Not Team Luster

Mod Kirby here! Dara is a beloved character of mine who's rapidly progressed from "basically a joke" to "one of my main protagonists." I can't wait to show you guys the story I have in mind with her :)

My other blogs can be found at @kirbys-rotomblr-hub if you're interested! Dara's universe is entirely separated from the rest of my characters and the multiverse at large. Think of it like a distant exoplanet that hasn't been extensively explored.

Technically she's an AU of my oldest and most famous character- Darrin Scintiller. However, she wants nothing to do with him and his crimes and has done as much as possible to distance from him. Her universe is substantially different than his as well- i.e, Glissandra is a schoolteacher and obviously not married to Darrin anymore.

No transphobia thanks <3 Trans rights are human rights, Dara and I are both trans girls, if you don't like that you're not welcome here.

Pelipper Mail, Musharna Mail/Malice, and other such gimmicks are enabled. No Magic Anons, and only Union Circle if you've gotten permission in advance.

Pokemon in Dara's universe can use any of their level up moves, provided their current level is higher than the level needed to learn the move. Or in other words: they're not limited to just 4 moveslots.

Dara's current team:

LUMIOSE TEAM (In use during the "City of Possibilities" arc. Levels/movesets may not be totally accurate, and team members will change often.)

Paddy - Feraligatr - Male - Lvl 36 - Ability: Torrent (Normal) Dragonize (Mega Evolved). Most frequently used moves are Water Gun, Protect, Bubble Beam, Ice Fang, Whirlpool, Slash, Aqua Jet, Rock Smash, Breaking Swipe, Screech, and Crunch. Nature: Timid (Held item: Feraligite)

Cindy - Talonflame - Female - Lvl 35 - Ability: Big Pecks. Most frequently used moves are Quick Attack, Protect, Swift, Feather Dance, Wing Attack, Whirlwind, Flame Wheel, Fire Spin, Steel Wing, Air Slash, and Brave Bird. Nature: Naughty (Held item: N/A)

Nightshade - Absol - Female - Lvl 37 - Ability: Pressure (Normal) Magic Bounce (Mega Evolved). Most frequently used moves are Phantom Force, Snarl, Shadow Sneak, Confuse Ray, Knock Off, Detect, Slash, Night Slash, Shadow Claw, Swords Dance, Double Team, and Taunt. Nature: Adamant (Held item: Absolite)

Daisy Dukes - Ampharos - Female - Lvl 36 - Ability: Static. Most frequently used moves are Tackle, Swift, Thunder Wave, Charge, Confuse Ray, Light Screen, Cotton Guard, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch Power Gem, and Thunderbolt. Nature: Adamant (Held item: N/A)

Macy - Sableye - Male - Lvl 34 - Ability: Stall (Normal) Magic Bounce (Mega Evolved.) Most frequently used moves are Shadow Sneak, Protect, Take Down, Shadow Claw, Detect, Confuse Ray, Knock Off, Psybeam, Ice Punch, Light Screen, and Night Slash. Nature: Naive (Held item: Sablenite) Priscilla - Houndoom - Female - Lvl 29 - Ability: Flash Fire. Most frequently used moves are Ember, Roar, Bite, Fire Fang, Protect, Mud Shot, Fire Spin, Take Down, and Snarl. Nature: Mild (Held item: N/A)

In Rotation

Thimble - Vivillion - Male - Lvl 14 - Ability: Shed Skin. Most frequently used moves are String Shot, Stun Spore, Poison Powder, Tackle, Protect, Infestation, Gust, and Light Screen. Nature: Naive

Stumble - Bunnelby - Female - Lvl 10 - Ability: Pickup. Most frequently used moves are Leer, Rock Smash, Tackle, Protect, and Mud Shot. Nature: Timid

Flutter - Beedrill - Female - Lvl 17 - Ability: Shed Skin. Most frequently used moves are Harden, String Shot, Poison Sting, Pin Missile, and Rock Smash. Nature: Quiet

