PREP Highschool

Locales found within the main city centers; primarily Inside, Riverside, and Skyside.
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bc56
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by bc56 »

Room 104
"No," Mary looks angry, but not out of control yet. She stands over Aiko, looking down at the other girl (she is taller now than just a minute ago) and pokes her in the chest. "I think the girl who sleeps through every class can't possibly get 100 percent without cheating. Are you going to prove me wrong?"
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Earl of Purple »

PE Block

The locker they group's led to has a pretty good view of the entrance into the showers, and because it's between two other lockers Fred's opening trick won't work on it- she can't hit the spot on the side that jolts the lock into unlocked position.

So it's down to Tahara or Mary to figure out a way to open it, unfortunately.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Rebonack »

[A DERPy Chase]

<Wait what are you doing-> Khannie, using pokemon noises rather than her illusion voice, says in a rather concerned tone right before Gaudia lets rip inside the closet.

Almost immediately there are smells.

That closet was full of bottles of cleaning chemicals and they all just got smashed open and mixed together chaotically.

Which...

Isn't great.

<You can't just smash cleaning stuff together those chemicals are dangerous are you crazy!> the zoroark says as she ducks under the door as it goes flying past, causing a wave of caustic chemical smell to come roiling out of the doorway. A stink so acrid it would make a koffing blush. Khannie immediately makes a gesture, peeling shadows away from the hall and sealing the doorway shut before too much of the fumes comes wafting out into the room. She's got no idea what was in there, not exactly, but it smelled like a nasty toxic MESS and letting it just flood out into the hall isn't a great idea.

"Okay, listen, we obviously missed something-"
"Wait is she a gardevoir?"
"-we just need to figure out what it is. The closet's a no-go. I think I can smell a pokemon they had with 'em. Something that was out instead of in a ball. An... abra...? Maybe?"

Khannie is, unfortunately, not an expert on pokemon smells. She hasn't spent a great deal of time around other pokemon during her life.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

bc56 wrote: Dec 01, 2022 4:34 am Room 104
"No," Mary looks angry, but not out of control yet. She stands over Aiko, looking down at the other girl (she is taller now than just a minute ago) and pokes her in the chest. "I think the girl who sleeps through every class can't possibly get 100 percent without cheating. Are you going to prove me wrong?"
[Room 104]

"Prove you wrong? No, of course not." Aikobaz replies with a haughty glare. "Proving you wrong is what a mere schoolgirl would do. I'm the empress. I'm going to not only prove you wrong, I'm going to bury you and establish a new branch of romance theory in the process." She gives Mary a little smirk. "And just for laughs, I'm going to do it in my sleep."

Because of course she will.

"...your reminder that this is a group assignment and you will be vital to each others' successes." Mrs. Juno reiterates as the bell rings, dismissing the class. "Good luck to all of you."
Earl of Purple wrote: Dec 01, 2022 6:11 pm PE Block

The locker they group's led to has a pretty good view of the entrance into the showers, and because it's between two other lockers Fred's opening trick won't work on it- she can't hit the spot on the side that jolts the lock into unlocked position.

So it's down to Tahara or Mary to figure out a way to open it, unfortunately.
[PE Block]

"Hm-hm-hm~" Tahara hums to herself as the roaches that used to be her left hand crawl in through the locker vents, presumably heading for the lock, before she stops and turns to Mary. "Oh, sorry. Did you want to do the honors?" She asks, gesturing toward the locker. She doesn't want Mary to be left out and not feel especially useful, after all.
Rebonack wrote: Dec 01, 2022 6:45 pm [A DERPy Chase]

<Wait what are you doing-> Khannie, using pokemon noises rather than her illusion voice, says in a rather concerned tone right before Gaudia lets rip inside the closet.

Almost immediately there are smells.

That closet was full of bottles of cleaning chemicals and they all just got smashed open and mixed together chaotically.

Which...

Isn't great.

