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 Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 12:36 pm
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:56 pm
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Shalour City
While police secured entryway to the beach, an evacuation order was delivered to the residents. No official statement was given on the reason for it, but everyone in that city who looked to the sky had a good hunch as to why. There was no looting, no panic. Against unknown threats, the public put their trust in what they were told and slowly filed out of the city.
The rest of the police were assisting the evacuation, channeling traffic to all outgoing routes. Cops arrived at the Pokémon Center and Hospital to escort patients out in buses. Korrina was on her rollerblades, skating around town and making sure people were out of their homes.
Despite their best efforts, everyone knew they couldn’t possibly all leave in time. And so, as they shuffled or ran, they looked to the horizon, hoping those strangers on TV would be able to stop that airship.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I can’t see anything anymore?” Pachi sighed, holding up cream colored binoculars to her eyes. By now all the fighting was beyond her vision from the balcony. Even the news on the TV behind her couldn’t provide accurate detail anymore. “Can you, Catori?”
The binoculars shook, a sign for ‘No’. Pachi wrinkled her nose. “No point in staying. Okay. Catori. A one, a two, a one two three-“
Catori glowed, and the two of them simply vanished.
Riviére Walk: Gabriel’s Funeral Procession
Matheson and Juliet were running now, weaving past the limousines and marching soliders mounted on their Pokémon to get to the Chateau. Once they had seen more of the news coverage on their Holocasters, and once Juliet had gotten the truth behind the situation from the SCPD, they decided they had no time to lose.
Juliet bumped into Matheson when he halted suddenly, almost knocking her over. “Matheson!”
“Elizabeth!” Math called out, knocking on the window of Elizabeth’s limo.
He’d wait until she rolled down the window or opened the door, and if it looked like she wouldn’t, he’d still go on. “We’re heading to Shalour City, we know how that ship works. I have to leave, I’m…sorry. I know this means so much to you-oh, hi Elliot, sir. I didn’t see you there.”
Juliet received an audio only call while Matheson bumbled his way through an awkward goodbye. It was from her father. She looked down the procession and could barely make out the limousine she knew was his. “Father.”
“Surely you must realize what you and Matheson leaving the funeral looks like to everyone here?” Jullien said in his usual tired disappointment. “To me?”
“He and I have valuable intel on the Orrean airship. We’re going to Shalour City.”
“This event is considered holy. The ramifications of departing in this manner are-”
“Surely you must know what the ramifications of a terrorist attack on our people must look like, Father?” Juliet snapped back, impatient. There was a silence from the other line, and Juliet quickly regretted speaking out of turn. Jullien was prone to irritability. And the wrath of that irritability was cold. “I apologize for my tone-“
“Go if you must. I will explain your absence gracefully,” he said as if this had been his idea. “But Juliet, remember. This is being broadcast throughout the country. It will reflect on us. You must control the narrative.”
“How compassionate of you.”
“We will have a discussion when this is over, Juliet.”
He hung up on her.
Tower Vault
It seemed this girl didn’t have time for pleasantries. Before Nowell could say another word, Écarlate was across the room, and his cigar was on the ground.
Écarlate would notice that his claw didn’t make contact with the soft, human flesh it was supposed to. It was connecting to something softer. Squishy, even. And now that he was close, he’d notice that the cigar masked a more deplorable Stench, something so nasty that could make him flinch.
Nowell’s upper body convulsed and wriggled, and suddenly it became apparent that it wasn’t a bulky torso that was hidden under his wingsuit. Purple ooze slipped out from the collar of the suit and two formerly buttoned flaps on the sides, forming hands around Écarlate’s claw and latching on with a Sticky Hold. “Muuuuuuk.”
The other three pirates went on the defensive, raising up Pokéballs to fend off the attackers. A Stunky (30) parried away one of Pancham’s Arm Thrusts, but was hit by the other four, taking off a chunk of health. The Stunky turned around and sprayed a cloud of Toxic at the Pancham from her rear.
A Politoed (30) came out of another Pokéball and took the brunt of Metric’s Headbutt. Stumbling back, he used Hypnosis at close range, and a spiral of light spun of the swirl on his stomach at the Deino.
A Mightyena (32) leapt up and caught the Vine Whip in her mouth, stopping it from smacking her trainer. With a swift yank she attempted to pull Feather towards her and chomp at the Floette with a Poison Fang.
“Unsportsmanlike!” Nowell yelled out as a battlecry, stomping on his cigar. His Muk (35) could suppress his Poison Touch enough that Lowell, who would be Poisoned otherwise, could wear the Pokémon like an armor. The Muk had absorbed the force of the blow, taking damage in Nowell’s stead. Now they were in the perfect position to counrtattack.
Muk was now entirely coating Nowell’s upper body, a liquid set of armor. Still tightly holding Écarlate’s claw with Sticky Hold, he formed another tendril of sludge to slug at the Scizor’s face with a Shadow Punch.
Fishbone: Mess Hall
“There’s a Pikachu and a Gengar on the ship somewhere,” Salieri told Biz Marquis and Reynard in the hallway, keeping one eye open for incoming pirates while Ivan was inside the lockpad for the mess hall doors, trying to pry it open. “Lower deck, they’re stopping the cannon. Help them out.”
[Where you you going?] her Chesnaught asked, confused and a little spooked about being in such tight corridors compared to his bulky frame. Was this even a building? It felt like it was moving. Claustrophobia was just a few steps away.
[Why aren’t you going?] Reynard asked, feeling like she was being shunted off while Salieri took on something more fun. Cannon? What was a cannon, anyway?
“There’s a cannon. It’s gonna go boom, make it not go boom,” Salieri told them impatiently. Being stopped at the mess hall doors gave her a pang of guilt long enough for her to send two more assets somewhere else. Her forces were being stretched thin. She still had Oberon, Banksy and now Ivan to fall back on. If it wasn’t enough, she’d never let guilt stop her again. “Just go already! I’ll find you later!”
Biz and Rey looked to each other, hesitant, but then nodded and ran off towards the bow. The keypad made a ding and the doors slid open. Ivan jumped out of the keypad as a cloud of pixels and back into Salieri’s Pokégear. “Here we go.”
She ran into the empty mess hall. Banksy was behind her, a sentinel with smoke seeping from her shell as they cautiously walked forward. Something didn’t feel right. The cafeteria tables were empty, and the kitchen area’s food was still out. She thought people would’ve been through here by now, since beyond the mess hall were alternative ways to the stern.
Sal looked up at the metal rafters. There were ten pirates balanced on the rafters.
They all whooped and hollered as they jumped down, landing on tables and the floor in a circle around Sal and Banksy. The doors to the mess hall closed. Salieri’s rampage had been linear. They knew where she was going to end up.
“Face it, Kalosian,” said a pirate Salieri recalled. She was Eileen, a fiery middle aged war vet in charge of ship security. It was definitely her that set up such a simple ambush. “You’re still not clever. And now you’re locked in here with me and them.”
Salieri cracked her neck. Prou wasn’t in here anymore. And so Salieri woudn’t stay here either. Eileen’s squad intended for this to be the last stop. The thought didn’t even cross Salieri’s mind. “What’s that line? I’m not stuck here with you.”
“You’re stuck in here with US. Boop.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2017 9:57 pm
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Francis's Downtime
The mental connection was faint, but there, and as Francis made his way towards the tower, he would fly towards his friends. Agility would be used along the way to make the trip easier, any time it was possible until he would either arrive, or be max speed.
******
The Pirate and the "Hero"
Manny immediately replaced Reflect once defog removed it, the priority-used move giving room for him to do so. Given his focus on the reflect, and on his allies, he didn't see the Entrainment and so wouldn't be compelled to dance at all. Though Ben's mind immediately told him he wouldn't be able to just sit on the side lines, since others were targeting him.
"I don't think you know how luck works." Ben replied, sarcasm punctuated by a grin.
The trap card went out, and Ben recognized the thing from earlier, when the guy had dropped it.
"Luck swings as it wills, doesn't matter where it seems to be sitting at first, it's fickle like that."
With her evasion shut down a little bit, Essence would have a harder time dodging the flame. Instead, she took a page from the sniper's book, and a leaf with the power of cut would fly out, path skimming near the trap card and striking it just enough to activate it. If her power hadn't been boosted, of course, that would be the end of it and she'd be making her way through the space the fire pillar had been just as it cleared.
She would still do that, of course, but the cut, with its enhanced strength from the earlier psych-up, would spin through the flames towards the proper target, the collar around the Lopunny's neck. Given the glowy stone and all, it seemed important.
If the tactic worked, Psychic would strike from behind, aming to blast the collar away from them and towards Ben.
Manny, during this time, would have been repositioning, legs carrying him as the Foul Play came to attack, the dark move intent on clashing with him. The jumping knee strike would miss as he threw himself down, into a roll, and would come up with the psychic, given the position he'd been in before, he was in a good place now to strike from behind.
Once that was done, he would turn his attention back to the flying type that had decided to pick a fight with him.
Well, flying dark.
He didn't really have a strategy for that, actually. If the Foul Play continued to be a problem, with the flying type focusing it, he would engage it with a Force Palm, aiming to parry its next strike before another would strike to dissipate it.
If it was not a problem, he would use his Hidden Power to attack the dark type.
Meanwhile on Essence's side, if the plan worked, she would play gatekeeper to the collar, solar beam charging as she waited. Otherwise, she would charge forward with a poison sting, ready to bring the fight to the mega evolution however she could.
