Summoner Quest (Celestial Menagerie) Crossover - IC (2024)

A lot of dialogue in this chapter. I think I'm improving (?). Originally I also wanted to include a summary of the date but the chapter was getting kinda long. So it will be a t the start of the next one.
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I got up on Wednesday, in a fairly good mood. I had some good dreams, some featuring my prospective girlfriend and some simply spent having fun with my partners. I woke up around two but remained in bed and dived into the Mental Realm for the remainder of the night.

When I opened my eyes I felt refreshed and ready to face the world. I had a date to look forward to at noon, and before that I would talk to Velocity to see if he was interested in becoming a Brute. While I was at it I would also talk to Colin about getting his own partner.

The errors I made yesterday still exist, but I wouldn't let them weigh me down.

During breakfast, while I talked to Mom I did mention my fight with Bakuda and my frustration that she got away. She hummed in understanding and commiserate with me, saying that I would catch her next time.

I carefully didn't mention the fact that I almost ended up frozen in time. There was no need to worry her.

A little later on the Rig, my first act was to go to Armsmaster's lab.

I found Colin working not on his armor this time but on the grenade-drone. From my awareness of my partners, I knew that the Tinker worked on it during a good part of the night already. Seeing that he was engrossed in his work I didn't interrupt him and looked around waiting for him to reach a good stopping point.

On a shelf sitting inside an advanced-looking cradle, I spotted Colin's drone that he deployed during the team exercise. Interestingly it didn't qualify for Creature Acquisition, not independent enough I guess. I turned back toward Colin when I heard him put away his tools.

I greet him with a smile. "Hello, Colin."

"Alex." He gave me a gruff nod. "How are you doing after yesterday?"

"I'm doing okay. There's no use dwelling too much on it."

My answer seems to satisfy him. I glanced at the grenade. "Learned anything interesting?"

He huffs in irritation. "A few things. She's good at condensing her work in little packages." He paused. "It's very efficient."

I decided that a little teasing was warranted. "A little like you."

Reluctantly he nodded. "Somewhat. However, she has no consideration for durability. Understandable, considering the purpose of her tools but maybe a usable weak point if it applies to her more long-term creations, like the armor you described."

That was worth considering, though next time I wouldn't give her any quarter and I doubt this factor would come into play.

Changing the subject he addressed me. "Did you wish to ask me something?"

I nodded. "Yes. I've been holding back on another avenue of empowerment for a while now. Mainly because I need to create a decent stockpile before it can be of any real use. I used it on myself first but now I have enough to share." I gave the details about the seeds and hummed in understanding as he listened.

When I finished speaking he pondered my words for a few seconds before responding with one word. "Robin?"

"Of course, and afterward the others, including you. Though it may force you to alter your armor again."

He waved his hand dismissively. "I appreciate it. I could certainly use more strength to better handle heavier gears but I can do without for now."

I could respect that. "Do I have your permission to give the seeds to Robin? Assuming he agreed."

Colin appeared to consider his words carefully. "Normally I should say no, that you need to wait. Those sorts of effects should be thoroughly tested before being approved. It's one thing for a Parahuman to use their powers on themselves, it's another to use them on others. And Despite what you've done for her, Director Piggot would say the same things. However, if we go above her head and ask Director Costa-Brown or any members of the Triumvirate you'll have instant approval."

That was more than probable. Despite our win against Leviathan, and maybe because of it, the Protectorate was still desperate for more capes and more powerful capes in particular.

Colin continued. "So as a compromise, if you give me let's say five of those seeds. I can send them for immediate chemical analysis. And if Robin agrees, tell him only to start eating them tomorrow."

That was more than reasonable. I would have been willing to wait more days, it wasn't that urgent. "Thank you. That's fine."

There was a lull in our conversation before I received a shrewd look from Colin. "Do you have any other such surprises in reserve?"

I licked my lips, trying to find the right words. "I…I do have something else in the work, something more significant than a simple strength boost, but it's not yet ready and won't be for a while. And even once it's ready it will require some significant logistics." I still want to wait for Nimue to have at least ten floors before opening her up to other people. Before he could reply I decided to add something else. "There's another thing that I'm keeping in reserve. Something different but it would be time-consuming with uncertain results. So that will have to wait for a period of calm if there's ever one." I want to make use of Dimensional Travel but not with so many threats on the horizon that may pop up while I'm not there.