<You can't just smash cleaning stuff together those chemicals are dangerous are you crazy!> the zoroark says as she ducks under the door as it goes flying past, causing a wave of caustic chemical smell to come roiling out of the doorway. A stink so acrid it would make a koffing blush. Khannie immediately makes a gesture, peeling shadows away from the hall and sealing the doorway shut before too much of the fumes comes wafting out into the room. She's got no idea what was in there, not exactly, but it smelled like a nasty toxic MESS and letting it just flood out into the hall isn't a great idea.

"Okay, listen, we obviously missed something-"
"Wait is she a gardevoir?"
"-we just need to figure out what it is. The closet's a no-go. I think I can smell a pokemon they had with 'em. Something that was out instead of in a ball. An... abra...? Maybe?"

Khannie is, unfortunately, not an expert on pokemon smells. She hasn't spent a great deal of time around other pokemon during her life.
[DERPy Chase]

Even if she was, that nauseating mess of chemicals probably isn't doing her olfactory senses any favors.

On the plus side, Gaudia's able to officially confirm that she does, in fact, have nostrils. Because they evidently feel like they're on fire.

The gardevoir steps back from the closet and tries to wave away some of the fumes, a little too preoccupied to answer Colby's concerns. "Sorry. That. Was. Stupid." She taps, with a bleary, apologetic stare. "...This. Looks. Like. A. Dead. End." She notes, seeing no hidden exits to the closet. If they somehow teleported out, they'd foil any method of tracking in the process and could be anywhere by now.

...Along with her friends.

Gaudia shakes her head sadly and steps back, wiping her eyes on her arm. Between that realization and the fumes, she hasn't been able to stop crying.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Rebonack »

[DERPy Chase]

Also true, yes. Khannie's ghost-typing makes her resistant to poison BUT the mingled scent of cleaning supplies is absolutely gross. Thankfully they didn't have stuff in there that can react to produce chlorine gas. That would be VERY dangerous.

Khannie moves away as well, placing a comforting paw on Gaudia's shoulder. <Hey, we'll find them, okay?>

It's pretty obvious what's causing the emotional pain here. Lola harping on Gaudia being a terrible trainer and then... this? It's probably no comfort at all that all the OTHER trainers got robbed, too. They say misery loves company but it sure doesn't make the situation any less miserable.

Colby, meanwhile, shrugs. Two pokemon students? Eh. Who cares. "Teleport can only go back to pokecenters," Colby helpfully points out. "There's only one official center in town, over on PokeStreet. But there's an old, abandoned center near campus. Some friends of mine and me hang out there sometimes. I bet those DERPs are using it as a hideout."

Oh HO!

That sounds like a potential lead.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[DERPy Chase]

Gaudia sniffs (huge mistake, ow) and nods vigorously, at least making a good effort at taking some comfort from Khannie's assurances. While she knows the other girl can't really make any promises, she's at least saying that they'll try really hard, right?

And then Colby gives them a valuable piece of information, and Gaudia is immediately back on the offensive.

"Where?" She beeps, jumping up into Colby's face so there can be no mishearing him.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by bc56 »

Room 104
"I'd be careful sleeping if I were you," Mary replies with a dramatic shift in tone from fuming anger to cold threat. "Succubi have a way of playing with dreams." She'd go through with it too, to the best of her abilities anyway. The comments about needing to work together are completely ignored.

PE Block
"No point now," Mary could turn her arm into more of a tentacle and slip it through the vent, but Tahara's basically doing exactly that, just with more creepy crawlies. "You go ahead."
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[Room 104]

"Brignole, nobody is more careful about sleeping than I am." The apparently-narcoleptic empress smirks, walking down the hallway away from Mary. "We'll see you tomorrow. And no, I don't mean the royal 'we', as appropriate as that would be." She gives Mary a mocking little wave, heading off to what is presumably her next class.

If Mary wants to follow her, she won't find it that hard to do so. She's not throwing any more obstacles in the teenage succubus's way than simply running the risk of being late for her own class. And also possibly boredom, given that Aikobaz is apparently heading off to Chronology, which in this school is mostly just theorycrafting about paradoxes and whatnot. Even she doesn't seem particularly enthused, plopping down at her desk and falling asleep again almost immediately.

[PE Block]

"Figures. Alley-oop!" Tahara grins, undoing the locking mechanism from inside and pulling the locker open, provided there are no further complications.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

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Here's to us!
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Rebonack »

[DERPy Chase]

Oh no.

