The Blizzard: Chapter 5

A Dangerous Encounter: Chapter 8

"Scylla. Scylla! SCYLLA!! Wake up!" A female voice said. Someone shook Scylla awake.

Scylla groaned, opening her eyes to the bright sun and a familiar woman.

"Aite? Did I have another nightmare?" Scylla mumbled, her head a little fuzzy from the nightmare.

Latest development of the Dark Gaia pack over the past few months was that the Dark Gaia pieces became werewolves. That means that the Dark Gaia pieces' human forms had characteristics relative to their former master.

Aite nodded, her violet eyes as dark as the night. "You started screaming in your sleep. Again."

Scylla sighed, sitting up and leaning against the sandy wall of the dune. Scylla noticed a man with violet hair and navy blue eyes walking up to Aite and Scylla. Scylla stood up and asked, "Any signs of the Soulless, Adam?"

Adam shook his head. "No, Alpha Scylla. It seems they left. But..."

Scylla growled. "But what?"

Adam shook his head. "Diana, Sophia, and Ajal wanted to tell you and Aite about it."

Aite and Scylla looked at each other with surprised expressions. Aite telepathically asked Scylla, "Could it be...Them?"

Scylla shook her head, telepathically replying with, "No, it can't be. They're with the demigods." Scylla transmitted the last word with a growl. "They should be as stuck-up as them now."

Adam cleared his throat, clearly eavesdropping on the telepathic conversation Scylla and Aite were having. Adam asked, "So, are we going to the other pack members now, or -"

"Of course we are. Let's see how they fared." Scylla intercepted.

Scylla grabbed her bow and quiver of arrows, slinging them onto her back. Then, Scylla, Adam, and Aite started to walk the ten-kilometer distance towards the makeshift watch post.

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About an hour later, Scylla, Aite, and Adam entered the watch post, which was made of beige-colored glass. As they entered, they saw Ajal looking at them expectantly. His blue-violet eyes are impossible to miss.

"Where is Diana and Sophia, Ajal?" Scylla asked impatiently.

"Can I say something before I answer?" Ajal asked meekly.

"Alpha Scylla, Ajal has our news. I suggest we listen to him first." Adam said.

Scylla sighed. Looking at Ajal, Scylla said formally, "Forgive me. I haven't been in the best mood lately, and I just woke up an hour beforehand."

Ajal nods in understanding, saying in a more serious tone, "I understand. But three Mobians have arrived in the desert just about 190 miles from here."

Aite asked, "Were they demigods? We've been seeing them several times on our daily hunts."

Scylla cringed at the thought of more demigods entering the desert. Ajal said seriously, "Not this time. They felt more like gods than demigods."

Scylla froze like a deer in headlights. That description...It feels so familiar, yet it didn't seem real. Scylla blocked her telepathic connection with her pack for a moment and listened for Sonic, Silver, and Shadow's thoughts. Once she heard them, Scylla gasped and shut it down immediately. Reopening her telepathic connection with her pack, Scylla's black eyes were wide.

Scylla looked at Adam, Aite, and Ajal worriedly. Aite asked Scylla, "What happened?"

Scylla took a deep breath, her trembling hand subconsciously curling into a fist as she said seriously, "The Sons of Heephis are back."

A Dangerous Encounter: Chapter 15

With how cloudy and dark this part of the desert is, Scylla was surprised to see even a sliver of the moonlight reflecting off her skin. But her curiosity was cut off as she heard the Soulless scampering toward an old city, which was in ruin ever since the apocalypse started. Realizing that she may have a lead to where Zielo and Sonic may be, Scylla lifted herself up, wincing as her body protested.

Scylla? Aite asked, scaring Scylla enough to have her jump and wince from the movement.

Aite, I thought I told you -

I know, I know, but we heard a scream a couple of hours earlier, and I wanted to make sure you were okay.

I'm fine Aite, I have a lead.

Remember, if you need help, you can always call the pack. Ok?

Fiiiiiiiiiine. But no promises. Scylla cut off her link.

Scylla starts to limp towards the empty city. At the most times she winced from her sore legs, she was in a lot of pain. What she didn't notice was the Soulless coyote trailing her from behind. Such irony that a predator was hunting another predator.

Once Scylla reached the ruins, she looked around, and spotted the coyote. It looked strangely familiar, but it clicked once she drew up a memory. Scylla huffed as a form of amusement. She continued walking as though she didn't know the coyote was there.

But a few seconds later, Scylla was stopped by the coyote, who had a sword in his stomach. She could have sworn he did it to himself earlier, based on how deep and fatal the injury was. "Halt!" The coyote said, "You muzt zee Mazter, az you are not perfect."

Scylla laughed weakly, amused by this form of intimidation. She stopped laughing a few moments later, her eyes blazing with joy and fury as she growled, "Whyyy, if it isn't a demigod, descending from Paradise to mingle with the commoners."

The coyote blinked. "We have a mission; and it iz to serve Mazter!"

Scylla rolled her eyes sarcastically as she smirked. "That was the universe's mission? Oh, I feel simply awful." A crack of thunder filled the air. "Must've slipped my mind."

"That's NO EXCUZE TO DISOBEYING MAZTER!!" The Coyote screeched.

That's what I was afraid of. Scylla thought, before smirking and giving a death glare to the coyote. "Well, it's disgusting to see a Bloodthroat think that they are perfect just because their master is. Such as Zielo, and he is -"

"Perfect?" The coyote suggested.

Scylla shuddered. "No, not perfect. Not since he fell to sin."

"Mazter IS PERFECT!!"

Scylla grimaced at the claim. "No one's perfect, not even the god of whatever you call it. That's a stupid claim." Scylla turned around and limped away.

"Don't turn your back on Mazter!" The coyote howled.

Scylla turned her head slightly, rolling her eyes sarcastically as she purred, "Oh no, Antoine, perhaps you shouldn't turn your back on your values."

Antoine let out a bloodthirsty shriek, diving towards Scylla as she dodged the attack. As a returning move, Scylla scratched the coyote harshly. Feeling her feet getting grabbed by some sort of tentacle, Scylla jumped onto an intact rooftop. She scanned the area below her, already picking up on a few details. First off, the location of the Bloodthroat's mark was on his...ugh, tongue. Blech. Second, Antoine was using some kind of updated version of his illusions. Third, the Bloodthroat was too powerful for Scylla to defeat on her own. At least without the necessary resources to save Antoine's soul. So, Scylla made the only choice she could make without bloodshed.

Scylla retreated, quickly and weakly teleporting to the submerged Angel Island.