*******
Secret Agent Mouse and his partner, The Shadow
Caboose hid in the moment that the pirate looked out the window, just in time to avoid being spotted. When his new friend opened the window for him, he realized why it was a bad idea along with them. Thunder wave would strike the window frame as he made his way past it, strike charging the frame to magnetically help him propell himself inside with his Magnet Rise, and he would pull free of the air enough to land safely as the Cloyster arrived. Thunder Bolt would go out, striking three of the icicles from the sky with its path, but angled just enough not to be dissipated completely by the next two. Given his position, he would take the two icicles coming himself, and if the thunderbolt hit, he would activate Magnet rise with that electrical energy.
In short, Cloyster would become magnetically charged if all went well, and that charge would be used to lift them with Magnet Rise, since Caboose would have control of the Magnet Rise in question, he would have a bit of leverage. And then he would use the window's charge, and the Cloyster's charge together to throw the pokemon at the window frame and use the pokemon to stop the airflow from dragging Hazard and the unconscious pirate outside. This would be maintained as long as both of them held a significant enough magnetic charge, which admittedly wouldn't be long.
If all this went well, he would start on his way out of that room with a quick attack, hoping for Hazard to follow behind. All he had to do was search for... A cannon. [Now we just have to find the weapon we don't know anything about.] He would say, mostly to himself but also to Hazard if the pokemon was nearby.
If things did not go to plan, he would probably do something else.
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2017 4:09 pm
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The Foot of the Tower
For a second, Zack was relieved to see Loki. Although the psychic had become an Alakazam, he recognised that sneaky little dipshit anywhere. His reaction soured when he took a second to look for Helena, expecting her to be alongside her pokémon. Even if she was still caught up in this mess, as long as he could see his sister, Zack would be at ease. Instead, he had even more pirates.
's**t. Check your sides!' Zack commanded, not knowing Seelie's moveset well enough to give direct instructions. He wanted those pirates out of the sky before they called out more pokémon, and the Aura-trained Sylveon seemed to know exactly that. A bright sphere of light encapsulated the fairy type then expanded, blowing outwards and swamping the incoming Scald. Seelie's Moonblast vastly outstripped the weaker Simipour's power, turning the jet spray into a limp splash that only managed to wet the floor.
If the two wing suit pirates were trying to flank Zack equidistantly and Seelie was off to one side, then one of the pirates would be within Moonblast's range. Unless the pirate displayed an exceptional feat of maneuverability, they would be caught up in the blast and sent careening face-first into a wall. The other would land no problem.
Regardless of how Loki's altercation went, Zack would shout up to him. 'Loki, you dumbass! You're supposed to be with Helena. Where is she?'
Seelie rolled his eyes and leaped backwards, generating a substitute from a mingling array of light motes that glowed all at once and turned into a monochrome copy of the pokémon. The substitute would act like the picture of a certain Mr. Gray; any damage dealt to Seelie would appear on the substitute instead, until it finally disintegrated. Not quite as offensive as Zack's usual fare, but he could work with it.
The Fishbone - Lower Deck
If things went according to Caboose's plan, Hazard would be very impressed. She would pat the unconscious guard on the head, and float after the electric type, wondering what all that noise was coming from above.
[Ohhhh,] Hazard said, her voice like a ghostly whisper in Caboose's ear, despite their distance, [A cannon. Kekeke, so it's some kind of weapon. Okay.]
In her mind she pictured Lethal, but really big, and with his claw poking out the front of the ship.
[Why don't we ask one of these pirates, mouse?] Hazard, of course, meant the pirates' pokémon.
The Fishbone - Above Deck
Serene sensed rather than saw Dune's transformation. Her Telepathy allowed her to keep tabs on what her allies were doing, and accommodate for their actions. It was why, even without a trainer to provide instructions, she knew they had nothing to fear from the incoming Bullet Seed. Lethal stayed his course, and the enemy Seviper launched its attack.
It flailed at Serene, a chaotic tangle of scales and flesh, whipping its Poison Tail so fast she couldn't keep up. Clinging to Lethal, the Kirlia dropped as the Seviper rose, and used Double Team to split both herself and her comrade into two identical copies at the last second. Without a way to course-correct, the snake would keep flying through the air and across the deck.
Since they were high above the deck, Seviper would have had leap in an impressive arc to meet its target, meaning that if it failed to make contact it would have to keep going an equal distance. Unless it came with an array of long range attacks, which were easier to dodge, Serene wouldn't have to worry about the poison type for at least another turn.
Assuming it didn't just fling itself off the airship.
Meanwhile, Lethal reduced enough momentum and got them close enough to the deck that they could drop the rest of the way without going splat. As they fell, he shot an Ice Beam at the Shiftry, then blasted an Aqua Jet from his rear valve at Serene's mental suggestion. This propelled them both forward on a burst of water without touching down, staying a few feet off the deck. Those big fan hands of Shiftry's might prove trouble for Dune's new mode, so they needed that pokémon out of the fight as soon as possible.
If the Ice Beam hit, the skirmish would conclude right there. If not, and the Shiftry managed to evade the attack, Lethal's Aqua Jet would get the pokémon pair up close where Serene could try to nail it with a Confuse Ray.
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2017 5:12 pm
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Tower Vault
"Roar," Helena said as she released her last Pokemon. Four Pokemon, four humans, but her biggest concern would be with restraining Tyrant. She merely wanted to subdue them, but if he got loose? They'd all end up dead.
Tyrant's roar came as he materialized, only moments after the next round of conflict would play out.
Conflict that went something like this;
Écarlate could handle a matter of trading blows with a Muk. Utilizing a second Bullet Punch, he would aim to smash the Muk a second time, taking the Shadow Punch without concern for himself. A little damage didn't matter, not with the difference in power their blows had. Muk grabbing even both of Écarlate's claws didn't scare the Pokemon any.
Pancham would move as Stunky did, in a small arc that would take him out of the line of fire of the Toxic, and he'd arc around toward the Stunky to release another set of Arm Thrusts at the Pokemon's flank.
Metric would be caught by the hypnosis, unable to dodge it at close range.
Feather would push down onto her side of the whip as she was pulled toward the Mightyena, pushing her upwards and over the Poison Fang and giving her the perfect shot to slam her trainer into the wall with a Fairy Wind, assuming the move hit.
If the Pokemon were returned by Roar, Helena's own Pokemon - save Tyrant - wouldn't give them(well, three out of four of them) the chance to send their Pokemon back out. If they merely cowered it would give her an opportunity to take them out anyways. Trainers first, even trained Pokemon without a trainer would be significantly weaker.
Shalour City Pokemon Center
The three girls would be ushered out of the Pokemon center by the police.
"What if she needs help?" Bridgette asked and Azucena frowned.
"She'll be fine," the teen said, unsure herself if the Redgrave girl could come out of the fight alive.
Foot Of The Tower
Loki was faster. It occurred to him then that he hadn't just grown powerful with evolution, he had also grown faster. Jumping away from the constriction, he'd turn to fire a psybeam into the Nightshade.
As the beam ripped through the image of Helena, covered in bruises and gashes, pieces of debris sticking out of her; glass, wood, metal piping. The attack would be destroyed, but it would echo Zack's words into his head.
He shouldn't be here. Zack Redgrave was a man always in over his head, but he was used to it. Loki's mental processing speed let him see all of this at once, opting to teleport as he looked toward the location.
Then it was just two flights of stairs between him and his trainer.
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Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2017 8:09 am
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Tower Canteen
Essence’s Cut blew apart Skarada’s Trap, releasing the flame geyser. The short lived fire rolled off towards Sergio, and the Lopunny squashed it with a clap of her long fluffy ears. When the fire lit up her ears, she used it as fuel, turning it into a Fire Punch on the tufts of cream fur.
“Well if I don’t have to be humble ‘bout my luck,” Skarada started. With Essence running at him and Benedict straight ahead, only Manny, slightly off to the side, could see what Skarada was up to behind his. However, at the time Skarada dropped one more Trap Card behind himself, Manny was looking away from the Entrainment, and thus away from Ska. The distractions caused by his Pokémon synergized well with his Traps, fueling Skarada’s roguish pragmatism. “Then I’ll call my brand of it skill.”
With the impromptu Knock Off having failed, Manny wouldn’t launch his Psychic, and could focus entirely on the Foul Play. The Dark copy of Manny turned around with a roundhouse kick, which was parried aside by the Meditite’s Force Palm. Contact with the doppleganger would result in it dissolving, not requiring a second Force Palm, and leaving Manny with an opportunity to use Hidden Power (what type?) on Keasbey after all.
Keasbey replenished Tailwind with enough room between himself and Manny to soar off to his side, dodging the orbs of Hidden Power that whizzed past him up into the sky. One of them hit a pirate flying past a building, and Keasbey saw that he got off lucky in comparison when that pirate was sent down to the ground in the distance. Meanwhile, Ska and Sergio became blessed by the same winds, increasing their speed for a short amount of time.
Before Essence got close enough to strike, Skarada activated his Mega Eye. Chains of light came from behind his bangs, connecting with identical chains of light coming from Sergio’s Loppunite. The Mega Evolution was as brief as it was brilliant, encapsulating Sergio in a veil of Mega Energy that left as quickly as it came.
Now a Mega Lopunny, her demeanor changed entirely. What was once supposed to be a desire for play was now solely a desire to fight. “We’re stalling,” Ska reminded Sergio with a hiss, frustrating the Lopunny to no end.
Essence would come in with a Poison Sting powered up by Manny’s own boosts, but Sergio’s speed had risen even further upon Mega Evolving. It allowed her to stomp one foot into the ground, upturning the cobblestone to parry the Roselia’s toxic strike in time.
As Essence was diverted to the outside, Sergio loomed over her and swung her still ignited Fire Punch ear at the Grass Type with a wicked hook.
Skarada drew two more Trap Cards from his deck. He flicked one up to Keasbey, who caught it with his talons, and kept the other between his fingers. On the southern horizon, he could make out the familiar shape of Benedict’s Pidgeotto. This method of stalling would not hold well for long. He’d have to change his tactics to a full offense soon.