Khannie is absolutely making promises.

Her conviction that they'll bet Gaudia's friends back is absolutely iron clad. She's adamant in her certainty.

But then, that's just her nature isn't it? Adamant and hasty. And it shines through in pretty much everything she does. It gets her into trouble sometimes, sure. But it ALSO sustains her through it.

"It's near the pokemon gym," Colby says, jerking away from Gaudia a bit when she invades his personal space. "The school mostly just uses it for storage now, I think. But it still counts as a pokecenter for teleporting."

Hmm...

That's odd, isn't it?

"Okay, let's get going," Khannie says as she gathers shadows to weave her human disguise once more before heading back down the hall and flagging down a nearby faculty member to inform them of the heinous criminals who stole a bunch of pokemon and also made an absolute mess of the cleaning closet while making their dastardly escape.

Colby doesn't contradict her.

As they're leaving the dorms for the pokemon trainers and making their way toward the gym Colby will pose his question again. "So both of you are pokemon? But the smart kind?"

Khannie heaves a little sigh. "I am. I got turned into one when I was just a newborn and it stuck. My dad's human. Gaudia can speak for herself."

Technically Khannie wasn't turned into one. That's just how she thinks about it. She was the obligatory kangaskhan joey that comes with all adult kangaskhans.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[DERPy Chase]

Gaudia sighs. She might as well tell Colby her deal. He seems to have figured it out already on his own.

"Yes. I. Am. A. Gardevoir." She taps out on her watch. "Nobody. Else. Knows. And. I. Would. Rather. Keep. It. That. Way."

She then goes on to tell him the whole story, one word at a time, as they make their way to the defunct pokemon center; her aspirations to become a nurse, her former life as a pokemon bound for the championship hall of fame, her trainer's unfortunate accident, and so on.

"So. Now. They. Stick. With. Me." Gaudia finishes. "The. Pokeballs. Are. Mostly. Just. So. We. Can. Get. Around. Easily. They. Are. My. Family. And. My. Friends. I. Can't. Leave. Them. Behind."
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Rebonack »

[DERPy Chase]

"Gosh, that sucks. Sorry about your trainer," Colby will finally say, not really knowing how else to respond to that. It's a pretty terrible story all around. "You came from one of those places where pokemon can all talk but they still let people catch them, then? Man, that's so weird. None of my pokemon are that smart."

Animals, more or less. Some are pretty clever animals, but still animals.

"But I still know what you mean. My pokemon are my friends. There's no way I'm going to let those rubber-clad creeps keep my friends."

It doesn't take too terribly long for our heroes to reach the old pokemon center. It's still a pretty nice looking building with that distinctive pokemon center look, but it is pretty clearly no longer being used for that purpose. Nothing looks overly nefarious from the outside-

-except for one of those goons in a black onesy.

He's marching back and forth in front of the door diligently.

It looks pretty suspicious.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[DERPy Chase]

Part of Gaudia wants to correct him on that. She doesn't know any other pokemon who can "talk", not counting Khannie (who is very clearly a special case). Even she can't "talk", she just has a few tools that make it easier for her to communicate... which, admittedly, have dramatically raised people's perceptions of her intelligence, from "just a dumb animal" to "mute girl who is a bit slow on the uptake". The implication, obviously, is that Colby's pokemon might be every bit as smart as she is... just not so good at expressing that intelligence.

The rest of her realizes it's a bit late to be having that discussion, since they're already outside the abandoned pokecenter.

Gaudia steps forward as though to simply walk through the door of the building like the guard isn't even there, briefly giving him a glare before ignoring him entirely.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Rebonack »

[DERPy Chase]

Zoroarks being able to talk is actually a pretty common thing. Not physically of course. But rather via using their illusions. Granted, most of them aren't the most intelligent creatures but they can give smarter crows and young humans a run for their money.

Khannie is, quite clearly, dramatically more intelligent than the average.

But maybe talk of pokemon intelligence is a topic for another time?

Because the DERP grunt probably doesn't want to chat about the topic.