Some Galahs Do An Inky Mission: Chapter 1

Third Person POV

"Alinta! Wake up!"

SLAP!

Alinta's eyes shot open as she got up quickly, massaging her bruised cheek. "Audra! Are you serious right now? That hurt!"

"Just take a look around! We're in the Ink Dimension!" Audra gestured to the room around them.

"Will you two be quiet? You're going to attract the Ink Demon here with the noise you're making." Kaiso hissed, keeping her eyes on the top of the wall.

"Relax, it's not like -"

"Children of the Machine." A voice on the announcement said.

Audra looked around, looking confused as she asked, "Who? What? Where? How? Huuuuuuh?!!!!" Alinta looked confused, but kept silent. Kaiso looks like she was used to this by now, but kept her eyes on the wall. Suddenly she began to climb up, her hands leaving a clear, deep scratch on the cement bricks.

Finally, Kaiso reached the top. "I'm going to go explore the studio. Ignore everyone who talks to you, except for Alison. You'll know her when you see her. Stay away from the Searchers, Lost Ones, and the Ink Demon. If it finds you, hide." Kaiso ran off.

Audra stood there, processing what she just heard before shouting, "WHAT?!?!"

Alinta stood up, sighing as she muttered, "Oh my god..." She thinks about it. "You know what, let's go the way Kaiso went." Alinta climbed up the wall and helped Audra up. They then went down the hallway and into a main lobby.

"There's a hiding spot here." Audra remarked, pointing at an empty stall.

"Why would we need that?" Alinta asked. They looked at each other for a moment, and shrugged. "Eh, who cares? Let's move on."

20 seconds later...

"Hooolyyyy craaaaaaaap!" Audra yelled, making a beeline for the hiding spot with Alinta running right behind her.

"Butcher Gang! Butcher Gang! Why did Kaiso not tell us about the Butcher Gang?!??" Alinta shouted.

"I don't knoooow!!!" The two girls reached the hiding spot, but only Audra was able to fit into it, since she was there first.

Alinta sighs, turning to face the rapidly approaching angry Piper. "I didn't want to have to do this, but..." Alinta shrugged, shapeshifting into a large strawberry-blonde wolf with lemon-green eyes. She tore the Piper apart within ten seconds. Once the inkshed was done, Alinta returned to her human form, the black ink on her hands.

Audra carefully opened the door and walked out of the hiding place. "Is it gone?"

"Yep. Pretty sure I ate the body, too."

"...Alinta, why are you like this?"

"No matter. You took a nasty fall, so let's find you some food." Alinta walked over to a crate and removed its lid. "I found Bacon Soup."

"Soup?" Audra asked.

"Yes, the soup. The max potion of this realm. The holy water of our Christian world. The -"

"Okay, okay! I'll eat it. Jeez..." Audra said. She walked over and took a large gulp out of the soup can.

"I wouldn't drink too much of that if I were you." A woman's voice warned. Audra choked on the soup in the surprise and shock of how sudden the voice had appeared. Alinta ran over to help Audra stop choking.

"I'm sorry, what?" Alinta asked.

"I mean, it tastes good, but the aftertaste? Not so much." The woman said. As Alinta and the traumatized Audra turned around, they saw a woman with black hair and a black dress.

"A-Alice?" Audra stammered, coughing a little as she recovers from the scare.

"How do you know my name?"

"Uhh..." Alinta tried to think up an explanation. "We used to be Lost Ones, but now we're...cartoons?"

"Nice work, Alinta." Audra hissed quietly.

"I see... There's some rules in the studio - keep moving up, avoid as much trouble as you can, don't stay in the same place for too long, and stay away from the Ink Demon. If it finds you, hide."

"Okay, who's the Ink Demon? And why do we have to hide from it?" Alinta demanded.

"You'll know him when you see him. What are your names?"

"My name's Audra!"

"And my name's Alinta."

"Well, Alinta and Audra... Welcome to the studio!" Something exploded in the lobby, making Audra shriek and jump. As Alinta looked around menacingly, she noticed that Alice disappeared.

"Damn it." Alinta hissed.

Audra looked over, noticing that Alice was gone. "Aw, I liked her."

"Well, it looks like we have to keep moving in the direction that Kaiso probably went, and avoid a number of things in the process."

"Okay! Then we should do that!" Audra climbed up the walls.

As Alinta followed suit, she said, "Be careful, I don't know what kind of things are up there."

Audra reached the top and ran to a mirror. "Oh my... IS THAT KAISO'S FINGERPRINT???!!!!"

Alinta came closer to the mirror, looking at the familiar, yet inky fingerprint. "That's definitely her fingerprint." Her eyes twitched as soon as she realized something. "Kaiso... this better not mean what I think it means." Alinta growled.

"What does it mean?" Audra asked curiously, tilting her head the way a cougar cub's would.

Alinta stayed serious. "You'll see it when you see it. Come on, let's move on." She grabbed Audra's arm and pulled her away, heading towards Animation Station. After a bit of scurrying, they reached the entrance and moved the cart.

Audra broke the chains with one claw swipe. "Huh. That was easy."

"Be glad that we didn't need a key, or things would have been a lot harder." Alinta grumbled.

Audra had already slithered in by the time Alinta finished the sentence. "Alinta, look! There's a treasure trove of animation secrets! Aaaww, and Bendy looks sooo cuuuute!!!! Come see, come seeeee!!!"

"All right, all right, I'm coming." Alinta called, walking through the entrance. "Small girl."

Audra appeared behind Alinta. "What did you just say?" Audra asked skeptically.

Alinta rolled her eyes. "You're short."

Audra made an offended gasp. "I am not short!!!"

"Sure, little cub. Sure."

"You...you meaniehead!!!"

"Let's move on..." Alinta looked around. "Looks like this place is locked up tight. We're going to need to stay quiet. Who knows if there's any alarms around here." But Audra was happily dashing around.

"Alinta? Audra?" Alice asked. Alinta heard her from a few feet away.

Alinta ran to the small hallway. Surprisingly enough, there was a circular vent-like phone at the end of the hall. Alinta called, "Hello, this is Alinta speaking. Audra's currently busy right now. What's your purpose of calling right now?"

"Oh, thank god. Listen, where are you right now?" Alice asked.

"Hmmm... Animation Station. It's locked tight." Alinta answered.

"Good, it means you're headed up. There's going to be a Gent Pipe. Did you find it?"

Alinta raised an eyebrow. "No, what's a Gent Pi-"

BOOOM!

"What was that?" Alice asked frantically.

Alinta shrugged. "Probably the pipes."

Alice ordered. "FIND THAT GENT PIPE. HURRY." The line cut off.

