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 Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2022 8:26 pm
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Monique took in the view from the upper end of Route 202, the trees stripped of their leaves for the winter as the sun started to go down. Despite the chill and the patchy snow cover, the route was surprisingly busy: a few Trainers battling in a clearing halfway through, wild Bidoof and Shinx...
There wasn't much to see that looked out of the ordinary until—
There was a rustling from one of the trees about midway through. A flock of Starly panicked and started flying in unison to the north. Toward them.
Dozens, maybe more than a hundred, of birds squawked and moved away from the tree with alacrity. The murmuration started attacking anything that could move, hassling unfortunate travelers, pecking at other wild Pokémon, and—
Peck! Monique felt one before she saw one near her. She turned around to see a Starly slightly out of sync with the moving flock, pecking at her back. She was able to shake the Starling Pokémon off her for a brief moment.
"Marowak! Shadow Bone!"
The move had no impact. Monique had never seen Starly, which were not native to Alola, and she had to stop for a moment while being pecked. She'd later learn that Starly are part-Normal.
"Flamethrower!"
Marowak's move connected with a blaze of heat (welcome in the chilly evening) and scorched the Starly. It must have done a number, as the Pokémon barely moved. She barely had a chance to contemplate before another Starly came across her field of vision.
"Flamethrower again!"
Monique had to move out of the way to avoid getting singed, but two Starly were down. She looked up again, seeing that most of the flock had passed them by as they frantically sought refuge.
The last few Starly were in the air, but something small and red on the ground caught her eye as Marowak lit it up. It was a little bug with a cream coat-like roll around its neck, black antennae and appendages. Like the Starly, it was unfamiliar to her, but unlike the Starly, it was not in a panic. It was staring at her with its eyes, which appeared to be pitch black, a vision amplified by its appearance in the ghastly light of Marowak's bone.
What...is...that?
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Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2022 9:03 pm
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A loud yelp would erupt from the grass near Sub and the others of the South side group, a burst of static electricity erupting before Aria and her Toxel would stumble out into more clear view. It would seem they had already ran into one of the odd Pokemon in the grass nearby, a Shinx having finished with a Bite on the Toxel. Looking behind her to see the other Snagems, Aria would appear confused for a moment before speaking up, "I thought this was a solo thing. Guess I misread the message. Welcome to the party! The Shinx and Bidoof are being weird as hell!" Aria told them, turning back to her Toxel as he unleashed a blast of Acid towards the still sparking Shinx.
The Shinx wasn't doing well to dodge, the constant sparking keeping it from avoiding the acid stream. But it did let it transition straight into a Spark fueled Tackle that Billy wasn't able to really dodge due to his small stature. "Fine then. Lets go loud! Billy! Round!" Aria called, watching as the small Poison type did its best little roar of noise and power directly into the Shinx's ears. "And now back him up, Hastur!" Aria added, looking to the Pokemon that was sitting on her shoulder.
A Pokemon which turned out to be a Kricketot. Letting out another yelp, Aria would knock the Bug type off of her shoulder and stare at the thing as Billy and the randomly sparking Shinx continued their small bout. "Where the hell did you come from? And why?" Aria quizzed the Kricketot, meeting eye-to-unblinking eye with the small Bug type. It was giving no response, even as Aria began to lean closer to try and force it to blink, to twitch, to do anything. But it would seem her staring contest would end with a tie as Billy Flailed around and sent the Shinx flying into her. Getting bowled over and with some mild electrocution from the fading sparks of the Electric type forced Aria to lose sight of the Kricketot for one second. And in that one second, the Bug type faded from existence like it had never even been there originally.
Pushing the knocked out Shinx off of herself and slowly standing up to look around, Aria would collect up Billy before simply muttering, "If this is a horror movie, I am so getting taken out first. Damn my ineligibility for final girl status."
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Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2022 10:21 am
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Brian was quick to follow Abby as she made her way toward route 202 from Jubilife, keeping a watchful eye out for any wild Pokemon that might show up. As it was, it was a good thing he was doing so, as a flock of wild Starly, startled by something or other, appeared, attacking randomly due to their confusion. This was a good time to test out just how Sparx would do in battle, and he let the Yamper out of his Pokeball. "Spark!" he called. The Yamper, hearing the command, was quick to obey, gathering electricity around his furry body and charging forward at the first Starly to land.