When Gaudia begins approaching he whirls toward her and raises a hand!

"HALT! This is Team DERP territory! Only Team DERP members are allowed beyond this point!" he loudly insists.

"We know you've got our pokemon in there you dweeb, get outta our way," Khannie fires back, pounding one fist into her palm with enough force that the clap that follows makes the guard reel back in surprise.

Feeling maybe a LITTLE inadequate, Colby raises his baseball bat menacingly.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[DERPy Chase]

Gaudia stops in front of the extended hand and closes her eyes, inhaling quietly and building herself a deep, calm, even pattern of breathing. Of the three, she probably looks to be the least likely to actually escalate into violence, even holding out her arms to keep Khannie and Colby from moving forward toward the guard.

Of course, Colby can probably recognize what she's doing. It's not hard to spot an instance of the Calm Mind technique, if you have enough experience battling with psychics (on one side or the other). He might even be able to feel the surge of psychic power building up and guess that an attack is, in fact, forthcoming...

Just not yet.

...

After a few moments of this, Gaudia steps forward again, once again ignoring the guard, even if he steps in her way.

Not that he'll be there long, as that's when the Future Sight attack she set up not so long ago will trigger. With her already buffed up for the inevitable alarm being raised.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by bc56 »

Room 104
Luckily for Mary, her next class is Art. She's doing well enough in that class that she can skip it without consequence. So instead she can spy on Aiko.

Who's asleep. Figures. But Mary is still irritated, and she did make that veiled threat, so she might as well go through with it. She closes her eyes, focuses her mind on Aiko, and lets herself drift off into a half-sleep. It's a trick newbie oneiromancers use to project into someone else's dreams.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[Room ???]

Reality swirls around Mary and the obligatory sound of harps and xylophones playing scales fills the air, depositing Mary in a wood-paneled room with no windows or doors. There's antique furniture everywhere, in an elaborate styling that Mary isn't likely to recognize. It'll probably remind her of her own mother's bedroom... cozy and luxurious, in an understated kind of way.

And on the bed is Aikobaz, laying on her stomach with her feet in the air, three different textbooks laying open in front of her. She's humming along to a song playing from some unseen source, seeming too focused on her books too much to pay much attention to Mary.

"You've got it all, you've lost your mind in the sound~
there's so much more, you can reclaim your crown~
you're in control, rid of the monsters inside your head..."

The young empress looks up at Mary, who will suddenly find herself wrapped up in thick steel chains.

"Put all your thoughts to bed, you can be king again." The song continues without Aikobaz as she stands up, sauntering over to Mary with a little smirk.

"My god, are you really that stupid?" She taunts. "You... you actually went and did it. Walked right into my dreams. What did you think was going to happen?"
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Rebonack »

[DERPy Chase]

Oh it looks like our heroes are insisting!

"There's no WAY I'm letting you past! You'll have to pokemon battle-AAAH!" the guard begins only to suddenly cry out in alarm as shadows pool in a nearby ditch before lashing around him and dragging him off into the gloom. There's some muffled yelling and thrashing but otherwise it doesn't look like he's going anywhere.

"Don't have time for dumb stuff c'mon," Khannie says as she shoves the now unguarded door open and heads inside.

Being fair here, using tactile illusions to restrain the guard was probably nicer to him than what Colby or Gaudia could have done to 'convince' him to move. That or they probably would have gotten caught up in a pokemon fight. Not that Colby HAS any pokemon at the moment. Probably.

So! Into the old center!

It looks like your standard pokecenter, if the pokecenter were full of boxes, rolled up banners, sports equipment, and props for setting up a particular type theme in the nearby pokemon gym. The boxes are, of course, all stacked up to form the walls of a maze. And DERP grunts are standing around aimlessly. Or walking back and forth. Or sitting in one spot and looking in different directions every now and again.
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Re: PREP Highschool

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Room ???
"I'm not really here, stupid," Mary replies nonchalantly. The first thing to try when encountering a lucid dreamer is to pass yourself off as a part of the dream. The chains are of no concern, she passes like mist through them as she walks closer to Aiko.
Of course there's a cost to contradicting the dreamer like that, but Mary has power to spare, if not the skill to wield it efficiently.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[DERPy Chase]

If they don't have time for one pokemon battle, they certainly don't have time for a whole maze worth of them.

