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Greetings! Candy Cane Service!

Fine. If I can't find the mysterious sender of this oh so delicious candy cane, soon as I'm home...

Chrustmas Elf and I 'bout to-

IM GOING TO FIND YOU! ^{Also thank you so much! I really really appreciate it you kind stranger you. :3}
___________NOW SHOW YOURSELF COWARD! D:<

T H E R I V E R ᶠᵉᵃᵗ ᴱˣˡᵗ ˣ ᴮʳᵒᵏᵉⁿᴾʳᵒᵐˡˢᵉ

_AD-4.M
^{PDC HQ · Holding Sublevel B2}

"It means I'm finally... here. Finally... ready to be whatever I need to be. And this..." Adam looked around and sterile white walls stared back. "...I'll be happy to see that sky again so yeah,... there's excitement." He nodded in agreement with himself as his eyes found Kefira's again, this time ignoring Peter in the background. There was no longer information there for him to pull from and it was clear whatever happened now was between himself and her.

This woman would own him and although there was an air of anxiousness to be connected, there was the smallest thought in the back of his head that itched at the edges of his mind. This was to be the last day he would truly be free to think and do and know that every action taken was on him. From this moment forward, he too was responsible for her.

"Baseline established."

"To think she could have me do anything."

"Connection secure."

^{"They said she was one of the good ones."}

"Opening neuro-link to base system. Initiating memory scan. Initiating ICLD."

^{"A lot of bad apples..."}

"C-can you hear me, Kefira?"

^{"But... I trust you're a good one."}

Adam kept his eyes on Kefira as the room around them fell away. The walls disappeared and the table separating the both of them sunk into a void below. Although gravity did not shift, the space around began to move at a blinding speed shoving the safety of that sterile room away and thrusting the both of them into a deep, heavy black. In that endless dark, specks of light blinked into existence far below and began rising up at and all around the both of them, passing at speeds that made it impossible to distinguish their size, what they were or even separate one source of light from the other. At the center of this light show appeared a different speck with a reddish hue. It approached slower than the rest but as it did, it's size expanded and continued to do so until it was clear the object was large enough to be unavoidable. Within a handful of seconds, this star turned to a spherical object and after more than a dozen, became a large ball of orange and red that Kefira and Adam were clearly about to collide with. Mars's beauty and magnificence at this distance was unmistakable and like a gigantic red flower, it opened its petals and pulled the two of them inside. As the edges of it's horizon became impossibly long and swallowed the rest of the dark space around them, they both hurtled through an unfamiliar atmosphere before, very quickly, finding their feet on the ground.

No dust was kicked during their landing.

"Well now I feel naked." Adam was standing now, and surprisingly... dressed. Black boots on the ground fed to pants that seemed surprisingly form fitting. It hugged him accentuating the muscles in his legs and climbed up and over a plain white shirt that was tucked in. Thin fabric did little to hide the rest of his physique and ended at his neckline with three buttons that held closed the v-neck cut. "Utopia Planitia. Of course."

Behind him where there had once been a plain wall was the endless expanse that was one of the larger flat craters of Mars. Numerous rocks sat as if perched upon the ground as opposed to being half buried in the dirt and around those rocks were a number of carved out indents or grooves. Next to Adam and hovering above the ground were a series of boxes.

▅   ▅   ▅   ▅   ▅   ▅   ▅   ▅   ▅
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"Looks like you're inside me." He finally said to her with a small laugh and a smile. "I actually didn't know it would be this transparent but... welcome to my head."

"As he said, you're inside him which actually means a lot of things but the two most important is that in here... and just for right now, you can edit in some commands and you'll also be able to see into a lot of what makes him... him as opposed to it." Although Peter's voice was clear as day, he himself was nowhere to be found. However, where there was once a wall behind where he once stood was the same camera from before, now hovering six feet off the ground. Still producing the same green beam of thin light, it focused this laser on the center most box and waited.

