Path of Legends [Paldea Arc]

[Tsuki the Lunar Wind]

The next day, day three of this whole Thing™️ if anyone was counting (Tsuki certainly was), Tsuki was awake and in the academy’s courtyard. In lieu of the standard long sleeve shirt and dress pants that the academy typically had students wear, he was in Naranja shorts with a polo shirt- the pinnacle of Paldean wear obviously. Shifting a bit uncomfortably, a bit out of his comfort zone now that he had decided to swap majors into the Path of Legends from the usual Academia Route, he also wondered how he ever managed to wear something like this a few years ago. He had, somehow, once been a person who’d go flying around on the back of a Flygon. Hm. Tsuki decided that it would at least be preferable to going out in his other outfit and dying of heatstroke.

He saw Freth already here before him, a Snagem member he knew for a fact that he had never met before. An Articuno hybrid? Okay, he remembered one. But a Galarian one? Nuh-uh. As far as he was aware, nobody even knew about that particular Pokemon yet. Tsuki didn’t know if he should walk over and say hi to the lady, but the overall lack of sleep the boy had been getting was wearing on him. Between the getting up early the day prior to help with putting up posters for a missing Lechonk and the staying up late helping another student with their tutoring, a cup of coffee was the backbone of his being conscious this morning. Even the Magby that usually sat on his shoulder was walking beside him instead. “Morning Ms. Raifort.” Tsuki yawned, looking back to the gate. Who else was gonna be coming here, he wondered. It wouldn’t be too strange to think that most of the group decided to target Team Star- that prospect seemed right up their alley.

In preparations for today, Tsuki would be as prepared as he could. He had everything (water canteen, sunglasses in a shirt pocket, etc)… except a counter to Rock types! Surely he and Aggie would be able to make do… or ride on the wind of everyone else having better counters as they both didn’t get of anything’s direct path. Maybe he’d try to hunt down a Fighting move TM or take advantage of a Rock Pokemon’s notoriously bad Special Defense and hope the Magby’s Flamethrower would do the trick. He decided to check his backpack real quick for healing items.  

[DragonFang099]

After getting some rest and reaffirming that this was, indeed, the path he wanted, Brian walked out to join the other students he could see gathered in the courtyard. He could see Freth there, as well as someone else, but the one person he wasn't expecting to see was Rachel. "I didn't think going after Titans was yer thing, Rachel," he said, causing her to turn and look at him with a slight smile. "It's more for the history than finding the Titans," she said. "I've always been a history buff, so it just makes sense to do this. Besides, I'm more interested in how the Titans actually became Titans than actually battling them."  

[Requiem of Whyspers]

Odd found himself gathering with the others, three Pokémon he knew would be good for the Rock-types they’d been told to be ready for and one for his own comfort. With any luck, he’d be able to survive the heat without too much trouble. “So what’s this ‘Titan’ Pokemon we’re supposed to be investigating?” He asked Freth as he walked over, waiting for the teacher to arrive. “I heard some of us were involved in something relating to it but not much else.” He’d tug at the uncomfortable school clothes he was wearing for a moment to try and get some degree of “freedom” from the overly stiff material but mostly he was trying to not feel so exposed out of his usual attire. Shorts were most definitely not his friend.  

[Reno Vantas]

Beau would walk outside with his Poliwag and Seedot out and ready for round two against that monstrous Klawf. While he was still packing the rest of his team for reasons of not wanting to be so overspecialized it hurt, it seemed prudent to display he had something strong against Rock types. Hearing Odd speak up, Beau would look over his shoulder and say, "Best explanation? Gigantic local crab Pokemon. That, based off what Raifort asked for, is a Rock type. Somehow.' Beau would turn back towards where he was expecting Raifort to want them to gather and be looking before muttering, "I thought crabs were aquatic but whatever."  

[Darksol88]

The night before...

Shortly after Sol and others confirmed their sign ups, the team would get together to properly discuss things concerning Operation Starfall and who to send. Once things were done, he'd be found just outside of Mesagoza, keeping near the Pokemon Center with his Leafeon and Cera.

"So you wanted me to tag along for...?"

"Preparing for tomorrow," Sol remarked. "Hoja was able to do well on short notice- sorry for throwing the Leaf Stone at you like I did by the way- but most of what he knows is before evolving. So I was hoping you'd transform into him."

