante was used by Lysandre. He manipulated his insecurities and familial trust to use him to become a servant of Team Flare. What's worse is that Dante was the one that got the fall ( though the situation could have been way worse if Jude and the others didn't step in). He knows what it's like to be used. He knows what it's like to live a lie. He knows what it's like to be forced to be this perfect being that your not. He gets Leon, and that's why it makes him so livid to know what Rose and Oleana has done. How dare they betray his trust?! How dare they make him feel so weak, and pathetic?! He's been doing what they've told him for 10 years and this is what they do?! I dare say he would be angrier than Jude, which trust me, they would be angry.

Everyone else would be rightfully angry and concerned. But above all else they just want to make sure Leon understand that it's not his fault. That he didn't do anything wrong. That he simply tried his best. Confusion aside, they're just glad he's okay, after everything. They think he deserves to take a rest.

[lysxandre-archived]

It's interesting to theorize on a successful Lysandre, but I always intended for my Lys to either

1. Fail and kill nearly everyone in the building with him (including himself)

2. Fail and endure that failure for the rest of his immortal life.

In his RR verse, his original world is wiped completely, because that's what he wants.

He fully believes that the world cannot be saved. Even the handful of chosen ones he's selected have, to him, become suspect. Filth propagates with filth as long as there are people to carry it. Humans are imperfect and prone to corruption and that's why they cannot be allowed to continue.

He didn't feel this way starting out, but he does by the end.

.... I guess I'm saying I'm okay with not writing the most successful one. Yeah, his plan has plenty of reasoning to begin with, but his hope and his own humanity begin to degrade quickly after he becomes complacent to killing people.

He becomes death-obsessed and destructive.

So, I guess... Don't feel too bad for him for not making the cut. Lmao. Once he takes it upon himself to do Yveltal's work, he fails precisely because of his own ego and shortcomings while Yveltal only does what they know how to do. He mistakenly, or delusionally, finds kinship of some kind between them.

[meistoshi-m]

@pulchramundii​ [cont].

What did it mean, to be human?

The moment that infernal green doorway had ripped open and he had been sucked through it, Lysandre had felt the humanity leave him bit by bit by bloody bit. He had felt every moment as his left arm had been ripped into nothingness, taking down by it's base cells and twisted into something new. It felt and burned like Eternity, throwing him into the very core of what made Kalos alive. After all, was not Zygarde the guardian of the ecosystem itself? The pokemon lived and breathed everything around it--everything was to be harmony. Oh, the things Lysandre had felt, deep in that pit even as his very cells were torn apart. Eons and centuries were but minutes and he was but a part of it--no longer human.

However, it would not last. Reality had caved in on itself, then stretched, and pulled, and spat him back out into a bleeding pulp. How he had managed to survive was unthinkable, but, somehow, someway, he had. Xerosic had found him, found a way to rip him out of that doorway blasted Zygarde had managed to throw him into. What had felt like seconds and eons at the same time had ended up being days, months, almost a year in advance. His entire being had been rewritten, it would seem, and the Lysandre that had emerged from the void of verdant had come out half the man he had once been.

The thing that had come out of the water and the fire and the DIRT was hardly a man at all. Lungs heaved with false air, pumped through by the tubes that traveled his blood to where it should go. Left arm, completely gone, was replaced by a metal contraption that seemed a false idol's take on what an arm should be. Right hand, missing, save for a few fingers and even they were hardly anything resembling what they should have been. His non-human eye, piercing as red as the strands of hair that fell around his face, locked on Satoshi with BURNING hatred.

A deep inhale rasped like wind billows fanning a flame, coursing inside a furnace. The tall man leaned against several large metal tankards, though when he finally spoke, it seemed to rattle the area around him. The inhuman, monstrous eye, however, was not the one that locked and met Satoshi's gaze--no, it was the pupil that still glinted bright blue that radiated all measure of disdain for this young boy who had DARED interfere with his plans.

Lips pulled backwards into a sneer, showing teeth capped with metal to sharp points.