Alinta growled. "Oh, so now I've gotta find a Gent Pipe. That's brriiiilliant." Alinta walked off. "Now, where is that thing?"

A Dangerous Encounter: Chapter 9

Aite gasped, pulling Ajal closer. Adam's expression went blank in shock. Ajal's expression was filled with an unreadable amount of anger.

Scylla's ears flattened in fear of what will come in the future. Scylla looked at the glass walls of the watch post and whispered, "Where's Diana and Sophia?"

Ajal pointed below the watchpost. Scylla sighed in defeat, walking towards the trapdoor and pulling it open. Climbing down the semi-dark ladder, Scylla was greeted by Sophia.

"So, guess who came to this dimension." Sophia said cheerfully.

Thinking that this was another joke, Scylla replied darkly, "The Sons of Heephis."

"WHAT??!!!!!" Sophia gasped in shock, covering her mouth. As Scylla walked towards the first room, Scylla ground out angrily, "Yeah, apparently the Sons of Heephis came back for their first mission."

Sophia shook her head fearfully, saying in a subdued voice, "I don't like where this is going."

Diana ran out of one of the rooms in this basement, asking, "What's happening? I heard Sophia shout-" Diana looked at Scylla's serious face, and physically cringed at her expression.

Scylla said darkly, "The Sons of Heephis are back."

Diana sucked in a breath, muttering, "I presume we're going to go upstairs talk about this."

Scylla nodded.

Five minutes later, Diana, Scylla, and Sophia had climbed upstairs to see Adam, Ajal, and Aite looking at them fearfully. The pack sat down in a circle. Aite, Adam, Sophia, Ajal, and Diana finally started speaking their minds.

"Why are they here?"

"What are their intentions?"

"Have they changed?"

"Are they even themselves?"

"Shouldn't we be keeping an eye on them?"

"What should we do?"

"ENOUGH!!!!!" Scylla shouted. Everyone went silent. Scylla took a deep breath, and said calmly, "As much as I don't like this as much as you do, I have made my decision long before this had ever been brought up." The pack looked at each other fearfully. Scylla closed her eyes, and said in a dark growl, "We're leaving this territory at dusk."

Mango's Adventures in Angst Land: Chapter 1

(Author's Note: This chapter is connected to The Blizzard. Please read The Blizzard if you haven't read it yet.)

"What?" Kiui whispered.

"Demetria knows me, and I know her. The only time something like this happens nowadays is when she's experiencing a nightmare." Mango said. "I'm going after her."

"Mango, wait -"

"MANGO MOCHISOLAR, COME BACK -"

Mango tuned them both out as she ran the door, grabbing her winter coat. I know the forest better than anyone, Mango thought. If anyone can find her, I can.

It felt like hours before Mango found Demetria, and what Mango saw was terrifying.

The forest around her felt dead, and Demetria was encased in an icy cocoon. The heart of the blizzard was right above them, causing the temperature to drop every second Mango stood there.

Mango rushed over to the cocoon, banging on it with her fists. "Demetria, wake up, it's just a nightmare." Nothing happens. "Fluuuuuuff." Mango whispered, her tears turning to ice. "Come on, please, don't leave me." Mango pleaded.

Without thinking, she extended her claws and attempted to slice through the chrysalis ten times, each scratch digging deeper into the ice each time, until finally -

CRRAACK!

The cocoon cracked open, the ice revealing the unconscious and frostbitten form of Demetria. Mango gasped in horror, her ears going up in shock. She quickly took off her coat and carefully wrapped it around Demetria. Mango transforms into the form of a ginger cat with wet, orange scales peppering random spots on her body, and picks up Demetria carefully, gently setting her on the cat's back. Carrying Demetria away from the horrid, frozen sight, Mango hissed, "Stay with me,  big cuz. You gotta be strong."

I'd Like You To Share A Nightmare With Me

Emerald walked into the café, expecting to see just her aunt-in-law and her younger cousin there. Instead, she was met with the entire family, including her strict, elderly grandmother, Flare. Emerald nervously sat down and ordered a heated gingerbread-flavored glass of cowsmilk from a waitress, which Flare raised an eyebrow on. Emerald said, "I like gingerbread."

Flare huffed, muttering, "Maybe a little too much."

"Mom!" Emerald's mother, Chaos, gasped.

"You can't be serious. Emerald just got a promotion, and you're criticizing her over her gingerbread addiction?" Emerald's Aunt-In-Law, Red, sighed.

"No, no, it's fine. I'm used to this." Emerald waved it off, thanking the waitress as she received her burning-hot glass of cowsmilk. Emerald watched her younger cousin, Seraphina, as Emerald sipped her glass, managing to hide a wince as her venoma instincts tried to kick in to the burning sensation on her tongue.

Seraphina noticed though, and the three-year-old babbled, "Emmy 'kay?"

Emerald chuckled at the adorable toddler, reassuring her, "Emmy's fine, she's used to being served glacier ice at work." It was an excuse, Emerald knew that, but with the venoma outbreaks throughout the Fire Kingdom, she could be killed if she even shared any confirmation that she was one of those venoma, nonetheless she somehow was the queen of the hive. Plus, her lies worked anyway. Her family believed her excuse, and Chaos gave Emerald a sympathetic look. Emerald cleared her throat, asking her grandmother, "So, where are we going after our drinks? You must have something planned for my promotion celebration."

Flare perked up. "Well, we're going to go to a movie theater and watch one of those Pokemon movies you like." Emerald's fear spiked for little Seraphina's safety, sensing something bad will happen to her if they go in there.

Emerald starts to protest. "Grandmother, a lot of us can fight, but I fear that my cousin Seraphina won't be able to defend herself if she gets kidnapped."

Red agreed. "My child needs us to defend her, as she doesn't have much training, despite the fact that she is a werewolf."

Flare dismissed them. "Everything's going to be fine. We walk into the theater, watch the movie, and walk out of there. Nothing bad's going to happen."

Emerald had enough. She told Flare, "Not to sound disrespectful, but this is my celebration, not yours. You came here uninvited, so you have to listen to me. I fear for my cousin's safety, so we're going somewhere else." Emerald was careful not to use any flames or black magic in her anger towards Flare. That was all rendered useless, as Flare blew up on Emerald.

"Well, I am the alpha of this pack and I make the demands. I say that we're going to the movie theater, whether you like it or NOT!!!" Violet flames intertwined with green ones flared in sync of Flare's anger. Customers and staff alike look on in confusion. As the flames grew brighter, the heat licked Emerald's skin, making it crawl uncomfortably. She looked in fear, registering the fact that she has to give in to her grandmother's demands before things could get worse.