Foot Of The Tower
“He avoided our ultimate combination!” languished one of the pirates as Loki dodged and deflected, starting to think that perhaps their ultimate combination needed some work. Tentacruel’s tentacles, which could extend like all members of their species, kept going after Loki, and would catch up to the Alakazam during Teleport’s start up lag. Unless Loki abandoned the Teleport, he’d be warping with a hitchhiker. “Tentacruel?” the pirate would say, baffled that his Pokémon just disappeared.
Still in the game, Noctowl changed targets, focusing on Zack now. The owl flew closer to Zack and unleashed another Night Shade, this time to mentally plague the trainer into submission.
One of the two incoming pirates was blown aside by Seelie’s Moonblast, sending her careening off course into a closed window she shattered. The crash she made inside the building could be heard from outside. She wasn’t coming out anytime soon. The second pirate, not eager to be in such a vulnerable position, swooped up higher, going over the building he was going to land on before diving down to its other side, out of sight.
The same Moonblast caused Simipour to come to a quick stop once their Scald was destroyed. Nervous, the monkey gulped, then switched to an “Acrobatics!” attack. Simipour flipped through the air nimbly, with the goal of slamming a bare heel into the Sylveon’s head via axe kick.
Tower Vault
Two floors below the Vault, if Loki did indeed Teleport there, he’d arrive with a very confused Tentacruel Constricting his leg. “Tenta?” the jellyfish said, wondering how he got there. It didn’t matter that much, because Loki was there in front of him and still a threat. So with another extending tentacle, he’d try to drill into Loki with a Poison Jab.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Muk indeed took just a little more damage in his exchange of punches with Écarlate, and engaged in a second round of trading blows by throwing out another Shadow Punch. The damage tradeoff would still not be in Muk’s favor as he took the second Bullet Punch while throwing out his own jab. If they kept going like this, Muk would lose the battle of attrition, but Écarlate would be in the red.
Toxic used by a Poison type such as Stunky did not miss. In such close quarters, the spray followed Pancham, making his dodge useless, and contact with him would result in his Poisoning.
By the same token, Stunky had a hard time dodging the second Arm Thrust, avoiding two of them before getting hit by the remaining three, critical strikes. Hissing, Stunky jumped back and tossed out a Smokescreen, sending up an inky black cloud to hide in that’d obscure his foe’s accuracy.
Poliwhirl, excited that Hypnosis worked, reeled back a hand to try a Wake Up Slap on Metric for high damage. This was his ultimate combination, something his trainer said not to tell the others. Especially the Captain’s Pokémon.
Mightyena’s trainer was blown astray by the Fairy Wind, knocking her out cold against the Vault’s wall. Her Mightyena whimpered, rushing by her trainer’s side to check on her. “Groo?” the big dog whimpered, batting at the pirate with her paw.
Tyrant came out, and so did his Roar. Muk was sent back into his Pokéballs out of shock, being swapped out with a Golbat (29). Stunky and Poliwhirl’s trainers had no other Pokémon, thus they remained in play, craning their heads up and up to see Tyrant.
The pirates took a second to steel themselves against their new, big, reptilian foe. Nowell, now suddenly unarmored by his Muk, allowed Golbat to perch on his arm. He cracked his neck with a scowl. This one trainer was actually giving them trouble now. She wasn’t on the recon list, either. “Woulda been nice to know about you, girl.”
Nowell lifted two fingers up, then pointed ahead at Tyrant. The sign was clear. Converge attacks on the dinosaur. They’d risk getting attacked by Helena’s other Pokémon for a quick chance at three on one. How strong can this thing be, anyway?
If Stunky and Poliwhirl weren’t stopped, they’d fire Toxic and Bubblebeam up at Tyrant’s face. Golbat used Air Cutter, sending a wave of sharpened wind at both Écarlate and Tyrant while Nowell whipped out his walkie talkie. “Captain!” he called into the line, hoping for backup.
Fishbone Lower Deck
Cloyster snickered when she hit Caboose with a couple of Icicle Spears. The unstable electricity that did manage to hit her didn’t hurt as much as she thought it would. She stopped snickering when she was floating in the air, then suddenly plugging the hole in the emergency window with her butt. “Shaa?”
“Wiggleton?” a pirate from up the stairs called. The Cloyster tried to wriggle out, but the magnetic energy would hold her there still. The pirates started to descend the stairs.
At the other end of the hall, Caboose and Hazard bought themselves some time to run. The two of them would head down another hall to find themselves as a fork. To their right was a hallway matching the one before, with another set of stairs leading to the stern. To their left would be a hallway with rows of tall lockers, some unlocked and mostly empty save for some rancid old socks. At the end of that hall was a door that led into the hangar.
The hangar itself was a huge hold full of cargo boxes at the walls and rows of two person hovercrafts in the center. At the farthest end of the hangar, closest to the bow, was a steel door locked by a keypad. The keypad was labeled “Captain”, and had a three letter prompt.
Two pirates that were supposed to be on guard were sitting atop a box of cargo, playing a game of BS with their Nidoqueen (31) and Floatzel (32). “Pair of queens.”
“Bullshit.”
“Take the pile, mate.”
Fighting Pirates Remaining: 16 on the Island, 18 on the Fishbone
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Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2017 7:17 pm
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The Tower - Two Floors Below The Vault
Loki would note Tentacruel's presence upon appearing within the Tower. Pulling his foot free of the constrict, as it wasn't a move that held as long as wrap did, he'd stand prepared for the enemy's next attack.
Poison Jab came next and Loki would dodge it as the space around him distorted with the bending of one of his spoons. If Tentacruel didn't find a way to avoid it, their accuracy would diminish and Loki would use his new position, safely to the side of the Poison Jab, to release a Psybeam aimed to launch the Tentacruel out of the nearby window.
The Tower - Vault Doors
En Prise, creating bait for someone who can't see several moves ahead will let them walk themselves into defeat. This leads to....
Pancham would find himself afflicted by the toxic, but also landing his own blows. It wore on him immediately and the little Pokemon grit his teeth as he realized he would need to end the battle soon.
The black smoke of the Smokescreen would flood from the Stunky and Pancham would leap backwards to avoid getting lost in the cloud of it. He couldn't hit Stunky inside of it, not without risking himself, but he could respond to the enemy's attacks from the outside.
Metric had no chance to evading Poliwhirl's Wake-Up Slap. The move would finish putting him into an unconscious state, taking him out of the fight.
The roar came next, and the enemy would respond to Tyrant's presence. Helena stood, unphased by this turn of events. Her Pokemon and the teen were only alive because they had learned to work together. To adapt to each other. The more complicated and dangerous a mess got, the more brutal they could become. Helena was relying on these instincts.
"The name's Ellie Jones," she said at once, thinking a moment later that it sounded like a cool detective's name. There was no way she was giving a bunch of pirates her real name.
Poison Pawn...
Her Pokemon, meanwhile, did not give the pirates a moment to respond to protect themselves from their risky moves.
Écarlate immediately stepped within Nowell's space with a Bullet Punch, putting him too close to the human to be at risk of the Air Cutter hitting him. If the move landed it would slam Nowell into the wall and take the trainer out of the match.
Feather would go after Poliwhirl's trainer while calling for Pancham to go after Stunky's. She would target him with a Fairy Wind from the side, aiming to slam him into another of the four walls of the room.
Pancham, meanwhile, would leap at the remaining trainer, aimed to take him out with a series of Comet Punches to the stomach.
That left the enemy Pokemon and their moves targeting Tyrant. He would leap into the attacks with a Bide, rising above the enemies as their attacks crashed into him, and he'd come down upon the already injured Stunky with the stored up energy of the Bubblebeam and Air Cutter.
And, being so close to Poliwhirl upon landing, if the water type didn't make immediate distance he'd be the victim of a Dragon Tail into the stairwell.
...and check.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 4:02 pm
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Foot of the Tower
Seelie's ears twitched when the Simipour charged again, and his spiky teeth showed past his lip. [I almost feel bad for you.] The monkey pokémon was faster, but it would have to use a large part of its initiative to close the gap, affording some time. Seelie prepared to use another Hyper Voice and timed it so that once Simipour left the floor to perform Acrobatics, the Sylveon unleashed a pixilated canary cry of raw power that would likely lift Simipour up and blast it into the tower's curved wall.
Zack didn't have time to enjoy the turning tables. Still swept up in the Dark Pulse, his mind and body were too sluggish to avoid the incoming Night Shade. He tried to grin past his fears, ignore what the Noctowl showed him. His blind mother, vulnerable and hurt on Castelia's mean streets, his pokémon gone, the humiliation of his losses made public, Ratio and the Arcanine. The shapes shifted and twisted in his mind until they were just Helena and the pirates, and he hit the floor. Zack slid, head spinning as if Kelly had hooked him again, the Night Shade having taken him off his feet.
He almost thought he was hallucinating when he saw the red streak split the sky, flashing like a lightning bolt. Zack thought he should have been more confused but he knew exactly what it was, and grinned bloody teeth. Malis hadn't abandoned him, he had just stayed on the rooftop, performing Swords Dance until his Attack wouldn't go any higher. And now, blasting Flame Jet from his fists, he cracked through the air, a red jet that Noctowl would likely feel before he saw it.
Unless the flying type had a way to outstrip Malis's priority ambush, the Charmeleon's maximised power would let him knock the Noctowl out in a single blow. If that happened, Malis would perch on the owl's crumpling body, reangling himself for the pirate hostage-takers. Then he'd be off. In another burst of Flame Jet, he'd land between them and sharply strike each one, darting from pirate to pirate with miniature jets before landing where he'd started, letting them collapse around him.