Gaudia raises her hand and makes a flicking gesture, which is accompanied by a surge of telekinetic force aimed at the boxes.

The individually small and lightweight boxes. That are not in any way bound together and thus probably won't respond well to the assault.

If that goes the way Gaudia expects it to, she'll simply climb over the mound to the next room.

[Room ???]

"Well, obviously you're not really here." Aikobaz retorts, rolling her eyes like that's the most asinine thing she's heard all day. "But this dream really only has three inputs: me, prophecy, and intruders. I really doubt this is a vision telling me we're going to be in my room together at some point, and I know I didn't put you here. If I did, you'd look something more like this."

A doppelganger of Mary appears next to her, except she has a severe overbite, is about a foot taller, and looks to be about ten years older, with all the development that implies. "You're just the worst, Aiko. Nobody likes you and they never will. You treat people like crap and expect them to be okay with-"

"Yeah, yeah, shut up, yazoto." The empress waves her hand and the doppelganger is gone, replaced by a very confused-looking mallard. "So, yeah, you're not here here, but you're as here as you can be and that's good enough for me." She waves her hands to the room around her. "Like what you see? Was this worth it?"
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Re: PREP Highschool

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Room ???
Mary stares at the construct version of herself. Then she smiles wickedly, the seeds of an idea sprouting in her head.
"It's not a flattering likeness, but why on Earth would you portray me as older and taller than yourself? ..." She lets the question hang in the air for a moment before finishing. "Unless... Somewhere deep inside, you're aware that you're a spoiled brat. Does my maturity scare you? Do I remind you that no one will take you seriously if you keep acting this way?" Mary's goal is just to get under Aiko's skin. It doesn't matter if she's right or not, just that Aiko could believe there's a chance that she's right."
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[Room ???]

Aikobaz frowns, putting her hands on her hips. "...You're right. I'm giving you way too much credit." She sneers, giving Mary a furious glare. "I've been looking at you like a rival, but really, you're just a pest. You've never given me any meaningful competition in anything, least of all maturity. I mean, star's sake, look at what you did ten minutes after class just now. You went after me to follow up on trash talk." She turns and points to the wall, a window appearing in it to overlook a star-filled sky, which she walks to in order to look outside for dramatic effect. "How petty and childish can one get? No, I'm not the slightest bit scared of you. I know I'm better than you in every way, and it's really only thanks to fate blessing you with magical powers while stripping me of mine that anybody could even mistake us for being in the same league. You included."
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Rebonack »

[DERPy Chase]

Colby is pretty aghast!

You can't just knock over boxes like that to avoid mazes full of trainers! That's probably even WORSE than climbing over a chest-high fence to get to the other side instead of going around it!

But this is a desperate situation that calls for desperate measures.

"Stick close to me," Khannie says as she draws the shadows to herself and weaves a twisting veil of darkness that obscures exactly where our heroes are. The shroud allows them to see out, but looking IN it just looks like an impenetrable cloud of gloom. This has a very important effect, as it happens.

None of the grunts are able to make eye contact with them.

Mostly there's quite a bit of chaos and confusion going on here. This is NOT how counter attacks against villainous teams are supposed to work! Our heroes scramble over the box mound and find themselves facing down pokeballs being hung on those DERP devices like baubles on a Thanksmas tree. Forboding shadowy energy is flowing from the tree and into the balls.

Which...

Is probably concerning.

Four of the devices are running at the moment, tended by a gaggle of grunts and, judging from the MUCH larger and MUCH more pointy looking shades one of them is wearing, some kind of leader.

"Hurry it up you DERPS! We need to get these pokemon DERPified as soon as possible!" he bellows right as our heroes burst onto the scene!
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[DERPy Chase]

See, Colby? If they'd stopped to navigate the maze, this DERPification thing would be done already and there wouldn't be anything they could do about it.

The DERPy leader's command will immediately be followed up by an enraged "Oorrooroo!" as Gaudia steps out of the veil, eyes pointedly fixed on the leader's, making eye contact from across the room.