Emerald lowered her head submissively, muttering, "Fine, we'll do it your way."

Flare's flames flickered out, to which Emerald sighs in relief for. Flare clapped her hands together, cheerfully saying, "Great! Now, let's finish our food, and let's go to the movie theater!"

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As they entered the movie theater, the family were talking amongst each other about some gossip, while Red held her child as she asked Emerald, "What did you get promoted to in that lab?"

Emerald replied happily, "Oh, I got promoted to scientist-level. Which, compared to the security guard night shifts, is a pretty good deal to me!" She was secretly happy that no one's found out about her yet, which usually means that no one suspected her of being a venoma yet.

"Oh…" Red thought for a moment, smiling at Seraphina's subtle demands for attention. "Can you promise something to me secretly?"

Seraphina, surprised, answered. "Of course." She looked around, then Emerald, Red, and Seraphina hid in the corner. Emerald sighed. "What do I have to promise you that no one else can hear?"

Red looked serious. Emerald gulped, thinking she did something wrong. Red said, "I know you're the venoma queen." Emerald mentally cursed. Red continued, "And I see how well you've protected your kind, so I want you to promise me…" she stroked Seraphina's hair gently. "That if I die and Seraphina becomes one of the venoma, you will protect my child with your life."

Emerald said, "I would have done it anyway, but why would you ask -"

"Promise me on one of Simara's children."

"Okay, okay, I promise on behalf of Queen Benji's life that I will protect your daughter." Emerald backtracked. "But if you knew about me, then why didn't you say anything?"

Red said, "Because I know you. Now, let's join the rest of the family."

"Wait, what -"

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As the werewolves sat on row E of the theater, Emerald couldn't help but worry about her younger cousin's safety. After all, the movie theater felt unsafe for small children like Seraphina. Emerald looked at her high-tech watch and researched the rate of kidnapping during the venoma pandemic. As the internet revealed the very high rates in this particular movie theater, Emerald's heart dropped. She starts to look around nervously, wondering if any of these people around her would attempt to kidnap Seraphina. Emerald whispered to Flare, "Um, so I did a bit of research about the rate of kidnapping of this place, and we could be in potential danger right now, especially for Seraphina. Can we please leave?"

Flare hissed, "No, I paid for those tickets, and I'm not refunding them for no reason."

Emerald sighed fearfully, knowing that this is not going to go well. "Fine." She kept her senses on high alert, just in case.

About thirty minutes into the movie, Emerald heard someone grab something small, and Red shout, "MY BABY!!!!"

Swerving to look at Red and Seraphina, Emerald's teenage senses registered that Red was somehow tied to her seat with black magic and Seraphina wasn't in her seat and was being carried away by lab agents. Seraphina's muffled screams made Emerald's fear and anger spike. Flare, however, said, "She's still in her seat, Red, so return to the movie and quit worrying."

An illusion. Emerald looked at her mother, who saw the same thing the rest of the family was shouting at Flare angrily for. Chaos nodded. Emerald jumped out her seat and ran for the agents. When she got outside, they were nowhere to be seen. Emerald looked around, then realized that one of her favorite people in the universe was gone. Clenching her fist in anger and tears streaming, Emerald decided right then and there that she'd track this evil organization down and destroy them. Her thirst for revenge spiked a new height.

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After about three weeks of searching for Seraphina in fear, Emerald finally hacked into a base called Thunder Base #305. Turns out this was a cult located outside the Fire Kingdom's premises, and near Emerald's venoma hive. Emerald sucked in a breath, tapping on a file with Seraphina's picture on it. As she read the file, Emerald's horror and anger rose. She eventually watched a video of an experiment.

Five minutes later, Emerald saw a familiar scale. She paused the video. "No, it couldn't be…" Emerald zoomed in on the scale. It's her venoma scale. Emerald gasped, a mix of emotions rushing through her. Her? Having her DNA shared with her own cousin? That's terrifying and something Emerald didn't ever wish on Seraphina. Emerald quickly calmed down, a familiar rush of wrath washing over her. She smashed her watch on the ground, walking off to attack the base.

Three hours later, imagine the security's chaos that Emerald caused as she slammed down the door. Stalking down the hallways, numerous cult robe-covered security guards were thrown onto the walls, held by their throats using black magic. Fire spewed from the staff lounge. The door to the base's lab was punched open as a furious, vengeful Emerald roared, "WHERE IN THE NAME OF THE EXES DID YOU TAKE MY COUSIN TO? I KNOW WHAT YOU DID TO -"

Emerald's ears twitched, picked up the sound of a child crying, a familiar voice stuttering brokenly, "E-E-Emmy?"

Emerald looked to her left to see a half-scaly, half-bloody face of her cousin, Seraphina, tied to a chair. Emerald's anger simmered down. Filled with relief that she found Seraphina, Emerald ran over quickly and cupped the three-year-old's face in her hands. Heartbroken, tears started to fall as Emerald whispered, "Oh, Sera, I didn't want things to go this far. I -"

A woman's voice cackled. "Oh, if it isn't the young Venoma Queen herself, come to rescue her cousin from the terrors of our lovely home."

Emerald took her hands away from Seraphina, turning to see a woman in a bright yellow suit. Emerald glared, baring her teeth as she growled, "Who are you? What do you want with me and the rest of us, human?" Seraphina whimpered.

The woman chuckled. "See, I wanted to know more about your kind, so I experimented with some of the Fire Kingdom's younglings, but none of them survived. But when I found your scale, I decided to do one final test. My name's Dr. Belial Wicked, though to my experiments, I will be their Ringleader."

Emerald narrowed her eyes. "You give humanity a bad name."

Dr. Belial chuckled. "Oh, but it's all in the name of science!"

Behind the scientist, Emerald's voice sounded hollow and vengeful as she laughs. "There are other ways to research. Please do pardon me, but you humans do look funny when you're running." Chills went down Dr. Belial's spine as she realized she just had been tricked. "Pray. I dare you. You won't ever come out of here again." Belial's head was then smacked to the side of the wall hard.

Emerald jumped down, landing on her feet as she grabbed Seraphina and ran. Okay, according to my calculations, the human's either's got a concussion or is coming after me right now. I've got five minutes, tops, to get Sera out of the facility. Emerald thought. When they ran into the closet, Emerald shut the door and sat Seraphina down. Seraphina whimpered, which Emerald quickly silenced. Emerald whispered, "Seraphina, I need you to promise me to never talk about what's happening here, or what happened to you. Not even a peek at your new form."

"Why?" Seraphina asked fearfully.