The hit was super-effective, and before the Starly could react, Sparx used Tackle, effectively knocking out the Starly. Another was quick to take its place, and Sparx had a little more trouble with this one, since it had seen the defeat of its comrade. Even still, he managed to knock this one out, as well, before a chirping noise caught Brian's attention, and he turned to see a Kricketot. The Bug-type just stood there, staring at them, yet making no move to either attack or run. "Ok, that's not creepy at all," Brian said, a little unnerved by the Kricketot's unwavering stare after a few minutes.
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2022 7:09 pm
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:07 pm
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SubonicXP The south side group would how less of a view of Route 202 as they simply found themselves standing in front of a ledge that would require more climbing than it was worth, thickets of trees, and tall grass. It was clear to them all that a newbie would be forced to walk through the tall grass to proceed, then again was that ledge really that high? Oh well, that was beside the point. Without a second thought Sub began to proceed into the tall grass, knowing good and well what he would no doubt bump into, Pokeball in hand as he prepared for the hordes of wild Pokemon that would no doubt pounce upon them. Was that chirping he heard? ( South side group: Battle at least one [or more] wild Bidoof or Shinx. You may capture one. The Bidoof are confused and chomping down any tree or other object around them, maybe even you. The Shinx are equally confused, blinded by their own constant sparking and flashing, attacking everything around them. No matter what you battle have a Kricketot appear in some fashion. Make their sudden appearance somehow menacing/creepy/startling/etc. in spite of how small and harmless they appear.)
Clare would nod silently along to Sub’s guidance, following along with the group and looking around in order to observe their surroundings. This world was strangely familiar but they couldn’t recall quite why? If they’d been in Monique’S world before this, perhaps they had been similar and this familiarity was from there? It was so strange, not being able to remember, they thought. The odd little beavers and the flashing felines weren’t so much but that might be due to this “Shadow Virus” thing? Regardless, they’d be moving quickly but carefully but quickly until, seemingly all at once, one of the Bidoof seemed to wander over while Clare was distracted and attempted to take a bite out of their foot. “I’m no snack!” They’d yelp, jerking their leg back and away from the Plump Mouse Pokémon, plucking a fallen branch from the ground and swinging it like a golf club. The Bidoof would be picked up by the force and launched a short distance away. The yelp and pitching of the Bidoof would alert two more Bidoof and a Shinx nearby, triggering a short chase wherein the glass doll hybrid would run away, chest heaving as they breathed heavily, attempting to hide before the Shinx would find them and lead the Bidoof to their location. “Oh, bother! Why in the Blinding One’s name did I come here without my own Pokémon?” They’d ask themself, gripping their golf branch tighter as they waited for another chance to swing it.
They’d get their chance a moment later as the small horde on their heels separated slightly in the pursuit. Jumping to their feet, they’d take another swing. This time, they’d connect with the Shinx and, while thinking they’d found their chance to be rid of their pursuers’ ringleader, the feline would sink it’s claws into the branch and simply hold on for deeper life, flashing and sparking as Clare swung the branch wildly in an effort to dislodge the Electric-type. “Oh… fine, keep it!” The hybrid would declare, throwing the branch and it’s attached passenger back into the grasses as far away as they could manage. In the prices, however, they’d earn the ire of something else entirely. As the Bidoof caught sight of them once again, they’d be more concerned over the seemingly glowing eyes of a small red insect staring, unblinking, from the trees on the other side of the grass where they’d thrown the Shinx a moment before. While the insect physically seemed harmless, something in those eyes said otherwise. It was as if pure evil radiated from within the pools of liquid pitch, a sinister light shining within that stare that, somehow, failed to escape the dark orbs at all.