The Procession
'Hello, Matheson,' Elliot said, standing on the opposite side of Elizabeth's limousine and smirking fondly at his cousin. The shallow crows feet crinkled beside his eyes. He found pride in there still being some of the court willing to do the right thing, and they bore the name Leroux. Still, Matheson versus Orrean pirates was not a battle he wished to see. 'I strongly suggest you remain here. We both know you're not a fighter, and whatever you know about Orrean airships, I promise you Lord Balibar knows more.'
He offered Matheson a peaceable smile. Elizabeth might not listen to him, but she was fueled by grief and anger. He hoped that Matheson might turn out to be the more reasonable of the pair.
'And besides,' he said, flicking a strand of white-blond hair back into position, 'if you wanted to speak with Elizabeth, you just missed her.'
---
Rap rap rap. Elizabeth tried not to sound impatient, but she was, and it felt like an age before Queen Antoinette rolled down her window and blinked at the brightness of the sun. She had rolled her hair back into blonde curls tied in a long stream, and though her dress was appropriately black if excessively frilly, Elizabeth couldn't help but disapprove of the Queen's white limousine and its bubbly pink trim. Hardly suitable for honoring the death of a court noble, but she had heard that Queen Antoinette thought it might lighten the mood, and nobody had the heart to tell her otherwise.
'My queen,' Elizabeth made a narrow curtsy, aware of the Quillon watching her every step. They rarely revealed themselves except under direct order. Even if the Orreans were half the country away, there would be Quillon guarding the Queen, ready to kill for her protection. With Ratio as a known shapeshifter, that readiness transferred even to court nobles. Elizabeth kept her hands in clear view at all times.
'Oh, Elizabeth, you don't have to be so formal!' the Queen squeaked. Her look of confusion bubbled into a wide smile. The former King, Antoinette's father, had been close friends with Elizabeth's own, back when they were young. Though Elizabeth was a few years older than her queen, they had shared childhood memories and to the Queen, that meant an immutable friendship. In Elizabeth's view, she had felt more like a babysitter, making sure the young princess didn't lose herself in the hedge maze of Parfum Palace.
'No need to stand around out there either. Come sit down with me,' Queen Antoinette fumbled with the door handle and opened it an inch before Elizabeth pressed it back into place. A sudden, bold move. She felt a cold sweat along her shoulders, and was sure something twitched in the woodland to her peripheral, but no armoured knights descended, only a Ducklett quacked on the river.
'As much as I would like to, your grace, I fear your Quillon would take exception should I try. And I quite like my head attached to my neck.' Elizabeth smiled, but it was hollow.
'Ohhh right. The assassin. I forgot,' Queen Antoinette pretended to shoot herself in the temple with her fingertip. 'Okay, so what did you want to chat about? Are we moving yet?'
'That is what I wanted to discuss,' Elizabeth said, glad Antoinette had broached the subject. 'It is my father's funeral, I see no reason we should delay regardless of what is happening in Shalour City. I hoped you might order the procession to continue.'
'You mean I can do that?' Queen Antoinette looked devastated. 'I've been sooo bored just sitting here and we could've kept moving?'
'My queen, you are, well, the queen.' Elizabeth cleared her throat. 'There is no higher authority in the land. Who would stop you?'
'Oh. Well in that case,' Queen Antoinette leaned back into her limousine and raised her voice. 'Heeeey, Monsieur Driver, can you make a call and tell everyone to pretty please get going again? Thank youuu.'
Elizabeth was awash with relief, and smiled genuinely. 'Thank you, my queen.'
'Oh my god, just call me Antoinette,' said the Queen, smiling back with rosy cheeks. It was then that her demeanour shifted, and her eyes lost some of their focus. 'Hey, Elizabeth?'
'Yes, my- Queen Antoinette?'
'Stop it, seriously. Geez,' Antoinette held a sad gaze. 'I've been thinking. All this must be super tough for you. I remember when my daddy died, they had a procession like this, and all I wanted to do was hide in my room.'
Elizabeth remembered. King Aldéric had a procession, but it was nothing like this. Lumiose City had been draped in black, the hearse patrolling still streets while its citizens observed in silence. Kalos's mourning had lasted weeks, and when it ended and the black banners came down, it was as if reaching air after almost drowning. The royal family were the core of Kalos's government; a dead monarch spelled the changing of times, where a new ruler would shape the path of the country. Supported by their loyal Court of Kings, of course.
'I'll never forget what you said at his funeral,' Antoinette went on. Elizabeth struggled to recall. 'I was so worried about living up to daddy's legacy, and you said I didn't have to. Nobody judges a ruler on who their parents are, only on what they do themselves. So I decided to be my best me, you know?'
'Yeah,' Elizabeth nodded, slow. She had told Antoinette those things in a fit of teenage resentment toward her own father, a salve for her own, imaginary wounds. What she wouldn't give to have those days back.
'So basically, I've been where you are. Or on the same street anyway,' Queen Antoinette blew a bang of hair out of her eyes. 'Like, if you need directions, I can help you find the way out. Or talk. Just talking is good too.'
It wouldn't do to laugh at a queen, but Elizabeth felt herself falter. She had been so enraged at the injustice of her father's murder that she sought revenge. Perhaps she should have sought a friend instead. Elizabeth's lips pressed together the way they do when trying not to move and her emotional dam threatened to burst. She maintained her composure, wiped away tears on her thumb and thanked her queen for her time.
'Perhaps,' Elizabeth said before she left, 'I will take you up on that offer. I would like to talk.'
She left for her own limousine, and was surprised to see Cédric a short distance away, waiting for her. The old butler said nothing but spared his Lady a nod, and stared at Queen Antoinette until her window rolled all the way up.
---
Ratio itched his moustache, glancing at the woodland where the Quillon no doubt lurked. The butler's shape had served him well so far, allowing him to slip amongst the nobility and servants unnoticed. His inner ear had transformed, becoming more akin to that of an Azumarill than a human, and let him eavesdrop on conversations across the length and breadth of the procession. He heard the sound of a Gameboy turn on inside the queen's limousine and turned away, kneeling down as if to fix his shoe while he slipped a slender pink gemstone from his sleeve and pushed it into the earth. He had covered around half of the procession's area, planting gems and pretending to tie a lot of shoes.
The Orrean invasion had been unexpected and unaccounted for, but promised useful. He had more time to prepare, and the nobility were too distracted to pay him mind. Still, he would have to act soon, before the black cars returned to life and simply drove away from his ambush. He only hoped that Moze would have the patience to wait for the signal, even if it had been delayed.
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 9:27 am
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The Procession
"Oh." Matheson squinted up and down the procession, looking for Elizabeth. At this point, she was in Antoinette's playhouse limousine. He didn't find her.
We both know you're not a fighter. Matheson knew the words rang true. He used to be, and he could get by, but those days were long behind him. He was still the man who didn't strike at Ratio when he had the chance. Had it been selfish to lose that chance over principle? Math was still unsure about that. But he was sure about this.
"I disagree." He immediately regretted that choice of words and blushed, bowing to Elliot. "I'm sorry! But I disagree! If there's something I can do, I won't sit by and watch. The best way I can honor Gabriel is by trying to save Shalour City. It's my duty as a member of this Court...and...there are people I like there, too." He was blushing harder now. "I have to make sure they're okay."
"I will bring him home safe, Elliot." Juliet came up behind Matheson and put a hand on his shoulder. "You have my word. There won't be another funeral for a Leroux."
Math lit up. Positive reinforcement worked wonders on him. Juliet felt warmer seeing his smile. "Yes. And also no funerals for Nostrads. No funerals in general, if we can help it-"
"Shush." Juliet patted his back like a pet. "You're ruining it."
Fishbone Bridge
“If she’s trapped in the mess hall, who the hell’s the other intruder on my ship?” Erin proposed to the two other pirates in the bridge. She grumbled as she slowly got up, her only arm bracing her very pregnant belly. It was a strain she would never be fully used to. Wouldn't be much longer until it was gone, either.
“Whoa whoa, sit down, Erin!” Pirate A told her as Pirate B helped her back into the chair.
“You can’t be takin’ the fight to them! Think of Erin Junior!” Pirate B added.
“The name’s not catchin’ on,” Erin groaned, sitting down. In her heyday she would’ve been the first one on the battlefield, leading the fight with her soulmate. Even when that attitude cost her a limb, she hadn’t regretted it. But now she was living for two. Expecting was a wondrous feeling, but sometimes it was a chain.
“Then you two. Go inspect the lower deck.”
The pirates looked at each other, hesitant. “Captain told us to stay with you no matter what, boss.”
“If my punk husband gives you lip later blame it on me,” Erin assured them, trying to wave them off. “Go. I’ve got the bridge covered.”
The pirates were still reluctant to leave, but they relented to the command. “Holler if you need us.”
They left Erin and her Pokémon alone in the bridge. Erin wheeled her chair over to a shelf, where she took out a dusty wooden box. Blowing off the dust, she removed the contents: a skeletal prosthetic arm, fitted just for her. She and Skarada could never afford a better prosthetic, which was fine by her because she had grown familiar to the phantom pain.
But this one was different. It was meant for combat. Embedded in the palm was a Keystone, not unlike Skarada’s Mega Eye. Erin grit her teeth as she attached the prosthetic, which painfully wired itself to the nerve endings where her arm used to be. She flexed the metal fingers, testing them to make sure she was in control.
She was in control.
An incoming transmission sounded off on the computer. Her Sableye answered the call. “Kehhhh?”
“Erin!” Static and background noise clashed with the interference. Erin used both hands, which was still a strange feeling, to put her headset on over her ears. “Erin’s, she’s….KSSSSSH…everyone KSSSSSH!”