Bois - Heracross - Male - Lvl 24 - Ability: Guts. Most frequently used moves are Protect, Rock Smash, Pin Missile, Aerial Ace, Take Down, Shadow Claw, and Brick Break. Nature: Brave

Harvey - Bulbasaur - Lvl 5 - Ability: Overgrow. Most frequently used moves are Vine Whip, Tackle, Growl, Giga Drain, and Light Screen. Nature: Modest Pinecone - Quilladin - Female - Lvl 29 - Ability: Overgrow. Most frequently used moves are Bite, Growth, Vine Whip, Rollout, Growl, Pin Missile, Leech Seed, Giga Drain, and Take Down. Nature: Impish

GREATER KALOS TEAM

Titan - Magnezone - Nonbinary - Around level 75 - Ability: Sturdy (normal) Electric Surge (Mega Evolved.) Can Mega Evolve. Most frequently used moves are Discharge, Magnet Rise, Zap Cannon, Metal Sound, Thunder and Gyro Ball. Nature: Quiet

Miracle - Minior - Male - Around level 30 - Ability: Shields Down. Most frequently used moves are Ancient Power, Stealth Rock, Take Down, and the unique move Starblast (95 power, Flying type, special. Hits all opponents, but causes recoil when used.) Nature: Jolly

BB/Bowling Ball - Trans male - Around level 30 - Ability: Huge Power. Most frequently used moves are Aqua Tail, Play Rough, Bounce, Belly Drum and Aqua Ring. Nature: Brave

Twinkle Toes - Female - Around level 70 - Ability: Chlorophyll. Most frequently used moves are Axe Kick, Leaf Blade, Stun Spore, Sunny Day, and Solar Blade. Nature: Hasty

Snowfox - Nonbinary - Around level 50 - Ability: Contrary. Most frequently used moves are Bitter Malice, Shadow Claw, Curse, Spite, and Shadow Ball. Nature: Lonely

Brisket - Female - Around level 36 - Ability: Blaze (Normal) Solar Power (Mega Evolved) Most frequently used moves are Dragon Claw, Flamethrower, Air Slash, Smokescreen, Dragon Breath and Fire Fang. Nature: Rash

SECONDARY/BOXED

Marbles - Solosis - Female - Around level 22 - Ability: Magic Guard. Most frequently used moves are Protect, Psybeam, Recover, and Psyshock. Nature: Bashful

"That was a fairly mild task for this contest." Glasses Guy muttered to himself, then noticed her. "Oh, excuse me! It must have been very difficult for a casual Canatic. A Canewbie, if you will."

Dara ignored him. Right on time, Canari and her Eelektross appeared back on stage.

"Watt's zappin, you crazy Canatics?!" She asked. "Who brought back a tasty snack for Eelektross?! What we're lookin' for is... a Lumiose Galette!"

"Obviously." The girl with the pigtails muttered.

"Oh no!" Chandelure Hat exclaimed.

Glasses Guy only smirked knowingly. Dara felt tense. Had she missed something? Naveen seemed pretty confident, and they wouldn't like to her... would they?

"Uh-oh, what's this? Why's everyone look so calm?" Canari squinted. "Did you all get it right? Dang, guess that one was a little too easy... ...NOT! You think the Canari Quiz Whiz Contest has any freebie questions? HA! As if!"

The crowd reeled in shock. Chandelure Hat looked sadly down at the ground.

"Too bad, so sad, but you got this one W-R-O-N-G!" Canari's eyes swept over them, landing on Glasses Guy and Dara. "You, superfan. And you, new kid. Show me those Lumiose Galettes you brought!"

Dara took the crisp, well-baked pastry out of her bag and presented it to Canari, who inspected them curiously.

"Well?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Wanna tell us what you've got there?"

"It's a..." Dara trailed off, drawing a blank. Oh Xerneas, what did Naveen call it again? "...S-Super Lumiose Galette!"

"You mentioned it in Episode 231 of "CanaTalk: Shocking Side Stories," if I'm not mistaken." Glasses Guy said smugly.

"Zappin' heck, you two. You're both so... so..."

Dara held her breath. This was the moment of truth.