Clare feared for their life in that moment, just knowing that, if they gave it the chance, that little bug would end them where they stood and refused to look away. It wasn’t until one of the pursuing Bidoof caught up to them and it’s attempt to take a bite out of their foot that they were forced to look away, stumbling backward in their fear and haste. When they stumbled, they’d back into a tree and, upon impact, a Pokeball would be dislodged from their collection, falling onto the ground and bursting open. As it did, a tiny little Dragon-type would emerge and look around, confused. “Visage?” Clare blinked, confused. Had the Dreepy been on them this whole time? How could they not have known? Had that much of their memory been affected to not even recall having hatched it before being sent to this world? It didn’t matter right now. “Visage, use Quick Attack!” They’d direct their partner without hesitation. This one was still very young and inexperienced in a battle. They remembered it had little reason to battle before but this world wouldn’t give the pair a choice but to practice and practice fast. Visage nodded and darted forward, using the ambient energy of the world around it to fly forward and viciously scratch at the Bidoof. The Plump Mouse Pokémon Tackled Visage in retaliation but the attack had no effect on it thanks to it’s typing. “Use Quick Attack one more time.” Clare directed, watching for others to attack. Bidoof was once again scratched aggressively as Visage darted past it at blinding speed. This time, the beaver would charge forward, head tilted low as it Headbutted Visage in anger. Once more, Visage would be unaffected. “Use Facade, Visage!” The Dreepy nodded and floated around Bidoof, seemingly deciding the Normal-type wasn’t worth it’s time of day anymore. Angered by this, Bidoof’s buck teeth began to glow black as Dark energy began flooding into it’s jaws. “Change of plans! Dragon Tail!” Visage spun around at that to see the incoming Crunch and immediately understood. Dragon energy pooled in it’s short body but as it whipped it’s tail end around, the energy lashed out and a violent whip of Dragon energy unfurled to strike at the Bidoof and sent it flying.
That would be the trigger that set of a half dozen more Bidoof that had been watching. Two more Crunches, three Rollouts and a Double Edge(for some reason) all came barreling at them from all angles. “Thunder Wave!” Visage’s body would let out a pulsing wave of electrical energy like a cage around them, catching the incoming Bidoof and charging them with electrical energy resulting in paralysis for all of them but one Rollout user. A moment after the attack went off, a horde of Shinx descended upon them, though they appeared to be more interested in the now-electrically-charged Bidoof that Clare or Visage, proceeding to engage the two groups in battle while the hybrid and their Pokémon were given the gift of a chance to escape. Glancing back to where they had spotted the strangely menacing Kricketot a few moments ago, Clare would feel a singular drop of sweat roll down their face as they realized the little bug had vanished. That couldn’t be good. Recalling Visage with the promise of catching up later, they’d quickly rejoin the rest of the group so as to not be caught alone again. |
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2022 9:02 pm
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Aile watched the others she wound up meeting with, scratching Tati behind her antenna as she took it all in. A couple of trainers in the area, Bidoof, Starly, and Shinx all in the area, just kind of a standard early trainer route. Though, the sudden flapping of wings and a flock of Starly caught both of their attention, Aile shielding her eyes as they came down. “Well, looks like something’s disturbed them! Tati, do you sense anything?”
Tatooine paused as she shielded herself with her wings, shaking her head as she swung her tail to swat the birds away. “Gon fwy.”
“Right then. Let’s not go overkill, then, and get these guys out of here. Rancor!” Aile threw out the Pokeball, letting out the small bright blue land shark, who looked around and began snapping at the birds, flailing his little arms out to try and grab them. “Hey, Rancor! Try out a Dragonbreath on one of them!”
“Gib gib!” The shiny Gible took a deep breath before letting out a gout of blue flames, his Dragonbreath hitting a couple of Starly, but only one of them was knocked out of the sky, taking the brunt of the attack.before crashing down.
“Alright, follow up with a Slash on it!” Rancor cheered and charged forward, jumping up to slash at the Starly from the air. A Quick Attack from the Starly would dodge it, however, and catch the Gible in the air, knocking him to the ground. A Wing Attack would come in afterwards to knock Rancor back, though Rancor would bite down on one of the wings to keep close to it. Finally, Aile would call out a new command as her Gible clung to the wing while the Starly attempted to fling it off. “Rancor, go in for a Dragon Claw!”
Rancor’s claw would glow blue as he swiped and swiped, finally landing a hit on the bird after he let go of it. The bird screeched and hopped away, looking back and forth before looking towards a notably loud chirping sound, though notably not like the Starly, not even close. The bird flew away as fast as it could while Tatooine growled, looking at a fair few Kricketot that just suddenly appeared and stared at the battle. “Tati?.... Rancor, come here. Now.” Aile picked up the Gible once it came over, the trainer taking a step back. “I should have planted my staff… How the hell did I not notice them sooner? They’re not leaving, either…”
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Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2022 3:04 am
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While it would take a moment for him to isolate the noises as he heard them, it gave more than enough info to know the route had seen better days. If not for the chaos that was atypical of the route, then the likely chances that the Kricketune wouldn't be the only infection on the route today. These alone weren't enough to totally give him enough to relay to anyone, but the chirping he heard would prove to be a different story...
