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 Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 10:47 am
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Tower Vault
Seconds after Helena Teleported out of the Vault Room, Skarada came running up the stairs, breathless. One glance at the room was all he needed to know what had gone down. His lieutenant had been brutally defeated. And one of his crew’s Pokémon had been slaughtered.
“Nowell,” he called out, hastily marching to the lieutenant while ignoring the Pancham and Floette that he didn’t know. Sergio, now returned to her normal form to conserve energy, and Keasbey were right beside him, keeping watch. “Secure ‘em,” he told his Pokémon. The Lopunny and Murkrow faced Helena’s remaining Pokémon, vigilant and bitter around their fallen comrades.
Nowell was drifting off, eyes fluttering open as Ska slapped his face. “Oi, keep it together mate,” Ska ordered while opening up Nowell’s flightsuit. The bruises on his chest suggested internal bleeding, and Ska noticed the lack of a walkie talkie. Whoever defeated him looted him as well.
“Cap’n,” Nowell coughed miserably, spattering blood onto Ska’s hands. “…not my finest work.”
“Nah, but you’ll get a second chance,” Ska tried to reassure his friend, not quite believing it himself. “So shuddup, yeah? Save it for later.”
Nowell gripped onto his captain’s wrist, squeezing it tight. “This country…we should’ve never come to Kalos, Ska.”
Skarada could hardly look Nowell in the eyes. A failure to lead his mean out of a fight was a disgrace to a captain. The number of crewmates who could still run were dropping like flies. His carefully laid plans were coming apart, and for what? A stone?
“Yeah, I know…I’m sorry for that, Nowell.”
Ska stood up, fists clenched at his side. He took one sharp look at Pan and Feather, Pokémon left behind by someone else. Pokémon that may have killed his friends. A thought rolled over in his head a few times, and he took out his radio.
The Fishbone – Above Deck
Before Zack and Helena could enter the ship, they would hear a rumbling sound growing louder from inside. The sound echoed more and more, accompanied by a deep battlecry until what was left of the automatic doors burst open.
Out rolled Biz Marquis, whiffing a surprise uppercut due to a lack of targets as he uncurled from his ball form and stood up, hulking and almost intimidating. Atop his head was Reynard. [I AM MASTER OF ALL I SEE!] the Vaporeon cackled, until she and Biz noticed there were no enemies on deck. Only the Redgrave siblings. [Oh.]
[This isn’t the cannon,] Biz groaned, scratching his head.
[You don’t know that.]
{Uh-huh, a cannon looks like the thing I grow on my arm to shoot seeds, that’s why Sal calls it a cannon.]
While Biz and Rey debated what a cannon could or could not be, Nowell’s radio that Helena lifted off his person crackled to life. Out came Skarada’s voice.
“Alright mates, vault’s clear! Had to slay a couple of guard Pokémon but I’ve got the loot. Rendezvous time, we’re out of here!”
The Fishbone – Mess Hall
Years ago, when Salieri and Prou used to play fight in Arnaud’s living room, they kept a tap out system for if things got out of hand. If Sal struggled against the Ralts’ budding Telekinesis, or if Prou felt Sal’s chokeslam was going too far, they’d tap out. Game over.
It occurred to Salieri, as 241’s hand was wrapped around her neck and pinning her body to a cafeteria table, that Prou had never successfully gotten off a chokeslam of her own against Sal until now. It was almost funny. Then again, that humor may have come from a sudden case of oxygen deprivation. The only real feeling she had through her delirium was desperation.
“Prou,” she gagged, trying to pry the armored Gardevoir’s hand off her throat using the strength provided by Ivan’s Psybracer while slapping her other hand on the table. “I…tap…out…”
241 was lifted off the ground and off of Sal by Banksy, who tackled the Gardevoir to another table. As Sal took some necessary breaths, Banksy pressed 241 flat onto the table with her bodyweight, struggling to keep her there. The Torkoal tried grabbing onto the nefarious helmet with her teeth, but 241’s free hand was pushing her away.
Oberon, small as she was, jumped onto Banksy’s shell and used Gravity on the table. “Priiprii!” she crooned triumphantly. The three Pokémon shattered the table and fell to the floor, where they were pressed hard by Oberon’s power.
And then Salieri joined the dogpile from the other side, clutching 241’s helmet with the Psybracer. She didn’t know how to undo the brainwashing, not really. But yesterday, when the helmet was broken, she saw her old friend underneath the mindwiped weapon. Break the chains, free the slave. That was the only plan she had.
“Let-me-help-you!” Sal growled, peeling off scraps of machinery and wires. The helmet sparked and 241 howled in pain.
And suddenly they were all in the air, Teleported up to the ceiling by 241. Oberon cancelled her Gravity, but it was too late to undo their descent. The four of them plummeted to the ground and 241 leapt to her feet, gaining space while training her eyes on Salieri.
“WA-CHA!” 241 whooped, careening through the air with a Psyshock empowered jump kick. Banksy Rapidly Spun into the attack with her shell, knocking it off course and taking the damage for Salieri as the trainer got her footing back.
Oberon jumped onto Sal’s shoulder, using the girl’s hair as a lifeline while Salieri ran into the fray. As Banksy sponged and deflected an onslaught of 241’s melee attacks with her shell, Sal used the Torkoal’s shell as a stepping stone, jumping again onto 241’s back. The Gardevoir spun around, trying to shake Salieri off while the girl once again tried to break the helmet.
Ivan’s voice piped up over the struggle. “This strategy’s odds of success are declining. 5.634-”
“Never tell me the odds!” Sal barked at her wristwatch, peeling away layers of steel on the helmet with her empowered arm. “Prou, just stop-“
241 jumped back with Telekinesis, slamming herself and Salieri into the mess hall’s buffet counter. Salieri drooped off of the counter and into the kitchen side. When she looked up, 241 was standing on the counter, looming over her. The visor was cracked now. Sal saw one of Prou’s eyes, dulled by the suppression of her personality.