"...AMAZING!" Canari cheered, clapping her hands. "Wow, you totally got it right! Lumiose Galettes are Eelektross's favorite snack, ESPECIALLY the overbaked ones! It's not just about taste, Eelektross loves the solid, crunchy texture those galettes get when they're extra well-done! That's because my partner here simply loves bitin' into sutff with its fangs!"

Dara felt Paddy's Poke Ball wriggle in her pocket, and gave it a small pat. The Feraligatr must've heard the talk about biting and got excited.

"So if the Lumiose Galette is too soft, it's not the "toothsome" experience my Eelektross wants!" Canari continued. "Since you two were the only ones to get that one right, guess what? You're both movin' on to the final round of the Canari Quiz Whiz Contest!"

Okay. She could do this. Just her and Glasses Guy left now.

"I'm impressed you've managed to keep up with me, Canari's oldest and most knowledgeable fan." He said, with an approving nod.

"OK, Canatics, one last time!" Canari declared. "THUNDER WAVE! LET'S GO... DYN4MOOOOOO! I know why all you Canatics are here today! You need my electrifying personality to spark joy in your dull lives, right? So lemme ask you this... WHO'S CHARGED UP!"

Well, actually that wasn't the reason Dara was here at all, but she cheered along with the crowd regardless.

"That's what I like to hear! All right, back to our regularly scheduled Canari Quiz Whiz Contest!" The streamer grinned. "The last round's got it all! A battle, a quiz, and sweet, glorious victory! The rules are simple! The remaining two Trainers will battle, and the victor must answer one final question from me! Get the question right and you're a winner, baby!"

Dara and Glasses Guy glanced at each other and nodded once. Dara took a second to look at her team, which was... not looking great. Paddy and Cindy were both weak to Electric, and Stumble, her only Ground-type, hadn't properly battled in months.

But still, she had to at least give it the old college try, didn't she? Dara swapped Nightshade into the front of her party, took a deep breath, and stepped up to Glasses Guy, or Mani as her Rotom Phone identified him.

"For a first-timer, you seem to possess a shocking amount of admiration for Canari." Mani said. "However, even if you defeat me here, there's no chance a non-DYN4MO member like you will be able to answer her final question. Do you still wish to battle me, Mani, one of the first members of DYN4MO and the OG Quiz Whiz?"

"Let's do it." Dara nodded. "And good luck to you."

"Quizzes aren't my only talent! My prowess as a Pokemon Trainer is equally unmatched!" Mani declared. "Just like me, my Electric-type Pokemon are as fierce as they are adorable!"

First into battle was Mani's Helioptile, who Nightshade took out with Night Slash. Next was Emolga, who took a Knock Off but went down to Shadow Claw.

"How can my adorable Pokemon lose when they're as shockingly cute as me?!?" Mani exclaimed, aghast.

His final Pokemon was Raichu, who Nightshade dispatched with a single Night Slash.

"Inconceivable!" Mani clenched his fist in frustration. "In terms of cuteness, my team clearly won. But... I concede that we did lose the battle."

"I dunno, Nightshade looked pretty cute herself out there." Dara chuckled. "Hey, let's battle again another time, yeah?"

"But of course! And next time, I'll be sure to defeat you!" Mani puffed out his chest. "Besides, there's no hope that you'll be able to answer the last question of the quiz. Once you get it wrong, I'll swoop in with the right answer and snag the Quiz Whiz crown!"

"I... don't think that's how quizzes typically work." Dara raised her eyebrow.

"All right, it's time for the final question!" Canari announced, and Dara quickly turned her focus back to the stage. "Everything's riding on this one! When I was a kid, I played my first games on a laptop. Who owned that laptop? Number one, me! Number two, my dad! Number three, my mom! Number four, my grandpa!"

Her earpiece buzzed again, Naveen's voice whispering in her ear.

"The answer is... Canari's grandpa, number four. This one's a rather deep cut, and the story behind it is quite tragic."

"Number four. Your grandpa." Dara said. Canari frowned beneath her mask.