Had they not been so close to him. Turning his head slightly, he could see a Kricketot in the corner of his eye. Then another as he started to turn more, quickly learning he'd picked a poor location to land and hide. "...at last check, they aren't generally known for hostility..." he mused to himself, noting the usual pechant to startle easily and flee was decidedly absent. Either the current chaos had them out of sorts enough to throw survival instincts out of the equation, or those were already long gone to the throes of shadowfication.
As is, the energy in the area had a sickly feel that kept him uneasy. Him having to suddenly move to evade a couple that tried to rush headlong while others went for ranged assaults with Struggle Bug certainly didn't help matters. "Right, deal with them, contact the rest. And perhaps try to get some distance from their nest."
He hesitated for a second, his initial idea being to send out his Charizard and simply roast the lot of them with a blast of Shadow Fire. But if the Kricketot weren't infected yet, they surely would be after that. Even with things being a far cry from the Shadow Virus' less endemic days, it still didn't seem terribly wise. If they were, it'd be almost better to send something out that, at worst, might be infected for it but otherwise keep the spread down.
He had a feeling he'd like it even less than who he had in mind, backing up a step and setting a ball on the ground, opening it up to let Inigo out next to him. Almost immediately, the Scorbunny wasn't keen on what it was feeling or the Kricketot shifting their stares towards him, moving to hide.
"You know, I can't blame you for a reaction like that," Sol remarked, keeping his own gaze on the Kricketot. "A much older partner of mine would do similar if they didn't like what they were being tasked with. And you can feel it too, I'm sure. The energies, the atmosphere. You'd rather be back in your ball and let someone else handle it, right?"
A meek sound would come in response, seemingly ashamed about it after the brief time in Galar. "Don't feel bad for it. I know that sort of fear, maybe too well. But right now, I'd like you to try and help if you're up for trying to combat that fear a bit. Stick by me and as far away from those Kricketot as you can; if not, that's alright. I'll get you back into the ball and switch someone else in."
In the midst of the riveting conversation, one of the Kricketot would manage to catch Inigo unaware with an Absorb, startling him for it and leaving Sol to give a perplexed look. "Have- ...I'm sorry, what?" It didn't seem entirely out of place for one to use that move, but it also wasn't something he recalled seeing much before. Maybe catching one wouldn't be a terrible idea, though it wouldn't surprise him if he simply just never realized.
Inigo's fear would drive him to retaliate with an Ember, nearly bringing down that Kricketot then and there. Even if they may have been shadowfied or otherwise driven to fight, they were still a Kricketot. There was just a lot of them. Readying a Great Ball as the horde prepared to retaliate for one of their own being struck back, Sol glanced back at his Scorbunny. "My offer still stands, but I'd start moving. NOW." Diving to avoid the oncoming attacks as well as he could, he'd hurl the ball at the singed, weakened Kricketot and have a few slam into or smack him for the efforts.
Panicking at the sheer numbers, Inigo would try to follow until one of them managed to land a Struggle Bug, slowing him down enough for several others to close in. Suddenly, distance was out of the question. "Inigo, trust me on this one and I'll keep you as safe as I can. If a little speed can be built up, we might be able to take care of these a bit more efficiently," he commented, flames beginning to spark and crackle around his hands. "And maybe a bit of extra firepower from me, if you'll excuse the pun. Worry about the ones near you and start building up your Flame Charge, I've got the others!" A wide sweep of his hands would fan the flames coming from them outward, the ensuing Flamethrower making for a wall that'd maybe make the Kricketot less keen on attacking. It'd also trap the few that got to Inigo and keep them from escaping, the bunny trying to keep whatever constituted as cool as he started the warm-up from hell.