The looming didn’t last long. Banksy came up behind 241, used her teeth to grab the Gardevoir’s ankles, and flung her across the room. Oberon removed Salieri’s bruises with a Heal Pulse and Sal jumped back over the counter.
She saw Banksy stuck on her beck, helpless as 241 sat on her stomach and landed a flurry of Psychic punches to her face. Banksy tried a Rapid Spin again, but 241 held on, still throwing out haymakers. The Torkoal’s eyes pleaded with her old friend. 241 didn’t hesitate to continue.
[If that’s how it is,] Banksy said sadly. Running out of energy, Banksy spun again, this time ejecting fire from her shell that swirled up into a vortex. The Fire Spin knocked 241 off of her and into a piles of upturned chairs.
“Banksy!” Sal cried out. The Torkoal coughed up a plume of smoke before dropping her chin to the ground, defeated. Sal took the second to return Banksy to her Pokéball-
And already 241 was upon her, swinging a spinning jab at Sal’s head with her bloodstained hands. Salieri ducked, reactivated her Psybracer, and continued to back up as 241 rained a barrage of Psychic punches at her.
It was all Salieri could do to keep bobbing, weaving, and blocking the attacks with Ivan’s help while Oberon held tight to Sal’s ponytail, nearly falling off with every shake. Something had changed. 241’s attacks weren’t as strong as they were before. Was she losing power? Getting tired? Salieri’s hopes were wavering back and forth, but right now she hoped that this was Prou fighting to get free.
“PROU!” Sal roared, catching a punch with her Psybracer hand. The two of them struggled against each other in the center of the room. Sal grit her teeth. “Your name is Prou! You hate clothes, you’d never wear this crap-“
241 used her other arm to jab Sal in her gut. The punch ruptured Salieri’s kidney, causing her eyes to bulge wide in ludicrous pain. Two green arrows spun around her gut, and Oberon fixed her insides with a speedy Recycle. Being remade was just as painful as being torn apart. Still, Salieri stayed standing, looking the Gardevoir in her one exposed eye. “You like ice cream-“
241, still stuck in the Psybracer’s grip, kicked at Sal’s leg. The girl’s kneecap was shattered immediately, and in the following seconds her Cleffa remade it once more. Sal’s leg faltered as she almost bit through her own tongue, but she stayed standing through the immense physical agony. “You like kung fu movies-“
241 delivered a headbutt to Sal’s face with her helmet, breaking Salieri’s nose. Oberon laid down a Heal Pulse in response, fixing it up to where it was before it settled. Blood still ran freely down her nostrils, mucking up Sal’s voice. “And you don’t like Moze’s lame jokes-“
Tired of being held in place, 241 tried to break the hold by twisting Salieri’s arm. Salieri spun with the twist but 241 continued by flipping Salieri over her shoulder and onto the floor. Before Salieri could get up she rammed a foot into the trainer’s gut, sending her sliding across the room and into a table. The wind was knocked out of her, and one of her ribs was cracked.
Sal stood up as 241 walked to her, slow and deliberate. She put a hand on the table to keep herself steady while Oberon healed her once more. “You don’t like…coffee…”
241 faltered as she walked, like something had taken a hold of her. That hesitation didn’t last long. With a loud “WA-CHA!” she swung a roundhouse kick at Sal’s head, cloaked in Psychic energy. Sal ducked the kick, which left a rippling dent in the metal of the wall behind her. “Sand, bad moods, stools without backs.” Sal hacked up dry blood from deep within her lungs. “You hate all that stuff.”
241 screamed again. It was as if every word Salieri said was causing her pain. She once again tried to jab Salieri in the face, but Sal caught it with her Psybracer. “And you hate when I don’t shut up, so make me stop and WAKE UP ALREADY!”
The Gardevoir, with a flick of her wrist, threw a precise Psychic wave at Oberon. The Cleffa was knocked clear off of Salieri’s shoulder and landed in the nearby trashcan. She had the wherewithal to crawl out before slumping to the ground, unconscious.
Salieri released 241’s hand and slid back, picking up and cradling her Baby Pokémon. “Beepboop I must follow my core parameters,” Ivan informed her, and the Psybracer shut off.
“What does that mean?” Sal spat back, returning Oberon.
“If you continue not to fight, you will die. So.”
The screen of the Pokégear glowed once more, and from it came a Charge Beam. The tightly bound electricity cluster whizzed by 241’s head as the Gardevoir expertly ducked it, closing the distance between them.
Before Salieri could admonish Ivan for going against her orders and trying to harm Prou, 241 delivered a swift side kick at Salieri’s arm. The Pokégear’s screen shattered and Salieri was tossed aside, left with a broken wrist that Oberon could not heal.
Salieri hardly had the strength to stand. Oberon’s rushed heals were imperfect, leaving parts of her insides scrambled up. “Ivan, are you there? Ivan!”
“Beep…boop…signing…out…” came Ivan’s voice, distorted. The Pokégear died.
Sal looked up at 241 standing over her, motionless. The two of them were alone now. No one else was here to see what had become of her old friend. Or what Salieri would do about it. There was no one to judge her but herself.
The will to keep going was sapped out of her. Salieri flopped onto her back, laying on the floor and staring up at the ceiling pensively while 241 just stood there. “It’s my fault you’re like this…”
Now that she stopped trying, she could feel the tears falling off the sides of her face. She wondered how long she’d been crying for. It didn’t matter, really. No one else but 241 would see. And she was a stranger.
“If you can’t tell who you are, I can’t take you home. I can’t go home empty handed. Not without the family. I won’t. I won’t.” She wiped away her tears, but they kept coming. Sal sighed. “And I’m tired. I’ve always been tired…”
She slowly sat up, rising by her knuckles. Sal looked up at the prize she couldn’t claim. The life she was failing to save.