“Hey, I’m here,” Erin said with a soothing tone that surprised even her. “What’s going?”
“KSSSHHHH beating….out of….everyone-”
“Who? Who are you talking about?”
“Salieri! Salieri is beating the crap out of everyone!”
Fishbone Mess Hall
The pirate calling for distress received a sneaker to his face for the trouble. As he was reeling back, about to recover, Salieri socked him in the face with her Psybracer, flinging the pirate ten feet up in the air. He was unconscious before he fell into the garbage bin.
Sal caught the radio midair and crushed it in her hand. “Connard,” she spat at his body. She had been trying to be quiet, but that last takedown was noisy. It didn't look like anyone had caught on yet. Still, she pressed herself down against the sink she was next to.
She put a hand on the sticky warm blood seeping from her side. More blood was spattered on her arms and knuckles. But that blood was not hers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just a minute ago, Banksy started off the battle by laying down a thick Smokescreen at Salieri’s command. She was sure she could pry the doors open with her Pokémon to escape the mess hall, but the pirates would never give her enough time. This was the best time to remove as many distractions as possible. Salieri and Banksy split up and the pirates did the same, stalking each other through the smoke while it was still thick.
In the past minute, Salieri crept up to a pirate who was sticking to the walls with her Quagsire (32). She snuck behind the Quagsire, covered the Pokémon’s mouth, and with a mighty heave, lifted them up and at the wall. Her Pokégear shined, shooting pixels of light in the shape of a simple arrow down Salieri’s hand and into Quagsire’s body with a click. The Pokémon became partially transparent and absolutely silent despite trying to cry as Salieri let go.
Half shifted into another dimension until the painful snap back to their own, the Quagsire harmlessly phased right through the wall and out of the room without anyone else catching on. Salieri didn’t know how long the phasing effect on Ivan’s Alternate technique would last. If it was long enough, the Pokémon could’ve gone right through the ship. At least it can swim. What a crazy move.
When the Quagsire’s trainer turned around, she was greeted with a chop to the throat, a sweep of the legs, and an elbow to the face while he was down. The combo took her out.
Across the room, Salieri saw a Heat Wave start and die, roasting the briefly illuminated silhouettes of a Cacturne, Dodrio and two pirates that all fell to the ground. “At the buffet!” shouted a pirate hidden in the smoke ahead of Salieri, revealing his position to her.
The pirate and his Beedrill (33) walked and hovered towards where Banksy just was, the kitchen area of the mess hall preceded by a buffet line. Salieri pounced onto the table next to the pirate silently and then dropped on the Orrean man, instantly putting him into a chokehold and dropping both of them to the floor.
Beedrill spun around and rushed at the humans, pointing a Fell Stinger hand forward. Sal stared down the Beedrill and punched the trainer in the face to finish the knock out. She got up to dodge, jumping to the side as Beedrill passed her. The Fell Stinger glanced the side of her stomach, tearing right into it. Sal clenched her teeth. The attack lived up to the name. The latter half of it, anyway.
The Beedrill came back around for another pass, but as soon as they had fully turned they received a Psybeam to the chest from Sal’s Pokégear. The Bug crashed into a table, flipping it over on landing.
Salieri looked back to the buffet, where a pirate and his Ledian (31) had seen that skirmish. He reached for his walkie talkie, but Sal was across the way before he could even switch it on. She tackled him at the midsection, flipping him over the buffet line and into the kitchen.
They landed on the floor, scrambling against each other to gain footing. Now both kneeling, they were ready to strike each other. The pirate’s Ledian flew overhead and lifted their tiny fists up for a flurry of punches. Sal shot the Ledian down with a close range Zap Cannon punch first, and while she wasn’t looking, the pirate grabbed an iron skillet and smacked her upside the head.
Sal fell flat on her back while the pirate fumbled with his radio. “Erin!” the pirate hissed. Dizzy, Sal sat up and punched her fist into the ground. The Psyshock emanted up from her Pokégear again, sticking to her entire arm like a skintight glove. “Erin!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And so in that past minute, between the three of them, Salieri, Banksy and Ivan had taken out five pirates. As her Psybracer dissipated, the strain of tackling the pirate over the buffet line doubled down the pain of Sal’s Fell Stinger wound. She sat slumped against the sink and released Oberon. “Hi,” she groaned, still groggy from her concussion. She gestured to the gash on her stomach, where she pressed against the flow of blood with her hand. “I need a heal.”
Her Cleffa nodded, rubbed her hands together, and sent a Heal Pulse Salieri’s way. The rebel breathed deep at the soothing action. “Ivan, I take back half the times I said you were useless.”
“Beepboop thank you.”
“How do you learn moves?” Sal asked. They were running low on power points for half of his offensive attacks. “Tell me you can have one of those mid battle epiphanies.”
“I cannot,” Ivan replied merrily. “I download moves as programs.”
“Huh. Can you download Ice Beam?”
“Beginning download…one, percent…”
A whirring sound came from above her. Sal looked at the air ducts, then down at where her wound had been. All that remained was a tear in her shirt. “Nice.” She had meant to keep Oberon out of the fight, but the Cleffa didn’t seem scared of his environment at all, even with the crackling booms coming from Banksy's explosions in the dining area. In fact, she looked very at home next to the bloody Ledian on the floor. I hope she doesn't internalize all this violence. "Oberon, don't poke them."
“Two, percent…”
When the whirring grew louder, Sal stood up slowly, and understood what was going on. Someone had turned on the ceiling fans, which cleared the Smokescreen in quick order. Now everyone’s positions were revealed.
It turned out that Security Officer Eileen was on the far end of the room, next to the reinforced observation windows that lined one side of the mess hall and showed the beautiful Kalos skyline. In her arms she held her Seadra (39) like a rifle, something that would make Salieri nostalgic for Veillantif any other time.
One of the pirates was near the master light switch at the doors, where the fan switch was located as well. Two more pirates were on tables, having been patrolling the dining area hall with their Pokémon.
And the last pirate and his Jumpluff (32) were in the kitchen with Sal, only a few feet away. Banksy was right behind them.
“Three, percent.”
They all took a second to register this turn of events. Then Eileen fired.
An Octazooka crossed the mess hall to the kitchen. Salieri, annoyed she had to dodge Octazookas for the second time this week, sloppily ducked as it splattered against the pantry behind her. Banksy took out the Jumpluff with a precise Flamethrower as the burly pirate in the kitchen ran at Salieri with a haymaker.
Salieri expected Ivan to assist her, but the AI did not come to her aid. Instead of blocking with her Psybracer, she blocked with a normal one not properly braced, internally cursing at falling into new bad habits. The pirate capitalized on the pressure and continued a string of heavy punches, which Salieri had to deflect or block while stumbling backwards. “Ivan!”
Cornered at the sink, Sal’s foot accidentally activated the garbage disposal switch as the pirate leveraged his mass against hers, pushing her by the neck towards the now active drain. Her ponytail was getting closer to getting caught. “Ivan,” she gagged.
“Hold her still, Chester!” Eileen said across the mess hall, trying to take aim.
“Who’re you talking to, mate?” Chester asked Sal, struggling to keep her in place.
“Two, percent.”
“You just said…forget it, cancel download,” Sal wheezed. “Cancel!”
Her Psybracer came back online, and she shifted the pirate’s arm away with renewed strength. Oberon, now standing on the faucet, saw the pirate’s arm, then looked down at the grinding metal teeth spinning inside the drain. She looked at the arm, then down. The arm, then down. She licked her lips. She used Gravity.
A localized Gravity pressed the pirate’s arm into the active garbage disposal below. The pirate howled and Salieri’s eyes bugged out wide alongside the sounds of crunching bones. “Whoa!” she exclaimed at the surprise brutality.
She ducked another Octazooka while grabbing her Cleffa like a squeaky toy, turning off the disposal as she was squatting. Poor Chester was now just trying to remove his mangled arm from the drain. Salieri looked Oberon in the eyes. The Cleffa remained entirely unfazed, to an unsettling degree. Violence internalized.
Sal put Oberon on her shoulder, where the Cleffa could cling to her intact ponytail. She sidled against the sink back out to the mess hall, where Banksy had taken out two more pirates and their Pokémon, all charred next to a pile of chairs. The Torkoal was flying by a row of tables, flipping them over for cover and trailing smoke as Eileen and the last pirate attacked her.
The last pirate was using a Pelipper (33) to take shots with Scald from above. Meanwhile Eileen released her second Pokémon, a Golbat (32) carrying their trainer‘s shoulders by the talons. Eileen was now in the air above the tables, blasting away at Banksy’s cover with Seadra’s Hydro Pump.
“Avast!” Salieri called out to them to get their attention. Eileen didn’t fall for the tactic, keeping up her assault on Banksy’s cover, but the other pirate did. He directed his Pelipper at Salieri, and the bird belched a Scald at her.
Salieri sprinted and dropped into a slide to avoid the Scald behind a plastic cafeteria table. Ivan switched the Psybracer back on and Sal uppercutted the table up at the Pelipper. It rammed into the pelican, breaking apart into chunks and dazing Pelipper in the air while Salieri ran at and clotheslined the pirate. “Recycle!”
Oberon waved her tiny hands above her head. Green arrows circled around the debris of the table as it fell, bringing it back together around the Pelipper. It melded together and took on a new shape, that of a clunky cage. The legs and chunks of plastic trapped the Pokémon inside, pinning Pelipper’s wings to their side as the cage dropped with a thud. Pelipper struggled to break free, but without room to open their mouth and shoot attacks, they didn’t have the power to escape.