"The commands you want are converted to code and are presented visually by the boxes here. Additionally the commands can be whatever you want. Of course he can think for himself but anything you put in here will override his other processes and he will attempt to execute that command as best he can. Anything from a simple word to make him stop moving to one that makes him fall unconscious. So... trigger word and resulting action. From there, I'll do the rest."

What Are You Listening To?

ᵗʳᵃᶜᵏ ⁰⁷

_____________________________________________ V I O L E N T by C A R O L E S D A U G H T E R sc · ig · fb
	Don’t make me get violent I want my ring back, baby that’s a diamond You don’t listen anyways I’ll be quiet I don’t really feel like fighting Don’t make me get violent I want my ring back, baby that’s a diamond You don’t listen anyways I’ll be quiet I don’t really feel like fighting Don’t make me run away out the back door I want my clothes back You say you miss me, so then I drive back to you I drive back to you Petals off of flowers, did you ever really love me? Now my nose is full with powder And I think that she’s still lovely, oh no She knows I’m a wreck I gave you all my trust then I told you just don’t break it I promise that I’ll clean up and maybe we can make up but no I think we’re both a mess Don’t make mе run away out the back door I want my clothes back you Say you miss me, so thеn I drive back to you I drive back to you Don’t make me get violent I want my ring back, baby that’s a diamond You don’t listen anyways I’ll be quiet I don’t really feel like fighting Don’t make me get violent I want my ring back, baby that’s a diamond You don’t listen anyways I’ll be quiet I don’t really feel like fighting

Word association Game!

Space

Galarian Stories

^{Some bbcode may not display correctly on your device.}

	______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ __________________... in Motostoke at the Motostoke Stadium

mentions: Everyone      interactions:

...You're being klutzier than usual...

Thomas tore off another strip of clear tape and fixed it to the bottom edge of the impromptu sign, the reminder now visible to everyone... including himself: "Please use your own locker." Thomas nodded.

"'That's goes without saying.'" He replied in another trainer's voice as he got up and gathered his supplies. He stuffed the small roll of tape and the pair of scissors in his back pocket and moved to leave when a shuffling at the far end of the locker gave him pause. Assuming it to be yet another early trainer, and thankfully not the one whom he'd robbed of their locker space, he dismissed it... at least until whatever it was found a voice and called out to him.

"Tom?" Thomas turned and his eyes fell on a very familiar face. White hair and fair skin. Strong gaze of sky colors and a warm smile that it's other half was often without unless in familiar company. Moira's brother was not one easily lost in a crowd of plain faces and his soft voice carried. "I should have known you were already here... and helping out of course." His smile held.

"Well that makes one of us. What are you doing here, Mark?... Are you...?" Thomas glanced him over a few times, quickly recognizing the same jersey the man had donned a few years ago during his first gym challenge taken with his sister. Back then, while they had both been defeated by the champion, it was Moira who had been offered the position of gym leader while Mark had been more than content simply being the support to his sibling. He played a major role in helping her acclimate to the position and of course, knew Thomas very well. Being here however put him on a very different path to her and not one Thomas was sure Mark even had to take. "...Are you doing the gym challenge?"

"Uh... Yeah." He took a step back and away from the lockers, gesturing at the jersey and giving Thomas a better view of the trainer before him. The patch bug symbol sewn into the chest signifying a preferred type was now easily visible as well. "How do I look?"

"Like you're ready to win." Thomas answered with an approving nod and a curl to his lip. "Like the next champion." Then his brows furrowed. "Does your sister know you're here? She didn't say anything about expecting you in the running." As he asked, Thomas tried to think back on his last conversation with Moira but failed to recall mention of her brother at any point during their talk.

"Not yet. I was going to surprise her.

"Well she's definitely going to be surprised... and happy to see you. Of course, we're going to have issues." Thomas smirked. "Your typing's a headache.

"Heh. Yeah. Speaking of, where's Draco? Don't you usually keep him out?

Again, Thomas furrowed his brow, more confused now than before. "Draco's right he-" As reached for the Pokemon curled around his neck, he met with a ball of air.