"The laptop belonged to my grandpa? Is that your final answer?" A heartbeat of silence... and then... "YOU GOT IT! That's exactly right! Know what that means, new kid? You won the Canari Quiz Whiz Contest! Congrats to our fresh-faced underdog!"

"As Canari's oldest fan... and as a day-one member of DYN4MO... I have no choice but to accept defeat." Mani sighed. "Excellent job, Dara."

"All right, new kid, what do you want? Autograph? Selfie? PvP match on my stream?" Canari bounced on her heels, moving into a fighting stance. "Come on, don't be shy! Spit it out."

Briefly, Dara considered asking for something else... maybe an autograph for Naveen? They'd probably like that. But no, she had come here with a goal in mind, and she wasn't going to get distracted from it.

"I'd like a promotion match, please."

"A promotion match?!" Canari briefly pulled down her mask to show her shocked expression. "Seriously? I mean, what's the point? I'm just gonna win anyway."

"I mean, I'd also just take the rank up for free if you'd prefer." Dara said. That was probably cheating, but she couldn't resist the temptation.

"Huh..." Canari closed her eyes and muttered, more to herself than the spectators. "Is this kid really a fan? Ya'd think a fan'd prefer bein' the same rank as Canari..."

That was weird. Why was she referring to herself in the third-person?

"Hmmm..." Canari put a finger to her chin in deep thought. "Fine, whatever. If that's what the Quiz Whiz wants, that's what the Quiz Whiz gets. The promotion match, rather, not the free rank up. Ya gotta work for it! We'll battle it out at Racine Construction, cool? Now that I'm in, you better get ready to be crushed to bits like a Super Lumiose Galette! Bring your best Pokemon so you can't make any excuses when you lose!"

In a flash, she vanished. As Dara collected herself, Naveen's voice crackled in her ear again.

"We finally landed ourselves a promotion match. Nice work." They said.

"Well, I couldn't have done it without you, Naveen. Like at all."

"You have my thanks as well. After all, you helped me become the Quiz Whiz, even if it's unofficial. I'll leave the rest to you. After all, fans really have no business getting any closer to Canari than I have now. When you're ready to battle her, head to Tarragon's company, Racine Construction."

"Lumiose Galette obtained!" He crowed. "My victory is assured! Now to sprint back at lightning speed!" Dara watched him dash away, shaking her head.

"He's sprinting back? He could've just called a Lumi Cab." It took Dara a moment to realize Naveen's voice wasn't coming from her earpiece. She spotted them sitting at one of the tables outside the cafe, and walked over with a smile. "Hey, Dara. That fellow is a formidable opponent."

"What do you mean?" Dara asked, sitting down across the table from them. Naveen wasn't meeting her eyes. "Naveen, you know that I don't-"

"Canari's Eelektross doesn't like just any ordinary Lumiose Galette." Naveen interrupted, glancing at Dara with an expression that she clearly read as "can we talk about something else right now." She obliged. "It has to be one that's been overbaked to a nice, firm crunch. Lumiose Galettes cure status conditions when eaten by a Pokemon. Canari's Eelektross once ate one during a battle to recover from a burn. Apparently, it's had a real taste for them ever since. After all, what would you say is Eelektross's most defining trait?"

"Uhhh... fangs?" Dara shrugged. She didn't know all too much about Eelektross. She had only seen one in person for the first time when she moved to Paldea.

"I'm impressed! That's right, its fangs." Naveen smiled. They looked nice when they smiled... but that was besides the point. "It's pretty rare for Canari to talk about Pokemon battling on her stream, you know. Only a fan who's been watching her since her early days would know the correct answer. In any case, let's order the special type of Lumiose Galette we need."

They glanced over to the waiter. "I'd like my usual Super Lumiose Galette, please."

Once the pastry was finished, Naveen stood up and handed it to her. It was crisp and warm in her hand, wrapped in a delicate paper napkin.

"That should get you through round two. Let's head back toward the electrical substation." Naveen suggested.

"Right then. By the way... thank you, Naveen. For everything. You're really smart, you know?"