“So if you’re gonna kill me, just do it.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 12:26 pm
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The Fishbone – Above Deck
As the siblings started forward, out would come Salieri's Pokemon. Helena stopped, Loki tensed, but neither one attacked them.
And then Ska's voice came through the radio. If Zack were paying attention he'd see the color drain from her face. She hesitated, just for one moment, and then she lifted the radio up and said, "sorry captain, there isn't anyone left to come back to." Then she'd hold the button down as she used her free hand to retrieve a cloth band from her bag. It would only take her a few seconds to wrap it around the radio, forcing it to remain on.
Anyone who talked on the line while it was like this would be greeted with a staticy screech of horror and pain. Setting the radio down, Helena would turn to Zack. "Let's go," and she'd be off.
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Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 12:08 am
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The Fishbone - Ben and Pals
Benedict saw the cannon fairly easily, and flew closer to it. Manny made a mental connection with Caboose, and suddenly a thought sprang into his head. He could use three points to try triangulating the entrance to the cannon. Sort of. Worst case, he could get a pokemon inside. One both small and strong...
Like Essence.
He relayed this idea to Mia, and helped Essence to slip into the room with the cannon.
"We might be able to do damage from out here, but I'm not sure it'll work out how I want it to. Caboose is inside, if she's here then he'll know which way to go." Manny glanced at him, and Ben paused.
"I could also put Manny in there. It's a lot of eggs in one basket, but I don't know if I can make it, they might have to do."
Essence would slip into the room, prepared to unleash a solar beam on any hostiles inside.
Secret Agent Mouse and the Shadow: Operation Cannon Eater
Electricity danced along the mouse's cheeks, moving at the speed it was accustomed to, and moving along his Static-y body towards his tail. [Shame.]
Caboose dodged this time, fast enough that Floatzel wouldn't hit his body with the Aqua Jet. Instead, the pokemon would have a seemingly-useful tail to try grabbing. Whether or not he did, Floatzel would brush it with his current trajectory.
And touching it would have him greeted by the Thunderbolt that had built up on his tail.
If that was enough to put down the Floatzel, he would sigh and give a small bit of wisdom, meant for the pokemon before he passed out. [You're not justified in being a monster just because one attacked you. It's childish to think otherwise.]
If it wasn't enough, he would press the other pokemon with another thunderbolt to force him to keep moving.
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 3:58 pm
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The Fishbone – Mess Hall
“I just wanna put my family back together,” Salieri wearily told 241 from her seat on the ground. By now what was left of the mess hall was going up in flames. The sprinkler system in the hangar was drawing the water away from the cafeteria. The fire wasn’t going away any time soon.
241 stood over Sal, her fists aglow with a psychokinetic aura. “But if you’re not gonna come home….and you’d rather end me…” Salieri closed her eyes and sighed. “Whatever. Just do it.”
The Gardevoir nodded in a slow, creaky way, but she didn’t move. She couldn’t. Her fists shook at her sides. Sal opened her eyes and grimaced at the standstill. “What are you waiting for? I said do it.”
241 took a step back and opened her mouth, trying to make a sound. Sal got up, groaning from her broken wrist that Oberon wasn’t there to mend. “******** DO IT already! I want you to!”
The Psychic clutched the sides of her helmet, crumpling over in what appeared to be pain. Sal froze up as the air around 241 undulated, pulsating outwards from her body. With each pulsation, a piece of her armor was shed off.
She floated into the air as the pulses sped up in frequency and strength. With one loud cry of anguish, she arched back, and the metal armor that restrained her came off like a shed cocoon.
Sal held up her good arm, shielding her from the pieces of steel flying out in every direction and bracing herself against the shockwave of awakened power. She watched Prou land gently on the ground, looking around the room as if this was the first time she’d ever seen it before.
“…I knew you couldn’t…” Sal said with quick relief. Still, she was hesitant to be sure that this was her old friend. Sal tried to catch eye contact with the Gardevoir. “Is it you this time, Prou?”
Prou startled at the sound of her name and the sight of Salieri. Then she looked at her hands, both of them covered in blood. She dropped to her knees. She was shaking. “Ah…ah…” Prou looked to Salieri for confirmation.
“No. No no no no.” Sal shook her head and lowered herself next to Prou. She pulled Prou in for a hug with her good arm. “It wasn’t you, baby, it wasn’t you. Not your fault.”
She felt Prou’s muffled, quiet sobs in her chest. Sal looked around the mess hall. It truly lived up to its name now. But she would’ve torn up so much more to get to this moment. The ship was still in the air, and Salieri had broken off contact with the rest of her team. Shalour City could still be in danger.
Nevertheless, as Prou held Sal like the Pokémon’s life depended on it, Sal savored the moment. No one else mattered right now.
“Prou, listen.” Sal pulled herself away from Prou and held her steady by the shoulders. “Do you remember what happened to you these past few years?”
Prou thought about it for a moment, then nodded. She looked off in the distance, past the wall of reinforced glass windows out to the sky and sea. Salieri was not one to get ahead of herself when it came to hope, but she couldn’t help smiling now. “That’s good, we need that. I’m gonna get you out of here, and we’re gonna find the others. I have so much to tell-“
Prou stood up and walked to the windows. It was clear she was only half listening. Something else had her attention. The Gardevoir placed a hand on the window and stared at the clouds. The empathetic node on her chest was humming, blinking slowly with green light. “What’s wrong? Prou?”
In a flash, Prou Teleported. Just like that, she was gone.
Alone once more, Salieri stood in the center of the mess hall, searching for words that would only reach her own ears. She spun around, looking for Prou, hoping this was just a weird circumstance. Prou was nowhere to be seen.
“Don’t go.”
Tower of Mastery Island
On their captain’s command, the pirates who were still in play on the island were ready to shift into the final phase of their plan. No one could question the call, mostly because an unfamiliar voice jammed the shared frequency after it was given. Though confused, the pirates knew only what they were told. And so, loyal to Skarada, they headed to the rendezvous.