Emerald tried to hide her wavering wisps of hope as she whispered, "Because I love you, and I promised your mommy that I'd keep you safe. Now promise me to not tell anyone or show them anything."

"But -"

"Your safety is more important to me. Promise me."

"I pwomise."

Emerald wiped away any tears that strayed from her eyes as she ordered. "Close your eyes. Don't question." Seraphina quickly obeyed her older cousin's orders. That was…too quick for Emerald's liking. Usually, it'd take Emerald a minute longer to get Seraphina to listen. What did they do to her? Nonetheless, Emerald cast a mixture of a memory-erasing and a sleeping spell on Seraphina. As Seraphina fell asleep, Emerald whispered, "I'm so sorry." Emerald used her black magic to teleport the sleeping Seraphina to her mother.

Belial stalked towards the closet, singing, "Oh, Emerald ~! I'd love to study you, if you'd just come out."

Emerald looked at the door. She'd better end this quickly, or they'd end up harming people again. Emerald silently creeped toward the door, sliding out the two spines she had when she was infected with the venoma virus from her forearms. As the blood dripped down from the two wounds, Emerald said in a dark, reptilian voice, "Well, hope you've learned a lot from life, because I'm about to end you."

"Oooo, an empty-ended threat! I love it! Maybe we'll -"

Emerald punched the door so hard, Belial was slammed onto the wall by the door. A large crater in the wall proved just where the scientist was, along with the door's hole, where Emerald had punched it. Emerging from the dust was a half-dragon, half-werewolf covered in grey scales and fur. Aqua-green eyes glowed in vengeance and rage, sharp teeth dripping with venomous saliva as the creature growled. Emerald scales hung from the wolf-ears, shining blood-red in the twilight. "You messed with the wrong Venoma Queen, human." It hissed.

Belial shook in fear at the powerful creature that stood before her. Was this really the true Venoma Queen? It can't be, venomas are usually smaller -

Emerald spread her wings, chuckling. "Some nightmares never end, do they, weakling?" She showed her evil, unmerciful smirk, adding to the horror she knew she was. "You think you know us? Wrong. You've only got the very tip of the iceberg."  The lines blurred, making Belial shake her head. When she looked up again, aqua-green eyes glared into her own. Belial gulped. Emerald laughed. "You should meet our god. He's much deadlier than I am."

Belial grabbed Emerald's spine on the left forearm. Belial smirked. "I believe I can study you now."

Emerald swung her arm to end the scientist, but Belial blocked it with her own bo. Emerald growled, pressing her weight onto the natural weapons of the venoma, attempting to break the wooden weapon to no avail. Frustrated, the Venoma Queen attempted to bite the human's head off, only to have her face whacked by the spinning stick.

Animal instincts thus arise with that pain.

Emerald grabbed the bo and threw it out of sight. Belial looked at where the weapon went, then at Emerald. Pure fear rushed through the human scientist's body as she realized what this means for her. Emerald screeched, raising her claws for the final -

25 years later…

Seraphina woke up in a cold sweat. That nightmare… It couldn't mean… She's still alive?!

Some Galahs Go On an Inky Mission

Third Person POV

In the middle of Audra's battle, Alinta woke up. Audra looked over, launching herself into the ceiling to avoid getting any more injuries. Audra was cut and scratched at badly, bleeding a lot of blood. Panting heavily, she pulled herself together and created a tornado. Alinta raised an eyebrow, creating a huge net of red moonlight that crushed the Lost Ones in the tornado. Jumping down from her perch, Audra landed on her feet with a wince of pain. Alinta starts, "Look, Audra. I know that I -"

Audra cuts her off with a paw on the head. "DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN!!! It's too risky. Who's gonna help me with Kaiso gone and you fainting? I could have died without your support!" Audra scolded.

Alinta laughed. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" She walked through the Animation Alley entrance and beckoned Audra to follow. Soon they reached an animation room for tourism.

As Alinta looked for a way to escape, Audra listened to the recordings and peeked into the rooms. Just as Alinta found a vent, Audra shrieked in horror as she saw what was inside of the fourth room. "THERE'S A HANGED MAN!" Audra shouted, covering her mouth as the tears started forming. Alinta ran over and saw a mannequin hanging from the ceiling.

Thinking quickly, Alinta turned Audra so she wouldn't see the mannequin. Wiping the tears from Audra's eyes, Alinta knelt in front of her and whispered, "Listen to me. You're okay. That's not going to happen to you." When Audra started to hyperventilate, Alinta shook her shoulders, hissing, "Princess Audra Hurricane of the Air Kingdom, LISTEN TO ME. It's just a mannequin."

Audra shook her head, barely pulling herself back together. "You know how many hangings I've seen, Alinta. What if it happens again?"

"IT WON'T. Do you trust me?" Alinta asked. Audra nodded shakily. "Good. We're going to go through a vent and leave this damned place behind. Can you at least try to stay calm and forget about this?"

"I don't know!" Audra pulled herself away from Alinta. "Do you see that?" Audra pointed to the hung mannequin. "That's just the start! Later on, there's going to be more people just hanging from the god damn ropes, and there's NOTHING I can do about it!"

"Audra, keep a cool head -"

"No! Don't you care, Alinta? The more people who do suicide, the less likely we'll be able to help!"

Alinta's POV

Dark Alinta asked, "Do you need any -"

"NO."

"Okay!"

Third Person POV

Alinta shook Audra's shoulders. Alinta's eyes glowed an icy-blue color. "Listen to me, Audra. You're hurt. Badly. You need food. I'll find you some to start healing, but this breakdown needs to start evaporating to a much happier state. But for now, we need to keep moving."

Audra's ears perked up a bit at the thought of finding food, but it wasn't enough to make her raise her spirits. Her head was held low. "What if we can't?"

"We. Will. Now come on, let's keep moving." Alinta dragged Audra to the vent and pushed her in, following behind. Crawling through the vents, they reached another hallway. Alinta picked up a note and read it aloud. "'We're in the final days here. I can tell. People are packing things into boxes. Tools are are going missing. You can smell the panic in the air around the studio. But us Gent boys, we're just watching from the shadows. We lock the doors, and keep our research going. Mister Gray already gave us a little wink. All is well. When one ship sinks, another one leaves the dock. I need to keep my Ink Machine safe in the chaos. It's the key to so many discoveries.' Oh, cool, it even has a signature!" Alinta squinted. "I forgot who Thomas Conner even is." Audra flipped a switch, and the two headed out. Out of the tour room through the newly opened door, they ran out and through the rooms. Through one barred door was a small, cartoon version of Bendy.