But the lightning bolt that follows the glare should make it incredibly clear that this is not, in fact, an invitation to a pokemon battle. Not in the usual sense, at least. These DERPs have gone and made it personal. There will be no carefully-organized one-on-one fight with tag teams of six; this is going to be a brutal slugfest more akin to wild animals fighting over territory.

And this pokecenter is now hers.

Get out.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Earl of Purple »

PE Block

The locker is opened! Inside, there's... a mess. Something strange and technomagical, a VHS player/recorder plugged into a tripod stand with a crystal ball hovering over it, Synthia's war face propped up just inside and daubed with sigils written in Tippex correction fluid. There's more sigils on the VHS machine's black casing. It's drawing power from a mason jar filled with storm clouds. There's also other rubbish; the Tippex pot lying on its side in a pool of dried white fluid from the loose lid, a pink girl's shoe with broken laces, a net bag of glass marbles, a broken ball-point pen, a bobblehead of a figure in blue with a yellow number on the back and wearing a pointed hat, a rubber spider with nine legs and a notebook.

The sigils on the warface cause it to inspire supernatural fear, which it projects at the girls looking at it. Fred gasps and recoils from the effect; the other two might be made of sterner stuff (or at least resist supernatural emotional attacks).
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Rebonack
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Rebonack »

[DERPy Chase]

Ah yes.

Right to the violence.

But that's usually how it goes, isn't it?

The Boss acts quickly, releasing a krookodile! They even have matching shades! It would be cute if this situation weren't so dire. Unsurprisingly the kleptomaniac crocodillian tanks the lightning bolt like it's no big deal.

"Ugh, the dogooders are here already," The Boss laments. "When I find out which of you stooges lead them here you'll be on shovel duty for a week. YOU THREE! Screen while we get the equipment clear!"

Three grunts step forward with derp face balls and release a dragonair, a lopunny, and a cacturn! Each of the pokemon is wreathed in spooky looking purple energy and has a big yellow DERP face superimposed over their own.

Looks like these jerks are still aiming for a pokemon battle!

The rest of grunts, along with the boss, begin wheeling the DERP machines away!

"Oh no you don't!" Khannie yells after them, twisting her cloud around and pouring phyicality into it before lobbing the big blob of shadow at one of the machines!

With a resounding BLORP! the shadow ball smacks into the DERP device and glues it (along with one grunt) to the wall.
Last edited by Rebonack on Dec 06, 2022 4:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Gullara
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Gullara »

Earl of Purple wrote: Nov 28, 2022 5:39 pm Snek Lunch

"Not everyone is. I mean, they're all special, but... there's two girls whose sole claim to speciality is how good they are at operating war machines- tanks. They do it as a sport, with a couple other girls." Actually Aigothurz is thinking of Gemini, who is only one girl, not two, just a girl with two seperate bodies. Or perhaps a pair of twins with a telepathic link so strong they never developed their own individual personalities. "Maybe you've got something like that going on, instead of 'inherit an empire' or whatever." Rebuild it, in Aigothurz' case.
[Snek Lunch]

Natharia is considering this when suddenly the bell rings! Where did the time go? Lunch break never feels long enough. "Oh. Well I'll think about what you said. Thanks for eating with me." She starts to gather up her stuff. "I guess I'll see you in class later, right?"
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bc56
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by bc56 »

Room ???

"No, we're not in the same league," Mary agrees. "You're an omnipotent empress who... Oh wait! You were such a colossal asshole that the universe itself decided to strip you of your powers! Now you're a lonely, friendless girl who everyone despises behind your back, clinging to the shattered remains of your superiority complex! You keep insisting that you're better than everyone, but the only person you're fooling is yourself! Why am I wasting my time taunting you when I could be out showing you up by finding a date? After all, you're stuck in class!" The demon princess, laughing, vanishes from the dream.
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Ironsmith
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[DERPy Chase]

Gaudia's eyes narrow as she sees the lopunny that was thrown out to slow her down, and she raises her hand toward her, flexing a bit of telekinetic power.

Well... "a bit".