"---you!"

he  feels  himself  begin  to  tremble  &  he  has  to  clench  his  fists  &  teeth  to  keep  himself  together.     he  still  takes  an  involuntary  step  backward  at  the  other’s  borderline  snarl.

no,  satoshi  needs  to  swallow  the  urge  to  run.     he’s  never  run  from  anything.     no,  if  anything,  even  when  facing  the  madman  before  him  during  the  kalos  crisis,  he’s  only  ever  run  forward,  tackling  what’s  before  him,  be  that  figuratively  or  literally.     he’s  still  too  stuck  in  place  to  think  of  any  literal  tackling  at  the  moment,  but  he  can  at  least  plant  his  feet  &  raise  his  chin  in  faux  confidence.

if  his  brow  were  any  more  knit  it  would  be  a  sweater,  &  his  eyes  are  wider  than  a  mebukijika’s  in  headlights,  breaths  shallow  &  shaky,  throat  dry   ...   but  satoshi’s  good  at  faking  it  until  he  makes  it.     that’s  how  he  got  through  his  first  two  years  as  a  trainer.     &  that’s  how  he’s  projecting  more  bravery  than  he  feels  as  he  stares  right  back  at  lysandre,  looks  directly  in  that  cold  eye.

it  doesn’t  actually  matter  how  the  man  survived.     satoshi  himself  has  died  &  come  back  enough  times  to  know  that  for  some  people  nothing  is  an  obstacle.

so  that’s  not  what  he  focuses  on.     breathe.     chin  up.     swallow  the  dust  gathered  in  your  mouth.     speak.

❛     lysandre.     ❜          the  name  feels  heavy  in  the  air,  pulled  from  his  chest  like  lead.     but  with  it  he  tugs  on  his  anger,  &  the  anger  overtakes  his  fear  for  just  a  moment  long  enough  to  say  more.

❛     what  do  you  want ??     was  failing  once  not  enough  for  you ??    ❜          he  knows  he  may  pay  for  the  taunt  later,  but  anything  is  better  than  the  tension  they’re  standing  on  in  this  moment   (   &  he’s  never  claimed  to  be  a  smart  man.   ) .

[bubblytarts]

The Adults of the Emissary AU

Because of course our protagonists can’t take on all these bad guys by themselves! There are lots of grown-ups who TOTALLY know what they’re doing, haha! (Which, of course, is a lie. They have no idea what’s going on either!)

And there’s also the bad guys here that play important parts, because they’re here too, and some play some very interesting roles.

*Also disclaimer that there is some shipping. 

HAHA AND THE THEME OF THIS GOING UNDER THE CUT BECAUSE IT’S WAY TOO LONG CONTINUES

Giovanni - As if he wouldn’t be included. After being defeated by Blue and then completely decimated by Red, Giovanni disappeared. But not to hide, but to gather his new forces. He would love for Silver to join him, but his son wants nothing to do with him. Giovanni is not someone to empathize with. He is cold, calculating, and willing to do terrible things to get his power and revenge. 

Lance - Lance is an interesting case, but a crucial one. Lance is normally very calm with an intense edge, but recently that’s changed. He’s been having nightmares about a little girl, who warns him of terrible things yet to come. This has been going on for a while, and Lance is getting a little desperate as to what it all means. 

Steven - As the Champion of the Hoenn region, Steven wants to do what’s best for both people and pokemon. He convinces Brendan to feel the same once he realizes that Brendan might defeat him in a challenge. However, his father and the pokemon league may not agree with some of Steven’s environmentalist methods, as the league is pushing for a more industrial approach. It makes the confrontation with Teams Magma and Aqua more intense for Steven, who agrees with their end goals, but not the means of going about it. 

Wallace - Wallace is the Sootopolis gym leader, a contest idol, the guardian of the Cave of Origin, and Steven’s loyal husband. Wallace is much more laid-back than Steven, and so is helpful in calming Steven, Brendan, and May down when they all get hyped up about something. Wallace also is an incredibly skilled trainer, and fights both Archie and Maxie at the same time, defeating Maxie before Archie slips away. 

Archie - Archie’s motivation is the same as it always has been. However, he would very much like to be friends with Maxie again, as it seemed like their friendship was developing into something more before they split into Magma and Aqua. But now, Kyogre is all that matters. Beat Maxie. Increase the sea. Those are the only rules. But there should have been an extra rule about making sure to not touch the Blue Orb, because that’s where the real problem is.

Maxie - Maxie’s motivation is the same as it always has been. While he wants to talk to Archie about their past, his pride won’t let him, and if that fails, Tabitha definitely won’t let him. In the meantime, summon Groudon. When Maxie is defeated by Wallace at the Cave of Origin, Archie surges ahead to summon Kyogre. While Maxie is able to summon Groudon to fight Kyogre, he has much bigger problems with Archie’s situation. And then of course, is when Giovanni makes his entrance.

