[ti]location[/ti] THUNDERFALL SHRINE

Here she was, staring up, up, up at the diamond shaped pillar, the hybrid would stare at it, watching as blue veins crawled across the metal and the sweet smell of ozone filled her nose.
The destruction around her, the abandoned cityscape may be intense, but this...this was like nothing she'd ever felt before.

The pressure resting beneath her skin, the buzz of rain deep within her bones - it was pressure, as she rested her palm against the metal. And yet, as soon as it began, it was over - the stress in her stomach was gone like the fleeing of a storm, and all that was left was a tingling sensation in her hand from when she removed it from the steel.
Cypress let out a breath she didn't know she was holding onto, whispered a soft "Thanks,", and began her trek.

Now, what direction are the dunes in again...?

“Alioth, Mizar… I wonder how you’re both doing now.”

He would hum quietly as he extended his hand towards the gigantic metal structure—why was he suddenly getting all sappy and reminiscent?! Oh, that’s right…

A vast majority of what remained of the guild he’d taken over had been taken to the ‘Noble Court’ despite their protests; and over time they had grown attached to the poisonous nectar that it provided; dulling their senses and breaking their spirits.

“You were all idiots, you know? Dubhe, you’re the worst. Even more terrible than our leader, Aldebaran. Who knows what that shithead did to get his ass banned from the game.”

He felt the electricity crackle through him the moment the flat of his palm touched the cold, unyielding metal.

[tangent=“And look where you all are. Trapped in a nightmare…”]“E guardate dove siete tutti. Intrappolato in un incubo…”[/tangent]

reminiscing the fallen members of his former guild

This was the second time in about ten minutes that Shalin had party wiled in the Drowned Harbor, but she wasn't giving up yet; she had found the Pokémon she was after. She wasn't leaving until she had it in a Poké Ball, no matter how many times she had to hoof it back to the electrified monument to Zapdos.

Pressing her hand to the black, diamond-shaped monolith, her three motionless Pokémon slowly stirred. Not wanting to make this mistake again, she reached out to the one that had helped her get out of a jam the last time she was in trouble: the Pokémon rider Josh Devlin . Her message was simple and to the point.

DIRECT MESSAGE> Hey Josh, can you give me a hand with this Pheromosa on 7? I can't make any headway with it.

Oh?

How’d he end up here again—was it by happenstance, or had he gotten lost again?

He’d noticed that the Celesteela he’d gotten from around these parts was… behaving rather erratically when taken outside of this particular area, which made absolutely no sense at all because all things considered, they were still classified as an ‘unknown’ in the in-game database…

And he couldn’t recall meeting any of these strange species back home!

Either way; he could feel the electricity rising off the gigantic piece of metal as he touched it with the tip of his fingers…

another visit

He had a feeling he was going to be seeing more of this gigantic slab of metal; the strange, unknown shape cutting an imposing figure where it currently stood amidst this equally-strange place.

“Please, let them make it through,” he would say—to nobody in particular, though he wondered if there was someone listening as his fingers brushed the cold metal and the same tingling sensation would shoot all over him; he would never get over the crackly feeling that hung in the air afterward.

He would then make his way back to where the Dipplin and Greninja were fighting; hoping for the best.

who knew he would be back so quickly?!

Reaching Thunderfall Shrine from the Dune District is as simple as a couple of taps in the UI, but somehow to Torino it felt like a long time gone and a vast distance away. She arrived at the shrine, music still ringing on her lips. Passero was there too, his feet still tapping as he danced with his twin sword beaks pointed to the sky.

He let out a crow of victory and wonder, and Torino laughed as she danced with him. She pointed her arms towards the sky, mimicking Passero's beaks and the rising point of the Thunderfall Shrine.

Laguna had seen the Thunderfall Shrine many times before, but there was something so shocking about seeing it here in Ostelia, even now. It wasn't supposed to be here, it didn't feel like it should. And yet, it was a gift from Zapdos.

Even though he was guarding The Steppes from Mistra, his power was here, protecting them too.

She let out a long sigh, holding her Golden Pokeball in her hands. The seal long broken, but she was lost in thought all over again. Her Pokemon could leave at any second they chose, but they all stuck around because they knew her, trusted her, care about her. It was a miracle and a half to have friends that she trusted back in return.

And yet, there were a few mysteries. The Ultra Beasts in her posession confused her. They could leave at any time, vanish and head off into the distance and she could never do a thing about it. Tossing her Pokeball at a Pokemon she had fought and knocked out, still meant they could leave as soon as they recovered. There wasn't anything holding them here.

So why did they stay in her ball? Perhaps they too were evading The Voice? Staying inside the Pokeball the best option?

So why did the Celesteela suddenly break out and go crazy when she tried to take them to Cygnus to look for help? Did the voice get louder and more controlling the further they were? She had to be careful heading back to Asper for a while, it seemed. If they could pop out at any time and go crazy, how would he stop it?

Would she be responsible, knowing what she did?

"I'm sorry, friends." She'd speak softly, gently brushing her thumb across the broken seal. "I'll find you help, I promise. I trust Cygnus... I hope you will too."