The pirates looked to the sky, got running starts, and activated the single air pressure release on their wingsuits. The one shot burst of air propelled them upwards, giving them the lift they needed to get from the ground to the top of the Tower. Those who could would carry their fallen comrades up with them. The display of numbers going up in their air was not as impressive as their fall from the sky.
It was at the top of the Tower that the pirates would be extracted by Erin. But only when it was time.
The Vault
Ska took the screeching radio away from his ear. He had never heard that voice. It sounded like a teenager, and not a Kalosian at that. “Must be the infamous Ellie Jones.”
He looked off to his side, past where Pan and Feather had been knocked out in short order by Sergio and Keasbey and to the door of the vault, busted open by Sergio’s immense strength. Laying inside was a trove of Mega Stones, and other national treasures waiting to be plundered.
But he was only one man, and one man could only carry so much. The sight of the treasure didn’t bring him catharsis. It was a reminder that this plan had gone awry.
Ska reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out a burlap sack. He switched the radio to another channel. “Erin, we’ve got interference.”
“No kidding, love. And we’ve got company on the ship as well.”
“More? Not just Salieri, then?”
“Salieri I can handle. But I don’t know these other two. They’re teenagers.”
With an impatient huff, Ska blew back his bangs and shook open the burlap sack. “Remind me to skip the teenage phase with our runt, yeah? I’m coming back now, gimme a way through.”
“Already on it. What’s Nowell’s status?”
Ska looked over his shoulder, where Nowell stared lifelessly at the corner of the room. “…”
The Fishbone – Above Deck
Before Zack and Helena could make it across the deck to the ship’s insides, the entrance door closed up and locked. Biz Marquis, who was still halfway inside, reflexively stepped back so the door wouldn’t close on him, locking him inside the ship. [Hrm?] He knocked on the door. [HRM?]
Reynard looked over her shoulder. She could turn back into water and slip under the cracks in the door. Breaking it open would take some time, so the humans were on their own.
“HOLD IT!”
On the far end of the deck, another swirling wormhole opened up. Out dropped Skarada, Sergio and Keasbey. Slung over Skarada’s shoulder was the burlap sack, filled with treasures unforeseen. He was a criminal Santa Claus.
“At least wipe your feet before entering my house!” Ska called to the Redgraves over the din of the wind. “I haven’t even given you the tour!” The girl next to Zack was one he’d never seen before. She looked similar to him. A sister, maybe? Cousin?
“Ellie Jones, yeah?” Skarada asked, now doubting heavily that it was her real name. From out of the sack he pulled a tightly bound ball of white and darkly colored fur, the size of a soccer ball. It was drenched in blood. “Gift for the guest.”
He dropped it on the deck, where it made a sickly plopping noise and failed to move. “There was a Fairy too, but I dropped the flower in my portal. Could be in any world now. Whoops. Butterfingers.”
The Fishbone – Hangar
Floatzel took the bait, grabbing onto Caboose’s tail with his teeth. He became Paralyzed, and then shocked into submission by the Thunderbolt. The weasel rolled over, fried to a crisp in the rain.
Gotengo
Mia leaned back in her seat, chewing on the tip of her thumb. In the corner of her screen, a countdown was slowly ticking away the time left until the cannon was back online. Running out of time, and running low on options, Mia left it to the one who was actually there.
“Send in your Roselia, she should be immune to the Poison.” Mia instinctively reached for the PC’s keyboard, but her fingers never touched the keys. There was nothing she could do right now. “Make sure she watches her step. The room could be rigged with Ska’s traps.”
“Mia?” Youngster Anais prodded, poking the tech teen’s shoulder. “Are you talking to Sal?”
Mia swatted Anais away. “Use your Telepath, tell me what’s in the room.”
The Fishbone – Cannon
On the ship, Essence would find that she was the only one in the room. It was smaller than the main hold of the hangar, essentially a large closet for supplies. Inside she’d find the rest of the cannon, the parts that weren’t sticking out of the hole.
The barrel was the size of an SUV, with a wheeled base to match. It was rusty, aged by about twenty years, but wired to the old firing mechanism was a higher tech computer tablet. The tablet was bright with activity, showing a meter depicting how far the cannon’s program was loaded. It was at 95%.
The one real entrance to the room, the door, was locked from both sides with the same keypad, and the same three letter password that Hazard had received a hint of from Nidoqueen.
Pirates Remaining: 6 on the island, 2 on the ship, Skarada, Erin
Time Until Cannon Is Operational: 1 minute 10 seconds
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 6:08 pm
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The Fishbone - Above Deck
Zack laboured with every breath. Exhaustion from his battle below compounded with the thin air atop the Fishbone, so it was with great effort that he groaned and turned around. Ska. God dammit, they didn't have time for this. And to make matters worse, Zack noted with a flush of distaste, Ska had brutalised a pair of Helena's pokémon.
'What a piece of s**t.' Zack said so only Helena could hear him. 'He's trying to rile you up and waste time, ignore him.'
Reynard and Biz were trying to get the door open. If Zack could get a little closer, he'd be able to launch Fatass at it and smash the whole thing down, but he wasn't leaving here without his sister.
In short: 'Seriously. We need to move. Now.'
Shadow//Mouse
((Requiescat in pace, Floatzel))
[I don't get this door,] Hazard said, floating before the airlock leading to the ship's cannon, scratching her ghostly chin. [Password? Riddle? I don't know this stuff, I'm like five days old, come onnnn kekekeke.]
Instead, Hazard phased through the airlock and poked her head into the room where the cannon was, reached for a green switch and tapped it. It ought to open the airlock right away, but who knows with this crazy ship?
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2017 2:17 pm
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The sight of Pan made Helena's blood boil, and she would have attacked if not for Zack bringing her back to reality. A lot more lives were at risk.