"It's real?" Audra whispered, admiring it through the door. Alinta looks fondly at Audra, but catching herself and mentally berating herself for it. Alinta could already hear the chaos Audra could bring if they didn't approach Bendy correctly.

Alinta's POV

Dark Alinta ordered, "Open the door and secure the small Devil, and then let your crush near it."

I look at Audra. "That's probably a good idea. But she's not my crush!"

"Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that."

Third Person POV

"Audra, stay here. I'm going to keep the tiny thing there. I'll signal you over when we're ready." Audra whispers. Audra gave a nod, and Alinta inhaled. "Oookaaay, let's do this."

Alinta's POV

I opened the door. Bendy quickly noticed and stood up, like a child waiting for praise. I need to be gentle with him. I walk over. "Hi, sweetie." I said. Bendy picked up his train, putting on a neutral face. As I crouched, he stepped back. "No, no, I'm friendly, and I have a friend who might want to be friends with you. Can you stay?" I beckon him over. Reluctantly, Bendy walked forward. I then turned and signaled to Audra to come here.

"Alinta, that's not just a small Devil." Dark Alinta warned.

"What do you mean?" I ask as I watched Audra approach us to a certain point.

"Bendy's the Ink Demon."

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit. I'll deal with it eventually." I cursed.

Audra's POV

I approached carefully, only stopping at the midway point. Alinta sighs and gets up, walking up until she's right next to me. She whispered, "You're free to become friends with the kid."

My mouth opened. Really? Is this just that easy to become friends with the smallest, cutest devil I've seen??? I looked at Bendy. I say fondly, "Oh my god!! It's so tinyy!" I approached him quickly, patting his head. He smiled!!! He's so cute!!!! "Oh, it's a tiny boy! How are you? You're so cute!"

Alinta starts to say, "Audra, be careful with him. We don't -"

And then I felt my claw extend.

STAB!

There was a pause in the air. Bendy's face was in shock. I was in shock. I carefully removed my ink-covered claw and looked at it. I then looked at Bendy. He's crying!! I tried to say, "Bendy, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to -" He ran away. "No, wait! Please! I'm sorry! Wait, tiny boy, please! Come back! I'm sorry!" I pleaded. Alinta wheezed in laughter, leaning against the wall. I looked at her and fumed as I saw her laughing face. "THIS IS NOT FUNNY, ALINTA!!!" I growled.

Third Person POV

"I tried to tell you." Alinta wheezed in between her laughter. Audra pouted.

"I didn't mean to stab him!" Audra whined. Alinta pulled herself back together, stifling her giggles as she saw Audra's fuming, pouting expression.

Alinta grabbed Audra's arm and walked out of the room. "Alright, let's go." Alinta said.

They walked until they found a sign. Audra read it. "'Don't...Knock'?"

"Well, fuck it. I'm knocking anyway." Alinta says as she rolls up her airtight sleeves. She approached the door and knocked on it - gently.

"Who's out there?" A male voice asked. A Lost One opened the "window" and looked around. "Is it you, Phil?" It looked at Audra and Alinta. "I said I'm not opening the door until you bring my pictures! I drew 'em, I want 'em back." It slammed the cardboard on the two girls.

Now it was Alinta's turn to get angry - again. She warmed up her arm to get ready to do something stupid. "That's it. I'm breaking down the door, whether you -"

"Alinta, no!" Audra grabs Alinta's shoulder and continues, "Think about it. If you break down the door, it'll be loud and will attract other monsters over here."

Alinta rolls down her sleeves and sighs. "Fine. We'll grab the damn pictures."

"Thank you!!"

Alinta sighs and walks with Audra out of the area. Alinta opens a metal door and crawls through a vent with Audra, reaching a room. Audra cuts the chains of a locked door with a claw.

Alinta's POV

A deep voice said, "The Dark Puddles awaits."

"The Ink Demon." Dark Alinta hissed.

"Oh, hooray. Now he's angry." I sarcastically replied.

"Now who's angry?" Audra asked. I jumped. Whoops, I must've said that out loud.

"Oh, you'll know later on." I quickly said, returning my attention back to the navigation process.

"Okay..." Audra said suspiciously.

Some Galahs Do An Inky Mission: Prologue

Kaiso’s POV

Where…Am I?

What happened? What’s wrong with my hands?

No… Not again.

Mango's Adventures in Angst-Land: Chapter 5

(Author's Note: Short chapter again! But this time, a funny scene comes in. Reference of Pokemon.)

"Alright, let's do this!" Kiui exclaimed, stretching her fingers a little before typing something into the monitor. The password was rejected. Kiui looked annoyed, but before she could try again, Mango stopped her.

"Let me try." Mango said, typing in:

Pokemon Puzzle League

The monitor opened with a beep. Mango gave a snarky smile to her sister, who turned into a cat with banana-yellow scales, kiwi-green eyes, and gray fur and yowled, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO -"

As Kiui screamed as though she was in pain, Mango softly chuckled. "Sis, you were going to hack the monitor, not log into the thing. You really have a bad habit of hacking into technology." Kiui still throws a childish tantrum over this.

Scarlet Pokemon Adventures

(This is based on the second part of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's DLC)

Arriving at the Blueberry Academy, Akari and Director Cyrano were soon met with two female students. One had pink hair and brown eyes, and the other had kiwi-colored eyes and banana-blonde hair. The pink-haired student had answered Akari's question with, "Director Cyrano and Director Clavell got to know each other through their postgraduate work at the same university. Or at least that's what I've heard!" The blonde-haired student looked at Akari Cobra curiously, but as Akari made eye contact with the student, she turned away to look at the stands. The entire school was surrounded by the sea, and was also blue. The kiwi-eyed student often wondered if it was a defense mechanism for the school to be colored this way.

Director Cyrano exclaimed, "Yes! Right! Exactly! Took the words right out of my mouth. Always on point, aren't you, Lacey?"

"Oh, no, it was nothing..." Lacey replied. "Do we have a guest today?"

The blonde-haired student snapped to attention, gesturing to Akari Cobra as she shouts, "ARE WE DUMB??? That's CLEARLY a guest!!!"

"There's no need to be so rude, Kiui." Lacey snapped.

"H-huh? I'm just proving a point! Visitor or not, she's still a guest!" Kiui defends herself. Turning to Cyrano, Kiui begs, "Right, Director?"

Director Cyrano laughs, replying with, "Kiui's right." He then answered Lacey's question. "Akari Cobra is here as part of the exchange program. Make her welcome, eh?"

Kiui's eyes widened to look as big as dinner plates in surprise, muttering, "Well, glitch my neurons..." 