...Where the fff-...?

_________________________

There were few things in this world that Draco liked more than tart apples. A good battle was one and since his start as a trainer, Thomas was always hard pressed to keep Draco out of the fight. The other, not so surprisingly when Thomas thought about it, was Moira. Moira and her entire team to be more specific. He was sure that if given a proper choice, Draco could ditch him for her in a heartbeat and he really couldn't blame him. Her team was strong and the bond he could grow with others of his kin was not nearly on the same level as those he created with Thomas's own team.

That wasn't to say that Draco disliked his family, but as Thomas exited the stadium through the front doors only to catch Draco dancing joyous circles around Vern, it was sometimes hard to tell. Really hard to tell.

"ThomaAAAAAAAHHH!"

He flinched walking into the solid wall of cheers, already regretting his trading the early morning quiet for the chaotic noise that was... this. Giving his thermos a solid squeeze and gathering what energy and caffeine he could after having left his small preparation from before behind, he tore his gaze away from the traitorous dragon and looked upon the crowd with the warmth and excitement that they expected. It was mostly genuine. Although it was a struggle to quickly match their energy, it was that same energy that reminded him of why he did this and why any of them did this. They loved Pokemon. Loved battles. Loved their leaders and trainers and most of all, loved their Champ.

...Victoria...

Thomas peered above the crowd and then past them. When he saw nothing, he searched the skies.

...Not yet it seems. Always fashionably last... or not?

As he continued the short walk to meet with the other leaders, flashing smiles and throwing waves at some of the more energetic fans, he did a quick head count of those now standing in front of the crowd and found that besides Victoria, Elijah was still nowhere to be seen. Joseph and Henrietta had by now joined with the others and of course Moira's arrival had been hard to miss, seeing as the noise of her entrance rivaled even that of Hestia's and she had managed to steal Draco away... again. Although not usually one to be late, Thomas knew Elijah to also be quite busy, especially around this time with his students. He chalked it up to a long night and a late start and figured he'd appear any minute with Victoria not far behind. Of course, he had to finish his entrance first.

He came to a stop at the edge of the others and gave them all a nod in greeting and a smile. "Hey guys. It's been a minute."

...Entrance successful...

_________________________

^{...Draco get over here...}

T H E R I V E R ᶠᵉᵃᵗ ᴱˣˡᵗ ˣ ᴮʳᵒᵏᵉⁿᴾʳᵒᵐˡˢᵉ

_AD-4.M
^{PDC HQ · Holding Sublevel B2}

"I can tell you're getting exhausted."

The AIDA remained where he was, arms across the table and feet flat against the floor. He hadn't budged since he had been told to sit and besides occasional eye twitches and near even breathing, no movement had been recorded. For the most part, he'd kept his focus on the one other face in the room having learned rather quickly that there wasn't much else to look at around him. The walls continued to be sterile even as he knew that the one on his right was essentially false; a one way mirror. Possibly two way. No way to visually tell the difference. All he knew for sure was that since his arrival, he was being closely monitored and was under constant watch, of course.

...Nothing new...

"They should be relieving me soon." David hit another button and the monitor in front of him clipped an image of the AIDAs right eye. The accompanying feed provided data on his primary focus and not surprisingly, it had been David near the entire time. More specifically, the space around his visor... and a specific space if the readings were accurate. David glanced at the AIDA from behind the safety of his station. "Were you trying to see my eyes through this?" He tapped the headpiece.

"Reading along with you."

David squinted at the reply. ...What does that mean?...

”Alright David, your time is up.” Before he'd gotten the chance to ask, the door slid open and two faces entered the room. David breathed a sigh of relief to see both Kefira and Peter. ”Yup, time’s up. It’s Peter’s turn in the box”

"About time..." David reached under one of the monitors and pulled apart his connection to the machine, packing the excess tubing under his arm while it was slowly retracted into the pack on his back. "...Get me out of this room with this...thing." He added, under his breath. Without waiting for further acknowledgement, he nodded both of them a 'farewell' and left.