"I know, go," she said to Zack as she started for the door. She grabbed Tyrant's ball, turning towards Ska to throw it and release the Pokemon as Loki watched Ska and kept an eye on him.
The dinosaur emerged in a flash of light, eyes on Ska as his feet, one still covered in blood, hit the ground and be broke into a sprint.
Maw, bloody as well, parted as he opened the hunt of the apex predator with ROAR aimed at Lopunny.
Helena turned back to face the door once the ball was thrown, set on getting to the cannon.
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2017 2:58 pm
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2017 3:19 pm
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The Fishbone - Above Deck
God. Damn. Mother. ********. ********. ********,' said Zack. Popping every muscle in his arm and chest he turned and slung Fatass's ball at the deck's entryway. The Snorlax released in an explosion of light, slammed into the door and warped the metal around its girth before slumping to the deck with a heavy thud. If Biz could get his hands under the gap, he ought to be able to open it wide enough for a person to get through.
'Let's finish this a*****e fa...st.' Seeing the blood around Tyrant's maw gave Zack pause. He decided to take it up with Helena later. Right now they had a pirate to dethrone. Seelie, who had been with the Redgraves all along of course, stepped up at the trainer's side, as did Malis. The Charmeleon cracked his neck, set his eyes on Keasbey and licked where his lips would be if he wasn't a lizard and had lips.
While Tyrant roared, Malis shot forth in a flash of Flame Jet, closing the gap immediately and aiming to send the Murkrow flying, but not of its own accord. At the same time, Seelie opened with Baby-Doll Eyes, creating a gleam of light aimed towards Sergio. Unless Sergio could move with even greater priority, the move would most likely hit and reduce the Lopunny's Attack stat by one stage.
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2017 4:30 pm
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Gotengo
While Ben told Mia everything he could about the cannon, Mia’s fingers froze at the keys. She leaned back in the chair, staring at the screen. Anais listened on as Ben talked. “The cannon?”
Those words broke through the conversation held by the kids in front of the TV. “What’re you watching?” Youngster Carter hollered over to his partner in crime, uneasy now for some reason.
“Mia, who are you talking to?” Anais asked. It was rare to see Mia stumped by anything, or to see her scared. The kids didn’t know what to make of it, only to piggyback on that feeling. “…are you not playing a game?”
Ivan was too dazed inside Salieri’s Pokédex to assist Mia with her hacking, and his firewall was nearly gone. If they tried to deactivate the cannon with the tablet and it was rigged, the payload could explode. If Ska had one of his traps as a failsafe, the payload could explode. There were many scenarios, and without complete certainty, Mia realized any one of them could lead the payload to explode.
“I can’t buy time.” Mia heard the words come out of her mouth more than she felt herself talking. “I don’t know what to do, Ben. No matter what you do, it’ll be a risk.”
The kids all got up from the TV, ignoring the news coverage to gather around Mia and the PC. She didn’t have the urge to swat them away. Having their silent support was her only comfort now.
“It’s up to you.”
The Fishbone – The Hangar
The green button reset the lock on the keypad, which resulted in the door to the cannon closet opening. The tablet on the cannon ticked the loading time up to ninety six percent.
The Fishbone – The Mess Hall
The doors to the mess hall crumpled inwards from the outside, and then burst apart in a combination of wind and water as Durendal, Serene and Lethal entered the room.
After seeing the bodies left in Salieri’s wake, Dune wasn’t surprised to find more in the mess hall. But he was surprised to see Salieri standing in the middle of the room, alone and staring out the wall of windows.
Sal looked to them after a few seconds. She was holding one of her arms, where her wrist hung limply. “I couldn’t…” Sal cleared her throat with a strong cough. “The cannon?”
Dune shook his head, hovering over to Sal before switching off Balestra a la Mode. The dust scarf around his neck dispersed as quickly as it had been woven. Sal was splattered in blood. From what he could tell, half of it was hers. But two streaks down her face were cleaner where her previous tears washed the blood away.
Sal avoided looking at Durendal, out of shame. “I don’t know how much time we have left.” Sal looked around, and gestured to the other door. “The bridge. Erin is on the bridge…”
She caught Serene’s eye. The Kirilia was in a better head space than she was the day before. She was probably in a better head space than Salieri right now. “Can you come with me?” she asked Serene and Lethal. “My team is wiped out.”
The Fishbone – Above Deck
After Fatass bent the door out of shape, Biz lifted it up as high as he could, which was halfway up the length. It was stuck that way now.
Reynard turned back into water, slipped past Biz’s legs behind him, and reformed. [Come on! It’s not here!] She melted again and slithered away back on the path they came from.
[Wait up!] shouted Biz, curling into a ball and Rolling Out after her.
“Two against one? Hardly fair,” said Ska. He grinned and grabbed a Pokéball off his belt with one hand and a Trap Card from his holster with another, flicking it onto the ground. “I like that.”
From the Pokéball sprang an Eelektross (40), swirling in the air over Skarada. Now in Malis’s path, Bosstone would be the new target for Malis should the Charmeleon decide to follow through with the attack part of his Flame Jet. Newly released, he would not have time to strike until after. But Bosstone still had some life insurance.
The ball of fur between Malis and Tyrant that Ska had dropped on the floor stirred. Once they got close enough, the two of them might realize that what Ska had passed off as a Pancham was actually a different Pokémon. The dark fur was purple, not black.
Skarada had indeed defeated Pan and Feather in the Vault, but he left them on the floor rather than bring them with him on the ship. They hadn’t been worth stealing to him, and he’d rather keep Ellie separate from her Pokémon. Instead, he opted to bring backup using his only Revive.
The furball uncurled, and Stunky faced Malis. Revived in the vault room by her captain, Stunky put aside her grief and used Poliwhirl’s blood to assist her disguise. [For Orre!] the Stunky squeaked weakly at half HP, lifting up her tail spray a Haze from her hindquarters before Malis leapt with his attack. The Haze would spread across the field, obstructing the whole deck from view for a turn if it went through.