Colin appeared to consider my answer carefully before finally nodding. "Very well. I can understand some caution even within those walls. And I do not need to know the details at this time."

"Thank you." I was grateful for his understanding. While I wasn't opposed to going into the details about Nimue and Dimensional Travel, it would be a lengthy explanation.

"Was there anything else?" Colin looked ready to go back to analyzing the grenade drone. In part, I suspect to distract himself from my latest revelation.

But there was indeed something else that I wished to talk about so I nodded firmly. "Yes. I wish to discuss the possibility of giving you a partner of your own."

Instantly his attention was fully on me. His eyes fully focused on my face. Not saying anything he allowed me to continue.

"For a while now, I had a partner that I basically never used that could work well with you. Not a specifically impressive one but useful nonetheless. I would have preferred to give you something stronger and with better synergy. So far none had presented themselves. I could continue waiting but yesterday's events made me remember the adage that perfection is the enemy of good enough."

Colin appears amused by my pronouncement, smirking in my direction. "And what would you consider to be good enough?"

Seeing that the room was big enough I summoned the drone in the middle of it hovering at waist height. "This is a repair

. It can fly, generate a shield around itself, and emit a rayon that repairs machinery. For the last thing, you'll need to test if it works on Tinkertech. If so, it may be a lot of help with maintenance." Colin was circling the surveyor with visible interest. "Oh, and if you put the correct attachment port on the back of your armor it can serve as a jetpack. However, you'll need to be careful with that"

With an incredulous tone and a confused expression, Colin asked me a question. "You consider this subpar?"

I shrugged. "Well by itself no. It's a fine robot, if a little fragile. It's just that compared to some of my other partners I hope to give you something better. If you want I got a giant

as big as

, instead. But I don't think it fits your needs."

That got a chuckle out of him.

"Very well. Let me think about it."

"Great, I'll let Surveyor here in the meantime. Please also consider what secondary power you want. There's no obvious synergy so you have plenty of options. My files are up to date if you want to check."

He nodded absently and waved me away. I left with a bounce in my step. Now for Robin.

As I walked the short distance toward Robin's office the Menagerie triggered.

This power is very specific. Once per week, we can permanently summon an object called a

./It looks like a CD-ROM and it can upload the knowledge of one specific

to a Pokemon. And only to a Pokemon./There are a lot of options available, we're still looking through the possibilities./It will certainly expand the versatility of our Pokemon.

When I reached Robin's door. My Minds were focusing their research on moves that could be learned by all, or at least by the majority of my Pokemon.

The man was currently doing some paperwork, I doubt he would mind being distracted. Knocking on the door, I heard an enter and opened the door.

Robin was sitting at his desk in simple civilian clothes, a dark brown jacket, and a white t-shirt in a cut almost like an army uniform. I was reminded of the fact that he was a former military. His office was well decorated, the walls were adorned with photographs of scenery and famous monuments. A well-stocked bookcase stood in a corner, containing mainly dictionaries in multiple languages.

I knew that Robin was learning Chinese and Russian, and was already fairly proficient in both. Previously I offered for him to learn either language from

, but he preferred to learn the old-fashioned way. He stated that in the future he may change his mind to learn some more obscure language.

"Hey, Alex. Come in." He gave me a welcoming smile, putting down the booklet he was looking at.

"Hello, Robin." I pulled a chair and sat down. "You have a minute?"

"Sure. Anything to get away from the horror of paperwork."

I decided to not beat around the bush. "How would you like to become a Brute and a Striker? With maybe a side order of an enhanced costume."

From anyone else, it would have been a joke and he would have laughed. From me, he paused and seemed to consider the ideas very seriously.

Licking his lips he answered nervously. "I would like more details before answering that question. Is this the same deal as Hannah?"

I shook my head. "Sadly no, I still haven't gained a partner that would be a good fit for you. This is something else."

"I'm listening."