Though the Leafeon offered a glare at having a Leaf Stone tossed at his head, reaching a paw to rub at it for a second and giving a confused look afterward.

"Wha- d-do you think I'm just gonna know what a Leafeon can do?"

"Si algo, it should come easier to you. And double as a good exercise for both of you besides." Sol shrugged alongside his response. "Hoja should get more used to his new form, and it'll be decent practice for your own abilities."

"I guess I could try, but-" Cera would be cut off when another ball suddenly opened and Buzzwole came out, leaving Sol to scramble to get the Beast Ball on him to recall them.

"Er, this really isn't a good time..."

"No, wait, that might keep the wild Pokemon from bothering us... hold on."

Buzzwole panicked for a second at the voice they heard in their mind, not expecting it. Or that they... understood it? Why did this floating pink thing know how to speak their language so clearly? They looked around as Cera spoke up again, this time a little more directly.

"Hey, it's okay, don't be afraid. You're the one that ended up here, right?"

The conversation would go on for a bit, though Buzzwole commuicated with far more flexes than words. Even then, it seemed like Cera was making sense of it. After a bit, Sol felt a need to remark about it, seeing little more beyond Buzzwole calming down.

"You... understand Buzzwole there?" Sol asked, more surprised than anything. Much as maybe such things were natural for a Mew, he wouldn't have thought it'd extend to Ultra Beasts. Perhaps it'd be of great use to understand-

"Not really. I think they understand me because everyone hears telepathy in a way that makes sense to them."

Oh. Sol was less surprised at that revelation.

"But I think I understand what they're getting at. Their thoughts come to me with their flexing, but it still sounds like... not from here? But I think they're disappointed because their... um. Their... snrk. They want to be around you." It was taking everything for Cera to not burst out laughing, a battle she was rapidly losing by all indications.

"I'm aware I've courted them," Sol replied, completely deadpan. "Look, fine, you can stay out for now. Cera's right, your presence might allow us some peace. Speaking of, Cera, if you're up for it?"

"Yeah, yeah, hold on... though, I'd almost want to try transforming into Buzzwole to see if that lets me understand them better," Cera mused, before dropping to the ground and taking a moment to transform herself to match Hoja. It was fairly close, aside from the part where there was now a very pink Leafeon in front of the normal-colored one.

Awkwardly adjusting to being on all-fours, Cera would give a nod once she had her bearings.

"Right then, let's see..." Sol got out his SNAG afterward and pulled up as much information as he could, mentally preparing for what might be a long night. Throughout, Buzzwole watched curiously, finding the weird pink thing becoming another pink thing even more weird. And the remark about transforming into them was only weirder.

Over at the nearby Pokemon Center, the nurse and clerk running the shop took occasional glances at the giant flexing mosquito and hoped it was just something from a region they'd never been to.

---

It had indeed been a late night, but well worth it, Sol felt. He didn't get as much sleep as a result, but he still managed to make it to the courtyard. He didn't see Ms. Raifort yet, but he did see a few of the others and overheard Beau. "I guess it'd be weird compared to similar Pokemon like Kingler or Corphish," he chimed in. "Klawf are more land dwelling by comparison, so I suppose the energy they're familiar with matches that. They are still a sort of crab, though, so they're not an uncommon meal either. Just with a much, much tougher shell."

He'd look over to Freth briefly too, less surprised by her decision to sign up for this. "So I've meant to ask, but how're you adjusting to your new form?" He asked. "I know it's had to be an adjust going from the types you have."  

[Darksol88]

Blizzard120

"If it helps," Sol remarked. "Cera might be able to help when the others aren't busy with what's been tasked of us? Apart from anything you've done, of course, since the... we'll call them malfunctions, don't seem to be a thing anymore." He hesitated to compare the occasional power hiccups to several antics from Aden as a kid, lest he insult Freth by accident. Or rather, their aftermath and remarks from Amaranth about broken mirrors. "Not that I'm complaining about not randomly floating in a chair, mind. Still, psychic abilities aren't really my fortaleza and the best I can manage's on the telekinetic end-"

He paused at Freth revealing he'd managed to avoid Blizz yesterday, but not because of the potential icy wrath that might still come his way. It was what she described alongside it, nevermind that now it had a term attached to it. In fact, for all the plumage he had, it'd almost look like the color was drained right out of it as he started speaking again. "...so that's why I felt chills after getting back to the academy. And this morning. And tera-what? Have things really changed that much in... did he describe anything else about that 'walking jewel'? Because if it sounds like what I think it sounds like, I was under the impression we Paldeans were still avoiding those oddities whenever possible, not making them ourselves."  