Sergio, even with her current speed boosts, could only outstrip the long ranged priority with her own. So she did, sidestepping the Baby Doll Eyes with a short range Quick Attack. Her sidestep brought her onto Ska’s Trap Card, tripping it.
The Alert Trap produced a shrill siren noise that emanated from below Sergio’s foot. In the center of the sound wave, Sergio was safe from the slower opposing sound wave of the Roar. The sound waves cancelled each other out in a cringe worthy cacophony.
After her Quick Attack, Sergio would wash her body over with a Magic Coat to prevent unwanted status effects. She knew they had to be proactive, but Skarada had a plan literally up his sleeve that would give them some breathing room.
Meanwhile, Keasbey squawked at Tyrant with a Taunt. “Brawwk! Tiny arms, tiny arms!”
Ska pulled back his coat sleeve, revealing the keypad bracer he had worn on Route 10. He quickly stroked the keys, entering his security code. Behind Ska’s long bangs, his hidden eye began to glow green. The Lopunnite encrusted collar around Sergio’s neck glowed green in response.
“You’re the one who killed Nowell and Newt, ain’tcha?” Though he was still grinning madly, Skarada was livid. The resonance between his Key Stone and Sergio’s Mega Stone flared up. “I’m not the only monster on this ship, then! You keep bad company, Zackary!”
Time Until Cannon Is Operational: 1 minute 4 seconds
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2017 9:04 pm
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The Fishbone – Above Deck
The radio was still active, and it would blare to life with Tyrant's roar, the dinosaur's noise heard through every radio that was still on and set to the channel around the island.
Biz' efforts would not be in vain. Loki looked at the hoel and he could see the inside of the ship clear as day. It was all he needed. The psychic Pokemon would grab Helena and Zack as he moved between them and he'd say to Seelie [grab on!]
The Pokemon wouldn't have but a few seconds to do so before Loki woudl teleport into the hall, allowing the four of them to make their way toward the cannon.
A moment before this, however, Helena would hear Ska's taunt and she'd freeze.
He's dead? Appearing inside of the airship, right past the door, she'd turn toward Zack, her eyes wide with surprise. Taking a deep breath, she'd shake it off. At least for now.
They brought this on themselves.
"Keep moving."
Meanwhile, on the deck itself, the battle would rage.
Tyrant's bloody maw would part as he looked up at Keasbey. At the center of it half of a dozen white orbs would form, the color giving away to the stoney form. In the time they took to form the Ancient Power boulders would launch themselves at the bird.
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Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 9:18 am
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Above Deck
If Sergio could maintain her speed boosts, then Malis could maintain his maximised attack stat from the previous battle. With Flame Jet's priority, he outstripped Stunky's Haze and Keasbey's Taunt, and stayed dead on track. Since Keasbey didn't attempt to dodge, and Malis had decided to ignore the Eelektross, Malis's Flame Jet would collide with a brittle crunch, the boosted attack power ending Keasbey's participation in the battle before it could contribute.
When Malis cracked through the sky like a fire-red lightning bolt, Stunky sprayed its Haze and the thick black fog warped around Malis's slipstream, meekly chasing him. He landed, but the other side of the deck had misted black, giving him no time to expect the obscene, rumbling, screeching car crash of sound unleashed by the meeting of the Alert Trap and Roar. He covered his ear-holes, grit his fangs and gasped when it was over. Unharmed but annoyed.
Malis took pause. The Haze had been caught in a powerful release of air, blowing across the combatants from a single point. Malis didn't scare easy, Zack had been sure to beat the fear out of him, but even he felt an icicle trickle of trepidation. Sergio had just mega evolved.
---
Zack remembered his training. Aunt Mariah had mentored Zack to be an a*****e, but not just for the sake of it. Trainers were human; they could be distracted, out-thought and outplayed. He had destroyed 8 badge trainers when they had the better team. He'd ruined stronger opponents who ought to have won with ease. All because they let him distract them. But that alone wouldn't make you an exceptional trainer. You had to be able to maintain your focus, and ignore your opponents' attempts to disrupt it.
That was why when Ska accused Helena of being a murderer, when she looked him dead in the eye with a fast-fading strike of grief, he didn't believe it. She wouldn't. Couldn't. Ska was about to learn why you didn't drag Zack Redgrave's sister through the mud.
Or he would, but Loki hooked Zack under his sling and Teleported them into the belly of the whale in a flash of light.
Then, depending on whether Ska took Loki out with an attack before the Teleport could go through, or they were allowed their breathing room, Zack would say one of either:
'God ******** dammit. At least buy me a drink first, Loki. You c**k.'
Or
'God ******** dammit. Great job, Loki. You c**k.'
Mess Hall
Serene watched Salieri and Dune stoically, answering the trainer with a quiet nod. It was the nature of her powers that allowed her to feeling what Salieri felt, and the twisted hue of raw anguish left the emotion pokemon drained. But still she nodded, and grasped Salieri by her bloodied knuckles, channeling her with Healing Pulses in an attempt to mask her pain.
The Cannon
[Kekeke...] Hazard laughed nervously. [I could blow it up? Anyone want me to blow it up?]
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Posted: Mon May 15, 2017 7:58 pm
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Posted: Tue May 16, 2017 7:54 am
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The Fishbone – Above Deck
Malis’s Flame Jet would collide, but not with Keasbey. Going in a straight line with Bosstone in the way, the Charmeleon would not have a choice in targets as his speedy assault rammed into the Eelektross instead, sending a ripple up and down Bosstone’s rubbery skin right before Keasbey’s Prankster boosted Taunt.
The Haze was meant to be for getaway cover, and had Ska known that Malis had been boosted so highly he would’ve taken more precise measures. But he didn’t, and the Flame Jet dealt heavy damage, shaving away more than half of Bosstone’s hit points with ease.