And so I explained. How among the materials I could generate from my partners there were two called

and

. Basically
Tinker steroid without the side effects that increase the eater's strength and durability. The only caveat was that one needed to eat a lot of them to even reach the status of a middling Brute, so it took time for me to accumulate enough to make it worthwhile.

"And I think that the stronger you are in your base state the stronger you should be in your Breaker state. You're the one that could benefit the most from it. A Parahuman that is both a Speedster and a Brute is something nearly unheard of."

Robin remained pensive for a while once I finished my explanation. Then he gave me a sharp look. "How many have you eaten?"

I smiled. "Good catch. Yes, I've used them myself. I've eaten fifty of each. But of course, I have other means to increase my abilities so the results are disproportionate."

"Hm, and how many are you willing to give me?"

"I think we need to proceed gradually, so you can get accustomed to your new parameters. I'll say ten of each sort per day for a full week, so a total of seventy each. That should give you a rating of three or four in Brute and Striker. Once we get there we can reevaluate if needed."

I saw him gulp at the idea. A subtle blurring of his body proved that he slipped into his power to have more time to consider the idea.

"And the costume?"

Even my limited social skills allowed me to recognize a delaying tactic when seeing one, but it was understandable. "That's easier to explain, and that's something that I will offer to everyone. I already talked with Colin about it, we're just waiting for him to finish the latest version of his armor. It's an effect similar to Dauntless powers. The basic package for everyone would enhance the protectiveness of the costume grant and its durability. And for those that are interested a few more effects can be added. I have one that makes walking in water easier, another that reduces the damage taken from falls, one that allows you to hold your breath longer, and lastly, one that makes sneaking around easier. There's also an effect that hurts anyone who attacks you but Colin isn't convinced that it's wise to include that one, because it would apply even if someone simply slapped you on the back. It could be a hazard."

My speech left Robin gaping before he once again used his power to recompose himself. It was an aspect of his power that I never really considered before, the ability to think faster. I debated mentioning the

before deciding against it. I didn't want to put more things on his plate and I would prefer to reserve those that would gain greater benefits from them.

Robin didn't take long to reach a decision, though it was certainly much longer for him. Looking serious he answered me. "I'll happily accept the enhanced costume, with the effect that reduces fall damage. That's probably the most useful for me." After taking a breath he continues. "As for those Seeds. Yes, that would be wonderful. Being able to act at super speed has been a dream of mine for a long time."

"Great." With a mental order, Olky delivered the Seeds packaged in two Tupperware boxes. "There you go. Seventy seeds of each. You are to take ten per day starting tomorrow. They must be eaten raw, but they work well in salads with some lemon and olive oils."

The speedster was amused by the notion of taking magical steroids by eating a well-seasoned salad. I left soon after giving him a few more pieces of advice and asking him to measure his strength both before and after each portion of seeds.

Before going on patrol I took a detour by Dauntless's office. Briefly, we talked about his improved Totem. He confirmed that he had no problem with it so far. During the six days since the empowerment he only put two more charges into it, with minimal effects, only a few seconds reduction in the recharge time of the ablative shield. While I would have liked to chat more I had a patrol to go to so I said goodbye.

During this uneventful patrol, I and my Minds decided on our first TM, it would be the move

. Everyone except Beta could use it and having the ability to project an unbreakable forcefield would always be useful. I would make use of it after my date with Crystal. Trying to focus on my patrol with my head filled with the image of a beautiful blonde girl wasn't easy, even with multiple Minds.

Wordcount: 2589
Excess words: 708
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I want to include a story vote but I couldn't think of one and I didn't want to force it. Sorry. You'll have to content yourself with one more Menagerie vote.

For the roll, 310 (Banked) + 240 (Chapter) + 0 (Excess words) = 550 points.

[] Creature

[] Power

Voting will be closed Monday at 3 PM GMT

Note: I still haven't decided on which secondary power to give to Armsmaster and I'm open to suggestions. Material Extraction is obvious for Tinker but the materials of the Surveyor aren't anything special. Rider to make using the jetpack function easier. Summoning 3/day in case it's destroyed. Miniaturization for easier transportation and discretion. Independent Agent so the drone can move further away (the default 500m may be a little restrictive). Strategist for general utility. Armor Summoning for a cool-looking transformation sequence. There's a lot of possibilities.