He'd pretty much run into one of the Kricketot without thinking, eyes closed as flames were left on the ground from his steps and started building up by the time he collided. He'd get back up quickly enough to see that one struggle to get up, but not before the rest struck back with Tackles and Pounds. It was overwhelming on a lot of levels, but he was still able to fight. Kind of. Just these few were taxing. Seeing that Sol seemed to have a larger number of them at bay for now, he'd at least try to keep going. The next Flame Charge would come easier, building up enough speed to slam into another of them and use that momentum to take care of another. Even then, it felt like barely a dent had been made, and another volley of attacks came as a result. The only hint that it'd lessened any was that there were fewer attacks, but now he was barely hanging on.
He'd be able to get one more double shot with Flame Charge, doing as before, but trying to take on so many at once was already proving to be too much. A couple of the remaining Kricketot from those few were poised to attack while the Scorbunny's guard was down, only for them to take a volley of flames from Sol and go out that way when he rushed to ensure Inigo's safety. "Sorry, maybe I should've been a bit more mindful before sending you out against this many at... once..."
Sol trailed off when he saw some of the Kricketot he'd originally been able to keep at bay decide to just walk through the flames. Obviously being hurt quite a bit for it, too, but still trying to advance nevertheless. "We should regroup." Grabbing Inigo and doing a sweeping kick to scatter dirt around to both keep the flames from going more out of control than they already had and obscure the Kricketot horde's eyesight, he'd leave the Great Ball to go into storage and escape from the grass. Keeping an eye out for any stragglers, he'd grab his SNAG again.
"Hey, quick question to make sure I'm not losing my mind to old age already. Kricketot are usually docile and tend to run at the first sign of trouble, right?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 12:01 pm
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Abby sighed quietly as she and Brian were finally teleported to the northern entrance to Route 202. "Alright, now, we can get on with our business," Abby said, as if glad to be done talking to GRAY. "So, where is our little shadowified friend hiding?" she asked as she and Brian started making their way south. It didn't take long, however, for the two young Snagems to be waylaid by a flock of rather upset Starly. Unfazed, Absinthe let Angela, her Blaziken, out of its ball. "Start off gentle. Crush Claw."
Angela rushed to the enemy Starly and raised a leg, lowering her talons upon the bird Pokemon only for it to vanish underneath using Double Team. "Alright, you wanna play rough? Fire Punch. Angela reached back with her right claw and infused it with Fire-type energy. Seeing this Starly brought up a Protect to avoid the blast, but Angela was trained for this eventuality and threw and Normal-type energy-infused left-clawed punch at the barrier, shattering it before she let loose with the right claw's Fire Punch. Feeling threatened, the Starly decided to engage a retreat tactic by using Whirlwind to push Angela back into her ball, bringing out a random Pokemon of Absinthe's. This is how Abby's Bewear got involved with the fight.
"Oh, you done screwed up now. Use Rock Tomb, Fluffy!" the adolescent Deathrage ordered. Faster than a large bear Pokemon should be, Fluffy gathered an assortment of large rocks around the route before jumping over Starly and dunking the rocks on top of the Starling Pokemon. The rocks shook a bit, but were not displaced, meaning the Starly must have fainted under them.
"Good job, Fluffy. But there's a Shadow Pokemon out here, so get back in your ball for now," she said, recalling the Bewear before letting Angela back out. By then, Brian's fight with a pair of Starly was done, and a lone Kricketot was staring down the pair of Snagems. "You want the smoke, too? Bet. Use Flamethrower if it starts approaching us, Angie," Absinthe ordered.
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Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2022 7:29 pm
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Leon kept close to Sub up until they got into the tall grass. Seeing that they could cover more ground, he split off. He took out a Pokeball as instantly his Roserade popped out. And just like a ballerina, did a little twirl and then bowed. "Hush." The bouquet Pokemon was startled by her trainer's demand until she too heard rustling nearby. Leon listened to the rustling and was able to pinpoint where it was coming from until he heard a loud screech. Before either of them can cover their ears, a sudden spark of lighting hit Roserade right in the chest. Taking very little damage she skid a few feet away. Leon looked around as a Shinx popped out of the tall grass. "This isn't our target, Roserade blow it away with Poison Jab." Roserade nodded as her roses turned purple. She launched herself at the Shinx and started throwing jabs. Surprisingly, it was pretty fast as it dodge most of them. It then flipped backwards to give itself some distance. "Interesting..." Leon then took out a Pokeball and threw it at the Shinx. One, two, tree, caught!