The fallen pirate raised a hand in protest. Sal stomped his head to the floor and looked up at Eileen. The Security Officer was on her own now, gritting her teeth in frustration. "I'm sick of this chase garbage. Get Prou back here, Eileen." Sal's eyes shined so bright they practically glowed. "
“Prou? The Gardevoir?” Eileen closed one eye and aimed Seadra’s snout down at Sal. “Who cares? I’m right here, b***h!”
Seadra shot forth a Hydro Pump. Ivan blasted a Psybeam right back, causing a clash that burst into a spray of water inches from Sal’s face. The shockwave knocked Salieri into the shads of a broken chair opening new wounds on her back. Oberon activated another short lived localized Gravity over Eileen before the Security Officer could take a second shot, forcing her and her Pokémon to the floor.
Banksy took the opportunity to shatter through a table and Body Slam Golbat across the room while Salieri got up. Teeth clenched, she pulled a huge wooden splinter out of her back, then advanced on the grounded Eileen. Rapidly scampering backwards, Eileen ordered Seadra to shoot.
Salieri punched away another Hydro Pump with a Psybeam, quicker than before to avoid what happened last time. Sal unleashed a Zap Cannon with lunging punch at Seadra. Seadra jumped up to make sure they took the shot for their trainer, getting fried. The Water type convulsed back into Eileen’s hands, then closed their eyes.
Sal ended her dash by dropping a knee into Eileen’s gut and grabbing the pirate by the collar. “I will tear this ship apart!” Salieri yelled in her face.
Banksy had Golbat pinned under one foot and was finishing off the bat with a Flamethrower. All the pirates and their Pokémon were, more or less, out of commission. The mess hall was in complete and utter shambles.
Eileen breathed heavily, glaring up at the Kalosian with proud disdain.
“Oooo. Tough girl now, huh? Strong or not, you’re still the same piece of s**t.”
Eileen spat in Sal’s face. Sal wiped away the spit, then punched Eileen in the face.
“Where is she?” Sal repeated.
“241 was waitin’…we wanted to butter you up for her.”
“Yeah? How’d that work out for you?”
Eileen grinned. “You tell me.”
Salieri felt an invisible, intangible force grab her by the chest and toss her across the room into a table. Disoriented and throbbing with pain, she got up and saw that in the center of room, looking right at her behind the helmet’s visor, was 241.
“Prou.” Salieri’s hostility melted away, replaced with exhausted and desperate longing in just a second. The distance to the center of the room seemed so far away. “Hey, it’s me. It’s your friend. Your Salieri.”
The Gardevoir was absolutely still. Oberon, not reading the room correctly, formed a Magical Leaf in her palm. She threw it in an arc at 241.
Sal aimed Ivan at the leaf and used a Psybeam to shoot it down without hesitation. The Magical Leaf crumbled, and Salieri gave Oberon a stern, menacing glare. Oberon could not understand why Salieri did not want to annihilate their last enemy. It must have been a strange Earth custom.
“I’m not here to fight you…I won’t. I came to take you off this ship. Take you home.” Salieri stepped forward slowly and spoke at a similar pace. "Gotengo, do you remember it? Lumiose City?...Moze?"
[You really don’t remember us?] The armored Gardevoir looked over her shoulder at a familiar Torkoal, whose dried up blood caked parts of her forehead. A hot tear rolled down Banksy’s withered face. Her bottom lip trembled. Salieri had told her what had become of Prou, but she didn't want it to be true. [You don’t remember me?]
“You aren’t supposed to be stone cold hardcore. You are not 241. This isn’t you.”
241 looked down at her hands. With the gauntlets on, she didn’t know what they looked like. What did they look like? Were they just steel after all? Thinking gave her a headache.
“Show me you know that, I know you know that.” Sal held out a hand, trying to bridge the distance between them. She was shaking. "Please. Please."
241 clenched her hands into fists, and looked at the intruding human again. The power of the moon gathered in her palms.
“I advise against this. She will attack you.”
Sal nodded. She knew that. “I won’t fight her.”
“Salieri, she will KILL you.”
241 attacked.
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 9:44 am
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The Procession
Ratio continued his path through the parked procession, the old butler's hat casting a shadow across his borrowed face. The real Cédric hadn't been disposed of, and hovered around Elizabeth Leroux's limousine. Keeping him conscious was a necessary risk in such a crowded area, but it afforded Ratio the ability to maintain a bond to the butler's aura that served to camouflage his own. Jean Pierre was here. He could feel it on the air, on the soft hum that sat somewhere between the breeze and the sun's burning pressure.
The assassin passed the Nostrad vehicles, a cluster of black-green and silver limousines where he dropped a slim gemstone from his sleeve and pushed it into the ground underfoot. Lord Nostrad's personal vehicle remained parked, though surely the order to start moving had been made minutes ago. It hadn't, Ratio reminded himself, squashing the ice-fire flush of fear before it took hold, it merely felt that way. Jean and Lord Nostrad shared a car, their auras close by.
He could end it now. The temptation grew on him. Throw a gemstone beneath the limousine, break into a full assault. Murder the bastards right there, make it painful. It would be the least they deserved.
Chateau Nostrad - Fourteen Years Ago
Ratio arrived at the Nostrad grounds on a cool autumn day. The sun dragged orange across the sky and left a clear blue flecked by stars in its wake. The air hummed with a timeless feeling, as if seconds drifted by lackadaisically, stretching minutes into eternity. He stood amongst the branches of trees, watching the guards patrol the gardens surrounding the chateau. They knew he would come. They were antsy and cautious, but they were not prepared. His recent killings of nobility lead to this point; a distasteful business, but a necessary one. There was too much at stake. He slipped from the trees, dressed in the fashion of the guards. A black suit with silver embroidery, emblems of dragons glinting faintly on the lapel.
Celarsi escaped its pokéball and clutched Ratio's face, bonding to it smoothly. It became the image of a taxi driver from Lumiose City with only minor differences. The hair was a shade redder, the nose a touch too long, but as a disguise it was perfect. He soldiered onto the grounds, reaching out with aura to be certain nobody saw him coming. A trio of guardsmen walked in a tight cluster, keeping a Luxray at their side. He removed Ancile from its ball, holding the slender Aegislash's blade at his side and felling the patrol in a single False Swipe that projected from the blade in an arc of energy. They collapsed behind a hedgerow, out of sight.
Ancile returned to its ball and Ratio kept moving. Briskly now, knowing he had only minutes before another patrol happened across the bodies left in his wake, counting the seconds. Watchog stood at regular points throughout grounds and munched on berries. Ratio formed a bond with the nearest one, pushed onto it a feeling of complacency that made it distracted by the flow of tree leaves in the breeze. He passed through the gap in organic surveillance and up to the chateau proper, where security cameras were dotted along the building's walls, leaving few blindspots to exploit.
'Halt,' shouted the voice, suspicious and narrowing on his location. 'Who are you? I do not recognise you.'
Ratio formed a bond with the man as he turned. An off-duty guard captain who had spotted him from inside. Careless. Aura only allowed Ratio to read surface level thoughts, entering his head as they entered the captain's, but it was enough to go on.
'Captain Regnard. My pleasure,' he said, nodding sharply. Regnard hadn't appreciated the initial easiness of Ratio's movements, but the assassin corrected them before turning around fully, standing straight to attention as a Balibar man might. Regnard's approval improved, but it did nothing for his suspicion. Ratio continued, adding a deeper shade to his Kalosian accent, for Regnard disliked foreigners. 'My name is Florian Lucroy. I have been sent to join the security staff.'
Regnard's eyebrow raised. There had been a transfer order from the Battle Chateau for such staff.
'I am normally stationed at the Battle Chateau,' Ratio said, maintaining his posture. 'Did you not receive our transfer order?'
'Of course I did,' Regnard spat, displeased at being questioned. 'That order is for tomorrow. What are you doing here today?'
Tick tock. It felt like an age had passed since Regnard noticed him. Strange feeling. Ratio had not stopped counting the seconds since he felled the first patrol, and his estimate of the time before they were noticed was not generous. He sighed.
'Perhaps if we had more time, I might offer a suitable explanation,' he said. 'Unfortunately, that is not the case. I apologise.'
Before Regnard could act on his indignation, Ratio dropped a ball from his palm and it split open. Fury manifested in a blaze of light, a truly monstrous beast that towered over the guard captain. Regnard tried to scream, but it came out as an empty rasp before Fury clamped a paw over the man's mouth. Ratio was sure to detach his bond before Fury grabbed Regnard by the belt and Storm Threw him into the stone pathway. Regnard's bones crunched and he mercifully fell into unconsciousness. Ratio saw no cameras, but his timescale had moved up regardless.
'Stay here,' he said to Fury, though words were not needed. They shared a connection, and to an aura master that meant they were as good as one. Fury understood, and entered the shadows beneath the walkway overhead, one that connected two sections of the chateau by a corridor. Ratio would find more resistance indoors than out, and so called upon Shepard. If Ratio's pokémon echoed him, Shepard would be the flush of red satisfaction that came with a kill. The animal aspect that Ratio disliked. The Whimsicott wore a sadistic grin as it floated on the breeze, eager for mayhem.
It was an urge the assassin had to rein in, for murder was their goal, but only one, specific murder. Shepard almost seemed disappointed, but complied with Ratio's request, passing him shreds of cotton that Ratio took in his fingertips. He applied them to the soles of his shoes and looked along the wall. He knew Lord Nostrad had a study in one of the outer rooms, and at this time he would most likely be there. Once he located it, Ratio spared Shepard a glance, and gave him his next instructions.
Hide. Shrink into a mote and store yourself inside the building. If things went loud, Ratio would need assistance in combating the guard, and they would never see Shepard coming.