Seeing it from the corner of his eyes, Ska grit his teeth. Bosstone was supposed to be part of that getaway distraction, but he didn’t expect Malis to be so armed. On the plus side, he finished entering the code on his bracer. The next keystroke would execute his plan.
Bosstone was sent flopping backwards in the air, stabilizing himself when he was higher up near Keasbey. Forming a Thunderbolt in his hands, the newly oriented Bosstone let the electricity fly at Tyrant’s Ancientpower, intercepting the attack in an explosion of rubble and sparks. [Go, br-br-br-brother! I shall guard the way!] Bosstone told Keasbey, his ‘b’s’ rolling off his oddly shaped mouth.
[You need to stop calling everybody ‘brother’,] Keasbey said back to him. Nevertheless, he did not take Bosstone’s cover for granted. With a flap of his wings, Keasbey dove back down to the Ska through the clearing haze.
It was easy to find Ska and Sergio through the Haze before it dissipated. His Mega Eye was glowing brightly, and the Lopunnite on her collar did the same. With a flex of her arms and a short, high pitched fighting growl, Mega Sergio blew away the rest of the Haze in a display of power.
“Hang on, Erin,” Ska said under his breath. Keasbey landed on his shoulder. “Don’t move. I’m coming.”
He clicked the last key on the bracer. The electronic readout on the screen read AREA 47.
The Fishbone – The Mess Hall
As Serene’s Heal Pulse coursed up through Salieri’s arm to the rest of her body, her physical pain was put to rest. She’d still need to be properly repaired after Oberon’s shoddy rushjobs, but at least now she was in better shape. Good enough to run if she had to. As normal feeling returned to her formerly broken wrist, she found herself grabbing onto Serene’s hand for the duration of the healing.
“Thanks Prou,” she said when it was over, not realizing her slip as she cracked her neck. Sal pointed at the nearest door, one that led them closer to the stern. “Let’s get a move on.”
The Fishbone – The Stern, Upper Deck
Salieri, Durendal, Serene and Lethal were only a few halls away from the bridge when the lighting in the ship changed. All the lights switched from bright blue to a sinister red. A siren went off: one, two, three times. And then it was over. “Merde.”
Salieri came to a halt and held out her arm for the Pokémon to stop as well. She knew what this was. Skarada had a security system to deal with intruders if his pirates couldn’t handle the job. This was a last ditch effort to slow the kids down. Just like on Route 10, Ska had activated a layer of Trap Cards hidden throughout the ship at key intervals.
It meant two things. One, Ska himself was on the ship. And two, with most (if not all) of the pirate crew having been defeated, the only ones who could trip the traps now were the intruders and Ska himself.
In other words, the whole ship was now a booby trap. “Merde.”
Salieri tried to recall where the traps were. Ska and Erin had given her a rundown in case of emergencies when she had served on the Fishbone, but that was years ago. Things were bound to change. To test out her theory, she reached into her beltbag and pulled out a spraypaint canister. With a grunt, she threw it with a bruised arm on the floor fifteen feet in front of her.
As soon as the can hit the ground, it tripped the Flame Trap, sending up a burst of shortlived fire in the confined space. Sal held up her arms to block her face from the heat, which was gone soon after. A quick fire like that had a minimal risk damaging the ship in this area. It meant there would be more. And Salieri didn’t know where they’d be.
“Lethal,” Sal said, looking to Zack’s Clawitzer. “It is Lethal, right?” She pointed down the hall ahead of them. “Can you blast this place full of water? We need to trigger the traps.”
If they could prematurely trigger the traps on the way, they wouldn’t have to worry about tripping them. It wasn’t exactly safe, but it was the quickest, simplest method of clearing their path. And they were running low on time.
The Fishbone – Above Deck, Again
Ska grabbed onto the excitable Sergio’s shoulder while Keasbey locked onto his target. Pursuit was a move that automatically tracked a fleeing opponent, no matter what. When Loki warped space to Teleport, Keasbey and whoever was connected to him were warped in kind. Ska, Sergio, and Keasbey disappeared off of the deck as Loki and his passengers did.
Now Bosstone was Skarada’s last line of defense on the deck aside from a pirate’s Stunky. The Eelektross made a quick assessment of the situation. It was him against Malis, Tyrant…and Fatass.
Fatass, by way of apathetic lethargy, made it clear he didn’t care much for the fight. Either way, he wouldn’t fit through the gap in the door he made with Biz Marquis. So he was a low priority target.
Tyrant, feral and ravenous, also would not be able to fit through the entrance gap. However, Tyrant was a big a** dinosaur out for blood. This worked for and against Bosstone. The Despot Pokémon presented a clear danger, but also seemed relatively simple minded, and on top of that looked badly Poisoned from some earlier encounter.
Malis was not only the fastest one on deck with or without his Flame Jet. He was also the only one of the three opponents who would fit through the half open entryway. No matter what, Bosstone swore to himself he would not let that happen.
His new strategy was simple: stay high up, and attack. After all, none of his enemies could fly. Slow as he was, he at least had that advantage.
So, Levitating above Tyrant and Malis, Bosstone hummed with electricity. [You shall not pass, b-b-brrrrothers!] The Eelektross let loose a Discharge, sending out a field of electricity from his body at the lizards below.
Stunky scrambled for cover. There wasn’t really any good cover around, except for the largest object on deck. Stunky slid to hide from the Discharge behind Tyrant tail, a few times larger than the skunk herself.
The Fishbone – Upper Deck, Center of the Ship
Loki and his company would reappear in the hallway just as the security sirens sounded off three times. Ahead of them would be the end of the long hall, which led left or right. The right hand path led to stairs which would bring them down to the lower deck (where Caboose and Hazard had entered the ship). The left hand path would bring them closer to the stern, where Serene had led her group just minutes beforehand.