Lacey blurted out, "Hold on - this is the exchange student from the Paldea region?!" 

Kiui looked dumbfounded, holding up her hands in question as she asked, "Okay, what's going on? I have a million questions right now, and I want to shove them for later, if I wasn't so clueless right this second!" 

Kiui's questions was ignored as Lacey turned to Akari and introduces herself, "I suppose I didn't introduce myself, did I? I'm Lacey - one of the second-year students here!" 

Kiui also introduced herself, "My name's Kiui, one of the first-year students in Blueberry Academy. I'm surprised you'd get here as soon as the school turned into a tense environment for students and teachers alike." 

Akari looked confused, but before she could ask, Lacey said, "You must be really special, you know. It's rare for Director Cyrano to remember the name of a new student." 

Kiui murmured, "That...I can confirm."

Director Cyrano jokes, "Hah! Just call me out, why don't you!" Kiui hissed like a Skitty, then covered her mouth as her spirits lowered in embarrassment. Akari managed to hide a chuckle. Kiui was quite an interesting... character, to say the least. "Actually, why don't you explain how things work around here, Lacey." Kiui smirked, before Cyrano added. "And Kiui will help Akari Cobra get settled."

Kiui groaned. "Seriously??? I thought I was gonna enjoy the chaos, not be a part of it!"

Lacey asked, "You... you want ME to do it?!"

Cyrano replied, "Well, yeah. You know this tour-guide stuff isn't my strong suit!"

Lacey reasoned, "Well, that's certainly true... But still, I imagine there must be more suitable than me."

Kiui said, "She has a point."

Akari looked a little upset and confused at this, asking, "So, you don't want to show me around?"

Lacey reassured her, "Oh, please don't take it like - It's not that I don't want to show you around or any thing!"

Kiui said, "What Lacey means is that she doesn't think that she is capable of doing such a task, although she is one of the Elite Four here and has more capability than most to do something so simple as to take a new student - as well as an exchange student - out on a school tour."

Lacey continues, "Director Cyrano just has this bad habit of pushing his duties onto me, you see."

Kiui nodded, adding to her previous statement with, "Also that."

Lacey turns to Director Cyrano, pulling her arms to make a x-shape as she scolded, "And it's just not right!"

Director Cyrano shook his head exasperatingly, saying, "Really letting me have it today, aren't you?"

Lacey then took it into consideration. "That being said... this might be my chance to get to know the new student everyone's talking about before anyone else can..."

Kiui looked disgruntled. "ExCUSE me! I'm right here!"

"That decides it! I will take on this task!" Lacey decided. Kiui looked like she was gonna throw a Mach Punch at Lacey.

Akari and Director Cyrano nodded happily as the Director said, "Excellent!"

Lacey turned to Akari Cobra and announces, "Now then, let's head straight down this bridge and to the entrance! On you go!" Kiui walked next to Akari Cobra, happily looking around the place as if she hadn't seen it so many other times before. Kiui seems quite intent on doing her new job, and if Akari had read her expressions correctly, she would have said that Kiui was enjoying the scenery around them, although she looks quite...somber. Akari would have to confront Kiui about this later. She couldn't say much, however, because after a quick walk, they had reached the entrance of the school. Behind the two, Director Cyrano and Lacey walked up to them, Lacey narrating, "This is the entrance to Blueberry Academy. Our school puts a great emphasis on the art of Pokemon battling. We hold official matches on this central court right here at the entrance - and any student can freely utilize this court if it's not otherwise in use." Akari and Kiui look over at Lacey as she clasped her hands together and exclaiming, "I think it's safe to say that you'll be battling more here than in any school!"

"Exactly! Couldn't have said it better myself!" Director Cyrano praised, causing Kiui to squeak in surprise. Obviously, she forgot that he was there.

Lacey suggested, "Director Cyrano... I think perhaps it's fine if you just leave the tour to me."

Kiui shouts, "HA!"

Lacey continues, "Still...it's really relaxing here, with the sea breeze blowing over you. Even when no one is battling, you often see students lazing about in the stands. Oh, oh, oh! And there's one other quality of our school that you'll likely find very surprising!" Lacey crosses her arms. "Wild Pokemon sometimes Terastallize here!"

Kiui looks at Lacey and gestures to Akari as Kiui said, "Uhh, isn't she from Paldea, where Pokemon already do that?" Akari nodded in agreement, exclaiming, "Really!"

Lacey said, "Oh. I suppose that's not anything special to someone from Paldea, is it?"

Akari shook her head, replying, "No, it's really not." Kiui made a smug look at Lacey.

Cyrano added, "The Terastal phenomenon was first found the Paldea region, after all. But we've taken it a step further than you and your Tera Orbs."

Kiui asked, "Why does that sound menacing?"

Cyrano continued, "We've developed some neat tech ourselves - something that lets us control the Terastal phenomenon ourselves on our own turf!" Akari looks surprised. Director Cyrano asks, "I bet that piques your interest, doesn't it?"

Kiui muttered, "Oh, please, technology's improving and changing every day. There is no way that Akari would be -"

"Yes, it does!" Akari answers.

"Damn it."

"Um, sir, I think it will be easier to understand how all that works after we go to the lower level." Lacey pointed out. "If you could put a little pin on that thought?"

Kiui said, "I agree with Lacey, sir."

"Always thinking ahead - that's our Lacey!" Cyrano praised.

Kiui sighed. "Not this again..."

Looking between Lacey and Akari Cobra, the Director casually suggested, "Oh! You know what? I think it'd be great if the two of you had a battle!"

"Wha-?! Right now?!" Lacey asked nervously.

Kiui demanded, "Yeah, sir. Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Why not? I'd like to see what Akari Cobra here is capable of." Cyrano said. "And our Lacey is a member of the Elite Four in the League Club we have going here. To say nothing of the influence of her father - one of the Unova regions famed Gym Leaders! I bet you'll learn a thing or two!"

Kiui looked so done with the Director as she muttered sarcastically, "Wooow. That's my swan song."

Lacey looked annoyed as she growled, "Oh, I wish you wouldn't go spreading personal information without asking first!" She proceeds to make the same x-shape from earlier as she said, "It's just not right!"

Director Cyrano walks off as he cheerfully said, "Now, give me a good show now, you two!"

Lacey said apologetically to Akari Cobra, "I'm sorry, but...there's no negotiating with Director Cyrano once he gets an idea in his head. There's no way that he'll move on with the tour until we've given him his battle. Besides, I have to admit I'm a little excited myself at the chance to battle you! Here at Blueberry Academy, we tend to go for Double Battles. Let's give one a try to get to know each other a little better!"