Leon sighed of relief as he picked up the Pokeball and looked at Roserade. "Good job. But my question is....Shinx didn't make that screeching noise. I wonder-" Before he could finish his sentence, he was startled by a Krickeot staring right at him from behind Roserade and some tall grass. It looked menacing, as if giving Leon a warning. That he didn't belong here.
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Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2022 1:54 pm
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Sub himself wouldn't have to wait long before a confused Shinx came charging towards him, the Snagem leader barely having time to stumble out of the way of the blinded wild cat, his hair standing up straight thanks to the charge of static he received thanks to the proximity of the rampaging wild Pokemon. Looking at the animal it was clear something was wrong with the Shinx, and while it did seem intent on biting or shocking whatever it could it was simply acting out of fear. Knowing he couldn’t just leave this Pokemon like this he decided he needed to calm it down, for its own safety, and he had just the Pokemon on hand that would come in handy in a situation like this. “Time for a nap, kitty.” He said aloud to the Shinx as he took out a Pokeball and tossed it onto the ground.
“Oddish!” Hemlock declared as he leaped out of the ball, immediately fishing its Blackglasses out from the tuft of grass on its head and sliding them over its eyes. How did those things stay up anyways? Oddish lacked ears.
“See our feline friend over there?” Sub said, pointing at the hissing cat crackling with electricity just in front of them, the frightened critter stomping its feet on the ground at them. “It’s a little cranky and could use a…cat…nap…” The man said, grinning at his Oddish as he waited for it to laugh. It did not. “Ahem…use Sleep Powder.” Okay, so his jokes weren’t funny.
With a roll of his eyes Hemlock would turn its attention upon the Shinx and prepare to unleash its Sleep Powder…only for it to receive a face full of sparking cat as the Flash Pokemon rammed into it with a Spark, knocking the Weed Pokemon off its feet. The actual electricity empowering the attack didn’t bother it too much, the Grass Pokemon resisting it, however the physical impact of the tackle was enough to knock the wind out of the little Oddish.
“Whoops, you okay there, Hemlock?” Sub asked his Pokemon as he stumbled back up onto its feet, an action that would have been much more simple if only it had arms. “Good. Since it wants to be difficult it looks like we’ll need to teach this cat how to sit. Hemlock, wait for it to charge again and trip it up with Grass Knot.” The man ordered. Hemlock gave a confirming yelp as it repositioned its glasses and planted its feet firmly on the ground. It won’t be caught off guard this time.
Just as predicted the blinded cat would charge towards Hemlock and Sub once again, crackling with electricity as it prepared to execute yet another Spark. Hemlock watched and remained still as the Flash Pokemon charged it, waiting for just the right moment to trip it up. This moment was found when the cat passed through a small patch of tall grass, Hemlock stepping forward just once and stomping its foot, its body glowing green as the grass around the Shinx came to life and tangled it up. Immediately the cat would begin to hiss and squirm as it tried to free itself from the tangled grass, sparks flying out from the tall grass.
“There we go. Now send this kitten to the Dream World, Sleep Powder!” Hemlock did not need to be told twice, the Oddish making one big leap forwards the cat and began to rustle its blades of grass, unleashing a thick cloud of Sleep Powder which wafted forward into the twisted up patch of grass. Quickly the cat’s squirming would slow down and eventually stop completely as it succumbed to the effects of the Sleep Powder and fell fast asleep, its erratic rampage ended.
Letting out a sigh of relief Sub recalled Hemlock and walked over to the tangled up cat and proceeded to untangle it from the tall grass. With the cat free and now in his arms he looked around for a spot to lay down, finding such an area in another patch of tall grass, laying the Shinx at the base of a shady tree. By the time it woke up the little guy’s vision should be restored.
“Poor fella.” Sub said as he stood up. That was when he felt it, a pair of eyes fixed on him. Looking over his shoulder he spotted a Kricketot, standing there on the ground, the tiny bug unflinching as its wide eyes met Sub’s own. “Uh…hi?”
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Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2022 2:35 pm
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(All Pokemon used in battle gain 2 Evo Points. +2 to Darksol88 for excelling.)
While Sub stared back at the Kricketot his SNAG went off and he saw Sol’s message and without taking his eyes off the Kricketot for too long he typed out a response to the Ho-oh hybrid and sent it off, pocketing the device slowly soon after. ”If you’re going senile then I am right there with you.