Ratio pressed his fingers to the chateau's outer wall, put his foot against the stonework. Managing his aura into the patches of cotton on his feet, he controlled how sticky they were. And when he leaped, he could stick both of his feet to the side of the wall and sprint to the top. He passed between windows, the black tails of his overcoat flapping in the wind, and reached Nostrad's study on the top floor. Ratio hooked his fingers around a crack in the wall, clinging to the side.
His target did not know he was there. Too lost within a text. His hair was dark, just turning white with more pepper than salt, though the lines on his face were the kind that came with years of immense pressure. Lord Jullien Nostrad. Not even the mastermind, but an inheritor. The Court's great plan would end with him.
Ratio called on Ancile. Clutching the slender blade in one hand, and the enlarged shield in the other, he smashed through the window, shards of glass scattering in his wake. Lord Nostrad fell out of his chair, his book sent flying, his robe swamping him in a mess of green and silver. Ancile's shield shrunk to the size of a watch face, and clung to Ratio's wrist while the sword hummed.
'Jullien Nostrad,' he said. His voice was without accent, without inflection or empathy. When it came to the business of killing, it was best to cut off as much of your humanity as possible, else you erode what little you might have left. He crunched forward over broken glass, the room dark from draped windows, the sun streaming through the hole Ratio had left. 'Lord Jullien Nostrad. You have failed this country.'
'It's you,' Nostrad hissed. Ratio didn't need to bond with the man to know the terror he felt, the anger at his sudden loss of control. He felt it in all men, in the end. 'You think for one second you can-'
'I can, Nostrad,' Ratio stated. It didn't matter now if the guards heard them. Jullien had locked the door.
Nostrad crawled to his feet, back against the wall. Ratio stepped closer, and held Ancile to Lord Nostrad's throat. 'Fear not, my lord.' Ancile nicked Nostrad's throat, drawing a line at which to swing. 'Death is only a release.'
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 9:17 pm
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Chateau Nostrad - Fourteen Years Ago
For only a moment Ratio's perception of time would return to normal.
His face was splattered in blood from the wound that had cut him down. His hand grabbed out instantly as he came to life, as if by priority speed, to grab Ratio's arm by the wrist and, in one strong motion, he'd throw the assassin across the room - assuming the sneak attack hit.
To Ratio, this was one of the three men he'd cut down just moments before. No, as his face changed and melded into the other two, it was clear that he was simultaneously all three men.
To anyone else, it merely appeared to be the dark shadow of Shadow Sneak.
Folie Monde Ombre (Shadow World Madness)
In that same moment the door would open with a chunk the lock breaking in one smooth motion. Jean-Pierre entered the room, the handle and guard of a sword in his hand and the blade folding out in pieces, each one locking into place before the other did. The tip of the blade came last of the four sections of the sword, biting into the ground.
This came as Jean crossed the room to put himself between Lord Nostrad and Ratio. Ira, his Dusknoir, moved into the room, eery and silent as her Pressure began again.
Mort Homme's Temps(Dead Man's Time).
A technique that would mess with one's perception of time, making the seconds pass by slower. "Lord Nostrad," Jean-Pierre spoke, not looking back at the man, "fuyez. (Run away)" His eyes were locked on Ratio and a smile played itself across his lips.
If the assassin tried to penetrate Jean's thoughts he'd only find what Jean wanted him to. A singular desire.
I want to take you apart. It was not malicious, it was not full of rage. The intention felt almost lustful.
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 9:56 am
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Chateau Nostrad - Fourteen Years Ago
Ratio felt the pokémon's aura within the Shadow Sneak a moment before it grabbed him. Not soon enough to dodge, soon enough to prepare. He rolled with its throw, his black overcoat flowing like a cape, and landed on his feet as he swung Ancile to destroy the attack. Lord Nostrad, though old, was alert enough to take advantage of the new distance between Ratio and himself. He sprang for the door, stopping just as it blew off its hinges. Ratio narrowed his eyes. Another aura master.
'Move aside, you fool!' Nostrad snarled. Jean told him to run, but between him and his Dusclops, he had blocked the doorway. Ratio heard the panic in Nostrad's voice, even as he tried to be commanding. He bonded to the old man's aura. Panic made for easy manipulation; every emotion is heightened, and begging to be controlled. Ratio encouraged Nostrad's anger, his entitlement, and desperation to be in control. It led to Nostrad turning, and aiming his finger directly at the assassin. 'KILL HIM!'
There. Ratio twisted the slender Aegislash in his grip. One of the long, purple ribbons snapped out from the hilt, snaring Lord Nostrad's arm like a vine. The Honedge line could drain the life energy from any who dared touch the cloth attached to their hilts. Ratio and Ancile were one, making him immune to such an effect. But Lord Nostrad?
The purple ribbon devoured Nostrad's life energy, withering the arm as if the blood had been drained right out. In a few more seconds, the remainder of Nostrad's life force would leave him, and the job would be finished. Somehow, Ratio doubted this new aura master would allow him such a luxurious timeframe. He yanked Nostrad towards him, putting the ribbon away from Jean's sword so that it would be safe from his cut. With Nostrad between him and his opponents, he prevented Jean's pokémon from launching a direct assault, and anything sneakier would take too long to be effective.
Ratio turned Ancile around overhead and swung downwards, aiming to split Nostrad from shoulder to hip.
The Procession
'No, Matheson,' Elliot said simply, as if closing the book on the subject. He eyed Juliet with flash of annoyance, unhappy that she would push Matheson into danger then feed a line about keeping him safe. The assurances of a Nostrad were worth their weight in paper, and it was a grand performance if anyone acted otherwise. Elliot was Lord Leroux, the leader of an entire Court house. He wasn't to be swayed by vague resolutions.
'Lady Juliet, as a Nostrad your actions are within the purview of your father. I won't stop you from going to Shalour if it is what Lord Nostrad wishes.' Elliot kept his eyes on her, though he spoke to Matheson all the same. 'I hope you understand that once you are a Leroux, you will not act against my judgement. Disagree if you must, argue your case that you might change my mind, but know I am the law here. Matheson will stay.'
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 11:26 am
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The Pirate and the "Hero": Tower Canteen
Ben breathed in deep. Ska was better at this than him, and was using those cards. He wasn't doing this for sport, he'd already threatened to kill everyone...
Essence's strike was parried, but given the method she was able to throw herself opposite the parry, her thought process being that he would likely expect her to dodge that smarter direction, in time to avoid the fire punch, though it was a very close thing. She wasn't as evasive as before, she knew. She couldn't keep picking fights with whatever-the-hell-this-was. Not a direct one, anyway.
Essence rolled to her feet, magical leaf flying out as she did. Not towards the Mega Lopunny, but towards the flying type and their newly-caught trap card. She would be prepared to move away from the mega if given any opporunity to do so, of course. But not in a way that would leave her completely open.
Manny, meanwhile, would motionlessly launch a psychic towards the mega pokemon, who was likely not paying as much attention. And what attention his trainer was paying might be lost, considering there were no gestures as to the direction of his attack.
*****
Francis's Downtime
Francis was in sight of the enemy, and so they were in sight of him. With a deep breath, the pokemon used agility and got ready for the final stretch.
****
Secret Agent Mouse and The Shadow: The Fishbone - Lower Deck
Fortunately for the duo, the gambit had worked and they were able to get a decent distance away without being seen by any humans. Apparently, at least.
Hazard's suggestion was a good one, honestly. Even if that ghostly whisper made his fur stand on end a bit. [That's a good plan, Shadow. Think you can hypnosis one of them into telling it to us?] He would lead the way down the hall, hoping that Hazard would continue to follow, and would make his way towards the hangar, given he wasn't so keen on going up.
He only needed a sniff of the rancid socks to ignore the lockers and start his way towards something else. If Hazard felt like looking, he might spare a moment for the pokemon to look, though.
Once they saw the group playing cards, he would take a moment to whisper.[I have a plan, Shadow. Wait until my first attack finishes, then you take care of the blue one with the horn.]
He hoped that was enough of an explanation since they didn't know how long they'd have until the pokemon saw them, maybe the shadow pokemon could hypnotize the ground type into giving them what he wanted?
He would rush as quick as could be managed to get between the pirates and pokemon before activating a Magnetic Discharge, with hopes they'd think he was some trainer's extra pokemon or something if they saw him in time. The ability would explode out, similar to a normal discharge, aiming to catch all of the opponents at once, but they would find there was surprisingly little damage if it hit.
And then, for those caught and affected by electric attacks, they would find themselves floating, then smacked together, the Floatzel ideally crammed between the humans, and the humans keeping each-others' mouths from yelling with magnetism as the glue to keep them from getting out of it.
Caboose decided he'd have to rely on his team mate to deal with the blue one, at least for the moment, and would fire a thunder-shock towards the ceiling to launch the magnetic-pile up there and leave them stuck, where if the Floatzel hadn't been crammed between the humans they'd be aimed towards the ceiling and put beneath them to keep them from attacking from above. If Hazard wasn't able to deal with the Nidoqueen, there was a good chance he'd take another hit.
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 11:36 am
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((I'll have the rest up later, but this is a special timeline request))
Foot Of The Tower
Noctowl barely had time for a hoot before they were laid out across the ground, sprawled and unconscious under Malis’ claws. His sudden arrival did not go unnoticed by the pirates at the door and the acolytes at their feet. “There’s more of them?”
Malis sprang into action, buzzing back and forth between the pirates like a blur. They didn’t register their damage until seconds later, when they all tried to jump the Charmeeon and instead fell down simultaneously.
Simipour’s heel collided with Seelie’s Hyper Voice, a kick against a wall of sound. For a moment, the Simipour thought their Acrobatics had the strength to plow through the vibrating sound wave, only to find out a second later that it was not the case. The monkey was sent flying into the Tower wall, down for the count.