The AIDA remained unchanged.

Peter took his place behind the workstation and, like David was before, plugged himself in. His visor flashed momentarily while streams of data were compiled and exchanged between what he'd gathered and what David had. Their collective work was then distributed to the three separate monitors in front of him. Ready to begin, he turned to Kefira to signal a start, only to realize she wasn't waiting on him.

”You’ve been waiting a while for me, huh Adam?" Peter smirked at the woman's fearlessness and ability to get right to it. It was no wonder Lorelei chose her. "I can call you Adam, right? I feel like that was what your makers were going for. I mean, I’m cool with being called Kay-three-eff-slash-two-dot-four if you don't want to feel left out.”

Adam smiled. "Only two years..." He began, looking the woman over. It was a point made that her golden hair would be one of her more prominent features and sure enough, the off-yellow mane was the first to pull at his attention. With her every step, her hair matched the movement of her body and would dance around her head, accentuating the way she carried herself. Her eyes had remained focused on everything but him when she first arrived and only now after addressing him had she allowed him time to study. They were near the same hue as that of her hair and seemed to glisten under the fluorescent white of the room, the matching colors only helping to highlight how well put together she seemed. Sharp features and sharper chin slimmed to a fit physique and though still on the smaller side, Adam already knew better than to underestimate the woman standing in front of him. "You... are everything I was led to expect, officer. And Adam is fine, although I was told that your name was Kefira... or read. Would you rather I called you Kefra?"

As he finished, he glanced over at Peter who was now positioned behind her. For a brief moment, he read the reflection off the man's eyes through his visor, making a point to track what exactly he was reading and extrapolate how it pertained to him. However, his insight was short lived when only a few seconds after he had begun did Peter catch his gaze. Peter's pupils suddenly went dark and whatever reflection or colors there were to be found in his eyes were pulled into the black.

Peter continued to hold his smirk. "We're ready. Ask him whatever you would like so I can establish a baseline as it pertains to you and then we'll move to establishing and editing commands.". He hit a key and the same camera embedded in the wall behind Peter before began making a series of barely audible 'clicks' once again.

What Are You Listening To?

ᵗʳᵃᶜᵏ ⁰⁶

_____________________________________________ C A R O L I N E by A R L O P A R K S wb · ig · fb
	I was waiting for the bus one day Watched a fight between an artsy couple escalate Strawberry cheeks flushed with defeated rage Then he spilled his coffee as he frantically explained Maybe if you took a breath You would hear me when I talk to you Threw her necklace in his face Eyes so bright with disappointment I saw something inside her break Everybody knows the feeling Suddenly he started screaming "Caroline, I swear to God I tried I swear to God I tried Caroline, I swear to God I tried I swear to God I tried I swear to God I tried, I swear to God I tried" Ripped the hem of her skirt as she ran Panicking and weaving through the crowds on Oxford Street Watched his world dissolve in his hands Tried to roll a blem then put his head between his knees, ooh Maybe if she took a breath She would know I did it all for her Agony and hints of sage Her eyes blind with disappointment I couldn’t recognize her face Shards of glass live in this feeling Have to somehow stop her leaving "Caroline, I swear to God I tried I swear to God I tried Caroline, I swear to God I tried I swear to God I tried Caroline, I swear to God I tried I swear to God I tried Caroline, I swear to God I tried I swear to God I tried I swear to God I tried, I swear to God I tried"

Ban the Person above you

Banned because I did not meet him.

Describe the person above you in three words or less.

Finally gets it

Galarian Stories

^{Some bbcode may not display correctly on your device.}

	______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ __________________... in Motostoke at the Motostoke Stadium

mentions: Everyone      interactions:

Thomas had been inside the stadium since before the sun crested the distant mountains. Although not adverse to it, he often took the opportunity to avoid the crowds knowing full well how much time and energy fans were often to take up. Being as it was the day of the ceremony, he had very little of either to spare. His early morning routine on this day was a little different from his usual. There was still the warm cup of coffee, now inside a favorite thermos of his, accompanying him to his every task. There were the greetings he gave to his Pokemon and the daily check-in with those at the lab and gym. There was the girl to whom he saw to. Then, there were the duties he expected of himself as one of a few leaders on the given day.