For what felt like an eternity the various Kricketots would continue to stare, unmoving. Their unflinching gaze would only be broken after the sound of what could only be described as extremely aggressive violin playing. Only Sol would spot the source of the ‘violin’ music, a rather large Kricketune perched on a stump playing its heart out, or at least it would were it not locked away. The hybrid found the Shadow Kricketune they were looking for.
As if in response to the music that echoed throughout the route the Kricketot became aggressively active, each and every one of them letting out shrill sounds as their antenna clacked together violently and without rhythm, completely abnormal for the musically inclined creatures. The creepy Kricketot would then violently rush any and all living beings, including the Snagems, flailing their bodies and ramming them with Struggle Bug. Their movements and attacks would be completely erratic and uncharacteristic with no apparent sense of self preservation, the normally meek Pokemon never acting so violently. It was as if they themselves were acting like Shadow Pokemon, but as far as the Snagems could tell they were not.
A few of the Snagems were ‘lucky’ enough to get special attention. A pair of Kricketot lashed out with a dual String Shot at Aile, that is her staff as they attempted to wrap it up in the sticky string and snatch it away with the element of surprise. Deo would receive his own team effort as one Kricketot leaped up to slap him in the face with Pound while another flung a Mud-Slap right at his face in that moment of shock from being slapped, the Mud-Slapper attempting to temporarily blind him with mud in his eyes. Leon’s Roserade and Monique herself would also be subjected to an ambush of four Kricketot each, all pouncing on their targets and biting relentlessly with Bug Bite, an individual not capable of much damage but as a group it was different. Were they specifically targeting those they deemed the bigger threats? They seemed intentional in their actions.
As for Sol the Kricketune wouldn’t just stand there playing its song, well aware of the hybrid’s own presence as that tiny Kricketot tried to attack him with Struggle Bug. Jumping around to point its aftend at Sol the Kricketune would launch from its silk spinning gland a Sticky Web at Sol, attempting to ensnare him in it. While such a thing couldn’t hold a Fire-type like Sol the Kricketune didn’t know any better but it didn’t need to as its target was someone, or rather something, else. Without missing a beat of its song the Shadow Kricketune let out a garbled cry, as if both in pain and anger, and began to run north, towards Jubilife City.
While the Shadow Kricketune fled the Kricketot all throughout the route would respond to its dark song and lash out at the Snagems no matter where they were on Route 202, making pursuit difficult as these tiny creatures could and would leap out at any moment, from anywhere, and attack. And Route 202 had no short supply of Kricketot, these things had very large numbers, a trait which made up for their feebleness of their species.
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Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2022 3:43 pm
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Once the wild Pokemon problem had solved itself, Absinthe continued down the path, expecting Brian to follow her. The two young Snagems wouldn't get very far, though, as the wild Kricketot population began swarming the area to the call of their evolved, shadowified brother. Abby braced herself for a fight when she realized the quantity of Bug-type pokemon before her, but she quickly realized that they weren't at all focused on her. Or Brian. In fact, the Kricketot didn't seem to notice them at all.
"I have a feeling that if we cut a swathe through these Kricketot, we'll find the Shadow Kricketune," Abby said to Brian before turning to her Blaziken. "Angela, cut the Kricketot down with Flamethrower. We need to get to Shadow Kricketune and pacify it asap."
Absinthe had no idea the horde of Bug-types didn't see her as a threat, but the Kricketot army would pay for their insolence as fire rained down upon them, burning a path toward their shadowified leader.
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Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2022 6:51 pm
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"Good to know it isn't just me, then."
As soon as Sol had hit 'send' on the message he typed, he'd hear what could only be described as boss music when Kricketune made their presence known with the angriest violin around. Immediately followed by the Kricketot he'd attempted to catch breaking free from the ball he threw, attacking him with Struggle Bug and alerting Kricketune to his presence. The attack itself was barely anything to him still, but the energy from it was dampening his own abilities otherwise. Not that this mattered much when his legs were bound by String Shot and he gave the dullest surprised look he could.