He walks up to the truck. Darrin has done his best to hide his identity, wearing brown contacts to hide his electric blue eyes and a dark hood to conceal his horns and hair. His lower body presents more of a challenge, but he's done his best to cover it up with a flowing black cloak.

"Bonjour, excusez-moi." Darrin says. "May I have un Flamethrower Roast, s’il vous plaît?"

"Why yes, of course. Take a seat and we'll have that ready for you in no time." The barista said. Darrin turned and walked over to one of the tables. He couldn't really sit down, but he could at least stand.

There was nobody else around. They all must've been either asleep or in a Battle Zone, Darrin reasoned.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He only registered the click of a Poke Ball and the rapid thumping of paws on cobblestone after it was too late.

Powerful feline jaws bit down on the back of his hood and pulled it away with a harsh tearing of fabric. It fell to the ground, revealing his horns in all their glowing majesty.

Darrin turned his head, and saw the barista standing there with a Quick Ball in hand, glowering at him. Standing in front of her was a Pyroar, clutching the remains of his hood in its jaws.

"What-" Darrin started, but the barista pointed, a silent command to her Pokemon, which tackled him to the ground. He was a tall man, but he was also frail, and not expecting an attack. He went clattering down to the ground, Pyroar's teeth just inches from his exposed neck.

Darrin had come back from death once before, but that didn't make the prospect of dying a second time any less gutwrenching. His head was swimming. What had he done wrong? Why had the barista gone for his hood first? Just to clear the way to his throat, or to make sure it was actually him?

His eyes locked onto the only other person present, a young man cleaning glasses behind the counter, but he ignored Darrin completely, only giving the barista a stiff nod.

So, this was it then. He would die today. The only emotion that sprung to mind other than raw, desperate, animal fear was a sort of disappointment. He wasn't able to keep his promise to AZ, or redeem himself in Glissandra's eyes. Everything he had gone through would end up being all for naught.

Off in the distance, he heard something. A soft tap, tap, tap noise. High heels?

"Hmm? What is zis, now?" A melodious, high-pitched voice trilled from somewhere above him. "Mon dieu! What is your Pyroar doing to that man?"

"Oh!" The barista's voice replied to the unknown third party, sounding slightly panicked. "Lady Jacinthe! I-I was, erm... Pyroar! Get off of him at once!"

Almost immediately, Darrin felt the pressure on his chest ease. He took a moment to check himself for any broken ribs. There were a few bruises, absolutely, but the pressure hadn't been sufficient to really hurt him.

With a grunt, he managed to get back to his feet/hooves by using one of the nearby tables for support. He turned around, and there he saw the stranger who had spoken earlier.

At first glance, she didn't look particularly intimidating. The woman was shorter than Darrin, though that wasn't exactly saying much. Her eyes were wide and sparkly, her hair fashioned into two large pink coils that wound down a little ways past her shoulders. But there was something unnerving about her nonetheless. Despite the darkness, her outfit shone bright as day, and she was surrounded by a small halo of sparkles that highlighted the finer details in her face and clothing.

"Bonjour!" She said cheerfully. "I am Lady Jacinthe of the SBC! And what is your name, monsieur?"

"Darrin Scintiller. It's a pleasure to meet you, mademoiselle."

"Scintiller, oui? Enchanté, très bien!" Jacinthe clapped her hands together. "You are not too badly hurt, are you? Oh, you simply must let me escort you to Hotel Richissime! It is très dangereux to be wandering the streets of our Lumiose late at night, you understand!"

"I-" Darrin tried to protest, before Jacinthe raised a hand to cut him off.

"Non, non, you must not argue with Jacinthe! It's my duty as an elite to take care of the people of this city. Especially when your family is so well-known all across the region of Kalos!"

Darrin didn't have a good feeling about this, but it didn't seem like he had much of a choice in the matter. Besides, he was distantly aware of Jacinthe's reputation, and crossing her didn't seem wise. He'd play along for the moment, and find a way to continue his duties later on.

So he followed along beside Jacinthe, letting her lead the way.