Working closely with a florist in the city, he helped to design and set up the floral decor in the stadium, ensuring that everything transported was handled with care and received enough attention to survive the entirety of the day's events. Colors blossomed in every hue, though muted in the light-less morning hours, and touched the accents, edges and corners of much of the stadium's architecture. It was a welcome change of scenery from the usual steel and brick that Motostoke was known for and also helped to clear some of the metal tinged air that often hung in more crowded cities. Confident the flowers would brighten up festivities once kissed by the sun, Thomas moved on to more menial tasks. He spent what was left of the day's dawn helping to set up tables, clean up trash on the field and put up whatever signage was leftover. When he was satisfied, or more accurately when the staff were on the brink of taking up arms to get him to stop, he finally took his leave to tend to a last errand.

By then, the sun had begun peaking over the ridge in the distance and the cool morning air was being slowly carried away by it's gentle warm push. He tried to relish the last moments of his favorite part of the day; when there was still the ice kiss on the tip of his nose and the air unfolding from his lungs turned to a hot ball of fog with his every breath. The coffee, still warm in his thermos, helped to keep his fantasy and as he came upon a peculiar shop tucked into the corner of a quiet square, he pulled from it one last sip. The "Good morning" he gave the elderly woman standing in front was hot and tasted of caramel.

She fumbled with her keys and eventually found and pushed a bronze piece into the door. "Thomas... would it kill you to care for your jersey on any day other than the day before?" Her tired, frail voice cracked around the edges of every word. "It's still too early to bother me. Pick-ups aren't for another hour."

"Well, I do appreciate you opening up so early… and just for me but, Nina, I keep telling you you don't have to."

With a slow twist and a deliberate push, the door cracked open. "If I didn't... you would be up there in your pajamas." Thomas laughed even as she did not and followed her inside. The shop itself was rather old as well. A room trapped in a year a decade ago and encased in the shell that was Motostoke innovation. Floorboards creaked underfoot and the ceiling hung low, threatening to snag at one of Thomas's stray hairs. The air was stagnant and smelled of an odd mixture of dust and clean linens. The walls were covered in various shelves that held not merchandise but Nina's innumerable tools. Mannequins were dressed in other people's clothes. Clothing racks were drowned in fabric. The window, currently sealed shut, displayed yesterday's fashion, though for what Thomas couldn't tell. She didn't sell. She did however clean and repair and was one of the few who’s skills with their hands were unrivaled. The main floor was also her main workstation. Beyond the counter that cut the room in half was a desk and on it, a track suit and a jersey. Ironed out, patches resewn and colors restored... again.

"Not that it matters anyways. These are barely any better than your pjs." Nina continued to waggle her tongue at him even as her back was turned, moving with an unexpected nimbleness to the other end of the room where his articles were waiting.

"Are you taking care of the sapling I gave you?"

"On the window."

Thomas turned and with a quick glance, found a potted plant standing defiant between two towering displays. He moved closer for a better inspection and noticed that it had rooted well and that the stem, which had already begun to stretch toward the sky when he'd given it, was now branching and budding. It was indeed in good health and seemed happy. "Wow. It's looking good."

"Unlike you, I take care of my things."

Thomas furrowed his brow as she straightened out and turned to her again. "I take care of my things."

"Haa-gh." Her rebuttal more of a grunt than anything Thomas recognized. "Clearly..." Her shriveled thumbs traced the trim of the outfit he'd refused to put on for a year and had left to collect dust stuffed into the corner of a closet. "And are you taking care of her?"

"Yes."