"Bring it on!" Akari challenged. "I won't go easy on you."

"Oooooh, I like this kid." Kiui muttered, standing in front of the front desk to keep a fresh eye on the battle. Soon there was a huge Double Battle going on. Kiui watched intently as a flurry of Pokemon moves and dodging happened. Eventually, Akari Cobra won. "Wow," Kiui whispered. "No wonder she's called a cobra. Every move she lands is like a venomous bite digging into her opponent's skin."

Lacey praises Akari Cobra with, "Well, you beat me soundly!" As Lacey walks up to Akari, she said, "Spectacular! You really are quite skilled. I wish I could have seen you Terastallize one of your Pokemon, though. I'd love to see how someone from Paldea does it! The students here at Blueberry Academy were only recently issued Tera Orbs, so I hope you'll be able to teach us more about them."

Director Cyrano says as he walks up to Lacey and Akari Cobra, "Well done to the both of you! You really battled it out Blueberry-style." Akari attempts to look for Kiui, but she wasn't anywhere in sight. Cyrano continues, "Speaking of style... I forgot I had a uniform for you! You'll feel like you fit in as soon as you're dressing the part!" Akari Cobra receives the official uniform and changes her outfit just to wear it.

Lacey exclaims, "It suits you perfectly!"

Director Cyrano proudly said, "Now that's what I call fashion! Oh, and you can take this as well." Akari received a card called the Indigo Style Card. Director Cyrano explains, "That should give you a few more options when you visit shops and salons and such in Paldea!"

"Now that you look the part - and hopefully feel it too - why don't we head into the school?" Lacey suggested. "You can pick where you want to go from the gates over there." When Akari looks hesitant, Lacey says encouragingly, "Come on! I can show you the pride of Blueberry Academy: our world-famous Terarium!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Akari Cobra strode into the Terarium, the blinding light caused her to raise a hand to block it. As she took a moment to let her eyes adjust, Director Cyrano and Lacey walked towards Akari, taking their places from either next to or behind Akari Cobra. Lacey said, "This is it. The park beneath the sea that has gained renown around the world... Our own Terarium! We may be underwater, but the projectors built into the walls and ceiling make it feel like we're actually outside, don't they? We've been able to create a comfortable environment for Pokemon through technology!"

Director Cyrano says, "I designed all this myself! And believe me - it wasn't cheap."

Lacey explains, "Within this dome, there are four distinct biomes." Gesturing to the land in front of them, she continues, "Here we have the nice and toasty subtropical Savannah Biome." Pointing to the right, Lacey added, "Then, off to your right, you can see the breezy, tropical Coastal Biome." Waving to the left, (I think we all know the drill), "Further out to your left, you'll see the craggy, crunchy, ragged Canyon Biome." Motioning ahead of the Savannah Biome, Lacey says, "Last but not, waaay out in the distance, we have the artic and snowy Polar Biome!" Turning to Akari Cobra, Lacey said, "Each biome's air temperature and humidity levels are regulated with the utmost care. That's why you can find completely different Pokemon species living in each area!"

Director Cyrano says, "We sure put a lot of effort into it!"

Lacey asks, "Tell me, Akari Cobra, which biome tickles your fancy off the bat?"

"The snowy Polar Biome." Akari answered.

"Oh, so you like it cold, don't you?" Lacey asked.

"Yep! Sure do."

Lacey says, "I'm not very good with the cold myself, but the Ice-type Pokemon can be awfully cute!" Gesturing to a resting place nearby, Lacey continues, "If you need to heal up your team while you're down here, feel free to use the self-serve healing machines we've installed around the Terarium." Lacey turns to Director Cyrano. "Now then. Director Cyrano... Can you explain to us why crystals form here, and how the wild Pokemon are able to Terastallize?"

Cyrano asks in a surprised voice, "I - huh? But don't you know already, Lacey, that..." He pauses, then realizes, "Oooh, I get it! You want me to do the talking." He says, "In that case, let me show you - the reason is actually right above our heads!" Akari looks up to see a large green ball in the middle of the dome above them. Cyrano explains, "That there is the Terarium Core, which presides over all that happens in the Terarium. It contains a fluid that we've jam-packed full of a special material from Paldea. It's constantly emitting Terastal energy - that's what allows Pokemon to Terastallize in the dome!"

Lacey exclaimed, "Wonderful! Well said, sir! That's exactly right!" She turns to the Director. "Though...I still don't know what that 'special material' is, within the Terarium Core itself. It's never been shared publicly, has it?"

Director Cyrano replied, "Ohoho, you want to know? Well, in fact, it's..." He then looked confused. "It's... Now what was it? I've plumb forgotten. Briar put all of it together, so I'm not certain myself."

Lacey looked disappointed. "That's...what I thought you might say."

The school bell rang, with an announcement that said, "Practical battle class will commence shortly in the Coastal Biome. Students participating in this class should make their way to the Coastal Biome now." The class bell rang, signaling the end of announcements.

Lacey exclaims, "Oh! It looks like you're just in time to see a class session too!" She turns to Akari Cobra. "This is too good of a chance to pass up. Won't you join us, Akari Cobra? You can get your first taste of our school's classes."

Akari replies, "Yes! I'd love to!"

Lacey giggles. "I do love to see that sort of passion for education! I'll go ahead and register the Terarium map to your Rotom phone for you."

Boom! Installed.

Lacey said, "It's fun to take a stroll through the Terarium on your own, and I think I'd be more of a hassle than anything if you had me holding your hand... So, yup, that settles it! Please find your way to the class site in the Coastal Biome on your own!"

Director Cyrano says, "Well, doesn't seem like I'm needed here."

Lacey, afraid to hurt the director's feelings, starts to say, "Wait, sir, you don't -"

"But I've made sure that a dorm room has been all set up, Akari Cobra, so don't forget to give it a visit later!" Director Cyrano interrupted. "Oh yes, and one other thing: Could you open your Pokedex app for me?" Akari Cobra complied and opened up her Rotom phone to this app, recieving the Blueberry Pokedex on the app. Director Cyrano turned to face the way he came. "Catch as many Pokemon here in the Terarium as you please - don't be afraid to go Sawsbuck-wild!" As he leaves the Terarium, he said, "It's your student life here at Blueberry Academy, so remember to live it up to the fullest!"

Lacey says, "And there he goes..." She then determinately said, "Well, you can at least count on me to be around when you need me, so there's no call for concern!" Lacey turned to get ready to run. "It's probably time we both head to class! I'll be waiting for you to join us in the Coastal Biome!" Lacey sprints away.

REST OF THE POKEMON FANFIC HERE!!!!