However much it takes to pick up a good-sized lopunny and use it as a club to beat two other pokemon into submission.

It might not be the most practical technique, but it's sure to be quite cathartic.


[PE Block]

"Ew. Gross." Tahara mutters, scooping up the mask and rubbing her elbow against the glyphs in an attempt to wipe them off. "Somebody's gone and really effed up your friend's face with some nasty magic. I'd fix it, but I don't have all the tools I need with me, so this is going to have to do."

And it'll probably be horribly inadequate. But she's trying!


[Room ???]

Tries.

Tries to vanish from the dream.

"...Appropriate use of the present tense, Brignole." Aikobaz claps, turning to face Mary again. "Because as you may have noticed, while I'm as mortal as the next girl in reality, in here, I'm still the undisputed mistress of all I survey. And right now? That includes you." The empress steps forward and pokes Mary in the chest. "You can talk big when you're backed up by a demon queen, a draconic form, more magic than most people will ever even see in their lifetime, and a host of similarly-powerful friends to back her up further." She repeats the gesture, each finger-poke flicking away one of those things; first her crown, then her wings (and any other obviously-demonic part of her), and finally a shimmering ball that goes flying off, apparently supposed to represent her magic. "Take those away and what are you left with?"

Aikobaz sneers at Mary, a transparently disgusted look on her face. "I'll tell you what you're left with. A hotheaded little girl with the intelligence and diligence of a newt. A pitiful creature that can only even call herself mediocre by piggybacking off the greatness of others. A parasite." She shoves Mary up against the wall, holding her there with some unseen supernatural force. "Whereas I? I never stopped being the empress. I've been disgraced, depowered, abandoned by every last one of my vassals, robbed of my throne, and denied my birthright. But the truth is I never really needed any of that. I have new vassals now, stronger and more loyal than the old ones ever were. I'm steadily rebuilding my powers, one squirreled-away cantrip at a time. Every challenge that has been set before me, I've crushed into dust, and I intend to continue my conquest until my crown is back where it belongs. The throne will not give me power. I will be the power behind the throne."

"And I'm not going to stoop to use that hard-earned strength to give you yet another free pass in your life." Aikobaz glares at the girl in front of her. "Frankly, I'd rather take the blemish on my record. Much as it pains me to do it, but... well, even the greats have their lows. And I can always fix it at a later date."
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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bc56
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by bc56 »

Room ???
The apparently human girl looks at Aiko, and something snaps. The starscape begins to run like paint. The wood paneling cracks and peels, revealing grimy brick behind. With a loud "Ribbit!", the duck that was formerly the false Mary becomes a corpulent, warty frog.
Aiko has unleashed something terrible. Something inside Mary that the other things - demonic power and magic and so on - were holding in check. The captive's skin cracks and shatters, broken glass scattering across the room. What remains is not even recognizable, a mass of chimneys belching choking smog, of scrap metal and roaring machinery, of torn and broken artworks bleeding paint, of shattered ships, their sails still snapping in an unseen wind. It is a creature of broken dreams, and it brings with it a supernatural aura of despair; the world will not change, everything will be just as bad tomorrow as today, if not worse.
Little foolish empress
Thought you were having fun
Look at all this awful mess
And see what you have done
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Ironsmith
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Re: PREP Highschool

Post by Ironsmith »

[R̸̺̼͚͗ŏ̸̳ŏ̶̤̲̪̍m̴̡̩͔͒̂͘ ̶̢͎͒ͅ?̵̘̆͊?̵̥͛͛̕?̶̠̘͂]

...What the hell is that?!

Aikobaz recoils from the twisted mass, holding up her hands defensively. "What kind of trick is this? You shouldn't be able to use your magic just now!" She hisses. And as she looks around and sees the dream falling apart, she realizes something important:

She's severely underestimated Mary.

Maybe she still has the resources and power needed to reassert her control of the situation. But given how this thing was already rending her dreamscape, that's far from a guarantee. Whatever Mary did, whatever she's doing now, is beyond her. Her best bet is a tactical retreat.

"We'll talk later." The empress says shakily, just barely getting the quip out before snapping her fingers; the gesture she usually uses to wake up.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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