"No. Her. The uh... other one." She waved a shaky hand in his general direction signaling at another female dancing along the edges of what he thought she was trying to say. "You told me about the uh... fair ski-"

"Yeah, no Nina. I don't have the time right now. Kind of busy with construction of the lab and training some 'come-ups'."

The old woman shook her head. By now she had produced a bag and had already begun transferring the tracksuit over to it. The suit itself was first, folded some at the edges to allow it to fit with the jersey placed safely inside. Both were easily secured with the slide of a zipper and a sticker was placed on top. She scribbled something on it before picking up the entire thing and making her way back over to him. "Taking care of your things also means taking care of yourself." She held it out for him to take. "Don't forget to save some of that love and attention you give away so freely for Timmy."

"That's... not my name."

_________________________

The roars of the crowd just outside the main doors were loud enough to rouse the Flapple on his shoulder. Having spent almost the entire morning asleep, Thomas was happy to see the small dragon finally blinking it's way into the later early hours of the day. Thomas's greeting nudge on it's chin was returned with a trill on it's tongue and a long stretch and yawn. "There you are. I hope you're rested and ready for the day, Draco."

Thomas himself was now as close to prepared as he expected he'd be. His navy tracksuit was zipped up over his jersey, now in pristine condition thanks in no small part to Nina and her handiwork. His hair was up and tied back, Flapple was finally awake and last he checked since he returned, the stadium itself was ready to go. Although a few trainers and spectators had already started to trickle in, opting to ignore the ever growing crowd outside, the staff were nearly complete and were putting the finishing touches on setup. Everything was pretty much ready to go and in time for everyone's arrival.

He could recognize them by their entrances. Even through walls of concrete and steel, Hestia's Charizard's roar was unmistakable. The muted sound of heavy feet slamming into the ground followed by loud cheers signaled the Fire-Type leader's arrival and her voice answering their call was all the confirmation he needed that the rest wouldn't be far behind. Sure enough, the others followed suit. Fiona's particular speak cut through the crowd shortly thereafter, easily recognizable over a sea of shouts and cheers that threatened to drown her out. Then there was the voice of Isla, with an assuredness to her that was admirable but short-lived under the boisterousness shadow of Zeke's arrival. His persona was donned as it usually was in front of cameras and crowds and even if Thomas couldn't hear the man's exact words through closed doors, he understood the gist of what he was saying. It was a short-lived game as he tried to translate some of the mottled warbling language leaking through to him before the cry of a Loudred cut through everything else and effectively shut his musings up. After the crowd swelled with it's entrance and eventually evened out, Thomas picked up Ezran and Malik adding their song to the others. Liam followed shortly after them, his being one of the few that Thomas could clearly visualize as his compliments and flirtations were always rather loud and obvious. Nordrin was there as well, the renowned chef keeping his volume low, however, and just barely discernible from the rest.

Still to arrive it seemed were Joseph, Henrietta and the two other leaders whom Thomas knew the best: Moira and Elijah. He checked the clock on the wall. There was still time.

"They'll be here, Draco... and it's probably time we got out there as well, hm?" He turned to the dragon on his shoulder who yawned a lazy approval and stretched apple slice wings in preparation. Thomas did the same, pulling his arms behind his back, rolling his neck and taking a deep breath before holding it in his lungs as he went through a final mental check. Floral decorations were done. The stadium was set and prepped and ready. His official outfit was donned for once, though still concealed under his tracksuit which was also cleaned. He'd drunk enough coffee to offset his early morning start and received a wholesome dismissal and reminder from an old lady. And so, with a lung full of air and caffeine in his veins, he exhaled a ball of confidence, poise and carefully scrounged charisma and moved to the doors ready to greet the rest of the world.

"T-thomas! Thomas! I'm so sorry to bother you but... it never ends, does it. We've already got a complaint about some new trainer named Timmy leaving his stuff in someone else's locker. There was a bag with a name on it and some rather plain boring clothes inside that we've moved to 'Lost and Found'. I've made up some temporary signs as a reminder. Do you mind putting these up here? I'm putting these ones up at the other end of the stadium."