Cynthia - Cynthia is a bit scatterbrained and tends to ramble on, but she knows that something is amiss. It’s pure luck that Dawn, Barry, and Lucas figure out Team Galactic’s plans before her, but she’s always right there to make sure the kids never get in over their heads. As for the leader of Team Galactic, she never thought she’d see him again, and as soon as she stops Giratina, she’s having a very stern talk about how you don’t abandon friends. Unfortunately, Cynthia doesn’t really get to have that talk. 

Cyrus - Cyrus’s motivation has always been the same. To get rid of spirit. Dawn and Cynthia just keep interrupting his plans and trying to talk to him about feelings and happiness. Getting trapped in the Distortion World isn’t the worst, if it means he can avoid talking to Cynthia, but Giovanni has other plans. 

Ghetsis - Ghetsis is the worst. There’s literally nothing else to say. He tries to kill N constantly once N figures out that Ghetsis isn’t as kind as he says he is. He’s dismissive of Colress. And he’s the reason that Hilbert goes missing for two years. Ghetsis is so mean he makes Giovanni look like a Dunsparce. He inserts himself into Giovanni’s evil boy band with the plan of taking over. At least he’s not subtle about it. Giovanni knows exactly what’s going on.

Colress - Colress is one of the only members of Rainbow Rocket to voluntarily join, and the only one of the voluntary ones to not be seeking revenge. He’s merely interested in what Giovanni intends to do with this “Ultra Space” plan of his. If he can study the strange readings he’s been getting from certain trainers, then he’ll be happy. That, and if Ghetsis and Rosa will both leave him alone. 

Sycamore - Sycamore has a lot of issues. All signs point to Lysandre somehow being involved with Team Flare, but he would never do something that stupid. And when the truth comes out, how can Sycamore ever forgive the man he thought he’d spend the rest of his life with?

Diantha - Diantha knows that Lysandre must be involved with Team Flare, but she doesn’t want to accuse him without having any solid proof. If it’s not true, she’ll ruin her friendship with Lysandre. If it’s true, Sycamore will be inconsolable. Diantha’s stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Lysandre - Lysandre knows the world must be purified. Even at great personal loss. His plan is to keep Diantha off his back and Sycamore blissfully unaware. But then a crucial part of his plan goes missing, and Lysandre fails to see his best laid plans falling to pieces around him. Even when he is left for dead, Giovanni and Colress can’t seem to let him die in peace. 

Kukui - Kukui’s pretty chill, considering that the kids are discovering portals to a suspicious alternate world. That’s more Burnet’s thing, anyway. He figures that Selene can handle herself with that, and he might need to hop in to help Elio with taking down Team Skull. He’s got some unfinished business he really would like to discuss. 

Burnet - Burnet is one of the lucky ones. She avoids getting involved with the Ultra Space fiasco in Alola, but manages to learn a lot from the experience. What comes first in her mind now is to fix the friendships that have been damaged by past events, like Kukui and Guzma’s. Her experience with Ultra devices will definitely come in handy though.

Guzma - Guzma had a tough time when Lusamine got involved with Ultra Space, but now he’s having a nice time helping Kukui around the lab. They’re on much better terms now, and Guzma’s ready to put his past behind him. It’s a shame Rainbow Rocket goes after him first.

Lusamine - Lusamine went into hiding after being defeated by Selene, Elio, and their friends. Giovanni quickly reached out to her, and Lusamine became one of the most loyal members of Rainbow Rocket. She even got Colress to promise her a Nihilego sometime. She has yet to cash in the deal, but it’s there.

Faba - It was Lusamine who recommended that Giovanni invite Faba to help Colress with his latest project. Colress despises the man, but Faba definitely helped to get the project off the ground a lot quicker. 

Leon - As Galar’s champion, Leon’s a busy man. Lucky for him, he’s got Rose to support him. However, some of Rose’s behavior is a bit concerning. Leon may be the worst at reading directions, but he’s got a knack for reading people. Rose is up to something, and Leon’s going to protect Hop and his friends from whatever Rose is scheming. 

Sonia - Sonia’s got a lot on her plate as the new pokemon professor of Galar. Most recently, she’s been invited to help work on the Universal PokeDex and help write the entries on Dynamax. If only she wasn’t a technology disaster. 

Rose - Rose knows what has to be done for Galar. He also knows that Leon isn’t clever enough to catch on. That may not be true. Rose hires Victor as his personal photographer, and while the future of Galar comes first, Victor has a very interesting story from his time in Kalos, and Rose is desperate to know what secret the boy is leaving out.

Looker - Looker’s investigated teams Rocket, Galactic, and Flare, and been hired to help track down former members of every other team that’s popped up in the past decade. Too many coincidences are happening to let the leaders of these organizations escape him, and Looker knows he’s about to crack the case.