Spaced out through the hall was an array of Flame Traps, each one five feet apart from the each other. The next trap was just one step ahead of Zack and Helena.
The captain himself, having hijacked the Teleport with Keasbey, also appeared a few feet behind the teen heroes. Sergio was already bouncing on her feet, itching to get into a real fight now. Just as Loki had to cooldown after a Teleport, Keasbey had to cooldown after hitching a ride on one, so the bird was still perched on Ska’s shoulder.
His eye still glowing, Ska flicked his wrist, producing two Shuriken Cards between his fingers with sleight of hand. “Watch your steps, kids!”
He tossed the Shuriken Cards at Zack and Helena, aiming to slice their arms. Not a lot of damage, but the threat could force them to move further down the tight hallway and into a Confusion Trap. That was the outcome Ska wanted.
Sergio took her own initiative. The Haze had only removed her stat boosts, which was a backfire for certain, but she was still plenty fast off of Mega Evolution alone. Faster than the present opponents, at least. Sergio jumped onto a wall, over the Flame Trap that was between Ska and the kids, and leapt off of it with a spinning Return kick leveled at Seelie. While both Pokémon posed a threat to her, Seelie’s Typing also posed a threat to Keasbey, making her the target in this instance while Loki cooled down.
Gotengo
“Shalour City is halfway out the door,” Mia told Benedict. The most recent news update said the city had been mostly evacuated. Mostly. The kids in the treehouse all clung around her shoulders, hanging on every word either she or Ben said.
“If they have a PA system, I’ll try to get on,” she said halfheartedly. Her fingers were at the keys again, but she didn’t feel in control. “But I don’t know…”
The three siren rounds that went off in the ship came through Mia’s receiver, giving her pause. “…what was that?”
The Fishbone – The Hangar
As Essence grew larger, the three sirens sounded off in the hangar, and ended shortly after. The two pirates who were floating in the air together from Caboose’s magnetism struggled harder to break free from each other as the magnetism started to wear off and they, very slowly, starting floating back down.
The security traps in the hangar were active as well. Fortunately for Essence, she was not standing on any at the time, though telling where they’d be would be difficult. Hazard and Caboose, hovering over the ground, would be the safest ones on the ship for now.
Time Until Cannon Is Operational: 1 minute
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Posted: Sun May 21, 2017 4:25 am
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Chateau Nostrad - Fourteen Years Ago
Jean launched himself backwards to avoid Ancile, pulling the chain to retrieve the scythe blade. The moment his feet touched the ground he would be off, running after Ratio.
Switching between the bullet punch and the night slash would give Ira the chance she needed to produce Ratio, putting the assassin in the way of the technique as she moved backwards to avoid Celarsi's attack.
Ira's gaze was upon them, the pressure of her aura causing every action to tire them out twice as much. It didn't matter as much against an Aura Master and their Pokemon, but it was something they'd have to be careful of regardless.
It was unlikely that Celarsi would hurt their master, no matter how well timed the exchange was, but Ira didn't need to rely on a tactic like this.
Because the wall beside them would explode outwards, splintering into the wall toward the three of them - all of it phasing harmlessly through Ira - and at the same time Celarsi would suddenly be blind sided with Aerial Ace, Basilic the Garchomp aiming to slam into the Ditto turned Scizor and slam them through the opposite wall and into the other room.
If it worked, then Ancile would be the only thing between Ira and Ratio.
Meanwhile... Downstairs....
The Dedenne landed in the middle of the lounge that had become the arena. Their mouth hung open, slackjawed as if it were broken. From it emitted the voice of a man who sounded as if he were speaking desperately through a landline.
"Baby, just a little something to help me get to sleep."
The room exploded a moment later in electricity, Parabolic Charge crackling through the entire room, aimed to blast away Fury and Shepard Fairy before thye even realized Serapis was there.
Seconds after the blast a Jellicent would float through the floor and into the room, the Pokemon half the pink variation and half the blue, cut symmetrically down the center. Eris the Jellicent had arrived, as backup.
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Posted: Sun May 21, 2017 4:38 am
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The Fishbone – Center of the Ship
Loki could process everything faster than the collective non-psychic beings on the ship, combined. As all of the factors rolled into his head, the only thing that bothered him was that his body wasn't fast enough to react the way he wanted it to.
Against Dune this had been a huge deterrent. Many times before, even, he had found himself defeated by opponents based solely off the fact that Loki was physically inferior to them.
Helena stood beside Zack as Ska made his entrance. Her eyes were wide, panic and anxiety mingling together as the pirate captain put himself in their way again. He blocked off the left corridor, which meant Zack and Helena would have to go right. As she pressed herself up against the wall to avoid the shuriken trap, the room would be engulfed in light.
Loki's teleport had been cut off, but not his Ally Switch. As the light faced, Ska would find himself unable to proceed forward as one of two Pokemon had been placed in his path.
If the circumference of the hall meant that Fatass would flog the entire circumference of it and physically make it impossible for Ska to proceed after the Redgrave trio, Loki would switch with him.
Alternatively, if Fatass wasn't large enough, then Ska would be faced with Tyrant who had gone mid-charge outside, and would suddenly find himself speeding toward Ska and his Pokemon, aimed to Crunch the first thing stupid enough to get near his maw.
If all of this worked Helena would look to Zack. "Keep moving." And she'd be off again, down the hall. She had no idea where she was going, all she knew was that they were out of time.
So in that moment, she'd release Écarlate to move with them.
The Fishbone – The Upper Deck
Above Deck, Tyrant was charging for Keasbey when the change happened. Twisting himself around as Ska and his small band disappeared, Tyrant would notice Stunky there, cowering - previously under his tail. He'd begin his charge and one of two things would happen.
He'd disappear to face down Ska, or he'd continue to charge the Stunky, aiming to snatch the poor thing up in his maw and Crunch its little bones until they were swallowable.
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