With no more pirates guarding them, the acolytes at the Tower rose from their knees cautiously. “You saved us!” said one of them to Zack and the Pokémon.
“There are more of them inside. They mean to take the Mega Stones!”
The calm after the storm was broken once again, by a far off cry of “Nobody move!”
From behind a building came the pirate that had opted out of landing on the roof to fight Zack. Now he was in sight approaching the foot of the Tower with his Crawdaunt (31). The crustacean’s legs clicked on the cobblestone. In between one of his sharp open pincers was an elderly acolyte woman, stone faced despite the imminent threat of being clamped.
“Nobody move, or granny gets split in two,” the pirate threatened in his thick Orrean drawl. A bead of sweat ran down the side of his head as he looked to Zack with a gulp. “I mean it! Return your Pokémon, right now!”
The acolyte woman, unflinching, also looked to Zack’s eyes. She shook her head.
Behind some potted plants that Zack's Pokémon happened to not destroy earlier in the day, there was a young acolyte hiding with a shovel in hand. He poked his head out to check the scene. If he had twenty seconds, he'd be able to sneak up on the hostage taker and knock him out with a clean shovel smack to the dome.
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 11:53 am
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((See? I told you I'd have the rest up later. Keep in mind that Zack's timeline is slightly behind, and the funeral procession is behind further still))
The Procession
Elliot’s quick rejection of Matheson’s plea left the young Leroux flabbergasted. The more Elliot spoke to Juliet, who to her credit remained stoic in the face of the rules dictating her future, the more Matheson flushed with embarrassment and disappointment. As a noble, he was used to getting his way, though less than most of his kind due to his relatively wildcard tendencies. But this wasn’t because he was told ‘no’. It was because he was told ‘no’ when it came to fulfilling his duty as a nobleman, to protect the people of his country. He could not comprehend why there was no compromise in the face of an emergency. The system was rigid in a harmful way. “I…I don’t…I don’t understand-“
“Of course. I understand,” Juliet responded to Elliot with a nod and a bow. “When our families become more closely intertwined, the law will change. For both parties.”
The last part she tacked on in a rather pointed manner, but Math wasn’t paying much attention. He was thinking about how far he could get by sprinting or riding a Pokémon before someone was sent to retrieve him. Or what sort of punishment would await him in the aftermath.
“Matheson.” Juliet held her hand out. “I’ll take the key.”
He stared at her hand. “You would go alone?”
“Yes.”
“…who’s going to have your back?”
“Kalos. If she’s as strong as you believe her to be.”
She sighed. Math bit his bottom lip. Juliet held her hand out further. Hesitant, he pulled Metis out of his grey coat pocket. The Klefki unhooked the Magic Door Key in its sparkly glory, and dropped it in Juliet’s palm.
And then Matheson engulfed Juliet in a bear hug. She almost dropped the key as her eyes went wide and a very un-noble “Eep!” escaped her. He pulled away to hold her by the shoulders and address her directly. “Come back in one piece, okay?”
Juliet nodded rapidly. She was blushing now, for reasons Math didn’t understand. Juliet cleared her throat, regaining control. “I’ll keep in touch,” she told him, before running off the nearby telephone pole.
She released Zaida, her Rotom, and the two of them transmuted in electricity. Math watched them travel up the pole, a cluster of blue sparks, and down the power lines towards the Chateau.
He was alone with Elliot now. “I…um….” Unsure of what to say, Math gave him a quick bow and marched hastily back to his limo, getting inside and closing the door.
Here, he was useless. His Houndoom, Hyperion, yawned and laid his jaw down on Math’s lap as the nobleman buried his face in his hands.
Tower Vault
Two floors below, Tentacruel was disoriented by Loki’s Kinesis. By the time he knew where Loki was, the Alakazam had already shot him. Tentacruel went flying out the window back down to the foot of the Tower, where the fall would finish off the KO.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Ellie Jones?”
They were the last words Nowell managed to say into the radio as Écarlate’s steel pincer cracked three of his ribs. Nowell was thrown back into the vault door as another pirate joined him and the third fell to the ground from Pancham’s Comet Punch.
Stunky looked up as Tryant’s huge shadow grew larger around her. The skunk gulped, but stood with pride. The dinosaur’s attack would activate Stunky’s Aftermath, giving the Dark type a sense of closure. [For Orre!] she squeaked proudly before Bide knocked her out, setting off Aftermath.
Or it would have, if Poliwhirl wasn’t Dampening the field.
Poliwhirl, going from excitement over his ultimate combo to panic, dove out of the way from Tyrant before the slow Dragon move came out, looking over to his trainer. He stood in front of his trainer’s passed out body, holding out both arms to protect the pirate from further harm with shaking legs.
Golbat was not so quick to defend Nowell, who could no longer get up despite still being conscious. The bat knew Nowell wouldn’t want it that way. Instead, Golbat, now between Helena and all her Pokémon, swooped at Helena herself, mouth agape to Bite the Unovan’s neck and start draining blood.
Tower Canteen
Skarada picked up his radio the moment Nowell tried to reach him. “Nowell? Respond!” Who was Ellie Jones? Was she the sniper that gave Benedict support in Shalour? Something was going wrong with this plan, which meant it was time for that shift in tactics. Time to leave.
At this time, Ben would receive a call from his own: the caller ID on his xtransceiver would indicate it was Mia, calling from Gotengo’s PC. She had put the number into his contacts the day before, when she modified his xtransceiver with upgraded security. If he didn’t answer, she would keep calling.
Sergio’s Fire Punch swung just over Essence’s head. The Mega Lopunny kept up her momentum, turning the swing into a full body spin. With her current speed, boosted more by Keasbey, the act of spinning was almost instant. She was facing forward again.
The harsh telekinetic wave that was Psychic rippled the air in front of Sergio, showing her where it was. While her partner Keasbey had a diverse set of options, Sergio’s usually boiled down to the same thing: hit hard, hit fast. The strategy applied to defense as well.
Sergio kicked at the ground just once, and with her sky high might, dug a hole. The rabbit dropped in and the Psychic passed over her, shattering the wall of a nearby building and revealing the humble kitchen inside. Her Dig had taken her safely underground, and the hole above her was more or less closed up with a quick shoveling from her ears.
Essence’s Magical Leaf spun at Keasbey, and the Murkrow needed a way to stop it. Despite his resistance to the move, taking that attack would hurt, and dodging it would almost guarantee that it came back around for him again. So he dropped the Trap Card from his talons, giving the Magical Leaf an obstacle to run into.
The Leaf cut through and activated the Smoke Trap, blanketing the canteen in a dark cloud that matched the one the airship was masked in. Still, it had power to spare, traveling through the smoke on its way to Keasbey. It was stalled long enough that Keasbey had a chance to flap backwards, dropping with the speed of Tailwind so the Leaf struck a barrel of water in the canteen behind him instead. The barrel ruptured, splashing its contents everywhere.
“TTFN, mate,” came Skarada’s voice from the smoke, which he used to mask that he dropped his Trap Card on the ground in front of him between his party and Ben’s. Then he stepped on the Hurl Trap he had planted behind himself, using it to zip backwards unseen at high speeds. The Hurl Trap would bring him to the edge of the canteen area, out of the smoke and much closer to the Tower.
His Pokémon took that as a sign to leave as well. Keasbey flew after Ska, and Sergio’s silhouette could be seen emerging from underground and running after Skarada shortly after.
The pirate captain wasn’t too proud to run from a fight. He wasn’t sure how it would’ve kept going, but one thing was for sure: Benedict wouldn’t roll over, and had backup on the horizon. Fighting him more would wear down Sergio, Keasbey, and his supply of Traps. Not bad, Kalosian.
Two pirates flying by saw Skarada running for the Tower. “Captain!” they called out. Ska just pointed back at the smoke and kept going. The pirates saw that as a signal to stop whoever was behind the smoky curtain. They folded their wingsuits and landed on the ground, releasing Houndoom (31) and Azumarill (30). They readied themselves for whatever came next.
If Ben or his Pokémon tripped the Trap Ska had left behind, they’d discover it was a Confusion Trap. Anyone who tripped it would be hit with a strange wave to their nerves, mixing up their sense of physical orientation for the next few seconds.
The Fishbone - Above Deck
Seviper swung, and missed, at one of Serene’s illusory copies. The serpent’s momentum carried them past the pair of Pokémon, where she landed at the edge of the deck. Hissing, the Sveiper slithered back towards the intruders.
Durendal’s powered up attack pressed Mantine into the deck, taking the manta ray out in short order. The Pawniard hovered away, as Balestra a la Mode kept him a few inches off the ground. The pirates backed away, unsure of what was coming next.
Not out yet, Shiftry flapped an arm fan and, in a single swipe, summoned a Hurricane. The funnel of wind grew larger, grinding against Lethal’s Ice Beam as a makeshift block.
Dune flew to the top of the Hurricane and spun in place, counterclockwise to the Hurricane. His spin gathered the wind around him, an opposing force to Shiftry’s that unraveled the Flying attack slowly. Without anything in its way, Ice Beam made it through and froze Shiftry solid in a block of ice. The Wickid Pokémon’s frozen face was a picture of contorted rage.
Sal’s Pawniard lowered himself to hover alongside Lethal’s flight path. Seviper was chasing after them now. The closest door to get inside the ship was forced open already. If they went inside, they’d essentially have two paths to choose from.
Following the trail of unconscious pirates and Pokémon Sal left in her wake would inevitably lead them towards the stern, where the mess hall and the crew quarters were located. The bridge was at the very end of the stern, where Erin was holed up in command of the ship.
Going the other direction would lead the Pokémon to the lower deck, towards the bow where the hangar and cargo holds were located. This is where Caboose and Hazard were working on locating the cannon. There were about four pirates in each direction.
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