"...oh no, I'm bound by String Shot," he remarked before simply aiming a hand at the ground to burn away the string immediately. It did succeed in slowing him down long enough for the shadowfied bug to start making for the city, though, and he set Inigo back down once he was free. "Inigo, we're giving chase. Keep your Flame Charge ready, we might need the burst of speed." This wasn't the only reason for the command, given the other Kricketot around and poised to attack; the Flame Charges would ideally let the Scorbunny handle them en route and possibly build up more speed in the process.
Sol was quick to follow, ready to either attack or try using a Great Ball to slow Kricketune down provided he got close enough to be in range. After taking to his SNAG yet again and going for a voice message, that is.
"Pretty sure I wasn't the only one to hear that aggressive dirge, but if anyone's in the city, be ready to intercept! I found Kricketune, but it managed to slow me down for a second. It's rushing for Jubilife as I speak!" As soon as he finished, he put the SNAG away and took a Great Ball into one of his hands.
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Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2022 10:32 pm
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Monique took a breather when a shrill, clearly mistuned noise further down the route's slope broke the quiet.
It was the cue for hundreds, if not thousands, of Kricketot to rabidly swarm anything that moved. And everything. Including a Zoroark.
Bug Bite was not a terribly powerful move on its own, and Kricketot were not normally powerful on their own, but a pack of four benefiting from a type advantage was indeed painful. Bug types were not very common back on Aether Island; Ribombee and Cutiefly were still around, and the occasional Scyther, Scizor or Heracross was to be found, but Wimpod had been nearly completely wiped out.
"Ow!" She realized in between bites that she needed Marowak's help. "Marowak...uh...Flamethrower! And be careful!" The Cricket Pokémon were moving erratically, evidently driven by the noise coming from the Kricketune. In response, Marowak started short blasts of flame toward Monique's direction in an attempt to blast the bugs away with heat.
The bugs were hardier than would be normally expected for a Kricketot (not that Monique knew that) but did eventually succumb, either fleeing or being singed. One Kricketot was burnt to more of a crisp, having been unwilling to let go, with its back charred a deep black. The heat caught Monique's fur a bit as well, which was not a welcome sensation.
The fox was about to give another command when she heard the Kricketune moving at a rapid clip in her direction—and then past her—toward Jubilife City. Any relief that might have provided as to what the Kricketot were doing, however, was short-lived, because the bugs kept coming.
"Marowak! Scorch any of them that come close!"
The problem was that there were a lot of these creatures, especially in a clearing. If Marowak was aiming in one direction, Monique was exposed from the other side, and she was at a type disadvantage. Thinking quickly, Monique picked her up gently and started rotating from side to side, like an old oscillating fan, pivoting enough to leave the ground at her feet mostly full of burned Kricketot and give her a break from anything that wanted to Bug Bite her.
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Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2022 1:45 pm
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Recalling Visage to it's ball for the time being, Clare found themself suddenly caught off guard by a horrible, discordant sound like some kind of familiar string instrument being played by someone without a care for it. They couldn't name the instrument right away but they recognized it's sound, at least. And it certainly appeared to have a similar effect on the local Pokemon. The strange little crickets like the one that had been glaring at them from the trees began to pour of the the wilderness like water droplets in a rainstorm, flooding the surrounding area and focusing on a few of the others in the area. For some reason, they'd been left mostly alone for moment, deciding it would be safe enough to try and follow the path of the big one they'd sensed a moment before. They wouldn't make it far before they found their path impeded, if not by intend, then by pure happenstance of their proximity to others who were being attacked.
Clare picked up another stick that had fallen during all of this and, holding it carefully, they began to charge toward the nearby city of Jubilife, following the trail of the creature they could only assume to be the leader of this gargantuan band, swinging as needed and launching bugs left and right rather indiscriminately as the crickets got in their way. After a short distance, they'd be forced to send out Visage once more, however. "Use Disable on any that get in our way. I'll get rid of them after that." They assured the little Dragon-type with an encouraging smile, though they couldn't help but worry here. the pair would resume making progress afterward with Visage using it's ghostly powers to immobilize the walking obstructions that appeared before they could turn attention to them and leaving Clare to send them flying like oversized golf balls. After a short way, Clare's body seemed to be almost glowing as, it seemed, the blows from their branch were apparently enough to trigger their innate Beast Boost, making them stronger and making each successive attack afterward capable of launching the next victim a little farther. "I can't keep this up forever..." They panted at last, struggling to keep moving toward the city. "What do we do?!"
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