[Tsuki the Lunar Wind]

Blizzard120

Darksol88

"Oh, are you guys talking about Terastalization?" Tsuki asked, perking up upon hearing Freth and Sol talk about the Paldean phenomenon. From what he had overheard (read: eavesdropped), nobody else here seemed to know what that was all about. Looking between the hybrids, and seeing an opportunity to hop into the conversation now that there was something to talk about besides people he mostly didn't remember, he decided to try and make some kind of small talk. "From what I understand it makes moves of certain shared type stronger, kinda like how when a Pokemon uses a move that they share a type with it's better."

To be totally fair, Tsuki didn't have a particularly strong grasp on how Tera types worked or how people were able to use them. "I think you need permission to use it?" The boy said with a shrug. Whatever the requirements were or whoever you had to petition to, that information wasn't immediately available to him. Though, if he had to take a guess, he'd guess Director Clavell or high ranking League members had some kind of authority to hand out the means to use it. He and a few other students had assumed that the Paldean government was trying to give their region some kind of battle niche in order to stand out- like Galar and their Dynamax battling. Clavell did seem really concerned about Paldea's relationship with the Indigo League...  

[Darksol88]

Blizzard120

"Know of weird, crystalline Pokemon? Yes, but only because of the rare run-in with them in the wild. At the time, no one was really sure why. Just speculations and theories thanks to a couple of books and curiosity about the Great Crater. Also never encountered them anywhere but in Paldea, so it never seemed relevant to bring up unless it happened. Which, I suppose they have, but not in the way I expected... Freth, know I had no ill intentions. When I told Blizzard that there weren't anything like Mega Evolution or Dynamax, I was under the impression that it still held true. I'll make sure to apologize to him next chance that arises. Even if it means another punch in the bank."

Tsuki the Lunar Wind

It was right after this he heard Tsuki's explanation. "This would explain what Blizzard's apparently described, too. I can't say I've much knowledge beyond the fact it exists, and details past that are hazy. They were considered rather dangerous, for that matter... I feel like I may want to inquire with the director later today. Terastallization's the term, right?"  

[Tsuki the Lunar Wind]

Darksol88

Blizzard120

"Hah, yeah no wild Pokemon who can do that are normally stronger than their neighbors and are really dangerous. It's best to avoid them from what I've heard." Tsuki said to Sol. Not only were they typically stronger than your usual Pokemon encounter in a given area, the being a different type made the affair of engaging them a whole lot more complicated. "Imagine walking up to a Gyarados thinking you could use an Electric move, only for it to be something completely different." Thankfully he had avoided encountering them in his time in Paldea- being glued onto the Academic Track up until recently. But he supposed he should brush up on that once Ms. Raifort got ready to take them out.

"Yeah, permission. It's a new thing, nobody used it at the Academy when I first enrolled. They must still be ironing out the kinks? The other battle gimmicks you said have been around in their regions for a really long time I think." Tsuki explained to Freth, trying to figure out himself why students weren't given ready access to Terastalization. Personally, he knew that he wouldn't mind it himself to get his hands on it.Though, from what Tsuki had overheard, he certainly wasn't as curious as this Blizz guy.

"Is... Blizz the Articuno guy? Was he named before or after becoming a hybrid?" Tsuki asked, head tilting a bit as he tried to figure out the logistics of that.  

[Reno Vantas]

Beau would give a puzzled look as he heard the conversation between Freth, Sol, and Tsuki. "So....this Tera-whatsit can give a Pokemon a different type than they naturally have? How does that end up decided? Nature? Whatever they use to trigger it?" Beau questioned, staring around for a moment as a thought began to percolate in his own mind. "....does this whole thing relate to the giant crab at all or is that thing and its weird plant a whole separate thing? How crazy is this region if it has type changing and rampant gigantic Pokemon that are totally separate from each other."